Croppin' fun

Last night Alison, Michelle and I were able to spend an evening scrapping at recollections. They have a crop night there on Fri and Sat nights until Midnight. We all had our projects to do, I think both Alison and Michelle were able to finish theirs, I got partially done, but intend on finishing up tonight now that the little guy is asleep. It was really fun to get out and be with my fellow scrapping friends. It even felt like we were doing something we shouldn't because we were able to shop after the store had closed! Poor Michelle came straight form work, she had to have gotten up before 5am, but stayed strong even to the very end!! Maybe the fact that she won a door prize helped give her extra energy! (Alison won one too)

Well, I may not have won a prize, but I did get a treat...

Alright, here is the scoop. Several years ago, we held a garage sale to help raise some money for medical expenses for a friend of ours who's husband was diagnosed with Leukemia. This lovely duck was in the sale (no one knew who donated the duck, we had received many donations from various sources)

My friend Michelle was bound and determined to sell this duck. (Not sure why it was her mission, but it was) In fact everyone who came into the garage was shown the lovely duck, and was told how they needed it in their home. I specifically remember a poor, unsuspecting man who wandered in the garage. He asked us if we had any hunting stuff. Michelle jumped up and said no, but we have a lovely duck, that can be considered hunting stuff right?! Needless to say, after all of her hard work the answer was always the same... "No". Well, a couple of people ran to starbucks for a coffee run, Michelle just so happened to go as well. Perfect, now was my chance. I purchased the duck, for I had a plan for it. When Michelle came back, she was so excited to know that someone had actually purchased such a fine piece of ceramic. Boy, was she surprised when under the Christmas tree (at our annual Bunko Christmas party) there was a gift just for her. There it was, the duck with all it's ducklings full of Christmas chocolates, wanting to go home with Michelle. However, this little duck apparently did not want to stay with her as it showed up around valentines day full of candy just for me(I think it was valentines day?!) Now it is the travelling duck, it goes back and forth for all kinds of events throughout the year. You just never know when it might turn up. My treat was Halloween, only this time there was something different.... it had multiplied. Michelle and Brian had been out shopping on one of their day trips and ran across the smaller version of our favorite friend. Who would have ever guessed that there were 2 of these lovelys out there?!!

Thanks for the sweet surprise Michelle!!

Have you seen my...?

You just never know where you might find things around our house. Samuel has decided he needs to rearrange things. He puts them in places that I would never imagine... I started finding things throughout the house and thought I should start taking pictures of my discoveries. Here are a few of the things I have found.

Have you seen my brush? It was in Kirk's shoe.

He placed some of his animal crackers in my candles.

my kitchen towel was found in the trash can My sandal was missing for almost a week. Imagine my surprise when I found it in the cupboard that Samuel is allowed to play in.

Baseball gloves anyone?

Where is Samuel? I found this little goblin hiding in the dining room curtains.... I found the feet before I found the boy!

What a sad discovery

What a sad sight to see. We opened our garage door on Sunday morning before we headed to church and what did we see? Little orange flags all around the parameter of the lot directly behind us. We knew it was bound to happen, we just weren't expecting it yet. They are preparing to build 2 new models ~ one directly behind us and one right next door. We have enjoyed the openness for the past almost 2 years. They just built the fence a couple of months ago. That was a sad day as well for you see, just past the road on the other side of the fence is a pasture full of cows. We have a great view of them from the upstairs windows, but this great view will soon be obstructed (probably totally blocked) from the new house being built. So very, very sad!!!

It's Monday again

What do YOU do on Mondays? Monday is my big cleaning day for the week. You know the drill. Clean the bathrooms, scrub the toilets, dust the rooms, do the laundry (including the ironing) ok ok, I will admit, I don't always iron on Mondays. I hate to iron, what a chore it is. I seem to iron in more creases than what were there to begin with ~ha. I promised Kirk that when I was a stay at home mom I would take good care of all of his dress shirts. I have kept my promise (I just did not say how long it would take me to return the shirt once it went into the laundry basket) i used to have a friend in college that LOVED to iron. It is always good to have a friend who loves to iron when you hate it! She helped out so many times. (Emily, do you know who I am talking about?)

Why Monday you say? Well, isn't that when you are suppose to do it? That is the day my mom always did it...so it must be the day everyone does it right?!

silver comet

Ethan and Savannah


What do you do a couple of weeks before school starts in Georgia? You ride the Silver comet of course!! These pics are of My brother's family when they went on the trail...

Rod and Kelly

Since I was not aware of what the silver comet was I had to ask. This is what Kelly said:

"The silver comet is a biking trail that is paved and has natural surroundings. It is around 80 miles long and connects to Alabama. The last few miles are not paved. It is on the grounds of an old railway trail....thus....the Silver Comet was a train that ran the trail."

Looks like fun! Guess Kirk and I are going to have to eventually get us some bikes... I know Samuel will enjoy riding!!!

It's TWINS!

ok, ok don't freak out....

Here are my new little lizard friends. Aren't they cute? We used to have a lot of these at our other house and did not have a bug problem. My parents have a ton of them at their house and don't have a bug problem. So, I get a big bright lightbulb on my head... what if I transplant some lizards to my house? They could eat all of the spiders that we have! So, my poor mom has been on a mission to catch some of these little guys for me. They are QUICK! but she was successful! (and actually got me 2!!) Hopefully they will eat and eat and eat. (about 1/2 an hour after I released them into the flower bed I did notice 2 grackles hanging out in the back yard... hope that is just a coincidence!)

God is watching over His children

Kirk's cousin's little boy was in an awful accident last week. A TV fell on him and knocked him unconscious and cause head trauma. Apparently, this type of accident is on the rise. As a matter of fact, the same day as Drew's accident a little 7 year old was killed. Here is a video news clip of Melissa talking about Drew and the accident. Drew's story God definitely had His protective hands on Drew and his family!

Wedding dress?

This is so amazing! My mom sent this to me. These girls entered some sort of contest and made their wedding gowns out of nothing but toilet paper! I gotta admit, these are pretty amazing! Look at some of the detail!

summer

Isn't summer fun?! Oh to be free and rule the backyard!

Nonna comes for a visit and baby shower

Samuel's grandma (Nonna) came for a visit on Friday. He was sooo good! He even sat still for a minute to let Nonna read him a book! What a sweet Boy!

BABY SHOWER

Yesterday I hosted a baby shower for my friend Sarah! we had a good time. Her nursery will be in flowers. We decorated with the flower theme, had mums as prizes and tulip bulbs for the party favors . The note attached to the bulbs was :

"God's most wonderful ideas bloom into children. Please plant these tulip bulbs to help us celebrate the arrival of Sarah's new little blossom"

This is the quilt she has for the nursery. This is what the theme of the shower was based off of. Baby's quilt.


















I made her a diaper wreath, it turned out really cute, but apparently since it was hanging in the entryway it never got into any of the pictures.
We miss you Sarah and Casey and can't wait to meet your new little girl!!!

cleaning day?!

So what do you do when you need to clean up your scrapbook room and have about 1 1/2 hours to waste? why, SCRAP of course! I finished up the one LO and completed his first day of life page (ok, so I am only 18 months behind.... oh well, I am slowly but surely getting there!)

Rod came to town

My big brother, Rod came for a visit from Georgia last week. (well, he was here on business, but it was great to see him) Too bad he couldn't bring the family with him! As you can see he loves having his picture taken... mom was a good sport and was in the pictures, but my dad just kept moving away (guess he did not want to be famous on the blog ha ha!)

Samuel had to bring his fireman hat with him to dinner. He has been wearing that and his cowboy hat all around the house the past sever

al days. He also likes to put it on our heads (or in this case Rod's)

just hatched

This morning Sam and I went out to look at our caterpillars and much to my dismay most of the cocoons were empty. How disappointing... I really wanted to see one come out and then I saw it... the butterfly emerging, I ran inside to get my camera and missed the majority of his coming out. Here he is still on the cocoon. (note the 3 other cocoons in the background)

Samuel was pretty fascinated with the one that were on the ground. (never really noticed the once on the fence) He wanted to touch them and hit them with the stick... Too bad he is not a little older to really understand what all is going on here.

two butterflies together

these two pictures are of one coming out of the cocoon. I was able to see most of it this evening.




this has been so fun to watch! I saw 7 butterflies flying around the swing at the same time this afternoon -- so pretty!

Now I just have to figure out what has started munching on my knock-out roses UGH!

handy little chart

God has a positive answer:

You say: "It's impossible"
God says: All things are possible
(Luke 18:27)

You say: "I'm too tired"
God says: I will give you rest
(Matthew 11:28-30)

You say: "Nobody really loves me"
God says: I love you
(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )

You say: "I can't go on"
God says: My grace is sufficient
(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)

You say: "I can't figure things out"
God says: I will direct your steps
(Proverbs 3:5- 6)

You say: "I can't do it"
God says: You can do all things
(Philippians 4:13)

You say: "I'm not able"
God says: I am able
(II Corinthians 9:8)

You say: "It's not worth it"
God says: It will be worth it
(Roman 8:28 )

You say: "I can't forgive myself"
God says: I Forgive you
(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)

You say: "I can't manage"
God says: I will supply all your needs
(Philippians 4:19)

You say: "I'm afraid"
God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear
(II Timothy 1:7)

You say: "I'm always worried and frustrated"
God says: Cast all your cares on ME
(I Peter 5:7)

You say: "I'm not smart enough"
God says: I give you wisdom
(I Corinthians 1:30)

You say: "I feel all alone"
God says: I will never leave you or forsake you
(Hebrews 13:5)

whatta week

Let's just say that I am glad this week is finally over. I should have guessed it after our ordeal on Tuesday. It was picture day for Samuel. There is a reason why we have not had his picture taken since 13 months... He HATES it, he usually cries, screams and clings on to me so our pictures never have a good smile, he is usually blotchy and off center. It is pretty stressful for both of us. I bring in reinforcements (his Ma) hoping that this would help to see a friendly face next to the photographer (it doesn't by the way) I bring in my props and away we go. The photographer takes some pictures, but Sam has decided he needs to explore the place. He doesn't scream and cry, but he let us all know when he was done. We leave and wait for the proofs to be developed. When I arrive back the photographer shares the bad news, he did not have something plugged into the camera therefore, no pictures were actually taken. UGH! he wants to repeat the poses (like Samuel wants to stand or sit on the red dot again!) we try, but it was a quick session. There were a couple of ok pictures, but none were that great, and no smiles. Oh well.

WED:

My mom and I went to get our nails done to celebrate... My birthday and the fact that she has not bitten a nail in over 2 months!! woohoo! this is a HUGE accomplishment. she has been a nail biter all of her life. We arrive for our 1 pm appointment, Samuel was down for a nap and pa was watching him. We are on a time limit as Sam will wake up in about 1 1/2 hours. Apparently the other nail people went out, the one left did not know when they would be back and she was busy with another person. We waited 40 minutes for the crew to come back! How frustrating. Isn't that why you make an appointment?

Thurs.

Kirk and I have a "date" for dinner to celebrate my birthday. I am looking forward to it, so as I am getting ready and curling my hair the blond tornado goes into my closet and is unusually quiet. I look and see him in my jewelry box, he sees me knows he is in trouble and starts to take off. I grab what I can (which happens to be his arm.) He runs, jerks and rolls away (what we call his "gator roll")and starts to cry. (not unusual for him since he cries when he knows he is in trouble) only he doesn't stop and he is holding his right arm with his left. I pick him up, he holds on to me tightly and won't let me go. He is crying, I touch his arm and he goes into a hard, strong cry. Nothing is swollen or bruised. I try to get his mind off of it, but can't. I even try a popsicle which doesn't go over that well and he continues to cry. This is how I know that he really is hurt. This goes on for about 45 mins, Kirk is now home and since Sam is not using his arm and still crying off and on we decide to go to the childrens urgent care. I tell the story to several people and worry that they are looking at me like I'm a child abuser (did I mention that earlier in the day he tripped and fell on his lego and bruised his eye lid?) The doctor diagnosis is "nursemaid's elbow" and tried to pop it back into place. (OUCH!!!!) She wasn't sure if she felt the pop or not so she said that if he wasn't better in the morning I should contact his pedi. Samuel seemed ok, not as sensitive, but was still favoring the arm. He kept it down to his side like a broken wing on a duckling. (he is such a tough little man) he got his ibuprofen and off to beddy bye.

FRIDAY

Sam woke up pretty early SCREAMING. I ran upstairs and got him. He would not move his arm at all, it just hung to his side. How horrible for him, it is breaking my heart. After a nice dose of ibuprofen and a bottle I call his Pedi office. We get an appointment and off we go. I explain the whole ordeal again, she tries to get him to grab things with his right arm, but he out smarts her and does everything he can to get it (only using his left arm) She is concerned that it could be broken (great, just what I want to hear... I broke my child's arm) so over to radiology we go. (and wait and wait and wait.) finally we go in for the xrays. Samuel did NOT handle this well AT ALL! He is not a fan of laying down, let alone being held down and having someone grab his sore arm. It takes 3 of us to hold him down and even that was a challenge. Everyone was surprised at how strong (and loud) he was. Then finally we got the 6 pictures taken. When it was all over, my poor baby held on to me so tightly and whimpered all the way back to the parking garage. I just felt awful. Poor Samuel. He was so glad to be in his car seat! Since it was now lunch time, Kirk meets me down the street for lunch. Samuel lifted his arm a couple of times, but still wouldn't "use" it. He was exhausted so I took him home for a nap. Several hours passed and I decide to call the Pedi to find out if they have the results of the xrays yet. No, they don't. Then ,I got a call from the radiology department. Guess what... they need another film. You have got to be kidding me! I can't put that little boy thru that again! Apparently the radiologist was having a hard time reading one of the films and wanted to see another before he actually diagnosed it. I told the guy on the phone how traumatic it was for Sam and he said he knew, when I asked if he was the guy that was in there to help hold him down he said "no, I was down the hall at the desk and heard him screaming." What else can I do? We need to know what is wrong in order to treat Samuel so I told him that we would be there once Sam woke up. Kirk came home, Samuel woke up from his nap and we were preparing to leave again. Sam started to move his arm a little bit so we try to get him to use it by playing ball, but he kept it to his side. Sam started using his arm a little on the trip back to the hospital. Thankfully they were ready for us when we got ther. They took several xrays and the radiologist was right there to read them. Sure enough, his arm was not broken, it truly was out of alignment, so off to the ER we go. We are there for what seemed like forever before a PA came to see us. By this time Sam was using his arm regularly and not whining. He was just upset because we won't let him down to run around. The PA looked at it and decidesdthat it was obviously back in place now since Sam faught him with it and used it so well. He said he would be right back and was gone for another hour. We were there for 3 hours, diagnosis: fixed maidservants elbow. UGH!!! How frustrating and trying. I am just glad that my little man is feeling better and not hurting any longer. I just wish it could have been fixed on Thurs night instead of Fri night.