Favorite Friday

Man, I love broadband cards. I am on the interstate with my shoes off, sitting beside Chris as he is driving and I am blogging! This puts a whole new perspective on traveling! This is great!!

My favorite candy that has chocolate in it is the Reese's Peanut Butter Trees. Bummer is that they only come out at Christmas time! Man, I can't wait to get my hands on one now!

Thankful Thursday

#1 I am thankful for sleepy children. The ladies at church had game night tonight and Chris wasn't feeling good. Luckily, Hannah seemed pretty sleepy and so I put her to bed at 6.50 tonight and made sure Chris was OK in bed and left. I just couldn't miss game night!

#2 I am thankful for laptops. Because of laptops I am going to get to work from home 2 days a week! Yippeeeeeee!

#3 I am thankful for soft toilet paper. I think the reasons are pretty obvious so I won't list them. Can you imagine if we all had to use school toilet paper all the time?? Craziness.

Once Again ...

... Daddy has found Hannah's tickle spot. Be careful, the giggle may be contagious!

Miss Teen USA 2007

Poor thing. She must have been so nervous. Everyone in the media is picking on her. I guess you can't help but giggle.

High School

Alright, Kelli, here it goes!

High School Questionnaire

1. Who was your best friend? There was a group of us that hung out most of the time from church: Alaina, Sara Jo, Leslie, Len, and Nick. From school: Definitely Traci.

2. Did you play any sports? Not for real. I liked to dress like a soccer player and I love to play volleyball for fun. I am not good at it but I like it anyway.

3. What kind of car did you drive? At first I drove a Ford Taurus and then the transmission went out in it and so I got a Ford Escort. That Escort and I had lots of fun times together!

4. It’s Friday night. Where were you? With one of the friends I mentioned in #1. Either a sleep over, a football game, or on my way to a youth rally with the church group.

5. Were you a party animal? Not at all.

6. Were you considered a flirt? Some thought I was. Some just took the fact that I wasn't scared of boys as flirting.

7. Were you in the band, orchestra or choir? No No No. Can't keep a beat, can't carry a tune.

8. Were you a nerd? I don't know. I didn't do much with a lot of people from school. I don't think I was in the youth group crowd but I may have been at school.

9. Were you ever suspended or expelled? No

10. Can you sing the fight song? No

11. Who was your favorite teacher? I can picture him but I have no idea what his name was. He was one of my science teachers. He was really nerdy and weird but he was nice, and genuine, and funny. I also liked the subject and got an A.

12. What was your school mascot? Titans

13. Did you go to the Prom? Yes!

14. If you could go back, would you? In some parts yes and in some no. I miss youth rallys and all the people we saw and kept up with but I don't really miss the high school years. I would much rather be here and now with my hubby!

15. What do you remember most about graduation? Big Party at the Branches for all of us. It was unbelievable.

16. Where were you on Senior Skip Day? I don't remember if we even had one.

17. Did you have a job your senior year? I worked at Putt Putt Golf and Games. I think I can still beat Chris at Putt Putt. he he he!

18. Where did you go most often for lunch? Cafeteria. I really liked school pizza and french fries. Yummmy!

19. Have you gained weight since then? OH YES! It is very sad.

20. What did you do after graduation? Went to College

21. What year did you graduate? 1997

22. Who was your Senior Prom Date? Nate Burns

23. Are you going/did you go to your 10 year reunion? NO, it is in 2 weeks and I just can't get back there to go.

That was pretty fun!
Everyone who has a blog and hasn't done this yet.... I think you should!!!

I Am

I got this in an email from my Aunt Teresa a while ago. I was reminded of it this weekend.

My husband teaches 4th graders on Sunday mornings. He had studied his lesson. He had all of the activities prepared. He was ready to go. One of the activities was that he asked each student in the class to come up to the white board and write a word to describe God. He did that first thing and it ended up that he went thru all the kids quite a few times and before they knew it, class time was up. They spent the entire hour of class thinking of characteristics of God.

It was a kind of an accident but I think it had an effect on the students and the teacher. The board was completely full of these words. I even heard of some of the students wanting their parents to see it. God is so many things.... Remember that we are, most importantly, His!! Thank Goodness.

God

1. Just
2. Loving
3. Kind
4. Forgiving
5. Creator
6. Beginning
7. End
8. Fair
9. Merciful
10. Father
11. Truthful
12. Peace
13. Judge
14. Giving
15. Constant

What else can you all think of?

Not Satisfied

I was not quite satisfied with the sleepy pictures from the mornings I posted last time. They just didn't capture the craziness that I wanted to capture. It makes me giggle just thinking about getting her up in the morning. It is so fun. Anyway, here are a few more. It could never really capture what I see but these show a little more....

Dress

For some reason, on Saturday, this dress just struck me as SO cute. I loved it. It is a hand me down, of course. Have I ever mentioned that I am thankful for hand me downs?

Favorite Friday

In light of the fact that we think that fall will NEVER come and the temperatures will NEVER be under 100 degrees, for Favorite Friday I am going to tell you my favorite thing about fall.

The color of the leaves. I love looking at them, they are just beautiful. I also love my Grandmom's eyes when fall comes. She loves it so much and sees such beauty in it. I like for fall to come just for her!!!

Arm Yourselves

I watched something on the show The Outsiders on ABC last night. It was very disturbing and I think you all should know about it and Arm yourselves with the Sword.

There is a man from Puerto Rico who believes that he is "the same spirit" as Jesus Christ and he is Jesus' second coming. He has won over lots of people in others countries and is now coming to the US. He has a church in Miami and Texas.

He is very contradictory and of course not Jesus Christ. I worry about these people coming near me and my family. Watch and read these things on him so that you will know what he believes and you can arm yourself for when you have to face those who want to believe him.

He teaches that there is no sin and no hell and "organized" religion is bad, but that he believes in the Bible. This is what lots of people want to hear. They want to hear that we will all be saved. They want to hear that it doesn't matter what you do. They want to hear that it is OK to forsake the assembly. They want to hear that the "little things" don't matter. Oh how easy! This belief will be very tempting. The Lord never said it would be easy.

The scripture also says that when Jesus comes back we will ALL know!
There are people worshiping this MAN! This is very scary!
Pray for these people.

Watch the information on this WEBSITE.
Read the information on this WEBSITE.

Thankful Thursday

#1
I am thankful for my Christopher. He is so good to me. I have already started telling Hannah on a regular basis not to settle for anyone less that what her father is like. She should only have the best. I pray that Hannah finds someone who completes her the way Chris completes me. (I am not trying to quote a movie... I am serious.)

#2
I am thankful for those ergonomic keyboards. With as much typing as I have to do at work, if I did not have one, I would be hurting. I got something in my wrists that was very painful before Hannah was born. It wasn't carpel tunnel but I can't remember the name of it. Anyway, my company got me that keyboard and it has helped tremendously.

#3
I am thankful for calculators. When Chris and I are thinking of our budget or paying our bills or balancing the check book. I am not sure what we would do if we did not have a calculator. We would confuse ourselves and it would take three times as long. Craziness.

Too Picky

Some may call me too picky but I have to share my story of the shoes.

Hannah goes to Day Care. This means that she wears shoes every day. They are not allowed, at this age, to wear open toed shoes. Too many little toes to get stubbed and stepped on. She has only been wearing shoes to school since she has been walking, so she has, so far, only had one pair of tennis shoes that she has regularly worn all day every day. These were hand me downs and absolutely wonderful. We all loved them very much. (If you want to see them, go look at her 12 month pictures on Julie's website. AND thank you, Kelli for passing down the wonderful shoes to us!!) She has now outgrown the shoes, so much that we felt bad putting them on her, so we have been sending her to school in her faux crocks. That was fine but dirt would get into them and bother her, sometimes she would not have one or either of her shoes on when we got there to pick her up, and they seem to just cause the teachers more trouble than what it was worth.

So, at first, I wanted exactly what we had before but the next size, then I realized they may be too much to ask.

Here is what I was looking for:
Must be Velcro (I don't think I should have to deal with laces at age 1).
No white shoes with characters on them.
Cute.
Not too expensive.
Would go with something more expensive if they were unisex.

Here is where I looked:
Online -
Wal Mart
Osh Gosh Bgosh
Target
Circo
Kohls
Adidas
Mudd
Sketchers
Amazon
JCPenny
Sears
Belk
Dillards
Macys
Baby Gap
Talbot Kids
The Childrens Place
Googled it
New Balance
Gymboree
Shoe Carnival
Payless
In Person -
Baby Gap
Gymboree
Wal Mart
Kohls
Macys
Dillards
New Balance
Lady Footlocker

NOTHING! Nothing that met my qualifications. Am I asking too much???

If we found a good one - they didn't have it in her size or it was too expensive. We were on the verge of paying $35 for shoes she would only wear for a few months but were unisex. ANYWAY, I was in a panic and I knew I just needed to get out there and really look. I went to Target last night and I was getting so disappointed. Hannah needs a size 5 and all I could find were shoes that started at size 5 1/2 which would really be pushing it. Finally I happen to go back for a third time to look (I could not believe what was happening. I thought I was going to have to spend a fortune just to have size 5 shoes that meet my qualifications... Was I being too picky), and suddenly, I saw on the ends of the aisles there were bins and there were size 5s in them. Size 5s for $12. Here is a picture of what I finally got her.

Yipppeeeeeee! No more panicking. Who would have thought it would be that difficult????

Today she worn them and they were great. I am very pleased and think they are so cute. They are a little big but that means she will get plenty of wear out of them. Today I am thankful for the little bins on the side of the aisles in the Target Shoe Department.

Children

OK, so I know this may be a sensitive subject but I have to ask.....
I need to know if I am alone about this.....

Does anyone/Did anyone have trouble thinking of having children when there are so many out there in the system that need to be adopted?

Don't think bad of me. I DO NOT regret or wish I did not have Hannah!! AT ALL!!! I just wonder, when Chris and I think of having a bigger family, if we should bring more children into this world when there are so many out there that need our love.

Sure is a lot to think about.

Switch

I was really enjoying my Denzel Washington book, A Hand to Guide Me, but it was not quite what I was really wanting. I think it is more of a bathroom book. I most definitely do not mean this as something bad. It just has 2 to 3 pages for each person and who helped them thru as they grew up. I like it but the "story" ends each night so it is hard to get back to it. You see... A perfect bathroom book.

Anyway, as I am patiently waiting for Nicholas Sparks' new book that comes out September 25th, I decided to read Goodnight Nobody by Jennifer Weiner. I saw that Haley liked one of her books, I had read In Her Shoes by her and liked it, and this one was at WalMart for a good price. Let me tell you all that I am over half way thru it and it is really good. Warning!!!! It is not a Christian Book. Just so you know, don't expect it to be very moral but it is a light mystery and mainly about women and has some romance. It is great. That is my kind of book. I will let you know what I think of it at the end.

Surely

Surely no one expected for Hannah's birthday dress to only be worn on her birthday... right? Is it bad that she wore her birthday dress to worship this morning?

I love the dress and think it is so cute.

It is a little trouble, however, when we are trying to put her in the car seat. Car seats do NOT teach little girls how to sit lady like. I can tell you that for sure!

Just Like Old Times

We finally, yesterday, got to go over and see the Stokes new house! It is beautiful.

We had a wonderful afternoon/evening there just hanging out. Chris and I pretended like we lived with them and made ourselves at home. It was Wonderful!

Of course, old times call for old traditions so Hannah and Chloe HAD to take a bath together. It was really fun!

Favorite Friday

Today I am going to tell you about my favorite College Football team.

I am most definitely an Alabama fan! I grew up an Alabama fan. I am not from Alabama but my grandparents are. I was told that one of the reasons we are Alabama fans is because my Grandpop liked Bear Bryant and Gene Stallings. I have been rooting for them ever since I can remember.

I have also become a North Carolina State fan because of Chris. He grew up an NCState fan and watching how much he likes to follow them and hear about how they are doing and how much he just generally likes them makes me like them. (Unless, of course, they are playing Alabama... then I don't like them).

Thankful Thursday

#1
I am thankful for toothbrushes. I am not saying that I brush or floss my teeth the way that I should or as often as I should but I do love the feeling and taste I have in my mouth after brushing my teeth. I can not even think of what people without toothbrushes do. Have I now shown just how spoiled I am?

#2
I am thankful for pictures. I know that seeing the actual event, thing, or person is the most important but I don't trust my memory to remember what I really want to remember. Did that make sense or was it just confusing? I just love pictures. (in case some of you have not figured that out yet.)

#3
I am thankful for family. Again, showing my spoiled side, I don't know what those without family do. The love and support and caring spirit that comes from our family can really fill me up. I can't be thankful enough for those that have taught me thruout the years. And then the feeling of having that love and support from a new family that you have started is too wonderful for words to describe. Family gets me thru! I love you all.

First Time But Not The Last Time

Today, Hannah was at school and they went outside to play early in the morning because it is so hot (or as Hannah says ho ..... ttttttt) during the day. As she is running (this is the word the teacher uses) she falls straight down so fast she can not catch herself on anything but her face. The playground is new and so she falls on fresh rough mulch! This is probably the worst fall she has had so far. I have several pictures of the results!



We called the doctor and talked to the pharmacist to see what we should put on it. We are putting Neosporin cream on it until it gets a little better then putting Vitamin E oil on it to avoid scarring. Of course, she will be fine. Just thought I would share the first scraped up face!

Morning Time

This is what we get to see every morning. We go into Hannah's room, turn on her lamp, she lays there for a moment, stretches, she then gets up and pushes the button on her mobile base to play music, she dances a little and then comes over to us to give us a big hug and get her out. Yes, all this in about 3 minutes (at the most).

She is hilarious. Every morning it is fun.

Zealous

Our minister used this word zealous in his lesson on Sunday night and it sure has been a while since I have thought of it. It has been in my mind all day.

Am I zealous?
Do I meet very many people who are zealous?
Should we be zealous?
What should we be zealous for?
What does zealous really mean?

I am not completely sure I can fully answer all of these questions, however, I have found some things for you to consider and think over.

Titus 2:11-15 (New American Standard Version)
For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation to all men, instructing us to deny ungodliness and worldly desires and to live sensibly, righteously and godly in the present age looking for the blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Christ Jesus, who gave Himself for us to redeem us from every lawless deed, and to purify for Himself a people for His own possession, zealous for good deeds. These things speak and exhort and reprove with all authority Let no one disregard you.

Zealous means marked by active interest and enthusiasm; having or showing great excitement and interest.

Are we and do we show that we are zealous about the Lord? I think I struggle with this. I feel too tired or have no energy or it is just easier not to say anything at all. I need to live my life in such a way that not only do others see that I am a follower of Christ but I also am zealous about Him and excited to tell others what I have found thru Him.

Stealing

I love stealing good ideas. (hummmm..... I wonder if I get this from my mom?)

Anyway, at VBS this year I noticed that some of the smaller girls wanted shirts but I guess there were not any that were really small enough for them. So they just took ribbon and tied up their sleeves and they looked SO cute.

I suppose you can tell by the pictures that we usually have matching shirts at our reunion. Mom always does a great job making them for us. When she called me to tell me that she could not find a shirt small enough for Hannah I told her about what I saw the girls at church do and look at this... It worked beautifully! Great Idea!!!

Family Gathering

Well, this has been a crazy week. I officially know now, first hand, why Elizabeth FEARS the stomach virus. Gross. We have all now had it and hopefully it will be out of our home for good. Yuck!








Luckily we were all able to be well enough to meet up with our family this weekend and have a gathering. (I don't think we call it a reunion because it is not very big!) We try to do this once a year. We had a great time and you can tell that Hannah had lots of love and lots of nice talks and walks. It was so fun to all be together. This time is very special to me.

Scripture

My boss sent me the scripture that was on her calendar on her desk and it touched me. It got me thru a hard day even though she did not even know I was having a hard day.

Jeremiah 32:27
(New American Standard Version)
Behold, I am the LORD, the God of all flesh; is anything too difficult for Me?

Celebrity Look Alike

So, I was suppose to be cleaning yesterday afternoon but instead I decided that I wanted to see what celebrity I looked like. I went to this website, www.myheritage.com, I took a picture of me, I uploaded it. After a few minutes it told me who my "Celebrity Face Recognition" people were. It gave me the top 10 people and the % that I looked like them. There is a way that you can get it to post straight from the website to your blog in a collage but I messed that up so I wrote them down so I could tell you about them. Don't laugh too Hard. I am not sure how accurate this is. Let me know what you think.

#1 Josie Maran 78%












#2 Bryan McFadden 75%











#3 Florence Griffith Joyner 75%











#4 Jamie Foxx 75%

#5 Jason Newsted 73%

#6 Sugar Ray Robinson 72%













#7 Nancy Kerrigan 71%













#8 Magic Johnson 70%













#9 Raven Symone 68%














#10 Heather Graham 68%

A Little Too Grown Up

Hannah's Aunt Wendy and cousin Mollie got her this outfit. It is very cute but when I got it on her I thought she looked a little Too grown up. I wasn't quite ready for that. Everyone at Church thought it was so cute! Thank you for the gift but please remember, we want her to be a baby just a little longer!