Southern Living at Home Great Gifts Sale

If you love Southern Living at Home, don't forget tomorrow is the LAST DAY of our April Great Gifts Sale!!!
Great savings on many items - and if you spend $29.95 or more you can add any or all of the April Customer Specials!!!
Don't miss it - see my website - www.southernlivingathome.com/hollyathome. Text, email or call me with your order

Mid-Week Update

I know my blogging is pretty random...that's how I roll !!!
Monday was Jacob's birthday, which we celebrated with a fish fry and a big Chocolate-Caramel cake. It was SO good! We all stayed up late, enjoying our last visit for awhile.
Tuesday morning Meggan and Emalyn took Jacob to the airport. Rob-Rob drove them so she could help with Emalyn. OF COURSE, Delta Airlines made Jacob PAY to check his 2 extra bags since he didn't have his orders with him. The attendant was rude, and I swear I will be making many many complaints to them. I will NEVER fly Delta again - it is so ridiculous that the very men/women who keep our country safe have to pay to transport all their gear across country to do their job!!! Meggan said there was a young man in the Army going as well, and they made him pay. It's not just the $40 to me - it's the attitude the attendants had!
But he got off and landed safely in North Carolina, where he will spend the next few days getting ready to head out.
Meggan & Rob-Rob went to IKEA and Babies R Us, with a stop in to Ulta for our quarterly beauty supplies!
Morgan had a morning appt, then back to school. It rained and rained, so Wade didn't have much to do at work, and picked up the kiddos from school. He has a busy weekend coming up at work!
I left work and stopped in at the Women's Expo the Lufkin Daily News sponsors at the Civic Center. There were lots of booths for women's wellness, health and a few shopping/fun booths. I did pick up a beautiful plant for my porch for only $12!!! I was excited!!
Then home to try to corral the place. We found out the house closing will probably be Monday (it is now for sure Monday) so we are trying to help Nonnie get packed and ready to move into HER new home.
Today was pretty typical - Meggan took Emalyn to the dr. today. She weighs 13 lbs - she's getting so big - and can start on baby veggies and rice cereal (which you know we've done the rice cereal already). YAY!
Tomorrow is TAKS testing for Caleb and Morgan, so they have to get lots of rest tonight. Uncle David is also on the last leg of his journey driving in from Minnesota and should be here soon!
With all this swine flu, it's getting kind of scary. They've cancelled or put off a lot of UIL activities, and a child died in Texas today - the first U.S. death. It's so sad - and it scares me to think what could be coming. Everyone be careful out there - cover your mouth and wash your hands OFTEN!
Happy Wednesday!

Weekend Update and More Craziness...

Okay, it's been almost a week since last post, and a pretty crazy one! I know the Gonzalez family was here then, and we are a HOUSE FULL! Nonnie is packing her things to move, we should close on her house within the next week, then she'll move into her pretty new home, and we'll settle into our new home (Nonnie & Pa's OLD home!)
Last week was pretty normal, mostly just work and school. The Rodeo came to town, and the kids got to go on Thursday night for free (thanks Marilyn!). They had a ball! We kept Emalyn and she was really good. She went to bed early, so it wasn't too too hard!
I went to Urgent Doc Thursday and had my head examined (LOL). Mostly allergies and sinus stuff, but I got a shot and a Z-pack, so I was hoping to feel better soon.
Friday night Meggan, Jacob & Emalyn took Caleb for his game - the Red Sox lost but hey, you can't win 'em all!!! Caleb really wanted Jacob to see him play, so they got their wish. Emalyn LOVES baseball. Meme will make her an Astros fan yet!
I went to Carthage with 3 other moms to see the Hudson Lady Hornets play their last game of the 2008-2009 season. Our JV girls won 15-1 (I think) so it was great! Coach Eby had them rotate through the field after each batter since we were up so high. The girls were laughing and having a great time! Some of them played positions they haven't played since t-ball!!!
Afterward we ate at the Jalapeno Tree in Carthage. It was really good, and it was really late when we all got home! The girls were a little sad about the last game of the season, but there's always next year! I had a great time with Kim, Cindy and Paige!!
Saturday was sleep in (I still have this awful head cold/allergy stuff hanging on) then Nana and Garland came over. They had come in from Corsicana for the day. Nana, Janice, Morgan, Meggan, Emalyn and I all went to the Spring Market (Jr. League presents it) at the Civic Center. There were some great booths set up in there. We got to see Uncle Aleck, and ran into several friends we haven't seen in awhile. Nana did some shopping for the girls, and we checked out all the cute home decor and clothing available. There were some REALLY cute things!
The kids all went back to the rodeo Saturday night, and we babysat Emalyn. She went to sleep early on, but woke up and cried and cried and cried! Finally Gramps & I drove up and down the road with her, and she fell sound asleep! I think all the changes, formula changes (we put her on a Hypoallergenic Formula to help with all the spitting up) and moving around have her a little disconnected. When she's happy though, she is SO happy. However, Wade did point out to me that we were too old to have babies - believe me, I KNOW IT!
Sunday morning was Emalyn's dedication at church. This is her before we headed out, in her beautiful dress and bow.
Here is Jacob getting ready to go. He looked very handsome in his uniform.
Here is the whole Gonzalez family...aren't they beautiful? (And I'd say that even if they weren't mine ;) Then Gramps and Emalyn had to check out the flowers...
I'll post dedication pics later...it was very sweet. Of course, we had to have a wardrobe change before it happened...remember, with babies, expect the unexpected!!!
Then we headed over to Cafe Del Rio for lunch...to celebrate the dedication and, of course, Jacob turning 21 (today actually). Since he was technically only 20 until Monday, no margarita :( But lunch was great!

Then home for a nap.

Wade, Jacob, Morgan and Caleb all then headed out to Boggy to do some target shooting. Morgan, Emalyn, Nonnie and I hung around the house to do some more packing.

We got quite a bit accomplished this weekend considering how much activity was going on!!!

I know one thing, there will be a HUGE yard sale going on at my house sometime in May. DETAILS COMING SOON!!!

Jacob is celebrating the big 21 today! He & Meg will go out tonight, since he flies to NC tomorrow. Wade is doing a fish fry this evening. It should be fun! Keep Jacob and Meggan in your prayers as they endure this 7 month deployment! I am always praying for the safety of our troops and for their families!

This week will be TAKS testing at school, so not many extracurricular activities. I promise to get pictures of Morgan and Caleb posted soon!

Craziness...

Well, I can't tell you how happy I am to have miss Emalyn in my home...that baby is the sweetest, smiliest baby I have ever seen!! And she LOVES Meme!!! Okay, she really really loves her Daddy and Mommy, but I know she loves me. We are going to have so much fun! Last night we all went to Morgan's game in Diboll (GO LADY HORNETS) that we had to makeup from Friday. Morgan got to play 1st base part of the game, but Emalyn cried everytime the crowd clapped and yelled! She doesn't really like loud noises :)

Today she and Meg are out with Aunt Rob-Rob, and tonight we have another game in Hudson, and tomorrow the Angelina County Benefit Rodeo kicks off!

Keep the little Gonzalez family in you prayers - Jacob has to leave April 28th to go back to NC, then will head out to the Middle East somewhere. I'm glad the girls will be here with us, but it will be hard for them to see him go for 6 months or more...so be thinking about them during their 2nd deployment...and all of our other men and women in the Military!

Crazy Week and TEA parties

It was a busy long week!!! Ball practice and house appraisal on Monday, then Morgan and Caleb BOTH had ballgames Tuesday night.
Thursday Meggan, Jacob, Emalyn and Ice arrived from North Carolina (via Atlanta!)!!!!! They were SO tired, but we are SO happy they got here safe and sound!

Friday should've been more ballgames, but the rain came down! It rained and rained and rained...but it was kinda nice to have a night off and listen to the sound of it.

Wednesday, also known as tax day, was also known this year as Tea Party Day! This is my blog, so you will find various and sundry posts from me - political, religious, family, business - whatever I feel like writing about! We did not get to attend the Tea Party in Nacogdoches, but they had about 2200 people - which is a lot on the downtown square in the Oldest Town in Texas! We did watch the coverage on TV, but I sure wish I could've gone...and taken my kids. I have lots of opinions about our government, the current AND past administrations, and the reaction to these Tea Parties, which I will post about later...all I will say here is I had to go look up teabagger to see what it meant after all the cracks on MSNBC and CNN - it is NOT nice!!!

Also, I do not consider myself uneducated, redneck, rascist OR stupid!!!! I am beginning to doubt my Republican party affiliation (and I'm definitely not a Dem)!! I think we need to create a NEW party - the party of COMMON FREAKING SENSE! That party I would join!!

Anyway, the Gonzalez headed to Freer on Friday (got out ahead of the rain) so Nonnie and I hit Sam's Club on Saturday. I guess we got in just in time for the deluge to happen while we were inside! It rained about 4 inches in 2 hours in East Texas - it was crazy!!! Roads were flooded and our back yard had a new creek running through it - that hasn't happened in YEARS! But then the sun came out and the rest of Saturday was pretty nice. We were still getting some things done to the house and working around there.

Sunday we all slept in and were heathens - I always feel bad when I miss church, but we have really been pushing ourselves the past couple of weeks - Caleb spent Saturday night with his cousin, and we spent Sunday afternoon cleaning up and helping get things ready for the big kids to come back. They returned late Sunday, and we all got ready for another week...

Whew...what a weekend UPDATE...

What a weekend!
First of all - I hope you all had a Happy Easter! The true meaning of Easter is so real and dear to me - we went to church and had a family dinner at my sister's. Good food, family and the promise of eternal life...who could ask for more!
It was a busy, busy weekend for us - we painted two bathrooms, put down a new floor in one, and did a thorough Spring Cleaning! It was so great to get it done, but I was SO exhausted!!!
My kiddos will be here this week, so I'm excited!!!

Heading into Easter Weekend...

It seems like it's been a long week (and it's only Thursday)...

Monday was Caleb's first day back over at HMS and he is doing great so far. He was glad to be back with his friends. The Red Sox had a ballgame, which we won 14-2, and Caleb had a great hit in the game, so it was all good. Nonnie got home from Austin. Wade wasn't feeling well again, and stayed home from work - that doesn't happen often, so I know he was sick!

The game was COLD and WINDY, but we had blankets and wrapped up. However, it probably didn't help Morgan's sinus/allergy stuff.

Tuesday was crazy! I had to take Morgan to the doctor so he could tell her what I knew- her allergies are acting up again. But she listens to him about her medicine, so hopefully she'll be better soon. Being out in the wind at practice/games, and this 32 degrees one day, 80 the next is killing us all! Then to work, then I picked Caleb up at school, where they had TAKS testing all day, and we headed to Rusk for Morgan's ballgame. JV won 1-0, but Varsity got beat 3-0. Oh well...what can you say? It wasn't quite as cold as we thought it would be, but I was prepared just in case!

Tuesday was also Emalyn Rae Gonzalez's 3 month birthday!!!!! I can't wait till she gets here!

Yesterday was a "normal" day, picked up Caleb and headed to baseball practice. Wade got Morgan and we all had an evening "in". Nonnie got in and we watched the AI Results show - no big surprise there!!! It was a beautiful, beautiful day - 80 degrees and sunny!

Today has been cloudy and kinda "blah" all day - it's cooler and windy, so I know the rain is coming. Caleb has a ballgame tonight. Morgan doesn't have to travel, as Jasper doesn't have a JV softball team.
Everyone else in our home gets to sleep in tomorrow, as it is Good Friday. I will be here, working away :).

Easter Weekend is such a wonderful time to reflect upon renewal and sacrifice. What Jesus did for us should not be taken lightly. In an age when so many people are not hearing the truth, we really should make more of an effort to live it (something I fail at miserably) so that when the end comes, there are no regrets, no "what-ifs". We will KNOW where we are headed! Thank you Jesus that you know we are ALL a work in progress! and Thank you Father for the gift of eternal life that you gave us through your Son.

Have a Blessed Easter everyone!!

Weekend Update...

It was a BUSY BUSY weekend, but much was accomplished! (This is my beautiful geranium up close)

Friday night was Lady Hornet vs. Huntington Lady Red Devils Softball - a record crowd at Hudson. The JV game was kinda sad (we got beat 9-0) since Morgan didn't get to play. Then the Varsity game was pretty much a nailbiter. I worked concessions through most of it, but by the end of the 9th they shut it down, and the game went into 10 innings tied 0-0. Top of the 10th, Huntington scored 3. THREE! OMG - and then we were up and just couldn't hit. Oh well...I hated to see it end that way. It was a late night!
Then home, to try and get some rest! Caleb, Wade & Nonnie were there with pizza for our late dinner.

Saturday morning we were up early (OK I consider 7 am early on a weekend morning!) Morgan had a hair appt with Leah (going back to blonde!) and Wade & I were headed to Lowe's for stuff for the house. Morgan got her hair done - it's beautiful! - and a quick run into Target and... Three hours later...

back home and getting ready for Caleb's first "real" ballgame.

Thursday night they had a scrimmage against a Diboll team, but this was Opening Day for Hudson Diamond Sports. At the scrimmage, Caleb hit one TO the fence...almost over. I was holding my breath there for a minute!!! So this game was 3-2 final score (yes, we lost :() but it was a good game. Caleb had a walk and a hit, so it was ok. There were some glitches in the game (ump called 3 outs one inning when there were only 2 outs, bad calls both ways...)

We went down and watched some of the other kids playing on other fields - there were people EVERYWHERE for opening day. It was pretty windy, but a beautiful, beautiful day!

Then we headed home to start putting in our laundry room door. Okay, it's actually a storage room now, but it will be my laundry room when all is said and done. We got it all in by last night (well, WE technically is Wade) and it looks great!

We ended up making another trip to Home Depot & Lowe's for some new cabinet hardware for the kitchen, but I found just what I was looking for at HD~ and at a great price too!

Nonnie & I started scrubbing a couple of doors while we took off the old hardware, and before you knew it, we were hard at work. It's amazing what a difference it makes - a good cleaning and the new hardware looks pretty good! There's a lot of cosmetic stuff I'd like to change, but for now it'll work. This is the new knob:

This is a new pull on the old cabinets that will have to stay for awhile. You see the countertops? That's the first thing I want to change!

Sunday morning we were off to church for Palm Sunday. This was our third visit to Crossroads, and I do like it. It's a smaller church, but very nice. There seem to be a lot of young people there as well.

After church we headed home to finish up the projects we had started. In the midst of laundry and cleaning, Caleb was mowing and Morgan was helping out, and a lawnmower blade got bent, so back to Lowe's. They know us on sight by now. Of course, they didn't have the blades I needed, but I got a few plants and some other stuff. Over to Target (of course) for some cleaning products, and back home to finish up.

One of my "annuals" I planted last year that showed back up this year - Strawberry Parfait dianthus. I love it!
New clematis that I got - the flowers are HUGE and gorgeous. Wade cut me some switchcane to make climbing poles for it.

Wade wasn't feeling well this weekend, even though he got the door done, by last night he was really feeling bad. Nonnie was headed to Austin yesterday, so she'll be back tonight. We got the laundry half done, and bedrooms organized for the week, so hopefully we are prepared for a busy one. I believe we have something scheduled every night this week!!! Friday there is no school, and it will be a welcome break!

Jacob, Meggan & Emalyn will be here around the 15th, and we can't wait. They had Family Day at Camp LeJeune Saturday, and Emalyn got her picture made with the Easter Bunny. She was screaming her head off! So here's one of her pictures from the weekend (with her friend, Peyton). They look like dolls!!!!

What a Whiner!

Okay, I was reading my last blog, and I realized, what a whiner I am! So I can only hope you'll forgive me for that!

You see two buttons on my page - pray for Stellan and pray for Kayleigh. These are two babies whose moms were told they would never make it, and yet continue to defy man's odds! Only by the grace of God!!! Read their stories, and pray for them and their families. What a testimony to the fact that we are a person from the day of conception - and God does NOT make mistakes!

They are two of MANY out there who are struggling with REAL issues...disease, sickness, sadness, loss, financial hardship, loneliness... the list goes on, but it's not overwhelming because God is in control! Reading what they are going through reminded me...

it's not so bad around here! Praise God! So here's a list of what I should be thankful for...

Hubby and I have jobs

We are buying a home

My kids are healthy, talented, intelligent and beautiful

My granddaughter is a blessing

My son-in-law defends our freedom

I have more than I need

I have awesome friends

I have a wonderful family

I can go to church and read a Bible whenever I want (how many of us take this for granted? I do!)

And many more...

Life isn't always easy, but we weren't promised easy! And most of the hard is from our own doings! God loves us and wants all the best for us - I believe that!

I'm also not trying to diminish what some of us DO go through - financial hardships are tough and stressful, when our kids misbehave it is SO hard, when we don't feel good, life isn't fun...

but remember... look around, there is always someone going through something worse - praying for them can help put our own situation into perspective!

Have a blessed Friday and an awesome weekend!!!

Hard Days...

Have you ever had a couple of hard days... when you know things aren't really that bad, but stuff just piles on, you're busy, and you're stressing? That would describe my week so far...
but I KNOW it's just a "feeling". And as Joyce Meyer always says, feelings will get you nowhere!
Monday was just busy, busy. Morgan's team had a game in Center, which I drove over for. She didn't get to play, so she was disappointed, and we lost the game (and Varsity as well) so we were ALL disappointed. It was a late night, and we were TIRED!
Yesterday was a FULL day at work. I had to leave mid-morning to take Caleb for a checkup with his dr. Caleb will be 11 in June - and since November he has grown 6 inches and gained 19 lbs!!!! My baby is 5'6"!!!!!! OMG!!!!! It's so unbelievable to me that he has grown so quickly! He's complained of some aches and pains, but apparently that is normal for growing boys. However, the doc DID see some curvature in his spine. Now for some people that is no big deal, but in our family, scoliosis is something we keep an eye on. Nonnie has it, I have it, and apparently have passed it on to all 3 kids! Meggan had a 57 degree curve, and at 15 had to have a spinal fusion to correct hers. Morgan's is mild, and hopefully will never progress. Now, it has shown up in Caleb - likely due to the fast rate of growth these past few months. We did a quick x-ray of his spine, and the dr. will keep an eye on it through the coming years. Of course, between waiting an hour and a half to see the doc for 5 minutes, then waiting on the x-ray, I was gone for 4 hours!!!!!
At any rate, my children and their bodies are in God's hands and not going to be a worry for me!!!!! (I said it, and I believe it!)
We are still on the quest to upgrade our family plan with AT&T - the phones we want are NEVER in stock in the store. Then I spent a total of about 3 hours on the phone being bounced from one dept. to another, trying to upgrade one line with a phone Morgan wants. That didn't work out so well, and I was pretty much done with them after that.
Then I headed out to the school for Morgan's Tuesday night ballgame - at which she didn't play yet again. More disappointment, and quite frankly, it's hard to understand why some of these girls work really hard and don't get a chance to hit or play for the team. Who knows...my attitude wasn't the greatest after the afternoon I had had. I pay $4 to walk in our home park, to watch my daughter's teammates play, to then WORK in the concession stand for Booster Club? It just wasn't my day!
I did manage to get MOST of the paperwork complete for the house loan, though. Nonnie has found a new home, and she is ready to go... so as soon as we wrap it all up, we will be homeowners at last, and Nonnie will settle in to a beautiful new home.
The kids will be here in just two weeks - YAY! Did I mention I miss Emalyn?
Today has been a crazy one... first of the month and all that. But it will get better...it's Humpday and I'm halfway through it, church is tonight, and payday is almost here!
Have a GREAT BLESSED week everyone - JOY in EVERYTHING!!!!