I'm Thankful 2012: Day 2

Today I am thankful for the wonderful family I married into. For my Mother and Father In-Law, my Sister and Brother In-Law, My Grandparents In-Law, Aunt and Uncle In-Laws, and Cousins In-Law.  I can NOT begin to tell you how wonderful and supportive they are each and every day.
From Nanny and Pawpaw who refused to allow me to put me now seven year old daughter into what they called "the nursing home"  (daycare) when I had to go back to work after Maternity Leave.  Seven years later and that still means so much to me that they committed then and there to love, protect, and care for my baby while I went to work no matter how long that may be.  Turned out I only worked 6 more months before God stepped in and made a way for me to stay home with my baby, but they didn't know that when they came to me expressing their desire. They still love to keep my children for a day, and occasionally overnight.
Then there's MawMaw the Matriarch or the Rogers family who will suddenly appear on my doorstep wanting to know if she can help me out in any way. She comes in like a whirlwind folding the pile of clean laundry, hanging what needs hanging, and putting it away.  If I'm not watching she will sneak doing dishes and sweeping and mopping by me too.  Making it look as if little elves have been hard at work in my home, and one has: a tenderhearted kind lady who loves to help out a busy working mother of three, making my life so much easier.
Next is the Aunts and Uncle In-Laws, and they are all a fun and crazy lot.  One set in particular is more than just an Aunt and Uncle  In-Law they are friends, and great help.  At least once a week Nena has my girls or son to stay the night or they just take them out to dinner.  My kids love to spend time with them.
Next is my cousins In-Law who I love to get together with just to have fun.  One in particular has become more than just family, she is a best friend, and more like a little sister.  There are times she stops by and I know its going to be an all night gab fest just because we can talk anything to death, and part wishing we had more time.
Then there is my Sister and Brother In-Law and their sweet baby boy. What can I say other than I really don't have to add the "In-Law" tag to them DeAnna is truly a sister and Josh a brother. There is an ease of friendship and love between us that is deeper than just a bond forged by marriage.  We worry about, help out, care for, and love each other day in and day out.  We can completely be ourselves around each other, and know that there will be no judgments passed just acceptance. I would trust them with my children any day hands down, and know they would love them and care for them like I do, no doubts ever, and I'm pretty sure they would say the same about us for their son.
Finally there is my Mother and Father In-Law who also really don't need the "In-Law" tag.  We are family through and through. They have been there for Kenneth and I from day one. They have worried, prayed, and supported us through our many life and ministry decisions always standing by our side whether they completely agreed with us or not.  They are AMAZING!  If either of them sees a need we have, before we know it, they are working to provide it, or helping us acquire it.  I can honestly say I do not have to buy my children clothes because my Mother In-Law loves to shop.  Before I can even get to the store to get school clothes she comes in the door loaded down from all the sales she has hit.  It is an amazing blessing that I probably don't thank her enough for.  There is not a holiday or birthday of mine that can go by that they don't acknowledge, and want to celebrate with me, and I know that is not the norm.  I take them for granted far too often, but I am truly thankful for their love support, and for accepting me into their family as if I had always been a part.
So to say that I am blessed and thankful is an understatement.  I have cried through typing this, because it is a matter of the heart, theirs and mine!  That we are able to get along so well and love each other so deeply is a rarity.  I truly thankful for and blessed in my extended family by marriage, and I wish this blessing up every married family.

I would love to hear about your relationship and the blessings you have found in your In-Laws so leave me a comment!

Have a great Day and God Bless!!

I'm Thankful 2012: Day 1

November 1st is the beginning of a new holiday season and a new month. This month I am going to blog everyday until Thanksgiving about something I am thankful for. I hope you enjoy reading about it as much as I will enjoy the journey of thankfulness.

As I stated before today is the first day of many things, but most importantly it is the first day of the 10th year of marriage with my adorable hubby.  We celebrated nine wonderful years together today.  So I am thankful for those nine years and what they have meant to me.  The security of knowing that there is someone walking side by side with me through this life.  Someone who shares my hopes, dreams, and goals in life.  Someone who makes me smile by walking into a room, giving me a sweet kiss, or with a simple quirky comment.  He knows me in all my silliness, craziness, and faults and still loves me, and knowing all his, I love him still.  It is a wonderful marriage that is blessed by God.  Notice, I never said it was perfect.  That's because God allows us to continually grow as individuals and as a union of one.  I am grateful for every day of life that I have to share in this marriage. 

If you would like to join me in this challenge I have posed myself, please feel free to. I don't have a button, or any large number of bloggers that are doing this with me as a group. Its just something I would like to do to remind myself each and every day how truly blessed I am, and would love it if you did to.  Please leave me a comment if you do join me in this challenge.  I would love to hear from you, and follow your thankful journey as well!!

Have a great day and God Bless!

Its a Giddy Day

I am feeling very giddy today.  I'm not completely sure why...hmmm  Mood swing?  Quiet house with the windows open while listening to the kids run and play on this gorgeous spring day?  clean house from the fruits of my days labor?? this wonderful Route 44 Strawberry Lemonade from Sonic's happy hour? The thrill of knowing a 4 day beach Vaca is only 5 days away?

YES!!!!  It must be all of that!!!!  I am just in a giddy happy mood and I thought I would share it with you all.  I feel like sunbeams are dancing in my heart!  I turned on my work computer to try to maybe accomplish something there and turned it right back off.  I cant work when I am this pumped up and ready to tackle the world.  Inspiration is hitting too but really the kind that say I am inspired to go outside and play with my kids on this gorgeous day.  So I think that's what I'm going to do.

Have a great day and I hope some giddiness finds itself into your heart.

Have a great day and God Bless

Easter was DE-licious!!! and a Jewel of a pin

Okay, as an update for the world: I am back on the eating healthy so I can become a healthier sized me bandwagon.  Actually, both my husband and I have jumped on together.  Which is making the journey so much more fun!  After a week of dieting I have lost 4 pounds and seven inches!!!  Goooooo Me!!! Either this week or the next I will be joining a local gym to work out with my cousin. who is already a member, and I just know the pounds are going to start melting away.  Anyway, I have been keeping a VERY close eye on my calorie intake this week with great success, and decided that since today is a holiday it would be what I call a "guilt free day".  I am allowed to eat whatever I want, in a very small portion, and I don't count any calories.  So I didn't go crazy, but I did enjoy some calorie rich foods that normally I would decline when on the weight loss track.  So, for me, while Easter was a lovely Spiritual day spent in worship, busy with the Drama our church put on, and a fun day spent with family it was also absolutely delicious!  I hope you had a wonderful day Celebrating the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ!

Now on the crafty side I was VERY busy this week!!  I made a dress for myself for Easter as well as two bolero style jackets to go over my daughters Easter sun dresses (I'm not a big fan of the sleeveless look, even on my little girls).  I used this pattern

I don't know about you , but once those patterns come out of the envelope there is NO getting them back in.  So they get folded and neatly stored inside a large gallon sized zip-lock baggie with the pattern picture facing out of one side so I can see exactly whats inside.  This is actually very handy as it makes it somewhat child and pet proof as well as easier to access.

Anyway, I was pleasantly surprised at how easy this was to sew as well as cutie patootie on the girls!

(Please forgive these HORRIBLE pictures!!)

Now my girls favorite part, and what I am DYING to tell you about, was the simple closure jewel that I used.  Now, if you are like me (a crafty item buying fanatic), you probably have little buttons, jewels, beads, whatever laying around all over your craft area and stuffed in your craft stash bins.  Well in the wee hours of the morning when I decided the jackets needed a little more oomph, and really wasn't looking forward to sewing two teeny hook and eye closures that probably weren't going to stay put with my two rowdy girls this jewel of an idea (ha ha) was born.  Now its not that biggie of a deal, but since it saved my creative hide, was a HUGE hit with the girls, and garnered MANY a compliment I thought I'd pass it along.  Its a jewel with a safety pin hot glued to the back...yah ... complicated right? 

Anyway I am sad to say that the jewel on the 5yr old's jacket only made it through half the day, and by the time the drama rolled around it had been pulled fallen off.  So when I got home I pulled out a little stronger adhesive, and snapped a few pics with my (vastly inferior to my real pride and joy which, at the moment, is inaccessible) camera in order to share my genius with you....for what its worth any way, which isn't much!

So there you have it.  My creative AHA moment of the week.  I would show you a picture of my dress, but I am no longer wearing it, and, trust me when I say, it just doesn't look that great off the body!

I cant wait to make SOOOO many more of these to match every Sunday Sundress that I plan for them to wear this little jacket with.  Oh and they loved the lightweight jacket as well and since it was a breeze to make (I took a few shortcuts, so I'm talking literally an hour from cutout to completion on each jacket!!) I will be churning out a few more of these PRONTO!

Next project while the sewing machine is out (and all my stuff is littering the area) two dresses for the girls, two skirts for the girls, several maxi skirts for myself and perhaps a convertible skirt/dress for me too.  Oh this is going to be a fun crafty week all gearing up for spring break the next week.  I cant wait!!!

I hope you enjoyed this, and I promise next time I will use my good camera.

Have a great day and God Bless!

Flowers of Love

So today has been a wonderful day...ummm wait no that definitely wasn't today!  Excuse me for a minute but I am just going to let you know exactly what kind of day it has been for me and why.  First I woke up sick this morning. Since I am one of those people that sickness forces me to hibernate, I literally could NOT keep my eyes open for a large chunk of the day.  Until finally this afternoon while sitting on my couch listening to my children bicker, fuss, laugh, have fun and generally enjoy a beautiful day play outside through the open windows and screened doors my eyes drifted shut once again. For some reason that nap did the trick.  I finally woke up without the headache, weakness, stomach cramps, and nausea I had experienced all day long. Next I went to find something in the pantry and in disgust with the disorganization started cleaning it out.  This meant that my kitchen was full of pantry stuff.  Then my husband decided to go ahead and take a look at the dryer that quit working over the weekend.  this meant that the entire laundry closet had to be emptied for him to feel sufficiently comfortable enough to pull the dryer into the middle of the kitchen.  Oh didn't I mention that this laundry closet is located at the side of my kitchen??  It is also the place where I store all my un-used quilts, blankets, and comforters, basically all my big bulky bedding items.  they reside folded and stacked in a large laundry hamper, but due to the amount I have of them and the bulk of fabric the stack reaches quite high.  Well my husband decided that he might need to check a junction box he thought was located directly behind this stack...uggghhhh!!  So now all those blankets and quilts are out in my den and kitchen.  Not to mention a few crafty items I had just stashed on top of my dryer to get out of the way, but I wasn't done using so I didn't want to put them away completely, or the mail basket that runneth over with junk mail and school papers the girls have brought home over the last little while that ALL had to be relocated for the dryer repair process.  So right now my den, kitchen, and breakfast nook look like a tornado has hit it and its driving me CRAZY!!!  Finally I think I forgot to mention that my washer started leaking...a LOT and I'm pretty sure that's what messed up the switch thingie on the dryer that now has to be replaced.  The dryer is a cheap fix the washer? Not as cheap, but not as expensive as buying a completely new washer either so yay home repair!!! So to get to the best and most wonderful part of my day today?  It will be easier to show you first

Aren't they beautiful?  All three of my babies picked me great gobs of wild flowers that bloom around the trees in our backyard.  Yes they are weeds wild flowers, but I absolutely adore live flowers of any variety.  I love that my kids know this and try to pick them for me whenever they can.  My kids ROCK!!!  So now they sit in a pretty pink pail on my desk blessing me with their love every time I look at them.  And I do look Reeeeaaalll close at them ever so often just to make sure no little critters came in with them. 

So far no unwanted guests!  Yay!!

Another plus to my day is that I now have an additional shelf in my pantry where there was once just a big empty useless space ( My Hubby is AWESOME!), and I know whats wrong with my dryer and the part is on its way as well as the washer part to fix the leak!!  woo hoo!!!  

So what started out as a rotten day has ended quite nicely, if still very messily (I can NOT wait to reclaim my kitchen from the laundry room stuff and dryer), but that's a job for tomorrow!  I'm too tired to worry with it now!

I hope you had a wonderful Monday and have a great week!

Have a great day and God Bless!!!

Happy Birthday Lil' Man

HAPPY 3RD BIRTHDAY TO MY SWEET 

COWBOY KENT

I Love you more than life itself and we are beyond blessed that God gave you to us to raise.

Inspiration Wednesday

Love is in the air!  Next Tuesday is the day we traditionally, as a nation, set aside to celebrate Love.  I know that in a Godly relationship Love is celebrated every day, but this is the day that NO ONE can get away with not telling someone that they are loved and appreciated.  Many times this involves spending money, but you know, some of the best ways to say "I Love You" involve absolutely no money. Such as, helping someone out on a project that seems to be more than they can handle alone, being that shoulder there for them to cry on when they are hurting, writing a letter of appreciation and love that shares what qualities they possess that you are most appreciative of.  These are actions and items from the heart and are really much more important than a box of chocolate and flowers (although who doesn't like those as well...Right?!?).  If you notice, these are not just gestures for romantic couples, but could be given to a dear friend or relative that you especially want to let know how much you care for them.  Since Valentines is traditionally for the romantic minded though, I am sharing pins from my Who said that? Well it's worth repeating repeating Pin board on Pinterest today.  If you are interested in the sources feel free to check it out on Pinterest.

A sweet Love story:

It was a busy morning, about 8:30, when an elderly gentleman in his 80′s arrived at the hospital to have stitches removed from his thumb. He said he was in a hurry as he had an appointment at 9:00 am. The nurse took his vital signs and had him take a seat, knowing it would be over an hour before someone would be able to see him. I saw him looking at his watch and decided, since I was not busy with another patient, I would evaluate his wound. On exam, it was well healed, so I talked to one of the doctors, got the needed supplies to remove his sutures and redress his wound. While taking care of his wound, I asked him if he had another doctor’s appointment this morning, as he was in such a hurry. The gentleman told me no, that he needed to go to the nursing home to eat breakfast with his wife. I inquired as to her health. He told me that she had been there for a while and that she was a victim of Alzheimer’s Disease. As we talked, I asked if she would be upset if he was a bit late. He replied that she no longer knew who he was, that she had not recognized him in five years now. I was surprised, and asked him, ‘And you still go every morning, even though she doesn’t know who you are?’ He smiled as he patted my hand and said, ‘She doesn't know me, but I still know who she is.’

God given romantic Love is a special blessing that I waited 23 years to find.  That's when I was blessed beyond measure by finding the man who I pledged my life and love to and he pledged his to me.  

Kenneth, Thank you for being a Godly man and husband.  One who strives to love me Biblically as God intended a husband to love a wife.  I love you More!