Sigh...

Sigh, My lovely Maiden Of Virtue eating candy and making the rocks pop....

What About Bob???

Bob just got 2 new fish-lings. Yesterday Noah and Daddy went to the pet store and brought home a domino fish and a yellow and blue fish. We named them Oreo and tiny-tim. Bob is currently suffering from "only child" syndrome. He is biting and hitting and fighting. Bob is about to get a time out in a holding tank. We are currently under fish control to try and correct Bobs bad behavior. Tomorrow its time for a water change, perhaps a fresh,clean tank is all he needs to get his act straight.! One can only hope...

Happy 3Rd Birthday Noah!!

Grosgrain: The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

Grosgrain: The Conservatory Overcoat GIVEAWAY!!!!

GapGirl would look my-t-fine in this too!!!! Sigh... I can dream!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

Blushing Buttercream Pettiskirt GIVEAWAY!!!!

GASP!!! How wonderful will this skirt be at our Tuesday Teas!!! Check it out!

Gosalia

Gosa-who?? That was one of the first things I blurted out the day Hannah kept telling me about someone named Gosalia. She was very excited to fill me in on everything she learned in Impact girls that wednesday night.

 "Are you sure thats her name? Where is she from?" I asked. 

 She continued to excitedly tell me about this poor girl in another country who has no mom or dad. She is poor! She hardly has food. Hannah talked about this little girl Gosalia. She took her favorite purse and a sharpie and created a collection for her. Inside was all the money Hannah had that day. Whenever she found change, she added that to her purse. I found Gosalia's name written on out school board under our prayer list. When we ate dinner, she thought of how her new "friend" did not have any meals like ours to eat. We prayed for her in the morning and at night. We talked about how her life could be.

 Finally wednesday night came and it was time to head to church. I found Hannahs leader and began telling her that Hannah had earned over $5 to donate towards "Coins for KIDS." I began telling her how much she cared for this little girl and how she will continue saving money to help her. I found myself crying like a blubbering fool. You see, I know my daughter and I know her heart. This kind of love and caring is typical. She is forever wanting to help someone else in need. She is always thinking of ways she can make someone's day a bit brighter. She has a true Servants heart. It dawned on me that God has a very special plan for my little girl. A plan that might take her far away from her safe home. Wherever God sends her, I know she will be safe because He is leading the way.

 In our Homeschool routine, we regularly pray for this little girl who lives in India. She has no parents nearby and resides in an orphanage. Her parents can't afford her. Missionaries have been warned about the severe violence going on and many missions trips have been cancelled due to the severe instability of their country right now.

 Its so important that we teach our children about the world. Americans are truly spoiled little children who value lcd screens over human suffering. If only we were able to see the world as it really is. We pray for these missionaries all over our world who risk their lives and families to help those in need. Many Christian missionaries are being killed and persecuted for their faith and beliefs. But their work continues. They have a message of HOPE to bring to the lost and hurting and nothing in this world can ever stop them. Please remember to pray for them as well and always be thankful for the life you lead.

I'm...

In deep thought. Getting ready to start our traditional Tuesday teas... or after tuesday, it will be traditional. We will dress up, act goofy, drink "high" tea with our fancy cups and discuss Christian Femininity, Virtue, Table manners and a Proverbs 31 woman. I am also buying "Raising Maidens of Virtue" by Stacy McDonald and we will read and discuss together. The kids are sooo excited! I will add to our Tea gatherings every week as I shop at garage sales and thrift stores for those precious delicate tea cups.

 Some people may think this is old fashioned. The truth is... this is far from it. The term Lady has been around for centuries. Perhaps if girls today were taught to be ladies, act like ladies... well, you get my point. No, we should not be chained to the stove wearing pearls while vacuuming and checking on the pot roast. Pure Christian Femininity goes far above that. Its becoming what God created you to be. I encourage you to re-read Proverbs Chapter 31. Its short but oh so true. Its what I aspire to be every day. I often fail (my husband will agree =) But I pray that God will continue to mold me a little better every day. I will never reach perfection... not on earth, But I will try my best. I want to encourage my girls to seek the freedoms of living Proverbs 31. I want to teach my son the values of a woman and all her loveliness. I want him to seek a proverbs 31 wife and treat her as "Rubies." And most of all, I want them to see Proverbs 31 being lived in their home, thru their mother every day.

 For those of you who have daughters, or little sisters, friends. Pick up this book. Its an inspiring read!

 Oh and if you want to stop by... please do so on a Tuesday!!! Wear your frilliest dress, biggest hat and a tea cup. We would love to have you at our tea party and part of our chatter!!!

 I will be sure to post pictures of our newest adventure!

HELP... A Friend In Trouble!!!

Oh No!!! I just read that my blogger friend lost PickleChips... her beloved fat orange cat... and you know how much I love my furry feline friends, so in honor of Maisy-cakes and Phoebe who I had to bid-farewell to on 2007... please pray Picklechips comes home to her pink bed. Read about Picklechips adventures HERE

Thanks Aunt Cindy...

For Christmas my sister Cindy got Noah and Molly moon sand. They LOVE it!! A few days we broke it out in our back porch nd they played for hours. I think Noah even rolled around in it!! Needless to say he has a few grains of sand left and clean-up only took me 2 hours! Thanks Aunt Cindy!!

A Day In Lichtenfelt....

Yesterday was a gorgeous day around here. We had a bad case of cabin fever and I could not handle breaking up one more fight. The screaming had reached an all time high. It was time to hit the road. The west winds were blowing and my gypsy blood was activated. When spring winds blow a certain way I get the itch.... the itch to pack up the car and drive. I never have a destination... I just want to drive till I reach a foreign land. Back home I would drive out to Montauk and watched the ships.... Sometimes I would drive on the L.I.E... but would only be stopped by the fear of driving alone thru the city.

 Yesterday those winds were blowing. It was time to go. I called out to the kids to get in the van. We were leaving in 5 minutes!!! It was late in the day and domestic responsibilities stopped me from driving to the Red Rocks... so I settled for Lichtenfelt. Lichtenfelt is a cute little nursery that carried everything we would need to landscape our barren land. It was pretty empty so I set the kids free. They loved running thru all of the greenhouses and playing hide-and-go seek thru the bare trees. I took pictures of the shrubs and plants I wanted to buy and sporadically counted the kids.

 Before long it was time to go. As we headed for the entrance Emma squealed with delight. 

" Look Mom!!!" her voice could not hide her excitement. She found a "Secret Garden" that had hidden pathways. It was beautiful!! Breathtaking and so serene. In the middle of this green oasis lied a sandbox surrounded by old twisting vines still bare from winter. The kids enjoyed playing for a bit and I sat there listening to the fountains. 

 Soon we were off again running thru the "forest." Crocus were creeping up from the ground and I imagined how beautiful this would be in full bloom.

 I was so glad to capture this moment with my kids on camera. My tummy growled which instantly snapped me back into reality. It was time to head home. My driving adventures would have to wait until the west winds blew again. 

 Perhaps I should research a destination? Prepare for next time? Someplace the kids could run free...

 But that might take the adventure out of it, after all, you never know where the west winds blows...

"Bad" Babies...

Constant screaming and yelling and fighting over outdoor toys led to plenty of "fence time " today. Time out after time out. My poor neighbors can't handle the noise level coming from our property.

 Of coarse my little Miss Muffet was and angel. Even with the others in time out, she wanted to be in on the action....

*** No kids were hurt making this blog;)***

To The Air We Go.... Perhaps???

Right after my hubby and I systematically spend our tax return, we start our list for the next years sweet rewards. We have an ongoing list taped to the inside of our pantry closet and cross off what we did/save/bought and blew! Its rewarding and exciting and depressing all at the same time. This years main goals were:

1) FENCE check

2)GARAGE FREEZER check

3) X AMOUNT IN SAVINGS check

4) HOA DUES PAID IN FULL check

 and a few other things we managed to do and save for. 

 This got us thinking...Hmmm??? What can GapGirl's family do with next years return? We have accomplished so much. We purchased many big items, whats left? We sat around the table and it suddenly hit us!!! UTAH!! WE CAN VISIT OUR FAMILY IN UTAH!!!

Jason jumped on the computer and checked out airline tickets. After I regained consciousness from the astronomical price of SEVEN airline tickets, we came to the conclusion it would be worth it!!!  How exciting to pack up the kids, run thru airports and see family for a while.

 Our imaginations were wild. Our kids were older and so much more portable... oh the fun we could have!! We could show them the great Salt lake, the Rocky Mountains, Perhaps Idaho or even Yellowstone National Park...(only 5 hours away) dig for dinosaur fossils, see Buffalo and have a great time with family.

 "Its not a definite..." my husband kept saying. He is right, our big black van is getting old and very high in miles. We need to save up for a van, but I can see the gleam in his eyes....He would love to see his brother, his sister-in-law and that darling nephew. There are many issues to work out, after all I do have 5 kids to plan for and ALOT of saving to do...plus the car issue,sleeping,and all that jazz. Oh, and most importantly...I can't forget to ask my brother-in-law and Sister-in-law if it would be ok if we came next year and stayed with them ;)

....Krissy, do you think you would mind??? Hee hee. Its a good thing they do love us and read my blog as well....

 Its just a passing thought, a very good passing thought and with a lot of hard work, prayer and planning I'm sure I can convince the mister its a must AND make it happen.

Can you picture it??...GapGirl out in the wilderness... This calls for a new outfit! Something woods-y of coarse.... Watch out Utah.... We are coming!!!!!..... maybe....

Check out my new poll.......

Pictures....

Im on a mission for the next few months. On my computer I have over 6000 pictures stored from the last 1.5 years we have lived here. Its time I start compiling all of my pictures and making pretty albums for my kids to enjoy now... and when they get older. The scrapbooking bug never really hit me. I have tried a few pages years ago but the phenomenon just seemed to just pass over my head. I prefer good ol fashioned pretty flowery fabric albums.

 I also have a garage full of prints that need a good home. I can't wait. I love nothing more than sorting thru pictures of my family!!!! I will post pictures and keep you updated on my future projects!

Being Rich While The Economy Is Poor!

I was on my Mommy Board again (yes, I have yet to be kicked off...AMAZING!) and someone posted a link to a womans blog. She has a challenge for her family NOT to spend a penny extra for the month of February outside of the normal grocery/utility/bill budget. Its getting a bit of attention... Some moms commented on how they could not give up this or that or the other... It reminded me of an article I had just received in my inbox from one of my favorite families...(besides mine.) It was refreshing to read that some people, besides us, are always creative and smart with their money even during economic prosperity. Families that border on the larger size, like mine will truly enjoy their words. So hit THIS LINK and enjoy!!!

Bows Bows And MORE Bows...

Boy, am I in trouble!!! Today I went to Switch-a-roo's consignment sale. Its one of the finest sales in the upstate. I met my DiscoDiva there and we danced and shopped our way around the convention center. What Is a consignment sale you ask? I have no proper words to explain... it has to be experienced. In short, women sell their gently used childrens clothing,shoes,hats and toys and other women buy them. This whole world of consigning is new to me as NY DOES NOT offer any such thing. But in the South its as common as going to the movies... and a great way to get those highly coveted boutique dresses for half the price!!!

 Along with clothes and toys, several boutique vendors were set up. They had specialty handmade dresses,bows and bows and more bows, the cutest purses in the world AND specialty cakes and treats. I gathered business cards from all and chatted with some owners. I lost DiscoDiva at "Missy May's" Polk-a-dot Monogram booth. Little Miss Lilah now has the cutest dress in the world personalized just for her!!! I hogged up the bow booth where I drove the poor owner crazy trying to decide how many/what color/what pattern/what size to buy. My results are above... a few more to add to my collection. I believe my bow total is easily over 35 and rapidly growing.

 After that, I set my older girls loose. They were just dying to start shopping. I scored some awesome deals and only had to elbow a few women in my path ;). All my years of shopping finally paid off. I am able to scan the shelves and snatch up the cutest pink smock dresses faster than a frog catches a fly!!! Im proud.

 The lines are insane but we women wait and wait to purchase our treasures!!! The sale goes until Sunday afternoon. I highly recommend going. You won't be disappointed 

Be sure to check out KELLI'S HOUSE for more show and tells!!

A Bittersweet Day

 Today at church my hubby and I found out some bittersweet news. A very dear family who are very close to our hearts are moving far away. These people are not just sweet but awe-inspiring, devoted, Godly, gentle and such encouragement. They have 6 beautiful children, are actively involved in ministry, home-school and are involved in missions. In between giving birth and schooling the kids they travel to Sri Lanka for missions and head up our church's Royal Ranger ministry.

 Chris has been out of work for some time now. They relied on God and of coarse He has been more than faithful. They knew God was leading them somewhere but had no clue where.  (we knew too ;(( ) Jeannie even started packing the house while waiting for God to reveal His will for them.

 Well, God has again been faithful to them and they are off to Alaska. Chris got a full time Pastor position. Is he a pastor you ask?? NOO But the Assembly of God in Alaska will train him, give him all his credentials AND provide a parsonage for them... along with paying all moving expenses in full. Wow. For anyone knowing anything about the Assembly Of God knows this is unheard of. Most certainly Gods hand.

 They leave in a month and will be terribly missed. We were kindred spirits who shared the same thoughts and dreams for our families. We were instantly bonded due to family size and discussions on pregnancy. I am extremely happy for them though. They were born to be in ministry. They have something so special and now they get to share that with the world. They will take a 10 day cross country trip to their new home... if  their new church family only knew what amazing people they are...