Carolina Mommy

I am very thankful for my Mother-in-law.  Momma with our Josh (left) and his cousin I am sure that some think this is crazy or that I am trying to kiss up.  Well I am crazy so it may be.  I can assure you that I am not trying to kiss up.  With this woman that is of no use!  My only regret with her is that I spent too much time being intimidated of her.  Anyone who has met her I am sure can understand this.  The first time I met her was about after a month of dating her son.  He introduced me and her reply was, "and just who is Stacey?"with a deep glare in her eyes.  I sat in his Aunt's living room for 2 hours answering questions.  As we got in the truck to leave I told him to find a bathroom quick because I was so scared that I didn't ask to use the bathroom and I had to go when we got there!  Did I mention I met her for the first time on her birthday. Some would think that it would be a burden to live so close to their in-laws.  For me it is a huge blessing.

So as I guessed I did not finish well with my 30 days of Thankfulness.  This is most likely due to the high expectations that I have of myslef.  I wanted to have more than a one liner everyday.  But look where it left me.  Only about 8 of my list actually spoken for.  When will I learn?  Less can be more, especially when the goal gets accomplished.  So, I will tyr again next year.  And someone please remind me of the above!  With that said I still have a list written out and since being thankful is not just for the month of November, I will slowly but surely get through my list (one day)!

I am thankful for my Becca, or "Rebecca _ Horry Child" as she told people for many years.     My girl who got my genes.  She looks so much like her Momma.  Fair skin that burns just thinking of the sun and blue eyes that have stayed true to blue.  For the most part that is where she stops being so much like me.  In most other areas she is very much like her Daddy.  (That is probably why we get along so well!)  She is adventurous and not really afraid to try just about anything.  She is the one who had her sister take off her training wheels and flew on her bike never looking back.  She has a bit of a temper which she is learning to curb.  My Becca has her mind made up.  All she wants to do is "get a husband and have children".  And as much as we try to get her to understand that only God knows who her husband will be, she has one named (the same little boy going on 2 years...eeek!).  My girl will break out in dance at any given moment if the beat strikes her

Yes, I have missed a few days.  Like I said, life happens here and as thankful as I am I must admit it is not my first priority to record all the reasons.  I must say really thinking about it and making a list has really helped me to be thankful in the ups and downs of my days. Reason # 8 I am thankful that I am able to homeschool my children.  Some call me crazy, some call me amazing.  Well, I know that I am crazy, but that was before we decided to homeschool   Amazing, definitely not!  The amazing is all from God!  Without Him I would never be able to do anything that we have set out to do, let alone homeschool.  I am grateful for the time that I am able to spend with my children.  Our school day does not run on the 7 am - 3 pm school clock (well something like that...I really don't know how the school clocks run these days).  We "school" all day, everywhere.  We were convicted, my husband more so and earlier on than I, that this is what the Lord has called us to do

Day 7 I am Thankful for the sense of sight.  Oh how sad it would be to miss out seeing all the beauty the Lord created around us.  I am also thankful Otto Wichterle, inventor of contact lenses and for whoever actually invented the eyeglasses.  Without both my world would be very blurry.

Day 6 I am thankful to be an American and for the freedoms that come with it.  Being election day, the freedom to vote.  Freedom to worship the One true God.  Freedom to home school.  To wear what I want as a woman.  To drive.  Freedom of speech.  Freedom to have as many children as the Lord gives us and to raise them as we see fit (for the most part and at least for the moment!).  Freedom to have guns.  There are many, many more freedoms that go along with being an American.  I am thankful and proud to be an American.  (And yes I did exercise my freedom and went out and voted today ;)

Day 4: I am thankful for my church family!  It is so wonderful to be surrounded by such a group of believers.  A pastor who preaches the Word.  The whole Word!  The good, the bad and that which makes you reflect on the ugly in your life.  I love our pastors wife, who also teaches God's Word.  I am grateful for the instruction, the reproof and the correction.  The support and encouragement.  Guidance.  I am tankful for the friends that I have made through church.  For the ministries within the church that we have been able to be part of.  I could go on and on....I am truly thankful for our church. Day 5: I am thankful for my "Laundry Monster"!  Laundry is actually one of the household chores that I really don't mind doing.  I don't like folding the clothes so much - which is why there are mounds of clean clothes in my bedroom at times.  But, I enjoy hanging clothes on the line when the weather is nice.  I love the smell of fresh clothes.  I love the warmth fro

Day 3 - I am thankful for this sassy bundle... Oh how boring life would be without our Sam!  She has been the most expressive and vocal since day one.  Honestly if she is not talking I wonder what is wrong.  She randomly breaks out in song; usually something she is learning at church or her favorite (right now).  Daddy says she gets it from me, but I have no clue what he is talking about (lol).  From what I have been told it is not just something around the house, she is known for it in Sunday School as well.  It is hard to discipline her at times because she flashes her smile and bright blues and all you want to do is smile.  My Sam is a ball of fire.  Very tenderhearted.  Compassionate.  Loves to be outdoors.  Is the girl who names frogs and keeps them in buckets when we are not home so they won't get lost.  The one who tries to hide a lizard in her pocket so that it can go with us to the store.  My girl whose heart is broken when said animals find new homes.  She loves her

Day 2:  I am thankful for these... Yes, crazy right!  But I am thankful for dirty dishes .  Which there is something to be said for because I really don't like washing dishes.  I don't appreciate the dirty dishes themselves so much, but if we didn't have food to cook and eat then we wouldn't have the mess of dirty dishes.  So today, I am thankful for dirty dishes.  (Side note: I remind myself of this many times throughout the week because I do not always find myself praising my Provider while cleaning them.) And I am very thankful for this... A clean sink, cleared of all dirty dishes.  Which means I can rest, from this at least!

I have tried to do this for the last few years and I am not sure that I have completed any of them.  Actually, I take that back.  I am sure that I have never completed them.  Not because I am not thankful for at least 30 things.  Not because I cannot think of them.  But because I am usually living life with my blessings and haven't made the time to do it.  That and when all my thoughts come together is when I am lying in bed in the quiet and have no intention of getting back out of bed.  So here I am at it again.  Maybe this year I will get it all out, maybe not.  No promises.  So.... DAY #1 I am thankful for my hubby.  Without him I honestly would be lost most of the time.  He helps me keep my head on straight.  When I go down the tunnel to crazy, he pulls me back to reality.  He wipes my tears and makes me laugh.  He holds me when I need it and tells me to buck up when I need that.  He wakes up early, every morning.  There is no option for him.  He chooses each day to work har

A couple weeks ago, during one of our summer storms, we had a limb break off one of the trees in the goat yard.  And yes, it fell on the fence!  My husband has been saying that the tree it fell from needed to come down for quite come time (it was dying and rotted at the top) - but, fence was in the way.  Well I guess there is no better time than the present, fence was already down.  Here are some pictures of the tree (silly me didn't think to grab the camera until after the tree was down. Grateful that my children love to be involved with what is going on and that they love to be outside.  Here Sam & Josh are playing on their own "trampoline" as Sam called it.  As she said it I was thinking 'redneck trampoline'. Grateful for the 15 minutes or so that Peter let someone else hold him.  Grateful for my Mother-in-law who is seemingly always willing to help me out with the children. Grateful for my hubby.  In many ways, but that he is able to take car

This past Saturday we sold 5 of our goats at auction.  Even four days afterwards I don't know that I am settled with having sold them, but trust that my husband made the right decision.  He grew up in the country and has a different outlook than I do with animals.  For me animals have always been pets.  I think that is the hardest thing for me to get used to with "farm life".  Around here animals can be "pets" but they have to also carry a purpose.  That still hasn't fully registered for me.  Either way, we had a first for our family in actually going to auction to sell our goats.  We sold one previously, however, Mama (my  mother-in-law) took him for us.  I told the children earlier in the week so that they could say their goodbyes.  They are just learning that there is more to the animal than just a pet.  It was an experience.  A few tears were shed by my Becca and myself.  All of them sold.  And we ended up bringing home lots of fresh vegetables for a gre

Last year I learned about Staples Back to School savings and have been looking forward to this years deals.  They started last Sunday!  If you are not familiar with them, they have items for $1, $.50, $.25 and even $.01!  Yes just a penny!  Last week I scored some binders for $1 and Insertable dividers for $.01, pens for $.25 among other things.  To get the penny deal you need to have a minimum purchase of $5, but they always have other items that I will use discounted - which works out for me.  I will not buy something that I will not need our use, for me that would be a waste of money, even if it is only a quarter.  However, I will buy items that we may not use that would be suitable for sending in the shoe boxes at Christmas for Operation Christmas Child , you can never start shopping too soon!  Today I spent a total of $20.60 out of pocket and picked up:  2 ~ reams of Staples Multipurpose Paper,  8 ~ 5pk. Sharpie Highlighters,  8 ~ packs Staples Stickies (post it tabs),  4 ~

Check out this Back 2 School Giveawa y and enter for your chance to win!  (Click link and scroll to bottom of Homeschool Giveaways page for different types of entries)  Even if there is something you might not use in it you could use it to bless someone else and get some for yourself.  

Just got these great thank you cards FREE at Shutterfly! I only had to pay shipping - but it was still a great deal. I love Shutterfly! If you don't already have an account you can sign up and cash in on the great offers that they are always sending out. Collage Of Gratitude Boy Thank You Card Say "Thanks," with personalized thank you notes from Shutterfly. View the entire collection of cards.

Newsworthy Boy Birth Announcement Shutterfly has cute birth announcements and cards for Easter . View the entire collection of cards.

Why I ventured into homemade laundry detergent, I am still not so sure. I think that my ultimate goal, as it is with most things, is to save money. I try to be a "savvy shopper" and for me that is not just about shopping. It is also about finding ways to save on things that we use every day. Maybe I should say I try to be a "savvy saver". Either way I had been hearing about laundry detergent from other moms at park day and read where a friend had made some. I figured what have I got to lose and my stockpile of detergent was dwindling. I purchased the ingredients and made it. Here is what I used. This recipe is supposed to last for approximately 4-6 months. I figured we would be around 3-4 months as we seem to have many, many loads of laundry each week. I prefer powder over liquid detergent so this fit. PROS: The clothes came out clean. I didn't have to put in anything extra. I did still use bleach for my whites. Not sure if it was needed or not

It is hard to believe that two years have gone by already. But, alas it is true. My little man is two! I cannot even put into words what a blessing it has been to mother a little boy. I had three younger brothers growing up so I thought I knew all there could be about boys. Man was I wrong! I knew what it was to have brothers, but having a son i s a whole different experience. I have said it many times in the past two years, but I have to say it again. A boy is a boy from the core. Without instruction they play like boys. Little man has been surrounded by many women, grown and little. There is Mom (me J ), 3 sisters, Grandmother & Grandma. Then, there is Dad. As you can see, we women outnumber the testosterone in his world. But, he is still a BOY! He plays like a boy. Cars are no longer the "people" that my girls turned them into, they are cars. Wh ere he puts all his food, I have no clue! No one showed him how to make "grrrr" noises when he p