our winner is...

Kera from the Honea Bees!!!

Hillary will email you with details and a gift card...(that you are welcome to use on a girl date of your very own with ME!!!)

yall gave hillary and i SUCH a treat! i don't think i have ever broken 15 comments so that made me feel like a serious rock star today! we promise we will do it again!!

Yall are too fun...and another giveaway!!

alright chickens, the comments for my girl date is closed. however, go over to my friend DANA's page. first of all, she is the mama i want to be. i love her and WISH she lived closer. i'll get to see her this summer after a jillion years! she is reviewing a children's book and giving away a copy!!!

we will come up with a result and post it late tonight. we'll leave instructions to the winner on each blog, just in case!!

2 fortune cookies for 2 mamas...part 2

if you are joining me and haven't been over to see Hillary at The Dunham Diaries, click on that link and go there for the first of this story. then you can come back and join me. you won't want to miss it! we are talking all about our girl date and including a GIVEAWAY!!! (we will be giving away a gift card for PF Changs or if you don't have one of those, then you can tell us your favorite chain and we'll send you that so you can go on your own GIRL DATE!! read hers, leave a comment, and then come back to mine and leave a comment after reading. we will close comments at 6 pm CST on Friday January 30th. anyone who comments on both blogs, letting us know you were here, will be entered in the GIRLFRIEND GIVEAWAY!!!

NOW...getting on with it...
i'll never forget the day she emailed me. i had been waiting. i didn't want to email her first. i didn't want her to think i was easy. we had talked about going to supper again at our last date. but that was alllll the way back at thanksgiving. and there were others with us, so i didn't know if she was just being polite. we actually tried to get together with some of our little man people in september, but preschool and sports tend to dictate our schedules. but this time...this time was different. it was there. in writing. no take backs. a firm committment. i knew she had been stalking me. but i didn't mind. because i do the same thing to her. i think she is just great and super witty. i hoped we would have things to talk about. i mean we are great at back and forth banter, but would we really be able to conversate? or would we only talk about yall? could it be possible that we could do both? i wondered....

just a little history. hillary and i know each other from WAY back. i'm thinking the days of girard/honeysuckle middle schools. but i'll say high school for sure. and then college. we were trojans together. she was in the same sorority with my roommate. but otherwise, our circles were different. had too much time passed? were we only meant to be acquaintances? no. how do i know that? because our husbands also went to high school together. also acquaintances. we only found this out in the last few months. and now, here we are. we both have 2 boys. we are both 5 or so hours from "home". transplants. yankees. (i just say that about anyone who lives above birmingham. i don't mean it in an ugly way. i just grew up where snow doesn't happen. in north alabama, snow happens.) we were M.F.E.O.

(this is chinese for "girlfriend")

i assume i peaked her curiosity when i mentioned my affection for chinese food. (i would say affinity, but clearly it is affection. i MUST find some once a month. this is the only instance where mexican won't do. and i'm sure that is sacrilidge. do you know what i'm sayin? can i get an AMEN?) i started getting ready about 5. we were to meet at 6:30 at our destination. as i got ready, i wondered if i needed to rewash my hair. i mean, i had just washed it about 5 hours before (yes i'm a stay at home mom and i didn't get a shower until noon. what? you don't do that?) anyway, my hair hadn't dried just right and i tend to get a little greasy. a little greasy like i could probably claim that i work in the pits at jiffy lube. fortunately i had the forethought to "set it" with hair spray. i mean, i KNEW i was going on a girl date. the hair MUST be rockin'. (cause we get READY for our girls. our husbands...if they have been nice. am i right?) so as i was putting the flip in my flippy do, i wondered it if was looking cute, or if i looked more like a chicken. there is a fine line between the two i have decided. but i think it all worked out. then..what in the world am i gonna wear? well, i had my good jeans clean. check. i had my "har did" and my make up lookin smokin'. check. *gasp* my black shirt was "dirty". (it didn't have anything on it per se. but it smelled like BBQ smoke from my boy date with micah to Dreamland.) what is a girl to do? you are going to supper with someone skinnier than you. must wear black. YOU GET THAT BAD BOY OUT OF THE LAUNDRY, FEBREEZE IT TO DEATH AND TOSS IT IN THE DRYER!!! and i did. i own it. and can i just say now that for me, the weather was PERFECT. i didn't need to wear a jacket. long sleeves and a scarf. i prayed that the green beans i was feeding little sister wouldn't get spit on me just as i was needing to walk out the door. i mean, this was work. one last check. all is good, and off i head. i of course hit every red light and i was thinking mean things towards the transportation engineers that designed the light system and it's timing. don't they KNOW that 2 mamas need a night out sometimes and it's like that scene in shawshank redemption where you are sometimes so desperate, you will crawl through a mile of crap to get to it? i arrived 3 minutes late. we had a lotion incident with middle brother as i was walking out of the door. pictures to come in a later post i bet. and she was there waiting for me. her with her porcelain skin, bright eyes and belly that you would never know carried 2 babies and that those babies had come from the "sunroof." in that moment, she became my hero. she told me she should have applied some lipstick. i didn't notice. we were quickly seated. (and this is where, if you haven't read hillary's blog, you should because she will do most of the talking about supper itself.) we chatted like we were long time friends. we mentioned our earlier date. we mentioned some of you. we gabbed about our fellas and families. she introduced me to a new cuisine and we even used the supplied plates to SHARE. (cause that's why you order different things, right? i mean, going out to eat...it is a complete waste if you order the same thing as the other person. i'm just sayin.) our bellies were full and so was my heart (or maybe i should say Hart). i had developed an old friendship into more than what it was before we got there. and i knew my mission was accomplished.

we took pictures of our fortunes because we are totally goofy like that and i didn't care if the flash offended anyone else. did.not.care. i mean, it was for blog preservation and we have priorities! but hillary is way more sophisticated than i am, and she suggested we might go continue our conversation outside because someone might want our table (SO?!). and so we left, completely stole one of her friends away from her family for the obligatory blog picture, and then went shopping. (our trip was to this place, so we actually got to walk off the previously mentioned cuisine! we should have stopped by maggie moo's. that would have been perfection.) my goal was bath and body. hers was NYC (i think used to be called Lerner). as we walked by some of the stores, she mentioned one (and i forgot which one) and said something like "don't you just love that store??" and my heart swelled. i knew i had won her over. she thought i was thin enough to wear something from that store. yall, we only drank water at supper, so i knew she didn't have beer bottle vision. i thought seriously about throwing down my purse and hugging her right there on the bridge. we looked for more scarves since this has been deemed by angie "the year of the scarf". but unfortunately, that was a miss. and skinny girls, can i say that i'm not completely excited about the color choices for you in that store this year? i wasn't disappointed that i missed out on the clearance rack. however, at one size fits all, i picked up some cheap clearance B&B while she told me the funniest story about Grogan Jewelers and how sometimes she also suffers from foot in mouth diesease. it's love. and after that, yall, she was the perfect lady. she walked me to my car. and do you know that i am such a buffoon that i didn't even drive her over to her car?! i don't know if she will date me again. but i hope.

hey hill, have you noticed that we have similar hair color?? and i will point out that this picture is completely "untouched". i have the ability to give us a tan and whiten teeth. but in this instance in telling you exactly how i felt that night, i figured you should see exactly how we looked, complete with scarves.

tuesday

let's add her to the list people. what is the saying? tuesday's child is full of grace? as a mom, i pray for healing. as a nurse, i pray for wisdom and no pain. as a Christian, i pray all of these things.

He has done marvelous things!!

yall don't forget to check on all these folks we've been praying for. He is showin' out in a big way with these babies!! it just makes me cry all over again. i guess that completely raw feeling never goes away. and that is a-ok with me!

do you feel neglected??

sisters, i am ever so sorry i haven't been contributing like i normally do (because i'm SURE you are missing out on my minimal wit!) i have been a little under the weather for a little over a week. i went to my doc last week (one that i used to work for) and basically i have a sinus infection. (and i'm having to suffer through it without a decongestant. more on that in a second.) but it's caused me to lose my voice. that, friends, is something that may have only happened one other time in my life!! it has been strange. but when micah gets home, i have tried to milk it by going on "voice rest". although when i went on my date with him this past saturday and with hillary last night, i kind of broke that rule. well, what am i saying? i break it all the time. who would i be if i couldnt' holler at my fellas? anyway, during that visit, she noticed my heart rate was fast. well, i won't lie. i'm in shape. you know...that kind of shape that is round. and my heart rate has always been kind of fast. but it was 120. beats per minute. yeah. she went through the whole EKG thing and everything. of course, it was normal, just really fast. but it concerned her enough she wouldn't give me a decongestant. so prednisone it is. and prednisone typically makes you gain weight. fortunately it was a low dose. i mean i just went back to my WW meetings this past weekend. how is that gonna help? well, she also decided to check my thyroid and other blood work. how bout this...i have hyperthyroidism!! i am not even lucky enough to have the side effect of weight loss. i mean, is there a sign on my ample hiney that says kick me when i'm down? frus---stration. anywho, because of the symptom of tachycardia, i have to start on a medicine three times a day. and it's a medicine that slows everything down. i'm not not not a happy girl. but i have to do it. i am thinking it is postpartum thyroiditis. which will sometimes then go into hypothyroidism. FUN. seriously...if you aren't 30 yet...run and HIDE!!!

i have things i need to tell you. i went on a girl date and a boy date. i loved them both. but also, my camera battery has decided to die and even the batteries i tried to snake out of my kids toys seem to be dead. so i have no pics to share yet. in the mean time, thank you so much for praying for my friends and friends of friends. if you have a request, please feel free to email me. there is nothing i'd like better to do with my time. please see their blogs for updates. God is certainly showing out in healing these babies!!

pray for this family too!

yet another friend of a friend. pray for this baby. pray for this family. if for no other reason, i am so very thankful and greatful we had our NICU experience with ally claire. if for no other reason, it heightened my urgency to pray for any family, any baby, any child that needs prayer. if i can't do anything else...that is what i can do. and i ask that you do it too.

adding to the prayer list

we sure have a lot of people that need lifting up right now. little harper, and the king quads from blogs that i stalk. darby's friend patrick. and i have 2 of my own. i recieved a call that one of my cousins (that is old enough to be an uncle...put it like this...daddy is one of 10. i have 21 first cousins on that side. i don't really know this cousin that well.) however, my brother said that one of my cousins killed himself last night. so my family just needs some prayers. and my first college roommate, ginny, who is a regular blog stalker for several of you {thanks to me ;-) } called and her daughter, jamie who is 17, had an MRI done yesterday on her back because they believe she has a fluid filled cyst on her spine. they aren't certain if there are any additional tumors because of the type of MRI done. so they are sending her to children's in birmingham to get a "wet" MRI. if there are additional tumors, then they will most likely be cancerous. jamie had cancer as a child (around age 3-4 i think). she had a wilms' tumor. please pray for ginny and her family. ginny is a go getter and tries so hard to be everything to everyone. right now she just needs to be a mommy for her daughter. so please, because i know you are all prayer warriors, lift these folks up. even if it is just once right this very second. the power is in the ONE who hears our prayers, not in any of us who actually say them. but He wants us to ask.

thankful i'm a stalker

i am so glad i'm a stalker. because i read tara's blog, i found angie's blog, who led me to brandi's blog and big mama's blog (see i told yall i have serious issues.) anyway, because i'm such a loyal stalker, i found out that is is being declared the year of the scarf. SOOOOOOO glad i knew. so i marched my hiney to walmart for said $5 dollar scarves and proceded to buy 4. see, i have a hard time with scarves. i had 2 given to me that were knitted. wellllll, i'm not good with the knitted kind. they itch me to death. i am CERTAIN i would NOT make a good sheep. i'd be on benedryl for being allergic to myself. however, these cotton scarves are THE BEST. they are thin so they aren't too hot. and on a day like today that was great for just a long sleeve tee but there was some wind, it was PERFECT!! and i will go on record as saying that i was looking super fly walking out of the dr's office, into walmart and into MMO in my long sleeve tee, my scarf, my big glasses and my flippy new do. i felt like a cute mama today. not like the worn out one i usually am by the time thursday gets here.

so friends, i am a PROUD stalker because this time, it has kept me in the know!! hillary, go get ya one and wear it on our girl date next week. we'll take pics! (if yall made it through all of those links, i will whip you up a blog merrit badge for also being a proud stalker!!)

we have talked about this before

i am certain i have OCD issues. and now, i'm thinking ADD as well. (am i lucky that i don't have the adHd diagnosis? or does that just make me lazy?) anyway, as you can tell, boredom has struck and i have not only changed the look of my blog, but also the name. i'm not sure why. and i can't get it just how i want it. i really prefer a 3 column look b/c i have plenty of links on the side. and can i just be honest and tell you that there are plenty more in my favorites. i know, i need to give in and put them all on reader. hey, does anyone out there want to tell me how to make a custom header? if i can figure that out, then i may go basic and just change that from time to time. (i think i have paint shop.)

anyway...today is his birthday!

the tall brunette in the back, not the red heads. (but how hilarious is seth in this picture? it is TRULY his little attitude! but i could smother that little mouth with kisses!)

back to the birthday boy...he is good to us, yall! he works hard so i don't have to and takes over when he gets home. he puts down the seat without being asked and loves a good chocolate fix as much as i do. i know we are M.F.E.O. i mean, how many of your men truly like "You've Got Mail" and will watch it on their very own? (as long as nothing harry potter is on an opposing channel!) i love ya babe! happy birthday!!

i pulled it off...

friday i made a little impromptu trip to dothan. my brother called me last week on saturday and said "if i throw daddy

(AKA "Pop") a surprise party for his 60th birthday, do you think you could come?" well, i knew micah didn't have any time off and i have never made that long trip alone with kids. i thought about taking the boys with me (never even thought to take the sis b/c of the terrible long trip rider she is). but in the end, it just made more sense for me to go alone. after all, mama deserved the break and i knew i wanted to come home the next morning b/c it is also micah's birthday weekend. so i lined up my MIL to watch the kiddies that afternoon until micah could come home. (let's just go ahead and give him some kudos. the man had all 3 for 30 hours alone. he always does a great job and i knew he wouldn't have a problem this time...oh, and add in the fact that someone wanted to look at our house on saturday!!) i left at 1:15 and was coming over the hill into midland city (where we normally turn to go to pop's house) at 5:30. that's right. a trip that normally takes me 6 hours with everyone...4 hours & 15 minutes. why? because i can "hold it" like a camel! anyway, i was early since i didn't need to be at the restaurant until 6:45. so i wasted some time (trying to work the hitch out of my giddy-up) at target and best buy. why best buy? because i wanted this cd, and friends...it is worth the buy. i don't normally say that. but there is only ONE song on that whole cd that i don't care for. otherwise, i'm all about it. anywho, i digress...
so my brother, scott, and i are calling back and forth so that i'll know when to make my entrance. i go all super sleuth and park on the other side of the building and hide in the back of my van just in case. after i see that every one is in, that is when i make my move (in the mean time forgetting my camera). i just waltz in like nothing is happening. in that room are all of daddy's brothers and sisters that are local and some of my cousins and their kids. NO ONE knew i was coming. fortunately daddy had his back to me. everyone else saw me and said "hey!!!" and pop turned around and was soooooo surprised!! he said "where did you come from ?"and nearly knocked me over giving me a hug. i was praying a big deal wasn't gonna be made over not bringing the kids. but once i said where they were and why i didn't bring them, they were good. (i mean, i can be enough of a surprise, right??)
after supper, i went to scott's house to spend the night and we played guitar hero. yall, for someone with natural musical ability, i BITE...BIG at that game. i get all distracted by everyone else's strumming. especially scott, who i am certain is really beating that thing. but my SIL sherri, she can get it. they are so funny! the next morning i got to have breakfast alone with my mom, which we never get to do and then we all went to the big event. upward basketball for my nephews.

that is always a hoot!! but they sure were glad and proud that their "aunt (said ain't) beckbeck was there to cheer and take pictures. (even though my camera died during the first game!)
then it was time for my short trip to come to an end. time to head north. and i was missing my lovelies back home. i did stop in troy for a very quick lunch. my friends had other places to be, so not much visiting was really done this time. (yes they read this blog, and no i don't care. my feelings are still a little hurt.) they can come see me next time. (that was ugly wasn't it? oh well...i'll get over it in a few days.) but thankfully my trip was uneventful. i got to listen to lots of Bible with Ginger Plowman's cds that i finally got to (Reaching The Heart of Your Child) on Biblical discipline. i highly recommend you get these or get her book that they are based on "Don't Make Me Count to Three". very good. also i got to start on some of Beth Moore's study "Stepping Up" on the psalms of the ascent (Ps. 120-134). all in all a good trip.
news from home...

sister started babbling her second "word"...bubba. SERIOUSLY????? such a traitor. but i was welcomed home by her in a big way. she nearly jumped out of micah's arms into mine where she proceeded to bury her head in my neck while giving me a death grip of a hug. that's right...she knows how to hug a neck...HARD!! and all the while she was pumping her little legs in delight. have i mentioned how i LOVE that girl??? the boys were just wondering if i brought them something. yeah, they also adore a break from mama!! we call that "good trip!"
in the mean time, yall pray for me. our house is showing like crazy. but it is getting on my nerves big time because all of these people "need to sell their house first". i don't have time for that. i'm not looking until i know i have a real prospect for mine. i wish they would do the same!! i don't have patience for browsers. sounds awful, huh? well, that is the attitude i have gotten when for the last two weekends, in addition to the appointments that were made, i have had others just show up on my door step. why would anyone think that is OK? i want to put a sign out that says "look...i can afford my house. i just have a ton of kids and would like a little more room. only those who are ready to make an offer need apply..."
that's bad. anyway, better go get my happy face on. i bet i know what would help...the 13 best reasons to visit dothan. L-O-Y-L-E-S-S--D-O-N-U-T-S!!!

and i said 13 because that is how many letters it has and how many donuts he gave me. i noshed on the holes on the way home. i was sweet and offered my mama one that morning. yes. i said one. we were on the way to breakfast. she didn't need anymore. cause i do, right?? they were actually the treat i brought for my hubby for being so willing to keep all 3 kids (even though i offered him an out.) i'm assuming they were worth it. they usually are!!

tell me your favoritest favorite...

i have noticed so many of us are lovin' Beth Moore. (i noticed b/c she is on your blog roll. she is in my favorites as well.) She really has a unique way of teaching, doesn't she? That is why i just adore her. she knows my Jesus and knows how to teach me so that I can get Him and know Him too. I find myself getting jealous that I don't live in houston for regular Bible study. 'member how in college, you could usually find one teacher that really knew how you needed to hear things so that you could learn 'em? that is how i feel about her. i have been blessed to go to more than one of her events. Jesus surely comes with her b/c surely He knows I'm gonna be there and knows i NEED HIM.

anywho...tell me your favorite study by her that you have done. or tell me which one you want to do. tell me why. i feel like this is an area that i need to get to know you more. we are sisters, right? a favorite for me is "A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place". I really get a lot out of the life of David. You can still be a sinner and be a person after God's heart.

why am i thankful that it's thursday???

so glad you asked. this is why...

because i will get to see some folks this weekend that i rarely get to see and i will be uninterrupted in doing so.

that means, i'm going somewhere without my kiddos (that should be read with a heel kick at the end.)

the boys are at preschool right now and sister is napping. there is no tv on. i can only hear the clock ticking and my keyboard clicking. SWEET!!

my heater is working and that is a good thing since when i woke up this morning it was 19 with a wind chill of 6. thank you my little american standard.

the heater in my van works. see above.

i made the reservation for our beach trip last night. now i have something to look forward to and to day dream about. (sis will turn ONE on that trip!!)

i ordered an embroidered insulated tote and an embroidered umbrella from harriette this week. she did it that day and also surprised me with a few extra goodies (including a matching wheeled tote that i am gonna use tomorrow night and for my ladie's retreat in march.) she is tooooooo good to me!! i'm so glad i have a friend like her. she feeds my habit.

earlier this week, i looked out my kitchen window, where i see some of the best sunsets, and saw that my 5 little...well, this year they are BIG...white tailed friends are back. it's truly an amazing sight and i take pics and video nearly every time. i wonder if the makers of "planet earth" would like my footage.

a must read

go to this blog today. she puts all of my thoughts just perfectly. it is exactly what i have been thinking about and to that i say, "amen, sister."

lucky 7

happy 7 months my beautiful precious angel baby girl!!

in the last month you have sprouted another tooth, learned to sit alone, cackled at the top of your lungs, and decided that you are, without a doubt, a mama's girl. you will hold your arms out for me to pick you up and you don't even want me to leave the room, you are so rotten!!! but i waited a long time for you and you are the last, so i will be sure to lap it up! i love you more than you will ever know.

poor bopsy...and a calendar

bopsy is just one of the million names we call our little sethy bean. i am quite certain he thought he was supposed to be the baby of the family. and he was for a long time. and lots of people treated him that way. he is very dramatic. but he is soooo sweet and so loving and generally excited about life. what is this leading to? remember back when i told you about our little night visitor? well, he still visits from time to time. he doesn't complain about monsters like he used to. i'm not sure why he wakes up or why he comes across the dark house that is only illuminated by hall night lights. but he does. and he wants to stay in the bed with me. i know they all go through ages and phases. and right now, he is scared...no...TERRIFIED of the dark. he is hysterical, shaking, verge of tears if he thinks someone just MAY turn off the light. this morning when i dropped the kids off in the car line at MMO (by the way, HUGE improvement. luke hasn't let me do this in the 2 1/2 years that he has been going until now!!) mrs. angie, who is the director and also seth's teacher on sunday morning, asked me to pull over for a second. (i am already thinking "oh my cow. what has one of mine done or said??" i was certain i was about to need to crawl in a hole.) she asked me if seth had said anything about class the last few weeks. and i told her no. and she said that the last 3-4 weeks, he has suddenly started covering his ears and is tearing up the whole time and saying over and over "the bell is about to ring" or "let's don't turn off the light." and i told her of his dark fear and that neither of my kids do well with loud noises that they aren't expecting. (and the bell is right beside his sunday school room and it is deafening.) she told me that he is soooo good and sweet and always participates and answers all the questions and it just wasn't like him. she said she thought it started when they were talking about when Jesus calmed the sea "and it rained and the lightening came" and she flicked the light for a second. and i said, "well, then that is probably what did it. the same thing happened at the doctor's office. he used to be fine. they turned the light out to check sissy's eyes and he went bananas. and now if he has to go with me, he just cries and says "don't turn out the light" over and over. mrs. angie was so sweet and is just heart broken because she doesn't know what to do. she tries to reassure him without embarrassing him. i don't know what to do. can yall help a mama out? luke has always been completely unfazed. i'm not sure what makes him scared and he is still too little to really tell me why it scares him.

in other news, i had my 3 week recheck today with my gynie. he said everything was fine, but he wants me to keep a "menstrual calendar" for 3 months and then come back. i asked him if i could go back on the pill for symptom control (symptoms being lots of cramps, flooding, and the redevelopment of acne. hello? i'm not 13. i am 30. this should not be an issue!!) the good news is that he said that is certainly something we could do. and i'll be honest...i can't WAIT for 3 months to fly by b/c i KNOW that is where we are headed.

anyway, please let me know if you have any suggestions for my little biscuit bean. i hate being helpless.

know what i've been doin'?

here is a sneak peek at what should be in your mailboxes by saturday!! i hope you get the one you like! (tara, yours is on the far left...it is the only one specifically girlie!!)

I've(on the left) also been having supper with my bestie, ellen (on the right if you don't know me but read my blog.) she is leaving monday for officer training school for the Air Force. i wish her luck!! she has lived here in north alabama with me for the last year and a half and it is gonna be awful that she will be based in las vegas. but i'm hoping she'll meet up with sara. they can get pedi's together. please overlook my shininess! but you can adore my kicky new do!

you wanted something new?

surely you haven't tired of looking at the train in our toilet?! oh, alright. well, we had our last round of christmas and company this past weekend and we had the best time. my brother, my sister (in-law, but i love her like the real thing, but so that you know that my family tree really does fork and you know we aren't incestuous, sister in law) and my 2 nephews came to see us. the insanity wasn't in the fact that i had boys ages 6,5,4 & 3 all under one roof (not including 2 grown-ish men). the insanity was the fact that they brought their wii with them. first, let's talk about the mii's. for those of you not in the know (which was me until friday...or should i say mii??) a mii is an avatar that you make to look like yourself. yall, the one that they made of my mama is honkin scary. scary like it looks just like her. it's crazy!! now, to clarify my "grown-ish men" comment, let me just say that there was trash talkin. and not between the grown ups. between the grown ups and my 6 year old nephew, jamey. i'll admit. the worst was between me and jamey. i kicked his "pro" tail in bowling. and he got mad that i could throw a 93 mile an hour fast ball. but that's ok b/c i didn't get to figure out how to throw a screwball or a splitter. and to say that my arm was sore yesterday is an understatement. who knew i was that out of shape? of course, i tried my hardest to win (because i have no shame) and the word "cheater" actually came out of my husband's mouth. yep. we are hard core!! little sister was plenty spoiled by her aunt sherri. we had good food and good fun and what else could you ask for?

yesterday i got to go retrieve my christmas present from sam's. i was so excited. they are basically calphalon, but sam's brand. you have to do the whole seasoning thing and the whole she-bang. and they have a lifetime warranty. this better be the last set i buy. also, i'd like to take this little moment to brag on my hubs yesterday. it was my turn to take the boys to church. (we are alternating sundays and wednesdays b/c sister can't seem to manage to stay awake for 3+ hours...time it would take from getting her up, going and coming home without being a complete turkey and she will only fall asleep in her bed and taking her right now completely nullifies the purpose to be there.) anyway, during my morning, he did some dishes, did some laundry, took care of the sis, vacuumed the floors and cooked lunch. then, while i was off to do the grocery shopping, he did more laundry and put it away, all while having the 3 kids. oh, and i forgot to mention that he got the boys ready and got their church bags ready (like he does every week) while i was getting ready. he is a much better wife and mom than i am and i told him how much i appreciate him...and that he was giving me a bad name!!

and now without further adieu...
Menu Monday
(this one isn't anything special. basically i went through our pantry, fridge and freezer and decided to make as much as i could with what we had and only buy what we needed to fill in the holes. my grocery bill this time was TINY!!!)

Sunday lunch-hamburger helper
sunday night-leftovers

monday-becky out to PF Chang's with Ellen (our last supper before her air force stuff), pita bread pizza for every one else, AC, bottle, sweet potatoes and apricots

tuesday-chicken enchiladas (were in freezer made last time)

wednesday-grilled shrimp (made on this which i also got for christmas), corn on the cob, salad and bread

thursday-chicken casserole, mashed potatoes, english peas

friday-taco salad

saturday-grilled chicken, cream corn and salad

and in true becky tucker fashion, i haven't gotten any pics uploaded, so probably none of this in intersting without the pics to see it in person. but soon, chickens. soon. i must reclaim my house and get those taggie blankets in the mail. you DO still want them, right? they are all addressed, and i even took the time to choose the ribbon especially for each and every one. (so some are definitely more boy friendly!)

later sweet taters!!