Reflections... Part 2

Ok, so I left of at Jon and I having to make a HUGE decision.  We were faced with having to get the birth father of Austin to sign over his rights so that Jon could become his "on paper" dad.  He was already the daddy of Austin.  He played with him, gave him baths, put him to bed, and loved him.  Thats what a true dad is all about. 

The day came for us to go in front of the judge and let her decide if Jon was "fit" for daddy material.  Of course, he passed with flying colors.  So now Austin is Austin Bryce Andrew Russell.  We added Andrew in the mix because Caden was an Andrew and so was Jon.  Anyway, back to truckin' along just fine.  Jon had a good job, I had a good job, we bought our first house.. but really its a town house. 

I stopped working when Caden was 2 1/2.  Jon and I decided I was going to stay home and take care of the kids and I would do a part time job while Austin was in Kindergarten and Caden was still in daycare.  Well daycare was so expensive, that I ended up taking caden out and staying home with him all the time.  That proved to be really hard for me.  I felt like Caden needed more than just me all the time.  Our Church has a wonderful day school that God blessed us with.  He gave us a full scholarship for Caden to attend three days a week.  It was awesome.  By this time, I had decided that I didnt want to be just a mom and a house wife.  That was a little on the dull side for me.  

After much thinking, I had decided I wanted to be a wedding planner / coordinator.  By now I was a 23 year old mom of two children and finally had figured out what I wanted to do in life.  I did some online classes and got my degree in wedding planning.  I never knew there was a degree for that, but I guess these days there is a degree for anything.  

I love what I do and love the fact that I can do it while still being a mom and a wife.  Granted I now have three jobs... mom, wife, wedding planner... but its still fun and keeps me going.  

So now here I sit, 25.. almost 26 years old with a very supportive loving husband, two beautiful children, and a job I love.  Who knew it would have turned out to be like this.  Me... 16 and pregnant... 19 and pregnant again.  God works in so many ways.  He has stood by me though all the hardships and I could never thank him enough. 

Well Im glad you decided to read!  Hope you guys have a wonderful weekend!

P.S. I have a wedding this weekend, so wish me luck.  Its a pretty big one.  One that I have been working on for over a year now. 

Reflections

As I was driving home this morning from taking Austin to school, I started thinking about my life.  The many things I had to do today and what needed to be done tomorrow and so on.  Then I stopped and thought about high school.  Dont know why but, high school popped in my head and I started remembering all these things I used to do in high school and where I was 10 years ago. 

So this is where I was 10 years ago and what I've gone through to get to where I am today.

10 Years ago I was a sophmore in High School.  I like to consider myself a pretty popular gal.  I was 15... almost 16.  Good grades, im sure they could have been better.  I was "THAT" girl next door kind of girl.  Didnt skip school, didnt drink, didnt do drugs... sorta the good girl.  But I was terribly in lust... not love... with a huge jerk who didnt really care what happened to me.  I did, however, have a good group of friends.  Maybe they did some bad things, but they were true to me and would always be there for me.  I dont really remember my expectations in life.  I had no clue what I wanted to be when "I grew up".  But with all that said, that very next year, I ended up pregnant in High School about to start my senior year, not knowing what I was going to do.  I thought that "dad" was the one I was going to be with forever.  Or at least I thought forever, back then forever was at least a few years which turned into feeling like an eternity. 

The pregnancy was not the worst thing in the world.  Now I look back and know God had to have been in this from the very beginning.  He made me stronger throught it all.  I pressed on, deciding to stay in school and keep going.  But that wasnt the case.  I ended up dropping out in November because it had gotten too hard to get up in the mornings, by then I was 7 months pregnant.  Barely fitting in the desk.  I can remember walking to the bathroom at school and having people stare at me.  Not what a senior in high school wanted.  So, I left school. At 17 I had my beautiful baby boy, Austin Bryce on January 31st.  He was tiny.  Only 6lbs 2oz.  I have to say I was pretty proud of myself not gaining a whole bunch of weight.  I delivered at 154lbs.  Oh but did it take me forever to loose that weight. (but that another post) 

Long long story short, 3 weeks shy of my 18th birthday, I ended up with a good job at an international shipping company, thanks to my aunt.  I stayed there for about 2 1/2 years.  Really liked what I did, but didnt like who I was working under.  During that time, I had almost gotten married to the.. once dad.. of Austin, moved in with my mom, moved out on my own into a one bedroom apartment, had been approached by my future husband, switched jobs, and completely moved on from my old life. 

At age 18 life was looking pretty good.  I moved out from the one bedroom and found a two bedroom that close to my mom.  She has always been there and will always HAVE to be there for me.  Shes like my left arm.  Ha.  I had great support from my family.  My sis and mom basically helped raise Austin with me.  Then my hubby stepped in the picture.  Oh he was so handsome and he adored me and Austin.  Still does today.  So things were going pretty well.  I turned 19.  Things still going well. 

Another bump in the road hit.  Pregnant again!  Oh no, What was I to do.  I had only been with Jon for 6 months.  Would he love me, would he stay.  The other guy left and didnt care about either of us.  I called Jon crying the day I found out I was pregnant.  He, of course, came running to my rescue.  He assured me he would always be there and never leave. 

We got married 2 months later.  It was a great wedding.  Horse and carriage took us away.  Granted I was 4 months pregnant by then, but I still looked pretty good in my dress.  Austin was only 2 1/2 when we got hitched, but he was the cutest ring bearer EVER!.  Jon and I worked great together.  Caden Andrew was born February 18th.  He wasnt so tiny.  Just average for a newborn.  7lbs 8 oz.  Super cute of course.  (I make cute babies) 

Just truckin' along.  I had gotten a new job, back in the international shipping business.  Things going well between everyone in the family and then Jon and I had to make a HUGE decision. 

Come back tomorrow for the ending of the story and where I am today in life.

Oh the suspense.

Clean House

I dont know about you guys, but I love a clean house.  There is not a feeling in the world as good as laying in bed knowing your house is spic and span.  My husband always says he can't tell the difference, but I dont see how.  The floors are clean, bathrooms spotless, sheets changed.  So what do your cleaning days look like?

This is how mine goes.  I usually clean on Thursdays.  Nothing special about Thursday, just close enough to the weekend where I wont have to do much on Saturday and Sunday, and far enough in the week for the house to have a much needed clean. 

First I always start with the Bathrooms.  Don't really know why, but once they are cleaned, I can take a breath of fresh air... well probably scrubbing bubbles air.  Ha!

Changing the bed sheets is next.  Clean fresh sheets are the best.  So crisp. 

Next, would be dusting.  Oh how I HATE dusting.  I think its nasty and it makes me feel so dirty.  I would take the bathrooms over dusting any day.

Then there is vacuuming.  I think that would be the icing on the cake.  Vacuuming just ties it all up and makes everything look better.

Last would be the sweeping and moping.  Moping I have to say is the worst chore in the book.  It takes so much effort and if you dont have a really good mop, you are just wasting your time.  I have hard wood floors and tile floors and have to use two different products.  Hard wood floor stuff and then warm water and vinager for the tile.  (Dont get me started on the tile floors, that for another post for sure!)

I like to consider laundry a chore as well.  But for some reason that gets put on the back burner and I always end up folding two or three loads at 9 o'clock at night.  I will say that the boys are helpful with putting away the laundry, just not folding it.  Maybe we should work on that. 

I made mention of a new chore schedule that my family started.  We started it last week and I have to say it was a little rocky.  This week hasnt started off well either.  I didnt have much help last night so maybe tonight will be better. 

What does your cleaning schedule look like?  Is it as nitty gritty as mine? 

Things I Heart

Good Monday Morning to everyone!  I hope you guys had a wonderful weekend!  I sure did. 

I want to share with you a few things I heart.  These are things that I have tried and love them. 

Hanes sport socks (ankle)

They are the best socks EVER! They have wonderful arch support plus they are made with a fabric that wisks away moisture. You should try them!

Emeril stainless steel pots and pans

I got these over two years ago and still love them to death. They cook great and all my food turns out wonderful. I bought them from

Bed Bath and Beyond.

All Detergent

I used to use only Gain, but when I started the coupon thing, I ended up getting this All detergent for Super cheep and totally fell in love with it.  Its smell great! 

 

Silicone Wisk

Ok, i have to admit, that I dont actually have one, but I would really love to get one.  They just look fun and I love the colors they come in. 

Purdee Blue paint brush

I dont actually have one, but my Husband does.  He says this is the Cadillac of all Paint brushes.  There is no other paint brush better than this one.  They make regular Purdee brushes, but his is a Purdee blue. 

What are some things you heart?

Friday Ponderings

Back to the Friday Ponderings.

This week has been a very busy week!  I have a wedding May 2nd that I have been getting ready for.  Since I was sick all last week, I basically lost an entire week of my life laying in bed.  So this week was catch up week.  From running the streets of the market downtown looking for "charlestonian" cards to dropping ribbon off at a chocolate store.  Two visits to "If its Paper".  Then I was off to AC Moore and Hancock Fabric.  I was everywhere this week!  But at least I can say, Im basically finished running around and now can concentrate on the bride and groom arriving on Tuesday and I can finish the remainding "to do" list. 

Jon has saturday day off... Thank goodness!!  Its hard to see him have to work 5 days a week and then go back to work on Saturday.  At least he will get to spend sometime with the boys this weekend.  Maybe some water guns or bike riding is in the schedule.

I have a coupon workshop saturday.  Last year I did my first workshop at my church.  I did it just as an outreach to help others in the church, but they asked me to do another one so I agreed.  I have to admit, I havent really prepared for this one at all, so hopefully the good Lord will guide my words through it all.

Last but not least, Hanna over at Aspire is doing a "fave foto" linky.  Go check it out.  This is my fave foto of our family.  It is so hilarious, I laugh everytime I see it.

This was one attempt at our family photo for Christmas.  We didnt want the traditional photo where you go in a studio and get them done.  So we sat down in front of the inlaws fireplace and starting taking pics.  Austin of course had to act goofy and after a few, this is what happened.  We all had a good laugh and we ended up putting this one on our christmas card inbetween a good shot of the boys and a good shot of Jon and I.  It was very humorious!

I hope you all have a GREAT weekend!

Did someone say "the beach" ?

In previous posts, I have mentioned that I LOVE the beach!  I decided to dedicate a post on how I can get out of the house, be on our way to the beach in 30 minutes.  Now, this includes getting myself ready, bag packed, cooler packed, and boys lathered and ready to go.  I will give you some key tips to help get you prepared and not so rushed to get going.  One of my pet peeves is not getting a good parking spot at the beach.  Who wants to lug all your beach stuff half a mile?  Not me!  So this should help you get going earlier in the AM so you dont have to fight for a parking spot.

Tip # 1:  Always keep a beach bag packed.  Key essentials: Sunscreen, chap stick, face stick, and a hat/visor.  If you keep this bag packed, then all you have to do is fill it with the towels and go.

Tip # 2:  I always lather myself and my boys up before I go to the beach.  One, it needs to soak in a little, two, no kid wants their mom to rub them down with sand all over them.  That just hurts.  So, lather up before leaving the house.  Oh yeah - you might want to invest in the spray sun screen too.  I use the lotion for home and the spray for the beach.  That way noone get irritated with the sand rubbing them.

Tip # 3:  Have the cooler on stand by.  I keep my cooler out on our porch in easy reach.  I just grab it, fill it with water and some juice boxes then fill it with our lunch. 

Tip # 4:  Keep lunch simple!  I just pack sandwiches for the boys and I.  Sandwich, juice box, some chips, fruit, and maybe a junk food snack.  Depends on how long we plan to stay at the beach. 

Tip # 5: If you can, Keep the car partially packed.  During the summer, you will always find my beach chair in the back of our SUV.  It folds down, so its not in anyones way.  Come beach day, the boys grab their toys and we load up.  Car is packed in under 5 minutes.

Tip # 6:  Last tip - Let you kids be responsible for things.  Get them involved in packing the car, bag, getting the beach towels, etc.  Why should you run around like a chicken with its head cut off trying to get things packed when they are loathing in front of the tube?  I tell my boys, if you want to play with it at the beach, then you go find it and pack it.  If you want googles, you get them.  If you want a towel, go get it.  If you want your boogie board, get it.  It think you get the idea.  

So I hope this has helped you have an easier beach plan.  Now that I have the beach routine down pat, I enjoy it so much more. 

Happy Tanning!

Convenience

Have you ever thought about how convenient things are these days?  I often take things for granted, even down to the little things in life like microwavable pancakes.  I was fixing my son his normal breakfast, pancakes, and realized how convenient it really was not having to wake up every morning and make fresh pancakes.  I know it sounds silly but think about your normal day.  How many things can you think of that are so convenient and we dont even think about actually having to do it the hard way. 

For instance...

 

The microwave pancakes as opposed to homemade pancakes.

Carton OJ as opposed to fresh squeezed OJ

A car to get around as opposed to a bicycle

I dont know about you guys, but the fresh OJ and homemade pancakes look so much better than the store bought ones. 

Just a thought for today.  Think about all the convenient things in life and thank God for them.  Thank Him that you have the luxury to be able to have these things. 

Have a blessed day!

Blog Switch with 24 Hour Days

Taking a little break from "Friday Pondering" today.  Theres not much to ponder on this week, only, When will I get better?  Thats about it.  So instead I will be doing my first blog swap  with a very cute mom over at "24 Hour Days".  We are trying to get to know each other a little and had some questions to help other bloggers learn more about us and our blogs.  Hope you enjoy reading both of our blogs. 

(side note for Carissa - you are mentioned at the end. 

Such a small blogging world!)

Here is the interview I did with her.

1.  Why "24 Hour Days"?    I named my blog "24 Hour Days" becuase as a mom, we are on 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.  Being a mom is a job, the most rewarding, beautiful job anyone can have, but a job, in my eyes, nonetheless.  We don't have days off or sick days.  We are on call all the time.  Its nuts, but I love it. 

2. When you aren't blogging what are you doing? -   Well, taking care of Caelyn, cooking, cleaning, etc, and spending as much time I get with Robert as I can. I also go to college 3 days a week currently, in the fall I will go 5 days a week (not to many hours though). I work 2 days a weekend as a waitress to give myself some extra spending money for me and baby items i just have to have haha. When I'm not doing any of those things? I read as much as I can, I love to find new recipes to experiment and try. I like to take walks and watch reality tv shows on MTV like 16 & Pregnant and Teen Mom.



3. What kind of hobbies to you have? - I would say my latest hobby is cooking. I just love it and I love to find new recipes. It is so interesting how different spices create different tastes.



4. What is one of the craftiest things you have made or refinished? - I'm not huge on crafts - well I have a lot that I want to make, but just haven't had the time. My favorite craft I've done and the simplest by far was I made a plastic bag holder! We had tons of those darn walmart bags. So I cut down to 20 and made a cute holder for our kitchen door. I love it!



5. Bringing it back to the wedding planner side of me, What does your dream wedding look like? - Oh boy, you're opening a big can! haha I will try to keep it short! I want something rustic, with the colors of lavender and light green - wicker -candles in mason jars - twigs and branches. If you've ever seen pictures of Alyssa Milano's weding I swear she took her ideas from my mind. I think one of the most important things I want, besides a wedding in my Catholic Church I belong to locally, is that at the reception I do NOT want a buffet! I come from a HUGE, and I mean huge, mostly Italian, family. I love my family and some of my greatest memories are dinners. I want each table to have platters of food and salad etc and to pass the bowl around and serve yourself at your seat like you do at home! Weddings are family times - I want my wedding to be down home, rustic, outdoorsy, and centered on my wonderful, huge family. Whoa - Poor Robert haha.



6. Do you want more children and if so, how many more? - Yes!! At least 2 more. Robert gets shocked everytime I saw at least 2 more - hopefully the next one within 4 years - after graduating and hopefully a wedding!



7. What is your favorite TV show, book, and movie? - My favorite TV show is Wife Swap! That show cracks me up. Book? For sure it is The Godfather by Mario Puzo -hands down the best book and movie also!

 8. What kind of plans do you have in the future for "24 hour days"? - My followers can expect to see me grow as a mother, learning new things and the crazy things that will happen in my life. I do want to do reviews, but I am going to stick to reviews on items I believe my readers can benefit from and focus on family. I dont want to do too many - I've seen too many blogs loaded with them. I want to show my readers new fun items for parenting that they can use. I want to expand my blog, made one day open a business along side it. Who knows - but it will grow.


9. Can you name a few other blogs that you love reading?

Love, Actually - http://loveactually-blog.blogspot.com/

lowercase letters - http://www.carissagraham.com/

Mama Notes - http://www.mamanotes.com/
Just A Night Owl - http://justanightowl.com/
365 days: 30+ Mommyhood - http://365daysofbeing30andamommy.blogspot.com/
...back to the basics... http://www.back2basicsblog.com/

So thats the interview.  Head on over to her blog and read my interview.  Enjoy and leave us some comment love!

Baklava Recipe

Since Ive been sick, Ive been watching alot of Food Network and Design shows.  Since not much is going on in my world right now, I thought I would share with you this super yummy recipe I saw Sandra Lee making on her show Semi Homemade Cooking. 

It is Almond Baklava.  Im not sure I would use almonds just because I dont really like them so I would probably use pecans.  Here is the recipe.

For syrup:
2/3 cup honey
1/3 cup premium orange juice
1/3 cup water


For baklava:
3 cups whole natural almonds, roasted
1 3/4 cups sugar
1 tablespoon ground cinnamon
1 teaspoon allspice
1/4 teaspoon salt
3 sticks unsalted butter, melted and cooled slightly
1-pound package phyllo dough, thawed for 15 to 30 minutes if frozen


Directions
 
Syrup:

Combine ingredients in a microwave-safe container, and cook on high heat 1 minute. Stir and cook 1 more minute. Let cool to room temperature, then refrigerate until cold.

Baklava:
Put oven rack in middle position and preheat oven to 350 degrees F. Place almonds in a food processor and process with sugar, cinnamon, allspice and salt until almonds are roughly ground.

Generously brush a 13 by 9 by 2-inch glass baking dish with melted butter. Halve phyllo sheets crosswise and stack sheets. Keep stack covered with 2 overlapping sheets of plastic wrap and then a dampened clean kitchen towel. Lay 2 sheets of phyllo in bottom of baking dish and brush top sheet generously with butter. Add a couple of tablespoons of almond mixture. Continue to layer 2 sheets at a time, staggering sheets in each double layer slightly to cover bottom of dish, brushing every second sheet generously with butter and add 1 cup of the almond mixture, until 10 sheets of phyllo have been used, total. Brush top layer of phyllo with butter. Let baklava stand at room temperature to harden slightly, about 10 to 15 minutes.


Using a sharp knife, cut baklava into 6 equal squares, then cut each piece in half diagonally to make 12 triangles. Be sure to cut all the way through.
Bake baklava until golden, 50 minutes to 1 hour. Transfer dish to a rack to cool, then slowly pour cold syrup around edges of hot baklava, in between all cuts, and over top. Let stand at room temperature at least 8 hours. Cover when baklava is at room temperature. Do not chill.
Baklava keeps in an air-tight container up to 1 week.

Doesnt it sound so delish?  It sounds a little difficult, but when she was making it on TV it look really simple.  I think I might try it once I get better and if I do, I will make sure to update you on how it turned out.   

 
 

Break time

Im taking a break today.  Im at home sick with strep throat.  I havent had this in probably 10 years or more.  I have forgotten how miserable it makes you feel.  So, I will be laying in bed for the third day in a row hoping all the rest will make me feel better. 

Please say a prayer for me!

Green is so IN!

I have to say that I picked an excellent color for my bedroom decor.  Green!  It's very much in these days and there isnt a store that I go in that doesnt have something in green.  From pillows, curtains, lamps, throws, and furniture, its turned into the new black!  Take a look at these pics and tell me you don't just love these green shades!

 

Photo courtesy of the late Domino Magazine

Photo courtesy of Pieces

Photo courtesy of reigninggifts.com

I heart green!  What color do you love?

Chores

The word chores doesnt sound fun to me.  So tell me how I am supposed to make it fun for my children.  Probably not going to happen until they finally get into the routine and dont mind doing them anymore.  Jon and I sat down a little over a week ago and he decided that he didnt want me doing all the cleaning around the house anymore.  He wanted to help and he wanted the boys to help as well.  So he asked me to complie a list so he could know what to when.  So I made this very cute spreadsheet and would love to upload it for you to look at, but my computer hates me so it wont let me.  Anyway, today is the starting day.  Hopefully the boys will jump right in to help and not complain. 

Has anyone else have problems getting their kids to do chores? 

Friday Ponderings

Im very glad its Friday.  How about ya'll? 

Spring Break has been here all week.  They boys have been out of school and I dont know about you guys, but I'm ready to get back in the swing of things.  As much as I LOVE the beach, Im ready to have a little time to myself to be able to think, work, clean house, etc. 

I haven't really done much exercising lately.  I fell off the wagon a little.  I thankfully havent gained any weight back and I sit comfortably at 129lbs, But I would still like to tone it up a bit to look a little nicer in my bathing suit.  So Monday, I will be starting to run again and possibly a little weight lifting. 

Bathing suits bring me to one important topic.  What is up with people not wearing the appropriate suit for their body type?  If you have a muffin or some love handles maybe you should consider wearing a one piece or ever a tankini.  We dont want to see ALL that you have.  Save that for alone time with your significant other.  My poor husband works near the beach and has to drive that drive almost everyday and the people he sees... WOW... its amazing how much people can just BARE IT ALL and not care!!

My dad has been in town for the past week and I just love seeing him and hanging out with him.  The boys love playing nintendo with him too.  He leaves tomorrow, but hopefully we will get to see him again soon.  Maybe a trip to Florida is in our future.  Maybe!

Has anyone else waited til the last minute to do their taxes?  We did.  We just dropped them off last night to our accountant.  I felt horrible waiting so long, but it really just crept right up on us.  Last year we had to pay and Im sure we will have to pay this year too.  The days of getting back 6 grand are WAY over.  Now I have to play that waiting game until the accountant calls with the dreaded number of how much we owe.  I dont know about yall, but i hate our tax system.  Enough said!

I'll leave you with some pictures of our Easter. 
Have a great weekend!! 

They didnt think I was looking and they were trying to sneak some candy.

Target

I dont know about you guys, but I heart Target!!  Target is the best place to get clearance items that are good quality.  If you looking for new but dont want to pay a ton of money, go to Target and walk the clearance end caps. 

I went to Target yesterday with my dad, sister, her baby, and my two boys.  Why we took everyone, dont ask.  It was an adventure in itself.  Normally when I go to Target, I ... number one... always go alone... and number two... always walk the clearance end caps.  I rarely buy anything that is not on clearance. 

Yesterday, while walking the isles for clearance items, I found these two end tables.  They were 50% off the original price of $60.00.  If you have read my past post about re-doing our master bedroom, you would have known that I was in need of two night stands.  I finally found them and they are so nice.  I text my husband twice to try and clear it with him, but he never text me back, so I made the call and bought them. 

Here is a picutre of what they look like.  Tell me what you think!

Coffee.. does a body good

Coffee!  Its the first thing I reach for in the mornings.  I used to hate coffee, but I seem to like it more and more these days.  We drink Foldgers Medium roast.  Jon had made it for the past 5 1/2 years but I recently started making it instead.  So he showed me how to make it and oh my... the amount of coffee grinds he puts in that thingy.  It's crazy.  You could basically chew our coffee.  Ha!  But i have to say it is so good and strong.  Im awake about 10 minutes after my first sip. 

I like to use sugar, powdered creamer (plain), and a touch of heavy whipping cream.  The whipping cream makes it so creamy.  Jon says mine tastes like a marshmallow. 

Jon uses that coffee mate liquid Hazelnut creamer.  Its ok, but its not a marshmallow.  Haha!

One last note.  I will take a starbucks coffee drink over my foldgers ANY day.  I usually get a Mocha Frapp or a Cafe Vanilla Frapp or a Iced non fat no whip white chocolate mocha.  MMMMM... maybe ill stop and get one today. 

How do you drink your coffee?

Brand Spankin' New

Well, It took me about two weeks, but its finally here.  The brand new blog called "6 inches of Ribbon".  I hope you like the new layout and funky fonts and such.  Let me know what you think!   Oh and Grab my new button too!

Friday Ponderings

Happy Good Friday Everyone! 

Today markes a very speacial day because Jesus died on the Cross for our sins!!  Today Jesus was beaten, bruised, crushed, and tormented just for you and I.  What an ultimate sacrifice!  During this time, I'm often reminded of a great song that Third Day wrote over 10 years ago. 
Its called the "Love Song".  Just reading it is great but if you want to hear the song, Ive posted a link at the end.  Take today to reflect the beauty of Christ and what He's done for you! 

   I've heard it said that a man would climb a mountain 

Just to be with the one he loves

How many times has he broken that promise

It has never been done.

I've never climbed the highest mountain

But I walked the hill of calvary

Chorus:

Just to be with you, I'd do anything

There's no price I would not pay

Just to be with you, I'd give everything

I would give my life away.

I've heard it said that a man would swim the ocean

Just to be with the one he loves

But all of those dreams are an empty emotion

It can never be done

I've never swam the deepest ocean

But I walked upon the raging sea

Repeat chorus

 

(Bridge) I know that you don't understand

the fullness of My love

How I died upon the cross for your sins

And I know that you don't realize

how much that I gave you

But I promise, I would do it all again.

Just to be with you, I've done everything

There's no price I did not pay

Just to be with you, I gave everything

Yes, I gave my life away.

 http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-zqYJj5ucG8

 

Cute Kid favors

I started out baking early yesterday.  I thought I had the cutest idea for the boys to give out cookies packaged in cute little bags for Easter.  i baked over 80 cookies for the boys.  Each package had one sugar cookie and one chocolate chip cookie wrapped in tissue paper.  They turned out really cute, but it took a while to bake all the cookies. 

They turned out very cute.  I bought the paper bags from target on clearance and the sticker seals came from office depot. 

I printed "Happy Easter" on them.   

What do you think?

Before & After

About a week ago I started working on a new coak board.  I looked all over town for the perfect frame that I could sand and paint.  I finally found a good one at Goodwill.  It had an awful picture in it but the frame was nice.  Here is the before and after pictures.

(The pictures didnt turn out too well becuase our camera is broken.  It was dropped back in February and now we cant see the screen of what we are taking a picture of.  It still takes pic but we just dont know what we are taking a picture of.  So its a luck of the draw)

Wood frame/Awful picture

Now Sanded and painted white

My Finished product.  I hot glued ribbon on it to jazz it up a little.

By the way, that is the color of my office.  You can read about me redoing my office here.  I havent revealed the office yet because Im not finished all the way.  I will be done soon though!