Happy Homemaker Monday!

It's Happy Homemaker Monday again at Diary of a Stay At Home Mom, so I thought I would join in since it's been a few weeks!

The weather in my neck of the woods:
Cloudy, cloudy, and cooler, only about 62 or so. No rain forecast really but apparently someone forgot to tell that to the clouds!

One of my simple pleasures:
Driving home from my class which is about 15 minutes away, not having to hurry, just driving along admiring the leaves.

On my bedside table:
Kleenex, cough drops, and about 658,000 books

On my TV:
The Amazing Race from last night.

On the Menu for Tonight:
ummmm....Chicken? I haven't really planned that out yet!

On my To Do List:
Sweep front porch
Thanksgiving decorations out of garage and put up
figuring out what to have for dinner

New Recipe I tried last week:
None because I have been sick with a sinus infection for over 10 days, then I had an allergic reaction to the antibiotics, so I've been coughing up my lungs for nearly 2 weeks now. It just took too much energy to just BE, much less to cook something imaginative!

In the craft basket:
Making some cool pumpkins that I found on Sunshine in my Soul
Approximately 17 quilts to finish
Machine embroidered tee shirts for my nieces/nephews (SHHHH)

Looking forward to:
Doing some yard work tomorrow...handbell practice tonight

Homemaking Tip for this week:
I made my own fabric softener this past weekend, and it turned out wonderfully! It's cheap and it works well which is good since we do a ton of laundry!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
I just found this blog and I'm looking forward to checking out her great crafts!


Favorite photo from last week:



My 6 year old, Tyler, clowing around at Wally World. He was out of school all last week sick and then his brothers and dad went to the deer woods this weekend so it was just me and him.








Lesson learned the past few days:
Life moves fast and sometimes you just have to take time out to smell the roses and enjoy what you're seeing outside your window. (yeah, I know, kinda sounds like Ferris Bueller, right??)

On my Prayer List:
My boys and husband, and extended family
Friends who are in India as missionaries


That's it for today, have a great day and may the Lord bless you and keep you!

Happy Birthday, Dad!!

Today is my Dad's birthday so I am just gonna say "Happy Birthday, Dad!"

We had a great day at my parents house celebrating several birthdays actually but today happened to be his actual birthday. Tomorrow is mine, Halloween is my Mom's birthday and November 2nd is my son Jake's birthday. Nothing like having birthday dinner for 4!! It was a terrific meal, great company, and great presents of course! LOL

Happy Homemaker Monday!

Sandra over at Diary of a Stay-at-Home Mom does this every Monday and I thought I would join in this time!


The weather in my neck of the woods: Wonderful, wonderful! Some sunshine, about 55 degrees now, but was 44 this morning when I took the boys to school. Love it love it!


One of my simple pleasures: Driving in my car with the sunroof opened some, even if it's cold, I just turn on the seat heater and the car heater!


On my bedside table: Or I guess on my Kindle, SOuth of Broad by Pat Conroy, Clive Cussler book (can't remember the name) My mom borrowed my Kindle for their recent trip to France so now I have a few books on there she wanted that I can read!


On my TV: Got to catch up from last week. Since I had a big test on Friday, I didn't watch Greys or Trauma or CSI: Miami or even the Amazing Race from last night, so I have some catching up to do.


On the menu for tonight: Ummmm chicken maybe?


On my To Do List: Count fundraiser money at elementary school, Mop the kitchen floor, finish decorating for Halloween.... Handbell practice tonight


New Recipe I tried last week: Peanut butter Cookies with Reeses in the middle... chocolate and peanut butter, what's not to like?


In the craft basket: a couple of quilts to finish piecing, a tote bag to make for me that's brown and teal


Looking forward to: Handbells tonight, substitute teaching tomorrow


Homemaking Tip for this week: Teach your children to do the housework so they will be self-sufficient adults and the burden will not fall on the mother always!


Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other): I always read The Pioneer Woman and her post about chicken parmesan had me drooling... dinner maybe?


Favorite photo from last week: Ryan on the right in black and Jake on the left in brown playing with their band at a music festival













Lesson learned the past few days: Don't wait until the morning the fundraiser money is due to start making sure the orders are right : (


On my Prayer List: Friends and family

That's all, I hope everyone has a great week!!

Giveaway, giveaway!

You know I love to quilt, right? Well, my friends at one of my favorite shops that's online, The Fat Quarter Shop, is having a giveaway right now! In case you don't know, fat quarters are a quilting-specific cut of fabric. When a quarter yard is cut, instead of it being 9 inches long by however wide the fabric is, say 44-45 inches, a half yard is cut which is 18 inches long by the width of the fabric, then it's cut in half. You're left with a piece of fabric that's 18 by 22 or so, which is infinitely more usable than a piece that's 9 inches by 44 or 45 inches. So that's what a fat quarter is!

And this giveaway you can find here Jolly Jabber Blog and it's called Pennsylvania Dutch and it's in beautiful colors of red, white and blue. This giveaway is for a Jelly Roll, a Layer Cake and a Charm pack in this lovely fabric selection. A jelly roll is a quilt-specific cut of fabric, it's 2 1/2 inches wide by 44 inches long. A layer cake pieces are 10 inches by 10 inches and charm packs are 5 inch square blocks. These are incredibly versatile and fun to use, so go now and enter!

You know how I said...

....on the meme that I always forget to start the dishwasher at night and I was working on that?

Well, now I know a good reason NOT to start the dishwasher at night. Two weeks ago, I started the dishwasher as I try to, late at night before bed, and I actually set it to start in 1 hour so I could fill up my jacuzzi tub and have a nice warm bubble bath and read a book. It started all right.... and ran....and ran....and ran......


...and when Jake got up the next morning for football practice, the dishwasher valve that shuts off the filling of the water had stuck..... and the dishwasher was dumping water - hot water - all over my floor and had been doing that since midnight. It was now 6:40 a.m. Jake found it and ran in our bedroom and got Bart, up; I was already in the shower because I had to be at the community college where I'm taking classes really early to get my schedule changed and had been told to get there earlier than the posted start time since I really needed my online classes.

So when I got out of the bathroom at 7:10, I was greeted with the sight of my husband and oldest 2 sons and every single towel we own (and with 4 1/2 baths, that's a lot of towels!!!!) mopping up the floor in about 6 rooms of my house. The water flooded the kitchen of course, that was tile; it went under the wall that is the living room wall to soak the living room carpet, it went past the kitchen towards the front of the house into the dining room which has hardwoods, and into the front hall which also has hardwoods. There was so much water that it ran out the kitchen door and into the back hall which leads to our bedroom and the door into the garage. The carpet in the back hall was soaked, all 10 feet of it, and the water ran into the master bedroom. It also went under the wall in the back hall to soak Bart's closet floor and under the dining room wall to get the floor in the master bedroom wet on another wall.

And it's only funny because in nearly 18 years of marriage, we have only had 1 insurance claim on our houses in all that time. Unfortunately that claim was water damage also and it occurred right before Christmas last year. The back hall was soaked as well as Bart's closet. So we have had to replace the carpet pad in the back hall and his closet 2 times in 8 months!!

It doesn't end there, unfortunately! Insurance does not pay to repair whatever broke, just the damage from whatever results. So when I called to have the dishwasher repairman come by, we have to pay for that. And of course, the warranty expired in February. He came on Friday, found the problem, couldn't come back until this past Friday due to his schedule, to put in the part. When he came, he got the dishwasher all pulled out from the under-counter space, he said, "uh-oh," which are words you definitely don't want ANY repairman saying!

I walked over there and looked, and behind the dishwasher was MOLD!!! Black, ugly, stinky, highly allergenic MOLD. The cabinet back was wet and gross besides being moldy, the floor was moldy and the sidewalls of the cabinet-inside were wet.

I called the adjustor and he said the restoration guy would come out. He came out and told me the dishwasher could not be put back, that the mold needed to be cleaned up and the cabinets dried out. So now the dishwasher is fixed but doesn't WORK!!! It's now sitting in the floor of the kitchen, completely in the way, and I am STILL washing dishes by hand, going on 2 weeks now. That's really an interesting thing with 6 people in the house!

The moral of this story is: DO NOT start your dishwasher before you go to bed or before you leave the house or while you're gone. I won't ever do it again, ever!

10 things meme

I saw that my friend Diane over at Diane's Place made up this meme and I thought it sounded like a good thing to do on a rainy Thursday. And Diane's rules were that you didn't have to tag anyone, but she was going to link to anyone who did the meme. So my rules are that you don't have to tag anyone, but feel free to copy it if you want and replace the answers with your own. Have fun and don't be shy!

1.] How come I can never find: a sharpened pencil, a pen that writes or those little appointment cards that they give you at the dentist and the doctor so you won't forget your appointment??

2.] I wish I'd never started: wanting to paint the inside of my house!!! It needs it, no doubt, but when am I gonna find time to do that???

3.] I wonder why: I always do things like laundry myself instead of letting the boys do it and make mistakes and learn from them? I mean, really, is it that important that I do it myself?

4.] Mama always told me: Honestly I can't remember her ever giving any advice to me particularly, but I do know that my Mom taught me how to work. She worked a lot, still does, and when I was in jr high and high school I had at least 2 jobs all the time. I am not afraid of hard work at all.

5.] There's this one thing in my closet that I just can't seem to get rid of: This one red dress that I got when I first got engaged. I wore it to some party, can't remember which one. It's red with white stripes, has a halter top, zips up the back and kinda a full skirt. I love it love it love it and couldn't wear it to save my life. I think it's a size 4 from back when I was all of 100 pounds. Can't get rid of it, I love it too much!

6.] My favorite guilty pleasure is: dark chocolate. Any kind will do, but really I prefer Ghirardelli dark chocolate squares or Starbucks dark chocolate... I gave up most sweet sugar type things when I decided to get healthier, but eventually I started eating dark chocolate again. I just can't stay away from it!

7.] I always forget to: start the dishwasher at night... or at least I used to, but I try harder now because there is nothing more aggravating than getting up and realizing that the dishwasher is full of dirty dishes from the night before and you have to run it before you can put the breakfast dishes in there. And with 4 boys, the dishwasher is ALWAYS FULL!

8.] I have never: flown in a helicopter or done a zip line, but boy, would I like to! I'm a pretty adventurous person, I climbed a rock wall this year with a bunch of younger kids, went back to school, and kind of got some focus in my life. Flying in a helicopter would be the bomb, I don't know how I will ever do it or when, but I'm gonna do it!

9.] I'm obsessed with: stupid reality TV shows.... I find myself watching The Bachelorette, More to Love, The Great American Road Trip.... they are such time wasters, yet there doesn't seem to be anything else on TV this summer!

10.] One of my favorite memories is: going fishing with my daddy when I was a little girl. Fishing is one of my favorite things I don't get to do very often, but it's relaxing and so fun!

This was great, Diane, thanks for letting me borrow it!

update on myself

Well, I said yesterday that I was back and here I am!!!

A few things... I mentioned in the last post in March that it was time to get serious about my health and fitness and it would prove to be a very prophetic thing... but for now, what I want you to know is that if you remember, I said that Barb at A Chelsea Morning kinda inspired me since she and her husband quit smoking cold turkey.

So here's what I did: I went to the fitness center that is owned and operated by the hospital in the town I live in. And I went every day, Monday through Friday, for 4 months. Every morning at 5:15 a.m. 5:15 am, yes, that's what I said. And on Saturday, every single Saturday for 4 months.

And I lost 35 pounds.... and 6 inches off my waist... and I think 5 inches off my hips...and dropped 4 pants sizes and 2 top sizes... and improved my fitness at least 10,000 %.

Am I done yet? No, I'm not. But I'm very proud of myself for sticking to it for so long, I've not been going every day this summer, especially not at 5 am but I did get 8 sessions with a personal trainer who helped me so much to find new exercises to do, new ways to challenge myself and make myself stronger... I can feel muscles in my legs and my arms and I feel good!

I have also decided to go back to school to get into nursing school. I feel a real calling, a real desire to be a nurse, to "mother" other people, to help take care of them and console them when they are hurting and when they are injured... so I have been taking an online class this summer to ease myself back into college after nearly 25 years and I'm enrolled in our local community college for the fall. When I graduated from college, I got a Bachelor of Arts degree in Humanities and German. Needless to say, I did not take many science classes! But that's what I'm doing now. I'm taking Nutrition this summer, I'm taking Anatomy and Physiology I this fall, along with Math for Nurses, Professional and Ethical Issues for Nurses and I think one more class if everything goes well. I'm going to apply to nursing schools for the spring semester, for LPN school, and if I can't get in, well, I'll just apply other places and start nursing school next fall or whenever it happens to me.



I didn't mean, in any way, to disparage anyone who is a housewife and mother. NEVER. I have been happy as a stay-at-home mom and wife for nearly 13 years now. If I offended anyone, I am completely and deeply sorry! But I have always felt that something was missing from my life, even when I was working at my various jobs before I started staying home... some purpose in my life... and I think I have found it in nursing.

So my goal now is to become an R.N. before Ryan starts college in 2012! LOL I think one person in college will be all we can handle, or afford:)

That's a small look at what's been going on in my life the last few months....it's been busy and it's been fun and it's been intense and it's just getting started.... so come along for the ride!

Happy Homemaker Monday!

I'm BACKKKKKKK!!

It's been way too long since I posted on here, but lots of things going on. I will just start back by borrowing the Happy Homemaker Monday meme from Sandra to get me started again, hopefully more interesting blogging tomorrow!


Happy Homemaker Monday!


The weather in my neck of the woods:
Hot today, it's been up to 90 already but it was rainy and humid this morning.

One of my simple pleasures:
Sitting under the back overhang by the deck with the fan blowing "hurricane" strength!

On my bedside table:
Harry Potter books, trying to read at least 1 again before the movie on Wednesday but probably won't get it done!

On my TV:
Great American Roadtrip on my DVR from last night and again tonight

On the menu for tonight:
stir fry shrimp.... unless we go out to eat Chinese! My 2nd son is violently allergic to shellfish and he's spending the night at a friend, so shrimp is definitely on the menu!


On my To Do List:
WOW so much! Packing for our trip on Thursday, ironing to get done, sewing to finish, camper to pack...

New Recipe I tried last week:
Sourdough bread from the starter I bought from King Arthur Flour and it was completely divine!

In the craft basket:
Several quilts that I am handpiecing on our trip and some embroidery quilt blocks


Looking forward to:
Getting to Washington DC, on Saturday, and wanting to have a good time in Gatlinburg on Friday at the crafts fair

Homemaking Tip for this week:
Ummmmmm I can't think of anything!

Favorite Blog Post of the week (mine or other):
Pioneer Woman's blogpost about her weekend with friends.

Lesson learned the past few days:
Summer goes fast... if you blink you might miss it!


On my Prayer List:
My family, both sons and husband and extended

Devotionals, Scripture Reading, Key Verses:
Luke 12:48...From everyone who has been given much, much will be demanded; and from the one who has been entrusted with much, much more will be asked.

Growing Up

On Tuesday my son Ryan got his first college recruiting mail. He's 15 and in 9th grade. WOW!! I couldn't believe it. I mean, he's 15!! He took the PSAT test in the fall and apparently his scores were very good, he says he told me, but heck, I can hardly remember what I had for breakfast 2 hours ago! The PSAT is the first chance colleges get to contact the young people, apparently, and this certain college in Texas which is a nice Christian college (hint) thought that Ryan would be a great fit. But isn't it a little early to be recruiting? It hit me hard, I guess, because I have a really hard time thinking of him as being in high school anyway and eventually leaving the nest for college life, but it's easy for me to remember the sweet little shy preschooler or kindergartner. Is it going to be this hard every time? How can parents stand it?


I'm of course not looking forward to him leaving my house and not ever really living here again, but all I can think about is that I haven't had enough time with him, haven't had the time to teach him what he needs to know to survive and thrive without me to remind him of things... but then really he has been pretty self-sufficient as far as remembering his assignments, studying for tests, working on projects... but it's just not enough time... 18 years or so is just not enough time to prepare them for life and love...

Who knew that receiving mail from a college would set off this firestorm of emotion in me? It has also reminded me, painfully, that I never have found my calling in life, my true one thing that I'm good at that I want to do. My friends and family have jobs and careers that they love and that seems to be their true calling but I never have found that thing... and now that I have no kids at home, it's hitting me hard and hitting me in a way that reminds me that I'm too old to do some of the things that I might have been good at, or enjoyed, and some avenues are closed off from me.

I don't know if this is a normal situation that stay-at-home moms all face at some point or not. Are some of you happy just staying home and taking care of the house and being chauffeur, cook and organizer for the kids and husband? Or do some of you wonder, like I do, if there's something more out there in the big wide world that I could be good at, that could be a new career or life for me? Should I get a job, even part time, or not, or go back to school?

I always seem to find things to occupy my time at home...but is that all I want? For now, I guess it's okay to say I don't know. I'm thinking about it now and doing a lot of soul searching and praying.... but no answers yet.

But one thing I did decide... It's time to be serious about my health and fitness. I had joined a Boot Camp at our fitness center earlier this month, but a nearly 2 week bout with bronchitis and ear infections kept me out for too long to be able to catch up. So I'm taking matters into my own hands and doing my own boot camp. Barb over at A Chelsea Morning kind of inspired me because you see, she and her husband just quit smoking after 40 plus years. A habit like that is hard to break, but she's done it, I think. I thought, well, if she can beat an addiction like that, I can change my ways, too. And I am. And I will stick with it this time.

An historic day for America

This is an amazing day for America. I have been completely glued to the tv today, watching the people in DC, the famous people and the not-famous people, all gathering to get a glimpse of the man that so many see as the promising future for America.

No matter how you voted, today we are all Americans, and today proves if nothing else, that in America it is possible to become anything you want to be.

God bless America and God bless Barack Obama, Joe Biden, and all the other past and present leaders of this great country that I am privileged to be a citizen.

Brad Paisley

Well, as you all may know by now, I'm a huge fan of Brad Paisley. HUGE HUGE HUGE fan.

And well, he came to Little Rock in April of '06 and I got to go see him in concert. Bart was out of town so I took my sister. I had joined the fan club to get good seats and they have a meet and greet opportunity at almost every concert. You can pick which concert you want to be entered into the meet N greet pool and somehow they choose winners. That time they chose 2 winners and I WAS ONE OF THEM! I got to meet Brad, I was completely tongue-tied and acted like I didn't have a bit of sense, I was so completely star-struck at meeting my guitar god in person. He was so gracious and funny and charming, he signed a piece of sheet music for me and a poster and his manager takes pictures of everyone with Brad. It was completely awesome and I felt so lucky!

Fast forward to November of '08, this past November, when i found out he was coming back to LR again. I had been in the fan club all along, so I ordered the tickets for Bart and me and entered the meet-n-greet opportunity.

AND I WON AGAIN!!!!

I went to see his concert this past Friday night and got to go backstage after the concert, again, to meet him. I told him that I had been lucky enough to be chosen the first time he came to Little Rock and was unbelieveably lucky enough to get chosen again. He asked me my name and we chatted for a minute. He was again gracious and friendly and so nice, I just couldn't believe it. And we got autographed photos this time, I guess autographing something for everyone takes too much time, so they did photos this time. But I got my picture with him and I will keep it and the memory of that night forever.

So thanks, Brad, for being so gracious to let members of your fan club meet you. I was completely overwhelmed by your talent and your guitar playing as well as your friendliness and your showmanship. It was a terrific, entertaining, fun, amazing show and I will be in a seat at your concert any time you want to come to Little Rock.

A big Thank You!

This is a big Thank You to Diane over at Diane's Place!!!

She did a book review and giveaway last week and I WON!!! It's called The Voice and it's a modern day translation of the New Testament. I'm the kind of person who likes to have different translations when I'm doing a Bible study, and I know this will come in so handy!

So thank you thank you thank you, Diane, and the random integer generator!! LOL