Peyton loved the swing at the park!
Check out more Wordless Wednesday over at 5 Minutes for Mom.
Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Monday, January 5, 2009
Simple Woman's Daybook
FOR TODAY...January 5th
Outside my window...the stars are brightly shining in the black sky...the moon will be full by the weekend.
I am thinking...this time last year I got a call telling me my cousin had been murdered.
I am thankful for...God's promise.
From the kitchen...spaghetti.
I am wearing...flannel pink jammies w/ snowflakes on them.
I am creating...a new housework schedule.
I am going...to watch Get Smart w/ Hubby as soon as I'm done on the computer.
I am reading...the Bible.
I am hoping...2009 is our year!
I am hearing...Dylan screaming at Cameron.
Around the house...Dylan and Cameron are cleaning Dylan's room, Hubby is feeding Peyton dinner and I'm lounging on the couch blogging.
One of my favorite things...Peyton's vocabulary is growing. She demands "Eat!"
A few plans for the rest of the week: Cameron's homework, cleaning, library, park, dinner w/ Grandma, and begin my Monthly Organizing Round-Up courtesy of Laura at I'm an Organizing Junkie.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing...my cousin Cody, who was murdered on January 5, 2008.
Indescribable
I originally posted this blog on January 7, 2008 on my myspace blog. I thought I would finally share a little something of the tragedy my family has endured over the last few years.
My cousin, Sara's brother and Mandelyn's uncle (which was also her first word, "Uncle"), and his girlfriend were murdered on January 5th. If you've seen today's paper, that is exactly who I am talking about. My heart is so heavy! Not only was he a great guy, but a FANTASTIC musician! That kid picked up a recorder when he was about 6 and amazed us all. He started out using the music given to him in class, but shortly after could play other songs just by sound. He eventually ventured into guitar and could reproduce a song by sound. He was amazingly talented! Seriously, like beyond words. We had just spent Christmas and New Year's Eve together. His sister hosted Christmas dinner this year and I'm so eternally grateful for that. He got the biggest kick out of Dylan and all his mischief. I have him on video showing off his beautiful tattoo in memory of Mandelyn. For the second time in as little as 19 months, I have had to sit my son down and tell him he lost another cousin. He just starred at me, like what? His response was, "Why is there such evil in the world?" A question I am not capable of answering. He reminded me of the Fast and Furious car that my uncle, aunt, Sara, Cody & Mandelyn got him for his 5th birthday. A lightbulb went over my head. I knew I had pictures of him and Cody with this car. I uploaded them today. When Cameron saw this he smiled, then put his head down. He said he liked Cody better at that age. A statement only a little guy would make. Cody would have been 19 next month. I know I have pictures of Cody at the park from when he was 3...finding those are going to be more problematic, but once I have them, uploaded they'll be. Our (Sara, Cody, and my) aunt's statement of finding out about Cody was, "I didn't know life could be so cruel." It's a fair assessment, if you ask me. I could at least wrap my mind around the passing of Mandelyn. It was an accident. This, this I'm having trouble with, from the depth of my soul. I have faith. Anyone who knows me knows that, but it's been rocked BIG time. This family, my aunt, uncle, Sara and her sister, and the rest of us too, is still coping with the death of that beautiful little girl that wrapped everyone around her little finger from the moment she met you. Now, like salt to a wound, we are forced to come to terms with the unexplainable...their only son and brother, murdered, taken from them deliberately. Our aunt said that "...some could say Mandelyn needed somebody with her, but, why him? Why somebody so young, why not one of the older one's in our family?" As I lay in bed the first night, trying to sleep, I imagined Mandelyn standing there, waiting for Cody in Heaven, and the biggest smile on his face as she greeted him, "Uncle."
Sunday, January 4, 2009
Menu Plan Monday
Sunday ~ Tacos
Monday ~ Spaghetti, Salad, & Garlic Buns
Tuesday ~ Chicken, Mashed Potatoes w/ Gravy, Veggie, & Crescent Rolls
Wednesday ~ Easy Cheesy Enchiladas & Rice
Thursday ~ TV Dinners
Friday ~ Mama's Stampin'/Dad & Kids are eating Grilled Cheese & Soup
Saturday ~ Out
Breakfasts: Eggs, Sausage, Cereal w/ Fruit, English Muffins, Bagels
Lunches: PB&J, Turkey w/ Provolone, Pastrami w/ Swiss on Onion Rolls, Leftovers, Salad
Friday, January 2, 2009
Operation Actually Read Bible
In my Hopes for 2009 blog I mentioned reading the Bible from beginning to end. It just so happened I found somebody who is going to help me with that. Becky over at Operation Actually Read Bible is hosting this event and I could not be more excited. I read The New Testament when I was in college getting my Bachelor's degree. Of course I had help, I read my scripture and then read What The Bible Is All About by Henrietta C. Mears. This book rocks! I pulled it out, dusted it off, and I'm reading the scripture daily thanks to Becky and this wonderful Bible Reading Plan.
Genesis 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50
Exodus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40
Leviticus 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27
Numbers 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Deuteronomy 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34
Joshua 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
Judges 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Ruth 1 2 3 4
1 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
2 Samuel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
1 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
2 Kings 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25
1 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29
2 Chronicles 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36
Ezra 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Nehemiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Esther 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10
Job 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Psalms 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66 67 68 69 70 71 72 73 74 75 76 77 78 79 80 81 82 83 84 85 86 87 88 89 90 91 92 93 94 95 96 97 98 99 100 101 102 103 104 105 106 107 108 109 110 111 112 113 114 115 116 117 118 119 120 121 122 123 124 125 126 127 128 129 130 131 132 133 134 135 136 137 138 139 140 141 142 143 144 145 146 147 148 149 150
Proverbs 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31
Ecclesiastes 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Song Of Solomon 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8
Isaiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 57 58 59 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
Jeremiah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48 49 50 51 52
Lamentations 1 2 3 4 5
Ezekiel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42 43 44 45 46 47 48
Daniel 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12
Hosea 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Joel 1 2 3
Amos 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9
Obadiah 1
Jonah 1 2 3 4
Micah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7
Nahum 1 2 3
Habakkuk 1 2 3
Zephaniah 1 2 3
Haggai 1 2
Zechariah 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14
Malachi 1 2 3 4
Matthew 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Mark 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
Luke 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24
John 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21
Acts 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22 23 24 25 26 27 28
Romans 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
1 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16
2 Corinthians 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
Galatians 1 2 3 4 5 6
Ephesians 1 2 3 4 5 6
Philippians 1 2 3 4
Colossians 1 2 3 4
1 Thessalonians 1 2 3 4 5
2 Thessalonians 1 2 3
1 Timothy 1 2 3 4 5 6
2 Timothy 1 2 3 4
Titus 1 2 3
Philemon 1
Hebrews 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13
James 1 2 3 4 5
1 Peter 1 2 3 4 5
2 Peter 1 2 3
1 John 1 2 3 4 5
2 John 13 John 1
Jude 1
Revelation 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 20 21 22
Thursday, January 1, 2009
14 months old
Peyton is amazing! Her favorite thing about Christmas was the bows. She would stop unwrapping her gifts after she got the bows off. Peyton has continually kept me on my toes for the past 6 months. She's a dancer...she shakes it and LOVES to do so. Her attention can't be diverted when "Hairspray" is on the TV. With all the music she doesn't know what to do with herself. She's talking. YES, talking. She began singing "E-I-E-I-O" in August. She says, "What?" but I think it is basically directed at her brothers. She says "Good Girl" and "Ow" and "Hi" and "Bye". I'm astounded at her vocabulary, but then Hubby reminds me, she's the girl! LOL She talks on the play phones ALL the time. Oh boy are we in trouble. Peyton does the hand gestures for "Itsy Bitsy Spider", blows kisses and is the huggiest little thing. We call her our little monkey. She walks around the living room and makes monkey noises. She also climbs up on you like a spider monkey, usually leaving bruises on me from pinching. Our biggest concern is she tries to run to keep up with her brothers and one day she is going to take a major header. Oh, and she still is out little Pumpkin Peyton, with that smile, squinting eyes, and flashing her bottom 2 teeth. She's been working on her sixth tooth for the last month and we call her Sunny from "A Series of Unfortunate Events" as she bites on our table and TV stand. LOL We spent some time at the park today and I took some gorgeous pictures of her. My big girl is growing at a rapid pace...somebody stop her...PLEASE!
My 100 Things
As it turns out, my New Year post is also my 100th post here on Blogger. In true blogging tradition, here are my 100 Things:
1. I grew up in a non-church going home.
2. I received the Lord when I was 20.
3. I was baptized on March 3, 1996.
4. I didn’t realize how much faith I had until June 2, 2006, the day the Lord called my 35 month old niece home.
5. I was born on Groundhog’s day.
6. I hated the movie with Bill Murray.
7. I still live in the same town I was born.
8. I was named by my Godmother, my mom’s best friend. She died 15 days after my 11th birthday.
9. I lived in the same house for the first 23 years of my life.
10. I was raised by my maternal grandmother.
11. I always felt like a piece of a jigsaw puzzle that didn’t fit.
12. I met my Auntie Pam the first semester of junior college and that changed. She never forced my dad on me.
13. I initiated contact when I got pregnant with my first son. My dad was the first person (besides Hubby and I) to hold Cameron.
14. I’m an only child, yet I have 1 sister from my mom and 2 brothers from my dad.
15. I had my tonsils out when I was a year old.
16. I have a scar on the back of my head from when I cracked my head open at 18 months old.
17. I have known my best friend since I was 4…you do the math. She is the sister I never had. (You read that correct despite #15). It was her family that taught me about affection. They also taught me about makeup and hair.
18. I had an imaginary friend, Peter Brady. I yelled at a woman in the bank for sitting on him.
19. I had strawberry blond hair until I was 5. I’m jealous of my brother’s red hair.
20. I did Greased Lightning with John Travolta every time my family took me to see Grease in the theatres.
21. I experienced my first kiss in Pre-School. The boy and I went to school together until we graduated.
22. I have worn glasses since I was 9.
23. I didn’t get my ears pierced until I was 11. I got my second holes 6 weeks later.
24. I’m a tomboy.
25. I hate my hair, color, and curl.
26. I’ve had a crush on Tommy Lee of Motely Crue since I was 11. Yes, I’ve seen the video.
27. I believe mashed potatoes and cheese are their own food groups.
28. I get clarity and my best ideas in the bathroom.
29. I met my Hubby in college, although we lived around the corner from each other in high school. We were friends first, then coworkers, then best friends, and started dating on December 10, 1997. We were engaged 6 months later.
30. God has abundantly blessed me with 3 beautiful children.
31. 2 of my 3 children were born in the same hospital as I was.
32. All 3 were c-sections.
33. My oldest child was diagnosed with Type I Diabetes on November 19, 2008.
34. My daughter is the answer to my prayers. I was robbed of a mother/daughter relationship until now.
35. I wanted to be a Forensic Specialist before the show CSI was even thought of.
36. My nickname is Flipper…when I laugh, really laugh, it turns into a dolphin sound.
37. I also answer to Tiffers.
38. I hate it when people I just met shorten my name to Tiff. Do they know me well enough to call me Tiff?
39. I love music. I own close to 500 CD’s from all genres and have over 5000 songs in iTunes.
40. I wish I didn't care what others think of me.
41. I love to laugh.
42. My first job was McDonald’s.
43. I hate it when people can’t spell.
44. I love Disneyland.
45. My favorite ride has been Pirates of the Caribbean since I was 6.
46. My favorite Disney movie is The Lion King.
47. I still sleep with a Teddy Bear.
48. I am completely addicted to ebay.
49. I hate throwing up. I hate the dry heaves worse, so I grab my
toothbrush and make myself throw up.
50. I don’t smoke. I’ve never even tried. It’s the most disgusting habit anybody could ever have.
51. I despise doing laundry.
52. I’ve never seen The Exorcist.
53. I have been fascinated and borderline in love with vampires since I was in junior high.
54. I’m deathly afraid of snakes. But I conquered my fears of sharks.
55. I’m allergic to mushrooms. And walnuts, but I endure the itching and eat them anyway.
56. I’m a party thrower.
57. I’m the only one in my family that has had 3 graduations, high school, A.S., and B.S.
58. My camera is an extension of my right hand.
59. I want to write a book about my life. The title would be “I Can’t Make This Stuff Up.”
60. The hardest thing I’ve ever done is tell my eldest, then 6, his 35 month old cousin, and best friend, was dead.
61. I dislocated my left elbow 5 years ago and it has never been the same.
62. I’ve become quite the cook in the last 2 years.
63. I use the words “therefore” and “however” far too often to be
considered a normal person.
64. I bite my nails.
65. I pick the fuzzies off of my socks.
66. I love to swim.
67. I can type 70 words per minute.
68. I hate surprises.
69. I have a temper.
70. I love to sing, but can’t.
71. My glass is always half empty. I hope to change that this year.
72. I cry easily.
73. I prefer to be barefoot.
74. I love the rain.
75. I am a very picky eater.
76. I have never traveled out of the country.
77. I’m stubborn.
78. I have been out of the working force for 9 years.
79. I hate salt.
80. I’m not ticklish…much to my eldest’s dismay.
81. I was bulimic my sophomore year in high school.
82. I love mozzarella sticks.
83. My eldest drew a picture, after our cousin was murdered in January 2008, which I plan to use as my second tattoo.
84. I believe in Thank You cards.
85. I would love to swim with the dolphins.
86. I would love to live in one of the New England states.
87. My favorite color is purple. It’s also the color of my birthstone.
88. My favorite flower is the sunflower.
89. My favorite movie is Scream.
90. My favorite movie line is from Multiplicity, “I’ll hit you so hard it’ll kill
him.”
91. My favorite song is Push from Matchbox20.
92. My favorite book is Twilight by Stephenie Meyer.
93. My favorite animal is a dolphin.
94. My favorite ice cream is Mint ‘n Chip.
95. My favorite (non-alcoholic) drink is Cherry Coke.
96. My favorite alcoholic drink is a Pomegranate Margarita.
97. My favorite food is Italian.
98. My favorite dinner is Tacos and usually my birthday dinner.
99. My favorite season is Fall.
100. I have 100+ pounds to shed.
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