Happy Thanksgiving!!

My pilgrims wish you a Happy Thanksgiving!

Gobble Gobble!

Buncha turkeys!

Hope you and yours have a blessed Thanksgiving.

We have much to be thankful for.

Visions of Sugarplums

I made soap today!!! Woohoo! 4 whole bars. FOUR. You see three bc one didn't work out.

The idea really is a fun one. I followed AnneMarie's tutorial but my experience didn't exactly go as smoothly as hers did. She's a professional, though! She made it look so simple.

Do you see the FOUR layers? Yep, this took a LARGE amount of my time on this beautiful SATURDAY...between the layers and the detailing. But once I started, I was committed to see one batch through to the bittersweet, cranberry-scented end.

I think they turned out really pretty and the cranberry-fig scent is delicioso, but these cute bars will not become part of our seasonal line-up. It's a time thing.

We will be offering our peppermint oatmeal massage bars and our beautiful Sleigh Ride snowflakes, though.

Here's you another picture so you can ooo and aaaaaah. And aaaaaah and oooooh.

So...where will these three bars end up?

Maybe wrapped up for Christmas for YOU!

Fall Soap Leaves

What have we here??

330 of my exquisite hand-dipped fall soap leaves.

You will FALL IN LOVE with the pecan pie scent that smells good enough to eat...but please, don't try that.

I added vitamin e to the glycerin soap to keep our hands nice and soft.

Of course, some choose to never use these to wash hands...they simply put them on a pretty dish and let the scent waft through the air.

These beauties will be gently bagged up, tied with a pretty bow and sent to a fall festival on the other side of the state.

Paul E. Pocket

Meet Paul E. Pocket. The boy Polly Pocket.

Look closely and you will see long, curly strawberry-blonde hair all tangled up on Paul. WHY?

Doodle somehow managed to get Paul E. tangled up in her curly locks.

I had to cut him loose and set him free with scissors.

Twas a bit disturbing that his only coverage was painted on.

My peeps on Facebook have been offering suggestions for a possible name for boy Polly Pocket, whom I dubbed Paul. E. I've seen OlliePocket. HubbyPocket. And my fave...."Bob, with no last name bc when he became famous, all the other Pockets started asking him for money."

One friend offered up a song..."I'm gonna CUT that man right outta my hair."

Paul E. is now covered shamefully with an aqua hair scrunchy, standing with one foot in our electric pencil sharpener. Let that be a warning to all Boy Pockets as to what will happen to you if you mess with my girls! Hmph.

Doodle Drama

After a near record-fast bath, I commented to our 6 year old Doodle that surely she was not even in the water long enough to get all the way wet!

She smugly replied,"I even shampooed my own hair without even wetting it!"

I checked her head....Sure enough, there was shampoo rubbed into the top of her half-dry hair....little bubbles popping and making that "shampoo not rinsed out good" sound.

I don't think it worked out too good for her. She didn't much like having her long curly hair washed by Mama in the kitchen sink!

She's definitely our innovative child....gotta give her credit for that!

Owl Moonpie Treats

How CUTE are these?

Our nextdoor neighbor has her grands this week for their Fall Break. Our kids love playing together when we can. She invited Doodle and Butter over to create this super cute edible craft!

This idea is from Southern Living. (Click here.) Each child had their own (very clean) bud vase that they filled with candy corn to poke their moon pie owl into.

No, I don't have a picture of our own personal final products bc they sorta didn't make it home in one piece!

Don't Get Scammed

This evening, El Hero noticed two strange $12.00 charges on our debit card for supposed memberships in "shoppersdiscount.com" and "reservation reward.com."

After I assured him that I had nothing whatsoever to do with these memberships, he called their 1-800 number. Meanwhile, I was in FULL GOOGLE MODE!

Didn't take long to see that this was a deceptive scam and the two are from the same bogus company.

Here's how it works. Have you ever ordered anything online and after the transaction you see something like "Would you like to save $10 on your next purchase?" or "Receive a $10 coupon, now!"? Apparently, the company you just ordered from allows your credit card information to be given to the scammers. They then take the info and "enroll" you in their "discount club" and start charging $12.00 monthly fees. How is that even legal, pray tell?

We found out ours happened through Fandango.com where we buy movie tickets. Actually, we don't remember buying movie tickets there recently...I did log on recently to check movie times. Apparently you can just barely glance their way and they'll get your info. I never click on those "extra" things, so I don't know how it happened.

Bottom line is...ordering online be VERY CAREFUL what you click on and agree to. AND, watch your credit and debit card bills. We were fortunate that Hero noticed right away. Some people online didn't notice for months and even years.

Our money is being refunded....so they said. We shall see.

I Heart Chalkboards!

I seriously love chalkboards. It's the teacher in me. You can keep your dry-erase boards. I prefer chalk.

Imagine my sheer delight when I bought my first can of chalkboard paint!!!!!! Through the years, I have scoured yard sales and thrift stores looking for fun things to make into a chalkboard. Suffice it to say, we have a gracious plenty mini-chalkboards in our learning room.

Earlier this summer, I scared My Hero slap to death. He came home one day to find me painting one side of our fridge BLACK. He was slightly...SLIGHTLY less frightened when I assured him it was not JUST black paint but CHALKBOARD paint! The ugly fridge is now a useful fridge! Still ugly. But useful and FUN!

Butter's 10 Birthday

Notice Chalkfridge behind his head.

I couldn't believe my eyes when I recently saw two wonderfully old chalkboards discarded by a local church! Who wouldn't want them????

This is the sweet old chalkboard that is still awaiting it's refurbishing.

It didn't take but a little bit of paint and a little bit of time to refurbish one of the sweet chalkboards to use in our newly organized learning room. (I kinda like learning room better than school room.)

Side by side.....before and after

(Look closely between the two and you'll see our Siamese peeking out.)

Here's the finished product hanging proudly on display!!!

Homeschooling in FullSwing

Hello everyone! Thank you for your kindness, patience and understanding while I took my Unoffical Summer Bloggy Break.

We are in our 3rd month of our homeschooling year and are running full steam ahead with our busy schedule. Mondays are the only days that we don't have outside activities and you better believe I guard Mondays with my life. They are our most productive days.

I revamped our school room this summer and am so pleased with the results. Wanna see some pics? The two littles and I spend the most time in the school room. Rayray is too studious. She prefers independent learning in her own space.

Doodle's chair is the pink one. Butter's is green.

In case you wondered.

Other side of the school room....

Wave to the hermit crabs!

See the awesome chalboard?

More on that...later!

First Day of School

They LOVE their new learning space!!

I know....I know...

Well...I've been getting fussed at from all sides bc I haven't written a new blog post in two months! So, until I have time to write a proper post, here's a glimpse at what we've been busy doing this summer.....

A Wedding!

We had a family wedding this weekend.

My nephew got married...the first grandchild of 9.

That's the groom in the picture.

That's the gaze on

the face of the groom

that brought tears to my eyes.

It's the gaze of a groom

awaiting the arrival of his bride.

And it was beautiful.

The song playing as he waited was "Out of My League" by Stephen Speaks.

"I love her with all that I am. And my voice shakes along with my hands. Cause she's all that I see and she's all that I need and I'm out of my league once again."

And then,

she came through the door.

A beautiful princess bride

prepared to meet her groom.

Our little princess leaned over and whispered, "When is the kissing part?"

With her hands folded against her cheek, she sighed, "The kissing part is the best part."

I'm sure the groom thought so, too.

But I Don't Want to be a Big Girl!

With her head buried in my shoulder as she sobbed, I felt her little tears trailing down my arm. 

As the Mommy, it was bad enough (in the best way possible) that our youngest baby just turned 6 years old. Must we add insult to injury and discover not one but TWO loose teeth? 

"But I don't want to be a big girl," she sobbed. "I just don't want to be a big girl! When will this be over?" 

I hear ya, sistuh. 

There are times when I just don't want to be a big girl! 

 There are times when I wish my biggest concerns in life are if the Tooth Fairy will come or where my princess crown is hiding.

 There are times when I wish my biggest decisions in life are which swimsuit to wear to the pool or which headband best matches my outfit.  

There are plenty of times when I, too, want to sob..."When will this be over???" 

You, too?  Umhmm. That's what I thought.

The good news is that whatever is going on in my life or yours, it's ok to tell Father that you just don't want to be a big girl. 

Just like my little Princess did today upon the startling discovery of her first two loose teeth, you can crawl into Father's lap and let Him shelter and comfort you. 

He'll rock you while you cry. 

He'll whisper that it will be ok...that you won't ever be alone. 

He'll wipe away your tears. 

He'll tell you the "teeth still have to come out", but that He'll be with you every step of the way and you can trust Him. 

And He'll sing a sweet song over you until you feel His peace once more.

And you'll joyfully return to Big Girlhood with renewed hope and faith and confidence only found in Him. 

Now...where's my crown...?

We LOVE this! Love Story Meets Viva la Vida...

American Idol - Top 4 Through the Eyes of a 13 yr old...

My 13 year old, Rayray, had so much fun live blogging for me, she's agreed to try it again!

Have fun and be sweet, Rayray!!

Hello again, everyone!
Be sweet? Am I not always sweet? ;)

Top 4! Here we go!!!
Duets?! No way!!! This will be interesting!
AHHH! What are you wearing, Adam?!
What was up with that guy on fire in Slash's music video?
Did his mama name him Slash on purpose?
So many questions, so little time.

Adam, (what song was it again?): Ahh!!!! Another Ring of Fire flashback...this one may be worse!!! (no offense, Adam...) I can't even understand what he's saying. "Keep a cooler, baby"? Is that it? Adam...you're frightening me again. I'm just a little girl...I'm calling my Daddy!

Hey look. Kara and Adam have on the same jacket...that's not weird...

Cool hair, Allison!

Allison, Cry Baby: WHOO!!!! Go Allison! You ROCKED it!!! LoveloveLOVED it!!! Great job!...The end.

Kris and Danny, Renegade: Who knew Kris and Danny could rock!!! That was impressive! Loved it!!!

Kris, Come Together: Wow...He.Can.Rock!!! He totally rocked it! Pretty incredible! Great job, Kris!

Me and PJmama both think that the judges are trying to set up Kris or Danny to go home and Adam to win...ridiculous.

Danny, Dream On: OY!!! OY!!! OW!!! That note hurt my vocal chords just listening to it...Sorry, Danny. I wish he could have gotten the last notes...but it just fell apart at the end. The beginning was fine...the last notes gave me laryngitis just listening to them. I wonder if it hurt Danny's...if I ever meet him, I'll ask him and let you know.

Allison and Adam: Wow...that was awesome. Good duet match, definitely.

That's crazy! They showed Danny's worst moment on the recap! As I said before: ridiculous.

I hope y'all enjoyed my recap! :)

Peace, love, joy,
Rayray

This Made Me Smile Today

Playing For Change | Song Around The World "Stand By Me" from Concord Music Group on Vimeo.

Rayray's Recap of American Idol

Since I haven't blogged on American Idol in awhile, our Rayray is going to blog tonight in my place. So without further adieu, here's your American Idol recap, through the eyes of a 13 year old.

Hey people!

I am so honored to be my mama's first guest blogger!

Here we go...My first American Idol blog! I'm so excited! :D

Allison, I Don't Wanna Miss a Thing: Oh, Allison. Why in the earthly WORLD did you pick that song? That's David Cook's song! *Flashes back to last season* David brought it on that song last year. *flashes back to present* It was too low pitched. I wanted to see her hittin' those big notes tonight. I'm a big fan of Allison, but it just wasn't that great tonight.

Anoop Dawg, Everything I Do I Do For You: You should've taken Randy's advice. Rough it up! It sounded like he didn't even try to take his advice. I'm kinda sick of ballads, too. Is it just me, or has he done one like, three weeks in a row? (PajamaMama loved it. Period.)

Adam, Born To Be Wild: Ohhh, Adam. I'm so sorry, but you creep me out more every week...

I just flashed back to "The Ring of Fire" a few weeks ago! *screams in horrified terror*! *screams in horrified terror again*! Sorry, but you're just scary. Go back to no black fingernails and no eye makeup, then I'll attempt to recover.

Matt, Have You Ever Really Loved A Woman: So Matt, have you ever really loved a woman? I thought it was beautiful. He's flawless on the piano.

Danny, Endless Love: What do you have against harps, Simon? I liked the soft arrangement. I thought he did great. (PajamaMama - Loves Danny, moaned and rolled eyes at song choice.)

Why is Ryan pretending to be Randy, why is Cara growling, and why is Randy standing up?....The judges continue to confuse me.

Kris, Falling Slowly: I've never heard of that movie or the song, but I loved it. I could tell it was pitchy in spots, but it was beautiful. (PajamaMama's FAVE of the night.)

Lil, The Rose: As my dear mother put it, "The song from every bad beauty pageant." Lil, you can bring it when you pick the right song, but you just didn't bring it this time. And it really annoys PJmama and I when contestants talk back to the judges for no apparent reason. I have a bad feeling that we'll have to say bye-bye to Lil-Lil tomorrow...

I hope you enjoyed my American Idol recap!

Keep smilin'!

~Rayray

Our Trip to Atlanta and More

Last week, we journeyed to Atlanta for some new and exciting experiences. We traveled with our friends over at Happy Home and their 5 month old.

Rayray received two tickets to Celtic Woman at the Fox for her 13th birthday, so we decided to make a little vacation out of it. We all decided to go since I don't drive in large, scary metro cities like Atlanta. NO, I'm not joking....even though I lived there for two years.

We stayed in the Georgian Terrace across Peachtree Street from The Fox Theatre. It is a gorgeous, 100 year old hotel. The Gone With the Wind movie premiere party was held here!! And when it first opened, it was THE place to see and be seen. We gazed into the ballroom windows and let our imaginations run wild.

Here is Appledoodle posing on gorgeous marble spiral stairs in the Terrace.

Beautiful Georgian Terrace


The three heads waaaay up there belong to Hero and kids...
long way up...long way down.


We ate dinner here before the concert.
We got there at the perfect time,
sitting down at a table immediately.
Our food came fast,
was delicious,
and our waiter was wonderful,
and the lobby was slap full of people
when we left!


We had just enough time between
dinner and the concert to
primp a little and take some pictures.




Here is the beautiful Fox Theatre,
as viewed from The Georgian Terrace.

Even the top of The Fox is beautiful....

The inside is like a beautiful Turkish castle

or an opulent mosque.

It's like you're in a courtyard and

the night sky with stars and moving clouds

is above you.

It's absolutely gorgeous.

It was the perfect setting for

Celtic Woman.

I did not get any pictures of

the girls singing bc cameras were

restricted. Banned.

If you've never heard of

Celtic Woman,

check out their site.

We were amazed and

I was moved to tears on several numbers.

Rayray absolutely loved every minute of it.

So, this is a pic I took of the top of the stage area,

just before I got yelled at for taking pictures.

Nope, not kidding. Yelled at me!
And the concert hadn't even started.

These are our friends and Rayray

on the roof of the Terrace after the show.

A bit windy, Rayray?

The night was one we won't soon forget.

The Fox Theatre was so spectacular.

The Celtic Woman show was amazing.

And we loved being with our friends!

And Hero did a fantastic job babysitting

our two youngest and the 5 month old angel, too!

Ah, Ikea. I miss you already.

Since we were downtown,

I convinced Hero that taking me to Ikea

the next morning was a great idea

bc an Atlanta friend said breakfast was CHEAP.

And everybody needs to eat!

It cost only $14.00 to feed bkfst to all 5 of us...

grits, eggs, sausage, bacon, cinnamon rolls, pancakes, juice and coffee!

We were at Ikea for FOUR HOURS.

It was just wonderfully ridiculous!!!!!!

We were all bone tired after all of that,

but it was quite an experience!

We then headed to the mountains for a few days,

Of course, it was dreary and rainy the entire time,

but we still had fun. Our kids are pretty much happy wherever,

which makes things so easy.

This? This is my older brother,

whose natural habitat is the mountainous region.

I have no comment about this photo

except you should feel very sorry for

me and my childhood.

We arrived home late Saturday night

to find that some sort of tornadic non-confirmed cell

passed over our neighborhood narrowly missing our pine trees.

We are thankful.

The end.

Girls Weekend!

We had a girls weekend and I only have one picture taken from C10's phone to show for it!

Ok. I guess techincally that's not all I have to "show" for it if you count the two cute tops I bought at Kohl's to wear to see Celtic Woman at the Fox. That's next week.

Yes, I bought two dressy tops to wear to one concert. I'm thinking I'll stuff one into my tiny clutch and halfway through the concert, dart to the restroom and change tops?? Ok. Maybe not.

We did have a fun weekend while the Daddy met his old friend at the Lake for a guy's weekend. I guess Hero deserves a guy weekend every once in awhile...I DID go on a girl's getaway cruise, for Pete's sake.

Anywho, C10 spend the night with us girls.....while the Butter was at the grands. We ate dinner at Mellow Mushroom, scoured clearance racks at Kohl's, and watched Jane Austen movies until the wee hours. Very nice weekend.

(Yes, Doodle is a pizza-eating machine.)

You Know You're a Homeschool Family When...

.....the Daddy is saying the blessing on St. Patty's day,before we eat our "green eggs and ham" (broccoli, bacon, egg scrambles), and he says, "And Father, we thank You for St. Patrick. I don't really know who he is or what he did, but I'm sure as soon as I say 'amen', the kids will tell me."

And of course, they did.

Twas funny.

(Rayray is wearing a scarf bc she studied Jewish clothing for a paper in lit. and was practicing tying on a head covering...if you were wondering.)

Amerian Idol - Top 11

Hey, y'all! It's kuntry nite!!! YEE HAW! (I can tease bc I live in south Georgia.)

We get to visit Randy Travis who's gonna love you forever, foreverandeveramen. As long as old men sit and talk about the weather, as long as old women sit and talk old men.

1. Michael had a blast with "Til The Sun Comes Up." We loved the harmonica dude. Simon! Singing in Norwegian? PLEASE!

2. Alison looked much softer tonight but her vocals weren't soft! She did an awesome job on this classic Patty Loveless song. Whatever "dope" means, we agree. We think.

According to Merriam-Webster, precocious means exhibiting mature qualities at an unusually early age. In case you're wondering.

3. Chris did a beautiful job on "To Make You Feel My Love." We all really enjoyed it. The one word I kept thinking was captivating.

4. Lil Rounds taking on my Martina? Martina and I are tight. Well, we'd be tight if we knew each other, I'm sure. I was excited at first for Lil but I have to agree with Randy...it wasn't a good fit. I understood her explanation, though. All 5 times she explained the explanation...

5. Adam - Well, can't pinch Adam today because his hair is green. Ring of Fire...with a sitar. We have one of those on Wii Music. That's why I know what it is. It all feels like a big act to me. Rayray is very afraid. Hero asked me not to post his comment but it has to do with acting possessed.

6. Scott took on Martina and the Wild Angels. He is a genius on the piano and I absolutely do not believe the piano is a crutch for him. It's part of who he is as an entertainer. He's a class act.

As far as the little tiff between Pauler and SimonSez, all I can say is R-E-S-P-E-C-T, find out what it means to me.

7. Alexis Grace and Jolene. She kinda does favor a young Dolly Parton with pink hair. AG has amazing pipes but we didn't love this one.

8. Oh Danny Boy. He started out pitchy on Jesus Takes the Wheel, but THEN! Have mercy people, he nailed it! Oh look! The judges agree with PajamaMama!

9. Anoop. He'll be Always On Our Minds tonight? Randy Travis said we'd "rethink his capability as a singer." Well, we did and it was fantastic. Zero to hero, SimonSez???

10. Megan Joy goes walking after midnight. Reckon that's how she got the flu? I'm just teasing. She was gorgeous tonight...dress, hair, makeup...and sick with influenza b. Get some sleep tonight Megan Joy.

11. Matt Giraud - I always cringe when someone tries a song that's a current hit. But Matt did Carrie's song justice and was amazing on the piano. He wasn't quite what all the judges made him out to be, though...

I think my personal favorites tonight were Chris and Anoop. There's a lot of talent and it's hard to choose a favorite! Rayray really likes MJ and Alison.

Michael Sarver is probably going home this week but wins PajamaMama's pick for quote of the evening: "If we were all perfect, we wouldn't need this show."

Check out BooMama for more enlightening AI reviews!

St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer

This is a repost from last St. Patrick's Day.

I was encouraged once again by this prayer.

I hope you are, too.

Around 1500 years ago, a young British teen was kidnapped by Irish Raiders and forced into slavery in Ireland. Six years later, he escaped and returned to his home in Britain. This young man became a Christian and took the Christian name of Patrick. Through a vision/dream (as it's told), the Lord put it on his heart to return to Ireland as a missionary. He did just that....sharing the love of Christ and building schools and church buildings. Did you catch that? Just in case you missed the point....Patrick RETURNED TO IRELAND...the place where he was enslaved for 6 years. Could I do that? You? By the 8th century, he was a patron saint of Ireland. March 17 is believed to be the date he died. Irish Catholics began celebrating this day in the 17th century. Irish-Americans introduced the celebration of St. Patrick's Day on American soil during Colonial times.


Most believe it to be legend that St. Patrick drove snakes out of Ireland. Some believe it was symbolic of him driving paganism out of the country. I personally don't believe the Lord would send Patrick back to Ireland just to rid the country of unwanted reptiles. He had a greater plan for Patrick in Ireland! There is also legend that St. Patrick used shamrocks to explain the Trinity - The Father, The Son, and The Holy Spirit. While this is not fact, it is definitely a feasible possibility, don't you think?


There is a prayer long believed to be authored and prayed by St. Patrick. It is known as St. Patrick's Breastplate Prayer, The Deer's Cry, or The Lorica. Whatever you choose to call it, the prayer is beautiful and relevant in our lives some 1500 years later! Here is just a portion of the prayer. Read it in its entirety here.

I arise today

Through the strength of heaven;
Light of the sun,

Splendor of fire,

Swiftness of wind,

Depth of the sea,

Stability of earth,

Firmness of rock.

I arise today

Through God's strength to pilot me;

God's might to uphold me,

God's wisdom to guide me,

God's hand to guard me.

Afar and anear,

Alone or in a multitude.

Christ shield me today

Against wounding:

Christ with me,

Christ before me,

Christ behind me,

Christ on my right,

Christ on my left,

Christ beneath me,

Christ above me,

Christ in me.

I arise today

Through the mighty strength Of the Lord of Creation.

P. S. I'm not sure where the Wear Green or Get Pinched tradition fits in, but yes, I do have on a green shirt today bc my kids take this pinching thing SERIOUSLY! ~Blessings!~

Makin' Banana Pancakes...

This is what we love about our

lazy Sunday mornings....

A cup of hot coffee

with white chocolate-coconut creamer...

A gentle breeze on the porch...

Time with Daddy...

Banana Pancakes...

The Universe and The Yellow Jacket

I had a little run-in with a yellow jacket a couple of years ago. So, I wasn't pleased to see one flying around my kitchen yesterday. My Hero took care of it for me while I cowered in another room.

Last night as I was wiping the counter, I saw a strange tiny toy head that turned out to be the head of that dead yellow jacket! So during school today we put the dead head under the microscope and it was AMAZING! We could see all the units in its compound eye, lined up in perfectly straight rows. He had little hairs all sticking out like whiskers...It was amazing, that dead head! Thank you little yellow jacket for providing a great launch for science and discovery today!

We had an ongoing discussion about how creative Father was and is...and attempted to wonder if He created one bug at a time or all at once. No matter. He had fun doing the creating, that's for sure, but at the same time, His creation is beyond ingenious and sophisticated! (See if you can figure out the yellow jacket's compound eye. Sophisticated indeed!)

While being reminded of the care our Creator took in each tiny detail down to a yellow jacket's head, He is absolutely, unfathomly vast beyond measure...beyond our mind's comprehension.

We are reading a book called Crazy Love by Francis Chan. In Chapter 1, we were instructed to watch the following 3 minute Awe Factor video. From the head of a yellow jacket to a kabillion light years away. You're gonna love this...

R. C. Sproul - "Men are never duly touched and impressed with a conviction of their insignificance, until they have contrasted themselves with the majesty of God."

American Idol - Top 13

Top 13. Two will be eliminated this week instead of one, Simon Sez.

Paula looks like a fairy princess this evening.

This is Michael Jackson night. My first thought was OH NO! But, we'll see...

1. Lil - This mom of three is amazing!!! Yea for Moms of Three!!! She absolutely was super on "The Way You Make Me Feel." I agree with Paula.....sounded like an angel singing. Ain't nothing li'l about her voice!

2. Scott - So, right off the bat I like him because, well, he's from a homeschool family, y'all. I can't help it. He learned "Keep the Faith" on the piano just this week. He's amazingly gifted. I didn't know this song, though.

3. Danny - Y'all, I had totally forgotten about this song. PYT! Pretty Young Thang. I haven't heart it in probably 20 years!!! I enjoyed it IMMENSELY and so did the hubs. We LOVED it!

4. Michael the Oil Rigger Guy - He did a great job on "You're Not Alone." Didn't know this song either but he did a great job. And Doodle was thrilled beyond words to see that his little girl had on "her" leopard print headband!!

5. Jasmine - I hope they get to keep their Glam Squad chosen outfits, btw, and I don't think they had much work to do on Jas. She was pretty glam-ready to begin with! Gorgeous! We couldn't really get into this song bc we play "I'll Be There" on Wii Music and couldn't get past our little WiiMii's singing it.

6. Kris - He's just so cute with his pretty new wifey!! We thought he did a fine job on guitar with "Remember the Time." But, again, I didn't know the song.

7. Allison - This 16 year old is Rayray's fave. But I can't even put the title of the song on the blog. Totally inappropriate for a 16 year old to sing in my opinion. So, I don't know how she did, really, bc I just couldn't listen.

8. An00p - Hon, we really want you to succeed. But I agree with Paula that "Beat It" is untouchable. I didn't listen to judges comments bc I knew they'd be harsh.

9. Jorge - Not George. HORHAY. "Never Can Say Goodbye" All of Puerto Rico will be burning up the phone lines.

Is that Ryan's Mama and Nana? Or a random mama and nana??

10. Megan - What a darling little boy she has! Bless her heart, she misses him so. We disagreed with SimonSez. The Hero said, "She picked the perfect song for her." Rockin Robin...tweettweedleetweet!

Paula changed her glittery hugemongous dogtag necklace-bracelet from one arm to the other during the break. I only noticed it because it was so huge..mongous.

11. Adam, the Jonas Brothers cousin - I guess his theatrical experience paid off. I know the judges thought his "Black and White" was the best of the night, but I still feel like I'm being screamed at.

Rayray isn't so sure about black nail polish on a guy. I'm not so sure about black nail polish, period.

12. Matt on the piano - He's so musically gifted, y'all. He did a great job on "Human Nature."

13. Alexis Grace - She just a little pistol! I didn't like the song but she is so tiny with a HUGE voice.

Bottom line: We know who our favorites are but aren't real sure who'll be "toast" tomorrow night. We're thinking Anoop and maybe Jasmine? But some of the guys might be in trouble NOT because they didn't do an excellent job but just bc there were several guys singing less-popular Michael Jackson pieces. We'll see!!!

What do you think the change in rules will be!?!?!?! Check out BooMama for other enlightening discussions of the top 13!

The Boy and His Eyes

I took all three kids to the eye dr last week...bc we finally have decent choices of eye people.

It really wasn't a big surprise to find out that Butter is farsighted. I had seen some signs this school year...but STILL. I felt like Mother-Teacher Of The Year...bc when you are attempting to read words and work math problems you kinda need for them to be CLEAR, not blurry.

I was gazing at this pic of him in his cool new glasses and Father gently reminded me of something. And I'm so glad He did.

When we found out we were expecting a little boy, I asked Father if Butter could please have his Daddy's beautiful brown eyes. Rayray has my eyes. I wanted our son to have Daddy's eyes. And it never hurts to ask.

Well, he was born with blue eyes. He turned one with blue eyes. He turned 2...blue eyes, still. Our boy is notorious for never getting in a hurry. Never. Nada. Between ages two and three, guess what happened?!? Blue eyes turned brown. Yep, tis true. Exact same shade of brown as his daddy's.

I remember the day Father reminded me of my prayer three years earlier. I remember sitting on my bed with tears in my eyes, in awe and wonder at how Father loves me so and heard my prayer...even for something seemingly little like a baby's eye color. He waited until Butter was older so I'd KNOW it was a direct answer to this mama's prayer.

Our Boy has his daddy's eyes in more ways than just eye color, though. No, I'm not talking about how they can both be looking straight at an object and still not see it! ;)

I'm talking about eyes full of compassion. Eyes that see from the heart. Eyes that are gentle. Eyes that are kind, loving, and tender. Eyes that are accepting and non-judgmental. Eyes that are full of mercy. Eyes that are deep. Eyes that make me smile and tear-up at the same time.

Yep, he's got his Daddy's eyes...

And they both have their Father's eyes...

Training Wheels

"Daddy, will you please take my training wheels off?"

Why does the 5 year old baby of the family insist on growing up so quick?

Is it not enough that just this week I boxed up wooden puzzles for the attic?

Is it not enough that just this week I chose a dozen or so of our most special board books and boxed them up, too? Some of them were 13 years old, some 9, some 5. All were well loved. I could "read" most of them with my eyes closed. So could the kids. But, my babies are too old for them now.

So why did it have to be this week, too, that Appledoodle decided to take her training wheels off?

In a way, I feel wistful, saying goodbye to all things "baby." But on the other hand, I'm relieved we actually survived the long years of babies, toddlers and preschoolers! We're on to a completely different season for our family now.

Anyway, Daddy removed the training wheels and a very determined 5 year old Appledoodle rose to the challenge with her normal tenacity.

First, Daddy ran along on the grass, with one hand on the bike seat.

Next, down the driveway.

All of a sudden, she was riding across the grass all alone,

with a very satisfied grin on her face.

I almost missed it..almost.

Black and White by Rayray

Black and White

This world is like watercolor;
Only all the colors are black and white and grey.
The beautiful colors that You made in each of us
are beginning to fade.

Everyone is falling.
Falling for this game.
You keep calling,
But they continue to fade.

Everyone is blending in.
They can't tell up from down.
People jumping into the peer pressure bin;
Coming out, none look sound.

This is a black-and-white world.
But I refuse to blend.
That's why I only look to you, Lord.
Never to any of them. ©
~Rayray

UPDATED: Golden Presidential Curtains

I apparently gave up my Google search too soon!

Golden Presidential Curtains can be found in the grand East Room of the White House....along with absolutely gorgeous crystal chandeliers.

And no, these curtains are not new....or a part of a massive redecorating campaign. Maybe they just got a good, fresh washing and ironing and are looking extra shiny and golden for the new residents.

Cased closed.

Now, on to more important things.

Golden Presidential Curtains

Am I the only one wondering about these curtains?

I don't remember ever seeing President Bush standing in front of these shiny gold curtains with cherubs and presidential seal-looking prints.

I can only surmise that these curtains were a part of the White House Extreme Makeover?

To be honest, I don't love them. Everytime I've seen them on tv, I am distracted. I don't comprehend one presidential word being spoken about the state of our nation bc I am trying to figure out what's on the curtains, what they're made of, what's behind them, where they came from and why they are there.

Yes, I've googled them.

Wouldn't a different color look better against our President's skin...like a burgundy or deep red? Maybe a nice shade of dark blue?

I have noticed a striking similarity in color and pattern between the drapes and First Lady Michelle Obama's beautiful inauguration dress. So, I'm wondering if perhaps she picked out the new golden curtains?

Please, enlighten me?

Happy Hearts!!!

What a lovely day!! Hearts and love and pink stuff and chocolate and flowers and huggin' and kissin'!

Oh...we haven't even noticed that it's been raining for 20 hours straight...It's warm and cozy inside the house on this sweet Valentine's Day.

We had a huge brunch and Hero cooked the pancakes and cleaned every last dish....this was AFTER a delivery man brought me one dozen RED ROSES.

We're hoping the rain rain will go away in time to grill the meat for Fajita Night. (Pronounced Faheeter Nite).

I hope your day was full of Love, too.

He Loves Me

One day this week, he came home with a little bag from Bath and Body Works for me. New lotion. It's called "Optimistic." We loved the name of it bc we are very optimistic that the worst of the surgery recovery is over. And it smells bright and cheerful.

The lotion was enough to just thrill me. But not for him....He took me on my first outing since the surgery to a furniture warehouse to shop their clearance for our new bedroom, and this is what we found...the little loveseat and chair: The way he loves me is such a personal and intimate picture to me of how Father loves me. He loves me through my Hero. I will spare you the details of my rough post-op weeks, but let's just say my Hero is now more of a hero than ever before......

Surgery Update

Hi all...I'm at home recovering nicely. I did have some nausea from the anesthesia but very little pain. Thank you for your prayers!!! More later....

Surgery is tomorrow!

My laparascopic supracervial hysterectomy is scheduled for tomorrow morning. I would love it if you'd pray for me...and for no nausea and no pain after the surgery.

I don't like to throw up.
I don't like pain.

Who does, right?

I'll update the blog when I'm all better.

I'm Now the Mother of a Teen!

We have a teenager in the house now, y'all!!!! December 29 was the day.

The folks we fellowship with each week joined with us to create a 13th birthday Rayray will always remember. On her birthday eve, we had a very special time of blessing over Rayray's life followed by a party.

Proverbs 18:21 says "Death and life are in the power of the tongue." We chose to speak life over Rayray's life. Most everyone printed out their beautiful words so she will be able to read them again and again in the years to come.

Rayray asked for a purity ring for her birthday. We found a beautiful one here that says "I will wait for" on the inside of the band and "my beloved" on the outside. We didn't have a ceremony or make her take a vow....just gave her the ring and will leave the rest up to her and Father.

She had her homeschool friends over on her birthday night. For 4 hours straight, this house full of teens ate and played Rock Band 2 and ate some more. It was lively, to say the least!

Here's a small portion of the blessing her Daddy and I wrote for Rayray:

As you enter this new season, we say goodbye to baby dolls, dress up clothes and the imaginary horse stables in the back yard. These next few years will be priceless and precious for us. It will be a time when you can begin to spread your wings in the safety of our home....a time for you to grow more and more in your personal walk with Jesus.


We bless you with the understanding to grasp how wide and long and high and deep is the love of Christ for you. And to be flooded with the knowledge that you are loved beyond measure by Father and by your family.

We bless you wtih the desire to love Jesus with all of your heart, soul, mind and strength. We bless you with His loving eyes and that every person you meet will be seen through His eyes...

We bless you with a faith that stands firm on the solid rock, not shifting sand.

We bless you with the mind of Christ...with a mind that dwells on whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, lovely, commendable, excellent...

We bless you with a grateful heart and a desire to praise God for everything He has done, is doing, and will do in your life.....

We bless you with a heart that is protected and kept pure and safe for the future spouse Father has for you. We bless your relationship with your earthly Daddy...may you always trust him to hold on to your heart as the Holy Spirit stands guard.

We bless you with the freedom to follow Father anywhere He leads you and the wisdom to know His will........This is your journey, but always know your family will be there for you, cheering for you, encouraging you, loving you, praying for you, believing in you.

Rayray, this world is a better place because you are in it. Your life, your kind heart and your sweet countenance are a blessing to all who meet you. May you be known as one who loves her family, her friends, and her Savior with all her heart.

We love you....to the moon and back.

What You Missed....

Why is it that when there's tons of great stuff to blog about, I drop the ball and don't blog!!! Perhaps it's lack of time!!! Anyway, I'll catch you up on what you missed with a photo essay.
Our Jelly Bean becomes St. JellyBean every Christmas. He grows out his beard and has his whole head dyed white. He has an awesome "suit." Not many folks get a private photo shoot with Santa in their living room! (This pic was only after phase one of beard-dying.)

My nephew brought his fiance "home" to meet us all. She's a tiny little cute thing and we so enjoyed being with her!

Fiance had never been to a Winn Dixie but loves the book "Because of Winn Dixie." So at 9:00 one night, guess where we took the poor little deprived child!

Fiance is an avid basketball player. Had the nerve to do what no girl has every done....challenged the Hero to a little one-on-one. She let him win...

These two cousins adore each other. They are two of the sweetest, mild-mannered boys you'll ever meet.

We have an annual family reunion the Saturday before Christmas. This is my beautiful Grandmother. She keeps a tab of who is at the reunion and who is NOT. Let's just say you're on the black list for an entire year if you dare not come!

Here's all the grown up girl cousins. We had a special surprise this year. One of our long lost cousins has come back into our lives after 25 years. Can't tell you how wonderful to have her back!

This is my 14 yr old nephew, Giraffe. He is a Braves fanATIC. He used his own money to by Atlanta Braves garb for my kids so they can rootrootroot for the home team.

This is my niece KayKay. She was just accepted into the nursing program at the Medical College of Georgia and was one of the first ones notified which means she was at the top of the list. I'm literally bursting with pride for this HOMESCHOOL GRADUATE! WOOHOO!!!

This is my Doodle on Christmas Eve in her new Pinkalicious pajamas from her Aunt Debalicious.

New Years we did nothing at all exciting. But this past weekend, we visited the eastern side of Georgia where Hero's dad lives....and took in Savannah, Brunswick, and St. Simons Island while there. Here we are with some friends over there at the Japanese Steakhouse.

We took the kids out to the beach at St. Simons....Can you tell it was windy?????

Well, there you have it. A VERY scaled down photo essay of the past few weeks!!!!

Many blessings to you this new year!

The Little Drummer Boy, Repost

Tonight, we watched the Little Drummer Boy together. Below, you will find a repost of my own Little Drummer Boy story from a year ago.

Have a blessed Christmas!

"Blessed are the pure in heart, for they shall see God. Matthew 5:8"

That's how the 1968 version of "The Little Drummer Boy"show ends. I'm sure you've heard the song....and you probably saw the tv show as a child. The storyline goes like this....a little orphaned drummer boy and his animal friends follow three kings and a really bright star across a desert. The Little Drummer Boy finds himself at a stable where a newborn baby has just been born and a crowd of shepherds have gathered, along with the three kings. Just as the Little Drummer Boy begins to make his way to the manger, a chariot runs over his little beloved lamb. With a huge tear in his eye, he approaches one of the Three Wise Men and asks him to save his dying lamb. This king told him the lamb was dying and he could do nothing for him.....but he knew a King among Kings who could. At that, he motioned towards the baby in the manger. The Little Drummer Boy said, "But I have no gift to bring." To which the wise man replied, "Go. Look upon the newborn King." As he gazed at the Baby Jesus, he is overcome with emotion and begins playing his drum for the King. His best for Him. The wise man then says to the Little Drummer Boy, "Your gift, Little Drummer Boy, given out of the simple desperation of a pure love is the one favored above all." The little lamb was healed and so was the Little Drummer Boy's heart.

We watch this movie together each Christmas as a family...it's one of our Christmas traditions. Although the movie is precious and meaningful in and of itself, it has deeper meaning for our family. You see, my Hero had a Granny who never stopped praying for him as he grew up. Jesus spoke to his little heart through any means He could. As an 8 yr old boy, my dh found himself watching "The Little Drummer Boy" on tv at Christmas.....And at the end, he was crying and his heart was touched by the King of Kings. My dh had to endure many heart-wrenching things as a child. Things that send many into a downward spiral and spend a lifetime trying desperately to stop it. There is no other explanation except a miracle straight from the heart of God to explain why my dh is the man of God he is today....a man of integrity, grace, mercy, love.....did I mention grace?

I grew up with many special Christmas traditions in my home and he grew up with very few Christmas memories or traditions. It's been very important to him to establish special traditions with our kids each Christmas. We have quite a few....Advent devotions and wreath, chili on the night we decorate our Christmas tree, eating Martha Washingtons, visiting relatives, but one of the most special times to my husband is when we cuddle together and watch The Little Drummer Boy.

When my sweet husband watched it the first time, I imagine he never dreamed he'd be watching it again.....30 some-odd years later with a wife and three beautiful kids, wondering at the hand of the Lord upon his life.

Blessings to you as you celebrate our Savior's birth with your family and friends. May the realization of His Gift to Mankind overtake you and may the blanket of His peace comfort you. And may you offer Him the most favored gift of all, your heart.

12 Days of Christmas

Woohoo! We're done with schoolwork until after the Holidays!

This morning the kids completed their lapbooks on the spiritual symbolism behind "The Twelve Days of Christmas." It was a fun project for all of us....except the Rayray who is anti-craft. She did enjoy learning the meanings behind each day, though.

In the Middle Ages, Christians were persecuted for their beliefs. So parents made up the 12 Days of Christmas song to teach their children the basics of the Christian faith and about the Bible. How grateful I am today that we don't have to hide our beliefs behind a child's Christmas counting song!

I got the Hands of a Child unit free from Old Schoolhouse Magazine...So grateful for that! The lapbooks turned out great and a normally annoying Christmas song now has deeper meaning for us.

He Never Lets Go

This evening, our darling son, Butter, got into a boatload of trouble with his Daddy. This is NOT a normal occurence. After he got into trouble, he cried it out in his room. His Daddy waited until he had settled himself down, then went to Butter to assure him of his sure and steady love for him, no matter what.

Relationship restored.

Butter spent the rest of the evening not only obedient, respectful, sweet and helpful...but his countenance and his entire demeanor radiated joy. He was over-the-top happy to be alive and his cheerfulness oozed out onto the rest of us.

Pure joy.

Later, I mulled over the evening. And it struck me that while his obedience and respect may have been from the discipline, Butter's sheer joy was from the restoration of his broken relationship with his Dad.

What a picture of how we are with our Heavenly Dad!

We turn from Him and choose to disobey...even sometimes using the same lame excuse as our son did..."Because I didn't want to..." And then WE turn from our relationship with Father. HE never leaves us...He never lets go. We are the ones who choose to disobey because of our selfishness. But our Heavenly Dad loves us beyond measure, never walks away, never turns His back, never lets go. He always longs for us to come back to Him, always loves us, always cherishes, always waits.

And when our relationship with Father is restored, grows and flourishes, there is a joy in our hearts that can't be explained....every aspect of our lives is lived with joy.

Sheer, boundless joy.

Christmas Soap

I made more soap this weekend...

Star of Wonder

Honey and glycerine soap, scented with Frankincense and Myrrh

Peppermint Frost

and Cranberry Frost

Two different scents....same look.

Goat milk and glycerin soap.

Chocolate Cake in a Cup?!?! Hush Up!

After reading this emailed recipe, we wondered if it'd really work.

The Rayray decided there was only one way to find out!

Enjoy her photo essay:

5 Minute Chocolate Mug Cake

4 T Flour
4 T Sugar
2 T Cocoa
1 egg
3T milk
3T oil
3T choc chips (optional)
small splash vanilla extract
1 large coffee mug

The ingredients

Add dry ingredients to mug and mix well.

Add the egg and mix thoroughly.

Pour in the milk and oil and mix well.

Add chocolate chips and vanilla, mix well.

Looks doubtful to me....

Put the mug in the microwave,

cook on high for 3 minutes.

The cake may rise over the top of the mug,

but that's ok. Allow it to cool for a few minutes,

and dump out onto a plate.

The finished product...looks yummy.

Add ice cream...or Kool Whip...

Or keep it simple with a big ol' glass of milk.

Rayray, acting like Paula Deen

What did we think? Was it any good?

The Rayray said it's better than some

homemade, baked-in-the oven

chocolate cakes she's had.

I thought it was a little spongy but tasted brownie-ish....

and I LOVE brownies.

We didn't have choc chips, but

we think it'd be divine with some ooeygooey

choc morsels mixed in.

The bottom line?

Perfect for a quick afternoon snack,

And the kids can fix it themselves!

Now, you try it and tell us what you think.