Happy Birthday Haley Elizabeth!

I'm belated on getting this post up....I wanted to scan some pictures and didn't get it done, so IF you will pretend the date is February 23rd then all will be well. Baby girl, please forgive mommy! I try and I'm always about 10 steps behind!


Haley Elizabeth is our third child and second daughter. She is the "life, spunk, and energy" to the fam. She is tall and beautiful. Most people say she looks just like her Mommy, but I'm NOT tall and beautiful so not sure what they are talking about. She has had every color of hair a tall and beautiful girl could have. And now the story of her birth!
She was due the 24th (oh, yea that's why I'm posting now!) but the older two siblings came a day early so I knew she would be born on the 23rd. It was unseasonably warm and we went to Grandpa's farm to see the new baby calves that were all over the pastures. Sissy Lace and I were walking hand in hand through the pastures with everyone else and I was having to stop every few steps to "hee hee who" and breathe. Lace was quite curious and asked what I was doing A LOT! We finally went home and I said to hubby, "We might????? want to go to hospital and just see if we are getting close." Grandma came over to babysit and off we went. The ride to hospital was interesting...secretly I wondered how embarrassing would it be to deliver on a highway. When we arrived, they said, "Well we'll check and see how far you are and decide if we will keep you." I was dialated to a 9 and we went straight to delivery...I remember pushing as I was being wheeled down the hall. (Sorry, that's probably Too Much Information!) The young female doctor on duty (not mine) and nurses scolded poor hubby for not getting me there sooner. He explained I'm a little....... stubborn, and didn't let on that the baby was about born in a cow pasture! She was my biggest baby and yet the easiest to deliver. And she was born with black hair and a full head of it! 

She grew up a Daddy's girl. Never left the crook of his arm in the recliner but when necessity called. She lived in the crook of his arm until she had to go to school. She was a Mini-Me to Lace and followed her everywhere, did what Lace told her to do but always with her own pizzazz. We learned early that she had her own ideas and her own way of doing things. She is strong willed, loving, caring, nurturing to little ones, helpful, and such a good Christian girl. She loves God and Jesus and that makes us the happiest of anything. And her Daddy calls her Tender Heart. SHE IS NOW 20! 20 years old....sounds so young to me and yet sounds so old for my baby! She now lives a couple of hours from us and we miss her dearly. I've taken her away from her Daddy...she's now a Momma's girl. She's coming home for the weekend and I think I'll put her in the crook of my arm and rock her. If you will oblige me, I'm going to reminisce through the years! I apologize for the quality of the pictures.

 

Happy Birthday Ha Wee Beth....We love you more than you will ever know!

Prairie Flower Farm Giveaway

Linda at Prairie Flower Farm is having a giveaway! So please click on over and get signed up! And while you are there you will be inspired by her beautiful words that come from her beautiful heart! She is so special... I just adore her blog! 


Here's what you are in for:

So now for the giveaway........I received two cookbooks.....one for me and one 

for the winner!

 Mom's Very Best Recipes Cookbook

also

in the drawing will be one of 

these adorable 

Coupon/Expense Organizers

It's been one of those weeks....we have 3 nights of basketball....all away games....so the dishes pile up, the mail piles up, the laundry piles up, and the dog piles ON the laundry! Oh good grief! 

Sweet hubby and I had a date night....we had a sock party! Everyone was invited but we were the only ones at the party. That happens often at our sock parties! Next time I'll serve drinks and snacks and see if anyone comes!

 

Bargains!

Saturday was a quick shopping run....I knew my mission....I had researched the ad! I've been saving my extra duty money from school every month for months in an envelope and I finally got to buy my Kitchen Aid Mixer. I also waited until Kohls had it on sale AND I had a 30% coupon AND I get a $30 Rebate. So compared to what it originally was I got a steal! I wanted a pop of color in my kitchen which is sage green so I got the bright red one. I normally lean to a black or white but this time I lived it up! Plus hubby and my two daughters who were with me all said "red!" I've been reading the book to make sure I use it right. (I'm a little OCD about that kind of stuff.) So now I'm ready to....bake! I'm going to do some past blog reading and find all those recipes you all put up and try it out! To all of you Kitchen Aid women out there.....I can't wait to hear your reviews and what to do and what NOT to do.

And.......my even better bargain was PILLOWS! I bought 8 of them! Regular $9.99/each....on sale for $4.49....down to $3.15 with coupon. I would have bought more but my 2 carts full of pillows was a little embarrassing going through the aisles.


Yes, I'm a bargain shopper....I get a thrill for a sale....I appreciate hearing others getting a good deal...I always check out the clearance aisle or the sale rack....I love Good Will, Flea Markets, and Dollar Stores! And I'm afraid I've rubbed off on my daughters. I hope that's not a bad thing. I think I have lots of bargain buddies out there who would agree to a great deal, eh?

A New Friend!

Sweet Miss Linda at Prairie Flower Farm hosted a Seed Swap sign up. She paired us up with someone and we will trade seeds and meet someone new. I just got my email with my new friend's name and address and I can't wait to get to know her and exchange some seeds!  So I just had to post and say:

Hello Belinda!!!! I am so looking forward to getting to know you!

Did anyone else join the Seed Swap and are you as excited as I am?

Spring???

Darbo changed my header for me! I'm not quite "blog designer" talented enough but am working on it. We have "Caribbean beaches" on the brain and are counting down! I can't wait to have some good ole' Vitamin D beating down on me (with some strong sunscreen!) I'm a fair skinned redhead so SPF 50 is quite familiar to me!

Today was a teasing of "Spring". The temps got up to around 70 degrees. Before I left for work this morning, I opened the windows and let the fresh air roll in. When I got home from work, the smell of the air blowing through the house was MaRvElOuS! Hubby and I have a usual route we take in the Spring, Summer, and Fall for our walks. Yep, we are just "fair weather walkers" so when winter comes, we pass. Tonight we took it and it felt so good to breathe in that warm fresh air. Now I'm sure this weather is not here to stay YET but perhaps it won't be long.


It's the tail end of Basketball season at our house and I think both Coach Dad and Darb are ready for it. It will soon be Track season and that definitely signals Spring!


We have begun "Get in Shape/Stop the OverEating" at our house! Tonight I went to the grocery store and got stocked up on some healthier foods. We are all trying to get into some type of presentable shape to put on shorts/swimsuits/summer type attire for the cruise. Soninlaw is in the lead...he has lost 25 pounds. He has great will power. The rest of us are just getting started. Come March 1 I'm starting the Sonoma Diet. My sisinlaw introduced me to this and knew it would be something I'd like because I love the 10 power foods in it.

It has 3 Waves to go through. The first 10 days (Wave 1) is the hardest for me but where I see the quickest results. It is more of a change in the way you eat as opposed to counting calories/carbs/proteins. I really like the foods on it. So right now I'm mentally gearing up for it! HA! That's how I have to do it. Plus hopefully get in some regular walking. Is anyone else in the "get in shape" mode?


Can you believe planting season is right around the corner? It won't be long until we are tilling and digging and planting and watering! I'm so excited. One of my favorite days of the year is when the plants and flowers start filling the Walmart garden section. It gets me so excited! Have you been planning your garden?


Are you getting Spring Fever yet?

Happy LOVE Day!

What a fun day this is! It just is such a "happy" smiley day! My hubby gave all his girls roses this weekend! They were beautiful. We enjoyed them all weekend. He has always sent his girls flowers. He sent them to his daughters at school when they were little and continues to spoil them. He says he is still their FIRST Sweetheart. He also sends his Mom and my Mom flowers. Now isn't that sweet? I've tried the "they are so expensive...why don't you save your money?" talk and he just ignores me. We are very grateful to have him! We're keeping him!
Today at school, there was pink and red EVERYWHERE! Sweet treats, flowers, candy, presents....good grief ! My friend runs our local flower shop and she says this is definitely her best day of the year!
My kiddos could not concentrate very well today on Adjectives, Maximum, Minimum, Mode, Range, Cause and Effect, Division........I wonder why?????? A party on Monday? Well you can imagine how the rest of the week will go!
I hope you had a love-er-ly day with all your sweethearts. What fun did you have?
Here is a sampling of the day!

My class wanted to make a heart out of their boxes!

 This was in our conference room for all the kids from their families!

 I remember making boxes when I was in school and my kids STILL get excited to make them!

 In third grade, this time of year is when "love" starts blooming. I've watched it for 19 years! Ha! From August to February the boys and girls don't pay too much attention to each other....but once Valentine's Day hits...."love is in the air!" Ever heard the George Strait song, "Check Yes or No"....

It started way back in third grade
I used to sit beside Emmylou Hayes
A pink dress, a matching bow and her pony tail
She kissed me on the school bus, but told me not to tell

Next day I chased her 'round the playground
Across the monkey bars, to the merry-go-round
And Emmylou got caught passing me a note
Before the teacher took it, I read what she wrote

"Do you love me, do you wanna be my friend?
And if you do
Well then don't be afraid to take me by the hand
If you want to
I think this is how love goes, check yes or no"

Happy EARLY Valentine's Day!

Junie B. Jones likes to say "Happy Valentime's Day!" (If you are not familiar with Junie, she is a character in a book series by Barbara Park.

I read these to my class and most of the time they don't get the Valentine/Valentime mix up! I try to explain it and they just stare at me. But it makes me giggle.
Friday one of my little 8 year old girls came up and said, "I have your Valentine present!" I said, "Oh how nice, I'll open it on Monday!"  Oh no no no, she wanted me to have it then. So she handed me this....

 I said, "Oh my T____, thank you so much!" She proceeded to tell me I was holding it upside down and that she had made it for me and to read the note attached.

I did and then gushed and gushed about how special it was. It will now reside in my drawer of  "Most Special Gifts to the Teacher!" My daughters loved it and they all said "OHHHHHH how sweet". That is exactly right! So that was my EARLY Valentine present.

My other EARLY present which will be at a LATER date is from my hubby. He got us tickets in April to see Rod Stewart and Stevie Nicks in concert. YIPPEE! (Yes, we are products of the 70's era!) Please someone out there tell me you understand my excitement!

And I had to give my girls one of their favorite goodies on V Day EARLY. They do NOT last long at our house.

And I had to get my baby boy who is 23 his new addiction!

Valentine's Day is such a fun, no stress, colorful holiday. I hope you are enjoying your holiday weekend with the "loves" of your life.

Today it was in the upper 40's at least and the melting has begun. And tomorrow is predicted to be upper 50's and possibly will hit the 60's?  WOW! That will be awesome and definitely worth getting outside for. Could Spring be on its way? I wonder if the birds, geese, etc. have begun their migration back north? We have a field on our way to church that we watch for the snow geese to make a stop in on their way back. It lets us know we are getting close to Spring. 

Blessings for a wonderful Lord's Day tomorrow. 

I will close with verses about the most perfect love of all......

Bible Verses on Love - God’s Love For Us
For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son,[a] that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. - John 3:16

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. - Galatians 2:20

Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands. - Deuteronomy 7:9

For the LORD loves the just and will not forsake his faithful ones. . . - Psalm 37:28

I love those who love me, and those who seek me find me. - Proverbs 8:17

This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. – 1 John 4:9-11


Bible Verses on Love – Love for God
And so we know and rely on the love God has for us. God is love. Whoever lives in love lives in God, and God in him. - 1 John 4:16

We love because he first loved us. If anyone says, "I love God," yet hates his brother, he is a liar. For anyone who does not love his brother, whom he has seen, cannot love God, whom he has not seen. – 1 John 4:19-20

This is how we know who the children of God are and who the children of the devil are: Anyone who does not do what is right is not a child of God; nor is anyone who does not love his brother. - 1 John 3:10

No one can serve two masters. Either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and Money. - Matthew 6:24

So be very careful to love the LORD your God. - Joshua 23:11

I love you, O LORD, my strength. - Psalm 18:1

Jesus replied: " 'Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind.' This is the first and greatest commandment. And the second is like it: 'Love your neighbor as yourself.' – Matthew 22:37-39

The Blessing of the Lord's Day....

Today we started out for church.....Daddy and I waited patiently in the van for Darb....patiently....patiently...and here she came. And off we went.....into a snow drift...in the circle drive. Yep....stuck in our own driveway. Yesterday the girls and I went shopping to KC and Daddy specifically said..."Don't use the circle drive!" I didn't! Today I think he forgot! So I had to jump out in my high heels into a 18" snow drift and get back to the house. I think I'm going to leave the story there and leave you with photos....(Sometimes it's best if the wife just remains silent!)

Oh, but church was wonderful and as always God is good. We sang, we prayed, we worshipped, we studied, we listened, we learned. Today was a guest speaker and he is one of my favorites. Brother John spoke on "Conscience". I am always intrigued by this topic and so to listen to his thoughts and words from the Bible were excellent. He said we all have a conscience....I agree. Your conscience is affected based on what your spiritual beliefs are.  There are many verses on it and I'm going to do more study on it. One of our songs today was "Jesus is Lord"....beautiful "faith" speaking song!

Jesus Is Lord

Jesus is Lord,
My Redeemer.
How He loves me,
How I love Him.
He is risen,
He is coming.
Lord come quickly,
Hallelujah!

What a friend we
Have in Jesus,
All our sins and
Griefs to bear.
What a privilege to carry
Everything to
God in prayer.

Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Hallelujah, Hallelujah,
Lord come quickly, Hallelujah.

Super Bowl is getting ready and although I like football, I'm extremely happy to just be in the comfort of my family room with a fire and my family and some yummy snacks. I'm not caring too much who wins!

Snow is coming our way again come Tuesday...not predicted to be the SNOW BLIZZARD we had last week...but a possible few inches. Here is what we are still looking at out our back door!

I believe my dryer has an issue that is going to have to be dealt with come Monday. It is making a very unfamiliar/unhealthy noise. So due to that fact, the washer is sitting idle too. Who wants a load of wet clothes to have to string all over the house to try to dry. I'm hoping my appliance man (who unfortunately is way too familiar with working on my appliances!) will have small and cheap repairs to make on it. 

Hope you had a great weekend and a restful one and a warm one. Valentine's Day is coming soon....are you thinking about something special for your Sweetheart yet?

These are the verses we studied today in our Adult class at church:

  

Galatians 6

 ¹Brethren, if a man be overtaken in a fault, ye which are spiritual, restore such an one in the spirit of meekness; considering thyself, lest thou also be tempted.
 ²Bear ye one another's burdens, and so fulfil the law of Christ.
 ³For if a man think himself to be something, when he is nothing, he deceiveth himself.
 ⁴But let every man prove his own work, and then shall he have rejoicing in himself alone, and not in another.
 ⁵For every man shall bear his own burden.

What Day Is It Anyway?

I have been cooped up for three days and today I finally got out and ran some errands. (My hubby drove me...I didn't have the energy to fight and climb over the massive snow mounds that are at the end of the driveway due to the snow plows!) As we were out and about, I was looking at and thinking about how long it's going to take to melt this snow....
SNOWMEGGDON 
as my hubby calls it. When the temps rise, and this starts to melt, the drains will be full!
I have a path to get to school tomorrow from my front door to my school's side door. And I think the best news is that it's Friday! Good grief...I'm loving this working 2 days a week! I think I could get used to that....hummmmm...I'll bet they would change my salary slightly though.


Quiet Saturday planned and that is good news....and SuperBowl Sunday. Will you be watching?

Cold still here in Eastern Kansas and we are scheduled for another "chance" of snow Sunday/Monday. I don't think it will be a repeat of the past week however. 
Phil the Groundhog didn't see his shadow and claims that Spring is on it's way! Well....Yippee! I must say.... I thought for sure he would see his shadow. I'm sorry Phil...for no faith in you!

Happy Friday tomorrow and I leave you with a verse....

“But I will sing of your strength, in the morning I will sing of your love; for you are my fortress, my refuge in times of trouble.” - Psalm 59:16