Busy, Busy, Busy...Havin' Fun!

Last year a made a huge mistake in letting my house get so past the point of disorganized and completely nasty that I ended up spending most of the summer trying to get it back into shape again. (Can we say, eeeeww?) Summer is supposed to be fun and well, unfortunately ours last year was anything but. This year I made a concerted effort to stay on top of my housecleaning so that when summer rolled around, I would be able to take the kids to do fun stuff and not just a quick outing to Walmart to buy yet another bottle of 409.

We have been quite busy so far and have so much fun being together and just hanging out. One of the reasons I love summer so much is I get to be just mommy the mommy. I don't have to be Mrs. Mommy, the teacher. We do have plenty of educational moments during the summer, but the pressure is off because there are no tests, no seatwork, and no lesson plans. It's just plain ole' fun and we love it!

Today, I took the kidos to a local sprinkler park. It started out a bit cloudy, but they disappeared soon after we got there and it was PERFECT weather for a day in the water. I enjoyed watching my sweet little ones drenching each other and having a great time. I also got to start a new book from one of my favorite authors. It was really a perfect day. Here's a few of my fav. pic's.

Leviticus 18

We have established such a great bedtime routine with our kids. They clean up, do the pajama and tooth-brushing thing, and then crawl into bed to wait for mom or dad to tuck them in. Da Hubby and I have this little deal worked out that we rotate nights putting them to bed. The evenings we are not putting them to night-night land we do the dishes. It's a sweet deal for sure. Anyway, when it is our turn to put them to bed, we read several verses from God's word to them.

Perri has a Bible devotional book that is WONDERFUL for her age and she will not go to sleep unless we read from it. Duglin picks out a picture from his Super Heroes Bible and we read him the story it goes with. Daylor is reading the Bible from cover to cover on his own desire, so he has been making his way through the Old Testament. It is so wonderful that they have the desire to want to read God's Love Letter with us and we are thrilled for the opportunity to be there to answer questions and participate in this evening event. Time consuming? Yes. Absolutely worth it.

It's amazing the sense of humor God has. I am not one who believes in a stoic, straight faced, and humorless God. The Father I know is comedic and funny and has perfect timing. As I am typing this out, I can almost hear His booming, musical laughter. Why? Well, as much as we LOVE reading the Bible we have had to deal with an issue that we hadn't thought of. The word that strikes fear and perhaps dread at the thought of in every parent. The "S" word.

S.E.X.

Daylor has done a great job reading through the Old Testament. He has enjoyed the old stories of Moses and the nation of Israel. Then we got to Leviticus.......

Let's stop here for a second so I can fill you in with a few details. One of the great things about homeschooling is that we have avoided our kids learning about things such as sex at too early of an age or before we have felt that they were mature enough to talk about it. Granted, they could still hear it from neighborhood kids or kids from church, but we have been blessed that our children have, for the most part, been innocent to what sex is.

Da Hubby and I have both recently felt like our boys were getting old enough to have "the talk." We have also felt the Spirit urging us to share God's wonderful plan of sex with them. Frankly, we have been ignoring it. OK, so maybe ignoring isn't strong enough a word to describe our eludement (Yay! I made a new word!) of the subject matter. Perhaps, if I'm "keepin' it real" our behavior would be better be described as running away as fast as we can screaming as we go.

I never thought this would be so difficult! I really thought I would be the parent that would be OK with dealing such an issue. I have to say I am terrified! I am very open to talking about sex. With adults. It doesn't bother me talk about it. But, with my boys, the whole thought of having that conversation gives me heartburn.

SO! I am doing what every good mother of sons should do and passing the baton to my husband to talk with them. I'm such a giver!

We both agree that this is a conversation that he should be having with them, not me. You would think this would give me a big sigh of relief. Our boyz adore and look up to him. He is wonderful father. Not just a father, but a Daddy. But after hearing his best opening liner he was going to give them for the conversation, I am now SERIOUSLY concerned. Oh. My. Word. I will spare you his, um, "enlightened" choice of words, but trust me when I say the kids would need therapy for life. Pardon me, while I go take a bottle couple of TUMS.

So, back to Leviticus. We were doing fine with all the sacrificial ceremony commentary and the cleansing techniques before entering the Temple that the Old Testament was providing us. We discussed all the promises that God had made and fulfilled through and to His people. It was beautiful and precious, the conversations that were being sparked through God's Word. It was all interesting, good, and wonderful.

Until Leviticus 18. Yes, that enlighten chapter of Leviticus. I will wait so you can go read it for yourself.

See, what I mean?

Apparently, God was tired of the brush-off we were giving Him concerning this issue and made sure that this was the chapter Daylor would read to us last week.

*CHOKE***COUGH, COUGH*****CHOKE*********GASP**** Defibrillator, please....

Yeeeeeeeaah. Hmm. No easy way outta this one. Well, needless to say we will be having the "conversation" in the extreme future as many, many questions have been sparked since this reading. (I hear your giggles, Jesus. OK, not really, but I bet You're getting a big laugh outta this one.)

So, all of you mommies out there who know what I'm talkin' 'bout, how did you do it? Did you use a book to go along with the conversation? What was it? Did you experience the heart palpitations at the thought of discussing such a serious, but wonderful thing with your kids?

I am going to lay it out there for ya. If your your feelin' my pain, PLEASE leave me a comment as I would would be eternally grateful for any godly advice and possibly the loan of a Pacemaker. (Just in case.)

3 Things I Learned This Weekend...

1. It is so much, MUCH more fun to shop at garage sales than it is to be having one.

Right after Christmas we did a major clean out of our upstairs room as well as the rest of the house and decided that there was so much stuff we should have a garage sale. When I say we, that means I, because Da Hubby wasn't quite as excited about it as I was. We've been doing the Dave Ramsey Financial Peace University thing and was inspired to try to make a little money. I thought to myself what a great way to make a little extra cash-ola!

We stored all the crap, uhh, I mean treasures, in the garage for four months and finally had the sale this weekend. Can we say WASTE.O.TIME? So after weeks of hard work, pricing & storing, hours of sitting in the sun (which was the best part), and a profit of only $61.00 we decided this was officially the first and last garage sale the Balentine household would ever have. 5 truck loads of Goodwill donations later we will have a place to park the cars again.

2. Being sick, while having a child who is recovering from a sinus infection, another child with laryngitis, and yet another with a double ear infection and strep throat all while hosting an unsuccessful garage sale makes for a VERY long weekend.

3. I have incredibly sweet children.

I had to take Duglin this morning to the doctor. Yes, it's Sunday, but that's one advantage of having a Jewish pediatrician. They are open Sunday mornings for emergency cases. Duglin has been running a 104 temperature since Friday morning that doesn't want to break. So I carted the poor baby off to the doctor first thing this morning to find out he has two "mega" ear infections that have caused a temporary loss of hearing in both ears AND a severe case of strep throat. I feel so bad for my little man.

Anyway, after his examination, the doctors let the kids raid a little drawer built into the examination table that is full on plastic animals and doo-dads. Duglin began to choose one to take home and the comical doctor "whispered" to Duglin to take on of the plastic lizards and put it on his mama's pillow tonight to see what she would do. Hearing full well what the doctor had said, I played dumb and asked Duglin what the doctor said. Duglin laughed and motioned for the doctor to come near so he could whisper back. I could hear him tell the doctor no, I love my mom too much to do that. AW! What a precious boy! I might possibly need to eat him!

The doctor was so shocked at his response that his eyes welled up with tears. He looked at me and said he had been a doctor for 30 years and that he has told his other patients the same thing hundreds and hundreds of times. Never once has a child ever responded that way. We both were teary-eyed. He looked back at Duglin and shook Duglin's hand. He told Duglin that it was worth coming to work on a Sunday to be able to meet him and to be able to hear that. He proceeded to walk out of the room and bring all the nurses in to meet my little guy.

Seriously! What more can a proud mama say? Remember this post? Perhaps it's safe to say that he still loves his mommy best!

Get well, sweet boy! I love you, too!

He's Mine...Hands off!

Just want to share something going on around my neck-o-the-woods. Lately, I been noticing a slight change in his behavior. I guess I should have seen it coming, after all, he has such a loving and funny personality. He naturally attracts people. Recently, I caught him at church watching her. When he saw me following his gaze to her, he looked embarrassed and kept walking.

I'm hurt and devastated I'm no longer his only one. I mean, I guess with those beautiful, blue eyes he was going to be hard to keep as exclusively mine. sigh.....

Yes, there's another woman...a girlfriend.

What does he see in her? OK, sure, she's naturally blond, smaller than me, but I definitely have her in the height and cooking capabilities areas.

Oh, and then there's the age thing. Apparently, he likes the "younger" models. Friends have warned me about this, but really I just didn't this one coming.

And the saddest thing of all is he actually admitted to me that he likes her!!! In fact, he even goes as far as to say that she is his "girlfriend". Seriously!!?!? And apparently, she likes him, too. Doesn't she know that he belongs to me!?!

OK, I know that they have a tendency to get eyes for other women, but seriously! He's 7! He's only supposed to love his mommy!!! The nerve!

So now, if you will excuse me, I am going to go pack my bags now and head for the Land of Denial.

He's mine, Mine, MINE! And she can't have him! Well, at least until he's 35.

Getcha Motors Runnin'!

***B.L.O.P. Alert! (Boat Load-O-Photos)***

Take a big breathe in and smell that? It's the fragrance of spring in full bloom. I love this time of year, even if we all sneeze and itch and sniffle (that's what Zyrtec is for.)

My fab. in-laws asked us awhile back if it was OK if they bought a motorized scooter for the kids to ride on their 2 acre lot. After debating back and forth whether or not we were up to several visits to the E.R., we decided it wouldn't be to bad to use our sucky insurance now and then and agreed to let them purchase it. We took the kids over to let them try out the "Red Dart," as named by the kids. To my relief, I found out it only goes a few miles an hour and we have restricted it's use to the lot and and grass areas of their grandparents house.

Da Hubby, of course, had to "try it out" to make sure it was safe for the kids to ride. (Yeah, that's what he was doing.)

He's such a little boy when he wants to be! Poppin' wheelie's on a scooter. (Eyes rolling.) I love that about him.

Daylor took immediately to it and had a ball zipping around the backyard.

Then there was my Duglin, poor little dude could hardly put his feet down on the ground and well, had a few spills. Papaw and Da Hubby took a few tumbles with him. I needed a defibrillator to start my heart back a few times, but other than that everyone was OK. He got right back up and hopped back on. He's no quitter! Da Hubby rode with him after that at my nagging, um, request.

Duglin's bumped cheeky. It got lots of kisses.

Perri had little to no interest in the scooter and just did her Perri thing, skipping around the back yard picking all the pink flowers.

I have to admit it is pretty fun! How do I know? Hmmm...



It is these sweet, precious moment with our families that I pray my little ones remember. The fragrance of spring always reminds me of being at my grandparents house with all their azaleas in full bloom. Our kids are blessed to have both sets of grandparents to enjoy and be with. Such wonderful memories to cherish forever...

Look at those lips!! No Botox here, baby!!!!

Oh, Shoot!

A pattern has begun. As I have mentioned in previous posts I am a total shutterbug. I literally take pictures daily mostly of my kids, occasionally of other things. This week we had "snow" here where we are. It wasn't much, but it was enough to make the ground turn white (sorta of.) I went out and shot a few pictures that I will spare you the time of viewing.

It's been VERY cold the past few weeks and so the kids have been couped up inside. We went through all that crud at Christmas with ear infections and flu, and I am adamant that we WILL NOT go through that again, so like the mean mommy that I am, I have insisted that everyone stay inside.

This weekend, however, we received a reprieve in the weather. The sun was out and it was actually 65 degrees. I decided to release the monkeys and let them go outside to play for a few hours and soak up some Vitamin K. We had a great time visiting with our AWESOME neighbors and snapping a few shots of the kids. Well, OK, kid.

So, back to my first comment about a pattern developing. I am beginning to realize that as my boys are growing they are beginning to get a little tired of mom's constant begging to get "just one more picture." I mean, I really don't ask that much. Is it really that bad that I constantly have a camera in their faces, and maybe that I have to adjust my white balance and Aperture settings one or two (dozen) times a shot, and that I make them repeat a "spontaneous" moment three or four times with the same enthusiasm as the original moment so I can capture the event from all angles? And so what that I sometimes forget to set my flash or take the lens cap off. They should be used to this by now, it's only been going on SINCE THEY WERE BORN! But NOOOOOOO! "We are getting "too old" for this, Mom. You're embarrassing us!" (blah, blah, blah.) Well...(sniff)so what...(breaking into sobbing mess......NOT!) GET OVER IT and GET USED TO IT!

I will have to say, however, when they get in these moods the pictures turn mostly out like this and, well, that's when mommy gets vindictive and threatens to put them on her blog.

Ahh, that felt good.

Then, there is my Perri. Breathe of fresh air, Perri. (Well, maybe with the exception of when she eats baked beans or biscuits.) She (for the moment) loves to have her picture taken. While we were out she was once again my little model and we got several of these beauties. (Thanks Jason for the shooting tips!)

Now, don't get me wrong I still love to get pictures of my sweet boys too, but it's just easier to work with a subject that WANTS to get their picture taken. I vow to keep trying, though, and maybe, just maybe I can catch the other two when they aren't looking! (Or not!) :)

Chinny, Chin, Chinchilla!

Christmas was a bit of a blur this year because of the funk floating around in our house, but we did have a great day opening presents and spending time with each other. We also received a very unusual visit from Santa this year. After much thought and debate, Da Hubby and I agreed to allow Daylor to ask for a small pet this year. He's just at that age now where he is beginning to outgrow most toys, and electronics are a wee bit high in price, so he asked us if Santa could bring him a pet.

Now, I don't know about your kids, but Daylor was born a 25 year old. He was having adult style conversations at the age of 12 months and really isn't the typical 9 year old. Because he shows an enormous amount of responsibility and because one of our dogs passed away last year, we decided to collaborate with the "Man in Red" and bring in a new member to our family. (Drum roll please....)

So. Without further a do, I would like to introduce you to "Prancer", Daylor's new chinchilla!!

OK, I know half of you just sighed and said, "How adorable!" Then there would be the other half of you who just shrieked, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING?", and ran screaming out of the room. Personally, we fit in the first category and happen to think she's precious. My apologies to the rest of you I just offended! :) Can I just say though, that Daylor totally, I mean TOTALLY adores this little thing! She's quite entertaining and loves to be scratched.

For those who know me, I have always loved animals and can't think of a time in my life when I didn't have one of some kind. I am not used to standing back and letting Daylor be her primary caregiver. He has really taken ownership of the new responsibilty and we are so proud of him! He is a great daddy to her and she loves him as well.

That being said, there are a few minor things that we are learning about chinchillas that we weren't told, so if you are considering one of these guys listen up.

Number 1 - They poop EVERYWHERE and ALL.THE.TIME. We have to vacuum the carpet around her house twice a day because as she jumps up and poops on the shelves she then kicks it to the floor when she starts be-bopping around the cage. Can we say EEEEEWWWWWWWWW?!?!?!? These are the wonderful times I get to say, "She's your pet, sweetie. Go clean it up." And he does, even with a good attitude. (Seriously, he LOVES her.) Fortunately, Da Hubby has come up with a solution to that little issue. (Thank you, Lord!)

Which bring me to Number 2 on my happy, little list of "Not so Discussed Issues About Chinchillas." They need HFC. What's that? Huge Frickin' Cages. I included this picture so you could get an idea of how enormous this joker is.



See what I mean!?!?!?!?! It's as big as my love seat! Seriously!!! Da Hubby and I had agreed she would stay in the boys room thinking that Santa was going to bring us a "table-top" sized cage. Ummm. No. I think we underestimated this one big time. So, after getting her we had to rearrange the Daylor and Duglin's room just so her little Poopy Palace would fit. All this for a gray fuzzy critter. (Yes, we need therapy.)

Then last and third on my list is that chinchillas chew, chew, gnaw, and did I mention chew on any and everything. "Prancer's" current favorite thing to exercise her toofies (Perri's word) on is the wooden shelves and house in her cage. Now, I knew that chin's have to chew because unlike humans, their teeth constantly grow and they need to be filed down. We had hamsters for a couple of years and they needed chew sticks and such to do the same thing. I guess I just thought the chewing would be inaudible like that of our hamsters. WRONG, AGAIN, PIG-PIN!!! It's sounds alot like what a jackhammer would sound if splitting wood. And, oh, their favorite time to chew would be between 12:00 and 4:00. IN THE MORNING. So, the first couple of weeks have been interesting for the boys to adjust to their new roommate, but I think they are starting to tune it out and sleep through the night again. (Once again, thank you, Lord!)

Why, you may ask, do we keep her her? For one thing, she needed a good home where people would love and take care of her, and despite the downsides we do. But most of all this is the reason:

Any arguments?

Christmas with the Cooties

Most of this year I have boasted in that fact that my family has remained healthy and hasn't seen the doctor in over a year. You all remember this post in which I had the flu and conjunctivitis. Little did we know from that point on we would be on a health roller-coaster ride. I think it's totally unfair that illness doesn't recognize holidays, don't you?!

We were all set to enjoy a fabulous Christmas break. Two Tuesday's prior to Christmas was our last day of homeschooling and we had some very busy schedules between Christmas parties, baking, church activities, and just Christmas itself. Perri had come home with a fever from church the Sunday before, but was feeling better. By that Wednesday Duglin was running a fever and was complaining of an achy ear. I knew Christmas was around the corner, so I immediately packed him up and took him to our fabulous pediatrician. He indeed had an ear infection (he has never had one before!) and was able to start antibiotics in time to ward it off before Christmas. Whew!

Two days later his ear was feeling better, but I noticed that he had some discharge in his eyes. I knew that symptom all too well. He picked up conjunctivitis at the doctors office. That's OK, I thought to myself. The doctor prescribed eye drops that seemed to be clearing things up quickly, so by Sunday we should be good to go! Mmm. Mmm. Mmm. I had to put my party hat away. We weren't done yet.

That Saturday, Daylor started complaining that he was feeling yucky and had a sore throat. We missed church in hopes he would feel better, but by Monday evening he too was complaining of a ear ache. Tuesday morning, the day before Christmas Eve we rush to the doctors office again to find Daylor has a full-blown ear infection (only the second he's ever had). I was not ready to give up though, knowing he had 24 hours for the antibiotic to start working on him, and Duglin's eyes were better. We very well had a chance of making it to Da Hubby's parent's house for Christmas with them and then to church where Da Hubby had to run sound and I was singing back-up during the Christmas Eve service. All was well and there was peace on earth once again.

Bright-eyed and bushy-tailed, we hopped out of bed the next morning and Da Hubby mentioned that he was feeling a bit under the weather, but felt like he would be OK for the day. I proceeded to go get the kids ready to go to their grandparent's house. It was Christmas Eve and the boys were feeling better! It was going to be fabulous day!!!! NOT.

I went to get Perri's clothes for her and noticed she was hiding in the boys room. I went to her and pushed the hair that was hanging in her beautiful little face behind her ear. I looked her in her big, sweet, blue eyes and saw it. Her right eye was swollen shut and red with the nasty discharge that comes along with the horrible and CONTAGIOUS eye ickiness called conjunctivitis. We tried so hard to keep the kids away from each other and used separate towels and sprayed everything multiple time with Lysol. There are just some things that are going to spread no matter what you do to prevent it.

We had to postpone Christmas eve with Da hubby's folks as not to share our yuckies with them. As the day went on she went downhill and by the time Da hubby and the boys left for the Christmas Eve service at the church she had 104 degree temperature and was miserable. I was soooo sad for her. We ended up snuggled on the couch and watch Enchanted together.

We then postponed Christmas day activities with my parents. Good thing Santa still comes when you are sick! Christmas Day itself was actually very sweet. The kids were still mellow from being sick, but it was nice being able to stay home, hang out in our Christmas pj's and just be with each other, and celebrate Jesus' birthday.

On Christmas, Da Hubby was putting on his game face but was steadily declining fast. We made it through the day OK and Perri was beginning to feel better, but Friday, Saturday, and Sunday Dewayne was so bad off he was condemned to the bed and I got the pleasure of sleeping on the couch. I was seriously beginning to wonder if we were ever going to get healthy again!

So, Christmas wasn't the huge success that I had envisioned with healthy kids ripping into presents and family gatherings galore, but it was definitely a time to recognize and remember why we celebrate. The day a tiny baby that came into the world in a most peculiar way. It was because of His overpowering love for us that He came. Illness or not, it's more than worth celebrating!

I am proud to say as we kick in the New Year, everyone is recuperating nicely. I did tear my foot open this morning on a couple of carpet nails that are exposed in my floor, but hey, at least no one is running a fever! Happy New Year!!!

A Beautiful Gift

It has been a fast 5 years since we began our quest in homeschooling our children. We get lots and lots of questions about why and how and when and where we "learn" our childrens. :) Possibly the why question comes up the most. My response was and still is, to some extent, that we want to equip our children for life before sending them out into it unprepared. Mentoring, praying with, and experiencing life with our children is as vital to us as feeding them three meals a day. We don't have enough money to send them to private schools and I can not imagine sending them to a public school where the name of Jesus is omitted purposefully.

Over the past year, however, my perspective has and is changing about why we do what we do. Let me stop here and give you a bit of background into our decision to homeschool. After Da Hubby and I were married, and even up until the week before Kindergarten registration for Daylor, I was ABSOLUTELY opposed to homeschooling our kids. Not because I found anything wrong with it, but because I JUST DIDN'T WANT TO!! I fought it...hard. I looked forward to having my days finally free to keep an immaculate house that even Martha Stewart would envy. I wanted to attend Bible studies and keep up with the laundry, maybe catch a lunch or cup of coffee with my friends.

Obedience can sometimes be a slow and tedious process. God finally had to remove about two weeks of sleep from my life to help "encourage" my compliance. I love how He works! He put amazing and wise people in my path who prayed for me and gave me godly counsel as to how to get started. I finally gave in but even then I really didn't believe that I had the patience or discipline to take on such a HUGE responsibility. Bottom line? I thought I was going to fail. Honestly? I still think that sometimes.

So, we began the homeschooling journey literally a month after Da Hubby and I prayed and surrounded to this new path God was beating out for us. Thank goodness He started us out in Kindergarten!!! It was fun, but as the years have gone by it keeps getting more challenging! Teaching your own children is not easy. Slitting my wrists sometimes appears to be an easier task! We do have a lot of amazingly wonderful moments, but in the name of being completely transparent, I have to say it's the most difficult, trying, and time consuming thing I have ever done. Is it worth it? TOTALLY. Is the laundry finished? NEVER.

It may appear that I am trying to discourage those considering taking this task up for themselves, but that is not at all what I am doing. I really love homeschooling. It has been a process learning to love it. And, it comes with eternal rewards.

Let's go back to my first thought about why we homeschool. My first response was all about ME. Because He wanted ME to. (Yes, I know, never end a sentence with a preposition. Humor me.) Because He impressed MY heart. Because I was going to be obedient. And while all of this is true, it's really not at all about me. Well, maybe it's about my kids!?! Hmm, while that sounds selfless and is partially true as well, it's really not about them, either. Do we incorporate Jesus in everything we do? Yes! Do we strive to direct and equip our kids to take responsibility for their faith and live a life desiring to please no one but Him? Yes! Are my kids going to be a part of what God is doing with the world to today? I believe so. So, it's all about Jesus. We homeschool because it is small a part of an Almighty plan. Humbling and powerful, to say the least.

And so, for some amazing reason, even though we homeschool because it is a part of HIS plan and for HIS glory, HE chooses to bless us in return. Why?!? When it's truly all about Him, He loves us enough to reward our obedience? Yep! Not because He needs to feel good about Himself or that He requires our praise (even though that will happen anyway due to His Sovereignty - "Every knee will bow and every heart confess that Jesus Christ is Lord." Philippians 2:11), He purely wants to bestow his blessings simply because He loves us. Pretty unfathomable, huh?

OK, should everyone be homeschooling? Hmmm, I don't necessarily think so. My recommendation would be to ask God what He wants. He may want your kids in the schools to be missionaries! I don't know. He has different plans for us all. But, I will say that if He puts homeschooling on your heart, He will give you more than enough grace and purpose to accomplish His plan...even if you don't want to. :) We are living proof that His promises are always kept! Being that this is Christmas time, I am reminded what a beautiful gift this is.

It's Those Little Things

Since Thanksgiving is day after tomorrow and I will be busy baking, cleaning, and planning my game for Black Friday from this point on, I thought I might do a Thanksgiving post a couple of days early. Of course, this time of year always brings the traditional gratitude for all the best things in life. My relationship with Jesus, my amazing family and friends, my home, church, and dinner on the table all are at the top of my "BIGGIE" list.

But, what about the things that never make it on "the list"? I always feel sorry for the stuff that tends to go unnoticed. Don't they deserve to be mentioned, too? So, my thankful list this year is dedicated to those things.

OK, here goes:

1. Mineral make-up. Great coverage for those less that perfect complexions like mine and it totally shaved 5 minutes of my make-up application time. No putting on foundation, blending it in, and then powder. Just slather this goo on and go! Great stuff!

2. A candy dish almost empty. Is your dish half full or half empty? At this house, I prefer the half empty kind because that means it's almost gone and there will be no more drive-by-nibblings on my part! Way to much temptation!

3. Fuzzy-wuzzy sockies. I live in these things in the winter time. I LOVE my 3 pairs of them. My dog, Sundae, has a fetish for them as well, so I have to protect them with my life. I could have a basket full of one hundred socks and she will search until she finds one of these beloved cozies and then hides it. (Notice that she didn't make on "the list" this year.)

4. A bloom on my orchid. Yes, I am serious! I have had this joker for over 2 years and it has yet to bloom. Finally, after all that time, I actually am seeing two little shoots that I am assuming (hoping, praying) are going to be flowers one day. (If you haven't figured it out by now, it doesn't take much to get me excited.)

5. Flowers from Da Hubby for no reason. I don't typically get flowers for my birthday or Valentine's Day. I get them for just because! And frequently! I LOVE that! It's one of the many reasons he's on my "BIGGIE" thankful list.

6. Adjustable waist pants for the kids. If you know me, you will also know I don't buy kids clothes that are new (usually). We shop at some amazing consignment sales in the area. I love when I find a nice pair of pants with these little babies in them - makes a pair of pants fit for a couple of years longer and saves $$$ in the long run! Also, when you are in a hurry to church because you are running late for rehearsal and just don't have time to put a belt on the boys, you have comfort in knowing that your beanpole shaped kids won't be mooning the congregation 'cuz their britches are falling down. :)

7. A locked door. If you have children you will understand the significance of this picture. Enough said.

7. Pajama day at Balentine Academy. There are lots of advantages to homeschooling and one of those is a rule that is strictly enforced once a week. All those attending and teaching school on that day must come to school in their PJ's. I am happy to report, we have had not problems with compliance in this area.

8. A 12 year old truck that is still running strong. OK, this one should be on my "BIGGIE" list, but I thought I would bring it up here, too. She may stink of old McDonald's french fries and she might not heat that great, but our 4-Runner, "Lefty", is celebrating her 12th birthday this year, and continues to faithfully serve my family everyday. She's brought home two out of my three babies from the hospital. In fact, she drove me while I was in active labor all the way to the hospital with a flat tire. She's carried home almost every Christmas tree Dewayne and I have had. She's purple, she's noisy, she pulls to the left so hard you have to use both hands to keep her on the road, and I love her.

10. Mr. Clean's Magic Eraser. I can not say enough about this thing. Takes any scratch, scuff, spot, rub, and mark off of pretty much anything. I once kicked the back door of my house with my boots on. (Yep, I kicked the door. Well, it deserved it! I was late for a doctor's appointment and the stupid thing wouldn't unlock! I know, totally mature way to handle the situation, wasn't it?) Anyway, I left this horrid, black scuff mark that would not come out. That is until Mr. Baldy took it out for me. That's when our love affair began. We have been together ever since.

11. At least one clean room after the kidos go to bed. Where's the picture? There isn't one. This rarely ever happens.

12. Lastly, my Daily Devotional Bible. I have enjoyed this Bible immensely this year. It is a read through the Bible in year type, and I LOVE the devotions written in it. It is written from a worship perspective and I have so enjoyed my times with Jesus in the morning this year.

That's about all that I have time for. I hope you and yours have a wonderful Thanksgiving and that you take time to recognize the abundance of blessings (Big and small!) God has given to you, too!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

Happy Anniversary, Mimi and Papaw!

Today is a very exciting day in the Balentine Kingdom! Why? Two very important reasons.

First, it my mother and father-in-law's 50th anniversary today! We are so happy for them. They were adorable as teenagers weren't they? Maxine's parents weren't overly excited about D.C., a rebel complete with cigarette's rolled up in his tee shirt sleeves, a black leather jacket, and a Harley dating their very pretty, proper, and poodle skirt clad daughter. (Hmm, sounds like a familiar movie? We go together like rama lama lama ke ding a de dinga a dong, Remembered forever like shoo bop shoo wadda wadda yipitty boom de boom.)

Anywhoo...so D.C. goes to pick up Maxine one evening for date. As he was pulling out of their driveway, he backed right into Maxine's dad's car. What a great way to make a good impression on a future father-in-law. Somehow, he finally convinced Maxine's dad to let him marry her. Well, maybe convinced isn't exactly the right word, but the important part is that they did get married and 50 years later here they are!

It's also a very fun day because Mimi and Papaw decided they would spend the day at our house assembling the trampoline they bought our kids!!! (You have to love grandparents!) The kids, of course, are totally pumped about this new contraption and Da Hubby and I love the idea of wearing them out on it!!

Dewayne and D.C. braved the 40 degree, gloomy weather and had it up in a couple of hours.

Here is my littlest man exerting a little energy (YEE-HAW! Some one's going to bed early tonight!!)

I love how this trampoline further confirms my kid's personalities. Daylor, my reserved and careful child, jumps straight legged, arms down, and directly over the "target." Go back up and look at Duglin's jumping. Can you guess what type personality he has? Gotta love it!!

Perri having a "hair-raising" moment. Cold weather + trampoline = a great blog photo!

And, of course, I had to check out the trampoline to make sure it was safe. Yeah. That's it. Seriously. I mean, what kind of mom if I didn't?