Different

I love my family. They are my family after all. This weekend made me realize how different I am than my family as a collective whole. While I respect that every person is entitled to their own opinions and I can only state my own opinion, it amazes me how these are the people who raised me and my siblings and I grew up in the same family yet we see things of the world so differently. I just don't understand how people can see the struggle people are going through for whatever reason and just turn their backs like it doesn't mean anything. They kept arguing that their tax dollars were not the thing that should support other people in need and that the church should do so but guess what people make up the church. It was similar to being beat up by the people sitting on the porch but I refuse to back down from what I believe. Do I have every single view as a Liberal? No, but all my views are Biblical. How can you pass by someone who is hurt or who wants help but doesn't know where to start. They have no clue what these people have been through.

Date Night

Ok so we aren't getting married but this was the closest pic I could find to describe what I am about to do. My husband and I have not had date night since before the summer began and trust me when I tell you when NEED it. So we decided we would go have dinner down by the lake in Rockwall, Texas. It is somewhere we never go, some place I have never been and it should be interesting.

Now usually when I get ready for a date it requires at least an hour of getting ready and deciding on a really cute outfit, however, this won't be the case this time. I have agreed to ride on the back of my husband's motorcycle which requires a helmet, jeans and the jacket at very minimum.

I have no idea what to wear!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Do you think a cute little dress and some heels works on the back of the bike? lol

Please Remeber Me

That is my grandmother in the middle. Her name is Betty Louise Bruce Lively Burns. She was born a Bruce, married my Papaw, a Lively and after he went to be with Jesus, she married a Burns who has since gone on to be with Jesus as well. My grandmother "Nanny" as we all call her happens to be one of my favorite relatives. This woman and I are so much alike in so many ways it's almost scary but I have always embraced that much to the dismay of my stepmother.

My Nanny grew up very poor, in and uneducated family. Her father was a drunk and her mother was a Penacostal women, not sure how this happens but they were a pair to see. He would sit on the front porch of the shack they called a house, smoking cigarettes without any teeth, every other word was G.D. or S.O.B but this was Papa. Grandma Jewel on the other hand once got kicked out of a Baptist church for "catching the Holy Ghost" and speaking in tongues.

My Nanny had a child at a very early age and soon after that met my very older Papaw. They fell in love. She told me the story of how they met not long ago. It was the first time I had heard that story in the 31 years I have been alive. It's amazing the details she remembered. She could recall what he wore when they met, who she was there with, who he was there with,etc. There has never been a doubt in my mind that she was in love with him and him with her but the story just confirmed it even more.

It was hard being married. My Nanny was pregnant 7 times and ended up with 5 children out of those pregnancies. They lived in a house with no running water and no electricity. They worked hauling hay, picking cotton and just about anything else that they could do in order to make ends meet. I have always admired that about my Nanny and my Papaw and even that quality in my dad.

By the time I could first remember anything, my grandparents lived in town, in the house that they live in now. My Papaw was a carpenter and my Nanny was a CNA at a nursing home, though they use to not have a name or a title. My Papaw took care of the cows at the cow lot, they both took care of the 2 gardens they grew and my Nanny loved her yard. There are probably 30 trees in that yard and at one time there were even more. She had plants and rose bushes and we would follow her around watering them. She had a green thumb that wouldn't quit.

As they got older, my Papaw got sick and ended up having a stroke. My Nanny and my Aunt Rachel took care of him. It was so hard seeing him like that. I hated it and so did he. He got mean, not because he just wanted to act like a jackass but his entire life he had spent working and taking care of those he loved. Taking care of those he loved cost him a farm he worked so hard for, now here he was unable to do anything for himself.

My Nanny's health got worse and the yard, well it didn't look the way it use to look and the house didn't look the way it once did. There was a garden but most of the time she had to have someone else work in it for her. She spent her time taking care of Troy, her second husband, before he went to be with Jesus and now it's just her. She is unable to do much for herself now and it's quit sad since I can remember her being outside helping us catch lightening bugs, she was the one who scared us with the Halloween mask aka the Booger Man Mask, he helped my mom dump the neighbor's pig (a story in itself), she would stop on the side of the road to pick wild plums or if she saw a vacant house with a pretty flowering bush in the front, she would take us can pole fishing and down to the river for a swim.

I am going to see my Nanny tomorrow. Part of me feels so bad inside because I promised my Papaw I would make sure my Nanny was taken care of and if it was not for my Aunt Rachel, I wonder if she would be? Out of her kids, 2 live in the same town and my Aunt Rachel is moving back there in order to take care of my Nanny. My Uncle Ricky mows the yard and Rachel does mostly the other stuff since she herself is sick. I don't have millions of dollars though I wish that I did for her sake and I don't live close, which I wish I did for her sake. It makes me mad at my family and it makes me mad at myself but only each one of us can change how we are doing things.

Right now is the hottest month in a Texas summer yet my Nanny won't run her window unit because it will make her light bill too high and she won't be able to pay it. I am going to be checking into some assistance for that. We are so quick to forget those who really need us the most in life and it is quite sad.

After my Papaw died Tim McGraw made a song "Please Remember Me". My Nanny once told me that song reminded her of my Papaw because she wanted to make sure she never forgot him. For me, it reminds me of her because it almost seems like everyone has forgotten her.

I love you Nanny and I will try to do better I promise.

Venture

So lately things have been crazy around here. More than our fair share of the good ole American struggle plus Lexi's dad and stepmom are tripping! So I started researching direct sales companies. some of them have some nice things and all but I'm just not sure that's the route I really want to go. It's still an option that is on the table for me but I was thinking more along the lines of maybe starting something on my own.

I am an avid crafter and have made many things in the past including candles and soaps so why not go that route? I have some money coming in and it would be really easy for me to make up some sample stuff and get going. There's a lot that goes into the process so like with any other business, it's about creating a solid game plan and going for it. So we will see.

Getting Ready For Christmas In July

No one wants to think about it but Christmas is 170 days away. Doesn't sound like very long when you think of it that way does it? I posted on the 4th of July how many days until Christmas there was and the responses were pretty much the same, "Already"? Yes, already.

Having a large family means that Christmas can be very stressful at our house if we let it be but through the years I've learned a few tricks and thought I would share them with you.



1. Make a list of all the people you have to buy for and then a separate list for all the people you want to buy for. It is a good idea to keep this list with you all the time. I personally have mine stored on my iphone.

2. Take advantage of off season sales and clearance racks. I can't post what I have bought and have put up because my children and my spouse read my blog, lol. I buy things for the kids at least 1 size, if not 2 sizes bigger than they currently are and most children don't care if they have on last seasons styles since they are very similar. I also pick up things that look like they would make a good gift in general or if it is a really good deal. I also pick up misc. craft items when they are on clearance and on sale. Old Navy is a great place to take advantage of sales and clearance as is JC Penny and Target.

3. Freebies! Yes, I said freebies. There are all kinds of freebie sites on the web giving away a host of various things that can be put up and then placed into baskets of interest for gifts.

4. Blog Giveaways. I am totally addicted to these things and have won some awesome stuff. They are a little time consuming and you should keep track of the ones you have already entered. I only utilize 2 sites for blog give aways but there are several. Right now there are 12 gifts put up for Christmas and I only started doing the blog giveaways in May. This does not include the things I have already given to our kids or mother in law or my nieces or that we have used or eaten here at the house.

5.Regifting-some will think this is not a very nice thing to do but I think it's a great thing to do. for example, I got something at my bridal shower that could not be returned and was cute, just not my thing. I put this up in the top of my closet and will be regifting it at Christmas to someone who it is their thing. My rules for regifiting: It must be new, meaning never used and it must not go back to the person who gave it to you.

I hope this gives you a little help in terms of preparing for the holidays. With 6 kids we have to look for areas to save all the time.

Merry Christmas!

Happy 4th Of July!!!!!

Happy 4th of July folks! What kind of plans do you guys have? Usually we have big plans on the 4th of July but this year is a little different. With the accident, it has us down to 1 vehicle currently though we have many things in the works. This year we are just recovering from 2 job losses so this year, we are doing something a little different than we usually do. Tomorrow we are going to church as a family, we are then going over to my aunt and uncle inlaws house with my inlaws and all the kids and having a bbq while fighting mosquitos and rain so we can shoot off fireworks.

It may not sound very fun and it may not sound like I am very excited but I am in fact excited about it. I have a great mil and I love her dearly so any time with her is great. Time my husband, which has become very precious since we now work opposite schedules and both have very physically demanding jobs has come into play. Time with my children, minus one since we will be going to court soon, is always great.

I'm looking forward to not having to pack up a bunch of stuff and travel somewhere. I have next weekend off too and then back to my working every other weekend schedule so I am grateful for this time with my family.

Thank you to all the people who serve or have served in the military and for all those who have died for my freedom. God bless you all.

Hitting A Tree Saved Our Lives

Yesterday morning started out like any other morning. JT went to work, I cleaned up the house before my daughter, Jill, woke up. Once she was awake, I had some errands to run so the two of us got dressed and headed out toward the truck. Now during the week, I never drive my Explorer. JT drives the Explorer and I drive the Dodge but not yesterday. We live in the country, part of our road is paved and the rest is gravel.

We travel down our road and cross over this low spot that runs over a creek. This part is paved. About 300 yards ahead of that it turns back into gravel. My daughter was trying to show me something and I turned for half a second. We got on the loose gravel and it started pulling my truck over to the right, over to where the creek is. I slammed brakes and pulled hard to the left, sending the passenger's side of my truck into the tree. After hitting the tree, my truck made it's way back on to the gravel road and turned sideways in the ditch on the other side of the road with my front end sticking in someones barbed wire fence.

My daughter was scared and she was bleeding, which as a mom, scared the heck out of me but I tried to stay calm. Among the things that were tossed around in my truck, I managed to find my cell phone that was now wet and had no signal. After making sure my daughter was going to be ok for me to step out into the road, I managed, after several attempts to get my iphone to work and called the ambulance. After accessing the situation over the phone, the 911 operator said help was on its way and call back if anything changed.

I was so upset I couldn't find any numbers in my cell phone except for my mom's house. JT had left his phone in the truck at his mom's house so there was no calling him. My daddy answered the phone and through tears I told him we had been in an accident, JT did not have his phone, the ambulance was on its way but I needed him to call my mom and have my mom find the number to JT's new job and call him there. Some man stopped and waited until the police officer got there.

When the ambulance arrived, 3 of the nicest men ever helped my daughter and I. They were like angels. They wanted to make sure I understood everything that was going on and that they would be taking care of Jill so I could finally stop for a minute and see if I was hurt anywhere.

It was a long ride to the hospital from way out where we live but the EMT's tried to make it as interesting as possible. We arrived and they put my daughter in the room next to mine. I was so worried she was going to freak out because we weren't in the same room. I asked the EMT's and the nurses to let her know I was right next door.

It wasn't long and JT's grandmother was walking through the door and right behind her my husband. It was such a relief to see them. JT stayed in the room with me most of the time while Granny stayed in the room with Jill. We both had xrays and CT scans done and other than some bruising and some cuts we are both ok.

After we got out of the hospital I asked JT to drive us past where the accident happened. I had to see where it happened but Jill wanted nothing to do with that spot on the side of the road.

The tree we hit actually saved our lives. On either side of the tree there is nothing except for about a 6 foot drop straight down into a creek bed. Had we been 5 seconds sooner or later, we would have dropped over the side. The tree has no bark on it where we hit it and it's not even a very big tree but it saved our lives. I will gladly take a beating from hitting that tree than the alternative.

We are both on pain meds which have made me sleepy as all get out but I am grateful.