Still here...

Just way overwhelmed and way too busy!  Believe it or not, I am still kicking.  I have been down for the past week due to a dry socket, but I am on the road to recovery!

I have had many awesome things going on.  Mainly- tons of photo shoots!  You can slide on over to my photography blog and see some that I have completed!  www.qrsphotography.wordpress.com .  That's been my main reason for lack of blogging.

Another reason is Ruthie has been attending swim practice.  This is something I was super excited about!  She started off not really enjoying it too much.  I felt like a bad mom b/c I made her continue going.  She said it was soooo hard.  However, she didn't realize how much work it would be and she wouldn't pace herself.  She was giving it her all and totally wearing herself out!  She starting enjoying it around the third practice, but still would say it was hard.  She didn't want to quit though.  Today is our last practice.  I am a bit sad, but a bit happy b/c I am ready to come straight home after work instead of rushing!
Here she is learning how to float.

Here she is swimming on her back!  I was shocked at how fast she learned!  I don't know how to rotate the video...sorry!


Last weekend I had a very amazing opportunity to work with the Both Hands Project. My dear friend and her family has answered the call to adopt a sweet, precious soul from Honduras.  This little one has brown eyes that will MELT your heart!  With this project, we went in and helped a widow, in return for donations for the adopting family.  All proceeds go to the adopting family.  I pray that they raise some good money to help.  I was shocked to find out how much it cost.  With that being said, a child IS worth it.  They need them.  We worked all day and got quite a bit accomplished.  The family went back and finished what we started.  It was amazing seeing this kind widow, and giving to her something she may have never received   The project goes on the verse James 1:27 where God instructs us to look after widows and orphans. It was an awesome opportunity and I am so blessed to have helped alongside my friend, her family, my husband, my niece, and a great group of teens and adults!

Randall also had the chance to preach Sunday morning and night a sister-church in a nearby town.  I love seeing my man up there delivering God's Word.  He is doing amazing too.  It's awesome to see the Lord work through him.  I am blessed to be his wife!

Everything else is going well around here.  Super busy, but who isn't.  I am ready for the holidays b/c I missed out on some family time last weekend.  I am ready to see all my nieces and nephews.  I pray it doesn't take me this long to get back on, but if it does, I apologize.

Weekend Craziness

Good Monday morning! We had a busy, fun-filled weekend, and it was so worth it!

Friday, we had our friend J over to stay the night! Ruthie was so excited! They played so well. J kept asking me if we had a pond. WE don't, but there are two surrounding our property, so we all went for a walk. His favorite part was me telling him not to step in the cow poop! Boys are so funny and easy to entertain! The loved throwing rocks in the pond. Randy's favorite part- the cows. He scared me. See, I am TERRIBLY AFRAID of cows. It's weird, but I am. I always have been. I had to lift Randy, J, and Ruthie over the fence, and then climb over myself (which was not an easy task!). Randy TOOK OFF running for the cows. Apparently, he is not afraid!

Saturday, we were running super late. We were headed to Randall's aunt's Halloween party. We had an amazing time there. We laughed and talked with family we hardly ever see.

Afterwards, we met up with J and his parents and went trick-or-treating. The kids enjoyed every.single.minute of it! Even Randy. Everytime we would turn the truck off, he would say "UH, UH, UH!!" He wanted out of his carseat. He would not let me carry his bucket either. He had to do it!

Ruthie was a pro. She was shy to begin with, but was all ready to go by the 2nd house. She loved having someone her age to go with. It made it much easier.

After trick-or-treating, we headed to J's house and roasted marshmallows and made smores. The kids really truly enjoyed it. Ruthie fell asleep on me sitting by the fire. She was worn out. We were all worn out!

Sunday was another amazing service! I tell you what, our preacher always brings the heat, which I totally love him for. He's amazing.

I wanted to add, Randy did have face paint on, but he kept rubbing it in his eyes, so we washed it off. If you can't tell, he's a rodeo clown, and Ruthie is a ballerina.

Where do I even begin?

I will start with pics! I haven't shared anything in a LONG time, so here it goes! Be prepared!

Halloween-


Cousins-

Belly pic- Ruthie couldn't help but get in the pic!

Thanksgiving-

Ruthie riding the horse at Thanksgiving-


On to updates!

Things are going really good here. Randall is working hard. His plant has left off quite a few people, mostly temporary employees, and thankfully he is full-time. His department can't let anyone off b/c it's only a one man job per shift, so there is nothing they can do. Even though they cut out all the overtime, he still gets it. He's such a wonderful husband & father to work as hard as he does. He amazes me at how sweet and kind he is.

Ruthie is learning so much. She loves to play her little computer and she is doing so well with her numbers and letters. I haven't worked with her on her letters much, but she knows the letters that are in her name. She only goes to daycare 1/2 time, so I am very happy to hear she is learning a lot even though she's hardly there. She's really excited about this baby still. She's been super cuddly lately, and I have heard she may do this. I am enjoying every moment of it! She still hasn't made up her mind if it's a boy or girl yet. It changes by the hour. Today it's a baby sister though. She's excited about Christmas too. I think this year will be so much fun b/c she's learning about Santa. She tells me she's going to sit on his lap, but I doubt it.

The baby and I are doing great. My job is still going good. I am bored a lot, but it's easy and fun, so that's worth it for me. We are finding out the gender on Tuesday! We are so excited and ready. I still think it's a girl, but I would say 90% of people think it's a boy. Guess we will find out Tuesday....if he/she cooperates.

Thanksgiving was nice, but it was really hard. We were missing 4 people, 3 who we lost this year. We did have 2 extra people that we haven't had in a long time, so I tried really hard to look at the positive side. It was rough, but we made it through. We all enjoyed ourselves. At Randall's Thanksgiving, we laughed a lot. Skeeter (my BIL) always puts a smile on my face. As for my SIL, please keep her in your thoughts and prayers. She is having a really hard time carrying babies. They think she lost another. This is about her 4th or 5th miscarriage in about 2 years. It's heartbreaking. I don't know how much more she can handle.

Well, that's about it for now. I will do my best to update the gender, but I can't make any promises. I have a lot on my plate right now. I make a yearly scrapbook that I give to Randall on New Year's Eve. Last year, I had about 60+ pages. This year, I am slacking big time. I think I have completed 15 or so. I need to get on the ball, and that's where a lot of my time will be spent!

Hope everyone had an amazing Thanksgiving!

Absolutely amazing!

Our church service was amazing today. I was told we were having a play. I wasn't expecting this sort of play. Words can't describe how awesome it was. The lights, sounds, and the amazing experience, I truly enjoyed myself. It makes me feel good to sit in church and get something out of it. I had goosebumps the whole time. I was in tears. I wish everyone knew what a sacrifice He made just for you and me. It makes me sad to know there are people who don't know. That's why we are here right?! My mom and dad joined us today. I hope they enjoyed it as much as I did. We are truly blessed to have found this church and be a part of it. I am thrilled to be some comfortable there. I have to say that Easter is my favorite holiday. What a glorious day.
He lives, He lives, Christ Jesus lives
today!
He walks with me and He talks with me
Along life's narrow way.
He lives, He live, salvation to impart!
You ask me how I know He lives:
He lives within my heart.

What amazing words!

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My family got together today to celebrate Easter. My sister Sue and her family is out of town, so it was sad that they weren't with us. There were in my thoughts though.

Randall and my brother Joe had to work tonight, so the celebration was cut short. We had beans and cornbread and let the kiddos hunt eggs. It was a lot of fun for everyone! The kids had a ball hunting for the eggs. The party was at our house b/c my mom wasn't ready for us to have it at her house.

I have included a few photos from today!


This one was taken before church.
The Easter Bunny came while we were at church. This pinwheel has ladybugs on it, and she LOVES ladybugs!
Aw, the beloved Lightning. She is in love with him right now!
I wanted a good photo with her basket, so I gave her a ring pop that she got from Nana!
Trying to find the most eggs!

Posing with her sweet cousins!
Opening all her candy and saying "CHEESE!"

Have A Blessed Easter!

I hope everyone has a blessed Easter! I can't wait for our church service tomorrow!

My family is going to get together tomorrow around 5. We are going to eat dinner and let the kids play. Randall is working tonight and tomorrow night, but he is going to join us for church.

The last few days have been super nice. I have been off since last Tuesday! Shock, I know! She has missed her friends this week, that's for sure. She has asked for all of them. I have had so much fun playing with Ruthie. It was nice to give her all of my attention. We went to the park, rode on the 4-wheeler, visited Grandmama and Pappy, Nana & Papa, and went shopping! She loved riding the 4-wheeler. She didn't want to get off. It was nice b/c we went to the train tracks, saw a turtle, and a school bus, which she is obsessed with now! I plan on uploading some pics from this week in a little bit, so I will post them later.

Randall and I need to go visit his Dad. It has been a while since we last went up there. I know we plan on it as soon as he is off on weekends.

Well, Ruthie is ready to get in her jammas. That girl is OBSESSED with jammas, like her Momma!

I hope everyone enjoys time with family & friends celebrating the resurrection of our Lord!

Glorious Christmas!

What a wonderful time we had on Christmas! I can't tell you how much fun we had with family, and watching Ruthie tear into presents! She got all kinds of good stuff. She loved singing Happy Birthday to Jesus as well! She kept saying, "gin" (again) Mommy! We sang it over and over!

Let's see, Christmas day, Ruthie and I just laid around in our jammas all day. We played and played. Later that evening, we went to Grandmama and Pappy's house to celebrate with my brothers, sisters, and some cousins. Randall met us there a little later, since he had to work. Ruthie had fun playing with all her cousins. She mainly played on the stairs.

The day after Christmas was Randall's first day off, so that's when we celebrated our little family's Christmas. Ruthie got up and we told her, "Look at what Santa brought you!" I guess she thought Santa was at our house or something b/c she backed up to the door and wasn't going anywhere near those presents! I ended up picking her up and taking her in there. She got into it! She kept saying "peas" (please) Mommy" on every present wanting me to open them! We played all day long, and she also helped me bake some pumpkin bread! She took a good long nap just in time to get up and get ready for Nana, Pawpaw, and the Aunt Steph, Uncle Ski, and their family to come over. We had a BALL with them. Aunt Steph and her family stayed for a while and we all just visited and enjoyed each other's company!

Saturday we celebrated with Randall's dad's side. We were missing a few people, but we had a good time visiting. We just ate some KFC and visited for quite a while. Ruthie had a so much fun playing with Pops and Grandad. She didn't take a nap that day, so she was WORN out by the time we hit the road to go home.

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I know I was pretty upset about Randall having to work Christmas Eve and Christmas day. In the end, God did it for a reason. If he hadn't worked both those days, he would have taken his vacation and had to work one day, be off for one, go back for one day, be off for one, and work another day, and then be off. Since they made him work, he now has had off Dec 26th-Jan 3rd! What's nice is I have off all those days as well. The Lord works in mysterious ways. He knew this was for the best, but of course, I had to doubt it all. Now I am thanking Him for allowing us to spend some much quality time together! Ruthie is enjoying every moment too!

I am going to add a few pics from the past few days-

Opening her first present!


Being lazy with Daddy after opening gifts. She LOVED her boots and wouldn't take them off!
Ruthie and I at my parent's house-

Helping me with pumpkin bread! We had so much fun!

Opening her bicycle from Nana & Pawpaw-

Family pic at our house on Dec 26th-


Here she is playing with Pops-

I hope everyone had an amazing Christmas and I hope everyone has a happy new year!

Wanted to share these pics!

Emily made cookies with her little girl, so I had to as well! I wanted to share the photos. We had such a good time. She wasn't too sure about spreading the icing with her fingers, as you can tell! LOL!

What is this stuff all over my hands?!



SPRINKLES!


YUMMY!

I made a mess!

Laying it on my heart

Church is just amazing! I can't explain to anyone what it has done to me. I am so happy we found this church! I know some people who don't enjoy going to church, and feeling like they have done wrong. I on the other hand, do. I want to know what I am doing wrong, and fix it for Him. I love learning and studying for Him.

Wednesday night's sermon, was awesome! It was all about our spiritual gift of mercy. Brother Troy's defined mercy as- not softness, nor sentiment. Mercy is a multitude of greatness. God IS mercy and he expresses it through the Son of God.

He said something that hit me hard. He said, "next time you get mad at someone, think about what you did to God." Wow. I realized the truth when he said that. I have been upset with a few people lately, and after he said that, I just bowed my head and prayed. I dis-obey him all the time, yet he forgives me every time I ask for it. What a loving God we have!

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Ruthie is learning so much lately. It warms my heart so much to teach her about Jesus. She's still small, and doesn't comprehend everything, but she's getting there! The other day, I had all my daycare kids sitting around at circle time. I asked them if they knew who's birthday it was on Christmas. Nobody knew. I told them that Jesus was born on Christmas, and THAT is why we celebrate, not for presents, but for Him. I told them that when they wake up on Christmas day, they need to say, "HAPPY BIRTHDAY JESUS! THANK YOU!" It's amazing how fast they caught on! Every time I mention birthdays now, Ruthie will say, "Happy Birthday Jesus!" Picture me grinning from ear to ear! Randall too! She is so smart and amazes me everyday. She's so goofy though. She LOVES her pajamas, aka "jammas." She wants to wear them ALL day long. She threw a fit the other day b/c I made her get dressed.


I am off for almost 2 weeks. All but one of my daycare kids are kids of teachers. I know I will enjoy my time off. I was a little upset b/c Randall has to work Christmas Eve, and Christmas day, both 7am-7pm. Randall made a good point though. We will spend all day Christmas just celebrating Him in our own ways. Make the whole day about Him. No presents, just read, study, and pray. What a great way to spend Christmas!

Christmas survey!

Ok, It's nap-time and I am bored. I did a 30 minute workout and it is HOT in my house. I am letting the wood stove burn out.

Tara tagged me, so here it is hon!



1. Wrapping paper or gift bags?
Both. If it is hard for me to wrap, I place it in a gift bag. It's a family tradition to wrap all the gifts from Santa in tissue paper. I am not sure I like it though......Ruthie's gifts were harder than crap to wrap! LOL!

2. Real tree or artificial?
Real. Our family owns a Christmas tree farm, so it's free. I love searching for the perfect tree. Ruthie had a ball too!


3. When do you put up the tree?
Usually around the first of December. It's was more fun than ever this year. Ruthie got into it. I gave her a few cheap/unbreakable ornaments to hang low and she keeps taking them off and putting them back on.


4.When do you take the tree down?
Usually the week after New Year's.


5. Do you like eggnog?
No. But honestly, I can't say I ever tried it. I don't think I will either. I just don't think I would like it....but who knows?!


6. Favorite gift received as a child?
I would have to say my bike. I got a blue/pink bike one year. My brothers and sisters and I used to wake up super early and go downstairs to see what Santa brought us before Mom & Dad were awake. Since they wrapped in tissue paper, we could easily see what we got. So, one year I woke up to see if I got a bike. I didn't see it anywhere. I was sooooo sad. Well, comes out it was hiding behind the curtain! What a great memory!


7. Do you have a nativity scene?
No, but I wish I did. We don't have many decorations. What we do have was given to us.


8. Easiest person to buy for?
I would have to say Randall. I always know what he wants/needs.


9. Hardest person to buy for?
I would have to say my Dad. He never wants anything. Usually we end up getting him tools. Exciting huh?


10. Worst Christmas gift you ever received?
A baby doll. My aunt did it as a joke, but I thought she was being serious. I was so upset. I HATED dolls. Turns out there was more, but that baby doll is still at my Mom & Dad's. At least it wasn't popcorn and a joke book! LOL!


11. Mail or e-mail Christmas cards?
Mail. I was going to do that during nap-time, but I just now remembered!


12. Favorite Christmas movie?
This is the easy one. Miracle on 34th Street. I love, love, love that movie. My mom and I always watched it together.


13. When do you start shopping for Christmas?
We usually wait till the last minute, but not this year! We started in late October!


14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present?
Nope, not yet!


15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas?
Pumpkin bread. Seriously, we eat so much pumpkin bread during the holidays! YUMMY!


16. Clear lights or colored on the tree?
Right now they are white. I don't mind colored, we were just too lazy to search for them!


17. Favorite Christmas song?
Hark The Herold Angels Sing


18. Travel at Christmas or stay home?
We usually go to my parents on Christmas Eve. That's not really considered "traveling" though. They live less than 5 minutes down the road.


19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer?
Whoops, didn't change the answer to this one. I sure can! On Dasher, now Dancer, now Prancer, and Vixen, on Comet, on Cupid, on Donner & Blitzen & good ole' Rudolf!


20. Angel on the tree top, or a star?
I am really embarrassed to say that we don't have anything on top of our tree. We plan on buying one when they all go on sale.


21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or Christmas morning?
With my parents- Christmas Eve. Randall, Ruthie and I- Christmas morning. But this year it'll be different. He has to work on Christmas day.


22. Most annoying thing about this time of year?
SOOOO many rude people out shopping! It's the holiday season, but nobody is nice. I just put on a huge smile and greet everyone!


23. What I love most about Christmas?
I have to agree with Tara. Everything. I love giving. I love seeing the kid's faces when they see what's under the tree. I love celebrating the birth of Jesus.

I don't think many people read my blog, so whoever reads this is tagged!

Chrismas is near!

I love Christmas time. I love the smell of the Christmas tree. I even love the smell of our wood burning stove. Yes, the same stove I was mad about in another post. I L.O.V.E. hot chocolate and the smell of anything baking in our stove. I love shopping for others. I love this time of year!

This picture was taken the other day. We were getting ready to go somewhere and her little chair was sitting by the tree and she sat in it and I had to take a few pics! This was one of the better ones. She's a mess. She makes me laugh all the time though. She is learning more about herself. She cracks me up with the faces she makes.

I have been exhausted the last few days b/c I have been sick with allergies. They are kicking me in the BUTT this year. It hasn't been this bad since I lived with Mom & Dad. I am taking Zyrtec daily and my inhaler most days. I hate to, but I have to.

We are heading up to Randall's dad's tomorrow. We are leaving as soon as Randall gets off work, 7:30 or so, and it'll take us about 2 hours to get there. We are staying the night and spending that day there. I am sure we will have a great time. Ruthie needs to bond with her Granny & Pop's. Plus, Grandad will be with us and we already know she adores him!

Tara challenged everyone who read her blog to post 8 random things about ourselves, so here they are!

1) I have webbed feet. It's only two toes, but they are truly webbed.

2) I am totally in love with Garth Brooks. Not just in love, TOTALLY in love. I get all giddy when I see in in concert or even on tv.

3) I met Randall at my boyfriend's (at the time) little sister's b-day party. He asked me to go hang out with him b/c I was upset at my boyfriend. I didn't take him up on his offer that night, but I did the next night. Well, you see where that got us!

4) Growing up I despised my sister Sharie. Now, I couldn't love her anymore than I do now. I have two sister and they are truly my best friends.

5) Someday I will go to Spain. I have always wanted to go there....someday!

6) When I was little, I hated my middle name- Ruth. One of my friend's mom told me the name sounded like dog barking. I got over it to name my daughter Georgia Ruth. After all- it's about my Grandma b/c it's her middle name as well.

7) I have a dimple when I smile. My brother's and sister's used to sing the song- "Sadie's in the middle, let me see your dimple!" OMG I hated that!

8) I clean house like my mom. Everything is cluttered. In order for my house to look nice, I just stack that clutter neatly!

There we go. Eight random things about good ole' Sadie! Oh, and I challenge anyone who reads my blog to do the same and post eight random things about themselves!

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!!

Thanksgiving is my favorite holiday! This is what Ruthie wanted to do while Randall and I were making our dishes for my side of the family's dinner. She is a mess. She claimed she was "stuck." She kept spinning around and around. What a goob huh?

Wednesday we went to Randall's mom's house. We had a great time there. I love spending time with family. Ruthie is obsessed with her cousin Shelby. That is one name I am tired of hearing. She is constantly asking, "Mommy, where Shelby?" It's too cute though. I am glad she knows her family. It melts my heart.

We ate and sat around and talked for a few hours. We figured out when we are going to celebrate Christmas. It's going to be at our house, which is fine with me. I think I will like it better. Sure, we will have a mess to clean up, but at least Ruthie will be in her "element." I wanted to share this pic of her at Nana's house. This is what Aunt Steph did to keep her busy.

Today, we celebrated at my G-ma & G-pa's. We have such a large family now that we can't do it at someone's house b/c we are too cramped. So, we have it at the airport club house. My G-pa has a small airport in his pasture (yes, we are southern!) and they have a big clubhouse that has bathrooms, fridge, and sinks, so it gives us plenty of room to eat and play outside. I am not very fond of it b/c I like being at a house, but this is best. G-ma didn't make it, which broke my heart. I miss her. I miss her being like she used to. It seems like so many times we think she won't make it to the next Thanksgiving, and she has made it through so many more than we thought she would. I am so thankful she is still alive. That's one thing that amazes me is how she keeps fighting. She wants to give up, but she has such a large family and I think that is what keeps her going. She is an amazing woman. I was born on her b-day and we share the same middle name, and so does Ruthie. I adore her.

Ruthie did so much better than I thought she would today. I figured with so many people she would be stuck to me like glue, but boy was I wrong. She wanted Aunt Sue, Aunt Alisha, Uncle Joe, Grandmama, Pappy, and many more. I loved seeing her with her family.

Here are a few photos from today.

Random thoughts....

We had an A-W-E-S-O-M-E time at the concert! O.M.G. was it amazing! He put on a great performance as always! I am still in love with Garth as I have been since I was 5! I can't get over how much fun you have at his concerts! My feet were killing me, but I stood up and sang my heart out the WHOLE time! Joe, Alisha, Randall, and I enjoyed ourselves. I am so glad I was able to go. I thought I would never get to see him in concert again. He told us, "If you wait for me, I'll be back!" It gave me goosebumps just typing that. I know, I'm a nerd! haha!

It was nice to get out and be with Randall. We had a great time. Ruthie did wonderful with her "Aunt Teph"! I am so glad she did so good. It meant a lot to me for them to be so excited to keep her. They adore her, and she adores them. It was all about "Aunt Teph" for a while. She cried the next morning when I wasn't there when she woke up, which of course made me cry. I did okay, but I think she did better. I missed that little booger so much. She was such a goof when I picked her up. I am so thankful she did good. I prayed long and hard about it, trust me.

I went shopping with my sisters, nieces, and nephews today. We had a good time. I only bought something for the b-day party I am going to, but it is fun to pick out things for them to buy! Ruthie loves Haley, Aunt Sue, and Aunt Sharie. Every time the phone rings she asks if it is Aunt Sue. She cracks me up. We went out to eat and Sharie was nice to buy my lunch.

Thanksgiving is right around the corner. Boy it came up fast on me this year. I can't wait to get together with the whole family. We get to celebrate 3xs! Wednesday is for Randall's mom's side. Thursday will be for my side, and Saturday will be for Randall's dad's side. I love Thanksgiving. It's my favorite holiday. I am so thankful for so many things.

We are having to put the wood stove back in the house. I am not happy about it, but it's life. I wouldn't be so upset about it, but I am running the daycare from the house, so I feel like it has to look up to date, and not like we live in the stone age. It's not a pretty wood stove or anything. When we bought our house, they bricked up the fireplace for some odd reason. We haven't had the money to replace the brick and make it look nice to use the fireplace. I can't wait until we do. We need to buy an insert first though. One day.

I planned on adding a concert pic, but it won't allow me.