Laura's Laughs

New School Year

2009-08-28T20:38:00.001-07:00

School started this week for my kids. Here they are on the first day of school. They both have had great experiences so far! Elle is just super tired!!

Laura

Summer review

2009-08-24T07:31:00.000-07:00

Lots of boating at the lake!

Time with family

Father's Day

Birthday girl!

Camping with friends!

Nascar!

I know nothing about Nascar...just keeping it real!

4th of July celebration!

Started construction on the "little house"!

Two camps!

VBS - swamp night

We also celebrated by hubby's birthday, went to the beach and to the Wolf Lodge...SO FUN! I can't believe school starts tomorrow.

Laura

Two months!!

2009-06-07T20:49:00.000-07:00

Piano Recital yesterday!

Jay and friends camping and boating at the lake on Memorial Day weekend.

Jay's 12th Birthday, 6 boys spent the night.

At the zoo, so much fun.

Easter morning.

Wow, it has been two months since I posted. It has been a crazy time with all of us. Here is a brief summary of our last two months.

We celebrated Easter and the kids enjoyed an Easter Egg hunt at church.

Then the kids had Spring Break from school. We went to the zoo and had a great time. The rest of the week we did fun local stuff and just enjoyed being at home and off of the school schedule.

Then we worked on rental property for two weeks. We had a renter move out and had two weeks before our next renter wanted to move in. WOW, it was a huge project but we finished on time barely!!

We had our church BBQ, which is always a huge event and pretty much covers the entire weekend.

We celebrated my son's 12th birthday. SIX BOYS spent the night. We played games, had pizza and cake, watched movies and laughed until the early morning.

Volunteered for Mabopane foundations annual Golf tournament.

Had another renter move after only two months. So we worked on another rental property. I was so bummed but then very thankful we were able to get it rented quickly.

Celebrated Mother's Day.

Camped at the Lake for Memorial Day weekend. Jay had two friends spend one night and Elle had a friend over for one night.

Went to VIR, Virginia International Raceway and watched the guys ride go-carts. They had a blast.

Interviewed a prospective Youth Pastor for our church. Praying.....

Also, went through up and downs and twists and turns and rentals and problems and long hours and problems and oh my....

Tonight, I am sitting here, feeling completely blessed. As I think about the hectic pace we have had over the last couple of months, I am thankful for how the Lord has been so good to us, blessed us and helped us through it all. At times, things are just physically and emotionally draining. And without getting into specifics, it is at times just a way of life for us. I am so thankful for the way HE loves us and carries us.

Laura

Myrtle Beach

2009-04-08T05:28:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went to Myrtle Beach. This was a spur of the moment decision, just felt like we needed to get away. My hubby found a very nice hotel online Friday and made the reservation. When we arrived to The Dunes Village Resort http://www.dunesvillage.com/ I was very pleased. It had two indoor water parks, heated outdoor lazy river, nice rooms, restaurants etc.

My kids had an absolute blast. The Lord blessed us with good weather. We were able to sit on the beach in our bathing suits. Such unexpected pleasure.

It's funny how a little time away clears your head.

Where have I been...

2009-03-26T19:58:00.000-07:00

Wow, I have been a bad blogger.

A few weeks ago, Hubby and Elle attended the annual Father/Daughter dance and had so much fun.

Have a great weekend,

Laura

To my hubby...

2009-02-11T05:18:00.000-08:00

So I am joining the SWAK carnival from http://www.wearethatfamily.com/
and writing a post about my hubby.

We have been married now over 15 years. We like everyone else have experienced hard times along the way. We have been through a major job change, a son a monitor for the first 7 months of life, becoming a SAHM, a late miscarriage, his mother's battle with cancer, his mother passing away, the struggle of how to balance home/rental property responsibility/work/church and try to do it all well. Even after all of these years balancing everything is still a struggle. There is always something to fix, something broken, something, something.

But let me tell you...we are BLESSED!

We have a beautiful, but small, old farmhouse that we renovated completely 9 years age. After living here over 15 years, I still walk outside and love to look at the land, the old barn, the pond, and all of the grass (that needs mowing all of the time). There is no other place I had rather live.

But God has blessed me so much more than that. He blessed me with a Godly husband. My hubby loves the Lord, he is a devoted father and husband. I love that he is always talking, joking and laughing. Because I'm just too serious. I love that he is laid back, because I am just not. I love that he is an optimist because most of the time I see the glass half empty. I love that he is not a worrier, because I am. I love that he provides for our family and has allowed he to stay at home for 11+ years. He would have it no other way. I love that he is a good man and tender hearted. I love that our children are so important to him.

I don't tell him how thankful I am for him nearly enough. I don't thank God for him nearly enough.

Thank you Lord for blessing me beyond measure. Thank you for my sweet hubby. Please continue to bless our marriage Lord. Help us Lord to to keep YOU as the center of our marriage and our home.

I love you hubby.
Laura

pray for those....

2009-02-09T07:15:00.000-08:00

Luke 6:27 - 36

27"But I tell you who hear me: Love your enemies, do good to those who hate you, 28bless those who curse you, pray for those who mistreat you. 29If someone strikes you on one cheek, turn to him the other also. If someone takes your cloak, do not stop him from taking your tunic. 30Give to everyone who asks you, and if anyone takes what belongs to you, do not demand it back. 31Do to others as you would have them do to you.
32"If you love those who love you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' love those who love them. 33And if you do good to those who are good to you, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' do that. 34And if you lend to those from whom you expect repayment, what credit is that to you? Even 'sinners' lend to 'sinners,' expecting to be repaid in full. 35But love your enemies, do good to them, and lend to them without expecting to get anything back. Then your reward will be great, and you will be sons of the Most High, because he is kind to the ungrateful and wicked. 36Be merciful, just as your Father is merciful.

It's all about Basketball

2009-02-06T05:18:00.000-08:00

This is how we have been spending our Saturdays!! This is Elle's first year playing basketball. Did I mention she is the only girl on the team?
At her first practice, she looked over at the other team practicing, many of whom she knew from school. She said, "Mom, I can't believe we are going to have to fight our friends." So, of course, I explained you are not fighting you are playing basketball. She said, "well dribbling is the same thing as fighting." Oh, I laughed! And how is dribbling the same as fighting, huh?

Before the first game, the team was sitting on the bench. Little did I know she had claimed the chair. Each time it was her turn to sit on the bench for a few minutes, if any of the boys were in her chair, should would make them move. After the game, I had to explain that anyone could sit in any of the chairs. There were no assigned seats. She said, "oh, I didn't know that." It was too funny.

Jay also plays basketball, so each Saturday we go to two games. I can't tell you how much we enjoy it! It is so much fun.

Have a great weekend!
Laura

Because this is love....

2009-02-03T06:52:00.000-08:00

Sunday we went to an ice cream social at the home of the African Children's Choir. I can not even put into words how much joy those children bring to a soul. It was a great day. The Lord blessed us with beautiful weather. We were able to sit outside and enjoy spending time with the children.

My FIL volunteers there and fell in love with the children immediately. He mows the yard there and is always bringing snacks to them. We all love that when we drive up and get out of the car we are greeted with hugs, hugs and more hugs. It does a heart good.

Oh, what a blessing!!

Laura

January 23, 2009

2009-01-23T02:55:00.000-08:00

Well, so much has happened over the last month, I don't even know where to begin. So, I think a list is in order.

Jay (11 years old) killed his first and second deer.
Two science fair projects have been completed!
Basketball season is in full swing.
Elle played her first game, it was fantastic!(She is the only girl on the team.)
Bible Study started last week.
It snowed 7-8 inches! Elle's first big snow, she played in it for hours and hours!
No school for the past 4 days.
Volunteered and shopped at the best consignment sale ever!!
Jay was diagnosed with scoliosis, saw a specialist, will re-evaluate in 4 months.
Remodeled a rental property, not quite finished.
Completed tons of paper work.
Organized files for the new year.

Whew!! Now I know why I have not blogged in a while. School is open today on a two hour delay. I have a ton of paper work to get completed. Have a great weekend.

Happy Friday,
Laura

Christmas, New Years, Oh My

2008-12-31T20:42:00.000-08:00

What an absolute busy time for us! Happy New Year's Eve! It is 15 minutes before 2009. This is the first down time we have had since the Friday before Christmas.

We had a great Christmas, we are so blessed. We were all healthy this year.
We were filled with a series of dinners, visitors and going and going. I cooked and cleaned and cooked and cleaned. Thank you Lord for a quiet evening.

Thank you Lord for blessing us and protecting us. I pray for 2009 to be as Beth Moore said, "a Jesus Year"!!

Laura

'Tis the Season

2008-12-03T18:20:00.000-08:00

We have been busy decorting for Christmas. So far we have our outside decorating almost complete. Inside, we have put up two artificial trees. One tree is in my son's room and one in my daughter's room. We always use a real tree for the living area, and are planning to get that in the next day or so. I have bought and wrapped most of the Christmas presents. I have most of the Christmas cards mailed. I still need to decorate at my father-in-laws house.

This weekend will be the busiest of December for us. We have three parties and my daughter's piano recital. So, after this weekend, it will be low key until the weekend before Christmas when we have family parties and church Christmas play.

The most important aspect in all of the planning, decorating and shopping is to keep our focus on Jesus. He is the reason for the Season.

Laura

Happy Thanksgiving

2008-11-27T17:06:00.000-08:00

We have so much to be thankful for this year as always. Every year we have Thanksgiving at my father-in-law's house which is next door. My hubby and I took care of all of the preparations for the day. We had 35+ family and friends this year. Everyone brought dishes of yummy southern food! We are very blessed.

This is Uncle Bill, he was given a new hat. We all had a good laugh!! He is 88 years old and still has a keen sense of humor. We love you Uncle Bill.

We had a new baby cousin in the group this year, and were able to celebrate his first Thanksgiving. We also were missing a cousin, who is currently serving in Iraq. We remembered him and all of our service personnel serving away from home this Thanksgiving. My mother and step-father were able to come and share the day with us.

Lord, we praise you and love you Lord. Thank you for blessing us beyond measure. Lord, we give thanks to YOU!

Laura

Weekend events

2008-11-16T19:49:00.001-08:00

This weekend was full and fun. Friday, we went to a Mexican restaurant for dinner and then shopping at my favorite mall.

Saturday, we had to clean one of our rental properties. This is truly the worst part about owning rental property. Most of the time, we hire someone to clean. But is depends on how quickly we need everything completed. So, my hubby and Jay cleaned the property on Saturday. Thank you hubby and Jay... you are the best!

That evening we had an appointment to have our Christmas photos taken. It had been six years since we have had a family photo. Why did we wait so long?

Today we went to church, had an afternoon nap, and then went to my son's football athletic banquet. They had a great season. We finished the evening by going to dinner with a few friends from the football team.

Laura

Croutons AGAIN

2008-11-13T19:07:00.000-08:00

My father-in-law is the sweetest man. He goes to Sam's Club about every two weeks to buy supplies for his convenience store. He lives close to us and often brings us "a little treat" back from Sam's. Once he brings a treat, he sticks with the same treat for ....well.... the next four or five trips to Sam's.

So, today Jay looked out the window and said "Mom, here comes Pa with another bag of croutons." I thought he was kidding. We now have 4 huge bags of croutons. He must think we eat A LOT of croutons.

For a long while it was the huge containers of animal crackers. I would donate them to church and school for snacks.

Then it was the huge container of NesQuik chocolate milk mix. We still have a ton of it.

Then it was frozen corn dogs.

Then it was canned corn beef. I kid you not. We don't eat it. It has 30 gram of fat per serving. It is going to the school's food drive.

I love him for thinking of us, but I think he is trying to kill us.

Laura

Sweet Sunday

2008-11-09T19:02:00.000-08:00

What a glorious day. We went to church this morning, then out to lunch, visited a cousin, and then went home for a Sunday afternoon nap. Yes, we woke up and it was nearly dark outside. What a beautiful day the Lord has made. Prasie you Lord.

Laura

What a Week

2008-11-08T18:16:00.000-08:00

So Monday was normal.

Tuesday my kids were out of school for a teacher's workday. Around lunchtime Jay told me he had a very bad sore throat. Through the evening he became much worse, had a fever and felt lousy. Of course, this was election day. I stayed up late watching the returns. Things did not go the way I had prayed they would. So, I had just turned the TV off when my son got up sick, throwing up! This was one of many times during the night. It was a very long night.

So, Wednesday I took him to the doctor. He had strep throat. Elle came home from school that day sick.

Thursday, we headed to the doctor to get Elle checked out, she had strep and also was wheezing.

Friday evening the kids were in the yard playing. Jay through a baseball to Elle. It hit her in the MOUTH. Yes, the mouth. I called my dentist. It was Friday, after 5:00. I called the emergency number and spoke with the nicest dentist who was covering for our regular dentist. She made plans to see my daughter Saturday morning at 8:00. Two of her baby teeth were very loose. One permanent tooth was pushed to the side from the impact of the ball. They took x-rays and decided to leave the tooth a little crooked, since repositioning could cause damage to the nerve etc. Her mouth was very swollen and sore, but we feel very blessed that she did not loose a permanent tooth.

Can I just say there is never a dull moment with kids. Whew!!

Today, after going to the dentist, I cooked a nice lunch. We worked in the yard and spent most of the day outside. It was so nice to be outside. The weather was gorgeous and we were able to get so much accomplished. Needless to say this was a difficult week. But I feel so blessed to be able to be a home with my children when they are sick. I have also been praying for our President-elect.

Laura

Costumes

2008-11-02T05:45:00.000-08:00

We had the trunk or treat at our church Friday night. At the last minute my husband and I decided to go dressed as John McCain and Sarah Palin. We were so rushed and didn't have much time to put into getting ready. But it was still a lot of fun.

My daughter went dressed as a princess.

Now we are enjoying all of the candy.

Laura

Pumpkins

2008-10-31T05:21:00.001-07:00

Last night my family carved pumpkins. What fun! This is a family tradition for us. My daughter is always so excited. Tonight we are going to our church for 'trunk or treating'. All of the cars are decorated and the children walk from trunk to trunk for candy. It is so much fun!!

Everyone stay safe.

Laura

Vegetable Beef Soup

2008-10-30T04:43:00.000-07:00

It's getting cold here and perfect weather for homemade soup. This is what I am making for my family today.

Vegetable Beef Soup
1 lb. hamburger
1 chopped onion
2-3 chopped potatoes
4-5 chopped carrots
2 cans veg-all
1 can chopped tomatoes
1 small can peas
1 small can corn
2 cups water
1 lg bottle/can of tomato juice

In a skillet brown hamburger and onion. Place in a crock pot, add potatoes, carrots and water. Cook for 3-4 hours. Add remaining ingredients and continue cooking another 3-4 hours. (You will only use about 2/3 of the bottle of tomato juice.)
Enjoy!!

Weekend

2008-10-20T06:01:00.000-07:00

So Friday night we stayed at home and watched TV together as a family. It was a long over due, much needed quiet night.

Saturday my son had a football game that was about 45 minutes away from home. They lost. Enough said.

Sunday got off to a rocky start. I was rushed to get to church. We needed to be there early because my hubby had a million and one things to do. We got there in plenty of time, but I was a wreck. Soon though, I calmed down and was able to enjoy the church service. That evening we went to dinner with a group from our church. It was a great evening. We enjoyed the food, fellowship and being with our church family so much.

Boys Away

2008-10-13T20:22:00.000-07:00

My hubby and son went to the Outer Banks fishing with some friends this weekend. They had a great time.

My daughter and I had a relaxing weekend. Saturday, we went to the pumpkin patch, shopping, out for a nice dinner and on a long bike ride.

We watched movies and baked cookies. Fun Times!!

Glad my boys are home!

Busy Weekend

2008-10-06T07:53:00.000-07:00

This weekend was busy, but so much fun. Friday night, we did the normal mow the grass, mow, mow and mow. Hubby cut a tree that had fallen on the property. Fun Times!!

Saturday, we finished what we started Friday evening, mowed, cut, and mowed. Then by lunch time, we stopped all of the insanity to get ready for Jay's football game. They played a hard, long, tiring game. The score was back and forth.With a little over 1 minute left we were ahead. The other team scored a touchdown and needless to say we tried, but lost the game by 5 points!! Let me just say, this team has little experience in the losing department. It was a hard loss!

Sunday, my sister, whom I have not seen in 2 years, was arriving at the beach to see my mother and some of our family. She was only going to be there one night. So, we loaded the car and headed out about 8:30 Sunday morning. We talked, the kids fished, swam in pool, played, fished some more and celebrated my niece's 10th birthday. We had dinner at one of our favorite restaurants and then headed home. We arrived home, with two sleeping kids at 11:30p.m. Long day, but so worth it.

I let the kids sleep in this morning and took them to school a little late.

Dr. David Jeremiah

2008-10-02T19:23:00.000-07:00

Tonight, a group from my church went to hear Dr. David Jeremiah speak. It was incredible. He spoke on his new book What in the World is Going On? All of which, was written long before the financial crisis, Presidential election, disasters and unrest in the world. But God knew. The timing of this was just perfect. It was a message that we needed to hear at this time in history.

Thank you God for Dr. Jeremiah and for all of his work for the advancement of Your Kingdom.

Laura

Welcome to Laura's Blog

2008-10-01T20:31:00.000-07:00

I am so excited to finally create my own blog. I have been dreaming about this for months. I am a 30+ stay-at-home mom. Part-time, I take care of "the books" and help manage one of my Father-in-law's businesses (which provides much of my laughter and dismay). My husband is an insurance agent, great dad and helps coach my son's football team. I have two children, Jay is 11 years old and Elle is 6 years old. They are truly a gift. I am a Christian, and I love to take Bible studies. It keeps me in the Word. I have a pretty interesting life, and have often joked I could write a book. So, this is it, my outlet for all things crazy, funny and wonderful about my life. Thanks for stopping by.

Laura