My New Favorite Things

Let's just get this out there - I hate cleaning. I have always hated cleaning. I like a clean uncluttered straightened house. We can summarize by concluding that I do lots of straightening and I should do more cleaning! I have found two new products that have added a sense of renewed fun to that vile chore and they both can be found at Target.

Product 1 - The Method All Purpose spray in Cucumber scent. It smells sooooo yummy. I wipe my counters down at least twice a day just so I can get a cucumber fix. You have to try it - it really is great. My sister says that she uses the grapefruit scent and loves it as well.

Product 2 - The Method biodegradable Wood wipes in almond scent. I need to dust almost everyday out here in the land of no trees and lots of dirt (I said NEED...not that I actually do) I must admit that my nose lead me to this product (as well as the other) and with one sniff into the container - 3 packages of these went into my cart. They smell so delicious! Yummy and sweet - so different from the typical wood cleaner. The great thing is that I absolutely love how they dust. They don't leave this weird residue on my furniture and the kids can use them without spraying half a can of pledge on one end table. They are so great and handy. I use them almost everyday for little touch ups around the house. I think I will also give the actual spray a try for heavy cleaning days. I love these so much that if I were Oprah - I would give one to everyone in the audience.

Surfing Blogs

The bad thing about starting a blog is that I spend more time on the computer surfing other blogs LOL. You just find so many cool ideas, recipes, and freebies out there. Today I registered to win an IPOD at The Secret Is In The Sauce site (of course I won't win), I downloaded a really cool free scrapbooking kit at IkeaGoddess, and found an awesome new VINYL blog. I love the big dandelion. Sooooo if your bored Ü

Family Night at TEXAS

Chesley had special guests attend her performance in TEXAS last night. Everyone was so proud of her. Her guests included Nana, Papaw, LuLu, Papa Check, Cutter, Daddy, and Cambry. Nana and Papaw stayed an extra night after their vacation in the mountains so they could see her. She was so proud that they came. The last picture is of her signing an autograph Ü!

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Big Eared Baby

We were unbelievably lucky today! I still can't believe that we happened to be driving down the road at almost the exact time that a baby donkey was born in a field near our house. Go ahead - I know you can't help yourself - just say it - AWWWWWWWWW!
I didn't want to leave and could have stayed there for hours. His fur was still wet and curly. He hadn't even attempted to get up when we first saw him. We were the only witnesses to his awkward and pitiful attempts to gather his wobbly legs underneath himself and stand. It was really just one of those sweet moments that you are so thankful to have your camera handy. Hope you enjoy his first moments as much as we did.

Pics and Video of Our New Friend

Happy Birthday NANA!

Today is my Mom's birthday. So please give a huge shout out to one incredible Nana! She really is an wonderful caring person who just goes above and beyond to have meaningful experiences with her kids and grand kids. We love you so much! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!!!

Chesley's summer = crazy busy

Chesley has been so busy this summer. She is participating in TEXAS this year in one of the child parts. She has really enjoyed it and has learned so much about the "behind the scenes" workings of a big musical production. This week she has been at Student Life camp with her church group and she comes home today. We can't wait to hear all about it. We have heard that it really is a spectacular production that can be life changing for many kids. We are so proud of her and all that is willing to try. She seems fearless to us sometimes and her confidence is so refreshing.

Movie Recommendation: Penelope

Cambry and I finally sat down last night and watched Penelope. It is a new movie that is out on DVD. We both enjoyed it so much. It was sweet, refreshing, and pretty "clean" for young kids. It included a couple of cuss words, and a few very mind insinuations. Overall, it was great for a a PG movie. The story is one about accepting and loving yourself in spite of your differences. We loved the message and highly recommend it. It gets 2 thumbs up from all of us!

Think twice before you beg!

Cambry has been nagging me nonstop to make a post about her on the blog. So, Cambry here you go Ü I love you to pieces...but to are so stinking persistent. Hope you enjoy the collection of pictures.

Cutter + powder + lack of supervision = TROUBLE

Not sure who was more surprised!

Cutter was alone in the house for a few minutes when we started to miss him. We were getting up to investigate, when he magically appeared at the front door. Cambry was the first to gasp...maybe a result of realizing that the powder he had so liberally applied to his face was her Lush powder. The funny thing...Cutter had no idea that you could see the powder on his face. He thought it was rubbed in. LOL!

The youngest member of the family

This little guy makes us all so happy. He has the sweetest smile and the chubbiest cheeks. His name is Charlie and he is named after Chance's grandfather that passed away many years ago, but has remained a special person to all that knew him. The kids all adore him, but Chesley really seems to have a special interest in holding him all of the time....(at the expense of poor Uncle Henry's nerves! LOL) Here are a few pics from this last year. He turned 1 in May and it was so great to reflect on the past year and all that he has overcome. He is our little "prize fighter" for sure!

He's back!!!

I am so glad that my kids get to enjoy special quality time with grandparents. I know we are so fortunate to have parents who really appreciate our kids. I just happen to be REALLY happy when they return home. LOL! My world is just not complete when one of my flock is missing. I can still say this even when the fussing has already resumed - he hit me - she's being mean to me - Cutter is making weird noises - Chesley's not my friend - Cambry started it ....you get the picture. Yet, they are all home in there beds in our house... Good Times!

Welcome to our blog!

I have a feeling this will just be another one of those "great" ideas that I start and don't finish.
I'm really going to try to add things here and there, but be patient with me - while I am learning! Also, please ignore any glaring grammar errors. Chance once called me the comma queen. I love to use them and often inappropriately. Ü