Challenge Day #28 Ta da! That's all folks!

What 10 things would I most like to be remembered by? 1) Amy loved the Lord 2) Amy was a good mommy. 3) Amy was a good wife. 4) Amy was a good daughter. 5) Amy was a good sister. 6) Amy was a good aunt. 7) Amy always cheered us up. 8) Amy loved family time. 9) Amy was a loyal friend. 10) Amy was a FABULOUS housewife! ;p So, I felt like I was writing my obit and I had to throw something crazy in there just to ease my mind a little. It's been real and it's been fun, but it ain't been real fun! I found another challenge for March, but some of it was repetitive from this months. Maybe I will create my own after a much needed break! Hope ya'll learned enough about me to understand some of the crazy stuff I do! I'll be blogging in a few days to catch up my regular posts. One is really exciting.......... Stay tuned! I've finally picked up my readers again and don't want ya to lose interest again!

Challenge Day #27 Only one more day, Hallelujah!

What do people sometimes misunderstand me about? I would have to say where I cut up alot and try to be funny, people will take me serious and get their feelings hurt. Most people know how to take me by now, but it still happens. When this does happen I wish they would just tell me instead of later trying to guess what's wrong or find out by somebody else. I would never hurt someone's feelings intentionally. As matter of fact, I can't stand the thought of knowing someone is mad or upset at me. I will always try to smooth it over real quick. I can be mad at you, but you CAN'T be mad at me. Lol So if I'm ever laughing and crack a joke I totally am not trying to be mean and would have never said it if I knew it would be taken wrong. Now for those of you wondering who I have ticked off lately, I haven't! At least that I know of! Ha ha

Challenge Day #26

What is my love language? I googled Love Language just to see exactly what it meant. I mean I thought I knew and I was like ok, I'm probably not going to let everybody all up in my marriage business, ya know! What I found out was Love Language isn't necessarily meaning just between couples, but between everybody. What makes you react to other people? Makes you more of a likeable person. Like I said, I googled Love Language and came up with these 5 types. 1)Words of Affirmation-This is basically people who have to hear over and over that they are loved. They like to be praised and encouraged. It is also important how these words of endearment are given in order to be appreciated. 2)Quality Time-This is just making special time for each other whether it's going for a walk or out to dinner alone. It is very important to not have any distractions such as cell phones or the newspaper or whatver. Just one on one special time with each other. 3)Gifts-Money can't buy love, right? Well, in this case it sure does help. This type of person thinks gifts are important. It's not the gift that counts to them, but the thoughtfullness behind it. Like how much trouble did he spend on finding this item? How much thought was put into this gift? 4)Acts of service- Can vaccumming the floors really be an expression of love? Absolutely! This type of person feels so special when some of their responsibilty of household chores is shared by someone completely unexpected. It let's them know they are appreciated. Also, laziness and a person making even bigger messes for them to have to clean up makes them feel unloved. 5)Physical Touch- I'm not talking about "you know what" here, but I'm talking about touchy people. You know the type that always wants to hug, or always is patting someone. Some people are just more touchier than other people. That's just how they show people they love and care for them. So, now I suppose you want to know what my love language is being that is today's topic? Let's go through the list: Words of Affirmation- Nope, not me! I'm not much on words. Sometimes the syrupy the words the more false they are in my opinion. Not always, but some people are smooth talkers. Quality Time-No, not really me either. Too much quality time smothers me. I am a loner and I like my space. I do enjoy spending time with my husband alone without the kids, and spending time with my family and friends, but not all the time. I just like being home with my family. Gifts-No, not me either. I do not know how to accept gifts. I feel really weird when people give me stuff. On the other hand, I tend to be a little picky on what I am given sometimes. It won't be about the actual gift, but kind of the thought behind it. It it was a rushed last minute gift with little meaning, then it will usually bother me and I wish it wouldn't. Acts of service-Oh yeah!!!!! This is me! You want me to love ya! Then take some responsibility off of me sometimes! Sometimes Maynard will just get up from the dinner table and immediately wash dishes. It catches me by suprise and I can't explain the feeling I feel. Sometimes he will put the kids to bed or he will have them dressed for church before I can get to them. That is definitely my love language. Makes me feel loved and appreciated for all the hard work I normally do. Kinda makes you ready to tackle the next load of laundry. Physical Touch-NO No No No No! Touchy people around me make my hands sweat. I like for people to be at least an arms length away. Why am I like this? Maybe it was the way I was raised. We just knew we loved each other and didn't really feel the need to express it by hugging or whatever. I am trying to do that differently with my children, but it still has effected how I react to other people. So ya'll want me to love you more? Come clean my house. But I have to clean it first before you get here. Ha ha!

Challenge Day #25

Ok, some of you all have been anxiously awaiting today's topic. What is my most favorite body part and why? Hmmmm, I am having such a hard time deciding on this one. I mean I have soooo many favorite body parts that I hate to single just one out. Ok, so I'm joking. I have terrible self esteem about the way I look and I actually am having a hard time deciding what to pick. Ha! However, we are all fearfully and wonderfully made!!! I'm gonna say my most favorite body part is probably my "ELBOWS! Yep, my elbows are about as perfect as an elbow can get. They bend my arms just the right way it needs to. I've got smooth skin over them. I mean nobody ever looks at someone's elbows and declare how ugly they are. I'm sure there are a few rare cases out there. My elbows are never swollen in the morning. They are always ready to go to work everytime I need them. They have never let me down. So that is why my elbows are my most favorite body part!!! What would ya'll pick for your most favorite part? (on you, not me) lol

Challenge Day #24

Today's Challenge: What Popular notion does the world have wrong today? Goodness, there are lots of things that I could mention here that is going on in the world that I absolutely think is isane! I guess the most precious one to me is abortion. I grieve thinking about these women aborting babies. Especially the thought of them terminating now so late in the pregnancies. How about them say its not a baby, but a fetus and it doesn't feel any pain. I hate it! It's so hard when some of us that prayed and begged God for children and these other fertile myrtles kept getting pregnant and then would go kill their baby. It just seems so unfair sometimes. One of the 10 commandements is "Thou shalt not kill." I don't care how you look at it. It's kiling a baby and they are going to have to answer to it one day on judgement. However, God is a God of mercy and he can forgive them for what they did if they will just ask and believe. I'm pretty sure none of my followers are guilty of this. Just thought I would add that last part in case someone did happen to read that and needed to know of God's mercy!!! See ya'll tomorrow!!!! Make sure you check back in tomorrow. It's gonna be a very interesting topic. What is my most favorite body part. Ha ha Can't hardly wait!!!

Challenge Day #23

If I could eat dinner with anyone who would it be and what would I eat? I'm trying not to make this another tear jerker, I'm really not. I've been thinking about this all day about who I was gonna choose. I just can't help it. I would love to be able to eat with my Mamaw Ruby. She didn't cook a whole lot, but just a few things. Maybe fry up some sausage and some can biscuits when we got to stay all night with her on Friday nights. We would be sleeping on the couch in front of the freezing window air conditioner that blew right on the couch where we sat. The tv would be blasting the beloved Saturday morning cartoons that we rarely got to watch because we didn't have a tv at home. We would eat that sausage biscuit while sipping orange juice. Mamaw always had orange juice in the refrigerator. Whatever leftovers were left seem to sit on the stove all day. Why that's a vivid memory in my mind, I don't know. (The leftover breakfast) Two other things that Mamaw cooked was soup beans and biscuit bread and a picnic ham with potatoes. I loved to sit at the table and watch her pick through them beans one at a time. "Why you doing that, Mamaw?" "Because, you have to make sure there are no rocks in there and then you gotta wash them real good before you cook them. Then she would put them in the biggest crockpot I had ever seen and cook them ALL day. She would add her big ham bone she had kept from the ham and potatoes she had cooked a few days before. I can't hardly eat ham and potatoes now without thinking about her. I remember hearing her tell my Mom one day that she was gonna fix "Amy" some ham and potatoes because she knew I liked it. Anyway, those beans would be cooking all day. We would be gathered around the tv all day. lol Nah, not really. She only had about 4 channels and soon enough our options would be the news, football, racing, or some kind of ket documentary show. Then we would mosey on outside and play. Mamaw had a 24/7 yardsale and we would get out there and play and have a great time. She lived right beside a lake and we would walk down in the woods and pretend to fish. We were old enough to be careful so they didn't have to worry about us being outside alone and near the lake. We would get bored outside after a while and go back in to see if Papaw had any coke hid under his bed. If we didn't find any under there than we knew to check in mamaw's room in the cedar wardrobe. Otherwise, we had to drink the big gallons of syrupy grape or lemonade koolaid. Right before the beans would be done Mamaw would be in the kitchen starting to peel and fry potatoes. She would put them in the skillet in the now melted lard. Any of you all use lard? I never have and hope I never do. Thank goodness for Pam or vegetable spray. I rarely fry anything anymore. Then she would get out the flour add some water and milk and she would start mixing and roll out on a greased pan the best biscuit bread a person could ever eat. She hardly ever made cornbread, it was always biscuit bread. Now my Mom makes this and I make it every now and then. Spread grape jelly on there, and yum yum. We would all come grab a bowl and eat. It was so good! We would come back to visit later on in the week and when I would open the refigerator there in the bottom would be the big pot of beans. The top would be all crusted over and it would look disgusting. Why she left it in there so long I'll never know. But to this day, I will not eat left over soup beans, ever! That crusted top had completely done me in forever. There are no leftover soupbeans in this family the next day unless they have been frozen in ziplock bags properly. So, to answer the challenge question........ I want to go back to Mamaw's house and eat soup beans and biscuit bread. I want to sit at the table and watch her cook and show me how to make the biscuit bread as perfect as she always did!!!

Challenge Day #22

Today's challenge is what are 5 of my hobbies. I think that is a very good question. At this point in my life, I really don't have any hobbies. Here's what I enjoy doing, not necessarily a hobby though. 1)I enjoy instagram. 2)I enjoy blogging and reading blogs. 3)I enjoy walking outdoors. (hate the treadmill) 4)I love playing board games. 5) I also enjoy audio stories on cds as much as my kids do. There, I'm pretty sure no one shed any tears over this blogpost.

Challenge Day #21

Congratulations are in order. I have been without a phone for the most part of the day. I kinda felt like I had lost a friend. However, you wouldn't believe the stuff I got done today. Ha! Anyways, I got a replacement phone today so hopefully things will be back to normal. I have tried to blog today, but had one technical trouble right after the other. We done been to revival and Steak and Shake and here it is going on midnight. Good thing Josiah doesn't have school tomorrow. He is waiting right here beside me asking what I am doing while he scratches all over. Yes scratching. Why? Why? Who knows? We've been through every virus know to man it seems lately. Now this child is covered in itchy welps. I'm waiting for the Benadryl to kick in and he will finally ease away to bed. Now, pray I don't have to give Titus any Benadryl because Lord forbid. That child gets the opposite effect and goes wild! It's so hard to stick to my challenge. There's stuff I want to talk about. You know like all our viruses and flu symptoms we have had all winter. But, this kinda brings me to my challenge topic today. Tonight, whatever. If I could have any superpower, what would it be and what would I do first with it? I have been thinking about this for several days now. At first I was gonna say cleaning my house with a twitch of my nose or zapping away cruel and evil people of the world and so on. But.......... this is what I came up with. Please don't take me wrong, I know I am not God nor am I pretending to be, but if I could have any superpower I would like to be able to "HEAL" the sick. My first stop would be a little visit to Bardstown and I would ask to see a precious boy named Peyton. Peyton is very special. He happens to be my little nephew. He is 5 yrs old and has some developemental delays. I don't know all the medical terminology they have diagnosed him with, but he is a very healthy boy. He is so funny and loving, but in a mischevious way too. He has this certain look where his face lights up and this grin spreads across his face that would melt anybody's heart. I would use my super power to heal that boy so he could have a normal life ahead of him. I would make it to where each day he would grasp on to a new concept and learn new things with confidence. I wouldn't want him to instantly become advanced to his age level, but just gradually becuase we have fell in love with him just the way he is! before too long he would be giving his big brother Cameron a run for his money!!! Then I would make a special trip to the local children's hospitals and walk through the hallways using my super power in every room. Mommys and Daddys would be signing discharge papers instead of surgery paperwork for their now well child. I am about to bust a gut here squalling and crying. I can't stand to see children suffer and be sick. Listen, we all know that in reality no one has "superpowers", but we do know a God that loves all the children even more than we could imagine. Jesus himself said, "Suffer not the children to come unto me and forbid them not for of such is the kingdon of Heaven. I don't know why kids have to be sick and face certain challenges, but God knows all about it and He knows what's best. That's it for today. I have been feeling so emotional here lately, Some of these challenge topics have really put me to thinking. Good night all!

Challenge Day #20

I am having serious issues with my phone. They are supposed to replace it by tomorrow, but who knows. Sorry I was late on this one. (I'm pretending people actually have been checking). Today's challenge is 3 significant childhood memories. I do have several of those. My first childhood memory would be when I got saved. It was April 13, 1983. I was 4 fixing to turn 5. I remember praying and crying at my seat. Monty Hart got down and prayed with me. I got back up and sat down. Then Bro. Gerald Taylor came and talked to me and we both went to the alter. It wasn't too much longer and I knew I was saved. I remember testifying how the Lord had saved me and wanted him to save my friends. I really don't have any prior memories to that really. My next one is not really significant, but I remember it and it describes me well. I was in Kindergarten and for story time I volunteered to read to my class the next day. I had no idea how to read, but I had a plan. I chose to read the Little Red Hen.. I sat in the teacher's chair and all the kids were gathered around ME. It was great. I began to "read" my book to them. Truthfully, I wasn't reading that book, but I had it memorized. The kids didn't know, but I could tell my teacher was suspicious. So, I had that figured out too. I stumbled on a word and asked for help from my teacher. Ha ha. It cracks me up. I thought I had her fooled until my mom told me several years later that my teacher had told her about that and how they shared a good laugh. Shucks, I thought I had them fooled. Oh well, at least all them other kiddos thought I was a smart cookie. The 3rd memory has to be when my Dad pastored a church in Red Bowling Springs, Tn. We had to travel 3 1/2 hrs every Friday as soon as we got off the bus. Sometimes we got upset because we missed out on things going on at home on weekends, but we still have lots of good memories anyways that I will always cherish. We had an apartment built on to the church just for us. We had so much fun in that apartment. Sometimes we would have church friends from back home to come stay with us. There would be so many of us crammed into that little 2 bedroom apt. Of course that made it even more fun. We met some dear friends there named the Dillinghams. Oh, how we loved them! They owned a little country store and we had free reign of candy and deli sandwiches. Can you imagine 6 kids turned loose in the candy aisle?? (Jacob wasn't born yet) After we quit pastoring there they continued being good friends of ours. They would come visit and have a small brown bag with candy for each of us. They were the first to give us rock or pop candy. I had been married nearly a year when Danny D. passed away. I was able to attend his funeral and I am so glad I got too. They were great friends of our family and gave us a lot of cherished memories. I had a great childhood with lots of memories. Not sure why I chose these 3, but it was what I felt like talking about. Wow, I'm feeling so sentimental now. Gonna go have a good cry now.

Challenge Day #19

If I could live anywhere, where would it be and why? Honestly, I am pretty content to where I live now. Not my particular house, but meaning our town. I love where I live. We live in the perfect area. I can be at Krogers in 5 mins from my house. Yet, we still live on a deadend rd away from city limits. Like I said earlier, I would love to have a newer house, but I'm happy where we live now. I have little desire of living near the beach for fear of hurricanes and stuff. No desire to live on any island nearby erupting volcanoes. No desire to live in foreign countries. No desire to live anywhere with extreme hot weather or freezing cold. Nope, I'm perfectly happy where I'm at. If I were to ever move away it would no doubt be to my good old hometown. Sometimes I would give anything to be closer to my family instead of here away from all of them. Other times, I praise the good Lord above I'm 2 1/2 hours away. Ha It's been another boring post. Sorry, ya'll!

Challenge Day #18

What has been the hardest thing I have had to forgive? I'm gonna opt out of this one. I've not really had to deal with any major controversy. Anything I could bring up might could be hurtful to other people so I don't feel like I should bring anything up. I mean is it really forgiven if it's not forgotten in a sense? Sorry, Ya'll! Check back tomorow.

Challenge day #17

What do I wish I was better at? Lots of things. Gonna be hard to pick just one thing. For the sake of having to pick only one, I will say, I wish I was better at being "more girly". What I mean by that is I just don't care about a lot of stuff like most women do. I don't care about decorating my house and having the finest of everything. I just want my house to be comfy and where my kids can be just kids. I could do better though. My house needs a lot of tlc and I can't get motivated. I know nothing about trim, paint, or wallpaper. I have never painted or hung wallpaper. Maynard does all of that. I don't care about primitive or victorian decorating. I feel so awkward around other women and that's all they talk about. I still don't have curtains in my living room. Why? I don't know what to get or how to even hang them. Lol I am so serious, ya'll. I don't care about other girly things either. Shoes purses, clothes, hair styles.... I just don't care. As long as my hair looks decent and my clothes are ironed and they match, I'm good to go. I'm not going to spend a lot of time fretting about the way I look or if my purse matches my shoes. My biggest confession ever is I hate PINK! I'm coming around though since Amelia has been born, but I used to really hate it. I'm not crafty like most women. I can't sew, knit, crochet, my scrapbooking is pitiful. I don't even care for flowers. They remind me of funeral homes when I smell them. I can't keep my flowers in my landscape alive Oh, and I can't bake either. I'm horrible at it. I can cook though, just not baking. So see? I wish I was better at all these womanly things. I feel like such an outcast sometimes, I just don't get into all that. There you go. More confessions.

Challenge Day #16

5 greatest achievements: Another doozy. I about didn't make this one in time. We've been working at the church and my phone is tearing up. (GASP) What am I gonna do? 1) I won $5,000 dollars once for never being late for work. The grand prize was a drawing among others. I just happened to be the winner and also the payroll mgr at the time. (I did not cheat) lol 2) I also was nominated for The Chesnut Griffin Award at my office which is similiar to Employee of the year. I got to attend a nice banquet and my boss had to tell how wonderful I was in front of all our company big wigs. Of course I didn't win, because the other nominees were some pretty important people that had been there 20-30 yrs. So for me to even be nominated was an honour. 3) I graduated high school with an A average. 4) I only missed 1 day all 4 yrs of highschool. That was only because my brother Jacob was born. 5) I won 1st runner-up Miss Highschool at our senior banquet. I'm gonna add a 6th one in honour of my sister. It's an inside joke so you may not get it. 6) I made Wanda Hart shout while I sung one night. Bahahahaha

Challenge Day #15

If I could be any animal what would it be and why? A GRIZZLY BEAR!!! Why??? 1) I already have the figure. 2) They eat all the time. They like nuts, fruits, berries, fish, meat, and veggies. They don't have to count calories or points. 3) The best thing is they hibernate all winter. How cool is that. I'm pretty sure I've told you how much I love to sleep. Think about all that warm fur and how cozy you would be sleeping in a dark cave some where. 4) Most female grizzlys are only pregnant for only 6 mths and their cubs weigh only 1 lb. Shoot, my last baby was over 11 lbs. 5) Mating season is only May through mid July. lol ; ) 6) Grizzly bears can scare the snot out of people like when they are camping. I think that would be a lot of fun! 7) Grizzly's are very protective over their young and I already am. Now I have an excuse to actually attack someone and get by with it when they bother my kids. That's it for now!

Challenge Day #14

First of all, Happy Valentines Day to all my blog readers. Hope everyone has a special day. After my blog challenge is over, I will have to get caught back up on a few things. Right now I can only focus on the challenge. Everything else just overwhelms me, so I will catch up later. Todays post is list 5 of my strengths. I have no idea. It's easier for me to focus on the negative stuff about myself than the good. This may sound corny, but I'm gonna try my best. I still have no idea. 1)My faith is my strength. There's no convincing me otherwise! 2)I enjoy doing things for others as suprises. If it's expected or demanded, then I won't do anything for them. (Is that a strength?) 3) I'm good with numbers. Accounting er.was my favorite class in high school. Even while working in the accounting office, I loved that all these numbers had to balance to another set of numbers. And if it didn't, I had to find out why and make it balance. I also can memorize #'s. I remember employee #'s from 8 yrs ago when I did payroll. My boss would call me in his office in front of management and have me rattle off random employee #'s. I still remember their federal id# too after all these yrs. Oh, and we had 500 employees. What is weird is that I never did good in math class. It was always tough for me. Maybe because I wasn't allowed to have an adding machine on my desk. My fingers can fly on that thing. You ready for a rematch, Melissa? Ha 4)I have a very strong alto voice. I don't enjoy leading a song, I would rather harmonize. To change this up, I'm gonna let you all choose my 5th strength. Leave it in my comments. If you don't know how to comment , send a text, and I'll put it on there for you. This should be interesting.

Challenge Day #13

5 of my weaknesses...... 1) I love to eat. I'm back on track now that I'm dieting, but food does make me happy.(and quilty) I much rather eat real food than sweets though. 2) I laugh at my kids when they are bad. They crack me up when instead they need a spanking. I'm doing better with that too. 3) I'm not organized. My house gets cleaned good once a week. By looking at it you would think it's clean. But when you open closets and cabinets....Yikes. I apppreciate organization, I really do. I'm just not that type. 4) Another weakness would be Titus when he cries. He is not a crier. So when I see him about to cry and his mouth drops and his chin quivers, I can't take it. The other 2 don't bother me when they cry, but Titus is different. 5)An expensive weakness I have is Longaberger Baskets. I just love them and they make me happy. Especially when I find them at yard sales for $1.

Challenge Day #12

First I want to say that today is my 1 yr anniversary for my blog. I hope ya'll have enjoyed reading each post. Today's challenge is about my typical day. Typical? Does that mean normal? I will try my best to describe a normal day for us, even though they are quite rare it seems. How about a Monday morning? Not yesterday because, things got crazy. Here goes.... My alarm goes off at 7:15. I hit snooze 3 times until 7:30. Maynard usually has Josiah already up and in the bathroom. I get his lunch box out of the fridge and put it in his backpack. I help him get ready. Find him something quick for breakfast. Study his verses and get him and his Daddy out the door. On a good day, Titus and Amelia will still be sleeping and sometimes I get to go lay back down. It's the perfect time for devotions and a little extra snooze. Then I will get awoken by this:

They will ask me who my favorite is that day and Amelia will be asking/demanding for milk. I get up and get them some breakfast and I step on the scale. Then I call it a bunch of bad names and kick it back where it was. I will eat and then get started on my housework. The kids play pretty good together most days. I will stop cleaning around 12:30 to start on lunch. Usually by 1:30 I have made it to the kid's bedrooms and my goal is to have them done by 3:30 when Maynard and Josiah come back home. When they get in, I usually sit down on the couch a minute and go through Josiah's backpack to look for notes and his daily allotment of demerits. Sometimes I'll play a game of Pac Man with them on the playstation and then afterwards, I'll head to the kitchen to start supper. The radio will be turned on from 4-5 as I cook to listen to Your Story Hour and Adventures in Odessey. The smoke alarm will go off and the kids will gather around the table. Amelia and Titus will fight over setting the table. Josiah will ask if they can have pop tonight since they had water for lunch. Titus will ask why I didn't fix macaroni and cheese and Josiah will beg for me not to put peas on his plate. After we eat, Maynard will help clean the table, feed the dog scraps, and put dishes in the sink. I will try to finish up the dishes before the kids come back asking for a snack. I will then pack Josiah's lunch for the next day and iron his school uniform if I hadn't already ironed all of them earlier. I will see to it that Josiah does his homework and then it's bathtime. After their baths, I usually let them have a snack and then it's story time. I read 3 books to them every night. Amelia will be on my lap, and the boys on each side of me. I treasure this time with them. It's kinda sad that Josiah can pretty much read anything now. He was reading to Amelia and Titus the other day and I was like, "Oh, no. That's my job, Buddy." They will usually end up in a wrestling match in the floor with their Daddy. They won't be done until one is hurt and crying. They go on to bed and we pray with them and tuck them in. Then I head to bed and chase them back to their bed a few times until they finally drift off. I will usually play on my phone awhile while laying in bed and then I'm out too! Keep in mind this is a typical day with no suprises!! I don't want this to sound like I'm always busy because I do take several breaks during the day. Just being a wife and mommy is a busy job. Mondays are usually my busiest day of the week because I rarely do much on the weekend because who wants to clean when your husband and kids are all home??

Challenge Day #11

List 10 pet peeves:

#1 Clothes laying in the floor right next to the hamper.

#2 Shoes and socks laying next to the shoe basket.

#3 Drawers not closed all the way or with clothes hanging out of them.

#4 Cabinets not shut.

#5 Chairs not pushed back up to the table. I don't have pictures for the rest right now, but here's the rest of them. #6 Toothpaste and shaving cream not rinsed out of the sink. #7 The sound of people cracking their bones and knuckles. #8 The word "Slice". It seriously hurts my teeth. #9 Shirts with lettering or pics that are worn under over-alls or jumpers. #10 Kids standing at my elbows while I'm eating and they have already been fed. I have plenty more I could list, but I will spare you.

Challenge Day #10 "Girls only, plz"

My most embarrassing moment is..................... Oh, let me go through my files here. I have numerous embarrassing moments. As matter of fact, choosing only one has been quite difficult for me. I have laughed at myself just thinking about which moment I would choose. I decided not to use my kids as my embarrassing moments and just use one on myself. Otherwise the day Josiah puked on the man at Dixie Stampede would be the most horrifying experience of my life. I've been told I would laugh about it one day and this marks one year this week since it happened and I have yet to chuckle yet. Other than that, my most embarrassing moment would probably be when I had just given birth to Titus. Late one evening Titus was looking really yellow. Even his eyeballs were yellow. I called his dr and they told me to bring him on in to the hospital to have his jaundice levels checked. They pricked his little foot and we had to wait for the results. Titus was only 4 days old, and I was still recovering from my C-section. I was so swollen and miserable. It hit me that I needed to go to the bathroom. I started feeling really weird and having a lot of pressure. The nurses told me I had to go to the surgical waiting room to use the bathroom. I really wanted to go in my old room, but I guess they had it cleaned already. So, I left Maynard with the baby and headed to the bathroom. So I don't want to be gross or graphic here, but...........lol Ok, men, you may want to stop reading at this point. I felt like my insides were coming out of me by the time I got to the bathroom. I had passed the biggest blood clots I had ever seen in my life. I thought I was dying. I didn't know what to do. I threw my underclothes in the garbage. "What to do? What to do?" I didn't have a cell phone so I couldn't call Maynard. So, I cracked the door open just a tad and to the group of people in the waiting area, I said, "Excuse me? Can someone please go get me an ob nurse?" A man jumps up and takes off running. His wife screams, "NO, THE OTHER WAY." I am so embarrassed, but yet scared at the same time. I mean we are talking baseball size clots here, if not bigger. 2 nurses came running in and knocked on the door. I barely cracked it open and let them in. So here I am with 2 ob nurses in a one stall bathroom. I explained to them what was going on. I had to open the trash can lid to show them my soiled underwear. I knew they were gonna whisk me away in a wheel chair. But to my dismay, they said, "Awww, We wouldn't worry about it unless they are as big as softballs and then they left me there. I was a bloody mess. What was I gonna do. Then there was another knock on the door. Oh, great. People are waiting for the bathroom. Then I heard, "Amy, it's me." Maynard!!! I opened the door and said, "come here." Titus was fine and could go home. I explained to Maynard what was going on and how I was gonna need a favor. He was not prepared for what I was fixing to ask him. "Maynard, I need to borrow your underwear." "What?" "just until we get home, now drop 'em and hand 'em over. Of course, I had just had a baby, so his Fruit of the looms were not that big on me. LOL We got so tickled and I had a hard time showing my face to the people in the waiting area. We headed for home so I could shower and he could get him,some clean underwear to put back on. We still laugh about that day and its been over 5 yrs ago. Sorry if ya'll thought I was too graphic, but this was no doubt, one of the most embarrassing days of my life.

Challenge Day #9

10 people who have influenced me throughout my life. This is really hard for me. I don't want to leave anyone out. Then again, some have influenced me, but now are no longer part of my life so I really don't feel like including them. Even if they were a big part of my life for several years. Nothing like church troubles, huh? Lol Here's what I came up with: Dad-For being not only our financial provider, but also for raising us up in church. Mom-just being my mom and doing a good job raising us kids even when she was wore slap out sometimes. I only have 3 kids and I get exhausted! My Mother-n-Law-I believe her prayers have kept us safe on a daily basis. My Hubby-Keeps me on track when I start to get unfocused Pastor Darrell Allen-A great man of God who is helping to lead my family. Pastor's wife, Lora Allen-I love her so much. I don't have my family here and I can depend on her when I need help. She is my pastor's wife, but also my friend. My 3 kids-Makes me try my best to live right and be an example to them daily. Miss Anna Mattingly-Favorite school teacher Bro. Henry Sheppard-Got a prayer through for me when I was wanting a baby so bad. He prayed and prophesied to me and 3 weeks later I got pregnant. Sis. Irene Hicks-elderly saint in our church that has now passed on. Ta da! That's all folks! Sorry, I didn't feel like rattling on and on today. Your welcome.

Challenge Day #8

List 5 of my passions............. I have decided that I must not be a very passionate person because I really had a hard time with this one. My answers are probably lame, but it's with an honest heart. Here they are and in no order of importance. 1)Food! I am on a diet and food right now is consuming me. I go to bed thinking about food and wake up thinking about food.  The truth is that now that my food is portion controled, I savor every bite. 2)Sleep! I love my sleep. God knows I love my sleep so much that when my kids were babies they pretty much slept all night at around 4-6 wks. I have been blessed with good sleepers. They have been trained to nap on Sundays as well. 3)Holidays! I am very passionate about Holidays or special occasions. I try my best to make them special.  Mainly for my kids, but sometimes for others. It's easy for me to get frustrated though when I get an awesome idea to make things more exciting and I get all these fuddy-dud looks. 4)Christian Education. I am very thankful that Josiah gets to attend a private, christian school. And Lord willing, Titus will start Kindergarten there this fall. Yikes! It will be a sacrifice, but I know the Lord will help us as long as we are in his will. Our public school systems have become a scary place to entrust with the lives of our children. I am also thankful for the freedom to homeschool if that ever becomes a necessity in our home. 5)Sunday School. I love Sunday School. Not the adult class either. I want to be with the kiddos on Sunday morning. I can truly say Sunday School is a passion of mine. I enjoy teaching and making class fun while they learn about the bible. Can't stand when U send my kids to Sunday School and they are handed a coloring sheet and a cookie. We only have a few years with these children and let's teach them the love of God. My enjoyment comes when a little 3 yr old girl (Amelia) can tell you all about the birth of Jesus. Also, when 3 yr olds in prior classes of mine can quote the Lord's Prayer and all 10 plaques of Egypt. That's when I feel all my work is well worth it!

Challenge Day #7

Todays challenge is what is your dream job? div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"> I believe this picture says it all. I really don't want to be an ear dr, but an ear cleaner. Kind of like a dental hygienist, except I want to be an ear hygienist. Ha ha! It's a crazy obsession, but I have always enjoyed looking in people's ears. I think most of it is because I have zero to no ear wax at all in my ears. So I am intrigued by people and kids, that have lots of wax. Some people like Maynard and Josiah have very waxy, runny ears. Amelia and Titus have dry chunky wax. And others like me, have very little wax. Omg! I am baring my soul to all of you about my ear addiction and am positive ya'll are either laughing or grossed out. The thoughts of cleaning people's teeth, scrubbing their feet, or even touching their hair gags me. But I seriously think I could clean anyone's ears. Is anyone still reading this? Ha ha

Challenge Day #6

Here is Titus 3 yrs later with his 1st bottle of pills, legally. Ha

What is the hardest thing I have ever experienced? Well, I am blessed to say that I haven't had to go through a lot of traumatic experiences in my life like some people have. I can think of several things I could list, but I would probably have to say the hardest thing I had to ever experience was the day Titus took 5 sleeping pills. Now that I'm a mother, there's no greater fear than something happening to one of your babies. Well this was a dreadful day, but God was merciful. I'll be brief in summarizing what happened that day: I was 8 mths very preggo with Amelia in November of 2004. My Mamaw Ruby had passed away and we had went to stay with my parents to go to the funeral. Let me add that I loved my Mamaw dearly. I have many great memories of her. On the day of the funeral were the only ones at the house besides my brother Jacob. We were getting ready and answering the never ending phone calls. Titus had just turned 2 and I hollered for him to come to the bedroom so I could dress him. He came to me and was acting really weird. He was spacey acting and very clumsy. I was laughing at him because I thought he was being silly. Then I stood him up and he just fell face forward into my lap. That's when I began to question if something was wrong. Between Mom, Dad, and Jacob, that house was like a pharmacy. Dad has heart pills and sugar pills. I screamed, "I bet he has got into some medicine." We both panicked and ran to the car. I had to come back in though because I realized I was still just wearing a slip. We prayed and squalled all the way to the hospital. They took us in right away. Titus wad still grinning like a drunk man. He couldn't hold his head up and couldn't walk. We had sent word to my family what was going on. My Aunt went back to the house with my brother to check for open medicine bottles. They called saying they had found a bottle of my mom's sleeping pills on her nightstand. The lid was laying back on top of the bottle, but it wasn't closed. The bottle was empty. We were giving the info to the dr while on the phone with my aunt and he quickly assured us we could calm down and that he was gonna be ok. Come to find out, the pills he took are also used in children to calm them before surgeries when they take them from their mommies. He had just taken a higher dose for his age. They gave him charcoal mixed with ice cream to drink and he loved it. They said he didn't have to drink anymore, but he cried for it. Lol He was covered in black. We had to stay at the hospital until Titus could walk again. Everytime the dr came in and tried to walk him, Titus would fall straight down. We were at the hospital for about 10 hrs which meant I had missed my Mamaw's funeral. Also, during these 10 hrs, Titus never fell asleep. Not one time. Finally, Titus was able to get his footing and we were released to go. We went back to mom and Dads so we could stay close by the hospital instead of driving back home. Titus was wirey and wild. He refused to lay down and this big pregnant momma was really needing to collapse! Finally about 3:30 a.m. the poor child closed his eyes and went to sleep. We couldn't understand why he never went to sleep all them hours after taking sleeping pills. Comes to find out, meds like benadryl that are supposed to make you sleepy, actually has the opposite effect on him. They make him even wilder. So when the pharmacist tells me, "This will make him a little drowsy.", I tend to say back, "You want to bet?" What a horrible, scary day that was. I can look back now and see how the hand of God protected my baby that day!!!

Challenge Day #5

Todays topic is list 5 things that makes me happy right now. 1) My salvation. 2)My husband 3)Josiah, Titus, and Amelia. 4)Everytime I lose another lb on the scale. 5)A clean house always makes me feel happy. Of course that's only 5 things and there's lots more I could list.

Day #4 challenge

Todays challenge is list 10 things you would like to tell yourself as a 16 yr old. 1)Don't waste your time dating jerks because in 5 more years you will find the right one and marry him. (didn't mean, I married a jerk here either, lol) 2)Don't pay attention to what that Dr said; You will be a mommy one day. 3)Go ahead and sleep to noon because you won't always get too. 4)You really need to help your Mom around the house more because she works too hard and you are gonna need to know how to cook and clean one day. 5)If you think your overweight now, you are in for a big shocker down the rd. ha ha 6)You probably should go visit Mamaw Ruby because she won't always be there. 7)Ask your Mom to go to Po Folks to eat one more time because they are gonna go out of business. 8)Don't forget to slow down before crossing that railroad track in Glenndale when your Dad is teaching you how to drive. 9)Don't work at Lakers for your first job because they only pay $2.15 an hr and no one knows their supposed to tip at a Drive-in. 10)You probably should try to go to a few more youth camps in the summer and get closer to God. (not to meet guys because I done told you that you were gonna meet the love of your life in 5 more years. Ha ha

February Challenge Day #3

Day #3 challenge asks about my relationship with my parents. My parents are Don and Val Harper of Cecilia, Ky. Dad is a veteran of the US army and served in the Vietnam war. He then retired from Fort Knox as a civilian and began his own electrical company, Harper's Electronics, which he continues to operate today. My Mom married Dad her senior year

in highschool. (maybe jr, not sure) Mom worked at Lakers Drive-In while Dad was away in the army. God spared Dad's life many times and brought him home safely to his wife. They were invited to church and went on a promise that my Aunt would never ask them to go again. Thankfully, God gloriously saved both of them that night. My Mom didn't know anything about God! My parents were "blessed" with 7 kids. I happened to be the middle child. Church was a big part of our life. It's all we knew. My Dad pastored a few churches while when we were growing up. I had a great relationship with my parents as a child. I tried to help my Mom when she needed help around the house and I always was close to my Dad. People say we are a lot alike. My Dad likes to laugh and cut up and I do too. After I graduated from school, I worked a full time job and would often call Mom to go eat lunch with me. My parents always worked hard to provide for us. We always had good Christmases and even ate out quite a bit. I'm not sure how in the world they raised 7 kids and we got all those extra treats. If we were poor, we sure didn't know it because they tried their best to give us what we wanted. I got engaged and broke my Dad's heart. He didn't want me to move away and he depended on my help at our church. He soon came to terms with it though. Ha ha Now I am over 2 hrs away and of course that puts a strain on our relationship, but we still see each other about every other month or so. My mom has an I-phone so we keep up through texts and Instagram. Dad is in bad health with a diseased heart and I worry about him. Congratulations are in order because they are now blessed with a debt free life which includes a home of their very own God miraculously blessed them with. I'm sure this takes some pressure off them having to work so hard all the time. I was blessed with great parents and I am very thankful for them. (they read my blog, wink......wink)

Day #2 challenge

2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. I am not a real fearful person normally. Things that probably should bother me don't. But I do have a few things that I am fearful of that may seem odd to some. #1 BIRDS! I hate animals that can fly or have beaks. Why? The only thing I can really think of is I remember being chased by a swan at Freeman's lake when I was little. The other time was when a wild bird flew in our house flying around all crazy. My sister Melissa slammed our bedroom door and broke it's neck. She became my hero after that. Ha Ha #2 CHOKING! My main fear as a mother has been my child choking to death on me. Now the fear is not only for my kids, but anyone that might be choking. I have been known to jerk up other people's kids because I thought they were choking. I can't really say what actually caused that to become a fear except the time my sister Christy entrusted to me to watch Kelsen for a little while when she was about a yr old. We were sitting outside on the swing when Kelsen put a leaf in her mouth and it went down her throat. She stopped breathing. My first response was to start hitting her on her back. But once again, Melissa told me to reach down and slide it out with my finger. I was so scared because I was afraid the leaf would break. Once again, Melissa saved the day. (Why is she included in all my fears so far? ha) #3 Frogs! I hate frogs. I mean they are just gross and creepy. Who needs to explain that any further. I never really liked them at all, but as young newlyweds, Maynard realized I was afraid of frogs and he chased me in the house with one. I locked my bedroom door and he slid it under the door somehow. Eww Eww!!! (Melissa was not there to save me obivously.) If some of you want to particpate, but don't have a blog, its super easy to start one or you can leave your answers in my comments. I would love to hear from ya'll. I feel like I have lost some readers during my blog bum there for awhile!!!!

February Blogger Challenge

I am going to challenge my fellow bloggers to join me doing a February blog challenge. For each day of the month there is a topic to blog about. I'm gonna give it a shot, but won't make any commitment promises here. Here is the list: 1. List 20 random facts about yourself. 2. Describe 3 legitimate fears you have and explain how they became fears. 3. Describe your relationship with your parents. 4. List 10 things you would tell your 16 year-old self, if you could. 5. What are the 5 things that make you most happy right now?14 6. What is the hardest thing you have ever experienced? 7. What is your dream job, and why? 8. What are 5 passions you have? 9. List 10 people who have influenced you and describe how. 10. Describe your most embarrasing moment. 11. Describe 10 pet peeves you have. 12. Describe a typical day in your current life. 13. Describe 5 weaknesses you have. 14. Describe 5 strengths you have. 15. If you were an animal, what would you be and why? 16. What are your 5 greatest accomplishments? 17. What is the thing you most wish you were great at? 18. What has been the most difficult thing you have had to forgive? 19. If you could live anywhere, where would it be and why? 20. Describe 3 significant memories from your childhood. 21. If you could have one superpower, what would it be and what would you do with it first? 22. List your top 5 hobbies and why you love them. 23. If you could have dinner with anyone in history, who would it be and what would you eat? 24. What popular notion do you think the world has most wrong? 25. What is your favorite part of your body and why? 26. What is your love language? 27. What do you think people misundertand most about you? 28. List 10 things you would hope to be remembered for. So for day #1, 20 random facts about me. This could be scary. Ha ha 1)My maiden name is Harper 2)I am the middle child of 7 kids. 3)I have been married almost 14 yrs now. 4)I have 3 wild kids. 5)I was a payroll and Hr manager prior to having kids. 6)I miss using my brain. 7)Yes, I really do have a brain. 8)I have very little common sense. 9)I will believe anything I am told. 10)I love cleaning ears. Ear wax is cool. 11)I love to laugh and have fun. 12)I giggle at funerals and hospitals. 13)I have lost 80 lbs 3 times now. (currently trying again.) 14)I love harmonizing, but only can do alto. 15)I was raised Holiness and still believe that way. 16)I am 34 yrs old, but have been known to tell others I was 25 by mistake. 17)I enjoy my sleep and tend to get hateful when woke up. 18)My favorite candy is Skittles. 19)I don't like chocolate. 20)I am a surface cleaner. Meaning, I dust and vacuum around things. There ya go. That about sums me up.