SMART habits so far...

Sunday night we had spaghetti with garlic toast.

Monday we had steaks and baked potatoes.

Tuesday we had Scotch Collops with mushrooms.

Yesterday we had Roast Beef with Yorkshire Pudding.

We have leftover spaghetti and leftover roast/pudding for lunch.

Our options for dinner include cubed steak, meatloaf, or MM's fav sandwich. I think I'll cook the crock pot roast tomorrow.

So far, so good!

Beef... it's what's for dinner.

My poor Jeremy is sick. He even missed church this morning! I'm pretty sure that it's a sinus infection, but you know how men can be when they're sick. Feeling bad makes them even more sensitive and A WHOLE LOT grumpier. He had several quiet hours today while I took the kids to church and then to town.

Amazingly enough, the school schedule has improved my waking abilities, so I was up by eight and had the kids at church by class time... all by myself. Then after church, the five of us headed to the grocery store to purchase dinner for the upcoming week. Our menu will include Marlboro Man's Favorite Sandwich, Roast Beef and Yorkshire pudding, Scotch Collops, Meatloaf w/mashed potatoes, Crockpot Roast with carrots and potatoes, cubed steaks. Sometimes I get the feeling we'd save all kinds of money at the grocery store if we raised/slaughtered our own beef. And we could save a bundle on milk, too.

Now I just need to go through the meat and figure out what day we should eat what, based on the "sell by" dates.

S.M.A.R.T. Habit Saturday

SMART Habit Saturday is something that I ran across in another of my frequently read blogs. If you click on that link you can familiarize yourself with the logistics, but basically each Saturday you decide on a good habit that you want to form and try to do it each day of the following week. They say that if you do somethng everyday for 21 days it becomes a habit.

I know we all have room for improvement. For instance, I've been keeping house pretty good lately. I've even figured out the secret to getting the kids involved in house keeping. But I'm afraid that my culinary escapades have suffered as a result of my obsessive desire to keep the house organized and tidy. So tomorrow I'm going to take my gorcery list and get supplies for next week so that I can cook dinner EACH and EVERY night. Hopefully the house won't go back to looking like a pig sty as a result.

So I guess I'll be back next week to report on my results.

Speaking of School...

Here is what day one of K4 looked like around here.







And Abigail talks constantly about her new friends Mary (pictured above) and Nikki. It is just so cute to see their little faces light up when they see each other.

And this...

One of the craft blogs that I check everyday is houseonhillroad. That's where I picked up the embroidery bug. And since Abigail is one of the most horse-crazy four-year-olds you will ever meet, this is for her.






I used Spirit: Stallion of the Cimarron as a reference for the sketch that I drew. Then I got some transfer (tracing) paper from my dear mother-in-law and put the image on the shirt. I went over it with my water-soluable pen just to make sure it stayed there until I was done sewing. Then it was just a matter of backstitching the image and I used a french-knot for the eye. After I trimmed all the loose strings in back I ironed some stabilizer over the back, so that Little Miss won't be tickled by all those threads.

This is what I have been up to...

I've rediscovered my love of sewing. And I'm sure that it has something to do with all the crafty bogs I've been reading. (Don't worry, I'll be updating my list over there with links to all these crafty-type blogs).



Here we have a small group of girls that just can't wait 'til Christmas. Know why? Because that's when they get to go live with some little girls that look just like them! Isn't that exciting? And by the time Christmas gets here, this group will have grown and will most likely include a few boys as well.

Here's where I purchased the pattern for these cuties : http://www.weewonderfuls.com/

Life is Changing....

I've not been online as much as I used to be. I used to have an unyielding compulsion to check my "friends list" at Livejournal several times a day and I found myself drwn down into un-Christian behaviors and environments. At the time it seemed harmless but I can see where these unwholesome activities were very detrimental to my mental health and my marriage.

Nowadays I find myself instead drawn to "blogs" written by other mothers, Christians, crafters. I have been inspired to do more with my hands and more with the time I am given each day, now that the girls are both in preschool and Ben is going to Grandma's daily for his homeschooling. My house is cleaner, my family is happier, and I feel a wonderful sense of accomplishment when I look around me.

I have been reading a wonderful book Finding the Hero in Your Husband by Dr. Julianna Slattery. Man, I really suggest this book to all women, not just the married ones, or the ones that think that their marriage is in trouble. When I've read passages aloud to Jeremy he is amazed at how much this woman understands men. Our congregation has ordered 10 copies for Ladies Bible Class material. It is really that good. I can feel the Lord working in my life. I think that my prayers for Him to transform me into the person that He wants me to be are being answered and I am so so grateful. Soon, I'll post an update with photos from the girls first day of school and also of some of the things I've been making.

Been So Busy

My life hardly ever slows down long enough for me to blog, but in the interest of not getting too far behind I'll update on a few things.

Recently I climbed onto my arabian named Kizzam,

grabbed a lead line connected to my mom's horse, Maggie,

and rode about five miles to move them from Jeremy's aunt's house to our house. That was SO fun, but tiring! My two dalmatians, Freckles and Milo, who are both ten years old, stayed with us the entire trip. And so now the horses are here at home, which means we don't have to drive five miles back and forth twice a day to feed them.

Once we got the horses moved I went to the stockyard and bought two small goats

at auction to help clean up the pens that we will be keeping the horses in. Now the kids accompany me twice a day when we go out to feed.

Caleb LOVES this and you should hear him calling those goats. "Goakgoakgoak!" Too funny!

This past weekend we attending a VBS at Beech Island Church of Christ and I got to see some faces from my childhood. The real shocker was how much the kids that I used to babysit have grown. They're now 18 and 14!!! Makes me feel soooooo old.

Also, Caleb thought it would be a good idea to dump an entire glass of sweet tea on my laptop, so I'm now accessing the 'net on Jeremy's desktop until we figure out if Ol' Blue will recover from its sticky bath. Jeremy assured me that if it doesn't make it, he will get me another, but boy do I sure hate to spend the money on something I already had!

Pretty soon I've got to get off my behind at continue cleaning this house....

The Duck & The Devil

There was a little boy visiting his grandparents on their farm. He was given a slingshot to play with out in the woods. He practiced in the woods; but he could never hit the target. Getting a little discouraged, he headed back for dinner. As he was walking back he saw Grandma's pet duck.Just out of impulse, he let the slingshot fly, hit the duck square in the head and killed it. He was shocked and grieved! In a panic, he hid the dead duck in the wood pile; only to see his sister watching! Sally had seen it all, but she said nothing.

After lunch the next day Grandma said, "Sally, let's wash the dishes" But Sally said, "Grandma, Johnny told me he wanted tohelp in the kitchen." Then she whispered to him, "Remember the duck?" So Johnny did the dishes.

Later that day, Grandpa asked if the children wanted to go fishing and Grandma said, "I'm sorry but I need Sally to help make supper."Sally just smiled and said, "Well that's all right because Johnny told me he wanted to help" She whispered again, "Remember the duck?" So Sally went fishing and Johnny stayed to help

After several days of Johnny doing both his chores and Sally's; he finally couldn't stand it any longer. He came to Grandma and confessed that he had killed the duck. Grandma knelt down, gave him a hug and said, "Sweetheart, I know. You see,I was standing at the window and I saw the whole thing, but because I love you, I forgave you. I was just wondering how long you would let Sally make a slave of you."

Thought for the day and every day there after? Whatever is in your past, whatever y! ou have done... and the devil keeps throwing it up in your face (lying, cheating, debt, fear, bad habits, hatred, anger, bitterness, etc.)...whatever it is...You need to know that God was standing at the window and He saw the whole thing. He has seen your whole life. He wants you to know that He loves you and that you are forgiven.He's just wondering how long you will let the devil make a slave of you.

The great thing about God is that when you ask for forgiveness; He not only forgives you, but He forgets. It is by God's grace and mercy that we are saved. Go ahead and make the difference in someone's life today. Share this with a friend and always remember:God is at the window! When Jesus died on the cross; he was thinking of you!

(Copied from a forwarded email)

My ten year high school reunion was this weekend (well, actually I graduated a year earlier than the kids in my grade because I could not wait to get away from them...but I digress). Part of me felt obligated to show up, looking fantastically perfect, with my wonderfully perfect husband, and photos of my beautifully perfect children to show those people who treated me badly, to prove to them that I turned out way happier than they ever dreamed of being themselves in spite of their teasing and taunting and hatefulness. But then I remember that, as a Christian, I have to ignore this petty sense of revenge or whatever it is and just hope for the best for them... and I do, really. But still, I wouldn't know what to say to any of them, they didn't hang out with me in high school, why would I PAY to hang out with them now? What would we talk about? What would I even have in common with them?

When I discussed the upcoming social event with my completely perfect husband, he said that if my intentions were to go see people that I cared about and wanted to spend time with, he would be happy to foot the bill for clothes/mani/pedi/etc and escort me to the ball, but if I only wanted to go out of spite then I needed to rethink my motivations. See what I mean? He's just so darn PERFECT!

Luckily for me, I totally forgot that it was to take place this weekend and so I spent the day with my hubby, my kids, and my parents, and then I went to a birthday party for my little second cousin, whom I ADORE. And I feel that my time was much better spent this way.


And now that I've dodged that bullet, hopefully I will stop having these stupid dreams where I am BACK IN SCHOOL and trying to figure out where my books/locker/classes are even though I eventually realize that I'm married, with children and better stuff to do than hang out in a high school, which I've apparently only been doing because it was a "hobby" type thing. So then I show them my diploma and tell them all to bugger off.

Ow, my legs are killing me. It's got to be all this riding I've been doing this weekend. After being cooped up in the house for two weeks (sick with the "creeping crud") I rode Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. And in spite of my sore legs, I'll most likely being riding again today. Call it an addiction, but I just can't be kept off a horse for very long.

Tomorrow I've got an appointment in town with the local children's consignment shop. I plan on taking as much of my stuff as I can, hopefully they'll take it all in spite of the limit of 50 items on the first visit. What's nice about this shop is that they give you your money up front, so there's no fear of being robbed like I was when the last place I consigned with went out of business and disappeared with my items and my money.

Summer is here and with it the heat, although the reprieve we've experienced with the rain has made life more bearable.

Libby had her K5 graduation last week and participated beautifully and next year she and Abby will attend K4 together. After a discussion with her teacher we decided that it would be better for her to get a more solid foundation under her, so that she can learn all that there is to learn in the K5 that she will attend again after that (reading, cursive, adding/subtracting). So she will be two years behind other kids her age, but when she was diagnosed they told me that her social and academic age was about 3 1/2 so that put her at the same age as Abby. And Abby is certainly looking forward to going to school with Libby next year.

Caleb is growing like a weed! Well, actually, he really doesn't seem bigger, but he's talking more and more. So I guess he's growing like a ... sponge?

Ben is nearly done with the 2nd grade and spends all his time at his grandma's house, since she took over homeschooling him. I think the reason that she did that was because it makes it easier to homeschool Gabriel... ^_~ My mom mentioned that he should spend more time at home, but I pointed out to her that if I'd had the opportunity, I would have spent all my time with my cousin.

My friend, Anna (the midwife that delivered Caleb), and I were having lunch the other day when she told me that due to the complications I continue to have when delivering babies, the head midwife said that if I get pregnant again they won't take me as a patient. That kinda ticks me off, but the point is moot at the moment, seeing as how we have NO room for another kid in this three bedroom house.

I finally got my horses back from my mom's house. They are now at Jeremy's Aunt Sharon's house, which is only about 5 miles from us. So I've been riding as much as possible. Sunday I decided I would try to get up on my Kizza,'s bare back by jumping, something I've never really mastered. I was almost on him, when I accidentally jerked on the reins, he side-stepped, and I went the rest of the way over his back and landed on my shoulder. (Jeremy said that from across the yard it looked like a swan-dive) It rattled my brain around a little, but I didn't feel too bad afterward. Well now, my neck is KILLING ME! Can you get whiplash from falling off a standing horse? ^_~ I've been taking ibuprofen for it but I may have to break out the oxycodone I've squirrelled away.

I'm a bad blogger

It's been forever since I've updated and there are a few things that I must share.

Libby was diagnosed with autism in late February. This was not that surprising and yet at the same time still kind of shocking to hear. Really this diagnosis doesn't change anything, but it does give us some insight on why Libby behaves the way she does and so we are able to address issues that arise in a more understanding way. One morning I heard the girls playing in the laundry room and upon inspection, this was what I discovered (of course, Abby may have instigated this stunt) :

Caleb also turned 1 at the end of February. He is such a happy toddler, and since he started eating solid food he's turned into such a bottomless pit! (Case in point: he just stole a banana from me and he's eaten almost the whole thing by himself!) He still gets milkies from mommy and probably will for a while longer. I know you're not supposed to have a favorite child ... so I'll just not finish that sentance ^_~
Abby is also doing well. She is such a fantastic big sister. She even mommys Libby sometimes! And she's such a good little helper. Here she is doing dishes for mommy:

Ben is breezing through second grade at an amazing rate. He is very confident in math, but even though his reading skills have improved dramatically he still lacks confidence in his ability. And I don't have any recent photos of him because he's always over at his grandma's or his granny's or his cousins' house!

Speaking of cousins, Gabriel's little brother Gideon is just as cute as he can be, as you can plainly see:
Hopefully I'll have more opportunities to update this blog, but I'm not making any promises ^_~

It seems that by the time I get around to blogging about what's happening, I've forgotten what I was supposed to say.

We still haven't gotten the main a/c fixed but managed to survive the last of the summer with three window units. In fact, our electricity bill was lowered by half and so it was indeed a blessing in disguise. And now autumn is here, bringing with it cooler weather, a much needed reprieve from the typical southern heat. Time to pull out the long sleeved shirts and sweaters and start making hotchocolate.

Caleb is so close to walking that he can almost reach out and grab it. He pulls up to stand and the lets go, balancing for a moment or two before gracefully plopping onto his bottom. He has most recently cut his two top teeth, so that makes four in total. He is still exclusively nursing, with just the tiniest of tiny tastes of things here and there, which he always spits out. Most recently he battled a case of strep, topped with a virus (which I also had--NOT FUN!) and then two weeks later was back in the ER with pnuemonia. And yet through it all he's been the most adorable sweet and cheerful little guy, a true blessing from above.

Libby is still attending kindergarten; every morning she gets up excited to go, even on Saturday and Sunday! There has been some concern voiced by her teachers and the speech therapist that she may have a mild form of autism and so we are waiting for word from the specialists in Charleston as to when her appointment will be.

Ben is still homeschooling without too much protest. His handwriting and reading skills have improved greatly this year. And whenever I need to correct him about something, as long as I explain to him that it's God that he's trying to obey, he doesn't resist. He is trying so hard to be a good Christian and for that I am so thankful.

Abigail has finally decided to use the potty again after a long regression (probably caused by the new sibling). Thank the Good Lord for Dora pottyseats! We continue to work with her in learning to control her emotions. She can so sweet but she has a temper like you wouldn't believe!

All in all, I continue to look at my life in amazement. God has blessed me inumerably and I can't seem to thank Him enough.

Count your blessings...

So many things seem to go wrong, but so many things have gone right that the wrong ones don't really seem so bad. Our airconditioner decided to break. As of yet, I'm not sure when we'll be able to repair/replace it. So here I sit in the hum of the fans and the one window unit... but my girls are playing together, searching under the couches with a flashlight. It's like a treasure hunt to them. They've found some toys and sunglasses and they're having a blast. Caleb is crawling around his playpen in nothing but a diaper, happy as always. Benjamin is playing at Grandma's. Jeremy is out with Josh, doing what he can to make us cool and comfortable again. And I am sitting here, counting my blessings, rather than cursing the heat. AC is a luxury after all, and hey, maybe the eletric bill will be significantly lower if we go a while without running the air.

Libby started kindergarten this morning. She had a slow start.



It took so long to wake her up that even Ben and Abby tried to help.





Eventually she really was awake, but she liked pretending that she wasn't. Ben decided to help her open her eyes for the photo.



I took this one right before we left the house. Doesn't she look excited?


Here she is standing just outside of the school (a local church runs the 3k, 4k, and 5k program).



She immediately found her assigned desk, having remembered which one it was from the orientation last Thursday.



Mrs. S. had put a book on each child's desk for them to look at while they waited.


Have a good day, sweet girl!


When I picked her up today the teacher's aide said that she'd had a good day, but she'd fallen asleep. *blush* I made sure that she got to bed on time last night but she was wide awake at 4am asking for a glass of milk. Hopefully she'll be tired enough to sleep through the night tonight and we'll have no more napping in school. Also I asked her what she had for lunch (which I packed) and she told me that she had "broccolis, but I saved my carrots". She finished her teddy grahams and carrots while she watched tv.

You've Changed 88% in 10 Years

You're practically a new person these days, and no one from your past may even be around to notice. You've moved on, changed your life, and totally transformed your personality - probably all for the better!

How Much Have You Changed in 10 Years?

Caleb just turned five months last week and he's already trying to crawl on his hands and knees!

Caleb will be four months old tomorrow. My how the time flies! It's hard to believe that he's been with us that long. He's already such a little person; he loves to laugh, and he's trying very hard to crawl, manuvering all over his crib. He is such a joy!

Thank you, Lord, for my sweet baby boy and for allowing me to be his mommy!

Wow! I sure have been ignoring this thing!

Caleb is three months old and growing like a weed. Abby had another trip to the ER yesterday for a smushed finger (she's fine; it doesn't even hurt anymore). Ben is pretty much done with first grade and I've been looking at different curriculums for second grade. We're probably going to enroll Libby at the local private Christian kindergarten so that she can continue speech thereapy. I need to get out the camera and take some photos to post here.

Kateri and Josh are expecting a baby in November. I'm so happy for them! Gabriel loves going along to the prenatal visits and hearing his little brother/sister's heartbeat. Hopefully they'll find out what they're having at the next ultrasound.

Life is crazy and busy and I'm loving every minute of it!

Thank you, Lord, for my family and friends and the wonderful life that you're given me that keeps me so busy.