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I got blog-tagged again. This time by Wife and Mommy. So, here goes…

Favorite food?
If I had to pick ONE style of food to call my favorite I would say Southern Home-Style. I could make a meal of fried chicken, macaroni and cheese, butter beans and biscuits. All homemade, of course. For dessert, I would probably pick pecan pie. I don’t have just one favorite food, but Southern food is comforting to my very soul.

Quirks about you?
I can’t stand having water on my face. I am constantly drying my face off if there is water on it like when swimming. Something about water being on my face makes me crazy.

I have to have covers on me to sleep. Preferably more than just a sheet. So, when it’s hot that’s tricky, but I manage.

I rearrange eggs in the carton so that the carton is “balanced” when I remove eggs from it.

How would the person who loves you most describe you in ten words or less?

I am going to ask Mickey this later and edit my post with his answer.

Any regrets in life?
You know, there are things in my life that I wish now that I had not done. But, I am blessed to know that all is forgiven. I hate to have regrets because I got to where I am today by going down the roads of yesterday. I think it’s better to learn the lessons and move forward in a positive direction than to remain hung up on regrets.

Favorite Charity/ Cause?
Lighthouse Family Retreat
The Lighthouse is incredible. I haven’t been on a retreat in a few years, but it will always be near and dear to my heart and I hope to go on another one some day.

Something you can’t get enough of?
Family time

Worst job you’ve ever had?
I worked at McD’s for a very short time my senior year in high school. It was awful. I had $10 stolen from my purse my first night on the job. It was just not a good experience at all.

What job would you pay NOT to have?
I don’t know. If God called me to any job, I believe He’d equip me for it.

If you could be a fly on the wall, where?
I always say I’d like to be a fly on the wall at preschool so I could watch the girls without them seeing me. I love watching them interact with others and it would be so cool to have that opportunity for extended times.

Favorite Bible verse right now?
Many are the plans in a man’s heart, but it is the LORD’s purpose that prevails ~ Proverbs 19:21

Guilty Pleasure?
Frappucinos from Sbux. Although today I got an iced coffee because it was free. Gotta love free.

Got any confessions?
I have accomplished almost nothing today and I don’t feel that badly about it.

If you HAD to spend $1,000 on YOURSELF, how would you spend it?
I’d update my wardrobe, for starters. I’d also get a massage, faci and pedicure. And, I’d take my husband on a fabulous overnight date night.

Favorite thing about your house?
We just love our house. We love that it has a basement/play room, a study, a family room and a nice big kitchen.

Least favorite thing about your house?
Well, the back yard is coming along, but could still use some major work.

One thing you are bad at?
I am really bad at staying ahead of housework. Or even keeping up remotely.

One thing you’re good at?
I am good at cooking.

If you could change something about your circumstances, what?
I would love to have our home be in another school district. Our elementary school is great which is nice, but our high school zone is not desirable, really. But, we have a few years yet to think about that.

Who would you like to meet someday?
Mark and Katharyn Richt

Who is your real life hero?
Mickey because he is the best husband and family provider I could ever imagine. He does so much for our family and works so hard for us. He’s amazing!!

What is the hardest part of your job?
Keeping the kids from being bored and keeping us from being in the poorhouse.

When are you most relaxed?
When things are in order at home.

What stresses you out?
Big messes which seem to be everywhere

So, if you are reading this and you have a blog…consider yourself TAGGED!!!

Today Papa and MiMi (aka: my Dad and Stepmom) took Mickey, the girls and I to the Georgia Aquarium. For Mickey, Macey and me, this was a second visit and for Mariana it was a first. Mickey and I took Macey for the first time back in February (I believe) of 2006 before Mariana was born that May. We’ve been wanting to go back, but haven’t seemed to find the time. Papa and MiMi offered us this chance today and we had a fantastic family outing at the Aquarium. The crowd was pretty big, but it was still a whole lot of fun. There is just something so amazing about seeing all those fish - especially the whale sharks and the beluga whales! The girls were both in awe!!

We started out our visit to the Aquarium by going to the The 4D Theater and Deepo’s Undersea 3D Wondershow which was fantastic!! Mariana wouldn’t wear her 3-D glasses, but the rest of us did and it was quite a show!! Macey didn’t quite seem to know what to make of it at first, but she loved it! We then went to the rest of the exhibits. One of the first things that caught the girls’ attention was the exhibit of jellies. Those are so cool even though I always dislike seeing them when we’re at the beach. I think my favorite part was going through the tunnel with the whale sharks and other fish swimming over us the whole time. Like I said, the whole experience was wonderful!!

After the Aquarium, we went out to dinner at Willy’s which was super delicious!! It was just a great afternoon and evening to spend with family. Thank you, Papa & Mimi, for a wonderful time!!

Today I had one of those days where I worked all day on the house, but you can’t walk in any room and tell I’ve done a thing. I was on the go most all day and yet things look pretty much the same as they did this morning. How can that be?! I did laundry, ironed clothes and put them away, washed dishes, changed linens, put away laundry, straightened up the girls’ rooms and just picked up clutter in general. And, I never got finished. It was one of those days.

As I was sitting here thinking about that this evening, I wondered if that is how God must sometimes feel too. He works and works and works on me and I shamefully admit that I don’t show His work nearly as much as I should. That realization hit me this evening and really made me think. God is so good to just never give up on us, isn’t He? All the love and work He puts into me doesn’t yield much many times, but He is faithful and true. Amazing love. I will never come close to earning it, but I am so blessed to know God gives of that love so freely. So, realizing that made me feel a little bit better about my day and made me realize yet again how I need for my works to reflect His works. Sometimes we all need some humbling and I got a dose tonight.

Psalm 66
Verse 5 - Come and see what God has done,
how awesome his works in man’s behalf!

Verse 20 - Praise be to God,
who has not rejected my prayer
or withheld his love from me!

As I stated in yesterday’s post, Macey is going to afternoon VBS at our church this week. On Tuesday, Wednesday and Thursday, the kids are encouraged to bring in various donated items for several charitable organizations in our area. On Tuesday they brought in hygiene products, Wednesday was non-perishable grocery goods and today is baby related items. Well, if you’ve ever read my blog or know me, you know I love a bargain. I definitely wanted to send Macey in with donations every day because this is a great way for her to learn about giving to others, etc. So, I clipped coupons, shopped sales and went to a wholesale club for our donated items. Check this out…

For right around $30, these are the items we donated this week:

3 tubes of toothpaste
3 toothbrushes (2 of them were in with the toothpaste tubes)
1 bottle of men’s hair and body wash
2 regular size bottles of shampoo
3 cans spaghetti sauce
2 boxes spaghetti noodles
1 bag rice
2 bags instant mashed potatoes
1 big box that contained several packages of baby wipes

Isn’t that cool?! Please understand that I am not posting this to brag in any way about our giving. Not at all. What I want to show is that giving can be done on any budget. There is so much good that can be done without breaking the bank. Clipping and using coupons plus shopping sales is a great way to make grocery dollars go a longer way. Shopping wholesale clubs is a great way to stock up on various items that are commonly used around the house as well. Remember, too, that there are always organizations that could use donations. If you ever run across great deals and you feel like donating, there is always a need. You don’t have to have big bucks to do good things, just a big heart. We can all do something and I feel blessed that we have been able to help in some small way through VBS this week.

I don’t know who originated the phrase about the “lazy days of summer”, but I’m guessing they didn’t have young children. Summer is here and it’s anything but lazy. It’s GO time. We GO to the pool…GO to VBS…GO shopping…GO to the park…GO out to play…GO to the zoo…GO GO GO!!  And, honestly, it’s wonderful. We are enjoying summer so much already and it’s only just begun.

Around here, we tend to have our mornings at home and then the afternoons turn busy. But, that is all subject to whatever plans come up, of course. This week Macey has Beach Party VBS at our church from 12:30-3:30 each afternoon, so the house is really still and quiet during that time because Mariana also naps. That’s when I try to catch some Mama time if possible. Macey is loving VBS and it’s been such a blessing to hear her come home singing the songs, telling us about her day, etc. She’ll be going to the morning session in July and I’ll be teaching her class, so that will be fun too. Mariana’s not quite old enough for VBS yet, so she’ll go to the nursery and have her fun there.

It’s been HOT here lately too. That makes for great pool days. The pool water is really pretty perfect right now. We enjoy going down there as much as we can since it’s so near to our home.

I need to find time to blog because I want to keep this site active and alive. Please bear with me as I try to find time to blog in these crazy fun days of summer.

Blessings,
Kelly

When I say that I have gotten into CDs again, I don’t mean music. This time I mean cloth diapers. I started using cloth diapers for Mariana last summer and really liked it. Somehow I got away from it and started using disposables through the fall and winter. Well, I hate buying disposable diapers for a number of reasons and I had a whole stash of cloth diapers here at home, so I decided to get back to cloth diapering and it’s been great again!

I’m willing to bet that some of you reading this are wrinkling your nose and thinking “cloth diapers…ewww”, but it’s really not nasty at all. Long gone are the days when all there was to cloth diapering were white cotton diapers and safety pins. Well, it’s not actually long gone, you can still do that if you like, I suppose, because the option does exist, but there are other solutions. My favorite diapers are called Fuzzi Bunz and they are pocket diapers. What that means is that the diaper has a “pocket” in which to insert a liner for wetness protection. Fuzzi Bunz come in several sizes and colors. They fasten and are adjustable with snaps. Easy and cute. What more could you want in a diaper? The others I often use are called Bum Genius and I have version 2.0 which is last year’s version. This is a one size diaper and also has a pocket for a liner. I don’t like them quite as much as I like Fuzzi Bunz, but they pull up a close second. I’m also looking into other brands and kinds of diapers. A boutique near us just started carrying cloth and I got an email with a $5 off coupon, so I’ll be taking that in soon to see what they have. We have several diapers in Mariana’s “stash” right now - enough to keep her in two days worth of diapers between washes if need be, so that’s nice too. I’d love to have more, so I’m always looking around. It’s hard to believe that diapering can be fun, but with all the options available out there, it really IS a lot of fun. No, really…it is!

There are many benefits to cloth diapering and these are the things that I appreciate most about doing it.

• It’s environmentally friendly. We only use a disposable on Mariana at night right now, so that is far less junk that we are contributing to the landfills.
• Less diaper rash. Cloth is friendlier to little bottoms than plastic and chemicals.
• More cost efficient. Sure, there are start-up costs to getting a cloth diaper supply established, but they are washable and can be used for such a long time. No running to the store every week for a pack of diapers. It’s great!
• They’re cuter than ’sposies. There is nothing cuter than cloth diapers on a little one’s bum. Seriously.

Another reason we decided to go back to cloth is to hopefully help with Mariana’s potty-training. We discovered back when Macey was this age that disposables aren’t the greatest for potty-training at all.  Toddlers can’t feel wetness in the disposables, so it’s hard to teach them about not wetting. With cloth, they can feel the wetness so that can help alert them better to when they need to go. While cloth does wick away the moisture, it’s not the same as disposables. No chemicals to harbor all the wetness. Mariana has shown some potty interest, so maybe (JUST MAYBE) cloth diapering will help guide us in that direction.

So, yea…I’m excited about our re-entry into cloth diapering. If anyone has any diaper recommendations, please let me know. I’d love to know more. And, if anyone has any questions about cloth diapering, please let me know that too. I didn’t go into specifics about diapering, but I’d be happy to share if anyone is interested.

I am a faithful reader of my friend Jawan’s blog. I can always count on there to be great posts there. Some are uplifting, some are great bargain tips, some are great craft ideas, etc. Her blog never fails to provide me with great reading. Well, on Friday, she posted about some cool new shoes she had gotten at WalMart. I loved them in the picture she posted. I happened to be at WalMart today and, to my surprise, I happened to remember the shoes Jawan talked about. So, I meandered over to the shoe aisle and they actually had them in stock. And, in my size! WOO HOO! Since Jawan and I live at least 100 miles apart, I doubt we’ll incur any fashion wrath if we happen to wear the same shoes on the same day anyway. HA! So, now I am the proud owner of these really cool new shoes:

I love ‘em! They are great for summer. They go with so many of my clothes. And, I can just slip them on and go. What’s not to love?! The best thing is that they aren’t just like all of my other shoes. Around here that goes a long way because Mickey swears that all my shoes look alike.

I also got these beauties while I was in a shoe buying mood today:

Also really cute, huh?! They are white and have an eyelet look to them. They are really comfy and I just think they are so fun!! I can’t believe I found these at Walmart. I have to give all the credit to Jawan for posting about the first pair because I would never have looked otherwise.

And, please excuse the low quality of my photos. I had to take them with my phone since my camera is in for repairs.

Now, if anyone else has any great shoes to share, do let me know. I’m all about fun summer shoes, especially at great prices. I live in flip-flops most of the time, but a girl can never have too many options, right?

Macey graduated preschool last night. They had a ceremony at the church where they wore little caps with tassels, marched in to “Pomp & Circumstance” and even received little diplomas. They also sang some really cute songs. It was such a sweet event. I can’t even begin to describe how emotional I was seeing my girl up there though. My firstborn, my motherhood dream first fulfilled, is growing up so quickly. It’s hard to realize sometimes how fast it all goes, but in just a blink I realize it full-force at times.

We have been so blessed to have Macey in our church’s preschool since she was two. She has had the best teachers and has loved every single moment she has spent there. We love that she has not only gotten a great academic foundation, but has also gotten to explore creativity, learned to socialize and has also learned more about Christian faith and values. It’s a great school and I’m so glad we’ll be aruond another three years as Mariana goes through. Next thing you know, she’ll be graduating and moving up to kindergarten, but I am NOT ready to think about that yet.

The last official day of preschool was today for both girls. They each had parties in their class. When I picked Mariana up, her teachers told me the cutest story that she was watching herself in the full-length mirror in the classroom and singing the clean-up song to herself. When we went to get Macey, one of her friends named Grace came out to give her a hug and said she’d miss her.  How sweet! We will definitely have to have many play dates over the summer to keep these girls in touch.

It’s hard to believe that preschool is now over for Macey. She was a touch emotional last night about missing her friends, but she knows we’ll have the summer to play and that she is going to make new friends in elementary school. Still, this is a big step for her. A big milestone in her life. And, when I saw her march in last night, my heart just overflowed. Macey makes us proud in so many ways. She’s so sweet, smart, gentle, creative and loving. She’s one amazing little lady. It’s hard to let go sometimes and let her grow up, but we know that with God’s guidance, she’ll be fully ready to face the world and make a positive impact wherever she may go.

To the moms in my life…

Happy Mother’s Day!

To my mom - aka Nana - I owe you eternal gratitude. You have given me roots to grow and wings to fly. You have taught me what it is to be a mom - how to love with my whole heart and still let go with both hands when the time comes knowing that it’s okay. You’ve been the voice of reason, the arms of comfort and the source of strength for me more times than I can count. You’ve been my rock through all my years and I love you so!

To my step-mom- aka Dorothy…aka MiMi - you came into my life almost twenty years ago and I have been so blessed to know you, love you and be loved by you. I cherish all the times we’ve laughed and cried or laughed until we cried. You always bring a ray of sunshine with you. We have so many little jokes that we share and we’ll always have Mitford! THANK YOU for being you! I love you!!

To my mother-in-law Linda - aka Grammie - I know I’ll never have any of those “horror stories” about my mother-in-law because you have taken me in as one of your own since day one. You have a kindness and compassion about you that radiates in everything you do. Because you loved your son and taught him to love, he can share that love with our own family. I can’t thank you enough for all you’ve done and all you do. You’re a blessing and I love you!

To my Gran - aka GranGran - What would I do without you, Gran? My Pearl! There’s never been a facet of my life that you weren’t there to share. Some of my favorite childhood memories were made right there with you and Pop. You tell me like it is when I need to hear the truth. You also let me “just talk” when I’m in a chatty mood. You inspire me to deeper faith and good works and service to others. And, I love you thiiiiiiiiiiiis much!

To my Grandma - aka Grandma Teapot - You have taught me more than you know. You helped instill a work ethic in me which I value to this day. You gave me my first “job” when I was just a little girl. I would go to the cleaning shop with you on Saturdays and use a magnet to pick up straight pins from the floor. That dollar or two you gave me was all the money in the world back then. Later on, you got me a job at the candy store and that was another blessing. You’ve made me feel so special and have given me many happy memories. I thank you! Love you!

To my Grandmother-in-Law…aka Grandma Charlotte - I knew you were a gem the first time I met you. The first thing you said about me was “I don’t like her”, but I knew you did. You were testing me and I like to think I passed with flying colors. I just love your spunk and determination. I love how fiercely loyal you are to those you love. I love how you remind Mickey about what a brat he was a child, but how you do that in a way that shows you really do love him to pieces. We were honored to give Macey your name as a middle name and we know that some of that Matriarch spirit will always live in her. We hope to see you this summer because we all miss you. Love you!

To all the moms in my family and all my mom friends - I learn so much from you. Thank you for sharing your lives, your hearts and even your kiddos with me and my family. May we all grow and learn together as we go along.

Hope today is a blessing all around!

We were away over the weekend, so I didn’t get to post. So, I’m here now waking up my sleepy blog. :p

I hope it was a great weekend all around. We were in South Georgia over the weekend. It was a really nice family weekend. We got lots of Nana time in which is always nice. Mickey and I even got to have a dinner date on Saturday which was great for us. The weather was incredible all weekend too and we just had a really great family weekend.

The reason we went down for the weekend was for our nephew Jackson’s baptism which was on Sunday. Jackson did great for the whole ceremony. He fell asleep in his mommy’s arms (is there anything more peaceful than a sleeping baby?!) and stayed asleep through most everything. He almost woke up when Liz leaned his head down to get his water and oil, but he went right back out. We had the honor and privilege of being included in the ceremony as Jackson’s Godparents and we take that vow very seriously and right to heart. We love that little boy so much and we feel so blessed that he has come into our family.

I will post more later. I need to catch up with a book review and deals. I’m also reading an incredibly powerful book that I can’t wait to post more about. It’s called The Shack and as soon as I’m done reading it, I’m going to post more.

Happy Monday!