New Ride

Well, we are now the proud owners of a Subaru Legacy. What an answer to prayer!! I'm sure this will help out tremendously for Clay & Chris driving back & forth to work.Michael & Jon worked hard this afternoon washing & waxing it for us!

We had a really nice lunch today with Ella & Maw at the Texas Steakhouse. Then we rany by AC Moore & Target. We had such fun in Target trying on shoes.....HEELS...to be more specific. We even had the camera out taking pictures!! Hopefully Ella will send them to me later (since they are on her camera) & I can post a few here & give y'all a good laugh! After our fun shopping time I had to get serious & hit Sams & then Walmart. I tell ya, I have gotten spoiled by going EARLY & getting my groceries done. It's so much nicer when I can go ALONE & EARLY in the morning when the store isn't crowded. Not that I didn't enjoy my girls' company, but it's just so much easier to stay focused & get it done quickly when I'm alone. I like having them with me when we're out & about just having fun. Late Friday afternoon was NOT a good time to be getting groceries!! Anyways.....since it was a little after 6pm when we got home, we all just ate 'whatever' for supper.....the boys had ham sandwiches, Chris had a pizza, Alli ate cereal & Ashley & I both had the other half of our burger that we saved from lunch today. Cleaned up the kitchen & cut Clay's hair. Now, I'm trying to round my rowdy children up for showers/baths & get them settled for the night. I feel the need for a nice cup of coffee now!!

Ashley took these cool action shots of Alli playing with her new jump rope!
These show up a little bit dark in the scan, but it's Jon & Michael playing on the tire swing that Jon hung up in the big old pine tree.


Nothing very exciting going on around here today.....I have felt totally lazy for some reason. Now, I have managed to get two loads of laundry done & a few more folded & put away. Sat outside & read some after lunch.....a new book from Tracie Peterson called 'Summer of the Midnight Sun'. Finished up the 'Jump' layout I was working on. Grilled some BBQ chicken for supper along with baked potatoes, ronis, baked beans & applesauce. Chris had his drug test & interview at Frito this afternoon at 2pm. He interviewed with one of Clay's old bosses. Right now they are really needing people for 3rd shift packing.....now, I'm not real thrilled about the 3rd shift part, but I'm just PRAYING! Mason found a car in today's paper....just up the road here from us & they (Mason, Clay & Chris) have gone to look at it now. The other kiddos are finishing watching 'Smarter Than a Fifth Grader' & then I'm going to settle Michael & Alli down so the rest of us can watch the 4th Harry Potter movie. Chris & Ashely are excited to watch it with me now that I've finished the book. Tomorrow is my regular grocery day & the girls are going with me too for their Girly shopping time. We are meeting Danielle & the kids for lunch at the Texas Steakhouse. That will be a nice treat & we are all looking forward to it!

Today

Kind of a quiet day around here today. Jon had to be up & ready by 8am this morning. He was going with Mason to do some work at his sister's house (she's older & in a wheel chair). He's really serious about earning money to buy his rifle for this fall....so serious that he gave up a fishing trip today with Clay & Michael. But it was totally worth it for him.......he came homse $70 richer! Mason had told him he was going to pay him $6/hour & then his sister insisted on paying Jon for his help too & she gave him $40! What a happy kid that was this afternoon when he got home! So proud that he is willing to work hard for what he wants! He has been working toward this gun since back in the winter.Mother's Day flowers that I got from church Sunday. Gonna plant them out on my patio in the big black pots out there & pray that the cats don't decide to sleep in the middle of them!
Ashley cut this boquet of Iris for me Sunday morning. They are so pretty & even have some sprigs of Mock Orange stuck in with them now. Boy, does that smell good!

Just a picture of the hay bales this evening. Wanted to get a pic before they got them all up. It's just something about those hay bales out there in the field.......I love it! It just FEELS so homey!

Also took this this evening....on the far side of the garden looking back toward the house. I'm guessing our garden is about the size of a football field.

I did this ATC for the 'Salt' challenge...on Forgiveness & also using it for Ken's 'Altered' challenge at ASF.
'The Guardian'...Bunny perched himself right here in the chair one day as we brought the groceries in...just like he was keeping an eye on things. Too cute.

I'm tickled!

Was just checking the list of winners for the NSD crop at Lifetime Moments & was tickled to death to see my name listed as a winner by the class for the Hand cut Title/frame. This is the winning LO of Jovi that I did for that class. I'll be receiving some cool 'Fancy Pants' papers/embellies. I'm so excited!

Whatever is NASA-sary

Jon: if you worked for NASA & there was a problem with one of the space ships, what would you do?
Mom: I don't have a clue, Jon.....what would you do?
Jon: Whatever is NASA-sary! Ha!Ha! Ha!

Be Still

Hide me now
Under your wings
Cover me within your mighty hand

When the oceans rise and thunders roar
I will soar with you above the storm
Father you are king over the flood
I will be still and know you are God

Find rest my soul
In Christ alone
Know his power
In quietness and trust

We sang this in church this morning & it's been stuck in my head ever since.....love this song! Hoping everyone had a nice Mother's Day. I know I did! After church, we went over to Maw's & had lunch with her & Sarah, David & the kids. We didn't stay as long as we usually do because it started to storm & I knew we had left the computer on at home & was afraid with the storms they were calling for that our computer might get zapped, so we headed on out about 2:30ish. It rained on us all the way, but we were able to get in & everything unloaded right before the bottom really fell out. Thanks goodness it didn't last for too long & soon the sun was out & there were blue skies. Since we had had our big meal at lunch today, I just fixed sandwiches for the kiddos for supper. Clay surprised me by bringing me an Arby's beef & cheddar for supper when he came home. He knew Ella & I had been talking about them the other day & how I hadn't had one in YEARS! Boy, that was a yummy treat. It really hit the spot! Here's my first-ever altered canvas. I got the idea from a friend of mine a while back. When I saw her canvas & this verse that she used, I KNEW it would make the perfect gift for Maw. She's always loved that verse & wanted it in cross-stitch or something to hang in her entry way. So......here it is in scrapbook form. 'As for me & my house...we will serve the Lord'
This LO was done for Julie's sketch challenge at ASF....pics of Michael the night he got the fish hook stuck in his foot. Notice the little decoration in my title......yep, that's the hook! ;-)

Ashley snapped this cute picture of Jovi one night. He was begging to be fed! It was so funny....he kept 'kissing' the bag & nudging it. He's even been known to knock it over & rip a hole in it too if no one feeds him quick enough!

Husband Tag

Kaye tagged me with Husband Tag...keep reading to see if YOU have been tagged! So here we go...


What is his name? Clay or Dad
How long have you been married? 21 years
How long did you date? A little over 3 years
How old is he? 42
Who eats more? Oh definitely him!
Who said I love you first? He did
Who is taller? He is
Who sings better? Again, definitely him.....he can play the guitar & sing.
Who's temper is worse? Mine.....Clay doesn't get upset that often.
Who does the laundry? Me
Who does the dishes? Me....or Ashley does them alot now, but certainly not him....unless he is specifically asked to do so.
Who sleeps on the right side of the bed (when you are facing it)? Me
Who pays the bills? Clay does.....unless it's something like,'Will drop this off at the cable place when you go out.'
Who cooks dinner? Me & like Kaye said....he's good at grilling & ordering pizza.
Who mows the lawn? I used to....loved the sun time,but our lawn mower has gotten persnickity now & Clay likes to do it himself now.
Who drives when you are together? He does.....he can't stand to let anyone else drive!
Who has more friends? I don't know.....I'd say about the same. We've both got a few close frineds that we can go & do things with.
Who has more siblings? He does......he has a sister & a brother.........I only have one sister.
Who wears the pants in the family? He definitely does.....but again, like Kaye said......any big decisions we do it together & we work well as a team too.


Ok, I'm tagging...Dana, Kristi & Robin

What's been happening here

Craziness, I tell ya. Friday is usually my grocery day, but the weather was calling for 90% chance of HEAVY rains on Friday & who wants to go traipsing around town in weather like that. Not to mention loading & unlaoding a week's worth of groceries in torrential rain, SO..........I decided to go on Thurs. & do my groceries while Clay & the kids tried to beat the rain & get our garden planted. Well, I got it all done....groceries plus errands,etc. & came home with a terrible sinus headache that just seemed to get worse as the evening went on. The kids had been working their tails off in the garden ALL day long & I thought it would be a wonderful treat for everyone to just get Vitos for supper......Mother's Day dinner (& I wouldn't have to cook...especially with an awful headache) + a treat for the kids for working so hard all day. They got everything planted except our watermelons, pumpkins & catelopes. They planted beans, purple hull peas, corn, okra, lettuce (several different kinds), carrots, onions, cucs, squash, tomatoes & potatoes. Got everyone hearded inside & bathed......in the meantime we here that there are bad storms & even tornadoes all over, so like I said, got everyone bathed, dishes all done, extra tea & juice made, water bottles filled, flashlights & oil lamps all ready to go if necessary. Went ahead & settled Michael & Alli down to bed & sat down to watch 'The Bourne Ultimatum' with the others & we hadn't watched but about 20 mins. of it when the power went. Now, mind you the storms weren't bad at all & No heavy rains PTL! (praying it wouldn't wash all our newly planted garden away!) BUT lightening hit & knocked out our transformer.....so we were without power for about 14 hours. Finally got it fixed yesterday around noon. Below are some pics from the past few days of excitement.Baby Sanji peeking out of the building. They are growing so fast! Isn't he just the cutest, Kaye?
This is the craziness that goes on when there is NO power & nothing else to entertain yourselves. If you look closely, Michael has a little pen light in his hand & was making 'Foot shadows' on the wall when Ashely took this picture. I personally was TRYING to sleep during all this! :-P

The big branch out of our front tree that fell during the night. Scared the you-know-what outta me at 2-something am.....in the total still & quietness of the night I heard this (right by my bedroom window) & jumped striaght up out of the bed! Again, PTL that it fell perfectly & didn't do one stitch of damage!!

Our lovely new transformer! Guess the other one served us well, becuase it hadn't been replaced in ten years. It was hit not long after we first moved up here & was replaced then.

Chris had tests at Frito Lay at 8am this morning.....they are hiring for some flex positions for the summer & hopefully Clay having been there for 10 years MIGHT have some pull. He rode in with Clay to work this morning & then I picked him up later. He has to go back either Tues. or Wed. for drug testing & possibly more of an interview. They are only hiring for packing...2nd or 3rd shift. So we shall see. Just praying for the Lord's leading here.

Off to bake an apple cake for our Mother's Day dessert tomorrow.

Cards

Just a couple of Mother's Day cards that I made yesterday.

Wonderful Wednesday

All is quiet in the house right now...Michael & Alli are upstairs...supposed to be sleeping, but somehow I imagine that Michael might be scratching Daddy's back. His favorite way to earn a few nickles & dimes these days. The TV isn't even on right now....I've been taking note of that the last few days....ever since Dana mentioned the TV/Game wars at their house. Although to be fair...I bet Jon is upstairs playing Mario Kart...I just can't HEAR it cuz I'm downstairs. Ashley & Chris are both reading....like I said, the mad dash to see who can finish HP first. Ashley won't say what chapter she's on...only that she is ahead of Chris. ;-) The TV was only on for a short while first thing this morning...they usually watch some cartoons while they are first waking up/eating breakfast. But then, Michael & Alli were both off outside drawing with sidewalk chalk & killing bumble bees with their 'swords' & Ahsley was out on a quilt under the Dogwood reading. After lunch, Clay went to the seed store to get what we needed for our garden & right after supper our neighbor, Mason, came over & plowed the garden for us. The boys only got to plant a few rows before it got dark, but hopefully we'll get the rest of it planted tomorrow before any rain comes. Off to finish reading MY HP book....gotta catch up with these kiddos...they're blowing me away!

Terrific Tuesday

Today was going to be a lazy day with going to the library being the high-light of the day. But the guys ended up going fishing & so the girls & I headed on out for our Girly Shopping day. We had lunch at Chickfila & got our free milkshake for dessert (coupon from the calendar, ya know). Thought about you, Kaye as we enjoyed our dessert. ;-)

Then we hit Target, Sam's, AC Moore, Old Navy & Steve & Barry's. Got a replacement carafe for my coffee maker at Target....without paying a dime....I had a GC. WooHoo! Got two 11 x 14" canvases from AC Moore for a Mother's Day project I'm going to work on. (used my 40% off coupon for those). Also found the cutest little sets of alpha stamps in the DOLLAR bins & get this.....all wood mounted stamps are 40% off this week....so they were all of .60!! Another WooHoo! I think I got 7 different sets. I mean who can pass up 7 different alpha sets for $4.20?! They're little so they'll be GREAT for card-making. Then I got Jon another pair of jeans & a pair of camo cargo shorts from S & Bs. Oh, & we DID stop by the library on the way home so we could get TWO copies of the last Harry Potter book. Ashley is so tickled to get a head start on Chris. Since he's off fishing with the guys, she came straight home & started reading! They are something else. Hee! Hee! Came home to find that they've already cut Hay......that's a tad early this year, but with all the rain we've been having, I knew they'd be cutting soon. Now, I've got an allergy/sinus headache. Think a pot of coffee is a necessity while we watch Idol. ;-)

This one's for Kaye!

'Girls Gone Wild'.....she's been asking about the Nekkid Barbie pictures & she also came up with the title of Girls Gone Wild......so, here ya go, Kaye........This one's for you! Do you like it? This was done for the color challenge at LM....ornage/blue/green ONLY!
'The Great Outdoors' This was the first time we took Ma-Lady's kittens outside to explore. They were so cute....especially when Spud came over to check them out. This was done for the Becky Fleck sketch at LM.

This one was done for the ad challenge at LM & also for MY contentment challenge at ASF. Just LOVE this shot of Bunny snoozing on the foot of my bed.

Let's see.....Saturday, besides scrapping there was nothing much exciting going on. Jon had to go over to Mason & Gyle's & wash her car for her. And of course they fed him while he was over there. ;-) He said they had cooked up a mess of the fish we had given them & along with the fish he had fries, deviled eggs, corn & for dessert, pound cake & whipped cream. I tell ya, they spoil him to death. THEN, he went back out to wash her car, did the inside windows & she even asked if he would vacuum it for her. He was tickled because beside all the yummy food & spoiling, he came home $10 richer!

Sunday was church & then home for a relaxing afternoon. The girls & I fixed our lunch & took it ouside to eat. Then later, I grilled chicken & we had chicken sandwiches for supper.

Yesterday was cleaning day. I vacuumed the bathroom & our bedroom & then ALL of downstairs. Then I mopped it all. Smelled so good when I was done. Later, Ashley vacuumed upstairs in their room....it gets so dusty & all with the rabbit in their room. In between the cleaning & the laundry I managed to sit outside & do some reading & also got a two LOs done!! Tried to finish up what I wanted to for the challenges at LM because yesterday was the last day to upload stuff there. ASF has extended our crop on through this week, so will continue to work on some of the challenges for there now.

One Word

Not as easy as you might think... answer each question with only one word!

1. Where is your cell phone? counter
2. Significant other? Clay
3. Your hair? brown
4.Your mother? strong
5. Your father? mellow
6. Your favorite thing? scrapping
7. Your dream last night? none
8. Your favorite drink? tea
9. Your dream/goal? photographer
10. The room you're in? Dining
11. Your hobby? scrapping
12. Your fear? snakes
13. Where do you want to be in 6 years? here
14. Where were you last night? home
15. What you're not? skinny
16. Muffins? Blueberry
17. One of your wish list items? stamps
18. Where you grew up? Lynchburg
19. The last thing you did? supper
20. What are you wearing? Capris
21. Your TV? old
22. Your pets? lovable
23. Your computer? S-L-O-W
24. Your life? awesome
25. Your mood? good
26. Missing someone? Pop
27. Your car? Quest
28. Something you're not wearing? shoes
29. Favorite store? Target
30. Your summer? relaxing
31. Like someone? Clay
32. Your favorite color? Green
33. When is the last time you laughed? today
34. Last time you cried? Dunno
35. Who will copy this? Kristi

What I've gotten done today

Just thought I'd share what I've gotten done so far today for NSD. The challenges/classes run through the weekend, so I'll still have time tomorrow to see what else I can get done. This one of Jovi was a combination of challenges.....one at Lifetime Moments to make the big Handcut Framed Title & I also combined it with Sara's recipe challenge at ASF.....using a combination of 4 'ingredients' off her list: use at least 2 different stamps, scalloped paper, doodling & the LARGE frame.
This one also combined challenges for the two sites....Wanda's challenge at ASF to use any Heidi Swapp product (the little journaling tab). And for LM this was for their 'JunkIt Up' class.

This one of Michael holding Tweety's first ever egg was done for Jo's challenge at ASF to scrap an every day event. NOT a birthday or holiday, but those everyday moments that come & go & can get over-looked.......it's these everyday moments that make up our lives/who we are!

This one of our last 'Scrappy Day' at Maw's was done for a challenge at LM to use birds/butterflies on your LO. I stamped that cute little owl & cut him out....just the perfect little touch. ;-)

This was done for a class at LM....making inchies. Inchies are cute little 1x1" squares that you decorate with tiny embellies: stamps, buttons, brads, punchies, etc. A great way to use up your scraps too & SO much fun to create!

Also part of the challenge was to USE the inchies we had made on a LO, project, cards, etc. So, I used mine to make some birthday cards. And the cards also qualified for Dana's challenge at ASF to use our scraps from a LO to make a card. These were all made from the scraps I had left over from my 'Jovi' LO above.

Happy Scrappy Day!!

WooHoo...it's National Scrapbooking Day! If anyone's interested, stop by ASF (the link is over to the right there) & check out all the fun things we have going on this weekend! I need to get my butt over to the table here & start creating.....I have coffee in one hand & a list of challenges in the other.....so let the scrapping begin!!


Just a couple little side notes here before the scrapping gets underway....first I just have to brag by telling everyone that Chris found out he got a 96 on his Spanish exam! WTG.....we are so proud!!

And the other little tid-bit is a funny from Wednesday. The boys were outside with their BB guns & Michael came with this HUGE dove to show me. Said he wanted me to cook it for his supper along with the fried chicken I was making. OK, fine & dandy......but by supper time, I realized that there was a bowl full of tiny little chicken looking bodies soaking by the sink. Try robin & a few blackbirds too. I had to laugh because this is all my uncle's fault for telling them these tales........about how no matter what kind of critter he shot & brought home as a boy, Memaw would always cook it up for him to eat. So, I blame him for this. Anyway, I battered & fried them all up & they ate every bit of it. Said they shared all the different kinds of birds & they all tasted basically the same......kind of like wild turkey when it's fried up. We giggled & giggled about this................I said, 'You might be a Red neck if.........your boys go outside & shoot supper with thier BB guns!!' Ha! My unlce will be quite proud of them. ;-)


Ok.....let the scrapping begin!

Scrappy Day

Let the summer begin....we are officially done with school now. Chris finished up all his finals yesterday & was pleasantly surprised with History & Spanish. History had NO essay question like he thought....all multiple choice. And Spanish which he was thinking would take the whole 2 1/2 hour time slot, only took him about an hour & a half. He even got all his books sold yesterday too. So he is DONE.....a year of college behind him. Now just to get everything in place for this fall & transeferring over to LU.

We had an end-of-the-school-year celebration dinner last night. Fried chicken,mashed potatoes, green beans, ronis & biscuits. Then the three older kiddos stayed up & watched the fifth Harry Potter movie since we didn't have to get up early this morning.

This morning Clay & the boys headed out for a day of fishing. They crappie fished & are staying on for a while tonight to do some striper fishing. Chris stayed home & enjoyed a 'Down' day after exams. The girls & I went to Maw's for a day of scrapping with Ella & Sarah. Sarah ended up not coming but Ella & Alley were there & we actually got a few layouts done. Ella did two, I think & I got three done. Well, almost done....I still need to put the finishing touches on them, but still. At least we got a little scrapping done along with our chatting & visiting. Alli is all tucked in bed now & I think I'm heading up soon to read some. Need to finish doing my menu/grocery list for Grocery day tomorrow.

What's Been Happening

First off, a few creations from the past couple of days..............I got the idea for this cute card in the latest Paper Crafts magazine. I just thought that little bird was the cutest!
Michael being his normal silly self...singing 'Hakuna Matata...What a wonderful Phrase...'

And last, but not least....Alli with her 'Barbie Church' singing 'Empty hands held high....'

Let's see now, Monday was Chris' last day of classes & therefore yesterday was a LAZY day for us. Well, lazy in the fact that we all got to sleep in without having to be up & out anywhere early. I did take Ashley to the library, but that was about it....other than the usual stuff like laundry, etc. Clay on the other hand, had to head off to Lowes to get us a new hot water heater. The old one certainly served us well.........it was here when we moved up here 10 years ago & I'm not sure how long it had been here before then. But anyway, we realized the other evening that it had a leak in it. Just bad enough to make a HUGE mess on our back porch!! So, off to Lowes to get a new one. Of course, it ends up being right smack in the middle of supper preparations when he gets back...& as most of you know, nothing is ever just a simple fix in this old house...it always has to be a pain in the butt! Anyways, after much fiddling & fuming & running to the neighbor's to borrow this & that we had hot water again about 10:30 last night. I had a pile of dirty dishes from supper & all the preparations, plus mopping & cleaning up after Clay's mess. At least it wasn't too late when I headed up to bed...about 11pm. Then it was up & at 'em EARLY this morning as Chris had to be at school at 8am for final exams. He'll be there til 4:30 this afternoon. A long day, but once he's done, he'll be DONE for the year. HIs first year of college behind him! Yay!!

National Scrapbooking Day

National Scrapbooking Day is coming up this weekend...Saturday May 3, 2008 & we are going to celebrate!! As some of you know, the scrapping site where I hang out all the time has been crashed forever now it seems, but thanks very much to JoJ & Jules...we are now back up & running again. And we are combining NSD with a Grand Re-Opening cyber crop starting Thurs. night & running through Sunday night. Sure hope y'all will come join in on all the fun....there will be lots of challenges & prizes. Check us out here: http://ascrappinfriendsy.com/forums/index.php

How I spent my Sunday Evening......

After supper this evening, Jon & Michael headed off down to the pond to do a little fishing. In a few minutes Michael came busting through the back door saying he had a hook in his foot! Now, I really didn't believe him at first because he wasn't crying or acting hurt or anything.....just his normal goofy, silly self. But then he showed me......thank goodness it was just a tiny little brim hook, but still..........stuck in the TOP of his foot! I grabbed the phone & called Clay real quick....it was 10 minutes before he was supposed to get off work & I wanted to catch him & tell him in case he thought I needed to bring him to the ER....he could just meet us there. Some of you may remember that this happened to Jon a few years back. But when I told him it was a brim hook, the CRAZY man told ME to just pull the hook out! Yeah right. So we hopped in the van & went over to Mari's house (my cousin). Praise the Lord her hubby is an EMT (comes in handy some times.....you just don't know the times we've made a run over to their house or called him to come here.) After much praying & jiggling & icing it down to make it numb & Michael throwing up his chicken & dumplings over their porch rail, David was finally able to get it out! And he couldn't get over how calm Michael was the whole time......other than puking that one time, he sat perfectly still through the whole thing. That's the way he was when he was 4 years old & had to get stitches in his chin. Clay said the Dr. & nurse just couldn't get over the fact that this little kid wasn't freaking out, but just lay there so calmly. All is well now & he is tucked into bed none the worse for wear. And of course you folks KNOW I have the hook in a ziploc bag all ready to go on his scrapbook page about the incident. Now he will have a fish hook story to match Jon's.