Clearing Out The Old

For this whole week I have been cleaning the house from top to bottom. As of today, the entire house is clean! Even the garage which I cleaned today:) Last thing on my to-do-list was cleaning out my night stand. There were a lot of things in the bottom drawer that I have been saving for years, I don't know why, but I got rid of a big bag full of stuff, yep stuff! If I hadn't used it or looked at in in years or months, it was out and put in the bag! A lot of old receipts, cards, etc are now history. Except of course, those few chosen things are are deemed "special".

So while I have been cleaning and clearing out this week, it got me to thinking: Have you ever wondered who came up with the phrase, "Oh just get over it and forget about it! Let the past be the past!" I don't know about you, but things that have happened to me in my past just simply can't be forgotten, especially the good things and def. some of the bad too! Especially if someone has done something to you to hurt you. Sorry people, but things cannot be "forgotten". Oh yeah, then you have another phrase too, "time heals all broken wounds", where on earth did that one come from? It's like the saying, "sticks and stones my break my bones, but words will never hurt me!" Right! I think that we can all agree, words can hurt, and they can hurt bad and they can never be forgot, thus you can never forget.

So....just something to ponder over, I thought that it was quite interesting. You must watch your actions and your tongue.....what you say and do holds for a lifetime.

Home Clean Home

Well, for the past three days I have been detail cleaning our house. Every nook has been cleaned. From the ceilings to the base boards, it smells pretty awesome in the house, and a feeling of delight fills me when I think about just how clean the house is. The kids even helped which was nice and a blessing. Today is a day of rest for me....I think I deserve it:)

Our house is open to friends...and family, who want to come and visit. We always have an open door at our home. Our evenings consist of sitting on our patio and drinking coffe and watching the birds eat from the many feeders in our yard. Very relaxing.....we also enjoy sitting on our wooden swing in the back as well. And of course watching my garden grow is so so enjoyable, but the best blessing is when I get to pick veggies when they are ready! I have enough things that are ready now to have a salad straight from our garden! Lettuce, radishes, tomatos, bell pepper and banana pepper, squash and zucchini:) Yummy! I should have cucumbers in a few days. And the herbs that the Bookworm and I planted are now growing too! And the watermelon seed that the Princess and I planted is growing really really big, we will def. have a watermelon! Not too mention my broccoli....the whole row of broccoli seeds that I planted are all fixing to ready to pick!

Summer fun, relaxing at home, going on road trips to places that you want to go, or doing nothing at all.........

Flute, Camps, Braces and Band

Summer is here and so is the money tree! What tree you ask? Yeah, wouldn't that be nice, if we had money trees!

So, the Princess needs a new flute. One of the keys on her flute messed up months ago and it is not fixable, and yes we got it checked out by a professional. So for the past two months of school, she has used one of the ones from school. The problem is that the last day of school she had to turn it in. Now she needs another one, and we have to get it before she leaves for Church Camp in about 3 weeks. She is so bored not having her flute. That is all that she does is play her flute all the time. So.....tomorrow we will be ordering a Geimnhardt flute for her.

Both the kids are going to Church Camps this Summer. The Bookworm is actually doing a Middle School Mission Trip, and the Hubby and I are chaperoning. We are looking forward to it. We will be leaving in about 2 weeks. Then about a week and a half after we get back the Princess leaves for her Church Camp. She is looking forward to it, she will be participating in the Praise and Worship Team at Camp, thus why we have to get her another flute!

Braces....yes, the Princess also needs braces, which she will probably be getting on after she gets back from her Church Camp. We have already seen the Orthodontist and she has a moderate over bite and crowding in her bottom teeth. So braces, here we come:)

Then there is Band, yes, the Princess will in the 9th grade when school starts back and will be in Marching Band, thus more money!!! It cost 200 dollars to be in marching band, and then we also have to pay a 100 dollar family fee! Yeah, 100 dollar family fee! Yikes!! Thank the Lord that they have a payment plan for the 200 dollars!

So as we add all of this up, we're roughly talking about 1000.00!!! OHHHHH MMMMM GGEE!

Non the less, gotta do what you gotta do! Oh yeah, then throw in Summer Vacation!

What Matters Most

What matters most in your life? First in mine is Jesus! Without Christ in my life, I would be nothing, I would not be the person that I am. The Lord is my foundation and without Him, I could do nothing. Praise be to God for all that He has done for me and is still doing in my life. For the love and help that He gives me everyday of my life.

My family is another important part of my life. Without family I don't know what I would do either. Family is an important part of my life and should be an important part of anyone's life. Who do you turn to in times of happiness, sadness, joy or dissappointment(besides God), family. At least I do, imagine not having family, a sad thought. I couldn't imagine my life without my husband or my children.

Pets: you know you're thinking it, so I'll say it! PETS!! Pets are another important part of my life. Without our family dog, I believe that our home would be alittle lost! She brings lots of unconditional love and joy to our home. We would be lost without her! We love you Sandy!! You little brown bundle of fur that follows me everywhere around the house where-ever I go. I would be lost if you didn't follow me to make sure that I didn't get lost! And if anyone needs to find me in the house all they have to do is call you and once you respond, they know where to find Mom!

Friends: friends are another important part of my life. What would our lives be like without friends! Someone to have over for lunch, or go out to lunch, or have over to your home just to hang out, or to just call up on the phone and talk! Someone to be goofy with! A friend is someone who accepts you for who you are! Yes people, if you have to act like someone you are not, then that person isn't a friend. A friend is someone who like you for who you are, a friend loveth at all times!

Just a few things, important things, that matter the most in my life. I encourage you to make your own list........

Summer Reading and The Commissary

This morning the kids and I ventured out and went to Books-A-Million and got their Summer Reading Books. Afterwards we went to Big Thursday's and I got the Bookworm a pair of rainbows for doing well on his report card and for doing such a wonderful job in the 5th grade this year. I told the Princess to be thinking about what she wanted for having such a wonderful report card too. We then went to Pizza Hut for lunch and then I had to run an errand on Post. Since I had to run an errand on Post I decided to go to the Commissary to pick up just a few things that we needed. This made the second time that I have gone to the Commissary here since we moved back to the States, and after today, it will be my LAST! Full of senior citizens and people that love to stand in the middle of the aisles and not move! For those that love to shop at the Commissary, more power to them, for me and my family, we will stick with other Grocery Stores, OFF post. I spent more at the Commissary than I would have at another store off Post. The kids were even glad when we were out of there! And I'm sorry, but baggers.....I am not going to tip you for loading my 4 bags in my shopping cart when I am taking it out to my van myself. Especially since all the bags were thrown on top of each other. I would think that baggers would want to bag out groceries and put them in our cart in a manner that they would love for their own groceries to be handled. It never ceases to amaze me:)

The Strawberry Patch

Today was a good day. The kids and I invited our best friends to go and pick strawberries with us at a local strawberry farm. It was fun, hot and muddy, but most of all fun! I decided before the kids were out for school that we are not going to be held hostage in our house this Summer,today was the first of many fun things in store for us this summer!

Official First Day of Summer Vacation

Today is the official first day of summer vacation for the kids. The Bookworm slept til 11, The Princess didn't sleep in quite that late, she was up earlier. Their agenda for today was to hang out and do what they wanted to do, except for two things, clean out their bedroom closet, put away their washed, clean clothes and to do their chore of either putting away the clean dishes out of the dishwasher or load the dirty ones in the dishwasher. I think that they have had a good first day. They played a game of Monopoly together too. Tonight we're cooking ribs on the grill for dinner when the Hubby gets home. I went outside and checked my garden just alittle while ago, and I have two zucchinis that will be ready in a few days, along with lettuce and radishes. Can't wait til everything produces, it's so wonderful having fresh vegetables!

Tomorrow the Kids and I will go to Books A Million and get their book for Summer Reading. They have to read one book assigned by their school over the Summer and when they get back to School in the Fall, they have to take a test on the book that they chose to read. I'll probably take the kids to get something for doing good on their end of the year report cards. The Bookworm wants a pair of rainbow flip-flops, I don't know what the Princess wants. We got the Bookworm a cell phone on Saturday. The Princess got one at his age, so it was time to get him one. He is now part of the youth at Church and whenever they go somewhere he needs to be able to call if he needs something and we want to be able to reach him as well.

Thursday, not sure what we'll do, I know that it will probably consist of going back to the Doctor for me. I had my pulmonary lung function test this morning, so I am hoping that my Doctor calls tomorrow with the results and I am sure that she will want to see me to discuss treatment and meds. Maybe the kids and I will do the ZOO.

Friday will be here soon, don't know what we will do. Saturday we may go to the Water Park at Carowinds. We have season passes for there. It'll be fun to go and just hang.

Sunday of course is God's day and Church.

Next Monday or Tuesday the kids and I will probably ride down to my parents and go swimming and ride 4-wheelers and go-carts. We will go down to their home at least once if not twice a week during the Summer. It is so nice to live so close to them! We enjoy getting together with them and just spending time with them. I am sure that one of the kids will want to spend a few nights there too next week!

Summer:
S-leeping in
U-nending possibilities
M-emories
M-elons(watermelons)
E-asy
R-elaxing