MY LITTLE MUSICIANS!!

Today I was in my room putting away clothes and I heard music. Now that is not abnormal in my home, however it was a different sound. Stephen was playing Alyssa's guitar and I could hear the faint sound of Alyssa singing....  None of this is strange, but normally I hear Stephen in his room playing a song and Alyssa in her room playing or singing a totally different song! TODAY they sounded like they were both playing and singing the same song!! THEY WERE!! They were sitting on one of the upstairs couches and Stephen was playing Alyssa's guitar and Alyssa was singing along!! It was so cute!!


I took some video too, but I am having a hard time uploading it on this site!! So go and check it out here and here!!

Yesterday, I was blessed to be able to stop by a quilt shop in Apopka!! Here is some of the fabric I bought!!

Yesterday was a crazy day for me!! I hurt my back trying to take apart our 9 ft. christmas tree and this is how far I got....

Isnt that just great!?! Well today is another day! My back feels alot better today! I did some stretches this morning and I know it helped!! Also, I started a new Devotion today! It is by Max Lucado!! It is a devotion on the book of Ruth! Day one was on Loyalty! It made me think about how blessed I am! I have a husband who is so loyal to me. I am blessed to have been married for 11 yrs and 7months (yes I still count the months) and he has always been faithful to me and I have been faithful to him and we have never been separated! I am so thankful for my husbands Loyalty!! I am also thankful for my friend Lisa's loyalty!

~ Chloe Makes Me SMILE ~

Yesterday I got to watch Chloe from 10 am until 10pm!! It was great to spend the WHOLE day with her! We had so much fun. She is getting so big! She is getting into everything... I love the desire to discover and learn about how things work, what's that sound, what happens when I do "fill in the blank", etc. It is great to watch a child discovering the world around them! To me it is beautiful!! I cant get enough!! Here are a few pictures from our day!!

Its the NEW YEAR!! Welcome 2010!!

I am so excited about this New Year!! I just feel that it is going to be an awesome year!! I don’t know how or why, but I just know!! I have a feeling like I was given a new chance to change and do things better! I am taking this chance!! I have made lists about my projects I am going to complete this year and lists about lists I need to make... I sound like my Grandmother - she was the ultimate list maker!


I am going to change some of the ways we do our schooling. I have changed bed times, wake up times, school times, etc. The kids are very confused, but they will catch on!! I have caught up with grading and I am almost caught up with planning!!! I am so excited about all of my sewing projects.

I have signed up for 3 new swaps & BOM's!! I can’t wait to get going!! I am also completing some of MY personal quilting and sewing projects!! Here is one that is almost done... I just need to do a little more quilting on it.

Also, I feel different about Detto being gone this time. I feel like... I can do this! I have done it before and look at me... I survived. I have accomplished things that I never would have done if God hadn’t allowed us to go through this! I drove (by myself) to South Carolina, I bought tires for the truck, I made my first Car payment, and the list goes on... I am sad that he left again, but I feel like I will use this time to get things caught up and back on track and I will be ok! When he was away at BCT I used the time to get back in the WORD!! I was so blessed by my Bible reading and devotional books! I am loving all of the encouragement I am getting from the Bible! The Bible says how David encouraged himself in the Lord his God in 1 Sam 30:6! I love how getting in the Word encourages me! I am so blessed.

I am sad that Detto is gone. I miss him alot. The kids miss him alot.... But it is different this time! Yesterday I talked to him 4 times. We talked until 12:30am!! I was falling asleep on the phone and so was he!! I love that we have the privilege of talking on the phone like that! This is nothing life BCT where we got a 5 minute call sometimes on Sunday afternoons!! Please continue to pray for Detto who is stationed in Snowing/ Freezing Missouri!! Also please pray for Angela, Sheldon, and their daughters. Sheldon was deployed to Afghanistan right before Christmas, and Angela is Prego. Also, pray for my little brother John. He left for the Air Force Basic Training yesterday and he will be in Texas for 8 1/2 weeks!! Pray for his wife Sam and his daughter Anaia! It is strange that so much of my family is away in the military right now!! New Year = New experiences!!

Another thing I am really excited about is the Volunteering projects me and the kids are going to be doing!!! We have signed up for Disney's Give a Day Get a Day we signed up here! We are going to help clean up a Camp for Special Needs Kids!! We are doing this on Saturday!! The kids are really excited about it! Also, we have committed to make some quilts for Quilts for Kids! We are making 3 - one from Alyssa, one from Stephen and one from me!! This organization is really cool!! They are sponsored by Downy and they send you a quilt kit! All you have to do is follow the instructions and send it back! The quilt is then given to a child in need! I was shocked when the kids decided to do one each. I thought we would do a "family" quilt, but NO WAY... Alyssa wants to do her own and Stephen wants to do his own... So "come on Mom, you can do your own!" So we are making THREE!! I have already sent off for the kits! I ordered some extra kits in case anyone I know wants to do it too!! Just send me a message and I will give you the kit!!

Right before Detto left we took the kids bowling! It was so much fun!! I included those pictures and a few of our goodbyes!!

Detto got a STRIKE and the kids were jumping to give him a high five!! They are so cute!

2010 Here I COME!!

Well, 2009 has been a blast!! We have definately had some ups and downs and lots of changes!! I am glad that we found our "forever home"!! I love our home in Mount Dora!! It is perfect!! I cant wait to start planting in the spring and add lots of color to the yard!! I love my porch with my swing and all of the hanging plants! I love the little touches that make this house a home!!

I cant believe that Detto is in the Army now!! Wow! I was shocked when he came home and told me put his agency up for sale!! He is so happy following the call that I believe God put on his heart!! I hate that he has been gone and will be leaving again in a day, but I know that this is where God has us. This is a season and if I remember that it will help me make it through this.

I love all of the great projects that I have been working on! My goal is to finish ALL of my UFQO's (unfinished quilting objects!) I have lots of stuff that I want to start, but I am going to wait until I finished some more before I start new projects!! I am going to work on completing one quilt per month this year!! I love the feeling of completing quilts!!

I plan on making and donating a quilt to Downy Quilts for Kids and Project Linus!! I love Quilting and sewing!! I cant wait to get my kids addicted!! The kids are going to be making their own quilt to donate to Downy Quilts for Kids!!

I have so many New Years Resolutions this year!! I want to finish my Excellent Wife devotional and I want to do at least two other Bible studies!! I want to get closer to God this year and I plan on stepping up my Bible reading!!

There are lots of goals the kids and I have set for school... like less book work and more discovery! The science cirriculum we are using is a great "discovery science"!

I have been blessed with so much this year!! I am still watching Chloe and I love that she is apart of my life!! I love all of my friends and family! The kids want to do more sports and Alyssa is wanting to get back into dance. I love that my kids are developing musically. They both play the guitar and piano. They are amazing!!

Busch Gardens!!

This is us on the way!! Detto Driving and me... taking pictures!!

We had a BLAST at Busch Gardens Yesterday!! It was so nice to be at the park with the kids and Detto!! The Park WAS Packed!! My DAD would have Hated it!! (sorry Dad!) The lines were really long, but we got in FREE so!! Hoot Hoot!!

We only rode a few rides... Kumba, Montu, and the Cheeta Chaser!! But my favorite part was the shows!! We saw an awesome Christmas on Ice show!! They had all kinds of olympic skater there!! It was really an amazing show!! And we saw a cute Christmas Musical show while we ate dinner!! I didnt take any pictures of the shows... oops!!

The park was fun! We didnt get there as early as we had originally planned, but I liked having more of a laid back day!! We all love looking at the animals and so that's were we spent most of our time!! It was fun hearing the kids tell Detto all of the stuff they learned when we went on our homeschool days field trip to Busch Gardens!! It is amazing how much they remember!! 

They had a fireworks display at night!! We left right after that!! I didnt remember Busch Gardens doing fireworks in the past... I asked one of the ladies who worked there and she said they dont normally do fireworks, but this was a "Special Holiday Fireworks Show"!! It was really pretty!! I love fireworks!!

All around we had a fantastic time!! Detto was in a silly mood and so we laughed almost all day!! I wish he didnt have to leave so soon!! But the good news is that they cut down his time that he will have to be in Missouri!! He will graduate from AIT on February 11th instead of the end of March!! Yippy!! Then he will be home for a LONG TIME!!

The Simple Womans Daybook!

FOR TODAY


December 29th, 2009

Outside my window... Bright Clear day... No Clouds

I am thinking... Only a few more days with my hubby!! :(

I am thankful for... The time I have had with Detto and the Kids!! And a WONDERFUL CHRISTMAS!

From the learning rooms... Thank you Lord we are on Christmas Break!!

From the kitchen... We had leftovers for lunch!! YUMMY!!

I am wearing... Jeans and my "ARMY WIFE" t-shirt (Detto bought it for me... It has pink flowers on it!!)

I am creating... A Purse for an Army wife - keep the orders coming!!

I am going... To dinner with Detto tonight!! A REAL DATE!! Hoot Hoot

I am reading... My Excellent Wife book!! only on Ch 12!! But I did the workbook today!! Go me!!

I am hoping... For a Perfect Evening!!

I am hearing... Alyssa dancing in her room, Detto working on stuff?, Stephen playing drums in the garage!!

Around the house... Chloe is sleeping!! Yippy!!

One of my favorite things... HOT TEA!! I had the best cup of tea this morning. Its a Chai  Chocolate Caramel by Celestial Seasonings!!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Spend every waking minute with Detto and sleep in his arms every night!!

Here is picture for thought I am sharing...

This is me and my family standing in line for the KUMBA at Busch Gardens!! We rode this ride twice in a row!! It was so much fun!!

Christmas gifts I made!!

I havent been able to post any pictures of what I have been working on because they were all Christmas gifts! So... This is what I have made in the last few weeks!! I made Detto and Alyssa rag top quilts!
I made Angela an Army Diaper bag!! It turned out so cute!!

I made a few other gifts, but I cant find the pictures of them... so this is all for now!!

This is my newest niece!! She is so cute and tiny!! Her name is Abby!!

Christmas 2009

We had a GREAT Christmas!! The kids were so cute!! They woke up at 3:30am and I sent them back to bed!! I said that we needed to wait until at least 6am!! They were so good... They went back to bed!! I was shocked!! Here are a few pics of our Christmas!!

We went to Disney on Dec 23rd!! Detto got in free with his military ID and my aunt let me and the kids in!! Yippy!! It was a blast!!

Also, we went on the Polar Express w/ my Mom & Dad, My brother and his wife, and my 3 nieces!! It was really cool!! We all had a really good time! We all wore our p.j.'s like they did in the movie! They read the book, sang, danced, and gave us cookies and hot cocoa!!