Easter Pics 02

Easter Pics 01

Hokie Hope Day

Hey guys. I just wanted to share this with you guys in case your interested in participating and showing support. I am from Virginia and have had friends that attended VaTech and graduated from there. But even if you have no connection, I think it's still amazingly important to show some form of support for the people of Blacksburg and around the country who have lost someone. We will never know or understand the horror and pain they must be going through and can only pray that the Lord will be with them and comfort their hearts through this difficult time.

Wear orange and maroon tomorrow in support of the families and victims from Virginia Tech.

Hello Out There!!!!!!

I can't believe its been a month since I've blogged!!!

Everything is great here with us.

I'm potty training the little one...yes...potty training. We are going slow...at her pace. She's actually doing great.

My oldest is playing softball and loving it. The weather has been beautiful and she's enjoying spending time outside and having fun.

My allergies are KILLING ME. The doctor gave me Singular and Nasonex plus I tried some Claritan...to no avail. Last year Allegra worked for me so she is giving me some to see if it works again. If I can just make it to her office without my eyes closing up.

I hope you all are great. I try to visit your blogs but I only do it a couple times a month.

I'm still busy with 2 days of gymnastics, 2 days of bible study and working hard to keep a clean house and make good dinners.

I'll try to blog more often (I think I've said that before)....I miss talking to you guys regularly!

Stop in and leave a comment if you have a sec just to say hi. I'll try to do the same.

In the meantime...here are some recent pics.

The Oldest...and her new favorite shirt....

The Little One

My mom and my girls

Happy Valentine's Day

13

It had to happen sometime....

The oldest of the two Princesses has turned 13!

I couldn't ask for a better daughter. She truly is a gift! I've got it so good with my girls!

So here she is...at her party...and WHAT A PARTY IT WAS!

 

Of course...the littlest Princess had to get in on the fun too!!

Some Helpful Websites...UPDATED

I may have posted this before but I am posting it again anyway.

Before we go to any movie, I check out these sites to find out what the content is.

(1) Plugged In Magazine
(part of Focus on the Family)
This website actually reviews movies, music, books, video games, tv shows....It is a Christian website and gives it's opinion from the Christian perspective.

(2)Kids In Mind
This website is movies only (I think) and strictly gives content. (sexual content, violence, language). There is no "review" only a run-down of what the content is.

(3)Christian Spotlight on Entertainment
(part of ChristianAnswers.net)
This is also a Christian website. Readers can give their own reviews here...and they rate it negative, neutral and positive.

Cindee gave me two more I thought I'd share with you.
THANKS SO MUCH CINDEE!

(4)Dove Foundation. I used to use this website too all the time. I have no idea why I haven't been there in awhile because it's really great!

(5)Common Sense Media. I've never been to this one but I'm excited to check it out.


Sooo....there are a few resources to help you make informed decisions about the entertainment you and your family choose.

TTYL...

Mother's of daughters....check this out.

I read an article, and maybe you have too. It's about a book that is in some public school libraries and is becoming very popular among pre-teen/teenage girls.

It's called TTYL.

If you haven't heard of it, and you are a mother of girls, YOU NEED TO HEAR ABOUT IT!

Click HERE to read what one parent wrote (you have to scroll down to read the actual parent review)

And HERE is an article from a New York news station reporting on this story.

It is about 3 girls. It basically follows their IM's (instant messages). There is just about every curse word in this book. There is also GRAPHIC sexual language in this book. There is drinking (these are 15 year old girls!!!!) and these girls look at some pornography....

One article said it is geared toward 15 year olds and NOT younger girls...uh, HELLO! 15 is a younger girl and I certainly would not want my 15 year old reading this book.

I asked my daughter this morning if she had heard of it. She said yes. She saw it on the shelf at Borders and picked it up. She only got to the first page before we had to leave. She thought it looked cool, until i told her of the content. She said she was glad she did read any further...SO AM I...

Public schools have defended having this in their library...so let me get this straight...we can't pray in school, we have not religious freedom in schools...BUT we promote sex, foul language and EVEN flirting with teachers...hmmmmmmmmm.....that's just amazingly backwards to me.

A side note about this book is this. I have read articles and heard teachers (my mom-in-law and 2 of her sisters are teachers in public schools here) talk about how kids are beginning to use the same type of abbreviated writing that use for text and instant messages in their papers. This is becoming a major problem, and yet, this book is completely in text language.

PLEASE BE AWARE of what your children are reading, watching, texting, IMing, listening to, playing, and doing on the computer. NO MATTER WHAT THE POPULAR MEDIA SAYS these things all influence are children tremendously. We cannot be scared, as parents, to ask our children questions about what they are doing and what they are into and who their friends are. WE ARE NOT TO BE OUR CHILDREN'S FRIENDS, we are their parents. We shape and guide them into adulthood and if they have no accountability because we are scared they'll get mad when we say no, they will turn into adults with no accountability.

SO...another post about protecting our kids. There is no more important job in the world than being a parent. We need to take it seriously!!!

Baffled and Outraged

OK...every since the story about the 2 boys in Missouri broke, I've been completely blown away by the fact that there are people out there who think they can just come, take a child away from their home and family, for their own sick selfish reasons. I MEAN....

It just makes me SOOOOO mad!!!!! To think that these poor boys were taken and kept 60-80 miles from their homes, leaving their families scared, hurt, baffled and feeling a bit helpless to say the least.

It is so unfathomable to me that there are 3000 children EVERY DAY reported missing...WHAT! It is outrageous. The people who commit these crimes...no matter what the nature of it is...ANY crime against a child should mandate a life sentence.

Whew...can you tell I'm fired up!

And the fact that Shawn Hornbeck, who was missing for 4 1/2 years, had friends and those friends had families...and all of these people lived in the area that Shawn was abducted from, and some even noticed similarities between him and the pictures of him...but now one spoke up! NO ONE SPOKE UP...who cares if you're wrong...I mean, WHAT IF YOU'RE RIGHT? These are somebody's children.....if it was your child wouldn't you want someone to do the same?

I think everyone thinks...oh, I wouldn't recognize any of those missing kids...none of them are at my kid's school, or at church, or in line behind me at the grocery store....YOU NEVER KNOW...I certainly don't think any of Shawn's friends for the last 4 1/2 years REALLY believed it was him...BUT IT WAS HIM....

You can go to www.ncmec.org and look through pictures of missing kids in your state or any other state. It doesn't take a long time, and who knows what might come of it.

We have such a great resource in the internet. 3000 kids a day...missing...taken from their families and the safety of their homes. WE CAN ALL DO SOMETHING TO HELP....

As you might notice I've added a bunch of different banners to my blog. I've also signed up to have Amber Alerts delivered to my cell phone. We have the resources, we need to use them to save these children.

AND PROTECT YOUR OWN KIDS! It can happen to anybody. Ben Ownby was 500 feet from his home when he was abducted. THANK THE LORD that 15 year old boy, Mitchell, paid such close attention to the details of the vehicle he saw at the time. And PRAISE THE LORD for those police officers who acted on their gut instinct and rescued these boys.

SO....there is my post for the day. DO SOMETHING...be proactive....help someone find their kid...pass along the word....

If you want html for any of the banners let me know and I'll give them to you.

THANKS FOR LISTENING...This has been burning me up!

Obituary of the late Mr. Common Sense

Today we mourn the passing of a beloved old friend, Common Sense, who has been with us for many years. No one knows for sure how old he was, since his birth records were long ago lost in bureaucratic red tape.

He will be remembered as having cultivated such valuable lessons as:
Knowing when to come in out of the rain,
Why the early bird gets the worm,
Life isn't always fair,
and Maybe it was my fault.

Common Sense lived by simple, sound financial policies (don't spend more than you can earn) and reliable strategies (adults, not children, are in charge).

His health began to deteriorate rapidly when well-intentioned but over bearing regulations were set in place. Reports of a 6 -year- old boy charged with sexual harassment for kissing a classmate; teens suspended from school for using mouth wash after lunch; and a teacher fired for reprimanding an unruly student only worsened his condition.

Common Sense lost ground when parents attacked teachers for doing the job that they themselves had failed to do in disciplining their unruly children. It declined even further when schools were required to get parental consent to administer Calpol, sun lotion or a band-aid to a student; but could not inform parents when a student became pregnant and wanted to have an abortion.

Common Sense lost the will to live as the Ten Commandments became contraband; churches became businesses; and criminals received better treatment than their victims.Common Sense took a beating when you couldn't defend yourself from a burglar in your own home and the burglar could sue you for assault.

Common Sense finally gave up the will to live after a woman failed to realize that a steaming cup of coffee was hot. She spilled a little in her lap, and was promptly awarded a huge settlement.

Common Sense was preceded in death by his parents, Truth and Trust; his wife, Discretion; his daughter, Responsibility and his son, Reason.He is survived by his 3 stepbrothers; I Know My Rights, Someone Else Is To Blame, and I'm A Victim.

Not many attended his funeral because so few realized he was gone. If y o u still remember him, pass this on. If not, join the majority and do nothing.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO CARTER BOAZ!

My nephew was born 1 year ago today!

I CANNOT BELIEVE IT HAS BEEN A YEAR ALREADY!

He is such a big boy too!
So happy birthday to you Carter!!

You can read about my brother and his wife and the miracle of both of their children!

Click here to read about them.
Here are some pictures of both kids right after Carter was born.
:-)

My Favorite

Did you watch Sunday night and last night? Only the greatest action/drama on television in history! WOW! What a premier too! If you don't know what I'm talking about it's not too late to get hooked....i got my 12 (almost 13) year old hooked now too!


I'm off to my Bible Study.

Hi to you all and I hope you are all having a fantastic new year!!

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year

I know I'm a little late for wishing you Merry Christmas but I'm doing it anyway.

I hope you all had a fantastic Christmas and I hope you have a fantastic New Year.

God Bless You All!

HOLY COW

Has it been over a months since I last wrote anything?

Who would've thought I'd get out of the habit of blogging?

I STILL refuse to say I'm taking a "break" cuz I'm really not.

I just have gotten into my routine here at the house and I'm not on my computer much at all anymore except to check email and the news.

Since I last wrote I celebrated my 5 year wedding anniversary and I turned 30.
Here are me and my hubby.


I'm still working out although I took a couple weeks off because my feet were hurting so bad. I have extremely HIGH arches and my shoes were not supporting them very well. I got these.... and I wore them for the first time last night and they were awesome....i'm very excited.

My oldest is doing amazing in school. As of today she has 3 A's, 2 B+'s and 1 B. She's been doing cheerleading and she's been very involved in her church youth group. I can't believe she's halfway through 7th grade....she's growing up SOOO fast...she' 5'6 1/2 which makes her 2 1/2 inches taller than me....it's crazy! We had to get her new pants because she's grown over an inch since school started and all her pants are too short!!!


The little one is nuttier than ever. She talks in sentences and says the FUNNIEST things, and she KNOWS she's funny. She can say her ABC's and she can count to 20 only missing "15" occasionally....She can sing just about any song on earth, 'Twinkle Twinkle Little Star', 'Silent Night', 'Itsy Bitsy Spider'....She's over 3 feet tall and weighs about 35 lbs. She's in 5T tops and 4T pants....size 6 diapers....and she's not potty trained yet. I better get going because 6 is the biggest diaper....She love Dora, Diego, Elmo, CAILLOU...she loves Caillou. She's still doing gymnastics and she's doing so good. She can do her forward roll ANYWHERE, including my mother-in-law's tile kitchen floor and her hardwood floor....She knows her colors and shapes and she suprises me EVERY SINGLE DAY with something else she knows. She's sleeping pretty good too.


Here are the girls...


And although this one is fuzzy...here are me and the girls.


My husband is still doing wonderful. He's still the best husband ever.

I'm excited for Christmas...I always am. This year my oldest brother will be here for a week and my neice will be here for 3 days.

So...there's an update....Sorry it's been so long. I think about all of you guys all the time. I'll try to write more often.

:-)
Stephanie

Ramblings of a crazy woman....

So I just wanted to say hi.

I'm going to the gym about 4 times a week...taking Cardio Boxing and Cardio Dance and doing the stairs or treadmill....It's been 2 weeks...i lost between 5 and 7 pounds...i'm pretty happy about that.

My husband took me to GNC and got me this and this...plus I'm taking extra calcium and fish oil every day...

WOW...I can totally feel a difference in my moods and my energy levels...

I've actually been pretty consistent...for a week...:-)

Remind me to share with you about my terrible months of July to about the end of October...and why they were so terrible....Praise the Lord that it is all over...for now I will tell you this...if you are considering the Depo shot...make sure you research it and if you begin getting it...pay attention to any changes in mood that you may begin to feel. It can affect some people (like me) in a TERRIBLE TERRIBLE WAY....I had no idea how bad it had gotten until the last 2 weeks...after my last shot totally wore off. It's only been the last 2 weeks that I've felt back to normal...I'm not knocking the shot because it's awesome and fine for some...but for many I've read about and talked to it can be a nightmare....

LET ME JUST SAY I HAVE THE GREATEST HUSBAND ON EARTH WHO WALKED ME THROUGH THIS HARD TIME HOLDING MY HAND THE ENTIRE WAY AND WAS SO UNDERSTANDING AND PATIENT WHEN HE COULD'VE JUSTIFIABLY GOTTEN VERY HURT AND ANGRY BY SOME OF THE THINGS I DID/SAID.....HE REALLY IS AMAZING!!!!

ANYWAY...I'll tell you more later...no time to go on now...gotta clean and get to GYMNASTICS with my wild child!

:-)

New Marriage Book Recommendation

Love and Respect.

This past Saturday the Women's Ministry at my church did a sort of study/presentation of the woman's side of this book...it was awesome.

I haven't read the book but I know a lot of what is in there. I'm gonna get it and read it and I'll let you know how it goes.

:-)

Want a good laugh?

Check out the Friday Funnies over at Girl Talk.

Reality

I saw this on Dionna's blog.

This is why using magazines, billboards and movie stars is an unrealistic measuring stick to measure our own beauty by....I just LOVE what Dove is doing...

6 Years ago Today....

It was a Sunday...

It was my husband and my first date....

we had only talked a few times but I decided to go out with him on a date.

What started out as breakfast and and art museum turned into Breakfast, Lunch, Dinner....art museum, basketball at the YMCA, walking around the mall, and going to a movie....we were together 13 hours on our first date....and we've been together every since that day....

1 year, 1 month and 9 days later we were married.

Wow....

I love you baby! You are the greatest husband ever!!!

My New Video

Can you guys see the video on the right?

It's one of my ALL TIME favorite songs and another one I've adopted as a theme song for me.

BUT I CAN'T SEE IT!

I see the box but nothing is playing.

On my oldest's computer I can see it....but not on mine.

WHY OH WHY?

I've narrowed it down to my internet settings.

I've turned off my firewall and virus protection and nothing changed so it has to be my internet settings. I've fiddled with those too but it hasn't worked.

ANY SUGGESTIONS?

ANYWAY!

I have a lot to do today.

My house is pretty clean but I have some detail stuff to do that would make me so happy if I got it finished.....so why am I sitting here typing? Because I'm doing what I do best...PROCRASTINATING!

So off I go....to clean up....and stuff.....here I go.....

:-)

Legacy Lyrics

(Nichole Nordeman)

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me

And I enjoy an accolade like the rest

And you can take my picture and hang it in a gallery

Of all the Who's Who's and So-and-So's

That used to be the best at such and such

It wouldn't matter much

I won't lie, it feels alright to see your name in lights

We all need an "Atta boy" or "Atta girl"

But in the end I'd like to hang my hat on more besides

The temporary trappings of this world

I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy

I don't have to look too far or too long awhile

To make a lengthy list of all that I enjoy

It's an accumulating trinket and a treasure pile

Where moth and rust, thieves and such will soon enough destroy

I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy

Not well-traveled, not well-read

Not well-to-do, or well-bred

Just want to hear instead

Well done, good and faithful one

I want to leave a legacy

How will they remember me?

Did I choose to love?

Did I point to You enough

To make a mark on things

I want to leave an offering

A child of mercy and grace

Who blessed Your name unapologetically

And leave that kind of legacy

I don't mind if you've got something nice to say about me