PICTURE A DAY 2009

I'm really enjoying this Saturday meme by Altering Life. All you do is take one photo a day, and then post once a week sharing all 7 of your photos! It's that simple! What a great way to have 365 photos to document your year!

SATURDAY-Soccer Coaches Banquet

SUNDAY-Potluck at our friends house after church. Fellowship rocks!

MONDAY-Clippie Happy!

TUESDAY-Finally..the kids other school computer came!

WEDNESDAY-Our Womens Bible Study handbook

THURSDAY-I love when he plays his guitar.

FRIDAY-My mom going to Hawaii for a week

ANOTHER BLOG GIVEAWAY!!

Lisa @ Family Life is the gal that won my Blog Makeover Giveaway. Well, she decided to Pay It Forward and have a Blog Giveaway on her own!! Head over to her blog for the details! You don't want to miss out on this!!

GRILLING GOODNESS #16

I just love this meme! I'm all over answering questions! If you want to join in on the fun, click here!!

1. Do you and your spouse still celebrate Valentine's Day? Last year we went to dinner alone, and this year, not sure! I would like to include the kids with us though!

2. When's the last time you licked a stamp? Oh gosh..I can't even remember!

3. How many clocks are in your home? 3

4. What holiday is closest to your birthday? Labor Day! My birthday is August 2nd. Mark your calendars!

5. Do you cook anything the same way your mother made it when you were growing up? LOL..yah, when I go out and buy fast food or fix something quick!!!! Sorry, mom!

6. Do you pay bills online? Sometimes!

7. Will you be gathering to watch the Super Bowl on Sunday? No. I don't even think we've ever watched one! LOL

8. Have you treated yourself to something this week? No, but last week I did! I bought some clothes!

DENTIST APPRENTICE!

We love our dentist! We have been going to her for the last 7/8 years! I used to tell my friends that it was like a break for me to go there because when my three little ones were babies, the girls that worked there would carry them for me! There were even times that they fed my kids lunch while I was getting my teeth cleaned! In fact, a couple of times they ran out of cookies so they ordered a pizza for my kids to take home! They are so good to us, and my kids know they are loved there! On top of that, we're able to fellowship with them because they are all Christians, and there is worship music playing in the background! Now if I have not given them enough props already, they also let my kids watch each other get their teeth cleaned, put on the gloves & masks, ask them ten million questions, AND let them be their apprentices. I'll let the following pictures speak for themselves!!

The little apprentice getting ready!! She's asking questions first! See the mirror in her left hand? (Oh, and those sunglasses are from the dentist to protect the eyes from the light..lol, they're not my own).

Can you see how she has the mirror in my mouth? Isn't she a good helper? She should get paid! LOL

THANKFUL THURSDAY

I have not done a Thankful Thursday post for awhile, so I'm glad I'm able to participate in it this week! This week's host for TT is Lori at Lori's Reflections, so go to her blog to read other's TT's, or you can join in on this great meme too!!

There are so many things I am thankful for, that this list is just going to vary! I will share with you what is on my heart.

• Even in the uncertainty of our economy, I am thankful that we have peace in Jesus, our Jehovah Jireh!!

• I am thankful for my husband and children who are so encouraging on my new weight loss journey!

• I've mentioned this before, but I'm so thankful for my family's health. There are so many people who are ill, or have family members who's health is failing them. I will never take that for granted.

• I'm thankful for the fellowship that I have with my friends. There are no other friendships that can compare to the ones you have in the Lord!
  

• I'm thankful that the Lord has given me the desire to live healthier and to "want" to exercise!
  

• I'm thankful I have a home that has lots of laughter in it!
  

• I'm thankful that I can be goofy, silly, LOUD, have an obnoxious laugh, and people still want to be around me! I'm LOL'ing right now!
  

• I'm thankful that even through "blogland", God uses it to bring people together to use it for His glory!
  

WORDLESS & WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

I wish I knew what she was thinking about at that moment...

To view more Wordless Wednesdays, click here.

To view more Wordful Wednesdays, click here.

I HEART FACES-WEEK 3

I had so much fun joining in on this contest last week! This week's them is "Joy"! All you do is submit a photo of your child/children, and link up on their blog! Click here for more details!

This was at the park last summer, and I was able to take a couple of really good random photos with my Blackberry! I just love my son's expression here! Doesn't he look JOYOUS while his sister is giving him some love!! LOL

POTPOURRI!

This post is going to be a little bit of this and a little bit of that!!

For anyone interested, I'm still doing good on my new ways of eating! I hate saying "diet" because then it makes me feel like it's just a phase instead of a life change. I don't eat after 6pm, and I have been drinking only water! I even feel like my skin looks healthier! I didn't walk all last week due to the rain (I know..EXCUSES), but I did walk two miles with my girlfriends after church on Sunday night! I feel so much better, and have way more energy!

I also want to give thanks for some awards I have received recently!

This one is from a new bloggy gal! She is so sweet to give these to me. I love how all these awards are in a collage! Thank you so much Maricris!

These other two are from my dear friend Lisa @ Family Life. I haven't received these awards yet and I think they are so cute!

And finally, the Friends award from my sweet friend Elisabeth @ Late Noon Views.

Thank you ladies so much for thinking of me to pass these on to! Now, if you love receiving awards as much as I do, and you do not have any of them, please know that I am officially passing them on to YOU! I know many of us don't like to feel that we're just snagging awards, but I love to give them as much as receive! I just wish I had time to write down everyones name. So, you can blame it on my laziness..lol. Now, I better see it on some of your blogs! I'm gonna call you on it!! So, grab 'em if you don't have it yet!

"NOT ME!" MONDAY

Here's to another week of things that I absolutely "did not" do! If you would like to join in on the fun, click here!

I did not forget to wear my walking shoes to church on Sunday night, and then joke with my friends saying, "These boots were made for walking!" I did not have sore feet the next day!!!

I did not doze off for a few seconds at my bible study the other night. I so would not do that! I hope I didn't snort! Nope, not me!

I did not get excited one night while thinking of myself drinking my cup of coffee in the morning! Who does that?????? I'm sure I have better, or rather MORE IMPORTANT things to ponder!

It was so not me who threw a rag up in the corner of the wall to get a spider web down instead of getting a chair to stand on to get rid of it. That would be straight lazy!!

I am totally not taking pictures of myself to see if there is a difference from when I started walking and eating differently. I'm not that obsessed!!!!!

I was not editing my blog on my Blackberry during the Coaches Banquet because I realized I posted something that was not yet ready to be posted! It was not during the Chief Of Police's speech either! I'm not that rude!!

WHAT DOES YOUR PURSE LOOK LIKE?

I saw this cute tag/post over at Alicia's blog, Confessions Of A Snowflake. I thought it was cute and easy, so I decided to do it too!

Here are the rules!

1) Post a picture of whatever bag you are carrying as of late. No, you cannot go up to your closet and pull out that cute little purse you used back before you had kids. I want to know what you carried today.

2) I want to know how much it cost:) And this is not to judge, because I’m honestly telling you I was ready to put down some cash; I just got lucky. This is for entertainment purposes only. So spill it. And if there is a story to go along with how you obtained it, I’d love to hear it.

3) Tag some chicks. And link back to this post so people know why the heck you’re showing everyone your diaper bag/non-diaper bag.

I LOVE this bag! It's not only a great accent for a plain outfit, but it also has sentimental value to me as well! My sister gave me this around 10 years ago!! You know, this print will never get old! I only use it in the fall, and it's just the perfect size for my wallet, cell phone, and make up bag! As far as the price, I'm not sure how much it cost back then. To me, it's priceless because it is from my sister. Consider yourself tagged! So..come on, show us YOUR bag!!

AND THE WINNER IS......

Well, before I reveal who the winner is, I want to give a big thanks to everyone who participated in my very first giveaway! I hope it was as much fun for you as it was for me!! It brought me new bloggy pals, so it's a win-win situation! I wish you could have all won, but of course, I could only pick one.

SO THE WINNER OF A NEW CUSTOM BLOG MAKEOVER IS....

LISA @ FAMILY LIFE

Congratulations, Lisa!! Now, you have a decision to make! Is it going to be Tina, or Tara? Let me know so I can get the ball rollin' for you!!

PICTURE A DAY 2009

I'm really enjoying this Saturday meme by Altering Life. All you do is take one photo a day, and then post once a week sharing all 7 of your photos! It's that simple! What a great way to have 365 photos to document your year!

SATURDAY-The new paper dolls

Sunday-Afternoon Nap

Monday-Meet my BFF'S!

TUESDAY-A beautiful card from my friend

WEDNESDAY-BLOG ON THE GO!

Thursday-My self portrait with my still sleepy daughter in the morning. I had to edit in a snowflake on myself because I felt that I was "oversharing." LOL

Friday-Nuff said

GRILLING GOODNESS #15

This is one of my favorite memes! It's so simple! All you do is answer questions, and it helps people to get to know you better. If you want to join in on the fun, click here to get to Golden Goodness!

1. Have you ever ridden a horse? Yes, I have! My aunt used to live in the Pocono's and we went horse back riding there when we visited in 1987!

2. Have you ever run out of gas? Thank God, NO!

3. How many different schools did you attend growing up? Just three. One for elementary, one for middle school, and one for high school.

4. Do you have, and use, a library card? Yes, we all do!

5. Hand-wash or dishwasher? Both

6. Does your alarm clock beep or play music? I don't use the regular alarm clock but my husband does and it plays music & beeps.

7. Do you know how to roller skate? Oh yes! In fact, we plan on going more since it's such great exercise!

8. What would you consider one of your biggest accomplishments? I would have to say having five children and being able to homeschool them for the last 7 years.

MY FIRST BLOG GIVEAWAY! 250th POST!

I'm so excited to do my first giveaway! I totally forgot to do one with my 100th post, and then my 200th post was right around Christmas time. Finally, I decided to wait until my 250th post, and IT IS FINALLY HERE! I had no idea I would love blogging as much as I do now, and on top of that, meeting so many awesome bloggy pals! That's the bonus!

Now, first about the GIVEAWAY!!

So, for the sake of my love for blogging, the winner will receive a CUSTOM BLOG MAKEOVER (sorry, no Wordpress Blogs)!!! It is so fun to have your own original page, so for you dedicated bloggers, I know you can appreciate this! I will be giving you the choice to pick from one of these two awesome ladies to create your new and improved BLOG LAYOUT!!

Tina is the gal who did my blog makeover. You can find her design blog here. I can tell you right now that she is sooo easy to work with! I never felt like I was bugging her, and she made it a point to make sure I really liked what I saw! She has a great personality, and you will be super blessed! By the way, she is the host of the Friday meme, Grilling Goodness!

Tara is from Our Princess In Pigtails, and I'm sure some of you have already heard of her! She is the gal who was doing the free favicons until she got bombarded with tons of requests. Now, she has started her own blog layout business and already completed her first makeover! She is so helpful and super friendly! You will be blessed by her too! Her blog design page is here!

So, the winner can check out both of their design profiles and kits, and then decided which one they want to go for! They are equally fabulous in my book! I will then notify Tina or Tara to set it up, and they will take care of you from there!

Now, the RULES:
1. Leave me a comment telling me you want to participate in the giveaway. That counts as one entry.
2. If you post about it on your blog, you will get you a second entry (but please let me know you did that, so I can make sure I put your name in twice).
3. If you are a follower (or you would like to become a new one), that will give you a third entry!

Ya still with me? That's it..pretty simple, right?

The deadline to enter is on Saturday, January 24th at 11:59pm (West Coast Time). I will pick the winner (by random drawing) on Sunday, and it will be posted that evening!

I'm so excited to see who wins!!

WORDLESS & WORDFUL WEDNESDAY

I can't believe how time flies! I was looking through old picture files, and this was one of my favorites! He used to give her rides on the tricycle. Sigh... my two youngest babies are growing up so fast!!

JULY 2005

To join in on Wordless Wednesday, click here.

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I HEART FACES

I decided to jump on the band wagon because I love taking pictures of my kids faces! If you want to read more about this great contest, click here. There are so many adorable faces out there, I would not want to be the final judge. They definitely have their work cut out for them.

I want to share this picture, not because it's has great color, focus, or even the perfect background. In fact, this was taken with just my cell phone (Blackberry Curve). But what I love about this is her natural expression. We were at the park and she was just laying on my lap.