Ahhhhh

I am officially caught up with all of my ongoing projects! Yipppeee!! I have sent out 15 monogrammed photo albums, 1 shower curtain, 2 burp cloths,monogrammed blanket and Annalee's portfolio paper on recycling. AHHHHHH!

Now on to CRCT practice, 5th grade writing test practice and lots and lots of school work.

Is it summer yet?

Cherish Each Day

The past two days have been really sad in our small town. Yesterday morning a 14 year old girl died in a hit and run accident. It really made me so sad because I have a 14 year old son. It happened right in front of my Brother-in-laws house so I got more that I needed about the details. The girl had slept late and was running down the road to get to another bus stop when she was struck. Today they released who hit the girl...it was a school bus driver. He did not realize that he had hit her with the bus. She died instantly and was left there. The bus driver is not being charged at this time because all evidence shows that he did not see or know that he hit the girl.

This is the part that has me really thinking.... the parents of the girl have already stated that they forgive him and they do not want charges brought against him. Talk about forgiveness. It makes me stop and think if I would be that forgiving in something as horrible as losing a child.

God teaches us to forgive.... I hope that I would be as forgiving that quick. What a witness these parents have been.

Hug your babies and thank God for them every minute of every day. This has really made me cherish each minute more :)

See's Chocolate giveaway

My friend Sherry at Lamp unto my Feet is giving away a BOX of her favorite See's Chocolate. Having lived in the south all my life, I have never heard of See's. I have read a lot about it on Sherry's blog..... she loves them! Please visit her here to enter to win a box..... she says they are really good and who doesn't like to win something.... esp. chocolate! Thanks, Sherry!

Go here to hear about Tim Tebow's story from his parents....
http://www.focusonthefamily.com

It is a powerful testimony!

Happy Monday!

Friday Funnies

Can you believe it is already Friday! I am joining Kim at Homesteaders Heart for......

Don't you just love when you get on a roll and find out that you don't have enough of what you need to finish? Let's back up to yesterday.....

After my parents left yesterday morning, we did some school work and I let the kids have the rest of the day off so that I could finish my many sewing projects. It takes a little while to get in the groove of things but when I do.... watch out! I am steadily going with my photo albums.... I have 15 to make by..... TODAY! I had all the monogramming done, all of the fabric cut out, all I needed to do was sit down and hot glue them together. So, I get 5 done and realize..... I am running out of hot glue sticks. Great. To some this may not seem like a delima.... just run to Walmart, right. Well, a run to Walmart ,or any other store that might have hot glue sticks, is like a 1 1/2 hour trip. We live out in the boonies and the nearest Walmart is not one you would like to visit. Much to my dismay, I unplugged the hot glue gun, and ran by Walmart this morning after my Bible study leaders meeting. Bummer. I guess I will now go finish my 10 photo albums while I watch it rain :)

Have a great weekend and for those Super Bowl Fans...... Go Colts! (don't hold it against me if you are pulling for the Saints... I like them also! My kids like the Colts so who am I to cause a ruckus!)

I am a push over for chocolate.... any kind of chocolate. I came across this recipe the other day and it brought back sweet memories. My Momma made these all the time when I was growing up. I made a batch last Saturday and they were all gone by Sunday! They are so fast and easy to make so I thought I would share it with you, my bloggy friends!

No Bake Chocolate-Oatmeal Cookies

1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 1/2 cups sugar

1/2 cup butter

1/2 cup milk

1/2 cup creamy peanut butter

1 tsp. vanilla

3 cups rolled or old-fashioned oats (not instant)

In a medium heavy saucepan over medium heat, combine cocoa, sugar, butter and milk. Bring to a rolling boil and cook for 2 minutes, stirring constantly. Remove from the heat and add peanut butter and vanilla, stirring until creamy. Then stir in the oats until well combined.

Drop by spoonfuls onto a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper. Let the cookies cool until set. Makes about 40 small or 24 large cookies.

If you have never tried these before, I hope you will..... they are yummy!

Thanks for stopping by and leave me a comment! I love to visit new blogs!

Reality

My parents have gone back home, so it is back to reality. We were able to get all of our school work done while they were here but the extra projects were put on the back burner..... like making a shower curtain, monogramming and covering 15 photo albums, finish Bible Study for leaders meeting at 5:00 in the morning and, oh yeah, a portfolio paper on recycling for Annalee.... yuck!

So, this morning it is back to the grindstone.... Boo.... I really enjoyed the break :)

Have a wonderful Thursday!

Wordless Wednesday

Puppy Fever

We have a house guest for a few days....

Isn't he cute? This is Bai-lee, my parent's puppy. They are here for a visit and Josh and Annalee are enjoying every minute. It doesn't help with the puppy fever though!

Have a great Tuesday!

Be Still

This week is going to be such a busy week for me. I feel very overwhelmed! When I had my quiet time this morning, I decided to just open the Bible and start reading. This is what I read.....

Commit to the Lord whatever you do, and your plans will succeed. Proverbs 16:1

It was like God was saying, "Be still, Terri, and know that I am your God." Isn't the Lord good! Have a great Monday!

My Heart

My heart

I am the type of person that second guesses everything. It wasn't until recently that I have become totally at peace about the decision I made almost 15 years ago. That decision was to leave my first career and take on another, not so excepted, not so glamorous, no income career of being a stay at home Mom. When my kids were babies there was no question for me.... stay home with them. I knew I wanted to be there when they were babies. I am a very sentimental person and new that I would regret not being able to get those baby days back.

As the kids have gotten older I sometimes wonder what in the world and I doing? Am I crazy... The baby days are sooooo much easier! We have started getting ready for the CRCT test at the end of April~on top of all of our daily lessons. Math is giving me such a headache! 5th grade and 8th grade Math is hard! I do not remember it being this hard when I was in college. Maybe it's because I do not have much brain left!! It is such a huge responsibility and my brain is tired! All I can do is give it to the Lord and ask for his help.

Another thing about being and stay at home Mom is having living on one income. There is a lot that we have given up for me to stay home. The way we believe is if you don't have the money in the checking account to pay for it, you don't get to do it! Needless to say... we don't get to do it a lot! Ha! But you know what.... it just makes us be more creative. I am obsessed with clipping coupons and love to find ways that we can do things cheap. My husband and I actually went out this past weekend on a date, to a RESTAURANT, for the first time in over 3 years! We were only able to go because he had a gift card from his employees and I had a $5.00 off coupon. We only had to pay $3.00 for our meal! He had a steak! We loved it! I have to say that time and time again I have seen the Lord provide for us in ways that only he could. There is no doubt that it is him working.

So, as I carry on my duties as a SAHM/HSM, I will wear my title proud and praise the Lord that he has carried us this far. Honestly, I would rather be right were I am right now than any where else.

I read a quote not long ago that I loved.. it said... Don't try to keep up with the Jones', they are broke too!

Gotta run, my next appointment just beeped~ the dryer!!!


And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19

Wordless Wednesday ~ Praise

Let everything that has breath praise the Lord. Psalm 150:6

Christmas 2009

Pictures... are you surprised?! My digital camera bit the dust but I do still have ole faithful... unfortunately.... the cost of getting a role of film developed is not cheap. So.... I have to be more selective on my the pictures I take! At least I have "A" camera, right!!!!

I finally got my Christmas roll of film developed and wanted to share a few... we had a blast over Christmas break and was so sad for it to be over!

I love this picture of Josh.... he is turning into a young man quickly!

One of my favorite Christmas ornaments

Christmas morning in front of their Christmas tree. I have all the school Christmas decorations they ever made on this tree! We always put it up in our kitchen so we can see it all season.

Annalee with her Gingerbread house she made for school.


Meet... Bai-lee. I wish I could say he was ours but he belongs to my parents. He was their Anniversary/Christmas present. Isn't he cute!?


Thanks for stopping by.... I love comments, by the way! Leave me a note and I'll stop by to meet you... I love visiting new blogs! :)

It's me.... again :)

I haven't forgotten about my little corner of the blog world.... Just a little thing called SCHOOL has demanded (to much of) my time lately. Also, having no digital camera to post pictures from STINKS! I will have to use more brain power now and it just honestly hurts to do so :) The year has started off with a lot of challenges for us and we definitely can feel God's presence as we go through them all. God is always there and he will never leave us. I have loved this verse and have claimed it for many years....

Do not be terrified: do not be discouraged, for the Lord your God will be with you wherever you go~ Joshua 1:9

I cling to his promises daily!

2010

I cannot believe that it has been almost a month since my last post. I took the time off to spend with the family. Dean was off for 2 weeks at Christmas and we enjoyed every minute. This past Monday morning was tought for us all.... especially with the cold weather we are having.

I hope that you all have a wonderful New Year and I look forward to keeping up with you all daily on your blogs.... thanks for hanging in there with me!

Holly Jolly Cookie Exchange

Today I am joining Kim at Homesteaders Heart for her Holly Jolly Cookie Exchange. Who couldn't use more cookie recipes, right?! My kids love cookies and I actually use this recipe all year round. They are so easy to make and are so yummy. They are thin, crispy and chewy at the same time! Enjoy :)

Molasses Sugar Cookies

3/4 cup Crisco

1 cup sugar

1/4 cup molasses

1 egg

2 cups flour

2 teas. baking soda

1 teas. cinnamon

1/2 teas. cloves

1/2 teas. ginger

1/2 teas. salt

Mix all together. Roll into 1" balls and roll in sugar. Place on cookie sheet about 2" apart. Bake 8-10 minutes at 375*. (I always go for the 8 minutes... they turn out crunchy and chewy)

Thanks for stopping by! Have a wonderful Wednesday! :)

Momma dropped the ball... Boo.

I had a sad Mommy moment this weekend.... a very sad " I let my daughter down" moment. Boo. One of those that will haunt me for the rest of my Mommy life. Boo.

Last week Annalee came running down the driveway after checking the mail. She had received a letter in the mail and was so excited to find out that she was going to get to be in a Christmas parade with her AWANA group from church. How exciting.... right! I mean, I have never been in a Christmas parade before!

Her excitement grew and I keep the date IN MY HEAD for Sunday.... she needed to be there at 1:30 and the parade began at 3:00. I even called my sister-in-law to see if she and her little boy would like to go!

Any hew...... Saturday I got up early and was at Walmart shopping by 7:00. I was so proud of myself.... so organized.... I usually have not begun shopping this early in Dec. That afternoon Dean worked on his 4runner after this incident.... and me and the kids, and the sister-in-law and her son hung around my mother-in-laws house with Dean while he worked.... bored....nothing really to do.

So,,,, fast forward to Sunday morning. I get up with my mind filled with all we needed to do, and take for the parade. Blankets, chairs, camera, Annalee needed her earmuffs, jacket, gloves and ... was her AWANA shirt clean? Oh no.... ahhh yes, it is actually hanging in her closet ready to go! The morning progresses in its usual Sunday morning joy..... we get in the van and actually make it to church on time. I tell Annalee that I will find out where we need to meet for the parade. She is soooooo excited.

Meanwhile, Dean, Josh and I are in the service (Annalee is in Children's Church) and the preacher is preaching a wonderful sermon. He is preaching on reaching others for Christ when we heard something on these lines....." You have to go to where the people are.... like yesterday.... I walked in the Bolingbroke parade. The AWANA kids were on their float, throwing candy.." .......ahhhhh excuse me.... what did he just say????? The AWANA kids were what?? Yesterday???? Dean immediately looked at me.... Josh had no clue.... he ,sadly, doesn't pay attention to the sermons.... I about dropped my Bible..... The parade what,,, it's what,...not today? THE PARADE WAS NOT SUNDAY , IT WAS SATURDAY!!!!! Keep in mind from above,,,, we were at my MILs bored,,, nothing to do,,, while the PARADE was going on! Boo. Boo. Boo. Immediately I thought of Annalee.... how was I going to handle my broken hearted daughter??? And to top it all off..... it was 100% MY FAULT!!!

I went to pick her up from Children's Church and when I saw the look on her face.... I knew that she already knew. Her Momma let her down :( Boo.

I told her that I was soooo sorry and that it was completely my fault. She was bummed but said it was okay. Really it wasn't. I clearly dropped the ball. I am the Momma, it is my job to keep up with things. This was the first time I have messed something like this up for her. Dean was so sweet in trying not to make me feel like a dog. But like I told him ... this was important to her.... I just hate it.

She got over it quickly when we let her pick where she wanted to eat for lunch. She kept telling me it was okay. But from here on out the subject of "parades" will truly have new meaning here at the Scarbary house! And you better believe, Momma will be more careful :/

Boo.

Lookie, Lookie

Look what was in my mailbox today~

My FREE Christmas Cards! I ordered them from Photoworks.com on Monday and got them today. What a great surprise..... and I love them :) You can't beat free.... free Christmas Cards and free shipping! Now all I have to do is address them ~ the fun begins!

"Twelve Days of Christmas"

I have been getting great emails about Christmas that I just have to pass along. I received this one today and just had to post it. When I hear this song this season, it will have a whole new meaning. Hope you enjoy!

The hidden meaning for the song “Twelve Days of Christmas”
Many believe the words are hidden references to our Christian faith, dating back to the 16th century England when religious wars forced many believers to go underground with their faith and teachings.

The song was a memory device to teach catechism to young children. “True Love” refers to God and each of the days represents an aspect of the Christian faith.

A partridge in a pear tree is Jesus Christ, who died on a tree.
Two turtle doves represent the Old and New Testaments.
Three French hens signify faith, hope and love.
Four calling birds refer to the four Gospels.
Five golden rings point to the first 5 books of the Bible. The “Books of Moses”.
Six geese a-laying symbolize the six days of creation.
Seven swans a-swimming illustrate the seven gifts of the Holy Spirit.
Eight maids a-milking represent the eight beatitudes.
Nine ladies dancing signify the nine fruits of the spirit.
Ten lords a-leaping refer to the Ten Commandments.
Eleven pipers piping symbolize the eleven faithful disciples.
Twelve drummers drumming represent the twelve points of the Apostles’ Creed.

So next time you sing “The Twelve Days of Christmas”, remember this meaning of the song!

Phone calls from Santa !

I received this in my email and thought it would be so cute for the right age kids. You can visit the Kroger website here to sign up to receive a free phone call from Santa, Sammy the Snow Man or Tony Stewart. (my kids would pass on Tony~ nothing personal) I think it would be so cool to get a call from Santa! I am going to set mine up now!

Merry Christmas!

I love Candy Canes!

There are so many things about Christmas that I love! One of favorites is the Candy Cane. I love to put Candy canes on the kids Christmas tree, put them in hot chocolate, add them to almond bark, and just eat them by themselves. One of my favorite flavors is the Mint Chocolate candy canes. I LOVE those.

I came across the Legend of the Candy cane story here and wanted to pass it along. After all the real reason we celebrate Christmas is because of Jesus' birth!

I got mine!!!!

Okay, hold on to your seats..... this is my 3rd post today !!! ???

I just ordered some cute, FREE Christmas cards! Yipee, Yahoo!!! Hopefully some more free deals will pop up soon. If your interested go here to visit STL Mommy for more information. Hurry, offer only available for the first 20,000!

My Wonderful Parents

Today is my parents anniversary!

Alaska 2007

Here's to you Momma and Daddy.... God blessed me beyond measure when he gave me to you!!!! I love you both with all my heart and do not know where I would be with out your love and support over the many years!! May God bless you both on your sweet day!

December 1st?

I am sitting here typing this post in amazement that it is December 1st. Where has the time gone. I can remember starting school, it seems literally like yesterday. Really, my life the past three years have felt like this. Dean came home yesterday with some paperwork from work that had his start date on it. It said "06. I cannot believe that he has been at that job since '06. That seems like so long ago!!! The past 3 years have not been pleasant ones for us so I imagine that is why it feels like forever!

Anyway, I said all that to say this, With today being Dec. 1st. I plan on taking each day of December and enjoying it!! It can be in the little things or in the planned things. The kids and I have been watching the Abc's 25 days of Christmas. It has really been fun! There have been a few shows that have to throw "something" in. Why do they feel they have to do that.... is it to keep parents on their toes? We fix hot chocolate and roast marshmallows while we watch the movies. Last night Annalee got out her sleeping bag and laid in front of the fire. What fun memories!

Hot chocolate, Christmas music, Christmas trees, Christmas movies, looking at Christmas lights, reading the Christmas story from the Bible, making ginger bread houses and cookies...... what Christmas traditions are you planning with your kids. I would love some new ideas! I will plan on posting on some on ours as the month trucks on. Hold on, its going to bo by FAST! Enjoy every minute!

Christmas 2007

Happy December 1st! I hope that you feel the love of Jesus throughout this Christmas Season!