The Keylor Family

Fun Christmas Treats

2011-12-23T04:53:00.003-06:00

I am always on the look out for something fun
that the girls might like to do.
I don't have much free time though,
so easy things are a plus too.

I loved this idea:
Rice Crispie Treats with cookie cutters and candy.

I helped Adelynn with the twizzler part
(b/c she kept eating them). She did the rest. : )

look at that chocolatey mouth and bed hair. : )

I also thought these snacks made with powdered donuts,
candy corns, and chocolate chips were adorable!
My friend Ginger made these. : )

My friend Carrie made these out of nutter butters,
pretzels, peppermint kisses, & chocolate chips...so fun!

Tacky Christmas Party

2011-12-23T04:13:00.008-06:00

Every year we have a Tacky Christmas Party
with our Community Group and it's always HILARIOUS!
My husband always goes all out...
shaving his face and only leaving a creepy mustache,
parting his hair down the middle,
picking out the WORST outfits.
He always ends up looking like a pedophile. ha!
He cracks me up and grosses me out all at the same time.
Last year he won Tackiest Christmas Outfit hands down,
but this year the competition was STEEP!
Our group rolled out!

Here are some awesome pictures from the night:

yes...that's a women's frilly shirt with a Cousin Eddie Dicky
underneath and leather pants with white patent shoes....
that's real nice Clark!

I tried to up the ante this year too. I found this see through black lace shirt, pointy shoes, and a nice 80's belt at a local thrift store and then I put green battery operated Christmas lights underneath. I also added a gift wrap ribbon to the pony tail on top of my head, and some nice black socks.
Just in case you still can't picture it...

Here's another picture for ya' without the flash.

Here's a picture of the beautiful ladies:

Olivia had crazy make-up, crazy hair,
and even stuffed towels in her backside.
It was hilarious. She won the girls devision. : )

...and these are the hunky men of our lives:

check out AJ in the front and my husband's creepy face
that made it into every picture.

After the Dirty Santa, it was time for
MINUTE TO WIN IT CHRISTMAS EDITION!

Stack the Tree: stack 28 cups into a tree the fastest.
I won this one, but I was shaking like a leaf
during the whole thing... OH THE PRESSURE!!!

Rudolph: vaseline on your nose, string in your mouth (with pom pom on the end).

Who can get it to stick to their nose the fastest.
Poor Olivia couldn't quit laughing. ha!

Christmas Cookie Face: Try to get it from your forehead to your mouth without touching it.

Breezy Christmas Card: Try to blow the card until it dangles off the side without falling off.

The Nut-Stacker Game: 7 nuts on a candy cane--Try to stack 7 nuts in a minute

Woo hoo! Girls were on a roll!

Ornaments in the balance: The fastest to balance 8 ornaments

Then we finished the night with some Christmas Charades:

Look at the intensity! Our CG doesn't play around! ha!

I love our group.
They are real.
They are fun.
They share life with me good and bad.
We can be cracking up one minute and crying together the next.
That's a rare thing indeed.
(and from the pictures, you can tell that we're classy too). ha!

Travel Bingo (FREE DOWNLOAD)

2011-12-23T03:15:00.003-06:00

Well, on Thanksgiving we headed out to make the long curvy trip to see Dasun's parents. I sure love being out there, but I am not a big fan of the drive. It's not that long of a drive (although 4 hours seems long when you are driving with kiddos in the car), but it's so windy, that no matter what I try, I get sick every time...and that makes the drive seem pretty long and miserable.

I drove on the way back to try to avoid motion sickness and while we were driving, I started thinking about how fun it would be to have a little game the girls could play on the way. They love looking for certain things. Now that Christmas lights are out, our time in the car consists of Adelynn frantically pointing to any light she sees and saying "Yook, Mommy, Yook!!!" Kennedy loves to point out pretty Christmas lights too, so we have entertainment the whole time.

We also love to hunt for things that are a certain color, or things that rhyme with____, etc...
It seems to make the trip a little shorter and gives us some quality time as well.

I created a little travel bingo for us to use on our trips and made a city version as well.
You can have them color the whole square or just X them off.

I thought I would save them as PDF files so that you can download them for free as well!

1. Just print it out on cardstock and cut out.
2. wrap some string/ yarn around a crayon and add tape around the crayon.

3. Attach the other end to the back of the bingo sheet.
And your done : )

HERE IS THE LINK to the TRAVEL BINGO -city edition
HERE IS THE LINK to the TRAVEL BINGO- rural edition
They also come with directions on how to play
and different ways to play written at the bottom.

HAPPY TRAVELS!

Thankful

2011-12-23T01:36:00.003-06:00

This year we are so incredibly grateful for:

- our precious friends and family
- the joyful moments that have made
this year much more bearable
- and especially for our precious Lord and Savior Jesus Christ,
who sacrificed so much for us and continues to bestow
so much grace and mercy on us everyday.

We are blessed beyond measure.

Going On a Leaf Hunt

2011-12-22T03:08:00.001-06:00

We went on a leaf hunt this year and then we spent some time brainstorming some different things we were thankful for. I thought it might be fun to write them down on some leaves and take a picture to put on our photo wall. I took a bunch, and still can't figure out which one is my favorite.

Here are a few of the picts:

This one doesn't seem to want to rotate correctly,
but you get the idea : )

I can't decide whether I love the vibrant colors or
whether I like the black and white with Jesus highlighted.
What's your vote?

Adelynn's 1st Hog Game

2011-11-23T05:10:00.001-06:00

Some of my dad's friends had some extra tickets
to a razorback basketball game, so my dad called
to see if we could go.
We had a great time!

Adelynn and Kennedy both had fun cheering and watching the game, but then Adelynn found a friend and she pretty much did this the rest of the night.

I don't normally share videos on here b/c
they are a pain to load, but this is pretty priceless.
Kennedy is a jack of all trades...
she wants to be a mommy, an astronaut,
a soccer star, a princess, a basketball player,

and now a cheerleader.
She's going to be a very busy lady.

Keep in mind that she doesn't even know
the guy she's standing next too. ha!
My girls are NOT shy. : )

Holidays (how we're doing)

2011-11-22T13:43:00.000-06:00

We are doing okay...some ups and downs for sure, but okay.
Trying to gear up for the holidays
which I am not really looking forward to, to be totally honest.

I have mixed feelings of being sad,
but also having to be the one in charge of everything.

I want to make it special for everyone,
but I am definitely feeling her absence and
you can only stuff it down for so long before it spills over.
I am trying to make sure I give myself
some time to just be sad,
even though there's not much free time to be had.
Grieving is work.
I think that's why busyness and denial are so alluring.
No one wants to sit down and do crappy work. : )

Anyway, all that is true, but there are times
when there's a reprieve from it all
and I feel normal and okay.
Definitely times of laughter and happiness.
And new memories are being made all the time.
I feel truly blessed...truly.

Kennedy's two front teeth : )

2011-11-21T15:34:00.001-06:00

In perfect time for the holidays,
Kennedy just lost her two front teeth.
We've been having fun videoing her as she sings,
"All I want for Christmas is my two front teeth..."

Easy Chicken Recipes

2011-11-20T15:02:00.002-06:00

Easy Chicken Recipes

My dad is trying to learn how to make a few things for himself, so we are going to have an "easy cooking lesson night" every once in a while. I have a system that I use to make meals a lot easier, so that's going to be the main teaching. : ) Since I was going to write it all down for him anyway, I thought I'd share it with you, in hopes of making your meal prep a little easier.

For me the meat is always the most time consuming part of making a meal. To be honest, it also grosses me out a little, so the less often I have to do that, the better. I had tried to do the “make a month of freezer meals” route, but we have very little freezer space and it kind of stressed me out to have to come up with all of those meal ideas that would do well in the freezer. I don’t know…I guess I just get stressed out easily. Ha!

So I came up with this system.

Easy Prep Chicken: Cook, Shred, Bag – A month or more of cooking made a ton easier!

Get a whole bag of frozen chicken (breast or filets), put them in a large casserole dish with some garlic powder, salt, and onion powder, and fill with water until the tops of the breasts are almost covered. Cover the dish with foil and put in the oven at 350’ for about 3 hours. When you take them out, drain the water and let them cool. When they aren’t too hot to touch, rinse them off really well to get rid of any fat. With the fillets I even open them up a little to make sure I rinse it out really well.

Next, shred the chicken with your hands. It should be really tender, so just pull it into pieces and it should be great. I just make a big pile of shredded chicken. If you want to save some out in bigger pieces or strips for certain recipes (fajitas, stir fry, etc..), you can do that as well, but I find that shredded works just as well in most of my recipes.

Get some good quality quart size freezer bags (I have had good luck with Ziploc double zipper heavy duty freezer bags) and put enough for your family in each bag. I usually only put about ¾ cup chicken in each bag. You can always use more bags if you are having company over or making a dish that requires more, but you’d be surprised how little you need to go in soups, spaghetti, quesadillas, etc… We are a family of four, so if you have a bigger family, you might want to put more in each bag.

Now you have the meat done for a zillion different recipes and it’s easy breezy from here on out. These last me for quite a while.

Here are some recipes you can use them with:

Barbecue Pizza:

Put tortillas on a baking pan, brush it with water and put them in the oven to prepare the crust halfway. While that’s in there, get out your chicken and cheese (optional: onions). Take out the tortillas after about 5 minutes, brush with BBQ sauce, then put a layer of mozzarella, chicken, and a little more mozzarella. You can even do this with healthy tortillas. I use Sprouted Wheat tortillas and it’s still great! I love using the Flat Out Breads too (pictured below).

Stew:

In a big pot, combine: chicken, black beans, chopped, onions, green beans, carrots, and whatever other vegetables you like (celery, potatoes, etc…). Then season it with some chopped onion (or onion powder), garlic, and salt. Make sure to put plenty of water in it and let it cook all day. I like to do some yummy cornbread with this. It’s so yummy and you can feel great about eating good food. To make it even healthier, make sure that your veggies are either frozen or no salt added if they are in the can. You can add salt later and the sodium still won’t get near the numbers that the cans have in them.

Chicken Quesadillas:

In a skillet, on medium heat, lay your tortilla down and sprinkle cheese, chicken, taco seasoning (just a tad!),and also a little of onion and garlic powder, then sprinkle a little more cheese on top before topping with another tortilla. Check to see if the bottom tortilla is brown, when it is, just flip it over for a few minutes and you are done! For the girls, I just use one tortilla and fold it over. It just depends on how hungry you are.

*We also do this with Cheese Quesadillas, but ex-nay the seasonings if you do it with just cheese. It’s delicious on its own. I like a little bit of crunchy cheese, so after the quesadilla is brown on both sides, I sprinkle some cheese in the pan and then put my quesadilla on top of it so that I’ll have some crunch cheese on the outside. Delicious!

Chili:

Add together, chicken, black beans, red beans, cumin to taste, garlic, onion, and water to desired consistency. You may have to add more water as it simmers. (Optional: you can also add tomatoes or tomato paste). I also add some rice (boil-in-a-bag brown rice), to make it go a little further. It’s a great way to get some good brown rice in your diet without even noticing it.

Panini Sandwiches:

Get out your skillet or Panini pan and let it start warming up (medium to high heat). You’ll need two pieces of bread, buttered on one side each, for each sandwich you make. Get out your chicken (can be nitrate free deli meat), mozzarella, and mustard as well. Lay one piece of bread, buttered side down, then meat, then cheese, then mustard, then your other piece of bread butter side up- Brown on each side, kind of mashing it together with your spatula. That’s all there is to it!

Chicken Spaghetti:

This is the easiest one yet. Pour some yummy spaghetti sauce (we like Ragu tomato, onion, and garlic) into a sauce pan or skillet and put your frozen shredded chicken in with it. If you are trying to be healthier, but vegetables aren't really your thing, this is also a great time to puree some other veggies that you don't usually like and add them into the sauce. The tomato, garlic, and onion overpower just about anything so you can't even taste it. I like to add either pureed zucchini or squash (two things that I would otherwise never eat, yet can't taste them one bit when added to the sauce). In another pan boil your noodles. When the noodles are done and the sauce has simmered for a while, you are done. That’s all there is too it!

Chicken Nachos:

Even easier...Lay out your chips on a baking sheet, sprinkle black beans, jalapenos (optional), chicken, cheese, maybe a little taco seasoning (or not), and anything else you want on them. Bake at 350 until the cheese melts. Serve with sour cream and salsa. Embarrassingly easy and quick to make.

You can also use your chicken for casseroles, to add to boxed rice meals, chicken salad, and countless other things. I love that I have the main ingredient already done and can just be creative with what I add it too.

I did this with beef as well, but now that I am supposed to eat as little red meat as possible, I am trying to stick to chicken. This way my husband is happy because our meals still have meat in them, and I do not have to cook separately for myself very often. Who likes doing that? …not this gal.

Bedroom Progress

2011-11-15T18:05:00.000-06:00

I mentioned that our old comforter went kaput.
It was literally coming apart at the seams,
not to mention our lovely sippy cup stains
from our "no spill" sippies,
so it was time to bid adieu to ol' stripey
and welcome another.

Our Bedroom Before:

Our Bedroom Making Some Progress:
I bought a new comforter (overstock)
-king size so that it wouldn't be too short on the sides).
I am so glad I did that.
I also bought some really fun pillows (Target)
-on clearance! -woo hoo!
And then added my yellow distressed chalkboard.
I had to keep our Crosses because
we bought them when we first got married
to represent the two of us (small crosses)
and our Lord and Savior (Big cross)
He is the glue that holds us together.
The verse I wrote on our Chalkboard
has been our verse since we started dating.

Col. 1:17 "He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together"

I still have some more projects that need to be done...
curtains, fun lampshades, etc...
but first, I'll take a break to save my pennies,
roam some thrift stores, browse some pinterest,
and figure out exactly what I want to do.
For now, I just want to grin a huge grin
every time I see my fun pillows!
Love chevron stripes.
Love the yellow flower pillow
(that I had a crush on but refused to buy at full price
and finally scored the last one on clearance
which only made me love it more).
For those of you who don't know me,
I am type A big time,
so the fact that I got mismatched pillows
is a big deal and I am super proud of myself
for being all crazy like that. ha!!!

Easy Play Doh Recipe (without cream of tartar)

2011-11-10T11:36:00.000-06:00

October in Review

2011-11-01T14:39:00.000-05:00

Kennedy and Adelynn sat through their first rainy
(& very cold) football game and didn't even complain.
We had a great time!

Our Community group did a Reverse Trick or Treat
at a local nursing home.
We passed out candy with little notes:

Here they are in their little outfits:

Dasun and I also got to go to a Razorback game
for the first time in at least 7 years!
My dad had a good friend give him a couple of tickets
and he blessed us with them and told us
he would watch the girls.
It was such a fun night and WE WON
which make it even better!
I think I beat Dasun up a little bit b/c I got so excited.
It was a VERY close game!
WOO PIG SOOIE!

Earlier in the month Dasun's sister and Brother-in-law

came down to visit and we went to the Needtobreathe concert.
We love them, so that was a huge treat!

More porch Dancing and fun times with Papa.

We celebrated Dasun's 35th birthday!

Got to do a lot of playing outside
in the warmer-than-it-should-be weather
that I loved!

Had some fun Pumpkin-Carving time with Papa
and read the Pumpkin Patch Parable again. : )

Adelynn wasn't sure what to think about the slimy insides.
Kennedy kept saying, "I can do it. I'm brave!"

Feed Millions!

2011-10-12T13:31:00.003-05:00

Did you know that 24 cents can provide an entire days worth of nutrition for a starving child? Our school (and anyone else that wants to get involved) is partnering with Feed My Starving Children to try to raise enough money to pack 1,000,000 meals.

Check out this video about it...

The fact that 18,000 children die everyday of malnutrition, is completely unacceptable!

We have quite a bit of money for meals so far, but we still need a lot more. Please think about donating...even if it's just a few dollars. Click on the link, then find the Arkansas event to donate. You can also help when it comes time to pack the meals in February. Wouldn't this be a great way to serve and help others as a family! I know Kennedy will love helping with this!

Scripture is very clear that this is something we are all asked to do. Why are there hungry and starving children in the world? Quite simply because we are not doing what we should be. Research proves it. There are plenty of us, to end this problem. We just need to start loving our neighbor as ourselves. We have a big job to do, but to whom much is given much is required. Let's join together be part of the solution.

For more information, click HERE.

Super Charge Me Cookies

2011-10-10T17:06:00.006-05:00

What you'll Need:

Here's another cookie recipe from the cookie genius Dreena Burton. I found her by searching for "spelt flour cookies" on google since I can't have regular flour (or wheat anymore). Truth be told...processed sugar and flour aren't really good for anyone, so if you are looking for a cookie that tastes SUPER YUMMY and you don't even have to feel guilty about...
this.is.your.cookie.
I am not ashamed to say that I have already made 3 batches since I found the recipe.
I could just sit and eat the dough.
whoops, drooling, sorry. : )
...and the dough doesn't have eggs in it,
so you don't even have to worry
about eating the raw dough...double score!!!

Here's the Recipe that Dreena created and
here's my slightly different version.

Super-Charge Me! Cookies

Makes 11–12 cookies. Wheat-free (using spelt flour & oats).

1 cup quick oats
2/3 cup spelt flour
1/4 tsp (rounded) sea salt
1/4 – 1/2 tsp cinnamon
1/4 –1/3 cup craisins (or raisins if you'd prefer)
1/3 cup chocolate chips
1 tsp baking powder
1/3 cup flax meal (not flax seed)
1/2 cup pure maple syrup
3 tbsp almond butter (may use cashew, peanut)
1 1/2 tsp pure vanilla extract
2 tbsp canola oil

-you can also add 1/8 cup coconut, but I haven't tried that yet

Preheat oven to 350°F (180°C). In a bowl, combine oats, flour, salt, cinnamon, craisins, and chocolate chips, sift in baking powder, and stir until well combined. In a separate bowl, combine flax meal, syrup, almond butter, and vanilla and stir until well combined. Stir in oil. Add wet mixture to dry, and stir until just well combined (do not overmix). Line a baking sheet with parchment paper/ or use a silpat mat (I love these- they keep my cookies from burning on the bottom or sticking). Spoon batter onto baking sheet evenly space apart, and lightly flatten. Bake for 8 minutes (and then check to see if they look a tad dry on the tops and slightly browned- this is usually all mine need.). Remove from oven and let cool on baking sheet for 1 minute (no longer), then transfer to a cooling rack (OR insert directly in mouth...whatever). ha!

Recipe © copyright Dreena Burton (eat, drink & be vegan) *

Yum...I could just eat that with a spoon.

Oh wait...I did!

*By the way, I am not vegan, but with me having to cut out most dairy and wheat, her recipes have been super helpful. I can still have mozzarella, eggs, and certain dairy items, but not very many. I LOVE dairy in just about every form, so this hasn't been easy, but if I can do it, anyone can. Did I mention that I have almost no willpower? : ) I think the thing that's keeping me on this, is the fact that I feel like a normal person again. Living in constant pain is horrible and I'd rather stop eating a few things than have to feel like that again. So far, this blood type diet is still working. I'll keep you posted.

DEElicious Good For You Cookies!

2011-10-05T14:06:00.003-05:00

Okay folks! You are not going to believe me, but I have actually found some cookie recipes that are DEElicious and actually good for you (well, except the chocolate chips maybe).

I haven't been able to eat flour or dairy lately because of a crazy doctor ordered diet, so I have been craving some cookies big time. I ran across this recipe by a lady named Dreena. I changed it just a tad, but not much.

Here’s the recipe I followed to make

Walnut Chocolate Chip Spelt Cookies:

1 cup spelt flour (spelt is actually where our flour came from, but it's less processed and considered wheat free- It works the same as regular flour for most recipes -you can get this at whole/ natural food stores and it's NOT expensive at all!)

1 teaspoon baking powder

1/2 teaspoon baking soda

1/4 cup Sucanat (sugar cane natural)

-you can get this at whole/ natural food stores too

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/3 cup maple syrup -might be the magic ingredient : )

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/4 cup Canola oil

1/3 cup semi sweet chocolate chips

1/3 cup chopped walnuts

(I chopped mine really fine and barely even knew they were in there)

Preheat the oven to 350*F. In a large bowl, mix together spelt flour, baking powder, baking soda, Sucanat and salt. In a separate bowl, stir together maple syrup, molasses, vanilla extract and canola oil until well combined. Add wet ingredients to dry ingredients and mix until just combined. Stir in chocolate chips and walnuts. Place spoonfuls of batter on cookie sheets -and a silpat mat if you have one and bake for 10 minutes (or less-I usually start watching mine after 8 min.) Makes 12 cookies.

These cookies were so yummy!

I have another recipe to share with you later from the same lady, that's even better for you and still really great! I'd even love to just make them for the cookie dough. I am so thankful to be finding things I can eat!

$5 Tray to Chalkboard Project

2011-10-04T12:10:00.002-05:00

My über creative friend Stacy Shankle is always
coming up with things that are adorable!
She put together a baby shower for a mutual friend of ours
and their were little touches of her creativity all over the place.
One of the things I noticed was a little chalkboard
with the cutest shape, with the baby's initials on it.
She said it was a plastic tray from Hobby Lobby,
that she just painted chalk paint on.
That's all she needed to say!
I printed off my 40% off coupon and head to Hobby Lobby.
I had a little something different in mind,
but I knew I loved the shape of it.

My plan for the tray changed a little when I
started redoing our bedroom.
My husband gave me the okay to get a new comforter,
so of course every thing else had to change to, right?
He's having a great time giving me a hard time about this.
Lucky for him, I am a bargain hunter,
so I'm trying to keep the spending as low as possible
and just doing things as we can
It's not done yet, but I'll post a progress picture soon. : )

I decided I wanted to add some yellow to our bedroom
which is a little risky for me. ha!
I taped of the center of the tray and painted the border,
let dry and painted 2 more coats.

Then I used an exacto knife to cut in between the tape
and paint so it would tear the paint off.

Then I painted 2 layers of chalkboard paint.
In hindsight, I should have sanded this before painting,
but it's mainly going to be decorative,
so it won't get a ton of use.

and "seasoned" it
(rub chalk all over, then wipe and repeat before using)

Bedroom Progress picture to some soon. : )

Edjumacation (Ingredients to AVOID)

2011-09-26T20:37:00.004-05:00

After I'd come home from school,
my dad would always jokingly ask me if I got all
"edjumacated?"...hence the title of this post.

So a lot of you know about all of my crazy health issues
last year...ribs popping out of place, shoulder separating,
jaw popping out of place, etc...etc...etc...
It was a pain...literally.
I couldn't open my mouth, so eating was a problem.
I lost about 18 lbs. After the 1st few lbs, I wasn't complaining,
but when I got down to 100, I was freaking out.
I was eating as much as I could (through a straw),
but just couldn't gain.
A few of my friends were joking that
they wished that would happen to them,
but let me tell you...not eating real food for months...
no fun. miserable actually.
Well...thousands of dollars and appointments later,
they still didn't know what was causing it.
They thought it was something auto-immune,
so they referred me to a Rheumatologist,
but he couldn't see me until mid-December.
You can probably understand that I was a little frustrated.
A mama needs to be able to move her arm.
We have to pick up our little ones, clean, etc..
Not to mention, I was just tired of hurting.
My dad wanted me to go see a Naturopathy doctor,
that a lot of his friends had gone to and had good results.
By this point, I was game for anything.

I went. He did some strange tests that blew my mind.
He put me on 2 supplements and
a special diet based on my blood type.
I was only on the supplements for 2 weeks,
but have stayed on the diet.
It wasn't easy, not gonna lie, but
after 2 1/2 weeks, I felt normal again!
It's now been over a month and I still feel good...
shoulder can move, ribs back in place, mouth opens.
I can still feel a little tightness in my jaw from time to time,
but I would say it's a good 90% better.
How crazy is that?!
I would much rather make some food adjustments,
than have to be on meds with side effects forever.
I am keeping my December appt with the Rheumatologist
just in case, but so far, so good.

With all of these diet changes,
I have kind of been forced to become a health nut.
I have never been one to care very much
& never wanted to be.
I thought those people were a little over the top,
but now that I am learning more and more,
I'm discovering that we have some
crazy things in our foods/products.
I am going to do a quick run down of some things
I have learned to avoid along with some easy switches.
This is not an exhaustive list,
but they are easy changes to make,
so I thought I'd start you off with that -if you're interested.
I also included some links if you want more info.
I read from several different sources to back up each one,
but I am just going to give you 1 or 2.

Vegetable Oil:
Common vegetable cooking oils used in many homes and restaurants have very high omega-6 fatty acids and dismally low omega-3 fats. A diet consisting of highly imbalanced omega-6 to omega-3 ratio promotes inflammation and breeds inflammatory diseases like heart disease and cancer. I got this information from this site which lists the top 10 inflammatory foods. Interestingly enough, all of the "avoid" foods, are also on my new diet "avoid" list. Coincidence? I think not.
(easy switch out: canola-recipes taste the same and it's not bad for you- Olive oil is even better for you, but I only like this in certain things.)

Nitrites/Nitrate:
Hot dogs and processed meats (lunch meat, ham, etc...) contain nitrites which are used as preservatives and to add that pink color we are used to. It's not the nitrites themselves, because even some vegetables contain nitrites. However, during the cooking process, nitrites combine with amines naturally present in meat to form carcinogenic N-nitroso compounds. It is also suspected that nitrites can combine with amines in the human stomach to form N-nitroso compounds. These compounds are known carcinogens and have been associated with cancer of the oral cavity, urinary bladder, esophagus, stomach and brain.
(easy switch out: there are hot dogs and lunch meats that don't have these in them, but you have to read the labels. Hot dogs: look for Oscar Mayer-says no nitrites on the label)

Parabens: (methylparaben, ethylparaben, propylparaben & butylparaben
Ugh...this one is the most frustrating. It's in so many products. They are quickly absorbed through the skin and the intestinal tract (when used as a food preservative). They are linked very strongly to breast cancer, skin damage, eye damage, and even fertility. I had to get rid of a lot of things, which was painful for this non-waster, but I just can't put it on anymore, knowing what I know. I have traveled this road with my mother and I would like to avoid it if possible--especially if it just means making a few changes.
(easy switch: again...it's easier than you think. Even Walmart has a new section called naturals, in which they carry paraben free products. It's a few dollars more, but I think things like this come out in the wash. Either through a little more money at the store or doctors bills later.)

If you are having trouble with chronic inflammation,
I encourage you to give this a try.
I cannot believe how much better I feel and
I am not even taking medications at this point.
If this crashes and burns after a while,
I'll keep you updated, but for now I am a happy girl. : )

- a few other things I am supposed to avoid: red meats, wheat, high fat dairy,
tomatoes, potatoes, peppers, etc...---yeah...a lot of "avoids"! ---So most of my food is coming from chicken, veggies, fruits, rice, Ezekiel bread (which isn't bad), nuts, and nut butters. I also found some cookie recipes that are YUMMY! I also found a delicious frozen yogurt by yarnells (chocolate is the best), that's creamy and makes me feel like I am not missing out at all. Now that I have those, I know I can stick with it. ha! Gotta have your treats!
I'll post those recipes soon : )

*Disclaimer: I am not a professional, I have just been doing a ton of research,
so please feel free to do your own research.
*If your blood type A, I'd be happy to pass along the food chart I made and help you out with getting started. Just post a comment letting me know but make sure you leave your e-mail address or I won't have a way to get back to you.

Fun With Papa

2011-09-23T12:07:00.003-05:00

We've been trying to make sure we are getting plenty of
time with Papa. We try to get together every Wednesday
and on the weekend too if he doesn't have plans.
He has some precious friends that are super intentional
with him and planning lots of fun things to do with him,
so they are keeping him busy as well.
We are so blessed in the friendship department.

The other night we took him out to dinner,
thanks to some friends that gave us a gift card to Outback.
Afterwards, we had some awesome dancing on the porch.

The next Wednesday, he came over for dinner
and we had a great time playing outside.
Kennedy was stretching as far as she could to reach his hand.
I love this picture. : )

Adelynn was swinging big too!
This little chica has no fear.

This past Wednesday, the girls were loving shoulder rides
and wrestling with their papa.
He is so fun and they adore him!

Quick Basket Makeover

2011-09-23T12:03:00.001-05:00

We ran to a thrift store the other day and I came upon this...

I immediately knew that it would be great for our guest bathroom.
We had been using a big basket and everything was always getting
tumpled over...looking messy.
You can't really tell in this picture b/c it's only one towel,
but you can see that everything just lays there.

I took it home, spray painted it with some left over black paint
and we had a new towel/ washcloth basket! Woo hoo!

Nothing too impressive, but I LOVE some good organization!
Especially when it costs a mere $2.

Oh! I also found 2 brand new pink sleeping bags for the girls for only $2.50 each and 3 new shirts for me (2 of which were Banana Republic), also under $3 each!
Love a good deal!

Does anyone know what this type of basket's actual intended use is?

Picnic Fun : )

2011-09-23T12:00:00.001-05:00

We got to take the girls to a nearby garden/hiking area the other day.
We have eaten at parks before, at tables, pavilions, etc..
but we have never had an official picnic, basket, ground, and all.
I can't believe we haven't done that before now, but needless to say,
Kennedy was VERY excited to have a "real picnic".
I labeled the sandwiches so that Kennedy could distribute them.
You know how kids love jobs. : )

Then we went for a walk an got this fun picture while we went.

Along the way Kennedy saw a butterfly and I was able to sneak up

and get a really good picture of it.
I loved hearing Kennedy's oohs and ahhs over the butterfly.

When we got home we saw OVER 20 birds all sitting on our fence.
They kept taking turns darting down to our flower beds,
flitting around in the dirt, then they'd fly back up to the fence.
We must have sat in the car for at least 10 minutes just watching them.

We had such a fun day together!
I always love when we actually get to spend a pretty day outside.
It feels like a day not wasted. : )

Grandparents Day Cards

2011-09-23T12:00:00.000-05:00

I had to get some pictures of these sweet little arms working on grandparents day cards.
She was so serious and worked so hard. : )

Kennedy was being so sweet and encouraging to her little sister.
Oh! What sweet faces!

How to Make Silhouette Art

2011-09-23T02:00:00.000-05:00

Kennedy's Pre-K teacher, made a beautiful silhouette project of Kennedy
for my mother's day present.
I framed it right away and knew I wanted to do one of Adelynn too.
As you can see...it's taken my a LONG time to get 'er done.

1. find or take a picture of your child facing sideways.
2. Measure how large you want the head to be in the frame
and pick a print size option that will fit those measurements.
3. Print it out and carefully trim around the shape
(tip: it's always easier to move the paper hand than the scissor hand)

4. Trace the shape you cut out into a piece of black card stock.

5. Cut that out
(you may have to look at it afterwards and fix little areas.
I exaggerated the cuts around her ponytail & dress ties,
so that it would be easier to see what they were.

6. Make a text box in Microsoft word and adjust the size to match the dimensions of the frame.
(don't take for granted that it's an 8x10. Measure the inside, so that you aren't short).
Pick the verse you want to be at the bottom and the font you'd like as well)
7. Print out your text box on white cardstock and attach your silhouette.
8. Done! Easy as pie and a precious memory of those little profiles. : )

Mustache Salute to Papa

2011-09-23T01:30:00.001-05:00

Just had to share a bit of silliness with you. : )

Knight Going Away Party

2011-09-23T01:04:00.002-05:00

The night before my sister had to go back to China,
my dad wanted to take us all out for a little going away party.
We all went to lokomotion (a local fun park).

Kennedy rode her first go cart by herself!
...and drove pretty well for her first time.

Then we all played some serious air hockey. : )

and skee ball of course.

Kennedy and Adelynn were loving the dance game,
so my dad got in there and danced with them (big smile).
So lucky to have a dad that will be silly.

My nephews we big enough to ride the junior go carts by themselves and they were pretty pumped about that. I told them to give me their tough faces and this is what I got. ha!

We had such a great day!
I am going to miss having them around.
We won't get to see them until next year. : (

After we played a littl more, Kennedy and I went to do the big go carts together. She was a little nervous because she thought she was going to have to drive it and she couldn't reach very well.
I reassured her that I would drive (even though truth be told...I could barely reach! ha!). I had to stretch my leg out as far as it would go to push the gas in.

She had a blast and kept yelling, "Go mama Go! Get them!"
It brought back a lot of memories of me driving go carts with my dad.
That was our staple vacation growing up.
We didn't go to many big places.
We would just head to Branson...
Friday night- pizza & all the go carts we could ride.
Saturday- Whitewater all day.
Lots of family time.
Some of my best memories ever. : )

Daspri's 30th Birthday

2011-09-22T01:01:00.001-05:00

In Dasun's family, we have a tradition of celebrating
30th birthdays with style.
Krys' - we took him skydiving with us (we were going for our 5th anniversary).
Dasun's Birthday- The siblings all went to Six Flags together
His brother Josh- They were going to send him to a Florida game,
but since they were already doing that,
everyone chipped in for an autographed Florida Gators ball.
And now the youngest, their sister Daspri, turned 30 as well.
So we decided to take her ziplining!
It was a little hard with the timing of everything else,
but it ended up being such a blessing of a day.
We had a great time together!

Dasun, Josh, Bryan, Daspri, Me, & Krys

There goes the birthday girl : )

and my crazy husband that was chomping at the bit to do this

BEFORE we were even trained in how to zip...insane.

Happy Birthday Daspri!

First Day of Kindergarten!!!!

2011-08-24T01:59:00.002-05:00

Oh my word!
Is this really my child?!
I can't believe it's already time for school.
I love her in this little outfit...so cute!
She was so excited about the bow I made her.

Kennedy and her daddy
(so thankful she has a daddy that truly wants to be there
for things like this). He's pretty awesome. : )

Love this girl : )

This is her beautiful teacher Mrs. Bowen.
K loves her already.

Her best friend Jane got to be in the same class!

The first day went so smoothly and even though
I was emotional, I managed to keep it together.
I had to run across to my classroom and greet my
sweet kindergartners, & didn't want to greet them in tears.
Thank you Lord for a great first day!!!

Her least favorite parts: "The sitting down time" (ha!)
Her favorite parts: "lunch and snack time"
(like mother like daughter...gotta have social time
and food makes it all the better) : )

Getting Ready & Excited! (+fun bow tutorial)

2011-08-22T17:13:00.000-05:00

We've been busy trying to get ready for school.
I missed teacher in-service because of everything going on,
so I feel like I have been in constant catch up mode lately.
It's not only my first day of school,
but Kennedy starts Kindergarten too!!!

My friend Carrie and I wanted to make a first day of school
surprise for her daughter (K's best friend) & Kennedy.
We got some ribbon and made them some fun bows
(ad had a great time hanging out while we were at it). : )

They were so easy to make:
1. cut strips of ribbon & lay out a pattern.
2. tie each one onto a barrett one at a time (once).
3. start to tie it again, but stop mid way and put a little dab
of hot glue where the knot will be to hold the knot.
4. Trim the ends and singe them with a lighter.
Wala! New fun bow!

Then it was time to get organized for my at home days.
The school that we go to is a University Model school,
so it meets two days at school and then you have
review & work time on your at home days.

I don't have a room to do any type of "schooling" in,
so I was trying to find a small space solution for all of
her papers and assignments.

In the front:
I have the assignments she needs to complete for each day
Once she completes 3, she will get to have a 20-30 minute break.

In the back:
I will file all of the papers she brings home.

I am hoping this system works...we'll see.

I also got my little calendar drawn out...fun stuff. : )

Finality (My Mother's Homegoing)

2011-08-11T23:06:00.007-05:00

What a week...I am still having a hard time finding the words
or even communicating how I am feeling right now.
A week ago, I was weeping at my mom's bedside,
praying for the Lord to be merciful and take her home.
On August 7, 2011, He did just that.
I am filled with such a mix of emotions right now.
I was ready for her to be free from that state of life,
but now that it's happened, the finality of it all is hitting me.
I think it's because what I really wanted was for her
to not be sick anymore, but to still be with me,
Don't we all?
I don't know anyone that is great at goodbyes,
especially if it might be a long time before you get to see each other again.
I keep having to remind myself that this really happened,
and I am sure I'll have to keep doing that.
There are so many changes to get used to.
Little changes, like saying, "my dad's house"
Big changes like every tradition and special occasion forever being different.
As my dad said, the size of the hole that she left is a testament to her,
but I sit here feeling a little overwhelmed by that hole...
SO GRATEFUL to have such an amazing, loving, encouraging, servant-hearted, fun, Jesus-loving, memory-making mom, and
SO SAD to have to live this life without her in it anymore.
I am not even sure what that's going to look like
and I have had several people tell me not to
expect these feelings to go away anytime soon.
That it will just hit you all of a sudden even years after.
I can definitely see that.

Thank You Jesus, for giving me a mom that truly loved me, that delighted in me and made sure I knew it. Thank You that this is so hard, because it means we had it so good. Thank you for the hope I have in knowing that this isn't the end...that I haven't lost her because I know exactly where she is and will see her again. What a treasure we have in that hope. Thank You for reminding us that we will walk through trials, but You will not let us be overcome by them if we walk through them with You. You are sufficient. You will sustain us. You will even bring joy and new traditions...You make all things new. Thank you for being close to the broken-hearted and for understanding the pain of separation from someone you deeply love. How would I ever go through this life without You? I love you Lord and I ask that you would please fill in the gaping hole as only You can.

We had my mom's visitation on Tuesday and it was amazing.
People were lined up out of the doors for over 3 hours.
I felt so badly for the people waiting in the heat,
but it spoke volumes about what a special woman she was (is).
On Wednesday we had her service and it was beautiful.
I spent most of my time before the service getting the program together, making the video slide show, and writing my mom's obituary.
They were all hard things to do, emotionally,
but it was also good for me to be busy.
I also needed to get all of the worship section together.
My friend Chris helped me find a singer for Redeemer,
a song by, Nicole C. Mullen, one of my mom's favorites,
the worship leader at my parents church was handling the hymns,
and my uncle Brett was going to sing I will Rise, by Chris Tomlin.
All of the details were done,
but I was still a little nervous about everything going well.
I just wanted it to be perfect for her.
God was so good.
The singing...amazing,
the videos played with out a hitch,
and the message was so glorifying to the Lord.
The only thing that would have made it better, is her sitting with me.
It was a hard day, harder than I even expected.
Seeing my dad be so broken.
-My mom made him a little hankie in her final weeks that read,
"You made all my dreams come true"...
He gripped it through the service.
Also seeing my husband, who was very close with her, also broken.
These are men that rarely even get misty, so that was hard to see.
But amidst all of the events of the day
and the trying to keep it together,
we were so happy with how everything went
and were so blessed to see so many precious friends & family.
I can't tell you how amazing they have all been.
If you are one of them, thank you, thank you, thank you.
How can we ever repay these people
that have so selflessly poured into our lives!?

I'll leave you with two videos from the service:
The first one is of Kennedy singing This Little Light of Mine by Addison Road.
My mom tried to write her grandchildren letters about life, advice, etc... and said she just couldn't find the words. Then she came across this song and asked me to make CD's for all of the grand children. I played it a few times for Kennedy and she memorized just about every word. When my mom got to the point where she couldn't see Kennedy or Adelynn anymore, I made a video of Kennedy singing, so that she could watch it whenever she wanted. After she saw it, she asked me to please play it at the funeral. She wanted people to see "that powerful little light" and hear the words to the song.

This is the video tribute that I made for my mom's funeral:

And for my family that's out of town and didn't get to read it,
this is my mom's obituary:

Victoria Lee (Garton) Hillian

May 9, 1956 –August 7, 2011

55 years of Age

Rogers, Arkansas

Victoria, or “Vicky,” as most people knew her, was born in Pendleton, Oregon on May 9, 1956, to Kenneth and Diamond (Griggs) Garton. She was a joyful, loving, and imaginative child. She had two brothers, Gary Garton and Brett Garton, and a sister, Debby (Garton) Langston, all of whom she loved dearly. They later moved to Fayetteville, Arkansas where they stayed while she was growing up. After graduating, she moved to Little Rock, Arkansas and finished cosmetology school. In 1975, she married her sweetheart, Russell Hillian. They had a special love that few others know. Soon after, they began their family. They had two daughters, Vanessa (Hillian) Knight and Ashley (Hillian) Keylor. After getting back into church, the realized that even thought they had both grown up going to church, neither of them truly had a relationship with the Lord. The Lord changed their hearts and lives and they were never the same. Vicky was an amazing wife and mother, who knew how to make every moment special. In 1984, they moved to their farmhouse in Rogers, Arkansas. Vicky was constantly setting an example by the way she lived her life. She woke up every morning and spent time with the Lord. She was a servant to all and loved others so fully. She showed her love by her actions and kept Christ at the center of everything she did. Even in the end, she was constantly praising her Savior and talking about His goodness in her life. She was a wonderful grandmother. She would light up at the sight of her grandchildren’s faces and was always ready to play. Vicky was also a loving daughter, sister, and friend. She loved to spend her free time singing, working in the yard, water skiing, riding the motorcycle with Russ, snow skiing, and exercising, and working on one creative project after another. She was one of the hardest workers most people will ever know, and she loved every minute of it. Vicky had a heart of gold and was an absolute joy to be around. She was deeply loved and will be deeply missed by all of her family and friends.

She is survived by her husband, Russ Hillian, of Roger, Arkansas; Her daughters, Vanessa Knight of Pudong, China and Ashley Keylor of Springdale, Arkansas; Her grandchildren Caleb Knight, Luke Knight, Kennedy Keylor, and Adelynn Keylor; Her parents, Kenneth and Diamond Garton; Her siblings Gary Garton, Debby Langston, and Brett Garton. She also leaves behind her beloved cousins, nieces, nephews, and precious friends.

Visitation will be at Rollins Funeral Home located at 1401 Hudson Road Rogers, AR 72756, on Tuesday, August 9, 2011, from 5:00pm-7:00pm. Her service will be at First Baptist of Rogers, located at 3364 W Pleasant Grove Rd, Rogers, Arkansas, on Wednesday, August 10, 2011, at 2:00 pm. Rollins Funeral Home will be handling the funeral arrangements. For more information, you may call them at (479) 631-6617. You may also view pictures and information online at www.rollinsfuneral.com If you would like to honor Vicky’s life with a gift, you may send a donation in her honor to Arkansas Children’s Hospital, a place that has always been close to her heart (1 Children’s Way, Little Rock, Arkansas, 72202-3591).

The Hillian family would like to thank all of the amazing people in their lives for their prayers, support, service to the family, and for their encouragement along this difficult road. We are overwhelmed by your love and kindness. Thank you with all our hearts.

...........................................................................................................

Thank you all so much for bearing with me as I have walked (and written) through this. I hope to have many joyful things to write about soon, but I appreciate you just being where I am at and having a heart for what we've been dealing with. Your encouragement and prayers for my family are so appreciated.

Adelynn's 2nd Birthday!

2011-08-06T00:47:00.002-05:00

This past Monday we celebrated Adelynn's 2nd Birthday.
I wanted everything to be as normal as possible despite
all that's going on and God was so faithful in helping it happen.
I went to wal-mart around midnight or so to try to find all that I needed...
decorations, plates, her present, party favors, etc...
I went in, wondered around in a fog for a while,
with very little idea of what I was even looking for,
and then it started clicking.
I found plates, a table cloth, streamers, etc..
I also found these little sidewalk chalk containers
and some ribbon to tie around them for party favors.

(I also ordered the cake this year (from Harps),
since I wasn't going to be home during the day
and they did a GREAT job! I was so impressed!)

I wasn't sure what to get her for her birthday,
so I wondered through the toys,
trying to think of all the things she loves doing,
and then I saw it!
A little cozy coupe!
When we were at our friends house a few days ago,
she loved their cozy coupe.
She stayed out in the hot sun instead of getting into the pool
because she didn't want to get out of the car. : )
and here it sat...on sale and totally affordable!
God is so good!

This is the swimsuit my mom bought for K.

Her best buddy had the same one. What are the chances?

She LOVED her car!

Her cousins, Caleb and Luke, got to come to her party this year.

After the sun started to go down,

we headed outside for some water fun : )

When we came back in the girls wanted to watch a little bit of a movie

and of course Adelynn wanted to watch it in her car...so cute. : )

We wish Mimi and Papa and Nana and Pop Pop could have been there,
but it was still a very special day for our special gal.

Update on My Mom

2011-07-31T23:11:00.006-05:00

I am so sorry to those of you who are relying on me for updates on my mom.

It's been a little crazy around here lately.

We didn't go on our San Antonio trip, but we took a little mini vacation to Branson for a couple of days (July 16th and 17th) and were thankful she was even able to make that trip.

On that Saturday we had a great day together and my mom seemed to rally for a little while. She was even able to get in the pool with the kids for a little bit.
It was heaven to see her smiling and so happy.
Sunday was a different story. She woke up sick...very sick.
She couldn't keep anything down ...including her medicine, which meant that not only was she sick, she was also in a ton of pain. This went on for a few days. We tried to give her medicine to take away the nausea, but nothing seemed to helped.
Her nurse suggested that we bring her to the hospice house for a couple of days so they could try to get her medications figured out and get her pain under control.
We didn't tell most people about this because we needed her to be resting as much as possible and didn't want to panic anyone.
That's also where we celebrated my birthday.
It was a strange day...I felt so blessed to spend it with my mom,
but when she started to sing Happy Birthday,
I realized it would be the last time I would hear her do that.
I just sat down next to her, hugged her, and wept.

It ended up being a little over a week before she could come home and she was more than ready. The people at Hospice were more than wonderful,
but anyone that knows my mom knows how much she loves freedom.
When she got home she was so cute.
She could only be up for a minute or two at a time, but when she was up she was constantly tinkering and doing around as much as she could. : )

My mom wanted to take my sister and I out for dinner,
but since she couldn't, I planned for us to have a little pretend dinner instead.
It was such a sweet night together.

After she got back from the Hospice House,
it didn't take long for her to start getting really sick again and she still is.
She's not doing well at all.
Her little body is so frail and is in so much pain.
Her legs and feet are so swollen and bruised,
and through it all, she still has the same sweet little concern for others and sense of humor.
She still praises the Lord and talks about how she's not going to say goodbye because we'll see each other soon.
We still do plenty of crying though because we also know
that we'll miss each other like crazy.

Today my uncle Brett and his wife Julie came to sing to my mom.
You need to know that my mom's most favorite
thing in the world is to sing with Brett.
She usually sings beautifully and harmonizes so sweetly.
She tried a few times to sing, but when she couldn't,
she just sat smiling and dozing off every few seconds
She'd wake up and get tickled at herself for having fallen asleep again
and would tell us to wake her up because
she didn't want to miss a minute of it.
We all just gathered around her singing and praising Jesus
and when each song was over, she'd say,
"Oh that's beautiful! Thank you! Thank you! Thank you!"
or "I just want to soak it in"
She's so precious...and if it's possible, even cuter than before.

Thankfully I recorded a little of it and could get a picture off of the video:

It's been so difficult to watch her little body become frail
and to see her feel so horrible, but God has definitely
given us some precious precious moments together.
Today was one of those unexpected days...hard but beautiful.
I am excited for my mom, that one day soon,
she will be hearing beautiful voices singing all of the time
and she will be singing right along side them.
I am praying that the Lord would take away her pain soon...
even as hard as that is to pray.
I think it's the first time in my life that I have had to
completely die to myself in order to pray something.
I want it so badly for her, but dread living this life without her.

I'll leave you with a few verses that have spoken to my heart lately.
I wish I could explain how God has sustained us through this journey.
I know there are probably those that read this and don't understand why you would praise Jesus in a time like this, but He has proven Himself faithful, loving, and wise over and over again in my life and continues to do so through this trial.
I don't believe because I just choose to,
I believe because I have seen and know...
and now I lean into the knowledge of His past provision and goodness.

Psalm 73:26
My flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever.
Nahum 1:7
The LORD is good, a refuge in times of trouble. He cares for those who trust in him,

Struggling

2011-07-05T02:28:00.005-05:00

Ugh...I am having such a hard time lately.
My mom is not doing better.
She's much worse than even a week ago.
It kills me to see her like this.
I try to distract myself constantly,
but as soon as I think about my mom
I just can't hold myself together.
I know that it's okay to cry,
but I don't feel like I can do that 24/7.
I have two beautiful girls relying on me.
I have friends that need me,
and work that has to get done.
It's always crazy to me how life
just goes on around you,
even when you feel like it should stop.
In a strange way, I am thankful for the busyness.
I dread being alone with my thoughts.
Does that make sense?

It's gotten bad enough that I had to talk to K about it.
She's known for a while that Mimi was sick
and not feeling well, but it's moved beyond that.
I needed to tell her about what might happen.
I didn't even know how to do that with a 5 year old.
I did a some research to make sure
it was the right thing to do and they all agreed.
I dreaded it, but the Lord was so good.
I even kept my emotions in check for most of it
(which is miraculous in and of itself at this point).
Once it began to sink in, she asked me some questions
and then she cried as she told me how she'd miss Mimi.
We both cried and hugged, and then we talked a little more.
I think it went as well as it could've
and I am so thankful for that.
Please continue to pray for my mama.
She's hurting so badly
and still having a lot of trouble getting a breath.
I know that this is generally a fun family blog,
but thank you for letting me be real about my heart
and thank you for praying with me. I am so grateful.

Random Fun Things

2011-07-05T02:03:00.004-05:00

Kennedy wanted me to wear my hair the same as hers,
so I obliged.
It's crazy how similar our hair is. We really are twinkies. : )

We got to go see some of our sweet friends Sara and AJ (and their precious kiddos) the other night. It was so good to catch up and watch our kids play.

They loved holding hands and all jumping in at the same time.

Eating watermelon and learning how to spit out the seeds : )

My dad built a little rope swing.
It's just like the one he built for my sister
and I at our old farm house. It's perfect : )

Making some memory stepping stones for my mom
(or trying b/c apparently we are not smart enough to figure out the craft designed for children. ha!)

Our little mess (-y girl)

2011-07-05T01:50:00.006-05:00

Many of you have heard me tell you
what a mess Adelynn is.
Just about every day, I walk in to find that she has taken off
her diaper (sometimes scarier than others),
taken off her clothes, and ransacked her room.

Here are some examples:

This is how she looked when I woke her up the other day.

I couldn't help but get tickled
(one pig tail pulled out, shirt over her head, and rain boots on...nice!)

She gets in trouble every time,
then I talk to her about what no to do again
and she sweetly says, "O-tay mama, O-tay."
Yes. just like buckwheat. : )
She is a mess...literally.
Toilet paper, trash, my purse...
there's no safe place from this child.
She even gets out of a buckled seat of you aren't watching.
Houdini!
She wears me out,
but she is also very sweet, cuddly, and loving.
It's a good thing,
because it definitely helps fill me back up.
I LOVE you crazy girl...more than you know.

4th of July

2011-07-05T01:07:00.008-05:00

We started off our 4th of July celebrations by going with some friends to their neighborhood fireworks show. It was a last minute thing, but I am glad we went. It was a great fireworks show and we ended up running into some other friends while we were there as well.
There's something so fun about sitting outside
and hanging out with some friends...
watching kiddos run around.
It's refreshing and something we don't do enough of.
I also got to try out my "fireworks" setting on my camera...

They turned out so well : )

For the actual 4th of July, my mom wanted
to try to have us over to their house,
but she started feeling even worse,
so we had it at our house.
I didn't find out until late the night before,
so I had some last minute decorations to come up with,
but I had fun improvising
and got to try some fun ideas I had found on the internet.
(the little sparkler sticks, medallion decorations on the chalkboard, and patriotic strawberries)
We didn't have the right things on hand, so we made do with what we had
(blue food coloring and sugar to make the blue sprinkles, scrapbook paper for the medallions, etc...
Not as grand but still fun and festive)

K helped me make the strawberries
("When can I eat one mama?")

My dad, Vanessa, and her boys came to celebrate with us.
My mom was planning on coming, but just couldn't.
I understood, but I was definitely disappointed and sad.
It's just not the same without her.
She would have loved the fun decorations.
She's usually out there dancing around with sparklers like a kid.

my cute hubby, my sister (visiting from China), and my sweet dad.

Dad, Adelynn, and Caleb (my sister's oldest)

Dasun and Luke
(Uncle Dasun is always a favorite on both sides of the family)

silly faces

my sister

First Fracture

2011-07-01T10:59:00.003-05:00

Adelynn tripped the other day while playing.
It wasn't even a big fall,
but I guess she caught herself in just the right way.
Afterwards, she was just acting really emotional
(crying when I'd walk away to get something,
whining about little things, etc...), so I just thought
she didn't get a good nap and was tired.
After dinner, I took her
to get her ready for an early bedtime.
I raised her arm to put her pj shirt on
and she belted out a scream.
I knew then, that she wasn't just tired.
I checked again a couple of times
and then headed to go get it x-rayed.
Sure enough...she had fractured both bones in her wrist.
Poor girl.
She'll have to wear this for a month,
IF she'll keep it on.
She's already figured out how to get it off
and has done so 5 times already!
I'm tellin' ya'...Houdini.
In the meantime, I think she's the cutest
cast wearing girl ever. : )

An Update on My Mom

2011-06-28T01:00:00.004-05:00

For those that don't know my mom, she has been battling breast cancer (that eventually metastasized to her chest wall and liver) for about 2 years now. She is one of the sweetest women alive, she loves Jesus more than anything, and is my best friend.

An Update:

My mom hasn’t been doing very well. That’s actually a big understatement. She has been very sick to her stomach and having trouble breathing (catching her breath) for a while now. She actually said that she feels worse than the entire time she was going through chemo. She’s extremely tired and in a ton of pain. She called me the other day to tell me that she isn’t sure that she can go on the family trip we’ve been planning. A family trip that means a lot to her. She just kept saying that my dad worked really hard to win this trip (with his work) and that she wanted us to go no matter what. When I protested, she insisted that it was priority and that it was very important to her. She talked about how proud she was of him and how hard these last 2 years have been on him…how she wants this for him. After we hung up, I just broke down as the reality of all of this hit me. I think I have been trying to be in denial about all of this for as long as possible. It’s something I try desperately not to think about, but it’s always right below the surface.

A couple of days later, she met with her doctor had a CT scan to see if they could see anything, and what they saw wasn't good. I worried that it wasn’t because she didn’t call me. I called her later that evening and I could tell that she was hesitant to tell me what they found over the phone. When they last looked, her cancer had already spread into her chest wall and liver, but now it's even more active in her liver and has also spread to her lungs and her vertebrae. When she called me with the news, we both wept and talked for a long time. It was good, but it was also very hard. I wish you could hear the way she praises Jesus through all of this. She’s constantly talking about His goodness, His many blessings throughout her life, and His sovereignty. She’s such a blessing to me.

They put her on some different meds for pain and for nausea, but she still struggled really badly.

Today they met with her oncologist to discuss what else they could do. He said that her liver was really enlarged and that was probably a big reason for her pain and nausea. He said there’s almost no more room in there. He also said that there was about 2 liters of fluid in her lungs, which is also a big part of the problem. They are going to be aspirating her lungs tomorrow, so hopefully that will help. They also want to do more radiation on her liver to hopefully ease her pain (we’re not sure when they will schedule this yet). I know it’s not a magic bullet, but I am thankful for anything they might be able to do to ease her pain.

Our family trip isn't until July 13th (so about 2 weeks), so please continue praying about that. I can't imagine leaving her here if she's not feeling good, but I also feel the need to honor whatever she wants. I can't imagine our trip without her. I tried to encourage her about different things that we could do so that it wouldn't be such a strain on her and told her that we would rather her be with us, even if all she feels like doing is sitting by the pool, but she's still not sure she can. I know that a trip is kind of small potatoes compared to what she's been through, but it's a big deal to all of us, so please pray about that with us. Please also pray for me, that God would give me the grace and strength to be all that she needs me to be for her.

I love you all and thank you so much for being invested in our lives. Thank you for praying with us. I wish you knew how much that means to all of us.

*For those of you that know her and want to talk with her, please know that she would love to hear from you, but she has almost no energy. It’s even hard for her to talk on the phone for any amount of time. If you would like to write her, just e-mail me and I’d be glad to tell you her address.

Father's Day 2011

2011-06-25T01:54:00.005-05:00

We had a great Father's day this year.

I am so thankful that I have great dad's
to celebrate in my life.
I couldn't ask for Kennedy and Adelynn
to have a better daddy
and I think my dad is pretty awesome as well.

We started off the day making Dase a big breakfast.
When I asked him, he requested a big omelet & sticky buns,
so that's what we had.
Then it was time for presents.
Kennedy really wanted to get him
some neon rainbow swim trunks,
but I talked her into getting him some grey and black ones.
He thanked me.
She also wanted to get him a basketball movie,
but kept seeming to only find princess movies...
hmmmm...suspicious. : )
I reminded her that we weren't shopping for her.

You can't see it very well,
but the card has a drawing of Dasun in it,
complete with hairy legs (like sticks coming out of his legs).
I LOVE it...makes me grin every time I see it.

We also got him a day of fun with one of his buddies.
A day of golf (cart included) at a really nice course.
He was excited!

Then I told my dad to meet me and surprised him
with a Date night to see a baseball game.

This is the card I made him:

We don't get to spend time alone very often, so it's always fun.
He's such a fun dad.
We talked throughout the whole game.

We got pretty tickled at this... (poor guy)

and we had a great time!
He's the best. : ) ...so thankful. : )

Blind Hatred ($5 fix)

2011-06-25T01:20:00.002-05:00

The title says it all.
I hate blinds.
Not the nice wooden blinds or even the faux wood blinds,
I am talking plasticky, easily broken, hard to clean,
not-easy-on-the-eyes, blinds.
Don't get me wrong, I am very thankful for them.
When we moved in, we didn't realize that
neighbors could see in our house from every angle.
We had already spent all of our money (on appliances,etc...),
so my mom and dad sweetly ran and got us
some blinds so that we could have some privacy,
then later, I ended up covering them with curtains
because I hated the way they looked.
So we virtually had no light coming in our house.
I have been slowly trying to replace them all.

The blinds on our back yard door,
were the absolute worst.
Imagine a dog and two kiddos constantly working them over.
They were beat up to say the least and impossible to clean.

Lovely.

I am not sure why it took me so long,
but one night I finally had it,
and decided to do something about that door.
I told Dasun I was running to wal-mart,
measured from the top of the window to the floor and
asked him to please take down the blinds while I was gone.
I had absolutely no plan.

I found some material on sale for $4.00 (woo hoo!)
I wasn't going to be too picky, but I happened to love it anyway.
Simple, but a little bit of a pattern, and thin enough to let light in.

I roamed the aisles looking at what I could figure out.
People probably thought I was lost or really confused.
I wasn't sure how to hang them or how to tie them back.
It's a metal door and since we are trying to sell,
I didn't want to do anything too permanent.

WHAT I DID:

I decided to just use ribbon instead of a rod

and use the existing (from the blinds) brackets.
I also used some handy dandy hem tape to make it even easier.

I measured and cut to make sure the material was just right,
I made a quick hem at the top of the material,
and then I ran the ribbon through, making sure to pull it really taught.

I wrapped it around several time to make sure it was secure,

and then fed the extra through the hole at the bottom so that it wouldn't stick out.

This next part is going to look really cheap, but I promise you can't see it.
I used a little sticky hook (package of 6 for $.93)
and tied a ribbon around it to use as a tie back.

Let's refresh your memory on the BEFORE:

Here's the after!
Not bad for $5 and about 30 minutes work (or less).

Here it is tied back:
(I used black ribbon to tie the cabinets in a little)

The only problem now,
is that I am frustrated that it took me so long to do this.

Our Big Girl

2011-06-24T01:10:00.003-05:00

Well, there have been a lot of changes around here lately as our wee one grows up.
We moved her into a big girl bed.
That was a nervous move because
this girl gets into EVERYthing!
She keeps me on my toes constantly
and still manages to get into things
even when I am watching her.
So, to shut the door and sleep,
knowing she can get out was a little nerve racking. ha!
She did great!...for about 2 weeks,
then the ransacking of the room began.
Clothes, diapers, books, ...littered the floor.
Yea.
She's doing better now (knock on wood).

Then because we are gluttons for punishment,
I decided to try to potty train her a little early.

This is before it was used, so don't freak out.
I handed it to her to talk about it and she immediately put it on her head.
I don't know if you remember when I potty trained Kennedy,
but she did the same thing! Too funny! Makes me so proud. ha!

She's only 22 months,
but Lora Jensen says that's the perfect time to potty train.
Lora was wrong. ha!
When I potty trained Kennedy at 25 months...3 days & done!
Adelynn on the other hand,
it's been 8 days since we started
and though she's improved a lot,
we're still having about 2 accidents/ day.
Much improved from the 9 accidents before nap
on the 1st day (oh the memories).
but I think she's just a little too young to get it
and the communication is harder too.
Probably depends on your kiddo.

Here are some pictures from the 1st day:

Look at that little hiney - love it! I also can't believe how big K is getting!

After we put her in big girl panties,
she went in and put on her rain boots...
a sign of things to come. ha!

And my favorite picture...

adorable!
Love this crazy girl (and her crazy sister).

Fun Reading Lessons -Getting Creative

2011-06-19T02:36:00.003-05:00

So, my headstrong child and I sometimes clash.

Most of the time, we don't...
we love all of the same things,
we have a great time together,
and she just plain cracks me up.
However, teaching her is another story.
Yes, I am a teacher. Yes, I normally LOVE teaching
and yes, I have been able to teach some crazy kiddos
in my 10 years of teaching,
but this child is another story.
There's an emotional element that makes it
much harder when she's not "feelin' it".
She never acts like that for anyone else (lucky me),
so I know it's more emotional for her too.
Girls and MORE emotion = unpleasant

We have been really working on using what she knows
to begin reading and writing. She's such a smart girl and can do anything she puts her mind to, the only problem is, it has to be her mind that chooses it.
Don't get me wrong, she'll obey, but whining,
inattentiveness, and a pitiful attitude soon follow.
Then her mother's patience begins to unravel. ha!

I have been trying to find fun ways for us to do this
and this one was a BIG hit.
It helped that she was swinging during the whole "lesson".
She read every word I put out there
and I must have given her at least 10 different words.
I knew she could do it if she'd try.
I loved seeing her get so excited when she's figure it out.

I used our little stepping stones to write out letters:

Once she'd get it, we would CELEBRATE!,

and then I'd change one of the letters.

sometimes the first, sometimes the middle, sometimes the last.

Once she gets a little more comfortable with this,
I'll start putting blends ( sp-o-t).
Then I'll let her make words for me to read
and get a little writing practice in as well.
*As another fun reward, I sometimes draw a picture
of the word she just read, if she gets it right. She loves that.

11 YEARS!!!

2011-06-19T01:08:00.004-05:00

We got a little gussied up and all went out to celebrate. : )

We all went out to dinner at Outback
which is a favorite of ours...cheese fries please!

Then we went to Cherry Berry Frozen Yogurt...yum!

Look at my big beautiful girl. : )

Love this sweet ball of joy (with strawberries on her nose)!

My HUSBAND wrote this for me!
You have to know what his handwriting normally
looks like to fully appreciate it, but this is amazing!
My sweet Kennedy drew the 11 flowers. : )

For our presents we decided to make our gifts.
Dasun made me a sweet book of 11 things
(11 funny memories, 11 things he loves about me, etc...).
I loved it! I cried.
For my gift, I decided to take a cool photograph.
I took a fun picture of our shoes
in front of Dasun and I's 1st apartment.
These are a couple that I took:

The last one is the one I had framed for him
and I wrote him a little letter on the back.

Fun Visits with Family and Friends

2011-06-18T00:31:00.000-05:00

We got to have a month full of visits from friends and family.
We of course didn't get pictures of every one, but here are a few
that we did manage to capture.

Our sweet friends The Rainers finally got to come visit us:

We also got to see some of out awesome California relatives
(minus their beautiful daughter Lindsey).

My Mom & Dad, James & Cindi, & our family

Playing a little Toss Up : )

We also got to have a visit from Dasun's brother
and sister-in-law and their 4 kiddos.

The kiddos sleeping "like sausages" as my mom would say.

We took them to the Farmer's Market
& too Mama Carmen's Coffee Shop

We also got some slip and slide and water rocket fun in

and roasted some 'mallows. : )

Just a swinging

2011-06-17T03:04:00.001-05:00

Dasun took this of all of us trying to swing at the same time.
They both wanted to swing with me, so I told them we'd try.
He didn't think I could do it, so of course I had to try.
I lasted for about two minutes
and then had to have some help. ha!
Worth a try. : )

Kennedy Graduates Pre-K

2011-05-29T02:00:00.001-05:00

Family Camp 2011

2011-05-29T01:31:00.005-05:00

We got to go to family camp with our church this year and we had a blast!

We had chapel a couple of times a day and our kids were cracking us up with their dance moves.
A little break dancing, a little free style, and a little Irish Riverdance. ha!

This is most of our community group
(missed you Akins & Pipers!)

The first family chapel assignment was to make these little bracelets together.

The next day it was supposed to storm ALL day.
I prayed all week for at least one sunny day.
I know it's a measly prayer...not really a big deal,
but we prayed anyway.
It was a splurge for us to go to family camp
and we wanted our girls to really enjoy it.
We got up the next day to
AWESOME BEAUTIFUL weather!
Praise the Lord!
Apparently we had all been praying,
b/c I kept hearing that it was an answer to prayer.
It couldn't have been nicer.
We had breakfast, chapel, and then we had a field day,
complete with duck launching, egg tossing, gorilla aiming, etc....

The dizzy bat spin...always nice and humbling. ha!

My friend Heather took this one of Adelynn...so sweet.
tuckered.out.
We were so excited to get to go with
some of our friends from our community group.

This is one of my sweet sweet friends, Sara. : )
I wish we could have gotten all the mamas together for a quick picture.

The rest of the day was open for whatever....
One of which was horse riding.

Oh my goodness...what a cutie!

Another option: swimming in the COLD pool!
(Look at Adelynn's legs all tensed up. ha!)

The rings!
Dasun did this 6 times until he finally made it all the way across.
Yeah...he was feelin' that the next day.

Water slides
(thanks to Olivia for this picture. ha!)

there were even kayaks, canoes, and fishing areas.
It was such a fun day!
....and then our camera died...wah.wah.
I think we'll definitely save up and go again next year.
Fun times!

Sweet Sisters

2011-05-29T01:26:00.001-05:00

Sure...my girls are normal.
They have their moments of selfishness and arguing,
but they also have a sincere love and like for each other.
I love the way Kennedy watches out for her and delights in her.
I love the way Adelynn cracks up at Kennedy and tries to do everything she does.
When I hear them giggling together,
It brings me so much joy.
They are such a blessing to me.

Adelynn's 1st Pony Tail

2011-05-29T01:24:00.001-05:00

I love this SWEET girl and this sweet little head!

Bird Update!

2011-05-29T01:13:00.001-05:00

I feel like a bird stalker.
I have been creeping around the nest and taking pictures constantly.
The little Robin eggs hatched on Mother's Day!
I love seeing their little mouths open
waiting on their mama to bring them food...so cute!

The mama was very skittish, so it took me a really long time to get a picture of her.
Here's two mama's with worms in their mouths.
Robins are known for their good mothering.
I have loved watching them.

In mid May, the birds left their nest.
We actually had some friends over for dinner
and when he tried to go out to the car,
he got dive bombed by birds trying to fly. ha!!!
I sure am glad our babies leave the nest much slower. : )

Day with my Mom : )

2011-05-29T00:33:00.003-05:00

My mom and I got to have to whole day together!
It was such a treat!
I know that we live close, but time with just the two of us is a rarity.
We are trying to make it happen more often though.
She's so fun. : )

First we went to one of her favorite flea markets called Daisies and Olives.
We both love antique stores and flea markets.
My mom always finds neat things and tells me stories
about when she was growing up...what it used to be used for, etc...
It's always been one of my favorite things to do with her. always.

Then we did a little more looking and some crazy house hunting. We climbed up some leaned over fence posts to get on the back porch of an empty house that was for sale. We both thought we were going to fall or injure ourselves, but we're both crazy enough to try it anyway.

I LOVE that about her!
I don't think I fully realized how fun she was until I was in my 20's or so.
She's a hoot. : )

Then we got to go out to a beautiful lunch...
part of her birthday celebration.
I made her agree to let me buy before we went,
to cut down on the inevitable arguing over the check
that always ensues when we go out.

Look at this scenery! What a perfect day!

love this lady.

Chipotle Grand Opening!

2011-05-20T00:52:00.001-05:00

Why does Chipotle deserve a post?

Well...It happens to be my husbands all time favorite place to eat.
He has wanted a chipotle here for a very long time.
On May 10th, we finally got one!
I told him to show me his excited face and I got
this creepy scared face instead. ha!!

The lone was forever long, but there were rails to play on so the girls were satisfied and the food was very good! Even the cashier posed when she saw me taking a picture...what a good sport!

(notice Kennedy already eating...did I mention the wait was loooong? : )

Then we went to play on the train...always a downtown favorite.

Then I got to snap these sweet picts...

Selling our home

2011-05-16T00:30:00.001-05:00

I have been working my tail off since school got out
preparing our house to be on the market.
-cleaning - organizing - de-cluttering - taking pictures
-making flyers -more cleaning -blog making
-wrangling kids to keep them out of the pictures...
I forgot how much work this is!
We have been ready to sell for a long time,
but it always seemed like it wasn't a good time
(newborn babies and other busy life things).

The time is finally here and we are ready...
but...I will always LOVE this house.

It was our first home.
Our first huge purchase together.
It was the home we brought
Kennedy and Adelynn home to.
It is the home that we have laughed hard,
cried hard, played hard, and just lived life in.
I love our little house!
If I could just pick it up and move it somewhere else,
I totally would.
I am not a greedy person, always needing bigger and better.
I am fine with my little house.
It's easier to clean and even though it's small,
I think it's pretty cute.
She's been good to us. : )

However, I am a farm girl
and living in a neighborhood has
never really felt like home to me.
I love trees, room to run and play.
Leaving the windows open at night
without having to worry about people seeing into your house
or hearing car stereos blaring as they drive by.
I do love old houses, so I would settle for a neighborhood
if I found an adorable character filled home,
but I'd love a little land if possible.
We can fix the house as long as it's affordable enough,
It doesn't have to be huge or even nice.
We're pretty easy to please.
I even get excited about the prospect of
possibly fixing something up,
but my husband doesn't share my
"fix 'er up" enthusiasm, so for the sake of our marriage,
it can't be in too horrible of shape. : )

But before we can even think about that,
we have to sell this one (fingers crossed).
For our memories sake,
I thought I would post some pictures of our house.
I am always worried that
we'll loose our pictures somehow (water, fires, etc...),
so I love that I can have this as a little memory back up.

Our Home
Not perfect, but special to us. : )

Living/Dining Area

Looking into the kitchen

Guest Bathroom (AKA the girls bathroom)

Adelynn's Room (also used to be Kennedy's when she was a baby)

Kennedy's Room

She made this bed by herself
(I can't believe how big she's getting!!!)

Laundry Room

Our Bedroom

Our Bathroom

Our backyard

and that's our first home : )

And the winner is.....

2011-05-15T22:19:00.000-05:00

Eleshia!
Congratulations!
I will be in touch. : )

Give Away -Clinique Happy

2011-05-13T19:53:00.004-05:00

In order to say thank you to you all
for all of your sweet comments and e-mails,
I have a fun give away to offer!
My favorite perfume is Clinique Happy.
It has been for years,
so it's fitting that the give away
is for some Clinique Happy items!

PRIZE:
1- 3.4 oz Clinique Happy Body Cream & 1-1.4 oz. Clinique Happy cooling shimmer gel
TO ENTER: Comment on this post with the words “Smellin' Happy!” ****MAKE SURE THAT I HAVE YOUR E-MAIL ADDRESS
BONUS QUESTION: ...share your favorite perfumes (was it Exclamation in the 80's, or something else equally awesome? Do you have a favorite now? : )
GIVEAWAY CLOSES: Sunday, May 15th at 8pm EST (announced Monday).
NUMBER OF WINNERS: One

Bits of wisdom...

2011-05-13T16:43:00.003-05:00

I had the tv on while folding laundry today and Oprah came on. I don't agree with Oprah on a lot of things, but I heard them talking about favorite life changing moments on Oprah, so I decided to watch. So many good things...pretty much cried the whole show. I posted this on facebook, but thought I'd post these bits of wisdom here for my girls to read one day.

One thing that stood out... "When your child walks in the room, does your face light up?" Toni Morrison was talking about how she noticed that she always had her critical or dismissive face on with her children. What a good thing to keep check on...let your children see your joy when they enter the room! I wasn't my children to KNOW how much I delight in them...no question. I tell them all of them time, but I want to make sure I am showing them with my face and my time. : )
Another thing..."When people show you who they are, believe them. If they show you they are selfish, mean, etc... believe them. They know themselves much better than you do." -Maya Angelou (Oh how I wish I would have known this sooner). Not that the Lord can't change a person...goodness knows He can and does...but you can't. If someone is broken, you can love them, be kind, help in small ways, but you cannot fix them. I especially want my girls to know this in dating. That it's not their job to stay in an unhealthy relationship for the sake of "helping." Your staying usually does the opposite. I learned this the hard way and had all the lovely baggage to prove it...poor Dasun. : ) I almost didn't know what to do with such a great guy... threw me for a loop. ha!
One last thing from the show...When you lose someone you love, you feel like you are betraying them by ever having any joy again...disrespecting them. Dr Phil said, "maybe the betrayal is in focusing on their death instead of the years they were vibrantly alive." I have felt this so many time in the loss of people that I love and care about. A guilt at life moving on, when something tragic has just happened. It just doesn't seem right. I can't imagine how much more I would feel if it hit even closer to home. I wanted to write this down to help me remember that truth. To celebrate their life and not forget to continue to live life with people that are still here, rather than shutting down. I know that's easier said than done, but I think it's important to remind yourself that shutting down isn't the right or best thing for anyone.

Updated: Painting Blog

2011-05-10T23:26:00.002-05:00

Can you tell school is over for me? ha!
I am catching up on a zillion things I had to put off for a while...
blogging was definitely one of those things.
I haven't updated The Busy Brush blog in forever,
but I am finally getting around to it.
I don't have all of my projects downloaded yet,
but I am at least a little closer to being caught up.

The Busy Brush Blog

Here are a couple of sneak peaks:

My Beautiul Mother

2011-05-09T00:58:00.011-05:00

This year, I decided to skip the card
and write my mom a little poem instead.
A very humble, unprofessional poem,
but one that would hopefully give her
a little window into my heart. : )
I am a VERY blessed girl.
I'm feeling especially thankful
to celebrate Mother's Day with her this year.
An unexpected, never again taken for granted, blessing.
Thank you Jesus

We got to have a little time by ourselves today
which is a rare occurrence (my 2 girls LOVE her too).
I got to read this to her and
thank her for all that she's endured...
All of it, allowing us this sweet time together.
I am more grateful to her than I can ever express.
I know it has not been easy.

My Beautiful Mother

My mother is beautiful,

There are a million reasons why.

As I sit here thinking of them all,

I immediately begin to cry.

She’s loved me constantly

Even when it wasn’t always easy.

She’s not afraid to dance in public,

Be silly, or even be a little cheesy.

She is someone I can count on,

To always cheer me on,

To be my biggest fan ,

Even in small things I’ve done.

Her voice is oh so lovely,

Whether she speaks or when she sings.

It’s soft and smooth and gentle

As she shares so many things.

She’s passionate and loving,

A servant’s heart indeed.

A woman who has taught me

To always look after other’s needs.

Generous, creative,

Talented, and funny,

A good friend to all,

A disposition, sunny.

All these things I have said

About her beauty rare,

Without even mentioning

Her sparkling eyes or cute new hair.

She is so many things to me

I can’t begin to name them all,

But I am so very thankful

For this woman I do call…

Mother.

By, Ashley Keylor

~May 8, 2011~