Pretty Skirt on a Lovely Girl

These are some images that Clayton took this morning. It was a good excuse for him to use his soft box and for Ellie to romp around in the snow. What a great team they are! The images are featuring a skirt from Marie-Madeline. Check out their website, they are also having a fabric sale. :) All their fabric is high quality and super cute and different.

Ya want a free phone service? Hop on the Food Stamp train!

Yes, it is true. I received this in the mail yesterday. I thought it was your typical mediacom advertisement, bright colors and all. But no, not mediacom at all. It was informing me that those individuals that are already on food stamps NOW will receive free phone service. And not just any phone service, but call waiting, caller ID, voice mail, and long distance. I am a little peeved by this. And by "this" I mean the government thinking that having a phone is a right. What's next a cell phone? But you or I will not qualify for it. :)

I think someone else puts it nicely...HERE ya go. I know I have already posted the Tim Hawkins "The Government Can" song but it is appropriate.

Ellie is Growing UP

Athan is eight months old today, and Ellie is two years, eight months, and 1o days old. Since I have become a Mommy all those cliche sayings about how quickly time passes (except when you are pregnant....) and children growing like weeds I understand now. It feels like yesterday (oops! another cliche) that I married this great guy in a little chapel in big ole' Jacksonville. Ellie seems like a little lady here lately and Athan is just trucking along, smiling and reminding me to savor these moments of baby babbling and drool splatting on the floor and his sensitive, sincere joy. Because one day, though it seems far off, the baby babbling will be no more and I may be helping them with geometry instead of picking up the toy "again" off the floor. :) These thoughts were sparked by something Ellie said tonight --- "I'm scared. " Clayton was at his bookclub in Panera and I thought it would be fun to take the kids to Hobby Lobby and then the Library which are next door to Panera. While we were walking out of Hobby Lobby it was dark and that was when Ellie said, "I'm scared." I was so surprised, and saddened. I was surprised because she has never expressed fear before when we have been out. She knew from her surroundings that things were a little out of sorts, poor girl.

This is more on the funny side, but still shows Ellie's "growing up". The other night her and Clay were looking at this photography book (we always have a lot of these laying around from the library). This one particular picture was of this nomadic tribe that builds these little houses (a box basically) and has a team, I'm talking sixteen reindeer, pull the house! The images were really interesting. Well, these reindeer sparked something in Ellie, it was "teacher Ellie". :)

Ellie --- "These are antlers, can you say antlers?"

Clay ---- (messing with her) "aren't they horns?"

Ellie --- "They are kind of like horns, but horns are for cows."

[I sit down and join them.]

Ellie --- "Mommy I am a teacher."

So, Ellie will tutor for $35 an hour and can be flexible with the location. :)

Quick update on Athan, he is adorable, happy, smiles ALOT, and cries ALOT if he wants Mama and Mama isn't around or just walked pass him. He is in that clingy stage. He is strong, really strong. A lot of times when I am holding him he is trying to walk up me. The other day we were shopping and walking down this strip mall outside. Everytime a car drove by he would lunge towards it and start kicking his legs and smile. When we are out side he is perfectly happy if I keep kicking the ball (while holding him) and then run after it and do it again. Is he a boy or what? :) He is still just doing the army crawl, but does this with great speed. Miss Ellie is a wonderful big sis and helps me out a lot.

Enough of me going on about my kids. :) Have a wonderful night with your family.

Bad Hair Day for an 8 Month Old

This is what I found in the crib the other day. :) We thought the mass on top his head was so crazy it was worthy of a picture, and to be put on the blog.



This is what his hair normally looks like. Isn't he so cute? I just have to kiss and squeeze him every five minutes. And so does Ellie!

~Homemade Diaper Bag~

I have been itching for a new diaper bag, one that was cute, efficient and would help to stay organized (like for a day...). I found one in Target I really liked and almost splurged ($30! --- which really is not much in the world of diaper bags) but God by His grace restrained me. :) And I'm so glad He did! Because I found a remnant piece of brown Canvas at Hobby Lobby for $4 --- perfect! While my husband's MAC was in the shop (crashed hard drive) I took advantage of his inability to work on pics and made a diaper bag! It was really fun, every time I would finish a little something I would pop out of our room and show Clay..."see, this does this and is for this..." And it did not take that long either. I worked on it on and off for one day and then finished it the next day during their naps. Quick story---Ellie came to visit me while I was up in sew land and I got an idea...I tied a piece of scrap fabric around her head and told her she was Mary. She loved it! She came back a few minutes later and said she needed some fabric for "Joseph" (Daddy)! As she was leaving she looked back at me and asked, "who are you?" ---thinking---"I am a sewing shepherd!" Smile from Ellie, "yes! you are a sewing shepherd! Daddy! Mommy is a sewing shepherd!" And went back to pretending with Joseph. Sometimes when I am sewing she will still call me a "sewing shepherd" whatever that is. :)


This is the slot for my wipes container and other diapering necessities.



This is the cute fabric that a friend gave me for Christmas. I love it! See that elastic pocket? I have been wanting to try this and it was so much easier than I thought. Wish I had brown thread though. :)



These metal hook things are from another purse I purchased at a yard sale for $2. There are still more pieces from that purse I plan to use on other projects. So I guess I got the $2 out of it.



Purse hanging on a hook. Ta Da!



I look at all these cute craft blogs and whenever one of those gals finishes a project they do this. Stand in front of a mirror and take a picture of themselves. I think it is funny, and so did my husband. He was in the other room very capable of taking the picture. But I HAD to have it this way. :)

What do you think? What are things that you look for in a diaper bag? I have ideas of making a matching wet bag (for the cloth diapers) that will somehow hook on. But I am not sure how practical that will be, maybe too bulky. Any ideas ? So, I guess my diaper bag cost about $5 --- I still have leftover material.

**Special thanks to my husband for helping me with the pictures --- I love you.**

Ellie Speaks

Ellie has said some funny stuff lately. We can not believe she is going to be 3 soon. She is so sweet and inquisitive...I love spending my days with her and Athan.

~ The other day she asked me where Nana and Papa were. I told her they live Florida and we live in Missouri. Her response --- "They do not live in Hobby Lobby?"

~We have started reading Farmer Boy out loud to her and she has surprised us at how much she enjoys it. Yesterday I was reading a part where Almanzo is talking about popcorn and that it is American. Ellie --- "American?" Yes, I said. We are Americans. "No we are people Mommy."

~Last night I asked her what she was thankful for, she answered w/ a really big smile "God!"

~Just this morning she told me she got married (she is wearing a white pillow case dress I made awhile back, long, w/ a ruffle on the bottom) I said is it b/c you have on a white dress. She answered yes, and started walking away holding her dress out like she was about to start twirling.

Enjoy you kiddos today and all their creative ways and the reminders that God loves children!

Good Deals~

At ALDI this week, until the 19th...

PINEAPPLE $1.99 each

GALA APPLES $1.19 for a 3lb. bag

NAVEL ORANGES $1.29 for a 4lb. bag

I am really excited about the fresh pineapple. :)

Coming Soon...

Pictures of a homemade diaper bag...I love it! Waiting for my husband to finish the pics. He is soooo great to help me in this way. :)

Oriental Style Chuck Roast...

One of my favorite things to make for my family is a chuck roast in the crock pot. It is easy and they always enjoy it. This time I tried something a little different. I put the roast in there, dumped a can (with the juice) of pineapple chunks on top, piled some chopped onion on there, then I poured some soy sauce and honey over it all. I do not know the measurements. If you try this just do more than less, you do not want it to dry out. Cook on low for eight hours or until done. About an hour before it was to be served I put some sliced carrot over it all. I did not want them to be too mushy. I served all this over rice. We really enjoyed it. And then the next night, because there wasn't as much meat left I made fried rice with it. Basically the same thing, but the little variation was fun. :) Happy cooking for your families!

You Know it is Cold When...

~ Your feet burn when you get in the shower.

~ You have to put on the second pair of socks.

~ You have not gone anywhere in almost a week.

~ There is a little girl's bouncy ball frozen to the ground (Ellie was sad about this, and confused:)

~ The idea of sitting in front of the huge fireplace in Bass Pro sounds blissful!

~ There is frost on the INSIDE of a window.

~ Your heat is set to 58 during the night and is still running, ALOT.

~ And just because you haven't been anywhere in almost a week doesn't mean you want to change that. :)

~We are thinking of having a play day in the bathroom because it is the warmest room, no just kidding. We did think about it though.

~The icicles you thought were so beautiful a few days ago have lost their dazzle.

So...who is ready for Spring? The gal from FLA is. :) Enjoy your day and Christ wherever you are on the map. Even with all this cold there is MUCH to praise Him for!

New Recipe

My husband makes really good chocolate milk. He mixes some cocoa powder, sugar, a little water and makes a syrup. Then when he gets the consistency he wants he pours the milk. But last night he added some white chocolate liquor. He calls it---Adult Chocolate Milk. It is 8 degrees outside I think that constitutes for a chocolaty treat!

Snow + Floridians = FUN!

Here are a few pictures from when my family was here for Christmas...


Me, Ellie, and my Mom!



I love this little girl...those eyes!



Eleanor was already at her limit, hands and face burning and then a big gust of wind came. It made for a fun picture. (The wind I mean, not her suffering!!)



My Dad made this sled thing out of junk from our garage. Matthew (my little brother) had a great time being pulled behind my Dad's truck. And of course Clay is sitting in the bed of the truck to the good shot. They looked hilarious going down our street!

We had a fun and quiet visit with my family. We were so thankful they came here instead of us traveling with two little ones to FLA. Thank you so much Dad, Mom, and Matt. We know it was a sacrifice for the born and raised Floridians!