Hey Y'all........come on in and stay awhile:) There's no "theme" here.......just ME sharing cool stuff with YOU! Stuff like. . . . faith, family, decorating, shabby, RUSTIC, fun, beachy, YUMMY, festive......and MUCH more! This is a NO WORRIES ZONE...so leave em at the door! I hope y'all come back to hang out often! God Bless!
He kept saying that maybe we could use him as a stud. Right.........
They have never met my other little guy, Freddy.
When I was 5 months pregnant, the doctors found what they thought were signs of brain damage with Jordie. After going through an amniocentesis and "genetic counseling", which I later found out was done to help my husband and I make a "choice" as to what to do with the pregnancy, we were told that they could not rule out brain damage completely. In other words, they "thought" the problem would take care of itself but that there was also a chance that she would be born with problems. If the problem did not resolve itself, the best case scenario was Down's syndrome and worst case was severe brain damage. The counseling fell on deaf ears. Of course, we prayed and prayed for a healthy baby. But deep down, I prepared for the worst...and would have accepted it. I know the extra "work" involved with a down's syndrome child...and I know that there is FAR more extra "love" from those children than work so we would have been okay. I even planned her nursery more for a child who would need that extra stimulation. Then on March 28, 1997, Jordie was born and you couldn't find a happier and healthier baby if you tried! So Jordie, my little girl, this is for you...
This little girl has a faith that is unshakeable and always has. I remember when she was 3 years old, almost 4 and came out to the kitchen one morning to tell me Jesus was in her room during the night. After my initial fear that someone had been in the house, I started to really listen to what she was saying. Jordie was always a little afraid of the dark and of shadows so she had a nightlight in her room and in the hallway. She says she was scared and Jesus sat on the bed and comforted her. I asked her what he looked like and she kept saying, "mommy, he had such beautiful eyes." She would often say she thought there was an angel in her room at night. I don't know what was happening but I know this little girl believed this with all her heart, even telling her Sunday School teachers and our pastor. My babysitter was a very spiritual older lady and she always said Jordie was "extra specially blessed". I decided I liked Sybil's explanation so that is the way we left it. I do remember thinking that if we were catholic, she would probably grow up to be a nun or something:-) I do know she is a blessing to us!
They do fight...but they also have a lot of fun together and more and more, I am seeing special sisterly moments. Even though she has her moments with Taylor, she will defend her and protect her with everything she has. Sometimes I think she will be looking after her big sis later in life:-) For awhile she tried to be like her in every way. Eventually, she decided that being a ballerina like her sissy wasn't her thing but that's okay.
She did look really cute in a tutu, though.
She had to begin in classes with little kids but she kept at it and is doing great. This makes me think that her goal since she was 4 or 5 that she wanted to be a doctor...in particular, a neonatologist, might actually happen someday. She is also a gifted artist and paints beautiful pictures.
I love everything she does but my favorite is a drawing she did of me when she was little...of course!:-)
Who would have thought that my adorable, chubby baby 
would grow to be this tall, blonde confident, charming beauty!!!:-) She loves people...family, friends...babies to the elderly. She is comfortable in almost every situation...what a gift!
She knows that you either like Lilly or you don't...and once you are a fan, you are always a fan.
vanilla ice cream with chocolate syrup and once a year, potato chips dipped in slightly melted vanilla ice cream. No kidding! It sounds bad but it is addicting, which is why it's a once a year treat:-)
She just "gets it"...and she is not afraid to be silly.
And she remembers every single tradition we have ever done and you better believe, we have to do it again. I'm sure she will be the only 30 year old outside on Christmas Eve sprinkling reindeer food on the lawn.
And she might never recover if we changed the menu for one of the big Holidays. Taylor and I suggested changing things up a bit and she was shocked that we would even think
She is my biggest fan. She just believes I can do anything I want to do, sticks up for me even when I tell her she doesn't need to and encourages me in whatever latest thing I am thinking of doing...and there are many. I hope I give her the same support and encouragement that she gives me! I remember when I was a consultant for Southern Living at Home, she sat on the front porch and handed out my business card to neighbors walking by on the sidewalk. 
I believe she genuinely likes to spend time with me ( I realize what a gift this is) and has promised me a pink cottage on her property someday so I can bake with her kids and teach them crafts:-) I love it!!!
A few years ago, she was into wearing a bandanna. 
She's just one cool kid!
She still leaves us notes...sometimes to tell me how she is feeling, to apologize for something or just because. Those are the best ones and i keep every one...the ones that simply say thank you for being my mom.
I love you more than you will ever know. Happy 12th Birthday, my sweet girl!
The whole idea is to have a "trifle bar", kind of like a make your own sundae bar, where guests create their own trifle. The dry ingredient of cake, brownie or whatever wouldn't soak overnight but otherwise it would look and taste the same as if you made it yourself. The good thing about this is each person can make the trifle they would love to eat. (And because this is my blog and I can say what I want...ladies, if you go to someone's house and they bothered to cook for you, please eat it...at least a little...and diet or work out harder tomorrow. I see this all the time and always feel so bad for the hostess. Okay, that's it for my rant...not too painful, huh?:-)
Here are some suggested trifle ingredients or create your own.
She excitedly wrote a comment saying that it looked like the house she dreamed of living in someday. She saw one like it when she was newly married on a main street in a small town near where we grew up and dreamed of living there one day. That simple comment really made me stop and think. All day long I felt a little sad. My mom had dreams?
Other than being married to my dad and raising happy, healthy children? Why didn't I ever stop to ask her what her dreams were? I have dreams and my girls hear about them all the time:-) I'll be okay if they don't actually happen...as my mom was...but I still have dreams. Today, if you take one thing from my blog, please take a minute to ask your mom what her dreams were.
They learned how to knit
and they learned how to cook things like lemon meringue pie.
If I win a million dollars, I will buy you that pink house...and make you promise to leave it to me. hahaha (Hey...it's my dream, too:-)
