Russell Family Blessings

Oklahoma 2011

2012-01-04T21:40:00.000-06:00

Just a little background... God has given our church a heart for missions and our church has been listening and responding to God's call. During the last year our church has sent teams to Venezuela, Pennsylvania, and Kentucky. During our Thanksgiving break, it was our turn! Our family participated in a missions trip for the first time! We traveled, along with 22 others from Ino Baptist Church, to Carnegie, Oklahoma to minister to the Native Americans in the name of Jesus. Our mission was to encourage others and demonstrate God's love by helping to provide a Thanksgiving meal to the people of Carnegie.

It all began like this...

Lots and lots of laundry!!! Haha! Packing for five people for six days is a chore! Of course, I was the only one that could do it! I'm a little OCD about packing...clothes must be in sets and in the order that that they will be worn. I don't really know why I bother, but it's just how I pack.

Thankfully, I took the day off of work on Friday to pack and get everything ready because we packed the bus on Saturday morning. I was so afraid that I would forget something, so I packed the whole house! ;) Anyway, we pulled out of the IBC parking lot at few minutes after 5AM on Sunday, November 20th. There were 27 people on the church bus! Of that 27, there were 11 children between the age of 13 and 4. It was a LONG ride! All jokes aside, the children were WONDERFUL!!! We traveled all day and arrived in Carnegie sometime around 11:30 pm. We quickly got most of our belongings out and set up in the church. Cedar Creek United Methodist Church was our home for the week. We slept on air mattresses in their Sunday School rooms and church sanctuary.

Here is our room all set up...we shared a room with our good friends, the Ashberrys.

On Monday, all the ladies and a couple of (young) men went to the next town over to stock up on our supplies at Wal-mart. We had to feed lots of people (our team) so we had to get lots of food!

Our children were also involved in ministering through music and puppets. Here's our Max practicing. On Tuesday night, the ladies of CCUMC cooked us a delicious dinner of Indian Tacos. Boy were they a treat! The tacos were like a taco salad served in "fry bread". They assured me that it was not corn bread, but "fry bread!" It is a bread made of flour that they stretch and then deep fry, almost like an unsweetened doughnut. Anyway, they were tasty!

On Wednesday, we did a little sightseeing and traveled to the Kiowa headquarters in Carnegie where we visited their museum. We also drove to visit the Wildlife Reserve a few miles away. While there, we saw buffalo, elk and prairie dogs! The prairie dogs were super cute and would just stand there and let us look at them.

We also saw all of these neat windmills. They were everywhere!

Here is our little family as we toured the museum at the Wildlife Reserve.

Wednesday evening, we got to attend a pow-wow that was held to raise money for the Carnegie football team that was to advance in the state playoffs. That was a neat experience. I forgot my camera so there are no pictures! It was interesting to see how they honored the players, coaches, alumni, etc. to raise money. There were men beating a big drum and chanting as well as some children and adults dressed in their native clothing.

On Thanksgiving morning, we got up early and began preparing the meal. We all worked hard! There was so much food to prepare! Turkeys, dressing, sweet potato casserole, green beans, corn and assorted desserts were on the menu!

During the meal, the children sang and provided puppet shows. The adults also provided some special music.
Here is our entire team after the meal in downtown Carnegie.

The meal, the trip, the ministry could never have been possible without a lot of teamwork!
First of all, we needed God's leading. We needed the willingness of His people to give up their plans for Thanksgiving. Also needed was the work and vision of the area missionary, Mr. Howard and the pastor of CCUMC, Mr. Gerald.

Our family was very blessed to get to serve in this way!

Christmas Card 2011

2011-12-20T23:21:00.002-06:00

For the first time ever, I actually had our Christmas cards created and ordered before December 1!!!! Too bad it took me 2 weeks to actually get them addressed and in the mail. I had to order more since I ran out...they were delivered to our old house yesterday...I hope they aren't wet! I just realized that they were delivered to our old address! It was my fault, though. Anyway, I'll have to wait until tomorrow to see if our renters have them. I'm keeping my fingers crossed! I hope you like the card. We love Shutterfly!

Check it out!

Stationery card

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Russell Sprouts, Anyone?

2011-10-14T19:37:00.006-05:00

I was just wondering if anyone else has trouble getting their children to eat anything that is good for them?

In an effort to be good parents, Wayne and I want to provide healthy food for our children. We try to serve at least one green vegetable with almost every meal. Being the the good mommy that I am I served Brussels Sprouts tonight. Our menu was as follows: Savory Meat (Sirloin Steak), Mashed Potatoes, Whole Kernel Corn, Brussels Sprouts and French Bread. Yummy, I know!

As we stood around the bar in our kitchen serving plates and getting everything ready, I popped one steamed Brussels sprout into my mouth and gave one to Wayne. He didn't really care of it, but I liked it ok. Wayne went on to put one one sprout on the plate of each of the children. Immediately, they started to complain! Max, our good sport, tried one (of course he thought it was gross!) After a discussion about what they were, Oki announced that we could all eat our Russell sprouts, but she didn't want any!

That's the way our eventing ended up...no green veggies for my kiddos and a laugh for Wayne and me!

Playing Catch Up!

2011-10-13T21:41:00.002-05:00

I started this post way back during the summer...These pics were already uploaded so I just thought I'd share...

The first one is what I found as I looked out my back door one summer morning...Can you tell we're country folks? My kids love to deck out and play outside!!! Eli and Max have even corrupted my little princess!

We spent a tremendous time at the baseball field this spring.
Max and Eli both playing baseball+ different age divisions=6 weeks of M,T,Th and F nights at the field...Plus 2 practice sessions on Saturday. That was a lot of baseball!

Eli played Third Base, Second Base, Catcher and he even pitched one game...Max played mostly Right field. It was his first year in regular play (not coach pitch) and he was a little out of his element. The main thing was that they had a great time.

Here's Max up to bat and Eli waiting to field a ball...

This is what Oki did all those days at the ball field...she played!!! Here she is peeking in the dugout.

Whew!

2011-10-10T22:04:00.000-05:00

We've been EXTREMELY busy!

When I first started this blog, I thought it would be easy and fun to chronicle the goings-on of my family. Well, blogging is really fun and easy, but really...who has the time? It seems that all I do is run at break-neck speed all day and fall into bed exhausted at night, only to do it again in the morning! Now, please don't misinterpret me...I love my family, my life and my job, but sometimes it seems a little hectic! All funny business aside, I am a thankful woman. Seriously!

I have been trying to write this blog post for a month now, but haven't been able to find the time. Well, I've been a little under the weather for a few days so it seems that I have finally "found the time" to blog! Yea! There IS a bright side to everything!

Our summer ended, as has been tradition for the past few years, with our BIG family vacation in Destin. The weather was a little less than desirable, but we had fun none the less!

The first few pictures were taken our last day on the beach. The waves were crazy big and oh so much fun! This first picture is so funny to me...there's Max and my nephew, Trevor...with my sister's hand holding his shirt in a death grip! I never have to worry about my kids when she's around! She's super protective...and I love her bunches!

The kid caught this big sand crab...I had to make them let it go before they killed it...

Our handsome half-grown boy, Eli!

And here's our sweet Max...always "cheesing" for the camera!!!

Max again...the master of the boogie board. That boy can ride a wave like no other!

Our little starlet...Oki.

Our traditional facing the water picture...I've been snapping one of these for years!!!

The picture below shows what you will see on many afternoons in our back yard...Wayne and the boys playing some football. I absolutely LOVE seeing them tossing the ball around! I have so many pictures of this. I know Eli and Max will cherish the memories of this time with Wayne when they are grown...

The beginning of school brought with it a first and a last...Oki's first day of big school! Yipee!!! She loves school and her teacher, Mrs. Mikel! We are so glad she loves it! The last is that she's our last "first day of school"!!! *sniffle*

The first day of the 2011-12 school year...Eli - 7th Grade...wow! Can hardly believe that! Max - 4th Grade...Oki - Kindergarten...

Then...more exciting stuff! Eli turned 13! For the past few years, Eli has shared a birthday party with his friend, Cutter. Their birthdays are just a few days apart. For the past two years, they have opted for a skating party. Don't they look happy about having their picture taken? Typical teenagers!!! ;) Gotta love 'em!

Eli being sweet and letting dear 'ole mom have a picture with him on his actual birthday...things have changed a bit since 1998!!!

I had to snap this picture...This is the view I have from my back yard...If you will notice the house in the background...That's my sister's house. For 12 years she's been my neighbor. First just a few yards away, then from a short distance across a pasture once their house was built. When she lived just a few yards away, we would sit on our back steps and talk on the phone...when she moved into her new house I had withdrawals because I couldn't see her everyday!!! Well, now there is going to be more distance...only a few miles, but distance just the same. We are moving soon, so this will not be my view anymore. Adjustments will come as we move from the country...away from family. Not too far...just to town...visits will be frequent I'm sure!

I just wanted a pic of my kiddos and her house for the memory book!

Hopefully, I will have updates on the new house soon!

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

2011-07-09T16:14:00.005-05:00

Today I'm going to share a yummy recipe for Old Fashioned Banana Pudding, the kind you cook. My Papa loves it! I made it for him instead of a cake on his birthday, so I thought I'd take a little extra time to type it out for everyone to try. I wish I could take credit for it, but it's not my recipe. I got this a few years ago from a lady at church, Mrs. Betty Danford. I'm so glad she shared it! I am posting a few pictures so that you can see how mine looks. I wish I had more to share and that they were better quality!!! Anyway, here goes...

Old Fashioned Banana Pudding

Ingredients:

3/4 Cups Sugar
3Tbs. Plain Flour
3 Large Eggs (separate whites into another bowl and refrigerate)
1 tsp. Vanilla
2 Cups Milk
Vanilla Wafers
3 Bananas

In a heavy sauce pan, combine sugar and flour, mixing well.

Add milk, beaten egg yolks, and vanilla.

Cook on medium heat, stirring CONSTANTLY until mixture thickens. Remove from heat. In a casserole dish (I use a 8X8 baking dish), layer wafers, bananas and pudding mixture.

Whip egg whites until stiff. Add 2 Tbs. sugar and whip until stiff peaks form. They will look something like this...

Spread on top of pudding.

Brown top in the oven. Be careful not to over-brown.

Enjoy!!! It is delicious warm or cold!

Be sure to let me know how yours turns out!!!

The Kid's World Academy Awards

2011-05-14T21:33:00.006-05:00

I've got to get better at this! Promptness is definitely not my forte...and I've never claimed to be anything other than a procrastinator. I have so many pictures that need to be uploaded and blogged about. This post is an exception, though. I'm actually going to get this one done in a timely manner!!! Kudos to me! ;) Anyway...

Thursday night, our baby, our caboose, our little princess, our Oak Tree...Oki graduated from Preschool! I absolutely cannot believe that she is going to Kindergarten in the fall! Where did the time go? I guess the time flies when you're busy...and boy have we been busy!

First, I need to say that we have been very blessed to have the ~~staff~~ family at Kid's World care for all three of our children. Mrs. Pam and the ladies there are an outstanding group and have loved and nurtured Russell children since 2002. For ten years (wow! That seems like forever!) we have been leaving our kids there for care while we work. Not everyone can say that they have confidence in their daycare provider like KW parents can. The graduation ceremony the other night was just one more feather in their cap, too! Ladies, you did an OUTSTANDING job! The program was a great success and the children were adorable.

The theme of the night was "The Kid's World Academy Awards" so the kiddos had to dress up...

Here's Oki getting ready for her big night...She wasn't happy that I insisted that we roll her hair. Any other time, she would be begging me to do it!!!
Each child got to walk the red carpet and go up on stage. They stood in a line and waited for everyone to get on the stage...Here she is doing a little dancing!

Here are the little stars getting ready to sing us a song...Aren't they adorable!!???

Waiting patiently while Mrs. Angie talks to the grownups...Mrs. Angie helping them get lined up "just right."

Here's Oki with one of her favorite friends...Heidi. Such pretty little girls!

Here she is with another KW friend, Reeve.
Mrs. Angie, Oki's teacher...

Last but not least...our little family...I wonder what this picture will look like in 2025 when she graduates from high school??? Let's not think about that quite yet!!! ;)

Happy Valentine's Day!

2011-02-13T19:43:00.002-06:00

With Valentine's Day coming up tomorrow, I spent my Saturday baking and decorating cookies for Max and Oki to take to school. Giving homemade gifts is something I enjoy doing and I really enjoy decorating cookies, but not the time that it takes me! Oki was some help decorating...

Here she is decorating her own cookie...

Some I did with sprinkles and I experimented with some other designs too. Some turned out better than others!!! All in all, I think I made something like 63 cookies!

I have the best recipe...click here to link to a master cookie and cupcake lady!!! She gives tips on decorating. I love her blog!

Hope your Valentine's Day is great!

My Talented Brother-In-Law

2011-01-06T22:50:00.004-06:00

My brother-in-law, Harrison is working on this drawing for me and I couldn't help but share this "sneak peek" that he sent me today! He is so talented! Thanks H!

"Carnley Girls"

My sisters, Missy and Gail and me in the middle!

Sweet Potato Dumplings

2011-01-06T13:51:00.003-06:00

I really don't know what to call these things, so I just made the name up! I got this recipe at church the other night from Mrs. Berry. It was so tasty that I thougth I would share it!

Sweet Potato Dumplings

Ingredients:
2 Cans Crescent Rolls
1 Package of Sweet Potato Patties (Cut in Half)
1.5 Cup Water
3/4 Cup P
1.5 Cup Light Brown Sugar
1.5 tsp. Vanilla
Cinnamon

Directions:

Wrap each 1/2 Sweet Potato Patty in a crescent roll and place in a large shallow baking dish that has been sprayed with non-stick spray. (You will have 16 rolls) Combine water, butter and sugar in a small pan and boil until the sugar is dissolved. Remove from heat and add vanilla. our over rolls, sprinkle with cinnamon.

I made 1/2 of this recipe and it turned out fine.

Happy Cooking!

Bake at 350 degrees for 30 minutes.

Allow to sit a little while before serving.

Christmas 2010

2010-12-27T08:36:00.004-06:00

I am not sure what was so different, but we had the best Christmas this year! It just seemed that everything just went well. Praise the Lord for our family!!! It was great getting to spend time visiting!

I've included some pictures from "The Day." Maybe I will be more regular in updating. I really do want to get back to blogging!

My children are growing up so fast, I can hardly keep up! As you can see, I don't have babies anymore! Eli is 12, Max is 9 and Oki is 4...

Last but not least...our traditional family picture at my sister's house on Christmas night...

'Tis the Season

2010-12-07T22:26:00.001-06:00

With Love Chartreuse Christmas Card

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Santa Fe Soup

2010-11-09T17:45:00.006-06:00

This recipe is super yummy! I have gotten so many requests for the recipe that I thought I'd share it here. As much as I would like to, I can't take credit for the recipe! I got it several years ago from a friend at work...I hope you enjoy it as much as we do!

Santa Fe Soup

Ingredients:
• 1 lb. Ground Beef
• 1 lb. Baby Link Sausage (sliced)
• 1 med. Onion (chopped)
• 1 can black beans
• 1 can red beans
• 1 can pinto beans
• 2 cans white kernel corn
• 2 cans diced tomatoes
• 2 packages taco seasoning mix
• 1 package ranch dressing mix
• 2 cans water

Brown ground beef, sausage and onion together. Drain. Place in crock pot and add other ingredients (do not drain water from any cans). Cook for about 2 hours.

Serve with shredded cheese and sour cream. Corn Chips are also great with it. Sometimes I substitute ground venison instead of beef. Using spicy sausage and seasoned tomatoes also gives it a little extra kick!

Happy Cooking!

Sewing

2010-10-17T12:34:00.005-05:00

About the only thing I like about hunting season, aside from the fact that my husband loves it, is that I am afforded a little free time. Wayne is usually occupied at the hunting club this time of year, so I often find myself with some extra time. This year has been especially good already. Wayne has been helping out at home a lot more by organizing things (anyone who knows me well, knows that I am anything but organized!) and insisting that we ALL pitch in to keep things neat. I have been so pleasantly surprised at how much better our home is running and how neat everything is! With the house staying in order and hunting season upon us, I have really been able to do a lot of sewing lately! I have had the best time the past two Saturdays at my friend, Valerie's house sewing with her. She is so gracious to allow us to intrude and make a huge mess! Our girls play while we talk and sew...I am including a few pictures of my recent projects.

These two were shirts that I embroidered for birthday presents...

Yesterday I attempted to make a reversible "longall" for a friend. I also embroidered appliques on each side. I was pleased with the outcome!

This skirt was sewn for a friend's daughter. I can't take all of the credit, though. Valerie helped, too! We make such a great team for sewing. While I help her with some of the more tedious aspects of sewing, like gathering, she helps me by doing the things I don't like to do! I really do not like cutting patterns! She cut the skirt out and did most of the construction, but not the gathering!!! ;-)

Maybe you will see some more things before long! Keep checking! I hope to do a better job of keeping my blog updated!

The Best Ever Pound Cake!

2010-10-14T21:12:00.003-05:00

Anyone that knows me and has been around me at all knows that I love to bake a pound cake! I have been using this recipe since I was about 18 years old...if you know how old I am, that's a long time! My sister gave me this recipe, where she got it I don't know. For years, I made it using margarine. I always got compliments on it, but it wasn't until I switched to butter that it really did become "THE BEST EVER!"

I promise you this: BUTTER REALLY DOES MAKE A DIFFERENCE!

I'm not one of those people that doesn't share recipes so here goes...

BEST EVER POUND CAKE

Ingredients:

3 Sticks Butter, softened

1 8 oz Bar Cream Cheese, softened

3 Cups Sugar

2 T. Vanilla Flavor

3 Cups Cake Flour

6 Eggs

Cream butter and cream cheese together. Add sugar and vanilla and beat until fluffy. Add 1 cup flour and 2 eggs. Beat at medium speed. Continue adding 1 cup flour and 2 eggs until all are mixed in. Beat until smooth. (About a minute or two at medium speed) Pour into a prepared bundt pan and bake at 325 degrees for 1.5 hours.

A few things...

I sometimes use unsalted butter. It really doesn't matter to me which I use. It always turns out well.
Baker's Joy cooking spray makes the prettiest cakes
I usually have to bake my cake a few minutes longer.
I don't sift my cake flour.
Never let my sister, Gail around your "crusty" pound cake...she will eat it (the crust) all!!!

To The Mountains We Went

2010-07-23T21:26:00.000-05:00

I do realize that this post is...oh, something like 4 months late. But, I still wanted to post it! I actually uploaded all of the pictures about 3 months ago, but never typed the post. I wish I had enough energy, time and productivity to do all of the things that roll around in my mind. I might be dangerous then!!! Anyway...

During Opp's Spring Break in March, our family took a trip to Bryson City, North Carolina. A couple in our church offered us the use of their cabin there and we jumped on the opportunity. We had never been to the mountains before and we were so in awe of the beauty of God's creation there. We had a very low-key get away, not "doing" and "going" constantly. We left after school on Wednesday and returned on Sunday afternoon. It took us about 9 hours to get there. We couldn't believe how well the children did on the drive!

One day, we went up the road a few miles to the Cherokee Indian Reservation. There, we enjoyed walking and looking. We visited the museum there and the children had their faces painted by a Cherokee Indian!

While the children were getting their faces painted, the man told us that we should visit Minga Falls, a local waterfall that is a popular tourist attraction. These were the steps we had to climb...I counted them on the way down, but now I can't remember how many there were! I am thinking it was something like 172 or something. Needless to say, I was out of breath when we got to the top!

We were rewarded for our efforts because this is what we saw when we arrived!

Here are our precious "Indian" children with their faces painted...

A Wonderful Day

2010-07-14T21:27:00.007-05:00

Wayne and I have had a wonderful day!!! I am super worn out from walking, walking, walking eating way too much! We both enjoy history, so Natchez is right up our alley. We began our day at the Natchez City Cemetery. I know I'm not well traveled, but I have never in my life seen such a large cemetery. The tombstones, gravemarkers and mausoleums were amazing. It's neat to think about all the lives that are represented by each marker. It is also very humbling to know that really all that will be left of us in a few years is a marker. I was so saddened to see all of the children's graves. As I walked around looking, I mourned for their mothers. I can only imagine their heartbreak. The view below is from one of the Jewish sections of the cememetary.

The next photo was taken on bluff in the cemetery overlooking the Mississippi River.

Our next stop was St. Mary's Bascillica in downtown Natchez. I've never been inside a Catholic Church before. This building was beautiful!!!

Our first home tour of the day was Stanton Hall. This house was amazing! I am so glad we went. Our tour guide was a true Southern Belle with the cutest accent. I'm sure she was at least 75 years old, but she did a great job! She told us that every screw and piece of metal hardware used in the house was silver!!! Can you imagine??? This home cost (I think I'm remembering correctly) something like $84,000 to build way back when...It was so well preserved and in great condition.

The next home we toured was Rosalie. This home was also beautiful. It was used by the Union soldiers during the Civil War. According to our guide, the troops occupied one side of the home and the family the other. Talk about a house divided!

While visiting Rosalie, I got to play the piano. Let me say that I have taken a total of 3 years of piano lessons, but I can only pick out the right hand. I got to play for our little tour group because no one else in our group could play! Can you tell how much fun I had wow-ing everyone with a little "Heart and Soul"? Thank you to my good friend, Haiden for practicing with me all those times on the OHS stage!!

This is us on the second story veranda at Rosalie. Note the Mississippi River in the background.

The grounds were beautiful! Wayne and I had fun setting the timer on my camera and running to get in the picture. Since this was our anniversary trip, I couldn't resist making him pose with me for the next picture!

This evening we ate at a super restaurant called Breaud's. I would HIGHLY reccommend you try it if you are every in Natchez! I had the best ribs ever and the cole slaw was yummy, too!

Afterward, we went to the river to collect some water for Eli. For some reason, my sweet boy said he wanted us to bring him a bottle of Mississippi river water. These pictures were taken on the boat ramp in the area called "Under the Hill."

Look at this sweet daddy, risking wet feet to collect his boy some river water!

I love this next picture. What a wonderful way to end our getaway...an evening photo on the banks of the Mississippi. It was breathtakingly beautiful this afternoon!

Wayne and Sam

2010-07-13T22:26:00.004-05:00

I feel like the most terrible blogger! Several blogposts sit unfinished in my "dashboard" and many ideas are swimming in my brain, but none ever seem to materialize here. Since I'm on vacation and Wayne is watching a baseball game on TV, I thought I'd take a few minutes to update. My last post was an anniversary post. Let me tell you about my anniversary...I went to VBS!

If you read my last post, you will know that my wonderful and romantic husband planned a trip for us...We drove 6.5 hours west to our destination of Natchez, MS. I didn't know where we were going until about 1.5 hours before arrival!

We are staying at an Antebellum home called Monmouth Plantation. It is a wonderful and beautiful place! This is the main house. Our room is actually in the renovated kitchen area.

This picture was taken this morning near our room on Monmouth Plantation. The grounds here are beautiful and cover about 30 acres.

Today, we toured another Antebellum home called Longwood. This home is the world's largest octaganal home. The sad thing is that it was never finished. I can't imagine the splendor that it would have had if it had been completed.

This picture was taken this afternoon before supper. We dined at the Chef's table in the main house with a few other guests. It was my first five course meal! It was delicious!

This is the dining room and table where we ate tonight. It was very fancy, but a great experience!

Wayne and I were treated to a horse-drawn carriage ride this afternoon. Our driver, Mr. James, did an outstanding job showing us around and providing us with a lot of knowledge! This carriage ride was a first for both Wayne and me.

There is more to come soon! I have tons of pictures! We are planning to tour two other homes tomorrow, visit the cemetary and the area called "Under the Hill."

Happy Anniversary!

2010-06-10T22:26:00.002-05:00

I just had to type it out!!! Happy Anniversary to my wonderful husband!!! Fifteen years is a long time, but it has flown by! See my post from two years ago to see some pictures of us then. I feel so blessed by God to have such a wonderful and Godly husband and father to my children. We have been so completely crazy busy at our house lately, so I haven't given much thought to our anniversary other than to be a little sad that we wouldn't be able to celebrate on "the day." So, when I went to the kitchen first thing and saw a box of gourmet chocolate on the bar, I thought that was the end of the anniversary surprises...boy was I wrong!

After I arrived at work, Wayne called and told me that there was an envelope in the console of my SUV. I was expecting a card or letter (he writes me often) or maybe even a gift certificate for a pedicure...I was definitely in for a surprise!

I cannot describe to you how pleasantly surprised I was to find an amazingly sweet card and three pages of information about a surprise trip!!! I don't know where we are going, only that I am to tour the city in a horse drawn carriage, eat at a really nice restaurant the second night we're there, have a gourmet breakfast each morning and have a really great guy to carry my luggage! (That last part was from the email that Wayne sent to me.) Anyway, to say that I'm excited is an understatement! The last time we got away together for a vacation was 5 years ago...I think we're wayyyyy past-due.

I will post pictures soon.

Oki's New Do!

2010-03-01T21:01:00.008-06:00

This afternoon I took all three children to the beauty shop for haircuts. First of all, getting haircuts for all three children in one afternoon is enough to make me want to run away! I can only imagine how Nonnie felt by the time she was done! Between the volume of the T.V. where Eli and Max were being entertained and Oki running around like a complete maniac, I really needed a pill for anxiety! Anyway, I guess all of the trouble was worth it because I now have two very happy boys (they’ve been begging for haircuts for two weeks) and one cute little girl!

As you can see in the picture below, Oki's hair has gotten very long. A few months ago, I began thinking about cutting it for Locks of Love or some other charitable organization. We've been debating about waiting to cut it or going ahead. After talking to Oki about it, she has become very excited about giving her hair to "some little girl who doesn't have any." I've also become quite tired of worrying with all of the trouble of long hair on a three year old. Hence our decision...Cut it now! Nonnie, along with several of my friends, were not at all happy about our decision. I really think Nonnie thought I was going to cry, but I didn't!

Scroll down to see the before and afters...

And.....

here goes......

AFTER!!!!

These last ones were taken after her bath...When I was drying it, Oki said, "It's growing!" I guess she heard me telling Nonnie today..."It's just hair, it will grow!"

Please Pray!

2010-01-08T21:15:00.002-06:00

I came across a blog a few weeks ago when I saw a post on another blog. I went there and read it from the beginning. It brought to the forefront of my mind just how quickly our lives can change. Lane Ann Miller is a woman in need of a miracle. Please check out her story and pray for her...

Click here to read her story.

Christmas 2009

2010-01-04T21:56:00.003-06:00

I am really beginning to feel on top of things. Here it is January 4th and I'm writing my second post of the year!!! Yea! I hope this is a prediction of things to come in 2010...

Eventhough I may be off to a good blogging start for 2010, I know that I'm actually behind since I'm just now blogging about Christmas. This Season was so very strange and sad, too.

I won't mention everything that happened, but the Season began to take a turn 'south' when two weeks before Christmas, Wayne began to get sick. He started coughing and feeling generally yucky...which let Dr. Russell (that's me) to suggest some good cough medicine. After a couple of days on that, he developed a prostate infection. (Which we now know was probably brought on or at the least aggrivated by the cough medicine. He had no prior problems in this area.) I knew he must be very sick when he called me at work to tell me that he had made his own dr. appt. (with no prompting from me!) The dr. prescribed an antibiotic and we thought we were good. BOY WERE WE WRONG!!! After just a few days on this med, Wayne was so very sick!!! The effect that this medicine had on him was awful! On Christmas, I asked him not to take any more of the medicine. We were both really worried about him at this point. For the next 4 days, he ran fever and felt very terrible. He returned to the dr. on Monday and thankfully got a different antibiotic and has improved greatly. Praise the Lord, he has continued to get better! I know many people were praying for him. He has lost several pounds and is not 100%, yet. Please keep it up!

In the midst of Wayne's illness, his uncle Kevin passed away. He was 45 years old. The Russell family has lost a wonderful person...Son, brother, uncle, husband...

Now that all the sad stuff is out, let's get on with the good...However, the above mentioned circumstances might account for the lack of pictures taken that day!!!

My sweet great-nephew, Brayden was happy about his First Christmas!

This is the only picture I got of all my babies together...Anyway, Oki looks like she's got Eli and Max under control. Now, if we could get HER under control, we'll be good to go!

Dad and his Princess!

The Russell Fam...2009!

Merry Christmas, late! And no, I didn't send cards...Sorry!!!!

Happy New Year!

2010-01-01T23:08:00.004-06:00

I promise to make a Christmas post! I will, I will!

Tonight I couldn't resist actually being on time for a post for once!!! Does your family have a New Year tradition? For the last few years I have hosted a little New Year lunch at our house. Nothing fancy, just down home cooking. My dad and my Papa come over for lunch which always includes black-eyed peas and turnip greens. The rest of the menu varies, but we ALWAYS have the black-eyes and greens. This year was no different...the menu included: baked ham, black-eyed peas, turnip greens, home made mac-and-cheese, fried corn bread and last, but not least a made-from-scratch chocolate cake. I really do feel like I spent most of the day in the kitchen which I enjoy, for the most part. Today, however our lunch turned into supper. I didn't get the ham in the oven in time for it to be ready by lunch, so I decided to wait 'till supper to cook. I don't think I will do that again. I do enjoy having my afternoons to relax. As it happened, I finished cleaning the kitchen at 9:21pm! I really did have a good day at home with Oki, Max and his friend, Clay. Eli spent the night with a friend and was gone until the late afternoon.

Anyway, Eli has been begging me to make "one of those chocolate cakes with the little layers." Do any of you know what he's talking about? Well, if you don't...he's talking about a cake like Mrs. Dean's!

Being the good mother that I am I decided to bake my boy a cake!!! If you know me well, you know that I love to cook. I'm not too bad at it, if I do say so myself...Another thing about me is that I do not like to use mixes. I really prefer baking from scratch. So, this morning soon after breakfast, I began scouring my cook books and the internet for a recipe for an old fashioned seven layer cake...I looked high, I looked low, but none was to be found. I found a nine layer, a twenty-0ne layer, a four layer, a fourteen layer, but no seven!!!! With the knowledge that there are no seven layer cake recipes to be found, I set about creating my own!!! I was so proud of myself while mixing and figuring. I thought, "I'll write all of this down and post the recipe on my blog tonight." Well, needless to say, the cake didn't turn out quite as I planned. Oh, it did taste ok...maybe a little dry...but it looked ever so pitiful!!!! I am not the cook I thought I was. So, I'm showing you this cake so that you can laugh the way I have laughed at myself tonight...

Is that not the most pitiful thing you've ever seen? I ended up doing only four layers and I'm not sure what happened to the icing! I'm guessing that I didn't let it boil long enough. When I was putting the icing on, it kept dripping and dripping. It filled up the cake plate and I was forced to pour some of it into a bowl!!! When we cut the cake, I just dipped the icing out of the bowl and onto our cake...it was tasty! When Wayne saw it, he said, "Nice Moat!" At least he's honest! ;-)

Anyway, today was a good start to the year 2010. I hope your year is blessed with God's grace and mercy. My hope and prayer is that I will draw closer to the Lord and bring Him glory in all things.

P.S. If you have a recipe you'd like to share with me...I would appreciate it!!! I learned today (through a cake) that I don't know everything!!!!

Singing Beauty!

2009-12-28T09:23:00.006-06:00

I will add a Christmas 2009 post soon, but I wanted to get these videos on first. These were made Christmas night after a full day of festivities. Oki got a new Bible from her Nonnie. She's convinced it is a song book! She does know all of the words to Away in a Manger, but would NOT sing it correctly for the camera! Typical Oki behavior. Anyway, I thought you would enjoy these. I hope your Christmas was blessed!

Football!

2009-11-24T22:11:00.005-06:00

For some reason, our boys love to play football. This fall, Eli and Max have had the most fun playing in our back yard and adjoining pasture. Wayne joins in also and it's "boy against boy!" An extra special treat is when Poppie (my dad) comes out and throws the ball for Eli...

I got these first pictures one afternoon before the time change.

These next pictures were snapped at Clay's birthday party. Clay is a one of Max's best friends.
Of all the boys playing on the field, Max is the only one without shoes! I promise, I did raise him right!
Check out our Eli. He loves the game! I can't believe how big he's getting!

New Shoes

2009-11-24T21:38:00.003-06:00

Oki's new shoes are old by now, but I couldn't help but share this....Picture this: Oki and me at Target...walking in the shoe department...She begged for these $10 shoes, insisting that if she had "tennis shoes" she could play on the monkey bars at school. She very plainly explained to me that you can't play on the monkey bars if you wear sandals, flip flops or Crocs! I must admit that I'm a little snobby when it comes to athletic shoes for my children. I don't think I've ever bought Eli or Max a pair from Target or Walmart. Usually, they get Nike, New Balance or Under Armour, so when Oki started begging...of course I thought "no way!" Then I started thinking, "It's just $10, if they tear up after one wear, I won't be out much money." Boy, was I in for a surprise!

I've never seen someone love a pair of shoes like this girl loves hers.

She even had to wear all pink to "match" on her first day wearing them to school! The very pleasant surprise is that they've held up so well. I will definitely buy another pair when she grows out of these.

Lots and Lots!

2009-11-24T21:21:00.003-06:00

I have so many pictures and not enough time and motivation to get them on here! I am almost ashamed that I have not been keeping my blog up to date. When I take pictures, I have grand plans to upload them and I even have cute little blurbs to add, but I never seem to find the motivation to follow through! Well, by George, tonight I'm getting some pictures on!!!! ;-) I decided to create separate posts, so I can title them accordingly. Be patient, I have a lot of pictures to sort through.

Happy Birthday, Max!

2009-11-04T06:25:00.005-06:00

It's so hard to believe that our sweet "Baby Max James" is eight years old! I can still close my eyes and see those sweet little blonde curls bouncing on the back of that toddling little head of his. The years are flying by and there's nothing I can do to stop it. Although he's growing up, there's not another with a smile like his...

We celebrated on his birthday with dinner at home and a "cookie" cake at his request. Dad did a little decorating with some extra chocolate chips.

Later in the week, Max celebrated with his friends at the Opp Skating Rink. This was his first big party. Lots of friends attended and everyone had a blast!

We love you, Max! You are a special little boy!

Bling!

2009-10-11T13:11:00.002-05:00

I couldn't help but share this picture. A couple of weeks ago, a friend gave me a new set of Sorrelli. Oki has shown some interest in my jewelry lately and loves to try it on. Last week, after hearing me oooohhhh and ahhhh over these new earrings, she "had" to give them a try too...By the way, she said she wants some "relli" from Santa this Christmas! Don't worry, I already know...We're in big TROUBLE!!!

Labor Day 2009

2009-09-07T21:51:00.008-05:00

I only have a minute or two before I go to bed, but I wanted to post a couple of pictures from today. I am so completely behind on posting! Hopefully, I'll get a few of the (literally one thousand or more) pictures that I have taken this summer on here soon.

Today, Oki and I stayed around the house and were pretty much bums. We did enjoy ourselves a good bit. The boys went to the hunting club around lunch and stayed until after dark...I'll save that story for later. Anyway, here's a picture of my little princess.

This is where Oki was playing when I was sewing this afternoon. Please excuse the mess of my sewing stuff all around. Note: Oki is playing "baby." She has a diaper bag, 2 baby Bibles, burp cloths, blankets and most important, A PISTOL! Don't worry, it is a non-working air-soft pistol that she confiscated from Eli or Max. It is just the thought that has me laughing. She's learned early the importance of packing some heat...A girl can never be too careful! We just need to get her a permit!

First Day of School '09

2009-08-16T13:47:00.003-05:00

Since it's been FOREVER since I posted, I thought I'd take just a minute to put up a picture from our first day back. I have so much to share from the summer. I hope that I'll be able to get some more pictures up soon.

Both Eli and Max are going to new schools this year. Eli is a 5th grader at the middle school and Max is in the 2nd grade at the brand new OES! I can hardly believe my boys are so grown up. Before long, I'll be looking up to them.

Birthday Party Pictures

2009-07-08T10:57:00.002-05:00

Here's a slideshow of the pictures from Oki's third birthday party. I'm sorry it's a little late! I was a little unsure of having a swimming party for a three year old, but it turned out pretty well.

Happy Birthday, America!

2009-07-04T14:14:00.004-05:00

I wanted to take few minutes to post today. So many times, we get caught up in our holidays and forget the reason we have them. I didn't want to forget today. I'd like to remind everyone in the midst of our fun and family time: Our country and freedom was bought with a high price...the lives of many men and women that were willing to die for the chance at freedom. Just as Christ died for us so that we might have salvation and eternal life, our freedom in America was paid for with many, many lives. Our forefathers founded this nation on Christian principles. These days it seems that we have forgotten that our nation was formed because Christians were not free to worship and were being persecuted. After a few more than 200 years, we are almost back where we began. Our rights as Christians are being taken away. Please take a few minutes today and pray for our nation and her leaders. Yes, even our president! I can't imagine the stress he and our other leaders are under each day. Our country was founded on God, let's give America a great birthday present and turn back to Him, the true source of our freedom!

Wip Woss Anyone?

2009-06-19T11:00:00.003-05:00

I just thought I'd share some pictures from this morning. Oki was applying her "wip woss." She's definitely a girly-girl!

Happy Birthday, Oki!

2009-06-18T12:21:00.004-05:00

We celebrated Oki's third birthday on June 16th. I can hardly believe our little princess is three already! Where has the time gone? We will have her party on Saturday with her friends, but on her actual birthday, we had a little cake for her (compliments of Grammie) after supper. Here are some pictures that I took with my new camera.

Precious Boys

2009-05-14T21:12:00.004-05:00

I'm sure some of you know, but when I am pregnant, we never find out the sex of the baby prior to delivery. Well, when I was preggo with Eli I wanted a boy. Mainly, because I thought that it was important to have a boy first so that there would always be a 'big brother'. So when I got pregnant with Max, I wanted to have a girl so much. I spent those nine months convinced I was carrying a girl; however, there was no time for disappointment when Dr. Butler delivered that precious little boy. Now I am so thankful that God knew what was best and gave us those boys, just 3 years apart. I have loved watching them grow. They share a bedroom, play together, do chores together and hopefully will continue to be close as they grow into the young men they will one day become. Those little boys make me laugh all of the time...don't get me wrong, they make me mad, too. It's then that I yell and fuss and lecture and spank and restrict and etc. haha! I wouldn't trade a minute of being their mommy for all of the riches in the world.

Tonight, I found myself at home with them alone. Wayne and Oki had gone to the grocery store. Eli and Max had been behaving really well because they were going to be allowed to play their PS2 if they completed their chores in an orderly fashion. We must include 'orderly fashion' because they often times will argue and take forever folding their laundry (which was the chore of the night). Once their tasks were completed I sent them to the bathroom to get a bath. That's when the trouble began! All of a sudden, I hear a slap and then wailing coming from the bathroom. In my laid back parenting style, I waited to hear what would happen next........the yelling, fussing, arguing continued. I wasn't at all pleased with what I heard as I approached the bathroom. I informed both of the boys that they would be treated equally: They should expect a spanking after their bath. To be kind I advised both of them to be sure to get dressed before they recieved their punishement. When they emerged from their room, I noticed that Max looked a little thick around the middle, but I didn't comment on it. I talked to them both about what happened and how it should have been handled, I made them apologize to each other and then hug. Next, I administered the corporal punishment. Max went away with a smile on his face. You see, although I did apply a good amount of force on his blessed assurance, he had padded it with clothing before coming out of his room! I pretended not to notice and Max thinks he pulled one over on his 'ole mom. What he doesn't know is that I hardly tapped Eli with the spoon because I knew Max hadn't had any pain. I couldn't help but smile...One day I will wish for these stressful days of raising these children. I am so blessed. I hope you enjoy some of these pictures from days gone by...

Ball Season

2009-05-04T21:29:00.004-05:00

Baseball season is in full swing and with two boys playing, we're at the complex almost every night of the week! Eli is in his second year of little league and he's having a great season. His batting has picked up some and he's made some very nice plays. He plays second base and pitcher. Each night when he is finished playing, I am amazed at how dirty he is. I'm not sure if you can tell from the picture below, but he was grubby dirty! When he got home from practice Saturday, I could hardly see him for all of the dirt. I guess it will just help him grow!

Max is having a great time, too. He is in his first year of Minor League. In typical Max fashion, he's having a ball! He is playing pitcher and loving every minute. His cute little attitude and hyperactivity is so much fun to watch! He's even managed to hit a few homers!

Oki is no fun for me at the ball park since she's such a little busy body, but she loves being there. I've included a few pictures...Hope to have more soon!

Dirty Boy!Max at the plate...and in the dugout...

Believe it or not, she was clean when we got to the ballgame. She "had" to have a ring pop...it ended up on her shirt!!!

Here, There, Everywhere!

2009-04-21T20:53:00.007-05:00

That's where I've been! Sometimes I wonder if anyone actually looks at my blog. Now I know and I must say that I do feel quite special. Several of my friends have let me know (some more tactfully than others :-) Thank you Mary Lynn) that I need to update my blog. The plain and simple truth is that I've been EXTREMELY busy and stressed out! Then the whole overwhelmed/procrastination/too much to say/where do I start/overwhelmed, did I mention overwhelmed? Feelings came up. So here I am with some cute pictures and lots to say, but not knowing where to start.

I don't have many pictures from March since I lost my memory card for my camera. Those of you that know me well know that is typical "Samantha". Anyway, I did finally find it...on the floor right beside my bed!!!! Here are a few pictures from March...

The day I took these, Oki was sick and we were home alone because Wayne, Eli and Max had gone to church. I was working in the kitchen when I realized that Oki was quiet...this is what I found when I went to check on her...

She was sitting in her room rocking and singing "Holy, Holy" to her babies! She never stops amazing me with her "mothering". It is so foreign to me having boys first. These behaviors must be innate because I haven't taught her to do this...she just does it!
Here's one with her hair out of her face...and then one when she's wanting me to go away! She HATES the camera! Too bad!

That's all I have time for tonight, but check back...I still have more to share!

We're Still Here: An Update from the Russell Family

2009-02-21T22:55:00.008-06:00

I know I'm way past due for an update! There is no excuse, just plain procrastination on my part! Don't get me wrong, I've been busy, too! Anyway, we've not had any real excitement around here since Christmas, but I did want to share a few pictures of my precious ones...

Kayla recently brought Oki some tap shoes. She has enjoyed tapping away. I guess we are going to let her take from Mrs. Sellers next year.

For months, Eli and Max have been building wooden cars during RAs at church on Wednesday nights. A few weeks ago they got their chance to see how fast their cars were at Ino's Pinewood Derby. Sadly, Max's car didn't win in his division, but we're so happy that Eli's got second place in his division. Since Eli's car will race again, his wasn't available for pictures...

These pictures were taken one afternoon recently while the children and Kayla were outside riding the golf cart.

When you have older children like our boys, Eli and Max, sometimes you get caught up in the busyness of their activities. Thankfully, we still have a little one around to remind us what it was like when they were 2...only she's a lot different...no bows and arrows, guns and knives for her...just lipstick, hair bows, and dresses!

This is what you get when a little girl has two older brothers...

A Ninja Princess!

We took this picture after decorating Valentine cookies...

Eli was only interested in eating them...Max and Oki did most of the decorating, with a little help from me!

I couldn't resist snapping this shot of Max and Oki sleeping with their puppies that Grammie gave them for Valentine's Day. It's a rare moment when these two are still!

My Wonderful Husband...

2009-01-27T20:47:00.004-06:00

I have been tagged by Kristen to answer a few questions about my husband.

Enjoy...

1.What is his name? Jerry DeWayne Russell, Jr.

2. Who eats more? It really depends on what we're eating. If he's tired or sick, I definitely eat more, but mostly we eat about the same amount.

3. Who said, "I love you" first? He did.

4. Who is taller? He is by about 7 inches

5. Who is more sensitive? Again, I think it depends on the issue. I am much more emotional, but he has a very sensitive side that most men don't have.

6. Who does the laundry? Mostly, I do. Wayne barely knows how to work the washing machine and dryer. I happen to like it this way...so that if anything gets ruined, I only have myself to blame! He does help fold and put away...

7. Who sleeps on the right side of the bed? If you're looking at it, I do.

8. Who pays the bills? He does!!!! Wahoo! I did it for 9 years...now, I don't want to know anything at all about the money except when we have extra to spend!

9. Who cooks more? I do all of that, except for brownies!

10. Who is more stubborn? Me...Definitely!

11. Who is the first to admit they are wrong? Here, it's give and take, but mostly Wayne. I HATE to admit I'm wrong. Wayne says, "You can be right, or you can be happy."

12. Who has more siblings? Me...

13. Who wears the pants in the relationship? Wayne...because I let him...haha! Because God said he is the head of the home...

14. What do you like to do together? Truthfully, we're complete opposites...there's not much we do together that isn't related to the house...As for the rest...It's a secret ;-)

15. Who eats more sweets? We both love sweets...Wayne is a sugarholic...he makes brownies just so he can lick the bowl!!!

16. Guilty Pleasures? I'm not sure if hunting qualifies, but if it does...Hunting is what it would be...

17. How did you meet? In high school, our senior year...through my friend, Haiden.

18. Who asked whom out first? He asked me

19. Who kissed who first? He kissed me

20. Who proposed? He did...when I was 18!

21. His best features and qualities? He has beautiful blue eyes...he has Godly integrity...he's a hard worker...he is a good decision maker and wise beyond his years.

22. Tag you’re it. Who do you tag? Sara, Jana, Carly, Sarah, Bethany and whoever else would like to do it...

Christmas 2008

2008-12-25T22:19:00.005-06:00

What a blessed Christmas we had today! A wonderful time was had by all as we celebrated the birth of Jesus. Time with family is always a treasure and today we were indeed rich! We began our day around 6:45 am opening presents and seeing what Santa left during the night. Eli and Max were excited to see just what they had asked for. Eli, a 20 gauge shotgun, Max, a Nintendo DS and Oki, a play kitchen! Oki was so fascinated with her kitchen that we could hardly get her to open her presents.

Christmas morning picture...We could not convince Oki to release the phone from her kitchen!

Grammie and Uncle Matt came by to bring presents and check ours out.

Next, we were off to Aunt Missy and Uncle Terry's house for breakfast. (Thanks Aunt Missy for preparing such a great breakfast!) For lunch we zoomed down to Blue Springs to have lunch with the Russells. Pa and Granny Russell were so gracious to prepare a great Christmas lunch for us.

Granny Russell with Eli and Max...Oki running by their dog, Missy's fence.

After lunch, we headed back home to rest (the children) and prepare (me) for our get together with the Carnley family tonight. We enjoyed our usual abundance of food with my family...including my famous banana pudding and Perfect Chocolate Cake. Although, I must admit that my cake was a complete disaster and I almost threw it out because I made a COMPLETE mess while icing it. Enter: Wayne the cake saver...needless to say, Wayne rescued the cake and all was well.

Have I said what a wonderful husband I have lately? He has helped out so much today and really contributed to our day going so smootly!

As has become a tradition at the Carnley gathering, we played Dirty Santa. This is a lively game and is greatly anticipated by all each year. There is much scheming and manipulating (in a good natured sort of way) in our version of this game.

My siblings: Chandra, Missy, Rusty, and Gail...

My Papa and Me...

With my Princess...

Our sweet Blessings!

What a wonderful day we had celebrating with family. Hopefully, you had a great day too!

Merry Christmas!

Mmm mmmm Good!

2008-12-18T20:42:00.003-06:00

Ok, I know I have been a complete slacker when it comes to blogging lately. I (like everyone else) have been so busy. Hopefully, after Christmas, I will have some time to post! For the time being, I'd like to share a recipe for one of my newest favorite snacks...Sugared Pecans.

Sugared Pecans

Ingredients:

1 Egg White
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Tbs. Flour
1/8 Tsp. Salt
1 Tsp. Vanilla Flavor
2 1/2 to 3 cups pecans

Beat egg white until foamy. Mix sugar, flour and salt together then add to egg white. Mix well. Add vanilla flavor and pecans. Bake at 250 degrees 45-60 minutes. Stir 2-3 times during baking. Mmmm mmmm Good...Enjoy!

Calling All Photographers!

2008-12-08T21:27:00.006-06:00

We need your help!

Wayne and I are thinking about the possibility of purchasing a digital SLR camera. I know a few of my blogging friends have one, so here's a chance to give us some advice on what to buy. Don't worry, we do plan to do our own research...but, we would like to hear from you. Thanks in advance for your input...

The Perfect Chocolate Cake

2008-11-22T20:48:00.003-06:00

Several people have asked for the recipe for the cake I made for Wayne's birthday. It's not the easiest thing, but it is definitely worth the effort! Happy Cooking!

Perfect Chocolate Cake
From Southern Living

Ingredients:
· 1 Cup Cocoa
· 2 Cups Boiling Water
· 1 Cup Butter or Margarine, Softened
· 2 ½ Cups Sugar
· 4 Large Eggs
· 2 ¾ Cups All-Purpose Flour
· 2 tsp. Baking Soda
· ½ tsp. Baking Powder
· ½ tsp. Salt
· 1 ½ tsp. Vanilla Extract
· Whipped Cream Filling
· Perfect Chocolate Cake Frosting

COMBINE cocoa and boiling water, stirring until smooth; set aside.
BEAT butter at medium speed with an electric mixer about 2 minutes or until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating 5 to 7 minutes. Add eggs, 1 at a time, beating just until yellow disappears.
COMBINE flour and next 3 ingredients in a medium bowl; add to butter mixture alternately with cocoa mixture, beginning and ending with flour mixture. Beat at low speed just until blended after each addition. Stir in vanilla. Do not overbeat.
POUR batter into 3 (9-inch) round cakepans lined with wax paper.
BAKE at 350 for 22 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool in pans on wire racks 10 minutes; remove from pans, and cool completely on wire racks.
SPREAD Whipped cream Filling between layers; spread Perfect Chocolate Frosting on top and sides of cake. Chill until ready to serve. Garnish if desired.

Whipped Cream Filling
Ingredients:
· 1 Cup Whipping Cream
· 1 tsp. Vanilla Extract
· ¼ Cup Sifted Powdered Sugar
BEAT whipping cream and vanilla until foamy; gradually add powdered sugar, beating until soft peaks form. Cover and chill.

Perfect Chocolate Frosting
Ingredients:
· 1 (6oz) Package Semisweet Chocolate Morsels
· ½ Cup half-and-half
· ¾ Cup Butter or Margarine
· 2 ½ Cups Sifted Powdered Sugar

COMBINE first 3 ingredients in medium saucepan; cook over medium heat, stirring until chocolate melts. Remove from heat; add powdered sugar, mixing well.
PLACE saucepan in a large bowl of ice. Beat at low speed with an electric mixer until frosting holds its shape and loses its gloss. Add a few more drops of half-and-half, if needed, to make a good spreading consistency.

Things I’ve learned through trial and error:
1. Use real butter! I use unsalted butter for baking and it REALLY does make a difference.
2. Sift the powdered sugar before or after measuring…it really doesn’t make that big of a difference.
3. Use heavy whipping cream.
4. Be sure to chill the whipped cream filling before putting it between the layers.
5. Don’t beat the whipping cream too long…it WILL turn in to butter! Just ask Wayne...he's the one who went to the grocery store at 10pm to get more whipping cream! Wasn't that a sweet thing to do!?
6. This cake is better after sitting in the fridge a day or two. Make it ahead!
7. Yes, it’s a lot of trouble, but it’s an impressive cake!

A Great Day

2008-11-11T21:12:00.008-06:00

We had a great day at home today. I was able to convince Wayne that he needed a little R&R, so he stayed home, too. The fact that it was his birthday helped. Wayne and the boys spent the majority of the morning "sighting in" Eli's rifle. I have some cute video clips, but I'm too technically challenged to figure out how to post them! Pictures will have to do. Today, I did some of what I enjoy (spending time with my family, sewing and cooking) and some of what I loathe (laundry and cleaning).

Receiving instructions from Dad

Eli and Max preparing to fire...

My Men!

Wayne spent the afternoon hunting. When he got home, he found a nice birthday supper of venison, broccoli casserole, sweet potato casserole, corn on the cob, rolls and this cake...

From Southern Living: "The Perfect Chocolate Cake"

(If you want the recipe, I'll share!)

Saturday, I enjoyed a day of sewing with my friend, Valerie. Our children were absolutely great and we were able to sew a lot. Here's what we did...I know it doesn't look like a lot, but we did take a break for lunch and a quick trip to Bradley's for their open house.

Happy Fall!

2008-11-05T21:19:00.009-06:00

I'm sure you've guessed from my lack of posts that we've been extremely busy. Between fall festivals, revival services, church, work, trick or treating, birthday parties, etc...we've hardly had time to breathe! I have managed to get some cute pictures of the children that I wanted to share...

Oki reading to her baby...teachers, notice her tracking finger!

My Papa, Eli and Max after an afternoon of fishing...

Oki after church one night...Can you tell she dressed herself?

Eli, Max and Oki with Grammie (Wayne's mom) on her birthday...

Look at my handsome young man!

Our church had a pumpkin patch...these are pictures I took there...

For Halloween, we went to Andalusia and visited the Square with my sister and her son, Trevor...he's the storm trooper in the picture...In case you can't tell :-), Eli is the pirate and Max is the Hulk...

Oki loved being a cat. She's still talking about her "cat face"...

We attended a birthday party for Oki's friend, Meredith on Saturday. Oki and Max found this lizzard...This picture wasn't staged...I couldn't believe how cute it turned out...

Happy Birthday to Max!

2008-11-02T21:15:00.007-06:00

It's hard to believe, but our sweet "baby Max James" is seven years old today! I can hardly believe it! For his birthaday, he asked to go camping instead of having a party. To that end, Wayne (along with some reinforcement from a friend) took Max and two of his friends camping at the hunding club Friday night. At the hunting club they walked around in the woods, found a place for a tree stand and rode the golf cart. Wayne took them to a food plot before dark and let them sneak up to look for deer. Too bad they didn't see any! Finally, they grilled hamburgers for supper before turning in.

Camping Boys:

Drew, Clay and Max

Notice Max's binoculars...a present from Grandpop and MeMe
After church we went to Grammie's for lunch and birthday cake. Overall, I think Max had a great day...It's still hard to believe...

More Sewing...

2008-10-04T22:20:00.003-05:00

Ok, I admit it...I'm addicted to sewing! Today, Kristen came to our house to sew. With her she brought her two girls, Riley Grace and Maggie Ruth. We had a delightful time sewing and the girls enjoyed playing together. Oki wasn't the best "sharer" but we made it! Thanks to Riley Grace for doing an outstanding job of entertaining Oki and MR.

I did a little embroidery this morning and over the course of the afternoon I completed the outfit below...

Great Deal!

2008-10-03T20:55:00.006-05:00

I just wanted to inform all of my friends of a great deal I found this evening. I have been looking for a new pair of Keds for Oki. While shopping today, I found a pair of Keds in the style I like, Katie. They were on sale at Belk and I almost bought them, but was a little unsure of the size. I am so glad I waited! When I got home tonight I found them on Shoebuy.com for $29.00, but I got $10 off and free shipping, so I managed to get the shoes I wanted shipped to me for only $19.50! I don't know if you're a bargain shopper or not, but I LOVE a bargain. I think the $10 off is only for today, but you can click on the following link to check it out: Shoe Buy If you enter the following code at checkout, you will get $10 off on orders of $50 or more... RM00877877640419
Happy shopping!

Sausage Muffins

2008-10-02T21:11:00.003-05:00

I thought I'd share this wonderful recipe with you all. Eli and Max love for me to make them because they're so delicious and easy to warm up. I like them because it gives this busy mom a good feeling to know that I can provide my family with a decent breakfast. As you see in the picture, I bake them in cupcake papers so that they are easy to manage. They are delicious alone or with grape jelly on top!

Sausage Muffins

Ingredients:

1 lb. Pork Sausage
1 can cheddar cheese soup
1/2 cup milk
3 cups Bisquick
2-3 Tsp. rubbed sage

**I use Sausage with sage instead of adding sage separately

Brown sausage. Drain. Combine soup, milk, sage and sausage. Stir in Bisquick until moist. Drop into muffin cups. Bake @ 400 degrees 15-20 minutes.

Makes 4 dozen mini or 2 dozen regular muffins.

I always allow the boys to eat a few and then I drop the rest in a gallon freezer bag and place them in the freezer. The muffins are easily thawed in the microwave after only about 45 seconds! How great is that? I also take these to school and other places. I always get compliments. Try them out and let me know what you think! Happy cooking!

A Great and Busy Weekend

2008-09-21T22:24:00.009-05:00

We had a very busy, but fun and relaxing weekend. It all started with a little fun on Friday afternoon. My grandad picked up the boys from school and took them fishing. They didn't catch anything, but they enjoyed themselves. Papa wasn't too happy with them, but he's always "fussing" about something. :-) This is what the Eli and Max looked like when they got home...Papa did think it was funny that they were so dirty!

We had prayer breakfast at church Saturday morning at 7:00am. Eli went home from there with a friend and was gone all day Saturday only to call that evening and ask to spend the night. Needless to say, when I saw him Sunday morning at church he was exhausted from such a fun day with his friend, Talon.

After prayer breakfast, Oki and I went to Valerie's house to sew. Presley and Oki played as sweetly as little girls can. :-) My friends, Kristen and Sandra with their daughters, Maggie and Emily came to sew, also.

Oki in Presley's big chair...

Presley looking soooo...cute!

Oki, Presley and Maggie sharing a snack in the kitchen...Oki refused to look at the camera!

This is what the table looked like with four sewing machines!

This is what I sewed...

And, here is what Kristen sewed...Valerie...send me pics of yours and I'll post them here!

Wayne and Max enjoyed a nice quiet day at home...That afternoon Papa took Max fishing again...this is what they caught.

Saturday afternoon we kept the two youngest children that belong to our friends, the Ashberrys...

This is Matt...look at those adorable cheeks!!!

And Meredith...Isn't she a doll? She's wearing Oki's biggest bow and some pretty cute jewelry...

To top off a great weekend, Sunday was a great day at Ino...We had a great time worshipping together and the ordination service for one of our new deacons was one of the sweetest I've ever attended...It doesn't get much better than that!

Snaggletooth Max

2008-09-18T20:58:00.004-05:00

I thought I'd share these pictures of our little cutie, Max. He lost his first tooth this summer. He was so excited! Wayne is the "tooth puller" in our house, so in keeping with tradition...he tied floss around it and "yanked" it out!!! Max was so brave!

Max is now thinking that he has another one that is wiggling a little. When I picked the boys up from school yesterday, Max told me that he wants a lady at school to pull this one. He reported that there's a "lady" at his school who "loves to pull teeth." I suspect that it's the school nurse. According to Max, if she pulls your tooth she will give you a little tooth box on a necklace to put your tooth in. If you know Max, you know what a delight it is to listen to him talk. If you don't know Max, let me assure you that he entertains with every word! I can't wait to hear the tale he spins about the "lady" pulling his tooth. You can be sure that I'll post it here for you to read...

Sew Much Fun!

2008-09-10T21:31:00.005-05:00

Most of you may know already, but I am completely addicted to sewing. I love to sew, mostly for Oki. I also love to embroider and I sometimes sew for friends. I sew so much sometimes that Wayne has actually threatened to shoot my machine! Haha! Well I've found a new partner in crime: Valerie. Valerie is a friend from church and she has a daughter that is a few weeks older than Oki. Recently, we spent the majority of the day sewing at her house. Our girls had a blast playing and Valerie and I were able to sew. I'm including some pictures so that you can see some of the things we did. If you see something you like, let me know...Check back for updates on what we sew next!

Silly Girls: Oki and Presley

Goings On

2008-09-01T07:35:00.003-05:00

Life at the Russell Home has been very hectic lately, so I decided to use this quiet Labor Day morning to get you up to speed. I have wanted to post so many things and many many pictures here, but there has been no time or energy to do it! When we returned from our vacation on August 2nd, we began a marathon of running. Not literally, but most of you with busy families know what I am talking about! I returned to work on August 6th and Eli and Max returned to school on the same day. The boys are having a great school year so far. Their teachers are just great and Wayne and I are both very proud of the young men they are becoming.

Here's Max with his teacher, Mrs. Hughes...

And Eli with his teacher, Mrs. Cassady...

Here are our young men together on their first day of school.

In addition to beginning school, revival services were held at Ino on August 10-13. We were blessed to have Rick Coram to preach for us. Boy, did he preach! If you ever have a chance to go hear him, don't pass it up. God has placed a hand on that man's life and he gives all he has! Glory be to God, we had 27 people come to know Jesus during our revival!!! God is continuing to do marvelous things at Ino. I can hardly wait to get to church each week to see what He's going to do next! We are blessed, privileged and amazed to be a part of the work that God is doing!

The rest of the month of August has been almost a complete blur. With Eli's birthday party, which I've already blogged about and the massive amount of work I've had to do at AES and at home it's no wonder I can even function!!! I forgot to mention that Wayne is back in school this semester, too!!! Anyway, hopefully I'll be a little more prompt about blogging from now on!!! Have a great Labor Day!

Happy Birthday Eli!

2008-08-19T21:40:00.001-05:00

I can hardly believe our baby is 10! It seems just like yesterday that Wayne and I were calling our family telling them that I would be induced the next morning. Now here we are with a ten year old! Do you realize that in eight short years I will be sending my sweet Eli off to college? That is so wrong!!! Where has the time gone?

Eli has had a great time celebrating his birthday. To start it off, he had a joint birthday party with his friend, Cutter (whose birthday is 9 days after Eli's). Friday, Cutter's mom, Wayne and I were very brave souls. We picked up 17 children from school to attend the party which was held at Aunt Missy and Uncle T's pool. The boys enjoyed swimming "Olympic" relays, shooting each other with water guns, and eating pizza and brownies.

The birthday boys, Eli and Cutter

Saturday, Wayne took the boys to the Gun and Knife show in Andalusia so that Eli could buy a knife with some of his birthday money. He ended up buying two! One for himself and one for Max! How's that for a good big brother? On Sunday, we went to Grammie's after church for lunch and birthday cake. Then, on Tuesday, his actual birthday, he took brownies to school for his class to celebrate. Tuesday night Eli got to choose what we would eat for supper. He wanted shrimp, but he had to settle for pizza. All in all, I think he had a great birthday. My little boy is growing up into a precious young man. It's just a little hard for this mama to let him!

We're Home!

2008-08-02T20:11:00.008-05:00

It's now time to get back to reality. The Russell family has had two very abnormal weeks! First, Wayne was in Venezuela on a mission trip for a week. He returned last Saturday evening. He spent Saturday night at home, we attended Homecoming at Ino on Sunday and we left for the beach Sunday afternoon. As I reported in my earlier post, we spent the week in Destin with my sisters and their families. We were blessed to be able to stay in an amazing and beautiful, but noisy house across the road from the beach. The weather wasn't the best and the water was dirty, but it was nice to spend time with my family and just be away for a while.

Eli and Max absolutely love playing in the water. I'm still not sure if the skim boards that we bought for them were a good idea or not! Despite the jellyfish, seaweed and the rainy/cloudy weather, we still enjoyed the beach. The children all enjoyed catching jellyfish and crabs, looking for sea shells and just playing in the sand and surf.

Beach Boys

Hopefully, I'll be posting some more pictures soon. I have a lot to post! I also plan to do a post about our crab catching excursion! Until then...See ya!

Family Fun!

2008-07-31T09:16:00.000-05:00

I wanted to share some pictures from our 2nd annual trip to Destin. This year my whole family (my sisters and their families) are staying in the same house! It's a little bit crazy with eight adults and four children 9 and under! The nice thing is that we all have separate floors! We have visited the beach several times, shopped and eaten out...I hope you enjoy the pictures! Hopefully, I'll post more soon...

Destin

2008-07-31T09:14:00.001-05:00

Summer Fun

2008-07-24T23:23:00.008-05:00

The children and I have had a nice, but busy week. With Wayne gone, I thought I would get a lot accomplished...not so! I have found myself up extremely late each night because I can't seem to go to sleep without him here. I know I'm being a big baby, but I'm just not accustomed to him being gone. Out of 13 years of marriage, we've been apart probably less than 50 nights. As crazy as it seems, I have to almost be to the point of passing out before I can lay down and sleep. I can only imagine what those military husbands/wives must go through being separated for extended periods...All that to say this...I've been up late every day since Saturday...Thankfully, Wayne is coming home soon!!!! If you're wondering, he's been on a mission trip to Venezuela. From what I've heard, they have had a great time in the Lord with many accepting Jesus as Savior. Hopefully, I will persuade him to write a post detailing their trip soon.

I thought I'd share some cute pictures of the children and the activities that have kept our week busy...

Oki played for a little while at PaPa's house...this is how she came home! Is that my princess under all that dirt????

Eli caught a baby blue tailed skink...Can you tell these smiles are fake???? They crack me up!

This is typical...Eli--doing what he's supposed to, Max--clowning, Oki--not doing what she's supposed to!!!

Pretty neat lizard!!!

What is Man?

2008-07-22T01:07:00.002-05:00

In my Bible reading tonight, I was reading in Psalms when I came across a scripture that gripped my heart. The fact that God loves me never ceases to amaze me. He loves you and me and He is never too big or too busy for us!!!

Psalm 144:3
Lord, what is man that you take knowledge of him? Or the son of man, that you are mindful of him?

The side note in my Blackaby Study Bible says, "It is incomprehenisible that God concerns Himself with us. In truth, we are nothing compared to His greatness, yet He loves us and cares about the smallest details of our existence."

Wow!!!

Sister Day

2008-07-21T23:06:00.004-05:00

I spent most of the day Saturday visiting with my sisters. It's not completely unusual during the summer for me to get together with my sisters, Gail and Missy; however, this day was special because our step-sister, Chandra, was here from Mississippi. Now that we're all grown up and she lives away, we rarely ever have a day to relax and enjoy each other's company. Usually when she's home, she is running from one place to another to holiday get-togethers, but not Saturday. She and her son, Tucker, (who is 4 months younger than Eli) came to my sister, Missy's. All of the cousins played so well. They enjoyed a day of swimming in the pool and several lively games of bowling on the Wii.

Chan, we're so glad you came. We had a great day!

In case you've never tried, it's extremely difficult to get this many children to look at you for a picture! Aunt Gail tried to get everyone's attention so that we could get a picture...hence the laughing...I'm not including any pictures of us girls because we weren't "picture ready"!

Although she thinks she's a sister, Kayla is included in the cousin picture because she is a cousin, even if she is one of the big girls now!!!

2008-07-21T22:50:00.000-05:00

Something to Ponder

2008-07-10T21:37:00.005-05:00

The other night, I stumbled across a blog written by a complete stranger to me --- someone on the other side of the United States. An old post written by the blogger caught my attention. It was a topic of great importance and relevancy to me. What was the topic? Was it adoption? No. How about global warming? No. The Presidential election? Definitely not! It was about babysitters and their going rate.

Now, I have friends who are blessed with parents or in laws that keep their children on a regular basis. You may have this wonderful luxury too, but we do not. Sometimes my mother-in-law or my sisters help out and we do on occasion pay my niece who is 19 to babysit. But I never know how much to pay her---my niece that is.

So, here goes my friends....I'd like to hear from you, from our side of the world...What do you pay your sitter?

Does the rate vary with the circumstances? I've listed some things to consider...

How many children are involved...
The age/experience of the sitter...
The age of child/children...
Time of day...
Length of time...

Do these variables really matter? Now do you see why this is so very important? This is complicated! That's why I've asked for your input.

Thanks for reading...I look forward to hearing from you!

Here's a recent picture of Kayla and Oki for your enjoyment ;-)

The Babysitter---A.K.A. Our Niece, Kayla

Fourth of July Weekend

2008-07-06T22:57:00.000-05:00

I hope you all had a great Fourth of July! We had a great day just relaxing at home. Wayne's dad was visiting from Florida and the children enjoyed a day of Grandpop's undivided attention! Wayne grilled rib eye steaks to top off a great day of celebrating our nation's birthday. On Saturday, we made the short journey to Frank Jackson Lake to enjoy a family get-together with Wayne's paternal grandparents. Wayne has been blessed with wonderful grandparents on both sides. His maternal grandparents are in Heaven already, but both sets were (and still are) married over 50 years. They have set a wonderful example of faithfulness and love for God and family for us. I am including some pictures from our day at the lake.

July 4th

2008-07-06T22:48:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday, Oki!

2008-06-26T12:46:00.005-05:00

I can hardly believe it...Our Okianna Grace turned two on June 16th. We celebrated her birthday at a family gathering on Father's Day. She had a blast and so did we! If you're wondering about her finger...she swiped some icing before we sang Happy Birthday.

This is a picture from her actual "birthday", June 16th. If anyone had asked me a little over two years ago, I would never have guessed that were about to have a little princess in our lives. My dad was the only one that "knew". When our doctor said, "It's a girl!" Wayne and I really couldn't believe our ears! We were that convinced that we were having a boy; even though, looking back now I see that her pregnancy was completely different from the boys'.

She's definitely been a blessing, albeit a quickly moving, demanding, and whiny one, but none the less a precious, angel girl blessing...

Wow! Thirteen Years Later...

2008-06-10T22:53:00.002-05:00

Today, Wayne and I have been married for 13 years. It is amazing how God has blessed us in that time! The scripture from Ephesians is true: Now unto him that is able to do exceeding abundantly above all that we ask or think, according to the power that worketh in us. Unto him be glory in the church by Christ Jesus throughout all ages world without end. Amen. (3:20-21) When we married in 1995, neither of us would have believed that we would be where we are today. Where is that you ask? Married thirteen years with three precious children and still in love. We're heading fast toward middle age, but we're soooooooo blessed! The road hasn't been a piece of cake, we've worked hard to accomplish the things we have, but I would do it over in a heartbeat. Wayne is a great husband and father and the best thing is that he is the spiritual head of our home. I am so proud to be his wife!
I don't have much time, but I wanted to share some pictures from our wedding album...The pictures were taken by Virginia's Studio...

Frog Catching

2008-05-29T22:38:00.005-05:00

You might be a redneck...

I know, but it really is fun! Tonight Wayne took the Eli and Max "frog catching." We've been doing this with the boys for the last few years. It happens to be one of their favorite activities. When they got home, we woke Oki up so that she could see the frogs. She wasn't all too thrilled with the idea of touching them. We let all of them go except two. They are now in the aquarium with the lizard. Yes, we have a zoo at our house!

Frog Catching

2008-05-29T22:38:00.001-05:00

Puppies! Free to a Good Home

2008-05-28T20:51:00.005-05:00

We have 11 puppies at our house and they must go. The boys adore them, but Oki loves them best! She talks about the "baby dogs" constantly. She usually meets her daddy at the door each afternoon so that he can take her to see them. No matter how much the children like them, they must go...I am including some picures. They are 7 weeks old and ready to go. Let me know if you are interested!

This and That

2008-05-23T21:14:00.004-05:00

I've been a little busy lately so I haven't posted as much as I'd like...

Just to fill you in a little...

School is out for me!!! Woo Hoo!!! I still have to work some this summer, but not every day!
Eli's baseball season is almost over. His team won the first game of his tournament this past Monday night. He is playing the second game tonight...don't know yet if they won or not.
Max began T-ball Monday night. He even made a double play!!! The boys both participated in their field day a couple of weeks ago. See pics below...
Oki has been sick this week. We took a road trip to see Dr. Adams in Dothan on Tuesday. Diagnoses: Bronchitis, ear infection in Rt. ear, ingrown toenail. Cure: Antibiotic, steroid, cough med. She's much better now, but we decided it would be best for her to stay in tonight...that's why I'm not at the ball field watching my biggest boy play...

Eli and Max after field day...

Max after his first T-Ball game...Brothers doing what they do best...goofing around!

I french braided Oki's hair for the first time recently. Yes, she did sit still. Here she is holding her daddy's hand...modeling her hair do!

Kayla and Oki

Oki at the pool for the first time this season...she didn't want any part of the cool water!!!

I guess that's enough for tonight!

Happy Mother's Day

2008-05-13T20:32:00.013-05:00

I know it's two days late, but I really wanted to do a Mother's Day post. I hope you all had a great day. Wayne really, really spoiled me this year. I received a present Wednesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday, and Sunday! How's that for spoiling?

Sunday we had a nice lunch. Wayne's mom, Martha, and his brother, Matt, came to our house for lunch. Martha and I each cooked a part of the meal so that neither of us had the whole burden. All in all, it was great! I even had time after lunch for a nice nap!

The real reason that I wanted to write this post is to honor my mother, Oki Carnley. Some of you may know that she died in 1983 at the young age of 39. Even after almost 25 years without her I still miss her soooooo... much. I miss her a lot especially when I see my friends with their mothers. Many days I wonder why and what if...My sisters, dad and I have often talked about this. What good was there in her early death? The questions go unanswered, but one thing that I am sure of is that God is sovereign and He knows/knew exactly what He was doing. My sisters and I were blessed with a great dad that took care of 3 girls ages 16, 14 and 8. He could blow dry my hair under like a pro! As I look back over the years, it is clear that God has been a protector and provider for me. For as long as I can remember He has placed wonderful women in my path...no, they never replaced my mother, but each one has been a blessing to me.

I thought I'd include some pictures of my mother.

Her passport picture...with my sister, Gail

I think I look like her in this one!

This is one of a few that I have of us together. I was probably about 6 years old.

A few years ago, I was in a revival where the guest worship leader gave his testimony. He spoke of losing his wife and sang the song It Is Well With My Soul. That night I realized that it is truly well with my soul. This was confirmed when I heard brother Garry's message Sunday morning. He spoke on that very subject and we sang that song! I am so thankful that I serve a mighty, compassionate, amazing God that gave me a wonderful Christian mother that I can remember fondly. Memories like the way she had difficulty pronouncing the word "satchel" as in book satchel and lettuce and soy sauce for an afternoon snack. Mother had quite a temper...she would spank us with whatever was handy...a flip flop, fly flap...One time she even tied my sisters' hands together and made them sit on the bed because they had been arguing! I distinctly remember laughing at them! My sisters have so many more memories of her, but until the day that I see her in Heaven, I'll keep thinking on the many things I do remember about her.

Thanks for reading!

Tagged...

2008-05-10T08:05:00.005-05:00

Kristen tagged me, so here goes...

1. Ten year ago...Seems like a lifetime ago. In fact it is a lifetime...Eli's. Ten years ago I was pregnant with Eli. I had just graduated (in March) from Troy State University with a Bachelor's degree in Special Education and I was desperately searching for a teaching job. I was waitressing at the Charter House Inn and substitute teaching at all area schools.

2. On my "to-do" list today...

Clean my house (my mother-in-law is coming for lunch tomorrow!)
Sew (I have sooooooo...much sewing and embroidery to do.)
Bake a cake for lunch tomorrow
Play/spend time with my children
Exercise

3. My Favorite Snacks:

Chocolate
Chocolate
Chocolate
Did I mention chocolate?
All-Bran Crackers
Popcorn
Honey-Nut Cheerios

4. If I were a billionaire I would...

Give generously to the Church and Missions
Be a stay at home mom
Build a big house and fill it up with children!
Take care of my family
Provide college scholarships for foster children

5. Bad Habits...I don't have any...I'm perfect!!! Ha ha! Ya'll know that's not true!

I make this annoying noise with my nose when I'm rubbing it...My family and close friends are probably the only people that know about this, but I've been doing it since I was little.
I talk too much!
I scatter things everywhere! Wayne says that everything has a home and it's happy when it's there...I can't put anything in it's home!
Procrastinate...I get this from my daddy!
Eating too much...too often!

6. Places I've Lived...Let me know if you get confused with all of the moving around I've done!!! Ha ha!

Rosalie Ave. in Opp
Covington Ave. in Opp
Beulah Community outside of Opp

7. Jobs I've Had...

Clerk at Bargain Town
Apprentice hair dresser (Ya'll just let me know if you need a cut or color!)
Inspector at Covington Industries
Waitress/hostess at Charter House Inn
Sewing Machine Operator at Van Heusen
Special Education Teacher
School Counselor

THIS IS THE DAY THAT THE LORD HAS MADE!

2008-04-23T23:14:00.000-05:00

...And what a wonderful day it's been to be in the House of the Lord!
As I indicated in my last post, we have had revival services at Ino this week. God definitely showed up! There have been late nights and tired bodies, but every minute of sleep lost and sacrificed time has been worth it.
Jamey Ragle did an outstanding job of putting this conference together. Several of our area sister churches, as well as our association, provided financial assistance and other means of support. It took a lot of planning (this crusade has been several years in the making) to make this happen. We want God to have all of the glory!
Each night, Jamey Ragle spoke, a different person led worship and yet another spoke, too. Jamey is a gifted evangelist who communicates the gospel so well. He incorporates humor into the Word to deliver a truly unforgettable and life changing message of hope. Many lives were changed because of his willingness to share the Gospel this week.

Monday night we heard from Rev. Phil Hoskins who preached a wonderful message of meeting Jesus. He told it from Zacchaeus' point of view. This was in a way unlike I have ever heard before.
Tuesday night Rev. Jr. Hill spoke. I am told that he did an outstanding job, but I was unable to be in the service because I was helping with childcare. I will be viewing the video of the service!!!

Tonight was just unbelievable!!! It was so evident that God was present from the beginning. First, let me say that the music was amazing! The group, Austin's Bridge was there to lead worship for us. These gentlemen won a Dove Award today, yet they were with us in Ino, AL. Even though they were invited to perform at the Awards, they chose to be with us because they had already committed. That's integrity. Their talent and love for the Lord was exemplary. If I am not mistaken there were 59 professions of faith and many rededications tonight. PRAISE GOD! We were also blessed to have Rev. Robert Smith speak to us. He delivered a powerful sermon from 1 John entitled "Groanings to Glory."

No pictures tonight. I just needed to put into words my excitement over what God has done this week.

Spring Break 2008

2008-04-20T21:25:00.000-05:00

Well, we are officially winding down from Spring Break 2008. Not that it was a packed week. We enjoyed a nice relaxing week at home. No daycare or school for us! Oki did go to daycare on Monday for about three hours so that the boys and I could clean a little. Anyone who knows Oki will understand that you can get very little done when she's around. Yep, she's all girl and very high maintenance. Wayne has remarked often that he feels sorry for whoever marries her because he'll have a hard time. :) It's hard not to be spoiled when you are the youngest of three and the only girl...

Overall, I think we had a great week. I had fun sewing, cooking and being at home with the children. Although, to look at my house right now, you would never know that I was home all week!!! Just ask Wayne...

Eli had spend the night company for the first time this week. His friend, Cutter came to spend the night. The boys had a great time playing video games and playing outside. Eli and Cutter were very nice to allow Max to play along with them. Eli also played two ballgames this week. We were so disappointed to lose both of those games. There goes their undefeated record...hopefully, the boys have gained a little character through their disappointment. I had to be careful when cheering on Tuesday night because Eli's team played Cutter's team. Another of his good friends, Ethan, was also on that team. It's very difficult when you are rooting for your own son's team, but want to yell for their friends also. Maybe I'll get it all figured out soon!

Eli, Cutter and Max...Max is always clowning around!!!

I better go and be busy. I have a few more things to do before bed...

If you are looking for something to do this week, we are having revival services at church this week. We are really praying for and expecting God to do wonderful things in the hearts of His people. You can find the details at our website...

http://www.inobaptist.com/

I hope you have a blessed week!!!

So Long to a Great Weekend

2008-04-14T12:51:00.000-05:00

After a title like that I'm sure you're thinking that we must have gone somewhere spectacular or spent a pretty big chunk of change...guess again! These days a great weekend consists of children who are well and time spent together. Friday night, Wayne and I went out on a date to Olive Garden in Dothan. Thank you to Kayla for babysitting (not for free!!) We enjoyed a nice meal beginning with the wonderful salad. Wayne had some kind of pasta alfredo dish with medallions of steak and I continued on my Weight Watcher's eating plan with a low fat choice of Shrimp Primavera. I was not disappointed with my entree even though it was labeled low fat; however, I did sample Wayne's dish and it was very tasty. Because we didn't have a long wait to eat, we were through in record time. We then journeyed to Sam's Club to look around. I know to you single people and some of you childless married people, this night sounds like a very boring evening. Not to us! With three children and two full time jobs, we enjoyed the uninterrupted time together. For those of you who know us, you know that we don't get away together often; however, we do know how vital it is to our relationship. We are striving to make this a regular occurrence.
Our weekend continued with a nice day at home on Saturday. I baked sugar cookies (I am trying desperately to perfect my icing...) with a little help from the children. Mostly they wanted to eat the dough. Yes, I know it has raw eggs and yes, I know they're not good for children...I let them have some dough anyway!!! I fell off of the Weight Watchers bicycle and ate some dough and cookies, too! For you WW people, I did count the points...I was only over a little. Wayne left during mid-afternoon to attend a church function in Crestview. It gave the children and me a little time alone. We went to my sister's house to help celebrate my brother-in-law's 40th birthday. Happy Birthday, Terry!!!! They cooked shrimp and crawfish. Now, I didn't know that before you cook crawfish you are supposed to separate the live from the dead. The children had a blast catching the live ones as they crawled around on the cement!!! Too bad I don't have a picture of that!!!
On Sunday, Wayne preached at a church in Red Level. The children and I attended Ino as usual during the morning service. Let me say right here...for many reasons, I am thankful that my husband is a Christian. At present, one reason stands out...have you ever tried to get three children and yourself to church on time, alone? I have a new respect for spiritually single women/men. We attended the church where Wayne was preaching on Sunday night. Let me say that God has richly blessed us. Wayne did a great job of bringing the message about. The children mostly behaved and Oki almost made it through the whole service in the sanctuary!
Well, that's it...Almost every detail of our great weekend. Hopefully, there will be many great ones to come!!!
I have a very difficult time posting without adding a picture...so, here is one from January. It's one of my favorites!

What A Night!

2008-04-10T20:49:00.000-05:00

Eli's team played ball again tonight. He played much better than he has been. He's so excited because he made the last out of the game. Eli played second base, center field and catcher in tonight's game. The last play was made at home plate with Eli tagging the runner... Oh! Was my heart was pounding!!! I can only imagine how he must have felt!
The other night Oki went to play with Ms. Yana while I went to my dance class. She was very lucky because her friend, Heidi, came over to play! Heidi is also Ms. Yana's grandaughter. They had lots of fun. I'm including some pictures of them playing the keyboard.

This and That

2008-04-06T21:26:00.000-05:00

We've had another busy week, but I guess there won't be any more "not busy" weeks for us until Wayne and I no longer have children at home. I don't want to think about those days for a long time. It's almost unbelievable that Eli is nine. It seems just like yesterday that we were (not so patiently) waiting for him to get here! Now, here we are with three children heading fast and furiously toward middle age. Speaking of middle age...I remember when I began teaching nine years ago, I was the youngest person on staff. I looked at those ladies that had older children and had been teaching 10 or so years as kind of "together" and "set"... Well, I'm still waiting for me to get "together" and be "set". I am no longer the youngest person on staff, but neither am I the oldest. When I gain the title of the latter, it'll be time for me to go!
Enough of my wanderings...On to the good stuff...
Eli played his first games of little league this week. He is playing several positions: third base, catcher, and center field. His first game was disappointing for him. He struck out the first three times at bat, but got a hit the last time. After the game he told me that he was "praying to God" the last time up. I told him that I was too! It's nerve-racking to see your children struggle. Needless to say, he's practiced extra this week. His second game went much better. He played catcher and third base for this game. Speaking of watching your children struggle. I wonder how God feels when we struggle. He knows that He has the power to fix everything for us, but He chooses not to. I know it is for our good, but how difficult it must be for Him!
I have been sewing a little. I finished an outfit for Oki this afternoon. I am still not very good, but I think that I am improving.
We are studying a great book in our Ladies Discipleship training class at church. I'd like to share some of the truths that we are discovering. Check back for these this week. I have to go now...Much work to be done before bed!!!

Max in his "Super Stunt" suit.

Oki modeling my latest sewing project.

Eli after his Friday evening game.

TGIF!

2008-03-28T19:08:00.000-05:00

Well, here goes. I'm not quite sure what to say, but I am determined to give blogging a try. I enjoy writing, so whether anyone likes what I post or not, maybe it will provide a little enjoyment and relaxation for me. Not that I don't have enough going on in my life. With three children, a husband and a job I'm not sure when I will find time to write. Hopefully, this will be a great way for me to keep my friends and family up to date with the us!

We just finished a long week. It seems these days that we live for the weekend. Tonight I am at home with the two little children. Wayne and Eli are at baseball practice. It's hard to believe that Eli is playing Little League baseball this year. Hopefully, I'll have some pictures of him to post after his first game tomorrow. Max will play teeball again this year, but his season doesn't start until May. It's nice to only have one with ballgames at a time!

I named this blog Family Blessings for a reason. There is no doubt we are truly blessed by God. This past weekend we celebrated Jesus' resurrection on Easter. I am including some pictures from that day. I hope you like them.

Here are our handsome young men, Eli and Max.

And...Princess Oki :)

Kayla, Eli, Max, Trevor and Oki after hunting eggs on Sunday.