I've been tagged

A few weeks ago I was tagged by Julie of The Roost for a meme. But with all the house drama I am just now getting around to playing along.

Here are the rules:
1. Write about 5 specific ways blogging has affected you, either positively or negatively.
2. link back to the person who tagged you
3. link back to this parent post
4. tag a few friends or five, or none at all
5. post these rules— or just have fun breaking them.
So here is how blogging has affected me…

1. Friends --
These friends that only exist on my computer are some of the most amazing women I have never met. Their stories lift me up and keep me laughing. And it’s proven that laughter is good for you. I love each one of them to pieces. I would love to met each one of them and give them a hug to let them know what a blessing they have been in my life.

2. Faith --
Oh how my spirit has been renewed. I am challenged by each one to grow in my walk with Christ. Challenged to know Him and love Him more than I ever thought possible. To know that someone is praying for me everyday, what a comfort. There are truly some God fearing, Jesus loving women in this world. Amen.

3. Fun --
I know it looks as if I am on things that begin with the letter F kick but I’m not. I love to get on the computer and type out my thoughts. Some where to just dump what ever is kicking around in my brain. It’s great to be able to express myself and post it out there for others to read. You never know who else might be in the same position as you and need to laugh or just someone to listen to them. I also love to read the adventures of other women too. There are some funny things happening in the blog world.

4. Creativity --
I have always had a creative side but blogging lets me express a new side. I love to scrapbook but with two boys, I hardly have the time. So this is kind of like my scrapbook. I love to see how others decorate for the holidays or see what other women are cooking. I like to borrow ideas I see on someone else’s blog and incorporate them into my own. Let me tell you…you girls can decorate and cook!

5. Confidence –
This is an issue I know women struggle with. Blogging has given me the confidence to go out side of my comfort zone. Do things that I probably would have never done. Talk to people I would normally never talk to. I’ve sent emails to people and received some back that are completely amazing. I am more comfortable in my skin. Just like the title says, I have more confidence in my self.

Ok ladies now it’s time for me to pass this little meme on.
So tag it’s your turn. I am tagging:

Genny at My Cup 2 Yours
Yvette at the Charm House
Theresa at Yew Nork Babe
Soliloquy at She Just Had To Say It

And because I am a rule breaker, I am only going to tag four people.

Thanks. I hope you don't mind being tagged.

A case of the blahs

I have a case of the blahs today. I know it seems as if I have had them lately but today it seems worse.

We got our quote back from our contractor for the repairs from Hurricane Ike. I knew it would be high but then I looked at the check the insurance company gave us and just about choked.

Well I cried actually. The insurance check isn't even half the cost of the repairs.

Hubs is taking care of all of the details for this project because I didn't think I could. He is talking to our contractor who in turn will talk to the insurance company.

It just makes me sick to think of how they justify their payments. I pay high premiums only to get a minimum dollar check. I know the adjuster is just doing his job but what if the shoe was on the other foot? How would he feel.

The quote from the contactor also said three months for repairs.

Three months of being out of my house. SIGH

I love to decorate for fall and Halloween and I can't. SIGH

I am hoping to back in the house for Christmas.

I need to get out the blah mood so I think to make my self feel better, if only for a moment, I am going to find some chocolate and drink a Vanilla Latte from Starbucks.

Thanks for listening!

Blood suckers

Why is it that after a natural disaster the mosquitoes are so freakin' bad?

They are huge! I mean these things are a the size of baseballs. OK well not that big but close.

They bite you and suck your blood and then infect you with West Nile. I know only the females bite to feed their babies, but please leave me and my babies alone.

Not even Off is helping. They just buzz around you looking for a fresh piece of skin. I can't even open the back door with out a swarm flying into my house.

I do have to say thank you to our county mosquito control who have been spraying the area. They are doing a great job.

But if you guys are reading this, could you please send in the planes and just bomb the entire area?

Thanks!

Shout out

I want to say thank you to all of the electrical workers at Pike Electric from North Carolina who helped restore electricity to my neighborhood after Hurricane Ike.

I also want to thank Cable Works Inc. from Gerogia who are in the process of restoring cable to our area. Please hurry I need the internet at my house!

These men have worked hard and long hours to make sure we all have some of the everyday necessities.

Also these guys were and still are away from their families. They have missed their children's football games, dance recitals, and other import functions .

So I want to say thank you! I know it won't replace being away from your loved ones, but I appreciate all you have done for my family and all of the other families in my little corner of Southeast Texas.

God bless each one of you

Can we fix it...yes we can

When we got home yesterday it was R3's first time to see the house.

He took one look at his swing set and said aaaawwwweee mama, can Mr. Mike (our contractor) fix it? I didn't have the heart to tell him no. I just said sure baby he will fix it.

Then when he went into the house right off the bat he noticed the duct tape on the floor holding down a small piece of carpet from the living room to the kitchen.

There are tack strips down and I didn't want the boys to step on them so we left some of the carpet.

R3 looks at me and says.....are you ready....

Look Mom! Duct tape fixed it! Duct tape fixed our floor.

I laughed and said yes baby, just about everything is fixable with duct tape.

Anyone have an stories about things you have fixed with duct tape? I would love a great laugh.

I'm back!

I'm back!

We have internet at work thank goodness or else I would be lost.

I read all my blogs today and laughed long and loud. It was a great feeling.

As far as the house goes there is some sort of order there. We are now just waiting on the bid from the contractor which we should have by tomorrow.

Things are cleaned up as much as possible.

Thank you again to every one of you who have been praying for us.

I need to go for now, I have to play catch up at work.

Everyone take care and I will post again soon.

A new journey

Oh sweet friends, I have begun a new chapter of my life.

A new journey.There is a new normal for me.

My world has been completely shaken and rocked to the very core. I don’t even know where to begin.

The past three days have been almost unbearable.

My home was invaded by something that I had absolutely no control over. Hurricane Ike took something from me that was not his for the taking.

My home. My comfort zone. My place to be completely myself.

We came home after evacuating to find that Ike had redecorated and I didn’t like his taste. As a matter of fact I hated it.

Now I have a sky light in my living room and my bedroom a nice new ceiling feature above my bed. Guess Ike thought Hubs and I needed something else besides pillow talk to talk about.

We have spent the past three days pulling up carpet all over the house. Taking furniture and other personal items that were ruined by water out to our garage.

The inside of my house looks like as if someone took my house off of the foundation and shook it like a water globe.

The outside is another story.

We pulled trees from my house. Two huge trees to be exact. Used chain saws to cut the trees into small pieces to haul to the end of my property. I have picked up more sticks and debris than I ever care to do again. I have raked more leaves than I have trees.

The yard has been cleaned and mowed. And aside from the only tree we lost, which by the way was an oak tree that was over 100 years old and now lays down on it’s side as only a stump with the root system pulled up which makes it look like it has a blanket of grass, my yard looks great.

I also went to work today for the first time today.

My office had the ceiling collapse right on top of my desk. My desk now has mold growing on it and has ruined everything but my computer. Go figure.

So not only is my personal life a mess but so is my professional life.

I can handle just about anything but usually when one area of my life is in chaos the other is running smoothly.

Right now neither area has order and it has me completely off kilter.

I can’t seem to keep a coherent thought and I can’t think of anything beyond the moment I am in.

I am the type of person who needs some order and everything that has a place to be in it’s place. I know…border line OCD.

But right now, I am a mess.

And I don’t know how to fix it either.

I really miss blogging and I don’t have the internet access that I used. I can’t just go get on the computer and check email. I can’t read my blogs that have me laughing so loud my oldest comes running to make sure I am OK.

I miss my life the way it was. The normal I used to have.

I WANT IT BACK, ALL OF IT! THE GOOD, THE BAD, AND THE GREAT!

I want to go home and plop my butt down on the couch and watch a movie with my family. I want to give my kids a bath in their bath room and tuck them into bed. I want same old every day routine back.

I want to go to work and the kids to school. I want to cook dinner in my kitchen. I want scrub the toilets and mop the floors. Well OK not scrub the toilets and mop the floors.

But I want all of it back, and I want it now.

I also know that I can’t have it back. I know one day it will be back to what I call normal, but the getting there is driving me crazy.

I know God has a plan for all of this. I know he brought me to this point only to bring me out of it.

Stronger and more in love with Him than before.

He is building character in me. He is working with in me as I sit and type all of this.

He is giving me peace. He is giving me strength when I think I have none.

God is walking right beside me, with his arm around my shoulder and guiding me on a new path.

God knew all of this would happen to me and to my family from the beginning. He knew where and when.

Just like he knows the number of hairs on my head. He knows my thoughts before I even think them.

Once again God has brought me to something dark only to show me the light. To show me there will be something better on the other side. Something only he could provide.

On the other side of this I will be stronger. I will be a little braver. I will have more faith than when this journey started. I will love God more than I ever knew was possible. Because with him all things are possible.

And once everything is complete I will practically have a new house.

I will have new carpeting and a new roof. I will have a freshly painted house inside and out. I will have new ceilings and new walls.

I will have more precious memories to make with my family in this house.

Once again it will become my comfort zone. My place to just be.

My house

Dear sweet bloggy friends,

I usually respond to every one of my comments but things are so crazy for me, I can't.

Thank you to everyone of you who have been praying for us.

The past two days have been pure, pardon my french, HELL!

We got home on Wednesday and assessed the damage. I took so many pictures and I hope to have some up in a few days.

There is so much damage on the inside, it is unlivable. Long story short, we pulled carpet, moved furniture and cleaned up.

Yesterday we cleaned up the entire yard and it took all day.

I hate to be short but Hubs needs the computer.

I will try and post in a few days.

Home but only for a while

Well I was tagged for a meme by The Roost but right now I just can't seem to find the time to do it. And I really want to.

We are going to see our house today.

I am a complete mess. I feel HUGE tears welling up in my eyes. My stomach is nothing but knots.

I have know idea what to expect.

I can't seem to make up my mind if I need a bloggy break to get everything in order at home or just keep blogging to keep my sanity.

For some reason getting it all out there is very therapeutic. So thank you to all who read my ramblings.

Please keep me and my family in your prayers this morning. I just know myself way to well and when I pull on to our street and see my house, I am going to lose it.

Please also keep the others affected by Ike in your prayers. There are so many more who are worse off than myself and I feel so helpless for them.

I know when the media gets wind of the next big story Ike will be just a distant memory. But for those like me, it will be a reality for months to come.

Thanks bloggy friends....love you all more than you will ever know!

On the road again

We are leaving beautiful Gulf Shores Alabama.

My in laws have power on at their house on the lake. They have no damage so we are going to stay there.

Their house is only an hour and a half away from our home instead of the ten hours it took us to get here.

Any of you who know me, know I am planner and this day to day stuff is beginning to get to me.

Our plan today is to drive to the lake. Then on Wednesday head over to our house. Assess the damage and get to work.

My mother in law, the angel that she is, has told us she will keep the boys while we go and get to work.

I am so thankful for this woman! What ever needs to be done she does it. I really don't want the boys around for several reasons.

1. I don't want them to see things so torn up. Our house is their comfort zone and I want to keep it that way for as long as possible.

2. The mosquitoes! After Hurricane Rita they were AWFUL! Friends say they are so much worse this time around.

I feel better having a plan. Even if it is only a two day plan.

Interpeeps, if any of you know a good way to calm this anxious feeling that has my poor stomach in a humongous knot again that doesn't involve alcohol please let me know.

On the bright side, I wanted to lose some weight and I think I just might have.

Waiting is the hardest part

I don't even know where to begin.

Thank you all for your prayers and kind words.

I won't lie, I am anxious to get home. But we won't have power for about 3-4 weeks.

Hubs and I feel what is the point in going home with no power and the condition of our house unknown.

We have several places to stay once the power is on.

My best friend and her husband have taken a ton of pictures and we have called the insurance company.

So now we sit and wait. And waiting is the hardest part!

Please keep praying for everyone. I know there are people out there who are in worse shape than we are.

Thanks again. And thanks just doesn't seem like enough.

Hurricane Ike didn't take a hike

Hi bloggy friends!

Thank you for all of your prayers. I appreciate it.

Well Hurricane Ike didn't take a hike like I had hoped. He marched right into my house.

We did get some news from our neighbors about our house and it wasn't good.

We have two trees in our house. One is in our bedroom and the other one is in our living room.

I cried, I screamed, I cried some more and I prayed.

I thanked God that we weren't home. I thanked God that we are all safe.

Right now, my mood is numb. I am want to go home but the TX Dept. of Public Safety isn't letting anyone in to SE TX till Tuesday.

Hubs and I sat down and prayed.

We have decided we are going to move forward and not dwell on what we can't do here and worry what is going on back at home.

We know deep in our hearts that God is going to take care of us and he has a plan.

God is good, all the time.
All the time, God is good.

I'm an evacuee

Oh my sweet bloggy friends I have been on adventure to end all adventures.

I am stressed out to the max and I don't think that I could take on another thing.

I am now an evacuee of Hurricane Ike.

The time here, central time by the way is 12:45AM!

We evacuated my beloved SE TX today. I have been on a major road trip to the extent of 10 hours!

Yes ma'am we are now temporary residences of Gulf Shores, Alabama. I have never passed through so many states in my whole life as I did today.

My family along with get this, My SIL and her family of four, MIL and FIL and Grand MIL. packed up and got the heck out dodge this morning.

We are safe and that is the main thing.

But in SE TX they are expecting storm surge up to 20 ft, which puts the water about 6 ft over the sea wall. My house by the way isn't in this part of SE TX but we will get the hurricane force winds and of course rain.

Now that we are here I am going to try and look at this as a mini vacation. I want my kids to remember a fun time, not me all stressed and worried.

We have a few things planned for tomorrow if the wind dies down. Right now the winds are about 35mph.

So friends I am asking you to pray for my family. Pray for everyone in SE TX. Pray for everyone else effected by Hurricane Ike. Pray everyone remains safe.

I also might not be posting as much in the next few days. I want to take the boys to look for sea shells and other beachy adventure things. Beachy Mimi, if you are reading this any advice?

And we are so freakin' close to Florida it would be shame for me not to set my feet or my car into another state so I can say that I have been through one more state on this crazy adventure.

Sound of silence

Hubs and I took the boys out to dinner the other night.

A rarity during football season but the game wasn't until Saturday.

R8 has been asking to go eat at Olive Garden for the past few weeks. So we finally went.

Once we were all in the car and on our way, R3 starts to sing happy birthday to himself. His birthday is in January. So I don't really know where this came from but I went with it.

He proceeds to sing ALL-THE-WAY to the restaurant.

Then once we were there he talked the entire time. The whole time we waited, all through dinner, and on the way back out to the car.

He never stopped, not once.

He sang, asked questions, and even did a little mini dance in booth seat. Very entertaining for the three old ladies sitting next to us. They told us he was precious!

By the time we made it to the parking lot, my ears were ringing. I don't know if it was from R3 jabbering the entire time. Or from the noise of the restaurant or just me PMSing...I'm just sayin'.

Don't get me wrong, I love the sound of my three year old singing and talking. I really do.

We finally pulled out of the parking lot and I had had enough. I instilled a "no talking zone" on the way home.

Now the ride from Olive Garden home would have normally taken about 12.8 minutes but we had to stop and get gas in the SUV.

So on our way, I tried to convince R3 that this section of the road was a no talking zone. Not one sound. This would have worked great had Hubs not argued back and forth with him about being quiet.

I finally stepped in and calmly shouted at Hubs if he would quit answering his statements on why he couldn't be quiet, he would finally be quiet.

From that point on there was not one sound in the car. It was blissful. Blissfully I tell you. Silent music to my ears.

I never knew all three of my boys could be that quiet all at the same time.

Because let me just say the apple didn't fall far from the tree where R3 is concerned. Hubs can talk. His own family tells him to "take a breath" when we are all together.

Maybe instead of a no talking zone, I should just invest in some ear plugs.

Hmmm....wonder if the ENT could make me a set of ear plugs to fit my ears just like the boys had after they had their tubes put in?

Are you ready?

Hurricane preparedness at it's finest! I'm just sayin'.

Not even a week later

Hurricane Ike,

I have one thing to say to you.

Take a hike Hurricane Ike!!!

the preacher and the hurricane

I mentioned a while back that we have a new preacher.

His first official Sunday to preach was August 31st. And in true Texas fashion we welcomed him and his family in with a mandatory hurricane evacuation.

I felt so sorry for them. They moved from Arkansas to Texas. Were here only a few short weeks and had to leave. Temporarily of course.

So yesterday Bro. Phil (His title is Dr. Phil but I don't want anyone thinking the man who talks about being like a shoe string with out a shoe is our new preacher) preached his first sermon at our church.

And I missed it! For no other reason than complete exhaustion. I stayed up late waiting for Hubs to come in from the football game. He didn't get home until almost 2 AM.

So now I have to wait until this coming Sunday. And I still might not get to hear him.

Thanks to... Hurricane Ike

Welcome to Texas Bro. Phil. Where we do everything bigger and better. Including hurricanes!

Organization back pack station

A couple of days ago I posted about a mini renovation I was wanting to do.

I recently found a new blog courtesy of the Queen B. Laura has some awesome ideas on how to keep you organized so you don't lose your mind.

I completed my very own back pack station. Which is in my kitchen, hence the mini redo. I know, I would have rather had the counter tops redone, put in new flooring, and installed a farmhouse sink. But the budget wouldn't allow it.

So here is what I did with my budget.




















The dry erase board hangs on the wall above the bookcase and back packs.

I added our name, the bead detail and ribbon in the middle for a little touch of whimsy. I found the hooks for the back packs at Home Depot which actually match the hinges on my kitchen cabinets.

The bookcase and baskets all came from Target. The basket on top holds all of Hubs stuff...wallet, keys, cell phone.

It is one of my new favorite things. It is carved out of tree knot and then sanded and finished. I love it.

OK now it's your turn to be inspired.

Mother nature is sure keeping me busy

Doesn't the North Atlantic Ocean have any thing better to do than churn out hurricane's? Currently there is Hanna, Ike, and Josephine.

We need to pray for our east coast friends as Hanna will be having her rain filled days in store for them.

I along with everyone else I will be keeping my eyes on Ike and Josephine.

This picture came from Weather Underground.

I love this site. It gives so much informations. Check it out.

Mini kitchen renovation

I am in the middle of a small kitchen renovation. I have an area in my kitchen that drives me nuts. I hate to look at it but it is the first thing I see when I walk in the back door.

I have some space to the right of my refrigerator that currently houses a Step One toddler table with two chairs. While R3 still uses this table and chairs, I have out grown it.

I was surfing the blogs a few weeks ago and found this.

I couldn't wait to get started. All of these ideas were so inspiring.

So yesterday Hubs and I set out to find all of the items I wanted to redo this area.

We found everything I wanted but could not find a storage unit to fit the space. So after four hours of running from Home Depot to Lowe's and then to Target I came home a little disappointed.

Hubs took another look at the space I wanted to redo and had a great idea.

So today I will be out searching for a new piece of storage/shelving.

As soon as I am finished with my mini remodel I will post some pictures.

To bad Lowe's isn't open 24 hours like Walmart. Well that is probably a good thing. They might know me by name.

Rain rain go away

Gustav Gustav go away
R & R don't want to play
I'm stressed out
And Hubs will pray
Hurricane season will end today!