Kellys Home Tour - My Kitchen:

I am a big fan of Kellys Korner blog (the link is on the side). I think she is amazing! She is hosting a 'Show us where you live' home tour every Friday. I thought it would be fun to participate. Welcome to my kitchen:

Here is the view looking in from a hallway. My kitchen is combined with my eating area and what we call in the south...a keeping room. My kids spend lots of time in the keeping room! They lounge on the couch and watch tv, play games, etc! :)



Another view from one side. My favorite thing about my kitchen is the granite countertops. I have had every type of counter surface you can imagine and these are my favorites! :) I love the Method granite cleaner from Target. It smells good and makes the granite shiny!



Better view of eating area and keeping room! Another favorite thing of mine is my bamboo blinds. I love them. I have had them in my last 3 houses. They are relatively inexpensive, but really make a room look pretty ( well I think they do)! ;)



Looking in from the eating area:



Other side of kitchen. I really like my small stone tiles. They are different colors and I like that! We didn't build our home, but I was really pleased with the choices that the builder made.


Thanks for stopping by! :)

Last week, I got to go read to Noah's class. I forgot my camera, so we took a pic when we got home. Mom, there is my patio furniture!!! I can't believe that Noah has 2 more weeks of school and he is out for the summer. The girls have 2 1/2 weeks. This year has gone by so fast and I am a little down today. It doesn't help that Noah has been sick for the 3rd time in 2 months. Sometimes life feels heavy and its tough to hold your head up! :(

Easter Weekend (Lots of fun)!

We had such a fabulous Easter weekend. It started with Noah's Easter Party at school. He had a blast hunting for eggs which he put in the *basket* he had made in class. Saturday, we headed out to our friend's lake house. Meredith has been several times and I always imagined a rustic cabin type place, but it was just Gorgeous. The kids hunted eggs ( Noah literally stumbled upon the money egg), played games, played in the water, rode in the boat, and did I mention we ate??? Oh my word, I think I ate my weight in dips, chips, and jelly beans!!! ;) Sunday, we went to church and then over to my SIl's house for lunch. Afterwards, we decided to take the kids to see 'Hannah Montana'. They all enjoyed that, even Noah who was dancing in the aisles!!! It was just a wonderful fun-filled weekend!

Noah at pre-school and ready to go ( look at that cheesy grin):



Serious Egg Hunting:



Me and my sweet boy:



Noah and the Golden Egg ( he is 5$ richer):



Egg Toss:



Madeline and Annelise win:



Little guy is very serious about this race:



Meredith wants to win:


Go Madeline go:



Our Family on Easter Sunday:

Happy Easter!

I grew up as a very conservative Presbyterian minister's daughter. We sang hymns most of my childhood. We moved to TX when I hit jr high and it was there that we were in a church that started singing "praise songs". I have loved them ever since. However, there is something so beautiful and pure about the old hymns. My favorite is when they take a hymn and make it a little more modern. You still have the beauty of those words, but a sound that appeals to the younger generation. The following song sums up what Easter is all about to me. We attended a HUGE Baptist church for awhile last year. Their worship was INCREDIBLE. We only stopped going there because it was so large. They sang this song many times and each instance, I felt God's presence in such a powerful way! Read these words and then watch the video! Happy Easter!

JESUS PAID IT ALL
ALL TO HIM I OWE
SIN HAD LEFT A CRIMSON STAIN
HE WASHED IT WHITE AS SNOW

Sunday Funny...

So we are sitting in church and the pastor is talking about the cross and Christ dying for us. It is very serious and there were lots of tears. We stand up to sing a song about being forever grateful. It is a time for personal prayer and worship. I had my head bowed and was pondering the cross. I hear a soft *pop* and hear snickers behind me. I turn to my right and Noah is sitting on the chair with our big green umbrella.....OPEN! He pressed the button and it popped right out. What perfect timing Noah! Did you think it was going to rain in church? ;)

Where did the time go?

How did we get from here:


to here?


This morning I took my "baby" and registered him for K! Don't get me wrong...I am thrilled that all 3 of my kids will be in school next year, but it is so bittersweet. Noah is such a joy to have in my life. I always wanted a little boy and God blessed me when he gave me this precious son! The other day he looked at me and hugged me and said " you're my favorite mommy ever"! It doesn't get any better then that!!!! :)

I have a few things to say:

Here they are:

~ I have had sick children for almost 3 weeks. All 3 had the fever virus and just when I thought we were well, Noah got strep. Thankfully, he is all better!

~ I hate how repair/installation people give you a time window for their arrival and it NEVER ends up being even close! :(

~ Madeline scored TWO goals in the soccer game last night and Meredith also played well! Too bad I was sitting in my car due to the fact that it was 40 degrees outside. I could see the game but didn't hear much. I am such a wimp!!! :(

~ Greg, Noah , and I are headed to FL tomorrow. It is a business "fun" trip. The girls were supposed to go too, but they have their big 5th grade field trip to B'ham on Friday and didn't want to miss it. They are spending the night with friends tomorrow evening and they can't wait!

~ I.AM.TIRED!!!