Whole Hearts Needs YOUR Help!!

Pepsi is giving away $50K grants to causes. The catch? They need your votes.  Voting ends this week.  Matt Hammitt, of Sanctus Real, and his wife Sarah, have started a foundation called Whole Hearts. Their son, Bowen was born with HLHS. This foundation is geared toward helping families financially and spiritually whose children are suffering from congenital heart defects.  The statistics show that 1in100 children are born with some type of heart defect, many are undetected. Right now, my little buddy, Annabelle is back in the hospital. If you visit her mothers blog by clicking the link, you can see first hand just what a monster CHDs are.  So, help out and vote!!

There are three ways you can vote:
1. go to www.refresheverything.com/wholehearts
2. Text 107706 to 73774
or most importantly ( because you get extra votes)
3. Look under bottle caps or cartons of specially marked boxes of Pepsi for "Power Votes"  you do have to register online with Pepsi to use the power votes but if you don't wish to do that, you can email me your power vote codes and I will use them. Stephaniegfas@yahoo.com

So please take 3 seconds to vote, it could make a lifetime of difference.

One Day 40 Years Ago

My life was changed over the course of one day forty years go.  My mother was 11 years old and I ws probably only a mere idea that popped in her head every now and then when she wondered about children she may have in the future.  But this particular event involved my sister-in-law. On that October day, forty years ago, she was being born.  Her name is Tammie. She was born three months early and also had hydrocephalus.  The technology wasn't yet perfected to save her and she lived one day.  As anyone would be, they were devastated at the loss of their little girl.


But in the midst of all our pain, great as it may be, God still has a plan.  A perfect plan.  I am sure there were times that they wondered what good could possibly ever come from God taking their daughter. Those thoughts more than likely consumed them.  And as it turned out at their 6 week check up, she learned she was already expecting another baby. This in no way replaced Tammie, but it did help her heal.


Tammie's one little day of life completely changed mine.  See there is always good in a situation.  Even though at the time, I am sure she saw no good in her situation at all there was good waiting down the road. Had Tammie had lived, I wouldn't have my husband, or the children, or really even the life I have now.  My husband is my soul mate.  I love him in a way I could never love any other man.  My children are my world.  So my husband is here because she only lived one day.  And it doesn't really stop there, it will continue with my grandchildren and their children and so forth on down the line.  I honor her for the one day she was here because that one day changed so much.  My life is complete with my husband and my children all because of that tiny little life, forty years ago.

Bring Back My Bar

It's that time again!!! Scentsy will start the Bring Back my Bar campaign on July 1st.  20 of the most in demand retired scents will be available for the month of JULY ONLY! So if there is a scent you love or think you may love, stock up while you can. Below you will see the scent list along with a description. I just may have to get them all ;)
Banana Flower
Delightful combination of fresh, sweet 
banana mingled with soft florals. 
Spring & Summer. SB-BNF
Banana Nut Bread
Right from the oven with ripe bananas, 
nuts, and spices. 
Bakery. SB-BNB
Cashmere
Sheer floral bouquet combines 
Moroccan jasmine, lily of the valley,
and bergamot. 
Romance. SB-CAS
Coconut Palm
A blend of tropical coconut and musky 
patchouli with subtle green notes. 
Tropical. SB-CCP
Cutiepie Cupcake
Sweet clementine and yellow cake batter 
with vanilla and sugary icing. 
Bakery. SB-CPC
Exotic Vanilla
/Velvet Spice
Spice up your home with a blend of 
vanilla bean, jasmine, patchouli, 
and sandalwood. 
SB-EXV
Fresh Cut Cantaloupe
Vine-ripened melon with hints of 
juicy orange. 
Fruits & Flowers. SB-FCC
Fried Ice Cream
Vanilla with a nutty touch along with 
cinnamon and caramel. 
Bakery. SB-FIC
Grape Granita
Sun-warmed grape and pineapple with 
undertones of honeysuckle. 
Spring & Summer. SB-GRP
Irish Cream
Smooth and mellow, highlighted with 
hints of coffee and chocolate. 
Bakery. SB-IRC
Lemon Lavender
Inviting blend of tangy lemon and sweet 
lavender flowers. 
Fruits & Flowers. SB-LMV
Luscious Lemon
Light, creamy lemon. 
Fruits & Flowers. SB-LUS
Orange Dreamsicle
A classic combination of fresh orange, 
swirled with vanilla cream. 
Favorites. SB-ODS
Oxford
A masculine blend of ginger and 
frankincense with woody cedar and 
amber undertones. 
Scentsy Man. SB-OXF 
Red Delicious
Crisp, juicy apples, fresh from
the orchard. 
Spring & Summer. SB-RED
Root Beer Float
Concoction of old-fashioned root beer 
and creamy vanilla ice cream. 
Scent of the Month. SB-RBF
Spiced Orange Harvest
Strong, sweet oranges spiced with cloves 
and cinnamon. 
Favorites. SB-SOH
Strawberry Sweetie
A fruity delight of strawberries sprinkled 
with sugar and vanilla. 
Fruits & Flowers. SB-SBS
Tuscan Garden
Mediterranean floral bouquet, enhanced 
by cassis, apples, berries, and rosemary. 
Nature. SB-TUS
Watermelon Patch
Sweet, vine-ripened watermelon. 
Fruits & Flowers. SB-WMP


TO MAKE A PURCHASE, CLICK ON THE SCENTSY BUTTON AT THE TOP RIGHT OF THIS BLOG OR JUST CLICK HERE

Painting that Preaches

I bought a garage sale desk a few weeks ago.  You can see it here at the bottom of this post.  I fell in love the moment I saw the desk.  I had been looking for this exact thing for quite sometime and never really found that "it" piece.  To my surprise, it was only $5.  I have been slowly working on restoring it to something worthy of sitting at the top of the stairs.  With 3 children, time has been scarce for opportunity for me working on it.  This week I began painting on her.  As I was painting, I would like to think it was me thinking, but rather it was really God speaking to me. To most people this desk was ugly and worth nothing, hence the reason itpwas probably outside at a garage sale for five dollars.  The paint was applied with what looked like the toss the bucket at the object and see what paint sticks method.  There was one leg broken and it was dirty to put it mildly.  I even found some used and unused lancets in the drawer upon starting the cleaning process.  Anyway, the point I am getting to, is that when God sees us, I am sure its much like this table.  We are ugly with sin and probably to others may seem worth nothing. But God sees us with the eyes I saw this desk with.  To Him we are beautiful and He sees us for what He knows we can be, not what the outside world perceives us to be. He takes us and "sands", "strips", and "restores" us to our original beauty that He created us to be in the first place.

I love when God reiterates points with repetitive things in various forms.  The question "who am I " as kept popping up in lots of different ways.  I was watching Extreme Make Over, Weight Loss Edition and that was a question the trainer kept repeating over and over to this man.  I then read a new post here that was exactly the same thing. Read the Digging Deeper section and you will see what I am talking about.  Today, our Bible Study lesson was on Ephesians 1.  You should go read that for yourself.  It too deals with the Who Am I question.  The answer, we are all God's children that even though He knew what would ultimately happen in that humans would sin, He willingly created the world, sent His Son as our sacrifice, and done all this with pleasure!! This is awesome stuff.

So anyway, I've been contemplating this post for a couple days and finally got around to doing it!! Plus the Bible study thing really sealed it in for me today as well.

Living He loved me!
Dying He saved me!
Buried He carried my sins far away!
Rising He justified!
Freely forever!
One day He’s coming!
Oh glorious day!

Decorating Cents

So since I am a SAHM, I have to find ways to cut corners with my home decor.  Let's face it, I am frilly, girly, and what have you, because I am the only princess who inhabits this castle so decorating is kind of my m.o.  I also change my decor quite often so I have to keep costs down as much as possible.  I thought I'd share with you one of my most recent endeavors.  This is a sideboard in my dining room that I got from my husbands grandfather's house.

I bought two of these little birds at The Dollar Tree

 I then painted them with some white apple barrel craft paint I had on hand.  It took two coats to completely cover them.

 I really liked the flower designs on the sides of the birds so I decided to paint that design black.  I didn't have a small enough brush to get into the tiny cracks so I just colored over the dried white paint with a sharpie.  I got the dome at TJ Max for $12.  I had been looking for one for a light project.  I thought this one would work but was too small so I decided to put it on the sideboard in the dining room and then began the search for something to go underneath and that's when I found the birds.  I flipped a plate upside down for the base. I had some moss on hand so added that for an extra touch.  I am not really loving the plate as a base but will leave it for now until I find something that may work better.

 I already had the votives on the top and the blue glass vase.  Other than that, the sideboard was empty.  I also bought three candle sticks as well as three vases from the dollar tree.  I hot glued the candle sticks to the vases and made the hurricanes for $6 I got three of them which to me is a great bargain.  I also picked up the light blue stones at the dollar tree as well.  The candles in the back were a gift.

 I can't take full credit for these flower center pieces.  They were an idea from my best friend Alicia.  She had made some red ones for a teacher appreciation luncheon at her sons' school.  I also picked up the materials at the dollar tree.  The sticks are two candlesticks, $1 each, flipped and glued to one another.  I then took a half styrofoam floral circle and placed the roses around it and glued it to the top of the stick.  I used about 5  bunches of flowers a piece on the topiary.  So for $12 I have two centerpieces.  I have priced similar items and couldn't find them for less than $10 each.

Here is also a sneak peek at my current project.  I found this beauty at a garage sale for $5.00!!!!  I fell in love immediately.  Can't wait to show you the finished product once I give her a re-do.

Ruralness (Wordful Wednesday)

I live in a rural small southern town.  Around here most meals contain some sort of fried chicken, the tea is always cold and sweet and the crickets sing lullabies on warm summer nights.  When I was younger I used to dream about leaving here and never looking back.  I said to myself and maybe out loud to a few friends, that I was going as far away from here as possible.  I wasn't exactly sure where I wanted to go but that didn't matter much at the time.  I had all these plans and as you know when you start making plans for yourself....life happens. And as those life happenings came to be.....I fell in love in high school and married that wonderful man!!!  I know it sounds cliche to grow up in a small town and marry your high school sweetheart but that was my life and despite all my planning.....God's plan ultimately wins in the end.  I am now where my heart has lead me and couldn't be happier.  I am able to stay home with my three boys and welcome home every night this wonderful man that I am privileged to call my husband.  He truly is a Godsend because I don't know many people who could share a home with me and survive!!  Now I wouldn't trade this small town for any big city.  My family is close by and my children know their grandparents well.  


So, as I close, remember that when you start making all these plans.....life will come along right smack dab in the middle and we never know where it may lead us....now, someone pass me that chicken.

Welcome Spring

So, yeah it's been a while since my last post.  Thought I'd catch up on a few things.  Spring seems to have finally ushered itself in (hopefully).  We have had the normal spring storms already which are usually accompanied by a night of no sleep to go with it.  The flowers are beginning to poke out their heads.  I can't keep my bird feeders filled and am awakened every morning to chirps louder than my alarm clock.  I also have developed my annual "flower fever" where I want to bring home every vibrant colored bloom I see at the local stores.  Isaac has started baseball and he is LOVING it!! So glad he is finally getting involved and breaking out of his comfort zone.  Our local minor league team will also kick off its season tonight.  There is just something magical about sitting in the stands watching baseball and munching on a reallyexpensive yummy hotdog or hamburger.

John finally started crawling.  He uses knees and elbows mostly but goes where he feels the need. He also got his first tooth yesterday and coincidentally Kody also lost one the same day.  I did also notice that John is sharing in my love of shoes, although I don't quite like the taste as well as what he seems to!  So, we can't leave shoes lying around anymore or he will find them and commence to teething on their soles hahaha :)

I also have many DIY projects in the works some of which I will share, providing they turn out in the end the way I hoped. 

I also love when God's word has a way of repeating itself so as just to show that it is the Truth.  Just little tid bits here and there that are there for confirmation.

Also check John out!!  He is on a post today over at Domestic But Not Martha.

Hope you all have an amazing weekend!!

Where Is All The Money I Am Saving

So, I am trying to shop frugally.  I am desperately failing at this task.  I have tried to clip coupons and obviously this takes super power mad skills that I lack. I made my trip to Wal Mart with almost 20.00 in coupons in hand and shockingly I still walked out of the store $198.00 poorer.  I have a family of five. Four of those eat regular meals and one of those is in diapers so for what he misses in contribution to the food bill he does make up for on the "recycled" food part and diapers aren't exactly cheap now days.

So, I make my own laundry detergent and have began making lots of different things but I am not really seeing any savings.  I do manage to only go to the grocery store once every week and a half to two weeks so all in all I guess factoring that in, my grocery bill isn't too terribly bad.  I just expect to be able to share in the joy like all the others who purchase 300.00 worth of goods and only pay 10 or 20 dollars for it. I must be missing out on the secret to all this shopping glory.

So if any of you know this magic secret, please let me in on it!!

I Am a Mean Mommy

I love my children.  I love living every day listening to the sounds of their laughter and seeing them thoroughly enjoying their childhood.  I don't really give them every single thing they ask for spoil them too much.  I think if they did receive everything the asked for they really wouldn't appreciate it much.  However recently I have been told by those said lovey children that life is sooo unfair and that they never get anything and no one cares.  Well, I'd be lying if I said these whiny complaints didn't make me want to bust out the smack down right then and there.  But also deep in my heart these comments make me feel like they have a huge knife stuck right into my heart and they are agitating it every minute with each of those remarks much like the twisting and turning of a washing machine.  I try really hard to make sure they feel loved.  My husband and I as well as their grandparents spend a great deal of time playing with the kids, watching movies and various things.  They have so many toys that the playroom is junked over flowing with things to play with. Heck, they even have a playroom to begin with.  My playroom as a child was the confines of the room that I also slept in or the yard and I turned out just fine.  I think kids today lack imagination and they are used to all these techy gadgets to come up with ideas for them.  I mean we could play for hours just in the dirt alone with rocks for shovels.  I know they probably don't really mean the things that they say sometimes.  I also tend to forget what may seem like simple things that don't really matter to me may just be the end of the world for a 6 or 7 year old.


On the flip side I am so grateful that they are just worried that they don't have the latest video game or the coolest new toy that just came out and they don't know some of the harsh realities of other children who worry if they are going to have food on the table or if their parent(s) are going to beat them to death this go 'round. 


So , I can go to sleep tonight knowing I love my children and deep down they KNOW I do even if sometimes I may be a mommy monster of unfairness.  So I will wear that crown with pride because after all I am the only princess in this castle and at least I do get to be a mommy to those 3 little monsters boys of mine.

My Re-Vamp

So, I hope you like my new blog design, because I LOVE IT!!!  My awesome friend Dana Sears done the designing, installing and all that jazz. So, if you love it, visit her design shop!! You can also find her link at the bottom right of my blog.  Thank you SO much Dana. It truly is amazing and now I am all excited about blogging again :)

My Mission

Here are some things on my wish list that I am going to frugally obtain....eventually

My Daily Dose of Parenting

This morning didn't start out so great. I didn't feel so great and slept a little later than I should have.  The kids were ill as well.  We make it out the door and to school on time.  We say our I love you's, byes, and have a good day.  I go to pull out of the parking lot and notice the vast ocean of vehicles.  I wonder what is going on and did I miss something.  Then it hit me like a ton of bricks..CRAP!!!!!!!!! It was doughnuts for dads. Then I realize what my children must have been thinking as that exact moment.  My heart was broken.  My husband was going to go in to work late so he could go and we both forgot. So my parenting skills left a lot to be desired on this Tuesday morning. So I am on a mission to right my wrong when they get home from school.  We can either get doughnuts for home or they can have daddy breakfast on Saturday.  



On another note, bumbo seats aren't as safe as you think they are. John wiggled out of his and landed on the kitchen table. Glad the seat wasn't on the edge. And yes I know it says not to put on an elevated surface but i didn't think he could get out of it either. So, we are off to buy a highchair!!!! 

Handpainted Pillows

I am always on the search for really neat pillows.  I like simple yet dramatic, does that make sense?  I can never find exactly what I am looking for that doesn't carry a pretty hefty price tag.  I decided to try my hand at making my own pillow.  I took a pillow case I already had and used craft paint to paint the design then hot glued buttons around on the braches.  I love it!!

What are some frugal ideas that you have or have done recently in your home?

lined bins from diaper boxes

I am all for saving a lot of money a few bucks.  I also like creative ideas that are chic looking and fit with my decor.  I have a baby, therefore, I have lots of unused diaper boxes that could potentially look like this:

I was instructed to visit this site by my friend Alicia. This is where I found this post on how to make these lined bins from empty diaper boxes. I LOVE them.  So pretty and very inexpensive to make.  Send any other great ideas my way!!!

I Love You

"So it is right that I should feel as I do about all of you, for you have a special place in my heart.  You share with me the special favor of God, both in my imprisonment and in defending and confirming the truth of the Good News.  God knows how much I love you and long for you with the tender compassion of Christ Jesus. 


I pray that your love will overflow more and more, and that you will keep on growing in knowledge and understanding.  For I want you to understand what really matters, so that you may live pure and blameless lives until the day of Christ's return.  May you always be filled with the fruit of your salvation-the righteous character produced in your life by Jesus Christ-for this will bring much glory and praise to God." Phil 1:7-11

Inspired by Sweeping

I love Spring.  Not so much hot weather, but nice sunny cool days that make you want to soak up as much Vitamin D as possible.  Its always a nice treat to see new life emerging from underneath the bare, desolate, "dead" world or so it seems.  Today is turning into one of those days pretty quickly.  I awoke this morning to the sound of birds chirping and the sun shining through my window. 


My deck has been hiding under piles of crunchy, brown leaves since the fall.  There was really no use in sweeping it because it would have ended right  back under the leaves.  This week it was my goal to get the deck clean.  Nevermind that its now Thursday and I am just getting to this task.  So, I put John in his exersaucer and out the door we went to discover what was underneath all those leaves.


While I was sweeping, I was looking around at all the trees beginning to crack open with the promise of new life and beautiful things to come.  I know this may sound strange but I began to wonder if it "hurts" the trees to be strained until they crack.  We all know that in order for the beauty to come, the cracks are necessary.  It also made my mind wander to Christ.  In order for the beauty of the resurrection and our salvation to come about the "cracks" (i.e. the cross) were present then as well.  During the journey of our lives, God wants us to be beautiful as well.  We hide under our piles of leaves and bare limbs until He makes us crack or sweeps us off to reveal the beauty He always intended for us to have.  This process may not always be painless, infact it may just be some of the most painful experiences we will ever indure.  Sometimes all we may need is a sweep but more often than not, we require a really hard crack.  We do however  have a hope that He promisedthat we will have beauty and peace in the end.  I have had some of the most ugly, tattered, torn rose bushes give me the most fragrant, vivid colored roses I have ever seen.


So, before you decide to sweep the deck, remember it may get you to thinking but you may make some pretty interesting discoveries along the way.

I am Green

I am becoming green. No, I am not sick or jealous.....this time anyway ;).  I am a clean freak, though if you walked in my front door you may think I am lying. I clean every.single.day. but having said that, I also have a husband and 3 children who mess faster than I can clean. But not getting off on a tangent.  I used to use a gallon of bleach a week.  I am talking, walk in my house and burn your nose hairs off with the smell of bleach kind of thing. Well, I  began considering what inhaling those fumes were doing to my health and not to mention my children.  I know bleach is cheap but most other cleaning products can cost you a small fortune.  As you may or may not know, I am a stay at home mom.  Our money tree died before it began producing so cutting costs makes me smile.  So, on to the real point.  My best friend Alicia has always mentioned to me that she makes her own household cleaners.  I didn't really give it much thought, then I met Bonnie and saw her home made laundry soap recipe.  I fell in love with not only the cost (its .25 a gallon) but the way it works.  I also started using the laundry soap solution to mop my floors.  I use the borax and washing soda in the dishwasher.

My husband works in a garage so his clothes get pretty dirty as well as his skin.  The laundry soap gets out even the worst stains on his clothes.  I was wondering what I was going to do about cleaning the bathtub to get the grease off and genius Alicia told me to use Dawn dish soap with baking soda to scrub the bath tub.  It works absolutely amazing.  I also used that mixture to clean my kitchen sink and I have never seen it so shiny.

So now not only and I saving money I am also helping the environment and keeping my children from breathing harmful chemicals.  All these products work just as good if not even better than high priced and harmful cleaners.  I haven't bought bleach in over a month and I am quite proud of myself for quitting the bleach habit cold turkey.

I Love Scentsy!!!!

I love scentsy. If you do not know what this is you can visit my website here.  I have been using their products for a little over a year now.  If you know me, then you know that I am OBSESSED with candles and all things "smell good".  I have spent hundreds of dollars over the years in search of the perfect smelly thing for my home, car or whatever place I am occupying for a period of time.  I honestly have never found a product that I love more than scentsy.


There warmers are beautiful works of art in themselves. Here are just a few:

They have 80 different scents of wick less wax to warm in these lovely warmers.  There are also plug in warmers too to save counter space.  The plug ins are also wonderful for apartments or dorm rooms because they will really "smell up" a small space.  I have a plug in that is in my bathroom and fills the bathroom as well as my bedroom with luscious scent.

You can also choose from scent circles, travel tins, scent packs, room sprays,  and fragrance antibacterial foam for on the go goodness.

Scentsy also has products for the smallest family members in the form of a scentsy buddy that has a zip pouch to place a scent pak inside for wonderful scents to be released wherever your little one goes.

So, you see there are many wonderful products from scentsy.  I am now an independent consultant and would love for you to visit my site.  You can purchase products, host an online party ( earn free products), or even sign up to become a consultant yourself! 

Happy Smelling!

I Have Three Sons

I have three sons.  I am not having any more children.  The third child was not an attempt to gamble with mother nature to "try" and have a girl.  I know people mean well and don't necessarily mean to offend me when they ask if we were trying to have a girl as if there is some magic way to hold your mouth or some words to recite that will result in procreating a female human.  It just gets annoying sometimes.  I am extremely thankful that God decided to bless me with three boys and wouldn't have it any other way.  I think that maybe saying I wanted a girl would be like saying I didn't want my son(s).  Would I like to have a girl and be able to do all the girly things, sure!  So, should we have had a fourth child and it turned out to be a girl, I would be elated, same as if it were another boy.  


If we could have financially afforded to have more children I may have given the Duggar's a run for their money in the baby having department.  However we do not have a live, flourishing money tree in our back yard  and I am getting old not as young as I once was :).  


I hope one day to be a wonderful mother-in-law to my son's future wives. But this is fair warning to those said future wives....I will have years of pent up frilly, girly, things to get out and you will be my outlet!!


So, with that being said. I love my boys and all too soon my house will go from being "boy filled" to being filled with men.  And as my husband laughingly says, "God knew I could only handle one woman".  Guess he was probably right!!

I Desperately Want to Fall in Love

I desperately want to fall in love......with myself.  Self esteem is something I have struggled with since I was probably about 12 years old. That was nearly 20 years ago.  You would think that I would have gotten control of this 20 year war by now, but it just seems to get worse as it goes on.  I thought I was fat then, boy do I wish I could be that skinny now.  After having children my weight has hovered just 5 lbs more than when I found out I was pregnant with John.  He was born 5 months ago.  You would think I had enough time to get those last pesky five pounds in my rear view mirror. Celebrities always attribute loosing their baby weight to breastfeeding, I am calling them on that one.  Bull...I have been almost exclusively breastfeeding for the past five months and I do not see a Heidi Klumesque figure staring back at me in the mirror. Well, I didn't really see one before either.


Anyway, don't get me wrong.  I do not sit on my couch everyday all day eating ice cream, Twinkies, or bon bons.  I do have ice cream on occasion just like anyone else.  I do not fry anything I cook either.  I carry loads and loads of laundry up two flights of stairs and carry my child wherever we may go.  Yes, I realize this isn't equivalent to a gym work out, but its something.


Two years ago, I started cycling.  The place I worked had to locations we traveled back and forth to work.  The distance was 20 miles. We would ride there and back on a tandem bicycle until I was confident enough to ride on my own.  My boss was really into cycling so I decided to give it a whirl.  I loved it.  There is nothing that compares to taking in the world from the seat of a bicycle.  It was a stress reliever as well as exercise. I lost 19lbs.  That may not seem like alot for averaging 40 miles a week riding time but for me that was HUGE.  I have PCOS (poly cystic ovarian syndrome) and that makes it a little more challenging for me to loose weight. I am not using that as an excuse, just stating a fact.  I stopped riding when I found out I was pregnant.  An accident could have caused me to loose my precious baby boy and I didn't want to risk that.


So now I have the most wonderful little boy that I am SO thankful for. I have found it difficult to have any time to exercise at all. Taking care of an infant plus two older children and the housework consumes every minute of time that I have.  I am really hoping that come spring time I will be able to at least go walking at the park. I am tired of hiding behind my children in family photos and running from every mirror in my house, especially the one in the bathroom when its shower time. 


 Its time to heal my self esteem problem and be able to honestly believe my husband when he says he is attracted to me.  I mean I don't think someone would pay for a thoroughbred horse then realized they ended up with a donkey.


So, if anyone has advice, I am all ears ( hee honk)

5 Random Things

So, here are my five random things as freakish as they may be:




1.) I eat shrimp tails. I actually think they taste better than the "shrimp flesh"


2.) I once had a pigeon poop on my white choir shirt while I was walking to the concert location. It was a ruffle collard shirt and I used one of my earrings to pin a ruffle over the poop spot.


3.) While visiting a water park with the church youth group I lost my bathing suit top in front of the other members of the group.


4.) I too, am afraid of the dark.


5.) I rarely shave my legs during pant season.

Who Hit the Fast Forward Button

I remember when I was a little girl it seemed to take ages for the school year to pass, Christmas or my birthday to come, and days took ages to pass.  I used to dream about becoming a teenager, getting married, kids, and turning 30.  All those things came and went and with each passing year, milestone or heartbreak it feels as if someone has hit the fast forward button on life.  My oldest son will soon be 8 years old.  It just seems surreal.  The next isn't but 13 months younger.  They are turning into big little men right before my eyes.  Isaac even made the comment the other day that he was going to pray for a wife. WIFE! That is a word that I hope I have quite a few more years before they are part of the present tense. Then again those years will only seem like mere weeks when they arrive.  The baby I had last week is now 5 months old ( in 3 days). I love my boys and I love to watch them grow. I hope I am blessed enough to see them grow into men with families of their own.  I hope this year is filled with much adventure, happiness, and love.  Hug the ones you love and cherish each moment because unfortunately though there does seem to be a fast forward button, there is no pause or rewind.

God's Hand at Work

So, a few months ago I met Dana.  She is an awesome mommy, wife and blog designer.  She has three beautiful boys.  Mason, who is the middle son, has special needs. You can read his story here.  So, anyway, to the point. I recently met Crystal. God's hand was surely at work in this, there is no doubt in my mind about that.  She had put together an auction/raffle with some REALLY AWESOME prizes.  100% of the profits from this will go straight to the Sears family to help with Mason's medical needs.  This was a secret up until the wee hours of the morning, but please feel free to stop by the auction http://www.domesticbutnotmartha.com/2011/01/event-you-have-all-been-waiting-for.html.  And please spread the word, twitter, facebook, whatever. We just want to get this out there so God can use us to make a difference for this wonderful family so maybe, just maybe, a burden can be made a little lighter.


GOD BLESS

stephanie