Sentimental...

These are the hands that thought me this game. They helped teach me to fish. These hands spoiled me rotten over and over again. These hands made me my first cup of "coffee" (milk with 2 drops of coffee in it) when I was young... Sippy cup young. These hands have always been there to hug me and to love me unconditionally. These hands are those of a long ago farmer. These are the hands of my grandfather whom I call Papa.  I am blessed to have him and am thankful to still have him here on this earth at the age of 89.  I've  made a few extra calls to him this week just to hear his voice and to tell him I love him. He means the world to me and although he is in excellent health right now and still able to live on his own with his wife. I know someday may come where I cant just pick up the phone and say I love you. So Im trying to do it every chance I get. He lives in Oklahoma and we are in Tennessee so we only see each other 2-4 times a year. He is an amazing man whom I respect and love. I am so thankful to God for him everyday!

Ham & Potatoes ''Casserole"

So after Easter most of us have lots of leftover ham... and most of us get sick of eating plain ham! So every year I make ham & potatoes a fam fave! So this year I added fresh green beans and voila insta meal! It was super easy and SUPER yummy!

You will need:

Leftover ham

5 or 6 golden potatoes (I prefer golden but you can use idaho or red)

3 cups fresh/frozen green beans (optional)

1 medium onion

1 stick butter

Olive oil

garlic (powder, cloves, whatever you have)

salt to taste

Grease a 13X9 dish with olive oil layer potatoes- season. Add diced onion, ham, and lastly green beans. Season and place butter tabs atop the green beans cover with foil bake in 350 oven for an hour to hour and a half (depending on how soft you want your green beans) and voila! Yummy Yum-O!

What I got.... What I spent....What I SAVED!

Ok... So I headed out to Walgreens last night for some major saving shopping! My total before Walgreens promos, coupons, and such was $105.52.... AFTER Walgreens promo discounts, coupons and including tax I paid a whopping $22.58! Not bad I say... Not bad at all! So here's what I got!

2 Arm and Hammer laundry detergents

1 pkg Stayfree Pads 

1 light up Easter Minnie Mouse cup

1 light up Easter Mickey Mouse wand (both were 50% off and made great filler items!)

2 pkgs of Men's Gillette Razors

1 toddler toothpaste

1 pkg manicure sticks

4 men's Gillette deodorants

4 men's Gillette body washes

4 men's Old Spice body washes

Total savings.... $82.94! Plus I got $3 back on the Stay Free pads... They were free.... Plus I made a $1 on them because I had a $1 off coupon! I LOVE couponing and the money it saves me!

Thankful Tuesday

"You Are My King"

I'm forgiven because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, You were condemned
I'm alive and well
Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

I'm forgiven because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well
Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love, how can it be?
That you, my king. would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
Its my joy to honor you
Amazing love how can it be?
That my king would die for me
Amazing love I know it's true
Its my joy to honor you
In all I do
I honor you

I'm forgiven because you were forsaken
I'm accepted, you were condemned
I'm alive and well
Your spirit is within me
Because you died and rose again

Amazing love how can it be
That you, my king would die for me
Amazing love, I know its true
It's my joy to honor you
Amazing love how can it be?
That you, my king, would die for me
Amazing love, I know its true
Its my joy to honor you
In all I do I honor you

You are my king
You are my king
Jesus, You are my king
Jesus, You are my king

Amazing love, how can it be?
That you, my king, would die for me
Amazing love, I know it's true
Its my joy to honor you
Amazing love, how can it be?
That you, my king would die for me
Amazing love I know it's true
Its my joy to honor you
In all I do I honor you
In all I do honor you 

I am SOOOOOO thankful for music and especially lyrics! Lyrics have always been important to me. I haev always been able to express myself through a song.... and today this song has gone through my head all day. Its a fave and the lyrics seem to come straight from my heart.

I am not worthy of such a wonderful Savior. 

Kindness Goes a long way...

This morning I was watching the Today show (which NEVER happens). They were interviewing two mothers who recently lost their daughters (best friends) to suicide... Both girls left notes and pointed at bullying as part of their reason for the double suicide. The girls were only in 8th grade. Two lives cut short due to the words of others? It seems unfathomable as an adult... But as a girl I remember those days and how much words and the cattiness of girls affected my self esteem. As the mom of 3 girls I worry about the impressions the world is sending my girls and do my best to counteract the negatives the world feeds them. My oldest is only in 3rd grade and I already see that one group of girls forming... The "mean girls" if you want to call them. In the day and age of Hannah Montana, iCarly, and such little girls seem to be trying to be so grown up at such a young age. I've tried and continue to try to teach my girls the importance of their words and actions. That kindness goes a long way. I've always told them it's never ok to build yourself up by putting someone else down... Even if everyone else is doing it. Go against the flow when the flow is wrong. But back in the day I remember how hard it can be to be the example and how that can negatively affect oneself... Putting yourself in the line of fire per say. So the question I am left with is when will we as parents take the blinders off and stop the "no not my child" mentality? When will teach our daughters (and sons) the importance of their words and actions? When will we teach them that kindness does matter and that standing up for someone else is worth the wrath of their peers? Bullying is nothing new and its been happening for a long time. I realize its not going to disappear completely , but it would be wonderful if our children could stop for a moment and see the affect that their words can have on someone else. I am hopeful for a change.

Need help? In the U.S., call 1-800-273-8255

National Suicide Prevention Lifeline

Sneak Peak... What Im working on,

Overloaded No more!

So my stockpile had completely taken over my pantry (forgot to take a before pict oops!). I needed to make a place to but my overflow. Now mind you I am not going to have my stockpile take over my house... I just needed a little more space. So we found shelf that was in our garage when we moved in... Mind you the shelf is probably 70 plus years old! After a lot of elbow grease and a little degreaser to get the oil stains off (it was in the garage remember). We had a perfect place in our laundry room where the shelf fit perfectly into this little nook... PERFECT! Needless to say I am easily entertained and excited about my new stock shelf!

Please ignore the concrete floor we are in the process of redoing parts of our laundry room.

Easter Weekend

What a weekend!  We started out at the soccer fields with Caitlin's game at 9 and followed it up with Isabel's game at 10. We left at half time and headed to the church for the Easter Celebration which included the egg hunt. The girls really look forward to it every year... And Isabel was especially excited for it since she missed last years because she was sick. After the egg hunt we skipped the crafting part and swung through the Chic Fil A drive through for lunch and then headed off to Dollywood for the afternoon! Easter was a big hit the Easter Bunny left buckets of goodies for the girls.... We got all dolled up and headed to church... Took care of Ava's age group and had a great family day at home resting up from Saturday!

Whew what a week!

Wow! What a week... I've stayed SO busy! I got the stuff the hubs brought home donated to different places around town. That took me two FULL days! Mix in two play dates.... 3 trips to Walgreens where I saved over $100 dollars between the 3 trips with coupons- Outta pocket was a total of $70ish! Not bad... Not bad at all!
I've also been to Walmart 3 times... And didn't buy much like under $20 not much! I've been to CVS where I bought 2 bottles of mouth wash for a grand total... Are you ready.... .18 cents! The Post Office got two visits from me. TJ Maxx got a return. Old Navy took a chunk outta my wallet today.... But I got a TON for my $$!
 My in-laws arrived today and met us for dinner. Looking forward to an even busier but fun weekend full of soccer, Easter activities, Dollywood, and Church! Can't wait to dress all our dolls up for Easter... They have the most beautiful dresses from Gap. Not the most exciting post, but alas it will have to do!

K-

Thankful Tuesday

Photo by: David C Clark   

With Easter coming Sunday it seems only fitting to be thankful for a savior I know I did not deserve. The words are easy to say... But I often wonder if as Christians we truly mean them? It seems as we live in a world with a mentality that its all about us/me. I mean don't we really? How often do we get up in the morning and think about making someone else life better just because... and expect nothing in return. Most of the time we are too preoccupied with our own daily agenda to think about others. For me Easter is about more than Easter egg hunts and bunnies... Its about a man who was so selfless that he was willing to die for all of mankind's sins... That's a pretty big deal... Isn't it? Do we give Him the respect that we should for such a huge sacrifice? Do we follow  His example of selflessness? I'm not saying we should (obviously) hang on a cross and die for the sins of our fellow man... But would it be too much to ask to help your fellow man a little more? I know I could. I use being the busy mom and wife as my excuse to myself... The age old if I had more time I'd.... We are all guilty of it I guess. But today I am thankful for His selflessness and hope I can follow in those GIANT footsteps and be more selfless myself.

I love you too!

Is there anything sweeter than having your child tell you I love you? Especially the first I love you... The first time they tell you first... Is there anything greater? For me... There is not. As I tucked my Ava in tonight before I could tell her I loved her she beat me to it with "I wuv you Momma I wuv you". Heart... MELTED! A moment I will not soon forget. A baby book moment for sure. Those little moments are what makes being a mom so magnificent! The Lord has blessed me beyond all measure and I am forever thankful to Him for the 3 that call me Momma! 

Will it ever end?

So we've been a sick group of people this year... For sure! Every time we turn around someone has something and as soon as that someone is over something someone else has something completely different... Will it ever end? I guess with 3 kids, 2 of which are in school I shouldn't be surprised... But alas I am. The older 2 have been hacking and coughing for awhile now but haven't had any other symptoms really. Caitlin was complaining of a sore throat this weekend and had complained of her ear being "stopped" up.... So we took her to the walk-in clinic yesterday (first time to the walk-in clinic with one of the kids) and sure enough she has an ear infection and a respiratory infection! Daddy went to ride the Foothills Parkway yesterday so I took the girls to see Rio (cute flick) while there Ava did a poo and as I opened the diaper it was liquid! Yay for the runs!! She proceeded to liquid poo 4 or 5 more times...Well until Daddy got home and then she stopped (of course)! She woke up at 4:15 this morning hot hot hot, but just wanted her paci and curled up and went back to sleep until 6:15. So we are fighting a fever today, but she's happy at least! Hate having sick kiddos... Where is the magic stay well pill?

The week in a nutshell

What a week... Lets just say I am hap hap happy to see the weekend! Caitlin had TCAPS (state testing) this week... Soccer practice for the "big" girls Monday.... I've ran more errands than I care to count... Play date for Bel Thursday... Bunco Thursday night... Check up on the hole in my mouth by the oral surgeon... Im a clincher and have to figure out how to stop... Should be interesting! Finished the evening up with the grocery store and a trip to Walgreen's with the entire family (my crazy idea)! It was fun (and stressful a bit) to do something as simple as grocery shop together. The kids wanted corn dogs for supper so Cajun shrimp for the Hubs and I it was! Great way to end this busy week. Excited to see what the weekend holds... Hoping to finish up a project or two and maybe eBay some more stuff.... I think I can.... I think I can.... Procrastinate... That is ;)

Jeremiah 29:11

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

What an amazing verse! Too bad as Christians we turn it into materialistic riches, an easy ride, and a promise of life without hardships. The hubs and I were having a conversation the other night. He was saying he wondered why there were so many religious articles in the news lately. My response (and personal opinion) was that in an economic downfall "faith" comes out in forces believing God is standing by waiting to solve our problems without any changes on our part or consequences to be had for our actions.... A little backround on me and my faith. I grew up in a Christian home was saved and baptized at 13. I attended a private Christian high school (where I met my hubs) have attended church on and off throughout the last 12 years of our marriage and have tried to live a Godly life (I've failed... A lot!). I've desired to have a closer relationship with God and haven't always done my part to make the relationship what I want it to be. But He has always been there for me... Not always the way I've wanted Him to be.... But He's always been there. He's said no to me a lot over the years when I've prayed for certain things. Im still praying for certain things that I have been for years and Im learning His timing is not my timing and His answer isn't always what I want it to be. But isn't that what being a parent is? Doing for our kids what is best for them, even when they dont understand why? I see His hand in my life and ask Him to steer me throughout the daily routine I have. Maybe thats why I find this verse so inspiring. It promises the end result but people need to remember it doesn't promise an easy road to that end result. We have become a society of wanting everything right now and judging a person and ourselves based on our financial success and the car and home we have. It really is a sad thing and we can blame the government or God or whomever we want... But in the end we are to blame... Myself included. I am only human and fall into the keeping up with the Jones' mentality often. In the end I know the Lord is there to catch me... But I also know that He will allow bad things to happen to teach me the lessons I need to learn, and if need be He will teach it more that once if I don't get it the first time. God is not an "item" or person you shelf for later or in case of an emergency. He is there always in the good, in the bad, and yes even in the ugly. But He is not a magic genie standing by waiting to give you your every hearts desire, or bail us out as a nation who have over spent and put ourselves into a hole over the last 50 years... It didn't happen over night. It took time to dig the hole and its gonna take time to fill the hole back in and its going to take a lot of hard work on our part as a whole. Its not about democrats or republicans or a miracle... Its about hard work, discipline and learning to be satisfied with the blessings we have and not with obtaining more and more.
I realize I have babbled here and some of this doesn't "flow" together or maybe even make sense to you. But I will always just let out whatever comes out and hope it reaches someone on some level. Im not standing on a soap box and Im not pointing the finger at people... Im standing in front of the mirror and looking at myself and seeking changes within myself. So please dont take this as being "preached" at... That is NOT my intention. Have a blessed day!
May the Lord bless and keep you!

K-

Thankful Tuesday

Ok so Thankful Tuesdays is my new take on 311 days of Thankfulness. I wanted to continue my thankful project... But trying to keep up with it on a daily basis was not working... At all! So this is my compromise with myself. A weekly reminder to be thankful for this and that... Sometimes I forget to really be thankful for certain things.... This is my way of reflecting on what I am thankful for and why. So here we go....

Thankful Tuesday
I am thankful for Spring and the warmer weather it is bringing. Goodbye sweaters and bulky coats, hats and gloves.... Hello sunshine, flowers, and various shades of green, painted toes, flip flops and family fun time outside! I am thankful you are here and excited to see how we will enjoy you!

K-

Better late than never...

Before I started blogging regularly this year the hubs and I took a trip to Paris back in January and I realized I hadn't blogged about said trip. As you can imagine it was an AMAZING trip. It was the hubs first trip outside the U.S. My first trip to Paris. We started our trip by flying the girls to Denver to spend a week with Grandma! Very cool that Grandma was willing to take our kiddos for a week.... Thanks Grandma! Off we went to Houston and then from there to Paris. The hubs works for the airlines so we fly standby... We got first on the way over and back... That was the icing on the cake for sure! We stayed outside of the city and took public transportation everywhere... It was fun being Parisians... Well make believe Parisians! We stayed on the go from the moment we landed until the moment we left. We had 6 full days to do as much as possible. We still didnt manage to see everything we wanted to but we saw and did A LOT!
We started out at the Pere Lachaise Cemetery where Jim Morrison, Chopin and many other famous artists and poets are burried... It was stunning. The cemetery itself was a piece of artwork... Like almost everything in Paris is!
We walked from the Arche de Triomphe down the Champ Elysse through the tuileries past the Louvre across the Pont Neuf bridge the Seine river running under us and ended our walk at Notre Dame.
We climbed the steps up to Sacre Coeur and took in overlook of Paris.
We visted the Louvre, the Orsay, Rodin, l'Orangerie, saw lots of A-MAZ-ING art!
We traveled out to Versailles and saw the decadence of Louis XVI and Marie Antoinette... Breathtaking simply is all I can say!
We explored the catacombs where the remains of over 6 million people are... A must see in your lifetime.
We saw Sainte Chapelle with all of its stained glass beauty.
We climbed all 284 stairs in the Arche de Triomphe.... Twice! It was by far our absolute favorite view of Paris!
And lastly on our last day we went to the Eiffel Tower... It was huge! Until you stand under it you cant even really begin to understand how big it really is! You don't know pick pockets until you make it to the Eiffle Tower! Its IN-SANE! Sadly it ruins a part of the experience. But nonetheless it was stunning ti see in person! We rode the ''elevator'' up to the second deck and took in the 360 degree view of the city. We witnessed a couple get engaged and purchased each girl an Eiffle tower from the gift shop located on the second deck.
Over all it was a trip we could do over and over and over... We fell in absolute LOVE with Paris! We cant wait to go back and would love to share it with our girls when they're older.... Hopefully during a warmer part of the year! January was freezing... I wore tights, long johns, socks, jeans, my UGG boots, a cami, love sleeve shirt, sweater, my puffy coat, gloves... and purchased a hat that I wore every day! I still froze! But it was totally worth it! Plus it was a great way to pre celebrate turning 30... which I turned a few days after we got back!

Spring!

Welcome to our Cottage!

I love spring! Warmer weather, flowers and greenery.... Just makes my heart happy! Of course today we skipped spring and went straight to summer... It was 86 today! I don't want to jump the gun and plant anything yet in fear of getting another cool spell, but here are some of the flowering trees, Azaleas, and my potted gerber daisies on the front porch in my new pots I got for $7.50 each at TJ Maxx (Love that place!) They are ceramic not plastic! Love a good deal! The wind things came from Targets $1 bin... The girls love them and I think they are fun!Wilbur (the pig... yeah I know real original name) Came with the house and we love him! So yay for spring were happy your here!

I survived !...Or at least I have so far?

I survived! So goodbye 31... I have a hole that seems to be the size of the Grand Canyon... Okay so maybe that's a little over exaggerated... But it feels like it is! Overall it wasn't that bad. Got some "laughing gas" and some of that gel that tastes horrid and then came the big needles and a pinch... Best numbing experience ever! A loud POP and goodbye tooth.... Apparently I'm not a bleeder... And the doc was scraping my jawbone to "promote" bleeding to create the clot to keep the ick out! All I can say is that's a VERY interesting sound... Not one I really want to hear again.
The stuff he numbed me with was something stronger than Novocain and so I stayed pretty numb all day. He sent me home with an antibiotic, fancy mouth wash, and Percocet... Bad news is I think I am immune to the Percocet.... I think the next few days are gonna be a little rough... This too shall pass! Glad to be through the first part and hoping for the best in the healing department.

Good-bye #31

So is it odd to not be in the dental profession and know the number of your teeth? Cause I do! Im thinkin' that's a sign that you've spent a lot of time at the dentist! I had braces as a kid... Removed all 4 wisdom teeth as a tween.... 1st root canal and crown at 26.... Now at 30 I've had to have 5 of my molars crowned 3 root canals and now one of those root canals I had 5 months ago has failed. I've lived in denial for months about it... Determined the pain would subside... Wrong. *sigh*
So tomorrow I will bid farewell to number 31 (Very last bottom right molar)... Thank you for your 30 years of service I really did try to keep you and wish you would have cooperated but I guess your ready to retire.
Have I mentioned how big of a baby I am when it comes to pain? And yes I've had 3 babies.... But a baby is a wonderful reward after all that pain! I am NOT looking forward to this experience and hoping it goes well!

Tangled!

Last Saturday... Yeah Im a few days behind :) We invited 17 1st and 3rd graders (we are nuts Im sure) over for a girls night in movie night! With those 17 we also had our 3 of course! 20 screechy sweet girls adorned our living room floor. Adult count... 2! Yup 20 vs 2! Thankfully the Hubs was a good sport and we both survived! Our girls have made GREAT friend choices and it was a fun evening we had the pleasure of spending with all of them. So maybe I was the super cool mom for the night, but I was NOT the super cool photographer! We fed everyone dinner (Thinkin' that made me the super cool mom to the other mom's!) 120 Chic fil A nuggets, 2 packages of Strawberries and Apples, 3 lbs or so of grapes, baby carrots, cucumbers, ranch dressing, 2 bags of bbq chips, 3 boxes of fruit snacks, 1/2 sheet cake and 2 gallons of pink lemonade... GONE! 7-9 year old girls eat like linebackers! The decor was SUPER cute (if I do say so myself) Pink, purple, & white paper lanterns hung over the dining table which was loaded with the grub. Friends were greeted at the door by Rapunzel's long braided hair and the Tangled poster adorned the coat closet door, streamer curtains welcomed guests into the living room decorated with balloons and banner. For parting gifts we sent each girl home with a flower clip for their hair, lip gloss, and a paper lantern they could fly! After all our guests had been picked up we tied fishing line to a paper lantern and took the girls outside to fly it... It was the perfect ending to a truly magical evening!

Sneak Peak!

Sneak peak into the Tangled party we are having tomorrow! Stick around to see it all come together!