Patchwork Porridge

Emergency Numbers

2011-04-16T09:01:00.000-04:00

IMAGINE PRAYING AND HEARING THIS:

Thank you for calling My Father's House. Please select one of the following options:

* Press 1 for Requests.
* Press 2 for Thanksgiving.
* Press 3 for Complaints.
* For all other inquiries, Press 4.
* If you want King David to sing you a Psalm, Press 6.

Would you hear......

"All of the angels are helping other customers right now. Please stay on the line, your call will be answered in the order it was received."

"For reservation at My Father's House, simply press the letters J-O-H-N on the keypad, followed by the numbers 3-1-6."

"For answers to nagging questions about dinosaurs, the age of the earth and where Noah's Ark is, wait until you get here."

"Our computers show that you have called once today already. Please hang-up immediately."

"This office is closed for the weekend. Please call again on Monday."

End of message.

Thank God, you can't call Him too often!!! You only need to ring once and God hears you, because of Jesus, you never get a busy signal. God takes each call and knows each caller personally. When you call
and the Lord will answer; you will cry for help and He will say:

"Here am I!"

For when you call:

USE THESE EMERGENCY PHONE NUMBERS

* When in sorrow, call John 14
* When men fail you, call Psalm 27
* If you want to be fruitful, call John 15
* When you have sinned, call Psalm 51
* When you worry, call Matthew 6:19-34
* When you are in danger, call Psalm 91
* When God seems far away, call Psalm 139
* When your faith needs stirring, call Hebrews 11
* When you are lonely and fearful, call Psalm 23
* When you grow bitter and critical, call I Corinthians 13
* For Paul's secret to happiness, call Colossians 3:12-17
* For idea of Christianity, call I Corinthians 5:15-19
* When you feel down and out, call Romans 8:31-39
* When you want peace and rest, call Matthew 11:25-30
* When the world seems bigger than God, call Psalm 90
* When you want Christian assurance, call Romans 8:1-30
* When you leave home for labor or travel, call Psalm 121
* When your prayers grow narrow or selfish, call Psalm 67
* For a great invention/opportunity, call Isaiah 55
* When you want courage for a task, call Joshua 1
* How to get along with fellowmen, call Romans 12
* When you think of investments/returns, call Mark 10
* If you are depressed, call Psalm 27
* If your pocketbook is empty, call Psalm 37
* If you're losing confidence in people, call I Corinthians 13
* If people seem unkind, call John 15
* If discouraged about your work, call Psalm 126
* If you find the world growing small, and yourself great, call Psalm 19

Emergency numbers may be dialed direct.
No operator assistance is necessary.
All lines are open to Heaven 24 hours a day.

God Bless!! Ü

The Necklace

2011-04-16T08:55:00.000-04:00

I received this from a friend and had to share.......

The cheerful little girl with bouncy golden curls was almost five. Waiting with her mother at the checkout stand, she saw them, a circle of glistening white pearls in a pink foil box..

"Oh mommy please, Mommy. Can I have them? Please, Mommy, please?"

Quickly the mother checked the back of the little foil box and then looked back into the pleading blue eyes of her little girl's upturned face.

"A dollar ninety-five. That's almost $2.00. If you really want them, I'll think of some extra chores for you and in no time you can save enough money to buy them for yourself.. Your birthday's only a week away and you might get another crisp dollar bill from Grandma."

As soon as Jenny got home, she emptied her penny bank and counted out 17 pennies. After dinner, she did more than her share of chores and she went to the neighbor and asked Mrs. McJames if she could pick dandelions for ten cents. On her birthday, Grandma did give her another new dollar bill and at last she had enough money to buy the necklace.

Jenny loved her pearls. They made her feel dressed up and grown up. She wore them everywhere, Sunday school, kindergarten, even to bed. The only time she took them off was when she went swimming or had a bubble bath. Mother said if they got wet, they might turn her neck green.

Jenny had a very loving daddy and every night when she was ready for bed, he would stop whatever he was doing and come upstairs to read her a story. One night as he finished the story, he asked Jenny, "Do you love me?"

"Oh yes, daddy. You know that I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh, daddy, not my pearls. But you can have Princess, the white horse from my collection, the one with the pink tail. Remember, daddy? The one you gave me. She's my very favorite."

"That's okay, Honey, daddy loves you. Good night." And he brushed her cheek with a kiss.

About a week later, after the story time, Jenny's daddy asked again, "Do you love me?"

"Daddy, you know I love you."

"Then give me your pearls."

"Oh Daddy, not my pearls. But you can have my baby doll. The brand new one I got for my birthday. She is beautiful and you can have the yellow blanket that matches her sleeper."

"That's okay. Sleep well. God bless you, little one.. Daddy loves you."

And as always, he brushed her cheek with a gentle kiss.

A few nights later when her daddy came in, Jenny was sitting on her bed with her legs crossed Indian style.

As he came close, he noticed her chin was trembling and one silent tear rolled down her cheek.

"What is it, Jenny? What's the matter?"

Jenny didn't say anything but lifted her little hand up to her daddy. And when she opened it, there was her little pearl necklace. With a little quiver, she finally said, "Here daddy, this is for you."

With tears gathering in his own eyes, Jenny's daddy reached out with one hand to take the dime store necklace, and with the other hand he reached into his pocket and pulled out a blue velvet case with a strand of genuine pearls and gave them to Jenny ...

He had them all the time. He was just waiting for her to give up the dime-store stuff so he could give her the genuine treasure. So it is, with our Heavenly Father. He is waiting for us to give up the cheap things in our lives so that he can give us beautiful treasures.

God will never take away something without giving you something better in its place.

....hope you enjoyed!! God Bless Ü

Lowe's Build and Grow Clinic

2011-04-09T14:54:00.005-04:00

Okay, I told you all that our 7 year old has pneumonia, well nothing was going to do but to go to Lowe’s this morning. We are regulars and that is one of his favorite things to do so he had to go. I am glad that we went. This one was huge and he is still playing with it unlike some of the other things that he has made in the past.

Be sure to check back later. God Bless!!

Toy Story 3 Birthday Party Planning

2011-04-09T14:27:00.003-04:00

Our son will be 8 the day before Easter and wants a Toy Story 3 party. There is a woman in our town that makes incredible cakes. They are beautiful as well as the best tasting cake I have ever tasted. However her MIL is ill and she has had to quit making cakes for now. Boo-Hoo. He and I found an awesome cake, I mean awesome, online and thought that we would be getting her to make it. Since that isn’t going to happen I might give it a try. I have made birthday cakes before but have never fooled with fondant before. This particular cake is 3 tiers and the top is a planet. If I do give it a try, which I am planning on, I will post here. That could be really interesting. lol

About 5 months ago he had decided that he wanted a camo party and the Dollar Tree had camo items, including hats, that are from “God’s Army” so we purchased enough for 18 at that time. Hey, when you can find caps for $1.00 and can get enough for a party, do it. To keep this in the party we are planning on putting a few more soldiers from Toy Story in than normal and bring that part out. This way we use what was purchased and keep both themes going.

Our church has an overhead projector that is rarely used anymore but I always have a use for one. lol While at church and working on the Easter Bulletin Board (that featured our missionaries around the world) I took a few coloring pictures and reduced them down and placed them all on one sheet of overhead film and blew them up to around 4 feet and traced out Buzz and Woody on a sheet of roll paper that we found on clearance at Wal-Mart. I really need to get my paints and get those painted. We made large pictures for another party and tried coloring them and ended up with dark places here and there and we tried markers and they ran out of ink to quickly when you are talking about larger pictures like that so I am going to purchase some paints for a couple of dollars and hopefully it will turn out looking good. I will post those as well.

If you have any good game ideas, snack ideas, or craft ideas…..please let me know. We are having it at the local pizza place, the kids love to hit the arcade after the party, but we have reserved the private room. Hopefully they will have the air on this time. Last party we about roasted in there!! lol

Be sure to check back later. God Bless!!

Updates....updates....updates

2011-04-09T14:08:00.005-04:00

Hello out there in cyber world. lol There has been so much that has been going on in our little part of the world that the blog has been long forgotten. Our 7 year old son has pneumonia and our 16 year old began her first job, babysitting 2 kids that we go to church with at their home when needed. This time of the year is always bad for us due to my son and myself having asthma and add our daughter to the mix with bad allergies for the 3 of us and it is a mess for about a month or more depending on this crazy weather. You know bad news could go on and on and on. But isn’t it much more fun to focus on the positive. lol

We have watched several new movies since I gave the last update.

1. Tangled

We LOVED this movie!!!! Can’t say enough good about it. Our son is extremely gender specific, meaning he does not like to do anything girly. Well he loves this movie and even used his allowance to purchase the Wii game…..which is fun as well but it didn’t take very long to get through the biggest part of it.

2. Yogi Bear in 3-D

This is the first movie that we watched in 3-D in the theater. Our daughter couldn’t enjoy it because the glasses are a bit heavy and the whole thing gave her a headache. I enjoyed the 3-D but agree with the glasses being bulky and heavy therefore giving me a bit of a headache as well. Dear dad didn’t comment much either way. Our son loved it regardless. He is a very optimistic person and doesn’t complain much at all. He sees beauty in just about everything. It is a massively awesome gift that he has. The movie was good but I would have enjoyed “more”. I can’t explain that much more than “more”. It just wasn’t enough for me.

3. Rango

Okay. Number 1 about this movie, shame on Nickelodeon!!!! Can someone explain to me the reasoning behind the language?? I don’t get it. The movie was good and the kids enjoyed it other than the language. I would have really enjoyed having it without the bad language and we would happily add it to our extensive movie collection. But due to the language……not going to happen!! Shame to, it would have been a great movie and I can’t believe it has been put as high as it has been with the language that is in it. Apparently it didn’t bother many but to me it is a HUGE turn off!! Well that’s a quick update.

Hope you come back soon. God Bless!!

Nazarene Family

2011-01-31T16:56:00.001-05:00

I must tell you all about our awesome Nazarene church family. If you don’t have a church or are looking for one……check out your local Nazarene church. I am sure that they are all great but I am prejudice to ours and it is super awesome. Our church family is always there and we try to be there for them as well. I’ll tell you. Find the Lord, well that is like no other feeling in the world but when you put that with finding the right church for you and your family. Man....you have a recipe for a great life. We are having Discipleship Classes and I need to get ready for church.

I thank God for my church family and hope that if you don’t have one that you will look soon and get in touch with your new family……there is nothing like it!! I love you Lord and I love you Nazarene family.

Talk to you all later. God Bless!!!!!

Winter 2010-2011

2011-01-31T16:48:00.001-05:00

Has this been a winter for the records or what.

We have had so much snow. I don’t remember a winter like this since I was a child, and that has been a little while ago. lol

At one point I know that the Today show reported that 49 out of 50 of the United States had snow. How often do you hear that? That is pretty amazing. Considering we homeschool the kids don’t care about the whole school being called off thing. We don’t have to sit by the TV at night looking and waiting. lol I am so glad. lol But the kids are always up for someone else to stay all night and have someone to sleigh ride with if “they” don’t have school.

God Bless!!

P.S. I will hopefully have time to post some pictures soon.

Dish Towel Bib Tutorial

2010-12-16T17:22:00.005-05:00

Need:
2 yards Bias Tape Double Fold
Dish Towel
Thread
Round Bowl for neck template

Instructions:
Considering this is a Christmas gift I found a Santa dish towel. This is for a rather large man’s gift so the portions are made larger than you would probably do yourself.

Lay your round object, such as a bowl or Frisbee, down on the top of your towel to cut out for the neck. Trace around with a permanent marker. Cut around the marked area and discard. You can alter this area to be as large or small as you need it to be. I used a Frisbee and laid it off of the end of the towel about 2”.

Find the middle of your bias tape and open it and insert the fabric of the middle of your dish towel then pin. Open the tape, insert the towel and pin all the way around making sure that you get the front back and middle as you pin.

After you have the entire pinned area complete begin to sew at one end of the tape, remember to backstitch to lock. Continue sewing around the entire neck area and to the end of the tape and back stitch to lock the end tab.

Cut your threads and you have an adult bib. These are great for the elderly, disabled or anyone that is, for the lack of a better phrase, messy eater. LOL Hope you enjoy. God Bless!!

Christmas Rag Quilt

2010-12-14T14:06:00.003-05:00

This is the 2nd rag quilt, or any quilt for that matter, that I have made. It turned out pretty good, or I think so. LOL

I donated it to our church for our annual Snowball Banquet and it brought $50.00. Not to bad for my 2nd attempt.

Happy Holidays and God Bless!!

Gain Dishwashing Detergent Couponing Savings

2010-11-09T09:13:00.004-05:00

This is about the best deal you can find, FREE!! Wal-Mart sells the 11 ounce size of Gain Dishwashing Detergent for $0.97 each. There have been 2 separate issues of coupons that have been for $1.00 off of this product with no size limit. We have used 15 of them and I have given some away to family members that can use them. I think in all I have collected about 25-30 of these coupons. You can’t go wrong when it is free. The detergent works really good and we are on the second bottle now. Happy Couponing!!

Take care and God Bless!!

Schick Hydro 3 and Hydro 5 Couponing Savings

2010-11-09T09:05:00.003-05:00

We have actually purchased a few more than shown here but I will post on the amount shown only. My husband absolutely loves these!! We are on a tight budget so there is no way that I would have purchased these for him at the normal $7.99 to $11.99 and up prices. The coupon was for $3.00 off and they were on sale at Rite Aid. You can go to the Rite Aid site and watch video clips that range from about 30 seconds up to a few minutes showing you different products, commercials are what they are, but you watch so many and earn a coupon for $5.00 off a $20.00 purchase. So after it was all said and done we ended up paying $1.99-$3.99 each for them. Rite Aid lets you use their coupon plus a vendor coupon for items. They are awesome!!

Take care and God Bless!!

Colgate Couponing Savings

2010-11-09T08:57:00.003-05:00

We had a coupon for $1.00 off of Colgate, but it had to be Colgate Total, Max White, Sensitive or something like that, 4.0 ounces or larger only. I would put exactly but I have used all of the coupons. LOL

Kroger had this on sale, with the use of your Kroger card, for $2.00. I have really begun to use Kroger for couponing. I use them for shopping for groceries about 80% of the time anyway so this just makes sense. Plus they seem to really correspond to the coupons that are out.

So we purchased all of the coupons that we had collected for this sale, a total of 10. That made them $1.00 (plus tax) per tube. These normally run around $2.88 and more a tube so the savings is huge but even at the sale price of $2.00 per tube the savings is still 50%!!

Take Care and God Bless!!

Olay Body Wash Plus and Secret Couponing

2010-11-09T08:46:00.003-05:00

I have been meaning to do this for a couple of months now. Sorry to take so long.

One of our new neighbors is really big into couponing. These are some of my finds lately, listed in separate entries.

This one is yesterdays find at Kroger. I must give credit to my neighbor for pointing it out. There was a $5.00 off of Olay Body Wash or Olay Lotions and so forth if you purchase Secret deodorant. Kroger had the Olay Body Wash Plus Body Butter Ribbons on sale for $5.00 and the Secret was on sale for $1.79. I happened to score 5 of these coupons and went straight to Kroger before they were sold out. So I paid $8.95 (plus tax) and saved $25.00 (sales price!!) for a savings of 64%. How awesome is that!!

Take Care and God Bless

Another New Pet

2010-10-10T05:26:00.007-04:00

My son told us that all he wanted for Christmas this year was a kitten. How sweet is that? Well the rabbit that my daughter had in her room is not at papaws. She chose to let it run free on the farm. It seems to be much happier. We had one parakeet left after the last cat got the food door open and ran through the house with the other one in her mouth. My daughter normally shuts her door, I don’t remember why it was open but that doesn’t matter. We took our Peek-a-Poo to be fixed and saw a huge, I mean huge, cage that had 1 parakeet in it. We asked, with my daughter’s permission, if they would like to have another. They agreed and we took her down to them. Theirs was a male and ours female, just what they were searching for, and they hit it off great. So we are now down to the house of dogs. LOL We have my daughters boxer in the kennel outside as well as our 4 year old dachshund and 1 ½ year old Peek-a-Poo inside. I vow that when something happens to these two there will never be another inside dog!! I love them but I hate having them inside.

Back to the kitten. We have 1 pet store in town that opens, closes or goes out of business or switches owners or all 3 and opens again and it does the same thing over and over and over. We had purchased a kitten in there before but the new owner has so many different pets in there that he just finds homes for kittens and cats, no fee. My husband actually picked one out that reminded him of a cat that we had when we first were married and it passed of feline leukemia, horrible disease. I can’t keep going straight through a story; I have to cover all the bases while I am there. LOL Our son agrees to the kitten, he didn’t care what it looked like. We took it home and it was odd from the beginning. It loved to be held and would cry when you put it down. It urinated and did number 2 wherever it felt like. It would pass up the litter box and go to the dog’s pads and relieve itself. When it sat on your shoulder or the chair it faced the wrong way. It was always with its head toward the wall. It would stand and look at the refrigerator or wall or whatever and meow. It meowed all the time. It was a very, very odd kitten. Then a few days into having it it lay down on the floor with its back half under the couch, still not unusual. Then our daughter made the comment that it needed to blink. She had been looking at it for a few minutes and it hadn’t blinked. My husband moved its head and it just let it flop and meowed softly. He hovered over it and told me to come there. I looked and it was dying. I sent the kids into the bedroom and we wrapped it up and I sat and petted it until I was bawling. All of those odd things must have been a sign that something was very wrong with it. I had given it a bath and it was fine. It had walked around and lay on the couch as usual and then just got down on the floor and lay down to die. My husband took it carefully into our storage barn all wrapped up and comfortable and let it pass away and he buries our pets that pass. As you may guess, our kids were devastated.

A few days later my mother shows up with 3 very small kittens while we were in a store. I was talking to her on the phone and went out to see them while the rest of the family stayed inside. They were small and cute and I picked the fuzzy one, with the worst case of cold in its eyes that I have ever seen in my life. These are kittens from cats that she is trying to find homes for. One of those places where people decided to drop off cats and kittens and all of a sudden you were feeding 2, of which were yours, and within a few months you are feeding over 13, seriously. So I cleaned it eyes out and wrapped it up and took it into the store to surprise them with. Even my husband had no idea of what I was doing. It was a small consignment shop so she didn’t mind for me bringing it in. Well they loved it and we loaded up, after paying for our purchases, and went straight to the vet. This time we were making sure it was in good health and getting medication for its eyes and treated for fleas as well. It got a clean bill of health except for the cold in its eyes and a regular cold. We took it home and medicated it for a few days and yesterday it was a playful little kitten. It ran all over, tried to climb everything in sight, swatted at the dogs, played with us all and slept on us like a little baby. We have to lock it in the utility room at night until it gets the hang of the litter box. I thought that kittens came out being litter box trained. Boy was I wrong. LOL But I think it will be just fine. Oh, it weighed less than a pound and she clipped its claws, that is something that I am going to keep up with this little one. I don’t want it climbing the curtains like I have had done in the past. LOL

Is that one lazy kitten or what? But cute none the less.

Until next time, take care and may God Bless you all. Ü

Gone 4 Awhile

2010-10-04T09:51:00.001-04:00

Sorry I haven’t been posting but we have been moving, yes moving again. Hopefully we are where we will stay for some time to come. I told hubby that if we are going to stay together that this has to be the last move. This one was rapid and I was not ready for it at all. You know when you are not prepared for something you just can not get in the mood to do anything. That was this move. I could not get in the mood to pack and un-pack. It has been an adventure like no other move thus far. We were without electric for 8 days. I am not big on camping but having water, although it was all cold, and my own bed, it wasn’t bad. LOL The weather was warm to hot during the day but the Lord was looking out for us and it only got miserable 1 night out of it all. We have been here 1 month and 3 days and just got the television back on last week. We have an extensive movie collection so after getting electric that wasn’t really a problem except for hubby. You would think the kids would be the ones really wanting it back on but they were awesome and haven’t paid much attention to it since it has been back on. That is a blessing within itself. Hubby wanted to get the news and weather and is use to going to sleep with the noise of the TV on at night. Bad habit, but we all do it. Getting cell reception up here is almost impossible and it took us 3 ½ weeks to get the phone installed and the internet back on. I love the country though and our neighbors couldn’t be any better. I’ll sign off for now and hope to get things back on track. Hope all is going well for everyone else. God bless and take care. Ü

Rose and Vine Tattoo

2010-06-21T17:31:00.003-04:00

Take a look at this beautiful tattoo. I am not a “rose” person but this one turned out so great. I have also added a picture of my husband’s aunt’s rose tattoo. Last night she the vine added like the first and they are not the same look so I will post that one as soon as I get a new picture of it as well as both of these ladies had the toe ring tattoos and I will post those as well. Enjoy!!

Barbwire Tattoo

2010-06-21T17:24:00.004-04:00

My husband’s cousin, Jason, wanted a barbwire tattoo all the way around his arm. There was a bit of discussion as to whether he could handle the pain of it going around the back of the arm. He did awesome. Take a look at the finished look…..and this went all the way around the arm!!

Tribal Tattoo

2010-06-21T17:20:00.001-04:00

My husband wanted a tribal tattoo and this is what he decided on. I think it turned out great.

My Toe Tattoo

2010-06-21T17:12:00.002-04:00

Two of us wanted a toe ring tattoo. Well I have wanted one for sometime and a friend wanted one and I jumped in. Remembering the pain of the tattoo on the top of my foot I was skeptical but knew that it wouldn’t take long to do it and went ahead. I am so glad that I did. I like it!! This was last night and we had an eventful time to say the least, we won’t even touch that story, so I will have to get the photos of the other 2 that were stuck last night and add as soon as I get the pictures taken. We are all really happy with them. Oh, I did read a site that stated that they fade. You have 7 layers of skin and you have to pierce the top 4 layers for it to be permanent. Our tattoo artist’s wife has one on the top of her big toe that has been there for a very long time and looks great. No fading at all. And it didn’t hurt as bad as the one on the top of my foot but I wouldn’t advise going “around” the toe much. The closer you get to the knuckles and the inside it is tenderer but it took less than 5 minutes so it was worth it.

Nautical Tattoo's

2010-06-21T16:59:00.004-04:00

I have been meaning to get caught up on our tattoos. We have a friend come over to our house and he is a tattoo artist. When someone wants a tattoo we give him a call and he, his wife, and their 6 month old little boy come over and we have a little get together, while Mike is doing tattoos of course. LOL

We have done things such as have a cookout, play games on the Wii, Playstation and DS’s and sometimes just sit around and talk. No matter what we are doing it is normally a fun time and seeing the expression of people getting their first tattoos and seeing the finished designs are always fun.

These are Zack’s nautical star tattoos. They turned out great!

(More post to come on getting them all caught up. Hope you come back and enjoy!)

You can have an Emergency Storm Shelter anywhere!!

2010-04-29T18:50:00.004-04:00

Click on the pictures for a closer look.

You can now have an emergency storm shelter anywhere, at least if you own the land or can dig a really large hole and no one will mind. This is truly one of the most awesome things that I have seen in a long time.

This is from the “Lifesaver Storm Shelters” ad that I picked up while looking at one of these amazing inventions.

Standard Features:
Ø Built in the USA
Ø Shelters meet or exceed FEMA 320 specifications
Ø Heavy duty fiberglass construction
Ø Stainless steel hardware
Ø Gas struts for easy door opening
Ø Screened vents keep pests out
Ø Water-tight door seal
Ø Stainless steel multi-point door locking system
Ø Composite flooring will not rot or rust
Ø Carpeting
Ø Fiberglass non-skid steps
Ø Handrail

Common Applications:
Ø Residential Homes
Ø Manufactured / Mobile Homes and Parks
Ø Small businesses
Ø Day Care Centers
Ø Retirement Homes
Ø RV Parks and Campsites
Ø Churches
Ø US Government & Military Facilities
Ø Local & City Government Facilities

Lifesaver Storm Shelters only protrude eight inches above the ground and can be installed in a single day in most cases without large machinery, meaning there is minimal damage to your lawn or property. As an optional feature, phone, cable / satellite TV or electrical wiring can be added to your installation for your comfort and peace of mind.

They start at the inside dimensions measuring at 4’ long by 5’wide by 5’3” tall and seats up to 4 adults and go to a huge 6’6” wide by 14’9” long by 6’3” tall that seats up to 20 adults.

In our area the one that is the best seller and it is also the one that my family went down into sells for $4,500 and seats up to 6 adults with the inside dimensions measuring at 7’ long by 5’ wide by 5’3” tall.

These are extremely awesome spaces and I would love to hear from anyone that has one so that we can post your opinion here. I think they would be a welcome to anyone that has the space. It could mean the safety of your family in certain circumstances.

God Bless you all and thanks for stopping by!! Please leave feedback; I would love to hear what you think about anything on this blog.

Does your day ever get so busy you forget to breath?

2010-04-29T11:31:00.003-04:00

LOL That is how I feel lately. Our days are so busy and so many odd things happen out of nowhere that I end up reminding myself to breath.

There have been medical problems that are very worrying. Then we had family kids being dropped off of the bus with no one to watch them and not finding out until 50 minutes later......talk about almost having a heart attack!!!! Home moisture problems in the floor, ant problems, ticks are already out bad and either my husband or son brought one in and it ended up on our Peek-a-Pooh. Yuck!! I can not stand those little blood suckers. And the transmission is going out of my van at only 147,584 miles!! All while trying my hardest to let my hair grown out. LOL

Hopefully I will be back to regular blogging or regular for me anyway, next week.

Hope everyone has a great weekend. We are supposed to get an enormous amount of rain they have already put up floor warnings! God Bless and thanks for stopping by!!

Update on Brodie

2010-04-15T15:27:00.003-04:00

Thank you for all of the prayers, they still need them. However, he and his mother are at home and feeling much better.

God Bless and thanks again!!

Prayers for Brodie

2010-04-12T07:35:00.001-04:00

We would like to request for everyone to pray for Brodie. He is a 3 week old little boy that is very sick. He is in the hospital extremely ill and they do not know what is wrong with him. Any and all prayers are greatly appreciated. He did show a change yesterday so we are tying to reach as many people to continue with prayers as possible. This little boy and his family need it. Please pray and have faith. God Bless!!

Nakaylee Jade

2010-04-10T14:14:00.003-04:00

Isn't she a cutie!!

This is my husband’s cousin’s daughter. We (my daughter and I) like to claim her when we can. LOL

My son doesn’t care for her at all. She is the first “baby” that has been around for me to give attention to and he became extremely jealous very quickly. I have reassured him that mommy loves him and that he is still my baby. He is okay with her being around now but still doesn’t want anything to do with her. LOL

Just wanted to let you all see her. She is a cutie and is normally a very happy baby, although she is getting that bit of attitude to know that if you move her and she didn’t want to be moved, she starts crying until you put her back in that position or one close to it. She loves looking around, like all babies. My daughter went over to their house yesterday and was holding her and her mommy put “Finding Nemo” in. She said that she just starred at the TV. Too cute. And she loves my daughter. She can make her laugh and she just smiles when she sees her. Of course she is a super great girl as well. Love my kids!! God Bless!!

Corn Hole Game

2010-04-08T19:09:00.004-04:00

Our son will be 7 in a couple of weeks are we are hosting a backyard carnival style type party. This is the 3rd theme but due to the work on this one and we only have a few weeks to go, we are sticking with this one. LOL

This is the corn hole game that my husband made, pretty good for his first attempt, don't you think? We will use this for the party but it will bring a lot of fun afterwards as well. Ü When I went to the store to purchase the fabric to make the corn bags I didn’t get what I wanted, but I got what they had. Originally I went for solid colors such as the blue and white, U. K. colors as the boards are. What I came out with would have worked, if the one solid fabric would have been a bit more pliable. I’m not sure what type of fabric it is but it has more of a plastic backing, like it is melted together. The other is an outdoor fabric as well but is soft and much more flexible. After trying them both out I returned for more fabric. I can not wait to go shopping somewhere else this summer!! I will re-do these bags. I have a white with the outline of blue flower and a burgundy and white stripped material. While at the sewing department at Wal-Mart the first time I purchased the “outdoor” thread for $4.44 a spool. What a waste of money. It was horrible. It frayed sooooo utterly badly that it was unreal. After suffering through 4 of the 6 bags I had had enough and went to upholstery thread, which didn’t do any better, granted I have had it for about 3 years though. I finally went to regular thread and it worked great. At one point, while using the outdoor thread, I sent my husband out to our storage barn to find my old sewing machine. I was thinking it had to be the machine catching or something and was ready to throw it out the window. LOL Do you have one of those short fuses? I do! Ü Sometime this summer while we are out and about I hope to find some really nice colors to choose for outdoor fabric and make new corn bags for the game. It really doesn’t matter I just want everything to match, that OCD thing again. LOL

There are other games that my husband has made that we will be using and I will be putting pictures of those on as well as tons of pictures of the party in the coming weeks. Thanks for stopping by and please come back again soon and as always God Bless. ÜÜÜÜ

Snowball the dress up bunny...

2010-04-08T18:57:00.002-04:00

My daughter had this little dress that we had purchased over a year ago for her (then) baby boxer pup. In the last year it has been on the boxer, our dachshund, peek-a-pooh and now the bunny. Isn’t she cute ;) Just had to share. God Bless!

Pica and Iron Deficiency (Anemia)

2010-04-08T12:28:00.001-04:00

In the past week I have been diagnosed as anemic. Being diabetic and having high triglycerides calls for blood work being performed every 3 months so I am diagnosed pretty quickly if anything else, such as this, pops up.

Do you like Sonics’ ice? I love it. You can actually purchase it by the bag as well. It is the only place around here to get those little chunks that are great for chomping on. We had been purchasing about 16 pounds of ice every 5-7 days. I had been eating most of it. Granted it is a great snack, talk about low calorie, no calories! LOL However it was bordering on obsessive and I hadn’t really given it much thought because it is water. Your body needs water, I craved it plus I am diabetic so it all made sense to me. When you start waking up in the middle of the night to grab a cup of ice chips, look into it.

Pica is the desire to eat ice. I only found this out once my “awesome” doctor (Jennifer) told me that I was anemic. I hadn’t told her about the ice craving because I didn’t know that it was a sign of anything. It is odd how much you can find out online. Just be careful that you are looking on reputable sites. Remember that .org sites are great accurate sites!!! Anemia can play with your body in so many ways that it is unbelievable. If you have arthritis, it can make it worse. Now the fun part, finding out why. In past years I have been treated for endometriosis and that is more than likely the problem now. We will soon find out.

The moral of this story………tell your doctor if you have odd cravings, even if it is as simple as ice. There are usually medical reasons behind those.

Take care and thanks for stopping by. God Bless ^j^

Bill Schedules and Payment Plans

2010-04-06T12:44:00.002-04:00

Having OCD tendencies I have issues when it comes to bills and list. While talking to my good friend Trish I found out that not all people have the same ideas about bill paying and list as I do. Who would have thought! LOL

Instead of just knowing that this check pays this bill and this check pays that bill I have a very detailed list that goes along with mine as well as a notebook that helps keep me inline. My bill folder and bank statement folder are my 2 that are updated monthly, if not more often. I know that a lot of people have their banking online, I do as well. However, I still like to have it in black and white and don’t trust just leaving them in a folder on the computer, hackers and all. So each month I print out my statement and put it into a folder so that I have copies of my checks as well as any information that I need in the blink of an eye. That one is pretty simple. Each year I take the previous year out and file it in the filing cabinet with the corresponding year and simple title: Bank Statements. That just eases my mind and I have hard copies to go back to whenever I need them quickly.

My second folder is a bit more complicated and in depth but I couldn’t do without it. Recently we have had a huge surge in our electric bills. I am aware that it was winter and that the heat was on. However, we use the air, a lot!! We have also been through 2 winters in this home and know that last year was no where close to this. Even though we did have a rate increase I go by KW used instead of money, which will throw your electric company for a loop when you call and complain and you have the KW instead of the money amounts on hand to rattle off and have compared them to previous years. This to me was normal.

As soon as I get the file completed, so that it is not catered to my family only, I will put it on here so that others can hopefully use it. My own personal household/family notebook is in the works and I will put in on here along with pictures as soon as that is finished. We would love to hear your ideas and see your pictures as well. Please feel free to comment and send your pictures in.

Thanks for stopping by and God bless you and yours.

Happy Easter

2010-04-03T09:39:00.002-04:00

I just wanted to take this opportunity to wish everyone a very happy Easter. Sunday morning sunrise Easter services are always a very moving experience if you get the chance to attend the church of your choosing. Hope everyone has a great weekend and remembers the resurrection of Jesus Christ for which we celebrate this holiday.

As always, take care and my God bless you all. Have a safe weekend.

My Sister's Bird

2010-03-22T20:01:00.002-04:00

This past weekend I went to my sister’s house and saw her bird. She has had her for awhile but I have not seen her before this. She is one of those, I don’t know exactly what kind, that lives over 100 years and you need to will to someone. Whoever had her in the beginning didn’t check the sex, apparently, before naming her “Bud”.

When I walked in she said, “Hi Bud” and had other things to say such as “Move it”, “Let me out of here” and more. Some of it I understood but they understood what she said due to being around her all the time. She is pretty cool. Oh, she laughed as well. LOL

Take care and God Bless!!

We Found the Easter Bunny

2010-03-22T10:56:00.004-04:00

Just thought I would introduce you to the newest member of our family, “Snowball”.

My husband and daughter went to Tractor Supply and I received a phone call, “Mommy, we are at TS and they have a white bunny rabbit. How much money do I have in my bank in my room?” She had nearly $60 and wanted the rabbit and the cage kit that they had. This is the 2nd rabbit that she has had. However, this one definitely has a much larger personality and is very friendly. She is going to be a rather large rabbit, you can already tell and she eats very well.

Our son wanted to know where we were going so I told him that they had found the “Easter Bunny” at TS. LOL He was ready to go. We are such an animal loving family.

Food Labels for Picky Kids

2010-03-13T19:51:00.002-05:00

Our son is an extremely picky eater. In hopes of helping him see how limited he is and possibly getting him to try new foods I have devised a system for him.

First I took pictures of all of the foods that he will eat, which didn’t take too long. After taking the pictures I printed them out on Kodak paper and cut them to size. For the labels I used a really cute large font that I had found earlier on the computer and printed out breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack. To attach them to the refrigerator I found magnetic tape strips for $1.17 at Wal-Mart that has 18 adhesive strips measuring 0.5 in x 4 in long, plus they are peel and stick which is even better.

After getting everything cut and laid out I began placing the magnets on the backs of the pictures and labels. DS had his large metal dump truck by my desk so I tossed them onto it and they stuck. That caught his attention and to the truck he ran to grab each one and take them to the refrigerator where he arranged them to his liking.

The plan is for him to go to the refrigerator, before breakfast, and place the magnet or magnets for each meal under the label and follow through with his picks, no changing. He then has choices as well as responsibility.

Pictures are shown for anyone that is interested in how it is done. I am sure that we will make changes in the future to it but the idea is to have something that keeps him interested.

Thanks for looking and have a great day. God Bless!!

Pictures of his foods

Magnets found at Wal-Mart

I suggest using tweezers to get the backing off of the magnets. It just made it easier. And the strips can easily be cut to the length that you need.

This is our refrigerator after he placed them all on it last night.

His choices this morning....biscuits consisted of biscuit and gravy.

Free Nutrition Download

2010-03-12T13:37:00.004-05:00

As mentioned in a previous post, Nutritionist and www.NutriMirror.com, I have made a “Portion Pack” for you to download for free.

If you would like to link to this post, feel free to do so, however please link it thereby giving credit to this site. Thank you and enjoy!!

God Bless!!

http://www.4shared.com/file/239837927/74a3c60c/Portion_Pack_Kit.html

Click on the above link to download.

Family Fishing Outing

2010-03-12T11:55:00.003-05:00

We have wanted to go fishing and while out I asked, “Would you all like to go fishing?” The immediate yeah and sure were the answers that rang in the van. When we went home to grab the gear and head to the lake it looked like it was going to down pour so we put it off to the next day. So hubby went to school and after he came home we headed out. At the first stop the water was down so far that we were going into the mud trying to get to the water. You could see the fish jumping high but we couldn’t get near where they were. So we loaded back up and headed to a boat dock. Normally we wouldn’t fish off of the ramp however there were only 2 vehicles in the lot and no one in sight. The water was down so low that the dock was sitting in the mud as well, pictured below. It was a nice day to go and practice your cast but unfortunately that was about it. We have gone for 2 years, this being the 3rd, and haven’t caught a fish yet. I know they exist because my bother in law fishes with his dad all the time and they have them mounted all over the house. LOL They are there just apparently not where we are. LOL This year we are going to go until we catch at least one each.

It is hard to see but our little one made the biggest catch of the day, a piece of wire!! LOL

Our daughter went hunting for goodies to put into her jar that includes sand and shells that a friend brought her back from the ocean. Sadly we haven't gotten the kids to the ocean as of yet. That needs to be a goal. Humm!!

Hubby and lil' one trying hard to catch anything, but wire. LOL

What was coming at us.

This is the reason that we are on a boat ramp fishing. Where is the water??? LOL

SD/SDHC/MMC Card Reader/Writer

2010-03-12T11:45:00.005-05:00

I don’t know if any of you use these handy little devices or not. I have had this one for about 2 years and love it. It is one of the most important little gadgets on my desk. Even though my printer has the card reader it will not delete the pictures as I go. But if I use this I can delete or keep images on the card as I go by moving the pictures or copying the pictures as I go. You can add to the cards as well using it but I have never used it for that purpose.

It is extremely easy to use; all you do is insert your SD card into one end and insert the USB into the port and it pops up on your screen giving you the options of what you can do with it. It may not be a new thing but it is a keeper.

Take care and God Bless!!

Spring is in the air

2010-03-10T04:52:00.002-05:00

Spring has sprung, isn’t it wonderful? I don’t know how the last few days have been for the rest of the country but it has been completely awesome here. We have been able to go outside with light jackets and then no jackets. The kids have played until they are about to fall over. We have been able to put our boxer in the front yard and let her wear herself out as well as watch everyone and just have a blast, they are so playful and fun loving anyway.

My husband has an uncle and his wife that lives really close and we are getting much closer to them and their kids and grandkids. They have a son and daughter that are both really nice people. This has been a really great experience for us all. Our daughter still doesn’t have anyone around her age but loves babies and kids and they all absolutely love her. She is able to play with a baby about every day and always has a child hanging onto her or wanting attention from her. Our son has been upset since the neighbors moved early last fall because they had a little boy his age but now he has 2 cousins to play with that are little boys his age. That makes one happy little boy. My husband and his cousin are getting along well and that makes me happy. His cousin is very outgoing and wants to play basketball (we have a goal), go here and there and even volunteered the two of them to wax both wives vehicles. Woo-Hoo for us. His wife is super sweet, you know one of those that everyone likes and can talk to anyone. I really like being around her and having her to talk to here as well.

However, my best friend in the world just had a birthday yesterday and I was not on here to wish her a Happy Birthday but I did call her yesterday evening, again Happy Birthday Trish!! Wish you lived closer!!

And I will close on this note for today, or at least now…….insomnia is the pits!!!! LOL

Hope you all have a beautiful day and that you enjoy it to its fullest. God Bless!!

Good Lesson from The Disney Channel

2010-03-05T06:59:00.001-05:00

In the past day or so I have noticed that The Disney Channel has began to make commercials trying to remind or let kids know that what they post or say on the internet can be hurtful to others and that it stays out there. My first reaction was; what a great lesson and a great place to put it for kids to learn. Kudos to Disney!!

One in particular that I have seen today was where 2 friends are texting each other on their phones. The one girl asks the other not to be mad at her, and she asks why and so on. The point is that because of pier pressure the one girl told a secret to the world about her friend having a crush on a boy on his profile page. This caused hard feelings and embarrassment. However the way in which TDC portrayed it the one girl forgave her friend and she was very happy that her friend could forgive her and that she saw how good of a friend she really was and how foolish her actions were.

It is a great lesson for all kids these days. Kids today as young as 5 have cell phones, I’m guilty my 6 year old has one that the most he does is call mamaw on it every few days. But many end up on the internet and texting way too much and telling things they shouldn’t be telling anyone about themselves and their friends and family. I know that many parents have lectured and lectured their kids about who they talk to and how much information they give out, although I don’t think you can ever remind them to much on that topic, I am glad that they are making points like this on a children’s channel.

God Bless .^_^.

Tutorial Hunters

2010-03-05T06:34:00.002-05:00

As a self proclaimed tutorial hunter I would like to make a small suggestion or ask a favor. Remember when you post something that you may be linked here and there. Even though you are not keeping up with that post someone else may happen upon it somewhere else and try to get back to it. I like PhotoBucket, and where it is a free program, that even makes it better. LOL I have used PhotoBucket for over 2 years for my Homeschooling Blog and really do like it. However, I have noticed lately that many people are deleting their pictures and that leaves a very odd tutorial.

This is just a suggestions but what if you open an account that is only for your tutorials or when one is full, open another account all together so that those pics can stay on the web. Once it is out there, it is out there to stay most of the time whether we realize it or not. On this blog I normally import the picture from my computer but then again you are very limited in that manner which makes PhotoBucket and programs like theirs extremely handy and important to many sites. Tutorials that you can print in PDF format as well as Word format are also very helpful and you don’t have to worry about upkeep unless you are on a limited program as far as uploads. I am just putting this suggestion out there. Nothing bad meant to any of these programs or anyone’s blogs. I enjoy them immensely.

I enjoy searching tutorials on all sorts of things but my favorites are crafts, sewing, and parties. When I am getting ready for one of the kids birthday parties or a holiday party I really enjoy going into other blogs to see how people have made things and done things that are along the same ideas that I have or better. Many times I have ran across an idea that is close to what I was thinking but when it is explained out, especially with pictures because we don’t all think alike so reading what someone else means can sometimes be frustrating when it comes to directions. Back to the point, I find that they have had the same outcome or even better than what I had in mind and doing it much simpler than I would have done it. I have had several of those DUH moments while doing this. LOL Then I am sitting here asking myself; why didn’t I think of that. What a good idea or time and/or money saver. Thank you to all of you bloggers out there in cyberspace that take the time and effort to put these fabulous items on your blogs. I have learned and plan on continuing to learn so much from you all.

Take care and I hope to add to the “tutorial hunt” as I learn more.

God Bless .^_^.

Nutritionist and www.NutriMirror.com

2010-03-05T06:05:00.002-05:00

My husband had an appointment yesterday, his 40th birthday as well, with the nutritionist at the local hospital due to his lipid panel. When he returned home he had several papers as well as a “Portion Pack” that I will make up my own version of and have as a free download soon. This is broken down into 3 meals and 1 snack color coded cards for your easy use. For example the green card = Non-Starchy Vegetables. The explanation on the card is as follows: 1 serving equals: (choose one) ½ cup Cooked Vegetables OR 1 cup Raw Vegetables OR ½ cup Tomato/Vegetable Juice. It goes on to explain: Non-Starchy Vegetables include: asparagus, green beans, beets, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cabbage, carrots, cauliflower, celery, cucumber, eggplant, greens, mushrooms, okra, onions, pea pods, peppers, radishes, lettuce, sauerkraut, spinach, summer squash, tomatoes, turnips and zucchini. So everything is on the one card and when that blue card shows up during the day you are to eat 1 serving from something on that list. I know that there have been color coded card or something, it seems like it may have been Richard Simmons, in the past and I don’t remember the details but these are very well explained or spelled out.

While I was reading through the new material he called back and asked about a food and exercise journal, as the papers states to use, but the didn’t offer one and actually had never been asked that question so was unsure as to how to answer. So what do you do when you need to know something? Google it! Or at least we do. I really, really, like Google. Anyway, my husband did and found www.NutriMirror.com right off the bat. We signed the 3 adults up; well my husband, myself and our semi-adult daughter ….. Against the website we fudged a little on her age. However, I set it up and have the user ID and password and it will be under my supervision. Her file is mainly to log when she exercises and so forth, a great homeschool tool! Physical education, check. Whereas my husband and I will log into the full program and take advantage of what it has to offer. Did I mention, it is FREE! 100% FREE of charge. If you haven’t checked it out, do so. It is complete with tips, tutorials, meal plans, recipes, goals, the entire kit and caboodle.

In today’s society healthy habits need to be stressed more and more and we need to be setting a better example, as a whole, to our children when it comes to leading a much healthier lifestyle. The US has a growing obesity problem, of which I am sadly in the ranking. We need to do what we can to help turn this problem around. Have you seen the movie Wall-E. I love the movie for the simple fact that I can see our world becoming so computerized and technologically efficient that we are a nation or world of those obese individuals on the floating chairs, unable to walk or move about on their own and oblivious to the problem. That would be awful!! So, these are our baby steps to helping our kids become aware of healthy eating habits and forming a daily exercise regimen. Hope you join in and I will be working on those cards, if you are interested.

God Bless and have a wonderful day. Spring is near!! Yippee, bring on the warm weather!!

(Every day my son, 6, wants to know if it is going to be warm enough in the next few days so that we can go swimming. He is a water dog!! LOL)

For more great recipes...

2010-03-02T15:41:00.003-05:00

Remember to check out http://mountainmamascountrystore.blogspot.com

This is not only the new place for my friend Trish and I to sell our finished homemade products but we also share our favorite recipes, some Appalachian Mountain folklore, old fashioned home remedies and more with you as often as possible.

So if you haven’t done so yet, give us a visit over there as well. I have provided a button to the right for easy access as well. Thanks!!

God Bless .^_^.

Kool-Aid Fun Fizz Tablets

2010-03-02T15:27:00.003-05:00

I didn't think to get a picture of the package before it was torn into. LOL

We returned from Wal-Mart a little bit ago and the kids had found the Kool-Aid Fun Fizz tablets that they had seen advertised on TV. We purchased the GiggLin’ gRaPe and LaUghin’ LeMonaDe flavors. The package states to drop one tablet into an 8 oz glass of water and watch it fizz or 2 tablets into a 16 oz water bottle. It is a little stout for 8 oz. I would probably go with 10 oz for 1 tablet but this would be a per person test. It does work well and has a good taste. The kids loved it and the tablets are imprinted with a smiley face, you can’t go wrong with a smiley face. LOL

I would say it is a good investment and that we will keep a few in the van for going somewhere and getting a bottle of water and dropping that in instead of a soda. We have nearly cut soda out of our lives all together. We don’t bring it into the home unless it is with a meal that was bought out. When my son was whining near crying one night because we had “nothing” to drink and he was soooo thirsty and the only thing that we were out of was soda, which was the light bulb moment for me that it had to go. It did take about a month or a little more but it is gone.

Now back to the topic at hand. LOL These tablets are a thumbs up in our home. Thanks for stopping by and remember to come back soon.

God Bless and Spring is coming soon!!!! Yippee!!

Snow, Snow, Go Away...

2010-02-28T12:22:00.002-05:00

Is everyone sick of the snow already? ;) I have not seen a winter like this in at least 8 years. The kids have had their fun with the snow, as you can see from the pictures I have posted, and everyone is now ready for the nice weather and dry grounds so that the bikes can be taken out and the trampoline can be used. We can walk the dog without getting muddy or slip and slide around in the snow and ice and don't have to look out and survey the drive before deciding whether to go out today or not. Well, that is my belly aching for the day. .^_^.

God Bless!!

Beef Stir Fry

2010-02-27T15:38:00.004-05:00

First I chopped the onions and green peppers in large chunks

Don't you love my "Tonka" plates!! LOL

I love water chestnuts

Can't forget the Teriyaki Sauce

Package of "Stir-Fry Meat" sautéed in Teriyaki

After the meat is cooked throughout, about 5 minutes, add the veggies and stir for another 3 minutes or so and serve on a bed of white rice....with more Teriyaki sauce for me and eat up. Yummy.

I love this dish. My husband and I were the only ones that ate it but the kids just don't know what they were missing. DS had a corn dog.....how could you pick that over this??

God Bless

Backyard Carnival or County Fair Birthday Party

2010-02-27T15:25:00.004-05:00

My son will be turning 7 at the end of April. We were researching on having a Lego party and I was really getting ready for that. However, my son wasn’t saying that much. Yesterday he was playing on “Playground” after his homeschooling on “Time 4 Learning.com” and loves the PBSKids.com site that offers the games. He really enjoys watching PBS and will pick it over SpongeBob…how great is that!! So he played and played with Curious George. All of a sudden it hit me, “Honey, would you rather have a Curious George Birthday Party?” His face lit up and I knew that was it. While researching this morning I was reading about parties and one of them had that they included a Backyard Carnival into the theme and they had a blast. That sounds even more awesome. Back to my son, “Would you like to add that to it but still have it Curious George?” This time the sparks were flying. He was thrilled. We finally hit it on the head. Within 3 hours my husband has been volunteered to make such items as a Plinko board, Corn Hole game and the best, he is the person that is going to sit while the kids are throwing whipped cream pies in his face. You have to love a man that will do that, even though he hasn’t said the word yes, we know he will. LOL

Our daughter’s birthday is in December and I have wanted to have a carnival ever since she was born and she will be 16 this year, no, that is not possible!! That kind of hit like a brick!! Okay, I have months left before that happens, back to this party. We are planning more games than we will probably have kids for. LOL

If you have any suggestions, ideas, comments, anything, I would love to hear them!! You will be seeing more about this and I will have picture overload when the party has ended. I almost forgot. The reason for the "County Fair" in the title is because we live in the country and if I could somehow fix it to have a greased pig, it would be a county fair for sure. LOL I've never actually seen one but I am sure it would be great.

Take care and God Bless

Zoomba

2010-02-25T21:57:00.003-05:00

Zoomba is everywhere and I have never done it. Honestly I can not see my big butt in front of a room full of little things shaking like I have seen on YouTube. That to me is scary, the thought and the vision!!

Please tell me all about your experience with this new trend and if you really like or dislike it. I have seen that you can purchase a large DVD package online to experience it in the privacy of your own home for around $100. Is this a good investment. Please, I would appreciate all of the feedback that I can get.

Thanks a million and God Bless!!

Live Traffic Feed

2010-02-25T21:53:00.003-05:00

If you notice you will see me a million times on the "Live Traffic Feed". I have been coming into the blog and fixing things and learning how to do things such as making my button for you to grab. This is fun and I will being doing a lot of this. If you see where someone has been on here time and time again it is more than likely me learning. However, I would like to think that you all are really wanting to read about what I write that much. LOL

Hey, thanks for stopping by and God Bless!!

New Dog Gate

2010-02-25T17:30:00.003-05:00

Keeping our 2 little curious dogs out of the hall and rooms has been such a problem in the past. After Rug Doctoring the carpets this time we decided not to have them in these areas anymore to avoid more carpet damage. But what gate to purchase was the big problem. We have went out and purchased several in the past but they were a joke to our little ones that just found ways to climb or jump over them. So we decided that my husband would build one. When he was talking about going to Lowe's and purchasing the materials and started rattling off prices I thought it might do us justice to look online one more time before sending him out. It was a really good idea. PetSmart is about 60-65 miles away and we thought that if they had a reasonable one that would work we would travel and get it. Looking for minimal wall damage as well, very important. They had an "Auto-Close Gate" on sale for $49.99 plus shipping and it turned out to be an online special anyway. After looking through all they had to offer this seemed to be by far our best bet. Our opening is 32" and this expands to 38" wide. It required no tools, is pressure mounted and has a gate that closes after you walk through automatically. How awesome is that!! And to add to the awesomeness, it is all metal and can, but not for us, be used on stairs. This is by far the best gate that I have seen and purchased and we have had several. Right now it is a bit hard for our 6 year old to use, it is a little awkward pushing the button back and pulling up. It is a little heavy for him as well. However, he has been running right through it and I am sure that over time it will get a bit easier to open. Even with those little things, I give this product a huge thumbs up!!

Above is all of the information on it.

This is Einstein thinking that he will be getting in soon, sorry! .^-^.

I had to fling it open quickly and snap to get this one as it was closing. It is great!!

As always, Thanks for stopping by and God Bless

Shark Steamer

2010-02-23T17:12:00.002-05:00

**UPDATE: April 6, 2010

I will leave the same post below. However, I am going to update my opinion here.

After using the Shark Steamer, and only the steamer, for my linoleum flooring I noticed that dark, dirt looking spots stayed behind. No matter how many times that I would clean it, again, with the steamer, it didn’t seem to budge. These started to spread and I believe that your floor is what makes the inside of your home look good and a well groomed yard is what makes the outside of the home. This wasn’t what I was use to and had to go. I decided to get my Mr. Clean Magic Eraser down to the floor level, since I still believe these are awesome after years of use. Surprise, surprise, it came up. That didn’t make me very happy, as you can imagine. However, I cleaned the floor with the trusty mop, Mr. Clean and elbow grease and it looks terrific. I did purchase the Mr. Clean Mop and have used it on the really tough spots and am thrilled with it as well.

I will no longer use the Shark Steamer for a daily cleaning machine. Before having our friends, with crawling babies, come around I will steam the floor so that I feel more at ease with them down on all fours on our floors. Other than that I will probably only use it for seasonal purposes. Let’s face it, after giving it much thought, I may not use it enough to keep it at this point.

**UPDATE: Please read this before my post below!!!!!

While at the computer one day my husband informed me that he and the kids were going to go and purchase my Christmas gift and that it was something that I had been wanting. I spoke up quickly, “The Shark Steamer!!” Well that isn’t what they had in mind but it is what I received. Later I found out that he was thinking about an embroidery sewing machine. Yes, I would have taken it over the cleaner any day; however that was overspending at that time.

About the Shark Steamer, I can not say enough good things about this product. It is AWESOME!! I just love it. We have 2 indoor dogs and always have several kids including the 2 of ours. Our kitchen floor gets pretty dirty pretty fast. With the steamer there are no chemicals to purchase and it comes with 3 washable pads that Velcro to the bottom of the cleaner. It heats up within seconds and all you do is pump the handle to make it steam more. Glide it over the floor and it is clean as can be. We have had probably all of the “kids” craft items that I have given my opinion on on the floor and it has taken them all up and more. My son and cousins daughter have been painting with finger paints for the past 4-6 days on and off and it has been all over the floor, sewing items on the table, he he. Anyway, it comes up so quickly with no bending. We only have linoleum in the kitchen and utility room, for now. A word of advice, if you are laying new carpet, no matter what the carpet people advise, get linoleum or wood or something other than carpet in the bathrooms. Big mistake, but that’s another story.

We move the refrigerator, stove, washer, dryer and everything out to clean under them regularly and there is no longer any scrubbing and back breaking bending. You just fill up the water canister with the cup and funnel that come with it and plug it in, then let the steam do the work. Like I said, I can not say enough good stuff about this product. Granted the water tank is small but I don’t mind refilling it as many times as needed because I am not mopping and scrubbing as I have for so many years. Oh, and you know that sticky mess that most of us get under and around the garbage can, it is a breeze to get up.

One word of advice or a warning, however you wish to take it. Do not, I repeat, do not clean up sugar with the steamer. I really thought that I had most of the sugar up and began to steam to get the remainder to avoid ants, which we already have seen a few. After I was done I noticed that the floor was really sticky. I switched pads and cleaned again, it was still sticky. What was I doing wrong? It finally hit me; I had made syrup and was continuing to spread it over the floor. LOL I am sure that if I had continued to clean that it would have eventually come up but I did get out the old mop and really dose it with water and get it up. It was funny though, once I realized what I had done.

Take care and God Bless!!

Rug Doctor and Spring Cleaning

2010-02-23T16:58:00.006-05:00

It may not be spring as of yet. However, if you look out of my door there is no snow. Yippee!! We rented the Rug Doctor (which I would love to own but at what they cost, I will continue to rent) to clean all of the carpets, plus the couch. The carpets are done after an entire day of hard work. I am big on keeping the floors clean. My friend Trish pointed out that I stay on the carpets, cleaning them. After thinking about it it came to me that when we lived in a cabin with hardwood floors and you could always see if there was a speck of dust. It was also very easy to move furniture around and make sure that everything was clean under it as well, just push it out of the way. It is also a good way to work out frustrations. : ) Anyway, I found out that the clean floor is what made the house look so good. Since then I have had a compulsion, you might say, to keep the carpet very clean, as well as linoleum. That will lead into my next post on the floor steamer that my loving family gave me for Christmas.

Even though we have carpet that is only around 9-10 months old, I still want all of the furniture, except the beds and our extremely heavy entertainments center, moved when I sweep the floors. Our couch, loveseat, tables, and most everything is moved at the least once a week to sweep under. I also take the kitchen table and chairs (thank goodness there are only 4) into the living room so that I can steam the linoleum. I also have OCD, can you tell. LOL

To those who are on their way to even thinking about Spring Cleaning, good luck to you and I’m right here with ya! Let me add that I will probably not be able to move an inch tomorrow. LOL I am sore!! Still have the couch to tackle...........maybe tomorrow.

Take care and God Bless!!

"All Things Grow With Love" Spring Purse

2010-02-21T20:13:00.002-05:00

This is a new version to an old pattern that I made extensions, zippers, pockets and all around changes as I went along.

My aunt wanted a “Spring” purse. The requirements were that it was large and had a shallow inside zipper.

I felt that it needed something else on the inside so it did get 2 pockets plus a pen holder on the sides of the pockets.

This was the very first attempt at installing a zipper pocket. It wasn’t as bad as I had it worked up to be.

The outside houses 3 large pockets as well.
Overall I think that it turned out well and she was pleased with it, which is what mattered.

I would love to hear what you think about this or any post. Feel free to comment.

Thanks for looking and be sure to come back.

God Bless!!

Colored Pencil Roll Try #1

2010-02-21T20:04:00.003-05:00

This was my test run and there are some definite boo-boo's.

Although I was pretty happy with the way it looks the actual functionality of it tying became an issue after finishing it.

It looks pretty, right?

The pencils are where they should be, enough space; however, you have to put both straps to close at the same end. LOL When I began to roll it up it became very evident very quickly that I had made this mistake.

The next one will more than likely have a free tutorial so that I can look back on it myself. LOL

Thanks for looking and take care. God Bless!!

New Craft Buisness Blog

2010-02-15T12:23:00.003-05:00

My friend Trish and I started a new selling blog and have a few items listed. Be sure to visit all of our labels for information about us, shipping, ordering and our homemade items at Mountain Mamas Country Store - http://mountainmamascountrystore.blogspot.com/. There are many recipes and will be many more, our personal favorites. There will be Appalachian folklore soon and we will be adding items as often as possible for sale. Follow us and watch for regular updates.

The creek in our backyard....

2010-02-15T12:11:00.003-05:00

I love this picture!! One side is frozen, one side is flowing and a large Valentine's Heart in the middle. DS and I walked over onto this snow, way beyond and everything and it just did not appear as a heart until it was downloaded. Awesome!!

Just a pic down the creek.

This is "Kitty". She is suppose to belong to a neighbor but never goes near them. She came to our house and has stayed. DS has now decided to change her name to "Whiskers". Sorry, after calling her Kitty for so long, she will remain as Kitty.

Another down creek shot.

Cami found out that after walking on the frozen water that there were actually wet places in there as well. Quick back u and found another way to shore. LOL

Have fun.....God Bless!!

My lil' snowman making a lil' snowman

2010-02-15T12:04:00.004-05:00

DS and his little snowman.

He worked on this for hours. He would get it looking good and then add to it again and again and again.

Here he has added 2 of his sisters BB's from her gun for eyes. The green eyed snowman.

This is our crazy Cami that was watching him and playing with the railing, snow, branch, anything that she could grab and smack or hold onto. LOL

Have a good snowy day and God Bless!!

Candy making with the kids

2010-02-14T17:36:00.004-05:00

My littlest chef mixing up the peanut butter center for our candy.

My niece adding the powdered sugar.

I let the kids go wild with the cookie cutters.

Now doesn't he look like an intense chef?

This is my real back up chef. She is the one who takes over and helps out when mom needs it. She loves to watch cooking shows and try new things. They had a really good time making the candy and then covering it with chocolate.

Actually once the chocolate was melted and my son knew he was ready to be done with the peanut butter center, he was ready to cover his fingers, candy, or spoon, whatever in chocolate. He is a true chocoholic!

They had a blast. It was a mess but well worth it and my niece said it was one of the most fun things she has been able to do and was going to go to school and tell all of her friends.

We are in snow, just like the rest of the nation, and they are calling for 6-8 more inches in the next 15 or so hours so I don't know when she will be going back to school. My poor kids don't have to worry about how much it snows. The only time they get out of school with bad weather is when I agree to take in a child or 2 so the parents can go to work or do whatever they want to do. Homeschooling has many advantages; my kids would probably say that is not one of them. LOL

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Heart I-Spy Bag

2010-02-14T17:22:00.003-05:00

Trinkets that I am adding to the bag.

Finished product.

I have seen several blogs where moms make these cool I-Spy bags for the kids to pass time. This was a very rushed job so it is definitely not the best. This was a last minute Valentine's Day morning gift. The kids were playing games, my niece was keeping my son busy and my daughter was in her room just chillin and watching TV.

While they were all busy I printed off 2 heart templates from the first site that I could find and resized on Word. Cut the felt around, 2 layers thick and cut the vinyl the same size as the smallest of the 2 hearts. This was a very, very rushed job. This is the first time I have tried sewing with vinyl but it really wasn't that bad. We had went to Hobby Lobby and between the Easter section, jewelry, crafts, doll house section (miniature dice and cola cans that are really cute), bugs, and buttons I came up with the items to add into the bag.
The next time I make a I-Spy bag I will take time, plan it out and close it much better than the quick seam on the side. However, this was fun for them to play with and try and figure out what all was inside.

Having fun at home.........God Bless!!

Sleigh Ridding Part 2 of 2

2010-02-14T17:10:00.004-05:00

My nephew actually smiling!!

Against my better judgment the kids wanted to sleigh toward the creek and my daughter was willing to stand and catch them before hitting the water......good luck.......we'll see

Still happy as can be........"Let's go again!!"

OH, this is what mommy was afraid would happen. If you notice DD is on the ground. My nephew came down first, knocked DD down and she couldn't stop DS from hitting the water. You can see the water moving, I got the shot right as he hit!!

DS was not happy, the next photo was actually him standing with hands on hips letting him have it because he is now wet and has to go in!!! Good Grief!!! LOL LOL

Happy sledding and God Bless!!!

Sleigh Ridding Part 1 of 2

2010-02-14T16:48:00.005-05:00

My little snowman

My daughter, son and nephew

My daughter sleighing

My little snowman mid air

My little snowman sleighing

Valentine in the oddest place

2010-02-14T16:43:00.005-05:00

Welcome to my backyard.

While my son and I were out today playing the in the creek (with mud boots on) I took many pictures. However, it was not until putting them onto the computer and looking at them that I found this: a beautiful valentine in the middle of the frozen and flowing waters of the creek. How awesome is that!!! Look at what God has gifted us with today.

Have a great Valentines Day and God Bless!!

Yo-Yo Tutorial

2010-02-11T22:17:00.004-05:00

While working on my MP3 tutorial I decided to add a Yo-Yo Tutorial along with it. I had been wanting to make a Yo-Yo project forever and was afraid that it would be difficult. To begin with I purchased a template and used it. After the very first try I discovered that it was much to simple and that the template even slowed the process down. Not to say that they are not handy or that you should not purchase one. My daughter is going to try it and wants to use the template for her projects, which is fine by me. If all goes well you will be seeing more Yo-Yo projects here.

By the way the pictures are what was used in the MP3 project and is my 4th, 5th and 6th Yo-Yo's ever made. They are simple and add a cute touch to about anything.

http://www.4shared.com/file/220243988/db181e7b/Yo_Yo_Tutorial.html

As always take care and God Bless!!

MP3 Case Tutorial

2010-02-11T21:56:00.009-05:00

This is my first tutorial and it is how to make a cute little MP3 Case that I needed for my purse. It can also be used for just about anything. My cell fits in nicely as well as credit cards, money, and keys.

Hope you enjoy.

http://www.4shared.com/file/220241749/a03d8460/MP3_Case_Tutorial.html

Have a great day and God Bless!!

Learning HTML

2010-02-11T21:53:00.002-05:00

While trying to learn how to blog correctly I am trying to learn the HTML codes as well. Some of my post may look a little funny for a little while, sorry for that. But this is truly a learning experience. If you have any of your favorite sites that are helpful I would love to hear about them.

Thanks and God Bless.

Cherokee Legend

2010-02-11T21:33:00.003-05:00

Do you know the legend of the Cherokee Indian youth's rite of Passage?

His father takes him into the forest, blindfolds him an leaves him alone. He is required to sit on a stump the whole night and not remove the blindfold until the rays of the morning sun shine through it.

He cannot cry out for help to anyone.

Once he survives the night, he is a MAN.

He cannot tell the other boys of this experience, because each lad must come into manhood on his own.

The boy is naturally terrified. He can hear all kinds of noises. Wild beasts must surely be all around him. Maybe even some human might do him harm. The wind blew the grass and earth, and shook his stump, but he sat stoically, never removing the blindfold. It would be the only way he could become a man!

Finally, after a horrific night the sun appeared and he removed his blindfold.

It was then that he discovered his father sitting on the stump next to him. He had been at watch the entire night, protecting his son from harm. We, too, are never alone.

Even when we don’t know it, God is watching over us, sitting on the stump beside us. When trouble comes, all we have to do is reach out to Him.

Moral of the story: Just because you can't see God, Doesn't mean He is not there."For we walk by faith, not by sight."

Our Spoiled Pets

2010-01-21T20:09:00.005-05:00

This is my daughter playing with our Peek-a-Poo, Bella. Bella is pretty easy going as long as she is getting the attention. LOL She does not like to go to the groomer however. She gets all of her attention for an hour and a half but hates being there. Silly doggie.

This is our other spoiled rotten pet, Einstein. He is a 3, soon to be 4 year old Dachshund. He is always cold but always lovable and a really good lap dog. He didn't get a bit cranky until this past year. He decided he doesn't want kids to pick him up. Who can blame him!

They are great pets by themselves, but since they have gotten together I don't know what one would do without the other. They would probably grieve themselves to pieces. They are sooo very funny together. They run from one end of the house to the other as fast as they can, side by side, about every evening. They are real entertainment for the whole family. I would love to hear about anyones pets. They are great.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Taking Care of Pets

2010-01-19T19:47:00.003-05:00

Let me get on my soap box for a few minutes. Before you take a pet home from wherever, please be able to spay or neuter them. So often people adopt pets, see a cute puppy or kitty at the mall or get one given to them before thinking it through. Pets are a big responsibility as well as cost. We have had so many dropped off near our house that it is insane. Most of the strays are cats. Cats normally have 2 litters of kittens a year. That is on average 4-8 every six months or so to find new homes for. I don’t mind feeding and taking care of what is mine, which is why I brought them home. But when you decided to make that decision for someone, it is normally a big mistake.

In our area you can get a cat or dog fixed for around $90 - $150 with shots included. We decided to look around for another vet in a nearby county. This was well worth the time and effort. We now have a good vet that spays or neuters your pets for $67. They take really good care of the animals. We even have a large animal vet that lives near us that works there two days a week.

Really look at the prices of food (canned and dry), pee pads, cat litter, toys, beds, flea medications (good ones like Frontline-my favorite), vitamins, grooming, vet visits, shots, spaying, neutering, as well as a ton of other things. Pure breed animals have more health issues as well. Look at the breed before taking in the responsibility and ask a local vet what they see that breed in their office for most. Have a little money tucked away for pet emergencies. I never knew there were so many emergencies until we bought our loving dachshund. He has had a few. We have also taken in kittens from strays and have had enormous vet bills. We have also had pets that have gotten out and were hit by a vehicle.

If they make it there is normally a very large vet bill. If you live in a rental that allows pets, make sure that if something happens and you have to move to somewhere that doesn’t allow pets, that you have someone that is willing to take your pet in.

My two Tattoo's

2010-01-19T19:06:00.002-05:00

Back in August I posted about the tattoo on my left foot. After looking at the searches from Google and my blog I have noticed that the “Tattoo” post is the most commonly viewed. For that reason I have decided to do a follow up and post mine and my husbands tattoos as well.

I have 2 and would not tell anyone not to get one. However, think about what you are doing before you do it. I am 40 and waited until I was 40 to get one. I actually had a doctor ask why I waited that long and decided to get one. I have wanted a tattoo since I was a teen. If I had gotten a tattoo back then…well let’s just say that I would be trying everything to remove it. There is no telling what I would have had tattooed and where. My sister had a small dolphin on the inside of her left ankle when she was in her early 20’s. To this day I don’t believe that she has had the urge to get another one. I have a close cousin that has several. She originally decided on a small rose and paid a good price for it on her left calf. Sadly it is not a good tattoo, and it was done professionally. What can you say, take it off or re-do it. It isn’t that easy. She did go to another artist and have a UK Wildcat put on her back. It looks really good and she went from there. I think she has somewhere around 8 right now and has found out that across your spine is very painful. Around a bone is painful, especially the top of your foot. LOL Contemplate long and hard before placing something on your body that will be there forever. I have also heard that having someone’s name tattooed on you is a bad luck. According to Mike, our tattoo artist, almost all people who have someone’s name tattooed on them ends up separating, divorcing, or whatever the case may be. Think about that before having that name put wherever for the rest of your life.

Here is my right ankle, an icthus that I am proud of. Below is the lilly and frog, after healing, on the top of my left foot. I like it as well but wish sometimes that it had been a cross. I didn't think long before having it placed. See what I meant. LOL But I do like both of them and had them done by a very good artist.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Hubbies Tattoo's

2010-01-19T18:35:00.006-05:00

My husband has this surfing lizard on his right calf. The verse is Psalm 28 verse 7 which reads: The Lord is my strength and my shield; my heart trusted in him, and I am helped: therefore my heart greatly rejoiceth; and with my song will I praise him.

This is on his left shoulder. It is a tribal tattoo that he found and liked. It turned out pretty good.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Crayola Window Crayons

2010-01-19T17:42:00.004-05:00

I have 2 children that are homeschooled (if you hadn’t read that before) and I always have extra kids around.

It is hard at times to keep all of them entertained. While at Wal-Mart we noticed these crayons for under $4.00; I thought, why not. They are great little time consumers as well as a great tool for your budding artist. They come in a pack of 5; black, yellow, blue, green and red. The kid’s can write on mirrors, the front door, any type of glass, even your automobile windows. Just watch what they write or draw. LOL

Clean up is quick and easy. Having tried different things I recommend window cleaner. Your glass is clean and the crayons are gone. You can use soap and water or about any type of cleaner as well.

The only thing to look for is when they push hard on the crayons you will see a little clump of color, they are soft. When these fall to the floor and get stepped on the colors will spread on the floor as well. I haven’t had to deal with them on carpet so I can’t say how easy or hard clean up would be. However, on linoleum it is as easy to clean as off of the glass. Just tell them to write easy and not to press so hard. The crayons do roll up so there is plenty for your money and their time.

Take care and God bless!!

My Daughter's New Purse

2010-01-18T16:57:00.010-05:00

This past Christmas I decided to make my daughter a purse. After making one for my mother, strictly made up as I went I decided to search for a pattern that was easy to understand. At this link: http://www.sewingmamas.com/b/downloads.php?do=file&id=357 I found the download for a super nice name brand knock off bag tutorial. I am not a seamstress. However I have found that I enjoy sewing and my dear friend Trish, which is an excellent seamstress, and I turn to for help when needed, which is pretty often. LOL

You may notice by the dates on the pictures that it wasn’t completed until last night. But, it was completed!! There is a spin on the fabric and the look but the purse is right out of the pattern from the above site. This was a great experience and there was a lot of learning about sewing than I ever figured was possible from making a purse. The key fob is something that I have been making for a while now.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Dymo LetraTag Label Maker

2010-01-18T16:09:00.001-05:00

When it comes to organization everyone should own a labeler. We have went into office supply stores and found a really nice label maker that is on sale and cheaper to purchase it than to purchase new cartridges for the one at home. Then it comes time to replace the cartridge in the new one and the price is outrageous. Not such a good investment after all. I would rather have one that I can keep and afford to refill at the same time.

The last time that I needed a refill, and wasn’t going to be in the mall 60+ miles away anytime soon, I looked locally. I found the Dymo LetraTag LT-100T. It is an awesome little tool. The buttons are larger than normal machines, very user friendly, 6 different font styles, 9 different boxes or underline styles which include a crocodile, train, sweethearts and even flowers. It also has 195 symbols you can add into your label. This is a great gadget to have around for all of your organizational needs.

Take care and God Bless!!

Remington Smooth & Silky

2010-01-18T15:10:00.002-05:00

Several years ago I purchased a re-chargeable ladies razor. There were good and bad sides but I wasn’t particularly happy with the fact that if I laid it down and forgot to put it back on the charger that it was nearly dead and of no use the next time I needed it.

So while in Wal-Mart to purchase a refill for my disposable razor I noticed that there was a new razor on the shelf. The Remington Smooth & Silky that is battery charged instead of a rechargeable. It works great. I have 2 cheap “AA” batteries in it. My daughter and I have given it plenty of use. We have not had any problems with it. The cap is hinged so that it stays on top and won’t fall or get lost. The results are definitely as good as the more expensive models.

If you are looking for a new razor you might want to give this one a try.

Take care and God Bless!!

Purses, Marshmallow Guns, Tag Quilts and More

2009-12-22T21:45:00.015-05:00

December is when it seems that I get the urge to sew. You would think that I would year round and plan to in 2010. It makes for a very busy month. LOL These are a few of my projects over the past few weeks that I wanted to share.

These are the 2 boy tag blankets that I made for a friend that works at a daycare. She has 2 sets of twins at the moment and just loves this set of boys and wants to give them these for Christmas. Didn’t they turn out cute? You can’t see the backs very well so I added another pic that really doesn’t show it either. LOL Oh well. It is plain blue and matches really well.

The same friend that works at the daycare is also about 6 weeks from having her 3rd child, a girl. She has requested pink and brown and it was so hard to find things that went together for a baby here. Wal-Mart just doesn’t have that wide of a variety. However this should turn out okay. We were in the fabric section so long trying to find something that would go together (all of the small polka dots are gone in these colors) that I forgot to get the solid pale pink for the back. So I am stuck here for tonight. Back to Wal-Mart 2 days before Christmas. They shouldn’t be busy at all. Ü

This is the finished purse that I made for my mother for Christmas. This was made up 100% as I went along. As well as the key fob to go along with it. Talk about a play on colors. I know it is a picture but if you were looking at it in person you can not tell that the ribbon has black polka dots on the brown background. It really pops when you put in on the black but fades out with the brown. How odd.

These are our camo marshmallow guns, which my husband and I made together. These have been such a huge hit with all ages. If you have never had a marshmallow gun fight, you must have one. They are awesome. We have a great time at it. Just watch out for marshmallows in the carpet. It’s a sticky, icky, messy mess. Without planning we had a HUGE marshmallow gun fight at our daughter's birthday party. It was a blast and between that and the Wii, which wasn't planned either, the party was a huge hit. Go with the flow. It turns out better that way sometimes. Ü

Below is an apron that went into the Kitchen Themed auction basket that we made for our churches "Snowball Banquet". This is my first attempt at an apron and I made it up as I went along. It didn't turn out completely horrible. LOL

Take Care and God Bless!!

Parakeets as pets

2009-12-15T10:36:00.005-05:00

This is a video of Peyton and Peppy, our baby parakeets. They are so neat and Peyton is pretty sweet while Peppy is mean. She will bite and bring the blood when possible.

This is also my first attempt at attaching a video, here goes.....

Have a great day and God Bless!!

^j^ ^j^ ^j^ ^j^ ^j^

BIBLE Acronym

2009-12-07T20:20:00.004-05:00

Our youth minister at church announced another acronym for BIBLE.

B: Basic
I: Instructions
B: Before
L: Leaving
E: Earth

How cute is that!! I like acronyms; they are fun and sometimes funny.
Take care and God Bless!

Our New Feathered Friends

2009-12-07T20:05:00.004-05:00

This is Peppy (the blue one) and Peyton (the yellow one) our baby parakeets.

My husband had to have the blue one and our daughter wanted the yellow. They talk up a storm. It sounds so cute. We are holding them everyday and playing with them so that they will be tame. Peppy can bite the blood out of you though. We let DH attend to her. LOL

Take care and God Bless!!

Updated Version of "'Twas The Night Before Christmas"

2009-11-17T08:34:00.002-05:00

*Twas the month before Christmas*
*When all through our land,*
*Not a Christian was praying*
*Nor taking a stand.*
*See the PC Police had taken away,*
*The reason for Christmas - no one could say.*
*The children were told by their schools not to sing,*
*About Shepherds and Wise Men and Angels and things.*
*It might hurt people's feelings, the teachers would say*
* December 25th is just a 'Holiday'.*
*Yet the shoppers were ready with cash, checks and credit*
*Pushing folks down to the floor just to get it!*
*CDs from Madonna, an X BOX, an I-pod*
*Something was changing, something quite odd! *
*Retailers promoted Ramadan and Kwanzaa*
*In hopes to sell books by Franken & Fonda.*
*As Targets were hanging their trees upside down*
* At Lowe's the word Christmas - was no where to be found.*
*At K-Mart and Staples and Penny's and Sears*
*You won't hear the word Christmas; it won't touch your ears.*
*Inclusive, sensitive, Di-ver-si-ty*
*Are words that were used to intimidate me.*
*Now Daschle, Now Darden, Now Sharpton, Wolf Blitzen*
*On Boxer, on Rather, on Kerry, on Clinton!*
*At the top of the Senate, there arose such a clatter*
*To eliminate Jesus, in all public matter.*
*And we spoke not a word, as they took away our faith*
* Forbidden to speak of salvation and grace*
*The true Gift of Christmas was exchanged and discarded*
*The reason for the season, stopped before it started.*
*So as you celebrate 'Winter Break' under your 'Dream Tree'*
*Sipping your Starbucks, listen to me.*
*Choose your words carefully, choose what you say*
*Shout MERRY CHRISTMAS ,
not Happy Holiday!*
Please, all Christians join together and
wish everyone you meet
MERRY CHRISTMAS
Christ is :The Reason for the Christ-mas Season!

~The Pickle Jar~

2009-11-05T10:28:00.001-05:00

~The Pickle Jar~

The pickle jar as far back as I can remember sat on the floor beside the dresser in my parents' bedroom. When he got ready for bed, Dad would empty his pockets and toss his coins into the jar.

As a small boy I was always fascinated at the sounds the coins made as they were dropped into the jar. They landed with a merry jingle when the jar was almost empty..Then the tones gradually muted to a dull thud as the jar was filled.

I used to squat on the floor in front of the jar and admire the copper and silver circles that glinted like a pirate's treasure when the sun poured through the bedroom window. When the jar was filled, Dad would sit at the kitchen table and roll the coins before taking them to the bank.

Taking the coins to the bank was always a big production. Stacked neatly in a small cardboard box, the coins were placed between Dad and me on the seat of his old truck.

Each and every time, as we drove to the bank, Dad would look at me hopefully. 'Those coins are going to keep you out of the textile mill, son You're going to do better than me. This old mill town's not going to hold you back.'

Also, each and every time, as he slid the box of rolled coins across the counter at the bank toward the cashier, he would grin proudly 'These are for my son's college fund. He'll never work at the mill all his life like me.'

We would always celebrate each deposit by stopping for an ice cream cone. I always got chocolate. Dad always got vanilla. When the clerk at the ice cream parlor handed Dad his change, he would show me the few coins nestled in his palm. 'When we get home, we'll start filling the jar again.' He always let me drop the first coins into the empty jar. As they rattled around with a brief, happy jingle, we grinned at each other. 'You'll get to college on pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters,' he said. 'But you'll get there; I'll see to that.' No matter how rough things got at home, Dad continued to doggedly drop his coins into the jar. Even the summer when Dad got laid off from the mill,and Mama had to serve dried beans several times a week, not a single dime was taken from the jar.

To the contrary, as Dad looked across the table at me, pouring catsup over my beans to make them more palatable, he became more determined than ever to make a way out for me. 'When you finish college, Son,' he told me, his eyes glistening, 'You'll never have to eat beans again - unless you want to.'

The years passed, and I finished college and took a job in another town. Once, while visiting my parents, I used the phone in their bedroom, and noticed that the pickle jar was gone. It had served its purpose and had been removed.

A lump rose in my throat as I stared at the spot beside the dresser where the jar had always stood. My dad was a man of few words, and never lectured me on the values of determination, perseverance, and faith. The pickle jar had taught me all these virtues far more eloquently than the most flowery of words could have done. When I married, I told my wife Susan about the significant part the lowly pickle jar had played in my life as a boy.. In my mind, it defined, more than anything else, how much my dad had loved me..

The first Christmas after our daughter Jessica was born, we spent the holiday with my parents. After dinner, Mom and Dad sat next to each other on the sofa, taking turns cuddling their first grandchild. Jessica began to whimper softly, and Susan took her from Dad's arms. 'She probably needs to be changed,' she said, carrying the baby into my parents' bedroom to diaper her. When Susan came back into the living room, there was a strange mist in her eyes.

She handed Jessica back to Dad before taking my hand and leading me into the room. 'Look,' she said softly, her eyes directing me to a spot on the floor beside the dresser. To my amazement, there, as if it had never been removed, stood the old pickle jar, the bottom already covered with coins. I walked over to the pickle jar, dug down into my pocket, and pulled out a fistful of coins. With a gamut of emotions choking me, I dropped the coins into the jar. I looked up and saw that Dad, carrying Jessica, had slipped quietly into the room. Our eyes locked, and I knew he was feeling the same emotions I felt. Neither one of us could speak.

This truly touched my heart. I know it has yours as well. Sometimes we are so busy adding up our troubles that we forget to count our blessings.Never underestimate the power of your actions. With one small gesture you can change a person's life, for better or for worse.

God puts us all in each other's lives to impact one another in some way. Look for Good in others.

The best and most beautiful things cannot be seen or touched - they must be felt with the heart ~ Helen Keller

- Happy moments, praise God.
- Difficult moments, seek God.
- Quiet moments, worship God.
- Painful moments, trust God.
- Every moment, thank God.

Making Your Kids Christmas List

2009-11-01T19:04:00.003-05:00

While in the stores this weekend my son kept picking out things that he wanted for Christmas, don't they all. Well I decided to pull out my phone and take pictures of the items in which he chose as well as shots of the prices. Now I can put them on the computer attach the name of the store and email them to family members that are all the time asking, "So, what do your kids want for Christmas?".

Going into a store armed with a large digital camera may look suspicious and you may get much unwanted attention. However, just about everyone has a camera with a built in camera these days. After thinking of the possibilities I was amazed. For a baby shower you could do the same thing. Take your phone around, take a picture. Go home and load them into the computer. Categorize things into what is the most needed down to what you think is cute and wouldn't mind having and email it to family and friends. This way there are also pictures instead of just descriptions that go along with your request. You can show the price (in your area anyway) and the store where you found it. However, someone that is buying for you somewhere else may find the exact item at another store for less. Saving them money and you still get what you need and/or want.

Phones have come such a long way and the home phone will soon be a thing of the past. At the University of Kentucky they removed all phones from student dorms last year, it saved the school money and most of the students had cell phones and were not using them anyway. Can you imagine what all they will invent in the next 20 years? My kids are already amazed, and probably can not truly grasp, how I grew up and some of the ideas about the good old days. Can you imagine if the TV only had 3 channels and they had to get up and change the channel, by hand. OMG In my opinion it would be better. I really enjoy TV, please don't get me wrong, however with the growing electronic world look at the obesity rate of our selves and more importantly, our children. It is phenomenal. Technology is great in many ways but as with everything, you have to have bad to go along with the good.

Boy, did I get off topic or what. LOL

Have a great November and God Bless you all.

New Purpose for the Cobwebster Brush

2009-10-09T21:25:00.004-04:00

We have a purple fluffy brush that is used for removing cobwebs in the corners. We also have a garden tub that our son loves. Anyone that has one knows that it is hard to keep clean and can take considerable time to get in and keep clean all the time. One day I went to clean it out and had the cobweb brush in there so I decided to put some hand soap on it and clean the tub. It works wonders. It has the extended arm so that there is little bending and the brush makes tons of bubbles and covers a large area for easy cleaning. It is awesome and helps keep my back in line rather than me on my knees scrubbing.

Take Care and God Bless!!

Highway 109

2009-10-09T19:39:00.003-04:00

A drunk man in an Oldsmobile

They said had run the light

That caused the six-car pileup

On 109 that night.

When broken bodies lay about

And blood was everywhere,

The sirens screamed out eulogies,

For death was in the air.

A mother, trapped inside her car,

Was heard above the noise;

Her plaintive plea near split the air:

"Oh, God, please spare my boys!"

She fought to loose her pinned hands

She struggled to get free,

But mangled metal held her fast

In grim captivity.

Her frightened eyes then focused

On where the back seat once had been,

But all she saw was broken glass and

Two children's seats crushed in.

Her twins were nowhere to be seen;

She did not hear them cry,

And then she prayed they'd been thrown free,

"Oh, God, don't let them die!

Then firemen came and cut her loose,

But when they searched the back,

'They found therein no little boys,

But the seat belts were intact.

They thought the woman had gone mad

And was traveling alone,

But when they turned to question her,

They discovered she was gone.

Policemen saw her running wild

And screaming above the noise

In beseeching supplication,

"Please help me find my boys!"

"They're four years old and wear blue shirts;

Their jeans are blue to match.''

One cop spoke up,

''They're in my car,

And they don't have a scratch.

" They said their daddy put them there

"And gave them each a cone,

Then told them both to wait for Mom

To come and take them home."

"I've searched the area high and low,

But I can't find their dad.

He must have fled the scene,

I guess, and that is very bad."

'The mother hugged the twins and said,

While wiping at a tear,

"He could not flee the scene, you see,

For he's been dead a year.

" The cop just looked confused and asked,

"Now, how can that be true? '

'The boys said, 'Mommy, Daddy came

And left a kiss for you.'''

"He told us not to worry

And that you would be all right,

And then he put us in this car with

'The pretty, flashing light."

"We wanted him to stay with us,

Because we miss him so,

But Mommy, he just hugged us tight

And said he had to go."

"He said someday we'd understand

And told us not to fuss,

And he said to tell you, Mommy,

He's watching over us."

The mother knew without a doubt

That what they spoke was true,

For she recalled their dad's last words,

"I will watch over you."

The fire men's notes could not explain

The twisted, mangled car,

And how the three of them escaped

Without a single scar.

But on the cop's report was scribed,

In print so very fine,

An angel walked the beat tonight on Highway 109.

Crayola Hassle Free Watercolors

2009-09-10T09:28:00.003-04:00

Since we have been on the road most of the past week and a half I have been looking for things for the kids to do that doesn't make a mess. I found these yesterday in our local Wal-Mart, of course, and they are fabulous. No Water! No Dripping! No Spilling! Is what the package advertises and it is true to its advertisement. The kids can create whatever they want and then change colors with no effort and no mess. It comes with 2 of the paint pens so each of my kids have their own and the only thing that I can see that will be a problem, with us, is that the pens tips are like long felt markers and I am sure that my kids will push to hard on them and they will split or tear up. We will see. But for under $4 I believe this to be a very good purchase for anyone with kids who like to paint.

God Bless!!

My Patchwork Life

2009-09-09T07:14:00.005-04:00

Have you ever thought about how much your life is like a patchwork quilt? Pieces of life that fit and don't fit that would make up more of a "Patchwork Porridge" instead of a quilt.

**Thanks Trish for coming up with this blog title. It fits so well.

This is one of those moments that is not meant to be a morbid post, just informative.

My father-in-law went into the VA clinic because he wasn't feeling well. They sent him to the local hospital and they admitted him and kept him for a little less than 48 hours and shipped him to a heart specializing hospital about 60 miles away. At this hospital they decided to do surgery the very next morning because they had found a lot of fluid around his heart. They do the procedure and we wait. Afterwards he is admitted to ICU and we are then told that he had more fluid removed than any other patient that this hospital (being a specialty hospital in this area) has ever removed from one patient, 1 pint + 200 cc's. That is a lot of fluid!! They left the chest tube in and he was on the ventilator machine. After a few hours they tried to remove him from the ventilator and ran into problems. They have to bring you out of a coma state and you have to take a deep breath on your own while they remove the tube. Well, it didn't work so well. Every time that they tried to bring him to, to remove the tube, he wouldn't co-operate. He became very combative every time that they tried to bring him out of the comatose state so they had to continually put him back under. The next night they brought in a "Special Team" that works with people that have problems coming off of the machine. The next morning when my husband checks, he is still on the machine and VA wants him transferred to their hospital, insurance issues. I have already questions a few concerns and my husband and his only brother have thought them through and found them valid enough to question the hospitals about them. This is another one of those concerns. However, they brought another "Specialty Team" in and ambulance to transport him while on the ventilator and it went very well. So he is transferred to the VA ICU unit. We are driving daily to the hospitals and this one was only a few miles from the one that had performed the surgery so we are still about 60 miles one way per day. Thank goodness for homeschooling!! The next day VA gets news from the previous hospital that the fluid results have come back and there are cancer cells in the fluid that was removed from around his heart. My husband calls to check on his dad before we make the drive, as usual and everything is okay. We are running errands before leaving and all of a sudden he comes into a business where I was chatting and states that we need to go, now! The doctor had called and told him about the fluid and informed him that the heart is the last place that cancer travels so they are going to perform many more test and they are no longer concerned about taking him off of the machine right now, that the cancer has moved to the #1 concern. After performing numerous tests they find out that one of his lungs is collapsed and has been for sometime. Okay, I have worked in a hospital and nursing home as well as done private duty nursing for more years than I would like to admit. This is 3 hospitals and 1 clinic and they just found out he had a collapsed lung. Why had no one caught that there were no breath sounds there before?? My concerns are growing but I am trying to remain calm because the diagnosis is growing and my husband is worrying enough. After two more days they bring another team into this hospital and decide to "aggressively" remove him from the machines and let him know what is going on so that he can now make his final decisions because he has been given only a month to live and that is with chemo. People, I don't mean to be morbid but you MUST be prepared, you never know when something will happen and your family really needs to know your wishes. There are only 2 children and their mother and he have been divorced for many years but he has several brothers and sisters and of course some of them want their say so in the matter which only makes a bad situation worse. Moving on....They wake him but leave the tubes in (while using restraints for his safety) for most of the day and have him shake his head if he understands things and to answer the boys questions. Later they remove the tube and later that night remove the feeding tube as well. He is given the news by the doctors and it doesn't seem to even faze him. Did he know? The next 2 days are kind of odd. The tests continue while he gains strength and still isn't asking too many questions or addressing the new found "shortened life span" news and you still can't really understand what he is saying. Another day rolls around and he seems to be improving by leaps and bounds. He now is able to walk, with assistance, and is talking and flirting with the nurses. The boys go in to talk to him, as usual. But they are a bit surprised. He doesn't really know what hospital he is in. He knows the town but that is about it. He doesn't remember the VA Clinic, the surgery, the move or the doctor telling him the news. He wants the boys to fill him in on what in the world has been going on. They begin to fill in the information and tell him about the cancer and that they are performing more tests. We have had everyone praying since the beginning of all of this craziness and he looks up at my husband and his brother and announces that he isn't dying any time soon. He does answer their questions as to final arrangement plans, just in case. This is now three days later and he is in a regular room and awaiting a lung biopsy as well as a few more tests that have been postponed until today. Here is another "odd" part. They can not find the cancer!! Yes, they are sure that there are cancer cells in the fluid and the chest tube is still in and still draining so they can continue to test on it but they are stumped as to where the cancer cells are coming from. This entire experience, be it far from over, has been one of faith and patience which is what the Lord tells us to have.

So are the days of my families "Patchwork Porridge" life. But I have told this story to get it out there that the Lord does work in very mysterious ways and that hopefully my FIL will change his ways and become a much better man from this experience and we will continue to pray that he has a longer than predicted life as well as to plead with you all that you do take that step and write down your final wishes. My mother, who will be offended when she reads this, sorry mom, has not taken that step. Think about this; what do you want when you are gone? Do you want just anyone to make your final arrangements? What will happen with your kids? Home? Pets? Belongings? Do you have life insurance or burial insurance? Does your family know where these very important policies are kept? Do you have a preference as to your final resting place? Do you have a safety deposit box that no one knows about? What about your bills, are they in order? Does your property have a reverse mortgage attached? These are just the tip of the iceberg when something does happen but putting those final arrangements in place is not signing your death warrant. I have found that many people fall into 1 of 3 categories when it comes to these plans.
1. These people have made their arrangements and are at peace with it. Their families are at piece knowing that this has been done and are aware of what needs to take place when something does happen.
2. This is the younger generation or the procrastinators that think that it can not happen to them or that they can put it off until later. When is later exactly??
3. These are the people who believe that if they perform this highly important act that it somehow places an expiration date on their life. I am sure that the people in #1 have looked at the bottom of their foot and there isn't an expiration date that appeared when they made these very necessary decisions and put them on paper.
These are very serious times and you never know what is going to happen when you get into a car or go to the mail box. These are very important decisions that need to be made and your family (at least one - two members) needs to know where your papers are when that time comes. It is not something that any of us want to face and thinking about your demise is not the most pleasant of topics but it is a very real and a true fact of life that needs to be taken seriously and needs to be handled accordingly.
If you are wondering if I have made my final decisions known....no, I have not. However, this experience has been an eye opener for me as well and I am going to begin looking into things today. I do have life insurance and it is enough to take care of my final arrangements, regardless of what they might be and I have given it much thought previously and have a rough sketch in my head of what I want done and where I want to be laid to rest but I do need to put it on paper and let it be known to my loved ones that my final wishes are in a sealed envelope in my safe and that they are to remain sealed until my life here on Earth has come to an end. Some County Clerk's offices hold these papers for safe keeping free of charge and are not open to the public. Others may decide to hire an attorney and their office will keep and store their final wishes at their office for safe keeping. There are "Will" kits and "Living Will" kits all over the internet as well as in office supply stores. Please take advantage of these and take charge of your own decisions. It is never too early to take this step. In my personal opinion if you have children you need to take this step. You need to look out after those precious jewels and decide what will happen to them if you are taken suddenly.
It is now time to check on my FIL today and see how he is doing and if they are going to be able to perform his test today and get a time frame. This post is not meant to be a gloomy one. My FIL now has the opportunity that he didn't have a few days ago and I really want to stress to you all that sometimes you are not given that second chance to make your final decisions. I do hope that we all live long and happy, prosperous lives but just give it a serious thought. God Bless you all.

Tattoo's

2009-08-16T18:34:00.004-04:00

This is my newest and last tattoo. I had an ichthus put on my right ankle a few weeks ago and then had this Lilly and frog finished last night. If someone tells you that it doesn't hurt on top of your foot. Think really hard about that. It does!! The ichthus I sat still for and could handle well. However, this one hurt badly. I actually became physically ill the first night that Mike (our tattoo guy) started it. Last night I sat with my hands behind my back clutching the back of my kitchen chair while it was finished making noises....if it hadn't been me I would have laughed.

I will post more pictures of Mike's awesome work soon. Have a great day and God Bless!!

Homeschool and Public School

2009-08-15T09:21:00.003-04:00

We homeschool, as do many families these days. However, my little one (DS age 6) has decided that he now wants to attend public school. I think that for him that this is a good choice, at least for now. He is a very outgoing and friendly child that wants to be around other children all the time. Public School has now been in for 2 days and he has not attended. He woke up at 4:00 am the first morning sick. What does a 6 year old think about while sick early in the morning the first day of school.....what if something happens and mommy is not there? So there went the first day. I did try however until 9:00 am to get him to go. He was scared out of him mind. I gave in and decided we would try it the next day. Friday morning rolls around and he is still against going. This is now 3 days after his big decision to go and the rushing around, getting records together, filling out paper work, scheduling eye exams and physicals as well as purchasing nearly $200 in supplies that are required. My cousin’s girl, that is only 6 days younger than my son, gets off of the bus at our home and he went with his daddy yesterday to pick her up. He comes back in the house and says, for the hundredth time, "I am going to school". Okay, I am a very patient mother but this has got to go one way or the other. I agree that giving a 6 year old the choice is somewhat unusual but I think that my children should make decisions, but this is a really large one. So this time I have made it. I called his teacher and she informs me that he is no longer enrolled in her class since he did not make the first 2 days. Okay, now what?? I had my husband call the front office and they were kind of snippy, I understand. "Are you still giving him a choice??" "No, he will be there on Monday." After a brief discussion we came to the understanding that Monday is the last straw or he will be un-enrolled and if we decide to re-enroll him that he may be sent to another school in the district due to the over flow of Kindergarten children in this school. Although I believe that the best education for a child is homeschooling I am going to make him try public school for at least a week and then see how he responds. I believe that being around other children will actually help him to grow. My daughter went to public school for the first 4 1/2 years and it was in her best interest to remove her from that environment. If I feel the need to remove my son from public school then I will and keep him home but I would like him to have the experience if only for a brief time.

Wishing you and your children all the best this school season!! God Bless!!

Best Meatloaf Recipe

2009-07-19T17:59:00.002-04:00

I was never one to like meatloaf at all. However, my husbands aunt gave me this recipe and we now enjoy a meatloaf dinner.

Ingredients:

(Meatloaf)
1 egg
3/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup shredded cheddar cheese
1/4 cup oats
1/2 cup chopped onion
1 lb. lean ground beef

(Sauce)
2/3 cup ketchup
1/2 cup brown sugar
1 1/2 teaspoon spicy mustard

Directions:
Preheat oven to: 350 degrees
Beat eggs and milk in a large bowl. Stir in ingredients one at a time and add the beef. Mix ingredients up really well with your hands. Shape into 8 mini loafs (or meatballs) and place in 13x9 pan. Combine the sauce ingredients in a small bowl and stir well. Spread a tablespoon of mixture over each loaf and bake for 45 minutes.

Enjoy and God Bless

The Boat

2009-07-19T04:16:00.003-04:00

My husband went and retrieved our boat from the shop yesterday. It had not been looked at yet and would be about another 3 weeks so he decided to take a look himself. While he looked and twisted this and that our daughter would help out. She came in and told me that they had found the problem in a little under a half hour. Wow. It is an old cable. That was simple enough. Now to get a new one and get it replaced. There are only 3 cables on the boat and they range from $40 to $400. Now sadly enough this could take awhile.

Have a good day!!

The boat experience

2009-07-11T11:17:00.002-04:00

We took our family and my niece and nephew out on the boat. We had a blast.....well until after about 1.5 - 2 hours the boat made a funny noise and the propeller locked up. Ü Just our luck.

I called the marina and told them that we needed a tow. They were short handed and we saw the man going out in front of us on another tow. The gentleman suggested that we find another way in?? What?? I called the local RV and Boat sales, because they are really nice people that we deal with on a regular basis, to see if they had a boat out. They didn't but did give us hope that it was something simple that could be fixed. We sat for another 2 hours or more while the other tow was going on. When he passed us again we knew that it shouldn't be too long and made sure that they hadn't forgotten about us. They said that after he got in and fueled up he would be on out. After about 45 more minutes we called again, they were only around the bend from us. They said he would start out in about 15 more minutes. My niece is having a fit because she is bored. Okay, how do you entertain on a boat? We hadn't taken the fishing equipment and this was not planned. My kids were being great by the way. After telling her to jump several times she finally got mad enough to quit. (She did have a life jacket on.) LOL

When the pontoon came to tie up to us so did a bunch of ducks. The kids loved it. They followed us for a little while and then went back to the beach. It was a beautiful day out and I had a good time.

God Bless you all and have a great day!!

Buying a Boat

2009-07-06T08:33:00.004-04:00

This is our families new boat. It may not be new but it is new enough for us. While trying to find a boat that we could afford, not easily done if you want it to float, we ended up in Russells Point, Ohio at Spend-A-Day Marina. Let me just inform you all that this is a completely awesome hidden treasure in Ohio. There is 5,800 acres of water and it is so awesome. It is called Indian Lake and if you ever get the chance you should go. It is awesome!!!

Take care and God Bless!!

National Union Insurance Company.....STAY AWAY!!!

2009-07-02T21:05:00.006-04:00

I don't know if any of you have been contacted by this company, National Union Insurance Company, yet or not. Beware of this company and their tricks. I was asked if I would simply listen to their sales pitch (once) and that if I would I would receive a $15 Wal-Mart gift card, regardless of whether I bought it or not. I listened. I have been called 23 times yesterday, first day of calling. And already 11 today. I have called AT&T, my phone carrier, and the only option is to purchase a service and pay them to block up to 15 numbers, change my number or put up with it. I am not blaming AT&T for this, this is not their fault. However, I do not feel that I should have to pay to put a stop to harassing phone calls. Here is their "New" trick. Even if you are on the "No Telemarketers Calling List", this does not count, they are not using a toll free number. So they have now figured out a way to continue to harass everyone. After asking, demanding and threatening everything from calling the Better Business Bureau if they called back to pleading for them to leave me alone, I finally was told by one of their employees that she had placed me on the "Do Not Call" list and asked if anyone had offered that service before. Nope. But this is still good right? Well, not exactly, remember this is just the 2nd day of the calls, it can take up to 30 days from today for it to get to all of their call centers to inform them that I am on the list. How wonderful is that!! 1-616-980-4031 is the number in which they call from. So Beware!!!!!!!

**Note....No more mention of the $15 Wal-Mart gift card either. Another example of: If it sounds too good to be true, it is. Don't get caught in their scam.

Take Care and God Bless

Our Cats and Kittens

2009-06-29T13:06:00.008-04:00

Picture #1 is Cami and her 3 new babies: Smokey, Peppy (for Peppy LePew) and Calli.

Picture #2 is B.J. she is a kitten from another homeless cat that was dropped off and we gave to an elderly gentleman.

Picture #3 is Sandy.....which now has a new home.

At the moment we have 2 cats and 3 kittens which we have all good intentions of finding new homes for all but 1. We had another kitten that is pictured but over the weekend a professor from the university came and adopted her for her daughters birthday. My cousin had found the little thing in a parking lot and it was so small. She brought her to me and we put kitten food in a dish with warm water and let it get really soft because she had never even eaten before. She didn't know what to do. We kept her for a few weeks and she began to grow and was doing fine. The gray and white mommy is one that my son found when we bought our new place. He brought her in and we kept her as well. She had 3 babies the 5th of this month. They are all so cute and playful.

This is Einstein

2009-06-29T13:02:00.004-04:00

Our dachshund that will be 3 on July 12, 2009. He is so spoiled that it is not even funny, no joke. He is always cold so he wants to be on someone all the time. He sleeps under the covers and is his daddy's baby (a little mine).

"Folex" Carpet Spot Remover

2009-06-26T11:53:00.002-04:00

If you have pets inside there is bound to be accidents of some sort. After trying many different types of cleaners while renting a house a year or so ago that had previously had pets and we put our pets in there were plenty of accidents. You know how dogs are. They have to try and go everywhere that another dog has gone to put their scent on it. Anyway, while we were at "Lowe's" one day we happened across "Folex" which is advertised on the bottle as "Instant Carpet Spot Remover. Over 35 years of success. The Solution to your Stain! Removes: Pet accidents, grease, ink, red wine, coffee, blood, rust, food, cosmetics, dirt, grime, most old stains, excellent for upholstery." So of course we had to give it a try. Why not, we had tried everything else.

After one use we were sold. You spray it on and wait a few minutes and blot it up. The stain or would be stain is gone and it does not return. You can purchase it in the 32 ounce spray bottle or by the gallon to use in your steam cleaners. We have done both and it works wonders. My son just dropped a paint brush with acrylic paint on the new carpet a few minutes ago and it came right out. This product is a true thumbs up. So if you need a carpet or upholstery cleaner I would highly recommend this product.

Take care and God Bless!!

"Happy Father's Day"

2009-06-20T21:14:00.004-04:00

To all of the father's out there may I take this opportunity to say "Thank You" and "Happy Father's Day". Take today to slow down, rejoice in the Lord and sit back and look at what he has richly blessed you with. Even though this is your day, remember to thank your Father above as well for all that he has given and done for you. There are so many songs out there that describe about your life not being what you prayed for or what you even wished for but the life that you lead is hopefully the path that the Lord has sent you down. The path in which your feet are to follow will be hard at times but also so very good at times. But at the end of that path the Lord has your reward waiting and remember that you are never alone.

Happy Father's Day and God Bless!!

Scrubbing Bubbles Mega Shower Foamer

2009-06-20T20:54:00.003-04:00

When cleaning the bathroom I have normally used "Scrubbing Bubbles" or a generic of the same. When this one came out and the thought of not having to hold the trigger down as long when cleaning floor to ceiling I have to admit that I was intrigued. Less time, effort and fumes, sounded like a winner to me. So off to the local Wal-Mart I went in search of the cleaner since I was out and it was getting about time for the tub scrub down. The price was less than $3.00 and I decided to definitely give it a try.

So, first I sprayed down the shower with a bleach spray and let it sit for about 3 minutes then I sprayed the areas, with very little effort and time, nice. After that set for about 3 more minutes I began to scrub. There was nearly nothing to scrub. Happily I report that in my opinion it works better than any of the others that I have tried in the past. This definitely gets a big thumb up. One other point to make is that there is a much wider spray and much foamier so the can does go empty faster. However, one can did do a garden tub and a small shower and tub enclosure.

Note: Make sure you use this in a very well ventilated area. I open the door and window as well as turn on the exhaust fan. The fumes are not nice for asthma.

Happy Cleaning and God Bless!!

One of our Family Pets

2009-06-18T06:12:00.008-04:00

This is "Bella Baby"
Our 4 month old Peek-a-Pooh

Isn't she the cutest!!!!

Stomach Virus

2009-06-18T06:01:00.003-04:00

On my 17th wedding anniversary my husband, children and myself spent 7 hours in the Emergency Room of the local hospital with my mother due to her defibrillator doing its job for the first time since it was placed back in November 2008. This of course scared her very badly and she went to be checked out. After finding out what it was that felt like a gun shot to the heart she felt much better. Knowing that I would be there for many hours and that she was okay I sent my family home. But I assume due to being in the ER for so long and being exposed to so many things I wound up with a stomach virus less than 2 days later that I have never had anything like before. No joke, I lost 8 pounds in less than 48 hours. That sounds good but I would never have gone through this to get those pounds off. And I am sure that they will soon be back due to dehydration being the culprit.

I believe that from now on when I have to go to the ER for any reason that I will say a quick pleading prayer to the Lord above not to pick anything up while there and praise him on the way out, just for good measure sake. LOL But it couldn't hurt.

Take care and Good Health to all!!

Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair

2009-06-14T21:19:00.005-04:00

When I first noticed this in the store I shied away due to the price. However, having several pets I had to give it a try. If you have any type of shedding pet the Pledge Fabric Sweeper for Pet Hair is a must. There are also coupons now for $2.00 off at http://www.pledge.com/savings/2009-1/ .

The good and the bad points:

Good: It really works!! My first test was our cat tree that had under gone many hours of play with 2 long haired cats. It worked wonders. After only a few minutes it looked like new, no joke.

Bad: It is a disposable and a bit pricey. My suggestion is to always look for a coupon before going to purchase one. It is noted on the package to not open the product and empty it and then try to re-use it. I haven't tried.

Regardless of the price and it being disposable my overall view is that it is worth the price due to the superb job that it does.

Purex Complete 3-in-1 Laundry Sheets

2009-06-14T10:19:00.005-04:00

After watching an ad on the T.V. about this product I decided I had to give it a try. If you haven’t heard it is the all in one detergent, fabric softener, and dryer sheet in one. I use to use Tide and still really like it but due to their price increase have since switched to Purex. After buying and using these sheets for a week now I am ready to give my honest opinion.

If you do not have a large family or do not do a massive amount of laundry this is the product for you. It works as it is advertised. However, around my house there is laundry that is never ending. These are meant for small loads and if you have a larger load to do it suggest that you use 2 sheets per load. It comes in boxes of 20 so at my house that is 10 loads for $5.98 (my purchase price). I can purchase a bottle of Purex for $5.00 that does many more loads, use vinegar for an added cleaner, and it doubles as a fabric softener, and save money. In this day and time I go for the smart purchase and for my size family this is just not it.

A little about this site....

2009-06-14T09:28:00.006-04:00

Hopefully this will be a successful site that I can use to unwind and give some helpful tips along the way. I am an avid pet owner with a 3 year old Dachshund, 4.5 month old Peek-a-Poo (which is adorable by the way), an 8 month old Boxer, 20 gallon fish tank (with fish, wow..LOL), 1 female cat which just had 3 kittens 1.5 weeks ago and 2 other kittens. We did purchase our dogs however our cats are all strays or kittens of strays that we have found and 1 (the smallest) that was brought to us a week or so ago from my cousin which found the little (and I mean little) thing in a service station parking lot. It is maybe 5-6 weeks old and had never eaten food. All are thriving and doing well and are made to feel right at home here. Soon we are going to find homes for all of the cats/kittens but one that we have all decided on keeping. I have been married for 17 years now and have 2 beautiful children that we homeschool. Oldest is our DD and youngest is our DS which have an age gap of 8 1/2 years between them. We all love the Lord and try to live our lives out each day according to his word.

I write an "Organizational" column for an online magazine and have for a year now. My family is really into crafting and are avid movie buffs. We live in a small town that doesn't offer much in the way of shopping. To really go shopping. To purchase real craft supplies from Michael's, Jo-Ann's and/or Hobby Lobby you have to drive at least 55-65 miles East or South. I would love to share pictures of our pets, places that we go and products that I will give you "my" opinion on. Hopefully they can either help you make a decision on purchasing or not wasting money on products. But remember these are my personal opinions on these products so please don’t take offense if you don't agree with me and like Palmolive over Dawn. I am a Dawn gal myself. But you get the idea. It's all in fun and honesty and I would love your feed back as well.

So, I hope you give me a chance and come back to visit often. Take care and have a wonderful day!!