Scissors and such...

Okay, I haven't lost my mind and just posting random things about scissors. Well, not yet anyway... give it some time. Last night I was cutting out strips of fabric for Karis and Savannah's project. I, of course, left it till the last minute and was cutting them at 11:30pm. As I was sitting there in the quiet living room, I happened to notice the scissors I was using. These scissors - the ones in the picture were my sewing scissors from 6th grade. I remember showing up for Mrs. Niles home-ec class. We had to put together a small sewing kit. My mom took me to the fabric store and I was amazed. I loved it! I never did become a pro at sewing though. The scissors weren't expensive or anything amazing. Just plain scissors. I can't believe I still have them. I lose things I just bought last week. Somehow over all of the years, they just keep tagging along with me. As I was sitting there cutting with them, I couldn't help but laugh that I didn't really have a clue. I had no idea that 25 years later, I would be cutting strips of fabric to show Savannah and Karis how to make a braided rug. Funny how time goes. I knew I loved my class that I was in. I loved learning how to make a pillow and how to cook monkey bread. I remember Mrs. Niles talking about how she had two little boys - Dan and Ron. Their initials spelled out their names. Crazy - the things we remember. When she talked about her boys, her eyes lit up. She probably was a great mom. She sure had a lot of patience teach 6th graders how to sew.


The girls are working on an American Girl history study with me. I will try to post more details about that in another post. Their first project is a braided rug. They are going to make it bigger than the original small one that is in the book. I will post the finished product then. I had so much fun sharing this with them today. I think we are going to have a great year of learning and enjoying this study.

The lawsuit...

Awhile back I asked for some prayer for a few things. One of those things was a pending lawsuit against us from our lake association. It was a very, very long story with lots of details. We really didn't feel like we had to join the association according to the covenants. I was even told by three lawyers that it was optional. The thing was that if we didn't join, they could try to sue us for all sorts of crazy stuff like drainage into the lake. They wanted us to pay an assessment that was billed to the previous owners (a bank foreclosure). After several trips to our original closing lawyer, he finally decided to share with us that we had what he called "Plus Title Insurance". Apparently, this PLUS covers more things than the traditional title insurance. Why this man did not tell me this weeks and weeks ago when I first called him, I have no idea. Once he told me this and gave me contact information, I was able to get a claim rolling. They paid the $3800 and the lien/lawsuit was dismissed. We still had to join the association. We are pretty sure that there will be more lake repair assessments down the road and that will cost us money. We felt sure we did not have to join, but to prove that - we would have had to hire a lawyer and fight to not join. Then if we won and didn't join, we would have to hope they didn't sue us for drainage damage. We just decided the easiest solution was to join and hope the assessments came down the road when we could hopefully afford them. That is a whole long story in a nutshell! I wanted to thank anyone and everyone who said a prayer for us. I was really, really stressed about this. I kept just trying to give it over to God and let him figure it out. In the end, that is exactly what happened.

The puppy saga...

Last week, Tim found a puppy while he was test driving a car in our neighborhood. Yes, it is a perk that he lives so close to home! Anyway, first he took the puppy to our friend, Laurie. He didn't want to bring it to me because he was afraid the kids might want it, etc. Laurie took one look at that puppy and said that if it came in her house - she would have to keep it. So, he brought it home to me. I like puppies. I would not say I love puppies or dogs or really any pet. We brought the puppy in and showed it to Savannah. She was in love instantly. Here is the background on puppy issues in our household. Tim has always wanted a Weimaraner - a gray one to be specific. I have told the kids I just don't want dogs. I love our dog Woofie. She really is a sweet dog, but she sheds a lot and just adds work to my schedule. Savannah still wanted a puppy at some point. I told her if we were getting another dog - it would be a Weimaraner. I didn't want to hear Tim say how he always wanted that kind of dog and never got it. Well, a couple of weeks ago, Savannah saw a fluffy puppy at the pet store. She came home to tell me about it. I didn't see it, so it was pretty easy to stay strong. Okay, fast forward to this adorable little puppy in our house. I didn't think much of her the whole morning she was here. The kids were hovering over her. In the afternoon, the kids went off to other things. This little puppy came and snuggled against my feet. She was so calm. I thought it was because she was tired from her morning out. After a long nap, she was still really calm. I called Tim around 4:30 and told him I LOVED this puppy and had to keep it. Now, I know, I know... wasn't I the one that said the next dog would be a Weimaraner pup? I know! Trust me! I know! We had to borrow a cage from Keith because my mom has our cage for her puppies. While Tim was getting the cage from next door, a neighbor saw the puppy. He knew where it belonged. We knew this was a possibility and we had told Savannah if we found the owner - we would have to give it back. Oh, the tears. I actually wasn't there. I was at Walmart. Tim called me. My heart sank. I literally wanted to leave my cart and go home. I couldn't believe how attached to the puppy I was. I thought about that puppy all week. It was nuts. We decided to get Savannah a small puppy. She wants a "lap dog". The thing is that even mixed breeds are really expensive for lap dogs. I mean they are nuts! We looked around over the weekend, but we didn't find anything. Well, we found lots of cute puppies, but the cost is just too much for us right now. We are on the list at the animal shelter. That brings us to yesterday. Savannah put Woofie out back. When she went to let her in - who was waiting for her? The puppy and she had brought her momma dog with her! It was so funny. They had tags with their address and phone number this time. I was proud of my girl. She got the leash and walked them over. Oh, what a cute face this puppy has though. I can't stop thinking of it.

I am back...

My laptop is finally fixed! WooHoo! I have so many things to blog about and not enough hours in the day. I do have new motivation though. I want to try to blog daily or at least every other day. Then I plan to print my blog out and mail it off to Timmy. I figure he will get pictures and details of what is going here. Of course, my mind is scattered as to what to write about first. Obviously, there was Timmy leaving. I actually did pretty well. I didn't cry at all the first week. I think because Jessica was here and I was really busy taking the kids to VBS. The next week was harder though. I did really well until this past Friday. Then I started to go downhill and miss him a whole lot. I have been cleaning up his room. Did somebody not tell my son that if you plan to move out for 4 years, you may want to take your laundry out of the dryer? Then Tim was missing him. He wrote him a sweet letter that just made me cry. I mailed it off to Timmy, yesterday.

Besides all of this, we started school last week. I am trying to get the groove, but it is going to take some time. I have lots of plans this year and it includes other people. That means I have to be organized and on top of things. I need some super, master schedule on my dining room wall that tells me what the heck I am supposed to be doing and when. We are off to the Lake Murray Beach this afternoon for a homeschool day. I am going to leave you with some pictures we took before Timmy left. I will be back to write all sorts of interesting things at some point.

Ramblings from Sebastian...

Sebastian has had a few funnies in the past week or so. Sometimes I just have to stop and try not to laugh at the things he comes up with.

Last week at VBS, we were singing and watching a Bible story acted out. He didn't really want to be still for all of this. He stands up and proclaims, "I'm outa here!" Oh, really? I wondered if he had a car waiting for him out front.

Next up at VBS - several times he tells me he is "about done with this" - It is hard to portray the frustration he had in writing - but I think I probably tell him "I am about done with this" at least 5 times a day. Funny how they use your words on you.

Yesterday during a potty training moment. He is sitting on the toilet trying desperately to poop. He looks up at me and says, "My butt is just retarded." How do you not laugh at that one? I apologize to anyone that is offended by the word retarded (he lives around teenagers - it is a teenager word - right?).

Finally - I threw all of his pacifiers away yesterday. I know, I know - How could he still have a paci? Believe me, I was one of those moms that mocked people with preschoolers and pacifiers. Then I had one of those kids. With my other two, the minute they gave up naps - their pacifiers were gone. Sebastian is still napping. I couldn't stand the thought of the end of naps a year ago - now I am okay with no napping. Anyway, they are gone. I was explaining to him that everyone had to grow up at some points in their life. He tells me very sternly - "I don't want to grow up! I want to go down!" That's my boy!

Laptop down and some other ramblings...

I know I have not been blogging. My laptop decided to go crazy again. I have spent 2 days backing up my pictures and documents to my ipod. I am almost done and then I can try to restore it. Meanwhile, I am left with my desktop. I hate the keyboard on here. It is bad, bad, bad. We also have been doing VBS each night. Oh my goodness, that wears me out! Sebastian is trying to learn social skills though. I keep telling myself it is worth the frustration. My sister-in-law - Jessica - is here. I have been hanging out with her. And... since Timmy left on Sunday - my niece, Tabi, came to visit. I will post pictures of Timmy's parties and other stuff when I get my laptop back to normal. (Pray we don't need to buy a new one!) Check back for an update soon!

Crazy days of summer...

I know I haven't been blogging. I am busy emotionally and physically. My mind is full of lots of things and none of those things seem to be making it to my blog. I have physically been working on things for school and organizing the house. I think we will start back to school after next week and I have high hopes of being super organized. I am not going to promise I will post more about that, but I would like to. Timmy has been home this week and I have been just absorbing that he is home and will be leaving very soon. There is more to write on that, of course. I haven't been snapping lots of pictures either. I don't know why. Savannah took these pictures of Sebastian. It is amazing what boredom can do to a 9 year old girl. Sebastian was only too happy to let her mess with him. My goofy boy. If your are an avid blog reader of mine - you may remember she did this awhile back look here. She took him over to show her cousins and Aunt Crystal. Then Aunt Crystal asked Savannah if her mom knew what she had done. I assured Crystal that I didn't think it would warp him too much. I guess we will have to wait and see when he is a teenager if he has flair for crazy hair.

A new normal?

I have had a busy week. On Monday we had a extremely busy girl scout meeting. On Tuesday, I spent a large portion of the day unpacking toys and games. I - yes - ME - I cut shelves using a circular saw. We bought big wardrobe closets months ago, but they needed more shelves. Wednesday, Tim and I met with a lawyer about this lawsuit and then I did laundry, made bread, etc. Today I went shopping for groceries and some school stuff. I have been busy. At times, my mind has floated to how Timmy is in Florida. I miss him on and off, but in the way that I think he will be back soon. Then it HITS ME HEAD ON... he will be back for just a week and then he will move out. Sure, he will come to visit from time to time and maybe he will move back for a short while till he decides what is next after 4 years in the Army. The reality is that he is moving out. With all the business of the week, I can manage to put it out of my mind as it pops in from time to time. On Tuesday, when I went to get a big box of games out of the closet, I found his baby blanket. It was just sitting there waiting for me to see it. Oh, my heart! I held it in my hands and I could almost feel him sitting in my lap holding his blankie. Where does the time go? Why don't they tell you at the hospital that the hard part isn't getting them to sleep through the night? The hard part is letting them go. Tonight, Tim, Savannah, Sebastian and I sat down to eat dinner. I was tired and Tim was tired. Dinner was not a fancy affair. It was Sam's rotisserie chicken, watermelon and potato chips. I told them to pretend the potato chips were mashed potatoes with gravy. As I said the words mashed potatoes - my mind went immediately to Timmy. He loves mashed potatoes. We have eaten lots of meals without Timmy here. He has worked evenings on and off for a long time. The thing is that I would save leftovers for him to have later. I looked at the chicken and realized he wouldn't be here for leftovers. He wasn't here to listen to my bad joke about mashed potatoes. Again, my heart hurt. I realized that THIS was our NEW NORMAL. The new time in our lives where Timmy is not just at work and will be here tonight or tomorrow. I have heard and read stories about letting your kids leave the nest. I had no idea how hard it would be. I am so thankful that I still have young kids to sit at my dinner table. I don't think anyone wants to see me in 15 or 16 years when Sebastian leaves. I don't know how long it will take to get used to our new normal. Part of me doesn't want to get used to it. I want to say NO - NO WAY! I AM NOT READY! I know it doesn't work that way though. I hope he knows how much I love him and how much I will miss him. I will think of him every time I make mashed potatoes or chicken parmisan. So many times throughout my busy day, I will think of him and wonder where he is and what he is doing. I will miss my sweet boy.

The basement...

As some of you may remember, when we purchased this house - it was MANY COLORS. Keith and his crew painted the entire upstairs and Timmy's bedroom in a day. We didn't do much with the basement because it needed work. It was this SCREAMING RED color. I hated it. My family hated it. The problem was that it needed work. Things like putting casing on the windows, patching drywall, adding a ledge around the border, and crown moulding. Tim is working in the 100 plus degree heat these days. He is tired on the weekend and who can blame him? Sometimes I like to think I have gained wisdom as I have aged. One of the things I have learned is that it is not good for a marriage or relationship to constantly have a long TO DO list for your spouse. We bought our other house in 1999. The house was in okay condition. A few things needed quick attention, but really it was completely fine to accept. I went into overdrive on how I wanted this room to be or that room to be. Tim was on board for a lot of it, but sometimes he would have liked to have done no house projects. It took a toll on us. We finished that house to put it up for sale. The projects were DONE and then we MOVED OUT. When Tim saw how much work this house had, he felt just ill. I kept telling him there was no hurry to get it all done. He really did work to get the upstairs pretty much done along with all that painting his brother, sister and crew did. I kept thinking about that basement and all the work that needed to be done. I decided to go ahead and paint. All those things are not done, but the color change made it so much more inviting. I hung up curtains and put up blinds - you just don't know the windows aren't finished under there. We still need crown moulding, trim and a ledge in parts, but it is so much better. We don't hate to watch tv down there anymore. I have no idea when he will get to those projects and I really don't care. I just want to enjoy our movie space as best as we can without the stress. Amazing what one can figure out as they grow up!

I am not sure the picture shows how SCREAMING RED it was!
It is like a pale blue-green. I think very beachy.

He is starting to think about what he will put in the big fishtank.

It's OFFICIAL - Tim II has joined the ARMY...

This is the letter I sent to family - well two emails combined because I forgot something in the first one.

Hey y'all. Tim II (I really can't keep calling him Timmy now can I?) joined the Army, yesterday. He actually went to MEPS on Monday afternoon. He spent the night in a hotel and was taken to the facility around 5am on Tuesday. I waited and waited all day for a call. Nothing. Around 9:30pm - he called and said he was still waiting to go into negotiations. Around 12:30 AM on Wednesday MORNING - he called to say that he didn't decide on anything. He told them he needed to see more options and that he was not going to sign away 4 years of his life after sitting there for 19 hours. They sent him back to the hotel and told him to come back in the morning. He went back on Wednesday morning and started negotiations again. He said they would not offer him anything in the medical field like he wanted. They only had one medical field option and that was Food Inspector. He didn't care for that. He did finally find one job that he thought he might enjoy. It isn't something like Xray tech that he will have a skill after he gets out, but it is something he would like to learn and will get him through. The official title is Click here: GoArmy.com > Careers & Jobs > Field Artillery Automated Tactical Data System Specialist (13D) . He did really good negotiating for his best interest. He got a $40,000 bonus and $63,000 for college money. That is about as good as it gets! Now for the news that makes his mom's heart sink. He has to go to Fort Sill Oklahoma on August 4th (my dad's birthday). Wow! I was thinking this whole time that he would do boot camp at one of the close places. There are several around where we live. Fort Sill is 17 hours and 8 minutes away. Yes, I checked as quickly as I could. He will do 9 weeks of Basic Training and then 7 weeks of AIT there in Oklahoma. He doesn't know where he would go after that. He is going to be here in SC for a couple of days and then he is going back to Florida for a week or so. I wanted to thank you all for your prayers and hanging in there with me. Now, I need to you hang in there with me some more. I will keep you all updated to where he is and what he is doing. Keep him in your prayers and pray that I don't fall apart when he leaves. Also, can you pray for Savannah - she is trying hard to be brave that he is leaving, but I know she is going to have a hard time! Thanks everyone!

P.S. I forgot to say how PROUD we are of him and the decision he made. He worked so hard to get here. He lost something like 60lbs and studied to get a good score on his ASVAB test. We are pleased with all that he has done!

BROWNIES = BLESSINGS

I was looking for a picture of my sister-in-law, Karen. I couldn't find one that I hadn't already posted on my blog somewhere. The past 2 weeks has been unbearably stressful for me and my family. I couldn't blog because it was all I could do just to stay sane. My wonderful sister-in-law - Karen - made some brownies on Friday night. I know that sounds really simple. Brownies with a Symphony Bar added in the batter. AMAZING! She invited me over to have some. Remember that I try to find the blessings in everyday? This was a blessing! I am far from seeing all the problems worked out. My sister is still in the hospital and hopefully coming home soon. Tim II is still with the military trying to hammer out a deal. So far, they aren't giving him near what he wants. He was there, yesterday, from 5am to 12:30am. That was a long day. My lawsuit is still in limbo. My renters don't seem to be doing the work to buy the house. I don't have a whole lot of money or time to get up to Illinois to visit with my wonderful friends, Sebastian is still not potty trained. These are still all problems on my list. BUT... Karen made AMAZING brownies. She let me come over TWICE to eat brownies this past weekend. The second time, I ended up crying while I sat there. What a blessing to have a brownie and a shoulder to cry on. The week hasn't been as bad as it could have been, so I am finding God's grace.

A butterfly garden...

A quick update on my downer post - things are fixed by any means, but I think I have an idea of our next step on several things. I appreciate the kind words and emails! Right now, we are in a hotel in Georgia - on our way to Florida. We have a busy weekend planned and will be back in South Carolina on Monday. I didn't like knowing my last post was not a happy one, so I needed to add something. A little while back, Savannah and her Girl Scout troop planted a butterfly garden at a nursing home. They did this to earn their bronze award. The girls worked really hard planning and learning about a butterfly garden. Then they had to put their muscle into it. There is CLAY dirt in South Carolina. It was not fun digging it up. In the end, I think they did a great job and was really proud of them!

I could use some prayer...

My blog is supposed to be my happy place, so I will try to keep this short and sweet. There are three issues that I am struggling with. I have, for the most part, been able to keep my spirits up through all the things of the last year. Two weeks ago we were served with a lawsuit from our lake association. Our house is sorta on a lake - if you consider the swampy part of our backyard the lake. It is a really, really long story and I just don't want to fill my blog with it. The short of it is that we feel that we didn't actually join the association and are not responsible for any fees they are trying to charge us. They say we are not given an option of membership. I met with a very nice lawyer today and he said we may be stuck. I am holding out hope that there is something that can be done. They are asking for $3500 and honestly, that is a whole lot of money for us right now. I could use prayers that this will be resolved. The other thing, is our tenants didn't get approved for their loan. I don't really know all the details, but I really need some prayers that they will do the work to get a loan approval. So many things depend on us selling this house. I am also working on some health issues with Sebastian and potty training. It turns out that it isn't really all about him being stubborn. He may actually have a physical reason for not getting this. I am doing the best I can to figure my little boy out. Tonight I am just tired. When I spoke to the nice lawyer today, he asked me a few questions about things from the last year. I found myself thinking about and talking about some of the things. In my head and some in my words went like this - I got served with a lien last summer. I couldn't pay the lien and two house payments, then my husband broke his collar bone and was off work for a month. The holidays were next. Two days after Christmas, my husband had a job and we had to move in two weeks. We rented our house and moved my whole family including my mom and sister. A week and a half after our move, Savannah crushed her ankle and spent 4 days in the hospital. She comes home with a full leg cast for a month. Meanwhile we are trying to find a home for my mom and sister. We get them a place and have to do a whole move again. Then, my son crashed into a deer going 70 mph and wrecks his car. Next, Savannah has to have another surgery. We have to travel to Florida and then to Virginia. Finally, I am served with a lawsuit. Whew! That is just the last 9 months or so. The lawyer asks me what brought me to South Carolina. I tell him that is a long story. I simply say that I was laid off from my job and felt like I should move to be by my late sister-in-law's kids. When I think of all this, I realize that I probably am entitled to feel down right now. I just don't like feeling down. I feel like there has been a definite plan for our lives. I just am having a hard time having faith at the moment.

Mimi and Miss Molly

Miss Molly - look at the face!
Mimi

My mom and my sister, Michelle, got two adorable puppies a few weeks back. They are the biggest babies, but just too immensely cute. You just can't resist them when you see them. I am so glad I didn't go with them to get them because I think I would have taken the last puppy home with me.

Big Camping Trip 2008...

I am day late on this post. Sorry. Last weekend, almost the whole family, (my mom and sister didn't go) went camping in Table Rock, SC. I think there were 21 of us and 4 campsites. They all left before Tim and me because Tim had to work till 6pm. Everyone had different directions and no cell phone service. Tim and I began our camping adventure getting lost. We found another person that was lost, but knew where we needed to go. Thankfully. We arrived and found our tent all put together because we have great family. The first night was not that great. The air mattress had a leak, so I ended up sleeping in the car. It wasn't that bad though. The next day we hung around the campground and the kids swam in the lake. It was relaxing. Tim, Sebastian and I headed to Walmart for an air mattress. We missed the close Walmart and drove about a half hour too far. Oh well, Sebastian got a great nap. We came back to make hamburgers, hot dogs and s'mores. My loving family was taking bets that we ate at a restaurant while we were out. WE DID NO SUCH THING! The nerve! =P I learned to play Hearts with Karen, Jennifer and Laurie. I had a lot of fun just hanging out with them. That night we slept well. On Saturday, we headed to some little shops by our campground. There was a very nice lady there that did glass work. I bought myself the most beautiful cross that she made. While we were there, she talked a lot with my kids. Tim II shared his desire to go into the army for medical training. She had a good bit of stories to share about the service and her medical job. As we were getting ready to leave, she gave Tim II a glass cross. She told him to take it with him to comfort and watch over him. I had to hold back the tears. She was just so sweet. She kept telling me she knew how hard it was for a momma to let him go. I am so glad we made that stop. It was a highlight to my trip. Next up, we went to Jones Gap State Park to hike to a waterfall. It was SUPPOSED to be about a mile up to it. Ummm... it was more like 2.5 miles. Sebastian did so great. Savannah did really well too being only 5 weeks out of surgery. Even the hike was longer than I would have liked, it was so pretty. I love the kind of hikes where there are creek beds with rocks all the way up. It is just really pretty. We headed back to the campground and had a big fire with everyone. Lots of s'mores. The next day we packed up and headed home. With a stop at Red Lobster - YUM! Both Laurie and Crystal were anxious to ask me if I had a good time. I had joked at the very beginning of the trip - that I was going to return my tent. I assured them that I would be keeping the tent and would go camping again.

Jennifer "found" this snake on our hike. She actually walked up and accidentally put her hand on it while she was looking ahead at the water! YUCK!

The waterfall!

Tim II on some really pretty rocks.

S'mores! YUMMY!

Derek and Sebastian

Tim II, Karen, Jennifer and Crystal

Playing at the lake.
Derek, Kameron and Sebastian.
He had a goofy wave.
My personal camping chef.
Boys will be boys. (Shhh... don't tell Laurie Kameron was playing with the fire!)

Ummm... quick update...

We went hiking at Jones Gap National Park. It was a pretty hike. Long, but really pretty.

I have been so busy since last week. Lots going on with packing, camping, unpacking, phone calls, lawsuits (yes, a lawsuit), trying to sell a house, paying bills, baking bread, etc. I have things to post and picture to upload. I really, really do. I keep trying to wash my floor too. I need more motivation. Anyway, I am going to go for a walk, I think. Maybe I will get motivated when I get back. If not tonight, then in the morning. I promise! For now, enjoy the picture from our camping trip!

My girl...

Waiting for surgery.

After surgery. Good ol' Puppy right there with her.

At the doctor after surgery - Puppy taking over.

I have been thinking about writing about Savannah since her last surgery, but we were just so incredibly busy - that it escaped me. I am still incredibly busy this week and going into next, but I decided today would be the day to write about my girl. When we found out last month that she would need to have surgery again, my heart sank. She actually took the news pretty well. I think she was more upset over missing a camping trip then she was about the actual surgery. The day before her surgery, I had to take her for pre-op stuff. Tim II kept Sebastian for me. We spent a good part of the day together - just the two of us. The next day she was scheduled for surgery. Things happened and it was delayed for several hours. I got to sit in a quiet room with her all morning and into the afternoon. It occurred to me how very rare that is. I remembered back to when I was pregnant with Sebastian. Savannah was asking me if everything would stay the same - would I read to her, etc. I assured her that it would stay the same. It didn't. Sebastian was like a rocket into our lives. We love him, but he can consume me at times. I realized that Savannah very rarely gets her momma to herself. I so enjoyed sitting with her waiting for surgery as odd as that may sound. We had a trip planned to Charleston the day after her surgery. It was with the homeschool group. I was lucky enough to borrow a wheelchair and use that. Sebastian stayed behind, so again, 3 times in one week - I had time with my Savannah. You would think that would be a lot for a 9 year old to just take off a day after surgery. Not my girl. She was a trooper through all of this. She just kept going. I have only had surgery once - a tubal after Sebastian was born. I was very nervous when they wheeled me down to the operating room. My comfort level was stretched beyond what I would have liked. I wanted to tell them I had changed my mind because the fear of surgery was great. If I felt that way at 32, I can only imagine the fear of a child. I look at these pictures of my Savannah and know that she is strong. She has faith in herself. I am so lucky to be her mom. I hope we can steal moments away here and there where I can just focus on her. It really is important - very important.

Field trip to the Tea Plantation in Charleston.

Free Shipping and If You Give A Mouse A Cookie...

If you have ever read If You Give a Mouse A Cookie, you will completely understand this post. If you haven't, you need to order it from your library or Amazon to really get it. I ordered my tent from Target this week. It was not that the tent was only available online. I could have went to an actual store and got the tent. Target was offering Free Shipping. I decided to take up the offer. My reason is sorta similar to the Mouse Book. For example, he'll certainly need a glass of milk to wash down that cookie, won't he? And you can't expect him to drink the milk without a straw, can you? The book goes on and on this way. Here is my reasoning... If I go to Target to buy a tent, then I will certainly need to look in the dollar section at Target spending $20 - $1 at a time. Then I will need to look at the clearance at Target. Even if I don't need a thing, I will find something that is a good deal that I just can't pass by. Then there is Salsarita's right by Target or Five Guys. I will have to have lunch and not just me - me and the kids. Then since gas costs so darn much, I will need to justify the trip and stop at Kohls since it is close by. I will need to look at all the cute kid clothes and pretty wall hangings. Buying at least 2 of something before I leave. Of course, Lowes is right next to Kohls. I will need to stop in and get one of those house things we can't live without. Then Publix is right there too, maybe I should stop in and stock up on 22 jars of Ragu since it is on sale. Seriously, this is how my brain thinks. I am trying really hard to conserve gas. I am realizing I have so much "stuff" in my new house that I haven't even put away or unpacked, that there really is no good reason to be shopping for anything. I have found if I stick close to home, my budget is pretty good. Having said all of that... my friend from Illinois is coming to visit (I think) and I just want to go to Home Depot and buy paint, then to Walmart to buy curtains, etc. Oh no, I am becoming a MOUSE WITH A COOKIE!

Choosing a tent...

The WHOLE family and I mean WHOLE family is going camping next weekend. All of this sorta came about - at least for us - because Savannah wasn't able to go camping last month because of her second surgery. My heart hurt for her that she was missing something she wanted very much. So, as any "good" mom would do, I told her daddy and I would take her camping. What??? Who said that??? What was I thinking??? I told Tim very off the cuff, "Hey, we are taking the kids camping in June." He stopped what he was doing and sorta gave me this look of what the heck did you just say? We have around 20 people here give or take a teen that may or may not be doing something with everyone. Sometimes I can't remember who said what or how the ball got rolling. I *think* our friend, Laurie, really wanted to take her family camping and had already talked to my brother-in-law's family, etc. When I mentioned we were going to go camping, I *think* it went something like - yeah, so do we, let's go together. Funny, how details get fuzzy around here. The next thing I know Laurie, Karen and I are picking a spot and a weekend. Ummm... Tim and I had one small problem... no tent. We used to have a tent a bazillion years ago. Savannah doesn't believe us, but I really do have pictures. We used it exactly 4 times. The first time was the legend of a trip with Tim's brother and sisters. (A whole post for another day.) Then we took Timmy on two camping trips and had the best time. I have no idea why we didn't keep going. My only thought is we had the money to go to Disney and stay in hotels??? Crazy, huh? Then Tim and I went on a pretty dull camping trip for our 10th anniversary. When we moved from Florida, our tent was about 13 year old and had spent the last 7.5 years in a hot, humid shed. I WAS NOT opening the bag to see how it survived. I quickly threw it in the garbage pile and didn't give it a thought. Until I realized we needed to buy a tent. When I bought that other tent back in 1995, I believe I went to Montgomery Wards with a friend. I went to the tent aisle, picked the biggest tent, took it to the check-out and paid. Simple. I didn't look all over the internet, read reviews, dream about 50 different tents or consider joining Consumer Reports. I also didn't know we needed to seam seal it before we went camping and we got really wet. This time around, I decided to use the world of technology. I looked up tents at Walmart and Target. Then Tim and I went to the actual stores to look at them. Their stock was pretty bare. And I couldn't really remember which tents I had looked at online because I didn't write it down and bring it with me. I did try calling Tim II and have him look up a few tents while we were standing in the store. That was good because one we were thinking about had terrible reviews. We left the stores empty handed on Sunday. I spent a good deal of Monday looking online. I love reading Amazon reviews. I don't ever write a review, but I love reading them. The thing is that I get consumed by reviews. I can't keep track of which one I thought good and I have to keep clicking back over and over again. I spent hours doing this. I finally narrowed it down to 3 tents. The first had a really nice rain flap thingy, 20 really good reviews, free shipping from Target. The second was from a real camping store which I think means it may be a better brand, super sale price, same size as the first tent. The third was at Amazon, super price, 12 good review, 2 feet shorter. I was tempted with the frugal one from Amazon, but Tim really didn't like that is was smaller. I was tempted with the better name brand one, but Tim didn't really love the rain flap on that one. That left us with the Target one - the most expensive one - of course! I was out for quite awhile yesterday. When I got back, I knew I had to decide. I pressed submit and ordered the Target tent. I HATE, HATE, HATE making these decisions. I never feel like I choose the right thing. I told Tim which one I chose. He said it was a good choice, but I know he would have said that no matter which one I chose. I am telling myself the additional footage and better rain flap was well worth the additional cost. I am telling myself that we will most likely be dragged joyfully camping with family again now that we live here. I guess time will tell if I made the right choice...

Pictures from the wedding, our anniversary and family...

We took these pictures after the wedding. It was just so pretty there, that I had to get some pictures of our kids. I was planning to post these this morning, we I realized it was also our 18th anniversary. I tried to find a current picture of Tim and I, but I am not having a whole lot of luck. I guess we need to ask somebody to take our picture! Anyway, it has been 18 years of marriage - today. We created this beautiful family that I am forever thankful for. Even when they are whiny and needy - er... I mean sweet as can be. What more could I ask for? As I watched Tabi get married, I was thinking about my wedding. It sure seems like such a long time ago. In some ways like it was a story that was told to me and not something I really was a part of. In other ways, I felt like we had just married. That we hadn't really already raised our oldest child. Sometimes I still "feel" like we are 18 or 19 and just beginning. Then I crawl into bed at night and feel the same familiar snuggle. He kisses my cheek in the morning as he leaves for work - I am still asleep - but I feel his whiskers. Same, familiar kiss. I realize it has been 18 good years. God has been good to us. We have been blessed. I hope for many more years of blessings.