It's Been A While.....

I guess you could say I have been on a blogging hiatus. I didn't plan it, it just happened!
Warning LONG POST!

Life gets busy, and I have been out of the loop. Some of you may not understand this, but sometimes when things get busy, and feel out of control, I have to do what I can to survive, get where I need to be, do what I have to get done, and most of all, take the time I need for  my family!! April was a birthday month, and when I get to some of those pictures, well let me just say, the season of life that I am in, is not for me!! During all that baseball  was in full swing (no pun intended) and it seems as if a whirlwind occurred and now we are less than a month away from school being out. I don't want to bore you with lots of details, but I will catch up with some pictures with some tidbits of info as we go. 

See that catcher?? That's our boy!

Loves baseball!

Awesome picture... I cannot believe that I actually took it!!! He is so handsome & grown up!! :(

Mr Kea has started Karate and this was during a Kickathon for St Judes.  He is on the front row third from the right. 

 

Concentrating!

Easter 2013 (Baby C's Daddy had to work....We missed you M!!!)

Baby C.... who is  no longer a baby! Cute T Pie!!

All my babies (shhh don't tell me they are not babies, cause they are, really!!)

Bub, Sis & Kea... sweet (well they are most of the time)

This one, well he is the silly one.... hates to have his picture make.  So I will just post his silliness in blog world!

Handsome little fella that keeps us on our toes!!!

I know this is off center.....lol!! I had to post this one because the camera was on the window sill and B set the auto take and run to get in his place. We did this several times and this one was the best because we were cracking up!! :)

Our pretty girl!! All smiles!

Me & my beautiful girls!! 

 

 

 

 

 

 April is birthday month around our house. HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO THE APRIL BUNCH!!! We celebrated Baby C and Bub's the same day, just a couple  hours a part. Yes, it was a long day, but it was a fun day!!!

This sweet baby is growing up too fast!!

Presents time!!

He was so excited and so was Mommy!!

Sweet picture....couldn't resist sharing!  :)

Now for Bub... not sure I can get through this without crying..... remember me telling you that I am not liking this season of life..... oh I have been warned, and I knew it was coming, but that doesn't mean I have to like it....NOT. ONE. BIT.

This silly boy.... 

My monkey !!

is still a monkey!

Happy 16th Birthday Bub!!!

B was trying to be serious and give a little speech and starting getting choked up. I have no idea what was said or caused them to laugh, but I just  love this picture!

Whoo hoo.... he got his license..... actually it was boohooohooo for me :(( 

Getting ready to leave for school.

Off my baby boy goes.... driving all alone.

Watching that boy drive away, I have to admit, was worse than taking him to Kindergarten. I was doing pretty good reminding him to be careful, watch out for others, and as I started to pray for him, I. LOST. IT. Bless  his heart, its a good thing he knows how his Momma is, he didn't roll his eyes (not that I could see, anyway) and he just hugged me tight. (ok, so I am crying again!!) As he drove off I told the Lord, ok, I see that I am not in control at all right now, you are! Part of  my life is driving off by himself right now. I don't even know how long I cried and prayed. I am still struggling with this... maybe I will grow used to it about the time he graduates...???

As I am struggling with the fact that he is 16.... two weeks roll around and this sweet little girl turns 20!!!

Happy 1st Birthday Sis!!

Can have a little attitude!

Such sweet smiles!!

All grown up now!! HAPPY BIRTHDAY SIS!!!! Beautiful inside & out!!

So proud of her... after two years of hard work, she was accepted into the Nursing Program for the Fall. In a couple years we will have 3 nurses in the family (A & M are both nurses!! ). Maybe one will be willing to change my diaper when I am a lot older. :) She is going to make a great nurse. She is loving, compassionate and kind!

I still have lots to catch up on....like my SSMT verses, my 2013 word JOY (this post could qualify for a JOY post although lots of tears have been shed!) and some other things that are worthy of posting and probably some that aren't, lol!! 

Hopefully, I can ease my way back into blogging....I have missed it! 

Have a blessed week!!!

A Little Whine and A Lot of Easy!

Hello Monday!

Not exactly lovin' this Monday. I must get over myself today.

Really.

It's not about me. It has never been about me.

So there. I am D.O.N.E. Done with my pity party moment.

On to something else. I have a confession. I am a Pinter*st addict. Although, I have been much better and spent a lot less time on there in recent months. I thought about camping out there for a couple hours on Friday. We had a bit of an ice storm on Friday (yucky mess, not worth the cold, ready for Spring!!) so we were in for the afternoon and evening. I don't know about you, but when we are cooped up, it seems as if all we do is eat. So I hopped onto my Pinter*st boards and picked out some quick & easy something to try. 

I had already decided we would have Homemade Chicken Noodle Soup for supper. So, I thought I would try out this.... Bub had seen it somewhere,(he loves all things peanut butter, chocolate and Or*o) I had pinned it. Just so you know, I didn't take pictures, these are from Pinter*st. Who thinks of taking pictures when its time to eat??

From hercooking.com

 

Ok...this was an almost fail for me. I used paper liners which the Ore* stuck to. But, other than struggling with the paper they were good. If there is a next time...skipping the liners. 

So, we get up Saturday morning thinking we are in for the day. NOT. Roads were clear (even though the driveway was not) so Kea's ballgame was just delayed an hour. 

So I quickly made this little number for breakfast.

http://allrecipes.com/recipe/simple-sausage-casserole/

Very good!! This one will be a keeper. It would probably be good with eggs too. 

We get to the game and we have to forfeit. Some parents are smarter than the average Recreation Coordinator and stayed at home. But, the boys got to play 4 on 4 and it was fun watching them play. Kea did great, and had several rebounds. But, bless him, he was tired. Never, has he played the whole game. HA!! 

We get home and as usual my crowd is hungry. Luckily for me I already had this idea on my mind. VERY quick and easy. May add this to the quick night meal list! So easy the kids could handle making this! 

Saw the picture http://www.nceasyfood.org

I used my regular size muffin tins, (next time maybe I will use my mini muffin tin) and cut up hot dogs into bite size pieces, and I put about 3 or 4 pieces of hot dogs into the cornbread mix. They went over pretty well. Of course they were more crumbly than a regular corn dog. But, I for one liked them much better, because I am not much of a corn dog fan. But, I definitely like some cornbread!!

No Pinter*st for supper. Bub had a game in Egypt. (seriously on the OTHER side of the county) So we went and got a burger at Jake's Wa*back Burgers before the game. So yeah, we went all out for dinner. Combo $4.50. What a deal!!

One more and I really must go... I needed a dessert for a Youth/Children's Ministry planning meeting for Sunday. So Sis, who loves Pinter*st,(she is the crafty one!) looks for a recipe while we are at Kea's game. OH BOY was this one good!! AND SUPER EASY TOO!!! We made it in less than 15 minutes!! Kea & Sis chopped the candy bars and I mixed the ingredients (cream cheese & Co*l Whip) and Wha - la!!

http://www.cookiecrazedmama.com/2012/01/butterfinger-pie.html

 

Oh dear... I could probably have eaten a half of a pie. You can find the recipe at the link listed above. I used a 16oz container and got a chocolate pie shell and a graham cracker shell so I could make two pies. (you could make your own but my time was very limited) And I am trying to adopt  K.I.S.S. in my life. (keep it simple sister!!) (I could probably use fat free Co*l Whip & reduced fat cream cheese to reduce the calories, maybe next time.... or NOT!!) 

Ok, fess up.... are you a Pintere*t addict? 

If so, what have you tried lately?? 

"JOY"ful Sightings!

Going into Friday, I knew that our weekend was going to be busy, and I don't usually handle them well. I am one that needs a little downtime or I get extremely somewhat cranky. So in keeping with  "joy" I chose to look for "joy" throughout the weekend.  First I needed to know exactly what I was looking for-

According to dictionary.com 

JOY -  

1.the emotion of great delight or happiness caused by something exceptionally good or satisfying; keen pleasure; elation:

2.a source or cause of keen pleasure or delight; something or someone greatly valued or appreciated: 

3.the expression or display of glad feeling; festive gaiety.

4.a state of happiness or felicity.

verb (used without object)

5.to feel joy; be glad; rejoice.

With the numerous definitions, surely I would have some "joy" sightings over the weekend. I chose to look for those moments and take time to focus on "joy" in my weekend.

• Finally Friday! My first full work week since the holidays is almost over. Getting back into a routine this week, has proved to be a little difficult. Praise the Lord!! Some prayers and encouragement from some special people helped me through! I made it! 
• Sis & I at a Zumbathon for Miss Savannah (please pray for her today PET scan to see how her cancer is responding to treatment.) Love our time together... but, we were wore OUT! Two hours of Zumba on a Friday night! What was I thinking???
• Taking a shower and getting into my bed. After the week I had, plus the Zumba.....now that's JOY :)
• A Girl's Day out with my Mom and Sis. Shopping, lunch, and then more shopping. My mom can shop!! Lots of laughs and silliness. One quick story, my mother was on the hunt for a new pair of tennis shoes and as she was trying on the 13th or 14th pair (uh, no joke!) Sis sat down on what was like a loveseat chair, and this elderly gentleman, comes over and says, "move over". (You should have seen the look on her face - bahhaa!!!! ) "Do you have the cards? I thought we could play Bridge." My mom and I tried so hard not to laugh. Now Sis is unlike me. She didn't know what to say. I can talk to anyone, so I started a conversation. Those of you that know me are surprised, huh? Anyway, it was a joy to talk with him. He was waiting on his wife to finish looking at every pair of earrings in the jewelry department. He said and she would leave without a pair after all that looking. So cute! Just so you will know we were the farthest chair away from the jewelry department. Sis must have looked lonely. HA!! Oh, I know I am not a fashion-ista, or a budding makeup artist, but this one sales lady, she was a fright,sight. I don't even know how to explain it, all I know is she shouldn't be selling cosmetics. Sis & I were so stunned, we couldn't stop staring!!! And Mom could barely keep a straight face. I know I shouldn't make fun of others, but you would have been stunned too, and a couple of you that I KNOW, would have laughed out loud!     
• Watching Bub play basketball! He is so serious....even when they are leading by more than 25 points. 
• Watching B coach those boys young men. They have been playing together since they were little. He is so good with them. What am I talking about, he thinks he is one of them. :)
• Seeing Savannah and her family have fun and laugh, during her brother's surprise 16th birthday party. (I cannot believe he is 16!! He and Bub have been friends since they were 5!!! )
• Getting a text Sunday morning about "worshiping the Lord with my family" and "resting in the shadow of the almighty". Sweet friend that points me to the Lord! I love it!
• A lesson on TRUTH in Sunday School. Learning the truth about a couple of our teachers!! pure joy!! (even more so the fact that I wasn't sitting in the "hot" seat!)
• B and I, along with Kea spent time with two sweet children during church service. What a joy it was!!! And to see Kea being so kind, loving and helpful during our time together. It is pure joy to serve others! What a blessing the Lord gave us!!! Thank you Lord!!
• Lunch at my parent's  - LASAGNA!! Yummmmmm! Watching Kea play at the complex playground. Spending time their is priceless. 
• A message on Discouragement. Putting it in God's hands isn't always easy, but its necessary. I must, in order to have real joy. 

Wow... I had more "joy" sightings than I thought possible! What a difference a positive attitude makes?! Reminds me of the song Kea sang in the Christmas play... "I try to look for good in all I see"
Finding joy is possible when you are on the lookout!

So what if my house is a wreck,  my laundry is piled high??
 I found JOY!!!

What can turn your frown upside down??

Have a great week! Keep Looking UP!!!

Catching Up!

I am afraid this post may be long.....I have missed posting several things in the past couple months. When I decided to start this blog, I wanted to sort of use it as family scrapbook as well as who know the other reasons  I post??? A few months ago, through No Other Gods Bible Study, God showed me that my computer time took up wayyyy to much of my time. I had become obsessed, addicted, really into blog hopping, DIY blogs, Christian blogs, friends blogs, Pinter*st, Facebo*k.... all of which can be good things, but I was spending WAY too much time online visiting site after site. Sometimes I found myself comparing my blog, my family, my non-craftiness, my less than decorated home, to those I was visiting. So God showed me that I needed to reduce my time and my new found "habit" to focus on Him and more important things like my family!!!

So now I am still working on the time management thing, and hopefully I will learn to manage my time well enough to post more frequently. Hopefully the rest of this post won't  bore you.......I will attempt to K.I.S.S. (keep it simple sister!! lol!!) something else I am working on that was pointed out in the above Bible study.

Welcome to HEE HAW YALL!!!
This was so funny!! I have a video of my hubby as Archie doing his rendition of Rindercella. If I can ever get it to upload I will share! My video is to big a file for blogger so it will have to wait til I can resize it.

 

Sis and a sweet little girl that I ask you to lift up in prayer. Her Daddy went to be with the Lord this year.
 Please pray for her family too.

Kea & Dad aka Archie!

Sweet sweet couple that we appreciate so much!!!

Just looking at this picture makes me crackup! Do you remember the Calhoons??
 

 

Kea won an essay contest at school. He was so excited! For those of you that don't know, he has said he wants to be an Author/Illustrator since he was 5 years old. Have at it little boy! You can do it! This was a great beginning! Of course I am biased! I am THAT Mom!!

 

 

Of course along with the start of a new school year MARCHING BAND comes too! It was a great Marching season. I love watching Bub do what he loves!! I don't think he likes it too much when I call him my "little drummer boy".... but that's too bad for him. 'Cause I am da Momma!! 

 



 



"Mom, enough pictures." (too bad- I da Momma!! )



Academic Excellence!! So proud of Bub! He received a Blue Card (3.5 GPA or better) for his freshman year. A great start for last year! This year started off well, but of course classes are tougher. Please pray for him as he battles through some of these classes!



My handsome boy....young man that is growing right before my eyes.

Roman Gabriel III  I was very impressed by his challenge to these High School students. I pray Bub was listening!

 Kea also had his Academic Awards and as usual he got several awards and of course one was in Reading!!

Keep up the good work Kea!!

It's now Christmas Parade time!!

Baby C ... he is not much of a baby anymore. (tear, sniff sniff)

OH MY GOSH!!! This is the day we got a SPECIAL CHRISTMAS SURPRISE!!!
Baby C is going to a have a baby brother or sister!!! AWWW!!! (maybe we can add another girl to our family...I will love another boy, but us girls are out numbered!! Our youngest girl is almost 20!!! Pink & ruffles are rare around here!)

Go BUB!!!

I know that I have missed some things along the way...... but in my keeping it simple I haven't taken as many pictures... although Sis has some on her phone. Maybe I will get them on here at some time. I am praying in the upcoming year I am able to find balance and a way to post more often. I just know that this blog is not way up on my list of priorities.

 

May you have a blessed New Year!