January 31, 2011

This is what I do:

Front porch before

Front porch after 

Kitchen before 

Kitchen After 

Dining Area Before 

 Dining Area After 

Family Room Before 

 Family Room After 

Storage Shed Before 

Storage Shed After 

Before

After 

January 30, 2011

Today was a great day!  We went to church and had an EXTREME FAMILY EXPERIENCE!  Sophie, Bo and Cole helped out with leading the dancing to the praise and worship songs.

Then we had some fun watching a game between 2 families, "Minute to Win it" style.  This is our children's pastor.  He is crazy and awesome!  My kids love him! 

Then we headed out for lunch with the Lockridges and the Harmons.  Reed and Carson have fun together. 

Beautiful Sophie and Madison 

After lunch we went home and got the dog and headed out to the park for the rest of the day.  My car thermostat said the temp was 71. 

Michael cracks me up!

January 29, 2011

Busy, Busy Saturday...

Sophie had a game at 10:00

Bo had a game at 11:00

Molly's party was at 10:45

Happy Birthday Sweet Molly Brown!  We love you!

Then we went to Lexie's 1 year old party at 1:00.  I really wish I had taken some pictures at the party because Alisha had everything looking so cute. 

Then I came home and cleaned house because everyone came over and played cards.  It was a fun day! 

January 28, 2011

Today was the Jump-a-thon at the kids' school.  I was able to go and torture Bo and watch for a little while. He is really good at jump roping. I was very impressed.

He is also really good at goofing off with his buddies. 

Then I got to help in Sophie's classroom.  We made sock snowmen.  Really cute! 

January 27, 2011

An evening with Reed:

He really didn't like dinner tonight (hashbrown casserole and pork tenderloin).  I made him eat 5 bites of everything but I ended up feeding it to him while he was holding his nose (a trick he has learned from Sophie).

Before getting ready for bed, Reed and Sophie decided to spend some time together playing their DSI's.  Sophie dressed up for the occasion.

Michael is out of town tonight and as I tucked Bo and Sophie in, Reed fell asleep in the recliner.  Bless his little heart, he is so precious.  I could just stare at this face for hours.

January 26, 2011

Family Dinner.  We are so busy during the week with baseball practice, basketball practice and other happenings that we rarely get to sit down and eat a nice meal together.  Tonight I made lasagna and it was so good.  It was mostly a boring day otherwise.  I really didn't feel well at all.  The highlight of the day was when I went to pick Reed up from school and he said he prayed for me. 

January 25, 2011

Sophie wore her hair curly to school today.  She just looked so cute!

Field Trip to Stevie B's with Reed's class today.  After they ate their pizza Reed played with Gabe and Myles. 

Baby Peach had her first visit to the groomer today.

January 24, 2011

Our project.  Should be ready to put on the market by the end of the week.  I worked all day cleaning this house, vaccuuming, scrubbing windows, etc.  I don't even work this hard in a house that I am living in. 

(Before)

January 23, 2011

I couldn't find Reed and I found him downstairs playing XBox.  My little gamer.  :)

I went to the store to get the groceries for the week.  When I came home, Sophie had cleaned up the whole playroom.  Michael had cleaned up the kitchen.  Then Sophie made dinner for everyone!  Sandwiches, leftover pizza, fruit cups and chips.  And she cleaned up after dinner too.  It was a great Sunday!

January 22, 2011

Bo and Sophie both had basketball games today.  We were all winners!

January 21, 2011

Baby Peach is 3 months old today.  She went to the vet and got a shot.  She weighs 4.7 pounds.

January 20, 2011

Reed brought home Ozzie the Owl (class pet) for the weekend.  Even though it was a little rainy, the first thing he wanted to do was go take Ozzie outside to jump on the trampoline. 

January 19, 2011

In a moment of weakness, I told Bo he could ride with Josh around the neighborhood on the go cart.  Bo had so much fun.  Michael is still not home, should be home tomorrow.

January 18, 2011

Michael is out of town and both of the kids have basketball practice today.  Tiffany is coming to get Bo and I will take Sophie since I am the coach.  Before it was time to go, Sophie and Bo went outside to get warmed up.  Bo was so sweet and actually helped Sophie some.  Sophie loved every minute of it too. 

January 17, 2011

I woke up early today and finished this book.  This is the last book in the Hunger Games trilogy.  I gave these books to Madi for Christmas and it's just the middle of January and we have both already finished them.  It was a nice quiet morning, just me and Baby Peach and a cup of coffee and my book.  The kids are still out of school, today is MLK jr day.  They aren't going to know what hit them tomorrow.

January 16, 2011

Hold Fast, Help is on the Way, Hold Fast He's come to Save the Day! 

What I've learned in my life, One thing Greater then my Strife

Is HIS Grasp, So Hold Fast

I've got a lot on my mind today.  Seems like so many around me are hurting and confused with the world.  They sang this song at church today and it always reminds me to be strong in the Lord.  We are also doing a 40 Day Thinking Fast with our church.  Today's thought (day 13) that stuck with me:  I am in the will of God when I am abiding in Love.  Everything comes together in our life when we believe the love that God has for us.  The great commandment - love God with all your heart and love your neighbor as yourself - this is the will of God.  This all begins with believing the love God has toward us. (1 John 4:16)  We have come to know and have believed the love which God has for us.  God is love, and the one who abides in love abides in God, and God abides in Him."

Our friend, Kirk Marbut died unexpectedly this weekend.  We continue to pray for Rhonda and her kids. 

January 15, 2011

Today was spent recuperating from Sophie's party.  We stayed up late and got up early.  All basketball games were cancelled.  Carson and Bo spent the day together playing games and playing on Facebook. 

We also watched the Falcons / Packers playoff game and the Falcons lost.  Carey, Mary and Wheeler came over to watch the game and Reed was thrilled to have someone his own age to play with.

January 14, 2011

Sophie's party!  We had a fun time at the Pottery Shop then we came back for cake and ice cream. Most of the girls stayed and spent the night while the boys went to Tiffany's house for the night.  Best of all, Cheyenne came into town for the party.   (School was out all week because of the snow.)

January 13, 2011

Michael and Reed getting ready for bed.  School was canceled again, but the kids and I finally got out of the house for a while.  We went to run some errands to get ready for Sophie's birthday party.  Just a note, Reed has developed a habit of biting his nails. 

January 12, 2011

Michael and Bo built us a fire and we all watched Alpha and Omega.  It's Wednesday and the kids have still not gone back to school.  Michael has left the house just to run to the store to get a few things.  We have been snowed / iced in all week and I love it!

January 11, 2010

Sophie's igloo. 

January 10, 2011

Beautiful!

January 9, 2011

Waiting for the Snow.  The cabinets are stocked with plenty of food.  We have a couple of gallons of milk in the fridge.  School has already been cancelled.  Now, we just have to wait for the storm. 

Grandma's Banana Bread

 My heart skips when I think about this bread.  I remember hearing my Grandmother telling me about this recipe over the phone.  I called her from the grocery store on several occasions to ask her for ingredients to a certain recipe.  I would call her from my kitchen A LOT to ask for cooking advice.  I cooked with her from as long ago as I can remember.  There are some recipes, like her famous fudge that I was never able to master.  My Mom, Aunt and Cousins still talk about Grandma's prominence in the kitchen.  I love to cook mainly because of her.  Anyway, this is the recipe that Grandma taught me (It's Zula's recipe.  Zula was Grandma's Uno partner.) 

Banana Bread

1 cup sugar

1 stick margarine 

2 large eggs

3 ripe bananas

1 Tablespoon Buttermilk *

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 teaspoon Cinnamon *

2 cups self rising flour

1 cup chopped pecans

( * I have added these 2 items after reading some other recipes for banana bread on the Internet.)

Preheat oven to 325.  Grease loaf pan.  Cream sugar and butter.  Add the eggs one at a time.   Add vanilla and buttermilk to eggs mixture.  In separate bowl mash the bananas with fork.  In another bowl, sift 2 cups of self rising flour with cinnamon.   Add mashed up banana to egg mixture and stir until combined.  Add dry ingredients, mixing just until flour disappears.  Fold in pecans.  Pour batter into loaf pan and bake for about 1 hour.  Half-way through, I usually cover the bread with foil to make sure the top doesn't get too brown.   The bread is done when a knife stuck in the center comes out clean. 

Jalepeno Popper Dip

This is my new favorite appetizer to make. 

I found the recipe HERE.  It is sooooooo GOOD!

I don't add too many jalepeno peppers because I'm not great with the spicy food.  This might be the snack I take to our Super Bowl party.