More Later

I have seriously considered renaming this blog "More Later!"  Every time I write I feel like I leave out half the story.  Oh, well. 

We haven't been doing so well about getting on the Feingold diet.  Too much stuff to use up, but I am slowly replacing stuff I'm out of with the good stuff.  Going grocery shopping is very frustrating right now because EVERYTHING is so expensive!  Don't know how we can even THINK about going on vacation with gas around $4/gallon.  Wow.  AND I don't even want to hear about coupons.  Completely hate them at this point - and it takes SO MUCH of my time.  My kids were sick of it and so am I!

Casey went to the doctor yesterday and has a sinus infection.  She's our little girl who never gets sick.  Anna come home from the doctor's office with a fever of over 101.  Jonathan is okay so far.  I feel like I'm getting sick, so I'm loading up on the Echinacea and Vit. C....and all the other vitamins and supplements I take.  It's gotten completely out of hand lately!  The top of my microwave looks like the Vitamin Store.  Crazy!

Of Blossoms and Blooms

The weekend was most enjoyable.  Far and ABOVE anything I could have imagined.  We took off on Saturday morning to the Peaks of Otter.  We were going to have a picnic by the creek or lake and take pictures, then go home.  WELL!  We got there and before you know it we are hiking up Sharp Top!  We had a man from Franklin County join us not long after we had started up the trail.  He had a dog named Cheerio which the kids just loved.  He seemed to be completely happy with walking with the kids and stopping every few minutes to make sure we were all still alive! What a hike!  I thought in the first few minutes that I was gonna die.  BUT I didn't want to "let on" too much in front of the kiddos.   Anyhow on the way up Anna made friends with another "Anna" who was more than twice her age.  Such a sweet girl.  I really feel like God put them and us right there together so we could all help each other get up the mountain.  We laughed at each other and goofed around.  It was neat to have good company.  All in all it took almost 4 hours for the whole trip.  The kids had been complaining about being hungry as soon as we had left the house, but they didn't say much about it at all until we got to the top of Sharp Top.  So, needless to say, the trip down was fraught with many, "I'm soooo tired." and "I'm so hungry I'm gonna die!"  Having the dog as a distraction on the way up was really a good thing!  We went down by the creek and ate our sandwiches and the kids got to play in the creek.  Glen and Jonathan threw the football across the creek to each other.  Every now and then it would "SPLAT!" in the creek which was followed by, "Oh, NO!" and giggles from the girls.  Everyone was truly happy in that little space of time and I just thanked the Lord for letting me see it again!  On the way home everyone was real quiet, but no one slept.  I really didn't want to go home.  But then Sunday wouldn't have happened.....

Sunday!  New Member Sunday at church!  What a fantastic day!  There were six young folks that got baptized and 3 new members.  Then a rousing sermon and fellowship afterward.  Then Anna had a little friend come home with her from church.  I just love my kid's friends!  Jonathan went to a friends house for the afternoon.  So, we got pizza and pigged out with our little guest and then I took a much needed nap.  Needless to say, I'm still VERY sore from our trip up Sharp Top.  Then last night around 9:00 we were all back together again, just in time to say goodnight and say night prayers.  I love my family! 

Bleh @ WALMART

I needed to go to the grocery store yesterday.  Well, against my better judgment I went to Walmart just to see what all they had that was Feingold safe.  Well (again!), it is completely despicable how little they have in the way of no dyes, perfumes, preservatives and such.  Let's just say it was pretty much agony to find anything that was okay.  I left off some things that I know I can get at Kroger or the Co-Op.  So now comes the really hard part of adapting to having to go maybe three different places to get all the groceries and such that I need.  This is really an adventure, for sure!  Still excited and so ready to get completely on this diet!  It's pretty funny that now every time I serve the kiddos something they are saying, "Mom!  You know there's red 40 in that!"  Crazy, but so funny.

I didn't get up at 4 a.m. to watch the royal wedding.  We sat down and watched part of it this morning.  Now I'm feeling really behind, so I'm going to go finish getting ready for our weekend.  Tomorrow we are planning to go up on the Blue Ridge Parkway and take some family photos.  Hopefully I will have some to post soon!  Happy weekend everyone!

So why is it.....?

So, wonder why it is that I can think of the best posts when it's 2:00 AM?  AND the computer is in the other room where the 8 year old is sleeping.  AND I'm getting really tired of not using my family's names while blogging.  Hmmm.....  AND why do things always seem so wonderful in theory?  AND why do I miss my van so much when I don't have it?  AND why does the sound of a train whistle make me kinda sad?  AND why do my children think that we have an endless supply of money?  AND why do they behave JUST LIKE ME sometimes.  Okay...so I'm chuckling now. 

SPRING!

Spring has finally come to the valley!  The kiddos actually got to swim a bit yesterday.  Might have been not the smartest thing in the world for them to do, but they had so much fun I didn't have the heart to tell them to get out.  My 10 year old has a little friend that she hangs out with all the time and when they are together my daughter just giggles almost the entire time.  It's really fun to hear. 

So, when I say spring has finally come, that means that the pollen has really taken hold of us in a very allergic way.  CB has a cough that sounds really bad.  Matter of fact she's still in the bed and I constantly am having throat issues and the other two kids are on allergy meds.  Hate this about spring, but I love this time of year.  It's the a time of new beginnings.  The promise of long walks in the woods; talking till midnight out on the patio; playing in the creek; long picnics with friends and family; and VACATION!  Last year we went to western Massachusetts.  Loved it.  Here is a few pics from that trip:

Hoping this year that we can go back! 

Got my information about the Feingold diet.  My plan is to make a list of the things I get every week at the grocery store and make sure I get the "acceptable" things.  Next is to go through my cabinets and see what is okay and what is not and see how we can get rid of all the "no-nos."  It's a huge undertaking, but I'm so looking forward to seeing results!  So, this week we will be eliminating things and replacing with the good stuff.  Shew!  I'm tired already!  LOL!

Anniversary Stuff

I thought that the kids did really good with their cards.  Love the one about starting to look alike.  :)  Yes, we are working on spelling!

Springtime and Freshly Cut Grass

Someone is mowing my lawn!  And it isn't my husband!  I'm hoping to surprise DH when he gets home with a freshly mowed lawn that he didn't have to slave over!  But, I imagine the kiddos will spill the beans, but it's okay.  Thanks to the "V" family for providing their son to fight our weird yard and get it done!  Love it!  It's beautiful!  I wish I would have taken before and after photos because it was starting to look like Green Acres around here.  At least it wasn't Sanford and Son!  LOL!

Our Anniversary dinner was wonderful.  DH really treated me to a wonderful meal at Table 50.   Small place, but such wonderful food and the service was wonderful!  It's hard to believe that we have been doing life together for 11 years.  So much has happened and so much to be thankful for.  I'm continually amazed by God's kindness to us!  OH!  And I found some more pictures.  Let's see if I can actually get them up.  YAY!

I guess every blog should say, "MORE LATER!"  Or at least I know all of mine should!