A day to hold my girls tight!!

I'm laying across the bed typing and listening to the sweetest sounds ever, my girls and their friends squealing, laughing and playing the piano without a care in the world. Music to my ears.

 

Today has been a day of tragedy. A crazy man walked into an elementary school today in Connecticut and killed many people, even children. I can't get it off my mind. If we had cable, I'd be glued to the TV right now. Its so devastating and what is breaking my heart is the phone calls that must have been made to the parents. What could anyone have said to these parents to let them know of the most horrible thing in the world?

Today is a day I'm very thankful to be a homeschool mom. I just held my girls all afternoon. We did math and reading on the bed cuddled up.

There was also news today of shootings in Gadsden and Homewood. I think we'll just stay in tonight and hold each other close.

My new place to shop that makes me happy!

I have never been a shopper. Most women love to shop but I seriously don't. I'm in the retail business so I think I'm supposed to like to shop but I don't. Especially for groceries. One of my favorite things about having our summer garden is that I won't have to go to the grocery store much.



Until, I discovered a gorgeous place called

Oh my goodness gracious!!!!! I LOVE me some Aldi!!!

We now have an Aldi in town. Well, we have for awhile but I have just started visiting in the past few months. It is fantastic. I look forward to going to this store every month. Their prices are so low, you can buy double!! My favorite part is the milk-- super cheap and the fruit. Ok, I love the cream cheese and the crescent rolls for $.99 too!

It's fun to grab my little quarter and get a buggy (we call them buggies here in Alabama). I time myself on how long it takes to get my whole shopping done. I can be in and out in less than 30 minutes with ALL of my freezer shopping club groceries and family groceries. Crazy!!!! So cute, so small!! I feel like I'm cruising through a little market.

Just a couple of tips for you though that want to try out my new shopping paradise--

1. You need cash or a debit card! (left an entire buggy our first time and had to run to the bank). This place is serious business about saving money and they do NOT take a check or credit card.

2. Bring your own bags. They don't waste money on bags to bag your groceries. I used to try to wing it but after a man giggled at me for opening my door and 10 cans rolling across the parking lot and I nearly got hit by a car chasing after them, I started bringing my own little bags to bag everything in. I got these little beauties at Hobby Lobby. Just unzip and you've got a big ole bag! I think they are cute zipped up and I leave them in my purse;). Anytime I need a bag-- POOF!! I have one!

3. Ok, there is this unspoken rule that is called one-way traffic at Aldi. It flows a certain way and is like swimming upstream to go against it. Get what you need when you are on that aisle. This is serious! You may or may not be able to turn around and find your treasure. Just go slow and find it when you hit the aisle.

4. Last thing, when you hit the check out lane, be ready to throw those babies up on the conveyor belt because that woman is quick with her scanning and doesn't want to wait on you at all. Get the whole family involved. She's probably quicker than you and your whole family so huddle up and try to beat her to it. It's kind of like a game.

Even my girls like Aldi! It's fun and when you think your bill will be $150 plus, you probably will only spend $70. How about that?

Oh, take that buggy back and you could to keep your quarter! Yeehaw!!

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12.12.12

I woke up yesterday morning feeling pretty froggy! I knew I wanted the day to be different. I had been sick for about a week. It was a special day.

It was 12.12.12!!!

December 12,2012!

We had to have a party so I jumped on the phone (a tad early) and called some friends up and planned a quick day of fun! My girls were thrilled because it only meant a half of day of school for them.

After a quick trip to Dollar General, Mabrey wiping down the sinks and Ensley sweeping the kitchen, we were ready.

Well, not really but if I waited until everything was perfectly clean at my house to have company, we'd never see anybody;)

It was time!!! We were having company and I didn't even have to cook lunch. Do-it-yourself pizzas is a great easy lunch for lots of youngins!!

 

The next activity was much more involved but oh so fun!!!

This was kinda what we were going for...

 

(not sure about the chair!)

Sugar high is coming. I can just tell!!

 

Not exactly like the model picture but oh so much better. I love when we can let our hair down, close the school books and just be creative!

We even had a shepherd and donkey!!

Fun day to celebrate 12.12.12!!!

I decided to have a little FB sale celebrating the day too and several ladies got some fabulous deals!!

 

Why not celebrate a day we'll never see again?

Wonderful day even though I relapsed and spent the remainder of the day in the bed.

So worth it!!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

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Special Christmas Breakfast Braid

Many of you know how much I LOVE my freezer groups. They prove over and over week after week to bless our family so so much. With me working at nights, I'm not sure how I ever did make it without my freezer friends!  

Our last time to cook, my family made our special Christmas Breakfast Braid to share with everyone!   It's OK to eat it other times of the year, we just always eat it for Christmas.;) I thought they turned out beautiful!!

I'd love to say we got these done 2 weeks before they were due but it would be more accurate to say we barely got them done at all. They were still soft when we delivered them but we did get them done and got to our meeting place on time!!!;) 

(barely)

Mabrey was such a blessing to scramble 6 dozen eggs and not a single shell made it into those pans!!!;)

Ensley was a master at pressing the seams together on the crescent rolls!  I got a little tired of this after the first 8 so she jumped in and was so much better than me at it!

They were really coming together!  Our house smelled delicious!

Ham, then eggs, then cheese!!! We had just enough of everything!

Using scissors to cut the sides. (Like my super cute robe?)

This is just too much fun for me!! I love braiding hair, bread, ribbon, and really anything!!

Trying to get smart and use labels instead of writing with my yucky handwriting!  Turned out cute;)!

Finished product!  

We had one this morning and it turned out perfectly. Just completely defrost first and cook at 350 until not gooey-- around 30-40 minutes. Slice and enjoy!!!

I can't wait till next month when we meet again!

Random Acts of Kindness

I grew up where my mom was always doing something really nice for people. Sometimes she would even do it secretly. She is nearly sixty and is still doing little things for people all the time. I call these things Random Acts of Kindness. 

These could be anything from paying for the car's food behind you in the drive thru line and passing them a card from the cashier or taking some cookies to someone and maybe spending time doing some yardwork for an elderly widow at church.  

There are so many things that we could choose from and it brings pure JOY!!! 

Scott and I are challenging our Sunday School class to do RAOK (Random Acts of Kindness) this week.  As you do them, please send us an email, comment on this blog post or text by Saturday night at midnight. Each RAOK will gain you a ticket and we'll draw out a ticket next Sunday morning (for a gift certificate to go out to eat. 

(You DO have to be present to win!)

This is a Pay It Forward Challenge!

You could literally change a life this week by thinking of others. Be ready to share Sunday morning in Sunday School!

Click HERE for some different ideas for RAOK.  

Also, HERE for some really cute and fun ideas!!!

Here's a great video to check out for inspiration!  

I can't wait to see what you decide to do!!!

Freezer Queens

I am involved with one of the most coolest things ever (to me);)!

I am a part of two Freezer Mom Groups. If this is foreign to you, I'll explain. This is where Mommas choose a recipe and make a whole bunch of them and get together to swap. It saves on money, time, headache and it is really just plain ole fun!

My sweet friend Karen was going to teach me how to do this and then I would start my own group but I loved her group so much, I just decided to stay and be a part of two different groups!  Now, I get 32 meals a month!!! 

The group I began is called Freezer Queens. Isn't that a snazzy name?  My buddy Mandy Brittain came up with it!  I think it fits us just fine!

This is our logo and I think it's fantastic!!

What we really do is submit two freezer recipes to our leader and she sends them out to the group for voting. It's fun and more exciting than voting on Who's Who in high school. I literally have the giggles and chills when we are doing this. I can't wait to see what my family will be eating for the next month. 

This month, it was voted from both groups that I would make Chicken Pot Pie. 

Yummy in my Tummy!!!

I decided to get busy early so I wouldn't have to do all the work at the end. 

I put all my chicken in the crockpot to cook and it helped so much!  I could make 3 pot pies with ever package of chicken thighs. You see I have two crockpots going at once. I didn't have to watch the chicken at all.  I just had to throw it in there!  You like my crockpot liners?  No clean up for Sunny!  That makes me smile!!

This is what I did next after deboning my chicken--- very very difficult stuff so pay very close attention! I mixed the chicken with a can of cream of chicken and a can of mixed veggies and half a stick of melted butter. I said it was tough and I really meant it;)

I'm so in love with these roll out pie shells that come two to a pack. It makes me feel more like its homemade. Not sure why because I didn't make them. I just rolled them out!!

I put the other pie crust on top and squished the edges together!  Not difficult at all, but I'm not sure how to make them look really pretty. 

Just picture 32 of these beauties!!! I just wrap in foil and place in a freezer bag!  We label with our name, their name, date and directions with a sharpie. It's important to label before you put hot or cold food in the bag. 

After the big swap up, my freezer sure was happy. Now I just have to find a way to organize it so I can find these yummy meals!!!

This has been such a delight for us just to run downstairs to the freezer and grab a meal to throw in the oven or crockpot. I'm so excited and thankful for my freezer friends!!!

So Embarrassing!!!

I have a terrible terrible way of misinterpreting what others say and tend to stick my foot in my mouth and just embarrass myself so badly!!

I'll never forget the dirty joke I told at a family reunion as a teenager. I didn't even know what it meant. Ugh!!! I won't be telling it on here or it might embarrass you too. ;)



The story I have on my mind tonight though took place in The Dollar Tree. (it seems so many of my stories take place at some dollar store;). I wasn't having the best day but was shopping for goodies for my jewelry show. I was in the toy aisle looking for clappers for my show when a lady came down the aisle looking my way. She smiled and said, "Oh my goodness! You look SO CUTE!!!!". It just made my day. I immediately responded with nearly a high pitched squeal "Oh thank you so much! I don't feel very cute. I appreciate that so much and really needed that today!"

Silence.


She just stated at me without smiling.

At that time, I realize that her little girl is behind me putting on some of the little dress up clothes and a princess crown.

Oh no!!!! Oh no! Oh no! OH NO!!!

She wasn't talking to me!!! She was talking to her little girl!!!!!! Ahhhhhhhhh!!!!!

I walked away quickly as she started to giggle! I wanted to just crawl on a hole right then right there!!!! I had to get out of the Dollar Tree right then but I still had a few things to get and I had to check out!

Never have I hid my face so much as I did then as I would see her out of the corner of my eye! Lol!!!!

We all have these stories. It just seems like I have more than most. Please share your embarrassing moments!