About Me

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Married twenty-five years to my wonderful husband and best friend. We have 3 "home-grown" kids and 1 hand-picked by God from Africa. Our life is blessed. We are a close knit family with strong Christian beliefs. Come along with us on our journey…you might have a great laugh or two.

Friday, October 28, 2011

My favorite thing...


This is my favorite thing. Not a day goes by that I don't use this...seriously. I waited 19 years before asking for one of these fancy things (and then I asked for the biggest one they sold...who knows when I'll get another one) so to me it's such a luxury. I tell you it can do just about everything, short of my dishes, laundry and the bathrooms...I'm working on it though.

Plus, look how skinny my legs look in the convex bowl (thought I'd throw in a fancy word...sheesh, homeschoolers...bunch of overachievers).

Actually, it's my cinnamon roll diet...obviously it works!

Thursday, October 27, 2011

Costumes done...check

Every year I get the wonderful privilege of making my children their costumes for Halloween. I love it! I love the way the kids plan, describe and then scour the patterns for exactly the right costume for them. Weren't we all that way when we were little?


Our oldest girl decided that she wanted to be a pioneer girl. Way cute! She picked some fantastic fabric and all I could think about was "man, oh man, do I want a dress made with this fabric". She's got some great taste!


This little girl just HAD to be Rapunzel. Doesn't every 7 year old right now? That was a fierce dress to make with all of the fancy-shamazee fabric. Thankfully, all our little girl sees is exactly the dress she wanted...I see tons of mistakes made. Good thing she'll never notice.


This little one gets the costume that every one of our kids have worn when they were 2. And really, what 2 year old isn't a stinker at some time or another?



This year our oldest decided he was "too old" to trick or treat...and part of me was sad. I know it's the coming of age...I know that it would look weird for a 6 foot 13 year old to ask for candy...I knew that this was coming...but still, it made me sad.


However, he thought it was cooler to roll around with the dog on the floor...oh, yeah, that's sure acting really mature.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

It all started with a mouse trap...



We live in a house on a wooded lot. Every time the weather begins to turn colder we deal with the same issue...mice in our garage. We have by all accounts sealed holes, set mouse traps...and yet, still they come. They are not deterred. So the war begins...

My husband sets the traps (you know, the old fashioned ones that slam shut...no, I'm not going to be humane to something that leaves such a wake of mess that I have a clean up every spring...nope, not going to do it).

Last night our dog was very concerned about something and wouldn't calm down to go to sleep. Here's how the conversation went at this point...


Me: What's wrong with the dog?


Hubby: I think she hears the high-pitched squeals coming from the garage?


Me: Say wha'?


Hubby: I set two mouse traps and I could only find one of them tonight.


Me: Where's the other one? (stupidly asking)


Hubby: (smiling)


Hubby to dog: Don't worry ol' girl, the crying will stop soon after it's done scraping around on the garage floor.


Me: Argggghh! You are not funny...


Hubby: (loving every minute of it)

Tuesday, October 25, 2011

I will...

...finally cross the finish line of that marathon BEFORE I die.

...find "me time" in my busy schedule and NOT feel guilty about it.

...cook 'till my hearts content...and NOT feel guilty about that one either.

...get all of my bathrooms cleaned in one day.

...get my entire house cleaned in one day (for that matter).

...have an entire afternoon where someone doesn't tell scream "Mom!" at the top of their lungs.

...wear what I want to wear (even if it's WAY out of style...heck, I'm over 40 and I've earned that one).

...listen to Christmas music any time of the year...just because it makes me happy (that one's for you kids).

...finally understand the game of soccer (so I don't have to "fake it" when my 7 year old tells me her positions she's playing).

...talk my husband into a pop-up camper (please, oh please sweetie...).

...run outside and not worry about all the "jiggling" taking place...everywhere.

...lose the EXTRA pounds that my love of cooking and my 3 biological kids gave to me (see note just above).

...sing in my car LOUDLY...(that's another one for ya kids).

...go to bed every night knowing that I woke up that day with a happy heart, live a blessed life and will walk one day on the streets of gold.


I will...two words...so much power behind them.

Monday, October 24, 2011

Keep breathing...

Monday's are hard...



sometimes you just got to breathe...

...just breathe

Tuesday, October 18, 2011

Fall fun at a pumpkin patch...

Today we visited a local pumpkin patch. Leave it to the people of the Midwest, to plow a maze through a field of corn, drop you off at the entrance and say "good luck" and call it fun. But oh yeah...it really was a lot of it...fun, that is.

The kids took off like a bullet through it. All I could think of is...seriously, how lost could they possibly get. Personally, I was just glad it was during the day...it would be way creepy at night (way too much imagination here...).

After the maze, we scoured their massive fields for the perfect pumpkins...(don't worry honey, we didn't come home with all these pumpkins).

Despite the cold temps and the strong winds, we had a great time at the farm...plus, it gave us an excuse to come home and have some hot chocolate.










































Written all over her...




This one...








...on the soccer field









...has her "Daddy" written all over her

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Laughing so hard...

I love to read. I read all the time. I could so do without TV but not my books. I love all sorts of books with one major exception...I don't do the go in the freezer scary kind of books. Nope. Not at all. Way too much imagination for those kind.

Okay, think about this for a moment. When was the last time you laughed out loud at a book...no, I'm not saying "giggling" while reading a book. I mean the hearty laugh all the way from your belly and your eyes water so much and you seriously have trouble catching your breath...that kind of laugh.

I usually never recommend a book (or a movie for that matter) to anyone, because the way I see it every one's tastes are so different...what's great for you may not be great for someone else. But this time, I seriously just cannot help it. I just finished the funniest book. I got so many funny looks as I laughed out loud at swimming practices and piano practices...trying very hard to wipe the smeared mascara from my face after laughing so hard...you know, the good kind of laugh.

I knew nothing of this lady before I read her "love story", but apparently she has a blog that's quite popular. Anyway, the book is "Pioneer Woman - Black Heels to Tractor Wheels". Get it, read it...you won't be disappointed.

Just make sure you have some tissue to wipe your face off from laughing so hard...


Friday, October 7, 2011

It will only confuse you...

Here's what you get when you have this child doing this...












And this child doing this...













Two children left alone upstairs for a moment...






Don't try and understand it...





It will only confuse you...

Saturday, October 1, 2011

Courageous...



Can't wait to see this one!



The music video is for our "courageous hero"...we love you daddy!