Almost December!

Ok...so I did not follow through with my intended daily postings of what I am thankful for. Five kids and a husband (just an overgrown kid) have a tendency to alter your plans! So, I am going to take this opportunity on this last day of November to highlight a few things that I am most Thankful for. These are in no certain order...God has blessed me greatly.

I am Thankful to be a mother to these 5 kids. God blessed me so much with Tamon, Chance, Aubrie, Dayne, and Skye. I sometimes feel overwhelmed with grattitude that He chose me to raise these great...wonderful...precious children that make my life complete. They are worth all of the sacrifices that I make on a daily basis...just to ensure their happiness. Without them, the laughter would not be as abundant in our home.


I am thankful to be married into a family that I love just as dearly as I love my own. My Sisters~In~Law are my best friends, and my "Mother in Love" is very dear to my heart. She has taught me many things over the years...I was only a mere 15 years old when I came storming into her life with all the wild wills of a teenage girl. She has shown me love and understanding when I needed it, and scolded me when I needed that, too! God blessed me with the kind of "Mother in Love" that I want to be.


I am thankful for my Mom. She is my Best friend. She is my supporter, my sounding post, my advise giver, my baby sitter. She is my Mom. She is the grandmother that I always wanted her to be to my children. She has patience and kindness and lots of junk in the house for them when they come over!

I am Thankful for This Man:

Joe is my ROCK. He has been by my side for almost 18 years of my life and, God willing... he will be by my side for many many more. I am thankful that he is a loving and supportive husband. I am thankful that he is a wonderful father to his children, and I am truly thankful that God gave us to each other. I would be incomplete without him. He makes me laugh, cry, sing and dance, giggle, play, work, and encourages me to do the best that I can in EVERYTHING that I do. I could not have chosen a better man to be the Daddy to my children...and to spend the rest of my life with.

I am also thankful for my sisters and brothers, my Dad, my home, my health...and all of those other typical things. God has blessed me more than any one person probably deserves...but I am not complaining! I welcome His blessings...and I am truly Thankful for them Each and EVERY ONE.

November {SAS}sy Reveal!

I just loved working with the kit from Scrap Attack this month! It is so packed with deliciousness to help you complete layouts with MANY different themes and focuses in mind! Check out what I did!!!!

Today, I am Thankful for.....

Jenn over at SD4U has inspired me to start this blog series. From now through Thanksgiving, I will post a daily spot about what I am thankful for and why. Too often, we got through our daily lives taking so much for granted. This is the season for thankfulness and remembering what is most important in our lives, and it is HE who is to thank and be grateful to.

So...today, I am thankful for forgiveness. The last 2 years have been very hard for me raising my nephew...and I had very bad hateful feeling towards my sister for her lack of interest in her own child. Long story short, I hated her. I hated her for what she did...I hated her for what she was doing, and I most especially hated her for what she was NOT doing.

I do not condone my children hating anyone or expressing the word "HATE" in regards to any person...because quite honestly, it is a very strong word that carries deep feeling and meaning. I did not like feeling that inside myself. Through much prayer and guidance, I was able to bury the feeling just to be able to deal with her on a civil level...but it never really went away. Two years down the road...she is finally becoming a mother again and taking care of and interest in her own children. I am able to be AUNT again, rather than Mom to her children.

Today, I was able to talk to my sister and plan a Thanksgiving meal and menu, and laugh, and enjoy the conversation. Today, I realized that I had finally forgiven her. Today, I am thankful to the Lord for the power of forgiveness.

Jack~O~Lantern....

Well, I know it is the 15th of November and Thanksgiving should "be on my plate" right now, but I just wanted to share these photos from our Pumpkin on Halloween before it gets too late to even matter. The girls carved the pumpkin with Joe's help, the boys gutted the pumpkin, and Joe cooked the pumpkin...so it was a family ordeal...all the while, I was taking photos of everything!
Well...these 2 photos are my favorites of all of them. This is Chance and Aubrie playing in the bathroom with the pumpkin. It was still daylight outside, so they took the pumpkin in there to get the glow...boy was it cool! I had to grab my camera and get a few shots. Check it out!





I have been working on SSU projects for Scrap Attack and on my DT reveal...they are all going to be fantastic! SSU Kicked off today so go check it out! If you are unsure of what it is, I will tell you. SSU is a free online series of "classes" or "Tutorials" to help you with ideas and completing projects. The Holiday SSU started today and it will have 11 Christmas related altered projects ...complete with pictures and instructions on how you can do it at home. This is the one place that you can go and get this many ideas and tutorials for free...AND you will have live online help if needed!! At the kick off of every class, one of the DT members or Lauri will be online to assist and answer any questions that you may have. Come on over and check it out! You won't want to miss any of these fabulous classes!

November {SAS}sy Kits!!!

Lauri over at Scrap Attack Scrapbooking has out done herself this month!! She has not one...not two...but THREE FABULOUS kits for your pleasure this month! These kits are awesome and LOADED with unique embellishments and even a little Prima lusciousness! I have the pleasure of working with the kit on the bottom. OMGoodness! I am have had so much fun creating with this kit! It has a little bit of something for EVERYONE...no joke. You will just have to wait and see for yourself...but I promise...you WILL want to get one of these amazing kits for yourself before they are all gone!

Monday~Monday

wow...what a weekend! I spent most of it in the shop making cakes...but I did get some DT work done...I can't wait for the reveal!

TODAY IS CHANCE'S 11th BIRTHDAY!!! And I am going to go to school and have lunch with him. He requested a chili dog from Sonic with a Dr. Pepper. He is such a good kid...so easy to please! His Birthday dinner consisted of Joe B~B~Qing a brisket and ribs...which was not a stretch for Joe to do! I made some baked beans and macaroni and baked potatoes for him to go with it...and he ate ALL DAY LONG!!!! He was in "Birthday Dinner Heaven"~~Chance is such a laid back boy! I love him! Happy Birthday Chancey Wancy Fancy Pants!!! (that is what I call him to pick on him)

I will post a photo of his birthday lunch later when I get home. Have a great week everyone!!

TGIF!!!

Today is Friday, and it has been over a week since I have blogged! BAD ME!!! I have been busy with kids and creations and just life in general.
Tamon had his final 7th grade football game on Tuesday, and if you can imagine a crazy lady screaming to the top of her lungs in the stands...that was me. Not only did his team make an interception and run SEVENTY FIVE yards for a touch down, but they also gained possesion of the ball at the ONE yard line and the QB ran the ball NINETY NINE yards for a touch down! Whew...what a way to end the season!

The Crop over at SD4U was a huge success...and the winners should all be announced soon...I can't wait to see who they are! There were a few who completed 9 or 10 challenges...that is AWESOME!

I have some crafty projects in the works, but no photos to share...so this will have to suffice for now....It is Aubrie getting her hair and nails done at "Glitz and Glam"...she thinks she is a princess!