30 posts in 30 days

Last month my friend, Silver Valley Girl, over at Silver Valley Stories set a goal of 30 posts in 30 days and made that goal. When she posted her accomplishment I thought I can do that. I've been trying to be a more active blogger and so I set that goal for myself. Well I did it.



I wanted to wish you all a Happy New Year. Kimmie has a cousin sleeping over tonight so we will be having a little party together. We may head to church for the party they are having there.

I hope 2009 is blessed and healthy for you and your families.

Daniel Fast and New Year Goals

Many in my church are participating in a 21 day Daniel Fast starting on the 1st. So today I'm going to sit down and make up a menu for myself (because I'm sure my hubby won't be participating. So the start of my year will be with that, reading more of my Bible and prayer.

My other resolutions, I hate to call them resolutions because that word just seems to invoke failure to me. I mean how many people really follow through with the resolution they set for themselves. So instead I'm going to call it New Year Goals.

1st ~ My goal is to get closer to God and put him 1st. I am going to spend more time on him. And try harder to give up my control and let him lead me where he wants me to be.

2nd ~ Getting out of debt. We have about $15,000 worth of debt that I am going to get paid off before the end of 2009. This includes my car that has 30 payments left on it. My goal is to pay off all our debt, pay all of our monthly bills ahead and get money in savings.

3rd ~ My goal is to be healthier, lose weight and get in shape. I would like to walk in Bloomsday again in May and I would like to be in better shape and a smaller size by my birthday in July.

I think that as long as I put God first as in my 1st goal for the new year that the other 2 will follow right into place.

"But Jesus beheld them, and said unto them, With men this is impossible; but with God all things are possible." —Matthew 19:26

We're all in this together

I just saw this commercial and had to share it. Incase you haven't seen it, it will definately touch your heart.

My 100th Post

It's after 9:30 in the morning and Kim is STILL asleep. I'm going to really have to play hard with her today to get her to go to bed tonight at a decent hour. I have used the morning to give my blog a fresh wintery look. It was time for something new.

Today we are planning on meeting my cousin for lunch. She lives in Boise and I haven't seen her in forever. Actually I think that last time we were able to get together was for my babyshower. How could that happen? That was over 4 years ago.

It's a little sad to see how life and our own families have spread all of us apart to the point that we rarely see each other. There are 12 of us (cousins) and as we were growing up we spent so much time together. There was atleast one day a month that we all got together at Grandma's house for the family birthday party or holiday. Then there was all the time we spent back and forth between eachothers houses. Now we rarely see each other. So Jana and I will just have to catch up today and enjoy the time that we have.

A blessed Christmas

I hope that everyone had a blessed Christmas. Our family had a wonderful day together. Christmas Eve I went and spent time at church with others at 11:00. We sang some carols and had communion together. It was a nice time. Pastor Carey was asking when our favorite Christmas was.

I would have to say that my favorite Christmas was in 2004. It was Kimmie's 1st Christmas. We were living in Republic and our whole world had changed. We now had a baby and we were living in a town where the only people we knew were those from a lifestyle that we no longer lived. Money was tight and we really had nothing to do any shopping for gifts. Although I squeezed out a little to get a Teddy Bear for Kimmie's first Santa present. Our Christmas dinner was tacos, certainly nothing to get excited about. But I had everything I could have ever asked for.

I had a warm home, food to eat, and the most wonderful gift I could have ever received. On Christmas morning when my sweet girl woke up and I went in her room to get her out of bed. I said "Merry Christmas Beautiful" and her response was her beautiful smile. What better gift could a new mom receive.

That's my favorite Christmas and not because I got some wonderful gift that my husband bought at the store or because we had this amazing meal but because it was my most blessed.

I would love to hear about your best Christmas.

Siesta Ornament Exchange

I recently joined an ornament exchange over at Siesta Fiesta Blog. I was so excited to get the mail today and find a wonderful package from Lavonda in Georgia. She sent this beautiful glass ball with a red ribbon and a red "L" on it. She also sent a gorgeous sand dollar ornament with the legend of the Sand Dollar on the package. It has been years since I read that legend. It was nice to refresh my memory of it again.





She also sent some lovely postcards of Georgia, I would love to go there someday. And a great little nativity craft project for Kimmie and I to do together.

Thank you Lavonda I love the ornaments and have really enjoyed getting to know a new friend.

A New Favorite Song

On Sunday mornings when I get to church they have this video playing of JesusCulture in concert. This song plays every Sunday and I am absolutely in love with it and the group. I love Kim Walker's voice and her energy. I am definately in the market for more of their stuff.

2009 Calender

Every year I make a new calendar for Kimmie's Grandmas for Christmas. I usually take each month and put in my favorite picture from that month. This year I really had a struggle getting my creativity flowing so thanks to the help of my wonderfully creative friend we got it done. Actually I have to admit that she did most of it and I am so grateful to her for it.

Oh the weather outside is frightful......

We got a bit of snow last week and then the temps dropped again to those dreaded subzeros with those bone chilling winds. So now we have drifts of snow blowing everywhere.

We were watching that movie The Day After Tomorrow last week and I was thinking how badly that would suck. Larry commented that you would get used to it if an ice age hit us. I really don't think so. I really don't think that I would ever "get used to the cold" if there seemed to be no end to it. I'm quite partial to Summer and the hot weather.

Today I also have to get my last package out in the mail for Christmas. I'll have to do that at lunch. I need to get one more roll of wrapping paper to wrap the things that will be from Santa. I normally wouldn't wrap Santa gifts but Kim informed me that he wraps all the little stuff that isn't to big to wrap. Not sure where she got that but I guess I can go with it.

She did it.

This morning I got up and got ready for church. Kim said she wasn't going with me so I didn't bother trying to get her to get dressed. I was getting ready to leave and I asked our nephew (who spent the weekend with us) if he would like to go with me. He said he would and suddenly Kim wanted to go. She said she would go but she was just watching the program. Fine with me.

We got to church and settled in our seats, Pastor Carey came over to say good morning and asked if Kim was going to be part of the program and to my suprise she said YES. So we hurried down stairs to her classroom where she got her angel costume on with the rest of her class.

She did it. She sang her song and did everything she was supposed to do and had fun. I was so proud of her. Unfortunately I didn't take my camera with me because I didn't expect her to do it. So no pictures to share but atleast I have the memory of it.

Tonight she's supposed to go spend the night at my mom's and make ginger bread houses with her cousin and my Grandma. So I'm going to take advantage of the free evening to get the household chores caught up and the rest of my wrapping finished up.

Only 2 more days of work and then I get a 12 day vacation. I'm so looking forward to sleeping in on Wednesday and spending the day kicking back watching movies, baking Santa cookies and going to the library for story hour. We will have a friend of Kimmie's over for the day as both her mom and dad have to work and they needed somewhere for her to go, so that will be nice.

Well atleast the day wasn't a total loss

We got up this morning and we were supposed to go to dress rehearsal for the Christmas program. Kim was all for going and being an angel until she got out of the shower. Then I had to do some bribing and begging to get her to go. We got to the church and then she decided that she wanted nothing to do with it again. Not only did she not want to be in the program she didn't want to behave either. So we left and came home. I'm so disappointed in her. In her behavior and that she is refusing to be part of the program.

So I needed a break from her and my sister wanted to take the kids to get pics with Santa today. I told her that it was probably a lost cause but if she wanted to try to go ahead. So off they went. She took my mom with her to help with the kids and they got dressed up at the mall.

They were gone for a while when I got a phone call. Much to our suprise Kim jumped right up on Santa's lap and happily told him what she wanted for Christmas....A Cinderella Polly Pocket...and they took the picture. It's not the most perfect picture but getting 3 kids to sit, smile and look at the camera all at the same time is most impossible.



So I guess the day wasn't a complete loss. We'll just have to see how things go tomorrow. Maybe she'll be part of the program but I'm not holding my breath on it.

Our First Official Snow Day

It started snowing here yesterday afternoon and hasn't stopped yet. If there's not a foot of new snow out there it's darn close to it. So school is closed and we are taking our FIRST official snow day. So I'm letting Kim sleep, she'll be excited when she wakes up.



Today is my day off and it lost it's zest for being a "ME" day since Larry is home sick. So we're having a family snow day.

So the plan for the day is now to shovel the drive way (for the 3rd time since yesterday), then head in for my hair appointment. Then if we can make it out we need to head to Walmart and pick up a few gifts that Kim needs to pick out. Then practice at church for the Christmas Program this afternoon.

We also need to get new snow boots. I've been needing to go get her some but I hadn't had the chance to take her with me. And I'm not buying shoes for that kid without her being there to pick them out and try them on. We have enough shoe battles with the ones she has picked I'm certainly not picking for her myself.

Count Down to a much needed break

I've had a count down to Christmas break now for over a month and it's finally almost here. I have tomorrow off then work on Friday, then work Monday and Tuesday. Starting Wednesday I have 12 days off. I'm so excited. The company I work for opts to take Christmas Break off instead of having a holiday party. We would all so much rather have the vacation then a party. And we all look so forward to it. So Wednesday Kimmie and I are planning on sleeping in, making cookies for Santa and going to the library in the afternoon for story time. We may have a little friend come over and share the day with us because her daddy has to work. We'll throw in a few Christmas movies and just make a girls day of it. I can't wait.

Breaking through a wall

For the past month and a half I have been struggling to get over a plateau and finally I broke through it. I was so excited to get on the scale and see another 2 pounds gone. After being stuck at 5 1/2 pounds for so long. It's only 2 pounds but it's still something. It's not coming off as fast as I would like it to but I guess the reality of it is that I didn't get this way over night I can't expect it to come off like that. So I'll take every little step in the right direction that I can get.

A wonderful gift

I had a nice weekend even with it being SO DARNED COLD that you can't breath when you go out. I received a nice note in the mail from Pastor Carey. It really made my day just to know she was thinking about me.

Then Sunday I went to church (by myself again as Kimmie decided to stay home) and before the services started Pastor Carey gave me a new Bible. She said it was one that they had handed out at the beginning of the year to everyone and she thought I should have it. It's a One Year Bible. Divided up so that the entire Bible can be read in 15 minutes sections each day in one year.

I was very excited about it because though I know the basic stories in the Bible I have been feeling this desire to know more. But at the same time reading the entire Bible seems so daunting and where to start. So now with it being so unbelievably cold out I have something to curl up with a warm blanket and read.

Do you know how to track Santa's trip on Christmas Eve?

I do. I'm really excited to share this with Kim this year. She's really excited abotu Santa coming this year. She even told me all about her plans to hide in the corner behind the tree so she could see him. When I told her that he would know she wasn't sleeping and wouldn't come she informed me that he wouldn't even know she was there.




So if your kiddo's are excited about Santa's visit this year then they are sure to be excited about watching his trip progress around the world till he gets to your house. Just go to this link to Track Santa.

Dealing with a bully

It breaks my heart to think that at 4 I have already had to have the talk with Kimmie about how to deal with a bully. But I did this morning. There is a little boy in her class at school who is farely new to the class. Every day when I pick her up she tells me about how he hit her or pushed her or pulled her hair. Wednesday when I picked her up from school he hit her and she was upset about it I told her to tell her teacher (thinking that she would do something about it). All she said was "Tell Kimmie you're sorry". Last night in the middle of her program he hit her in the forhead. Ruining her show in the middle of it for herself. I sat down with her this morning and talked to her about it. I'm just furious that this little boy is bullying my sweet girl and nothing is being done about it, really. Obviously "tell Kimmie you're sorry" isn't working to get him to leave her alone. So I told her that it's not ok to fight with someone or to hit them just to be mean BUT and I mean that as a big BUT if he doesn't leave her alone she has every right to defend herself and if she feels like she needs to punch the little punk in the nose then she better do it. I told her that I'm sure she'll probably get in trouble with her teacher but she won't be in trouble with me because he has it coming. Today when I pick her up I'm going to have to tell her teacher about our talk. I do want her to have fair warning that Kimmie may take it upon herself to tromp that little brats butt if he doesn't leave her alone. I do hope that she doesn't have to resort to that but if it comes down to it he may need it. I would hate for him to think that it's ok to treat others like that and in preschool he certainly shouldn't be getting away with it. That's just setting him up for more trouble later and more kids to be hurt by him as well.

The Big Story

Tonight was my little girl's first Christmas program. The performed "The Big Story". The whole school was involved. That sounds like it was a BIG production but really there is only 35 kids in her school. I had a battery panic attack before the show started. I took one picture of her and the battery light flashed on my camera. I had to make a 911 call to my sister who was on her way to stop and grab a package fore me. We had a few melt downs prior to the performance starting but once the kids filed in and got on stage she settled in and did great. She was really focused on that microphone. In the end she was very tired and very ready to go home but she did great. I am so proud of her and was so excited for her. It was a great night and we topped it off with dinner at McDonald's and then story time at home.

Update to my day yesterday

I got up and took Kim to school. I really should have went to Curves but I wanted to get started on my projects. I got almost everything I wanted to get done done before noon. My friend came over and we had a nice visit with some lunch together. Then I went and picked Kim up from school. We had a nice couple of hours to ourselves. We went to the library and then came home to some hot cocoa and nice quiet time together. I love when we get time at home and it's just us girls. Then Larry came home and the day wound down. I did get some time in last night to work on my calendar. I think it's done but I'm sure I'll end up tweeking a few things on it before I get it printed next week.

Now it's back to work today. Just 9 more work days till Christmas break. That's going to be a wonderful 2 weeks.

A day to myself

Today I will be having a day to myself for the first time in almost 5 years. Things at work have slowed down so I am taking a day off a week. Larry will be at work and Kim at school so I will be totally alone. If I didn't have so much to do still to get ready for Christmas I think I would be lost.

My plan is to drop Kim off at school and get my work out in at Curves. Then I will be coming back home, cranking up the music and tackling house. I have already moved through her room and the computer room in the past couple of evenings. So on to the rest of the house. I'm going through everything/ Closets, dressers, storage.......everything. I always think this is a good time of year to do such things. Get rid of the old before bringing in the new.

I usually have a lunch date with a friend on Tuesdays so I invited her over to my house for lunch. I'll have to make us up something yummy. I think a nice turkey sandwich and some pasta salad.

If I can get through my house this morning then I'll have a few hours this afternoon to work on my calendar for 2009. I put together a calendar every year of pictures of Kim for my mom and a few others as Chrismas gift. This year however I haven't felt very creative and have only been able to get 1 page done myself. Thankfully I have a wonderfully creative friend who has been kind enough to help me out with it. She's gotten almost the entire calendar finished for me. I have one more month to get together.

A friend asked me why I don't take the day and be lazy but I think instead I'll take advantage of the time to get ready for Christmas. Then I'll be able to spend some days by myself soaking in a hot tub with a good book.

Public Humiliation as Punishment

This morning I was on my way to the office and I past a young man standing on the corner. He was probably about 12 and was wearing a sandwich board sign that read "I'm a liar, a theif and a bully and I don't care about anyone but myself." I was shocked to say the least. And I found myself thinking about it all day.

I wonder what it was that this young man did to get himself into trouble? And did his parents try other means of punishment and this what they felt they had to resort to?

I have to admit that my first thought was "Oh my who would do that to their child?" and then I had to thought "whatever he did I bet he won't do that again".

You have to wonder though if that would really work or if this young man was already calloused enough that it wouldn't matter. Kids now days can be like that. And it makes me sad. They have formed the opinion of "so what are you going to do about it, huh". Parents have offered no real consequenses for the child's actions. Is that the case with this young man? Did they not discipline him until now and this was the form of punishment they chose? I guess I'll never really know the thoughts and reasonings.

What do you think? Do you think that form of punishment would be ok?

Ever get a song in your head?

For over a month now I've had this song in my head. Thankfully it's not one that I'm going to complain about. I wake up hearing it and go to sleep hearing it. I sing it at the top of my lungs when I'm alone in the car. But for over a month now there it is every day. I remember singing it during worship service at CLC when I was a kid.

So here it is so it can get stuck in your head too. It's really not a bad thing when you wake up and go to sleep Praising HIM.

A Baby Changes Everything

Today Kim decided she wanted to stay home and spend the morning with her dad instead of going to church with me. When I got home they were gone. They'd made a trip to the transfer station to get rid of some garbage that wouldn't fit in the can and then went for a little drive. So I came in and turned on the music station (such a nice break from NOGGIN) and started to clean up a bit. This new Faith Hill video came on and I had to stop and sit to hear it. I then went straight to You Tube to see if I could find it and listen again.

What a beautiful and powerfully moving song. The last verse says "My whole life has turned around...Once was lost but now I'm found...A baby everything.." There are no truer words the those in my life.

So if you haven't heard it yet here is it and even if you have enjoy it again.

Birthday Parties

My little girl seems to be a very popular kid. I think she's invited to a party atleast once a month. Last night she went to her friend E's party. They are friends from Kim's old daycare and have said they were best friends since they were 2 and could talk good. They are so funny together. It makes me a little sad that they don't get to see each other very often since we changed Kim's daycare and schools.

So this was the 2nd party that I've just dropped her off at. She's so excited about me leaving her at a party to be by herself. And suprisingly when it's time to go home and I get there to pick her up she's happy to leave too. No battles about her wanting to stay longer. I think she's enjoying her new found freedom as well. She actually thanked me for leaving her at the party by herself.

I guess the new indepences is always a little bittersweet. I love that I'm getting back more time for myself but it's also a little sad that she doesn't need me so much anymore. I'm sure that every other mom I know feels the same way.

Did Mary Know?

I was in the car this evening on my way to pick Kim up from a birthday party and on the radio they were talking to the man who wrote the Christmas song "Mary did you know?" I love that song. I could listen to it over and over (and I have even when it's not Christmas time). They asked him where he got the idea for the song and his answer was that when he was a child his mother said something to him about wondering if Mary knew all the amazing things that her son would do. Walking on the water, raising the dead, giving site to the blind, etc....

We know that she knew he would be the savior of man but did she really know all the wonder and amazing things he would do? We all as mothers have dreams and wonder what our children will become. She knew her son was the Son of God and was our Savior. What kind of dreams could she have had for her child with that kind of knowledge?

So here I wanted to share this song with you. I love the version that Kenny Rogers and Wynona Judd does the best.

Relay Bake Sale

We had a bake sale today to kick off our fundraising for 2009 Relay for Life. We set up a table in front of Indelible Tidbits. We had cookies, breads and jars of cookie mixes. Everything looked very yummy. We asked people to just make the donation that they felt was good for them to give. The weather wasn't bad. It was cold out but atleast it wasn't raining. We were there till 3:00 and we made $80. I think that's a pretty good start for our fundraising.

Baking for Relay

Last night I spent the evening baking away. Chocholate chip and Peanut Butter Cookies, Russian Tea Cakes, Banana Bread and Lemon Almond Biscotti. I even packaged them up on nice little trays. Boy did I get ambitious or what. I really should have had it all done last weekend when I had 4 days to get it done. But no not me. I seem to be the queen of procrastination lately. But it's all done.

So this afternoon my sister, myself and hopefully some others from our Relay for Life team are going to set up a table on the side walk with holiday goodies and hot cocoa and spiced cider. It's Yulitide festival in town this weekend so hopefully we'll get lots of traffic and sell our our goodies.

This is our first fundraiser for the 2009 Relay and we are hoping it goes well. 2008 our team raised a little over $2000 and I think we can do better then that. My hope for our team is to double that. So if you're in Wallace this weekend stop by and grab a cup of something hot to warm up with and a tasty treat to enjoy and you walk about town and enjoy the holiday festivities.

My Favorite Christmas Movie

This time of year I am truly a kid at heart. I love all the old movies that are on every year. I get excited about sitting down and watching the same shows that were on when I was a kid and now I get to share them with my own. Rudolph, Frosty, Santa's Coming to town. But my all time favorite will always be A Christmas Story. My family laughs at me because I watch it every year. Over and Over. It's not unusual for it to be on ALL DAY on Christmas Eve when they have the Marathon of it for 24 hours on TV.

I'm can't imagine that growing up there wasn't something or some family in your childhood that isn't represented in this movie. I just love the Bupkiss hounds, the Red Rider BB gun, the deranged Easter Bunny costume. And who could ever forget the Chinese turkey and the major award in the form of an elicit leg lamp. And of course what kid wasn't involved in some way or another in a dare to stick a tongue to the flag pole. We all know someone that did it....at least once.

I even bought my self a copy of it DVD just in case there comes a year that it's not on. I don't want to be caught without a chance to enjoy that movie come Christmas Eve.

Christmas Traditions

I was reading today about some peoples Christmas Traditions and it got me thinking about some of ours. Every year as a kid we got new pajamas and we got to open one gift on Christmas Eve. Funny that gift was always those new pajamas. My Mom said it was so that we looked decent in the morning for our "opening presents photos". I have carried on that same tradition with Kim. She gets new Christmas jammies and I have added a new book to the tradition.

The book started with her first Christmas. We were in Republic and I was really having a hard time. Being away from home with a new baby and not knowing anyone. So minister for the church lived behind us and she invited me to Christmas Eve service. So I took Kim and enjoyed the service. For the service they read a wonderful story called the Christmas Bell. It's a great little story about a little girl who finds a silver bell and decides to give it to baby Jesus. After the service was over and we were heading out the door Pastor Barb handed me the book. Now every year since I have picked up a new book for Kim that's not about Santa and presents but instead about the real reason for Christmas and God's love.

So far we've gotten

Mary's First Christmas
The Tale of Three Trees
Room for a Little One
God Gave us Christmas

and this year we are getting Alabaster's Song.

I love being able to sit back and read these wonderful stories with her. And doing it every year makes it even more special.

So what are some traditions that your family enjoys every year? I would love to hear about them

Amazing Grace

I got the pleasure of hearing this at work yesterday and wanted to share it with you. So turn up the volume on your speakers and sit back and enjoy. All I could say was WOW! What do you think?

My sweet little girl

I'm in such awe at the tenderness caring my sweet little girl shares with the world. My Grandma was telling me yesterday after church about a moment last week when that sweet little 4 year old offered to share what she had with her. My Grandmother has arthritis and has been having some trouble with a knee bothering her. So she went to the doctor and was given a couple of different prescriptions. One of them was for this new "athletic" tape that has some medicine on it. Must be some kind of anti-inflamatory. When she went to fill the prescriptions the pharmicist told her that the tape would be over $200. Well of course she said "No thank you" she didn't have that kind of money to fill that one. My darling little girl over heard the conversation and pulled a $1 she had been saving in her pocket to get herself a treat and handed it to my Grandma saying "Here Grandma you can have my money so you can get your medicine."

It really made my heart swell to know that this sweet little girl who had her heart set on spending her money on something she wanted was willing to give it to make sure that someone else got what they needed. One of the things that I have always felt was important for her to learn is that no matter how much or how little we have there is always someone out there who has less. And we help those in need with what we can. It's nice to know that those lessons are getting in there. Of course my Grandma didn't get that prescription filled but it made her proud to know that her Great Granddaughter was willing to give what she could. I will say it over and over I just love that little angel and I thank God everyday for the blessing and opportunity he gave me when he chose me to be her Momma.

I love this time of year

I love this time of year. The magic and wonder of the Holidays has always got me excited. And now seeing it all through the eyes of my little girl makes it even more magical. She's 4 this year and really understanding what's happening this time of the year. This time a year is also very busy. I'm sure it is for everyone. December for us will be crammed full with 2 Christmas programs and the rehearsals that go with both, caroling with our church, a family holiday outing to see the lights on the lake, finishing up our gift shopping and baking lots of holiday treats. All things that I'm very excited to share with my little girl.

Holiday Meal Must Haves

I was reading over at Siesta Fiesta Blog and they were sharing some Thankgiving recipes. It got me wondering what are some must haves that other people share with their families. Normally with our Holiday meals I do all the cooking. Everyone comes to our house and we share the day. But there are a few things that no matter what else is on the menu have to be made. Like Mom's Pea Salad and Pecan Candied Sweet Potatoes. This year we spent the day with Larry's family so I didn't cook but I still had to write down the recipes for those family favorites for my sister to make.

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Mom's Pea Salad

1 head of iceberg lettuce
1 can petit peas, drained
2 cans tuna, drain
1 bunch green onions, diced
miracle whip

Tear lettuce into bite sized pieces, stir together with peas, tuna and grean onions. Stir in miracle whip, just enough to coat salad. Not to much, it will get goopy and that's not good.

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Pecan Candied Sweet Pototoes

Peal and cut up sweet potatoes. Place in baking dish. Cube 1/2 stick of butter and scatter over the top of the potatoes. Sprinkly with brown sugar and a hand full of chopped pecans.

Bake at 350 till tender.


As you can tell I don't really cook with real recipes. A little of this and a little of that. Atleast with the old family favorites that don't technically have a recipe card to follow.

So what are some family favorites that you have to have every year?

Black Friday

I went shopping this morning for my first ever Black Friday. The darn cat woke me up at 4:15 so I went ahead and got up and headed to Walmart. My niece was the 2nd person in line (she'd been there since 4) so I snuck in with her. The line was already to the other end of the building.

I got in, got a cart and checked my list. I headed to the other side of the store out of the path of the crowd that was behind me. I got everything on my list and was out of there and back home by 6:30.

I was able to pick up playdoh, mega blocks, clothes for Kim, movies and a ton more and only spent $150. I only have 3 more things that I need to get and I'm done.

So now I have a trunk full of stuff that I need to bring in and wrap when Kim is in bed. May be a few days before I can get to that. I am planning to take Kim to the tree of sharing after church on Sunday. I want her to know that Christmas isn't all about what she's getting. But more what we can do for others who are less fortunate.

Being Thankful

Today was definately one of those days that reminds me of all I have to be thankful for. A husband who loves me and our little girl with everything and provides for us all we need, my sweet girl who can be a handful but is the most precious thing I could have ever asked for, a comfortable home, food to keep us from being hungry and most importantly a God who gave me so much and loves me no matter what.

We had dinner today with family that I haven't spoken to in quite some time. I wasn't suprised to see that most things haven't changed. And seeing some of what I saw today with family definately made me think how lucky I am. And reminded me again why I don't spend much time with them. I could really say a lot about the whole subject but it's probably best not to air it all here for the world to see. So instead I will thank God for all I have and pray for those who have less and need his love so much more then anything else.

Taking a Financial Leap of Faith

So I've been thinking that my News Years resolution was going to be to get out of debt before the end of the year. And being that I still have almost 3 years of payments on my car that's a big deal. Many places in the Bible it says that you should not borrow or owe anything. I think my favorite scripture on the subject though is

Romans 13:8
Owe nothing to anyone except to love one another; for he who loves his neighbor has fulfilled the law.

Anyway, I had been thinking that I would get through December and Christmas and then I would start really knuckling down on our budget and start tithing (for the first time). Well this week I have been clearly hearing God say "No you'll start now". So in my desire to become more obedient to God I'm taking a huge leap of Faith and stepping out of my comfort zone just as Pastor Carey said yesterday. Wednesday is payday and I will be writing my first tithing check. Of course that is money that I could put towards something else but I am putting everything in God's hands and trusting that he will provide what we need.

Where does faith start?

That is a question that Pastor Carey asked today at church. Where does faith start? Faith begin with the Word of God. So now we know where it starts but what exactly is faith? Faith is the evidence of hope.

Hebrews 10:23 says

Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.

If faith starts with the Word then how does it start with you personally. Doesn't everyone know the reason for Christmas and Easter. That they are because of God and the Son. Is there someone out there that doesn't know and truly believes that those holidays are only about Santa and the Bunny? Sadly I'm sure that there are some out there in the world that don't know. So if we know the reason and know of God where does just knowing the Word turn to having Faith? Where did it start for you? I would love to hear your story.

God has really been working on my heart the past few weeks. Bringing me back "home". And as she spoke today I was really moved in my heart to push my faith in God farther. To step out of my comfort zone. I love the worship time at Christian Life Center. Being able to stand and sing praises to God. What a wonderful feeling to lift my hands in praise and feel the Holy Spirit overwhelm me. I haven't felt that in a long time. And I'm so excited to be able to being Kimmie to the same place. I know that God brought me back.

He made it easy for Kimberly to be able to attend the Christian Academy. He let all the obsticles there fall to the way side. There the seed was planted into her heart for the desire to go to church. And then my sweet girl invited me to come along with her. From there I was drawn back to CLC and I'm so greatful to be there again.

I also had to apologize to Pastor Carey this morning. God has really been weighing the issue on my heart the past week. Telling me that I had to apologize and ask for forgiveness. Which is not an easy thing for me. But I did what I was supposed to do. And what was right. Even if she had know idea I still owed it to her. I had been being very judgemental towards her and I was in the wrong. I could literally feel the weight lifting as I spoke to her. How Great is our GOD!!

My little girl is growing up

Kim seems to get an invite to a birthday party atleast once a month. Well maybe not quite that often but she is a popular girl. So tonight she had a party to go to and for the first time I dropped her off and left her there for the party. The party is actually supposed to be a slumber party but we aren't quite ready to let her be that big. The party is actually only a few houses down the street so I'll head back down there in a bit to bring her home.

I took advantage of a few free hours this evening and started working on a project that I had planned for Christmas for my mom and my sister. Both gifts are ready for paint, which I'll have to pick up this weekend. Maybe if all goes well I can get those both done this weekend. Then I'll just need to get boxes for them and get them wrapped up.

My sister asked if I wanted to hit the Black Friday Sales with her. Not sure if I want to attack those crowds and craziness but it would be nice to have all my shopping done and ready for Christmas by next weekend. We'll have to see how it goes.

Thanksgiving Plans

Normally for our family the holidays are spent with my family rather then my hubby's. Not splitting the holidays up between our families is simply because his family doesn't ever want to spend time with us. They never invite us to anything, we always find out about the gathering after the fact when someone says "why weren't you there?". So we've just given up on them. I know that they don't really like me. His sisters have been known to tell lies about me to get him to give them what they want. And it's usually money. Honestly that's the only time they ever call, when they need money.

So as my sister and I have been going about planning our Thanksgiving dinner as usual we get a phone call from his brother. Inviting us to Thankgiving dinner with his family. So of course my guard goes up knowing that it's almost certain that someone needs money. That is after all the only time they ever call us. L and I talked about it and although I will completely admit it was dragging my feet I agreed to go. After all his brother had made the effort to include us.

So I told L he had to call and find out what we needed to bring. He did and the response he got was "oh whatever it doesn't really matter". Which to me translates to "we really didn't want you guys here anyway so bring whatever it doesn't matter".

I know that I have to suck it up and go. It is his family and I can't make it hard on him to spend time with them. Even if they don't really want me there. But yet I'm battling with that little part of me that wants to say "NO WAY I'M NOT SPENDING MY HOLIDAY WITH THOSE PEOPLE". I mean should you be spending Thanksgiving with the people you are Thankful for. Not with people who have continually stomped on you and used you for years.

I haven't even spoken to most of his family in over a year after the last time they stirred things up with lies to get him to give one of them money. I know that I need to ask God to help me with forgiving them and yet not letting them get to me either. I'm honestly not angry with them. I can truly say that I really feel nothing for them. And after being part of this family for over 15 years that is sad to me. I can't imagine making my sister-in-law feel the way they have made me feel. Or treating anyone they way they have treated me.

I guess what I can be Thankful for is that I have family and friends that truly love me and like me being around and want to be part of my daughter's life. Even if my in-laws don't.

What would make you happy?

I was over reading Blessed Frugalness and she asked what contentment means to you. So that left me asking myself the same question. And with Thanksgiving just around the corner we have been talking about what we are thankful for in our house. Kim will say that she's thankful for her mom and dad and her cat. To be that innocent. I of course am thankful for my sweet little girl, a husband who loves us and does his best to care for us, a comfortable home and a nice warm bed and food to eat. We both have jobs which is a true blessing in these tough economical times. And even though money is tight and times are tough we still manage to get our bills paid and our needs taken care of. And I have a wonderful God who hasn't forgotten me. Even though I have been away from his house for a long time. I'm getting back there and I am thankful to my sweet girl for that as well. So I really can't ask for more then that.

So though I shouldn't be asking for more there are a few things that I would like to have. We rent our house and owning a home would be a wonderful thing. I would love to get our budget to a point where when the bill comes in the mail I can send out the payment then. And not have to figure out which bills we are paying on what payday. There really isn't much more that I could want. I know I don't really need much more.

So what makes you happy? What brings you contentment?

Sunday Morning

This morning Kim and I went to church at the church I grew up in. Christian Life Center. It was nice to see familiar old faces. And to worship the Lord with everyone. They had a guest speaker this morning, Pastor Ernest Gentile. They said that he had been there a few times in the past. He spoke about allowing yourself to accept new things as well as the old. Change is good and keeps things fresh. In everyday life as well as with your relationship with God. Kim enjoyed it as well. She went to Sunday school and had fun there. She was excited about going to the church that Larry and I were married in. She said she wanted to go there again which made me happy. We will be going again next week. I'm a little excited about "going home" again. I guess that's what I would call it. I haven't been to church there in over 15 years so it will be nice to get back.

After service Kim was out on the steps and climbed up on the rail. It brought back memories of us as kids doing the same thing after church. Standing out on the rail of the steps waiting for the adults to finish chatting and get ready to leave.

Going back to church

So last week my sweet girl invited me to church with her and my Grandma. I went to the church that Grandma has been going to the past few months and while the fellowship with the other members after the service was nice and the minister was very kind his sermon really didn't move me. I enjoyed the morning with my girl but went away feeling like I was still needing more. I didn't really feel at home. I also have an issue (and I'm sure it's with myself and something I should work on) with scripted sermons. I just leave wondering if there is someone in a big office somewhere else telling the minister what he's supposed to be talking about on Sunday morning then how do I know that he's really listening to God. How does that other person know what the congregation really needs to hear this week? Does the sermon on the schedule really relate to what's going on in that congregations area?

So tomorrow we are going to the church that I went to as a kid. I really think that sending Kim to the Christian school has been good for her and myself. I've been feeling for a while that I needed to get back to church and now with her wanting to go it's good for both of us. Maybe someday Larry will want to go with us. And if not atleast I've done what's best for Kim and given her the faith base that I feel is so important.

Is the weekend really over already

Saturday was a nice quiet day at home. I spent the day cleaning house and only left to grab the mail and stop at the store to get things for dinner. Most of the day was spent in our jammies. I love days like that. Then after Kim went to bed a friend invited me to join her and some others out for a few drinks. I had a nice visit. It was nice to get out even if it was just for a couple of hours.

Then this morning my sweet girl invited me to go to church with her and Grandma Whipps. She has been really enjoying Chapel time at school and learning about God and the Bible. She's spent the night a few times with my mom and then went to church with Grandma Whipps. She went last weekend with her and then wanted me to go to. So we got up and quickly got ready. It was a nice time spent with me sweet girl. I told her if she wanted to we could go again next week. The deal is she has to get up and get dressed without a fight and we can go, but I'm not going to fight with her about getting ready to go.

So tomorrow is Monday again and back to the weekly grind. Only 41 days till Christmas break. And the count down goes on.

Getting back to normal

What a great week. With Gracie coming home last weekend I was able to get back to my normal schedule. I was so happy to be able to get back into Curves 4 times this week. And also happy that my progress hadn't been thrown off as bad as I had expected. I did gain 1.5 pounds but my measurements had stayed the same and my fat percentage had actually gone down. So where exactly that 1.5 pounds is I'm not sure. But now to get back to losing it.

I met with Kimmie's teacher today for her first conference. She really didn't tell me anything that I didn't expect to hear. Kim is doing great in all the areas of her academics but does need to work more on her attention and following directions. She has made progress since the beginning of the year though so that was good to hear. It is nice to see the improvements that have been happening in her behavior since changing daycares and putting her in a more structured school setting.

Looking forward to the weekend.....

Last Sunday we took the kids (Kimmie, Dallas-my neice, and David-my nephew) to the pumpkin patch. The kids had a blast running through the corn maze and riding the trains, Big Toot and Little Toot. It was a great day and then we spent the evening carving our pumpkins. I just love how into the holidays Kim is getting now. And Halloween is very exciting for her. All the fall activities and dressing up and getting candy. What more does a 4 year old need to get excited?!?

All this week she has been anticipating her 2nd field trip at school. We went to Cat Tales. It's a conservation zoo for big cats just north of Spokane. I've been there a couple of times with my nephews but this will be Kim's first trip. She was so excited to see the cats. And couldn't believe that they had a big black one that looked like her Sasha kitty.

After the feild trip we spent the evening trick or treating. She was so excited to get her ragdoll costume on and head out. The night started out pretty good and then about half way around the neighborhood it started raining. We were soaked by the time we got back home.


Her school pictures came back yesterday and I have to admit I was really worried about them. Worried that she would either give them that stupid cheesey grin or not cooperate at all. But much to my huge relief when I opened the packet they turned out really cute. Her smile is very sweet with her little dimples and her curls are tossled just right. I know I'm probably a bit bias but I still think she's the cutest kid ever to be photographed.

We have geat news about Gracie to share. Sunday they did another CT Scan and actually had to read it twice to make sure they weren't missing something. Her lungs are completely clear. Praise God and the power of prayer. Thank you all for keeping her in your thoughts and prayers. She was able to move out of ICU on Tuesday and will be coming home either Saturday or Sunday. She still has a ways to go but she's doing so much better. She will likely have to have some physical therapy do to being imobile for so long. And she's really worried about falling behind in school but the principal reassured her that if she needed they would send a tutor to her house to help her. She probably won't be back in school until December so the tutor will be nice help.

So next week we will be able to get back to our normal schedule after having it thrown off track for the month of October.

Our Prayers have been answered! YAY!!!!

Gracie has made a huge turn around the past few days. So much so that this morning they took her off the ventalator, removed her chest tubes and took her completely off the oxygen. They were also going to put her in their little wagon and wheel her around the hospital so she could see where she's been now for almost 3 weeks. She still has a way to go and won't be home for a while but this is a huge turn around for her.

I haven't heard if they got the biopsy results back yet. If those come back that there is dead tissue in her lungs then they will have to go in and remove that portion of her lung. But we will deal with that if and when the time comes.

Thank you for all your prayers for this sweet little girl. They are so greatly appreciated.

I RELAY BECAUSE.........

This past August Kim and I joined our first Relay for Life. Larry lost both his parents to cancer and we lost my Uncle Bob in July after his courageous fight with this awful disease. I decided that it was time to start teaching Kim that we do things for other people for a greater good. So we packed up our bedding, borrowed a tent from my sister (God knows where ours is in the garage attic) and went to spend the night in the park walking. Walking for those that we have lost, walking for those who are fighting, and walking for those who have fought and WON!!! The whole night was so amazing and emotional and just everything overwhelming that I decided then that I wanted to be a bigger part of it. I joined the committee.

Saturday I spent the day in Spokane at Relay University. I learned a lot and came away with some great ideas for fundraising. My head is realing with a couple of plans. One for a committee fundraiser and a few for out team.

So our first meeting is next week. I've been asked to be Sponsorship Chairman. Which I'm excited but at the same time a little apprehensive. The woman who has had that position for a long time and while I know she has a lot on her plate with her job, family and her own battle with cancer right now I don't want her to feel like she's being pushed aside. And I certainly don't want to step on anyone's toes. But what ever is best for the cause will be what I will do.

So be prepared for my requests for help in our fundraising efforts.

My hope is that there will come a day when no one ever has to say to a friend or loved one "I have cancer" again.

Having to take a break......

Unfortunately due to Gracie being sick and me having to pick up extra time at work to help out I've had to put my morning workouts on hold. I missed the whole week last week and was able to get to Curves on Monday this week, but it looks like I'll be missing the rest of the week. So I didn't even weigh in this week. I'm feeling like all is going to be lost and I'll be starting over. But I can't be upset about it because right now I have to do the extra to help out with Gracie still being in ICU. And I haven't made enough head way with myself to be able to do this on my own. I struggle with myself as it is with getting to Curves when I can. I have to admit that I really hate going. But I go because I know that I need to. I hope that some day soon I can become one of the people that is addicted to working out.

An update on Gracie. Sunday they were able to take 1 of the 3 chest tubes she has out. They have been getting a lot of the mucus and stuff in her lungs out the past few days. They said that if all goes well today then tomorrow they should be able to finally take her off the respirator. She's been sedated and on that respirator now for a week. It will be such a huge step if they can move her off of it. I also want to thank everyone who had been praying for her. I know that each and every prayer is so appreciated.

What a week

I'm so glad to finally have a day to just relax. Monday I took the day off to go on Kim's first field trip. We went with her class to Walter's Fruit Farm. We learned all about apples. This particular farm has 26 different varieties of apples. There are 2500 different kinds in American and there are 7500 different kinds of apples in the world. Who would have thought that you could get that many varieties out of Red, Yellow, Green ~ Sweet and Tart.

The kids all got to pick their own apples off the trees. They learned about how apple cider is made. They also got to pick a pumpkin.
They got to pet goats, go through a hay bale maze, they played on this big slide together and also got to play in a sandbox that was full of dried peas. We all had lunch together on the farm too. We are looking forward to Halloween when we get to go to Cat Tales. It was a great day for all the kids.

The rest of the week wasn't quite as good. My boss's granddaughter, 6 year old Gracie, was rushed to the hospital on Sunday with a severe case of pneumonia. She has been in Pediatric ICU at Sacred Heart since. She's had 2 surgeries this past week and has been in a drug induced coma and on a respirator since Wednesday night. If you believe in the power of prayer please keep this sweet little girl in your prayers.

Due to Gracie being so sick I spent most of the week in the office by myself. Doing more then my normal daily work. Making for a long tiring week. But it's all ok because we do what we have to do. And the most important thing is that Gracie gets well soon.

15 Years ago today

October 2nd, 1993 Larry and I were married. I can't believe that we have made it 15 years and we're still going strong. It hasn't been all easy by any means but we were able to work through all the stuff and see that we loved each other enough to fight our way back each time. Some people will say that walking away is the easy way out but for us it has always been easier to work it out then to walk away. I'm happy that we have. Now 15 years later and we have our sweet girl to be thankful for as well. Life is good.

Making a goal

I set myself a goal to lose 5 pounds and 5 inches in the month of September. So Tuesday before I started my morning workout at Curves I weighed and measured. Much to my surprise I MADE IT. I lost 5.5 pounds and 5.5 inches. YAY!!!!! My next goal is 10 pounds and 12 inches. I'll be working to make the one foot club hopefully before the end of October.

Just a reminder

Just wanted to remind everyone who downloads the blog kit to make sure to give credit somewhere on your blog to MCA Designs. Thanks so much.

Big News over at MCA Designs and a Freebie

MCA Designs is officially opening a new store tomorrow. There is a great sale going on over there. Lots of great stuff you must go see the new place.

So I'm giving you a new set to make over your blog.




Download here

Hope you have a great week and find lots of great stuff you just have to have in the store.

On my way to a new me

School started for Kim 2 weeks ago. Since she has to be at school by 8:00 and I don't have to be at work until 9:30 I decided that it was a good time for me to spend an hour on ME. I started on the first day of school going to Curves and getting in a good workout before heading to work. I have been so frustrated with myself. A year and a half ago I had lost just over 20 pounds and then gained it all back. But I don't want to be where I'm at when I'm 35 and that's not that far off. So I'm making some changes for myself. And to show Kimmie a better way to live. I don't want her to have these same issues when she's older.

It's been 2 weeks and I just had to see what kind of progress I've made. So I took a minute to weigh and measure this morning before starting my workout. In 2 short weeks I have lost 5.25 pounds and 3 inches. YAY!!!!!!!

I'm half way to my first goal of 10 pounds. I have a lot more then that to lose but I have to break it down into smaller goals. 2 pounds a week, 8 pounds a month, 10 pounds at a time. So far I'm ahead of my weekly goals.

I feel better. I'm sleeping better. I even get up in the morning easier at the God awful hour of 5:00am. I'm just feeling so much better about what I'm doing for myself. Some good quality "me time".

I added a ticker to the bottom of my blog to keep track of my progress. What have you been doing for yourself lately.

We've been busy

Kim started Preschool on Tuesday at the Christian Academy. I was going to take pictures of her before we left the house but the batteries in my camera were dead. She informed me that we could buy new ones and then I could take pictures of her when we got to school. Even then it was a bit of a struggle to get her to hold still long enough for me to get a couple.

She had told me that she had fun "learning with Alex and Leah" at school on Wednesday when I picked her up from the sitter. I just thought that they were kids in her class. Then on Thursday she told me a little more. She said that Alex and Leah were a movie they watched at school. And then she showed me that she could sign a few letters. She was especially excited about signing a "K" for Kimmie. Apparently "Learning with Alex and Leah" is a dvd that they watch in class that teaches the kids sign language.

Last week on Saturday she and I went to get some lunch and she said that she wanted to go get her ears peirced NOW. We had been telling her for a while now that when she wanted to go get them done that we would. So off we went and after having to buy the stuff at Walmart and go to another place to have them done (because you can never get any help at our Walmart). She is the proud wearer of a new pair of earrings. She's been pretty bossy lately and not to good about letting me take pictures so I haven't really gotten any good ones of them yet.

Of course her birthday was a few weeks ago now. How can my baby be 4 now? We had a party at the part with her friends from her old daycare. She was very excited to see them. The kids had a lot of fun playing games and eating cake.

David had his first birthday this week and we will be celebrating tomorrow. Then we will be back to another week of school and work. Me getting up at 5:00 to get myself ready for the day and then Kim up at 6:00. Out the door by 7:30 and to school by 7:45. Makes for a tiring morning but we are getting through it. I'm hoping that it will get easier for us both. I have also added a workout at Curves for myself. I have a little more then an hour between dropping Kim off at school and me getting to work so I decided to do a little something for myself. I'll be going to Curves 4 days a week. I'm really looking forward to it and looking forward to getting rid of my butt as well.

It's been a crazy week here

Saturday was Kimmie's 4Th birthday party. Almost everyone we invited came and the kids all had a great time. We all got together at the park where the kids had plenty of room to run and play. We barbecued and had games and cake. Then Sunday we had another birthday party to go to for one of Kim's friends. By the time we got home from that party Kim was tired and crabby and was asleep for the night by 6:45.

Tuesday was Kim's actual birthday and we spent part of the evening visiting with my mom as she had been in Spokane and missed the party.

Then Wednesday night we had our wrap up party for Relay For Life at the water park. I got off work early and we headed over. Kim had a blast. She actually came out of her shell quite a bit and hit the slides. She even drug me up the three flights of stairs to ride in the big tube slides. We got in the raft and headed into the tube. I could tell she was a bit scared so I kept reassuring her that it was OK and it was fun. When we got to the bottom she looked at me and said "that was really scary mom, can we do it again!" So up the stairs we went again.....and again....and again. Of course when it was time to leave there are a big fight.

We are looking forward to the long weekend of just kicking back and getting ready for school to start on Tuesday. Kim is starting Preschool at the Christian Academy and is very excited.

A night under the stars and other stuff

Kim's new favorite thing is sleeping out under the stars. We blow up the airmattress and make up a bed and sleep outside in the back yard. She loves to get in bed before it gets dark and count the stars as they start to appear. The weather has been so nice and hot that it doesn't even get to cool during the night. So that's how we've been spending out Friday nights. Just having some nice quiet time together under the stars. Now what could be better then that?


On to another story. Last weekend a local man was out huckleberry picking when he came across the bodies of 2 young people that had been murdered. Our little community has been in an uproar all week as new news and evidence has come out in the investigation. The victims were 18 and 20, boyfriend and girlfriend. The killers, their friends. Two of them 20 years old and the other just 17. They have all been arrested and have confessed to their part in the murders. Now law enforcement is finding out that these young men had confessed to friends what they did prior to the victims being found. So they are in the process of arresting those people and charging them with conspiracy due to the fact that they knew what had happened or in some cases what was going to happen and not a one of them said a thing. I guess I just can't imagine knowing that kind of information and not saying anything. The whole situation is just so sad. The families of everyone involved are going through so much. The thought of your child being murdered or your child being a murderer. Neither thought is something that any parent wants to think about. I am praying for all these families.

Here's your Thursday Freebie

Once again we at the MCA Designs CT Team are very excited about what our Zan has come up with. She has gone above and beyond and made us a terrific freebie for your Daily Download. She took a few wonderful CU kits that MCA Designs has and made up a great kit. It has some really pretty papers and some great elements too. You can pick it up here at My Scrap Shop.



And these are the great kits that Zan used to make this beautiful kit. Everything of course available at My Scrap Shop in MCA Design's shop. And everything is 25% off Thursday Only.






We hope you enjoy this great freebie we've got for you and that you all have a great weekend.

What a night

So Friday night Kim and I joined about 250 other members of our community in the Relay for Life. This was the first time we joined. I decided that it was such a great cause and a good opportunity to start teaching Kim that we do for others where ever we can.
Our team was the Pink Flamingos and what a great group of ladies to spend the night with.


The Survivors started off the relay with the first lap. I was suprised to see so many people that I know but didn't know they were survivors. Just goes to show that cancer really does touch everyone. In one way or another.


As the night wore on and the sun went down, the luminarias were lit. What a site. To see that line of of lit luminarias with names of so many loved ones who have fought this battle. Some won. Others lost.

After walking a few laps with me and playing hard with the other kids that were there Kim finally tuckered out and fell asleep. Hugging her bag of cheetos. Even asleep she had a grip on that bag and wasn't willing to give it up.


The rest of the night was spent walking and walking. I'm sure I walked atleast 10 miles. My feet, ankels and hips are very stiff and sore but that is a small price to pay for such a great cause. We will be doing it again next year for sure.

RELAY FOR LIFE

I can't imagine that there is a single person out ther that hasn't been touched by cancer in some way. At our house it has hit us very close with the loss of both of Larry's parents and most recently the loss of my uncle just a few weeks ago.

So Kim and I are walking tomorrow in the Relay for Life. We are looking forward to camping out in the park all night and joining the events activities. And for me the opportunity to teach Kim an important lesson in doing for others is great as well.

I wanted to post links to our fundraising pages incase anyone wants to help us in the cause.

My page

Kim's page


I'm taking my camera and hoping to get lots of pics to share later. After I get some sleep Saturday as it's going to be a very long day tomorrow. But all worth it in the end.

Thanks again for the support. Hope you have a great weekend and if you are in the area come on down to the park and join us.

Monkey Beach Party

My little girl will be 4 soon and she decided that she wanted to have a Monkey Beach Party for her birthday. So I found some party supplies that she liked and of course would be needing a kit to make invitations, party favors and of course to scrap the party pics afterward. So I went to my favorite girls over at MCA Designs and asked if they could pull out their creativity and make me a kit. So they did and we are sharing it with you this weekend. Starting today and going through Sunday you can go to each of our blogs and pick up a peice of "Monkey Beach Party".

Also while you're doing your weekend shopping don't forget to head over to My Scrap Shop where everything in the MCA Designs shop is on sale.

For my part of the kit I'm sharing with you some cards that can be used for invitations or thank you cards, some cd labels and jewel case slips for party favors.


Download Part 1

Download Part 2

Download Part 3

Don't forget to go grab the rest of the kit.


Mel

Monica

Nicole

Zan

Lee Anne

Hope you all have a great weekend. It will be a busy one here for us. Kim and I will be walking in the Relay for Life Friday night. I'll have pics of that next week.

Monday Monday

Well it's Monday again. We had a busy weekend. Kim and I went to Missoula to meet up with another one of our internet friends. Summer and her boys are from Indiana but spend some time in Montana during the summer. So we met at McDonalds and had a nice visit for a few hours while the kids played. It was great and I really hope we can do it again next year.

Then on Sunday Larry's truck died. We think it's the fuel pump and hopefully that won't cost us a fortune to get it fixed but I'm not holding my breath. I guess we didn't have enough extras going out this month already with Kim's birthday, getting her ready for school and then her tuition added to that too. What's one more big ticket. I swear it never ends.

So on to the really good stuff. MCA Designs has come up with a great little freebie for you that will be available on Thursday. So don't forget to come back and see what we've all come up with.

Here's your Thursday Freebie

One of our design team members has come up with this beautiful little add on that you HAVE to have. Zan did a great job with this one for sure. Using the Brown Bag Special kit available over at My Scrap Shop this is what she made for you.



Down load it here.

Also don't forget to go and grab Brown Bag Special it's 25% off today.



Hope you have a great day. Just one day closer to the weekend.