Music Monday

In honor of my fabulicious (my new word) weekend, here is a tribute to my dear Gators.

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18 out of the last 21 years isn't bad! Go Gators!

I'll post Halloween pics soon!

Day out!

Last Saturday D. and I started talking about how it had been forever since we had eaten at the Dillard House in Dillard, GA, and how we would like to take the kids up there. We got on there website and saw they were doing a fall/pumpkin special. We also saw they had a petting zoo and horseback riding. We said, "We can do that today!" So, we got ready, jumped in the car and away we went. It was a perfect fall day. The air was crisp with a slight breeze and not a cloud in the sky. We got up there and had an absolute blast. The kids loved the petting farm/zoo. The wagon ride to pick up (not pick a pumpkin, they were just in a big pile) was fun, and the horseback riding was the highlight of Aubrey's week, maybe month. He has been wanting to ride a horse for a very long time. He was so cute, and so excited about it. Mallory only lasted about 5 minutes, but it was more than I thought she would do, so I was very proud of her too.

We wanted to eat dinner, but we still had about an hour and a half before they started serving dinner, so we asked the lady at the front desk what we could do. She suggested Black Rock State Park back towards Clayton. We thought, "Why not?" and headed up there. It was such a pleasant surprise. It is the highest state park in Georgia, and on a clear day (which it was) you can see into South Carolina, North Carolina and Tennessee from there. It was so beautiful up there. We looked down over Clayton (which Aubrey called "the village" because it was so tiny from up there) and all around. The leaves were just starting to change colors. In a week or two it will be spectacular. We really enjoyed our visit there.

Then we headed back to the Dillard House for a wonderful dinner. D. loves country cooking, and I don't do much of that kind of cooking, so he was in hog heaven! (literally) The Dillard House was recently featured on the Food Network's The Best Thing I Ever Ate for their country ham. It is Alton Brown's favorite. Neat, huh?! You can go to youtube to see it.

Anyway, D. works many Saturdays, so this was a super day of being together and just enjoying life as a family. It was a highlight for me this fall season for sure!

Music Monday

Oh dear. I just can't seem to get it together where blogging is concerned. I thought maybe having set days to do it would help me, but it has actually just made me a little more stressed about bloggins. So, I'm going to blog when I can, and not feel bad when I can't (or don't want to) Today I am at home with a little boy who doesn't feel too well, so I have a little free time. This is one of my fave songs of all time. I would melt into a puddle if someone sang this to me.




I am so sad I never got to see John Denver in concert. It's one of my regrets in life. (although not one that keeps me up at night) ;)

Tardy Tinkering Thursday

Ok, excuse my alliterative title. I couldn't help it. I am late again on my blogging, but I live by the "better late than never" motto. (just ask anyone who has any daily dealings with me) Anyway, I have been a crazy knitter lately. I started working on this shrug for Mallory in June. I put the finishing touches on it a couple of weeks ago. I love it. It is so cute on her too!

While I was working on her shrug I also finished a baby blanket for a friend who just had a baby, and did these three other projects. I did this hat just because I thought the pattern was so neat. It's called Really Warm Hat. It is very warm, but I haven't decided what I will do with it. It will probably be a Christmas gift. I made this baby hat for my friend who just had her 6th baby. I admire her for so many things, and this is just one of them. It is called the Umbilical Cord Hat. Cute, huh?!

I made this scarf for my sister Beth in Arizona. Her son Jake, my nephew, plays football for California Lutheran University and their colors are purple and gold. Beth and Steve go to almost all of his games, many of which are in colder climates. I thought this might help her show her school spirit while also keeping her warm.

So there you have it - all my knitting projects for the last three months, with the exception of the baby blanket which I forgot to take a picture of before I gave it away. (late, of course. It took much longer than I had anticipated, but no worries, it's still too hot here for it.) Now I'm casting on to slippers and a sweater for me! Yippee!

Hope you like my tardy tinkerings! See you Monday! (maybe)

Music Monday - Flower Duet from "Lakme" by Leo Delibes

Once upon a time, I thought I would be living a gypsy life now. I had dreams of being an opera singer, performing in fabulous concert halls and theaters around the world. When I got to Brenau, I got the lead role in our opera that year. I loved the performing, but as I moved along in my major, I realized what an all consuming goal I had set for myself. In order to become a major opera star, it must be your life, and most opera singers don't reach their peak vocally until their mid-thirties. My professors wanted me to go to Italy the summer after my sophomore year. I was in love, having fun in my sorority, missing my family, and just didn't think I could do it. I also realized that my other dream of being a wife and a mother would be put on hold for at least a while as I pursued my dream. So, I decided that the operatic life wasn't for me. I have often wondered, "What if?", but I know that the things I hold dearest to me probably wouldn't be in my life right now if I had gone that route. I still love the music though. You all know that D. isn't really the opera type, so I haven't attended an opera in years. I catch it when I can on tv and recordings. This duet is one of my all time favorites. It has been called one of the most beautiful songs ever, and has been in many movies and commercials. You may recognize it. It just soars, and when it does, your spirit will too.

Tinkering Thursday

I am going to begin another weekly posting to help me stay on top of blogging and also to share projects that I have been working on. I am calling this weekly post "Tinkering Thursdays". As you all know I scrapbook, knit and just generally love to craft, so I will share whatever I have been working on for the week with you all. This summer I did many projects, but one I thought was easy and could work all year long was my tiered planter I made for my front porch. I got the idea Here I pretty much followed the directions, but used colors that worked for me. I also used impatiens, asparagus fern, and spiky dracena in my planters for the thrill, fill and spill. I haven't decided if I am going to use it year-round, but it will be most of the year at least. I love it because it was easy, reasonable in price, classic in design and fun to do and change the plants in. If any of you have done these or do them in the future, please let me know!

Music Monday

In my attempt to get back to regular blogging, I am going to start two new weekly posts. The first is Music Monday. I have loved music - singing, playing piano, listening to many different kinds of music - for as long as I can remember. I sang my first solo in church when I was about 6. I thought it would be my career, and for a while it was. Now I just love it again for the joy it brings me. So, I would like to share with my readers some of my faves. I will share all kinds of music that I love for many different reasons. This first has been a song I have loved for a long time - it's not new, but every time I hear it I'm reminded of the Truth. It is by Christian artist. Sara Groves. She has sooooo many songs that I just love. I love that she writes many of her lyrics and songs. That is such a gift. This song reminds me that I always have exactly what I need to get relief/wisdom/encouragement, etc. for any situation I am in. It's The Word, and God gave it to us so we will always have just exactly what we need when we need it. It will always be more than enough for us no matter what.

Ahhhhh

I feel like I have just exhaled from a big, deep breath. Summer came not as the lazy days I remember, but as a whirlwind taking us from one fun activity to the next. I loved our Summer List, but also realized that I always feel like I have to check off everything on my list and it did contribute to a little of the frantic pace of our summer. I hated for it to end. We did have a wonderful time as a family. BUT, I am thrilled that we are back into routine, getting a new rhythm to our life with Aubrey in first grade and Mallory at a new pre-school this year. I have lots of pictures and stories and projects from the summer, but I will post them when the dinner isn't just about ready. Thanks for sticking with me if you're still here!

P.S. - I would post a picture of us, but I haven't even gotten any pics loaded to my computer from this summer yet!

Helloooo??? Anyone here???

Well, I'm here, but not for long or with any major news. We're just enjoying our summer, checking things off our list and having a great time. I am not really worrying about my blog (as you can see by the messed up layout. I changed it, it doesn't work, and I don't know how to fix it. If any of you would like to volunteer I'll make you some homemade cookies and love you forever.) Some of my friends have 16 posts on my Google reader that I haven't read. If I haven't commented know that it doesn't mean I don't love you or cherish your stories anymore, just that I'm not really online much right now. So I just wanted you all to know that I'm kind of on a blog hiatus right now. I have much to show (lots of scrapping and knitting) and tell (stories from the lake, camp, birthdays, milestones, etc), but it will all have to wait. I hope you all are having a wonderful and blessed summer. (and you're still with me when I come back! :) )

Sssssummer's here!

We are having such a good time already this summer. Only one week in, and we have had so much fun! I haven't really looked forward to summer like I have this year. I think it's because this was Aubrey's first year of real school, so we really did need a break. I saw this Summer List idea here at Meg's blog. I thought it would be such a neat thing to have things to look forward to, keep us on track, and help me be more intentional about doing things this summer. Aubrey and I mostly made the list with some input from D. We also left a little space in case something comes up. We have already been able to check some things off our list. (which always feels good to me) I am going to take pics of all we have done, as well as save tickets, receipts, etc. Then I will make a small scrapbook of our summer list. Something very small - probably a photo book with a little journalling and embellishments.

We are also working on responsibility with Aubrey this summer, so he has his own chart. We are learning a Bible verse a week together as a family, so that is on his chart. (I'm also going to make a book of all of our verses so we can review them.) He is also reading 50 minutes a week, doing some homework that I put together for him, and learning 5 new words a week. I really didn't want him to lose any learning this summer. We're being light about it, not stressing, just keeping our brains working. He is also learning how to make his bed, in charge of feeding Piper and other small chores. I am letting go of some things even though it is hard for me to let him do things because he doesn't do them exactly like I would. He needs it though. I probably do too.

Anyway, that is what is going on here right now! I feel such a feeling of relief now that summer is here. I didn't realize I needed it so much. And, I had to throw in this pic of the snake I made for my nephew Les. I finished it months ago, but never posted a pic. He loves it. And it was fun to make. Have a great week!

moving upward and onward

Many of you know how much I absolutely love our local elementary school. I taught there for 2 years before I had Aubrey, and I loved it then. I love it even more now. Public school isn't perfect. There is too much to do, with too little funds, too little parent involvement and a host of other ills. However, I found during my 7 years of teaching that almost every teacher I taught with loved his/her students and was teaching because they loved kids and wanted to make a difference.

Last summer I prayed a lot. I prayed for Aubrey's teacher, Mrs. Costley, who I didn't even know about. I prayed for Aubrey's classmates. I prayed for Aubrey's safety, physically, mentally, spiritually and emotionally. I prayed for all involved in his first year of school. I couldn't even think about it without tearing up. As a former kindergarten teacher I know how important the first year of school is. I had all kinds of people giving me their opinions on where to send him, what to say, what to do, what not to do, etc. I even had a friend tell me she would be praying that I would change my mind about sending Aubrey to our local elementary school. That hurt, and actually it made me mad. As his mom, I would never do anything to put him in a position I thought would be detrimental to him in any way. So I prayed and prayed and prayed. God heard my prayers. He knew the desires of my heart and how tender I was about this journey. He couldn't have been more perfect.

Aubrey's kindergarten year has exceeded anything I wanted or hoped for him. His teacher was so wonderful for him. She cared for him in such a special way. I know she does it for all of her students because she let me come in once a week to do an art project with the kids. This was such a sweet time for me. I got to know all the children Aubrey talked about. I got to see how he interacted with his teacher and class. I felt like I wasn't just dropping him off at school, but a part of what he was doing. Mrs. Costley was so cautious about Aubrey's food allergies it made me feel secure. She called me to check on him when he was sick (which he was - a lot) and called me any time someone brought in food she wasn't sure if he could eat. Aubrey didn't come home asking me about horrible words, movies, tv shows, etc. I know that will come, but I had heard horror stories about it happening in kindergarten. His class was one of the sweetest classes I have ever been around. They liked each other. They were kind to each other. No behavior problems. No kid I didn't want to rub off on Aubrey. It was truly amazing, and I believe it was partly due to prayer.

Aubrey has matured a good bit this year. At kindergarted graduation he received the Explorer Buddy Award for being kind and friendly to others. The kind of award I hope he always receives. He learned a lot this year, both academically and emotionally. I am so thankful for Mrs. Costley, our administration and our entire school. It is a blessing in our life. I am sad to be moving on and up, but it is a fact of life. Now I'm just a little more secure in this change, and I know Aubrey is too.

Amazing weekend

The weekend before last was a whirlwind, but a wonderful, sweet one that will always be remembered by our family. Saturday began with an entry in the Mt. Laurel Festival parade. I was not prepared to be in the parade. I had been told that the kids would be in the parade and I could just sit, watch and take pictures. I just put on a t-shirt and shorts, and headed out to the parade. When I got there, plans changed and I was in one of the cars. D.'s dad is running for County Commissioner, so we rode in 2 of his old cars. It was fun, but very hot. Those cars don't have air conditioning, and the engine heat comes right inside the car. We got to see lots of our friends watching the parade, and hopefully it was good PR for Mr. Higgins.

After the parade, we went to lunch, then home for a quick change of clothes. Aubrey had a t-ball game, but Mallory and I stayed home for a nap for her and vacuuming and cleaning up the house for me. Then, when Aubrey and D. got home, we got ready to leave for the Gwinnett Braves game. It was t-ball night there for our league, so a bunch of our t-ballers and their families were there. The boys and girls got to walk around the field and have their teams announced over the PA system. It started raining in the first inning and we thought that might be it for us, but it passed by quickly and we had a blast at the game. Definitely something we are going to do again.

Sunday was by far the highlight of the weekend. Sunday morning, Aubrey was baptized along with 5 other children in our church. It was a sweet church service, and something I know none of our family will forget. Even though Aubrey had asked if he could use his snorkel to be baptized, he did great without it. After the service, we had lunch together with the extra family members that came for his baptism, then headed home to get things ready for his party. Aubrey is way into Legos, so that was what we did for his party. Lego stores have party packs they sell for birthday parties. The packs come with a box full of Legos for each child, and the lade at the Lego store had told me these are great for the kids to play with at the party so that's what we did. I set up a table and each child had a tray with his/her box to build with. The kids loved it, and stood there for well over a half an hour building their Legos. My dad said it was the quietest birthday party he had ever been to! Then we had Aubrey's special Lego cake and ice cream. He was thrilled with everything. We had the whole family stay for dinner after that. It was a very full day, but one filled with so much love and excitement. Aubrey turned one year older, and showed his new life in Christ all at the same time. It doesn't get much better than this.

Night Out

I have always loved music. In first grade I wrote that I wanted to be a piano teacher when I grew up. Then I began singing and still took piano lessons, but decided to become an opera singer. I went to college, did an opera, found out more about an opera singer's career path and decided it wasn't for me. However, I still love to sing and I just love music. I honestly can't imagine my life without it! I had listened to country music some, but after I met D., my musical horizons were greatly widened. D. loves country, most notably old country music. (like before we were born country music) I have developed a love for country, but still don't love the old stuff. One of my very favorite singers ever is Martina McBride. She is a classy lady who can just flat out sing. D. and I had seen her before in concert, but we went to see her again the weekend before last with our friends Terry and Libby. Luke Bryan and Blake Shelton opened for her and they were so much fun to watch as well, but Martina was the big star.

When we got to the concert D. was looking around and said, "They are going to fly someone over the audience tonight." We said, "How do you know?" He showed us a beam overhead that had no other reason to be there. Well, Luke and Blake sang and nothing. Martina came out and nothing. There was also a round stage in the middle of the floor right in front of us and we thought someone would use it, but nothing happened. Then, Martina said, "I'd like y'all to listen to my fiddle player." and the arena went dark except for a spotlight on the fiddle player. I saw people moving down towards the round stage and I thought, "She's going to be there!" So, I grabbed Libby and said, "Come on, we've got to go down there!" We ran down to the stage, but started feeling dumb when Martina came back out on the front stage. She was sitting on a crescent moon. We about passed out when the moon started to rise with her on it, and we saw that it was headed our way. We were so, so excited. D. was right, and we were going to be close enough to touch her. She flew across the arena on the moon and landed in front of us. It was so neat, and we laughed and laughed as we took our pictures in front of her. We could see her cool jewelry and black fingernail polish. She left after a few songs, but it ranks up there in my fave concert happenings. Of course after the concert we were equally as excited to see her up close as well. All in all, a super fun night out for this homebody.

Chickens

I might surprise some of you when I say I would love to live in a farmhouse in the middle of the country with my family and my animals (outside in the pens/barn of course) to keep me company as we played, cooked, read, knitted, created, etc. Reality is this will most likely never happen for me. That's ok. I'll do what I can to make as much of it happen here where I am.

I am trying to live simpler, and part of this is having a garden, and hope to someday have a chicken coop with a few chickens for eggs. I asked for a chicken coop with chickens for Mother's Day this year. On this past Tuesday I was driving toward the school for a meeting (and running kind of late) and D. pulled in front of me and motioned for me to follow him. I wasn't very thrilled, but I did it anyway. We drove to one of the shops they have for their heavy machinery and we got out and he said, "I want to show you something." We walked over to one of the machines and he pointed down in between parts of it. There was a beautiful chicken! And she was sitting on 11 eggs. I was so excited! I told D. that God had answered my request for Mother's Day and he didn't even have to pay for it! We took pictures and did research that night to find out what kind of chicken she was (Old English Game Hen). We looked at coop design and I was getting so excited! The next morning, D. left for work and about 20 minutes after he left the phone rang. He told me that something had eaten the eggs during the night and the chicken was gone. I was so sad. So, I'm still on the search for some chickens for my backyard. If any of you help me, I promise I'll keep you supplied with fresh eggs!

check it out!

My dear friend, Jill, is a wonderful photographer, and she was one of the photographers showcased on Becky Higgins blog here. Jill has a photography business, and Becky asked any professional photographers if they would be willing to donate a session. Jill jumped right on it, and was the only photographer who did so for South Carolina. She actually lives less than an hour from me in Georgia, so if any of you need a wonderful photographer, please let her know! Those are my precious children in the first picture on the red truck. She does an amazing job with kids. We're actually meeting today to get Aubrey's 6 year old pics done. I can't wait to see what she comes up with. Check her out! You won't be sorry!

Happy Birthday, D.!

Just a quick post to say Happy Birthday to my sweet husband, D. He is a year older than me, and we are officially in our mid-thirties. Of course he's a little further in than me, but that's ok, just an extra year of wisdom. I have probably told y'all that D. and I got set up on a blind date by his sister Amy, a fact that I never forget to remind her of. D. and I are so different. He's quiet, I'm loud. He's rational and logical, I'm emotional and flighty at times. He's calm, I'm not so calm. But I still believe God meant for us to be together because he balances me and I think I do the same for him. He reigns me in at times and I pull him out. Everyone thinks he is so serious, but he makes me laugh daily. There isn't anything in the world he won't do for me. He takes such good care of me and Aubrey and Mallory. He has been an even better Dad than I thought he would be. And though we are almost complete opposites, we fit together. Happy Birthday, sweet D. I hope we have many, many more years of your birthdays together! Love you!

mom thoughts

I know confession is good for the soul, so why are we so scared to confess our flaws/sins/struggles with each other? For me, part of it is admitting I don't have it all together and another part of it is having been burned/hurt by others when I have confessed or admitted stuff to them. It scares me to leave myself open like that to others than my very closest friends. But, I'm doing it anyway today. I have been struggling as a mom. Not the whole mom thing, but I am struggling with my Mallory. She and I are so different. Being a mom to Aubrey has been "easy" (I say that lightly). He and I are so alike. I "get" him. I know how his brain works (for the most part, I mean, he is a male). But Mallory is tough for me. She is much more strong willed than I ever have been, constantly says, "NO!" and screams. a. lot. It nearly puts me over the edge. D. said last night, "I understand child abuse." I totally agreed, because when the screaming won't stop, it's hard to know what to do. I love her so much it feels like my heart will explode, but she can get me madder and more irritated than I have ever been before. I have tried spanking, time out, hot sauce (which I think has lost it's potency with her) and nothing has stopped it. I'm struggling. If it weren't for prayer and my knowledge that this too shall pass, I would be a mess. So mom friends, here it is. My confession and struggle. I have been hesitant to post anything like this because I have recently been hurt by comments about talking about my children, but here it is. I'm open for suggestions, advice and lots of prayer.

On a much happier, mom encouragement note, last Sunday Aubrey went forward in church to profess his salvation in our Lord Jesus Christ. It was the most joyful moment in my mom life so far. In my opinion, it is the single most important decision he will ever make because it is an eternal decision. He had prayed the prayer back in November, but was finally ready to make a public confession of it. Oh, my heart was about to burst. I love how God takes times when we are struggling and lifts us up in the midst of it to remind us of His mercy and His care. Sunday did it for me. As much as I think I have to do it all as a mom or a parent, Aubrey and Mallory really belong to Jesus, and He is allowing me to care for them while they are here. What a responsibility and privilege. I love you, all my mom friends. Have a wonderful weekend.
And, while you're thinking mom thoughts, head over to my sweet friend Tara's blog. She is hosting a great give away. Her post above the give away was an encouragement to me as I wrote my post. She's an honest blogger, which I love! So go over there and check it out!

good times

I promised my (supposedly) loyal blog reader, Jennifer, that I would post about our weekend. D. and I went to a celebration for my sorority, Alpha Delta Pi's 100th anniversary at my alma mater, Brenau University. ADPi was the first sorority ever, and Brenau's chapter was one of the first ADPi chapters, so this was a big deal. All Brenau ADPi alumna were invited, and many of my sisters were there that I hadn't seen in a long time. It was a wonderful night of laughter, remembering college times together and catching up on what's going on with all of us now. I got to get a new dress and shoes and actually dress up! The program was a nice time of reflection on our sorority and specifically Lambda chapter at Brenau. Being an ADPi at Brenau was one of the best things that happened to me in college. My sisters encouraged me, challenged me and helped me become the student and campus leader that I was while I was there. This in turn, helped me become the woman I am today. I will be bonded to my sisters no matter the time and space that separate us. Happy Anniversary, Lambda Chapter! And Jennifer, don't forget to put your 2 cents in. You promised you would! ;)

One year

One year ago on Tuesday, my sweet sister Leah, her husband Chris and their son Jay welcomed a miracle into their family. Precious little Les was born. Leah and Chris had found out only 5 days earlier that their baby boy would be born with a cleft lip and palate. What they didn't know though, was that Les was truly a miracle, as his umbilical cord had a complete knot in it and he shouldn't even be alive. When he was born and the dr. told them this amazing fact, Leah and Chris knew even more that the Lord had a special plan for Les' life. He does for all of us, but Les was a perfect picture of God's amazing grace and mercy. Les has had 3 surgeries and faced some tough times, but through it all he has been such a happy, contented baby. Leah and Chris' faith and belief that God hasn't changed one bit from one year 5 days ago until now has been an inspiration and witness to all who have met baby Les and the whole Lane family. I have been amazed and so incredibly proud of the way Leah and Chris have dealt with the issues that have surrounded their journey with Les.

This past Saturday family and special friends gathered to celebrate Les' first birthday. Although all first birthdays are exciting and special times, this party was especially so. We got to meet a special friend of Leah's, Angela and 6 of her children. Angela's 7th child was born with a cleft lip/palate and Leah met her through an internet search of cleft palate feeding issues before she moved to Jefferson. Guess where Angela lives? Yeah, Jefferson. It has been such a God thing. She and her children are amazing Christians who have been such a blessing to the Lane family. Her daughter Katie babysits for Les, because she knows how to feed/handle palate babies from helping with her brother. Amazing. Leah and Chris thanked everyone there, but gave special thanks and witness to God, who is unchanging and faithful in all things, and has been especially real to them through all of this with Les. The feeling in the room from all those who have loved and supported the Lanes through this year was so sweet. Les loved his cake and even took a couple of steps for us while we were there. It wasn't just a birthday party, it was a celebration of God's faithfulness and hope for a wonderful future for Les. Happy Birthday, sweet boy!

Good Friday

I don't like to think of what happened on Good Friday. It's hard. It's almost unfathomable. I was listening to this song Sweetly Broken the other day, and it chokes me up every time I hear it. When I found it on youtube it was almost too much. I like the original Jeremy Riddle version the best, but when you watch this while you listen to the words, it's really amazing. If it weren't for the crucifixion, there wouldn't be a resurrection and we wouldn't have everlasting life with our Saviour. It's Friday, but Sunday is coming! Don't forget to turn my music off on the right side of the page first!

crazy ordinary life

So it's been almost a month since I last posted, I thought I'd check in and let you all know where I'd been. (I'm sure most of you didn't even know I was gone!) I have been crazy busy with life, but also adding in a trip away for me and D. (first one ever without kids!), a very sick child, a very sick husband, a new puppy, child playing t-ball, and the usual pastor search committee meetings till 11 pm. Yes, you read that right, last week we didn't leave till 11:20. Anyway, now I'm kind of getting a handle on things I thought I would just say hey. I'll post pics of a few momentous things later this week. Hoping to slow down and catch back up on all things soon! In the meantime, enjoy the pic of my silly little ones enjoying the bath. (hairstyles by mom)

Your hands

This song is so real. I just love it. I have several friends who are going through some major stuff in their lives right now, and this song just seems so right for those times. I hope it touches you too. You might want to turn off my music on the right hand side first.

8 years

Eight years ago today I was marrying the most wonderful guy in the world! My wedding was perfect (besides the minister forgetting to tell us to kiss, therefore it happened halfway down the aisle), and even though I'd like to say that our marriage has been perfect, it hasn't. However, I wouldn't change anything about our life together. There are so many hokey sayings about marriage and love, but they are probably mostly true. I am more in love with D. now than I was 8 years ago, and I never thought that would be possible. He blesses me every day. I thank God for him and the life we have together daily. I hope we have 8x8 more years together.

I tried

Many of you know our family's story with our dog Callie. Callie now lives with my in laws. It is a long story and one that drags up much guilt and sadness for me so I won't go into it here. But, the result was that I said I wouldn't get another dog for a very long time. I also said it would not be another Springer Spaniel. Springers are very energetic and let's just say it - I'm not. However, D. grew up with Springers, and we both wanted our kids to grow up with a dog. I suggested a couple of other breeds of dogs, but we kept being drawn to the Springer pups. D. has been looking for a while, but I didn't think he was very serious. Yesterday though, he found an ad for puppies very close to us. We were going to "just look", but when I heard him get a check before we left, I knew we were really going to pick out a puppy.

When we got Callie, the people had a horse in their front yard. Aubrey looooooooved it. Believe it or not, when we got to the house yesterday they had two Shetland ponies in their front yard. I laughed so hard. It was hilarious. Well, when we saw this precious face and the beautiful mom and dad, it was impossible to walk away and not know one of them was coming to live with us and be a part of this family. We couldn't bring her home yet because she's only 3 weeks old, which is good. It's giving us time to get things ready - we're going to get an electric fence, which was one of my stipulations for getting a new dog. And of course, the food, beds, etc. So, although I thought we wouldn't have another puppy for a while, here we are again. We haven't named her yet though. Any suggestions?

Ten Loves

I got tagged by my friend Jill, and the order was to tell ten things that make you happy right now. Here are the rules for being tagged:

List ten things that make you happy.

(Try to do one of those things today.)

Link back to the person who tagged you.

Tag 10 bloggers that brighten your day!

Here are my 10 things.

1. Snow! God finally heard my prayer and gave us a beautiful snow. Just enough to cover everything and make it pretty.

2. The Olympics! I love, love, love the Olympics, and am pretty much glued to the coverage during it's duration. (watching ski jumping and speed skating right now!) If I could participate in any sporting event, it would be the Olympics. I told D. and Aubrey that last night and Aubrey said, "You'd probably be bad in it, Mom." I told him I wouldn't care, I would have no hopes of medalling, just being there would be enough.

3. Valentine's Day. I love Valentine's Day. I have since I was a little girl filling in my Holly Hobbie valentines for my class. I have had so much fun decorating for it and making things for teachers and the kids' classes. Here are the dipped Oreos I did and the candy bouquets. Nothing original, just fun.

4. Knitting. I have been having a blast getting some knitting projects completed. Here is baby Elsie in her hat, Aubrey in his camo hat, and my scarf that is over halfway finished. I'm hoping to finish this weekend. I can't put it down, so I'm sure I will. I took a cable knitting class, and I love it! I have always loved cable knits, and the fact that I can do it now makes me very happy. I can't believe how addicting knitting has become, but how perfect it is for cold weather and what a great on the go craft it is.

5. My children's schools. They are not perfect, and I am not blind to their flaws. However, they are sweet community schools full of people who work extremely hard and love my children immensely. As a former teacher I was worried about my response to Aubrey being in school. I have been so thrilled. God has given me such a huge blessing through these schools. I am so grateful.

6. Project Life. Although it does add a little stress in my life b/c I forget to take pictures, I'm loving it.

7. Jazzercise. I just started the 12 week Jazz It Off program. We're having a competition to see which teams lose the most weight and body fat percentage. This is something I have struggled with almost my entire life. Ugh! But, my partner Pam and I are determined to win.

8. My sisters. We had such a great week last week when my sister Beth was in town. And I still love that Leah is so close now. It is just wonderful. Beth spoke at our MOPS group and it was really special for the three of us to be there together. My mom and aunt are also in this pic.

9. My husband and children of course. We have had a lot of fun hanging out in front of the fire, with the Nintendo DS and Wii and knitting, and etc . . .

10. Sweet blog friends. I have "met" several wonderful women from reading their blogs. Some of them were friends before blogging. But, I am blessed to have sweet women in my life. So go give them some love. Because they have been "tagged"!

1. Laura

2. Kim

3. Merideth

4. Jennifer

5. Jennifer D.

6. Tara

7. Cindy

8. Carolyn

9. Amy - Amy is a friend from high school whose family are missionaries in Paraguay. They are an amazing family.

10. Kristin

No girls allowed

This is one of my pictures of the day, and it is where we are at with Aubrey some days. He originally put one sign up. In case you can't tell, it's a girl with an X through her, meaning No Girls Allowed. He apparently didn't think we took him seriously enough, so he made another sign and hung it up too. He has told me it doesn't apply to moms though, so I was relieved. Agh, stuff like this makes my heart break because he is growing up so fast!

Sarah Got Her Groove Back

I've never seen the movie Stella Got Her Groove Back, but that's exactly how I felt this past weekend after I got to spend a bunch of time creating. I don't know what it is, but my soul needs creative time like that. It just refreshes me in a way nothing else can. On Saturday, D. was napping in front of the fire/football game on tv, Mallory was napping, Aubrey was playing and I was scrapping. I had already finished a baby hat I was making for a gift, so that was also fresh on my mind. As you have read, I have been feeling overwhelmed by stuff recently, so I just sat down and dove in. Between Saturday and Sunday I got 8 layouts done and began my Project Life book. For those of you who have done/are doing the picture a day thing, this is how I am doing mine. I didn't get a kit before they sold out last year, but this year snatched one up. It is gorgeous and manageable, and I am loving it. I'm also playing along on Janna Wilson's Stress Free 52 Week Challenge so I did a layout for it. I got to take a cable knitting class yesterday that was so much fun. Going to the yarn store is just a wonderful trip for all of my senses. Beautiful yarns displayed, soft music playing, and the smell of coffee brewing while I'm knitting. Ahhhhh. Anyway, I'm posting a couple of pics of my creativity this weekend. It has made me happy and has gotten my mojo working again! Woo Hoo!

What's the Buzz?

So, the buzz around here is that Christmas and New Year's have come and gone and I'm still as overwhelmed as before they were here. Hence, the blog has not been updated. I'm not sure why I'm still blogging, but I know I will get back to my more organized, peaceful self one of these days! (I hope and pray!) We had a wonderful holiday season, full of love, laughter and togetherness. The past few snow days have been great too. However, I am still trying to get back into my routine and the security for me that comes with that. My husband was very supportive and encouraging last night when I was telling him how overwhelmed I am right now. It made me feel so much better. I'll be back with more pics and kid stories. This pic is from the day D. and I got to spend with Aubrey at a Georgia Tech basketball game. We went to the game, the Tech bookstore, then dinner and Toys R Us & Game Stop. It's so nice to spend one on one time with your children sometimes. Much needed in our case, and a very fun time for us all.