Alexis's Birthday!

June 29th, 2001 at 12:47 P.M. Alexis Elizabeth was born!!!


My pretty girl turned seven over the weekend, and I had a party for her---I had 30 people over--30 people!! LOL. I am not going to caption each picture---some pictures are of friends and of family--and lots of kids. I had a clown come, she did face painting and magic tricks--that is soo good--because I had no idea how to entertain everyone...LOL. I worked all week cleaning and cooking and shopping--and now I am putting my house back in order and I have to do some more shopping. I hope you enjoy these pictures--I had taken 63 and tried to post the best ones:)

I made two cakes, a chocolate and a vanilla--and they both went..LOL

New Posts!

I have so many things that I am going to be posting about this week(with pictures)--I have Alexis's Birthday to share--Her Recital, Tony's trip, Menus, Pregnancy, Little Kevin, My Grandmother coming home, Home keeping and so much more. I will leave you tonight with this picture of me taking a rest on my stairs---yes, with a clown nose on....LOL. You all have a good night, and I will be up bright and early tomorrow and ready to share. Tonight I am going to go to bed early.
P.S. I am looking for some new homemaking blogs--if you know of some really good ones, or if you have one leave me the link please--I just love reading homemaking blogs----I need more though! Of course if I already visit you--you know I adore your blog, so you are excused from this task ----unless of course you know of other ones;) xoxox

Just working!

I won't be participating this week in any of the fun posts that everyone hosts, like the menu plan, or Show and Tell or Wordless or Thankful ---I will be back to regular posting next week---and that means I am that much closer for my Grandma coming home---YAY!!!

I took the kids to the park this morning at 8:30--to run!!! I wanted Little Kevin worn out so he would nap a long time for me, so I could get things done for the party!

Party Menu:
Hamburgers
Hotdogs
Baked Beans
Potato Salad
Pasta Salad
Green Salad
Macaroni and Cheese
Wraps
veggie Tray
Fruit Tray
Relish Tray
Tortillas and Salsa
Chips and Dip
Drinks!

I am making 2 birthday cakes, a white cake and a chocolate cake:)

That is all I can think of about now.

Tonight's Dinner:
Pork Chops
Mashed potatoes
FRESH, steamed green beans!
Salad

Pantry!

Before....... After.......
Now, it is time to go back to the store and buy some food..... Just kidding---I do need some things though after cleaning out the pantry--Also, do you remember I bought a 3 tier shelf for my garage? All my canned goods are out there, if you you are wondering where they are. What a mess the before picture was, huh?

Naptime!

The baby wakes up between 5:30 and 6:00 a.m.--he takes a nap from 8:00 to 8:30 and then again from 12:00 to 2:00---he goes to bed at 7:00 (ish).

This morning though---Alexis has a beach/park playdate so I kept him up and he is now napping at 10:30--he should sleep a awhile and then I will do my shopping.

Most days are the 2 naps--but sometimes they change---nothing I have is set in stone and it changes in a heart beat---like I am sure if I did a day in my life it would be completely different then what I posted last year--the thing is I have a set goal for each day---like Mrs. Duggar once said on an interview---she has a goal for each day and it would be a miracle if it was completed, but at least it is a goal. That is my motto-----sometimes I wake up and say--forget laundry, lets play in the pool--let's go to the beach, shopping, visit Grandma, etc---then I don't feel bad if I have to take a day to catch up--it won't hurt the children one bit to have a quiet day of reading, coloring , movies--etc. I also have an enclosed yard that I can see from any room in the house, so Alexis can play out there with her friends--Little Kevin can not so he is my little buddy where ever I go...LOL. I do make a point every day to take a walk with the baby--he so loves to go for a ride in his stroller--plus I am so nosey---I love to see what everyone in the neighborhood is up too. I think it is neat when I walk by a house and I can hear the vacuum going---or their washer--I hear children playing--I once a heard a little child yelling at her mom about how she wanted to eat her lunch in her room and not in the kitchen--things like that make me smile.

If you have been reading my blog for a while, you will know that I could not make brown rice--my husband asked me, if it was supposed to be crunchy...LOL---anyway with any thing, especially bread--oh, how yeast breads intimdated me--but once I got it---I GOT IT!! I love to bake bread. Okay, so I was at the store and I was in the rice section--and the brown rice was just staring at me--I bought a bag for a 1.29--and I used 1 1/2 cups of rice to 3 cups of water in my steamer--it said to steam it for 55 minutes, I steamed it for 1 hour and 30 minutes in my steamer and it came out fantastic--I added a little butter and salt and pepper and then mixed in some cheese--oh EVERYONE loved it--especially Alexis--and Little Kevin had a few bites too--Kevin no longer said it was crunchy but he took seconds...YAY!!!

Oh, I almost forgot--back to the naps---I am the queen of multi tasking--I have so many things that are going on--right now, little Kevin is napping--so I am typing this blog post, my washer and dryer are going and I just put everything away that was in the dishwasher--after I finish this, I will put the dirty dishes in the dishwasher--and then hopefully I can make my way to the store--if Kevin wakes up soon enough. At night when Little Kevin is in bed, is usually when I pick up the upstairs and hang all the laundry I have laid out from the dryer so it does not wrinkle. Okay, I think I have rambled enough.

Monday!

Hi everyone! Thank you so much for all the congratulations---that was so very nice of all of you to take the time to comment--I appreciated it so much! I still can not believe it...LOL. Kevin was in shock--he knew we were trying but for some reason he thought it would take longer...LOL. I am so excited I don't even have any words. I am not showing of course, but it is neat to walk around with a secret that no one knows about--(until I tell them...LOL)

Okay, I have a full week ahead of me--today I have been busy---I washed windows with vinegar and water and newspapers--mirrors too. Then I scrubbed the shower in my bathroom----Today is a busy day. Over the weekend we took the little ones to a Bounce House Party---they enjoyed it. Alexis also had her rehearsal for her recital on Saturday--boy is this a big ballet production--I had no idea.

Tuesday--SHOPPING---and Alexis has a play date----the beach.

Wednesday---Movie playdate

Thursday----Still getting ready for the party.

Friday--Pick up helium tank---popcorn bags--pinata----set up tables--etc. Lots of prep cooking for the next day.

Saturday--PARTY DAY!!!

I will take tons of pictures!

I will try and get my menu plan up--if I don't, I will update on my sidebar what we have each night---

:o)

Friday--Already ??!!

Good Morning! I didn't post yesterday--I didn't not mean too, my day just worked out that way. It was a HOT day--I filled up the pool I have, and Alexis, Little Kevin and I played in the pool. I put a little sun block on the them, but they still got a little sunkissed--I don't know what is worse, the chemicals from the sun block or the sun---what do you think? I stopped at the store and bought these flowers --->

My blinds are down because it is so hot outside and I turned the Air on---Keeping it nice in the house!

I am also going to start stocking up on these bags for grocery shopping--they are a dollar each and big--SO I figure if I buy one each time I am out--I will have a lot soon. Every bit helps!

Have you ever had these Snapea Crisps--they are baked not fried, and sooooooo YUMMY!! We all love them, especially the baby!

These are the goody bags--I finished them all--I glued the little pom poms on all of them, to give a little circus touch to them--I have started to fill them with little toys and I will put some candy and stickers in them too.

My last cycle was May 15th--and I am now 37 days past---I usually have always been a 28 day girl--but since it started back up it was 34 days last time--what do you think?

Wonderful Wednesday!

Did you know, that I giggle--I giggle sometimes when I am nervous--or when something is funny or in between my sentences...LOL. Did you know that I have to wear my glasses while I am typing this post--and when Kevin comes home, I take them off--I have to wear them while I drive too. Did you know, that I like to write checks at the store instead of using my ATM---I like to have a sun tan---I think I look better with a little color. I love to wear dresses or skirts--I will wear Jeans on occasion---and that is because my hubby loves me to wear them. My toenails are pink right now--I love to wear my hair in a clip and let the rest flow down. My favorite color is pink---but green is a close second. I enjoy cooking--but I am not a huge fan of washing dishes--that is the one chore I can say I am not very good at--thank goodness for dishwashers. I like to cook healthy but being married to a Southern man--I have learned to embrace his love for fried foods and try to incorporate healthy into the mix--remember my motto--*Moderation*. I have a lot of friends, and two very near and dear friends, but only one true best friend and that is my Grandmother. I miss my mother every day, and think of her quite often and wish she could have known me and my children better--she never really knew the *adult* Julie. One of my close friends calls me VERN, from Jules Vern----it has been her nick name for me for almost 20 years--and she even tells people that is my name:::Giggles:::.
I love to sing--I can't carry a tune for anything, but I sing loud!!! I love the early morning and evenings, the parts in the middle, I like to keep very busy. I so enjoy being a homemaker and I enjoy being a girl. I need to go to the store after I make this post and get some Milk--milk is almost 6.00 for 2 gallons. Gas is okay, because I only fill it up once a week--but I feel bad for those who have to do a lot of driving. I love new things but I don't like to spend money--I try and always see the positive and stay away from the negative--I love my family and friends, and I enjoy my blog---I love to write and read all the blogs I have found--some make me laugh, some make me cry and some make me go *HUH?* ;)

Anyway, today is the last day of school--and I am sooooooo trilled!!!! 17 more day and my Grandmother will be home--YAY!! Have a Happy Wednesday--I will *see* you in a *FEW*

Hi--It is Tuesday!

Today is Tuesday, and Little Kevin is napping and Alexis and Tony are already home from school--Alexis took my eyeliner and made whiskers on her face so she can be a Kitty Kat...LOL. Today we had a picnic at the park with her first grade class and Kevin even was able to come and join in the fun--I stopped at the deli and bought some lunch meat and made Kevin a super deluxe sandwich, and I packed a few snacks for the kids--but they were more interested in playing. It is a warm day today--I am wearing a sundress it is black with white flowers on it--it flows and makes me feel like such a lady. My oldest son is 16 and had some finals today--and we seem to to be batting heads--he is able to grow facial hair, and I am asking him to shave it off---because I don't think it looks nice--what do you think? Should I pick my battles and leave this issue alone? I mean he has grown a full beard---I don't like it!

I bought some chicken thighs at the store today so I am going to pop those in the oven with some teriyaki sauce, and then make some rice---and a yummy green salad. My washer is running right now, I am doing my whites. I am counting the days for my Grandmother's return--I am so excited to have her back. I am almost done with the goody bags----I can't wait to share them with you all.

I have not received our stimulus check yet---we of course did the third party rapid refund, so we are waiting for a paper check and we also have the high digits in our social--so we will be the last to get it ---oh well-----Just wondering if any of you received yours and what are your plans for it. I know I am going to stock the pantry really well--and take the kids to Disney--the rest I hope to just sit on in the bank:) Have a great Tuesday!

Hello--It Is Monday!

Hi everyone! It has been a few days since I posted--I will do my weekly menu list sometime this week---I am going to do my big shopping day sometime this week. I have lots of last day of school things that I was doing--plus, I have been doing a lot detailing around the house--I don't know if it is because I am having a party or what--but I have this sudden urge to just clean--I took the magic eraser and wiped all the window sills--how amazingly clean they all look.

This is just a quick post, I must go prep dinner---I have some new recipes I want to share, pictures, and some more cleaning tips...:::giggles::::

ohhh--just wait until you see the goody bags I made:)

T.G.I.F

Yay!!!! It is Friday---and pretty soon my kids will be out of school. I spent this morning running around--first I got up, and got the children off to school--and then came home, fed Kevin his breakfast---then I finished off all the invites--ALL of Them!! I went to the post office and mailed the ones that had to be mailed, then I went to Alexis's school and put the invites in the children's backpacks---I stopped at the store--came home, nursed the baby--and now he is napping. It started to get very warm, so I changed dresses--to a cooler sundress, it is light purple--it flows.

Here is a picture of Alexis's party dress--isn't it just precious!

She also got her dress for her recital--oh it is darling--she is doing a dance to the one of the songs to the *Sound of Music*--I will take pictures of that upcoming event, along with birthday party pictures--those aren't until the end of June, so there is some time.

I hope you all are having a wonderful day---Father's Day is coming up--and I will make my husband what ever he would like--unless he decides he wants to eat out. That is all for now. Happy weekend to you all--oh, besides Father's day, I will probably be doing a lot of things around the house--so I will be in and out of here and visiting your blog too--oh, Thank you all for helping me find the scalloped recipe---All the recipes, that were posted, emailed and linked too were all wonderful, not the one I saw, but they were all just as good:)

DAWN!

I needed some more dish soap--I ended up buying this bottle of Dawn--it was $1.12 at Wal-Mart---and every once in awhile I would read something about how wonderful Dawn is, so of course I did a Google search on it--and I found many articles on it.

This little tid-bit intrigued me, so of course I had to try it:

BATHROOM CLEANER. Original blue Dawn Dishwashing Liquid has some kind of miraculous quality about it that makes it “melt” through stubborn soap scum and hideous build-up on showers and tubs, no matter whether porcelain, acrylic or fiberglass. Use it straight up and you’ll bless the day you read this column.

Oh--WoW!! My bathroom shower just sparkles--and it smells so clean!!
Granted it won't be what I always use, because, I do like to use bleach to kill all the germs--but I have to say---using Dawn occasionally in my bathroom is something I will do!

Now on to use it as a carpet spot cleaner...LOL

If you are interested in the article I got it from--CLICK HERE! Also, do you have any tips on what to use Dawn for?

Wednesday!

I went to Albertson's yesterday, and I stocked up on fruits and veggies. I wanted to clean and cut all the veggies, but I ran out of time yesterday. Today is trash day, so yesterday, I ended up cleaning out both fridges and washing a lot of Tupperware, now I can refill the Tupperware with fresh veggies.

Here is my fruit bowl--I took this picture this morning--it had more fruits last night, but with a family of five it goes fast. Doesn't it look pretty.

Grapes, I keep these in the fridge--have you ever froze grapes---I tried, I liked them, but no one else in my family did. ...strawberries, 1.99 for a pack.
ohhhh, and here are some green onions--what do you call these onions, scallions? I just love these onions, I could eat every single one of them--especially dipped in dressing--yummy!!

After I went shopping, I had to put everything away, and then it was pickup time--I picked up Alexis, then I picked up Tony, and then I had to drop off the ballet tuition. Oh, I planned her Birthday Party on the 28th not even thinking about her recital--I came so close to making a mess of things---her recital is on the 29th--whew.

My dear hubby came home with a bag of dirty clothes, and I know his favorite jeans are in there waiting to be washed, so the very first thing I did this morning was run my washer.

I have some very exciting news, my Grandmother is coming home on July 5th---praise the Lord--oh, how I missed her. We talk on the phone nearly everyday, but it is not the same as having here with me. I told her I have a busy summer planed for us:)

I was blog hopping the other day--and I can not remember how I ended up on a certain blog, but it had the most wonderful recipe--for *Cheesy Scalloped Potatoes* I was looking at the recipe and had to get up and X'd out of it with out saving it--now for the life of me, I can not find it---I remember the first part --you boiled the potatoes--which I thought was interesting--and it looked so good--does any one know what recipe I am talking about, where you boil the potatoes first to make Cheesy Scalloped potatoes--do you know what blog I was on? Help!!

Happy Wednesday---now I am going to do another load of wash--turn my bread machine on, cut some veggies, prep some dinner--hopefully find that scalloped recipe--and visit all your wonderful blogs!!!

One more thought--there is a bit of a misconception about wearing Aprons--I don't wear one because I am so messy---I have my moments, of course--but I don't care how neat you are, you can get a spot on your dress by accident--and also--I just love aprons---it puts me in the mood(motivates me) to be a better wife and mother--makes me feel kind of retro :::giggles::: So, I have my apron on right now as I type---I think they make you look so feminine too:) :::cheers to all my apron wearing friends:::::

2 Posts That I Want To Share!

I copied this whole story from Connie's Blog--she said I could :) This story put tears in my eyes--as, I think it will do the same for you! Please go over to Connies Blog--she is so wise and I have learned so much about our Lord through her!

HE GAVE ALL FOR YOU AND ME!

Much More Than A Donut

There was a boy by the name of Steve who was attending school in Utah. Brother Christianson taught at this particular school. He had an open-door policy and would take in any student that had been thrown out of another class as long as they would abide by his rules. Steve had been kicked out of his sixth period and no other teacher wanted him, so he went into Brother Christianson's class.

Steve was told that he could not be late, so he arrived just seconds before the bell rang and he would sit in the very back of the room. He would also be the first to leave after the class was over. One day, Brother Christianson asked Steve to stay after class so he could talk with him. After class, Bro. Christianson pulled Steve aside and said, "You think you're pretty tough, don't you?" Steve's answer was, "Yeah, I do."

Then Brother Christianson asked, "How many push-ups can you do?" Steve said, "I do about 200 every night." "200? That's pretty good, Steve," Brother Christianson said. "Do you think you could do 300?" Steve replied, "I don't know... I've never done 300 at a time."

"Do you think you could?" Again asked Brother Christianson. "Well, I can try," said Steve.

"Can you do 300 in sets of 10? I need you to do 300 in sets of ten for this to work. Can you do it? I need you to tell me you can do it," Brother Christianson said. Steve said, "Well... I think I can... yeah, I can do it." Brother Christianson said, "Good! I need you to do this on Friday."

Friday came and Steve got to class early and sat in the front of the room. When class started, Brother Christianson pulled out a big box of donuts. Now these weren't the normal kinds of donuts, they were the extra fancy BIG kind, with cream centers and frosting swirls. Everyone was pretty excited-it was Friday, the last class of the day, and they were going to get an early start on the weekend.

Bro. Christianson went to the first girl in the first row and asked, "Cynthia, do you want a donut?" Cynthia said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten push-ups so that Cynthia can have a donut?" Steve said, "Sure," and jumped down from his desk to do a quick ten. Then Steve again sat in his desk. Bro. Christianson put a donut on Cynthia's desk.

Bro. Christianson then went to Joe, the next person, and asked, "Joe do you want a donut?" Joe said, "Yes." Bro. Christianson asked, "Steve would you do ten push-ups so Joe can have a donut?" Steve did ten push-ups, Joe got a donut. And so it went, down the first aisle, Steve did ten pushups for every person before they got their donut. And down the second aisle,till Bro. Christianson came to Scott.

Scott was captain of the football team and center of the basketball team. He was very popular and never lacking for female companion- ship. Then Bro. Christianson asked, "Scott do you want a donut?" Scott's reply was, "Well, can I do my own pushups?" Bro. Christianson said, "No, Steve has to do them." Then Scott said, "Well, I don't want one then."

Bro. Christianson then turned to Steve and asked, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Scott can have a donut he doesn't want?" Steve started to do ten pushups. Scott said, "HEY! I said I didn't want one!" Bro. Christianson said, "Look, this is my classroom, my class, my desks, and my donuts. Just leave it on the desk if you don't want it." And he put a donut on Scott's desk.

Now by this time, Steve had begun to slow down a little. He just stayed on the floor between sets because it took too much effort to be getting up and down. You could start to see a little perspiration coming out around his brow. Bro. Christianson started down the third row. Now the students were beginning to get a little angry.

Bro. Christianson asked Jenny, "Jenny, do you want a donut?" Jenny said, "No." Then Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so Jenny can have a donut that she doesn't want?" Steve did ten, Jenny got a donut. By now, the students were beginning to say "No" and there were all these uneaten donuts on the desks. Steve was also having to really put forth a lot of effort to get these pushups done for each donut. There began to be a small pool of sweat on the floor beneath his face, his arms and brow were beginning to get red because of the physical effort involved.

Bro. Christianson asked Robert to watch Steve to make sure he did ten pushups in a set because he couldn't bear to watch all of Steve's work for all of those uneaten donuts. So Robert began to watch Steve closely. Bro. Christianson started down the fourth row. During his class, however, some students had wandered in and sat along the heaters along the sides of the room. When Bro. Christianson realized this; he did a quick count and saw 34 students in the room. He started to worry if Steve would be able to make it.

Bro. Christianson went on to the next person and the next and the next. Near the end of that row, Steve was really having a rough time. He was taking a lot more time to complete each set.

Steve asked Bro. Christianson, "Do I have to make my nose touch on each one?" Bro. Christianson thought for a moment, "Well, they're your pushups. You can do them any way that you want." And Bro. Christianson went on. A few moments later, Jason came to the room and was about to come in when all the students yelled, "NO! Don't come in! Stay out!"

Jason didn't know what was going on. Steve picked up his head and said, "No, let him come." Bro. Christianson said, "You realize that if Jason comes in you will have to do ten pushups for him." Steve said, "Yes, let him come in."

Bro. Christianson said, "Okay, I'll let you get Jason's out of the way right now. Jason, do you want a donut?" "Yes."

"Steve, will you do ten pushups so that Jason can have a donut?" Steve did ten pushups very slowly and with great effort. Jason, bewildered, was handed a donut and sat down. Bro. Christianson finished the fourth row, then started on those seated on the heaters. Steve's arms were now shaking with each pushup in a struggle to lift himself against the force of gravity. Sweat was dropping off of his face and, by this time, there was not a dry eye in the room.

The very last two girls in the room were cheerleaders and very popular. Bro. Christianson went to Linda, the second to last, and asked, "Linda, do you want a doughnut? Linda said, very sadly, "No, thank you."

Bro. Christianson asked Steve, "Steve, would you do ten pushups so that Linda can have a donut she doesn't want?" Grunting from the effort, Steve did ten very slow pushups for Linda. Then Bro. Christianson turned to the last girl, Susan. "Susan, do you want a donut?"

Susan, with tears flowing down her face, asked, "Bro. Christianson , can I help him?" Bro. Christianson, with tears of his own, said, "No, he has to do it alone, Steve, would you do ten pushups so Susan can have a donut?"

As Steve very slowly finished his last pushup, with the understanding that he had accomplished all that was required of him, having done 350 pushups, his arms buckled beneath him and he fell to the floor.

Brother Christianson turned to the room and said. "And so it was, that our Savior, Jesus Christ, plead to the Father, "Into thy hands I commend my spirit." With the understanding that He had done everything that was required of Him, he collapsed on the cross and died. And like some of those in this room, many of us leave the gift on the desk, uneaten."

Author unknown

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Now On to this post--I really, really enjoyed this post on Ronda's Blog--"A Peachy Keen Life" She wrote so beautifuly, exactly what I was thinking...LOL---Go on over to visit her blog--it is quite lovely!

This is a little snippet of what Ronda wrote----->

"So very many women in the world, are so much smarter than they are ever given due credit for. I think that they, like myself, wanted and needed a way to share all of the many things that go on in their heads and hearts. " --> to read the whole post, go here!


Thank you ladies for letting me share parts of your blogs-----I hope everyone enjoys them, as much I do!

Tuesday!

Hey All!! I have a few things I need to get done-----Yesterday, after I made a few posts and commented on a few blogs--I took off to get the kids and when I got home, a huge wave of Nauseousness came over me, I became very cold and then achy---I did what a could and quickly made dinner, and then when all that was done, I got in my nightie and stayed in bed with the baby---boy I felt bad!! Alexis had an award ceremony this morning , so I had to feel better--I went to her awards and now I need to go to the store--I want to stock up on fruits and veggies--we need milk too--anyway---I feel better now--but I am still a little queasy--I hope you all have a fantastic Tuesday--when I get home, I want to do some baking along with prepping all my veggies:) I will post pictures of that!

Homemade Facial!

I went to the store today, looking for something--and then I thought, It might be fun to try a homemade facial--plus all the ingredients are natural--can't beat that. I did some research on the Internet, and found so many wonderful ideas and recipes for homemade facials and other fun stuff for us women. This is what I did this evening on my face:

For dry skin, mix one egg yolk, one teaspoon honey and a teaspoon olive oil and some vitamin E oil if you have it. Smooth on and leave on for 15 min. , rinse in lukewarm water and pat dry.

Then I moisturized with Ponds Cold Cream--my face looks so nice and clean and Smooth:)

*Weekly Menu Plan*

YaY!! It's a Brand New Week!

Weekly Menu Plan:
In No particular order and it can change at any time--this is just a base and of course what I have on hand at the moment!

*(All dinners are served with a fresh green salad and steamed veggies of some sort---I also like to include a starch and a dinner roll of some kind---of course with the exception of certain meals like tacos)

Menu:

Tacos

Teriyaki Chicken
Steamed Rice
Veggies
Salad

Pork Chops
Macaroni and Cheese
Peas
Salad

Fettuccine Alfredo
With Chicken
Garlic Bread
Salad

Meatloaf
Baked Potatoes
Green Beans
Salad

Thank you so much for visiting--please click on the logo above and visit Laura's blog-Organizing Junkie and leave your own link for your menu--and visit all the wonderful links that others had taken the time to do too:) Thank you Laura for doing this--I really am having fun and loving all the new blogs I am finding through this!

(My Blog's Home)

Weekend Chatter!

Hi everyone. I didn't say anything earlier, because I just didn't feel comfortable telling the whole world that my husband is not here---he left on Thursday, for Oregon--he went to a competition for his job---I am not sure if you all remember he went to the one in Atlanta last summer, and they started a new one in Oregon--it is a place where everyone gets together from all companies and have sort of a competition--well, I am so proud to say, he placed first!!! YAY, and he is now on his way home and should be here this afternoon--so I have to make an extra special dinner for him!!--ooohhh, I think I will bake a cake too:) The prize is money--so that is awesome!

Alexis's birthday is June 29th---so I am having a party for her on the 28th--it is a circus theme--I have given myself a 200.00 budget----I have a clown coming and she is 125.00---I was going to rent a Cotton candy machine, but I can get cotton candy at walmart for 20.00--then, I am getting a helium tank for 12.50 and my girlfriend's boyfriend, is going to paint a huge clown face on card board for the beanbag toss--I have to make the bean bags. My Husband has a bunch of folding tables and chairs in his office so I will have enough chairs for everyone. I am trying to make my yard like a little circus---So I am well under budget--we will have popcorn and cracker jacks--and I will grill hotdogs and hamburgers--and I am going to make a cake this year:) If I go over, that is okay, but I want a base--I think 200.00 is more then enough for a 7 year olds party--there will be about 15 children. I will get more into this in another post--I will show off my invites that I am making and the goody bags that I made too.

Little Kevin's teeth--he is 13 months and is already showing signs of decay--he is far too young for any kind of work, so I have to be extremely careful and keep his teeth extra clean and in about 6 months the dentist will fix his cavities--ugh--I was so sad, but this happened to my oldest and my daughter and now Little Kevin--I am so careful too--I am always brushing or on my older kids to brush, I have all the products, the floss, the mouthwash, toothpaste, tons of toothbrushes--I guess I just got lucky. Now that it has sunk in, I will be okay--when all is said and done, I have beautiful, healthy children, a few cavities is not going to knock me down!!

I hope you all are enjoying your weekend!!!
My weekly Menu will be up sometime today:)

Back!

We are back from the dentist--lets just say things did not go as I would have liked them. I ended up crying--so with that said, that should give you and indication of how our visit went:(

I have some house work to do--I will post more about it later.

Dentist!

I am off to take Little Kevin to the Dentist---would appreciate some good thoughts--this is just preventive, hoping to catch anything before it starts--Crossing fingers:)

Will update when I get back--this should not take long! (I hope)

Party Pictures!

Over the weekend, I had mentioned that we went to two birthday parties--this party is at my nieces party--she turned 6--do you remember your 6th birthday? It was a lot of fun.

This is a picture of me in the middle with my step mom and a very dear friend!

My father walking with the baby

My Sister

Pinata

My Dad--he is always chewing on a toothpick...LOL

My niece and Alexis--do you see Alexis's cheek is swollen? She had some dental work on that side the day before.
I love it when my honey smiles!
The kids
Bye:)

Cupcakes Update:

Here are some pictures from last weeks Cupcakes that were decorated in my daughter's class:
Woo--hooo :o)
Everyone had a fun time decoarating the cupcakes. This is my daughter's teacher holding Little Kevin--
They also made little visor's--this is Alexis working at her desk!

My Thoughts On Being A Woman

I like, no, let me change that--I LOVE being a girl--I love every thing about being female. I love to wear feminine dresses, I love to have long hair, pretty nails--I love to smell pretty, paint my toes a pretty pink. I love how a bracelet falls delicately on my wrist--I love that my small hand fits perfectly in my husbands large manly hand. I love to sew, crochet, bake bread, cook, laundry, yes laundry. I adore to be the keeper of *MY* home. I love that when I was at the hospital having a baby, my husband couldn't believe all the things that had to be done at home--I love reading about other women. I love having babies--I love having a cycle and being reminded of who I am. I love makeup---I would never want to do what my husband does or any man for that matter, nor could I. I don't think women should run for president and why in the world does a woman want to dress like a man, no thank you! I would never want my husband to wear a dress and use my bread machine. I don't want my husband staying home and taking care of my babies--even though I know he could--women are born nurturers--our children need us, the mother!! We need to breastfeed our babies, not formula feed--I take a very strong stance on that---I think formula should be handed out like a prescription for those that really *can't breastfeed*-- I know, I know there are exceptions to every rule.

We need to be women, why are so many women wanting to be so manly--When we get married and take the role as a wife and mother, we need to take that role very seriously, it was one of the most important roles in life we will ever do! Especially when we have babies, we need to give up our careers and take responsibility for our own and raise our children!!! We need to respect our husbands and never put them down, they have a lot of responsibillity too, bless their hearts. Gosh, we have totally become a materialistic world---we pay cash for everything--if we don't have the cash, we don't by it, period! Yes, I know theres always exceptions to the rule, I know this---God is very good, he is very smart and he does not make mistakes, he knew what he was doing when he made man, and when he made woman----our rolls are spelled out. We need to take responsibility for who we are , what we are doing and what we have created--we have to stop having to be so politically correct and just do the right thing. Last but not least, put the cell phone down when driving. In July California is passing a law, that you can no longer talk on the phone while driving unless it is hands free--yay!!!

..and yes, I know, there are exceptions to every rule---I am just so happy to be a woman, I totally embrace it--apron and all... :)

Recipe Day!!

Happy Wednesday!! I was looking through my recipe cards--I own the Great American Recipe Card collection--and there are over 600 cards (give or take) When I was about 22, I got a couple of cards every month for about 6.00--I had no idea what I was getting myself into..LOL--Anyway, I am so glad I have them now and I was so happy when I received a letter saying I completed the set. They sit in an organized box (2) in my kitchen and sometimes I forget that they are there--a friend had asked me to look for a recipe, and I am glad she did, I went through my whole box and found so many recipes that I want to try--here are few recipes that I had pulled out--I will share some more soon. Click on any recipe card to enlarge and read--I am going to try all five of these and I will post a picture when I do. If you would like to make any of these, I would love to hear how the recipe came out.

Don't these chocolate balls look yummy!!

..and this bread, with cheese and jalapenos---mmmmmmm

I love buttermilk, yes, I drink it, so this bread looks really good to me---

Pretzels--dipped in mustard

and last but not least, this looked like a totally easy dessert, and peach season is coming up:)

I hope you enjoyed these recipes I picked out--happy cooking!

Laundry!

This is my Laundry Nook. The doors are closed to hide the washer and the dryer.

This what it looks like when you open the doors--neat, huh:)

The washer and dryer are going right now as I type. Little Kevin is napping and Alexis is at the dentist this morning with her Father. Tony does not have school today--so he is home also. I want to add, thank goodness for our dental insurance---Alexis has inherited soft baby teeth--I am sure I have talked about it. Tony had a lot of work done on his baby teeth too--and now all his adult teeth are in, we put a sealant on his teeth and have not had any problems with his adult teeth, they are perfect! Little Kevin goes for a cleaning on Friday and the dentist is going to make sure his teeth are doing well before we have problems. Alexis's bill this time is 1,500--OUCH--but our insurance covered most of it, but 174.00 Whew! Now on to my laundry--I have all the piles sorted, and I am going to take this day to get as much of it done that I can---over the weekend, we had two birthdays (I have pictures), Church, shopping and other fun stuff--so I am behind on my laundry----I love these days, where I can totally focus on my laundry and Homekeeping. Yesterday mid way, I took Little Kevin to the park so he could RUN---boy can he go ..and also so he could play with other children--he says *HI* to everyone--it is soo cute...LOL. I wore him out :) I was also in charge of snack at the Girl Scout meeting. Busy day yesterday--and I sure enjoyed taking breaks in between all that and going to your blogs--I just loved all the blogs I was at yesterday--So many of us our so like minded, I love that!!

My Piles:
Whites
Darks
Lights
Baby Clothes
Towels
Kitchen Towels
(Some Delicates get put in with the baby's)
Bedding

A little off topic--but if I get pregnant this month, do you know the due date would fall on my Husband's birthday--how cool is that? We shall see:)

Dinner:
Beef Roast
Mashed Potatoes and Homemade Gravy
Corn on the Cobb
Fresh Green Salad
Homemade Rolls!

Fried Chicken and Other Fun Stuff!

This is fried chicken--so wonderfully yummy and oh so not(Too) healthy--BUT it is one of my hubby's VERY favorite meals--I made it for him the other night and I took this picture to add on my blog---YUMMY!! So crisp and juicy. My motto is and has always been everything in moderation--and oh does my husband appreciate these dinners. They are truly made with love for him. Frying is not one of my favorite things ,but I do know my southern man just loves it. I dipped the chicken in eggs and buttermilk and then dredged it in flour--and fried away--I kept the fried chicken in the oven to keep cooking and to stay warm while I fried all the other pieces.

I have looked into making my own buttermilk, but the cost effectiveness does not seem good--what are your thoughts on that?

I have so many wonderful things I want to post about and I have a bunch of pictures to share too---so keep an eye out for some up and coming picture posts and a lot of homekeeping posts too--my favorite things to post about---LOL--My daily life as a wife and mother--

I got some more of my swiffer pads--I didn't realize how much I appreciate these until I ran out---I got some more at walmart--this box at Walmart cost a little under 6.00.

For the kitchen trash my husband likes me to use really good garbage bags that cling around the sides and and don't rip like Hefty. But for my recycle can I don't need such a powerful trash bag--so I bought these smelly bags for my kitchen recyclable and my bathroom trash cans--they smell of vanilla---Neat-o, huh?

Thank you for reading, and I have my cupcake post that we did at Alexis's school all ready to post too---and I just want to tell everyone, to have a blessed week and thank you for visiting me--I went to a lot of blogs last week and enjoyed my visits very much--please leave me a comment so I can visit you too---(if you want) Happy Monday!! Yay--now, lets put on our aprons and start moving---:)

Quick Post!

You don't have to be perfect--but you should be AUTHENTIC!

*I love this*

*Weekly Menu Plan*

Yay!!! It is Menu planning Time!!!!!!!!!

Weekly Menu Plan:
In No particular order and it can change at any time--this is just a base and of course what I have on hand at the moment!

*(All dinners are served with a fresh green salad and steamed veggies of some sort---I also like to include a starch and a dinner roll of some kind---of course with the exception of certain meals like tacos)

Pork Roast
Roasted Veggies
Salad
Homemade Dinner Rolls

Beef Roast
Smashed potatoes
Gravy
Corn on the Cobb
Rolls
Salad

Spaghetti and Meatballs
Garlic Bread
Salad

Chicken--probably baked

Pulled Pork Sandwiches with homemade rolls
Salad
Corn on the Cobb

Pork Chops
Steamed Rice
Sweet, Tender Peas
Salad with Spring Mix



Thank you so much for visiting--please click on the logo above and visit Laura's blog-Organizing Junkie and leave your own link for your menu--and visit all the wonderful links that others had taken the time to do too:) Thank you Laura for doing this--I really am having fun and loving all the new blogs I am finding through this!

(My Blog's Home)

Thursday's Post!

You have a choice, you have a choice to wake up in the morning happy. You can wake up unhappy and then make everyone else around you miserable too---Even on days I feel sad or I am worried, I get out of it--I Let Go and Let God---and I smile--it really works if you smile--your whole body starts to change and feel better.

I was at the grocery store the other day and I was deep in thought--I had a lot on my mind and I was in the beauty isle trying to pick out the best shaving gel for my son---I was staring at all these cans, and I was standing in front of the cart with the baby as he was looking at a book. This woman came through, she must have been about 75--and she said---*You have a smart baby* I giggled and said, *and how do you know that?* She said *His eyes--- Look at his eyes*

She then smiled and told me a few interesting facts about herself and how she raised 12 children and it was very interesting, she said, this was back in the day when women stayed home with their children--and I stated, *I stay home!*---and then the last thing she said to me, I will never forget--she turned and said * By the way, I want to tell you, that I can tell you are the kind of person, that has a mind of your own and does her own thing and does not worry about what any one thinks about it--you are your own person* I thought, wow! I have friends, and I have even a few very dear best friends--my dearest friend of 20 years, is not married, no children and can still act like a 20 year old--we are so different, but I love her--and then my SAHM friends--think staying at home, means putting their kids in boys and girl club and going to a spa...When they ask me what I am going to do today, and I say, I am going to bake some bread--they say, you know you can buy bread at the store---Oh well---are they truly happy--I suppose they are very happy--who wouldn't be--but are they truly happy---when everything is said and done, when their children are grown and they see a young girl with a baby, will they turn to her and tell her something so profound or will they look and say *your nails and hair are so nice--I remember going to a spa when my children were babies*---

So after writing all that, I am going to put on a pretty dress, and then my favorite apron--and I am going to do some laundry, bake some bread and take care of my family--all with a smile--because this is what truly makes me happy!!!! :)