The Burrow's

Hello Again!!

2010-07-29T21:42:00.001-07:00

Shel is growing and keeping us very busy this summer! This is her at camp. Don't worry, I went with her!!
Tanner came to visit:
and we had hundreds of these little men lined up around my living room. He kept himself occupied for hours with these little guys.

Grace has been here for a week and I'm still taking pics of their days together.

All is well on the farm. Aaron stays busy helping cut hay around DeKalb.

I'm going to try and keep up with my blog but I'm not making any promises!!!!

School starts in 2 weeks. BIG FAT YUCK!!!

Shel and I are headed to Ft. Polk for the weekend to visit with Tiff, Heath and Tan Man. We have tried all summer to go but Shel's schedule has not allowed for it. So we are finally getting the opportunity. YEAH!! Will post pics when we get back on Monday or Tuesday.

Have a happy weekend.

Pictures over the past year:
Aaron was in a wedding back in March. I know it's unusual to see him lookin all fancy!!Shel meeting her new cousin Jack for the first time.

More pictures later.

We are surviving

2009-06-14T18:32:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I posted. We are surviving and things have finally slowed down a little. We have District Tournament, a baby shower and a dance recital all behind us now. It was so busy the last few weeks that we just lived day by day hour by hour. Shelby is spending the week in Louisiana with Auntie and I am going to get a lot of well needed inside chores done. But I will miss her more than anything. She is excited to be there but she's a little sad about not being home. Auntie has her hands full! Good Luck!

The recital was great and Shelby was awesome!
The tournament was great and Shelby was awesome!
The shower was nice and Shelby helped me soooo much. She's awesome!!

Some of you may not know that I have stage 4 Endometriosis. Aaron and I have been on an infertility journey for a year now. It has been a long and difficult road and our time for trying to have a baby has come to a halt. I am scheduled for a complete hysterectomy July 8th. I have known that this day would come sooner than later if we did not get pregnant. And well we're not pregnant. So plans are in order to hopefully get as much of the Endo out of my body as safely possible. There will be a colon surgeon on scene to assist in the surgery and help to remove the Endo in places that it should not be. We are coping with this as you would assume... day by day. We will never know why the door has been shut to conceive a baby of our own but it's really not ours to understand. We go into knowing that the Lord is in control. And with that said the peace about it is coming more and more. Slowly but surely. I have never been open about our situation but now is as good as any I guess. So the next few weeks I will be preparing for the surgery. There is more to do than I realized. When I sit back and think about all that has to be pre planned it is truly overwhelming. Shelby will be with her bio father the week of the surgery so she will be taken care and will not have to endure all the pre op appointments and surgery day. She is going to Sea World so her mind will be at ease. I have to plan how she will get to and from all the summer activities. I have to fix freezer meals and the house has to be spotless. I am working summer school so my time is a little more taken than it normally would be during the summer. We will get through it and I have a wonderful support system and lots of help from family and friends. Thanks ya'll!! I couldn't do it without ya.

Hope to have pictures for you next post. But don't count on it! HA!

Friends and Dancing

2009-05-26T08:30:00.000-07:00

Yesterday we took a break from our cleaning and went and had lunch with some friends. We had the best time. They have a little boy who is about 16 mos. old and loves horses. So we loaded up Lightnin (Shelby's pony) and took him over so little Roman could ride. He loved it! I thought he might would of been scared but he wasn't in the least little bit. He would ride for a little while and then his daddy would take him off and he would throw a fit. He kept saying "horsie, go." It was precious and we enjoyed our little time off from cleaning around our place.

We had costume check Thursday at dance and I wanted to show you one of the costumes. It is so cute.
This is her jazz costume. You can't see it very well but just know it is so cute. And she knows she looks good. All of the other costumes are just as cute but this is our favorite. Then Friday we had recital pictures and we were there for 3 1/2 hours. Oh my goodness it was such a long day. The girls were tired and irritable and so were their mothers. We are glad it's over and are looking forward to the recital June 13th. It's her first recital ever. She just started taking dance this year and she LOVES it. Dance has been her favorite extra curricular activity of all time. For years I tried to talk her in to taking but she wasn't hearing of it. Then this year we went to "The Nutcracker" performance and she fell in love. Finally!

Productive Weekend

2009-05-18T07:46:00.000-07:00

I managed to accomplish one thing on my to do list. I took my friend to T-town to help me pick out scrapbook paper for letters I was making for her baby's room. Remember I am giving a baby shower in a couple of weeks and not only will the letters be part of my gift but they will also be used for part of the decor for the shower. Here's what they ended up looking like. I am sort of pleased with them. I was very disappointed in the scrapbook paper choices at 2 of the craft stores. There wasn't anything to choose from so we got to a point (3hours later) where we just had to settle for what was available. The nursery is decorated in a fireman theme and the bedding matches each of the letters. It looks like a weird combo of colors I know but once you see the bedding it all ties in together. Just trust me on it.
These are just wooden letters that I sprayed adhesive on and stuck scrapbook paper on top of and then sanded the edges off. Very simple to make just tedious. The "E" was the hardest letter because of all the grooves that you had to sand off. But I managed to make all 6 letters in about an hour and a half. Not bad for my first project. Auntie taught me how to do this. When we went to visit over Spring Break she had a lot of projects going and one of them was a wooden cross that she covered with zebra paper. It is oh so cute!

I hope to start working on my church bench this week. We'll see how it goes. It's another crazy busy week in our household. I am out of school Friday and Monday so I hope to get a lot accomplished if the rain will hold off.

Be a mom who laughs.

Proverbs 17:22 "A happy heart is like good medicine, but a broken spirit drains your strength" (NCV).

Moms, we need to lighten up, or my daughter says, "Chill, Mom!" Kids are fun! Find ways to bring joy and laughter into your home. Jered is a big hunk of a football player, but occasionally, I have to remind him of the fact that I can still take him. He will make some irritating comment, tease me or poke me in the ribs. I warn him and then I see the gleam in his eye as he takes one more shot. I then begin chasing him around the house. Jered inevitably starts laughing so hard that, when I catch him, he is totally helpless. It is quite a sight to see! Moms are the thermostats of the home and need to keep the emotional setting on joy. Children get most of their first impressions of God from their parents. I want my kids to know that God is a God of joy and laughter. Kids need a mom who laughs.

Charmin Boy

2009-05-14T07:43:00.000-07:00

My sister sent an email of my adorable nephew with this message and pictures attached...

Dear Family and Friends,

It has come to my attention that if you have spent more than a penny on my child in his life time than I’m afraid you have wasted your money. Sorry!!! As I’ve told you before, he simply loves our recycle bin…like a gold treasure to him. As you will see in the pictures, there is truly nothing in our house that is considered trash….and I mean nothing!!!!! So for future gift ideas for Tanner think outside the toy aisle at Wal-Mart!! Before you throw out that piece of garbage, remember him!!!

Seriously, as I was knee deep in cleaning for Heath’s arrival, I looked up and noticed “Charmin Boy!” Is this normal??? HA!!! Last year his stocking was stuffed w/tape…this is why! I secretly have to clean out his room, this is why! He is his father’s son, this is why!

Very creative little guy!!!!

He has taped an antenna to his goggles.
If you look very close you will see that he has made a costume out of the TOILER PAPER PACKAGE!!!!!!!!!!! Charmin at its best!

Is he not just the most precious thing you've ever seen. I think he's awesome and totally cool.
He is super smart and I'll tell you why. He got in trouble at school and had to write sentences but he was smart enough to hide it from his momma. He got up early yesterday morning and tried to get them written before his momma got up and saw him. Well, he ended up getting caught and so his momma went and had a or another talk with his teacher and they decided it was time for him to go see the PRINCIPAL! Uh-oh! He got 2 licks at school from the principal. He didn't cry and said they didn't even hurt. His daddy said if he was bleeding he wouldn't of cried. Just the kind of guy he is. Tough, I guess. His momma prefers to describe it as severely strong willed. So let's all stop and say a prayer for her. BUT she is thrilled to say that his daddy is home as of last night. Welcome home Heath!

We had another storm blow through our tiny town at 4 this morning. Strong winds, hard rain, thunder and lots of lightning. Thankfully, Bob The Builder came yesterday and fixed our roof so we had a dry ceiling during all the rain. Thank you Lord! We are SO ready for everything to start drying out so we can finish up some much needed outdoor projects. It's supposed to rain all weekend so it's gonna be a while before that time comes. But we are thankful we are all safe and our house is in tact.

Be a mom who encourages.

Today, let's talk about being a mom who encourages her children. In 1 Thessalonians 5:11, we find the simple but life-changing directive, "So encourage each other and give each other strength" (NCV). When we encourage our children, we deposit strength in them. We need to be careful to keep their emotional deposits in balance. Many kids are in emotional bankruptcy because constant withdrawals of criticism are made with few deposits of encouragement. Our job is to study our kids and discover their strengths and weaknesses. We need to understand that many times, their greatest weakness may very well become their greatest strengths.

As a child, I was very stubborn. I know. It is almost impossible to imagine - almost. That stubbornness often got me into trouble, but it also made me the survivor of some very hard times. We need to look for the good things in our children and draw them into the spotlight. In other words, become their "encourager" and their "cheerleader." Everyone needs a cheerleader.

Biggest Loser

2009-05-13T07:24:00.000-07:00

I want to be a contestant on" The Biggest Loser". Did you watch the finale last night? I did and I ate a "Jethro" (that means big) bowl of ice cream while watching it. Then when I ate the very last bite I felt guilty and decided I wanted to be on there next season. Aaron told me I had to give up the ice cream first. Well, I'm not willing to let that part of my life go yet. Normally, there wouldn't even be ice cream in the house because I fall into temptation a little easier than I should. So I don't buy it but my parents came to spend the night with us this weekend for Mother's Day and brought chocolate AND vanilla! I'm working on the vanilla first while Shel works on the chocolate. Anyway, the contestants on the show didn't even look the same. They were totally different people. It was amazing. I've been looking for the 30 Day Shred video by Jillian but haven't found it yet. But I've only checked a couple of places. So now I'm really on the hunt for it because I'm bound and determined to get 30 lbs. off quick.

The sun is shining today and it's a sight that we haven't seen in a while. It's beautiful!! I am so thankful for it. Bob the Builder is coming back to the house today to fix the roof. YEAH!!

Have a blessed day!

Being a mom is the hardest job on earth and can bring out the best and the worst in you. I know being a mom requires great sacrifice and limitless energy, but to invest your time and best efforts into a child, to watch that child grow and develop, is to be part of the creative majesty of life itself.

Let's Pray
Lord, thank You for giving me children. Help me to be the mom they deserve. I commit to constantly pray for each child and invest the best part of my time and life in them. Forgive me for allowing lesser things to take the place of my role as a mother and guide me to be a mom that really matters.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

Baby Kayleigh

2009-05-12T09:19:00.000-07:00

This morning after I posted I started updating on all the other blogs I read. I was horrified to learn that Baby Kayleigh went to be with Jesus last night. This family has been through so much. Both of her parents were real estate agents and lost their jobs after she was born. The had to make a decision on whether to pay their mortgage or their health insurance shortly after they lost their jobs. The story is endless with injustice but their faith is like no other. Go over to their site and read up on Baby Kayleigh.

Weekend Update

2009-05-12T06:51:00.000-07:00

Hope everyone had a great weekend and a Happy Mother's Day. My parents came and spent the night with us on Saturday night. We went to Shel's school for a fundraiser and ate fish then we came home put on p.j.'s and ate some more. Then we got up and went to church on Sunday morning and then we went to lunch to eat again. It was a great time. Shelby thought it was so cool that Nana and Poppa were spending the night. Especially since they live only 45 minutes away.

Sunday afternoon we went and visited with Mimi and Poppy and Aaron's mamaw. We had a nice visit and a relaxed Mother's Day weekend. And I didn't have my camera for any of it! I know it's terrible!

Saturday while getting the house ready for overnight guests the sky decided to fall. There was so much rain in such short amount of time and the wind was blowing so hard that the rain blew into one of the seams of our metal roof. Uh-Oh!! We had rain coming throught the ceiling . There wasn't a massive amount but enough to fill up a couple of bowls and get everything wet that I had just put on the table for Mother's Day lunch. I had all my placemats, linen napkins, plates, silverware, glasses and flowers on the table. They were soaked! We just started grabbing everything and putting bowls out. It finally stopped and all is well now that Bob The Builder came out yesterday and is going to fix all the problems.

Be a mom who gives time.

Proverbs 22:6 "Train children how to live right, and when they are old, they will not change" (NCV).
It takes time to be a mom, to know and to train your children. Every child comes with a set of characteristics already established by God. Our job is to identify those characteristics and then steer the child toward them. The original root word for "train" is the term for "the palate, the roof of the mouth, the gums". In the days of Solomon, a midwife would deliver the baby, dip her finger into the juice of crushed dates, reach into the mouth of the baby and massage the gums and palate to create a sense of taste and thirst. She would then give the child to the mother so the baby could nurse. Our job as mothers is to develop a thirst in our children for the right things. And that takes time.
There is a popular philosophy today that it doesn't matter the quantity of time that we spend with our kids as long as it is quality time. It does matter! Can a woman have it all - a home, a family, a career? I think she can. I'm just not sure she can have them all at the same time. There are seasons of life to which we must yield in order to be the mother God wants us to be. Time spent with children is never wasted! Every minute invested in your child is an eternal investment! Give your children the best of your time -- not the leftovers.
· Make weekly dates with your kids.
· Pull them out of school occasionally for a fun day.
· Have a meal together every day.
· Be involved in the things they enjoy.
In other words, be available! And just your physical presence is not enough. Our normal bedtime routine was to spend a few minutes with each child, talking about the day, praying together and then I would tuck them in for the night. When our daughter, Danna, was six-years-old, Dan was out of town and I was behind in studying for an upcoming retreat. I went in to Jered's room, completed the bedtime routine and he was asleep in minutes. However, when I went into Danna's room, and tried to speed things up, Danna refused to talk. When I asked her why, she cried out, "Mama, you're not here!" Confused and a little irritated, I responded, "Yes, I am! I am right here!" Her big brown eyes filled with tears as she drove the truth home, "But you're not really here on the inside." Be a mom who gives your children time.
Being a mom is the hardest job on earth and can bring out the best and the worst in you. I know being a mom requires great sacrifice and limitless energy, but to invest your time and best efforts into a child, to watch that child grow and develop, is to be part of the creative majesty of life itself. We're half the way there! Tomorrow, we will explore four more ways to be a mom that matters.

Headboard

2009-05-08T06:19:00.000-07:00

Before I show you pictures of my new headboard I want to show you pictures of our friend that showed up in our front yard, close to the house, right in front of the steps last night..............
Do you see him? Well let me give you a close up........

This snake my friends is a...copperhead! I was outside yesterday getting ready to put flowers in pots and there he was - right beside me! Aaron was at softball practice with Shelby. So I was all alone standing on the bench that is on my front porch. I was on the phone with Auntie when I saw him and I screamed and freaked out. She went to the computer and I tried to explain what he looked like so she could tell me if he was poisonous or not. If he wasn't then I was going to kill him and go on about my business. If he was, well, I guess I was going to stand on that bench til Aaron got home. So meanwhile Auntie's telling Tan man that I have snake in my front yard and he immediately asks "where are the horses"? (Thanks for the concern little buddy. Coco's okay don't worry about it). He wanted to look also but he told his momma that he needed a chair to stand in. She asked him why he needed a chair and he told her he can't look at pictures of snakes unless he was standing in a chair. So me and Tan man (him being over 200 miles away) were sure to get off the ground away from the snake. She never really figured out what kind he was because I couldn't explain it very well. Finally Aaron and Shelby came home and he got a bat and whacked it in the head and said"hmm, it's a copperhead, I just killed one of those just last week". WHAT???? Uh,thanks for the heads up that we have snakes roaming around the yard.

Now for the headboard. Okay you can't laugh! It's not set up yet. It's leaned against the wall under our car port right now and we intend to get it set up this weekend. You'll just have to excuse the star in the background and try to make the picture out as best you can.

This is the one of the sides.

This is the other side. This headboard is made of old panels that was used for cattle back in the day. I was in the barn about 6 mos. ago and saw them and decided right then and there that was my new headboard. So we took it over to a little shop in town and the nice man cleaned it up, made a few repairs and put a clear seal over it. Now, in my opinion... it's beautiful ! I can't wait to get it up in my room. I know it's a little out of the ordinary but that 's just the kind of gal I am.

Here are my flowers that I got on sale. They are still in their original pots but well I had a visitor last night that prohibited me from doing anything other than standing on a bench waiting for my man to get home.

Be a mom who prays continually.

I Thessalonians 5:17 should be every mother's commitment to her children. "Never stop praying" (ICB). It is never too late to start praying and it is always too early to stop.
Pray for God's plan -- not yours -- when praying for your children.
Pray that you will see your child like God sees your child.
Pray specifically for your child. For example, I often pray Proverbs 3:5-6 for our son, "Lord, I pray that Jered would trust in you with all his heart and will lean not unto his own understanding. I pray that in all his ways Jered will acknowledge you and that you will direct his paths." And for our daughter, I pray 1 Peter 5:7, "Lord, I pray that Danna would cast all her care upon you, because you care for her."
Prayer is an eternal gift we can give to our children, teaching them the importance of prayer and teaching them how to pray. I recently heard the story of a mother who had invited several people to dinner. At the table, she turned to their six-year-old daughter and said, "Would you like to say the blessing?" "I wouldn't know what to say," the girl replied. "Just say what you hear Mommy say," she answered. The daughter bowed her head and said, "Lord, why on earth did I invite all these people to dinner?"
We began early to pray with our kids at bedtime. I am convinced that if we pray for our children and with our children, it will change their lives and ours and give us insight that we can gain no other way.

Have a great weekend. Happy Mother's Day to all the mommies. Remember to acknowledge all those women who are waiting to be called that sweet name "mommy".

My House

2009-05-07T10:28:00.000-07:00

So I'm hosting a baby shower at my house the first weekend in June and there's a lot that has to be done before that time comes. Right now I am in search of a summer wreath for my front door. I found this one and LOVE it...

but my door is green and I'm not real sure how it will look. I'm afraid it won't pop like this one. I love the monogram on it. That's really what I'm in search of. Got any ideas??

I'm am also starting to put flowers in my beds. My sis sent this pic of her front porch. I have lots of ideas, I just have to put them to use.
Her pot is monogrammed. How cute. She painted the terra cotta pots black and then painted her initial with lime green paint. Her theme colors are lime green, black and pink. She's just a little OCD!
And isn't this cute she just put a small green plant in a bucket and with a paint pen wrote an "L" on it. Then hung it on a planter hanger.

I went to Lowe's the other day and they were having a buy one get one free sale on some of their flowers. So I had at it. I got all my flowers for $0.75! What a deal, huh? I was thrilled to get in on the sale. I had to do a little persuading when it came to pay because they argued with me about the sale being over but I checked before I started shopping. So 30 minutes later I walked away with 75 cent flowers. I plan to put them in the ground and in my pots if the rain will hold off just a few more hours.

Also, my beautiful church bench will get a new coat of black paint. There's lots going on at my house this week and I will post more pics as soon as I charge my camera battery. I also got a new headboard. It's nothing like what you think so don't expect a new beautiful extravagant piece of furniture. I will show you tomorrow. Just a clue: it's an old barn gate! I love it!

I got an email from a dear friend the other day and I plan to share a piece of it everyday until Mother's Day. I did not write this email and neither did she. In fact I don't even know who did but it's really good and it's what ALL moms to be doing for their children.

Be a mom who loves God.
1 John 4:19 "We love, because God first loved us" (NCV).
We are incapable of loving our children like they were meant to be loved until we first love God! Motherhood at its best demands a thriving partnership with God! We cannot give unconditional love until we have experienced unconditional love! And God is the only source of that kind of love! We can do everything else right as a parent but if we don't begin with loving God - we will fail!

This is just the first part of the email and it gets better so check back everyday to see what tomorrow holds.

Yucky!

2009-05-06T06:25:00.000-07:00

Today is a very nasty, rainy, stressful day. It has been raining most of the night and has not let up at all since about 5:30 this morning. There is soooo much water. So we go on about our day just watching the weather for severe alerts, waiting for the electricity to go out and watching the sidewalks making sure the water doesn't come in the building. Other than that it will be a glorious day!

Don't forget your teachers this week. It is National Teacher's Appreciation Week. Shel's teacher has received a small gift every day this week. Monday she got a Dr. Pepper and Peanut M&M's, Tuesday she got a $5 Sonic gift card, today she got bath gel and a loofah, tomorrow she is getting a breakfast bag with a cereal bar, banana and juice and Friday she is getting a nail file inside a monogrammed holder. I like to make sure her teacher understands how much she is appreciated. After all she takes care of my child 8 hours a day and she is her caretaker when I am not. To me that deserves more than what I could ever give her.

Auntie has spoiled Tan man's teacher this week as well. She is much better than me because she took pictures of her gifts. I think she did this because she wanted to be sure that I wrapped my teacher's gifts cute. See Auntie thinks I ghetto everything and if she shows me how to act then I'm more apt to have a little more class. So here are pics of Auntie's teacher's gifts...

She made them all cute. And by the way I have to give credit where credit is due. Auntie is the one who came up with all my teacher's gifts. She called me Sunday night and asked what I had for Ms. Emily and we decided on a week's worth of gifts for her. So, thanks for the help, Auntie.

Happy Teacher's Appreciation Week!

It's been a while

2009-05-01T08:53:00.000-07:00

I know I haven't posted in a week but I'll tell you why. TAKS TEST!!! Does that make anyone get up and run to the bathroom and violently throw up all your food that you've eaten in the last 24 hours??? Well, it does me. It has been a VERY long week to say the least. And even longer for the kids. All the testing is done for the year. All we have left is the re-testing of some of the students who may have not done so well on the first test. Glad it's over and done with for the most part.

We had a great time in Okalahoma last weekend. The MS Walk was a huge success. There were1,740 people that walked and they raised over $119,000.00 and money is still coming in. Isn't that wonderful? I took lots of pictures at the zoo and I will share just a few of them with you.

This past weekend was a little - a lot hectic due to the severe weather in our area. Luckily we came out with no damage and no tornadoes touching down. I went on storm watch with Aaron. It was very interesting sitting in the truck watching the sky for rotation. I kept asking my wonderful husband what we're going to do if we do see something. He calmly said we would just get out of the way. Like it was no big deal. Have I lost my mind??? Shelby was in T-town with my mom and dad and I was NOT staying home by myself! So the only option I had was to go with him. I have to admit I felt rather safe with him. I just really wanted my baby girl with me in the midst of the drama.

This week has been really busy as well as last week. So I hope to bring more news later. Have a great day.

P.S. Sunday was National Infertility Survival Day. Recognize all the women who have survived the loss of a child and the women who will never know what it's like to be called "mommy". As Mother's Day approaches try to be courteous to those women. But don't ignore them either.

MS Walk

2009-04-23T08:11:00.000-07:00

This weekend the Burrow family will be traveling to Oklahoma City for the annual MS Walk. Aaron's brother - in - law, Brad, was diagnosed with MS a little over ten years again. He is still a very healthy man but there is no cure for MS. That's why we're walking. It is going to be held at the OKC Zoo again this year. That makes it all the more fun. We had so much fun last year and we're looking forward to visiting the zoo again. Here a just a couple of pictures from last year.

Meet Team Sagowitz- Aaron's Dad(a.k.a. Poppy or Roe), Aaron's Mom (a.k.a. Mimi or Carolyn), Aaron (a.k.a. A-daddy or "A" or meany), Me (a.k.a. mommy or Coco or sweetheart(ha!)), Shelby (a.k.a. Little Bit or mini me), Brad (a.k.a."B" or Uncle Brad) and Friends(a.k.a. people I know I was introduced to and for the life of me have no idea what their names are or Megan and Brad's friends) Not pictured: Megan and the rest of Team Sagowitz

And of course this is my bunch of the Burrow family-aren't we cute???

Firemen

2009-04-21T08:01:00.000-07:00

Last night was Aaron's bi-monthly fire drill and they burned a house down - on purpose! It was part of the drill. We ( Wanda and I) went to watch. There were a lot of people gathered around wondering why in the world the Fire Dept. wasn't trying to save the house. The house was vacant and the owner wanted the guys to come out and burn it down. It wasn't off a country road...it was right in the city. In DeKalb when something catches fire the whole town knows about it because, well, we are so close because our town is so small. Anyway I got lots of pictures..............

Once you turned off of my county road and drove into the city limits you could see the smoke from miles away.

side view of the house- I was standing a couple of houses down

this was taken shortly after they set the fire - walls are still standing

that's my fireman in the middle spraying the water ( story to follow later in the post)

firemen accessing the situation at hand (WHO (not what or where but WHO)) do we need to spray next??)

the firemen hard at work

Aaron and Clint controlling the water (not a good thing)

Remember when the firemen were accessing the situation and were trying to figure out WHO to spray next? Well, here is their victim...Micheal Terry - Fireman Of The Year. They hosed him not sprayed him down. He had on bunker gear and was still SOAKIN wet!! Poor guy!

Tommy and Clint- I made the mistake of joking with them and telling them they could make a firemen calendar. And...well...it went from there. So here they are (trying) to dance and they posed for a lot of pictures!

This is the last picture of the house I took before I left. The walls were mostly caved in at this point.

I enjoyed watching all the firemen in action. I always get the stories but never the mental pictures to go along with it. So now I know what's involved in a house fire. The guys weren't as serious as they normally would of been if it were a real fire that wasn't set. They did a lot of training when the house first started to burn. Then they made the most of it and decided to try to make sure everyone went home wet. And I did go home wet. The guys just loved spraying me and I was a easy target because I was right there in the middle of them snapping pictures. They didn't seem to care one bit that my camera was getting wet. Even my husband thought it was fun to spray me. He'll pay, don't worry!

I did learn a few things while I was standing there watching. Well I didn't learn it, it was just brought to my attention. First, fires are scary! I have never seen a house be fully engulfed in flames before. I never realized the heat a house fire puts off. I learned to respect the fire. I can't even begin to imagine how hot hell is going to be if you don't know the Lord as your personal Savior. It's something to think about. I know I wouldn't want to be there and I know that I'm not going to be there.
Secondly, I realized just how lucky I am that everything I own has never just gone up in flames. To stand back and watch how powerful the fire can be is breath taking.
Thirdly, I realized that every single time that fire pager goes off, my husband puts his life at risk for someone else. I'm not sure I've acknowledged nor understood how much of a risk each of those firemen take on a daily basis. It was humbling- to say the least. So if you know a fireman don't forget to say thank-you for what they do. If you know a volunteer fireman don't forget to tell them how much you appreciate the sacrifice they make. Because after all they don't have to give up their time. They sure aren't getting anything out of it - other than self satisfaction.

A couple of weeks ago I told you about Stellan. In the womb he was diagnosed with a heart condition and was not supposed to live. Miraculously he was born healthy. His heart has slipped into SVT and has been in and out for 4 weeks now. He is having surgery today. Please keep him in your prayers today.

9th Birthday

2009-04-20T08:03:00.000-07:00

Well, my baby is officially 9! We had a fun weekend even though it poured down rain Saturday. We took Shel and one of her little friends to see "Hannah Montana: The Movie".

I caved in and got her a cell phone for her birthday. I know she's only 9. BUT she does go from our house to her dad's a lot. In fact she goes to her bio dads 2 nights a week. That's just too much time away without any means of instant communication with me. Sometimes issues arise and she needs me and has to ask her dad if she can use his phone and he doesn't let her. So this way she doesn't have to ask to call me. She can just grab her phone and get a hold of me. She has been asking for a very long time now if she could have a phone. Aaron and I both were totally against because she is so young. It has now been brought to my attention that she is one of the few in her class that doesn't have a cell phone. Really? When did children start getting cell phones?? I know I was a little... ok... a lot later than most on getting one but I was 24 before I got a phone.

She was estatic when she opened it!!

It was like Christmas morning at our house

She also got a pitchback net for softball. Her and our friends Clint and Wanda played with it all afternoon yesterday.

Clint and Wanda came over Saturday night and brought her a gift: a pink fishing pole and a bag of softballs.

Shel and Clint - he's crazy about her

Shel and Aaron clowning Saturday afternoon at lunch with Mimi and Poppy

singing "Happy Birthday"

opening presents from Mimi and Poppy

she got a water gun
whoo-hoo!

posing for the camera

She had a big day. The birthday girl was pooped! (Check out those lips! )

The next party I will be hosting is a baby shower for Wanda. She is due July4th and we will have a shower at my house the first Sunday in June. I am desperatly looking for ideas. Her baby's room is decorated in a fireman theme(Clint is also a volunteer fireman). I don't really want to do a fireman shower. I'd like to use some of the colors but I am not sure exactly how to decorate. Any ideas?? I need help. Auntie will make a banner with his name on it like she did with this one for another friend.

Isn't it cute? She put his monogram on the ends of it. I just love it. It's brown and blue like the colors they will be using at the shower.
My only dilemma on Wanda's shower is that I don't want it to look like July 4th if I were to use the colors in the baby's room. Or should I do a July 4th themed shower? Help!!

Don't forget if you want a banner like the ones posted in the pictures contact my sister, Tiffany(a.k.a. Auntie) at tifflotz@bellsouth.net She would love to make you a banner.

Our First

2009-04-17T09:07:00.001-07:00

Tuesday night Shel played her first softball game. She was so nervous before the game that she didn't even want to go. In fact there were a few times that she begged me to let her quit. Uh.. no...we don't quit something in the middle. We finish things out to the very end. After the game she was all smiles and was glad I didn't allow her to quit. She has now fallen in love with the game. Here are a few pictures.....

we chose #6 because that was her pageant number

practicing before the game

playing 2nd base

check out that expensive.... I mean awesome airbrushed batter's helmet

she struck out but she sure was cute doing it

pondering what just happened

excited that they won the game

and here she is telling me I've taken enough pictures

She enjoyed herself and gets better and better every week. She gets really nervous when it comes time to bat. She's a good hitter. She's just got to loose the nerves. All I ask from her is that she makes sure she's enjoying the game. We are supposed to play in a tournament this weekend but from the looks of the weather forecast we're probably going to get rained out. But that's okay!
My baby will be 9 yrs. old tomorrow!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I can't believe it. She has gotten so big. I love her more and more everyday. She's now at the age where she's getting a strong personality and she's a lot of fun. I enjoy hanging out with her. Happy Birthday sis!

Shelby's Party

2009-04-16T07:28:00.000-07:00

We had so much fun at the party. The girls arrived around 7 p.m. and we had a wiener roast, a hayride, opened presents and had cake. The girls had fun just playing without any planned activities. Around 2:30 a.m. I told the girls it was time to lay down and start thinking about rest. I told them they didn't have to go right to sleep but they had to be on their bed and quiet(er). At 3 a.m. the noise stopped and I thanked the great Lord. Saturday morning they were up and outside by 8:30a.m. The girls discovered the black tunnel and it was the hit of the party. I made pancakes for breakfast and let met tell you...those girls can eat. I never knew girls could eat so much. I always thought that was a boy thing. Anyway on to the pictures......

shel and tan man before the party

banner that auntie made

nana making the rainbow cake

auntie icing the cake

shel blowing out the candles

the inside of the rainbow cake

okay so it didn't turn out like the example picture BUT it still looked cool and the girls thought it rocked!

you would of thought she had won a million dollars....oh how i love the innocence of a child

some of the girls playing in the tunnel

all the girls

Shel had a very special guest at her party...unkle drove from Missouri to come to the party and to be with us for Easter. He is in warrant officer school for 4 more weeks. Poor Auntie!

Auntie and Shel

me, mom, auntie...it had been a long day!

Now that's it over I can honestly say it wasn't as bad as I anticipated. The only major problem we had is that we had a guest an hour and a half past pick up time Saturday. I got a phone call after pick up time asking if I could bring her home. (Well... uh...of course I can. I'm exhausted so I'll be right there.) But when we arrived at her house no one was there. It was very frustrating. We finally met up with the grandmother later in the day.
All the girls really enjoyed the party and were so sweet when they left to say thank-you for everything.

P.S. I didn't get one single picture of the cake balls. I can't believe that! Mom ended up making them for all the girls. Once she got started she realized it was going to be a little harder than she expected AND there were girls running everywhere so they cared less about doing it themselves.

P.S.S. Thanks to all our families who came to help us with the party. We couldn't have done it without your help!!

The Tanning Bed

2009-04-15T08:55:00.000-07:00

Every year before Easter rolls around I have already gotten my summer tan. Until this year! I have vowed to stay out of the tanning bed. I'm not really sure why I have made that decision. I know it's not very healthy and safe to go lie your body down on burning hot bulbs but I don't think that's really the reason. Because I don't live in the city anymore there's not a tanning booth at every corner. Yes we do have a salon in cowdad that does have a tanning bed but it is expensive and you have to make an appointment and they're not open til 9 p.m. which creates a problem for me. So this year at Easter I had booty white legs and I showed them. Please don't gasp all the air out of the room. I know it's horrible but I had to because I found a really cute dress that was comfortable, I could wear it to work AND I didn't have to worry about a bloating tummy.
Then Auntie bee bops into town and she's darker than she's ever been. I wanted to cry. I nicely cursed her (not real curse words of course). But the more I looked at her I realized what the tanning bed does to your skin. It gives you dark brown spots on your face. I can say that about Auntie because... well she's my sista and I made fun of her all weekend about her new dark spots. Besides she wouldn't know how to act if I didn't make fun of her.
So I found myself being very content with my decision. But I must honestly say if I still lived in the city I probably would of had a tan this year as well. Aaron always says the sunshine is free. It is, I know, but it takes a lot longer and the tan isn't even all over. But I'm content, remember!

auntie and her dark self

more Easter pictures.....

the girls

Shel and Tan man

Birthday Banners

2009-04-14T10:28:00.000-07:00

We had a great time at Shel's birthday party. I plan to share all the details as soon as I get the pictures loaded. Just haven't had the time to do that yet.

This is a picture of the banner Auntie made for the party.

It turned out sooo cute. Shelby loved it and thought it was the coolest thing ever. She didn't let us take it down because she wants it up for her real birthday. Which happens to be this Saturday. She will be 9 yrs. old. WOW! How did that happen so fast? Anyway my sister has decided to start making banners as a hobby for a little extra money. It is quite time consuming to make these little guys. I just wouldn't have the patience. I guess that's why her house is going to be so cute during the season changes and mine won't. If you are interested in getting a banner for a baby shower (I will be hosting one in the next month and have already ordered one) a wedding shower, a birthday, Valentine's Day, St. Patrick's Day, Easter, Spring, Summer, Mother's Day, Teacher Appreciation Day, Father's Day, my birthday, July 4th, Back to School, Halloween, Thanksgiving Day or Christmas Day you can email her at tifflotz@bellsouth.net
She does not charge very much at all. Mainly you will be paying her for the paper she uses. Auntie enjoys doing things like making banners or taking the picture above the red cabinet, wrapping it in paper, and adding letters and flowers to it. She did this 10 minutes before the party started. I thought she was kind of crazy while she was literally running around trying to get it done. But when the finished product was hung I was so glad she acted like a fool trying to get it finished.

In other news....my hair is a mess! I noticed in the Easter pictures that my hair is severely frizzy. Kelly at Kelly's Korner posted about her hair yesterday and I never thought about posting about my own hair UNTIL I saw all the Easter pictures and realized it was a serious problem for me. See I was on this medication that made my hair go from straight as a bored to curly in ONE night! I'm serious ya'll. It happened that fast.

It went from this

to this.....FAST!

And I wore it curly and long for a while. Then I let a lady that had never cut my hair cut my hair. I wanted her to layer it so the curls would lay right. Instead she just butchered it. I tried to let it grow out a little before I went and had it fixed. It was bad. At that point the only thing left to do was to cut it up to the shortest layer. So I did! I had 10 inches cut off and donated it to Pantene Beautiful Lengths. I figured if I MUST cut it then I might as well make it worth it and cut off enough to donate.

and here it is short

I had to wear it straight while it was short. It just wouldn't curl right while it was short. I think my hair has just quit on me. It's like it doesn't know what to do or how to lay. It hates me and I hate it. So at least we have a mutual agreement. So now it's grown out a little and I have started wearing it curly again
Do you see the problem? (no I am not pregnant, it's just the dress. ha!) It's a frizz ball. It's absolutely terrible! I don't know how to fix it. I have tried every technique I can think of. I have Googled it. I don't towel dry it I dry it with a t- shirt when I get of the shower. I use Catwalk curl amplifier. I dry it upside down. I NEVER put the dryer on top of my head. What else can I do? I don't like to wear it straight because it's coarse and even frizzier. I am out options on what to do. I am currently looking for a hairdresser that knows how to cut curly hair and that can give me some tips. When you have curly hair you can't just let anybody cut it. They have to know what they're doing and they have to understand how curly hair works. I have to yet to figure it out myself. I have not had it cut since I had it chopped off. I am embarrassed to tell you that but I have wanted it to grow so fast that I couldn't stand letting a pair of scissors near it. So if anybody knows of anyone in the area that cuts hair and has experience with curls please let me know. Also if you have any tips on how to fix my curly hair please share. I'm desperate!!

Easter

2009-04-13T08:06:00.000-07:00

We had a really fun day despite the weather. We went to church in T-town with my family and even made it on time. In fact we were about 10 minutes EARLY!! That just never happens in our household. Aaron really likes to be on time but Shel and I just can't get it together most of the time. Anyway, it was really nice and mom cooked a great lunch. We all ate way too much (except for my sister of course). She did eat 3 pieces of cake though. We did an Easter egg scavenger hunt in the house for the kids. They had a good time and once they found them all we had to re hide them so they could do it again. We then left T-town and headed back for cowdad so Shel could get her Easter basket from Aaron's mom and dad(Mimi & Poppy). They got her a pink OU Sooners shirt! And she loved it! And of course she got a little bit of candy and money for her New York fund. After we left there we headed back towards T-town and met my dad half way so Shel could spend the night. Auntie and Tanner are in town til Wed. because Tan man is on Spring Break. Dad is on vacation so he is able to take Shel to school. He will going BACK to DeKalb to pick her up a little early this afternoon so she can stay another night with them. Uh, can you say SPOILED ROTTEN?! All Shel has to do is think it and my dad is on it. She has definitely got her Poppa's heart in the palm of her hands.
We had a bad storm last night that dropped quite a bit of hail. I was freakin out! It was my first hail storm in DeKalb. The reason it was so bad is because when Aaron built our house (B.C.=Before Corrie) he put a metal roof on it. Have you ever been in a hail storm while under a metal roof? Well let me just tell ya it aint' fun!! It was so loud. I thought the roof was going to cave in. It finally stopped and then A-daddy and I went to check horses and dogs and cows. Mind you this was at 2a.m. So we had an interesting night to say the least. I was thankful that Shel had conned her Poppa into spending the night with them because she is TERRIFIED of storms. She freaks when it thunders. I'm afraid this would have done her in. She probably would have had a true heart attack. I'm serious! It's so sad that she is that afraid of storms.

We had a long night Friday. Birthday details and pictures tomorrow. I'm still pondering all the details.

Hope everyone had a great weekend.

My Family

Left to Right: Heath (my bro-in-law a.k.a. Unkle), Tiffany(my older sister, a.k.a. Auntie), Teresa(my mom a.k.a Nana), Ricky Jack (my dad a.k.a. Poppa), Corrie (me a.k.a. Coco),
Aaron ( my hubby a.k.a. A-daddy) Tanner (my bad nephew a.k.a Tan man), Shelby( my sweet baby girl a.k.a. Shel or Lucy)

P.S. Aaron forgot the rule about not changing clothes until after pictures are taken. So excuse his Easter attire. And I'm not sure if he truly forgot or if he thought that would get him out of taking pictures. Better luck next time cowboy!

Barbie

2009-04-09T08:12:00.000-07:00

My mom sent me this email this morning and I had to share it with all of you.

It's about time this happened to her.........

You can't see it as well because obviously the picture is smaller. But Barbie has gained some serious weight! Ha Ha Barbie! I guess it happens to the best of us - even if you are a doll.

The Benefits

2009-04-08T11:49:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago I wrote a post that was titled "On a Personal Note" and I wrote about the dreaded topic of divorce. I have personally been affected by it and it wasn't because I wanted to be. I truly didn't know how to survive. Today I want to tell you the benefits of divorce. I know the word benefits probably isn't the best choice of words but when you've been through it you tend to look at things in a whole new light and in a whole new aspect.

If I hadn't gone through a divorce I would not have these things:

* a stable life
* a lot of compassion toward other people
* an understanding of what it's like to have NOTHING!!
* an understanding of what it's like to know that God is with me, walking right beside me all the time. He will ALWAYS be with me.
* an understanding that God is the same today as He was yesterday and tomorrow. No matter what injustice comes my way.
* a true understanding of God's endless grace
* an amazing husband who understands me and loves me unconditionally and makes me smile even when I'm not with him
* a wonderful father figure who acts like a father instead of playing all the time
* a man whose not afraid to be head of the house
* great in-laws
* wonderful neighbors
* horses
* cows
* baby calves
* a dirt road
* lots of land
* a beautiful new home
* a best friend that I get to see everyday when I get home
* a child that has learned it's okay for other people to care for her
* a child that has literally done a 180
* a child that isn't shy anymore
* a child that loves to be outside and having fun
* a child that has learned to have compassion for others
* a child that is learning the true meaning of marriage
* a child that is loved by so many more people now
* a child that has a softened heart
* a child that is happy
* a child that doesn't worry 24/7
* new friends
* a new church
* a new school
* a community that I love
* a family that I can call mine forever and ever

So overall I can say thank you to that ex who ultimately gave all these things to me.
And I never thought I'd survive. Ha! I even fooled myself.

my 2 most favorite people

Birthday Party

2009-04-06T10:58:00.000-07:00

I had planned for Shel's birthday party(slumber party) for Friday the 17th on into the 18th which is her actual birthday. And then we had a scrimmage game last Friday and was informed we were having a tournament on the 18th. Soooo her party got moved up to this weekend. Yes I know it's Easter weekend BUT I had no choice. I will have help this weekend. Auntie is coming home for Easter weekend and my mom will be available. So invitations have been sent and the plans are being made. Auntie is making the cutest banner for the party. She found one on Etsy and decided to make it. Then we found a tutorial on Nannygoat's blog.

Hers of course will say Happy Birthday. Isn't it cute? Yea I thought so too.
I'm attempting to make this Rainbow Cake. Found it on Hostess With the Mostess Blog

Did you catch that? I'm ATTEMPTING to make this cake. It LOOKS really simple and there are in depth directions for it. BUT I am NOT a baker in the least little bit. I'm going to try and that's all that counts.
My mother is going to make these cake pops from Bakerella's blog.
Or I might talk her into doing something a little easier. Like these marshmallow pops that GraceViolet made on her blog.
We're also going to make a craft. But the only problem is I haven't really decided on what I want to make. Or better yet, what the girls are going to make. The party will not begin until after softball practice is over which is normally around 8:30p.m. So there will not be a lot of time for the girls to play outside. When they get there Friday evening we will go on a hayride and have a weiner roast, cake (if it's edible) and ice cream. Then they will be off to do their own thing for the evening. So I need some kind of a craft for Saturday morning. This will also be their party favor.
In the end I hope my pictures will turn out as good as the ones I've posted. We are out of school on Friday. Yeah!!! This helps tremendously when planning a party.

Wild Olive Tees

2009-04-03T09:32:00.001-07:00

I want to share a blog that I found called Wild Olive Tees. Stefanie is one of the designers. She has 8 children. WOW!! 4 of them were adopted from China and her family is currently in the process of adopting another. WOW WEE!! She is a soldier's wife.
Her parnter is Colleen. She has 2 children and will be adopting soon as well. She's also a soldier's wife.
They have really cute t-shirts. To visit their site click on the Wild Olive button on my sidebar.

Have a great weekend!!

Auntie

2009-04-02T06:56:00.000-07:00

My sister, Shelby's auntie, is a very girly, weird, obsessive, frilly, strange person. Shel's birthday is coming up on the 18th. Auntie decided she wanted Shel to have a garden (girly) party. Well my little darling tomboy (who yes was in a pageant -totally girly) just isn't into the whole garden themed birthday party. Last year she had her 1st sleepover and well.... it was crazy! We had already moved to DeKalb but was still going to school in T-town. We had 8 girls ride home with us on a Friday afternoon to spend the night. All of the girls parents knew me because I worked at the school and attended church where the school is. So there was no problem with the girls coming to our house that was 45 minutes away from their homes. Anyway the girls had a great (loud) time. We saddled up Lightnin' (Shel's pony that she had just gotten for her birthday), we had a wiener roast and a hayride. The girls thought it was the greatest thing. Remember they were from the city and it wasn't a normal everyday routine to come in contact with a horse or hay or a bonfire. So then it was time for bed. Lord help us!! One little girl decided she wanted to go home. Well her parents lived 45 mins. on the other side of T-town. By this time it had gotten close to being about 2a.m. Everyone was exhausted. Finally we talked the girl into just watching the movie and she eventually fell asleep. Thank you sweet Jesus! That was definitely divine intervention!!
So this year Shel had already decided she wanted to do the same as last year. Even though her country girlfriends are very familiar with horses and hay she still wanted to have horse rides, a hayride and a wiener roast. Then auntie called and starting discussing with me that she wanted to do a garden party for Shel's birthday this year. I had to break the news to her that she had already decided to do what she did last year. Auntie said she didn't care what Shel had decided that she wanted to do a garden party and that's what we were doing. See auntie doesn't have a little girl. So all of her motherly girly instincts are thrown off on Shel. Who is just quite the opposite but yet her auntie hasn't given up. She has a mission for Shel... to be a princess. Well it just aint gonna happen. Maybe when she hits puberty. Maybe then she will care what she looks like and won't like to play in the mud. Just maybe.
Auntie finally got the chance to discuss her plans with Shel last night. It didn't go quite as well as she'd hoped. She thought Shel would give in to her and she didn't. Shel just refused to even listen to her nonsense. I do have to say auntie had really cute ideas and I wish Shel would give it some thought. If I was a mean momma I would tell her we're doing it the way we want to. But I guess I can't do that if it's her party. Aaron told me that if me and auntie wanted a garden party so bad then we should have one for our own birthdays. So sister in June, on my 30th , we're gonna have a rockin garden party. Ha!
So instead of planning Shel's party, I'm secretly planning mine. No not really.

Shelby and Auntie

Notice that Shel is as big as auntie. Shel loves to get her hand me downs. Especially her shoes. But Shel has almost outgrown her. Poor auntie she can't help it! Just wish I had that problem!!
They have a really good relationship and Shel loves her some auntie!!

Wood Stain

2009-03-31T09:25:00.001-07:00

Last night A-daddy and I finally caught an episode of "Dancing With the Stars". Well I have a hillbilly husband who doesn't really get the concept of the whole show. It is hilarious to watch it with them. He always critiques every single thing about the dancers. From what they are wearing to how they dance. He's a country boy so he is surprised that some of the female dancers come out half naked. He doesn't go to the city a lot so he he doesn't realize that some girls dress like that just to go to the mall. Anyway, the best part of getting to watch this particular show with my wonderful husband is that he is so witty at times. If you don't watch the show this is Karina Smirnoff and Steve Wozniak.

When they were standing at the judges table waiting for their scores to be read, my brilliant husband said "somebody got a hold of her and put some wood stain on her". He was referring to how dark her skin was. It was hilarious! Cause he was serious. From the mouth of a good ole southern boy!

It's a Monday

2009-03-30T09:04:00.000-07:00

This morning was just terrible at our house. Nothing went right. Luckily Aaron did not go into work early this morning so he was around to help out. To start things off everyone got up late including me. Aaron cut his finger while making Shelby breakfast. She did not want to wear warm clothes today. So she complained about everything in life. AND my car wouldn't start. The battery was dead. And I mean dead!! Aaron had to jump it off so I could finally get to work. We all said our goodbyes with a smile on our face. But really I think we just needed to get away from each other for the day. So hopefully my sweet little family is at work and school not thinking about our zoo like morning.

The Burrow's

I did send a text to a friend who works at Shel's school and asked her to tell Shel that I love her. She did and Shel smiled.

We had a non eventful weekend. It was too cold outside to do anything. When you walked outside the wind almost blew you down so we stayed indoors. It was a little warmer yesterday so Aaron saddled up Pancake and went for a short ride. Me and Shel hung out at home. It was so nice to finally have a relaxing weekend.

Shel enjoyed her slumber party. They went to bed sometime after 3a.m. She took about a 30 minute nap Saturday afternoon but that's it. She was in rare form for the rest of the day. She went to bed around 9p.m. and slept till 8:30 a.m. when we woke her up for church. But she had a blast. Now she's anxious about her own slumber party that we will be having on April 17th. Have I lost my mind??

Just wondering

2009-03-27T09:15:00.000-07:00

Last night as we were laying in bed I wondered if there were other wives out there that had to endure TV shows like Top Gear, Dirtiest Jobs, Ax Men and Ice Road Truckers? When A-daddy comes in for the night he always gets the remote and finds some dumb man show. I am normally doing something else so I don't have to endure it ( at that time). But then when it's bed time and we're both watching the TV he again resumes to the man shows. And I always always ask that we watch something that we both agree on. His answer is always" we would if you weren't going to be asleep in 2.4 seconds". He is right about that, I do fall asleep rather quickly. But that's beside the point. For those 2.4 seconds I am awake I'd like to watch something that has absolutely nothing to do with men trying to show off their masculinity. Sad to say I think I will always loose at the choice to watch something we both agree on. Do you watch those shows also? If so, I am soooo sorry!

Shel hasn't been to her bio dad's this week because she just wanted to hang out at home. We were away from home a lot over Spring Break. But tonight she has been invited to a slumber party. So Aaron and I will be alone. I should be excited about being alone with my husband and I am and all BUT the issue is that this is her first slumber party in DeKalb( I know the child's parents so don't freak out about me letting my baby go to a complete strangers house for a sleepover). And the weather forecast is calling for storms. So basically what I'm saying is that mommy is having a little of an attachment issue. I had gotten so used to her being with me every day that it's hard to let her go. Whether it's to a friend's house or to her bio dad's house. I am excited for her though cause she has been looking so forward to the party. So I have to be strong and not let her see my emotions. I will be fine and she will be fine but I just love my baby so much. After all she's the only one I got. Which makes me tend to baby her a little too much. I know lots of friends and my husband would agree to that. But there just not Shelby's mommy. And I can handle it. Besides if you got to look at this face everyday would you want it to go somewhere else? Didn't think so!
Have a great weekend!

Meet Pancake

2009-03-25T10:42:00.000-07:00

She is a red roan horse. And she's beautiful. Her name is Pancake because she has feet as flat as a pancake. The reason I'm introducing you to her today is because I'm exhausted. See I have this amazing husband who acts like her.

When you ride Pancake for a while and she gets hot and sweaty the first thing she does when you unsaddle her and set her free in the pasture is ....ROLL!! And well she's kind of a big girl and so when she gets on the ground and tries to go from one side to the other it's sort of a chore for her. She has to work really hard to roll over. It's quite sad to watch from a distance. There are times I want to go out in the pasture and help her get over. But she eventually gets the oomph to get to the other side.

Last night I had JUST drifted off to sleep when Aaron decided he wasn't comfortable. So the drama began. He couldn't just calmly, quietly, respectfully, normally roll over. Oh no! He had to pretend he was Pancake trying to get from one side to the other. So of course he woke me up because he didn't calmy, quietly, respectfully, normally just roll over. But when I woke up I didn't feel a bit sorry for him like I do the mare. I was angry. Very angry! I was tired. So I hollered at him "woh mare"!!!!! That's what he says to her when he is on her back and she tries to do something that she shouldn't. Which is quite often. She tends to have a mind of her own. She's kind of cranky sometimes too. We get along so well!

Do you think A-daddy cared that he woke me up? Well, no. Do you think A-daddy thought he was amusing in his sleeping habits? Well, yea. I told him that if he continued to act like a horse then he and Pancake could be closer than ever before. They could sleep in the pasture-together!

I have to admit that it was quite comical with the drama and all. We had a good laugh and went back to sleep happily ever after.

Back to school

2009-03-24T07:06:00.000-07:00

Well, today is our 2nd day back at school after Spring Break and it stinks!! Shel and I both have had a really tough time getting back into a routine. It's not so much the going to school as it is the getting up at 5:30. It's just terrible. Shel and I had a conversation this morning about how great it would be if school started at 10:00am. Wouldn't that just be fabulous!

Most of you who read my blog also read Kelly's Korner but just in case there's that one who doesn't I want to let you know about a little boy who desperately needs prayers right now. His name is Stellan. While still in the womb the doctors told his parents that he would not survive because of a heart condition. When Stellan was born he was completely healthy. He has been healthy ever since. Sunday night after a quick trip to the ER for what they thought was just a little cold he slipped into SVT after a breathing treatment. You can go read read Mck mama blog and read all about Stellan. She has a very interesting story and her attitude is like none other.

For all of you "Bachelor" fans did you see who is dancing on "Dancing With The Stars"? It's none other than.... Melissa. You know she's the one that Jason picked first and then dumped. I unfortuantly have been busy every single Monday night and have had to watch(listen) to it while doing other things. So I have yet to see her dance. But if I had to guess I bet she's good.

Most Photogenic and 1st Runner Up

2009-03-15T21:02:00.000-07:00

She did it!! I was afraid when we left dress rehearsal Friday night that she was going to cry when she got on stage and beg me not to do it. As the pageant got closer and closer the more scared she got and had totally lost all confidence. But Saturday night when it was her turn to walk the runaway she shined like a true star. She was absolutely BEAUTIFUL! You could not tell that she was terrified and completely sick to her stomach. When the MC started announcing winners I could not breathe. I think the more I sat there the more nervous I got. The first award given was Most Photogenic and well...... we won! Then they announced 2nd runner up and we didn't get that. Then it was first runner up and they announced #6 - Shelby Smith. I was the proudest mommy there! I could not believe it. I mean she was by far the most beautiful there was. But I am a little prejudice. Okay, alot prejudice. When the whole thing was said and done she then started thinking about the other girls who didn't win anything and she got sad. I am telling you there's probably not another winning contestant in this world that has thought about the girls not winning. She is more beautiful on the inside than she is on the out. And well just look at her. Could she really get any more prettier? She earned her title. Needless to say I am the proud mother of 1st runner up Miss Petite DeKalb 2009.

Before the interview

Getting ready for the pageant

she was very scared

All of my pictures were blurry and dark. But there were so many of Shelby's fans there surely someone got some good pictures. I will post more if I get some.

P.S. Thank you to everyone who came to support Shelby. It really meant a lot to her and to me and Aaron. Thank you to Judi for helping us get ready and cleaning my house. You're the best friend a girl could have. Thanks mom and dad for bringing dinner for everyone and entertaining while we were getting ready. Also, for buying everyone's ticket. And for being such great supporters of Shelby. We love you all!!

IT'S ALMOST HERE!!

2009-03-13T06:53:00.001-07:00

The time has finally come for.......SPRING BREAK!!!!!!!! Yeah! We are so excited to get a week off school. We are going to visit Tiff and Tan man the end of next week. We are really looking forward to watching Tan man play another soccer game. We got to go this fall and watch a game but haven't been back since. He is so cute while he's playing and he's very very serious about the game. There is no clowning when game time comes. Here's our little dude in action. He's #7

God bless his momma! His daddy's away at warrant officer school and she's left to do all the parenting by herself. She's about to go insane. So I feel for ya sista. But it's a good thing he's yours. He's the coolest kid on earth!

But first we have to get through the weekend. Tonight my BFF, Judi is coming to spend the weekend with us. She is going to help me get Shel ready for the pageant. We have dress rehearsal tonight. Interview and pageant tomorrow. She's had practice the past couple of nights. They do not allow parents to stay during practice so I haven't been able to see her in action. We have not done any modeling classes, no spray tan and no interview sessions. So we are rookies to the pageant world. But my goodness I refuse to spray tan my 8 yr. old. Of course when I announced that I wasn't having her tanned other pagenat moms about had a heart attack. But, I sure didn't let it bother me one bit. Shel was the one that decided she wanted to do the pageant and we were all for it but we let her know up front that if she won she would win by natural looks and natural talent. So I'm anxious to see tonight how natural we are in the pageant world. It ought to be interesting. I just hope we don't embarass ourselves. And if we do, oh well. It won't be the first... or last time.

Since I haven't posted in a few days I want to wish my sister-in-law, Megan, a Happy Belated Birthday!

Have a great weekend!

What happened....

2009-03-11T08:24:00.000-07:00

....to the beautiful weather. It's cold and raining!

When Shel was a little bitty girl around 2-ish she would always say"it's code and wainin". If it was raining it had to be cold and if it was cold it had to be raining. Oh, she was so precious and innocent and didn't have a smart mouth at that age.

And now I get to look at this beautiful face whose mouth I'd like to tape shut.

I was so excited about working in flower beds and buying pretty colorful flowers. Now I have to wait a couple of more weeks. AND my new fence will have to be put on hold til the ground drys out again. Oh well I guess I need to look at the bright side of things. Aaron will be stuck inside and now he can help me with chores! Yeah!

Entryway, Fat and Choices

2009-03-10T07:31:00.001-07:00

That's right I'm getting a new entry way to my house. Aaron has so kindly worked very hard the past couple of months to build me a beautiful new cedar entryway. Well, it's not finished yet or I'd show it to you but just like me you have to wait til it's all done to see it. Just know it rocks! If you're nice I'll show you a sneak preview soon. Just not today.

This week is going to be booger to get through. There is quite a lot going in Shelby's social life. I'm just the mom who caters to her every need and makes sure she's at the right place at the right time. I guess that's what mom's do when they have little girls who want to participate in every thing at the same time. But like I've said before we're just so glad she's gotten to this point. We would never complain about it. We are so proud of her and who she's becoming.

The other day I got up, looked in the mirror and saw that I was THE FAT GIRL!! You know the girl that people talk gaining a lot of weight. I am officially my before divorce weight. See when I got divorced I lost about 30 pounds in just a matter of 2 months. Remember though - I was devastated and the thought of food make me puke and I had no energy or desire to eat. Not healthy at all I know. But back then I was just trying to survive and take care of Shel. Now that I am happy and in love again fat has sneaked in my body. I'm not sure how that happened. Maybe eating ice cream, cake and chips and hot sauce helped the fat find me. I don't know. Well now that I am out of denial of gaining a lot of weight I've decided that I no longer want to be THE FAT GIRL!

I have started exercising again. Not by my want to just by my HAVE to. We are eating better at our house and I have increased my water intake. A couple of weeks ago I realized I was going days without water. I was only drinking Diet carbonated beverages. That's not very intelligent! So now we are on the right road to loosing a little weight. Hopefully it will end up being a lot of weight.

Also we are in the process of making a lot of decisions concerning our family. Some of the choices we are facing are not easy. I would like to ask you to please pray for our family. We need some direction as to what to do next. We are getting close to the decision and really need guidance. Please just remember us.

Have a great week!!

2009-03-06T06:18:00.000-08:00

It has been a crazy week. Again! I told you all on Monday that I was going to post pictures and this is the first time I've even turned my computer on since then.

We all survived TAKS on Tuesday. Things were pretty smooth but it was a very long day. At my school we didn't finish until it was time to go home. Shel said they finished before lunch but had to keep a testing environment because there were kids within the school still testing. So she had a VERY long day herself.

We all spent Wednesday recovering. Shel said they got a lot of free time that day.

Then there weren't enough hours in the day yesterday. I gave a TAKS to a new student during the morning hours. She finished before lunch. But I spent the rest of the afternoon covering my class and another class. My room was packed! I was relieved when the clock struck 3:00( ha! that rhymed). So when I got home I was so stressed from the day that I decided to try to get back to my exercise routine that I started a month ago and didn't stick to after a couple of weeks. The weather was perfect and I really wanted to be outside and clear my mind from the day. So I walked(jogged) against the wind that was blowing really hard at times. I felt great when it was done. Then Aaron and I went to get Shel from dance and then went straight over to her softball meeting.

We got on a really good team. The coach is very nice. He's all about the girls keeping a positive attitude and ONLY saying positive things. I am a big supporter of "if you don't have anything nice to say then don't say anything at all". I think our personalities will click. I really didn't want on a team that was going to criticize the kids all the time and take the fun out of playing. Most of the girls on the team are from her school. She's very excited about starting to play. Now we have to go get all the necessities to play.

So I guess we'll be making a trip to T-town for softball needs and finishing up all the pageant needs. Cause don't forget we have the pageant next weekend. She will have pageant practice next Wed. before church and between tap and ballet on Thurs. Friday is dress rehearsal and will probably be the first softball practice of the year. Coach is supposed to let us know as soon as he knows. He has scheduled work out days set in place. Our lives just got a little more chaotic! Softball practice will be on Tues. from 5:30 - 7:00 and on Friday from 7:00 - 8:30. We are going to get everything we need this weekend so next week we can try to hold our head above water.

Now about those pictures I will post them just don't know when. Sorry but at least I can admit my faults.

This is a really boring post I know but I wanted to catch all of you up since I haven't really had a chance to talk to any of you this week. Hope you have a good weekend.

P.S. I'll try to be a little more interesting next week. No promises though!

P.S.S. I just realized on my "Great Friends!" post I didn't give you a face with the name so here's my BFF, Judi

JUST KIDDING!

2009-03-02T08:08:00.001-08:00

Well ,I told you Saturday I would have pics of the girls posted but I don't. Yesterday turned out to be crazy and BUSY!

We didn't make it to church because Aaron came in and out all night. He would stop in and grab something, go back out, stop in again and get something else, go back out. Then at 4a.m. he came in for good and I got up and we visited for a little while. So Sunday morn I was exhausted. And Grace unexpectedly spent the weekend with us so her momma didn't bring any clothes for her when they came in town Friday night. Shel didn't have any shoes that fit her. Shelby's foot is as big as mine.

I started the morning off with breakfast and laundry. Spent the entire day doing laundry and feeding kids. Every time I turned around they were hungry. You would of thought they were 2 teenage boys. They practically ate me out of the house. I seriously didn't realize girls had boy appetites.

Around 5:45 I headed off to T-town to meet Grace's dad. And on the way home Aaron called to let me know that his upset stomach was more than just upset. He had reason to believe it was a VIRUS!! He had been to the rest room more times than normal with just a usual upset tummy. So my thoughts were...NO!!!!!!!!!!!! We can't be sick this week. It's TAKS time. There is no room for sickness. Oh no... what are we to do????

We left Aaron in the bed this morning as he had been up ALL night running back and forth to the bathroom(every hour on the hour). Well every time he got up I woke up. I was late for work this morning because we had no tummy medicine at our house and in DeKalb if get sicker in the middle of the night... well , that's just too bad. New Boston is the closest 24 hour store. So you just have to wait till morning. I guess I should have been a little more prepared just in case he got sicker but we are talking about me. So I had to get him some medicine. I took it over to him, fixed him a glass of orange juice and listened to him whine a little more before I headed off to school.

Because I have yet to download my pictures of the girls that are HILARIOUS I will leave you with the only one I do have on my computer. It's nothing special but it's a start to a chore that I hate to do (put pictures on my computer).Check out Shelby's bling purse and Grace's wet head. I will post the other pics tonight - promise. But I don't pinky promise. Cause we don't ever know what my whiny, sick, sad husband is going to need from me when I get home.

P.S. Aaron did not do well at the hunt. Actually he lost BAD! His team ended up with NOTHING! Aw it is sad. I know. Better luck next year. (I really could have used the payout money)

P.S.S. SO FAR SHEL AND I ARE HEALTHY! PLEASE PRAY WE STAY THAT WAY - AT LEAST UNTIL TAKS IS OVER ON WEDNESDAY!!!

Great Friends

2009-02-28T19:23:00.001-08:00

Last night Shel and I went to T-town and had dinner with my BFF from Little Rock. She was in town picking up her step daughter so we made a night of it. We had Chinese food and it was GREAT! We always order a lot of food and share it. We ended up being at the restaurant for for about an hour and a half and then talked outside for another 30 minutes. It was so nice to finally see their faces after many months of just talking on the phone (daily!). She has a daughter that is a couple of years younger than Shel. But, they are best buds. She is now spending the weekend with us and boy has it been exciting around our house today. They finally went to sleep some time after midnight last night. At midnight I was out for the count so I'm really not sure what time their little eyes finally closed. They were too hyped up about getting to play today. Aaron has been hunting since about 6 this morning. So he hasn't had the joy of hearing 2 little girls giggle. NONSTOP!! They have been very creative today. It's really cold outside so they haven't been able to stay out for a long period of time. Basically it's been inside for a couple of hours and outside for about 30 minutes. Repeat - all day long.
This morning we did venture back to T- town for the Polka Dots and Lollipops sale. I wasn't disappointed but yet I wasn't thrilled. I did find some stuff.

I got all this, 6 infant sleepers and 1 pair of maternity pants for my prego friend. It cost me $33.00. Everything was half off today. I thought that was a great deal. There will be another sale in the Fall. I plan to be there first to get all the good stuff and then go back on the last day for the half off sale.
Aaron will not be home tonight either due to the predator hunt. I talked to him a couple of hours ago and so far they have NOTHING! They are about 20 miles down the river and have pulled out of the water just to warm up a little bit. They even built themselves a fire. Boy, that will bring the coyotes in don't you think? So they have a long night ahead of them. I hope they come up on something or they will be totally bummed.
Tomorrow I'm going to post pictures of what the girls have been up to. I assure you it will make you laugh. And I will let you know how the hunt turned out. Have a good weekend.

FINALLY!!

2009-02-27T07:22:00.000-08:00

It's the weekend. Yeah!! I have been waiting for this weekend for a while now. I am going to the Polka Dots and Lollipops sale at the fairgrounds. I have never been to one of these sales so I am so excited to finally be going. I have seen it advertised on T.V. and looked into it just in time to realize it was coming to a town nearby. Has anyone ever heard of it or been to one? My understanding is that is an upscale consignment shop for children's clothing. I love consignment shops! A couple of weeks ago I went to one in T-town and Shel found a shirt she just had to have. I paid $5.00 for it. Later on in the day we were at the mall ( in one of those stores that sells ugly clothes for a whole lot of money) and we found the exact shirt for $26.00. We were then so proud of our consignment purchase. So if you live in the Texarkana area Polka Dots and Lollipops will be at the fairgrounds. Here's a link to their website. http://polkadotsandlollipops.net/ Good Luck if you go. The sale started today but will go until tomorrow. And tomorrow is half off. What a deal! Have a great weekend.

P. S. If it ends up being a crappy sale I apologize in advance. I will be soooo disappointed!
P.S.S. Just wanted to leave you with a beautiful face.
This picture was taken last year. Her and Tanner got baptized together on that wonderful Easter morning.
I don't like posting without a picture so I thought this was the best one I had in my files. Don't you agree?

YOU MUST READ

2009-02-25T07:29:00.000-08:00

I was checking my favorite blogs this morning and I always check Angie Smith's FIRST. She writes Bring the Rain. Ya'll she is one my most favorite people. She doesn't even know me and that's okay by me as long as she keeps writing. She has an amazing story. She lost her last baby 2-3 hours after she gave birth. Can't even fathom that. The reason she's so amazing is because of her faith. You have to go read her blog. Promise it will bless your life. It will make you think. It will make you not complain as much. And I think it will make me be a better housekeeper. Maybe.
Here is the link, http://audreycaroline.blogspot.com/ Today's post is just so good. So get over there and read it. Quit wasting your time at my blog!

Still Learning

2009-02-25T06:31:00.000-08:00

I think I need to confess something.... I don't know how to be an adult and have so many responsibilities. For the last couple of weeks I feel as if I'm drowning in the world. I'm so overwhelmed at the business of life.
Shel was home sick Monday. I absolutely could not take off work due to the TAKS test coming up on Tuesday. So my dear mother in law offered to keep her for us. So after I got off work I headed to T-town to meet Shelby and her bio father at the doctor. He came and picked Shel up from DeKalb after he got off work. The doctor believes she has severe allergies. She put her on a couple of medications for the next 2 weeks and then we'll go back and have her tested to find out exactly what it is that she's allergic to. The baby has been so sick here lately. It seems like she has kept a cough since December. Glad to finally be close to a diagnosis.
I can't keep up with my laundry and the housework. It's consuming my life. Mostly that's my fault. I say that because I don't ask for help from my family. Shel isn't home enough as it is and I just hate for her to do housework when she is home. Now... she does clean her own room. But that's it. Should my almost 9 yr. old really have more responsibilities other than her room? I don't know. That's where I struggle.
Aaron just doesn't have time to help because he's always outside doing something with the animals or fixing something. And when he gets finished and comes in he's exhausted from a very long day. His day begins at 4:45 a.m. Poor man!! I would be ready for a nap by 8 a.m. if I got up that early.
Here's my schedule..... go to the grocery store on Monday. Come home put groceries away and start dinner. On Tuesday we catch up on things that need to be done (like cleaning up Monday's dinner dishes if I didn't get to it). Wednesday we go to church. Thursday is dance. Friday is I'm so tired from the things that went on from Mon.- Thurs. I don't care if you go play in the street. Well we don't really have a street. We do you just have to walk half a mile down the driveway to get to it. I really just come in and do nothing but play or sit with Shelby. After all I haven't really seen her all week. Saturday we do outside chores or run errands and sometimes I stay in and try to catch up on laundry. But I don't like to do that because I am an outside person and Aaron and Shel are outside. I don't want to be stuck inside - by myself. I've tried to make a deal with Aaron that I would keep up with the outside if he'd do the inside. Hasn't worked yet. Probably a good thing cause we'd never have clean underwear.
So I need a routine in my life. I need to learn how to be a grown up and manage all these things a little better. OK a A LOT better. Because sometimes it would be nice to sit on the couch that didn't have laundry all over it. Help me!!
P.S. I need to hire a housekeeper. Don't you think? Tried to make that deal with Aaron also. Hasn't worked yet either.

Busy Saturday

2009-02-21T22:23:00.000-08:00

We had a very busy but fun day today. It started with Aaron and Shel getting her registered for softball. Our little shy Shelby has turned into a social butterfly. No complaints from us though. We've been waiting on this for awhile now. She has gone from hiding her face if anyone spoke to her to taking dance, being in a pageant and now playing softball. We are really pleased with how far she has come. We are excited that she's comfortable enough to try new things in life. Praise the Lord!
Tiff and Tanner came back to town for our cousin's birthday party. It was a skating party and if you know anything about Tiff you know she's a germ FREAK! Not just a little paranoid about germs but totally ridiculous about germs. A couple of weeks ago Tan man had another skating party in LA and she was freaking out because he was going to have to wear skates that had been worn by other children. That in her book is just a big no no. I tried to tell her it was the same as wearing bowling shoes but she didn't agree. Her theory was that bowling shoes could be sprayed better with disinfectant. Skates are too tall to truly get down to the toe with germ spray. So her solution was to wrap that baby's feet in saran wrap. SERIOUSLY?? Yea, that's what I said, seriously? I finally explained to her that she could NOT do that to him. She later agreed and Tan man got to go to the party(without saran feet) and have a good time. I told her today she better not even think about pulling out the saran wrap. The kids had a really good time. Shel was interested in the skating and Tan man was interested in the arcade games. Must be a boy thing. He walked out of the skating rink with a handful of useless toys that he had bought with his tickets from all the games he had played.
Aaron wasn't able to make the birthday party because he was picking out our new heifer for the farm. And no that's not another wife. It's our new cow. He did this chore all by himself. I was really proud of the way he handled having to do this chore alone. He really wanted me there so I could give my opinion. But I really don't know the first thing about cows and which ones look good or not. They all look the same to me. BEEF! No, really it's hard to eat the animal that was just outside grazing the pasture just a few days ago.
Me, Tiff and a friend then got to enjoy some adult girl time after the party was over. We had dinner and then went to a movie. It was so nice just being with adult women and having good clean fun. We saw "Confessions Of a Shopaholic". It was GREAT and HILARIOUS! In my opinion it ranked right up there with "Legally Blond". I'm not sure if it's better but it's close. And it reminded me of Tiff. She likes to shop also. A LOT! She would deny that but I always say denial is the first step to a true problem. If you get a chance to go out with girls anytime soon you should really go see. I think most of the hubbies would like it too. So there's a thought. Get a babysitter, go to dinner and then catch a movie. Your relationship would thank you. And your kids probably would too. Have a good weekend!

Oh...

2009-02-20T09:02:00.000-08:00

one more thing. I just read about this give away and wanted to tell you about it. Go see for yourself http://mammaslittlesugarbooger.blogspot.com.

A Personal Note

2009-02-20T06:35:00.000-08:00

Today I am going to talk about a very touchy subject that some readers may not agree with. The reason I am posting about this subject is because I just found out that a close friend is going to endure the traumatic process. I myself have gone through the same thing just 3 1/2 yrs. ago........DIVORCE!!! I hate it. I hate it. I hate it. It's in my opinion one of the worst trials in life. I can't think of any thing else that could be more traumatic other than having to bury your own child. And that my friends would just do me in. I don't want to even imagine that. Divorce is so bad because sometimes you are helpless and without any voice in the matter. Or at least I was. I didn't have a say so on whether or not this was how I wanted my marriage to be. The reason I didn't was because he had found someone else and wanted to be with her. I was truly devastated. Broken, hurt, deceived and rejected aren't enough good enough words to describe the pain I felt. I was in denial for so long. My family and friends were there for me every step along the way and they literally made me pull myself together and accept what was happening. In fact if it wasn't for them I would probably still be wallowing in my misery today. My BFF, Judi, was my rock. My mom and dad were my sole supporters and as affected and devastated as I was. After all they were loosing what they had called their son for 7 yrs. My sis and bro-in-law were shocked. My daughter was well...how do you explain a 5 yr. olds heart when her father tells her he's leaving(not just once but 3 times. Reason: he wasn't sure what he wanted. Well, he wanted the other woman no doubt he just couldn't deal with Shel begging him to stay). It was absolutely TERRIBLE!! And that's to say the least. I will spare the intimate details but my whole point is that if anyone of my readers has ever even thought about the D word... go get help today, NOW, in fact. Just ask my ex-husband who has openly admitted that the grass isn't greener on the other side. And it's just really not worth it. As you can see you just might get stuck on the other side. I believe the reason divorce is as common as marriage these days is because Satan loves, loves, loves it. He can attack one man or woman and ultimately attack the entire family and those around them. He doesn't have to attack Shelby later on in life because he already has when he took her father from her home. Satan loves to see God's people hurt. He enjoys not letting God's people feel that we were failed by Him. See that's how stupid Satan is. God never failed me by allowing my ex to walk out that door on a cold February morning. He was right there beside me the entire time. God loves us so much he allows us to make choices and sometimes we just make the wrong choice. We all do it. We may not go to the extreme of walking out on our families but we mess up. I don't doubt for one second that I was out of God's will when I married my ex. What I do believe is that He had a will for our lives and my ex just didn't stay in the will of God. I also believe that when we step out of that will He sends someone to fulfill it. (did that make sense?) God has a purpose and a reason for every single thing. It's not ours to understand or explain. It is what it is. Divorce is the most awful thing in the world. You aren't able to mourn your loss and eventually move on with your life. It follows you forever especially if you have kids. Your children will always be affected by your STUPID and SELFISH choice. If you are a victim or are starting the divorce procedures like my friend. Just know there is light at the end of the tunnel. You can start wearing your sunglasses again. The light will shine soon. At the end of it you just might be as lucky as me. You may find that person that God has picked out for you to pick up the pieces of your heart and slowly put it back together all the while gaining your trust and finishing out the will He has planned. God never intended us to raise these babies alone. You will find that special person when the time is right and you are COMPLETELY recovered. The best recovery program out there is Celebrate Recovery. It is a recovery program that covers every need you may have. From divorce to drugs to death. It works and it's a good program. To all the women who are single parents and not by choice, just know you are an amazing woman for just getting out of bed in the mornings. There were days that I didn't want to even get up but I pulled from within and made myself. You girls will survive and just remember you are strong enough to overcome this

P.S. I am not bitter with my ex for what he did and I have completely forgiven for him for what he did. It's a constant forgiveness because of how he acts sometimes but as far as forgiving him for the divorce, that's a done deal. I realized I was only hurting myself by staying angry. Forgiveness is the best medicine. It's hard and it hurts but it's best. Oh, and I love Aaron more because of what I've been through.

TAKS Test!!!

2009-02-19T12:05:00.000-08:00

It's officially time. Next Tuesday to be exact.I have dreaded this time of year since August. Things at school will be crazy and BORING! As a Test Administrator it makes for a VERY long day. But I am also worried about Shel. This is her first year in Texas schools and since she's in the 3rd grade she has to pass the Reading part of the test to move on to the 4th grade. She is very smart and all but she stresses over test. She did great on the last practice test so I'm praying that she will remain on that course. Her teacher has done a very good job of preparing her for the test. There are so many rules and regulations that have to be followed during testing. Not only for the teachers but for the students as well. I guess I never realized because we've always been a part of a private school, just how much goes along with this sort of test. I can honestly say that before we entered the Texas school system in August that I had never even heard of the TAKS Test. But boy I am learning all about it now. When Shel came home after the 1st week of school and announced something about AR points I realized we were in for a rude awakening. Let me clear up a few things before I go any further before someone assumes that we weren't in a very good school system prior to coming to Texas. Cause let me tell you we were! Shelby could write her name in K2 and came home reading ,not just words but beginner books, in K4. She learned how to write in cursive in Kindergarten and she learned her multiplication tables in the 2nd grade. Not only all that but she had learned to hold the Lord in highest regard. She learned a new Bible verse every week and attended chapel on Wed. mornnings. I believe she was molded there and that's why we felt comfortable with taking her out of christian education. She had been taught how to love the Lord at TCS and she knew what she believed in.
Now let me explain what AR points are for those of you who don't know. She has to read 80 minutes every week that results in 20 minutes a night. When she finishes the book she has to test on the computer what the book was over. That's how they figure in the points she's earned. She really enjoyed doing this at the beginning of the year but now that the year is coming SLOWLY to an end it sometimes becomes an argument to read. She knows she has to do it, she just procrastinates to the bitter end. Then I have to step in and get her back on track. Thursday nights are her favorite though because she gets to go dance right after school. She's there until 6:15 so when she comes home she's to tired to play cause she's already gotten all that 8 yr. old energy out. She usually comes right in and sits down and starts reading. Oh how I wish dance could be 5 nights a week instead of 1.
So if your child doesn't attend Texas schools be so thankful that you're not preparing for the killer TAKS Test.
P.S. We really do love our schools just not the test!

2009-02-16T16:36:00.000-08:00

Nothing much has been going on with us lately. We spent most of the weekend outside cutting down cedar trees that will be used as posts for the new horse fence. We are going to build a fence closer to the house so the horses will have MORE green grass to munch on. As if they didn't have enough. Shel had a great time riding her 4- wheeler through every mud puddle she could find. I drove the truck to the back 50, Shel rode her 4-wheeler and Aaron drove the tractor. She was in the middle of us but I had to come to a complete and quick halt as she turned around several times to drive back through the mud. She was filthy by the end of the day.
We got to see Tanner and Tiff today. They were coming through town on their way home from visiting Heath over the weekend. It was nice to see them and see how much Tanner had grown in just 3 weeks. He's such a little brat. I love that kid so much. They brought Valentine's gifts for EVERYBODY! Aaron got chocolate and a Sonic gift card, I got cute leggings and earrings and Shel got 3 shirts. Shel said it was as good as Christmas because she also got a new outfit from Nana. I got some new bath gel from Nana. I was so excited because I had just run out of my Christmas bath gel and had to use bar soap for the last 2 days. Now I get to be a girl again with my pretty smellin bath gel. Thanks, mom! Mom also made lunch for us today and it was so good. She got a new Barefoot Contessa cookbook and has been cooking like a crazy lady. We had chicken salad, Gazpacho soup and these tomato things that I know I couldn't describe correctly if my life depended on it. They had Mozerella Cheese and Basil and something else that I don't know the name of but they were REALLY good. We had a girly lunch since all the boys weren't there. It was nice.
Tomorrow we go back to the real world and get back into our normal routine of going to school and dreading Monday - Friday.
Hope everyone had a good Valentine weekend.

Silly Girl

2009-02-12T11:07:00.000-08:00

Hope everyone is having a good day. Today has been VERY long. We had a teacher luncheon so we've been munching all day. I'm on sugar overload and crashing fast. The kids are out tomorrow but we have in service. YUCK!!! So tomorrow will be even longer. But we're off Monday. YAY!! I've been reading a blog about different ways to fix little girls hair. This mom can turn a head of hair into a work of art. It's unbelievable. I'm not sure which is more unbelievable that this mom has so much talent with hair or that her daughter sits there long enough for this mom to make her masterpiece on top of her head. Anyway, I was showing all the different hairstyles to Shel last night and she decided that she wanted me to braid her hair and leave them in till this morning so her hair would be curly. I despise that look because yes the top of the head is curly and cute but the last 3-4 inches of the hair is straight and UGLY! But, I did it anyway. This is Shel before bed.

Now this next picture is Shel when she got up this morning. She literally walked from the bed to the living room so excuse the swollen face. And just so you know (Auntie) she did not go to school with her like this. It was terrible!
We fixed it so that you couldn't see all the parts in it. She LOVED it and thought it was beautiful. I didn't tell her how ridiculous she looked. I just told her we needed to put it up so the curls would last all day. I just couldn't bring myself to hurt her feelings. Can't wait to hear what all her friends thought about it. And can't wait to wash it out tonight!

Crazy Weather

2009-02-11T06:45:00.000-08:00

Last night we went to bed knowing that the fire pager was going to go off around midnight. The chief called a meeting earlier in the evening to get a game plan together. In DeKalb the firemen are also storm watchers. So if there is a tornado we are at the mercy of all firemen to see it as it comes. You have to understand that a tornado came through DeKalb about 8 yrs. ago and completely wiped out the downtown area. So folks in DeKalb don't mess around when the word tornado is mentioned. It gets very serious around there. Aaron's post was out by our house. Shelby was with her dad in Texarkana so it was just the two of us. I watched the weather until about 11:15 and then finally drifted off to sleep. Only to be wakened at exactly 11:30 by the most awful noise in the entire world... the fire pager. It is one of those sounds that will literally make you CLEAR the bed in no time. I had already laid out my clothes and shoes so I would be ready. No I am not on the fire department. I just don't do well when storms come and I was not staying home by myself. So we quickly dressed and headed out the door. I grabbed my pillow and a blanket because I wasn't sure where we were going and how long we'd be there. I just knew that if I had to sit in the truck all night I wasn't staying home. When the lights go out at our house it is pitch black. It's dark out where we live. There are no city lights to help light the sky. The wind was blowing, the rain was coming in sideways and I was SCARED!! We started for the fire station and as we were driving Aaron's group was already in route to their post. Of course Aaron's phone was ringing like crazy and they were telling him that most of the wives were at the storm shelter. Apparently I wasn't the only scaredy cat wife because they were a lot of girls there. We enjoyed catching up with each other but we were all a little anxious about what was happening outside. I was very worried about Ed and Bandit, our blue heeler dogs tha t live outside. I started asking Aaron early on in the night what we were going to do with them. He assured me they would be fine. They are Shelby's playmates after all Bandit is the only one who will jump on the trampoline with her. At one point, one of the firemen who really gets a kick out of picking on me, ran in and said "Corrie, your house is gone". I knew he was just being a meany but it still sort of frightened me. Not in a way of oh my gosh are you serious but in a way of oh my gosh that could really happen. Finally the storm passed and everyone and everything was safe. We were all home and drifting BACK off to sleep around 2a.m. It was an eventful night and one that I will most likely never forget. I think that's the scaredest I've been in a very long time.

Isn't she beautiful!

2009-02-10T12:14:00.001-08:00

I told you I would post pictures of my new love and here she is. Isn't she the prettiest thing ever.
I just love my new purse. It's the perfect size for me. I used to carry a sling purse so when I got my new purse I was so excited because it wasn't so big.
Last night Aaron and I were watching" The Bachelor". Which I vowed last week after he sent Stephanie home I was done with that silly show. Anyway, while we were watching I was also typing up entry forms for the Fire Dept. predator hunt. Last weekend they held a crow hunt and now the last weekend in Feb. they are going to have a predator hunt. My wonderful husband has invited me along. Not to be part of his team or anything. Just to watch and hold the spotlight. The hunt will be during the night and go into the next morning. So basically what he wants is a light holder. But, I think I will tag along even if I 'm just the light girl. Hope everyone is having a good Tuesday.

Whirlwind Weekend

2009-02-09T06:39:00.000-08:00

It was an eventful weekend around the farm. To start off, Shelby had a friend spend the night on Friday. They had the best time. They spent all weekend outside. Our neighbor has a golden retriever that comes to play when kids are outside. We haven't seen him in a couple of weeks. The last time he came was when Tanner was visiting. We haven't seen him since. Until Friday afternoon when the girls were out playing. Then "Buddy" appeared. We don't know the dog's real name. Shel and Tanner named him. The funny thing is when he was at our house the first time the kids played fetch with him. They just used a stick out of the yard and he pretty much had nothing left by the time he went home that night. So when "Buddy" came Friday afternoon he brought his own ball. The girls threw that thang a million times. He layed on the porch for about 10 mins. after we made the girls come in for the night. Then he picked up his ball and went home. Saturday morning the girls were back outside by 8 a.m. And "Buddy" was there by 8:15 a.m. with his ball in mouth. They played so hard and Shelby was exhausted that night. She slept really well.
Aaron had a buddy come in from Dallas Friday night. It was the Fire Dept. Crow Hunt this weekend. Yes, they hunted crows. It was $40.00 for a 3 man team. Half of the money went straight toward the Fire Dept. and the other half went to the pot for the winners. They raised $1200.00. Yeah! The guys were happy with that. The winning team was Cowboy Bryce's team. They had 93 crows. The loosing team was A-daddy's team . They had...........4 crows. They were bummed but had such a good time they didn't really care. A-daddy's team consisted of Zach (from Dallas) and Clint. I didn't have the camera available this weekend because I spent the entire weekend in the kitchen. But, there was a great moment for a picture. Aaron said he purposefully didn't stop at the house when he, Zach and Clint were ALL 3 on the 4-wheeler TOGETHER! He said he knew I would of ran for the camera and they didn't have any time to waste, especially on a picture. I guess he had to get out there and find all 4 of those crows. So, you'll just have to make your own mental picture of the 3 grown, big men on the 4-wheeler. I watched them out the window and almost peed my pants I was laughing so hard.
And for the biggest news of all.....I'm in love , again! Except this time it's with my new purse. Zach came for the weekend and brought the best gift of all. I got a COACH purse. Well, it's Lauren's (Zach's fiance) old one. When we went to the PBR a couple of weekends ago we stayed with Zach and we were talking about purses. I was whining because I wanted a COACH and couldn't have one. So Zach suprised me with a hand me down. Which is totally fine with me. I am so thankful for good friends especially good friends who have really nice things. So thank you Lauren and Zach for my new COACH purse. I love it more than anything. I will take a picture and post it tomorrow or later today.
Yesterday we drug our tired selves out of bed and made it church on time. That never happens! We had a really good service. Bro. Walter had a lady in our church paint Goliath on a long canvas flag like thing. It was amazing. She did a wonderful job and it was so life like. It stood 10 ft. high and Goliath was standing 9 ft 9 in. tall. It was almost breath taking to see how big he actually was. So obviously the sermon was on David and Goliath. But in a way that I had never heard. The sermon was titled "Facing Your Giants". He asked us who or what our giant is? He reminded us that we all have lions and bears stories like David. When something goes wrong or we have a situation we're unsure of, we know that we are going to be taken care of just like David was when he fought the lions and bears. We've all fought different lions and bears but in the end we've all seen God's hand at work. Anyway I can't explain it like he did but if you're interested you can go and hear the whole sermon, http://www.fbcdekalb.com/ scroll down and find where it says Bro. Walter's Sermons Online. It will be worth your time. I really needed to hear this yesterday as Aaron and I struggle with a situation in our lives. I have to come to realize that no matter the outcome God has His hand in it and for some reason that I may never know, we just might get told no. It may mean that there's a yes down the road if we are lead to the right person but I have to stay open minded to whatever the outcome is. I have committed to do that, but it doesn't make it any easier. But I have lions and bears stories from when I went through my divorce. I fought hard with them! And God carried me then why should I even question whether He's gonna carry me now.
Well, I wish had pictures from the weekend but like I said I was in the kitchen the entire time. I did PW's quesadilla's Friday night and they were wonderful! Then I made breakfast, lunch and dinner Saturday. I got finished with one meal, cleaned up the mess and started the next meal. I'm not usually in the kitchen for very long - ever. I did enjoy taking care of my little family and all our friends. Have a good Monday. Look for pictures of the new COACH coming soon.

Redneck Fun

2009-02-05T09:13:00.000-08:00

Things have been settled around the farm the past couple of days. Aaron and his dad finally caught the "crazy" cow so she now gets to go ruin someone else's fences. She has tried to tear down every gate, post and fence in her path. And she did quite well at succeding. It wasn't an easy task catching her though. Aaron had to call on his buddy, Bryce, who cowboys for a living to come rope her and get her in the trailor. Pancake( Aaron's horse) just wasn't the right gal for the job. After chasing her through briars Bryce finally roped her and loaded her up.

The other day Aaron and Shelby were playing outside and appearently they couldn't find anything to do. So this is what they came up with. Shelby is inside a plastic culvert.

So you can imagine!!! Yes, she is inside and he is rolling her. She is giggling the entire time. So that wasn't enough. A daddy thought that was alot of fun so he decides to try it. It took both, me and Shel, to roll him completely over. We had alot of fun and I laughed so hard. You have to remember..... Aaron is a big boy and it was quite hard to get him over!

My nephew is so cool!

2009-02-03T09:17:00.000-08:00

So yesterday I went to Wal-Mart to pick up Shelby's pageant pictures and they were lost AGAIN! After a very long time the lady finally recovered my pictures. As I was standing in Wal-Mart, embarrassing even myself because I was so mad, all I could think about was my sister,Tiff. When we go out in public and something goes wrong she always tells me to warn her before I throw fit. She would rather die than be humiliated. So, good thing you weren't there sista. Cause you show would have been embarrassed(even I was). Speaking of sister she has the most awesome little boy, Tanner. I'm proud to call him my nephew. He is just beautiful. Look at those droopy brown eyes and those freckles. He is a turd if there ever was one. But, he is a doll. He and Shel are best buds. They have a love/hate relationship. Tanner loves to visit the farm when they come to Texarkana. So, I usually go and pick him up and he gets to spend at least one night. It also gives his momma some alone time.He doesn't get to eat a lot of (or at all )sugar at home. His momma always buys organic food and fruit . Not that there's anything wrong with that. We just don't eat that healthy on the farm.You can look at us and tell that. So when he comes he gets candy and coke and anything else he wants. Tiff is a single mom right now because Heath is in warrant officer school somewhere in Missouri. She has been a single mom for quite a while now as Heath was deployed to Iraq before he left for school. She definitely gets props from me. Being a soldier's wife is a job in itself. And being a single mom is the most difficult thing in all the world. Tanner really doesn't like school. He likes to sit in his desk and people watch while twirling his hair. And that's so his personality and why I think he's so funny. I think he really should have been my child and Shel should have been Tiff's. But thankfully our God is so much smarter than us and He knows what's best for our lives and He didn't give me Tanner. Cause if he was mine I'd probably kill him. Tiff is so much more patient and calm than me. She calmly explains to him why he's in trouble and why he's going to get a spanking. She hardly ever raises her voice when she's talking to him. Now, me on the other hand. I'm just loud in general so when I get worked up my voice tends to accelerate to where the neighbors can hear. But lucky for us we don't have neighbors in DeKalb. My in-laws are the closest neighbors we have and even they are a pretty good ways off. Not like the good ol city neighbors. My dad always tell me that Pat(our neighbor at my parent's house) doesn't care what I'm talking about. So, it's a big joke in the family that coco(that's me) has a big mouth. Tanner is very blessed to have such a patient mother that will sit with him hours upon hours and do homework with him. The reason she spends hours upon hours is because he doesn't like school and the only reason he goes is to people watch while twirling his hair. Therefore, when he gets home his mother becomes his teacher. The thing is Tanner is so stinkin smart it's not even funny. He could build you anything. Shel and Tan man went to Branson with my parents over Thanksgiving and he wanted to buy this dumb necklace. Mom told him no, he quickly informed her that that was as an "Authentic Native American Indian necklace" . Well, what do you say to that? He proudly wore his necklace home and told us exactly what kind of necklace he was wearing. How could you not love a kid like that? I'm so proud that he's my nephew. Good thing he just gets to come and visit and I get to spoil him rotten, load him up on sugar and send him home. Tiffany and Tanner
Tanner's shirt says "He's not just my Daddy, HE'S MY HERO " and it has a picture of Heath in his combat uniform. Tiff ordered one for Shel also. They wore them off July 4th. Our kids rocked!

Preparing for the Miss DeKalb Pageant

2009-02-01T09:06:00.000-08:00

This morning it's just me and the computer. Aaron and Shelby have left for church so I'm all alone and loving the quiteness of the house. I am not attending this morning because over half of DeKalb goes to our church and my immune system isn't cooperating very well. So, I'm home sick. I got up to get ready and start coughing really bad. You know that really annoying cough that drives those around you CRAZY! I kept going, though. Aaron quickly told me I wasn't going anywhere today. He said"you aren't allowed out of this bed today". And I laughed but he didn't . So I agreed to rest for most of the day. But, I have a little guilt over it because I didn't feel well yesterday either but somehow I managed to get some great pageant pictures of Shelby and to spend the day shopping with my friend Keri Barrett and her 2 daughter's Kandle and Kassidy. Not to mention that I really need to get some housework done since I was gone all day yesterday. But in my defense I don't think I was as sick yesterday as I am today. We do have pageant orientation today at 2:00. This morning as Aaron was giving me my instructions to stay in bed I reminded him about the meeting and he told me he would go and take Shelby. Well, Shel just happened to walk in our room at the time and as serious and smart mouth yet so sincere and concerned she said"uh, I don't think so. Momma please take me. If A-daddy has to take me I just won't go and won't do the pageant." It was so funny. Don't get me wrong Aaron and Shel are best buds just not when it comes to girl stuff. She later told me she was worried about Aaron embarrasing her. I totally understood. Aaron is the type of guy that really doesn't understand girl stuff and would say something about how much everything costs or disagree about something or have a better idea ...out loud, in the middle of the meeting. That's why we love him so much cause he's so crazy. So, yesterday we took pictures for the judges sheet and most photogenic. We had alot of fun at first but Shel got restless and bored after awhile. Keri, Kandle, and Kassidy were great cheerleaders and were such a tremendous help to me. Since this is our first pageant I really have no clue what I'm doing. But, I am being schooled on pageants. Shel and I both are enjoying preparing for it. Here are just a few of my favorite pictures. Have a great day.

A little bit about The Burrow's

2009-01-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

I have decided to start a blog because SO much goes on in our little town that I wanted to share it with the world. No, seriously, I just wanted to let our friends and family know what we do everyday. I want to share a little bit about who we are. Aaron and I have been married over a year now and we co-parent my 8 yr. old daughter, Shelby. She is the most beautiful child (in my opinion)! She is loving and very caring. She tends to have a mind of her own sometimes that leads to a smart mouth quite often. My parents say she just inheritated that. But that simply can't be true! Aaron and I met through his cousin on a blind date. We were both scared to death. We weren't looking for a relationship... much less love. It just happened. And I'm so glad it did. We dated for a year before we married but did get married shortly after. We did that because we were older and knew exactly what we wanted and knew that NO MATTER WHAT we'd be together forever. So, glad we did that too. We now have decided that we want to grow our family and have children together. We just haven't had any luck. More to come on that situation later. So, I hope you enjoy the life of the Burrow's. BTW do you know what a burrow is? It's a donkey! A-daddy lives up to his name. JK!