Cupcakes N Sprinkles

[WARNING: I may have gotten a little picture happy on this one!]

 A whole year already?? How can it be?? It really seems like last week that I was not-so-patiently waiting in my bulging, uncomfortable state, to welcome my baby girl into my arms. She arrived early Sunday morning and melted her Daddy's heart instantly!!

The rest of her adoring fan club came a few hours later to meet her.

Excuse Me for a minute while I reminisce......

Kyra Brooke Miller -- 8 lbs. 9 oz. of pure sweetness. 

Okay, I'm back. We invited family to help us celebrate the Little Miss on Sunday evening.

The Decorations.....

Never decorated in this color before. Kinda Fun!

The Food....

Flower & Butterfly sandwiches

Pink Lemonade!

The Cake....
 

Raspberry Lemonade & Chocolate Peanut Butter

HaPpY BiRtHdaY! Dear Kyra!

 Already well acquainted with the value of Chocolate!

The Gifts....

She had a wee bit of assistance with this part.

Daddy Picked this one out! I think she likes it!

We have entered the world of baby dolls and their many accessories.

[The stroller is quite coveted by older brothers. This morning a little boy was pushing it around my living room. Occasionally he would stop and "pull the string" (to start it.) I asked him what he was doing. His answer, "mowing the lawn."]


The Party Favors....

 [Since 8 of the 10 children at this party were boys I decided to skip the pink fairy wands and tiara favors. I decided instead to do a candy bar. Everyone got a small box to fill from an assortment of candy. Seemed to be a hit. Yup, that's right, load 'em up with sugar n send 'em home! ;o]
(NOTE: just I tip!  if you decide to do this at your party, you may want to include the adults in the favor count too, =) 


Of course, having a birthday at our house means you are subject to one of mom's photo shoots.

(Or in this case more than one. The first of which resulted in a lot of frustration for Mama and Baby Girl. The second nearly ended the same way until Daddy, the smile finder, showed up to rescue it.)

Isn't she a Dear!

 I can NOT figure out why the color is different on this one but I think the pose is adorable!

The one where she decides to 'roar' back at the brothers who are helping to make her smile.

Probably my Favorite!

She's an accessory's girl! Shoes and headbands!

She's a sweet little girl but don't worry, she can hold her own around here too! She adds Sugar and Spice to our family and we love her to pieces! Just Please don't grow up so fast Baby Doll!

I Wonder......

......if I will ever adjust to this new back-to-school schedule??? and who decided elementary school should start at 7:45 a.m??

.....why little boys only have 'ouchies' when bedtime rolls around?? and how they can be completely exhausted and still stall like nobodies business about going to bed??




.....how to balance the 'set goals and git-er-done' with the 'let-it-go and relax'




.....do children really get sick from being cold and wet while playing in puddles?? Or if there must be some sort of virus or germs involved?? Or maybe they are just more susceptible to the germs and viruses when they're cold and wet??

.....if I scrub my house like a crazy woman on Friday will anybody be able to tell by Sunday or will it just be a good way to work of those cookies I just ate??

.....if I ever gift things to people that make them groan???? (this may or may not have something to do with the VERY LARGE bag of candy given to my children recently)

.....if I should let them eat the whole bag and get it over with???



....how to get a picture of 4 small people all looking the same direction.

.....if ever there was a death certificate that said these words, 'Cause of Death: Shear Exhaustion!'???


....if I will be the first???


.....how to pack the belongings of a family of seven into boxes in 3 days or less???

.....why when I see others doing a great job at something (mothering, decorating, blessing.....) I assume they know how good they are at it, but a compliment as such will stick with me for weeks???

....if there have actually been 2000 plus pageviews to by blog (according to the stats) does that mean my 8 followers have read each post 8 times??? or are there perhaps some other people stopping by who who should really say "hi!"  (hint! hint! I'd love to "meet" you!)


.....how it can possible be a WHOLE YEAR since we welcomed our sweet baby girl into our family???

 Big Celebrations going on around here this weekend!!

....How are you spending the holiday weekend??

the things they say.....

\\Kids have a way of entertaining me like no one else can. Perhaps that says something about my intelligence. I don't know. Probably don't want too..... I just love the little things that pop innocently out of their mouths at the most unexpected moments. Here are a few that showed up at my house recently....

....while i was setting up the porch for our date night (see previous post here) i went out to find a curious little boy checking things out. i  had envisioned someone trying to use my curtains as monkey bars, so i gave clear instructions to 'stay away.' when i asked the little man why he wasn't obeying he said, "i was just checking how beeyooooutifull it was mommy.' 


...our dinner conversation one evening involved the appropriate use of the word 'disgusting.' is it okay to say that supper is disgusting??....NO. is it okay to say disgusting in the bathroom??....sure, that's a great place. you get the idea. not to be left out of the conversation a little voice says, "these are not disgustings (used as a noun) these are potatoes!"

...a certain little boy in our house outgrew his sneakers near the beginning of summer. i've been searching yard sales and thrift shops unsuccessfully for a 'new' pair. i wasn't willing to pay the number of dollars they ask for in 'real stores' because i figured we could get by with flip flops and sandals for the summer. in the meantime he's been squeezing into the old ones to play (almost daily) baseball games. i guess it is harder to run those bases full steam ahead in flip flops. after he complained that the too small shoes hurt his toes (how odd is that??) one day, i explained that i was looking for new shoes for him but i hadn't found any yet. his response, "well, you're not looking hard enough!!" (do you suppose this might be something he's heard his mama say? :o)

...a very excited little boy came running into my house one day. "mom, you've just GOT to see this! it's one of those things that flies over the phillies' games, right beside our house!"  it's a WHAT? i'm sad to say, in my confusion, i didn't jump quite fast enough, but sure enough when i followed him out to the porch, there was a blimp (you know, the things that fly over the phillies' games) almost out of sight, but definitely there!

 

...another favorite topic of conversation in our house these days is "if you had a puppy what would you name it?" not because we have a puppy. nor do we have any plans to get a puppy. but one never knows when one may suddenly need to name a puppy on short notice, does one? it's always good to be prepared!  let me just say, the options are limitless and they are ever so entertaining!!

Or maybe we DO have a puppy to name! =)

 i wish i had done better at writing down more of these little nuggets. but putting down the dish cloth, drying your hands, trying not to step on anyone or anything while you search for a pen, that actually works, and a paper, that isn't covered in veggietales stickers....well, it just doesn't happen. maybe the bloggy thing will be part of the answer to that problem.

my words for you today are simple....take time to look at the "beeyooooutifull" things. be careful what you say, it may be repeated back to you without notice. and go ahead, dream a little (about puppies or something else, your choice!)

they keep my laughing, these little people do and they teach me a lot! I think I'll hang out with them again tomorrow! ;o)

Moving ON.....For Real this Time!?!?!

 If you missed Part I and Part II you can read them here and here

It's been about 6 weeks since I wrote the last "Moving On" post. It seems like a couple of years!! Really, I've had about enough drama for a REEEEElly long time!! I kept thinking "I'll post when I have something definite to report." Well, this has become the summer of hanging in limbo for us!

It was only about a week after that post that I called my husband and said, "I think I know why we just 'wasted' all that time. There is a new house on the market that looks like just what we're looking for." We went to look at it a few days later. It was not as perfect in real life as it sounded but we decided to pursue it anyway. We put an offer on it and waited over a week before they accepted it. The inspection produced a hefty list of things that needed to be fixed. We were afraid to hope that they would be willing to work with us on that long of a list.

One by one we heard that 'this' was finished, 'that' was being worked on....etc. The biggest problem is the peeling paint of the porch and eaves. It needs to be repaired by a 'certified lead based paint remover.' They are scheduled to be there the first week in September. After the painting is finished it will need to be reinspected before we can move in.

In the meantime, our landlord has been most workable!! We found out that the people who want to move in are a couple of single guys, only one of which needs a place to move too by the end of August. They told us they'd like us out by Labor Day weekend but they would try to work with us. The landlord said he thought said single guy could move back in with his parents for a few weeks if needed. I said, "wouldn't that be simpler, for him to move his backpack and sleeping bag back to his parents house, than for me to move my family of 7 into a camper for a month?" Yeah, it's seems pretty clear to me, but in the end it's their house, they call the shots.



So all along we've been hearing positive things off and on but frankly, we were just not gonna be convinced until we had some REALLY good reasons. Maybe our faith isn't strong enough, or maybe we're just finally learning to be realistic about this stuff, I don't know.


The biggest pressure for us all along (since our landlord wasn't pushing) was the fact that we have two kids who are required by state law to be in school. School starts very soon, do we enroll them back where they were and then move them in a couple of weeks or do we send them to new schools. What if something doesn't work out again, then they move twice. That's not cool. We're planning to send T to Christian school for the first this year. Tuesday evening we took him to visit and he is really excited about the whole idea. We're excited about it too! I've always had a problem with the fact that my kids are gone 7 plus hours a day for school plus homework when they get back. Don't get  me wrong, I think education is extremely important!! It's just that I have homeschooling friends who can be done in 2-3 hours a day and I just think it's super important for kids to have time to be kids too! It just seems a little off balance to me. Anyway, I'm excited that at least now I will know that some of those many hours he is gone will be filled with Bible memory, chapel, bible lessons, etc. Z will be back in public school where he can get the extra helps he needs. There is still MUCH paperwork to be sorted through in the next week.

As of today, we again have word from the landlord that they will work with us as needed. We have another update on what's happening at the house. Water tests and insect tests came back with a need for some attention (more things to fix) but it looks like they are going ahead with those. Apparently these people are far more serious about selling their house then the last people were! Tentative plans are for settlement on September 16th, which just so happens to be my birthday. Yeah, a house for my birthday, that'd be nice! The house is in fairly good shape inside. I have some ideas of things I'd like to do to make the inside 'ours,' to give a few walls a fresh coat of paint..... But we don't plan to do any of that before we move in. We'll just aim to get our paraphernalia out of here as fast as possible!

This is the backyard! Any volunteers to help with bushwhacking gratefully accepted!

A HUGE Thank You! to all of you who have Prayed, cared and walked through this crazy journey with us! It has meant so much to have people surrounding us and supporting us through it all! Please don't stop Praying yet, though. There are still loose ends that make us nervous. There are still places for God to show Himself strong. And I haven't decided if this news makes my life more CRAZY or less. Mentally it's a weight lifted but physically it's time to make some serious tracks and get those boxes stackin!! While adapting back to school schedules and transitioning to new schools. Yeah, a few prayers wouldn't hurt!

Hi my name is Rachel....

.....and I'm addicted to B.A.R.G.A.I.N.S.

Really, It's TRUE and one day I may find myself in a circle saying these words aloud. In the meantime, you can probably find me at the local Goodwill, Salvation Army Thrift Store or a yard sale. Oh, even a grocery store will work in a pinch, provided I have my trusty coupon clutch and have done my due research. And CVS and I, we're great friends!!

One of my favorite 'games' is to bring home an item (or bag of items) and ask the hubby "how much do you think I paid for.......?" It's not near as fun as it used to be though, He's catching on to my ways. He's starting to give me answers like, "uh, I don't know, 7 cents?"

So until my hubby has me hauled off to rehab somewhere, (I'm kidding of course! He's actually a pretty big fan of me saving him big bucks!) I'm thinking of starting a regular bargain sharing post. I need a little help with a catchy title though. I'm feeling all creative and artsy and it's causing me to come up with grand ideas like, "Bargain Of the Week." Catchy huh? (or not!) Oh and the other problem with that one is what if there ain't a good bargain this week. Suppose I have to stay home and clean around the toilet instead of going on a 'treasure hunt' this week, then what? Clearly I need your assistance on this! PLEASE!


And Now, the find that set this post in motion.......




I found myself with only 1 child in my care this evening. I really didn't know quite how to act but I did what any Mother with an overly tired, somewhat cranky baby would do, I went to Goodwill. There is a brand new Goodwill just a few miles away. So brand new in fact that the clothes are still on the racks that they belong on, the dishes are color coordinated on the shelves in the back and the floor is still fairly clean. Dreamy, huh? Yes, yes, I know you're still waiting to see my big prize!

My Bargain Hunting Sidekick!

Drumroll please.......

oops! shoulda turned that one, I guess

A Phillies Jersey on the $2.50 unless otherwise marked rack. I scanned it quickly for that dreaded tag. Nope, not there! Check again, just to be sure! Nope, still not there! I just looked at these at Modells in the last week, $59.95. And then just to make my day even brighter, it happened to be 30% off. The look-like-they've-never-been-worn  Land's End jeans further down on the same rack were a close second, but [at 97% off the new price] this was DEFINITELY my "Bargain of the Week!"

(Just one more thing, If you happen to talk to my son, please don't mention his "new" jersey!! This one will be hiding out in an undisclosed location for a few months until his birthday rolls around! Thanks! I do appreciate your help.)

A Weekend of Celebrating!

The first week in August is a big deal at our house. My DH has a birthday on the 4th and every year our anniversary comes just 3 days later. Really, what were we thinking??  Apparently NOT about having 5 kids and the need to spread our date night celebrations evenly throughout the year!

As is common with his actual birth date, we  "celebrated" with a baseball game. 

 

We're talking, he-gets-home-from-work-in-time-to-jump-in-the-van-that-I-already-have-packed-with-all-the-kids-and-gear-and-we-speed-there-just-in-time-and-get-home-sometime-after-10:30.

Yeah, that was a fun Birthday Party.

We decided (a whole week ahead) to go away for the weekend for our anniversary. The super brave sister/aunt agreed to be on boy patrol for us and baby girl kept Grandma company for the weekend. But since (again, as is common) it was anybody's guess when the hubs would get home on Friday I decided to make a special birthday dinner for the two of us here. Thus eliminating the need to spend half the evening driving and waiting in line. Trying to make it a little extra special and escape our chaotic, not recently cleaned house, I created a fancy-schmancy little setting on the front porch.

Table for 2, Please!

Just try to ignore the traffic roaring by mere yards away. We did!

 While he dropped the kids off, I grilled steaks, 'loaded' baked potatoes, tossed salads and threw in some garlic bread and crispy broccoli for good measure. Making sure we had just enough room left for the traditional birthday carrot cake.

The Man Slab! What can I say, the hubs is a carnivore. :o)

The 'Birthday Boy' with some of his loot!

 Saturday morning we headed toward Philadelphia with absolutely NO schedule! We stopped for coffee and then hit the mall for some exercise and window shopping (mostly!)

 We found plenty of things to remind us of our sweet, crazy boys back home.

 We may have missed them a little bit. (But not for long!)

I know what you're thinking, you are pitying my poor man because I drug him mercilessly around the mall. I say only this, he made several purchases, I made one!

(not even for me--a birthday present for the next family member's b-day)

This is where the hubs says "I thought 5 was a lot."

We also went exploring at IKEA. First time there for both of us. More exercise and lots of fascination with the carts that can be pushed sideways. Boys will be boys!

And then we punched our motel (the one that had our reservation and credit card #) into the gps and it said "PERMANENTLY CLOSED."

Excuse me?? What??

And as we get off the highway we see this....

 .....gigantic, empty parking lot. This does NOT look good!

After a bit of investigation, he assures me that it is indeed still open but it seems we may have been one of about 7 guests for the weekend. I counted 4 cars in the parking lot when we checked out. Crazy! 

Our room rate included dinner at one of the in house restaurants. We of course took full advantage of that!

 Shrimp Cocktail Appetizer

 Another Man Slab for Him.

(Don't worry we'll be eating sensibly again soon!)

  Lobster Tail and Pasta for her.

Our total bill $87.something--Covered! 

 Gotta love that!

After dinner we made a special trip here.

 
I guess I was so busy making sure that there were enough clean shorts, diapers, stuffed friends etc. for the little people that I didn't think enough about what I packed for me.  I mean I had a change of clothes and my toothbrush, what else could I need? Or maybe it's just been so long since I did it that I forgot. Anyway, in addition to my steamy cup of Starbucks, I purchased a brand new book (gulp!) for all of 20 plus dollars. And one that I could have checked out of the church library at that. But a chance to read a good books and to just BE with my sweetheart--priceless!

 On Sunday, we drove into downtown Philly  (just have to say, I was quite thankful for my professional driver, I was NOT cut out to for city life! I knew that before, I was just reminded!) to check out the market where Garry used to go as a kid. More "window" shopping!

I love to stroll through places like this and see the creative ways the many tasty treasures and cool crafties are displayed. It intrigues me how some displays just beg you to stop/buy and others not so much!


After the market we did some more strolling in a nature preserve garden. Not much blooming in August, but oh well!

Proof that I actually went along on this trip. 

Apparently only one of us is obsessed with taking pictures of e.v.e.r.y.t.h.i.n.g.

So happy together!

Isn't he good looking? Yeah, I think so too!

And after all that serious exercise (yeah right!) We had to take in one more peaceful dinner at the Cheesecake Factory. (I've been wanting to check that place out for awhile now!)  Delicious food. Quality Time Together. Uninterrupted Conversations. And Cheesecake!! What more could you need to finish out an incredible weekend?

 I told my husband on the way home I didn't do anything all weekend that I didn't want to do. I ate when I felt like it....all food I didn't have to make. I got out of bed when I felt like it (and then crawled back in, most times.) No one interrupted my sweet dreams with crying or fussing. I didn't wipe anyone's butt but my own. I didn't even no 2 people could make such a mess in a motel room in less than 24 hours, but I didn't feel like putting things away, so I didn't. It was delightful!! And on top of all that I was reminded again how lucky I am! I have been blessed with a man of God,who loves me, treats me right, provides for our family, makes me laugh, and who has patiently put up with all my flaws for 12 years!! 

I read somewhere recently that the average marriage last 5-7 years (if that's accurate? I don't know.)  REALLY?? So if you factor in my Grandparents who were married 59 years when my Grandma passed away and my husband's Grandparents who have been married 65+ years, that's going to sway the averages, right? How many marriages are never even making it to that 5 year mark then? It's a scary thought! Does making it to "double the average" guarantee us anything??
NOPE!
We are both still very human!  We both need to continue to "put off the old man." We both have days when it would be easier to act like a child and we must decide to be adults. We both say things we regret sometimes. We both get plenty of chances to practice (and choose) Forgiveness!
(That's a big one right there, btw!)

 But we took the time to Celebrate 12 Happy Years! We were reminded of the things that brought us together. We stepped back far enough from 'parenting duty' to remember that we were  married first and we can only be successful as parents if we make our relationship a priority even on the busy days (which is all of them these days!) We have renewed determination to 'make this work.'  We both know that there will be "for better"  and "for worse" days ahead but we are committed either way. We made a promise to each other. We made a promise to God.  We represent Christ and His Bride, the church.

This is not a small commitment, but we made it and we meant it! 

 
 So here's to the next 12 (or hopefully, 70!)
I've heard it keeps getting better!