Chrisi's Spot

Rachel Pulled Me Over

2007-02-01T10:47:00.000-05:00

I've changed over after much thought and much coercion by my friend Rachel. Here is my new spot.

http://onmymindatthetime.wordpress.com/

Prayer

2007-01-17T22:30:00.000-05:00

This morning I was thinking about my prayer time. How flipant are you when you pray? Too many times my mind can wander when I pray if I'm not careful. I think a lot of times that's satan's way of keeping me from communicating with God, he knows the power of prayer. I know I also don't think about prayer as being a privilege. It's not that I don't know it, but take it for granted. Just think, how would you act if you were going to meet the President of the United States or someone else that society sees as important? Would you let your mind wander? Would you act the same while you were visiting with this person as you do when you pray? If you were presenting a problem or idea to him, would you present it in the way you bring your prayers to God? Probably not. When we pray, we are speaking to God who spoke everything into existence, who died for us so that we would not have to spend eternity in hell. How much more important is He than anyone you can think of on earth? Yet we don't treat him with even the respect we would someone here on earth. I don't think you need fancy words or eloquent speech, God doesn't need that. Simple words, grammatically incorrect, this doesn't matter. The wonderful thing is, he wants to have a personal relationship with us, unlike the important person mentioned above. I need to give God the reverence and respect he deserves. I need to think about to whom it is I'm speaking, do you?

2007-01-17T06:48:00.000-05:00

Picture of Noel that Heather took this last weekend.

This little stinker has been getting out of her kennel, that is 6ft high. She climbs to the top and drops to the ground. We've lost count how many times she has gotten out. Even after getting her leg caught about 3 or 4 times and hanging there until we found her (which we know wasn't too long after she did it). Every time she got out she would always stay up near the house, usually on or near the porch. Yesterday morning she got out for the last time. We found her when my hubby was taking me to work on the road. The way she was hit we could tell she didn't suffer, I won't go into the icky details. She was so sweet, when she would get out you just called her and she would come running into your arms. I'm just thankful she didn't hang herself and suffer. I was so afraid every day I would come home from work and find her caught on the fence where she had suffered all day.

Sorry for the depressing post. :o(

Senior Pictures

2007-01-14T17:03:00.000-05:00

This is Heather. She was posing for Rachel on the walking bridge and then decided to make this beautiful face for me.

Yesterday Rachel took Heather's Senior pictures at Chickamauga Battlefield and in Chattanooga. The plan was to go to the art district in Chattanooga, but we stopped off at the tower in the battlefield on the way up. We had such a beautiful day for pictures. We walked across the walking bridge over to the museum and she got some shots around there.

This is Heather standing on the glass bridge that goes to the museum. I'm not real paranoid of heights, but the glass really made me nervous. I had a wonderful time, but my feet sure did hurt when we were done.

Heather and Rachel resting and thinking. She had just finished shooting a picture of Heather on this bench/wall.

After we left Chattanooga we went to IHOP for lunch, we were all starving since we didn't have any breakfast. I didn't make very good food choices, I haven't been to IHOP in about 5 years. Even then I was sick and didn't keep any of it down. :o( When we finished the waitress came by and asked us if we wanted any cheesecake, to which I replied, "Oh no, no, no, no." I noticed Rachel was looking at me kinda weird and she said yes to the waitress. I thought this was kinda weird because I thought we were all getting pretty full. Then I looked that waitress who had kind of a weird look on her face too and said, "I must have misunderstood you, what did you say?" She repeated, "Would you like this all on one bill?" I immediately started laughing and apologized explaining what I thought she had said. Then we were all laughing. Rachel said, "I was thinking goodness Chrisi, I'll pay if it's that big of a deal." Rachel and I had the giggles about that for quite a while after words, a little too long according to Heather. Rachel has this way of just looking at me and snickering when I get tickled about something that makes me start laughing all over again. Which in turn usually makes her laugh too and starts the whole thing over again. Laughter is good medicine they say, I should be healthy for about a month with the laughing I did at IHOP. It was a good day.

She's Home!!!!

2007-01-07T18:59:00.000-05:00

Heather is finally home with us safe & sound. She opened her gifts from both sides of our family that she wasn't able to see. One of the things she received was Scene It, which we were playing when her mother called. I thought I would post while we waited.

This morning we went to church in Manchester and the service was good. I knew there would be something in it I needed to hear because I really didn't feel like going. I woke up with my back hurting and a headache. I tossed back & forth whether I would go or not and finally decided to at least take a shower before I decided. I took some medicine for my headache and then took a shower and felt pretty good. On the way to church, about 45 minutes away I had a panic attack. I've never felt anything like that except when I go to the dentist and they are about to give me a shot. My body felt kinda cold, a panic type cold, for no reason at all and started having trouble breathing. It went away after awhile, but that confirmed that I needed to be there. Normally I would have given into not going so I thank God for nudging me.

I've picked my word.......tongue. I really need to watch my tongue in a lot of areas. No, not in the sense of cursing, but things that don't need to be said or that I need to think about before I speak. I have also decided that I would study and try to memorize James 3:1-18. I'm terrible at memorizing, but at the least I am going to study it. I'm also considering picking another word and verses in about 3 months. We'll see how this goes, I may need more than 3 months on this one.

James 3:1-18
[1] My brethren, be not many masters, knowing that we shall receive the greater condemnation.
[2] For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body.
[3] Behold, we put bits in the horses' mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body.
[4] Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth.
[5] Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth!
[6] And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell.
[7] For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind:
[8] But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison.
[9] Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God.
[10] Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.
[11] Doth a fountain send forth at the same place sweet water and bitter?
[12] Can the fig tree, my brethren, bear olive berries? either a vine, figs? so can no fountain both yield salt water and fresh.
[13] Who is a wise man and endued with knowledge among you? let him shew out of a good conversation his works with meekness of wisdom.
[14] But if ye have bitter envying and strife in your hearts, glory not, and lie not against the truth.
[15] This wisdom descendeth not from above, but is earthly, sensual, devilish.
[16] For where envying and strife is, there is confusion and every evil work.
[17] But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, and easy to be intreated, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality, and without hypocrisy.
[18] And the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace of them that make peace.

SHE IS NEVER FLYING AGAIN!!!!!

2007-01-06T12:22:00.000-05:00

That's it, we have decided that Heather is never flying again. We have secured her room with steel vault doors, an intercom system, a computer and web cam. We will be able to communicate through the intercom and she can finish high scool via web cam, then take college courses on-line.

Ok, so we're not going to do that. I would however be happy if she decided never to fly again. Yesterday her flight was to leave for Portland at 2:10, BUT they were running late. This wouldn't be a huge deal except the flight she was supposed to catch in Portland headed to Denver was a tight fit anyway she only had 20 minutes to get to the gate. Well the delay caused her to arrive at the airport about 5 minutes after the Denver flight left. We started calling while she was enroute to Portland trying to get them to hold the flight since it was so close, they wouldn't do it. She (being a supervisor I finally talked to)said they could not hold the flight. I even tried to envoke Rule 240 that we had heard about from John Tesh which says that they have to put you on a flight of your approval even if it's a different airline. She told me the flight had to be 1.5 hours late, which I think I found out is false, it had to be a 2 hour flight. When we checked on-line there were no better options than the one they switched her to since they would not hold the flight. We tried all kinds of combinations, even her flying into Indianapolis so my mom could pick her up. We spent an hour trying ot resolve it, but nothing could be done. Side note: When I flew to Arizona, on the way back our flight was late and they held a connecting flight for one of the gentlemen on our plane. They let him off before the rest of us so they could rush him to the plane. So, I know they do this, I just don't know if there were other circumstances that prevented them from doing it. Quite frankly, I was so freaked out about it, I didn't care at the time. When she got to Portland she had to wait for a flight at 11pm, that is after getting there at about 4:45pm. That flight took her to Chicago and then Nashville at 8 something this morning! She was supposed to arrive in Nashville at 11:11pm last night. She is now exhausted but safely with her pawpaw in Manchester, TN. We are going to go to his church tomorrow and bring her home then. He doesn't see her much and wanted to spend some time with her. Originally she was coming home today, but she needs that time with her pawpaw.

Whew!! I'm so glad that is over!!! She is going to make an old lady of me yet. *sigh* :o)

Thank You Lord for Heather's safe arrival. Not the way we wanted, but exactly how you planned.

Great Idea, Even If It Wasn't Mine

2007-01-05T11:16:00.000-05:00

I subscribe to The Generous Wife Daily Tips I highly recomend it. Today's tip is a GREAT idea.

Last year, I read an article that suggested choosing a word or a phrase to focus on for the year. For example, if you feel that you have a character trait you need to work on, you might choose something like "patience." Or if you want to focus on your family more than one work, maybe it would be "family," etc. The idea is that it isn't a resolution per se, but a focus point that points you in the direction you want to go. When you have to decide whether to bring work home or go out with the family, maybe your "family" focus will remind you of what's most important. If you're struggling with a particular person or issue, maybe remembering that "patience" is your word would help.Last year I chose "peace," and this year, "family." I didn't remember to focus on it all year, but I tried to keep coming back to it. Visual reminders help, like posting it on a bulletin board, the computer desktop, or the bathroom mirror. I've shared this idea with a number of people because I think it's more positive than most failed resolutions for the new year. It allows you to be humanly fallible, but to recover, and to keep making good choices as you try to move toward that focus.

I'm thinking about what my word should be, the problem is I think I need like 50! :o) That seems to be my problem with a lot of things in life, I want to tackle them all at once or not at all. I need to learn to work on one thing at a time so I don't get so overwhelmed. I need to think about the one word, I'll let you know. I bet you can't wait huh?

Happy New Year!!

2007-01-04T11:53:00.001-05:00

Jenna & Uncle Buzzy, originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Happy New Year!

2007, a fresh new start. I don't make "resolutions" but I would like to make a new start in 2007.

* Read God's Word More
I don't think you are ever at a point where this would not be something that could be improved upon.

* Pray More
Another area I don't think you could improve too much.

* Lose Weight
I'm going to make a fresh start against the battle of the bulge. I need to get my acid reflux back under control too. This falls into place when my eating habits improve.

* Don't Sweat the Small Stuff
I know this is a common catch phrase, but I really need to do this. I get so worked up about things, but when I calm down and look back I realize how dumb it was to get upset and then I feel bad and sometimes stupid.

* Get My House Under Control
I need to have a routine for housework, right now it's just chaos. Part of this will be organizing my Household Binder that I've started. Another part is downsizing the clutter. I think our lives will be more pleasant with less clutter.

We went to Indiana this past weekend. My uncle from Arizona flew in and was also there until today. This was the first time I had seen him since I was like 12 or 14. He is the half brother of my dad who died when I was 4. I don't know much of his side of the family because they lived so far away when I was growing up. My mom really did try to get us together with them as much as she could, Arizona is a LONG way from Indiana. We had a good visit. I got to see more of my brother this weekend than I think I have seen since I moved to Georgia. There were some rocky times but overall it was a good trip. I really hate that I didn't get to see everyone I wanted to see. I hope we get to take a longer trip soon.

2007-01-03T13:34:00.000-05:00

To invent, you need a good imagination and a pile of junk.
--Thomas A. Edison

Could someone please tell my husband? *Giggle*

Merry CHRISTmas Eve

2006-12-24T19:05:00.000-05:00

I probably will not post tomorrow, so MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

Today we had quite a scare. My MIL's neighbor (which is also her sister-in-law) called and said they had rushed my MIL to the emergency room with heart problems. She had valve replacement done on her heart a few years ago, so anything with her heart is scary. When we finally got to the emergency room she was sitting up in bed and said she felt fine. She explained that she was at work and felt pressure in her chest. The pressure got worse so she went to customer service (she works at Walmart) to tell someone just in case something happened. Then she started having trouble breathing. One of the ladies there as a customer was a nurse of her cardiologist, she asked if they had a defibrillator and got MIL laid on the ground. They didn't have one but the ambulance got there soon after. She said by this time she was gasping for air. They got her on the ambulance and she told them she felt like she was going to throw up and was sweating like crazy. They gave her something to throw up in, she leaned over it and............................ she belched 2 or 3 times and felt great! They borught her to the ER and ran tests, nothing. She had drank a Volt on her break, they think that's what did it. They told her they had several people come in today because of something they drank of pills they had taken. I am SO thankful everthing is ok.

I also talked to my mom and found out my step-father is in the hospital too. He kept telling her his heart was bothering him. He went to his family doctor and they ran some tests which showed he had an abnormal valve. They ran further tests that showed his heart is inflammed. They think it may be from the staph infection he had a year ago! The infection has damaged 2 of his valves, but they are not sure yet what they need to do. They are working on getting rid of the infection first. He told my mom, "I'm living it up. I have a bed, I can sleep anytime I want. I have a TV and someone to cook for me." He's not in any pain, and says he feels fine. So for this we will just have to pray and wait. He is not saved so prayer for his salvation would be appreciated too.

Good night. I hope y'all have a most blessed CHRISTmas with your family.

Just a Little Catching Up

2006-12-21T11:59:00.000-05:00

Ok, let's try to get caught up on what's been going on. The Christmas party for the office.....We went to Logans, it was probably the fastest party we've ever had. Our menus were turned in early so we didn't have to wait forever for our food. Usually we open gifts while we wait for food, so we didn't get to do that until after we ate. Rachel had my name and she kinda went overboard (not that I mind *giggle*). She gave me Bath & Body Works Lotion, Charlie and the Chocolate Factory DVD, several little Burt's Bees lotions, a cute little gingerbread man and a pretty felt bag with a dove on it. She also gave me Elf in my stocking, she was so horrified that I didn't own Elf. :o)

I got the rest of my Christmas gifts from my hubby. The biggest thing was a new camera!!! I really didn't expect that at all!! It's a refurbished (so he got a good deal on it under $100) Olympus with 5mp, my old one was 2. It also has supermacro, this will be great for taking pictures of the items I stitch to sell on Etsy so that I can show better detail. I also got Muppets Christmas Carol and Walton's Season 3. He is so sweet.

Sad Yet Thankful the Weekend is Over

2006-12-18T19:51:00.000-05:00

Saturday we opened gifts because Heather was to head to Oregon on Sunday to spend Christmas with her mom. Heather had gone to a Christmas party at a friend's and arrived home around noon Saturday and we opened gifts then. I received 2 CD's Charlie Brown Christmas and Joni Erickson Tada Christmas (AMAZING CD!!!) and a wood cutting board which I needed VERY bad (from Heather). Today My Gooseberry Patch Cookbook and Planner (got a deal where the planner was free-it's wonderful!!!)came in the mail. Byron ordered me a couple other things that came today, but I am waiting for him to get home from work to open them.

Sunday we went to church in Manchester. The sermon was excellent. He was speaking of putting on the whole armor of God. It's not like I don't know it but I need to be reminded that we are battling a spiritual war. Too many times I leave myself vulnerable by not putting on the whole armor so to speak. He also talked about some of the things we face day to day in that battle, I felt like he was talking straight to me. It's not that I'm a spiritual giant or anything, but if you are making any effort to follow Christ, satan will will try to discourage you, sometimes in the strangest ways.

Heather's pawpaw (her mom's dad) attends church in Manchester, the plan was for him to take her to the airport after church and lunch. Everything went as planned. Heather called us from the airport in Nashville, telling us she arrived at her gate on time. She then proceeded to Colorado, she called us to tell us she had arrived to her gate there. Then she proceeded to San Francisco. That's where there was a glitch. She arrived there about 12:30 am (3:30 am our time) and they said that they would not be able to proceed to Medford. They told her instead she would be flying into another airport 2 hours away from Medford at 7am! So, this leaves our 17 year old in San Francisco at a little after midnight all alone until 7am! Needless to say we didn't get to much sleep last night. I called her about 9:50 this morning and she was getting ready to get on the flight. I was so relieved because the on-line schedule said they planned to fly into Medford at 11 something tonight! God is so good, she is now with her mom. Please pray that the weather will be good for her flight home. In 2004 when she went to Oregon for Christmas we had some weather problems on her way home, we are praying ofr beautiful weather for the first part of January.

We had our Christmas Party at work. I'll have to tell you about it a little later though, it's time for my sweetie to get home. Have a blessed evening.

Guess What I Learned..........

2006-12-13T10:33:00.000-05:00

I learned that a Tea Cake is a Sugar Cookie. At least by my hubby's definition. Tea Cakes are another thing that his Aunt Tressie made that I have been trying to reproduce for him. I tried Paula Dean's Southern Tea Cakes and he said it was just like what she used to make. I told him it tasted like a sugar cookie and he said that's what they tasted like, crunchy sugar cookies. I thought it was more like a shortbread cookie or something. The recipe makes GREAT cookies, you should really try it. :o)

My wonderful Friend Rachel took a family picture for us last week. I was so excited, Heather's graduating this year so it was REALLY important to me that we had a family pic done. The one on the left is the one we chose out of the ones she took. The one on the right is Rachel trying to catch me being goofy but caught Byron looking at the ceiling. I love the cute look on his face and Heather trying not to laugh in front of the camera. :o)

What a Day!!!!

2006-12-07T18:42:00.000-05:00

The day started off taking little Miss Holly to be spayed. I was so nervous about this because she is so timid. We think she was probably abused because of the way she cowers at things. She did really well on the short ride to the vet and wanted to sniff the whole front office area once we arrived. It was so sad leaving her there as she trustingly followed the lady to the back, not knowing what was in store for her there. The good news is she came of of surgery well and tested negative for heart worms. They did discover that she has a tapeworm, so we will have to give her medicine until that is gone. I still haven't had a chance to see her yet. Hubby and Heather took Holly home and then met me so my wonderful photographer friend Rachel could take a family picture for us. When they got here, Heather locked her keys in the car. We got the picture taken and called a locksmith who then came and unlocked the door. Heather has to bake cookies and decorate a T-shirt tonight for an assignment which she waited until the last minute. She is now at the grocery store buying the extra ingredients for the cookies. I am sitting at the office while my hubby ran home to get the office door key. He took it out of the car so I have no way of locking up the office. It's really been a good day though. Rachel and I also went to Jazzy Junction on our lunch hour and found some treasures. I found a beautiful vintage suitcase and some doilies.

The other night (the 5th to be exact) we took a cake to hubby's Aunt Gert who turned 73. Don't worry, she doesn't mind her age being told, she tells it freely. We had such a good time visiting with her and her sister. We didn't leave until 11pm!

Well I gotta go, hubby's here.

Have a Great Weekend!!!

Meet The New Additions to Our Family

2006-11-28T14:15:00.000-05:00

Meet our new babies! I know I was supposed to do this last week, sorry.

We brought Noel home first, on Saturday, November 18th. She had several siblings that stayed behind. :o( Heather picked her out, I wanted one of her siblings that was medium brown with eyes and nose to match her coat. He/she was so pretty. I let Heather pick and was really glad that I did when the guy told us there was a woman traveling a long distance for the one I wanted. Noel did so well on the long drive home. She explored the backseat a bit and then slept most of the way home. We let her stay inside the first night.........for goodness sake! We kept her in the bathroom, but then Heather took Noel in her room in the carrier. Byron ended up taking her into the bathroom because she was crying so much (Heather slept through it).

Then there's Holly. Byron fell in love with Holly. She was sticking her nose through the fence at us and seemed very friendly. We were not able to take her home that day. They hold the dogs for 3 days to give the owner time to claim them, Holly's 3 days were not up until the next day. So Sunday we traveled back to Rome to adopt Holly. Holly's transition was not quite as smooth. When the guy went to get her out of her cage, she wasn't too excited about coming out, and cowered in the back of the cage. The guy had to get up in the cage and put the leash on her. He said she snapped at him, but we think she was just jerking her head around because she didn't want to wear the leash. Once she was out of the cage, she still didn't want to walk so I ended up carrying her to the car. When I go her to the car, I noticed that she had gotten so nervous that she had an accident (I thought she had sat in a puddle ewwww.). We had the seat protected so we got her up in the car and she seemed not too excited. She did ok on the way home, but staired me down most of the way. I have to say it made me a little nervous, but I still kept thinking once we got her home she would be ok. Well, she threw up when we got close to home. Luckily that was all she did in the car. :o) We just about had to lift her out of the car because she again wasn't too willing. She jerked to try to run off, then slowly followed us back to her new home and awaiting little sister. On the way she made a bathroom stop which was like water, bless her little heart, that made me a little nervous. It seems that was her problem, nervous because she is fine now. As soon as we got her in the fence and took the leash off, she started jumping around like a puppy. She was a completely different dog than we had seen at the pound or in the car. She wasn't too sure of Noel right off, but started to play with her pretty quickly. Since then, Noel is a whiney baby if she doesn't have 100% of your attention. Holly is very hyper at first when you come out to see her, but Heather is working on teaching her to sit & stay. They are both really sweet, I think we've been blessed with a couple of ornery but loving puppies. :o)

Heather with each of the babies.

2006 holiday Survey

2006-11-17T09:57:00.000-05:00

~2006 Holiday Survey~

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate?
Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
We don't have santa.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white?
We have white, but I like color too.

4. Do you hang mistletoe?
No.

5. When do you put your decorations up?
As soon as I get hubby to dig them out of storage.
I would like to do it about a week before Thanksgiving but
hubby wants to wait until after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish?
Turkey and Dressing! I love the sweets too.

7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child?
My grandparents would come over and watch my brother and I unwrap
our gifts and then mom would cook breakfast.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa?
I don't even remember. I know I suspected for awhile before I learned the truth.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve?
When I was younger we did. Since I've been married sometimes we've
opened all of our gifts early because Heather was at her moms Christmas day.

10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree?
With ornaments that we've made, my mom bought,
my mom gave us from my childhood tree.

11. Snow. Love it? or Dread it?
Both. I really miss it, but then again kinda don't. :o)

12. Can you ice skate?
NOPE! Only been once and I spent more time on my rear than I did skating.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift?
I can't think of one right now.

14. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you?
We really try to keep the focus on the birth of Christ. We do buy gifts and all,
but try not to get caught up in the commercialism.

15. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert?
Strawberry Delight! We always made it every year when I was growing up.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition?
We go to my MIL's to with my hubby's sibblings if we don't get to go to Indiana.
The last couple of years we have gone to MIL's on Christmas day and then to
Indiana for New Year's and celebrate Christmas with them then.

17. What tops your tree?
A simple gold star that we got our first Christmas after we were married.

18. Which do you prefer giving or receiving gifts?
Both but I LOVE giving them. :o)

19. What is your favorite Christmas Song?
What Child is This and Little Drummer Boy

20. Candy Canes! Yuck or Yum?
YUM!

Where did the time go?

2006-11-17T09:32:00.000-05:00

Last Saturday (11/11/06) I took Heather to get her Senior pictures made. Byron had to work that day, so it was just us girls. We're a little late getting them done. My friend Rachel is supposed to be doing her official pics, if we can ever coordinate a time when we are both available. The pictures we had done were for her cap & gown and yearbook then she also had poses with 2 backgrounds. It was so emotional for me. It made me sad that her mom was not here to do this with her. Don't get me wrong, I'm honored I was able to go with her, I just felt like she should have been able to do it with her mom. I teared up a bit, partly because of her mom and partly because she's growing up. It's hard to believe she's going to be graduating in May!
People tell me that I "don't know what it's like because I don't have children of my own", well if it's worse than this, I don't think my heart could handle it. It really makes me sad to think of her leaving us. I know, she's gotta grow up. eh, hem.........Anyway, enough of that or I'm gonna start crying just writing about it.

This weekend we got 2 new additions to our family. I'll post about them tomorrow with pics.

The Answer and the New Challenge

2006-11-12T22:43:00.000-05:00

The answer to this past week's challenge was Romans 2:1-29

Remember, no search engines. See if you can find this on your own.
This week's challenge is:
To every thing there is a season, and a time to every purpose under the heaven:

A time to be born, and a time to die; a time to plant, and a time to pluck up that which is planted;

A time to kill, and a time to heal; a time to break down, and a time to build up;

A time to weep, and a time to laugh; a time to mourn, and a time to dance;

A time to cast away stones, and a time to gather stones together; a time to embrace, and a time to refrain from embracing;

A time to get, and a time to lose; a time to keep, and a time to cast away;

A time to rend, and a time to sew; a time to keep silence, and a time to speak;

A time to love, and a time to hate; a time of war, and a time of peace.

What profit hath he that worketh in that wherein he laboureth?

I have seen the travail, which God hath given to the sons of men to be exercised in it.

He hath made every thing beautiful in his time: also he hath set the world in their heart, so that no man can find out the work that God maketh from the beginning to the end.

I know that there is no good in them, but for a man to rejoice, and to do good in his life.

And also that every man should eat and drink, and enjoy the good of all his labour, it is the gift of God.

I know that, whatsoever God doeth, it shall be for ever: nothing can be put to it, nor any thing taken from it: and God doeth it, that men should fear before him.

That which hath been is now; and that which is to be hath already been; and God requireth that which is past.

And moreover I saw under the sun the place of judgment, that wickedness was there; and the place of righteousness, that iniquity was there.

I said in mine heart, God shall judge the righteous and the wicked: for there is a time there for every purpose and for every work.

I said in mine heart concerning the estate of the sons of men, that God might manifest them, and that they might see that they themselves are beasts.

For that which befalleth the sons of men befalleth beasts; even one thing befalleth them: as the one dieth, so dieth the other; yea, they have all one breath; so that a man hath no preeminence above a beast: for all is vanity.

All go unto one place; all are of the dust, and all turn to dust again.

Who knoweth the spirit of man that goeth upward, and the spirit of the beast that goeth downward to the earth?

Wherefore I perceive that there is nothing better, than that a man should rejoice in his own works; for that is his portion: for who shall bring him to see what shall be after him?

Our Newest Kitty

2006-11-09T16:57:00.000-05:00

A close up of Bob
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is our newest kitty Bob. He's just starting to get comfortable with us, he was so wild. All of our cats except one just showed up, Bob is no different. Actually we aren't even sure Bob is a he, we haven't been able to check. Bob is so pretty with those beautiful green (yes Rachel, they are green) eyes and little bobbed-tail.

We are also going to be getting a new dog. I have mixed feelings about it, but hubby and Heather are so excited. Hubby is looking at dog houses right now. As soon as he can find one we are going to go the the local shelter. I'll post pics when we get our new addition.

Who's Up For A Challenge

2006-11-05T22:18:00.000-05:00

On a forum that I frequent we do a Weekly Bible Verse Challenge, I decided I am going to post it here. The idea is to get you into your Bible and read passages that you may have passed over or may not have read in awhile. Search engines are not allowed, but you may use a concordance. I'll post the answer on Sunday, November 11th.

This week's verse:
Therefore thou art inexcusable, O man, whosoever thou art that judgest: for wherein thou judgest another, thou condemnest thyself; for thou that judgest doest the same things.

But we are sure that the judgment of God is according to truth against them which commit such things.

And thinkest thou this, O man, that judgest them which do such things, and doest the same, that thou shalt escape the judgment of God?

Or despisest thou the riches of his goodness and forbearance and longsuffering; not knowing that the goodness of God leadeth thee to repentance?

But after thy hardness and impenitent heart treasurest up unto thyself wrath against the day of wrath and revelation of the righteous judgment of God;

Who will render to every man according to his deeds:

To them who by patient continuance in well doing seek for glory and honour and immortality, eternal life:

But unto them that are contentious, and do not obey the truth, but obey unrighteousness, indignation and wrath,

Tribulation and anguish, upon every soul of man that doeth evil, of the Jew first, and also of the Gentile;

But glory, honour, and peace, to every man that worketh good, to the Jew first, and also to the Gentile:

For there is no respect of persons with God.

For as many as have sinned without law shall also perish without law: and as many as have sinned in the law shall be judged by the law;

(For not the hearers of the law are just before God, but the doers of the law shall be justified.

For when the Gentiles, which have not the law, do by nature the things contained in the law, these, having not the law, are a law unto themselves:

Which shew the work of the law written in their hearts, their conscience also bearing witness, and their thoughts the mean while accusing or else excusing one another;)

In the day when God shall judge the secrets of men by Jesus Christ according to my gospel.

Behold, thou art called a Jew, and restest in the law, and makest thy boast of God,

And knowest his will, and approvest the things that are more excellent, being instructed out of the law;

And art confident that thou thyself art a guide of the blind, a light of them which are in darkness,

An instructor of the foolish, a teacher of babes, which hast the form of knowledge and of the truth in the law.

Thou therefore which teachest another, teachest thou not thyself? thou that preachest a man should not steal, dost thou steal?

Thou that sayest a man should not commit adultery, dost thou commit adultery? thou that abhorrest idols, dost thou commit sacrilege?

Thou that makest thy boast of the law, through breaking the law dishonourest thou God?

For the name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles through you, as it is written.

For circumcision verily profiteth, if thou keep the law: but if thou be a breaker of the law, thy circumcision is made uncircumcision.

Therefore if the uncircumcision keep the righteousness of the law, shall not his uncircumcision be counted for circumcision?

And shall not uncircumcision which is by nature, if it fulfil the law, judge thee, who by the letter and circumcision dost transgress the law?

For he is not a Jew, which is one outwardly; neither is that circumcision, which is outward in the flesh:

But he is a Jew, which is one inwardly; and circumcision is that of the heart, in the spirit, and not in the letter; whose praise is not of men, but of God.

Who Would Have Thought

2006-11-05T08:48:00.000-05:00

I found this through my friend Kayla's blog. Anyone who has children and/or uses the cleaning erasers needs to see this! Who knew somethings so wonderful and seemingly harmless could cause so much harm?

Click here ----> http://kerflop.com/2006/11/02/chemical-burn to see what can happen.

Look What I Found

2006-11-04T17:02:00.000-05:00

We were in Calhoun and saw an antique store that was going out of business. Hubby was sweet enough to stop and let me look. I found this beautiful little oil lamp. When I say little, I mean little. It's not much bigger than a spool of thread (see the pic below). I got another little one that's about twice this size and not quite as fancy, both for $3 each. I also got Jenna a little frilly half apron that I'm going to embroider on for Christmas that was only $.80! To round it off I got 2 solid oak picture frames in perfect condition and a colbalt blue jar. I have such a sweet and patient hubby, he sat in the car and listened to his MP3 player while I shopped.

The reason we went to Calhoun was to meet someone that was interested in buying my knitting machine. I finally decided I wasn't going to use it so I need to let someone who will use it get some good out of it. The lady I sold it to was sweet as can be, I hope she is able to make many beautiful things with it.

WOW, 2 Posts in one week!

2006-10-31T16:37:00.000-05:00

Please don't faint, I did post twice in a week. :oD

This is Jake's apron that I stitched on for him. Nothing fancy, but I think he'll like it. I had to get it in the mail today so he will have it when he get's to grandma's this weekend. :o) He's such the little chef.

This is a picture of my co-workers who were treating the kids outside of the office.......or are those some of the kids that were Trick or Treating? I'll let you decide. :oP

Busy Week!

2006-10-28T23:47:00.000-04:00

Man this week has been so busy I haven't had much time on the computer at all.

Last weekend we were blessed with the opportunity to go to Indiana. I was able to take Friday as a vacation day (only after a little razzing by me co-workers for taking Tuesday and Friday) so we could leave earlier. We planned to leave around 8am but hubby was up until 2am with a cramp in his leg so we didn't leave until 11:30am. Heather and I had a great time on the way up. Hubby was in the back seat taking it easy and enjoying his birthday present (mp3 player). Heather and I were playing with the radio, laughing at songs and just generally cutting up. :o) We stopped in Indianapolis to pick up Jenna (my brothers little one) who is now 5. She was cracking us up! I got to see her little cousin for the first time, I think he's 1. She said, "You know what he does? He climbs in the window and stands up there." She told me a few other things he does that she doesn't seem to think he should. I said, "Yep, toddlers will do that." She responded, "Trust me, you don't want one." We all about died laughing!! She's just so matter of fact and tries to sound so grown up, it's really cute.

We arrived at my mom's at about 8pm, when we leave after I get off work it is usually 2am. It was so nice to be able to visit before we needed to go to bed.

Saturday mom had to go to work at the Beauty shop. Heather and I were supposed to meet her over there so she could cut our hair but didn't make it. Jake (Jenna's big brother) and Jenna cooked breakfast for us. I helped Jenna make toast and Jake made eggs, bacon and blueberry pancakes. At 9, he's quite the little chef. He's so cute too, he has to have on his apron and chef's hat if he cooks. Grandma also got Jenna an apron, but it didn't have pockets like brother's. I stiched a pocket and the letter "J" on it for her. Jake sent his apron home with me so that I can stich "Chef Jacob" on it. I have to get it in the mail so that he will have it next time he is at grandma's house.

My brother's Birthday was on Sunday the 22nd. He got apple dumplings and apple crisp instead of cake. I can't believe he's 29!

We had a nice visit, as always though it was way too short. I'm so thankful for a hubby that is so good about making sure I get to see my family as much as possible. He's so good to me. :o)

This week at work has been so busy, every day seemed like Monday (my busiest day). The week sure went fast though. I will be so glad when election day is past. We have been dealing with a lot of political stuff. This person saying this about that person who supposedly said or did this to so-in-so.......yadda, yadda, yadda. And the political ads........good grief! The sad part is, that most people don't really even know what the candidates stand for or against. They are so busy trying to make themselves look good and their opponents look bad that they forget the whole point. Sad.

Well, I gotta go to bed. Don't forget to set your clocks back if you're in an area that changes.

Shawl

2006-10-20T08:10:00.000-04:00

Heather's Goofiness
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I don't know if I posted this picture before. This is Heather modeling a shawl that I made for me mother-in-law. While making this I had decided I was going to make one for myself when I finished. I never did. My mom ended up giving me one that my aunt had made for her many years ago. She said she had always kept it because it was so pretty and she thought she might use it when she dressed up. She had never used it so she passed it to me. I LOVE THAT THING!!! I always thought shawls were just an accessory, not so (well some probably are). I am so amazed at how warm it is. It doesn't cover you're whole upper body so I never thought it could keep you warm. I used it quite a bit last winter curling up at home and even out a couple of times. I'm telling ya, if ya don't have one and you're cold natured, Get One! You will LOVE it !!! :o)

Happy Birthday To My Hubby!!!!

2006-10-17T18:31:00.000-04:00

Today is my hubby's Birthday!! I took a vacation day so I could stay home with him. I made him eggs for breakfast and then we cuddled and watched a movie. It's been a real nice lazy day. I did some dishes and cooked his favorite dinner: hamburgers, french fries, deviled eggs and strawberry shortcake. He got an MP3 player, like a generic iPod from me and Heather ordered him Burbs (one of his favorite movies) on DVD. He has been wanting a MP3 player for the preaching MP3's he got a while back. I gave it to him early, but he didn't get to play with it until yesterday. He has had that thing with him since he figured out how to transfer stuff onto it. That little thing is pretty knifty, it even does voice recording. Heather left him a sweet and goofy birthday message to listen to after she went to school. She is SO his daughter. :oD

Back ot work tomorrow. :o( It was nice while it lasted.

My Hubby is Such a DOLL!

2006-10-11T14:31:00.000-04:00

TMI WARNING!!!! The first Paragraph may contain too much info for some.

Kidding, I'll try not to give too much detail. Last week I was feeling REALLY awful, by Friday night I was really miserable. Saturday morning my dear hubby woke up before me and started researching colon cleansing on the net. When I woke up we discussed it and decided that it would probably help my problem. He then called the Nutrition Shop (if you're in the area, these people are WONDERFUL and have a great little place! They are located at 112 Herron St., Fort Oglethorpe, GA 30742 (706) 866-8698 ) to see if they carried any colon cleaners (normally he would have handed me the phone to call). She said they carried several, so off to Ft. Oglethorpe he went. My hubby is very shy, so this totally shocked me. He came back with a bottle of Colon Clenz for $20 ( a good price if you have checked around). It worked! I will spare the details, but I will tell you that my skin is clearer than it has been in a long time. There are all kinds of benefits that you wouldn't think of as a result of doing a colon cleanse. It's worth checking into.

Only those that know my hubby will come close to appreciating how much it meant that he did that for me. He's a doll.

Night before last night we were talking, which ended up turning into an argument, about graduation announcements, cap & gown, class rings & such. Heather brought home a form to order this stuff, but not quite enough information. We are having a real problem that sort of thing. She doesn't know if we could pay by check (we didn't want to use credit card), if the whole order had to be turned in, and didn't want to call any friends to find out if they knew. I can understand not knowing, it's the not wanting to find out that irritates me. What irritates me is she then thinks we are to blame when she misses out. GRRRRR!!! She really is a good kid, I shouldn't complain. Compared to a lot of teens, she is an angel. I just get really frustrated sometimes. **Update** It has taken me too long to post this, we have found out that we have a couple of weeks so all is well.

I have decided that I am WAY too negative lately. In an attempt to counteract it, I'm going to write daily how God is blessing me. My goal is to try to find a blessing in the things that I normally wouldn't think of as blessings. It may sound kinda goofy to some, but I think it will help me to put a positive spin on things in my life. I want to be content where I am. I know God has me right where I am, and I don't just mean in Georgia, for a purpose. Instead of wishing I were in a different stage of my life I need to recognize the blessings that God is giving me here and now. I might post them here and I might start a separate blog for that, haven't decided yet. For now I am going to write it in a little notebook. Maybe you could join me.

Gotta go finish my grocery shopping.

Have a WONDERFUL Weekend.

RACHEL'S BACK!!!

2006-10-02T21:45:00.000-04:00

Rachel had come back to join us at the newspaper!!! Our Office Manager of 9 years has decided to take a job that will allow her to home more with her children. Today was Rachel's first day back, Welcome Back Rachel!!!!! I was sad when Rachel left, so I am so excited that she has returned.

At home Heather is trying to get a job so that she can drive. We agreed to provide a car if she pays the insurance. She and her daddy have been looking for a car for several months now and cannot find a decent one in the range we can afford so it has been decided that we will take that money and fix up my old car. It is a Corsica that is in good shape, it just needs some work done on it that we haven't been able to afford.

Heather's mom called last week and she is making arrangements for Heather to fly to Oregon for Christmas. We're not too excited about it, but Heather is. I understand though, I want to be with my mom at Christmas time too. Which, by the way, is less than 3 months away!!!

Well, I'm trying to come up with some ideas to put on etsy, gotta go play. :o)

First Day of Autumn?

2006-09-22T14:30:00.000-04:00

Well, I thought yesterday was the first day of Autumn but when I looked I found 9/22 and 9/23 is being reported as the first day. *Shrug* Either way, I'm happy about it and LOVE, LOVE, LOVEING this cool weather! I wish I could enjoy it more though, my asthma has been acting up. :o( If I'm outside for any longer than it takes to get from the car to inside, my asthma starts acting up soon after. Awww, poor me. :o) No, my asthma isn't that bad, just very uncomfortable and a bit scary. There are so many people that have asthma attacks that are 10 times worse than mine. I thank God for my asthma being as mild as it is, God is so Good.

This weekend I am going to work on decluttering my house. Baby steps. Trying not to let it overwhelm me, because there is A LOT to declutter at my house. *faint*

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

2006-09-14T12:22:00.000-04:00

Believe
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I sold my first item!!!! Yesterday it was mailed to it's new home. It was kind of a bittersweet thing. I fell in love with this as I was making it. I'm glad to see it go to a good home, but was kind of sad to see it go at the same time. It really motivated me to get busy and get some more items on ETSY.com. Right now there is only one item in my store, but I hope that will be changing soon. If you would like to check it out, CLICK HERE

My dear hubby is so cute!! He is planning a family fishing trip soon. Since we've been married, 6 years, he has said that he likes to go fishing in a boat but we have never gone. Well he is making big plans for us to go in the next few weeks. I love to fish, it's the little fishin' boat thing I'm not crazy about. :o)

Reloaded Picture

2006-09-07T23:27:00.000-04:00

This is the picture from the post below. When I loaded it for that post it was WAY too big. :o)

2006-08-29T19:09:00.000-04:00

Above is a picture I found recently of us at Cloudland Canyon. I think this was 5 years ago, I cannot believe how little Heather was! She is now 17 and a Senior! Oh how time flies. It's not the best picture, but I like it. August 19th Byron & I celebrated our 6th Wedding Anniversary! Hard to believe it's been 6 years.

I've not posted much, for those few that read my blog I apologize. I know you probably look so forward to my boring ramblings. I've just been a bit weird lately. Just a little emotional and such. I think I know what part of it is, I've not been a very good help meet lately. When I do things around the house I feel good. I love to cook. I don't like to clean, but feel good about it when I do. I love making mixes and making things from scratch, just because I can. Some think I'm "Suzy Homemaker", well I'm far from it. The only reason I can make anything from scratch is because I have a recipe, not because I'm so great in the kitchen. I just enjoy doing it, some don't. Trust me, we eat our share of premade meals (ravioli, spaghetti-o's, Zaterans, etc.) I just like the satisfaction of knowing I made a good meal and did it frugally. I'm not special, this is just important to me. There are probably areas that I let slack that others would see as important. I would hope they wouldn't look down on me for that, we all have our priorities. I don't look down on someone that has different priorities than me, I may not understand, but they wouldn't understand me either. Anywho, I am starting a household binder. I have read blogs of others that have done them and been ABSOLUTELY intimidated. Well, I think I need one and plan to start small so as not to be overwhelmed. I'll post more on that later, gotta go for now.

God Bless!

Pictures!!

2006-08-13T18:22:00.000-04:00

This is what I found earlier this week when I came home and lightening had popped our phone line. I am so thankful that we were able to just change it out with a new one, the computer is fine.

Here is a picture of Lee & Gordon's Mill that we went to last weekend. It's not a very good pic, but it's the only one I got.

Inside the mill, corn being ground. I'm fascinated by stuff like this.

This is the embroidery floss that I got last weekend for $5! One box I counted 107 cards of floss. Granted not all of them are full, but a majority of them are and would go for $.25 each at Walmart. So I'm pretty happy with my bargain. :o)

This is just a picture of our bed with my bargain chenille spread. I just absolutely love it!!

Today has been a very lazy day. I've had a sinus headache and my ankle is hurting me pretty bad. Whine, whine, whine, it's not really all that bad, I'm just a wimp. I've been working on some cross stitch bookmarks today. I've also been getting my fabric ready for a Mystery Stitch Along I'm joined. You get one color a week to stitch on a pattern that only the leader knows. I did one a while back, it was fun, but hard to wait to see what your stitching. :o)

Hope y'all have had a great weekend!!!

I am so ready for Autumn

2006-08-10T13:04:00.000-04:00

Byron & Heather Relaxing on the Boat
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I can't wait for

................cool, crisp days

...........hot chocolate

..........bonfire

.........roasting marshmallows

...........snuggling

........ *sigh*

I love this picture of Heather & Byron, they look so relaxed. This was taken in July when we went to Indiana and went out on the pontoon. We had such a good time. I just think they look so cute. :o)

What a Week!!!

2006-08-07T15:13:00.000-04:00

Last week was so busy!! The worst part is that I don't think I accomplished a thing last week for all my busyness and exhaustion. :o( My friend Rachel and I went to the local thrift stores I think 4 days either on lunch or after work. Saturday we went to some of the Hwy 27 Yard Sales and Lee & Gordon's Mill and Mountain City Mercantile in Chickamauga. I can't believe I had never been to the mill. I bought some fresh ground corn meal for my mom & mil, I still have some that I need to use. I found some great bargains: 1.) 3 boxes of embroidery floss that are worth at least $20 each for $5 for all 3. The floss is in beautiful condition and all wound around spools and numbered. 2.) A solid oak baby crib for my porcaline sleeping baby that my grandmother gave me. I got other bargains too, but those were my favorites.
Mountain City Mercantile is a wonderful place to go if you're in the Chickamauga area. The owners are so sweet, I could just eat them up. I have never wanted to really go to a War Re-enactment until I met the Shackleford's. Listening to their stories makes me want to go. Actually September 16th is War Between the States in Chickamauga, I think I'm gonna try to go.

Well, I gotta go try to get some sleep.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

2006-07-27T09:56:00.000-04:00

Heather Reading
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I'm not sure she'll read this, but today is Heather's 17th Birthday! It's so hard to believe, she was only 11 when when her daddy & I got married. She has grown up SO much. We're very proud of the young woman she is becoming. She is at her Granny's today, we have to work and she didn't want to be home alone on her Birthday. I don't blame her, but it really was a drawn out drama. :o) Thursday she will be starting back to school as a SENIOR!!! **Faint**

Tomorrow................

2006-07-19T09:46:00.000-04:00

We're Getting DSL!!!!!!!

Nothing more to say. :o)

July 4th Happenings.......Finally

2006-07-15T17:31:00.000-04:00

I know the 4th is long past, but I haven't had a chance to post since then. Things have been very busy. I am going to be selling some of my hand stitched items on-line very soon. I've been trying to get some stuff together for that as well as just every day stuff.

We were able to go to Indiana on July 2nd. We went to church in Manchester, TN where my hubby would love to be able to attend every Sunday. I wish we did live closer, it's a great church. We then went out to eat with hubby's ex-father-in-law and his wife (her father is the pastor of the church). We then headed to Indiana. It was so nice to arrive before 2am, usually when we go we don't leave until 5pm or 6pm and it's about a 9 or 10 hour drive.

On Monday the 3rd we went out on my mom's friend's Pontoon. My brother, Jake and Jenna went also, there were 8 of us. It was so nice and relaxing, the weather was perfect. The kids rode on the intertube thing that we pulled behind the boat and then stopped for a little fishing. My step-father and the kids were the only ones who got to fish because of lack of fishing licenses. Jenna caught her first fish, and Jake caught a couple but none were big enough to keep. At one point my brother was driving the boat and trying to hit wakes. At one point he flooded the front of the boat and got all the stuff in the front wet. I was wet half way to my knees. Well, later I decided to drive and was encouraged to hit as many big wakes as I could. I know, those that are a little more educated about boat safty are probably wanting to pound me on the head. Trust me, I too am more educated now. I hit some pretty good wakes, the kids thought that was great. Well I found a speed boat and hit a BIG wake not far behind them..........the water POURED in. It was so deep it freaked us all out. My mom yelled to turn the engine down (I had it up all the way), I did and immediately the front of the boat began to sink! My brother yelled, "NO, turn it up!" So turn it up I did. It was still sinking. Everyone kept trying to get to the back, and finally make it over the cooler and seats. I stayed behind the wheel but all 7 of the others were in the back, so then we started taking in water on the starboard side. I then jumped to the other side of the boat and others started spreading out. Finally the boat seemed to be leveling out. We didn't loose anything of importance, almost lost one of Heather's favorite flip-flops. The kids had on life preservers, thankfully. I was so afraid that this little trip was going to end up being very expensive, I thought we were going to either have her boat pulled off the bottom of the lake, or replace it. The people who's wake we hit had stopped to collect thier people that were skiing and were nice enough to make sure we were ok. My mom said that we should keep an eye out on America's Funniest Home Videos, if someone caught that on tape they would probably win the big money. :o) We all decided by the time we had the water swept out that we had had enough boating for the day. The only thing that happened to the boat was a couple of panels popped out from the weight of the water. My hubby and brother were able to get them back in. When my mom told the owner about it, she said she laughed and laughed! Well, a lesson learned........don't chase wakes in a pontoon for goodness sakes! I believethat God was watching out for us that day, or we probably would have sunk.

Lots to Say

2006-07-11T09:02:00.000-04:00

Ok, this is for my friend Rachel. I have lots to blog about but it will have to wait until later today. I will do my best to update later today. Good Grief, it's not like you don't hear everything straight from the horses mouth. :o) I know there are others that are probably chomping at the bit waiting to hear what exciting things are going on with me................you'll just have to wait. :oD

Blessing In Disguise

2006-06-21T09:08:00.000-04:00

Well, yesterday morning I wasn't able to eat my mutli-grain hot cereal because there was no power. One of the girls at work was going to Hardee's which I knew was a no-no, but I was hungry. Well I got a Sausage Biscuit, my first in what would have been 2 weeks tomorrow - love my morning sausage biscuit, just one of my problems. Well when I put it in Spark, I FREAKED! 550 calories and 36 grams of fat!!!! Remember, my calories are 1200-1550 and fat is 27-60 grams (I try to stay on the lower end). Well, there went my day! BUT.......I am so proud of myself, I still didn't go over. My calories for the day are 1330 and fat is 48. At first I kicked myself for giving into that biscuit, but I finish the day very proud of myself for sticking to it and not just calling the whole day a loss. It wasn't easy, I had to change my eating plans for lunch. I took my lunch, but had to save it for tomorrow. For lunch I had 2 side salad's from McDonald's (only veggies, there is no cheese meat or anything in the side salads) and 1/2 C of low fat cottage cheese. For supper I had a Portabella Veggie Burger, Whole Tomato and small serving of Strawberry Shortcake. I snacked on carrots today too, so I got a fair bit of veggies. I will definitely think twice about eating a sausage biscuit anytime soon. I've also been doing good on my water 8+ glasses every day except this last weekend when I wasn't feeling well. A lot of days I've even had 96oz! This is not something I normally do, I don't drink a lot of anything. I'm so pumped. I know it's only been 2 weeks, but this is really encouraging. Oh, yeah............I tried my ball..........Lets just say if I had set up a video camera I could have probably gotten money for the tape. I was cracking myself up. Heather kept asking if I was ok, I'd just giggle and say Yep! It's tough, but I think I'm gonna like it. If nothing else it's good for a few giggles. :o)

End of Week One

2006-06-14T16:53:00.000-04:00

Well, I only lost 3 pounds, but my clothes feel like I've lost more. I'm trying not to go by the scales too much anyway. But I did put up a ticker, ain't it it purdy? It'll be a lot more beautiful when I see it go down 77 more pounds. :o)

I Gotta Do It!!!!

2006-06-09T14:35:00.000-04:00

Ok, I've decided that I GOTTA DO IT, I gotta lose the weight. I thought about humiliating myself and posting my weight, but I won't. I will say that right now I wear a size 18/20 and I'm going to be in a 14/16 by the middle of August. My long term goal is to lose 80lbs. I started Wednesday, June 7th, but wasn't able to post an entry until now. I joined SparkPeople, so far I really LOVE it. I was skeptical at first, but decided to try it since it's free. I'm going to keep a journal at least once a week there to help motivate me. I'm really excited, I just need to work on staying excited. Yesterday I drank, not 64oz but 84.5 oz of water! WoooHooo! So far so good.

My wonderful friend Rachel braught me my first Gooseberry Patch cookbook and a beautiful journal for house sitting. If you have never seen any of the Gooseberry Patch stuff, you have to check out their website at www.gooseberrypatch.com . I have looked at the cookbooks and wondered how they are because the recipes are submitted. I guess I wondered if the recipes would be a bunch of recipes that I had seen before or just too weird. I have to say it is wonderful! The one she got me is "Almost Homemade". I probably wouldn't have chosen this one because I have seen cookbooks like this and they use expensive convenience foods in the recipes. That's why this is so much sweeter a gift, because I would have missed out! The recipes sound great, I know that I will be trying a lot of them. Thank you so much Rachel!

Sourdough Starter

2006-06-06T10:25:00.000-04:00

Sourdough Starter
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I know, this is kinda gross looking. This is my first attempt at making sourdough starter. I made 3 loaves of bread, they taste good but I don't think I gave them enough time to rise good. 2 of the 3 are about 2 inches tall)I was excited to bake them (with a little pressure from the family too). I think I might try again this weekend. The recipe said to divide it into 3 loaves, I also wonder if I should only divide it into 2. I'll have to ask about that.

I need to get serious about getting this weight off. Baking bread is not exactly conducive to meeting that goal.

You would think I would learn...............

2006-06-06T09:12:00.000-04:00

Generally I'm the type of person that learns from my mistakes. I make a lot of them, but try not to repeat the same ones. There are enough things for me to mess up without repeating. :oD Well, last night I kinda messed up dinner. I made chicken vegetable soup (one of Heather's favorites) and decided to add some hash brown potatoes, not a good idea. It looked like coconut floating in my soup. The taste was fine, it's potatoes for goodness sake. Not a huge mistake or anything, it was still good, but I'll not do that again. Well, the real fun came in when I made dessert. I wasn't feeling really good, but Byron & Heather wanted Frosties (I did too). I got the recipe from www.hillbillyhousewife.com . It's the Magic Milkshake Recipe, if you haven't tried it, it's wonderful!!! I use one Tablespoon oil instead of 2 and they are great. Well, one time when I made them I forgot to put the top on the blender. Not too big a mess because I had the lid ready, just wasn't thinking and hit the button before I got the lid to the blender. Another time I forgot to put the spout on the front, then I took the cap off to put it on, of course it poured out (duh!). And yet another time the blender wasn't put together, just sitting on top of the base and I pour the water in and it went everywhere (at least it was just water). Well last night I put the spout on, check to make sure the pitcher was attached to the base, added all of the ingredients and put the lid on. I started the blender and set the timer for 2 minutes then got the glasses out of the cabinet so they would be ready when the timer went off. Then I turned back around, brown liquid was oozing from the bottom of the pitcher all over the cabinet and onto the floor! For goodness sakes!! The pitcher was on the base, but not real good. I was so mad, I flung the pitcher into the sink. Byron came in and offered to clean it up, but I said, "Nope, it's my own fault for not checking the thing. It's my mess." He knew I wasn't feeling well so he rinsed out the sink and pitcher while I mopped up the mess on the counter top and floor. After we got the mess cleaned up I went and washed my face and went to bed. It was too late to be having frosties anyway. I'll try again tonight, first checking everything carefully as if I were flying an airplane. Maybe I need a checklist..........

WOOOHOOO!!!

2006-05-26T15:32:00.000-04:00

Ok, my wonderful hubby has wanted a chenille bedspread forever (well as long as I've know him) and I haven't been able to find one in our price range that is the kind he wants. It's a memory thing for him, his Aunt had one and he loved it. Well, a lady came in to run an ad for a Yard Sale, she was getting rid of stuff left over from an estate sale. She was talking about what she had and mentioned chenille bedspreads and said they were $12 each!!! OOOOH, that got my attention. I decided I would stop by when I took my step-daughter to school but later realized hubby had to work so I wouldn't have enough time. I called her Wednesday and asked if I could come by and look at them, and she was nice enough to let me come that day. She had several, I picked out one and showed it to my hubby. He said it was just like the one he remembered except his aunt's was white. She gave it to me for $10 instead of $12. I felt like I got quite a bargain. I also got a mortar & pestil (it's green marble!) that I have been wanting for $6, now I need to find something to grind in it. I found one the same size online for $32 with shipping.

Well, today I had to go pick up my step-daughter from school and decided to stop by and see if she still had anymore. I bought another one and some little containers that say Speed-E Freeze. When I got to the car, I decided I wanted another one. I ended up buying three all together (one white and 2 off white) including the one I bought on Wednesday. They are beautiful!!! They are the little nubby ones, not the fuzzy fluffy ones. We slept with the first one we bought last night. My hubby said we needed about 5 more, but that they needed to be bigger because he had to keep pulling it over all night. Usually I am the one fighting for the covers because he is the cover hog. Well, I told him, there was plenty of blanket because I had way more than I needed. I didn't realize I had so much extra. Ooops. :oO

I'm so excited about my finds!! I'm trying to find out now exactly what to do with theSpeed-E Freeze containers.

Sigh

2006-05-22T15:51:00.000-04:00

I've been feeling really homesick recently. I think Mother's Day did it. I miss my mom. I know things have been kinda tough on her lately and I hate that I couldn't be there. Talking on the phone just isn't enough sometimes. I miss my nephew who is now 9. I hate it that he's growing up without me, doing things that I want to be a part of but can't. My mom talks about his baseball games and it just about breaks my heart that I have never been able to go to a single one. I miss my neice who is now 4. She wasn't even born when I got married, but she does know her Uncle Buzz and Aunt Chrisi. The first thing she usually says is, "Are you gonna come see me in a little bit?", or something like that. Then I have to explain to her that I'm in Georgia. I know that she knows who I am because every time I talk to her on the phone she tells me to bring her Easter Egg Gum next time we come up. Last year they came up around Easter, and I gave her a little carton that had egg shaped gum in it. When they returned to Indiana, the gum was left behind by accident. Every time she talks to me she reminds me to bring it next time we come to visit. She asked me about it again yesterday. I bought some fresh gum that I told her I would send her in the mail. She too is growing up without me.

I don't regret the choice I made to move down here and marry my wonderful hubby. It was my choice and I'd do it again even if I knew how hard it would be. I guess I just wish I could have it all.

Rose From My Yard

2006-05-18T15:29:00.000-04:00

Rose
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I was so excited to get this rose from my yard! It has a few little imperfections on the outer petels which the feathering helps to disguise.

Heather got her first interview for a job this past Tuesday. The only problem it that it is not right in town and she doesn't have a car right now. Well, I guess we'll see if she gets it and figure things out from there. If she could work it out it would be great, she needs a job!!! :o)

Hubby's job is hopefully back to normal. He was off for a week (without pay I might add) and before that he wasn't getting 40 hours. Everything was up and running again as of yesterday so hopefully that will be the last of the layoffs.

You know what irks me?

2006-05-18T15:04:00.000-04:00

Rose from Dylan
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I don't know if this is the exception or the norm nowadays. Sorry to those that love school sport, but when did sporting events start taking over class time? I guess when they figured out more students are willing to pay $5 each to get out of class then are willing to stay after school to pay $5 to watch a game. This is becoming a frequent thing. If I was a student, I would love it. As a parent I hate it, $5 per week adds up. They have other things that take place during the school day too that you either pay to get in or go to what amounts to a study hall. We already pay tuition and now they are nickle & diming us to death! Oh well, what do ya do? I'm sure things will be better next year since she will be a senior. <-------*Insert Large Amount Of Sarcasm Here*

My co-worker's 3 year old brought all of us roses from his granny's garden yesterday. It was kinda wilting, but really perked up when I put it in water. Granny said the rain beat them up pretty bad. Isn't it pretty? It smells so good!!!!

Cemetery Visit

2006-05-12T11:05:00.000-04:00

Cemetery Visit
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Monday Heather and I went to the cemetery to put flowers on her sister's grave (pictured here) and her sweet papaw's grave. We went to her sister's grave first and then walked to my father-in-law's grave. It was really peaceful and nice. We walked a bit to look at some of the stones, it is a really beautiful cemetery. Byron had to work, but he doesn't seem too excited about walking around the cemetery anyway. We are going to go back and just walk around the whole cemetary and look around. It's just such a peaceful place.

Ahhhhhhhh.......

2006-05-04T19:35:00.000-04:00

Come On
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I am on vacation today and tomorrow, boy does it feel good!!! Today I took it easy. I made some potato salad, which takes me forever! I always want my potatoes cut up really tiny and uniform, I'm kinda weird about certain things like that. It's good, but it needs a little more mayo, I didn't have quite enough. I got the clothing part of my closet cleaned out, it took me a lot longer than I thought. I have 2 garbage bags of clothes that I am getting rid of. Good grief, I even found a skirt and shirt I had forgotten about. Right now my hubby has more clothes than I do. He still needs to go through his stuff. Tomorrow I'm going to tackle the rest of the closet. =:oO I also plan to get some other stuff sorted through so I can get rid of some junk. I see a possible yard sale in my future. I also want to make some homemade bread for dinner,a couple batches of chocolate syrup, and Toffee Coffee mix. I took vacation days so I could get some stuff done that I just never seem to find the time to do. I didn't get a lot done today, but today was partly for relaxing anywho.

This is one of my favorite pictures of Heather on Prom night. Doesn't she look beautiful? If you notice her left hand, I caught the pic right as she was gettting ready to say, "Hurry up and take the picture." She wasn't too excited about getting pictures taken. She even told me I wasn't invited next year while they are getting ready. I told her she better get a good job to pay for Prom herself then. :oD We were both kidding. We actually pulled it off without breaking the bank. She only paid $45 for her dress, I thought that was pretty good for a new dress.

Well, I gotta go put hubby's supper in the oven. I'll try to post again tomorrow, if I have anything to post about anyway.

Look what I got tonight!!!

2006-04-28T20:10:00.000-04:00

Peony
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I have been wanting a Peony bush for quite a while now, tonight I got one. I was at the fruit stand buying some veggies and I saw it. It is just gorgeous!! I love Peonies, they smell so good! Those & lilacs.....that will be my next big flower purchase (well, big for me.), maybe next year. :o)

I'm working on a bag for Heather to carry her camera, and other little things in for prom. It's nothing complicated, just a little draw string bag. We found some really pretty teal fabric and some sheer black to go over it. Her dress is black with teal beads. I'll try to post some pics of her tomorrow.

Kittens

2006-04-27T20:57:00.000-04:00

Much to my hubby's dismay, we have 4 new kittens. We have had several litters and usually only 1 or 2 live. :o( We need to take her to get fixed, now we may have more little girls. I hope not. I would love for them to all be boys, but the chances aren't to great of that happening.

This morning as part of my Proverb 31 Challenge I fixed breakfast for hubby and Heather. They were so excited last night about it. I have offered to make hubby breakfast before and he doesn't want me to get up early to do it. Heather is more of a pizza, Ramen Noodle, etc. type of breakfast eater, but she was all excited about having French Toast. I forget the she likes french toast, she hates eggs so you would think she wouldn't like it but she does. I would like to start doing this more often, maybe once a week. It's just so hard on days I have to work. I need to try though.

Money, Money, Money, Money.......

2006-04-25T16:34:00.000-04:00

Boy, just when you think you're getting ahead, something else digs into your wallet. We had some money we thought we were going to be able to use to pay off or on a lot of debt, but things didn't work out quite as planned. We have been able to pay a lot toward that debt (mostly credit cart I'm ashamed to say), just not as much as planned. Last weekend our TV bit the dust, so some money went to buy a new one. We considered not getting another one, or at least I did. When I suggested it, hubby said, "Then we would have to sell our DVD's". He seemed quite panicked by this. Mostly he was refering to his Any Griffith DVD's, he LOVES Andy Griffith. We did decide to not hook up the antenea, so now we don't get any channels at all. I have to say, it's been more peaceful in our house. It's going to be hard though. I had just started to get into LOST again, probably better not to, save me a lot of frustration. :oP And I really like American Inventor, won't get to see how it ends. It's really not that bad, I've got better things to do anywho.

I am again working on the Proverb 31 Challenge this week. I didn't get everything completed last week. One of the 3 verses I still have to learn well. This week I am working on Jeremiah 29:13 ( leftover from last week) and Proverbs 31:1-3. If you're interested in the Challenge, I have a link on the right side of my blog.

That's all for now. Time to go cook supper. Not sure what yet..............hmm.

How Sad

2006-04-21T16:55:00.000-04:00

How Sad
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This morning when my hubby was bringing me to work he ran over a squirrel. :o( It was awful! He slowed down and tried to let the little guy go on across, and he made it to the other side of the road safely. At the last minute, the little guy darted right under the car. It is the most horrible thing to feel un animal being caught under your tire. :o(

Yesterday I dropped by my friend Rachel's house to drop something off to her. I hadn't planned to stay long, just for a little while for a visit. Well, before we knew it, it was a few minutes before 8pm! I just never get to see her anymore.

This weekend one of my main things to do since it is supposed to rain is make some cool neck bands. My hubby has a very hot job, I am hoping this will help him stay a little cooler.

I still have a little work to do on my Bible verses. I don't know why memorizing is so hard for me. I have the first 2 memorized, but still working on the 3rd. I don't know the 3rd very confidently.

Heather's Progress Report

2006-04-19T17:09:00.000-04:00

Heather Reading
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I just had to get on here and announce that Heather got her Progress Report from school today................She made all A's & B's!!!!!!!! I am so proud of her. She really struggles in math of any kind and of course Geometry is no different, but she is now making a 90!!!

I like this shot, I altered it in PhotoShop. She was reading in the back seat on the way home from Pine Mountain and I snuck it. I had to take about 20 photos to get one that actually got her in it. I was taking over my shoulder and mostly got pics of the seat or rear window. :oP

And The Thunder Rolls...............

2006-04-19T14:55:00.000-04:00

Butterfly on Orange Flower
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

We had some storms go through earlier, I hope it didn't make hubby's job harder. When the electricity goes out if shuts things down and really makes a mess.

Tomorrow the Tour De Georgia Race is going through our area. I'm not much into that stuff, but it's kinda interesting having it come through our area.

My friend Rachel and I are working on the Proverbs 31 Challenge ( ). I am working on memorizing Jeremiah 29: 11-13. I am horrible at memorizing!!! How ya doin' Rachel?

Resurrection Day

2006-04-16T22:31:00.000-04:00

We don't really make a big deal out of Easter Sunday. It is a time to remember what Christ has done for us, but we don't do the "Easter" thing. No, I'm not against Easter or anything. It's just so commercial that the resurrection is all but forgotten amongst the bunnies and eggs and such. For those that do remember Christ's death & resurrection, every day should be Easter. I don't say this to judge anyone. I say this with shame, knowing that I don't do this as I should either. If we kept what Christ has done for us at the front of our mind always, I believe our actions would change a great deal from day to day.

Christ died a horrible death on the cross, but that wasn't the end......He rose from the grave and is ALIVE!!!

Almost Forgot.........

2006-04-15T23:39:00.000-04:00

I almost forgot to post today. I'm hoping I'll get in the habit so that I do it more.

Today was a pretty uneventful day. The weather was nice, on the warm side. I cooked 9 lbs of Ground Beef, Pattied 10 Turkey/Beef Burgers, and separated 10 lbs of boneless chicken breast. It's now all neatly settled into freezer baggies in my freezer. It makes meal preparation so much easier during the work week. This will last us for a while, hopefully until Shop Rite has their next meat sale.

I also worked on my clay pots that I am painting for the bathroom. I'll post a pic when I get them done. I am going to use them for cotton balls and Q-tips. It will help dress the bathroom up a bit too, it's just so plain right now.

Well, my bed is calling me. ~Goodnight~

Wildflowers

2006-04-13T17:16:00.000-04:00

Wildflowers
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is a picture from Callaway Gardens that I played with in Photoshop.

I am so sleepy this afternoon. Maybe it's the warmer weather, I dunno.

Well I gotta go finish my grocery list and make supper.

Relaxing Weekend

2006-04-12T17:01:00.000-04:00

Fireside Inn Pine Mountain, GA
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I got my birthday present this last weekend! My wonderful hubby made reservations at the Fireside Inn in Pine Mountain, GA. The original plan was to go to Callaway Gardens on Friday and then Butt Mill Farms on Saturday. Well, we were not able to leave until later in the day on Friday, I was just thankful to get away. We had decided to only go to Butt Mill Farms and save Callaway for a day trip this summer. Going to both was just more money than we wanted to spend for one day. We arrived Friday night about 10:00pm. The place wasn't fancy, but it was nice and it was cheap. The biggest complaint was that it smelled, not a dirty smell - an old smell. It was tolerable though.
Saturday morning we woke up to rain & thunder. The rain stopped, but it was still really overcast and dreary. We decided to go to Callaway instead because he was afraid Butt Mill Farms would be too flooded to enjoy. My poor hubby was so disappointed. The clouds were gorgeous though, the passing storms made for a very interesting and beautiful sky. I kept telling him that made it so much prettier, but he wanted me to see Callaway with the sun shining. Callaway Gardens is a sentimental thing for my hubby, his family went every year when he was little. It was so sweet, he said the only people he has taken there was Heather and me. Awwww. Well, I LOVED Callaway, I can’t wait to go back. My favorite was the Day Butterfly Center. When we walked into the habitat where the butterflies are flying all over the place, it brought tears to my eyes. I fought the tears so hard, I would have felt like an idiot standing there crying. It was so beautiful! My hubby asked me about it when we left and I told him yes, I welled up. Just talking about it made me tear up again. The cocoons were amazing too. After we went around the habitat I told him that we could leave whenever they were ready. He said, “No, I want you to stay as long as you want.” I told him I could stay all day, so it was up to him when we left. We drove around and got out at some of the places to take pictures, but I couldn’t do all the walking I had planned because my ankle has been bothering me (swelling and hurting). I walked as much as my ankle could take and then some. Surprisingly it has felt better since I got back then it has for a month. We went to Carrabbas for supper Saturday night, YUM!!! Hubby wasn’t too crazy about it, he’s not crazy about Italian. He was so sweet to take us there and even had to spend quite a while looking for it. We knew it was there, just didn’t know exactly where. Sunday we headed back home and arrived around 3pm. It was a WONDERFUL weekend. I think I enjoyed it more than hubby or Heather. It was just so nice to get away even if it was for only a weekend. I have the best hubby.

I'm Here!

2006-04-06T11:09:00.000-04:00

Ok, I know it is 5 days into April, but for the rest of the month I am going to post at least 4 times a week. I'm trying to set a reasonable goal. I feel like I need a goal so that I will actually post.

Lately I have really been struggling with my attitude. I am allowing people to influence my attitude in a very negative way. I have also been letting circumstances that are not to my liking do the same. To put it simply, I've been a spoiled brat. I pretty much don't like me very much lately. I don't mean that in a depressed, self pity, "nobody likes me, I'm such a horrible person, I want to die" sort of way but a "I don't want to be like this, let's do something to change this" sort of way. I know, I know, there are probably some out there that are thinking, "No way! That's just not possible!" I am so sorry to burst your bubble, but it's true. *Snicker*
Seriously I really am working on this. For those that don't know me, I am not a horrible person or anything, I just strive to be better. I want to be "Christ-like". I don't want to be better than this person or that, I want to be what God wants me to be. Right now I just don't think I am.

Lord help me to be the Woman you want me to be. To be the wife, step-mother, daughter, and friend you would have me to be. To be an influence, not influenced.

Names can get really confusing

2006-02-17T10:03:00.000-05:00

A week or two ago I received and email from a friend in Indiana asking, "What do you think my husband's name, what's your name and your husband's name? I have my reasons. " Does this sound as strange to you as it does to me? Well, I obediently replyed with the answer to her questions. She emailed me back to tell me what I had written in her Christmas card. I addressed it to Chris & Rebecca, Chris is her son not her husband. Then I signed it Byron, Anthoney and Heather instead of Byron, Chrisi and Heather. For those that know the situation, this is already funny to you, for those of you who don't, here's the story.

My husband and I met on the internet. When we first started talking and exchanged first names, he gave me his middle name, Anthoney. He did this for anonymity and because he hates his first name (I love the name Byron!). It didn't take long for him to ctell me his real name but I Well, my mom and friends back home know him as Anthoney and everyone here knows him as Byron. When I write Christmas cards I try to be careful to write Byron on the ones that know him as Byron and Anthoney on the ones that know him by that. I guess I just really messed up on this one huh? I'm such a goofball!

Chef Jacob

2006-01-27T14:09:00.000-05:00

Chef Jacob
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is my nephew Jake with his new Chef's hat & apron that he got for Christmas from Grandma. He had been bugging her that he needed a chef's hat and apron for when he cooks. He LOVES to cook. My mom said after he opened it he said, "Let's cook."

FYI on the weight loss: I haven't lost any pounds on the scales since the first 5, but I am feeling in my clothes that I am loosing. I have been doing Winsor Pilates, have I mentioned how much I love them? This is the only exercises I have ever done for more than 2 or 3 times. It's also been great for my back.

My mom and step-dad are coming for a visit on thier way to the races in Daytona. WOOOHOO!!!! We were invited to come stay for a weekend in the condo with them, but I'm thinkin' we won't be able to. :o( Bummer.

Just a note.

2006-01-13T16:59:00.000-05:00

I just wanted to post that I have lost 5 pounds! Actually it is kinda disappointing for a first week loss, but I'll take it. :o) I have been doing Windsor Pilates too, I love them! I am going to do this! I have to. I have to just keep telling myself that. Right now it's not too hard, at first it usually isn't for me. It's a month or so into it that it gets hard.

Starting the New Year.

2006-01-08T17:11:00.000-05:00

We brought in 2006 in Kokomo, Indiana. We were able to go up to see my family and were able to stay until Tuesday morning. My mom arranged to have a "Christmas" dinner for the family. Not everyone was able to make it because of different family situations, but it was good to see the ones that were able to come. We also got together with Ryan and Mel (Ryan & I graduated High School together) and see their precious little boys. We spent a good bit of the day together, but visiting was limited because of the boys. Not that I'm complaining, they were a lot of fun. I got some great pictures of Jake in his new Chef's hat and apron. He loves to cook! I wouldn't be surprised if we don't see him on the Food Network one day. :o) He was so proud of the pie he made from his own recipe. Not bad for an eight year old.

Well, I don't do New Year Resolutions. I have decided to work at loosing some weight. My first goal is 50 pounds. I started on Thursday, January 7th and have lost 3 pounds. My focus is not so much vanity as it is health. I am very fortunate that I do not have diabetes, high blood pressure or any of that kind of stuff. I just don't feel good. I feel so much better when I exercise and when I am eating better. Byron is trying to eat better too. He doesn't really need to loose weight, he just doesn't eat very healthy. It's hard to do when you are on a tight budget but I'm going to do what I can with what I got. :o)

I'll post a couple pics from Indiana this week with my posts.

Gotta go fix supper - Low Fat Chicken Vegetable Chowder. MMMMM!

Nothing really interesting to say.......

2005-12-28T15:21:00.000-05:00

Raggedy Ann Head Pillow
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is a pic of the Raggedy Ann Pillow that I made for Donna for Christmas. It was so neat to see her come to life as I finished each feature. The back of the pillow is red striped pillow ticking (I absolutely love pillow ticking!).

We had a nice Christmas. We exchanged our gifts on Christmas Eve morning. On Christmas Day we drove to Manchester, TN and attended church. Heather's Papaw (on her mom's side) attends there so we left her with him. They later went to the airport to pick up Heather's mom who was flying in from Oregon. After the service we went straight home to get our food to take to Byron's mom's house for Christmas Dinner. We had a great time at his mom's. His sister from Alabama with her 2 girls and his brother & family were there. We were there until 10:00pm! I am trying to finish up my Christmas gifts that I am taking to Indiana. I put them off so that I could finish other gifts by Christmas since I wouldn't need them right away.

Oh, for Christmas I got:
* A Glade Oil Candle from Heather - It is wonderful!
* A really nice blender (I gave several hints that I wanted one - "You know I could make __________ if I only had a blender." :o) You know, subtle hints like that. )
* Season 2 of The Waltons
* A Christmas Carol - Starring Patrick Stewart (for the last 3 years I have received a different version of A Christmas Carol - I love it!)

Finally Posting

2005-12-23T09:59:00.000-05:00

Winter Cup
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I know, y’all have been anxiously waiting to see when I would post again. No, I haven’t fallen off the face of the earth, I have been making gifts. I can’t post any pics of them because the people they are going to might see my blog before they get their gifts. :o)

I have kinda been on an emotional rollercoaster lately. Not really sure why. Well, I guess the holidays are like that for me lately. It is so hard having to share a child. I'm sure it's hard for Heather too, going back & forth. He mom is flying in on Christmas day and of course Heather is very excited. It makes me kinda sad. We were planning on going to Indiana some time during the time that she has off school and Byron has off work (they both have several weeks off). The way we had planned it she should have been able to go, but now she can't because her mom will be here until she goes back to school. :o( I just really wish her mom would be a little more considerate with her planning. I'm happy for Heather that she gets to see her mom, but I wish she could have asked us about our plans so that we could have worked it out where Heather could have gone up with us AND spent time with her mom. Of course I don't blame Heather for not going with us, I wouldn't want to either if my mom was coming here to see me. It's just so frustrating. We get to handle the tough everyday stuff (and of course the blessing that come along with that too) and then her mom just pops in at her own convenience, regardless of anyone else's plans or feelings. Well, I am trying to make the best of it anyway.

I'm not sure if I'll get to post again before Christmas so..........

Merry CHRISTmas!

Christmas Angel

2005-11-25T17:06:00.000-05:00

Christmas Angel
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I hope you had a Wonderful Thanksgiving.
We went to my mother-in-law's yesterday, we had a good time. :o) I tried to get a family picture but it didn't work out too well. :o( My hubby and step-daughter were not too excited about getting their picture taken so they were not the most cooperative. I only got a few shots and they didn't turn out. Guess my Christmas cards will have to go out without pictures again this year.

This picture is my beautiful angel I received in a swap. I just love her. If you read this, thanks again MT. :o)

HELP!!!!

2005-11-08T09:37:00.000-05:00

Friday Heather got her driver's license! **SIGH** I'm happy for her, but I don't think my heart can take it. I figured she would want to at least go to her friend's house or something this weekend, nope. I think she is really nervous, but she wouldn't admit it to save her life. Sunday we needed milk and Byron asked Heather if she wanted to go get some. She went to the Dollar General which is only about 10 minutes away, I thought I was going to have a heart attack! I was so nervous and tense until she got back. I'm just not ready for her to be driving yet! It will make things easier on me when she can drive herself to school instead of me taking her an picking her up (her school doesn't have buses), but I think I would rather know she's safe and keep driving her........I know, I know, she's growing up and we gotta let her.

Heather's Goofiness

2005-11-03T10:17:00.000-05:00

Heather's Goofiness
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is my goofy step-daughter. Gotta love her! She fusses when I try to take her picture, but yet she will model for a hundred goofy ones. :o)
She is wearing a scarf that I started a year ago and finished through a challenge to finish something that you started making and never finished. It was not a very challenging project, but I tried to keep it realistic where I wouldn't stress myself out getting it done. The shawl is one that I started for myself - my first time using a pattern - and decided to finish it for my mother-in-law for her birthday. She is so hard to buy for! She loves green and is very cold natured, something like this is right up her ally. We are going to frame the pictures of Heather "modeling" her shawl in some kind of collage to give with it. :o)
Saturday is my mommy's birthday! She was going to come down to visit us, but Jake invited her and my step-dad to grandparents day on Monday. They usually stay the weekend and head back on Monday so it wouldn't work. This is the first time he has asked them to go, so they are sooo excited! I'm sad they can't come this weekend, but I would hate it for them and Jake if they missed Grandparent's Day. She said they are going to try to come down soon though. :o)

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!!!

2005-10-18T09:35:00.000-04:00

The Guys
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Well, actually it was yesterday that my wonderful husband celebrated his 46th birthday. He had the day off work so he was going to take it easy and then we were going to grill steaks on the grill for supper. Well someone laid out of work so he had to go in. I think I was more bummed for him than he actually was. He said, "It's a birthday present." Meaning the overtime money which we really need. I just hated that it had to be that day. He is such an optimist. One of the many things I love about him. He had to work until 8pm so we decided to wait until today to grill out. I did go and decorate his truck at work. I used some window chalk and wrote Happy Birthday across the very top of his windshield. I got a small cooler, packed it with ice and put a big chocolate milk in it to leave in his front seat with a card. That may sound kinda cheesey, but when he gets off work he likes to drink chocolate milk. He's getting a car radio for his birthday, but I am letting him pick it out. Nothing real elaborate. Right now he has no radio or anything in his truck. That would drive me nuts!!

This picture is of my hubby, our nephew and my step-father. They, my mom & I were at Damons waiting for a table. The guys were sitting across from us looking at the pennants on the wall behind us when I snapped this picture. I think it was last year around christmas.

Nice Peaceful Weekend

2005-10-10T17:07:00.000-04:00

Coffee Rug
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

How cute is this rug? My mom sent this back with us last time we were in Indiana. For those that don't know, my kitchen in done in a coffee theme. How Fun!!

This weekend was wonderful! The weather is getting gorgeous. Have I mentioned that I love Fall? I love the cool (not cold) temperatures, the crisp mornings..........*sigh* I just want to go sit on the porch with a nice hot cup of coffee.

I finally was able to make my dh a Chocolate Pumpkin Pie (well, without the crust). His Aunt Tressie used to make him Chocolate Pumpkin Pie at Thanksgiving and he has been wanting one but nobody has the recipe. Aunt Tressie had alzheimers when he & I met and has since passed on so the recipe went with her. I have tried to "Google it" but the recipes all have chocolate on them or under them. Well, I posted on a message board asking if anyone had a recipe and I GOT ONE!!! I made it for him and he said it tasted just like what Aunt Tressie made. I can't tell you how excited I am!

CLEAN WATER!!!

2005-10-06T16:12:00.000-04:00

Yesterday we got a water filter for our faucet. I know, not a very thrilling thing, but I'm excited about it. We usually buy water by the gallon, but lately just about every gallon we buy has a nasty plastic taste. I decided that it was time for a filter, especially since it would definitely save us money with the luck we have had lately. It is going to be so nice not to have to haul the jugs home from the grocery store. We go through quite a lot of water. :o)

Heather's First Skirt

2005-09-30T10:22:00.000-04:00

Heather First Skirt
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Here it is! Didn't she do good? This is Heather's first skirt. She wore it to school last Friday and got a lot of compliments on it. I just can't tell you how proud I am of her. She tends to get flustered when it gives her trouble and gives up, she stuck with this and did a great job! I hope this shows her that there are a lot of things she can do if she just sticks with it. :o)

Indiana for the Weekend!

2005-09-27T17:06:00.000-04:00

Jake's Angry Football Face
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is Jake in his $3 yard sale bargain football uniform showing me his "angry" face. He's still cute as a button though. :o)
Last weekend we were able to go up and visit my family in Indiana. We had a great visit. Heather drove from just outside Nashville up into Indiana a bit. We all 3 drove, but she drove the longest leg. On Saturday Heather and I went to my mom's beauty shop so she could layer Heather's hair and pierce her ears. My mom also did an Anti-Frizz thing on my hair. When it came time for Heather to get her ears pierced she got a little nervous, she kept asking my mom if she had ever done this before. My mom of course had fun with her and said, "No." :o) They got a gun on each side to pierce both ears at once so she wouldn't chicke out on the second one. When it was done she said it wasn't too bad. The thing she did on my hair is supposed to get rid of frizz permanently, it's a new product she is trying out. It did not get rid of 100% of my frizz, but I can tell a huge difference. The day she did it, we went to the park for a cook out and it was very humid, my hair looked the same when I came in as it did earlier that day. Normally on a humid day I would look like a fuzz ball no matter how much goop I put in my hair. I can't wait to straighten it with my flat iron. I haven't straightened it for a long time because by the end of the day I become a fuzz ball, it doesn't stay straight.
The BBQ at the park was great! I wasn't feeling real good earlier and didn't feel much like eating but had a great time visiting. My mom had invited my uncles, aunts and cousins so that we could see them in the short time that we would be there. Some of them I have not seen since my grandmothers funeral a few years ago. It was noce but I wish it had been longer. :o(
One of my aunts gave me a knitting machine that she said she had been trying to get rid of. It was given to her and she just didn't use it anymore. She said that it probably cost $3,000 new. =:oO It has a bunch of attachments. I can't wait to play with it this weekend!!
It is always so hard to leave. I am thankful that we got to go up for a visit, but sure wish we could go for longer than just a weekend.

My Brilliant Step-Daughter

2005-09-20T10:19:00.000-04:00

Yesterday evening Heather said, "I bit my mouth and it HURTS." I said I was sorry and she proceeded to say, "These stupid braces make me bite myself." I just looked at her and started laughing. They make you bite yourself? - Of course I am picturing her involuntarily biting and gnawing on her arm. What she meant was that the new brackets that they put on last week are awkward and she keeps biting her cheek. :o)

I told her I was going to blog about her saying this, she begged me to do it.
So there you go.
This blog entry is dedicated to my slightly off, silly step-daughter Heather. :oP

Heather's First Skirt

2005-09-19T09:11:00.000-04:00

Heather Sewing Skirt
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This last weekend Heather started on her first skirt. I cut it out for her and she is doing all the sewing. I snuck a picture of her while she was engrossed in her work. The fabric is actually some that I had bought to make myself a skirt. Well she went nuts over it so of course I had to go get some more. :o) She did ask that I not wear my skirt when she wears her skirt. I can't believe she doesn't want to match! ;o) I am so excited for her to have a skirt that she made with her own two hands. She will probably have it finished in the next day or two and I will post a picture of the finished product.

I am so proud of her!!!

Spam

2005-09-13T10:44:00.000-04:00

Ok, like my friend Rachel I have given in to setting up Word Verification to keep people who choose to abuse my private blog with their unsolicited advertisements. For the few who leave comments on my blog I am truely sorry. I hope that this will not hinder actual comments from being left, because some of those word verifications are really weird. :oP

Nothing much to say........

2005-09-12T15:43:00.000-04:00

I don't really have much to say. I am getting a lot of preassure to post, so I figured I better.

Something I read today made me remember what a wonderful, loving hubby I have. When I was having trouble with my back, I couldn't get up or sit down without him practically lifting or sitting me down. That was so humbling for me. I would say over & over how sorry I was that he had to do all this for me. He would just lovingly reassure me it was ok. He is so good to me, I hope that he knows how wonderful I think he is. :o)

I don't know what my problem is..........

2005-09-01T16:32:00.000-04:00

Today every time I think about the hurricane victims I start crying. Things like this bother me, but not usually this much. Last night we were watching some news show in the 6 o'clock hour and they were talking about it of course. They showed this lady that had 2 little babies in a stroller and some older children tagging along behind her. She was across the water from the dome and she just seemed so desperate. I have that picture of her in my head and keep thinking how many are there out there like her or in worse shape than even she? They had a special on last night and I had to ask my hubby to change channels. It's not that I want to escape the reality of it, but my heart is so heavy as it is that I can't bear to see any more images. I understand that they want to convey how terrible it is right now, but it's just too much.

Hurricane Katrina

2005-08-30T12:09:00.000-04:00

My mom called this morning from Indiana to see if we were still here. Thank you Lord that we suffered no damage. There are some trees down around town and power out in places (probably restored by now), but nothing too major for us here in Northwest Georgia. Our prayers are going out to those who were hit harder. We had power out for a few hours in the wee hours this morning, I heard that some further south will not have power for a month! I moved here from Indiana, this is as far south as I think I want to move. :o)

Butterfly

2005-08-26T14:01:00.000-04:00

Butterfly
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I just love butterflies! They are so beautiful. This one landed on the outside window ledge at work. She just sat there and sat there so I couldn't pass up the photo opportunity. She was moving her wings, then it almost seemed as if she was posing for me. :o)
I watched her walk around a bit and she reminded me of an airplane getting ready to take off. Almost awkward because of her wings. Then I though, those big wings must be very awkward to maneuver at times. But oh to be so beautifully awkward. :o)

Happy Anniversary to Us!

2005-08-23T10:54:00.000-04:00

Friday, August 19th was our 5th Wedding Anniversary! 5 whole years with my wonderful, darling Hubby! I got the sweetest card, a beautiful locket and a huge griddle. :o) He said he wanted to get me something sentimental and something that I wanted and could use. I know, some people may think a griddle is a terrible anniversary gift, but I think it's perfect. I have told him from the beginning that I am not the type that would be offended by a blender for an anniversary gift. I can't wait to get a picture for my locket! I just got the griddle last night and cooked Quesadillas for supper, I love it!!! I have such a wonderful, sweet hubby. :o)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

2005-08-18T08:53:00.000-04:00

Oh my goodness, the other day one of my worst fears came true in Walmart! I was bending over to look at some plastic storage containers on the bottom shelf and all of a sudden, my back catches! So here I am bent over trying not to fall into the shelves, wondering what the heck I am going to do! Well I just stood there bent over and acted like I was looking at the stuff on the shelves. Every time I moved, my back would catch and every muscle in my body would tighten up. Well, I was finally able to stand up and get my cart and support myself with it. So I walked very slowly acting like I was looking at the stuff on the shelves and jerking ever so slightly on occassion when my back would catch without warning. Well I was able to pay for my stuff and walk very slowly across the parking lot to my car. Then I had to go get Heather at the Library! Well, I did ok driving except I felt every bump and turn. When I pulled into the library I heard my cell phone ring, guess where it was? In the floor on the passenger side, slid all the way to the front because my purse had dumped! Well I slowly reached for it and of course as soon as I grabbed it, it stopped ringing. It was Heather and she was leaving me a message that the library was closing and wanted to know where I was. My plan was to wait until it closed (only 5 minutes from the time I pulled in) so that I wouldn't have to try to get out of the car. Well, there was a kid in there taking extra long and she decided to stay inside as long as he did so she wouldn't have to wait outside by herself. It was 6:05 when she came out. When I explained to her what had happened she cracked up laughing. It really was funny, even at the time that it was happening. Scary and painful, but funny. :oD

Hummingbird

2005-08-09T13:05:00.000-04:00

Hummingbird
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This little hummingbird just flew into our window at work. We thought he was dead because his head was cocked around funny and his wings were all spread out. The FedEx guy got him up on the wall and put his wings right. Soon after he started to move his little head and finally was sitting up. We took lots of pictures (most of mine didn't turn out). I nudged him a little with a piece of paper and he finally flew off. He probably wished we would leave him alone. Isn't he adorable?

I know, I know.....

2005-08-05T11:40:00.000-04:00

I have not posted for quite a while. Well, here goes.

Monday we were supposed to go to the airport to pick Heather up at 5pm so I took a vacation day so I could go. Well, we got a call about9am or so (I don't remember exactly what time) and she had missed her flight. =:oO Her mom put her on a plane to Portland where she had to wait for one of three stand by flights that would take her to Dallas and then on to Nashville. Heather called at about 11:30am to let us know that she was waiting in Portland on one of these three flights and would call us when she got to Dallas to let us know when she would be in Dallas. I told her if she didn't get on the first flight to call and let us know, she didn't hear that part. We didn't know what was going on until she walked up to us at the airport at 9:30pm (10:30pm our time, so alsmost 12 hours after we heard from her). She didn't make it on any of the three flights she was waiting for and ended up on a flight to Chicago then Nashville. We left for the airport about 5:45pm our time because they stuck her bags on the first flight out of Portland so her bags would be in Nashville whether she was or not. She said she didn't call us because when she got to Chicago there was only enough time to get to her next flight.
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj
I know Dad isn't looking forward to her next flight(neither am I).
jjjjjjjjjjjjjjjj

A Day without Rachel

2005-07-25T09:22:00.000-04:00

Rachel's Last Day :o(
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Today is my first day back to work without my friend Rachel. :'o(
This is Rachel with her watermelon she got for a going-away present on Friday. Love the cheesy smile. Good times. :o)

Well, Rachel is moving on to pursue photography and to be with her family. She is really quite the photographer. If you would like to see some of her stuff, you can go to http://www.rachelpennington.com/ which is a site she is putting together. While it is under construction, I recommend visiting her Flickr account that is linked from there. I am very happy & excited for her embarking on this new venture but she will be greatly missed.

Ok, a moment of silence for our dear friend Rachel.................................

Contentment

2005-07-11T10:14:00.000-04:00

Contentment
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Doesn't he look content? :o)

My mom visited my second cousin who just had her baby in Dahlonega, GA right before she came to see us. Isn't he sweet? The bad thing is, his momma is only 16. :o(

My mom said that she really seems to have grown uplately. Even so, she is going to have a challenging road ahead of her.

Indiana Visitors

2005-07-11T10:03:00.000-04:00

Billy & Kids
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

My brother and his brood. :o) ----------->

~~~~~~~~~~

My mom and step-dad came down from Indiana this weekend for a visit. They didn't bring any of the kids with them, which was kinda disappointing but kinda nice. I hated not getting to see them, but it was very nice to get some more time with my mom where we can actually talk. :o) It was a nice visit, but too short.

Grilling!

2005-07-05T11:03:00.000-04:00

My Hubby Grilling
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

I took this pic of my hubby grilling supper wearing his new hat. He doesn't wear hats but decided he needed one for mowing. I think he looks so cute in it. He was not the least bit thrilled about me taking his picture, then again he never does.

My Mom

2005-06-28T15:55:00.000-04:00

My mother is cracking me up! :o)

Yesterday my mom called from Indiana and said that she has job offers for my husband and me. My uncle has an opening with starting pay more than what he is making now and my mom wants me to come do nails at the beauty shop where she works. Oh, she has it all figured out. She has a rental apartment that is open right now, we can move in there until we find a house. Also if I have a baby, we can keep him/her in the shop. It would be perfect.

I miss my family up there a lot, but I'm not too sure it will happen. Now I am not saying it definitely won't, but I doubt it.

Today she called and wanted my social security number so she could check to see what I would have to do to get my Nail Tech License up to date. This was not just a passing comment, she is dead serious.

...............sure is tempting. :o)

Date Night

2005-06-20T10:21:00.000-04:00

Friday my hubby picked me up from work and had picked me a Tiger Lily. Tiger Lilies are my favorite. We had to go to Dalton so we ate at a Chinese Restaurant there, great food-cheap price. Then we came home and watched movies. It was so nice. :o) Funny how it doesn't take much to make an evening special. AND I was actually more excited about the Tiger Lily which cost him nothing than the dinner. :oD
I have such a sweet hubby. Y

Peace Lily Bloom

2005-06-17T11:15:00.000-04:00

Peace Lily Bloom
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Peace Lilies are the mosst wonderful plant if you don't have a green thumb. I am bad about forgetting to water my plants, Peace Lilies will remind you they need water. When it starts to drop, water it and it will perk right back up. If you water it like you are supposed to you get a bloom. At work there is a Peace Lily in front of my desk, it now has two blooms on it! Rachel encouraged me that I needed to take a pic, so I did. :o)

Air!!!

2005-06-16T16:54:00.000-04:00

Tuesday night our air conditioner burned up on us. Things weren't too bad that night because it didn't go out until the evening. The next day dh was off work and spent the day working in the yard and then did some running to avoid being in the hot house. He picked me up from work and we went straight to Lowe's for a window unit. After much deliberation we ended up getting 2 small units, one for the living room and one for the bedroom. When we got home it was 91 degrees in the house! I have always lived where there was CHA, this is my first window AC. I have allergies (not as bad as when I was younger though) and asthma so we always has AC. I was totally blown away that those two little window units could cool pretty much the whole house! Our house is fairly small, this is one time when I am thankful that our house is not bigger. :o)

This was really not a good time for this to happen, not that anytime ever is. :o) We are trying to save money for dd's school tuition, dh is going to be laid off for 10 days and we have to make up that money AND have about $300 we need to pay off. I say that not as an invitation to my own little pity party, but to say that God IS good! We all have problems. I know there may be someone reading this that may think, you think YOU have problems? For me right now this is my challenge, along with the challenges of just everyday living. I do not handle pressure well at all and usually get very stressed out by it. I am doing better than I normally do because I keep thinking of Philippians 1:6 Being confident of this very thing, that he which hath begun a good work in you will perform [it] until the day of Jesus Christ. I believe that God is strengthening us. Do I like it? Not necessarily, but I know it is for my benefit. :o)
GOD is so good!!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY JENNA!

2005-06-15T09:37:00.000-04:00

JENNA
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Well, actually it was Sunday. My sweet neice Jenna turned 4 years old. Actually she is a little stinker. :o) I called her Sunday to wish her a Happy Birthday and she wouldn't even say Hi to me. :o( Sometimes she will chat your ear off and sometimes you can't get much out of her.

I can't believe she is already 4, she is growing up so fast!

Ty

2005-06-07T10:31:00.000-04:00

Ty
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is my adorable nephew Ty that was born in December. We got to see him on Sunday before we left.

EAT HERE AND GET GAS

2005-06-06T11:33:00.000-04:00

EAT HERE AND GET GAS
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

Friday we had to take my step-daughter to the airport. She is in Oregon now with her mom. Since we had to go to the Nashville Airport, we figured we would be part of the way to Indiana so we went to visit my family. We had a nice visit.

Saturday my dh went with my step-father and nephew to the farm and I got my mom all to myself. Usually there are little ones around demanding her attention or mine, it makes it a little hard to visit. I met her at her beauty shop and got a shampoo & cut (nobody cuts my hair but mom) and then we went diving around and hit a couple of yard sales. One of the yard sales where we stopped was a couple from my old church, that was a pleasant surprise. :o) We then did a little shopping and went home about 4:30 to hang out and wait for the boys.

Sunday morning my niece Jenna came and then my brother and his girlfriend came down with Taylor & Ty. My brother was wanting me to see how big Ty has gotten. We planned to leave between 10am and 11am but didn't leave until about 1pm. We got home about 11:30pm, a little later than we had planned. We also forgot our laptop at my mom's. No computer at home for a whole month!!! At first when I found out we had left it I freaked out, I felt sick to my stomach and had a little trouble breathing. Once I got calmed down I realized that yes, I can live without the computer. I think this is God's way of kicking me in the rear and telling me I need to get more done on the weekends. I can still use the computer at work and can go to the library if necessary. My mom is coming down next month and will be able to bring it then. I just hope she doesn't do like we did and forget it. :oO

Although it felt like it at first, it really isn't the end of the world. :o)

My First Embroidery Close Up

2005-06-02T10:42:00.000-04:00

My First Embroidery
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is a close up of the flower on the tea towel.

My First Embroidery

2005-06-02T10:40:00.000-04:00

My First Embroidery
Originally uploaded by Praiz777.

This is a tea towel that I did for an exchange. It was my first embroidery. Simple, but I like it. I was very excited to find out my swap partner received it yesterday and was pleased with it.

Nail Polish

2005-06-02T09:23:00.000-04:00

Ok, this may sound kinda goofy, but I just have to say something about my new nail polish. My mom send me a bottle of Salley Hansen Diamond Strength nail polish to try and it is wonderful!! I have not painted my nails for a long time because every time I do it chips off the next day. I even wiped my nails with alcohol first and still it chips. Mind you the nail polish I was using was professional stuff too. Well, I painted my nails Saturday evening and it just started chipping off one of my nails last night (it probably wouldn't have even done it then except I was picking at it). I have not kept polish on this long since I don't know when. I like to paint my nails occassionally, but want it to last at least a couple of days when I do or it's a waste of time.

Chrisi's Spot

Rachel Pulled Me Over

Prayer

Senior Pictures

She's Home!!!!

SHE IS NEVER FLYING AGAIN!!!!!

Great Idea, Even If It Wasn't Mine

Happy New Year!!

Merry CHRISTmas Eve

Just a Little Catching Up

Sad Yet Thankful the Weekend is Over

Guess What I Learned..........

What a Day!!!!

Meet The New Additions to Our Family

2006 holiday Survey

Where did the time go?

The Answer and the New Challenge

Our Newest Kitty

Who's Up For A Challenge

Who Would Have Thought

Look What I Found

WOW, 2 Posts in one week!

Busy Week!

Shawl

Happy Birthday To My Hubby!!!!

My Hubby is Such a DOLL!

RACHEL'S BACK!!!

First Day of Autumn?

Parting is Such Sweet Sorrow

Reloaded Picture

Pictures!!

I am so ready for Autumn

What a Week!!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!

Tomorrow................

July 4th Happenings.......Finally

Lots to Say

Blessing In Disguise

End of Week One

I Gotta Do It!!!!

Sourdough Starter

You would think I would learn...............

WOOOHOOO!!!

*Sigh*

Rose From My Yard

You know what irks me?

Cemetery Visit

Ahhhhhhhh.......

Look what I got tonight!!!

Kittens

Money, Money, Money, Money.......

How Sad

Heather's Progress Report

And The Thunder Rolls...............

Resurrection Day

Almost Forgot.........

Wildflowers

Relaxing Weekend

I'm Here!

Names can get really confusing

Chef Jacob

Just a note.

Starting the New Year.

Nothing really interesting to say.......

Finally Posting

Christmas Angel

HELP!!!!

Heather's Goofiness

Happy, Happy Birthday Baby!!!

Nice Peaceful Weekend

CLEAN WATER!!!

Heather's First Skirt

Indiana for the Weekend!

My Brilliant Step-Daughter

Heather's First Skirt

Spam

Nothing much to say........

I don't know what my problem is..........

Hurricane Katrina

Butterfly

Sigh