Coupons!-Long overdue post!

Okay so I was reading on the internet about how K-Mart was doing a nationwide double your coupons from Oct. 1-5. Trust me if you call your K-mart will have to honor it, or you can call the 1-800 number and they will call your store and tell them about how to enter it into their systems. Okay so here is the rundown of my great sales! I didn't have a lot of coupons at home, but I took everything that I knew I would use that was at least $1.00 to $2.00 coupons. So I shopped wisely, didn't get things that I would have to pay much for, etc.


What did I get: 2-4 packs of Caress, Kotex, 2-Soft Scrub w/bleach, Spray-n-Wash with resolve power, Lysol Bathroom cleaner, Pledge, Pert Plus, High Endurance Body Wash, Loreal Vive Pro Shampoo, Complete Multi Purpose Concact Solution, Colgate Toothpaste, Electrasol, 2-AirWick candles, Renuzit Pearl Scents, Schick Quattro razor blades, 2 packs of tic-tac, Aquafresh toothbrush, Lady Speed Stick 24/7 deodordant, Zantac 75 (30 Tablets), Children's Claritin.
How much did I pay?!-$6.41

I also transferred a prescription and got a $30 gift card to Rite Aid. My first time ever trying this. But it was great to get some extra things that I didn't have to pay for! Also not pictured is Toilet Paper, but I was able to get that with this too!

What a Weekend!

First off let me start by saying, unfortunately we did not have the yard sale....it has rained four days straight and we tried to do the whole tent thing, but it rained in from the side, so that threw that idea out the window. So the boxes were brought up, everything priced, and add placed.....and no sale. I had a guy come to my door, asking if I was going to set up or what.....umm did he just get out of his car and not notice the torrential rains? I politely said no I'm sorry and I said I would hopefully be doing it next weekend, only if the weather cooperated! He didn't think that was funny, but if he only knew how many times I have tried to do the yard sale then he would laugh. Because what else is there to do? :) So, if it rains next weekend I am never doing a sale again! (At least this year) I was able however, to have a couple people come over and look through clothes, and baby clothes, so I was able to get rid of some things! Not enough to notice though!

Here is our Menu for the week!

Anyway, this is going to be a busy week and since they had chicken buy one get one free, we are going to be having a lot of chicken based meals! Oh, and here is a picture of our Thai Chicken Curry; it turned out great!!! I decided to make basmati rice with it too. If you would like the recipe then let me know, I still don't know how to get the recipe links....maybe someone could help me with that!

Monday:
Blueberry Bagels, Juice
Grilled Cheese
Crock pot Stew
Tuesday:
Cereal
Macaroni and Cheese
Homemade Chicken Enchiladas
Wednesday:
Oatmeal
Left overs
Baked Chicken, Potato Casserole, Broccoli-Cheese-Rice Casserole
Thursday:
Pancakes maybe sausage or bacon
Sandwiches, celery with PB
Pork Chops, green beans and rice
Friday:
Eggs, Toast
PB&J
I'm attempting to make homemade ckn. nuggets with corn and salad
Saturday:
Brunch
Hamburgers, pasta salad, veggie
Sunday:
Eggs w/ Toast
Ckn. Pot Pie with homemade crusts
Left overs!

Have a great week, blessings!

Yard Sale!

Let me start by saying this yard sale is about three weeks overdue....

Every time I was supposed to have it, something happened...and then last weekend it rained the majority of it, and NOW, this weekend it is supposed to rain too.....what am I going to do? I am tired of having this stuff in our house. I feel like I have gone through some things and decided to really purge...so of course I don't want it sitting her very much longer because I don't want to renig on my goal of letting go-that includes memories, the idea that maybe we will have another child and what will they wear (silly I know!). So what am I going to do? I am going to have the yard sale! My good friend, is letting me borrow her tent, and I am going to be proactive in setting that up and putting tables out under it! So I don't have to worry about those "occasional rain showers"! If you think about it, pray for nice weather, I'm not asking for a heatwave, although it would be nice, but just for the rain to subside for two days!!!!
So, what am I doing tonight? I am pricing every last thing, fingers crossed, hopefully! Since Chip is at work so late, after I put the kids to bed, I am going to pop in an old movie that I love to watch, Serendipity, and price away-until my fingers bleed!
So, what is in the sale? Kids clothes-all seasons boys and girls...baby toys, a bassinet (Brooklynn slept in this for about 3 months!), boppy pillows, adult clothes, maternity clothes, shoes, crib, sheets, movies, books, kitchenware, rocking horse, stuffed animals, furniture, scrapbook and stampin' up things, etc!
I am also trying to convince my husband that it is about time that we get rid of my skis, because I haven't skied since Brooklynn was a baby, and umm, it's not like I really have the time or to mention the body to do it anymore, so the logical thing in my mind would be to sell it, right, right! His reasoning is that we will go more often when the kids are older, and why have to rent or buy more then....I get his point but how long do you actually store things before you learn to let go?! You would think I was asking him to get rid of his skis...and I'm not, because I know he LOVES to ski...we just haven't had the time to go in forever (or the money!)
I know that they, and by they meaning the professionals, say to purge things you have not used in three years, and to carefully consider the things that weren't used in the last two...was it at the back of your closet, or in a box, or are you not rolling out your dough anymore, things like that! If it is something you like then give it one more year, if it wasn't used that season, then toss it, sell it, or donate it!
So in an attempt to de-clutter my life and enjoy a clean house a little more, I CAN'T wait to have this yard sale, and I can't wait for it to be Saturday! :) It is funny how much work is going into getting this sale all ready...Chip doesn't enjoy all the stress...he says I worry too much about it. I just want a good turn out and great weather! I am going to advertise in the local paper about it, and I am also going to put it on Craig's List...
One thing that Chip warns me, or puts the disclaimer on, is everything that goes out stays out! I am really bad about that, I guess I have in the past just figured that I could always save it for another yard sale or for someone if they needed baby clothes or maternity clothes.....which has actually helped out a few people in a pinch lately! So I think, in all my craziness I will only pick out a few items that I didn't really want to sell on Saturday afternoon, and then take the rest to donation places around! I'll let you know how well that goes over, maybe I'll keep myself accountable by posting it!
So if you aren't doing anything and want to come for a while on Friday or Saturday....maybe you can find a deal! I am anxious to let go~ Brooklynn keeps asking me if we can make the sale a party...she wants to make cookies and lemonade, balloons, etc! I don't think I am up for the balloons, etc, although she did lemonade at the last sale and made a killing- she bought herself a toy! But cookies, that is work for me....oh well maybe we will make Peanut Butter Cookies and Chocolate Chip Cookies on Thursday night.....we will see how ambitious I am!

Well I better sign off...I have laundry calling my name, dinner for the kids, and a toddler bed to assemble before bed time~ If I get really over zealous tonight I will take a picture of my progress, and of course of Andrew's new bed... and we will see how many times he gets out of bed tonight! :) Have a great night!!! Blessings~

A Big Day For Brooklynn!

Today was Brooklynn's first day of pre-school. She had a wonderful day! We went to school just she and I and then the parents left for a meeting about the year, etc! She loved it, they started working on their centers, the Letter this week was A...
When I picked her up she said she had a blast and wanted to show me how she stamped the letters of her name. She told me they didn't have a "B" but it was okay because she knows that she has a letter B in her name! She is so funny! So it is imperative that when we get home we do lunch and then go for a nap, because she now has Ballet and Gymnastics on Monday's from 4-5....so we must be rested! She didn't argue about it either! Thank you Jesus, maybe I can stretch this napping business a while longer! :)
Oh and right after these pictures I sat right in a half of a bagel and cream cheese...classic...no pictures thank you so don't ask! I got cleaned off just in time to get out the door clean pants and clean couch!
Here are some pictures of Brooklynn getting ready for school:
Andrew wanted to get in some pictures with her too~

Mom I'm ready to go to school, and maybe I'll sing you a song about it too!

It was rainey so she got to wear her rain coat!

This backpack is from last year, but it's Dora, and it was okay to use again!

So Brooklynn also had her 2-in-1 class tonight. She does a half of an hour of ballet and then the second half hour is gymnastics! She loves it! She has a niche for this, and would be lost without it in her life! I am constantly reminded that she is all me daily! So here are a few pictures of Brooklynn from tonight... The first three are five of the six girls in her class...next to Brooklynn in the pink is Jaylee, and then Becca!


This was the gymnastics start with Coach Melissa

Watch out Shawn Johnson here comes Brooklynn! Who knows :)

Brooklynn and Becca

It was a great day today, and you should have smelled my house~the smell of a clean house and a roast in the slow cooker! Tomorrow I need to focus on laundry and working in the basement! Hopefully I will be productive there too!

Brooklynn's New Look!

Okay so, I will start this post out about my great daughter! Brooklynn again had fun with Abigail, they both wanted to play beauty shop, and I would ask what they want and they would tell me. We did a couple of fun pin up do's and then they wanted it braided. I did Abigail's first and she just had a normal french braid, and then Brooklynn wanted to be different actually Abigail didn't want it to be the same and convinced Brooklynn that she should have "piggy-tail braids". So I did Brooklynn's hair, I am actually really proud of myself getting it so tight, and looking good~


Well the day went on and then we did some art, and I made shapes and had them cutting out the images. Abigail's dad came to pick them up and after they left, Brooklynn went to the bathroom...eveything is normal. I picked up the scrap paper and moved the table to clean, etc. Proudly Brooklynn emerges from the bathroom and before I can ask if she is ready for her nap...she proceeds to say see momma, I didn't cut myself.....I looked around first thinking she tried to shave her legs or something, and then I realize it....as she touches her precious bangs....I didn't even know what to do, laugh, cry, or be stern. I decided to tell her she looks alright and it will grow back, but if she would let mommy cut her bangs from now on that would be best. Chip happened to come home for lunch about this time and he wanted me to cut them to make them even, as I protested because she would have about an inch and a half of bang.....at least now I can part more hair to hide her chuncks....it actually looks like someone tried to put layers in her bangs that had no sence whatsoever! (This too shall pass!)


So here is a before picture of the girls:

And here is a picture of Brooklynn after the incident:


And the bathroom:



I hope you all have a great day, and remember everything you did as kids I am sure your children will do to you, maybe even at a younger age......I tried to cut my bangs once when I was in grade school. And might I add, I did cut straight across, the bad part was that I wet down my hair before I cut it, and we all know what happens when it dries (it gets shorter!). Brooklynn decided to be a stylist when she was 3 1/2...Oh my! I hope this is the only time she does this! At least it wasn't any more than it was!

Menu Planning Monday

Monday:
Blueberry Bagels, OJ
Ham&Cheese, wheat thins
Pot Roast with red potatoes, carrots, celery, onion
Tuesday:
Oatmeal
Macaroni and Cheese
Thai Chicken Curry, with rice or homemade mashed pot. (not sure yet!)
Wednesday:
Cereal
Carrots w/ dip, yogurt w/ granola, cheese cubes
Homemade Pizza
Thursday:
Pancakes, Bacon
Sandwiches, celery with PB
Crock Pot Brown Sugar Chicken
Friday: (First day of the yard sale)
Eggs, Toast, Sausage
PB&J, wheat thins with cheese
Grilled Cheese with homemade Tomato Soup!! :)
Saturday:
Crock Pot Hash Brown Breakfast Casserole
Whatever the babysitter feeds the kids for lunch!!
Cooking in the fire pit!
Sunday:
Eggs w/ Toast
Lasagna w/ side salad and green beans
Left overs!

If you would like any recipes let me know, I am not sure how to have a highlighted click on it and it goes to my recipe buttons....if you understand what I mean! :) Have a great week!

Menu Planning Monday!

Breakfast:

Mon: Homemade Blueberry Pancakes

Tues: Cereal and fruit

Wed: Oatmeal with fresh peaches

Thur: Eggs and sausage

Fri: Cereal with peaches or pears

Lunch:

Mon: PB&J with fruit, and pretzels

Tues: Grilled Cheese

Wed: Mac and Cheese

Thurs: Broccoli with cheese and grapes

Fri: Tuna on English muffins

Dinner:

Mon: Hamburgers and Hot dogs on the grill, watermelon, potato salad, corn on the cob, and grn. beans (We have company coming over!)

Tues: Salad night with lentils

Wed: Spaghetti with garlic bread and salad

Thurs: Meatloaf and Mashed potatoes and carrots

Fri: Taco Salad! YUMMY!

Beach day Wednesday!

Today we went to the beach again, we met some friends there, and it was a great time. Not too hot and not too cold! I did feel the water and thought it was a lot cooler than before, but the kids kept on playing despite the cooler temperature! Brooklynn wanted me to put her hair all up, and pull back and pin her bangs....this is actually the first time she has asked for me to pin up her bangs, she looks so much older with her hair back...I think I'll make her keep the bangs at least for a few more years :) Andrew still doesn't like when the waves are coming in quickly so he loves to play in the sand. I did take him out to the water, he liked it at first and then he didn't like the fact the waves crashed into him before I could lift him out of the water. (Note to self: when washing off hands look up for the waves!) Brooklynn and her friend Becca had a blast, they have so much fun together, here are a few pictures of the kids before we left and while we were there! I don't think any of the kids are camera shy!






Thursday I did a Tastefully Simple party, they have such yummy food, and great ideas for new recipes. So funny during the party we talked about having insurance to cover the consultant, then as we are finishing up, one of my new glasses gets broken, and then as she is leaving she dropped one of her bags and broke one of the lights in our yard, and not just a little broken, the whole light was broke in half. She kept asking where I got them, all I said was don't worry about it, they are just things....Oh my funny, but overall it was a fun party! I enjoyed it, and can't wait to close the party to get our great stuff! Plus I can't wait to see the new catalog, it will come out in September. Oh if you want anything from the catalog before it ends, then you can add it to my order, just let me know!
Friday I get to spend the morning just lounging withe the kids and then I will clean in the afternoon....and then I am not sure what we will do for the evening maybe we will walk the boardwalk! Have a great day! Blessings~

Chip's handy work!

Okay so we went to my parents house this past weekend! It was wonderful to be home and spend some stress free time with the family. They gave us a hedge trimmer and we also came home with a trash compactor! I was really excited about the hedge trimmer, our hedges have needed to be trimmed for a while, but we haven't had time or the trimmer! So when we got home Chip went right at it! I am so proud of him, and happy at how well it turned out.
Before:
After:
We also had a tree that Chip took down, we have some friends that are going to take the wood! But for now here is our progress with that:



We will be taking down one more tree, so if you need any wood for camp fires or for heating your home this winter let us know so we can save some for you, otherwise it will go to the city pick up!

What a GREAT week of VBS!

This is my wonderful group of 4th graders, well almost all of them! They were amazing, and 6 of them made commitments to follow Christ, and the rest of them had already made the commitment! AMAZING, even my three wanderers asked God to come into their heart, and be their "forever friend". He was ever so present this week, and even though when Friday rolled around and I was glad it was Friday, I loved the fact that we could be blessed by God, and feel how much HE loves us despite all that we do.
Brooklynn was amazing, she loved going to VBS, or should I really say Kid's Camp! She asked today if we were going to go back, I said next year! She kept telling everyone she knew about it and told people that is where she was going to learn MORE about Jesus! Oh my goodness, did that touch my heart. Here she is 3 1/2 yrs old and excited to tell everyone that she is going to learn more about God, not fearful of what anyone will say or question. She challenges me to be more on fire for God, and to have that "child-like" faith, never afraid or concerned what everyone else thinks! He has truly blessed me with great kids, I want to always remember times like these, where we can serve our God together, and learn more about Him. May He equip me to be able to teach my children all about our Wonderful Savior! I want nothing more than for my children to know, love and serve HIM.
Here are just a few highlights from the week!

The first picture is of Miss. Jill, we were raising money to help her purchase a new handicap accessible van. The kids raised over two thousand dollars! Amazing! One of my kids brought a $20 bill and was so excited to put it in the offering, how great is it that he would use it for this rather than a new toy or something else he desired!

The nest picture is of the kids on their last game night, of course it ended in a water balloon fight!
The next two pictures are of the kids enjoying praise and worship! I had a fun group!

And of course I had to add one in of Andrew and Brooklynn, this was from one of the nights when we stayed later, the kids were troopers the whole week!

Prayers~

Just a quick little blurb: I test tomorrow morning starting at 9 am....another 3hr. test~!
Again, please be praying for God to bless me, take my stress away and help me focus on what is at hand. I am really excited and nervous all rolled together~ I'll post tomorrow!~ Goodnight

South of the Border Corn Salad

Only because you asked~ :)
Okay this is actually a Weight Watchers Recipe:
You will need:
1 lg. poblano chile
4 C. chopped lettuce
2C. peeled and shredded jimaca (about 1/2 pound)
16 cherry tomatoes, halved
6 T low sodium corn relish

Preheat the broiler. Line a sm. baking sheet with foil; place the chile on the baking sheet. Broil 5 inches from the heat, turning with tongs, until charred, about 5 min. Wrap the chile in foil and let steam 15 min. When cool enough to handle, peel, discard the seeds, and coarsely chop.
Combine the roasted poblano, lettuce, jicama, tomatoes, and corn relish in a large bowl/ Serve at once. Points per 1 cup serving is 1)

I then added the broiled Tex-Mex Steak to it:
Marinade Recipe is:
3 T tomato paste
1 chipotle en adobo plus 2T adobo sauce
Juice and grated zest of 1 lime
1 1/2 t ground cumin
I put the marinade in a zip-loc bag and add the steak. Refrigerate, 2 hours or overnight.
Spray the broiler pan with nonstick spray; preheat the broiler/ Remove the steak from the marinade; sprinkle both side with salt (1 t). Broil the steak 4 inches from the heat until done to taste, 8-9 min on each side for medium-rare. Let stand 10 min before carving.
I used about 1 1/2 lbs of sirloin steak.
This is only 4 pts per serving.

You can also do the steak and serve over any salad greens with any vinaigrette dressing! Yumm-O~

Thanks for asking for the recipe, have a great week!
Blessings~

Wow! What a Week!

Okay so without my computer working this week I haven't been able to post.....
Tuesday the test went well! I scored in the high 90's. I was so excited and the second part of my test is scheduled for Tuesday at 9 am. It will be another 2 1/2 to 3 hour test then I will have to do an essay after finishing the test. This week also we have VBS, I will be leading one of the fourth grade classes. I can't wait to see what God has planned for them this week! Brooklynn is excited that she actually gets to go to the 4's class.....even though she isn't 4 yet. She is really ready and talking about it all the time! Okay so I still plan on making dinner for Chip and I, even though they will have dinner there, I know I won't be eating!

So here is my menu for this week!~
Monday:
Lunch-Noodles for lunch, with fruit
Dinner- South of the Border Corn Salad w/ Tex-Mex Steak
Tuesday:
Dinner-Moroccan Burgers and Watermelon
Wednesday:
Lunch-Egg Salad
Dinner-Thai-Style Peanut Noodles and Chicken
Thursday:
Lunch-Sloppy Joe
Dinner- Baked Ziti
Friday-
Lunch-left overs
Dinner-Balsamic Chicken with Caramelized Onions

I am not sure about Saturday but Sunday we will have MeatLoaf!

Today I am going to be cleaning house, as I know the rest of the week will be crazy! Although when I put the kiddos down maybe for a second I will get online and post pictures of Brooklynn's Pretty Pretty Princess week! Oh and Friday I took the kids for the first time to the Holland Aquatic Center....it was amazing not to mention kids 3 and under were free! I will post some pictures of that too!
Have a great day! Blessings~

Prayers Please~

Tomorrow I will have a test that starts at 9 will be about 3 hours long. Please pray that God will bless me during this time. That my nerves would not be evident, and that I would focus on what I need to be focused on! God is in control, I know that with all my heart, now I have to believe it will all of my heart tomorrow! Thank you ahead of time for all your prayers. It's now midnight and I have to leave here tomorrow by 8:10 latest......
Blessings~

Menu Planning Monday!

Okay so this is my first week doing the blog menu planning, but here goes!

Monday: Pancakes with Bacon Lunch-soup & sandwich Dinner- Chicken on the grill, green beans, and spring mix salad.
Tuesday: Eggs with Sausage Dinner- Spaghetti with garlic bread
Wednesday: Eggs and Toast Dinner for the kids- PB&J, carrots, and string cheese
Thursday: Homemade Cinnamon Rolls Dinner-Meatloaf, carrots, salad
Friday: Homemade Pizza and salad
Saturday: Hamburgers on the grill with a potato dill salad

Hope you have a great week of meals planned too! Blessings~

What a busy week!

Literally I feel like this last week was about two weeks rolled into one! :) This last week was Pretty Pretty Princess week for Brooklynn, a camp held at the Y. She had an absolute ball, and wants to go again. Monday they had stylists come in from Red's salon and do all 35 of the girls hair! It was rainy that day and of course Brooklynn's naturally curly hair was in ringlets, and stayed. They loved doing her hair and said it was the easiest of all to do! She may like it now, but let's see when she is 15! Tuesday they had a lady from an etiquette school come and teach the girls proper table etiquette! Wednesday they had a tea party and got to decorate their own tea cup, which is displayed in my china cabinet! Thursday they had mani/pedi's and Friday they did a fashion show! She loved, loved, loved every min of it! I was not only the transporter for the week, but I still watched kids, cleaned two houses, catered for 28 people, and cleared out a portion of our closet! I know that this week is going to be just as busy. I will have 5 kids on Monday and Wednesday, and Brooklynn has school M-W-F, Tuesday I will be in Grand Rapids doing a test for 3 hrs. and then home...to rest and relax, and pray! I will have to be there at 8:45 the test starts at 9, pray if you think about it! I will be cleaning another house this week, and then hopefully finishing some yard work and some more organizing at our house! I have the label-er out and ready to go! Oh and Wednesday night we are going to have a babysitter, it will be probably the only night I will actually get to have a conversation with my husband, lol, but we are going to be going out with some friends who need some uplifting time! I suggested we go karaoke or country line dancing....lol....where else can you laugh more or have a great time just smiling! We all need just a little bit of time to escape from our lives and not care about anything, no stress, no frustrations, no sickness, nothing but laughing at each other, and enjoying finding the love of life and youthfulness again... and I can't remember what else I have to do right now. Chip has just as busy a week, he is an amazing man!
So maybe here is my wish list of accomplishments for Monday: getting our sheets washed and folded tomorrow, oh and maybe I could throw in another load after that too! I also want to finish my closet during nap time!! (maybe, if they sleep!) Monday night, I would like to reorganize my cold closet in my kitchen....did I mention I have the label-er in working order...I'm going to go crazy!!! I'm excited, I love to organize...I just hate the messiness of how life can get especially in a small house! Then I am going to put the kids to bed and read, and then hit the sack.
For the week, I plan on walking Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday. I will make out my menu for the week tomorrow, I am going to do pancakes in the morning with bacon, and sandwiches and soup for lunch, and then chicken on the grill with salad, and green beans for dinner. Easy day of food....I'll do the Monday's Menu post tomorrow! I plan on rolling dough on Tuesday to make fresh cinnamon rolls and freeze some too. I am really excited about the new recipe I will let you know how they turn out and post some pictures too!
Hope you had a great week, I can't wait to destress on Wednesday night...this is the first time we are going to do this but maybe it should be a more frequent event, or as frequent as we can afford a babysitter, lol! And singing and dancing are really free events....maybe as a Wesleyan PW I shouldn't talk about dancing...lol!
I had more I wanted to post, but I am tired and can't think anymore. I will post some pictures of Brooklynn at her Pretty Pretty Princess camp tomorrow night! Sleep well...
Blessings~

Amazing Parents!

One of my MOST favorite pictures of my mom and dad!

Okay so, this was taken a while ago, and of course is taken by me but that isn't why I love it so much. It isn't professional, and isn't staged; they are having a fun time, enjoying a cruise, and most of all I see joy exuding from their inner souls! This is my parents! They are happy people, God has richly blessed them! Story behind this picture: I know we were finished eating, I think we were getting ready to go to the show, or maybe just coming from it. I always have a great time with my mom and dad, I love when they are smiling, and love to make them laugh!

They are amazing people.

My mom is my best friend, and truly my confidant. I don't know how I would ever make it through anything without her. She is concerned about everyone else but herself. She works for the hospital treating cancer patients. She is great at what she does! Almost always when I go home we will see one of her patients, or family of a patient, and they always thank her and tell her how much she did for their family. She volunteers for the church, actually all of my life she has been a part of the church some way or another. She is an amazing, driven, independent, happy, smart, inspiring woman. She is an amazing mother, she always made sure we had what we needed, and wanted. She isn't finished mothering, she continues to look after us. She has done a great job, and would never give herself as much credit as she deserves, but she did the best job raising us. I only hope one day to be the woman, mother, wife, and friend that she is! I only hope that Brooklynn and I will have that close of a relationship one day. I love that my kids adore their Mimi, she is so good with them. I could go on and on about how wonderful she is, simply she is the best mom ever!
My dad is amazing as well! He as well as mom is busy looking after others, he works hard at comforting people every day. He is a gentle, consoling, smart, quiet, determined, happy man! Both my parents are prayer-saturated, but I will always remember my dad kneeling to pray every morning in his room, door slightly ajar. He has such a gentle way of bathing things in prayer, and I am more appreciative of it now. Being that my dad is a funeral director he is used to getting calls all hours of the night, which makes it easier if needed to call for prayer~ he never scuffs about it he will just pray! (Let me tell you, I have called in the wee hours more often than not!) Bu they are amazing parents that love their children!!! He is such a hard worker, he has made sure that he has provided for all of us, and he has also planted that determination in our souls. My kids also are Papaw kids, they always ask to talk with him on the phone, and care so much about him! Again, same as with my mom, I could go on and on about how wonderful he is~ he is amazing and the best dad ever!

So this picture probably will continue to be on my "most" favorite list. I know there are a lot to choose from! Chip laughs at me, because they are in an elevator on a cruise we were on together. He says it's just because I wish I were on the cruise again! :) I do wish I was on a cruise too~

I love you mom and dad!

First day of the Sale!

QUICK UPDATE:

It went well today, sold a lot of things! Wish I could sell a lot more tomorrow. I have our kitchen island and changing table that are our bigger items that are left from today. Brooklynn did a great job with the lemonade today! It is amazing how much little kids can make from a lemonade table! I told her she could keep all the money and buy something special with it. I am actually really surprised how well we did today seeing as how I didn't put it in the paper. I hope tomorrow is just as successful! It is amazing to see just how much stuff you end up with once you have kids. I seriously have enough to have three more days of sales.
Funny thing: Brooklynn loved all of our "costumers" she wanted us to have more come and really didn't want to take a nap. Thank goodness there wasn't anyone outside when they went down.
Andrew wanted everyone to see Bailey, he kept saying "Baey Dog"
So since Chip is gone all day, I am going over to a friends for dinner tonight. I was going to bring Bailey with us but I think she will be fine for about 3 hours in her house.
So I have to go get the kids dressed, pack things up from outside, and shower. I will blog about tomorrow! Please pray we at least sell our big items! Otherwise Chip says they go to Good Will. He has a good point, there is a great feeling getting rid of things and blessing others with our things! I told someone a memory about one of Brooklynn's dresses....seriously funny, she didn't mind!

HAPPY FOURTH OF JULY!!!!

Yard Sale~

So I am going to attempt to have a yard sale this weekend....Lord willing we will get rid of a lot of things! My hope is to completely clear out our basement, with exception of our winter clothes, and one box of my favorite baby things. Let me be the first to admit, I have clung to the kids clothes saying what if we have more kids or do you remember when they did this in this outfit. CRAZY! So, for some reason this week I have been in a purge mood....maybe it will help make a lot of money and get things out of our house. A lot of the items will be kid related, and our clothes that don't fit or something Chip hasn't worn in forever! I do have some/most of my scrapbooking things and Stampin' Up items that are going out too. I still love to scrapbook and need to do Andrew's book, but I need to get rid of a lot of my things too. We also have some huge things to purge too, the baby swing, a night stand, etc. So tomorrow will be pricing everything! This time, I will have everything starting out on the tables according to size and gender! I am really prepared for it! Hopefully the weather is as nice as they were forecasting for. Seeing as how last weekend was supposed to rain (60%) and it only drizzled in the evening but didn't rain all day like they thought. This weekend is supposed to be sunny and rain free, not even a little percentage. Watch, my luck being so ready it will turn out to be bad weather....
This week has gone by so quickly:
Tuesday I went to the beach with the kids, they had sunscreen on but unfortunately I didn't put any on....not really thinking I would have a problem....well by 5:30 I was hurting, and bright red. I would love to show a picture but I'll spare you! I had Chip put on aloe and it felt as if he was rubbing it on with a knife....and today I have blisters on my back. Needless to say I will never forget to have sunscreen on myself too.
Wednesday again I had the five kids, we played inside and built with the blocks. We even played with some domino's counting for the girls and colors for one of the boys. We ate yummy lunches and then headed out to swim since the sun was still out! We finished right before it got cloudy and started to hail and rain. It actually hasn't stopped since then...bummer~

Here are a couple pictures: not of all the kids but most together :

Benjamin, Brooklynn, & Abigail posing for a second!
Andrew hamming it up!

Brooklynn and Andrew taking a break!

This was the best teeter-totter I found for $2 at a yard sale!

Thursday will be spent pricing and cleaning house, and then we are probably going to get together with Christine and Becca for a playdate!
Friday will be the sale and then I have to clean at one of my houses I clean for...then home to rest and prep for Saturday.
Saturday will be the sale in the morning and then I have to clean another one of my houses in the afternoon.
Sunday I will be taking the kids to church and then leaving to go serve 50 people brunch...this day is giving me the most stress. Chip will be taking care of the kids until I get back. So if you can pray for the change between services....as this will be the most stressful time with Chip getting ready for the 11:00 service and trying to keep the kids in one area. I am already packing a bag of snacks and juice, paci's, books, etc. Total time between service is about 30 min. I am sure it will be fine, Andrew just has a hard time going to the nursery without me taking him down. I will be sure to have my phone on vibrate! :)
On a happier note, I love being able to cater and serve people. I have not served 50 at one time by myself....last time I was able to bring someone in with me....I'll be sure to post about how it goes!
Have a great night~
Blessings~

First Time At North Beach!

We went to the beach with our friends Christine and her daughter Becca. Becca and Brooklynn go to pre-school together, and they were instant friends! It was great to get together and have a blast in the sun! The girls braved the cold water, but didn't want to leave even though it was after 5.
The beach is nice and smaller than the state park. This has a playground, a pavilion, a bath house, and a short walk to the water! I had just bought sand toys, and the kids enjoyed building. Andrew had a blast with the sand toys, he didn't mind standing at the edge of the water, but did not want the waves to hit him. It was so funny to see them and how they interacted at the beach
This I am sure will be the first of many beach picture posts~

Brooklynn and Andrew of course on their beloved swings!

Brooklynn showing me just how independent she is!

Brooklynn and Becca playing in the chilly water...
although they would never admit to it being chilly!

Andrew's Beach Feet!

Andrew has a new love of playing at the beach and making sand castles!

Snack Time!

Christine and Becca~