Ansballin

Lazy Day.

2009-05-13T09:48:00.000-07:00

I know it has been awhile since my last post but I have been trying to pack here and there before we move in 17 days. I have a feverish 8 month old sleeping on me right now so it has forced me to do absolutely nothing but lay around today-the house is a mess with boxes and I think the kids breaksfast things are still on the dining table-they made their own lunch today and ate in the living room while watching tv. I am so thankful that they are both old enough to make a pb and j sandwhich on their own. I really cant believe how much stuff we have to move-some of it I havent even touched since we moved here 2 years ago and yet we are moving it again!! I really dont think we are going to be able to fit everything in the Uhaul-so we may have to leave some and come back and get it over the summer. Here are a couple pics (for those that dont check facebook-which is where I post all my pics). Sorry again for the lack of blogging-I promise to get back to it after we move!

Brody Mack-6 months

2009-03-05T07:11:00.000-08:00

It's amazing what 4 hours of interrupted sleep will do for you-whew-I'm on a roll with these posts!!

My little Brody turned 6 months on Tuesday!! I can't believe it has already been that long! He is so different than the other two!! What a gift!!

Callaway Gardens.

2009-03-05T06:52:00.000-08:00

Another exciting thing in February was our trip with the cousins to Callaway Gardens!

It was beautiful. Here are a few highlights!!

Quick trip to Florida

2009-03-05T06:21:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we made a very quick trip down to Florida. We were going down to see the house we are going to move into in May. Yes we are moving back to Florida-it is very bittersweet. I really love Georgia and totally love our property and having family(really really love this!!) on it as well but there is nothing like having BeBe(and family) and Papa(and family) and Gram within a quick drive ...so after many many many long discussions we are making the move at the end of May. We have already found someone to buy our house and we have already found a house to rent in the beautiful town of Harmony. So anyway we went down to Florida to take a peak at it. It is absolutely gorgeous. Here are a couple pics from the house. (more to come on the move at another time)

And see my mom and my grandmother.

.
We also were able to see my brother play baseball too!!

February Highlights

2009-03-05T05:25:00.000-08:00

Ok my long lost readers-I am not blogging as often as I would like but it's all about quality not quantity right? So here is the first of a few highlights from February!!

We had made a quick trip down to Florida (see next post) and when we returned on Sunday and had been receiving weather reports just about hourly from my dear sis-in-law-she is the local weather girl on Ansbaugh Acres. Well she was giving us the snow update and so by the time we got back it was dark still so we didnt know what to expect.

Here is what was left of it on the sign when we pulled in on Sunday night.

Here was Braxton Monday morning ready to go.

Here they are in the blizzard-lol!!

What a doll!!

Here's Braxton ready to brave the snow or what was left of it anyway).

So needless to say we didnt get to see the best of the snowfall but they were happy to at least see something!!

Long time ...no see....

2009-01-30T08:50:00.000-08:00

Hey there everyone...once again I have been slacking in the blogging area. I really have good intentions but most of my computer time happens with a 4 month old on my hip and it takes way too long to type with one hand so I apologize. We have been doing well. Brody will be 5 months next Tuesday. I can't believe how the time has gone by-although we are still working on trying to get some sleep at night. We will get it sometime. But on a positive note I did start working out on the elliptical again this week. I have been on it Mon., Tues., and Wednesday this week. Didn't do it yesterday cause the lack of sleep and my neck was hurting. Hopefully this is the start to something good. I am back in my pre-pregnancy clothes but still need to work on that pregnancy flab!! Hope everyone has a great weekend!! love you all!!

Love this website and this give-a-way.

2009-01-04T16:53:00.001-08:00

I love this website and she is having a Kroger gift card give-a-way which I love Kroger too!! Just had to share!!

http://www.5dollardinners.com/2009/01/25-kroger-gift-card-giveaway.html

Happy New Year!!

2009-01-04T08:08:00.001-08:00

I apologize to all 2 of you who read my blog because it has been almost 2 months since my last post. I just have not been motivated to keep it up. I can't believe 2009 is here. What a year 2008 was-I am so blessed to have such an amazing family, had a baby and having wonderful friends and family (whom I miss dearly). Chad and I have been discussing our resolutions lately and I still have not been motivated to set them. I am still not getting enough sleep with our little 4 month old. He is not sleeping through the night and now he has the stuffy nose/cough cold that has been lingering around our family since we made our trip down to Florida (which by the way was great except the kids had fevers just about the entire week and so we didn't go out and visit people like we normally do) So anyway I know I want to get a little more organized this year and I want to start working out again, but I just feel like any extra time I have I am just wanting to catch up on household duties and teach the kids. So blah blah---that is my rambling for the new year. I hope you all have a blessed 2009 and I will try my best to update this more often this year!!

Trying to fight these colds...

2008-11-11T13:44:00.000-08:00

It is that time of year here in Georgia -when the weather gets just cold enough and then gets warm again and we get these lovely little colds beginning to linger. We are fighting them though. Even my little 2 month old is fighting a little cough. Braxton finally is on the up and up after 8 days of it. We just usually kick these things quick but this one is a toughie. I am tellin you what if I could get a quarter for every gallon of nose secretions I would be rich. (I am sure you don't hear that everyday!) Anyway we are doing great otherwise. Countin the days to go and visit the fam in FLA for some amazing turkey!! Hope everyone is doing well. By the way it was like 29 degrees here this morning-I enjoy fall but not ready for winter!!! Love to all!!

Trunk or Treat 2008

2008-11-01T07:50:00.000-07:00

Out church had a Trunk or Treat last night. Our trunk was sports themed as you may have guessed. We had a great time!!

New Favorite Blog!!!

2008-10-22T16:37:00.000-07:00

I came across this site from a friend of mine (thanks Lani!) and found this lady that has vowed to use the crockpot everyday this year. It is so great. It was so funny cause when I was down in Florida this past weekend my mom treated me and herself to Starbucks Iced Pumpkin Spice Lattes (decaf of course!) and it was so yummy and when we came back home on Sunday and I checked her site her crock recipe for the day was Pumpkin Spice Lattes in the CROCKPOT!! I so cant wait to try it. I thought I'd share it with ya!! I also have already tried her Candy Chicken recipe-she has them all organized by category on the side!! Check it out and let me know if you try any of them.

http://crockpot365.blogspot.com/

Family Fun.

2008-10-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

We made a quick trip down to Florida last week to visit. We had a great time as you can see.

My kids first camp out...

2008-10-09T12:25:00.000-07:00

This past weekend the kids and their cousins camped out..... with the fathers of course. By looking at this picture can you tell which family has done this before? (you can tell a lot about a camper by the size of their tent!!) Ha ha!!

11 years ...........5 years.............4 weeks

2008-10-03T10:41:00.000-07:00

Well I am a little behind so I must catch up on 3 important dates that have passed in our family in the past week.

11 years-Me and my hubby celebrated our 11 year wedding anniversary. It is hard to believe it has been 11 years. He is an amazing,wonderful man and my best friend. I am so thankful that I have been married to him for that long (or should it be that short?)
My MAN!!

5 years- My boy turned 5 this past week. Once again the time flies-I really can not believe he is 5-although he has the brain of a 10 year old-he is still a playful, kindhearted,active, little boy.

4 weeks- My newest one turned 4 weeks on Wednesday-I cant believe it has been 4 weeks. He is simply an adorable little man. He is growing daily. He eats,poops, cries and sleeps-so I would say everything is going just fine. (other than me not getting much sleep-but that will get better with time -I hope...............)

Here is big sister holding Brody. She is such a great helper.

And a baby makes 3 .....kids that is!!

2008-09-19T09:02:00.000-07:00

Well I had my first two outings with just me and the kids this week. Our first outing was Tuesday to the dentist because my little man (not my littlest man), decided to lose a tooth by climbing on the fort.

So they took an x-ray and he completely knocked it out-there was nothing left up in the gums. So we just have to wait til his adult tooth comes in. Could be awhile...it just changes his whole look. Too cute!!

Then yesterday Brody has his 2 week check up. He is up to 8lbs 11 oz and is 21 inches long. Now I know he is a boy and he can grow pretty fast but an inch an half in 2 weeks is unbelievable which leads me to believe they were a little off in their original measurements at the hospital. Either way he is definitely growing!!! Just wanted to share some of our week.

Has it been a week already?

2008-09-10T09:44:00.000-07:00

I cant believe a week ago today I had Brody. Although the nights do seem longer than the days it is still hard to believe that it has already been a week. Sorry for the lack of reply to emails and posts on facebook. I am able to read everything easily but typing w/one hand(or none sometimes) while feeding the little one will have to be a task that I learn. So right now the little guy is asleep on my chest (this is one of the best feelings in the world) so I managed to sneak in a couple pics on the computer. I wanted to mention that my mom(and my sister) made the drive up as soon as I was on my way to the hospital and my mom left yesterday. She was amazing. All of my laundry was up to date , I have enough meals in the freezer for awhile and the kids were taken care of. Unfortunately she caught Bailey's cough the last couple of days and she didn't want to share it with Brody so she couldn't hold him as much as she would like but she was amazing. Also thanks to my sister for helping out with the kids as well. Another thanks goes out to my amazing sister-in-law , once again she is helping us out so much. She watched the kids countless times for my last checkups while I was pregnant, she watched the kids while we were at the hospital until my mom arrived and she has set up some meals for us with people at the church. What an amazing help!!! I cant say thank you enough to everyone that has helped us. Also my dad, stepmom and one of my brothers made the trip up for a one night stay this past weekend to see the new guy. It was great to see them. Ok I am rambling-just trying to get in as much as possible before the eating machine arises. Oh yeah by the way here are a couple pics from the past week. Enjoy!!

Pics of my new little man!!

2008-09-07T15:40:00.001-07:00

I havent had a chance to upload any pics from my camera but my mom is in town and I jumped on her computer for a second and am using a couple of hers. The first one is of my mom and the baby. Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes. I really appreciate it!!

It's a boy!!

2008-09-06T09:15:00.000-07:00

Brody arrived Wednesday, September 3 at 5:38p.m. He is just beautiful. I will post pictures soon when I am up to it. Just wanted to let everyone know. Thanks for all your prayers and support.

Due Date-NO LABOR DAY!!!

2008-09-01T20:09:00.000-07:00

Well this is my actual due date and I thought I would wait until the 24th hour to let you know nothing happened. A couple of weeks ago I was not thinking it would be cute to have this baby on labor day because I was wanting it to happen early, but this morning I was thinking otherwise to go into labor on Labor Day-but no such luck. O'well. Still had a great day with the fam. We will see what tomorrow holds. My son thinks I will have the baby August 25 of next year......not funny at all!!!

Ok ...another update.

2008-08-28T12:42:00.000-07:00

Well went to the doctor today and no progress. So I have a scheduled induction for next Friday if nothing happens before( I am due on Monday-Labor Day-appropriately- so I would love to go on my own before next weekend!!) If nothing happens before next Wednesday I will have a sonogram then to make sure everything is looking ok. So the clock ticks on....so it is in God's hands until next Friday ...then it's in my dr's hands. Either way this could be my last weekend with only 2 children (unless I go tonight!) So that is the scoopage.

Oh the mystery number ...................the winner is Ms. Layton-you are crazy girl if you think my due date got pushed back....NOT.....just kidding. In all serious.....one thousand and twenty-eight are the amount of diapers I received as gifts from 2 baby showers. Can you believe it?? I was just looking at the stacks of packs of diapers and began to add up and just couldnt believe it. That should get me through a few weeks right??

1028..................

2008-08-28T05:32:00.001-07:00

What do you think this number means?

New blog design

2008-08-25T06:40:00.000-07:00

Just wanted to share the resource where I got my new blog design-I happened to be checking out a friend of mine's blog and she had posted about http://leeloublogs.blogspot.com/. So there you go -I can't take credit for creating it myself.

Olympic Fun!!

2008-08-23T09:04:00.000-07:00

One great thing about homeschooling you can adapt your curriculum to current events, so this week we had a mock Olympics in our front yard with the cousins. They participated in a torch run, opening ceremonies (they each made a flag of their own design), and 5 events which included: discus (paper plate converted into a discus), shot put(big blog of wet paper towels), marshmallow on the spoon relay, standing on one leg endurance competition and water balloon toss. All of the kids received medals too!! The kids had a great time. Here are a couple pics from the afternoon.

Horse sighting....

2008-08-23T08:30:00.000-07:00

Just had to share. We had this horse wander onto our property this week.

Due Date??

2008-08-21T20:02:00.000-07:00

I am in total denial of my due date and I am not sure why. With my 2 children I was not like this at all. I was totally patient (to a point) and did not expect any action until that time. With this one it has been different as I have already mentioned to a few of you. So I just need to relax and let the next 11 days go by as if it is something that has to be done. I went to the Dr again today and no real news-so the journey continues on. I just have to remember to be patient-it's all in God's timing. Thanks for all your support!!! Hope my family and friends in Florida are making it through all this rain from Fay. Love you all!!

Prego Update.

2008-08-14T16:07:00.000-07:00

Nothing happening. Went for another check-up today. He said I was 1-2 but nothing much else.

Anxiously waiting!!!!! Was hoping would be a little early and have this one on the 20th for my dad's birthday-who knows!!

I am officiallly from the south.

2008-08-12T12:52:00.000-07:00

Well it happened yesterday. I fried something. I dont think I would ever say that I have fried anything after losing weight several years ago and trying to eat somewhat healthy. Now I eat fried things occasionally when I go out to eat of course, but never in my kitchen had anything been fried. When hubby and I got married I thought it was so cool that we got one of those little fry daddy things as a gift and those honeymoon pounds sure came on quick. Well this one time was purely experimental. There is this amazing couple at our church that has just blessed us beyond belief with produce from their garden. Well when I went over this Sunday to get some tomatoes, apples, and pears, she also gave me a bag of okra. I have only had okra fried and that was just on occasion, so I thought I would try to fry it. It actually wasnt too bad-I only had a few pieces. I also roasted some too with olive oil and salt and pepper but that wasnt quite as tasty of course. Oh to add to the southern cooking I also stewed some apples (made like a chunky homemade applesauce). So that concludes my southern living cooking for middle Georgia for today-now back to your regulary scheduled programming!!!

By the way-can you belive that ticker is at 20 days. I went to the dr. last Friday and they did a sonogram and they estimated the baby is already 7lbs 4 oz. Both of my other children were 7-12 and 7-13, so this one could definately pass them both up. I think I am ready. I am ready to get some consistent sleep-I will even take 2 hours at a time. My sleep at night for the past 3 weeks has been nil. I cant sleep laying down until around 3am so that means I lay sitting straight up which is nothing too exciting. I am thankful that I can sleep sitting up though-it's just not the dream sleep that I was hoping for these last weeks before baby comes, but as I have heard this is God's way of getting me used to those crazy nights. If that's all I have to do to gain a miracle of life then by golly I will be a restless sleeper in a heartbeat.

Baby Shower Pics!!

2008-08-10T17:28:00.000-07:00

I am blessed.....

2008-08-07T06:53:00.000-07:00

As you know I am less than 4 weeks away from my due date of child number 3. There will be 5 years difference between number 2 and number 3. I got rid of every piece of baby equipment that I had for the first 2 kids and a dear friend, my hero gave me just about everything I needed for this baby. Well on Tuesday night my dear sister-in-law gave me a baby shower. It was so much fun. Let me first tell you that we switched churches this summer. Our old church was just great and we really loved the people there-but it was a 30 minute drive and it was the same drive that hubby takes everyday to go to work and with the new baby coming I really wanted to be a little closer to church so we could still be involved despite having a newborn to adjust to. So for about 2 months we have been going to this church that is less than 10 minutes (8 to be exact) and we have just been welcomed with open arms. We love the pastor and his family and everyone there has just been amazing. Ok so back to the baby shower-my sil decided to have the shower at our new church-so when she approached someone about using a room for the shower they took on the task of throwing a shower for me as if I had been one of their own for years. It was absolutely beautiful. I am still learning names so even as I was opening gifts, a dear lady that helped plan the shower was having to point people out to me-it felt kind of awkward but at the same time I was just truly humbled and blessed by their love and support. On top of this my mother and grandmother drove up for the event and that made it even more special. Also my mom's best friend from high school happened to be in the area for a wedding so she surprised me and came along too. It was a great time and I want to thank my s-i-l for making it possible. I AM TRULY BLESSED!!! (pics will be on here soon!)

Ironic isn't it?????????????

2008-07-31T12:01:00.000-07:00

Ok ....at what other point in your life is it ok to put on a lot of weight in such a short amount of time-when you are Pregnant , right? Well I went to my check-up yesterday and to my surprise I lost 4 pounds in 2 weeks. Isnt that crazy? The baby is measuring well and everything looks good so I was just cracking up because I thought-this is the only time in my life and especially at this point in the pregnancy -when you are expected to put on the weight. I think it all evens out-cause at my last check up I think I may have put on a pound or two too much. Anyway just had to share that bit of irony with you. Can you believe only 32 days til my due date? I go to the doctor now every week, so it could really happen at any time. All of my stuff is packed and by the door after Sunday night. I had some minor contractions Sunday night and so hubby thought we ought to have everything ready, since I never had any minor "stuff" with the other two. Have a great day everyone!!

Tea Party Time.

2008-07-25T11:25:00.001-07:00

On Wednesday, Bailey had a tea party for her closest friends here (actually so close they walked over-and they are not only her friends but her cousins!!) Anyway they had a great time and also had a special visitor paint faces!!

Wow under 40 days....

2008-07-24T13:59:00.001-07:00

Sorry that it seems like I am posting only weekly which is so not fair to some of you because I love reading your daily posts and I only give you a glimpse of my life once a week. I will try and do better. So anyway we are starting school next week and will try to get back to some sort of routine again. We take summers off since hubby is a teacher, so he starts back next week and so do we. Looking forward to see my little man really take off with school-I have to brag about him-he is only 4 and is reading like you would not believe and I really wish I could tell you of some great curriculum I am using or some secret powder I put in his food but I can't-he just simply learned on his own. I guess from working so much with my daughter he just has soaked up everything like a sponge. He just makes me so proud and to think that he really wouldnt even be starting Kindergarten this year-he would have to wait another year. I could not imagine him having to wait another year-and we will probably be starting first grade after the first of the year. Ok enough of my bragging-can you believe I have 39 days-actually I have a feeling it will be less. I never had that feeling with my first two-I actually felt like it would be after my due date-just didnt feel like the bird was done in the oven, but with this one I feel like I could go at anytime now. I cant wait to see what this one looks like. Maybe I am just nervous and just hoping it happens soon-only God knows when it's going to make it's grand entrance into the world!!!!

Double Doctors!!!

2008-07-16T17:54:00.000-07:00

Today was a busy day. I had a specialist appt and a reg ob appt today. We had another sonogram and got to see the little one. This is going to be a short review but everything is well and the baby is looking good. I can't wait to see her/him in person very soon. Where the doctor is at the hospital is in the same building and it was so cool to walk in there and get to see the babies in the nursery and know that we will be there with our little one right around the corner. I know this my third but the emotions are there like it's my first all over again!!
CAN ANYONE SPEED UP THAT LITTLE TICKER THINGY ON THE LEFT????????????????????

Loving the summer trips.....

2008-07-16T17:42:00.000-07:00

I know it seems like we are going to Florida every other week, but with the baby due in less than seven weeks we are trying to get down there as often as possible because we know we wont be traveling for awhile after the little bundle arrives!! So we had an amazing WEEK in Florida. We hung out a couple days at my dad's to celebrate my little brother's 13th birthday. Then we took my grandmother to my mom's beach house for a week. (my mom is in Cape Cod!!) So we just absolutely relaxed and just did nothing. It was wonderful. It was so nice to get some spend some great quality time with my grandmother and for my kids to get to hang out with her as well. Chad and Brax went one day with Rod to go fishing and had a great time. A friend of Chad's from Harmony drove over to visit us as well and we were also able to have lunch with Chad's dad. It is hard not to get to see everybody I want to when we go back but the family time has become a priority-not to take away from spending time with anyone else but it's important for the kids to keep those bonds with their grandparents. So I hope you enjoy the vacation pics.....once again.

Guess what-another vacation to Florida!!!!

2008-07-16T06:09:00.001-07:00

No Seriously Folks...........

2008-07-03T13:48:00.000-07:00

With my due date being September 1-which just happens to be Labor Day this year(not funny!!) I have been getting a little anxious and making sure I have all my stuff together. Thanks to my amazing friend who has given me just about everything but the baby I really havent had to stress out about too much. We did need a crib and that was something I was just feeling like I wanted to have new -so low and behold I have been researching and trying to find just what I wanted. My hubbie (along with my superior supervision) assembled the crib last week and here it is.

It is set up in our room for now and will be for the first several months or so.

I went yesterday and met up with my best friend(Thanks Mar!!) from high school for lunch and shopped some outlets and found my baby girl and baby boy outfit to have the baby wear home from the hospital. I was so excited to have this done. With less than 2 months (I'll take even a little less) I think I am doing pretty well.

You Wanted Pregnancy Pics??? Well here you go...

2008-07-03T13:40:00.000-07:00

I know there has been some requests for some prego pics and I have been really putting it off til I could get just the right shot. Can you believe only 60 days on my counter to go??

Well here you go..................

I'll give you the just out of bed look.................

Then the out shopping and that crazy paparozzi just got my picture so I must show my best side look..........................

It is just amazing what a little make up and styling products will do these days!! Love you all!!!

Quick Trip to Visit the Fam!!

2008-06-26T17:33:00.001-07:00

Bike Parade 2008!!!

2008-06-18T16:52:00.000-07:00

I just had to share pictures of the the bike parade I witnessed this evening right off of my very own front porch. It was a sight to be seen. One of a kind performers paraded their bikes. It was a great time had by all.

Happy Father's Day!!!

2008-06-15T18:25:00.000-07:00

I know this is a little late in the day but wanted to say Happy Father's Day to all those dads out there. Just wanted to say thanks to my dad for being such a great role model. He really taught me so many things through the years............ a few things that I remember him saying to me that I always remember are:

* If you are on time you are late.

* If ****** doesn't wear their seat belt are you not going to.
(this started when I about 15)

* Always say please and thank you. (the thank you part has really been an important part of my life -I always try and send thank you notes)

* Remember that you are always representing the family.

Thanks dad for instilling these things in me.

Also thanks to my husband for being an amazing father to our children. I am so thankful to have such a dedicated husband and father to our family.

Memorial Day Weekend.

2008-06-14T06:31:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little behind in catching up but Memorial Day weekend we had a huge family reunion here at our place. It was so much fun. I think we had 20 total (16 of which stayed at our house!!)We had a great time. It was all of my in-laws-the furthest of which of which one of my sis-in-laws came from California. We had a great time just hanging out and talking. sorry for the delay in getting the pics up.
Don't worry family I have doubles and will be getting them to you soon.

Catchin up.....

2008-06-14T06:30:00.001-07:00

Sorry for the slackage..........

2008-06-10T18:33:00.000-07:00

It has been awhile since my last blog. It has been busy around here. Just wanted to make a note that my pregnancy is doing well-I am getting large and I will not be posting pics of myself.

On another note.....can you believe summer is not offically here for another 11 days and it was 92 here today??? It is going to be one hot summer!!

Trip to Indiana.

2008-06-10T18:28:00.000-07:00

We go every year and visit my grandparents in Indiana. So last week we drove about 10 hours to visit these amazing people once again. They have been married for 58 years and act like they are newlyweds. They are the most loving,giving couple I have had the privilege of meeting, much less being the granddaughter of. We stayed for 5 nights and although they were part of the devastating flooding that hit Indiana last weekend. My grandparents town was evacuated although we didn't cause they have the pumps for the basement to prevent flooding. On Friday we went to a park we always visit (as you see in the pics) They on Saturday morning the rain came and we laid low until we left Monday morning. It was a great visit. It is so important to me for my kids to know my grandparents.

Indiana Trip 2008!!

2008-06-10T18:24:00.001-07:00

Fun Weekend!!

2008-05-19T16:27:00.001-07:00

A wonderful weekend!!

2008-05-19T16:18:00.000-07:00

On Thursday of last week my mom, sister and her son came up to visit. We had a great time. They came to visit me of course but also because we had Bailey's birthday party this weekend. It was a great time. Her birthday actually isn't until the end of the month but this coming weekend I think we will have 19 plus ourselves here at the house for Memorial Day/my father in law's birthday/sis-in-law coming in town from California/family reunion....OK you get the point-we are going to have a million other things going on and didn't want to add one more w/a birthday party. So we had a great time. I was so sad to see my mom, sis and nephew leave yesterday morning. Bailey had a great time w/her Bee Bee and her friends at the party. (as you will see in the pics)

Happy Belated Mother's Day.

2008-05-12T04:55:00.000-07:00

I had total intentions of posting yesterday to wish everyone an amazing Mother's Day, but we had no power for like 14 hours......if you have heard or seen the news you know of the devastating storms that affected so many states Saturday and Sunday. Well yesterday morning we got some doosies and Macon was affected tremendously. We were without power from like 4:30ish (I was up so I know-we have a weather radio and we all moved downstairs to sleep to be safe) til about 8 o'clock last night. Luckily we had a generator so Chad plugged in the fridge. But we have a well so we had no water all day. I can get very creative with wipes, bottled water and antibacterial gel!! I still had an amazing mother's day with my family.

OK enough about my day.....I just want to give some humongous bloggity love to my mom. She is an awesome woman. She has taught me so much throughout my life. She loves me unconditionally and supports me and my family with every decision we make. I miss her terribly and am so excited that she is coming to visit this week for Bailey's birthday party. (I am saving it as a surprise for the kids-my sister and her little boy are coming too!! I can't wait!!) Anyway I hope my mom and everyone else had a great mother's day!!

2 Little Monkeys.....

2008-05-08T14:09:00.000-07:00

hanging from their fort!!

Keepers at Home Banquet.

2008-05-07T09:48:00.000-07:00

Here is the entire group of girls in Keepers at Home.

Here is my pride and joy!!The maroon sash is where the girls put the pins
they earn.

Here is little brother. Sister's number one fan!!

As most of you know we are a homeschooling family. We belong to a group of other homeschoolers that organizes different field trip and leads many different groups. One of these groups is called Keepers at Home. I like to think of it as a Christian based girl scouts.The girls range in age from Kindergarten to 12th grade. They meet once a month to work on a craft or skill that can be useful to them as they get older. Also throughout the year they have a handbook they can work out of to earn pins. They can earn pins for such things as different homemaking skills,learning bible verses and many others for craft skills. The end of the year banquet was last week when the girls received their pins for their hard work throughout the year. Bailey earned pins for memorizing Psalm 100, candle making,Insects, Scrapbooking and she also received a pin for commitment(attending the meetings) and her outstanding achievement pin which she received for completing the skills she said she would complete at the beginning of the year. I am so proud of my sweet little girl who will be 7 in just weeks. She is such a joy in my life!!

Designer Dress.

2008-04-29T10:37:00.000-07:00

This is my beautiful daughter in a one of a kind dress made by my amazing SIL. She made one for my daughter's doll as well. She absolutely loves it. My SIL did an amazing job and it was so funny because when she wore this to church on Sunday I was going to do a post on what a great seamstress she is and then I read her blog (www.justgottalaugh.blogspot.com )and she had posted something about her sewing skills too. So thank you so much SIL for this one of a kind dress. You did a great job!!

130 days to go.....

2008-04-24T17:55:00.000-07:00

I can't believe I am a week past half way through this pregnancy and I know I haven't mentioned it lately on here. I think about it everyday but I try not to let it consume too much of my thoughts or I begin to worry and it takes away from my two amazing children I teach everyday!! I had my regular sonogram about 3 weeks ago and there were a few concerns with the little peanut but I didn't think about too much until I saw the specialist last week. The specialist eased my fears (along with a lot of praying!!). I do have to go back and get another sonogram in 4 weeks to make sure everything is still measuring OK but that is fine with me. Oh and by the way .....we didn't find out if it's a boy or a girl. We didn't with either one of the kids we have and I just love the suspense.

Pictures to Ponder.....

2008-04-24T17:49:00.000-07:00

My son asked me yesterday , "Hey mom, do I look cool?"

Look at these two young bucks!!

Strawberry Pickin!!

2008-04-18T18:56:00.001-07:00

Yesterday we went strawberry picking with our neighbors. I had never done it before and the kids loved it.

A visit from the Harmony Longhorns.

2008-04-07T14:24:00.001-07:00

Easter Sunday

2008-04-07T10:03:00.000-07:00

The last two weeks.

2008-04-07T09:51:00.000-07:00

Whew..........what a whirlwind the last two weeks have been. Chad has had the past two weeks off for Spring Break and it was packed full. We had started off the break with Easter weekend,in which Chad and I were the narrators for our church Cantata-which was wonderful. Then Chad had to coach a game Monday afternoon. After the game we headed down to Florida getting in just after midnight. We stayed until Friday morning. We were able to see both of my brothers play a baseball game, visit family that was down from North Carolina,Chad was able to go visit his old schools, had a great day at the beach,I was able to see a wonderful friend who supplied me with a tremendous amount of baby stuff (thanks Jonatha), and we even fit in a dinner at Kobe (me-the prego was cravin it!!)It was a great week. Then when we came home Friday my dad brought his baseball team from Harmony High School to Macon for a week. They played the school that Chad coached at that Friday night. It was great!! Then they came to our church on that Sunday and the church had a great luncheon for them. That evening we hosted the team at our house for a bon-fire and dogs on the grill. It was a great visit. This past week we had a visit from the Robinsons (and their friend-the stomach bug!) The kids had a blast playing and visiting (well the ones who felt well). We also went and saw my dad's team play again last week against a team about 45 minutes North of us. The baseball team went back on Thursday-the Robinsons left on Friday and I got the bug on Saturday. I am still recovering today while tending to a 4 year old who says his belly hurts. (please....no!) So I apologize for not blogging these past two weeks but if this post didnt explain why well I guess I will have to post some more pics for the proof.

Quick trip to Florida!

2008-04-07T09:50:00.001-07:00

A Quick Shout out to "The Dinner Club"!!

2008-03-17T10:26:00.000-07:00

Every now and then while I am preparing dinner for the night-I will sometimes double up on the meat portion and save some for another meal in the week (IE I made a ton of taco meat for tacos tonight and the rest I made taco bake for another night this week) Every time I do this I think of the dinner club I used to belong to. A couple of years ago while living in Florida myself and 3 of my dear friends would meet up every Monday afternoon and exchange meals. Everyone would make something earlier that day but they would quadruple the batch, so they would have 4 meals-one for their family and then 3 others to give to the other girls. It was such a blessing to come home Monday afternoon and knew I didn't have to cook for 4 nights that week. It was not only convenient for me but knowing I was helping out 3 of my closest friends and their families really brought us closer together. So this is a shout out to my Dinner Club girls. I truly miss the meals and the time we got to spend together. Love y'all!!

Look Closely!!

2008-03-11T10:25:00.000-07:00

They are playing in the snow.....if you look close enough!!

There is snow in this picture .......if you look close enough!!

There are two gorgeous children.....you don't need to look too close to see that!!

We had snow flurries.

2008-03-11T05:51:00.000-07:00

I know I am a little behind but on Saturday we had our first snow at our place here in Georgia. I couldnt believe it. The kids were absolutely loving it. It didnt stick on the ground but it was amazing to watch -I took pictures and will try and get them on here later. It was 20 and snowing on Saturday and today it is supposed to be gorgeous and 70 !! Spring is on the horizon!!! Yipee!!!

Haircut of the Day!!

2008-03-11T05:34:00.000-07:00

I have been cutting Braxton's hair lately and Chad let me do his-look how great it turned out!!(j/k)

Great recipe-not for the heart healthy!!!

2008-03-06T05:24:00.000-08:00

Every once in awhile I will cook like calories were never invented. I feel even more inclined to do so here and there since I am carrying a baby. So a few weeks ago I received a recipe from a friend for Alfredo sauce and she raved that it was as good as Olive Garden. Now being the scientist that I am -I had to put it to the test.
(ha ha!!) So we had chicken fettuccine Alfredo last night for dinner and let me tell you that Alfredo sauce was AMAZING!!!! It really did taste like Olive Gardens. It was really yummy so I thought I must share.

Crazy Good Alfredo Sauce-(I doubled it cause we like to have leftovers the next day)
1/2 cup butter (I didn't double this)
8 oz package of cream cheese (I used the real thing-not sure how the light would work)
2tsp garlic powder
2 cups milk
6 oz grated Parmesan
1/8 tsp pepper

Melt the butter, then add the cream cheese and garlic powder. Stir on medium heat until smooth. Gradually add milk, cheese, and pepper. Stir until desired consistency is reached.(I was concerned with the consistency so I added a little shredded mozzarella.)

Let me know what you think!! Have a blessed calorie-free day!!!

Goody box!

2008-03-04T09:27:00.000-08:00

When my sister and I were younger my grandparents who live in Indiana would always send a goody box a couple times a year for me and my sister. It always had just little trinkets here and there. Nothing too extravagant but just enough to let us know they were thinking about us and loved us. I have such great memories of those goody boxes and remember how much joy they brought to my life. Well since those not so many years ago (ha ha-I am only 25 -right Kitty?) I have become a mother myself with two little ones of my own and guess what......my amazing wonderful grandparents send my children goody boxes. The kids got one from them on Friday.My grandparents have told me they had been working on it over the last month or so-just picking up stuff for them here and there. They absolutely loved it. They wrapped each little gift in tissue paper and the kids just love it. Bailey really loved one of hers that had this beautiful bow on it. They don't get to see their great grandparents but once (or twice sometimes)a year, but their memory stays so active with remembering them because of cards, goody boxes and our newest favorite toy the web cam, where the kids can just sit at the computer and talk to my grandparents like they are in the room. I love my grandparents so much. They are such amazing,giving,loving people and I know I don't tell them enough but I love them and respect them so much.

Upwards End of Season Celebration

2008-02-29T09:30:00.000-08:00

On Tuesday night we had our Upwards basketball end of season ceremony. The kids really loved doing basketball. Bailey wants to keep doing it and Braxton is so ready for what starts tomorrow. The kids have their first baseball practice tomorrow morning. Chad and I were just thinking how nice it would be to have a Saturday morning to hang out,but I then received the call last night that the kids first baseball practice is tomorrow morning at 9!! No biggie we definately like them to be active so it will be fun to start a new season. Hope everyone has a great weekend.

What a wonderful day!!

2008-02-28T16:46:00.000-08:00

Today was just absolutely wonderful. The kids went with me for my doctor's appt. I am 13 weeks now and so we were able to hear the heartbeat. Boy, was that music to my ears. The dr and I explained to the kids the sound and why it sounded that way. They were excited. I was so happy!! My next appt will be in 5 weeks and we are going to have the sonogram at that point. We have decided once again to not find out if it's a boy or a girl. It was such an amazing surprise with both kids I really didnt think too much about wanting to know this time. Anyway back to our day. After the very easy and quick(how many times can you say that?) dr's appt we went to THE MALL. I had only been in this mall once before and it was a very quick trip so I really wasnt able to get a good picture of it. Boy what a mall!! Two stories of every store you can think of. My mission today was a few maternity pieces of clothing. I am at that point where anything I have would fit but not in a good way. You know how at some point in your life you have those favortie jeans that you want to wear-well you have to lay on the bed suck in your breath like there is not tomorrow............well it's like that except there is no air to get rid of-it's baby air and that is not going anywhere soooo I am moving into the elastic , feels like heaven- stage of the pregnancy. So we went into Motherhood-which has every article of clothing in every size for every pregnant woman. I succeeded in getting the basics until I get to Florida in March and am able to gain some more clothes from an amazing friend that is letting me borrow all her baby stuff since I kept nothing from either child. (Thanks Jonatha-you are amazing!!!) So anyway we shopped and ate at the food court. Which although it was Wendy's it was the "food court" , in which I havent been to a food court at a mall in years. After lunch we then ventured on to grocery shop. It was an amazing day. The kids were just awesome. They are both at such good ages that we were just able to sit and laugh and have a great time. I did miss my "down time" (aka kids nap time) so I am pooped. Thanks for letting me share this great day!!!

The Storm...

2008-02-20T11:53:00.000-08:00

Not to overlook this by posting the addition of the new family pet but we had one doozy of a storm on Sunday night. We knew we were supposed to get some thunderstorms which we have lived through plenty of those living in Florida. We have survived many hurricanes so we are used to the storm part, but here in Georgia we hever thought we would have to concern ourselves with tornadoes. Well we lost power around 5:30-6ish and it was off for 8 hours. We turned on the radio to get the weather report around 6 and they said there was tornado that touched down in Butler, where Chad works and was headed for another town just east of us. Well between point A and point B was us. We began to worry and were prepared to go to our "safe area" in the house immediately. The lightning was like someone had a strobe light outside-I had never seen anything like it. The only way we could tell if the wind was getting crazy was from the lightning-we could use the light to look up at the pine trees. Well we never felt that it was close enough to us. We had people from church calling us to make sure we were ok. We really had no idea that the tornado hit just miles from us. When the kids and I went into town yesterday to go to the bank we saw the devastation just minutes from our house. It was amazing. I believe there were 8 structures damaged 3 of which were peoples homes. Only 2 people critically injured in our county. This same line of storms did terrible devastation to Alabama on Sunday also. We were so thankful to be safe. Our prayers go out to those that lost their homes from these storms.

Jag....

2008-02-19T17:08:00.000-08:00

Well folks we have a new member to the Ansbaugh family. I know my counter is 200 days and counting but we just couldnt wait. We got a dog!! We have been talking about it for months and Chad and the kids have been ready since we moved here,I was just a little hesistant due to the fact that we traveled a lot over the summer when we moved here and then it was football coaching season for Chad and although the joy it would bring to my kids I wanted it to be a family effort to take care of the dog. Soooooo on Wednesday this stray dog walked into the gym at Chad's school while he was teaching. He said he had a feeling about this dog because when he and the kids were trying to shoo it off-it just wanted to play and was not scared. Chad knew he had a long day and wouldnt be able to do anything with the dog all day so he just forgot about it and didnt think about it again. Well on Thursday and teacher at his school came up and asked him if he would be interested in having a dog for his family. He told her we are always talking about it but just havent commited to getting one yet. Well she explained that there was a dog at school yesterday and she took it to a friends house that worked for the Humane's Society and the friend said he would pay for it to be spayed and get all it's shots if we wanted it.(which is another reason why we were hesitant about getting a dog because of the initial expense) So it ended up being the same dog Chad saw on Wednesday and he knew it was meant to be our dog. So he brought it home on Friday and the rest is history. It will mainly be an outside dog-Chad built a pen for her outside but if it gets too cold we will bring her in. Chad and Bailey took her to the vet on Monday and they said she is 6-8 months and could be full grown which is great because she really isnt that big. We have to take her back in 3 weeks for the "spayed" procedure. Chad has trained her to sit and lay down and when we are in the yard she will stay in the main yard without a leash. Oh by the way her name is JAG-Bailey named her because she thinks her stripes/coloring looks like a jaguar!!!

Valentine's Day Thought......

2008-02-14T06:12:00.000-08:00

Yesterday Bailey was asking me about the little Valentine guy that shoots arrows. I told her that his name was Cupid and he is a little imaginary character that shoots arrows to make people fall in love. Well Braxton thought for a second and said the most astounding thing. He said "I think army guys should have those arrows so the bad people will be in love!!!" Isnt a four year old's perspective just so refreshing??? Happy Valentine's Day!!

Basketball stars!!

2008-02-11T05:25:00.000-08:00

Bailey and Braxton are playing on an Upwards basketball team together and Chad is there coach. They have improved so much from the first day of practice. They had another game this past Saturday and they did great. Brax scored not only his first basket but he scored 4 baskets!! And Bailey scored 3. They were so excited cause their Papa and Ms. Arda (Chad's dad and his wife!) were there cheering them on so it made it extra special. I am so proud of them!!

Where did that week go??

2008-02-11T05:22:00.000-08:00

When I woke up this morning I was just so happy because I really had it set in my mind that I was 12 weeks along today. Then when I realized when I turned on my computer this morning that I am actually 11 weeks. I guess I am just really wanting this first trimester to be over. I dont want to rush anything that is going on in making this new Ansbaugh but just want to get to that 13th week. I even told Chad that today was 12 weeks and even someone at church last night. Where did that week go?? I must be losing more brain cells with this new little creation!!!

Groundhog-schmoundhog!!

2008-02-04T14:20:00.000-08:00

I know this is a couple days late since Groundhog's Day was on Saturday. But the infamous Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow in Pennsylvania on Saturday morning so according to the old wives tale there is supposed to be 6 more weeks of winter. Well I beg to differ. On this 4th day of February it is just gorgeous here in beautiful middle Georgia. I think the high today was 75 and tomorrow supposed to hit 80. I definately needed some warm weather to make it feel like Florida again. Dont get me wrong I love living in Georgia but my first winter has been intersting to adjust to. So a few days of warmth every now and again is just fine by me!! (It is supposed to in the low 60's the rest of the week-so it's not so bad the rest of the week either!!) By the way the groundhog in Georgia (his name is "The General")did not see his shadow. So I am all for that little fellow being the national groundhog!!!

Super News!!

2008-02-04T05:03:00.000-08:00

I apologize for the hiatus in blogging but just havent felt myself lately. Why, you ask???? Well........................there is going to be another Ansbaugh entering the world around September 1!! I am pregnant!!! We are so excited-the kids are so excited!! I am 10 weeks today!! I have been feeling very hormonal the last couple of weeks. It has been an all day sickness so that is why I have been so lazy with my posting. It is starting to fade a little bit so housework is starting to get done again. (I'm sure Chad is thankful for that!!) I have also been very picky in what I have been eating too. It is so interesting how each pregnancy has been so different. When we told the kids a couple of weeks ago, Braxton woke up the next morning and said if it's a girl we should name her Twinkle, and Bailey said Betsy!! Kids are too cute!!

Marathon Weekend.

2008-01-15T08:46:00.000-08:00

This past weekend we went to Florida again. We went so Chad could participate in the Disney Marathon for the 4th time. He has been training all year to do this 26.2 mile race. I am so proud of him having the endurance to do these types of races. I have never been a runner. I really admire people who do it. I know you have to have a drive to be a runner. I have never had that drive. I know I need to exercise to keep my weight down but long distance running has never been my thing. So anyway back to Chad's big accomplishment.

He did the marathon this year with his mom and his sister, Kitty. Besides Chad accomplishing this amazing feat, this was Chad's mom's first marathon and Kitty just had a baby 3 months ago. Just amazing!!!! They all did an amazing job despite the Florida heat. This is my 3rd year spectating the race which is quite an adventure. The marathon course goes through all of the Disney parks and you have to get at certain viewing areas at just the right times so you can see your "runners". I managed to see Chad a couple of times and then at the finish. Joining me in the spectating adventure was Casey,Westin, Clinton and Amy. It is nice to have someone with you to chat with while you are waiting to see the amazing runners pass by. So hats off to Chad, Kitty, Pat and everyone else that did the marathon. I admire you!!
(p.s. Jess--I kept thinking you were going to come around that corner at mile 9-you were in my thoughts-miss you!!)

Christmas Vacation!!

2008-01-02T05:28:00.001-08:00

Happy New Year!!!

2007-12-31T17:05:00.000-08:00

I can't believe it has been two weeks since my last post. It has been a busy two weeks though. We had an amazing trip down in Florida. Christmas in 80 degree weather is absolutely amazing. It was a nice change from the lows in the 30's here. It was great spending time at my moms and dads. We also drove down one day to South Florida to see Chad's mom and grandmother. We also were able to stay 2 nights over at the beach at my mom's place. While we were there Chad's Dad and his wife came over and for dinner. We are so thankful for all of the gifts we received but I am most thankful that we were able to see all of the family. ( I guess I should have told you all earlier that I didn't really need any presents -just your presence is enough for me!!!) It was a great time. Well today is the last day of 2007. What a year it has been!! I am so blessed. I have an amazing family. A lot of things happened this year with our move and all, and everything has just been great. I love my awesome husband and my incredible two children. I love our new home and town. I love our new church and new family there. I love that we are only 6 hours away from seeing my family. (The drive seems shorter and shorter each time). I love that I have amazing friends that I am able to stay in contact via email. I AM BLESSED!!! I hope everyone is thankful for everything that they have in their lives. HAPPY NEW YEAR!!!

p.s. I will post some pictures from our trip when I get them on the computer!!

Lots of LOVE!!!!

2007-12-17T15:44:00.001-08:00

Yesterday evening we went to our church cantata/Christmas dinner. It was wonderful. It is really great to have a second family at church here in Georgia, since I am always missing our family in Florida. The people here in Georgia are just amazing people. I have never heard more "I love yous" from adults to each other. The love is just amazing. They love God and each other.

Anyway back to my sweet little angels. I really wanted them to look extra spiffy for the cantata that was put on by our choir. It is a small church and small choir but their voices were truly amazing.

So here are the kids.......love to all.

p.s. This tie and jacket were handed down from his awesome older cousin Gunner!! How special!!

p.s.s. We are leaving for Florida for 8 days on Wednesday so I wont be posting while we are gone but will have lots of pics to share when we get back. Merry Christmas everyone!!!

Guess what I have been up to.................

2007-12-11T12:09:00.000-08:00

As most of you know I am a candle maker. I started it about 3 years ago this Christmas. We are always on a tight budget for gifts for family and friends. I always like to make homemade gifts too, so this began my candle making career. Since we are leaving in like a week to go down to Florida for Christmas I wanted to make sure I had everything wrapped and ready to go this week. So on Sunday I cranked out 41 candles. I did it during nap time and Chad was outside working so it really didn't cut into our family time. It is really a lot of fun. So this explains my lack of blogging recently(not like I do a lot to begin with_. As of 3pm this afternoon I think I am done with Christmas gifts. Well it wont be official til I ship a couple of packages which I am planning on doing in the morning. Blah...blah ....blah....I am sure you like to hear me think out loud. By the way I am loving the weather here this week in middle Georgia. It is up in the low 80's today. It's like a Florida Christmas for sure!! But I know it wont be around very much longer-it's supposed to be back in the middle 50's this weekend. Well it is nice while it lasts.

We are now experiencing technical difficulties....please stand by....

2007-12-05T12:50:00.000-08:00

Bear with me as I learn out to do this blog decorating stuff.....

Guess what?? More pictures!!

2007-12-03T10:26:00.001-08:00

Quick trip to Florida!!

2007-12-03T10:11:00.000-08:00

We went down to Florida this past weekend. Chad ran in a half marathon on Saturday. (which he did a great job -although it was a very warm morning) I am so proud of him. While he was doing his run we went to the St. Cloud Christmas parade with my father, step-mother and brothers. St. Cloud has grown so much. We sat near the beginning of the parade route and it was an hour and 45 minutes long. It was very enjoyable to see people I hadn't seen in awhile. The kids loved seeing the bands play and catching candy-although we didn't take any of it home cause we don't eat candy. (that's a whole other post!!) They were very giving with the candy to others though which I was so proud of. After the parade we went back to my dad's and visited for a little while, then we went out to my moms for the night. She lives in Celebration (aka Snow globe world-as I call it). They have the "fake snow" that started on Saturday night and shoots out every hour in the evenings from now until the new year. Santa also arrived and they did the tree lighting. We (you will see in the pic above that my sister,her son, and my grandmother came too!)ate a wonderful dinner out there at one of the restaurants downtown. It was an amazing evening. It was a very quick visit but a very memorable one.

Picture Happy!!

2007-11-30T07:50:00.002-08:00

As you will see I love taking pictures and love sharing them too. We went down to Florida before Thanksgiving for a couple of days. We stayed at my mom's condo on the beach for a night. It was so nice. In the one pic you will see my holding my cute little nephew Gavin. He is growing so fast. The rest are pretty self-explanitory.

Thanksgiving Beach Trip!!

2007-11-30T07:50:00.001-08:00

Thanksgiving Memories!!

2007-11-29T10:14:00.001-08:00

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2007-11-22T06:43:00.000-08:00

I'll be quick.....I have a house full(Chad's sister Kitty,her husband Casey and their 6 amazing kids,Chad's other sister Amy and my niece Audree-tomorrow we have Chad's mom coming in too!) but wanted to wish everyone a very Happy Thanksgiving. I am so thankful for my family and my life and for all of you. I hope everyone has a safe time and enjoys being with those they love and are thankful for everyday that God gives us to enjoy this life.

Oh I am so one with nature today!!!

2007-11-13T13:31:00.000-08:00

First I am loving the weather here today. It was 35 when I got up this mornig but got up to like 74. It was just beautiful. Ok....joke time. Did you hear about the ladybug that told the other ladybug and all 5 million of her friends that there was this great house to come and vacation in for the winter months...................
oh you didnt well let me tell you. We have a major ladybug investation outside our house and some of them are getting in. I have read online there they are very helpful insects because they eat aphids which are little bugs that can be problems for gardeners. Well I really dont have an aphid problem but I do have a lot of ladybugs. They started yesterday afternoon. Just swarms of them surrounding the house. When Chad got home from work he found a couple inside and starting getting them with the shop vac. It was hilarious hearing some comments he was saying when vaccuming a couple of them off the ceiling. "You are not going to win" and "What do you want from us". So today I didnt see any of them this morning but as soon as the sun started to heat things up here they came. Pure ladybug craziness!!! Oh and on top of that I got stung by a yellow jacket on my pinky. I have never gotten stung by one before-it stings pretty good. Maybe they are friends with the ladybugs.....

Brrrrr.....Chill what happened to Fall???

2007-11-07T10:16:00.000-08:00

(It was actually 27 degrees but I had the idea to take the picture a degree later!!)
I knew it would get cold here in the winter but in the fall?? I love the leaves changing and seeing them fall like snow and I do love the crispness in the air, but I wish there was a little more transition. It is really chilly here today. I do love living here and the kids love it too, but I didnt know fall only lasted a couple days!! Fall and Winter in Florida consisted of a few days of 50 degree weather. This is going to take some getting used to.

I LOVE SUMMER/Fashion Statement

2007-11-06T10:05:00.000-08:00

I had to share this pic with everyone. My daughter is just amazing! Everyday she does something that just makes me smile. Yesterday this was her moment. When we are staying home during the day I will let the kids pick out their own clothes and get dressed before we start school. Well Bailey came downstairs yesterday and she was so cute. She knew it was a funny outfit but at the same time she was proud that she put it together. She knew it was supposed to be cooler out but she loves that skirt and shirt so she made it work. Now Braxton came down in a short sleeve shirt and shorts-he is in denial!! (by the way she loved posing for this pic!!)

Yes I have a dog and a cat!!

2007-11-01T04:47:00.000-07:00

I have never really been a fan of Halloween since I have had children. There are way too many scary images then peaceful ones that revolve around this day. We went to a Revival last nigh at a Baptist church down in Butler , where Chad teaches. They had a program at the beginning for the children and it sent a very powerful message to the older children there. After that they invited the families to come to the "trunk or treat". Different members of the church had their trunks decorated and the kids went around and got candy from each one. My kids dont eat candy but they love to examine each and every piece. We usually let them pick one piece from their collection. They also had a bonfire and different games for the kids to play.

I receive emails daily from Proverbs 31 ministries and I think she sums it up well here:

( I know it's kind of long but it's worth it!!)

Spooks, Skeletons, and Saints
By Micca Campbell

“And he said unto them, Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature.” Mark 16:15 (KJV)

Devotion:
When Jesus said, “Go ye into all the world, and preach the gospel to every creature,” did He mean for us to include ghost and goblins? I view every Halloween as an opportunity to witness to “the dark side.”

Many Christians don’t know what to do with Halloween. They wonder if they should ignore it; protest against it; go along with it, or find alternative ways to participate without offending their faith. We often reason, nothing good can come from evil so why take part in this holiday? Yet, Joseph tells us in the bible that what is meant for evil God can use for good. In that case, Halloween can be an opportunity for us to do good!

Some of you may be wondering if I’ve been living on a far away planet unaware of what Halloween is. No, I’m very much aware of its meaning and tradition. Before Christ, Halloween was part of the Celtic Feast of Samhain. This Druid priest celebration commemorated the beginning of winter. The Festivals consisted of animal sacrifices to the dead and bonfires in recognition of departed souls. Those who participated in the festival believed that goblins, demons, witches and elves were sent from the world beyond to harass the living. For self-protection, the Druid’s would dress up like ghouls and goblins and involve themselves in demonic activities. They believed participating in this way kept them from being attacked by real witches and demons.

The early church responded by moving All Saint’s’ Day from spring to fall and renamed it Hallows’ Eve. In doing so, Christians used the pagan festival as catalyst in which to proclaim Christ’s death and resurrection. Halloween, for the early church, became a time to evangelize. They took something evil and used it for good. We would do well to follow their example.

Halloween is full of trickery and illusions about mystical powers and the living dead. Christians today can use these illusions in comparison to the truth that Jesus overcame the grave by the power of God and is the true Resurrection and Life. Better yet, those who are in Christ will also conquer the grave and live forever in the presence of God. What good news to share on a dark day!

There are many ways to share the good news of the gospel. My church has a Harvest Party on October 31 every year. The children play games and collect candy while the adults enjoy hayrides and wiener roasts. The most significant part about our party is the gospel room. This is where a drama is presented sharing about the good news of Jesus Christ and His saving power. One way for you to share Jesus with others is to invite an un-churched family to your church’s festival.

Another way to participate if you’re a stay-at-home kind of person is not to turn off the lights and hide as some of us tend to do. Instead, be a shinning light on a dark night. Tie scripture or gospel tracks to some candy and hand it out at your front door with Christ-like love and joy.

If you have the gift of hospitality, then have a Harvest party at your house. Invite friends, family, and neighbors to sit around a camp fire or your living room floor and swap Holy Spirit stories rather than ghost stories.

Halloween is not a time for avoidance. It’s a time to communicate with your children, family, and friends that, “yes,” evil, death and the grave are real, but through Christ, we are more than conquerors over it all. What better time to share this good news with others then when our minds are on such things? It’s an opportunity to take something meant evil and use it for good.

Just something to share.

2007-10-26T04:41:00.000-07:00

I havent tried this yet but thought I would share it!!

Pumpkin Fruit Roll-ups
Chop pumpkin and cook in saucepan until soft. Use as little water as possible. Puree in blender or food processor until the consistency of thick applesauce. * Add 1/2 cup honey and 1/2 tsp. pumpkin pie spice to mixture. Mix well. * Spread puree on a cookie sheet lined with waxed paper (tape wax paper down so it won't curl over the pumpkin), leaving a 1-2 inch border around the edge. * Preheat oven to 275 F and bake for 30-35 minutes. Turn off oven and leave door closed, letting the pumpkin dry 8-10 hours. * When cooled to the touch, roll up and cut into 1-inch wide strips. Seal in Ziplock® bags and serve as a yummy, inexpensive alternative to commercial Fruit RollUps®! * OR leave flat and use cookie cutters to cut into fun holiday shapes.

A Great Visit from my Mom and Grandmother!!

2007-10-24T13:09:00.000-07:00

On Monday , my mom and grandmother(and their dogs!) drove up from Florida to visit us for a couple nights. We had a great time. They got to see Braxton play his last session of soccer, Bailey try out for basketball and just the everyday happenings of the Ansbaughs. Yesterday we went shopping for a pumpkin, went out to lunch, went shopping around Macon and of course got a latte (did a country girl just say that??). We ended our fun day with my mom cooking (yee haw!) yummy lasagna. I just loved being able to sit out on my front porch with my mom, grandmother and my daughter and just give thanks to have these amazing girls in my life!! They have each made me who I am today, not to say that my husband ,father, and son have not, but there is something about the mother-daughter thing that is just a different relationship. (Did that make sense?) We had a great time and I was sad to see them go this morning!!!

A Visit from my mom and grandmother!!

2007-10-24T08:22:00.001-07:00

One mother's trash....another child's rose garden!!

2007-10-20T05:40:00.001-07:00

Chad and I received a beautiful flower bouquet for our anniversary a couple of weeks ago from his Aunt and Uncle(and their son) in California. It was just gorgeous and lasted quite a while. Well I noticed yesterday morning that it was starting to look a little puny and decided to go ahead and throw it away. Well I was going to take it to the trash can outside and it was raining so I just put in on the porch floor and knew I would get to it later. Well yesterday afternoon it had stopped raining and the kids were playing outside and I happened to remember I needed to go throw those dead flowers away, well to my surprise the kids thought they had done this amazing thing. They took the roses and a few of the other things that were in the arrangement and planted them in my flower beds in front of the house. They were so proud of their plantings. I tried to explain to them that the flowers were dead and I really needed to throw them away. Well we compromised and I told them we could leave them there until Daddy saw them today. I just love how in a child's eye they don't see a pile of dead flowers they see something that it as beautiful as a rose garden. I love my kids so much and thank God for them everyday to give me a fresh and flourishing perspective on life!!! (You can see the roses in the picture that were planted!!!)

Oh Deer!!!

2007-10-16T05:13:00.000-07:00

Living in the country now, we have become quite accustomed to seeing deer out in the front yard and all over the property. We have seen more lately because the big(OK it's actually ginormous) oak tree that is in our front yard is dropping acorns and the deer just eat them like candy. Morning,noon and night you may find at least one deer, and last night Chad saw five deer right out in our front yard eating away. It is just amazing. A couple of the kids soccer balls are out there and I just keep hoping to see the deer playing a little 2 v 2,no luck yet. I have never really been able to see deer this close before. When we lived in Florida we always had to be careful driving on certain desolate roads at night because they may run out in front of the car and can do some damage. Now I get to sit on my front porch and just enjoy God's creation. We realize that come this Sunday, it is open season on deer and our friends in our yard might become a little scarce(although I have been posting signs for the deer warning them of this upcoming event and letting them know that our yard is a safe haven-not quite sure if they understand them or not!!) and we are not against hunting (although we don't partake in it), but we have been blessed to be able to witness these beautiful animals in their natural habitat while we can.
(Kitty-please refrain your husband and son from reading this post as they will be in the car and on their way......although if they bring you and the kids I would be a happy camper! j/k)

A Visit to the Fair

2007-10-10T17:23:00.000-07:00

Chad has off the rest of this week for Fall Break, and although he does have football obligations and things to do on the house, we thought we would take a little trip to the Georgia National Fair in Perry. Perry is only about 40 minutes away so it really wasnt too bad of a drive. I must say the Georgia National Fair is the biggest fair I have ever seen. Being from Osceola County, a cattle driven county (well it used to be), I thought I had seen a decent size fair. I really believe that you could have fit 4 of those fairs and it might equal the size of this one. It was huge. We took the kids to see some of the animals and we just picked one ride because we would have had to take out a loan to do any more than that!! We chose to do the agri-lift, which is like a ski lift but it goes over the fair. It was pretty cool. The kids really liked it.

Soccer Kids!!

2007-10-06T12:39:00.000-07:00

The kids love to do anything outside!! Bailey started playing soccer last year in St. Cloud and it was quite a learning experience. She was more interested in chasing butterflies than the soccer ball. We had heard from other parents that it was a first year thing. Boy was I glad they were right (not that I don't want her chasing butterflies, but if she is out there supposed to be doing something else-it is good to have your eye on the prize ,or ball in this instance) This year I enrolled Bailey and Braxton in the soccer league in Macon. They are both just doing an amazing job. Bailey is so much more focused and is really learning how to play the game. I must say though she does have quite an amazing coach. (her coach is actually a supermodel that is pretending to know the game of soccer!!! HA HA!!!) Well guess what......I am her coach. They have a lot of teams on her age level so they asked the parents to volunteer and help out, so there I was!!! It is fun. It is great that she wants me to coach her!!! Braxton is doing a great job. He practices with Bailey's team as well and is quite competitive with them. He does really well with the other kids in his age group as well. Well.... I just wanted to let you know one of the things that the Ansbaugh kids do in their spare time!!

Watch out Rachel Ray...............

2007-10-04T17:18:00.000-07:00

I used to watch that show "30 minute meals" , hosted by Rachel Ray and thought that it just wasn't possible to pull a good meal ,prep time and all in 30 minutes, but she always did. I was thinking of her tonight as I was trying to find a replacement meal. I started to brown some hamburger meat tonight to make tacos and as I was cooking it , it started to smell like ammonia. I tried tasting it (which I hope I don't regret later) and it tasted fine but I just couldn't shake the smell. So I dumped 2 1/2 pounds of ground meat. So as I was dumping it Chad called and said he was getting ready to leave football practice and was looking forward to dinner with the family. I started to think about what to "whip" up and have ready in 30 minutes or less. I had gone grocery shopping the other day and thankfully I had gotten enough for 2 weeks so the possibilities were endless(which is rarely a phrase used in my kitchen). I already had boil in bag rice cooked in the microwave so I had to do something that involved that. I must say our meal was delicious. I had been wanting to try and make something with chicken breast in a can. So I heated that up with some refried beans (organic-very tasty!) Then I spread those onto a big burrito tortilla and put some rice and cheese on top of that. Then I put another tortilla on it and put them in the toaster oven and VOILA!! we had amazing chicken quesadillas.(had a little sour cream and salsa on the side too!!) They were really very tasty. Now I usually don't share with others what I cook cause it is usually pretty routine (and I will leave that to Jonatha!!). I just had to share that with you. It kind-of, sort-of ,somewhat, (OK it was just a quesadilla) reminded me of Cool Blue Burrito which is a restaurant I love in St. Cloud. So thanks for letting me share my "15-20 minute meal" with you!!!

A New Arrival........A New Life!!!

2007-10-02T18:38:00.000-07:00

My amazing sister-in-law gave birth to her 6th child this morning. Westin Earl arrived this morning!!! I am so excited for their family. He has 4 amazing sisters and one terrific brother waiting to take great care of him!!! Kitty and Casey are amazing parents and I just wanted to share the news!!!

Check out my Slide Show!

2007-09-30T16:59:00.001-07:00

My little boy is 4!

2007-09-29T11:00:00.000-07:00

My amazing little boy, Braxton turns 4 today. I can't believe it. He is just a great little person. Everyday he does something that amazes me. He and his sister get along so well. I am so blessed to have such great kids. I will post some pics tomorrow from some things he did today. Hope everyone has a great weekend!!