A Digi Page ~

For the last six years I have been dabbling in digital scrapbooking. I took an intro to digi class and was immediately hooked. K was almost mobile and the thought of two children in the middle of all my scrapbook supplies did not appeal to me. R had given me Photoshop Elements for Christmas not really knowing that he was "feeding the beast." It has definitely been a slow learning process for me. I'm one of those people that has to use it or I lose it...so alot of times when I sit down at the computer I'm having to re-learn what I should already know. Last year I bit the bullet and invested in full Photoshop. I love it, but I feel like I know a slight fraction of all the program has to offer. I listen to this awesome little podcast called The Digi Show and have learned so much. It was here that I learned about the classes from Jessica Sprague. I decided the best thing to do would be to start with the beginner Photoshop class. I figured that even if it was only a refresher of what I already knew, it would be worth it. I feel like I got my money's worth within the first five minutes of the video lesson. I am loving this class and have decided to post the layouts I'm doing right here on my little blog. I hope you enjoy them and if you decide you might want to try out the whole digi thing I highly recommend these classes!

A Life Skill Learned ~

About a week and a half ago my washing machine went kaput. I've had this same machine for 10 years and we've had it repaired about five times, so when I went to put a load of wash in and found the agitator floating in the tub, we decided it was time to upgrade to one of those fancy HE washers. Who knew that purchasing a new washer/dryer set would spark such excitement in our children. The next day R & K did laundry all day. It was like that laundry fairy people are always talking about on FB had shown up and sprinkled magic dust on my kiddos. Of course I supervised, but they did most of the work. It. Was. Awesome!

Fast Forward to the present day...R has finally decided that earning his own spending money might be kinda cool, so after much negotiations we have come to monetary agreements. I won't go into the details, but let's just say among other things, he is my new laundry man. As a mom I've had this worry that my children will grow up and leave home without certain skills; being able to do their own laundry being one of them.

Putting a picture of my laundry room in such a disaster is quite horrifying; however, this picture is important to the story. My type A personality has had to take a backseat to teaching my children this life lesson. Every ounce of my being wants to dive in and sort it all into neat little piles. I've tried to tell R how I do things...he's not interested in hearing it. He wants to do it his way and his way is making me CrAzY. We went to WalMart today and bought one of those hamper dillies that has four separate hampers. I think hope this is going to help.

I bought R a notebook the other day so he could write down all of his chores and what we have agreed to pay. I am the world's worst when it comes to having cash on hand to pay my kids for the work they do around here. What we've decided is his notebook will serve as a kind of bank register. He has down how much money he has and when he buys something (Legos yesterday, sunglasses today,) he writes it down making sure to also write down what he purchased. It seems we've finally found a system that is going to work for us. This makes me very happy!

So today as he was loading the washer with towels I told him it might be a good idea to go check the hampers and gather any towels that might have been used since he sorted the laundry two days ago. He was very disgusted with this idea and said, "If I have to check the hampers every time I start a load, I will never get caught up." I almost fell on the floor laughing...instead (very melodramatically kinda like what you would see in a reenactment of Romeo and Juliet) I said, "Welcome to my world child!"

Another funny thing that happened the other day:  while the kids were doing laundry together, K said, "Mom, why haven't you ever told us doing laundry was so much fun?"

I owe much thanks to Whirlpool for creating such a magnificent machine that has not only made laundry fun for my two little workers, but now I have the peace of mind in knowing that someday they will be able to wash and wear clean clothes. :)

Book Love ~

We have been going ninety to nothin' this week. I'm exhausted, so what do I do? Clean out a closet of course.

Technically this is a linen closet, but when we moved in, the logical thing to do was turn it into the game, puzzle and book closet. It's been driving me batty for a while now. Whenever someone (including me) grabs a book or game out of there, it always gets crammed back in ~ no rhyme or reason. K has had a pile of books in the floor of her room forever that has needed to be dealt with. So while I tackled the closet she started organizing her room. Little did I know where this little project was going to take me...

That's right ~ right down memory lane. When I picked up "Big Truck and Little Truck" I got a lump in my throat. This was one of mine and R's favorite books when he was two. It's a precious story about well, a big truck and little truck. The illustrations are beautiful...tear. Then I came across "Cars and Trucks and Things that Go." This was by far R's favorite. My good friend Audrey gave it to him on his first birthday. I bet we read it a thousand times. He learned his colors by reading "What Makes a Rainbow." I remember my friend Krista telling me it was fun to insert our kids names into the stories we read, so I did. I can still hear myself reading..."What makes a rainbow?" asks Little R. "Well, let's see," says Mama Rabbit. "What makes a rainbow?" Such sweet memories...

Then I came across K's favorites. She's always been a texture girl and loved "Millie Moo" with all the crazy pictures and fun textures. She could recite "Eight Silly Monkeys" by heart. I can still hear her sweet little two year old self reading along with me. "Ten Little Ladybugs" was a fun story. Once she had it memorized she would mix it up and say the wrong insect on the wrong page and then bust out laughing. She's always been able to crack herself up. And then there's "The Foot Book." This one is fairly new to our library. She picked it out at B&N about half way through first grade and read it nonstop for weeks. It helped her feel very successful in her new adventure called reading.

"Just In Case You Ever Wonder" should be in every parents library. Just my opinion. K loves "Click, Clack Moo" and a little book she calls "Stripe Girl." It's about a girl who is always trying to please other people and is afraid that if everyone knows she likes lima beans they will make fun of her. It's a great story about being yourself and the illustrations are amazing.

The Wimpy Kid books were R's first "favorites" as an independent reader. I admit they're not literary genius, but they are super fun to read. Way to go Jeff Kinney!

And here it is...my weakness. I love "The Berenstain Bears." If I come across one we don't have, I buy it. Well, I used to. Sadly, R & K have about outgrown these adorable little books. This one where the bears go to the dentist was K's favorite which is pretty ironic since her first experience having to go to the dentist was slightly traumatic (for all of us.) I counted. We have 41 Bears books. I can't bring myself to put them in storage yet, so for now they will stay safe and sound in the top drawer of the book closet.

And here it is...all nice and neat for now. It won't look like this for long and that's ok; that just means books are being read and games are being played.

The First Week of Summer ~

This first week of summer has been busy. Why do we do this? Summer is supposed to be lazy, right? As a mom I think I'm actually a little scared that we (the kids and I) will find ourselves sitting around actually being lazy. So what do I do? The last part of May I start cramming as many camps on the calendar as I can. Usually by about the middle of July we're all so exhausted it's ok to sit around and do nothing until school starts...right? Wrong! Because once August rolls around we'll be heading to town every evening for football. Whew! I'm pooped and I haven't even started sharing with you what I initially sat down to share.

I'm so proud of R & K. They worked super hard and came home with awards for straight A's all year. R is on the brink of the "I really don't want to have my picture taken" stage. Notice the grin. I really dread this. I have had to use the: stop smiling, now think of something funny technique. We didn't use that technique on this photo.

This is what Big R has been doing for the last several weeks. This time of year is extremely stressful for farmers. Putting seed in the ground is like planting little nuggets of gold. There should be a vow farmers and their brides take on their wedding day. It could go a little something like this:

Farmer: I vow to always have a good attitude during planting and smile even if we're going through a drought.

Bride: I vow to always have a good attitude during planting and remind you that no matter what happens, everything is going to be ok.

The other evening I went to feed the animals and was met by a plague of frogs; big giant squishy bull frogs. At first, I was totally grossed out and completely terrified. Sam and Socks were lucky to get fed that night because in my head I envisioned these creatures morphing into giant frog monsters and eating me alive. That's it. Mom's a goner. I know, it's one of the things that makes me so weird. I have the same problem when it comes to mice. Anyway, R wanted me to take pictures of our new frog "friends" so I did, not knowing that a few days later I would come upon the coolest thing. I was hooking up a water hose by the dogs' water bowl when I could sense someone (or something) staring at me. No really, I don't know how I even saw the little fella, but there buried under a bunch of leaves was one of those frogs trying his best to ignore me and (I'm sure) hoping I hadn't seen him either. It was so cool. I even felt sorry for him and during the heat of the day poured a cup of cool water on his hiding place. Wasn't that nice of me? What's crazy is I actually look forward to seeing the frogs every evening. We're up to 6. As long as our bug light is working, they may never leave. And I guess our animals don't like the taste of frog because so far we've had no casualties. Now if Sam would just leave my baby Blue Jays alone...

Last Thursday my sister and her kiddos came and stayed with us for a few days. We had alot of fun. Took the kids to the Science Spectrum and scarred them for life by watching "Tornado Alley." K kept her eyes hidden for the first 10 minutes. And since returning home, my sister and her family have been in two tornado warnings...nice! I've decided that when all the cousins are together K takes on the roll of the middle child. This is not good. We're both hoping they all grow out of this stage and are great friends when they are older. Not that they are not great friends now, it's just...well, after the new wears off they fuss a little. I know ~ they're just kids.

K had a friend over to spend the night the other day. They had so much fun! I mean what can be more fun that a sprinkler and the trampoline really? I know, two 7 year olds convincing me they can drive the Gator. It was terrifying fun. No seriously, they did a good job aside from me having to grab the wheel a few times and yelling "Stop!" I love this age. They giggle alot, love to play school and sing Taylor Swift Karaoke. Man, I could have done some damage if they had made Karaoke machines when I was little...oh well.

I've decided when I get old I'm going to be a bird watcher. I love sitting and watching the birds in our yard, especially the Blue Jays. I've heard they're pretty mean birds, but I don't care; they're beautiful. This isn't a very good picture. As I sat trying to get the perfect shot I began to have an appreciation for those people who film for the "Planet Earth" movies. Those guys are awesome. Me? Not so much.

If you've stuck around this long and are actually still reading, you get the prize. That's right a recipe for this yummy breakfast casserole. I modified this one to fit my low-carb standards. All you need is a pound of cooked breakfast sausage, add one block of cream cheese (if you know me, you know I use full fat everything.) Spray bottom of casserole dish. I buy this awesome coconut oil spray. It's just like Pam only coconut oil. Brilliant. Spread the meat mixture on the bottom of the dish. In a bowl beat about 6-8 eggs and add a little heavy cream. Poor this on top of the meat. Sprinkle shredded cheese on top and cook at 375 for about 25 minutes. This is so handy to have in the fridge for a quick breakfast. I know, I've been doing it all week.

It's Going to be OK ~

"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 a hope and a future." Jeremiah 29:11

It would have been easy to sleep in this morning. Actually I did sleep in ~ until 8:30. We stayed up pretty late Saturday night and that was going to be my excuse to not make it to church this morning. So when R asked me if we were going, I was a little surprised when I jumped up and said, "Yes!" Of course we missed Sunday school, didn't have time to eat breakfast and both kiddos were upset they missed getting to eat a little breakfast in the fellowship hall right before church. Brother Jimmy was a lifesaver when he showed us where the donuts were in the youth room. We finally all settled in the sanctuary for the message...

Acts 16:23-33
Paul and Silas had been severely flogged and their feet fastened in the stocks, yet they were still able to sing hymns and pray to God. The other prisoners were listening to them. I wonder what the other prisoners thought about these two men who had just been beaten and placed in a situation where there was no hope of release singing praises to their one true God?

Brother Jimmy went on to say that regardless of what our future holds, everything is going to be ok. When I heard these words this morning, I was taken back to a hot summer day almost 12 years ago. I was 40 weeks pregnant and R and I had just received the terrible news from our doctor that our baby's heart was not beating. I remember sitting in the suburban in the parking lot of St. Mary's hospital making that dreaded phone call to my family. I remember the moment, but I don't. I remember walking into the hospital, but really it was more like floating. I remember a nurse, taking a break I guess, standing outside the door of the hospital. But most of all I remember what I said when my dad walked into the hospital room. Everyone had tear stains on their faces, but I looked right at him and said, "It's going to be ok." Honestly I don't know where that came from. I'm pretty sure I wanted him to know that I was going to be ok. I'm always the one who fixes things, I'm the strong one. The last thing I needed was for everyone to worry that I was going to fall apart. So, in my darkest hour I was proclaiming that everything was going to be ok.

I know now that it was not my strength, but His. I know that He was right beside me in the doctor's office when we heard the news. He was not only with me on our way into the hospital, but he carried me in. He was also with me when I told my dad that everything was going to be ok. He is still with me today. I know that no matter what the future holds that my God is God and he holds me safe in His arms.

Thanks Brother Jimmy for a beautiful and powerful message this morning, but most of all thank you for taking me back to a day in my life that is proof that Jesus is real...and that's enough. :)