MISSCELLANY MONDAY

I LOVE CONNECTING WITH
CARISSA at LOWERCASE LETTERS and may even make it on time TODAY.
I WILL BE ANNOUNCING the WINNER of the
GIVEAWAY WINNER on my other blog late tonight...as soon as my number one DRAWER gets here. There were some GREAT BLOG TIPS in the COMMENTS! If you have a hard time keeping up with all your favorite blogs, there are some different ways that veteran bloggers do it.

1) I GROW NOTHING, LET me SAY that AGAIN....NOTHING! but a dear friend of mine and one of my helpers during tree season has OUT DONE HERSELF THIS YEAR. I AM TOTALLY IMPRESSED!

2) I am BACK to WALKING...TODAY IT HAD TO BE LESLIE SANSONE'S in home walking tape, as STORMS are coming.

3) I WAS SO HOPING I COULD FIND A GROUP in SHREVEPORT that WAS doing the BETH MOORE SUMMER BIBLE STUDY...so far I haven't! I am just not accountable enough to do it by myself.

4) I stopped by KELLYS KORNER and she had a linky for PRAYER REQUESTS. I looked at maybe 20 last night and this world is filled with people that are walking through some really HARD THINGS. I feel overwhelmed when I pray for them. Stop by and pick out a few that you can pray for each day.

5) I AM STILL TRYING to FIND the ENERGY to pick out new FLOORS, COUNTER TOPS, and update 2 BATHS. I WISH I COULD WAVE a MAGIC WAND and the decisions would be MADE FOR ME. ANYONE WITH a MAGIC WAND, please contact me. I so want to have it done when tree season starts. I have only been saying this since JANUARY. That would be procrastination.

6) STAY TUNED FOR PICTURES ON GRAMMY GIRLFRIEND of a FUN FAMILY WEEKEND, celebrating GRAYSON'S FIRST BIRHTDAY. This time last year we were spending our time with him in the NICU. THANK YOU GOD FOR HEALING HIM.

7) I AM ON FAVRE WATCH! You either understand that or do not like football!

THAT'S all the RANDOM for TODAY! HAVE a GREAT WEEK!

MISCELLANY MONDAY on WEDNESDAY

Connecting with Carissa at Miscellany MONDAY on Wednesday...... a little late, but since I have been the Queen of Random lately, maybe late will not matter. I love her site and each week read so many great Miscellaneous Posts..from great bloggers. If you don't stop by there, you are missing some great posts.

Yesterday was movie day with Mr. Jack and Parker to see Toy Story 3. It was a TRIP. In the first five minutes Jack told me he had pooped and then spilled all his goldfish. Fortunately his Pop was with us and took him out only to find it was a FALSE ALARM. That still did not solve the dropped goldfish, so Parker headed back to the concessions and got him another supply of JUNK. The key to a 2 year old and the movie is FOOD and DRINK! Trust me on this one. It was a great movie and with the exception of Jack insisting that he sit in Parker's lap, which I am sure got uncomfortable for Parker, it was a pretty smooth outing. We may try Shrek tomorrow.


This would be the CHEESY SMILE!

PARKER HAS to GET THE AWARD FOR BEST BIG BROTHER
EVER!!!!

THIS IS JACK SAYING "LOOK AT ME...I AM AT THE MOVIES!

THIS is A TWEEN that I ADORE..JUST LOOKING AT HIM
SO GROWN UP LOOKING, MAKES ME SMILE. It WAS JUST YESTERDAY that he WAS JACK's AGE!

And for some RANDOM

A few goals for the week...

1.GET BACK TO my REGULAR WALKING SCHEDULE. Since the heat index is 103 today its not very appealing, but neither are the snug shorts I have on. (Don't worry, I never wear shorts in public)

2. CATCH UP ON SOME BLOG READING

3. Work on the Christmas Tree schedule. You have no idea how hard that is in JUNE. In just a matter of weeks this blog will become a HOLIDAY BLOG AGAIN....and I already have some new ideas.

4. Get my pictures organized on my COMPUTER. They are a MESS!

5. READ some books I have wanted to read for months...

6. HAVE LUNCH with at least FIVE different Friends that we have put off for months.

7. WRITE a long letter to a friend I want to reconnect with!

8. Start organizing Christmas ornaments and follow through on my resolution to BE MORE ORGANIZED early this year.

9. PLAN and book a short trip for the entire family for August before school starts back.

10. COUNT MY BLESSINGS DAILY! NAME THEM ONE BY ONE...

Have a great week.....Check out my other blog...there are 3 special Fathers Day posts...later this week, I have another GIVEAWAY...

COOKBOOK WINNER and A SICK BOY

How's that for one of my more original titles? It has been a MONDAY...all day! I had a TO DO list rather long and I think I marked off one thing.

Please say a prayer for my little Jack. They called Amanda to come and get him today at school as he was running fever. By the time she got to the doctor it was almost 104! After a long and hectic doctor visit, blood work and chest X-RAY, he has pneumonia and feels TERRIBLE. Really bad and he had to get a shot in his leg. He was not a HAPPY BOY, actually he was a MAD boy and I don't blame him. But we feel so blessed to have such a wonderful pediatrician. She waited on Amanda to take him to get the chest x-ray and come back to her office after 5.....a special lady that we all love. She took Amanda under her wing as a young 18 year old Mom.. She always talked directly to Amanda and taught her she could be a wonderful Mom, even if she was a teenager. She has taken care of Parker for 11 years and now Jack. I will always be grateful to here for taking care of our littles.

I am working on a Fathers Day post for my main blog. If anything makes this Mom's heart HAPPY, its that all my little ones have the BEST DAD'S and they learned from the BEST!

The winner of the cookbook is

Susie at Boys Will Be Boys!

HAVE YOU EVER HAD A DAY?

Have you ever had a DAY where everything you did was OVERWHELMING. I had decided yesterday that I was going to clean house today, not regular cleaning, but drawers, closets, organize, you get the picture! Not anything I really love to do, but it is TOO HOT to be outside and the little's are all somewhere else. That in itself kind of puts me in a FUNK! I had everything together to make some 4th of July wreaths that I saw on Kristen's site. I was going to make some extras and give them away to some friends and Amanda. Good INTENTIONS! Since my shop is at my house, and all those things are things I keep on hand, that would be a fun project, especially since the wreath maker still has her Easter wreath on the front door (a wreath I never liked anyway).
Back up to sometime late last night I hit something on my favorite laptop and my oldest..the one I use for blogging and I messed up more settings than I can tell you. I have tried EVERYTHING. Normally I can fix most anything like that...it may take a few minutes, but this time NOT! I cannot tell you how that has frustrated me. I could get someone to come over and help me but this was going to be a NO MAKE-UP, cleaning day and trust me when I say I should not have walked to the mailbox. I hope I did not scare any kids. Probably out of the 365 days in the year, I am without make-up MAYBE 5 days.

OK, I am trying to forget the computer problem....LET'S just say somehow I changed all the size settings on the monitor and my choices are so large it puts my eyes out, or so small I cannot read it.

If you are still with me you deserve a prize. Nobody is here for me to vent to, so the blog seemed like the perfect place. Maybe I will delete it tonight.

THIS BLOG will soon revert back to all things HOLIDAY. I am working on the tree schedule now and in two weeks go to CHRISTMAS MARKET!

NEXT week we celebrate FATHERS DAY. I do not want you to miss this READ. If I have ever told you about anything worth reading, this book is one of them. The premise of LOVE WARS might just change your life.

I have another blog friend that is really a REAL LIFE friend, though we don't see each other often. Her family is going through a hard time and my heart hurts for them. If you want to do a good deed, stop by and tell Kelly you are praying for her. She is a new blogger and is going to be a great addition to the blog world. IF you just need to smile today, all you have to do is stop here. ENJOYING THE SMALL THINGS!

I finally posted our DISNEY CRUISE pictures this morning, so stop by and read about PARKER'S 11th BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION TRIP.

CAN YOU BELIEVE THAT GRAYSON WILL BE ONE NEXT WEEK? IF PICTURES COULD TALK THESE TWO TELL A BEAUTIFUL STORY.

I AM GOING TO GIVEAWAY THIS GREAT COOKBOOK. COMMENT ON THIS BLOG or MY MAIN BLOG and MONDAY I will draw a winner THAT's IT...ALL YOU HAVE TO DO!

SOME NEW BLOG FINDS AND A REMINDER

I love to find a new blog...so while I am working on our vacation post thought I would share a few new finds with you.

ENCOURAGEMENT is CONTAGIOUS.....and she has a great GIVEAWAY

DWELLING IN THE HOUSE
JUST FOLLOWING JESUS IN MY REAL LIFE
ALL THINGS RELATED
MY FRESHLY BREWED LIFE

Remember to check out this post...so many wonderful comments and emails...actually one I got today I am going to post here...This was in my email box...
OMG -- I am a blubbering idiot right now. I just finished the book you recommend "Raising Cole" and read it in a weekend - started it yesterday and ended it today. I have been crying for the last 1 1/2 of reading. WOW - what a powerful book and it has touched me so much.

I actually had my daughter read it - only because she needed one more book for her reading project for school and I had it but didn't start it yet because I was finishing up another book. She too read it in 2 days and couldn't wait for me to read it to talk about it. She heard me crying and said "what part are you on" and I said, "he just kissed him in his casket before starting his speech."
Although I teared up during many other parts before that, those last chapters after the funeral were tear jerkers. I almost want to write to the author and tell him how his book touched me and congratulate him on doing such a great job with his boys. I strive to be that same way with my kids and hope our relationship is just as strong!!!!
So, thanks for blogging about this - I love to read and this one was definitely a great book to add to my collection!
HUGS- ~Wendyhttp://runningonMTT.blogspot.com

I forwarded her note to Marc and this was his reply,

Teresa,

Thanks for the email please tell your friend to post her response on your blog. If she would like to bless me, she can email me but if she really wants to bless me please share the book with others. I encourage all of your readers to please share the book with others as it is not my desire to sell books but to make a positive difference in peoples lives. What helps me survive is knowing that every time I make a positive difference in someones life my son did not die for nothing. It's is also a part of continuing the LOVE WARS.

Love You,
Marc

P.S. If anyone would like for me to personalize their book for Fathers Day just get it to me and I will make it happen.

So DO NOT MISS THIS READ....IT IS A BOOK NOT ONLY FOR FATHERS, but FOR EVERY PARENT.