Birthday Picnic Help!

My kids helped my sister and her fiance, Cory, to get the corn ready for the birthday picnic they had for me that I mentioned HERE previously! She posted a cute couple pics of them on her blog....hehe...they are so cute...check them out if you have a chance by clicking HERE.
I hope you all have an absolutely lovely Sunday with your families!!! xoxoxo

(For fun...I took a pic of our cat, Jack...he is out on the window sill in the kitchen...sorry his eyes look scary....the flash on the camera did that...hehe!)

Saturday Chatter

A blog I really enjoy is Kelli's Blog..."There's No Place Like Home". Now, although I have made my own homemade cards before...I haven't done so in a while. She posts often of some of the homemade cards she makes and it inspired me to start making my own again. I have a woman I know who lost her son who was my age, a few years back....on my anniversary. This lady is one of the sweetest people...as is her husband. I think of her and pray for her often. Losing a child is one of the hardest things in life to go through, in my opinion. Anyway....I try to send her cards every few months to let her know I am thinking of and praying for her. I wish there was more I can do...but I just pray that she doesn't find it annoying. (Sometimes I worry that my personality is overwhelming and annoying to people).....Anywayyyy....above is the pic of the card I made her. I pray it gives her a smile and lets her know she is loved and thought about!

Last evening...we drove to a high school football game. My BIL coaches and likes when Chris is there. Jaxson got to have a sleepover at my mom's and Madelyn spent the evening with my MIL so X could have a fun evening with mommy and daddy! He seemed to have a good time! I am glad we got to spend special time with him. I think that is important to do with each child! :)

So that is some Saturday chatter for you! I hope you are all doing well and having a lovely weekend! I think I may have some fun things going on this weekend...I guess we shall see! xoxo

A Wonderful Pick-Me-Up!

A few weeks ago, I had won a giveaway at Heidi's blog. It came in the mail yesterday and with us all just starting to feel better after this bug that went through our family the past week....it was such a pick-me-up!!! It was packaged sooo neatly and had a beautiful card with it!

I won her beautiful "Quilted Christmas Runner"....isn't it gorgeous??? Even the bow she wrapped around it was just beautiful!!!!

Here is a pic of it...although I have it folded up! It's over twice this long!!! I just LOVE it!!! Thank you so much Heidi!!!! :)

Heidi's creations are absolutely beautiful....I totally encourage you to go check out her etsy shop! There are a lot of gorgeous things there!!!

Thank you all so much for your well wishes from us all being sick and also for relating to me about the shopping cart thing! Glad I am not the only one who this frustrates!!
We are all doing MUCH better now and I have gotten all sheets and bedding washed and things in the house cleaned and sanitized!!! :) Isn't it funny though...how kids seem to snap back so quickly after being sick? I am still dragging some....but the kids are back to 100% energy!!! Where does that come from? And at what age did I lose that? LOL I need my energy back just to keep up with them! ahahaha! I hope you all have an absolutely wonderful Friday!!! xoxo

Sometimes Sharing is NOT a Good Thing!

I had mentioned HERE about how X got sick on my birthday. Well....the rest of us ended up getting it too. Tuesday night...Jaxson started throwing up....then an hour later...Madelyn started...and then I started as well. It was horrible. I was in bed most of the day yesterday....still sick. I must say...this is definitely an instance when sharing is not good! LOL

On Tuesday....before getting sick, the kids and I ran to Walmart....look at my helpers...hehe:

Then...I come around the side of my van to see this:

Isn't that just horrible??? People can be so rude! The cart collection place was not far away at all...and people just left these carts here....right up against my van. Let me tell you the good thing about this happening though...it gave me a great chance to talk to the kids about how important it is to respect other people's property and not be lazy.

And just a couple pics of 2 of my kiddos! Since X was past having the flu bug...my mom took him for a couple days so it was one less kiddo to watch. Today I will be changing sheets and lysoling things. It's hard though...cuz I still don't feel 100%....so I will just have to take it easy.

Hope you all are well and having a great week! :)

The Ways Our Days Are Meant To Be!

Yesterday was such a good day here in Katyland! No, things didn't go "perfectly"...the kids still had some fights and misbehaved some....but it all got handled and I just truly enjoyed the day. I got housework done in the morning...then the kids and I played some games. We played Simon Says and then Hide and Go Seek. The kids seemed to enjoy it and I just love to hear their laughter when I goof up during Simon Says or my hiding spot gets found during Hide and Go Seek! LOL
Then, after lunch and after Jaxson's nap...the kids went out to play and I spent a while reading my bible, thinking and praying. Then I made supper. Chris came home with a headache (which is unusual for him). I had plans to go walking for exercise with my friend, Heather, after supper. But I told Chris I could stay home with the kids so he could rest because of his headache. But he insisted that I go. So...I went and walked and talked with Heather. We walked about 1.5-2 miles or so and then I hurried home.

When I got home from walking...Chris said the kids had behaved pretty well....so to let him rest and relax his head....I took the kids out for icecream! I should have taken my camera...but I wasn't thinking about that at the time...just trying to get noise away from Chris's poor head. We had a nice time at DQ. We ate icecream, laughed and talked. The kids were pretty well behaved and I kept thanking God for that. It makes for such a more relaxed and enjoyable time when they are behaving!

By that time...it was 8:30pm....so we went home after finishing our icecream and I gave the boys a bath and into their night clothes. Madelyn put on some PJs too and then we all climbed on my bed and read THIS book:
Then it was time for bed! Chris tucked them in and off to dreamland! It was such an enjoyable day and I am so thankful for it. I pray each day can be as wonderful as that day....even though there isn't ever a "perfect" day....there are some that are pretty close. I have found that how I choose to deal with problems during the day (such as the kids fighting etc) can really make or break my day. The more I focus on how stressed "I" am...the less I am focused on the kids. The more I focus on my kids and just smiling and trying to have a good day...the better the day seems to go.
I am so imperfect. I have so many flaws. And some days I am pretty darn selfish. :( I don't intend to be that way...but it happens. And when I am selfish....I am not properly caring about or for those around me (my hubby, kids, family, friends). Each day I try to focus more on others. Some days I do well...other days, I fail miserably. I pray about this alot. I want to be the best wife, mother, daughter, sister, friend and Godly Christian Woman that I can be. I strive to be that constantly. I am so thankful that God loves me and knows my heart and true desires to please Him!

O give thanks unto the LORD; for he is good: because his mercy endureth for ever. Psalm 118:1

This is the day which the LORD hath made; we will rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:24

I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday! Remember....this IS the day the Lord has made!!! Let's rejoice...and be glad and remember to share His love with everyone around us! I have housework calling my name and kids to rejoice with! xoxo

My Home Cleaning Schedule

Thank you, everyone, for your birthday wishes for me! I really appreciate it! After sunday school and church...Chris stayed home with the kids and I went to my friend's baptism! Such a blessing and sweet thing to see someone close to you get baptized! Such a wonderful showing of the commitment of their faith!
I came home to find X sitting in the bathroom on a stool in front of the toilet and Chris sitting beside him, reading to him. Apparently, X had caught a little bug and had started throwing up! Ick! Poor guy. He seems to be doing much better this morning...and so far, it doesn't seem as if anyone else has caught it.

My friend, Sherry, asked me if I used flylady....honestly...I have tried but decided to do my own cleaning plan. Following someone else's is too hard for me. I used her ideas as a basis for my home cleaning schedule...but tweaked it a little....(ok..alot) to fit me! :)

So....first...I have a planner....all appointments and such get written down here. I also write down extra stuff I need to do that isn't included in my daily cleaning tasks, morning routine or bedtime routine.

This is a look at my morning to bed time routines.
Here's a look at my planned Daily Cleaning Tasks for each day...I will try and get these done in the afternoons (homeschooling will be done in the morning).



These are my Deep Clean/Declutter Zones. Sorta like flylady's...but different :). I will use certain times of the month to work on certain rooms of my home....to deep clean them and declutter if it needs done.


This may not be how everyone wants to do things....but I am a list/structured sort of person. So this is how I need things to be done...LOL. And let me assure you...things do NOT always get done perfectly and sometimes I don't accomplish all the tasks I had hoped to...but that's called life and that's just how it goes! LOL..... I just wanted to share it with you!!!
I have things to get working on today....so I better get to them...starting to homeschool on Sept. 2nd! I can't wait!!! Have a wonderful Monday everyone! xoxo

Early Birthday Fun!

My birthday isn't till tomorrow...but it worked out better for all of us to have a lil birthday party at my mom's this evening! We had good fun and nice conversation! It was a beautiful evening as well! Madelyn couldn't wait to give me the card she got me...the front of it is the pic above. (It's a pic of a boom box, if you can't tell) and then this is the inside.....

Oh my goodness.....I must be getting sooo old!!! They are making fun of "mix tapes"!!!! ROFL! I used to listen to those all the time in high school!!! We made mix tapes for cheerleading and just to listen to! This card just totally cracked me up because it is totally spelling it out....I am getting OLD! It would be like me giving my mom a card that says to "break out the 8-tracks" ROFL!!!!

My sweet farmer boy, Chris. He's just too cute. His personality just makes this outfit work for him. He is proud of it...and although I always say how much I hate his overalls...I actually kinda like them...hehe...don't tell him though!!!


Chris and me:

The flowers my sister and Madelyn got me! (M even picked out the balloon!!!)


A pic of all the stuff my sister got me for my birthday! Isn't it all great??? I love it!


And a couple pics of the gifts my mom and dad got me! More spatterware!!!! YIPPEE!!! Just adding it to my collection!!! I just love spatterware/enamelware! I use my spatterware for our everyday dishes and my Warren Kimble Americana dishes that I have, as our "good" dishes!


It was such a nice evening! :) I hope you are all having a super nice weekend!!! xoxo Thank you so much for all the kind birthday wishes you have all sent my way! I truly appreciate each one!!! :)

A Thank you and Odds and Ends!

I want to send a HUGE thank you out to my blog buddy, Karen! She saw that I was getting started with my homeschooling and went through some of her old stuff and sent it to me!! She also sent me a doily and M.E. notecards!!! It is such great stuff and I reallllly appreciate it, Karen! Thank you!!!

Even though my birthday isn't till tomorrow...my mom is hosting a birthday dinner for me this evening. It will be a lot of fun and I really look forward to it! I have been scrubbing my cupboards in the kitchen with mr. clean magic erasers. White cupboards get so dingy, so quickly. I have more cleaning I would like to get done today...and then we are off to my mom's! I hope you all have a wonderful Saturday....oh..and below are a couple pics of a few things I picked up yesterday when I stopped at a newer (and CUTE) country shop we got in our area! :) She has such fun stuff at this place and great prices too!


Happy Saturday Everyone!!! xoxo

Loving Those Kraft Recipes!

Last evening, I tried another Kraft recipe from my Kraft Foods Magazine! It is the recipe for Taco Bake. It was a big hit with my family. Everyone seemed to like it a lot! If you would like the recipe....you can go HERE. I made some croissants to go with it...lit a candle and voila! It's dinnertime! (Yes, technically I should have made a veggie to go with it as well...but it just didn't feel like a veggie meal...is that weird? lol)

And...I have found out that a bunch of people share my Aug. 24th birthday with me!

My great grandfather (who passed away before I was born)
Amy's mom
Kindra's brother (who passed away) and her grandma
Mike Huckabee
Chad Michael Murray (he was born the exact same day/year as me!!!)
Cal Ripken Jr.
Steve Guttenberg
Vince McMahon
Dave Chappelle

**I just always think stuff like that is fun! Anyhoo.....off I go to start my day! Hope you all have a wonderful Friday! xoxo

It's Beginning To Look Alot Like Autumn.....

Some of the trees here in PA are starting their fall chameleon act!! I have seen beautiful red bursts in trees all over!!! I am thrilled! Autumn is my favorite season and I love the cooler evenings and the wonderful sights and smells that come with it! I have a pumpkin spice candle burning there in my kitchen. I know it's still August....but I'm all about celebrating fall as early as possible!
My birthday is on Sunday and my aunt...who lives a few hours away....had sent up my gift a few days early. She didn't make me wait to open it....and just LOOK at what was in the box!!!! Isn't it FANTASTIC?? I love love love enamelware and totally love this canister set she got me!!! Now, I don't drink coffee or tea....but they will be great holders for other things and serve as a great organizational tool...while looking adorable in my kitchen!! For now, they are located in front of all my recipe books! :)

And....below is a result of what happens when your 2 yr old gets your digital camera without you knowing it...and your 7 yr old tries to rescue it back. Look at that look of determination on her face....haha! And yes...I think we got a finger in the pic! ROFL! I was not happy when I discovered he had my camera...but thought this pic was just tooooo funny!

I took the kids to the library today....we were there about an hour...reading books and doing puzzles etc. Then the boys started getting a lil rowdy....sooo embarrassing...so we checked a book out for Madelyn and left.

Today has just been a bit of a struggle for me. You know those days where it feels like every little thing is going wrong? So many lil things have gone wrong and driven me nuts....plus the kids have been super rowdy and fighting today...PLUS...when we got home from the library...the back door was STUCK! I had it unlocked...but it is an older door and the doorknob must be going bad....it was soooo frustrating! You know what I mean....?? Just one of those daysssss. The days you wish you could crawl back in bed and start over. Oh well....hopefully onto a more pleasant evening! *fingers crossed*

Some Up-Talk for ya!

Up-talk? What in the world am I talking about? LOL....I'm giving you a lil tour of my upstairs today. Thus "Up-talk"....ahahaha! OK...I know...it's not that funny. Anyway...I have showed you pics of the kids rooms before...but I just thought I would update for fun. We have rearranged etc since the last time I posted pics.

Here is Madelyn's room.....I know..it looks a lil cluttered...but she's a young girl and I let her do some of the "decorating" to make her room her "own"...So even though she has lots of stuff...as long as it is put away decently and all...I don't fuss. I like her to be able to have a space of her own!
Yes...she has a sleeping bag on her bed as her comforter! It is Cinderella and she loves it....so I don't fuss about it on the bed. We took the cute quilt off that I did have on there and let her have her princess one on instead....like I said...it's fun for her to have a room of her own! She won't be little very long....so as long as the bed is made...and looks decent...I am happy! :)


X used to have a race car bed...was it cool...? YES! But it was tooo huge for his small room....so today...I said...BACK to a normal bed! So I set up the regular bed and took apart the race car one! Whew! Quite a work out...plus you gotta clean as you go cuz gosh....there was stuff in every nook and cranny on my son's floor (behind the racecar bed). Plus, I did some rearranging to give him some more room in there.

His room is NOT redone yet. It's just a plain old room. We haven't painted it or changed the carpet or anything. We will eventually. Just haven't yet!


And here is a sneak peek into Jaxson's room....


See the one lone sesame street pic on the wall? LOL...I have others to put up that my mom got me...but I had trouble getting the nail into the wall. That was the only one I got up so far! LOL I think of his room as the gingerbread room....doesn't it look like gingerbread with a light dusting of powdered sugar on it?? :)


And last...and most certainly least....I have here to show you..our upstairs mini bathroom. Is it pretty and fancy? Nope! Does it serve it's purpose? YES!!!

My upstairs isn't super fancy. But we keep it clean and it definitely is home! We are redoing our home...one room at a time...slowly but surely. Jaxson's and Madelyn's rooms are redone...but X's isn't...and I don't know if I will even try to fancy up the lil bathroom. My bedroom (which I didn't show in this lil tour) is half finished...LOL. Anyway....just thought it would be fun to share. I always like seeing other's homes!!! Happy Wednesday!!! xoxo

Issues I have struggled with.....resolved! Amen!

Previously, as I am sure other Christian women have, I struggled with verses in scripture that some say mean that women should wear dresses/skirts, shouldn't wear make up and shouldn't cut their hair. Do I like to wear skirts...yes, I do! All the time....noooo! I like to be feminine and love skirts and aprons and I am a VERY modest person. However, I do also enjoy the comfort and dressing of jeans and capris as well. For a while, I struggled with this...thinking "is this a sin?" "am I am abomination to God"??? It stressed me out horribly!

I prayed about it and as I continue to lose weight....I will wear skirts more...I do love how feminine that make me feel and just love them in general. However, I feel God really set a peace in my heart about all this. I don't dress manly. I am 100% woman. I dress modestly and am totally in the appearance of looking as the woman God created me to be. I wear jeans and still look feminine. I actually feel more modest in jeans as there is more covering....especially when the wind blows! For a very good and detailed explanation...I couldn't have said it any better myself...as to why women are OK wearing pants....click HERE.

I also read interpretations of scripture that say a woman should not cut her hair. I started to panic. I thought "gosh....all of my life I have been getting hair cuts!!! I am sinning without even realizing it". But again...I was stressing over it for no reason. Click HERE to read why it's OK!!!

And then...another fantastic little article including the wearing of make up...can be found HERE.

These words by the author of those articles portray how I feel as well! He put into words things I felt but didn't know how to say! I welcome your thoughts and comments...but this post is not up for debate. I don't want to get into an argument. I think women who wear dresses all the time and such are fantastic! I don't sit in judgement at all. I just wanted to share why I am still a 100% Godly woman in love with Jesus and my God and still feel it's OK to wear pants!!! :)

I hope you all are having a fantastic day!!! xoxo

Shopping In Amish Country!

Well, today (Tuesday)...the plan was to go shopping in Amish country....about 45 min. south of where I live. My mom was going to go with me....well turned out she couldn't go. So...one of my best buddies, Heather, had the day off work today...and I called...and she went with Jaxson and me!

We had a good time...shopped at a few stores...had lunch there. It was nice. Heather's flip flop broke, though, right when we got there....LOL! Poor girl! She had to walk around without it...we just kept laughing about it! Funny thing is...back when I was at her place visiting one day when Chris was in Romania...my shoe did the SAME thing!!! LOL

Anyway....I got lots of requests to see what I purchased....so here ya go!!!

First is a lil doll. She's hand made and was only $3.99. I just love hand made items and thought I could surely find a spot for her!

Then I found these small signs....aren't they sweet? Yes, yes, Leslie...I know what you are thinking!!! ("She could have MADE those!" Ahahahaha...am I right??? haha!) and Kindra may be thinking she could have made them for me!!! LOL....so true...but they were there...and oh so cute..and my fairy tale DID come true. I married my prince and am living as a happy woman serving Jesus and my family! Fairy Tales DO come true!!!

Oh my goodness.....my favorite find...a sweet and adorable chicken apron for Madelyn!!! Isnt it the BEST??? I was soooo thrilled when I found it! It is hand made...and just her size! Aren't the ruffles along the bottom A-D-O-R-A-B-L-E???? I put it on her this evening and told her she can wear it when she is my "helper" with cleaning and cooking and she got a HUGE smile on her face! (She always feels like she cleans and does more than the boys...which is usually true...she DOES help me more....so I wanted her to know how much I appreciate it and for her to have something to wear when she helps me!) X was jealous and said "boys can wear aprons too"....ROFL! He probably won't be so jealous when he realizes whoever is wearing the apron has chores and work to do...hehe!

And in these boxes is....FUDGE. Now, I am not a major fan of fudge. Never have been...but oh my goodness....I am a sucker for peanut butter fudge!!! It melts in your mouth! And you can't really over eat it...cuz if you do..it will make you sick!!! LOL So I got some of that...and for everyone to try I got "maple nut", "creamsicle", and "butterfinger" fudge flavors as well! Chris seemed to like them and the kids will probably get to try some tomorrow!

So....it was a good day! Had fun with a friend, spent time with Jaxson as well, didn't spend a ton of money, but still found some little treasures! And on the drive...we saw some buggies and Amish...gosh...i LOVE that!!!! :) Have a GREAT Wednesday everyone!!!! :o)