Daybook 3.15.10

FOR TODAY 3.15.10

Outside my window...It is dark and has been overcast all day. I am ready for some sunshine!!!

I am thinking... about how I need to stop THINKING about running and losing weight and actually do it! I guess I shouldn't have just eaten that Snickers bar Tigerfan brought me!

I am thankful for...Spring Break, if only it could have lasted a little longer!

From the learning rooms...Getting back to our normal routine, but I a NOT happy about it! This week will be a little off, next week we should be back into full swing. How many weeks till summer?

From the kitchen...Lemon pepper chicken, green peas, Caesar salad and garlic bread. Tomorrow???

I am wearing... Red warm up pants and a turtle neck. They are FILTHY from being jumped on by every dog in the neighborhood...we need a fence!

I am creating...absolutely nothing...not one thing!

I am going...to tutorial tomorrow, ugh! Did I say I wasn't ready to get back into the swing of things?

I am reading... My Bible and Beth Moore's "So Long Insecurity"

I am hoping...to maintain self control this week. That is what we are studying in Bible and I realize it is one of my weaker points. I am not sure whether it is the puppy or the two year old that pushes me over the line more frequently. However, the third time Tigercub decided to dump and entire box of packing peanuts out in the kitchen floor today pretty much brought me to the limit! He is still living so I guess I maintained a LITTLE control! :)

I am hearing... Good Eats on the Food Network and Tigerfan working in the next room.

Around the house... Most of the laundry is done and the downstairs vacuumed. Actually, we even got the bathrooms cleaned and a plant potted, so I guess it has been a pretty productive day!

One of my favorite things...Watching Tigercub dance. His new favorite thing to watch is the Chimney Sweep scene from Mary Poppins. Then he dances like that "guy". His cuteness saves him!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Pretty busy! Tutorial and dance tomorrow. Wednesday, F.B. will serve as a ball boy for the opening games of the women's NAIA tournament and we have church, choir, handbells, etc. Thursday we have Tutorial and will go out of town for the weekend. Somewhere in there we need to get the oil changed in my vehicle and get the boys' haircut and do school, hmmmm.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

Tigercub feels the need to get into costume before dancing!

For more daybooks, go to The Simple Woman's Daybook.

Coffee Talk 3.12.10

Greetings Company Girls! It's my favorite blogging day. Unfortunately, despite the fact that it has been Spring Break, this week has been crazy busy and today is no different!

I am actually typing this Thursday night because I have to have my little ones at my wonderful MIL's at 7:00 a.m. so F.B. and I can be at the Regional Science Fair by 7:45...ugh!

It will be a busy day with Science Fair, guitar, dance and the awards ceremony so I will not be around to visit till Saturday or Sunday...but I am coming!

I only have a moment, but let me just say that almost no Small Things have been done this week! That is because we had a very BIG thing happen Saturday night when my husband won a black lab puppy that I wouldn't allow my children to sign up for. After making B.B. cry himself to sleep Sat. night because he couldn't keep the dog, Sunday a friend talked us into keeping it on a trial basis. So, the week has been consumed with early potty trips and daily training and bonding sessions.

I got tickled about winning the dog because we NEVER win anything! So, I decided to try a challenge and enter as many contests as I could to prove I never win. I won the first contest: an LSU serving tray. So, pretty much everything I have said in the past couple of weeks have been proven wrong. I just need to stop talking!

In a whirl, spring break is over and the real world starts again next week, but that little puppy really is cute as can be and totally worth it!

Oh! I also got an award that I totally need to write about. And I totally will. But right now, I have to go bond with a nameless puppy!

For more Coffee Talk, go to Home Sanctuary.

The Simple Woman's Daybook 3.9.10

FOR TODAY 3.9.10...

Outside my window...dark and quiet

I am thinking...how I NEVER imagined this time last week that I would be thinking about whether or not I should wake the puppy up and take him outside one last time before bed. Nope...that never even entered my mind last week!

I am thankful for... BEAUTIFUL weather today, a little taste of spring! Rainy weather is going to be tough to handle tomorrow!

From the learning rooms...SPRING BREAK, YEAH! We are doing nothing educational, except dog training...that is educational for all of us!

From the kitchen...Tonight spaghetti, tomorrow isn't here yet, it has yet to be seen!

I am wearing...short sleeve, light pajamas...Yeah, pretty weather!

I am creating...a sanctuary for my family to come into, I hope. Working on my Small Things and on self control this week!

I am going...to take my car in tomorrow to have the water pump fixed AND to take Tigercub to MDO, had to pay even though I won't be working this week so I thought I would take him anyway and get some things done around the house!

I am reading...My Bible, Bible Study and Beth Moore's "So Long Insecurity"

I am hoping...For a wonderful, relaxing, stress free spring break. And that the dog training fairy comes and magically trains this puppy for us.

I am hearing...Cake Showdown or something on TLC, hopefully a snoring husband soon!

Around the house...Got all my grading done today, hopefully a little spring cleaning the rest of the week.

One of my favorite things...70 degree weather!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Dance, final Basketball game for F.B., church, Regional Science Fair, and dog training (In case you hadn't noticed the dog thing is dominating my life at the moment).

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

For more daybooks, go to The Simple Woman's Daybook.

You'll Never Believe What the Cat Drug In

And by the cat, I refer to Tigerfan!

If you have been around this ole blog long, you will know we do not have a real good history with family pets. Dogs and ducks seem to be recipients of most of our poor fortune. Really...there are stories, long, sad, depressing stories. But I won't bore you.

Another thing about our family is our unluckiness. I mean really unlucky! In thirty seven years, I can only think of one thing I have ever won. My husband has the same glorious luck and my children are already proclaiming it is hereditary. As a friend of mine said yesterday, I couldn't win a bucket of dirt if I was the only one who entered the contest.

I can't even begin to think of the countless contests I have entered. How many give aways. It is pitiful. And I have never won. NEVER! In fact, I got to a point where I just stopped entering...because what is the point, really? So a couple of weeks ago, I saw a bunch of really good give aways on blogs and thought, "what the hay, I'll enter!" I did. I didn't win. And it got me to thinking about how unlucky I am. And I began to think about writing this post.

But it gets better. Oh, yes it does. Because this weekend at our church was celebration weekend. It was a weekend filled with activities for all ages. A women's event, a men's event, a family day, etc. And the giveaways....oh, the giveaways! It started being publicized months ago with the "grand prize" being a registered lab puppy. I commented then that that was crazy. I would KILL my kids if they came home with a puppy.

And so the weekend began. My son spent the night, Friday night, with the children's minister. Guess who was babysitting the dogs? Yes, I said dogs. It seems they decided to give away TWO puppies. So, B.B. spent all night Friday and all day Saturday playing with the pups. At the children's event Saturday you could register to win one of the puppies. The parents had to sign, however, to give the children permission. I explained to my children that we would NOT be entering the contest. My logic was that I am so unlucky that the only thing I possibly could win would be one of those dogs!

Saturday night, my husband and boys went to the men's event. There were TONS of give aways. A deer stand, hand guns, a game camera, and on and on. As the night progressed, B.B. was drawn and won some walkie talkies. By evening's end, Tigerfan nor F.B. had won anything. And then...they drew for the "grand prize". I'm sure you know where this is going. My husband, the man who doesn't win anything, who is married to the woman who doesn't win anything, was drawn for that puppy. A registered black lab puppy that B.B had spent the night with and had already bonded with. I don't need a puppy. I don't want a puppy. A puppy, incidentally, that was born on Tigercub's birthday. How in the world could any two people be so UNLUCKY. You see, the puppy we didn't sign up to win, was given away at church this morning, this other one caught us by surprise.

And so, we are now the proud owners of a little nameless pup as we try to figure out if we keep it or not. Half of the church and people from other churches have kindly offered to take it off our hands, but the boys...they are smitten! They now have big dreams of learning to train the dog to be a hunting dog and then hiring themselves out to train other people's dogs. A part of me wants to give them a chance and a part of me wants to run crying to a psychiatric hospital!

Anyway, all this unluckiness has made me decide to do a fun little challenge! I am going to see just how many blog contests and giveaways I can enter without ever winning anything! I am going to attempt to keep track and keep ya'll posted. Not because this is good blogging...but because that is the state of mind I am in right now! What else does the unluckiest person alive do to bide the time between not being drawn in give aways. I will do my best to give myself as many chances as possible! So, the first giveaway I discovered was here. She participated this week in Coffee Talk and encouraged us to enter. So, I did. AND you get extra points for blogging about it. So feel free to head over and win. The prize is a super cute "Game Day Platter" that features your favorite school's team. She was lamenting the lack of participants. I figure few entries, plus me as one of them gives you a pretty good job of winning! So head over there and enter, you have nothing to lose and I GUARANTEE you will not win a dog. However, stick around here, we may have a REALLY CUTE giveaway sometime in the very near future!

Coffee Talk 3.5.10

Good Morning,

I hope everyone is doing well today! We have yet another super busy weekend. I am hoping to actually make it around to everyone this weekend. I have not done too well the past couple of weekends.

I really thought this week was going to settle down a bit, now that we are finished with basketball but it hasn't seemed to end up that way! Wednesday was Baseball Boy's birthday. Tigerfan always takes off on the children's birthdays and we try to celebrate most of the day. We took him to his favorite Chinese buffet...where he ate french fries, onion rings and the meat for sweet and sour chicken (in other words, chicken nuggets). If we had known he wanted a Happy Meal, we could have saved A LOT of money by going to McDonalds! He really got a bit shafted on his B-day because it was on Wed. By 4:00, all the festivities had to stop so our long night of church activities could begin. However, he got a new air soft gun with $ from his grandparents so he was happy. And I was happy because he got the gun in lieux of the hamster he had been threatening to get since Sunday! NO MORE PETS around here!

Today, we are off to see "The Music Man" put on by one of the local schools so I really must go soon. Then we have guitar and tonight, I have a Women's Event at church. It is "Celebration Weekend" so tomorrow, we have kids day at church followed by a men's event tomorrow night, a special service Sunday Morning and then a "Youth Extravaganza" Sunday night. BUT if we get through all of that, next week is SPRING BREAK!!! It is much earlier than everyone else's and in a couple of weeks, I'll wish we were out with friends but this week, I am super excited!

As for small things, I started off with a bang! I was DETERMINED to do them all this month. I have a snappy dresser, I was nice and positive with my family, and then I just plumb forgot to clean out under my sink. That was an easy one, too, cause we did it last year and I have kept it pretty neat. All I had to do was straighten a couple of vases and throw a few sacks away and I would have had it done and I FORGOT! Of course, I also went to change Tigercub's diaper the other day and forgot the diaper, so I am not entirely sure why I am so surprised, but that is beside the point.

I hope all of you have had a good week. My heart goes out to several friends who have had difficult weeks. I have two friends that have lost a parent this week and several more that are having health issues. It makes me very grateful for my healthy family and appreciative of what I have...no whining today!!! Hope to visit with many of you at some point this weekend!

To enjoy more Coffee Talk, go to Home Sanctuary!

Double Digits!

It only seems a heartbeat ago that Baseball Boy was graduating from kindergarten. See his diploma? It is bent in half! That is so him. Carefree, silly, full of life. Often in his own little world but almost always with that adorable smile on his face!

And those cheeks! Oy, those cheeks. Don't you just want to reach out and pinch them right now!






And then, his "little twin" was born. Tigercub looked so much like B.B. when he was born, I had to go label all the old pictures to make sure I could tell them apart. From that day, B.B. has been Tigercub's biggest fan, biggest protector, biggest buddy.

There personalities are very similar...wild!






Among his other great loves, Gracie. He is the only child that really adores this dog. In fact he adores ALL animals. We really had to do a lot of fancy talking to talk him out of a hamster this year!











I have nothing to say, I just like this picture!

And here...here is my "big boy"! He enters into double digits today! How did the time move so quickly?

Today we will do a little school (test tomorrow). Go to eat at his favorite Chinese place with one of his best friends, and just hang out until church activities tonight!

All he wants for his birthday is drum lessons! Because we really don't have enough noise in this house.

We'll party with a little cookie cake.

I'll cuddle and hug, and kiss. I'll rub that fuzzy head and pinch those precious cheeks...because time is running out! If the first 10 years went this fast, college is just around the corner.

Have a great day, I'm going to snuggle up with my ten year old!

The Simple Woman's Daybook 3.1.10

FOR TODAY
3-1-2010...

Outside my window... It is dark, I can see one light shining from the neighbor's property. I really need to go to bed!

I am thinking... about my sister. Her family is going through a really hard time right now and I wish I could make it better. Sometimes it is hard to trust and not do.

I am thankful for... my prayer partner. For a long time, I did not have one. I really didn't want one because it would be embarrassing to share intimate problems or details with someone else. It isn't. It is so freeing. It is so comforting to know that someone else has your back and is lifting you and your "stuff" up in prayer and can utter words of hope and encouragement when you can't utter a word. AND, you get to do the same for them! Isn't that cool! If you don't have a prayer partner, you should really get one! (That is my public service announcement for the day! :) You are welcome!)

From the learning rooms...easy week, Wednesday is B.B.'s 10th birthday. It will be low on learning and high on fun. I hope! Tues. and Thurs. are tutorial and Fri. we will go see "The Music Man" put on by one of the schools here in town. I think it will be fun.

From the kitchen...Tonight was big, juicy pork chops, salad, garlic bread and baked potatoes. Sounds good, huh! And it totally would have been if I hadn't cut into the first pork chop to find it totally raw on the inside! I really need to invest in a meat thermometer! Tigerfan thinks I have lost my touch since it has been so long since I actually cooked!

Tomorrow is Poppyseed chicken, green beans, bread and I just finished a batch of coconut, chocolate chip macaroons. MMMMMMM!

I am wearing... P.J.'s, really, did anyone really need to ask?

I am creating... a sanctuary in my home thanks to this website. I am committed to doing every possible challenge this month. I have not done well the first two months of the year. But every little small thing helps!

I am going...to bed very soon!

I am reading...My Bible, my Bible Study and Beth Moore's "So Long Insecurity"

I am hoping...for happy news for my sister soon.

I am hearing... The "white noise" of the T.V.

Around the house...Laundry and ironing are done!!! Downstairs vacuumed and bathrooms scrubbed, not a bad day!

One of my favorite things...Spring!!! Come soon, old friend!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Pretty much the same ole "stuff" the beginning of the week. Wed. is B.B.'s birthday and Bible Study (which I love more every week) and Friday is the play. Then the weekend is PACKED with activities for celebration weekend at our church.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...We like to refer to this as redneck sledding (year 2). For those not privy to it last year, all the kids pile into the boat and Tigerfan pulls them with the four wheeler. Good times, my friends, good times!

Hope everyone has a blessed week and above all is drawn closer to your Heavenly Father this week!

Don't forget to check out The Simple Woman's Daybook for more Daybooks.