Carolina Mommy

I walked down to the marsh today to see what my crazy dog was barking at. Instead of that, I found where my kiddos have made "their spot". They have carried all the cut offs and extra pieces from other projects and started a tree house pile.  I imagine they have been sitting in these little blue chairs. Sitting, looking up at this big, beautiful oak and dreaming about the great tree house that they are talking their daddy into building. Planing it all out in their minds. Little minds that think big grand plans. Fun plans. The kind of plans that I think too often adults forget to have. Or at least I know I don't take the time for. And I know I don't take the time needed to make these plans come to be.  There is always the immediate. The things that have to happen. All of the daily tasks that need to be checked off the list.  This was a reminder for me today. While there are a lot of things that need to be done, I need to chip away at the big, grand plans t...

Raw and real : The highlights of our day.  Trying to transition to 1 nap a day. It's a little rough.  Hubby pressure washed the house over the weekend. I wanted to add a little beauty to the clean. Picked up the flowers and soil and then used cans I had saved and some spray paint from who knows what still kicking around. Can't help but to keep looking at them. I love the colors! Working on an order. I love pink and grey together.  Someone thought they needed some color. I didn't agree! Almost clean. Summer is almost here.  If you look really closely you will see two black bugs (yes on the black shovel, but they are there). He was very proud of them! A clean shower. Well sort of. I can't get this clean for anything. Any tips/tricks would be greatly appreciated.  Seems we were productive. In many ways we were. School was worked on. Many projects completed. However there are dishes in the sink tonight and dirty floors throughout. But, I am grateful that so much was...

This was written January of 2014 Last night I baked cookies with my doodle.  My youngest girl, my sweet Sam.  I didn't do it because I wanted to.  I didn't do it because I had a hankering for something sweet.  I did it because I didn't want her to ask me anymore.  You see my oldest decided she wanted to make cookies for another Awana club on Sunday.  We got the chocolate chips.  Had her pull the ingredients down.  Showed her where the recipe was on the bag.  Told her to have fun, she was on her own.  This "was her thing".  The two oldest made cookies.  Sweet Sam was left out.  Since, my sweet doodle has been begging (at times whining) to make cookies, cause this Momma promised we would.  She was right.  I promised.  I didn't give an exact day or time.  I don't know how I will feel from one moment to the next with these crazy pregnancy hormones.  And h...

31 days to clean! This is what I need. Day 1 was today. The task for the day, the kitchen. Dishes, Ugh! (My second least liked chore, actually third least behind trash and toilet) We recently switched up jobs and the new person responsible for dishes is still learning. This has created quite a back up this past weekend and lots of work for Momma.  So, it seems like a good day for  the kitchen. Well that is until this happened and we needed to make sure he would be okay.   (Dropped concrete block on it) And then errands that needed to be run for Daddy for business. And of course the usual: nursing baby, school with the girls, diapers, meals, baths and all that fun stuff.  And don't let me forget that I didn't realize that we were out of both dishwasher detergent and dish soap until after we were home from being out and about. We have just finished supper. I am waiting for hubby to get home from class and an impromptu trip to the store f...

It's in small moments that I miss you.  When I have one less phone call to make on Thanksgiving.  When I have an extra Christmas card.  When I am singing along to the radio to a song I have sung over and over again.   Today that song is different. Now it means more. Now it hits a heart string. Now it makes me tear.  Today you were no longer there. Today I knew that I would no longer hear "I Love You" from you. I don't think I will be able to watch one of my favored movies through to the end anymore, as "Amazing Grace" played on the bagpipes made me start sobbing. And surely it always will. It's in these small moments that I will always miss you. I love you and miss you Dad.

With each addition to our family, life seems to go by that much faster. The year did not slowly and quietly end for us. It seems that it was a string of events most of the year. April, sweet April.  We safely welcomed home our sweet Noah, with a delivery that I still praise God for. As well as six kid goats, two of which were bottle fed.  Nothing like figuring out a new family normal, while adding two goats in the picture.  But it was good, it was fun.  Our children learned. We all grew. My hubby had surgery mid-August. Minor, out-patient surgery.  At least that is what they call it, minor. Surgery is surgery and it all has risks.  It wasn't fun sitting in the waiting room with my man's ring on my finger, waiting (and waiting) for them to come tell me all was well.  But all was well, my man was good. God is good! Fall and Christmas brought fun, sorrow and blessings beyond what we could ever expect. Work slowed at my hubby's job at the...

adverb : intentionally, deliberately, on purpose, purposefully, knowingly, wittingly, consciously, in full awareness Intentionally That is my word for 2015. A word that requires action. To live with intention; on purpose! To purposefully go about my days. No longer moving from one task to another just because it needs to be done. But to work towards an overall goal while doing those same tasks.   The goal with intention and purposeful living? To be purposeful in the role God has called me to. To be deliberate in sharing my faith. To be diligent in pouring over the scriptures. To be intentional when it comes to loving (RESPECTING) my husband.  To be purposeful in teaching my children and training them in righteousness. To make decisions according to knowledge, not flippantly or because that is what I am 'expected' to do. (Especially not because that is what I am expected to do.) To consciously create an atmosphere in our home that nurtures love, joy and contentment.  ...

I hate to admit how complacent I have gotten with being healthy.  I know what I need to do which makes it much worse than just being ignorant.  I know how to count calories (or points).  It's a simple equation more output than input.  Add in chaos and the need of convenience and it no longer seems quite as simple.  In addition to the chaos I have a huge weakness for sugar!  Preferably the chocolate variety.  But really any sort of 'sweet' will do.   My hubby and I came to a so called agreement right after Christmas.  I will give up sweets and he will give up soda (his weakness).  "Give up" is so very harsh.  Neither of us has been perfect with it.  He of course has done much better than I.  Unfortunately for him I am weak and when I have given into my sweet tooth I have tended to bring him a Coke.  Oh only upon typing that out did I realize how horrible I have been.  Did it take anyone else back to Genesis?...

There I was stuffing manicotti shells.  Hands full of chicken & ricotta when my little guy wants his apple peeled.  “Momma, peel this please.”  “Baby, just wait a minute ‘til I finish this up” was my reply.  Needless to say the patience of a two year old is not fully developed.  He began pushing between me and the counter and begging me to peel his apple.  Well, my hands were full of stuffing mixture and I only had two more noodles left.  I tell him that he will need to wait until I finished and “the skin is the best part for you anyhow”.  His reply was that which could only come from my little two year old blue eyed cutie.  “But Momma, I don’t want the best parts!” Well fortunately I had finished stuffing the last shell and I washed my hands and peeled his apple.  No sooner than I handed him the apple did I get a sweet thank you and saw his head bouncing out the door to go back in the yard.    At first it seeme...

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 thei...

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 brea...

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...

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 lov...

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 hear...

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, e...

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,...