Life at The Morgans

A shoot on Christmas Eve.

2011-01-05T08:00:00.001-06:00

this trees was full of red berries!

On Christmas Eve, we spent time with my side of the family. My husband has a friend that has a crawfish pond and my husband likes to help him out with it.

Well, on Christmas Eve, he decided he was going to go and fix something with the crawfish pond and wanted to leave my family's house early. I was so upset because we rode in the same vehicle. I didn't want to leave and go home by myself on Christmas Eve! He was wrecking my plans and I was not happy. I also wasn't very proud of the way I acted!

When we got home, even the kids were leaving and going to their grandmother's house. I would really really really be left alone. So, he asked me if I just wanted to go with them. I decided to go and I brought my camera.

And would you know that there was the most beautiful light out there?!? I soon got over my huffy puffy attitude and really enjoyed myself!

I took photographs of this tree full of red berries (the pic at top was one of those). I took pics of the youngest girly "K". I took pics of the sunset.

She was such a good little model. She was so coopertive!

2011-01-04T08:00:00.001-06:00

My son "A" and I was pretty bored. So I made him get dressed and took him outside where we had ourselves a little photoshoot. It was very cloudy. Couldn't see the blue sky at all. So I thought it would be pretty good lighting and we would get some good pics.

But, he could barely open his eyes!!! I had no problem with squinting or anything. Even though it was cloudy it was still to harsh for his baby blues!

This is my favorite one. He's getting so big! He'll be 7 this year! Ever since he was a baby, when we would bring him outside the light would make him sneeze. I would always say that he must be allergic to the sun!

I have brown eyes, so I'm just guessing on this one. Possibly because his eyes are so light they let in more light, and that is why even disfused light is hard on him? Darker eyes keep out more light? Possibly like an aperture?

Who knows? But I definitely will have to find a better time to take some photos of him so ya'll can see his beautiful blue eyes!

I heart faces - Best Face Photo of 2010 Challenge!

2011-01-03T14:11:00.000-06:00

I'm entering I Heart Faces' photo challenge this week.

Its the search for the best face photo of 2010.

I took some pictures of the youngest girly at the end of last year.

Here is my entry:

Don't forget to link up and comment on other's links!!!

Just wanted to say....

2011-01-01T21:44:00.000-06:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

Don't have much to say. I spent it with family. We had a sleep over and it was fun! Now on to the New Year. No resolutions for me.. just gonna try to be the best person I can be which really should be an all the time goal anyway!!

I'm starting a 365 Blog. I'll put a button in my sidebar. That's the only way I know how to link up!

I have LOTS to post about but they will have to come later!

I need your help!

2010-12-29T17:22:00.000-06:00

Or someone's help! I want to start a 365 project and I seen where some people add a blog for it within their blog. Can I do that on blogger or do I need to move to WordPress? Any and all advice would be greatly appreciated. I'm gonna start the 1st of January. I know its kind of last minute, but it is what it is..

While taking pictures this weekend at a local park, I crept up on this goose while he was sleeping. I only had my 35mm on me so I was really this close and he really wasn't happy. So glad he didn't decide to chase me down!!

Just a Little Shy

2010-12-20T07:00:00.000-06:00

I haven't posted about Kota in a long time. I think that last time I made an update about him was because he had heartworms. Well, he got through treatment and he is doing great! He has tons of energy and he is almost always by my side.

Until, I point my camera at him. Then I have to beg him to look at me...

Just a second before he was all in my business. Has been ALL morning.

So, I call him. "Kota" and he looks just a little. Like he is fooling me...

I get really sweet. "Kota, Mommy's baby... look here at Mommy"

And he can't take it.

Then he lays down.....

I switch positions and he switches sides...

Maybe it'll be better now, since he obviously finds the door so interesting!

Ehh... of course not!

This dog is a difficult case.

So, I finally tell him to lay down and to stay. Then I get in front of him.

"Now, that's a goooood boyyyyy" I say in my sweetest voice.

He stays this way for quite a while and I get some shots, but they are all blurry!

(that's one thing that kills me about this lens.. alot of my photos are blurry)

Here he is thinking he hears something.. maybe.

"Kota, Koooota, KOTA... Look at Mommy"

Yup.. definitely heard something. And he's off until I can wrassle him down to be still again.

It sure is hard getting shots of this pup.

Must be camera shy....

We Are All Ready...

2010-12-18T07:00:00.001-06:00

The presents have been wrapped

Its the last day of school

The weather is crazy!

I wish it would stay cool

Its getting much closer

There is excitement everywhere

Parties and food and present galore

Children can't wait to see what Christmas morning has in store

But on that morn

Before all the hustle & bustle

Let's all take a minute to remember

That it is the day

The Son of Christ was born

Shopping for Christmas is complete!!!

2010-12-17T08:00:00.001-06:00

We finally went shopping this week! I always wait until the very last minute to get the christmas shopping done. Its a little problem I like to call PROCRASTINATION!!!

We hit up Academy, Kirklands, Dillards, Shooters, and Starbucks (of course). We didn't get any presents at Starbucks.. just Venti Peppermint Mocha for me and Venti Mocha for Hubs.

My husband decided to purchase a new shotgun and when he went to buy it they couldn't let him because his license was expired! Had been since his birthday! In November!! So we also took a trip to the Office of Motor Vehicles.

Last night, the Tupperware that was ordered for my party came in, and so I had to get that together to pass out last night at our weekly prayer meeting.

Then we had a fun little get-together with our Bible Quizzers. We had chicken from Popeye's. I brought christmas cookies, and we passed out gifts. It was fun!

Here is Milah. She isn't in Bible Quiz, but her mom is head coach.

This is Morgan.. We thought this was pretty cool.. Ain't nothing like a Cajun Fry!!

Here is the crazy cousins acting, well... crazy!

I also accomplished something so amazing, so spectacular, so, so , SO totally awesome!! I finished wrapping all my gifts!!!

I still have quite a few that I'll have to put in gift bags..

We also had a Ladies Party at church that wass pretty fun!

Oh, and.. when I was shopping, I had my hair down because I pulled a muscle in my neck and it hurts to wear it up like I usually do. (my hair is past my bottom) I was saying all day how I didn't like it down because its so much to control and I was always getting it stuck on stuff. Well, we are walking into Dillards and a lady is behind me and says "Ma'am, you have a piece of paper stuck in your hair" It wasn't just a regular piece of paper... it was a receipt! It was huge to be stuck in my hair! It was hilarious!!!!!

A Day in the Life....

2010-12-16T08:00:00.001-06:00

This week, I woke up at 5:30. Why, you ask? I thought I smelled pancakes. I walked in the kitchen thinking maybe I would find my husband setting out short-stacks. No such luck. He was cooking down some okra, though. Now, why did my brain turn that smell into the smell of pancakes? The world may never know!

Anyways, moving on...

This morning after all the girls got on the bus and left, my husband and I went to his friend's land. He has a crawfish pond and a duck blind there. My husband was going to help him out and dig a trench and put a levee around the blind so that it wouldn't fill up with so much water. Of course, I had to bring my camera with my new lens attached. I think I got some really nice shots.

some random weed

pretty pretty

I LOVE THIS LENS!!

The front wheel of the crawfish boat*

hard at work (that's the duck blind buried about four and a half feet deep)

he had to bale out water that had filled it up

setting up the blind to camouflage it

the finished blind..

it was freezing cold. I even brought my favorite blanket

never in my life have I been so happy to see this!!!

None of these photos have been post processed other than being resized. I love this lens and I will have to practice a lot more, but I am definitely enjoying it!!!

Stuff...

2010-12-15T07:12:00.001-06:00

As I lay in bed this morning, listening to my youngest s-daughter butcher O Come All Ye Faithful just enough for me to know she hadn't realized that all the F were supposed to be played sharp, I was thinking about Carlotta's On Cloud Nine.. seriously. And I get a really great one picked out!! I don't play every Wednesday, BUT I knew I just HAD to play this Wednesday. This photo makes me THAT happy!!

Before that, though. I get out of bed, grab my phone, and start looking at my Google Reader to see if she posted yet. She had and she did bokeh!!! Well, that's ok.. we'll just have the same kind of picture that makes us happy today.

I call ( K ) into the dining room and tell her to bring her book too. So, I ask her a couple of the fingers, and look up the finger for F#. I start playing and let her watch me do it, then she does it, and I correct her finger a couple times. Then I tell her to go get the other recorder (yes we have two that are played OFTEN). We proceed to play together. She messes up... I mess up... we get confused. She looks at me and says "Momma, how do you know how to play the recorder?" Honestly... I don't know.. except maybe because I played clarinet and tenor saxophone all through school. What she doesn't know is that when she gets her flute next year I'll be learning it too!! Can't wait. So, now she is in her room practicing and trying to get it right.

This is all before 7 AM, mind you. Oh, to go back to the days when I didn't have to be up until 8:30. Nah.. just kidding. I was lonely then.

So, back to Carlotta. She does On Cloud Nine every Wednesday. Just put up a post on your blog containing one photo that you've taken. You can add as much or as little text as you would like along with it. After writing your post, go here to link up (and yes, that is a copy & paste from her blog with a slight change... what? Its EARLY!)

Don't forget to grab her button and check out other peeps photos. Leave some comments and love. And have FUN!

Here is mines....

I'm So Happy!!!

2010-12-14T08:00:00.003-06:00

Last week I posted a link on facebook of the lens that I would like to have...

My husband seen it and made a funny little comment, but he went ahead and looked at it and we even went to a store around here that was supposedly supposed to have it. When we got to the store, they said they didn't have it. So we went home and I showed my husband the website and when I walked away he ordered it!

Sunday, after church, we were on the way home and he said he had to go back to town to pick something up. Well, he didn't tell me what it was, so ( I ) said "Its probably a present for you since he didn't tell you what it was".

He finally gets back home and he walks in and just hands me the box. I had NO idea that he was getting it for me!!! I didn't actually figure it out till he said he had to go pick something up, and I just GUESSED that's what it was.

Here's some pics...

Concert Band '10

2010-12-13T15:56:00.000-06:00

Last week, my middle s-daughter ( I ) had a concert for band at school. She plays clarinet and really enjoys it. It was their christmas concert and they did really good! I was so proud of them.

I used to play clarinet in school, and I LOVED concert band!!!

They had 6th grade and two 7th & 8th grade bands.

Once was symphonic, and the other concert.

I enjoyed all of them!

The best part was that her band teacher was the same one I had when I was in middle school!

It was so good to see her again. She was the best teacher ever and I'm glad that ( I ) gets to have her too!

Another Night of Fun...

2010-12-12T08:00:00.000-06:00

This month has been busy! My cousin Lauren is in Piano Lab at her school. Its one of the only Piano Labs around here that is offered through school. Every year they have a recital at Acadian Village. This was Lauren's 2nd year.

Acadian Village is a cute little place. They have a town set up and they decorate it for christmas. You can go and see the lights and they have different shows. Recently, they started putting of fair rides, and they definitely add to the fun!

This just a small part of it.

She played What Child is This. It was beautiful!

While walking around, you come to these little scenes where you can take pictures. This one was really cute!

Its my cousin David and my husband Ivan (he's sucha good sport)

and here is the pianist, Lauren, with Hannah (we are all cousins)

They have been best friends since they were old enough to play together. They are only a few months apart.

They are so fun to be around. They crack me up!

We had such a fun night. I'm so glad we could make it out to hear Lauren play! Its a beautiful place to visit and we always try to go once a year. The kids enjoy it, we enjoy it. It really gets you in the mood for Christmas!

Thanks for stopping by!!!

And I certainly couldn't go over there with ALL those lights and not take any bokeh shots!!

After the Stroll...

2010-12-11T08:00:00.002-06:00

After the stroll was over, my sister and her besties wanted to take MORE pictures. So, we hung around and snapped a few. These guys go to our church and they are just so funny and sweet!

I had forgot to clear out my memory card and actually filled it up. I would have had wayyyy more if I wouldn't have filled it up.

The three besties...

Walter, Paige, Trevor

These guys are brothers, and after I took the group pic I told them to take a picture together.

Walter, who is the little brother, did this to Trevor.

It was SO funny!

This is the real one. They insisted that I frame it this way...

When we got done, I snapped this one. I thought it came out really cool!

So, we had a blast and I'm so happy you took the time to check us out. Thanks for stopping by!

Tupperware Party & The Christmas Stroll...

2010-12-10T11:47:00.001-06:00

Its been busy and I haven't been blogging, so I have a lot to say. And.. I'm gonna take my time, so I have blog post for the next little bit!!!

On December 3rd, I had a Tupperware party. It was my first one and it was SO fun!!!
The Tupperware Lady said it was the biggest party she had and the longest party she had.. We had some fun!! The game was so cute. We all put straws in our mouths and passed a thimble. The auctioning game was the most fun though.

Then a few nights before that we went to the Annual Christmas Stroll. The musicians from our church go there to play every year. Its wonderful. All the businesses are open and you go around and get stamps on a paper. Once you get them all you enter for a drawing to win huge baskets. We didn't get any stamps, but we did walk around and look at the different shops. Some shops even gave a way free food and hot chocolate. The kids had so much fun!

Of course, she would be the one to find the free food!!!

My family was there, so of course I took pics of all of them! We had a blast!

Paige (sister), Hannah (cousin), Lauren (cousin)

Abigail (cousin)

Morgan (niece), Ivy (s-daughter), Mariah (niece), Abigail (cousin)

Hannah, Lauren, Bobbie (aunt), Ellie (aunt), and Paige (down front)

I have a video of our musicians playing but its on my phone and I don't know how to do all that fancy stuff to transfer it here.

Thanks for stopping by!

Monday Night Convo & I Heart Faces...

2010-11-30T07:56:00.002-06:00

*At the bottom of this post is my entry for I Heart Faces!

Last night, Ivan and I were laying in bed. He had gotten soap in his eye and it was bothering him and burning (and he kept saying it and saying it)

So, here is the conversation that followed. It was pretty funny.

Him: I hate how this thing is so sensitive to touch. (he was talking about his phone)

Me: Well don't touch it. Get your finger out your eye. (messing with him)

Him: Smartie...

Me: What would you rather me be dumb? Ivan, your phone is supposed to be sensitive to touch. That's why its called a TOUCH SCREEN PHONE!

He wasn't actually laughing, well.. maybe not sincerely. There was a little bit of sarcasm in there!

Now on to....

I am entering this picture for Scenic Black & White. Its from a a couple years ago. We went to Rockefeller to do some crabbing. I have always loved this pic of A about to throw his bait out to catch another crab!

Don't forget to go on over and check out every one's entries!

Leave some comments! It makes it way more fun!

just a slow morning...

2010-11-27T10:36:00.001-06:00

I love sitting here in the peace and quiet. Especially when I can get it... its not always easy. But, its oh so worth it when I can.

So, today I'll just enjoy this quiet time. Even more so, because my husband is cooking. I helped him twice already, but it's still so wonderful!

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Happy Turkey Bird Day!!!!!!

2010-11-25T13:16:00.001-06:00

I am very thankful for so much.

I'm thankful for family and friends.

For my husband and children..

And especially because calories don't count on holidays!!!

Praying everyone has a wonderful day!!!

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on cloud nine with carlotta!

2010-11-24T09:06:00.001-06:00

What makes me happy?

Walking the yard with my husband.

He sees something and knows that I would LOVE to take a picture of it!

He found this nest of eggs in our orange tree this past spring (I think it was spring...)

So, I went get my camera and got to take a picture of our little surprise!

Go on over to carlotta's blog, and show everyone what makes you happy!!
Don't forget to click other's links and check out their blogs!!

Fix-it Fridays @ iheartfaces...

2010-11-19T12:39:00.000-06:00

Ok.. so I'm posting twice today.

I read Pastor's Girl's Ponderings today and wanted to enter her photo challenge. Then clicked over to I Heart Faces and remembered Fix-it Fridays... So I'm doing both!

*You can see my entry for Carlotta's Photo Challenge below this post.

So here is the original photo and post for todays FIF..

Here is my entry...

Here is what I did:

Filter, Render, Lighting Effects, Omni (right over his face), widened a little.

Flatten

CoffeeShop's Barista (just ok'd everything)

Flatten

Pioneer Woman's Fresh color with the soft light turned down to 30

Flatten

And that's it!

Here is side by side:

Photo Food Challenge @ Pastor's Girl's Ponderings

2010-11-19T09:09:00.001-06:00

I just started following this blog today, but I've really been lurking for quite a while. Don't know how I found it. I think it was because someone mentioned her trip to Germany. I love to read about other countries from a real point-of-view.

Carlotta does photo challenges and so this time I am going to submit a picture I took a while back. Its homemade blondies with whipped topping and homemade chocolate sauce. Some times my family gets in to "dessert mode" and I have no ready made mixes. So, I search out a recipe and whip it up at 9 PM!!!

This is the product of one of those times!!!

Yes, it was delicious! And.. Yes, I did take pictures before I let my family eat any!!! HA!

So, go ahead and pull a photo out from the dark places of your hard drive and LINK UP!!!

Fix-it Fridays @ iheartfaces... a day late and a dollar short!!!

2010-11-09T16:15:00.001-06:00

I'm getting into this a little late! But decided to do it anyway because I LOVE my edits!!

You can find the original here...

As always, not my picture just my edits.

First I did a clean edit. There were blemishes on her face, so I took them off. Then I did a levels. Then a high pass and erased it off of her hair because it can make it look a little "crunchy". I used a black to white gradient to change it to black & white.

Edit #1

Then I added a simple vintage grain with a blend mode of soft light and then another of overlay (duplicated the layers) just because.. don't know if I could have skipped that step or what but its what I did!

Edit #2

Then on top of that I added CoffeeShop's Orton Effect

Edit #3

And that's it!!!

Shooting the Family!

2010-10-26T09:28:00.001-05:00

Umm... with my camera!

A while back I took some pictures of my aunt, her son, and my brother (he is living with them right now). I told her she needed some pictures, so I could order her Christmas cards for her. They still aren't ordered yet, but that's not what this post is about.. Ahem!

We were going to go to the square in downtown, but they were having something there. We went to my aunt's work.. the funeral home. We took these pictures outside by the wall and in their little courtyard. I would have loved for it to be cloudy that day, but it wasn't.

Here they are!!!

my brother D

I love this shot in the field. He's the only one that would get in there!

my cousin D

I really like this one.. He was determined to get a shot in with his Bible!

D, my aunt J, and D

Here they are all together. She looked away, but I still think it came out great!

He is just so photogenic! He's a natural in front of the camera, so it was very easy practice for me!

Looks like he means business!

My beautiful Ju Ju

The Ju Ju again.

I'm not a professional. I do it for family. And I don't charge a penny, but they do buy their own copies which I order off of Shutterfly.

Taking pictures is really something I enjoy. I'm glad its getting to be ~~Autumn~~ Winter (we are skipping Autumn this year, I think) because its going to be a little cooler and hopefully the light won't be so harsh.

My niece (not this one, her sister) is wanting me to take photos of her also. Either they don't know that they aren't good or I have some potential.. Time will tell!

Thanks for stopping by, and I would love some constructive criticism (and that doesn't mean harsh... it means helpful!!)

Pink Week @ I Heart Faces

2010-10-25T23:52:00.001-05:00

The Fluffernutter...

2010-10-22T21:35:00.000-05:00

I was intrigued when I kept seeing marshmellow fluff and peanut butter combos recently on a couple different blogs. I came across a post at The Great Balancing Act about a Fluffernutter sandwich and knew I had to try it.

Funny thing is.. it was actually consuming my thoughts. On the way to drop off the little girls at their momma's house, the oldest one was telling me something and I never heard a word. Instead, I looked at her so intensly that she asked me what I was thinking.. All I could say was....

"I need to buy some marshmellow fluff."

It was bad y'all!

So, we went to the Wal-Marts and I got me some marshmellow fluff. As soon I got home, I made a half sammy of peanut butter (chunky) and marshmellow fluff..

It was good, but I don't know if it was worth the wasted calories. Its a very expensive snack!!

Even though, I will eat it again. I'm thinking that I need to go a little easier on the peanut butter.

I might even try dipping some strawberries in it...

Busy Weekend & Fix-it Fridays @ iheartfaces...

2010-10-22T11:47:00.002-05:00

There is a busy weekend ahead of us! This weekend, I'll be driving the youth group to a youth rally, and I have no idea where I'm going!!

Good thing I'll be following someone!

Also, have to cook a dinner for Bible Quiz Fundraiser.

It'll be fun!

On to Fix-it Fridays a.k.a FIF

Here is the original photo..

taken by Angie Arthur Photography

Didn't take it.. just editing it for fun! I love to do this and I love to see other's edits. I learn so much!

I love CoffeShop Actions..

First, I cropped it, then I lightened it then ran CoffeeShop's Barista

Its a work flow action.

Did some saturation

Burned everything but the boy

edit #1

Then I turned on the b&w and took a soft brush at low opacity and went over it.

edit #2

Then I went back to edit #1 and added PW's Sunshine action and took the opacity down a little, then added a layer mask and took a soft brush and took the sunshine off the boy a little..

edit #3

.. and here they are together because I love this little thing..

Well, I want to say thanks in advance to everyone who stops by! Check out all the other links and leave lots of comments!!!

Random Dozen!!

2010-10-20T21:02:00.001-05:00

1. Do you prefer to read the book or see the movie?

Really.. I prefer to read the book. Never was in to movies. I do have to watch how much I read because I can get lost in books and barely find my way out.

2. What is your favorite holiday and why?

My favorite holiday is Thanksgiving. Because I get to be thankful! (and also because the food and family getting together is just like Christmas, but I don't have to worry about presents!!)

3. Which do you like better - the mountains or the beach?

I'll take the mountains! We've been to Gatlinburg, TN and I thought those moutains were beautiful! I would love to see the Rockies though.

4. If money were no consideration, what vehicle would you drive?

OOOhhh, wow! What would I drive? Maybe a Cadillac or a Corvette.

5. What is your favorite cold-weather beverage?

Fluffy Hot Chocolate

6. How do you communicate most often with your friends: phone, email, text, face-to-face, or Facebook?

I rather text and go face-to-face.

7. How do you receive your mail? Mailbox on the porch, at the end of the driveway, down the street, or post office box?

end of driveway at the road.

8. Of the four basic personality types - sanguine, phlegmatic, melancholic, and choleric - which is your strongest? Which is your least evident? (See definitions below.)

Melancholic- Strongest

Choleric- least evident

9. What do you miss the most about being 20?

Definitely the fast metobolism..

10. How long from the time you get up, does it take you to get ready to walk out the door in the morning?

30 minutes.. probably a little less

11. Who handles the car maintenance and pays the bills in your family?

hubby. I'm very thankful that I don't have to pay the bills!! I hate that!

12. For those in the US, how many states have you visited? For those outside the US, how many provinces/other countries have you visited?

9

Busy Busy Week...

2010-10-18T11:50:00.000-05:00

This week there is so much to be done! I'm kind of worried about being able to get it all done! There is vacation coming up, so that means packing and getting everything ready for the day we leave.

Then I am a Bible Quiz leader this year and we are doing a dinner to raise money. I'll be cooking two of the dishes the weekend before we leave! We are having the dinner on a Sunday after morning service. Talk about stressing!! I know everything will work out and be fine. I'm glad that we are able to do it, so that we can have the money to go to tournaments. The kids are so excited this year. We have lots of new Quizzers.

My mother-in-law and sister-in-law will be keeping the kids for us. So, I'll have to do clothes and make sure everything is ready so they don't have to worry to much while we are gone.

So, needless to say, after getting ready for vacation this week.. I'll definitely need a vacation!!!

just because I like it!!

Fix-it Fridays @ iheartfaces...

2010-10-15T11:32:00.002-05:00

I am so excited to be apart of this again! Its so fun and I really do enjoy it!

I have one edit today, and it may not be that great. I probably did too much to it, and maybe I could have simplified the process. Although, that is the joys of learning!!

Here is the original photo:

picture taken by Dana Suggs (contributor at iheartfaces)

Now here we go...

These are the steps I took to reach my final process.

Paint the Moon's Simple Lighten 50% (default)
Coffee Shop's Little Perk 30%
Coffee Shop's Vivid 2
no levels adjustment, vignette 10%, Soft 72%, Urban 83%
High Pass set to overlay blending mode 1.4 at 30%
Cloned out a few pumpkins
Cropped
Simply Vintage
Lighten 55%, Soft Haze 2%, Color Mute 9%
Paint the Moon's Timeworn Soft texture at 68%, Blend mode Darker Color
Layer Mask to take the texture off the face.
Additional Sharpening..

See what I mean!!!! That just seems too much. Really I just play around until I like it, but for Fix-it Friday I wrote all my steps down. Maybe that's why I noticed the excess..

So... here it is!!

And here is the Before & After!

I love this diptych from CoffeShop!

I hope you enjoy your Friday and thanks for stopping by!!!

Sooo Excited!!!

2010-10-14T22:38:00.001-05:00

Not this week, but the next.. my husband and I are going on vacation!!!

BUT! That isn't what I'm excited about.

I'm very excited because I just purchased a camera bag from xcessrize on Etsy.com. It is sooo sooo soooo CUTE! I guess you can tell I'm a little excited!

Here is a picture of what it looks like:

picture from xcessrize etsy shop

From her reviews, there is plenty of padding and its great quality materials and work! I'm so happy and I can't wait until it arrives!!!

Her motto: **Life is too short to carry an ugly bag** Truer words have never been spoken!!

Random Dozen with 2nd Cup of Coffee

2010-10-13T07:03:00.000-05:00

Really though, this can't be called a Random Dozen because it is only 11 questions, but let's just go with it....

1. Is there a word which you initially mispronounced? Were the circumstances in which you made the faux pas embarrassing? By the way, that's not "foax pass." (I know you know that. Just jokin' with ya.)

Epitome.. umm yeah.. to a really smart girl. When I figured out how its really said, I was embarrassed for a long loooong time (and this was years later)!

2. How do you feel about the use of texting shortcuts and trends? (ex: "I've got ur notes. Get them 2 u 2morow.")

I don't really do text shortcuts all the time. Usually when I'm in a hurry, but mostly I think they are dumb. For example.. I can't stand it when my sister texts me. She usually makes the words longer instead of shorter. Yeah, I know.

My shortcuts:

txt
2
u

3. Tell me about your high school senior picture. Please feel free to post.

My high school pictures was little on the scary side. I was a no makeup kind of girl, and I don't even think I owned makeup at the time. My friend did my makeup and it came out horrible!! That was for the pics the school took. The ones that a hired photographer took for me were a little better in the makeup department, but my hair was just flat!! I didn't like either.

5. Share a high school or college homecoming memory.

For the homecoming dance in my Junior year, my friend and I decided to wear pants instead of dresses or skirts. So, the hardest part was finding a shirt. I got this green shirt that I thought was sooo very cute. It was one of those hairy shirts... (like ewwwww really). Well, we got all dressed up and went eat out and when we got to the dance, a guy that I knew from another school came up to me and asked me why didn't I mow my grass. I threw the shirt away when I got home! LOL.. so funny now, not so funny then!

6. Linda at Mocha with Linda wants to know: "Do you prefer sunrises or sunsets?"

ummm..... I take both. Sunrises only depend on if I feel like getting out the bed that early!

7. Lea at Cici's Corner asks, "What is something you have not done that you desire to do?"

I would have to say that I would love to do what God has called me to do. I'm still trying to get past the "OOHH MMYYY GOOODNESSS I can't do that!! Do you know who I am God??" part.

8. Carol at Wanderings of an Elusive Mind ponders, "If you could come back [in another life] as an animal, which would it be?"

I love giraffes... ever since I was little.

9. Joyce from The Other Side of the Pond is curious: "Where were you 10 years ago?" Please feel free to elaborate more than just your physical location.

I was 16 years old. I was living with my dad (divorced parents), going to a school I hated, and a very unhappy teenager. LOL... but I think every teenager gets in that place.

10. When you are proven to be correct in any contentious discussion, do you gloat?

Well, when I'm right and my husband is wrong I will do a little dance and sing "haha ha ha haha" to the tune of "nana na na nana". We usually just laugh about it though. Now if its something very serious, all I do maybe is kind of smirk.. when he isn't looking (and sometimes when he is).

11. What is your favorite food which includes the ingredient "caramel?"

Snickers!!!!

12. From my 17 year-old daughter to you: "If you could be part of any fictional family, which family would you choose and why?" (She's so cute. And clever.)

I would have to say that I would like to be part of the Wonder Years family. I just love that period of time. Oh wait... maybe the Ingalls' family (I love that time period also).

Well, this was fun, and I enjoyed it. Can't say that I'll be able to join in every time because I'm really not that consistent.

Picture Heavy Post..

2010-10-12T11:19:00.001-05:00

You have been warned.

This weekend we had quite a few opportunities to take pictures. So, that is exactly what we did.

Saturday morning, the kids were playing outside and A comes running in because he lost his tooth!!!

There is another tooth growing directly behind it. The dentist said that his tongue will naturally push it out to the front. The tooth's brother also has one growing behind so it shouldn't be long before that one is out too.

Oh! And.. its the FIRST TOOTH HE EVER LOST!!!! Very excited about that!

So, we went to the park!!

They had a blast.

L had a friend over from school, and they did what most 11 year old do.... screamed at boys they knew from school!

It was so funny to watch them. L is very shy, but seems to be coming out of her shell.

All in all, it was a great weekend!!

** I really like the collages... even tho they didn't come out perfectly perfect.. Oh well!

The problem of letting it go....

2010-09-29T12:22:00.000-05:00

Before I got married, I weighed around 105-110 lbs. I was comfortable but trying to gain a little weight because stressful situations had gotten be down to an unhealthy weight. I feel really comfortable around 115-120. Well, since I've been married I've just kinda forgot about maintaining a certain weight and let it all go. I'm not proud to say that I weight 139, and that I haven't weighed this much since I was full term with my baby. This isn't even my highest weight that I've been recently... that would be 142. NEVER have I ever weighed this much!!

When I turned 25, its like I automatically gained 10 lbs. I kept it on. Then I turned 26, and gained 10 lbs. The rest snuck in somewhere.. ahem.

So, I was over at kevinandamanda.com and a while back she told about her weight lose story. How she had shed 20 lbs. She counted her calories and used the Calorie Counter. I went over and checked it out. It seems pretty easy. I am going to limit myself to 1200 calories per day, and I also started walking 2 miles every morning with my aunt.

We are gonna see how it goes.. hopefully well!!!

Here is a picture just because....

Blondie w/ homemade chocolate sauce, and whipped topping!!

My Neice...

2010-09-25T18:47:00.002-05:00

I went to my sister-in-law's yesterday to babysit her girls while they went up north to visit a sick family member. She has 5, yes FIVE girls. This is her youngest. She let me take some really sweet pictures of her yesterday!

isn't this cute?

Just precious! Glad I got this one!

I think they are ALL my favorite!

Well, I'm happy to have gotten more practice! It didn't take long at all. It was way to hot to stay long anyway. Glad that Fall is around the corner.. More pictures!

The weekend... almost a week late!

2010-09-23T13:58:00.002-05:00

This past weekend our little man Gabriel came over for a visit. We enjoyed him so much. Everytime he comes, I try to take as many pictures as possible of him.

He is such a sweetie, has a great personality and no trouble at all! This week he wasn't even scared of our boxer, Kota. He would tell him no (which came out more like NA), sit (SI), and down (he would touch the floor with one finger and say DOW). Even though he was very authoritive and gave it his best effort, Kota would not listen to someone that was smaller than him! He sure did try though.

These are his shoes that Nana (that would be me) has for him over here. He LOVES them. Last time he was here, we would have to keep putting them on because he hated them. This time he wanted them on every day, all day. He loves shoes now! So I took a pic of his favorite shoes to show him someday!

He also cleans up quite nicely! I was so excited when I tried this little outfit on him. He loves to get dressed for church. He looks so cute in this little suit. He'll wear it to service next time he comes.

In other new, my husband caught this bass out of our pond. Its the biggest one yet!

And yes, he is very proud. How did you know?

**I'm very glad I switched over to the new blogger templates. I can have much larger pictures now....

2010-09-22T02:49:00.007-05:00

I seem to be having a problem with falling asleep tonite... It could possibly be because I've just discovered digital scrapbooking.. I think.. Here are a few I've done so far:

I have a feeling that I'll be spending quite a bit of time doing this.... (Send help NOW!!)

Fix-it Fridays @ iheartfaces...

2010-08-27T10:48:00.006-05:00

This is fun!!

I just recently found out that I love to post process photos!! I may not be great as some, but I like what I do!

Here is the Original Photo (I did NOT take this photo):

I love using PW's actions for PSE. The first one I used was a boost action. Just to bring the color up a little more. I used the dodge tool next to make it a little lighter on her skin and face. Then I decided on a soft & faded action. Which decolorizes the photo, so what was the point of the boost.. its all about learning!!

Then I saw that they had a straighten tool. So I straightened and cropped. Unsharp mask set at 80% with a radius of 2.0 and a threshhold of 0.

Then I decided to put an edge burn and that just wasn't working for me.

Just this morning, I was cruising around Flickr and I happened upon a texture group. Someone in this group made a whole bunch of free textures because she just loved it so much. So, hey!! Why not get a few (even tho.. I wanted them ALL) They are really good. So I used this one.

Laid it on top, set the blending mode to multiply, maybe decreased it alittle. Don't think it needed it though. Then flatten and save.

I really love how it came out and I hope you do too!

Ok... I had to add another one.

In this one, I added clouds in the background. I took some off of another photo and then just layered them on top. (yay! I'm excited! first time!) Then lightened her face, blurred the line between the clouds and rest of pic, boosted the blue part on just the clouds, and then boosted the over all color...

New Font on Post Titles...

2010-08-26T09:15:00.005-05:00

Awhile back when I redid my blog design, I tried to use a different font for my date, titles, and sidebar. However, it did not work, and I did not know why.

Well, I found this cute CUTE font today. I really wanted to use it as a blog font, and decided to give it another go. I found the problem. I left out a part of the code, but I fixed it and now I have cute titles!!!

I also took pictures for my friend's son's birthday party. I'm not professional by no means, but there were some decent ones. Here are a few...

He is so sweet and everyone had such a good time!!!

I also started learning some more ways to edit pictures in Photoshop Elements 8. Its fun and I can totally get addicted to this. Here are a few...

The kids started back to school.

Ivy had eye surgery, and is doing very well. Quickly recovering. Thank You, Jesus!

Church tonite. Can't wait!

Everyone loves a Snowball...

2010-08-06T15:01:00.003-05:00

Especially our family! When my husband is home, we get one almost everyday. They have a new snowball stand that looks like a Caboose. Its right down the road and we go pretty frequently.

My middle daughter, Ivy, always says how she wished there would be a dill pickle snowball. Well, we would all say ugh, and forget about it.

My husband and I were spending a couple days alone while they were at their momma's house, and decided to go out for a snowball. My husband actually let me check out the menu this time. The Menu is seperated by colors. I was looking under the green catergory and lo, and behold.. there it was!!!! A Dill Pickle Snowball!!!!

Today, after I went got my tires changed out we stopped and got a snowball. Ivy and Kamryn decided to try the dill pickle flavor and I settled on a dreamscicle. Kamryn said she didn't like hers, so we traded. Once I got that snowball, I was in LOVE!! It was sour and sweet and definately dill pickle!!!

Then Kami decided she wanted hers back because she didn't like mine, but I made sure I ate the whole top off before I relinquished it.

I'll definitely be back for more!! I told Ivy that it would be my new addiction!!! MMMMMmmmm...

Room Update & The Sweetest Thing!!

2010-08-05T23:07:00.008-05:00

We got the floors & baseboards in today. All that is left is to find new furniture and put in finishing touches. Like curtains, lamps, frames, etc.

Today, a friend and I were talking about some stuff and seeing we were going through some of the same things. We were talking about how we were so stressed out and sometimes it feels like God forgets us. Which we KNOW this isn't true, but the thoughts are there all the same.

Well, we get off the phone and I'm sitting in the living room with my husband and youngest daughter. There is a knock at the door and our little next door neighbor walks in. Ivan asked him what he had in his hand.

Well, he held it out to me and in his hand was a flower. A gardenia to be exact! He brought it just for me. This little guy has never showed any interest in me at all. He comes and plays with the kids, I make chit-chat and he usually leaves without saying bye!!

I went put it in a glass and he comes in the kitchen and we had the following conversation:

Him: that's a real flower, ya know.

Me: yes, I know.. its a gardenia. Its my favorite kind of flower.

Him: we have a garden with all kinds of flowers. Red ones and all kinds.

Me: we I love my flower. thank you soooo much. its beautiful.

.. and he walks out the kitchen and doesn't say another word until I ask him if he is eating with us. Of course he says yes.. we had spaghetti!

I don't believe it was by chance that he brought me a gardenia. Especially since I would have thought bringing me a flower would be the last thing on a 6 year old's mind.

Almost like God was saying.. I see you and know where you are.. I even know your favorite flower!

Since God is mindful of the small things (a flower from the neighbor) then He'll be mindful about the big things.

And.. just because I couldn't resist...

He is doing well. He walks without a leash and is so obedient!

The Surprise... I'm ready to tell you about the SURPRISE!!!

2010-08-04T19:01:00.005-05:00

Our surprise is so precious and beautiful!!! We have even had it before, so here is some background info...

About two years ago, we got ourselves a boxer. A flashy dark fawn male. Docked and floppy. He was so precious, but when my husband was away at work, he was a handful and didn't listen at.all.

My brother-in-law, T, seen him and said how he really liked him and always wanted a boxer. So we called him one day and asked him if he wanted Kota. He came and picked him up and would occasionally send pics and stuff.

The girls would say "Momma, do you miss Kota? I miss Kota".

I would say "no I don't, and I'll never have another dog in my house".

Well, wouldn't you know, a couple weeks ago we got a call from T. He wanted to know if we wanted Kota back. Of course my husband told him we would call back, so we could talk it over. When he got off the phone I told him that we would take him back.. because I like to eat my words and stuff.

T brought Kota home and tomorrow he will be officially 2 years old. T hadn't brought him to the vet or kept up with heartworm prevention. I brought him to the vet yesterday to get him all tested and stuff. He has hookworms and worse.. heartworms. Its in the early stages. Treatment will probably be successful, but we will have to keep him completely still, so that his lungs don't clot and kill him. He is a very active dog, but we are going to try our best.

The first day he came here I was totally in love. He is housebroken, knows simple commands and still thinks he is a lap dog (he is 54.3 lbs and taller. He'll gain weight after the worms are out his system). I am so glad we got him back, and have to admit that I would be heartbroken if something happened. He is just completely precious!!!

Here are a few pics that I took of him since he has been home.

whew....

2010-07-31T01:39:00.006-05:00

Tonight was the last night of VBS! I made it through, and really enjoyed it after all. Even when my helper didn't show up and I had seven 4 yr olds all to myself!!! We had a blast painting and taking pictures and making puppets and all kinds of other stuff that I can't exactly think of right now! I'm also very happy to be able to tell ya'll (all 2 of you that will actually read this) this.... I could definitely tell a difference in the children's behavior from Monday night to Friday night.

Example:

Monday- "children, lets go back to class"

... What they actually did- went to everyone else's class and peaked in

Friday- "children, lets go back to class"

... What they acutally did- went back to our class and even though they were tempted to go and look in other classes.. they didn't!!!!

Monday- "everyone have a seat at the table please"

... What they acutally did- continued to play and pretended like they never heard the english language before in their whole.entire.lives.

Friday- "everyone have a seat at the table please"

... What they acutally did- found a seat and sat waiting (even thought it was noisily) for me to help them or teach them or feed them!!

I was amazed at the progress! I was also very sad that it was our last night together and that by Sunday I'll be back in the Primary class (8-9 year olds). The following conversation took place between me and two of my toddlers while I was feeling a wee bit sad about the whole VBS ending thing...

ME: so did ya'll have fun this week??

Them: yeah!!!

ME: are ya'll gonna miss me?

Them: yeah!!!

ME: I'm gonna miss ya'll too...

Boy: well, we gonna come back tomorrow

ME: well, if you come back tomorrow you'll be by yourself. I'll be home resting!!! (end of mushiness!! ready to get back to regular scheduling!!)

Usually when teaching the nursery class it is so easy to just say "oh they're little, it'll be just like babysitting". But all the other classes get to do crafts and stories and other neat stuff that I decided to try my hardest to do the same with them. I must say that all the crafts were enjoyed by everyone..

Good nite.. tomorrow is coming early!! Our surprise will officially be arriving!!!

VBS, Puppets, and a Tote

2010-07-27T00:24:00.002-05:00

Its been a pretty busy week. Last week was our anniversary services and revival. Church was so great and there was so much that happened. I was truly blessed. Even more so, because my husband was supposed to be offshore, but it just so happened that he was able to be home for the whole week!! I love it when that happens. God is so mindful of us!

Friday night was the youth rally, and y'all... it was fun! Church services was great, and afterwards we went to INCREDIBLE PIZZA!! We rented the whole place just for our enjoyment. From 11 PM to 5 AM!! The kids ran around freely, and the adults got to act like kids. Oh my.. it was FUN.. did I say it was FUN??? Well it was.

Today was our first day of VBS, YAY!! Or as Aiden would say.. today was VSB!! Our puppet show was good, our action songs were good, and I was in charge of the toddler class (all alone!!!) The amazing thing about this year is that when I'm usually shy, I wasn't. God really did something for me there because never before would I have gotten up in front of the whole church youth and sang "making melodies in my heart"... Very thankful for that!!! OH and I honestly enjoyed it!!

Also, for having such a good night in the toddler class, I treated myself to a brand new tote.. its zebra and super cute!!!

Well, my p-dunk is in the bed and I'm just about ready to go snuggle with him...
Good nite!!

We've been very busy!!

2010-07-22T10:37:00.002-05:00

First of all, I just want to say that last night was my first night without any kids. Also, it was spent grocery shopping with my husband, and although that hasn't always been the dream date that I've waited and waited for... it was wonderful!

We (and when I say "we" I really mean "my husband") got farther along on the room. The lime green wall is now painted, a new ceiling fan is in place, new door handles on the doors and new blinds hung in the window. We are just waiting on the floor to come in.

Speaking of the floor... we get a call Monday telling us that our floor had arrived. So, we went to Home Depot to pick it up and we had to wait a while for them to bring it up front. (this is nothing new.. when we wanted to order it we waited an hour and a half for someone to assist us.. they are short-handed I guess)

When the lady walked up she said "when they ordered the floor they put in the wrong order number and they sent 12 signs instead."

So we said "signs??"

"Yes, like display signs with prices"

Ummmmmmm... ok? That is exactly what we would like to put in our house! Then she asked what we wanted to do... Hmmmmm, we'll just take those signs and put them to use.. haha. Of course we reassured her that we would indeed like to reorder the floors. So they'll be in on the 2nd.

Yesterday, we prerecorded our puppet voices for the puppet show! Our superintendent is the one who puts on all these fun kids camps and VBS shows, and he got a call to go and do a day camp for another church in our state. This is so exciting.. it means we will be going and doing more puppet shows!! Now that its prerecorded, if one of us can't make it then someone will just have to work the puppet and not have to worry about knowing the parts.

Also, I had the baby this past couple of days, and really enjoyed that! He is the sweetest little baby ever. I miss him already.

The girls come home from their momma's house today.

In other news, my sister got an apartment and a car all in one day!! God is soo good!!! She is very excited! She is working at that new job and she is getting the hang of it very well. I'm very proud of her and happy that everything is falling into place for her.

Well, that's about all I can think of for now.. Pretty soon I'll be sharing a surprise!! I'm excited about it but nervous at the same time.

Other than that, we are having anniversary services the rest of this week. Its gonna be some great services and I can't wait to see what God does!!!

Home Improvement....

2010-07-14T12:41:00.005-05:00

Since I have married my husband, my mother-in-law lived with us! At first it was a huge adjustment for all of us, but since she is gone I miss her...

Well, we decided that since the room would be empty that we would re-do it before we put our oldest daughter in there. It had the wallpaper covered sheet rock with the moldings down the cracks and a chair rail. It was sooo U-G-L-Y!!!

So we took all that down and mudded (??? is that a word??) the cracks and got it ready to paint!!

We got the molding up Wednesday and today we painted. My daughter wanted lime green, so being the nice mom that I am, I gave her one... Yes, I do mean only one lime green wall

The white walls and the ceiling are what we painted today. Tomorrow we will get the lime green up. We are waiting for the floor to come in, but it possibly won't be until Monday.

I'll post pics of it tomorrow with the other wall painted.. I can't wait til its done!!!

I got bit by a BROWN RECLUSE!!!

2010-07-13T10:41:00.006-05:00

*image courtesy of www.brownreclusespider.org

I went over to 2nd Cup who said something about her friends post on vinegar, and I just have to say that vinegar literally saved my thumb! Here's the story...

For Ivy's party in February, I went in my closet and grabbed out a blanket for my MIL to show my aunt. She had made it for my husband and they were comparing stitches. Well, I went to the kitchen and continued to prepare dips and everything else that goes into making a fantastic party for a bunch of 10 year olds. I kept noticing a bump that looked like a ant bite on my thumb. It was so sensitive that I couldn't even barely touch it. I tried popping it (because I just do things like that), but it wouldn't pop.

When I woke up the next morning, my hand was aching and I had red streaks moving along my arm. It was really painful and very weird! I remember my pastor always saying to use vinegar because it draws out the poison. So, I woke up my husband and told him to get me a bowl of vinegar because I had to do something about my hand. I was slightly panicking (and if you know me, you know that slightly is an understatement).

He got me a bowl of vinegar and I stuck my hand in it and sat there until my thumb was pretty raw. I sooo didn't care though. There weren't any long red streaks up my hand and the blister had gotten huge! The baby was spending the weekend and it was time for his nap. I went to lay on the couch and snuggle him to sleep and he grabbed my thumb and the blister exploded! I continued to soak it, but it seemed to not get any better. The blister was gone, but now there was a hole and it was red all around and still very painful.

I finally decided to go to the doctor. When I told him about it, he said I was bit by a brown recluse spider. Since I am already the slightly panicky type, I couldn't stop thinking about how I could so totally lose my thumb!! He gave me a cream and antibiotic, and said "now this will not be healed quickly. it'll take about 2 months for it to heal completely. It'll have to be healed from the inside out." I think he also said that the hole would get bigger.

I went home and started to take the antibiotics and used the cream. I also got prayer for it. And do you know what.. it didn't take 2 months to heal, it didn't get any worse, and it didn't leave a soft spot or scar. It healed in a week, and you can't even tell where it was..

If I wouldn't have known that vinegar would pull out poison, then I believe that it would have been way worse. I looked up information on spider bites and it says that once it gets to a vein then it just takes off from there. I seen pictures and I am so thankful that I didn't have to go through that! Take a look if you don't have a weak stomach.. My thumb looked nothing like that.. Well maybe the initial blister, but it didn't get any worse than that!

Tomorrow, Tomorrow....

2010-07-12T17:29:00.005-05:00

Tomorrow my husband is finally coming home from work!! We have a lot of stuff coming up soon. Before things get busy, my husband is planning for us to spend sometime just hanging out and fishing (of course) this week. It'll be a nice little time to relax before things start to get a little stressful.

Here what will be going on...

1. I have to come of with a week worth of lessons and crafts for toddlers. Vacation Bible School is the last week of July.

2. Practices for the puppet shows that we will be doing every night during VBS week. Scripts, songs, and action songs that we will actually be singing and doing in front of everyone!!

3. Anniversary Services (our church has been around for 26 years) and Revival. Also we are renting a kid's pizza place from 11pm to 5am one night during revival.. I might be getting too old to handle all that.

(Side note) I can't wait for the anniversary services. The preacher that is coming preaches our anniversary services every year and we just love and appreciate him so much! He is an awesome man of God and I can't wait to see what God does this year!!

4. My middle daughter Ivy has a very important appointment that will change her little outlook of herself. I think this is the most exciting thing about this month! I am so happy for her!

5. We are also going to be getting ready for school this month. School supplies and uniform shopping will be a high priority. I hate any form of shopping, so I am praying it goes smoothly.

Well, I'm off to cook supper. I am making a meal in the rice cooker. Its from a cookbook I got a while back and it will be the first recipe I make from it. Its called Rice Cooker Meals The one I'm cooking is Black-Eyed Pea & Sausage Jambalaya.. Sounds so yummy. I'm also going to make Oatmeal Crisps by Sarah over at Short Stop.

Then my sister (the lovely one, who also has a interview tomorrow!! WOOT WOOT)and I are planning on going walk this evening.

Hope you have a nice evening!!!

Yes, I am writing this at 12:44 AM!

2010-07-10T00:44:00.003-05:00

I have a problem.. You may have heard of it before. Its very horrible, and its called "I can't sleep when my husband isn't here!" Which, also, is a slight problem, because he is only home one week out of the month. Yes, you heard right one.week.a.month.

The good news is.. my little hunnie bunn (a.k.a Gabriel, the grandson) is here to snuggle with me. Well, actually he is snuggling by himself since I haven't quite made it to bed yet.

We had a very uneventful day. Surprisingly, this isn't a new thing. Laundry didn't get done, and we got to visit my aunt (for the second.day.in.a.row). The little girls had a Junior Youth Service at church tonight. Which was kind of like free time, but kind of not..

My lovely lovely sister (yes, she is that lovely) mopped my floors today, and wiped every surface in my kitchen down today.. I didn't even know that thingy-ma-bobber could come off the bottom of the fridge. Learn something new every.day.

So, now I'm trying to fall asleep. Which is very difficult.. seeing I haven't even laid my head on the pillow. What?! I'm not even tired!

Tomorrow will be another attempt at finishing up my laundry. Can you imagine how many loads of laundry a family of 6 can produce?? You DON'T want to know!! Here is the best part.. when my husband is home, he totally makes up for all the time he is gone because my laundry automatically DOUBLES. Thanks Love.

Well, I'm so glad that I was able to share all this wonderful information about my life that I just had to get off my chest.

Nightie-Nite

Its that time again!!

2010-07-08T22:03:00.002-05:00

In two weeks, it'll be time for our annual Vacation Bible School. This year is going to be really busy for me. I am going to be teaching the toddler class and doing my regular puppeteering. So, I have to start getting ready with lessons and crafts for toddlers. This should be very interesting and fun! This year there will be a puppet show every single night. I'll only be in two of them, but I still have to do the action songs with the group before the show and after the show every night. We are doing puppet skits on patience, generous, humble, content, and joyful. This year we will also be having more practices. It'll be busy busy!!

Until next time...

It Has Been Quite A While...

2010-07-08T14:47:00.003-05:00

I haven't posted in soo long! Alot of stuff has happened! I also changed how my blog looks. I used tutorials from www.kevinandamanda.com and got the backgrounds, post dividers, and other stuff from www.shabbyblog.com. It is soo cute!! I actually got it to work, except my post titles won't change! Oh well, its still cute! Well, just a quick update!

Until next time...

Graduation

2009-05-16T23:12:00.004-05:00

Graduation, originally uploaded by Momma Morgan.

My Handsome son "A" graduated from preschool last night! He was so proud and did so well. Its amazing how well those children are taken care of by their teacher, and they respect her so much! It goes without saying that I was a very proud Momma!!! I love this little guy with all my heart and he is one of the greatest blessings to ever have been bestowed upon me! I thank God for such a sweet, loving, caring and fun little guy! I am so glad to be his Mom! Goodbye Preschool, Hello Big KId School! Oh My!!! I am beginning to feel old!!!! haha... Just wait a few years and then I'll really be there!!!!

Here he is saying the Pledge of Allegiance in english and french!

The Proud Proud Momma and the Graduate!!

Here is the Graduate and his Girls!!!

Ivan wasn't in for his graduation, but it seems he is hardly ever in for important stuff. We (well.. I am) are getting used to it though.

I am a very happy Momma!!!

:: Edited to add ::

I just uploaded my photos off of Flickr and it is wayyyyyy better than uploading from the computer and faster too.... maybe blogging with pictures isn't so bad after all!

Dude and Trees

2009-05-11T15:57:00.006-05:00

grass altough it don't all look like this.... but its growing

berries

Fig

Surprise!! New growth on persimmon!!!

persimmon

Nectarine

somethin is eating the peach

Peach

Grapefruit

Louisiana Sweet

Lemon Tree

Satsuma

Tangerine

Bottom of Pear tree

Top of pear tree (lots of new growth)

Flowering Pear

Flowering pear

I can't get any cute pics of him!!! But he really is adorable!!!

This is for Ivan!!!

2009-05-11T15:14:00.004-05:00

I was gonna do an email to you, but I wouldn't have been able to put any captions on the pictures!

Let's start with the Esther Conference...

Isn't she pretty?

She was gettin a little carried away! (you aren't gonna believe how many pics there are of that girl! let's just say that she was a little full of herself in her "white wedding dress")LOL!

all of us!

and I am gonna try another post for the other ones... this is givin me a hard time!!!!

Life....

2009-04-10T09:00:00.001-05:00

..is pretty much blah right now, so that is why I haven't been writing much. I'm sure y'all don't want to hear much about the mundane everyday things that go on around here. The only thing exciting usually is church! haha. That's why I love it! Until later.....

Just Another Day...

2009-04-06T22:27:00.006-05:00

Today was a wonderful day! This morning after coffee, I went meet my husband at the neigbor's pond to catch some fish. It was so fun! They were hardly big enough to keep, but I love to reel them in. I also got some sun! So now I'm not so pasty white. I have some color to me! HA! When it started to slow down I told my husband that lunch must be over and put my pole away. He said the fish must be listening to me because they weren't biting his line anymore either. So, I came home and made some lunch. Ivan stayed outside (of course) and I spent too much time on the computer. I'm working on that! I went outside after a while to walk the yard with my love and it was freezing! After we came in, the girls got picked up by their mom's boyfriend and we made supper. We had pan-fried fish and steamed broccoli. Then we each worked out, and I made a cake. I read somewhere that to have really moist cake to put a tablespoon of mayo in the batter. I tried it tonite and I think it works wonders. It made it so light and fluffy! Well, this was a really long day, so I'm off the bed.

Until next time....

What a day!

2009-04-03T15:49:00.002-05:00

I am exhauted! I feel like I am completely drained and could fall asleep where I am sitting. First of all, I woke up this morning and went to our church. We were selling plate lunches (crawfish etouffee!) for our youth to go to camp this summer. We did pretty good. Then my grandmother, sister, and I went eat out at Riverfront, which is a yummy little restaurant around these parts. Then we went to the refinery and looked at some dresses. It was a good day...

Celebrity Morph by MyHeritage

2009-04-01T19:09:00.009-05:00

My Husband!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Celebrity Collage - Roots - Pedigree chart

Me!!

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

http://www.myheritage.com/collage

MyHeritage: Family trees - Genealogy - Celebrities

So... Can you really see the resemblance????

My ABC's

2009-03-31T23:01:00.003-05:00

A - Age: 25 years old, quarter of a century!!! Craaaazy!
B - Bed Size: california king
C - Chore You Hate: ALL of them... LOL! (I kid, kind of) laundry mostly.
D - Dad's Name: Jesus and Marty
E -Essential Start Your Day Item: Coffee
F - Favorite TV Show: Not into T.V. Can't tell you the last time I watched any television.
G - Gold or Silver: I can live without both! But my watch is that dark stainless steel looking stuff... very nice!
H - Height- 5'3 & 3/4"
I - Instruments You Play(ed): I fiddle around on the piano, but played clarinet and tenor saxophone in band in high school
J - Job Title: Domestic Engineer (lol), Homeschool Teacher, and many many more
K - Kid(s): 4 Madison (11- stepdaughter), Ivy (10- stepdaughter), Kamryn (8- stepdaughter) and Aiden (5-he is ALL mine and I don't want to share!!! lol)
L - Living Arrangement: double wide trailor
M - Mom's Name: Jacqueline
N - Nicknames: Mar Mar (cousins), Momma Morgan (stepdaughters), Beautiful (my husband)
O - Overnight Hospital Stays Other Than Birth: I was in the hospital with Pnuemonia couple times and once when I was in 5th grade and a gland swole up in my neck to the size of a grapefruit and I was in hospital for 2 weeks and bed rest at home for 2 weeks. Also, when I was little I had a Basal scull fracture that could have did me in, but the Lord healed me and the doctors noted it as a "Spontaneous Healing" How about that?!
P - Pet Peeve: Offshore work and bad manners from my children (like when they rudely invite themselves places... CAN'T STAND THAT!!!!)
Q - Quotes You Like: Hmmmm... I'll get back to you on that one.
R - Right or Left-Handed: Right
S - Siblings: One sister- Paige (17), and one brother- Drake (9). Three SIL- Melissa, Sharon, and Leslie (who is in heaven)
T - Time you wake up: Homeschool, so sometimes not until 9 or 9:30 if Hubby isn't home.
U - Ultimate Dessert: Cheesecake
V - Vegetable You Dislike: None... oh maybe Lima Beans (when alone)
W - Ways You Run Late: Walking out the door and something is always forgotten
X - X-rays You've Had: WOW... Teeth, head, knees, foot, arm, back. Maybe more.. who knows?
Y - Yummy Food You Make: People say I should open my own restaurant. Its one of the only things I do well.
Z - Zoo Animal: My kids? LOL.... just pickin! Leopards, tigers, lions.... love big cats and hate domestic cats!

Its Been a While!

2009-03-30T17:54:00.003-05:00

Well, I haven't posted in quite a while because my dear husband had been home. Work for him has been kind of slow, so I am glad he finally went offshore. I had my birthday on March 21st! I am 25 years old, which is exactly a quarter of a century!!! It makes me feel like I have actually been here a while! LOL! My husband threw a huge crawfish boil on my birthday for friends and family. I had an absolute blast! My husband literally handled everything! It was so wonderful!

I also got an elliptical machine. Yeah, it is pretty nice. I can hook up my MP3 and jam out while working out, but..... I've only worked out one day on the thing. I've had it for 3 days. SOOOOO.. tonite I will be working out. I am so out of shape. I have a 20 minute work-out program and I started it and was worn out before the warm up was over. I had taken my 3rd break and the lady says "Great! We finished warming up!" HUH?!?!?! Needless to say... I have got some work to do.

I also had a great weekend. Sunday School was great. I love teaching the Primary class! Service also lasted a little longer than usual, and we went into the sanctuary. They were having a prayer chair. They put out a chair and the ministers and pastor pray over the person in the chair. God really moved in a mighty way (as always), and a lot of people got much needed breakthroughs and ministered words of encouragement! I LOVE to see my brothers and sisters blessed!

Oh, and.... I have a follower!!! Besides my husband who checks my blog and leaves comments under my name! HA!

Have a great week!!!

Marta needs.....

2009-03-10T11:50:00.002-05:00

I saw someone do a post like this and decided to try it out. All you do is google your first name with the words need and write down the first 10 that make sense (or the first ten that doesn't embarrass you or make you think OMG). Here it goes....

1. Marta needs bigger tracks. (obviously MARTA is the transportation system in Georgia)

2. Marta needs state funding.

3. Marta needs 24 inches of ribbon to go around the box.

4. Marta needs to grow a pair. (a pair of what??? extra legs???)

5. Marta needs help. (yes, yes I do)

6. Marta needs $67 million. (oh I guess I could figure out something to do with all that money)

7. Marta needs to belong to a club where she can continue to be the world's best player. (Marta is also a Brazillian sports player or something)

8. Marta needs a. hat-trick. (I think everyone can use one of these!!)

9. Marta needs her own cooking show. (This one is funny... People say I need my own restaurant!)

10. Marta needs other players to support her. (Yes, I do. I need all the support I can get!!)

That was fun... Let's try Ivan!

Ivan needs....

1. Ivan needs help (also), and (apparently) deoderant won't help this time.

2. Ivan needs to be bigger. (Actually, I think he is the perfect size)

3. Ivan needs a Bears logo.

4. Ivan needs protection during a loan shark deal. (who knew?!)

5. Ivan, needs between $235,000 - $400,000. (Obviously there is financial help needed for our household...LOL. We definately would not protest!)

6. Ivan needs more publicity.

7. Ivan needs no introduction.

8. Ivan needs to bite some chumps.

9. Ivan needs to be a much better person. (I think he is doing a swell job at being a wonderful person)

10. Ivan needs lots of memory. (haha)

Lets try the children. (only four each)

Madison needs....

1. Madison needs one more photo.

2. Madison needs zombie road signs.

3. Madison needs to get better.

4. Madison needs a guitarist.

Ivy needs....

1. Ivy needs a hug.

2. Ivy needs a new palace to call home.

3. Ivy needs to have leaves.

4. Ivy needs a trimmin'.

Kamryn needs...

1. Kamryn needs glasses too.

2. Kamryn needs to update her gear.

3. Kamryn needs to get out the picture.

4. Kamryn needs a simple middle name.

Aiden needs....

1. Aiden needs to just lie back and think about the meaning of the universe. (ha)

2. Aiden needs your prayers.

3. Aiden needs more time.

4. Aiden needs a home with someone who knows how to be the packleader.

Spence needs...

1. Spence needs to blow things up.

2. Spence needs a favor.

3. Spence needs a ride.

4. Spence needs a wife.

Ok.. now that may have been too much, so I'm done.

On another note, I didn't think that this new little furbaby would have my heartstrings so attached to his every little cry. Kamryn was crossing the puppy gate and knocked it over on Spence and he started to cry. I went to pick up the gate off of him and he was snapping at me like he was really hurt and my insides were freaking out! I thought I was gonna have to bring him to the vet for a broken bone or something. I was so upset, but so was Kamryn. They hear it over and over how he is so tiny and we have to be extra careful because he could get hurt easily. She was in tears. Then a little while later she knocked it over again, but this time he was no where around her. Then just a couple minutes ago she came up to the gate and asked if she could cross it. I looked down and Spence was laying right there. Good thing her sister told her to walk around to the dining room and cross there. If she would have knocked it over on him again I don't think we would have handled that well. LOL!!!!

OH MY WORD!!!

2009-03-09T21:21:00.005-05:00

Tonight we tried this treat and it was so quick and easy! Not to mention delicious!!! I would have taken a picture to show here, but they were gone very quickly! All the girls loved them. Even Ivy, who isn't so hot on sweets, ate two and a half! Very Very Good!!! You should try 'em!

OH and..... I did my first link.. just to let you know. I also figured it out all by myself!!

Also, we were riding home from town earlier and the girls let it slip that Daddy was asking what they should do for my birthday on March 21st. Ummm... I thought that I got a camera for my birthday???? According to the girls, he has something up his sleeve and they are in on it. I was, of course, asking questions and being very nosey, and the youngest (Kamryn who is 8 yrs old, by the way) told me that she was pleading the fifth!!!! Where in the world did she get that from??? She must have heard her dad and me talking about it! So, she wisely chose not to answer my question in the case of incriminating herself! That is too cute.. She just knows that it allows you to not answer the question if you don't want to get in trouble!!!!! Well, I told them to not mention it again and we will forget all about it. Until they let it slip... again.

:: My Husband ::

2009-03-02T13:10:00.005-06:00

We had our first anniversary this year. We were married on February 29, 2008. Which is Leap Year. My husband had many surprises for me this year. He really out did himself. He gave me money to go shopping, brought me to Tennessee (wedding anniversary), bought me a Coach purse while in Tennessee, bought me a digital camera (for my birthday), and a Shorkie (for Valentine's Day). He is the best I could ask for even without all the gifts. I am truly blessed to have such a wonderful, caring man. He is a wonderful father, respectful, and loves God. What more could I ask for?

:: Spence ::

2009-02-28T20:55:00.005-06:00

Well, we left Gatlinburg at 2:30 AM this morning. After hardly any sleep at all. We heard screaming and yelling and partying all night. When we walked out the hotel this morning we saw that there were 3 college buses parked in the parking lot. We went to a town a little north of Shreveport and picked up my adorable puppy, Spence. He is a Shorkie. Which is a Shih Tzu and Yorkshire Terrior mixed. They have better heath and hybrid stamina. Kind of like a designer mutt. We had already been on the road for 16 hours. We left there and couldn't find any hotel rooms until we got to Alexandria, LA. We are tired... no, exhausted! The only place we could find was La Quinta Inn and Suites and the room is pretty nice. That is all... I'm going to bed!

Rainy Day

2009-02-27T20:42:00.016-06:00

This morning we woke up with the best of intentions to go hiking up to Mingo falls. We went out to the truck and it was raining. The mountains were covered in dark, foggy clouds and we were not going up there. We went for breakfast at IHOP and then we had to think of something to do. We decided to go to WonderWorks and we had a very good time.

This is the front

This is the Transformation Tunnel

Its spins and by the time you get all the way through it feels like you are going to flip upside down.

The Rock Wall

He made it all the way to the top!

The Quake Cafe

We experienced a 6.0 on the Richter Scale

(can you tell that the hour difference in the time was making me exhausted?)

Played a huge piano

Laid on a Bed of Nails

We tested the strength of our grips to see who was stronger... I was just as strong as him (haha)

When we left it was still raining a little. We stopped at McDonald's on the way to the room and spent a couple hours there. We really didn't want to spend a whole lot of time couped up, so we decided to find something to do. It cleared up a little and we went to Newfound Gap.

On the way up, we saw some pretty amazing views and some beautiful things that we never get to see. Here are just a few:

We didn't get a picture of the view from the top because it was so cloudy.

We rode the Gatlinburg Sky Lift and I went bare-footed.

I had on flip flops because I decided to go see a waterfall which turned into a hike in ballerina flats. They had this one girl looking at my feet on the way up and looking at her dad like I had lost my mind. I couldn't let them fall off my feet! Then I would have really been shoeless.

We are leaving at 3 AM and heading to Shreveport to possible pick up my puppy!!! So, more later on that.

Ripley's

2009-02-27T20:00:00.012-06:00

Thursday, February 26, 2009

After we ate our nutritious breakfast of cold supreme pizza, we ventured out to visit 4 Ripley's attractions. We visited the Aquarium, Mirror Maze, Moving Theater, and Believe It or Not Museum.

The Aquarium

I really enjoyed it and thought it was much better than New Orleans Aquarium. Ivan, however, did not.

Freshwater Sting Ray

Schooling Fish

Cute little thing, but can't remember what its called

Can u see the Flounder?

These are so cute. They look like they are smiling!

Mirror Maze

This was pretty cool. It gets confusing and when you are trying to find someone it kind of tricky since you have to chose from like four of the same reflection.

The Fudgery

Mmmmmm! Maple Nut

Ripley's Museum

The Fudgery (again)

New Orleans Pecan Praline

Not big on fudge, but these two were very good. We also got Chocolate Nut and that tasted pretty good also. I had a small teeny piece of each and that is all I can handle.

Cade's Cove and Hiking

2009-02-26T18:51:00.017-06:00

(My first blog with pictures and a video!! :P )

After breakfast, we went up into the Great Smokie Moutain National Park. We got the maps of auto tours and waterfalls, and headed to Cade's Cove. When we got to the Cove, we picked up a little pamphlet about the Cove and the first settlers.

When we started our drive the first thing we saw was deer eating in the fields.

We saw deer everywhere. They weren't even worried about us. I guess they knew we couldn't shoot them.

We also got to see one cute little cabin. It was one of the first settler's cabin, John Oliver.

We got back in the truck and continued on the path. I noticed the sign for Abram's Falls and decided that I would really like to see the waterfall. The map showed a 2.5 mile hike and the diagram of it (on the map) was fairly straight. We were thinking that it wouldn't be that bad, and decided to go for it.

We came up to a little bridge and saw a deer on the other side of the creek and were so intrigued that we failed to notice the information sign about the hike.

We started off feeling good and excited. We took a few pictures and were having a good time. Then we kept going over steep inclines and around lots of bends and over little bridges and it was getting very tiring.

I kept asking how many miles we had gone and my husband was telling me that we had just gone one mile (but it felt like 5). We would meet up with people along the way and ask how much farther. One said "half a mile", another said "one mile" and the next said "oh about 2.5 miles". We were really confused about all that but my husband asked if I still wanted to keep going. Keep in mind that we brought no water and I had on ballerina flats (not exactly the best things for hiking).

Finally, after the most strenuous journey I have ever taken in my whole entire life, we get there. My husband thinks that it wasn't worth it, and I was wondering if we could somehow get a helicopter out there to rescue me so I wouldn't have to walk back.

On the way back, we would see people and we were asking them how much farther til the beginning and they were asking us how much til the falls. We were sooo ready to get out of there. We took quite a few breaks. My feet were blistered and Ivan's legs hurt. We were both dieing of thirst (the river water was good, Y'all, and yes, we did drink it). We got in the truck and decided that we didn't want to walk... ever again (or atleast for the day). We decided to stop at Pizza Hut and then we went looking for candy apples which made us walk atleast another mile. We were tired. We came back to the room and relaxed for the rest of the day.

I don't think hiking is my "thing".

The beginning of our trip!

2009-02-24T05:32:00.004-06:00

It was a long drive! We left out Sunday night after church at 9 pm. It was a long drive and we took turns. We went through 5 states to get here. We made it to Gatlinburg, TN at around 10 am, and it is soo beautiful! I have never been to Tennessee so seeing the mountains and snow are very exciting!!! We decided to come up here because it is our first anniversary!! Our church's youth group came also, and went a couple places yesterday. We took it easy our first day because we were lacking sleep. We went to Bass Pro Shop (1st time, very cool), Knife Works (also very cool), and to the Coach store. My dear sweet husband bought me a purse, but he couldn't find the knife that he wants for skinning animals. We went eat a Cherokee grill and both got really interesting salads. Our waitress was from Germany and had a very strange accent. I was soo exhausted that after we left Bass Pro, I passed out in the truck. When I opened my eyes and saw that we were in the front of the Coach store, I immediately perked up.. haha. After a night of rest, I am soo ready to go and check everything out. We are going to the Wonderworks upside down house today. We are also going check out the youth group's cabin in the mountains which is way way waaaay up there, so that will be exciting and scary!

Has it really been !!5!! years already???

2009-01-27T17:08:00.004-06:00

Today is my son's 5th birthday!! I am amazed that it has been 5 years since I had him. He is growing up so quickly and he is "super" smart. (super is his FAVORITE word... everything is SUPER!) Last night, we had a conversation that went like this:

Me: Tomorrow is your happy birthday!!!!!
Him: no, it ain't... I don't turn 5 for 2 weeks
Me: Yes, it is
Him (interrupting): No, my daddy said not for 2 weeks
Me: Yes, it is. I know because I am the one that had you in my belly 5 years ago!
Him: (thinking) Oh yeah! And I gave you stripes!!!! Babies give mommies stripes!
Me: thats right... you DID give me stripes (just like a zebra LOL)

Me: I got your birthday present
Him: Well, is it a Batman or Spiderrman game for my Nintendo Wii because I would really like that.
Me: No, it isn't, its a BIG toy!
Him: OH
Me: One that you can play with outside.
Him: Is it a kite?
Me: Noooo
Him: Is it a ball?
Me: Noooooo
Him: Is it a bike?

(pause)

Me: ummm... maybe
Him: IS it a bike????? (very excitedly)
Me: maybe
Him: IT IS A BIKE!!!!!! I KNEW IT!!!!

How did you get SO smart?!?!

I love that little guy with ALLL my heart!!!!

Happy Birthday P-dunk!!!

!!2008!!

2008-12-27T13:45:00.002-06:00

So, I am going to try and recap (or remember) our life in 2008 (from the beginning!!!)

January

My then-fiance's oldest daughter turned 10 on January 5th, and his youngest daughter (7) and my son (4) shared a birthday on January 27th!

February

My Holy Ghost birthday was on February 20th... 1 year!! woo hoo!!!
My then-fiance's middle daughter's birthday was on February 23rd. She turned 9
My Hunnie and I got married on Leap Day 2008!!!

March

I turned 24 on March 21st.
My new husband was not home for my birthday because of work
He also did not get me a present, but I have forgiven him (i think.... still working on forgiveness!!!)

April

nothing that I can remember
Probably trying to adjust to life as a mother of 4 and being a wife

May

Field trips for the girls
End of school.. woo hoo!! No more waking up at 5:30 AM!!!

June

I had a week with just my husband and son
Girls went to church camp

July

nothing eventful except that I became a full-time SAHM
quit my job at the pharmacy

August

decided to homeschool the girls

September

Started school

October

Had awesome stuff going on at church this month!!
We had our annual Ladies Conference (which is absolutely amazing... women wait for it all year and come from all over just to attend)
Then a revival with the Zellners
Our annual hayride and night of fun

November

My Hunnie turned 31 on the 11th!!
My step-daughter's mother had her baby this month
My step-daughter's spent a whole 3 days at their mother's house for the first time since my husband's divorce.

December

Late start on Christmas shopping...
Ladies Tea
Became a Sunday School teacher for the Primary Class

Well, it sure seemed more busy than this. We also had an Esther Conference for the little ladies in our lives, just can't remember when it took place. Also, alot of adjusting to this new life of mine! I am looking forward to this new year, and I am anxious to see what God has in store for my family! I am thankful for his mercy and grace, and I just want to be in His absolute perfect will!

One bird at a time!

2008-12-12T19:16:00.002-06:00

Noo... I am not an animal rights activist, but I'm sure I looked like one today. I was coming back from Wal-Mart and I was turning on to a highway and there was a little bird squatting in the road (on the lane beside me). Let me make it clear that this is a country highway.. not a city highway. A lady turns in that lane and the little bird never moves and we were scared she hit it, but she didn't. So, she stops and I decided to get out (with a towel) to move the bird. I walk up to it and bend down to carefully pick it up. It squawks and jumps out my hand, runs across the street (almost getting hit), and hides in the grass. By this time, there are cars all around waiting for me to move this little bird! It was hilarious!!! I told my girls that they probably thought I was trying to save the bird population, one bird at a time!!!!

Our Snow Day Adventure!!! (and its only 6:24 AM)

2008-12-11T06:23:00.002-06:00

At 3:00 AM, my SIL called to tell me that it should be snowing soon. I got up and check and had only sleet and icy rain. I set my alarm for 4:15 and decided to get up then. I waited a while and finally woke the kids up. Not really knowing what snow would look like, we went in and out, in and out. Until... my SIL called and said that there were huge snowflakes in Lafayette. So, I loaded up the kiddos and we went north!!!! (Just call us snow hunters) I didn't want to wake the girls up for nothing, so if it wasn't coming to us.... we were going to it!

We were going down Verot School and that is when we first saw the snow. We pulled into the fire station parking lot, and got out to investigate! My second to youngest kiddo ran backwards until she hit the grass.... she was soooo excited to make a snow angel!!!! We were in amazement!

So, the kids played and played and played. We are now defrosting and Momma is going back to bed! It also snowed here at home after all, but we had fun on our little adventure!

EEEEKKKK!!!!

2008-12-03T12:32:00.002-06:00

There was a mouse in my house!!!! We (I mean my husband) caught it last night. Hopefully, there aren't anymore. We have a huge cane field behind my house that they cut not to long ago. I told my husband on the day that they were cutting it... I could just see all those little critters staking out my house! So, he or she is gone! Thank God, even more so because my husband is still home! When and if they call him to go offshore, I have no idea what I will do with any mice that we catch. Good thing I have daughters, huh?

So, yeah, this week is my husbands days to work. They should have called him Monday, but guess what.... they didn't. That is just fine by me.... I LOVE having him home. I get more cranky when he is gone... like I am mad at him for leaving me!

Tomorrow night is also the Christmas Stroll in Downtown Abbeville, and that is a special thing for us because that is where we had our first date.... awwwwww! ::sigh:: So, it is gonna be fun. Although, we actually started dating on December 5th. This time of year is my favorite, simply because of the fact that it is the time of year that I fell for the man of my dreams... ha!

Well, I guess that will be all for today! Gotta put a fire under my oldest one to finish school... you would think she would be the first to be done... Maybe I'm wrong!

So, I'm new to this....

2008-12-02T11:51:00.002-06:00

I am going to start off just blogging about my day and as time goes on.... I'm guessing it will be much more interesting!

Today is my mother's birthday... YaY! Happy Birthday Momma!!! My husband and I are going to take her out to eat, and she doesn't get to often. So, it will definately be a treat. We are going to eat at Golden Wok, and that will definately not be good for my waist-line! I find that the colder it gets, the more likely I am to eat... more. I think it has to do with building up a layer of insulation to withstand the cold... haha... i know... lame excuse since it doesn't get very cold in South Louisiana!!! I tried...

I just got an Acai Berry supplement and I took my first one yesterday. It is a superfood that boost your energy, supplements your diet, and has loads of antioxidants. So, I decided to try it. I took it a little too late yesterday evening maybe... it didn't make me jittery, but I definately could have stayed up all night instead of being exhausted (like usual). I am thinking that I might want to try an appetite suppresant also, but I need to look around a little before I jump into that. Let me make this clear... I am in no means overweight, but I definately do not want to get there. Its easier to lose a little than a lot! So, I am gonna start now! Well, after Golden Wok! HaHaHa!!

Today is also our first day back to school since Thanksgiving Break. I homeschool my 3 step-daughters. They are 10, 9, and 7 years old. We are doing a easy curriculum this year and if all goes well, they will continue. Next year we will use a much more challenging curriculum to keep them interested. They get distracted and bored very easily, and sometimes take until 7 or 8 pm to finish school work! (crazy, I know!) I already can't wait until Christmas Break... I hate it just as much as them! Maybe public school was better!!!

So, for my first blog, IF anyone reads this... I hope it is not too boring!