Thursday, November 19, 2009

Mommy Dragon's Little Fella

Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it. Proverbs 22:6
He is such a little man!! This guy loves to help me and is so into cleaning. If I get close to the sink, he begs to help with dishes. If I am doing laundry, he reaches up for the clothes from the wash and throws them in the dryer for me. The other day, when I was washing dishes he asked if I would get the step-ladder so he could help me. Realizing how I could capitalize on this in the future, I definitely did not hesitate. He stuck with it til they were all gone.
He got a little worried when he looked at his hands and noticed they were all raisiny.
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I rewarded his efforts with a little dessert after dinner.
Turkey in a Blizzard.
To make these, you need:
1 chocolate covered donut,
1 Hershey's kiss,
1 orange sprinkle
( I used leftover Halloween ones),
and 4 candy corn.
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1.) Gently press Hershey's Kiss into the donut near the hole.
2.) Press each candy corn around the top rim of the donut
3.) Press orange sprinkle into the pointy top of Kiss.
I put mine atop a scoop of vanilla ice cream.Voila!! Turkey in a Blizzard

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Introducing:
Bernadette the Thrift Store Angel
She was all of $1.99 at my favorite Thrift Store! I am sure she brought Merry Christmases to her family, but they apparently moved on to someone new. So now, she will reside happily in my Check Spellingliving room. I hope to rescue more angels just like her. She is helping to slowly transition my decor into Christmas and quite frankly, I love her.
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Monday, November 16, 2009

Aunt Ida, Duchess of Vilonia, Joins her King

57 years and 1 month ago, this world was introduced to Ida Mae Swaim, a toe-headed delta sweetheart. She was the youngest of 7 children with an amazing spirit. Known to her mama as Ider, Maw-Maw to her grandkids,Aint Idie to her nieces and nephews,she left an an Ida shaped hole in our hearts. On her 56th birthday she was diagnosed with stage 4 cancer. 1 year and 1 month later she was laid to rest.
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Happier Times
I met Aunt Ida just a few days before mine and Jason's wedding. After a little teasing about whether or not I was sure I wanted to be part of the family, Aunt Idie asked me if I wanted to see the dress she planned to wear for our big day. She left the room and came back minutes later dressed in a 1980's royal blue number that was sure to turn heads, but not in a flattering way. Giving into stereotypes, I assumed what they said about Arkansans was true. Not wanting to seem rude, I politely complimented the blueberry monstrosity. She laughed and fortunately had something more elegant planned.
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I loved going to Vilonia in the spring time to pick veggies out of her and Uncle Roberts' garden. Together we picked peppers, squash, cucumbers, and purple hull peas. We would sit around the table, shell peas, and talk the afternoon away. Our efforts were rewarded with a delicious garden fresh vegetable dinner complete with pickled cumbers, fried taters, and sweet tea.
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Every time I would visit, Aunt Ida made a point to make sure she and I had special time together, doing my favorite thing, thrift shopping. The kids would ask if they could come and she let them know in no uncertain terms, that they were not invited. We always shopped together. In March, she and I hit a few stores in Carlisle. On the car ride there, we talked about the unfortunate turn of events. She shared with me that she was at peace with dying. The only part she hated was the sorrow her family would feel. I let her know that as much as I would miss her, I knew that our time apart would be short.
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Aunt Ida with her family before we knew about the cancer. Christmas, 2006.

Aint Idie and "Luke the Toot" as she called him seen here at Granny-Greats.
Luke has said on many occasions recently, "I miss Aint Idie. I don't want her to be in Heffen"

I loved this idea. I think it would be a great thing for Brae to do in honor of her daddy. The kids each said a prayer while holding their balloon, letting Maw-Maw know how much they loved her. They sent the balloon to the sky and on to Heaven.
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Our cousins Chad and Misty's new bundle of boy.

Welcome little one. We are so glad to meet you and can't wait to share with you the love and memories we have of Aunt Ida.
The family gathered after the funeral at Grandma's in Hazen. We spent time visiting with one another.
Her presence was definitely missed.

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Sunday, November 8, 2009

1 month until Snowball Express! Crunch Time!

One year ago, this was me. Twiggy however fit and healthy. I dieted for 2 years and went from 172 lbs. to a scary low 122 lbs. While I have no desire to get "skinny", I would like to get healthy. Limiting sweets and junk food has suddenly become trying. I am setting a goal. For the next month I will eat healthy and take my happy hinder to the gym; something I have denied myself for over a month. So for 1 month I plan to make it to the gym 4 times a week and to eat healthy again. Tomorrow is Monday the 9th, a pefect day to get started.

Tuesday, November 3, 2009

This Halloween was a good one, despite my lack of desire to decorate. I got as far as buying a few window clings at Wal-Mart and a couple pumpkins from Sprout. Other than that...nothin'. Fortunately, the lack of spooky ambiance did not prevent my monkeys from having a great time. This Halloween was jam packed and the kids and I had fun celebrating. Brae was "Sponge Babe" and Luke was "Spiderman" with big muscles. Below, Luke and the kids from his pre-school pose for their action hero poster pic. Captain America in the middle had just instructed Spiderman Luke) and Cat woman (Ashlynn) to "save da wold." I feel safe!How about you???


The kids were adorable in their costumes and it was nice that Lukey-Luke had little friends to play with this year. The next day, the kids and I went to Brae's Fall Festival at her school. The theme this year was The Great Pumpkin. The decor was great and the festival turned out really good. Brae and Luke took her final elementary fall fest pic. We now have the whole collection since Miss B was in Kinder.

They were such "Hambones." They enjoyed the games and tickets. Brae actually spent most of the time with friends this year. But it was alright. Luke and I got to spend time together. Brae felt very independent and her mom only felt moderately abandoned.


After Fall Festival it was off to the In-Laws for another Falloween Traditition...

CHILI DOGS!
Since Brae was itty bitty we have gone over to Jason's parents for Chili Dogs on Halloween Night. This year Jessica made homemade chili. It was really good. It is amazing to me that 3 years ago to the day, Brae's daddy deployed back to Iraq. I look at her now and can not believe what an amazing young woman she has become. This year was the first year I felt like my little baby isn't a little baby anymore. She was pretty much over trick-or-treating. :(

{Sassy Britches Squarepants}
After Halloween at the in-laws, we headed to our next Halloween tradition, trick or treating at Hometown. Hometown is a newer neighborhood that consists of homey old-timey houses made of siding and painted bright colors. It is a great place. Hometown has a real sense of community about. It is, in essence, like a small town.

Hometown would be an ideal place to raise a family. "People are dying to get in."
Next Stop ...Nannie's House!
The kids were greeted at the door by Nannie, Uncle Steve, and Aunt Jerra.
This year Brae decided rather than going around and collecting candy, that this year, she would help Nannie hand out candy.
There is no candy as sweet as family!!
Hometown is known for its elaborate holiday decorations. There are several set-ups like the one below for pictures of the chitlins. We ran into Brae's principal at one of our first houses. She was coincidentally visiting her parents. We took this pic at her parents' house. Small world.
{ Hometown is always decorated to the max! }


{ Meet Lucille.}
Every year the neighbors decorate a broomstick and put her out front. Brae ran down and met us really quick to get her annual Lucille pic.
WARNING! The following is not for the faint hearted....
Before continuing, make sure you are sitting down.

Have you ever seen such a thing????
I found this to be the very most unique Halloween gimmick EVER! We walked up and there, gleaming like the North Star, was a lovely home decorated very elaborately with Holiday Cheer!
We attempted to walk up to the front porch only to find that there was line down to the street corner to get candy.



When we finally made it to the front porch, we were greeted by a large present who doled out candy canes and wished each child a Merry Halloween. We continued up the steps to find
St. Nick himself along with Mrs. Claus and a cute little elf, posing for pictures.

Luke was a little freaked out by Santa. I mean do ya blame him? I was confused too!!
It was a really cool idea. Luke really enjoyed seeing Santa, who told him he would see him soon.
I can not wait for Christmas! It truly was a Merry Halloween!

Monday, October 26, 2009

Brae speaks at Skyball vii

I had to post this as I had NO pictures of Brae speaking. Only a video. Thanks to Missy Hedad who was so sweet to send me this picture. More info on this event below for your viewing pleasure.
How fortunate are we that Braelyn got ANOTHER speaking oppurtunity? Mike Hogg let us know about a month or 2 ago that the Snowball Express would like for Braelyn to represent them at Skyball, a fundraising Gala that raises money for Military Initiatives. It was AWESOME! On Friday, Braelyn and I got gussied up, with much fuss over what to wear,LOL! They had sort of a Skyball pre-party for all the volunteers of both Snowball and Skyball. It was an AMAZING party.There were awesome bands, great food, and even Tony Orlando was there. Steve Amerson, America's Tenor performed a couple beautiful numbers as well! I also got a chance to meet lots of new faces.


{ Steve Amerson takes the stage. His voice is like butta. That's why, when you GOOGLE America's tenor, his name is the one you find! }


{While at the party there were times we felt like little bitty fish in a massive ocean, as we knew only a couple people there. BUT THEN... Braelyn found Natalie and Savannah a mom and daughter whom she met at Disneyland 2 years ago, who are also Snowball Families. }


{I have to be honest. This is my first encounter with someone who has faced the brutality of war} It hits you for a second and then you have to remind yourself...}

THIS IS WHAT FREEDOM LOOKS LIKE. This is what freedom costs. Legs. Somebody's legs.

How lucky were we to get out of our "EVERYTHING IS FINE" shells and get a picture with reality?

{ Me, B, and Mr. Tie-A-Yellow-Ribbon-Round-The-Old-Oak-Tree. }


Tony Orlando was so sweet. He does a lot for soldiers. He went to Iraq and performed for the soldiers as well as helped the children of Iraq get school supplies and new shoes. Awesome!







Couldn't pass up another hero photo oppurtunity.

While I waited in line for a drink,

I overheard these guys swappping stories about recent deployments.

__________________________________


Brae and I called it a night around 10:30,

so she could get plenty of rest before her speech the next day.
The next morning Luke and I decided to surprise Daddy and Sissy with breakfast.











Okay, so Daddy and Sissy did end up helping with breakfast.Helps if you wake up early when you wanna surprise people. We had fun. Jas is a breakfast master. We also had pumpkin pancakes but I forgot to get a picture of them before they were inhaled! It was all very yummy.




After breakfast, Brae and I got cleaned up and headed to rehearsal. She got an oppurtunity to check out the place she would be speaking at. We hitched a ride on a cart from our car to bay 4 at the hanger. When we rolled in, we were floored! Table after table were decorated beautifully!The hanger doors were open letting in a slice of the beautiful day we were having on each side of the room. Brae's word was WOW. As soon as we located Jim Palmershine, Brae hopped on stage and began reading through her notes on the podium.


{ Here the stage manager told her to speak loud into the mic.}


Captain Steve Blankenship, also in charge of Skyball, gave Brae a very special pep talk. He showed Brae pictures of his grown girls telling her how proud he is of each of them. He said each of them are very special inside and out. As he proceeded to go through the pictures, I was reminded that Brian will never be able to go through his pictures and do the same. Brian will never get to say, "Look world. This is my daughter. I am so proud of her. She is a doctor. She is a mother. She and her husband do this or that. "

Captain Blankenship told Brae she too was a special girl inside and out.To rely on the Lord for strength and let him say what He needs to say through her. Her experience is unique and could provide healing for so many in a similar situation. I appreciated him so much! We had been praying that the Lord WOULD speak through her, so it was nice that he was praying the same thing.


This is the view from the podium. Pretty cool, huh?




{300 tables, 3000 chairs}



{What? Me? Nervous? Maybe a little. Maybe a lot.



After rehearsal, we decided on a manicure.

{Pretty Flowers}

On to the Big Show!



They rolled out the red carpet for the guests. We were greeted by friendly American Airlines employees who were volunteering their time to make this event SUPERB!



Braelyn with Micki and Bob Sander. Also, in the Cowboy Hats, a hero and his bride.

As we got seated, we were told they would be parking a plane in the hanger so we all needed to clear the building.


We stepped out to a lovely clear evening complete with beautiful sunset amidst historical planes and current American Airlines jets.


{Julie Hanley and Brae stop for a pic}


We all mingled and soaked in the beauty and splendor that was in the air. This in itself was enough to send me home fufilled.




{Taking turns posing with the old AA plane.}


{Jim Palmershine leading in the plane in a penguin suit! LOVE IT!}


{ Brae got to meet John Ratzenberger, Cliff the Postman, from Cheers}

Julie posing with the band, whose music added just the right amount of glamour and dazzle to the wait outside.



LADIES AND GENTLEMEN:

The moment we have all been waiting for....





Gary Senise and Tony Orlando (who is not Geraldo Rivera.)




One of the cool things about Snowball are the volunteers. Shirley Evatt, a flight attendant for American met Braelyn and Jocelyn on their first trip to Disney and remembered Brae!! As soon as Brae sat down this lovely lady followed us with her eyes back to our seats and gave Brae a HUGE hug!! She is one reason why Snowball Express makes a difference in children's lives. She made Braelyn feel soo valued, that I heard about her as soon as Brae got off the plane.






Gary Senise. What more can I say. Most may not realize but that name symbolizes so much patriotism. He and Tony Orlando greeted every soldier after he got off the plane with a handshake. He has started OIC, Operation International Children. They collect school supplies and needs for children in Iraq and abroad. He also founded the Lt. Dan Band, a patriotic Band that has played at both of the Snowball Events Brae has attended. Soldiers can rest knowing that someone is always routing for them.

{Brae and I with a member of the Historic Plane Museum.}

{Buck Kern, one of the first people I met at the Dallas City Hall Press Conference, recieved an award for his help with the Snowball Express.}


{Bob and Micki Sander also won an award for their help with this fantastic organization. She introduced Brae at Dallas City Hall.}

Braelyn and Santa. This Santa will be greeting kids at the airport as he has for years.}




{Brae and Mike Hogg, who was so sweet to give Braelyn this INCREDIBLE oppurtunity.}

{WE LOVE YA MIKE!}

All in all it was a GLORIOUS Evening. A wonderful way to celebrate the eve of Brae's Daddy's 37th Birthday!