Thank You And Goodnight

So I am signing off for the year!

I hope all of my faithful readers (all 3 of you) have a wonderful and blessed Christmas!

I plan on starting back at the beginning of the year to work on my goals for the year of 2008. I have to admit, the year 2007 was really one of the most stressful and crazy years of my life and I didn't do so well on all my goals.

Have a very Merry Christmas and a Wonderful New Year!

Check It Out

My friend over at Mrs. Troop is writing her love story or her dating story or her courtship story, however you would like to put it. It is a VERY interesting story of courtship and probably what we will do with our daughter some day. Go on over and check it out and then leave her a crazy comment so she will feel the love!

How I Met the Coach

(PLEASE leave her a comment, I'm begging you.... It would REALLY make her day.....any old random comment would do...... really......... )

Thankful Thursday

1. I'm thankful my hubby is coming home tonight!
2. I'm thankful for my sewing machine. There is no way I would even attempt to sew 5 cowboy vests by hand. (thank you, mom and dad)
3. I'm thankful for our good weather. It has been nice and balmy this week in Georgia. The kids have played outside every day.
4. I'm thankful for good child training books.
5. I'm thankful it is only a 2 day drive to Oklahoma for Christmas.(see, I'm trying to be positive about it!) (and I'm already dreading it) (but this is my Thankful post... sorry)

Yee Haw

Drum Roll Please....................

So here they are.

It doesn't look like much but I have a lot of time and energy wrapped up in these babies.

And yes, those are actual working pockets!

They really turned out well.... despite the over ambition...

They really took a lot more energy and talent than I had budgeted for.

Fortunately my creativity and critical thinking skills really

came in handy but my talent does not lie in sewing.

I enjoy sewing as long as everything goes according to plan

but when the fabric slips or needles don't work

or I have to start taking apart seams....

I start feeling a little over ambitious!

I'm really thinking that the chaps are

going to have to wait until next year.

I've got skillz I tell ya.

Mad skillz!

I don't know if you can tell but in the middle of all the stars are rivets.

That's right.

Genu-wine metal rivets.

The first one took me 10 MINUTES to put in. Seriously.

Now I can put them in so fast it would make your head spin.

Skillz.....that no one can take away from me.

On the girl vests there is fringe on the pocket.

That was a lot of extra love.

Now I must go continue to clean my house.

And if someone would please just leave me a post telling

me how adorable these are and how talented I must be

and how you are just SURE that vests of this caliber

MUST be selling for around $2000 in a boutique,

that would just make my day!

(even if you have to lie, I'm okay with that)

(very tired and needing some appreciation)

(looking for claps here)

Pretty sure this won't count toward

my heavenly rewards of gold brick

so yes,

I am seeking the appreciation

of my fellow man.

:)
Please Appreciate.

Toast, French Toast

That is what I am going to be if anyone wants to come look at our house today or tomorrow.

Cause I been a sewin.
(yes I realize that is completely incorrect English,... just using it for emphasis) (my mother was an English teacher and I believe she occasionally reads this blog) (hi, mom)

My ambition has once again gone before my talent and I decided that I could make 5 cowboy vests and chaps/skirts for my kids and my neices for Christmas.

I am talkin insanely ambitious here.

Cause my house is for sale, and I've got 3 young'uns who I have been lettin run rampant in order to get my sewin done, and I'm really just not as talented as I think I am.....

But, I now have 5 little cowboy and cowgirl vests that are just about as cute as they can be..... from about 8 feet away. I haven't even attempted the chaps/skirts yet. I need to get my house back in order before I start wrecking it back up again. If that makes any sense at all.

I will try to post pictures tonight because the kids still have not seen the finished product and I want to keep it a surprise.

I'm sure ya'll be checkin back all day long to see if I have posted pictures or not. Maybe it will boost my ratings. (now you KNOW for sure that I have not gotten enough sleep, I'm just getting goofy)

And my house, it is a wreck. I'm not even brave enough to post pictures of it. It's that bad. And I'm toast..... french toast....... burnt french toast........

I just needed someone to know.

I am off to clean.

Overheard At the Table

We had the girls across the street over to play for the day last week. This was the conversation overheard at the table during lunch.

(3rd grade neighbor): Our next door neighbors are moving.
(mine in 1st): We're moving to Texas.
(K neighbor) : Everybody moves to Texas.
(1st): My daddy says they don't need as much help at his job here anymore but they need more help in Texas.
(My 4 y/o) : It's windy in Texas! (how would he know this?)
(My 3 y/0): Yee Haw Yippee ki yo... Texas here I come.......
(1st): The best part about it is that my mom says that she has always wanted to live in Texas her WHOLE ENTIRE LIFE!!!
(as I am choking on my drink.....)
(1st): Isn't' that right mom?
(still choking.... remembering that I did indeed say something to that fact to try and get everyone excited about the imminent move.......)
Me: Yes, that's right. I am very excited. It will be a great place to live! (yippee ki yo)

Thankful Thursday

Okay, so I almost missed it. The truth is that I am just feeling a little overwhelmed with life in general right now and just didn't want to do it. But here I am .... so here it goes....

1. Online Shopping - Couldn't have gotten my shopping done without it.
2. Creme Brulee - Just keepin it real. I adore the stuff.
3. Great neighbors - You know, the kind that you trust to watch your kids for you.
4. Dishwasher - I don't think I even need to explain this one.
5. Bread Makers - We have been making homemade bread lately and I don't think I could accomplish it without a breadmaker. I heart my breadmaker.

So that's all I've got right now. I hope you have a great thankful Thursday.

Almond Joy

I think

I might

make that

the new title

of my blog because

....... sometimes I feel like a nut.

Pluggin a Blog

My friend,
Mrs. Troop,
has opened up her blog
so go on over there,
look around and
leave a comment!
(because comments are so fun and most of her comments so far are from me!)

Thankful Thursday

Wow.... these Thursdays seem to come around awfully quick!Actually the days seem very long, it's the weeks that seem short. Does it feel that way to anyone else?

1. I am thankful we are going home for Christmas.

There is just something about celebrating Christmas with your dad & mom and siblings. I am NOT looking forward to getting there.... but this post does not cover the scope of things I am not looking forward to. That would be more like that topic for an entire weeks' discussion.

2. I am thankful for the friends I am going to see whilst I am home for the holidays.Oh yes, among seeing the family I will also be seeing friends. Woohoo!

3. I am thankful for the enthusiasm of children.

It is so refreshing and fun to witness the enthusiasm that my kids have for Christmas and everything that surrounds it. When we put up the tree it was "Mom, you are the best mom in the whole wide world". Last year when I put up the tree and turned on the lights, my oldest started praying right then and there thanking God for Christmas and the tree. My middle started singing "Happy Birthday to Jesus". They get so excited about the littlest things and I am so thankful for that!

4. I am thankful for water.

It's one of those things you take for granted, until the lake that supplies your water only has 132 days left of the wet stuff. There is a big emphasis on water rationing here in Georgia and we have been banned from outdoor water usage of any kind since summer. It's going to get to the point where I'm going to have to restrict my kids to one outfit and one pair of pajamas per week. (to save on laundry water) Actually, that might not be such a bad idea anyways................ We had some friend on Sunday who said they were going to Wal Mart to buy bottled water to go pour in Lake Lanier. We would probably join in except the water will just be sent down stream to keep endangered mussels and sturgeon alive.

5. I am thankful for ribbon.

I know... it's a little shallow... but hey, just keepin it real! I LOVE ribbon! All colors all sizes.... and for wrapping gifts I love wide satin ribbon or sheer ribbon or ribbon with wire in it. It's so fun to get a package with a nice big ribbon on it.

What are you thankful for?

The Forgotten Boys

This story really touched my heart. I think it is worth reading if only to put perspective into life.

The Forgotten Boys

It is on a blog from a family who are adopting 3 children (I think) from Ethiopia. They are over there right now and just visited a home for older boys who are orphans. The orphange is home to about 180 boys ages 12 and up. Because of their ages these boys are rarely adopted.

The post is rather long because they go into great detail about the boys and the conditions they are living in but I think it was worth the read.

Ode to Petit St. Vincent

I am leaving.

For Petit St. Vincent Island.

Tomorrow.

I'm sure the kids can fend for themselves.
I'm sure they can.

They know where the cereal is.
They know how to get water to drink.

They know how to work the dvd player.

They know what time bedtime is.

I'm leaving the country.

At this island...

there are no children....

there are no pagers...........

there are no phones.......

there is no tv........
there are no peanut butter sandwiches............

did I mention no kids........

You can do hiking, swimming, reading, relaxing, napping.....
A soothing massage or facial can be arranged in your cottage or on your patio on request.......Room service, lunch on the beach, whatever you want........

I could rest and relax here just fine.....
I'm sure I could.....

I would at least like to give it a try....

Okay, so maybe not this week.

But a girl can always dream...............

Venit, Vidit, Absentis

They Came, They Saw, They Left

They Came

at 11:00 am Sunday morning to see the house.

They called at 10:00am Sunday morning to say they were coming.

Who comes to see a house on Sunday morning?!?

Don't they know it's all some people can do to get

their kids fed and dressed, their hair done, their coats on

and out the door on Sunday mornings?

Why, oh why would they call Sunday morning

an hour before they come by?

They Saw

the house in disarray.

Oh yes they did.

We did not know they were coming.

The kids beds were unmade.

The doors to the rooms in the basement were locked.

The house was clean (swept, vacuumed) but not

entirely picked up.

Not "Southern Living could come take pictures

of my house clean".

I'm sure the tinker toy parts in the

front entry way tipped them off

to the fact that they were not expected.

I'm sure they were impressed.

They Left

We did not hear back from them.

Their loss.

Our house cleans up real well.

I promise!

Interested In.....

Destino Del Reino

Jericho Ministries

Voice of the Martyrs

Thankful Thursday

Happy Thanksgiving!

I am thankful for so many things on this Thanksgiving

Family I am thankful that I have had a wonderful Thanksgiving with my husband and kids and the they are all healthy and here.

Friends I am so thankful for my friends. They have been there for me and encouraged me and supported me through all sorts of issues I have had! :) Thanks y'all!

Rest
I am so thankful that we have a couple days of rest. My husband has been so busy with work and things have been so crazy with kids activities and showing the house (and keeping it clean) that we just have not really felt rested. Today we got up early to get the rolls started and to pop the turkey in and then we went back to bed and rested. It was SO nice!

Turkey
I am thankful we only had a 12lb turkey! Ha! This was my first whole turkey to fix and we brined it and cooked it this morning. It was a decent sized turkey, I'm telling ya, and it was one of the smaller ones! And we have plenty of leftovers.

Wal Mart Okay, so I know we all have a love/hate relationship with Wal Mart, but seriously, I am so thankful I live in a nation where I can drive 5-10 minutes to a store and buy anything I need and even some things I want! On Monday I went to Wal Mart and just stood there and watched all the people carting things out and thought how fortunate we are. There are so many people in this world who would give anything to have these convieneces.

I am thankful.

The Pies, They Are A' Ready

Thankful Thursday

I have many things to be thankful for.
It always helps me put things into perspective.

There have been many times lately when I just get worn out or frustrated with things or situations and I really just have to look at the flip side of whatever is getting me down and find what I am thankful for.

So Thankful Thursdays really gives me a day to sit down

and have an attitude check and get my perspective back where it needs to be.

1. I am thankful we have a vehicle for transportation.

My 6 year old and I had a 2 hour conversation on cars
and who has a car (me) and who does not

(him and people in India)(according to him)

(I have no idea where he came up with that one)

so we then had a whole conversation about

how we really need to be thankful because not everybody in
America has a car. And then I started thinking that I would not

EVER go ANYWHERE with my 3 if we had to walk there or

ride our bikes there. ANYWHERE...... EVER.......

So I am very thankful for our car!

2. I am thankful we have potential buyers looking at our house.

I'm glad but it is a lot of work. So I am focusing on the glad part.

Keeping a house "show ready" (and by show ready I mean

clean enough that Southern Living could show up

and take pictures for their magazine) (not that that my

house would even qualify, I'm just saying I would like it

to be that clean!:) ) with 3 kids 6 and under

gets to be just a wee bit stressful. Just a wee bit!

But I am glad we are showing it. We had a showing today

and one scheduled for tomorrow. It really throws ME off schedule

but, once again, this is the thankful game, not the Lori whining game! :)

Ha! Ha! Ho! Ho! He! He! Ha! Ha!

3. I am thankful for bloggers.

Seriously. I didn't even know what blogging WAS until just this last
May when my neighbor across the street told me she blogged.

There are some very funny, witty and down right hilarious

women out there blogging their little hearts out! When you are
a stay at home mom, with little kids running around all day,

it is just nice to know there are others out there fighting the

good fight and striving to raise their families and be good

wives and just being amusing in general.

4. I am thankful for music.

(I'm not talking about VeggieTales here)

Music just soothes my soul! Whether it is hymns, the

Sleeping Beauty Waltz, Christian praises
Christian pop or a little bit of Harry Connick, Jr. music just makes

me happy. I love having a song in my heart!

5. I am thankful for our fishing pond.

That's right. We have a fishing pond. Right down the street.

We can walk there in about 5 minutes.
It has TONS of fish and all you need is a pole, a hook
and some bread and you can pull a fish out every time!

My kids think it is great! I think it is free I mean great!

Have a Thankful Thursday Y'all!

The Recital

Last night was our first violin recital.

Ever.

My oldest has been playing for a year now and can actually play 5 songs with piano accompaniment.

My middle loves music and rhythms. He just started lessons in the summer.

My youngest is our performer and she desperately wanted to take violin lessons also.

She actually started this summer when she was 2.

What was I thinking?

Our violin teacher's daughter also teaches and she was available at the same time our oldest was taking lessons. I was going to have to do something with the other 2 anyways, and they both wanted to take lessons, so I said why not.

Here they are pre-recital.

You can tell they are excited and thrilled to have their pictures taken.

What if daddy stands behind me and promises you all lollipops if you smile?

That's what I thought.

Here is my oldest at the recital. Look at that confident stance!

He played "Variations on Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star"

and "Song of the Wind" with piano accompaniment.

My middle played "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star".

At least part of it.

We are not for sure what she played. But she did play.

Oh yes she did.
With all the flair and grandeur she could muster.


And then she took her bow.


The audience clapped.
The audience cheered.
She wanted to play again.
We thought we would never get her off the stage.

To See If She Could

So, I am fixing lunch. My 3 year old daughter who is somewhere on the other side of the kitchen says, "Mom, look at me!".

My spidey senses kick in as I turn around in slow motion.

She has a glass jar full olives and olive juice......

balancing.........

....on her head!

My 3 YEAR OLD!

After I recovered from passing out on the floor I immediately used every ounce of self control not to yell "WHAT ARE YOU DOING!!!!! PUT THAT DOWN IMMEDIATELY!" because in a moment of clarity and surprising sanity I realized I might scare her and she might actually drop the thing. So instead, I said "wow" in my happy voice and with lightening quick speed I closed the distance between the two of us and snatched the jar from her head. And THEN once all was safe and danger was averted I let her know that she is never again in this life time and under no circumstances ever again allowed to try that stunt again.

Amen.

Fashion Follies of the 6th Grade

So, this weekend I was flipping through a fancysmancy catalog and saw this.....

Are you serious? Is the flipped up collar on the polo really coming back in style? Because if it is I am all over it! Oh yes I am! Because this fashion wave rolled through our mid-west town when I was in 6th grade, and I was not cool enough to pull it off.

It's sad, but true.

I actually did wear my collar flipped up sometimes at home to impress my little sister and brother with my coolishness. And I would stand and look at myself in the mirror to see if I could get up the nerve to try it out at school.

But I just couldn't pull it off.

You see, in 6th grade, I was 6' tall and skinny as a rail. The closest 6th grader in height to me was a good 5 inches shorter. Many a time the boys would walk up to me and ask "How's the weather up there?" (looking back I think they were just intimidated by me but it sure is hard as a 6th grader to see that) My dad jokingly said I should tell them "It's raining" and then spit on them.

I never did.

But seriously considered a couple times.

So if the flipped up collar polo really and truly comes back, And it really is cool, I will so wear it this time around! And I know my kids (6, 4 and 3) will be so impressed with just how cool their mom is.

Because I am like, SO totally cool now.

Things That Make You Go....... Hmmmmmm

Friday, my husband decided to put these cool toilet bowl cleaner things in the tank so they are always smelling nice and fresh.

And blue.

Today, my 4 year old son ran into our room and said "I need to use your bathroom, the water in my toilet is blue".

(sidenote here: ALL the water in ALL the toilets in our house has been blue since FRIDAY)

My husband then replies "All the toilets have blue water. It's supposed to be that way. You can use your own toilet."

My son runs out of our room shouting "Yippeee, we can use the toilets! The water is supposed to be blue! Yippeee!"

So WHAT has he been doing?

Hmmmmmm.

I Love Fall

Fall.

I just love fall.

I love jackets. I love flannel sheets.

I love Taco Soup and White Chicken Chili. I love pumpkin pies.

(and when I say pumpkin pie, I do mean equal parts pumpkin pie and whipped cream)

And I love leaves.

It is so fun to watch the ever changing colors on the trees.

Here is a beauty I found in my front yard. Just beggin to have it's picture taken.

Here is another beauty.

I really can't decide which colors I love the best.

And then I found this.

A pink blooming flower. In my front yard.

They are all over the bush.

Right now.

Mid-November.

I found out it is a Camellia. I LOVE pink flowers. But in November?

It's really messing with my whole "fall color theme"!

Crazy Sewing

Okay, so there has been some crazy sewing going on here in the last couple days. I mean crazy as in... my husband is out of town, we've just listed our house on the market to sell, I'm trying to keep the house "show ready" with 3 small kids while also trying to complete school each day and also feed them 3 meals a day and get all the laundry done crazy. And I decide that my neice who is turning 1 needs a new birthday dress... and not only that.... it needs to be reversible....... crazy.

So here is the first side. It is a fine wale pink courderoy with her initials embroidered on it along with the cutest brown bows with pink polka dots! It turned out SO CUTE!

Here is where I got into trouble. This is the other side it reverses to. It has the cutest little birthday cake with chenille icing and very cute white bows.

The problem is that you could see through to the other side.

Ugh.

Learn from my mistake. Don't try this at home! Just go ahead and make 2 dresses if you must have both the monogram and the cake! It's just not worth all the tears and frustration and knashing of teeth! It's not. I promise. I had to try and "line" the middle of the dress and it just didn't work out so well. If you look closely you can see where the lining is in a big square behind the cake. It looked fine on the monogram side, but this side it shows through just a hint. It actually is not quite as noticible in real life as it is in the picture.

And don't even get me started on button holes. If I put a button hole in something, it is TRUE LOVE! I was doing just fine until I got to the button holes and if my mom had been living just 15 minutes away, I would have promptly drove to her house and through tears begged her to finish this dress for her youngest granddaughter. But she lives 2 days drive away. So I didn't. And yes, I did consider priority mail, but there would not have been enough time for her to finish it and take it to my neice. So I got out the sewing manual and figured out which foot thingy needed to go on and which setting it needed to be on and I got the thing done. But it wasn't pretty. Fortunatley the button holes are covered up by the cute bows. :) That worked out well!

Crazy sewing. That's all I have to say about it.

About Me

I'm the Daughter of the King of Kings.

Helpmeet to my husband.

Mother of 3 by God's Blessings.

Physical Therapist by Profession.

Stay at Home Mother by Choice.

Homeschool teacher by Determination and Patience.

Gardener and Photographer.

Baker, Cook, Seamstress and Homemaker.

Laundress, Maid and Chauffeur.

Avid Reader of Books.

Why Crazy Daisy?

Crazy....

because there are many days around here that just seem plain crazy. In February 2007 we moved from Oklahoma, where we had lived all our lives, across country to Georgia. In October 2007 we found out we would be moving to Texas in the next couple months. On November 5th of 2007 my husband started working in Texas while we were still living in Georgia. That was the day I started this blog. As of August 2008 we are now Texans.

Crazy

I'm crazy about my husband. He's a 6'3 tall, gorgeous, blond hunk of a man. He is the love of my life. He is passionate about his relationship with Christ and he is witty and brilliant.

I'm crazy about my kids. All 3 of them. They are the best. There are days they drive me crazy too. I'm talking about sitting under the kitchen table, sucking my thumb and eating chocolate kind of crazy. But I love them.

I'm crazy about Jesus. I passionately want to be more like Christ and live my life to the fullest for His glory.

Daisy.....

because daisies just make me happy. I love to garden. I love it. It brings me much peace and enjoyment. I love spending time in the beautiful world God created for us.

I love many other things, like photography, cooking, baking, sewing, and scrapbooking and most other things crafty. But if I had to choose, I would choose daisies. And so I did.

So there you have it.

Homeschool Resources

Home School Reviews

My Father's World

Oklahoma Homeschool

World Atlas

Veritas Press

Recipe Box

Cinnamon Cupcakes

White Chicken Chili

Spinach Dip

Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Bread

Chocolate Mocha Cake

Lemon Petit Fours

Wonderful Layer Salad

Brilliant Blogs

A Long Way From The Theta House

Adventures on Treasure's Island

Big Mama

Boo Mama

Chickens in the Road

Ethiopia Here We Come

Georgia Mom

Home Sweet Home

I Love Banner Boys

Jo's Kitchen Table

Journey with the Jones Family

Meena's Blog

Mrs. Troop

Outside The Camp

Mommy Life

Regina Jennings - Historical Romance author

Rocks In My Dryer

The Anderson Zoo

The Good Life

The O'Kane Corral