Blaze-in' On: Life On a Wanna-Be Farm

Spoiled Chickens

2012-02-29T15:32:00.001-05:00

I see this every time I open the back door and if they aren't already there they are waddling their fastest to get there.

They always look at me like they haven't eaten in weeks. So.....I feed them again. :) I love my chickens.

Flapper Fun

2012-02-27T23:15:00.001-05:00

Newborn Flapper hat I made to sell. ( Still available ;) ) I just thought it was cute and would be adorable for a photo shoot.

And I am about to make a cute bag for a customer in these colors! SO bright and fun. The yellow isn't quite that bright in real life though haha.

Crockpot Cubesteak and Brown Gravy: Pinterest Remake,

2012-02-24T23:04:00.001-05:00

Tonight we had a very yummy supper I found on Pinterest right here. She originally pinned it from this link here. I completely forgot to take a photo though...darnit. I can tell you it was very yummy but I agree with the original blogger who posted it that I would use low sodium soups and do not add any salt to it. This is strange for me to say because I am addicted to salt so trust me. You will love it though. We all did, except Blaze of course, he is so picky it drives me crazy. But my cousin Erica's little girls who are 2 and 3 loved it and asked for more. SO here you go. If you try it let me know what you think. You can also look in my sidebar where my little social network chick icons are and follow me on Pinterest if you want to :)

Crockpot Cubesteak and Brown Gravy

2 lbs Cubesteak
1 packet Brown Gravy Mix
1 packet Au Jus Mix
1 can Cream of Chicken or Mushroom Soup
1 can French Onion Soup

The first thing I would add is the sear your meat to lock in the juices. It just really helps it stay moist. Weird even though it is cooked in liquid.

1) Combine soups and packet mixes and mix well
2)Put cubesteak in crockpot. ( I layered it with some of the mix between layers.)
3) Pour gravy mixture over cubesteak and cover.
4) Cook on low for 6-8 hours. (I cooked mine for 7 and it was very tender, maybe too much because it was hard to "fork" lol. So maybe 6 is better.)

New Look

2012-02-19T18:36:00.002-05:00

Sorry for clogging your feeds. I have a new design thanks to Angie from Blessed Beyond Words and I love it. But I am getting everything caught up and republished. So sorry. What do you think?

A Late 4 Year Check Up for Blaze

2012-02-19T18:30:00.003-05:00

HEY! You talkin' to me??? Sorry, just thought it was funny.

Took Blaze for his way past due 4 year check up. He is big, but we already knew that. He had to get several shots since I am getting him caught up to go to Kindergarten next year or I guess it would be this year huh? He doesn't have to get the flu shot or MMR because he is allergic to eggs though. His pediatrician said there is a theory of egg allergies and the mmr and he doesn't want to risk it. It makes me feel good that Dr. Jo has always had my back on my views on vaccines and even has his own views instead of blindly telling you to get every one that there is.

They did a simple hearing test on Blaze today but he isn't hearing with his right ear at all. He seemed to do ok with the left one. He is being referred back to his ENT for cleaning out his impacted ears again and seeing if his tubes are still there and a real full blown hearing test and to a Speech Pathologists to see about his delays is language and speech and work on his processing or understanding speech. The doc didn't want to wait on school so he can catch up a lot before he enters kindergarten. He does show signs of auditory processing disorder and adhd but he said those same issues can be caused by not hearing and not understanding so we will start with that first and see what progress is made. That is what I want anyway, to have this all on record so it can be seen that there has been issues and to know we are looking out for Blaze's best interest.

BUT, he is healthy and that is what matters! We will get all this figured out and he will be great no matter what. God is in control.

It's Magic

2012-02-19T18:30:00.002-05:00

Blaze Update

2012-02-19T18:30:00.001-05:00

I figured I should probably update everyone on Blaze's ENT appointment. Looks like I got sidetracked and forgot to do it. The awesome news is that Blaze's hearing is fine!! He said there is no accurate test for auditory processing disorder till around 8 years old but that he may have an issue with that. He said since I was already getting in with a speech place that they can work with him on his understanding, language and conversation skills and speech too. I know, can you believe it? He said that he just produces a ton of wax and I need to use peroxide to clean them out well for a while. But as for the ear infections he gets constantly, they are not caused by the buildup. Which is what everyone assumes causes them. Of course, it all comes back to allergies. He showed on a photo of the inside of the ear how all the snot and drainage and stuff on the inside of the nose and sinuses causes ear infections on the back part of the ear instead of the middle to outer part. Very interesting really. He asked me if Blaze was still on his Zyrtec, Claritin, or Singulair. I had to say no because back when he was on so many meds I really worked hard getting him clear and then weaned him off everything except his inhalers or breathing treatments or epi pen if he needs them. He told me to get him back on his Singulair as that will keep his asthma and his allergies under control which should control the ear infections too. He wants to retest his hearing in 6 months to make sure all is still well and to see if he needs to put tubes back in or not and if he needs to clear out the impactions or if the peroxide is working well enough.
So I want to thank all of you who have prayed for Blaze as I can see that they are truly answered. What an amazing God He is.
Now, I am barely believing that I am trying to get everything done to register Blaze for kindergarten. Really??? How did this happen? I am getting all of his shots caught up except a few, of course he has to have dental and eye appointments (that is a given anyway) and I still can't believe that he is almost old enough for school. I still have gotten the referral for the speech pathologist but will be asking tomorrow.

Egg Confusion

2012-02-19T18:30:00.000-05:00

I believe my chickens are confused about how big their eggs are supposed to be. One laid a "fart egg" (no I did not come up with that term lol) and my baby laid me a HUGE green, double yolker. To give you an idea of how big this one is, the two normal brown ones are large to jumbo sized. Yeah HUGE. Blaze cracked it so I had to open it and found the double yolks. So cool. Not bad for her second egg ever.

Getting Better

2012-02-17T22:53:00.003-05:00

Sorry I haven't been around in a bit. These last 2 weeks we have been through the wringers. Blaze got super sick and was at the pediatrician and er a few times. We got really scared a few times too when his fever hit 104 and then almost 105 and wouldn't break. He has been a pitiful sight for sure. Turned out he had pneumonia. So there has been lots and lots of meds in the house. We got him back on a controller for his asthma and he has to use his rescue one 4 times a day for another week then back to as needed for it. He is almost done with his antibiotics and now knows how to take pills. We fought so much with all the meds because he had thrown them up so much he would not take them. We had to force him to take them every 3 hours and it was a 30-45 minute battle every time. Needless to say, I was beyond tired and stressed. Finally I got through to him about the pills being easier and he got it. Now he can do it like a pro. Oh my Gosh, did that help.

He is so much better. Still has a lot of coughing but we are keeping up with all his breathing treatments and meds so it will get better. He had no fever today at all, which is awesome! I do wish his appetite would pick back up because I can tell he has lost weight. But I am just thankful he is on the mend. He has never been so sick and that is saying a lot with all the times he had strep and pneumonia before. I have never seen him look like he was going to die or to just lay there and not move. It was a very scary time. But thank God he is on the mend now. I want to let all of you who prayed for him know that we truly appreciate them. I know they helped.

Things I Have Been Working On Lately

2012-02-01T02:09:00.000-05:00

Lots of Owls. Love these.

Some Newsboys, Sock Monkeys, Monsters and Bears

Lots of Ribbons and Bows

Super cute car for Blaze

Also, we went tonight and registered Blaze for Tee Ball. This will be his first time playing on any sort of team. I can not believe he is old enough to be on a team at all lol. But he is so excited about it. His cousin Braden will also be on the same team so that is fun for both of them. After we did that we went and got his bat and glove and some wiffle balls to practice with. His bat is too cute with flames on it. When we find out what kind of helmet he needs I am going to get it airbrushed with flames and Blaze-in' in the flames. Yes, I am weird but I think it is cool that his stuff will match his name. I can't wait to see how cute he is in uniform too. I might just cry.

Comment Please If You Can

2012-01-26T17:30:00.000-05:00

Trying To Figure Out if people can comment.

Laundry Cost Breakdown

2012-01-16T11:09:00.001-05:00

Borax-------------------------------$3.86
Washing Soda---------------------$2.97
Oxygen Cleaner (Sun brand)----$1.97
Fels Naptha Soap-(2)-------------$0.97
                                                   $0.97
______________________________
                                                  $10.74

I made one double batch to do 80 loads. For each batch you will need 2 bars of soap and half a container of oxygen cleaner. There is enough Borax and washing soda to make 6 double batches. So to get the full cost of all batches possible I will add those for a full price too.

8 bars Fels Naptha--------------$0.97
                                               x      8
                                             ------------
                                                $7.76

1 Oxygen Cleaner--------------$1.97
                                               ----------
                                               $9.73

So that would be------------------------------$10.74
                                                                 +$ 9.73
                                                                 -----------
                                                                   $20.74

6 Double batches with 80 loads per would be 480 loads of laundry.
To find out how many cents per load I will break it down into pennies. Just for the record I suck at math so I have to take the long way around lol.

2074 pennies divided by 480 = 4.3208333333333 cents per load. Umm, that is really cheap. I usually buy Arm and Hammer with the oxigel stuff. It is $4.97 for a 32 load bottle. I never get 32 loads because I have to use more for some things but still. So that is:
497 pennies divided by 32 loads = 15.53125 cents per load

I am saving 11.21 cents per load of laundry
You do not have to start out getting all of this at once. I just wanted to figure out full cost per full number of loads possible.

So is that as clear as mud???

Homemade Laundry Detergent...Done

2012-01-13T23:16:00.000-05:00

As part of our efforts to be more frugal and self reliant I decided to try to make my own laundry detergent and dishwasher detergent. I am pretty picky about my detergent though so I wasn't sure I would be happy with one made at home. I am happy to say i was pleasantly surprised. It washed the clothes as well or better than store bought detergent did. My cousin Justin is staying with us for a bit and he put his jeans in the load I did. They had mud stains up one leg and there was a black grease stain also. The only thing left was a small black spot. I am going to try making a paste with it and letting it sit for a bit to see if it removes the rest of it. I have a feeling it might and when I try it I will update. SO I wanted to post the recipe for you guys and if you decide to make it let me know how it works for you!!

Just in case you can't read this well here you go.

2 Cups Borax
2 Cups Washing Soda (not baking soda and can be found in the same place you find the Borax.)
2 Cups Oxygen Cleaner ( I used the Sun brand like Oxiclean)
2 Bars of Soap ( I used 1 bar Fels Naptha and 1 bar of Dial because that is what I had because I doubled the original recipe. A lot of people use Zote soap and I have heard and read you can really use any kind of bar soap.)

USE 1 TBSP per normal load. If you have a large or heavily soiled load then use 2 TBSP. Trust me, this is plenty and it works well!

Grate your soap and put all ingredients in a sealable container. Close it and shake well and turn to mix. Then let it settle as it is pretty powdery and I inhaled too close to it and it was not fun lol)
I haven't done it yet as I am still using up other stuff but I will begin to use 1 cup of white vinegar as a fabric softener soon. Then later I will be learning to make my own dryer sheets. Stay tuned, I am getting all kinds of crazy around here haha.

I will have to do another post about the dishwasher detergent as I had a learning moment with it. Let me know if you try this. I am loving it.

Our First!

2012-01-11T01:58:00.000-05:00

Sorry I haven't been on in a few days. My computer was in the shop but it is all fixed up now and back home. I was lost lol. But I wanted to share a photo of our first blue egg!! The newly christened Smurfette is a grown girl now and laid her first egg today. I have been waiting for so long it seems to see how pretty her eggs were. Now I know! So cool right??

This photo came from Google but looks exactly like my girl. I love the muff and beard on them.

Just Another Day

2012-01-07T23:26:00.000-05:00

Blaze wakes up this morning and the first thing he says is, "Mama, my can't get up." I asked him if it was because his legs were still sore and he said yes. I told him he would just have to get up and wiggle around and they would feel better so he jumps up like nothing ever happened and wiggled all the way to the bathroom lol. He is a mess. Chris took him outside to play for a while and they walked around the pasture picking up stuff that had blown out of the burn pile with all the crazy winds we have had lately. I figure it should work the soreness out anyway. He had fun helping Daddy of course. He has had a low fever though so i am keeping tylenol or ibuprofen in him till it eases off. I hate that he got shots but it is what needs to be done since he will be going to public school after all.

I can't wait till he goes back to the ENT though. It is so hard for him not hearing but let me tell you, it can get a little aggravating having to constantly repeat everything I say. But I try to take it in stride. I know it isn't his fault that he can't hear well. I think his tubes have fallen out and that is why he is getting all the ear infections again and why his ears are so full again. It will all get better. I am just waiting on them to call me with his referrals for the ENT and the Speech Pathologist and I will update when I know more about that.
HAHA, look what Blaze does when Chris falls asleep. He puts all kinds of stuff on him and it cracks me up. Chris had no idea till I showed him the photos.

There are going to be some posts I will be copying and pasting from my other blog that has to do with our plans for the animals and new things we will be trying. And there will be some new stuff we are working on too. I am working on a menu plan and I have 2 weeks made up so far. Now I just have to go get the stuff haha. That is the hard part.

Welcome!

2012-01-06T12:50:00.000-05:00

Hi everyone! Welcome to my all new blog. I do hope you have followed me here from Blaze 'n' Crochet to stick with me as there will be lots of changes going on for us! We are making tons of changes and trying super hard to simplify our lives and just live better all around. I will be writing about our everyday life of course. This will include our son Blaze who is 4 years old. There will also be plenty of recipes and posting of the crocheting and other crafts I do. We are also learning to be more self sufficient and to save money. I love to try new things and new foods and we love our animals and hopefully one day this land will be a "real" farm. We are working on a long term plan in terms of raising our own food and getting healthier and less reliant on industry. So, hang on to your hats, the ride is about to begin.

New Start

2012-01-05T14:02:00.001-05:00

Trying to get started on a whole new blog here. Please look over the "construction" as I try to get it all prettied up and straightened out. Thank you for following me here!

I Heart Faces Photography Pink Week

2009-10-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

This month is Breast Cancer Awareness week so I Heart Faces is holding a pink challenge this week. My entry for pink is the picture of my mother-in-law with the comfortghan that I made for her (with the help of a lot of Crochetville members). This blanket was made for her in the memory of her baby sister Deb who passed the beginning of this year from Breast Cancer. She battled it for a few years and fought hard to beat it. This is not the best quality photo but it means the most to me as a "pink" picture. If you could see her shirt it say I Wear Pink for my Sister Deborah. She is also wearing a pink bracelet.

Tag You're It!

2009-10-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

TAGGED!!!

Sally from the Suburban Hooker tagged me in this meme. So here you go.

ABC'S OF ME SURVEY

A - Age: 32
B - Bed size: king...finally enough room for me, Chris and Blaze to lay sideways between us...lol
C - Chore you hate: dishes, even with a dishwasher and cleaning the toilet
D - Dog's name: no dog anymore because he was killing the neighbor's chickens...oops
E - Essential start your day item: Diet Mtn Dew
F - Favorite color: PINK
G - Gold or Silver: gold
H - Height: 5'8"
I - I am: tired and lonely today
J - Job: stay at home mom and wife
K - Kids: one 2 year old precious boy Blaze
L - Living arrangements: at home with my hubby and son
M - Mom's name: Barbara, Momma, Aunt Barbara and Granny and her nickname is Fab
N - Nicknames: Sisaroo (by Momma), Honey , baby, sister

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: pneumonia 2 times and a mental health hospital in 3rd grade ( there was some issues I went through with my bio dad)
P - Pet Peeve: bread ties, crazy drivers
Q - Quote from a movie: "You gotta put your behind in your past." Pumba from Lion King

R - Right or left handed: right
S - Siblings: you ready?? 3 half sisters, 3 step sister, 1 half brother
T - Time you wake up: as late as possible, these days usually 9:30 am
U- Underwear: I wear them under my clothes
V - Vegetable you dislike: beets
W - Ways you run late: over sleep
X - X-rays you've had: omg...lungs, legs, back, arm, head, teeth, foot, knees... I could go on but it would take too long

Y - Yummy food you make: Homemade Chicken Tortilla Soup, Loaded Baked Potato Salad, Homemade fajitas, BQ ribs that fall to pieces
Z - Zoo favorite: Koalas, penguins, giraffes
Guess I should tag someone....ok, here goes
Sarah over at Sarah's Sweethearts
Rachel over at Once Upon a Miracle
Lisa over at I'm At Home
Mr. and Mrs. Nurse Boy over at Poop On Jelly
Lori over at Life, Love and Laughter in a Large Family
Alisha over at Life Without Clarence
Hurricane Rojo over at I've Got Poop in My Pocket
Kara over at His, Hers and Ours
Tami over at at Diary of a Madwoman
Angie over at Messy Cars and Muddy Shoes

Ok, So I tagged a few more than necessary. I was bored and Blaze was taking a nap so there.

MckLinky Blog Hop- What Makes Me Happy (Long- Pic heavy)

2009-10-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

There are so many things that make me happy.

God.

Chris.

Blaze.

My family.

My church.

Fall weather.

Animals.

Giving.

Having.

Loving.

Laughing.

Crying.

Sleeping.

Hugging.

Kissing.

Touching.

Seeing.

Smelling.

Tasting.

Knowing.

Learning.

Trying.

Pictures.

I Heart Faces Photography Contest- Excited

2009-10-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

This week's challenge is Excited

I think I can find one for this quite easily.

For more Excited entries head over to I Heart Faces

He may not look super excited but he was squealing away. It was his first time on a swing and he loved it.

Stuck on a Playground

2009-10-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

I just am stuck. I don't really know what to say or write about. Have you ever hit that point. I mean, I know there are some things I need to post like a book review and a movie review and giveaway but that is too technical today. I also need to post about what the crap are you supposed to do on a playground with a toddler?!?! When did playgrounds become such dangerous places?? I mean, sheesh! Do you follow them? Do you let them go? Do you go with them? Do you climb the impossibly skinny steps to the top where they have fireman poles and swinging bridges with your two year old or do you let them brave it themselves. This parenting thing is really confusing sometimes. I don't want to stifle Blaze but I don't want him to get hurt either. Oy. My Grandpa used to say, "Oy is Jewish ya know that?" I would say," Really?" He would say,"Yeah. You know what it means?" I would say,"No, what does it mean?" He would say,"It means Oy! What do you think?!?!" I can't tell you how many times we had this same exchange. I guess that was pretty random huh? Sorry, I am in a random kind of mood tonight. Ok, I am done I think.

I Love Faces Photo Challenge- Blue

2009-09-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

BLUE

I think this photo definitely screams blue. From the cute pj's to the big blue eyes. I love Blaze in blue because his eyes just shine. Head over to I Love Faces to see more entries.

Bra Bags??

2009-09-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Oh my gosh! Have you seen these? Heard of these? I was browsing around on Swapbot (which I love by the way...lol) and came across a swap where they were making handbags or change purses or totes depending on the size of the bra heehee. Anyway, I clicked on the links to check them out and do you know that some of them are really cute! I am seriously thinking about making one and seeing how it turns out. If it is cute enough they could make really neat little (ahem...or big) gifts. What do you think about these? Is it just too weird? Gross? Just naughty enough to work? I think it is definitely different and I like different so we will see what happens. Don't get mad at me if someone gives you a booby purse for Christmas. Here are a few links to them. Have fun, browse around and if you make one of these please let me know or do your own post about booby purses!

http://www.craftbits.com/project/bra-purse

http://postcards-and-stuff.blogspot.com/2009/01/bra-bag.html

http://www.ehow.com/how_4740350_make-purse-out-bra.html

http://www.associatedcontent.com/article/503867/red_hat_bra_purse.html

http://diyfashion.about.com/od/diyaccessories/ss/Bra_Purse.htm

My Birthday

2009-09-22T23:30:00.000-04:00

I don't know if you are supposed to still get excited about your birthday when you are over thirty. I am though. I am much more excited than I was on any of my birthdays that came before 30. I guess that may sound strange, especially to a lot of women. So let me explain. Before I was 30 all of my birthdays held a tinge of sadness. I always felt I was getting older but without the benefits most of my friends had. I mean most of them had been parents for years by that age. But not me. I felt that every year that passed was one year closer to being childless forever. I mean a woman's eggs are only really good for so long and it isn't like we have a lifetime supply to work with anyway. Not to mention that having PCOS wastes so many eggs because of having so many immature follicles or cysts. So I was always thinking in the back of my mind that I was getting closer to menopause and nothing was happening. I cried and prayed and cried and prayed for years. I begged God to please just let me have a child before I was 30. Well, you know what...He did. I had Blaze August 9th and turned 30 on September 23rd. How about that?!? Talk about waiting to the last minute right?!? But now when I think back I know that things all happened in His time and not mine. One of my favorite verses was one that helped the most when I just got so depressed I felt I couldn't go on. The verse is Jeremiah 29:11.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

That verse was my saving grace. I knew that God didn't want me to suffer and he sure didn't want me to do it alone. He wanted to be there for me. he wanted me to accept HIS plan and not mine. I think he gave me the ability and guidance in what to do or where to go. But I think He didn't do it sooner because I didn't have faith as I should have. Matthew 17:20 says:

And Jesus said unto them, Because of your unbelief: for verily I say unto you, If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, ye shall say unto this mountain, Remove hence to yonder place; and it shall remove; and nothing shall be impossible unto you.

That is not really a lot to ask. I mean you can look at the story of Hannah, which is one of my favorites in the Bible. Samuel 1:6-20

⁶And her adversary also provoked her sore, for to make her fret, because the LORD had shut up her womb.

⁷And as he did so year by year, when she went up to the house of the LORD, so she provoked her; therefore she wept, and did not eat.

⁸Then said Elkanah her husband to her, Hannah, why weepest thou? and why eatest thou not? and why is thy heart grieved? am not I better to thee than ten sons?

⁹So Hannah rose up after they had eaten in Shiloh, and after they had drunk. Now Eli the priest sat upon a seat by a post of the temple of the LORD.

¹⁰And she was in bitterness of soul, and prayed unto the LORD, and wept sore.

¹¹And she vowed a vow, and said, O LORD of hosts, if thou wilt indeed look on the affliction of thine handmaid, and remember me, and not forget thine handmaid, but wilt give unto thine handmaid a man child, then I will give him unto the LORD all the days of his life, and there shall no razor come upon his head.

¹²And it came to pass, as she continued praying before the LORD, that Eli marked her mouth.

¹³Now Hannah, she spake in her heart; only her lips moved, but her voice was not heard: therefore Eli thought she had been drunken.

¹⁴And Eli said unto her, How long wilt thou be drunken? put away thy wine from thee.

¹⁵And Hannah answered and said, No, my lord, I am a woman of a sorrowful spirit: I have drunk neither wine nor strong drink, but have poured out my soul before the LORD.

¹⁶Count not thine handmaid for a daughter of Belial: for out of the abundance of my complaint and grief have I spoken hitherto.

¹⁷Then Eli answered and said, Go in peace: and the God of Israel grant thee thy petition that thou hast asked of him.

¹⁸And she said, Let thine handmaid find grace in thy sight. So the woman went her way, and did eat, and her countenance was no more sad.

¹⁹And they rose up in the morning early, and worshipped before the LORD, and returned, and came to their house to Ramah: and Elkanah knew Hannah his wife; and the LORD remembered her.

²⁰Wherefore it came to pass, when the time was come about after Hannah had conceived, that she bare a son, and called his name Samuel, saying, Because I have asked him of the LORD.

I feel a deep connection with this story and I am sure many others do too. I guess what I am trying to say is have faith. No matter what you are going through or what you have already been through God is there. All we have to do is ask Him to forgive us of our sins and come into our heart and He will always be there for us. This is our eternal gift from Him. I know that one day I will go to Heaven and be with Jesus and with all my loved ones who have went before me. I am most excited that I will one day see the child Chris and I lost in 1999. I know that Chris' Dad is most likely up there right now being a Pawpaw to one that nobody on this earth has seen. But that baby is there waiting for us. That is such a comfort to me.

Well, I didn't really mean to get so deep but I have a tendency to get a little wordy sometimes...lol. All of that to say I will be 32. Oh well, I felt it and just let the words come so maybe someone who will read this needs to hear it. God Bless all of you.

True Story Tuesday- Ode To Possum

2009-09-21T00:00:00.001-04:00

Ode to Possum

Oh Possum, Oh Possum please go away,

Do not come back on another day.

I open the door to check on my cats,

but there you are eating cat chow and getting fat.

I do not like you hissing at me,

I really do not like you, you see.

So next time I open my door and see you,

You better run from my 22.

You think I am kidding but I am not,

you will believe me when you have been shot.

Head on over to Once Upon a Miracle for more True Story Tuesdays!!

I Love Faces Photo Challenge- Completely Candid

2009-09-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Blaze was trying so hard to blow bubbles and he finally got the first one. I believe this is a perfect candid photo. Head on over to I Love Faces to see the other entries and to enter your own!

Oh Yeah...I Meant to do That

2009-09-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

Procrastination. The definition of this word according to Webster says: 1) to put off intentionally and habitually 2) to put off intentionally the doing of something that should be done.
Hi. My name is Shana and I am a procrastinator. I did not set out to be one. I really like to have everything neat and organized and I feel everything has its place and should be there. I used to drive Chris batty with my OCD. Everything in the closet was organized by type and color. My book shelves and movie shelves were arranged by type of movie and then alphabetically. When I ate, everything had to be a certain way on the plate and the silverware and glass had its proper place. Ok, so i still do that. Also I have an issue with bread ties. I HATE them. Literally. HATE. Them. I throw them behind the counter where we have a space there. Don't ask why I don't just throw them in the garbage. I think subconsciously maybe I think they will come back and I will find them again on my counters...lol. I will probably freak when we finally get to redo the kitchen and pull the cabinets out. Scary thought! Anyway, back to my issues. I have recently, ok not really so recently, became cluttered and unorganized. It seems like I can't focus to stay on a task that I know I need to do. I have the best intentions but get sidetracked with Blaze or some other thing I think of that needs to be done. But, at the same time, when I actually get down and dirty and start a project I get completely overwhelmed. For example, organizing my photos and putting them in albums. I have all of Blaze's pictures in albums in chronological from ultrasounds all the way through a month or so ago. Every one of his pictures that are not on the wall or in his baby book are in his albums. But when I look through my other photos and start separating them I get flabbergasted. I start by separating them into families and me and parents and then I get carried away and think well this picture has me and my cousin in it so do I put in in the pile of me or in the families stack? but it doesn't really fit exactly right in either so I make a whole new stack for picture of me with other people and then it becomes pictures of me with family and pictures of me with friends and you get the idea. I over-analyze and over-organize when I do get around to it and before long there are so many stacks that I might as well not have gone through them to begin with so I throw them all back into the rubbermaid container and forget it. Then that means that I have wasted hours doing this. It is like I see so many things that need to be done but I look at them as a whole instead of breaking it up and I get overwhelmed and just don't do any of it. Now don't get me wrong I am not filthy and I don't live like the hoarders you see on tv but I could really use some organization and de-cluttering. Even the simple act of organizing the pantry drives me crazy. I have to have boxes on one shelf according to size largest on the left to the smallest on the right. Cans are lined up and stacked in alphabetical order. Blaze's snacks and lunch things have their own shelf. It is really ridiculous.
So now that I have admitted to my craziness, what do I do about it? Is there some foolproof plan to cleaning and organizing that you stick to that works? Do you have a to do list or a chore chart thing? If you do then how do you go about making one out when you tend to over-categorize things. I would like to make some sort of daily and weekly schedule for me and for Blaze so we are not just winging it. I need to start working with him on some of the preschool type stuff too and have a few books for that but I need to have a set time to do things. I just think it would be easier that way. I need routine. How about leaving a comment and tell me what works for you. If you have issues like I do then tell me that too and then at least I won't feel like I am the only one. By the way, I really do have OCD, I wasn't kidding. Fresh ideas? Lay them on me. Just let me know what you think.

I Love Faces Photo Challenge- Contemplative

2009-09-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok I think I am going to enter this for the first time. I love looking at all the entries. SO here is my entry in the Contemplative Faces Challenge. I think mine is a little different but he was really trying to figure this cricket out. I love this picture. Go on over to I Heart Faces and enter your own picture!

Hello Bloggers!

2009-09-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

I wanted to pop on here to say I think I am so lucky to have you guys! All of the prayers and well wishes have meant so much to me and to Chris. It has been a really hard week and seeing such sweet things helped so much. Death is no fun for anyone but you all made it bearable. I wish there was something I could do for all of you. I am going to try to get back in the swing of things Monday I think. I have so many things I need to post. I have pics of the prizes and I also have pics of all the postcards Blaze got in the mail fro his birthday. I have to pick up a small photo album to put them in. It was so cool to see all the different places they came from. I was supposed to teach my first Sunday school lesson last Sunday but with everything going on I didn't get to. I am excited that I get to do it tomorrow. I teach the first grade class and I can't wait to get to know them. I have the stuff to decorate most of the room but again, haven't had time to do that but it will get done. Pray that I do a good job and am not nervous...lol. Well, I have to get off here. the dryer is calling my name. I wish it would hush...lol. Have a beautiful day and I have missed all of you!

Tired

2009-09-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I am finally home. Today was a hard day for all of us. Except Blaze, he had a blast with our wonderful friends Nathan and Angel and their son Shawn. I am so thankful to them for taking him so we could concentrate on everything else. That was a blessing indeed. We had the viewing today and Pawpaw looked so good. I have not seen him look so peaceful and relaxed in years. Of course if I was in Heaven praising Jesus I would be peaceful and relaxed too. It went very well and Chris and his family are holding up ok. It is upsetting but we all know how much suffering he has been going through for so long. The funeral is tomorrow at 2 and if you think about it just send up a little prayer for us and especially for Chris, his Mom and his brother. I do want to say thanks for all the comments and prayers. they mean so much to us. I have to get off here now because i am really tired and need to go to bed but know i have read every comment but just didn't have the energy to reply to every one. God bless all of you and I feel blessed to "know" you all.

Dad Passed

2009-09-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

Chris' Daddy passed away peacefully today at 4:35 pm with me stroking his head and Chris' hand on his chest. Our preacher and his wife and just walked out. They came to pray with us and for us and for him to go easy and by the time they were off the porch Dad took his last breath. We are so thankful for all the prayers from all over.

Update on Chris' Dad

2009-09-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

It has been a really hard few days. Chris' Dad is still holding on although I don't see how. he is such a strong stubborn man bless his heart. We have all been there and are still there with him. We have all told him the things we needed to tell him. We let him know it is ok and that we will take care of Mom and that she will be ok. We have laughed about stories of him and cried from the depths of our hearts with grief. We talked about his fishing and boating and cars and all the things he loved to do. He loved to be a prankster. He was very stoic for a long time but in his latest years he showed more and more emotions. I just wish he could go so he would not suffer anymore. I want him to have the peace. I believe that this is like the Bible says in the 23rd Psalm. I believe God is walking him through the valley of the shadow of death and that soon he will be through that valley and in the arms of Jesus and all of his family and friends who have went before. I am praying for peace and ease for him and for the whole family. I do covet your prayers. thanks so much for the thoughtful words on the post about him. It means so much to hear the things that were said. I will try to keep things updated.

Chris' Dad is Almost Gone

2009-09-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

Warning: Details of a medical nature and about death
This is not going to be much and it isn't what I planned on writing at all. I know I said I would post pictures of the prizes and stuff but we have some things going on right now and I just can't. I am too tired physically and emotionally. I am sad and mad and hurting and scared and tired. Chris' Daddy has been in really bad shape for a long time. He has went through many things and came through but barely. In 2002 Chris and I moved to Wyoming for Chris to attend Wyotech. That was in November. We moved back home in February because his Dad was not in good shape. We actually made it home on the 28th. That very week while Chris' Mom was at work I noticed Dad hadn't taken his blood pressure meds so I went to a back room they used to smoke in to keep it out of the house. I opened the door and the room was full of smoke. I rushed through and opened the door that led outside and I turned around to ask what happened and I saw the most terrified eyes I have ever seen. Dad had had several strokes before and was pretty slow to react to things. He was burning strings of the leg of his pants (which Mom begged him not to do so many times) and they caught fire. He couldn't get up and the only thing around was a urinal which he had to have because of being slow so he wouldn't make a mess. He put the fire out with that. Which they did say was good because it came from him and was sterile. His entire left leg was burned. I yelled at Chris and ran to get the phone and called 911. Chris left to get his Mom while I kept Dad calm. We had to call 911 again to find out what was going on because it had been 30 minutes. Now we do live in a rural area but it shouldn't take that long. They tell us that they thought he had a cigarette burn. I screamed, "I TOLD YOU HIS ENTIRE LEG WAS BURNED!!!" They apologized to me and the ambulance was there in about 12 minutes. Anyway, long story short, he ended up in and out of state hospital with a burn unit. They said he had 4th degree burns which I had never heard of. They said it was 4th degree because it went to the bone. They had to do skin grafts but they did not take and he ended having to have his leg amputated at the hip joint. Not good for an older gentleman with Parkinson's. So if we hadn't moved home he would have died because nobody would have been there until after 6 pm and I found him around 11am. We get him home after several months and he isn't the same but is still "there". Then in 2005 he has a hemorrhagic stroke. He was bleeding from many places and they told us they couldn't relieve the pressure with a shunt because of where the bleeding was worst and that we needed to be ready to say goodbye and by all means he should have passed then. My mom works in the medical field and she said they see things like that and most do not make it. BUT, he did. In 2006 I found out I was finally pregnant after 12 years of trying. In 2007 we had Blaze. Blaze loves his Pawpaw so much. We always took Blaze in his room if he was laying down and Dad played with him and Blaze climbed on him and Dad would always say, "Whatcha doin' buddy?" It was the sweetest thing. if Dad was in his chair Blaze would unlock his brakes or work on his tires and Dad would talk to him. He always wanted to go in and see Pawpaw. Lately he has been getting worse and was totally bedridden. Hospice has been coming in for the last few months. This last week he stopped talking except a few words or grunts and he stopped eating and now will only drink from a syringe. He is on a little bit of Morphine because of all the muscle spasms he has and he sleeps almost constantly. He will take like 5 breaths and stop breathing for 30-40 seconds. Not good. We knew this was coming but it still in some way feels like it snuck up on us. We spent all day there today. We talked to him, prayed for him and with him, held his hands and simply was there. Chris, his Mom and his brother went this morning to make prearrangement. Before Blaze and I left this evening I took him in there and told him to give Pawpaw sugars. I held him down and Blaze kissed him and Dad actually kissed him back and a tear rolled down his cheek. I about lost it. Then Blaze blew him a bunch of kisses and waved at him and I wanted to hear Bye Buddy so badly I could scream. But I have to stay calm for Blaze. I leaned down and told Dad I loved him and kissed him on the forehead and my tears ran down his cheek too. I know through everything he has been through God allowed him to make it so he could meet Blaze and get to be his Pawpaw for at least a little while. And even though Blaze is young I think he might remember some things and we will keep his memory alive for Blaze too. I know this may seem a little disjointed and not put together but I had to get this out. I have to let loose while my precious boy is in bed, oblivious to what is going on and my hubby is at his Mom's so she won't be alone. I have to let my tears flow as I type. I have to hurt silently because I don't want Blaze to be scared or worried. I don't want dad to die. I want him to be the man who told Chris the first time he met me, "Glad to see you finally brought a pretty one home son." And I was then...lol. I want him to be the man who taught me how to make cornbread and chicken stir fry. I want him to be the man who takes the boat to the lake to fish and go fast enough to peel our eyebrows back as he would say. I want him to be the Papaw for Blaze like he was for the others who would get in the floor and laugh and tickle and wrestle but let him win. I want Chris to not have to lose his Daddy. I want him to not suffer anymore though. I want him to go to Heaven and have his Mom and Dad who were hit by a train and died while he was watching at 6 yrs old, to meet him at the pearly gates with open arms and hug their little boy that they were looking for that day. I want him to have peace so I guess I have to let him go. My grandparents all passed away long ago and he was a fill in grandparent as well as my father in law. I will miss him so much. thanks for listening to me ramble and I hope this didn't offend anyone. I really didn't come on here to post this much. But I guess it had to come out. Thanks. I am going to post a pic and in this he looks so good compared to now. He only weighs 92 pounds and when I met Chris 15 years ago this man's arms were 18 inches around the bicep. He was a manly man.

Awards Woohoo!

2009-09-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am trying to catch up on here and thought one way to do that would be to finally post the awards I have received and haven't had time to post. Whew, August was a rough month and I am glad it is over. September will hopefully be better. The first award is The Humane Blog Award.

I was graciously awarded this by Alea over at Premeditated Leftovers. These are the instructions I received with the award.
"The Humane Award honors eight certain bloggers that I feel are kindhearted individuals. They regularly take part in my blog and always leave the sweetest comments. If it wasn't for them, my site would just be an ordinary blog. Their blogs are also amazing and are tastefully done on a daily basis. I thank them and look forward to our growing friendships through the blog world. Link back to the person who gifted you with the award and share the love with other bloggers."
I am passing this award along to:
1)Beansie Babbles
2)Coffee n' Crafts
3)A Quiver Full
4)Life, Love and Laughter in a Large Family
5)Dancing Barefoot on Weathered Ground
6)Outnumbered 3 to 1
7)Sarah Sweet Hearts
8)Smith Soup
My next award was given to me by Melissa over at Outnumbered 3-to-1. It is The Who Loves You Baby Award and this award is designed with one purpose in mind: To award those people who have awarded you in the past. Simple Enough.

1)Tami
2)Alea
3)Sally
4)Rachel
5)Kim

I wanted to get the prizes I won posted too but I just haven't had time to get the pics on the computer but I will tomorrow.

Blaze's new phrase for the week.
"But whhhhhhyyyyyyyyy?"
He doesn't even really know why he is saying it but the first time I heard him he was in the living room playing and he just kept repeating himself. it was so funny but I really thought I might get until he was 3 before I got that question. The no and mine is enough for now haha.

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-08-31T00:00:00.001-04:00

This week's Blog Hop is Baby Photos...YAY! Anyone who has ever seen my blog can tell you that I love me some baby pics! Especially baby pics of Blaze. Ok, I know, I am a little biased. But he is so stinkin' cute I can't help myself. I love my boy.
Ok, I guess I will stop now before someone sends out a posse to take my camera away.

A Bunch Of Stuff

2009-08-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

I am so excited! I have been praying for a while about how I can serve at my church. I wanted to make sure I was serving in the way God wants me to so I took my time and really did some soul searching and prayed a lot about it. There was a door of opportunity opened to me and I chose to accept. I am now the first grade Sunday school teacher and I couldn't be happier. I love my church and my entire church family and am thrilled to be able to teach little kids about God and about his son Jesus and how he died for our sins so we could live eternally. It is a lot of responsibility and I feel I am ready with God's help. Please pray for me to reach these children as many of them come through our church through the bus ministry and many have broken and sad homes. they need the love of God in their lives.
As you might have seen in the pictures from Blaze's birthday, he received an easel. It has a whiteboard on one side and a chalkboard on the other side. I went to Walmart to get some chalk for him so he could actually use it. guess what? I could not find regular chalk anywhere. The only kind I found was Crayola Sidewalk chalk like this:
I wasn't really sure about it but I am thrilled that I got it now. It was 20 pieces for under $3. The pieces are big so a great fit for toddler hands. they do not break easily which I love because he throws them and drops them constantly and they do not wear down quickly. They also come wrapped with 5 pieces in each little package so I only have to open one at a time. that leaves more for later. I guess a beginning mistake turned into a good thing. If you have little ones who have a chalkboard, think about trying the sidewalk chalk for them.
I am also in the process of reading a new book that will be released on September 8. it is called Fearless and is written by the great author Max Lucado. I can't wait to post this review because it is a book I feel a lot of people could use in this day and age. Check back on September 8th so you can check it out.

It has come to my attention that I have sorely neglected the crochet side of my blog. I am so sorry. So I am going to post pics of what I sent to my partner for the Crochetvillepurse/tote swap and what I received from her. It was a big issue for a little bit because my partner flaked and we had to get an angel for it. All in all I still had a blast after we did that because my new partner was awesome and she sent me a great package.The first two pics is what I sent to her and the second picture is what she sent to me.

My next post I will be posting the 2 awards I have received and 3 prizes I won in different contests. I can't wait but for now it is Blaze's nap time.

Think Quotes, It's Friday

2009-08-28T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well it is Friday and time for Think Quotes, It's Friday again. This blog carnival was created by mastermind Lori from the blog Life, Love, and Laughter in a Large Family. Here is what she says about how she came up with this meme.

I love quotes. Send me on an internet quest for the perfect quote and I disappear for hours searching Quote Garden, Think Exist, Quotation Page, or Quote Land in search of the pithiest saying on the web. I will also mark any quotes that I might possibly need sometime in the future.

Out of my passion comes Think Quotes; It's Friday. A day where I share one of my favorite quotes on a photo background. If you would like to join me on quote Friday by placing a photo and quote on your blog or website, please join me. All I ask is that you sign in to Mr. Linkybelow. The "Think Quotes; It's Friday" logo can also be placed on your site...just link back to mine...please

There comes a time in every rightly constructed boy's life when he has a raging
desire to go somewhere and dig for hidden treasure.
---Mark Twain---

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-08-25T00:00:00.000-04:00

We always have boxes lying around that we are waiting to take to the landfill to recycle and Xander and Kadence decided they would play Transformers. It was hilarious to watch and I think it was pretty creative of them. Then they wanted to pose for the camera. So funny.

Handy Little Chart

2009-08-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

I got this in an email and thought it might help somebody out there. Have a wonderful day.
HANDY LITTLE CHART - GOD HAS A POSITIVE ANSWER:

YOU SAY	GOD SAYS	BIBLE VERSES
You say: 'It's impossible'	God says: All things are possible	(Luke 18:27)
You say: 'I'm too tired'	God says: I will give you rest	(Matthew 11:28-30)
You say: 'Nobody really loves me'	God says: I love you	(John 3:1 6 & John 3:34 )
You say: 'I can't go on'	God says: My grace is sufficient	(II Corinthians 12:9 & Psalm 91:15)
You say: 'I can't figure things out'	God says: I will direct your steps	(Proverbs 3:5- 6)
You say: 'I can't do it'	God says: You can do all things	(Philippians 4:13)
You say: 'I'm not able'	God says: I am able	(II Corinthians 9:8)
You say: 'It's not worth it'	God says: It will be worth it	(Roman 8:28 )
You say: 'I can't forgive myself'	God says: I Forgive you	(I John 1:9 & Romans 8:1)
You say: 'I can't manage'	God says: I will supply all your needs	(Philippians 4:19)
You say: 'I'm afraid'	God says: I have not given you a spirit of fear	(II Timothy 1:7)
You say: 'I'm always worried and frustrated'	God says: Cast all your cares on ME	(I Peter 5:7)
You say: 'I'm not smart enough'	God says: I give you wisdom	(I Corinthians 1:30)
You say: 'I feel all alone'	God says: I will never leave you or forsake you	(Hebrews 13:5)

List of My 100 Favorite Things for My 100th Post

2009-08-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, ok I know it is a little late but have mercy on me!! With Blaze having been so sick it is all I could do to take a shower...lol. So here it goes. After the first 10 these are in no particular order. The first 10 are in exact order. Ok, the first 11 are in order...haha.
1-GOD
2-My Husband Chris
3-My Son Blaze
4-My Mom
5-My Dad
6-My Bible
7-My Church
8-Being Pregnant
9-Books
10-Cheese
11-Mexican Food
12-Pens
13-Paper
14-Scrapbooking
15-Crocheting
16-My Pets
17-That baby smell
18-Puppy Breath
19-My friends
20-My family
21-Autumn
22-Mac and Cheese
23-Laughing
24-Sleeping
25-Rainy days so I can chill and read
26-FarmTown on Facebook
27-Facebook
28-Photography
29-Cooking
30-trying new recipes
31-Making my own recipes
32-Shopping
33-Shoes
34-The Ocean
35-The Mountains
36-The Plains
37-Flowers
38-Tractor Supply Company
39-WalMart
40-Talking
41-Kissing My Hubby
42-Hugging My Family
43-Sweet Tea
44-Diet Mtn Dew
45-Learning New Things
46-Disney Movies
47-Lonesome Dove
48-The Love Comes Softly Series
49-ICarly....shhhh don't tell
50-Looking into my son's eyes
51-Patterns
52-Goofing off
53-PINK the color not singer
54-The song Redeemer by Nicole C. Mullen
55-Singing
56-Vocabulary words
57-Birds
58-Horses
59-Pasta
60-Cracker Barrel...yum
61-steak
62-Taco Bell
63-Computer stuff
64-Sims
65-Workbooks
66-Coloring in coloring books
67-Decorating
68-Vine Ripe Tomatoes
69-Fried Okra
70-Snow
71-Falling Leaves
72-The Fair
73-Bungee Jumping
74-Hot Rods and Classic Cars
75-Low Riders
76-The Perfect Broken In Pair of Jeans
77-Did I mention Shoes
78-Butterflies
79-Dragonflies
80-Apple Butter
81-Kosher Dill Pickles
82-Useless Knowledge
83-Sprinklers
84-Gain Laundry Detergent
85-Eternity Perfume
86-Bubble Baths
87-Shade trees in Summer
88-Bird feeders
89-Smell of Green Apple
90-Yankee Candle Company MacIntosh Apple Air Freshener
91-Cherry Blossoms
92-Getting Catalogs in the mail
93-Writing
94-Driving
95-Pizza
96-Going to the Park
97-hearing rain on a tin roof
98-Typing
99-Blogging
100-Bargain Shopping

Update and Blaze's 2nd Birthday Party

2009-08-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

I need to apologize for not updating very much lately. Blaze has been really sick with strep throat and pneumonia and it has been very stressful and tiring. He went to the pediatrician 3 times last week. I felt so sorry for him having to feel so bad. He was put on Augmentin, Prednisone, 2 Pulmicort breathing treatments and 4 Albuterol breathing treatments a day on Monday. We were given instructions to bring him back in Wednesday if he was not remarkably better. Well, he wasn't. So back we went to the office. They then added Zithromax to his regime of meds and we had to come back Friday for a recheck and his already scheduled 2 yr well check. As far as development for his well check he is great. He was 37.25 inches tall and weighed 29.8 pounds. He is a big boy. But the doc is not happy that he has been staying so sick for the last 7 months. He has had strep 5 times and pneumonia 2 times in this time period. The pneumonia is caused by all of the drainage from the strep I am sure. But anyway, he has to go back this Friday after he finishes all meds to do some lab work. The doc wants to check him for immune deficiencies to see if that is why he is staying so sick and never gets totally well. He is having to take 2 rounds of antibiotics every time he gets strep and within a week or two of finishing he has it again. This is not fun for him or us and it is not healthy at all. He will be sending him to the ENT who did his sleep study to see about having his tonsils removed although he said it is hard to get one to do the surgery before the age of 3. But he said he would talk to the ENT himself and let him know the situation and that he really recommends it. Then he said the allergies may be causing some of the issues so he is supposed to send him to an allergist to have him tested. I am not looking forward to this for my baby. I do want to know what is going on and if it is allergies it would help to know what he was allergic to so I could limit exposure. I am really scared and am just praying for everything to be alright. Would you please pray for my sweet boy? I did get permission to have his birthday party as long as we did a breathing treatment right before and right after so I am going to post some pics of that. I did not take them, hubby actually did. it was just a bunch of family and friends and we got together at our local middle school and used the shed. We had hot dogs, chips, drinks, cake and ice cream. And since the 14th is my oldest nephew and my youngest niece's birthday, my sister's and I decided to all chip in and just do them at the same time. Worked out pretty well too. And the cake drove me crazy because they did not dot the i or cross the t. I have no idea why not.

Just Questions

2009-08-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

These are some questions I found on a Journal Prompting site and thought I would do a few here just for fun. it is kind f like a meme I guess and I would love to see your answers to these questions also. Please copy and paste and post your own answers as a way to let people know you a little better.
1) What assumptions would a stranger make about you based on the books you read or have read?
That I was a romantic Christian pioneer mother who crochets and cooks while reading about history. Yep that's me alright...lol.
2)Do you like taking naps?
Oh yeah! I always have and probably always will.
3)What's the worst thing you've ever done with your hair?
Ummm, well, you see it was the late 80's and early 90's.... ok, ok, I cut it short and had a rat tail. So sad I know and totally embarrassing now. Ahem...moving on.
4)If you could change your name, what would you change it to?
I would change it to my middle name, which is Sharee.
5)Do you own an object of sentimental value?
I have my maternal grandmother's family Bible and the Bible my paternal grandmother gave to my mom and biological father when they were married.
6)Are you a night owl or a morning person?
Well, it is 1:12 am. I think that qualifies me as a night owl.
7)If your house were on fire, what material possessions would you grab?
Bibles, especially the Family Bibles mentioned and the Family Bible my mom bought for me and Chris when we were married. Pictures, those cannot be replaced you know. My purse and diaper bag. I would say computer but it might be kind of heavy to lug out...lol.
8)What is more important to you? Photographs, scrapbooks or journals?
Photographs definitely. I can't seem to keep up with the scrapbooks or journals. I am surprised I keep up with this blog actually.
9)If you saw someone commit a crime, what would you do?
Duh, call the cops.
10)What songs do you sing in the shower?
OK, but you have to promise not to laugh. This is really true I promise. I always sing Row, Row, Row Your Boat, the Itsy Bitsy Spider and Amazing Grace and sometimes I throw in Silent Night if I am shaving my legs. Shhh...please don't tell.
11)In what ways are you still effected by childhood problems?
I am still terrified of underneath my bed or any bed for that matter.
12)If you could find out the truth about one thing, what would it be?
Why my biological father was the way he was and why he did the things he did.
13)You are grateful for your body today because:
it proves I recovered from bulimia and anorexia. Not joking sadly.
14)How would you cope if you lost everything you own?
As long as my family made it I couldn't care less.
15)What makes you laugh?
That is easy. My son Blaze.
16)What makes you feel guilty?
Not cleaning enough, being heavy, eating sweets or too many carbs, buying things for me.
17)Under what conditions would you approve of abortion?
Absolutely NONE. *This is my opinion and i have a right to it just as you have a right to yours so let's be nice please.
18)Were you ever in any school clubs (speech, drama, etc.)?
Show Choir, Treble Ensemble, Concert Choir. What can I say, I loved to sing.
19)Describe a favorite childhood friend and something you did with her or him.
Has to be Kathryn. We have been friends since we were around 2 years old and still are. We used to make up dances and skits to songs and the best one was to The Biggest Ball of Twine in Minnesota by Weird Al. It was elaborate with costumes, pretend car and everything. She can still remember the Cheerwine commercial which I forgot forever ago and she can recite the entire book The Night Before Christmas without looking at a single page. She is smart like that.

One Shot of Binky Please

2009-08-11T00:00:00.001-04:00

As you know, Blaze turned 2 August 9th. His pediatrician had told me several times that we needed to wean Blaze from his dodee (aka pacifier and I have no idea where he came up with that name for it) because it was already starting to shift his teeth a tiny bit. I had plans to have him broke by the time his 2nd birthday rolled around. But he was sick constantly this summer and I really hated to take away his comfort when he felt so bad. Now I am trying to figure out the best way to do this. He is really hooked on these things and the Playtex Binky or the Soothie is his drug of choice! Not only does he suck on it, he also spins it as he is going to sleep. If he has more than one (which happens a lot...*sigh*) he will switch them back and forth till he falls asleep. This is a pretty strong attachment. I know there are several ways to do it. There is cold turkey. I am afraid he would implode with this method...lol. The pediatrician said to snip the end of all of the pacifiers and just let him keep them and he will get rid of them himself because they won't give the same comfort. Then you see where people "give" them to the babies that don't have any pacis. I really don't think he would "get" this method. I am thinking about going the way the pediatrician suggested. What do you think? What worked for you? Are you struggling with the same issue? If so, leave me a comment and tell me what you think or what worked for you. Man, it never ends, potty training is right around the corner. I might need some Calgon. Just for a reminder here is a picture of the paci king.

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-08-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, So this week's McLinky Blog Hope is posting your Favorite Photo.. This was taken yesterday on Blaze's 2nd Birthday. (sniff, sniff) He was not feeling the greatest, as you guys could tell why from my last post but he ate just a little bit of his cupcake and liked opening a few presents of course. Hopefully he will feel much better for his party on Saturday. I just love how his eyes just sparkled in this picture and he is getting so big. He is 37 inches tall and weighs 29.8 pounds now.

Strep and Pneumonia

2009-08-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I took Blaze to the pediatrician to day and it wasn't good. He has strep throat againa nd pneumonia. They put him on two types of breathing treatments, prednisone and augmentin. I cannot stand to see him feel so crappy. This is the fifth time he has had strep in like 7 months and I am tired of it. Not to mention ow tired of it Blaze must be. Anyway, his 2 year checkup is Friday but she said if he is not remarkably better by Wednesday to come back then but if he was getting better to wait till Friday. So I have to talk to Dr. Jo about the tonsil thing Friday. I will be back on in a little while after meds and breathing treatments to put up the few pics from yesterday. I hope he feels better by Saturday because that is when his actual party is. Please pray for Blaze to feel better and that these meds kick in and take care of this stuff.

Blaze Is 2!

2009-08-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to say I will do a longer post tomorrow but I had to jump on here and tell everyone my baby Blaze is now 2!!! Can you believe it?!? I was teary thinking about how fast he is growing up and how independent he is. This is really giving me baby fever. Of course i have had baby fever for like 15 years...lol. I wanted to be pregnant again the day after Blaze was born. I just love the feel of a growing child inside of me. ME. I never thought it would happen. I told Chris last night, "Honey, I miss being pregnant. If I cold be pregnant all the time and not have babies all the time I would. My pregnancy was good right? I mean, except the 10 weeks of constant vomiting, the PUPPS rash and double doses of steroids with constant itching you couldn't scratch, sciatica and carpal tunnel so bad I couldn't even hold a fork for an entire meal. That wasn't that bad. I would do it again in a heartbeat." He looked at me and laughed and said I was crazy. But he was holding Blaze and Ian (Blaze's best friend in the pic from a few days ago) on his lap at a church dinner the other day and said, " I could handle twins." I just looked at him and grinned because I think the little twin girls in the nursery have gotten to him. Every time he walks in they both come to him wanting him to hold them so he does until their parents get there. It is too cute really! Ahhh, anyway, I guess I will jumpoff here and give my crazy hormones a rest. Have a wonderful day and God bless You.
Just for kicks here are pics from 2 years ago. Warning, please look over my appearance. I had been there since the 7th with constant contractions that were useless, antibiotics by iv every four hours and on fluid since I came in and my blood pressure bottomed out after the c-section and the had to give me epinephrine to bring my pressure back up. I had 2 of those shots before it wold work. Now, that was a scary experience. I thought I would never get to hold my son and I was terrified. But God is good and everything came up and back to normal and I held him a little while later.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-08-06T00:00:00.000-04:00

Blaze with his best friend Ian in the church nursery. They run to each other, squealing with happiness every time we go to church. Ian is a couple of months older than Blaze.

Request For Blaze

2009-08-05T00:00:00.000-04:00

I would like to ask for a simple favor from all you wonderful bloggers out there in Blogland. I am trying to collect birthday wishes on postcards for my son Blaze who turns 2 this coming Sunday. Can any of you find it in your heart to send a written on and stamped postcard to my sweet boy for his birthday? I am trying to get them from all over the place and I want to put them in his memory box for when he is older. I think it would be really neat for him to have something like this and it may even start a love for them or a collection when he is big enough to understand. I would really appreciate any help in this endeavor. Thanks so much in advance and if you do want to help leave me a comment or email me at mommy2blaze@gmail.com and I will send you his name and address. Have a wonderful day and God Bless You!
And a new picture just for cuteness' sake...lol.

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-08-04T00:00:00.000-04:00

"For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."
Jeremiah 29:11
This Bible verse always gives me encouragement when I need it. It is especially helpful in these economic times.

Our Sunday School Trip to Atlanta

2009-08-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

Saturday our Sunday school class went on a trip to Atlanta. We went to the Georgia Aquarium, ate at The Varsity and then went to Stone Mountain. I have to say I really had a hard time in the weeks leading up to the trip. I was so worried and stressed about leaving Blaze from 6:30 am till 8:00 pm. I have never been away from him that long...ever! I mean there were all the what ifs you know? What if he was so upset he cried all day? What if there was some emergency like he got sick or fell and broke his arm? I mean he has done that before! What if we were in an accident and we didn't make it? Would he think we just abandoned him? Would he remember us if something happened? I had so many thoughts running through my head that I actually did not go to sleep Friday night. I was up all night long stressing about this trip. This was my son, my miracle, the light of my life. I felt like a horrible mother for leaving my son to go have fun. I know, I know it is crazy to feel that way. But I did anyway, no matter what my head tried to tell my heart. But we went anyway and guess what? NOTHING happened. Imagine that!! Blaze stayed with his Aunt Sassy, who I trust with all my heart. She loves him so much and knows of our fertility struggles and cried and prayed for us and with us so many times. She is the sister God didn't give me. We even have the same birthday, even though it is 4 years apart. She is also my ex- sister-in-law. This is one of my best friends in the entire world. She said that Blaze had a ball. She took him to one of her other nephew's birthday party and he ate cake and ice cream and just had a lot of fun. He ate his meals and took his naps and generally did all the things we always do at home. I am so glad that all was well and that they had so much fun.

We also had a blast. We had an uneventful trip there and back. Our first stop was The Georgia Aquarium. While I have been to the Ripley's Aquarium in Gatlinburg, TN, I have never been to this one. It was really awesome and well worth the trip. There were so many exhibits and things to look at and do. I think that my favorite exhibit by far was the Beluga Whales. We stood and watched them for like 20 minutes. It was so peaceful to see them just moving through the water and spinning and flipping and diving straight towards the bottom. They started playing after a few minutes and it was really funny to see. They are just amazing, beautiful animals. If you want to learn more about Beluga Whales then go here.

We saw many types of Jellyfish. I love to see the way they float upside down and all of their tentacles just rest in their body like noodles in a bowl. It is so neat. To learn more about Jellyfish go here.

There were also these humongous Whale Sharks. They just blew my mind with their size! HUGE! They were very fast and fun to watch too. To learn more about Whale Sharks go here.

There were many other animals that we saw. There is no way I can list them all here but I will share a few pics of some different ones.

Here is a pic of me and Chris. I love him soooo much! I also am putting a pic of the others in our Sunday school class. It was a great trip and full of Christian fellowship and fun! Can't wait till we go on another trip!

The next place we went was to The Varsity to eat. This is the largest drive in and it even has parking decks it is so big. It also has some really, really good food! The onion rings were unbelievable and the burger was good too. I only have one picture from there because I was more worried about eating...sorry!

Next we were off to Stone Mountain. You can learn more about this beautiful place here. It is really a beautiful place and I think it shows all of the beauty that God designed. This is ONE rock! It is huge and something like 8% is all that is above ground.

Catching Up and a Trip to Atlanta

2009-07-31T00:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to jump on here and say I know I am behind! I am really looking forward to catching up with all of you but it has been crazy around here. Tomorrow our Sunday school class is going to Atlanta to visit the Georgia Aquarium,, eat at The Varsity and to Stone Mountain. We are leaving at 7:15 am and coming back around 9pm. I don't know how I will make it that long without Blaze but I know it is good for me and Chris to have us time too. Blaze will have a ball with his Aunt Sassy because he doesn't get to see her very much but loves it when he does. I can't wait. But in the meantime I am doing laundry, dishes and trying to straighten everything up before then. trust me that is a lot of straightening! I will have a good post with pics from the trip tomorrow so stay tuned!
Please pray that our trip there and back is a safe one!!

Several Awards and I Won a Giveaway!

2009-07-29T00:00:00.000-04:00

I won a giveaway over at Sweet Serendipity! Can you believe it?!?! I won The Big Book of Things to Spot at Usborne Books. I am so happy because I am always looking for great books for Blaze that will also hold his attention. He really enjoys looking for things in pictures so this will be a great addition to his bookshelf. Thanks so much! To check it out or find other great books check out www.usbornetoday.comHere is a pic of the outside of the book I won and one from the inside. Too cool!

I have several awards that have been given to me that I have not been able to post because of a bug in Firefox. I figured it out tonight and now that it is fixed I can post them. So, without further ado, here they are.
Award #1- I received this award from Tami at Diary of a Madwoman. Thank you so much. you are truly one of the sweetest people I have met n blogland and probably in real life too! I love the way you write and the fact that you love God. I also think it is pretty cool that you have a son named Caleb like me! Thanks again.

The Rules:

1. Each Superior Scribbler must in turn pass The Award on to 5 most-deserving Bloggy Friends.
2. Each Superior Scribbler must link to the author & the name of the blog from whom he/she has received The Award.
3. Each Superior Scribbler must display The Award on his/her blog, and link to This Post, which explains The Award.
4. Each Blogger who wins The Superior Scribbler Award must visit This Post and add his/her name to the Mr. Linky List. That way, we’ll be able to keep up-to-date on everyone who receives This Prestigious Honor!
It is very hard for me to pick just 5 people to give this to. Just know that I love all of you and read every blog I follow faithfully!
The Recipients I Chose:
1)Kim at The Mom Trap I love to read everything she writes and love it because we have so many of the same opinions that sometimes I think she must have read my mind before she posted.
2)Mammarazzi at Dandelion Wishes There is always something going on there and she has a great way of telling the story! I love this blog!
3)Rachel at Once Upon a Miracle There are times I almost lose my bladder when I read the funny things on this blog. The biker in the ruffled shirt was one of my faves for sure. Plus she has a miracle boy too!
4)Angie at Messy Cars and Muddy Shoes This lady is so sweet and always writes great thoughtful comments and I love that she has a huge Christian family and the pictures she posts are awesome. This blog is another one of my favorites!
5)Sarah at Sarah's Sweet Hearts I love this girl! She has become a friend and is a beautiful person inside and out. A Christian Mom and crafty too. She is always encouraging and offers help to anyone she can. Such a sweet spirit in her that you can't not want to know her.

These are the other awards I received which are pretty cool also but I am not sure what the rules are because my buddy Tami likes the throw rules to the wind as it were. So I am a rogue too. I say everyone who wants these awards should have them. If You come on my blog frequently and comment on my posts then I want you to have them. I love all of you and get so excited to read the comments all of you leave me. Thanks for being great blogworldfriends!! God Bless You All! Pass these on to the blogs you love most!

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-07-27T00:00:00.000-04:00

Here it is, time once again for the MckLinky Blog Hop and this week we are supposed to put our favorite picture of our child or children. I don't know that I will be able to just choose one so bear with me. Before I do this I want to ask all of you one more time to please pray for little Stellan and for the doctors to have the wisdom to know what to do and the steady hands to do it. Pass around this prayer request please. Thanks so much. Now for the picture(s). Okay, I finally made myself stop or I would go a little crazy...lol. What can I say, there are not really any pictures of my son that are not my favorite...lol. So here ya go. There are a few here. Yes, he looks like an Oompa Loompa in one and that is why I liked it. he is the most adorable Oompa Loompa I have ever seen!

Bruiser's Little Clone

2009-07-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so you all have seen Bruiser. He is the dog my cousin rescued from his work site that was so skinny you could see every bone in his body. He was so weak he couldn't even pant. Now he chases rabbits, birds, kids, cats, butterflies, really anything that moves. he doesn't hurt anything, just loves the running I guess. He is active but calm and gentle. We have worked through his issues and I am happy to say he is the best inside dog I have ever had. As long as we leave him outside if we go anywhere haha. He doesn't do well left inside by himself. I am sure it is anxiety but he does fine if we leave him out so there ya go, problem solved. Plus I think it is pretty awesome that Blaze can walk him on a leash and Bruiser never once pulls or tries to run off. He is a super sweet, gentle Boxer. Anyway, back to my point. When he was still at my cousin's house he accidentally got romantic with their American Bulldog Ember. Who coincidentally, was my dog that I raised from 8 weeks to 3 years. I loved and still love her but she was a little hyper and very protective, and I was worried with Blaze coming that she would be too much for him and I worried about others coming over because she wasn't mean but she was extremely protective of kids and I was afraid she would feel Blaze was hers. She also shed everywhere. Bless her heart, it wasn't her fault but I couldn't let a baby crawl around on a floor that kept hair on it no matter how many times I cleaned it. She is spoiled rotten though so I don't feel bad. Man, I cannot keep a train of thought tonight, sorry guys! Anyway, long story short there were puppies born 4 weeks ago and 3 out of the 6 made it. 2 girls and 1 boy. The boy we named Titan and he was claimed by my sister Keri. The runt, a girl, I named Annie (after Annie Oakley) and claimed her for my Dad. He was always trying to get Bruiser from me and his dog Jack was killed about 6 months ago. Someone who was hunting on private property shot him. He was an awesome dog, a husky mix of some sort. He was so tall he was about the size of an adult deer. He could play ball for hours. So Daddy was missing having a dog. Well, we got them today and they are so cute and Titan looks just like Ember and Annielooks just like Bruiser. Titan is 8 pounds already and Annie is right over 4 pounds. I just thought I would post a few comparison pictures for you guys to see. Here you go. By the way, does Bruiser not look great?!?! Do they look alike or what?!?!ANNIE

BRUISER

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-22T00:00:00.000-04:00

Blaze really gets into his cheerios!! And no, I have not the foggiest idea why he is only wearing one sock and his pajamas don't match...oops.

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-07-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

Shana's Homemade Banana Nut Bread

4 medium very ripe/over ripe bananas
2 cups self rising flour
1 cup white sugar
1 cup light brown sugar
1 stick butter, melted
1 TBSP vanilla
2 eggs
I use pecans but you can use walnuts if you want.

1)Preheat oven to 400 F and grease 9x13 cake pan
2)Mash bananas in large bowl, add vanilla, melted butter and eggs. Mix until fairly smooth.
3)Add sugars to wet mix and mix well.
4)Add flour a little at a time till all is mixed well, not too much though. Stir in nuts if desired.
5)Pour mix in greased pan and put in preheated oven for 30 minutes then check at 5 minute intervals till toothpick inserted in center comes out slightly sticky. This is very moist so it may not look done to you but it shouldn't take any more than 45 minutes to be just right.
6)You can eat warm with butter spread on it but I like to put it in the refrigerator and let it get cold and eat it that way. if you are going to eat it warm then it needs to cool for about 25 minutes first so it will cut better.
This stuff is so good and I have people ask for it all the time and everyone who eats it wants the recipe. Try it and see what your family thinks about it.

Shana...A Funny Little Meme

2009-07-20T00:00:00.001-04:00

Type in "[your name] needs" in the Google search
*Shana needs to be fixed...oh my gosh, no I don't!!

Type in "[your name] looks like" in the Google search
*Shana looks like the girl next door...ok I can handle that one

Type in "[your name] wants" in the Google search
*Shana wants a big melon pan...umm, ok
Type in "[your name] does" in the Google search
*Shana does a keg stand on Flickr, nope, not going to happen

Type in "[your name] hates" in the Google search
*Shana hates her cats....sugar and spice might be upset about that
Type in "[your name] asks" in the Google search
*Shana asks about dinner and doesn't get a good answer, that seems normal here...lol
Type in "[your name] likes" in the Google search
*Shana likes to stick her tongue out, I outgrew that a while back
Type in "[your name] eats" in the Google search
"Shana eats melon pan when she is in a good mood and sets things on fire when she is not. Okee dokee I think this is from some Chinese show or something
Type in "[your name] wears" in the Google search
*Shana wears a black trenchcoat, i never wear black

Type in "[your name] was arrested for" in the Google search
*Shana was arrested for challenging to a fight in the 300 block of Alvarado. I have no idea where that is but if you say so Google..haha
Type in "[your name] loves" in the Google search
*Shana loves cakes, how did they know?!?!?
So ya, I suppose that was a pretty good laugh! Now do it with your name, and make sure to leave me a link so i can laugh at you too ;)

Blaze and Trip to Atlanta

2009-07-20T00:00:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to write a quick post on Blaze. I had to take him to the doctor last week beacuse he was really sick and running temps between 102 and 103. He had strep, a severe ear infection in his right ear and a virus on top of all that. He felt so bad. His ears drain a lot, as do mine, so when Dr. D checked his ears he couldn't see his eardrums. So you know what that means. Yep, they had to clean his ears out. I am not allowed to clean them. I was told whenever he needs them cleaned to take him in and they will do it. So I had to help the nurse hold him down. Which killed me but he did pretty well until the end and Dr. D told me that this was gong to be the bad part. It was. He cried and cried and made me feel so mean. But I know I was doing what needed to be done. then Dr. D told me that it was a good thing he cleaned them out because he had a sever ear infection. Anyway, he is on antibiotics and congestion meds and feeling better. I have to take him back for a recheck on his ear. the congestion meds make him wired and loopy all at the same time and so irritable. But he will get back to normal and I can't wait for that. Other than that I am excited because our Sunday School class is going to Atlanta on August 1st. We are going to The Georgia Aquarium, The Varsity to eat and to Stone Mountain. It is going to be a great time of friendship and Christian Fellowship with our church friends. I can't wait. I just don't know what I am going to do without Blaze from 7 am till 9pm. That has me worried. He has never been away from either of us for that long much less both of us. I do know that we need this time as a couple though and it will be fun.

Think Quotes, It's Friday

2009-07-17T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok it is Friday! Time for a new favorite blog carnival of mine called Think Quotes, It's Friday. It was started by Lori over at Life, Love, and Laughter in a Large Family. You should really go on over and link up to do this yourself and check out her other post on her blog while you are there. great stuff! So here is mine!

By the way, don't forget to enter my giveaway to win some awesome wood blocks for your little one or another little one you know!! There is a link to the right in my sidebar! God Bless You!

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-07-14T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I am joining the MckLinky Blog Hop again this week. We are supposed to list 3 things you don't know about me (or us). So here goes.
1)I love to read. A LOT! I own hundreds of books even though I have given away 8 huge boxes of them. I could read a book or more a day if I had time and I used to before I had a toddler to chase...lol. I once strained my eyes so badly that I burst all the blood vessels and my entire eyes were blood red except the blue and black. I couldn't read for 6 weeks and it made me sad.
2)I have PCOS. I struggled so long to have a child. We tried 12 years before having him to be exact. I went through 6 doctors before I found one who would listen and within 5 months of seeing him I was pregnant and now I have a gorgeous boy. I am still struggling with this as I am not normal and haven't seemed to be able to get pregnant again since Blaze was born and I thought I would not be as upset because I already have one. But it still sucks and hurts really badly to not be able to just be a normal woman.
3)I love cheese. Not important you say?!? No really, I could eat just cheese the rest of my life and be completely happy with that! Just about any kind.
And just because I can here is a super cute picture of Blaze playing peekaboo in the church nursery several months back. He has changed so much just since then.

Not Me Monday!

2009-07-13T00:00:00.000-04:00

It is Not Me Monday again and I am all blinged up with the new Not Me Monday Button. It's hot right?!?! So what I did was copy and paste MckMama's introduction as she can say it better than me! By the way Happy Birthday MckMama!!
Are you feeling guilty for not changing your children's bedsheets for weeks on end? Feel trashy taking your trash to the curb with no bra on? Overcome with embarrassment after your child wets his pants in public? We'll don't be! Not Me! Monday was born out of my desire to admit some of my imperfections and reveal a few moments I'd rather forget. You may find it therapeutic to join in and do the same thing!
And stayed tuned for next week, as we'll take a one-week break from Not Me! Monday and instead do a Not My Child! Monday. We'll bite the bullet and share the things that there is no way our children were caught doing! Start making your list for next week now; it's going to be a fun time!
Okee dokee, let's see here. What did I NOT do this week? Hmmm. Ok I most certainly did not walk into our bathroom to take a bath and find the bathtub full of ~~sewage~~ water. I then did not say HONEY, we have a problem and tell him to go check out said ~~sewage~~ water in our bathroom. The he did not have to dig up the septic line and cut it apart in several places and find a lot of grease had filled it up over time. Um, I NEVER put grease down the kitchen sink. And anyways, if I did, I would not compensate by running plain hot water and squirting Dawn dish detergent in the drain. That is just crazy and bound to not work anyway right? Because everyone surely knows that the water and grease will cool down pretty quickly in those pipes and stop them up. Hmmm, or at least now they do after not seeing what cam out of those pipes...YUCK! Now I wonder what my arteries do not look like...heehee.
I have not only actually put "real" clothes on once this week, for church, of course. I always get up every day bright and chipper and ready to take on the world and I always wear a bra. Ahem, moving on.
Why don't you join in the fun of Not Me Monday! You will like it, I promise!!

Beautiful Boy Blaze Blowing Bunches of Bubbles

2009-07-12T00:00:00.000-04:00

Sorry about the title. I just could not control myself...hee hee! We had fun outside this evening with our precious boy. We He ran, jumped, chased bubbles, ran from bubbles, slid on his slide, threw the football, and caught bugs. A cricket to be exact. Could any kid ask for more fun?!? I don't think so. So here are a few pictures from our front yard adventures. Hope you like them!

"Here Mom, I have a surprise for you."

"It's a cricket! See!"

Is he not just gorgeous?!?!?

Amazed

Daddy was teaching Blaze how to blow bubbles.

Ready to do it myself.

Trying hard!

His first bubble!

Popping bubbles with a stick.

He was riding his Tonka truck and pulling on the smoke stack saying Choo Choo! It was so funny!
All in all it was a great day! I love my son so much it hurts and I love to see how much he is growing and learning. it seems like there is something new every day that he has learned. it blows my mind to think he will be 2 next month and now I guess I need to go cry and figure out what to do for his birthday party.

Join the Potter Palooza over at Beansie's, I am!

2009-07-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

Ok, so I am participating in a great contest over at Beansie Babbles. It is really easy to enter and play along and you can get extra entries to win prize packages she put together with some handmade stuff and store bought stuff. I don't really care what it is I just like playing...lol. So she asked us today to post a pic of our favorite pair of socks. All because, of course, Dobby from Harry Potter loves socks. So, why not?!?! Here is my favorite pair of socks. I love them because they have cooking stuff on them.

Think Qotes, It's Friday

2009-07-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

Found a new blog carnival over at Life, Love and Laughter in a Large Family. The meme is called TQIF: Think Quotes, It's Friday. What you are supposed to do is take a favorite quote and pair it with a favorite picture. So this week I am going to try it. It will be hard though because there are so many quotes I love. After you check mine out head over to Lori's blog to check out hers and anyone else that links up with theirs.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-07-09T00:00:00.000-04:00

This was taken at my Mother-in-law's house last Christmas. I just love the expression on his face, the crooked smile and his gorgeous blue eyes. He is so beautiful and I can't believe he is going to be 2 in one month! This is just blowing my mind!

Winner

2009-07-08T00:00:00.001-04:00

The winner for the Name Those Kitties Contest is Lisa from I'm at Home. There were a lot of great suggestions but we decided to go with Sugar and Spice. The close second runner up was Lucy and Ethel by Sweet Mama Jones. Both great ideas and I will be making something for Lisa and sending it to her asap! Thanks to all those who entered!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-07-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

This picture was taken last Christmas. Blaze absolutely loves music, especially piano. We got him this little radio and when he opened it he was so excited. He was dancing in the pic and I thought it was so adorable and I could not resist using it for my Wordless Wednesday post. I also cannot believe how much he has changed since last Christmas...or that he will be 2 years old in one month!!! Where oh where has my baby boy gone?For more Wordless Wednesday posts head on over to Extraordinary Mothers or to My Charmed Life. Put your own link in the pool and check out some other great blogs and their Wordless Wednesday posts.

MckLinky Blog Hop

2009-07-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

***My Favorite Photo for The Blog Hop this week is one of the cutest pictures of Blaze. He was about 6 or 7 months old and I just fell in love with this one. it is like he is saying, "Oh no, not that camera again!"
This week, on TUESDAY, 7/7/09, the theme is A FAVORITE PHOTOGRAPH. Post up one of your favorite photographs and a caption that tells the audience about it.***

6th Photo in 6th Folder Challenge

2009-07-03T00:00:00.000-04:00

OK while I was gone I was challenged to the 6th photo in the 6th folder challenge by not one, but two great blogging friends! Sally at Suburban Hooker and Sweet Mama Jones.
These are the rules:
1) Go to your photo folders
2) Select the sixth file folder
3) Open it and select the sixth photo in that file folder
4) Write a story for that picture, post it and
5) Select five bloggy friends to tag
6) Be sure to let them know they've been tagged
So here it goesThis is Blaze's great aunt Lillian holding Blaze at his first birthday party. She is my hubby's favorite aunt and he is her favorite nephew. He used to stay at her house all the time and she taught him how to bake. She is the sweetest thing on this earth and is 75 years old. I don't think she looks it at all! She loves Blaze so much and she is one of those sweet ladies that thinks you need to eat every time you see her. That can be good right?!?! She still plants and harvests her own garden although Chris did go the other day and pick the green beans she couldn't get to. She loves Blaze so much and just spoils him rotten. I love this picture so much and know he will cherish it when he is older.
Now for the blogs I tagged
1)Holly at The Adventures of Cat and Bambam
2)Rachel at Once Upon a Miracle
3)Tammy at Coffee n' Crafts
4)Alicia at Three B's and Me
5)Alea at Premeditated Leftovers

Plans Interrupted and Name Those Kitties

2009-07-02T00:00:00.000-04:00

Well, I had plans to write a good comeback post. Perhaps explaining why I was ~~too lazy~~ so busy I just didn't have time to write a sensible blog post. But yet again I had an eventful evening and could not get to it. We went today to get Blaze's new play set out of layaway and Chris set it up after I made another run to an industrial supply center to get ~~twelve screws that hopefully four of will work~~ 4 easy to find screws . Blaze finally got to play on it and he was having a ball with it too. By the way, sorry about the quality of all the following pics. My camera is dead and I can't find my charger. So these are cell pics.

Then he was running around the yard and came running back to me slapping at his hand and it looked like he had a tiny bite on it so I rinsed it in the pool...sad I know. Then he had all these welts showing up and I got worried because i am allergic to some insect stings and he started scratching at his throat. So I took him in and gave him Benadryl and the things just kept getting bigger so we decided to take him to the emergency room. Yay! Everyone knows how fun that is. So we waited and waited, thank goodness he wasn't having an anaphylactic reaction! By the time we got to triage she said it looked good and that if we really wanted to see the doc of course we could but she said he was fine and recommended Benadryl and Cortisone cream for the welts. So we left because really why see a doctor when he was fine. So we came home and let him play a few minutes on it since his time was cut short. He is fine and sleeping like a ~~drunk~~ baby.

In other totally unrelated news I want to post a update pic of Bruiser who is doing very well and is not having so many issues with separation now. We do have to leave him outside when we leave but my mother in law assures us he does not leave the yard and she says she will look down here and every now and then she will see a toy go up and a toy come down where he is playing. I would love to see that but can't since I am gone when this happens. He looks so much bigger and healthier and he is so sweet. The first picture is a reminder of what he looked like when he was found and after that is from yesterday.

I also got 2 kittens off Craigslist to hopefully get rid of a mouse problem I am having. they are really sweet and look almost just alike. They are sisters and the one with the white nose is the bold spunky one and the one with the black nose is more skittish and shy. They don't have names yet. So if anyone has any ideas let me know. hey How about a Name Those Kitties Contest?!? I will give something to the winner. Not sure what but it will be a little surprise. Maybe a little gift card or a set of coasters made by me or something. Wanna play along? If so just leave your ideas in the comment section. This could be fun!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-24T00:00:00.000-04:00

Check out more Wordless Wednesday posts here at 5MinutesforMom! Great stuff!

Boys and Their Tractors

Not Me Monday!

2009-06-22T13:17:00.000-04:00

Hey there folks! It is that time again! Time for a little therapy by confessing things you did NOT do! MckMamacreated this blog carnival so head on over there to see what she and others have not been doing this week.This week I did not spend $50 on stuff to fix the car air conditioner ourselves since it would make so much more sense to hire someone that knows what they are doing. If I did do that, which I did NOT then surely I wouldn't really be upset that the air conditioner is still BROKEN!
I did not get my hubby a Father's Day card then tell him we could get a part for his truck if he wanted it. I always have wonderful, thoughtful and meaningful gifts planned out, bought ahead of time, and beautifully wrapped ahead of time. I am so much more organized than that.
Last night, I did not spend an hour talking to my friend that we got Bruiser from. She did not come home to find her dog Ember had had puppies...that Bruiser did not make...ahem...and it did not look like someone had been massacred in her house. We did not discuss afterbirth and certainly didn't look up pictures of it to make sure that is what that stuff was. I did not fall in love with the cute little puppy faces and just wish I could get a sniff of puppy breath through the phone. Nope not me, I have enough to deal with and really would not want another dog that I had to train. Even if it looks exactly like Bruiser! I don't have time for that.
That is about all of my Not Me's! Please join in the fun! You will like it I promise!

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T00:00:00.000-04:00

I want to post a Happy Father's Day to my dad, my father-in-law and my beautiful, awesome, hardworking, hardloving hubby! I love all three of you with all my heart and soul!

My Daddy!

My Father-In-Law

My Wonderful Husband Chris!

National Friendship Week- Repost from a Friend

2009-06-19T00:00:00.001-04:00

One of my bloggy friends and Crochetville Friends posted this on her blog and I thought it was so awesome that I asked her if I could have permission to repost it on my blog and she said yes! Really read this and think about it. God Bless You All! This is the blog I got it from CoffeeandCrafts. Read a lot of her other posts too. There are some really good ones in there!
Too many people put off something that brings them joy just because they haven't thought about it, don't have it on their schedule, didn't know it was coming or are too rigid to depart from their routine.
I got to thinking one day about all those women on the Titanic who passed up dessert at dinner that fateful night in an effort to cut back. From then on, I've tried to be a little more flexible.
How many women out there will eat at home because their husband didn't suggest going out to dinner until after something had been thawed? Does the word 'refrigeration' mean nothing to you?
How often have your kids dropped in to talk and sat in silence while you watched 'Jeopardy' on television?
I cannot count the times I called a friend and said, 'How about going to lunch in a half hour? She would gas up and stammer, 'I can't. I have clothes on the line. My hair is dirty I wish I had known yesterday, I had a late breakfast, It looks like rain.' And my personal favorite: 'It's Monday.' She died a few years ago. We never did have lunch together.
Because Americans cram so much into their lives, we tend to schedule our headaches. We live on a sparse diet of promises we make to ourselves when all the conditions are perfect!
We'll go back and visit the grandparents when we get the little one toilet-trained. We'll entertain when we replace the living-room carpet... We'll go on a second honeymoon when we get the last of the kids out of college.
Life has a way of accelerating as we get older. The days get shorter, and the list of promises to ourselves gets longer. One morning, we awaken, and all we have to show for our lives is a litany of 'I'm going to,' 'I plan on,' and 'Someday, when things are settled down a bit.'
My lips have not touched ice cream in 10 years I love ice cream. It's just that I might as well apply it directly to my stomach with a spatula and eliminate the digestive process The other day, I stopped the car and bought a triple-Decker. If my car had hit an iceberg on the way home, I would have died happy.
Now....go on and have a nice day. Do something you WANT to......not something on your SHOULD DO list. If you were going to die soon and had only one phone call you could make, who would you call and what would you say? And why are you waiting?
Have you ever watched kids playing on a merry go round or listened to the rain lapping on the ground? Ever followed a butterfly's erratic flight or gazed at the sun into the fading night? Do you run through each day on the fly? When you ask ' How are you?' Do you hear the reply?
When the day is done, do you lie in your bed with the next hundred chores running through your head? Ever told your child, 'We'll do it tomorrow.' And in your haste, not see his sorrow? Ever lost touch? Let a good friendship die? Just call to say 'Hi?
When you worry and hurry through your day, it is like an unopened gift.....Thrown away........ Life is not a race Take it slower. Hear the music before the song is over.
It's National Friendship Week.. Show your friends how much you care.

Another Award

2009-06-19T00:00:00.000-04:00

How cool! I got another award from the Awesome Melissa over at Outnumbered 3to1. She is such a sweet Mom and a great blogger and if you haven't checked out her blog you really should! There are no rules that came with this one so I am going to follow in her footsteps and give this award to 5 people who:
1)Always make me smile with their comments
2)Regularly leave comments on BlazeandCrochet
Recipients are
1)I'mAtHome
2)SuburbanHooker (that is crochet hook by the way...lol)
3)SweetMamaJones
4)BeansieBabbles
5)PremeditatedLeftovers
I have so many more that I could give it to also but I am working on designing my own blog award so stay tuned for that!

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-18T00:00:00.000-04:00

I LOVE THIS PICTURE!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-16T00:00:00.001-04:00

This is my (mostly) Wordless Wednesday post and if you want to see more of these then head over to 5 Minutes for Mom to check the others out or to add your own Wordless Wednesday post. Come on you know you want too! HAHA! My pics are summer pics since we just stepped into summer here in Georgia and it is HOT! What better way to cool down than a dip in a pool and popsicles?!?! A sandbox is another thing that is synonymous with summer. He is having a blast with this stuff too!

I Got Another Award

2009-06-16T00:00:00.000-04:00

I Got ANOTHER Award!
I have received a wonderful award from Beansie and I am so happy to get it. She is a great friend and blogger and you should make sure to check out her blog Beansie Babbles. I got the award with these following rules so here goes.
The rules with this award are to:
1) List 7 things you love.
2) Link back to the person who gave you the award.
3) Pass it along to 7 other bloggers.
7 Things I Love
1) My God. He died for me so I could live forever with him in Heaven. Need I say more?!?!
2) My husband Chris. He is my angel, my strength, my friend, my lover and my hero. he also gave me the most beautiful gift in this earthly world. My son.
3) My son Blaze. He is my miracle and I am ever thankful to God for allowing me to be his Mom. He is so smart and strong and beautiful I want to cry.
4) My parents. They have raised me as a Christian and with good morals and respect. That can't be said of a lot of people these days. They had it hard with 5 girls but we were always loved and always provided for. We also did a lot of family activities and they tried to give us a lot of wants too even when they did without a lot.
5) Books. I love to read pretty much anything. Fiction, non-fiction, memoirs, historical stuff. You name it I will read it.
6) Creativity. I am so blessed that God blessed me with some degree of creativeness. I love to make things others will enjoy or that they need. What can make you feel better than to give a gift to someone.
7)Cheese. Haha had to put a funny one in here. But I am really not kidding. I love cheese. All kinds and lots of it!
7 Blogs I Chose
1)http://coffeencrafts.blogspot.com/
2)http://tris-adventures.blogspot.com/
3)http://sarahsweethearts.blogspot.com/
4)http://livelaughpullhairout.blogspot.com/
5)http://foreverfatgirl.blogspot.com/
6)http://auntpittypats.blogspot.com/
7)http://www.themomjen.com/

Aloha Friday

2009-06-12T12:56:00.000-04:00

Welcome to Aloha Friday. Created by islandlife808.com. Why don't you run on over there and check out everyone else's link to their answer.
The Question:

What’s your favorite thing about Summer?
I think my favorite thing about summer is just hanging out outside with my hubby and son. Cooking out is a fave of mine too. I love the smell of charcoal and steaks sizzling on the grill. Being able to get out and go places like the park or a museum or wherever without having to really worry about the weather.

A Thousand Words Thursday

2009-06-11T00:00:00.000-04:00

I think it should have been A Thousand Picture Thursday!! I wanted to do the whole story of Blaze's birth in pics. After 2 days of end stage contractions and not dilating past 1 and a half centimenters we finally decided on a csection because frankly it sucked having 10 seconds between contractions when they were not working. Especially without anything for pain because they don't give an epidural till 4 cm and I never made it there. I did get Stadol but you only get 3 of those. So c section it became. I don't care, he made it here safely and that is all that matters. I remember the nurses saying he came out completely clean and that they didn't even have to bathe him just dry him off. He was so beautiful.

Right before they took me back.

Chris talkng to his Mom on the phone right before he came back to the OR.

OR doors

Chris waving at My Mom for the camera. She told him he would never be the same when he came back through those doors.

Coming to the nursery with Blaze. You can see the adoration in Chris' face.

Passing by with Blaze.

Just taking it all in.

Getting ready to weigh and measure.

8 lb 6 oz and 21 inches long

Saying hello to granny.

So calm.

Adoring our son.

First time together as a family of three!

My precious boy. So gorgeous!

Wordless Wednesday

2009-06-10T00:00:00.000-04:00

My Wordless Wednesday
Oh how I miss these days! Nap at 8 months old with the sock monkey he still sleeps with.
The first teething episode. We were up almost all night and they both finally passed out from exhaustion. I love this picture. Look over the drywall dust from where we redid the nursery. We constantly forgot to take the screen out and clean it...lol!
This was 3 days before Blaze was born. I was so happy and excited but so tired at the same time. I loved sitting in the nursery imagining what it would be like to actually hold my own child when I thought it would never happen.
Daddy and Blaze taking a nap in Blaze's new big boy bed. Priceless. Now we have to redecorate the room again. Hmmm, any ideas anyone? Paint colors, wall decorations, stencils? I will take any ideas you have.

Not Me Monday!

2009-06-08T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yep it is that time again! MckMama started this blog carnival so head on over to her blog and check out what she and others have not been doing this week.
This week I did NOT wake up to my hubby telling me there was a snake in the little bathroom! That would NEVER happen at my house! because if it did I would definitely NOT call my neighbor, who shall be named Eddie the Snake Wrangler, to come retrieve said snake from our bathroom. I wold NEVER do that because if there was a snake in our bathroom I would surely be very mature and take car of it myself. But NOT because my hubby would run from the bathroom screaming like a little girl...lol!
This week I did NOT have to call poison control. My son would NEVER decide to eat sunscreen because he would NOT have that opportunity. I would NOT let him out of my sight because I am a much better mother than that and always have my child in my line of vision. If he did do that though the guy on the poison control hotline would not say he will be fine. He will just have some transient diarrhea from the sunblock he did NOT eat.
This week I did not take my son out to play in the water and realizing the hose had a huge hole in it just plug the end and let him use the hole as a sprinkler. That is a little too redneck even for me so I would NEVER do that!

I Won a Name that Photo Contest!

2009-06-07T00:00:00.000-04:00

Yay! I won a Name that Photo Contest on Nathan's Fight!! Woohoo! Go on over there and check out the pic, it is too cute and the blog is really awesome and I read it every time I see it updated. Thanks so much for picking my entry.