I'm just gonna put this out there....

I like old stuff and I cannot lie....

That's it.  Old things, and I am not talking like "old" Taco Bell, or the smell of "old" milk, or even "old" fashion trends

(hello "the feathered bang")

 

Sorry, Dee-j, but I did it too, and it was not pretty, on anyone.... ever.

I am all about old people....

(hello, Robert Redford... major babe! (are the kids still saying that these days?)

old movies....

Spring... Spring... Spring!!

This movie will make you wanna sing, dance, and go to a barn raisin'!  Trust me, just go watch it, your gonnal love it!

old dogs.....

Hello, Benji.

old pieces of furniture......

This sits in my Bear's room right now.  It was my MamMaw's, but she got if from a flea market many many years ago.  It is wonderful, because it was hers.

the old style chicken nuggets from McDonalds  (sorry, I do not know how that got in here)...

and old houses!

Yes, old houses!

That's right, I am on the look out for nothing new, just a little bit of a fixer upper, a little home that is in need of some tender lovin' care, a home with some history!

To my husband:  Yes, this is happening!

Point in case, that little ole jewel that I found when Aron went outta town a few weeks ago!

I love her.

 

She was built in 1900, and she is lovely.

So much charm, but only one problem....

#1.  We have a house, that is not on the market or sold.

#2.  Oh yeah, I really do not think that my husband is on the beautiful, historic, 1900 jewel train! Ha

Until he climbs aboard, I will just have to dream.

This past weekend, my grandmother and momma asked if I would like to go on a tour of historic homes in our area.  Hello, I immediately jumped at the chance.  I'm just gonna lay it out there, our town is lovely and we have a some of the most wonderful older homes that have been restored to their former beauty.  This was such a treat, because not only was I able to go into some of the homes, but we were told tiny tidbits of many along our stroll.

I...WAS....IN....HEAVEN!!

The day was so fun, just being with the girls.

Oh, yeah.  There was that one house where I turned around and came face to face with a mommy blogger whom I have loved to read over the past few months.  Most people would just smile and walk away, I mean, really, I did not want to look like I was a stalker, but NO!  I looked at her face and DINGDINGDING!  I said, "o my gosh (kinda like I was Suzanne Sugarbaker.... I do not know, yes, I live in the south but sometimes when super excited and nervous I channel a deep southern drawl like I was a cast member of Designing Women).  Anyways, I was all, "o my gosh, I read your blog!"  Imagine this being said like super loud (yes, when nervous I talk like the person I am speaking to is 90 years old)!  The kind lady, I will give her a pseudonym, as I do not want people that may really know her to think I am a complete and total whack job.  Her name is Benny Jupiter, and she has a blog titled.... Dressings and Teardrops, okay so I put the link up to her blog but I only do that because it is wonderful, and I love that she has a sweet mama heart, and that she loves old homes and making them into beautiful spaces, and because I pray over her and her family as they have a daughter (that they have adopted) from the Congo, and this has been their girl for some time, but the Congolese government will not release any of the children out of the country that have been adopted.  It is heart wrenching and I am just praying that their little one soon is able to come home to be with them.  Seriously y'all check it out, read it, learn how you can help, and pray for them, sometimes that is the easiest and best thing to do for someone.  Back to the SMFH (Slap-My-Forehead) story, I'm loud talking, Sugarbaker acting, crazy, and I introduce myself (yes, I gave my real name), and you will never believe what she did, she introduced me to her husband and her little ones.... I... DIE.  They were so friendly.  Seriously.  Love 'em.

Anyways... note to self.  If I read your blog, and I do not personally know you, I will not be doing that again.  I walked away kicking myself thinking o-my lawd, even my grandmother was could not walk away fast enough from me (really, she could not get away fast enough, she had that hip replacement and fell a few weeks ago, so she is just not fast at all right now, but I know she was wishing she had her GO-GO- GADGET LEGS on! HA!

Enough a that.... enjoy the home tours!

Fascinating tidbit, a long long time ago, the couple that lived here went through a divorce, and ended up having to split everything....every...thing!  They house was split down the center and the other half of this house is a few blocks away!  Hello, crazy!!

This is the coolest house... did not photograph well, because I was walking.  This is the Linebarger house, and the rocks/ stones that built this house were brought in from the bluffs/ hills/ what have ya, in Bella Vista.  I thought that was cool.

This house is on Central and I do wish I had a before picture of this house, because it was sad.  I'm just gonna say it.... I knew it could be turned into something so lovely, and it is looking amazing!  It is for sale, if you are looking.

Really, I mean, can I live in you?  For sale!

O my gosh... this house is amazing.  Walked through it, this is where I had the run in with local famous mom blogger, and I want my home to be lookin' this amazing!  6 children live here (with parents) and the momma home schools... Love That!!

I am gonna tattle tale on myself, but there was a photograph, framed photo, of one of my most favorite, beloved actresses from the movie, Anne of Green Gables.  I will not post the actual picture from the house, because that would probably be crazy and I am sure prison material... but here is an image from the Internet....

Marilla Cuthbert

She is on the right.  She was so hard, but she loved Anne so much.  When she lost Matthew, I just did not know how I would ever finish the movies.  I need to read the books.  (add it to the list of things to do in my free time #203)

The porch... it.. wraps... around... the... house.  Love it x's 5!!

A long long long long time ago, the boys around town would circle this house, and it was not because the lady was up for dating, it was because she did her gardenin' in her bloomers!  I kid you not!!  Girl, did some good work in her skimmies, her flowers look great!

Yeah, I will just let you dream on this one.

This one is super strange, and if it just so happens that one of the 10 people that read my blog, just happens to live in this house, invite me over for a cola and show me how fab it is on the inside.  FYI, this house was super awesome because at Christmas time and honestly, and other time, there would be mannequins (dressed or not dressed) in the windows.  There are a lot of windows.  Just sayin' it's different.

Was able to tour this one, and it is so charming.  For real, I just wanted to put my socks in the drawer and read a book sitting in the window.  I was like, move.. in... ready.  Did not work out, the kids and Aron would have needed to come with me, and there was already a super nice lady living in there.  Just not enough room for all of us.

I love you cute house.

 wait for it......

Ta-da!!!!

I have loved this house ever since I first laid eyes on it.  One day... one day.

Which one is your favorite!!

 

 

"MOM" Spelled Upside Down is "WOW"!!

I think that says it all!

This week, my littles have showered me with fun art projects from school.  Each evening when I open the back packs and pull them out, they thrill me to no end.....

This is from my Red.....  FYI, she says I weigh 4 pounds (I adore her)

Another thing..... my favorite thing to do???  watch t.v. (might have had a tinge of pain with that one, I need to get a new hobby! ha!!)

My Brayden Bear has made me a sweet flower, the purple petals are his finger tips.  This will obvi be framed, it is so precious

 Seriously, Red's hand in a flower pot!   It makes me happy!

 She also finger painted me a bouquet of flowers, ummm she is like a tiny Picasso!

Here they are... my reasons to get up in the morning...

I really do feel blessed to be their momma.  They make me feel proud, happy, definitely make me laugh and smile, they make me crazy, shout for joy, and cry (I realize that those are a lot of emotions to feel, but so wha, I'm a bit nutty)!  I am beyond blessed to have them, and to think that there was a time when I did not think that they would ever be a possibility.  God is so good and so faithful, and I am so very thankful for them.

Then, a shout out to some of my most favorite mommas.....

my girl... my mom.  You are my best friend, and I am forever grateful for ALL that you do for me.  You are the best girl in the whole world, and when I grow up, I wanna be a wonderful momma just like you.

My SIL, she is the best, and such a role model for me.  I love watching her be a mother and learning from her.  Happy Mothers Day LeAnne!!

My Moss (my grandmother), so thankful for her!! She is my person that I turn to when I am feeling defeated and tired.  She lifts me up with stories of her good and not so good moments of parenthood.  The girl knows what she is talking about, she has raised 5 

My Aunt Lauren and Aunt Cathy.....  if ya know them, you know they are terrific and I love them dearly.  Happy Mothers Day!

Happy Mothers Day to the other mommas that I know and love.

You are all wonderful and I love learning from all of you.  It is a hard job raising these babies, loving and caring for children.  It is not always a walk in the park, there are good days and there are some not so good days (where you just want to lock yourself in a closet.... I have NEVER done this that is a lie, I do this weekly, but they always find me!!), but it been my most favorite job yet!

A friend of mine showed me this video, it is of a little boy just talking to Moms.  Please watch if you have a moment.  It is terribly funny, but I just happened to see it at a moment when I needed to hear his words.  Enjoy.

I just noticed if you pull this up on the iphone, it may not show the video, go to youtube and look up Kid President and His Shout Out to Moms!!  Precious!

To the people out there that are longing to be a mother or even to the one's that are dealing with the loss of a mother, I am praying for you today.

 

Prayer request:  Please pray for my family, the Roberts'.  My Aunt Connie has been in the hospital for the past week with complications from a battle of liver cancer, and my Uncle Willie and cousins (Kent, Keith, and Karen) have been given news that her time is limited (days).  I just pray for her, that she is not in any pain, and that these last days/ moments they are able to spend with her are precious and they are able to reflect on the many memories they have shared.

My memory of her:  I can remember being a little girl and her laugh (a giggle) but it was infectious and made you smile.  I also can remember how kind she was, my MamMaw and my mother loved her very much. I just know that MamMaw will be waiting for Connie, with their Heavenly Father, and they will be able to catch up.

 

 



This is where the magic happens.....

Catchy title, huh?  Leaving you to wonder what I will be discussing.  Some of you are thinking.....

1.  She is obviously talking about Disney World, yes, Disney.  It is the most magical place in all of the land.

2.  The other 4 of you that read the blog are thinking, does this girl think that she is on an episode of MTV's Cribs, and will be showing the boudoir??  Well, here you go, this is where the magic happens....... this is our bed!!

Ha!  Or it is Shaq's bed!

3.  Then my husband, if he actually sees the Facebook link to my blog, is probably cringing at the title and getting a little worried about tonights topic!  Sorry honey, this must be discussed!

Well, we ain't talking Disney folks, I am talking about our most private space in our home, and how it has been invaded by our "little people".

This should have the word house marked out and say bedroom! HA!

For such tiny people, they sure do know how to bust up in a place, and make it their own.  Honestly, I love these people, but they will kick, cry, whack in the head, and leak all over my magical place.....

this is how it all started.  They were once so small, and I remember thinking how afraid I was to roll on top of them, I would stay awake all night and if Aron even looked like he was thinking about rolling I would shove him out of the way!

This is for sure what they were thinking.....

Now, the kids are a little larger (so am I) and the space in our queen size bed is limited!!

This is not really our bed, but it is obviously someones because I saw it on pinterest (I am praying for the sad sap that has monogramed "His and Her Side" bedding, and then the toddler section is the largest!  Wha?

This momma cannot take it anymore!

For the longest time, I have tried to keep it "Duggar" (y'all know I love those Duggars) and I saw on one of their shows that when one of their littles comes in and is upset, they do not take them back to bed, but allow them to stay, let them know that it is okay to come to momma and daddy if they are scared.  Well, my tots every single night are sleeping with us, and I....CANNOT.... DO....THIS...ANY...LONGER.  I am a sleepy momma!

Does this make me a bad parent?

 

At first, I thought, I have gone back to work and so what if they are needing me throughout the night.  I wanted to be able to be there for them and spend every waking and sleeping moment with them (is that crazy)?  I think last night hit an all time low.

Bray kept getting out of his bed, and I was tired of taking him back to bed (and I was playing Candy Crush...yes, I have an addiction), and I kept thinking after I beat this level I would take him.  Okay, hour later, and the level was not beat and he was asleep.  I tried to move him (note to self, do not try to move a sleeping animal, they will go nutzo on you)!  Wear protection and ear plugs!!  So, fine, I let him stay.  Aron said he would just stay on the couch (LUCKY!).  I feel bad, because the couch is turning into his bed (all he needs is a nightstand).  Once one tot comes in, he makes his way out.  I wish I was so quick to jump up first (maybe I would get some sleep)!  Anyways, so the bear is asleep, it is past midnight (and I am obvi awake because my body rejects sleep.... I am sure the drinking a coke throughout the night does not help, but whatev), then at about 130 there is some wrastling of the sheets on Red's monitor..... that's right here she comes!  I am already praying, please do not pee in your bed, wake yourself up and go potty!  Cha-ching!  She does!!  Then, as she is peeing she starts night terror screaming and refuses to calm down.  After a few minutes she ends up in the bed with me and the Bear.  A child on each arm.  My happy place...... LIES!!  As both children laid peacefully asleep, I was laying there sweating profusely and having a small panic attack about being suffocated by children and my sons giant giraffe pillow pet (it seriously fa-reeks me out)!  I laid there for I have no idea how long.  By 3 am I was up, reapplying deodorant and hunting for another blanket and looking for a new place to rest my head.  That's right, I slept at the foot of my bed.

As if the night could not get anymore awesome.... one child (who will remain nameless, but is of the female nature) wet the bed.  When I say wet the bed, I am not saying a little bitta tinkle, I mean WET the bed!  Like she had drank 9 water bottles of water!

So now, our magical place, which now has clean sheets, has just turned into my children's second bedroom.

What are your tips?

Do you let your children stay in your bed?

Do you return them to their room?

What if they are screaming and crying, what kinds of things are you promising them to go back to sleep (I need new ideas).

I am afraid if we do not nip this stuff in the bud, they may never move out and get married and have their own children (that will pee in their bed, and I do not want to deny them this one great treasure in life).

So, thoughts?



Tuesday Tid-Bits!!

I'm feeling a bit overwhelmed, my phone is full of pictures from the past few months and I just do not even know where to even start!  So tonight, I am starting back, from my blog hiatus, with some Tuesday tidbits!  (If it is not Tuesday, then check back tomorrow!). Is it sad that I'm not even 100% positive what day it is??  I must be getting old, or maybe it is just my "mom brain"!  Anyways..... onto the bits!!!

1.  My cell phone is so full of pictures that I am really unable to do anything with the silly thing!  It always says my memory is 0 (whomp whomp).  Here are my choices, delete pics (no... not ready), download to my computer and get them off of the phone (too easy, and if I did that I have no tid bit # 1), or ask my wonderful photographer friend, Bethany (check her out if your local) to take pictures of the wee babes...Ding!Ding!Ding!  We have a winner!!  Y'all these pictures were so wonderful!  She just captures my babies perfectly, and she only had 20 minutes or so.  Here are just a few.

So, is it strange to have a wall full of pictures of your babies, from one picture taking' session?  If so,I don't wanna know!  Ha!

2.  Since I'll be purchasing all of those pictures, and having them framed, I may have to get another job!  I kid, I kid!  Anyways, speaking of the job, things are still going really well!  It has been an adjustment being away from the kids, but it is making my time with them more precious, and it is good to get out and be able to talk to other people.... People that don't watch Disney Jr or spend the day kickin' back chocolate milks and munching on Goldfish!  Anyways, I am really having fun with all of this product, I will be using some of it for an upcoming camping trip the husband is taking us on (that should be a entertaining post), we are even having a giveaway on Facebook that you could enter... If you wanted to, and if you liked free stuff, and if you just had a moment (or a minute), it is super easy peasy!  Check it out!!!
Just go to the Kijaro Facebook page
Like it!!
And then sign up with your email address!!!
 You could win a Kijaro Versa Shade!!

3.  Is anyone else watching this show???

Does it make you happy or sad that Yang is leaving?

Wha?  Spoiler Alert!  She's leaving the show.  Just not sure how I feel about it, she's been on there since the beginning!  Maybe it is time for me to find a new show, I'm really into these two shows...

What are you watching? 

4.  I found my dream house.....

 So what if it is 100 years old!!  I'm in love!  Aron went out of town a few weeks ago, and I just happened to stumble onto this gem (that will teach Aron to leave us for a few days, I'm trying to figure out how we can have this house)!

Original wood floors people,even though the previous owner may have painted them lime green

(I DIE).  I can totally work with this!!

I bet if I got the house and called one of my favorite reno girls, Nicole on HGTV

Then the house could be restored to its former glory and my little family could live there!  #loveit

6.  Wrapping up my bits, I have saved the best for last (totally loved that song, Vanessa Williams, that was my jam back in 92!  9th grade, Razorback Roller Rink, no one ever to couple skate with, back in the day when I stopped brushing the hair, the braces had just been removed, and my love boat had set sail for a boy that pulled my hair in Algebra and said I had a pigs nose (it obvi did not work out, ha!!). Anyways, some pictures of my loves!

We attended a science birthday party!!

 My heart is full being a part of this group....  happy girl!

 Me and my Red at her Moms and Muffins breakfast at school this morning.

 My guy, he loves Woody and Friends, he never leaves home without one of them!

 My new happy place, we got a swing set and have spent much time in the club house!!

 My Aron and the tiny helpers working in the yard.  The weather has been beautiful for the past few days... bring on summer!!