PARTY!!!! Ahem, I mean... FIESTA!!!

.~.~.~ Blogger is better now, see bottom for pictures!!! .~.~.~

Gotta love a Fiesta!! 
And this one is all about fashion.  Which I love - though that point may come into serious question by the end of this post.  I hereby warn you, if you are weak at (fashion) heart, to proceed with caution.Here is the concept....  Bigmama has a Fashion Friday each week where she hands out handy advice in the wardrobe department.  And she KNOWS her stuff!!!  This week, however, she has asked her loyal readers to post what we wear in our little lives.  AND she is giving stuff away.  And, although I am seriously afraid of the wrath that is to come by bearing my threads for all to see, I appreciate, well, STUFF!  So, here goes nothing...

Now, I am a HUGE fan of "What Not To Wear", and have even gone so far as to nominate myself for the show.  Hey, admitting you HAVE a problem is the first step to recovery!!!!!  BUT, I also live in mortal fear of Stacey and Clinton actually taking me up on my offer of public self-humiliation, because Stacy & Clinton are NOT big fans of the main staples of my wardrobe ...

...The Hoodie ...


... and the T-shirt (mostly concert shirts, but I am also a big fan of the pink ribbon and Big Dog varieties) ...


And then there is the way I dress the BOTTOM half af my being ...

***PLEASE EXCUSE OUR TECHNICAL DIFFICULTIES***

OK, so Blogger is not letting me download the rest of the pictures at this time ... hmmm, maybe THEY are bothered by my fashion choices as well!But, had I been able to put the pictures up you would've seen my lovely plaid flannel PJ bottoms that came in the COSTCO multipack - pure bedtime fashion my friends!

Then there were the clothes I wear during waking hours (or, ya know, when there is a slight chance that I may be seen by those not in my immediate family!). They are my track pants - complete with racing stripes ('cause if I could only add up all the miles I have run in my life ... I might get from my La-Z-Boy to the end of my driveway. But, maybe not.) and my grey sweats. Now, to be honest, the track pants were pulled from the dryer - still wet - and the grey pants were taken from my body for the picture. Yes, I took the pic in my undies. But only 'cause my black sweats were in the washer.
I also have jeans - that I bought without trying them on and they are WAAAAAAAYYYYY to long ('cause I am perpendicularly challenged) so are torn and stained on the bottom. I have them in two colors - faded (casual) and dark (dressy). Sad, I know.

But, alas, all hope is NOT lost. I do have a few outfits for the dressier moments. Like when I actually have to stand at the front of the church and sing. Or Easter.Now, had I my own way, I would dress like her:

**ENTER PICTURE OF TOTALLY STINKIN' CUTE REESE WITHERSPOON WEARING TOTALLY ROCKIN' CLOTHES** (stupid blogger!!)

Of course, had I my own way I would also have her BODY!!! Must be much easier for HER to dress, what with all of the money, good figure, designers begging her to wear their clothes and did I mention BEAUTIFUL figure!?!?!?!but I am not bitter.

So, there ya have it ... or at least you would if BLOGGER WOULD COOPERATE!!!!(I will try to post the pics later... 'cause I know you are DYING to see my fashion goodness!)

.~.~.~.~.~.~ Here are the pants .~.~.~.~.~

.~.~.~ The "dressy" clothes .~.~.~.~

.~.~.~. And Ms. Reese!!.~.~.~


I feel better now!

All About Me...?

OK, so apparently when you hit 100 posts you are supposed to do a "100 things about me" post. Are they SERIOUS?!?!?! 100 things about ME? Now, I ask you - who would ever be entertained, intrigued or even remotely interested in THAT?
Don't worry, I won't do that to you. I know, I am probably breaking some bloggy law and the bloggy authorities will be here any minute to pick me up and take me away.

I will miss you all.

On another note, I have something on my heart that I am trying to put into words...
The other day Abby, a sweet Siesta (who is beautiful and wise beyond her years) wrote THIS POST and, seriously, it brought me to my knees. It hit me for a couple of reasons...

... I have been there. That place where, on a journey toward a better life/self/relationship/etc., things get rough before they get better. On one hand you KNOW that life on the other side will be a better place than the one left behind. But on the other hand, the "getting there" is H*A*R*D!!!! From where you sit you wonder if it is worth what you are going through to get there. And, at times, you wonder if you will survive the journey and get there at all.
I know from experience that any work that God begins in you is worth it. I know - because He promised in His Word - that He will complete that good work in me. He is faithful and will not leave it half done. But sometimes you find yourself in the middle wondering if it really was HIM that began the work in the first place!
Like I said, I have been there. And I know that, in the end, it IS worth it. And after all is said and done, the journey - from the other side - doesn't look THAT bad. And THAT knowledge is what I have to rest in right now.
Now if it was ME embarking on the journey it wouldn't be so scary. But it's not me. It is Hattie. And THAT is scary. Even in the knowing. And that is where we come to the second reason Abby's post has me on my face in prayer!

We have been facing a lot of things with Hattie the last few months. Is she autistic or not? Does she need to be in a more intense program or not? Can we help her or not? And, let me tell you, as her parent it IS scary. I can be brave enough to follow God for me - even if I know it may hurt on the way. But can I be brave for her, knowing that she is the one that will feel the pain? I pray that I can, because I truly feel that this is what God has in store for her.
See, God has led us to a speech therapist and through this therapy we are hopeful - and prayerful - that she can find her voice. But there are going to have to be a lot of broken down walls. A lot of barriers torn through. A lot of self defense instincts curbed and behaviors relearned. It will be hard enough as her mommy to learn what I have to do. But how can I watch her hurt in the meantime? And how can I be the source of some of that pain when I can't explain to her that it is for her own good? God help me, am I that strong?

I KNOW in my heart that God has brought us this far. I know that this is His will - I have prayed and prayed and ALL of this just fell into our laps so "God like" and with His fingerprints ALL OVER IT!! It has to be Him! I am sure of it. If it was just me I would say "bring it"! But it isn't me. It's Hattie. And for her, I would take the pain away long before I would lead her into it's path. But this is one of those pains that HAS to come to take away a greater and longer lasting pain in the future. So, please pray that I can be brave - for her. Please pray that Hattie can handle it and that she comes through the other side with an understanding of how VERY MUCH I love her. And even more important, how much GOD loves her!

I am coveting your prayers so very much right now. Any ideas or words of advice would be so much more than welcome.
I love you my fRamily and siestas! Thanks for listening (or, ya know - reading!!)and thanks, in advance, for your prayers!

Picture Perfect Monday - Twice!

Today, you lucky readers, you get two, two, two posts in one!!!!
I couldn't decide which pictures to post, so I am doing all of em. This requires two sentences though. Cause, ya know, I am just wordy like that!

Spring is FINALLY springing here in the frozen tundra, which means we can finally go for walks - so we did, with our pals Mrs. Kathy and her sweet Evy!!


(see the little buds about to burst?!?!)




Plastic - maybe not very environmental friendly, but where else would Sophie get her new favorite toy (empty baby wipe wrapper - it krinkles!) ...




...or Hattie get her new favorite shirt (made from BUBBLE WRAP!)?




(C'mon, ya know you want one!!)

Our Weekend...

We here at B Manor had us a big, busy weekend!!! We ran ourselves ragged and - with the exceptions of a few meltdowns here and there - had a pretty groovy time!!! The kids did OK too!!!

FRIDAY - we met with a speech therapist for Hattie. She was OH SO encouraging and we have a renewed hope that H will be just fine with some time and effort - and OF COURSE many, many prayers! She saw where the autism word has come up and says that, yes, she does show signs, but feels that Hattie is just using coping methods and will get past them eventually. She will have to push her and make her unhappy at times, but Hattie has to learn to face stuff instead of shutting down. We are very excited to see what God has waiting for us down this path!!

That night we had Caleb and Cassie come over to play. Their mommy and daddy, along with Hubby and I, have a little system which allows each couple to have a date at least once a month. We watch their little ones and they watch ours. Friday was their turn so we got to play with Caleb and Cassie. ALL the kids had fun - they stayed up late, watched movies and turned our living room into a disaster area! But, they also helped clean it up and we are so proud of all of em!!!

Saturday - we got up early 'cause we had a BIG day planned. We tried to fix the printer, so we could get some pics for Kim - Sophie's Birthmom who we were meeting with later that day. It was not possible to fix so we had to run around like chickens trying to make a disc to take to Walgreen's to print pics out... So, basically RUN, RUN, RUN!!
The get together was GREAT!!! We got to see the girls together and they were old enough this time to really study each other. It was FABULOUS to see Kim again! Here are a few pics of the visit (Sophie is in the stripes and Breauna is in pink)...



Breauna was a sleepy girl but Sophie had slept for the entire 50 minute drive so she was good! After B slept for a while the girls had some chat time and were really cute together ... of course Steve had gone to pick up the pictures and had taken the camera with him. Kim had her camera and says she will send us some of the pictures! SOOOOOOO sweet!!!
Saturday night was a birthday party for our niece Kayla - sweet 16!!!! She is one of Hattie's favorite babysitters!!! And such a sweetie too! Of course Hattie got to sing the b-day song and have some cake so she was good!!!

TODAY - we went to church and then to COSTCO - exciting I know!!! Then came home where Hubby went outside to cut off part of a tree that is rubbing on the shed in the backyard, the tree promptly fell and got stuck in another tree. Hubby and the neighbor were trying to get it lose when is suddenly BROKE loose and went flying ... putting a HOLE in the roof of the shed!!!!! It is supposed to rain ALL WEEK LONG!
SO, after our small group Bible study, we went to Walmart and he went in to see what he could find to QUICKLY patch the roof till he could get a chance to repair it. And the brilliant man that he is came out with a big plastic "for sale" sign. And it worked PERFECTLY! MAN that man is brainy!!! I love him!!!!!

So, there ya go - except for the trip to Best Buy to pick up a new printer - that was our weekend! And now that I have mentioned the trip to Best Buy, your day is complete.
Well, I aim to please!!!!