First Day Of School!

Today we are making the leap into our school year....yeah!! The boys are very excited and we are looking forward to a great year together. We will have a rather light, easy day today and then ease into the mother load by the end of the week...mwahaha!
This year, I feel more convicted than I ever have about staying at home with my kiddos and educating them to be Godly children....and one day, men!

Gotta go..school is starting...

Another Clip About The Little Tree!

This news clip reveals who the "mystery" tree planter is!!

Check it out:

http://www.wthr.com/Global/category.asp?C=136236&clipId=5061238&topVideoCatNo=103348&autoStart=true

The A/C Has Been Repaired!!

I am so grateful that the overheated house is no longer...

It's Official.

Last weekend David was officially certified in CPR/First Aid training through our local 4-H Teen Leaders. He had a great time and was given his certification card, pair of gloves, and a mouthpiece. He carries it around with him just in case. I am very proud of him for his accomplishment. Good job David!

My Little Reader!

Braydon is doing so fabulous with his reading skills! This morning he sat on my bed and read a book all by himself for the first time!! I told him it was time to read for school and he picked up his book and did his own little thing! Usually, he will sit next to me or on my lap and we will do it together. He was Mr. Independent today! How exciting! Reading is still not his favorite thing to do, but I think eventually he will really enjoy it. I will have to say; however, the Sonlight Kindergarten readers are very enjoyable and funny for kids to start out with! A lot better than Dick and Jane or See Spot Run like we started out with.

I am a proud Mommy! We are almost done with all kindergarten basics....we are still working on counting money...but I suppose he will not be making any big purchases at the ripe ol' age of five. Now my quandary....do we do first grade this year or official kindergarten....or a mixture of both?? Gotta put some thought and prayer into this one!!

Garage Sale Time Of Year.

I have a garage sale every year around this time and I vowed that last year would be the last one, but I find myself planning another.....hurumph! I was just going to donate everything that I had, but when the bags of things kept multiplying, I figured I should probably go ahead and do it. There was also a strong spousal influence!

So, here I go...plan, gather, plan, gather. Hopefully, we will make quite a bit of money....we usually do! I have averaged the past few years about $700 per garage sale...not too shabby!

My tips for a great garage sale:

• Have your clothes folded and organized. People don't want to look through piles to find things...they won't usually! They will just see what is on top. If you don't like to fold things, or have the table space, make some sort of hanging pole to put things on hangers!
• Start early....the early risers buy a lot! Most of the time it's the grandparents that are out and everyone knows how grandparents love to buy stuff for the kids.
• Put categories of things in same area, ie; kitchen stuff together, toys, tools, games...etc.
• Advertise as much as possible without spending a fortune. I call the local radio, place ads online, and put a $15 ad in the paper. I also place signs up all around town.
• Don't sell things that YOU wouldn't buy because of the condition of the item. If there are clothes that are really stained and look drabby...donate them or make rags for your husband's shop. If I walk up to a garage sale and I see nasty, tattered clothes, I don't even look around at anything else because, already, I am thinking that someone didn't take care of the clothes...so just maybe they didn't take care of anything else??
• Baby stuff (not talking clothes here) ALWAYS sells, even the stuff that doesn't look too pretty, but make sure it's in the best condition/cleaned up as you can get it...it could make HUGE monetary differences!
• Price things correctly. Nobody wants to walk up to a sale and see a pair of jeans for $20! I don't care if they cost $100...it's a garage sale. You put it in the sale because you no longer want it...get rid of it then!! Price it to where someone is feeling they are walking away with a deal, or people will just walk away.
• Along with the pricing....make sure everything HAS a price on it...it is annoying to have to continue to ask, "how much". People are more apt to buy things when they see the price rather than hear it!
• Make sure you note the condition of what you are selling. If something doesn't work, tell the customer! This is not so much important for the current sale you are having, but for repeat business...which is important if you live in a small town like me!!

Hope these tips help! I am off to plan.....

Gluten-Free Pancake Adventure.

Last week I attempted to make some pancakes out of a gluten-free biscuit mix. It was very clear on the back of the bag that it would also double as a pancake/waffle batter...another reason why I bought it!

After making the batter, I could not get the pancakes to cook!! They were burnt on both sides and still gooey batter on the inside. I flattened the pancake on the griddle thinking that maybe it would push the batter out that was not getting cooked...WRONG! The batter still didn't do anything other than remain it's gooey self.

So, I had a wonderful idea...I will put the batter in my waffle iron and then it will definitely cook all the way through?? I poured it into my waffle maker.....and then when the light turned green, I thought to myself, "Yes!!", it cooked through otherwise my indicator light would have stayed red! WRONG!! My waffle iron was cemented shut! It wouldn't open no matter what. My husband and I took it outside and had to pry it open with his tools!

I will never use this biscuit mix again for pancakes....and as far as the waffles go, I won't be making any sort of waffle anytime soon because my waffle iron is kaput!

Just FYI...for you gluten-free families out there...it was Bob's Red Mill biscuit mix....beware! It makes mediocre biscuits, but the pancake batter was no bueno! The actual pancake mix made by this company; however, is my son's favorite!

This Is Just Awesome...Please Take The Time To Watch!

I am proud to say that the "someone" in this news clip is my Dad!!

http://www.fox59.com/videobeta/b3a029c5-9fbd-4f84-9aca-3da9ebbe2a14/News/Southport-tree-replanted-in-honor-of-fallen-heroes

Please....check this out! This is really neato!

This is the note that my Dad attached to the tree...

Please Don't Cut Me Down!

"I am not impeding traffic; I am not blocking anyone's view. There are plenty of eyesores that need to be cut down in this city, but I am not one of them. I am not just a weed. I represent a lot of things-the memory of his mom, son, mother-in-law, father-in-law of the guy who planted me-fallen soldiers and those in service who are sons and daughters of the people who decorate me-a fallen police officer-people fighting illness-hope and a lot of other things too numerous to list.

My sole purpose is to show God's love for you in a practical way. I have big roots to fill...my cousin whom used to be here made over 7400 people smile when they didn't really have much to smile about!

That is a miracle from God!

So before you fire up the chainsaw, remember I have over 7000 friends watching me. Leave me alone and let me do my job!

P.S. Don't forget to smile and say a prayer once in a while! God is watching you too!"

It is just little acts of kindness such as these that make God's world GREAT!! I love this story...