Mother's Day!

Here is a picture of me and my handsome boys on Mother's Day. They are the sweetest angels ever! I am soo blessed with the children God gave to me. There are days....., but there are many MORE better days! Love that grammer! I had a great mother's day with Larry and the boys....they treated me right! Including the tray of assorted cheesecakes! What at day!

(Not so sure how Carson's shirt got left untucked and buttoned to the top?) Things you notice later....

This is the boys "new sport". Here's hoping that is one that comes and goes very quickly. Momma's not really into the skateboard thing....Steven loves it! He is doing great...or so the neighbors little boys say. What do I know?

I did want to tell everyone that I have just completed a HUGE milestone in my life. I have finnally finished K5 for the second time! I passed with flying colors! No, really, the Lord has been so very patient with me and has helped and strengthed when I, myself, could not do it! I have been frequently asked? "How do you do it?" I tell them that it all God's "fault"! Last spring and summer when Larry and I were determining what to do about Steven's schooling, I had ABSOLUTELY, POSITIVELY, NOOOOO desire, or willingness for that matter, to homeschool. I'll never forget what my mom told me one day. She said, "Marty, if God wants you to do this, He will change you and give you the ability to do what needs to be done!" I found this challeging! I didn't think my heart and opinion could be changed...so I told God, "Do it"! And guess what? He changed ME! He opened my heart and mind and made me willing to start this new adventure. HE is the reason that this year has been such a great sucess! Don't get me wrong, there have been many days were I "reminded" the Lord that He was the one who asked me to do this so He needed to "step up" and give me the help I needed. He is FAITHFUL to me. There were many times the Lord had to adjust my spirit and attitude, and I'm so glad I listened! I can't thank Larry enough either for the huge support and encourager he has been!

We are enjoying our first week of SUMMER VACATION! It has been a beautiful week here so far and we have a library trip tomorrow! Thankfully my boys love books as much as Larry and I!

My sister, "Sewer", went to the Doc today and is progressing right along. She is currently 1CM dialated! Hopefully, the baby waits til after I finish work this weekend to make his grand entrance! Papa and Grandmomma are also gone to FL for Christa's graduation! Unfortunetly, we were unable to attend. I can't believe that she is old enough to be in high school, led alone be graduating from college! She is going to Romania on TLC this summer, then a trip to Alaska with Mom and Dad, then home to GA to start nursing school! We are happy to have her living close again! My boys love their Aunt CHRISSA!

We are so very proud of you, Christa! Can't wait to meet David in a couple weeks! Make sure and warn him about us!

Farwell to all, and to all a Goodnight!

Happy Mother's Day!

My post today is in honor of my wonderful mother! I wish I could describe her to you so that you would see how truly blessed I am. Here are a few words that reflect my Mom.

Daughter. Sister. Niece. Wife. Daughter-in-law. Student. Teacher. Secretary................ Referree. Writer. Clarinetest...... Friend. Talented. Faithful. Reverent. Devoted. Sincere. Serious. Quite. Meek. Pianist. Aunt. Mother-in-law. Grandmomma. Babysitter. Housecleaner. Accountant. ....... Listner. Nurse. Singer. Gracious. Loving. Kind. True. ...............................Good. Hardworking. Provider. Driver. Strong. Thrifty. Gardner. Perceptive. Nightowl............. Flexible. Giving. Self-sacrificial. Seamstress. Godly. Paitient. Honorable. Wise. Blessed. Beautiful. ............Godfearing. Momma. CHRISTIAN.

I know I am leaving out some great word to describe you Momma, but this is just a start to the list. I love you very much and hope you have a wonderful day.

I stand and call you BLESSED today. Thank you for your example of Christ to me. I pray that God will mold me into a picture of you!

A Great Recipe!

Here is a recipe that people have asked about since referring to it on Tara's blog. It is a great summer treat!

Broccoli/Bacon Salad

Fresh chopped broccoli
fresh bacon bits (I sometimes by the "real" pieces in the store)
Mozzerella cheese (grated)

Mix 1 cup of mayo, 1/4 cup of sugar (or Splenda in my case), a dap of vinegar 1 TBL spoon?
Add the mix to your dry ingredients a few minutes before serving. If it sits to long it can get a little soggy! It is good either way! Hope you enjoy!

I would write more, but my little Steven is begging to play backyard basketball on the computer before bed. So bye for now!

Our Week

I'mmmm....baack! It has been a very busy week and I haven't taken the time to post. I have enjoyed reading about everyone else's lives. I forget sometimes who I have read, where I've posted comments, etc....there has to be some trick to structured blogging? Any suggestions for this unorganized blogger. It is driving me crazy! I am posting some pictures from our week. We went to 3 birthday parties, strawberry picking...again, crammed in tons of school, helped Larry finish up a job of cabinets, all this while Larry has been out of town. I was very happy that he got to come home a day early! Thank the Lord for BIG blessings!

Here are a few of the favorite sayings I've heard this week.

"honey, I'm home!"
"Kindergardens over its time to go home" (A little song they sing everday at the end of the DVD)
"Dear Jesus, bless Carson my very best friend" (A quote from Steven during prayer time!)
"Thank you for your help" (From Larry after banding, sanding, and staining doors for his cabinets)
"You are being so supportive"
"Good night"
"Night, Night" - Peyton's favorite word....he takes after his mother!

Our lives are so busy that I am trying to stop and think about the little wonderful things that happen each day that are so easy to overlook!

Last weekend we had 3 birthday parties to attend. I have posted a few pics. Some friends and I took the kids to the strawberry patch to get more strawberries. I froze 12 quart bags of sliced strawberries. We look forward to fresh fruit in the winter. I decided to share some photos of the 2 small cabinets that Larry just finished. He does a great job! I am very proud of my husband. He is putting down hardwood flooring in our living room today! He's one fantastic man! I'll try to post pictures of the finished product.

Thanks for reading my ramblings.....please scroll way way down to see my new pictures! Have a blessed day!

Our Zoo Trip!

I wanted to share a few photos of our trip to the zoo yesterday. It was a beautiful day that God gave us to enjoy His creations. As some of you may already know, I "hate" the zoo. I am not a big animal person and see no need to walk around and see animals chew their food, throw water from their trunks, and worst of all....the reptile house! With these thoughts in mind, I took my three precious boys to the zoo. Steven and I have been studying God's Plan for different areas of our lives and the world we live in. This week it has been God's Plan for the animals. I was needing to get a few field trips in so I decided I would suck it up and go to the zoo. We had a wonderful time playing at the park before the zoo opened. Hope you enjoy the pictures! The boys had a great time looking at the different animal that were exhibited. When we got to the reptile house, Steven was asking me to go in with them. My answer was NO! I told him if he wanted to go in, I would wait for him at the excit. He decided we could come back later. Whew!!! Got out of it! As we passed the excit, a lady came running out saying, "Where is a zoo keeper? There is a snake loose in their!" Once again the confirmation why I say NO to Reptile Houses! Steven and Carson were able to go in later and survived! It was a great morning and Peyton also enjoyed himself very much. I guess I'll have to try it again some time soon.

Today was a very busy day with Steven's school. We are getting very close to being finished with the school year! Thank the Lord! He has helped us so very much! After a few hours of school, my sitter came to watch the boys while I went to work for a meeting. It was very nice because it was finished early and Larry and I were able to go to Olive Garden for soup and salad! Wonderful! We take advantage of every opportunity we get to have a meal without the boys! It is very important for us as a couple. It was very nice. We were almost finished with our meal, when our sitter called saying that Steven had accidentaly hit Carson across the mouth with a metal baseball bat. She wasn't sure if it needed stitches because it did look like the tooth had come all the way through the lip. Needless to say, it was a quick trip home. After assessing the situation, I called the pediatrician who advised me to put a ice on it and keep it clean and see if it will heal on its own. How does one keep the face of a four year old boy clean? I think he is doing better seeing that he spent most of the afternoon and evening out playing with friends in the yard, street, neighbors yard, down the hill, up the street,....you get the picture! I'm glad I got some cute pictures of him at the zoo yesterday before the accident.

I also went this evening with my wonderful neighbor, Pat, to pick strawberries! Thought of you Kimber! I am planning on making some freezer jam tomorrow. The Lord willing I'll get everything done that is on my schedule for tomorrow. We have 2 birthday parties we also are planning to attend. Busy day ahead....but should prove to be very fun!

Ok, not having much luck with the pictures here, so scroll down for more!