What Time is it??!?!??

I am sitting here in our cabin/condo on Saturday, May 15, morning. It is 7:41 AM, and I am wide awake, and have been since 6:30 AM. Not normal for me. I am a stay at home mom, people! I sleep until my kids allow me to…which is normally around 8:30. But this morning, I awoke at 6:30, on my own. I didn’t sleep very good, being as it was a new place and it was storming.

So Sissy and I, who woke up shortly after I did, got out of bed about 7:30…and she is already giving me some attitude! Not sure how that is going to work out today, seeing as we are heading to Silver Dollar City in a couple of hours!!! I’m hoping her attitude will suffice once she starts having fun there.

Tomorrow, we are getting up and going shopping at a couple of the outlet malls and eating lunch at a place called Mel’s Hard Luck Diner before heading home.

Of course, I won’t be able to actually post this until we get back home, so I will post about the rest of our weekend then as well. I hope you all had a good one!!

Life with a Dog…Day 1

The kids LOVE dogs, all animals actually. They play like they are puppies all day. Even while in Branson, this past weekend, Bubba was crawling around on all fours in the stores playing Puppy. They get excited when the see the big dog next door outside.

Hubby and I have talked about getting the kids a dog, but not for awhile. At least until we got a fence build in the back yard. W03e didn’t really want a puppy, but just a young dog. One that was already house trained, lost it’s baby teeth, and that was good with kids.

Well yesterday, Hubby came home for lunch and told me that he needed a check. When I asked for what he told me that there was a lady he worked with that had some boxer puppies that have been ready for a week now. She was planning on taking them to Kansas City to sell them. He said that he knows how much the kids want one, and I think he did too.

So we decided to go ahead and get one. We just wanted to surprise them with it. I had a jewelry party last night, so Hubby got off of work, come home and got my truck, and then went to get the dog before the kids noticed. He got back right after the majority of everyone left.

The kids were ecstatic!!! They have not left her side since she walked in the door last night. We placed her bed on Sissy’s pallet in our bedroom floor, and she fell asleep without any problems. I did wake up in the middle of the night, though, looked down to check on them both, and noticed that “Chicka” was NOT in her bed. She was, in fact, laying on Sissy’s belly. If it wasn’t 1 o’clock in the morning, I might have taken a picture of it. But I was NOT going to risk my head, to turn the light on to get the shot! HA

But I did manage to get this one first thing this morning.

And here is one of the cute little thing up close.

 

House training seems to be the hardest thing so far. She seems to love the kids, though they won’t leave her alone. She is learning quick not to chew on things. It just seems to be the pottying that we are having problems with. she can’t seem to get to go on the pads. Any ideas?

I am Yours

I logged on to my blog reader today to find this. If you haven’t read the book, you definitely should. I downloaded the free version, and I am so glad that I did.

There have been some issues going on with me right now, and it has made me do a lot of questioning. Question why God has let this all happen to my family. Question what He has in store for us. Question what I am supposed to do. Question my religion.

I have been so confused, and have prayed for Him to show me what to do, but just reading Angie’s book has made me realize that me telling God what I want to do is ridiculous. That me praying, “God, I pray this all passes over so that I may return to what I have known” is NOT what He wants, but that I should be praying, “God, show me Your way.”

If it’s His Will for me to move away from what I know and love, so be it. Yes, it will be very hard for me, but I know that He will give me peace for whatever direction He leads me.

He loves me, more than I love Him, and I know that He knows what’s best for me. For that I will forever praise Him.

Bring The Rain
I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You
Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray
Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings You glory
And I know there'll be days
When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to praise You
Jesus, bring the rain
I am Yours regardless of
The dark clouds that may loom above
Because You are much greater than my pain
You who made a way for me
By suffering Your destiny
So tell me what's a little rain
So I pray
Holy, holy, holy
Is the Lord God Almighty

Graduation- holding on to letting go.

Graduation is right around the corner for the local seniors, and it has me reminiscing about my high school graduation…10 years ago!

I know that to some, 10 years doesn’t seem that long ago, but then I think about how my little sister, who turns 14 years old this year, was only 3 at my graduation. WOW!

I wish that I had a video of it, even though our guest speaker was VERY long-winded, I would love to see it. I gave the Benediction, and I wish that I hadn’t lost my copy of it. I also remember the fact that I got a scholarship that I was unaware of. They called my name, and I sat there…not realizing that it was me they were calling. LOL

The most rememberable  thing about my graduation was the fact that my dad was the one who handed me my diploma! He, along with one of my classmates’ dad, was on the school board. So we were able to get them to hand us our diplomas. As I walked up to accept it, I noticed that he wouldn’t look at me. He kept looking at the floor. When he handed it to me, I was about to walk off, and he grabbed me, hugged me and told me he loved me. I could hear everyone in the auditorium say, “AWWW!” which of course made it worse.

I was able to pull myself together to handle the Benediction, but afterwards, during the “congratulatory line'” I, of course, cried some more.  But I didn’t have time to do that long.

My parents gave me the option of either extending my curfew for prom or for graduation. I decided on graduation…which didn’t happen.

My coach informed us the morning of graduation that my golf team was going to the state tournament…and we were leaving right after graduation! So myself and my classmate, along with two other girls, left about an hour after the ceremony ended and headed out. As much as I was upset for not getting to hang out with my friends for the last time before everyone moved away, it was an experience that I would never change.

This is one of my favorite pictures of my high school days. The girl in this picture with me was one of the most wonderful, sweetest, funniest, prettiest girls I have ever known. And will ever meet in my life. She was one of the girls that was on my golf team and she was the highlight of the trip by far!

“Pugger” as one of our old coaches called her, was special. She was a blonde at heart that made everyone smile, and her life was ended far too early. Our golf tournament was the last time her and I was able to spend time together. She, along with two other wonderful people, were killed in a car accident right before Christmas 2000.

When I think of graduation, I can’t help but think of that tragic accident that took the lives of 3, and the hearts of many. It makes me cherish the moments I had with each of them then, and the moments I have with my loved ones now. I’m holding on to those I had to let go!

To all of you that are graduating, may God Bless you, and keep you safe!

Past, Present, Future

I’m sure none of you have really missed me THAT much..but I will do an update none-the-less.

Lets see, since it’s been, oh, 3 weeks, since my last post, a lot has gone on. Well not really, but it makes me feel better about not doing a post in that long.

Umm..we have gotten all moved into our new house! Which is so much bigger than our rent house. My besties, Stacy and Shannon, threw us a beautiful housewarming party. We got a lot of awesome stuff and we have already put the majority of it to good use. We did get a few picture frames and a sing that we have yet to hang up. Only because I can’t decide where to hang them at.

My favorite picture frame.             Sissy eating her FIFTH cupcake!

Nana teaching Sissy how to correctly use bubble wrap!!

Me and the two besties that threw our housewarming party!

These past three weeks, I also got the opportunity to photograph my first wedding!! I was super excited but also super nervous. I wasn’t really nervous about doing my job, but more about the weather. The wedding was about 30 miles away, and it was supposed to storm. Bad! In fact, right before I planned on leaving to head home, our county and the county I was in was put under a tornado warning!! The only thing that kept me calm was knowing that my kids were safe with my aunt and cousins and the house I was at had a safe room!! Other than that, the rain made for some AWESOME outdoor pics!!

 

I had SO much fun with this wedding! The bride and I have known each other for years! Since like kindergarten. Her brother and I even worked together for about a year or so. Then her parents used the local pharmacy that I worked at before I became a SAHM. So I knew that helped put me at ease enough to be able to tell them what I wanted them to do.

I hope this will really help get my foot in the photography door. I’ve done paying gigs before, but I truly believe that until you do a wedding or maternity pics (which I have not yet gotten the opportunity to do) you will not really get noticed. *keeping my fingers crossed!!*

Last night I attended my first Premier Designs Jewelry party! I was never really interested in going to one, I’ve been invited to a couple before, but my sister was throwing this one, and I decided to actually go. I had SO much fun!! I’ve never been big into jewelry, but this will win you over! I bought a CUTE necklace last night (Happy Birthday to me!!) and even booked my own party!

So, what’s in store for the “My Life, My Story” household for the rest of the month?

Hubby and I played a game of PIG on the kids’ basketball goal earlier. The bet? If I won, he had to take me out to dinner for Mother’s Day. I won! He decided to go double or nothing. If I won again, he had to take me out for Mother’s Day AND my birthday. If he won, he didn’t have to take me out for either. I’m trying to decide where I want to go….

Well, next weekend, May 14-16, Hubby, myself, and the kiddos are heading to Branson, MO for a mini family vacation with some friends! My family and I used to take vacations every year to the Branson/Eureka Springs/Berryville area and I miss that. So when we got the chance to go with friends, we jumped at it! 

We are leaving that Friday around noon to head up there. Saturday, we are going to spend the day at Silver Dollar City, to which I can NOT wait!! I think the kids, as well as us, are going to enjoy it so much! Sunday, we are going to get up, check out of our cabin, and start doing some shopping before we head home! I simply can’t wait! Someone at the Weather Channel says that it is supposed to be raining that weekend…I hope that they get fired for lying!!

Then Tuesday, May 18, is my jewelry party and the 20th is my birthday. I will be 28! I’m okay with that…but after my birthday next year, I’m staying put!!

Memorial Day weekend, we are going to go camping with Hubby’s aunt, uncle, cousins, and their families on the Buffalo River…I think. Either way, I’m excited about that. I know the kids will have so much fun camping, they both LOVE being outside! Me, not so much. I’m all about the indoors, but since we will be with family, and we will be close to the river, and we will only be doing it for 2 nights, I THINK I can handle it. I’ve gotta psyche myself out for it though.

Happy Mother’s Day to all you lovely Momma’s!!!!!!

Comfort Healing

Issue: I suffer from boughts of panic attacks. Not very often, but at least once, sometimes twice a month. And though they don’t come that often, they still kick my booty.

Cause: I haven’t figured out what causes them completely. But I have noticed things that set them off.

1. If I am totally stressed.

2. If I have had something tragic happen.

3. If I have an unexplained sudden pain (in my chest, stomach, head, arm, leg, back…you get the idea!).

Symptoms: My stomach starts hurting, I start feeling all clammy, I get lightheaded, and I literally feel like I am going to die. I think that if I fall asleep, I’m never waking up.

Cures: Anything that helps me relax and/or get my mind off of things. I can read a good book or magazine, watch a funny movie, take a nice warm (not hot, that makes it worse), or sometimes I just MAKE myself go to sleep and turn things over to God.

Well last night, I felt one coming on. My stomach started hurting and I started feeling lightheaded. I was laying in bed with Sissy when this started and I told her that Mommy’s stomach hurt. My 3 year old had done something that my momma used to do when I was little and got a stomach ache. She rubbed my belly. Oddly, it helped. The thought of her comforting me the only way she knew how, calmed me enough that I could relax and go to sleep.

Oh how I love my little girl!!!

My NEW best friend!

I am a salt girl. Always have been.

In fact, when I was pregnant with Sissy, I ended up with pre-eclampsia because I ate so much salt! (Okay, well not quite, but that’s what I chalked it up to anyways.)  I suffered from horrible morning sickness and anything salted helped. Working next door to Mickey D’s didn’t help either. I would constantly be walking across the parking lot just to get an order of fries to settle my stomach. Or I would come in to work with TWO bags of sunflower seeds. Salt was my best friend.

3 years later, I still like to eat things that are salted, but not near as much. Now, I maybe eat MD’s only twice A MONTH!! I realize now that not only did it help my pocket book but probably my cholesterol as well!

A couple of weeks ago, we took the kids to see Hubby’s dad and stepmom. She had just cooked some supper before hand…fried chicken, potatoes, spinach, and chicken gravy. Of course, I am a huge chicken eater (odd seeing as I was raised on a chicken farm…)and I will try just about anything that has chicken in it! (Eggs, not so much. But chicken, yes!) Her fried chicken was delish! I asked her how she made it. She told me (like it was how everyone made chicken) that she simply dipped it in flour that had some seasoned salt, pepper, and some of this

in it! Mrs. Dash Table Blend. I am now addicted to this stuff! I bought a bottle of it shortly after, and I add it to everything I need seasoned. From chicken, to potatoes, to steak, and hamburger meat. It seems to have also made me eat a little healthier. I have made fried potatoes twice this week, but I have fried them in EVOO instead of vegetable oil, and used Mrs.. Dash instead of salt. And honestly…I think I liked them better than the other way.

I will definitely be buying more of this stuff in the future….I maybe even venture out and try some different blends. Not sure how adventurous I am though. Yep, Mrs. Dash is my NEW best friend. (Other than Stacy, RB, SA, and LR!!)

Easter and such..

So I’ve been a little self absorbed lately. Hubby was on vacation for 9 days this past week, and we truly enjoyed it.

We Hubby started remodeling the bathroom. He changed out all the hardware (cabinet door handles and knobs, towel racks, and toilet paper holder) the first day of his vacation.

On Tuesday, the 30th, we went out of town to Lowe’s to find some stuff for the house. (That is actually what started the whole remodel). We enjoyed spending time together as a family, not working on the house!

The rest of the week, we didn’t do much of anything, except Hubby worked on the bathroom.

Sunday was Easter (duh), and what I thought was going to be a miserable day turned out to be a quite nice day. Hubby and I fought for the previous 2 days, and Sunday morning, about where everyone was going to go to church and lunch. It was between his family’s church and house for lunch, of mine.

He was adamant about going with his family and was okay with splitting our family apart for the day…which I was NOT okay with. I gave in, in the end, and went to church with him and we did lunch with his family. As much as I thought the day was going to be horrible because of it, it was a fabulous time for us!

Hubby went back to work on Monday, and the kids about drove me crazy! I didn’t realize that Dad being home for 9 days would make the next day he went back miserable… me and the kids! They screamed and cried, and acted out all day!!

Today, thankfully, is last day of work before he is off for his 3 days. So far they have been doing good..so far.

Church is tonight, and tomorrow is MDO. Of course, Hubby is off tomorrow, so he will probably want the kids to stay home. We will see…

House Pics

Well, here it is! The house post!! Pictures of our new house before we bought it, and pictures of the house now. We are currently remodeling the master bathroom, so there will be updated pictures of it…at some point.

 

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Living Room Before

Living Room After

Sissy’s Room Before

Sissy’s Room After

Sissy’s Room Before

Sissy’s Room After

Bubba’s Room Before

Bubba’s Room After

Bubba’s Room Before

Bubba’s Room After

Kitchen Before

Kitchen After

Dining Room Before

Dining Room After

And the creme’ de la creme’, the view out my back door!!

I know that I didn’t post all of the rooms, but I didn’t want to go to picture heavy in one post.

New House!!!!!

It’s been a little over a week since my last post, and I wondered, “Has anyone really even missed me?”

Then I realized, it doesn’t matter.

I apologize, but I did not start this blog for you. Does that sound bad??? I started it as a place to leave my thoughts, feelings, and memories. A place for me to look back and remember what and how I felt at a certain time in my life. If you happen to have started reading this blog and for some reason decided to follow it, awesome!

Okay, so I got a little off track….okay, a lot of track. I just felt that I needed to write all of that not for your benefit, but for mine. I sometimes get upset that I only have like 14 followers, and only like 2 or 3 of them leave comments…if any. I have to remind myself that I started this blog for me, not for your entertainment, though it helps, but for my memories.

So, back to why I actually started writing this post…

I have been MIA for the past week and a half because we have taken a very important step in our lives. We bought our first house!!! We found this house at the end of January, and after a month and a half, lots of stress, worry, stress, fears, stress, arguing, and did I mention stress, we finally got to close! We closed on Friday, March 12 and got the keys to the house Tuesday, March 16.

We headed over that evening with our bed, and paint supplies and got started with painting. When we finally called it quits, it was midnight and we had one coat on the living and dining room walls.  The next morning, we started up again with me painting and hubby bringing boxes over from the rent house. At around noon, my SIL and my bestie Stacy, came over and helped me paint. We got the rest of the living area and Jordie’s room knocked out before we called it quits at around 630 Wednesday night.

Thursday, I took the kids to MDO while Hubby went to work, and I went to the rent house to finish packing up some stuff and start cleaning. By Friday afternoon, the kids and drove away from the rent house for the last time. With so many emotions running through my head, it resulted in me weeping like a baby!!

Hubby has had his 3 days off yesterday, today, and tomorrow, and we have gotten quite a bit done at the new house. We still have quite a bit more to go though….

As soon as we get it all done, organized, and looking like a house, I will take, and post pictures for your viewing pleasure.

Don’t give up on me, I will be back….eventually!