my blessed life

I've been tagged by Steviewren at A Little Birdie Told Me So to tell 6 unspectacular quirks about myself. Hmmm...I've been thinking about what to say.....these are random, folks! I always have to tear out any inserts in a magazine before I can relax and read it--they really bother me Even if I'm sweating I have to have some form of cover on when I'm in bed, it makes me feel *protected*. I drive my hubby crazy when I bounce, shake, tap (whatever you want to call it) my foot when I'm sitting. I refuse to skip to the back of a book and read the last page to find out how it ends I love to take notes: on a sermon, lesson, lecture... I love to address envelopes, especially the ones for my Christmas cards OK, now that you're dazzled by that strange and boring list, you can read even more strange facts about me here and here . Or not. Feel free either way. If you really like to read about people's quirks, head over to Kicking it in Crazyville today!

September 11, 2001 I will never forget. Tears still flow when I remember that terrible day. The emotions come rushing back just as intense. America, America, God shed His grace on thee...

It's been a long, long time since my last *back-to-school* day. Today, however, was my oldest child's first day of school ever . She was so excited, I was a little nervous. But we got started on time and it went so smoothly. Today's plan went something like this: devotional/Bible reading phonics/reading handwriting (snack break) phonics game math (lunch break) read aloud time (Book of Virtues) art time with dad The day ended with her begging to do more. I hope that lasts! She kept telling me all day long how much she loves school. I had fun, too, although I must admit I'm going to have to get really creative in how to keep my 3-yr-old son busy. He wanted to be in the middle of everything today:) That's okay though, because he's learning, too.

Here we go with another week beginning...they go by so quickly these days! Last week's plan went really well and made my busy week much smoother. Here's the lineup for this week: Monday: Meatloaf, mashed potatoes, butter beans Tuesday: Monterey spaghetti , garlic bread, salad Wednesday: grilled salmon, pasta, veggie Thursday: (small group) *Cajun* theme, but I'm not yet sure what I'm making Friday: grilled chicken, twiced baked potatoes, veggie Saturday: probably leftovers If you haven't tried menu planning, you should think about it! It has made my life so much less stressful in that area. Head over to Laura's @ I'm an Organizing Junkie for some more inspiration. ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ On another note.... School begins for my little princess in the morning. We're starting to homeschool with kindergarten. I had originally planned all along to begin school the day after Labor day, but after realizing that we wer...

Last week some friends of ours gave us a bag full of yummy apples from the tree in their yard. It reminded me of when I was a kid and we had an apple tree. I loved that tree! I loved to climb it all summer and then in the fall we would pick those apples and my mom would make the most delicious apple butter you've ever tasted. Mmmm... Well, today we're still having some of that gray, rainy weather and something fall-ish and apple-y just sounded so good. So I whipped up one of my favorite cakes. Chopped Apple Cake (from my mom) 1 1/2 cups vegetable oil 2 eggs 2 cups sugar ~Mix the above ingredients together in mixer. Then add: 3 cups sifted flour 1 tsp. baking soda 1 tsp. cinnamon 1/2 tsp. salt ~Blend well. It will be a very stiff batter. Next stir in: 3 cups chopped tart apples Mix them in well. Place 2 layers of waxed paper in the bottom of a bundt pan, then pour in the batter. You can also bake this in two layers. Bake @ 350F in a b...

Here we go....Today Kayren at Everything's Coming Up Daisies is hosting. So sorry to hear that Reese is not feeling well and Heather has tons going on (I hear ya, sister!!), but "thanks" to Kayren for keeping the fun alive today! 1. Do you live for the start of college football? professional football? Does anyone in your house? Do you know anyone who does? Well, I wouldn't say that I live for it like some people do, but I do enjoy football. I used to keep up with the NFL and loved it. I haven't really kept up in years, since my hubby didn't, but he seems to be getting more interested so that will be fun again. Probably the biggest college football fans I know are my husband's family. 2. Did you go to college? If so, what was your mascot? Was/Is that your favorite team? If not, what was/is your favorite college team? I went to college at Evangel University in Springfield, MO, and they were the Crusaders. The games were always fun! My favorite col...

I know I haven't posted quite as often in the past week or so. It has been pretty crazy around here. We had company for nearly two weeks and I have just been super busy--and a little distracted. The main thing on my mind these days is the fact that we have decided to move. Yes, you heard me: m-o-v-e . That's definitely a 4-letter word-ha! Not that I'm against moving in itself--just the process of moving. Let's backup a little bit and get some background as to what led to this decision....We moved here just over two years ago from our home state of Arkansas (well, technically my hubby was born in Oklahoma, but he's lived in Arkansas since something like 3rd grade). We moved here to be the student pastors at a church. We were very excited and very much at peace about moving here. We really believed we were doing the right thing and I'm not saying we weren't. It's just that we've spent the majority of the past two years scratching our heads wondering wh...