Have you ever seen this poem?

Dear Lord,

So far today, I’ve done all right. I haven’t gossiped, haven’t lost my temper, haven’t been greedy, grumpy, nasty, selfish, or over indulgent. I’m very thankful for that.

But, in a few minutes, God, I’m going to get out of bed. And from then on, I’m probably going to need a lot more help.

Amen to that! But today I'd like to submit my mommy's version:

Dear Lord,

So far today, the kids have been great! They haven't fought or cried or even whined. They haven't used the words "no", "stop it!" or "mine". They haven't been selfish or unkind. They're pleasant and polite and I am so very thankful!

But, in a few minutes, God, it's going to be time to turn off the TV and from then on, I'm probably going to need a lot more help!

Merry Christmas!!

I have to admit that I had a bit of trouble getting in the Christmas spirit this year.

Not sure what it was.

But I'd be willing to bet (except that I don't!) that it was that I was focused on buying just the right gifts and making it as fun as possible for my boys.

Nothing wrong with that...

...except everything's wrong with that!

I wasn't focusing on the true reason for celebrating Christmas.

The ONLY reason for celebrating Christmas!

I began to focus on all that it means to me that Christ was born that day in a stable in Bethlehem.

What an awesome day!

What an awesome day it will be when we get to heaven all because one day the Savior was born in a humble stable!

Who am I that the Lord of all the earth would come to be born among men to die as a criminal because of my sins so that I can be for all eternity with Him?!

I'm nobody! And that's just what makes it so amazing!

It's 12:40 Christmas morning and I'm fighting the urge to wake up my boys and get to the pile of gifts that awaits them under the tree.

Those gifts represent a loving, gracious Provider.

They're under a tree that God provided.

They're inside this house that God provides.

They were bought and wrapped by two people who are overwhelmingly grateful for the baby who was born so long ago and the HOPE that He brought to us!

That's all.

Merry CHRISTmas!!!!

JOY. HOPE. LOVE.

I would like to thank all of the people who made this post possible...

Robyn, Steph and Ashley!!!

without your fantastical stories of feeling like you'd just robbed a drugstore because of the crazy good deals I never would be writing this post in which I share the night that made me very giddy! =)

I suppose I should also thank RiteAid for having these fun sales and accepting coupons and offering rebates that make them even better!

Here's what I got:

Here's what all of that is worth:

$54.91

Here's what I spent:

$18.44!!!!

HOW SUPER DUPER EXCITING IS THAT?!?!?!

I'm seriously considering taking an inflatable mattress and just living in the RiteAid.

That place makes me so happy and truly has everything I could need to live!

They even clean and do the seasonal decorating!

It does not get any better than that!!!

Grateful...

doesn't even begin to describe it!

I have so so much to be thankful for!

Family - crazy or not I love 'em! ;)

Friends - ditto! ;)

Home - we're so privileged in this country to even have a roof over our heads and yet we complain that they're not big enough, not nice enough, etc. I'm SO guilty of this! ={

Hope - seriously! how can I even begin to say "thank you" for the hope that I have in Christ?! It makes the tough things in life seem so small when I allow myself to think about what I have in Christ and what heaven is going to be like! Come quickly, Lord Jesus!!!!!

Wishing all of you a VERY Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Resigned to Reality...

I  was put myself in charge of making homemade ice cream for our Thanksgiving festivities tomorrow.

I have never made homemade ice cream before and I am now a forever fan!

I made vanilla ice cream {recipe available upon request =) } and it is a.ma.zing!

**side note** Vanilla bean's are ridiculously expensive!!!! I chose extract! =)

It was easier 'an butterin' toast!

I can't wait to try it with apple pie!

I also *please, hold your applause* made cinnamon ice cream!

It is insanely yummy and should be against the law!

I can't even believe how good it smells and looks! It's the prettiest ice cream I've ever seen! 

I 'll take a picture of it tomorrow when I put it in a pretty bowl. For now it's just in a mixing bowl in the freezer.

I can't wait to try it with apple pie!

Why yes, that may mean 2 slices of apple pie and I'm ok with that.

After all we're  supposed to gain weight from Thanksgiving till New Years so I'm just doing my part!

With the leftover heavy cream (we all know why they call it that!) I think I'll make coffee ice cream! 

HOLY YUM!!!

Dear Dr. Davis and Dr. Davis. 

I would like to schedule a consult for January 2nd, please. 

You see my mid section will need {ahem - more} considerable work done by then. 

I'm just planning ahead! =) 

Sincerely, Resigned to Reality

{bariatric surgeons at the Davis Clinic}

=)

All I want for Christmas...

Ok, it's really not all I want, but I'm pretty sure it's what I most want! =)

Isn't this so pretty?!?!

I'm thinking I might get the names of MY kids on it though.

Just a thought!

*** Awesome, darling hubby -- if you happen to be reading this and might be interested in getting it you can find it here. Just sayin'! ;) ***

The Cat in the Hat and his cronies (i.e. Thing 1 and Thing 2)

* A good time was had by all.
* Wigs were (mostly) not worn. (As in, Josie wore hers part of the time and Caleb wore it for the picture!)
* Lessons were learned (Do not try to make a wig again! Just buy one!! side note: they did look better than in the picture, but we had to throw them on them quickly and snap the picture before tears and torn up wigs resulted!)
* Way too much candy is now in my house! Eeek!

Brotherly Love (Why can't every minute of every day be like this?!)

Sammy: "Eeeww! Mommy!!! Caleb has boogies!!"

Me: "Then get him a tissue and help him blow his nose"

{goes to get tissue}

Sammy: "Here, Caleb. Blow out....no, that was in. Blow out! Out, Caleb. Like this..."

{blows through his mouth}

Sammy: "Like that, Caleb. But with your nose....good, Caleb!! Good job!!! You are a good nose blower!!!"

My Design Style

So, I just took the HomeGoods StyleScope Quiz.

I think these types of things are generally silly, but the description really does describe what I'd love my house to be someday.

As for my "style"....I never would have described myself as country in any way!!

Oh well! The casual part is right on! =)

One question made me laugh. The answer options were:

a My front hall looks like a train wreck - a pile-up of coats, mail, bags and junk.

b My place is just too small to really decorate.

c Nothing goes together; everything I own seems to be from a different style or era.

d It's as dark as a cave in here.

e My home feels sort of cookie cutter; I'm not sure what my actual style is.

Ummm...can I choose f all of the above?? Actually I think I'd just choose b-d. Well, I settled on c since about everything is a hand-me-down and not something I would choose on my own.

Reminds me of Aladdin (so shoot me, but I love that movie!!)

"One day Abu, we'll be rich, live in a palace and have no worries at all!"

That palace will be more beautiful than anything I could even imagine and God is preparing it for me!

Whoo-hooo!!! I won't even have to decorate it! =)

Debby, you are a COUNTRY CASUAL

Your home expresses your open, easygoing approach to life. You love unique finds, and can turn a few mismatched garden chairs or floral teacups into a charming arrangement. You appreciate a pretty mix of relaxed pieces, like painted wood or weathered furniture, lovely florals and other patterns, lots of throws and pillows, mementos and bunches of fresh flowers that give your home a unique sense of breeziness and charm.

You value order. You feel happiest if your home is well organized. You understand that when your house is in order, your mind feels clearer. Rather than a lot of meaningless objects or overly-designed items, you are happier with a few well-placed things. Your home is your respite from a busy life. Try to avoid letting things into your home that you don't really love.

Welcome FALL!!

I'm learning to love fall. I don't find it easy to accept the end of summer.

Who wants to say goodbye to:

* play dates at the park (i.e. mommies getting together to chat and who need their kids to run off some pent up energy/take good naps for crying out loud!)

* day trips to the shore (beach for the non-south jersey crowd),

* Rita's water ice (can I get an "amen"?!?!)

* eating on the deck/reading on the deck while the kids run off more of

aforementioned pent up energy (I have boys. 'Nuff said!)

* ICED COFFEE!!!! (*sobbing*)

But fall is also fun! PreK starts (and aforementioned mommies all sing the Hallelujah Chorus), the leaves get all purty, the weather gets cool enough to bum around in jeans and a sweatshirt, my house actually gets a smidge of attention since I want to put some decorations up!

It's a beautiful time of year so...

WELCOME, FALL!!!

WARNING: Long Post!!

I'm linking this post to Kimba's DIY Day! =)

I've been busy! =)

My fall decorations are done (for now - since I'm addicted to "tweaking"!!)

Buckle your seat belts. There are going to be a lot of photos in this one!

I started with this framed shell that I made over the summer. I had pain

ted the frame black, used pieces of an old book page and added a scallop shell which I love. I

didn't however love the whole thing together. It needed a little help. But, it was ti

me for fall decorations

so maybe next spring I'll figure out just what to do with the shell idea!

I took off the shell and added this little give thanks sign I made last fall.

This is where it ended up sitting on top of 2 old books, along with my favorite lamp (which still needs it's sad, ugly, broken! shade replaced!), 2 stuffed pumpkins bought on clearance last fall, a

nd a leaf shaped plate with a votive on it.

Here's a close-up. Please ignore the crooked pumpkin...a certain very cute 2 yr old keeps picking it up and telling me it's for Christmas. Not quite, but adorable nonetheless! =)

The following is a progression to fully document my obsession with tweaking! ;)

Call me crazy, but I'm not a huge fan of speakers. They just don't do much for me! ;)

So I covered it with a white ceiling tin (LOOOVE!!)

Then I added one more jar with cinnamon sticks.

It's a little busy, but I'm still liking it! =)

These are on top of the 2 tall shelves that are on either side of the kitchen walls.

I tweaked again =) and added pine cones and orange mums.

This arrangement on the front door has also changed already, but I haven't taken a new picture yet.

Here's what I put on the dining room table.

And these are the other projects I worked on today.

First I painted this welcome sign that I got at the dollar store black.

I've been wanting one that says "family" and they had one, but

the letters were very flimsy so I went with the "welcome" one.

Next I painted 2 frames black to complete a project started a few weeks ago.

The fabric in the white frame is what I had started before.

I printed a "J" and made a random circle pattern around it. Then put it in one frame.

Next I traced part of the fabric and put it in the other black frame.

I should have taken a close-up of each. Maybe another day! =)

I also repainted this candlestick. I had painted it apple green in the spring and loved it's unexpected color. This isn't quite the red I was hoping for, but I don't have anything this red and I like that!

I also painted the plate holder. I don't have a plate to put on it right now because I put away the plate that had been on it to make room for the fall decorations, but I've been meaning to paint it and today it finally happened! Yipee! (like the run-on sentence there?!)

This is where it ended up. I'm not in love with the arrangement on this table, but I've run out of steam!!

I hung 3 plates above the mirror on my little white table.

I'm so in love with this table and mirror!

The table was free and the mirror was something like $7! =)

The green plate is from the dollar store (score!) and the cream ones were given to us when we got married.

I hung this barn star above the collage frame. It had been on top of one of the shelves, but now it has a permanent (unlikely!!) home.

Oh, "what were the boys doing all this time?"

Glad you asked!!

Whew! I think it actually took me longer to do this post than to do all of the things around the house today!

Blogger seriously needs to streamline the photo uploading process!!! Yikes!!!

My 1st DIY Day!! =)

This is my very first entry in Kimba's DIY Day at A Soft Place to Land!!

Yippeeeeeeeee!!! =)

Ok, so it's small and was beyond easy and doesn't compare

to the other entries, but it's mine and I like it so leave me alone! ;)

Here's the cringe inducing BEFORE:

It's a bit scary, but I got it for free so it's all going to be ok! =)

It has a goldish, greenish, brownish color on the frame that the picture just doesn't do justice (thank goodness!!)

{Let the record show that my beloved hubby was VERY skeptical that this could be anything more than an ugly old print in an uglier old frame}

I actually got 2 of them. The smaller one is the one that I made over already because I had everything I needed. The bigger one is going to have to wait because I have $0 to buy anything to do what I have in mind for it!

Here's the AFTER:

I love it!! The frame didn't have a back (and since I'm all about making it look good with little to no money when no one will ever know the difference) I just got glued my fabric right to the frame!

Sweet!!!

Oh and the fabric was a remnant I found several months ago at Joann.

I paid about $2 for it and I only used 1/3 of it for this project! YAY!

{I am now accepting ideas for the other 2/3}

I've already started on 2 smaller frames (that I already had) to hang above and below this one.

I think I'm going to paint them black. I hope that doesn't look weird.

I made a scrolly design in black on white paper for the one and I'm going to work on another later today.

Guess I showed that skeptic! ;)

The definition of a frustrating morning: (In which I hang my head in utter shame!!!)

The day starts just dandy.

You wake feeling *mostly* rested.

You make breakfast for the kids and realize they're really rather pleasant today.

You vow to not even touch the computer until your house is totally in order. Enough is ENOUGH!!

You throw a load of laundry in the washer and do a little jig and sing a little ditty that you're caught up on laundry.

You clean the kitchen till it sparkles and decide to go throw the load of laundry into the dryer.

{it should be done by now since you were side tracked by a lovely chat with your most favorite sister}

You gingerly begin to pull the clothes out of the washer once again doing a little jig and singing a little ditty

{which is really quite fancy while reaching into the washer at the same time!!}

You refuse to admit that these clothes do not seem as dry as they usually are when coming out of the washer and instead continue

pulling more out and putting them into the dryer.

You finally cave after putting half the load into the dryer and realize something is just not right here!

You figure you must have stopped it before it's final spin so you throw them all back into the washer and turn it back on.

And then you hear it: A noise that makes your heart stop and your head spin as you realize the washer isn't working and there's

NO money for any repairs or *replacing it*

-loud SHRIEK from stage left-

You have (what you believe to be) a lightbulb moment and decide to just start the load again. 'What could it hurt?' You'd at least

know if it's just the spin cycle that isn't working.

You wait *somewhat* patiently while the washer fills again with water only to find that "the noise" begins as soon as the washer

is full and no "washing" happens!

You try and try and try again to get the silly thing to at least drain the majority of the water out so you can then ring the clothes

out by hand.

You loose approximately 20 minutes of your "productive" day using a large measuring bowl to scoop out most of the water.

You ring out the clothes by hand while having flashbacks of your days in Argentina washing all of your clothes by hand

{I think they call it Post Traumatic Stress!!} and wonder why this couldn't have been a load of undies instead of jeans and other

heavy clothes!

You find some rope to make a clothesline outside. They may or may not be totally clean, but you don't want them sitting wet all day long!

You move the car since it is sitting in the only place you found to hang the line.

You get a chair and hang the line.

You pound your chest and roar feeling like you're at least a resourceful wife/mother taking care of the needs of her family.

You hang most of the clothes on the line only to have the rope snap and your "clean" clothes fall on the driveway. Nice!

You pick up the clothes and carry the basket inside since by now you hear your 2 yr old screaming his ever loving head off because

he thinks you've left.

{And what child wouldn't?! You've been MIA for over an hour with this whole ordeal!}

You calm the kid and carry the (very heavy) basket out to the deck.

You hang the clothes up on the railing, over chairs and anywhere else the sun is hitting hoping they'll dry ok.

You realize you're the world's BIGGEST MORON because the washer is the one that's broken...the dryer is working just fine!

AAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHH!!!!!!!!!!

Can I crawl out from under the bed now?!

Life with boys

If something can be spilled...it will!

If something can get dirty...it will get dirty, stained, grimey, and unwashable!

If something can get sticky...EVERYTHING will!

If something can be stuck under a rug...watch your step!

If something can be shoved into a travel mug...hide your underwear!

#####

Don't ask me how I know any of these things!

I love these boys so much!!!!! =)

Maine! It's in my blood!

I posted this just over a year ago. Tomorrow we're going back to MAINE!!!!!

We are beside ourselves excited!!!!!

YIPPPEEEEEEE!!!!!

=)

I can't explain it really. It just came upon me the other day. I am yearning for a trip to Maine! Our family vacationed there every year and since high school I've only been there once and that was 4 years ago.
I can't explain to you what that does to me! I feel it in my bones!
I need a good sniff of that fresh, sweet, salty Maine air.
I need to creep ever so slowly into that frigid water!

I need to walk along the beach collecting beach glass, pretty shells and other treasures.

I need to climb across the huge rocks along the shoreline and explore.

I need to walk out onto the Rockland Breakwater.

I need to lift up some big clods of seaweed during low tide and find some cute little crabs scurry away.

I need to sit on the porch of a cottage and watch sailboats and schooners glide by.

I need to walk along a dirt road and pick wild berries and gobble them up before getting them home.

I need to walk around in Camden (please don't confuse it with Camden, NJ ...so very different!) and stop in all of the fun, cute, quaint little shops.

I need to drive by the Belted Galloways (pretty cows - yes, I said pretty!)

I need to drive across that bridge on my way into Maine and roll down the windows half way across and just breathe deeply and enjoy the air and blast "Portland Town" by Schooner Fare.

And last, but CERTAINLY not least, I NEED a big, juicy, home cooked Maine lobster bought right down on the dock and boiled up at home with some cucumber salad and sweet corn on the cob on the side and a nice bowl of melted butter for dipping (no worries about diets when eating Maine lobster!!)

Can you see how much I want to go back to Maine?! We had great times in Maine as kids and I really miss that!!
To those of you family members who're reading this: #1 I apologize because I know what seeing these pictures has done to you. #2 Now when are we going to plan another family trip???!!!

Too cute!!

Check out this giveaway over at Pink Nothings (love that name. i guess it's because i can relate!)

The giveaway is for a bumbo cover from Botique Sweet Cheeks.

REALLY CUUUUUTE!!

Why CAN'T money grow on trees?!?!

If it did this is the first thing I'd buy!

I like that it's:

+ Simple

+ Dark Wood

+ Has tallerish rails on top

+ Can be 2 beds and still look identical

+ The ladder is attached

(cuz I have a certain 2 year old who would drag it around the house if it weren't!!!!)

We've been looking at this on the BJ's website and the other day we were at BJ's and saw that it's half the price in the store!!

That would be seriously sweet....but we still can't afford it right now!! =)

Some Day! =)

Another day I'll show you the rest of my dream furniture.

You know, because I'm sure you're on the edge of your seat waiting for it!

Another giveaway! =)

I don't blog about every giveaway, but this one is too good! 

And getting a 2nd entry may or may not have something to do with it! ;)

I love this necklace!! 

"Blessed"

Doesn't that just say it all?!

We're so blessed!

Things have been hard around here lately in so many areas, but we're focusing on the positive!

I am so blessed!

God is too good to me!!

Anyway, check out the giveaway here....just don't enter or you'll lessen my chances of winning! 

Just kidding!!! Enter, Enter! =)

Ode to My Herbs...

Oh, my dear, Cilantro, Basil and Parsley,

How did I survive these...*ahem*...many years without you.

You smell so nice.

You look so pretty.

You taste so yummy!

I can't help myself when I walk past you,

I pick and munch all day long!

You make such amazing snacks, lunches, dinners and breakfasts!

You have taken over my menus!

I have no will power against you!!

Please don't be lonely since I plan on adding to our family soon.

Oh yes! Chives, Oregano and Mint will soon join our happy home!

You may now go about your day and ignore my insanity! =) 

Sweeeeeet!!

Thanks to my darling sis I found this blog today.

looooove!!!!

The choo choo train! Be still my heart!!! Would look awesome in the boys' room.

I also love the Dandelion blowing in the wind! How fun is that?!

And the Fire hydrant makes me giggle!! =)

Check it out!! 

Oh and she's a SAHM so that means she's cool! =)