A Whole Bunch of Hills

Where to begin?!

2012-01-09T11:36:00.000-05:00

We really ended our 2011 year with a bang!! I don't even know where to begin. Mid December, Emi had to have 4 teeth pulled to make room for her permanent teeth. She was such a trooper! They pulled two teeth on each side of her front teeth on top. We then scheduled to have 4 teeth on the bottom pulled for January 2nd. Insurance reasons were a main issue in waiting until the the new year to have them pulled. Well... they were able to pull each tooth beside the front teeth, but she wasn't into having the other two pulled. The pain meds weren't stronger enough. The dentist decided to wait 6 months to get the other two teeth, instead of freaking her out. I really HOPE this will postpone braces until she is much older.

The weekend after the kiddos got our of school for Christmas break, JJ came down with fifth disease. It sounds worse than it really is. It is a bad rash that looks horrible, but it is contagious. Once they start breaking out, they are no longer contagious. Well, Mr. Lukey and Mr. Jon Jon started with the fever that weekend, which meant I had to stay home with them and miss the Hill family Christmas. No one else in the family got it. Thank you Lord for that blessing.

Fast forward to Christmas Eve. Jonathan did NOT sleep well that night. He woke up about the time I went to bed (which wasn't early) from letting Santa in the house. He played well all Christmas Day, but he started running a high temp that night. I made an appointment the next morning. After making the appointment, I decided to take a peek in his ears with a flash light. Yep, right ear was red and infected. Left ear.... what in the world is that in his ear?! Looked like a pink bead shoved way back into the ear canal. No way I could get that out! The doctor took a look into his ears and the right ear was indeed infected. BUT, she thought the left ear had a blister on the ear drum that would rupture on its own. Okay... I wasn't about to go poking around in his ear to confirm, so I decided to let the antibiotics do their job. After a week on the antibiotics, the "blister" hadn't changed, so I made an appointment with our ENT. Guess what!! I was right, it was a pink bead. I will say that the color and position of the bead could have been mistaken for a yucky ear. Dr. Oliver dug it out for us while we restrained him and this is what he gave me....

Now, for Lukey's part of the bang for the end of the year. The kids got trampoline for Christmas from Santa. No, it wasn't our idea, but they love it. Anyway, they had all been feeling pretty crumby so they hadn't jumped on it until the Saturday after Christmas, Dec. 31. The little ones jumped for a while with no incidence. Now add Andrew (17) to the trampoline. He decided to jump for a while with the little ones. Lukey got off the trampoline after a few minutes to ride the little Powerwheels 4wheeler from Santa. A few times, Andrew and Laura caught Luke trying to ride the 4wheeler under the trampoline, and they would make him turn it around. Well, he slipped past them one time and as Andrew bounced down on his butt, he landed on the top of Lukey's head. This was the result....

We made a run to the e.r. only to find out there was nothing they could do for it. It has actually healed quickly. He did enjoy his popsicle diet for a few days. Andrew felt horrible about it, but it wasn't his fault. Let's just hope Lukey has learned his lesson about being under the trampoline while others are jumping.

Yes, it was a wild ending to the year, but what can you expect with 7 kids?! Life isn't going to be all smooth sailing, so we just have to learn to ride the waves. I can't imagine life without Mike and the kiddos.

As I begin this new year, my prayer for my family is that God will do whatever He needs to do to bring our family where He wants us to be. Brave prayer?! Yes, very brave. But I know that whatever we face, He will never leave us. I pray that we seek His will for our lives and not our own will. I know I will never be perfect. But I pray that I will always turn back to Him for guidance when I fail.

Now, it is time to get things rolling around here. I pray you are having a wonderful day. Love ya bunches.

We have been hacked...

2011-12-03T14:27:00.000-05:00

By the Blog Design Fairy!!!! I got a text from a little birdie to tell me to check my blog and this is what I found! I am loving the new look. Thank you Lissa!! It looks wonderful. Everyone needs to check out the pictures on the righthand side, especially the Busted picture. That picture was the brainstorm idea of our brother-in-law, Ron. If you look down at the bottom of the page, you will find a picture of all of Mike's siblings and their families. We are a nutty bunch!

I hope you enjoy the new look as much as I do. Now it is back to cleaning the kitchen for me! Love ya bunches!

Look who came to see us....

2011-12-01T09:27:00.001-05:00

all the way from the North Pole! We woke up this morning to find we have guests that will be with us until Christmas Eve. I'm not sure what their names are, b/c I haven't had time to sit down and have a chat with them. Aren't they just the cutest little things?! JJ informed us yesterday that if you touch them, they will lose their power to go back to the North Pole. It will be a challenge to keep Mr. Lukey from putting his little hands on them. I hope they know that they will have to hide in high places. Let the fun begin!!

Love ya bunches!

Decisions, decisions....

2011-11-29T11:42:00.000-05:00

I need help deciding which picture of Mike and me to frame.

Please tell me...

2011-11-27T01:23:00.000-05:00

the Thanksgiving break is not almost over! I am not ready to go back to our school schedule. I have loved having the kiddos at home, even though they probably think I was in full drill sargeant mode. Yes, I thought they would get their rooms spotless, but it didn't happen. Guess that means I will be cleaning them myself, which means things will disappear FOREVER! :o)

I enjoyed our Thanksgiving break. Mike was off all week, and he made me a stand for our Christmas stockings. I will post pictures later. I have stuff from the laundryroom in the livingroom, b/c Mike and Andrew worked on my dryer yesterday. They are going to work on the freezer next week, so the stuff hasn't been put back. We put our tree up this week and have enjoyed it. Luke fell into the Christmas tree while trying to get a candy cane. Jonathan climbed up on the counter using a barstool and discovered he couldn't get back down. We heard him yelling "I tuck! I tuck!" I got to see a million of JJ's mischievous grins this week. Andrew worked the beginning of the week. Laura, Emi, and Bekah got to spend a few days w/ Honey, Granny, and BooBoo, and the boys were NOT allowed.

Thanksgiving Day was wonderful. Laura and I stayed up late Wednesday baking cakes and making fudge. Then Mike got up Thursday morning and baked some cookies while I ironed clothes for pictures. We had lunch w/ Mike's brother, sisters, and their "chillrens." I look at each of them and want to make them stop growing so fast. Melissa took Laura and Hannah to take some AMAZING pics of two beautiful young ladies. Then we took pics of the whole clan. Lemme tell ya.... getting our crew to take a picture is a job. Think adding another 11 people to the mix. It was a FUNNNNNAY experience. The people in the park probably thought we were all a little looney. Melissa done a wonderful job with the pictures, as usual. Can't wait to share them with you all. After our crew was finished with pics, we went to spend a little time with my mama's side of the family. Again, TONS of laughs! We got to see my cousins that have just moved back from California. We hadn't seen them in 4 years. We were sick with a virus the time they came to visit. After visiting with the Johnson side, we came home to whip up a quick dish before going to have supper with the Thompson side. Adam called while we were eating. I am so excited, b/c we will get to see them in less than a month. After all of the fun from the day, you know I was up for some Black Friday shopping.... NOT!! I stayed my butt in my nice warm bed. I did feel like I had been beaten by the mob in Walmart, b/c I was sandwiched between Mike and the two lil boys in our queen size bed for most of the night.

I have too many blessings to begin to count here, but I do thank God for His saving grace. I thank Him for my wonderful family. I thank Him for the friends He has put in my life. May I use each day to bring Him glory. I pray that He will use me for His will. I want others to see Him when they see me. I want to live my life to bring Him glory in EVERYTHING that I do. I am not perfect and I know I will stumble; but I don't want to use that as an excuse or a crutch to live a lukewarm life. I want to be on fire for Him.

Now, my bed is screaming my name. It will be time for church in a few hours. Tomorrow is my turn to help in the nursery. Love ya bunches!

Out of place

2011-11-05T21:50:00.000-04:00

Over the past year and half, I have felt out of place. A decision was made and there will be no more babies in our house. All of the blogs that I have followed about letting God have complete control of the size of our family leave me feeling inadequate as a wife and mother. I still love reading them, because I learn some many neat things to help raise a small army. But, it also leaves me with an empty feeling, because I know I will never again have the experience of holding my newborn in my arms for the first time. I do enjoy each stage that the kiddos are in, but I also miss not having a precious little one around the house. I have all of these "if only's" running through my mind about the decision that was made: "if only I had not been so stressed," "if only I had been a better wife," "if only I had been a better housekeeper." About the time I think I'm overing it, the thoughts return and I'm back to feeling inadequate. I get the question all the time, "Isn't it time for another baby?" Yes, we probably would've had another one by now. Jonathan turned 2 years old yesterday. Can you believe that?! I try to keep the feelings inside, because there really aren't many people around who understand, especially in this area. There just aren't many large families around here. So, I feel out of place. When I am asked how many kids I have, other moms look at me like I have a second head when I tell them 7. I just don't fit into their world.

Then there is the homeschooling world... another feeling of being inadequate. Talk about making me feel like a failure! I put my kids back in school. I wasn't able to juggle all the levels plus life. I miss my Hillians terribly. But, I do rejoice in knowing that they are doing well. Emi's reading has improved tremendously. I know I made the right decision, but it still doesn't take away the sting of knowing I wasn't good enough to do it all. I have read the books and blogs about how "moms of many" were able to juggle it all, and I wasn't able to do it. They had help, either by a spouse, other family member, or tutor. I didn't have that option. Yes, there is a co-op around, but I have too many little ones to try to chase after to keep up with what they are doing. I can't run here and there for this class or that class. It just drove up my stress levels thinking about it. There were videos they could've watched for classes, but my kids would have been bored to tears sitting through them. I lost my motivation and was overwhelmed. I tried to juggle things a lot longer than I should've. So now, I'm out of place in the homeschool world.

Where does a wife of 18 years who is an ex-homeschooling mom of seven w/ three little ones still at home fit in?! My days are filled with chasing little ones that can destroy something about as fast as you can fix it, not going to this play group or that. By the end of the day, I'm exhausted and feel defeated by my lack of progress. I know that I should be stronger and more disciplined. I know my strength comes from God, all I have to do it ask for it. I know all I have to do it go to the cross for answers. But my "follow through" falls aparts, and the doubt creeps in. Why can't I be stronger?! Why can't I be a better wife and mother?! Why can't I shake the feeling of being out of place?! All I can do is pray that God will show me His ways and give me understanding of these days.

You wanted honesty, and you got it. I have the "dark" days just like all other moms, no matter how big or small the family. I know one day I will look back, and my kids will be grown. I pray that I can become the wife and mother that God wants me to be, and I will finally enjoy the feeling of NOT being out of place.

A couple of Luke funnies

2011-10-09T22:46:00.000-04:00

Luke has given us plenty of laughs the past few days. The first laugh started before supper Thursday night. The kids played outside for several hours after school since they had no homework and no school the next day. To say that Luke was filthy was an understatement. Andrew gave him a bath while Laura and I got the table ready for supper. Andrew said as he was trying to wash Luke's hair to remove the acre of sand he had in there, Luke said, "Hey! You can't use that girl 'poo'!! I don't have girl hair!" Andrew was clueless what girl 'poo' was until Luke said he didn't have girl hair. He had grabbed my shampoo instead of Mike's shampoo. So my question to you is... do you use girl 'poo' or boy 'poo' to wash your hair?! hehehe

Later that night, Luke informed Laura and me that he wanted to go to the moon. Of course, Laura was all too happy to jump on that one and run with it. She had him pack his backpack with a pillow and blanket. He had on a stocking cap. Andrew came into the livingroom and added fuel to the fire. They had him get a flashlight, put on some shoes, and even had a plastic hammer to hit the aliens with if they messed with him. Laura told him he would need a spaceship and to tell me to buy him one. They must've had him going for 30 minutes about going to the moon. They finally convinced him that he needed to get sleep so that I could take him to the moon the next day. Gee thanks Andrew & Laura! Needless to say, I had to hear all day Friday that I needed to buy him a spaceship, so he could go to the moon. When Andrew & Laura got home, Luke insisted that Andrew take him to the moon. What was Andrew to do?! He told Luke that he didn't know how to get to the moon, but Mommy knew! That stinker!! Luke decided that he needed a map, which he found.... a map of Colorado! But to him, it looked like the moon. LOL! He carried the map around for a couple of hours, opening it up every few minutes to look at the moon. :o) He finally put his map in his backpack along with the blanket and pillow. Then he started wearing Andrew down. Needless to say, Andrew ended up strapping Luke's carseat into the truck and off they went to find their way to the moon! They drove around for about 10 minutes. Andrew pretended to be lost and told Luke that he didn't know which way to go to get to the moon. Lukey replied, "Oh wait, I got a map!" Andrew finally convinced Luke that they needed to come back home and try again another day. All weekend, Lukey has come up to me to tell me that I needed to buy him a spaceship.

Life would be so boring around here without these kiddos! I can't imagine my life without this family that God has blessed me with. I pray you are well. Love ya bunches!

Happy Birthday "MyLissa"!!!

2011-09-29T00:47:00.000-04:00

Happy Birthday Lissa!!!

I want to wish the best big sister in the world a very happy birthday. Actually, I want to wish her a lifetime of blessings from our Heavenly Father. You are not only Mike's big sister, but mine as well. Even though we don't have the same blood line flowing through our bodies, you are MY sister. You have loved me even when I was beyond moody. We haven't always seen eye-to-eye, but I never doubted your love. You have a heart that is bigger than the universe... and a mouth almost as big. Come on, you knew it couldn't all be mushy. Your honesty is one of the things I love about it. Thank you for everything! God couldn't have blessed us with a better big sister. Mike and I love you with all our hearts.

You know you mean the world to the kids. They love them some Lissa, even though it seems like they just tolerate you as a means to get to spend time with their Matt Matt. You have been their "go to" person when Daddy & Mommy said no, because Aunt Lissa thinks anytime is a great time for candy. :o) You have been their Book Fairy. You have been their height scale, because you know they are excited when they can look down at Aunt Lissa. You have loved them as your own. Thank you.

May God continue to fill your life with His love and mercies. May He shower you with blessings and bless us with many more years with "MyLissa."

Parents Day 2011- Kindergarten Edition

2011-09-28T09:48:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was Parents Day for the Kindergarteners at Collins Elementary. I didn't tell JJ that Mike and I would be going... I wanted it to be a surprise. Daddy & Mama kept the little three. I wish I would have had my camera to take a picture of the smile on JJ's face. He was so excited to see us. We got to dine on hot dogs, carrot sticks, french fries, and fruit. It was nice to be able to put faces with names of all JJ's classmates. I even found out that I went to school with some of the parents of the kids. We went outside for a few minutes after lunch. It was HOT!!! What happened to Fall?! Of course Mike had to try it best to embarrass JJ. He scooped him up like a baby and started kissing him all over his face. JJ's face was so red when Mike told him he was holding him like a baby in front of all his friends. I honestly think Mike would do that to Andrew if he could pick him up like that. :o) We had a wonderful time, and I'm looking forward to having lunch with Emi soon.

Mike and I went back to my parents' house to pick up the littles. I don't think I have posted it on here, but Daddy spent a little over a week in the hospital last week for staph infection. They ended up having to remove the big toe from his right foot. He came home Friday, and I think he is going stir crazy from being shut up in the house. He was on the couch watching cartoons with the kids. But he quickly turned it, so he and Mike watch some "manly shows." They watched the antique show "Pickers" and a shooting show "SharpShooters." I think those are the names. Thank you Daddy & Mama for keeping the littles!!

We had a few minutes after we left my parents' house before we had to pick up Emi, JJ, and Ian (my nephew), so we went to Dollar General to pick up a snack for all the kids to eat on the way home from school. I ran in alone. Mike said Lukey said this, "I wanted to go in with Mama..... I had a toupon (coupon)." He is a mess!!

Time to be productive! Love ya bunches!

Another visit....

2011-09-16T08:25:00.000-04:00

from the Book Elf!! Bekah, Lukey, Jon Jon, and I returned home from taking Emi and JJ to school to find that the Book Fairy had sent the Book Elf to deliver some books to us. I don't have to tell you how happy the little ones are at this very moment. Bekah is looking at the Camilla the Cupcake Fairy book. Lukey has Zoomer. Jon Jon has Hot Wheels Dino Racing. I am sure I will be doing a lot of reading this morning.

Thank you Book Fairy and Book Elf!!!

We love you bunches and bunches!

Just a little rambling...

2011-09-13T23:07:00.000-04:00

The weeks are flying by! I can't believe it is the middle of September, but I can't say that I'm upset about it. I'm counting down the days until the kiddos are off for a week at Thanksgiving and then two weeks at Christmas. Did I also mention that Adam, Kara, Makenna, and Logan will be here for Christmas?! We haven't seen them since we were in Pennsylvania in March, so I am past ready to see them.

Everyone is adjusting well to school. Emily keeps making progress. I can't thank Mrs. Trapnell enough for the work she is doing with Emi. Emi told one of the teachers that the best part of school is the weekeds. At least I know she misses me. Jacob likes school, everything except all the coloring. Andrew & Laura are continuing to do well. :o)

I have to wait my turn during the evenings for the computers. Andrew & Laura need them for school work. Mike wants his turn on the laptop. I try to check email and Facebook to answer questions during the day, but Luke & Jonathan don't let that last long.

Laura went to the orthodontist yesterday. Mike was off, so he went with us. We treated her to Masoto. YUMMMMMY!! We were all miserable when we left. But we had enough leftover for several meals. We also went across the street to the Oglethorpe Mall. Laura wanted to get another shirt for school. While we were there, I bought two dresses for myself. :o) My sweet hubby asked me a few weeks ago why I didn't wear dresses anymore. I guess I had gotten out of wearing dresses when I was having babies. I just never went back to them. Since he asked me, I have bought 4 new dresses. Now I just have to buy shoes to go with them. hehehe!

I think I'm going to get some rest now. I am exhausted. Love ya bunches!

A funny for ya!

2011-09-05T00:11:00.000-04:00

Okay, I promised to share some of the funnies that happen around the Hill household. I'm still not feeling the "funny" in this story, but I KNOW you will. I was in the laundry room Friday morning when Bekah came to tell me that chocolate milk was spilt (sp? Who cares!) in her bedroom. I thought maybe Jonathan had gotten her cup from the counter, b/c Lukey has shown him just how to get what he wants. I told her to get a towel and wipe it up. I went in a few minutes later to put away the clothes I had been folding to find her trying to wipe up HERSHEY'S CHOCOLATE SYRUP on her vanity. Lukey had dumped out a WHOLE bottle on the vanity, carpet, and under the girls' bed. Of course, he hid under their bed as soon as he heard me going back there, because he knew he was gonna be in some kind of MAJOR trouble. I was furious!! It took me HOURS to get it cleaned up. I'm actually still cleaning it up... spraying carpet cleaner on it daily and scrubbing away.

I didn't take pictures of the mess. I was too upset. I'm sure if Laura would have been home, she would have reminded me to snap a few pics. I know I will look back and laugh at this with all the other things Lukey has done.

So now that I have made you all laugh, I am going to bed and praying that Lukey one day has a little one as creative as he is. :o) Love ya bunches!

Rebuilding from the inside out

2011-09-02T09:56:00.000-04:00

I have taken a little break from blogging.... even my couponing blog. I just feel so overwhelmed at the moment, so I have needed to take a step back for a while. I would love to say that my house is now spotless with four of the kids in public school now, but it's not. I still have three little ones at home that can undo something as fast as I can get it done. I am still having a hard time with the kiddos being in public school, but I still feel that it was the right decision for right now. I don't know what the future holds, but we will face it when we get there.

Overwhelmed doesn't even begin to cover how I feel. I have tried to balance it all for much too long. I have tried to be everything to everyone, that I let other things slide. The biggest thing to suffer was my relationship with my Heavenly Father. I stopped reading my Bible regularly. When that relationship suffered, everything else in life became unbalanced. I felt so cut off from everything. I began to unravel. I went into survival mode, which isn't the best place to be. I just wanted to make it each day to bedtime with just a small amount of my sanity intact. There was no joy in many of my days, even though I love my family and enjoy being with them. How could I have joy when I had cut off my source of TRUE peace?!

With all of that said, I thank my Heavenly Father for loving me even with all of my major flaws. I thank Him for His patience with me, when I had none for my family. I thank Him for giving me the ability to know when to step back from some things I am doing, so I can begin to focus my life on rebuilding my relationship with Him. I can't change the past, but I know who holds my future in His loving hands. I pray for His guidance in each step I take. I pray for wisdom in being the wife and mother He wants me to be. I don't want my husband and children to look back and see accomplishments I have made in my life. I do want them to look back and see God in every aspect of my life.

Pray for me as I allow God to use me for His purpose, not my own. Thank you to all of the family and friends whot have been there and continue to walk with me through this very trying time in my life. Know that I love you dearly and you will always hold a very special place in my heart.

Now, I am off to climb Mt. Washmore and tackle the Clutter Monster in the livingroom. Love ya bunches!! Don't worry, my funny posts are not over. The Hillians continue to provide MANY laughs that I promised to share with you all. Right Michelle?!

Where to begin...

2011-08-17T22:35:00.000-04:00

I guess I should get the hard stuff over with first. To many others surprise, I put the kiddos back into public school last week. Andrew told me the Thursday night that Claxton started back to school that he wanted to go back to school. It floored me and at first I said no. Then reality hit and I knew I couldn't do it anymore. Last year was really hard for us. We got lazy and slacked A LOT. I don't need your judgement, because I feel bad enough about it as it is. No, I wasn't ready to just get rid of most of my kids for several hours during the day. It was just time. It has just gotten to be too much. To make a long story short, Andrew & Laura are in Claxton. Emi & Jacob are in Collins. I do ask for your prayers during this transition time.

On to something that I know you all will find funny, even though I was almost in tears at the time. Lukey went to the bathroom to brush his teeth. He decided he would put the stopper in the drain. He had turned the water on but couldn't turn it off. Needless to say, the sink overflowed into the floor. For once, I was caught up on Mt. Washmore, so there were no dirty towels. We had to use almost all of the CLEAN towels to mop up all the water. When I took the towels to the laundry room to get them ready to tomorrow morning, I found that my dear little Lukey had been playing in there at some point while I was helping Emi with her homework. He had busted open a Tide Stain Release duopac and put it in the fabric softner dispenser!!! Lissa, Jane, and Michelle, get up off the floor and stop laughing. Remember, I was almost in tears at this point. Andrew was a sweet young man and got Lukey to sleep for me tonight. Thank you Andrew! Once again, you have come to my rescue!

Please say a prayer for Laura. She wasn't feeling well when she got home from church tonight. She said she was nauseated. I hope it is just nerves of the adjustment. I pray it isn't the stomach virus that has been going around. I am hoping she will feel better tomorrow morning.

Maybe I will take the time to post more. Then again... Lukey may have other plans for my time. Love y'all bunches!

A little snuggle time

2011-07-27T11:31:00.001-04:00

Luke woke up just a few minutes ago with a nasty cough. He says his throat hurts. Although I hate when my kiddos are sick, I have to admit I am loving this snuggle time. I have Lukey snuggled up on my left side and the laptop balanced on my right leg. Please excuse any typos, because I am typing with one hand. Lukey is NEVER still, so I have to grab this time when I can.

I get a little overwhelmed with Luke's activities at time, but I have to remind my that he is just very curious. Michelle says he is going to be a chef or artist, but he is always into t!he food or making "creative messes." I can hear her laughing now. Sometimes, I think he is going to be an engineer, because he can figure things out so easily. It only took him a matter of seconds to figure out how to pop the baby latches on the cabinet doors...... grab the straps and pull them until they pop open. Then he learned that he could unlock Laura's door with a hair clip. If he wants anything out of a high cabinet, he just pulls up a barstool and climbs up onto the counter. One day, he will be grown and these times will be memories. I need to treasure each moment and thank God for blessing us with this little live wire. And pray that I survive! :o)

Going to enjoy this snuggle time. Love ya bunches!

Have I told you guys....

2011-07-25T11:56:00.000-04:00

that I have the most AMAZING husband in the world?! No, there isn't a special occasssion coming up. No, he hasn't done a special deed that I feel the need to tell the world. He is truly an amazing man and THAT is why I feel the need to tell the world about him. He does so much for our family EVERY day. I know I don't tell him enough, but he means the world to me. I can't imagine my life without him. He has that smile that makes me melt, no matter how upset I am with him. I love watching him make the little ones laugh. I love watching when he is teaching Andrew how to do home repairs. I LOVE YOU, MICHAEL HILL!!!

Dragging again...

2011-07-25T00:31:00.000-04:00

I can see Lissa now tapping her fingers on the table wondering why I have been so slack about posting to the blog. I love you, Lissa! :o) The summer is almost over, and I feel like it just started! Where did it go? We have had a week of iKamp (Emi, JJ, & Laura), a week of Mission Possible (Andrew & Laura), a week of MFuge (Andrew & Laura),and 4 days of VBS (Emi, JJ, Bekah, & Luke). Tomorrow night starts VBS for Bekah & Lukey, since they were too young for iKamp. Andrew & Laura will be helping with it. Add to that mix, Laura had 4 baby teeth pulled and braces put on. I'm tired thinking about it.

Mike and I were suppose to go down to Orlando this coming week to teach a few couponing classes, but it didn't work out. Speaking of couponing, did I mention I was in the Vidalia newspaper the last two weeks for an interview I was a part of about couponing?! Mike tells everyone I was in the police blotter. LOL! I was interviewed along with 4 or 5 other women. My pictures were in the paper this week. Lukey said, "Dat's you!" I thought it was kinda cool.

Mr. Jonathan David doesn't think he needs to go to bed. He is walking around the house looking at stuff and saying, "Ma Ma, what's dat?!" I answer that question a million times a day. He isn't a baby anymore. He will be 2 years old in just a few short months. I miss my baby already. He is learning from Lukey how to get into things. Oh goodness!

I hope to be more consistent with my postings. Hopefully I will have pics to share soon. Love ya bunches!

They are finally on...

2011-07-12T10:52:00.000-04:00

Laura had to be in Savannah at 8:30am yesterday. She was scheduled to have her braces put on. Lets just say she hasn't been in the best mood since she had to spacers put in on Thursday. At least 8:30am, they called us back to pay the down payment, etc. I think they called her back about 8:45am. By 10:15am, her braces were on and she was ILL AS A RATTLESNAKE!!

No, there are no pictures to post... because she won't let me take any! I tried everything to sneak a picture, but nothing worked.

When we got home, Andrew had spelled Laura's name on the bed with trains from a Rush Hour game we have. She wasn't as amused as her big brother and Daddy. We had to make her go to my parents' house for supper, because she said BooBoo (my sister) would pick on her.

Oh my goodness, my beautiful, sensitive daughter, I love you!! I know your mouth is sore..... I have been there. It will all be worth it!

I know....

2011-06-30T22:30:00.000-04:00

I haven't been keeping you all updated on the happenings around here. I didn't even look to see when I posted last. Bad Charity! I was waiting for Lissa or Jane to call me and tell me to get my butt busy typing. June has been about to kill me. I didn't even put up posts for Lukey and Emi's birthdays or Father's Day. Very bad Charity!!! Not gonna be the winner of Mommy or Wife of the Year award.

Lukey turned 3 on the 19th. It was also Father's Day, so we went to church with my daddy. Mike had to work, so we went out to eat at Zaxby's after church. Lukey and Bekah went home to keep Granddaddy/Honey and Granny company for the afternoon. We had supper at Papa & Grandma's. Mike was home from work by then, so he got to join us. Mike and Lukey went on their Daddy Date the next day. They grabbed breakfast then came home, so Mike could go do some a/c jobs.

Emily turned 8 on the 27th. She had her Daddy Date a few days early, b/c Mike was going to work the day of her birthday. They went to the movies to see Cars 2. After the movie, they went over to Bruster's (sp?) for ice cream. The left the ice cream shop and went to have lunch at Nikko's Express. Did I mention Emi had eaten most of a big bucket of popcorn at the movies?! She complained all afternoon and evening that her stomach hurt. Around midnight, she got sick all over her bed. Just what I wanted to be dealing with at that time of night!!

Andrew and Laura have been at the church all week for Mission Possible. They weren't able to take their phones, so I haven't heard from them since they left Monday morning. I know they are having a blast. I think they are going to the beach tomorrow. By tomorrow night, they will be ready to crash.... and the 5 little Hillians will be ready to pounce on them. They have asked every day when Bubbie and Laura (Wahwa) are coming home. I guess Mommy isn't as fun as their big brother and sister.

Sarah had gone to Pennsylvania to see Adam for his birthday, which means I have her little dog Sissy. Lukey says that Sissy is his dog. Guess we will see who wins that fight when BooBoo gets home. Lukey, Jonathan, and Sissy love to play chase in the house. It has been too hot or raining for them to go outside to run. I am hoping we will get a little break in the heat so the little ones can go outside.

Well, I think I'm going to go start another load of laundry. I am trying to conquer Mt. Washmore today. It set me back when I fell asleep with Lukey this afternoon. We took a 2 1/2 hour nap! Jonathan slept longer than that. Hope this finds all well. Love ya bunches!

Happenings at the Hill House

2011-06-22T16:05:00.000-04:00

I think everyone knows that Lukey keeps things VERY interesting around here. This week hasn't been an exception. Monday night, he poured Moore's Buffalo wing sauce on the carpet under the table. Last night while they were suppose to be getting ready for bed, he done this!

Yep, that is an ENTIRE 18 oz box of Rice Krispy cereal! After he dumped it out, he scattered it all over the room. The girls had been playing dressup and Barbie dolls and had not put those things away yet. The cereal was EVERYWHERE!! Stop laughing Lissa, Jane, and Michelle!!! It took me forever to get that mess cleaned up.

This morning found us rushing over the Vidalia for Laura's dentist appointment. She had to have 4 baby teeth pulled. She will be getting braces on July 11th, so the baby teeth had to go. She wasn't very happy with me when she came out. She is doing well now, but I'm sure she will be sore. Her mouth may have been numb, but her thumbs weren't! Took me forever to get this picture.

I hope you all are doing well. Remember to always let God direct your steps. Love ya bunches!

Papa's 80th bday

2011-06-13T11:49:00.003-04:00

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Happy 6th Birthday Jacob!!

2011-06-09T11:13:00.001-04:00

Happy birthday to my sweet little JJ! Well, you aren't so little anymore. Your smile melts my heart every time. I can't wait to see the man you become, but I know I will miss the little mischievous boy. Daddy and I thank God for blessing us with you. May you let God lead you in each step of your life. We love you!

JJ was our tiniest baby. I miss those sweet little baby snuggles.

Here he is as a "chick magnet." :o)

Here is JJ being JJ. We called his name to snap a picture, and he turned around with his tongue out. Then he flashed that smile to get himself outta trouble.

JJ loves him some Matt Matt! These two are too funny together.

This is one of my fave pics of JJ, taken by Aunt Lissa of course.

Just a quickie!

2011-06-09T01:01:00.000-04:00

This month is full of exciting days for us. Mike and I celebrated our 18th wedding anniversary on the 6th. Wow, where has the time gone?! I can't imagine not having him in my life. He has been my biggest fan in anything I've done. He is such a huge part of my couponing. I love having him with me as I teach my classes. I know he will remind me of those things I have forgotten, because he has heard me talk about them a million times. I know he would probably love to be a million other places than sitting through the classes, but he goes anyway. Thank you babe for being such an amazing husband. I pray that I can be the wife and friend you need me to be.  I look forward to many more years with you.

Jacob celebrates his 6th birthday today. I will have to type that post when I am at the desktop tomorrow.  Most of my pics are on that computer. He did inform me earlier this week that he wanted pizza, bbq chips, sour cream & onion chips, and pound cake for his birthday supper. We will eat lunch with Papa Harold & Grandma Jean, b/c Papa & JJ share the same birthday. :o)

Lukey will be celebrating his 3rd birthday on the 19th. He has been arguing with JJ all week about whose birthday is first. Luke continues to be the source of a lot of chaos around here. Just today, he climbed up on my desk to get the WhiteOut from the top shelf. He then took it to his room to paint a few stripes on his bed. After he was finished with that masterpiece, he decided the window in Emi and Bekah's room needed some attention. Stop laughing Lissa, Jane, and Michelle!! He keeps telling me he needs a haircut. I guess I need to get that scheduled before he decides to do it himself, which would not surprise me.

Emily Grace will celebrate her 8th birthday on the 27th. She is growing up too fast. She changed her first dirty diaper today. I didn't mean to give her that job. I honestly thought Jonathan was just wet. He was ready to go down for a nap and I was doing something in the kitchen and Laura was busy too. I have to say that she done a great job. Luke was standing beside her and was quick to yell, "Ewwww, he pooped!"  Please be praying for our Emily Grace. Her mouth is so tiny. She barely had room for her baby teeth. Now that her permanent teeth are coming in, there is NO ROOM. The orthodontist wants to have 4 teeth on top and 4 teeth on bottom pulled to make room for the front teeth to come in straighter. He is trying to avoid her having to go through braces twice.  She has always done so well at the dentist, so I'm hoping this doesn't mess that up.

So much for this being a quickie post. I pray you all have a blessed day. Love ya bunches!

Earn Free Gas All Summer Long While Shopping for Essentials at CVS/pharmacy | CVS Caremark

2011-05-21T15:21:00.000-04:00

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A quick update from the crazy house...

2011-05-20T02:14:00.000-04:00

Good gracious!! I really don't know where to start again. Time is just flying by a lot faster than I like. It seems like we start a new week every other day. Lemme think what I have to tell ya...

Andrew had 7 stitches in his thumb a few weeks ago. He was cutting something at work and almost cut the pad off of his thumb. Just the call a mama wants to get to start the week! I'm so thankful they were able to stitch him back up.

Laura is just growing into a beautiful young lady. I honestly don't know what I would do without her. She really helps keep me straight when I am running in a million different directions. I can tell you that her little sisters and brothers think she is pretty cool. Jonathan loves to run to her when I have made him upset. Laura is getting ready for a super busy summer with church activities. I know she will be gone 3 weeks out of the summer.

Emily has lost a total of 4 teeth. She looks so cute without her front teeth. We cut her hair into a cute little bob. Her hair gets too stringy when it gets long. She looks more like her MamMa Mary each day.

JJ is still a little stinker. That kid loves to hide and jump out at ya! He has lost 2 teeth and trying his best to get another one ready to come out. He is getting excited about going to i-Kamp this summer. It is an all day VBS that our church has each year.
Bekah has been taking some swimming lessons. It has really helped to start pulling her out of her shell. She has started going to His House (Sunday night service for the kids) and Awanas on Wednesday nights. She was even in the Easter program the Children's Chior participated. For those of you that know Bekah, that is a HUGE deal.

I have no clue where to start with Luke. This afternoon, he came into the kitchen with the front of his shirt wet. I asked him why it was wet to which he replied "Cuz." Then he walked on past me.... the back of his shirt was also wet. BUT, the sides were dry. I don't know how he managed that, but he and Jonathan had been washing their hands in the tub.

Jonathan is not a little baby anymore. He is growing into his personality and I'm afraid he is going to be a little sneak like Luke. If he decides he wants chocolate chip morsels, he pulls up a chair and gets the big container out of the cabinet. God knew what he was doing when he waited to give us boys back to back. Luke and Jonathan keep us hopping.

Mike is working, working, working. We are trying our best to get the van and house paid off. We don't like having debt. He is going to start shooting pistols competitively. That is his new hobby. It is nothing uncommon to hear the popping of a pistol at the back of our property. Boys and their toys!!!

My couponing classes are starting to pick up. With the economy tanking, people are looking for ways to cut their spending. I do enjoy teaching them what I have learned and consider it a ministry of sorts. I got a call from a newspaper reporter this week wanting to interview me. How cool is that?! Maybe that will lead to more opportunities to share. I want to make sure I give God the glory, because He is the one that opens the doors. It is only through Him that I can do this.

I pray this finds you all well. Remember to live each day to the fullest because we are not promised tomorrow. Love ya bunches!

Happy birthday Mike!!!

2011-05-06T10:17:00.000-04:00

I can't thank God enough for blessing me with you as my husband. You are such an amazing man. I pray God blesses me with many more years with you by my side enjoying the beautiful family we have been entrusted to guide through this life. I thank you for being who you are, even when it isn't the popular decison. I love you with all my heart! Happy birthday, Babe!

JJ lost a tooth... or two

2011-05-02T23:36:00.000-04:00

Friday night, JJ came to me and asked if I could pull his tooth the next morning before breakfast. I checked it and found that it was ready to come out. I put some Orajel on it and pulled it out. He was so excited that he talked Andrew into take him up to Papa & Grandma's house to show them. He came home with $2. Well, the tooth fairy didn't come Friday night. Our dogs barked all night and kept the tooth fairy away. (Hey! I forgot and fell asleep on the couch! And our dogs did bark all night.) The tooth fairy came Saturday night and left him $5.

Now when I pulled the first tooth, the tooth right next to it was loose. I thought I would have a week or so before that one needed to be pulled. OHHHHH NOOOOO!!!!! JJ couldn't have any of that! He worked on that tooth until it was ready to be pulled Sunday night. He asked me to try to pull it. When it didn't come out, he went back to his room and worked on it some more. He must've done that 4 or 5 times before it was ready to pop out in my hand. Goodness, that boy was wanting that tooth out... or wanted more money. When the tooth finally came out, he said, "I know I will just get a dollar for this one." I asked him how he knew, and he told me Emily had told him. These kids!!

I pray this finds you well. If you find typos, I'm sorry. My brain is already asleep. Love ya bunches!

A little fun with Lukey

2011-04-27T14:07:00.000-04:00

I had to make a run to the 'Boro yesterday afternoon, so I took Luke with me. Mike met us over there when he was finished working. As we were going into BiLo, a helicopter was landing in the parking lot between Kmart and Chic-Fil-A. After we finished running our errands, we went back over to Kmart to pick up Mike's car. The helicopter was still there, along with cars from the sheriff and city departments, an ambulance, a huge dump truck, a John Deere tractor, and a wrecker. Luke was so excited. He got to sit in the helicopter, tractor, and ambulance. It was family night at Chick-Fil-A, so they had all of those cool things there for the kids to check out. The helicopter was about to leave, so we hung around to watch. Luke was amazed. Enjoy the pics.

Garden 2011

2011-04-27T13:49:00.000-04:00

We got a late start on our garden this year, but it is doing well. It has only been two weeks, and I already have baby squash, zucchini, cucumbers, and tomatoes on the bushes. I am so excited. We will be eating fresh veggies soon!! Here are a few pics that I took this morning with my phone. Sorry for the poor quality.

How is your garden growing? Love ya bunches!

Gonna be a day....

2011-04-20T12:15:00.000-04:00

I'm sitting here at the dining room table surrounded by coupons. Emi is sitting at the other end of the table doing some handwriting. Are you wondering where JJ is at this moment?! He is stretched out on the couch watching some television.... with a 102.6 temp.

Ahhhh, the joys of spring! With the warmer weather and everything blooming comes seasonal allergies. They really do a number on JJ! We were outside all afternoon Friday planting the garden. Then we had an outside birthday party to attend Saturday afternoon. Andrew had a softball game that night and you know we were there cheering him on. All that outside time means the allergies are working overtime. Jonathan woke up Sunday morning with a temp and his poor little nose was terrible. Lukey had a bad case of the sniffles. I stayed home from church, and my sweet hubby went to church with the others. I missed Emi, JJ, and Bekah's Easter program. :o( But I knew I couldn't put the two little boys in the nursery being sick. Yes, I am one of those mommies that if my child has a yuck nose, I keep them away from other kids outside the family. I don't want another mommy having all this "fun".

On a lighter note, if you know our family, you know how SHY Bekah can be. Well, I am happy to report that she has started going to Cubbies (part of the AWANA program) on Wednesday nights at church. She also participated in the Easter program in front of the church!!! This is a HUGE step for her. She is finally coming out of her shell. Thank you Lord for working that out!

Our garden is planted. I didn't think we were ever going to find the time to get it planted. We have watermelons, cantaloupe, cucumbers, green beans, radishes, tomatoes, squash, zucchini, and bell peppers. I'm praying we will get some rain soon. I have been watering the garden, but rain always does it so much better. We will be planting more of the same in a few weeks, so it will last all summer. I do love fresh veggies, but I'm not looking forward to the weeding.

Okay, it is time for me to get busy with these coupons. I want to do a little shopping this week, if everyone starts feeling better. I also have to get the booklets ready for my couponing class next Saturday. Love ya bunches!

Catching my breath....

2011-04-09T17:48:00.000-04:00

This week has been mentally and physically exhausting. I can't pinpoint one thing that would make me feel this way. It has just been a long week. The kids have been at each other which I'm sure it is because Mommy isn't in the best mood. Pray that God will lift this irritable spirit I have.

Late yesterday brought the reality of just how dangerous Mike's job can be. I got a call from one of Mike's close friends. Bubba was calling to let me know that there had been an explosion at the plant, but he was safe. Mike and Bubba are on the same crew and Bubba is like Mike's little brother, so you can imagine the panic that would have hit me when I watched the news just a few seconds later. Mike was suppose to be working the 4pm-4am shift, but he had jury duty yesterday and missed work. Around 4:10pm, a tanker truck exploded and one of the workers lost his life. I praise God that Mike wasn't at the plant, but my heart is heavy for the wife that lost her husband. We are never promised tomorrow and yesterday made me realize that. I'm not promised that Mike will come home to me, so I should treasure each second we have together. I can tell you that I would come unglued completely if I didn't have Mike to share the rest of my life. Please keep the families of all involved in your prayers.

On a lighter note, Andrew starts softball tonight. Oh how I have missed ball season! I loved watching him play baseball. Now he is old enough to play softball with the church team. YAY!!! I finally found the battery charger for my camera, so I will be snapping some pics of the Hillians cheering on their big brother.

I pray that you all are well and treasuring the special times with your family. Let God lead each step you take. Love ya bunches!

I'm still here!

2011-03-22T12:41:00.000-04:00

We haven't fallen off the planet. We got home from Iowa and tried to recoop from tht trip and prepare for our trip to Pennsylvania. We had a wonderful time visiting my brother Adam and his family despite the snow. Have I mentioned that I don't really care for snow?! It is pretty to watch falling, then I want it gone. We had sleet and 5-6" of snow the first Sunday we were in PA. Needless to say, this southern chick stayed in the room.

The little ones passed around a little stomach bug while we were there. I made a run to Walmart and bought all kinds of cleaners to get rid of the germies! I spent several days in the room with the sickies while the rest of the family went out.

I forgot to take my camera with me several times, so I don't have many pics of the trip. Kara made a cd of the pics she made, so I will be sharing those soon. Thanks a million, Kara!!

Adam and Kara took Andrew and Laura to New York City. I didn't want to go with all the little ones this time. Maybe we will take on that adventure when they are a little older. Laura has been wanting to go and Uncle Abba is such a softie when it comes to Laura. He has told her several times that he would tell her how to get there, but Kara and I knew he would give in and take her. SUCKER!!!

Well, I have a little one (Lukey) perched up on my shoulders like a parrot. Time to get up from here and be productive. Love ya bunches!

Back home!

2011-02-16T01:02:00.000-05:00

We left home Thursday at noon and arrived in Iowa a little after 1pm on Friday. The kids were so excited to get there and find lots and lots of snow. Of course, Mike had to push Laura in it as soon as we got out of the van. Emily and Jacob played in it for a while. It was up to their knees.

Saturday morning, Andrew and I had to make a quick trip to Des Moines to find him a navy blue blazer for the funeral. Mike and the other kiddos stayed behind, so Mike could find a broken water line in the basement shower.

Saturday afternoon, we went to the funeral home for the family viewing of Grandma's body. I have to say that she looked beautiful and at peace. It broke our hearts knowing that our yearly trips to see her were over. Over the last 15 years, our kids have formed a bond and made memories with her that no one can ever take away from them. They truly knew their Grandma Marge.

Saturday night, we enjoyed a meal with our Iowa family, the Partridges. Uncle Charlie and Aunt Judi wanted to take us out for a meal. They have also become very special to us. They have gone above and beyond when it came to Grandma's care. We will never be able to express just how much they mean to our family and how much we appreciate all that they have done. It was always a joy to visit with them during our trips.

Sunday was hard. We knew that it would be the last time we would see Grandma. We also knew that it would probably be the last time we would stay in her house... the house that had become our vacation home for so many years. The kids referred to it is our "Iowa house." Each room has always been filled with love from Grandma. We held it together well until the preacher started talking about Grandma telling him that although she had gotten offers for the house, she wouldn't sell it. She wanted to keep it so her family would have a place to stay when they came to visit her. I thank God that we were able to have those years with her. Although the drive there was physically draining, we made it a priority to see her and give her that precious time with her great-grandchildren.

We left late Sunday afternoon. We planned to drive at least halfway, putting us in Paducah, KY. Andrew drove us from Columbia, MO, through St. Louis, MO, and into Illinois. He turned over the driving to me when it got close to midnight. When I drove into Paducah, everyone else was sleeping, so I kept on going. It was already 2:30am, maybe later, and I wasn't worth spending money to only get about 3 hours sleep. Mike would have been ready to leave there at 6:30am. He had been sleeping in the back seat since 10:30pm. I drove until my bladder was registering FULL, putting us about 60 miles from Nashville, TN. Mike took over the driving from there. We got home about noon on Monday. We took a nap before going to get Bekah, Luke, and Jonathan from Papa & Grandma's house.

Today was full of errands. I can't believe that I am still awake! My body is telling me that I'm tired, but my mind just won't shut off. I am thinking some PM meds are in my immediate future. Please continue to pray for Mr. Rex, Deborah, and Aunt Judi as they go through all the things involved in Grandma's passing. Thank you for all the prayers that have already been prayed. Love ya bunches!

The trip we have been dreading...

2011-02-10T01:06:00.001-05:00

We got a call earlier this week that Grandma Marge's health had started declining rapidly. At that point, we knew we wouldn't be making our yearly trip to Iowa in March to visit her... we would be making the trip sooner to say our final goodbye. Each year as we left her, we wondered if it was the last time we would get to see her smile or hear her tell everyone at the nursing home that this was her grandson Mike from Georgia and his family. "And my what a family" is what she would always add.

For many years, our family vacation has been traveling to Iowa to spend time with Grandma. We wanted our kids to know their great-Grandma Marge. Once when we went up, she was so proud of herself. She had bought two pouting babies and put one in each corner by the bathroom door. She informed Mike and me that we could NOT put Andrew and Laura in the corner for timeout, because the corners were already occupied. She was with us when we took Andrew for his first trip to the zoo. She was as excited as he was to go. She was always telling Mike just how much like his Grandpa Ray he looked. She loved getting out the pictures or taking a ride all over the countryside telling us all about her childhood. I hope my long term memory is that good when I am her age.

When she had to go into the nursing home, she made sure that we knew she had a house waiting on us whenever we wanted to visit. Each time we went up, it was just like home. We would go sit in her room at the nursing home, and she would count the kids over and over. She would watch them as they played and laugh at their silliness. She would love on the new great-grandbaby we were introducing her to for the first time. I thank God that she was able to meet each of our kids. Even though some of them won't remember her, we will have pictures and stories to share about how much she loved on them when she was living.

Please remember our entire family as we travel to Iowa to say goodbye to a very special lady in our lives. Love you bunches!

Weekend in review

2011-02-07T00:32:00.000-05:00

The weekend started with a shopping trip to pick up supplies for Bekah's birthday party. Yes, I know her birthday was the middle of last month, but our crazy schedules prevented up from having a party before now. Laura, Emily, and I braved the nasty weather. Emi insisted on going with us, because she needed to buy gifts for Bekah and Makenna (my niece). Andrew and Jacob also had us buying gifts for Bekah. How sweet is that?! My kids do have big hearts.

Saturday morning, I decided to ride with Mike to have his oil changed and tires rotated at Walmart. I just wasn't up to doing to usual baking for the party. We bought a cake and cupcakes. I could have done the baking myself for sooooo much cheaper, but sometimes ya just gotta do what ya gotta do. We rushed home with enough time to make a few snack foods, then off to the church we went. We had a great time with the family that was able to attend the party and missed the ones that were sick and couldn't make it. We love you all and hope you are feeling much better soon. ALL of the kids went over to my parents' house to feed the fish in the pond and spend some time with Granddaddy/Honey and Granny. I had a horrible headache, so Mike and I enjoyed the chance to take a nap. After a much needed nap, Mike watched television and I washed dishes. Exciting huh?! Mike offered to take me out to eat, but I didn't want to change out of my pjs. The kids, minus JJ, came home around 11:30pm. JJ got to spend the night to enjoy time with Granddaddy and Granny.

Today was a sick day at home. I had taken something for my headache last night right before the kiddos came home. It kicked in while I was trying to get Lukey to sleep. I woke up around 7:30am... still in bed with Lukey. I can't believe I didn't wake up once during the night. My head was still feeling fuzzy, so I got in my own bed. Mike had my side of the bed so warm. How sweet of him!! hehehe Mike wasn't feeling the best either. He has been fighting a cold all week, and I think he is getting close to the end of it. Andrew & Laura have been gone most of the day. They helped out with Upward soccer evaluations at church this afternoon, then went to the youth group's Super Bowl party after church tonight.

Speaking of the Super Bowl....... I won!!!!! And that is all I'm going to say about that! Hehehehehe!!!

Now it is time for me to get to bed. I have a lot to do tomorrow... normal routine plus getting ready for a couponing class I will be teaching Tuesday night. Love ya bunches!

Just a quick update...

2011-02-02T00:15:00.000-05:00

I met Mike in Savannah today to search for a laptop. OH MY GOODNESS!!! It is enough to make you want to stick a pencil in your eye! I hate computer shopping! I think I would rather take Andrew shopping for clothes. Well, I did get a laptop, and I am typing my first blog post on it. YAY! It will take some getting used to Windows 7. I'm not as computer savvy as Lissa, but I will learn it. I have an HP Pavilion dm4. Lets not even talk about price, but I might just start crying. I did manage to look up the router and get the internet going on here with my dear sweet hubby's help. Andrew helped plugging in the router, so I wouldn't have to jump up and down off the floor.

I have little sickies this week. Jonathan is cutting 4 jaw teeth, so that needs no extra explanation. Mike, Bekah, and Lukey are fighting colds. JJ complained of an earache last night, but he was back to normal this morning. I am hoping everyone is well for Bekah's party on Saturday.

Well, I am off to get some sleep. I have TONS to do tomorrow, and the laptop needs to restart for some update. Love ya bunches!

Happy 4th Birthday, Bekah Rae!!

2011-01-15T16:46:00.000-05:00

What a joy you are to have in our family. We love our baby girl to pieces! We love your playful nature even when you are being shy. We love that little shy grin you give us when we catch you singing opera. You remind us so much of BooBoo when she was little. Believe it or not, she used to be just that shy! Even though you are shy, you can be very bossy!!! Just this morning, you woke Laura and asked her to get you some jelly. When she rolled over, you told her, "It's my birthday. You have to do what I say!" Not sure if that is Mommy, BooBoo, or MyLissa coming out in you... maybe a little of all three. :o)
I can't wait to see what God has in store for your life. I pray you always let Him lead your steps.
We love you, Bekah Rae!

Couponing challenge trip January 2011

2011-01-07T01:06:00.002-05:00

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Another year gone, another year beginning

2011-01-01T15:41:00.000-05:00

I am just like everyone else... I can't believe 2010 is over! Where did it go?! It seems like we just celebrated its beginning last month. There were lots of changes and happenings in our family. Here are a few highlights of the year.

We adjusted to life with our 7 blessings from above. Boy, do they ever keep us busy! But as crazy as this sounds, our family doesn't seem huge. I know we draw attention when we are out and about, because who has so many children these days. I love it!! I can't imagine life without them. I would have LOVED to add more to our "small army," but Mike said no. Breaks my hearts, but he is the head!

This year was a doozy for Mike healthwise. He had a bout with a kidney stone in February, which ended in him having surgery to have it crushed. I hope I never have to see him in that much pain again. It was horrible, and there was nothing I could do to take it away. In May, Mike decided to end the possiblity of any more little Hillians, so he had THAT surgery on Friday. What he was thinking at this point is beyond me, but he scheduled to have his wisdom teeth out the following Monday. Now that is a story that is FUNNY!!! He was quite a bit of entertainment after I got him home from the wisdom teeth surgery. Lets just say, he was far from being awake and has no clue as to the laughter he caused that day.

Jacob had to have surgery this year as well to have his adenoids removed. The week after surgery, he got a nasty stomach bug. He didn't eat well for a couple weeks and had the weight loss to prove it. But he has made up for it since! He is back to his old ways.

Andrew became a LEGAL driver this year. He has been driving on the farm for years, but now he can drive everywhere! I love not having to run to town for the little things or having to run them here or there.

This year I really started improving my couponing skills. Thanks Michelle for your guidance!! I met a challenge Mike gave me in October, and we will be making a trip to the mountain in TWO DAYS!!! I am looking forward to the time I will have to spend with him. I was able to teach a couponing class and loved it! I am looking forward to teaching many more in 2011.

We lost a dear member of our family, Aunt Lisa Thompson. What a testimony of faithfulness she was! She let God use her and in the end, He rewarded her with a new body in Heaven free of cancer!! It is still hard to think of her being gone from our lives here on earth. I can't imagine the grief Uncle Marty, Colby, and Devin feel. Please continue to remember them in your prayers. We enjoyed a day of baking with them on Christmas Eve... something we done with Aunt Lisa. As hard as it was to be there and her not be with us, I know she was looking down from Heaven smiling. She probably even had a good laugh at mine and Colby's first attempt at peanut butter cookies.

What I pray for most in this new year is a stronger walk with God for my entire family. I pray that we will step out of His way and allow Him to lead us in His plan for our lives. I look forward to the memories we will make as a family.

Love ya bunches!

Happy Birthday Laura!!!

2010-12-22T11:46:00.000-05:00

What a beautiful young lady she has become!! I can't imagine our life without her. We have been faced with that reality with her when she was three years old; but praise God, He decided to let us keep her. She is such a blessing to us. The little ones LOVE their LaLa, their second mommy. I pray God will continue to use her. I know she will make a wonderful wife and mommy one day, but she is such a wonderful person now. We love you, Laura!!

Our little man Jonathan

2010-12-16T23:46:00.000-05:00

Jonathan is walking a little more each day, but he is still pretty wobbly on his feet. With that said, he had NO problem climbing and standing up on things he shouldn't be standing on. He has been watching Luke for months now and soaking it all up like a sponge. He can climb up on the couch now. If the dishwasher is open, he climbs onto the lid and stands on it. He climbs out of the highchair and onto the tray. See!!

He is going to give me a heart attack! Yes, he was waving at me. He does something and then gives us that grin... that he learned from his daddy!! Mike knows what melts my heart and gets him out of trouble.

I have taken the pacifier from Jonathan. We are 24 hours without it. All of the other Hillians had been without it for well over a month by now, usually gone long before their 1st birthday. But with Aunt Lisa so sick, I knew Jonathan was going to need to be quiet for extended periods of time. Another baby thing I won't have to work through again. I watch him growing up and while I rejoice in his accomplishments, my heart aches. I know my baby days are flying by in a flash. This will be our last Christmas with a baby of our own. :o(

An exciting day here!

2010-12-08T15:58:00.001-05:00

Look what we saw today! I am not giving the location of these beautiful creatures, because we don't want people to disturb them. But it was amazing to watch them. Now how is THAT for education?! Seeing two bald eagles in the wild! Gotta love homeschooling!!

A couple of "firsts" around here....

2010-12-07T15:57:00.000-05:00

Jonathan got his FIRST hair cut on Friday at Country Gentlemen. "Aunt Rheta" (as all my little boys call her) has given each of my boys their first cuts. I can't believe it was time already to Jonathan already. My baby is growing up, and it is breaking my heart. Here are his pics.

Andrew went out yesterday afternoon with Mike looking for Andrew a job. They brought home a few applications, and we worked on them this morning. Andrew took them back this afternoon and talked to a few people. No one has any openings right now. :o( Oh well, we will continue to pray that God will open the door that needs to be opened. His ways are not our ways, and His timing is ALWAYS perfect.

No signs of slowing down

2010-12-04T12:50:00.000-05:00

What a busy week! Just when I think we are going to have a slow week, the calendar fills up. This week was filled with dentist appointments, school, finishing touching on a couponing class presentation, teaching the couponing class, shopping, and ending the week with participating in the To Statesboro with Love at First Baptist Church Statesboro. It makes me tired just typing it all.

Jonathan has been taking a few steps here and there, but he would rather crawl to get to something. Guess he figures crawling is faster. I'm not complaining that he isn't walking either! He watches everything Luke does which scares the ba-jeebies outta me! We all know the excitement Luke can cause around here. Now think if our sweet little Jonathan follows Lukey's example. Lord help us all!

Yes, you did read that I taught my first couponing class this week. I loved it! It was a LOT of work getting the PowerPoint and booklet ready and I still need to do some tweeking to both, but I look forward to teaching the next class. My truly AMAZING hubby went with me. I wanted him to come along so he could give me some feedback on how it went. I LOVE YOU MIKE!!!

Well, Mt. Washmore is calling my name. Love ya bunches!

Just a few things I am thankful for....

2010-11-27T11:32:00.000-05:00

As I am sitting here at the computer typing, I hear the little ones running around the house getting ready to go outside to play. They are so excited because Daddy is building a fire to roast hot dogs and marshmallows. I am so thankful for such an amazing husband. He is a wonderful man with a HUGE heart. He loves his family and works very hard to provide for us. I love you, Mike.
I am thankful for our children. How many people today can say they have been blessed with 7 children?! God has given us these blessings, and I pray that I have many years to enjoy them. I love you, Andrew, Laura, Emily, Jacob, Rebekah, Luke, and Jonathan.
I am thankful for my parents and grandparents. They have been Godly influences in my life. They continue to be that influence to my children. I love you, Daddy & Mama, Mr. Rex & Mrs. Deborah, Papa & Grandma Jean, Grandma Laura, and Grandma Marge.
I am thankful for brothers and sisters. I enjoy the time we are together. I love you, Adam & Kara, Paul & Laura, Sarah, Larry & Katrina, Tracy & Lissa, and Ron & Amy.
I am also thankful for my nieces and nephews. It is such a pleasure to watch them all grow up. It is also a pleasure to repay the favors of all the LOUD toys my brothers and sisters bought for our kids. :o) I love you, Hannah & Noah, Matthew, Aylissa & Olivia, Makenna & Logan, and Ian.
The one thing I am MOST thankful for is my Savior, Jesus Christ. Without Him, I would be lost in sin. He loved me so much that He died for my sins. I pray I am the child He wants me to be. I also pray that if you don't know Him as your Savior, you will ask Him in come into your life.
I pray you are having a wonderful Thanksgiving weekend. Love ya bunches!

She is walking with Jesus!

2010-11-12T15:26:00.000-05:00

Aunt Lisa got to meet Jesus a few minutes before 12:30pm today!! We are praising God that her pain and suffering is now over. She has her healing and is at peace. What a testimony she leaves behind of her faith in the ULTIMATE HEALER! I pray that I can have that kind of faith and peace to know that God is always in control and His ways are perfect. She has been strong and fought hard. Now she is resting at Jesus' feet. Please pray for the family as they face the next few days. Lift Uncle Marty, Colby, Devin, Mr. Curtis and Mrs. Loretta (her parents) and Vicky (her sister) up in prayers for peace and comfort. Thank you for all the prayers that have been prayed over the past 2 years. We love you all!

This picture was taken Oct. 17th. We love you Aunt Lisa and will miss you always. But we rejoice with you now!

Happy 1st Birthday Jonathan!!

2010-11-04T00:32:00.002-04:00

It has been a year already! I just can't believe that my "forever baby" is a year old now. It really does seem like yesterday that I was holding him in my arms for the first time. Now, he is beginning to prefer Daddy's arms over Mommy's arm. I do love the excitement in his eyes when he sees his Daddy, but it breaks my heart too. I'm still not ready to say goodbye to my baby days. :o(

Jonathan decided to make his grand entrance a little earlier than we had planned. Thank God we were already at the hospital for a scheduled induction when he decided he wanted out. He was born at 5:56am after only 1 1/2 hours of labor. YAY! I'm so thankful Dr. Palmer put me in the hospital the night before we were to start the induction around 8am. Couldn't you just see Mike scrambling around trying to get me to the hospital if I had gone into labor at home?!

Jonathan, you have been such an easy baby. I love the way your face lights up when you see us coming to get you from bed. I love the way you like to snuggle up in bed with us some nights. I think I see a hint of mischief in your eyes just like Daddy, Andrew, Jacob, and especially Luke. You look so much like Granddaddy and Uncle Marty's baby pictures. I pray you follow in God's plan for your life. I look forward to a lifetime of memories with you.

Happy Birthday Little Man!!

Just thinking....

2010-10-28T01:23:00.001-04:00

"The Bible calls debt a curse and children a blessing; but in our culture, we apply for a curse and reject blessings. Something is wrong with this picture." Doug Phillips

I found this quote on one of the blogs I visit. It is so true. We are so worried about keeping up with everyone else that we forget what is really important... our family. Jonathan will be a year old soon, so my baby days are almost over. Boy, it makes me want to sit down and cry! There is such a negative viewpoint from the world in general when it comes to little ones. They drain the bank account, keep you from traveling to exotic places, rob you of your sleep, blah... blah... blah! Yes, it does take a lot of money to raise little ones. That hit me hard when I called to put Andrew on our auto insurance... OUCH!!!! The checkbook even cried! :o) Yes, little ones do limit your travel options, but they open up your eyes to the wonderful things around you. I loved hearing the kids get all excited about our quick trip to the mountains on Monday. It didn't break the bank, but the memories are priceless. Yes, they do require many sleepless nights, but there is nothing like snuggling up with the little ones when they wake up scared. Our sleepless nights will continue as we enter a new phase in parenting... a new driver. But those sleepless nights waiting for that teen can bring you closer to God... praying for safety and guidance in decisions that child is faced with when they are out in the world or praying for God's comfort as you watch your teen become an adult.

So, are those "things" we think we have to have more important? I too was guilty of wanting things and was willing to put aside having another baby to get it, but God had other plans and we now have our beautiful Laura. She is so much better than a car! I know my view on children is not the view the world has. Some even think I'm crazy for my small army. But just think... you can't take your worldly possessions with you when this life is over, but I can spend Eternity with my children if they continue to follow God's plan for their lives. Just a thought!

Love ya bunches!

Our day trip to north Georgia

2010-10-26T18:51:00.000-04:00

This free picture slideshow customized with Smilebox

Memories...

2010-10-23T01:03:00.001-04:00

I did survive the fact that I now have a 16 year old. I don't think I sat down to the computer until late tonight. Mike and Andrew had their "Guys Day" on Thursday. I guess Andrew is too old now to call it a "Daddy Date." They went to see the movie Red. They both said the movie was funny.

As I look back over the past 16 years, it amazes me how quickly they have flown by. It really does seems like yesterday that we were bringing him home. I don't know who was more excited about his arrival... Mike and me or our family. Daddy and Mrs. Mary argued the entire day that I was in labor about who was going to hold him first. Mrs. Mary left the hospital before Daddy because she wanted to have some film developed. She wanted pictures to show off at church the next day. Needless to say, Daddy took advantage of that and stayed late. He held his little man "before Mary Hill could get her nasty hands on him." The next day, I don't think Mrs. Mary stopped to eat lunch after church. She was trying to beat Daddy to the hospital. I wish you could have seen her face when Daddy walked in. She started giggling and saying, "Ha! Ha! Dennis, I beat you! I held him first!" Then you should have seen Daddy's face when he told her that he held Andrew the night before. Those two were too funny!! They loved picking on each other. Between the two of them, Mike and I had to schedule when we wanted Andrew at home.

His first bed at Granddaddy and Granny's house was a cardboard chicken box that they had used when moving. Mama didn't have a bed for him, and Adam had brought him home with him b/c I was sick.  Mama was afraid they would roll over on him, so she made his bed in the box. It wasn't long before Andrew had upgraded to bed with them though.  And as he grew, he ended up booting his Granny out of the bed.  She has to sleep in the spare room when he stays. He has always said that he gets that bed when something happens to them. Poor Grandpa Rex was ran ragged trying to get the nursery at their house before Andrew was born. Do you think he spent much time in there? NO! He slept with them too!

Then there is Aunt Lissa and Uncle Tracy. Aunt Lissa LOVED to tell Andrew to run go get his clothes from his room. Then she would hide from him behind the door. He would cry, b/c he thought Lissa had left him. She loved throwing marshmallows on the floor and watching Andrew run around eating them like a little bird. She understand "Andrew-nese" even when Uncle Tracy didn't. She knew if he was crying at the fridge, he wanted strawberry milk. :o) He loved riding on the 4wheeler with Uncle Tracy.  And he knew just how to sucker Uncle Tracy into taking him whenever he wanted to go.... just look at Aunt Lissa and point to where they kept the keys.

He knew he had Uncle Abba (Adam), Uncle Paul, and Aunt Sarah wrapped around his fingers. When Laura was born right before Christmas and had to stay a week in the hospital, Granddaddy and Granny said we couldn't have Christmas until Laura was home. Who was it that let him open at least two gifts each day and had to go out to buy more when it was time to have our family Christmas?!  Uncle Abba, Uncle Paul, and Aunt Sarah!!  Sarah is more like an older sister to Andrew than an aunt. I do have to remind him often that she is his aunt. He tends to treat her like a sister.... grrrrr!

Andrew is growing into a wonderful young man. I thank God for allowing me this honor to be his Mama. All the hard work is worth it to see the man he is becoming.  My prayer for him is that he will continue to follow God's plan for his life. Happy birthday! May God allow me many more years to share in the joys of your life.  We love you!

Sixteen years ago...

2010-10-22T16:11:00.000-04:00

Successful shopping 10/15/10

2010-10-16T12:15:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was my first major shopping trip of the week. I just couldn't find the time to get away. I finally decided yesterday that I was going no matter what. I visited CVS, RiteAid (2 stores), Publix (2 stores), Walgreens, and Kroger. Now, I know you are thinking, "That is a lot of stores!" I didn't want to wipe out the stores' supply on the shelf, and I really didn't have to drive out of my way for any of these stores. Here is the rundown of what we bought:

12 Green Giant Steamers 12 oz
4 Eggo waffles 10 ct
2 New York Texas Toast 8 ct
11 Pillsbury cinnamon rolls 8 ct
2 Coffee Mates French Vanilla 16 oz
4 Kroger sandwich meats 2.5 oz (I needed to purchase a meat to use a $2.50 off coupon for Kingsford charcoal. This was my meat... all 69 cents a pack worth.)
8 Hillshire Farm sausages 6 ct.
6 Hillshire Farm sausage links
4 Kingsford Match Light 6.7 lb
3 Dial soap 8ct (These are for our Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes.)
10 Kraft barbeque sauce 18 oz.
1 Huggies diapers 27 ct.
1 Huggies diapers 87 ct.
2 Huggies PullUps 23 ct
8 Right Guard Total Defense 5 deodorants
3 Gillette Fusion shaving gels 7 oz.
2 Gillette Fusion shaving gels 2.5 oz.
8 VitaminWaters 20 oz.
1 Oral B Vitality rechargeable toothbrush
4 Colgate Total toothpaste 4 oz. (More free toothpaste for the OCC shoeboxes)
7 Ace cold compress 1 ct.
4 Mini Chips Ahoy 3 oz. (One is missing from pic b/c I needed a snack on the way home.)
2 Oreo Fudge Cremes 4 ct. (One is missing from pic b/c Laura needed a snack on the way home.)
2 Nivea for Men body wash 16.9 oz.
2 Softsoap body wash 18 oz.
3 Glad OdorShield trash bags 40 ct.
1 Brachs candy corn 7.5 oz.
7 Snickers candy bars Fun Size pack 11.18 oz.
2 Starburst Fun Size pack 11.18 oz.
7 M&Ms Fun Size pack 9.45 oz.
7 M&Ms Peanut Fun Size pack 9.34 oz.
6 GladWare containers 3-5 ct.
4 Playtex tampons 18 ct.

A total of 150 items! I paid out of pocket $134.95 and saved $394.99!!! I still have $15 in store rewards that I can spend at a later time. The average cost for per item is $0.90. Whoot!! Whoot!! Now for the pic of my purchases.

Gotta get better...

2010-10-15T11:53:00.003-04:00

Yep, I have been a blog slacker again. I think about it, but it is always when I am doing something else. Things happen around here and I think, "That needs to go on the blog." Then I forget it. I know, I know!!
Just the other day, I was making grape Kool-aid for lunch. Bekah said, "Dat's my fave-it! You da bess Mommy in da whole wide world!" She had the sweetest look on her face. My baby girl is growing up too fast. all of the kids are.

For some reason, I had in my mind that I still had 2 or 3 weeks until Andrew's 16th birthday. It hit me Wednesday that his birthday is NEXT FRIDAY! That sent me scrambling to find a place to have the party that would have enough room for everyone to sit down to eat. I was able to find a place, but it wasn't available until Oct. 30. YAY! I get extra time to plan now. I have to look through pictures to find all the good ones we want to share with everyone. hehehe! He is going to be so excited about it. Kara is looking through her pics and sending them back down with Sarah. Lissa, let me know if you find some good ones!

After Andrew's party, we will have to jump right into planning Jonathan's 1st bday party. Wow! Two big milestones so close together. I can't believe my BABY is going to be one. I don't know which is hardest to accept... Andrew being 16 or Jonathan being 1. Either way, it is going to be a super busy month for us.

Well, I must finish clipping my coupons and get my shopping trip planned out. Mike has given me a challenge and I'm doing to best to meet it. :o) Love ya bunches!

Another week over...

2010-10-11T00:51:00.001-04:00

This was a busy week/weekend. Mike worked 4am to 4pm most of the week. I think he was only off Thursday. This meant our time together was very little. We did manage to squeeze in grocery trips on Thursday and Saturday. He actually just met me at Publix Saturday about the time I was ready to check out.... which was a blessing because I was there alone with the five little ones. Luke had already had multiple meltdowns, because he wanted out of the stroller. There was no way I could keep up with him being out of the stroller.

Andrew and Laura found out Thursday afternoon that they were going on the youth trips this weekend. The girls were going to a cabin in Cleveland, GA. The guys were going camping somewhere... 5 hours away. Needless to say, I didn't get to use the washer and dryer Friday. I know they were excited for the time away with friends again. Ken Seiber, our youth pastor, assured me there would be minimal bled loss for Andrew. Those two love to aggrivate each other. Laura said the girls are going shopping tomorrow. I'm guessing it will be on the way home. I do miss them, especially with Mike being gone most of the weekend as well. How does that always happen?! Andrew and Laura's trips usually fall during the times that Mike is scheduled to work the most. Hmmm... I'm thinking I need to have a little chat w/ Mike and Ken. :o)
I haven't had to answer, "Where's Bubba? Where's WahWah?" from Luke as much as I thought I would. He told me that they were "in town." Laura got smart this time and locked her door when she left. Lukey has a habit on getting into her things when she isn't home. He loves to paint his FEET with her nail polish. The only time the door has been unlocked was when I went in to get towels from her basket. Luke saw the door open and came running. He stopped as soon as he realized I was in there. I made sure I locked the door back. I heard him rattling the knob a while later.

Emi, JJ, and Bekah have been my "big helpers" this weekend. Emi told me that since Andrew and Laura were gone, she would be my right and left hands. As I said earlier, we went to Savannah to do some grocery shopping. I pushed the cart, Emi pushed Jonathan in the big stroller, JJ pushed Lukey in the umbrella stroller, and Bekah followed along. I do love Publix! We bumped into Michelle from Savannah Savvy Shopper while we were in there. She came back in after finishing her shopping to see us. Now she has met all the Hillians except Andrew. Thank God Luke wasn't melting down at that point, but he did about 2 minutes after she left. LOL Thanks Michelle for sharing your shopping wisdom. You are doing an excellent job!

The kids and I made cookies this afternoon. Okay, so we didn't mix them up. I bought the Pillsbury holiday cookie dough yesterday. But the end result was the same... VERY excited little ones. The simple things make them to happiest, and I am very thankful that I get to share in these times. I can't imagine not being with them like I am. Yes, it is hard work, but what a blessing!!

Jonathan is getting faster with his crawling. If he has something he shouldn't have and you call his name, he takes off under the table. I think Luke has been mentoring him. Lord, please help us all if that is the case! I can't believe he will be a year old next month. He is such a good baby.

Well, I think I am going to bed. I should've cut coupons, but I would HATE for Laura to miss out on that fun. I think I will save them for us to work on together. hehehe
Love ya bunches!

My coupon binder

2010-10-07T13:08:00.000-04:00

I have been asked several times about how I organize my coupons, so I thought I would share some pics and explain. Now this system does work well for me, but you will have to decide what will work best for you. My current binder is a Heavy Duty 3" binder. As you can tell from this picture, it is FULL! I will be upgrading to a bigger, better binder soon. I take this with me whenever I go shopping. I keep a copy of the corporate phone numbers to the stores just in case I have problems. Thanks Tracy Cody for the list!!

I do try to pull my coupons that I know I'm going to use and put them in the little plastic pencil bag. I found these on clearance at Walmart. It has a little pocket on the front that is perfect for my store loyalty card. I also put my shopping list in there just in case I am in a hurry and decide I only have time to grab the things on that list.

I bought the plastic dividers to hold my weekly ads, store coupon policies, etc. I have the labeled by the stores. There are pockets on each side of the divider. If I have a raincheck for an item, I keep that weekly ad in the back pocket just in case there is a question.

I keep my coupons in 9 pocket baseball card pages. I do need to pick up some 4 pocket photo pages for the bigger coupons. I also keep some of these pages behind the store dividers to hold store coupons. Some couponers just have a section in the back for all store coupons. I have my coupons divided into the following coupons:

*Baby

*Toiletries- This holds hair care, makeup, soaps, razors, etc. I will be breaking down this category when I get some time.

*Medicine/vitamins

*Cleaners

*Paper/plastic

*Boxes Meals- This also holds pastas, rices, etc.

*Frozen foods- This also holds any cold items- yogurts, cheeses, etc.

*Cereal

*Meats

*Snacks

*Tea/coffee/juice

*Cans/jars/bottles

*Spice/seasoning

*Misc.

*Restaurants

*Pet supplies

I really hope this helps out. Just remember that what works for me may not work for you. Don't force yourself to follow a system that doesn't work, because you will become frustrated and quit. If you have questions, just ask. Happy Couponing! Love ya bunches!

Do things ever slow down?!

2010-10-06T04:32:00.000-04:00

I am ready to run away with Mike for a few days just to slow down. Sunday was church, then home to do the coupon clippin'. Monday, Andrew had to be in the 'Boro to start his driving for Driver's Education. I had 3 hours to waste. I think I would have much rather curled up in the back seat of the van and took a nap, than to walk around Walmart. Now that I can find most of my stuff cheaper at other places, I really don't have much to get at the great WallyWorld. I think it took only 15 minutes to get everything I need there... that includes the time it took to find everything since the store reset. I came home to the kids being at Papa & Grandma's. I did manage to sit with them a couple hours while the kids played outside. Then it was time to go home to start supper... or so I thought. Sarah called me from CVS to say they have marked some stuff down to 75% off.... 3 bookcases (2 shelf), 2 storage cubes, candy that I will use for Operation Christmas Child, snack items, and we can't forget the 6 bottles of Revlon nail polish that was on sale for $3.99, get $3 ECBs (had $1 off coupons, so they were FREE). I got everything for $19.04, and saved $141.53.
Tuesday morning was back to the 'Boro for Andrew's second (and last) driving lesson, if you want to call it that. He has been driving FOREVER, so this was just trying to meet the requirements to get his license in a few weeks. I took JJ with me to spend some time with him. We went to Walmart to walk around. I was trying to get ideas for his Christmas. Then we went to BiLo to pick up my Mueller's pasta that they ordered for me to cover my rainchecks from a few weeks back. I bought 50 boxes of Mueller's pasta (8 oz), 2 reuseable shopping bags, 2 Dixie Crystal sugar (4 lb), and a drink for JJ. I paid less than $9, and I saved $40something. I don't have my receipt in front of me. JJ and I then had time to run into RiteAid to purchase the new Karate Kid movie.... for which I paid $5 something. It was time to pick up Andrew by that time.
We hurried home, ate lunch, then it was time for me to make supper. Laura, Sarah, and I were going to Savannah to the Savvy Shopper class. Yes, I went again! There is always something new to learn. Great job tonight, Michelle! After class, Sarah wanted to find a binder and holders for her coupons, so we went to Target. Then I wanted to see if the Largo Publix was where I thought it was, so we went shopping there. Next was Kroger. By that time, we were all STARVING. We grabbed supper at McD's. I had to stop at Walmart to get Powerades. I bought 54 Powerades (32 oz) for $18.13. Gotta love those 75 cents off 2 coupons. :o)
I am completely exhausted now. I really don't like weeks where I run, run, run. I much prefer the weeks that I don't leave home. Having to change out of my pj's... I mean work/school uniforms... is for the birds!
Now I am off here to go catch about a two hour nap, then it will be time to start my day... with a BIG pot of coffee. If you have to talk to me at some point today, just remember that there is not enough coffee in this world to make me perky. I will rise, but I will probably refuse to shine. Sorry if that isn't very nice, but it is the way it is sometimes. In the end, it is all worth it a million times over. :o) Love ya bunches!

Happy birthday Lissa!!

2010-09-29T12:46:00.000-04:00

Today we celebrate the birthday of someone very special to our family. Lissa, you are my sister... not a sister-in-law. I love you more than words can express. You have a heart that is bigger than life. I thank God for having you in our lives. We pray your life is full of blessing from above. May your day be filled with happiness!

Happy Birthday from the Hillians!!!

Weekend review

2010-09-27T15:11:00.000-04:00

Saturday started with Andrew waking me at 8:15am saying he was almost ready to go to the church. He was going canoeing with the youth and needed to be at the church at 8:30am. Why is it that I always have to be up early on the weekend days that the little ones decide to sleep in?! If I didn't have anywhere to be, they would be up at 7:30am at the latest. At least I didn't have to take them with me, because Laura didn't want to go canoeing. Mike and I ran errands most of the day. We even went done a little shopping at Walgreens and had a pleasant shopping experience.
Late Saturday night or early Sunday morning, we decided that we would make a trip to Savannah after church. My baby sis (Sarah) and I had talked about going today, so I sent her a text telling her that plans had changed and asked if she was up for an unplanned couponing lesson. We hit Toys R Us for some games and then were off to Publix. Have I told you I LOVE THAT STORE?!
Now imagine Mike, me, Sarah, Andrew, and 5 little ones doing our couponing. Mike and I were walking Sarah through some of the policies, etc. Yes, Mike is learning the policies of the store. I tell him things that I have learned so that he can share them when anyone asks him how we do it. He may not remember everything, but he knows quite a bit. I'm so proud! Now if I can just get Andrew to remember this stuff! We left Publix with a buggy full... $200.86 worth for $23. The only cleaners I got were 6 Tide Stain Releasers (3- 32 oz liquids and 3- 18 ct duo pacs) for $1.49 each... on sale for $5.99, then $3 manufacturer's coupon and $1.50 Target coupon. :o) Sarah got $108 worth for $35, I think. YAY! We were all exhausted from our day out. I think the only reason I would ever LIKE to live in or near Savannah would be to be closer to Publix. hehehehe
Time to hop up from here and get busy with Mt. Washmore again. It never completely goes away. Love ya bunches!

CVS and RiteAid 9/22

2010-09-22T23:50:00.000-04:00

Yes, I was shopping again! My dear hubby told me to go today, so my items wouldn't be sold out. Who would argue with a hubby telling his wife to shop?! Not I!!! So here are my transactions to help give you an idea of how you can use your ECBs, Up Rewards, and coupons.

CVS

Purchased:
2- Excedrin 100+24 Value packs $9.99 each
2- Skor candy bars $0.89 each

Used-
1- $1 off Excedrin PM
$20 ECBs from Sunday night

Paid out of pocket $2.22
Saved- $21.00
ECBs earned- $16.00 ($10 for purchasing $20 in Excedrin products and $3 from each value pack)
Profit- $13.78

Rite Aid

Transaction #1
Purchased-
1 Jumbo pack of Huggies diapers $8.99
2 Jumbo packs of Huggies Pullups $8.99 each

Used-
$5 off $25 purchase (Rite Aid video coupon)
$2 off Pull-ups (Rite Aid video coupon)
$1 off Huggies diapers (Rite Aid Video coupon)
2- $2 off Pull-ups manufacturer's coupon
$2.50 off Huggies diapers manufacturer's coupon
$12 Up Rewards from last week

Paid out of pocket $2.01
Saved- $35.50
Earned- $6 Up Rewards ($2 each pack) and $10 Rite Aid gift card to be mailed to me for purchasing $30 in participating P&G products
Profit- $13.99

Transaction #2
Purchased-
1- 20pk Cottonelle toilet paper $10.99
4- Campbell's soups $1.50 each
2-Oral B toothbrushes $2.99 each
2- 20 oz. Mountain Dews $1.11 each

Used-
$4 off $20 purchase (Rite Aid video coupon)
1 BOGO Oral B toothbrush coupon
$1 off Cottonelle toilet paper (Rite Aid video coupon)
$0.50 off Cottonelle toilet paper manufacturer's coupon
1 BOGO 20 oz Mountain Dew (Rite Aid video coupon)
3- $1 off Campbell's soup coupons
$11 Up Rewards from last week

Paid out of pocket $1.02
Saved- $39.92
Earned- $6 Up Rewards
Profit- $4.98

My total out of pocket expense for the day was $5.25. I saved $96.42. I earned $38 in store rewards. My profit was $32.75!!! Yes, coupons are worth it! I hope this helps you see how I use my store rewards to maximize my savings. Yes, they are worth keeping up with.

Lovin' some deals...

2010-09-21T11:28:00.000-04:00

After clipping coupons for a little while Sunday evening, Sarah and I decided to make a run to CVS in Vidalia. I wanted to get my goodies before they were sold out. So here is what I bought...

6 Revlon lipsticks
6 Right Guard Total Defense 5 deodorants
1 Alive vitamins for women
2 Sour Patch Kids candy (1 missing from pic)
1 Dove Caramel Promises (missing from pic)

All of these items cost me $28.61. I saved $75.34, and I have $36 ECBs to spend later.... meaning all my stuff was FREE with a $7.39 profit. Gotta love that!!!
I love shopping at stores that give store cash back to spend later like, CVS with ECBs, RiteAid with Up Rewards, and Walgreens with Register Rewards. I have the $36 ECBs, $29.50 Up Rewards, and $8 Register Rewards (with $12 coming from Catalina coupon company b/c they didn't print out). I will use each those rewards to purchase other items that will earn me more rewards... which is called rolling. Now some people may think it is stupid to keep up with those rewards, but if you aren't taking advantage of them, you might as well just throw money out of your car window. If you combine those rewards with coupons, you pay little to nothing for items you need/want.
A little more exciting news for me. For the past two Sundays, some of my purchases have made it in the Savvy Shopper section of the Savannah Morning News. YAY! If you haven't checked out the articles, I encourage you to do so. Michelle has some great information about store policies and tips for getting the most from your coupons. The section always comes around the Sunday comics. You can also "friend" or "like" Savannah Savvy Shopper on Facebook.
Laundry is calling my name! Love ya bunches!

Just a few funnies...

2010-09-20T15:49:00.000-04:00

Friday at lunch, I told JJ to eat his mac'n cheese. He has never cared for homemade mac'n cheese, but will devour Velveeta Shells'n Cheese. I made the real stuff and told him he had to eat some of it. He cleaned his plate.... except for m'Nc. We noticed a few minutes later that it was all gone, and asked him if he had raked it in the trash... something he is known to do if he doesn't like a particular food. He told us no he didn't rake it in the trash. After looking in the trash, we noticed that he had raked it onto looks plate. I told him he had to eat one big bite of it and he was done. He put it in his mouth and started chewing.... then he got sick! After he was finished, he looked at us and said, "See! I told ya I didn't like that stuff!" Andrew's comment to that was, "well, there is something for the blog!" What am I gonna do with JJ?!
Sarah and I made a late night run to CVS in Vidalia last night. I wanted to get the free Right Guard Total Defense deodorant for my guys and my free Revlon lipstick. You all know I have a weakness for Dove Caramel Promises. YUMMY! I picked up a bag while we were there. We ate some of them last night and I forgot to put the bag away before I went to bed. This morning, Emi and JJ start yelling that Lukey has candy. Laura found him with ONE Dove Promise in his hand and ONE Promise left in the bag. That little stinker had eaten the rest!!! Oh my goodness! I was ready to pinch his sweet little head off again! Needless to say, he has been full of energy all day.

I can do more than coupon...

2010-09-13T23:55:00.000-04:00

No Lissa, I haven't forgotten how to blog. I will try to do better about keeping you all updated on the happenings around here. We have all been just a little grouchy for the past two weeks. Today was a week ago that Lukey started off our week with a stomach bug. Poor little man ran a high temp and vomitted ALL day. Wednesday morning, I think Rebekah and JJ woke up with it. JJ was just beginning to eat a decent amount from the surgery. Thursday night was when Emily decided she wanted to try out the virus. Friday, Andrew couldn't stand it any longer and decided to join them. Sometime in there, Lukey said once wasn't enough for him. And JJ couldn't let Luke one-up him, so he went for round 2 late Saturday night.
JJ had his post-op appointment today. Dr. Oliver everything looked good and released him. JJ told him that his nose felt weird when he sneezed, and Dr. Oliver said it would for a little while.
Well, I am off to find places to store all the Powerade we bought today. Hey, what would a trip to town be without a little couponing?! Love ya bunches!

Couponing tips for the week

2010-09-11T16:19:00.000-04:00

Okay, you all see the pics of purchases I have made over the past couple months. I thought I would share some things to help you out. Let us start with BiLo. This week (ending Tuesday night), they have their Mueller's pasta 8 oz (spaghetti, thin spaghetti, and elbow macaroni) for BOGO (2/79 cents). Now if you will just hop on over to www.muellerspasta.com/coupons/list and sign up, you can print out coupons $2 off 5 boxes of pasta. There is no limit to the coupons you can print. Those 5 boxes of pasta will cost you $1.98. With the $2 off coupon, it makes it FREE! Another great buy we found this week were the 32 oz Powerades. They are 69 cents. If you stop by Harvey's in the 'Boro and take a look at their drink coolers in front of the registers, there is a coupon for 75 cents off 2... meaning you pay 32 cents per drink. I can not stress enough how important it is to check the drink coolers everywhere. Mike originally found the coupon on a drink cooler in the Pooler Lowes. Also, if you get to BiLo and they are sold out of pasta, GET A RAIN CHECK!!!! The pasta coupon is good until Oct. 8, so there will be time for them to get more in stock.
This coming week, I am planning to make some great purchases at CVS for very little out of pocket expense. A great site that I visit that has the sales and coupons grouped together, along with links to printable coupons is http://www.southernsavers.com/. She even gives purchase scenarios. I used her ideas to get me started and then expanded. Here are my ideas.

Transaction #1
Purchase (1) Tylenol Precise $5.99
               (1) Nivea for Men Active body wash $4.99

Use $2 off Tylenol Precise manufacturer's coupon
       $2 off Tylenol Precise CVS store coupon
       $1 off Nivea Men's body wash coupon from my paper a few weeks ago

Spend $5.98 (before tax)
Get back $2 ECB (Extra Care Buck) for Tylenol Precise
               $4.99 ECB for Nivea body wash
If you notice after the ECBs, I earned $0.01 on the Tylenol Precise and $1 on the Nivea body wash. There is a limit of 1 on these purchases.

Transaction #2
Purchase (4) Aqua Mist Air Refresheners $2.50 each

Use (2) BOGO Aqua Mist coupons from my paper last month
        (2) $1 off Aqua Mist printable coupon that you can find link for @ Southern Savers
        $2 ECB from Tylenol Precise

Spend $1 (before tax)
Get back $5 ECB
Notice I just made $4 on this transaction.

Transaction #3
Purchase (4) Aqua Mist Air Refresheners $2.50 each

Use (2) BOGO Aqua Mist coupons from my paper last month (Remember that I get 6 Savannah Morning News each Sunday.)
        $5 ECB from transaction #2.

Spend $0.00 (before tax)
Get back $5 ECB (There is a Limit of 2 on this ECB offer.)
Notice I am only going to pay for the sales tax, and I'm still earning my ECB.

Transaction #4
Purchase (1) Alive MultiVitamin $9.99

Use $1 off Alive Vitamins printable coupon (link on Southern Savers)
       $5 ECB from transaction #3

Spend $3.99 (before tax)
Get back $9.99 ECB

Transaction #5
Purchase (4) Dove Men+Care Body and Face Wash $4.50 each
               (1) Brach's candy $0.99

Use (4) $1 off Dove Men+Care body coupon from my paper
       $4.99 ECB from transaction #1
       $9.99 ECB from transaction #4

Spend $0.00 (before tax)
Get back $5 ECB for spending $15 Dove, Sauve, or Vaseline Products (Limit 1)
               $0.99 ECB for Brach's candy (Limit 1- This deal is only for Sunday-Tuesday)
Notice that I have just spent $10.97 before taxes on all 5 transactions, PLUS I have $5.99 ECB to use in the future. Wooohooo!!!

I have fallen in love with the Southern Savers website. She does most of the work for me. I just add other things I see. I can use the body wash to donate to our soldiers fighting for our country. I'm sure they would like to smell nice when they aren't in the field. Hope some of these suggestions help. Love ya bunches!

Yep! Another trip..

2010-09-06T23:18:00.000-04:00

Here is the list:
14- 12pk Mountain Dew, Dr. Pepper, Sunkist, Canada Dry ginger ale soft drinks
1- 12pk Cottonelle double roll toilet paper
5- 8ct New York Style Texas Toast garlic bread
4- 8ct Pillsbury cinnamon rolls
10- Clorox toilet cleaners
10- Glade candles(4 oz jar)
6- 12 oz Old Spice Swagger body wash (Andrew can't be messin' like flowers!)
2- 30 ct Dixie Ultra plates
2- 60 oz Wisk laundry detergent
6- Duncan Hines Moist Deluxe cake mix
1- Duncan Hines Creamy Home-Style frosting
8- 10.5-13.7 oz Cheez-It crackers
4- 16 oz Mueller's angel hair pasta
6- 32 oz Aunt Jemima Original pancake mix
6- 7 oz Success rice
12- 10-18 ct Betty Crocker Fruit Roll Ups

I spent $91.26 and saved $211.22. Whoop! Whoop!

I can't do this alone...

2010-09-06T13:30:00.000-04:00

I have been giving this a lot of thought lately AGAIN. I am one of those people that likes to control the happenings around me. I would rather just take care of something myself than to ask for someone else's help. Just the size of my family would be enough to make many people break out in hives. I hear the question all the time, "How do you do it with so many? I can't handle my one... two.. three, etc." The answer is, I can't! I can't do this alone. When I try to take on my day in my own strength, I start feeling overwhelmed and scared.  Now I would like to say that those days are few and far between, but they aren't.  It is so easy to hop out of bed and start the day without reading my Bible and praying. I am so guilty for thinking I need those last few minutes of sleep instead of getting up an hour earlier to read my Bible and pray.  But think of how much better my day could be if I covered it with prayer before it really had a chance to begin. I know it woudn't be perfect, but my whole outlook is different when I hand the day over to God and ask Him to lead my steps.
If I were to dwell on the amount of money it takes to feed our family, I would feel like I were drowning. But our God is faithful! Each time an item starts running low in the freezer, pantry, or refrigerator, along comes an amazing sale for that item. Now some of you may be sick of seeing all of the good deals we have gotten on our cleaners and toiletries, but I love sharing it. I love showing how God makes our money stretch. God has placed two couponing classes in my path and worked out my schedule for me to be able to take both.  I have learned a lot about getting the most out of the coupons. I am also able to use those coupons to stock our Operation Christmas Child shoe boxes.
I pray that each of us will stop depending on our own strength to live each day. May we all lean on God's always faithful arms and feel His guidance in our lives.  Love ya bunches!

JJ's surgery

2010-09-02T11:58:00.000-04:00

A photo album by Smilebox

Look what I found today....

2010-09-01T17:16:00.000-04:00

I was looking through a box of photos and found these from a very special day in our lives.... our wedding day.

Look at us! We were so young, but so in love.

I love this pic of Mike and his parents. Looking at it makes me miss her even more.

Leave it to Mike to get us laughing for a pic. He was pinching Grandma's backside to make her laugh. Always the joker!

Another successful trip

2010-08-30T21:40:00.000-04:00

Yep, we went couponing again today. My husband has to be one of the most patient men when it comes to me doing my coupon shopping. So here is a list of my purchases:

4- 12 ct Charmin toilet paper double rolls
3- 12 pk Coca-Cola
2- 16 oz Golden Grahams
1- Bounty paper towels (single roll)
1- Pampers Cruisers (jumbo pk)
6- 12 oz Old Spice body wash
12- 18 oz Irish Spring body wash
10- 12 oz. Gillette body wash
1- 16.9 oz Nivea body wash for men
1- 13 oz Garnier Fructis shampoo
6- 11 oz Ultra Gain dish detergent
6- 4oz Colgate Total toothpaste
4- 4ct Orville Redenbacher's popcorn (mini bags)
2- 4oz Right Guard Total Defense deodorant
2- 2.3 oz Lady Speed Stick deodorant
2- 9.5 oz Dove Promises caramel chocolate (my weakness)
1- CoverGirl facial powder
1- CoverGirl mascara
1- Publix loaf sandwich bread

Waiting on the total? Well..... I spent $88.29, and I saved $182.09. Notice all the men's body wash?! Well my dear son Andrew doesn't wanna smell like FLOWERS!!! So, I bought enough body wash to last the men in my life at least a year. Most of it I paid less than a dollar a bottle.

Walking against the flow...

2010-08-27T10:03:00.000-04:00

You know it doesn't take much for our family to turn heads. All we really have to do is walk into a store or restaraunt (sp? I haven't finished my coffee this morning, and I don't want to get up to get the dictionary.) People seem to be amazed at the size of our family. Some reactions are positve, but most of them are negative. Children aren't looked upon as blessings anymore. They are something to be tolerated. When people find out that our kids all have the same parents and we homeschool, we are really looked at as if we are weird. You mean there is a such thing as "our kids" instead of "yours, mine, and ours" in a family this size?! And you WANT to be at home with your kids all the time?! Yes and Yes!
I get a lot of questions about the decisions I have made in my life. Because of those decisions, my family "sticks out like a sore thumb" or should I say broken toe. LOL I try to teach my kids Biblical values so they don't fall for what the world holds valuable. I want our sons to be Godly leaders of their home. I want our daughters to see the value of their families and keep her Godly duties close to her heart. Oh, I am sure I will cause a stir with that comment. How dare I "sell my daughters short!" According to the world, I am. Oh well, I am not living my life to please the world.
Even after my mini-meltdown last week, I still LOVE my husband with all my heart. Do we agree on everything? No. Are we both perfect? No. But, I have to say that Mike is perfect for me. I have to follow his leadership just as he is to follow God's leadership. When I see things that I don't agree with or is a little off by God's standards, does that mean I am suppose to be his conscience? No, I am to pray for him even more, asking God to prick his heart on this matter. Do I live by this all the time? Nooooo. I am all too quick to point out what he is doing wrong and how I think it needs to be done. What is the result of this, you ask? I am telling Mike that I don't trust his leadership/judgement. That I could do a better job. It slowly chips away at the man God wants him to be. I should be lifting him up. No, I didn't say putting him on a pedestal and overlooking the things he is doing that is against God's will. But you can pray that God will give you an opportunity to talk with him about these things, and not doing it in your timing. Remember God's timing is perfect. God may need to deal with your husband's heart and soften it a bit before you can talk an issue and not cause a great divide.
I am trying to model my life after the Proverbs 31 woman, and I have a LONGGGGG way to go. As a daughter of the King of kings, I am to live my life set apart from those things of the world. Does it mean that I will follow at path that is popular? Yes, more time than not. Does it mean my values will clash with others around me, whether it is family, friends, or strangers? Yes, it does. In those times, you pray for God's guidance on how to deal with each situation.
I have found a blog that is giving away a book So Much More written by Anna Sophia Botkin and Elizabeth Botkin. Hop on over and check it out. My Way Home
Now, I am off here to be productive. Jonathan has a recheck on his ears this afternoon, and Andrew has driver's ed, so my afternoon will be shot. I pray you have a wonderful day. Maybe tomorrow I can update everyone tomorrow on the happenings around the Hill home. Love ya bunches!

Excited and sad at the same time.

2010-08-21T15:19:00.000-04:00

This week has brought a few changes for my littlest man, Jonathan. He has started crawling, even if it is still at a snail's pace. He has also started pulling up on things and sitting himself up. Yes, I am excited to see all of these accomplishments he is making. But it also breaks my heart. This will be the last time I get to experience these milestones. Yes, I know I have been blessed to experience them 7 times, but I wasn't ready to close the book on this chapter of my life. Before I know it, there will be no tiny ones running around the house wreaking havoc on our days. No more messy kisses after a spaghetti meal.
I am praying that God will help me through this time in my life. I want Him to lead me in enjoying the simple things of our little ones, and not to get caught up and frustrated in the craziness and demands of life with many blessings. I pray that God will soften my heart towards Mike's decision to close this chapter in our lives and respect him in his leadership of our family. Yes people, I have been more than difficult to live with for months now. Just when I think I am getting over the hurt, bitterness starts working itself back into my heart. Those are the times that I really need to go lock myself in the closet and pray. Does it happen? No, I just get cranky and less than desirable to be around. I am praying God will work these flaws out of my character and grow me into the wife and mother He wants me to be.
I am far from perfect. I am not the patient, organized, always having it all together person everyone thinks I am. Just because I have a small army doesn't make me any more on top of things than any other mother out there. My family sees me at my worst, but thank you God that they still love me... or I hope they do. I have a lot of work to be done to get to where I am suppose to be.
I know, Lissa, this isn't what you had in mind when you created this blog for me. You were looking for the funny moments in life, but you are getting the real ones as well. I pray each of you will be patient with me as I face this new chapter in life. I look forward to sharing the joys as well as the sorrows, b/c I want to keep it real for all of us. Life isn't perfect, but if we will give it over to God and ask His will to be done, we can handle the storms.
Love ya bunches!

Midweek update

2010-08-19T00:28:00.000-04:00

At 7am, my phone was ringing. I am NOT a morning person, and I don't really like starting the day off that early with a ringing phone. I was awake, but I was still in bed about to nurse Jonathan. It was my goodlooking hubby calling to inform me that he needed me to pick him up from work at 11am. He had a flat tire on his way to work and didn't want to change the tire in the dark. One of his friends was 10 mins behind him, so he picked him up. So I was off to SAV by 10ish.
What an experience we had changing that tire! We unloaded most of the stuff in his trunk to get to the jack and spare tire. He got the car jacked up and the tire off. Now remember that it is now noon-ish on I-16 near SAV. Well apparently the truckers have forgotten that you should move over to the other lane when there is a car beside the road, b/c they kept zooming by right beside us shaking the car and van.... knocking the car OFF THE JACK!!! Thank you God for Mike not having his hands around the tire. He jacked the car back up and placed the flat tire under the car so if it fell again, it wouldn't hit the ground. Guess what! It fell AGAIN after 3 semis came flying by without moving over. After that, Mike got the jack out of the van and finished without more complications. Then it was off to WallyWorld to buy new tires for the car.
The rest of the day was uneventful compared to our noon hour. :o) We were home by 4pm, and I took a nap. I am still not 100%, but I will survive. Mike was in bed early b/c he had to be back at work at midnight.
Andrew is still awake packing for his trip to the mountains. He is going rafting and to see Tim Hawkins in concert with a friend from church. He always has such a great time with the Tomazins, and I don't have to worry about him while he is away. They are a wonderful family and I thank God for bringing them into our lives. They are truly servants of God.
Well, I am off to get something to drink. I am "parched" as JJ likes to say. And just in case you were wondering... school didn't happen today. When my hubby calls, I have to go running... cuz he's my MAN!!!! :o) hehehe Love ya bunches!

One down, one hundred seventy-nine more to go...

2010-08-17T11:25:00.000-04:00

No, I'm not counting down the days until summer break! What gave you that crazy idea?! We survived our first day of the 2010-2011 school year. Believe me when I say that it was a MAJOR accomplishment. I felt horrible yesterday but knew I really needed to get things started. Of course, my little ones were NOT excited about getting up earlier, especially when we slept in last week until 10ish each morning. Hey, don't look at me like that... we were sick!! Luke didn't want to go to bed Sunday night because he had taken a very late nap that afternoon. But it was either he took a nap then or I was going to pinch his cute little head off. Now you know I would never actually do it, but he was really pushing my buttons. I think he finally went to sleep after 12:30am. He really didn't want to get up yesterday morning, but I made him. He was quite ill for about an hour, then he settle into his regular routine of tormenting the rest of the family. It didn't take him long to fall asleep for his nap after lunch, and he was a little easier to go to bed last night.
The day went much smoother than I had thought it would. I know that as the year progresses, it will be a little harder to juggle all the different subjects. I will just have to find the routine that works for me that week. :o) Yes, our routine constantly changes with the needs of the kiddos. What works this week may not work next week. We are a family of 7 kids, so things are never really routine. Yeah, I know the school systems have set schedules, but they also have their kiddos divided up into specific age/grade groups. No grouping here!
As I am typing this, we are in the middle of our second day. Emi, JJ, Bekah, and Luke are sitting at one of their little tables playing with the Unifix counting cubes. They are making patterns, pyramids, and Lukey made a gun (10 or so blue cubes with a red one on the end.) Andrew is working on Algebra 2 and Laura has just finished up her history. Jonathan is playing on the floor. I love my life!!!
I pray you all have a wonderfully blessed day. Love ya bunches!

Strep update

2010-08-14T10:09:00.000-04:00

We are slowing getting better. My throat and ears are still hurting, but each day brings a little improvement. Mike is feeling much better than he was the beginning of the week. Yesterday was the first day that he didn't spend most of the day in bed. I, on the other hand, took a long nap during the afternoon. Laura said she was feeling better. Luke wasn't as cranky yesterday as he was Thursday. Jonathan has slept better also. So far, no one else has started showing signs of strep.
Our little Jonathan has started crawling!!! It is just not fair! I wanted him to stay my little baby just a little longer. His crawling is still at a snail's pace, but I am sure it will speed up each day.
Yesterday afternoon, I heard a light knock on the back door. I was wondering who was brave/stupid enough to visit the germie Hillians. It was the UPS guy. He had put the packages on the back steps and getting back on the truck when I opened the door. He was delivering Andrew and Laura's math and Andrew's consumables for his other classes. I haven't told the kids the books are here. Didn't want them to feel any worse. hehehe I am hoping to open the boxes later today to make sure everything is there.
Well, I am going to pour myself another cup of coffee to sooth my sore throat. Love ya bunches!

Will this ever go away?!

2010-08-12T07:14:00.000-04:00

It is now Thursday morning. Mike, Laura, and I are still sick. Mike has been on antibiotics since Tuesday and still has 100+ degree temp. His throat is killing him. I think he is planning to try to get an appointment today to see what is going on. Laura and I still have low grade temps and sore throats. My ears are hurting, and I started with a cough last night after 11. How nice!!! We do have appointments w/ Dr. Hawkins this morning, so maybe we will be on the road to recovery soon. I am ready for some relief. Mike has been snoring something AWFUL since he has been sick. That means I haven't slept b/c I am constantly bumping him and telling him to change the position he is sleeping in.... not that it has helped. To add to all this fun, Jonathan acts like he isn't feeling well. My jolly little baby is crabby. He hasn't slept well the past couple nights. I have put him in bed w/ us and even that hasn't really helped. Guess I need to see if I can get him in to see Dr. Z late this afternoon. I just LOVE spending entire days in doctors' offices. I don't want to hear, "Well you shouldn't have so many kids then!" If I do hear it, I am sure I will have to apologize later for what I say at that moment. I could jump on my soapbox and go into the fact that I am not calling someone to come get the kids b/c I can't handle it. I have had offers to keep some of them, but they are my responsibility so I will suck it up and deal w/ it.
Guess I need to jump up from here now before I get that soapbox out. Love ya bunches!

Not the way I had planned my week...

2010-08-10T23:56:00.000-04:00

It seems everytime I plan to get major things accomplished around here, something happens that completely ruin my plans. I worked a little yesterday afternoon in the schoolroom.... moving things around, moving things out, etc. Then my dear sweet hubby brought home our new puppy. He is actually not new... he is a 10 month old black lab. He is WAY bigger than I was thinking he would be. He has been fixed, so that is one good thing he has going for him. He also has a chip in him if he were ever to get lost. Now, it is driving me nuts b/c Mike is letting him stay IN THE HOUSE!!! I can't handle it. I'm not an animal in the house kinda person... especially one that is the size of a pony. I don't like the hair they shed, the smell, the chewing, etc. I am trying to be patient and let it play out as long as I can, but I might just have to be the bad parent. He is house trained, so I don't have to worry about those accidents. But who wants a big dog in their house?! NOT ME!!!
Mike left for work this morning at 2:30am. We both mentioned that our throats were hurting. Mine was more raw/burning like I had sinus drainage. At 8:30am, Mike was calling to say he was on his way home with a 103 temp. He went to see the company doctor. One ear is pink, the other is extremely red. His temp has been up and down all day. So much so that I have set the alarm on my phone to go off every 3 hours to give him meds. I don't like it when he is sick. Laura and I have had low grade temps all day. I would have loved to stay in bed all day, but that won't happen. I will just take some meds and deal with it. Hopefully it will pass soon. Needless to say, I didn't get anything accomplished today. Oh well, there is always tomorrow!
I pray this finds all well! Love ya bunches!

One more week....

2010-08-09T00:14:00.000-04:00

This time next week, I will be doing the last minute preps for our school year to start the next day. I am still trying to figure out where our last month of summer break went. I have not accomplished what I had hoped to do this summer, but hopefully this week will be productive. As soon as I finish this post, I will be tackling the shelves in the laundry room. Yes, I know it is late, but I have to make room for the home supplies I have bought this week. I am really excited about my budget not being eaten up by cleaning supplies, toiletries, and DIAPERS!!!
I took JJ with me to the 'Boro yesterday. I needed some things from Walmart and Dollar Tree. During the drive over there, I asked him what was wrong b/c he was so quiet. He said, "Oh, I just wanted peace & quiet so I could here the music." Then, Sarah called while we were going into one of the store. JJ's comment to that was, "Why did BooBoo call on this fine day?" Where does he come up with this stuff?!
We ate supper at Papa & Grandma's. Daddy, Andrew, and Laura had been fishing behind their house all afternoon, so they decided to cook a few of the fish they caught. For those of us that don't eat fish, we had hot dogs. Of course, we couldn't end the night without roasting marshmallows. Andrew went back home with his granddaddy. Bekah and Luke decided that they were going home with BooBoo. Sarah told Bekah to go get her clothes. Bekah came back with 3 sets of pj's and 3 pull-ups. We told her she needed underwear and she came back with a stack of them... at least 10 pair. When we told her she needed a dress for church, she said she needed her Cinderellie dress. She came back with a little dressup wedding dress. Oh my goodness! We had to convince her that she needed another dress just in case she got her white dress dirty. Sarah sent a pic this morning, and she didn't have on the wedding dress. Thank you Jesus for small miracles!
Well, time to get started on the laundry room shelves. Love ya bunches!

Another successful couponing trip

2010-08-07T12:10:00.000-04:00

Mike and I loaded up the kiddos yesterday afternoon and headed to Savannah to do a little grocery shopping. Yep, to SAV! I wanted to go to Publix, Kroger, and Target. I have fallen in love with Publix and Kroger in Richmond Hill!!! OH MY GOODNESS!!! Never thought I would say that. Those stores are amazing. And when I give you the totals of what I paid and saved, I think you will agree that I can justify driving an hour to go there. Here is the rundown of what I bought:

4 Perdue whole chickens
2 TGIFriday skillet meals
1 Macaroni Grill skillet meal
4- 6pk Yoplait Trix yogurt
1- 15 oz Chef Boyardee ravioli
1- 15oz Publix ravioli (They have a deal on some items that if you buy the national brand, you get their brand free to try.)
2- 32 oz. Vlasic dill spears
10- 16oz. Wishbone salad dressings (We use a lot of Italian dressing to season our meats to grill.)
2- 9.5oz bags of Dove Caramel Promises (one of my weaknesses)
6- 77oz Ultra Downy fabric softners (90 loads)
4- 26oz. Ragu spaghetti sauce
1 Tide Stain Release pacs (34 ct)
8- 22oz Scrubbing Bubbles bathroom cleaners
4- 2L Sunkist drinks
3- 12pk Coca Cola
4- 11.25oz Cookie Crisp cereal
1- 6pk Easy Mac snack packets
1- 6pk Publix cheesy quick snack packets (another one of those deals)
6- 12pk Nabisco cookie snack packs
2 Jumbo Pampers diapers
2 Pampers baby wipes (72ct)
1 Tide washing powder (80 loads)
2 Herbal Essence shampoo 10.17oz
2 Herbal Essence condition 10.17oz
1 Herbal Essence hairspray 8oz
2 Herbal Essence mousse 6.8oz
1 Herbal Essence spray gel 5.7oz
2 Lipton Cup-A-Soup (4pk)
3 Softsoap foaming handsoap 8.5oz
10 Lady SpeedStick 1.4oz
2 Lance crackers (8pk)
4- 100ct index cards
8- 12pk pencils (for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes)
10 pencil sharpners (for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes)
6- 10ct Bic pens (for Operation Christmas Child shoeboxes)

All of these items cost me $187.41, saving me $243.75!!! I think I have my necessities stocked up for at least 6 months, so things for MUCH longer. My grocery list will actually be just that... a GROCERY list. I won't have to buy cleaners and toiletries at regular prices that tend to eat up a grocery store budget.
On to more about our day. We had a wonderful time as a family. We took all the kids in with us to Publix. They made a game out of looking for the "buy the national brand, get the Publix brand free" and looking for the coupon tear pads or blinkie machines. We had one lady stop us and tell us how well behaved our kids were. I am not saying that to brag, but it does make us feel good that all of our efforts are noticed. I am also not saying that they were little angels all walking in a single file line throughout the store with their hands in their pockets not touching a thing. But they were good. We tried to keep Luke in the buggy as much as possible... even if it meant busting open one of those boxes of the Nabisco cookie packs. I always buy what I open, so why not make my trip a little easier by letting him sit in a buggy and eat a snack. The kids opted out of going into Kroger with us. They sat in the van and ate a snack with I had packed. Who can afford buying snacks at the convenience store for this small army?! Yes Lissa, your babies were sitting in the van w/ the ac on. :o) Mike and I browsed the aisles quickly and got what we needed.
We stopped by one of Mike's coworkers' homes to meet his family. We had met him on July 4th when we went to SAV to see the fireworks. The kids got to play outside for just a few minutes, then we had to leave.... more shopping to do. By then, the natives were getting hungry. We grabbed supper in the mall food court before heading to Target. We weren't in Target 5 mins and my sweet hubby had to go to the bathroom. I don't know about you guys, but he always has to disappear to the bathroom with 10 mins of arrival. LOL He will die when he reads this... or maybe I will. hehehe I think there must be some device on store doors that activates the bladders of hubbies and kiddos.
After we finished our shopping in Target, we headed over to Mike's work to pick up his check. He even filled up my van with gas. The four older kids were still awake then, so he decided to take them across the big Savannah bridge. Emily and JJ had not been across it. As we got up to the middle of the bridge, JJ started informing us that he did NOT like heights.  Emi started saying something which I couldn't hear, but JJ said, "Emi, you gotta stop saying that, or you're gonna make me start freaking out." That kid keeps us laughing. He is so much like Mike.
We came home to it pouring rain. Thank you Heavenly Father for the rain!!!!  Andrew and Mike unloaded the cooler, and everything else had to stay in the van until the rain slowed a bit.  I was anxious to get it all out and take pics to show you.  Daddy stopped by to pick up Andrew. Mama is in Houston w/ Aunt Lisa, so Andrew is hanging out with Granddaddy for the weekend.  I am sure they will have a blast.
Well, it is lunch time and my hubby has decided he would like an omelette for lunch.  Love ya bunches!

Wednesday already?!

2010-08-04T16:47:00.000-04:00

Where did Monday and Tuesday go?! Oh... Monday was my big shopping day. Tuesday was a day at home with Mike and the kiddos. I have already blogged about Monday's excitement. Yesterday we just hung out around here. Nothing too exciting happened above the normal things Luke does to keep things interesting.
Laura and I did work on our coupon notebook last night... yes NOTEBOOK! Big white binder! It is a monster of a thing. I will post pics once I get the cover decorated. Was it a lot of work? Yep, it sure was, but I'm thinking it will be worth it.  Lissa, stop rolling your eyes! Did you look at the pics of the stuff I bought for cheap?! Now I know I won't have such success every time I go shopping, but if I can shave off $50 or more from our grocery list each month, that is an extra $600 a year that I could put somewhere else.  May not sound like much to you guys but for our family of 9 on ONE income, we could do a lot with that.  And if I can lift some of the burden off Mike's worries knowing that our grocery/necessity budget is stretching even farther, I will do whatever it takes. I like see Mike relaxed when he knows things are working smoothly.
There will be a little more excitement around the Hill household. My hubby has decided to add a 7 month old puppy to the mix. One of his friends is getting us a lab puppy.  Mike says it is a golden/yellow lab. Now I can't say that I was turning cartwheels when he broke the news to me, but I know the kids will be when they see him. Laura has been about to drive me nuts about getting a puppy for the little ones, but I kept shooting the idea down. Well no such luck this time!!! Just wait 'til Skip calls here again!!! :o)
Emi has given Jonathan another nicname.... Nibbles! I'm not sure how many of you remember the little mouse that would visit Jerry on the Tom & Jerry cartoons. We have several dvds of the older T & J cartoons, and the kids LOVE 'em. Andrew has been calling him Tater for months.
Luke has found the candy cabinet.  While I was on the phone with G-ma Jean this afternoon, Luke pushed a bar stool up to the counter and tried to open the top cabinets. Those bar stools have to go!!!! Luke doesn't need any addition help getting to things. He has tried several times to figure out how to get over the baby gate by pushing the bar stool up to it. He would be over in a heartbeat if something was on the other side for him to climb on to get down. Oh goodness!
I am checking into driver's ed classes for Andrew. He will be 16 in a few short months and has to meet certain requirements for Joshua's Law.  I found some classes in the 'Boro that will cost us $299.. qualifying us for a $150 tax credit and an insurance reduction. Another bonus is we wouldn't have to fill out all that junk in the driver's log. The course will be 30 hours instruction time and 6 hours behind the wheel. Now most of you know that Andrew has been driving FOREVER thanks to my daddy and the fact that we live on a farm.  He can take the class online for much cheaper, but he wouldn't qualify for tax/ins. credits and we have to keep up with the log. Decisions, decisions!!!
Off to be a little more productive.  Love ya bunches!

My little couponing trip

2010-08-02T23:36:00.000-04:00

I think I told you all that I went to a couponing class last week with Laura. So after HOURS of clipping the many coupons yesterday afternoon, Laura and I sorted the coupons into a few piles then started combing the sales papers for the best deals. Mike decided he would go with me to see how it was going to work. We spent $65.48 and saved $272.64. Here is a run down of what I bought:
1- 8 pk Bounty Basic paper towels
4- 8 pk Poptarts
7 Jumbo pks of Pampers diapers/EasyUps
2- 12 oz. Gillette Body wash
1- 10.3 oz Dawn dish detergent
1 Herbal Essence shampoo
1 Herbal Essence mousse
1 Aussie shampoo
1 Aussie mousse
5 pks BandAids (variety of package count)
2- 8oz Purell hand sanitizer
6- 1L Crest Pro Health mouthwash
2 Colgate Total toothpaste (can't remember if it was 4 or 6.4 oz size)
6- 26oz Ragu spaghetti sauce
2 Crest Glide floss (one pack was a double pack)
2 Axe Styling paste (Andrew has to have his "hair junk")
6 Gillette Fusion ProGlide razors
10 multipacks of Bic razors (varied from 3-12 razors)
2- 10pk pencils
2 pks M&Ms (single size)
2 prescriptions
2 Dove candybars (not pictured)

I would say that was a good shopping day. Of course, my hubby was totally amazed. He kept telling me that he couldn't do it. I know he could... it might just take him a little longer to figure it out. Enjoy the pics. Love ya bunches!

Where did our summer go?!

2010-07-30T18:21:00.000-04:00

I can't believe that July is almost over. I'm not even sure where it went.  I know why June went by so quickly... because we were super busy with M-Fuge, iKamp, and Mission Possible. Then I was hoping that July would drag along, so we could relax. That did NOT happen.  We were busier than ever, and I can't tell you anything extra special that we done.
I did post pictures earlier in the week of Emi getting "baptist."  I am sooo excited about the decision she made while at iKamp. I think that must be the highlight of my summer. After baptism, we ended up getting pizza and eating it at Papa & Grandma's house.  We even fired up their outdoor chimney to roast marshmallows.  Good gried it was HOT! There was no breeze blowing which only made it worse, but we had a great time.
We haven't ventured out too much this week. It is just too stinking hot to do anything. Mike is working nights, so he sleeps most of the day away. I can't say that I blame him.  Wednesday night, we did go to Family Night at church.  The little ones played on the waterslide.
Last night, Laura and I went to Savannah, for a couponing class. I have been reading Michelle Rubrecht's Savvy Shopper article in the Savannah Morning News each Sunday since it started in May. I had mentioned to Mike that I thought it would be fun to go to one of her classes. He gave his blessing for me to go, so I signed Laura and myself up. It was so cool to see the things she had gotten for free or nearly nothing. She also taught us some of her tricks. I do so love a bargain. It is kinda exciting to see just how much I can save in one trip. For example, I went to Kroger last Friday. I sent a little over $82 and saved a little over $86 on 88 items- 2pk 12 double roll Cottonelle toilet paper, 10 cans of Spaghetti Os, 10 32oz Gatorades, 10 6.4 oz Crest Toothpaste, 10 Pillsbury toaster strudels, 6 cucumbers, 2 bags of Doritos, 28 Lady Speedstick deodorant (yes, you read that right... it was 88cents), and 10 Rice-A-Roni. Wooohoooo!!!!
I went to visit a friend this morning who had hip replacement surgery on Wednesday.  Mrs. Dorothy looked wonderful.  She was up out of bed w/ her makeup on. She had already walked all the way down for physical therapy. Thank you Lord for healing.
Well, I am off to make tacos for supper. Love ya bunches!

Emily's baptism

2010-07-26T20:18:00.002-04:00

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Fun at MyLissa's pool

2010-07-22T17:08:00.002-04:00

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Just beautiful...

2010-07-21T12:16:00.000-04:00

Another week in the books...

2010-07-17T13:13:00.000-04:00

This week has flown by, and I'm not quite sure where it went. I feel like I haven't seen Mike much at all. He working 4am-4pm Monday, Tuesday, Friday, today, and tomorrow. Wednesday, he worked 4am-noon, then went to do an a/c job. He got home at a reasonable time, but Wednesday night started VBS at our church for 3-5 yr olds. I decided to help out since I would have to take Andrew, JJ, and Bekah to the chruch. It was only from 6-8pm, and I could nurse Jonathan before I left and he would be fine with Laura until I got back home. Andrew was Super Cooper the dog, so he had to be there are 5:30pm to eat and get into the dog suit. What a trooper! He was about to melt in that suit, but the kids loved it! Well... most of the kids. :o) Needless to say, helping out at VBS hasn't given me much time with Mike in the evenings. He has been in bed by the time I get home. :o( I am looking forward to him being off Monday.
I have been able to get some work done in the school room. I think if I can get motivated and focused, I will be able to have it finished by Monday afternoon. I am still trying to figure out what I am going to do with Andrew's big wooden Radio Flyer wagon. I just can't part with it. I really don't have room for it in the shed. It has been used to hold the mountain of stuffed animals my kids have, but I'm about to get rid of almost all of those. I will keep the ones that have sentimental meanings.. like the elephant in the sailor outfit MamMa (Mrs. Mary) bought Andrew when he was born, Bekah's turtle that she named Stink, etc. I'm praying that no more will come into the house. I need to find a home for the art desk. It is just a clutter catcher, and I'm sick of seeing it.
I still haven't made the time to download and post Emi and Bekah's fishing trips with Honey. Laura is getting her fishing time w/ Honey this evening after he gets off work. Which reminds me that I really need to charge my camera battery.
Mt. Washmore is calling. Love ya bunches!

And the week continues....

2010-07-14T10:51:00.000-04:00

Yesterday was somewhat productive. Worked more in the schoolroom. Took a nap w/ Lukey. Worked with Lukey on potty training. Talk to "MyLissa" on the phone. Got some (and I mean some) laundry done. Cut Mike and JJ's hair. I'm sure I got more done, but my brain isn't awake. I am not up to thinking mode yet.
Daddy came over yesterday after he got off work. He came to take Emi fishing. I was able to snap a few pics, but a storm was coming up. I was afraid I would get caught at the pond w/ my camera so I came back into the house to finish supper. I think they stayed out another 10 mins or so, until the lightning got too close. They came to the house to wait it out... just in time for supper. We loved having Honey/Granddaddy over. Of course, the rain ended about the time we finished eating, so back to the pond they went. Daddy called me later to tell me some of the conversations that he and Emi had. That girl is a HOOT!! She has always had a bigger than life imagination. When the fish wouldn't bite, she taught Honey a lullaby to sing to them. Part of it was, "fall asleep with your mouth open, and we will drop a cricket in it..." I wish I could remember it all. Daddy was laughing the entire time he was telling me. I will have to post the few snapshots I got later today.
Well, time to start another load of laundry. Love ya bunches!

So nice to have a few days at home....

2010-07-13T12:31:00.000-04:00

We have had nowhere to go the past two days, so it was nice to hang out at home with all the kids. Yesterday was a slightly productive day. I was able to work on some of the bookcases in the schoolroom. Now you may be asking only working on a few bookcases is productive. YES! We are book poor in this house. We have 8 bookcases in the schoolroom, each full. What can I say, we LOVE books! The Book Fairy has blessed us with many books over the years. And with 7 kids, we have just collected many more. Some are well worn.... Where The Wild Things Are comes to mind immediately. We have 4 copies... two paperback (Andrew & JJ's copies) and then two hardback copies. It has been a favorite of our boys. I was also able to get some laundry done while working in the schoolroom. I picked up toys, but they seem to have made their way back to the floor this morning. I will get the kiddos on that this afternoon while Lukey and Jonathan are napping.
We have had an exciting development this week. Lukey is potty training himself!!! He turned 2 last month, but I really wasn't going to try him for a few more months. I haven't had great success trying to potty train this early. They just didn't seem ready. Lukey hasn't exactly been the easiest child up to this point.. unless you count easy to climb and get into mischief. Well, apparently Lukey thinks he is ready. While I was working at one of the bookcases, he ran into the schoolroom with no diaper. This has been a major problem over the last few days. I called Laura to get him, b/c she could get to him easier than I could. Lukey yells, "I pooped!" To that Laura yelled, "Oh no! He has!" At this point I am scared to death that there is poop smeared all over a wall or the floor in some part of the house. Nope, his diaper was in the bathroom floor. He had taken it off and got himself up on the toilet to finish his business. YAY LUKEY!!! We made a HUGE deal of him going to the bathroom in the potty and found him some big boy undies to wear. He has not had an accident. He took a 2 or 3 hour nap yesterday afternoon and stayed dry. Oh... to only have one in diapers will be a dream!!!
As I am sitting here typing away on my blog, Emi, JJ, and Bekah are sitting at their computer table playing games. Bekah is actually just watching b/c she let JJ have a turn on the computer she was sitting at earlier. What a sweet little thing! I could just eat her up. They all do love playing some computer games!!
Well, it is time for me to finish the bookcases and get other things done. Love ya bunches!

Fishin'

2010-07-10T21:11:00.002-04:00

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Just some rambling from a tired mama...

2010-07-08T09:29:00.000-04:00

This summer has been very draining for me. I'm not quite sure why, but I am completely exhausted.... physically and mentally. Since the first full week of June, Andrew and Laura have been gone from home every other week. I miss them terribly when they are gone. No, it isn't for the reason you are probably thinking. Yes, they do help me out around here tremendously with the little ones. But, the reason I miss them so much is b/c I miss talking to them. I miss having someone to bounce ideas off of while Mike is at work. I do miss their help. It is kinda hard to get to the mailbox or take the trash to the end of our driveway when Luke is awake. He is too quick to let him walk along with me. I prefer to NOT go for a swim in the pond to drag him out. Plus, he had his eyes dialated Tuesday, and the doctor said his eyes would be sensitive to the light for a day or two longer.
I had such high hopes for getting some things accomplished this summer. I wanted to organize, organize, organize. I wanted to get rid of a lot of clutter. Now, I did accomplish going through the baby girl clothes up to 2 or 3T. And I did go through some of the newborn baby boy stuff. I have gotten rid of some things around here, but nothing like what I had hoped. I still have a few weeks before we start school, and I pray that God will allow me to have that time to focus on the house and our upcoming school year. I think Andrew and Laura will be home the rest of the summer, so I will have them to help wrangle the kiddos.
I have so much on my mind that it just bogs me down. I know I need to give it to God and ask for His will to be done. He tells us to not worry for anything, but my human nature worries and stresses over things I have little to no control over. I have several things that I need your prayers on. I am praying for God's guidance and peace.
Sorry this wasn't a fun post, but it is an honest post. Hope you have a blessed day! Love ya bunches!

Our July 4th weekend

2010-07-05T12:55:00.000-04:00

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Saturday afternoon, we got out the kids' Slip & Slide and let them play for a while. What fun to watch Andrew and Laura teaching the little ones how to slide on it. I didn't take my camera outside b/c I was afraid it would get wet in all the excitement. Saturday evening, we went to Mill Creek in the 'Boro to watch the fireworks. This will be the last year that we have a great parking place. Thanks Mr. Jimmy and Mrs. Donna for letting us park there for several years! My baby sister Sarah went with us, and she was quite entertaining... as usual.
Sunday morning we went to church. What a wonderful message we heard. We came home to rest. Mike had to be at work at 6pm. I decided it would be a good idea to let the kids get in their pool to help them relax. Sarah came over right after I decided to get in the pool with the little ones and she joined us. It was a full pool, but we had a good time. We played for about an hour, then it was naptime. YAY!!! Sarah, Andrew, and Laura started watching Avatar. I caught bits and pieces of it between getting the little ones to sleep & doing laundry. After naps, we got ready to go to Savannah for another night of fireworks. We even surprised Mike with supper from Arbys. :o) By the time we got home I was exhausted.... but no rest for me. I had to stay awake to keep Andrew and Laura motivated to get packed for Mission Possible.
This morning, Mike called around 7am to wake me up. Andrew and Laura finished packing their last minute stuff, then it was time to take them to the church. They will be staying there until Friday afternoon for Mission Possible. I know they are doing yardwork today for shut-ins, etc. I have no clue what the rest of their week includes. Thank you God for using Your youth at Rehoboth to show Your love to our community.
Time to get the little ones down for a nap. Enjoy the pics! Love ya bunches!

Getting ready...

2010-07-03T11:07:00.000-04:00

for a busy weekend. This morning will be full of chores, but then we are headed to the 'Boro to watch fireworks at Mill Creek. Mike is off today, so he will get to enjoy the fun with us. I do miss him sooooo much when he has to work holidays. Tomorrow night, we will be taking in the fireworks in SAV. Of course, Mike will be working then, but at least he will get to experience Lukey's first impression of fireworks. Last year, he really didn't care about them.
This week was pretty much a bust on getting this done around here. I haven't felt very good. Arthritis is killing me in my left hand right now. I took some meds earlier, b/c I knew I wanted to type some on here.... since I am soooo behind. I am hoping to get the schoolroom done today while Lukey is with Sarah.
Lissa posted some amazing pics on my FB page taking at the kids' party. I love the effects she used. What a talent!! Not to mention, she gave my blog a new look. We are all loving it. Can't wait to show Mike when he crawls outta bed. I am going to let him enjoy sleeping late, since Lukey isn't here to beat on the door to wake him up. :o)
Well, if I am going to get anything accomplished in this schoolroom, I must get my behiney up outta this chair. I pray you have a safe and enjoyable 4th. Love ya bunches!

Adam's birthday party in Georgia

2010-07-02T16:47:00.003-04:00

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Surprise!

2010-06-30T14:38:00.000-04:00

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Happy 7th Birthday, Emily Grace!!! (a day late)

2010-06-28T10:50:00.000-04:00

You are such a bright spot in our family. I love endless your hugs and kisses. I only wish your MamMa Mary could have met you. You are so much like her.... your smile, the looks you flash at us. We are so proud of you. Thank you God for such an angel.

What a way to end the week!!!

2010-06-25T14:08:00.000-04:00

I got a text this morning from my sis-in-law, Laura, saying that Emi and I had a lot to talk about when I pick her up from iKamp. Anytime Emi is anywhere near our "pestor" David, I never know what he has asked her and what she has told him in response. Well, today there was no need for the worry. Our Emily Grace asked Jesus into her heart this morning!!! Yes, I cried when Laura told me. I am beyond happy. Words really can't express how I am feeling. Thank you God!

Happy Father's Day Mike!!!!

2010-06-20T00:50:00.001-04:00

Thank you for all you mean to our family. I can't imagine life without you as the head of our household. What a truly blessed family we are!! I am so thankful that you asked me to share your life with you. I pray that our kids realize what a blessing you are to them. Although we may not tell you like we should, your sacrifices do not go un-noticed. You have taken on the challenge of supporting our larger-than-life family, and you do an amazing job. For that, we are grateful. You are always ready with a joke or prank to get someone to laugh. You have that amazing smile that melts my heart and makes laughter explode around our home. You are teaching our sons to be men... to not be afraid of hard work and to have integrity. For that, I am thankful. You aren't afraid to make the hard decisions even if it means you won't be popular for a while. You have an amazing way of calming my fears with just a hug. You may not think you are all those things, but to me... you are SUPER MAN!

With all of our love,
Charity, Andrew, Laura, Emily, Jacob, Rebekah, Luke, and Jonathan

The birthday "girl" and boy!!

2010-06-19T15:11:00.000-04:00

I wasn't able to add a pic of Lukey on his birthday post, so I'm going to try it again with this one. Luke and Grandma Marge share the same birthday. She is 94 years old today. What a blessing it is for us to visit her at least once a year.

Happy 2nd birthday Lukey!!!

2010-06-19T15:03:00.003-04:00

We love you so much!! You are definitely following in your big brother JJ's footsteps. You keep us hopping even more than JJ did at this age. You have that same little grin that melts my heart when you get in trouble. You give the biggest and sweetest hugs! What a blessing you are to our family.

Our birthday boys!

2010-06-14T21:15:00.000-04:00

Papa turned 79 and JJ turned 5 on June 9th.

Our crazy week/weekend.

2010-06-14T21:05:00.000-04:00

Last week, Andrew and Laura went to Charleston, SC, for M-Fuge. Andrew signed up for Games & Recreation, and Laura signed up for Children's ministries as their tracks. They have a wonderful time. They came back bubbling with things to tell us. I talked to them several times during the week, and we sent texts back and forth daily. The little ones missed their big brother and sister terribly. I missed them too b/c I didn't have anyone to really talk to when Mike was working.
Thursday afternoon, I broke my little toe on my left foot.  I was in the schoolroom and my cellphone started ringing in the kitchen.  As I was running to answer it, I caught my toe on a dining room chair leg. I hobbled to the kitchen and looked down at my toe as I was grabbing my phone. My poor lil piggy was pointed out to the side.  What did I do, you ask?!    I pushed it back in place. I answered my phone... it was my brother Paul.  After a very quick conversation through gritted teeth, I called my sister Sarah to see what time she was getting off work.  Then I called Mike to tell him to come home to take me to the doctor. The xray showed that the bone was broken completely, but I had reset it 95%.  Woohoo! The doctor told me to stay off of it for 2-3 days.. you know, keep it elevated. Did that happen? Yeah right!  With 5 little ones running around, there is no way to stay off of it. My mama did come get Bekah and Luke for several hours Friday while Mike took JJ on his Daddy Date. Emi stayed home to take care of me and Jonathan. At one point, I got up to get me something to drink, and she told me to get back on the couch and put my foot up. LOL I have hit my poor piggy too many time to count.  Earlier this afternoon, I fell in the shower b/c I lost my balance. Then, I was walking to close to laundry room door and kicked the fireplace. OUCH!!! Needless to say, I hit the floor and Laura ran for my pain meds. LOL!!
Jonathan cut his first tooth last Tuesday night. He is working on his second tooth right beside it. I haven't been able to get a picture of it b/c it is on the bottom. He likes to put his tongue in the way.
We went to visit Aunt Lissa and Matt Matt Wednesday afternoon. Of course, Aunt Lissa had out her camera. She let Bekah take pictures which thrilled Bekah to pieces. JJ got his Matt Matt fix. My kids love them so Matt Matt. JJ was excited when Matthew passed down two play guns to him... a machine gun and a rubberband machine gun. Thanks Matthew! We had supper that night w/ Papa Harold and Grandma Jean to celebrate Papa's79th and JJ's 5th birthdays. We grilled hamburgers w/ fresh tomatoes from our bushes. YUMMY! Papa had requested brownies and JJ had requested chocolate chip cookies.... both requests were granted. :o)
Thursday evening, we had supper at Daddy & Mama's.  My aunt and uncle were home from Afghanistan. It was so good to spend that time with them. Uncle Todd took Emi and JJ fishing. Aunt Kathi took Bekah shopping for candy, drinks, and watermelons.  Please be in prayer for them as they left this afternoon to go back to work in Afghanistan.
Friday, Mike and JJ went to see the new Karate Kid movie. They both said it was good. While they were driving down the bypass, JJ said, "I want to eat at that place there w/ the big red thing on the sign." (Chili's) I think Mike was excited that he didn't have to eat at McDonald's.
We stayed home all weekend, b/c I didn't think I could handle being out and about on my foot. My parents came to get Emi, JJ, and Bekah last night (Sunday) for VBS. Bekah was excited that she was finally old enough to go to VBS at Granny's church. She told Mama, "Granny, I'm three! I'm three!"
Time to get my foot up a while. I can tell it is swelling. Love ya bunches.

So, did he...

2010-06-09T12:42:00.000-04:00

think he had morning breath... or was he getting ready to go see Aunt Lissa and Matt Matt?!
I heard the water on in the kids' bathroom and went to check things out. This is what I found!