Life with my sister

Henry is back with his mom and dad. I texted Abby today and told her that he really didn't want to leave my house and we would meet them Saturday instead of today. She texted back something like, "BRING HIM BACK NOW!!" I enjoyed having Henry the last 5 days. We had lots of fun and memories were made. But I want to share two of the highlights with you. **Wednesday we skyped with Abby and Randall using Samuel's ipod touch. Henry was so cute, he would take the ipod away from Samuel and say "Mama, Daddy" It was so sweet looking at his little face looking at his parents. There just isn't anything like the love of a child! **I rocked Henry to sleep at night. I rocked him differently than his mom does. I rocked him slow and softly told him stories about our family. Abby was five when our grandfather died and I was 13, so I figured I remembered more about Papaw than she did and told him stories about him. I told him how Papaw fought in the war, how he loved

I have walked this path and steps too many times to count these past few days. Isn't it pretty?! We came here last year and found ourselves here again. Randall's company hosts a family retreat each year on the Gull Lake in Minnesota and this resort seems to be a fave of the group. It is nice that he works for a company that not only makes great butter, but values family and rewards spouses for their support during the busy seasons. I had a fabulous spa day provided by his company while he sat in meetings all day. I never splurge on spa type things, so it was super fun to spend someone elses money for a little pampering. We drove over to the Mississippi River outside of Baxter, MN one afternoon. It starts in Minnesota. This is not it, but it is as far as we were willing to drive! It was so different than the Mississippi River we see back home. We parked and walked over the bridge. Randall was actually standing on the concrete wall with 4 lanes of interstate traffic roaring behi

Henry is staying with me for a few days this week. He is the cutest thing! I'm trying to teach him to say " Juju is pretty". He hasn't said it yet, but I'm pretty sure he will soon! This is also VBS week at church. I'm so excited that he gets to go to Bible School with my kids. It's special. But it is a hectic week. Today we had an appointment in Pine Bluff and it was raining. I mean really raining and it was 68 degrees. Crazy June day! I had to go grocery shopping so Henry, D&D & I headed to the store. In the pouring down rain. I had forgotten how having older kids makes everything seem so easy. I had to open the umbrella, get out of the car, open the side door, position the umbrella so neither of us got wet, unbuckle him from the carseat , get him on my hip, position the umbrella so we don't get wet, close the door, lock the door and go inside. I had flashbacks of doing that with two and I was never so proud that Henry wasn't a twin!! H

Here is a little peek at some "do over" dinners at my house of late.... I got a great buy on pork tenderloin last week and stocked the freezer with a few. My pal, Sara makes them all the time and has told me how her boys love it and how easy they are to cook. She simply puts it in foil with a few spices and cooks it according to the package directions. I did just that and it was a winner at my house too! We had yeast rolls, smashed potatoes and sweet and sour green beans. It was a do over dinner for sure, for sure! This week I made potato salad for the very first time and it was stellar! I hate to brag on myself, but it was just that good...I was impressed. I am not a big mayo fan so making anything like tuna salad, ranch dressing, etc is a real chore for me. I like potato salad if the mayo taste is hidden. I attempted the basic recipe from the red & white check cookbook and it was a success. I used red potatoes and lots of spices. Randall is not a big tater salad fan b

I don't know if this will be good for the soul, but I'm willing to give it a try! 1. I have nine fever blisters on my bottom lip. Nine on one lip. I don't know why, but I don't like it! 2. I may have caused a little pool drama the other day. I didn't mean to. I'm so sorry! 3. I hate conflict. 4. I blame the dry cleaners for shrinking my clothes, when actually they could seem to be smaller because of what I eat. 5. I spend too much time on Facebook , but I'm not alone so I don't feel bad about it. 6. I miss Samuel. Still. But, I'm not crying. 7. I kind of lied in number 1. I think my crying caused my fever blisters. I'm blaming them on Samuel. 8. VBS isn't my favorite week of the year. But I love what happens in the hearts of children when they attend VBS . That's why I go. 9. I love to lay out by the pool. I know I'm old. I know the kids would rather me not. But I do. With sunscreen of course! 10. I haven't folded clothes this we

Mama sent these pictures over the weekend. They made me smile. All of the little girls were in the Fort visiting grandparents and they got together for a little play time with Marmie /Aunt "Taffy" and Gigi/Aunt J - tbeo (my mama and her sister...in case you are confused). Anna K and Gracie B are only a few months apart in age and they adore seeing one another the few times a year that they are able to. They literally squeal. I can actually hear that squeal as I type this. So cute! Then there is little Molly who is subject to do whatever those big girls want to do. Sweet little thing! This picture above instantly made me think of the one below... I went and took a photo of it in my scrapbook and here it is. Sarah is Grace's mama and she always had a little brother who tagged along with us. Bless his heart. Look at him. At least we did not make him wear a uniform with us! Julie was a cheerleader and we often played dress up in her uniforms and performed for anyone who wo

My kids are growing up. I knew it would happen, but did it have to happen so fast? I can't really believe I wrote those words! I remember the times it was so difficult to go anywhere because of my four kids under six, or my three kids under three. Oh, those were the days! But these days are different and maybe better. But different for sure. Anna has spent the last few days in Fort Smith with some of the grandparents. I had trouble the first couple of days. It was like part of me was missing. No one was needing me. She is pretty independent, she can make her own breakfast and lunch but she still needs me for some things. And I missed being needed. Today Samuel left for church camp. It's the first time he's gone without a parent. He can't have a phone or ipod . So, no texting , status updates, or calls. I can hardly stand it. In fact, when he left this morning at 6:15 I cried. I layed in my bed and cried. And then I texted my mom. Because no matter what, she can make i

Watching my Randall be a God-fearing Daddy to our boy makes me love him even more...and I just adore the way Henry loves him. What a blessing it is to wish my sweet hubs a Happy Daddy's Day today! Happy Father's Day to Stephen, our fathers-in-law, and of course to our little ole Daddy...making sure all the Dad's are represented on our page....love all you great guys! Abby

Couponing is a great way to save money, but it can also be stressful these days with all the games and tricks that go along with it. I am by no means a pro, nor am I a die hard, but I am learning little ways to save. Never do I plan to have a room or shelving unit dedicated to my stockpile, but I do hope to continue to find the best ways to save on the staples in our home because we all know the Sisters are a sucker for a sale. Here are a few tips: In Arkansas the Proctor & Gamble coupons run the first Sunday of the month (except holiday weekends)in the Democrat-Gazette. These are the best coupons. The Red Plum runs about every Sunday in most local papers. You can purchase coupons on Ebay if you wish. Order from people above the Mason Dixson Line because the further north you go, the higher the discount on the coupon. Their groceries cost more, so their coupons are better. You can print coupons on all manufacturers websites. Look up those things you use most. Coupons.com is a grea

Last week when the twins were in Fort Smith I cleaned their room. It's what we moms do, right? I made their beds, threw away trash and toys and made the room look clean and neat. When they got home and went in their bedroom they were excited. I think because their room was clean and they didn't have to do it. A few minutes later, Daniel came out and asked if I had thrown his rocket away. ( ok , here's the backstory ...while I was in Hobby Lobby with Daniel Thursday I suddenly remembered throwing away his model rocket/spaceship. It had been in several pieces in different parts of the room, so I just threw each piece away. I called Samuel from Hobby Lobby & asked if he had taken the bag out to the trashcan & he had. So, I didn't say anything hoping that Daniel wouldn't notice.) I told him I had thrown it away and it was outside in the big trashcan. The next morning he came to me about the rocket/spaceship again and in a very motherly moment I told him I'd

I got to touch her sweet face, look in her pretty hazel eyes and hear her contagious laugh in person. I love my big sister and I am SO glad I got to spend 24 hours with her this week. We were showing off how we looked alike with the same hair-do in this picture. Looking alike is rare for us so we have to own it when we do! Loving on my fab four makes this heart of mine beat a little louder. I love these babies as though they are my very own. They think Aunt Abby is crazy and I am cool with that. Daniel, Samuel, Anna and David are such precious little gifts from God. Samuel is 13 and too cool for school until Henry hits the scene. He lets Henry take over his man cave and I just love that...and so does Henry! Henry is also still trying to figure out if David and Daniel are the same person or if it is really two of them. Bless his little heart! Knowing Henry has the fab four to look after him, teach him and mother/father him make me feel so blessed. I know I can count on him to always

This weekend I had the honor of hosting a baby shower for my friend Sandy in my home with a few other girls. Sandy and I met when I moved to town through the newcomers club. Sara (standing next to me) is also a friend from that club and my running buddy. The other two girls were church friends of Sandy's that joined Sara and me in hosting the shower. We had a great time getting to know each other and showering our sweet friend. Our shower table turned out so pretty. I made the cake and did the decor. The other hostesses did the rest of the food and punch. The baby's room is green and pink so we tried to match it! The baby's last name is also Green, so using green was great fun. I made the cake. A 4 layer strawberry cake with buttercream icing. It was so much fun to make. I have not had that much fun decorating a cake in a very long time. I prepared in advance to make it and had no other irons in the fire. It made all the difference in the world! I loved listening to my

I am taking the week off. Forgive me and come back next week. I have had a food-filled week cooking a meal for a family in our church who had a baby, cooking a casserole for a Sunday school party this weekend, making a cake for my hubs because I love him too much to feed him another box of little Debbie's, and then cooking & decorating a cake for a shower this weekend. I have also cooked meals for my little family of 3 each day this week. I have made mostly recipes I have shared with you before, so there is nothing new to report and the creative food juices are not flowing except on this shower cake..and even that is going to be a stretch. I think it is the heat...the older I get the worse this heat gets to me. I am only 32....mercy! My little foodie and I wish you a restful weekend and we hope you can have some fun in the kitchen wearing your aprons too! Happy Food Friday Anyway! Abby

I guess it has been a while since I have updated you few faithful followers on what has been going on or not going on in my little life. I feel like all I post is food these days! I am getting a little tired of food...just sayin! My little booger bear turned 18 months last week. So exciting and so hard to believe. Our monthly photos are getting harder and harder to take, as you can tell! He is too busy to sit still and his favorite thing to say right now is, "no way!"(he says it with a big dose of of 'tude too). Fun times, I tell ya! Henry is so rotten. He got to go to Memphis to see all his "people" last week for an overnight stay. Not only does he have a Juju who is CRAZY about him, he has a cousin who wants to take Juju's reign as queen aunt. I think Juju may have a tough fight on her hands. Hollye is our first cousin. We come from a very small family and she is an only child. She is more like a sister to us. I just think Julie never intended to have to

Oh People! Summer is here! The pool is open. It's hot. My house is a a wreck because I spend too much time at the pool. Summer is here, and I'm loving it! This year, our family worked on getting the pool ready for the season. It was hard work, and you know how I feel about that . But, because of the sweat equity that I put into it, I plan on spending more time IN the pool than normal. I plan on eating healthier at the pool this year. Last year we had a lot of Sonic Happy Hour drinks, and chips. This year we're going to go the water and fruit route. Cold cantalope & watermelon at the pool. Oh, it makes my mouth water just thinking about it. We've only been swimming for a couple of days and I have a couple of sunburned kids. The sunscreen just doesn't seem to be potent enough for the first few days in the sun. What kind of sunscreen do you use? I need to buy something else, & I'm not sure what to buy. Julie

We took a quick trip to Branson over the weekend. We are becoming really good at the 24-hour trip! Stephen's parents met us up there. We made use of our Silver Dollar City season passes and our refillable mugs and had a great time! It is such a great amusement park. Very family friendly and not afraid to share the Gospel of Christ. You just have to love a place like that. I forgot my camera. I took one picture of the kids with my phone but I took it in the hotel, not real exciting. And it was without Samuel. Samuel was with the Puppet team from church in Memphis. They did a couple of puppet shows and hung out around Memphis for the weekend. When we were leaving Branson Saturday afternoon, Stephen's parents decided to take the twins home with them, so Anna was an only child for a bit over the weekend. And believe it or not, she didn't love it. She really missed her "boys". I guess I spoil her so much she didn't feel any extra treatment with them gone! HA! So

Green Chili Chicken and Lime Soup I love this soup at Chili's. It is so light and delicious. I get it sometimes at lunch. I found the recipe for it and I am excited to make it. I am not a big cilantro fan, but can handle a hint of it in this soup. All the flavors mixed together make my mouth water. The pieces of avocado are my favorite . It is easy on the waistline too...a real winner (Or as my hubs says at random times, "winner winner chicken dinner!" I have no clue what it means but it sounds fitting for this dish). 2 Tablespoons extra virgin olive oil 1 onion, chopped 4 cloves fresh or roasted garlic, minced 80 oz chicken broth, 2 1/2 cartons of the 32 oz 10 oz can rotel tomatoes, mild 7 oz can diced green chilies 4 medium boneless skinless chicken breasts; cooked, shredded and lightly seasoned with salt and pepper 2 1/2 Cups cooked rice of choice 1/4 Cup fresh lime juice 1 1/2 teaspoons ground cumin Pinches of Kosher salt, fresh cracked black pepper and Lawry’s Garli

Let me start by saying I am afraid of hard work. I'm afraid of sweating. Somewhere inside me something tells me that if I work hard and sweat I might die. It isn't logical, but it is what happens in my head. Sad, I know. Our patio could be so cute, but it isn't because of the hard work/sweat problem I just mentioned, but a couple of days last week Daniel and I headed outside to shovel up some dirt and make things look a little better. We were a tad bit successful! Woo- Hoo for us. While doing the work, and thinking I might die at any moment I told Daniel that if I were to die and his daddy were to remarry that he needed to like the new wife. I also told him to make sure she knew I was awesome! That I liked adventure, I liked to hike, I was skinny and beautiful. I told him these things twice. And like a good son, he said, " ok Mom". I love that kid! I just hope Stephen gets rid of my clothes so she doesn't see the big-girl clothes in the closet. I would hate