Menu Plan Monday- Week of November 30th, 2009

Monday- Spaghetti and salad
Tuesday- Leftover taco casserole, guacamole and chips
Wednesday- Leftover Spaghetti 
Thursday- BBQ chicken, corn on the cob and mashed potatoes
Friday- Bubbie's 5th Birthday!  Bubbie's request Homemade Pizza
Saturday Lunch- Leftover pizza/ Saturday- Leftover Chicken 
Sunday Lunch- Taco Cups/ Sunday- Family over- Lasagna, Bread and Salad 
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We have an extremely busy week!  I hope we can keep up and stay healthy!!!  


For more information, visit I'm An Organizing Junkie!  

Our Elf on the Shelf...

Last year my mother told me about Elf on the Shelf.  I thought it was a cute idea, but if I remember correctly, half of December was already gone by the time she told me about it, so I didn't worry about getting it.

This year I knew I wanted to start the tradition, so I began to look Ebay for a used or cheaper copy of the book and the elf.  Unfortunately, the sellers on Ebay were selling it for the same price in the stores PLUS shipping (which is so ridiculous)!

Last weekend we made a trip to the mall to get some Christmas presents and made a stop at Barnes and Nobles to purchase our own Elf on the Shelf.

Our elf, Kris, made his debut into the Lu household on Thanksgiving Day evening.  You can't touch the Elf, but you must find him in a different spot each day and talking to the Elf is encouraged!

Bubbie was very excited until he found out that the Elf could see him everywhere- that freaked him out just a tad!  Peanut was excited because his brother was and continued to point out where our new friend was!
 

Baby Bean was busy playing in his chair!

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We are looking forward to many Christmas seasons spending time with our little Elf named Kris.

Gasping Gobbler Race, Ice Cream and a Whole Lotta Fun!

Saturday was Bubbie's big day- the day he had been anticipating for weeks.  He had been "training" and eating better than normal and praying to the Lord for a good race EVERY night at dinner.  It was his first fun run!  Our local YMCA had a 5K and a Kids Fun Run and Hubbie and Bubbie signed up.  Bubbie was his normal, like Lu (anal) little precious self and was very concerned about what his race number would be and if he would win.  We tried QUITE A FEW TIMES to explain to him that it was just for fun!  No race bibs.  No extra prize if you won, etc.....  No need explaining to a very competitive almost 5 yr old.  He was determined that he needed to win!

Bubbie did a great job on his race.  He didn't win, BUT he passed a lot of kiddos.  A friend of ours from church won!  She did a great job!  The kids had to run 1/4 mile with a slight hill!  Our next door neighbor, Ashley, and her girls came out and joined in the fun!  We were so proud of Bubbie for trying.  Bless his heart, all day he kept saying "Mom, I sure am sorry I didn't!"  We kept trying to tell him that we are proud NO MATTER WHAT, but he just had his little heart SET on winning!  If only I help him understand what great disappointments were ahead!  Poor Bubbie!

Nana and Pops were able to get to the race early enough to watch Bubbie run.  Hubbie and my father were both going to run the 5K.

While the men ran their race, the kiddos played on the playground.  We had Bubbie, Peanut and E running around with quite a few kiddos!  It was so hard to keep track of all of them.  I am so thankful for my Mom sticking around and helping us keep track of the kids!  Geesh, it was stressful!  I finally had had enough stress and we gathered the kids and went to wait for the men!

Hubbie beat his time by almost 2 minutes!  He keeps getting better at each race!  We are all so proud of him!

After nap, we went to a local ice cream shop!  The shop is such a blast from the past. Its small and quaint and after looking at it closely during this visit- in desperate need of renovation and cleaning!  HA!  I saw dust hanging from the ceiling!  Nevertheless, we love getting ice cream there because they have cute little stools to sit at while ordering your preferred treat or to eat at!  Its so much fun- not because the ice cream is better than you get anywhere else, but because of the memories that have been made there!  Bubbie wanted green ice cream, because that is his favorite color the of the month, so he picked out a scoop of mint chocolate chip!  We got Peanut a scoop of birthday cake ice cream which was really good.  I was surprised!

Hubbie and I got our favorites- a Snickers cone and a Charlie Brown milkshake!  Can't mess with your favorites!

It was a wonderful family day!  The weather was beautiful.  We were all healthy and well.  Any day that we can be together, the weather is good and we are well, is a perfect day in my book!

Thankful for .......

caffeine(any kind- coffee or coke!), Lysol, the love of a perfect Savior, prayer, my three healthy and beautiful sons, my parents and their love, support, encouragement and wisdom, PIZZA, my husband and his love and devotion to me, supportive friends, fun times with grandparents growing up, all the necessities of life (house, clothes, cars, job, etc.), coupons, my brothers and their wives and families, sunshine and Fall weather, Moe's tacos, kisses and hugs, guacamole with chips, the mailman that brings fun stuff in the mail, Fee, overpayments and a check in the mail, friends who tell you the truth- even when you don't want to hear it, sanitizer, date nights with my Hubbie, shopping online, Christ's forgiveness, music to dance to with little boys, worldwideweb, dessert, a baby's first smile, the promise of a Big Big House to those that love Him..............

 Happy Thanksgiving from our family to yours! 

Holiday Music and Tips from Joshua Bell and Sandra Lee and a Giveaway

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday.  I love family being together.  I enjoy the cranberry sauce and yummy side dishes!  I love the meaning behind the day.  Everyone celebrating - giving thanks!  


My favorite memories of the Thanksgiving holiday is being at my Granny and Papa's farm.  It was always cold outdoors.  Papa always had a big fire going.  The house was filled with family and the women were busy preparing lunch.  

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This year Sandra Lee and Joshua Bell have teamed up to help everyone make their Thanksgiving meals and the holiday extra special.  I had the opportunity to review Joshua's latest album not too long ago.  Sandra Lee's show Semi Homemade is a favorite around our house.  Most Saturdays our TV is set to Food Network and even Bubbie enjoys watching the shows.  

Sandra had this to say- “Thanksgiving is the perfect time to bring everyone together to celebrate a year of blessings. Serve savory and decadent dishes such as Savory Bread Pudding and Praline Sweet Potato Casserole on an inviting table, filled with rich colors and seasonal textures. Simple, time-saving shortcuts to create a meaningful feast can be found in my new book Sandra Lee Semi-Homemade Cocktail Time.  Give your gracious gathering a heartwarming start with my personal favorite, Joshua Bell’s album, At Home With Friends and greet guests at your door with a vibrant cocktail, such as a Peach and Apricot Cider or Pumpkin Pie Martini . The main attraction is food, so try turning your Turkey or Pork Roast into a colorful centerpiece, served with a side of cornbread stuffing or cranberry sauce. For a quick and easy dessert try Semi-Homemade Glazed Spice Donuts with Pecans or a Sweet Potato Cake with Citrus Glaze, so you can spend less time in the kitchen and more time celebrating with your family and friends.”




Here are a few tips given from Sandra Lee to help you with your meal plans!

TIPS:

COCKTAILS:

*Tip from Sandra: “Re-name your cocktails for a signature touch and serve them in an array of glasses in different shapes and sizes for a glamorous effect.  If you have a special album playing, review your song list and allow the song titles to inspire your cocktails, ie. Peach Cider can be turned into “Cinema Paradiso” to match the beautiful duet of the same name onJoshua Bell’s  new album At Home With Friends. Brilliant!”

APETIZERS:

*Tip from Sandra: “If you’re facing a time crunch—pick party foods that are delicious and impressive, without being fussy.  I recommend, Savory Bread Pudding and Fig and Port Tartlets—both of these tasty treats can be prepared before your guests arrive and served at room temperature.” 

SIDE:

*Tip from Sandra: “Sometimes you need the culinary equivalent of a big warm hug. Praline Sweet Potato Casserole is a classic, comfort food creation that is baked to perfection.”


And here are a few recipes that I am allowed to share with you!  That Brownie Bottom Cheesecake looks yummy!!  

I know most families have football on and off during their festivities, but in case you aren't a football lover or if you have a larger home and need some music to help drowned out the murmur of the TV, here is a way to listen to Joshua Bell's music during the Holidays!

Pop Up Audio

And, as a special treat, we are having a giveaway to win your own copy of Joshua Bell's album, At Home With Friends!

To enter, leave me a message and let me know what you usually do on Thanksgiving Day!

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A big thank you to the friends at Sony Music for allowing me to do this blog post and giveaway!

Be Still My Heart!

Not sure if this would ever get used enough to warrant the price tag, but man! this sure does look awesome! 

Menu Plan Monday- Week of November 23rd, 2009

Monday night- Leftover pie

Tuesday night- Homemade pizza and salad

Wednesday night- Mom's house (Family in town)

Thursday night- Mom's house (Thanksgiving meal)

Friday night- Take out pizza, salad and dessert (Family at our house)

Saturday lunch- Out or Grilled cheese sandwiches & chips
Saturday night- Leftover Thanksgiving meal

Sunday lunch- Chicken in crockpot & veggies and biscuits
Sunday night- Taco Cups ( leftover from last week)

Breakfast- Banana Bread Muffins, english muffins and Apple bread
Lunches- Sandwiches, soup, macaroni and cheese and leftover spaghetti

Cooking and Baking this week will include cookies, apple pie, hashbrown casserole and Apple Bread.

I hope everyone has a wonderful, healthy and fun Thanksgiving week!  Bubbie and Peanut are out of school so we plan to do a lot of fun activities and stay around the house to avoid any sickies since my grandparents are coming to town!

For more MPM, visit Organizing Junkie!

The Best....

The holidays are upon us!  I can't believe Thanksgiving is less than a week away and Christmas is just around the corner!  This year flew by....

Hubbie and I are starting to plan our holiday events, which cookies and goodies we will bake and especially which movies we want to watch this year....

I use to think the movie, Christmas Vacation, was the BEST Christmas movie ever and its still one of my top 5.

Then, last year, Four Christmases came out.  I gotta tell you.  Even after seeing this movie, I still crack up hysterically.  You GOTTA watch the trailers.

It Can Make A Difference

4 years ago, the Friday before Thanksgiving, my husband and I wanted to call it quits.  That was a horrible night that I will never forget.  I wasn't sure what going to happen.  I was scared.  I was angry.  I was hurt.  I was disappointed.  I know Hubbie was all those things and more.

I felt that Hubbie had let me down by him losing his job.  I was pushing Hubbie to his breaking point by fussing at him for not making our situation better.  We both had so many issues, but the big issue is that we had our finances staring at us and we were out of money.  I was sooooo done trying to do "creative financing" and I wanted Hubbie to make it all better.  We threw around the word divorce and bankruptcy...  Hubbie was very adamant that that was not the way out, but we couldn't really see another way.

The next day, the Saturday morning before Thanksgiving, we got a phone call from my Dad and he told us to meet up with a couple that would be able to counsel us.  We are forever grateful to that couple for sacrificing their time to help and to my parents for not allowing us to not do anything and to give up.

That first counseling session was weird.  I felt like a failure for needing to get counseling.  I wasn't too worried about what these people would think of us.  I mean, we couldn't really hide our faces that probably showed everything we were feeling.  I was more concerned with letting the facade fall down- the perfect image.  The image that it was all ok, but it wasn't.  We couldn't lie anymore.  Our marriage was as low as it ever has been.  We had issues a mile long....

Slowly we began to climb out of the huge hole.  We were able to discuss our mistakes and what our expectations had been.  We began to talk and respect each other.  We began to try.

I am forever grateful for the people that were there to help and pray for us.  If we had given up, we would have missed the last 4 yrs of our lives.  We wouldn't have Peanut and Baby Bean and who knows what kind of issues we would have created for Bubbie.

I married my husband on June 21, 2002, but I feel like the weekend before Thanksgiving 2005 gave us a fresh start and a new anniversary to celebrate.  We celebrate marriage, God's forgiveness, family and second chances....

Growing Up Can Sometimes Stink

Over the last month or two I've slowly realized that I have grown up.  I think because I got married so young and everyone has always said I looked so young, I got so busy and never realized that I had gotten older.  I am only 27 yrs old- a "baby" compared to a lot of my friends, but I really want to know where the last 8 or 9 years have gone!

Not only have I realized that myself and Hubbie are getting older and slowly creeping up to our 30's, but also my grandparents and parents are aging.  My father's mother has dealt with cancer several times over the last 5 years, but every time her cancer has come back, I still never worried about her dying.  Maybe because her cancer is "worse" this time or so aggressive, but I have only started to think of her dying here recently.  I do believe God has a plan for her and she has an awesome testimony, but His plan may be to take her this time.  Now when my parents call me, I always worry that its "that call".  I know that sounds so morbid, but I am realizing that my grandparents are not going to be here forever.  I am so very very very thankful that my grandparents have been able to be apart of my life and my children's lives as much as they have, but this is life.   There is death.  It isn't suppose to be scary if you are a Christian, but it is sad to lose someone you love.

Then, the other day, I found out that another family member has cancer.  I don't think anyone knows how bad or what is the course of action, but still, when I found out, my heart just dropped.  Its so defeating to know that all these people that you love will be gone one day and you may be left.

The same day I found out that another loved one was diagnosed with cancer, my mother was always having back trouble.  I was kinda worried, because my mother isn't suppose to be having back pain.  She's so young and she walks and works out and works in her yard and on and on and on......  why is her body slowing down!?!  Ha!  I had to remember, that she isn't the same age as she was when I was at home... she is getting older.  She isn't old or decrepit,  but she and my father aren't spring chickens(they'll get a chuckle out of that!) and bodies are not made to last forever.

So, if I had a chance to go back to any age, I would go back to age 15 yrs old and listen to my parents!  Ha! I wouldn't trade my life, husband and children for anything, but I would definitely like to relive and change some of my decisions that I made when I was a teenager.  I think I could have avoided a few things, but I think I would have also enjoyed being a kid a little bit longer because this growing up thing kinda stinks and I am not ready to be an adult and feel the pain of losing such close family.

My whole life I have done everything very cautiously.  I don't do dare devilish things.  I play it very very safe.  I think about every thing that COULD happen and make a judgement call of the good and the bad.  I am very black and white.  If I can avoid pain in life, I do.  Too bad I can't avoid this kinda of pain.....  the pain of growing up.

Busytown Mysteries Review

Busytown is back!  Not sure if you grew up reading the Busytown books written by Richard Scarry, but we did!  I am always on the lookout for the old Busytown books at Goodwill.  I was thrilled to have the opportunity to review Busytown Mysteries, which is a brand new TV series on CBS weekend mornings in the Cookie Jar block of time.

Bubbie and Peanut had a blast watching the DVD sent to us from One2One Network!  The TV series has a cute little song in the beginning and it is very catchy!  I was walking around the house singing the song after the boys watched the DVD over and over again!  I knew I didn't have to worry about the content of the show, because of growing up with the books.  The whole show is all about Scarry characters solving mysteries with the deductive reasoning skill of Who? What? When? Where? and Why?  The boys loved the sights and sounds of the show.  Bubbie and Peanut both asked to watch it over and over and OVER again!  They fell in love with it!  On Saturday morning I looked for the show to come on and it did, so I taped that episode too.  Bubbie and Peanut were very excited to see the show come on!

After watching the show, Bubbie asked if he could get on Busytown's website.  Over at Busytown Mysteries, the kids can play games, interact with the characters of Busytown and they can even set up their very first "email".

So, if you are a fan or think your kids will be, go here and check out the new tv series and see when it comes on near you!

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A big thank you to the One2One Network for allowing me to review Busytown Mysteries!  My kids have fallen in love with this show!

Happy 2 Months!

Baby Bean is now 2 months old (or 9 weeks old).  He is growing so fast.  He has yummy baby rolls now.  He is officially out of ALL newborn clothes and diapers.  He had his 2 month check up today and got some nasty shots.  He definitely didn't enjoy those and I have the hardest time doing their first shots.  I always cry and start to question our decision to vaccinate.  He has had a small fever since late this afternoon and we have given him his first dose of Tylenol.  He is very upset, not eating like normal and you can tell does not feel well.    I am praying that he'll be back to his normal self tomorrow!

Here are his stats so far-

Born 9-15-09 at 7 lbs 9 oz, 19 1/4 inches long

2 week check up at 8 lbs 2 oz, 20 1/4 inches long

2 month check up at 12 lbs 3.2 oz, 23 inches long

He is obviously eating well.  He still isn't sleeping through the night consistently.  He'll go for a week or two and shock us all by going from 10pm to 7am some nights and then do it every other night.  I'm not complaining.  Even if he does wake up in the middle of the night, its usually not until 3am so I still have a good long stretch of sleep!  And I can still squeeze in a cat nap here and there.

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Life has gotten crazier and I am looking forward to next week when the boys are out of school.  We plan to hibernate and see and do very little.  My grandparents(And my oldest brother, wonderful SIL and their precious children!!!!!!) are coming for Thanksgiving and we all need to be well in order to be able to visit with her.  To see more about her story go here.

Menu Plan Monday- Week of November 15th, 2009

Week of November 15th-21st 

Sunday lunch- Out

Sunday dinner- Homemade pizza and salad

Monday- Mom's Chicken pot pie 

Tuesday- Texas Cowboy Pie with biscuits

Wednesday- Leftover Pot Pie

Thursday- Leftover Cowboy Pie

Friday- Taco Cups and salad 

Saturday lunch- Hotdogs and sides

Saturday dinner- Homemade pizza and salad 

Sunday lunch- Leftover taco cups

Sunday dinner- Out 

Breakfast for the Week- cereal/ homemade banana bread

Lunch for the Week- sandwiches, leftover pizza and mac & cheese/chicken nuggets

Dessert for the Week- ice cream/ cookies 

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Happy Monday!  Its been a while since I've participated in MPM.  I still menu plan, but just haven't posted it.  I decided to post our menu this week since I have a few new recipes to share!   

For more Menu Plan Monday, visit  Laura over at I'm An Organizing Junkie.  

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Hope everyone has a wonderful week!  

Living It

Ever felt like you were in a dream- just in pure bliss of life itself.

I had a few moments of that this weekend as my family of 5 took a walk together.

I took a mental snap shot- never wanting to forget.

Perfect Fall weather.  Sun shining brightly.  Gentle breeze.

I walked, hand in hand with my adoring husband.

With my baby in the sling- head rested on my chest, asleep.

My excited toddler was being pushed by his loving daddy.

The big brother rode his bike with a huge grin on his face.

I was so perfectly at peace and content.  I tried to etch the scene and people in my mind.

One day my children will be grown.  They will leave home.  They will fall in love with people and places and  life itself.  They will leave and cleave and create a life for themselves and their family.

I am praying for my son's futures and wives and families.  They will be great men.  I can't wait to see who they become.  The sky is the limit to what they can accomplish with God.  We are already so proud of each one, but for now, I am loving them being little and us being their favorite people.  For now, I will relish these moments of our family and take these wonderful walks.....just my boys and me.....

I feel so unworthy to have all that I desire in life.  To have all my hopes and dreams come true.  God is too good and I am so very blessed..... because I am living my dream......

No Hairspray Needed

I went into Old Navy on Friday and I overheard two women talking about Baby Bean's hair.  The last comment I heard was that I used hairspray to get his hair to stick up!  I was so upset!  Then a woman behind me said that she was loving his hair and I loudly said-" ITS ALL NATURAL! "  I don't use hairspray!  :)

I promise you, I use NO hairspray!  We comb his hair after bath time and it stays down for a few minutes!  Slowly it sticks back up!

Adult Conversation! WARNING!

WARNING!  Not for little eyes or ears!  Adult conversation! 

Hubbie and I were having a conversation about pizza and he said that any pizza is better than no pizza- no matter how bad it is.  I questioned that, because I'm sure we've had bad pizza AT SOME point in our lives.  Saying this reminded him of a saying, "Pizza is like sex.  No matter how bad, you're just thankful to get it."  Instead of SAYING S-E-X, he spelled it because there were little ears in the room.  Bubbie got really quiet and said, "S and X sound the same."  Then, again, he got really quiet.  Next thing we knew he was trying to sound out the word and said, "S-E-X spells SEX."  Hubbie covered his mouth and I tried to hide my face.  We couldn't believe he had figured it out.  Bubbie then said, "Uhhh, I don't think that is a good word!"

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Ahhhh..... I think our child has gotten too smart for his own good!  He's not even 5 yr and he is already spelling words, reading and doing math problems.  He is like a little sponge who takes IT ALL in!

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Ugh!  Kinda disappointed because sometimes the only way Hubbie and I can have a conversation is to spell words to each other!

Only Took Almost 9 Yrs

Hubbie and I have been dating since January 2001.  I have always asked for the corner pieces of pizza, casseroles, cornbread and lasagna.  Everytime Hubbie got me a brownie, he gave me the corner piece.  I never ate the actual edge of the brownie, because I do not like the "burnt" part of the brownie.

Lately Hubbie has been talking about how much he LOVES the corner pieces of brownies.  I discovered that he was sacrifically giving up the corner piece of the brownie THINKING that I LOVED them.

Hmmmm.... only took ALMOST 9 years to figure this out!  Obviously we still need to work on communicating!

Hubbie is very happy to have the corner brownie pieces back!  I am happy to FINALLY start getting to eat ALL of my brownie!

Bean is 8 Weeks and Life with Three

Baby Bean is 8 weeks old today.  He is still sleeping through the night.  He is smiling more and more.  He loves to be cuddled and kissed.  He has rolls on his legs and arms, but isn't chunky.... he is so long!  I can't wait for his 2 mo check up!  I know this kid has put on some serious weight since his last visit.

I really cannot believe he has been here for almost 2 months.  I wish I could press the pause button, because its going WAY too fast! 

I haven't done any more bottle feedings because nursing is going really well.  He nurses pretty fast for the most part.  He nurses A LOT.  He has the "evening" colicky thing like brother Peanut did and just wants to be held, so we're gonna talk to the doctor about that.  All he wants to do is nurse, which is why I think he sleeps all night.  He's stocking up for the evening.  It makes it very difficult to get anything done or to leave the house without him. 

Life with 3 isn't as difficult as I imagined, but in other ways its harder than I ever imagined.  The worst part of our day is when we get home from picking Bubbie up from school.  Baby Bean usually wants to eat.  Bubbie needs a snack, to get settled after coming home from school and down for rest time and usually Peanut has fallen asleep in the car on the way home from picking up Bubbie and he needs to be taken in the house and put down for rest, so its usually quite chaotic and LOUD!  Baby Bean doesn't CRY often... its usually just an annoying whine, but at 1 o'clock, you can be sure he has the full lungs cry going on!  The other part of the day that is most stressful is around 5 or 6 o'clock in the evening when Daddy STILL hasn't come home.  Usually dinner hasn't been started because Baby Bean is eating and the boys are WILD.  Now, when I say wild, that is probably the understatement of the CENTURY!  They are beyond controlling.  Last week the boys were being wild in the playroom while I was feeding the baby in the living room.  Within about 30 mins Peanut came into the living room with a bloody lip and a bloody nose..... all from their wild actions!  I could have lost my marbles!  Somedays Hubbie will come home and say - "You look like your avatar!"  Sadly, its usually JUST gotten that bad RIGHT before he walks in the door!  Before then and for the whole day, its been good, but I'm learning it just takes a few minutes for the whole day of good behavior and good things to come crashing down!  But, like I said the other day, it STILL hasn't gotten bad enough for me to wish my life away or for me to send Hubbie off to the doc to get fixed.  We have bad moments or bad hours and even a few bad days.

I am learning that with 3 kids -don't make too many plans.  I have also become much more grateful for the "good" days and the "family days" and not taking a day for granted.  I have learned to make the most of my days.  I may be kinda down some days and wishing that I could do something "more fun" that day other than laundry or feeding the baby AGAIN, but then I realize, if this was my last day with these boys, I would want them to remember our last day together as happy memories- of a mommy that cared and was focused on her task- to raise three beautiful boys to love and serve God.

So, life is good.  We are thankful for our beautiful life together and taking life one day at a time.

A Winner! Congrats....

Congratulations to Diane!  She won our It's Personal giveaway!

Thank you to all who entered!

Don't forget to check out It's Personal for all your monogrammed gifts this holiday season!

Are You Done?

Are you done?  Hmmmm... that is a question Hubbie and I have been asked QUITE a few times since we found out that we were expecting Peanut.  Now instead of people asking if we are done- they just assume we are done having children!

My brother and I were chatting one night and he asked the same thing...... I told him that I hadn't had Hubbie make an appointment to be "fixed" yet, so that is always a good sign!  The three children haven't driven me completely nuts for me to what anything done.

My doctor repeatedly asked me during my 9 mos of appointments if we were going to get a tubal.  I repeatedly told her NO, if we could avoid it.  She even asked me for the UMPTEENTH time, on the operating table, if we were gonna do a tubal.  We again said, NO! Not if you can help it.

The Lord answered our prayers and gave the doctor the ability to sew me up so that I could have a 4th c-section done.  Because of that, I am still in limbo about how many children we will end up with.

Do I want another c-section?  Gosh! No!  The idea of having another one makes me nauseous.  I hate, hate, hate hospitals.  I hate, hate, hate the recovery period.... even though this 3rd recovery was ten times better than the other two, its still not something I would GLADLY do again.  It would be a way to meet another precious baby.

And the answer is NO.... we are not holding out hope for a baby girl.  If we had one, that would be fantastic, but if it was another baby boy, we'd be thrilled too!  Just because I do not have a daughter does not mean that motherhood is not worth it to me!  I have three beautiful, healthy and smart boys.... a fourth one would be a blessing!

So, the verdict is still out.  Some days, I say NO MORE KIDS.  Other days, I look at my children playing and the baby smiling, and I just cannot imagine being done with "these days".  I am ready to move on and be done with "baby days" but, then again, I'm not.

Only God knows what our family size with be.  So, the answer to the question is, I don't know!  :)

Don't Forget....

Don't forget the giveaway going on here!  

The contest ends on Monday!  So hurry!

And NO, you do not have to be a blogger to enter!  

All are welcome!    

A Fun Wii Game Review and Contest!

I was once again asked to review a fun and exciting new game from Jump Start!  We received a pre-release copy of the JumpStart Escape From Adventure Island game for the Wii.   What fun this was!  We don't let Bubbie play the Wii very often and if we do, its usually just to playing bowling, so he was VERY excited to have a game for JUST him to play!

Hubbie and Bubbie sat down, created Bubbie's avatar, which looked a whole lot like him and started to play the first "game"- all about recognizing patterns- counting by twos, letters in order, etc.  The game is geared for 5 to 9 yr olds, but we were very impressed and he did great.  I think he did better using the Wii remote than doing computer games on the keyboard.  Bubbie loved collecting "keys" and finding out what his total was!  He is ALL about winning these days and having the MOST possible things!

This game, rated E,  is a definite winner for our family!  Bubbie really enjoyed it and has told quite a few people about playing this game!  I am excited to see more of this game as Bubbie plays more.

Now, its your turn to to try to win this game or an Ultimate Escape prize pack full of some really cool items, like a Wii console, the Escape from Adventure Island game and MUCH MUCH more!  Check out the contest at the JumpStart blog.  Hurry, because the contest ends November 16th!

What a wonderful way to win some stuff for Christmas presents!

Note:  
A big thank you to JumpStart for providing this product to me and my family so that we could review this fun and exciting game!  

We Have.....

..........a 7 week old that is sleeping through the night!  Woo Hoo!  I don't know quite how to act.  I keep expecting him to stop sleeping through the night and for a week it was every other night, but he has been pretty consistent for the last few days!  He is VERY needy at night.  He nurses A LOT.... so I don't get much done from about 5 until bed time, but I guess its a good trade off!  We usually get in bed anywhere from 9 to 11 and we sleep anywhere from 5 until 7.  All I gotta say is that PRAYER WORKS!  I remember a few months ago when my friend Dana told me that she was praying for Baby Bean to be a good sleeper!  When she said that I kinda thought "Oh yeah!  That would be a good idea!"  HA!  I hadn't even thought about a baby sleeping through the night or asking God to give me one of those!  I had been praying for a healthy pregnancy.  I had been praying to make it to the scheduled csection and to have a better recovery than the last two, etc.  I had NOT been praying for a good sleeper!  What a wonderful prayer and a fantastic friend to THINK of praying for a sleeping baby!!!  

Nothing much else to report about the growth of our babe!  He is a wonderful baby STILL.  He is very alert. He is making baby coos and "talking".  He still has his baby mohawk and has the bluest of blue eyes!  

We don't have another doc appt until 2 months so we still have a few weeks.  He is AT LEAST 9lbs and he is VERY long.  I don't leave him on our ottoman anymore because when he stretches all the way out, his legs hang off the side.  He is quite a wiggly guy and very active.  

He is truly a wonderful and handsome baby.  I look at him and just think "How can I never have another one of these?"  I am ready to be done with babies and REALLY have no desire to have another csection, BUT the idea of never having another baby to kiss and cuddle and love and feed and snuggle with makes me a bit sad.....  just don't know what our family size will be......  

I'm A Girlie Girl! Review and Giveaway!

I don't ever remember a time in my life when I did not love jewelry, make up or clothes!  I got my ears pierced when I was in 2nd grade and I use to sit on my grandmother's bathroom counter and watch her put her make up on.  I always loved dressing up at my Granny's house!  I am definitely a girlie girl!

A few weeks ago I was wasting time on Facebook while I was nursing the babe and stumbled across Michelle's page.  I noticed she had a link to a website called Its Personal, so I decided to see what it was all about!  I was very pleased to see tons of stuff MONOGRAMMED!  Including JEWELRY!!!  and it wasn't expensive jewelry!   I looked around and drooled  for a while and then remembered that I still had my "blow" money (for you non-Dave Ramsey ppl- its money we give each other a set amount every month that we can "blow" on whatever we want), so I placed an order for these fabulous earrings.

I got the earrings within a few days of ordering and was very pleased with the look of the earrings!  I wore the earrings the next day and got 3 compliments on the earrings from friends and acquaintances!  I liked the earrings so much that I told Hubbie that I really wanted to get a necklace to match the earrings!

Michelle ordered this necklace for me to review for the blog and it matches my earrings!  I wore it Friday while I was doing errands and I had 2 strangers come up and compliment me on my jewelry!  I love the look and the weight of the necklace!

I am definitely in love with this store!

Here are a few more things that I LOVE-

Can you tell that I am addicting to monogramming things?!

Now its your turn to have some fun browsing and shopping - check out It's Personal and come back and tell me what you like!  That's all you gotta do to enter the contest to win a monogrammed necklace of your very own!

If you'd like a second entry, post about the giveaway on your blog or Facebook.  Be sure to link back to my blog and to the website- It's Personal.

This contest will end next Monday evening!  Good luck!  And a big thank you to Michelle for allowing me to review and giveaway some really cool jewelry!

He Did It!

On Sunday, November 1st, Hubbie reached a personal goal for himself.

He ran his first 1/2 Marathon!

A year ago he was almost 100 lbs heavier and very out of shape!  He started running to lose weight and to win the Biggest Loser contest at work!  He won the contest and continued to run because he fell in love with the sport.  He has run quite a few races- 5k and 10ks.  

Hubbie is now 3 pants sizes smaller, much healthier and is loving his new active life!

We are all so very VERY proud of Hubbie.  Not only for sticking with this but for running so far on such a tough course!  My husband keeps getting better and better as the years go on!  Never did I dream that he would be the man that he is today when I married him!  He is dedicated, a hard worker and wants the best for his family!  I am so happy that he did something that made him so proud of himself!  We love you Babe!

Next race on the agenda- Nashville 1/2 marathon!!!!

Trick or Treat 2009

This year for Halloween we decided to skip going door to door and trick-or-treating in our neighborhood.

We did this for several reasons.  First of all, last year, we went to several houses that the candy was yucky and I ended up having to dig through the candy and throwing away a bunch of "crap" that I wouldn't let the boys eat.  Secondly, I have a fear of sicknesses and the idea of ringing a bunch of doorbells and getting candy from random people's houses kinda freaks me out...( yes, I know I am a germ-a-phob!  I am a mother of 3 small kids.  Can you blame me? ) And thirdly, Hubbie has lost a TON of weight and I just gave birth to my third child, we don't need a BUNCH of candy in the house!  The less candy, the better!

So, for those reasons, we decided to go to a local church's Trunk or Treat.  We had chosen two area trunk or treats to check out.  We went to one and it was PACKED and we didn't feel like fighting the crowd with three small kids, so we went to another one.  The other is one that we've gone to every year since Bubbie's 1st trick-or-treating outing.  Its nice, small and we know some of the people that go to church there, so its always nice to see a friendly and familiar face!  The people are such sweet people and go out of their way to make sure the kids have a fun and safe time!  So, we got the "trick-or-treating" experience, a few games and fun for the boys and then were able to make it back to the car before the rain soaked us!

Everyone had a fun day together.  We came home, ate dinner and got ready for bed!  The next day was a BIG day for Hubbie and our family and a bright and early start! 

Halloween Idea

To find out how I made these "too-cute-for-words" Mummy Dogs, go here!