You wanna see my icebox?

In Texas, I grew up calling a refrigerator an icebox. I still do sometimes, and my kids stand there with this blank stare and say, "icebox....what's an icebox?" and then I give up and and say refrigerator! I've also tried to ditch my slang habits of calling a shopping cart a "buggy" or a grocery bag a "sack" or a dish rag a "cup towel" and even my favorite because no one EVER knows what I am talking about when I say, "bo-bo" (not boo-boo) meaning your tushy.

Put on your listening ears, cause it sounds a little something like this:

"Keep your hands outta the sack and sit-down (one word) in that buggy right now or I'm gonna spank your bo-bo!!!"

Did I just lose all three of my readers? Sorry for the revert but I guess the whole icebox verbage was a trigger.

The point is.... I was tagged! Yipee! First Leslie, and then Jenn. I am with ya Jenn on the "meme" phrase. I even looked it up because the only time I've ever used that word is when I am referring to my husband's grandmother and even then we spell it "MiMi"!!! :)

Here's my fridge (or icebox)It stays pretty "busy" but there is some order to the chaos (just like our life)



















This side is for pictures mostly and I try to keep it just our kids but we keep our sweet friends in Texas on the front because they are so much like family and so far away we need to see their faces everyday! (did you like that one Tiff?)



















On the freezer side, we have the lovely magnet collection of places we have been. Most recently we added the Helen Keller gigantic coin from the Ivy Green museum and the Tennessee Valley Railroad magnet, both from our road travels this summer through the southern states.



















Samuel's artwork is on the bottom half and I'm sad to say that I get less and less art from the girls these days and when I do it is poster size so it goes on the wall instead :)

The cabinet side is hodgepodge and has misc. photos, phone numbers and some *really* old magnets that I can't part with.



















I'm glad I took a picture of my fridge! I am so sentimental and I would love to see a picture of my fridge from 5, 10, and 15 years ago. I think I'm going to start making a yearly habit of this! So thanks *meme* whoever you are and thanks Leslie and Jenn for including me in the fun.

O.K., now for tagging. Jenn & Leslie have tagged everyone that I know in the world of *blog* except my Tiff! So tag Tiff, your it!

Against all odds...

According to statistics, young marriages (those who enter into marriage before age 20) are the most likely to end in divorce. Chris and I could have easily defined a *doomed* marriage on October 18th, 1991 because we certainly fit into the "young marriage" category. I was barely 19 and he was 21. I am certain there were those in our circle of friends and family who looked our way and with bated breath, waited for the inevitable. Thankfully, the inevitable was that God had already set a plan into motion that not only included a blessed union but more importantly, two hearts that belonged to Him.




His most beautiful mercy and grace has covered our marriage throughout some of the most difficult years of our lives. This will mark the 17th year of my life spent with Chris, which means that I have now spent more time with this man than I have without him. What a precious thing to be able to say! There is no one else who knows what complete despair that my heart has felt or shared the overwhelming joy that has blessed my life. While we are different in many ways, like so many other marriages, I would say those differences compliment one another.

We spent the weekend together in D.C. while GiGi came and watched the kids. On Sunday we went to Capitol Hills Baptist Church (Mark Dever) and it was a wonderful sermon. Took a few wrong turns and since we were on foot (foot with 3-inch heels underneath) it made the getting there a bit challenging. Thirty minutes later and some cab fare, all was well and so very worth it! Afterwards we *stopped by* the largest Pittsburgh Steelers fan hub, called the "Poor House" and watched the nerve wracking game that ultimately ended in a loss for the black & gold, but still a lot of fun. I must say it is a tad bizarre to high-five people you've never met, but don't knock it till ya try it! We enjoyed our time, but we are both homebodies and missed our babies! Being away makes me remember how much I LOVE MY LIFE!!!

It was really a necessary thing, though to be removed from our everyday circumstances and be reminded of who we are just *together* without the "mom" or "dad" tag attached. Chris is still able to make me laugh....out loud.....hard.....and with an occasional snort more than anybody on this planet.

The Lord saw it fitting to begin our journey with Him very close to the same time, even though Chris was raised in church and I was not. We were baptized together in 1996 and I would say that "ceremonial" day was more meaningful than our wedding because it was not until we were truly committed, converted, sold-out believers that we ever had that same reverence for our marriage.

Wow! When I think back at how God preserved these two fruit-loops for a magnificent plan of working us towards a holy marriage it really is mind-boggling.Work in progress? Oh, have mercy! Every single day still challenges us to the core of our being. Praise Him for at that core is no longer just me or him trying to persevere, but rather Christ making us new each and every day!

Happy 15th Anniversary Honey! I love you :)

(To clarify- we began dating 17 years ago, married 15 years ago and so our anniversary is a double celebration!)

One of these things is not like the other....

One of these things is not like the others, One of these things just doesn't belong, Can you tell which thing is not like the others By the time I finish my song?
Of course, the green pumpkin appears to "not belong" but it really does fit perfectly with the others and makes things so much more interesting, just like the little guy that picked it out!

Boy Howdy does he ever make things interesting around here! I love the differences that each of our children bring to our lives :)

We spent this past Saturday at the pumpkin patch and had a wonderful time. It seems that while visiting the pumpkin patch was a fine idea for such a fair weather fall day, it was an idea shared by thousands of others as well! We shared the day with a jillion other folks who hoped to kick off the fall season with some festivity! There were long lines for food which made an otherwise bland sandwich taste like blue-ribbon winning BBQ! We waited in line for the *corn cannon* which appealed to the children from afar, but once we got closer it basically scared the living daylights out of them! We waited in line for the "Barrel Train" and that was a huge hit. Samuel drove that barrel which an intensity that would rival any NASCAR pro, but cracked us up since he was really inside of a hollowed out barrel that was painted John Deere green.
We listened to some "country music" (I use this term loosely) by a gussied up cowboy "lookin" fellow and he definitely provided some comic relief but in truth did help set the tone for the day :) We took a hayride out the to the pumpkin patch and picked (chose- since they were already carefully placed in rows) our pumpkins from a plethora of never-ending orange balls. I say "balls" because Samuel had a difficult time restraining himself from taking a few "shots".

By the end of the day we were worn out but I was thrilled to have the memories! We are looking forward to the fall sports coming to a close and slowing down for a while. Bring on the leaves!!!

Autumn Blessings!















Hannah & Tex










Hannah & Samuel pumpin' the duck race!


















Tex says, "MOO"



















Our Blessings!




















Emma with a cavity on a stick :)





























Watching the *Corn Cannon*.....from a safe distance!

It's Monday Cubbie Bear

Super Sam

Easiest handmade cape, ever! Thanks Dusty for your never-ending clever craftiness. May it always be used for good and not evil :)

Materials:
Pillow Case, Fabric (for your letter), Stitch Witchery (fusible web), & Hair Scrunchy (for securing the cape in the front)

*Added bonus of the hair scrunchy is that if villains approach from the back and try to snatch the cape from the hero, the cape will not be a choking
hazard :)

A Night in the Life

One evening last week after we had all the kiddos in the bed, I thought I heard the movement of a child on the landing. I listened... waited.....but no child. He or she must have wised up (I thought) and realized that drinks of water, prayers, teeth brushing, back rubbing, verse studying, and a round of jingle bells had already been addressed. Burdens had been laid down, worries of what to wear tomorrow had been eased.
Is your retainer in your mouth?...yes
Did you pack your clothes for cross country?....yes
Mom, do you think we will ever move to Texas?.... I wish
Mom, do you think that I could move to Hollywood and be a movie star?...... I hope not. Mommy, I-leep in u bed! MOMMY, PLEASE I leep in u bed tonight???
Mom, can I read one more chapter?....O.K.
Mom, (tears) that chapter made me cry.....
Can anyone relate to the circus of bedtime? I have always been a pretty good keeper of the schedule but these people have needs and they all seem to come to a boil right about 7:30 p.m.!

Whew, and when the ordeal is over it feels like you couldn't take another step before laying your head down for a nice long 6-7 hour coma. Instead, I opt for a trip downstairs for food which I don't need and begin to rouse myself for a second shift of HWK (housework without kids). You know that's like a whole other kind of work, right? It's actually productive and for some reason even more gratifying than sleep. Well I had loaded the last dish and sat on the sofa with Chris, and I think we dozed off because we didn't head up until almost midnight and that's when Chris, who was ahead of me going upstairs said, "Kim, hurry up- you gotta see this". Well I rushed over and was truly startled by this little guy sound asleep (and snoring) on the stairs! After my initial reaction of shock, I realized how far up the stairs he actually was and begin to have a panicked feeling (even though we were right there?)

The scamper of feet was a *real* noise from one of our *real* kids and not a figment of my overworked imagination. Even so, I never in my wildest dreams would have imagined that his need to be near us was so great that he would try to "wait it out" on the stairs. For a child to be the third in line, he so often ends up being the one who does things for the *very first time!*