Because Of You

A couple weeks ago Dustin mentioned that he & Alanna planned to take the kids to Omaha, Nebraska to the Henry Doorly Zoo. Jared and I hadn't been in close to 5 years and I asked if he'd mind if we tagged along. He, of course, said sure but as the time came near we realized it just wouldn't be responsible to go financially. On Friday we text Dustin to say we were going to have to stay home.

The awesome thing in this story is remembering who our God is. He is huge, all knowing, and holds the world in His hands. He is also our Abba our Daddy and cares about the small intimate details of our lives. On Sunday (the day before the planned Zoo trip) I received a small envelope during Sunday school. In it was a letter that had been printed out that basically said: This is a gift for you to use for something extra. Not for bills but for a date night or an Easter dress etc. I teared up immediately and told Jared. Because of someone's generosity we were able to go after all.
We went to Wal-Mart and loaded up on snack foods, sack lunch, and water bottles. At 6 am on Monday morning I ran upstairs, turned on the lights and yelled, "Field Trip!!" The kids were oblivious. I dressed them all in blue (to help keep track). They didn't know about Dustin's family until well into the trip. At one point Jared said, "They're a good 30-40 minutes behind us because they're running late." Brennan immediately said, "I know who's meeting us. It's Uncle Dustin because he's always late." We had to giggle.
While wandering the zoo the older 3 boys kept coming up to Jared and I and telling us how much they loved us. They were so excited. Going with the cousins was extra special. They had a great time but it just seemed like having the cousins added a lot.
Kennedy was a doll. She was so well behaved and every time I took a picture she'd say, "can I see it?" I would have taken a thousand images just to hear that precious voice.
We didn't make it around to the entire zoo simply because moving a herd of children takes time, but we were there from open to close. The kids all had the best time and asked on the way home how soon we'd be able to return.
Jared picked out a penguin for Anneliese since we decided to not take her. It's as big as she is and watching her walk around the living room all while loving on it is hilarious.

Jared and I are so thankful to a loving God who cares about our boys going to the Zoo. We are so thankful for a loving church family that takes care of all our needs and most of our wants. We are blessed and it's all because of you.

Ode To Aunties

While at church Wednesday afternoon cooking Aunt Erin called. She had been at a consignment sale off Metcalf and wanted to know if the kids needed anything (too sweet!). I told her Anneliese could really use some little girl toys. So within a couple hours she was at my house with a ton of stuff for our little girl! She now has a maid's cart with mop, bucket, broom, dustpan, and working vacuum! She has a princess phone that she LOVES!

She loves the blender that teaches her shapes and letters. It plays music and she wiggles her little bottom when it plays.

My personal favorite is the huge pillow book. It's a super soft book the size of a standard pillow. You open it up and it has the story of Snow White and Ariel. It's adorable with bright pictures and the full story and it's completely washable. She immediately laid down on it and snuggle in. Anneliese also has two swimsuits for the summer with a matching cover. Thank you Auntie Erin! It meant so much, we appreciate it more than you could ever know!

I was talking to Aunt Sonya Wednesday night and told her Anneliese had her first nightgown.

We chatted about Sis' chubby little legs. The cute little ruffles on the gown that surround her diapered bottom. The cuteness oozes from this little girl regardless, but put her in a pink princess nightgown and she would have to win some kind of reward.

This conversation obviously brought some nostalgia to Aunt Sonya who has 2 girls of her own. Since it's rare that the Rice family is in our home near bed time I thought I'd take some pics last night as my precious girl played.

She loves all things soft and this is her favorite blankie (thanks Tashy!). Whenever she spots it the blanket receives an "ahhh" and a snuggle.

Anneliese is so different from the boys. She loves babies and it is obvious that she was designed to be a mommy some day. At one year old she already loves playing house with her baby Sarah.

Thank you Aunties! We love you!

You're Such A Grill

***Blog Reading Novice? Any text that is a different color or is underlined is a link. Simply click on the text with your mouse and it will take you directly to the link referenced in the sentence***

Now that Spring has sprung it's time to dust off the old grill.

Jared and I have a rickety old grill that was given to us brand new by my in laws 10 years ago. We have replaced it's guts at least 3 times and I'm seriously contemplating getting a whole new grill this season.

Grilling is a Weight Watcher's necessity. During the summer you can do SO much and if you have a gas grill you can have a tasty meal in mere minutes.

One of my favorites is a grilled chicken breast for lunch. I just season it with garlic, salt and pepper and throw it on the grill. I'll pair it with a cup of brown rice or a baked potato (also super quick in the microwave). It's a great way to have a non-processed meal with the same time savings as a hot pocket (also one of my FAVS).

You need to have a bag of my RUB on hand. It's delicious on bone in chicken breasts. Since we WW's take off the skin I highly recommend using a paring knife to lift the skin and apply the rub directly to the breast meat and then put the skin back down to trap the moisture. Cook on your grill rib side down. It takes about 35-45 minutes and it's the best chicken you'll ever eat!

I also really like grilled veggies. Take your favorite, I like zucchini, slice it length wise and thin. I season it with garlic, salt, pepper, and a couple spritz's of olive oil (LOVE Pampered Chef's oil spritzer) and just slap it on the grill. You can layer them with a boneless chicken breast on a bun and it's a delicious way to get in some veggie servings.

Don't forget foil packs. You can do so much with foil. A favorite from my childhood is sweet Vidalia onions with salt, pepper, and a tab of butter (I use Country Crock lite). Wrap it in foil and sit it on the grill while you cook your main course. They are tender and sweet and SO good to just open up and eat with a fork!

The ideas are endless. Try Alisa's pizza on the grill. Make healthy choices for your toppings and this can be a lean treat!

What are your favorite grilled meals?

NEW BLOG FOR ALL YOU WEIGHT WATCHERS!!!!

My sweet Christi sent me a quick text today saying I should check out this blog.

I just thought, "oh, sure, I'm always looking for something new, I'll check it out...eventually."

For some reason eventually was today and I just checked it out and I am IN LOVE! I am now a follower and am so excited to share the link with you! YOU HAVE TO FOLLOW THIS WOMAN! This is a GREAT resource.

Have fun, eat less, move more and think THIN.

Gina's WW Recipes

What's Going On?

-Jared and I have decided with our felines we could really use a cat tree. I started shopping craigslist and such. Honestly I don't want a "used" cat tree. Ewww. A nice new one could easily run over $100. We carpeted this house and we have a ton of remnants and there is a bunch of wood out in the garage. Hmm I may just have to see what I can create.

-If anyone out there has gently used tiny little girl toys we're interested. Now that we're having bible study on Sunday nights there are two little girls that come play and we just don't have much. Thankfully after Anneliese's birthday we have a few more things but I would love a little kitchen, or any toddler stuff. Just let me know what you have and how much. Otherwise garage sales will be my friend this summer (like they aren't already).

-We are perpetually plagued by pests. Our trash cans are constantly tipped and our castoffs are drug all over the yard. It had gotten to the point that we were cleaning torn up diapers daily. Jared dowsed the cans with straight Ammonia and we're pest free! YAY! Just a tip in case you have also considered putting out antifreeze for the local wild life.

-CALLING ALL MOMS OF BOYS!!! Does your bathroom reek? Are you constantly searching for the source of the urine smell? Well I have the solution!!! While reading my bottle of OUT! Stain and Odor remover I saw a small snipit stating it could be used on tile grout. So I headed my happy self in to the bathroom and sprayed away. I soaked the grout around the base of the toilet and let it sit for 20 mins or so. After wiping up the solution my bathroom smelled fresh as a daisy! It's an enzymatic cleaner so it breaks down the urine and the smell. It's for pets but hey, my boys are a lot like animals :)

-Have I mentioned my love of Goodwill (lately)? Sunday I wore a beautiful dress that was from Anne Taylor. It was brown tweed, lined and a size 6 (honestly it could have purple with orange polka dots and I still would've worn it due to that beautiful digit). I paid $4.99 for it at Goodwill. It was missing a thin belt and I was able to pick up a leather brown belt at Forever 21 for $2 and topped it of with a gorgeous soft cashmere shrug I purchased on eBay for $5 (it was brand new!!!). It was quite the sophisticated outfit and cost a grand total of $12!! I took my "in between" clothes to Goodwill on Sunday to drop them off and went in to browse. I found 4 pair of capris from Banana Republic and an Easter dress for me and Anneliese. The total was $20. I honestly don't know what we'd do without second hand stores! LOVE THEM!

-Ozark Christian College's annual woman's retreat is coming up. It's April 23rd, 24th. I am going and plan on taking a group of women. Let me know if you're planning to attend asap so I know how many for the hotel reservations. I'm very excited!

Arrruuuugahh!!! (Random seemed too repetitive :)

-I had the fun task of working over my closet this week. The word "fun" was not sarcastic. I removed all my "in between" clothes and filled the closet with my skinny clothes out of the attic. They've been up there for 2 years. I did fill 2 30 gal. trash bags for Goodwill. After being out of commission for 2 years some of it was out dated.

-While digging through piles of clothes I realized a couple things about myself.

1) I love jeans. I mean really love jeans. There's about 15 pair in my closet. I would like to say that I did not buy a single pair new. They are all Goodwill, garage sale finds and most are great brands and super cute! I love second hand clothes!

2) I love pink. I would venture to say 60% of my shirts/dresses/tops have some shade(s) of pink.

3) I love dresses. Again, I purchase all my clothes from second hand resources but I have a ton of dresses. I can't get enough!

-While explaining to Tanner that he had to write an essay on George Washington on Friday and one on Abraham Lincoln on Monday, we talked about the two presidents. He said he didn't really remember much about Abraham Lincoln. So I took a minute and told him what slavery was and how President Lincoln is remembered for abolishing slavery. Tanner looked at me with huge eyes and said, "He was such a good man!! That was SO wrong, Mom!" As much as I love teaching the children to read about neat things, it is really difficult to tell them about the really awful things that make up our history.

-Graham is going through an incredibly difficult stage right now. He's really been a breeze up to this point. We didn't struggle with the terrible twos that I can remember. All of a sudden he's stomping in anger when I tell him to do things. He ran from me at Wal-Mart yesterday, and he mumbles under his breath when we ask him to do things. Pair that with Anneliese finding her will and the daily disciplines in the Altic household are at an all time high right now! WOW it gets overwhelming at times.

-While the snow stinks (figuratively of course) it's temporary. We had a beautiful day Friday and I loved taking the boys to the Legends and letting them climb on the big turtle outside Books A Million. I am eager for Spring, bike riding, green plants, fresh cut lawns, birds singing, and the windows open. I have all kinds of plans for the summer. The garage is getting an overhaul (cleaning, paint), the decks are getting stained! What a blessing to own a home with a huge yard. I feel so blessed to have such a beautiful home and taking care of it (even cleaning out the garage) is a celebration of the blessing God has granted!

Leesy K Purse Giveaway Has CLOSED!!

Congrats to entry #22!!!

Amy C!


"Amy said...

My favorite bag is the one we said looks like an apron. Although I am definitely a fan of anything involving Sissy's chubby little legs."

Thank you all so much for participating! I really appreciate it!

It was a little confusing at first because there were 3 comments that weren't actual entries. The winner was picked through random.org.

Thanks again!

What's For Dinner?

I made a quick trip to Wal-Mart this afternoon and they had a family pack of pork chops marked down so I grabbed them. We always take advantage of meat markdowns! I wanted to slow cook them but since my husband is NOT a fan of the mushroom I wasn't real sure what to do until I found this:

Pork Chops for the Slow Cooker

Submitted By: KOORBRUS
Photo By: larkspur
Prep Time: 5 Minutes
Cook Time: 6 Hours

Ready In: 6 Hours 5 Minutes
Servings: 6
"Tender, spicy and delicous pork chops made easy with a slow cooker."
Ingredients:
6 boneless pork chops
1/4 cup brown sugar
1 teaspoon ground ginger
1/2 cup soy sauce

1/4 cup ketchup
2 cloves garlic, crushed
salt and pepper to taste
Directions:
1. Place pork chops in slow cooker. Combine remaining ingredients and pour over pork chops.
2. Cook on Low setting for 6 hours, until internal temperature of pork has reached 160 degrees F (70 degrees C).

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com Printed from Allrecipes.com 3/19/2010

It smells wonderful. I plan to serve them with mashed potatoes and steamed broccoli. I'll be sure to update as soon as we sample them!

Get That BAG!

The Leesy K Giveaway ends tomorrow!! Be sure to enter as many times as possible!

I will do the drawing at 5 pm tomorrow! Just click the link to the right and ENTER!

Happy Birthday Graham!!

You had such a rough start















But look at you now!!! We love you so very much precious boy! You are one of a kind and we can't wait to see what God has in store for you.

Thomas Toot-torial

My boys have loved Thomas the Tank for almost 10 years. In that time I have made 3 Thomas cakes and 1 Percy. They always turn out so cute and the kids LOVE them so I thought I'd give you a quick "how to" in case your little engineer would enjoy it as much as mine have.

Start out with a 9x13 cake cooked according to the directions in a well greased pan. Freeze it after giving it just 15-20 minutes to cool. I put the whole cake in the freezer pan and all. Freezing it not only makes decorating it so much easier but it traps the moisture and makes the cake really moist.

Once it's frozen through take a sharp knife and cut it to this shape. I typically shave the top edge off one side and the turn it and use it as a pattern to cut the second cut. It makes it more uniform. Keep the pieces. Use a small bowl or large coffee mug for a pattern and cut a circle out of the center of the top section. Gently pry the circle out and place your cake pieces in the hole. Then replace the circle. It should stick up about 1/4" from the surface of the rest of the cake. Put the cake back in the freezer between steps.

Most of the pics have a smudge on them. Apparently I got a little of the icing on my camera. I apologize :)

Use a base frosting (3 cups powdered sugar, 1/2 c shortening, 1/4 c milk, 2 tsp clear vanilla extract) and thinly coat the cake.

You will need professional food coloring to the colors you want for this cake. At Wal-Mart they are in the craft department not with the baking. You need Black, Red, and Blue. Use a cake decorator's frosting (1 1/2 c shortening, 1 1/2 tsp vanilla extract, 7 1/2 c sifted powdered sugar, 1/2 c milk). I do a lot of mixing to get the perfect color. I would make an entire batch the black. While trying to get a rich black stop once you have a nice gray and pull out about a cups worth and sit aside. Then continue until you have the color you want. Outline the cake like this using a star tip. Remember to continue the lines down the sides of the cake.

Now make another batch of the decorator's frosting (see above) and mix the blue. Go easy on the coloring. Thomas is a teal blue not a royal and professional coloring is super concentrated. Once you have the color you want fill in the top of the cake like this. Continue with the star tip.

Now switch your tip to a Bismark tip (small hole) and draw the lines of his face with the remainder of your black icing.

I usually make a 1/2 batch of the decorators icing for the red. Switch back to your star tip. You don't need a full batch. The red coloring will not make a true red. Mine always looks a little orangie pink in the bowl but in contrast on the cake it looks perfect. So don't get frustrated if it doesn't look red enough.

Finally fill in the face and the last line of his bumper with the gray. And viola!

Happy Birthday Babies!

Since Anneliese turned one on Friday and Graham turns 4 on Tuesday we combined their birthdays and had a lunch celebration on Sunday afternoon.

Jess T and I spent the entire day Saturday making home made dinner rolls/ (that were supposed to be) buns/ (but turned into) small loaves, 41 cupcakes, 1 huge cupcake, 1 Thomas cake (I'll post a tutorial soon), 24 cinnamon rolls, and 14.11 lbs of pork butt rubbed down with my BBQ rub. We had the best day creating and baking. It's so fun to have a friend who shares a hobby, we really love cooking together.

I always stress about if there will be enough food or too much food. Will people come? If they do come will they like it? Are they coming because they want to? Are they coming because they feel obligated? Like ALWAYS my stress is unnecessary and we had a wonderful afternoon. Anneliese took a cat nap during Sunday school so she was able to enjoy her party.

She really loved her cupcake. She's so stinking different than the boys. She barely made a mess and ate it very carefully.

Graham has his own way of enjoying his Thomas cake. Eat all the icing, leave the cake. That is a naked cupcake next to the naked chocolate cake.

Speaking of Thomas, Graham LOVED his cake and gave the best reaction EVER! So worth the hour of decorating. I'd do it for him again in a heartbeat.

Anneliese's cupcakes turned out better than I'd hoped and everyone devoured them. They were so yummy!

The kids received several super nice gifts! Thank you!


Anneliese received her first tutu from Uncle Will and Aunt Becky and we both LOVE it!

I can't believe my babies are 1 and 4!!!

Leesy K is Celebrating Anneliese with a Giveaway!!

***Giveaway Closed***

I decided to have a giveaway since all the cool kids are doing it!


You can win this bag! It's my favorite so far and has two pockets sewn into the brown coordinating fabric. It's perfect for spring and SO CUTE (if I do say so myself).

Here's what you need to do:

-Become a follower (over on the right where it say, "Ain't too proud to beg") and leave a comment saying it's so.

-Follow AlticQuiver on Facebook

-Visit my store Leesy K and leave a comment (leave your comment here not at the store) with your favorite item (I know the inventory is limited, I'm working on it :))

-Take my button to the right (copy and paste the HTML) and add it to your blog. Leave a link in the comments with your name.

-Facebook, blog, or Tweet the giveaway! (you need to leave a comment for each one)

Make sure you leave a separate comment for each entry. If you are out of town please enter! I will ship it to you!

The winner will be picked randomly on Friday March 19, 2010!

Happy Birthday Anneliese! You're 1!

Family Fav!

This is a favorite of ours! I love this recipe and this bread makes THE BEST french toast. Add a little cinnamon and nutmeg to your egg mixture and you'll never eat it any other way! It makes 6 (petite) loaves so make some, give some! Everyone loves home made bread! I don't have 6 loaf pans so I grease two 9 x 13 pans and put 3 in each pan and they fit perfectly.

Fabulous Homemade Bread

Rated: Submitted By: J. Drury Photo By: chestnut Servings: 72

"Best Homemade Bread - 6 loaves in less than 3 hours! This is a variation of my mother Elaine's recipe. She is 75, and still makes hers by hand. I cheat and use a Bosch mixer, that's my time saver."

Ingredients:

1/2 cup warm water 3 (.25 ounce) packages active dry yeast 1/4 cup bread flour 1 tablespoon white sugar 2 cups quick cooking oats 2 cups whole wheat flour

4 1/2 cups warm water 1 1/2 tablespoons salt 2/3 cup brown sugar 2/3 cup vegetable oil 10 cups bread flour

Directions:

1.	In the mixing bowl of an electric mixer, stir together 1/2 cup warm water, 1 tablespoon sugar, 1/4 cup bread flour, and yeast. Let grow for about 5 minutes. It will bubble almost immediately.
2.	Measure oats, 4 1/2 cups warm water, whole wheat flour, salt, 2/3 cup sugar, and 2/3 cup oil into the mixing bowl. Mix on low speed with a dough hook for 1 to 2 minutes. Increase speed slightly, and begin adding bread flour 1/2 to 1 cup at a time until dough pulls away from sides of bowl. Humidity determines how much flour you need before the bread pulls away from the edge of the bowl. It is normal for the dough to be sticky.
3.	Place dough in an oiled bowl, and turn to coat the surface. Cover with a damp cloth. Let rise in a warm spot for 1 hour, or until doubled in size.
4.	Divide dough into 6 pieces. Shape loaves, and place in greased 8 x 4 inch pans. Let rise until dough is 1 inch above rim of pans, usually 1 hour.
5.	Bake at 350 degrees F ( 175 degrees C) for 35 minutes, or until tops are browned. Let cool in pans for 10 minutes, and then turn out onto wire racks to cool completely.

ALL RIGHTS RESERVED © 2010 Allrecipes.com

Printed from Allrecipes.com 3/11/2010

Things I'm Lovin

-My Bissell Steam mop! I have a tendency to think, "ahh I don't want to mess with it." Then I just damp mop real quick but honestly there's just not anything to it. Fill the water chamber and plug it in. The floor is so much cleaner! Love that thing!

-Lean Pockets Soft Baked Subs Philly Cheese Steak with Chicken. They are 5 pts for Weight Watchers and SO good. A neighborhood grocery store was going out of business and had them buy one get one so I grabbed them all even though I'd never tried them. I figured in a family of 7 someone would eat them. They are so good I'm rationing them. DELISH!

-My iPhone. Seriously the best gadget ever created. The GPS is priceless. Even if I get lost following the step by step directions I can just hit edit, route, and it shows me how to get there from my current location. When babies are tired and I'm desperate to get where I'm going it's just awesome!

-Activia light and Fiber One. I have a new favorite breakfast. The Activia light is so good. My favorite is Key Lime. I put it in a bowl and add a 1/2 cup of Fiber One (original) and I get a boost to my fiber for the day and it's so filling. The best part is it's 2 pts for Weight Watchers and 16 grams of fiber! And well, it helps...you know...it helps.

-Thomas' Bagel Thins. They are all yummy but the "Everything" bagel thin is my favorite. At just 110 calories, 1g of fat, and 5 grams of fiber they are delish and 2 pts each (1.5pts technically).

-My sweet husband is shrinking. I know he gets embarrassed when the subject comes up so I'll be brief. I LOVE that he is making healthier choices for so many reasons. His health is an obvious one but I feel the whole family is healthier because mom and dad are being more conscience of our food choices. I'm super proud of you and so thankful for all your hard work!

-My baby's turning one in a couple days. "What's to love", you who know me may say. Honestly I'm okay. It's really okay. I love babies and have just cherished each of our babies' first years but I'm ready to move to the next stage. Our family is so complete and precious! I have yet to shed a tear over her turning one. Shocked? I'm a bit surprised myself!

Random, It's All I can Muster

-We have the funk BAD. It all started when Tanner came down with a high fever Saturday. It has slowly worked it's way through all of us and since it hangs on a bit we're all down.

High fevers, bad cough, extreme fatigue and nausea.

Tanner's still struggling today so we know it's more than a 24 hour bug.

-On top of all this our older kitty Kayla is acting bizarre. I called the vet to see what they would need to do to make sure she has diabetes and the costs involved. We aren't real interested in keeping her around if she's in pain and miserable. It will be $120 to make sure what's all wrong with her and then another $42 if we put her down. Seriously!

Shockingly enough we don't have $162 to put into an 11 year old cat that has taken to pottying outside her litter box. She's losing whiskers and seems to have arthritis in her back legs as well as a number of other odd behaviors. Since we have multiple pets the non litter box use could cause a horrible chain reaction. Is it heartless to say that this seems like a 2 go out and only 1 comes back kinda situation?

-Tanner and Brennan have been invited to go see Diary of a Wimpy Kid. Jared and I really like for the boys to read the books before seeing movies based on a book. Brennan polished it off in a day and a half. I was a little concerned whether Tanner would be able to handle it since I still make him do all his reading out loud (an exercise that helps with dyslexia). He is doing fantastic and keeps asking on words he's unsure of. This is a great victory since he's the King of guessing. You can see his self esteem rise with each page turn. GO TANNER!

Not Helping

Images like this on petfinder are not helping me be rational at all. I called and he's "spoken for." It's a good thing or he'd be at my house this afternoon.

Melancholoy

-It's Sunday morning and I'm home again for the second week in a row. Last week it was Graham, this week we're all home minus Jared. Tanner's been running fever since yesterday about 5. They are all complaining about sick bellies and it's 9:15 and Sis is still sleeping. I am thankful that if they had to be ill it was over the weekend so it doesn't interfere with school. I just have a hard time making them do school when they're so pathetic.

-I miss my dog. A lot. The vet called yesterday and thought it wise to explain in detail his passing. The poor little guy was struck by a car and died from internal organ damage. It was not a painless event. I had really romanticized who he would be to Anneliese. I couldn't wait for her to put little ribbons in his hair and brush him for hours on end. Talking to Christie last night about his groomer made me sad. Sophie has always been an obnoxious member of the family but even in her craziness we love her to pieces. She is so lost and lonely. Moe was a dominate leader and she did what he did. She really doesn't seem to know what to do with herself.

-Elijah's response to Moe's passing was, "Aren't we going to replace him?" I'm really struggling with that. Part of me screams "NO" dogs are high maintenance and having one will be easier. Plus I get attached to dogs especially little adorable fluffy ones and I really don't want to do this again. But then I think of Sophie and Anneliese and I want a froof dog. I didn't ever regret bringing him home. I loved him. More than likely we will stay with Sophie and Mellie for a while but if Kayla ends up going the way of the vet then we may consider bringing another fur baby home. I'm just not sure it will be a dog. We sure love our little Smellie Mellie. We'll see, but I'm not going to make an emotional decision that will impact our family for 10-15 years (the lifespan of whatever animal I choose). We'll wait it out a bit and see what the kids desires and interests are.

-Conviction. I know that in principle conviction is a good thing that brings forth refinement but it's such a painful process. I had a conviction/wake up call. Hypocrisy is a cancer and I have become aware of an area of my life that needs treatment. God is calling me to be a better friend and I am thankful for His prompting.

John 15:13 (New International Version)

¹³Greater love has no one than this, that he lay down his life for his friends.

Maury Sullivan Altic

I received an email today letting me know that Maury was hit on 123rd yesterday and passed away at the vet last night.

This is the first image I ever had of him after contacting a lady in the KC Star. Natasha and I picked him up the next day in blizzard like conditions.

Tanner is our tender heart and while we are all struggling with the loss of our little fur ball. He is taking it the hardest. It's only been 2 1/2 months since his kitty Leukas died. We received information yesterday from the vet that our cat of 11 years Kayla may have to be put down due to old age and illness. Our family could possibly go from 4 to 2 pets in a matter of days. We all understand that losing pets is a fact of life but our little guys have had an extra strong dose of it. Prayers for them are coveted.

Loving Giveaways!

After winning the guitar on Alisa's blog (it should be in the mail today!) I decided not to sit out any longer if there's a giveaway I'm interested in.

In the past I assumed I wouldn't win so I didn't even try. I signed up for Alisa's blog because, well...I love her. Not because I thought I'd actually win.

So here's another give away over at craftaholics (click on the button on the right or click on the pink link!! She's awesome!)

ShortysSutures Give Away

Maury Is Missing

Our little Maury is gone. If anyone who lives near us sees him please contact us. He did not have on his collar and he dug out of our backyard. Sophie went with him but she came back. He is likely covered in mud (Sophie was). He responds to Maury, Moe, or Moe Moe.

Reward: One happy Mommy and 5 very relieved little children. I could throw in some baked goods if you're interested :)

We miss our little fur ball.

Nothing Cuter!

Happy Day Before My Birthday To Me

This is week is shaping up nicely :)

Sunday Ms. Jess and I went shopping in the afternoon to help her pick out some running shoes. She and I have decided to run a 5K in May so we started our training on Monday. A 5K may seem minor to some but I haven't run in close to 2 years due to pregnancy, postpartum and a broken foot. Jess hasn't ever been a consistent runner so we are starting from scratch. She claims she is dying :) but she keeps coming back for more. I'm confident we'll run the race and finish. She actually mentioned a 5 mile run in August this morning so she's getting into it more than she likes to let on.

While we were at the Legends we stepped into TJ Max and they had a slew of dresses. There were so many cute ones I kept saying, "I'd soo wear that!" Due to car tags a new dress was NOT in the budget. On Monday a birthday card came in the mail from Gene and Bonnie C. (precious couple from church) with a gift in it! So Tuesday I headed back to TJ's and picked one of the dresses and I plan to wear it tomorrow for our date day. VERY EXCITED!

It seems as though being at my Weight Watchers goal by tomorrow isn't going to happen. I've been really well behaved and even brought my own fat free dressing to Mazzio's on Sunday and chomped on a salad while everyone else (almost everyone Christie brought a sandwich, such a good girl!) enjoyed pizza. I'm not real sure why I'm on a 2 week plateau but I know it has to break eventually. Being good won't stay hidden for long just like being bad won't stay hidden for long. They both end up on the scale eventually!

So now I want to be at goal or below by Anneliese's 1st birthday. I am currently 9lbs lighter than I was when I got pregnant! I'm so stinking close!

Tonight the kids are heading off to Grampa and Grandma's. They are thrilled and keep asking how much longer they have until time to go. I was thinking this morning and while I can't wait to have a date with my hubby I will definitely miss my kids. Bringing them home tomorrow night will be the icing on my birthday cake.

More Random Thoughts, It's Kinda How My Brain Works

-It's Me It's Me!! I won the super cool guitar from Alisa's blog. I am so excited and am eager to sign the older boys up for some lessons. I'm seriously considering putting them in front of YouTube but we'll see. What an awesome win for a home school family! The boys need music in the education and this is PERFECT!!

-Leonard and Bertha H. showed up at my house this morning with a 50lb bag of bread flour this morning. Seriously. How cool is that!! Get ready because Ms. Jess is already on her way over for a bake-a-thon. I'm not real sure what we'll do with all our goodies but I'm thinking...pizza crust, hearty wheat loaves for french toast, rolls, ohh cinnamon rolls!!! ...

-Run Shannon, Run! Jess and I started the couch to 5K program this morning. We are planning running in a 5K in May. There's a great app for my phone that is just priceless. When I'm running is sounds an alarm over my music that says, "run" and then when it's time for the walking interval it sounds a different alarm and says "walk." It's super convenient when training in intervals. There's no need for a stop watch or keeping track of anything. I just run...then walk...then run according to the instructions. LOVE IT!

-It was super cold this morning but once I started running I warmed right up. I had forgotten how much I enjoyed winter running. This is my first run since pregnancy, postpartum and my broken foot. I'm breathing on 80lbs lost since Anneliese's birth and I know this will be the kick my healthy lifestyle needs to make to that final goal! I'm SO excited! For all of you sweethearts out there that keep saying, "80lbs! I don't remember you that heavy!!" Be prepared because there is a great picture of me in all my 3 chin glory that will be posted when I hit goal :)

-Did I mention my birthday is Thursday? :) I'm a little giddy over that as well. I get to have a whole day with the man of my dreams! YIPEE I can't wait!

-Oh and at some point we hit 42,000 hits! Thanks for reading and if you're not already a "Follower" please sign up on the right. It makes me feel better about myself :)