Broken snow globe

8 years ago our world was shaken like the hardest you have ever imagined you could shake a snow globe then over the next 4 years that snow globe fell apart a little piece at a time until one day it was just thrown against the wall with all the force in the world.
8 years ago I was still working at panasonic, Skip was still driving over the road, we were pregnant with our first baby, we were building our dream home. Life was basically perfect and then we were given that gentle reminder that it wasnt.
I was on my way home from work and always had the worst reception coming down flat shoals so when I was getting a call from my MIL I just let it go to voice mail because I knew I wouldn't be able to hear her anyway. But the call came through again, I picked it up and the call dropped once again the phone rang I answered and I could tell she sounded upset although I couldn't completely understand her. All I could understand for certain was her asking me where I was and how soon I could get to the house. The next thing was there had been an accident. The call dropped again. I started to speed down that road and I called her right back, she told me that Pop had been in an accident and to get home as quick as I could.
As soon as I got to the driveway and there were cars I didn't know I knew it wasn't good. Walked into the house and her eyes were so red and she could barely talk as she told me Pop was gone.
Our next step was how in the world we were going to get Skip home from Florida. Calling him and telling him his father was gone was something we knew couldnt be done until we figured out how he was going to get home.
I had heard many times that we have friends for a reason, season, or lifetime but never understood the true importance of that until 2011. It wasn't until the snow globe completely shattered until I realized how awesome God was to place the people in our lives that he had at that moment. To have friends at that time that were able to drop everything and drive to Florida right then. To have friends that were able to drive his truck to get him home. To have friends that wold let you snot on there shoulder. We may not be friends with them now but I now know that we don't have to be. If their sole purpose in our lives was to help us with that 1 day I get it.
This time of year is not the best for us. If we didn't have kids, Skip would have us just completely pass this holiday over without a second thought and I can't say that I don't blame him. It hurt me for years but I wanted to make sure I was the strong one. It still hurts me now, but now it's more for my kids. The older they get the more I miss their ability to have their grandpa. I can only imagine what it would look like to watch my son load up with his daddy and his pop to go fishing. I can only imagine what it would be like to see my little girl sit in her pop's lap and tell him about her day.
We dread this day every year but we are slowly getting better. Even if it's just a peice at a time. It took years for that snowglobe to completely shatter and it will take years to get it all glued back together.

34 acts for 34 years

When you are a young child your birthday is all about the presents & the party. When you become a teen it's more about just the presents. When you become a young adult it starts to be more about the party again but a different kind. When you become the wife & the mom it's more of a stay at home & have dinner & maybe some cake. But when you become that daughter of a King it's about a whole different thing.
This year I didn't want much. I didn't want presents. I didn't want breakfast in bed or to be waited on all day. I didn't want to go away. I didn't want the material things that at the end of the day truly don't matter. Now don't think I'm completely crazy. I mean all of those things would be amazing. If my husband could have thrown me in a car & taken me to the beach for the weekend I wouldn't turn it down. If a friend brought a gift to my house I wouldn't throw it away. But at the end of the day those are just blessings that I would be lucky to receive & I know there are people out there that have it so much worse than I. While I dream of my husband having a job where his family gets to actually see him more than we don't I know there are wives out there that just pray their husband could get a job. While I dream of a beach get away I know others are dreaming of having an extra $5 to buy their child a birthday present.
This year I have been blessed to wake up & turn 34 years young & because of that I set out to do 34 acts of kindness today. I had to have a list b/c I couldn't think of 34 randomly while out especially with 2 children in tow but the list wasn't set in stone. Some of the things were dropped & some things just happened.
If you are a true friend of mine, like not just a facebook friend because our children go to school together, or because we attend the same church but like a friend that has watched me squirm in fear of stepping out of my comfort zone & by that I mean having to ask where the bread aisle is in the grocery store. I am crazy shy, I don't talk to strangers, people make me so nervous so I tried to do most of my things today without actually having to make contact with a person. Some of the things though just weren't going to happen without me having to open my mouth & talk with another human being. But I felt compelled to not only show others the love of Jesus but to show my kids so He helped me through it. I didn't get nervous one time while talking to anyone today. Did I feel silly at times, absolutely. Here is this crazy girl walking up to you saying hey it's my birthday would you mind if I gave you a gift? But I never had nerves once. Thank you Lord for making that happen. Here are my final 34 things....

  Pay for the meal behind me in the drive thru

Pay for someone’s gas

Leave money on a drink machine

Leave money on a toy machine

Give someone a gift card for the grocery store

Leave a book at the playground

Leave a coloring book at the playground

Leave money at the laundry mat

Leave detergent at the laundry mat

Leave money at the car wash

Attach $1 to a toy at the dollar tree

Attach $1 to a bag of candy at the dollar tree

Attach lotto tickets to gas pump

Buy flowers & give them to someone coming out of the store

Buy flowers & leave them at someone’s door

Leave a mom a note inside a changing table

Leave a note on a bathroom mirror

Attach a bag of popcorn on a redbox machine

Take food to the outreach center

Be courteous to other drivers (I have crazy road rage)

Left a kids CD on the window of a vehicle with a car seat

Gave a kids DVD to a woman & child walking out of a store

Left a coloring book in McDonald’s

Took another customers tray of food to them so they didn’t have to come back up to counter at Mcd’s

Take my mom lunch at work

Left sidewalk chalk in a mailbox of a home where children live

Buy my kids happy meals (this seriously never happens)

Went to my moms & washed her dishes & vacuumed

Send a card to a friend

Put all change I had on me in Ronald McDonald House box at McD’s

Adopted a soldier

Send gifts to friends kids

Gave a card to my hubby

Prayed with hands on my children as they sleep on the living room floor. Letting them be little but preparing for them to be grown.

The woman who I gave the flowers to at the store was one of the people I had to talk to today. after she finished loading her things I walked up to her & told her it was my birthday & wondered if I could give her the flowers I had in my hand. She looked at me as though I lost my mind & then said well hunny if it's your birthday why do you want to give me something. I told her it was just something I felt I needed to do because there is just to much ugly in the world. She then said well what if I kill them. LOL
I told her if she did that was between her & the flowers. She then told me that this was the sweetest thing & she would gladly take the flowers. She then gave me a hug & told me happy birthday . The kids were watching out the car window & were just as excited as I was. The kids drove me crazy off & on throughout the day but overall the day was amazing.

Every man shall give as he is able, according to the blessing of the Lord your God that he has given you.
Deuteronomy 16:17

Summertime school work

I've been finding some pretty good things on pinterest lately to keep us from sliding to much this summer. We have a pretty nifty little list for reading along with a chart that will reward our soon to be first grader when she does the reading herself. I wanted to make sure that there was a way to keep her interested in reading during the summer  so far it’s been working. I came across an idea on pinterest of 100 places to read but I wasn't really feeling that just having them be places would make it fun enough for my 6 year old new reader. With that being said I changed it up a bit for us &  made a list of 100 Books 100 Ways Now there are still quite a bit of places on the list but they aren't just your typical places. 
            
Besides reading I don't really want her to fall behind on basic school work & I also want to help my soon to be preschooler get a little more prepared for the fall. Once again I've been able to find some pretty helpful learning pages on pinterest but they either lead to nothing or are on teacherspayteachers so I've had to get a little creative with making my own pages for them which is quite a simple process as they aren't all covered in cute little cartoons for them to be distracted with by wanting to color it's just boring work on boring paper :)
I created a sheet to help X with colors & shapes with a tiny bit of counting involved. Then I created a sheet to help little Miss with greater than & less than.feel free to check them out to see if they are anything that your littles could use.colors & shapes and Greater-Than-Less-Than

Thankful God knows what we need

 I can't believe school is already done for the year. My little girl is done with kindergarten & will start school with an actual number. Who would have thought 1st grade would sneak up on us so quickly. We had a rough start to kindergarten, well that's actually a lie. I had a rough start to kindergarten. I put in some requests for Serenity's teacher & was so upset when none of the people I had wanted were chosen to be her teacher. Like really upset. Like I cried & I cried & I cried. It took me probably a full month & a lot of talking to God to finally understand He put her where He wanted her and for that I'm so thankful.  We always think we know what's best for our lives & for our children but our Father is the only one who really knows. I was making my pick solely on who I wanted just because I wanted them. No other reason than that. I wasn't thinking about the type of classmates she could have, the type of influence she would have the opportunity to be, the kind of non school related things her teacher could teach her I was just thinking boohoo this isn't what I wanted. I'm glad that God knows what we need when we don't. We have had an amazing year with an amazing teacher. Her & Serenity fit so well together. She pushed Serenity where she needed it & encouraged her & praised her as well. This school year has been amazing & I feel Serenity wouldn't be the little girl she is at this very moment if it wasn't for Mrs. Butler. We love her & are so thankful for a great year with her. 

little miss turned 6

6 years. 6 whole years is how long I have been a mama. I can’t believe we have a 6 year old baby big kid. She had a wonderful birthday at school & then finished it off with her final night of CAMO. But before all that was the birthday party.Oh the birthday party. Once again I tried my best to be less stressed, especially since Serenity had the great attitude of "I'll just have fun with whoever can make it."
I love how at least 95% of her life is spent being the most unselfish child that I know.

We went with a simple butterfly for 2 reasons. Number one, she happens to like butterflies. Number 2, I already had invitations with butterflies on them J
since we had her party at the same place we had X’s the décor was going to be limited so I had to theme the party out with the food once more. I think it was success. 

always have to have your butterfly eggs 

 She had a great time with the friends that were able to make it & we lucked out with no bad weather that day. So happy that she was happy. So happy that she is amazing. So sad that she is already 6

just can't get to that butterfly without first being a caterpillar 

the next step of course was just a simple hot dog wrapped with a crescent
not an actual chrysalis no need to worry :)

simple M&M goody bags for the guests that looked like butterflies

and I'm so super thankful my hubby saved me with the cake
because I was starting to turn this stress free party into something