Fall is in the air

Well the consignment sale is officially over and although I'm excited to get into a "normal" routine again I think I'm more excited about all the fall things in store. Spring and Fall are my 2 favorite seasons primarily for the weather but also for the opportunity to get out and about with out freezing my butt off or burning up. Each year gets a little more fun as the girls and even Harrison get a little older and can do just a little more. I really look forward to taking them to the pumpkin patch this year, outings to the zoo in the crisp air, and just playing outside. what fun fall activities do you and your family enjoy?

The other reason I love fall is for the food. I admit I have a REALLY hard time planning dinners in the summer. When it's hot outside I have no desire to cook but once the weather turns a little cool my mind starts thinking about chili, soups, and casseroles. I am so ready to get back into a regular dinnertime routine. I have a couple of stand bys but I would love to have some new recipes this fall. So yes, unapologetically, I am asking for new recipes...what does your family love? What have you found that is quick, easy, and tasty? One of my favorites is Chicken Taco Soup...I'll post the recipe in the comments section. I can't wait to see what new things I can try~

In case you thought I was exaggerating...

Here is just a taste of what you can expect to see at the Encores and More North Children's Consignment sale. All of these items are from consignors who have used the VIP program (I store everything at my house once it's been tagged until the sale begins) and it's roughly 30 consignors. I've done the math and this practically represents only 4% of our total consignors. I've said it before and I'll say it again this sale is AWESOME and it's going to be HUGE, you don't want to miss out. You still have time to register as a worker and shop a full day before consignors and 2 full days before the public!!! There are tons of opportunities to work including bringing food, drink shifts, as well as bartering...hurry and check it out! I can't wait to see you at the sale.

Speechless

Yes I know this is a very rare occurrence that I get speechless but keep reading. If you have known me for any length of time you know that I have a friend Brea who runs a consignment sale twice a year. Ok let me rephrase that..she runs THE consignment sale..that is the largest sale north of Nashville (32,000 square feet) and in my opinion THE BEST. For I-don't-know-how-many-years now I have not only shopped this sale but I have also worked it, which is the best part and the reason for this post.

I have always thought that one of the best reasons for working the sale is getting to shop a day earlier than the consignors and with about 100 other workers instead of the 1000 people on consignor night. This year however Brea has really out done herself offering incentives to her workers. If you have ever considered working one of these sales THIS is the year to do it. You can go here to see a list of all the great things she's offering (including %off coupons & gift certificates to the sale!) and then scroll to the bottom of the page to see a list of the available shifts to work. I really hope you will consider joining us this sale~ it's sure to be the best yet!! Oh and don't forget to tell her I sent you! :)

I never claimed to be patient...

I know this summer has been a little crazy with people in and out and weather being uncommonly pleasant but somehow there are several of you that missed we are expecting baby #4 at the end of the year. No we are not crazy and yes Jeremy thinks he has now figured out how this happens :) I am currently 17 weeks present and I'm in full consignment time mode. Well with going through clothes, seeing what I have what I will need, and the possibility of getting rid of some I just could not wait the 2 more weeks until my scheduled ultrasound with my doctor. Well and the fact that EVERYONE pregnant but me seemed to know what they were having the suspense was killing me. I put out a request on Facebook for a hook up and what do you know...I got the hook up! Jeremy, myself and the girls went tonight and found out we are expecting a BOY!!! Yes my friends our team is now evened out. We couldn't be happier. No names are on the table yet but I welcome suggestions.

The Great Debate

***First of all I want to be very clear that this is not directed towards anyone. This is a topic that God has passionately laid on my heart and I feel lead to share***

It's hard to believe that we are a mere 3 weeks from the beginning of school but I, for one, can't wait. It's interesting though to hear the conversations that emerge the closer we get to that first day. "Where do your kids go to school?" "What teacher did they get?" and then the subsequent ansers that follow. I have, however, been a little overly surprised to the number of Christians who answer the first question with "we've decided to home school." Again I'm in no way judging anyone for the decision they make for their family but my heart gets a little heavy each time I hear that answer.

Let me give you a little background. I was not raised in a Christian home and only after I had graduated high school did I accept Jesus as my personal Savior. I can tell you though that looking back it is very evident to me that I had specific people I went to school with praying for my salvation. Maybe that's why I'm partial the way I am but please consider this. If we have taken our kids to church, or at least taught them about Jesus, since they were born, we have instilled in them the love for others as Jesus loved us, we teach forgiveness as Jesus forgives us...then why are we then "hiding" our kids in our house and not allowing them to be the light of Jesus in our schools? I know that in public schools today (well really all schools) there is an increase in the negativity that our kids hear...kids cussing, bad home lives, bad attitudes, etc. (more than likely a result of not knowing Jesus) as well as the kids having "busy" work. Yes I know that in home schooling you can get as much work done in 1-2 hours that takes 7-8 in a classroom but are you missing the "extras" the kids are learning...patience, building on friendships, authority other than parents, rules, dealing with differences, etc. For years I've received emails about how we've taken God out of our schools by not allowing prayer but I think even more so we're taking God out of our schools by taking our kids out of school.

I know this is a tough decision to make as a parent; that every child and situation is different but I ask that before you ultimately make a decision also consider the impact, or lack thereof, it may have in the life of another child.

Crunching numbers

Just a quick post but I'm curious who you use for phone/internet/TV service. Honestly I think what these people are charging in highway robbery. I hate spending over $100 a month on this stuff so if anyone knows a better deal please let me know!

Let Summer begin!!

To me tomorrow officially kicks off summer. It's June 1 and the first day of VBS. While at the beach I realized that I can live without the computer and that I wanted to spend more time with the kids. So from now until school starts back on August 5, at least, I'm taking a cyber vacation. Ok well sort of. I'm logging off Facebook, blogs, MySpace (which I rarely got to now) but I will be checking my money saving sites for all the coupon goodies to be had. I mean hey this momma's got to save some money! So just know that I'm not MIA but taking a break. If you need me or would like to hang out call or text me...I'll be playing it old school this summer! Have a great summer!!!

In case you're not on Facebook...

umm, HEATHER, rumors are true and we are expecting baby #4 in late December. For those of you who have known us for any length of time you know that we always said that we would like 4 and for them to all be 18 months apart (yes I know you think we're crazy) however after Carleigh being a little head strong and then having Harrison we thought we were done. Ok let me re-phrase that...Jeremy WAS DONE!! :) However as you know it only takes once and God had other plans for us. Now that it has sunk in a little we are excited but nervous all at the same time. I ask that you been in prayer with us that this too is a healthy pregnancy. I show no symptoms to be worried about, but I just feel like we're playing Russian Roulette. We went to the doctor today and she confirmed that everything looked GREAT and that there is only 1 but to think God would allow us to have 4 healthy beautiful children completely blows me away.

Now to answer all the gilie questions...I'm 8 1/2 weeks along. I feel great (I praise Jesus that He allows me to have easy pregnancies) except first thing in the morning before I eat or if I've gone a little too long without eating...(I'm not a snacker). My actual due date is January 4 however I have never made it to my due date so myself and my doctor are fully expecting a December baby. Do we want a boy? We just want healthy! I would love to have another little boy so Harrison could have a little brother but healthy is more important than gender. Are we done? Pretty sure Jeremy will be making an appointment in the next 6 months! :)

Florida 2009

We had a really good time on our trip to Florida, although we would have preferred the weather to be a bit better. We got there late Friday night so we went straight to bed and then got up Saturday had breakfast and headed to the beach. This was the first time the kids had been to the beach and surprisingly they all did really well. Gracie was more hesitant than the rest but Carleigh and Harrison loved it. While we were there we also took the kids to go play Putt-Putt for the first time, primarily because the day we went it never got to 70 degrees. Here are some pictures from our trip..I hope you enjoy them!

Harrison's 1st Birthday

I am so glad that I am finally able to post pictures from Harrison's special day. We celebrated at our house with just family and even though the day wasn't as pretty as I was hoping it still turned out to be a great party. As you can see I'm not an event organizer but we had the necessities...food, drinks, cake, ice cream, and balloons!






thank you to everyone who came!

I don't have kids I have monkeys!

Ok so maybe I do have kids, they're just C-R-A-Z-Y!!!

Weeks 2 & 3 update

There will be NO horn tooting going on this week. :) I haven't been able to do my video since week 1 because I pulled something in my shin and well you know life happened. It seems like things have been really busy and yet nothing all at the same time. Someone please tell me I'm not the only one who deals with this! Overall I have lost just shy of 5 pounds but more importantly I'm back in clothes I haven't worn in 2-3 years. YIPPEE!! To date there are 10 days before we leave so I'm going to do my best to get back into the workout routine and see how close to my original goal of 10 pounds I can get. Wish me luck and I'll keep you posted!

Week 1 update

Let me begin by saying that I'm not going to do these updates to toot my own horn but to keep me accountable. I figure if I know that I have to log on each week and say how I'm doing then maybe I'll stay on track!!

So for week 1: I did my workout 4 out 7 days. Jeremy worked lots of overtime (PTL!!!) so by the time he got home I was just too tired to think about it. As for diet, I haven't had a coke or french fries in a week although I did get a Chick-Fil-A butter biscuit one morning and I have eaten some (ok alot) of Easter candy. And for weight...I have lost almost 2 pounds!! I'm very happy with those results. My goal for next week is 3 pounds to put me back in line with my overall goal of 10 pounds!

Support the family of Brian Denning

I wanted to make sure everyone knew of 3 important dates coming up in the next week in which you can help support the family of Brian Denning, former Sumner County Sheriff officer and friend to many. Each of these days the restaurant will give a portion of the sales to the family so that they can attend the Police Memorial in Washington D.C in May.

The first day is tomorrow Tuesday April 21; the Chili's in Gallatin (this location ONLY). In order for your sales to qualify you need to either have a flier or tell your server that you are there to support the Denning family.

The next dates are the nights of APRIL 23RD, 2009 AND APRIL 28TH, 2009 from 5 to 8 PM at the Chick Fil A in Gallatin (this location ONLY).

I hope you are able to make it to at least one of these events!!

Mommy to Mommy

As I mentioned in my last post we're going to Florida in a month and we haven't been since Gracie was a baby so I have no idea how to pack. I was hoping that my blog buddies could help me out! Let me give you a little background so you know what I have to work with. First of all my kids are ages 4, 2 1/2, and Harrison will be a year old when we leave and we're going with Jeremy's parents (Thank you Harold and Cindy!!!!). We're staying at a resort that is on the beach with a mini water park on location, bunk beds for the girls, and a washer and dryer.

I have a tendency to over pack but I'm really hoping to cut down on some of that this time so we don't look like Shriner clowns going on vacation. :) This is where I need your help

1.how many swimsuits/towels for a 1 week trip? I was thinking 2-3 per kid
2.traditional lotion or the spray kind?
3. floaties or life jackets?
4.pool shoes or just flip flops/Crocs?
5.take your own sand toys or buy them there?

Is there something that you feel is a Must Have for the beach? Is there anything that you thought you'd use and didn't or vice versa? Thanks in advance for any and all advice!

Let the workout begin!!

I am so excited I can hardly stand it...I just found out yesterday that we're going to the beach in 4 weeks!!!! However this also means that the workout is officially in high gear along with the need to tan, making lists of what to take, and all the other stuff that comes with going on vacation. We haven't been to the beach since Gracie was 3 months old. trust me ladies this was not a good idea on my part, I've very surprised that ORRCA wasn't called out! :) So here we are literally 31 days from departure and my goal is to lose 10 pounds...that's doable, right?!? I've had several people ask me what I'm doing so here it is:




This is one of the trainers, Jillian, from The Biggest Loser. I have LOVED this workout! It is a 20 minute workout consisting of a warm-up, (3) 6 minute circuits (3 minutes strength, 2 minutes cardio, 1 minute abs), and a cool down but let me tell you she gets you sweating. I have been saying for awhile now that I wanted to join a local gym but with 3 kids it just seemed ridiculous to get everyone dressed, loaded, unloaded, to their room just so I can workout. I CAN find 20 minutes in my day and the girls love doing it with me. As far as diet my plan is very simple...cut out cokes and french fries and drink more water. I just don't see the point in changing all of my eating habits. I mean if you have to go completely away from what you know what happens when the diet stops? Back in January when I first started, I only made it 2 weeks b/c of sickness and other stuff, I lost 5 pounds in 2 weeks and have managed to keep it off. I will keep you posted on how this goes!!!

Hi my name is Sarah....

...and when it comes to makeup I have No idea what I'm doing. Ok there, I said it. *sigh* For what ever reason I guess I just thought that once I got older it would just come to me but it just hasn't (sorry mom but this is one area you never taught me). I feel like I have the basics and know where everything goes, I just don't feel like I'm able to apply it correctly and/or pick the right colors and/or the right products. So here's my question to you...what's your secret? Is there a brand you just LOVE? How did you decide on your "shade"? Come on ladies, help a girl out!!! :)

Tire swing

It just doesn't get much more American than a tire swing. For what seems like forever now Jeremy has wanted to put a tire swing for the kids. A buddy at work gave him this HUGE tire and some repelling rope so this last week he put it up. It's in the very back of our yard on this REALLY tall tree and let me tell you this thing can fly! The girls love it and can't wait for their friends to join them.

Family pics

We had these taken just before Thanksgiving at Moss Wright Park. Thanks again Miriam!!! :)

Family of 5

I LOVE this picture of my boys. Pretty sure this is going in my house somewhere.

AWWWWWW! :)

Us with Jeremy's parents and brother. Pop and Ninnie with the grandkids

Jeremy and his brother 3 generations.