Update on Father-in-Law

He is better..........going home after lunch today. His bloodwork is alittle off kilter but the excess fluid is gone. Praise the Lord and he is no pain. The doctor told him to take it easy! Hah! That's funny! He travels all over the US delivering vehicles for a large auto dealership. He is the transporation manager and he is fixing to be 82 years old! Anyhow, just an update! Have a great day! Blessings!!!

Please Pray..

John's Dad took himself to the er this am at 4 and they kept him to run more tests. He has a pacemaker and other heart problems. I am unsure of all of the details. Just please pray........

Facebook

I caved..........but for GOOD reason! Our church now has a facebook page and since I lead a small group there I needed to be there too. So, if yoou fb........email me and we can be friends.......

blessedfrugalness@hotmail.com

Blessings!!!

Rembering Back: Four Years Ago Today

You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.

This was a few of the gifts on the table.
This is my Mom (on the left), Me and my mil (on the right). Little did we know she (my mil)would pass just after the boys 2nd birthday.

Here is "the belly". Sorry it is so blurry and crooked.

Opening gifts.

More gifts.

SO BLESSED!!!!

Five years ago today we were blessed beyond belief! Our church and each side of our family came together and gave us a huge shower for the twins. There was almost 200 invitations sent out and we received almost everything we needed. We got blankets, clothes, diapers, wipes, toys, books, boppies, cloth diapers, burp cloths,bouncers, swing, duo glide stroller, car seats, baby bedding and decor, lamps, piggy banks, you name it. We did not have to buy diapers for a few MONTHS. It took me 2 1/2 hours just to open presents. It was overwhelming. There were 11, yes eleven hostesses! We had over 110 people in attendance. I was around 26 weeks pregnant and that same week I would go on FULL bed rest. Little did I know the babies would make their appearance just a few weeks later. We chose NOT to know the genders. It was so fun not to know. Yes, we did a lot of yellow and mint green but it was so worth it! Above are some pictures of that wonderful day!

Thanks for sharing my special day.......reliving the memories!

Blessings!!!

My Verse for the Day

When I read this verse it really struck me.

"TURN MY EYES AWAY FROM WORTHLESS THINGS; PRESERVE MY LIFE ACCORDING TO YOUR WORD." Psalm 119:37 (NIV)

This tells me that things, more so worthless things hinder my relationship with HIM and those that I hold near and dear to my heart.

I have been cleaning out lately and it feels good, getting rid of things you don't need or want. I am not just talking about my closets and cabinets but my heart and my head.

God is so good, all of the time!!!

Blessings!!!

I'm 17 Again!

HAHA! I had to go to the dermatologist today, for breakouts. The doctor examined my ENTIRE body for skin cancers since my Dad and Mom have had it and 3 aunts and my Grandfather passed away from it. She said I have 5 places to watch. She'll see me in a year unless they change before then. HOWEVER, my face, back, chest and neck are broke out with acne. She asked if I ever wanted to turn back time. I answered not really and she said she was surprised, I should feel like a 17 year old. Too funny!!! I have never really had any major break outs, even in high school-until now! Oh well.

Hope you had a great day!

Blessings!!!!

A Little Trip

John and I have decided to take the boys on a little 3 day or so trip this spring before the "busy season" kicks off. However, we are short on ideas. So, we could use some advice; the boys are almost 4 years old, where would you take two 4 year old boys for a few days? We took them to Chattanooga two years ago and last year we went o Orange Beach. We'll be going back to Orange Beach this coming October and then Disney World next (2011) April. We just want to get away for a few days......

Any ideas? Thanks in advance!

Blessings!!!

Baby Back Ribs From the Oven

I made these last week and they were soooo good! I served them with potato salad, baked beans and corn on the cob. We had apple cobbler from fresh apples for dessert and sweet tea to drink. Yum! The recipe came from cdkitchen.com. I adjusted it to my taste. Here is my version:

6# baby back ribs (they had them on sale for $1.95# at the Piggly Wiggly last week)

1/2 c. apple cider vinegar

1/2 c. brown sugar

bbq sauce (I used Sweet Baby Ray's)

Preheat oven to 350 degrees.

Cut ribs into individual serving pieces (I will do this next time!)

Toss with vinegar. Sprinkle with brown sugar.

Place in foil and wrap tightly.

Place in roasting pan with 1/2 inch water. Make sure you have that in there at all times.

Place in preheated oven and bake for 1 1/2 hours.

Remove from oven and drain off water.

Unwrap ribs and place in roaster.

Pour sauce over ribs top and bottom. Completely cover with sauce.

Return to oven and bake for 30 more minutes. Just until the edges are darkening but not charred.

Note**** the one piece in the picture with no sauce is for Mason. He doesn't eat "condiments".

Remove from oven and enjoy warm!

Blessings!!!

Out of This World Guacamole

Everyone on the web has been talking about guacamole lately and I decided to try my hand at it. I really like it and wanted to make some homemade. So here is my recipe:

2 large avocados, seeded, peeled and scooped out
I mashed them well, I don't like mine chunky

Then I added the following:
1/4 t. kosher salt
1/16 t. garlic powder
a dash of cayenne (ground) pepper
2 T. lime juice
1 1/2 T. chopped fresh cilantro
1 lg. Tomato finely chopped
1/2 lg. onion, finely chopped

I mixed all together and chilled for a little while........so yummy!

You can adjust any of the ingredients to your own tastes.

ENJOY!!!
Blessings!!!

Happy Valentine's Day!

From our house to yours.........Happy Valentine's Day!!! Hope you all have a day filled with love and blessings!!!

Another Eventful Day, Just Better!

It snowed today!!!! That is the kind of excitement that we can surely use!




Here are the boys in our front yard. I had them so bundled up they could barely move.
This is the fruit market , packing house and my parents house (or the backs of). This is from our front porch.

Here is a shot of the pond and if you look very close you will see the orange tractor (my Daddy and brother were feeding the cows).

Here are John on the left and Mason on the right, being their peachy selves!

This shot is from my back door. That is my brother and sil's house.

Did it snow at your house today? Blessings!!!

Dentist, Surgery, Nap, Blood, 911, Ambulance

Yesterday started at pretty normal, hubby to work, boys to parents and me to the dentist. I had 3 temp crowns done on the bottom and a few stitches around the molar tooth (where one of the temp crowns was done) but I still feel a a little piece flapping. I picked up the boys and we all three headed home and then went down for a nap. About an hour into the nap I hear little John screaming, "there's blood eveawere mommmmmmmaaaaaa"! I ran in there and he was standing in his bedroom blood coming from his nose and mouth. There's blood in the floor, in his bed, on the covers, his clothes, his hands, face is covered and in his hair. I remained as calm as I could grabbed the phone, got him in the bathroom (Mason is still asleep-thank the Lord). I dialed the peds office, only to be put on hold-evidently I was TOO calm). I hung up, called my parents and then 911. The first responders were here in 3 minutes, by then we had (my parents were here then too)it almost stopped. Then the ambulance came. My Dad went and woke Mason up, so that the sirens would not scar him as they came up the driveway. The paramedics thoroughly checked John out and I finally got through and talked to the doctor himself. The first responders left with the ambulance crew and things finally got calmer. My Mom and Dad took care of John and I was cleaning up things. Mason was playing on his own and my bff busted in the front door then my brother and oldest nephew and then other friends that had heard. Things get around in a small town. John had two more minor bleeds after the BIG one and we finally got things settled and everyone gone by 6;30pm. Not long after that Big John got in from work and we were able to get the boys to bed and vaseline in John's nostrils and him settled. I also got the cool mist humidifier set up and going (before bedtime). We all slept all night and got up about 6am. And guess what is happening now?

It's SNOWING!!!!! Yep, you read that right. It sure is right here in little ole Blount County Alabama! How cool is that? We are suppose to get up to 3inches. It would be much more fun if big John were here with us but we are still going to play later this afternoon.

And me, well let's just say I am practically eating ibuprofen like candy. I am in a great deal of pain but it should be better in a few days. I am just so grateful that little John is okay and we were able to stay home!

So, how's the weather in your neck of the woods?

Blessings and stay warm!

A Ray of Sunshine

Julie over at Living Life One Day at a Time gave me this award. She is my ray of sunshine. She is an incredible friend, even though we have never met in person, we have emailed and called and she is an amazing woman! She has five , yes FIVE children and is super blessed! Go over and give her shout out! Thank you Julie, I love you dearly.

This award is awarded to bloggers whose positivity andcreativity inspire others in the blog world.

The rules for accepting this award are:

Put the logo on your blog within your post.

Pass the award to 12 fellow bloggers.

Link the nominees within your post..

Let the nominees know they have received the award by commenting on their blog.

Share the love and link to the person whom you received this award from.



So without further ado:

1. Farm Home Life


2. Jenna's Journey


3. Loving 2 Miracles


4. Never Gives Up


5. smilernpb


6. Somerset Cottage


7. The Ramer Bunch


8. The Motherload


9. Problem Solvin' Mom


10. Palm Trees & Blue Skies


11. Nicostuff.com


12. Lots of Scotts

Blessings!!!

Holding My Babies A Little Tighter Today

This morning I slept in and enjoyed it. I sit here now at lunch time with a cup of hot coffee laced with milk and sugar and the smell of vanilla breeze and apple cinnamon coming from candles and it is lovely.

I will read a bedtime story to the boys as they eat lunch in a few minutes. I skipped cooking breakfast and we made do this morning but that was okay, even John said so. I am delightfully happy and aware despite the pain I am in today. My back aches and my stomach cramps due to the female things occuring and are beyond my control. I am happy nonetheless.

Church was positively wonderful yesterday. The message from Joshua. The fellowship with our friends was so overdue and the boys were in a wonderful mood after Sonshine fellowship and Sunday school. Upon arriving home yesterday I learned that my Daddy was terribly sick with the tummy troubles and Immodium, Gatorade and Phenegran was sent on its way. He is weak today but better. I am thankful!

The brakes went out on my Durango on the way in from church and we took it to the shop early this morning for them to be fixed and the oil changed. We borrowed a vehicle for John to drive to work and I headed to the grocery store in his truck with the boys in tow to get my parents a few things and get some discounted meat for the week. Don't worry I just put things in the door at my parents and left quickly while sanitizing my hands and washing promptly at home with soap and water.

We got home and I finally had breakfast gave the boys a snack and set down at the computer to pray and do deovtion. Then I saw this and well then read it and weeped and prayed for them and weeped some more. Then I cuddled with my boys, their dogs and blankets and watched a movie. I am just holding my babies a little tighter today...........the rest will wait.



Blessings!!!!

I Am Only Human Part 2

Mrs. Darling over at Dishpan Dribble wrote a post after I had written my post (and she had commented here)below and I just wanted to clarify things a bit. I am uncertain if it had anything to do with me or not. However, just to clarify............

I love my life and I am certainly not depressed. Sometimes I just like to get my feelings out of paper when I am feeling overwhelmed (which I was when I wrote the below post). I still feel overcome by all of the things I speak of (which is why we are purging through our home). We have clothes that we haven't worn in years, too many coats and shoes that I have recently outgrown (my feet are growing at age 33!). The boys have toys that they have outgrown and we have acquired too many possessions from loved ones that have passed on. And so on so forth.

I juggle a lot and I mean a lot. Things are let go when I cannot manage them and having twins is trying at times. (I am not the one that moans and groans when my children are hungry). I love to make sure my children eat and eat properly-coming from near death experiences in the NICU-more than once and Little John still underweight......I love to see them eat! :)

I am not the type to sit on my laptop for hours or to watch tv all day. I read for 15-30 minutes a couple of times a day. I take my vitamins, I take iron (for anemia), I drink plenty of water and so on so forth. I need to exercise. John and I talk after we go to bed, that is our time.

I do want to crawl out of bed of a morning. Sometimes it would be nice to sleep in since I am lacking in that area (due to children waking in the night) but I do like to be busy and get my day going. Speaking of that I try to arise each morning before the others and do my devotion and spend time with him. I use the Proverbs 31 site online. I do not spend enough time in His word though.

I hope this clarifies things a bit. I think most women feel this way from time to time but I am a happy, positive person for the most part. God is good and he provides. I love my life and am happy to serve where he takes me.

Oh and Nikki, unfortunately I do not have a basement or an attic. I wish we did.

Blessings!!

I Am Only Human

My heart is heavy lately, my shoulders weighted down with things (mostly everyday life). Sometimes I wonder just how YOU do it? How do you manage everything, you know, life?

While June through November are chaotic with the farm and harvest, markets and the like, this "
off time" seems almost as hectic if not worse. I feel like a chicken running across an 8 laned interstate without a head.

I have a plan, I use a daily docket to manage my day to day things. I have a master list for all of my to-do's that need accomplished, I make and use a monthly meal plan, we use Pear Budget to manage a monthly budget, I am organized when it comes to the boys, activities, homeschooling, health and meds (yes, they still have their very own category-they each take between 5 and 7), I teach a small group class, take meals once a week to my aunt and uncle and cook meals on a regular basis for my parents (which I have slacked on of late). I try to exercise but there is never enough time. I do not want to admit it but I have not been making time for HIM either. (I haven't been reading my Bible like I should.)

As far as John and I go we are okay but we both long for better, there is just not enough time. He is working 6 days a week and leaves shortly after the boys get up of a morning and gets home JUST in time to tuck them in at night. On Sundays we have church, choir and small groups. There is little or no time for just "us"!

The boys birthday is approaching fast and I have all the final touches for that. I have just started the long road to the dental work on my teeth and that is consuming in more ways than one. I do once a year spring cleaning and that will be coming up in April. I also have been pricing and preparing for a yard sale next month. My hair was just too much (too long) and I had it cut short (short for me-shoulder length or a little above).

My Mom's birthday is Valentine's day and I have to prepare for that. Order pizza and the cheesecake, presents and such.

I also have decided that less really is more! I have started purging EVERYTHING in our house. I constantly am asking do we need this, are we really using this, can we do without this???

can you believe that next month we will start planting the crops? The tree crops all look great, right now.........that is subject to change. We also have so much outside work to do around our home (landscaping, driveway, building a back deck, weather proofing, etc.). Then there are times that I wonder if I am doing well as a Mommy? Are the boys learning enough? What else can I do to incorporate the Bible in this and that.......I don't think I am doing enough of that. Someone asked the boys the other day what memory verse we were working on.........I felt so ashamed.....cause we have been skipping that of late. They just don't get it.

Then I am dealing with sentimental things. Our house is only so big. This goes back to purging....... how do you get rid of this or that. Why do we have a cowboy hat of my dead mil that was bought 10 years ago and wore once. Why do we have dusty and stained down feather pillows that belonged to my hubby's dead grand mom (we have other things that belonged to both of them and lots of them). He does not like to part with things but I cannot stand all of the stuff! These "things" are not going to bring them back. We have end tables, coffee tables, a HUGE stereo, homemade chest of drawers that belong to someone dead that he loves....... I love John. I just don't like all of the stuff. Grant it I keep small things, like of the boys from their NICU stays and their going home outfit and so on so forth. Speaking of which I also have my wedding dress and bouquet. Do you have yours? Where do you store it? I don't know what to do with mine.......

And last but not least I am publishing a cookbook. I started the process 5 years ago and then I found out I was expecting multiples and well it is still on hold. I have the goal of finishing it next year. The boys will go to pre k4 full time even in my off time next year, so i will have the time to devote then.

I'll stop now, I know I am rambling. So how do YOU manage everything? What do you "keep"? Are you sentimental? I just some insight to how you do.