We MOVED out of State!!!!

I have been MIA for a long time. Sorry! There was a big life change going on. For the first time, I am living in another STATE! We moved across 4 states in the beginning of December. In September my Dad was diagnosed with Cancer, and had it removed the day before we moved. All is well with him and we praise God everything went so smoothly! The girls are doing well in their new school and making friends. I have been blessed to make a great new friend here as well. The Hubby is happy and loves his new job, so other than being away from so many people we love, all is great! We were very fortunate to find a house through the company and moved in without ever being in it, we had just seen pictures on the Internet! We are once again in the Country and love the fact that we have neighbors close by. The girls are riding the bus which is a new experience. I however am missing being as active and involved in the school. Hopefully that will change next year. In March my sweet Mother had a tiny heart attack and went in for a triple bypass and had a pacemaker put in a week later. She is recovering well. But, I sure do wish I could have been by her side. We are thankful she has so many people that love on her in the Church and next door! My folks are blessed and loved by many. I have been given a personal tour of the surrounding areas every week by my sweet friend and am having so much fun seeing the sights. My childhood best friend only lives 2 hours from me, so we are excited to spend time together before she moves away in 2 months! All in all, we are well. Enjoying what God has blessed us with. May God bless you and keep you firmly in His grasp!

Moving and moving some more

I have not updated in a while!  We moved out of state, across 4 states in December 2014.  We were out East and did not like the lack of sun!  People were very kind and friendly.  However, I needed to be closer to family.  So, after trying life in Ohio for 16 months, we headed back to the Midwest and are settled in and loving it.  Closer to my folks than we have been in 5 years.  A lot has happened since my last post.  The girls have grown and my precious Hubby has switched jobs twice.  We have lost some precious loved ones, and are trying to cherish every minute we have to spend with loved ones!  Life is short.  We have been so very blessed.  I hope this Fathers Day is a blessing to you!

Grandpa

We made a trip back home to my folks to say our final farewell to my precious Grandfather. He was 97. He was amazing. He was humerous. He was the epitamy of patient. The man had a deep rooted love for Jesus and lived his life as a testimony. I loved him, and I miss him dearly. He called me "Snowflake" when I was a little girl. He had white hair and to me, he was dashing and handsome. My Grandpa met my Grandma in the 1940's. They married in 1943 after only one real date. Immediately after they married he was stationed overseas. My Grandmother was a Southern Belle from South Carolina and only 9 months after they were married they welcomed a baby boy, my Dad. Soon after they welcomed their second baby boy, my Uncle Tom. Over the years my Grandparents showed a love to their children that not many see. They were firm, but gentle. I owe my upbringing to my Grandparents for the way they taught my Dad. I owe my love for Jesus to my Grandparents. What a legacy they have left. What an honor to be part of their family. I miss them but know that they are so happy to finally be reunited. So, cherish every minute. Make every moment count.

Saying goodbye to Grandpa



My Grandpa
1916-2014
Master Sergeant USAF



My Grandpa's bolo tie connection

Family from near and far for Grandpa's funeral

Flag from Grandpa's casket and the shadow box my Mom made along side the album of my Grandparents 50th Anniversary celebration in 1993.

This is more typical of my Uncle and my Dad. 

Pictures

The "cupcakes" I made the kids for April Fools day.  They are really mini meat loaves with Mashed potatoes and onions on top.  The girls were FOOLED!!!

A snack I made for the preschool class.  The kiddos loved it!

Our oldest at Volleyball practice.

Our Middle (in pink) at volleyball practice.



My Dad and our Middle cuddling at my Folks house.



The hubby with our Bella and our Neighbor's dog, Daisy. 

The girls with some friends for our Oldest Daughter's 9th Birthday. 

Blast from the past



Our youngest with our "Bella".  They are best buddies!



My Husband and I after he proposed the day before Thanksgiving in 1998!  Isn't he HANDSOME!?!!

My cousin, My Dad, and myself visiting at my Grandma's house in Brady, Nebraka sometime in the mid '80's!

For some odd reason I have been having problems with this blog.  Perhaps the problem isn't the blog but with me.  I wonder sometimes.  Not much new going on here.  We are busy practicing for the Spring Musical and Dinner Theatre at the girls school in April.  They are putting on a show about Shadrach, Meshach, and Abednigoh.  Not sure if I spelled those correctly, sorry.  It is fun to hear them practice and the song I sang all the time as a child keeps coming back to mind.  So much fun reliving this stuff with the girls.  We have been experiencing some crazy weather here.  The high today is 78 and the high tomorrow is 45.  Last week we had a high one day in the upper 60's, the next day is was 38 and snowy.  Keeps life interesting that is for sure.  The girls have been in volleyball for the past 2 months and LOVE it.  Next week is their last week.  Their Coach is one of my friends and she has been doing such a great job!  My kids are lazy and she has them excercising...I LOVE it!!!!  They are really getting better at serving and hitting the ball too. 
     I am still helping out in the Preschool classroom.  The Teacher was gone for most of last week, so I helped more then I usually do.  It is exhausting.  Great fun and rewarding, but exhausting.  I am praying for the Teacher's Husband as he had surgery on his eye for a detached retina and is having complications.  Say a little prayer for Mr. C. if you pray...thanks!!!
     My Hubby is keeping busy with work and making sure people are following the correct safety procedures.  Some people are just ignorant.  I am really proud of my Hubby though and so amazed at what a great job he does.  He knows a LOT of stuff! 
  A few weeks ago the girls and I went to my folks to visit and I was able to see my 97 year old Grandfather.  He is tired most of the time and sleepy, but he still has his sense of humor.  It was food to my soul to see him.  I loved him up as much as I could while I was back.  I also was able to go out with two old friends.  One I have been friends with since I was 8 years old.  It was a GREAT visit!  It is always so comforting for me to go home again and see my precious Parents.  I have truly been blessed to be the Daughter of Mr. and Mrs. F. Jr.  I pray that someday our Daughters feel the same about us.  Being a Wife and Mom is the most important thing to me and I want to be the best at both.  My Husband and Daughters are my life.  On that note, I need to go finish laundry, unload the dishwasher, make lunch and plan what to make for dinner.  Hope this finds you all enjoying your Sunday and thanking the Lord for the blessings in your life.  Be a blessing to someone today. 
God bless!!!

Misc.



"Minion" Valentines from the movie Despicable Me.  I made these for the Preschool class.



Our Bella.

Our sweet Bella the day we brought her home in January

Exciting new addition!

Our family has grown.  We have added a four legged family member to our midst.  After numerous discussions with a friend we finally brought home our 13 month old, female yellow lab last night.  We are so very excited and loving her!!!  She is still in the puppy stage, but very big.  So we are working on training her and the girls as well so that they can use forceful words to make her listen and teach her to stay down from jumping, and come when called.  So far, she is a really good dog.  Her name is Bella, and she fits her name.  She is beautiful!  So, we will be even busier keeping  up with things but I welcome the challenge.  I am on cloud nine with a new dog I have always wanted and a bit of snow in our forcast!!!!!  Things can't get any better!  :)

Picture overload!

I apologize for my lack of posting!  I have been a tad busy.  I have been volunteering a LOT at the girls school this year.  I am helping in my youngest Daughter's preschool class.  I used to work at a Montessori Preschool years ago before we had children and am really loving working with preschoolers again!  They are a lot of fun to be around!  I am finding the older the girls get, the busier life gets.  I thought it would get easier, and that is NOT the case!  We are still loving country life however and love being just a few miles out of town.  My Husband can't get enough of the great outdoors.  He is in paradise.  I will try to post pictures from last Summer, Thanksgiving, and Christmas.  I just figured out how to download all of the pictures from my new phone.  Sorry for the overload!  Hope you enjoy looking at our cute kiddos as much as I do! 

Thanksgiving at my folks.  The girls were finally able to see their cousins!





Visiting my Grandfather over Thanksgiving.  I LOVE this man so much and am so honored to call him Grandpa!

2013-2014 School pictures. 
Preschool, 2nd Grade, and 3rd Grade.

Little Orphan Annie for Halloween.

My sweet Mamma and myself at the Lake.

After Church when my folks came to visit.

Our oldest and myself on a date at her choice, Dairy Queen!

Our youngest in school learning her letter "I".



Great friends playing at the campground.




Baby "A" and I being silly!



Enjoying the lake!

My dear Dad and myself at the lake.





Setting up the tree with help.



Our "Baby"



Posing at the lake




A week late since she was sick when school started!



I am having some serious issues today with my patience and LACK thereof!  So, here are two pictures that can't help but make me smile.  Our youngest in all her glory.  The kid never has a grumpy face.  She is our happy, goofy kid.  She should have been named Smiley!  She is growing and will be 5 years old in two months, but to me, she will always be my baby!

Back to School time

We now have the first full week of school under our belts.  A starts preschool after Labor Day.  E is in 3rd Grade with a new Teacher this year and Bub is in 2nd grade with a new Teacher as well.  Both of the girls are loving it so far.  I wish this would last all year long.  One day my oldest was even up at 6:15, dressed and ready to go.  And this is the child that LOVES sleep!!!!  The Hubby was out of town working all last week and I handled everythink back in full swing.  Now, I just need to learn how to make myself go to sleep before 11:00 again!  The weather here has been mild up until the week school started.  Now it is in the upper 90's every day.  I am a mild weather gal, so I am anxious for Fall weather to arrive!
     My awesome Husband made up a batch of fried okra fresh from our garden followed up by some fried green tomatoes.  We have a bunch of green tomatoes.  It is taking them forever to turn red!  And of course we have zucchini coming out of our ears.  I made bread the other day which the girls have pretty much finished off.  We are all doing well and keep our loved ones in our thoughts and prayers.  We feel very blessed to be healthy, happy and surrounded by great friends and family.  God Bless and remember, you never know what a person is struggling with.  Be kind to one another!!!!!

Our oldest in her new glasses.  I had to get glasses when I was 8 too!



Our Bub at a Birthday Party held at a beauty parlor.  All of the other girls had their hair curled.  Our curly haired girl had hers straightened!  Looks cute!!



I am going through some old photos from a few months ago and realized I was not able to upload them to my old computer.  So I will post a few old photos now in hopes that I did not post them already!

Our silly Little "A" at the zoo!

Pancakes I made for the 4th of July

I LOVE this photo!  The girls reading with my Dad on a visit home.  So precious!

Visiting home.  I was able to see my lifelong B.F.F.!!!!

The girls handing out water and bananas to the bicycle riders in BRAN.  (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska). 
They rode right by our house!  It was fun to watch!

At a friends house during a Tornado Warning.  We were happy nothing came of it!

Reading Grandma's Bible. 

Sunset in the country.

The girls with my Grandfather on Easter.

The beautiful locket from my Mother in Law and Husband!  I cherish it!



Keeping busy for sanity sake!

For some strange reason I realized I have not posted for 6 months.  I imagine it may have something to do with that horrible website, Pinterest or the fact that I have 3 little girls that need tending to, or a Husband that travels and when he is home, I like to give him every moment of my attention.  Or it could be the mountains of laundry and filthy housework that have kept my attention.  Whatever the reason, I shall try to update more often.  That being said, it IS Summer and the lake beckons my name every sunny, hot day.  School is out and Summer break is off to a fun start.  The girls have already been to Vacation Bible School and had a fun play date at the lake with friends and been to Grandma's house.  We have Birthday parties to attend and a fun, short family trip for the Hubby's work.  We have had exciting weather that keeps us on our toes.  We are praying for everyone living near the Colorado fires and pray for safety and for the fires to die out. 
     The girls and I had fun last week as groups of riders on BRAN (Bicycle Ride Across Nebraska)  rode their bikes right by our house.  We ran out and set up a spot to hand out water and bananas to the riders.  They were very thankful as they were riding against the wind and the day was heating up to near 90 degrees.  They had a lovely view of the lake though and from what we heard, the week went well with just one night of rain. 
     My awesome Hubby just returned from a quick trip for work and while flying home in his company plane was able to ride in the Co-Pilot seat.  Poor thing.  His job is just so tedious and boring!  (Insert sarcasm!)  :)
     I am looking for any great devotional books for myself and for the girls.  Being a Mom, trying to raise kind, obedient, gracious, giving, girls proves to be very challenging and has given me more wrinkles and gray hairs then I desire, but I wouldn't have it any other way.  I am chosing to love every single minute because from what I hear it just gets harder, AND time goes by way to fast. 
Over and out for now.  God Bless and be kind to one another.

No news is good news!

There has not been much to "write home about".    We are all doing well and keeping busy.  My folks just returned home from a few days in Florida for a Pastor's Conference.  The girls are doing well in school and the Hubby is working away the days.  I am having fun with my circle of friends having coffee every week at a different friends house.  I have been blessed with some wonderful ladies in my life! 
     Lately a lot of my friends have been going through various struggles in life.  It makes me sad for them, and hurt for them.  I, too go through life's ups and downs.  But one thing remains.  My God is there for me to hold me whenever I fall.  My Husband is also so very amazing and such an inspiration to me!!!  I feel so very blessed to have a Husband that will fight for us and go through the ups and downs with our family in tact.  We have such a wonderful life and I feel so very thankful for that.  I don't want to take one single thing for granted.  A lot of things have been weighing heavy on my heart and I just can't get over how blessed we are and I feel unworthy.  But I am thankful and hope anyone reading this makes sure they are living thankful for all they have.  Don't mean to come off as living some sort of perfect life.  We pay bills, and have stresses just like the next guy.   I am just thankful to have a great partner in crime by my side and thankful for my best friend loving me in spite of all my faults!  Happy Wednesday everyone!!

Merry (sick) Christmas

Merry Christmas from our home to yours!
I am in Northeast Nebraska visiting my folks with the girls.  The hubby had to stay home to work.  We made the drive pretty well considering our youngest is fighting a fever.  I had some great helpers in the back seat.  We made it into town just in time for me to see my lifelong best friend before she left to go home to Ohio.  It sure was good seeing her and her family!  The next day I started feeling sick and we are going on day 4 of being here and our youngest is still fighting a fever and I have gotten what the girls had as well.  I went to the Doctor and he said it was Influenza.  GREAT!  I am glad I am at my folks where I can rest and my Mom is really helping take care of the girls and loving it.  I do however REALLY miss my Hubby though.  Must sign off for now.  I hear my Mamma coming in the drive with a soft pretzel and a smoothie from the mall.   It's the little things!
   God bless and Happy New Year!!!

SNOW!!!!

     Yesterday was the last day of school before the Christmas break started.  I dropped the girls off at school and hugged them tight and told them to have fun.  Two of the other Mom's and I left to go have coffee before returning to the school to make pizzas for a pizza party for lunch before the classrooms began their Christmas parties.  I was a bit disappointed because our area was in a Winter Storm watch and I woke up to no snow.  I happen to be one of those crazies that LOVES snow!!!!!  Imagine my delight when it began to flurry while we were chatting over coffee at McDonalds!  We decided it was really starting to come down, so we left to begin baking the pizzas.  In the 15 minutes it took to get to school the weather took a turn for the worse.  We wondered if we would have to serve lunch at 10:30 to get kids HOME early.  We decided we would have to reschedule the pizza party and get the heck outta dodge!  The roads were very icy and visability was zero.  Keep in mind we live in the West in a tiny town out in the country!  I almost did not make it home as the hill leading out of town was so icy and my minivan is NOT equipped to handle that.  We finally made it home safe and sound and snuggled down into our couch with hot cocoa and a good Christmas movie.  This morning we woke to about 4 inches of snow.  Just enough to play in!  My dreams came true.  Now if only it wouldn't melt so we could have a WHITE Christmas! 

Cute Bubba in the snow.

Lamp post in our yard.  Love having it lit up at night!

Lil A playing in the snow.



Me and lil A. 




Two of the girls and myself.  Our oldest is inside sick.  :(

    I wish you all a wonderful Holiday and wonderful times spent with family and friends.  God bless!