SMITH STORIES

more pics of Mimi and Grandaddy

2011-07-21T08:32:00.000-07:00

2011-07-21T08:17:00.000-07:00

Mimi and Grandaddy's 2 week visit!

2011-07-20T19:20:00.000-07:00

So, after about a week of just me and the kids, Mimi and Grandaddy came down to visit. We were so excited to have them. They have been to Seabrook Island many times before with us and they love this place. This trip was going to be extra special because Mimi was going to be giving Grandaddy a kidney on July 21 (which by the way is tomorrow, so it is kind of ironic I am writing about their visit on the eve of their surgery)

Also, I spoke with my sister a few days before they were scheduled to come and asked her if Meia could come down with them to visit. She said yes and Maddie was beside herself with excitement. We had so much fun during their time here. Bruce and Regina also decided to come down during the first week of their visit, but they stayed at a different condo on the island.

There were so many fun things we did during the two weeks they were here, but one of the things that stands out the most to me was looking up beach songs and downloading them on the ipod. We made a beach playlist and then took the ipod and portable speaker to the beach. It was so relaxing sitting in the beach songs listening to beach music while watching kids play!

Maddie, Laurie Beth, and Meia had a great time riding their boogie boards in the ocean. It was the first time Maddie had been in the ocean since our we arrived back in May. She was finally not scared, but then unfortunately she got a bad sting from a jellyfish and that put an end to her desire to play in the ocean. :( She still hasn't been back in the ocean.

I have been reflecting on their visit and know that our children are so blessed to have them in their lives. One of the hardest decisions I have had to make all summer was whether or not I was going to stay here with Britt or come back home for their surgery. After lots of thought, we decided it would be best to return to Nashville a few days after their surgery so Britt could spend time with them before she would have to return to work in SC. Tonight I am questioning if that was the right decision and am really sad that I am not going to be there tomorrow. If you are reading this tonight, please pray that their kidney transplant tomorrow will go perfectly and that Grandaddy's body will accept Mimi's kidney! Pray for him to completely heal and for him to finally feel better since he hasn't felt well for several months. Pray that he can quickly adjust to all the new medicines he will have to take so his body will not reject the kidney. Pray for Mimi's quick recovery. Pray for our safe return so we can spend time with them while they heal and help them. Pray for Jeff to have strength tomorrow and not to be afraid!

Here are a few pictures from their visit!

More pics from Daddy's visit

2011-07-17T13:52:00.000-07:00

Daddy is here!

2011-07-17T13:32:00.000-07:00

Finally! After over two weeks, Jeff was scheduled to come and visit. We were so excited for him to come and especially excited that he was going to be able to spend Father's day here with the children. This is the one week I have some regrets. Jeff arrived after the kids and I had already been here for a few weeks. We were getting a little tired of the beach (yes that is possible) and just ready to sit around and chill. It makes me sad that he was unable to experience all of the "firsts" with the kids. But, it was still a great week.

The first thing Radlee wanted to show him was that he was able to ride his bike now without training wheels. We got him a bike for an early birthday present. He learned how to ride it on the pavement, with the helmet, knee pads, and elbow pads, and after may repeated attempts and falls he could do it. I was so proud and surprised at his persistence.

We also went to Charlestown Landing. It was a really neat place, but it is an outdoor walking trail and it was super hot the day we went. Maddie and I threw a pouty fit and looking back I wish I would have been a better sport. Jeff tried to do individual things with each of the children while he was here. He took Maddie to a Haunted Jail Tour in Charleston. They had lots of fun. He went with Radlee to the USS Yorktown Naval Ship. Radlee had a blast and Jeff got so many good pictures. Finally, at the end of the week, Britt took him on a trail ride for Father's Day. It was just the two of them and I think they had a great time. The time flew by and we were sad to see him leave.

Nana's visit

2011-07-16T13:39:00.000-07:00

Nana's turn for a visit June 11-18, 2011

2011-07-15T12:06:00.000-07:00

YAY!!! The kids were so excited to have their Nana visit them for a week. She was so excited too, because it had been the first vacation she had taken in several years! We showed her how to crab. We went to the pool and the kids showed her how to fish. It was a very relaxing week. We made some really special memories, and I know she was sad to have to leave at the end of the week. One of the things that impressed me the most was my mom's willingness to do basically anything the kids wanted to do. She is such a wonderful grandmother to them. Despite the fact that she has had a hip replacement, she rode a very far way on her bike just because Maddie wanted her to! I know she was so sore later, but I think she would do it again in a minute! Here are a few pictures from her visit.

June 4-June 11

2011-07-15T11:36:00.000-07:00

Well, Cassie made her arrival and we had many things planned for the week. We were able to go and visit Mel and kids at Edisto Island. The visit was short but the kids had so much fun together.

We took a boat ride out to shell island. That day proved to be quite an adventure. Britt and Will were having a really hard time anchoring the boat. The water was really choppy that day, so anytime they got to close into the shore, the boat would start to beach itself. It was very stressful! I think despite the stress though, it was a really great experience.

One of the things that was the most fun this week was learning how to go crabbing. We would go to the rocky side of the beach and wait for the tide to go out. We took our big crabbing nets and would catch some pretty large blue crabs. I think we caught around 25 crabs. None of us really had any clue of how to cook them, clean them, or eat them. Google and Youtube became our friend and by the end of the night the kids knew how to disect the entire crab and knew what parts were edible. We basically got very little meat out of the crabs, but it was all about the experience.

Our first week: May 24-June 4 2011

2011-07-14T12:00:00.000-07:00

We arrived in Seabrook Island I think on May 24 or 25! See....this is why I should have been keeping track of our events all summer. Will came down with us. He brought Bailey and I brought Samson. We spent the first few days getting adjusted to our new surroundings. We went to the beach and spent a lot of time in the pool. the kids had a blast playing cards at night. Britt and Will were so sweet to include them in what they were doing. The first day we were here we spotted this alligator in the pond. We have seen him almost every day all summer. He can be quite annoying trying to mess with the kids while they crab or fish, but they have had a blast catching him. Poor fella probably has so many hooks in him! Luckily their line always breaks, and they don't actually pull him in. The kids have also had a wonderful time riding their bikes. There was hardly anyone here that week, so it was so relaxing and wonderful.

Dealing with Samson was quite stressful those first few days. I began to really question my decision to bring him. When we were at the pool he would sit in the condo and bark. He also refused to use the restroom for the first two days we were here.

The kids anxiously awaited Ms. Cassie's arrival on Sunday, May 29th. We picked her up from the airport and we began to plan all of the fun things we would do that next week. The kids also anticipated the Jeters' arrival in Edisto Island. They were staying about 1 hour from where we were staying. We planned to spend a day with them at "their beach". We all began to feel like this was a place we could stay forever!

Summer of 2011

2011-07-14T11:44:00.000-07:00

Wow! This summer has been amazing! We have done so much and learned so much I don't even know where to start. I hope this summer will be one my children will remember and cherish forever.

How it all began.....Seabrook Island has been a place our family has been visiting for several years. I would have to say it has holds some of our dearest memories and will be a place that is always so special in our heart. This was the first place Brittany ever rode horses about 10 years ago. She loved it so much that we went back home to Nashville and found a place for her to start riding. She was a natural. Before too long she was showing and jumping. Too make a long story short, we added two more children to our family and it just became really hard to attend all of the functions with a toddler and a baby. Also, Britt had a pretty good fall one time and hurt her back. She started not wanting to go and I didn't want to force it. I didn't want to push her and then feel responsible if something really bad were to happen.

Last year we came down here once again for a vacation. It had been a few years since our last visit and Brittany's last time on a horse. She took the advanced beach ride several times and once again was in heaven. Before we left she informed us that she really would like to live here during the summer and work at the equestrian center. I kind of just blew her off, but I should have known that when this first born says she is going to do something she does it. She is just that kind of girl. I wish I had that same determination.

Fast forward to a year later.....Britt had everything lined up for her time in Seabrook Island. She had secured a condo (all on her own), contacted the manager of the equestrian center and was hired for the summer position. I was so excited for her, but being the paranoid mother I am became really nervous about her spending the time by herself all summer. Many thoughts consumed me....What if she fell and became paralyzed? What if she went to a party and someone slipped her a drug? What if she didn't eat and fainted? ETC...... So, I decided I would come down here for a few weeks and spend some time helping her get accquainted. I had not originally intended on spending a very long time here, but after we got here and saw how hard she was really working it just became very hard for me to leave her. Also, Mimi and Grandaddy were scheduled to have a kidney transplant in the middle of July. They were also planning on coming to visit, so I really wanted to make sure Maddie and Radlee had time to spend with them at the beach before their big surgery! It has been a wonderful trip but not always easy. It has been hard to be away from Jeff for so long. He has been able to come down a few times, but it is just not the same as always having him around. Another thing that made it really hard was that one of my best friends was going to probably end up having her baby while we were here. Angie and I have been friends since high school. We have always been there for one another's significant life changing events, so the thought of not being there was breaking my heart.

I wish I would have been journaling this entire summer, but since I haven't I think I will just take looks back at each week and blog our special times together! This is a summer we will never forget!

Changes

2011-07-13T19:59:00.001-07:00

WOW! I can't believe I am actually blogging again. Today I was looking back over previous post and just saw how amazing it was to have so many important moments in my children's life are recorded through this blog. I hope to capture their pictures, thoughts, quotes, and other memories. I shall not focus on my words coming out perfect, but speak from my heart in order to leave this little legacy for my children. I hope to one day print all of this out for them. I envision them sitting around the table sharing memories with their own children or even their grandchildren. So, here goes my newest attempt to capture a glimpse of our lives through this blog. Enjoy!

new blog

2009-05-05T13:47:00.000-07:00

Check out our new blog at www.smeter.blogspot.com! If you don't think I am crazy now, you will after reading what our family is doing! ENJOY....and please post lots of comments!

Seeing answers to prayers

2009-04-21T07:28:00.001-07:00

I love looking back at old journals and being able to see how God has answered prayers. In the past week or so I have been going back through the Purpose Driven Life book. Today's lesson was about trust. The question at the end of this chapter was in what areas do you need to trust God the most? I started reading what I wrote approx 5 years ago......I wrote that I needed to trust God with having more children. It was a very difficult time in our life. I had just experienced two miscarriages and so desperately wanted to have more children, particularly a boy! I wrote that I needed to trust God with having more children on 9/23 and guess what happened exactly 9 months later to the day???? I delivered the most beautiful boy in the world! I was already pregnant when I wrote that, but I am sure I didn't know.

Today, I was reminded that God's plan for our lives is far greater and bigger than any plan we could create.

Psalm 147:11 The Lord is pleased with those who worship him and trust his love.

love this

2009-02-20T09:14:00.001-08:00

It's CONTAGIOUS!

2009-02-19T06:46:00.000-08:00

No, it is not an illness this time, although Radlee was up coughing all night. This morning I have witnessed just how much my attitude is like a virus. The old saying "when mommy isn't happy, no one is happy" is such a true statement. Also, when mommy wakes up with joy, it seems to equally affect everyone in our home.

After reading yesterday's post, you might be tempted to call mobile crisis, but hold the phone, a ray of sunshine is peeking through that cloud of gloom. I admit I have a love/hate relationship with days like yesterday. Oh how I hate that feeling of despair. I hate feeling like everything is falling apart; but I love the brokenness that brings me back to the loving arms of my Savior. I love how He allows me to repent of the ways I have pushed Him aside, yet He forgives me and wipes my slate clean. I love the way brokenness forces me to examine my heart and the many idols I have put before my Father are revealed to me! In response to the place I was at yesterday, I have decided to make a few changes in our home.

1. Regardless of my plans for the day, I need to get up and get ready. It is amazing how a shower and a little make-up can change an attitude.

2. Designated times everyday are going to be electronic free times. This means no TV, computer, xbox, PlayStation, DS.....etc. Hopefully, this will encourage more time spent together playing, reading, and conversing. This is a fairly easy task during the summer months, but on cold and rainy days this is much harder. The TV/games has gotten out of hand lately. It is unhealthy!

3. I am the most excited about this next task.....Jeff and I watched the movie Fireproof a few nights ago. It was a great movie. I know that our church is doing the bible study called The Love Dare that goes along with the movie, but like I said in my previous post, I haven't been to church in awhile. Me and a few friends are going to do this study together without our husbands knowing. I think it will be great to watch just how our marriages can be positively affected, by the changes the wives start making. (shhhh....don't tell Jeff....he doesn't read this blog)

Basically, with this study, there is a different challenge everyday for 40 days. Today's challenge was to avoid saying anything negative to your spouse for the entire day. So far, I am doing a great job! OK......it is only 8:30 a.m., but hey you have to start somewhere!

Although it is only 8:30, I have witnessed how my attitude affects everyone in our home. For instance, this morning, in addition to being positive, I went a step further and offered to cook Jeff some eggs. While I was cooking, he came in and unloaded the dishes from the night before. I was quite surprised. Then I was taking laundry downstairs and Radlee offered to carry the basket down for me. It was so sweet! It is amazing how attitudes truly are contagious!

I hope I can continue on this path towards a new transformation in our home. My desire is that we lead our life as a family in a way that truly honors Christ.

Content

2009-02-18T09:40:00.000-08:00

What is wrong with me lately? I just feel so unhappy with so many areas of my life, but am not doing anything to change what I am unhappy with. There ae so many areas that I feel like I am not doing a good job in, but I am doing nothing to fix them. I am just going to lay it all out there....I don't really care who reads this or what anyone thinks of me.

1. I am struggling with laziness! I feel like all I want to do lately is sit around and watch tv. I have been wasting so much time. I am doing ok with my school work but I just seem to be doing enough to get by. I am not really enjoying online classes and think that is part of the reason.

2. I don't feel that I have been spending enough time with my kids. Yes, I am with them all of the time, but I mean quality fun time together.

3. I just feel so horrible about my appearance lately. I always do this in the winter. I hibernate and gain weight and then none of my clothes fit, so I just sit around in my sweat pants and feel sorry for myself.

4. Money.....well the lack of money is always a problem for us this time of the year. I think that is part of my problem.

5. This should have been first and then all of my problems would make sense. I have been so distant from God lately. I haven't had any quiet time or even been to church in a very long time. I work on Saturday nights now, so I just go home and go to bed on Sunday morning. I know that when God is not in the center of everything, all things just don't seem right!

So, this is where I am at right now. I don't exactly know what I plan on doing about these issues, but something has to change!

LIFE

2009-02-16T08:05:00.000-08:00

Whew.....it has been a little crazy lately. Working nights, even though it has only been a few lately, is kicking my butt. It is such an adjustment. I feel so bad for always thinking my sister is just being lazy. (oh by the way Ashley, I use to think you were lazy....but I don't anymore ) It totally messes up my sleep pattern. I am now so sleepy around 8 am, and I realized it is because that is my "bedtime" on the nights I work.

About work.....well It is getting some better. I hesitate to write too much, because I don't know who might read this from work! I will just share a few of the details. It was really hard on me at first. It was quite a different crowd of folks than what I am use to. However after the past few weeks, their personality types make much more sense to me. It definitely takes a strong personality to work in the emergency room. All types of people come in and I mean all types!!! Wow! I think I have been living in my own little naive bubble all of my life. I had no idea how many people have serious mental problems. I say that not in a joking way, but in a serious sad way. The need for Christ in so many people's lives is so evident. My hope is that I can be a "light of hope" when I encounter these people! My hope is that my heart doesn't become hard to this walk of life! My hope is that I never become a person that believes I am beyond having the same struggles so many of the people I have witnessed in the past month. I am grateful that life hasn't always been easy for me, because now I feel I have so much empathy for so many of these people. My heart aches when I see a patient that feels they just can't take it anymore! Individuals who think they might be above others drive me insane, and that is probably my biggest struggle while at work.

My sister is getting quite a kick of my mishaps while at work. She finds the stupid things I say quite funny and said I should blog about them. I think she just wants to have a good laugh at my expense. I may share a few things from time to time......remember I am still pretty "green" to this whole medical world. Yes, I know a little from school, but I am not deep into my studies yet. All I can do at ths point is learn from my mistakes and laugh about it at this point.

For instance.........the other night a seriously ill patient came in. It was the first time I had been at work during this type of situation. I was instructed to call a person who I had never heard of and request what I thought she said was a bed. I was nervous and could barely hear all of the commands that were coming from he patient's room. So, I figured out who this person was that I was suppose to call and requested a bed.....which I thought was pretty strange. If the person was dying, why would they need a bed for him? She figured out that they were probably saying vent and not bed.....I felt like the biggest dork!!

A few nights ago we had several admissions. Like I said, I know a lot of the terminology, but I still come across lots of words that I am still figuring out. Also, the doctor's hand writing doesn't help matters. So, I call this time for a bed for an admission. The diagnosis was N/V/D....easy right? I proceed to tell the supervisor the patient has Nivid. I just thought Nivid was another new term that I haven't heard of before. But then.... He said Nivid....I have never heard of that! Then he proceeded to tell me it was nausea, vomiting, diarrhea! I promise the writing was bad and it looked like I's and not /! I just have to laugh at myself!

Funny YouTube Video

2009-02-05T15:24:00.003-08:00

Super Bowl Sunday

2009-02-02T09:58:00.001-08:00

Here are just a few pictures from our small Super Bowl party. It was also Abbie's birthday, so we celebrated with cupcakes and a few gifts. We all tried to just keep it simple and enjoy each others company. I think the kids had a really good time together too!

Circus fun!

2009-01-27T06:45:00.000-08:00

The kids have been begging us to take them to the circus this year, so we just decided to go for it. We went with some dear friends, and I think the kids had a blast. I was really impressed with it this year.

My little man!

2009-01-24T15:23:00.000-08:00

Radlee has always been so physical. He is really gifted athletically. He is so aggressive, until he gets on the field or on the court. I think he just likes to observe until he really gets it. We just started basketball. He loves going to his games and practices, but when he is in the game he just sort of runs around and does his own thing. I just want him to have fun! I love that he thinks he has done such a great job no matter what. Usually when he comes up to me after the game, I will say something like, "wow, dude you are so awesome". He just says, "I know!!!" I am just glad he is enjoying it for now, and maybe all of the other will come later. Here are a few pictures. I need to try and get some better ones next week. He is happy to be playing on the same team as one of his best buddies,Preston!

the purpose of trials

2009-01-22T07:17:00.000-08:00

Like many of you, I set some "realistic" goals for 2009. So far, I am on the right track on some of them, but of course I still need to work on some others. I expect 2009 is going to be a great year for our family. Now for a small little brag session..... Our sweet big boy is growing up and playing basketball now. He had is first game this past Saturday, and it was a hoot! Maddie is getting so big! She is such a sweet,precious girl. She is becoming a really good little reader. Brittany is the best teenager a mom could ever ask for. She does what she needs to do to get straight A's without me even telling her. She has such great goals and ambitions for herself. She is driving once again too. I am just so proud of the beautiful girl she is both inside and out. Jeff and I are striving to work together as a team with our new schedules now that I am working. This has been a struggle, but I know we will get it! My hope is that we will strive to continue to grow in the Lord by seeking the changes needed to develop the character traits He desires for us!

For me, 2009 started off with BIG changes. I switched all of my classes to online this semester. They were pretty easy classes, so hopefully this won't be a change I regret. One of the biggest changes was starting a new job. I have really struggled with this. The job is quite easy, but those lurking feelings of inadequacy and not fitting in with other personality types has been quite stressful. I think this is probably common for most when starting new jobs or maybe I am just a "social dork". Something that has been really helping me during this transition period is a book I have been reading called Your Best Life Now by Joel Osteen. My dad is a fan of Joel, so I thought I would see what he really likes about him. I have found that I really like what he stands for. He is a great Godly man with such great biblical advice. His book has been such a blessing! It has completely changed my thinking on many different issues. I wanted to share this paragraph from his book that truly transformed my thinking. I guess this is something I have always known, but for some reason this time it spoke volumes to me.
p 209
God often allows you, too, to go through situations to draw out those impurities in your character. You can rebuke until your "rebuker" wears out. You can pray, you can resist, you can bind, you can loose, you can sing and shout, you can do it all, but it's not going to do any good! God is more interested in changing you that He is in changing your circumstances. And the sooner you learn to cooperate with God, the sooner you'll get out of that mess. The quicker you learn your lesson and deal with those bad attitudes and start ruling over your emotions, the quicker you'll go to the next level in your spiritual journey. We must recognize the refining purpose of trials. We can't run from everything that's hard in our lives.

I love that God knows me and loves me so much to allow me to go through hard situations to mold and refine me. Of course we have to be willing to open our hearts and eyes to see what He is trying to teach us. What is God using to teach you right now?

Stacy's blog

2009-01-21T07:16:00.000-08:00

My sweet baby cousin just started a new blog....ok she is not exactly a baby anymore!! Go over and check out Stacy's new blog and leave her lots of comments so she will keep updating! She is one of the sweetest girls on this planet! www.stacyslifestories.blogspot.com

A New Do!

2009-01-17T09:07:00.001-08:00

Yesterday, one of my best friends called and wanted me and the kids to go with her to our other bff's house for a play date. I probably just should have just went, but I felt so lousy from working the night before and only being able to sleep for a few hours. (The night shift is taking a little more adjusting than I thought it would) Being the sweet friend she is, Mel asked if she could just take Maddie with her. The kids had a great time. Since one of Melissa's daughters just had her hair cut a week ago, Maddie was dying to get her haircut too. Our other friend Angie's daughter also wanted to get her hair cut, so we decided to let them go together. I reluctantly stayed at home but I got play by play updates on how it was going from Melissa and Angie. Angie also took lots of pictures for me and emailed them later. I can't believe I let Maddie do it without me there, but that just shows the trust I have for Mel and Angie. I am so glad Maddie was able to share this sweet memory with her dearest friends!! When she got home, I thought she looked so adorable and grown up! She loves it too. Here are a few pictures of her "new do". Thanks Melissa and Angie.

Pride

2009-01-07T06:39:00.000-08:00

When pride comes then comes shame;but with the humble is wisdom. Proverbs 11:12

Tossing and turning for many hours during the night is a common occurrence. I usually lay there for many hours thinking about a range of different topics. Many times after about an hour or two, I get up and watch discovery health channel and infomercials. Sometimes I resort to taking some kind of medicine such as Tylenol pm, but that only results to feeling even more tired and miserable the next morning. Tonight, I decided to do something productive and get up and write/type all of the thoughts that were racing through my mind about my first day of orientation at the hospital. So that is what I am doing right now at 2:15 am.
Starting a new job for many is a "nerve racking" experience. Cheerfully greeting others and meeting lots of new folks quite frankly is not my "cup of tea". For those rare spunky outgoing folks (you know who you are) it is lots of fun, but for more introverted folks, such as myself, it can be rather painful! Most of us would like to think we really don't care what our peer's opinion is of us, but the fact is most of us desire to be liked and desire to make a good first impression. During today's orientation, the facilitator had us individually introduce ourselves and state the department we would be working in. One by one I heard names followed by RN or some other noteworthy title. Then it was my turn....ummmmm Christy....unit clerk....gee whiz! I felt so inferior and frustrated. I found myself cringing with envy. I wasn't just coveting my neighbor, I was coveting the entire room of people. Good grief, couldn't they at least think of a better title. Why unit clerk?
Here is the deal....I am becoming more aware of my own struggle with pride. Although it is no ones fault except for my own, sometimes I feel frustrated with myself because I am __ years old and still working on my degree. I hate to admit when I don't know something or need help. This is something I know I need to work on. Being content and happy where I am at in this journey is key to living each day to the fullest, which is one of my own New Year's resolutions! Proverbs 27:1 reminds us not to boast about tomorrow, because we don't know what tomorrow will bring.
My desire, as I make my SLOW climb up the education ladder, is that I will not only think about what new opportunities my education will bring, but that my eyes will be open to the opportunities presented each day. Also, I hope I will always be reminded to not judge others by their title. For this lesson, I am grateful to still be at the bottom of the pack. Everyone has different plans and purpose while here on this earth.
There is nothing wrong with seeking and using our God given talents! In fact, I think God wants us to constantly seek and experience our full potential; however, this world often reminds us we must achieve significant "titles" to be considered a success. As a matter of fact, we tell ourselves we must have some remarkable title in order to be of value. Christy, mother of three amazing children, wife of a devoted husband, and daughter of the never-forsaking Heavenly Father should be and IS enough.

Back to reality

2009-01-06T16:40:00.000-08:00

I'm back! Whew this past week has been a whirlwind. We are all trying to recover from a short trip to Virginia, get back to school, and start working. I am going to update more tomorrow, but right now I am off to give kids baths, do homework, and start unpacking our bags. Check back tomorrow. I won't let you down!

Off to Virginia

2008-12-30T17:18:00.000-08:00

I love making spur of the moment decisions, but I don't normally make big ones like this. Today my sister called and we were talking about when the next time I would be able to go to Virginia to visit our dad and family. I was suppose to go next week, but I got the job I was talking about in a previous post, so now I will be orientating next week. She said we could go tomorrow, because she is off for the next six days. I said...sure let's go! I called the family and they were happy to have us come this weekend (well at least they pretended to be happy that we were all coming in one day's notice). We are headed out at 7am in the morning. I am anxiously excited. I have lots to do to get ready, so that is a little overwhelming! I am also leaving Radlee and Jeff at home, so I feel sad about that. Radlee has had pneumonia, so he is going to stay at home with daddy.....he is doing better now though. He also probably wouldn't do very well with such a short few days there and long drive. I would have to say that this tops all of the fly by the seat of my pants decisions I have made. Can you believe this was actually Ashley's idea? I don't think she was expecting me to say yes!!! I guess I surprised her. :) We don't get to see them very much, so I jump on any opportunity to visit them!

Ok....I know you are dying to know about this job situation. ha ha I like to fool myself into believing there are tons of readers just dying to know what I am up to!!! I am going to start working in the emergency room at a local hospital. I will be working as a secretary/tech. They are going to train me to be a tech, so I can work either position. I am sooooooooo excited. My cousin works there, so she was such a big help in getting me this position!!! Thank you Stacy! It will be such a great opportunity to gain so much more knowledge about the medical field in general. I was telling a friend today that normally I pay my school to learn this type of stuff, but now I am going to get paid to learn. I am fascinated with the medical field in general, and I am sure working in the ER will be so exciting. I am nervous, but I know that once I get over the initial "new & unfamiliar", it will be great. Jeff's business has been pretty slow lately, so the extra money will also be great. I was able to combine all of my classes on Tues/Thurs this upcoming semester, so I have a little more free time. I hope to mainly work the night shift, so I won't miss out on the kid's activities! This may sound dorky to most, but I think one of the things I am the most excited about is wearing scrubs. :) I know I am a dork.

Well I am off to pack and do about 10 loads of laundry...I may not be going to bed at all tonight. Oh well, I guess it will be some practice getting me ready to work the night shift!!

Pray for our safe travels and for Radlee to continue to get over his sickness!!

The poodles Christmas haircuts

2008-12-26T07:17:00.000-08:00

Ok...I know the toes are a bit much, but hey it is a special occasion! They also had Christmas scarves on, but that didn't last very long. Cher has red bows in her hair, but you can't see them in this picture! Granny....Buddy needs to meet them!

Finally an update!

2008-12-26T06:31:00.000-08:00

Sorry for the lack of updating lately. We have been pretty busy, but I have started to write a few posts and then never finished them. I am not sure why, but my mind has been all over the place since I finished this last semester. I have lots of tasks looming before me to get all of my application information submitted for the hygiene program, so that is consuming me. Jeff hasn't been working very much because of the lack of work and bad weather, so that has been adding a little stress. Also, I might have a job possibility that I am very excited about, but I will save that for another post since I don't want to count my chickens before they hatch! :) My head is spinning in so many different directions that it is hard for me to even sit and write anything....but most of you already know it doesn't take much to overwhelm me! :)

Christmas was a lot of fun this year. We tried really hard to simplify. Financially, we were forced to simplify. One of the most memorable times this year was on Christmas morning, we created several clues that the kids had to answer in order to find their present. Britt helped with this since she is older. The final clue (which was in the ice maker) led Maddie and Radlee down to the garage to find their trampoline. (it was in the garage because Jeff had to work on it in there because of all of the rain) Oh and don't worry...it has the big net around it. I think Maddie had more fun reading all of the clues than actually getting the trampoline, so we will definitely do some more stuff like that in the future. Another great surprise was for Brittany. We got her a new cell phone, and had her phone activated on Christmas Eve. She had no idea why her current phone wasn't working! She was so frustrated, which I did sort of feel bad about, but I just told her we would have to go the day after Christmas and check on getting her phone fixed. On Christmas morning, after all of the kids opened their gifts, Jeff secretly called the phone and it started ringing from a gift bag under the tree. (I saw this on a commercial and decided to try it) I think she still had no idea what was going on, but was pretty excited to find it. I am not sure whether she was thrilled to have a new phone, or thrilled to just have a phone back. Radlee changed his mind on Christmas Eve about what he wanted from Santa, and was telling everyone Santa was bringing him a remote control helicopter. This was news to Mr. and Mrs. Claus, so they had to go and visit their elves at the toy store (also known as Target) and pick up his only requested item!

Mimi and Grandaddy came over on Christmas Eve and then my mom and sister came over on Christmas day. We had a really good time. I really enjoy having everyone come to our house. We have started a tradition the past few years of having brunch at our house on Christmas morning. It is always so yummy! Of course I always love spending time with everyone, but also wish I could see all of our family in KY and VA. :(

I will probably post some pictures later!

Strep invasion!

2008-12-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Somehow these little bacteria invaded our body over the past weekend. Radlee was the first to wake up sick on Friday morning, Maddie went on Friday afternon, followed by Jeff on Friday night, and I started feeling horrible yesterday. We all have been sick with strep. After Radlee was diagnosed on Friday morning, we took Maddie to get tested at the minute clinic on Friday afternoon. The np said she probably had it too, but she definitely had a sinus infection, so she just went ahead and treated her. Jeff went to the minute clinic yesterday and tested + for strep too.....he hasn't had strep since he was a little boy! I just decided to diagnose myself, and start taking some antibiotics we already had here at the house. (Yeah...i know that is not the best idea, but I am sure I probably had the same thing) Britt is the only one who hasn't had it in our house, and hopefully she won't. Thank goodness she didn't because she had to help take care of the kids yesterday afternoon. Yesterday morning, Maddie fed her and Radlee breakfast and lunch while Britt was at church. Maddie fixed them cocoa puffs and COKE for breakfast, and cheeze whiz and crackers for lunch. I bet she enjoyed the opportunity to eat whatever she wanted!!! :) We are starting to feel much better now. I guess it is just that time of year!

2008-12-11T18:35:00.001-08:00

Recently, we were privileged enough create a snow family. To our great surprise, they came to life just like their Great Grandfather Frosty the Snowman. Their time was brief, but they brought so much joy into our lives. Seeing them play for the first time was amazing. It was so hard to watch them slowly melt away. We will never forget this little snow family. If anyone out there ever has a chance to create their own snow family, don't let the opportunity pass you by!

Let it snow!

2008-12-11T16:04:00.000-08:00

Maddie in the middle

2008-12-03T11:51:00.001-08:00

Maddie has been home for the past two days with some sort of virus...fever, sore throat, cough, and aches. She has been extra sensitive....remember she is already the most sensitive to begin with. I think it has some to do with the fact that she is the middle child, but also because she is my clone. She is exactly like me in so many ways. She even reminds me of how I acted as a child. (I am hoping she doesn't act like I did as a teenager). Today, she was sitting in her room listening to her radio. A few minutes later, she came out of her room just crying. When I asked her what was wrong, she said she was thinking about when she gets older and gets married and she doesn't want to leave me. Isn't that so precious that she already thinks about these sorts of things? I reminded her that she had a very long time to think about that (well we hope anyway..maybe she won't follow my footsteps in that area) and that she will always be able to see me. She is precious.....most of the time! :)

past, present, and future updates....

2008-11-30T11:31:00.000-08:00

Not a whole lot has been going on around the Smith house. We are all starting to recover from the accident. Britt is looking much better and only has a tiny bit of black around each eye. I was so nervous and proud of her all at the same time for wanting to drive again today. We let her take our van to lunch and to the movies with a friend. I am not going to lie.....I am extremely nervous, but I want her to regain her confidence. After all, the wreck was not her fault in the first place. We have learned so much as a family from this experience, and although there is still much to be done as far as insurance stuff, I am grateful for the lessons God has taught me through this.

Thanksgiving has been pretty relaxing. I think we haven't done as much "running" as usual. I haven't even braved the after Thanksgiving shopping. We have bought the kids a few big items, but are really trying to be practical this year and stay away from buying lots of "junk" that only gets broke within a few days, sometimes hours. We did spend the day at Aunt Regina's house on Thanksgiving day. We also had a birthday party to go to this weekend. Other than that, it has been a pretty uneventful weekend....Thank you Jesus.

I wish life could stay this way, but the next few weeks are going to be crazy! I have finals in all of my classes Dec. 8-10, so next week I will be studying my little brain off! I also really need to get myself in gear and get all of my application and stuff ready to be submitted to the hygiene department by Jan. 15! I know that after finals are over, a huge weight will be lifted. Honestly, I can't wait. It has been the hardest semester thus far, and I can't wait to be able to say I did it!!!

I am hoping to spend the week after my finals going to Christmas parties at the kids schools, finish my Christmas shopping, spend time with friends and family, and just enjoy being a wife and mommy. Sounds so simple, but when I am full into school, it is hard to keep those simple things in focus! Anyway, thanks for reading about our somewhat boring life. Especially, thanks to all of you for checking on Britt by phone, e-mail, cards, and coming to visit her. Thank you for those who have prayed for her and us! Thanks to my best friends who were there within minutes of hearing about what happened. We couldn't have made it through this little bump in the road without you!

Friendship

2008-11-29T09:01:00.000-08:00

Some friendships do not last, but some are more loyal than brothers. Proverbs 18:24

2008-11-28T17:24:00.000-08:00

Reason?

2008-11-26T20:59:00.000-08:00

It has been a mentally draining week. I feel so fortunate and blessed that God protected Britt from serious harm in her car accident, but as I have watched her cry throughout each day I have to admit I have questioned God. The wreck has definitely hurt her both physically and emotionally. I believe God is in control of everything, and I often try to get to the bottom of why He allows things to happen. Honestly, I know that we can't always figure it out, but I have already gained some insight of how this has possibly changed our family.

Britt told me tonight that she is already looking at situations differently. I think sometimes you have to experience something traumatic to see how precious life is and what is truly important. I tend to get overly excited about things pretty easily, but after the accident, I am realizing that some things really don't matter!! I mean who really cares if I am running a few minutes late? who really cares if my house is a little messy? Does it really matter if I occasionally put the kids to bed without brushing their teeth? (ok I know that does matter a little) There are just some things that aren't really that important in life anymore......but what is truly important to me are the people I love the most, and I am so grateful that they are safely tucked in their beds tonight!

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful!

2008-11-24T19:27:00.000-08:00

Most of you know if you have read my recent posts that I have been extremely anxious for Brittany to start driving. Well yesterday my fear of her being in an accident became a reality. Basically on her way to her nana's house yesterday, she was rear ended. She suffered a pretty good knock her forehead, which caused her to briefly be knocked unconcious. She was taken to the hospital via ambulance, but later released. Thankfully, the other driver was not injured. Needless to say, it was a pretty traumatic experience for everyone in the family.

Tonight, we had to make a trip back to the ER just because the swelling had spread, so the doctor just wanted to recheck it. He really thinks it looks like it is healing normally.

Tonight I feel blessed that Brittany is ok. I was reminded that we don't know what tomorrow may bring! This thanksgiving I have lots to be thankful for. Please pray that she will continue to heal both physically and emotionally.

My Wish

2008-11-20T05:50:00.000-08:00

As the kids have grown up over the years, I have found a song for each of them. Brittany's song is "I hope you Dance", Maddie's song is "Your Beautiful"(I may have to work on another for her....I have no idea what this song is about...on the video it seems the guy jumps off of a cliff...but she always liked when I sang Your beautiful to her) I really haven't given it much thought that I have never really found one for Radlee, but the other day this song was on the radio, and I thought wow this is perfect. He is growing up so big. He is such a carefree little fella. His teacher even calls him "her little stunt man". It seems that there is a lot more pressure on boys as they get older, but my wish is that Radlee dreams stay big and his worries stay small.

Swan Sisters

2008-11-16T07:37:00.000-08:00

I love that these 4 girls all go to different high schools now, but their friendship has stood the test of time and different circumstances. Britt is lucky to have these sweet friends!

Britt's Birthday Bash!

2008-11-15T21:36:00.000-08:00

Seasons change!

2008-11-15T11:08:00.000-08:00

I just reread my last post and thought it would be a good idea to update. I appeared stressed, so I wanted to let all of my readers know life is calming down a little.( I like to pretend there are just tons of people waiting for me to update everyday)

1. Last nights party for Brittany went well. I think the most memorable moment was when she received a gift from all of her aunts, uncle, and Mimi. It was a necklace and ring that was her great-grandmothers. She passed away when Brittany was two years old. She loved Brittany so much and so it was so neat for Brittany to receive such a special gift that she can cherish forever. I know Britt will take good care of it. ( I will post pictures later) It was just a simple, sweet intimate party!

2. Jeff and I have calmed down a "tiny" bit about her driving. We are having her call us at every stop and helping her map out her route before she leaves.....make sure she is not crossing over lots of traffic and stuff. As much as I would like to say this is slowly helping her get used to driving, I know in many ways it is slowly helping us adjust to her driving. It is scary, but I truly believe Britt is trying hard to be so careful and cautious.

3. Tonight is the friend party. We are a little bummed that it is so wet outside since we had plans to light up the outside deck and start a fire i the chiminea (sp?). Hopefully, it will dry out a little before tonight.

That is about it. I hope to post some pictures later.

Huge life change!

2008-11-13T09:46:00.001-08:00

Today marked a day that will forever alter the way our family functions. O.k. I am being a little dramatic, but Brittany passed her driver's liscence road test today and now officially has her driver's liscense. She just drove to school. I am absolutely freaking out. Why is so hard for me to trust God with His daughter? She is on loan to me, but she is HIS. I want so hard to trust that he will take care of her while she is behind the wheel of a car by herself, but I am struggling. Please, pray for her safety and that Jeff and I can calm down and trust!!!!

This weekend we have two different birthday parties at our house. I agreed to keep a friend's baby on Sunday. I have a big micro and chemistry test on Monday. Radlee has a soccer game on Saturday. All of the blankets on my bed and Maddie's bed are in the wash from the "stupid" dogs....stupid is putting it mildly!!!!!!!!!! (I mean who goes at gets two poodles in the midst of going to college full time and raising three kids? Only me!!! I am an idiot!) Well as you can see, I am seriously at my breaking point right now! There is much more I could add, but I will spare you the insignificant details. I know many people have it much worse, and I am just being ridiculous! I am thinking about taking up smoking cigarettes...Can someone teach me how to inhale? joking...I think!!

a few more....but make sure and look at the previous post

2008-11-09T17:12:00.000-08:00

Pictures

2008-11-08T21:37:00.001-08:00

Brittany's birthday is in just a few days, so I wanted to take her and get some sweet 16 pictures. Unfortunately, we got started a little late in the day and ran out of good day light, but I was pleased with a few of the pictures. I couldn't go wrong with such a good "subject" but of course I am partial! Brittany, you are the prettiest, loveliest girl I've ever seen! I love you!

Vote

2008-11-04T11:05:00.000-08:00

I just voted and regardless of the outcome, I feel privileged to live in a land where my voice can be heard! I love this land and am so thankful to those who paid the ultimate price so I can freely go out and vote today! Hopefully, our land will remain a place where we are free to voice our opinions and our freedoms will not be taken away! God Bless the USA!

If only.....

2008-11-04T08:27:00.000-08:00

My morning conversation with the Rad man...

Radlee-Mommy, I want to go and buy a toy at Target today.

Mommy-Sorry buddy, I don't have any money!

Radlee-Well you can go "buy" some at the money truck!

Mommy-If it were only that simple!

Headed for another busy week!

2008-11-02T19:28:00.001-08:00

How do you like my song? Is it driving you crazy? I feel the fast pace of this song is a reflection of the pace our lives often go during the school week! Once again, I am overwhelmed. For those of you that know me well, know that it is pretty easy to get me overwhelmed, but right now I think it is somewhat justified! :) Brittany's birthday is 10 days from today, and I still really don't have any great plans in the works! The pressure to put on the perfect 16th birthday party is too much! I think we will just end up having a sweet little party at our house. Hopefully, it will all be great and she will know how much we love her. With the shape of the economy right now and Christmas just around the corner, it is hard to spend lots of money on one night of fun. Anyway, sometimes I just think simpler is better and more meaningful!

Radlee has soccer practice and Maddie has lots of homework everynight, but we can do it!!! Brittany and Maddie are out of school on Tuesday, so I am hoping we will get to do something fun together! Britt and the band are taking a few weeks off, so she will get Monday nights off and will not have to be there as early on Wednesdays! I think she is looking forward to just being in worship and church for a few weeks and getting a little break from playing her guitar!

I have a big microbiology test tomorrow. I have been studying, but for some reason I just feel unprepared. I think all of the Halloween activities this weekend have limited my normal amount I usually spend studying for an exam. Hopefully, I will "luck" out and the questions will all be the stuff I know....I shouldn't say luck, because I feel like God has been there while I have taken every exam, and I have no doubt He will be with me tomorrow too! I also have a powerpoint presentation due this week, a paper to write, a chemistry lab test, and I am sure other things I haven't even thought of!

Anyway, I know this has been a jumbled post, but I wanted to update before I started another crazy week! I am sure I will find sometime to update though.

2008-11-01T08:45:00.000-07:00

Are you tired of seeing the Smith family Halloween pictures? Granny these pictures are for you. I thought you would enjoy seeing pictures of Ashlyn's first Halloween!

More Halloween Fun! I love my family!

2008-10-30T19:35:00.000-07:00

Halloween festivities

2008-10-30T08:52:00.000-07:00

Never a "dull" moment!

2008-10-30T06:06:00.000-07:00

This morning, I am getting ready as usual...running late as usual. The girls have already left for school, and I am doing last minute things to get Radlee ready for school. I get ready to take the "naughty" poodles out one last time, and of course Radlee runs over to go outside with me. I tell him to get back in the house because it is freezing outside, as I stand there with bare feet and wet hair!! :) Surprisingly, he minds me and goes back in. I am out there for an extended period, because as usual the neighbors are also are taking out their dog at the same time, which puts Sonny and Cher into a frenzy. The begin barking and trying to escape from my not so strong grip this early in the morning. One of the leashes slips out of my hand, and the naughty girl takes off. She is running with her pink leash dragging behind her. So, I capture the dogs and get them back in the house before I curse them out!!! just kidding...sort of. (This has happened on many occasions and once smacked the neighbor's dog in the head with her leash and once even wrapped around my neighbor's legs....he is an older gentleman!!! How embarrassing)
I walk in the kitchen to see if Rad has finished his breakfast only to find him playing with my set of knives similar to the set in this picture. He is taking them in and out of the box, like they are a puzzle. Thank you Jesus for keeping Radlee safe while he was removing this box of knives off the counter and using them as a toy. I think next time I will just let him stay outside with me and freeze. Just a typical morning in the Smith family. Never a "dull" moment! Is it too early for a glass of Pinot? I am sure it is 5:00 somewhere! That was a joke......

Trick or Treat

2008-10-28T09:53:00.000-07:00

One of our favorite holidays is Halloween! The kids are so excited to go trick or treating. This year Maddie is a "punk pirate". She has the attitude in the picture to go along with her costume. I had to steer her away from the "jail bird" costume, and we settled on the "punk pirate". Not my first choice....I was going for the sweet renaissance dresses, but she wasn't having it!
Radlee wanted a ninja costume, but Party City was out of his size of just about everything. We went to Target and Rad was so excited when he saw this "human torch" from Fantastic Four costume. Again.....not my first choice, but it is quite a unique costume. I really know nothing about who the "human torch" is, and neither does Radlee, but I guess we will just go with it! It seems like a short time we were trick or treating with only Brittany. One of our favorite costumes was Baby Bop, not necessarily because we were Barney fans....gosh that show drove me crazy, but Britt looked so cute in that costume. I will have to post a picture later. It makes me sad that she is too big for that now!

My point is..... Some of our most cherished memories are or our Halloween celebrations, including trick or treating and our annual hot dog and chili dinner! I know many other christians have debated wether or not Halloween is "evil", including myself, but I have realized in most situations it is your motive behind what you are doing. For us it has nothing to do with "evil", it is just good ole fun dressing up and loving on our friends and family!

Britt is o.k.

2008-10-28T07:10:00.000-07:00

Just for those who might still be searching for Britt.....she is fine. She was just joking, because I had sent a text to her earlier saying I was just checking on her. Silly girl! I told her she had better never joke like that again! :) Maybe God is just preparing me little by little for her to be driving in a few weeks. Oh my goodness, how am I going to handle that?? Anyone have some valium?

See previous post if I have confused you!

A moment of panic!

2008-10-27T09:57:00.001-07:00

A few minutes ago I tried to call Britt and see how her day is going...she is at the Somet center today, and she did not answer. Yeah I know she isn't suppose to have her phone.....yada yada yada...a few minutes go by, and I get this message....Sorry I am busy getting jumped right now! Is she joking? Why would she say that? I don't find it very amusing at all!!!!!! I have text again and got no response...maybe her teacher is near and she can't reply, yeah...i know she shouldn't have her phone with her......Now, I am in panic mode....Does someone have her and is texting on her phone???? are they beating her up??? If she is o.k., I really want to spank her bottom. I know she is almost 16, but I don't find whatever her joke is very funny! I just wanted my "cyber" world to share my panic right now!! What should I do?

Finally.....a brave anchor!

2008-10-26T09:42:00.000-07:00

Finally, there is an anchor willing to ask some hard questions! Mr. Biden was so angry about the questions being asked, his wife's interview was cancelled. I find it quite interesting how the republican party is constantly asked these hard questions, but the first time someone from the democratic side is asked hard questions, all future interviews are off!!! I guess it is tough and unusual facing someone from the media who may not be on his side! For more info on this story go here.

Whats for dinner?

2008-10-24T07:37:00.000-07:00

Hopefully with the help of this video, we are having some yummy gumbo!! Come over and join us!
Sausage and Chicken Gumbo from Foodwishes on Vimeo.!

I have been tagged!

2008-10-20T08:52:00.001-07:00

I have been tagged by Jill. I have to find 7 interesting things about myself, which might be kind of difficult since I am a boring kind of girl! It may prove to be even harder to find 7 people to tag.

1. In middle school I played the cello and enjoyed it. I only quit because people made fun of me. It is kind of an akward instrument! I wish I would have stuck with it!

2. Most of you already know this but my dream is to someday become a dentist. I hope to someday do go on mission trips and do work with Operation Smile.

3. I worked at Chuck-E-Cheese when I was 15 (I was suppose to be 16, so I altered my birth certificate so I could work. Hey, I was just a kid!) I was Chuck-E himself on many occasions. Yep, I would get in that disquisting, smelly costume and greet all the kiddos. Actually, it was somewhat difficult to walk around in the suit and not fall over all of the kids. Those were the days!!!!

4. I married my high-school sweetheart when I was only 17 years old. I am proud of the fact that we have beat the odds and are more in love with one another than the day we married! We are so lucky to have the three sweetest kids on the planet!

5. I love name brand clothes. I know it is absolutely ridiculous to pay more for certain brands, but I love to go to TJ Maxx and get every Ralph Lauren shirt they have for the kids. I love chanel & givenchy purfume, burberry handbags, gucci, prada, coach....I love to look through magazines and envision myself dressed like a wealthy star! Maybe one day I will atleast own my very own Louis Vuitton purse. Worldy...lame....ridiculous....I know....not how God would want me to spend money....I should be ashamed!

6. My favorite colors are navy blue and kelly green. I love them together.

7. I have 7 brothers and sisters. One "full" sister.....I consider all of them "full" but genetically only 1, 3 half brothers, 2 half sisters, and one step sister. Holidays are very interesting. Brittany is older than some of her aunts and uncles.

Well there are my 7 not so interesting facts. I had a hard time thinking of them since I am an open book and share everything for all to see on my blog anyway. Here are the seven people I am tagging....

1. My sweet sister Ashley who is going to be thrilled to participate in this. :)

2. My neighbor and sweet friend Shawna. I would also consider her my "mommy mentor" She is an amazing mother who gives great advice.

3. My other sweet neighbor and friend Cassie. We just became friends a few months ago, but I feel like I have known her forever.

4. My sweet friend that I have known for a very long time Nicole. We just reconnected through reading each other's blog.

5. A sweet lady from church that just recently opened her own business, Mandi.

6. My sweet Maddie-Moo!!!

7. Another sweet friend that I met from church, Leigh.

Field trip to the "ponkin" patch!

2008-10-16T13:51:00.000-07:00

Today, I went on Radlee's field trip to Walden Farm. We had such a wonderful time. I haven't got to do a lot with the kids at school in the past few months because of my school schedule, so I was really excited to get to be with Radlee today. He held my hand through the entire corn maze....it was a sweet time that I hope is forever etched in my memory! I know that someday in the very near future, he won't want to hold mommy's hand! So I plan on savoring it while it last!

Here are a few of my favorite pictures I took of the animals!

Urgent.....I need help!!

2008-10-15T17:31:00.000-07:00

Did I get your attention? Maybe not urgent, but very important!
I am in need of some good "sweet sixteen" birthday party ideas and quick!!! Brittany's 16th birthday is quickly approaching (November 12) and I have been racking my brain trying to figure out what to do. I can't believe she is almost 16...makes me want to cry! We don't have tons of money to spend, but I want it to be super special for her. She had mentioned wanting to have a party and dj. I thought about renting a building in the area and trying to find an inexpensive dj. If you are reading this and have some dj experience (even amateur)or if you have a good idea of a place to rent to have a party please let me know! I also have thought about having a scavenger hunt. I just don't know...what do you think? What kind of theme would be really easy and fun? I would love to hear any ideas you have. I am getting desperate!!

Our camping trip!

2008-10-13T19:09:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time camping! Sorry this slide show is so long. In order to see all of them, you have to listen to the song twice. I tried to speed it up somehow, but couldn't figure it out. Anyway, we can't wait until we get to go camping again. The next time we are going to kidnap the Heltons and take them with us! Come on Adam.....it will be fun!! :)

Tuesday's Tribute on Monday!

2008-10-13T08:23:00.000-07:00

Me and Angie in 1992

Angie holding Brittany

Today, I want to say thank you to one of the sweetest, most beautiful girls you would ever meet. She has been one of my best friends for a very long time. It all started in Mrs. Elliot's English class. (side note....I loved Mrs. Elliot...she began her struggle with breast cancer while she was our teacher and later passed on) I believe we were juniors in high school...gosh I am getting so old I can't even remember what year it was. Ang was the first person to know I was pregnant (even before Jeff) with Brittany and was with me when I found out. She was one of the only people there when I got married....(I was only 17) She is the kind of person that you could call at 2 a.m. with a problem and she would be there in a minute!!! As a matter of fact, there have been many very late nights I have called her on the way to the emergency room with one of my kids sick, and she would be there within a few minutes! When Radlee took his ride to the emergency room after his allergic reaction to nuts, she was there right away. When I miscarried and had to have surgery, she was there. I could go on and on about how she is the kind of friend we all want to have and the kind of friend we all want to be!

Our friendship has survived so many good times and bad times in our lives. I have been blessed to watch her grow as a christian, wife, and mother. I have some of the funniest memories of our times spent together (especially goats at Opryland)!! I can't imagine the past 18 years of my life without Angie! Ang, I love you!!

Another first!

2008-10-10T11:13:00.000-07:00

I have mentioned a lot lately about how God is stretching me out of my comfort zone! Well, this weekend I am definitely going to go way out of my comfort zone and spend a night camping!!!! Along with a few other families, including my sister (Scott, can you believe I got Ashley to agree to go camping with us ?:) we are spending the night at a state park and all sleeping in tents! I have been camping a few times, but we always stayed in cabins!! No straighteners, no hot water, no make-up, no microwave, no t.v..........just our family, nature, and great friends! I am not your "outdoors" kid of girl, but I admit that I am excited to give up all of these comforts I normally live with to just spend quality time with my family and friends! I think we so often get distracted with all of the "things" all around us to truly enjoy spending time with one another. I know the kids are going to have a blast....there is nothing Radlee loves more than spending time outside playing with sticks & dirt......add his two of his best buddies.....and he is going to have a blast. I am sad that Britt has decided to stay at home with a friend, but I was once a teenager and completely understand!

I plan on taking lots of pictures!! I will plan on posting them when we get back, unless a coyote or bear gets us! Or do we even have bears in Nashville?? :)

Tuesdays Tribute: My Uncle Scott

2008-10-06T17:44:00.000-07:00

I have decided I am going to dedicate every Tuesday to someone who has made an impression on my life. The first person I have chosen to acknowledge is My Uncle Scott. I have so many fond memories of spending time with him. I will never forget all of the fun times we spent laughing over some of the silliest things while at my grandmother's house. We have had some great times over the years, but what makes my uncle so special is how he stepped up and became the stable person in my life when everything around me seemed to be crumbling. I was a teenager living in a new city after my parent's divorce and in many ways my life was out of control. Not having any children of his own, Scott was so giving of his time and energy to me and my sister. My mom would call him crying on many occasions because of the trouble I was giving her, and my uncle would drive a few hours from his home to either come and talk to me or just spend time with us. Occasionally, he even had to give me a phone lecture.....oh how I hated those!!!! He was the father figure in our lives when our dad was several states away! He even walked my sister down the aisle when she got married. I will always be grateful for the way he so generously gave us his time and his heart....I truly don't know how I could have made it through that very tough time in my life without him. Thank you!!

*****Scott.....I searched everywhere for a good picture of you, but I didn't think you would approve of the ones I had!! I think you must avoid cameras like me!! That is my project the next time we are together...you had better be ready!!

A lesson on control

2008-10-02T06:26:00.000-07:00

(The pictures are from today not yesterday's wacky tacky day!...I guess that is pretty obvious though:-)

Yesterday was "wacky-tacky" day at Maddie's school. I reluctantly decided to just let Maddie pick her own outfit and tell me how she wanted her hair. When Maddie came out with what she wanted to wear, I really wanted to go and find her something else. I just went with what she had out and she ended up looking really "wacky-tacky". She won the wacky-tackiest in her classroom. She had her picture made with the other winners in the school, but unfortunately I did not take one! Darn!!!

Today was dress like your favorite story book character. We really didn't have very much at home for her to choose from, but she decided to go as Laura Ingalls from Little House on the Prairie. Once again, I had a different idea of what hat she should wear than she had in mind, but I let her go with her idea. I did get a few pictures today. I thought she looked pretty cute!

I am learning with the kids to not "sweat the small stuff". Sometimes it is just better to let go of some control and let them make some of their own "small" decisions.

Time to vent!

2008-10-01T13:06:00.000-07:00

I am so irritated right now! I just need to complain for a minute....I may regret posting this on the net for all to see, but if I do there is always the lovely delete post option.

Today was another first for me at TSU. Today was the first time I have ever took a midterm with the majority of the class laughing and talking really loud. The instructor was even joking with everyone. I couldn't concentrate and ended up turning my test in with only one side completed. When I realized there was another side to the test, I politely asked to have my test back. He gave it back to me but kept saying in a loud tone 5 minutes Pagan 5 minutes! I think he thought he was being funny, but I really didn't find it so funny. I wanted to say MY LAST NAME ISN'T PAGAN ANYMORE AND HASN'T BEEN FOR ALMOST 16 YEARS!!!! (That is an entire different story of how the idiots at this school can't seem to get anything right...they took my maiden name off of my high school transcript rather than my application. I was told just to leave it, because if you try to have it fixed lots of other stuff will get messed up like your classes getting transferred)

I also wanted to just scream to all of the crazy people in my class and tell them to shut the ..... up for just a few minutes! (fill in the dots as you wish) Don't worry, I didn't do that! If I would have, I wouldn't be typing this post right now. It is extremely frustrating to spend long hours away from your family to study, and then to just have all of your hard work studying messed up because you can't concentrate. I really need to work on my ability to tune distractions out....I thought with my kids I had already mastered that one!

I did turn in my test before I was even finished and I am sure didn't do so well.....I probably still got an o.k. grade because he has to curve his test grades so much because they are usually horrible! I am sure that is probably why no one really cares!

I ever so politely asked to speak to the instructor after class. I asked if it was possible to have some sort of quiet testing atmosphere when taking test. I am just asking what you would think would be a given right?!? He told me it is what it is....you are at TSU. Those were his exact words!

I am either going to be a really strong woman after I am finished with my undergraduate studies or I am going to be a crazy woman!

He shoots......he scores!

2008-09-29T19:14:00.000-07:00

Well, o.k. he scored in practice, but I think he has great potential! He was born for sports. Hopefully, he can somewhat keep his focus....he was in his own little world at practice! He was so darn cute, I couldn't put my camera down.

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He is so excited to have his best buddies Keeley and Preston on his team!!

long time no post....

2008-09-25T16:50:00.000-07:00

I promise to post an update soon. This week has been crazy....chemistry test, chemistry lab test, A/P 2 lecture test over 3 chapters including the heart, and A/P 2 lab test. I am going crazy. What have I gotten myself into???

Birthday Weekend

2008-09-22T09:04:00.000-07:00

My birthday was yesterday and ended up being one of the best birthdays I have ever had. Friday night, some of my sweet friends had a little surprise get together for me. Saturday, Jeff and I went to dinner together, and then we hung out with friends again. We had a fire pit and made smores. It was really fun. Yesterday, the kids woke me up and had fixed breakfast for me, had roses on the table, and had a gift card from Target for me. It was so sweet!!! Thank you to all of you! I love my family and friends. I will post more pictures later. I am at school and don't have any pictures with me. Have a great day!

A little reverse psychology

2008-09-19T08:36:00.001-07:00

It has been one of those weeks that I just want to throw in the towel and say I just can't do this....well actually I did tell Jeff yesterday I can't do this....but that was just one of those moments!! Those of you that know me well are aware that I do not handle a lot of stuff on my plate very well. I tend to get overwhelmed pretty easily, and this semester is pushing me to my limit. I wish I was one of those people that was able to just multi-task several things at once, but I am not. I do well to handle three children and a home as it is, but add in taking the kids all over the place to swimming, preschool, school, guitar practice (well not this week....thanks Jared), homework....you get the point....and then my own homework for three pretty difficult classes, and I might just fall off of the cliff I am close to on an average day. I need to find better coping mechanisms. I don't want to become the Pillsbury Dough Girl from eating to handle stress, or a "wino" from having a glass of wine after a hard day....(yep I said it for all to see...I do like to have a glass of wine occasionally) I have thought about taking up smoking for a little while....that could possibly relieve some stress right? My step-mom would kill me if I did that!!!! I could do what I am suppose to and start EVERYDAY with quiet time!! I know when I do that faithfully, my stress level decreases dramatically! I have tried listening to some classical music while traveling in the car and that does seem to work well. Today, I am going to try some reverse Psychology on myself and post 5 reasons why I love being in college!!

1. I love walking around on campus in the morning while there are hardly any other students here. I love feel of a big campus with all of the really pretty historic buildings. TSU is actually a beautiful campus!

2. I love to eat the yummy meat and three lunches served at the Avon Williams Campus....I have to be careful with this one...comfort food + Christy = Pillsbury Dough Girl

3. I love interaction with all different types of people. I love learning others views on different issues and pondering on them. I know I am a dork!

4. I love the reward you get after studying for many hours in a subject and then receiving a good grade.

5. hmmm.....I am running out of things I love......oh, I love my children being able to see me work really hard for something and see that All Things are Possible with Christ in your life!

Ok......that did actually make me feel a little better. I am off to studying again...big A/P lab test today!!! Sorry, I talk about school so much right now, but that is just where I am at in my life.

My sweet sis

2008-09-18T10:38:00.000-07:00

My sister is so sweet! Today, she knew I was at home studying and called to see if she could bring me some lunch.

She brought some yummy Panera Bread!

We fought like crazy when we were little....(well and still do occasionally, but it only last about an hour)...but now I couldn't imagine life without her! Not only is she a wonderful sister, she is a great wife and mommy. She went back to school after she had her 2 children and worked really hard to become a nurse. I am so proud of her!

Now, she is downstairs napping in Britt's bed because she has to go to work tonight. I want to go and give her a big hug right now, but that would not be good....1. She doesn't liked to be touched. 2. She doesn't like to be woke up.

So, I think I will just let her sleep!

My new fitness plan!

2008-09-17T19:00:00.002-07:00

This is extremely odd....maybe it will help me loose weight. I will even get my poodles to do it with me!

Identify

2008-09-17T08:29:00.001-07:00

The other day I was driving into school and came across a stand selling Obama t-shirts. I began thinking about the placement of this stand and how it was strategically placed in a predominately African American community. When I got to school, I noticed several students were wearing the t-shirts with a very large Obama head placed on the front. I started thinking about how we all have the need to identify with others. At times, most of us feel connected to groups of the same race, sex, age, religion, and many other areas. I thought about how I am in favor of Sarah Palin. I can identify with her in many areas. She is a woman, a mother who is parenting her pregnant teenage daughter (I also was a pregnant teenager), a woman who seeks after her dreams and loves her family at the same time, I could go on and on. So, I thought am I just for her (and McCain of course,yes I realize she is his running mate, but I was not this excited until she came along) or do I really have an understanding of what she stands for. Are the many people I come in contact with every day identifying with Obama because of his race or do they have a real understanding of what he stands for? I think it is better not vote at all than to go and vote simply because of a candidates appearance! We must educate ourselves on the issues at hand and vote for the person who has the qualities we want to lead our nation. This could be a huge turning point for America and much of what our nation was founded upon could be "changed".

All I am saying is look at the issues and vote for the person who stands for what you believe. Where do you stand with abortion rights, drilling for oil in the Artic National Wildlife Refuge, Same-sex marriages, the right to bear arms, health care and universal coverage, immigration, Iraq, Taxes, Social Security, the economy, and education? We cannot just vote based on age, race, gender, & charisma. Research where your candidate stands on these issues and then go and make an educated vote! Please....no hate comments.....this is just simply my opinion!!!!

just another day in the lab

2008-09-16T19:13:00.000-07:00

These are the lovely safety goggles I get to wear when working in the Chemistry lab....for some reason no one wants to be my lab partner?!?

O.k. I really need to start acting my age.....hey life is short right? :)

Tomorrow, my objective is to post something of some kind of relevance before I loose all of my reader's faith in my blogging ability!

Chemistry test

2008-09-15T08:38:00.000-07:00

O.k. I have been debating if I want to post my Chemistry test grade....I had said in a previous post that I would post my grade only if I did o.k. Now, if I don't post it you will think I didn't do well, but if I do post it you may think I am bragging....oh Well What the heck....I should brag for a minute; I studied my "buttocks" off (well actually it is still there and quite large)........you ready.......my grade is......104 !!!!! Yippee!!!

Now, don't go and post some cheezy comments like awww... Good job.....because then I will be embarrassed and have to delete this post!

new blogger

2008-09-14T18:20:00.000-07:00

It looks like we have added another member of our family to the "blog family". Go on over and check Ashley's blog and show her some love!:)

One down.....many more to go!

2008-09-12T08:50:00.000-07:00

Well this morning I took my first big chemistry test......have I said before just how much I despise chemistry? I think I did pretty well....I will post my grade (well only if I did o.k.) :) when I find out how I did! Anyway, one down many more to go! We are going to have a huge celebration when this semester is over!!!

I was trying to get a "frazzled" look, but not sure if I achieved it!

ewww...that just freaks me out! I look gross.....here let me take another one.

hmmmmm...... a little better. I won't try anymore since the people in the TSU library probably already think I am a freak ( you will have to read previous posts to understand this comment)

Have a great day!!!

Poor Baby!

2008-09-11T07:16:00.000-07:00

Today I was looking through some photos of when Britt was a baby and noticed a trend! Why were we always doing odd things to her head? I think most of this can be blamed on Uncle Mike! Poor baby!

Brittany's blogging!!!

2008-09-10T10:05:00.001-07:00

Go and check out Britt's new blog. I am sure she will be adding lots of stuff in the next few days! Leave her lots of comments. She is an excellent writer (lots better than her mommy---she helps me with my English papers :-) ), and I can't wait to see what she blogs about!!

Awwww........I want Maddie's voice to still be like this!!! She is growing up!

2008-09-09T11:06:00.000-07:00

Stop the song so you can hear her sweet voice!

My best friend

2008-09-08T17:38:00.000-07:00

He knows me better than anyone else(well except for God of course)....he knows when I need a break....he does laundry......he washes dishes....he cracks me up.....he takes the kids and gives me a break....he works his tail off everyday in the burning heat for us.....he is incredibly handsome.....he forgives me when I screw everything up.....he puts up with me when I am PMSing......he rubs my back and plays with my hair almost every night......he puts the kids to bed for me when I am tired....he is so unselfish.....I couldn't ask for more.....

Renewing the Mind, Body, and Soul

2008-09-08T08:48:00.000-07:00

This weekend was an amazing weekend. It was one of those weekends I just wanted to freeze in time. I wasn't ready for it to end; however, I feel ready to tackle the world this week because all of my "tanks" are full!

Soul....

Church was amazing Sunday. We started the Purpose Driven Life series again. We did it once before about 5-6 years ago ( I think that is how long it has been) I loved it the first time and know our church and family will benefit from going through it again. We were also blessed to bring our "new" friends with us to church. I say "new", but Jeff and I went to high school with one of them several years ago...(we won't say how many years) One of the things that Pat said and often says is that God puts you wherever you are for a plan and purpose. I love how God works in unique ways to bring people back into your circle several years later to live life with one another! (Brandon and Cassie....we love you guys!)

Body...

We finished off our weekend with a super healthy dinner.....mahi mahi, salad, steamed green beans....and made the decision to try hard to eat healthy this week. Today, I started off my morning with Odwalla super food drink....I love it....it doesn't look that yummy, but it really is! We also have been taking sub lingual vitamin B 12 for the past week. It is equivalent to taking vitamin B injections and gives you amazing energy. Last week, I was dependant upon lots of coffee, coke, energy drinks, and I really want to start relying on the natural resources God gives us to sharpen my mind and give me the energy to be the mom He wants me to be!! (O.k.....i did have one cup of coffee on the way to school....but God did create the coffee bean for us to enjoy) :)

Mind and Soul.... We had great family time this weekend. I am so thankful for the times I have one on one interaction with my kiddos. Before church, Maddie and I sat outside on the deck and had breakfast together. We enjoyed watching the birds and squirrels and enjoyed chatting with each other. Later, Radlee and I went to the store together. I think we talked the entire time we were shopping. I love his sweet little personality...especially when it is just us by ourselves. Then, the night was finished with me and Britt sitting outside with the lights on, candles and tiki torches lit, music playing and sipping some sleepy time tea!! She is such an amazing girl.....she is so unlike most teenagers. I am so blessed how she really values my thoughts and really wants to know my opinion on everything!!! ( oh no...I am starting to cry....a few days ago I was sitting in the TSU library looking at....see previous post....and now I am crying as I type....I bet people think I am a fruitcake) Also, Jeff and I were just on the same page this weekend. I love him....love love love....are you wanting to vomit???

Anyway, sometimes in the midst of chaos, weekends seldom go this well. We need to make sure it is like this more often! Have a good week! Get some sub lingual vitamin B 12....it works!!!! I am off to use some of this energy to study before I crash!

x-rated

2008-09-05T10:28:00.001-07:00

I am sitting here in the TSU library and trying to find a metric conversion table to print off of the Internet.....a pop up comes up and I X it out and all of the sudden pornographic pictures pop up on the screen!!!! It was the whole kit and caboodle......I am trying to shield the screen with my arms and X everything out before anyone sees what is on my screen.....They will be grossed out thinking this old mama is in our library looking at porn.....oh my gosh I am so embarrassed and I didn't even do anything to make this come on the screen!!!!!!!!!! I just wanted to know how to convert meters to kilometers! :-)!!!

New School Year

2008-09-05T09:40:00.000-07:00

Hmmmm.....where do I start? These past few weeks have been challenging to say the least. Most of you know that I have been back in school for almost 2 years now. I started off slow and have slowly worked my way up to 12 hours this semester. I spent one year at Motlow and attending the Avon Williams Campus TSU last year. This is my first semester on the main campus, and I admit it is pushing me to my mental limit!

The first day at the main campus was probably one of the most intimidating days of my life. Besides the fact that I almost peed my pants after sitting in traffic for 2 hours and had to resort to stopping at the most disgusting gas station bathroom I have ever stepped into (it was on 28Th avenue), I was literally scared to death as I walked around campus. My skin felt a little whiter, my shoes squeaked a little louder, and my gray hairs seemed to sprout instantaneously with each step. (I don't mean the skin comment as a racist one in anyway....I just really wanted to blend in) I walked with my head down to the ground, and just prayed God would help me get to my classes.

First class.....chemistry!!! Chemistry has been my greatest fear since returning to college...well other than speech ( I am dreading that class also) I am sure I will spend lots of time in the tutoring center! My next class was Anatomy and Physiology 2, which I think will be simple enough if I can keep my eyes open through his lecture. The instructor is very old and talks in the same monotone voice through the entire 1hour 1/2 lecture. He sounds like the guy on the visine commercial.....for clear eyes....I think his name is Ben Stein?!? Finally, my last class was Microbiology, which is one class I have really been looking forward to. I get in class about 1 minute late and the instructor has already begun. I sat in the back so I wouldn't distract anyone else, but quickly realized this was going to be a problem. The teacher's name is Mr. Abdullah (not sure where he is from, but he had a pretty intense accent). That is o.k. right, I can just write down what he is saying off the board........we'll not if you can't see the board from where you are sitting because you have horrible vision and left your glasses at home!

Brittany often says, "mom, you aren't one of those dorks who sits in the center of the front row and writes down every word the teacher says?"....Britt would be mortified.... I am a Officially a GEEK! I have my squeaky tennis shoes on, my "lovely" rolling backpack, and from now on I am sitting in the center of the front row!

Slacker

2008-09-04T18:24:00.001-07:00

My mom tells me today that my uncle wants to know why I haven't been updating. I am excited to know that more than 3 people actually view my blog. Scott.....I will try to update more frequently! Tonight, I have some kind of sinus headache, cough, and just feel crappy....but this weekend I will update on the latest Smith happenings!!!

McCain * Palin

2008-09-03T19:44:00.000-07:00

I am so excited this amazing woman may become our next VP! Her speech was awesome!!!

2008-08-28T03:38:00.001-07:00

retraction....we'll sort of!

2008-08-26T18:33:00.000-07:00

So, I thought about just deleting my last "pity party" post, but I have decided to state the facts about my school schedule. I tend to be a little dramatic at times.

1. I actually should be able to be home in time to greet Maddie as she gets off the bus at Mel's house. There are only two days a week that I will get home 1 hour after Maddie does.

2. I actually should be able to pick up Britt 3 days out of the week from school.

3. There is only one day that I have to go to school at night. When I was working, there were several nights I would work.

4. Radlee's preschool does want him there by 8 (they have this strict academic program), but I can pick him up early most days of the week. I may talk to the director and see if he can come in a little later a few days of the week so we can have some mommy & Rad time a few mornings.

5. 1 day a week I only have school for one hour!

It is really not that bad. I know that many moms have to work full time jobs and I am just acting like a baby. So, just love me guys......... :)

Mourning?

2008-08-26T17:24:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, I attempted to write a blog about going back to school but just didn't have the right words. To be honest, I had a horrible day. It seemed like I was in a dream or something and literally everything I tried to do was a mess! Today was much better, and I can somewhat get a handle of the range of emotions I have felt the past few days! The word that keeps coming to mind is MOURNING!

I use to think I was a girl that handled change well, but the more I learn about myself, I realize that is not the case! I am not one of those mommy's who jumps at the chance to send their kids off to school. As a matter of fact, I always feel this same sense of mourning when our kids go back to school after a fun-filled summer. I love lazy mornings, days at the pool, couch-potato days, traveling, and all of the fun stuff that goes along with summer. So, now that I am back in school also, it is just that same sense of sadness. I am mourning the losses I feel right now! I want my kids!!!! I want to be able to pick up Britt from school so she doesn't have to get on the bus. I want to be here when Maddie gets off the bus and watch her hug her friends. I don't want to take Radlee to school at 8 in the morning. I don't want to be gone from 5-8 on Wednesday nights. I don't want to rely on other people to take my kids to and fro and keep them for 30 minutes in between. O.k. crying now!!!!

Then I stop and remember..........You may be thinking, well why are you choosing this? Yes, it is a choice, but in many ways it is not. Neither one of us want to end up as Walmart greeters in our 60's......not that there is anything wrong with that if that is what you choose, but we don't want that. When we began to think about me going back to school, we both felt sure this was the direction God was taking us! We spent lots of time praying about this decision. We both knew there would be times when it would be hard. Yes, this semester is going to be a little hard, but it is only a little over three months. I have blogged before about how it is all about planning. I need to be disciplined in this area now more than ever. I need to take full advantage of time during the day to get my studying done so I don't have to do it at night. I can do this......in the long run it will be worth it for our family.......I know Jeff can't do his current job forever....(it is very hard on his body)...... I know I can do all things through CHRIST who strengthens me......I know my family supports me.....I know I have the most amazing friends in the world who would do anything for me.....I know it is the first week and that is why I am more overwhelmed. O.k. I am done now...I am not going to proofread this because I don't care....This is my time to write freely and not be graded on it!! This is where I am today!

Sunday morning worship at home!!

2008-08-24T08:23:00.000-07:00

We were so excited to go and watch a friend preach at another church this morning, but when Maddie woke up feeling bad, Jeff and Brittany headed to church without me. I decided to make the best of our morning at home and listen to worship songs via you tube at home. I often forget that I can worship God in all things...even while doing dishes! I had this song turned up and was having some time with God when .... Maddie came in and said "You are praising God in the kitchen??" :) I told her we can and should praise Him everywhere! Isn't this song powerful?

PRAISE YOU FATHER IN HEAVEN FOR PAYING MY DEBT! ALL TO YOU I OWE!!!!

Money saved!!

2008-08-23T19:31:00.000-07:00

We have been making a real effort to be better stewards with our money and honestly we have been having a great time trying to figure out how to save money in different areas. With lots of planning, we set out to stock up on many items we were running out of. We have been making a weekly menu and even planned for dining out...with a coupon of course. We are learning that as much as we want to be spontaneous, we do much better financially with a plan. It is all about planning! Here are a few ways we "saved" money today!

1. We headed out to lunch with our coupons....we knew we would do better grocery shopping with full stomachs! We headed to Sonic and used some coupons we purchased from a friend to help her school...it was only $5. and well worth it since we still have lots of coupons left on the card. Jeff, Britt, Radlee, and I ordered buy one get one free route 44 drink, "bogo" chicken strip dinner, "bogo" chicken wrap. I believe our total was around $10, so that equals $10 saved. oops....she forgot to take our coupons, so I guess we will have to use them again sometime!!! (I know that is borderline dishonest....ok it is dishonest..next time I will hand over the coupons)

2. We already had our list made of all of the things we were out of such as shampoo, conditioner,& deodorant. I had some Walgreens plus Manufacturers coupons, so figured Walgreens would be the best place to purchase these items. We also had a $5. off $20 purchase coupon that I found at bargainshopperlady.com ( sorry I can't figure out how to put this as a link..for some reason my computer is not letting me do this) Here are just a few of the deals I found at Walgreens.

1. Yardley Lavender soap .69 each with Walgreens coupon.
2. Dove shampoo and conditioner 4.99 each but buy one get one free and
a manufacturer's coupon of $2.00 off.....so that makes each $1.50.
3. Sunsilk shampoo and conditioner....1.49 each with manufacturer coupon.
4. Also, I had the $5. off coupon on the entire purchase.

3. After or Walgreens shopping, we headed over to the new Kroger in LaVergne. We planned our menu from the sale add, and incorporated a lot of the 10 for $10 items into our menu. We also used a few coupons, but we have decided that it is cheapest to buy the store brand or what is already on sale. Also,the biggest money saver is planning a menu and purchasing only necessary items. Next, we headed over to Smith's grocery to purchase all of our meat. They usually have the best deals on meat.

5. To finish off our night we went out to dinner....this was a planned event that was on our menu. We went to Restaurant.com and purchased a $25. gift card for $5. That saved us $20 on our meal. There are limited restaurants to choose from. We decided to go to the restaurant inside the Hilton hotel in Smyrna. The food was fairly good....not excellent. The good things was there was no one in the restaurant, so the kids had a little bit of freedom. This made us more relaxed; therefore, our overall dining experience was more fun. We will definitely be purchasing some more gift cards from this website.....it is a good deal!

Anyway, those are the deals of the day. This kind of lifestyle takes lots of planning.....I am sure I will get the hang of it and learn how to do all of this a little quicker in the future. I am starting to think I never want to do anything without having coupons....why pay full price??

Friends....

2008-08-22T20:15:00.000-07:00

I am blessed to have these girls in my life and so many others. You all know who you are.......I couldn't make it through this crazy life without you!

Music

2008-08-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have decided to match my music with whatever mood I am in when I type new posts. Since my mood changes on the hour (sometimes minutes) my song may also frequently change.

Tonight, I am just in awe of how God works in unique ways!! Although it is not always easy enduring "earthly" struggles, I am so thankful for what God teaches me through each and every one of them. Tonight, I humbly proclaim YOU ARE AMAZING GOD!

Could it be?

2008-08-20T10:02:00.000-07:00

Oh my word....
What just occurred?
Is that Christy's laundry room I see?
Are my eyes playing tricks on me?
Nope, the laundry is all done.
Now, it's time for fun!

Oh........wait....what is that I see?
Mounds of clean, folded laundry waiting for me
I know if I put them up I'd be all through
But, there are so many things I'd rather do!!!

***O.k. it may really be time for me to go back to school. I have either gone mad or have waaayyyyyy too much time on my hands!

2008-08-19T20:16:00.001-07:00

Love one another

2008-08-19T19:57:00.000-07:00

This morning I was able to capture this rare event......Maddie and Radlee loving on one another as they woke up. Too bad this love for one another never lasts!!!

How our family avoids boredom!

2008-08-18T11:51:00.001-07:00

I know I have some misspelled words.....I can't figure out how to go into this slideshow & fix them.....ugh!!!

Yummy breakfast!

2008-08-18T09:01:00.000-07:00

Here I go again.....attempting radically change the way our family eats. I have had great success in the past losing weight with weight watchers. Since I already have all of the material, I decided to start counting points again. I am trying to do it without going to the weekly meetings because of limited time and money! I am still hoping to have success though. This morning I decided to get a bit creative with how I was going to use my points for breakfast. Here is what I came up with......whole wheat toast, cheese, tomato (fresh out of Pa Pa's garden), 1 boiled egg, and horseradish instead of mayo. (I was surprised to see horseradish only had 10 calories per serving). I wasn't sure how this combination would taste, but it was delicious. This will definitely be a keeper!!! May not sound good or look good for that matter, but it was very tasty. Give it a try!

Waiting........

2008-08-15T07:26:00.000-07:00

About a year ago, I went to work for a local restaurant as a "server"....I prefer the term "server", because "waitress" just sounds tacky! :-) The ten months spent at this restaurant were full of many eye opening experiences. For instance, I had completely underestimated what is involved in serving. It actually requires a good memory and can be physically exhausting. Also, in order to make good money, it is necessary to have exemplary interpersonal skills. During this time, I developed a new respect for anyone who deals with the general public!

There were those days which certain customers drove me crazy! I compiled a list of just a few of the many things that drive servers insane............

1. If you know a restaurant closes at 10.......then please don't come in at 9:59! Also, all consumption of food and useless chatting should come to an end upon closing time! Servers have lives too!

2. Is it really necessary to know the exact amount of ounces in every food item.....can't you see the other tables waiting?

3. Servers understand that toddlers can be messy, but did you have to order them spaghetti?

4. When ordering tea, can you please either order sweet or unsweet? Is it really necessary to order 1/2 sweet & 1/2 unsweet or 3/4 sweet & 1/4 unsweet? Yes, this is a common request!! Not sure why this one gets on my nerves so bad!?!

5. When taking a large group to a restaurant, expect a delay if all bills are separate tabs and each are paying with a credit card.

6. If you feel like "making out" during your entire meal, why not just eat and then go and get a room?

7. Please control your drinking! The law states servers are responsible for patrons who leave restaurants intoxicated......typical of our society--no one is responsible for their own actions. If you happen to have a little "buzz" cut yourself off......also, if intoxicated.....restaurants do not accept zoo memberships as form of payment. Yep...this actually happened.

8. Married men......with your wife and child present.......Do not leave your phone number on your bill for a cute, young server.........you are gross!!!

Ever waited tables???? Have any complaints to add to the list????

Yard Sale

2008-08-14T18:46:00.001-07:00

I am having a yard sale on Saturday and have some really cute clothes that I am willing to sell pretty cheap. I have about 10 pair of boy pants/shirts size 3t. Most of the clothing is either polo, osh kosh, levi, or children's place. Sorry about the picture quality.....I am too lazy to get out my good camera and just took this picture on my cell phone. I also have some girl clothing size 8 including a few really cute jackets. Brittany also has about 4 bags full of adult/junior small-medium clothes! We are also selling our treadmill, small deep freezer, and an entertainment center, and lots of books. This is my first move to show God I am ready to be a better steward & more obedient with our finances. We can both benefit....good deals for you and less debt for me! :) If anyone is interested, give me a call. The yard sale is this Saturday, so I would need to meet up with you sometime tomorrow!