Sanji

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-Day 59- Sanji found himself a cozy place to nap today....in the kindling box. Not sure how comfortable that was, but he sure seemed happy!

Was going to upload some of the layouts that I did today, but will hold off til tomorrow. Ashley is waiting for me to come watch a movie with her...While You Were Sleeping.

A Little Behind

-Day 56-Up Close and Personal with Michael.-Day 57-
Ashley spotted these little Crocuses blooming over by the shed. C'mon Spring time!!
-Day 58-

Clay just happened to look out the window yesterday morning & saw these 4 deer out in the field. He thinks they were bucks because of the size of them.

Shampoo

-Day 55- *Suave Green Apple for the guys...it's Michael's favorite!

*Suave Smoothers (shampoo/conditioner) for Alli's L-O-N-G hair

* Treseme volumizing shampoo for my fine, limp hair

*Herbal Essence for Ashley & me ;-)

Barbie House

-Day 54-
Alli is in Barbie heaven! Some friends of ours at church....Jay & Elizabeth....collect all kinds of Barbie stuff. They scour Good Will & yard sales & what-not. Anyway, they had told me that they just needed to clean out some of their stuff & really wanted to pass it along to Alli if we didn't mind. They knew she LOVED Barbies & wanted this stuff to go to someone who would love it. So, they came out to the house today to bring Alli this cool vintage-style Barbie house. I had no idea when they told me about it that it was going to be this cool wooden-framed house. They had come across this at Good Will for $3. And along with the house they brought her a whole box full of all kinds of Barbie accessories. She has played & played with all her new goodies all afternoon. Just like Christmas to her. Charlie has even enjoyed this new place to play & sleep. Thanks so much, Jay & Elizabeth, for making Alli's day & thinking of us!!

Just a quick layout that I did this afternoon. Our Charlie-Bug (as we call him) with his mama, Squirrel.

Nekkid Man

-Day 53-
I snapped these pics today on our way home from church. When the kids were smaller they would always hoot & holler whenever we drove by the 'Nekkid Man' statue. Here's the link to the Oak Ridge Estate if you care to check it out.
http://www.oakridgeestate.com/

Our NEW couch

-Day 50- Clay got a wild hair Thursday afternoon & decided it had been a long time since we had just gone shopping. Not for anything in particular, but basically just for a fun family thing to do. So, we loaded up & headed to town. We hit the mall, a music store....where Clay enjoyed checking out the guitars & madolins. Supper at Golden Corral (Blech....not my choice place to eat!!) Then over to Sams & Walmart. I went ahead & got my grocery stuff at Sams so I wouldn't have to do that on Friday. My two big purchases were some page protectors & a scarf/hat/mitten set from Claire's to put away for Anna for next Christmas. And the big purchase of the evening was Ashley's new digi camera.....a Kodak Easy Share for $84. She has been saving & shopping around forever & was SO tickled to finally find a good one for a good price!
-Day 51-
The girls & I met Maw, Sarah, Anna & Daniel for lunch yesterday at Subway. Couldn't resist this photo op as we left the restaurant. Check out Batman there.....complete with the Batman shirt (including the cape tucked up under his coat) & of course the mask too.

-Day 52-
About a week ago, we bought our very first NEW couch set from Schewels in Amherst. In our 22 years of married life we have never owned a NEW couch.....it's always been a hand-me-down piece from someone. First from Granny & Papaw, then one from Maw & Pop, we bought one from our friend Mike, one from some folks we knew back in NC & finally our last couch was given to us by my cousin. So, this is our first official NEW couch set. Not the best shot in the world....it's hard to get good lighting in there for a pic, but anyway. I thought it was kinda cool that I captured Cosby on TV too. And please don't look at the mud on the knees of Michael's jeans. Yikes!

Cross-stitch

-Day 49- Can you believe that I've pulled out the cross-stitch stuff again? I haven't cross-stitched in forever! But as I mentioned before I saw this adorable project on Becky Higgins blog & I've been itching to get at it. I found this really cute pattern by Jeremiah Junction in my stash & knew it would be perfect for this project. I'm going to make a little square pillow....one for each month & then find me a really cool little hooky thing to go on my kitchen wall to hang them on.

Girly Day

-Day 48-

Ashley & I had been planning this day for a long time.......She had been wanting to go to Pizza Hut for a thin crust pizza (everyone else loves pan pizza) & so we had decided that whenever Twilight finally came to the dollar theater, that we would go make a day of it. So.....our first stop of the day was Pizza Hut for our THIN crust veggie-lovers pizza. It was so Yummy....we ate the whole stinkin' thing!! Next on the agenda was a hair cut. Again, Ashley had been patiently waiting forever wanting to get her hair cut. And believe it or not, this past Friday I got a coupon in the mail for a $7.99 haircut. I had planned on taking her Tuesday anyway as kind of a surprise & this made it all the more perfect. We both ended up getting our hair cut. Mine, I just got trimmed & kind of shaped up. She wanted a really good trim with some long layers cut in & long, thin, wispy bangs. Here's the BEFORE:
and AFTER:

I love how it turned out! I think she ended up getting about 5" cut off the length, but it really needed it though. She's happy & so that's what matters. ;-)

After the hair cuts, we piddled around a little bit before time for the movie. She ran into Target to pick up a couple of tops that she had been debating on getting & was pleasantly surprised that they were cheaper than she thought they were. Then I ran into AC Moore to look at cross-stitch stuff (gasp)....I haven't cross-stitched in forever. But I saw something on Becky Higgins blog that her mother had made her & I fell in love with it. It was a little hook hanging on her wall near the light switch & her mother had cross-stitched a basket full of little pillows...one fore each month... & you hang that month's pillow on the hook & then change them out each month. Totally cute. Well, I dug out my stash of patterns & found one that I had from Jeremiah Junction....one little desgin for each month of the year & so I was about to bust a gut to go buy some aida & floss & get started on my newest project. Will have to post a picture of that soon. Anyway.....after our little shopping spree, we headed on over to the theater. The movie was really good....but we both agreed it just didn't quite measure up to the book. You know how it is when you read something & picture things in YOUR mind......certain things in the movie just weren't like how we had imagined them. But definitely will watch it again when it comes out on Netflix. The scenery was awesome & we loved the music too. All in all, it was a totally FUN day!

The Little Things

God cares about even the seemingly 'little' things in our lives. When Bunny came in this moring I realized that he didn't have his collar on. He must've lost it somewhere along the way. I knew Ashley would be really sad...most of all about losing the heart because she bought that for him a few years back for Christmas. Anyway, she told me he smelled like hay & that he had probably come most recently from the hay barn. So, when I went out to take my snow pictures, I prayed as I walked for God to show me where the collar was because I knew it was really important to Ashley. Well, I walked down all through the hay barn, came back up the hill, still asking God to show me right where the collar was. I walked through the 'bike building' where they keep their bicycles & then as I was headed back to the house, there I saw it. Laying right out in the open in the space between the bike building & Clay's building....where we back up & turn around. How awesome is that?! I was so excited to come in & show Ashley. I told her how I had prayed & how God indeed showed me right where the collar was! He most certainly does care about the Little Things in our lives!!

Snow

-Day 47-Woke up to snow this morning. When Clay got up to go to work, he told me that everything was white. I really didn't believe him at first, but he wasn't kidding.

Recent Layouts

'Raised to Walk in Newness of Life'...this one is a total 'lift' from Lisa Jamerson. I saw it on her blog & just knew it was what I wanted to do the pic of Chris' baptism. What's so cool here is that Dane Emerick who baptized him was at Liberty as Dean of Men when Clay & I were in school. We celebrated Anna's 7th BD with lunch at Chickfila. Alli made her the cool High School Musical Poster to hang in her room.
Clay's 43rd BD.....he worked that day & we had our Family Christmas dinner at Aunt Linda's house that evening. But we had chocolate cake for dessert when we all got home that evening. Ashley made him the neat birthday banner hanging over the door.

This was the day AFTER my birthday. Since my BD was on Friday (grocery & errand day....not much of a day off) Ashley said that Saturday was going to be my Day Off. She did the dishes all day for me & we spent the afternoon watching Girly movies & scrapping. She & Alli also made me a yummy Red Velvet cake. Shown in the LO is a picture of 'You've Got Mail' on TV.

My Birthday Lunch at O'Charley's

And this LO was done for Penny's challenge this past week at ASF. We had to choose a LO that we LOVED (LOVE because it was Valentine's week) & then flip it either 90 degrees to the left or the right. I picked one that Tammy had done & rotated it to the left for this LO of Uncle Skippy, Maw & Aunt Linda at the Family Christmas dinner. Wish Aunt Vada could've been there to complete the picture.

The Red Carnation

-Day 46-

Sunday service in the new sanctuary at Calvary Chapel in Amherst. The flowers that Clay brought me yesterday for Valentine's Day.
And since Sandee asked.....here's the story of the Red Carnation.
Our very first year in college, on Valentine's Day, I received one single red carnation with a note that said, 'From your secret admirer'. It wasn't until a few weeks later on a field trip to DC that I finally found out that it was Clay that had sent me that carnation. And so.....25 years later, he always has to get me a Red Carnation for Valentine's Day. Forget roses....I'll take red carnations any day! ;-)

Catching Up

-Day 43-

We had planned for two days to do London Broil on the grill, but both days have just been too windy to grill. So, since Clay & the boys were off on a 'Manly Shopping Trip' this afternoon/evening, I decided I'd just whip up some home-made ronis & we could add to it whatever we wanted & call it supper. Ashley fixed herself a little Wheat English muffin pizza, Alli had just ronis & I had ronis, apple slices & a glass of tea. (notice my favorite glass is a wide-mouthed quart Mason jar) ;-)-Day 44-

I went to town by myself today, so decided I'd pick Chris up after convo & we could have lunch together at Chickfila. We were actually in a hurry leaving there...trying to get him back to class on time & I forgot all about taking my picture of the day....which I had planned on being a picture at CFA. So, later in the afternoon as I was heading out of town...while I sat at the stop-light here...I decided this was a really cool shot because not only did it have Chickfila in the foreground (where we had lunch today) but also, you can see the LU dorms in the background right through those trees....Chris' dorm is actually right along that row there, so I thought that was pretty cool.

-Day 45-
HAPPY VALENTINE'S DAY!
We didn't do anything super spectacular for Vday.....we had our usual celebratory cinnamon buns & coffee for breakfast & I had some little candy treats for the kiddos. Made Chris a batch of brownies & took to him yesterday. Clay did bring me some flowers home last night along with a card. He said he had to make sure that there was at least ONE red carnation in the flowers......will have to maybe share that story in another post if y'all want me to. Just ask & I will ;-) And for a special dessert last night we had monkey bread (or as the kids call them....monkey nuts) & coffee. Decided on a pic of my Valentine cards all lined up on the counter. I LOVE that little birdy one that Ashley made me....isn't that the cutest?!
This was just too funny & I HAD to share.......Michael was paying Jon back so now they're even. He went upstairs this morning & painted Jon's toes while he slept. A lovely shade of 'sparkly' turquois blue. And he continued to sleep while Ashley turned the light on & took this picture. Too, too funny!!
And last but certainly not least.....We were watching old episodes of Bewitched while we scrapped yesterday afternoon & they sat Charlie on the arm of the sofa & he actaully sat there watching TV for a while. He was so cute & I love how Ashley captured Elizabeth Montgomery & Charlie's little head cocked to one side. Cute, cute, cute!

Windy

-Day 42- This was the sky outside yesterday about 4:30pm....you can see how stormy & windy it looks. It started raining about 8pm & poured for a while. The wind got worse too....during the night it sounded terrible. They said we had gusts up to 40mph. But thankfully we made it through the night without losing our power! Evidentally it did blink somewhere along the way because when I woke up this morning our clock was flashing.

Valentine Party

-Day 41-

Ashley & Ella scrapping at Maw's dining room table.

Today was our Homeschool Valentine/scrapping party at Maw's house.

Ella's mom, Shelly, had been wanting to learn how to make cards, so I printed off some sketch ideas, brought a bag of patterned paper scraps & we got right down to it. I showed her how a sketch that showed flower embellishments could be used replacing the flowers with snowflakes or even hearts to make a cute Valentine card. She was taking notes fast & furious writing down types of adhesive, pens, cardstock, paper trimmers, etc. After our card-making lesson, we did a few layouts. I was actaully able to get two most-of-the-way done. I still need to add the titles & do journaling, but I was pleased that I got as much done as I did. The kids sure enjoyed the awesome weather.....they played outside the whole time! Then tonight for supper...we had our Valentine dinner...since Clay will be working Sat. Ashley had been wanting to try the Tuscani Pasta from Pizza Hut & so Clay ordered it & we just stopped by & picked it up on our way home. Easy peasy supper. It was really good....just VERY garlic-y. :-P I'm STILL tasting it even now.

Cupcakes

-Day 40- Yesterday was a pretty normal Monday for us. All the usual stuff like laundry, school & what-not....plus I had to finish up my Valentine stuff for today's party & get my valentines ready that needed to be mailed. Think I'm all set this morning....mail is ready to be dropped at the PO, library books in the van to be dropped off, tea is made, cupcakes are made, scrap-crap is all packed & ready to go. Just need to run upstairs & get myself dressed & we will be outta here for the day.

Worthwhile

'People were rushing forward...She understood the reasons, but they were rushing, like Lon, toward long hours & profits, neglecting the things that brought beauty to the world.

Who did she know in Raleigh who took time off to fix a house? Or read Whitman or Eliot, finding images in the mind, thoughts of the spirit? Or hunted dawn from the bow of a canoe? These weren't the things that drove society, but she felt they shouldn't be treated as unimportant. They made living worthwhile.'

Grillin'

-Day 39- Man, another nice day for February....it was almost 70 this afternoon. Ashley & I sat outside for a while reading, the kids took a walk, rode their bikes, hit some golf balls out in the front field & even went down to the pond fishing for a bit. Then I drug out the grill & fired it up for the first time this year. Oh my goodness do I Love the smell of the grill! We did burgers, dogs & chicken for Ashley. Throw in some fries, baked beans, corn & tater salad & it was an awesome supper. It all tasted SO good!

Grocery Store Math

-Day 38- I hate taking pictures of myself....but anyway, this was representative of my day yesterday. I cut my bangs. After about a year of growing them out, I just couldn't stand it anymore & after much anxiety & deliberating & reading/studying threads that I had googled about 'How to cut your own bangs' I just finally did it! I was really pleased with myself until Clay got home from work last night & the first thing he said, 'What'd ya go & do that for?' Oh well.......what's done is done.....it'll grow.

I haven't shared much of anything school related in a long time, so I thought I'd share our Grocery Store Math that we did on Friday. Let me back up a bit......the last chapter that Ashley had done on Thurs. was about Unit Price/Rates/ Sales Tax. Now, I'm always on the look-out for the best value for my money, but honestly I had never taken that close of a look at the little shelf tags to check out the unit price. So, we were on a mission to examine all the shelf tags & check out more closely the unit prices of the stuff we were buying. The one that stood out in particular to me was when we were buying cereal. Jon had requested Pops this week, so as I was checking out the price/size of the box, etc. I pointed out to Ashley that the largest box was NOT the best price per unit like most folks would generally think. It was actually the middle-sized box that was the cheapest per unit. The small box & the large box were almost identical in unit price. I also had her practicing her percents & sales tax stuff while we were in AC Moore. Finding out how much off the item would be with our 40% coupon & then how much the tax would be on said item. It really ended up being kind of fun. Of course, that's the beauty of homeschooling.....it CAN be fun AND practical. You can't beat the math/money lessons that get right in the actual store on the sutff you are buying! And on top of all that, Alli is getting in on the lesson too & actually learning a bit of this along with Ashley.

Peanut

Ok, so we have a new obsession in this house......Jeff Dunham comedy. Any fans out there? Seems he's been around awhile, but somehow or other Clay has just now stumbled across him & has been getting everything he can of his on Netflix. Everybody loves Peanut....also Achmed & Jose on a schtick. It's so funny to hear Michael & Jon going around saying 'Jef-f-fa.............Dun-HAM...........dot com.' And the other favorite, of course is...'Silence.....I keeeeel you!' LOL

More BD celebrating

-Day 37-
Yesterday was Maw's BD....she's been partying for about a week now. Aunt Linda came up & took her out to Cracker Barrel this past Sat. for her BD. Then yesterday her friend Thelma took her to a new little place down town for lunch & last night she had BD supper at Sarah's house. So, we snagged her for lunch today & took her to O'Charley's. Sorry that Sarah & the kids missed out....we had a really nice time!

-Day 36-
Yesterday was also Chris' BD.....his big #20! Yep, he & Maw share the same birthday. He was actually due on MY birthday & had the nerve to wait two whole weeks & be born on Maw's BD. Anyway, we took him to eat supper at Pizza Hut last night.....one of his favorites. ;-) We had a really fun time & I was able to get the kids to be agreeable for at least a couple of nice pictures to commemorate Chris' big day. Sent him home (or back to the dorm) with a big ole two-layer devil's food cake with chocolate icing. I got a note on my facebook this morning thanking me for the cake & saying that all the guys said 'Thank You' too! ;-) You think they're sucking up to me for some home-made Valentine goodies?! LOL

ASF

-Day 35- Today was just a normal Wednesday. School in the morning...clean up/wash dishes....shower....lunch....scrapping & making Valentine cards in the afternoon while watching our favorite shows....Bewitched, Full House & I Love Lucy. In between all this I did laundry & folded/put away clothes...put a Boston Butt in the crock pot along with the maple BBQ sauce from Kaye's recipe so we could have BBQ sandwiches for supper. After supper I watched American Idol with the kids & now I'm just chillin' for a bit before I head upstairs to read. I ended up sitting here at the computer a little while ago realizing that I didn't have a picture-of-the-day today & so I decided on my computer & of course my favorite site that I frequent so much of the time...A Scrappin' Friendsy. Waving Hi to all my scrapping buddies in MS! Love you guys!!

Snow

-Day 34-This is what I woke up to this morning. We had about an inch of snow maybe on the ground. It was really pretty! Enough that Chris said they had a 2-hour delay in classes. Of course, it didn't last very long at all, but it was pretty while it lasted. We're actually supposed to get a bit more tonight, so we shall see. ;-)

Ground Hog's Day

-Day 33- Well, it's Ground Hog's Day today & no, Tammy.....I didn't get a picture of a ground hog....dadgummit! Danielle & her kids came to visit for the day. We've only been trying to get together since Christmas. Just seems like it was first one thing & then another. But today was finally the day. The kids played & we scrapped.....well, we each got ONE layout done....but we did get ALOT of gabbing done. What can I say....you just can't beat gabbing the afternoon away with your best friend, right?! Then later on I fixed lasagna,(with deer meat....shhhh...don't tell!)salad & fat bread for supper. When it was time for them to get ready to go & we went upstairs to tell the girlies to start cleaning up.....this is what we found. Cori & Alli holed up playing hand games. They have played Barbies, done maicures (French tips) & who knows what all else. They always have the best time together!! What sweet friends. I have my jammies on now....think I'm gonna fix a cup of hot tea & grab my book. I'm tired.

Super Bowl Sunday

-Day 32-Nothing special happening here....We spent the better part of the afternoon watching the I Love Lucy marathon on TV while working on scrap stuff. I put several page kits together so hopefully I'll be able to get something accomplished tomorrow when Ella is here. This evening we fixed BBQ wings, fries & deviled eggs for our Super Bowl supper. Here, Michael is enjoying his dinner while watching Ben Roethlisberger....thought that was a pretty good shot for the day. Clay is the only one who really cares about watching.....he's the only one left in there now. The others are more interested in straightening up, getting things ready for their friends to come over tomorrow. ;-)