Hmmmm....We're thinking...

Do you like Jammin'????

I want to get some ladies together to learn how to do something that is a "LOST ART".

I want to make JAM.

Were trying to avoid HIGH FRUCTOSE CORN SYRUP, so this JAM will be heavy on PURE sugar!

I remember when I was little and there was never a time that I went to see my grandparents that there wasnt Homemade Jam or jelly!

I think it would be fun and we could teach this "LOST ART" to our sons and daughters.

I am going to try and get my Memaw to tell me the steps and were on.

Strawberries are on sale 2 for $3 at Wal-mart.

I think you can get the jars there also.

FUN!!!!

Let me know if your in....Do you Like JAMMIN'????

Ghetto Gardening....

We have been working REALLY hard in our garden this year.
Ghetto Gardening is what we have been calling it because we use MOSTLY old materials that Jay has brought home from job sites or old paint buckets he brought home from work.
The kids LOVE to get out in the dirt and plant things.
Who dosent LOVE watching GODS MIRACLES right before your eyes.
Its amazing!!!
We planted MAMMOTH sunflower seeds and you can ALMOST watch them grow!!!
They are about 5 ft tall right now and will get to be about 15-20 feet tall!!!
Only Jah can make a flower frow taller than a house!!! PRAISE HIM!!!


We have been planting alot of Veggies(broccoli,peas,beans,tomatoes,green squash,yellow squash) in 5 gallon buckets because the ground is soooo SANDY in our neighborhood!!! The price of living 2 blocks from the waters edge!!!

And I have to BRAG on my ULTRA TALENTED, BUILD ANYTHING HUSBAND!!!!
Shasha got her "Good Behavior" award a couple of weeks ago and her "prize" was that Jay was going to make her a little flower garden of her own!!! CUTE!!!
Anyway...the other morning -BEFORE WORK- he built her some of her own raised flower beds!!!
She planted plowers that we got for FREE at the nursery because the lady said they werent PRETTY enough to sell.
JACKPOT....A bonus lesson in how to care for something that isnt SO healthy and make the best of it!!
Ghetto Gardening at its finest!!!





We also planted some "upside down tomatoe" plants.
We used the 5 gallon buckets from Jays work and went to work...
Heres the process:






He ALSO built 4 MORE raised beds for herbs and other veggies!!!!
Don forget this all happened in about 2 days!!!!
God LOVE him!!!!


Ghetto Gardening is a STATE OF MIND....Look around.
What do you have that you can use in your OWN Ghetto Garden????

Earth Day 2009

Last weekend we decided to let the girls go to the beach with Jeff and Amy while we took the boys to the "Green Expo" in Jacksonville.
I love to take them seperately sometimes...
AND- Malachi isnt quite over his knee injury quite yet.
We had a great time.
All of the kids LOVE Earth day and Zeek(especially) loves inventions, so this was BIG TIME for him!!!LOL
The boys had a great time learning all about GREEN LIVING.
They were booths on solar panels, organic chocolate, hybrid cars, gardening, GREEN cleaning products, rooftop gardening, algae, florida waterways, the St. Johns river, organic wine, GREEN toys, the COAST GAURD(????) and TONS of other AWESOME booths!!!
Malachi dressed himself in ALL GREEN for the GREEN EXPO.
He even turned his shirt inside out so that he would be "all green".
Ive said it before and Ill say it again...He TOTALLY channels Spicoli!!!


LOVE IT!!!! Check out the "I Love My River" sticker!!! CLASSIC.
Zeek also said after we left..."Mom, when I grow up and be an inventor..I am ONLY going to invent things that are good for the environment!"
I could cry!!!!
Gotta love the "School of LIFE"...

Simply Sheba....

Just thought I HAD to show some CUTE pics of Sheba after her 1st SLEEPOVER at Aunt Amy's house!!!! ADORABLE....

Birthday Blessings.....

I would have NEVER dreamed that my life would turn out like THIS.
12 years ago..I met the LOVE OF MY LIFE!
He was the first man to hold a mirror up in front of my face so that I could see who I REALLY was.
He was also the only man to COVER UP the mirrors in our house when all I could focus on was how UNhappy I was with the OUTSIDE.
He loves me for me and THAT was the best gift I was ever given.
I remember a time in my life when I was faced with a decision.
I had come to a fork in the road.
On one side was the life I was living...a life that was all about how things made me FEEL.
On the other side was a road that lead to a BRAND NEW LIFE, a life in which I did things because they were the RIGHT THING to do.
He loved me THRU the changes.
This is when I learned..."On the other side of my GREATEST FEAR, was my GREATEST LIFE."
I am blessed with a man that is beautiful on the outside AND the inside.
He is a wonderful husband, Father, provider, lover, friend, and brother.
I love this man MORE today than yesterday, and LESS today than tommorow.
Happy Birthday baby!!!!!
Love ...Your Family

Raising REVOLUTIONARIES!!!!

When I see something like this It makes me feel so BLESSED inside.

All this goes on while we sit COMFORTABLY in our homes.

OUR children .....tucked away sweetly.

OUR children get to do earth day CRAFTS tommorow.

They dont have to search for food or water.

They get to LEARN about THESE kids tommorow.

Lets make sure that tommorw we educate our kids about how BLESSED they are.

Lets make sure that they KNOW they are in a time and place that is different from other times and places.

Tommorow while we are watching "The Lorax", making earth day window art, and painting our paper mache' globe, my kids will ALSO learn about HOW BLESSED they really are.

Tommorow lets plant seeds of WISDOM.

Lets VOW to tell our kids the TRUTH.

Lets make a pledge to TO HONOR GOD by Taking care of the EARTH...
Lets teach them about this WONDERFUL, GLORIOUS GIFT that we have been given.

THESE are SERIOUS TIMES!!!!

Lets raise some REVOLUTIONARIES!!!!

My AMAZING, CLEVER, GHETTO Husband!!!

We eat alot of sprouts....
AND~ I 've been wanting a sprouting tray for a while.
I wanted to teach the kids THE HOW TO'S of sprouting.

Well on Saturday we went to the EARTH DAY festival in St. Augustine.
Our friend Kelly is "The Sprout King".
He had a booth at the festival and is ALWAYS trying to educate people about sprouts.

So we checked out the seeds, jars, and the JAR HOLDERS.
We bought some seeds nad Kelly gave us some screens , told us how to grow them and we were off..
4 (NON Organic LOL) Cotton Candies later we were headed home and next thing I know Jay was outside BUILDING me a JAR HOLDER for my new sprout garden!!!

I LOVE HIM!!!
I am so LUCKY....He can build ANYTHING!!!
He went outside and "Whipped Up" NOT 1 ...BUT 3 sprout holders.
Hes SO AWESOME that he not only thought about ME, but he thought about our friends that would also LOVE a sprout holder.
What a man! What a PROVIDER!
I have NO IDEA what I did to deserve this but, GIVE THANKS!!!!!

PS...THIS was my dinner tonight! Spinach , eggs,zucchini, and salsa.
And with THIS presentation!
GOD LOVE HIM!!!!

Servanthood....

What about you? Are you complaining about the chores God has given you to do or have you learned to submit to the lesson of servanthood? Make no mistake, God will keep leading you back to what He last asked you to do until you say, "Yes, Lord. Here I am, send me." Embrace the responsibility and see the task for what it is-an opportunity to glorify your Lord and bless others. Is there anything better you could be doing with your life?

A Little Mothers Intuition...

There is something to be said for MOTHERS INTUITION!!!
This morning I woke up and was ANXIOUS to unwrap Malachis knee to see how it looked.
I am not sure what I was expecting, a MIRACLE maybe?
Needless to say...I woke the sweet boy up and told him I wanted to look at his knee.
We got all the "supplies" together and were ready to check it out.
I unwraped it and saw his precious little knee .....IT WAS STILL AN OPEN CUT!!!!
THAT WAS ALL IT TOOK.
I think Jay knew what was comming.
I said, "Jay, I dont know. It still looks open. What do you think?"
"I think it just needs some more DUCT TAPE!"
My mind at this point was seeing Malachi laid up on the couch FOREVER.
Of course..It would be nice to KEEP him on my couch for the rest of his life.
BUT...I am sure that at some point he will want to DATE!
So....I quickly canceled out THAT idea and said, "Im taking him to the ER."
10 minutes later we were at the ER, and he was PLAYING in the waiting room.
REMEMBER-He hasnt said it hurt ONCE!
Soon after they called us in.
Keep in mind...I dont do ER's!
When we did get SOME vaccinations..Jay ALWAYS held him, I couldnt stand it!!!
I cant stand to see them in PAIN!
IT HURTS ME to see them hurt...it ACTUALLY hurts!!!
The nurse PROMPTLY says.."You waited till NOW to bring him in?"
I TEMPERED the fire inside of me and SWEETLY said, "Yes, we thought it would be OK"
She turned and left the room...I was sure she was going to get my "Worst Mom in the WORLD" plaque.
She came back with the Doctor, who looked at it and said, "Well, you did the right thing with it. Its NOT infected. We can do 1 of 2 things. We can leave it and let it heal on is own or we can RE-OPEN it, clean it and stitch it back together."
I at this point was about to FAINT.
Where was JAY?????
WHAT WAS I THINKING????
I CANT MAKE THESE DECISIONS!
Feeling TOTALLY SCARED, I said "How long would it take to heal on its own?"
He said something that made my JAW DROP..."Hell have to be off of it for up to 3-4 weeks."
My mind fast-forwards to 3-4 weeks of TRYING to keep him OFF HIS FEET...RIGHT!!!
I think his mind might be MUSH from SPONGEBOB by then.
In fear of BRAIN MUSH and INSAINTY(on my part)I said..."We'll take the stitches."
The doctor smiled and said.."OK!"
They returned with all the "supplies".
Malachi at this point was starting to freak out...WE BOTH WERE, actually!
I looked him in the eye and said, "I know buddy! It will be ok."
I leaned over him and to tell you the truth I dont know what happened between then and when the doctor said that they were done w/ the shots.
I couldnt look, but I know that Malachi was SCREAMING!!!!
Poor Little Guy...Precious Malachi.
After they numbed it- Malachi WATCHED them sew it up.
The only time he even started to cry after that was when he saw it start bleeding for a moment...
The doctor sewed it up w/ 4 stitches and we were off..
Two hours later we were WALKING around the EARTH DAY festival.
It didnt slow him 1 bit!!!!
Thank God for giving me "Maternal Intuition."
I am soooo glad that we went....
I feel like we both should get a MEDAL.
Malachis would say, "For the Bravest, Sweetest, most adorable WARRIOR BOY"
MINE would say, "For the DUMB Mom who waits 30 hrs to get her son stitches because she WANTS it to heal with DUCT TAPE!"
I think weve learned our lesson...NEXT TIME someone cuts open part of their body-we go with our "Mothers Intuition"!

Seriously Heavy...

Injury Update...

Well...I am reporting on Malachis injury.
After a WHOLE DAY of trying to restrain him from well...EVERYTHING, we changed his bandages AGAIn tonight.
It looks good, NO infection, CRAZY!!!
He hasnt complained even one time.
Our little WARRIOR!!!
He is having to miss his 1st football game tommorow, but he is so excited to sit on the sidelines.
Then we are headed to the "Sea Turtle Festival" at the Pier.
We have told him that the ONLY WAY he is going is if he rides in the double stroller!
He keeps saying, "I still get to do crafts right?"
Sweet Warrior boy....He has NO IDEA!!!!
Ill keep you posted after tommorow!!!
PRAY FOR US!!!! Hes a crazy child!

"DESPERATE TIMES call for DESPERATE MEAURES!"

So yesterday, while the kids were SICK with strep throat, they were playing on the ramp outside.
I was inside, when I heard ALL OF THEM start freaking out.
They all RAN inside like a storm.
Malachi was CRYING and saying, "PLEASE, Don't take me to the hospital!"
I took 1 look at his knee and about FAINTED!
His little precios 5 year old knee was TORN OPEN.
He had fallen on the ramp while they were playing and THRU HIS PANTS torn his knee right open!!!
I of course, being TOTALLY STABLE at this point was yelling, "Find me the phone!"
The knowledge that I was about to call DAD, was enough to send the rest of them over the edge.
Shasha started crying and REPEATING.."Is he going to be OK?" OVER AND OVER...
Which made Sheba start crying and ALSO REPEATING.."Is he going to be OK?"
All the while Zeek is RUNNING around the house trying to find ANYTHING that will make Malachi happy.
At one point during all this I think Zeek had tried to give Malachi a book, a drink, food, colors, his bear, and a movie.
Sweet kids ...so worried about their brother!
In the meantime Jay didnt answer the phone so I called his boss and told him(in so many words) "GET JAY!"
FINALLY, Jay got home.
I was TOTALLY FREAKED out.
I coulndt even THINK!
Now, in SOME ways Jay and I think EXACTLY alike.
IN OTHER WAYS ...WE DONT!!!
THIS is one of those ways..
I go in the direction of the ER.
Jay , on the other hand, asks for DUCT TAPE!!!!
Needless to say, we ended up cleaning it and bandaging it up (W/duct tape strips).
So after PRAYING about his little knee and asking God to heal it swiftly...we went to bed.
Then this morning I did something I NEVER thought I would do..
I was TRYING to keep Malachi still so that his knee could heal when....
I LET THEM WATCH SPONGEBOB SQUAREPANTS!!!
You should have seen them!!!
They were GLUED to the TV.
They were so excited that I didnt hear a thing from them for 30 min!!!
Needless to say ..I have a NEW motto for the day....
"DESPERATE TIMES CALL FOR DESPERATE MEASURES."

Zoo Keeper for LIFE......

Sometimes I feel like were in a ZOO.

Sometimes I feel like I have 4 wild animals that live in this house.

The kids AND I are sick right now and I feel a little HOUSE-TRAPPED!

I feel like they are BORED and am REMINDED of TRAINING....

In times like these I feel like a CRAZY WOMAN trying to just DEAL.
An animal trainer TRYING to train these little souls.

In honor of THIS FEELING, I thought I would remind MYSELF of what the bible says about TRAINING your kids:


Proverbs 22:6
Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.

Proverbs 13:24
He who spares the rod hates his son, but he who loves him is careful to discipline him.

Proverbs 19:18
Discipline your son, for in that there is hope; do not be a willing party to his death.

Proverbs 22:15
Folly is bound up in the heart of a child, but the rod of discipline will drive it far from him.

Proverbs 23:13-14
Do not withhold discipline from a child; if you punish him with the rod, he will not die. Punish him with the rod and save his soul from death.

Proverbs 29:15
The rod of correction imparts wisdom, but a child left to himself disgraces his mother.

Proverbs 29:17
Discipline your son, and he will give you peace; he will bring delight to your soul.

This kind of training REQUIRES CONSTANT DILIGENCE...
So much in fact that, lets be honest, sometimes we feel like were failing.
I always struggle with the feeling of "Im not doing enough".
Maybe its actually ME who needs more training....
More training in TRAINING our kids!!!!

Go Barefoot....

This Thursday we are all going barefoot.
And when people ask why, well TELL THEM....
Join us and RAISE AWARENESS!!!!
It is a GREAT company of VEGAN and CANVAS shoes.
Which means ...NO ANIMAL PRODUCTS!!!!
AND...for every pair of shoes you buy...they DONATE 1 pair of shoes...
AWESOME!!!!

100 FREE PRINTS!!!!!

I have been REALLY getting into SAVING MONEY lately...any way possible.
So my friend found this webpage called Photocubbie
They give you 100 free prints EVERY MONTH if you stay signed up.
But you can also sign up and then cancel within a week and STILL get your FREE PRINTS!!!!
I got mine TODAY!!!!
Hooray!!!!

"One of THOSE..."

So, As you can imagine~ there are ALWAYS poeple here.
We have friends over ALL THE TIME.....
So the other night there was a guy here named "Traveler".
He was sitting in one of the kids desks just OBSERVING the inner working of our home.
Just WATCHING the CRAZINESS that is our HOME.
It was about 8pm, so ALL the kids were tired and fussy.
He sat there just SMILING...
I was dealing with the kids and Jay was talking to him about family vibes and he turned to Jay and said something that I will NEVER forget.
When I think of it right now ...I SMILE!!!
He said, "FAMILY...I gotta get me one of these."
Give thanks that our life is our life...
Give thanks that I got me "One of THESE!"

A hard pill to swallow....

DISCLAIMER: This post will be a "Hard pill to swallow"...It is for those women out there who are in a LASTING RELATIONSHIP with a man. Please no emails from all you SINGLE LADIES who HAVE to hold it down on your own...MUCH RESPECT TO YOU.....You keep being INDEPENDENT!!! XOXO




1Wives, in the same way be submissive to your husbands so that, if any of them do not believe the word, they may be won over without words by the behavior of their wives,
2when they see the purity and reverence of your lives.
3Your beauty should not come from outward adornment, such as braided hair and the wearing of gold jewelry and fine clothes. 4Instead, it should be that of your inner self, the unfading beauty of a gentle and quiet spirit, which is of great worth in God's sight.
5For this is the way the holy women of the past who put their hope in God used to make themselves beautiful. They were submissive to their own husbands,
6like Sarah, who obeyed Abraham and called him her master. You are her daughters if you do what is right and do not give way to fear. 1 Peter 3:1-6

I KNOW, I KNOW..."SUBMISSION"!!!!!
As women we are TRAINED to be DISGUSTED by this word.
Then add in that you are supposed to SUBMIT to YOUR HUSBAND????
There was a time in my life that I those were FIGHTING WORDS!!!
I am trying to TRAIN MYSELF and MY daughters to NOT BE FEARFUL of something that GOD has called them to do.

22 The man who finds a wife finds a treasure,
and he receives favor from the Lord. Proverbs 18:22



Like I tell ALL the kids..."Its not MY rule, Its GODS rule."
Hard to accept ...I know.
Hard to accept because we are REBELS at heart.
We WANT to REBEL.
We SHOULDN'T ...but We DO!!!!

There have been times when the kids ask Jay for something and he says "NO".
Then they come to me and ask the same question.
I ALWAYS ask, "Did you ask your DAD?"
When the answer is "He said NO!" (Insert WHINING!)
I say..(no matter what MY answer WOULD HAVE BEEN),
"If he already said "NO", then THAT is the answer!"
Then I have to explain that HE is the MAN of the house and what he says goes! NO MATTER WHAT!!
We HAVE to RESPECT his decisions.

It our role as women to be his "helper".
In Genesis 2 it says:
18 The LORD God said, "It is not good for the man to be alone. I will make a helper suitable for him."

Helper, NOT EQUAL.
Hard to hear...BUT TRUE!!!
Its a hard pill for an "Middle class American" girl like me(and MOST of my friends) to swallow.
It goes AGAINST ...well,just about EVERYTHING we were taught.


Trust me ..Im a normal girl....There are times when I feel the rebel in me flare up and its all I can do but to JUMP out of my skin,,
BUT....I try and remember...
This is THE test!!!~And what a test it is!!!!

Remembering that our SUBMISSION should be based on GODS law...BASICALLY - how we act shouldn't DEPEND on how our husbands act.
How we act SHOULD be based on GODS LAW.
It should be based on what WE as Women are CALLED to do FOR our husbands.

4 A wife of noble character is her husband's crown,
but a disgraceful wife is like decay in his bones. Proverbs 12:4

I want my daughters to understand that we are CALLED to do this.
It is a BLESSING to RESPECT our GOD-LOVING husbands or boyfriends.
What society tells them is that ~Its MORE COOL to be a REBEL.
Its not as cool to be submisive.

I want them to know that there is a GENTLE GRACE in letting your husband lead your family.

I want them to know that ..in these times...We ARE the rebels!!!!

Spring Break Library Movie!!!!

Yesterday we went to the library and saw "Beverly Hills Chihuahua".
The kids brought their sleeping bags and pillows and had popcorn w/ about 20 other kids!!!
What a sound...a whole ROOM of kids LAUGHING!!!!

Go Jaguars!!!!

So we started Flag football on Wednesday.
So fun!!!
Malachi and Zeek are on the same team this year.
They cahanged the age divisions...needless to say, Zeek was NOT happy about being on the "little kids" team.
But in usual Zeek fashion-that didnt last long and at the 1st practice he set a great example for the YOUNGER kids!

Something he is USUALLY great at!!!
Jay has had them practicing throwing and catching the ball out front in the evenings and yesterday Zeek saw the "fruits of his labor".....He caught the ball OVER and OVER!!!!

Thank Goodness we still have a AWESOME coach.
Coach Matty has his work cut out for him with these "TATER TOTS" as he called them...LOL
So cool....
So proud.....
Go Jags!!!!

Observe....Reserve

Myspace Comments

Rain, Rain, Go Away....

Rain, rain, go away...
We'll have to reschedule our night of PLAY.

Its wet and humid...NO fun at all.

I'll post again about when well PLAY BALL!!!!!
Dont worry, Dont fret ...it can wait.

It gives us more time to think of a PLATE!!!!


Sorry guys....its to rainy-MAYBE tommorow????
Ill let you know~Love yall.....
Blessings

Lil' Miss Earth Lover

Today we rode up the bridge of Lions and the bridge was up.
We were sitting there waiting to go....
Shasha turned and said to me, "Mom, are you going to turn off the car?"
I sat there for a moment and slowly a smile came across my face.
A warm feeling in my heart...feeling of LOVE so sweet.
I realized WHY she wanted me to turn the car off.
She was worried because she KNOWS that a car produces more POLLUTION when STANDING STILL than when GOING!!!!!
God, I LOVE that girl!!!!
She is a TREE-HUGGIN, EARTH-LOVIN' princess.
I mean~She even LOVES granola...LOL.
So, next time your stuck waiting on a bridge or in traffic...
In Honor of our sweet little NATURE MAMA----TURN OFF YOUR CAR!!!
PEACE~

"Kool" Hair.....

So at 6 Shasha wants to color her hair...So cute.
We have done it a couple of times and she LOVES it.
Perfect for a "sassy" princess!
We use Kool aid in ANY shade of PINK or RED...Of course.
I lasts about 1 week and washes right out....
Its quick and relatively mess free...We just put a towel down, dip hair in kool aid and let dry.
Could it be EASIER????
So cute, so Fresh, So hip....
soooo SHASHAMANE!!!!!

Spring Break Game Night~2009

Okay...so Spring Break is here.
Well NOT OFFICIALLY here, (for most of you it starts tommorow)BUT- I couldnt stand the "Wait" one more day.
So I did it.....
Today at 12pm I called it....SPRING BREAK!!!!!
YIPPEE!!!!!


Game Night is here.....Its time to "Water our Friendships" with a Game Night & Dessert Pot-Luck!!!
Here is the deal.... MONDAY EVENING(April 6)
Ron Parker Park...6 pm.
There are tennis courts, BBall courts, a baseball field AND a park for the little ones.
Bring any Balls, bats, gloves, rackets, etc. you might need!!!!
Bring any desserts that you want to share....
It should be FUN!!!!
Come one ~Come all.....One Love

A little reasoning.........

I originally started this blog for the same reason I do ANYTHING SOCIAL on the computer...To keep in touch w/ family and friends.
I wrote and QUICKLY realized that it was THERAPUTIC for me.
I LOVE being creative ...but dont have much time at the end of the day.
I LOVE being able to sit for a moment and write about something that is on my mind...Good OR Bad.
I love being able to be silly and write silly poems for the kids~Like THIS
I love bieng able to share what we did that day in school....Like THIS
So join me AGAIN...I'll be here EVERY Day...
Blessings and Love

In these CRAZY Times..........