Monday, June 10, 2013

Summertime activities!

We are working on our second week of school being out for summer, and so far I haven't heard the words "I'm bored!!"  Around this house, my kids know not to say that...I can always find something for them to do, and it usually isn't anything they would consider fun.  They've learned to figure something out on their own!

But, I do have a whole list of things ready for them to tackle as soon as I hear those words.  In fact, if they don't get bored soon, I may have to go pull weeds myself!

I found a few deals I thought I'd share with everyone today, that might help your little one busy this summer!

If your kids love to read, you can get 4 Disney Wreck It Ralph books for 99 cents!  After that, you will get 3 new books each month.  These are a little young for Flower, but are perfect for my Little Man and the daycare kids!

If Dr. Seuss is more your style, you can get 5 books for $5.95!  After that, you get 3 new books a month.

I did the Dr. Suess book club way back when Flower was a little thing, and we still have all the books!  The look a little sad these days, but my goodness!  They are about 7 years old, and have gone through both of my kids and countless daycare kids!  I'd say it was totally worth it!  

What activities do you do with your kids to keep the busy and having fun during the summer?


Friday, May 24, 2013

Summer is Getting Closer!

Oh boy, have I been slacking on the blog front.  Big time.  Anytime I get busy, or overwhelmed, the blog is the first thing to get neglected.

I've also cut back a lot of expressing any type of opinion...mainly because I've just gotten tired of dealing with all the BS that comes along with it, and, because I just don't trust anyone much these days.

But, to get back on track, I thought I would post a few pictures of some of the neat things that have happened recently!
My little sister got married in May!  It was held in a beautiful garden on a gorgeous day!  My beautiful mom is on the left, my gorgeous sister and her new husband are next, and I'm standing next to my dashing daddy!

I'm quite proud of this little family here!  My handsome husband got dressed up nice just for the wedding!  Flower was the flower girl, and Little Man was quite the attention grabber as the ring bearer!  (And he knew just how cool he looked!)
As the Maid of Honor, I threw a lingerie shower for my sister.  Here is one of my new favorite pictures of my mom, sister and I.

Flower got to go on a trip to South Texas with Nana and Papa for her birthday!  They visited the state capitol, the Alamo, and lots of other historical places.  She had a blast!
Flower in a field of bluebonnets they found on the trip...I'll never get over how gorgeous she is!

I know it takes an eternity for me to get blog posts up, but hopefully over the summer I will be able to devote a little more time to writing!  I have been knitting some, and have quite a few things that I need to show off!  

Tuesday, March 12, 2013

The Winds of March Burn

I wrote this in memory of my grandma, who was killed by the horrible wildfires in Texas in 2006.  You can read the whole story here.

The Winds of March Burn

The winds of March in Texas burn.  The cold air stings your cheeks and whips your hair around your face.  The dirt from the barren fields blows across the sky, reminding all that the cold of winter hasn't loosened its grip.  

The winds of March in Texas burn.  All the plants are dead, and all hope of moisture is blown away.  The leaves scatter.  The trees fall.  The plants are blown up from their weakened roots.  

The winds of March in Texas burn.  They blow in mightily, fiercely.  When once they blew in the blessed rain, they now blow in the fire.  They blow the fire with vengeance, stripping the land of everything.  The winds care not for what is in the path.  

The winds of March in Texas burn.  They blow!  They sting!  They kill.  They hurt.  

The winds of March in Texas burn.  They burn into our memory.  They burn into the heart of who we are.  They burn, but we blow along with them.  We blow, and continue on our path the same.  But the winds of March in Texas continue to burn.


Thursday, February 28, 2013

Friday is Close!

For a short work week, thanks to the blizzard, it sure has been long!  I don't know about you, but I'm pretty happy tomorrow is Friday!

I made a new Etsy Treasury today!  Won't you check it out?!  Every view, every click on one of the pictures, and every comment we get on the treasuries we make helps move the treasury up on pages.  The closer to page one we get, the better!  So please, if you can spare just a few minutes of time, check it out!  It helps my Etsy business, and the business of those included in the treasury!


Here are a few more pictures of our winter storm!  Enjoy!

Neither of them actually touched the ground!  There was still snow under their feet, and  Flower was afraid to stand up all the way!

Mattie wanted to take a picture of Mama in the snow!

Sitting inside with Mama, drinking hot chocolate, was far more enjoyable to my Little Man!

Look at the snowman we built!!

"HELP! I can't get off the mountain!!!"

"OH NO!  I AM FALLING!!!"


Tuesday, February 26, 2013

The Great Texas Blizzard

We are covered in snow!!  Woohoo!!

Texas weather is so strange.  Normally, we don't get crazy, horrible blizzards, just a few inch-or-two snows a year.  But when we do get blizzards, they are off the charts horrible.  This storm was just that type.  They even named it:  Rocky!

We got weather alert warnings 14 hours in advance, that we needed to prepare.  Everyone went to the store to stock up on essentials, but on Sunday afternoon it was nearly 70 degrees!  Flower and Little Man were out riding their bikes in t-shirts, but, around 6:00 p.m. the wind hit, and the temperatures dropped 30 degrees within 5 minutes.

It had just started snowing when Barb Wire Man and I went to bed, and the snowflakes were huge.  It wasn't a pretty snowfall, either...it was snowing horizontally thanks to the 50 mph winds!  I woke up to texts alerting me that school was cancelled!  It was still snowing horizontally Monday morning,and it looked absolutely disgusting outside.  But, Barb Wire Man got dressed and headed out to work anyhow.  Shortly after he left, I learned that the storm was so bad that even the Department of Transportation had stopped operations, and were no longer clearing roads.  "Until further notice, assume all major roads are closed" was their report.  Since Mike drives a semi truck, he obviously was unable to work, so he came home!  

It snowed until noon, and the winds didn't die down until evening.  We spent the whole day cooped up in the house...Barb Wire Man, Flower, Little Man, our huge rottweiler, our schnauzer, and me.   It was crowded and a bit chaotic, but so enjoyable!  Barb Wire Man built a fire, we played cards, smoked cigars up the chimney, played games, made chili and just enjoyed each other's company!  

By noon, school had already been cancelled for Tuesday.  Thanks to the winds, which ranged from 50 to 75 miles per hour, there were 5 foot plus snow drifts all over the place.  Mail didn't even run, it was so yucky!  

My kids are itching to go outside and play in the snow today, but it is still so cold!  I'm making them wait until we at least hit 32 degrees...so far, its only 16.  And honestly, I am as ready for them to go outside and play as they are.  Barb Wire Man made it to work, but operations are still pretty limited because of the road conditions.  I worry about him while he is on the road, so I spend a lot of time in prayer when conditions are like this.  I'm thankful he is an amazing driver....it is all the other idiots I have to worry about!  

Enjoy the pictures of our crazy, Texas Panhandle Blizzard!

This was looking to the south...even though we had over 11 inches of snow, there were still bare spots on the grass, because the wind had blown it away into drifts!

This was looking east, across the street, and one of the rare moments when I could actually see the houses.  For most of the day, the wind blew the snow so hard, I could hardly make out the houses!  On the left, you can see where the snow drift is actually taller than the fence!

This was looking south in my back yard!  My poor little schnauzer couldn't even walk out into the yard or she would disappear!  In fact, it was almost too much for the Rott!
 
Be blessed, and stay warm!  I will post more pictures later!

Friday, February 22, 2013

Freebies! Everyone loves FREE!

Some of my favorite free offers for YOU!

Swagbucks is my FAVORITE thing ever!  I save up my points all year long, trade them in for cash, then use it for Christmas gifts!  Fridays are always Mega Swag bucks day, too!

















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