Pretty Princess

Here are a few pictures of our pretty princess. Im sure you'll agree that she is just the most beautiful Miss Muffet the world has ever known. Xoxox we love her!!!

My Preggo Project

The time has come for me to start painting again. For anyone that knows me, knows that when Im pregnant my paintbrushes come out. Not only do I crave every type of food under the sun, But I also get this insane, strong urge to spread color on every blank wall I get my hands on. My old house was pained every color I loved by the time I moved and I LOVED IT!!!

 My new house is perfect. Better than a blank canvas. So many colors and options to choose from. Jason and I spent time at Lowes this weekend sorting thru endless color displays. The kids gave their opinions and picked..I mean FOUGHT over which color to paint the upstairs bedrooms and bathroom. Molly of coarse wants orange. Orange walls, bedspread,hair,clothes. You name it and she wants it orange. Yuck! My least favorite color... But since she is so cute, I think the color is actually growing on me.

 Anyway, my walls are taped and spotted with all sorts of colors. In a few weeks I will pick the color that aggravates me the least and that will be the lucky winner!! (yes, I wrote aggravate. Im pregnant and weird. Deal) Jason and I will empty the walls and the time will come to smear color all over. I can't wait. I get giddy just thinking about it. I will keep you posted on the process. Until then wish me luck. I picked up about a thousand different choices and you all know that choices just aren't my thing! 

We Did It!!!

Well we made it! We drove up to NC and picked a bunch of apples. What fun!! It started off kinda bad. 2 Miles down the road a bee happened to fly into our van and stung Noah right on the leg. He was a screaming lunatic! We had no clue what happened, so I make my way back and see that he has the bee CAUGHT in his hand and he is STILL screaming. I yell at Jason to pull over and yell at Noah to let go (of coarse I should have grabbed it out of his hands but since I was so scared of the thing I kinda just swatted it... yeah nice mom I know) Anyway after a few minutes of trying to calm him down we were off. The drive was amazing and beautiful! Jason rigged the portable dvd player in the van so we could have some peace and quiet during the trip. Boy did that work!

 When we got to Skytop we had to turn onto their driveway... no one mentioned that their driveway was about 3 miles long going up at about an 80 degree angle. My poor black van... we thought she would never make it, but we did. We had a lovely time picking apples, climbing trees and eating juicy golden fruit. We stayed a few hours and pigged out on donuts and played on the playground. It was a great day! This saturday we will be headed up to another mountain for our church pig pickin. Yum I can't wait. An afternoon filled with fresh air and good eats. What could be better than that?

Twas The Night Before Apple Picking....

...And all through our house. The kiddies were screeching but not from a mouse!

 That kind of describes the mood our home had yesterday as I told all the kids that in the morning we would be headed up to NC to Mt. McAlpine to pick some fresh juicy apples from SkyTop Orchard. To be quite honest, I think Jason and I are more excited!! I can't wait. The weather is going to be cool and crisp, the sun will be shining and our bellies will be ready! 

 The kids excitement spilled out into the street last night as they played and chased the neighbors up and down our street. Our air had a bit of crisp fall coolness in it and all our neighbors were out enjoying the breeze. We chatted and laughed. The babies were thrilled to be able to finally run up and down the street with the big kids.

 Bedtime rolled around and all I heard was... "I can't sleep mommy,Im too excited about tomorrow..."

 Tomorrow is here and we are ready!! (ok, we are not but we are headed in that direction!!) Jason is making me a nice egg breakfast, Hannah is finishing her math at the table and I will start packing the picnic as soon as possible. In two hours this train will be headed up, up, up to the sky...(ok maybe just a few thousand  feet but thats still high!) Lets hope the kids don't drive us crazy on the ride up. Watch out apples... we are coming!!!

Did You Know...

That today is National Constitution Day? On September 17th, 1787 The Constitution Of The United States was officially signed by our founding fathers...

 Did you know where it was signed? Do you know who signed it? What it actually is? Or why it was written??

 We DO!!! We learned all about that lovely document this afternoon. We learned about the articles, the Bill of Rights and what exactly that means. We remembered the other countries that don't have the freedoms we do. My childrens eyes were literally wide open as I told them stories about people who do not have freedom of religion. I explained to them how christians in some other countries have to hide and are killed just for worshiping God. We talked about what Founding Fathers meant and what they did "find." Who they were and how blessed we were to have them.

 I won't give you the answers. Its more fun for you to look them up yourselves. My children have an assignment due tomorrow. They are upstairs in their room right now writing their very own Constitution. A Constitution for our home, explaining our "government" and even includes their own "bill of rights" (a.k.a rights of the kids) They must end it with a family life goal based on values in our home. I hope they remembered everything that we discussed today. I can't wait to see what their brains come up with. I will be sure to let you know!!!

My Football Boys

This weekend was full of Football. When not screaming for the SC GAMECOCKS Jason is an avid and loyal fans of one of the best teams in the nation...The NY GIANTS!!! He wears his jersey proud on game days and is teaching his son to do the same. "Daddy Football, Football...." Thats what Noah screamed when Jay turned on the game. Emma went and got his jersey and Jason could not put it on him fast enough. Living in the south we don't get NY games very often so Jason subscribed to the football package on direct tv. Lucky me. My weekends now consist of every game in the known universe. He can even watch 6 at once. Oh joy!!

 This past weekend was not different. Our beloved GAMECOCKS lost... much to Jasons disproval. They are currently being punished... No flag outside our car window. On a brighter note, our GIANTS won! complete victory. Yells and screams in our home were not in vain. 

 A GAMECOCKS jersey is in the mail... any day another one will show up at our door and will be worn on weekends. Even Abby has her GAMECOCKS bow. (Jason said it was because she took her bow off that they lost) Next week I will be sure all kids are wearing their proper colors.

 Besides our weekend of football, life in our home was quiet and peaceful. Church was great and dinners were yummy. As usual time flew and now we are back to mondays...school work at the kitchen table, 4 loads of laundry that need cleaning and dirty bathrooms abound. What fun mondays bring!!!

Daily Schedules and Stuff....

Here are a few charts we have hanging on our kitchen wall. People always wonder how I manage a house with 5 kids and a hubby. Well here is a glimpse. Its a team effort! Everyone does their share. SOme kids are too little to help(like Abby-girl) and some need a little more "direction" in listening (MOLLY!) but together we get the jobs done.

 Chart #1 is our chore chart. Its followed every day and I make sure they get done. I have to re direct Molly and remind the older girls but all in all the chart really is a success. its color coded so their is NO EXCUSE! And if chores are forgotten, they lose privileges. Most of the chores are done in the A.M after breakfast and before school. Other chores are thrown in as needed. A lot of help is needed to keep this home neat and tidy and clean. Of coarse if we have something else planned for the day then we get them done as soon as we are home and settled.

 Chart #2 is our home schooling chart. I don't have times blocked out like last years chart... for a good reason. I don't want to be rushed teaching and I don't want the kids being rushed learning. If grammar or math takes a little longer one day and shorter the next then we re adjust. Its just a simple basic goal chart so the kids know what's coming next and they have a basic sense of order. Its not "written" in stone and can be thrown out for special event days and such.

 Chart #3 is a list of some really good thinking questions I found on the internet. Its great to re-read them and discuss them with the kids. Some words are large and need explaining but every few months we go over them again. I enjoy hearing how their answers change... especially with the little ones. These are questions I would always like them to have in the back of their minds as they go about their business.

 Thats about it for now. Just some of my "secrets" to managing my home. I would love to hear feedback on how others manage theirs!!!

Craig's List

Im new to the world of Craig's list. I just recently decided to really take a look and see what people in my area have to offer. All I can say is... OH MY!!! I can't believe it. Im hooked... even more than facebook!! I sit on the stool at our bartop and just read the listings. I drive Jason crazy..." Hey Hon.. someone is selling a PYGMY GOAT for ONLY $50!!! Wow I would LOVE a pigmy goat"

"Hey Jay... so and so in Duncan is giving away 3 dogs, a rooster AND haybails for $5. Now THATS a bargain."

 He just laughs or shakes his head. He kindly reminds me that I would kill the rooster within 2 seconds of its early morning crowing. He's right, its true. Im not very animal friendly when im bothered and pregnant. Just ask my cats... oh wait. We don't have any... SEE!!!

 We don't need hay bails until October and we would most certainly get written up for the goats. I hate it when he is right.

 So I click on the games and toys. PSII and XBOX are hot on the list, along with guitar hero and littlest pet shops. I get bored and move back to farm equipment. Thats the stuff that really interests me. For just a few thousand  dollars we could buy everything we need to run our own plot!! Very tempting. If only we actually owned land and trees bigger than a large q-tip. Oh well. A girl can dream. I remind Jay of our dream when living in NY..."Remember hun... our own 40 acres and a mule?"

"Yeah yeah..."

"I still think we should move on a farm." I reply as I turn up the air because I hate the heat. Yup farm living is just what we need!!!

Manic Mondays...

Mondays just are not fun! No matter how you look at it they stink. Mondays have a certain feel to them. Don't you agree?? The house has weekend dirt around, your body just can't move as fast as a tuesday or thursday and time seems to last twice as long.

 Today is no different in my home. We had such a great weekend together. Now its sad to see it all end. Nothing spectacular was done, just hanging out but it just seemed really nice. Now to pick up the pieces and get this week started. Already I realized my library program is two hours earlier than originally thought. Now my dinner plans will have to be revised and updated. Joy!!

 On a lighter note, Jason finally put the full size bed up in Hannah's room. She was thrilled as was Papa who thought he was moving in! He followed Jason into the girls room dragging his pillow,blankie and doggie. His screeches of delight were heartbreaking. He finally thought he was allowed to officially stay in the room. Once bedtime came and we attempted to put him to bed in his own room he just crumpled. His hands covered his face, he sunk to the floor and silently wept. Hannah could not resist and before long he was tucked in her bed right beside his favorite toys. You could not imagine a happier little boy.

 The new year of homegroups  started this weekend. We gathered at our church for dinner and fellowship. The kids junked out on cookies and cake and we were able to get a few sentences of adult conversation. SO nice. 4 women in our group including myself are expecting. That makes 8 women in our church... so far. The numbers keep growing.

 My pool part was a success! The pool was open and empty! We enjoyed 3 hours of splashing and playing. My kids were beyond pruned when done. To be honest though, im sick and tired of the pool. In my mind im in sweaters drinking hot cocoa.

 Im off. I must continue with home schooling today. This monday is very strange. I can even feel it in my blog! I can't wait for the weekend!!!

P.S. I bought a lot of really cute bows this weekend... I will post more pictures later! I also will be buying more next week. I can't wait!!!!!

What September Means To Me:

~September~

We made ourselves a castle
Once after school was out;
We raked the leaves together
To wall it all about.

We made a winding pathway
Down to the school-yard gate.
And there we worked with might and main
Until the day grew late;

Until one bright star twinkled
Above the maple tree,
And lights shone down on village street
As far as we could see.

We planned that every recess
We'd come out there to play,
But in the night it blew so hard
Our castle blew away.
K. Pyle

More to Write About...

Ok, I can't help it. Im FINALLY having a "good day" and feel like blogging my heart out. This is my THIRD post of the day!!! Insane. But I can't help it. My brain finally feels like its working again. After endless weeks of laying on the couch and horrible morning sickness I feel life entering my body. I can't guarantee what tomorrow brings but until then I will do what I can.

 Friday is another big shopping day for us. Jason so kindly requested the day off to help me. Im usually not the type that needs help or likes to ask for help BUT since getting dressed seems like a major feat... i'll take it! Im posting my shopping list in knowing if i publicly write it I won't lose it! Smart huh? My house needs some major de-cluttering and TLC so less paper is GREAT!

 Im not going to bore you with boring details on every piece of bread and bean I buy. But my list of extras are LONG! First stop:

Wal-mart:

1) Look for pretty foyer basket to hold excess shoes and flip flops

2) Need new garbage can. Ours is UGLY and never holds the bag correctly

3) Fall decor... a pumpkin or wreath or something fall-y for the house. (YIPPIEEE)

4)Look at bathroom decor for Powder room (Yes, it really is called a powder room... check the floor plans) I need wall decor, another bath mat and garbage can...rust/maroon/brushed bonze colors

5)Harvest kitchen towels... just because they are so pretty!

Jordan's Closet:

1) More hair bows for my girls in all colors including stripes and polk-a-dots. Need to add to my collection and feed my latest addiction

Hobby Lobby:

*** Must print 2 40% off coupons for my purchase***

1) Small wooden shelf with small bar on it

2) Small bottle white craft paint

3) Pink/green/brown ribbon

(this is so I can make a new bow holder for the girls room =)

4) Another harvest candle... mine is almost all done. It makes the house smell SOOO nice

AC MOORE:

*** Print out 2 40% off coupons for my purchase***

1) If no basket is found at wal-mart then check here!

2) Pumpkin sachets for bathroom.(I buy them every year here and the smell lasts forever)

3)Small magnetic pad for near the phone.

LOWES/HOME DEPOT

1) Price fire place guards and tools.

COUNTRY BOY'S:

1) Since my dear sweet hubby is coming with me, maybe he will treat me to some type of awesome country chicken that Country boy's sell so I can put it on top of my cabinets to start my nice beautiful collection... hint hint. One can  hope right?  ;)

Thats all I can think of for now. I know there is more. I will add as I remember. Right now I must prepare my pork roast for the oven and clean my messy kitchen. Tomorrow is a busy day. Im hosting a back-to-school-splish splash party at my pool for all of our homeschool families at our church. I hope the pool is still open!!! Otherwise I will have lots of unhappy kids. Ooppss! I 

Check It Out

Check out my super cool family portrait at the bottom of my page. Cute huh? Im adding a bunch of other stuff so feel free to look around =))

Our September 1St Apple Pie

Every year on September 1st the smells of a home made apple pie can be smelled coming from our home. This tradition was started very early in my marriage after a long summer and a strong yearning for fall. September to me, means pumpkins, cool mornings, changing leaves and APPLES!!! Apple Pie is our family favorite! We look forward to September 1st as the official start of apple season in my home. This year was no different. A delicious pie was baked, and topped off with whipped cream and ice cream. After we ate our hearts out we went outside and had relay races back and forth in the yard. They ran off all their sugar and Jason and I enjoyed the show.

 Next year we will have to graduate to 2 pies. One is just not enough anymore. There will be many more pies baked between now and Thanksgiving. Apples on the trees are no longer safe. We are headed up to the mountains to pick some juicy fruit very soon. Each child will be handed a bag and off they will go... running thru the orchard. They will come back to us with their bags bursting... their little arms straining to hold their heavy treasure. They will have sticky hands and juicy mouths and tons of memories to last a lifetime. I LOVE September 1st!

There Is Another One Coming...

 Strange title for announcing such a happy occasion huh? Well it corresponds quite nicely to the responses I have been getting on the upcoming birth of baby #6. Jason and I are excited about the new baby, the kids are beyond thrilled!!... other people on the other hand, have not been as enthusiastic.  Some reactions have been...

"Ump?"

"Gee..."

"Don't you people have a t.v.?"

"I think 6 is too many..."

"You know you did have a choice.."

 "Im going to come down there and personally chop your hubby's...."

  How nice.