My Life...

I have been slightly missing in action lately and even posted about it, but thought that I needed to rewrite what I wrote so I deleted it. In doing that I lost your comments, but I appreciate all your prayers!

The reason I was asking for prayers was for my marriage. I have been seperated from my husband Jeff for sometime, but we have been together for 11 years. He is the father to my 2 youngest boys and been a huge part in my older 2 boys' life also. We haven't had it easy over these last years, but we are making a commitment to reconcile and I am asking for prayer for both of us and for our marriage. I know that only God could have changed his heart in the way that it has changed and I know He can help us through the rest if we let Him.



In other news, it's a very white snowy Friday before Super Bowl. lol The energy around town is just electric. You can see evidence all around why they say that Pittsburgh has the best (craziest???) fans. My brother is totally gone. I mean you can't even have much of a conversation without him relating it to the Steelers (or Lost lol) It's freezing and snowy. We actually had some pretty big white-outs today. I didn't even know we were getting snow. See, it's not just my blog, I've been clueless about life lately! But don't tell anyone. I'm trying not to let the kids know they really ARE smarter than me :)

Here We Go Steelers!!!!

Now admittedly I am not a big fan of football. Don't get me wrong, I want the Steelers to do well and like finding out that the score and all that, but I don't actually sit and watch a game until we get to the playoffs.



My father on the other hand, truly did bleed Black and Gold. I think he questioned my DNA many a times due to the fact that we differed a bit in this area (thank goodness Lost came along for bonding!) and after he passed away I swore I would watch them faithfully!



Luckily my brother is just as pyschotic about our Stillers to carry on the Smith football traditions (yes I was a Smith before!) and live and die by the Steelers.


My dad and the Westinghouse crew back in the 70s. He's the clean shaven one on the bottom row on last one on the left.



So this post is in honor of the AFC Championship and the fact that we are gonna kick some butt, this is Steelers weather that we are having after all!

Junie B., Lost and Freezer Bags...

These are a few of my faaaavorite thiiiiings......

I have a lovely voice I know :) So somehow my non-enjoying-reading 2 older boys skipped past the Junie B. Jones phase when they were little, but Gage and I have discovered her and her books and let me tell you we are HOOKED! This is seriously some of the funniest, have-to-laugh-out-loud while you are reading kids books! If you haven't discovered her I give this serious a 2 thumbs up!

The first books in the series cover life in Kindergarten and then she moves up to First grade, so if you have kiddos in this age group, let me know what you think!

Then my heart is beating a little bit faster lately knowing that LOST is coming back on next week! Wooooo hoooo!


Any Losties out there in the blogging world? What also makes me enjoy the show even more is that my father got me started on it. It was something that we had in common and use to recap and analyze every week. Remember I am not a total football nut like my dad and brother, so we needed this! lol Then my brother got hooked, then Chase and it was something that we could all share. So everytime the season starts and ends I got a little sad missing him.

Then there is my unnatural obsession with Freezer Bags. Please tell me I am not the only one?! I keep everything in them! Well, not food so much, but everything else! Puzzles with broken boxes, Star Wars figures, anything with small parts that just get lost through out the toy box, reciepts, everything! I even have moved on to those giant Ziplock bags they sell. I make a huge batch of my little pillows at one time then I can just take it out when I'm ready to paint! Which sadly hasn't been recently, but that's another post. I'm working on it honest!









Hope you all are having a blessed day! :)

I May Wring His Neck...

This is so NOT what I was planning on blogging about to start off the new week. I will make it brief, as frankly, there is not much to say, but AUSTIN LOST HIS SKATES AGAIN!!!!!

The sad thing is he is a mature and responsible kid for the most part. I mean he really really is. He isn't perfect, but this just stuns me. He went ice skating Saturday night with friends. He stayed over Jake's house, when I picked him up for practice on Sunday his skates weren't with him. He thinks he brought them to Jake's, but they aren't there. No one turned them in at skating. Surprise surprise. If they were left there, someone took them and I didn't mark them so there would be no way of finding them.

At first I was going to have him just be done with hockey and suffer the consequences, but I really really think that he needs this and it's good for him. In general as well as since he just lost his dad a few months ago. Soooo, I'm back to figuring it out. I guess I will probably just get him a cheap used pair from Play It Again Sports and have him just deal with skating on not so great skates.

Please, feel free to jump and offer advice, I'm at a loss as to what to do with this! So those of you that have survived the teenage years, by all means, HELP! :)

My First Award!

I'm so excited that Sharon from Prim Thyme chose me to be a recipient of The Lemonade Award! The Lemonade Award is for blogs that show great attitude and gratitude.

Upon receiving The Lemonade Award, you also pass it on to other bloggers who you think show great attitude and gratitude.
Here are the rules:
1. Put the logo on your blog or post.
2. Nominate at least 10 blogs which show great Attitude and/or Gratitude!
3. Link to your nominees within your post.
4. Let them know that they have received this award by commenting on their blog.
5. Share the love and link to this post and to the person from whom you received your award.
Here are a few blogs that I think show great attitude and gratitude.

Now the hard part is I have no idea how to do links in Blogger. If anyone would like to tell me that would be great! lol

* Janene from Primitive Lifestyle
* Mandy from Life in the Craft Lane with Mandie
* Lauren from Simple Blessings
* Sandy from For the LOVE of Prims
* Rondell from Tomatoe Creek Prims
* Linda from Behind My Red Door
* Kelli from There's No Place Like Home
* Julie from Country Girl at Heart
* Kindra from 3 Guys, a Girl and a Prim Place


If you already recieved this award, sorry, lol, I'm still new to a lot of blogs and if you aren't wanting to pass them on that's fine too, I just don't have a lot of blogs that I read yet!


In other news, it's been a pretty low key week here. Austin did have a game on Monday and let me tell you it was CRAZY!!! I am fairly new to understanding hockey, but even I knew it was a wild game. We won, I *think* it was 9-1. We got some unfair penalties and at one point had 5 guys in the penalty box. It was pretty close quarters let me tell you! Our head coach got a 10 minute penalty and one of the guys had to serve it for him and one of our assistant coaches actually got thrown out and suspended for the next game.

Now that sounds terrible as if our team is full of insane people, but that truly is not the case. Coach DeFazio is very fair and really seems to play all the kids pretty equally as he realizes that is not the NHL and his purpose is truly the kids. The asst. coach I don't know very well, but he seems like a really sweet guy. I guess he told the ref that he was "only seeing white" meaning us as we were the home team in our white uniform! I have to agree as MY BABY got cross-checked in the throat/jaw and they didn't do ANYTHING! Conveniently it was right in front of too. Yeah, does wonders for a mother's heart. I was good though and acted calmly in front of everyone as opposed to running over to the bench screaming and crying. He would have loved that I can tell ya! I really don't know how some of the parents do it when their kids get hurt. I guess they are just used to the roughness of the sport and maybe I will be calmer too someday, we'll see!

So if anyone has a minute and feels like explaining the link thing, please do! I tried, but doesn't seem to be working. Hope you all are having a wonderful day! :)

3 Down 1 to Go!

Okay that sounds bad, but after a couple of weeks of holiday hecticness (I'm pretty sure that's not a real word lol) it's nice to have the kiddos back at school. Hence that title that 3 are in school and I'm down to Mr. Asa!

The holidays were actually much nicer than I expected. My brother came the day after Christmas so we had our celebrations extend for a few days. Santa was good to everyone and everyone seemed happy with their gifts. I had such a hard time this year not just thinking of what to get the boys, but also family! Some years I'm on it and this year I was so not! Here are some random pics from Christmas day!







One of the other highlights of the Christmas break was going out for an evening with my brother and stepmom! We met up with Jan's sister and her husband and also her husbands mother. There were lots of Jan's friends that also met up with us and they are really a blast to hang out with! I honestly can't remember that last time I hung out with my brother like that and I really can't remember that last time I went dancing! We saw the Blu River Band. I love country music. My brother, not so much, but he has fun no matter what, so it was all good. Here are some more random pictures of our night out!

Me, Brian and Jan I am pretty cure Jan needs to change the date on her camera!


Brian being goofy. That hat actually wiggled it was pretty funny!

And last but not least a particularly cute picture of Asa I wanted to share.


He really need a haircut, but it's so cute, so I hesitate.

I have been enjoying reading everyone's blogs and seeing what the holidays held in store for all of you. It's great to see everyone enjoying Christmas and New Years. I'm thrilled that it's 2009. I love thinking about all the possibilities that this new year holds. Even though I fear so much about change, even if it's good change, I have my mind set on embracing it.

As one of my most favorite people in the whole world said to me I am going to face this future "with passion and joy, not fearful of what may happen tomorrow, but fearless in spite of it." That's my hope for not just myself this new year, but you and your families as well!