Is that a SCRUMPDIDILYUMPTIOUS BAR with a chance to find a golden ticket?!

I had to share our little happy today. I had to run in Walgreen’s and what was right there on the counter where I was checking out????? A WONKA BAR! A SCRUMPDIDILYUMPTIOUS BAR TO BE EXACT! WITH THE CHANCE TO FIND A GOLDEN TICKET!!!! Okay so a little background may help. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory with Gene Wilder has ALWAYS been one of my FAVORITE movies!! Well I had it on VHS of which we can no longer watch because we no longer have a VCR. A couple of weeks ago I saw it on dvd as I stood in the check out line at the grocery. I couldn’t resist. I bought it and brought it right home for Caroline and I to watch. To my delight, she loved it as much as I do. So today when I saw the Wonka bar I couldn’t resist. It was like staring in our own movie. Caroline was excited as I at the find and I’m not sure who would have been more excited if we had of found a golden ticket. Maybe next time. But it was fun to feel like a kid and share that feeling with my own child.

JA Carity Ball 2010

This past couple of weeks our JA chapter has been busy preparing for our annual Charity Ball. After 6 active years of service I will be moving my membership status to a life member this year so this was a special Charity Ball for me. Despite staying Thursday night until 1:30am setting up, back Friday for more set up and staying Saturday night until 1:30am for clean up the event was a blast. I even managed to reserve Friday afternoon for our family time and Christi’s boys spent the night too. I didn’t manage to get many pictures this year but I did get a few. I can say it is nights like these when you see what all your hard work has accomplished that I am torn about going life. I will definitely miss these active years and all the friends I have made and the fellowship we have.

                                                     Brad and I smile for a quick picture.                              

April and I. Boy do I miss those times!

Outgoing members: April Howard, Aimee Hooper, Carlyn McMillian

and WHERE IS SHERRI WALLACE???

The joys of loving your neighbors!

Friday was just too nice to be inside so after our short picture session with the buttercups we decided we would stay outside to play. Caroline grabbed her sidewalk chalk and we headed next door to see if Carter could come out to play. Carter wasn’t home yet and Bonnie was cooking supper so we headed across the cove to visit Maci. This is one of my favorite things about living in our subdivision. God has blessed us with the best neighbors. We all have kids close to the same age and they LOVE playing together. About 5 minutes after we got to Maci’s we saw Carter get home but I told Caroline he had to eat supper first. And then I swear within 10 minutes here come Bonnie and Carter. Carter was so excited to come play there was no way he could have had time to chew any of his food. Then Brad finished up on the roof and here he came, then Bonnie’s parents and Jaycie, Bonnie’s brother and sister and Adam and then Chase came out to join us. We had the best time just talking and letting the kids play. And the kids… they played and played. Carson wanted Jaycie to come with him and I kept having to tell him “be careful, Jaycie is trying to learn how to walk.” He was so funny. He would take her little hand just for a minute and say walk walk and just walk right off without her and then come right back to get her again. It was like he was saying “you just walk like this” The kids found some sand to play in and there wasn’t a one of them that didn’t enjoy that. By unanimous decision they will all be getting sand boxes this summer no matter how messy they are. The time just got away and before we realized it we had stood outside talking until 7:30. We still had burgers to grill and baths to get but we had already had the best afternoon visiting. It just made our day perfect to eat a good grilled burger. Boy this summer is gonna be fun!  These are the joys God gives us when we love our neighbors as He has commanded us to.

Enjoy My little Buttercups!!!

Although today has turned out to be SO cold outside, I had to share some recent pictures I took of the kids. Okay so I know photography 101... The sun has to be to your back, BUT…

And there is always a BUT… like the fact that we have this little spot close to our house where wild buttercups grow which are some of my favorite flowers. So Friday God blessed us with the perfect day, and this special spot I drive by each morning I could resist no longer. I love this little spot where right in the middle of busy life God chose this little forgotten about field right in the middle of town to share some of His little sunrays of spring. I love all buttercups and daffodils. They are one of the first signs of life as winter comes to an end sometimes even before green grass starts to poke it’s head up. But what makes wild buttercups so special to me? The ironic places they pop up. In long forgotten about places, where old homesteads use to set, in pastures, and by old rusty cars, in over grown fields or just by the side of the road. It reminds me of God’s mighty hand, His ability to see beauty in things we have long ago discarded, His ability to put a smile on my face just by making His flowers bloom. It reminds me that there is no thing too small for God to give special attention. So even though it was after 5, I learned that sometimes you just have to look right at the sun to see that perfect picture God wants you to see.

Just to keep you up to date.

Has it really been almost a month since I have updated our family blog? Some months I do so good about keeping things up to date and some months I am not sure where the time goes. Since our last entry we have been busy with all the little things of life that make our life so special to us. Some good and some bad but here is just some of what our month has held for us so far. ENJOY!
February ended with Brad and I attending a concert at Mingle wood Hall off Madison. Brad called me from work one day to tell me that he had won tickets on Kix106 to go see Randy Houser. Not listening to country music much anymore that I have found K-Love in my car I had no clue who Randy Houser was or what he sang, but what does one do when they win tickets on the radio? You go to the concert! Especially when someone mainly my husband wins something for the first time off the radio. We had a good night. It is always fun to have a date night just Brad and I. We even saw Jerry the King Lawler. Sorry back to those childhood memories of watching wrestling with daddy.

Brad, Caroline and I went to the dentist at the beginning of the month. This is the second time Caroline has visited the dentist. The first time was really just in hopes of letting her see the dentist is not a scary place to go. Unlike the first time, she actually let them clean her teeth. However, we haven’t decided it is a good idea yet to actually let the dentist see our teeth.

This is Caroline the morning after our visit to the dentist showing me how clean her teeth are …EVEN after sleeping all night.

Now is my moment to brag on Brad. God has really blessed me not only with a good husband but a wonderful dad. In order to have my 3 day work week so that I can have more time at home with my family, I end up with long 12 hour days. With that comes a few sacrifices, one being that I am unable to attend church with my family on Wednesdays. Have no fear Brad makes sure the kids get there every Wednesday night. This past Wednesday night was crazy hair night for the kids at church. Brad made sure to get a few pictures for me before they left. Thank you God for finding us a church we love to be involved in and for blessing me with a husband that knows how important you are and wants to raise our children knowing that.

Caroline getting over being sick and Carson doing whatever big sister does.  They made a pallet in the living room since they didn't feel good.  And Carson just wanted to be right beside Caroline sick as she was.

Being sick takes a lot of sleep to get better.  I was changing our sheets and this was Caroline waiting on me to get done.

Now yesterday, Caroline and I decided to have a mother daughter day. We had SO much fun just the two of us. I think it is very important to have those special days, to spend one on one time with each of your children to make each of them know just how special they are. Caroline has been a little under the weather for the past few weeks. Two Fridays ago Caroline’s preschool called to let me know that Caroline was sick and throwing up… a lot. A lot was an understatement. When we got home she was throwing up at least once an hour until early the next morning. Her and I spent most of the night being covered in throw up to jump in the bath get cleaned up and change clothes once again. By Sunday she was all better and so Monday was back to normal. By Wednesday when Brad and the kids returned from church she had a fever of 103 and it stayed that high until Thursday night. Two weeks in a row I decided we would go to the doctor to be sure it wasn’t more than we thought. Just a little virus thank goodness.

So Saturday, we decided to have a special day to celebrate feeling better. We had a day of shopping. I had to find a dress for Charity Ball next weekend so Caroline was my little dress zipper. She had so much fun picking out fancy dresses and deciding which I should try on next. Next it was on to let her pick out some shoes. We went just to return a pair that was the wrong size and left with 2 new pairs each for her and Carson. Then we went to Build A Bear. We have never been, but we had a gift card that Caroline received for her birthday (yes last September) so we decided we would make that our special treat for being so good all day. When we went in she looked around for a minute and Caroline turned and looked at me and said “…if I get just a little one can I get Carson one too with my birthday card?” Well of course. I was so proud of her for wanting to take care of her little brother and make sure he had one too that I told her that would be a really sweet thing to do and because she was so sweet to think of Carson I would buy them both clothes for their bears. Caroline had so much fun making her little bears. It was so fun to watch her excitement as she worked to make the perfect bears. After such a long day she fell asleep on the way home before she could give Carson his bear so this morning before church she was so excited to give Carson his bear she made just for him. These are the moments I cherish and am so glad our children were born close together. Their relationship grows closer each day.

Brad and the kids before church this morning.  I these times.

34 years and more in love each day!

34 HAPPY years...This is the result of finding true love!

What is the measure of true love? Is it something you make or find or is it a blessing from God? Not everyone will find their true love or will they? Today’s world tells us so many things about love and what it is suppose to mean and how you are suppose to find it. Myself, as old fashion as it my seem to the world we live in today, I think it is something God blesses you with. It is something that is meant to last forever. I am fortunate to come from a family that has been blessed with parents that have made it against all odds. My parents have taught me many lessons about life but one of their biggest influences was not taught by purpose but by observation. They have possibly unknowingly taught me the true meaning of love and dedication of a lasting marriage and the importance of forever. I’m certain as with any marriage, my parents would be no exception it certainly must have had tough times but I have not seen these. I have always seen no less than true love and devotion. Through good times and bad they have taught me the importance of your spouse, in sticking together, supporting one another, encouraging each other, laughing and crying with each other, making time to spend together, all in all that forever is forever and it is what you make of it. No matter what stage of life you are in, that there will be periods of adjustment and these are times when you draw closer to God and one another. I am so proud to have learned these lessons that hopefully I will be able to apply to my own marriage and pass on to my own children. So here’s to one of the most important lessons I could have learned, that when God blesses you with a husband or wife that you live by His standards and love one another as Christ loved the church. Not giving your part of 50% as the world may tell you but giving 100% as God tells you. I am so thankful that God lead them to one another and that He knew their love would be one that would last forever. I have seen these verses on many Valentine’s blogs but I decided to save it to insert here for my parents anniversary. It was part of their wedding ceremony and so very appropriate to their marriage and lives.

Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It is not rude it is not self seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always preservers. 1 Corinthians 13:4-7

Happy34th anniversary to my wonderful parents!

Happy Valentine's Day!

Where has February gone? Usually February is a rather boring month for us. There is usually not much going on , it is too cold to enjoy being outside and we are starting to get spring fever but this year February has flown by. I realized I am behind on my postings and today seemed like the perfect time to get caught up.


So with Cason’s surgery, January just seemed to blend into February. Carson is doing just fine and has seemed to recover just fine. We have a check up at the end of the month and we should be done. Then we had mom’s birthday celebration with a yummy family tradition, toasted coconut cake. And now today we celebrate Valentines Day. In the middle of all we have had snow, snow and more snow. I am glad to see that it mostly seems to be melting away. Maybe the snow is what has made this month seem so hectic because as I sit here and blog about our month thus far it doesn’t seem that busy. Guess it goes to show, that hectic life we lead would overwhelm many of us if we really did go back to basics. It’s hard to juggle using just one vehicle to get two people to work that both have to be there at 7, find someone to keep the kids that are out for snow which in our case means deciding which one of us is calling in sick. (Thankfully Brad’s job allows him to call in, in inclement weather because healthcare has a strict policy against it).

So maybe I’m not doing so bad, just the middle of the month and I’m getting caught up. We’ve made it through the snow hopefully for a week or so, Brad’s work is starting to pick up again, Caroline still loves school and is so happy lately and Carson is still my sweet happy baby. The house is clean, the floors are mopped, the laundry is caught up, bags are packed for school next week not such a bad 14 days after all. Sometimes I just need to look at the big picture.

Today for Valentine’s Day (which remember Brad doesn’t celebrate) Brad decided he would cook breakfast and let me lay in the bed with the kids before church. After a wonderful family breakfast, we got ready and headed to church for a wonderful sermon. And now I am caught up on my blog and all my e-mails. After the kids wake up from nap we are heading out for our favorite burgers at Krystal’s and then to Baskin Robbins for ice cream. For the second year in a row this has been our Valentine’s Day tradition. Which is a fine tradition to me. What could be better on a day to symbolize love than 2 smiling kids looking at you with those big blue eyes and ice cream all over their faces. So Happy Valentine’s Day from all of us with lots of hugs and kisses! XOXOXO

Happy Birthday!

Celebrating with mom's favorite toasted coconut cake! 

Happy Birthday to the most amazing woman I know! My mother! I am one of those fortunate few that can truly say that and mean it with every ounce I am saying it with. I have always been close to my mother and as I grow older I know just how precious our relationship is. She not only has taught me so many things about life but so many things about myself. She has instilled in me the importance of being a good mother and how hard that job might be but that no matter what you have to press on for those little eyes to see, the importance of faith in God and being a Christian and leading your life as one, the importance of hard lessons, the importance of laughter, the importance of rarely heard of words like ‘trogladite’ (that one is for you mom) and knowing the correct time to use them and the story to back them up. She has taught me right from wrong and held my hand along the way no matter how embarrassing or hard the matter at hand may be. She has instilled in me the importance of family and sticking together, of family traditions and celebrations. She taught me so many things before I ever understood what she was preparing me for and she continues to be my main source for any tidbit of knowledge and all advice I may need. She is the first person I call to share a funny story with, or to ask parenting advice, to vent to when I am mad at someone or to ask a favor. To get a recipe from or share a new one I have tried, to ask what type of flour I need to buy when I am standing in the middle of the isle at the grocery and can’t decide the difference between all-purpose and self rising. She is the one I lean on when I need a good cry, the one I go to when I want to learn how to do something new. The last person I talk to on the phone almost every day. She is my truest friend and one I am so proud to have. Happy Birthday! (even though the post is a little late).

Update on Carson

As you can see from our snow filled fun weekend, Carson is not missing a beat. He doesn’t seem bothered by his surgery a bit. He has not slowed down. Still our sweet happy rambunctious boy. Full of laughs and smiles and still slept through the night even after surgery. We are glad we were able to take his pressure bandage off Saturday. And that he could finally play in the bath again. A couple more weeks of healing and we will be done. Thanks again for everyone’s calls thoughts and prayers during Carson’s surgery and recovery.

Snow Cream UMH UMH GOOD!

What could be a more perfect way to celebrate a big snow than snow cream?

Snow Cream:

A big bowl of snow

Sweetened condensed milk

1 tsp vanilla

Stir until the right consistency.

A friend a work gave me the easiest recipe for Snow Cream. Last year we attempted to make it with milk, sugar and vanilla and it was good, but it melted too fast. This year we used the new recipe above and it was PERFECTLY DELICIOUS! Caroline and Carson had the most fun from the gathering, to the stirring to finally the eating. They could both eat their weight in it. You have to actually take it away from Carson with him screaming and crying for more.