SECOND ANNUAL!!

Well we did it!! My besties and I celebrated our second annual girls weekend. We had a great time and once again learned that we NEED each other...our friendships are essential and important. It was so fun to relax, kick back and talk...and then talk some more...and then talk some more. Men's minds would have melted but to our minds it was medicine...soothing, calming medicine. I love you girls! 'Til next year. What did we decide???? MAUI????

I'VE BEEN FEELING THE PULL

I have been feeling the pull of my "blog" lately...maybe its summer, maybe its swirling thoughts or maybe its just that I have these really cute pics to share! Anyway...enjoy!

Make your own free scrapbooking design

SHE'S A LITTLE RUNAWAY!!! (A LA BON JOVI)

Beans was being given alot of attention this afternoon as I tried to help her get caught up on the school work she missed during her bout with strep throat.

This resulted in Binky being very disgruntled. She tried her hardest to get me to play with her. She whined..she niggled...she stomped....and then she made the announcement. Its the announcement that all of us have made at some point in our childhood (or in some cases maybe adulthood). "That's it! I'm going to runaway!"

She packed her suitcase, blanket, pillow and doll and proceeded to runaway to the backyard. She strategically placed herself in front of the livingroom window so I could watch as she took some cushions from our patio furniture and established her "new home". It was pretty cute and a memory I thought was worth capturing.




Eventually she tired of her "new house" out back and moved her stuff through the french door that leads to our master bedroom. She stomped back to the living room and announced that she had now runaway to the big bedroom with Daddy. Needless to say that didn't last long as Daddy himself was running away...but only to the world of football and naps. I am very relieved that she eventually changed her mind and decided to come home to her Mama who loves her. She got some extra TLC at bedtime but still hangs on to her conviction that "Home is B-O-RING...sometimes."

Love Ya Binks!

AND THE WINNER IS....

Well, to my good friend Kimberley, congratulations!!! You are the winner of the Seeds of Faith CD! As soon as I rummage through my office and find an old preschool address list I will mail off your prize!

Just so you know that I am not totally off my rocker....I do realize that as of this date and time I only have a maximum of 3 readers outside of my own family. I just really wanted to share the CD with you or Marianne....{SMILE}...I keep saying I am going to work on expanding my audience but life gets in the way...however, I will not let this deter me. I am going to keep on blogging until someone out there notices the invaluable info I have to share with the world...{TONGUE IN CHEEK}.

I was so fatigued last nite that I did not get a post up on What Would Your Children Say Wednesday on www.familyamericanstyle.com but I have been making notes on my iPhone everytime I hear a good one. I will post next week but here is a cutie glimpse from this week.

Beans says, "Ouch Mama! I stubberated my toe!"

That word has now been added to the Armstrong Family Dictionary along with other oldie but goodies like my personal favorite, rainbrella.

Well, I will go now and post again later. The car door handle is digging into my back as I try to compose this post in the parking lot outside of Panera Bread company. Nothing like picking up a little free WiFi while out running errands. I girl can't survive in this crazy world if she can't learn to multitask effectively. Am I right?

Talk to you Later

THE EXCHANGES

Well, I've made some exchanges over the past few days.

First, my mismatched safari shoes have been exchanged for these:

Not as cute and trendy as I pictured I would like to be, but returning back to my simple basic black rut is comfortable and I kinda like comfortable. This was a GOOD exchange.

Our BAD exchange...Swine Flu for Strep Throat!!! Lucky us (cough cough)...Beans had a great weekend and so much fun at her friend Grant's party


...but unfortunately those nasty strep germs found us somewhere. Beans went to bed with sore throat Monday nite and woke up quite ill Tuesday morning. We have our beloved Amoxicillin in hand and will hopefully be recovered soon.

Well, needless to say I had some time on my hands today, as I sat on the couch with my sick baby. While I was sitting and pondering (and trying desperately to tune out the 10th episode of Suite Life with Zack and Cody), a still soft voice whispered..."Its time for a giveaway!!!".

So to all my dedicated readers out there I have a treat! Here it is...



This is a wonderful CD that I own and love. When you order one of these cool CDs off of http://www.seedsfamilyworship.net/ they send you two copies and encourage you to share one with a friend. Well, I am searching for the first friend to leave a comment to this post. That friend will receive my second copy and a special blessing for their kid(dos). I have this CD playing in my car almost all the time. My little ones have learned so many of the songs and therefore have also learned a ton of scripture as well. Give it a try!

Can't wait to share!
Love Ya!

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME !!

OK Bloggy Friends...I've been absent for a quite a bit. The whole sicky thing put me way behind and my "to do" list grew to an enormous size. I think I'm caught up now. I actually had quite a relaxing day today. Binks went to Grandma's house and Beans went to an all day Missions Jamboree at our church. I ran a couple of necessary errands and then when that started to bore me I did what any woman who had been trapped in the house for 2 1/2 weeks with a sick 5 and 6 year old would do....

I HIT THE MALL!!!!

I started at Gymboree (of course) but then I began my quest for the perfect pair of jeans for myself. The capris will not cut it much longer. Who in their right mind would go to a Pumpkin Patch in capris?? I needed to find a pair of jeans that would fall just right over the perfect pair of wedge heels but were also short enough to wear with flip flops. I needed to find a pair of jeans that were not high waisted "mom" jeans but were high enough so that my unmentionables would not show when I bent over to tie my kids' sneakers.

I found a good fitting pair of Liz Claiborne Chelsea Jeans that were priced just right...but unfortunately, I fell in love with a pair of Levis that were called "Curvy Boot Cut" and were NOT priced just right. I made the decision to get the Levis, based on the fact that they made my junk-in-the-trunk look fairly good, while at the same time not allowing any of said junk to show when I bent over. Hooray!!

So I then moved on to purses, jewelry, a cute black sweater and of course what I thought was an awesome PAIR shoes! Go ahead take a look...YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME!



Yes, I am the only woman on the face of the earth that tries on one shoe, says I'll take them, and then gets home, proudly models them for her step-daughter, and discovers that she has indeed purchased a giraffe for one foot and a zebra for the other. Only me friends.....only me...

It was actually great comic relief. Miss T and I fell over, dying of laughter. After we dried our tears we both looked at each other and yelled BLOG POST!!
I hope this ends my dry spell. I hope to be back sharing the good the bad and the UGLY------> Did you see those pair of shoes??

Talk to you Soon.

SURVIVING THE SWINE

WARNING!!!This is going to be a really bad post. I am so sleep deprived I can't think straight. I have been up every nite doing some form of caretaking...whether it be cold rags on a hot brow, holding a bucket for someone, mopping up spilled gatorade, administering medication, or swiping the temporal atery thermometer across someone's forehead for the FIVE THOUSANDTH PARANOID time.

YES!!! My two babies have the dreaded H1N1 virus. I can't believe it. There are no weapons that have proven strong enough to hold back this nasty flu. We couldn't hold out long enough for the vaccine to be available but I have this sick glass half full thought running through my head. Whew! I'm glad it happened early on...we will have immunity this winter when everyone else if falling prey..its over with..one of my fears came true...I can now get on with my life! (I told this post was going to be bad).

We took Tamiflu. It took 7 days, but my youngest is back to school. My first grader is still fevering on but is doing pretty well. She is bummed to miss her Johnny Appleseed Festival but is sure thriving on a steady diet of Disney Channel and video games.

Mama R is on the other side of frantic worry now, and is already envisioning her jail break. The gym has never looked so good. The need for aimless wandering in the mall and senseless spending is becoming overwhelming. I have devoted myself to the munchkins but am now ready to devote myself to selfish pursuits.

But seriously, I am thanking my Lord that he is all powerful and that he protects my family and keeps them In His Hands. I know that he is the Great Physician. He knew that my babies would get sick and that my babies would get well. It incovenienced me...I had to cancel a much awaited trip to Orlando..I had to cancel appointments and school and extracurricular activies..and I had to stay in my house for more than a week...BUT there is a reason and a purpose for all of this. I can rest in the peace that my God is sovereign and my God is in control.

God is in control but it is up to me to exercise the free will he allows in each of our lives. In this case, it is up to me to take care of myself and exercise my free will to go to bed on time. Go to sleep R..get off the computer R...rest up R..tomorrow may prove to another wild ride!

Good Night!!!

BIBLE PRESENTATION

Beans got her first real bible this week! Up until now she has had bible storybooks but when you enter the first grade two milestones happen. You are now old enough to sit through "big church" and you receive your first NIrV (New International Readers Version) bible. This past Sunday, in front of the congregation, Pastor Tim presented Beans with her bible. She was so excited and proud.


She has been practicing looking up Chapter and Verse all week. She is trying out all the names of the Bible and the pronunciations are downright hysterical. I believe my favorite was "Germy" for Jeremiah. When I can't find her in the house and I ask her where she's been she just says, "Oh, I was reading my bible. I needed some quiet time." I think its great. I hope she keeps her heart for Jesus.

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

NEVER TO BE OVERLOOKED

I was thinking today that alot of my posts have been about Beans and I have another little precious angel that can never be overlooked. We call her Binks and she is very sensitive, smart, articulate, inquisitive and well.....just plain......BEAUTIFUL. Take a look...



This little girl is a special blessing that God gave to me 12 months after her sister came into the world. It was God's perfect timing because he knew that my husband would get cancer a year and a half later and we would no longer be able to have kids. I thank God for her everyday...How did I get so lucky??

IMITATION IS THE SINCEREST FORM OF FLATTERY.

I just have to say for the record...I HEART SCRAPBOOKING!! Anyone who knows me well knows that it is my favorite thing to do of all my various hobbies (sorry bloggy world!). I love to buy patterned paper, read scrapbook magazines and take pictures. A relaxing night is sitting down to "the table" after the kiddies are in bed and cutting and pasting and chatting (usually with Miss T). I don't go to the designer scrapbook stores or to social crops. I shop at the 50% off sales at Hobby Lobby and I usually scrap alone or with one good friend (hint..hint..Marianne!)

Speaking of Marianne at http://familyamericanstyle.blogspot.com. I have to dedicate this particular page to her, as I ended up shoplifting the title from her blog. I think it works...





Anyway...just wanted to give out a shout out to my good friends in this pic and encourage anyone out there to take up this awesome hobby. Bye For Now...So little time..so much to scrap!

AND THE WINNER IS....

We were having a nice relaxing Labor Day at home. I had been playing with the girls all day but my energy and interest were beginning to wane. They sensed this, and therefore began an all out competition to see who could get Mama's attention. They pulled out all the tricks...funky dances, messing up their hair, stripping their clothes, shreiking, fighting with each other, jumping on me, etc.....but Beans was ultimately the winner when she jumped up on our trailer, bent over with her cute little booty sticking out, and said, " Hey, Mama...Smack my Cymbal !!!" I burst out laughing...to her this was better than any blue ribbon or trophy.
Where in the world did she come up with that?

I'LL TAKE THAT "STEP"

I'm technically a Grandma...a "step" Grandma. The title doesn't come with all the access and privilege that most Grandma's have but I'll take it. My 21 year old stepdaughter, K , had a baby last year. She is a cutie patootie. I don't see her often but she is a sweet little girl. She may not have the advantages that Beans and Binks have had but she carries the same innocent spirit that all childeren start off with. This is a spirit that God cherishes and that we should strive to protect fervently. I hate that the world has to intervene and blemish such purity. Here is a picture of (The Babe):



She stayed just long enough to eat a cheese quesadilla, some Mandarin oranges and put more than one Fisher Price Little People in her mouth. My girls were thrilled to have her over and couldn't understand why she didn't stay longer. I am excited to see her grow. I hope some day she will feel comfortable enough to come see me, sit at my kitchen table and talk to me about what's going on with her. I hope that we can take that "step" towards a great relationship that both of us will treasure.

TO SPIN OR NOT TO SPIN...

Who else out there got the sudden urge to "get their workout on" now that the kiddies have returned to school? I don't know how long it will last but I am going with this new found enthusiasm I have.

Well..I was so enthusiastic that I found myself accepting a girlfriends invitation to a spinning class at our local gym. (For those of you who are conjuring up all kinds of weird images when you think of the term spinning...it is just a quirky name for cycling..on stationary bikes that is.)

Anyway, naive little dough girl that I am..I went to spinning class..in the pitch dark, with Guns-n-Roses blaring. I actually enjoyed the whole atmosphere thing. It kind of made me feel youthful, in a rebellious sort of way. The thing I didn't like, was the very real and non-youthful muscle pain that came with this, oh-so-interesting sport. Okay...I have to be Frank and Ernest here..yes, my quads were burnin' so bad I wanted to scream..BUT, the thing that hurt the most was (excuse the terminology), my BUTT!! The seat is too small and hard and tilted for anyone of adult size and weight but I am assuming the whole point is to get us off our backsides and into various other awkward and excruciating positions.

To sum it up. I came, I pedaled and I built up enough lactic acid to keep me hobbling for the next couple of days...BUT...I will go back. I have to go back. I cannot pass up the opportunity to profusely sweat, cringe with pain and practice my best head banging moves while going absolutely nowhere.

SHE'S FIGURED IT OUT!!

Thought I would participate in Marianne's blog carnival over at http:\\familyamericanstyle.blogspot.com .

Beans has officially figured it out!! She has tried many tactics over the past 6 years in order to get what she wants. She has been scratching her head lately...hmmm she thought.."I have to pull out the big guns..it seems Mama is developing a backbone and my whining and fits don't work anymore".....and then....she did it.....she laid on the GUILT. Why wouldn't she? She sees it working on Mama everyday of her life in different aspects. Well, she thought she would try it on for size. Here is what happened:

I have to preface this story be saying that I have been spending more time away from the kids than I ever have before. I have more obligations outside of the home and they have been noticing it. They have even noticed that Mama had the audacity to actually go away for a weekend with her girlfriends. MAMA'SGIRLSWEEKEND was one filthy word to them.

Anyway, I had to go to a church leadership meeting one night and Beans was pleading with me not to go. She wanted me to do books and tuck in (sometimes her older sister can rush through these processes). She kept telling me not to go, over and over and over again, until finally.....

She says to me "Mom, you do not need to take care of other people. You need to take care of me!". Then....for the grand finale....she turned around and said, "Hey Mom! Its them....or me. Which one?"





Nuf Said....the girl has learned the age old art of GUILT.

NEW KID ON THE BLOCK

Miss T has found herself a wonderful young man. He has been on the scene now for about 3 months and he is proving to be a genuinely godly man with a great personality ....and a gorgeous smile. Don't you think??

BOUND FOR BETH !!!

This is Miss T and I on Friday night before we left for our Beth Moore Simulcast. We were so excited. Beth is THE BEST AND MOST ANNOINTED bible teacher we have ever encountered.
http://www.lproof.org/ and http://livingproofministries.blogspot.com/

The simulcast ended on Saturday afternoon and needless to say we came home inspired and revived. It was such a blessing that over 90,000 people in 516 different locations received the live feed from Green Bay, Wisconsin. The lesson was awesome and the praise and worship was phenomenal. I could not get the songs out of my head and I hummed them so much that Beans and Binks were humming them by bedtime that night. Travis Cottrell is a great praise and worship leader. Check out his new CD-Travis Cottrell Live!! http://www.traviscottrell.com/

I will post more about the message preached but I want to study it, meditate on it and fully receive all that God has for me before I relay it.

Miss T and I are going to Orlando on Sept. 18 and 19th for the Deeper Still Conference with Beth Moore, Priscilla Shirer and Kay Arthur. We are anxiously awaiting the weekend and expect that it will be an event we never forget!

FIRST DAY!!!!

I sent my two baby girls to the first day of school yesterday and although that is noteworthy...what is more absolutely unbelievable is that I sent them on the....BUS!!!! I have been taking care of these chickadees 24/7 since they weighed less than 10 lbs.. How in the world did I work up the courage to watch them drive away with no child safety seat-no seat belt-no one to make sure they keep their wits about them-no one to worry about their every move? I cried when the bus pulled away. I couldn't help it. It just happened. A mother's love is the most indescribable thing and I feel privileged to have gotten to experience it.

Needless to say it all worked out. They had a great day and couldn't wait to go back. I had a hard time explaining to Binks that she had to stay home for the next four days while Beans went to school. The stagger start theory is wonderful but try explaining it to a 5 yr. old who loves her teacher and her new found indepence. Oh well!

I had a lovely day today with Binks. I woke up dying to spend time with her since I would be losing her for good come Friday. We did household chores together and then we went to the library. My patience was inexhaustable. I was just loving being with her. We spent the rest of the day reading books and playing around the house.

I treasure my children and although they do not need me as much anymore, in the physical sense, I know that in the coming years I will be needed ten times more to aid in shaping their inner character and world view. I am preparing for these years because I know I have to be up to this huge responsibility.

Glad to know I'm not unemployed........yet!

DEFCON- H1N1

Does anyone get the title of my post? It was my attempt at being humourous...personally it made me giggle when I thought of it.
So when there is a security threat against our country, and the alert status is heightend to DEFCON-1, our country might begin to mobilize weaponry such as this:

BUT when a school superintendant calls and leaves a message on a Mom's voice mail explaining the threat of the new H1N1 virus (aka....swine flu) a Mom's paranoia status is raised to "DEFCON-H1N1"...and she begins to mobilize weaponry such as this:

Anyway, I bought these little germ blasters just last week, and seeing as I have already used half the bottle I am thinking that I am going to first buy stock in the company...and second, find a way to dip my little darlings in a vat of this stuff before sending them into the war zone (aka.....school). I have come to hate the phrase...."should your child begin to exhibit flu-like symptoms". My kids have learned to dart away from my hand as it reaches for their forehead. I can't help it...how else will I know if they are "exhibiting flu-like symptoms"?????? I am just going to have to go ahead and pray for their protection but in addition I think I might make a suggestion about an addition to the school's curriculum....such as Coughing and Sneezing Into the Crook of Your Arm or Hand Washing 101. What do you think? Anyone?

GREAT READ

I know I am probably a latecomer to this book. I certainly have been hearing about it for a very long time...maybe even over a year....but there is a reason it is still on the bestseller list. It is an awesome book. Not a trivial trashy novel mind you. It takes some focus and brainpower but it is so worth it. By now anyone reading my blog knows I take introspection to the max and this book feeds right into my personality. It really was a very thought provoking and enlightening book. It is based on principles that I have know for many years but it gave my a new fresh perspective. I wanted to encourage...no...challenge anyone who has not read a book in a while to take a leap and read this one. If you're curiousity is peaked please stop by www.theshackbook.com and take a look.

P.S. The first four chapters are a bit disturbing but hang in there and the remainder will put your mind at ease! Happy reading!