HannahBanana

Wow, it's been a while since I've shared photos of Hannah. I sorta lost my photo-taking mojo for a while after I stopped keeping the babies. I'm going to try to do better. Some scrapbooker to only take about 20 photos in the past 2 months, huh? LOL

Miss Priss got her hair cut over the weekend. She's got that fine texture that tangles super quickly, and she wanted to look like all the other little girls she plays with. So yesterday she came with two ponytails, hoping I wouldn't get mad at her for cutting her hair! When I took her hair down and brushed it out, it was just way too cute!

Today I had a mini photo session with her, and this is my favorite shot of the day. Isn't she beautimous??

I just love this new outfit she wore today. I don't know why, but it's just super cute! I stuck my tongue out at her, trying to get a smile (not a cheesy one, but a real one), and THIS is what I got in return! Silly kiddo!

Sick days and sweethearts

Man, this week has been a woolybooger. First, as Oma posted the other day, the babies have had the crud, and for some reason Savannah took up with me Friday night and Saturday, so I ended up spending quite a bit of time just hanging out with her, breathing the same air, etc.

Soooo, Sunday evening, I started feeling a bit under the weather. By Tuesday night, I was ill. Very ill. From what we can figure, it's a combo of the flu, an upper respiratory bug and a gastrointestinal something-or-other. In other words.... NOT nice. The bulk of this week has been spent in a semi-medicated stupor of sorts. I vaguely remember snippets of things here and there.

Then to top it all off, yesterday I got an earache. Not a run of the mill, dull ache type of thing, but a "someone's trying to shove a 12" chef's knife point first through my ear canal" type of pain. Peter heated up a wet washcloth in the microwave and I held in on my ear for a while, then I gave up and retreated back to the age-old remedy that Mom's been using since before I was even a glimmer in my Daddy's eyes.... sweet oil (or in this case, extra virgin olive oil), warmed up in a spoon, poured into my ear and followed with a cotton ball.

Well, I went to bed and slept, and this morning when I rolled over so the affected ear was lying on the pillow, the pain really kicked in. It woke me up and almost had me in tears, but then something popped and most of the pain went away. Later in the morning, when I finally got up, it appeared that my ear had been bleeding, so not sure what's going on there, but at least the pain is gone.Now I'm waiting for my sweetie to come home with some earplugs for me so I can take a shower and not get water in my ears. Can't wait to get the Vick's smell off me and put normal clothes on and feel like a person again!!

Now for the sweethearts part... My sweet honey came home from work a bit late last night and presented me with a lovely bouquet of flowers, a couple of bags of assorted chicken soups and a box of Dove Dark Chocolate Promises.... YUM-O!! That made my night, even feeling as poorly as I was. It's nice to be loved so much, even when I'm feeling at my worst, that he would be such a sweetie to me.

This week, I totally owe him a huge amount of thanks. He's made 1:30am trips to Walmart for medicine for me, although he had to be back at work at 6am. He's tried to get me to eat when that's the last thing I wanted. He's called me even when he's swamped in paperwork, and he's let me cry on the phone when I was too weak to do much more than sound like a poor dying kitten.

So THANK YOU, SWEETHEART!! I love you, Baby. Happy Valentine's Day!

*Smiles*

Funnies

Update!

Wow, it's been a while, hasn't it? Guess that just means that life is good and busy, right?

I've discovered a new hobby. I've taken up crocheting, and am almost finished with my first afghan. Gotta go shopping tomorrow for some new yarn to start another one. It's nice to have a relaxing hobby where I can cozy up in my big comfy chair and just chill. I still love scrapbooking & cardmaking, but right now, I'm really enjoying being able to make something that can keep me warm. LOL

Things on the homefront are going great. My new venture is going great - we can tell some great changes are taking place. Will find out how well things are going next week. Yay!! I'm having fun finding new recipes and such. Just wish I'd have someone here to eat dinner with me so I don't have to cook for myself all the time.

For those of you who pray, PLEASE do so for Peter. He's got a potential shot at another overnight position, that we REALLY want him to get. If he did, it would free up his days and evenings so he could pick up more much needed OT. Then perhaps he could rearrange his shift on his 2nd job so he could be in church on Weds. evenings. Just thought I'd throw that out there. I much prefer him to work overnights - seems like when he did, I was able to get up earlier in the day instead of having to go back to bed for a few hours after Hannah gets here.

So other than that, not a whole lot going on. Just thought I'd update, since it's been a while. :)

A New Year, A New Beginning

Well, yet another year has passed and a new one has arrived! I hope that this year will be wonderful for everyone.

There are lots of good things in the works for us, I'm not sharing much besides with my siblings, but believe me, I'm filled with excitement! If all goes as planned, this year will be one of the best yet!

Raise your (iced tea) glass and join me in a toast to a very happy, healthy, peaceful 2008.

*Smile*

Smarty Child

I'm listening to The Carpenters' "I'll Never Fall In Love Again" and Hannah heard the chorus, "What do you get when you fall in love?", and answered, "A RING!!". She then told me that when you fall in love, the man gets a woman a ring and marries her, like her Daddy did her Momma. What a smart child!!

A Happy Christmas!!

I wasn't really excited about Christmas this year - the Bah, Humbugs sorta bit me at the last moment. But we've had a wonderful time the past couple of days.

Monday, all seven of Mom's children were together at my sister's home. We usually all get together once or twice a year, so it's something special. There was lots of wonderful food, everyone got to visit, and we had a very interesting gift exchange, thanks to Ryan's Mimi! Everyone laughed so hard and got confused, but in the end, we all got really great gifts. The brothers brought their instruments, as did a couple of the grands. We all sat in a big circle and sang Christmas carols before opening gifts, which is nice. I video'd part of it. I have to remember not to sing next year, though! LOL

Yesterday, the newlyweds opened their home to us for the McCleskey Annual Christmas gathering. We did a non-traditional Christmas lunch of lasagna & salad. We prepared the food, then had our gift exchange. For the first time, we drew names, which was a hit.

After lunch, we played games and Poppi, his Queen and his offspring came down and spent the evening. It was really nice to see them on Christmas - first time in a long time! Peter had to work, but came to pick me up and brought me home in the early evening and I fell asleep in my comfy chair for a couple of hours.

I got wonderful gifts this year!

I got the coolest popcorn bowl set from Amy - they're stoneware and look similar to the popcorn buckets at the movies. There's a large bowl and 4 smaller ones. She included popcorn, butter flavored oil, Lawry's salt and two popcorn seasonings. What a great gift!

For several years, my sisters and I have made a tradition of giving each other "sister gifts". It's so much fun to put thought into something unique to give them. Beth gave me the cutest wristlet bag and a yummy candle. Kathryn gave us all beautiful dark red hurricane vases. Lori gave us the cutest notepad cubes with matching pencils.

At our gathering yesterday, Flora gave me a gown that was on my wish list and the coolest Maxine mini calendar.

Faith & David gave me the coolest ornaments. One's a silver cross with blue jewels and the other is mercury glass. Now I need to find the perfect place for them. Who needs a tree? LOL

Lori gave me a really neat perpetual calendar to go on my desk.

Mom gave me some MUCH needed cookie sheets and two cookbooks, one is from the Mast side of her family - I absolutely love Amish cookbooks, so I can't wait to sit down and read it from cover to cover. She also passed out wall calendars from the Mast General Store in Asheville, NC. They're really awesome, as they're not just a calendar, but are also an almanac!!

My sweet darling gave me 3 lovely gowns and an awesome MP3 player!! Needless to say, I've been loading music on my laptop today, and am going to load the MP3 player later on today. :) I'm so excited! I've been wanting one for several years now, so I'm tickled pink.

Meg, Greg & Hannah gave me a gift certificate for an online scrappy store, so I'm looking forward to shopping while they've got their Holiday sales going on.

So this year has been a really good one. All the gatherings were peaceful, happy ones, and we've got memories that will last through the year!!

How was YOUR Christmas??

*Smiles*

All Done...

This year is the one to break my record of wrapping gifts at the last moment. As of just a few minutes ago, all our gifts are wrapped and in bins, ready to take to the family gatherings we're scheduled to attend. It feels great, and now I can breathe and relax.

Can you tell I'm happy??

*Smiles*

Torture

Sometimes you just don't appreciate a good thing until you're not allowed to have it for a while! The doctor's got me scheduled for a test on Thursday, and in preparation for that, I'm not allowed to take any Nexium for five days. Not only that, but any sort of heartburn remedy is banned, as well.

So far it hasn't been too terribly bad, but today, I can feel the pressure and the slow, steady ache at the top of my stomach. It's not bad at the moment, but I can almost guarantee that by the time I leave the doctor's office on Thursday, my menu will be limited to applesauce, jello & clear soup. Ugh!! We'll probably stop off and pick up some inexpensive remedy so I can take it as soon as the test is over.

So those of you who can, please pray that I'll be able to make the next few days without too much misery. After being on proton pump inhibitors of one sort or another since about 1993, my body's not too happy to have to go cold turkey like this. I can do it, but your prayers would be greatly appreciated.

*Smiles*

Underappreciated

For a couple of years now, I've been totally trying NOT to like John Mayer's music. I had in my mind that he's just some young pop star and his music is bubblegum pop. Well, tonight I finally sat down and listened to an entire album, and I think my attitude toward his music has changed.

My sweetheart loves "Waiting On The World To Change", and since I'd put the album on my laptop, I thought I'd play it for him tonight. Well, apparently my media player has a mind of its own, so it just kept playing. And I let it.

This guy has true talent for songwriting and his voice has that smoky, husky quality that just makes me want to listen. I love some of the less radio friendly songs. I guess now I'm going to have to start downloading his music.

I thought my music tastes were extremely eclectic, but now I have to add him to my playlist. If you haven't listened to him, you might like it if you try it. :)

*Smiles*

Just for Gennie

I got a phone call from a good friend this evening, and she happened to mention that I needed to update here. So Gennie, this one's for you!

A lot has happened in the past few weeks. I've had quite a few doctor's appointments, and good things are in the works there. Peter's working quite a bit still, and we are no longer keeping Val and Monkey. I'm sad about that, and miss them something fierce, but hopefully they're happy.

We've finally started to get the Christmas spirit. We pulled out a few things to decorate the living room, which is nice. Guess I need to pull the autumn leaves window clings off and find some snowflakes or something to decorate the front door with. I've been doing most of my shopping online this season, just hoping everything is delivered in time. Got my fingers & toes crossed on that one. Now I just need to get busy wrapping stuff instead of leaving it for the last minute.

This weekend is our annual Yoder Family Cookie Day. Not sure what kind of cookies I'm going to be making, but Paula Deen has a cool cookie that I'm thinking of adapting to my own. It involves sugar cookie dough and Thin Mints cookies, but I think I'll just use Andes mints instead. Nothing like biting into a cookie filled with yummy minty chocolatey goodness. :)

Hannah's spending the night tonight, which is always fun for me. It's nice to have some companionship while my sweetheart's working. She's so much fun and keeps me laughing!

So that's about all that's going on in our little corner of bliss. What's happening in your neck of the woods?

*Smile*

One Smart Cookie

I just love watching Kellie Pickler, there's no telling what's going to come out when she opens her mouth. BTW, I got the answer right within 2 seconds of seeing the question on the blackboard. LOL

Super Easy Entertainment

The girls have such curious minds, sometimes it's difficult for me to think of things to entertain them. Today was a great exception.

We were chilling out and I heard this awful racket out front. I realized that the utility company was probably chopping up trees, so we all went to the front door. There it was - the coolest entertainment we've seen all week. A huge truck with a wood chipper on the back, a bunch of guys in hard hats and a HUGE pile of tree limbs. Presto! Easy entertainment.

The guys probably thought we were silly, but the girls thoroughly enjoyed watching the guys shove the limbs into the chipper and the way it sorta "sucked" the trees in and chopped them up. We could see the pile of wood chips in the truck when it pulled up the street a little, and that was even cooler. So for a wonderful price (free), we got to spend a very cool 20 minutes or so watching the free show that took place right in front of our house.

Cool beans!!

*Smiles*

Abundantly Blessed

I've been intending to go through my closet and clean it out for a while now. Everything needed to be sorted into seasons, not to mention there were loads of things in there that I just don't wear anymore. So I bit the bullet today. With no children and my sweetheart working all day, this was the perfect time.

Everything is now sorted and the seasonal clothes are in bins. The only items left in the closet are the ones I love and can wear right now. There's also a basket of purged items to pass on to someone who needs them. It's like a huge weight has been lifted. Why do I procrastinate about things so much? It took roughly 45 minutes or so and I'm all finished! I'm so thankful for the clothes I have. There was a time when I had roughly 2-3 outfits and that was it. Now there are not only clothes in my closet that I can wear now, but also at least 2 bins full for later!! I am abundantly blessed.

A dear, sweet friend called me this morning. She invited Peter and myself to go to the beach with her for the weekend. We had to decline, although we really wanted to go. I'm so thankful for wonderful friends who love me and allow me to share in both their good times and bad. I am abundantly blessed.

I talked to T this afternoon and she's going to come up to spend the day with the girls and myself tomorrow. She's helping me get our house straightened out and cleaned so we can entertain again. I'm so thankful for the loving family who is always there for me when I need them. I am abundantly blessed.

My sweetheart is going to put in for his vacation time, hoping to take it at the same time the babies' Mom is going to take hers. A whole week with just the two of us - how awesome would that be?? Even if we just have Hannah here, it will be so wonderful. We haven't had more than a couple of days alone in a few years, and we need it. I'm thankful that he is a hard worker and good provider, allowing me to be a SAHW. I am abundantly blessed.

The doctor called me yesterday afternoon with my latest lab results, and all the levels are WAY better than they were just 2 short months ago. The medication is working, and all the doctor's appointments we've had lately are worth it. I'm so thankful to have a great MD who takes the time to talk to me and answers all my questions. I am abundantly blessed.

I'm just in an extra thankful mood this afternoon. I have a beautiful, warm, well-built home; I have lots of clothes to wear; I have plenty of food to eat and don't have to worry about not having food to feed the girls; I have a husband who loves me and provides for me without having to nag him all the time; I have a family who allows me to be a part of their lives; I have friends who love me and worry about me; I am clean and sober (15+ years now!!). These things may not seem like much, but to me, they're simply awesome. 15 years ago, I didn't have ANY of these things. So I am ABUNDANTLY BLESSED.

Have a fabulous week. :)

*Smiles*

Busyness

Wow, it's been pretty busy around here since my last updation. There was Halloween, sick babies, we had Emma here a couple of days, Peter's been working crazy hours and my allergies have kicked into high gear. Not to mention the doctor's appointments and get-togethers with our family. It's all good though.

Hannah was Ariel from Disney's "The Little Mermaid". Love the hair - I'm actually almost jealous. Sometimes I miss being a redhead. LOL Val and Amber were hunters, complete with guns and hats. Not sure where their orange vests are, though! Val dipped into her basket and gave me a Reese's cup. How sweet is that? Hannah brought me some candy the next day since I didn't "get" to go trick-or-treating. My girls are SO sweet!

The past couple of weeks, the girls have been fighting colds. The doctor gave them an oral antibiotic that caused Val some bad gastrointestinal issues. I had to give her two showers on Friday, so her Mom took her back to the doctor and got a shot for her. Hopefully that's going to take care of all the snotties, pukies and all the other yucks that go along with it. I really am hopin that once we get them well, we can keep them that way for quite a while. It seems like such a vicious cycle - about every month or two we all pass this crud around. We're all ready for a long bout of wellness.

Other than that, we're just enjoying life. I'm itching to get back to my scrapping desk and be creative. I just got a rather large package of photos in the mail on Friday, and I can hear the siren song now....

Here's a couple of pics of my sweet babies. Enjoy! :)

Such a Special Child...

The scenario: Hannah was smacking her forehead with both hands over and over.

Me: Hannah, what are you doing?

Hannah: Trying to get my brain out.

Me: Why? You need your brain. It tells you when to breathe, it tells your eyes when to blink and it tells your tummy how to work.

Hannah: Well, I've got boogers in my brain and I'm trying to get them out.

BOOGERS? In the BRAIN? Where on earth did she come up with this? Probably from the discussion we had earlier about her ear boogers. It only stands to reason that after she grasped the concept of nose boogers and eye boogers, her brain just has to have boogers too.

She may be a booger-brain. but at least she's good for a laugh!!

*Smile*

Long time, no blog

Since I've been (reasonably) gently reminded that it's been a long time since I have updated, I figured the world must have a burning desire to know that I'm still alive and kicking. One of the reasons for the lack of updation is that there's really nothing going on around here. Same old, same old. Get up in the morning, get the girls, go back to bed for a few hours, get up and feed them lunch, chill until time for them to go home, eat supper, chill out until my sweetie gets home and hit the hay somewhere between 12:00am and 1:30am, then get up the next morning and do it all over again. See, I did say boring, didn't I??

There have been a few wonderful things happening to those around me.

There's been a much anticipated reunion with our Caleb... it's SO wonderful to have him "home" again. He still gives the most wonderful hugs. Truly an answer to the Saints' prayers. :)

We've had bubble chases at our home. My sweetheart blew the bubbles, the girls chased them, and I sat back and took photos of the whole thing. It was just one of those things that made my heart smile. There's nothing like the laugh of a child!

Oma got a chance to catch up with KayKay. This was the first time I've seen a photo of them together like this in years! Time may have changed them somewhat and they sure are a lot wiser, but they're both just as wonderful and caring as always. :)

EmmaLemma had a blast at Mandy's house, scootching all over and having a blast. We've bonded lately, which is a good thing. She's such a little firecracker, and is so adorable. Her Mommy thought she'd look good with her balloons helping her along, so she tied them to her strap on her dress. Guess baby girl was planning to go on a ride! Cute stuff!

There was a BEAUTIFUL wedding last weekend. My beautiful niece, Faith, married David, who's a really nice guy. I created this digi page in their honor. :)

The ceremony was beautiful and Faith looked like a princess. Her dress was so beautiful. Wonder if she wore glass slippers?

Lighting the Unity candle. My wish for them: A long, happy, blissful life together, with all the best that life can give them. A quiver full and prosperity. We love you both!

The newly minted Mr. & Mrs. Persle. You two look so good together!

A very dedicated groomsman! After trying to get him to smile for a photo with his lovely wife the evening before, I was in the right place at the right time to catch him with a pew bow on his head and a full smile on his face. This bow later made it's encore appearance on the back of the newlyweds' getaway car.

While hanging out with "PetePete" during the ceremony, I got this adorable shot of EmmaLemma. Love the tongue hanging out. Too cute!

Emma had a birthday last weekend. She turned the big "O-N-E"! She had her own little cake and instead of digging her fingers into it, she just picked up the whole plate and licked the frosting off it! Even after her Mommy showed her how to dig into it, she was just too feminine to do it. She did eventually poke one finger into the cake very delicately, but decided she's just rather lick the thing rather than get her fingers dirty! Cute, cute, cute! (Thank goodness the cake stuck to the plate instead of sliding off into her lap!! Now THAT would have been a photo opportunity!!)

And finally, my babies are getting SO grown up! I happened to look over on Friday and saw Monkey and Val reading books together. Aren't they just simply adorable?

Soooo, I hope that's enough of an updation for now. I'll really try to be a better blogger and update more often. :)

Have a fantabulous week and don't forget to *Smile*!

Lovely weather!

After a summer that has lasted a little longer than usual, it's so lovely to have a change in the weather. Having our windows open is a special treat, since we get all that lovely fresh air. Having grown up in the country, open windows is something that I really miss during the summer and winter. Of course, I've been known to have the window nearest my bed open a few inches, even when it's close to freezing. It's a little weird, but somehow I sleep better when I'm cold.

This afternoon was a lovely day to have a shower. Not a physical shower, but the one where you get together with lovely ladies and shower a special person with gifts to celebrate a momentous occasion in their life. The weather was perfect, the location was beautiful, the company was great and the gifts were simply lovely. It was a great shower, and I hope the special lady had a great time and likes all her new goodies.

Tonight, we had a special treat. Flora got a hankering for B'gards, so we went out for a late dinner. My sweetie met us after he got off work, and we just spent time together as a family. We relaxed, visited and just chilled. It was so nice - with the wedding coming up, it seems like everyone is just so frenzied and frazzled. We haven't had just "chill time" in a while. We just really needed that tonight. Guess you can say it was the break that refreshes.

Hope your weekend is going great. :)

Perks & Marching Bands

There's a lot to be said for living really close to a university campus. There's a Starbucks on the corner, literally 2 minutes from the house. There are fireworks shows from time to time, and we can stand at our front door and watch the show. And this week, since it's turned a bit cooler, I can sit in the comfort of my home, have my windows open and enjoy the sounds of the Alabama A&M marching band practicing in the stadium that's just across the highway. How cool is that??

I've always loved parades and watching football games because of the bands. For some reason, the sound of a marching band makes me happy. So it's doubly delightful to be able to hear the band almost every evening. I'm thankful to live in a relatively quiet neighborhood so that I CAN enjoy the sounds of my environment.

Yes, there are drawbacks, such as needing to find an alternate route out of our subdivision when there's a ballgame, and having cars parked all up and down the streets during a game, but hey, I'll take it! All the perks make it A-OK with me.

*Smiles*

Good times & lots of adhesive

Today we did something we don't get to do nearly enough. We took Lori and Mom out for lunch, then went to their house to chill. Peter took a nap while I helped Lori work on swap stuff. It was pretty cool - she had her laptop on her table and I had Mom's laptop on my table, and we were able to work together.

I just love their new craft room. I'm hoping to figure out how we can both sit at my desk and work together! We might just have to put our laptops behind us so we can stay in touch with the rest of the world.

Anyway, Flora made a really good supper for us, and we got home early enough to go to bed at a decent hour. So today was really fun. Thanks, you guys, for putting up with us hanging out there all day! :)

Better than I thought

Over the years, I've been typing, steadily getting faster and a little better along the way. On a whim, I did a typing test here today, and was totally astounded by my results! According to the site, with a one minute test, I typed 77wpm, with 92% accuracy. My gross wpm was 83. WOWSA!! I'm still tripping out! If the day comes that I need to go back into the workforce, I'm definately going to look for something that will put my skills to use.

BTW. anyone know of a doctor who needs someone to do transcription? JLMK. :)

A Special Day

Yesterday was Mom and my oldest brother Harvey's birthday. Mom was nice enough to keep the girls for a bit while Peter and I took care of an errand, then we went to her house and just visited. While we were there, Harvey came in from MS to take Mom out to celebrate. We got to visit with him - something we haven't been able to do in quite a while. Before we left, I was able to get a really great photo of them with my cell. Can't tell that I scrapbook - totally forgot to bring my camera!

I hope you both had a wonderful birthday, and I'm so glad that I was able to see you both on your special day. :)

All Alone

It's a Holiday weekend, so I should be thrilled, right?? Well, most of my local family members have gone to a family reunion in Indiana and I miss them. Nothing like spending a long weekend alone! My sweet darlin' has to work quite a bit, and I'm having a pity party. I'm bored, I'm feeling blah and I'm lonesome!! But it's all good. :) Life's actually quite peachy, it's just the weather, right?

Peter's been home with me today and it's just been a relaxation day. We haven't done anything except fix some lunch together. That's it. He's taking a nap and I'm on the computer. I've been playing a game, but that's boring. I'm listening to some classic rock and feel depression trying to creep up on me. Guess it's time to change the channel! Then again, maybe I'll just turn it off and go snuggle with my honey. Yeah, that sounds like a good idea.

I hope your 3-day weekend is wonderful and full of fun! And if your family grills out, please eat a hot dog and think of me! :)

*Smiles!*

Duh moment!

I've been sadly MIA lately, not only here, but in my real life. My desk is piled with unread mail, my stuff from the crop last weekend is piled up, I've got errands that need to be done and they're still waiting. We've been eating sandwiches because I'm not alert enough to cook. It makes me sad, but hopefully things will look up really soon. Of course, it doesn't help that the weather is so stinkin' hot that I can't function, either.

I started 3 new medications and I have been sleeping way more than normal. The other day I went here and looked up the side effects of each med. Well, turns out that a potential side effect of all three was drowsiness, sleepiness, or fatigue. Wow, that explains it, right? I get up each morning, eat a little something so my stomach isn't empty and take the meds, then go right back to bed as soon as I get the girls. This is not optimal, folks!

Last night, I had the "Duh moment". Since the meds make me so tired when I take them in the morning, why not wait until bedtime so I can get a quality night's rest instead of lying awake until 1 or 2am?? DUHHHHHHH! So this morning, I didn't take my meds, and will take them tonight. Hopefully that will help me be more alert during the day.

There ought to be a law

Man, it's HOT outside!! It's 10:30am and it's already 95* outside! There ought to be a law against such things! But then again, August does have its reputation for being the hottest month of the year - and deservedly so.

I haven't ventured outside the house at all this week while the temps have been up. I've been hanging out inside, right by the air conditioner! Today is the exception, though. We're headed to the 'Ham to go cropping. That's about the only thing that could entice me to go out in the hot and humid misery that is Dixie in August!

Sad thing is that the heat is drying up the fruits and vegetables right on the vine. The CSA I signed up with has been bringing sad little baskets. Let me just say that I am sick of greens & squash. Anyone want a bunch of pattypan squash? I got an email from the farm yesterday informing us that they're going to be buying produce from others to put into our baskets from now on. Sad, sad, sad. Thank goodness for the Farmer's Market!!

Those of you who can pray, please do so for a break in the heat and some much needed rain! :)

Have a great day, and don't forget to *smile*!

Bad blogger, bad, BAD blogger...

Wow, it's been a while since I updated. Sorry about that. Life's been a bit hectic around here. Family gatherings, doctor's appointments, going shopping, etc. It's been fun, but blogging has been the last thing on my mind for the past week or so. Sometimes it just has to be that way, I guess.

Saturday, we got to go to my sister's house for a get-together. We all had a great time, and the food was good, too. We had to rush home so Peter could be at work at 8pm, though, so that cut into the fun a tiny bit. But at least we got to go and visit with family we haven't seen since February!

Sunday was just a lazy day. We took a long nap in the afternoon, which was nice for a change!

Monday, we met Poppi & The Queen at the Blue Plate Cafe for breakfast - if you haven't eaten there yet, I totally recommend that you check it out!! After a great meal, we went back to Mom's house and visited some more. We even got to see Ben, which was an unexpected treat!

Tuesday, we had an early appointment at our new Doctor. Got things taken care of there, then went to the Farmer's Market. We came home with a bunch of fresh produce, so we've really been enjoying the fresh veggies! Peter made fried corn this afternoon, and I want to make some fried green tomatoes. Yum!!

So anyway, we're just chilling out, trying to stay cool and trying to be good. I've actually got my Christmas 2006 photos sitting on my desk and am trying to figure out the best way to scrap them. Guess that's my mission for the next couple of weeks. :)

Have a fabulous one and don't forget to smile!

The Joys of Potty Training

Monkey has finally decided that she is ready to train. Soooo, we've started the whole potty training adventure once again. We'd tried it a few months ago, but she simply wasn't ready. But now bribery seems to be winning her over to the whole idea. She's been dry all day today, thanks to continuious vigilance and the promise of jelly beans. Thank goodness for that bag of Jelly Belly's I got for my birthday!! :)

At the same time, we're getting Val used to the whole idea. She sees her sissy getting on the potty and getting jelly beans when she goes, and keeps asking for her jelly beans. I've been putting her on each time I take Monkey, just hoping that it'll work. So far we haven't had any luck, but I'm not going to count the girl out. After all, Em was fully trained at 18 months, and Val's almost there, so I do have some hope.

So, like I said, it's truly an adventure. Wonder what it would be like to have NO diapers to change?? Someday, perhaps, I'll find out. :)

Relaxed

As I walked through the living room yesterday, this was how Val was sleeping. I couldn't resist getting a photo of her - she just looks so soft, sweet and huggable like this. Of course, she's all of those things and more when she's awake, but she was just too cute to resist!

How I Scrap

This is how I scrap when the girls are around... When Val's being clingy, I just pop her up on top of the desk beside me and give her something to play with. In this pic, she's got a sheet of journaling that I goofed on. It keeps her quiet and I can be close to her while not actually holding her. :)

Proof