"It is Well...."

For some reason, the past few Sundays have been really hard on me. I have cried and thought of Poppi in every song we sing. My sweet friend Kim, had to hold me up one Sunday night because we sang "The Greatest Command" and I hadn't heard it since my Poppi's funeral. I didn't think it would impact me that way. I'm usually strong. I'm usually the one who is holding people up. But, for some reason lately I have had to lean on others. What? What is happening to me? Is it old age? I hope not.

I remember the day Ashley and I (with the kidos) drove to Austin to see Poppi. This was after the call. The call that we all dread. The one that when we hear the words our knees go to jelly and we are never the same. So, the trip was somewhat quiet. I mean with 3 kids there was some action but between me and Ash we didn't quite know what to say. It felt like it took 15 hours to get there. We talked about him and remembered funny times. We remember all the times he tried his hardest to teach us math. Bless. He tried. Hard. Now, I would give anything to sit with him at the card table with our sharp pencils and listen to him explain equations or word problems. I promise this time I would listen. I would hang on every word.

There are so many things that I miss about him. I can't even begin to explain. There was something so strong about him and then on the other hand so gentle. So loving. So kind. One of the most Godliest man I have ever known. So much of who we all are is because of him. He left an awesome legacy behind. He loved us all so much. Every grandchild was special. Every great-grandchild was special. Mom, Kathy and Jody were the light of his life. Nana was his best friend and love of his life....he told her that MANY times a day. There were often roses from her outside bush that he would pick especially for her. It was the little things that he loved to do. He had many friends who he would do anything for. What an example! We all felt his love especially when he hugged us...he liked that. I miss his hugs. I miss his kisses and that before he kissed us he had to remove his toothpick. Off topic, Ashley is driving his car for a while and yesterday when she was here we found about 5+ toothpicks under the seat of his car. Poppi loved him some toothpicks.

So, this past Sunday night we sang, "It is Well With My Soul"....oh my, I quietly lost it. I absolutely love that song. It is one of my favorites. It gives me peace. And, you know what, it tells me that no matter how much I miss him, no matter how much I want a hug his neck or hear his voice, I know he's OK. He is in a much better place, one that we cannot even fathom. One that we long to see and we all strive to be there one day. We have that promise. No matter how much it hurts to say, I know full well that...It is well with my soul. What a reunion that will be.

"He who dwells in the shelter of the the Most High will rest in the shadow of the Almighty..."
Psalm 91:1

I miss you, Poppi.

No pain, no ga*in

Oh my, let me tell you! Today I went and thought I would try something new....eyebrow threading. A friend of mine was telling me it was great and that she loved it. It didn't make her skin irritated and only cost 9.00. I can do that. Let me tell you....DON'T DO IT. It hurts like FIRE....worse than fire...I don't even know! I thought I was going to pop out of my chair and hit that sweet lady. She kept telling me, "Me give you break, Me give you break?"....um, YES PLEASE!!! On the more positive side, it is cheaper and she did my lip. Double fire.

Just thought you might could use a good laugh on this wonderful Wednesday afternoon....at my expense.

Ramblings on a rainy Friday

This has been one crazy week and school hasn't even started. I was going to make this my first Five for Friday post because I have so many things to say but soon realized it would be more like 50 for Friday. So, I am just going to ramble about the everyday happenings at my house. Here we go...oh, and its in no particular order...just whatever comes to my mind first. Wacky, I know....so like me.

*Today we picked up Reid's school schedule and 4 books that weighed...I kid you not...20 pounds. He is really excited because he got some teachers that he wanted. Some, not too sure. He has athletics last period, which is good because then he won't be so stinky all day. Not that he's stinky but you know when you get a lot of 13 year old boys together...um, yep, that's the smell.

*He will have football after school from 4:30- 6:00. I am sad about that. This will be the first year for all the sports stuff and I don't know if I am going to like not seeing my baby until 6 ish. Not to mention, it will be really HOT out there. Of course, he is excited and could care less. Oh, the joys of being a teenager.

* Oh yes, I have a teenager! Reid turned 13 on August 18....Where has the time gone? It just seems like yesterday that I was rocking that sweet baby and now I am buying him deodorant. Crazy, huh? We haven't had a party for him yet....he is thinking an Astros game...maybe Main Event. I mean what do you do with a bunch of 13 year old boys?? The thought scares me.

*Macy found out who her teacher is today...Mrs. Hopkins. Of course, she is new. Go figure. She is a bit concerned because she said there are 2 boys in there who like her. A lot. So, she needs me to write a note to the teacher about how she doesn't want the boys to chase her, sit by her or walk by her in line. Oh, if that was all we had to worry about. :)

*It is raining cats and dogs here.

*I am looking forward to school starting. Not so much the getting up early but to have some sort of routine. I think the kids are ready even though they would never mention it to me.

*Troy and I went on an overnight date. It was really fun. Now, before I tell you what we did, you have to promise not to laugh. :) We went to see Cheap Trick, Poison and Def Leppard in concert. HA! Oh, my! It was fun. But I can hear you laughing from here. We went to the Woodlands for the concert, ate out and just chilled without anyone needing us to get them a drink, drive them somewhere, cook something or bring them a towel or toilet paper. It was wonderful. Not to mention that Def Leppard was one of our favorite bands when we were dating. I remember riding around in Troy's red and grey Chevy S-10 and listening to all the tapes. Yes, tapes. We know almost every song...by heart. Scary, huh? So, for Troys birthday I suggested we go. I didn't even have to twist his arm.

*Troy had a birthday....39 and holding.

*I've been cleaning and trying to get my house organized before school. Well, I said trying! I need a maid. Oh wait...I am the maid.

*I also need some new recipes...any good suggestions? I love my old stand-bys but a new dish every once in a while is a nice.

*I miss running. I have been in a funk lately but have PROMISED myself that Monday..I am back on! Bring on my Mizunos....

*We are almost done school shopping. Still need my picky boy some shoes. I also found out today that I will need football cleats. Great. I will not go out this weekend because it is Tax-free weekend. I repeat, I will not go out this weekend. It's not worth it.

*Last night Macy went to her first slumber party. I was a nervous wreck. She had a blast. While she was gone...and I couldn't sleep...I rented 17 Again with Zac Efron and Matthew Perry. It was really cute. I enjoyed watching a movie by myself that wasn't Hannah
Montana or High School Musical 1, 2, or 3. Nothing against them but I think I have seen them about 30 times. No joke.

*I start back at my MDO next week. Ready or not...school is here.

So, for now...that's all I have. I'm sure more will come to me later. But that's for another Friday. Hope you all have a wonderful weekend and a great first week of school. Please pray that God will put his protective arms around all our kids as they begin a new school year! Oh, and one more thing, if you do read this blog, leave a comment or click on be a follower! I'd love to hear from you!

Stress reducers

Just wanted to share these little stress reducers with you. One of my BFF's gave this to me and I hung it by my washing machine so I can read it everyday. It seems I am by my washer and dryer ALOT! Where do all these clothes come from and who in the world puts them there? HA! Anyway, I hope you enjoy...I know I did.

Christian Ways to Reduce Stress

1. Pray

2. Go to bed on time.

3. Get up on time so you can start the day unrushed.

4. Say NO to projects that won't fit into your time schedule, or that will compromise your mental health.

5. Delegate tasks to capable others.

6. Simplify and unclutter your life.

7. Less is more. (Although one is often not enough, two are often too many)

8. Allow extra time to do things and get places.

9. Pace yourself. Spread out big changes and difficult projects over time; don't lump the hard things all together.

10. Take one day at a time.

11. Separate worries from concerns. If a situation is a concern, find out what God would have you do and let go of the anxieties. If you can't do anything about a situation, forget it!

12. Live within your budget; don't use credit cards for ordinary purchases.

13. Have back-ups; an extra car key in your wallet, an extra house key buried in the garden, extra stamps, etc.

14. K.M.S (Keep Mouth Shut). This single piece of advice can prevent an enormous amount of trouble.

15. Do something for the kid YOU everyday!

16. Carry a Bible with you to read while waiting in line.

17. Get enough rest!

18. Eat right.

19. Get organized so everything has its place.

20. Listen to a CD while driving that can help improve your quality of life.

21. Write down thoughts and inspirations.

22. Every day, find time to be alone.

23. Having problems? Talk to God on the spot. Try to nip small problems in the bud. Don't wait until its time to go to bed to try and pray.

24. Make friends with Godly people.

25. Keep a folder of favorite scriptures on hand.

26. Remember that the shortest bridge between despair and hope is often a good "Thank you Jesus."

27. Laugh.

28. Laugh some more!

29. Take your work seriously, but not yourself at all.

30. Develop a forgiving attitude (most people are doing the best they can).

31. Be kind to unkind people (they probably need it the most).

32. Sit on your ego.

33. Talk less; listen more.

34. Slow down.

35. Remind yourself that you are not the general manager of the universe.

36. Every night before bed, think of one thing you are grateful for that you've never been grateful for before. GOD HAS A WAY OF TURNING THINGS AROUND FOR YOU.

"If God is for us, who can be against us?" Romans 8:31

Runnin'

This was me and Holly (or Marathon Bird to the bloggy land) last year! We had SO much fun running together. I love that girl. I could not have made it to the finish line without her. Can you tell how excited I was...I think the finish line was coming up. ha! I have been running the Houston Aramco Half Marathon for 3 years. This January would have been my 4th....did you notice I said "would have been??" I am a little bitter! Well, alot bitter. This year the half marathon sold out in LESS THAN 48 hours!!! CAN YOU BELIEVE IT?? Of course, guess who didn't get signed up? Yep, you guessed it....ME!! (Oh, and my sweet hubby. He ran the half last year for the first time and yes, he beat me...bad. But that's another post.) :) In the past I never signed up until around October. I think they at least could have given us Houstonians a heads up, don't you?

I am so sad. I always look forward to the training, the sweat and tears, my super cool running shoes, my ever so cute running skirt, running with friends, coffee after our Saturday runs and of course the BIG day! It's so much fun! I really feel like I got jipped! I have contemplated emailing the half marathon big dogs and giving them a piece of my mind...like they care. But, it would make me feel better.

Now, I am trying to decide if I train just to keep up with my exercise or just give running a break for a bit. I am torn. I love running but when I trained I was doing it for not only my health but to run the race! That was the prize! Not to mention you get a really cool medal, shirt and the all fun water bottle. :)

I guess the old saying is true...."you snooze, you loose!"

So, what do you think I should do?

Lost love letter

Macy's art table has always been a sore spot for me. I hate it...and it always looks like this. I clean it and then 5 minutes later it looks like this again. Sadly, I haven't cleaned it all summer. It was a mess...so yesterday I started picking up some trash, old broken crayons, beads, ribbon, stamps, markers, and letters to people. Macy is a writer! She loves to make lists, books and letters. As I was cleaning, I found this....and fell to my knees.

She had wrote this letter before Poppi passed away. It was tucked behind so much junk I am surprised I found it. I remembered her writing it because she wanted me to put a stamp on it to mail to him. I didn't. Boy, I feel bad now. I remember telling her that she didn't leave room for his address so we would have to put it in another envelope. Then we forgot. It got lost in the endless pile. I wish SO BAD that I would have mailed it to him. Of course, I had to open it...

Man, I wish I would have sent it. Guilt all over! I hope Poppi knew how much he was loved and how much of an influence he was in not just mine and my kids lives but everyone around him. My kids talk about him everyday....I miss him more than words can say. We love you, Poppi.

Blogging funk and chicken

Ok, so I really want to get my blog up and going. I feel like I have been in a blogging funk FOREVER! I struggle with what to write about. Also, what do people want to hear? Are you tired of seeing videos and pictures of my kids? And another thing...is there anyone out there that cares but my sweet mother? LOL I always have things go through my head that I want to blog about and then when I sit down...I have nothing. So, I guess what I am needing is some feedback....from you, Mom. :) And whoever else is out there...what do you want to hear from Heather's House? I need help.

Today we have done NOTHING and it feels oh so good!! I did take the kids to chick-fil-a and let me tell you...that place rakes in the money. Every time we go there, which is quite a bit, it is always crowded. I swear they could build another one right next door and it would do just as good. I think I might look into a franchise. :) So, other than an outing for Chick, we have been lazy. I love being home with my kids....I wouldn't rather be anywhere else. Well, the beach....but I want my kids with me. :)

Ok...this is it...for now...I promise. But, this one is too funny. I hope it makes you laugh today. Enjoy!

yummmmmy

Here's a shout out to my favorite fast food restaurant. :) Gotta love some Chick-fil-a. I love that my kids love eating there rather than McDonalds. Sometimes McDonalds makes me gag.

I have enjoyed eating there twice this week with the best company in the world.

And, BTW, this guy, Tim Hawkins is one of my favorite Christian comedians. He is so funny and has some really funny songs that he has made up to popular tunes. You can google him on You Tube or Tangle.com. And, thanks to Holly, I finally figured out how to put videos up. For some reason I could never get it to work. Thanks, Holly. Now, y'all might get tired of all the videos. HA!

Ever had one of those days when you feel you can't do anything right? Nothing you do seems good enough. Am I making a difference in my kids lives? Am I a good wife? Why did I say that to so-and-so today. yada yada yada....You know the drill. It has been a hard summer for me and my family....Today I was feeling a little blue and as I was checking blogs I found this precious little girl and cried and laughed and laughed some more...she is precious. She has the love of Jesus and it is contagious! It totally cheered me up...I hope it makes you happy, too! Have a great day....

"Faith is exactly what it takes to get through uncertainty. Faith is not necessary when you know how things are going to work out, - that's knowledge. It's in the time of unknowing that having faith is what sees you through to the other side. Faith is what gives you strength. Faith is that light in your heart that keeps on shining even when it's all darkness outside. Now is the time to keep that faith alive!"

Wordless Wednesday

Taste and see.....

I can't believe I haven't posted about our wonderful Ladies Day at the Smithville Church. It was an awesome weekend. My BFFs and I traveled all the way to The 'Ville for fun, relaxation and time with our God! Our Ladies Day was centered around Psalm 34:8..."Taste and see that the Lord is Good...." It was all centered around coffee (of course) and time with our Lord. Tawana, Becky and Mom had it all decorated so pretty...we were SO impressed! It was such a privilege to be there...the church where I grew up....to share with them a little about what God has done in our lives. They were so loving, so sweet, so friendly, and getting to introduce my friends from my church to my other church family was priceless! Needless to say, we were all super nervous but so glad to be there. We had prayed for months, prepared for months and were more than ready when the time arrived. It was an amazing experience and one that I hope we can experience again. You never know where we might turn up. HA! Here are just a few pictures from our fun weekend. Not in order, of course because blogger isn't being nice today. :)

The girls in The Ville...Main Street, USA!

The weekend wouldn't be complete without lunch at Nana and Poppi's

My 3 mothers! Becky, Tawana, and my Mom

Taking time for a photo after our lessons!

The 2 most important women in my life!

Eating at Pockets! YUMMY!

Remember this picture? I had it on a post at the beginning of the school year. This was when he was SO excited about being in band. So excited about playing the trombone. Now, not so much. If he could throw that thing out the window he would. If I didn't pay monthly on it I would let him. He is so frustrated with that thing, and to be honest, so am I. All year he has practiced but probably not to his full potential. Now that school is almost out it's finals time and the final is playing a few scales. Easy, right? Well, for my son...the worry wart...he says he can't do it and he doesn't know them very well. WHAT? So, he is cramming a years worth of band into one week. He is going in for extra practice with tears in his eyes. He hates playing in front of all his friends so obviously band is not for him. ha! He hates when his schedule gets messed with..well, excuse me! Bless his little heart and BTW, the hives have started.

Pray for my Reidster....

Blackberry pie??

I know..we are goofs. Troy couldn't believe I was having Macy take a picture of us holding blackberries. But, I am so proud of my blackberry bush. About a year ago, I took a couple of little bitty sprouts from my Dad's blackberry bush and brought them home to plant. Well, the sprouts sat in the car, sat in the garage, sat outside and then a few days later....planted. I thought that thing would never make it. Especially when we got Tucker, our crazy black lab. I just knew he would dig it up or eat it. Even thought it has thorns on it...nothing stops my crazy dog! Also, I am not well known for having a "green thumb". Now, my sweet mother-in-law, now she has a "green thumb". Her back yard is beautiful! So, two years later, that little bush that I forgot about, watered on occasion and stepped on a couple of times is now producing yummy blackberries! Now what do I do! :) Blackberry pie, anyone?

It's me....can you believe it?

So, here I am again. Bad, bad blogger. Why in the world is it so hard to document my crazy, hectic life...well, maybe because its crazy....and hectic. Now, I am so far behind I don't know whether to scratch my watch or wind my butt. (I just had to! That's a quote from Weezer from my favorite movie Steel Magnolias) Anyway, that's how I feel. Just keepin' it real!

I feel like my life is flashing before my eyes. I have an almost 13 year old. I can't believe he will be in the 7th grade. I remember when I was in the 7th grade...just like it was yesterday. I remember my crush...who broke my heart, BTW. I remember wanting a SW*ATCH watch SO bad...and getting it for my 13th birthday. I remember riding my bike all over town. I remember my mom redecorating my room while I slept in her bed and waking up that next morning in my new yellow gingham room. It was great..I felt so grown up. And now, my baby is where I feel I was just yesterday. My, I am sappy tonight. All that to say, everyone was right when they said to enjoy the little things.....

Reid is keeping us busy with baseball. His team is doing ok. We are on a little losing streak right now, but it is still so fun to watch them. Reid has been pitching and is doing really well. One game he pitched 65 pitches the whole game. That's really good...my sweet hubby told me! HA HA His daddy just bursts with pride. So do I. I really am proud of Reid. He works really hard with everything he puts his mind to.

Macy will be in the 2nd grade. Now, my memory is really bad. My sister can remember things that I can't. She's not right. ha! Needless to say, I do not remember being in the 2nd grade. I can't for the life of me remember my teachers name. I can't remember if I was at Brown Primary or at the old Central School. I can't remember what I was in to at the time. Some things just aren't clear. Now, what is clear is that I was loved. Alot. I remember being at Nana and Poppi's everyday after school. Eating all their food and watching The Brady Bunch is one of my favorite memories when I was little while I was waiting for my mom. I remember Mom pulling up to Nana's everyday to get us. I remember seeing her car out the glass door. I remember all the hugs. I remember the feeling of warm fuzzies in knowing how much I was loved. I hope my kids feel that from me.

Macy keeps us busy with dance. She LOVES it! She got her 4 year pin this year...that was a BIG deal! Her recital was last weekend. Against my better judgement I did the mother/daughter dance with her. It really was fun and I hope she can look back on it one day with a smile. A good memory.

We had a member of our family leave us....that would be Troy's 1993 Honda Accord. To that I say GOOD BYE! Not only was I glad to see that thing go, Reid was really glad. I think it was getting a little embarrassing to see his Daddy pull up to Jr. High in that thing. haha! It shook so bad when you stopped that I always needed to make sure I had my support bra on when I drove it. LOL...No, really. It felt like the engine was going to fall out at any minute. So, now, my hubby is sportin' a new...well, new to us...2008 Nissan Maxima. The family is happy...now, we fight over who will drive it. Oh, and now when we pull up to CLIS there is always a boy, or two who need a ride home. :)

Hopefully, I can post some more pics soon....and some more "going ons" in our crazy, hectic...but FUN life. If I can remember. Until then.

Fun game....

Use the first letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. They have to be real, not made up (if you can help it). If the person before you has the same first initial, you must use different answers. You cannot use any word twice and you can't use your name for the boy/girl name question.Have Fun!

1. What is your name: Heather
2. A four Letter Word: hand
3. A boy's Name: Harry
4. A girl's Name: Hillary
5. An occupation: hair dresser
6. A color: hunter green
7. Something you wear: hat
8. A food: hot dogs
9. Something found in the bathroom: hairballs
10. A place: Hawaii
11. A reason for being late: hateful drivers
12. Something you shout: HELP!!!
13. A movie title: Harry and the Hendersons
14. Something you drink: hot Chocolate
15. A musical group: Hannah Montana
16. An animal: Hippo
17. A street name: Heather St. :)
18. A type of car: Hummer
19. Something scary: heart disease
20. Ice cream flavor: is there an ice cream that starts with an H?? Can't think of one...can you?

I tag all my readers! :)

Fire*proof

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u3b2jw1rjBc

(sorry I couldn't get the video to load so I had to do the link)

See this movie, and watch this video...it will change your marriage, your life and your walk with our Heavenly Father. It's a great date night movie, too. :) And who doesn't L-O-V-E- Kirk Cameron?? Come on...Take the Love Dare! I double dog dare you. Enjoy the music video...it rocks. If you need a copy of the movie...you can borrow mine. I'm serious.


I know it has been a while since I posted. Things are still crazy around here..fun but crazy. The kids keep us busy and we love it. Between baseball, basketball, dance, church, girl scouts, girl scout cookies, and Troy's crazy schedule I can hardly keep up. Sometimes I don't know if I'm coming or going. Hopefully soon I can post some fun pictures of the happenings in my house...I have quite a bit to share. It's just all jumbled up in my brain for now. :)

Have a great day. :)

Price*less

I saw this shirt today and ALMOST bought it. It really made me laugh. Troy and I are running the Houston Aramco Half Marathon together tomorrow. Now, when I say together I mean we are driving there together. He will not stay with me on the route. He will smoke me. It's ok. Really. There is a side of me that really wants to beat him but knows that will not happen. He's a speedy little thing. I guess the part that really chaps my hide is that he didn't train as long as I did. But, I guess thats a guy for you. Oh well, it will be fun to say we did a race together. Who knows, I might go back and get the shirt tomorrow just for the memory. And the laugh. :)

I fought the avocado and the avocado won....

I am typing with one hand...so this will be short, sweet, and to the point. Yesterday, I was trying to get the seed out of an avocado and the knife slipped and went right through the avocado and though my hand. Yes, I said THROUGH my hand...between the thumb and index finger. I couldn't believe it when I saw it. I pulled the knife out, (I know your are not supposed to but it was just instinct) and about fainted and puked...no joke. Troy and Reid were not home...it was just me and Macy. I freaked out, quietly, and ran out the front door to my neighbors house. She wasn't home but her husband was. He helped me get the bleeding under control and drove me to the ER. It seemed like an eternity to get there, for Troy to get there, and then another 3 hours before I got to see a doctor. Talk about throbbing pain for 3 hours.....YIKES! The good news is that I didn't hit any nerves, bone, major blood vessel, or tendon. The throbbing pain was caused from the trauma and the air in my hand from me pulling out the knife. Not a bright idea. So, today, I am better. It's just a little sore. FYI, from now on, I will be using a spoon to get the seed out of the avocado. I know....call me dumb.

The knife (see the blood in the middle)....yuck!

After a trip to the ER....

No more avocados for me...for a while!



Now, look who has kitchen duty! YIPPEE!

On Saturday, Macy and some of her friends (plus Mommys) from dance class went downtown to the Junior League for their Breakfast with Santa. We really had a great time. We had to dress up and of course, that was right up Macy's alley. She was so excited to get to be, as she called, SO FANCY! She even poured her lemonade in her coffee cup to make her look a little more mature. ha! They all had so much fun and we had fun just sitting back and watching their sweet faces.
`

Three pretty princesses

Me and Linda

Macy and Santa. She told him EVERYTHING
she wanted. It was so cute!

Sweet girl!

Me and Macy striking our usual pose. ha!

The girls...most of them have been dancing together

since the beginning.

Say cheese.....AGAIN!