My handsome man (one of the three)

Handsome: (adjective) describing..."Andrew".

I'm going to miss my friends

They've only been here a year but in that time we have all become very close friends. The G. family moved to our city last summer and were told (by the army) that they'd be here for two years. They became very active in our church and soon joined. Our children became fast friends and we called each other almost every day. We were all disappointed and shocked when, just four months ago (only eight months into their residency here), the army told them they were to move north. Ugh. My heart sank. Why must friends come and go so often? Living in a military town is hard. You meet some wonderful people and then they are re-assigned and move. However, as Mitch mentioned in a sermon a few weeks ago, how blessed we are that our paths were ordained to cross. It's encouraging to see God's people come and lead, giving Him the glory through their lives...then they move to do the same in another place where others might see and hear.

We drove north to Atlanta last night to have a huge meal together at Maggiano's in Buckhead. I'm still full, 24 hours later. What an amazing eating establishment! How come I've never been before????? It was fun to pass food back and forth, laugh with each other, help in maintaining order among the children (there were five total), and eat until our bellies exploded. I still can't believe we actually left with TO GO boxes. Thanks, M. and S., for a wonderful time last night. We will never forget it and we probably won't ever go to Maggiano's again without thinking of you. Who knows....we may not visit Maggiano's at all without your family with us. Is there one in C-town?

Andrew will miss L.J.G.'s friendship immensely....they were lizard hunting friends.

Luke will be disappointed that L.C.G. won't be at playgroup anymore...who will he chase now?

Abigail will miss being cared for by L.C.G....who else dotes on her like that?

I can't believe I cried like I did when I told you "bye" this afternoon, M. Well, actually, I can. You and I clicked the moment we met and I enjoyed every minute I spent with you. Thanks for all those mornings when you would come over with coffee just to sit and chat. Thank you for encouraging me and making me laugh. I already miss you and just want to drive over to the hotel in town where you all are staying tonight just to give one last hug.

You have put an offer on the table that we are welcome any time to come up for a visit. Please know that we will take you up on that offer (just ask Kacie's parents) within the next year (providing the army doesn't move you again). Drive carefully over the next week and I'll be praying for you as you spend some free time on vacation as a family, visit relatives along the way to your new home, and as you unpack boxes and make a new spot for each item.

We love you all.

Learning to ride

Andrew's first bike was given to him by my mother's neighbors at Christmas end two years ago when their son received a larger one as a gift. Since Andrew was only two at the time, we had training wheels put on the back tires and he quickly jumped on, ready to ride. Now it's a two years later and Andrew has outgrown that bike. We decided we didn't want to take the training wheels off the bike for two reasons. One, it was already too small of a bike for Andrew...and....two, Luke is no longer timid and hesitant to get on the bike...the perfect size for him.

So, I began praying for God to provide a bike for Andrew. All little boys remember learning to ride a bike and I wanted my firstborn to have that experience, too. If God chose otherwise, I prayed that an opportunity would arise where he could spend some time with someone who did have a bike so he could ride from time to time.

We have some sweet friends who are moving next week to Tennessee and they gave us a call last weekend to tell us that they had a good number of items they didn't want to take with them to Tennessee. They are decluttering (just as I am) and decided to dump their clutter on me...I'll take it! The first question she asked was, "Do the boys have a need for a bike without training wheels?". I gasped. Literally. I replied with a quick and high pitched, "Yes!" which caused my friend to wonder why I was so excited. I told her that we had prayed for a bike to come Andrew's way and she was the means that God chose to provide it for us.



.

So....Mitch has spent a good bit of time trying to teach Andrew to balance on the new bike with no training wheels. I am so proud

Forest full of fun

I spent the morning with my good friends Jennifer, Melissa, and Holly. We got together and took our kids to the old swimming hole at Ft. Benning to get some forest-like pictures. Holly took most of them and she'll get more to me later to post. For now, here's a favorite.

Define: Taxidermy

I never thought I'd have to explain the process of taxidermy to my four year old son. I'm all about being honest with my kids but it never entered my mind that I would have to talk about "the pride of a hunter" to my four year old. My brother-in-law loves to hunt deer, so processing deer and visiting the taxidermist are common events in our family. Surely Andrew had seen the mounted deer heads at Uncle Steve's house. Oh, guess not....while driving home late one evening, Andrew looked through the window of a house whose shades were still up. That's when he saw it....the deer head mounted on the wall.

Andrew: "Mama, why is there a deer on the wall at that house?"

me: "Ummmm.....because...well, see.....remember how I told you that God gave us animals so we could enjoy their beauty and also eat some of them?" (gosh, I'm already worried about what to say next or what Andrew is thinking...this just feels weird).

Andrew: "Yeah, I 'member but how come they got a deer head hanging on the wall in that house?"

me: "Well, because sometimes people like to remember the deer and how big and beautiful it was before it died so they (I'm really struggling to find the right words here) chop off the head, take it to a special person who stuffs it and then put it on the wall to look at."

Andrew: "Oh, okay."

Huh? That's all he had to say....just "okay"? What a relief. *Sigh*

Then, this morning we spotted three deer jumping alongside the road we were traveling. Andrew was so excited and screamed with delight in the car.

Andrew: "Look, Mama! Deer! Let's chop their heads off and take 'em home!"

Free light bulb

Click here to receive one free compact flourescent light bulb.

Freezer paper stencils

Painting fabric with a freezer paper stencil is all the rage right now on the crafty blogs that I read everyday. So, I decided to get on the bandwagon and try it out for myself. I first heard about this technique while reading The Creative Family and knew I was going to do it one day. Well, here are the pictures from my first attempt.

By the way, you must use freezer paper for this craft....wax paper will ruin and melt onto your fabric due to its double side of wax coating. Parchment paper will be of no use since it contains no wax at all. Freezer paper is great for this because it has one dull side and one waxy side.

First, find a picture or pattern that you'd like to paint onto your fabric. You can use a shirt, pant, purse, canvas bag/tote, handkerchief, tea towel, etc. I chose to paint a small t-shirt for my daughter. Lay the picture directly on top of one piece of freezer paper (cut to size), shiny side down. I would advise placing some cardboard underneath the papers since you'll be using a knife and don't want to cut the table underneath.

Next, cut out your pattern with an Exacto Knife, pressing hard so you can pass through both pieces of paper. I would advise finding pictures and patterns with simple lines. Now, punch out the actual picture, leaving only the stencil for you to work with.
Now set your iron to low heat. While the iron is heating, set a piece of freezer paper inside the shirt so that it's directly under where you plan on painting the stencil. Make sure this inside piece is shiny side up. Imagine that the two pieces of freezer paper will be facing each other, touching if it weren't for the fabric in-between.

Place the stencil onto the shirt, shiny side down. Apply the heated iron to the stencil and rub around the picture gently but with firmness since this is how you get the stencil to adhere (temporarily) to the shirt (freezer paper underneath) so it doesn't move when you're painting. It also helps to keep the sides of the stencil in place so the paint doesn't bleed under the ends of the picture.

Choose your color and paint the stencil.

Let the stencil dry (about 2 hours, depending on how thick your layers are) and then peel the paper away to reveal the final result. You can always add more details to the stencil if you'd like. I plan on putting some legs and an eye on this little birdy. Ta-da!

Feeding time

I think it still amazes me that Abigail understands what I say and sign. Abigail was sitting in her booster seat yesterday, eating her fruity snack of bananas, pears, oranges and peaches, when I handed her one of her dolls. She made eye contact with me so I signed "baby eat", saying it out loud as I signed and then pointing to her doll. She picked up a piece of her fruit and slowly put it into the doll's mouth. She thought it was so funny that she kept doing it over and over again, fruit being squished all over the doll's face. A messy, but fun moment.

Moo...look at all those cows!

Chick-Fil-A declared this past Friday as Customer Appreciation Day. They agreed that if you came to any of their stores dressed as a cow from head to toe then you would get an entire free meal of your choice! We saved over $15 (three combo meals - and got free ice-cream!). Thanks to Jennwa, we made cow masks from her example and then cut black spots and hooves from construction paper.


I didn't take my camera with me to CFA because I went with all three kids ALONE...I didn't need any more weight upon my body. I managed to take these pictures at home before we loaded up. Once there, the boys had a blast approaching the cashier while quielty moo-ing. She smiled and gladly filled our food requests. I looked around and noticed that we were the only bovines in the store. I kind of felt silly but at the same time felt quite smart! As we were leaving, a few teens walked in with their noses and cheeks painted. My boys were glad to see there were others in on Mom's crazy game.

Trains, trains, and more trains

Andrew can't get enough of his toy trains and track. He is always making some sort of railway and asking for battery repair when a train runs "out of gas". Making tunnels and bridges is his favorite thing to do during train-time until his little sister comes along and pretends to be Godzilla, stomping on all the tracks, demolishing the depot, and crushing the passengers.

Choo-choo! All aboard!

Playgroup

I hosted playgroup at my house yesterday and it was so much fun. Some might think that since summer moves at a slower pace than the school year that we would have an easier time getting together during the week....but it's been so hard to get everyone's vacation schedules together so we could meet regularly. This week seemed to hold the most hope for a playdate so everyone, except Angela (on bed rest at 32 weeks prego) and Holly (out of town), came over.

Can you count the number of heads you see (answer = 9)? The funny thing is that there are four kids not pictured! Our playgroup is growing!

Also, I've decided that I am going to do a a better job of finding other alternatives to lunch rather than sandwiches. Sandwiches are fun, tasty, and make for an easy/quick fix but I/we need some variety. I made some chili chowder for them today and they gobbled it up. I must give credit to one of my friends, Chrissy , from whom I stole this recipe. My boys loved the chowder and so did the other moms at playgroup today. I barely have any left for lunch tomorrow.

You can play around with this recipe. You really can't mess it up. Just add as many cans of chili or corn that you'd like.

Chili Chowder

Recipe Ingredients:

2 cups rice

2 cans of chili (of your choice)

one can of corn (UNDRAINED!)

Recipe Procedure:

Pour the prepared rice in a large mixing bowl (prepare rice by using instructions on rice box/bag).

While it's hot and cooking, add butter and salt.

Add chili and stir

Add undrained corn and stir

Pour into a bowl and add sliced cheese on top and scoop with spoon or cracker.

Oh, it feels good to fill other people's stomachs. I hope they're happy.

Little gal 'o mine

Just had to post a picture of my sweet girl in her cute yellow dress.

Chapmans on Larry King Live, Aug. 7

Another big announcement from Jim Houser, Steven Curtis Chapman's business manager:

Now able to confirm that Steven and Mary Beth, and possibly the Chapman children, will be appearing on Larry King Live on August 7th. They will be guests for the full hour.

This iconic journalist's interview show is seen nationally and internationally by between 1 and 2 million nightly on CNN, the Cable News Network.

Another major announcement tomorrow....

Neighbors

We have really enjoyed our summer with our next door neighbors. As a single mom, J has lived next door with her teenage daughter for the past year. At her invitation, her three neices from Oklahoma are here for a summer visit. The girls are all a wee bit older than my kids but they get along great and have fun times playing together outside in the water or in the street. One of the girls had a birthday party this past Sunday afternoon and they asked if we would join them for dinner and cake.

My boys really feel at home in J's house. We are thankful for friends.

My binder is gone

I have been clipping coupons since March and saving bookoodles of money since. I even went out and bought a nice three-ring binder with baseball card sleeves to organize them all. Shopping for groceries was fun as I would go through the flyer and plan my menu and trip, stacking coupons with the BOGO (buy one get one) deals, circling items that were free after rebate, etc.


Well, as of yesterday afternoon, I am starting all over again....from scratch. See, what happened was....as I was loading and unloading items from the trunk of my van, I set my binder on the top. I told myself to make sure to remember to come back and get it. Nope, I forgot. Later that afternoon, I took the boys over to a friend's house to go swimming. It wasn't until I returned that I realized my mistake. I even got back in the car and retraced my route but found nothing.

Well, whoever finds it will be blessed with many wonderful savings. I just hope they use them and save lots!

Our new bunny

We have a permanent resident in our backyard. Almost on a daily basis, we spot this little bunny outside eating grass or birdseed dropped from our feeder. It's fun to watch the kids tip toe to the window, get tired of waiting to watch it move, and then start pounding. Poor bunny....poor windows!

Do you want some freebies?

Thanks to Gina, here's a list of today's freebies. Just click on any of them to go to their company website to sign up for the free item(s). These offers should be good for a week or so.

~ Nature's Bounty Free Sample of Power V
~ Free Sample of Hygienic Cleansing Lotion
~ Free Sample of Nivea for Men Extreme Comfort Balm
~ Free Sample of Old Spice Body Wash
~ Free 1-Year Subscription to Ebony
~ Helly Hansen Free Stickers (Worldwide)
~ Free Samples of Dove Hair Therapy
~ Free Sample of GoodNites Sleep Pants
~ Vera Wang Free Sample of Princess Fragrance
~ Nature Made Free 14-Day Supply of Liquid Softgel Vitamins
~ Free Book by Greg Laurie (US & Canada)
~ T.G.I.Friday's Free Appetizer
~ Free Subscription to More Magazine
~ Betty Crocker Free Sample of Warm Delights Minis
~ Free 1-Year Subscription to Southern Boating
~ Free Sample of Playtex Personal Cleansing Cloth
~ 10 free Issues of More Magazine
~ Sun-Maid Free Healthier Eating Recipe Booklet
~ Free Sample of Tena Serenity
~ Stayfree Free Sample of Ultra Thin Pads

Sketchswap

I am now officially an addict.
Can't get enough of this site.
I even let Andrew do it a few times...he loves it!
Sketchswap!

Chapman family on GMA

Jim Houser, Steven Curtis Chapman's business manager, has posted new information about the Chapman family:

We've just confirmed that Steven and Mary Beth, and potentially the Chapman children, will appear on Good Morning America the week of August 4th.

Seen nationally, ABC's morning tradition, Good Morning America began airing in 1975 and reaches a huge audience of approximately 8 to 10 million each morning.

Let the redemption of this tragedy begin. : )

Abigail turns one!

Happy Birthday!

We celebrated Abigail's first birthday yesterday, one day early. She did extremely well all morning long! It helped that she had an hour nap just before her party started. She sat in her high chair to eat, chow down on birthday cake, and open presents....never complained. It was a very calm party (much different than my boys' first b'day parties....hmmmmm). There were lots of friends and family in attendance and it made my heart swell to see so many people in our life that care for us. Anyway, on to what you really want to see...the pictures.

My sweet friend, Tera, made the delicious cake. Isn't it cute? Oh my, it was heavenly! Back in February, I picked up some cute pink and red heart paper products on clearance the day after Valentine's. This is what I used for Abigail's party.

Happy first birthday, Abigail!