The Blessed Bryants

The Leprechaun Trap

2010-03-09T20:30:00.005-05:00

We will definitely catch a leprechaun with Ashlyn's leprechaun trap! He will enter through the door in the shoebox and then climb the ladder made of sticks. When he gets to the top he will walk towards the gold but the lid of the oatmeal container will collapse and he will fall to the bottom! He's trapped! :-)

Ashlyn worked HARD on this project for school! Here she is with her work of art.....

January 30, 2010....SNOW DAY!!

2010-01-30T15:00:00.007-05:00

I decided I'd give sledding a try. That was FUN!!

Chad came out for a few minutes with no socks or gloves on. Needless to say he was only out there for a few minutes!

Chad and Ashlyn tried sledding together but that didn't work so well!
My pretty girl!

After freezing outside....Hot Chocolate and a fire are a must!

Italian punch, please!

2010-01-08T10:09:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, Ashlyn and I went to the grocery store to get some comfort food to eat since we were going to get snowed in. (The snow didn't happen. I'm not surprised!) I try not to take her to the store much because I end up spending way to much money on stuff that we really do not need and most of the time something I don't have a coupon for. She wanted a Lunchable and begged me to go over to the aisle they were on. I gave in because I wanted her to have something special to eat while the snow was falling :-) so we made our way over. They had the small Lunchables on sale....3/$5. I encouraged her to get those but she insisted on getting one with ITALIAN punch. I had no idea what she was talking about so I kept encouraging her to get the cheaper one. Well, the tears came and I could tell she was devastated so I said "just get the one you want and let's go". So...she proceeded to grab one and put it in the cart. The one with HAWAIIAN punch! Ha! I love my AshyPoo...she definitely makes me laugh!!

Last post of 2009

2009-12-29T21:31:00.004-05:00

I know....most of you are thinking this is like my first post of 2009 but up until July I did really well! :-) Maybe it should be a resolution for the new year to be a better blogger. Hmmm...we'll see. I'm not promising anything. Ha!

2009 has been a year full of excitement. Let's see if I can go back and list a few things that happened...

Morgan broke her foot in January (starting the year out right...we are on our way to meeting our $5000 deductible!)
Chad and I celebrated 14 years of marriage in March
We went on our first cruise...a Disney Cruise...in April
Ashlyn turned 7 in April
We went to the beach with our good friends, the Bailey's, in June
Chad turned 36 in July
Madyson had medical issues (not really sure what) in July and had to have a lot of tests run (helping us get closer to reaching our $5000 deductible)
Chad turned 36 in July
Madyson had oral surgery in July to expose a tooth way down at the bottom of her gums so that they could PULL it up and over to the right spot. Fun, fun!
In July we put a contract on a house that we loved. We thought we would be in it within a month but soon found ourselves waiting and waiting for our loan to be approved. With Chad's credit score we shouldn't have had to wait anytime but our loan was taking FOREVER and they were asking us for the craziest stuff in order to approve it. It was frustrating but looking back we know that God was looking out for us. There were so many things that needed to be fixed on the house (a brand new house at that!) and our good deal was FAST becoming a not so good deal. Thank you Lord for watching over us and SHOUTING at us telling us to be patient and wait for something better!!
Madyson turned 13 in August
Missy turned 34 in September
Morgan turned 14 in October and told us she'd be able to drive soon. Oh My!!
We took at family vacation in November to Disney World. That was SOOO much fun. We went to Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, and Hollywood Studios. We loved being together as a family and making memories with one another.
In December, Missy had yet another knee surgery. This time just to clean up some scar tissue. The recovery wasn't near as bad as it was after the first surgery....1 week on crutches compared to 8. The pain, however, was FAR worse. So glad that is over and I'm on my way to recovery. I should be able to get back out and walk with my walking buddy, Lisa, in about 4 to 6 more weeks! (Oh...and I didn't list every little thing but we had a TON of medical bills this year so I paid $200 for my knee surgery. Not bad, huh? :-) )
We're ending our year with having Chad home with us until Jan. 4th! He's never been able to take that much time off at once and we've LOVED it.

I hope you all have had a fun, exciting year! I know we have and I look forward to what 2010 brings. Hopefully it will be the year of NO medical bills! Ha! Happy New Year to the 5 or 6 of you who read this blog. I pray that God blesses you tremendously! :-)

She was such a trooper!!

2009-07-01T15:21:00.004-04:00

Madyson had to have some oral surgery done today. Her orthodontist sent her to have a tooth extracted and then another tooth exposed that is growing way down at the bottom of her gums. Now...you have to know Madyson and how she is about shots. I remember a few years back having to chase her around the doctor's office just so the nurse could PRICK her finger. Well, today, she didn't have to have a little finger prick but did have to get an IV and be put to sleep. She did so good! I was so proud of her and how she just sat real still and let the doctor do his job.

She is now home and in the deepest part of LA LA Land. The surgery went well and she should really only be sore for a few days. I know she would tell you right now that she is thankful for Tylenol with codine because she is already in some pain.

Here's a nice little picture of Madyson in recovery. I love the nice recliner and the fuzzy blanket. I'm really wondering if Madyson was in a deep sleep from the anesthesia or if she was pretending not to wake up so she could stay in that comfy chair. Hmmmmmmmm.............

Fun in the Sun

2009-06-25T13:44:00.007-04:00

We just had a wonderful time with our friends, The Bailey's, at Litchfield Beach. The weather was BEAUTIFUL and the company was great!! Here are a few pics of our time.

Chad and I about to enjoy some seafood

All of the kids posing in front of their new car :-)

Jennifer loving some crab legs

Zac

Morgan

Madyson and Parker

Jimmy and Jennifer

Jimmy and Jennifer headed to relax in the ocean

Zachary playing in the sand

Ashlyn waiting for a wave to come and Chad boogie boarding it in

Parker

Chad relaxing...that doesn't happen often!

My little Freckle Face!

Ashlyn loves to play in the sand!

I want to go back!!!!!!!!!

Ash was so happy to be there!

Morgan

Madyson

Mugs, Water Bottles, Night lights, Oh my!

2009-05-24T21:24:00.005-04:00

I've found something I absolutely LOVE doing! Buying an embroidery machine has got to be one of the best purchases I've ever made. I've been able to do so many neat things with it. I started out just monogramming some shirts for my girls. Ashlyn even asked me in the beginning if all of her clothes were going to have her initials on them. :-)
Now, I'm making travel mugs, water bottles, night lights, towels, duffle bags, and more. Here are some samples of what I've done and a list of my prices. If you are interested in any of these you can contact me at prissymissy75@bellsouth.net!!

Price List:
Travel Mug~$18
Water Bottle~$22
Night light~$16
Large 3 initial monogram~$8
Small 3 initial monogram~$6
Large 1 letter~$6
Crib Sheet w/ scripture~$20
Crib Sheet w/ name~$16

It's finally in stores!

2009-05-16T16:40:00.003-04:00

The book is out! Me With You is finally in stores. How exciting to finally read this book. My cousin Kristy did a wonderful job with it. The words are precious and the illustrations are amazing. This book would make a wonderful Father's Day gift or you could give it for Grandparent's Day which is in September. Please go to your local bookstore and pick up a copy of this book. You won't regret it. It's definitely a book you'll love forever!!

My cousin Kristy and I

I love my Mama!!

2009-05-10T15:41:00.004-04:00

My mama is a wonderful woman! She is beautiful, hilarious, caring, giving, hard-working, fun, and the list could go on and on. I love her so much and thank God daily for making me her daughter.

Mama, I hope today has been a wonderful day for you. You deserve all the best! Thank you for loving me and showing me the love of Christ over the last 33 years. I love you so much!! Happy Mother's Day!

It's Wednesday!!

2009-04-29T14:54:00.002-04:00

It's been a while...

2009-04-25T21:07:00.005-04:00

So, I just noticed that it's been over 2 weeks since my last post. I better update so that I don't get a nasty email from my sister, Amy, telling me I'm a slacker! :-)

I've done a lot in the last two weeks. I went on a wonderful Ladies Retreat with my friend Stephanie. I go every year in April. It's definitely something I look forward to. This year the speaker was Ruth McWhite. Ruth was actually the speaker at the very first retreat I went to with Steph. She is an amazing speaker and so passionate about growing closer to God. The theme this year was "Recipes for Living". Ruth shared with us about the excitement of experiencing God, about prayers that satisfy, liberation from our sinful nature, the life God intends for us to have, and the sweet aroma of Christ. I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE spending those 2 days each year being renewed!

Another plus this year was that Steph asked me to help her with the music! I love to sing but haven't done a lot of that since we left First Baptist North Spartanburg. I was so excited when she asked me to help. I loved every minute of standing up there helping lead in worship! Thanks Steph for giving me that opportunity! :-)

On Saturday of the retreat we have free time in the afternoon. We always pile in Steph's Suburban and head into Hendersonville to walk Main Street. I love spending time with those girls! We laugh until we hurt and pretty much just act silly. I'll post a few pics of our crazy time together from that afternoon.

A mannequin made out of bras and panties! :-)

Kim with her sunglasses on the back of her head

The other Kim about to drink the green tabasco!

I had some plastic surgery on my lips while I was away.

Steph couldn't let Kim be the only one to drink tabasco!

Steph and I

Kim, me, Kim, and Joy

Carrots, Bunnies, and Jelly Beans

2009-04-10T15:16:00.005-04:00

Tomorrow is Ashlyn's birthday so we celebrated at her school today. She gave me specific instructions on what she wanted me to do for cupcakes! She wanted them to look like they had grass with a bunny and Easter eggs on them. I wasn't sure what to do for the bunnies but I ended up finding a bag of 40 little plastic bunnies at Hobby Lobby for $1.50. Not bad! We used Smarties Jelly Beans as the Easter eggs. I intended on making the grass look more like grass but couldn't find the right tip to ice them with so....I did the best I could. :-) I think Ash was pleased with them! Her face lit up big time when I got to her classroom and she saw them for the first time.

We also made these cute "carrots"! We used the Wilton 12 inch plastic decorating bags, filled them with Cheetos, and tied them up with a piece of green tissue paper and green curly ribbon. By the way....I've learned to cheat and buy the gift bows that are made from curly ribbon. They are already curled for you and you just pull a string of it out and voila...you have the curls already done for you!! :-)

It's finally here...

2009-03-31T09:46:00.005-04:00

I didn't think the day would get here so fast! When we told the girls at Christmas that we'd be going on a cruise it seemed like an eternity away. I was going to be skinny by now too! Hmmmm....I'm really not sure what happened. Could it be that I went out to lunch too many times with Cindy and Jennifer? Could it be that I didn't eat breakfast most mornings to get my metabolism going? Could it be that I gain wait just thinking about food? Oh...I know what it is! I forgot to drink a lot of water all the time and go to the gym every day. OK...now that we have that figured out, let's move on. :-)

We are sooooooo excited about this trip! I love getting away and relaxing with my family! Why does it have to be so crazy before you leave though? I can't sleep at night for the 5 million things going through my head. I'm afraid I'm going to forget something which I probably will. I always do and it's never the end of the world. Chad tells me to just "clear my mind" and go to sleep. He clears his mind fast....within 5 seconds of his head hitting the pillow. I sure wish I could do that. I've never been on a cruise so there is a lot to learn! I want to make sure everyone has the right clothes for each night. One night will be dress up night and I just learned today that Chad will need a sport coat or nice button up shirt to wear. I thought he'd just be able to wear khakis and a polo. OK...so I'm beginning to ramble. Moving on.....

We set sail on Thursday from Port Canaveral. Our ship is due to sail away at 5:00 pm. We will head to Nassau, Bahamas where we will spend all day Friday. We didn't schedule anything for that day. We'll just play it by ear and probably do a little shopping, a little playing in the water, and spend some extra time on the ship. On Saturday morning when we wake up we should be pulling into Disney's private island, Castaway Cay...pronounced Key. It's a wonder foreigners can ever learn English the way we spell things! Castaway Cay looks and sounds like a wonderful place. They have these great open air cabanas where you can get a massage. Mmmmmmm....I wonder if it will feel a little like heaven?!?! Sunday morning we will dock back at Port Canaveral and it will all be over. Sounds like such a quick trip but I think it will be just the right amount of time. We will pack so much in over those few days....we'll come back needing another vacation from our vacation!

On the ship there is food every time you turn around. I plan on eating....lots! They have places you can just walk up too at anytime of the day and tell them you want pizza, or a burger, a hot dog, ice cream, etc. Then, of course, there are 3 restaurants that we'll rotate through each night. Yummy! The food may just be the most exciting part. I don't know that for sure...we'll see and I'll let you know. Gosh...I'm so glad we figured out at the beginning of this post why I'm not skinny yet! I guess I'll be drinking LOTS of water and hitting the gym when I get back. :-)

Me With You ~ My cousin Kristy's new book

2009-03-15T22:14:00.003-04:00

Check on the trailer for my cousin, Kristy's, new book due out on May 14th! She is very talented and did an awesome job on this children's book. You can even go to amazon.com and preorder it now! Good job, Kristy! We are so proud of you!!!

Pay it Forward

2009-02-26T22:32:00.003-05:00

A friend of mine, Jess, posted this on her blog and I thought it was such a neat idea so I thought I'd do it too. Here is how this works:

The first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive a gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise. The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going. Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift! Everyone loves surprise packages!

The Book Fair

2009-02-23T16:16:00.005-05:00

Today was the first day of the book fair at Roebuck Elementary School. I have a love/hate relationship with this day. I love it because they allow the kids to dress like one of their favorite book characters. Ashlyn went as Little Red Riding Hood. I hate it because I feel like it's a big money trap. My personal opinion is that they should send the information home in a sealed envelope stating when the book fair begins and ends and the day that your child's class will attend just in case you'd like to send in some money. :-) BUT...it isn't done this way! Instead, they talk it up real big, tell your child to come back on the opening night and buy books, hot dogs, pizza, cokes, cookies, etc. and THEN bring MORE money on the day that your class goes during their library time. Good grief! Seems like every time I turn around they are asking me to send more money for something. I also think they tell your child to cry real loud if their parent says they can't go tonight because there is no money until mommy gets paid on Thursday. We will not be going to the book fair tonight because mommy really has no money until Thursday. I guess that tells you how the rest of my day will go......waa, waa, waa.......

The Artist's in the Family

2009-02-22T18:54:00.004-05:00

Madyson and Ashlyn LOVE to draw! I know I'm their mother BUT I have to say they are very artistic! Yesterday, they decided to draw together. There aren't many things they can do together and actually get along but yesterday, they sat for hours and drew pictures and DIDN'T fight! They sat at the computer, searched for a picture to draw, and then copied it. There was NO tracing involved....just looking and copying. I was so impressed that I had to take pictures. Some of them didn't turn out great because I couldn't use the flash but they'll do for now.

Ashlyn's Masterpieces...

Madyson's Masterpieces...

Happy ♥ Day!

2009-02-14T12:34:00.008-05:00

♥ Happy Valentine's Day! ♥

The girls wanted new Rainbows so I decided

it would be fun to do pink ones for Valentine's!

The sweet card Ashlyn made me and Chad at school.

Her teacher said she did it all on her own...no help from anyone.

Inside the card...."I think YOU special" :-)

Heavenly Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

2009-01-22T13:28:00.003-05:00

I posted on my Facebook status yesterday that I LOVE Bananas Foster! I went to lunch yesterday with my good friend Jennifer Bailey. We are both on a diet so we thought we'd have dessert after our meal. :-) We did share one so that means it wasn't fattening! I think God works in such funny ways because last night as I opened up my February edition of Woman's Day magazine, the very first page I turned to had a recipe on it for Heavenly Bananas Foster Bread Pudding. I'm convinced that God wants me to have another taste of this wonderful dessert. :-) Ok...you all know I'm just kidding but whatever...I'm making this! It sounds so good and is low in calories and FAT! It serves 8 and has 286 calories per serving (not the whole thing!) and has 4g of fat. Yummy! I haven't made it yet but it does sound very good. Let's try it and see!

Heavenly Bananas Foster Bread Pudding

9 oz. purchased angel food cake, cut into 1-in. cubes (about 6 cups)
2 1/4 cups milk
3 large eggs
1/2 cup packed light brown sugar
1/4 cup spiced rum
2 tsp. vanilla extract
3 firm - ripe bananas, sliced 1/2 in. thick
Confectioners' sugar, for dusting
Lowfat vanilla ice cream (optional)

1. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Spread out angel cake cubes on a large rimmed baking sheet. Bake 20 minutes tossing three times until lightly toasted and dry.

2. Whisk milk, eggs, sugar, rum and vanilla in a large bowl until sugar is dissolved. Gently stir in cake cubes and banana slices. Pour into an 8 inch square baking dish. Cover dish with foil. Let stand 30 minutes at room temperature for cake cubes to absorb most of the milk mixture.

3. Heat oven to 350 degrees. Bake covered for 30 minutes. Remove foil and continue to bake for 25 minutes or until pudding is set.

4. Let stand 15 minutes. Dust top with confectioners' sugar. Serve with small scoops of vanilla ice cream.

Hotel For Dogs

2009-01-21T21:18:00.003-05:00

This was one of the best movies I've seen in a LONG time! I never thought I would like it as much as I did. I took Ashlyn because I thought she would enjoy it...not really because I thought it would become one of my favorites. It is a must see! It has a great story line and is so cute! Ashlyn laughed outloud most of the time and it even brought a few tears to our eyes. If you have children you definitely need to take them to see this. If you don't have kids...take yourself to see it! :-) This is one that I will definitely buy when it comes out on DVD!!

While Morgan and Madyson are away....Mommy and Ashlyn play!

2009-01-18T20:20:00.004-05:00

Morgan and Madyson have been gone this weekend to Boone, NC for a Student Life conference and skiing. Well....Morgan hasn't been skiing because I sent her off with a broken foot.....no pity from this mom. Just kidding. I did make sure she was ok first and able to get around on her crutches. I plan on posting the whole story later when I remember to get a pic of her pretty shoe she has to wear. Anyway...Ashlyn hasn't felt great all weekend. She has a horrible cold and has just been laying around for the most part. Today, however, she had a little burst of energy so we took some silly pictures together. She had me hysterical a few times because she was laughing so hard. Here are a few of the 30 pictures we took for your enjoyment. :-)

Another Visit from the Tooth Fairy!

2009-01-17T17:14:00.002-05:00

The Most Exciting Christmas Ever....

2008-12-27T21:18:00.008-05:00

That's what Ashlyn said about our Christmas this year!! We did have a great one...except for the nasty stomach bug that decided to make it's way into Ashlyn's tummy while we were at my Grandmother's house celebrating with my Dad's side of the family. She was very sick for about 8 hours and then had all her energy back within 2 days.

Each year we spend Christmas Eve with Chad's mom. We went over and had dinner with her and had a great time! We did things a little different this year. Normally we have ham and all the "fixin's" but this year we had some wonderful steak, baked potatoes, salad, and bread. It was a nice change!

Christmas day we were up by 7:00 and seeing what Santa left for Ashlyn. She didn't want a whole lot this year so Santa had it easy. She was thrilled to see the 3 things she asked for sitting out when she walked into the den with very sleepy eyes! Morgan and Madyson hit the jackpot this year too. They are at the age where they want lots of clothes and then a few things on the side. They better not complain for a while that they "have NOTHING to wear"!!

Chad and I had a great day too! We really love watching the girls get excited about everything they get and I think we both could care less if we get anything. BUT...we did get some nice stuff and were happy because of it! :-) Chad needed some new clothes so I got him a good many things. I also gave him Madden 09 for the Wii so he'd have something to have fun with. He bought me a new wardrobe which I knew about since I went and picked everything out. He did surprise me though with a gift certificate to take a stone, that was left to me by my grandmother, to a jewelry store and have it set. I was so excited and can't wait to take it. My grandmother, Nanoo, was so special to me and it's going to be extra special to wear a ring with her stone in it!

Later that day we went to my sister Amy's for a late lunch. That's always one of my favorites because we normally have soup and little finger foods to go with it. This year she made a wonderful Shrimp Chowder and Vegetable Soup. My mom made Poppy Seed Ham Rolls and wonderful Venezuelan Empanadas. I made a Red Velvet Cheesecake (click for recipe) and some sugar cookies. We always eat very well when we get together! :-) The cousins always have so much fun together. This year the big girls put on a show about the birth of Jesus and the little girls followed with their own show....or should I say shows. They did 4 or 5. My favorite was one they did about Santa and they creatively used a big box and Santa's sleigh and a gigantic dog as the reindeer.

Now, for the most exciting thing of the whole day. Chad and I had been having to talk in code OR in Spanish for the last few weeks. We had been planning something BIG for the girls. I just knew I was going to slip and tell them because I was about to bust with excitement but I did good and held it in! We were finally able to tell them that WE'RE GOING ON A DISNEY CRUISE!!! We are all so excited because this is the first cruise any of us has ever been on. My sister, Katie and Chad's mom are also going with us. We will sail from Port Canaveral, Florida on April 2nd to the Bahamas. We'll spend the first day in Nassau and then spend the next day at Disney's private island, Castaway Cay. We'll return on Sunday, April 5th.

So...I think Ashlyn was right. This was the most exciting Christmas ever.

My Grandma and niece, Quinn

My mom and sister, Katie

My sister, Katie and Ashlyn right before the stomach bug hit!

Ashlyn, Madyson, and Morgan Christmas Eve in their new PJ's

Look at all the presents!

What Santa brough Ashlyn. She had about 50 more gifts to unwrap! Maybe not 50 but it seemed like it!

Ashlyn with her bed head! She didn't care though!

Madyson digging in to her first gift

Morgan finally got the camera she's wanted forever

Chad with his Madden 09

Morgan bringing a gift to baby Jesus and Bailey playing Mary in their play

Ashlyn and Avery enjoying their lunch

My mom and dad ready to open gifts

The cousins seeing what all they got My sister, Amy

The Disney Wonder Cruise Ship! Mickey Mouse here we come!

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T22:10:00.002-05:00

Up on the Housetop...

2008-12-14T19:08:00.002-05:00

Make a Smilebox greeting

Christmastime is Here!

2008-11-30T17:07:00.003-05:00

Some of my favorite ornaments...

She's one Terrific Kid!!

2008-11-20T13:31:00.005-05:00

Yesterday, at Roebuck Elementary, Ashlyn was given an award that put a very big smile on her face!! Her teacher, Mrs. Bush, nominated her for Terrific Kid for this 6 weeks at school. Ashlyn was beyond excited! I am so proud of her. She IS a good girl....especially at school. She loves to learn and doesn't not want to have to "pull her ticket" for being naughty! Yesterday before it was time to walk Ash down to the library, Mrs. Bush introduced her to the class as the new Terrific Kid and all the kids started clapping. She then asked the class why Ashlyn deserved to be Terrific Kid and the hands went flying up. Here are a few of the responses:

"Ashlyn always pays attention."
"She is nice to everyone."
"She always does her work."
"Ashlyn is very smart."

The kids were so sweet to Ashlyn and so excited for her. It put a little lump in my throat to hear all those little 6 year olds saying such sweet things about my baby girl!

We are so proud of you, Ashlyn! You are definitely One Terrific Kid!

I LOVE FALL!!

2008-11-06T21:06:00.005-05:00

Every single day when I drive over the "new" bridge close to my house, my breath is taken away! The trees are absolutely gorgeous. As you get to the highest point of the bridge you are also at the tip top of the trees. You can see beautiful fall colors for miles. I love this time of year. It has always been my favorite. It's like each year God takes a paint brush and makes it even more beautiful than the year before. So....because I am just about to come out of my skin each day when I leave the house and see the beauty :-)...I decided that today would be a great day to take my precious children out and get some pictures of them and the beautiful leaves. They turned out wonderful! Here are a few for you to enjoy!

Halloween Fun!!

2008-11-01T22:43:00.002-04:00

We had a great Halloween night trick or treating with the cousins and Aunt Amy!! Here's a little slide show of our time!

Make a Smilebox slideshow

She's a TEENAGER!!

2008-10-23T20:57:00.002-04:00

Wow! How time flies! It seems like yesterday when little Morgan was born! She made her entrance into this world at 8:45 pm weighing 8 lbs. 13 oz. and was 22 inches long. Today she is 6'1" and a beautiful young lady. Where did the days go? I'm so proud of Morgan. She is hilarious, caring, giving, hilarious, outgoing, friendly....did I mention hilarious? She does keep us laughing and is definitely a bright spot in our lives. We love you Morgan and hope you've had a wonderful 13th birthday!!

*Chad made sure he told me tonight that Morgan will be driving in 2 years. Oh my!!! :-)

My desire...Lord Reign in Me!

2008-10-15T20:42:00.005-04:00

You thought of us before the world began to breathe

You knew our names before we came to be

You saw the very day we'd fall away from you

And how desperately we need to be redeemed

Lord Jesus come lead us

We're desperate for your touch

Oh Great and Mighty One with one desire we come

That you would reign that you would reign in us

We're offering up our lives a living sacrifice

That you would reign that you would reign in us

Spirit of the Living God fall fresh again

Come search our hearts and purify our lives

We need your perfect love We need your discipline

We're lost unless you guide us with your light

We cry out For your love to refine us cry out

For your love to define us cry out

For your mercy to keep us blameless until you return

So reign please reign in us

Come purify our hearts we need your touch

Come cleanse us like a flood and send us out

So the world may know you reign you reign in us

7 Things...

2008-10-08T21:34:00.004-04:00

My sister, Amy, tagged me to tell 7 random things about myself that people may not know. I've sat and thought about it for a while and I've decided that I'm pretty much an open book BUT I'm going to try this. So...

#1~ Some of you do know this but it's the first thing I thought of. I stand on my head everyday! I have an inversion table that I get on and I invert for about 10 to 15 minutes each day. I had a bulging disc in my back a few months ago and found that the table is the best thing for me. I'm sure I look kind of strange on my head though! :-)

#2~ I HAVE to make my bed every morning right when I get up. If Chad is still in the bed I make him up in it. :-) Not really but I do make my side up and then he'll usually make his when he gets up. IF for some reason I can't make my bed first thing, I still HAVE to make it before I go to bed....even if that means making it up and immediately unmaking it!

#3~ I turn the dryer back on 15 times if I have to to fluff clothes. I HATE to iron so I always make sure I take the clothes out while they're VERY hot and I hang them immediately.

#4~ My favorite musical is "The Music Man". I could watch it over, and over, and over! My good friend Jennifer gave me the DVD for Christmas a few years ago. It was one of the best gifts she could have ever chosen for me. I love the songs "Seventy-six Trombones", "Gary, Indiana", and "Till There Was You". The whole musical just makes me happy!

#5~ I am very picky about the dishes that I eat on and drink out of. I WILL NOT drink out of a coffee mug at work. I have to have a styrofoam cup. I really don't like to use silverware anywhere but my home and the homes of family and some friends. I'm sure they are probably clean but I'm just weird about that. At restaurants I've been known to ask for a "to go" cup right off the bat.

#6~ It was always my dream to be on "The Price is Right". I really don't care anymore because Bob Barker is gone. I think I REALLY thought my dream would come true before he retired. Oh well. Check that one off the list!

#7~ I absolutely love slushy apple juice and slushy orange juice! The first time I had both was when I was in the hospital after delivering Morgan. I couldn't get enough of either of them. I sometimes put both juices in the freezer long enough to get them slushy.

OK....that's the best I've got! Now I tag Angi and Alyssa.

Apple Squares

2008-09-22T21:57:00.003-04:00

My friend Alyssa shared this wonderful recipe with me. Her daughter goes to Covenant and she was so sweet to make it for the teachers there. It was the best apple cake I have ever put in my mouth!! I had to share it with you all!

Appple Squares

3 cups diced apples
2 cups sugar
3/4 cup oil
1 cup nuts (any kind you like, I use pecans)
3 eggs
1 tsp cinnamon
3 cups all purpose flour
1 tsp baking soda
3 tsp vanilla

Pre-heat oven to 325 degrees. Grease and flour 9x13 baking dish. Mix all ingredients except apples with mixer, the mix will be very thick. Stir in apples with spoon. Once mixed, pour into 9x13 dish. Cook for 1 hour. Poke holes in the cake with fork and pour glaze over dish wihile still warm.

Glaze:
1 stick butter
4 oz evaported milk
1 cup brown sugar
Bring to a boil in sauce pan.

ENJOY!

Ashlyn

2008-09-14T19:56:00.003-04:00

This morning as I was getting ready, Ashlyn came in and told me that she wanted to pray and ask Jesus into her heart. I expected her to tell me that soon because she has been talking a lot about becoming a Christian lately BUT I was still taken back this morning when she told me. I didn't know if I should grin from ear to ear or cry....so I did both!! We sat down on my bed and talked for a good while about what it means to become a Christian. I asked her a lot of questions and she gave me "adult answers" for all of them. I couldn't believe how grown up she sounded. When I asked her why she wanted to pray and ask Jesus in her heart she said, "because He died on the cross for my sins and I want to follow Him for the rest of my life". Wow!! My little girl was really understanding! I prayed a prayer with Ashlyn and she repeated it. I could tell she was grinning from ear to ear the whole time! After some hugs and "I'm proud of you's" we left the house. On the way down the road Ashlyn said, "Mommy, I didn't know I could be this good". It cracked me up. She was obviously telling herself that she needs to try her best to live a life pleasing to God and part of that was by being a good girl! I told her she just needs to get up every morning and tell God that she wants to do things that will please Him each day. I found out later on today that she had a long conversation with her cousin Avery yesterday about all of this. I would have loved to have heard everything....they are both 6 years old!! :-)

I pray that Ashlyn continues to grow each day in her relationship with Christ and that she loves Him more and more. I pray that she will continue to be excited about letting everyone know about this decision she has made and that she will want to share of His love with others.

We love you, Ashlyn!!

Madyson turns 12!!

2008-09-08T13:46:00.003-04:00

On August 27th, we celebrated Madyson's 12th birthday. I can't believe I'm just now writing about it. Have I been that busy??? This year I told Madyson that we weren't doing a big birthday party but I let her invite a few of her friends from church over for a sleepover. Boy did they have fun!! We started out with pizza, then cake, and then presents. Her friends were very generous to her and put a huge smile on her face!! Then we moved on to facials and nails. I think that must be right up every girl's alley. They loved it. After a few movies and another snack the girls FINALLY went to bed at 1:30. Glad they had fun!!

Madyson is such a special girl. She has a great personality that people love. She is shy when you first meet her but when you get to know her she is a true friend. She loves you for who you are. This year Madyson is a cheerleader at her middle school and I have seen a part of her that I didn't know was there. She is doing such a great job and really gets into the cheers and sure knows how to shake her tail on the little dance they are doing. :-) I'm so proud of Madyson!

A few words I'd use to describle Madyson are kind, happy, warm-hearted, fun, and energetic. The thing that pleases me the most about her though is that she loves God with all her heart! She is so involved in her youth group at church and is just finishing up a Bible study that she's been a part of for the last few months. I can see that she is growing more and more each day and her love for the Lord is getting deeper and deeper!

We love you so much, Madyson and we hope this year is wonderful for you!!

Mom! Where's the Gasoline?

2008-08-12T17:01:00.002-04:00

Ashlyn: Mom! Where's the gasoline?

Me: The gasoline?

Ashlyn: Yes, the gasoline.

Me: I don't know. Are you a car?

Ashlyn: A car?

Me: Yes. Are you a car?

Ashlyn: No, I need the gasoline that I put on my legs.

Me: Oh! The vaseline!!!!!

Wordless Wednesday!

2008-08-06T08:25:00.003-04:00

Tag....You're It!!

2008-08-04T10:02:00.005-04:00

I was tagged by my Aunt Martha to blog about 5 things I love. I've been thinking about it and it's been tough to narrow things down to just 5 but I think I've managed to do it!!

* I love the fact that I serve an amazing God who has blessed me beyond my imagination!!

* I love family! I love my husband, Chad, and my 3 daughters, Morgan, Madyson, and Ashlyn! I love my mom and dad and my two sisters with all my heart! I love my grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins! We have always been a very close family who supports one another. Just one of the things God has blessed me with!!

* I love my friends!! I have some of the best friends a girl could ever ask for! There isn't one that I couldn't go to for absolutely anything!! I love spending time with them whether it be going out for a cup of coffee, going out for dinner and a movie, or just hanging out at each others houses and watching tv together! We always have so much fun and do a good bit of laughing! :-)

* I love Swithflops and One Soles! I would love them even more if I had come up with this brilliant idea!! I love the fact that I can take one pair of shoes with a ton of different tops with me on vacation! I love that the straps for Switchflops are only $10!! I feel like I can buy lots that way! :-)

* I love frozen coffees from pretty much anywhere. Starbucks, Panera, and Bella Latte are my favorites but I'll take whatever I can find! I love the way the whipped cream taste as you get to the end of it. It puts this creamy layer on the roof of my mouth that is wonderful! Strange, I know! It doesn't have to be hot outside for me to enjoy a frozen coffee. I've been known to order one smack in the middle of winter! Yum!

Now...I'd love to hear what some of the rest of you love! So I'm going to tag:

Joy
Jennifer
Tracy
Lydia
Sarah

Ok, girls! TAG, You're it!! :-)

Happy Birthday, Chad!!

2008-07-25T08:20:00.004-04:00

We hope this day is wonderful for you and the year to come is the best ever! Thanks for being the best husband, father, and friend anyone could ever imagine having!! We love you!

Love,
Missy, Morgan, Madyson, and Ashlyn ♥

The Anchor Mission Trip

2008-07-21T10:05:00.009-04:00

Week before last Ashlyn was able to go on a mission trip with The Anchor from our church. The Anchor is for children from kindergarten through 6th grade. At previous churches we've been to, our kids have attended VBS which they LOVE but none of my kids had ever done anything like this at such a young age. When I first read the list of projects they would be doing I thought "oh gracious...will Ashlyn really be able to do all of this!". Well, was she ever able to do it and she LOVED every minute of it.

The week started with a trip to a local nursing home. The boys were going to play checkers with the elderly men and the girls were going to paint fingernails for the elderly ladies. I wasn't sure if Ashlyn would actually do it but SHE DID!! She painted the fingernails of a sweet little lady. I asked her if she talked to her and Ashlyn said the lady just smiled. How sweet! Ashlyn said she gave the lady a hug and just smiled back at her. Wow!!! It brings a smile to my face knowing that God used my little Ashlyn to brighten the day of a little old lady who probably doesn't have a whole lot of bright days sitting in the nursing home!

The second day they went to a boys home here in Spartanburg. There are 6-8 boys living there with no mother so they went and cleaned the home for them. Ashlyn is a great bathroom cleaner!! She loves to clean her bathroom here at home so I knew she'd do a great job there.

On the third day they divided the group up into three different groups. Some went to a soup kitchen, some to a shelter called The Haven, and some to Morningside Baptist Church to count rice bowl money. Ashlyn was in the group that counted the money. They basically had to divide the coins up into groups and put it in tubes. She loved it! Sorry I don't have a picture from that day! :(

On the fourth day they went to The Crisis Pregnancy Center to do some office work for them. Ashlyn loves anything like this. She said she put sticker names on envelopes which means she put labels on envelopes to mail out their newsletter. I know the center appreciated the help of all the kids!! They had stack after stack of envelopes to label to get ready to be mailed.

The fifth day was FUN!! The kids stayed at Oakbrook Prep School (where our church meets) and spruced up the grounds by pulling weeds, planting flowers, and cleaning up a little. After that they had water fun! You know kids love this! They had an inflatable water slide, water balloons, a dunk booth, and snow cones!! Fun!

These kids did an amazing job all week!! There was no complaining at all! Just willing hearts anxious to get out in Spartanburg and help everyone they could! Thank you to our children's director, Merissa, who planned all of this and taught our children about missions!!! Isn't it wonderful that they are learning how to serve in the community at such a young age!!

Here are a few more pictures from the week! Enjoy! :)

God Bless America!

2008-07-04T08:13:00.004-04:00

We hope everyone has a wonderful
4th of July!!

Home from Michigan!

2008-06-30T15:26:00.012-04:00

Morgan and Madyson are home and they had a wonderful time in Michigan. This was their first mission trip ever and I think they are ready to go on the next. God really did some wonderful things during their time away last week. They came home so excited with lots of stories of how God is working in people's lives as well as their own lives!

They were in Michigan with other youth groups from churches in Pennsylvania, Alabama, and several other places. They were all there to work on the same projects so they were divided into groups of about 15. Morgan's group worked at Goodwill all week. She was exhausted from all the work. They did whatever needed to be done....stocked shelves, priced clothing, hung clothing, moved items around in the store, and Morgan even MOPPED the entire Goodwill store one night! Hooray for knowing that Morgan DOES know how to mop! : )

The house that Madyson's group worked on!

Madyson's group worked at a house all week. A lady there needed to have her house painted but couldn't afford to pay someone so they scraped it and painted it for her. Madyson said the house was 3 stories tall and they had to scrape the entire thing. I think she worked very hard but enjoyed herself at the same time. She sure did bring home some stinky clothes and some jeans and t-shirts covered in paint!!

At night, all the churches would come together and have a time of worship. This was a great time for them to unwind each day. They had some great music and then a speaker. Lights out was at 11:00 each night and I don't think anyone had a problem with that. They knew they had to get some sleep so that they could be up and ready for breakfast at 6:00 the next morning! Wow....what a difference from being at home!!

Thank you to those of you that prayed for them to have a safe trip there, a safe stay, and a safe trip home. God was definitely there with them!! Here are a few things they each learned during their time away....

Morgan:

"I learned that sometimes you may have to work for people that aren't very nice but you just need to deal with it. Whatever they give you to do you should do without complaining. God put me in Michigan to serve others and I just kept reminding myself of that!!'

"Hard work is HARD!!" : )

Madyson:

"I learned that it feels really good to be a blessing to someone. The lady that lives in the house we painted was really happy! Her name is Betty. She had just had a knee replacement and when she walked out to see the house she was so happy."

"It's tough to make such good friends that live far, far away and not be able to visit them."

We haven't gotten the pics developed yet. I sent the girl off with disposable cameras so we'll have to take them in and get a CD of the pics. I'll post some when we get them...

Mission Trip to Michigan!!

2008-06-22T19:20:00.003-04:00

At 3:00 AM Chad and I sent Morgan and Madyson off on a week long youth mission trip to Jackson, Michigan. After waiting 14 long hours to hear from them they finally called to let us know they arrived safely. They have been so excited about this big adventure and we've been thrilled for them but this morning at 2:50 I realized that Jackson is a LONG ways away!! For a split second I didn't want to send my kids that far away. Then...I took a minute to remember WHY they were going and it blessed my heart to know that my 11 and 12 year old girls are going so far away from home just so they can serve others and share the love of Christ. Pray for Morgan and Madyson this week and the 22 others that went to Michigan. They will be painting, reroofing homes, and any other clean up project that needs to be done. They will also be doing some backyard Bible clubs and having worship with other youth groups at night that are there from all over the USA. I'll update and post pictures when the girls return!

Aunt Martha.....It's Summertime!!

2008-06-09T21:03:00.003-04:00

I know how much my Aunt Martha LOVES to hear from me so.....I thought I'd post some fun summertime pics! The girls have been out of school for a full week now and we've had some fun days!! Free summer movies at the mall, swimming at Nana's, and playing with friends. This week we plan on another movie, hopefully a trip to Discovery Island Waterpark in Simpsonville, and MORE swimming at Nana's! This time Daddy (AKA Chad ☻) will be with us!!

Here are some pics from our "swimming at Nana's" outing!

Look at those freckles!! So cute!

Pretty Madyson! She's getting so big!

Ashlyn has become a little fish this summer!

Morgan and her beautiful smile!

We Have a Kindergarten Graduate!!

2008-05-13T17:41:00.000-04:00

Make a Smilebox slideshow

Happy Mother's Day!

2008-05-11T08:28:00.002-04:00

Make a Smilebox photobook

I couldn't help but laugh!!

2008-04-27T21:06:00.012-04:00

This afternoon I was lying on the bed (same thing I've been doing for the last week because of a bulging disc in my back) and Ashlyn was in the floor in front of my bed. She had been watching Little Bear on Noggin but she evidently got tired of that and started talking to herself. She carried on quite a conversation about all kinds of stuff and then I heard her say, "Darn it, Dang it", then she paused before saying, "I love those words....they're my favorite....but I don't think I'm supposed to say them!" : ) After I caught my breath as I was trying not to laugh outloud I let her know that NO she isn't supposed to say those words. They just don't sound very nice!

Happy Birthday, Ashlyn!!

2008-04-11T10:06:00.004-04:00

Wow!! 6 years old. It's hard to believe that Ashlyn is already past the half-way mark to being 10. Time sure does fly.

We love you Ashypoo and hope your day is wonderful!!

April Fools!!

2008-04-01T19:19:00.009-04:00

Everything today has been a joke. It didn't matter what it was, it was a joke. Some were funny, some weren't funny, and some were just plain hard to understand. Ashlyn had no idea at 10:13 this morning when she rolled out of bed what April Fools even meant. I made the mistake of telling her that April Fools Day is a day when people like to play jokes on people or tell people things that aren't true and then say "April Fools!". Well, she decided she liked that a lot and used the phrase after EVERYTHING she said.

Ashlyn: "Mommy, I'm drawing!"

Mommy: "You are?"

Ashlyn: "April Fools!"

Ashlyn: "Mommy, I'm not hungry!"

Mommy: "You aren't?"

Ashlyn: "April Fools!"

Ashlyn: "Mommy, I'm ready to go!"

Mommy: "OK, let's go!"

Ashlyn: "April Fools!"

Each time she would say it she would hold her head back and just die laughing. I couldn't help but laugh at her everytime because she was so proud of herself for making another April Fools joke!

My mom called me this afternoon to tell me three things. 1. She hasn't been feeling great and she received a HUGE flower arrangement from some friends back in Virginia. 2. Some nice person called today and wanted to bring her a meal because they know she hasn't been able to be up cooking. AND 3. Hillary Clinton dropped out of the Presidential race! WOW! You are kidding me. I think my jaw dropped to my feet. I said, "Why? Why would she do that?" (Not that I minded!). My mom responded, "Because it's April Fools!"

What a day! I feel like I was tricked every time I turned around. To make myself feel better I think I'll go tie my kids up and put muzzles on them so they can't say April Fools again!!

By the way.....APRIL FOOLS!! : )

You want to see what we did today? Here's some pics! : )

We enjoyed a meal at

Just some stuff....

2008-03-31T17:45:00.003-04:00

I haven't posted in a while and my sister said I need to update so here is some stuff for ya!

1. Morgan has a boyfriend. I'm really trying to imagine it all. She probably gets sick of me asking her questions about him. I ask her everyday if she talked to him and she always replies, "yes, mom!" in a sarcastic voice. I guess I just find it hard to believe that she is old enough to even say she has a boyfriend. She wants to call him on the phone but I won't let her. She says I'm weird for that. Oh well....she'll just have to think I'm weird!!

2. Madyson now has a boyfriend as well. She actually liked this litte boy last year in 5th grade and he "asked her out". She thought about him all summer but didn't really talk to him so I wasn't sure if they'd still be going out when school started back this year. Well....they were but not for long. He decided that if she was going to be shy and not talk to him then he wasn't going to like her anymore. They broke up for a while and just this past week he had two of his friends tell Madyson that if she would talk to him this time he'd like for her to be his girlfriend again. So...she took a few minutes to ask several of her friends what she should do and they decided she should say yes! Now, the two are officially a couple again!

3. Ashlyn's teacher walked her to the car the other day. Usually this means that Ashlyn has been talkative all day and she wants to let me know so I can remind Ash not to talk when she should be doing her work. On this particular day, however, Ashlyn had been really good. Her teacher wanted to tell me that she was so proud of Ashlyn and that she couldn't believe that a 5 year old could spell so well. She said that Ashlyn had spelled hippopotamus, smarties, octopus, and several other big words for her that day. Wow!!! She must have gotten all her brains from her daddy! It's funny though...she is very interested in learning to spell. Yesterday we were reading a Dr. Seuss book together. She read most of it to me and then got to the word rhinoceros. I had to tell her what it was and from that point on she didn't want to finish reading. She was set on memorizing how to spell rhinoceros!!

So....that's the stuff I have for you. We're on Spring Break this week so I'm sure something interesting will happen and I'll get back on and share it with you. Until then, here's a few random pics for you!!

He is Risen Indeed!

2008-03-23T15:48:00.002-04:00

We hope each and every one of you have had a wonderful Easter celebrating the death, burial, and resurrection of our Lord and Savior! He is Risen, He is Risen Indeed!

13 Years of Happiness!!

2008-03-18T11:05:00.004-04:00

Wow!! Today is 13 years since I walked down the aisle with my dad to be handed over to the love of my life and my best friend, Chad! I've been sitting and thinking about the last 13 years. Sometimes it seems like an eternity together but sometimes it seems like the years have just flown by. A lot has happened over the course of our marriage. We started out living in several different places that we rented and then we bought our first house (in 1996) and lived there for 2 years. We bought our second home, in Lyman, SC, and lived there for 2 years. We later moved to Wake Forest, NC and lived there for a year while Chad attended seminary. We then moved to Madrid, Spain and lived there for a year as missionaries. Now, we are in Spartanburg, SC and have lived in our current home for almost 5 years. In the middle of living here and there and everyone we managed to have 3 beautiful daughters. Morgan, Madyson, and then Ashlyn made our family complete. I couldn't have wished for anything better than what I have now because what I have is the best!! I love my husband with all of my heart and so thankful for these 13 WONDERFUL years we've had together as husband and wife. God has blessed me in so many ways!

I love you, Chad!

Spring is Right Around the Corner!

2008-03-16T16:50:00.003-04:00

We've really been enjoying some beautiful weather. Here are a few shots from this afternoon at Nana's house!

The Gable Talent Show

2008-03-06T22:08:00.003-05:00

Tonight was the talent show at Gable Middle School. Everyone did a great job. Morgan and Madyson were both in it. Morgan sang "Ain't No Mountain High Enough" and Madyson sang "What Dreams are Made Of" with her friend Christen. I was so proud of them! Just the fact that they got up and sang made them winners to me!! At the end they gave out 1st, 2nd, and 3rd place prizes and Madyson and Christen won 2nd place. They were so excited! They won $40 that they split between them. Morgan didn't place but in my opinion should have. Oh well...maybe next year! I didn't get a good video of Morgan but will get a copy from someone to post on here later. For now, here is Madyson with Christen. Good job, girls!!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Just a tip.........

2008-03-05T09:59:00.001-05:00

When you are sitting at home with pink eye.....

Don't eat a whole bag of malted milk eggs.

It will make you feel very sick!!

Playing With Mommy's Camera

2008-02-28T13:43:00.000-05:00

Yesterday my sister posted random pictures of her kids. The ones of Avery were some that she had taken of herself when she saw her mommy's camera just lying there. Well....last night when I was putting pictures on the computer I saw that Ashlyn had done the same thing. We always knew that Ashlyn and Avery are two peas in a pod but good gracious....they even do the same sneaky things when they're apart. :) Here are some pictures Ash took of herself and if you want to see Avery's you can visit my sister's blog by clicking here and scroll down to her Feb. 27th entry!

I don't know where she got the double chin from! : )

Happy Birthday, Meme!

2008-02-27T21:17:00.000-05:00

Make a free ecard - it's easy!

Clifford at the Book Fair

2008-02-26T13:28:00.000-05:00

Last night we went to the Book Fair at Roebuck Elementary School. It's always a lot of fun because we get to go in and pick out new books to buy and then go in the gym to have pizza, cupcakes, and drink. Clifford the Big Red Dog made a visit to the Book Fair! He was so nice and stopped to have a picture made with Ashlyn. We then got in line for our food and of course Ashlyn had to have a RED cupcake in honor of Clifford! She pretty much had it from head to toe by the time she was finished eating it. Maybe next time she won't wear khaki pants!! :)

I'm sure the $10,000 will be soooooo worth it!!

2008-02-22T15:35:00.000-05:00

Well....we officially have 2 in braces now. Morgan got hers on about a year and a half ago and Madyson got hers today. Here are some pics of their expensive little mouths!!

Abe Him Lincoln

2008-02-15T08:54:00.000-05:00

Ashlyn was so proud of herself when she got in the car one day last week. She had learned about Abraham Lincoln that day and did a dot to dot of his face. She told me all about it and then said she'd show me the picture. Well...I was a little confused as to why she wrote "Abe Him Lincoln" on her paper. She explained that Mrs. Harris wrote "Abe Lincoln" on the board for them to copy but that she was so smart to remember how to spell "Him" so she could write his whole name all by herself....Abe Him Lincoln! : )

Happy Valentine's Day!!!

2008-02-14T16:44:00.000-05:00

Things I Love.....

2008-02-11T16:13:00.001-05:00

It's Monday of "Love Week" and I've been inspired to list some of the things I LOVE!! : )

I LOVE my Heavenly Father and how He has blessed me and loves me!

I LOVE my Husband with my whole heart! He provides for me and takes care of me.

I LOVE my children! They mean everything to me.

I LOVE my family! My mom, dad, and my sisters. They are very dear to me.

I LOVE my friends! I love the good times we have together and the way they make me laugh!

I LOVE my dog! I always hated animals!! Karma has officially stolen my heart!

I LOVE my church! I know God has placed us there and it feels so good to be getting involved!!

I LOVE the beautiful weather we've been having!

I LOVE my neighbors...most of them at least! : )

I LOVE the teachers that have dedicated themselves to teaching my children!

I could go on and on! There are so many things that I love and I am so thankful for! Happy "Love Week" to all of you. I LOVE YOU!

Sunday Afternoon at the Park

2008-02-10T18:08:00.000-05:00

The appointment center for Coldwell Banker called today at 12:00 and wanted to schedule an appointment to show our house TODAY between 1:30 and 2:30. If anyone needs any tips on speed cleaning and great places to hide things just call me. : ) I'm a pro! Since we have to take our dog, Karma, with us when they are showing the house we decided to go to the park for a while. We didn't stay too long because the wind was CRAZY! My hair was in my face the entire time! I did manage to snap a few pics though!!

By the way...all of the lights were still on in our house when we got home. The agents always go through and turn the overhead lights off. I don't think the people even came!! :( Oh well!!

Saturday Birthday Fun!!!

2008-02-09T17:32:00.000-05:00

Wow! Two birthday parties in one day. Ashlyn was in hog heaven...what more can a child ask for? First we went to Lauren's party at Chuck E. Cheese and then on to my sister's house for Quinn's first birthday party! Quinn loved her cupcake and couldn't seem to get enough. She was just shoveling it in! It was fun watching her with her new toys she got too. If kids would just stay one year old! :) She is so much fun right now and is the happiest baby ever!

We had a great time seeing Amy, Christopher, Chelsea, Lauren, and Caleb at Chuck E. Cheese! We don't get to see them as much as we used to and it's extra special when we can get together.

So...we definitely had a fun day! I hope Lauren and Quinn both have a fantastic year!!

Here is a little slideshow of our day!

Make a slideshow - it's easy!

Square Dancing in Roebuck

2008-02-05T21:48:00.001-05:00

Last week we had a PE program to attend at Roebuck Elementary School. It wasn't anything like I expected it to be. We've been to several programs over the last few years and we have always gone in, taken a seat, and watched. Not this time!! This year just happened to be parent participation year. Thank goodness Morgan and Madyson went with me because we learned to square dance. Well...they all learned to square dance. I'm pretty sure if I asked my knee surgeon he would say no to square dancing!! So, I just stood back and watched as Ashlyn showed us what she has been learning in PE. Here's a picture of Madyson and Ashlyn dancing...

The Queen of Volleyball

2008-02-03T17:02:00.000-05:00

I sat and watched Morgan play yesterday at her volleyball tournament and I was just amazed. Amazed that someone in this family, other than Chad, can play some kind of sport!: ) She's really good and this is only her first year. I'm seeing volleyball scholarships in her future.....I hope!! : ) She played about 8 games yesterday and gave it her all each time. I'm so proud of her!!! Here are a few pics of the tournament...

Morgan with Coach J

Morgan ready to serve

2008-01-23T20:21:00.000-05:00

OK...so I haven't done a great job keeping up with my blog posting. It's definitely not because I haven't had time to get on the computer!!! It seems that's all I do these days. I prop myself up on my side of the bed (now known as my roost) and sit with the laptop and check my email 5,000 times at least. It's sad that at least 4,990 of those times I have no emails coming in. I'm trying my best to relax and let my knee heal but it's getting old real fast! I have found that I'm addicted to scrabble. My friend Lisa and I play several games of scrabble a day on Facebook. That's been fun and helped pass the time some. All that to say....I'll try to get better about posting and keeping all my friends up to date on the activities of the Bryant family. I'm still playing scrabble though! :)

We have been doing well. The girls are busy with school and Morgan with volleyball. She is doing great and seems to really be enjoying herself. She's made some new friends and loves her coaches. She is in a volleyball tournament this Saturday. I'll have to get some pictures of her to post. Morgan and Madyson both went skiing this past weekend with the youth from our church. They went to Boone, NC and skiied on Appalachian Mtn. It was their first time so we sent money for ski lessons. They say they both did pretty well. Morgan said she only fell a few times and Madyson said she fell some but finally decided if she just went straight that she would be fine. :) I'd hate to see her if there was a slight curve! Ashlyn got to stay home and spend quality time with mommy and daddy. She is a little stinker and I will say we have our hands full with her. She is a little angel when she's here alone but throw Morgan and Madyson into the picture and she thinks she has to be as mean as possible. She is really growing and in spite of her meanness she keeps us laughing pretty much daily. Yesterday she came home from school and said, "I'm not going to tell you about Jacob". Of course I asked "what about Jacob?". She said, "I like Jacob and I really want to marry him". I told her she better talk to her daddy about that and that she wouldn't live with me anymore if she got married. She said, "yes I will. Mommy...Jacob lives in our land". I said, "our land?" She said, "yes, he lives in Roebuck. The same land as us. I can marry him and still live with you". It cracked me up that she called Roebuck "our land"!!

Chad is doing well. He stays so busy with work and then doing extra side jobs for several different places. He's been enjoying getting up at 5:00 Monday, Wednesday, and Friday to go play basketball with some guys and he continues to run on the days he doesn't play ball.

I am still enjoying teaching music and spanish at a preschool here in Spartanburg. I started back to work yesterday after staying home to recover from my knee surgery. It makes you feel so good when the kids tell you 50 times how much they missed you and that they're glad you're back. One little girl kept interrupting me to tell me she liked my shoes, or my shirt, or my hair......she pretty much named everything she could think of. Kids can really make you feel special.

We recently got to spend some time with my sister, Katie, who is a freshman at Anderson University. It was great to see her and see where she is living now. She is doing great in school and seems to be loving it there and loves the new friends she's made. I'll post some pics of our time with her.

I hope all of you are doing well!! Let us hear from you when you have the chance. Here are a few recent pics....

Wow! It's 2008!!

2008-01-01T15:38:00.000-05:00

I can't believe another new year has arrived. It really seems like yesterday that we were celebrating the arrival of 2007. Does that mean I'm OLD???? : ) I guess it's really true....the older you get the faster the time goes. That's made me really sit back and think about my life and what I want to accomplish during it. God has blessed me and my family with so much and I don't ever want to take that for granted. I am so thankful for His many blessings. I pray that this year I will grow in my walk with Christ and help others do the same.

Today has been a pretty relaxing day. We did get dressed and go to Cracker Barrel for a LATE breakfast that ended up being lunch. I decided after I ate my Chicken Fried Chicken that I MUST stop eating so much. It seems like all I've done the last few weeks is eat, eat, eat! Now it's time to get back on track. Chad has been off of work for that last week and it's been soooo nice having him home. He has helped so much since I had my knee surgery. It's going to be hard to see him leave in the morning and not be home until 6:00 tomorrow night. I'll definitely miss having him here.

Speaking of knee surgery....I'm doing pretty well and I'm still counting down the days until I get rid of these crutches. I have about 2 1/2 more weeks until I go back to the doctor and hopefully he'll say I'm ready to walk again. That's what we're crossing our fingers for. Today at Cracker Barrel I felt like a freak show. Everyone seemed to stop eating as I walked by their tables to get a good look at me and then as we left the same thing happened. I know they are just curious but I quite honestly get sick of people starring at me. I guess the lady that seats people noticed all the stares I was getting and she leaned over and said "next time someone stares at you you just say 'haven't you ever seen anyone on crutches' " . It definitely made me smile. Of course I would never actually do that but she said exactly what I've been thinking for the last 3 1/2 weeks! : )

Now, in closing....we bought all of the girls big lollipops at Cracker Barrel today and I want to share a few pics of them. I hope you all have a very blessed 2008! Love you all!

A few pics from Christmas...

2007-12-28T15:34:00.000-05:00

I thought I'd post a few pics from Christmas day. We had a wonderful time with our girls and then with family later on that day.

Morgan and Madyson playing their new High School Musical game

Ashlyn making bears with her new toy

Morgan all dressed in her new winter attire

Madyson ready to go out in the cold weather

Ashlyn loves her new boots

Happy New Year!

2007-12-28T14:39:00.000-05:00

I've been wanting to start a family blog for quite sometime and I figure what better time to start it than now. Hopefully I'll be faithful and post regularly so that all of our friends across the world can keep up with what's going on with the Bryant family. We love you all and hope you enjoy our blog!