Miscellany Monday..

Ahhh...it's Monday.. which means it's Miscellany Monday. You can join along here.



{1} I am finally learning how to make blog buttons. It's still taking me some time, ok, an hour or so, but it's fun. And I feel sooooo productive once the button is completed!



{2} I seriously HATE the way some people drive. You don't know how many times I have wanted to THROW a drivers handbook at people!

----> [a] BLINKERS - they are on a car for a reason! USE THEM!! I am not a mind reader. I don't know that you want in my lane or that you are turning unless you... USE YOUR BLINKERS!!!

--->[b] YIELD - yield signs are also there for a reason. FOR YOU TO YIELD...to oncoming traffic, exiting traffic..whatever the situation may be. I DO NOT have to yield to YOU if YOU have the sign. And if (which the case appears to be) you don't know what the "yield" sign means, then go pick up the drivers handbook..it's free OR go home and research it! And please...PLEASE don't look at me like I'm the crazy one because I won't stop for you who has the yield sign!

--->[c] CELL PHONES- it has come to my attention that some people are just not apt enough to drive AND talk on their phones at the same time. I am not talking about texting here... that should not be done by the driver at all!! But talking on the phone..oh my!! Why do people go in the fast lane, drive all of 35 mph and talk on the phone. I have actually witnessed people hang up and then step on the gas!! They swerve into my lane, brake for no reason and drive waaayyyy too slow! Why? If you are not capable of doing both, please...pull over and park somewhere. See, the thing is...the other people on the road, the ones actually DRIVING have some where to go, something to do. If you are not smart enough to talk AND drive, then pick one! Just ONE!



{3} I bought all these crape myrtle trees and still have not planted them. They aren't looking too good and I feel bad. Tomorrow I don't have much on the agenda and I will be planting them tomorrow. I honestly haven't felt like going out there and digging the holes.....

{4} This is the month that we focus on Breast Cancer. Not that any other month the focus is less, but October is Breast Cancer Awareness month. My grandmother died from breast cancer. It was spread through her entire body... actually found in her uterus. She never had any exams or tests done which probably would have extended her life if she would have done it. In honor of Breast Cancer, Helzberg Diamonds is selling these beautiful pink cultured pearl bracelets. A very generous portion goes to breast cancer research! My husband is a contract jeweler for the company and brought home one for me, our girls and my mother in honor of her mother who passed away. He also brought one home for me to giveaway on my blog! If you would like to be entered in the giveaway which ends October 23, simply leave a comment on the giveaway post. You can enter as many times as you like. No strings attached!

Miscellany Monday

Monday is upon us all ready! The weekend went tooo fast! Carissa at lowercase letters hosts Miscellany Monday and allows us to be random and spew out whatever it is we need to with no particular order...isn't that nice?

{1} I love fall and I LOVE Halloween!!! I love loading the girls us at night with some good Starbucks coffee and driving around looking at Halloween decorations in the neighborhood. So fun...some people go way out, some just put up a few pumpkins.
One thing that I CANNOT stand about Halloween is this.....

Michael Myers freaks me out. When I was little my aunt used to make me sit and watch Halloween movies. To this day if I just hear the Halloween music my skin crawls. I take CC to a certain haunted house here every year...and every year HE chases me.

{2} I must really love my girls. CC saved her money (though we put in about half) and bought not one..but two .... rats!! Yes, you read that right!! R.A.T.S.!!! This is the first one we bought Saturday night. We picked up the other one today. She just came in here right now to tell me the new one is keeping her up messing around in the cage. I guess I can just be happy that at 14 she is interested in keeping rats and not boyfriends!

{3} I finally cut roses from my rose garden to put in my vase. I must be honest I felt like a murderess. I never cut on my bushes except to dead head.... I just hope I get new blooms.

{4} Sometimes homeschooling can be overwhelming! I know what I want to do and can execute out my plan, it just seldom ends up the way I want it. I constantly question if the girls are where they should be. And yes, I know they are. Lena is beginning division equations. I went to the local public school website to see where the kids in her grade level are at and they are beginning "3" multiplication facts. So I know she is yards above where she should be and she learns soooo easily! I just sometimes feel like I would like a rest. Not to have to spend every Sunday night up late printing out and preparing homework. Goodness... I feel terrible saying that!

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{5} We are having our first "cool front." I had high hopes for it when I saw our high temps in the mid 80's and lows in the lower 60's!!! Then I checked the forecast again and it's back to highs in the lower 90's and lows in the upper 70's!! Oh well...that's life in Texas I guess!

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{6} I counted the ramen in my pantry.... I have 12 right now. My kids love ramen. They love to eat it! Every time we go to the grocery store they throw at least 10 cups in my basket. Once I checked my receipt and I had 19 cups of ramen on there!! Imagine that! The checker must have thought I just don't like to cook!! And that is so opposite of the truth!

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{7} I posted here about my girls growing up. It's just happened too fast. I miss them being little babies who want and need me for everything. We usually love to go to the bookstore to read fall/Halloween books. This past weekend they wanted nothing to do with it. They each had their own books and I sadly think those days of reading seasonal books together is over. If you moms out there have little ones that are willing to crawl up in your lap and beg to hear a story from you...DO IT! Don't let that chance pass you up. All to soon you will be wanting that special time and they just won't be interested in it!

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{8} I am hosting a giveaway... all you have to do to enter is leave a comment. You don't have to follow or post it on your blog. Of course you can do those things if you want to... and if you do leave a separate comment for each of those on the giveaway post for extra entries. That's it. I included things that I enjoy.... and if you read my blog you know I enjoy cooking..... so I had to have my giveaway centered around that! So if you're interested...go check it out!

Well that's it for now. I could probably write more but Papa Bear has been working all weekend and I want to spend some quiet time with him while the kids are asleep. I told him this weekend how much I appreciate his working so hard so that I can stay home with the girls and homeschool them. They appreciate it too. I love him too, too much!

Miscellany Monday

Carissa at lowercase letters is hosting Miscellany Monday. It's fun to link up and just let random thoughts come out and into print!

{1} I love spending time with my Mom. She is always right about so many things... I look to her for advise and help. She never lets me down. I wish I could spend much more time with her. I thought once I stopped working we would be joined at the hip....that hasn't happened yet! I want to try to make date times with her... and keep them!
{2} We made homemade pizza Thursday. It was so good. The crust is so easy to make. It only has four or five ingredients....so simple and soooo good! Find the recipe here.
{3} I love when this fur ball lays on my pillow and waits for me to come to bed!! Yes, he gives me allergies but I love him! And his sweet little warm body snuggled up next to me, actually ON me, feels so relaxing... even his snoring puts me to sleep!

{4} I've got some weird habits... I admit it. One thing that I HAVE to do or it drives me nuts is to make sure the knife block if complete. If there are knives missing I feel anxious...seriously! I need it to be complete. Also, when I clean, no matter how dirty another room might be, I HAVE to start with the kitchen first...is that crazy?

{5} I love, love coffee. But I love, love, LOVE the smell of instant coffee. I don't drink instant coffee, no. But I do love the smell of it!

{6} I got my Southern Living Annual Recipes in the mail Saturday. I had completely forgot that I ordered it. I was still working when I ordered it! HA! So it was a nice surprise to have that box in the mail. There are so many good recipes!! The first thing I am going to make is Praline Apple Bread. It's easy enough and sounds sooo good. I thought I bough all the ingredients yesterday but I forgot the sour creme. Ahhhh....another trip to the grocery store!

{7} Today is exactly one month since I was fired. I am finally not waking up at 4:30 a.m. out of habit! Thank Goodness! I do get to sleep later and wake up when I want to, which is usually between 7-8, but I do stay busier than I thought I would. I had imagined mornings with my roses drinking coffee... watching HGTV...cooking... I do cook, and clean, and do invoices, and wash clothes, and sweep like 1400 times a day thanks to Toby's shedding...it is NON-STOP!! Sometimes I think I need to hurry and get back to work just so I can get a break... ok, I kid! But seriously.... Stay at home moms STAY BUSY!

Miscellany Monday

It's Monday already?!?! This weekend went by so fast!! It seems like I blinked and it was gone.



Soooo..... let's get started with my miscellany monday post!



{1} I said over and over that I wish just once it would rain super hard before I have to go back to work. I wanted at least two days of hard non-stop rain. The kind that makes you want to stay inside and bake and cook all day.....Well..... Hermine is headed straight for us and we are looking at the next 2.5 days full of rain!! YAY!!! I love the sound of the rain hitting the fireplace chimney. I love the sound it makes on the windows. I love how it washes away the dirty and the ugly and offers a clean slate....and usually a pretty rainbow!



{2} When one door closes another truly opens. I believe faith opens that other door. And what lies behind that door is exactly what you make it!

[3} Cutting the grass is theraputic! There is something about getting down and dirty and sweaty. I actually LOVE cutting my grass!! I love that I can make it as short as I like it and make sure that the edges are cut down to perfection. When it comes to things like this I do feel I have some control issues!!

{4} I wish I could spend much more time with my mom. I love just sitting and talking with her. I love running around and doing errands with her. Now that I'm not working I no longer feel rushed during our visits and that feels good! But I would like to make an effort to spend more time with her during the week.

{5} We've rented redbox movies and plan to spend these next few rainy days baking, cooking and watching movies. I can't think of anything else I would rather be doing!!!

{6} When we went to the library I check out a book titled, "I Was Born a Slave." It's first hand accounts from slaves given once they reached freedom. It is so moving. I always read about slavery but NEVER thought of it from their point of view. These few passages touched my heart...broke my heart. It's unimaginable to believe these things actually happened...
These passages are told by freed slave Henry Bibb...

"A slave may be bought and sold in market like an ox. He is liable to be sold off to a distant land from his family. He is bound in chains hand and foot; and his sufferings are aggravated a hundred fold, by the terrible thought, that he is not allowed to struggle against misfortune, corporeal punishment, insults and outrages comitted upon himself and family; and he is not allowed to help himself, to resist or escape the blow, which he sees impending over him."

This passage is in reference to what he experienced when he and his wife had a daughter and they had to leaver her to crawl about while they worked all day in the field.

"She was left at the house to creep under the feet of an unmerciful old mistress, whom I have known to slap with her hand the face of little Frances, for crying after her mother, until her face was left black and blue. I recollect Malinda and myself came from the field one summer's day at noon, and poor little Frances came creeping to her mother smiling, but with large drops standing in her dear little eyes, sobbing and trying to tell her mother tht she had been abused, but was not able to utter a word. Her little face was bruised black with the whole print of Mrs. Gatewood's hand. This print was plainly to be seen for eight days after it was done....Who can imagine what could be the feelings of a father and mother, when looking upon their infant child whipped and tortured with impunity, and they placed in a situation where they could afford it no protection."

This book is such an eye-opener. I plan to spend these next few rainy days with my nose buried in the book, reading their first hand accounts...

Miscellany Monday

{1.} One of the things I love most about being a SAHM is waking up to my Papa Bear every morning and being able to give him a kiss. I never knew how much I missed something so simple!


{2.} When Toby and CC snuggle up like this I get jealous! Why can't he do that with me? I know he CAN but he WON'T!!! AND to top it off, she didn't even WANT him! Papa Bear caught him trying to catch Lena's fish with his paw in the bowl.... we got him out and closed the door!


{3.} One of the BEST purchases I EVER made was buying my Keurig. It makes the best hot cocoa, coffee, iced coffee and hot tea. I don't think I would be able to make it through the day without this little buddy! I'm in LOVE!!!
{4.} I actually had fun doing this craft with Lena. I didn't know how a boa on a flip flop would turn out, but she loves it!! And it was a HUGE stress relief!! Now if only I could get the second shoe finished!!

{5.} Toby really is bad... like seriously...just BAD!! He hangs from the curtains. We had some decorations hanging from the chandelier in the breakfast area and Lena was screaming because he was hanging from that!! He eats more than I've EVER seen any cat eat and he sheds something terrible!!

{6.} I guess I really shouldn't have let me car get this dirty!! I admit, it's embarrassing!! But I worked and honestly had NO time. And it felt sooooooo nice to drive home in a clean car last night! I can't wait for Papa Bear to see it!!

{7.} One major reason I love posting blogs on my iPhone is that is corrects misspelled words, capitalizes "I" and the first letters of each sentence. I can insert photos anywhere I want and I just click the space bar twice and it puts a period at the end of that sentence and then capitalizes the first letter of the next sentence.... ok..that was actually four reasons!