Life's Journey

Christmas Concert & MDO Party

2011-12-21T12:47:00.000-08:00

Wednesday before break Gabe's first grade class along with 2 other schools held a Christmas concert at the Claydesta Center. They did such a good job!

He was so cute! I was so proud of him!

***

That afternoon I had Lily's MDO Christmas Party!

They sang happy birthday Jesus.

She was persistent that I take a picture of her candy cane hanging on her capri sun, ha!

They finished the day with a round os musical chairs!

Time to enjoy our Christmas Break!

No Longer Here

2011-09-15T12:12:00.000-07:00

Okay so I have some exciting news! I am getting a NEW blog design done as we speak & I have decided to merge my 2 blogs together! As my business is growing it is hard to maintain & keep up with both of them so I figured why not just merge them together! So, please come follow me over at Papercutz where ALL of my posts will be! Once everything is up & running I will be deleting this account! Sure hope you come & visit my new page soon!

The Sweet Life

2011-09-12T17:51:00.000-07:00

Ahhh the kids are in bed, the house is cleaned, and my husband is not home! It amazes me how when he leaves & I know I am on my own for the night how my laziness turns off & I jump into this crazy mommy mode! I mean all of a sudden the door shuts & I am cleaning the house, doing laundry, bathing kids, getting snacks, reading bible stories, threatening them one more time if they don't go to bed I am turning off the light! Maybe it's like a challenge. How much I can get done before he gets home. I was home all day today,while Lily was at school & I didn't have that same motivation, weird!

My favorite part of tonight-besides going to bed with a clean house-and getting to read the bible story before bed (usually daddy's job)-was that I leave Gabe notes in his lunch box every day. I actually printed off these fun cards that I can just cut & toss in his lunch. Tonight while doing laundry I found it inside his shorts pocket...along with his napkin :-) It just touched my heart. To think that he saved my little love note & carried it with him in his pocket for the rest of the day. It made me smile...maybe even a little tear to my eye. So what if he's a slight hoarder & wanted to add it to one of his many collections. I will dwell in the fact that he didn't just dump it in the trash when cleaning up from lunch. He took the time to fold up his napkin & put his note in his pocket. Precious!

I am so glad that I send him little notes in his lunch every day. I know one day sooner than I am hoping he will out grow it & won't want momma to send him notes anymore in his lunch. Tonight my heart rejoices-I am blessed beyond measure!

What I whipped up....

2011-09-09T15:14:00.000-07:00

I FINALLY finished this little 3-tiered display to hold all of my lovely punches that I use all the time! Instead of them all being piled into a bucket on my work table I came across this original idea on Pintrest.

(Pinterest)

I did score some of those lovely old baking pans at an estate sale recently but could only find the bottom two. So, I waited a few weeks, visited the antique mall and still nothing! I got impatient and decided to do this...

I added a pail I already had and I actually LOVE it! I can put all the small punches in it & stand them up!

Here it is all filled up!

I already had the candle sticks-the clear glass ones-I primed & painted them-used E6000 to attach them to my pans & voila! How fun, right? I can also take it to my shows & use it as a display piece too!

Dreaming of A Reading Area....

2011-09-06T06:40:00.000-07:00

So, Gabe has to read every night for school and gets bonus credit for reading over the weekend. I have come across several reading tents and I love them. I have wanted to create a special reading area in our house for a long time. A little retreat space where my kids can snuggle down into some soft, plush pillows and look at books.

Tatertots & Jello

Ana White

Grograin

Somethings Hiding Here

They are all so dreamy! I think the first one would take up less space in my house and would fit nicely in a corner. But, we shall see what I come up with!

Baby it's cold outside....

2011-09-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

Yes, I said it-it's cold outside! I got to put jeans on, a sweatshirt, and flip flops (of course because I LOVE them) to bring Gabe to school this morning. I even blasted the heat in the van to get the chill out of the air. Gabe got to rock his new black pants, and his black sweater to school today! (actually, he was dressed in ALL black today-got to love uniforms, lol)

(i know terrible pic-sorry)

I mean this is how fall is suppose to be, right? Hope you enjoy your fabulous, cool morning! I know I am!

Back to School Dinner

2011-09-04T19:27:00.000-07:00

I was too anxious to post first day of school pictures that I never posted our back to school dinner pictures. Let me just say I was SO excited to have a back to school family dinner. We talked about expectations, new responsibilities, schedule, breakfast and lunch ideas, hear about Gabe's excitement, fears about the upcoming year. Such a good idea. Here's what we did....

I decorated our table with school supplies that I already had on hand.

Used library card pockets to hold our utensils and napkins...

My sweet 1st grader!

My little display in my FABULOUS tray that has SO many possabilities...

I even printed off a free banner on-line and hung it up...

Our menu was Gabe's pick which was ultimate nachos! Fun night, can't wait to do it again next year!

God's Masterpiece

2011-09-01T18:58:00.000-07:00

In my small group I have been leading we are going through Ephesians. Today we landed on Ephesians 2:10, For we are God's masterpiece, as one of our scriptures and it's something I think many people struggle with. The thought of being a masterpiece of the most high God-me? Have you seen my post baby body? Have you seen what is hidden in my heart of hearts? The answer is YES! He has created us in his image like it says in Gen. 1:27. Like this little clip says, God doesn't make junk. I shared it with my group today and it has a good message and a great reminder. I hope you check it out!

Lily's First Week of MDO

2011-09-01T18:45:00.000-07:00

As school kicked off last week Lily was VERY disappointed that she wasn't going to be able to go to school. I have tried to get her into MDO last year but the one we wanted filled up so quick and she never got in. I just decided to keep her home-which I loved-most days. :-) I tried that same school again and still no luck-boo. So, last Monday I started to call around and finally was successful with Cornerstone! So, she started last Wednesday! One of the things she needed was a napmat. Well, I wasn't going to send her with a cold, plastic nap mat. So, I went that night & bought all the supplies to create her a cover for it. Let me just say it is SUPER fabulous! I followed this tutorial and whipped this up for her.

I mean I want to lay down and nap on it. I LOVE that it rolls up! Lily calls this her knock knock-translated into nap mat, lol.

Here's a little snap shot of what it is like to get a decent picture of Lily.

Well, there she is all dressed in her new Hello Kitty shirt, pig tails, backpack (a.k.a. pack pack), and dora sneakers! She is READY for her first day of school-maybe a little too ready.

She went right in, put her stuff away, and waved bye Mom, bye Gea, climbed up in her chair and started coloring.

She was so confident, so independent, so secure, she was fine, she did fine, she did great. Well, except she didn't take a nap. She laid down but never fell asleep. :-)

I cried all the way to Sam's club thinking how big my sweet baby girl already is. It hurt that she didn't need me, she knew she was going to be fine. Gabe would drag it out, hang on me, need one more hug, one more kiss, a little more reassurance...but not Lily. It was a bittersweet kind of day. I was so proud of her, and how brave she was carrying all her own things in, walking into her room, saying hi, and going right over to her table to color. So bitter-sweet! We survived our first day at MDO! I am glad she only goes 2 days a week. :-)

First Day of 1st Grade

2011-08-22T09:37:00.000-07:00

Today we went back to school and entered the first grade! I can't even believe summer is done and over with! Gabe did such a great job getting up this morning, taking on all of his new responsibilities and schedule. He did a great job! We shall see how day #2 goes.

He rocked his Super Mario backpack, lunchbox & pencil bag! He even thought about his teacher and brought her a water bottle with a "P" on it for the first day of school. He was so excited to get to his class...always a little apprehensive to have me leave though. I waited a little while until he got settled.

He was so excited about his new DESK this year. He went right in like a pro and hung his backpack up & his lunch box and learned where his cubbie was. We found his desk, put on his name tag & said hi to all his old friends from Kindergarten!

I was so proud of Gabe this morning and I didn't even cry! This year was much smoother & easier than last year. Gabe's teacher seems so sweet! I'm looking forward to a great year!

Gabe's 6th Birthday

2011-08-21T18:28:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Gabe's 6th birthday at night since it is so hot here so early we thought it would be better at night. Well, I don't know if we were or not but at least we had some water misters on our patio that helped keep us cool. I appreciate everyone who came out & sweat with us to celebrate Gabe's 6th birthday! It really means a lot to us!

We kicked it Phineas & Ferb Style

I thought a rainbow theme would go good with the Phineas & Ferb theme-so I guess it's like a theme in a theme-kind of over the top but I like to make things complicated! :-) The show is so bright & fun and rainbows can be so girly and I loved them so I just tied the two together and I think it turned out just great!

I made him a phineas & ferb birthday banner of course! I also made some fun felt bunting to hang up on the patio and on the gift table!

We scored big this year with the theme because Target had a bunch of items in the dollar section where we scored lots of locker posters which dressed up the pati & yard. We also got most of our favors for the boxes there as well.

We served pizza, salad, fruit kabobs (in a rainbow pattern), and beverages.

For dessert we had oreo pops, chocolate covered marshmallows and a cookie cake made by my sweet & talented friend Melissa! Isn't it amazing?? I LOVED it!

We played games like pin the tail on Perry and You're so Busted (balloon pop). What would a Phineas & Ferb party be without making something, right? So everyone got to create a marshmallow shoot-inator! How fun! While in Colorado my wonderful husband cut all the pvc & spray painted them so when I got home I just had to bag them up, throw in some marshmallows & we were good to go! Everyone got a bag and were told how to construct them. Then the REAL fun began!

Needless to say...it was HOT HOT HOT out but we had a GREAT party & LOTS of fun!

Colorado Trip

2011-08-21T17:20:00.000-07:00

Here's a few pictures from our Colorado trip!

Lily playing in Gea's makeup-getting ready for the day!

AMAZING bagels!

Hiking Horsetooth Falls

The City Pool

(wish our pool looked like that)

A FUN, & YUMMY Italian Restaurant we went to.

Playing in the back yard!

Took a visit down town.

Driving Home!

It was a fabulous trip! A long drive but we did it! I survived, ha! We can't wait to go back when there is some snow on the ground!

Home Sweet Home-Past Few Weeks

2011-08-14T19:19:00.000-07:00

Once we finally got back home to Texas-my house seemed just perfect! It seemed so much bigger, spacious...maybe it was because it was all cleaned I don't know. :-) That was shorted lived-the cleanliness part! We unloaded all of our stuff and I swear it took a few ~~weeks~~ days to get things unpacked! Check out some of the fun things we did when we got home!

I learned this trick from my friend Darea & I LOVE it! Give your juice box "wings" and the little ones can hold the "wings" while they drink so they don't squeeze the juice everywhere! Perfect!

We ate out almost every meal (except 2) the whole time in NY! I didn't want to see another french fry for a LOONNNGGGG time! So, I made fish! Yummy, yummy tilapia! You should give it a try!

Fresh peaches & necterines with fresh squeezed lime juice & a dallop of honey greek yogurt for dessert!

I also made this fabulous pasta salad. On a different night! It makes a TON so fix it for a crowd! You could even throw in a little protein like chicken and call it dinner!

I was very anxious to get my craft on! It had been weeks since I picked up any double stick tape and a paper trimmer. I got to workin' on some new things for Papercutz and filling some orders for some local people. I also made a few things for my craft room & my house.

I made this quick & easy rag wreath for my door. Papercutz will be creating more of these but a little fancier :-) This is the quick & easy method-your kids could even do it for you. Gabe loved helping tear the fabric strips! This is what you need to do.....

Pick up a wreath at the dollar tree, craft store, or even use a metal coat hanger and bend into a circle.

Purchase some fabulous fabric you love about 1/4-1/2 yard of each depending on how many patterns you have. I did 3 patterns.

Cut your fabric into 1" strips-make 1" marks and tear it to get a frayed edge or use a cutter/scissors to have a clean edge. I like the frayed edge better.

Get tying! Just double knot around the wreath (this is where the kids come in) and voila! A new wreath for your door, or grandmada, sister, auntie, me.... :-)

Bill hung up my new shelf we picked up at the Christmas Tree Shop in NY!

We had a baby shower for my friend Becky!

We kicked off Gabe's birthday weekend with going to see the Smurf's!

We celebrated Gabe's birthday on the 31st by going to Chuck E Cheese's.

We also gave him a "ticket" to Colorado to go visit his good friends!

For our Colorado trip we decided to make our friends some Oreo Pops!

Chocolate Covered Oreo's

Needed:

Cute Assistants

Double Stuff Oreos

Lollipop Sticks

Melting Chocolate (I prefer 1/2 milk & 1/2 semi sweet)

Wax Paper

Cookie Sheet

Sprinkles**Optional**

Melt the chocolate on the stove or in the microwave. Once melted I would dip the stick in the melted chocolate and then stick into the oreo and place in the fridge for about 5 minutes. This will hold the cookie onto the stick better-we've done it both ways now.

Once cooled remove cookies and dip into melted chocolate and lay flat on a wax paper lined cookie sheet. Once finished dipping, place in the fridge to harden. Optional: Add sprinkles, white chocolate drizzles...etc. before putting in the fridge to cool. Once harden remove from tray & put in a plastic storage bag or container. They are SOOO YUMMY! A big hit!

Road Trip Home

2011-08-14T14:54:00.000-07:00

So, I forgot about all the pictures on my phone too. So, the first collage is just that! A whole bunch of pics from my phone that I am too lazy to go back & put with the coodinating "parts." They are some of the places we ate at, some from the great escape, Lily eating a donut from dunkin donuts, (which we had often) dyncing up DS' with the cousins, and a fabulous scrapbook shop I ooohhhhed & aaahhhhed over right in the little town that my husband grew up in. It was beautiful-one day I might get to do that in our little town-we shall see!

After breakfast we hit the road for another 4 day trip home. I think being on the road was one of my favorite parts of the trip. It was just us & the kids, my sweet family. we weren't trying to accommodate everyone's schedules, plans, routines, habits, personalities...we were just driving on the open road...playing games, watching movies, talking, eating, telling our kids to hold it...lol....It really was great! We got to see & explore fun little communities! We saw a hot air balloon water tower, and huge bridges, and found license plates from all the different states.

The first day was a short drive to NJ where we attempted to go to Carlo's Bakery from TLC. Well, they were filming the day we went, seriously? So the line to get in was re-dic-u-lous! I have 2 small kids-I didn't want to wait. So, we watched from outside the people shove in & out in large crowds-didn't look fun. That was after they waited in the block long line (2 hour wait) to get into the teeny tiny bakery. I'll just take my pictures & get back into my air conditioned van-thank you!

We ended up finding this great little bakery called The Gaston Bakery! Totally YUMMMMM! We picked out like one of everything to bring to our friends' house: the Hastie Family! Seriously, I wish we lived closer to them because our kids actually PLAYED together. PLAYED-no fighting-no name calling-PLAYING! It was so much fu! They LOVE JESUS too! It was such a great visit.

(fyi-Andy is looking for a youth pastor position if anyone knows of anyone, haha)

We got to have yummy pizza, antipasto salad, house dressing, and yummy desserts from the bakery! Cannoli's, eclairs, cookies....yumminess! We got to listen to the girls argue about bedtime & the boys finally fell asleep in the tent downstairs (thanks Andy for putting it up) We miss them so much!

The next day we took off early hit up some dunkin donuts (yes again) and hit the road for Pennsylvania!

We went to the Hershey Factory & toured it that day!

Then we hopped back into the van & drove all the way to Roanoke, VA where we finally crashed for the night!

The next day we drove through Knoxville where we visted the World's Largest Rubki's Cube...

and we went up in the Sunphere! How fun! I would love to go back to Knoxville!

Nashville however I was unimpressed! It's quite a dirty little town! I couldn't wait to leave, lol!

In the meantime, we had some Joe's Crab Shack & Gabe took his picture with every figurine on the strip!

We finally stopped around Memphis! Before calling it a night.

The last night we stayed in Dallas, had pizza in bed, went swimming, and then finally hit the road to head back to Midland!

Overall, we had a fabulous trip. We LOVED the road trip and hands down I would do it again. I loved that our kids got to see America and not just from the clouds. I am so glad we got to take in God's beauty and allow our kids to see that too! We had an eventful trip in NY and a blissful time on the road. God blessed us with safe travels & no problems on the way. We love Midland & know this is where God has placed us & are excited for what He has in store for our journey!

New York Vacation Part 4

2011-08-14T10:11:00.000-07:00

Two random pictures, right? The mixer was the oldest mixer I have ever used to whip up my banana pudding for our cookout. Gabe is rockin' an Indian head-dress that used to be Uncle Chris's (I think) and he insisted that he brought it home. But some how we ran out of room and it just didn't fit. (wink, wink)

We got to have a fabulous cookout with all of Bill's family! It was so nice to get to see them, visit, & share stories. We also got to visit with my sister-in-law's folks who came in from Sweden!

We had lots of steamed clams & the kids loved playing with the shells.

We just relaxed, enjoyed the great NY weather, played outside and devoured watermelon!

My sweet little niece....

One night while home we had a bad storm and we lost power at Papa's house so we decided to play Gabe's new monopoly game outside! Delightful!

Our last night home we hit up Mechanicville's Family Day followed by some ice cream at the Country Drive-In!

One final snap shot of Gabe & Lily sleeping in Uncle Chris's bedroom where he grew up. Neat, huh?

We hit the road bright & early the next morning-kicking it off with breakfast of course-at Friendly's!

We started road trip #2.....

New York Vacation Part 3

2011-08-14T06:00:00.000-07:00

Okay y'all my mission today is to finish uploading vacation pictures. We have had 3 parties this weekend and I have so many other fun things to share with you. So my goal for today is to get all caught up-hopefully!

My kids got to take one of their first rides on the T into downtown Boston to head to Quincy Market. Along with Bill's brother's family, my mom & dad & Bill's dad.

We landed here for a few hours....

After a little confusion we finally settled at Build A Bear to create our very first bears! How fun! I see $$$$ since our visit we have purchased shoes, roller skates & a kennel. (Thanks Uncle Chris & Aunt Linda for the GC)

Gabe created: Toby and Lily created: Pink

Bill & his brother went to the Samuel Adams brewery to go on the tour while we hung out in Quincy Market. Once they returned we all headed to the aquarium. It was so busy in there! The busiest I have ever seen it. But it was a lot of fun seeing all the fish, seahorses, jelly fish! We even got to hold some starfish, hermit crabs, snails, and touch little sting rays!

We topped off our day in Boston with an eventful time to Dick's restaurant. Let's just say it was VERY eventful!

Didn't you know Bill shaves his butt?

New York Vacation Part 2

2011-08-08T08:55:00.000-07:00

We just got back last night from an amazing mini vacation in Colorado. I can't wait to show you those pictures so I am motivated to get through our NY vacation pictures. I hope to get them done this week.

I kind of like going through them again-I get to remeber the sweetness of the trip.

Like Gabe riding Bill's bike around the very same neighborhood Bill did. Precious! Neighborhoods like that are far & few between where the kids can just ride there bike out front, not very many cars, and it is safe. The same people live there that were there when Bill was raised. Love it!

We also spent many days over at Chris & Linda's house-Bill's brother's house. The cousins LOVED playing together! We also kicked off 4th of July there and then ended it by going to Saratoga to watch fireworks & visit my brother & his family.

One of my favorite days was heading to Lake George to go to the beach!!!

Topped off the evening with a stroll through the village. Such fun!

One of the days we went to The Great Escape!

I was SO proud of Gabe-he rode some of the scariest rides & coasters!

Just look at those stats!

Of course I was with him the whole time-Poppie & Kailyn too!

We rented a cabana for the day-lovely!

Seriously, I want flowers like that!

Beautiful times in Lake George! So much fun!

New York Bound Part 1

2011-07-31T20:44:00.000-07:00

Well, I am finally getting around to it. After hours of working on new things for Papercutz I am FINALLY getting around to sharing some road trip adventure photos with you! This is just part one of the journey...I didn't want to completely overload you with pictures. So, take a look to see how it went...

We ditched this popsicle stand around 5:00 on Monday night...we drove all through the night until we landed in....

Louisville, Kentucky

We finally took a break and toured the Louisville Slugger Museum and received our very own sluggers at the end!

Disregard all production photos I didn't realize we couldn't take pictures inside...oops!

Then we toured the little sights of downtown Louisville before...

PASSING OUT at the hotel...Drury Inn to be exact! They are amazing...no seriously they are!

We got up early the next morning...and hit the road jack...but we were definitely coming back!

We drove through...Ohio....Pennsylvania...

and stopped for a picnic lunch...

and did lots of this...

and finally landed in Niagra Falls!

where we visted the fall...on the American side...and then we walked around for a little bit...and had dinner at the Hard Rock Cafe!

We spent the night right outside of Niagra Falls and headed to our hometown the next day...

Once arriving at home I realized

1. how GREEN everything was

2. how ENVIOUS I was of the beautiful colonial houses...and amazing porches

3.) how JEALOUS I was of the gorgeous hydrangeas that easily graced so many porches!

(I mean seriously look at them! GORGEOUS!)

That is part one of our little journey...stay tuned there's LOTS more adventure to come!

Today is the day...

2011-06-27T05:34:00.000-07:00

Well it is finally here and I still have more work to get done than I think I have time for. I totally work better under pressure. Plus it's my own fault that my house must be spotless before we leave to go on vacation, all the linens fresh, dishes away, no clutter left behind. It's nice to come home to. Well, we are just 10 hours away from hitting the open roads! My bags are still not packed & the laundry is still not finished. But the dogs did get a bath. :-) I aome across some fun tips about family road trips.

You must read this experiecned travelers 18 Travel Tips for Planning a Road Trip! They are exactly what I was looking for. Some realistic expectations and advice for taking a road trip....a long one!

I also visited Moms Minivan for lots of great game ideas.

After hours of reading & research this is what I am bringing in my "keep my sane box" a.k.a. the Fun Box! I am not going to let them just dig in & have at it whenever they want. My current plan (which might fly right out the window) is to award them with new activities-good behavior, winning a game, or do it now because you are driving me insane! Here's a few snap shots of what I have inside.

Free printables found on Papercutz - I laminated mine so we can play over & over again without all the paper.

I picked these up at Cracker Barrell. I can't wait to play these!

Yes, when it gets dark what can be more fun than glow sticks?? Picked up 2 different packages for each night along with flashlights for each kid and one for the emergency box. I also packed pipe cleaners-I see hours of fun ahead of us with those!

Just some little activities they can do.

I also purchased some mini crayon rolls off Etsy. I thought they would be fun & it would keep them from spilling crayons all over the place. This book I got from Cracker Barrell also-I think it just might be a lifesaver! It's packed with fun games & ideas!

I also packed some cards, kerplunk travel game, coloring books, puzzles, books, video games, dvd's, & baby dolls for there backpacks. That way they have their little treasure bag they can dig into when they want to.

Another tip we are taking up is packing some of our own food. Lets be honest-4 days in a van eating fast food-barf! So, today I am cutting up fresh fruit and making deli sandwiches. I am also going to make some chicken salad to keep in the cooler, and bring some rolls to have for lunch. At least we can get a couple days in with eating good food rather than so much fast food.

I bought both the kids lap trays from Michaels...

I think these will come in handy when eating & coloring....don't ya think???

Well, I guess I better get packing....time is ticking...and my list isn't getting any shorter!

Check It Out :-)

2011-06-26T15:35:00.000-07:00

I stumbled across this blog one day & thought hey I could make that! So, I know we are leaving tomorrow & I should be packing & cleaning but I would rather be sewing & crafting. :-) I did just that. I follwed the instructions from, Make It and Love It to create this adorable headband. Cute, huh?

(don't mind my treadmill behind me, lol)

They have a super easy tutorial to make them. You should go check it out & make some up! I just think I might have to whip a few up for the farmer's market when I get back. :-) Happy Sewing!

Cannot Wait

2011-06-22T06:49:00.000-07:00

I am going to start pulling the suitcases out today! we are just DAYS away from being NY bound. I am so excited to see our family that we have not seen in 3 YEARS! 3 years people! I have a neice I have never even met & the same for my brother & his family with Lily. I think Gabe is so excited to play Mario with Christopher & Lily just wants to go fishin' with Papa. She don't even know what a fishin' pole is but she can't wait to do it and prays about it every night before bed!

I am excited to see what God shows us while we are there. We have been in Midland almost 6 years now! Our journey together has been developed more here than in NY. Our children don't even know about NY-just what we tell them about it. I think BIll & I are so excited to share with Gabe all the places we went to & miss. Like the places Bill would go & play when he was a kid. I love to think Gabe will get to experience Family Day in Mechanicville & eat ice cream at Bubbles. Things we just thought we would naturally do when planning our future together when we got pregnant with Gabe. God had such bigger plans for lives. Bigger than we could even imagine ourselves. Just goes to show you how big our God truly is. Hello, we live in TX!

So needless to say, it's just days away from making the big trip & then I get to hug those nieces and nephew! We get to do the simple things with the kids-go swimming, play dress-up with their cousins, take a walk, watch movies, just enjoy the special moments in life! I am also excited to get to see extended family-wish it was for better reasons-but still glad to be able to see them all. I think it will be an emotional trip, but healing, refreshing, and joyful too!

Well, I just wanted to share this little video I made for Bill for Father's Day-I thought it came out super cute. I had my bestie take soem pictures of the kids so I could get Billa mug for Father's Day but it didn't come in on time so I thought I would make this video so he could enjoy all the pictures. We truly are blessed with him-he's the best daddy & husband a wife & mother could ever dream of. Check it out :-)

Week without Daddy....

2011-06-11T18:36:00.000-07:00

This past week Bill went to kids camp (5th & 6th Graders) to lead worship. So, we had lots of time to do fun things to keep us busy and not think about how we all missed daddy! Check out what we got to do!

We kicked off our week with some VBS at First Baptist which was awesome! Gabe had such a great time going each morning. On Monday night we went to Barne's & Noble for there Pajamarama-er something like that. The kids could wear their PJ's, hear a story & get fun goodie bags filled with stickers & a book from PBS.

After we were done I was going to drop off an order to a customer and head home. Well, little did I know someone rear-ended me at a stop light. Seriously? Don't they know this is my new van? Not to mention I have 2 kids in there? So, we get all that sorted out. Luckily no one was hurt...except my van :-( but at least their insurance will cover it.

The next night we decided to stay home and make some home made lemonade!

All you need is:

8-9 Lemons-1 Cup Squeezed Juice

1/2 Cup Sugar

3 Cups Water

oh so yummy!

Then we had a little living room picnic for dinner. MYO Taco Night! Seriously one of Gabe's favorite nights. Pretty much anything MYO is his favorite. :-)

One evening we decided to make up these fabulous little treats! S'Mores on a stick. I came across this on a blog recently and knew we had to make them. Perfect since we are under a burn ban-for like the rest of our lives!!! No rain in like 8 months :-/

We just followed the directions:

Melted Chocolate (we used the easy one above but you could use whatever you had)

Marshmallows

Graham Crackers

Sucker Sticks

You will also need a cookie sheet lined with wax paper. I like to use clothes pins to keep the paper down so it doesn't roll up or blow back into the melted chocolate when you walk it to the fridge.

I also like to stick my sheet in the freezer while we get everything ready so everything sets up quickly.

Lily loved this part wayyyy too much! She smashed all of graham crackers into crumbs.

while Gabe stuck the sticks in.

TaDa!

Let the fun begin! We just dipped them into the chocolate & then into the graham crackers & stuck them on a cold cookie sheet.

I stuck them in the fridge for about 30 minutes before I took them out & plated them up!

Of course I let them lick the melted chocolate container until it was clean-who wouldn't?

yummy!

They were SO GOOD!

It took them a while to fall asleep that night from all the sugar they had.

On Thursday we got to hang out with all the grandma's....well we call them Nanny & Gea!

We got to go swimming over at the Russo's for the afternoon!

We had so much fun!

Friday afternoon we painted sun catchers that say I love NY and we hung them all over our front window. Before we knew it Daddy was pulling up & we had fun, chill family night with him. We all missed him so much-I SOO appreciate that he is such a good dad & husband! We are all so spoiled!

Summer Life, Sweet Life

2011-06-06T12:59:00.000-07:00

Last week we got invited to go over to our friends house to go swimming & have lunch! My kids had soo much fun doing just that!

We decided to have Aden over to play at our house later in the week. The boys had so much fun together! I got to get lots of things done!

Saturday night we surprised Gabe with his friend Sean who came in from Colorado for the night. Sean & his mom slept over at our house. It was SO good to see them. I cried too many times, lol. I LOVED seeing Gabe enjoy having his friend here & I LOVED havig mine too.

We had a great, short visit & are def. planning a trip to go see them in Colorado before the summer is over!

DIY Kind of Weekend

2011-06-06T12:27:00.000-07:00

I guess you could say I have been itching for that summer change! I have been working on little projects here & there. The first two pictures are from a couple weeks ago...I just forgot to share them. I re-did up above our microwave.

I put everything into this cabinet beside it instead of in the baskets above it. I love it!

Gabe & I dug up our potatoes & onions. Gabe had so much fun seeing everything grown & how it produced actual veggies!

I totally scored this awesome white wicker chair on Friday night at our friends garage sale.

Saturday morning I was spraying it green! I LOVE this green color right now!

I picked up a new cushion at Walmart! It fits perfectly on my patio! I got to sit out there this morning with my coffee & bible! I could listen to the birds chirping & the wind blowing-pure bliss!

I also had this sage green color (boring!) texas star outside that I painted the same color green as the chair to use up the rest of the paint & hung it up on the other side of the patio! I forgot to snag a picture but it looks great!

Another DIY we did this weekend was this....I started out with 2 plastic flower pots that I purchased at Walmart, 2 silver rings found in the plumbing department at Lowe's & some vinyl for lettering. Well, needless to say after several burnt up screw tips & a trip to Lowe's we couldn't get through that tiny piece of metal...so we ended up just.....

screwing right through the plastic pot-2 times with the screws. We drilled right into the wall on the patio.

I cut out some vinyl letters on my cricut and now I have a nice place to catch all those little bottles of bubbles & chalk!

How cute, right? (Notice I put the bubbles higher....they have to ask before they get those out, haha!)

I also sewed up some pillows yesterday afternoon for our on-going bedroom makeover. :-) It has been a slow, long, process but it is getting there.

Friday afternoon I worked on making up a couple of these to see at out local Farmer's Market at my booth. They are fabric grocery bag holders. I actually have 2 of them one hanging in our laundry room & one out in the garage. I can stuff them full of all those plastic bags you get from the store. If you are like me you always have good intentions to bring your resuseable ones...you know the big stack of them that sit in the garage but seem to forget every single time. :-/

I also whipped up some of these to carry at my table as well. Travel Kleenex Holders. I have a bunch of fabric that has been left over from different projects so I thought I would make some of these. How fun!

Needless to say we had a busy DIY weekend but it was so much fun being able to create things! We also had a visit from some special friends...pictures to come later. :-)

Gearing Up For Summer

2011-05-31T13:08:00.000-07:00

Here are a few things that are on my agenda for the summer so far...I am sure there will be more to come!

I want to make a fabric wreath so bad! I bought the stuff I just haven't done it. The best part is...the kids can help make it too! Great afternoon project to do!

(garden mama)

I want to paint some rocks with Gabe for the garden, especially the herb garden! How fun is that?

(Nadia Knows Gardens)

Side note, I had this today for the first time & I think I will be addicted to it all summer. SO GOOD! I'm actually drinking one right now...

I definitely think I want to make some of these one afternoon. Wish I could say rainy day but if I wait for that we will never get to make these! It hasn't rained in 8 months!

(Tidy Mom)

Of course we will be making snow cones in our snow cone maker! So fun to do when friends come over!

Another Tie-dye party is a must! We had so much fun last year doing it!

I came across this one day & thought-how fun it would be draped in our backyard!

(A Pretty Cool Life)

Our biggest plan for this summer is to head to

NEW YORK!

Okay so not necessarily the city more like....

Lake George, NY! Pure Bliss!

We will be going on a ROAD TRIP! (maybe not so blissful-but definitely adventurous!)

We will also be swimming, swimming, and more swimming...any chance we can get! My kids are part fish & LOVE the water!

If you know of any fun road trip games send them my way...so far on the list is maps so we can mark off what states we have gone through, licence plate game, and bingo. Also going to do wrapped gifts & prizes for along the way. Obviously all the standard stuff, cards, coloring books, electronics...etc. Send some ideas my way!

Memorial Day Weekend

2011-05-31T06:46:00.000-07:00

We kicked off our weekend with 2 parties on Saturday-a pool party & a roller skating party! We were wiped out on Sunday so we decided to lay low. We went to church in the morningn & then came home & built a fabulous fort in the living room that is still hanging. We painted. We watched movies & snuggled all afternoon & evening!

On Monday we got to celebrate Memorial Day and what better way to teach Gabe about what that day is all about than go to the museum. So that's is what we did! We went to the CAF museum and explored everything they had going on. Gabe got to learn a lot! We even got to talk about what memorial day means.

They even got to make their own flying planes out of a plate-how fun!

We went swimming and then headed over to my parents house to celebrate my Dad's 25th birthday-again! Gabe wrapped his gift in lots and lots of packing tape.

It was a great day spent with family! Now to officially kick off our first week of summer vacation! On today's agenda-pool party & lunch with some friends!

Last Few Days of School

2011-05-28T05:39:00.000-07:00

On Wednesday morning Gabe had his award ceremony. We scored some new long sleeve shirts for next year-just $5! Lily had to give it a try!

Gabe got every award possible! He got his AAA award & he also got 3 medals. One for scholarly performance, principals award & a tiger paw.

I was SO proud of him!

Thursday was his field trip to Dennis the Menance Park.

Friday he got out early so I surprised him with all of the pool stuff & thought what better way to kick off summer than to go swimming! So I blew off all my cleaning & did just that!

We had such a good time. I think Gabe went down the waterslide over 100 times! Lily even went too!

I am excited for summer vacation!

Field Day

2011-05-25T20:08:00.000-07:00

Gabe has just 2 days left until summer vacation! I am so excited for him to be home this summer but I feel so unprepared at the same time. So, if you want to hang out please let me know, ha! With my business growing so much I feel like I don't have all the extra time to put together crazy activities. So, I am going to schedule some time over the weekend to do just that! Make some fun summer activity days!

This week at school has been party, after party! Monday was Gabe's Field Day at school. His very first field day. It was so much fun. The 6th graders helped put it on and they did such a great job. All of the relay races that they did were creative & fun. Some I had never seen before! Gabe did good...he had one bloody nose from it being so dry....and one major wipe out that caused tears & a skinned up knee. All in all he had a great time! Lily did too! She got to do one of my favorite things-people watch! :-)

That night at school they had an International Fair. Gabe's grade did Mexico!

I can't wait to show you all of the pictures from Gabe's reward ceremony today! I was so proud of him for getting AAA and all 3 Medals. More to come tomorrow!

Imagination Explosion

2011-05-25T19:28:00.000-07:00

So I have been wanting to get these pictures up since the weekend but between the last week of school, orders & fires...well I have been a little busy. Haha! Last weekend I was able to take part in Imagination Explosion! You can read more about it here. During the afternoon photoshoots Bill & the kids came up for lunch & to play at the park!

Can anyone name this tree? I LOVE them!

My kids LOVED climbing all over the weeping willows!

Gabe seriously dug in the dirt for-forever!

Lily walked around wacking everyone with her stick. :-) Lovely!

Don't you just love this sweet flower headband. It's from Specs and Wings! You need to visit her Etsy Shop and buy one right NOW! She also has some FABULOUS art! Go check it out!

Hope you are having a great week! I hope to get some Field Day pictures up soon!

Kindergarten Send Off

2011-05-25T19:18:00.000-07:00

Enjoy some moments from Gabe's Kindergarten Send Off the Kinder Team put together last week. They each received some awards & a summer fun bag with books & treats! How great are our teachers!?!?

Water, Water, Everywhere....Not a Drop In Sight!

2011-05-25T10:13:00.000-07:00

As you all know-we were evacuated due to a fire that was about a mile away from our house. At the very end of our subdivision there is lots of grassy fields where the fire was. It was quite a scary moment. It all happened so quickly that I felt like I was in a movie. We were driving home from school (which is on the other side of town) and could see this huge plume of smoke. I checked it out on my news app and realized it was off from 191 & 1788-tome that means Odessa-no biggie. As I was getting closer to my house there was a light smoke around us which continue to get thicker as I got closer and closer to home.

I pulled onto Midland drive from Wall St. and could barely see a few blocks down the road at the Thomason intersection. It all seemed so close but I was still thinking Odessa-but wow! Bill was in Odessa working trying to get home. At this point 191 was closed so he was looking for an alternate route. So, I pulled into our driveway and ran inside to do our normal after school routine but put the tv on to see what was going on. Then it was like minutes later that the fire jumped and part of our subdivision was being evacuated. I checked with my neighbors to see what they were doing and on my way back in my mom called and I just lost it for a brief moment on the phone. She was telling ke just to leave not to worry about getting things-just get out! Smoke was all around me, I had specks of ashes on my skin, I could hardly breath. So, I calmed down, got off the phone, and went inside & started to pack up a few things as Bill & I had always discussed.

I realized in that moment that nothing had any value to me. I had nothing of great value that I had to pack. I always thought I would bring the baby books, and pictures in a moments notice but I didn't. I grabbed a change of clothes for everyone, a couple toiletries, our computer, camera, camcorder, and 2 orders I needed to mail out for some customers. I also grabbed my box with all of our important papers in it. (at least I am a little organized with the things that matter) As I was bringing things out to the van our neighbor stopped over to see if I needed help with the kids but I assured her we were fine & about to leave. Gabe packed 2 backpacks, and Lily grabbed her blankies, her zebra & pluto. At this point I still had no idea how close Bill was to even getting home. I packed the kids into the van, grabbed both the dogs & headed to my mother in law's house.

As I backed out of my driveway-I lost it again. Just for a moment as I said a quick prayer & begged God for safety of our home & the fire fighters. I turned down the road & headed for Midland Drive. As I waited in line with my neighbors as we tried to exit the area I realized how crazy it all was. I was going through my first fire evacuation without Bill, my dogs were both whimpering in the van, Gabe was asking questions, Lily was whining for the music to be louder, cars every where, smoke every where...and then I finally made it out onto Midland Drive. I tried to call Bill-no service! Seriously, I felt like I stepped out of a movie. I had little, black, ashes all over my clothes & skin. I was sitting bumper to bumper in traffic trying to escape.

The cops had all the major roads blocked off to my left. After waiting for over 20 minutes we finally made it a few blocks through the Illinois intersection-we were free & clear to get to my MIL's house to wait out the evacuation! Bill still on his way home-finally arrived at the house-picked up a few things he wanted to get & said he couldn't see 5 houses down because the smoke was so thick. I am so glad we left!

During the midst of this all-I realized how sometimes when we feel like we have no friends or are all alone-we get stuck in the woe is me-every body hates me-guess I'll go eat worms-type perspective-we are so wrong. We received so many texts & phone calls from our friends saying that they were praying for us. That there homes were open if we needed them. They were here for us. We felt so blessed. So loved. So grateful for all of our friends around us.

Once the evacuations were lifted, we waited a little longer for some of the smoke to dissipate and we finally came home. It was a long, emotional, night. But the things that really truly mattered the most to me were standing right in front of me the whole night. What else matters? Nothing!

Thank you God for sparing our homes & for refreshing our perspectives on what is important in this life. Please God send us rain-we desperately need it!

For what is your life? It is even a vapor that appears for a little time and then vanishes away...James 4:14

Every Victory Is Yours

2011-05-19T19:34:00.000-07:00

I had to come back and revist our worship & sermon this past Sunday...I got swept away before the throne and overcome with great joy as I stood there and worshiped! We were singing a song that we sang often when we first moved to Midland. At the time I clung to this song because my prayer was that He would not let me go. I would weep, and beg for God to just show us that He was holding us. That He was going to show up. That He was going to provide for us. We often felt so alone & unsure why we were even in Midland but knew this is where God wanted us. We were going through great financial struggles. My heart was so heavy and burdensom that I just hoped and prayed God would reveal his plan to us. The emotions of how I felt 5 years ago flooded my soul how I just wanted to find rest.

I can see the light that is coming for the heart that holds on there will be an end to these troubles but until that day comes still I will praise you, still I will praise you.

Regardless of my circumstances-I was to praise Him. Even if I didn't know where Bill's next job was coming from or if we would even have money for the rent. I was to praise him. This song always brought great comfort because I believed He would take care of us with my whole heart.

If my God is with me, whom than shall I fear, whom then shall I fear? Oh no you never let go through the calm and through the storm. Oh no you never let go in every high and every low. Oh no you never let go of me. Lord you never let go of me.

This Sunday I could stand there and sing with great passion that He truly will never let us go. He is my great PROVIDER! He is FAITHFUL! He is my HOPE! I will ALWAYS TRUST HIM!

I will fear no evil, for my God is with me. ..

I got so caught up with emotion because our journey has been hard, wearisome, and challenging. I remember one thing our Pastor said when we went through the series War of the Wills and he said that when the going gets tough most people just throw in the towel-and I believe we didn't do that. We clenched our fists and knew God was going to bring us through that winter season and into a summer time. He did just that. It got harder before it got easier, for sure!

The very next song we sang was Overcome...seriously?

All authority, every victory is yours. Savior worthy of honor and glory worthy of all of our praise you overcame. Jesus awesome in power forever awesome and great is your name for you overcame.

I get so overjoyed that I can't hardly breath because of the angst inside of my soul. He is so REAL. He is so WORTHY of our PRAISE! He is so FAITHFUL! He is so LOVING! He is MY GOD! I PRAISE HIM for all the blessings in my life. I give Him all the HONOR & GLORY!

I am alive because I am alive in you. It's all because of JESUS I am alive. It's all because the blood of Jesus Christ. That covers me and raised this dead man's life. It's all because of JESUS!

Then Patrick got up & gave us message that will rip you apart. I think I am still trying to digest it. I sure hope you stop for a moment this week and listen to it. It truly will rock your world!

Why I LOVE The Gym

2011-05-19T08:42:00.000-07:00

This morning I brought Gabe to school like most days & was going to hit up the gym afterwards...like most days. I had been playing phone tag with a customer & for some reason I wasn't getting her text messages. So, as I left the house this morning I still hadn't heard from her about if we were meeting or not. So, I went on with my morning & did what I normally do most days. I get Lily checked in, run upstairs & get settled up on my elliptical. Water-check, Towel-check, Magazine-check, Music blasting through my earbuds-check, people watching-check, check, check! :-) (I love to people watch) I am finishing up my warm-up & my phone rings and it is my customer! So, I do what most people would do-I agree to meet her. In 30 minutes! Customer's come first, right? So, 6 minutes in I get down from the elliptical, I run back downstairs & get Lily. Rush out to the car & go meet my customer so she can drop off her gift to her child's teacher. I tell you all this because once I got back into my car I told Lily we are going back to the Y so Mommy can workout. She proceeds to cry hysterically so I decided it wasn't worth it & I would just get on the treadmill when I got home. I told her in the car once we get home you need to go in your room & play while mommy is on the treadmill. Yes Ma'me she says through her tears. So, she does just that...this is why I love the gym...as I work out...I never hear....

I can't find my baby
I can't find my bottle
Whining.....
Can you open my house?
I need to go potty
Can I come out yet?
Crying...
I want to watch toons
I can't get my tutu on
Can I come out?
Whining...
Please mommy...

After 30 minutes-that's all just 30 minutes I am done. I can't take much more yelling to her because I am yelling over my music, over the treadmill, through my heavy breathing. It is not enjoyable at all. I am frustrated, I am annoyed, I just want 30 minutes!

While at the gym I get to...
Put Lily in the nursery to socialize with other kids her age
She gets to play with toys, have a snack
I get to put my earbuds in, listed to my christian music
Flip through a magazine-the whole thing-from cover to cover
I don't have to listen to any whining (unless it's me)
I don't have to watch cartoons
I have 60-90 minutes of pure, sweaty, bliss!
I get to leave feeling refreshed by God's goodness as I soak in his truths through my music. I am ready to pick up my child. I am feeling like I stopped & actually took care of myself. I feel so much better!

Thank God for new days. I am ready to hit the gym again in the morning-like most days!

Pretty Pretty Princess

2011-05-18T05:23:00.000-07:00

One of Lily's favorite things is to dress up as a pretty, pretty, princess! Some days it's a princess ballerina.

One day she will realize she already is a beautiful princess!

We are God's MASTERPIECE. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. Eph. 2:10

Have a blessed Wednesday friends!

Mother's Day

2011-05-11T06:50:00.000-07:00

I am so glad I can finally post! My blog has been down the past couple days I have tried to get on! I hope y'all had a fabulous Mother's Day! Here's a little peek into what we did!

Mother's Day Spa Escape

in Gabe's Class.

Mrs. Putnam totally went above & beyond for her class! She set up this little "retreat" for all of the moms. It was so much fun. Once we arrived we received a bag from our child with a little tag on it with his picture in it. Super cute :-) The picture is really nice too! Inside the bag had a craft for us to do, an eye mask, and instructions about our day. We made his cute little frame, took turns giving each other a massage, putting lotion on & eating! We had some yummy pinwheels, cheese & crackers, cake & a tea punch! So much fun! Did I say that already??

On Mother's Day-I felt like I got to do all of my favorite things! First of all my kids spent the night at my mom's house so I got to wake up kidless-I know it was MOTHER'S DAY and I should be with my kids but it was GREAT! I got to get up, get dressed, and Bill treated me to some Starbucks before church-serisouly? He also bought me this fabulous necklace! I LOVE it! It has the kids names & the year they were born.

He got it at lilly ellen designs on etsy! Super fabulous! I will cherish it forever!

After getting home from church my mom & dad came over & we had some breakfast burritos. My mom brought me this gift the kids made-a cookbook (I forgot to take a picture of it) that was filled with recipes I like to make i.e chicken salad, tomato salad, pancakes, waffles, chocolate chip cookies. Let's just say I have never made waffles in my life unless they have come out of the freezer or it was at a continental breakfast at a hotel. :-) But hey they can think I make them, haha! Gabe also spent HOURS making me this amazing banner. I wonder where he got the idea to make a banner, lol. Isn't it so fun? It decorates our hallway. I might just need to leave it up forever!

We also snagged a few pictures of me & the kids!

Gabe and I made some chocolate covered strawberries together!

I said I got to do what I loved! So Gabe & I planted over 40 plants that day! So maybe it was more me than him but hey he still helped! Check out the before & after!

We planted 6 tomato plants, 4 peppers, several different herbs & lots of flowers!

We even busted out the slip n slide! Yes I did go down it!

We wrapped up our day with a big turkey dinner-who says you can only have turkey once a year??

I love to cook for my family! I also made 2 banners before bed!

I got to go get coffee, praise Jesus at church, play with my kids, cook, plant, play some more, spend time with my family & create stuff-can it get much better?

Here are a few pictures of flowers from around our yard! May you soak in the beauty of our creator today! Hope you all had a great Mother's Day!

Happy Easter!

2011-04-24T19:19:00.000-07:00

I feel like I start every blog post with how busy I am but seriously I am! My business is keeping me so busy & just life is keeping me busy! I am looking forward to summer!

I thought I would share a couple pictures from Gabe's kindergarten performance last week.

Maybe I can get a little video clip up later of them singing. It was super cute!

Here's a little glimpse into our Easter filled weeks! We always kick off our season with some Jello eggs. I think it might be one of the highlights of Easter for Gabe! I think he just likes making things!

We thought it would be a fun treat to bring them to his classmates at school. They were a hit!

Although I don't have any pictures of it we love doing the resurrection eggs with our kids each year. I think I might do them as long as they will allow me to. I think they are a great way to tell your kids about the REAL meaning of Easter in a fun, exciting way! We always hide the eggs, 2 each night, and they can find them. We read them the story & scripture for each egg. The night before Easter we review what each of the items are in the eggs & talk about it. Super fun!

Also, have I mentioned that Gabe is on the fence of salvation? I think if we would let him he would "pray the prayer." I know what some of you are thinking....let him....but to us it is WAY bigger than just praying the prayer. It does him no good to pray it if he doesn't really understand it. We really don't want to sway his decision. He has been talking about it A LOT lately. My prayer is that God will show Gabe when it is the right time & us! Pray that we have wisdom!

On a lighter note, check out these pictures from his school egg hunt & party!

On Good Friday we had friends over to color eggs!

Saturday my fabulous, amazing, kind hearted, hard working husband finished our patio so we could use it this weekend. Check out his amazingness.

He added the wall with a double door gate. I planted all the flowers for it-we got a lemon tree!

He also finished this little project for my kitchen!

We have an addition on our house so we have this window in our kitchen that looks into our sunroom (a.k.a Sarah's craft room) and we normally have a curtain up but I was ready to get rid of it. Check out that super fabulous chalkboard! I CANNOT wait to fill it up with scripture!

Saturday night I made resurrection cookies with my kids. I love doing this because you can read right from God's word and teach them about Easter. It is so hands on! Lily obviously didn't get it...she participated in it but Gabe did.

Before bed we finished up our resurrection eggs and read from the bible about Christ dying on the corss & rising from the grave! Hallelujah!

Today we got to celebrate that Jesus is alive!

It's so funny to see how the enemy works. We all got up early but took our time getting ready. The kids were all ready to go so I quickly showered but then realized how late it was. I had no time left to dry my hair or anything. I threw on some clothes (nothing I wanted to wear of course) and got in the van & went to church. Somewhat upset that I didn't look the way I had planned but my kids did. :-)

Once I got there I received a call from my brother telling me that my grandma, Nana, wasn't going to make it. She has been in a nursing home for several years now and we knew the end was coming near but I just wasn't thinking today. They told the family it would probably be within the next 2 days. I just lost it on the phone. I was sobbing as I dropped Lily off. At that moment I didn't care what I looked like. I was actually glad I had no makeup on. I wouldn't have raccoon eyes. :-) It brought great sadness to my heart, a heaviness. I have the, "I wishes...." I wish I was able to go home to see her last week with my mom. I wish my kids knew who she was. I wish she (and Jopa) could see how God has blessed my life. I wish she could see how successful I am. Maybe not to the worlds standards but to Christ's. My life is full & rich.

I am glad soon her pain will go away. She will be looking into the face of the almighty God! She will be dancing with the angels! Her life will be full of joy. Full of happiness. With Jopa by her side! Needless to say, the rest of our day was kind of heavy. The unspoken words. Waiting. Praying. Loving on each other. Cherishing the moments together with family.

This is how we spent the rest of our day....

We had brunch & dinner at my house! I love that I am able to cook for my family and serve them. It brings me great joy! I love that we have family here to spend the day with. I am glad we have a savior who has risen from the grave and has given us freedom and overflowing joy in Him!

Weekend Wrap-up

2011-04-11T07:02:00.000-07:00

We kicked off our fabulous weekend celebrating all of Gabe's hard work and accomplishment when he received his yellow belt at Tae Kwon Do!

Then Friday night we had a date night planned. Yes a date night! They don't happen very often but we are quite intentional about doing them as much as possible. A good way to keep us accountable is our split membership with Jake & Jess to the local community theater! We went to their beautiful home for dinner, amazing ribs & chicken! (craved them all weekend) Then off to to the theater!

Saturday morning we had the farmer's market and once again I didn't get any pictures. Not because I forgot my camera but because it was so windy I was trying to keep my paper goods from blowing away. But my fabulous husband watched my booth so I could bring the kids down to the YMCA for their kids day & sign us up!

I spent my entire Saturday cleaning & organizing my house...more pictures to come later with all that! But I couldn't wait to show y'all my new stools. Well, they are not new new I just redid them & they are super fabulous now! I love them!

aren't they so cute??

Amidst all of our cleaning, purging, and organizing, Lily thought it would be a good weekend to start tee teeing on the potty, what? seriously? now? Let me tell you this...it has been amazing! She's just doing it. She's so independent. I'm so proud of her! We always fret over the whole potty training thing (I did more with Gabe than Lily) but when they are ready to do it they will and it is stress free!

We figured since she was using the potty it was time to convert the crib. Yes, I said it, convert the crib into a bed. It has been a little emotional. We are done with the crib...for good. Kind of bittersweet!

But she absolutely LOVES her "big girl" bed. She has to get in and out all by herself. I love it!

All day Saturday our poor community battled fires. One huge fire claiming 40 structures and more than 16,000 acres. The smoke seemed like it was so close. This was out our front door over our neighbor's house.

So scary. To think of the few things we would grab if evacuated. The rest is quite meaningless.

We wrapped up our weekend with a trip to the Y for the family swim! We will put our new membership to good work!

Hope y'all had a great weekend too! Blessings!

I'm On a Roll

2011-04-08T14:02:00.000-07:00

I told you I was on a mission and apparently today I am quite driven to clean & organize. (less work for tomorrow) I decided to tackle our kids' craft closet. This space is just for them! It's for their crafts, games, playdoh, moon sand, aqua sand...all that stuff you really don't want in there bedrooms! Ours has slowly been coming apart since Christmas. And well tis the season for spring cleaning!

I'm sad to say that I purged a whole trash bag of stuff along with a box of stuff. Old coloring books, paper, mostly used up stickers, already twisted pipe cleaners. :-) STUFF!

I love when the closet looks this good! Gabe can easily access his craft box freely and Lily can dig into those coloring books & stickers whenever she wants! I love to watch my kids have the freedom to create! Do you have a craft box for your kids?? If so what do you have in it?? This is what's in ours!

Gabe's Craft Box

paper

glue

felt

pipe cleaners

googly eyes

tp rolls

markers

crayons

stamps & stamp pads

buttons

beads

sequins

wood scraps

string

tape

glitter glue

I also love to have bags of activities that are self led that they can do whenever they want to. Stencils, blow-pens, dotza markers, pixo's, sun-catchers...etc. I also like to have paint shirts easily accessible so that they don't ruin their clothes when doing art projects!

Now that all of our games are back in order I think we might just have to have a family game night soon!

I'm a mom on a mission...one room...or closet....at a time! :-) Hope y'all have a blessed Friday!

Caution Enter At Your Own Risk

2011-04-08T11:38:00.000-07:00

I love my blog and I don't get to write as often as I would like to because I have other things in my life that need my attention that are more of a priority. Let's be honest I don't always have very many exciting things going on in my life. However one amazing thing is that Lily is starting to tee tee on the potty, what what! I'm super stoked! Let's keep our fingers crossed that she is finally getting it because I am tired of buying diapers!

It is finally spring...well it feels more like summer here in Texas but seasonally it is still spring which calls for a little spring cleaning. I kicked it off a few weeks ago with my kitchen-organizing my drawers, cabinets & things like that. I said I started it doesn't mean I have finished them all yet! :-) My kids rooms are out of control-did you hear me? OUT OF CONTROL! Both of them! Check out these crazy and somewhat embarrassing pictures of Gabe's room!

I am all about being honest so let's be honest...this was his current room as of this morning! Seriously? Am I really going to post this? It was ~~out of control~~ a little messy. :-/ Normally when Gabe "cleans" his room it gets shoved on the bookshelf, in the closet & under the bed. I don't typically care if there room is a little messy because it's THERE room! It's a place where they can relax, be free from all the structure & not have to fit into anyone's mold. It's there space. If he wants to have it a little messy whatever, I don't care! Well this has been a project I have been putting off for some time because I mean just look at it! So I went in with trash bags & tackled it before my collecting, pack-rat, of a son got home from school. Boy am I glad that I did! I tossed out 1 trash bag & a half full of junk!

So check it out now....

Pretty impressive I know! I still have some organizational skills (not as much as my ocd sister-in-law) but I got'em! I hope to make some cute little chalkboard signs this weekend for his baskets. I even took the time to hang up a few things. Like the Cowboy's pennant that was Bill's when he was little.

Along with his new posters from the book fair, his chalkboard wall decals (that he has had since Christmas, shhhh) and his Imagination Movers poster he got from the show. I finally took down the hanging snowflakes from the ceiling, and put up his Christmas tree-don't judge me! Better late than never! I dusted & vacuumed every square inch that was possible in his room today! Made up his bed with fresh linens, & put away his clothes!

I am a mom on a mission...one room at a time!

Spring Break

2011-03-23T12:17:00.000-07:00

So I have been a little MIA! I totally had good intentions of doing a new post on Monday from Spring Break and let you know of all the ~~boring~~ exciting things going on with us but I have been swamped with orders from Papercutz! I got 8 new orders last week! I love my business but hello don't they know that it was spring break & I have kids to entertain?!?! So, needless to say we had a fabulous but crazy spring break! I am still working on order & trying to get ready for a show next week, and for the local farmer's market! I am SO looking forward to summer so that some of my "yearly" duties will be done & I will have a little free time in other areas! Well, anyways here's what we did over our fabulous Spring Break! It truly was fabulous! We did a LOT for being on Dave Ramsey-we were blessed a lot too! Check out the pictures & see for yourself!

We hit up the park with my sweet friend Cheryl & her girls! My kids saved up their money & Lily bought those bubbles-she LOVED them!

We went for a day trip to Abilene with my mom!

On St. Patrick's Day we hung out with Nanny all day doing this...

Chick-Fil-A Lunch & picnic at the park...

Followed by some shopping & then ice cream!

We had so much fun playing all week long! We even went to the drive in's, had a play date with a friend, watched movies, played outside & just loved being together-most of the time. ;-) We are SO BLESSED with Gea's & Nanny's who love to spoil our kids to new clothes for summer, lunch dates & toys!

My cup runneth over...

and so does my laundry!

Our Weekend

2011-03-14T08:09:00.000-07:00

Friday kicked off spring break for us this week so our break includes lots of family time, free activities (thanks to Dave Ramsey), and our big highlight a trip to Abilene Zoo. I joke about Dave Ramsey because to be quite honest the free activities are the ones your kids love the most...movie nights, game nights, the library...etc. Since we are on our budget we are watching every penny! It has been awesome though!

Our weekend was kind of laid back. We hung out at home on Friday night. Gabe won a family game night through his new chore chart. It is AMAZING! I first saw it here, and was intrigued because of Dave Ramsey. We have been talking about his whole "commission chart" and this free program allows us to put in our own chores, bonus jobs he can do, and what all the rewards are. One of ours was a game night, along with extra books at bedtime, extra tv time, all the way to the ultimate reward a new wii game! It the neat thing is that it is synced with amazon.com so you & your child can sit down and choose what he wants his rewards should be. Another favorite feature that we are starting to teach Gabe is about giving. It has a give button and he can put some of his points in the give category along with save & spend. You should check it out.

All that to say Gabe worked in the yard this weekend cleaning up leaves to earn more points as one of his extra jobs! He worked so hard I was so proud of him.

Lily rode around on her new wheels Gea got her at a garage sale.

Daddy cleaned out our ~~death trap~~ garage. Put in this super huge shelf someone gave us!

(slightly embarrassed to even show it, haha)

Gabe took a climbing break on the ladder to the attic!

I helped my mom fill these little shower favors that I made with candy!

After everyone had worked so hard all day we took our envelope :-) and went to the drive-in's!

(I love this picture of him! He's so cute!)

We saw Rango and Gnomeo & Juliet, both which were cute! I was shocked to see that both of my kids stayed up for 2 movies! Seriously?

Sunday I worked on more party orders for Papercutz and we just took it easy. The best part was our late night run for ice cream with Gea & Poppie. Take note my kids go to bed at 7:15 & 7:30...we didn't even leave for ice cream until 8:15! But hey it's what spring break is for! Plus we had fun!

What are y'all doing over break??

Our Life...

2011-03-11T12:43:00.000-08:00

So it has been kind of quiet around here lately! Our house has been filled with sick germs for the past couple weeks and now everyone is finally feeling better, praise the Lord! I sure hate when my kids are sick. I am glad it is not very often! This is what we have been up to....

Fun, right? Not so much! Good thing for Daddy's & Grandparents for extra snuggles!

I couldn't resist sharing Lily's latest artwork she did a couple weeks ago...

Lovely isn't it? No, I couldn't get it off! So now our living room has all these marks on the wall where I have scrubbed along with the remaining artwork! :-)

It resulted in this!

Sad day I know!

Galumpkis (Stuffed Cabbage)

2011-02-27T09:11:00.000-08:00

Don't wrinkle up your nose just yet. This is sooo yummy! I don't make it very often but I received this HUGE head of cabbage in my bountiful basket last week so I just had to make some stuffed cabbage with it.

Here is the original recipe I normally use:

Ingredients:
Head of cabbage
2 cups cooked rice
1 lb. ground turkey
1 tbs. italian seasoning
2 cloves garlic
2 cans tomato sauce or 1 jar spaghetti sauce
Salt & Pepper

Directions:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees or make the day before & stick in the fridge.

Pour a small amount of sauce into a baking dish and set aside.

Remove core from cabbage. Remove leaves under cold running water. Boil a large pot of water and add your cabbage leaves 4-5 at a time for about 8 minutes. They need to be limp so you can roll them up. (will have to cook in stages)

While you boil your leaves, brown & drain your ground turkey, cook your rice according to the bag, and mix the two items together. Stir in 1/2 of your tomato sauce, your italian seasoning & season with salt & pepper. Set filling mixture aside & finish cooking your cabbage leaves. Once your cabbage leaves are cooked set on a towel to drain and cool off before filling.

Scoop in filling at the stem end of the cabbage leaf and start to roll up, tucking in the sides and place seam side down in your prepared baking dish. Repeat until dish is full. Spoon sauce over the top of the rolls and bake in the oven for 30 minutes.

This recipe is super easy and can be modified and changed to whatever you might just have on hand. Check out how I made them today!

I used the same steps as above with the ground turkey, but instead of rice I used quinoa and cooked it according to the directions on the bag. 1 cup of quinoa to 2 cups water. I also added some shredded kale, and shredded zucchini to my mixture to give it an extra boost of veggies.

Super yummy, healthy & even if your kids don't like the cabbage they will probably like the filling inside! Enjoy!

Dallas Trip

2011-02-24T17:11:00.000-08:00

Once we arrived in Dallas we hit up the "indoor" pool which really was an indoor/outdoor pool so it was freezing! We all swam in the hot tub for a bit and dried off in the sauna. First thing we did the next day was hit up.....yep Dunkin' Donuts! Can we say Lily's first time at Dunkin'? Maybe she had one at the airport on our way to Disney last year but I don't remember, does that really count anyways? We all scarfed down our favorite kinds like we have never had one before. What is it with food you don't ever get to have? Let's just say I had a sesame bagel, lightly toasted, with light cream cheese and a boston cream donut....or two but who's counting? It's vacation, right?

Needless to say we drank only Dunkin coffee the whole weekend!

Then we hit up the guys favorite thing, shopping!

and to our surprise the Christmas Tree Shop! Woah! Who knew it was even here? Could this trip get any better?? I have not been in a Christmas Tree Shop just under 3 years so I was super pumped to go!

That evening we went over to visit the Williams Family! The kids all got to play. I think Gabe LOVED seeing his buddy Gage. We got to see sweet Autumn...well more like sassy Autumn. She is too funny & has such a little personality. It's amazing to watch her army crawl & to sit in a booster seat. Such a blessing to see!

The next day we went to the Imagination Movers!

and Choo Choo Soul was the opening act. Who knew? It was so much fun!

We had a great time away with the family. It had been such a long time since we last left Midland so it was a much needed break!

New Recipes

2011-02-16T07:24:00.000-08:00

I have made a few new recipes lately that I have LOVED. I thought you might want to give them a try too!

Breakfast Pizza

We had the family over for make your own breakfast pizza one saturday morning! It was a HUGE success. To be quite honest I have never even had breakfast pizza before...I know call me crazy! It was soo good! I just did scrambled eggs and had a bunch of toppings they could put on & make them how they wanted it to be.

Breakfast Pizza

Pillsbury Pizza Dough

Scrambled Eggs (2 per person)

Browned & drained ground breakfast sausage

Browned & drained crumbled bacon

Cherry tomatoes

Shredded Cheese

Roll out the dough, cut into sections for each guest, place on a baking sheet, allow them to put on their own toppings (or take orders) put in a 350 degree oven for about 12-15 minutes or until the dough is finished cooking.

Taco Soup

My friend Falecia gave me this idea for the taco soup so technically it is her recipe I just added a few more things. It is great!

Taco Soup

1 can Rotel (tomatoes with green chilies)

1 can diced tomatoes

1 envelope taco seasoning

1 can black beans

1 cup water

1 can corn

(I threw in some left over ground taco meat we had in the fridge too)

Mix all ingredients together, serve with some sour cream or shredded cheese, and tortilla chips. Yummy!

Layered Salad

I made this layered salad for our little super bowl party we had with the family. It's super quick and easy! Not to mention healthy too!

Healthy Layered Salad

Chopped or Shredded Lettuce

Black Beans (rinsed)

Canned Corn

Diced Bell Peppers (any color)

Diced Avocado

Diced Tomato

Low Fat Cheese

Low Fat Sour Cream (optional)

Salsa (optional)

Just layer all your ingredients in a trifle bowl. Serve with cheese, sour cream, and salsa.

I mixed my sour cream & salsa to use as the dressing.

Out with the old, In with the new

2011-02-15T21:58:00.000-08:00

I finally did it! I got some pictures up of our new washer and dryer. The problem has been laundry stacked in front of it since I got them. I still have the same amount to do but in wayyyy less loads and time! Who knew one would be so excited about just one dry cycle. I mean really?

Just look at all the room in there? I swear I could fit the dog in there on the gentle cycle...I mean we are starting financial peace tonight & I could save about 40 bucks! Tempting!

We also said good bye to our Jeep! It was a bittersweet moment. This is the vehicle that moved us across the country on our journey. It carried my sweet babies home from the hospital.

It brought a new puppy to our house. It outlasted many road trips. We finally out grew it. It's like an end to a chapter of our lives.

Now we get to start a new chapter (and a new car payment) with this luxurious ride! We feel so blessed beyond measure with this vehicle. God exceeded our expectations!

Our kids LOVE there new dual-DVD players! (can we say spoiled)

I am sure lots of memories will be made with this vehicle. We give all praise to God for his wonderful provision in our lives!

Snow Day

2011-02-04T12:21:00.000-08:00

It was a declared snow day at our house yesterday! Gabe had a 2 hour delay the day before, arrived to school & basically went to P.E., had lunch, watched movies & colored for the day. When I found out we had another 2 hour delay the next day Bill thought it would be best for him just to stay home. So, that's what we did! Here's what our day looked like.

Fun Morning Outside (for a little bit)

Even the dogs wanted to be outside!

We came inside for some snow cones of course!

(hot cocoa is over-rated)

We had our special lunch! My kids LOVE eating this way! I save it for special days!

We took a second trip outside for some color fun!

This girl loves her boots! A true Texan!

We came in for Lily's nap & Gabe's craft time!

(wish 5 years olds still took naps, haha)

We finished our day off with Pizza Hut (Gabe's pick), Ice Cream (another one of Gabe's picks), and Monopoly! (which will continue tonight)

I <3 Snow Days!

Papercutz

2011-02-01T21:13:00.000-08:00

I know I don't talk about my business on here very often but I couldn't resist sharing some pictures from my workshop that I co-hosted this past weekend. We did a 2 day crop at a local church & I really had a good time. I think all of my guests did as well. The best part about the whole weekend was getting to know new people & getting to have conversations without being interrupted by kids...doing what I love to do!

I love that I am able to stay home with my kids & do what I love! I have a few more pictures on my blog so be sure to stop by and check them out.

Also, be sure to visit Take It From Me I am the Featured Business today & tomorrow!

There will be a giveaway so be sure to stop by & enter to win!

Chalkboard Picture Frame

2011-02-01T08:40:00.000-08:00

I am loving me some chalkboard paint these days! I am fixin' to put a big chalkboard in our kitchen & in my craft room! I saw these frames at Michael's and thought they would be perfect for leaving love notes, scripture...whatever you want on them! Here is how I made them!

you need a paint brush too! :-)

Voila! Sit back and Enjoy!

We woke up to this...

2011-02-01T07:07:00.000-08:00

Gabe has been waiting ALL winter for it to snow! It FINALLY did! The sad part was he still had school but it's suppose to stay cold for a couple days so hopefully it will last until he gets home so he can play in it. The whole inch (being generous) that it is, haha! We snuck a little playing in before school! (good thing we kept that scraper)

Lily wasn't too sure about it all. That's about as close as she got.

Until Gabe tried to touch her hand with it & well she lost it! She wanted to go back inside! She wanted nothing to do with the white stuff! She wouldn't even touch it!

It's so amazing how a little snow stirs up such excitement & joy (well except maybe for Lily)! Our God is so good!

Seriously God?

2011-01-26T12:41:00.000-08:00

As you can read in my previous post we are getting our new washer & dryers this week which I cannot WAIT for! Each load I do our washer leaks more and more. I am waiting for the big bust all through our house...but hey a girls gotta do laundry!

We have had our furniture for 5 years now. We were so excited to have our first sectional. It was so good to us! It could seat a lot of people...the corner spot was the best! It has been spilt on, puked on, peed on, and let's be honest farted on! It was good to us. We so desperately wanted new furniture but would never buy any right now with 2 kids. Not to mention our big purchase we just made. Not to spiritualize everything but our prayers for this year were to get a washer/dryer, furniture, and a ~~convertible~~ van. (yes I said it a van...but more on the van later) January is not even over with yet & God has met our needs in unbelievable ways! Things we put on the back burner because it wasn't that big of a deal but then God takes something so trivial & small & reminds us how valuable & important we are to him in the small stuff. Our wonderful & faithful microfiber sectional with it's broken springs and all its stains is finally gone!

A wonderful family from church got new furniture & was looking for a home for their old stuff. Well, what's one mans trash is another mans treasure! What a treasure it is! This is some sturdy, whimsical, fabulous furniture that God blessed us with! (even the dogs think so) They gave us a nice comfy couch & chaise. We no longer fall into the "broken spring" hole. I have a new reading area in the morning for my devotional time that I love!

Isn't it fun? Much better than the stains & brokenness of the old couch! Our God is good.

You are entirely faithful! Psalm 89:8

Front or Top?

2011-01-23T10:30:00.000-08:00

Our dryer has been on the brinks for well since we got it. We bought it brand new but for some reason it just never fully dried our clothes unless we ran them 2 times through. We just figured it was due to the apartment and the long venting for the moist air to get out of. Lowe's even replaced it for us with a little better one than the Roper! It's all we could afford and I was just grateful we didn't have to go to the laundry mat. So, when we bought our house it continued to do the same thing so we had the heating element replaced in it. It continued to do the same thing so we just sucked it up & figured well this is how its got to be. So, since we have lived here I have to dry each load 2-3 times each. Talk about a long day of laundry, seriously! Last week our washer started to leak out the front. For real? Now we have been saving for a long time to buy a new washer and dryer but taking that plunge is umm...well...kind of scary! We never want to make a hasty decision when spending money...especially a lot of it. I always dreamt of these beautiful front loaders that are energy start with those fabulous drawers underneath beaming from my laundry room calling my name to toss my dirty laundry into. Okay not quite but they are pretty fabulous! I knew they were expensive & I knew we have been saving but to be quite honest I felt like why do I need those big huge machines that wash a large amount of laundry & look oh so fine? That's just it, I didn't! Once we got to Sear's (our favorite large appliance store) after browsing on-line I knew that we were leaning towards some HE Top Loaders! Yep, I said it, top loader. It just sounds kind of dated, right? Well, WRONG! I was shocked to find out that these fabulous, wonderful, clothes washing machines were even bigger than some of those oh so fine front loaders! Not to mention the money we would be saving on them simply because we didn't have to pay for those ridiculously over priced bases. We walked out of Sear's purchasing a brand spankin new Washer & Dryer that are HUGE compared to our what 3.2 cu ft washer & 3x through dryer! I am amped, juiced, pumped out of my gourd to get a new washer & dryer! My favorite part of it all...we paid CASH! Not only that but we left with 100.00 in our pocket that we didn't even need to spend on them! Plus they get delivered, installed & they are taking our old ones away. FABULOUS! I praise God for allowing us to be faithful with our saving, content with what we can afford, and not feel like we need to over spend, over indulge in something we don't really need. I'll be sure to post pictures once my new beauties arrive!

Tubby Time

2011-01-14T13:13:00.000-08:00

This is what bath time looks like with ~~Mommy~~ Daddy!

A SUPER full tub, LOTS & LOTS of bubbles & toys!

First "non-papercutz" Craft

2011-01-14T11:44:00.000-08:00

So I kicked off my new year with a fabulous little craft I did for my bff's birthday! She asked for a sewing machine for her birthday so I thought it would be fun to get her a sewing basket & fill it with all of the things she would need! But who wants a boring pin cushion? So, I made this one!

Super fun & super cute! Hope you make one too!

New Year New Goals

2011-01-14T09:16:00.000-08:00

I know I am a little behind on traditional "new years resolutions" but to be quite honest I think they are overrated! I think people feel obligated to make them and then a month in dismiss them because they are no longer obligated or passionate to uphold them.

Then there is the other side of the spectrum where people don't set any goals becaue then they cannot set themselves up for failure. If you have no expectations then I guess you can never disappoint yourself, huh?

I would like to think that I fall someplace in the middle. I want to have some realistic & manageable goals that I can obtain! I don't want to set the bar so high that I am just setting myself up for failure so why bother trying. It's so easy to get into that cycle.

Some of my goals this year:

fall more deeply in love with my savior

take time to enjoy my family more

grow my business

pay off more debt (we are almost there)

invest in a new car..well van...yep I said it!

(I guess get back into debt :-/)

Run a 5K...and then maybe a 10K

eat cleaner

invest in the lives of others

have more date nights

have a bigger garden

As I take a look back 2010 God was working in our lives in a more deep & personal way. It was one of the hardest years I think we have experienced as a married couple but God has carried us through it. It was a hard year financially but nothing like we have experienced before but maybe because we have grown through that stuff. We have experienced & tasted God's amazing faithfulness & provision! That we don't really worry about our finances. God takes good care of us & His word is true!

For the word of the Lord holds true, and we can trust everything he does...the Lord's plans stand firm forever; his intentions can never be shaken. Psalm 33: 4 & 11

Often times I am quick to forget about what God has done in our lives over a whole year! I took a moment to look back & remember how God has once again provided for our needs. Last year we applied at all 3 magnet schools & prayed for Gabe to make it into just one of them! We don't live in the best school district so we wanted him to go to one of the magnet schools. God heard our please & cries & answered our prayers with Pease Academy. This past year Gabe started kindergarten there which was a HUGE adjustment for everyone. We have adjusted! It is going much better! He likes school most days. :-)

I ventured out & started my own business. Kind of scared at first but I knew I needed to do something once Gabe started school. I kicked off Papercutz! It has been a huge success in my eyes. I didn't want to make millions or make it where Bill could stay home, ha! I just want to do what I love to do & make a little money doing it. If we want to go to Dallas for the weekend or splurge on that new front loader (wishful thinking) we can do it and it doesn't put any pressure on my already hard working hubby to come up with those added expenses.

I had my first garden! I love that my dad lives here because he has taught me so much about it. I am so excited to do another one this year! I even canned for the first time! We are eating it this winter & it has been amazing! Nothing like peaches & pears from summer! yummy!

We had our house on the market but then finally decided to be content & satisfied where God has placed us!

We went on the exodus trip & got to be blessed out by some amazing people & make great new friends!

God has taught us a bunch this past year & I am excited to see what he has planned for our family this year! I know it will be great!

Better Late Than Never Take 2

2011-01-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

On the first night of Christmas break we hung with the 2 greatest people ever!

Guncle Jake & Aunt Jessi!

They are like family!

We went & saw some lights at the Starbright Village!

We went to the Museum of the Southwest!

They had all these fabulous quilts on display!

This is really what it's like trying to get a picture of my kids! It makes me laugh!

They also had all the trains going!

Then we played at the Children's Museum!

Christmas Eve!

We made our birthday cake to celebrate Jesus' birth!

We went to a candle light service at our church.

Then we went over to Nanny's house for appetizers & stockings!

Then home for our tradition...one present on Christmas Eve! New Jammies!

This is what our house looked like Christmas Eve!

My favorite part of the whole morning! 'What God Wants For Christmas'

Gabe wanted to do this before he even opened gifts! Then he wanted us to open the gifts he made us before he even wanted to open anything! I was so proud!

You saw the before picture! This was the after! Can we say blessed? Umm...yeah we sure can!

Christmas day morning we went to Nanny's to open gifts! Then back home for a nap!

Gea & Poppy's for Dinner!

Over break we also did some painting...

We also got to go see Yogi bear, Gea & Poppy took them to Chuckie Cheese! We had a fabulous break!

Here's a few more snapshots of what our house looked like this Christmas!

Hope you & your family all have a fabulous Christmas & New Year!

Better Late Than Never

2011-01-04T12:52:00.000-08:00

Well, I finally got a minute to sit down and get some more Christmas pictures up! I figured if I wanted to blog about the new year I better finish out the last one first! I have been so busy with my business this holiday season that if I was on-line it was to do that!

Gabe just went back to school today. Christmas break has officially ended & we are kicking off Kindergarten with a bang...kind of. Today he wasn't exactly jumping for joy because he had to go back to school...but who was? Okay I was but it was just a little jump. :-) It's not like I am kidless or anything I still have my little "destroyer" here. She's the one who reminds me on an hourly basis that it's pointless to clean!

Gabe finished up his quarter great! He's still not IN LOVE with school but I hear once he gets there he does fine. He's still a man of few words about his day. We make him tell us 3 things he did that day and every day 2 out of the three consist of recess & lunch so that leaves just one thing left. He has been testing really well & is reading really well! I am super proud of him!

Now that I have rambled on about Gabe it's time to get back to those Christmas pictures. I have so many to post! I kind of thought I was going to be better about this but I wasn't!

I saw these really cute reindeer candies in a magazine so I had to make them with Gabe for his class. I love that he is old enough now to help with this stuff & he loves doing it.

As we were getting the chocolates ready Lily came out from Gabe's room dressed like this!

and the back! She walked around like this the whole night!

Then we were putting on mini red m&m's for the rudolph noses.

A little melted while chocolate & a mini chocolate chip for the eyes.

broken pretzels for the antlers. That was the hardest part. The picture actually showed a whole pretzel but we don't have the TINY twist ones so my fabulous hubby came up with this idea which I actually like better!

Gabe had his party the very next day! I brought these reindeer & sugar cookies for them to decorate with icing & sprinkles. Some of the other parents did pizza, cupcakes, & sprite.

Gabe made a gingerbread house at school, cute!

Gabe's good friend Isaiah working on his cookie!

That was the last day of school before Christmas vacation! We were all so excited for Christmas break & couldn't wait for it to come & well now it's already over! Can't wait to show you what else we did!

Christmas In The City

2010-12-24T07:54:00.000-08:00

Each year our church hosts a community event where people from all over the area can come & have a fabulous family night for free. One way our church gives back to the community. They have a huge fire to stay warm by, and provide hot dogs, hot cocoa, coffee, water and kettle corn to eat. Who can resist some warm kettle corn? It's so yummy!

Then we all pile on these decorated trailers and they drive us through Grassland a nearby development that is CRAZY about Christmas lights! We get to take in all of the fabulous lighted houses as we snuggle up with family & friends to keep warm!

It was so much fun!

Cookie Time

2010-12-24T07:23:00.000-08:00

The best looking bakers I have!

I told Gabe to take off his long-sleeves and this is how he came out, haha!

LOVE

FAMILY

Last weekend we made 5 types of cookies, carmel corn, and several loaves of zucchini bread!

Gingerbread Fun

2010-12-14T07:23:00.000-08:00

Our fun thing to do from our advent calendar was to make a gingerbread house on Saturday! I was planning on getting one in my fabulous bountiful basket but they didn't have any so I bought one at Walmart & it was pretty good! We had a fun, sticky, time putting it together!

Except that part way through the roof started to slide off. I think we had too much weight on it so quickly. SO.....

we unassembled it & let the base set up in the fridge, added the roof back on let it set up again & the finished our final touches!

This was our end result! Not to bad! Gabe loved doing it & Lily just liked eating all of our candy!

Advent Calendar

2010-12-11T06:24:00.000-08:00

Here's a little tutorial on a really easy & cute advent calendar you can use each year.

You will need a mini muffin tin, magnets, double stick tape...

24 2" circles

24 1 3/4" or 1 1/2"circles

Punch your circles out & tape the 2 layers together then you just need to add a piece of magnet to the back. I cut the roll of magnets (one side is sticky) into little strips then I cut each little strip in half so they were narrow.

Just like this!

Then put them in the order you want on your pan!

I added some numbers I cut from vinyl, but you can buy numbers, stamp some, print some off the computer or simply write them on with a sharpie!

Fill each day with special things to do or have!

We started ours a little late this year so we jumped right into the fun festivities, we made cookies one day (slice & bake ones), an ornament, family movie night, today we get to make our gingerbread house! Some days they just got a candy treat or we read a part of the Christmas story from the Bible, or a book. Super fun! My kids look forward to it each afternoon when Gabe gets home from school! The best part is that I can use it every year! I can change up our ideas & we can keep the focus geared towards Jesus!

Downtown Midland Parade & Tree Lighting

2010-12-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

I am a little behind on my blog this week because I have been so busy filling orders for Papercutz! I finally have a little break to update y'all on what we have been up to. Last weekend we went to the annual Christmas parade downtown and decided to stay for the tree lighting ceremony. Our church was singing at it this year which made it extra special to be there! So, we bundled up our kids & brought like 10 blankets, the wagon, hot cocoa, and Gabe's new cowboy's stadium cushion to sit on! He bought it with his own money!

This is out worhship team, warming up!

Gabe rockin' his new jacket!

Daddy's famous hot cocoa!

Me & Jessi

Sweet Lily

Zach & Gabe keeping warm!

Although we stayed until the very end we didn't win any of the raffles, augh! But we had a fun, family night!

Don't Miss This Giveaway!

2010-12-05T19:05:00.000-08:00

The fabulous people at Oh My! Handmade Goodness are hosting a fabulous giveaway! Over 30 businesses are represented in this giveaway and it is valued at over $900. Woah!

Head on over to be a part of this amazing giveaway!

No David

2010-11-29T18:20:00.000-08:00