Lost Little Girl

I had a lost little girl show up at my house almost 2 weeks ago. She was truly a bright spot in a very snowy and cold day. She was so cheery I left her on my front porch to cheer up everyone else that past by that day. And then she sat in my dining room for the rest of the week just to give me a chuckle every time I passed by her.


Now this little girl has a very long story behind her but anyone that knows me also knows I like to go "curb shopping". This poor little girl was picked up on the curb and put in the front yard of the sweetest, most kind person I know. She also has a wicked sense of humor (my friend, not the hula girl). I get my very best laughs from her.
This poor lost girl has been dressed up for Christmas, Easter and now to remind me of our coming trip to Hawaii. My of my, what will she dress up like next??????

I've be Tagged

I think I'm in the same boat as everyone else lately. It seems everyone started a blog in 2008 and is now in limbo trying to think of something more exciting than our normal lives, to blog about. So yes, I have not blogged for quite some time. But Very Sweet Angela, at The West Family , has tagged me and you have to post your sixth picture in your sixth folder.

Just a little disclaimer, You know me and you know how our sweet puppy has become one of the family. So here's the picture. And YES, she does get Christmas presents at Christmas time. And I know what your thinking, yes, she has a birthday party too. No, I have not lost my mind. Just my kids. When you don't have kids at home anymore you have to do something fun.

Christmas 2007

Yup, You read right, it is a John Deere shirt for a dog. Now let me just say, I don't work at John Deere, I don't have access to their catalogs to order this t shirt. Now, lets think this thru. There are 2 of us that live in this house. One of us works at John Deere and one of us doesn't. So who do you think bought this crazy t shirt????? Yes, it was my dear sweet husband that said it was crazy for Erica and I to dress this puppy up for Halloween. But, guess who bought her a JD t shirt so she wouldn't be cold when she went outside. I know, I know, you NEED a picture of her in her get up don't you? Here it is:


Did you notice it took 2 grown men to get the T shirt on this poor puppy? Ohhh, and now she looks ever so happy to have it on doesn't she? So the same person that bought the T shirt is also the same person that bought this ever so cute JD hat made especially for dogs. This was her Halloween costume for 2008. She even has a JD leash. Did you notice that???? The only thing she is missing is a JD collar but she still doesn't have that. But she does have a JD pink bandana. Yup, it's pink, Yup, it's JD. Wanna see a picture? Of course you do. Crazy of me to ask, right?

Halloween 2008


Christmas 2008

Do you see a theme emerging with the 2 people who are always in the picture "dressing up" this poor puppy. Not Erica, Not Me. I'm not naming names but they are alwys the ones "dressing" her up. I think it's pretty cute myself. Two big burly manly men are playing "dress up" with this cute little puppy girl.
So this is my Christmas gift to you. A hundred and one ways to tease my 2 guys. Merry belated Christmas.
And Thank You Angela for giving me the push I needed to start blogging in the New Year.

Who's driving this bus anyways?

I've been told that I can be a little obsessive compulsive,(I like the word "driven") a wee bit of a perfectionist,( I prefer to say "detail oriented") and that I am sometimes..er..inflexible (I like to use the more positive word, "focused") Now, mostly this is just my kids that say these things. Okay, my kids and my friends. Alright then, my kids, my friends and my Mom. Whatever.

I have a plan for the minute, hour, day, month, year, my life, your life, whatever. And usually I'm pretty sure it's the way "God intended" it to be. (wink, wink) But lately He seems to keep asking "Who's driving this bus?" Now I'm a pretty good driver, so I think He would be safe to let me do it my way , uh, I mean drive.

But I need to remember I am not the one in charge, I need to ask for guidance; to be still, and listen, and watch for signs, but I still have that knee jerk reaction of "oh-no-I-am-quite-sure-that's-not-the-plan-He-has-in-mind-for-me" attitude when an answer seems to appear that isn't what I had been planning for.

Now I don't mind learning a lesson now and then. And by reading the first paragraph you know I have a few lessons to learn yet. I know, I hear you all saying, "ya think". I just want Him to let me know exactly what that lesson is so I can learn it and get on with it.

I tell ya, this, let go & let God, stuff is sometimes so much harder than it sounds. I reminded myself who was really driving the bus, and took my seat near the big newly opened window.

Christmas Countdown

You'll notice the wonderful Christmas countdown in the sidebar. I LOVE this. I have already started my "8 Weeks to Christmas" plan. I have done this for sooooo many years I don't even remember how long I've been doing it. I just know Christmas goes so much more smoothly when I follow my plan. And YES, I have been listening to Christmas music already. Haven't you???

You don't have any Christmas music Cd's you say? Try MCG channel 500. Christmas music, all Christmas, all day, all the time. They have a good mix of different types of music. I'm usually a Christain music person but at Christmas I can even get into a little Chipmunks Christmas. Who doesn't love em some Alvin??

Don't get me wrong. I love Thanksgiving and I feel that is what fall is all about. Everyday when I see the leaves changing and the guys in the field I do give thanks for everything the Lord has blessed us with. But any woman that has hosted at least one Christmas at her house or has hosted a Christmas party or Cookie party knows, you have to start early. Now my family is a little different than most. We have 5 family Christmas's. Yup, count em'- 5. And I host at least 3 of them at my house. We have Christmas with my Dad the sunday before (my house), my Mom's Christmas Eve (my house), we open our gifts Christmas day(my house), my Mother in-laws the weekend after, and my Step Dad's around New Years. And for Kicks & Giggles I usually host an annual Cookie Party. Soooooo, I have to start early. It's what keeps me sane.

I usually have everything done the week before Christmas so I can really enjoy the week leading up to Christmas. But that does mean I start right after Halloween. I'm not a big Halloween person, I decorate for Fall, and I usually do that the end of September. And I usually have decortations in almost every room. And then we go right into decorating for Christmas, and I have a Christmas tree in EVERY room and on all 3 levels of my house. So my house is not the same from September until the 2nd week of Jan.

The worst part of it all is the tear down in Jan. I take the week after Christmas to still enjoy all of my decorations. I love the soft glow the trees make in a room. Then the first of Jan. I start the tear down. I takes me a long time to tear down all of this. And then it's just plain. I always think I'll leave the snowmen stuff out but I never do. It's usually sad after the tear down because things just seem bare and lonely after that. But this year we're planning a wedding so we'll be busy getting ready for that. And what a great way to start the new year!

Engagement pictures

I love this picture of Tyler and Emma! It is my favorite by far. But if you look at any picture of two people in love it's going to be a good picture. Here are a few others that they had taken too.

I've been tagged!

I was tagged by sweet sweet Ashely, that has a very special place in my heart very near my own daughter. Which makes sense if you know her Mother and I are best friends, Ashley and Erica are friends, Ashely's brother and Tyler are friends and her Dad and Roger are friends. So she is FAMILY in every sense. I love her like my own! My heart breaks when her heart breaks and her heart has been broke more than her fair share. I would give anything to make "everything ok" for her.
So when she asks me to tell 7 random things about myself she will definitely get 7 very random things. So here are my 7 crazy, quirky, you've got to be kidding, random things:

1. In high school I wanted to be a psychologist for the criminally insane. Which is insane if you know me because I'm a big ol scaredy cat. And I wouldn't be able to sleep at night knowing all of those wack o's were out there.

2. I use to get up early in the morning and run on the old Hwy. 92 west road, when I was in Jr. High and High school. JUST. FOR. FUN. Ha, can you believe it???

3. And I swear, once upon a very short time I was a size 5. Ya, you read that right. Blows your mind doesn't it?? I have a few pictures to show it and up until 2 years ago I still had the shorts to prove it. And then I faced reality and knew I would NEVER get there again.

4. I started dating my husband when I was 16 and he was 22.

5. We were married 3 days after I graduated from high school.

6. I have taken care of my Dad, who is blind, for 32 years. Now don't you dare do the math, I don't want you to know how OLD I am. I was 12 when I started doing his laundry, groc. shopping and cleaning around the house.

7. I went to high school with my best friend, but we didn't really know each other then. Now I would lay down my life for her. The Lord has brought us together and we are so blessed thru our friendship. We laugh at how many people we both knew and how are lives have crossed paths thru the years but it took us going to the same church to bring us together.

Win a free Handbag

Go to Handbag Planet and win a free handbag. You can choose the one they are giving away at that time or you can pick a different handbag. And who can't use another handbag???

Thank You Sweet Anna Mae

A very big Thank You to Anna for this wonderful blog award. She is the sweetest girl ever. I say girl but she is a grown woman, who is a wife, a mother, a very strong Christian. She will always be a young girl in my heart. The sweet young girl that handed out smiles and hugs and brightened so many peoples days and hearts. Her heart is as big as her hugs and she has learned from the very best huggers, her Mom and Grandma. They have also taught her how to be a strong prayer warrior. You can visit her blog at Anna Whispers

This award comes with a questionnaire:

1. Do you have the same friends since childhood?
My friend Karen and I have been together since Jr. High and Paul's Pizza. My closest friends, prayer partners, accountability keepers and Martha want-a-be's are Thelma and Mona.

2. What do you value most about your friends?
They love, care and worry about my kids as much as I do. They are honest, trustworthy and have a strong walk with the Lord.

3. Are your friends your sounding boards?
Absolutely and they tell me when I'm way off track. Which can be alot!

4. What is your favorite activity to share with your friends?
Our bible study time, curb shopping, drooling over Mona's grandbaby.

I'm also supposed to share this award with 4 other friends...
Angela at The West Family
Melissa at StretchMarks
Elizabeth at Lizzy Bell's Frozen Delights

My kid is trying to kill me

Did you ever see your child's life flash before your very eyes??? I did today! I saw my sweet, precious baby boy on a motorcycle. Ok, yeah I know he's 22 years old. But, He. Was. On. A. Motorcycle!

I was minding my own business coming home from Wal Mart. And I saw him from 3 blocks away and I KNEW it was him. Couldn't see his face, couldn't tell from his clothes, but a Mother knows these things. My heart stopped beating and I couldn't breath. And he WASN"T wearing a helmet! Can I just say "Kill me now, why don't ya" . That smiling face that makes your heart melt when he gives you that smile that says "there's no way you can resist me & your going to kill me for what I've done". THAT precious face was totally unprotected.

He turned the corner before I got to him and so I turned and then he saw me. The smile I referred to above is the smile that I got when our eyes met. I couldn't think or speak. My heart was in my throat and I wanted to kill this child of mine and he just kept smiling and said "it's hard for you isn't it?" Yaaaa think?

I know, I know, lots of people ride motorcycles and live to tell about it. But you don't understand.
This is MY child and the Lord blessed us with him being absolutely perfect and I want to keep him that way. In his whole life if somethings going to go wrong, it will go wrong for him. And I want to keep my kids in ONE piece, I'm kinda funny that way.

Tylers Engaged!!!

Tyler got engaged August 16! I know it's a little late posting on here but he had to go to Illinois and tell his Grandma Taft in person. So now we can shout it from the roof tops. Yeah!!

Ok, now for all of the details. Tyler took Emma to Galena, IL so he could show her Eagle Ridge Golf course and Spa, where he worked when he was in college. He showed her the ballroom where they had the Emmaus banquets and where a lot of weddings were held and the balcony that looked out over the lake. Then they walked around the grounds and when they got to the gazebo overlooking the lake they sat and talked and he told her he really wished he could of gotten her ring because this would be a perfect spot to get engaged. (She was really disappointed because he had been so busy that week at work that there was no way he could get to Des Moines to get the ring.)They talked some more and he kept trying to think of a way to get her to look away so he could get the ring out of his pocket. And then he got down on his knee and proposed. She was really surprised and didn't expect it at all. Of course she said yes! So now we are planning a wedding for the spring.