imagesbyNaomi

These pictures were taken by a great friend of mine, Miriam. Check out her website here. Thanks again Miriam, we L-O-V-E them!!!!!

Celebrities at the pumpkin patch

On Saturday the girls and I went to Honeysuckle Hill with some great friends. Jeremy was supposed to go but got called into work early that morning so his mom offered to keep Harrison for me (thanks Ninnie!) and let it be a girls day. We had so much fun!! I really wish I had pictures to share with you but I didn't realized the batteries in my camera were dead until we got there :( The girls LOVE the spider slide and yes mom loved it too. I seriously think they could have stayed on it ALL day long. We also saw all of the animals, "milked" a cow, played in the sand, went down the Monster slide, swung on the swings, went on a hayride, picked out pumpkins, and played in the Corn Corner (try saying that 3 times fast!). If you have not been it is definitely the place to go.

The other fun thing was that we got to see several of our friends there. Is it bad that you have to drive almost an hour to see people who live 5 minutes from you? One of the families we saw were the Biermans. Denver was on Next Great American Band last year so he was celebrity #1. We also saw many kids in costumes but you'll never guess who Carliegh saw there. The girls were playing in the Corn Box, a huge box full of nothing but corn kernels sort of like the balls kids play in. Like the balls you have to take your shoes off to get in. When it was time to go I went to sit Carliegh down on the ground to put her shoes back on. Back behind me was another woman in her early 20s with 2 little girls somewhere between 15 months and 2 years in strollers. These little girls were Hispanic and like other Hispanic kis had a head FULL of jet black hair. As Carleigh came over to put her shoes on she looked at the little girls and said DORA!!!! Ha! I quickly but calmly pulled her down to me and said no honey that's not Dora. I don't think the mom heard her but it is something I'll always remember.

Great sale for a Great cause

If you have been reading for any length of time you know that I am friends with the ultimate bargain people. However I have to give props where props are due and let you know that Brea (yes I talk about her alot) knows how to do it right. Not only is she now a CVS queen, she is THE queen of garage sales. This girl can find anything at a great price. Can you say $2 Longaberger?
Not only though does she know how to go "junking" as she calls it, she knows how to have a sale. THIS Friday and Saturday is your chance to see what I mean...the ulimate garage sale!!! You can read her post here for some of the things that she will have but she is still having things donated so there's no telling what treasures you'll find. All monies made will go into their adoption fund as they pray about adding another Freeman to the crew. Please help me get the word out about this sale and be sure to stop by if you can!!!


**Just to wet your taste buds there is already planned mulitple racks of NEW WITH TAGS GYMBOREE ($4 each) and boutique clothing as well as used clothing ($1). You can search Craigslist for "adoption yard sale" for directions.

Mommy to Mommy

Ladies I am in uncharted territory here and I need your help. I like to think of myself as a Nazi mom but Carleigh is really testing this theory. Besides the time we get up in the morning I try to have a pretty basic schedule~breakfast, play, lunch, naps, play, dinner, baths, bed~and I am a stickler for discipline. I was taught a long time ago if you want your kids to take you seriously you have to mean what you say. If you tell them they will get spanked if they do it again then the next time they do it they get spanked; if you tell them to stand in the corner then they have to stand in the corner; if you tell them to come here then they should do it the first time and not the 27th. Ok so you get my point.

Here's the problem...it doesn't matter how rigid I am with my rules, she just keeps pushing. I can spank her and it doesn't phase her. I can MAKE (literally) her stand in the corner and the fits just get worse. I can take her to bed 15 million times (sometimes I think literally) and she will continue to get out of her bed until she gets her way, whatever it might be that day. I have even gone so far as to stand out side of her door holding it until she finally gives up and passes out on the floor just so she'll take a nap.

This is NOT the mother I want to be but I'm to my wits end and I'm out of ideas. She's only 2 so I'm sure some of this is part of the terrible 2s however I know if I don't get a handle on this now the trecherous 3s might just put me in the nut house :) So what are some of the things that worked with your kids?

Where are our morals?

Please excuse as I get on a soap box for a moment. I try not to do this too often (unless you REALLY know me and then, well....) but for some reason I feel the need to share my thoughts on this subject. We are currently 27 days away from what may be the biggest presidential election I will ever vote on and surprisingly enough there are some key issues not being discussed.

I understand that the economy isn't looking good however if you go back and look at the history of the nation's economy you will see that it is more of a cycle than the recession everyone seems to be harping on. I'm not saying that we shouldn't be concerned but I am saying that we're not guaranteed tomorrow so lets be good stewards of what God is giving us TODAY. Even with the the lose we've seen over the last 2 weeks we are still a rich nation, lets be grateful for that. The other thing that really irks me is the fact that all the financial mess is resting on Bush and the Republican party. Am I the only one that realizes #1) we may have been doing well financially before Bush took office but that was also prior to 9/11 and # 2)we have a democratic Congress. If they didn't support it, they're the majority~it shouldn't have passed.

I also understand that energy is a big issue not to mention the war. Both of these are key areas that need to be addressed. In terms of the war, does it really matter when we pull out or does it matter more if we win? No, it doesn't seem that we sent our troops to the right area first however they are still fighting for our freedom and we should support them. And yes we do need to find alternative means for energy for our kids futures.

But here are the topics that are being over looked in this election.....
1)abortion. This is still a big issue in our country, has anyone looked to see how these 2 men have voted on the issue? Here's another question that I just recently thought of...why is it that a doctor only has to have a mother's permission to terminate pregnancy? Yes it is her body but that baby is not solely hers. I know that opens a whole new can of worms when it comes to rape, incest, medically but it is something to ponder on.
2)social security/Medicare. To most that are reading this it may not seem to be a big topic because retirement age isn't close at hand but what about your parents? What about those Americans that are mentally ill already getting benefits or will need benefits? Have you ever checked to see what it will cost if you were to have to make the decision to put a loved one in a nursing home? Is it fair that the generations that have built this country to what it is now may not be taken care of in the future?


To be honest I don't know the answers to all of these questions or how to solve all of the nations problems however I do know this...we seem to care more about what our bank accounts say than the well-being of our neighbors. My heart has been so heavy lately worrying about the future but the Lord has clearly said...TRUST ME!! It doesn't matter who ends up in the White House, God is still on His throne and He is in control.

Please pray for protection!

I know there are prayer warriors out there so I'm asking that you please add my cousin to your prayer list. His name is Philip and he is deploying to Saudi Arabia tomorrow for more training with the Army and then more than likely to Iraq. He is 27 and has only been in the military for a year or two so this was a big commitment for him. He is married to Teya and together they have 2 sweet little girls..Riley 3 (4 months younger than Gracie) and Aidyn 7 months, so you can imagine how hard this will be to leave them. He is supposed to be deployed for a year and we are praying that to hold true or even shortened. Here are the specifics I am asking prayer for:
1)PROTECTION!!
2)ignorance for his girls. Obviously Aidyn won't understand but Riley is a very smart little 3 year old and I just pray that as she hears things it won't make her scared for her daddy.
3)time to FLY by. I know they are going to miss him terribly and the quicker it feels the better.
4)Encouragement and help for Teya. I know I have those days when you're counting down the minutes until daddy gets home, however for the next year she doesn't have that nor does she have family there.
5)discernment for me. I hope this doesn't sound selfish but I know that God can use me to stir in my heart those times that maybe Teya just needs someone to listen. Please pray that I'm sensitive to that.

Also, as you pray for this family, remember there are hundreds of others just like them....pray for them too!!

Irises

I've been meaning to post this but I keep forgetting so I hope it isn't too late (plant people let me know). Anywho, I have a ton of irises that need to be separated so I thought if anyone would like some you are more than welcome to them on 2 conditions....
1)you come and separate them, taking what you would like
2)you still leave me some :)

I am not a plant person by any means however the people who lived here before us were so therefore we have some beautiful plants. I can't tell you for sure what color they are but I believe the ones I'm needing thinned out the most are a really pretty dark purple. We have several colors and I can't remember right not which ones are where but hey did I mention you can have them for FREE?? Seriously if you are interested leave me a comment or email me. I'll say the first 2 who do can have first dibs and then if they need to be thinned more I'll go from there. I also have rosemary if anyone is interested in that.

Kmart DOUBLE coupons!!!!

RUUUNNNNN don't walk to Kmart right now for some amazing savings. Today (Wednesday) through Sunday they are having double coupons up to and INCLUDING $2!!!! This is a great time to use those $0.55+ coupons and get some great deals. I went today and got $110 worth of stuff for $42!!!!

My only advice though is to know what other stores charge because Kmart does typically run a little higher than other stores so on somethings it may still be cheaper to use the coupon elsewhere.