Granny Bea...

(L-R) Chad's mom, Me at College Graduation and Granny Bea

Last Tuesday night, Chad's grandmother passed away after a long battle with cancer. She, along with many other family members, was instrumental in me getting through college and that is why I like this photo so much.

Chad and I went to college at Northwestern State University in Natchitoches. Granny Bea lived just 20 minutes away and it was comforting to know she was so close by. We were able to take our clothes to Granny's house to wash them and often times she suggested that we leave them and she would wash them for us. She was always cooking something and offered for us to stay and eat. Remember college cafeteria food? Granny's offer of food was like eating at the White House. We also enjoyed going to the same church as Granny. She was a Sunday School teacher for 20 plus years and it was always so nice to be able to go to the same church as her (although she probably thought the same of us).

I'm so thankful for Granny because she was instrumental in Chad becoming the man that he is today. She was the constant Christian influence in his life and got him back into church during our college years, which lead to the Lord calling him to surrender to the ministry.

I've just started reading the book One Minute After You Die and I like what it says about what Granny Bea experienced..."Those who find themselves in Heaven will be surrounded with friends whom they have known on earth. Friendships, once rudely interrupted by death, will continue where they left off. Every description of heaven they have ever heard will pale in the light of reality. All this, forever."

I'm excited to know that Granny Bea is experiencing all this now...being more alive than she has ever been before.

Weigh In #13

After a Saturday lunch date with a chocolate Easter bunny and more Easter candy over the rest of the weekend I was SHOCKED (to say the least) when I stepped on the scale and found out I had lost 3 pounds this past week. I had to step off the scale and then on again thinking it couldn't be right.

Whatever...I'm thankful! 27.2 pounds GONE!

March 27,1993

I have hijacked Angela's blog to tell her and everyone how thankful I am for this day. I have never been so thankful for a date in history. Sure we are thankful for July 4, 1776. I'm thankful for October 29, 2002 when Hayden was born and September 3, 2004 when Parker came along. There are other dates we celebrate as well. But March 27, 1993 changed my life! She was the one. She was different from every other girl. She was special. Truth be told we were married on March 27th 1993, although it was a fake ceremony performed by a football coach at high school, I knew then God had brought her into my life. I never thought I could love her anymore than I did then. But then on March 11, 2000 she walked down the aisle in her wedding dress and I swear she glowed. I thought surely I can not love any deeper than this. Then she gave birth to Hayden and I watched her hold him in her arms and I thought this is as deep as I can love her. But then came Parker and I felt even more love for her. Through the years my love has grown. I am so thankful for March 27th because it reminds me of the girl who made me complete. Apart from Jesus Christ, nothing has changed my life for the better more than Angela Brooke Pine Mills. I love you Angela.

High School Sweethearts...

Today Chad and I will have been together for 15 years! It all started at a Sadie Hawkins dance March 27, 1993, our junior year of high school. If you don't know, Sadie Hawkins is where the girl ask the guy to a dance. I was too shy to ask Chad if he wanted to go with me so the question I asked was, "I have this guy who I want to ask to Sadie Hawkins but I'm not sure if he'll go with me. Do you think he will go with me?" Of course, he said yes, and we ended up at Sadie Hawkins a few weeks later. Here the picture from that night...

Now, if that wasn't enough to laugh at, I'll share some more...Less than a month after we started dating at ROTC Military Ball.

Six months later at Homecoming 1993.

Sadie Hawkins 1994

Prom 1994

So...is that funny or what? I love looking back at old photos. It really gives Chad and I a lot to laugh at.

Easter

We had a beautiful day made possible by our Lord! I praise God that we serve a risen Savior.

Here are some photos from our day...

Our morning started with Easter baskets filled with goodies and a Chutes and Ladders game.
During the church hour we had children's church, which was a special thing for Easter. Willie the Clown and Mrs. Rhonda took good care of the kids teaching them about Jesus. Willie (a.k.a. Earl) made balloon animals for all the kids.

After church we had a potluck dinner. It was so good and is always a fun way to try new foods. I told Hayden before we left for church this morning that we were going to have "dinner on the grounds" and he said, "Yuck, why would you eat dinner on the ground?" Funny kid!
We divided the kids up by ages so they could hunt with kids around their age. Here the boys are with the other 3-6 year olds.Hayden hunting eggs. We stuffed over 800 eggs!
Parker with a little help from Mrs. Melissa.
After Hayden found all these eggs he came inside and declared, "Daddy, I give up!"After hunting Easter eggs, we had this great big inflatable! On the left side is a jumping area and then on the right is a ladder and slide. Boy was it fun! Even the adults were having fun once most of the kids were gone! It is REALLY good exercise!Parker going down the inflatable slide. These kids were figuring out CRAZY ways to get down the slide!Hayden's turn to slide down!!!Mrs. Theresa and I also painted faces. Really she did most of it and is VERY good. I did simple stuff...like crosses, footballs, "LSU", butterflies and balloons.

We were WORN OUT after all of this but it was FUN! I hope that we have started a new tradition with our church family...I think it was enjoyed by all!

Priceless gift...

I have been saving special baby clothes of the boys since they were born. I stopped around 1 or 1 and a half knowing that I wanted to have a special quilt made for each boy out of these baby clothes. I spoke with a lady at our old church about a year ago, knowing that she quilted, and asked her if she or anyone she knew might want to take on this project. We talked back and forth about it for months and finally she said she would do it.

I have two of the most beautiful quilts now, one for each boy. Parker's quilt...

A better view of Parker's quilt. A few things you might can pick out...his Bush-Cheney, Wee-Publican and Little Cowboys Fan bibs, the curtain that hung in his room with the elephant on it (I got it when I was 9 weeks pregnant on a cruise to Mexico), the burp cloth that says "Parker" on it (my friend Michelle made that) and lots of other pieces of clothing that make me remember him being a baby!She also put these on the back of the quilts. The verse is so sweet and special...Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these."

Hayden's quilt...

Hayden's quilt. Some special memories for me...his "I'm a Big Brother" shirt (I took photos of him in this shirt to tell our family I was pregnant with Parker), the outfit he wore when, at 5 weeks old, President Bush came to Shreveport to speak and we got to be on stage behind the president, and the outfit he wore his first Easter with his name embroidered on it.
This and Hayden's baby blanket are attached to the back of this quilt.

This was a LONG process...let me tell you what she did. If you quilt, I'm sorry, I'm about to butcher the quilter's language. She took each outfit and cut it apart at the seams, keeping everything together right down to the tag that says "6-9 months", she ironed something on the back of each outfit and then cut squares out of the clothing. I have no idea what she did after that but it was TEDIOUS! When it says LOVINGLY MADE Ms. Jackie really means it. I just hold the quilt and can feel the love.

I hope that my family treasures these for years to come!

Weigh In #12

I am excited! I lost another 1.2 pounds this week for a total of 24.2 pounds.

This week we talked about how, even though we want to be skinny, the real reason for us losing weight needs to be to get healthy. I have been thinking of this for a while...I've lost weight before but didn't focus on REALLY eating healthy. This time, I am truly eating healthy foods that are helping my body. The bonus is I am losing weight!

So...

you already know I like to shop at Walmart in the morning but I might have a sickness. Here is what I mean...

Yesterday I sat down and figured out everything I was going to cook for the next almost two weeks. I don't have foods on a regular rotation and I'm eating healthy so it is important for me to try new dishes each week. So I searched my friend's blogs and found a bunch of yummy recipes to try along with some family favorites. I started by making a list of what I will be eating for dinner each night. At the same time I make another list of what I need for the recipe and also check my cabinets so I don't buy anything that I already have. Last night, I sat down and typed the below grocery list grouping cold foods, non-groceries, etc. and also went through the sale papers of other stores since Walmart price matches.


This morning I got up at 5am and drove to Super Walmart (love this place, especially in the early mornings). Got my list and calculator and bought everything on my list plus a whole bunch of stuff I know to buy and don't have to put on a list. Two hours and two hundred dollars later I was out and on my way back home.

So...what's the problem? The sickness? Here you go...I actually ENJOY THIS! Sick puppy, aren't I?

After all that, you must be curious what I'm eating. I am linking the some of the recipe names to the blog/website where I got the recipe from...

• Chicken Breast, Roasted Veggies and Potatoes
• Linguine Alfredo
• Shrimp Tacos
  
• Pork Tenderloin, Corn on the Cob and Green Beans
• Chicken Pizza Primavera
• Chicken Breast Supreme
• Hamburgers
  
• For our Easter celebration I making Apple Dumplings and Corn Casserole
• Spinach & Almond Topped Chicken
• Soft Tacos
• Quesadillas
• Lemon Chicken with Green Beans and Potatoes

Have a super week!

Eight Years

Tuesday, March 11, Chad and I celebrated our 8th anniversary. We were high school sweethearts that fell in love our junior year of high school. We went to the same college and our senior year of college Chad proposed to me. We got married a year later! In a few weeks we will celebrate 15 years together. Here are some photos from our wedding...enjoy!

Isn't he funny? It was the first thing that attracted me to him. He still cracks me up!

Weigh In #11

Woohoo! After losing .4 last week I lost 2 pounds this week! I have now lost a total of 23 pounds and my "skinny" jeans (okay, still huge but skinny for me) are getting too big. I also have lost a total of 7 1/4 inches off my thighs, waist, arms and hips! Yippee, I feel great!!!!

Fantastic Friday

I know, I'm the last of my real life blogging friends to blog about the snow but I couldn't resist! You girls that aren't from Louisiana, I'm sure your wondering what the big deal is...it doesn't snow here very much. We're talking maybe every ten years that it will snow and "stick".

On to my story...one of our church members called to tell me it was snowing. It was about 9:30am and I hadn't opened the blinds yet so I didn't even know that it was snowing at the time. At first the kids didn't want to go out since there wasn't enough snow to make a snowball but once it snowed a little more I ran outside, made a snowball and threw it right at the window, where they were watching me! Immediately, they decided it was time to come out. We ended up going out three different times. We were freezing and needed to get warmed up. We ate soup for lunch and just enjoyed the day together!

The parsonage...aka our house! Everything looks so pretty with the snow on it. It got MUCH thicker than this!

Above Hayden is making a snow angel in our Louisiana snow! My poor little Hayden...I think he has seen too many movies with winter scenes. As soon as he came in after this, he asked, almost as if he could have been a character in a movie, "Mommy, will you make us some cocoa and build a fire?" Bless his heart, we don't even have a fire place however I was able to come through on the cocoa part!

Friday night we went to eat with our church deacons and their wives. We have a super group of deacons and we really love each of them. We always enjoy getting together with these special people!

Hope you all had a great weekend!

Weigh In #10

I'm thinking I'll start posting my weigh-ins here. It will keep me accountable. If you see me miss a week of blogging my weight loss, then start looking for me because I fell off the wagon.

Yesterday at weigh-in I lost .4 pounds. I had some temptations and caved (see Bahama-Mama post below). On a positive note, I've lost a total of 21 pounds and exercised every day this week. I know the good things I did will catch up with me. I keep telling myself it is not just about the weekly weigh-in but more about the changes I am making for my life.

Baptist Message

The Baptist Message did a story on our church. Click HERE to read the story!

Super Sunday...

During church yesterday morning Shelby, a sweet young lady in our church, was baptized...After church, some friends, the Owens', were having a special lunch and cake to celebrate what a wonderful decision Shelby made. They invited us over to help celebrate and it was a great time of fun and fellowship. After lunch, we went outside and let the kids play. The Owens' yard is the greatest place for kids to play...They have this big thick rope hanging from a huge tree so the kids can swing. Hayden really enjoyed doing that!They also have this old tractor seat made into a swing hanging from a VERY tall tree. You can REALLY swing in this thing...oh, adults can use it, too!
The kids especially enjoyed riding on the trolley (think Amazing Race zip line). I asked if I could ride but think I will have to lose a bit more weight. No, Shelby, the 10 year old was almost dragging the ground but if they get a bigger one I'm so on it!This is Donald riding the kids on the 4-wheeler. Hayden's on the left, Parker is in the front trying to steer, Addison (Donald's granddaughter is on the right) and the little head behind Parker is Micah (Donald's almost year old grandson).

All of this fun was followed by a nap...doesn't get much more super than that!!!

Bahama-Mama!

Saturday we had Michelle's baby shower at Eastwood. This girl, how can I explain her...is crazy! Crazy in a good, funny way that makes her the life of the party and definitely not the kind of girl who can have a baby shower with baby ducks and teddy bears. This girl deserved a tropical themed shower!

The hostesses...Kristy, Michelle (the mama and a REALLY good sport), me and Chrissy. We played a few games and these girls LOVE games so we always play them. Then we ate cake...
Her cake was good and beautiful! I have the name and phone number of a wonderful cake decorator if you are interested. Michelle opened gifts wearing her bikini bra top, hat and flip flops...she doesn't take herself too seriously (not that we would let her). I know she is excited about baby #3 and we are, too!

After the shower Chrissy, Autumn, Michelle and I went to eat at Monjunis. Yummy! The new Monjunis on Airline Drive is great and they have sanitary restrooms...promise! That is what the sign above the bathroom says :).A few photos from dinner! Don't I have beautiful friends?