Good Eats!

For anyone who lives in the south part of Birmingham there is a new restaraunt you have to check out. It is Joe's Italian. The best italian food you will ever put in your mouth. When you walk in the door you are transported to a cozy, warm, inviting atmosphere where Papa Joe is waiting for you. Joe has this thick italian accent that makes you want to sit down and eat all the spaghetti in the place. The bread is warm and chewy, the salad is crisp and cold, the pasta and pizza is the best you will ever have. The espresso is hot and bitter just like it should be. The tiramisu has no words to describe it. If you haven't checked out this place you need to. It is located at the beginning of Weatherly.

Your Garland Is Showing!

Hi, welcome to my blog if you are coming over from Nesting Place. This is such a fun little show and tell. Hope you enjoy what you see and feel free to drop by anytime! If you want to see some more holiday garland fun you can visit here.

This is my mantle. I love doing my mantle different every year. I don't buy new stuff just rearrange what I already have.

This is my favorite wreath. The mirror is there all year long. The wreath looked lost when I put it there by itself so I put it in front of the mirror and loved it.

This is the left side of the mantle. I put gold berries in the garland to add some pizzazz.

This is the right side of the mantle. I love putting candles in a vase.

Here is a close up the garland and stockings. This year I added the angel ornament. It just adds that little something to the whole look.


Here is the another look at the garland.

I have a huge wall that was very hard to decorate. I put 9 mirrors up and it was awesome. For the holidays I hung gold horns in the middle.

Here is a close up of the horn.

This is what I have hanging over my dining room window.

Hiding His word

Because of a challenge I made with a friend and a mentor I have been memorizing 15 verses. It is much harder than I thought it would be. Not the memorizing part but the taking the time to do it. I have about 75% memorized and I have to say them tomorrow. It is amazing the situations that have come up that these verses were a perfect fit. I really do think God has a sense of humor. It is almost like He is testing me to see how well I am really learning them. I have never been one to memorize God's word, I am sad to say, but this challenge has opened my eyes. It is almost like I was a well that wasn't primed. I had water but was useless because my parts weren't working. These 15 verses are the water that has primed my soul. The water is now bubbling up and out. I am going to keep memorizing and hiding the very manna that feeds my soul. I am thirsty for more of the living water. Each week I am going to memorize 2 more verses. If anyone wants to join me I will be posting the verses every Monday. The verses for this week are:

1. James 1:19-20
Therefore my beloved brethren, let every man be quick to hear, slow to speak and slow to anger; for the anger of man does not accomplish the righteousness of God.

2. Zephaniah 3:17
The Lord your God in your midst, the mighty One, will save; He will rejoice over you with gladness, He will quiet you in His love, He will rejoice over you in singing.

Photo Tag!

This photo was taken last year around this time. We were outside and it was bitter cold. Doesn't Maddie Claire look so little. I can't believe she wasn't even 1 then. My how time flies. This is a fun game! I now tag Nicole, Heidi and Merideth for this game. Go to your 4th picture file and post your 4th picture. Please leave me a comment if you play so I can see what you put.

Bloggy Swap!

Hey guys a friend of mine is putting together a bloggy swap. Read this for more info. Let's get a bunch of women together and have fun with this. You don't have to have a blog to do this. If you read this blog and want to join in just email my friend. Also, you don't have to be local to do this. You can be from anywhere in the US.

Carpool

This is how Maddie Claire sleeps in the car.

Maddie Claire does not like the light in her eyes when she is trying to sleep. This is how she fixes that. She has been putting her blankie over her head like this since she was about 6 months old. At first it used to scare me, but now I'm used to it. This is carpool for us. She falls asleep just like this.

Maddie Claire's First Haircut

The before shot
She was so excited
The first snip
The after shot
The reward for being so good. Her first lollipop.

Maddie Claire had her first haircut the other day. She did so well. Momma did not. Of course I cried. It really needed to be cut though. It was all uneven and starting to look scraggly. She is so a girl because she sat there and let the woman cut her hair and she didn't even move. I can't wait for spa days when she gets older. Her reward was a lollipop. It was the first one she had and she loved it. Except for the sticky mess on her hand. Another first gone forever.

Eating is hard work

Sleeping Baby
Isn't she so sweet?
Eating is just too tough!

Lazy Days

Caleb squishing Maddie Claire
I love my baby sister

Caleb and Maddie Claire love to watch tv together. Maddie Claire will do pretty much whatever Caleb does. If he's on the couch then she is too. If he is playing with cars and trucks then she is too. I love weekends that we have nothing planned. We can lay around in our pj's and do nothing. Lazy days are the best!

Happy Birthday Luke!

Here we are at Incahoots
Me and Maddie Claire
Daddy and the birthday boy
Luke blowing out his candle
My 3 boys

Luke turned 6. I can't believe he is so old now. To celebrate we went to Incahoots and sat on the patio. The kids love to listen and look at the waterfall. It was so hot it almost wasn't worth it. We had a good time being together. Maddie at one point decided to paint her face with ketchup. It was pretty funny. Luke enjoyed his dinner and his cake. Happy Birthday Luke! We are so proud of the young man you are turning into. We love you!

Playday

Maddie Claire and Caleb at McDonald's
Maddie Claire loves to slide
The best big brother in the world!

I took Caleb and Maddie Claire to McDonald's one afternoon to play. They shared a Coke and fries and played for an hour and a half. Maddie Claire really loves playplaces now. She is now big enough to go up with a little help from her big brother. We had a good time and it was good way to let them use their energy (you know wear them out to take a nap).

Catching Up

1. My foot is doing better
2. My life is crazy hectic right now
3. I will try to post when I can
4. Sorry

Life Sucks!

So, today has not been so good. After battling with ovarian cysts for the last 3 days, I decided breaking my foot would be much more entertaining. I stepped out of the car, uh, I mean, I went hang gliding and a bird flew into the wing and the glider started zooming to the ground and I broke my foot. The last part sounds much better than I stepped out of the car and the pavement won. Don't ask me how I broke my foot stepping out of the car. I am still trying to figure it out too. I go to the Ortho doc tomorrow to see if surgery is needed. Life Sucks! Hey, at least the loritab is helping with the pain from my cysts, 'cause it isn't even helping my foot.

My CVS deal of the week!

I went to CVS today and came home very happy. I had to go get toilet paper and wanted to get a few extra items as well. My hubbie gave me a $10 budget to do with as I wished. I ended up getting:

6 - CVS 4 packs of toilet paper

2 - bottles of Gain laundry detergent

2 - CVS duster refills

1 - CVS bottle of rubbing alcohol

1 - CVS bottle of nail polish remover

6 - different stocking stuffers for the kids

The total would have been $ 78.26 but I only spent $ 4.40! After I left I was sad I didn't spend the rest of my budget, but I guess I always have next week!

Starbucks!

The reason I started drinking coffee at age 3. I have never been a morning person and never will.

Pageant and Prom Days!

Okay, here are some good and bad pics of me growing up. Don't know why I'm showing this but I guess I like people laughing at me. HA! HA! Here I am at age 5 in the Little Miss Mississippi pageant. I remember this pageant for 3 different reasons. 1. My Memaw made me a porcelain bunny with a cottonball tail. I loved that thing. 2. Me, my mom and memaw went to Jackson, MS and got a hotel room and I thought that was cool. 3. One of the little girls was playing on the escalator bare footed and got her toe cut off. It was not a pretty sight. For some reason I like this photo even though it is a little Jon Benet Ramsayish!



Onto an embarassing photo. This is what happens when you are 15, just moved from Texas and let your mom and aunt do your hair in a southern Alabama pageant... or you stick your finger in an electrical outlet. Either scenario will produce pictures like this one or the next. This was not a good year for me as you will see in the next photo.



Later that year I was going to prom with a friend. Yes, my hair really is that big. It is not a shadow of my hair it is all me. Why do I look so pasty white? No, I did not look in the mirror at my hair... I had food poisoning. I ended up puking my brains out 897 times. I almost missed Senior leadout. I guess he won't forget his senior prom. Just to let all you know this was the last time I ever wore pantyhose. My toes will never be restricted again by those hateful things.



Here is a much better picture. I grew up a little and found my voice. You know the one that says no to huge hair. I was a junior here and going to prom. I always liked this dress. Maybe because I was at my skinniest. This dress was a size 2 and I had to have it taken up. Sick isn't it?



Here is my senior pageant picture. This dress was my absolute favorite pageant dress. I felt so fancy in it. My favorite part was the 5 inch heels. If I tried to walk in those now I would break my neck. After all these years in flip flops my feet would laugh at me if I tried to pull a stunt like that.

Hope ya'll enjoyed seeing me while I was young and skinny. Do you have any good or embarassing photos you want to share?

Coming Attractions

I've been really busy lately. Really trying that whole Proverbs 31 woman stuff and I don't have much time for blogging, reading, tv watching or anything else fun. Some posts coming soon:

1. Our hiking trip to Peavine Falls.... with 4 kids... yes we are insane and this proves it.

2. Caleb's soccer practice. Same colors and team name as last year... hoping to talk the coach in a new name.

3. Embarrassing pics of me from high school. Hint: pageant days in the mid 90's.

School Days

So, Caleb has been in school for a week now and loves it. I have gotten used to him not being here and am adjusting pretty well. I think we have much better quality time than before he went to school. Maddie Claire and I are having lots of girl time. I love being able to sit with her and play with her babies or just snuggle and give her that one on one time. Also, my house is staying cleaner because I only have one child here during the day to mess it up. I guess I am learning to adjust. I don't know what I will do when Maddie Claire starts K5 in 2012.

Letting Go!

It is the hardest thing letting go of my little boy. I know the cutting of the apron strings starts with this first little adventure. I am not ready. I am not ready for his innocense to be taken. I am not ready for somebody else to be with him more than me. I am not ready to be replaced by friends. I am not ready to let him go. Watching him take these first steps into independence is one of the hardest things I have ever had to do. I still want him to need and want me. I don't want to watch him stretch his wings out and step out of the nest. I don't know if my heart can handle it. The loneliness for him is overwhelming. I miss my little boy. I thought I would enjoy the quiet it would bring but the quiet is louder than a marching band. It doesn't help that Maddie Claire goes around calling for Bubba. We are both a little lost without him. I know the Heavenly Father can help me with this feeling of lost. I love my little boy so much and because I do I will start letting go no matter how much this momma's heart hurts doing it.

Caleb starts KINDERGARTEN!

UPDATE!!!

Caleb's first day of school was "fantastic"! He said all they did was read a story, sing a song and play. To him that would be perfect. The funny thing was he came home with most of his lunch still in his bag. When I asked what he ate he said pizza. Apparently he wanted to eat in the cafeteria and asked his teacher for money to get pizza. I put money in his bag to repay her this morning. He had a smiley face on his daily report and I was very happy. He has developed a love for gab from his momma and I was so afraid he would spend most of his time in trouble for talking. I loved seeing his face so happy when I picked him up.

Caleb getting in the car after the first day!

Caleb ready to head out the door!
Mommy getting the first of many hugs!
Caleb outside the school! The foyer by the library!
Caleb at Mrs. Williamson's door(do you see his name)!
Caleb's desk!

Caleb at his desk looking at his classmates!

Reading Center!

Book Station(this class has over 1000 books)!

Okay, so I just dropped my little boy off with strangers and am trusting them to take care of him all day. Can you tell I'm not doing well with this? This morning I seriously thought about homeschooling. Caleb was a little nervous but very excited. Thankfully he knew how to get to his class and which was the correct class. I was worried because tomorrow he HAS to go to carpool. If I had my way I would walk him in everyday. Probably why they made the rule you can only walk in the first day. I didn't cry (hard) until I left his classroom. I wanted to pretend I was brave and strong for him. I guess it worked because he was fine as I told him I was leaving. I know he will have a great day. I just can't believe my baby boy is growing up so fast. I'll post when he gets home and let you know how his day was. Mine will not be so good until 2:45!