Cards-

I know there are few people who read this blog, but I wanted to share it anyways.

I have been making homemade cards recently. I have started trying to sell them locally in barber shops & flower/gift shops. My sister said I should throw it on here as well, so here it goes. (I know a few of you scrap too ;) )

Anyways, I was goign to let everyone know that if you would like me to make some greeting/sympathy/b-day/holiday/invitations for you, I would gladly do it. I am not sure if anyone is interested, but if you are- email me.

sadieruth_7@yahoo.com

Here are a few samples. Some of these I made quickly, but I am putting them in here anyways.

Finally, I am updating this thing!

Sorry it's been a while. I am not the best at updating this thing.

It's been a pretty busy week. Last Monday night, we had Pat's memorial. It was very, very nice. A lot of people came out to show their respect. His family from CA that I visited when I was 12, drove down. It was really nice to see them all again. They are the sweetest people I know! They have such sweet hearts. I wish we could have met again under different circumstances though. Quite a few people said a few things about Pat. He was such a kind man. He never said anything bad about anyone. There are few people like him. He loved the outdoors whether it be canoing, hiking, camping, or fishing. He was a really great guy and he is truly missed. Please continue to keep his family in your prayers.

My aunt and cousin came down for the memorial. They are leaving tomorrow, but they will be back! Words can't explain how excited I am for this!

Everything is going good here. I had to get a part-time job at the grocery store to make ends meet. We are struggling, but putting our faith in Him. I know He will provide, and He has. I am still waiting on word from the school. I really hope that this position is available and I have a chance for it. While I am working at the grocery store, Ruthie will be going to daycare on the days that Randall and I both work. He works 3 on, 3 off, so she won't be in there full-time. The lady who will be taking care of her, is the same lady that took care of me! I feel truly blessed to have someone I know and trust to take care of her. I am not looking forward to taking her b/c I know I will be heart broken, but it's what I have to do.

We are still enjoying summer by swimming almost everyday. I am loving it for the exercise and relaxation.

We are leaving out for Branson and Silver Dollar City on the 4th! We will celebrate my niece's b-day at my mom and dad's pool on the 4th, and then we will meet up with Steph and Ski and head to Branson. This is the first 4th of July in 23 years that I have not attended the town's annual firework show. Our show isn't much, but it's something I will truly miss it. Randall and I have never celebrated with his side of the family, so this year we will with Steph and Ski in Branson! I am sure we will have an amazing time!

I also wanted to add a special thanks to Granny Darlene for posting a comment! I am glad you are reading and getting to see pics of Ruthie! We miss you guys! Hopefully we will make it up there soon!

Whew...what a weekend!

It's been a super busy & crazy week. Where to begin.....

First off, I want to ask all of you to please keep my cousins in your thoughts and prayers. My cousin Eli found out he lost his dad on Father's Day. He could have been dead for about two weeks. He is devastated. My other cousin Jess, found him. Jess isn't his biological son, but they were pretty close. My aunt isn't married to him anymore, but he was still like family to all of us. He was always there at Thanksgiving. It was very unexpected. It's been really hard on Eli, so please keep them both in your prayers. There will be a memorial Monday night. It's just going to be a family BBQ in remembrance of him. It'll be a hard day.

Vacation Bible School was a success! We had so much fun! I was very proud of how well Ruthie and Simon behaved! They didn't want to go in their class, so they stayed with me. I also brought Haley and Alex to help me out. They all had so much fun! It was so cute to watch Ruthie say, "I went to Vacation Bible School!" Simon was even singing and doing the moves to the songs! ADORABLE!

Sue, Sharie, and I all went to Mom and Dad's and swam again today with the kids. I hope I don't get an ear infection like I did last year. My ears are starting to hurt, so I need to invest in some good quality ear plugs. Ruthie is FINALLY getting off the steps without her floatee. She has this floatee. She likes it a lot, but I want her to start learning how to swim, so we are searching for this one. Simon has that one, and it helps keep her head above water and helps her get used to the water too. She loved it today and felt like such a big girl. She kept saying, "Grandmama, look at me!" "Pappy, Aunt Sue, look at me!" It was so cute to see her so proud of herself. I was so proud of her too! I wish Randall could have seen her face. It was priceless. I caught some on camera, so I will share those later!

This week I will be searching for a job. We desperately need a second income. I might have to just find something quick until I know more about the school position. I talked to the principal about when they were hiring. He said he is waiting for the go-ahead, and when he gets it, he'll give me a call. I am hoping I will get it. It would be really, really nice.

I am also trying to sell my handmade cards locally. I really enjoy making cards, and I figured it wouldn't hurt to try to make some money off them! I need to find a couple more stores to see if they will sell them.

I hope everyone has an amazing week. I am looking forward to church tomorrow. We have some family members joining us so that always puts a smile on my face!

The joys of summer!

As I said in the last post, we are enjoying summer! Here are a few photos!

Enjoying the pool!





Waiting for family to show up for the BBQ!


One cool chick! Check out those glasses!


Cousin Amethyst driving Ruthie around!

SUMMER VACATION!

We are loving the warm weather and family time! I hope everyone else is too! We have been swimming, playing volleyball, badmitten, and cooking out. We had Randall's family over the other night and we cooked out and played outside. Ruthie had so much fun with Amethyst! They rode in her Jeep and crashed into a few things! Ruthie can not drive that thing, but it sure was cute watching her try! She knew how to push on the gas, but she couldn't figure out how to steer. She was running into trees, the porch, and the slide. I couldn't help but laugh! Randall, Steph, Ski, and I played a few games of volleyball and badmitten. I STINK at volleyball, but it sure is fun trying! I got a good workout that's for sure!

My mom and dad opened their pool, so we have had tons of fun swimming over there with cousins. My sister Sharie and I keep our other sister's kids, Haley and Alex during the summer. Ruthie adores them and she has a ball playing with them. She never wants them to leave, and if when they do, she just wants to go with them. It's fun watching them together.

My brother is moving away. He's only moving 2 hours away, but it's still sad. I have 2 sisters and 2 brothers, and neither of them have lived far away. We've always lived really close to each other. It's breaking my heart. They have two little girls and with gas being so high, we won't see each other often. My brother and I are pretty close, so it's going to be hard. Just keep them in your prayers please.

Church is going well. I said recently that I am teaching Sunday school. It's going well. I am really enjoying this and I believe it is making me work harder. Although I am teaching younger kids, I am learning too. I am also a teacher for VBS, so I am really looking forward to that too! I just hope that I can get everything together! There's a lot to do, but I am ready for it!

5 things-

Saw this on another blog, and I thought I'd join in as well!

5 things I like most about summer-

• Swimming
• Cousin time!
• Camping
• Fishing
• Watermelon!

5 things I hate about summer-

• Bathings Suits
• Heat
• Humidity
• Busy stores
• Bugs

If you haven't been tagged- consider yourself TAGGED NOW!

We are back!

We are home from our vacation. We actually got back Monday afternoon, but we've still been pretty busy. We had an amazing time!

Saturday we left out pretty early and dropped Ruthie off at Randall's sister's house. We headed to Hot Springs. We got there earlier than expected, and it still wasn't time to check in to our hotel yet. We drove around and checked out the sights, and grabbed some lunch. Luckily, the hotel let us check in early! We stayed at the Springs Hotel & Spa. We checked in and rested up a bit. Then we got ready to shop on the strip. We had fun looking at everything. We went back to our hotel and laid around some more. It was about dinner time, so we got ready and found a place to eat. It was really noisy, so it wasn't the greatest, but the food was really good! We walked the strip some more, and then headed for bed.

Sunday morning, we got up and went to our day at the spa. We had thermal baths, sauna, and a massage. The massage was about the only thing that I liked. The thermal bath was ok, but the sauna was too small. It was all nice though. After our massage- we grabbed some lunch and headed to our cabin. There was a storm on the way, so when we arrived at our cabin, (River View Cabins and Canoes in this cabin ) we had no electricity, but it was actually kind of nice! It was so quiet and peaceful! It was restored about an hour later. We had an amazing time in the hot tub, cooking dinner, walking in the river, and being lazy. We really truly needed a get-away, and we truly enjoyed it! We both missed Ruthie so much, that we headed home early Monday morning. She was so happy to see us! We had an amazing 5th anniversary!

Here are a few photos!









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The interview for the daycare job went well. It could have been mine, but we both decided it's not right. The drive is too far, with gas being so high, and the pay wasn't enough. I am glad it didn't work out b/c I didn't know anyone there.

But, there is another job opening, that I am a bit excited about. I would be a teacher's aide at the school I attended. I put my application in, and I talked to my old counselor about it. He said he'd talk to my old principal too. The pay isn't great, but it's only 5 minutes from home, and Ruthie's daycare would be 1 block away. Plus, I wouldn't have to work summers! I could be at home! We checked into the daycare, and the lady who would be taking care of Ruthie is the same lady that took care of my when I was Ruthie's age. She's super sweet and is willing to work with us part-time. Randall works 3 on, 3 off, so we only need part-time. The most is 3 days a week, the least is 2. Of course, I would much rather stay home and not keep kids, but we need an extra income, so I have to do something. I still don't know if the at-home daycare is the best for her. I am going to try to keep some this summer, but not near as many as I did. I put an ad in the paper, so I hope it all works out.