My Fence

This is what my yard looked like!! A big patch of grass stuck in the middle of the prairie... (not really but...) Today strange men are parading all over my yard putting in my wonderful fence. I am SOOOO EXCITED! Who knew that a few pieces of wood could make me so happy. We will finally have our own private piece of the world where roses and wistera can grow wild!! Hydrangia bushes, daisies and sunflowers are being planted in my mind! I will have my own secret garden filled with beautiful thing and fairies galore... (ok, im getting carried away. Im sure I will have beautiful flowers but the fairies will be replaced with dirty kids picking the beautiful flowers.)

Anyway, I will be sure to keep you posted on the progress.

Many Thanks to PROCARE SERVICES for doing a marvelous Job ;)

John 2

In John 2:1-11 Jesus turned the water into wine at a wedding at Cana in Galiliee. I found it amazing that Jesus performed his first miraculous sign at a family celebration. He decided to  "Reveal His Glory, and His disciples put their faith in Him."  Thus began his divine 3 year ministry to preach the gospel.

 This story came to mind as I was pouring over these pictures taken last weekend. My sister and her family drove down from NY for a quick crazy visit. Even though our time was short, we celebrated over conversation and great home cooking... much like the wedding in Cana.(im presuming)

 What do these two have in common? Almost everything. Last Friday night we gathered and celebrated,laughed and talked. I could only imagine that the same thing was happening at that wedding feast almost 2 thousand years ago. Families came from far and wide to celebrate,laugh,eat and drink together. There was reminiscing... much like last weekend.

 At Cana, Jesus decided to reveal His glory for the very first time. A crucial moment in history. His glory can still be seen in the same way today. Where families come together and celebrate, Jesus's love shines. Take out your bibles and re-read this wonderful moment in history. Who ever said the bible is not relevant today?

Hang On...

Im having technical difficulties with my brain! I have been suffering from a HORRID sinus infection. Along with being in pain and thinking in dying, Im trying to move my eyes and get out of bed. I will be up and running as soon as possible. I have so much to blog about, (maybe thats whats hurting my brain?Hmmm) anyway, stay tuned.... And pray for a speedy recovery! xoxo

GapGirl

YAAAA GAPGIRL!!

I am SOOO excited to receive my very first blog award!!! And an awesome award it is!! Very GapGirl. A big heartfelt thanks to the fantabulous lady at PINK SLIPPERS for nominating me! Check out her great blog (and love of pink). Its a great peek inside the life of a sunny Cali-girl with 6 1/2 kids. 

 Now for the fun part of presenting the award to someone else..Hmmm I have a few in mind but shamefully enough I don't even visit 10 blogs? Whats a girl to do?? LAUNDRY!! I have to run. My sis is in the car driving down to NY to hang with me and my house is a wreck. I will come back when I can with my links and lists of those great blogs I chose!!! Stay tuned!!!!!

Upcountry Fun

Last week we took a Homeschooling field trip downtown to the Upcountry Museum. We have passed it all the time and always planned to go...one day. So, when we got the email about other HS families meeting up to hang and learn we of coarse said yes!

 This museum is only one of several. Its connected to the beautiful courtyard called Heritage Green and also gives you access to the downtown library, BJU Art Museum and the Childrens Interactive Museum (opening 09).

 We had such a fun day learning about the history of our area. Being born and raised in NY, the south contains a whole level of history I never dreamed of. This is just a start of many day trips and overnight trips we plan to take the kids on.

 This museum was exactly what we expected, grand, beautiful and full of Southern Charm!

Lions and Tigers and Dentists..Oh My!!

I have a big problem!! I have a cavity! I know I do, I can see it and feel it inside my mouth. What should I do??? I know I have to go to the Dentist but there has to be another remedy out there... somewhere...please?? 

 I researched dentists in my area and I broke out in sweats. I called a few offices and had to hold back the tears and when my husband called me to chat I broke down crying. I am certifiably nuts!! All due to a man in a white coat! I would rather go thru labor, have a c-section.... or both!

 My appt will have to wait a few days due to lack of child care but when I do go for the big drill Im aiming for sedation therapy. All the websites say if your a prime candidate then you won't remember anything. Thats exactly what I need! Please pray I can find what I need, be approved AND find lots of strength thru prayer to get me thru this very silly time. Am I the only one that suffers from this very silly fear??

Houston, We Have A Problem...

We have a problem in our home. Kindness has been a BIG issue and I have had it! Does anyone else have this problem? Yelling,screaming,nasty looks,nasty tones, sour attitudes and selfishness. I have even heard the horrid..."shut up" being thrown around too.  Im so saddened and angry. This behavior must stop and it must stop NOW!!! 

 Solution??? We started a Fruits of the Spirit study in our home school lesson based on the infamous Galations verse. We started with kindness. We talked about what it means biblically, what the dictionary has to say and different verses that reference Kindness. We also listed words out of the Thesaurus that also represent kindness and ways we can show it in our home. I explained to all 5 of the kids (even though only 3 really understand) why we started this lesson, why my heart was saddened and what we could do to improve this. I also made up a kindness chart. When someone else "catches" you being kind to another family or friend they "nominate" you for a purple square. It has to be an act that normally would be reciprocated with a nasty look or anger. They explain to me why that person should get a purple square and then if its approved then they get to color it in. The person with THE MOST colored squares by their name by Valentine's day, gets a special date with either Mom or Dad. B-U-T if you get caught saying the words "Shut-up" to anyone, you get 2 black x's!!! 

 The kids were super excited about our new pep talk. They immediately scampered into the kitchen to start lunch and the kindness was being thrown all over, my marker was busy busy busy... Then I started noticing how quick my little munchkins are. Someone would "sneeze" and the other would respond..."bless you so and so..." then feet would run over to me screaming.." so and so needs a square." To resolve this issue I explained the difference between kindness, manners and common courtesy with examples. So far so good. As you can see by the chart we had one bad egg who wrapped up quite a few black x's... in one day. Im sure you can guess who that little character is. She is my work in progress. My masterpiece,  which might take a lifetime to finish... but when I do,  she will shine brighter than the sun.

Please be sure to visit KELLI'S House. Its Show and Tell Friday and there is so much to see=)))

Just My Thoughts...

Yesterday I came across THIS article on my moms message board. I read it and it just made me sad. Im not sure why it did and Im not even sure I dis-agree with it 100%. I clearly have a selfish all-about-me-side but when I put the words in this article against biblical truth, well... it baffles me.

 I guess having a "large" family, random people have a habit of coming up to you in public places and telling you the weirdest, most private things. Im used to this by now and no longer looked shocked when a perfect stranger insists on letting me know the details of her weak uterus or the fact that her decision NOT to pro-create was due to the secret countdown she had to leave her clueless husband.

 I also cannot begin to tell you how many older women (of all backgrounds) look at me and my brood with a distant dreamy smile. They tell me how they wished they had more, If only they had the wisdom that they had now back then, if only they didn't wait so long, if only... I hear many if onlys...

 Last year my resolution was to read the bible in its entirely. I failed miserably but came out more blessed than I ever imagined. I deeply studied  Genesis and part of Exodus. These are books I have grown up hearing about. There stories were nothing new to me but they were on the list so I read. Never could I imagine the lesson I learned those few short weeks. God revealed to me His true thoughts on children, His true thoughts on the purpose of life and what we were put on earth for. A God so rich and powerful, who placed the stars in the sky wherever He saw fit, who had the power and resources of anything in this universe CHOSE children as blessings. Children were considered the ULTIMATE gift. A King could have all the riches in the world, but if He had no descendants he was worthless. When God was happy with His believers He blessed them with babies, when they sinned and God became angry.... He closed their womb. Blessings from generation to generation were not land,cows,pigs,servants and riches (which were all important back then...) they were children. Blessings past down from father and son, from God to Abraham and Moses all contained the same key word.... Children,offspring. Page after page new revelations were revealed to me. I sat in bed and kept interrupting my husband telling him the newest information I found.

 Now we can fast forward a few thousand years. We have thrown out those God given blessings and replaced them with houses,cars,jobs,vacations. "I simply can't afford anymore." has become the newest catch phrase. I laugh because they then tell me about their million dollar vacation and their 3500 sq. ft house. They complain because they have a million places to take their kids to...dance class, football practice... then off to the boutique to pick up an $80 dress for pre-school.... "UGH" they reply... it just costs so much for clothing... as they buy $100 sneakers because someone says its cool to wear them.

 I wonder when did it all change? Was it a specific year? When did children become an overly expensive burden? When did people see that the size of their home mattered more than the size of filled chairs at their table?

 America is made for a family of 4!! If you have a boy and a girl then your really living the perfect american dream. Trips are made for 4, tables are made for 4, hotel rooms are made for 4. Look around you... anyone with more than 2 kids now have to plan their trip with a bit more effort. Throw a few more in there and forget about it.

 We laugh at other countries for putting limits on the kids they can have. Are we any better? Keeping up with the Jones's is far worse than obeying law right? Who picked the magical number 4 anyway? And when did this all come into place?

 Of coarse everyones circumstances differ, health reasons, death and so forth sometimes puts a big wrench in peoples plans... Im not speaking about them...

 I just sit here and think.

A GIANT Mistake!

I hang my head in shame as I write about the Giants defeat this past Sunday afternoon. The family was all geared up and ready for an exciting football day. Everyone found their Giants jerseys,t-shirts and hats and headed downstairs. Jason began frying the chicken wings and our mouths watered!!!

 At 1p.m the fun began... Jason watched and started screaming within the first ten minutes of the game. From that moment on the anger just kept on building. We ate the wings and shook our heads at all the stupid mistakes that were being made by our favorite (and lets face it...BEST) team!

 I couldn't watch it anymore and closed my eyes!! (ok, I napped) when I woke nothing had changed. Shamefully we lost. Our cell phones were going off like crazy, texts were filling up our inbox all containing the same bad news...all containing the same anger we felt. 

 Even though it was a sad day, we managed to have a good time with good food and great memories. We are packing up our GIANTS gear for next year and plan on adding to the collection. Will we change teams you wonder??? NEVER!! We are true BLUE New Yorkers at their best! Dirty air and speed (as in moving fast;) will forever run thru our veins. Next season we will unpack our jerseys, wear them with pride and scream the loudest on our block cheering on our home team to VICTORY!!!!

Need I Say More?

Fun Fun...

Nana's Christmas gift is assembled and running!! After an afternoon of putting it together in a very cold garage and almost killing himself getting it up the stairs, its being played with non-stop. Even I ended up in the kids room playing away forever. Thanks Nana...we are going to have FUN!! But of coarse now that its up and running all the kids can do is complain they want it back in the garage. Do you want to tell hubby?

Oh What A Night...

Last night we had a couple of friends over for a relaxing night of chatter and fun even though the real highlight of the night was the new Tv show..."Game in your head...."  What could make a crowd roar louder than a big black man trying to have a conversation with strangers while on a public potty? Ah, you had to see it to believe.

 DiscoDiva and her hubby along with the Bonfire Breens came over for a night of Fact or Crap. We ate, laughed and had some fun...(some more than others based on the pictures ;) Amy won the game based on her extensive knowledge of crap and I was purely shocked and secretly thrilled that my hubby actually participated. He is anti-board games but always surprises me in a group! Im so proud. I should have taken a picture of THAT! Maybe next time?

 Anyway we had some great conversation and laughs while the rain poured down. After everyone left I changed into my comfy p'j's and snuggled under my blanket on the couch to watch House Hunters and listen to the rain fall. Jason tapped away on the keyboard and I slowly drifted off to sleep...The perfect way to end a great night!

So Many New Things... So Little Time!!

Its been too long since my fingers have typed out a post. Shame on me!!! But I'm here now with plenty to tell!

 Today has been such a busy day... its payday and that means running around from store to store buying anything my budget allows. Don't get too excited... its mostly food but when I hit major sales (like I did today) I get a lot of extras.

 I could spend forever in front of the dollar bins at Target. I walked thru the doors and heard the trumpets sound!! Aisles of pink and red and green. I bought as much as I could, pink pencils, pink notecards,pink gift bags,pink  stickers and pink tea towels. I was in my glory!! Not only were the dollar bins great but the WHOLE store seemed to be on sale!! I found a super soft new blankie for Abigail. She has her favorite pink and brown one but is in need of something else. She rejects every blanket I put in her crib but I think I found one she will accept!! Its PINK, and has all sorts of girlie things on it and its super luxury soft. (see the pic). I also found the cutest PINK glitter sneakers for Molly...my..dun dun dun..."tomboy" gasp!! I know!! but we compromised and she was allowed to buy sneakers as long as they shined and sparkled. They were on clearance for $5!! The older girls are always in need of shoes so we hit the jackpot and they each got a cute pair and Noah got Batman pj's.. with a cape and all! SOOO cute. I forgot to take a picture of my new frilly apron. Its pink/green/blue floral AND polk-a-dot. 2 of my favorite prints. Now I can look super cute while I bake my heart cookies...

 Ok on to bigger and better things!! Tonight was our annual community meeting. Sadly only about 6 other families showed up. But we became acquainted and INVOLVED!! We want to know exactly what's going on, where our dues are going and what's being done to make this neighborhood safer and better!! By the time we left we made our presence known and Jason was voted VICE PRESIDENT of the board. I my dear friends am the committee director a.k.a (according to hubby) neighborhood party planner and busy body!! Watch out peoples GapGirl is now in charge of planning the parties WHOO-HOO!! Nothing like spending other peoples hard earned money for fun and games. No, I will plan all by the book but Im also in charge of all committees like neighborhood watch, yard sales, pool, flower and so forth. Im so excited. I already have plans to head up a "Yard-of-the-month" (which hubby already said he wants to win) and with my loverboy as VP im sure we can get it started. I am really interested in a neighborhood watch. I already am "in charge" of my own little court. Well, not really but I do go up to people and ask them what the heck they are doing on my block... its a start right? I also volunteered to help with the gardening at our entrance which sadly has been looking a little down. It needs the touch only GapGirl can give and if I have my way I can see some pink rose bushes arriving just in time for spring! How exciting! So we will be busy and I will be sure to post all the latest and greatest that will now be happening in my corner of the world. We are also looking forward to making new friends!

 Our family also welcomed another great addition today.... an air hockey table. Nana's Christmas gift card arrived and off we went to pick it up. Its still sitting in my foyer but tomorrow is the big day. I can't wait to have some friendly competition with the kids and see who becomes the master of the air!!

 January is turning out to be a very busy month for us. banana's big birthday is fastly approaching and its time to start planning the party!! Im co-hosting (with her) a cute game day party and Im hoping all her friends will be able to come! Im also hoping I can convince her to have a pink cake too.... we shall see.

 My sissy-lu might be coming that same weekend with her hubby and my nephew!! Yippie! Just in time to partake in my first soirée of the year. I miss her, its been way too long since the sisters have been in the same room to eat and chat and laugh.

 Well I must be off. Tomorrow Im off to various party stores to pick out supplies, then off to buy some hair bows for my girlies and then Im having some company over for snacks and games... a GapGirls work is just never done.

 I will be back soon, don't forget to stop by and say hi!!

Oh and I started potty training the boy!! Diego pull-ups,candy and lots of bribes. Pray for me, this one is gonna be a doozy!!

Fire-Away

New Years Eve was celebrated roasting by an open fire. The kids LOVED to see flames this close up and despite chilly temperatures we were all warm and cozy. We look forward to more bonfires at the Breens!

How do you like it??

I had to change up my blog a bit... you know, New Year, new hobbies and such... since I have been throwing myself head first into decorating and painting my home, I figured I would just dedicate my blog to all my new adventures. I have an old jelly cupboard that needs stripping and re-painting and all sorts of nifty projects headed my way... I will keep you posted!

Res-A-What???

Its a new year and with a new year comes new hopes and dreams. What are mine your wondering?? Well grab a cup of tea and get comfy, I have many things that have inspired me and I hope to accomplish this year. I WON'T make any resolutions but I will dream of...

1) painting every room in my home

2) finish decorating every room in my home!!

3)Finish reading my bible completely... i've been working on that one for a few years

4) become a better friend!! To my new ones and my old.. I mean "loved" ones

5) Throw an AWESOME 80's costume birthday soirée !!!

6) Go on a cruise

7) spend more time with my family... quality time....

8) Plant new rose bushes,sunflowers and lavender all around my home...

9)Stop Abigail from getting any bigger!!

10) Potty train papa

11) read read read read read.... so many good books, so little time

12) throw a fantabulous tea party.. its something im DYING to do!!

13) try to remove stick from neighbors....

14)love my neighbor....

15) plan a family vaca thats great!!

16) plant my veggie garden

17)build a chic birdhouse...(im not kidding!)

18)Lose all the weight that WON'T COME OFF!!! Darn those french fries with tartar sauce!

19)Nurse all my baby hosta plants back to life

20) Enjoy every second on this earth!!

 I would love to hear your hopes and dreams for this coming year!! I know its going to be GREAT, I can feel it in my bones and my bones NEVER lie!!

Pretty Pink Tea Party

Its show and tell at KELLI'S house!!! A cold friday afternoon was spent having high tea in the palace suite with 3 of my favorite little guests. Tea was served on princess plates and a handsome gentleman escorted two of the ladies. Pink hats, fancy dress and red pearls were worn.

 Chitter chatter followed along with local gossip and laughs. The afternoon ended with a brawl over some teacups and the tea party ended. We had a lot of fun though!