Sledding

Here are some photos of the boys sledding...

Better pics,

I was hoping I didn't need to resize the photos, but no such luck! The previous post's pics are too big so I edited some of these for your viewing pleasure!

Snow Days...

Late Christmas night a great winter storm rolled in and dumped over a foot of snow on us! We had SO much fun playing in it.

I am not sure where the idea came from but we decided to build an igloo. We used 20 gallon rubbermades to build the bricks so the walls are 14 inches thick.

After 4+hours of back breaking labor we called it a night.

Who's bright idea is this???

Our backyard.

This is the finished igloo.

You can tell by the beautiful blue sky that the storm has passed. We are hoping the igloo will stick around for a few days but it is supposed to be in the 60's by the weekend so we shall see.

Product Review

In October I went on a shopping spree and I promised a review!

Well today I went back to Ulta in Raleigh and I TOTALLY forgot the main item I went for! how frustrating!!

But I did pick up a full size bottle of this...

I found that it really does help keep my face looking fresher longer! I used to freshen up midway through the day and I no longer have to do that. So, this product is a keeper for me!

Hayden picked this item up for me... he said the colors were perfect for me and I just couldn't resist... The eye shadows are STUNNING!!

As for the other item I bought in Oct, Powderflage... I can't stand it! it doesn't help me at all! Maybe I just have really bad bags! I found out today that as long as there is 80% left in the jar I can return it within 60 days so hopefully I can head back to Ulta before the first week in November.

Grandpa Keith

I got word a couple hours ago that my mom's fiance Keith is having a major stroke.

My mom took him to the ER last night because things were not right. After some tests they sent him home and told him he was fine.

Today his right arm felt like dead weight to him. Mom told him to either get in the car or she was going to call for an ambulance. On the way to the hospital became unresponsive. It has been several hours and he is still in the same state in the ICU. Tests show he has had at least 2 strokes in the last 72 hours. However too much time has passed to give him the recovery drugs. When he was getting an MRI he started having seizures on his right side. This has concerned the DR's as strokes and seizures do not usually go together. The DR's told of the possibility of Meningitis so we are waiting for the results of the Spinal Tap.

Life can change in an instant! Seems like I keep seeing this more and more!!

Not too bad for a rusty old girl!!

I am a licenced cosmetologist but I have not worked in the industry since I became a mom 12 years ago. I am thankful that I have the knowledge and the ability to take care of my families hair needs! Especially since I have three sons and a husband who needs a haircut every two weeks.

I have always kept my license up to date but I really don't have any intentions of returning to a salon. I thought that maybe after the kids have moved out I would go back to work but my husband said he loves that I take care of our family and house and has asked me to stay home. (not arguing with that!!) Plus once the kids are all out of the house I am seriously considering become a Douala, a birthing coach!! Oh what an amazing job that would be!

As Brian's Air Force Retirement is nearing, I have been thinking! What if I have to go back to work? Would I be able to go back to working in a salon? Could I keep up with that pace?? I am really rusty! Maybe I would be better off working at Michael's??

Today I decided to give myself a perm. It has been YEARS since I have done a perm but it only took me 25 minutes to roll my own hair! I was quite pleased and encouraged that I still have my skills... just in case I need them in the future!

Tea Time???

The last two Friday's we have driven to Raleigh to try to go out for a lunch Time Tea. Both of the Tea Shoppes were closed! This was so very sad! Brian was trying so hard to treat me.

I realize the art of a Proper Tea has been replaced by the convince of a drive through a Starbucks but it still makes me sad.

In Japan we used to visit a Tea Shoppe called "the Loop". It was the sweetest place. The little Japanese woman would pay attention to what color clothing you were wearing and your tea was always served in a cup that matched you. It was the coolest thing. Oh, what I wouldn't give to visit "The Loop" once more.

In England I was introduced to High Tea. My favorite place was Emily's Tea Room. It was the tiniest little tea room tucked away in our neighboring village. I believe the entire place seated 12. Emily made the most amazing sandwiches, cakes and scones. My dearest friends took me there for my going away! Oh, I would love to go to Emily's one more time, too!

When I started the post I really had no intention of going down memory lane and dragging you with me... but I did! haha

I guess I will have to throw a proper Tea Party for my family sometime in the next few weeks! I certainly have enough supplies to host it myself. Between Japan and England I have over 50 cups and numerous tea pots.

My sweet cuz Kim

Today... actually as I am tpying this entry... is the day of my cousins funeral! Kim died in a car accident on Thursday night.

She leaves behind a devastated Mom, Dad, sister, son and daughter! Her sister was planning Kim's 40th birthday party but those planned have changed to planning a funeral! I just can't even imagine!

Kim leaves behind two precious teenage kids! I can't even imaging what Dylan and Marah are going through! A girl needs her Momma, no matter how old she gets!

A perfect way to wake up!

I never take my phone to my bedroom with me! ever!!
But last night I just had this feeling that I should take it with me. I am so glad I did!

I woke up to a sweet phone call from my husband! He left Saturday and I had not heard from him at all so it was nice to wake up to his voice! I LOVE you babe!

Shopping Day

We live in a small town so every few months I drag the kids to Raleigh for a fun filled day of shopping! Well, today was the day!

One of my stops was Ulta. I have really been struggling with dark circles under my eyes, especially being sick the last few weeks. I heard about this product and found that it has great reviews for covering dark circles so I decided to give it a try! I guess I will need a few days to see if it really works! I will let you know!

I use Bare Minerals foundation but it seems I need to "refresh" by the afternoon. I found this make up setting spray by Urban Decay and it has great reviews too. Thankfully I was able to find a trial size bottle.

6 Hours Early?

Brian is supposed to leave tomorrow for a week long trip. His flight is at 4 am and they want them there tonight at 10 pm. REALLY?? Brian could drive to the destination in 6 hours! Why on earth would they want them there 6 hours early?!
I am praying continually for him! He has been SO sick and I am afraid the exercise will be hard on him! They can work him up to 16 hours a day! This will NOT help him get over the "Crud" he has.
Have a safe trip my love!

The windows are WIDE open!!

Oh, this is such a great first day of October! Last week we were hitting 100 degrees daily! Then Sunday hit and it brought us 12 inches of rain in 4 days, there is flooding everywhere. But today, the grey skies have turned blue and it is fantastic and the temps are in the 70's.
Brian tried to open the windows this morning but it was way too humid but this afternoon is perfect for opening windows.

31 Days of Blogging...

My friend Karen gave us girls at the Doodle a challenge to Blog daily for the month of October! I decided to commit to every other day of blogging! But with three blogs you just never know where I will post! haha!!

Family Blog
www.bahgl.blogspot.com

Scrappy Blog
www.scrapmepink.blogspot.com

Photography Blog (the least posts)
www.savor-the-moment.blogspot.com

Happy Blogging Ladies

Sharing

My precious Hayden loves to share EVERY thing with me!! He shares snuggles, walks holding hands, scrapbooking and we love to watch our favorite show together, Biggest Loser!

I decided this week that he doesn't have to share EVERY thing with me... I really don't appreciate the Flu that he shared with me!!

The Mircle Man

It is the Second Sunday of the month which means serving at the Soup Kitchen! Our local soup kitchen is open 5 days a week and closed over the weekend. This means that many people go hungry between Friday and Monday. A man in our church felt the call to serve hot dogs one Sunday a month. Our family has had the privilage to serve 4 months now.
Last month I wrote about a man who had beaten over the head with a bat and had been in the hospital for 6 weeks and no one was sure if he would survive. Well this month we got to serve the Mircle Man! His sister shared that he was in a comma for 21 days and she didn't know what to do for him but she felt lead to read Psalm to her brother. She had never picked up a bible before her in life but she had heard about Psalm so that is what she read. She read it to her brother and when she was done she went right back to Psalm 1:1 and started again. She said that she prayed the Lord would not only bring her brother back but that he would know the God she was reading about! 21 days into his comma the Lord, the healer, answered her prayer. The man woke up and screamed "HALLELUJAH". It was so loud that the nurses rushed into the room. He is alive today and he has joy in his heart and he is truly thankful for each day he has!
We go to the Soup Kitchen to serve and bless others but instead I am the one who is blessed!
Sometimes I got down on life and let things bother me. Or I find myself discontent with what I have. I want to live a life like Mircle Man. Though he has NOTHING to possess, he has Jesus and that makes life worth living!

Complete...

I woke up to an email yesterday stating the sale of our house in England was complete! What a relied that was!! Having this house in England has brought much worry, stress and frustration over the last two years and we are SO THANKFUL to have that burden lifted from us!

We did make some profit and the bank told us that it could take up to 10 days for the wire to go through. Amazingly the wire was completed the SAME day we closed on the house. That really brought us a sense of closure. Thanking God for this blessing!!

Blessed Beyond Measure

Yes indeed I am blessed beyond measure!! The Lord has given me SO very much! I have salvation through Jesus, an awesome husband, three boys whom I cherish and have the privilage of homeschooling and I have Joy!
I have always known this but every once in a while I get a reminder and yesterday was that day!
Our local Soup Kitchen is closed on Sunday's and a family from our church started going the second Sunday of every month to serve hot dogs, drinks and cookies. As a family we went in June and were really blessed. It was awesome to see Levi, in all his spunk, chasing people down the street to give them one more bottle of water! Gage passed out drinks and Hayden was squirting relish. It was such a blessing to see them love other people without fear or intimidation.
There was a need again this month so we jumped at the chance to serve! As I was serving hot dogs Brian told me he was going to help one gentleman carry his food home and before I could protest he was gone! As I was wiping down the tables I had an opportunity to chat with one of the men, he was super sweet and shared with me that he was born and raised here in Wayne County with his 9 siblings. He did spend 6 years backpacking throughout the United States and he shared with me his all time favorite places and the places he despised.
After we were done serving and cleaning we had a "briefing" and the coordinator shared with us that many of the folks who came said they were so blessed because they were not treated as outcasts but they were most blessed because the kids served them and didn't look at them like they were diseased! We also got to hear stories of these men and woman. One man lives in a tent by the river, another lives behind a gas station. The owner of the gas station has let this man live there for the last 3 years allowing him to come into the gas station to use the bathroom and shower. The gas station owner just hired him to clean the gas station and he agreed to put the man up an apartment! PRAISE God! But we also heard stories of others who were not so fortunate. One man has two rotten teeth that are causing him incredible pain and there is nothing he can do about it because he doesn't have medicaid. Another man has been in the hospital for 6 weeks because he was beaten with a baseball bat!
Brian shared about the man he had walked home. As they walked the man told Brian he had spent his last $100 to get a room for a week and then he didn't know what he was going to do. As they walked into the house there were a couple men sitting on the front porch drinking and Brian knew the man he was with didn't have many fellowship opportunities.
As we got in the car to leave I was very humbled by all I have! I have never had to worry about food, clothing, showering or anything else.
We often hear the cry for help in other nations but the truth is poverty is happening right in our own backyards!! The prayer of my heart is that the Lord will show our family how we can help.
Are YOU Blessed Beyond Measure? Have you thanked the Lord for all he has blessed you with?

Things are still moving...

But not as fast as I would like!

The Foster's have requested to get keys to our property two weeks before we close so that they can get new carpet and paint and what not! I was hoping they would have gotten the keys this week but that didn't happen!

We were sent a survey on July 8th, which we immediately filled out and returned! A few days ago we got two emails stating that they had not received our reply and now everything was on hold pending that paper, urg!! A few hours later we received another email stating they had found it! So, maybe that is why things are moving slower then I hoped!! There is still some concern the Foster's will back out but if they put money into the house I can't seem them backing out.

On a good note, we have all ready signed the Closing Papers but did not date them. We were on a road trip traveling up the East Coast with Brian's dad when we got the emailed paperwork. How awesome was it to be able to print and sign the paperwork while traveling by RV!! Technology is so cool!

Things are Moving Right Along!

After a busy week of filling out paperwork, we got an email that said things are moving right along. YAY!
In fact Lesa, our agent, emailed us and told us that she had taken the Fosters back into the property so they could measure for flooring and furniture. This was very encouraging!
Yet, our closing date can't come soon enough!

Isn't this the COOLEST treat??

I was searching for a jello recipe and I came accross this from http://momofukufor2.com/2010/06/rainbow-jello-recipe/


Rainbow Jello Recipe adapted from The Food Librarian

5 small packages of Jello (I used cherry, grape, blueberry, lime and lemon)

4 1/2 tablespoons of unflavoured gelatin

1 can sweetened condensed milk

Mix the cherry Jello with 1/2 tablespoon of gelatin. Add a cup of boiling water and stir to dissolve. Cool to room temperature and pour into whichever container you want your rainbow Jello in. Refrigerate until firm, about 20 minutes.

Meanwhile, mix the can of sweetened condensed milk with 1 cup of boiling water. In a bowl, sprinkle 2 tablespoons of gelatin over 1/2 cup of cold water and let bloom for a couple of minutes then add 1/2 cup of boiling water to dissolve. Stir well, add to the milk mixture and mix thoroughly. Cool to room temperature before pouring over the first layer of Jello. Refrigerate until firm.

Repeat the first step with the remaining jello while alternating with the milk mixture. Let the Jello firm up completely, then slice and serve!



I made a similar dessert one Easter using a bundt pan but using cream cheese rather then condensed milk. I am gonna have try this one! I LOVE the idea of serving them in beakers!!

Sale Agreed!!!

Oh, this was a the sweetest email I have received in a long time!! Our house in the UK has been on the Market since September and despite us lowering the asking price drastically, we have had little interest. Our agent assures us it isn't our house but rather the effects of the current economy.

We received an offer on Monday June 28 and agreed on a sale price on June 29!! We are SO relieved to have this burden lifted from us! Normally it takes about 8 weeks to sell a house in the UK. The couple buying the house has all ready sold their house and they intend to pay cash, this should speed up the process by two weeks.

Today, June 30, the Foster's decided to waive all "surveys" in order to speed up the process even more! So, it MAY be possible to close in as little as 4 weeks! (I am trying not to get too excited)

Our agent warned us that the Foster's pulled out of a different house purchase 2 weeks ago so we were cautious. However our agent was contacted by the Foster's lawyer within 15 minutes of a sale agreement so we are encouraged that a final sale will happen.

Today we filled out all the paperwork and sent it back to our lawyer. Now we wait and pray!

A few weeks ago we had a guest pastor and he asked us "Do you need a win in your life?" At first I thought "No, we are good." Then he asked it again adding "is there something in your life that you have no control over and you are completely dependant on the Lord's provision and you could use a win in this area?" Oh ya, that was ME!! So, for the last few weeks I have been continually telling the Lord that I could sure use "A win" by selling our house! It looks as though the game is on and we are headed toward the Championship!! Thank you Lord!!

Life is always full of change!

This week Brian started a new job and a new shift. He is now a Production Supervisor which means he is back working on the flight line. He has not worked the flight line for over 10 years so it will be a change for him! This also means he will spend a majority of his shift outside and this week it has been 100 degrees everyday!
He has also moved to "swing shift" which is from 2:30 pm until midnight or beyond. We love having Daddy home with us during the day! However our dinner and evenings are quite lonely without him.
I am still doing some school with the kids so I am still trying to figure out this new schedule and how to make everything work.
Brian, I pray that you will have success in your new job! I am so proud of you!!

oh the SWEET sound of rain!!

I didn't think I would EVER say that!! Living in England could be really gloomy and there were times that I desperately wanted the rain to stop!!

But I have found myself hoping and praying for rain the last couple weeks.

You see, we planted grass seed a month ago and it has been such a SLOW process. I was beginning to worry that the hours to aerate the lawn, then seed it, all the watering and the $160 worth of grass seeds were a waste. But we are finally seeing little green blades of young Bermuda Grass! And we are thrilled!

You have to keep those seeds moist or they die! So, the last month we have been making sure the ground is always moist. Having to move the sprinkler all over the yard was getting really old! So, we bought Brian a "Rain Train" traveling sprinkler as an early Father's Day gift! It has been fantastic!

But my favorite watering is when the Lord waters the grass for us!! As I am getting ready to climb into bed I hear the sweet sound of rain and the thunder rolling in!

Things have Changed

Tonight Hayden's best buddy got a new Droid. The boys were giddy with delight as they talked about different Aps. It was fun to watch!

Later in night Hayden told me he really wants a Droid now. I told him "I don't have a Droid, so you are not getting a Droid". After thinking for a moment, he said "I guess I will SETTLE for an IPhone then." My response, " I don't have an IPhone, so you are not getting an IPhone". I hated to burst his bubble but we can't afford those kind of toys! Especially when all three of the boys want one!

I remember when I was Hayden's age and we got a Cordless Phone. I thought that was the COOLEST thing ever!! My, how things change!

Mother's Day

Today, the boys and I have paused to express how thankful we are to have Alecia in this family! No one could replace the gift God gave us! Her loving care and affection for our three boys is Supernatural! She could not be replaced by anybody! Unselfishly she serves this family day in and day out, even when she doesn't feel good she soldiers on! It will be a true blessing in our home when the boys bring their families back to share her with their own kids! We love you Alecia...forever!!!!!!

Alecia, requested Eggs Benedict today so we met her request. We shared a couple cards with her, gave her some roses and chocolates. We are going for a walk in Waynesboro Village and then to an Intense Ministries show at Whitley Church tonight.

By the way, all the ! were for Alecia's benefit!

love the boys!

My Monkey Man

I came accross this picture today! It was taken last fall in SC but I still had not downloaded it! I thought it was cute and wanted to share! Of course he is wearing his favorite color!

Happy Birthday My Monkey!!!

I can't believe that you are all ready 9 years old!! Your birthday was quite an emotional day for me! I was quickly taken back to the day that you were born! I woke up with a Placenta rupture and was so scared all the way to the hospital. When I arrived at the hospital I was told they couldn't find your heartbeat with the Doppler! My heart was broken. After about 20 minutes they did an ultrasound and there you were with a heartbeat! Several hours later you were finally delivered by C-section. I am so thankful for you my little monkey! You have brought me so much joy and happiness! You crack me up daily!

You are such a gentle little man, full of compassion for others. Yet, you are so feisty and full of spunk! I can't wait to see all the Lord has in store for you in this new year!
I love you buddy.

Seriously... where is SPRING??

A week ago I was wearing jean and sweaters and we had the heater on! This week it is in the 90's and we have busted out the shorts and tank tops and we have had to turn on the AC. Where did spring go?? I want it!
I enjoy being able to open my windows and fill my house with fresh air! The last couple days we have slept with the windows open, but that has come with a price! There is a layer of YELLOW Pollen ALL over my house!
When I moved to NC people told me that you will go from running heat 24/7 to running AC 24/7 and then back again! I hoped it wasn't true, but I am finding this is the case!!

The Cross and the Crown

Our church puts on the "The Cross and the Crown" Easter Drama every year! Our famly was asked to participate again this year. We have been busy with practices but tonight starts the show. Last year over 3,000 people saw the Drama with just 4 shows and we had to turn people away. SO, this year we are adding another show. The Drama runs Wed-Sat night and then again on Sunday morning. Tonight there will be a group of 25 woman from a Correctional Center in the audience. How awesome is that!! We are praying for lives to be changed!

I think it is awesome that everyone in our family wants to serve in this manner!

Love days like these

Yesterday was an absolutely gorgeous Spring day! We had the doors and windows wide open while doing art today!
The kids are working with color wheels and had to draw butterflies and then color them. They did great! But while they were coloring and drawing I turned on a Bach CD. The kids first asked where the words were. I told them that there were no words and that they need to feel the music and make up their own stories! Oh, we had SO MUCH FUN! They told tales of introducing the newly born Princess, a duke trying to cheat a King and walking through the village market!
I love days like this!

Manna Experiment

We have been studying about the Israelites Exodus out of Egypt. For 40 years the Israelites wandered the dessert. The Lord provided Manna for them every morning. I realize that honey flavored bread wafers may get old after a while. So yesterday I did an experiment with the boys. I served Manna (popcorn) for a morning snack and then again for lunch. Gage and Levi thought it was awesome, Hayden... that was a whole different story! He was not impressed at all! He threw a 20 minute fit before settling down long enough to let me read the bible story. He was totally irrational and all we could do was laugh at him. I realize that just upset him more, but it sure was a sight to see.

We talked about how God provided them the same thing to eat every single day and of course the Israelites grumbled. Hayden was our perfect example of a grumbling Israelite.

I did allow Hayden to eat a real lunch but I threatened to offer him popcorn for an afternoon snack and for dinner. He said "can we at least have POPCORN CHICKEN for dinner"? I wish I had some to offer him! I think it may be a while before he eats popcorn again.

Soaking up the Sun

Oh how wonderful it is to have the sunshine AND warmth! Today is supposed to be 72 and by Friday is supposed to be 75!

I had the heater off for the last 24 hours but Brian said it was "Freezing" in the house this morning so I turned it back.

It is 10:30 and the boys are almost done with school and they are SO excited to get outside and soak up the sun! They all ready have shorts on!

We also had the treat of enjoying breakfast with Brian today! He has to work late tonight and usually he still goes in early in the morning but today he decided to go in late. I guess working 9 days in a row has taken it's toll. He made us all omelets for breakfast! YUM!

Brian will have tomorrow off and you KNOW he is asking to go to the beach since it is in the 70's but I am afraid the water will be too cold.

I hope it is Sunny where ever you are!

Spring is in the Air...

Oh it has been a LONG cold winter for NC! We broke the record for the most number of days 20 degrees BELOW the average! I stopped counting when we hit 60 days. So much for Global Warming.

Today feels quite "Springy"and I so thankful! The sun is shining and we are supposed to be in the 60's for at least the next 5 days! The days are getting longer too!

Since I am feeling so springy today I decided to update my blog background too.

Unfortunatly Brian is working this weekend so he won't be able to enjoy this beautiful day! Bummer!

Reading Merit

The boys are working on a Reading Merit for Royal Rangers. They have to read 5 books over the next 6 months! Now, you have to understand my boys would rather have teeth pulled then read!
Brian took them to the library two weeks ago so they could pick out their books. Hayden came home with a couple huge books! I thought to myself "There is no way he can even finish just one of these babies let alone all 5 of them in the next 6 months!
Hayden chose "Amos Fortune Free Man" for his biography. This is a 181 page book that was written 60 years ago. I didn't think it would keep Hayden's attention. But as the days have gone by I have been totally amazed. He has carried that book with him everyday and everywhere. As he watched TV he even used the commercial breaks to read a few pages. It has been awesome to see him so motivated to read.
Monday night Hayden finished the book! He came down stairs bawling his sweet little eyes out!His heart was truly touched by this true story of a black slave man who died over 200 years ago. Hayden begged me to buy him the book so he could read it over and over! His birthday is coming up, so we shall see.
It only took Hayden 12 days to finish his book and 3 of those days he was sick in bed with the stomach flu! I was greatly impressed and I pray that this book has sparked a passion in Hayden to read! Brian and I don't enjoy reading but I hope my kids will.

He is almost done with the second of five books! Go Hayden Go!!!

Happy Groundhogs Day

Have you ever seen a real groundhog?
I thought I had! I thought they were small like a prairie dog!
Boy was I in for a shock when Brian told me to look out the window and I saw this huge creature walking through our backyard! He was unlike anything I had ever seen before. He was huge and looked like a beaver without a tail. He mozied through our backyard and eventually went under our shed. Brian suggested it was a groundhog but I was convinced they were small.
We immediately went to google to see if we could figure out what this critter was. Sure enough, Brian was absolutely correct. It is common for groundhogs to live under sheds... imagine that. Another backyard pet?

I'm Dreaming of a White Christmas...

oh wait, it is almost February!!

We were hit with a winter storm Friday and Saturday! It is so strange since the weekend before it was 70 degrees and the boys were in shorts!
The snow turned to ice yesterday but the boys are still having a blast playing! I think they went outside 4 different times yesterday. The last time we all went out a good game of Ice Hockey was started!
Today the sun is shining bright but it is still bitter cold. The kids wasted no time this morning and were outside first thing. I guess they are making the most of it, knowing it will be gone all to quickly.
The town and highways have been closed down since Friday night. No travel is advised. Since it is only in the 20's today it will still be icy tomorrow morning when Brian goes to work. Maybe they will keep the base closed or at least give a delay in show time.
So long from our frozen surroundings!

MOM, I think I found BOO Again!!

You see, Boo is the little lizard Levi fell in love with last fall. It was the first lizard Levi ever held and Levi played with him ALL day. He was devastated to have to let him go that night but I told him that maybe he would see Boo again someday. Well, I guess today is the day! He has been playing with him for a couple hours now. I am certianly not going to tell him that the chances of this really being Boo are not likely, I am just going to let him enjoy life with his little Backyard Pet.
Hayden and Gage caught lizards too. Hayden's keep snapping at him but Gage's is really friendly and keeps crawling all over him.

The boys LOVE our backyard pets!

I think Hayden's Lizard is threatning him.

Gage's lizard is taking a nap on his shoulder.

Happy Birthday Gage!!

Gage celebrated his 10th birthday this month!

To celebrate we were taking Gage out to dinner at the restaurant of his choice. He chose Chili's but Dad suggested we try Buffalo Wild Wings. It was a great suggestion and we all LOVED it!

Until Buffalo Wild Wings Gage would not eat anything spicy. In fact his wings were Sweet BBQ. But he tried Brian's hot wings and he LOVED them! Since then he has been trying all kinds of new spicy stuff. I am so proud of him.

Gage is still as active as ever and loves to be outdoors. He got a new Bike for his birthday so you can find him biking most afternoons. He told me the other day that he is ready for summer because he wants to go swimming again. Gage is just like his Daddy, wants to try and enjoy everything in life!

Gage patiently waiting for his Sweet BBQ wings

After trying Daddy's HOT wings.

Those wings just MIGHT be too hot for Daddy!

Gage opted for Dippin Dots rather than Cake.

Gage's new Bike

I let Gage pick the Blog background for his birthday month. He is into black right now and picked a great background.

Gloomy Morning become Sunny Days...

Levi woke up quite gloomy today saying he wasn't feeling well. Now, I know better and assumed that it has everything to do with the fact that Daddy is supposed to leave tomorrow. He was selected to go to training in Mississippi until Sunday. Brian has been gone less then one week since we arrived here in NC almost a year and half ago and we know we are blessed.

As I snuggled in with Levi to talk about how blessed we are that we have Daddy all the time and it was only going to be a few days, the phone rang and it was Brian telling us that his TDY was cancelled! Levi's little face lit up as bright as the sunshine. It was amazing that Levi had a FULL recovery in just a matter a minute!!

Our Gloomy morning has turned out to be a very Sunshiny Day!!

DIAL Album

So last year I started a DIAL Album (Day In A Life). The idea behind it was that I usually scrapbook birthdays or vacations but I felt like I was missing out on daily life. I decided to pick one day every month and just scrap the events of the day. I shared this idea with some of my scrappy friends and together we all decided to do the album together on the 19th of every month! It was a blast. I am still not done but I WILL finish it!
This we decided to carry on the DIAL Album but we are doing the 10th of 2010! It is gonna be fun!
Well, because I am still trying to finish up my Christmas Presents I am going to use my Blog to journal the 10th. Then, when I am ready I will all ready have the journaling done!

So, the 10th of January...
We went to "Sunday Morning service on Thursday Night" so we decided to veg Sunday morning! It sure felt off not getting up and going to church. Our church broadcasts live on the Internet so we did tune in while we were enjoying Breakfast Burritos that my Darling Husband made.

After breakfast we headed into the bonus room. We are SO close to being done! Brian cased a window and painted it. There is only one plug-in in my scrappy room so Brian ran two extension cords under the cabinets and then drilled holes in the counter tops to for electricity. It really looks so nice! I now have a fully functional scrapbook room.

In the late afternoon we decided to go for a walk at a local park. This is certainly a replacement for our beloved Mildenhall River! We LOVED walking the river on Sunday afternoons. The great part about this park it is less then 10 minutes from our house.

As we were walking yesterday we heard a group of people gathered at one of the old houses on the path. We first thought it was a wedding but as we got closer we realized that we had walked up on a movie being filmed! It was pretty cool! It was a movie being filmed about Black History Month about slavery. It was a local movie which is going to premier on the 23 of January. We would love to see it.

As we were walking Levi suggested we have Grilled Cheese and Tornado (Tomato) soup for dinner! We thought it was a brilliant idea so we stopped at Walmart for soup! We have yet to find an alternative to our beloved German Knorr Tomato soup we used to buy at the Commissary in the UK, but we will keep looking! Either that or take a trip to England to stock up on soup!

Have a blessed day!