Flashback!

Name that tune!!!

So the other day Donald was looking at the videos on his old phone. This video was there and sensing the whole family could use a good laugh he showed it to us all. I can remember when this was taken, but were the girls REALLY this small - surely not?!?! Listening to Anna's tiny voice and seeing Sophie with diapers on had me tearing up just a bit! Ok - so maybe I was bawling my eyes out while laughing hysterically! These are our girls - in ALL their glory. This is how they interact on a daily basis and these are the things they come up with ALL THE TIME. I will say that we will have lots of blackmail video for when they start dating (Lord help us)! Did I mention that my girls love drama? Could you maybe tell? I just had to share as this is a blast from the past and a window into our world of girls. God I love them!!

Oh - by the way - could you guess the tune?

It's from Annie - Hard Knock Life

For my Illinois family - Are they their mother's daughters or what????

Louie

What would you do to explain to your child about the loss of a pet? I know that it's not the same thing as losing a family member but to a child losing a pet can be a pretty traumatic experience. Heck - losing a pet when you're a grown-up can be pretty tough as well. This past week has been very hard for us as a family - thus the lack in posting - about two weeks ago our small puppy, Louie developed some very serious seizures. The vet was pretty certain that our small dog had been poisoned by anti-freeze! Anti-freeze? We don't even own any! So we worried and worried the entire time she was in the hospital. The girls prayed for her every night at supper and at bedtime as well. Louie is very special to our family - she came into our lives the same time that Julia did - they are the same age! She was rescued by us when she was just a baby - covered in fleas. So... we waited and waited and waited. Finally we were able to take her home, but the doctor was unsure of any long term effects. Kidney and liver damage are the main concerns at this point. At least she was home. Saturday night was the first night we were able to let her out to run and play! She seemed to being doing so much better. The one thing that was not on her was her collar. We took it off of her when she started having seizures and hadn't put it back on. By Saturday night - there was no sign of Louie. It was if she had just disappeared. We looked and looked and looked - but no sign. Poor Louie. At this point we weren't sure if she had been taken or if she had just gone off to die. The girls continue praying - they look for her every night - we call for her whenever we go outside. I made signs tonight to hang on the road - they state simply:

Lost!

Beagle/Terrier Mix

"Louie"

She is very sick and needs

to come home so she

can take her medicine!!

I hope she is found safe and sound - dealing with loss is never easy and my girls are so very sensitive to things such as this. If not - it's a life lesson that we will work through with faith and love. Wow - how morbid was I today? I promise to bring more laughs tomorrow. :(

Dave Ramsey

Over the past few blogs that I have written - I have referenced more than once about a certain "Dave" that rules our decisions in our family. Dave Ramsey is THAT Dave. I should be ashamed to admit, but before
Dave Ramsey came along Donald and I were literally sinking. Yes - we were THOSE kind of people! You know - the ones who fly by the seat of their pants without worrying about the consequences. We would spend freely on the girls and not care where our money was heading. It would be nothing to find a $20 bill in our pants pocket and have no idea where it came from. We were definitely sinking fast and nothing was working. Just the mention of a budget had me breaking out in hives. Balancing the checkbook?? Unthinkable. I just couldn't stand it. I hope know one thinks bad of me for writing this, but it was a hard lesson that we had to learn - and we learned it the hard way. About 13 weeks ago, Donald was asked to lead a ministry involving Dave Ramsey's Financial Peace University. This program was to help members of our church and the local community come to grips with their debt. As Dave says, "you live like no one else, so you can LIVE like no one else." I had to laugh when I found out they wanted Donald to lead it. Talk about the blind leading the blind. We had NO idea what we were doing with OUR debt - how in the world would we be able to help others. Ah - here is where our wonderful Lord stepped in and saved our sinking ship! We were chosen to lead this group BECAUSE of our problems. Not because we were good at finances, but because we were just the same as everyone else. So - with my feet dragging of course - we began watching the videos and preparing for the class. We followed the steps diligently and began budgeting like we've never budgeted before! My husband laughed at how I would constantly work on a budget for the month. Over and over I would calculate the figures. I would erase and write and erase and write - until he told me I needed to chill out a bit. This program has worked wonders in our life. I am no longer worried about where my money is going or how we are going to pay for something. I have it under control. God is a great God for knowing that this is what we have been searching for. This was what we needed to succeed in our lives. Dave Ramsey's class made a difference in our lives and the lives of everyone in our little group. Young adults should really take his class if they are able. Had I only known half of the things Dave talked about - I'd be rich!! Dog-gone it anyway! Oh- well - I'm off to live like no one else - so when I RETIRE - I can LIVE like no one else!!

Wishful Wednesday

Alright. So today I'm in a vain kind of mood. Last night as I was lying in bed, I was thinking back to our church message this past Sunday. The message pertained mainly to thinking about others and what is best for people in general. I listened as the message droned on - I have to admit that while I was really supposed to be listening intently - my mind drifted off and on. My husband (who is always completely focused on church topics) nudged me gently when they were on the topic of giving. He leaned over to me and whispered, "You give everything you have to our girls." I looked up at him and I could tell by the look in his eyes that he meant it. Well... isn't that what a mother is supposed to do? I mean - as a mother I would assume that it would be an auto pilot kind of concept. I am a mother - therefore I give! And I love that! I also know that not all mothers are that way - but the good ones are. My mother is one of the good ones - so I guess I learned it from her! So - I digress - back to the topic at hand - my vain mood. I often joke about my clothing. Being a school teacher AND a mother is very hard on the clothing. Especially if you don't always have the money to buy new things. Most of everything we have goes to our children. The kids come first - always. Therefore my shirts for work have paint stains and marker stains and any other kind of stains that we may or may not mention. I have had the same random pairs of shoes (except tennis shoes) for the past 10-12 years (permanent marker works wonders). I don't complain about these things often - I supply for my family and THAT makes me happy. But seeing as I have now dubbed today - Wishful Wednesday - I am going to let you in on one of my biggest wishes for myself. Oh yes - it's a good one - a purely selfish one - one that will never happen until I save those pennies the way Dave has taught us! Good ole Dave - always throwing a monkey wrench into my wishful thinking. Anyway - my purely selfish wish is...
The washer and dryer that washes and dries clothes in 10 minutes! Well - maybe not 10 minutes, but pretty darn fast. Then - in a perfect world a little maid would come in and fold and put all of those neatly washed clothes into the appropriate drawers. OK, OK - so maybe not the maid - but someday...

Wouldn't that be FABULOUS?

Drama!

Three girls. Need I say more? As I began my typing tonight I was inundated with the sounds of my two oldest bickering at each other. Anna - using her unique and very well practiced facial expressions to go along with her attitude and Sophie - using that whining sound that sometimes makes me want to beat my head against the wall. What you may ask are they arguing about? Well... nothing. That's right - nothing. Sometimes I feel they like to argue and whine - just to hear themselves argue and whine. No drama here. And Julia? While you may think she may be just a bit too young to get in on the drama - think again. Last night while at Maw Maw's house Julia decided to open a door. When she was unable to do so - she hit it with her tiny fist and sat down in front of it and cried - more drama. No one said that raising girls was easy. I'm sure that raising boys has it's challenges as well, but hormones are not in our favor. My husband is SO in trouble when the PMS starts raging in our household - poor Donald. The mood swings shift like the changing of the tides and we go from daggers shooting out of the eyes to hugs and kisses as fast as that (insert finger snaps here). While this was not the blog I was intending to write tonight - I guess it was what I was meant to write about. I do love my girls - EVEN with all the drama! Now - watch out girls - I've got the paddle!!

Santa - Where art thou???

OK - so maybe I'm a little upset. Just a little. Alright maybe I'm just a bit down right PO'D (sp). Our yearly Santa picture is always taken at the same place with the same Santa - always. Last year we had to suffer through a change of venue for Santa, but STILL THE SAME SANTA. This year we were informed that Santa was just too dog-gone pricey and they weren't doing it. Say what??? Don't they know that I am an anal control freak that has to have everything just the way it should be ALL the time??? Didn't they get the memo? I think not. So, sadly this year we will NOT be sitting on our favorite jolly old elf. This year their will be no twinkle of our wonderful St. Nick's eye. Oh Santa - where have you gone? Our tradition has been diminished to just our priceless photos of all the years that the girls have sat on this SAME Santa's lap. Boo-hoo. So I keep searching. Searching for that ONE Santa (that doesn't cost an arm and a leg) and that REALLY looks like our wonderful Santa that we have used almost since my children's birth.

Oh Santa - where art thou??

Thanksgiving!

This time of year always brings about a feeling of nostalgia for me. We spend the time reminiscing of loved ones and thinking back to our past. It is such a sweet time of year. A time for decorating, singing, laughing, baking, shopping, and just enjoying our family. We have spent the past few days hanging out as a family and it has been wonderful. We went to Illinois to visit my family that lives there and we had a great time. Julia got to hang out with her cousin Nora and she really enjoyed herself. I was also so pleased at how well behaved and grown-up the girls were. It was such a great trip. So although Julia DID manage to break an unknown dish and get covered in water from head to toe (which we have NO idea where it came from - the toilet most likely) the trip was a success!

Yesterday we put up the tree and decorations and watched Christmas movies (after Black Friday shopping of course). Then I decided to take the girls' picture for our Christmas card. Sophie got a kick out of seeing her mommy jump around making silly noises so Julia would smile! It turned out really cute. What do you think?