We are burying my dad today, I could think of a million other things I would rather be doing, I am so sad, numb, but I am okay, it's amazing with God on your side how it makes things easier to handle, it's true I have always said how do people do it without Christ in their life, how do you get through??  I am glad I have him, and now my dad is with him, and even though I am selfish and want him back, I know where he is, and he is whole again, I love my daddy so much and I miss him with every fiber of my being.  I have an amazing family, what would we do without each other??? Thank you for all your sweet, uplifting comments, it means so much.

My sweet daddy went to be with Jesus late yesterday evening, please keep us in your prayers.

{Merry Merry}

We are getting ready to leave Santa his cookies and milk, and then get hopefully kids will be ready for bed soon because Santa doesn't like to be up too late (wink wink) !  Merry Christmas my bloggy friends!

I can't believe I was writing such a positive blog post yesterday and that by the end of the day my life was once again taking a negative turn, my daddy of course is the subject.  He is sick, he cannot be fixed, medicene can only do so much, doctors can only do so much, we as a family can only do so much, his damaged ol' heart, that damned injured heart of his, leaking valves, weak heart muscle, damn the whole thing.  I am so frustrated, he's too young, doesn't even look 65 years old,  he's the fun Papa that all the grandkids wants to be with all the time, to ride in his old blue truck, to go to McDonalds with, to tell them scary stories about shark bites (his old open heart scars) he is such a strong force in the family, he is and will always be the funniest man I know, I love getting his advice, I want his advice, I love talking to him, I don't want to lose him, what will my life be like without him, I don't want to know, I am not ready, but yet I don't want him to suffer anymore, how can such a precious hearted man have such a sick heart, it's not right, it doesn't make since, why did he have to take such a terrible turn, why are we doing this again, it's too much...

{Christmas Spirit}

I am definently in the Christmas spirit, my heart is full, the house is festive, the baking has started, the kids are home and have visions of sugarplums dancing in their heads, the shopping is almost done, it truly is the most wonderful time of the year!

{Christmas Tour}

This years decorating was a bit more minimal than normal, due to everything that is going on in my life right now I had decided not to stress about "perfectness" as long as the Christmas spirit is in my house is all that matters.  I had also decided not to purchase anything new for decorating, I really wanted to go with what I had, and it all turned out just fine, no stress, like I need more huh??!! haha  My wreath here is home to Mr. Reindeer, I have had him for about 8 years and never used him, I thought I would try him out here and he fit just perfect and the kids think he is cute! And everything else is stuff I had and I just got creative and put settings together and I am really proud of everything.  The candle below is from B&Body I was buying some gifts and thought I deserved a little something and I LOVE the smell of Evergreen, it is wonderful, I even put it by my desk yesterday while I was working, it says Christmas to me!



{Biziness}

Busy day ahead for me, I'm sure I am preaching to the choir, it's a busy time of year, but also a fun one! I am now working my part time hours so I am done at noon, not a bad gig huh? I then need to head to Discount Tire to have tires aired properly, they are slightly off, so the light tells me so... anywho, then Cameron gets out at 1 because he is done with finals for day, then he will run around with me to finish my ventures.  Hannah has her class party tomorrow so I need to get juice boxes for that, and post office to get those cards out, yeah, love that completed task!  A bit about dad, he is basically doing pretty good, he amazes us all, he is still under hospice care, we just take the good when we get it, we just never know, as usual prayers appreciated. Well, I need to start up my computer and get ready for work, it's a hard life, I may even wear my robe to work :)

{My Little Angel}

Our church had an old fashioned Christmas Pagent on Sunday night and it was just precious, the kids did great and looked darling. Here is my little angel before the pagent being her normal silly self!

"The cousins" before the pagent, true angels, haha!

John "the sheep"

They did a great job!!

{Uncertainty}

Last night as I was laying in bed with Hannah as she was going to sleep she said "I don't really like Mondays" why? I asked, she responded with "because it's the beginning of everything new, new spelling words, new math facts, new everything, I like Fridays because we finish everything".  I thought about that in depth because that is exactly how life can be sometimes, we don't always like the uncertain, we like the familiar, don't throw anything unfamiliar my way because it's too risky feeling. Where I am going with this has alot to do with my father's situation, everything is so uncertain right now and has been for quite sometime now and to be honest it's really tough, and you have to learn to take what you can get and just handle it from there. As I have said numerous times it's all in God's hands, his timing, his plan, not ours, and that can be hard to not have more control, period.  It's just hard right now, that's all there is to it, this morning as I was talking with my sister she was giving me the report from last night with dad and I just cried as she told me, it was nothing bad, just hard, he is not the same person and I want that person back.

{Eclipse}

I finally watched Eclipse last night, and it did not disappoint!  When I started on my Twilight journey Eclipse has just come out and after hearing all the hoopla from all my friends about how great and how much fun they had seeing it in their groups, wearing t-shirts, just having a great time I decided to check it out and sure enough I was hooked! a friend of mine had all the books and movies, so after each book I would watch the movie, but E was the only one I had not seen and I had been looking forward to it, but I had finished it back in the summer, so it has been awhile for me, so now I am all caught up with all the Twihards and will be ready for Breaking Dawn next year!

{Still here}

Just wanted to check in and say hello! I have been so incredibly busy, blogging has had to take a backseat, and I have missed it! My dad is still hanging in there, meaning, still no better, no worse, which is very hard, it has been so emotional, we are all just numb, but continue to pray reverently, our God is an awesome God, always!  I also started training this week for a work at home job, this has been a long time in the works, remember alooooong time ago I said good things were on the horizon for me, well, it took awhile, but they came and I couldn't be happier, I will be working for the (DOL)  Dept. of Labor as a customer serv. rep, I will work 4 hours a day while kids are in school, it will be just perfect for me and my family.  That is about all the time I have for now as I need to eat some dinner and report for night duty at my dad's house, have a great weekend and do something Christmasy!!!

{Thanksgiving}

My Thanksgiving Feelings

Since I have had this blog I talk about the same thing every year at this time, how I feel about Thanksgiving!!

So, without further adue...

Thanksgiving doesn't always get the proper recognition, it seems we go from Halloween straight to Christmas, no fair, Thanksgiving is simple, doesn't require gifts and all the hoopla, but if offers tons of great food that we otherwise don't eat except for Thanksgiving, cooking, being with family, watching football!

And, one of the things that I love the most is waking up on Thanksgiving morning, having some coffee, getting all the preparation started for whatever I am cooking, then as the family rolls out of bed, we watch the parades, I LOVE the parades, they make me so happy I could just bust, and I love it when I hear my family say "look it's Snoopy or whoever it is that we're so excited to see!!  and I am very stingy about always wanting to be the one to make the green bean casserole, when I open up that can of french fried onions I totally feel the Thanksgiving spirit!!! and now my Hannah girl feels the same way!! ha

Since this year is a little different with my dad's situation so many of our family members are pitching in and doing the turkey and dressing for us and my sis and I said we just had to contribute so we are doing some casseroles and salads, I can't wait!!

I am so thankful for our many blessings, wonderful family, jobs, food, our homes, and most of all that we Jesus in our lives, what in the world would be do without him??  My dad acutally got in the shower today, that is a big step for him, and my brother wheeled him down the hall to look at the sunshine out the window, what a blessing, that precious dad of mine. I want to wish you all a Happy Thanksgiving!

{Family}

I am trying to maintain a sense of "normalcy" in my life,  as I sit here all proped up in my cozy bed watching Food Network, the kids are "staying out of mom's hair today" ha! instructions from their dad, it was my night at the hospital and sleep is not real plentiful there, so I am kinda tired, Jim has to work today so he made sure the kids understood the rules for the day!! Dad is hanging in there, no better, no worse, going back home today, and instead of getting into all the details, it's all in God's hand at this point, he has and is being very well taken care of, our family, well, we take care of each other.  It's a good fall day today, misty, cool, foggy, just plain cozy, we have some pinto beans in the crockpot with a ham bone for some great flavor, today is a home day for me, this is a day for me to take care of my family, our home, connect again, you have to do that when you are taking care of someone who is very ill,  so today I will relish in "us" Jim, Stacy, Cameron, Hannah & Kirby, I need to love on this great family of mine, and be thankful for us.  Tonight we plan to watch Jim's fav college football team "Notre Dame" and enjoy our pintos together, sounds good to me, as always continue to pray for our family, we do feel the love you know and appreciate that so much! Enjoy your family!

I would appreciate your prayers right now, my dad just isn't doing well, please pray for peace for my dad and for my family.

{Christmas Card Love}

If any of you are like me and start picking out your Christmas cards at the beginning of the fall season then you will really want to go here and start shopping!! Shutterfly has the best selection of holiday cards, there is something for everyone.  What I really like is how easy this website is to use, so user friendly, all you need to do is go here  and pick out the card you like it gives you instructions on how to upload your pictures, dropping it in the photo spot,  and it places the card the direction it should go, so, if your not a photoshop type genius this will be great for you, it does the work for you!! yeah!! 

I put alot of thought and time into the details, I want the colors of our clothing, the scene of where the picture is taken to coordinate with the card that I choose, and once the picture is taken, which is always the most difficult task with kids, and you sit down and look at it you can then look through all the different styles of cards that will match your style!!  this year I am thinking of going with a religous style card, I want to portray a christian message and I have already picked out the perfect verse for our card, I am so excited!  In fact, as of yesterday I have already decided what I "want" the picture to look like, this year it will be just the kiddos and I already know what they will be wearing and where I want to take their picture, they may grumble about this, but I can hardly wait!  Give Shutterfly a chance, you will be so happy!

{Changes}

My how things change, life is crazy, but in this case, it's a good kind of crazy, my father never needed to be on hospice, the hospital really gave up on him and sent him home to die, well, God had other plans, he will always have a sick heart, is fragile, but ready to "check out" no he isn't.  When your lifelong cardiologist comes to your home to see exactly what is going on and says "wait a minute, something isn't right, if you will let me check you into the hospital here and do my own evaluation we'll see what's going in, well test have been run and, well, let's just say we are very shocked, relieved, emotions are running crazy for everyone, you get in a certain mindset of gloom and doom and then this, it's alot to absorb, you want to understand what exactly happened, where did it go wrong, what, what, what??? but, we'll take it, and with some rehab and another plan for him he can begin to heal and refocus and we will be right now with him every single step.

{Falling Back}

Well, we are hanging in there, Dad is doing pretty good, appetite is good, sleeping better, good spirits, we are leaving all of this in God's hands, our God is an awesome God, always! The weather has been so nice, my sister and I took our kids and nephew to the park to play today, they had soo much fun, and so did we, we needed some fresh air and change of scenery, watching kids enjoy themselves is GREAT therapy.  I can't believe it's already November, seems like I was just welcoming October, ha! I took my Halloween down on Monday and replaced that with some turkeys, they are so cute!! By the way, I love this time change, my dad and I have always acknowledged this as a holiday "Happy Time Change" we like it when it gets dark earlier, we have always been goofy like that, and he is still his witty, quick self, which we are so thankful for, he was very weak on Friday, but has been perkier yesterday and today, so Praise! like I said, its all in his hands and we trust him.

This is a very difficult post to write, but I need your prayers, I have been in Austin again this week with my father, he is not getting any better, he came home today in an ambulance, he is now under the care of hospice and my family and I are heart broken, please lift us up in prayer as we go through this difficult time.

{Our Trick or Treat}



My Pirate Girl (who loves to pose)



Frankenstien aka Cameron

Camerons friend Hunter looking super freaky scary

Cute cousins being silly

Brother inlaw (Joker) and Spiderman



{Different Day}

How wonderful it is that God gives us new days,



A chance to start over




Learn from yesterday, and make it better...

{Feelings}

Life has been topsy turvy around here lately,

My dad went back into the hospital this weekend, they said he had a very serious blood infection from his gallbladder surgery and pneumonia, it was serious, we were scared, my mom, sister and her kids came over on Saturday so we could be together as my brother called from Austin to give us updates, we needed to be together, you know, moral support, the closeness of being a family in dire times,

The cousins all played, and we prayed, all got in a circle and those sweet cousins all said prayers of healing for the Papa they adore more than words, it was precious, I could have cried like a baby,

At church yesterday morning, I raised my dad up to the Lord through prayer and song, it felt good to praise him, trust him, always trust him, he is always good no matter what

Thankfully, he is responding very well to the medication and they are waiting on more test, but the great thing is that he is feeling better, Praise!

After church we had stuffed baked potatoes, it rained, we watched football, all stayed in together, then it really stormed, tornado warnings, we lit candles, got our flashlights ready, then for dinner Jim fixed breakfast, it was good, I loved having my precious little family all to myself for the day, no one went outside to play we just stayed together, it was great, I went to bed with a full heart.  Thank you God...

{Fun stuff}

It's all about the candy corn...

                                                                          the towels

                                                                       the comfy socks

                                                                     the french manicure

and the new purse

I am loving all of these sooo much!!

{Weekend}

What a good weekend we had, the kids and I did our shopping trip with great success, the only "unsuccessful" thing was no black hightop Converse sneakers in size 4 not a one in this whole town, we looked everywhere, and Hannah was really understanding about it, I had to order them online and they will be here in a few days so she is happy with that!! the kids are all decked out this morning all confident feeling, it's amazing what new clothes and shoes will do for you, I know how happy I am when I get something new, even something simple gives you some extra pep in your step!! we had a great day together, we even had lunch at the Target deli, we like their food!! ha, simple and fun! we ended the day by going to our favorite Chinese food buffet for dinner, it was so good, it was nice to just sit there as a family and talk about our day, love those times.  I have been fighting allergies the last week and thought I was losing my voice, so I am downing some meds to fight it off, the weather is crazy here for allergies this time of year, why can't it just cool off for good! We watched alot of football yesterday and Jim grilled his famous chicken thighs for dinner, they were soo good,  the kids played with their friends and got their rooms all cleaned up for the week, all in all fun times!!

{Feeling Blessed}

Wow, life sure has been busy for me lately, I am happy to report that my dad came home from the hospital today, he is in Austin at my brothers and will be for the next 2 weeks to be near the heart hospital and if he continues to respond well to his treatment he can come home to us, what a blessing that he is home, being in the hospital for 2 weeks cannot be fun for a person!!! We are back to our routine again, it sure is nice to be home, again I am so thankful for my husband and how he managed our home, the kids, his business, he did a super job and I am very blessed to have him, thank you honey, once again!! Jim has to work tomorrow, so I am taking the kids on a fall shopping trip and they are beyond excited, they really need some cool weather duds, esp. Hannah she took a big growth spurt this summer and her old jeans are justa floodin!! haha.
I am excited too, how fun to pick out new stuff!  I also plan to do some baking this weekend, I love fall baking, love the smells of cinnamon, pumpkin... I think we may also do some brownies and use our halloween cookie cutters to cut out some fun shapes and I'll make some icing and we can tint it orange, I know my gang will love that, esp. the kids! Jim and I are going to start "making healthier choices" these goodies will be in moderation for us!!! I guess I need to run, I need to move the laundry around,  and start putting fresh sheets on the beds!! Happy Fall Weekend!!

{I'm Back}

Just wanted to touch base, I have been out of town tending to my dad who is having some more health problems, he is doing good now but faces some tough challenges in the coming weeks, so prayers would be appreciated.  I am back home with my family, my wonderful husband did a great job holding down the fort, I am so appreciative for that.  I have much to catch up on so I will visit with you later!!!

{This boy}

This boy, my Cameron, first born is getting too old and big for this momma, he is 12 years old and a precious boy, he is getting ready to go to a mixer at his school, first dance, first time to do something like this, he went with a group of buddies, he had alot of fun, I asked him if he danced, he said yes, and he even showed me how, it was a group dance, something kids that age do, I am not cool enough to know about these things, he had fun that's what matters, I am so proud of you Cameron and am glad that you are who you are!!!

If he smiles any bigger...

{Celebrate October}

It's October!! my most favorite month of the year, (que the angels to sing) how happy am I???  very

 And to start this month off just right I had my coffee out of this darling little mug

 And.... with this darling little girl, my Hannah



{Desk Make-Over}

I wanted to share with you this desk redo that I did for Hannah's room, she has never had her own desk and Cameron has, so how "unfair" as she said, she needed a desk as she is getting older and needs her own space to do her homework.  I really wanted to find something to redo, did not want to buy something new, just wanted a simple table, old desk, something to make into a desk, I was having no luck, none at garage sales, craigslist, so one day I was at Mamaws house and her neighbor was packing to move and long story short she has an old metal desk, I forgot to take a before pic. it was black with a white top and the top was written all over with perm. marker, but I knew it would be just fine.  I simply cleaned it up real good, primed it, spray painted the body white and since the marker was not going away with the primer I decided to just paint it black, and it also came with a piece of glass that goes over the top, perfect!! it was in great shape! I am so pleased with the way it turned out, she has greens and blues in her room so we got her a green chair, lamp, clock, and I already had the baskets that I placed on the shelves, how perfect! she is thrilled!!

{My Fall Home}

 Welcome to my fall home, I just adore everything fall, makes me happy!! Okay here we go...

 Pretty little arrangement on my bar, since I don't have a mantle my bar is serving as a mantle, I do miss my mantle and can't wait to have one again, but for know I am perfectly happy with what I have!!

 This here is the "toilet paper" pumpkins that are all over blogland, and I knew when I found the tutorial I just had to make some, they are so easy and there are several ways to make them and the way I chose was to take a roll of tp, I got mine at the $ store, don't use the good stuff for this!! ha, anywho, I took a brown paper lunch sack and set the tp in it, trimmed the top off, tucked the top of the sack into the hole, then take a piece of fabric and wrap it and tuck in hole also, then take a stick and place in the top and adorn with ribbon, and wala so easy!!! I just so happened to have this fabric in my stash and the colors were very fall, how exciting!!

 My goodwill picture frame that I turned into a chalkboard, I really liked the frame as is and all I did was paint the glass with chalk board paint and put it on a pedastool, put a fall bow around Mr. Rooster, set that on a tray, put a fall lantern beside it and it sits on my kitchen cabinet.

 This is the arrangement on my coffee table, arrangement, 2 witches and my BOO frames!!

 My sweet mother "threw" this gorgeous fall arrangement together, she just used a vase that I had, and some flowers and moss from her stash and I just love it, she is good let me tell you, she definently has an eye for decorating! I am so lucky to have my mom help me decorate!!!

 These small frames were from the Target $ spot, but they were the 2.50 items, I love them, I simply used some scrapbook paper and stencils and there you have it!! how easy and cute.

This is what greets you at my front door, this is also a mom idea, we decided to go the basket route instead of using my old fall wreath, I love it so much, sunflowers, a pumpkin and the darling bow with pumpkins, I am so pleased, Happy Fall Yall!!!!