~My hubby's olive salad...yummy!~

                                                Stromboli w/olive salad = yummy!! :)

6 oz. Jar  marinated artichoke hearts, undrained

6 oz. Can Black olives, drained

6 oz. Can Spanish olives, drained

2 celery ribs, chopped

2 cloves garlic, chopped

½ sweet onion, diced

1 ½ cup sliced fresh mushrooms

8 oz. Mild banana pepper rings

¼ cup. Bell pepper, finely chopped

3 or 4 T white vinegar

1 ½ T Italian seasoning

½ cup olive oil

Crush olives and mix all together in LARGE bowl. Refrigerate overnight to marinate and place in jars to keep.


♥Julie♥

how my husband provides for our family.....

People often ask me what in the world my husband does...well, this...

He is the one in the yellow safety vest. It's kind of funny because in the first pic, it looks like he's getting a lecture but he's not! The guy pointing his finger is talking to the guy behind him taking the pictures, ha! :) This is a hydro-ax and it cuts down trees. This is what he leaves me early every morning and comes home late every night to do!! He doesn't make a tremendous amount of money but he is a dedicated worker and he is the best at what he does and he provides for us.

If you look closely, you will see the trees where the ax is turned over...that's the side of a mountain right there. This was when Lily was about 4 months old. Charlie turned his ax over (happens all the time) and could have rolled down the mountain. So, you see why every morning when he leaves the house, I must make a conscious decision to leave him in God's hands. So must all wives, I am sure. But, not every wife's husband dangles off the sides of mountains for a living!!!!

Just wanted to brag on my baby a little bit and thought this would be a fun post! A fun peek into our daily life.

Have a blessed week!!

Happy 12 yr. Day We Met Anniversary.....

Today, 12 years ago, is the day that Charlie & I met!!!!! I am so in love with him and I can't believe what God has brought us through and how truly blessed I am to have such an amazing husband and that he is such a wonderful father to our children...


I love you forever & I love you for always...

~Fred

memories made..

Just writing this for our online journal (no pictures, sorry, I left the camera in the car) :(

Kids, this morning your Dad woke up and decided that we would go to Beaver's Bend for a picnic lunch, to play on the slides and swings and to take a nature walk. Dad made deviled eggs, sweet tea and we stopped at Pruett's for some fried chicken and salad fixings. We also took our peanut butter brownies from last night. All of you really seemed to enjoy the lunch and thought that was the greatest! Then, Daddy took you to swing and slide and you just went over and over again, upside down on the slide and swinging as fast as you could go while Drew watched you and giggled!! Then, we walked through the nature center and down to the creek where you took off your shoes and socks and splashed in the water, Lily sat completely down and got soaked!!

We then drove around and looked at Mike and Renee's cabin and other pretty cabins up there. We had a lot of fun and Daddy decided that Mama and Daddy need to book a cabin and stay for the night without you!! Mama loves you dearly, kids, but that is something I am really looking forward to!! Time alone with your wonderful Dad. :)

What a wonderful day we had and I will forever keep these memories close to my heart. Maybe by writing it down, I can help you do the same. Next time we do this and Daddy promised it will be soon, I will make sure to get the camera out of the car and take LOTS of pictures...

Thank you, God, for wonderful gorgeous Fall days and warm memories made.

~Julie~

SO exciting!!....

I just found out my early Valentine's present!! I am getting fresh highlights and a pedicure tonight and whatever else I need done!!! Charlie told me he is watching the kids so I can go and do this; WOW!!!! My sister(she is a beautician(is that the word?) is going to do it for me and I love the way she does my hair. It's been awhile since we have done pedicures but she used to do a great job! lol.

I am so proud of my sisters. Tammy is doing so well in beauty school and it's just nice to see her so happy. It's amazing how smart she is and how good she is at what she does. I will have to take pictures of my hair and show it off. I am so looking forward to being together and laughing and just being sisters. :) Crystal, my other sister, blows me away with the wonderful job she is doing as a wife and homeschooling mom. She is amazing and such an inspiration to me. I can't wait until I get to go up and spend some time with her and the fam! :) LOVE YOU,BOTH!!!!!

My husband is just blowing me away this week. Last night he brought home a rose bush for me(I would rather plant them outside and enjoy them all spring and summer than to watch them die within days) and a new muffin tin (I needed this SO bad) and some heart shaped Reese's cups (my fave) and a little bear that says "Hug me". :) Today, he told me about this!!! And, tomorrow we are eating a wonderful supper cooked by him and watching a movie after the kids are in bed, YAY!!!

What am I doing for him, you ask? Well, he got a new nail gun (he's been wanting forever) and I wrote him a long romantic letter and he has been going to the chiropractor and getting adjustments. Also, a few other things that I am not talking about!!! :) lol.

Anyway, I LOVE him so much and he is just so amazing as a husband and a father. He is becoming such a wonderful man after God's heart and I am SO SO SO proud of my baby!!

Hope ya'll have a wonderful Valentine's Day & weekend!!!

Love,
Julie

Day 2.......

Okay, I don't have much time to be on the computer today! valentine's party tomorrow and Birthday party Sunday for Claire; I have SO much to do !! So, to make it quick:

Day 1 was a redo but I just carried it over into day2 and now I think I am going to continue to keep carrying a lot of these over from now on and never stop doing them. For example, the saying nothing negative, I need to work on that every day, not just day 1!! :) Of course we all know that, but do we practice it?

Here's day 2:

"Kindness is love in acttion. If patience is how love reacts in order to minimize a negative circumstance, kindness is how love acts to maximize a positive circumstance.Patience avoids a problem; kindness creates a blessing. One is preventive, the other proactive. These two sides of love are the cornerstones on which many of the other attributes we will discuss are built."

LOVE MAKES YOU KIND, AND KINDNESS MAKES YOU LIKEABLE. When you are kind, people want to be around you. They see you as being good to them and for them.

"Do not let kindness and truth leave you; bind them around your neck, write them on the tablet of your heart. So you will find favor and good repute in the sight of God and man" Proverbs 3:3-4

These really stuck out for me:: (there are LOTS of these for husbands, too, don't worry!)

"Kindness graces a wife with the ability to serve her husband (and children) without worrying about her rights." OUCH!!!!

"The kind wife will be one who greets first, smiles first, serves first and forgives first. They don't require the other to get his act together before showing love. You see the need and make your move, first. "

Proverbs 31:26 "She opens her mouth in wisdom, and the teaching of kindness is on her tongue"


TODAY'S DARE:

IN ADDITION TO SAYING NOTHING NEGATIVE TO YOUR SPOUSE AGAIN TODAY, DO AT LEAST ONE UNEXPECTED GESTURE AS AN ACT OF KINDNESS.

Today I had a lot of fun thinking of Charlie and going back to the days when we met and how I felt about him then. I also thought of how much we have grown in the 11 years we have been together and I just became amazed at God's hand in our lives! It was easy after thinking of everything he has done for me, to be kind to him. However, this is also about learning to be kind in EVERY circumstance. Not just when you have warm and fuzzy feelings about each other. So, I plan to continue on with day 2, even in the rough circumstances and the bad tempers. Believe me, the time will come when my kindness will be tested and so will me saying nothing negative!!! SO hard for me sometimes!

I will hopefully be back sometime this evening or tonight with day 3. Stay tuned!!

show LOVE to your family; bake for them!! (Pumpkin Cream Cheese Streusel muffins)

*I have some posts scheduled to publish throughout the week. I sat down last night and worked on some recipes I have promised a few people. That's probably all I will get to post this week but there are quite a few so I had to get them out of the way sometime!

I made these last night for Charlie & the girls (me, too) lol. We had Darcy's Chai tea along with them and all I can say is, "Who needs Starbucks?" :) I didn't have the same kind of green tea as Darcy used but we made it work. It's delicious and the whipped cream and cinnamon with it; heavenly! Anyway, here's the recipe for the muffins. I think I may have shared them before but they are so good, I will share them again!

filling:

1 (8 ounce) package cream cheese

1 egg

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

3 tablespoons brown sugar

streusel:

4 1/2 tablespoons all-purpose flour

5 tablespoons white sugar (used half Splenda)

3/4 teaspoon ground cinnamon

3 tablespoons butter

3 tablespoons chopped pecans or walnuts

muffins:

2 1/2 cups all-purpose flour

2 cups white sugar (used half Splenda)

2 teaspoons baking powder

1 teaspoon ground cinnamon

1 tsp. pumpkin pie spice

1/2 teaspoon salt

2 eggs

1 1/3 cups canned pumpkin

1/3 cup olive oil (I used Smart Balance)

2 teaspoons vanilla extract

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Grease and flour 18 muffin cups, or use paper liners.

To make the filling:
In a medium bowl, beat cream cheese until soft. Add egg, vanilla and brown sugar.
Beat until smooth, then set aside.

For the streusel topping:
In a medium bowl, mix flour, sugar, cinnamon and pecans.
Add butter and cut it in with a fork until crumbly. Set aside.

For the muffin batter:
In a large bowl, sift together flour, sugar, baking powder, cinnamon and salt.
Make a well in the center of flour mixture and add eggs, pumpkin, olive oil and vanilla.
Beat together until smooth.
Place pumpkin mixture in muffin cups about 1/2 full.
Then add one tablespoon of the cream cheese mixture right in the middle of the batter.
Try to keep cream cheese from touching the paper cup. Sprinkle on the streusel topping.Bake at 375 degrees F (195 degrees C) for 20 to 25 minutes.

*I used Valentine's cupcake papers to make it special; all muffins this week will be baked in these! Hope you enjoy these yummy muffins!! :)

more of my rambling...........;)

I ran 1 mile today and walked a mile and a half. Pretty good for not running for a few years! I have been a little busy having babies! :) It felt so good to run and today was such a gorgeous day to run! 74 degrees and windy with a touch of rain in the air.......aaaahhhhhhh....... I had forgotten how much I love to run and just be alone, just me, the road and God.

I don't know how many miles I am going to be able to get since I am home all day with the kids and I don't have babysitting close by. Charlie usually doesn't get home until late so that's out. Hopefully, Mom will watch them a couple of days a week for an hour so I can run and the other days we will just walk and I will do some walking videos in the house with the girls. :) That's always fun! They love to exercise with Mama! And, I can always get in some running time on Saturdays and Sundays and I am thinking that will be enough for me! I am not in this for the miles. I just want to be healthy for myself and my family. I want to feel better and be the best wife and mother I can be. That's why I run.

I bought Claire's stuff for her Princess party this weekend. Hopefully, I wil get invitations mailed out this weekend. We also have been invited to a valentine's party on Saturday so I got everything for that, too. I am making Red Velvet cupcakes with cream cheese or buttercream icing (can't decide yet) and placing candy hearts on top. She picked out Princess valentines for the girls and Car valentines for the boys. They got pencils with their Valentines. I thought that was a cute idea.

Tomorrow we are making supper and baking cookies for a family that goes to our church. Miss Tammie's mama is sick so we are going to make her feel better. They don't know yet, it's a surprise! Hopefully, I can get it done. If not tomorrow, I will take it Tuesday. Also, we are going to make a Valentine's garland and work on our letter of the week (A). shape: square number: 1 and nursery rhyme: Hey Diddle Diddle, our theme is Cows and our vocabulary word is calf. We are reviewing or that's the plan anyway!! We are working on grasping objects with Drew and he's getting pretty good at it! Oh my goodness, he is growing SO fast!!

Friday night we all curled up in blankets and watched "Facing the Giants". That is such a favorite around here. We could watch it again and again. :)

Charlie heads back to work tomorrow and I am not ready for that at all. Check out the "My Husband Rocks" t-shirts on my sidebar. I am going to order one and wear it with pride. He definitely deserves it. I have such an amazing husband. Oh Lord, you have blessed me more than I EVER deserve and I thank you!!!

Well, I have to go. Just wanted to touch base since I have been gone all week. I probably won't get to blog much this week, either. I have so many things to do and such a busy week planned with the kids and Charlie.

Talk to you soon, though!! Have a blessed week!!

Love,
Julie

It's Friday!....

I am SO glad it's Friday! It has just been one of the LONGEST weeks, ever! We did LOTS of messy (but FUN) crafts this week and with Drew having a cold and wanting to be held all of the time, I just feel like nothing was really accomplished. But, looking at what I just typed, I realize that the most very important things were done. :)

Sunday, February 1st, I am joining Kelli, one of my very first blogging friends in The Husband Encouragement Challenge!! I did this last year and the difference in my husband was just remarkable so I am doing it again this year; come on and join us!!

And, I won't be posting on my challenge for a little while but I hope to catch up when I get back. I am taking a blogging break this week to focus and regroup. I need to spend ALL of my extra time praying for my husband and my children. I love Kelli's idea of praying on the bathroom floor if I have too; I HAVE done that before... :)

Well, so, I hope to see ya'll sometime after next week! I have some pictures to post so I may get back to that sometime this week if I have the time. Other than that, I won't be posting until after this week! Talk to you then!

Have a great weekend and next week, everyone and please consider joining us in the Husband Encouragement Challenge!!! It's life changing, I promise!!

Love,
Julie

my daybook today....

Julie's daybook...For Monday, January 26th, 2009

*Bible verse: (Titus 2:3-8)
3.
The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things;
4.
That they may teach the young women to be sober , to love their husbands, to love their children,
5.
To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed .
6.
Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded .
7.
In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity,
8.
Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed , having no evil thing to say of you.


*recipe: Stuffed Cabbage Casserole, Julia Child's white bread, Texas Sheet Cake (supper last night; leftovers tonight) :)


*activity with kids: bundling up & taking a nature walk after naps; watching a movie and eating snacks

*today's target cleaning areas: organize & vaccum our bedroom closet, girls closet. * Clean ALL appliances * Do ALL laundry; fold & put away (this is ALL done already except the laundry; 1:45 pm)

*Something Charlie needs for me to do: take his phone to get fixed or get new one; make breakfast & lunch for him for entire week (put in freezer & refrigerator) (ALL done except the phone will have to do that tomorrow; 2:00 pm)

Something special for my husband: write love notes to put in his lunch ;)

Something special for my children: let the girls wear my high heels to play dress up; spend time just talking silly & cuddling all of them.

project: menu plan; Drew's baby book (my project for this week, lol)

In our schoolhouse: Slow & Steady Get Me Ready ( I will try and put these in a different post; maybe I will get it done today) :)

*For now, I am posting a picture that I love:

Claire, Lily, Drew & my sweet niece, Sarah, at church :)

Please join in if you wish! I have been doing this as often as I can (I just don't post it) but my little sister inspired me today! To read her wonderful daybook, go here! Have a wonderful and productive week, everyone!

Love,

Julie

tomorrow, I will be....

Baking these with my daughters. And these. Oh, so yummy! :) Playing dolls, playing house (me really ironing clothes while Claire & Lily iron on their little ironing boards with irons that MeMe & Papaw bought them for Christmas), playing in the "castle" with Claire & Lily that Aunt Cheryl & Uncle Greg gave them, watching "Gideon-A lesson in trusting God" Claire's current fave movie, a present from Aunt Crystal& Uncle Paul and playing dress up (present from Aunt Tammy/Uncle Jeremy), playing my keyboard while Claire & Lily rock out on their keyboard (from Aunt Lynn/Uncle Billy), reading James and some in my chronological plan (still trying to follow it as much as I can; it's just been hard), doing the "love dare", making something light for supper (due to the sickness), getting lots of cuddles from Drew & listening to his precious little baby laugh! Listening to my sweet little girls carry on adorable conversations with each other and seeing their sweet relationship develop right before my very eyes. :),washing/drying/folding/putting away laundry, calling the dr.'s office,getting paperwork done for taxes,cleaning the bathroom,breaking up little arguments, kissing owies, (hopefully NOT cleaning up puke & poop)doing school with the girls, organizing mine & Charlie's bedroom, scrubbing floors, and whatever else comes up?!!!!

This is only the tip of the list of things I have to get done this week!!! Is it any wonder that we as stay home Mom's (and working mom's too) just never get ahead?! That we feel "overwhelmed" if we stop and think about all we have to do?! The best solution, I have found, is not to THINK, it is to just DO IT and GET IT DONE!!!! :)

I may have a lot to do tomorrow but I am SO looking forward to it!! I am really looking forward to the play time with my babies & a clean house after I get it all done this week! Nothing like those two feelings, well, that & a happy husband!!! :) So, please pray for me tomorrow so that I may be focused on my tasks! We all know how much the enemy loves to distract us!!!


Love you all & have a great day!! (I won't be on the computer tomorrow; taking a break!)

Julie

Love....

Charlie & I have started the LOVE DARE book. Our church also bought a copy for every couple to work on together which I think is a great idea. Already, this book has changed me.

I am trying to apply these principles to my children as well as to my husband, where appropriate. For example, the first day's challenge is "to say nothing negative to your spouse". So, I will say nothing negative to my husband or my children. Have you ever tried to do this? Have you noticed how many negative things we say in just an hour's time?! Much less a whole day or even, heaven forbid, EVERY DAY?

So, today, I started noticing just how negative I am to those I love. I noticed and even admitted guilt when my day started off rotten and kept getting worse. Yes, there were things that were not my fault. But, my attitude stunk. Hence, the reason, it kept getting worse instead of better. I even yelled several times and that is one thing that I hate to do to my kids and to Charlie. I am definitely seeking forgiveness today.

After praying and telling the kids how Mama was wrong to act that way and why, I prayed with them for God to forgive us for being selfish and ugly. I don't know if they understand but I want them to know what to do and where to go when they mess up. Because we all do and that's what's so cool about GRACE.

Well, just thought I would share that with you today. If you can, would you pray for Drew? He is very stopped up and with the phlegm is having a hard time breathing/sleeping. I am keeping it down with saline nose drops, humidifier, some Vics baby rub, and the steamy bathroom when it gets bad but I would appreciate the prayers that it doesn't get any worse. We have a dr.'s appointment but not for a couple of days and Claire & Lily have some pretty sore throats and are running a little fever. So, prayers would be very appreciated! Thanks! Have a wonderful week!

Love,
Julie

Hello!.....

Hope everyone had a very Merry Christmas! :) Thank you so much for the sweet cards and emails! Your Christmas/New Year cards should be arriving soon in your mailbox, if they haven't already. I am really sorry that I was so late getting them sent out. I tried.

We have had a wonderful Christmas! First of all, Charlie got a week off from work, unexpectedly. It wasn't great because it was a week without pay or unemployment (long story) but it was great because we got to spend a lot of time and have a fantastic Christmas week instead of a rushed week. Thank you, Lord, for that. See, there is good in everything, even financial difficulty. :)

So, our Christmas spending was cut back even more, but that's okay, because we just focused more on important things and the true meaning of the Christmas season. Charlie bought us the book, "The Love Dare", as one of our Christmas presents. We have just started doing this and already Satan has attacked us in almost every area of our marriage. It has been rough but it's funny, too, because we just fight back that much harder and WE are winning! If you haven't started this book, I cannot recommend anything any more than I can recommend this book! It's great!

The girls have had a fun filled time with their Daddy and with cousins and visiting family. It's been a wild week and we are looking forward to settling down this week and just getting back into our groove. :)

Charlie's dad is doing pretty good, considering. He has a really great attitude about everything. He's good like that. :) They did not find any cancer in his bones and it is a really early stage so, those are all great things. Hopefully, they can take care of it with radiation. Please continue to pray. We sure do appreciate all of your prayers. :)

We are looking at a rough year again. HOPEfully, things will improve finanacially and otherwise. We are praying and prayerfully considering some options available to us. Please pray for Charlie as he makes a lot of decisions for the future of our family. He really is trying so hard to seek God's will and direction in his life. I am SO proud of him and in all of almost 11 years (next week) of marriage, I have never seen him walk as closely to the Lord as I see him walking now. It gives me goosebumps just talking about it! :)

*Well, I have to go lay clothes out for church tomorrow and read my love dare for tomorrow and get some sleep. I will try to post pictures of our crazy kids and their wild antics at Christmas if I can get the computer to cooperate! (Because of the week off of work, I will have to wait a little while longer on our computer, that's okay, the Lord is sure teaching me how to wait patiently!) :)

Happy New Year!

Julie

I'm under attack...

*edited to say: I know that people love me, that friends and family love me. Deep down I know that. This is just the battle that I fight every day with myself. Not anything that anyone has or hasn't done!

Charlie and I went to see Fireproof on Sunday night. It was, as I already said, in a word, AWESOME!!! It has been life changing for us! I am seeing things in my husband that I have prayed for and now they are coming true! Last night was a very huge moment for us. Charlie took me down on the floor with him on our knees and he prayed over us. :) I cannot stop crying today. Just tears of absolute joy everytime I think of my precious husband and how he is trying so hard to be the husband/father he is called to be, how his heart is so tender towards me now and most important, He is walking with Christ every step of the way! :)

We are going through some major things right now and I am not afraid. Charlie is standing up and taking control and I am SO proud of my husband! However, the problem is with me.

Satan is atttacking me; big time. I have a major self pity thing going on. I am not able to focus so well when I am in prayer. I just feel like I need to sleep and have no urge to take care of my family or my home. Sounds bad, huh? But, I have to admit it. I must get this out so that Satan has NO power over my mind. I have learned exactly what to do to make him go away! ;)

I am just in a major funk. I feel like no one cares about me and I have been trying to reach out to others but feel rejected. I hate that feeling and it makes me start questioning myself. It makes me feel horrible because I feel not worthy of friendship or of anything good in my life. I hate this about me, that I let my mind control me so many times.

My parenting has definitely suffered. I am very easily angered and struggling to stay calm and let the little things just go. Lily is a little screamer when she doesn't get her way and listening to this ALL. DAY. LONG. is driving me insane! Claire is going through a thing where she hates to wear pants (of any kind) , her seat belt, etc. and throws a screaming fit when she has too. Which, you know, is any time we go anywhere at all. Drew is doing pretty good but I can't give him the attention he needs because I have spent most of my day today defusing temper tantrums and wondering if I am losing my mind?!

And, I have surgery scheduled for Tuesday morning. I am always worried when I have surgery. And this is a very hard and sad day for me. Without going into our reasons or our decision, I will not be able to have more children. We know that this is the right decison but we are very sad. My life is my husband and my children. That's all I know and I love every second of it. I really believe that my conflicting feelings are the source of a lot of this mess I am going through this week. Please pray for us.

Anyway, I just felt like I had to get this said. I know that I have not been walking around with my "full armour of God" as my protection against Satan's attacks. I must stay in the word, that is why I am starting the memory verse. I must focus on what my family thinks of me and their needs from me as a wife and mother. I HAVE to get to that point where I no longer worry about what people (even family) think of me. I have to stop letting other people's opinions of me control me. I KNOW WHO I AM. I KNOW I AM WORTHY. I KNOW I AM CALLED TO BE CHARLIE'S WIFE AND CLAIRE, LILY & DREW'S MAMA. THE LORD IS MY HEAVENLY FATHER AND HE LOVES ME.

and that's all I need to know.

Julie

Recent pics...

Mama & Boo-Bear

Sallysan(not her real name) & Lily

Very unflattering pic of me & mom at Drew's shower!

MeMe Fogg & her look alike grandaughter, Lily Charlotte!

Lily riding her & Claire's John Deere tractor!

Lily playing outside with sissy(her favorite thing to do!)

Daddy & Drew-bear taking a nap!

Daddy & Boo-Bear (who is just about 2 minutes old)

Claire & her cousin Jack, whom she absolutely adores!

Claire riding Molly Mule (Uncle Kermit's mule)

Claire (aka "Care-Bear")

Drew (aka"Boo-Bear & Drew-Bear& Brudder)

Above are just some of the pictures that I have been meaning to get posted but have been having unbelievable trouble doing so!! (FYI- One of my Christmas presents this year is wireless internet; hopefully, if nothing bad financially happens! Well, either that or more home improvement (desperately needed!) =0)

This makes me happy....

This is what makes my life the joyous life that it is!!! Thank you, Lord for these awesome blessings that I get to be with every day!! And for the new baby that will bring so much more joy to our lives!!! Can't wait!!! =)

Rattling around in my head...

*Updated with pictures at the bottom of the post!!!!!

Um, yeah. The best title I could come up with for all that I have been dwelling on lately. Must be the horomones! =)

* Is baby a boy for sure? How do I know? (See, how useless is it to worry about this? And, so what if it is a girl?! Either one is fine with me & Charlie!)

* I get up at 4am with Charlie almost every day and don't get to sleep until around 10:30 or 11 pm. After I get up with him, it takes me about an hour to go back to sleep and then Claire is up at 6 am. So, I am just a little tired all of the time!

* I am really ready for Fall!!! It's raining a lot here and cooling down some already which is extremely strange for August where we live! It's usually so dry and HOT all month and into September! I am loving this weather even if our finances aren't (Charlie can't work much when it rains).

* Still not completely ready for Andrew. I just can't seem to get it all together with this 3rd baby. I desperately want to but I am just so tired and occupied with taking care of Charlie & the girls. So, I am feeling some Mommy guilt already.

* Read Romans this morning. I don't really remember which chapter! LOL. =) I could not go back to sleep so I read and then I fell asleep reading. I think it was the 8th chapter! I do remember reading about our sin nature and the Holy Spirit dwelling in us. =)

* Thinking about posting about a serious issue. Trying to figure out exactly what to say. I usually don't like to deal with the aftermath I get when I post about things like that but I feel this is important. We'll see.

* Making a ham in the crockpot and cooking pinto beans, steamed cabbage and mashed potatoes with it. Of course, sweet tea. And little Miss Clairee made her Daddy a cake this morning. =)

* My dr.'s appt. got rescheduled today. Going early next week and I am actually hoping to have the baby before then. I am shooting for Paul (the 24th?) or Kylie's (the 27th?) birthdays!!!! =)

*Did "school" with Claire today! We made circles and stars and cut and pasted them on construction paper. We also worked on her counting and the letter "R". She is doing so great and I am SO proud of my babies!! Lily is scribbling away on her construction paper while Sissy works!!! I will post the pictures I took of their artwork sometime today. My computer still does not cooperate with that very well so I have to use my Mom's to load my pictures until we can afford a new one!

* Charlie's home for the 3rd day this week. Check will be small but the Lord will provide. HE always does. =)

*Lily has a head cold and Claire is getting one. They are stuffed up pretty bad right now. =(

* Going to go and play catch with Claire and go for a walk. Hope I can get baby to come on down!!! Pray for us please as we near the birth of our precious little one!

Lily can do school, too!

Claire's circles & stars(the stars were traced with a cookie cutter, I know they are funny looking but I think they are the cutest stars, ever! She also cut and pasted these with VERY little of Mama's help, I am so proud!!!

Love and Prayers to all,
Julie

This Man Loves Me!!!!

Counting my blessings today! I am SO blessed to be the wife of this incredible amazing man! THANK YOU, LORD JESUS!!!!! :o)

A great Father's Day dessert...

Chocolate Praline Cake

I made this cake last year for Charlie & one for my Dad. I believe this year that I will make one for both of them again & maybe one for my father-in-law. There may be some other dessert that he would like better, so we will see. Anyway, this is seriously a delicious cake! There will be NO leftovers, I guarantee and it is beautiful, too!

The Cake Mix Doctor is a great book if you don't already own it and it is all so easy! Make this cake for your special someone for Father's Day or just any day. We will probably have this cake and grill some ribeyes (Charlie's favorite) with salad. My man is sexy and easy to please!!!

Happies...

This post is completely random so it's just a warning! :o)

Things that make me happy today: (in no particular order)

*My husband turning his alarm off this morning & getting back in bed to hold me; how very sweet!

* Grilling last night & working in the garden with Charlie & the girls.

* Claire & the pottty training sticker chart; she has to get 10 stickers to get an ice cream with Daddy. She is on #7 and working hard already today to get to #10! So proud of her; she's trying so hard!

* Lily holding my hand last night while going to sleep. Her teeth are really bothering her and she just needed Mama's comfort. :o)

* Drew kicking me with full body blows and hitting and kicking the matress when I lay on my side to sleep! He is definitely strong & active! It's so fun to feel him move around and know that he is alive and strong! What a blessing (believe me, we know).

* This breakfast casserole; I believe it is very close to perfection! Yummy!

* "Creative Discipline" by Lisa Whelchel (Blair on The Facts of Life); a funny great read that really makes you understand the true meaning for discipline and just what are we getting so worked up for anyway?! lol. It's a lifetime process not something that has to be perfected overnight! Anyway, it helps me A LOT! :o)

* My Brighton watch takes a standard watch battery.

* My fingers and feet are not swollen today (yet).

*Dr. Pepper lip smackers lip gloss! Seriously good stuff for a Dr. Pepper addict and the color is really flattering, as well. Just a hint of color, like a blush.(I have been using this for about 5 years or so and I LOVE it!)

*Jergen's Self Tanning Body Lotion; just enough color but not enough to make me orange, which every other lotion with self tanner that I have tried does! Wal-Mart makes a generic version and I think Target does as well. I know the Wal-Mart one is about $2 cheaper a bottle and it works just as well. Although, you can also get the Jergen's lotion that is firming and it does wonders for cellulite and stretch marks! Hallelujah; it's amazing what a good tan can hide! :o)

* Splenda- LOVE the taste of this stuff and trying to eat healthier so this is a must. I am addicted to sweets and this just makes it easier to indulge. We have sweet tea made with this every night and we like it more than sugar sweet tea! In fact, the regular sweet tea feels so heavy to us now. This is great to have in the pantry to make some awesome sweet tea or a quick dessert! :o)

* The Ashley Judd Collection at Goody's! when I lose this pregnancy weight; I am SO shopping there & buying myself a few items! They are gorgeous and VERY flattering! Check it out; you can't beat Goody's prices!

* Target's (Liz Lange) Maternity jeans; Awesome & they last through more than one pregnancy! So comfortable and cute with all your shoes!(By the way; I am NOT getting paid to endorse anyone; just sharing my favorites with you!) *And, although I love the ones that I own now; they do not currently have anything cute that I think would work if I wanted to order a new pair! But, Old Navy has some really cute maternity jeans right now and I want to order this pair and this pair in particular!

* New Living Translation Study Bible; to study with, I haven't found anything better. The charts and timelines and biblical history are so helpful. I have used this Bible along with my KJV and my NIV for years and I find that looking at all three helps understand the context that something is written in much better. Of course, this is JMHO(just my honest opinion) and I am in NO way an expert on what Bible to read!

* My Kitchen Aid Mixer for awesome meringue for coconut cream pie we had earlier this week; yum!

* My granny's patchwork quilt made with her old dresses(the same ones that she made our barbie clothes with). I love to cuddle up with this and read my bible and journal. Makes me feel warm and loved.

* Things that don't let us forget. A book I am reading right now by Karen Kingsbury, "One Tuesday Morning". I cried so much and it reminded me how blessed I am to have the godly man that I do for my husband. He is not perfect and neither am I but we do strive toward that same ultimate goal; to be more like Christ every day. I love him so much.

*Baby Einstein videos- BOTH girls LOVE these and Claire teaches Lily the concepts as they watch. It's a sanity saver for me and so precious for the girls to enjoy this together! :o)

*Babywise- Nobody throw anything; this has helped us with both girls (both sleeping through the night by 12 weeks) so it works for us! :o)

Okay, I guess that I am through for now! I know this probably bored you senseless but thanks for reading along! And, if you get time, let me know a few of your favorite things! :o)

Love and Blessings to all,
Julie