Christmas Fun

Trying to get ready for santa! The excitement is every where!

1:58 AM and we are still not done helping santa wrap presents!

Please I need sleep!

We hear the kids in their stockings!

It's all worth it for this face!

and this face!



and this face!

Rock on! And this face


and this

Yippee!One tired girl! We found her behind the backdrop Christmas night. She is covered with another backdrop all cozy and warm sound asleep!

YIPEE no school!

SNOW!!!!
The year before Blake started kindergarten our county added in extra time on the school day to set the school schedule giving us 12 extra days for weather. I get so mad when the end of the year comes and we don't get out our 12 extra days seeing how that's really my time with the kids. In my opinion if we have built in days we should get out for one flake...until the 12 days are spent. Since they added more time in the day years ago... we have only gotten out a day or two maybe three....but
Finally we get to use one of our 12 days built in for weather and it's only Dec. Maybe by FEb. we'll get the other 11. NO SCHOOL tomorrow. There is joy every where!

I just can't stop!

I just can't stop dancing, jumping and screaming! My house is in shambles, other people's holiday cards are all over the studio waiting for me to get them ready for pick up, 20 orders need to be placed, I haven't really bought the first Christmas present, and I don't think there is one more clean thing to wear in this whole house-BUT I don't care! I am so excited it feels like a ton truck has been lifted off my back. One semester down 4 to go!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's finally over!

I took my last final today at 10...I feel like 1000 pounds have just been lifted! I can't wait to get my grades. Meanwhile we are going out to PARTY tonight!
YIPEE!

King of the Mat Tournament!

Blake cleaned house again this weekend at the King of the Mat tourn. bringing home gold again! We left at 5:45 AM on Sat. morning. It was actually really fun! Middle school season is in full swing. Because he won again on Sat. he gets to go to wrestle with Middle Tennessee Wrestling Association. It is another team of wrestlers that represent middle tennessee. He will do that right before Christmas. Teams from all over will be there. They said Collins Hill will also be present this year. We laughed so hard when we heard that...that is where steve's sister Cheryl is from!

Congrats Blake your hard work and dedication is paying off.

I'll post more pictures later I am suppose to be studying for finals!

sweet reunion!

Someone responded to our flyers today they had our girl! Thank goodness! She's home! We have some happy kids!

Still no Bella

We still haven't found Bella. We have looked and looked. This is the strangest thing. We are thinking maybe she left so she could die. We hear some times dogs do that. It would've been easier another way so the kids could have had closure. They are still not giving up. Andrew got up super early yesterday to go out and look. It is heartbreaking to watch.

WE'RE LOST Without her!

Last night we got home from a wrestling meet and realized Bella had not eaten her food all day.
We have lost our sweet, crazy Bella. Steve went under the house-she loves to get under there-but no Bella. Bella has been with our family for 10 years-so you can imagine my kids today trying to take them to school. I've checked the pound-even I had a break down at the pound when they didn't have her either...I just knew we would find her. She gets out sometimes but she always just runs down the road and then back to the front porch.

.

Where is our girl?

Happy Birthday Blake

Happy Birthday Blake. 14 years have gone so quick. You are my joy! What will I do without you....stop growing so fast! We are so blessed to have you! I know your friends read this blog so I won't embarrass you too much. We just want you to know how lucky we are to have such a good teen-ager. We love you so much.

2 weeks to go!

1 week left of classes and 1 week of finals....I can't wait for a break. 2 weeks left of Christmas fall pictures....I can't wait for a break.

The kids and Steve have been great. They are all so busy-I don't think they really noticed that I am studying in the background except the fact that they keep praying mommy will pass her test!

Blake and Andrew started middle school wrestling season in Oct. They are doing great.
Blake is in his last year of middle school wrestling and has 13 wins 0 losses. Way to go Blake. It has finally clicked for him. He is amazing on the mat. He will be turning 14 this weekend. OH NO...I'm not ready for a 14 year old!
Andrew brought home a really neat ice cream in a bag recipe that we just did for family night. Hopefully, he can post the recipe soon. He has turned into quite the cook since I have started back to school. He has been amazing to his little sisters.
Leah Beth is busy with all her school projects and hip hop dancing. She is currently observing her latest school project: a Goldfish and snail. (yes another pet)
Caroline is ballet and tap dancing while keeping us all in line. She has just moved up in her reading levels to 2nd grade and she is so so so so so excited to check out the cool chapter books.

I have lots of pictures but maybe after these next two weeks I will be able to sort through and post.

Congratulations Matheny Family

Some good friends of our family are adopting a son from China. After a long wait they were finally able to get him! Congrats to then. We love and miss them and are so excited for them.
check out her blog www.heathermathenyfamily.blogspot.com
to read all about it!

It's gonna be a great winter!!!

I drove through McDonald's drive through the other day and guess what I saw!!!

McDonald's has hot chocolate again!!! I was so sad the last two winters that they took it off their menu...it's back!

I am so excited for a cold morning and a yummy cup of McDonald's hot choc.They have the best hot cocoa ever-if you don't believe me just try some!

Extra job ideas!

I was talking to a friend of mine and she was needing extra money to make ends meet in these kind of hard times. We brainstormed a bunch of ideas and I just thought if any of my four readers was looking for ways to make extra cash for making ends meet or Christmas or whatever-that I would share!

Yard sale
Sale of old furniture
sale your old gold
teach a lessons of something you know how to do...piano, sewing, budgeting, computer skills(how to make a blog lessons!), voice, knitting, cooking, cake decorating, and on and on. Whatever you are good at someone else would prob. love to learn-just advertise it that you are teaching it for X amount of dollars!
Babysit
Sale Bread or homemade food items(cookies)
clean houses
make little girl dresses or tutus and sale them on eBay or start a selling blog
make jewelry and sale it the same way (my customer's mom started this one)
make hair bows and sale them (craft fairs are getting ready to be every week-end) or online
refinish furniture or paint canvas art
Be a DJ for a wedding or reunion (this might be costly to start)
design blogs
teach a language
run errands for people who can't (older people or busy people)
haul off people's trash
pet sit
Are you a genealogy buff? People love to know their family histories, but don’t have time to do the research. You can offer your services as a “family researcher” and help clients learn about their roots, learn about your own in the process, and generate extra income.
paint (ugh)

What else-share your ideas with us!!!

The gift of time!

More gratitude for my sweet friends and family!!!

Thank you Ms.Katie for dinner, Grandma for taking 2 of my kids to visit their cousins in NC, Aunt Chrys for feeding and caring for my 2 kids while they are there, Heather for watching my other 2 kids while I was at school today, Mckenzie for doing my paper work taxes for magical memories, Mom for helping me write all the papers due this week for mid-term week, Blake and Andrew for cleaning house, Lisa for ordering magical memories, all the other things and prayers that have gone unspoken that I am forgetting to write about, and the bomb threat at school today so I could get out early. It is amazing how much I needed my community this week and didn't even know it. I feel so overwhelmed with love-I can't explain it. Because of you all this I was able to take 5 mid-terms test and turn in 3 research papers! Thank you Thank you Thank you. Thank you for being in tune with me and when I told the Lord I needed help you came my way. I knew by Tuesday night when I got home and Katie had snuck over here and hid dinner in my fridge I was receiving some major tender mercies this week.
When I was 14 I received a patriarchal blessing...In my blessing it states that I would get my education from a university where I would grow in knowledge and receive spiritual education at the same time. When I was younger I thought that meant BYU(ricks then) I just assumed because I had to take religious classes there -hence the spiritual growth. Not even the case I have had to rely so much on the Lord in the past 2 months than I ever had to in my entire life. I can't even explain it fully. I wish I was a beautiful writer and could explain the whisperings of the spirit that have guided me and helped direct me-but that's the best way I know how to explain it! Thank you again for helping me so much!

Gratitude

I am so thankful for good friends! I have been so blessed by so many good friends. It is amazing how the Lord puts people in my path right when I need them.