It's almost Christmas!!

4 days to go and I am sooooo behind!! LOL

My shopping is done for the most part. I only bought gifts for our kids this year due to our financial situation. Bryan is working here and there at the rink but nothing at Lion tours.
Jan. 2 he will have his shoulder fixed and hopefully, Lord willing things will look up from there..

I love my new job!! My first day at the Tropicana I had a code. The patient's family called 911 direct instead of calling the medical station. By the time they called me the medics and ambulance were all ready there. I few fimiliar faces are working in security too so it feels like old times at the Claridge.

Emilee is 17 months old this month and is finally taking more steps. She is also shaking her head yes and pointing and showing me waht she wants..just wish I heard some words..I know, I know, when she does I am gonna wish she didn't start! LOL
I think she's gonna be a dancer!! That girl loves to move. Any time music comes on she is moving and grooving! She loves to rock her hips back and forth, especially with Santa Mickey. Mickey is a 2 ft. christmas decoration that when you turn him on he sings Jingle Bell rock and rocks his hips back and forth. It's so cute to see her imatate him!

Happy Thanksgiving !!

Happy Turkey day! Presently I am at work. I coherced one of the night shift guys to come in early so I can have dinner with the family.. I will be nice to see all the family together. I dont think we have been together since Emilee's Birthday in July!!
I worked my first shift at the Tropicana yesterday. Wow!! it's been a while since I worked a "real" job..hehe..lots to remeber..I hope I can get through my first solo shift without forgetting anything..I had four hours of training and that was it..I know where the cafeteria is and where security is..Hoping that is the farthest I need to go. Knowing my luck, it's not!

Tomorrow is the BIG shopping day!! I can't wait..My plan is to get up around 5 and go to walmart and pick up a Leapster for Faith and a Crayola creativity staion for Emilee..they are both half off!! Can't beat that!! Then I will head over to the casino to work until 6p. Then home I go to crash and burn..

Turning 37

November 21 was my Birthday and I turned 37. I don't feel 37, and at the same time my body sometimes feels older! LOL
I have realized over the last year that there are things I thought would be by this time in my life.. I thought I would be living in a house that we own, I thought that I would be taken care of by my husband. None of these things are a reality for me. I live in a small 850 sqft apartment which we can barely afford. My husband has been fired from yet another job and can't find steady work and I'm forced to work my butt off to provide for our family.
I am a bit resentful I'm afraid. I know I shouldn't be, I am grateful that at least one of us is working and it wouldn't be so bad if he contributed in some other way. I do admit that he does take great care of our children. He gets up every morning and gets Faith ready for school. He gets up with Emilee and cares for her needs but once I'm awake It all stops.. I cook ( becasue I love too) I clean, I work, and take care of the kids.. I juggle all my responsibilities PLUS be the head of the household which in turn makes me responsible For ALL the decisions in the family.. I feel like I don't have an equal partner and why do I need him here when I do most of it myself anyway??
Don't get me wrong I love my husband and don't want to leave. But I'm having a hard time dealing with everything that has been pushed to my side of plate..I little help would be nice..

Random thoughts

Hello,

Not much going on as of late..just trying to get by like the rest of the country. We did get renter's assistance so we won't be out on the street but if Hubby's work does not pick up we will be in trouble..
Nov. 3 was our 7th Wedding Anniversary.. We did not do anything, no money of course but it was nice to veg with my hubby!!
I am hopeful that with the elections finally over and Obama as our new President the economy will turn around..I am praying for him and all of our government officials, that they may finally come together and get our country back on track..
I have 12 days to my 37th birthday...Not sure how I feel about it.. We will revisit that thought at a later date. LOL!

THIS offends Me!!

Ok, so while I was surfing the net and found this article where a boy was sent home from school becasue he dressed up as Jesus.. http://news.aol.com/article/school-boots-boy-over-jesus-costume/235134?icid=100214839x1212525667x1200803159

What is wrong with this picture??

We can celebrate Kwanza and even Hannukkha in schools but Christians can't express their beliefs so that we dont offend other people!! What happened to free speech?? This society is now to the point where we can't even say MERRY CHRISTMAS for fear of offending someone..This really irrates me because as the way I see it we are a country of many cultures and backgrounds that have the right to express all beliefs without fear of reprocussions, then why is it that CHRISTIANS are the only ones who are told we can't in fear of offending someone?? I am a christian but I dont get offended by what others believe or say?? They have the right to believe what they want, just like me..I may not agree but I would not want them not to be able to voice their opinions or their beliefs either..

I just dont get it..Does someone have a rational explaination for this?? Please enlighten me..

Happy Halloween!!

Man I'm tired..Faith had her Halloween parade today at school. Emilee and I watched the parade, she loved it!! She kept pointing at the kids and saying her one little thing..eh
THen we went and picked up Lindsey and came home, ate then got dressed for Halloween..We had a bumble bee, giraffe and Aurora. We went with our neighbor Brenda and her kids, Georgeanna, and Justin.
Let me tell you the housing development we went to..Oh MY is all I have to say..It's been a very long time since I've seen that many people and seen such big and scary displays. Some people even had little walk throughs in their yards..
Brenda even got Faith to go through !!! That's a HUGE step for my little girl!! I usually cant get her to even go into Michael's or AC Moore without a melt down!!

We walked like felt like MILES and did not even cover a 1/4 of it and the kids got quite a bit of candy.. Emilee passed out in the car as soon as a drove off!!

Emilee at 15 months!!

She is so goofy..this is a picture of her looking up at me while I was on the computer.
She has such a little personality and a little temper, or no a BIG one. LOL!!
Emilee has these cute little meltdowns when she's mad. It's hard not to laugh at her. But know that they wont be so cute when she gets bigger.
She still is just cruising, I give her a month or two before she figures it out on her own. The most adorable thing she's doing now?? She gives you wet, sloppy kisses. If she does not want to give you one she shakes her head no!!
She is also off bottles!! I gave her a sippy cup and that was that. No argument, no nothing!!
She also points to things that she wants and says eh, eh until you figure what she wants..

True Meaning of Christmas

Late one Christmas Eve, I sank back, tired but content, into my easy chair. The kids were in bed, the gifts were wrapped, the milk and cookies waited by the fireplace for Santa. As I sat back admiring the tree with its decorations, I couldn't help feeling that something important was missing. It wasn't long before the tiny twinkling tree lights lulled me to sleep.

I don't know how long I slept, but all of a sudden I knew that I wasn't alone. I opened my eyes, and you can imagine my surprise when I saw Santa Claus himself standing next to my Christmas tree. He was dressed all in fur from his head to his foot just as the poem described him, but he was not the "jolly old elf" of Christmas legend. The man who stood before me looked sad and disappointed, and there were tears in his eyes.

"Santa, what's wrong?" I asked, "Why are you crying?"

"It's the children," Santa replied sadly.

"But Santa, the children you," I said.

"Oh, I know they me, and they the gifts I bring them," Santa said, "but the children of today seem to have somehow missed out on the true spirit of Christmas. It's not their fault. It's just that the adults, many of them not having been taught themselves, have forgotten to teach the children."

"Teach them what?" I asked.

Santa's kind old face became soft, more gentle. His eyes began to shine with something more than tears. He spoke softly. "Teach the children the true meaning of Christmas. Teach them that the part of Christmas we can see, hear, and touch is much more than meets the eye. Teach them the symbolism behind the customs and traditions of Christmas which we now observe. Teach them what it is they truly represent."

Santa reached into his bag and pulled out a tiny Christmas tree and set it on my mantle. "Teach them about the Christmas tree. Green is the second color of Christmas. The stately evergreen, with its unchanging color, represents the hope of eternal life in Jesus. Its needles point heavenward as a reminder that mankind's thoughts should turn heavenward as well."

Santa reached into his bag again and pulled out a shiny star and placed it at the top of the small tree. "The star was the heavenly sign of promise. God promised a Savior for the world and the star was the sign of the fulfillment of that promise on the night that Jesus Christ was born. Teach the children that God always fulfills His promises, and that wise men still seek Him."

"Red," said Santa, "is the first color of Christmas." "He pulled forth a red ornament for the tiny tree. Red is deep, intense, vivid. It is the color of the life-giving blood that flows through our veins. It is the symbol of God's greatest gift. Teach the children that Christ gave his life and shed his blood for them that they might have eternal life. When they see the color red, it should remind them of that most gift."

Santa found a silver bell in his pack and placed it on the tree. "Just as lost sheep are guided to safety by the sound of the bell, it continues to ring today for all to be guided to the fold. Teach the children to follow the true Shepherd, who gave His life for the sheep."

Santa placed a candle on the mantle and lit it. The soft glow from its one tiny flame brightened the room. "The glow of the candle represents how people can show their thanks for the gift of God's son that Christmas Eve long ago. Teach the children to follow in Christ's foot steps...to go about doing good. Teach them to let their light so shine before people that all may see it and glorify God. This is what is symbolized when the twinkle lights shine on the tree like hundreds of bright, shining candles, each of them representing one of God's precious children, their light shining for all to see."

Again Santa reached into his bag and this time he brought forth a tiny red and white striped cane. As he hung it on the tree he spoke softly. "The candy cane is a stick of hard white candy. White to symbolize the virgin birth and sinless nature of Jesus, and hard to symbolize the Solid Rock the foundation of the church, and the firmness of God's promises. The candy cane is in the form of a "J" to represent the precious name of Jesus, who came to earth. It also represents the Good Shepherd's crook, which He uses to reach down into the ditches of the world to lift out the fallen lambs who, like all sheep, have gone astray. The original candy cane had three small red stripes, which are the stripes of the scourging Jesus received by which we are healed, and a large red stripe that represents the shed blood of Jesus, so that we can have the promise of eternal life.

"Teach these things to the children."

Santa brought out a wreath made of fresh, fragrant greenery tied with a bright red bow. "The bow reminds us of the bond of perfection, which is . The wreath embodies all the good things about Christmas for those with eyes to see and hearts to understand. It contains the colors of red and green and the heaven-turned needles of the evergreen. The bow tells the story of good will towards all and its color reminds us of Christ's sacrifice. Even its very shape is symbolic, representing eternity and the eternal nature of Christ's . It is a circle, without beginning and without end. These are the things you must teach the children."

I asked, "But where does that leave you, Santa?"

The tears gone now from his eyes, a smile broke over Santa's face. "Why you, my dear," he laughed, "I'm only a symbol myself. I represent the spirit of family and the joy of giving and receiving. If the children are taught these other things, there is no danger that I'll ever be forgotten."

"I think I'm beginning to understand."

"That's why I came," said Santa. "You're an adult. If you don't teach the children these things, then who will?"

---Author Unknown







We have assignments weekly based on this beautiful story..This will be a book to share to my children and grandchildren for years to come..I have decided to use my own childhood pictures for this project.
(The picture in this LO will be replaced once I get pictures from Mom)

Follow the link and get into the true Spirit of Christmas!!
http://faithsisters.com/forum/index.php?topic=6184.0

Faith is 6!!

This is a few days late..we have no internet, phone or TV at home..But my baby is 6!!
She got her presents the night before, I bought Sleeping Beauty for her(which she knew about) and her surf hat..She says she's already for baseball.
I made cupcakes for her class (which I burnt by accident) and then after school we went to MomMom's house were she got a bunch of clothes and a new barbie Movie. Reagan and the kids came over too and we had cake and sang happy Birthday!! Lucas called while we were at my Mom's..She was so excited to talk to him!! She absolutely adores him..He told her in an earlier email that she will always be his Atlantic City girlfriend and Emily(his girlfriend) knows she has to share!!
Emilee is almost walking..she is standing here and there on her own and cruises anytime she can. I know soon enough she will be racing around the house..

Here is a picture of Emilee back in the summer with her daddy's Surf hat on.. She loved going to baseball games..Such a sweet face!!

I can't believe she's 14 months already..

Her latest feats:
She gives wet, sloppy, open mouthed kisses..LOL
She is cruising around the furniture and standing by herself for a few seconds
She points to something when she wants it
She is a spoiled little girl and does not want to fall asleep in her bed!!
She has gotten some more teeth and OUCH!! they hurt!

Trials

They say that God only gives you what you can handle..well I am at the breaking point. Yesterday Bryan lost his job. THe worse part is that he did nothing wrong..That place is filled with the devil and it turns out that he won this fight..But He wont win the battle that is for sure.

A funny thing through all this, when he told me I was relieved, like a burden had been lifted..It's scary, but I know that God will provide and there is a better job for him.

Please pray for our family..

Faith Sisters birthday bash!!

Join Faith Sisters for our Birthday Bash Cyber Crop!

Who: YOU are invited!
When: September 26-28th
What: Challenges, Prizes (traditional and digital,) Sales,
Chats, New Goodies and MORE!
Where: www.FaithSisters.com
Why: To celebrate our 1 year birthday!

Earn points toward winning prizes by doing challenges, purchasing digi kits from our shop, and more! Earn an EXTRA 5 Points for inviting a NEW friend to the crop and have them sign up and participate in the forum!

Kindergarten, Baseball and Creative Team

Hello,

I have so much to say..

First, Faith started kindergarten yesterday.. She was so excited and nearly jumped into the bus when it finally arrived! I had to ask for a kiss before she got on. LOL It was heaven though having time to myself and not having constant chatter at me. Emilee and I did not know what to do with ourselves! After running around with our errands and picking Daddy up at work we came home.
The bus finally arrived and I went and got her off..The first thing she said was Mommy I need a drink! Apparently she never got her milk at lunch, but if she had not drank her juice boxes all up she would have had something..hehe
I asked her how was her day.
faith: It was no fun.
Me: What did you do?
faith: We colored A LOT and sat in a circle.
Me: what else?
Faith: We have rules!
Me: What are they?
Faith: dont remember
Ahh to be a kindergartner again!

Atlantic City Surf's are in the playoffs. Brayn took them up to Quebec for the first two games which they lost.. Last night was game three. We have tropical storm Hanna in our mists and has coused some rain..Last night after coming back from an 8 run deficit they called the game due to rain. We were in the 8 1/2 inning with loaded bases and 1 out. They decided to do a indefinite rain delay so that we could finish the game. Well to my surprise they waited the rain out. At 3am this morning they played and we WON 9 to 8!! MY boys ROCK!!

I am so excited to be selected as a Creative Team member for Faith Sisters!! I already completed my first challenge, just a day after it was posted! I will post it when I can..
We have a very talented team and you need to go check their work out!

http://www.faithsisters.com/photopost/

13 Months

Where has the year gone?? It's almost September, time for school..I am so excited for Faith and a little apprehensive because of the things she doesn't know since she did not go to preschool. I am confident that she will catch up!

Not much going on as of late.. Trying to catch up on some scrapbooking and have actually done that too.. Finished my Mom's 2008 Cruise album and Faith's Surf autograph album just this week.
Of course we have been going to the Surf games too to see our favorite team play. The season is winding down and we are in the race for playoffs.. more on that later..

Emilee is standing very well now and is cruising a little bit. Right now the poor thing has molars coming in so she's not real happy...Thankfully she's sleeping peacefully right now.

Emilee is One!!

Happy Birthday Baby!!

Today is the day Emilee graced us and came into the world. This past year has truly gone by so fast! She is crawling around like a mad women now and has started to pull herself up to stand in her crib. I know the day of total chaos is coming soon! LOL
Her party will be next weekend since Daddy is in Canada playing oh I mean working /driving the Surf. We had a pretty uneventful day. I took the girls to see MomMom and PopPop and then we went to get Emilee her birthday gift. We bought Stand to sit Giraffe by Fisher Price. She likes it so far. Right now she's playing with the box..typical baby.. Of course daddy has the camera so I can't take any pics.

Sweet Emilee,

Mommy is so lucky to have you as her girl. I thank God every day for you and your sister.
It's so hard to believe that you are One today. You have grown so much in this past year. We had a few scares but you have been healthy and very happy baby. I pray that God continues to watch over you and that you continue to thrive and become a young lady!
Remember that Mommy will always be in your heart..I love you more then words can say..
Mommy

We now have 8 teeth and just started to crawl and stand.
You also have quite the personality. You are definitely a redhead through and through..That firey temper comes out when things are taken away from you or when you are tired.



Here is a picture of her birthday cake that our neighbor brought over..


Got cake?? Emilee eating her birthday cake!!

Finally!!

Emilee started crawling this week and holding her bottle!! Such a big girl she is!! Working on pictures but she's not cooperating. LOL
Hubby just called me and he's going to be home early..YEAH !! Doing the happy dance here. HE has been home all of 5 hours in the last 10 days. Between driving the Surf and other over night charters he's been one busy man! I miss him terribly.

What did you do for Fourth of July??

We went and watched the Surf play baseball!! They lost but we had fun anyway..Shhh..dont tell but I took a picture of Lucas and his girlfriend watching the fireworks. I am going to surprise him with a LO!! He reminds me of my hubby when we first met. He lights up everytime he sees her. It's great to see him in LOVE!!

Well we are gearing up for Emilee's First Birthday! Can't believe she's going to be One already!! More to follow on that..

States I have Visited..

Ok, loved this.. I saw this on my bubbies Karma, Sunny and Michelle's blogs and had to post it here! Looks like I need to get out more! LOL

States I have Visited

http://bighugelabs.com/flickr/map.php

Amost End of june??

Time is certainly flying by..Emilee is 11 months old and into everything. She still does not crawl but certainly gets around. She rolls and sits up and stretches her way to whatever she wants! LOL I got her to hold her bottle once but nothing after that. She doesn't do the standing thing either..I think she thinks I am going to carry her butt the rest of her life! If I dont see any changes soon I guess I will call the doctor and see what's up. I dont think it's anything but you never know..

We went on our first road trip with the Surf last week. We had fun, they took the series 2 out of 3. It's not the same without Ryan. He was released June 11. He's suppose to be playing for a Texas team but we have not heard from him and he lost his cell phone before he went home. Praying he's doing well.

Lucas has a girlfriend and guess what her name is?? Emily!! So funny.. I saw Lucas with her last friday after the game watching the fireworks togeteer. After the game when he was leaving I asked him about her. He met her at Bible study and seems to really be smitten with her. Praying things work out for him. I told him that if they really want the relationship they will make it work ( she still lives in VA).

Not much else going on.. Have a great summer!

Already June??

I can't believe how this year is flying by. Emilee will be a year old next month! I can hardly believe it's been a year already. Time flies so fast before I know it my little girls will be in college!!

Bryan is having the time of his life..He is driving the Surf's around and loving every minute. The old driver is trying to get the job back but I have faith that everything will work out and Bryan will continue to be their driver!

Lucas was on fire the other night! He hit a home run, his third in his career! I am so bummed that the girls and I were not there to share in his victory! Next time I guess..He was right, he's not finished with baseball. God has a plan, he jsut needs to be patient and go along.

Emilee is almost crawling. She gets up on her hands and rocks forward but can't quite figure out how to get the legs out form under her and move them forward.

I can no longer leave her on the couch or chair by herself. She took a header off the chair the other day and got a rug burn under her nose..I was right there but had no time to catch her.
She has also figured out how to feed herself her puffs, I just wish she would hold her bottle. I am going to plan a revolt soon and not hold it if she keeps it up!! LOL

Such a Slacker

Hello,

Been a slacker lately with not posting. I have thought about it but have not had the energy..
Emilee turned 10 months old on the 18th.
She is now:
Rolling and reaching all over the place
Pushes herself backwards
Can get from sitting to laying on her belly
Likes to sleep bent in half
imitates any action you do
lifts her hand up in air then brings them down and pounds on her chest.

other news..
The apartment is slowly coming along. I still ahve some things to hang and bears to find homes for but for the most aprt we are settled in.
Bryan is now officially driving for the AC Surf. He is so excited to be doing it, especially since Lucas is back for this year. I am sure we will be having the gang over for dinner soon enough..

Will post pics soon!!

Home Sweet Home

Home Sweet home is such a sweet phrase. Not having a home of my own for the last 2 and half years has really made me appreciate the fact that I do now! Is it a perfect place? No. Do we have problems?? Yes, we have little friends that come to visit from time to time, the water pressure stinks but its home and I would not trade it for the world.

My baby is 9 Months!

Time sure does fly by!! Emilee turned 9 months old on the 18th and she is growing leaps and bounds!
She can:

Clap her hands putting both hands together not just clapping one hand to the other like last month.
She shakes her head No when she's done eating.
Can finally roll from back to belly and back.
She has her right upper and lower front teeth with the other two front teeth coming in slowly.
grabs for everthing in sight, especially when she is sitting in her high chair and there are things on the table.
Likes to play with bags, paper towels, paper..why did I buy toys??
Nods her head yes occasionally.
She waves bye-bye

We are slowly getting unpacked..Most boxes that we have left are from things that need a home and I need to get shelving for. We still have not found the hardware for the crib. I have a few totes in storage that it may be in. Hoping that it is in there or we have to shell out $42 for new hardware.
I am hoping to scrap later tonight. I have not done anything in over a month! I found my space last night and my table is actually clean. Msot stuff I have to put away will have to stay in boxes until I can get some shelves to put up for extra storage.

Light Bulb Moment

I was unpacking boxes last night and cleaning out drawers and came across some of my journals that I have written. WOW !! What a difference a decade makes!
In particular, these were from my 20's which were very rocky for me. I had really bad bouts of depression and Rereading them I dont think I really liked myself back then. Then I found my depression journal..Very disturbing how really low I actually was back then. The negative thoughts I use to have. It's no wonder that I tried suicide as a way out of all that pain. What's changed you say??
Well Im in my 30's now and for the most part I am way more confident in myself then I use to be. I dont care what other people think of me. I actually me..I am a lot more positive then before..I try to look at the positives as much as possible and remember that God has a plan and I need to be patient and wait for Him.What else has changed??
I found the Love of my life. A man that has always stuck by me and has put me and our children first before anything else. I only recently realized how much we have in common. We shared some of the same friends back in my late 20's but never crossed paths. Not until God wanted us to meet. Not until I was ready and finally admitted to myself that I had to stop my self destructive behavior and finally listen to what God was telling me. Only then did He allow our paths to meet.
You see what can happen when you trust and follow God??So my point of this story is ...No matter the circumstance you are dealing with, no matter how low you may feel, allow yourself to be thankful for what you do have..It can truly change your additude and lift your spirits if you Thank Him for what you have. OK...I am done for now..I wanted to share my light bulb moment I had...

We've Moved!!

YEAH!!
We are finally in our apartment! It took a BIG 16 foot truck, 6 guys, 4 pizzas and lots of man power to get allo f our stuff up 18 steps but we did it!
I thankfully did not have to lug all that stuff, I was the runner. I had to run to get the guys from church, then to the storage unit, then back to church/ Cindy's house to pick up keys I left in diaper bag and drop off Moses, then to apartment, then to get pizza,then back to Cindy's to pick up kids, then finally back to the aprtment! I did 120 miles..
Things are slowly finding a home and we are living with less and less boxes every day. I will surely be glad when it's all over!
Pictures to be coming soon!

Kim's Layouts

Happy Easter

“Blessed is the man who perseveres under trial, because when he has stood the test, he will receive the crown of life that God has promised to those who love him.”- James 1:12

I love this verse. It is the verse of the day at Biblegateway.com

If only we remembered this verse during our trials so that we may be comforted by these words. It would surely make life happy at an unhappy time..

We had an egg hunt last week at my Aunt Anne's house.. Picture above is of Faith hunting for Eggs or rather yelling at me "momma, help me!" Emilee did not join in on the fun but Momma got an egg for her and inside was a bracelet that she very happily played with..

Yesterday I took the girls to see the Easter bunny at the Deptford mall. As we were standing in line Faith asked me this question:

Faith~ "Momma, Why does the Easter bunny have a hole in his head?"

Me ~ "What hole?"

Faith ~ "Look there"

Me ( Trying hard not to laugh) I said, "I'm not sure." Yeah I know great answer..

Later after the picture was taken and me thankful of Faith not asking The Bunny about the hole in the back of his head. She asks the women at the counter who was ringing us up..

Faith~ "Why does the Easter Bunny have a hole?"

Lady at counter~ " It helps the bunny to breathe."

I was cracking up!! Where does she come up with this stuff??

Today was a Lazy Easter day for us. No church since I slept in till noon and Faith woke up with hives all over. I am guessing they are from her shots she had last week. She says they don't itch so we will see.. Faith and I did color some eggs today, they came out rather pretty. I'm sure she will be having egg salad sandwich for the next few days..hehe

I also have been thinking alot about my grandmother today. This was her favorite holiday, she always had the house decorated so nicely. I never realized the real reason for this love until now. It is the real reason why we celebrate Easter..Jesus rose from the dead and ascended into Heaven to be with his Father..What an awesome thing!! Jesus died and rose again so that our sins are paid for..It is amazing when you think about just how much God loves us for Him to do that for us!!

I have also been thinking about Mr. Chamberlain. He was my choir teacher in High school. He passed away on palm Sunday.Apparently he had a brain tumor and in the end had a massive stroke. I was a bit surprised when I heard this tonight at work since He had other problems. He had a liver transplant several years ago and continued to be a heavy smoker through all of it.

He was my favorite teacher in HS. He took me under his wing and always gave me a fair chance at what I wanted to do. I felt like he was always in my corner. My senior year he surprised me with a senior award. He told me a week before to show up at the awards and I would find out what he was talking about. He also gave me a 4 year pin which I should not have gotten because I was not in choir 4 years. It didn't matter to him. he told me that I was a great help to him during my freshman year in freshman choir and I deserved the pin. He will be greatly missed..

Happy St. Patty's Day

Kiss me I'm Irish!!!

So many things going on lately..Emilee is getting bigger every day. She tops in at 18lbs and is now rolling 1 way. She still doesn't want to roll to her belly! I can see the stuborness coming out. hehe She also love to play with rattles, especially if they make sounds.. She is also lifting up her arms when you ask her to, especially when she wants you to pick her up. And MomMom has been trying to teach her how to wave byebye.. so far it's ify at best.

Bryan went back to work and we are getting ready for the move! I can't believe how much stuff we have accumilated since moving in with my parents almost 3 years ago.. A LOT of STUFF!!
I can't see us getting it all in our tiny apartment!!

We Are Moving!!!

Here is a Layout that I did for a recent challenge on Faithsisters. This challenge was about Answered Prayers. This LO is about my desire to have a home of our own and our struggles along the way.

I am so grateful that we have this chance to make a fresh start and have a home of our own!! Praise God, he is so good to me!!

We are moving in the beginning of April. Our church is going to help us move since Bryan can't lift anything heavy because of his shoulder. I have so much to do and so little time..hehe

What else is new right??

I've been tagged

by my friend Michelle..So here goes..

You must post the rules before you give your answers. You must list one fact about yourself for each letter of your middle name. Each fact must begin with that letter. If you don't have a middle name, just use your maiden name. After you've been tagged, you need to up-date your blog with your middle name and answers. At the end of your post, you need to tag one person for each letter of your middle name. (Be sure to leave them a comment telling them they've been tagged and need to read your blog for details).
My middle name is Marie

M ~ Movie that I can watch over and over ~ My best friend's wedding

A ~ I Adore Tim McGraw!!

R ~ Roses are my favorite flower.

I ~ I am intelligent and independent.

E ~ Enjoy scrapbooking, reading, playing with my girls.

Ok..I have to tag 5 people.. I tag Marilee, Jackie, Cheryl, Barb,and Eva..Love my Faith Sisters!!

RAK

OK..so this is sooo cool!! My dear Sisters at Faithsisters.com are having a RAK. For those of you who dont know it means Random Act of Kindness.. So anywho they wanted a New LO form one of the challenges..So here are mine.. The first one is called Desires of Home ~ It is for Dahila's Faith Discovery Challenge..It is actually the first scrapbook page I have ever done without a picture..it turned out pretty good if I do say so myself..hehe

The Second is called Forever Love..It is a picture of me and Bryan on our Wedding day..LOVE how this came out!! Forever love is the song by Reba McEntire that is very special to us, I had the song title engraved into his wedding ring and that was the last song we danced to at our wedding..

Thank You so much for looking!!

Happy Valentine's Day

To all my dear friends I wish you lots of LOVE on this day!!

Well to catch you up...

Bryan is out of work! He fell on some ice on a handicap ramp at the Shore mall and broke the glenoid bone in his shoulder and tore his labrium. We have contacted a lawyer, we are hoping for some money to come from that soon.
We are moving!! Hopefully by the end of next month we will ahve our own place. Unfortunately it wont be in the township where we live, can't afford it since he is out of work but praying that God will see us through all of this. I feel that the tension is just too high at my Mom's house and I am tired of walking on egg shells when I'm there. I understand my Mom's view point but she could be a little more discret about her feelings about the situation and of my husband.
Enough on THAT subject..

Emilee was once again in the ER today, somehow the little dear dislocated her elbow..I was at the squad helping with the rose sale and Bryan called. I could hear her in the background screaming. I asked what was wrong and he said he didn't know but she was not moving her arm. So I made a mad dash to home, looked at her and said let's go! I knew somehting was wrong but I thought she did something to her shoulder. After 1 hour waiting in the quick care in the ER the Nurse practioner came in was looking at her arm, asking questions then bent her arm and sure enough it popped back in. That was it! 10 minutes later we are walking out!! Fastest ER visit in History I tell ya!!
I can't believe she's almost 7 months old already! She is sitting pretty much on her own and grabbing for anything in sight now. She's still not rolling but I think she will get that soon. She does not like to be on her belly so that is half the problem. I'm hoping ot get her to see the Doctor soon. ER weighed her and she's 16 pounds!! Feels more like 25 to me! hehe!
I noticed too tonight that she's doing the full raspberries now. she sticks her tongue out and then blows..I thank Pop Pop for that! Oh the things my Dad teaches her! I don't even want to know!!

6 Months

Today I went and proofed Emilee's 6 month pictures. I can't believe she is 6 months already! It feels like it was just yesterday that I was pregnant with her.
What a blessing she is! She is so quite and so full of cheer! She smiles constantly, I love in the morning when I get her out of bed or walk out to the living room and she just stares at me and puts this big smile on her face and shakes with excitement cause she see Mom! What a great feeling!!
SHe's not rolling over yet but is reaching for things, especially Mommy's hair! OUCH!!! Thankfully she does not pull hard, unlike her sister! hehe I have to schedule her a well appointment and get her shots up to date, she is so far behind since we had no insurance.
I will have to do that this week.
Please pray for Bryan. He is waiting for his MRI results to see what he has done to his shoulder. He fell in the parking lot at the mall and maybe tore his rotator cuff or the labrium..I am hopeful he won't need surgery but we will see..

I got a nice phone call the other day that reaffirms why I scrapbook for others.. Our friend Lucas, who retired from the AC Surfs (Faith's boyfriend) finally got his book that I did for him. He was so happy about his book. He loved it !! I am so happy that I was able to capture his last year in baseball for him! He must have told me 10 different ways how he loved it and appreciated the time and effort I put into it!

TGIF!!

THank the Lord it's Friday!!





I have to share this with you..
Today before getting ready to go to work I was talking to my daughter Faith about prayer. I told her that I wanted to start praying with her at night before bed..She asked me why? I told her the reasons why you pray and when I told her that one of the reasons is because we Love God and prayer is a way to become closer to Him. I then told her that The reason she was here was because of my Faith and Love for God is what blessed me with her and Emilee..She looked a little confused..THen she said" Gee Mommy I came from your belly, How did God get me there?? I was not ready to go into the birds and bees with a 5 year old..I told her it's a little complicated then that..hehe
I then told her The reason you are named faith is because of my faith and Love for God that I would have a child.. She says to me" I know Mommy!" I always knew that!"

Now I have never really discussed this with her before..She could hardly remember her full name let a lone remember why she was named Faith!
All I can say is God Is Awesome!!

Inspirational Sunday

Hello and Happy Sunday to you..May God bless you abundantly today!

I have to talk about my favorite place on the web..and that is http://faithsisters.com/ I have been a member there since the beginning and I love all my Sisters!

There are so many challenges going on right now for those of you who scrapbook and want to start a Faith album..Here are examples of a few that I have done over the past week alone..

Inspriational Challenge ~ This challenge is posted weekly, the winner of this challenge gets there LO on the front page of the site! How cool is that!

Scripture Challenge ~ Also a weekly challenge. My fellow Sister, Patter picks a word and you design a card or LO using that word in a scripture and your thoughts and feelings about this word..ie..this weeks word was faith.. I used Hebrews 11:1 Now faith is the substance hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. On the back of my card I journaled about the importance of Faith in my trials of becoming a mother.

Faith Discovery Challenge ~ THis is also weekly and Dahlia gives us a new challenge each week that will help you to grow and deepen in your Faith.

This weeks challenge was about creating a LO of things in this past year or past years that challenged your Faith and the Lord used to build your character/and or faith.

You can see all my LO's in my gallery at FaithSisters. The link is posted above..

I hope you can join us and begin to experience the life changing things that God is doing in our lives and Faithsisters! All are welcome to join us!

Blessings..

KIM

Happy New Year!!

It is 2008 already..can't believe it. We have been truly blessed this past year. The birth of Emilee was the highlight of the year, we made some great new friends and have truly resigned to finally being on our own..Woohoo!!

Christmas was a total blur to me. I wanted it to make it special for Emilee since it was her first but it really was just like any other day. I will post pics soon..

I don't necessarily have New Year Resolutions for the year..I always break them..This year I have Goals for the year..

1. Grow with God by reading His word more often and studying it.

2. Finally get out of this financial hole we are in and move out and be on our own..

3. Finally finish my grandmother's travel scrapbook..It's been 5 years in the making.

4. Shed the extra pounds I have accumilated and eat a better diet..


So what are your goals for the year??

Happy New Year!! May God bless you with abundant blessings in the New Year!