Mommy is Better and Macy Hijacks the Camera

Thankfully, I am feeling much better today. Still a little squeamish (just don't mention food), but nevertheless, better. I actually got out of the house this afternoon to pick Macy up from school. I actually got dressed today (and I didn't even have to jump around to get my bluejeans pulled up or lay on my bed to get them buttoned either, something my girls think is just absolutely hysterical). Jason decided to go hunting (very productive day I might add...got himself a 9 pointer), so he called me and told me to go make sure Fiona would crank...I told you it had been awhile. She cranked like a charm (aw, shucks)...no new ride for this chick. Oh well. A girl can dream, can't she?

So I picked up Macy from school. Now she loves her Daddy, but she was very excited when she saw me...love that girl of mine. She and Lucy go into the "We want to go to Beans & Cream! We want to go to Beans & Cream!" chant. Since I haven't been "mommy of the year" by any means this week, I took them. It was actually nice to be in a public place...the girls had ice cream, and I had a caramel apple cider (and yes...I did count it in my WW points for the day). We played a loooong game of Chutes and Ladders, then stopped by my parents' house. Mary Lynn came by to show us a new fabric website...good thing I had some cookie orders this week :) Just kidding, Jason.

I went to download this picture of me and Lucy that I took right before leaving to pick up Macy just to show you that I can look o.k. sometimes...I do wear makeup and clothing other than my pajamas every once in a while. It appears as if Macy hijacked my camera at some point in my sickness. Meet Macy's pipecleaner friend...she even made glasses for her! I thought these pictures were quite funny!

Lysol, Saltines, Red Sandals, and a Sweet Hubby

Just as I was cleaning up last night and about to put the Lysol away, I got a little queazy. Queazy turned into wretched stomach pains real fast. I am the newest victim in our household of the stomach virus...lovely. Last night was a long one. I have discovered that 5 saltine crackers have 1 WW point and a whole 20 oz Coca-Cola Classic has 5 WW points. However I am thinking that after the night I had last night, my points for food intake this week are negative, if that is possible. You'd think I wouldn't care about WW at a time like this...but I have worked so hard!!

Lucy's fever is gradually letting up every day. Today, we are down to lowgrade, so I am feeling better about that. I haven't scheduled a doctor appointment yet...hoping tomorrow she'll be free and clear of fever. I'm glad I didn't have her an appointment for today, because I just don't think we would have made it.

Thankfully, Macy has not gotten this stuff...I am praying she doesn't, as it is so hard on her when she does have it. She doesn't have too much meat to spare, my skinny little girl. The last time she had it, she ended up looking like a little skelton and had black circles under her eyes. It was awful! Jason has been taking her to school and picking her up, so she is loving the extra time with him...she is such a Daddy's girl :)

Lucy has taken advantage of the fact that Mommy is stuck on the couch. She has managed to pull out EVERYTHING in her bedroom and dig through her drawers to find bluejeans that are waaaay too little, a pumpkin t-shirt I made her last year, and red sandals...yes...red sandals. With socks. How cute?! She is a fashion diva, I tell you.

It is freezing cold outside. I only know this because I opened the door to get a breath of fresh air...haven't stepped foot outside of this house since getting home Saturday night. I do hope Fiona the Ford will crank the next time I need to use her. I even had to ask what today was...had no idea it was Wednesday, January 28th!

And for the sweet hubby part...let's just say I don't always treat him the nicest when I am sick...but he cleaned up after last night's supper (doesn't matter too much that it was at noon today), bathed the girls, washed and dried their hair, got Macy ready for school this morning, took Macy to school, dropped off some things for me in town, picked up some things for me in town (Tylenol for Lucy...we've sure been through that stuff now that her weight requirements are 1 1/2 tsp...my little cuppycake), AND he brought me home my very own copy of FIREPROOF. Now that's a sweet husband!!

Hopefully, I am the last one in our house that will be hit with this stuff. I sure would hate for Jason to have to miss the last hunting weekend of the season, and my sister is coming into town from Texas this weekend (if she can steer clear from all the ice storms around)...we can't wait to see her!

Feeling Better (MAYBE) and Stress Baking

Lucy has had great mornings the last two days, but by afternoon, she is running fever again. I am perplexed...stomach bug seems to be gone...at least she is not throwing up any more...but still the fever?? And we're talking higher fever from 101 to 103.5, not just the lowgrade stuff. She is ASKING to take a nap every day, bless her heart. I guess if it keeps up, we will go visit Dr. Price in Tupelo in the next couple of days.

I am tickled that I have finally figured out how to convert my pictures to black & white, so here are Lucy and me early this morning when she was feeling good...black & white is much better for my shiny, n0-makeup face :)

So for the stress baking...I've just been a little worried about the fever, so I thought baking some fudge muffins would help (or baking anything for that matter...I LOVE TO BAKE). Lucy was excited that we had "Strawberry Shortcake" muffin cups. They smell oh so yummy and look delicious. While Macy and Lucy are snacking on fudge muffins this afternoon, I'll be sticking to my apples...no telling how many WW points a fudge muffin has!!

Speaking of apples...I've found a great way to enjoy my WW suggested daily serving of fruits/veggies...I chop up an apple or two into little bitty pieces, spray them down with spray butter, sprinkle a smidgen of sugar over them, pop them in the microwave (2 minutes for 1 apple and 4 minutes for 2 apples)...and it is THE best snack I have ever put in my mouth. I seriously don't mind eating this instead of fudge muffins :) Since the pounds are actually coming off (yay!!), I am highly motivated to keep it up...I only took one teeny-tiny lick of the muffin batter to make sure it tasted o.k. Now that I've made myself hungry, I'm off to bake me up some apples!

Oh, and how could I forget?? FIREPROOF is in stores today!! I cannot wait to get my hands on it!! After watching "Beethoven" 18,000 times since Lucy got sick, I am eager for a switcheroo :)

A Weekend in Pajamas and "Project Snowman"

I have literally been in my pajamas since Friday night (and am still in them now)! We had a girls' night Friday night with my Mom and Mary Lynn and sewed all day Saturday (pictures to come). Now I love pajama days more than anybody (except Macy...who would LIVE in her pajamas if she could), but not when we stay in jammies because somebody is sick...which is the case now...Lucy woke up yesterday (Sunday) around 6:00 throwing up. She kept a temperature between 103 and 104 all day...would go down with Tylenol, then come right back up. Poor thing! She is up now playing a little bit, but gets tired and will lay back down. I fear stomach virus...I am horrified of it...I would rather my girls have the flu. Anyway...hence the reason I am still in my pajamas. I am clean, I promise! I just take baths, wash my hair, and put my (clean) jammies right back on!

We did do a fun project with Macy over the weekend for school. She brought home a playdough recipe, and we were to make a snowman out of it and send it to school today. You know I loooove projects...we had fun with this one!

Have a Happy Weekend!

My sister-in-law and I took our kids to see "Hotel for Dogs" yesterday...it was so cute! Macy, Lucy, and Carson loved it, and we did too! Really cute movie...even if you aren't super crazy about dogs :)

Have a happy weekend!

Happy Birthday, Avery!

Today is my nephew Avery's birthday...he is 8 years old. He is a sweet little boy with a big heart. Happy birthday, Avery! We love you!!

Happy Birthday, Jennifer McCrary!

Oops...I mean Jennifer Cavender...who will always be Jennifer McCrary to me! HAPPY BIRTHDAY!! I have known Jennifer from the day I was born...she has been my friend since before I can remember. We went through all kinds of times together...big hair, short hair, "Christian haircuts", not appreciating being called "chicks" (we preferred "ponies" for whatever reason), piano camp...the list could go on and on! Jennifer lives far away now (see the Cavender family blog under "Friends" on my sidebar...sorry, I am not technicallogically savvy enough to know how to link her blog to this post). She has two of the cutest little boys. Oh, and she can grocery shop on the internet and have her groceries delivered...is she not the coolest?? We enjoy getting together whenever we get a chance!

And if she could be my friend when my eyebrows were THAT big...she must have been a really good friend...thank goodness for SurgiWax and Tweezerman tweezers (pink ones, of course)!

Happy Birthday to one Delta Queen from another!!

Lunch with Amy and Bes

Lucy and I had the best time with Amy Sumrall and Bes today! I met Amy through blogging, and I have really enjoyed getting to know her! Bes is such a little doll...I think Lucy actually thought she was actually a (baby) doll at times :) We ate at Huck's Place, and the little girls acted like they owned the place. We had a great time and if you can imagine, I think we talked about everything possible to talk about..we covered a million different topics...you know how we women are!! Can't wait to do it again, Amy!!

And if you haven't tried Huck's Place...you must!! It is a great new restaurant in Columbus. It is awesome...for lunch and for dinner!

Bubble Blowing and A Sick Mommy

I started feeling yucky on Friday night, and even yuckier yesterday, so I decided to go to the doctor today...bad URI...good meds. Z-pack and cough medicine with codeine...I ought to sleep well tonight, except that I got a good shot of decadron (sp? I don't feel like googling it right now), so I may be up all night (maybe I can get caught up on my daily Bible reading). While I was gone to the doctor, Macy learned to blow bubbles with bubblegum, and she has been doing it ever since, only breaking to eat lunch, a snack, and supper (yummy pancakes made by J). I told her that she was going to have sore jaws.

Now This Should Be a Best Seller...

While I am on the subject of books, let me share with you what I think should be # 1 on the best seller list...a book my Dad wrote for my brother, my sister, and me..."Growing Up on 2nd
& 3rd Avenue North". This was a Christmas gift (more like a Christmas treasure) that he gave to us this Christmas. My girls have enjoyed me reading little bits of it to them at a time. It is a lot of fun for them (and me) to think of my Dad being a little boy riding his bicycle and hiding in the ditches. It tells of a time where kids played cowboys and indians instead of a Wii, wore their bluejeans at their waists instead of exposing body parts that shouldn't be exposed, played hide and seek instead of staring at the television, and "pranks" involved ringing somebody's doorbell and running off instead of bashing mailboxes and drive-by shootings. It is filled with black and white pictures that give a glimpse back into the good ole days. This was the greatest gift I can imagine...thank you so much, Daddy!

"Apples For Jam"

This is a great cookbook that I found at Williams-Sonoma. The writer has two little girls herself, and not only does she have great recipes, she includes the cutest snippits of her life with her two children. The illustrations are precious, and it is just a really fun book!

Kate's Book

You love her...you hate her...I like her. We really enjoy the show (all of us). "Jon and Kate Plus 8" is the only t.v. show that I will actually sit down and watch. I really enjoyed the book...it gave a wonderful insight to her life. She is not ashamed at all to speak of her great faith and total reliability on the Lord. I highly recommend this book! I got A LOT more out of it than just finding out about their lives. It is great!

Spread the Word

I recently saw a statistic that said t-shirts are read an average of 3,000 times before they are worn out. What a great way to spread the Word! The girls got these t-shirts for Christmas...not only can they spread the Word by wearing them, but this verse is also a very valuable lesson that their little hearts need to be learning.

This is Jason...

...wondering when in the tarnation I am ever going to clean the house again (or "get on the business end of a mop" as he would say). Macy has been a constant reminder of the fact that I really should clean as well, as she so cutely wrote her name in the dust on the dresser in our bedroom the other day (you know, like when you see "Wash Me" written in the dirt on the back of a very dirty car?).

and this is Jason...

...delighted to see that I finally got on the business end of a mop and had been cleaning ALL day (for 2 days, actually)...happy homemakers make for happy husbands :)

And please ignore how I look in this picture...remember...I had been cleaning for 2 whole days...seriously.

It is like 3 degrees outside right now...I LOVE IT! If it would only snow!!

Eye Candy

My UPS man is my best friend today (and no, Daddy, it isn't what you're thinking...I am still patiently waiting for my delivery of those). He brought this box of fabulous fabrics for spring/summer. Mom, get your machine ready! What precious outfits will theses fabrics make??!! They are eye candy!!

Spoil Your Kids at Supper

Macy wasn't feeling too well yesterday (Sunday) and it was such a cold day (yay!), so I thought I would make a fun supper for the girls. I had clipped a recipe out of "Family Circle" magazine for "chocolate-marshmallow sandwiches." Oh let me just tell you...they were divine! I sacrificed like my whole month's worth of Weight Watchers flex points to eat the leftovers...so worth it!! Here is the recipe...

chocolate-marshmallow sandwiches (super fast and super easy!)

**will make 2 sandwiches

1/3 cup semisweet chocolate chips

marshmallow fluff

4 slices white bread

butter

In a microwaveable bowl, microwave chocolate chips for 1 minute, stir until completely melted and smooth (may have to pop back in the microwave for a few more seconds). Let cool slightly. On one pice of bread (per sandwich), spread 1/2 of the chocolate. On the other slice of bread, spread some marshmallow fluff. Join slices and butter the top. Repeat with remaining slices of brad. Heat a medium-size nonstick skillet over medium heat. Place sandwich, butter-side down, in pan and now butter the other side of the sandwich. Cook for about 2 minutes, or untl golden brown. Flip and ook the other side for an additional 2 minutes. Remove from skillet and serve. Repeat for 2nd sandwich.

You'll be cooking these like you would a grilled cheese sandwich, which thanks to Jason's Grandmother Ruth, I am now a grilled cheese expert...medium heat is the key!!

And for those of you who think my kids were probably bouncing off the walls until 2:00 this morning...NOPE...they were sound asleep at their normal bedtimes...a little sugar and chocolate are NOT going to hurt :)

All Caught Up...

...with the blog, that is. No, I have NOT been working on this thing all day...just a little here and there...in the midst of all of my daily Mommy and wife duties. I have been really busy due to the fact that in addition to the nice bonus we gave our housekeeper for Christmas, we decided to let her have some time off too :) Now back to reality...I have finished updating our blog while sitting by the lights of my fully-decorated, still-up Christmas tree. Jason says it HAS TO GO before it spontaneously combusts (it is alive and VERY big). I am now itching to get my "MomAgenda" updated (mine is pink, of course) and my house fully organized...EVERYTHING in it!! I am trying to control my OCD and am allowing myself the entire month of January to "get caught up" instead of trying to cram it in a few days. I think I need to start by taking down Christmas, don't you?

Our family has started a new daily devotional for the year, and I am doing a daily Bible reading program. I have found a website that coordinates a really neat devotion to the daily Bible reading for that day. It helps me so much to have an application to go along with what I am reading. In the midst of organizing, cleaning up, cleaning out, organizing my new datebook and starting a fresh new year...personal and family Bible study, along with prayer, should be and must be the top priority. I fall short everyday and am by no means perfect, but I am really trying to let some things go and really focus on living my life for the Lord. He gives us His grace and mercy every day, every hour, every minute, every second. "...as for me and my house, we will serve the LORD." Joshua 24:15

Lucy got a cute little kit for Christmas...it includes a little wooden handheld mirror and lots of things for embellishing it...rhinestones, glitter glue, etc...I told her that we would decorate her mirror as soon as we got home from taking Macy to school tomorrow (today...Wednesday)...you should have seen the look on her face! Although the last couple of weeks have been busy and tons of fun with Christmas, New Year's, trips, and lots of exciting things, I am very happy to get back to the simple little life that we lead! This is such an example of our simplicity...the day after Christmas, when it really and truly looked like Santa had exploded all over our house...Macy and Lucy were perfectly content making paper plate hats with chocolate chips glued to them. Such sweetness and simplicity!

I am off to bed now...goodnight! Oh and p.s. we did not give our housekeeper a nice bonus and some time off...I am the only keeper of this house!