Here's some pics of a parade we went to yesterday!!

Lookie what I found!!

I was going through my pictures because I belong to Facebook and I have found alot of gals I went to school with and I wanted to upload some of my high school pictures and I found a few that I wanted to share!!



This is one of a bunch of us just playing around, I am the one in the middle!!

This is one of my close friend, Lisa. She died 5 years ago from breast cancer, and it really breaks my heart, even today!!

Here's a couple of more of my friends...and if you haven't noticed, I went to a Catholic School, and we had to wear uniforms!!


I love finding all these pictures and remember these great days!!



And I found this one, and I thought I would share it with ya!! It is of me and hubby on a ferry at the Outer Banks!! Isn't he the most handsome man you have ever seen!!






and this is the last one that I am going to share....DRUMROLL, PLEASE!!!...

This is my man, when we first started going out...I LOVE THIS PIC OF HIM!!!



Have a wonderful day!!!

Ronnie!!

My Christmas tree!!

My tree is up and my decorations are on it, and all the empty boxes and crates are up in the attic. We used to have a HUGE TREE and I mean a HUGE TREE, but last year was it's last year, and I don't know if I could even get rid of it, because it was so big. The tree stood about 7 1/2 to 8 feet tall, and was about 5' round!! and my living room was all tree when that thing got put up. We had to curl around the tree to watch TV, no matter where we sat in the living room..urgh!!!

But hubby and I were shopping last year after Christmas and we picked our tree up for $15.00, and it was already prelit!! So I snatched up on it and I have embraced this tree to be our new family Christmas tree. And I have to tell ya, it has saved me so much time!! My old tree would take about a day to just put up, and I am not kidding you!! My new tree took about 10 minutes!! My old tree took about 1/2 a long day to decorate it. My new tree, from box to being completely decorated, took about 4-5 hours!! And the reason I knew it took 4-5 hours is because whenever I put up and decorate my tree, I watch my favorite Christmas movie, "It's a Wonderful Life", and I have the b&w and color version and I watched both of them from beginning to end and my tree was done!! Yeah, I know that may sound like a bit much to some of you, but I realllllllly love that movie!!!

Ok, now, I want to show you what our old tree looked like....




compared to our new Christmas tree!!! I just love this one so much more!!!


Do you see the difference?? The old tree is HUGE!!! And it took up too much room in the living room!! Well, that's my two cents for today!!! Have a great and blessed day!!!

What did you do with your leftovers??

We bought a 20# turkey, and on Thanksgiving, we all but picked the bones..hehe. And my boys and hubby loved it!! Then we made a plate for hubby's friend, because he was alone on Thanksgiving, and we gave him some extra turkey so that he can have plenty of leftovers. We asked him to come join us, but he didn't, so we dropped off him a plate.

But we still have leftovers, and we had to finish them off yesterday or pitch them, and I wasn't into pitching them out, so I made soup!! And once hubby and I cut everything up to go in the soup, I realized it wasn't as much as I thought it was going to be. So I did what any frugal mama would do, I made rice!! Yeah, you heard me right, I made rice, and lots of it!! See this is what I did, I make about 4 cups of rice and what I did was, put the rice in the bottom of the bowl, and them pour some of the soup over top of it!! And the soup lasted much longer then what I thought it was going to, and everyone was pleasantly stuffed!! Plus, hubby took the rest of leftover soup and rice today for lunch!!

And that is my tip for the day, when you are making soup and you don't think you have enough, or you want to make it stretch, make some rice!!! Your family will love it!!! Now you can also use noodles, but rice is much cheaper and I bought 50#'s of it, and it is in abundance in my home...LOL

I have been keeping in tabs on Cindy's Porch, and if you have never been there, please go check her site out!!! She is great!!! And has bunches of great ideas that will help with your holiday shopping, gift giving and cooking/baking!!

Well, I am going to go on "PITCH-OUT-PATROL", and no one will be happy with that one...LOL

Blessings to you!!!

I have the best recipe....

....that you can use apples with!! I made this recipe so many times and every time it is gone before you know it!!! So if you need to make something that is great for breakfast, dessert, or actually anytime, this one it is!!

Apple Cinnamon Cake

1 1/2 c flour
1/4 tsp salt
2 tsp baking powder
2/3 c sugar
1/4 c butter melted
1 egg
1/2 c milk
1/2 tsp vanilla
2-3 apples (cut, peeled, and cored)

TOPPING:
4tbsp butter melted
4 tbsp sugar
1/2 tsp cinnamon


Sift dry ingredients together, then add rest of ingredients (except apples).
Beat together at medium speed for 2 minutes.
Pour batter into greased 8" square baking pan.
Put sliced apples on top of batter (as shown in pic)

In this picture, I used two different apples, that's why the apple slices are different colors


Bake at 350* for 25 minutes or until completely baked



Topping:
Melt butter and add sugar and cinnamon. Spoon or pour on freshly baked cake.





And Finally....ENJOY!!!

I'm back, Again!!!

I have neglected my blog for over a month, and I have to apologize for that. So this post may be a bit long, so be prepared..hehe...Since I last posted, this is what has been going on in my life...

I lost both of my guinea pigs. It was a very sad time, but we have had them for about 6-7 years and that is about how long they last. They were really good pets and I would highly recommend them for anyone who is looking for a great pet, but understand, once they are gone, you may not want to "replace" them, because that's what my boys said when their guinea pigs died.

I have been the "Football Mom" for my boys!! They have had practice everyday and their games are once a week, and we are going to their games. They are both doing well, and I am very proud of both of them. As a matter of fact, my Coty told me last night that he is going to be sad when football is over!! And you his mama will too!!!

I am getting ready for the holiday season, and it's not what you probably are thinking. I make and sell my soy candles, and that's what I have been working on, getting my stock up. I really love going to shows and doing shows, but the preparation is what is hard for me. But if I do as much as I can now, it won't be so hard later in the season.

Just this past weekend our family went to see the movie, Fireproof!! And I would recommend it for anyone, and everyone!! I loved that movie and I can't wait for it to come out on DVD so that I can get it and watch it whenever I want. I was looking for the soundtrack for the movie, but I haven't seen it, so if you come across it, please let me know so that I can get it. And this weekend, I bought The Love Dare for my husband and I, and we are taking 40 days to go through this program for us!! And I would recommend it for any couple!!

Ok, and the last thing I am going to post about is a recipe that made up last week. I have 50# of potatoes and 5 cases of beans, so I tried to make a potato soup that I could put in the crock pot, and I have to tell ya, it is really good. Here's the recipe...

1 40oz Butter beans (drained and pureed)
1 1/4 c water
1 c milk
1 regular size can of Cream of Chicken
2 tbsp minced onion(I used dry)
10 med potatoes cut in big chunks, and leave the skin on
1 stick of butter
3 tbsp dry parsley
1 tsp old bay (optional)
salt and pepper to taste

Mix all the ingredients together in your crock pot, cook on low for about 6 hours, stir every now and then, and dinner is served.

Here's a pic, in my crock pot, the picture may not look that great (because my camera is broken..*sigh*.....long story), but it is really good!!!



Blessings to you,
Ronnie!!

I LOVE FOOTBALL!!!

My boys had their first scrimmage yesterday, and since they weren't on the same field, I could only go to one...so I went to Coty's first and then next week I will be going to Bubba's!! But here are a few pics of the football scrimmage game that I watched yesterday!!! Next week, I will have another awesome batch of pictures, so make sure that you come back and see them!!










Blessings,
Ronnie

Welcome Olivia!!

Since we lost, Noon, our gerbil, hubby felt sorry for Midnight being left all alone, so we went and got another one. And here is a picture of Olivia!!!




She is such a cutie, and her and Midnight are getting along very well. I didn't think I would like gerbils, but I couldn't see those little babies being given away to just anyone, that's why I took them. But I really love them, they are the cutest little critters!! And they are not expensive to keep, when I change their bedding, I just get rid of the old and just put toilet paper in for new bedding, and they shred it up. And they are great recyclers, when you are done with a roll of paper towels, and if you put the cardboard roll in their cage, it will be chewed up in minutes!! And they love it!!!


Blessings,
Ronnie

Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins Recipe

Ok, this is an awesome recipe for Blueberry Oatmeal Muffins, and I can tell you it has taken me 2 days to get a pic of the muffins!! The first day, Wednesday, I made 44 muffins, and I need to stress this FOURTY FOUR muffins, and by the next day, Thursday, I had only 10!! So I made these last night, and immediately took a pic, because I knew that they wouldn't last tooo long!!! ok, so here's the pic... Oh, and just to let you know...since I took this pic, which was about 9 last night, half of the muffins are gone!! The recipe is below the pic!!





And here is the recipe

1/4 c oil
1 medium egg
1 cup milk
1/2 cup sugar
1 tablespoon baking powder
1 1/2 c of flour
1/2 c old fashioned oats (rolled oats)
3/4 c blueberries

Mix oil, egg,milk, and sugar together until well blended. Mix in flour and oats, until well blended. Fold in blueberries gently. Pour in muffin tins, and bake for about 20 minutes at 400*, but before you put them in the oven, sprinkle a bit of white sugar over the top of each muffin, it is awesome!!
And when they come out of the oven, I would recommend that you let them cool before you eat them, but in my home, that didn't happen!!

Blessing,
Ronnie

Football Practice Started

I am so excited!! Football practice started yesterday and my boys are regretting not exercising this past summer...hehe. Their legs and arms are aching!! And their first game is next week..YEAH, but it is actually a scrimmage, but still Yeah!!! Here are some pics that I took yesterday, I had to take them through the fence, because only players are allowed on the practice field..






LOVE FOOTBALL SEASON!!!...YEAH!!!!!!!!!

Blessings,
Ronnie

What a weekend!!

This was a weekend of ups and downs....

Saturday we went to the Red Lion Street Fair and we had a ball!! My husband was supposed to be working, but he surprised me and left work early and came to walk around the fair with me!! I was so happy he did that!! But I think it had something to do with me calling him and telling him that there was pit beef there...LOL Here's a pic of the Fair, and as you can tell, we had beautiful weather for the fair...




And Sunday, was a sad day for us. We had been given two gerbils about a week and a half ago, because the people who had them could no longer take care of them. So we took them and one of them looked really sick and I didn't think the she was going to make it, and she didn't. She died yesterday, and the boys were upset. Coty took it really bad, and Elijah volunteered to bury her. So each of them grieved in their own way. Here's a picture of the two gerbils that we got, the grey and white one is Noon, the one in front (and she is the one who died), and the dark one is Midnight. The boys picked out the names, and I thought they were cute!!



Well, that was our weekend!! How was yours?

Blessings,
Ronnie

We are stitch-free!!

We had a day of running today, and one of the errands was getting Coty's stitches out!! And I cannot tell you how happy I am that they are finally out...now don't get me wrong, I didn't mind taking care of Coty's stitches, I was just sick with worry that something bad would happen and they would get infected...and OH, that made me sick!! I can say this now, because it is over with...hehe

But we had alot of errands to run today and one of them was picking up my camera my dear, and loving hubby got for me, and as soon as I get the idea on how to work it I am going to post some pics!! I had so much to do today, my running started about 8 this morning and ended about 4:30 this afternoon. I could swear my butt print is embedded in the front seat of my car!! And I tried to do too much today, and I realized it now. I went grocery shopping about 9 or so this morning, and I came home and started to put the groceries away but had to leave, and I didn't finish putting my groceries away until about 5 this afternoon...*sigh*

So I am going to get off her and relax!! And spend time with my dear hubby!!!

Blessings,
Ronnie

One more day!!

One more day and Coty's stitches are out!!! I won't be surprised if he asks for a party!!...hehe...He cannot wait, he asked me, "Can we go there and wait until they open?? I want to be the first one there"...hehe...now tell me, does that sound like a little boy who can't wait to get those stitches out??..hehe

Well, it starts tonight. Now you may ask what?? Well, let me tell ya....RAVEN'S FOOTBALL STARTS TONIGHT!!! WOOOOOOOOOOOOHOOOOOOOOOOO!!!... I cannot wait!! In case you don't know I love football!!! To be more specific, I love RAVEN'S Football!!!. So that's where I will be tonight with my boys!!

Here's an awesome video that I thought you may enjoy!!!

I'm Back!!

They (the powers that be at blogger.com) found that my blog was "a potential spam blog". Now, as you read this, look around and see what you see on my blog, I don't see it as a spam blog, but I guess their electronic spam detector thought so, and blocked my blog. I didn't know that they had released it until I just went on today, I would have thought an apology was due, but I guess I am wrong. Ok, I am done...I got that off my chest...now let's move on...

As for Coty's foot...it is looking really good. I spent a long time this weekend cleaning it out, and trying to get the dried blood and build up of antibiotic off of it, and it looked really good. He is walking on it, and he doesn't need the crutches anymore. He said it feels like a bee sting, but the swelling is gone. I am taking him to the doctor's Friday to take out the stitches!! I have a note on the frig that he is getting his stitches out on Friday and underneath it he wrote "YAY!!", so he is ready!!

Bub and Coty start football practice next week, so I pray that Coty's foot is healed enough by then. But I think that since he is getting his stitches out on Friday and he plans to do alot of walking around this weekend, I am praying that he will be fine for Monday!!

Ok, that's all for me, for today!! Hope everyone has a blessed day!!!


Blessings,
Ronnie

We have a new boo-boo

Well, my little Coty got a splinter in his foot, but good. This happened Tuesday, so he is healing pretty well, but when he gets up and moves around, he hobbles. He was running and when he hit the porch, he slid his foot across and got a splinter in it. When he first did it, I didn't see anything, but I still took him to the doctor, because I was afraid of all that stuff that is in that deck wood. But the doctor said that he did have a chunk of wood in his foot, and it was so bad that he had to cut his foot open and get the wood out. And because he had to do that, Coty got 5 stitches :(

But like I said, he is healing well, so I will be tending to him the next few days. But I do have a pic of what his foot looks like after he got stitched up.

Eternal Ink

I just read this and I really touched me, so I am posting it on my blog so that you can enjoy it also...

ETERNAL INK

I dreamed I was in heaven
Where an angel kept God's book.
He was writing so intently
I just had to take a look.

It was not, at first, his writing
That made me stop and think
But the fluid in the bottle
That was marked eternal ink.

This ink was most amazing,
Dark black upon his blotter
But as it touched the parchment
It became as clear as water.

The angel kept on writing,
But as quickly as a wink
The words were disappearing
With that strange eternal ink.

The angel took no notice,
But kept writing on and on.
He turned each page and filled it
Till all its space was gone.

I thought he wrote to no avail,
His efforts were so vain
For he wrote a thousand pages
That he'd never read again.

And as I watched and wondered that
This awesome sight was mine,
I actually saw a word stay black
As it dried upon the line.

The angel wrote and I thought I saw
A look of satisfaction.
At last he had some print to show
For all his earnest action.
A line or two dried dark and stayed
As black as black can be,
But strangely the next paragraph
Became invisible to see.

The book was getting fuller,
The angel's records true,
But most of it was blank, with
Just a few words coming through.

I knew there was some reason,
But as hard as I could think,
I couldn't grasp the significance
Of that eternal ink.

The mystery burned within me,
And I finally dared to ask
The angel to explain to me
Of his amazing task.

And what I heard was frightful
As the angel turned his head.
He looked directly at me,
And this is what he said...

I know you stand and wonder
At what my writing's worth
But God has told me to record
The lives of those on earth.

The book that I am filling
Is an accurate account
Of every word and action
And to what they do amount.

And since you have been watching
I must tell you what is true;
The details of my journal
Are the strict accounts of YOU.

The Lord asked me to watch you
As each day you worked and played.
I saw you as you went to church,
I saw you as you prayed.

But I was told to document
Your life through all the week.
I wrote when you were proud and bold,
I wrote when you were meek.

I recorded all your attitudes
Whether they were good or bad.
I was sorry that I had to write
The things that make God sad.

So now I'll tell the wonder
Of this eternal ink,
For the reason for its mystery
Should make you stop and think.

This ink that God created
To help me keep my journal
Will only keep a record of
Things that are eternal.

So much of life is wasted
On things that matter not
So instead of my erasing,
Smudging ink and ugly blot.


I just keep writing faithfully and
Let the ink do all the rest
For it is able to decide
What's useless and what's best.

And God ordained that as I write
Of all you do and say
Your deeds that count for nothing
Will just disappear away.

When books are opened someday,
As sure as heaven is true;
The Lord's eternal ink will tell
What mattered most to you.

If you just lived to please yourself
The pages will be bare,
And God will issue no reward
For you when you get there.

In fact, you'll be embarrassed,
You will hang your head in shame
Because you did not give yourself
In love to Jesus' Name.

Yet maybe there will be a few
Recorded lines that stayed
That showed the times you truly cared,
Sincerely loved and prayed.

But you will always wonder
As you enter heaven's door
How much more glad you would have been
If only you'd done more.

For I record as God sees,
I don't stop to even think
Because the truth is written
With God's eternal ink.

When I heard the angel's story
I fell down and wept and cried
For as yet I still was dreaming
I hadn't really died.

And I said: O angel tell the Lord
That soon as I awake
I'll live my life for Jesus-
I'll do all for His dear sake.

I'll give in full surrender;
I'll do all He wants me to;
I'll turn my back on self and sin
And whatever isn't true.


And though the way seems long and rough
I promise to endure.
I'm determined to pursue the things
That are holy, clean and pure.

With Jesus as my helper,
I will win lost souls to Thee,
For I know that they will live with Christ
For all eternity.

And that's what really matters
When my life on earth is gone
That I will stand before the Lord
And hear Him say, well done.

THE END

It's been a crazy few days!!

It has been a crazy few days around here...sometimes I have to stop and ask myself if I live in the "Jerry Springer" world!! I can't go into what is going on, but if you could please keep me in your prayers I would greatly appreciate it.


I just thought I would post a few things that are going on....Well, August is almost here, and that means that FOOTBALL SEASON IS COMING!!! I love FOOTBALL and I love this time of year!!! The boys will start practicing August 11, and I will be loving it!!! I love to watch them practice and play in their games. Both my boys do great and really enjoy football, but sometimes their mom embarrasses them with her yelling on the sidelines...hehe...They have told me many times they have heard me while they are in the huddle...LOL

So, while other kids hate to see August come, because they have to go back to school, I LOVE IT!!! I am so blessed that I am able to stay home and be at my boys' practices and games, and I thank God for that!!

Blessings,
Ronnie

Marco Polo

Do you remember this game we used to play when we were kids?? It was like playing hide and go seek in the pool. I used to love it!!

Well, yesterday, Allen and the two younger boys were playing it in the pool, and they were having a blast with it. Well, it was Allen's turn to be "Marco", and the boys had to stay away from him. So the game went on for awhile, and they did a great job staying away from him. As a matter of fact, Allen had been playing for about 10 minutes and didn't tag either one of them. And ya know why?? They got out of the pool!!! Bubba came in and told me what was going on, how they left daddy in the pool, and he was cracking up!! I am glad I wasn't out there, because I am not very good at keeping a joke, I start laughing and that would be the end of it!! Then Allen comes in, and says, "Think that was funny, huh?"...and I just cracked up!! He was a good sport and he told me toward the end he said, "You guys are really good, did you get out of the pool??" Oh, the boys thought that was the best!!! Oh, and to top it off, we don't have a large pool, our pool is an 18' above ground pool...LOL

Oh, it was a riot and I loved it!!! These are the memories that they boys will remember with their dad!!

Blessings,
Ronnie

I GOT AN AWARD!!!!!

I have been blessed with this award from Terri






These are the rules:
1. The recipient must link back the the award's creator (http://www.thebabblingsofmere.blogspot.com/)
2. You must post these rules if you recieve the award.
3. You must chose 5 people to recieve the award after recieving it yourself
4. You must fit the characteristics of the recipient of the award, as posted by Mere.
5. You must post the characteristics of a recipient.
6. You must create a post sharing your win with others.
7. You must thank your giver.

Characteristics for the Smile Award:
1. Must display a cheerful attitude. (not necessarily at all times--we are all human)
2. Must love one another
3. Must make mistakes
4. Must learn from others
5. Must be a positive contributor to blog world
6. Must love life
7. Must love kids


Kim - Kim is an awesome lady!! If you have a problem, you can talk to her about it and she will help you through it. She is a wonderful mother, wife and friend and I am blessed to be considered one of her friends.

Jayedee - In a phrase...Jayedee holds an unlimited supply of information!! If you need to know anything about anything, ask Jayedee!! I honestly believe that Jayedee could be left in the wilderness with her husband and family, and nothing but what she knows in her head, and she would survive!!

Daphne - Daphne is a very giving woman. Her son just recently married and it was a joy to hear about the couple from when he asked her to marry him, up until the wedding. She is such a dear, sweet lady..who loves to hear about others joys!!

Hope - Hope is such a sweetie, and once you get her started on her little ones, there is no stopping her, And who could blame her, they are so adorable!! And I have to take my hats off to her, because she homeschools them all!! Homeschooling is very hard and it takes a very dedicated mama to do it!!

Tanja - Tanja was suggested to me by Terri and I took a look at her blog and I really liked her!! This is Terri's awesome opinion of Tanja..."She is passionate about her family.. and others.. she has a true love for Christ and isn't ashamed to admit it." Can't get better than that in my eyes!!

So this is my five that I chose, and I would like to thank Terri for giving me this honor!!!

Happy Birthday, Allen!!

Today is my husband's birthday, and he is 44 years old!!

This morning I was thinking, how blessed am I that I have been able to share 21 years of my husband's birthdays! I think that is such a blessing, that we are able to share our husband's lives, and know that we are the only ones that experience life with them. We have three beautiful children together, and a whole lot of memories, and I treasure it all!!

And since my hubby loves Jeremy Camp, this video is for him!!

I love ya, Allen!!!

Ravens

Anyone who knows me knows that I love the Baltimore Ravens!! And I just found out that they have two live raven mascots of their own. So I decided to research Ravens, and let me tell you they are very intelligent birds, and they are very funny!! I was searching Youtube to post a video on how intelligent they are, and I found this one!!! I thought it was great!!!! Have an awesome weekend!!!

Busy, Busy, Busy

I have been so busy cleaning up and decluttering!!! My target today is to finish my youngest son's room. I have been going through Living on a Dime and Hillbilly Housewife websites, and I have been very excited to declutter and I have been trying different recipes. And I have to tell ya, the recipes are not bad at all!! I made the Cream Cheese Fudge and Pocket Sandwiches, and they both were a hit!!

I would highly recommend both sites!! Whether you are trying to save money or just need some help getting organized, both sites would be great for ya!! I love decluttering!! I am getting rid of alot of their clothes, because I have realized that they have so many clothes, their bedroom is always cluttered. Since my boys do their own laundry, I have realized that if I take a bulk of their clothes away, they will have to do their laundry at least once a week, because they don't have a choice!! So in turn, their room becomes less cluttered, and they become more responsible for doing their laundry.

And because I am doing all of this decluttering and working on saving as much money as I can with the family budget, my mind has been clearer. I have been in such a depressed state, as a matter of fact, I can honestly say, Satan was having a ball with me!! I went to Church on Sunday and I sat in the back row and talked to the Lord, and shed a few tears. And I left with a lighter load, I truly felt alot better. And when I put my eyes back on Him, the depression and sorrow that I had been feeling were gone. So, doing what I am doing is really working for me!!

Oh, and by the way...it has been 4 weeks without smoking....Praise Jesus!!!


Have a blessed day!!!
Ronnie

Some more pics!!!

I am just going to post a few more pics from Creation, that Coty took. There are alot, but I will pick the best of the last today!!! Enjoy!!

Creation 08

Well, I got to chatting with Coty and he told me about his time at Creation. The first thing he said is that it rained every day they were there...hehe...I got a chuckle out of that. Oh, and the pics that he took were great!! He got alot of pics of his way up there, and he took a picture of the sun setting, from the first night being there, and I think that is the best picture!!! I am going to upload of few, but please look at the last one he took, that is my favorite one!!!

Well, enjoy the pics, I know I did!!!