...and 3 makes 5

Months

2012-01-06T14:13:00.000-06:00

Yes, its been MONTHS since I last updated this blog. I'm just so busy. I attended a baby shower for one of my best friends that I have known since we were little girls last month, and she told me that she loved my blog and wished I updated it more. I felt bad. Blogging is one way family and friends who live far can check in on my family and see what we have been up to. I'm sure I have said this before, but I mean it this time...I'm going to stop slacking and write more often. I can't promise a new post everyday or even every other day, but at least once a week. So, let me get started. This is going to have a ton of pictures, and I will try to make it short and sweet! A lot has happened since last time I updated. The girls finished their first semester of school (not sure if its called "semester" in elementary school, but it sounds good) and they absolutely LOVE school this year. Delilah joined the fine arts club, and has really enjoyed it. She also played softball this fall, and their team did so awesome! Trinity was less thrilled about her game and snoozed on the equipment bag.

Delilah is no longer competing in gymnastics. She has moved on to All Star Cheerleading. Something I've been avoiding since she was 3. She is "trying" it out and finishing out the competition season which means she has a lot of choreography to learn in a short amount of time before Nationals (which from what I hear is a big deal).

Celeste is awesome like aways! We made a trip to the eye doctor not too long ago, and she was in need of glasses. Astigmatism in both eyes and her vision in each eye is different. Thanks to my husband who noticed she couldn't see well, Celeste looks cuter than ever with her new glasses.

Trinity is such a big girl. She no longer looks like a baby. She reminds everyone that she will be 4 soon. I can't believe 4! She had a little accident before Thanksgiving. Delilah and Trinity were playing on the sofa and she fell off the arm of the sofa and landed right on her elbow. After a trip to the doctor and a few x-rays it was confirmed that she broke her elbow. She handled it well, and picked out a hot pink cast!

Thanksgiving was great. We spent the day with family and ate some great food. The weather was warm so the kids played all day with cousins.

After Thanksgiving we packed our bags boarded a plane and headed to...

Breckenridge Colorado! Oh my I can't even tell you how COLD it was there. You have to remember where we live in Texas it stays in the 70s during the winter. So, in the mountains where we stayed it was 2 degrees. Major change!

We had so much fun the week we were there. Some of the things we did were a gondola ride up the mountain.

A roller coaster ride on the mountain through trees

We saw the play "A Christmas Story" at a little theater in town.

We went tubing down a big hill

We took a long drive, and visited the cutest little towns on the edge of mountains.

Took ski classes and then tried it on our own

Went dog sledding

Had a visitor at our balcony every morning

and just enjoyed time to relax

Colorado was fun, but I sure was glad to be back in warm Texas!! Christmas came way to fast.

We enjoyed a nice quiet Christmas Eve at my Mom's. The girls had fun opening gifts.

and we all had fun playing games!

I hope everyone had a wonderful Christmas and great start to the New Year!

School and Schedules

2011-09-05T09:52:00.000-05:00

Well its official...school has started and we must get back on a decent schedule! Summer was so much fun. We swam practically everyday and when we weren't swimming we were doing something fun. Every year I am so ready for school to start, but this year we were bummed it was ending. The girls gymnastics competition season has already started, and they had their first official meet.

The pictures are not the best. I get nervous at their meets, and I try to take quick pictures so they don't see me and get distracted. Celeste always has a smile on her face. She smiles through her entire routines even when she runs to vault. At least I know she is having fun!

Celeste's team won 1st place. They all did so awesome for their first meet!

The girls started school on the 22nd. Celeste is now in Kinder and started a new school this year. She was probably the most excited. She even ate breakfast with her backpack on that morning. She got a really sweet teacher, and I know Celeste will have a great year. I ate lunch a few times with her already, and she introduced me to all her new friends. Delilah started 3rd grade, and was not at all thrilled with picture taking in the morning, but she will have to deal with it because I will take her picture until she is in college. Delilah also went to a new school this year. In our small town each school only has 3 grades in it, so they move every three years to a new school. She was excited mostly about Science class this year. She told me all about the new science lab her school has, and how she gets to make volcanoes later in the year!

My sweet little Trinity is now in the 3 year old class at school. She is still at the same Christian school that she went to last year. She is going 3 days a week for a few hours. She absolutely loves to go to school. She ran into her room and didn't look back. When I picked her up she told me about all her new friends, and all the fun they had on the playground. I loved being with my girls every single day of the summer, but I have to say I love a little bit of Mommy time when they are at school. Its amazing how much more I can get done in just a few short hours. So we are off to a good start, and I know its going to be a great year!

Ballerina Bumble Bee

2011-05-31T14:28:00.000-05:00

Since December Trinity has been taking ballet lessons. It's actually not lessons, but more of a fun dance class without the importance of technique. The name of the dance school is Tippi Toes, and they were actually on the ABC show Shark Tank. They impressed the "sharks" and now their business has grown throughout the nation. It really is a great dance class for little girls who just want to have fun. With the end of the school year also came the end of ballet, and Trinity had her first recital.

She was so cute during the recital, she did so well. I thought she was going to cry on stage, but she did her dance with a smile!

They danced to three cute "bumble bee" songs. The auditorium was so packed out that I had to stand way in the back. My pictures didn't turn out like I wanted, but she still looks so cute!

Her group was the first to go. The teachers stood in isles of the auditorium so the girls could watch them do the dance moves. When she was finished we all gave her flowers and told her what an awesome job she did. She was so excited and proud.

Lilah and Celeste are ALWAYS getting trophies and medals for all the sports they do, so it was nice to see Trinity rewarded on that day. She was soaking up all the attention!

Great job Trinity! Your were the most beautiful ballerina bumblebee!

Memorial Day

2011-05-30T13:04:00.002-05:00

My stepfather is a Vietnam veteran.

His stories of heroism are unbelievable.

He has 2 purple hearts and a silver star.

His bravery lasted a lifetime.

His love for the USA was never failing.

He had bullet fragments in his chest.

He had permanent hearing loss.

He did it for our country.

Thank you for all you did for our freedom.

I wish he was still here so I can tell him myself.

So on this Memorial Day...

Thank you to ALL who have sacrificed time from your family or ultimately your life for our freedom.

You.Are.The.REAL.Heroes.

Splash Day!

2011-05-27T09:44:00.000-05:00

On Tuesday Trinity's class at school had their splash day! She woke up so excited to go to school. She picked out her bumble bee swim suit, and was ready to go out the door! She LOVES the water. It doesn't matter if it's a pool, water hose, or bathtub she loves it all.

Isn't this swim suit so cute? I love the back of it.

Trinity ran around for about 30 minutes going from pool to pool and down the big water slide they had. It was about 95 degrees that day, or it at least felt like it, so I know it was refreshing to play in some water.

After the kids played outside they were treated with a pizza party! What else does she love other than swimming? PIZZA! She ate so much for such a teeny girl.

The next day on Wednesday was Celeste's class splash day. She was equally excited to go to school that morning.

She played in the pools, and the big water beach ball. I think this ball is so neat I just might have to get one for our house.

Celeste decided that after about 20 minutes she was finished. She said there was too much grass on her and too many kids in the pool! She sat out and waited for her pizza party.

She looks REAL excited in this picture! Finally the pizza arrived and they had a picnic outside and ate.

Trinity doesn't go to school on Wednesdays so she got to enjoy pizza and Popsicles again with her sister. The wind was so crazy that day. Can't you tell by her hair?

As of yesterday these two are officially finished with preschool and ready for SUMMER! Whew! It went fast, but I am ready to enjoy a relaxing summer with my girls!

Preschool Graduation

2011-05-24T18:43:00.000-05:00

Celeste and Trinity both had their end of year school program. They usually have two a school year, and they are always emotional for me. I held back tears, but inside I was just overjoyed at how blessed I am to have my girls, and to see them growing up so fast. It seems like it was yesterday we were here watching the Christmas program. I know everyone always says time flies, but it really does. This year flew by so quickly, and I can't believe it's summer already. The theme this program was an ocean, so I thought this sweet fishy smocked dress would be perfect! Trinity did so good! I thought for sure she would get on stage and start asking for me. She sang her songs and looked so cute!

Celeste also did great! She is so fun to watch and has so much energy and personality when she sings!

She was standing way in the back, so it was a little hard to get good pictures. This was the last preschool program for Celeste. She is now going to be a Kindergartner. Such a BIG girl! After all the children were finished singing they started the "graduation" for the pre-k kids. Celeste had the sweetest and biggest smile on her face when they called her name.

Her teacher is the BEST! She was awesome with the children, and taught them so much. Some things Celeste learned this school year was all the bones in the body, all the states from the west coast to the east coast, all the planets, addition and subtraction, fractions, and most importantly she learned to read! I think she will be very prepared for Kindergarten! Celeste loves school, and already talks about missing her school. I think it is great that she loves to learn!

Celeste and Trinity, I am SO proud of you and feel so blessed to be your Mommy! You are both so special! I love you so much!

Catching Up

2011-05-14T15:30:00.000-05:00

Saying it's been a while since I last wrote is kind of an understatement. It has been way to long. There is no real important reason just the fact that we have been beyond busy. We have literally been non stop for 2 months. Barely time to breathe not much time to sit and write. School and sports are finally coming to an end for this season. I can't wait for summer to officially begin. It certainly feels like summer here in south Texas. It's been in the upper 90s for about a month now.

After Al passed I helped my mom for about a month. She sold her house without it ever being on the market. A friend of a friend was looking in the area for a home her size and looked at it one day, and bought it the next. A huge blessing. I bet I know who was doing the negotiating up in heaven! She didn't plan on selling right away, but just couldn't pass on the offer. She moved to her "second home" which is a beautiful condo on the ocean. She is adjusting and trying to fit all of her "stuff" into 3,000 sq ft of LESS space than she had before. With the help of my hubby she now has some beautiful built-ins that will accommodate all the important things like shoes and handbags. You can read about her journey here.

Delilah just finished up her softball season, and did great. We had such a great season! She also received an award from the local Water and Soil Conservation District for winning 1st place for their poster contest.

She was so excited, and even more excited about her cash prize she received. Lilah is still in gymnastics and is training to compete in level 4 this year! She is almost finished with 2nd grade and almost 8! I just don't know where time goes.

Celeste turned the big 5! We had her party at the gym where they go to gymnastics. All this kids had such a great time, and I loved it because I didn't have to keep the kids entertained!

Celeste is almost finished with her first year of t-ball. She just loved playing and at this age, its so fun to watch the kids play!

Celeste is also still in gymnastics and she will be competing in level 3 this season! She is almost finished with pre-k and she is beyond excited about Kindergarten in the fall. I know she will do great and have so much fun!

Trinity also had a birthday. She is now 3! We were in Houston visiting family on her birthday, so my aunt made her a cake which she just loved!

She looks like such a big girl now! I'm not sure what happened to her baby face. Trinity is almost finished with ballet, and will have her recital next weekend. She has informed me that she does NOT want to do ballet again! I thought she liked it, but I guess not. Her favorite thing to do is play with her baby dolls. All 25 of them!

While in Houston we went to the Astros/Padres game. We have a friend who is a pitcher for the Padres and we got to watch him pitch. The girls also loved it because of all the treats they get at a baseball game!

We also took the girls to the Children's Museum which was so much fun!

Easter was also great. We had a wonderful church service, and a delicious lunch at church. My husband took this picture of me and the girls before church. I think its now my new favorite!

Have a lovely weekend everyone!

Streets of Gold

2011-02-25T16:58:00.001-06:00

This morning my sweet step-father went home to be with Jesus. He battled cancer for 4 short months. He is such a wonderful man of God. He guided us, prayed with us, and lead us all to the Lord. My life would not be what it is today without him. The Lord used him to impact all our lives. His healing didn't come in this life, but in the moment he went to heaven he was healed! All day I have been thinking about Heaven. How wonderful it must be. I can imagine him walking hand in hand with our Saviour Jesus Christ down the streets of gold. I am heartbroken because I miss him tremendously, but I am also rejoicing that one day I will get to see him again healed, happy and walking again. I want to thank everyone for your prayers.

Metroplex Gymnastics Meet

2011-02-02T17:38:00.000-06:00

Last weekend we headed out to Fort Worth because the girls had a gymnastics meet. It was their last meet of this season, and they we so excited to compete again. This meet was different than all the others we went to this season because all levels of gymnastics were there to compete. They had competitions all day the entire weekend. On the first morning we watched the elite girls in the main arena. They were so awesome, and some will be at the Olympic trials next year!

Lilah and Celeste competed at 5 pm on Saturday...late nap time for little sister. She missed it all.

They did the best at this meet than any other this season. Celeste improved so much from her last competition.

Lilah also did great!

Three members of their team weren't able to make it to the meet, but the girls still won 2nd place in their level! Celeste was so proud to hold the trophy! It was almost as tall as her!

When the girls finished their competition the college gymnastics meet was starting in the arena, so we hurried over there to watch! Alabama, Missouri, LSU, and Nebraska were the teams competing! It was so awesome watching these girls. They were amazing!

Alabama won! They did so good, and the girls loved watching them. We headed out early the next morning, and as we were checking out the Pittsburgh Steelers were checking in the hotel we stayed at. I don't care much about football unless it's the Cowboys, but my husband thought it was neat that the Steelers were there.

On another subject we (very very very south Texans) are expected to get 1-3 inches of snow tomorrow! Yes I said SNOW!! It NEVER snows here. In fact it never even reaches freezing temperatures here. I know, some of you who live where you see feet of snow every year are probably rolling your eyes and laughing at the fact that we are so excited about 1 inch! But hey, I will take anything considering we won't see snow again for another 25 years! The schools already shut down for the rest of the week, and we have been inside all day because it has been in the 20s. That's really really really cold to us! Hopefully my next post will have pictures of snow!!

Simple Pictures

2011-01-25T18:35:00.000-06:00

I snapped a few photos throughout my day of simple things that made me smile!

Trinity's long forgotten ice cream cone.

Baby girl holding her puppy.

Cheetos in tiny fingers.

A stack of new patterns.

Matilda Jane on my doorstep.

A pile of hand-me-downs for a little girl.

A new verse for the girls to memorize. More on that tomorrow!

Our New (old) Home

2011-01-15T11:57:00.001-06:00

Since the spring of 2009 I have had my eye on this beautiful home for sale on the main street of the town we live in. I LOVE old homes, and have always wanted to buy one to restore or remodel. It sits on 3 lots and has large oak trees in the front lining the street and a HUGE one in the backyard. We had been in the market for a home for a while. I called my mom, who happens to be our real estate agent, and set up an appointment to see the house. We looked at MANY other houses during this time, and nothing seemed to be a fit for our family. The moment we walked into this house we all looked at each other and just knew this was it! We didn't even see the rest of the house before we started talking about how this was our house we had been looking for. The house needs MAJOR remodeling, but we knew what we could do with it IF we bought it at the right price.

We made an offer, they didn't accept it. I was crushed. We made another offer...they turned it down also. My mom called me told me to wait a few months and see what happens. She said, "I bet you will get it super cheap if it goes into foreclosure." I told her "yeah sure" sarcastically. I prayed about the situation, and just said, "Lord if this house is meant to be ours I know you will make a way." A few months passed and every time I drove by the house I was happy there was still a "for sale" sign out front. Eventually the house went into foreclosure, like my mom said, and we looked at it again. We made another offer...they turned down it again! By this time I have to say I gave up. We started looking for land to build on.

This past November we noticed that they lowered the price of the house again. We offered again...didn't accept, but we kept counter offering until we finally got close. The bank said they would respond to our final offer after Thanksgiving. That Monday morning we got a call that they accepted our offer! What? I was shocked! I will tell you why...we offered less than half of the original price. We bought this house for $22 a square foot! That is cheap! The Lord has his hand on the situation the whole time. We totally feel blessed and a bit shocked at the outcome of the house. We are now starting to remodel the entire house, and it will take a couple of months to finish.

The house was built in the 40s and is about 4,000 sq. ft. and 2 story. Everything is original inside and out. We plan to change the outside of the house.

The entry. All wood walls will get sheetrock. To the right is a half bath and behind the door is a coat closet.

The view of the living room from the entryway.

Living room again from the other side of the room. You can see the entry to the right of the wall in front.

Dining room. The wall to the left will be opened up to the kitchen.

We call this room the library. It won't be used as a "library". I just like the name.

The library has another fireplace.

Sun room opening up from the library looking out to the backyard. This room will be our home office.

Stairs. Celeste and Trinity will have their room and playroom upstairs. I didn't take any pictures yet of the rooms up there, but the girl's room is very large, and has a "secret door" in the room that leads to another room. That "secret room" will be their playroom. There is one bathroom, a walk in closet, and my sewing room upstairs.

The kitchen. Is soooo ugly. We are going to extend the wall with the vintage vent hood out and make the kitchen bigger. Everything will be ripped out.

I will not bore you with pictures of all the other bedrooms and bathrooms. I plan to update on the progress of this house. Now you can see why we needed to buy it right. It needs sooo much work, but will be beautiful when we are finished.

Disney World...again!

2011-01-10T10:34:00.000-06:00

Every year we try to take 2 or 3 really good vacations. We are owners with the Hilton Grand Vacations Club, and booking a reservation must be done about 9 months ahead to get the largest suite. Over the last couple of years It has seem to slipped my mind to plan these vacations WAY ahead. So back in June my husband asked if I had booked anyting yet, and I said no....He said "I'm not going to Disney AGAIN." We have gone to Disney 4 times in the last 6 years. He wanted something new this winter, but everything was booked but Disney. You see, secretly this is my FAVORITE place to go. I feel like a child when I am there. I'm Just so giddy about all the rides and attractions. My husband always says that I love it more than the kids do. Anyway...I talked him into going again. We arrived the Monday after Christmas and stayed for a week.

Yes...I do it everytime. I take a picture as we drive in. Just like every tourist! The sign never changes, but I still take a picture! This year Trinity was the most excited. She loves Mickey and Minnie, so one of the first things we did was stand in line to see them when we were at Epcot. Lilah was tall enough (and brave enough) this year to ride the big rollercoasters, so she decided to do that with her daddy instead of standing in line to see Mickey and Minnie.

The last time we went to Epcot we watched this beautiful candlelight chior. It was so great that we couldn't miss it this time.

Every week they have a different celebrity read the story of Jesus's birth out of the Bible, and the choir sings along. This year Marlee Matlin was the speaker. She is deaf so all of it was in sign language. It was just beautiful.

Animal Kingdom was great. The safari ride is always my favorite there. We saw a baby elephant and giraffe that were only 4 months old. They were so cute! And yes, that tall giraffe is just a baby!

Lilah wanted me to ride the rollercoaster with her. I tried to talk my way out of it, but I ended up getting on with her. I'm glad I did because it was so much fun. My husband got a picture of us going down the first drop.

(we are in the front)

This year we finally made it through the 3D show "It's tough to be a bug" for the first time. All the other attempts ended in screaming and a quick exit out the side door.

The morning we went to Magic Kingdom my husband played golf, so the girls and I headed out early to have some fun!

We saw the princesses...

visited Minnie's house...

rode the teacups...

rode some horses...

and rode my favorite...It's a small world!

On new years eve day we went to Hollywood Sudios, and the girls were so excited to see playhouse Disney...

We also finally rode the new Toy Story ride. It is always a 3 hour wait everytime we have tried to get on, but this year we had a family fast pass to ride. It was sooo much fun! One of my favorites!

I didn't take any pictures of the rest of our day...or night. I'm not sure why, maybe we were having so much fun! But we were all so exhausted at the end of our trip...

On the way home my husband kept talking about how much fun he had this year. It was probably the best time at Disney we have had!

Update your blog please!

2011-01-08T12:34:00.000-06:00

It has been way to long since I have updated my blog. Not because I don't want to, but because I have been so busy these last few weeks. The little time I did have I would spend with my girls or catch up on housework, and we took a long week vacation to Disney after Christmas. I seriously thought about doing away with this blog until someone who I didn't know read my blog, told me how much they loved reading about our family. That one person's comment about this little blog who has few followers and fewer updates must go on. So one of my New Years resolutions is to blog more often...very often. It's already 8 days into the new year and I am just now writing a new post. So it starts now!

I'm going to back up a bit to December. The girls and I went to the Nutcracker. They were so excited about going, and before the first act was over Celeste and Trinity we ASLEEP!! So all through the entire performance I had two drooling girls on my shoulders. I enjoyed the show and laughed a few times as my Lilah told me everything that was going to happen in the show seconds before it did. She saw it a few days before with her school.

Celeste and Trinity had a Christmas program at school, and they were both so excited to sing. I took this picture before the program. I was so proud of myself for making these cute dresses for them, and actually finishing them on time!

Our church's children's choir practiced for weeks for their Christmas program. This was Celeste's first year actually singing. All the other years she just stood up on stage and clung on to her sister. Lilah had a solo, and she did great. Made us cry as she sang about our Saviour.

After church we took a few family pictures, and I just love this one of my girls. They look so beautiful.

My mom and step-father were able to make it to church that Sunday. It was such a blessing to have all of our family together for that Christmas service.

We all spent Christmas eve at my parents house. I just love that time together with fellowship, food, and all the children just full of joy. The children asked ALL day if it was time to open their presents. I remember being the same way as a child.

My husband read the Christmas story out of the Bible before we opened gifts.

All the children took turns opening their presents in front of everyone. This seems to make things move a little slower than everyone just tearing open all their gifts in 5 seconds. The girls loved everything they got.

(I probably should have cleaned her face before taking this picture)

My husband surprised me with an iPad. I had NO idea! Lets just say...I LOVE LOVE LOVE it!

The next morning the girls woke up super early 6:30am to be exact. (that's way early for me) They opened gifts from each other. Each year the girls pick out a gift for their sisters. They try sooo hard not to tell each other, and this year they kept it a secret except Trinity told Celeste one of hers. They were so excited to give the gift they picked out to their sisters. Santa came by and brought more things they asked for. (yes we "do" Santa. My girls know the true meaning of Christmas. Santa is just for fun, and they wont believe in him when they are teenagers. That's all I am going to say about that.)

My step-father was admitted to the hospital again on Christmas day. This past Tuesday he was released to a rehabilitation facility so he can start regaining his strength back from all the weeks he has spent in a hospital bed. He seemed to be making progress, and last night we got a call that they were taking him back to the hospital because his oxygen level had dropped low. So today he is in the ICU. Please pray for him, and my mother as we all try to make it through this tough time.

I will write all about our Disney trip next time. I think I have overloaded this post, but here is a little sneak peek...

Christmas Card

2010-12-15T08:19:00.003-06:00

Today is the Christmas Card Carousel! Walk with me by Faith is hosting, so stop on by to see her card and many more. This year I wanted a more casual Christmas card, so I snapped this pic while the girls were on their way to school, and just loved it. Enjoy!

Cyber Monday

2010-11-29T14:39:00.002-06:00

I NEVER shop the day after Thanksgiving. I'm not a morning person at all, so getting up at 3 am to stand in line with 5 million other people at a store to save a few bucks doesn't sound like fun to me. However to everyone who does it...your awesome! I much prefer cyber Monday for good deals. So when I came across this deal to day I thought it was too good that I must share.

Burt's Bees is selling their Holiday Grab Bag at 50% off today. This grab bag is valued at $50. ALSO!! if you enter the promotion code 20BURT (must use capital letters) you can get an additional 20% off which brings them to only $20 each! They are even offering free shipping on orders of $40 or more! I grabbed a few this morning and I think they will make great Christmas gifts! Hurry because they sell quick! Happy Cyber Monday everyone!

Thankful!

2010-11-25T18:02:00.000-06:00

Today I am thankful for my family...

Finger Food Feast

2010-11-23T14:25:00.000-06:00

Today Celeste and Trinity had their Thanksgiving feast at school. They were both so excited this morning about their special lunch today! I joined them, and they looked so cute in their Native American costumes.

Celeste and Trinity sat with their classes during lunch, so I had to go back and forth to each table. They enjoyed turkey, ham, apples, muffins, cheese, and cookies for lunch, and they were all finger foods!

Delilah had her Thanksgiving lunch at school last week, but no pictures because she refused for me to take pictures of her in the cafeteria. Sniff Sniff.

I am so thankful for my three little girls. They just bring so much joy to our family, and I wish they could stay little. They just grow too fast! I hope everyone has a wonderful Thanksgiving with their family and friends. Please keep our family in prayer these next couple of days. My step-father is back in the hospital with pneumonia, but is responding well to treatment. He is also going to have a more extensive biopsy hopefully today. After this is done he can finally start treatment. Thanks for your prayers. We are going to our deer lease for a couple of days after Thanksgiving. My husband shot a big buck opening weekend, and he is so excited to sit in a uncomfortable deer blind in the freezing temperatures at 5 am to sit and wait for another deer to come along. Not my definition of fun. I will be cuddling under the blankets with my 3 little turkeys! Have a wonderful weekend everyone!

Mom's Blog

2010-11-15T14:56:00.000-06:00

Today my parents are at MD Anderson. Its the beginning of their battle with cancer. My Mom has had so many people calling, texting, and sending messages of Facebook regarding Al's condition. She has decided to start a blog to update anyone who would like to know the latest information on doctors appointments, treatments, and anything that might be on her mind.

He blog is simply titled: a husband, a wife, and cancer.

I will not update on my blog, so her blog will be the best place to get information.

Thank you to everyone who is praying with us.

Please Help us Pray

2010-11-12T10:27:00.002-06:00

Hello friends! I hope everyone is well, and enjoying this wonderful time of year! I took a little blogging break, and I'm back with some news that I hope you can help me pray about. My step-father, who has been like a father to me all these years, was diagnosed with what they think is kidney cancer. The final reports have not been fully completed yet. My parents are headed to MD Anderson in Houston Monday for further testing, and a definite diagnosis will be given then.

I know who the Great Physician is and we are believing in a complete miracle in his body. The Bible says in Matthew 17:20 ...For verily I say unto you if you have faith as a grain of a mustard seed, you shall say unto this mountain remove hence to yonder place and it shall remove and nothing shall be impossible unto you. It says NOTHING shall be impossible! Isaiah 53:5 says ...and with His stripes we are healed. We are standing on that.

I want to ask if you would please help us pray for healing for Al Willeford. Please remember him during prayer requests at church, home, or among your church family. I believe if we all pray together this mountain will move.

This is a picture of my parents and my girls this summer.

Again I say unto you, that if two of you shall agree on earth as touching anything that they shall ask, it shall be done for them of My Father which is in Heaven. Matthew 18:19

Wordless Wednesday

2010-10-06T09:09:00.000-05:00

Sisters

It's Fall Y'all!

2010-10-05T10:58:00.001-05:00

Yes, I said Y'all! I'm from Texas, and it's just part of our vocabulary! FINALLY we have had the best weather here in the very deep south. 50s and 60s in the morning and evenings, and low 80s during the day. Just gorgeous! As I mentioned in my last post, I have already decorated for fall. Slowly, but surely adding new things around the house here and there. Other than Christmas, this is my favorite time of year. It just makes me happy, warm, and excited for the upcoming holidays!

Welcome to my home!

I made this wreath a couple of weeks ago, and love how it turned out.

It just warms up the front door of our house!

This is another view of our entry table.

One thing I tried to do this year was use what everyday decorations I had, and add a little fall touch to them.

I added a little fall ribbon and leaves to this simple candle lamp that was already on my entry table.

On my dining room table I added a fall runner to add a little brown to my already very orange room. I love the color of my walls in my kitchen and dining. I will probably use them again when we build. It also goes well with fall!

I already had this candle on my table, so I just put on a few fall flowers, pumpkin, and ribbon to decorate it.

I hung this on my door in the past until I made the wreath, so now I hang it on my china cabinet.

I love these scarecrows because they remind me of my three little girls, and what a blessing they are!

In my kitchen I put a little fall decoration on my glass utensil holder. I think I will do the same for Christmas!

Pumpkin container to hold my coffee goodies!

Throughout my house I just added little touches of fall here and there. With simple decorations including leaves and fall flowers.

I hope you enjoyed a little peek into my home!

I also hope everyone is enjoying this wonderful time of year when the season changes.

Happy fall everyone!

Weather, Fall, & Gymnastics

2010-09-22T16:27:00.001-05:00

The last time I blogged was August 26th. Bad bad blogger. I know. I thought for sure that when school started I would have a lot more "free" time to blog, sew, and bake. Not so much free time here the last few weeks. It has rained for the past week and most of the city flooded which was sad to see on the news all the people who lost their home. We have had more rain this summer than any other that I can remember. There has been about 3 hurricanes that have hit just south of us in Mexico which means we got a TON of rain. As I sit and type this a big black cloud is hovering over our town ready to let the rain out again. The mosquitoes are going to be awful in the next few days. Today is the first day of fall as most of you might already know, and I can't wait for some fall weather. Cool crisp air sure does sound refreshing. I already decorated for fall. I just couldn't stand it anymore. All the fall decorations were calling my name at Hobby Lobby, and I couldn't wait for October. It's almost here anyway, so I'm close enough. More on my decorations at a later post. I'm not sure if I ever mentioned that my 2 older girls compete in gymnastics. This is their first year competing on the team, and they are so excited, and have done awesome! We have had 3 meets so far, and have 2 more to go.

Lilah before her first meet. She was so excited, and not nervous at all. I kept reminding her all day what order her routines went. I was more nervous than her.

In the middle of her beam routine. My husband took these pictures because I was so nervous watching her.

Sweet Celeste waiting her turn to vault.

Starting her bar routine with her sweet coach watching.

This girl loves watching her sisters. Actually she slept most of the meet.

Celeste already took off her medal and I was holding her ribbons. Awesome job girls! Can't wait until the next one!

School

2010-08-26T10:51:00.001-05:00

Well summer is over. Boo hoo! I should probably say summer "vacation" because it is so hot! It has been at least 100 degrees everyday for the past couple of weeks. I sure hope fall weather kicks in soon to give us some relief. The girls went back to school Monday, and were sooo excited to see all their friends again. The girls woke up with no problem the first day considering they have been sleeping in like a bunch of lazy girls all summer. Lilah started 2nd grade. Whew! Where did time go?

She got the teacher we were hoping for this year, and we are looking forward to a great year! I had to get her picture at home because she forbid me to take my camera to school to get her picture there. Celeste is in Pre-K this year. She is going to school everyday now from 9:00- 2:00, with a nap in the middle! She goes to a Christian school in Portland which is a few minutes from where we live.

She has so many friends in her class that she already knew from last year. Her BFF (and cousin) is in her class this year, and they were both so excited! My little Trinity is also going this year 2 times a week for about 3 hours. Just enough time for her to learn and play with other children. She was so excited. I asked her if she wanted to stay home with me, and she said she wanted to go to school! She absolutely loves it!

She is at the same Christian school as Celeste, and when she is at home with me we enjoy cuddles, books, and playing with baby dolls. We are all really excited about this year! I think it is going to be great!

Meet...

2010-08-07T21:46:00.000-05:00

I am an animal lover. I can see myself one day in the country on a farm with cows, chickens, and horses. My husband always says that if we lived on a farm it would be populated with stray dogs because I just can't stand to see a homeless dog. Anyway, I said all that to say this, someone knocked on my door last week (we know the guy) and they held up the cutest dog who needed a home. He was 6 weeks old, and covered with fleas. I felt sooo sorry for him. I snatched him out of his hands, and said, "Yes I will take him." I cleaned him up, and took him to the vet. So now we have a new member to our family. Meet...

The sweetest solid white puppy with ONE black eye. I just love him, and so do the girls.

I have to keep reminding them that he is not a baby doll...

or a toy...

Our puppy needs a name. They girls call him Oreo, but my hubby says its too wimpy. I like Captain Jack Sparrow because he looks like a pirate. So, do you have any ideas?

Out of the Mouths of Moms

2010-07-30T13:09:00.001-05:00

We all know that our children say the most outrageous, hilarious, and ~~all the time~~ sometimes embarrassing things. Well, have you ever caught yourself saying outrageous, hilarious, or embarrassing things to your children? I have! MckMama is hosting "Out of the mouths of ~~babes~~ moms". Here are some of the things I have said within the last week to my children.

"No you may not have any more coffee, you already drank half of mine"

"No you may not have Oreo cookies and milk for breakfast"

"Please don't hold the puppy by the throat....because he can't breathe.....because you are choking him"

"Put the scissors down...remember what you did to my hair last time you played with them"

"Because you have to wear a shirt to play outside"

"No you cannot touch those panties on that mannequin"

And my FAVORITE....

Q (from my 2 year old) "Momma why are you breathing?"

"Because I have to breathe to stay alive"

Q (from 2 year old)

"Why?"

And my answer that answers ALL questions...

"BECAUSE"

July

2010-07-27T16:32:00.001-05:00

July has been well....BUSY! If you haven't noticed by my lack of blogging! I feel like we have been non-stop all month, and when I have time at home I try to catch up on housework. Some people hace "weekend reviews" on their blogs...well today for me is going to be a "month review". On the 3rd my beautiful daughter celebrated her 7th birthday! I can't believe she is 7, and yes I will probably say that every year!

We had a little swimming party with her sisters and a few friends. It was such a nice day, and we had the pool to ourselves. I loved watching these little girls giggle all day!

Trinity enjoyed the food (all over her face in the pic above) especially the watermelon.

About the second week in July we packed up our travel trailer, and headed to youth camp in Lufkin. I was so excited to go this year because it was our first time at this particular camp. Lilah was old enough this year to be a camper. She really wanted to stay in the dorms with the other girls. I was a little worried at first, but she did great and had an awesome time!

During the week the kid campers and youth campers were separated and did different activities throughout the day, including church services in the morning and evening. I spent most of the day on the playground with my little girls! It was soooo HOT, and didn't even phase the girls!

Trinity is ready for church! The services were so awesome! On the last night of camp we all met at one service. The place was packed! The children's choir sang first, and I was so proud of my Lilah! (She is in the middle with a white sweater and a black, white, blue and pink dress. Her hair is pulled back.)

It was a long week, but we had so much fun! I can't wait until next year. The last week has been quiet around here. I am just trying to catch up on laundry and some sewing projects. It has also been very rainy here in Texas the past few days which is great weather to just stay home and relax! I hope you all had a great week, and I promise to post more often!

Faith, Friends & Fireworks on the Fourth!

2010-07-07T14:50:00.001-05:00

On the 4th we had such a busy day scheduled. We headed to church in the morning, and before loading in the car I snapped a few pics of these precious girls. I made the dresses that my little girls are wearing. Lilah didn't want a matching dress so we found one that she loved.

I love everything about the 4th of July. I love the ~~scorching hot~~ warm weather, fireworks, and most of all spending time with my family and friends. I love that this year the 4th fell on a Sunday. After church we went to eat lunch at another church that we fellowship with and ate the best BBQ chicken with all the trimmings. After lunch we had an afternoon service and sang some wonderful patriotic songs. When church was over the girls ran to the playground to play with their friends.

This little firecracker went down the slide countless times!

She kept giggling every time she went down.

This pretty girl swinging turned 7 the day before. (Birthday post coming next!)

Celeste ran around and played the entire afternoon, but kept asking me about every 30 minutes if they were going to pop fireworks yet. Not because she wanted to see them, but because she was scared. Poor baby. She doesn't like them at all. So when they started the fireworks she got to enjoy watching them...from INSIDE!

I feel so blessed to live in this beautiful and free country!

San Diego Zoo

2010-07-01T10:55:00.000-05:00

On the second day we were in San Diego we planned to go to the zoo. I was looking forward to going because I have always heard how wonderful and big it was. I was like a child and so excited to go, probably more than the girls!

The weather was absolutely gorgeous! The high was 69! We couldn't have asked for better weather, considering when we left Texas it was 98 degrees. It was definitely a big change. We took a trolley ride through Balboa park, which was actually the wrong way to the zoo but a beautiful ride. We had to walk a few blocks to get to the zoo from the park.

The map of the zoo was so big and full of different animals and things to do for the children. We wanted to see everything! It all looked like so much fun! Here are some pictures of our favorite animal exhibits.

This guy was just walking all over the place like he owned it! We saw him on top of the ladies restroom.

and my girls absolute FAVORITE were the polar bears!

We all sat there for a while watching these silly bears play in the water.

Lilah and Celeste were sitting in front of the polar bear tank!

I obviously had more pictures than words this time!

California- Day One

2010-06-25T10:58:00.000-05:00

Whew!!! We finally made it home from California on Tuesday. I have been so busy since we have been home to even look at my computer. It's back to reality with unpacking, laundry, bills, and everything else. I titled this post California- Day One, but no I'm not going to have 14 California blog posts. The trip was so long and we did so much that I will probably break it up into a few days. To some, the pictures may not be that interesting depending on what part of the country you live on. We normally travel east to Florida, so this is a first in this direction. Yes, we drive if some are asking. My hubby is the type who likes to stop at every historical or fun place on the way. He thinks we will miss out on some things if we fly over it. In my opinion I would rather fly over it all if that meant that I would get there in a fraction of the time. Anyway, we headed west this time to California from Texas. It was LONG! I wanted to take pictures of what I saw because I knew after this long trip I would never want to drive it again. So this is what I did to pass time (I totally looked like a tourist)...

We mostly saw this...

Mountains...well they look like mountains to me. In our part of Texas everything is FLAT!

Cactus...

Windmills...

Dust tornadoes. I'm not sure if that is the technical name, but that is what it looks like.

Sand...

Very HIGH gas prices (yes I took a picture)...

and signs with what seemed to be ENDLESS miles to our destination.

We finally made it, and they girls were so excited.

Although it seemed like we would NEVER make it, and it was as boring as watching water boil, I'm glad we decided to drive. We made some great memories, and it was so much fun being with my family. My parents also went...they were driving ahead of us. More pictures to come this week of the San Diego zoo, Legoland, Padre's baseball game, and other fun things we did!

Vacation

2010-06-12T07:57:00.001-05:00

This morning we are headed out to beautiful San Diego, California! We are looking forward to some much needed, and wanted, R&R. I will TRY to blog while I am there, so check back for pictures of my little girlies soaking up some sun, or roaring back at the animals at the zoo!

The Start of Summer

2010-06-03T13:20:00.000-05:00

Wow have we been busy! Since school is out we have been non stop! This will be a quick "catch up" post full of pictures and random stories of what we have been up to. A couple of weeks ago my friend Misty got married, and we were all in the wedding except for little Trinity. The girls loved getting all dressed up for the wedding.

It was a beautiful wedding, and I wish Misty and Jonathan a life full of blessings. On Memorial Day we all went to my parent's house for burgers and swimming. The kids couldn't wait to swim. They ate super fast and waited by the front door! I remember being excited like that when I was their age.

This little girl was FEARLESS! She jumped off the diving board so many times!

She is already a little fish! Lilah and Trinity also had a great time swimming and jumping.

My parents just came back from a cruise and brought back dresses for my little girls. I love them!

Yesterday my niece's baby had a party at this new place in town that is a room full of bouncy houses and inflatable areas for kids. It was so much fun and the girls loved it. They didn't want to leave, so I have a feeling we will be visiting this place a lot during the summer.

It was so funny watching Trinity slide. It was really fast and she just flew down it each time. Finally I have been doing a lot of sewing lately. I have baby gifts, dresses, and skirts to make. I will post about this when I finished, but here is a small peek at a little dress...

Hope you are all having a wonderful start to the summer!

Teacher Gifts

2010-05-22T09:37:00.000-05:00

Well it is that time of year again when all the children are out of school for the summer. It seems like it flies by faster and faster each year. Throughout the year I always try to give my girl's teachers little gifts for the 1st day of school, Christmas, Valentines, Birthdays, and the last day of school. This year I thought instead of giving the teacher a gift for herself, I wanted to give her a gift for her classroom. As we all know teachers pay for the majority of classroom materials out of their own pocket. I decided to give each teacher a set of books for their own personal classroom libraries.

The first set is for Celeste's teacher. I picked out two Little Golden Books about God and barnyard animals. I also chose two Berenstain Bears books about strangers and manners.

For Delilah's teacher I chose three I Can Read books which included Amelia Bedelia, which was my favorite when I was a child, Biscuit Meets the Class Pet, and Fancy Nancy. I also picked out The Lost Dinosaur Bones by Mercer Mayer. I really hope that the children in the classroom enjoy these books in the years to come!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-05-12T14:00:00.000-05:00

Mother's Day

2010-05-09T15:51:00.001-05:00

Today has been such a wonderful Mother's Day so far. I need to be quick with this post because we are spending the rest of the day out in the bay on our boat. It is so beautiful outside here in south Texas, and the outdoors are calling our names! My girls have been wishing me a Happy Mother's Day all week. I think because they have been working on Mother's Day gifts in school. My favorite surprises to get from my girls are the special things they make for me. My girls gave me my Mother's Day gifts on Friday, and I have to say I was sooo surprised at what they made me this year. When I picked Celeste up from Preschool I found these goodies and treasures waiting for me.

Celeste decorated all by herself this beautiful cake. She picked out the roses and different colors on the cake. She also made me a jewelry box and a card. I was so excited when she gave it to me. When I picked up Delilah from school she also gave me a wrapped up gift she made. She told me I couldn't open it until today, but about 2 minutes later she couldn't stand it anymore, and wanted me to open it.

Lilah wrote a story for me, and made a picture frame with her picture in it. I already hung it on my refrigerator. This morning we finished up our Mother's Day gifts in children's church. We traced the children's hands and glued them to popsicle sticks, and put them in painted flower pots. I also made gerber daisy pins for the children's mothers and we pinned them to a piece of felt on a stick and placed it in between the children's hands in the flower pot. It turned out so cute, but my flower pot got left at the church. I will have to post a picture of it next week.

I feel so blessed this morning to be a Mama to these three beautiful girls! I also feel blessed to have such a loving Mother who has been absolutely wonderful to me my entire life!

I love you Mom!

and

Happy Mother's Day!

Girly Names

2010-05-07T13:52:00.001-05:00

Today is Show Us Your Life over at Kelly's Korner.

Children's names are today, and I thought I would participate this Friday because I named all my daughters after one of their grandmothers, and I would love to share.

Our first born:

Delilah Faith

We knew that our first daughter would be named Delilah before she was even born. My husband's mother had 4 boys, my husband being the baby. She always wanted a little girl, and she was going to name her Delilah. Her name is Delia. She passed away when my husband was only 10 years old, so we wanted to name our daughter after her. As for her middle name, I have just always liked the name Faith. We mostly call her Lilah or Lilah Faith.

Our second daughter:

Celeste Cynthia

My sweet sweet Celeste. She didn't have a name until she was 2 days old, and I had to sign the birth certificate. We knew she was going to have the middle name Cynthia because that is my mother's name, but I had no idea for a first name. We went back and forth between two different names, Mackenzie or Hazel. We each loved one or the other, but couldn't decide. Someone mentioned the name Celeste. My mother then reminded me that my Grandmother always wanted one of her granddaughters to have the name Celeste. My Grandmother loved that name so much, and I knew it would be perfect for my daughter. She passed away before Celeste was born, but I know one day she will finally meet her.

Our baby girl:

Trinity Aurelia

I have always loved the name Trinity, and with her being baby girl #3 it just fit. We knew she was going to be Trinity before she was born. Aurelia is her middle name, and that is my grandmother's name. It was so easy to name her, and it just fits her perfect! Although her name is Trinity, she says it's not! Her nickname is Nene, so when you ask her what her name is she says, "Nene". If you ask her if her name is Trinity she always says, "NO"!

Hopefully one day I the Lord will bless us with a baby boy or maybe 2! If and when we have a boy we will not name him a JR, but rather use my husband's first name for a middle name. As of now, I don't have any favorite boy names, but I'm sure I will when the time comes!

Spring Wreath

2010-05-06T13:18:00.003-05:00

I went to Hobby Lobby last week to finished picking up the rest of the items I needed to finish some Mother's Day projects for the children at church. In the floral section they had beautiful spring wreaths lined up on a wall. The colors of the flowers and arrangement of them were just so beautiful. I thought that one wreath would look so pretty on my front door at home, so I reached for the price tag to check how much it was. I about fell over at how much they were selling them for. I couldn't believe it. I thought , "Hey I can make one". Fortunately the wreaths were 1/2 off, so I picked up this one and paid $2.50 for it.

The flowers were not on sale last week when I was there, so I waited until this week and bought these...

I just loved all the different colors of these flowers. The best part was they were all 1/2 off! I also bought a few small feathers to put in at the wreath. I am not a big fan of feathers, but I loved the ones I picked out because they were small and so pretty. I first started off by hanging my wreath on a door in my house so I could start placing the flowers where I wanted them.

When I finally finished placing all the flowers where I wanted them I turned the wreath around and tied the flowers in place with wire. I then placed the feathers in between the flowers in just a few places.

Anyone who knows me knows that I LOVE birds. Someone gave me two yellow glass birds about a year ago. They used to belong to my grandmother, and she kept them in her curio, and growing up I loved looking at them. They were sitting on my window seal above my kitchen sink, but they kept falling in the sink when I would clean the window, or when the girls would climb up on the counter. I didn't want to put the birds away, so I thought they needed a home in a nest in my new wreath. So I made this...

I placed the birds in the nest, and put them in the middle of the wreath. I tied a bow on top of the wreath with the same raffia I used to make the bird nest.

This is what it looks like on my front door...

I just love how my wreath turned out, and it was a fraction of the price of the pre-made wreaths. I think one just like it would make a great Mother's Day gift for my mom!

A Dress For Trinity

2010-05-04T08:30:00.001-05:00

Well, I made my first dress for my little girl!

I picked out what I thought was a simple pattern for a pillowcase dress, but it actually took longer and was more detailed than I thought.

I have a great teacher who helped me put it together, and taught me some things I didn't know about sewing including making my own bias tape to match the dress.

I am going to make the same dress for Celeste, using the stripe fabricfor the main part of the dress, and the flower fabric for the trim pieces.

I have a super cute pattern for a skirt that I am going to make for Delilah.

The skirt is made up of 5 different fabrics, so I am going to use the two fabricsthat are in Trinity and Celeste's dress and add some to match.I will be sure to post a picture when I am finished!

2010-04-27T10:41:00.001-05:00

One of my best friends Misty, is getting married next month. She asked (months ago) if we all would be in her wedding! Except for little Nene. She would run wild. I love weddings, and feel so honored to be a part of her wedding. This past Saturday we had a bridal shower for her at my mother's house. It was so much fun planning and preparing for this shower. Her wedding colors are mainly ivory and champaign, but there is a touch of aqua throughout the flowers and bridal party. So for the shower we went with the same colors.

I made these letters for her...

We made simple finger foods and a delicious strawberry lemonade.

Chocolate covered strawberries, cheesecake bites, and cream puffs for dessert.

The other hostess, Kristie, made these game cards for the guests.

And of course the beautiful bride to be! She graduates on a Saturday then she is getting married the following Tuesday! She is one busy lady with papers, finals, AND planning a wedding! Whew...I thought I had a full schedule!

Our little helper!

Me and my baby girl!

Bride and Bridesmaids.

Wow do I feel tall after looking at this picture!

Misty, I feel honored to be apart of your fabulous wedding!

You are such a wonderful person, and I know the Lord will bless you and your new life ahead.

...but the greatest of these is charity...

1 Corinthians 13:13

Happy Birthday Trinity!

2010-04-22T10:27:00.000-05:00

On April 17 my baby girl Trinity turned 2! I just cannot believe two years have gone by so quickly. It doesn't feel like very long ago that I wrote this about her 1st birthday. Celeste, Trinity, and I were all in Livingston, TX last Friday and Saturday for a ladies retreat with our church and several other churches from around Texas. We had such a wonderful time in the Lord's presence. When we got home Saturday night Trinity had a present waiting for her at home with a very excited daddy and big sister waiting. Trinity asked for two things for her birthday. She kept telling us over and over what she wanted a week before. So when we got home one of the gifts she wanted was there...

Another baby doll! Like we don't have piles of others in her room! She really liked this one because it had all the "doctor" things to go with the baby. She loved taking the baby's temperature, sticking band-aids on, and feeding the baby medicine. I also think the baby looks like her with the little pony tail on top of her head.

On Monday we all went to Chuck E Cheese's to meet friends and family to celebrate Trinity's birthday. CEC is her absolute favorite place to go and play. She was so excited on the way! Trinity loved to play and ride all the games!

Celeste, my niece Breanna, and Trinity on the big rocking horse. They rode this I can' tell you how many times! Delilah and Celeste also loves CEC and they had fun playing games as well!

Delilah took Trinity around to play the games for a while. I looked up from what I was doing, and this is what I saw...

This year I served cupcakes instead of cake. It was much much easier! We sang happy birthday and Trinity blew her candle out so fast I couldn't even get a picture.

She was so ready in this picture to blow out the candle. She didn't waste any time digging right in to her cupcake!

The other present that Trinity kept asking for was a Dora bike. Whenever I take the girls outside to play they ride their bikes up and down the street, and Trinity just runs after them or I will push her in her car. She really wanted a bike like her sisters. I wish I could have recorded her reaction when she saw her daddy bring in her bike. She yelled and jumped up from her seat and ran to the box. It was sooo cute!

We had such a wonderful time celebrating our baby girl's second birthday! I feel so blessed that the Lord has given us three beautiful girls!

Happy Birthday Trinity Aurelia!

Trike-a-Thon for St. Jude's Hospital

2010-04-13T09:57:00.000-05:00

Last Friday Celeste participated in a trike-a-thon at her school to help raise money

for St. Jude Children's Hospital.

I was so excited to hear that it was for St. Jude Hospital. I have given for a few years now to St. Jude's because I think it is so wonderful what they do for ALL children. Each child in Celeste's school collected donations or pledges for each "lap" they did around the school parking lot. Since 100 small preschoolers on bikes in one place didn't sound like a safe idea, each class took turns riding their bikes throughout the day.

Here is Celeste's class waiting to start. She is on the right smiling at the camera.

When they said go...she took off peddling as fast as she could!

She would go so fast around the corners, and end up way beyond the cones.

I had to remind her that it was not a race, and she could go slow!

Every lap they did they got a punch in the cards attached to their bikes.

She did and awesome job, and so did all the other children.

Celeste is holding her punch card. She did a total of 28 laps!

After everyone finished the children enjoyed a popsicle for snack!

I'm so proud of Celeste for participating in a fundraiser that helps other children!

Daddy

2010-04-08T08:23:00.000-05:00

What happens to a Daddy with 3 little girls?

He gets glittery, sticky, pink lip gloss squirted all over his head...

shirt and suit jacket...

right before church!

Easter

2010-04-06T09:29:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy to even look at my computer in the last few days. Hopefully in the next couple of weeks things will calm down and I will have more time to update. Well, it's not too late to have an Easter post huh? I did something this year that I have NEVER done. I bought the girls their Easter dresses the day before Easter. I usually have them months in advance, but this year...busy! I guess an advantage of waiting until the very last moment was that I got their dresses 50% off! Sounded good to me! On Saturday we attended a big Easter egg party at my father's dealership. It was a day filled with fun games...

and train rides.

Don't they look tired? They probably rode the train a million times before this picture!This picture was as good as it was going to get.

The Easter bunny stopped by to say hello, and my Trinity wasn't going near it!

Celeste is trying to make Trinity wave.

We had such a great time on Saturday with family and friends! Celeste even won a big prize in the drawing!

The girls looked absolutely lovely this Easter. Unfortunately I didn't get a picture of the girls before church. We were in a rush to make it to Sunday school in time, so this picture was taken right after they hunted eggs.

Lilah counting all her eggs!

Celeste filling up her basket!

Trinity had a blast!

I am so thankful that our Lord is Alive!

Party!

2010-03-30T09:57:00.000-05:00

We had a birthday party for Celeste this past Saturday, and we had a BLAST! We had it at the place where Celeste takes her gymnastics classes. I found these cute invitations on Shutterfly that were perfect for her party.

We had the entire building for the children to do ANYTHING they wanted. The children went absolutely crazy. Trinity loved the tumble track!

The foam pit, and swinging rope were also a favorite.

Did you notice her hair? She pulled out her bows and pig tail. She has one pig tail barely holding on. I can't get her to keep anything in her hair anymore!

Walking the balance beam. She just loved this! Her hair just cracks me up!

Celeste swinging on the bars. She put chalk on her hands..a lot of it!

Lilah swinging on the zip line!

The birthday girl!

After the children played for about an hour and a half we went to the party room

to eat pizza and cake!.

Presents are always the favorite part!

Celeste wanted to open them before we sang happy birthday and cut the cake!

Blowing out her candle!

Since I was going with brown and pink I thought it would be cute and frugal to use plain brown paper bags and tie them up with a pink bow. I think they turned out cute!

We had a wonderful day with family and friends celebrating our precious, now 4 year old, Celeste!

Happy Birthday Sweet Celeste

2010-03-24T17:14:00.000-05:00

Today, four years ago I became a Mommy of two.

My sweet Celeste Cynthia (named after my Mom) was born.

She was small and just so beautiful.

Celeste is very tenderhearted.

Very sweet

She loves to help everyone.

She is a great BIG and little sister.

She has grow up before us just way to fast.

So on this special day my sweet sweet Celeste,

I just want you to know how loved you are.

We feel so very blessed that God gave you to us.

You are such a joy and you bring so much life to our family.

We love you baby and

Happy Birthday!

Dress Up

2010-03-23T14:37:00.000-05:00

Every little girl

loves to dress up

and wear high heels

and hats

and wave pom poms

But this little princess bride...

will be 4 tomorrow!

Wordless Wednesday- Almost

2010-03-17T13:44:00.000-05:00

Hey...What are BIG sisters for?

Sewing Classes

2010-03-15T10:48:00.000-05:00

I have always had an interest in sewing. My grandmother would spend endless hours at her sewing machine making me beautiful dresses, dolls, and play clothes. I can remember when I was little I really wanted an outfit like a little girl from the Sound of Music because at the time that was my favorite movie. Remember the clothes Maria made out of curtains? I loved them as a child. My grandmother whipped up a cute little outfit like the one I wanted. I still have teeny tiny Barbie clothes that my grandmother made for my mom when she was a little girl. The detail on the Barbie clothes are simply impressive. My goal is to be able to make dresses for my children along with other fun things. I know there are countless beautiful dresses available to buy in any store, but there is something special about a Mama making a dress for her girls. A few years ago my husband bought me a sewing machine for Christmas. I had no idea how to use it, so I carefully followed all the directions in the manual it comes with. I started to practice sewing little blankets and pillows for my girl's baby dolls. A few weeks ago I signed up for sewing classes at our local Singer store. This week will be my 5th class, and already I have learned so much. My first class was just an intro to sewing, and I learned all the basic tools needed, and how to properly sew. I quickly learned I was not sewing the way I was supposed to be. My second and third class we made pillowcases.

My girls picked out their own fabric and I really enjoyed putting these together. I still have to make one more for Celeste. I also want to learn how to quilt, so the class I took last Friday was a very simple quilted table runner. Since spring is just right around the corner, we started a cute spring bunny runner.

My sewing teacher helped cut the pieces according to the pattern. I put the bunnies together, and I love that there are 3 bunnies for my 3 little girls. I chose my girl's favorite colors for the bows of the bunnies, and the buttons for the eyes are the colors of my girl's eyes. Two with brown and one with green.

Now I just need to do my homework and put the pieces partially together, and iron some triangle pieces that will go around the runner.

This Friday I am going to finish, and then start on a birthday runner. Celeste's birthday is next week, and Trinity's is next month, so I wanted to make a runner to go on their cake table. The pattern is a tiered cake with "Happy Birthday" appliquéd on it. I think I am going to go with pink and brown fabric because it will go with pretty much any birthday theme for girls. After I finish I am going to start on summer dresses for the girls. I need to learn how to follow a pattern. So I have a lot of work ahead of me, and did I mention I am super excited? I am totally expanding on my domestic abilities!

Wordless Wednesday

2010-03-10T16:20:00.000-06:00

Sisters

Jump

2010-03-09T11:36:00.000-06:00

My girls love to act SILLY...

and JUMP

and LAUGH...

and if you haven't noticed yet...they love to pick out their own clothes.

Two Weeks

2010-02-25T11:32:00.000-06:00

It has been almost 2 weeks since the last time I blogged. I have just been soooo busy lately. I honestly can't remember the last time I stayed home all day without anything to do. It was probably the last time I blogged now that I think about it. Lilah started basketball again, and this year her team is all girls from the 1st and 2nd grade. She loves it, and we love to watch her. Celeste has just been...well...wild? Is that the right word for her? She is absolutely non- stop. She has more energy than possible, and she is just as sweet as can be. Trinity went to the dentist this week, and cried the entire time. From the moment we walked in the door until the moment we left she kept saying, "Go Mama, Go Mama". I wish I could have traded places with her. My husband and his crew just finished up a condo on the water and it turned out absolutely gorgeous, and the best part is that the condo is my parent's, so we get to enjoy it anytime. As for me, I have been super busy with school papers and projects. My mom and I also started taking sewing classes. I look forward to our class every week because I get to sew and spend time with my mother. We have a class tomorrow morning and I plan to take some pictures, so I will post them this weekend sometime. Well since I have an entire day home with no appointments to go to or errands to run, I'm going to tackle the mountain of laundry that needs to be folded, and play with my little girls! So have a great day, and I promise to blog more often, and since I never blog without pictures enjoy these from the past couple of weeks.

Valentine's Day Parties

2010-02-13T11:08:00.000-06:00

On Friday my girls each had a Valentine's Day party at school. They were so excited to put together all their cards they picked out for their friends. The night before we worked on goodie bags for the children in their class. The girls had a fun time filling each bag with goodies. We had an assembly line going at the table, and we were able to fill about 40 bags fast!

Trinity was so excited the next morning to deliver her Valentine's to her friends.

Celeste's class made their own Valentine bags, and they each took turns putting their Valentine's in the children's bags.

And of course, her favorite part was the pizza and cupcakes they had at lunch!

Praying before lunch.

Celeste made us such a cute Valentine's card, and she was so excited to give it to me. Her teacher said she worked so hard on it, and I think it is beautiful! She even tried to write her name on it.

Our next stop was a Lilah's school. She does NOT like for me to take pictures of her in her classroom. She will shy away and turn red. So what did I have to do? Wait until the party was over, and take her picture in the hallway.

The girls had such a great time at their parties, and I had fun going to them. Now I have some special treats and goodies planned for them on Sunday. They can't wait!

Breakfast

2010-02-11T09:46:00.000-06:00

A while back I posted pictures of Trinity eating her breakfast with a spoon all by herself. She is just growing up so fast, and wanting to do things on her own. Her new favorite thing to eat in the morning is cereal. Whenever we are in a hurry in the mornings I will give the girls cereal, and Trinity yogurt, but Trinity has been asking for cereal now. She was so precious the other morning while eating, so I snapped away with my camera.

A Special "Early" Valentine

2010-02-02T20:25:00.000-06:00

My girls are super excited about Valentine's Day! They can't wait to put together their Valentine goodie bags for school, make heart shaped cookies, and receive Valentine's from their friends. This evening Delilah was drawing at the table, and she asked me how to spell "Valentine's". I spelled it out to her, and when she was finished she ran to my desk and handed me this...

She named off everyone in our family while pointing to the picture. Delilah, Celeste, Trinity, Mom & Dad. I just love Trinity and Daddy's hair. I asked if her Dad was wearing a skirt, and she said, "No Mom, those are his pants". I think she did a great job! Oh, how I just love these little notes and cards my girls make me. I will cherish them forever!

Weaned

2010-01-26T12:16:00.001-06:00

This little girl...

Is officially weaned.

I decided to finally wean Trinity when nursing started to become a "problem". Pro-nursing people if you are reading, in no way do I mean that nursing is a "bad thing" I mean, look how old my child is. We loved it, but when she started yelling out for it in church it became a problem. When she would try to "help herself" in front of just anyone. Um...not good. When she woke up ALL through the night, and that was her only way back to sleep. Not fun. When I got chewed out by the dentist because he said her teeth were starting to be affected. Embarrassing. So Friday night was the 1st time I said "no" to her, and she melted down for half an hour, and I melted down even longer. It was rough, but we made it. Saturday night she melted down for about 10 minutes, and then happily drank her water. Sunday night, and last night she didn't even ask! She just grabbed her sippy cup of water and laid down and fell asleep! Not bad for being almost 2!

Such a big girl she is!

Heartfelt Blogger Award

2010-01-19T09:14:00.001-06:00

A sweet blogger friend, Charlotte, awarded my blog yesterday with the Heartfelt Blogger Award. This award is for blogs who make you feel warm and comfortable when you read them. So, thank you Charlotte that is very sweet of you, and I'm so glad you enjoy reading my blog. I would like to extend this award to some of my favorite "warm feeling" blogs.

Homemaker's Cottage

Beyond our Wildest Dreams

Goodness and Mercy Shall Follow

Our 3 Sons Plus 1... Super Cute Girly Girl

I chose these blogs because they always leave such sweet comments on my blog, and I know they would be great friends of mine outside of blogger world. So thank you again!

Innocence Lost

2010-01-15T13:01:00.000-06:00

I am so saddened about what I read in the news last night. My mother called me to tell me to read our local news online. What I read shocked me, and left me in disbelief. A young girl who attended our church a few years back was arrested for prostitution in a dark area of our city. As I looked at her mug shot she looked hardly unrecognizable behind dark eye make up and bleach blonde hair. She looked sad, lost, and scared. She is only 18, and already a mother.

My mind quickly returned to the day when I first met her. I will call her J. J was sitting on my mother's sofa while her hardworking Christian grandmother helped my mother clean my mother's home that she just moved in to. J was watching a cartoon and wearing girly clothing. Her delicate blonde curls were pulled back with a ribbon. So innocent.

I watched her grow in our church. I watched her struggle with the fact that her parents were in and out of prison while being raised by her grandmother. I saw her raise her hands and worship the Lord from her heart. I listened to her sing at the front of the church all by herself. I attended youth camps and saw her grow in the Lord. She loved God and was a good girl.

After her grandmother passed she began to live with her mother, boyfriend, and eventually a hotel in the darkest part of the city. She became a mother very young headed down a dark road. How she began to fall into the cracks of this world is beyond what I know. My mind floods with thoughts like "What made her choose this life?" "Where is her mother?" "Is there anyone out there that can try to stop her?" But what I do know is that God still loves her. The seed has been planted in her by her grandmother and church family. I hope and pray for her to come home. Back to the Lord.

And as I sit here typing my thoughts I begin to think about all the other young girls and women who are suffering in this world as well. Chained to sin and the things of this world. I can't even begin to imagine my daughters anywhere else but in the will of God, and I pray for wisdom and guidance all the days of my life to train and lead my girls in the ways of the Lord.

So please if you can help me pray for J that she comes back to the Lord because He is the only one who can change her life. God knows who she is and her situation.

Brrrrr

2010-01-09T09:53:00.001-06:00

It's cold! I mean FREEEEZZZIIINNGGG! It's 29 degrees here in the deep south. The low this morning was 18. Don't laugh if you are completely snowed in. Remember, we don't see weather like this at all. In fact the weather man, who is always ~~wrong~~ right said that we haven't seen weather like this since Christmas eve of 89. I was 7, and don't remember. I can remember as a child Thanksgiving and Christmas with 70 and 80 degree weather. Today, I can't stay warm with layers on...and I'm inside with central heat. We don't own scarves, gloves, or hats. We own flip flops, swim suits, and beach toys. Who needs winter gear in south Texas? My children don't seem to mind it because they were crying yesterday evening to play outside on the swing set. I didn't let them. Almost every house around has old blankets and sheets on all their plants. My plants are probably freezing. My husband left real early this morning to drive to the deer lease to sit in a blind in frigid weather to look for deer. No thanks! So what to do today inside is the big question. I think I may make some chicken soup, finish art projects with the girls, learn to crochet ...I'm serious, study the Sunday school lesson for tomorrow morning, and catch up on some laundry. I can't wait for summer, but I know when it's 105 outside I will wish for winter. How are you spending your cold day today?

Hook 'em Horns

2010-01-07T18:21:00.001-06:00

Dear Texas Longhorns,

Everyone here in Texas is going crazy with anticipation for the game you are about to play in a few minutes. Please do your very best and win so everyone in my family will be in a good mood tomorrow!

Thank you and Good Luck!

Jessica

Easy Tortilla Soup

2010-01-05T09:18:00.000-06:00

We woke up this morning to frost on the ground, ice on the windshield, and a thermometer that said 32. That's freezing! Here in south Texas we don't see temperatures like that often, so to me it's super COLD. I don't know about you, but I love to make some yummy soup on a cold day. What I like even more is something quick and easy that can be put together with no problem. This recipe for tortilla soup is so easy, and everyone will love it.

Here is what you need:
4 boneless, skinless chicken thighs
1can (4oz) chopped mild green chilies, drained
2 cloves of garlic, minced (I use garlic powder)
1 yellow onion diced
2 cans (15 oz each) diced tomatoes undrained
1/2 to 1 cup chicken broth (I use a large carton)
1 teaspoon ground cumin
salt and pepper to taste
2 tablespoons chopped fresh cilantro
4 corn tortillas, sliced to 1/4- inch strips
1/2 cup shredded Monterey Jack cheese
1 avocado, peeled, diced and tossed with lime juice to prevent browning

This is how to make it:
1. Place chicken in the Crock Pot slow cooker
2. Combine chilies, garlic, onion, tomatoes, chicken broth, and cumin in a small bowl. Pour mixture over chicken
3. Cover; cook on LOW for 6 hours or HIGH for 3 hours until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; use two forks to shred the meat and return to slow cooker. Adjust seasonings.
4. Just before serving add cilantro and tortillas to slow cooker. Stir to blend.
5. In bowl; top with cheese, avocado, and a squeeze of lime juice.

If you want your tortilla strips crunchy then pop them in the oven at 400 until crunchy.

Enjoy and stay warm!

Not Me Monday...Camping Edition

2010-01-04T12:52:00.000-06:00

Today's Not Me Monday is going to be a hunting/camping version because I would NEVER write a post about how much I ~~HATED~~ strongly disliked my first camping experience. We actually didn't camp out in tents we stayed in an OLD camper which didn't have running water. I would certainly NEVER complain from the second we arrived at the camp site. I would NEVER beg my husband almost to tears to bring me back home on the first day. I also would NEVER bring my designer handbag and shoes on a camping trip thinking I might have some use for them. I would NEVER take my laptop and even hope that there would be some kind of internet service in the middle of nowhere.

I did however enjoy taking pictures of the red dirt roads that lead to NOTHING but cactus.

I also would NEVER allow my daughters to run on a path that leads to the unknown.

As you can tell my girls are WAY under the age of 16 so I would NEVER let them play on a ATV that is made for adults.

...or let them drive away in it

ok...I really didn't let them drive away...honest! And finally, since it was freezing (35 degrees...freezing to me) I would NEVER put a hunting mask on my child who was cold in the morning.

I would really NEVER complain this much!

Family & Goin' Huntin'

2009-12-29T23:03:00.001-06:00

Christmas was great! We had such a great time with family celebrating our Saviour's birth. My girls got WAY to much stuff, and yesterday I spent hours cleaning and organizing this house too accommodate new toys and a New Year. I packed up and put away our Christmas trees and decorations, and before I can blink I will be pulling it all out again for another Christmas. Today my favorite aunt and my favorite cousins came into town from Houston to celebrate a late Christmas with us. We all went out to eat with my grandparents and we had such a great time enjoying each other's company.

This is my cousin Katherine and Delilah

Christina and Celeste

Trinity ate like a big girl today. She refused for me to help her.

My Grandparents, Mom, Aunt, Cousins & Daughters

After we ate we went to our newly remodeled mall, and the girls played in the new play area for kids. They had so much fun, and after about half an hour of playing it was time to go. When I told Celeste we were leaving she looked at me and said, "But Mom I didn't even get to play!" Nice try!

Every year I look forward to my family coming from Houston to visit. We always have such a great time together. It's sad to see them go back home. Oh, and speaking of leaving....my husband has convinced me to go to our deer lease this week and "hunt" with him.

I would never shoot an animal, but I'm going to stay warm indoors with the girls, and have fun. I'm not really a country girl, but I'm going to give it a try. Delilah has already gone once and had a great time so I'm hoping I will too. I will be in the middle of nowhere with no cell phone or internet reception, so I will be back this weekend to tell you ALL about my hunting experience with my family. So have a great rest of the week, and Happy New Year!

2009-12-25T12:45:00.002-06:00

I HOPE everyone

has a Blessed

and Christ filled day!

Marshmallow Cocoa Mix

2009-12-23T08:55:00.001-06:00

I really love to shop...that's no lie! It's one of my favorite things to do on any day, but during Christmas my gift list sometimes is so long that I don't look forward to shopping. What? Did I really say that? I don't like to just buy a gift just to buy one. I like to put some thought behind the gift I'm giving instead of just pulling something off the shelf because I THINK the person might like it. After several years of frustration I decided that most of my gift giving was going to be made by me! Now don't roll your eyes! I know how some people feel about homemade gifts, but mine are super yummy! No it's not fruitcake...no offense to anyone who may give fruitcake as gifts (I personally like it). Simple, easy & delicious marshmallow cocoa mix. I put together this cocoa mix every year, and people LOVE it! Or at least they tell me they do! Here's how I make it...

Ingredients:

25-oz pkg. powdered milk

1-1/2 cup powdered non-dairy creamer

3 cups hot chocolate mix

1-1/2 cup powdered sugar

2 cups mini marshmallows

Combine ingredients

Equally divide into four, one-quart jars

Attach gift tags with instructions to each.

Makes 4 jars

Instructions to make:

Combine 1/2 cup mix with one cup of boiling water.

Makes one serving.

I usually buy some Christmas fabric and cut circles out, and place the fabric over the lid, and under the ring that screws on the jar. I love using raffia to tie around it, but you can use anything. I also make a bunch of candies and goodies to go with the cocoa. I wrap them all up in a basket and tie with a beautiful bow. And there you go, something easy, cost friendly, and fun!

School Christmas Parties & Teacher Gifts

2009-12-21T09:32:00.002-06:00

Last Friday was the last day of school for my girls until 2010. So what do most schools do on that last day? Christmas parties! I had two to attend, and good thing they were at different times. I wanted to make the girl's teachers a gift this year instead of buying the same thing I have done in the past...a candle and picture frame. So I went to Hobby Lobby and gathered up some materials and made this...

I also made one for Delilah's teacher with monkeys in the corners to go with the theme in her classroom. It was so easy and I thought turned out cute. I left space at the bottom of the chalk board so the teacher can write on it with chalk. Celeste's party was so cute and fun. The children exchanged books this year, and Celeste was excited about the book she picked.

Trinity got to sit with the class to eat lunch.

I made some cute reindeer cupcakes for the children. They loved them!

Celeste made me this adorable angel. They wings are her footprints.

Our next stop was Delilah's party. Celeste and Trinty hit the halls running.

The girls enjoyed games, food, and stocking stuffers.

This was a great end to the first half of the school year. I can't believe it! I hope all your little ones who attend school are enjoying their Christmas break!

Christmas Card 2009

2009-12-16T07:20:00.005-06:00

I'm so excited to join the Christmas Card Carousel at Walk With Me By Faith. This will be my first year, and I hope you enjoy our card. As some of you may know already I tried taking my girls pictures on the beach on Thanksgiving, and it was a total failure, but they did awesome the second time around. Here are some pictures before I show you the final card that I love so much.

It was so hard trying to get the girls to all look and smile at the same time. I love to look through all the pictures and see their different faces. So funny! I chose three pictures for our card this year...

And finally our card..

Merry Christmas!

The Nester Christmas Tour of Homes

2009-12-13T23:34:00.001-06:00

Welcome to my blog! My name is Jessica, and I hope you enjoy touring my home that I have decorated for Christmas. Some decorations have been passed down to me from my grandmother, some were made for me as a child, some I bought, and some are made by my daughters (my favorite). I'm not going to do much explaining with words..mostly pictures. Enjoy!

Our tree...rotates...love it!

Some of my favorite ornaments...birds, nativity, personalized & homemade...

My mom gave me this set of ornaments a few years ago.

I love them because they play music when opened up.

I decorated the top of the entertainment center with lighted garland and angels at the top.

My grandmother made me this stocking when I was 2.

I have used it every year since then, and I always will.

My grandmother has gone on to be with the Lord, and this brings back sweet Christmas memories

when I hang this every year.

My grandmother also made this tree skirt that my mother used for so many years.

My mom recently gave it to me.

My daughter made this wreath last year in school.

I added the bow. I love it!

Ok...the next tree is in my daughter's room.

They really wanted to decorate it themselves this year, so I let them...

and this is what you get when a 6, 3 &1 year old decorate a tree...so proud!

My entry way table decorations.

The three candles under the nativity represent gold, frankincense & myrrh.

A few outdoor decorations...

These beautiful girls were my helpers. They did a great job helping. I hope you enjoyed touring my home. Thank you to The Nester for hosting this great tour of Christmas Homes. Head over to her blog to tour other homes. You are more than welcome to come back to my blog anytime. This week I will show our finally finished Christmas card, and also some homemade Christmas gifts that I have been working on. Thanks again, and enjoy this wonderful time of year which we get to celebrate our Saviour's birth.

Enjoying the Christmas Season

2009-12-12T10:37:00.003-06:00

As a family we have been enjoying the cold weather and Christmas season over here in Texas. It has been in the 40s and 50s and beautiful outside. Yes, those are cold temperatures for us. We are used to 70s and 80s this time of year. Last Friday we even had some snow flurries come our way. It was so nice to get a touch of "winter weather". Some joke that our four seasons here are summer, summer, summer, summer. We have been drinking hot chocolate at night, listening to Christmas music, making homemade gifts, and drawing some Christmas pictures like this one from Delilah...

I love the way she spelled Rudolph the red nosed reindeer. So cute. Last Thursday night Celeste had a Christmas program at her school. The theme was It's a Cowboy Christmas.

I tried to take good pictures, but I was in the very back of the church holding Trinity who was kicking and yelling. When we got home I wanted to record her singing her favorite song from her program...

Trinity loved the hat.

Last night we took the girls to our hometown's annual Christmas parade. It was cold and rainy, but the girls still had a great time, and Celeste was excited to see "Clause".

I hope everyone is enjoying the best time of year. Next week I will be showing you some of the great homemade gifts I have been working on! Stay warm!