Eight is Enough

New Inspiration

2010-11-15T07:34:00.000-06:00

Today I wake and find strength and hope.

"I will find refuge in the shadow of God's wing."

Taking A Break...

2010-08-23T07:38:00.000-05:00

As you've noticed my posts have been sparse and far between...

I am taking a wee break from blogging. Alot's been going on here and well I just don't have the heart right now to blog or even take pictures of the kiddos. Heck, I don't have the heart to do alot of stuff.

So, when you say a prayer, say a small one for me and my family please.

Thank you.

90 Years AND Counting!

2010-08-04T12:45:00.000-05:00

This past weekend my family on my Mom's side gathered to celebrate my Ma-Maw's 90th birthday at Red Top Mountain State Park on the lake.

Ma-Maw is 90 going on 50, she's healthy as a horse and rides her stationary bike 5 miles EVERY day... and to beat that, it's on her back porch in this horrible heat. Go Ma-Maw!

Amazing how one woman can make this many people, and this isn't everyone.

Ma-Maw, Lexi and me ofcourse!

My Ma-Maw and my Mom

If only she were as sweet the whole time as she was in this picture.

(I know I have other children, but they were busy swimming the entire time)

My cousin and her sweet baby, I just had to add this...

Home....

2010-07-30T12:59:00.000-05:00

How I've missed seeing this...

miles and miles of cotton fields

Land that my ancestors farmed...

More fields...

Euharlee, Bartow County, Georgia

Inflation

2010-07-24T11:09:00.000-05:00

I ran across this newsletter from my elementary school and boy, do I wish I paid these prices for my kids lunches now.

This is the kid's lunch prices this year:
Breakfast (Pre K-12) $1.25

Lunch (Pre K-5) $2.00
Lunch (6-12) $2.25
During the 2009 school year, the School Nutrition Programs served on average 27, 363 meals per day. There were over 3,700,000 lunches and 1,050,000 breakfasts served!

Yummy salsa!

2010-07-22T10:39:00.000-05:00

I made this for a snack a few days ago and it was WONDERFUL!

Salsa Roja (roasted red salsa)

It was a bit spicy, I only used three Serrano peppers, next time I think I'll just put in one. The smell from the oven was scrumptious while it was roasting! Yummy!

I even made my own chips using the flour tortilla shells. I've tried the corn tortilla's before but didn't really like them too much.

I just took the tortilla shells and cut them like I would a pie and fried them in canola oil in a pan on the stove, doesn't take long so don't walk away or your chips will be too brown. After I removed them from the pan while they were still warm I lightly sprinkled salt on top.

DNA Testing

2010-07-18T07:33:00.000-05:00

I never knew being a Brock was a big deal, or atleast which Brock you descended from was a big deal. There is a site that is completely dedicated to Brock DNA testing. It turns out that the majority of Brock's in the U.S. are from two Brock brother's who immigrated to Pennsylvania in the 1700's with their parents. But there is a third Brock who has no relationship to this set of Brocks. Wow. Let me just say first of all, these Brocks were some baby making people, my Grandfather had 16 kids between two wives. Woah. That's alot of diapers, spitup and poop.

The Brock DNA testing is available to any male who carries the Brock last name. It's a special chromosome that is passed onto the son by the father. That leaves my children out. But I did call my oldest brother and asked him would he be interested in it and maybe we siblings could pool our money together to pay for the testing. Although I am 99.9% sure that we are the descendents of one of these two brothers. How neat.

Curious now? You can go here Brock DNA project to read more about it or maybe perhaps you are a Brock yourself or know someone in your family who may carry the Brock last name and hasn't had luck finding their roots.

Who Do You Think You Are?

2010-07-14T12:03:00.002-05:00

Have you ever saw that show? The first episode that caught my attention was the one with Matthew Broderick. My curiosity was stirred and I started thinking. I didn't know much about my Grandma's side which was Lockharts. So the search began. Then one day it dawned on me that although I was raised in the area where all of my Dad's family lived, I didn't know as much as I thought I did about them.

I'll admit that I was ashamed to carry the last name of Brock. I had always heard stories told about womanizing, drunkards, slavery, etc. This is what I thought my family was made up of and it was embarrasing. But that was not entirely true, it was not the whole story and most certainly wasn't the whole family. Although some did own slaves but weren't plantation owners, the cruel acts toward the slaves weren't by my family like I'd been told.

I also found interesting information about books that were written and pertained to my ancestors. The first was by Yancey J. Dickert and the second by John A. Burrison. Dickert describes America in it's colonist years and the height of immigrants flocking to the South Carolina coast. Hans Ulric Schleich was the first of my Sligh family to settle in Dutch Fork, South Carolina with his wife and children. They were given land and were very prosperous and owned numerous slaves. Then as land opened up they began their journey south and then westward. With my set of Sligh's settling in Georgia where the book by Burrison picks up about American Pioneers and the story of Georgia Folk Pottery. Here's where I learned about the Sligh, Brock and Shepherd familys working together and the familys married each other. They were a made up of a mixture of farmers and potters. Little did I know that some of the places I played when I was young was in the history book. The burning of Georgia during the civil war and Sherman's march and how it affected my family.

This information opened up a whole new world for me. I was no longer ashamed of my ancestors but saw them as hard workers who took care of each other. The way we in America no longer do.

On my heritage journey I've learned of the original surname spellings and where I came from. Schleich being from Germany later changed the spelling to Sligh in America. Brach was a Pennsylvania Germon stock that later changed their spelling to Brock. And well, the Shepherds, I still haven't figured out where they originated.

I always jokingly said that every new Sligh and Brock generation brought friendlier and more patient people that weren't as short tempered and mean. Little did I know then where it came from.

Meet Amanda...

2010-07-06T18:45:00.000-05:00

Amanda, our new addition. I finally got my hands on their wedding pictures.

Welcome to our family

How To Wash A Car... Lexi Style...

2010-06-28T22:05:00.000-05:00

Today was car washing day...

But Lexi had ideas of her own... there were other things that were more dirtier than Mom's car...

Like say... the cat!

"Hold still Smokey, this won't hurt a bit"

"Good Kitty"

Lexi thanks Smokey for being a good sport...

But it was time to move on, Big Sis had to show her the bubbles in the bucket...

So maybe she'll help wash the car after all...

But the bubbles feel so good!

I wonder what they taste like?

Maybe if I look clean, Mom won't make me take a bath tonight...

Scrub-a-dub-dub...

Wait, I missed a spot... ah, there.

OK, now I've had enough.

"I promise Mom, I didn't put all those bubbles in Lexi's hair"

Not only did I get a clean car out of this, but a half clean kid too!

15 Already?

2010-06-27T12:12:00.000-05:00

So I'm running behind by about three birthdays... I'm slacking. We'll start with Amber's and backtrack the other's that I've missed.

Can you believe it? I can't, 15 already! I remember being 15 and that doesn't seem too long ago. And if your wondering the obsession with the birthday stickers? I couldn't just post pictures of my vivacious 15 yr old daughter in a bikini for the world to see. This was after we returned from the pool and Amber and her party guests wanted to play in the "ice" cold rain.

I decided to do something different, Amber had a pool party and instead of cake & ice cream, we had an ice cream party! An all you can eat buffet of brownies, ice cream, caramel and hot fudge not to mention the other goodies we smothered on top.

Even Lexi enjoyed a waffle cup with whipped topping... yummmmm

Each item I brought out and sat on the table, the girls eyes got bigger... Note To Self: Not so much sugar next time. ;)

This is what sugar does to a kid

Happy 15th Amber!

Free Photo Templates

2010-06-21T14:10:00.000-05:00

As I've mentioned before, I'm totally addicted to this digital scrapbooking thing. I'm hooked. It's my new drug. I know, I know... I said a few months ago that decopauge was my love. So I change my favorites like I change my underwear. But, I do still love decopauge. I'm just multi-versatile in my craftiness now.

I've been scouring the web for blank templates for collages and digital scrapbooking and came across this blog M Originals she is super talanted and has so many free templates for you to download and personalize. I love the ones for lots of photos so that I can combine many pictures into one frame, not for the lack of wall space but the effect of many children.

This was meant for a 365 day digi-scrap, but I love it just to combine many photos into one print. If you can make the smallest things in any type of photoshop, you would be able to easily do these. Basically all you've got to do is plug in the picture where you want it. But you could get creative and add digital scrap paper to some of the squares. Check her out, great inspiration as well as great downloads!

Cat Food Bully...

2010-06-21T13:57:00.001-05:00

How could this innocent look mean anything is up? So sweet and cute.

Until she realized the cat food bowl was sitting under the bench

Happy Father's Day Daddy

2010-06-17T11:33:00.003-05:00

It's hard to believe that my Dad has been gone for 12 years. Still seems like it was yesterday.

Hard At Work

2010-06-17T11:13:00.001-05:00

Goodness, little did I know when I set out on this journey to create a photo gallery of our family tree that it would be so hard and time consuming. In my search, I've nagged relatives for information and pictures, signed up with ancestry.com and lastly, had to buy the family tree charts and .psd/.png templates. Good thing I had been teaching myself photoshop. I know enough now of photoshop to get through and create something, but there's so much more to learn.

I am a stickler for wanting the correct information, that's why it's taken so long, but here's my first 12x12 digital scrapbook page for my family heritage album and the picture for my family tree wall.

My Mom

If your looking for some great digital scrapbook kits for your family tree or heritage book check out the great stuff at Heritage Scrap. Their prices are reasonable and customer service is superb! Did they pay me to say that? No, LOL, I was just sharing the link to their website because I could not find the family tree designs that I wanted.

And the fonts, I didn't like the basic ones that I had so I searched the web for free font downloads. Can't remember exactly where I found this one, but there's tons of free stuff out there.

Water Play

2010-06-09T08:43:00.000-05:00

We are out of routine already at the beginning of summer. Normally we'd already have visited the pool numerous times, but no, this is only our second visit to the neighborhood pool. Why? Just read my previous post. Anyways... Alex is always hammin it up for the camera. Plus, I got a new camera which must be broke in right?

Another hamming going on here

Finally, Lexi enjoys the water, last summer wasn't fun... we love the pool and being outside, but she did NOT and she let us know it.

Big Sis playing with Little Sis

I suppose Beth has the hamming it up to the camera bug too, and yes, they enjoy playing in the kiddie pool, go figure.

Almost time to go, Lexi entertaining herself poolside

Disrespecting The Stay At Home Mom, aka... SAHM

2010-05-30T05:23:00.001-05:00

I'm a stay at home Mom who gets disrespected by other's. My value and worth to you may not be much, but it's worth alot to me and my children. So does this term mean anything?

I'm editing to add that the "they" I'm referring to is not the Mother but the Father.

I love kids. I just may not love watching your kids.

This article sums up the way I feel in a nutshell. She could not have written it better. Because I choose to stay home to raise my children doesn't mean I'm stupid. Insinuating that I'm dumb or unintelligent completely flies all over me the wrong way. I too once had a career and made more money than my husband and 5 years ago was probably still more than the person who dissed me this week. Maybe my vocabulary now mostly consists of words like boo boo and yummmmy in my tummy. But it's my kids who wait their turn at the park and have been taught to share their toys without beating another kid over the head first. It's my children who says please and thank you to other adults because this "dumb" Mom taught them. To undervalue me because you think I don't do anything or I'm already watching kids. Well, hello? those are my kids I'm watching. To ask me to take less money than what you already pay me, which by the way isn't nearly enough for the trouble that I have to go through with your kid, because you CHOSE to take a less paying job is like telling me to clean your nasty feet. I'm sorry, but that's the way they made me feel. My home is not an auction block. I'm not an auction block and maybe you should have checked with me first before you put both feet in the frying pan and now your out a babysitter. Guess they thought I was "dumb" or didn't have a choice but to take what they offered. Fooled them. Ha ha.

Now please, I totally respect working Mom's. I do not point my finger at them or their children. Just this one particular "THEY" that I keep referring to. I'm not saying my children are any better than anyone Else's, just more well behaved than "their" kid, notice I didn't say better.

Homemade 3-Ingredient All Purpose Cleaner

2010-05-15T07:33:00.001-05:00

I'd love to say that I "invented" this recipe or wrote this entire post, but I'd be lying... and since I tell my kids all the time to not lie, cheat or steal and they would stay out of trouble, I must tell the truth, the whole truth and nothing but the truth. I copied and pasted. There, I said it.

Have I mentioned before just how much I love bleach and it's my best friend? Well, I'm thinking that the bleach is gonna have to move over cause there's a new gal in town. I'm not sure though if this all purpose cleaner would be considered as a disinfectant. Maybe? Since it has peroxide in it? I can't wait to mix it together and then put on my gloves and start scrubbing.

The recipe:

2 cups Water
1 cup Hydrogen Peroxide
¼ cup Lemon Juice
Mix and adjust to suit your needs.

The author of the original post says:
Hydrogen peroxide is the key to this cleaner. It’s inexpensive, non-toxic, and readily available. It's a nearly odorless liquid that is commonly used on open wounds and therefore safe to use around pets and children. Hydrogen peroxide has stronger cleaning capabilities than vinegar and works much like bleach, just without any harmful health or environmental effects. You can also add about half a cup of this mix into laundry water to whiten clothes. The acidic lemon juice helps break down grime and add a fresh citrus scent. Water helps dilute the mixture. I keep it pre-mixed in a reused windex spray bottle for easy access.

If you want to check out more {Green} cleaning tips hop on over to re-nest

Flood Funny...

2010-05-14T12:32:00.000-05:00

This picture was taken by one of my husband's customers. Thankfully we didn't receive anything close to this at our home. Just floating dead moles in the backyard, it took my cat a few days before he decided to tote them away.

I'm very sorry to whomever's home this was, but you have to admit, their sign is VERY clever and funny at the same time. It's sad to think that someone would try to profit from another's tragedy. Looting is ridiculous and wrong in ANY situation. Only way that I could even come close to agreeing with it would be in a world wide disaster where your children were going hungry and you needed food. That's about it. I'd do anything for my kids, I'd probably do anything for anybody's kids.

Help For My OCD...

2010-05-10T13:43:00.000-05:00

Someone out there love's me... it's true, really. My favorite cleaning arsenal is bleach. Mop with bleach, clean the toilets with bleach, this and that with bleach. Even sanitize the soap pump's with bleach. But look, Lysol has came out with the touch-free soap dispenser! Yipeeeeeeee!

I placed the dispenser in the downstairs bathroom but had to move it later when I realized that it's not exactly cut out for a 4 year old. They don't wait for it to stop dispensing soap before they move their hands. I had the nicest mess to clean from the soap. So this one got moved to the kitchen sink.

Innocence

2010-05-08T11:45:00.001-05:00

As 8th grade ends there is a right of passage, Spring Formal.

She's growing up. Wearing short dresses and heels.

Repairing Old Photos

2010-05-08T10:56:00.001-05:00

I've been trying my hand at repairing old family photos for my "wall" I didn't want to OVER photoshop them, I want to keep the old look, but some were wrinkled or missing edges and had been written on.

Let's Talk About Our Family Heritage...

2010-05-05T12:16:00.000-05:00

I have this brilliant idea or maybe in the end, a not so brilliant idea of hanging pictures in a fashion or style on a large wall depicting our family tree. I probably won't be able to go back more than Scott's and my Great-Grandparents, or use 5x7's or something to be able to fit the frames on the wall without looking too cluttered.

I LOVE knowing about my family. Even when I was a little girl, which I still am *cough*, I would sit and listen to my family tell stories about their life growing up in Kentucky and about the coal mines. And my Dad's side of the family were farmers, to hear their stories about working in the cotton fields. Funny how you find out all this "secret" information that nobody talks about.

This is my Maternal Grandmother with her first four children, I'm sure my Mom was born by then but was absent in the picture because she spent the first few years of her life in the Shriners Hospital In Lexington, KY. I can only hope that I will be as beautiful as my Ma-Maw. Wonderful Lady.

My Great-Grandfather & Great- Grandmother, my Grandpa's Mom & Dad.

Left: Great-Grandmother, my Grandmother's Mom Right: My Grandfather

Left: My Grandmother, beautiful! Right: One of my Great Uncles, I like this picture and it's colors.

My Mother

My Grandfather on the right, working in the KY coal mines

Wouldn't these pictures look great in some antique frames on the wall?

New Addition...

2010-05-02T21:04:00.001-05:00

We have a new addition, thank goodness the addition isn't due to pregnancy. Example, me. Welcome to my new daughter-in law. Saying that makes me sound SO old. But really folks, I'm still a baby. Wink, wink.

Cute Fonts For Your Blogger Posts...

2010-04-22T10:18:00.001-05:00

I'm so addicted to this blogging stuff, especially learning the tricks on how to change and spice things up with your blog. Want to know how? Kevin and Amanda has tons of free handwritten fonts and a super easy tutorial on how to change the font on your blog posts and sidebar. It only took me FOREVER to do it. No one in my home believes in "Mommy Time" so I constantly had to stop and would forget where I left off. But really, it's easy, if you have some free "Me" time.

*FYI*Attempting this tutorial with needy children present can be hazardous to your health.

Need A Custom Sign Or Lettering?

2010-04-22T07:59:00.000-05:00

You've got to check out this cool blog, Jason is amazingly talanted. Local to Murfreesboro Tennessee? Check him out.

Hurst Custom Signs & Graphics

Sand Blast Sign

Custom Painted Mailbox

Custom Chopper, handpainted from raw metal.

Alex's Photo Shoot...

2010-04-21T07:01:00.003-05:00

The world as Alex sees it...

Notice the beautiful lines... such imagination. :)

There's like 400 more of these. I found a steal of a deal at a local liquidation outlet. A Vtech camera for kids for $2.50 and Alex went wild with it.

Artist In Training...

2010-04-15T16:02:00.000-05:00

Is this not super cute? Beth is my little artist in training!

Beautiful Weather...

2010-04-14T17:40:00.000-05:00

Picture Frame Redo's

2010-04-11T10:14:00.002-05:00

Being broke has it's advantage's. Well, we're really not broke, there just isn't any extra past the bills. So this has forced me to re-think decorating. There is so much information out there in the world wide web, you just have to know how to look for it. Keywords being; diy, upcycling, recycling, redo, revamp, decopauge, hybrid scrapbooking, paper crafting, etc., and blogs are your greatest resources.

This is my first UpCycling of outdated frames and a shelf.

The shelf, in it's former glory, was a cherry color until a .97 cent can of black glossy spray paint from Wal-Mart gave new life to it. The frames on each end where wood colored frames from Wal-Mart that I've had forever. The cheapest you can buy, so they were cheap cheap. Same can of spray paint. The mats inside these frames are just scrapbook paper, pretty neat huh? Nice mat's aren't cheap, so I compromised. The metal frame in the middle is another cheap frame I bought at Target last spring, no upcycling done to this one. All the beautiful pictures were done by my great friend Erica from Erica Foley Photography I can't help but brag, she's wonderful!

The frames and shelf didn't take long to do, but I maybe should have sanded them first and they probably would not have taken so many coats. Live and learn. I was worried at first because the first coat looked like it just bubbled around on top because of the varnish on the wood. So it was several coats before I was satisfied and then a whole day to dry.

Nothing Much...

2010-04-05T15:06:00.001-05:00

Loving The Digital Scrapbooking...

2010-03-24T03:57:00.004-05:00

Oh, it only took me about 3 hours to complete this simple template. Haahaaa. I'm slow. Seriously though, PhotoShop is harder than I thought, but I am trekking through with tutorials by my side. Probably the best ones yet that I have found are Funky PlayGround Designs or FPD there are alot of great digital scrapbooking tutorials here. And for your blog, I've found that Shabby Blogs and Cutest Blog On The Block have great how to's as well as freebies for your blog.

Happy 1st Birthday Lexi

2010-03-22T10:54:00.002-05:00

Where has the time gone?

Happy Birthday my sweet girl! Those first few weeks, mostly months were rough. But we made it together.

Smarter Than Your Average Bear...

2010-03-16T06:19:00.003-05:00

Alex and Lexi love to play with the doodle pad. Here they are showing off their smarts.

Alex has just amazed me. He's 4 and there are so many things he can spell by himself. He's basically taught himself to read just by memorizing words on signs and things. There are eight kids and he can spell all their names as well as his own. Granted, some of the letters are shaped alittle strange like his x and e's. But he's a smart little sucker. He already knows all his color words. He even knows how to drive, he's a horrible backseat driver. "Mom, why are you slowing down?" or "That's not the way"

We are currently working on adding and subtracting. He can do it if I talk him through, but write it down and he thinks I'm drawing crosses. Haha. He also informed me that he prays at his school and that we need to pray too. Too cute!

My First Header...

2010-03-15T15:01:00.002-05:00

I am so PROUD of myself! It only took me about three days to make this header for my blog. I've been wanting for awhile now to be able to make my own blog templates. So I finally sat down and took the initiave along with *Ahem* other blog tutorials to guide me through.

It was surpringly easy. Ok, I won't lie, it was very hard for me. Only because I was never able to sit continuosly and follow the tutorial step by step. The price you pay for being a Mom. When I'd return to the computer I always forgot where I left off or one of the kids, not naming any names but he's 4, would log me off and get on his side. Or PhotoShop would freeze up, stupid pc, and I'd have to reboot the computer.

But I did it, I accomplished something I've been wanting to do for awhile now. Go Me!

Lexi's Nook

2010-03-05T08:59:00.002-06:00

I keep creating projects for myself, which is probably why it takes me forever to do anything. I've decided that I want my bedroom back. I can't share it with Lexi any longer. She wakes alot during the night lately and knows that Daddy and I are in the bed next to her and she starts screaming her high pitched scream until one of us gets up and puts her in our bed. I've tried letting her cry it out. It's next to impossible when she's in the same room with you and she's screaming like that.

So I've came up with a lovely idea, we have two closets in our bedroom, one which is pretty large. It's the size of a small office. It has heat/air as well as a window. This is going to be her new room.

These pictures makes it look very small but it's a fairly decent size. I could put her crib in here and a dresser as well as some of her toys and still have room. Now I'm just waiting on hubby to take down the shelving and patch the holes so I can paint. Tick... Tock............ still waiting. It's been almost a week now.

Thinking about going with Lavender even though her bedding is in pink. And that's ONLY because I have lavender paint and don't have to buy any. I'm cheap... REALLY cheap.

Not Loving My Cricut :(

2010-03-02T03:36:00.000-06:00

It's not that I just don't like it, I'm having a hard time finding time for it. Yes, dear hubby has let me make many excursions to the craft store and so far the only thing that I've made with it was a letter M and cut out some funky stuff. But the "M" was the only thing I used. I'm SO not into the scrapbook stuff, I've really tried to make myself, but it's just not me. I'd rather rip paper to shreds and glue it back together again with mod podge. Sad huh?

So what to do now? Ho Hum.... wonder who I can pawn it off on? I really do miss my sewing machine. I really could kick myself for selling my sewing machine.

*FYI* I have added a new label to some of my whiny posts; Hormones.

How Crazy Can I Make Mommy?

2010-02-26T10:27:00.001-06:00

Need to giggle a little? Maybe a smile after pulling an all nighter with an 11 month old who screamed ALL night. Lexi has this blood curtling scream, oh my, that just makes you want to shove peanut butter in your ears and pull your hair out. Literally. Just ask her Daddy. So last night she decided to pull this stunt of seeing how many times she could make Mommy get out of the bed and stumble to the crib in the corner of the room... little did I know she had already thrown things from her crib, one of which was a squeaky rubber duck that I stepped on (don't know how it got in there), so I am tripping over several paci's and blankets and when I get to her and pick her up she starts her baby babble. Ugghhh.... back to bed again. This went on all night. So this morning I'm doing my usual reading of my favorite blogs and I stumbled over this one from Storing Up Treasures and let's just say that she hit the nail right on the head with her family as I do mine. Although she's up by two kids than me, that's ok, I can SO relate. I get the stares and glares from passerby's. But she made me smile. It's nice to know your not the only disheveled mess. Thanks Courtney!

There's A New TuTu On The Block...

2010-02-22T15:35:00.002-06:00

I finally finished Lexi's birthday tutu. Alex was kind enough to hold it up for all to see. I asked him if he was bothered by holding a girl's tutu and his reply was "Mom, I like trains, not tutu's" I guess you'd say he's definately comfortable in his skin. Anyway, here's a blurry version of the tutu.

And here's a little better picture... but because it's on a hanger it makes it look kind of funky.

And I also must point out these rainboots that have been on his feet everyday since I got them...

Lack Of Inspiration...

2010-02-22T15:30:00.002-06:00

Plain, boring dull....

blah!

This is my lifeless bedroom, this is the room in the whole house that gets neglected. I have ALWAYS had a plain bedroom. So I've been thinking about painting.... maybe red on the wall behind the bed? But this bird does provide a little inspiration, just a little...

I love the comforter set, just not sure what to do with the walls. I'm stumped.

Pottery Schommetery...

2010-02-22T15:19:00.001-06:00

This morning as I was dusting my curio cabinet I caught a glimpse of these beautiful pieces of pottery that my children have made me over the years hiding in the back. They survived a divorce and a few moves. They deserve to be showcased. Hmmm.... where should I put them? I had an empty space in the hallway upstairs and a shelf with broken hooks that needed to be fixed. So ofcourse I DECOPAUGED it, LOL! My new poor man's craft.

I do admit that a few of them are quite scary, especially the sun in the back with BIG lips. Then my eyes travel over to the white tile that has BFF all over it. This was made when Amber was in 2nd grade and thought that little ole me, her Mom and her would be best friends forever. She's 14 now, maybe I need to point it out to her when she gets home from school. I can see her eyes rolling now.

As I'm hanging the shelf, Alex walks upstairs and blurts out "Are you sure you should be doing that?" then a polite little "Does Daddy know what your doing?" I guess my kids think I'm incapable of using a hammer and nails safely. Daddy always hangs things up because I lack the ability to level it properly and it drives him nuts when I don't center things in the middle of the wall. Oops, I'm pretty sure it's centered and I *think* it's level.

My First Decopauge

2010-02-19T09:09:00.009-06:00

I have been looking for ways to decorate on a budget and I have tons of old picture frames and stuff that's just really outdated and doesn't go with our decor now. After hours and hours of online searches for re-furbishing your household items I learned of the beautiful art of decoupage and canvases.

My inspiration... birds. Yes, birds. I used to hate birds as decor, reminded me of an old persons home. Sorry. But lately I have saw Lot's of really cute and neat items with birds on them. I am not a scrapper but fell in

LOVE

with this paper from Michael's.

And here's what I did with it...

It's OK to giggle, but please don't laugh. It's my first one. LOL! OK, I guess you can laugh. I completely disassembled the scrapbook paper, or as my husband said "I mutilated it". And put together this 8x10 that I will call {Deco Art} hee hee! It turned out OK I think, it's a little crooked and I have creases and bubbles that I didn't get out. But it's my first one and next time I know what to do different.

*Note To Self* Do NOT glue canvas to kitchen counter and don't answer cell phone with decoupage on finger's, finger's must be preyed from phone.

Decoupage, I {heart} you

The House Is Alive With The Sound Of Music...

2010-02-18T16:27:00.006-06:00

Lexi Lou Bell and developed a love for music. Bethany and Alex have Shakers (mp3 players) that Lexi loves to get her hands on. When she does, it's over. Michael Jackson (rest in peace)has nothing on this kid! Shakers are wonderful for small kids, I know it says "not recommended for under age 8" it's still great! Built in speaker means no earphones and wires. Shaking it changes it to the next song so it's pretty easy for a small kid to use.

Here's Lexi cutting the rug with the shaker.

Many Faces Of Amber....

2010-02-18T14:52:00.005-06:00

How many pictures can you take of yourself? I mean really! Amber got a new camera so while she was at school today I decided to upload her pictures to the computer for her... it took FOREVER and ever and ever and ever......................................................... there were 168 pictures that she took of herself over the course of two days.

Oh the fun I can have with this! I decided to do a collage, ofcourse this is nowhere near the pictures she took. Then I decided to make a video with some really dorky music. Ahhhh.... I see blackmail in her future! Bad Momma, Bad!

I'm In Love...

2010-02-17T04:13:00.003-06:00

Yes, of course with my husband... but I have a second love now. O.K. wait, let's see... I have five kids and three step kids, a cat and a husband so I guess it would be my 11th love?

Any who, you HAVE got to check out this blog, where has she been all my life?

{sigh}

If you like mod podge and recycling old things, then yes, you should peek in to see what she's doing.

Enjoy!

Sooooo.....

2010-02-15T23:48:00.004-06:00

It looks like my sob, sob, boo hoo worked. I left for the weekend to visit my Mom in Georgia and when I got back I had a nice little surprise.

My husband, against my wishes remember?, went ahead and got me the cricut expressions. He wrapped his strong arms around me and planted a kiss on my surprised lips and said he was sorry for basically being a "Man" and that he'd watch the kids for me so that I could have a hobby too. Awww.... now aint that sweet? I almost cried. Yep, I have a pretty spiffy husband. So what if he is a "Man" sometimes, that's why I love him soooo much!

sob, sob, sob, boo, hoo

2010-02-12T12:08:00.003-06:00

This is a whining post, so if you don't like posts of it's kind, then don't read it.

Over the past two weeks I spent a great deal of time on the internet gathering ideas and reading tutorials for handmade valentines gifts for everyone. I found alot of cute ideas and budget friendly things. So I finally thought I could get my craft on... NOT. My first trip to Hobby Lobby was an ABSOLUTE nightmare. I was afraid the manager was going to kick me out of the store because of my not so well behaved children. I grabbed two canvasas and some paint and quickly headed out the store. That project was a complete waste of time. It looked nothing like hearts made with kids hands and Lexi's feet prints looked like she was missing all but one of her toes. That project got a new home in the trash can.

Then I decided to give Hobby Lobby another go for some supplies to make hairbows. HaaaaHaaaa.... you can guess how that one ended.

Wednesday night I dropped all the kids off at church and headed off to Hobby Lobby with just Lexi. My dear ole hubby had agreed to get me a cricut machine and I wanted to look at the cartridges and such there as well as TRY to get the other things I needed to make THESE valentines presents. Lexi SCREAMED at the top of her lungs the entire time I was in the store. Another empty handed trip to Hobby Lobby.

Sadly I walked to my car and strapped my screaming child into the carseat. Are you feeling sorry for me yet? If not, read on. I cried all the way home. Boohoo poor little me. I can't go to the bathroom by myself and everything I do always involves one child or the other. When I arrive home Hubby see's that I'm obviously upset and get's peeved at me. He just doesn't understand women. I tell him to call his friend and tell him I didn't want the stupid cricut machine that I was just lying to myself that I would be able to find the time to use it. Then he got even more peeved. He tells me to stop whining. This made me even more upset.

So here I am three day's before Valentines day and have nothing for anyone. Sorry Grandparent's, no handmade gifts to litter your home this year.

Yes, I'm fine now. I'm over my pity party. Am I the only Mom who has this problem with finding that special "ME" time? That time that keeps you from going over the edge of insanity and hanging your children by their toes on the ceiling? If kids only came with a Mute button, oh how life would be great. And if hubby's had a "poor darling let me take care of the kids for you" button, I would be in heaven.

Breakfast At Our Home...

2010-02-08T08:45:00.005-06:00

Breakfast at our home on the weekends... Yes, I'd say that my family is spoiled. This is Daddy's breakfast. It's actually a smaller version than what he normally eats.
Homemade gravy, biscuits, scrambled eggs, bacon and a yummy cinnamon roll. Can you say Mmm good?

Daddy's bloodpressure is high so I only allowed him to have three pieces of bacon. And that's really funny to say ALLOW to him. Anyone who knows him knows that he does what he wants. LOL!

Hanging With Daddy In The Garage...

2010-02-08T08:38:00.004-06:00

On Daddy's days off and any spare time he has, this is usually where you can find him. So basically the only way to socialize with him is to invade his space. So that's just exactly what Alex & Lexi did. Daddy is definately a Man's Man. And our garage is *HIS* space. Which is fine with me because garages are just dirty!
Lexi is fascinated with Daddy's toys... I'm worried. I wanted atleast one girl who was into the girly things. So I guess I'll have a prissy little girl riding dirt bikes with hot pink hairbows in her hair! And let's not forget the matching hot pink nails!

Trip Down Memory Lane...

2010-02-05T15:19:00.008-06:00

Thinking about Lexi turning one in two months made me emotional... I started sifting through our photos and it brought back so many memories for me, especially when the older kids were little. When you have different age groups growing up together you tend to forget the cute little things that the older ones did, or that could just be because I have too many kids.

I ran across this cute Easter picture of Matt & Amber. Adorable! Matt was 4 and Amber was 2.

Matt's first birthday... I still think he was way too gorgeous to have been a boy.

Alex's first Santa picture... he doesn't look too happy about it.

I didn't meet these sweet kids until Alyssa was 5 and Megan was 7 and Allen 14. This is Megan's 4th birthday. Look how much everyone has grown!

Daddy and his sweet girls.

Our first Christmas as a family... can't believed I paid $5 for this stinky picture of a bored Santa. This was in 2004. Amber is 9 here, Megan 7, Bethany 6 and Alyssa 5.

Bethany with a much smilier (if that's even a word) Santa. Beth was 8.

Then I ran across this one, Megan and Alyssa. I'm not sure how old they were here, the imprint on the back says 2000. I look at Alyssa and I think about the resemblence of her and Alex.

Our first vacation with Alex and Lexi... she hardly had any hair!

Me and my hunk! 2004

When I married the love of my life... November 2004

Matt 11, Amber 9 and Beth 5. A little getaway with my kids that I drug Scott along. Close to when we first met.

Alex's 2nd birthday.

Alex 20 months.

{Mean Girls}

2010-02-04T08:37:00.004-06:00

Amber's had her first taste of the well known GIRL DRAMA that has so lovingly been passed down from generations upon generations.

I'm just now posting this because I didn't know how Amber would feel about my telling the web world of her teenage angst and pains. But I told her that she should feel blessed to have such a cool and understanding Mom. Most Mom's would have freaked and started wreaking havoc in their daughters lives, but no, not me. You will understand after you read about the following phone conversation...

*Cell Phone Rings*
"Hello?"
Unidentified caller "Is this Amber B****'s Mom?"
Me "yes"
Unidentified caller "I'm calling from the clinic and like your daughter Amber like came into our office like just last week and like needed to take a pregnancy test and like I'm calling you with like the results of her like pregnancy test."
Me "your from like the clinic?"
Unidentified caller "yes maam"
Me "So like Amber needed a pregnancy test? Like that's so cool. And you know what's even better? That your like one of Amber's like so called friends from school, like aren't you?"
Unidentified caller "yes maam"
Me "Would you like want to know what like gave you away that your not like a grown up? STOP SAYING LIKE!!!!!"
Unidentified caller "yes maam"
Me *CLICK*

I then proceeded to tell Amber about the conversation and she's cracking up and I'm cracking up.

Come on teenage girls! Bring it on! This Momma aint no dummy! Been there done that got my tee shirt and went home!

Learning From The Best...

2010-02-03T10:05:00.006-06:00

Who needs toys when you've got baskets to play in. Lexi {LOVES} to empty the toys out of her basket or leave them in to crawl in.

At 10 months you may ask where does she get these ideas? Why her big bro none the less.

Having A Heart Attack At Half Past Twelve...

2010-02-02T16:11:00.004-06:00

*Grandparent advisory... no child was hurt for this picture!*

Last night Lexi woke me up whining in her crib, I climbed out of bed half asleep, dug around her crib and couldn't find her paci and decided that I needed to go downstairs and get a clean one out of the dishwasher...

...half way downstairs the bottom step was lightly illuminated from a nearby nightlight and this is what I saw...

My heart skipped several beats and I almost fainted. I just about lost it in the middle of the night. For a brief moment I thought this was my baby lying at the foot of the stairs. I was still groggy and sleepy so I guess my brain forgot that I left my baby in her crib while I went on a paci hunt.

Many thanks to the older kid who thought this was funny, no one has admitted to positioning the snow suit.

Putting On A New Brave Face...

2010-02-02T16:05:00.003-06:00

All grown up...

Funny how time passes quickly, one minute they are little and in diapers then you blink and they are 14 getting braces off and wanting highlights.

Amber is no longer a brace face. I think her teeth turned out beautiful!

My New Toy...

2010-01-30T16:14:00.004-06:00

I treated myself to a new camera and photo software thanks to good ole Uncle Sam... so the snow provided new ideas for me and also an excuse to play with my camera.

The kids enjoyed some hot cocoa after playing in the snow

Trying out my Macro Lens... ice on the suburban

Alex was disapointed to find out you can't make snow angels in ice/snow

Snow? Real Snow?

2010-01-30T16:08:00.003-06:00

Can you say SNOW DAY?!

WHY?

2010-01-30T13:30:00.005-06:00

Seriously!

Someone please tell me why you would apply a sticker that doesn't peel away so easy?

After a very lengthy discussion at Wal-Mart this morning with my husband, we decided to buy a stock pot so dinner time meals would be easier, less pots to clean and more left overs, right? Well this was the idea. It's 20 degrees outside in the AM. Getting to Wal-Mart this morning was a small task with the snow and ice on the ground... but hey no biggie, we have two four wheel drive trucks with one having the capacity to smash anything that gets in it's way. "Oh, here's a great deal" I tell my hubby. $34.97 for a 12 QT Paula Dean stock pot that is ceramic on enamel and it's pretty. We buy it, take it home, pull it out to get ready to throw some chicken in it for our dinner which by the way is supposed to be chicken and dumplings and here's what we got...
I was so peeved! Now my simple meal has turned into a chore! So I called my Mother to complain and run my big mouth about the whole ordeal. She informs me that she bought some Paula Dean cookware from QVC only to have it recalled in which they (QVC) refunded her money but told her it was up to her to do whatever she wantes with the cookware.

???

Looks like those made in "India" crap isn't worth the money the company saves from not having it made in the USA....

If I were Paula Dean, I'd rethink having my name labeled to "useless" and "frustrating" cookware.

Best Friends...

2010-01-21T18:38:00.005-06:00

Doing laundry at my house is a major chore... most of the time I close the gate at the top of the stairs and hope Alex and Lexi will play nice together so I can make a dent in the dirty clothes. I stepped away from the laundry room to check on the two of them and here's what I saw...

And as soon as "Mom" was spotted, playtime was over

Alex proclaims his love for his baby sister and tells her she's his best friend

New Goals...

2010-01-14T08:13:00.003-06:00

...for today

ATLEAST

Finish painting the kids bathroom (maybe, maybe not)
Don't get frustrated at the kids and stop rubbing the top of my head when I do
Take pictures of the kids in a different part of the house (ie... not the family room)
Finish many other numerous piddly projects that I started but never completed (my life story)
Cook a healthy dinner
Drink one less Diet Coke today than I did yesterday

Instigator And Instigatee...

2010-01-12T22:04:00.005-06:00

Quick Alex, Mom's not looking! Dump all the toys out of the basket
and throw the pillows on the floor!

What's Mom hiding in here?

Leave no toy or pillow unturned...

When I asked Lexi who made this mess, she shook her head "NO" and smiled her cute
little smile that wraps you around her finger

"Did I do that?"

"I'm sorry Mom."

~My {heart} melts~

The Ayes Have It...

2010-01-12T21:58:00.003-06:00

Lexi...

...Oh My Lexi
She gets so excited when she sees the older kids playing the Wii... this is her version of how you play.

Beautifying...

2010-01-12T21:52:00.002-06:00

Daddy took advantage of a long weekend thanks to the snow and freezing temperatures.

The Weather Outside Is Frightful...

2010-01-12T21:10:00.006-06:00

Don't hate me because of our MOUNTAINS of snow. Three days of snowing and this is all we got.
Beth should know that you never turn your back on Matt when he's throwing snowballs.

Tearing up the snow on the four wheeler.

...much to my suprise, well not really, I caught Daddy and Alex doing donuts on the snow covered street.

Enjoing Santa's Gifts...

2010-01-12T20:31:00.004-06:00

I am
EXTREMELY

slow posting Christmas pictures... Yeah, yeah, I know. It's not like I have five kids at home and two tons of
laundry...

dirty dishes...

...and toilets

that I face every day. So, please, just this once... let me slide?

Alex had begged for Gator Golf, I know you can't tell by his expression, but he went nuts over it. Poor buddy, he woke up on Christmas morning not feeling well. Both Alex and Lexi were sick. Ear infections and upper respiratory infections.

Bet you'd never guess that Alyssa got what she wanted?

And I must add...

Most of our pictures are in the family room. I really do have a nice sectional sofa in the other living room, much prettier than this one.

A Few Of My Favorite Things...

2010-01-10T17:53:00.005-06:00

Granny, ofcourse made Lexi happy...
Matt got his most favorite prized posession... Tony Hawk for the PS3..

Beth was simply happy with gloves that had PRE-CUT holes for the fingers, prior to this x-mas she cut my fingers on MY GLOVES... shocker when I put them on.

Daddy and Lexi sharing a moment...

Going for it!

Smarshmallow Baby....

2010-01-10T17:45:00.003-06:00

I very lovingly titled this post as "Attack Of The Smarshmallow Baby"...

Poor Lexi... I couldn't help myself. I picked this cute snow suit up last season from The Children's Place for only $10 bucks!! Super Deal!! Anyways, she reminds me so much of the poor little boy who played Ralphie's baby brother in The Christmas Story. His Mom bundled him so tightly he could not move.

Yes, I know I spelled Marshmallow wrong, but this is how Alex pronounces it and well, it just caught on and we all pronounce it that way now.

Where Does Milk Come From?

2010-01-01T18:42:00.003-06:00

Tonight for dinner we had breakfast. Scrambled eggs, bacon, biscuits and home made gravy. We are all sitting around the table stuffing our faces and as I'm eating I realize that I haven't ever discussed with Alex where food comes from. He's happily sipping his milk and I asked him where does milk come from? His response? "From Kroger, Mom."

Go figure!

Silly!

2009-12-21T18:35:00.002-06:00

Merry Christmas Mom!

2009-12-21T12:13:00.003-06:00

Sweet Lexi, she is such a funny girl. Full of life, smiles and well, other things that smell bad atleast once a day.

She has developed her own little personality. We should have just named her Diva. All the attention has to be on her at all times. She's learned how to throw temper tantrums by slinging her head backwards while being held. And don't give her something she doesn't want, she'll throw it.

I caught her trying to escape from the upstairs when I put the gate up so I could do laundry.
But come on... how could you get upset at this face? Especially when her bow is bigger than her head.

Child Proofing...

2009-12-14T05:52:00.003-06:00

... I have always said I would never remove objects from my children's way and that they would have to LEARN that they can't touch things. Matt, Amber, Bethany and Alex were a breeze when it came to teaching them, unless we visited other peoples homes or are at Wal-mart. But with Lexi, excuse my southern vocabulary, THAT JUST AINT GONNA HAPPEN! I have now began removing night lights from the plugs, knick knacks, tables, etc. Yes, she MUST touch everything. Even the door stops that look like springs. She has managed to either unscrew them or take the white cap off and put them in her mouth.

She already takes after her Daddy... stubborn and strong-willed.

So This Is How It Goes...

2009-12-12T19:39:00.005-06:00

Lexi's world of discovery.... last week Scott and I worked really hard with Lexi to teach her how to crawl. Before she was getting around just by rolling. Well.... ummm.... that just wasn't good enough for Mom. Here I caught her traveling freely around downstairs.
Then suddenly, she looks to the right....
and to the left...
too late Mom... my eyes have traveled.
after Mom told me No, No...

My First Live Wreath..

2009-12-11T06:01:00.004-06:00

I splurged a little this Christmas and bought a live wreath.... but when you actually think about it, I guess it's really a dead wreath?

Let It Snow!

2009-12-08T11:20:00.004-06:00

This past Saturday morning we woke up to a nice surprise! Snow in December? Too early for Tennessee which is why the roads and sidewalks were wet.

.... but it was still a nice surprise.

A little chocolate goes A Long Way!

2009-12-01T02:45:00.007-06:00

Lexi and Alex's first chocolate pie.... Thanksgiving 2009

And then it turned into a fiasco... With Alex in Lexi's lap and chocolate all over his head. If you notice in the background, Bethany is looking on and giggling.And you may ask, where is Dad during all of this? On the couch watching TiV0'd shows.
And without a question, where is Mom? Taking pictures as I send Bethany after papertowels.\

Lexi Mex!

2009-12-01T02:36:00.004-06:00

A cute rhyming nickname Lexi has aquired! She has outgrown her infant tub and grown into Mom's big girl tub!

Really Mom... I'm not tired!

2009-12-01T02:29:00.003-06:00

Taken at 7:00 P.M.
And here's the classic from Matt; "What was that for?"

Family Night... In The New House

2009-11-21T19:19:00.006-06:00

When we lived in Georgia, this was a common event on Friday nights with our neighbors... hotdogs over the fire or homemade pizza, marshamallows on sticks.... yum! But this is the first for me to make smores. Oh my! That's all I can say! Wow! What have I been missing? My pictures are backwards, ofcourse but hey, you get the story right? Miss Lexi sittin with Daddy in front of the fire pit...

Our nice warm fire.... oh it was such a nice evening...

This was really the beginning of our evening... Alex taking a late nap.

Yes, I realize we still have stuff everywhere, but we've only been here a week.

Daddy working hard picking weeds and Smokey running from the camera...

Matt stacking wood for our nice evening.

Enjoying The Much Needed Space....

2009-11-20T13:18:00.004-06:00

Lexi really enjoys sitting in front of the door.

This was taken this morning about 5:30 a.m., no my children don't know what sleeping in means. As entertainment I handed Lexi a spatula in which she proceeded to beat Alex over the head with. Poor baby, she has been sick. She has allergies, surprise surprise, and her eyes have watered so much this past week that they are raw. Her nose is congested and she has an ear infection.

Hopefully I'll have more pictures later as we settle in more. The upstairs is a disaster, and that's really an understatement. Haha!

Settling In...

2009-11-17T05:45:00.003-06:00

We are officially in our new home. I didn't realize we had so much stuff. And I gave alot to goodwill BEFORE we moved. The paints on the wall and furniture is in place but it's still a mess. Alex's room looks like a tornado hit, pretty bad huh? I'm infamous for going into the kids rooms with trashbags when they fail to clean their rooms after being warned several times of my intentions. Alex was very worried yesterday about his messy room. First he tried to place blame on his friend who moved away, Hmmm..., then he looks at me and says "Mom, please don't bring a trash bag in my room. I promise I'll clean it." Hahaa! So funny!

I promise pictures soon!

Moving On...

2009-11-05T06:30:00.002-06:00

We have outgrown our home and constantly find ourselves tripping over each other. Downstairs I am always moving baby stuff from one side of the room to the other because there's nowhere to put anything. I feel cluttered. I feel like I live in a daycare when I look around my living room. So I'm happy to say that we're moving. I also say this with mixed feelings.

The home we're moving to is also our very good friend's home. They are moving away for job reasons. I am sad about their moving away but I am also happy for a change of scenery. As a Mom you know how hard it is to find and make other Mommy friends. You get so caught up in your own life and get busy playing house that you don't even notice that time has flown by and you haven't had a girls night out or spoke to your girlfriend in days. Alex will miss his little dirt bike, bicycle riding, mud playing, car noise making friend. So we are all losing our friends and neighbors. And if you know Scott... you know he will miss his friend. Good friends are just hard to come by.

But!!!! It's just an excuse now to have more playdate get togethers with our long distant friends!

Trick Or Treat, Smell My Feet...

2009-11-01T05:20:00.007-06:00

... Gimme ME Something Good To Eat!

So okay, I know that I'm slow posting.... so here's an extra long post from a week's worth of activites. Then you'll be tired of me. LOL!

On Thursday Alex's school had their Halloween festivities. I volunteered to hand out candy to the kids trick-or-treating in the hallway, but somehow got stuck on the games. But all is good, I got to see Alex in action!

Alex and his cute little classmates.... and his purrrfect Teacher. Oh BTW, Alex is the UPS guy in the front without the white undershirt.
All the pictures I have of Alex are blurred because he was zooming from one game to the other.Lexi the trooper as always....I'm down to three trick-or-treaters now. Matt was at Church performing in our yearly Halloween play "The Judgement". This year Matt played a demon. Amber spent the night with a friend from school. So that just leaves Bethany, Alex and Lexi.

Beth was my little 50's girl. Cute as a button! Alex is the infamous UPS man. I wouldn't let him deliver my packages, he'd open it first and try it out. And then we have Lexi the LadyBug.We tried for a pumpkin picture but Lexi was more interested in smacking the table.
All bundled up and ready to go! Earlier that day Alex and Lexi were playing together and I noticed the pumpkin on Lexi's head. Alex thought it was funny that she could balance it. Too cute! I had to get a picture.

Is it sliding? Nope! But as I got closer I noticed she had spit up all over her mouth. I didn't want to chance not getting a picture by wiping it off.

Sneak Peak....

2009-10-31T06:40:00.003-05:00

This was an early dress up for an early halloween party.... can't wait for tonight!

Not So Wild About Where The Wild Things Are...

2009-10-25T17:33:00.003-05:00

I was so excited this weekend to take the kids to the movies, which is something we rarely do because of the cost just to get in let alone popcorn and drinks for everybody. Alex was hyped to see this movie because we just love the book. Somewhere halfway into the movie, Alex lost all interest. So I quietly left with Alex and Lexi. We goofed around the lobby for about 20 or 30 more minutes to find three more kids wandering out of the theater. "Mom the movie is so boring, can we go?" Since when do kids say that? I was so disapointed in the movie, the previews made it out to be so good, but it was so bad. Max was a horrible brat who disrespected his Mother and had anger management issues. The monsters needed to be on prozac or some sort of anti-deppressant. Needless to say, I wasted alot of money to not make it through half the movie.

Not that I'm a movie expert, but I say, don't waste your money to go see this one. I won't even rent it or buy it when it comes out.

Oh So Many Bubbles!

2009-10-06T10:02:00.003-05:00

Lexi's first bath in the kitchen sink. And she had a blast! So much easier than bending over in my humongous tub.

She had so much fun that she started screaming when I got her out. That's a first.

My Little Big Girl...

2009-10-01T13:02:00.003-05:00

Lexi's now big enough for a highchair... feedings were becoming very messy in the bouncy seat. I didn't get the pink and brown one I wanted :( but I guess this one will do. She loves to eat in her high chair. Here she just finished scarfing down a jar of carrots. Yum.... gag! Ofcourse she looks so tiny in this picture, I guess she really is. But she seems big to me. She's little miss independant already. We are almost sitting up alone until she gets side tracked and gets all excited then she nose dives into the carpet. Poor baby. I can't walk away anymore and leave her in one spot, because off she goes, rolling to wherever her little heart desires.
And Matt, remember him? He's the tall hairy due hiding behind the fat hairy cat.

An Apple A Day Keeps The Doctor Away...

2009-09-23T09:44:00.003-05:00

... oh how I wish that were true! I have slept the past two nights on the couch with a sick Alex. His asthma flared up again so we are up and down all night giving breathing treatments and medicine. He takes it all in good stride though. He knows when he's coughing that he needs his meds. And when he gets like this it's very common for him to cough until he gags himself and throws up. Such a big boy, he would climb off the couch and crawl over to the makeshift trashcan I made for him and throw up and get back on the couch saying "I'm ok Mom, I just had to puke." Sigh...

Lexi also had her 6 Mos checkup. She has lost 8 ounces, which I kind of expected it seeing that it's hard to get her to finish a bottle now. And all she wants is food. Poor thing got 4 shots including one of the two flu shots that she needs.

All the kids are growing so much. Amber is becoming the normal grouchy teenager, Matt is ready to get out on his own. Bethany is still Bethany.

The Case Of The Missing Three Year Old...

2009-09-17T14:29:00.003-05:00

Found him...

Alex loves his baby sister, so much that when she's asleep he gets to missing her and will sneak into her bed. This is usually what I find when he's disappeared.

Sweet Daddy....

2009-09-16T08:37:00.003-05:00

Genetics are amazing....

I had my Mother In Law send me some pictures of my husband, Scott, when he was little. I'm trying to put some things together for the kids in their baby books. I have never saw a picture of him younger than a teenager.

Scott at 4 years, resembles Alex so much. I also see Alyssa here too.

Scott at 4 mos, looks like Lexi.

And here, wow, I have a picture of Alex lying in his bed and the resemblence is amazing! Alex thought this was him.

I guess I'll never have any children that look like me. Thank goodness I had a procedure done to ensure that!

Roll Away Baby....

2009-09-11T05:42:00.003-05:00

That's my baby. She now rolls everywhere. I no longer can leave Lexi in the room by herself, when I come back she's not where I left her. Sadly those days are long gone. I wonder if she's going to learn to crawl or will she roll her way everywhere?

Our Long Weekend...

2009-09-10T08:20:00.004-05:00

We did absolutely nothing exciting. We didn't even grill. This will be the first Labor Day we didn't do that. But here's some cute pics of some of the kids from the weekend.

Daddy is shopping for a car on Craigslist and Lexi decided she needed to put her two cents worth in...
Amber spent most of Labor Day doing homework on the computer, she always waits until the last minute to do it. She's doing fairly well this year in school. Alot better than last year. There may be hope yet...

"Mom, there's Maggots in the kitchen" No, I don't really have maggots in my kitchen but that's what Alex calls the magnets on the fridge and the dishwasher and the stove and whatever else he finds to stick them to... so annoying.

Poor Lexi has had allergies all week, here she is in all her glory with a snotty nose and watery eyes, her poor skin around her eyes were all raw where they watered too much.

She loves her exersaucer, and look, it's pink!

And there's none of Matt because he was either in his room playing video games or at the neighbors playing video games...

Bethany stayed at her friends house down the street all day playing also...

That was how our long weekend went, how was yours?

Dirt Bike City...

2009-09-04T08:02:00.003-05:00

Alex got his first dirt bike...

First Day...

2009-09-01T09:59:00.005-05:00

All grown up and ready to go out on his own... but I'm not ready.

Today marks the first day of Alex's school career, MDO is to be taken seriously. It gives sanity back to the Mom's and freedom to the little sisters who are tortured by their big brothers.

Hammin it up for Mom.

Alex and his little buddy Mason.

Bye Mom... Alex is in the far left corner of the room ignoring me.

Playing In The Mud...

2009-08-23T12:42:00.003-05:00

You'd think from the title of this post that I'd be talking about my kids. Nope. I'm talking about my big kid Scott and all his toys. He now has a dirt bike to add to his crotch bike. Or whatever it's called.

This past weekend was just beautiful here in Tennessee, so Scott and his friend took advantage of it by going dirt bike riding in the woods.

Alex is hoping to get one soon.

Dressed In Our Best...

2009-08-23T12:38:00.004-05:00

I love to play dress up with Lexi. So girly! This is my favorite dress that she has and she just had to wear it again for Church before she outgrows it. Needless to say her little white dress shoes are too small. Big surprise for me when I tried to squeeze her feet in them.

Amazing Differences...

2009-08-23T12:34:00.003-05:00

Amazing how we are all unique in our own different ways. Some of us are taller, shorter, rounder, skinnier, etc.

I was so amazed at the difference between these two baby's I had to take a picture. This is Lexi on my right knee who is 5 months old and on my left knee is another baby who is also 5 months old. I see basketball in her future!

Big Wheels Keep On Rollin....

2009-08-19T05:23:00.003-05:00

As I've mentioned a thousand times before, I love free.

Daddy came home with this super Kawasaki Power Wheels. Someone just left it sitting in a Lowe's parking lot. Alex hopped on it and has been non-stop ever since. With a little tinkering we figured out how to charge it without a Power Wheels charger.

Then I caught Lexi hitching a ride with her big bro.

Keep On Rollin...

2009-08-14T11:19:00.003-05:00

I wish I had a picture for you but my camera is dead. Lexi is almost 5 months and she's rolling from her front to her back. She almost can go from back to front. I'm several weeks behind posting this because of my "oh so busy life" Yeah right.

I was also informed by an anymous blogger friend that I wasn't their blog friend anymore because I don't post. Don't worry, I hereby swear to post almost daily about my boring life.

Hope you all had a wonderful summer, my kids are all back in school now and Alex starts in September to MDO. So excited!

Home Again...

2009-08-03T09:03:00.004-05:00

Lexi's 4 Month Checkup...

2009-07-30T07:48:00.003-05:00

Lexi just had her 4 month checkup. They grow so fast! She's 12.10 and we couldn't get the length right because she was fighting so hard. She's already experiencing separation anxiety from me. Definately a Mommy's girl. And the stranger awareness thing, woah, don't look at her or speak to her because she will start screaming. Geesh!

So here's a cute pic of my two youngest hanging out on my bed.

Oh Where Is My Hairbrush?

2009-07-20T19:46:00.002-05:00

MIA, that's me. Long time no post.

So for the record, I honestly haven't felt up to posting anything. I started some new medications after I had my Esure procedure done and I have physically felt horrible. We won't talk about the mental part. But I'm feeling much better now.

So your wondering what my problem is? Depression. I don't know why it has happened to me, but it just has. For a long time. I've actually came to terms with the fact that I may have to take medicine for the rest of my life, and I'm ok with that. Why do I get depressed? I don't know. There is absolutely nothing in my life right now to make me feel that way. After I had Lexi it just kind of went downhill with the post pardum, I should have never stopped taking my medicine. My anxiety came back and my anti-people problem started again. Sometimes I just don't like people, well I should say I don't like to be around people. I could go days without talking to anyone.

So I've smeared my personal life across the internet. Probably shouldn't have, but there may be another person out there who struggles with the same thing and just may need to know they aren't alone.