Perfectly Phillips...

Angry...

2011-08-18T12:01:00.002-05:00

at Angry Birds...

These cute little birds are angry at pigs. While they're trying to take down pigs, I'm trying to get my kid's attention...just a little.

This morning I told them I loved them four times, to which, I received NO REPLY. NO REPLY to an I LOVE YOU...What?! So, I then said, Have a great day. Be good. Learn lots. Play hard. NO REPLY. The kicker...only one of them was actually playing the game, the other little one (he-who-must-not-be-named...Palmer) was just watching. GEEZ!

So, little birds here's my message to you: You're cute. You're determined. But, when you're tired, can you send my kids back to me? Please?! Otherwise, your little app, might be deleted. Possibly. I can play with you and still cook dinner, watch a show, and yell at the boys all at one time...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have Angry Birds when I really need my kids to be "entertained" for a few minutes!
Chasity

A Mouse...

2011-08-17T21:30:00.000-05:00

in the house...

Silly little critter found his way into our house and ever since that time, Brent has become a mouse hunter. Not a deer hunter. Not a duck hunter. A mouse hunter. For real.

Brent found his house. Little thing gave himself away.

One hunter. One mouse. Someone's not going to make it out alive.

Unfortunately, that someone was almost little Palmer. Keep reading for that story...

After setting traps (not the old Spring kind, but the kind they get stuck in), nothing. nada. zero. zip. For a hunter, the man becsme even more obsessed. Thank goodness the boys and I were out of town. Poor mouse. Brent and he were on a showdown. So far, Mouse 10. Brent 0.

Then, the hunter gave up?! gave in?! or just thought the mouse was gone. NOPE.

After a crazy busy day and finally sitting down for dinner (Chick Fil A because I'm a great Mom...ha ha ha) we were surprised by a random noice...squeek squeek squeek...it really sounded like a mouse. Brent's eyes met mine. My eyes met Brent's eyes. We knew. But thought, no, It can't be. THEN, we heard it again. I'VE NEVER SEEN THE MAN MOVE SO FAST. The craziness in his eyes. The look of "I GOT HIM." When it hit us, we ALL jumped up...did we get him?! Clearly, this is the first time we've ever had a mouse in our house.

We all jumped out of our chairs and started to run. Poor little Palmer was almost as much of a casuality as the mouse. Somewhere along the way, Brent accidentally shoved him into the chair. Little man got squished! Imagine all 4 of use trying to see if we got the mouse, who by the way, is next to the refrigerator in a 3 in. space.

Well, we got him. We only got him because I apparently scared the "bejesus" out of him (according to Brent) when I went to get the ketchup out of the fridge. He just accidentally stepped in the trap. Poor little guy managed to escape all the traps and then ultimately, got scared by me. Figures.

Well, here's to no more mice. And no more mouse hunter.

Whew! Three weeks of not knowing where that little thing was. Although, I did discover the torn up bag of cheetos. Cheetos were his downfall.

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be rid of one Mouse Hunter,
Chasity

Alabama...

2011-08-13T22:00:00.000-05:00

Don't get me started.

Those of you that know me, know how I feel about "A.L.A.BAMA" (imagine Forrest Gump saying that).

****if you like Alabama, now's the time to STOP reading****

To get from Point A: Tennesessee to Point B: Florida, driving through the entire state is a requirement. It's painful. I have nicknames for every town. I'd share, but I truly might offend my friends that live in Alabama and have continued reading my blog. I've long since stopped worrying about offending my husband who was born in the great state of Alabama.

Let me be clear...some good things have come from Alabama: My husband, his families, some great friends, Bear Bryant, Bobby Bowden, my dog's name and some great football games. But that's about it.

Worst fear (ok, maybe not the worse, but close)...living in Alabama. Second closest worst fear...getting stranded in the middle of nowhere in Alabama with no cell phone service. IT. ALMOST. HAPPENED. TODAY.

In an effort to find a shorter route to get home, my MIL gave me a shortcut to take from Destin to I-65. My MIL was kind enought to draw me a map even though she was exhausted from putting up with us for a week at her house -- of course, now that I just wrote that, it hit me...maybe her true intentions were for us to actually get lost in Alabama. Another story for another day. Anyway, at 4:30 IN THE MORNING, I missed the turn. MISSED. THE. TURN. Not something one wants to do in Alabama. at 4:30 AM. With two small children.

Did my beating heart wake anyone up this morning?! Kids, in the backseat with drool running down their mouths, while they are in safely in dreamland (not Alabama). I'm seven miles past the sign where I thought to myself..."should I turn? I don't remember MK saying anything about turning!" It's getting darker and my cell phone now reads "No Service" It's been at least 10 years since I last saw a message like that on my phone. Next...I see were entereing a National forest. GREAT! Then, I see it...the deliverance sign that made me decide to turn around. 60 mph to 0 mph in 1.2 seconds. 180 degree turn on a two-lane road done with perfect precision. Hand on chest, prayers being said...I'm going back to make the turn I probably should have taken.

Now, I promised my MIL I wouldn't call her at 4:30 AM to ask her any questions. I called. and called. and called. NO ANSWER. I'm pretty sure she said, "Call me if you get lost." (Again, I'm starting to think that maybe she planned all of this.) 45 minutes later I get to a sign that looks like maybe I made the right decision to turn away from deliverance! Halleleujah! A lot of prayers were sent up and Jesus delivered...He didn't want us to be stuck in Alabama either.

EVERY name I have for every town in Alabama was used on the way home. Don't worry, the kids didn't hear me. They were too busy fighting (ha ha...actually they were really good the entire way home).

So, 8 instead of 7 hours later, we arrived home. I don't think I've ever done the "entering Tennessee" dance, but I dang sure did today. Thank goodness for Tennessee and Florida rescuing us from Alabama.

Tonight, when Brent asked me if I wanted to watch "Sweet Home Alabama," I not-so-nicely replied, NO! Had about all of Alabama I can take for one day. He laughed and agreed with me (and he was born there)!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be home (or at least, out of Alabama),
Chasity

Waterguns...

2011-08-10T22:45:00.001-05:00

and me, do not mix.

It could be the history of getting shot in the eye and the mascara getting all messed up. It could be the curly hair that was painstakingling straightened and then became a frizzy, curly mess. It could be the fact that my peach margarita was spilled.

Today, it was the peach margarita that took the hit.

Picture the scene...on the beach (with two little boys -- what?! Did the "with the two little boys" give it away). Enjoying an awesome sunset while roasting hot dogs and making s'mores beachside and watching the waves roll in (I know, the perfect scene, right?!). Then whack, a watergun fight is declared and there goes the sanity that was encased in my margarita. Forget that it took out a hotdog too.

First instinct -- grabbed. the. drink. Didn't think to save Palmer's dinner. Poor little guy, he looked like he could miss a few meals and he'd still be ok (seriously, I'm kidding about this).

I guess it's a good thing I hardly drink. Else, I might have been REALLY upset. But, still, stupid waterguns. Nothing good ever comes from those things...except maybe when I get a hold of one and take down one of the boys...ok, that's funny (of course...it's all fun and games until someone get's hurt and cries. and cries. geez)!

Darn waterguns. I left them at my Mother-in-Laws house (no humor in that whatsoever. nope. none.) Darn things WERE NOT RETURNING to Tennessee. EVER!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to leave those stupid things in Florida,
Chasity

Humor...

2011-08-01T08:09:00.001-05:00

I totally have a sense of humor. I think.
I know my husband does. My children think they do...a lot (I'm sorry, but farting on someone's head does not make you funny, but alas, my kids think so).

Anyway, I've set a new goal. To find humor. Not necessarily be funny, but find humor in everything.

So, keep reading. I'm going down a very funny road. You might be the subject of my humor. You might just find the subject humorous. Whatever the case, stay tuned...for laughter (well, it might not make you laugh, but it dang sure made me laugh...ha ha ha!)

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for a family that makes me laugh and turns me gray-haired all at one time,
Chasity

Love Notes...

2011-04-01T07:00:00.000-05:00

That's what I've been getting on a daily basis from on Mr. Palmer. It makes my day. Always. I LOVE that he called them LOVE notes before I did. I LOVE his little, BIG heart!

About three weeks ago, out of the blue, Palmer decided to write me a note. Not a word. A note. One full sentence. Subject and verb. Then, apparently, on his own, he decided to write an apology note to his brother. TOO SWEET. To make it even sweeter, he left it on Peyton's backpack for him to find the next morning:

The notes haven't stopped coming and I love it! I got one stuck to me the other night in the middle of the night. It was an apology note from him for being ugly before bed. He woke up in the middle of the night and wrote it -- even sweeter, but I hate that it bothered him so much he woke up in the middle of th enight to write me the note (I have no idea where he gets this from!!!!) We had one stuck to our bedrooom window. I'm pretty sure even Brooke, the dog, got a love note the other night! He even gave one to B.B. while we were visiting.

Every day, I put a note in the boys lunchbox. Simple messages -- I love you. Have a great day. 5 more days till your birthday. Great game. So proud. Little messages I thought they weren't reading, until the day I didn't send one. They missed not getting it. Both boys mentioned it to me. Apparently, they were reading them. Palmer was imitating them and Peyton was writing me notes back. The one stuck to the "unused" napkin the other day said "Very awesome Mom." LOVE IT!

This is why God gave me boys! He knew I needed love notes to keep going. I don't care that I don't understand what they say sometimes, it still makes my day. And my life.

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to get love notes stuck to me in the middle of the night,
Chasity

PS...This is the one I keep on my computer at work. It reminds me of what is truly important. I'm a Moey!

Other random pics of Mr. Palmer -- our little man with a BIG heart and bigger personality!

Back...

2011-03-30T08:00:00.002-05:00

from a very long hiatus. A VERY LONG, TOO LONG hiatus!

Life is what happens in between postings.

Apparently, I haven't been managing life too well these days (or for the past year). If I had been, I would have made time to do something I enjoy...like this blog!

So, starting today, I'm going to make time to write about our lives...again! No one may ever read this blog, and that is fine by me!!! I created this blog as a way for my children to see themselves through my eyes...50 years from now. I lost sight of this fact. I'm back. With FOCUS!

Today's focus...Peyton. My 7, soon-to-be, 8-year-old Favorite Firstborn. Words escape me when I try to describe him. How is that possible? He's so many things that a few words can't capture it all. He wants to be so many things that words can't capture it all. he wants to do so many things that words can't capture it all. There are simply not enough great, fabulous, beautiful words to describe him and his little life. So...here's some pictures...I'll let the pictures speak a thousand words!

I love my little man more than words can express. We're in full swing of 2nd grade, baseball, Church and more, yet somehow, he manages to keep up and not get too much of an attitude.

We are blessed beyond measure to have him in our lives. Still trying to figure out what I did right to get him!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for this "almost as tall as me" firstborn,

Chasity

It's Fall...

2010-09-22T09:07:00.002-05:00

Ya'll.

Woo hoo. One of my favorite times of the year...of course I say that when every new season begins (except maybe Winter...love the snow, hate the snow)!

Unfortuntely, it's still REALLY hot right now. Unseasonably hot according to the weathermen on TV. I'm ready for the cool weather. Ready for the leaves to change color. Ready for Halloween. Pumpkins. Thanksgiving. Turkeys. Fall pictures. READY!

Of course, when Fall hits, that's also when it feels like the start of the "Merry Chaosmas" season begins. In the meantime, we're going to enjoy every minute of Football Season, Fall Baseball, Hunting Season and so on...

Fall Break for the boys will be here soon -- trip to Florida, Florida State Football game...already counting down the days.

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have Seasons...
Chasity

PS...Browns, Golds, Maroons...all beautiful Fall colors are about to shine through...

No more...

2010-09-17T18:13:00.000-05:00

soccer for our family (or Palmer)!

You know, according to the title of this blog -- Discovering God's Perfect Plan and Amazing Sense of Humor Each and Everyday -- we are constantly discovering God's perfect plan. Sometimes it takes a while for us to discover his plan...

Nope. Not. this. time.

On Thursday, after a very stressful evening of soccer (with multiple breakdowns from Palmer throughout the one hour practice), homework, etc., I'd had enough. Something in our crazy, fast-paced life needed to change. Granted, I could easily give up my 4:45 workouts (to get an extra hour of sleep, but truthfully, I like my hour of quiet workout...it's peaceful at 4:45 a.m.) So, I prayed. Prayed that God would somehow put an end to the craziness and let us gain a little control. I think at that time, I knew what needed to happen, but couldn't make the call...

And then, Saturday happened...

You know those people on the TV shows that you see fighting at their kid's game -- you know, the ones...that all the parents are looking at, while shoving their kids in the opposite direction because the ones fighting have clearly lost it. That was Brent and I at Palmer's Soccer Game. I laugh about it now. But at the moment that I just got up and left the game in the middle of the game, I was not laughing.

It seems in our haste to integrate Palmer into the world of "extracurricular activities," we forgot to ask him...do you want to do this?! But, you know, children have a way of telling us things. Sometimes we listen. Sometimes we don't. This time, we did!

He clearly didn't want to be playing Soccer -- that was apparent when the coach sent him out of the game for a "break," asked him to go back in the game and a minute later when the coach asked the other kids who wanted a break, Palmer asked for his break. 1 minute of playing and he was ready. His lack of effort about drove Brent crazy, which in turn drove me crazy, which in turn led to "big ears" Peyton making a comment that sent me right over the edge. Yep, I left. Got so angry, that I left. Jumped in the car, drove home and called my Mom crying. Crying. Crying so hard my Mom couldn't understand what I was saying. That's bad. Very bad.

So, after some apologizing by Brent and a quick "Palmer do you want to play soccer?" with a resounding "No!" We made the call. No more soccer. Just like that. God showed us His plan. And the craziness ended. And, I didn't even feel bad about it.

Got also revealed his other plan -- Palmer + Wednesday night KidsLife at Church = A great evening. Since Palmer wasn't playing Soccer anymore (thankfully), and since Peyton has baseball practice on Wednesday nights, we decided I'd take Palmer to KidsLife (45 minutes of music, 30 minutes of games, 30 minutes of storytime) at Church. The first 10 minutes included our typical "I don't want to do this" breakdown, which then ended with crying, which then ended with him finally going into the room with the other 20 kids already in the class making "musical instruments" out of plastic bottles and rice. I stayed for the music portion and when they left to play games, I snuck out. Went back an hour later and this was what I heard, "Palmer, did you have fun?" "Yes!" "Do you want to go back?" Yes! Yes! At which point, he wore his artwork around his neck as a necklace and proudly showed it to Brent when he got home.

WIN. WIN. WIN.

God had a plan and it didn't include Soccer. Thankfully.

So, we're no longer those crazy parents yelling at each other. The Lord is in control and our little Palmer, well, he's learning the Lord's ways and the perfect plans He has for our lives.

No more soccer...we're all ok with that!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a God that is not afraid to "make the call" for us,
Chasity

PS...the Church is crazy on Wednesday nights...WOW at the children that were there!

Labor Day...

2010-09-07T12:59:00.003-05:00

weekend is supposed to be a time of relaxation. A celebration of sort's for the last weekend of Summer.

"Supposed to be" are the key words.

What began as a weekend intended for relaxing, quickly became a weekend of "we've got to get our house clean." Oh, and take our little Brooke to the vet (our little Brooke is going to Broke us)...

I thought I kept a fairly neat house. Thought. But, clearly, after this weekend's cleaning spree, I am wrong. wrong. wrong. And, we didn't even touch the things that just need to be given to Goodwill.

We cleaned the carpets, dusted every nook and cranny, windexed every window, cleaned every inch of every bathroom and there's still more to do. More that we didn't do. And, oh, somehow managed to find the time to decorate my Sunday School classroom and buy a new pair of jeans (very important tasks -- yes, the decorating part)!

But, amongst all the cleaning, there was a light at the end of the tunnel. Chris and Jody came to visit us. As my Mom said, "At least I know you two can get along without me being around." You did good Mom. And Chris did good when he asked Jody to be his wife:) She's the perfect sis-in-law and Aunt...and she puts up with Chris! I would have killed him by now (JK) -- although he is really good a technical stuff. So thanks to him, he fixed our Wii, cleaned our computer, secured our WiFi and even managed a little Star Wars lego building time with Peyton.

Chris and Jody were so sweet. They watched the boys for us while we went to a 40th birthday surprise party -- did I just say that. We've officially reached that age, that it's not our parent's friends turning 40...it's our friends. WOW! But, we did feel like teenagers that night. Getting to go out and party without having to pay someone to watch the kids...ROCK ON!

Of course, we always try to make their visit memorable (the last time they came, they got engaged), so we arranged for them to see Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman at Starbucks (ok, no not really, but dang, we've lived here for 4 years and never seen anyone like that). Pushed them to eat at my favorite restaurant -- Whiskey Kitchen. We even made it to the pool and managed to grill out and eat some awesome Paula Deen Mac & Cheese:) The boys L-O-V-E Jody. So with a little chanting -- stay one more night, stay one more night -- (and Uncle Chris' mistake on the location of their next "intended" stop), they decided to stay another night! After some talk about Peyton staying up all night to wish on a shooting star, Jody left the boys the sweetest message:

So, after a weekend of crazy cleaning and visiting, we all got to get up and go back to work. Except Chris and Jody -- they were headed to the Spa (Oprah's favorite Nashville Spa). I'm not hating them right now. No. Not. At. All. And of course, they're next stops: Loveless Cafe and Arrington Vineyards.

What a weekend...whew. I need a Non-Labor Day weekend from my Labor Day weekend!

WE ARE Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have Chris and Jody in our lives. What a great visit,
Chasity

PS...Little Brooke is having surgery right now. Praying all goes well!!!!

About time...

2010-08-30T12:31:00.003-05:00

that I started blogging again...

Apparently, my mind just decided that since it's called "Summer Break" that I should take a break from blogging. Apparently.

This past Summer just flew by. It was like a blur. It seems we were really busy this Summer. Not to mention, it was HOT. VERY HOT. UNUSUALLY HOT. ALL. THE. TIME. Maybe it was the heat (that's my story and I'm sticking to it), but I was even a slacker at going to the pool. I know. My titles of "Sun Goddess" and "Pool Wife" were lost (or at least that's what all of our friends say)! Now, of course, I'm wishing I could get Summer back. Ugh...can't ever be happy.

Well, nothing I can do about it now. Except try to relive it through this blog.

Since I rarely ever take a lunch break while at work, I've decided that I'm going to spend at least one lunch hour during the week updating my blog -- after all, the whole point of this is to be a diary of sorts for the boys to "remember" what their lives were like at every age. So, with that being said, stay tuned. I'm going back to the beginning of Summer and will slowly, but surely, update you guys on our Summer of Fun, Heat and everything else.

Really quick...updates from this weekend -- Brent went alligator hunting, leaving me and the boys to ourselves. We did a little bit of everything this weekend. Friday, Palmer and I partied by the pool with the neightbors, while Peyton weazled an invitation out of his best friend to go skating. We were lazy Saturday morning, but finally gathered enough energy to go to the pool for a few hours, go see Nanny McPhee Returns (which has now become one of my all-time favorite children's movies) and dinner at Moe's. This also happened to be our first Sunday of not having Brent to help me on Sunday morning before Church. Whew. Never thought I'd enjoy getting up at 5 a.m. on a Sunday morning, but it's all worth it. We were actually early to Church, so the boys helped me get ready for the babies. I managed to get them to Sunday School on time, and we even went to Cracker Barrel for lunch (to have breakfast...and no one killed each other while waiting for our table). And to top it all off, we donated a big old bag of groceries to GraceWorks -- the mission arm of church collecting food for children on reduced lunch plans to take home over and eat on the weekends. The drop-off times -- 1 to 6 -- we got there a little early at 12:45 and there was already a line...WOW!

Anyway, stay tuned. Posts and Pictures are a coming...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful,
Chasity

PS...So ready to not be a single Mom anymore!

WOW...

2010-07-23T09:00:00.002-05:00

where has this Summer gone?

Why are we always in such a hurry when Summer should be "lazy"?

Why has it been so hot that it makes us not even want to go to the pool?

What happened to the body I had just 3 years ago and why does it look "bad" in a swimsuit?

Why is it that in the 2nd week of July, I'm already thinking about school supplies, uniforms and after-school care?

Why is it that I feel the need to make my child do "workbooks" during the Summer?

WOW...a ton of questions of which I don't want to have think about, worry about or deal with...I just want to enjoy the Summer. Darn it!

It's going to be Fall very soon and we're going to wish we had Summer back, but all we do during the Summer is get ready for the Fall.

Today is obviously filled with frustration and questions. So, I've decided to write Summer a letter and ask a few things...

Dear Summer ~
We love when you get here. Pools open. No homework. Summer camps. Lazy Friday nights by the pool. Saturday cook-outs. But, I have to ask...why do you have to go so soon? It seems like our time together just goes by way too fast. And, of course, the heat doesn't help things at all (can you do something about this ridiculous heat we're having?).

Please, stick around for a while. Pull up a chair. Grab some sweet tea and let's hang out. No laundry. No cleaning the house. No ridiculous heat. No worring about back to school. No responsibilities. Just you and us working on a nice tan while listening to the children giggle, laugh and splash us with Cannon Balls.

Think we can make this happen? If you try, I'll try.

Thank you!

Your Summertime friend,
Chasity

He's 41...

2010-05-31T20:29:00.003-05:00

Fourty-One. 4-1. 41...

May 31, 1969 was a big day for Brenton Lynn Phillips.
May 31, 2010 was a relaxing day for Brenton Lynn Phillips.

We celebrated by going to beach! Yeah, we celebrate big around the Phillips house!

So, while at the beach, we went over to Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Linda's house for a little celebration -- to make it even better, they live on the water. SWEET. So, we ate. We visited. We played. We fished. We celebrated (with cake). We swam. We had a great time! Happy 41st Birthday to my sweet Brent (and to his Mama for giving birth to him -- it's a big day for her too)!

(I just love this picture. He was doing exactly what he loves to do!)

(Still doing what he loves to do!)

(And, now he has a little helper to help him do what he loves to do!)
(To be honest, not sure how much of a "helper" the little one was!)

(Yep, that's us...Perfectly Phillips!)

(Little Man getting in on the action!)

(Nothing like Daddy's kisses!)

(There's the birthday boy just chillin'!)

(Birthday Boy and the Mom that loves him so much!)

(Brent and Uncle Jimmy -- such amazing men!)

(Brent and Mike -- can you tell they used to aggravate the devil out of each other?)

(Me and my better half -- ignore the fishing pole!)

Yes, I know the hat looks stupid, but I'm getting older, so I'm allowed to look stupid every now and again.

What a great day...and even more fun days are ahead of us. Stay tuned. Cool pics coming your way!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be married to a 41-year-old man that acts like he's 18 (all the time),
Chasity

PS...He keeps life interesting. I think I'll keep him!

Two in One...

2010-05-28T08:35:00.005-05:00

night on the last day of 1st Grade.

Peyton lost his first two teeth...WOW! After months of being asked, "When am I going to loose a tooth?" it finally happened. TWO IN ONE NIGHT. Of course, the two happened, because Brent pulled the WRONG tooth the first time (luckily it was ready to come out, just not quiet as ready as the RIGHT tooth)! We were actually kind of shocked that Peyton let Brent pull the second tooth, considering he got the wrong tooth the first time.

Of course, me being me, I tried to capture it all on camera (in between gagging at the site of watching Brent pull the tooth and seeing the blood). I wish I was like my friend Sarah and could handle the blood, etc..., but I can't so, I tried to get pictures1 without really looking at what I was aiming at...makes sense right?!

Here's the action:

(Brent and Peyton doing one of MANY test runs...)

(One last smile with ALL baby teeth in tact!)

(Wiggling it even more...)

(Wiggling it the other way!)

(Little Palmer had to get in on the action. But, it was around 10 p.m. so he was fading fast!)

BTW...they don't get to stay up that late every night, but since it was the last day of school, we let them stay up later than normal!

(Lil Bro getting in on the action...he can't stand it)

(This is it...it's time...)

(It's OUT!)
(He's an official SNAGGLETOOTH!)

(and then he ran to the sink to get the blood out...GROSS!)

(I totally missed the 2nd tooth coming out, as Brent put ice on the first tooth and it numbed it so much that he literally just wiggled the second tooth and it came right out...no blood. So this is the picture I got of the second tooth!)

(Thanks to Brent, apparently, if you lose 2 teeth in one night, the tooth fairy doubles the amount you get. Here's the math: 1 tooth = $2, so 1 tooth + 1 tooth = $4 x 2 (doubled for loosing 2 teeth in one night) = $8 from the tooth fairy - and he got a note:)

My baby isn't a baby anymore! His top 2 teeth are loose too...it won't be long now. I guess getting those Dina pictures done back in March was a really good idea!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have captured all of this on film (and to have had the cash at the right time when I needed it),
Chasity

PS...I never carry cash, but I've been keeping a $5 tucked away for this very night. YAY me for being prepared:)

The End...

2010-05-27T22:00:00.001-05:00

of Peyton's First Grade year as we know it...

I can't believe he's done. WOW! They grow up sooooo fast.

(Peyton and his best friend Cannon)

(Peyton and Mrs. Melin -- our teacher from Florida and fellow FSU Alum)

(Peyton and Ms. Cassie -- Whew don't know how they do it).

AND, he ended the year with all E's. Principal's list every 9 weeks (think Dean's list). Amazing how smart he is!

Bring on Summer...we're ready...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have such a smart (and cute) kid,
Chasity

PS...I don't remember the last day of school being mass chaos, but apparently, it was. Not sure who ran out of the school faster...the kids or the teachers!

Time-Out...

2010-05-27T06:30:00.001-05:00

Mama Kat's Writers Workshop subject for today:

Who are you giving a time-out to?

The answer: Me, Myself and I.

I'm taking a time-out for myself (before I lose it...really)!

April and May have sucked! Big time. SO GLAD THEY ARE OVER (almost).

So, since I'm placing myself in time-out, I get to choose where this timeout will take place...I choose: Destin! The beautiful snowy white sands and emerald green waters of Destin.

(see the Palm Trees...they're calling my name)

Of course, in order to get out of time-out, there are several things I'll need to do:

First, I have to pack a really large bottle of Coconut Rum and Strawberry Margarita Mix in order to enjoy a nice Cocorita on the beach (yep, that's my name for this homemade drink I've been drinking lately)!

Second, I have to see my Mom! Ok, I really NEED to see my Mom! She decided to leave me by myself for two weeks while she toured Alaska -- really, what was she thinking leaving me alone to have no one to vent to for two weeks.

(Me and Mom at the beach...)

Third, I have to give my Granddad a hug. He's had pneumonia (pair that with a really bad heart) and it scares me, so I want to go see him and give him a big hug.

(Us and my Granddad at Chris' wedding...he LOVES the beach!)

Fourth, I'm going to send my MIL, husband and boys off on a deep-sea excursion for about ummmm 7 days...ok, not really 7 days, but even just 1 day of lying on the beach, by myself, with no one around is a perfect time-out for me!

(I'll make sure to wave as they're leaving!)

Fifth, I'm going to live in my swimsuit (covered up by the cover up) and not do my hair or makeup for a week -- yahoo! Let the curls be curls...leaving the flat iron at home.

(WOW! This was the last picture I have of me wearing my hair curly in public -- 6 years ago!)

Lastly, I'm going to take the time to get my perspective back...remembering what really matters in life, what doesn't matter, and how truly blessed we are (this thought, of course, has nothing to do with the fact that I watched My Sister's Keeper last night)!

So, with that being said, let the time-out begin!
Chasity

PS...Anyone notice that every picture on here has something to do with the beach...I think my self-imposed time-out can't come soon enough!

It's Tough...

2010-05-24T13:14:00.005-05:00

being a "girly girl" in an "all boy" world!

Tougher than I ever imagined.

Warning: there's a tiny pity party about to happen, so stop reading here if you don't want to join my party...but trust me, the party gets a whole lot better by the end!!!!

I must first say that until today, I've NEVER REALLY thought about all of this...

For whatever reason, today is the day that I realized just how tough it is being my "girly girl" self in my "all boy" world. All this thought process began because I'm trying to re-do my blogsite design with new colors, patterns, etc... and I'm torn. Torn between keeping MY blogsite (dedicated to my boys) somewhat girlish with a lot of boy OR just going all girly with a little bit of boy. Brown counts for boys, so throw in a little pink, orange, green and that makes it boyish right??

So this got me to thinking...about how it's tougher than I ever imagined.

People always tell me that I need to have a little girl because I'm such a girly girl. BUT, the truth is, I like being the only princess in the family -- not like I get treated like a princess (most days I feel like Cinderella before she met Prince Charming) -- but I'm the only princess nonetheless.

AND, I can't imagine not having boys. I can't imagine life without my little favorites! In fact, if I was told today with absolute 100% certainty that I could have a 3rd boy, I'd have a 3rd boy and never even think twice!

But today, for whatever reason, I want a little pink in my life...

Honestly, I knew I was in trouble the day I found out Peyton was a girl, then...a boy -- all within 15 minutes. Thoughts shifted from ballet pink to little boy blue. Then it hit me even more when my Mom and I went shopping for the first piece of baby clothing, only to realize 1/4 of the store was for boys, the other 3/4 of the store for girls. I chalked this up to "saving money."

When the boys were babies, I could get away with being a girly girl by dressing them in the cute smocked outfits, adorable little shirts with their names on them, footed jammies and matching little shorts sets. In fact, I used to tell Brent (whenever he would say something about their outfits), "I get them until they are 4. After that, they can wear polos and khaki's for the rest of their lives. For now, they're mine to dress them however cute I want." Then the day came that they REFUSED to let me dress them in "Bailey Boys" and oh good grief, I can't even remember the name of the store that literrally took thousands of dollars from me -- Strasburg (I actually had to google it to recall the name -- it's a sad day). Four years old came way too fast for me. I still struggle with the decision of what color polo I can dress them in to make our picture look cute. Shoot, these days, it's hard to get them in anything other than a t-shirt, shorts and tennis shoes. Crocs are about the extent of cuteness -- heaven forbid they have to dress up in polos and khakis for church -- within five minutes of being home, they've ripped off those clothes and are right back in their play clothes. Even jammies aren't cute these days -- Sponge Bob and Star Wars...yay cuteness!

What I really need to know is how to get my boys in some pink??!!

It's tough not being able to buy cute $5 ribbon bows. It's tough not being able to buy super cute shoes. It's tough not being able to buy pretty little sundresses. It's tough not being able to buy the ADORABLE little Lilly Pulizer dresses. It's tough knowing that I'll never be able to buy flowers for a little ballerina for her recital, talk about how stupid boys are, help her get ready for cheerleading tryouts or write my "legacy" letter to my sorority when she's ready to go through rush. I think I'll just chalk all of this up to saving money:)

Instead, I'm a girly girl living in an all boy world -- baseball bats and gloves, karate uniforms, soccer shin guards and cleats. Monkey in the middle, wrestling matches, tickle fights, who can run the fastest races, who can burp the loudest or well, I'll let you guess what kind of competition comes next.

I'm sure if I had a girl, she'd be exactly opposite of a girly girl, knowing my luck!!!!

Cute swimsuits, piggy tails and tutus will all just have to go on existing without me buying a one of them -- again, saving money! For now, I'll just buy a new color polo and try to coordinate it with one of my super cute Lilly dresses (mental picture: me all dressed up in my Lilly dress sitting on one of the boys fighting with him to put on his matching polo shirt -- it happens!)

Pink madras, polka dots and paisleys will all just have to be worn by me. Stripes, camo and super heros are very much in my day-to-day world. Lush, floral pictures are replaced by hunting-shirt, farm pictures (see Dina pictures as an example).

Bottom line, the Lord knew I needed boys. He knew what he was doing when he gave me my favorites. He knew I needed to save money (so I can pay for dates later on down the road). He knew I needed to sweat while sitting out at baseball and soccer games. In fact, he knew I needed to have one in karate so I could work out while my little one is learning to beat up other kids.

The Lord knew drama would be too much for me. The Lord knew my life would be completely boring without boys in it. The Lord knew I would need to laugh more and let go of perfectionism. The Lord knew I would need the hugs and kisses of two little boys to keep me going each and every day. The Lord knew I wouldn't have time in the mornings to do my hair and the hair of a little girl.

Couch jumping, counter climbing, pillow fighting, leg sweeping, ball chasing, mud digging, dog loving, video game playing little boys is what the Lord decided I needed to have.

And I can still have my pink and eat it too:) Granted, they might have to wear a pink shirt every now and again!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have to be creative with color coordinating my blog page,
Chasity

PS...Which one (see below)...I can't decide...Imagine the Dina pictures paired up with this or if you like one of the other's I can color coordinate -- polos for the boys with something of mine:)

2010-05-23T10:28:00.001-05:00

Scrapbooking Ideas Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

The Dont's...

2010-05-18T08:40:00.003-05:00

of soccer...

I took my camera to the Soccer fields in hope of getting some good photographs of Palmer playing Soccer. Not. Today.

Instead, I shifted the camera and caught (on memory card) Palmer demonstrating all the don'ts of Soccer...

Don't #1 (and this is a biggie)
Don't step on your teammate! It's not nice!

Don't #2
Don't be the one kid on the wrong end of the field...everyone else is at the other end.

Don't #3

Don't play in the net while you should be trying to kick a goal.

Don't #4

Don't do somersaults on the field during the game!

Don't #5

Don't pick the grass or flowers while the game is in play...you will get run over!

Yep, I think we might try football next! Baseball -- NO! Karate -- NO! Soccer -- Maybe NOT!

Football????

Truly Thankful and Beautifully Blessed to have a child that is able to do the "Don'ts" of Soccer,
Chasity

PS...Maybe we should try music!

Mother's Day...

2010-05-09T21:12:00.004-05:00

is supposed to be a day of love. kisses. hugs. relaxation. joy.

"Supposed to be" are the key words.

Not this day. Not today!

Brent gets a free pass on Valentine's Day, but after today's epic failures, I'm kind of sure he gets the idea that he (and the boys) do not get a free pass on Mother's Day.

Note to Brent -- giving me an unsigned Mother's Day card bought at Publix the day before Mother's Day does not count as "effort." Asking (instead of just doing) if he can cook me breakfast for Mother's Day when he has NEVER made breakfast in the 10 years we've been married does not count as "effort." Getting up at 7 a.m. with the boys and then going back to bed 30 minutes later after I've showered does not count as "effort."

I know I should be this Mom that just thoroughly enjoys my children no matter what, but today was the day when all they did was fight with each other, aggravate each other, complain about everything and just DRIVE ME INSANE. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE MY CHILDREN UNCONDITIONALLY, but what I've learned is that Mother's Day -- at the end of the day, is just like any other day when little boys are involved! Or, maybe I've done something wrong in the fact that my children don't respect this day for what it is "supposed to be." Oh wait, that's Brent's job to teach them about Mother's Day...I think he got the hint that next year, Mother's Day is not just an ordinary day. One day of the year when Mom's get singled out for all they do.

We won't remember these pictures as Mother's Day 2010 pictures. We'll remember these pictures as the "year my boys learned that they do not get a free pass on Mother's Day" pictures!

Ah, life! It teaches us lessons even on days we don't want to be taught lessons. But today, taught me so much. Taught Brent so much.

And even as a 35 year old, Mother's Day is just not the same when you can't be with your Mom. I would have given anything to go to lunch with her today!

I wouldn't trade being a Mom for ANYTHING in the world. I would, however, like to have a "power switch" for my boys!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to know that next year's Mother's Day will be AWESOME,
Chasity

PS...The best part of my day today was when Brent apologized for messing up today.

Our Dina...

2010-05-09T18:58:00.005-05:00

Mrs. Dina...she's an amazing photographer. Her patience is unreal and her hubby gave my hubby beers while we were taking pictures at her farm! Family pictures + Brent = not so happy husband. Brent + Farm + Beer - Family pictures = hubby that can smile through the session!

It's been a while since we had our pictures taken with Dina. Three years in fact. It was time. Time to break out the wallet and get our family pictures done by a professional (and that does not include me!!!!!!).

The Farm. That is where we took our pictures. Where we captured Palmer at the wonderful age of 4 (here the sarcasm in my writing). Where we captured Peyton with all of his baby teeth still in his mouth. Where we discovered Palmer's true love for ALL animals (you'll see below that he wasn't even scared of the gigantic Clydesdale-related horse). Where Brent discovered that taking family pictures isn't nearly as bad when you a have a beer in hand. Where we discovered that giving a 4 year old an egg and asking him not to break it is definitely hoping for too much. Where Dina tried to talk us into building on our own farm...not. going. to. happen. (simply because of the possibility of snakes)!

Narrowing these pictures down to just the 11 that we purchased was HARD. VERY. HARD. It pains me to not be able to buy all of them (It all goes back to Peyton's 3 week old "Yawn" picture that I didn't buy -- that's another story for another time).

I gave a sneak peek in my last post, but here's the rest -- thank you Mrs. Dina for letting me post these!!!

Horses like carrots too!

Unless you don't give the horse the carrot...then he tries to come after you!

Our family...my little boys are so grown up in this picture!

Just you, me and the grass buddy!

Us...I love the tire swing hanging in the background and the moss hanging from the trees!

They're a mess. A big, huge, messy mess!

My favorite firstborn!

My Favorite Sweet Baby!

Palmer being Palmer!

Palmer being Palmer Part 2!

And, we're done. Done with the pictures. He'd had enough!!!!

It was a beautiful day for beautiful pictures...these are going to go very nicely in my newly redecorated bedroom!!!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to know a wonderful photographer like Mrs. Dina,
Chasity

PS...Happy Mother's Day (My Mom's in Alaska right now, but I wish she was here)!

Us Lately...

2010-05-08T19:36:00.010-05:00

It's been a while (ok, two months) since my last post. So much has been going on that I just haven't had time to update this the way I should be.

So, here's a quick run down (with pictures) of our lives from the past two months...

Spring Break ~
We went home for Spring Break and took the boys to an FSU baseball game. My old stomping ground!!! Besides being outside on a beautiful (yet cold) day, the boys managed to eat their way through the game!

Dina Ivory Picture Day~
It's been 3 years since Dina photographed our family. While I would love to think that I am a great photographer, sadly, I'm not. So, we headed out to Dina's Farm and somehow managed (I suspect it was her fast finger) to get some great photos. We captured (for possibly the last time) all of Peyton's baby teeth in tact and little Palmer at the wonderful age of 4!

Boys will be boys, I suppose! And this is classic Peyton & Palmer!

Palmer decided to tease the horse with a carrot...the horse responded by kicking the fence and scaring us half to death. We all jumped back!

Opening Day of Baseball Season~
It finally arrived -- opening day of baseball for Peyton. As part of the Brentwood Astros, Peyton is killing the ball. Now, if only we could get him to run (fast) to the base...And oh, to add craziness to the schedule, we now have karate, baseball and soccer games every Saturday!

Love this picture...

Life's little lesson -- standing with one foot on the ball when you are 4 years old is REALLY, SUPER HARD to do (it's really very funny to watch too!).

Knowing which way to kick the ball is also a really hard thing to remember, so the coach has to constantly remind them!

Easter Weekend, April 4, 2010
Brent's mom needed help painting her house and since Good Friday made Easter weekend a 3-day weekend, Brent went to Destin to help his Mom. So, it was just the boys and me for Easter...it was kind of sad not having Bren there, but we somehow managed to survive without him. We spent Good Friday by having Peyton's best friend Cannon over to spend the night (as an early 7th birthday celebration)...we managed to go to McDonald's (a treat for the boys), see
How to Train Your Dragon and go to Chuck E Cheese. We also made Rice Krispy treat Eggs!

On Easter Sunday, we went to church then after nap time (a necessary for Mommy after being up at the butt-crack-of-dawn with two little boys anxious to see what the Easter Bunny left them), we had our first Easter Egg Games...it was a ton of fun!

Easter Egg Spoon Race

It takes talent...ok, maybe not, but for me and 3 little boys it did take a whole lot of patience!

Easter baskets from B.B.

Easter baskets from the Easter Bunny...pool themed, complete with goggles, beach towel, new swimsuits and swimshirts and of course, tons of candy!

Peyton's 7th Birthday~
It's crazy to think my baby boy, my favorite firstborn, turned 7 years old. After a little persuasion, we decided to forgo the big birthday party and save that money for a Disney or Beach trip, so we had Cannon spend the night, spent all day partying and then capped it off with a day that began with a Krispy Kreme Doughnut Cake, a Cupcake party at school, dinner at Logan's (chosen by the birthday boy himself) and a trip to Toy's R Us for two boxes of Legos and a DS game (after a little persuasion on Mommy's part...it just took a little convincing that he could spend $150 on one box of legos OR he could get two boxes of legos and a DS game for the same amount)...I think he had a great birthday (of course having your birthday announced on the loud speaker at Toys R Us just topped it all off)!

Nice hair! Being born at 5 a.m. has it's problems!
And yes, I do wake him up at 5 a.m. EVERY YEAR!

If you have to go to school on your birthday, might as well do it with cupcakes!!! Especially, the Harry Potter kind!

Peyton and Cannon -- buddies since Pre-School!

Client Strategic Visits~
I'm pretty sure I brought this idea up to our team and somehow, I've been the only one to do these trips...3 trips in 3 weeks...back to back...Bryan, TX (of course, flying on a leer jet is pretty cool), Washington D.C. and Bowling Green, KY (2 times in one week)! These trips are killing me, but at least I have a job and a fun one at that...with great clients. Would you ever think these groups are attorneys???!!!

Daniel Stark Injury Lawyers -- Bryan, Waco and Austin, TX

ChasenBoscolo Injury Lawyers -- Washington D.C., Virginia and Maryland

Room Redo~
Finally! It's only been 3 years that I've been planning this. When we first moved in, we painted the room chocolate brown and blue. Of course, I loved the colors, but could never find the right bedding. So, I finally found bedding that I liked (thanks to Pottery Barn) and wouldn't you know, painting the room a different color had to be done. After weeks of begging, Brent finally started the project. He still has to build the bed (yep, there's a really cool blogsite that shows how to make Pottery Barn furniture -- http://www.knock-offwood.com). Once that's done though, I get to decorate and then hopefully we'll have a nice and peaceful relazing bedroom! I miss the blue and brown, but our "hotel room" color seems to be warming up on me (Peyton called it a hotel room)!

My painter!!!!

Rain, Rain and more Rain~
On May 1st and 2nd, Nashville received more than 13 1/2 in. of rain in just two days. It rained a lot. It rained hard. We've never seen that much rain. EVER! We never thought it would flood the way it has over the past week. Who knew that 13 1/2 in. of rain could make rivers and creeks rise 30 feet above flood level and literally devastate a town. It's been crazy! The boys have been out of school for a week. Brent and I pulled together this past week to take the boys to work with us. Thanks goodness for great friends and neighbors...they've helped us so much this past week. On Monday, Palmer and I (he went to work with me) walked down to the point where the Cumberland River crested (at the exact time it was cresting) just two blocks from my office! Thankfully, our house was fine. We live on a hill and other than a minor roof leak (because of all the rain), we came out good. Brent's 101 year old great grandmother and her 90 year old sister lost their home in the flood. It's so sad, but a blessing in disguise, as they needed to be in a nursing home! Now, they are in a nursing home thanks to Brent's Aunt and Uncles that came to
find them a place to live. They left today after staying with us since Tuesday while trying to find them a new place to live and literally, throwing out everything they owned and trying to replace it all.

This flood has taught us that Nashville is a wonderful community. The people are helpful, kind and willing to do what is needed to help others and get things done. It's a sad time, but one that will be overcome but beautiful people willing to help and rebuild! Going through something like this has taught us sooooo much about life in general.

Federal Emergency, 1,000 year flood. WOW!

Downtown Nashville

The Country Music Hall of Fame under water!

Lobby of the Opryland Hotel...so sad!

Turkey Hunting~
Life has been crazy. So Brent hasn't had much time for hunting. The man is going to drive me crazy if he doesn't get to go soon! Turkey hunting this, Turkey hunting that...good Lord...get that man a turkey.

I woke up at 7 a.m. this morning to look out the window and see Brent walking through the backyard with a turkey in his hand. Of course, my early-riser, Palmer, joined him out in the backyard and they both posed for a picture...

Soccer Don'ts of Soccer Season~
Amongst the flooding and craziness of this week, life still somehow goes on. Karate, soccer and baseball all in one day. While at the soccer field, I decided to take pictures...they pictures for the day were Soccer Dont's!!!! Don't pull your shirt of your head, don't pick the grass, don't do a somersault during the game, don't step on your teammate, don't hang on the net, don't pull up your shorts and show everyone your undies. Oh my Palmer...he somehow manages to make everyday interesting!!!!

Life is crazy. Life is good. Life is beautiful. Life is interesting. Life is a blessing!!!!!!

Mother's Day is tomorrow, so more pictures to come...

Is it June yet? Summer Camps and pool time are sooooo much better than the school year!!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a crazy, beautiful life,
Chasity

PS...Since we've lived in Nashville, we've had the hottest Summer on record, the most snow on record and the most rain on record. Kind of tired of "records."

It's Official, Official...

2010-03-21T20:00:00.001-05:00

I'm a Soccer. Mom.

I have to admit that I've never really wanted to be a soccer mom, but now that I am, I think I have the cutest little booger out there on the field.

This past Saturday was Palmer's first soccer game. Of which, almost turned out to be an EPIC FAILURE!

Yep, between him not wanting to play (at first), me almost being in tears because I couldn't figure out a way to get him to go play and then literally kicking Brent and my MIL off the field (telling them to go home), it turned out that Palmer is one little soccer stud...when he decided to finally play!

(He's official...He's a "Shark")

(He was having fun before the game started...)

(Then for whatever reason, he decided he didn't want to play!)

(Finally, after promising him everything under the son, including a new Best Friend, Zach #3, he went out and played -- with only 5 minutes left of the game)

(He is actually pretty good!)

(Go Palmer...I'm pretty sure there's never been a mother as proud as I was during that game!)

(of course, the coach had to keep reminding the kids which way they actually needed to kick the ball and which goal it needed to go in!)

(Palmer and Zach giving each other a hug...it was so cute, but unfortunately, I couldn't find the "Zoom Out" button fast enough)

(1.2.3...GO SHARKS!)

Now that we've established that it is fun to play (and not sit on Mommy's lap and watch everyone), hopefully, Mr. Palmer will remember it and want to play next week...we can at least keep our fingers crossed;)

So proud of my favorite sweet baby!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for my little soccer star,
Chasity

PS...Don't worry! I did make Brent feel bad about missing Palmer's first game! Bad attitudes and overly competitive fathers need not apply!

I'm a Slacker...

2010-02-28T09:48:00.002-06:00

or just really busy. Can't really decide which one.

I know I haven't posted in a while. I'm going to fix that...I promise.

Life has been busy and about to get busier...yikes!

Stay tuned for more. I have a "creative" need that is just a huge part of me...it flares up sometimes. Right now, it's laying low. I'm thinking it won't be long until it flares up.

Please be patient with me!

Chasity :)

Don't Mess With Me...

2010-02-06T17:09:00.000-06:00

So...Seeing that I'm NOT happy about having to buy a new washing machine after 2.5 years AND having to spend my Saturday morning doing something I shouldn't have to be doing at 2.5 years, you'd think a slimy, wormy sales guy would notice the skowl on my face and NOT try to approach me...you'd think...

So I went to HH Gregg (which is where we bought the first one, so I was determined to get them to give me a discount for selling me a lame washing machine) and of course, this slimy sales guy comes leisurely walking over to me. Poor guy. Stupid guy (didn't he see the skowl??!!). I was honest though. I told him up front...now is your chance to walk away from me because I am not happy about being here and I won't be playing nice today. He stayed. Bad move.

After warning him and getting his General Manager out to the floor, I got a BRAND NEW model marked originally $1,100, on sale for $887, down to $667. Not bad if I do say so myself. That's not including the 25% I'm getting from Whirpool (I admit, I lied to the sales guy and told him I was only getting 10%...ha ha)!

It doesn't match my dryer and I still hate that I had to spend that money, but I feel like I worked them over for a great deal...meet my new washing machine (that includes a 3 year warranty)!

After paying for the darn thing, the sales dude looked at me and said "Enjoy your new washing machine." I promptly looked at him and said: "1) Does anyone ever REALLY enjoy buying a new washing machine? 2) I would enjoy a beach vacation a lot more, but since I had to buy this, I guess I get to 'enjoy' doing laundry instead....yeah. right." JERK!

I'd like to say I'm blessed because I was able to buy the new one and didn't have to rely on a laundry mat like a lot of people do, but I've decided to be a little spoiled today. And whine. And complain.
Chasity

PS...still upset that they don't match! I know, stupid...BUT!

Are You Serious...

2010-02-02T17:01:00.001-06:00

This is what I said to the washing machine repair man when he told me about the things below -- a huge hole in the tub, a crack ALL the way down the side and a water pressure gage not working...GREAT! $900 dollars to repair. I can buy a new one for that!

Only 2.5 years old and I have to buy a new washing machine. NOT HAPPY. NOT. HAPPY. My old yucky top-loading, never serviced washing machine was 10 years old.

Ugh. Great. Now I get to haggle with Whirlpool and HH Gregg. Great. Just Great.

AND, to top it off. We found out today that the trip we thought we were getting for Brent's award isn't happening. Double Great!

What a crappy day. Officially.

Not so blessed today,
Chasity

PS...my phone call to Whirlpool is not going to be a nice one!

Welcome February...

2010-02-01T06:00:00.002-06:00

4.5 inches...that was what I measured on the back deck. I'm sure we got more as the day went on, but that's my official measurement.

It's amazing how 4.5 inches can cause such chaos and confusion!

The pictures below document the snow storm:

Our poor fish...there's something so wrong about this picture!

This is what 4.5 inches looks like.

Bama isn't sure what to think!

Our mountain...covered in snow!

The treehouse...covered!

Our house!

My poor car parked all alone at the neighbor's house! I slid into our driveway and parked in the middle, so Brent had to park at the neighbor's house. The next day, Brent tried to move it and decided we weren't going to be able to move it, so he put it in park and put the parking break on...it slid into the middle of the street all by itself...scary. very scary!

The neighborhood...no one was getting out. Trust me. We watched as many people tried to get out. Just wasn't happening!

The mailbox...this is for your Mom!

Pre Wipe-Out...

Post Wipe-Out!

SSSNNNOOOWWW FFFIIIGGGHHHTTT!

Palmer eating snow!

Our snowman. Making a snowman is harder than it looks!

Palmer helping...I think!?

It was a crazy week. And on top of all of this, the washing machine broke. Yep, broke and wouldn't you know that I had a million piles of laundry to do. I ended up borrowing our neighbor's all-wheel drive car so that we could get out of the neighborhood and go to the laundrymat (haven't been to one of those in a VERY long time). What a rough weekend!

The snow is beautiful, but we're over it. OVER IT!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to enjoy all of this with my family. We won't soon forget it,
Chasity

PS...called the washing machine repair man...fingers crossed! But not a good feeling!

Dedication to...

2010-01-29T22:35:00.000-06:00

work...that's what I'm going to call this!

With one little boy out of school for a snow day (due to an "expected" snow storm), one little boy who's school is closing early (but not sure at what time due to the "expected" snow storm) and a husband that is out of town, it would have been sooooo easy for me to call out for a snow day. But, I didn't. I sucked it up and went to work with one with me and the other going to be with me at some point...ugh!

For the first time EVER, my office closed early (Thank You Lord!)! It took us an hour to get home (thanks to the snow and roads), but we made it home safely. After a 3 hour nap (yep, we must have been tired), we woke up to this:

The Snow Storm like no other. Nashville hasn't seen snow like this since the early 1990s.

And wouldn't you know it, Brent was trying to get hom during all of this. It was so bad, that it there were no cabs for him to take home. He had to drive my car from the airport in all of this! It was terrible. He was literally driving 20 mph all the way home. But, he made it. And when he walked up to the door, this is what greeted him:

Whew...we're all home together. Finally. Now, bring on the snow sledding!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful that Brent is home and we are all back together again,
Chasity

PS...have I mentioned my washing machine broke?? Great!!!!

HE WON...

2010-01-27T22:00:00.000-06:00

Brent WON. He actually won his award!!!! ROOKIE OF THE YEAR!!!!

YAY! So proud. So proud. So proud. Beyond proud. So thankful, grateful. So proud.

Of course, he kept me on pins and needles for most of the day.

When he got to the hotel, in his welcome packet, he had an invitation to an "Awards Reception." Of course, he didn't know this meant that he had won the award, he just thought everyone was invited. But, he won! Woot! Woot!

This is awesome on sooooo many levels. 1) He deserves it. 2) He deserves it. 3) We get a trip. 4) This is great for his resume and for when he asks for a transfer back to Florida. 5) But mostly, he deserves it. Recognition. Something it seems he never gets.

So unbelievably proud!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for Brent...my very own "Rookie of the Year"!
Chasity

PS...He did a VERY BIG happy dance and proceeded to tell the boys they WOULD NOT be going with us to California...we love them, but...

Fingers Crossed...

2010-01-26T11:05:00.000-06:00

for Brent.

This is the week that he finds out if he won "Rookie of the Year."

This is an award that is only given out to 8 reps (count them...8) out of more than 5,000. Last year, we found out about this goal and for the past year, we (and yes, I mean we) have worked hard to be up for this award. We started by making it VERY KNOWN that Brent wanted this award and was going to work very hard for it!

For the past year, everytime Brent has been around his boss, he's brought it up, mentioned it, talked about in some way shape or form.

Brent deserves it. He's been the top Sales person in his region for 3 out of 3 quarters. He's had great ideas and has to work with a not-so-nice partner.

Not to mention the best part, an all-expense paid trip for two to California for a week. Oh yeah, we deserve it!

Wishing, Hoping, Thinking and Praying he gets this award!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a husband that works so hard to provide for his family,
Chasity

PS...If he gets it, we are calling the trip our 10 year honeymoon!

Maybe...

2010-01-25T20:00:00.000-06:00

just maybe, soccer will be the sport for Palmer.

Today is the day we signed Palmer up to play soccer (for this Spring). We tried baseball last year...too slow for him. All he wanted to do was run the bases. After two practices (and $175 later)...we decided baseball was not for him (at least not at that time). Baseball = not for Palmer.

We also tried karate. We thought he'd like karate -- the thought of beating up his big brother did not have the impact we thought it would have. Karate = not for Palmer.

So, we're at soccer. We're hoping this is the sport for him. He can't sit still and loves to kick things, so maybe, just maybe soccer will keep him busy, moving and become his sport. Of course, Brent and I know nothing about soccer, but we're not going to let that stop us or him.

Soccer...here we come!

So hoping, praying this is his sport.

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a healthy, active little boy (that keeps us on our toes at all times),
Chasity

PS...I think this makes me a official "soccer Mom." I'm not sure how I feel about this!

Happy Birthday Mom...

2010-01-25T12:00:00.001-06:00

to my Mom!

So wish we could be with her to celebrate, but we can't. So, Pandora charms will have to do:)I truly look forward to the day when we get to go out to dinner together on her birthday. When I can buy her a cake and be there to eat it with her. When I can see her face as she opens her present. See the boys give her big Happy Birthday Hugs!

This is just one of the many reasons that after 3 years (yes, 3 years), I'm still homesick!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a kind, giving, healthy and beautiful Mother than I can call my best friend,
Chasity

PS...We gave her a suitcase and pineapple charm since this is the time of year she usually goes to Hawaii!

I Might Be a Redneck If...

2010-01-15T23:48:00.000-06:00

I actually went to a Monster Truck Jam.

Yep, those words really did just get typed on this page!

I know! I know! But! Here's my explanation:

You see, the boys are still at an age that it's not exactly "easy" to take them places together. One wants to go to the bathroom, the other wants to stay, both have to go, one pitches a fit, one runs off...well, it's not easy.

So, I sucked it up, asked one of our stations for free tickets, and off we went. To the Monster Truck Jam, along with every other redneck in this entire town. WOW! the people that come out to these things...a little scary. ok, more than scary!

But, we had a great time! The boys loved it! Well worth a night on the town with our two adorable, all boy, boys!

(Yes, I did dress him in a "deer" shirt. When in Rome, do as the Rednecks do)!

(Predator lives right down the road from us! The boys used to get so excited to drive by his house!)

(They look so small from where we were sitting, but they are huge and LOUD!)

(I was ready for some action...)

(Way too Loud!)

Anyway, being that we have a huge container of nothing but Monster Trucks (and even had a Monster Truck 4th Birthday party for Peyton), we couldn't miss this, especially since little Palmer is beginning to get into the stage of liking Monster Trucks.

I totally felt like one of the boys!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have been one of the boys for the night,
Chasity

PS...Yes, I forgot the tickets and we had to go all the way home to get them...and Brent didn't even get mad!

Can You Say Yellow...

2010-01-12T22:00:00.001-06:00

Y-E-L-L-O-W!

After starting Karate lessons in September, Peyton has now been awarded his Yellow Belt. YAY for Peyton.

Of course, it must be said, that behind every good Yellow Belt, is a proud Mommy and Daddy (constantly ignoring the pleas to not have to go to class and making him go and then, of course, making him practice and practice.)

But, he was proud and excited and confident -- a confident, little booger. He didn't seem nervous at all. I think I was more nervous than he was.

But, he did it. And did it well. In fact, the instructor said he even used a move that wasn't typically done during the Yellow Belt testing...that's my Peyton:)

We're so proud of him. He's ready for his black belt. I'm figuring we have a little ways to go (and of course, a few thousand dollars to go)!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to get to experience this with my favorite firstborn,
Chasity

PS...They really do make a big deal about getting a new belt. They took him in front of the adult class and changed out his belt. Everyone was clapping!!!

Dos and Don'ts...

2010-01-12T10:20:00.010-06:00

when Mom is sick...

Setting the Scene:

Last night (and even today), I'm not feeling great. Not feeling horrible, just not great. So as most Mom's know, even when we're sick or not feeling well, our job doesn't end. In fact, sometimes I feel like my family sniffs out weakness and preys on it...you know...they know I'm sick, so they demand more!

So, to help my Brent, Peyton and Palmer figure out what to do and what not to do when I'm not feeling perky and chipper, here's a few Dos and Don'ts to follow:

*I'm naming names in this one. No hidden identities people!

Dear Family:

I want to help you understand when I'm not feeling well. I realize my signs are not obvious and you are used to me being there for your every need and want, but there are times when I just don't feel 110%. So, in order to help you figure this out, here's a few Dos and Don'ts to follow:

NOTE: When you see the following...your "Mom's Not Feeling Well Light Bulb" Should Come On and your "fend-for-yourself" mode should kick in...

When you come home from school/work, and I'm lying on the bed, that's a really big clue that something is wrong. On very RARE occassions (like when I'm not feeling well), I'll lie down for just a few minutes. This usually gives me a little kick to get up and get everything else down. But last night, I didn't want to get a kick. I wanted to lie in bed for the entire night. It happens sometimes. I know, it's hard to believe, but every now and again, you guys are not Numero Uno...not often, but sometimes...

So, when you see the "lying on the bed thing", this DOES NOT mean to do the following (aka Dont's):
1) Yell for me from across the house and expect me to come to you (Peyton).
2) Ask me to button your jeans and when I say, "Ask Daddy," for you to scream and have a breakdown next to me because I won't button your jeans (Palmer).
3) Proceed to blame me for something that was CLEARLY not my fault (Brent).
4) Decide tonight is the night to test the waters on your new found attitude (Peyton).
5) Choose tonight as the night that you must have something for dinner other than cereal or pancake on a stick (Peyton and Palmer).
6) Scold me for not being OVERLY excited (jumping up and down, etc...) for Peyton getting all E's (Brent).
7) Look at me over and over again and tell me I don't look like I feel good, yet proceed to let me make dinner, do homework and be the "bad guy" and "rule enforcer" to the boys(Brent).
8) Scream and yell at me for trying to put lotion on your eczema-acting-up skin, so you won't claw yourself to death trying to scratch it (Palmer).
9) Decide tonight is the night you refuse to say your prayers because you're mad at the world with your new found attitude (Peyton).

It does, however mean for you to do the following (aka Dos):
1) Realize I'm not feeling well and say, "Stay in bed...I've got this covered tonight" (Brent).
2) Come to me and say, "Thank you Mommy for making me do my homework every night and for reading to me everynight so that I get E's on my report card (Peyton).
3) Eat cereal for dinner. Most nights I have to beg you to eat something other than cereal, help a girl out (Peyton).
4) Learn how to button your own pants. You're 4 (and very good at it), so it's time you learn to button your pants (Palmer). And oh, BTW, I'm as stubborn as you are. You are my child. Therefore, you can stand and pitch a fit next to me for as long as you like, and I'll just sit there while you pitch a fit. Still. won't. button. your. pants.
5) Get rid of the 6 year old attitude (Peyton). I don't make you read to me or make you do your homework for my own health. Nor do I pay $55 a month for you to go to Karate lessons and not want to be there. And I certainly will not pay an extra $20 so you test for a yellow belt that you don't even want. From now on, let's just say you pay me for your lessons!
6) Don't scream when I'm putting lotion on your body. Really. We've done this every night for your entire life. It's time to let it go and just let me put it on you (Palmer).
7) Say your prayers and mean them for once (Peyton and Palmer).
8) Tell me that I look beautiful (even when I don't), and that I'm a great wife and Mom that deserves a night of not feeling well (applies to all Men in the house). Then proceed to wait on me hand and foot (for just one night). And hugs and kisses help too!

Thank you. I don't ask for much. Just a few things. Please keep these in mind the next time I don't feel well.

My head says thank you,
Chas and Mommy

PS...If I was a man...(insert thoughts here)!

Widdlytinks...Snow Day

2010-01-11T14:37:00.003-06:00

Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

It's That Easy...

2010-01-10T19:13:00.004-06:00

or at least that's what the Easy Bake Oven says...

Palmer asked for an Easy Bake Oven for Christmas and against Brent's thoughts, Santa got him one anyway. I explained to Brent that he is 4 and he's just curious. Funny, I think Peyton was just as excited about it as Palmer (which of course made Brent cringe just a little).

So, we broke out the oven today...it took us a little while since "Santa" didn't see that the Easy Bake Oven needed a special kind of light bulb. Ugh....

Today was the day we broke it out and gave it a try! Sugar cookies...that's what we made. It took us a bad batch to get to a good batch, but we had a fun time making them. And, of course, you know I had to take pictures!

(Little Palmer's first attempt at being a Pastry Chef!)

If Palmer becomes a famous Pastry Chef, I'll take full credit for it:)

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have two, cute, adorable little boys that defy society's thoughts and want to bake with the Easy Bake Oven,
Chasity

PS...Brownies are next on the menu!

My Attempt...

2010-01-10T19:03:00.002-06:00

to get New Year's pictures failed. FAILED. BIG TIME.

I had to bribe one and the other just didn't want to do it. And the poor hubby, we'll he sucks it up and does it even though he doesn't want to...

And...it didn't work...this is what we got. Cute, but not photo-card worthy! just thought I'd share...

(Yeah, Palmer's face says it all!)

I keep hoping that one day Peyton will just realize that I'm going to take pictures and he might was well just give in...I keep hoping. I hope I haven't turned him off from pictures completely!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have three handsome devils as my very own,
Chasity

PS...I'll try again! All the coordination of colors...oh yeah, I'm gonna try again!

Snow Day Part 2

2010-01-10T11:00:00.000-06:00

So, by Friday afternoon it was still snowing...yay!

After putting the boys down for their nap, we decided to venture out into the COLD, COLD air...brrr....it was cold! We decided to try sledding down another hill on the otherside of the street...

(Peyton trying to surf...didn't work out so well for him!)

(My little stud!)

It was so cold, we didn't last long. My two pairs of gloves only kept my fingers warm for so long... so we headed inside. We ordered pizza and had a family pizza and game night. After about 10 games, I finally one...Brent and Peyton are tough to beat!

(Batman (aka Palmer) and Daddy getting ready for round 6)

After the boys went to bed, Brent and I watched The Hangover (unedited)...OMG! It was hilarious! Absolutely hilarious!!! So, of course, we went to bed late, only to be woken up by two little boys at 6 a.m. on a Saturday. A. Saturday. Ugh! And, of course, I was the one to get up. We couldn't believe it had snowed all night. We literally woke up to a white winter wonderland. It was beautiful...so I had to take pictures!

(Our neighborhood)

(Our house and driveway covered in snow. We pulled my car into the garage.)

(the backyard and hill)

(I'm not sure what the puppies thought about everything...it didn't take them long to go potty)

So, even though we had planned to get up and go sledding by 6:30 a.m., my not-so-much-a-morning-husband wouldn't get out of bed and because we weren't so sure we could get out of our driveway or up the hill (we had to go down the hill, turnaround and speed to make it up the hill and out of the neighborhood). After 4 layers of cloths (and me actually whereing a camo coat), we got to the sledding area until 9. We went over to our friend's neighborhood, where they have some mac-daddy hills. The one below is just one of the hills we tried.

(WOW)

(Peyton's face says it all!)

(Daddy was the official "saucer pusher.")

(Palmer, my fearless sledder, taking it all in...deciding which hill to tackle...)

(My fearless sledder LOVED going down the hill backwards!)

(Racing down the hill.)

We had to leave because Peyton had karate class, but it was perfect timing, as we were FREEZING! It was fun, we had a blast and believe it or not, it kept snowing most of the day. We were so excited to have the snow for as long as we did. We had a great day and a family-filled weekend.

We finished off the weekend with a date night for Brent and I, and a Sunday of taking down all the Christmas decorations (finally...we're a little late).

It was a fun-filled snowy, snowy weekend! I think this weekend qualifies me for my "snowflake" pandora charm.

BEAUTIFULLY BLESSED AND TRULY THANKFUL to have spent a weekend enjoying something so beautiful with my family,
Chasity

PS...I saved one last PTO day just for a day like we had!!!!

Snow, Snow, Snow is falling...

2010-01-08T10:27:00.005-06:00

Snow, Snow, Snow is falling. Snow, Snow catch it on my tongue. Snow, Snow, Snow is falling. We're so glad the snow has come -- this is actually the line in a song from a Boz the Bear Video the boys have. I love this line.

It's been wicked cold here lately. The high for about a week now has not gotten above freezing. It's kind of awesome, kind of cold!

Finally, we got snow. Not as much as we anticipated, but snow, nonetheless...

(Our backyard)

On Thursday, once Brent got home, we took the boys out to play in the snow. Back before Christmas, we bought the boys these saucer looking things that the boys can use for sledding. We hadn't gotten
to use them until now...

We started in the front yard. The boys had a blast...they were even trying to surf on the saucers (that didn't work out so well for them). Brent even tried surfing. Again, that didn't work out so well for him!

After a little while in the front yard, we decided the sidewalk across the street looked so much better -- more snow and a bigger/longer hill. So we crossed the icy, slippery street and went to town...

(Palmer: Wait up guys. I'm coming!)

(I think the camera started getting too cold to take pictures!)

We finally made our way inside. We were frozen. I'm pretty sure I lost my fingers and toes at some point. And of course, it wouldn't be a night in the snow without someone falling -- me and Palmer. We slipped and I'm pretty sure I hurt something other than my camera. But nothing a warm bath couldn't cure.

So, on Friday morning, when we woke up and realized we weren't going to make it to work because 1)the kids were out of school for a snow day 2)Our driveway was frozen, as well as the street and we couldn't get out of our neighborhood, we called into work and decided to start the morning with our annual snow tradition...snowflake and snowman pancakes. YUMMM!!!!

It's still snowing and still freezing and it is forcasted to be this way for the next couple of days. So, I think we'll enjoy being trapped inside (in the warmth) and at some point we'll get brave enough to go out and play in the snow!

A three day weekend that we didn't plan to have!!!!

Beautifull Blessed and Truly Thankful to get to play in the snow with the boys,
Chasity

PS...I'm walking. I've got a nasty bruise on my backside, but at least I'm walking! Thank goodness for bath tubs and heating pads.

It's Just a Tooth...

2010-01-05T19:48:00.000-06:00

who needs it...right?!

I did it to myself (I think)! or at least that's what I told the dentist as I sat in his chair for 3 hours today! Ok, well, I placed a little blame on him, but really it's kind of my fault.

Background...
After I suffered through my 12-13 ages wearing braces (and then AGAIN my freshman year of college), I pretty much wrote off any kind of dentist. The pain. Oh, the pain. Then, the week before FSU's Rush, I had to have all 4 of my wisdom teeth removed. OUCH (this is when I first learned that pain makes me sick). Then, when I was 24 I went to the dentist and walked away with a MIGRAINE like no other. SO...I stopped going to the dentist. Yep. Got away with it for a good 6 years.

Until, I had a child. That's when I realized I need to be a responsible adult. I needed to go for a cleaning. Ok, so I did. And you know what, it didn't hurt. In fact, they did a cool little gum massage afterward...no migraine.

Recently...

Then we moved and I had to find a new dentist. So sweet, so nice. No cavaties, no problems...

Drama...
Because I'm now a responsible adult, I should go back every 6 months for a cleaning...yeah, ok. So 7 months go by and I'm eating a goldfish (stealing my child's snack) and I bite into something...something that doesn't come from a goldfish. It was a chunk of my tooth. A LARGE chunk. Now, to find out where it came from. About a month later, I figured it out. My very. back. molar. So, gotta call the dentist.

Get there, thinking I chipped my tooth (and it's feeling like I've got a wisdom tooth hole by my back molar -- I know, I know...TMI) only to find out that oh no...it's a VERY LARGE cavity. Great. so my question...why was this not found in my 7 months ago cleaning...URRRR. Now I need a crown to the tune of $500. Does my dentist know what I can do with $500? NOT. FIX. MY. TOOTH. So, the responsible adult that I am says, "this can wait." When it hurts, I'll get it fixed.

Fast forward 6 months...
It's TENDER. It doesn't hurt. I don't think. Can't chew on it. But, wouldn't it REALLY hurt if it was bad...ok, I give in. Probably should have taken care of this 6 months ago. Ugh...so I called the dentist. Please don't let me need a Root canal. Please don't let me need a root canal. Please don't let me need a root canal. This was my quote.

So, I get to the dentist. He's not panicked. I'm not panicked. Yet.

So, they numb me (gas is an extra $75...really...does the dentist know what I could do with $75?) so, I suck it up and go for the numbing "shot." I'm a big girl. brave. I think. Not bad. When he asked if my lip felt swollen...oh yeah. can't feel my tongue. lip. tooth. nothing. good. let's do this thing!

So after a few minutes of drilling. and a few more minutes. and a few more minutes (building up the drama), he says WHOA. What kind of dentist says "Whoa!"

Great. That can't be good. Nope. Not good. At this point the dentist is stuttering...stuttering trying to explain to me that my odds of needing a Root Canal is 90%. NINETY PERCENT. Oh, Lord have mercy. He proceeds to tell me that they are as close to my "pulp" as they can get and the fact that my tooth was not absessed and KILLING me and that I'm not bleeding profusely at that very moment was a good sign. So, I asked...what are the signs I'll need a Root Canal -- besides the ones he just mentioned? His reply: pain. great. doesn't he know I've now been in pain for 3 hours. Kind of numb to it now. So, I say how long, his reply "2 weeks, 1 month, 10 years. We just don't know." Great. In the meantime, I've got a crown (or at least a temporary crown).

And then...DRAMA, DRAMA, DRAMA...
The dental assisitant starts looking at all my other teeth. NOT. GOOD. She looks around and then says, you grind your teeth don't you. Uh no (I should know...my 6 year old grinds his teeth at night so much so that I can't sleep with him b/c he wakes me up). BUT, I do clench my teeth...bad! I catch myself doing it all the time. So she looks again and says...well, not only are you moving your teeth, but you've basically worn all the enamel off the top of your molars, so you have nothing protecting you from getting cavities...of which she then says...you've got all these small holes (pockets) that if not treated now, WILL turn into cavities and some already have. G.R.E.A.T! Might as well pitch a tent in the dentist office.

More DRAMA...
So, the dr. comes in, takes a look and says, well, you have a small cavity on the two teeth next to the one he just fixed. At this point I'm embarrased...jeez...what have I been doing wrong? So, he says, since you're already numb we'll go ahead and fill these. OH great. More pain. AND...you've also got one up top and another on the other side. Good Lord. What in the world. I'm laughing at this point. You've got to be kidding me. NEVER had any trouble until now. Good gracious! So he says, we'll fill those in in another couple of weeks when you come back for your permanent crown. Great. That seem's to be the only word I know.

Well...
Come to find out, everyone goes through a cavity-prone phase -- well, it's very apparent that I must be in this phase. Gotta love "phases." This phase must also be going along with my, just turned 35 phase and seem to be gaining weight like no tomorrow phase (that's a whole other subject for another day).

So...
I went to work numb as all get out totally prepared to get a migraine. No migraine, only a very sore lip (from being stretched so much -- a fish-hook that didn't let go for about 3 hours) and a scratched gum area in my mouth -- both hurting.

Now...
I have a dull ache on that side of my mouth and I'm still not eating on that side -- wish I could say I wasn't eating at all (see the note above), but not so. I scheduled my appt. for two weeks from now. Jeez...I think it's official to say that I am so over my dentist. Over. him.

I'm hoping this is the last of issues. Wishing, hoping, praying that I don't need a root canal...at least not right now and not anytime soon.

The only good thing I can say about this day is that at least I still have teeth! Blessed and thankful to have teeth;
Chasity

B.B.'s Christmas Present

2010-01-02T18:19:00.001-06:00

Click here to view this photo book larger

I'm such a...

2010-01-02T09:19:00.002-06:00

stupid person sometimes!

Last night, after a day spent with Mr. Palmer, I climbed into bed...tired (I think the past two weeks have really caught up to me) and I realized that on my resolution list, I forgot to put two very important things...things I've talked about on my blog! How could I forget these two thing?!

1)To find a church home. The goal: to find a church that we love, the boys love and we all enjoy getting up and going to on Sunday mornings. A church where we can get involved, meet new friends and feel like it is our second home.
2)To spend more time praying, trusting, obeying, listening, growing. Whew! The goal: to be a much better follower!

Ok, so now, I feel like my list is complete. Funny how it takes a moment of peace and quiet to really think through the things I (and sometimes we) want to accomplish this year. I hope to look back a year from now and see how much on this list I've accomplished!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for the opportunity to accomplish some many cool things,
Chasity

PS...I'm sitting here by the fire writing this (it's 14 degrees outside) while snow is coming down outside. Brent and Peyton decided to stay in Florida a few more days (due to Peyton being out of school on Monday and me having exhausted the amount of days I can take children to work -- wink! wink!).

I Resolve...

2010-01-01T12:50:00.003-06:00

I've never been great at making or keeping New Year's Resolutions!

But this year, I've chosen simple, yet things I think (and should do). Some meaningful, some not so meaningful...So, I resolve...

1) To actually get up on time and not hit the snooze button 20 million times. The goal: To have time in the mornings to actually spend time with my family...say nice things to everyone vs. yelling at everyone to get out the door on time (or late as we usually are)!
2) To get on a workout schedule. The goal: Be in shape by Spring Break.
3) To let my hair grow out for a year. The goal: See how long it can get in 1 year -- I'm just curious:)
4) To drink more milk, less cokes. The goal: be more healthy.
5) To not sweat the small stuff and be more happy. The goal: to give my children a very "happy" environment.
6) To save, save, save. The goal: to have more money saved for a rainy day!

If I accomplish half of this, it will be a miracle. But dangit, I'm going to try!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to ring in another year,
Chasity

PS...I'm serious about all of them...really!

Happy New Year...

2010-01-01T12:41:00.002-06:00

It's 2010...WOW. Seems like just yesterday that it turned 2000...

It's going to be a beautiful year full of many exciting and wonderful things!

Hugs and Kisses,
Chasity and Palmer

A Year in Facebook Statuses...

2009-12-31T23:59:00.001-06:00

Facebook has been a great thing. Not only has it reconnected me with old high school friends and college friends and sorority sisters, but it has also given us a fun and unique way to recap the year through simple sentences or "statuses" as they've become known.

I don't update my status everyday, but I do make an effort to update it maybe 3-4 times per week, sometimes more. Anyway, I found a way to get all my statuses for the year. So, this is literally A Year in Facebook Statuses!

January
~is about to play Bakugan – not sure if I am smart enough to figure this game out…
~is about to put up all the Christmas decorations...ugh!
~is cleaning the house so Sunday can be a day filled with peace (ok, as much peace as one can have with two little boys and Brent)!
~is sad Christmas break is over! Already looking forward to Spring Break!
~is enjoying very guilty pleasures...90210 and Privileged! I should be ashamed!
~is blessed!
~is ABSOLUTELY BLESSED (in many, many ways)!
~is reading Death by Meeting...a really good book!
~is on the couch with my boys, a cup of hot chocolate and a warm blanket watching Christmas movies (the boys get to choose)!
~is signing Brent up for facebook...
~is trying to explain to Brent how to use Facebook...he says it's "alright." I don't think he'll be as addicted as I am!
~is scheming up a plan to get Brent on board with redecorating our bedroom! He! He!
is hoping for snow!
~loves having a winter season. Snow, if you're listening...please come visit us!
~says...thanks for coming to visit snow! Come back soon, how about Saturday...we'll be waiting for you!
~remembers having to deal with schools being out for hurricanes. Snow days are fun, but there are way too many of them...especially when parents work!
~says I can't believe it is still only 18 degrees outside. Jammies and hot chocolate here I come!
~is laughing...my hubby is teasing me about being on facebook, again...when he just got off! Yep, he's addicted (and he swore he wouldn't be)!
~asks the question: How many times can one person watch High School Musical?
~says snow, snow snow if falling...well, not yet, but I'm patiently waiting!
~says snow, snow, snow is falling...well, not yet, but I am hoping it will!
~is cooking. Lasagna anyone?
~is trying to get the router working again!
~is hungry...going to eat now!
~is wondering why my best thoughts happen at 2 a.m. -- which ultimately means, I wasn't sleeping! ??!!
~just finished picking up the boys new bunk beds...and appropriately, nailed my head on the top bunk...ouch!
~says "SNOW" -- yahoo!
~is going to buy mattresses...will I negotiate and get the price I want...yes I will. The negotiating class I took will come in handy!
~is disappointed. 7 stores and none, NONE would negotiate...I left without mattresses!
~says Happy Birthday to the best MOM in the entire world!
~loves snow. Hates school snow days. It totally messes up the routine!
~is having commitment issues when it comest to choosing the boys' new bedding! I'm thinking Madras??
~is trying to get my family up and going this morning...Spring Baseball Signups are happening!
is threatening the boys... if they jump off the bunk beds they are back in baby beds! ! Bets Palmer tries it first!

February
~is absolutely, 110 percent exhausted! Spring cleaning in Feb. is not so much fun!
~is praying for will power!
~is 3 lbs lighter than two weeks ago. Making progress...
~is wondering if I did something wrong: 3 boys, 4 bathrooms and NONE can aim?!?!(*#$&*(@)
thinks it is absolutely ridiculous that cops pull people over (during 5 pm traffic) 4 driving in the ~HOV lane! 10 miles of traffic backed up for one person!
~is at cheesecake factory waiting for my food! YYYUUUMMM!
~is getting ready to go to the boys' great great grandmother's 100th Birthday Party!
~is going swimming (ok, the boys are goiing swimming and I'm watching)...me get in a swimsuit...ha! ha!
~is picking up the boys, so Brent can go do taxes...we ARE going to get money back...speaking the faith!
~is trying to pick up Peyton on time...traffic! UGH!
~is so sad for my friend Cozy and her children! May the Lord surround them with love and comfort!
~is praying for my friend Cozy and her children...
~is going to Peyton's Valentine's Day party...Sanity is so overrated!
~is enjoying family time...Happy Heart Day!
~is putting the boys to bed and about to watch "Fireproof" with my hubby!
~highly recommends the movie "fireproof" to all married couples! Now, off to church!
~is about to add "Fireproof" to my favorite movies....awesome movie. Way better than Nicholas Sparks' "The Wedding." I didn't think it could get any sweeter!
~can't decide what to make for dinner...does cereal count as "making" dinner?
~is hungry! That's what I get for not eating lunch!
~has two little boys climbing all over me!
~says "the HOV lane is for 2 or more people in one car". Why is this so hard for people to figure out?
~is headed southbound on 65...I'm going back to Tally, Tally, Tally... going back to Tally!
~had a great time seeing Bethany at her baby shower! She looks beautiful!
~is going to Sonny's for dinner...Sorry Babe, I'd bring some back, but I don't think it will make the 9 hour drive!
~is visiting with my best friend from high school and watching High School Musical 3:) It's great to stay young
~is ready for this long drive to be over...Nashville here I come!
~is almost home -- tired, but almost home to see my boys!
~is praying for my brother as he leaves for Afghanistan today...Stay safe Chris!
~is thinking about my brother -- ironically, he is spending his last few hours in the states in D.C. before serving his country...definitely a hero!
~is getting my oil changed at a dealership...sure glad I have a new car -- can't get attacked by the sales reps;)
~has procrastinated on kindergarten homework...what kind of slacker mom am I?
~is attending a meeting on social media -- kind of funny!
~is saying a thank you prayer...my brother made it safely to Afghanistan! Praying for safety over the next few months!

March
~is creating a "chore" calendar for Brent and I -- trying to share the house cleaning. We'll see how it goes:)
~is looking forward to Spring Break in Destin -- on the countdown clock -- 11 days to go!
~is completely tongue tied from reading three Dr. Seuss books to Peyton's class...no talking for me for the rest of the day!
~is listening to Brent stress about calling all of the parents for the boy's baseball team! It's a tough life being a coach!
~got ambushed this morning! Is it Friday yet?
~is thinking that although feminism is alive and well, we still live in a man's world!
~is trying to help Brent download a picture from work -- forgot the USB cord at work!
~is absolutely, 110% exhausted!
~now realizes why T-ball is for the 4 and 5 year olds -- 3 year old attention spans are really short!
~says 10, 5 year olds + Pizza Party + Baseball equals me being really tired later!
~has ESP...I foresee my Destiny...Destin! Only 3 more days to go!
~says Baseball practice in 40 degree weather...what happened to Spring training?
is going to Peyton's first school music program...hope I don't forget the video camera!
~says "Destin...I hear you calling and I am on my way. Make sure my spot on the beach is saved!"
~is Southbound on 65! Only 7 more hous to go...Ugh! Good thing Brent is driving!
~is very tired...three more hours to go until we're in T-town!
~is very tired, and now it is my turn to drive! Ugh...three more hours to go. What movie should - watch (while driving of course)
~says "Hello Sunshine State!"
~Tired. Really tired. Off to see grandparents, then the beach!
~is enjoying Sonny's BBQ -- don't have these in TN, so we have to get out "fix" while home!!!!
~is at the beach and headed to the grocery store! Nothing like grilling out at the beach!
~Fish, fish, fish and more fish...that's what for dinner. Oh, and shrimp!
~Raining...what's worse than being stuck inside your house with two little boys? Being stuck inside at the beach in a condo a 1/4 of the size of reg. house!
~Florida -- Lilly Pulitzer! LOVE IT!
~Boys down for a nap, by the pool/beach reading a book and getting sun...LOVE IT!
~is very happy that I managed not to get sunburned on the first day out in the sun! Pain free for tonight:)
~Just sent two of my boys off deep-sea fishing for the day. Down to my "favorite sweet baby" and I for the day. Headed down to the beach for some fun in the sun
~is loving this gorgeous blue sky...only wish the water wasn't freezing!
~is putting the boys down for a nap, then headed poolside/beachfront with my mom for some sun!
~Family pictures on the beach...disaster (but free)! Free babysitting by mom and dinner with hubby @ Ruth Chris...priceless!
~is going down to the beach... the waves are lapping in! Just one of the many reasons I love the Gulf...
~is watching dive-in movies by the pool with the boys! A great way to end a perfect vacation!
~is unbelievably sad to leave Florida, the beach, and most importantly, family!! On the road to Nashville!
~realized this week that God's Giggle Box turned over on the days he decided to give me Little Boys!
~is remembering last week's vacation...HUGE sigh! Nashville Is NOT Destin nor Florida!
~is really loving the POP2K channel on XM... can only take so much Radio Disney!
has committed a major mommy no no -- I lost Palmer's puppy and can't find it anywhere! In for a long night!
~I found Palmer's puppy (or actually, Brent did). We had a happy little boy this morning!
sometimes wishes I had a Nanny just so I could get a little sleep...does this make me a bad Mom?
~is thinking it is March 28th in Afghanistan -- HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS! WE LOVE YOU AND MISS YOU -- there's a Happy Birthday Video from us!
~HAPPY BIRTHDAY CHRIS!
~thinks Sunday mornings are always better when it is sunny outside!
~has a terrible headache, therefore, I will NOT being going to the grocery store...PB and J will have to do:)
~is so proud of my kindergartener... all Es on his report card! So proud!
~thinks it's funny that Brent was EXTREMELY EXCITED about meeting UFC Champ Rampage Jackson!

April
~is a single parent tonight while my hubby goes to enjoy the UFC fight --did I really give him a UFC ticket for Valentine's Day?
~thinks it's funny that Brent snuck into a "box suite" at the UFC fight + the people didn't even know he wasn't supposed to be there. Original wedding crasher!
~really hates tornadoes and anything having to do with tornadoes (ii.e. sirens)
~bedtime...oh yeah, I hear you calling my name!
~is going to by birthday presents for Peyton...can't believe he is going to be 6 years old!
~the zoo and chuck e cheese both in one day with 4 boys (yes, that includes Brent)...Am I crazy?
~SWWWEEETTT...Mommy break while Daddy takes all the boys to the bathroom...My Mom said this day would come!
~Can't believe I was in labor, this time, 6 years ago...why does time fly by so fast when I'm having fun?
~is amazed that 6 years ago today I gave birth to a 9 lbs. 1 oz. baby boy -- Peyton Bailey -- HAPPY AWESOME BIRTHDAY to MY FAVORITE FIRSTBORN!
~Thanks everyone for wishing Peyton a Happy Birthday! Cupcakes at Peyton's school today, then were moving on from birthday celebrations. Next up...Brent's 40th Birthday:)
~is looking forward to a beautiful Easter weekend (nothing like having Good Friday off of work)!
~is so thankful for the sacrifice made by one man so long ago -- Jesus! Blessed on this Good Friday!
~Dying Easter Eggs, Easter Egg Hunts, Easter Family Pictures...I love Easter time!
~HE IS RISEN!
~tornado warnings again today...UGH! Give me a hurricane over tornados anyday!
~LOVES Lilly Pulitzer! Anyone see the new line? I could easily buy all of them! So sad the little Jon Jons weren't around when the boys were little!!
~is so ready 4 Spring! A great excuse 2 break out my Lilly clothes. And yes, all my status updates r going to be about how cute Lilly's clothes r! Obsess much?
~Friday! Enough said!
~started my day with Mr. Palmer waking me up with blood gushing down his face...not a great way to start the morning! Can I have do over, please?
~created a blog for my family...still in construction phase, but check it out: http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com
~is so done for the day...possibly even the weekend!
~Updated our new blog: http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com ... again!! I'm obsessed. This is better than scrapbooking...dare I say that?? And, it's free! ROCK ON!
~is getting ready for pilates class...still sore from Just Weights. This should be painfullt fun
~is off to Pilates and then the Michael W. Smith/Steven Curtis Chapman concert--the first "real" concert I have been to since moving to Nashville!
~is if I never see another concert, I am ok with that. Steven Chapman and Michael W Smith at the Ryman -- AMAZING!!! No other concert will EVER top it! AMAZING!
~Michael W. Smith and Steven Curtis Chapman "Friends are Friends Forever" Video and photos are on my blog: chasityphillips.blogspot.com.

May
~is going for H and H: Haircut and Highlights! How short can I go? Blond or Stay Dark? Decisions, Decisions...
~is enjoying grilling out and spending time with the family!
~is trying to figure out a good Mother's Day Present...hhhuuummm??!!??
~does it have to be Monday?
~does not feel like going to Pilates, but seeing as how my "Just Weights" instructor changed up ~Saturday's routine, I'm sore...so I have to go...UGH!
~is ready for cardio/sculpting class...bring it!
~is my blessings are many and my worries are few...
~is it just me or does today seem like the longest day ever??!!??!! Will it never end?!
~GREY'S Anatomy!
~went to Palmer's "Muffins with Mommy" breakfast this morning. He was so excited to have me there (way cute)! In fact, he ate his muffin and mine. Not sure if his excitement was about the muffin or me??!!
~keeps thinking about how I am going to have the energy to hang with the boys when they get older...I can barely keep up now and they are still young! I'm thinking of bottling their energy, so ~I can have some when they get older!
~is pretty sure I got my butt kicked in aerobics this morning! Man I'm tired!
~is unbelievably thankful for my best friend and inspiration -- MY MOM! God was so wonderful ~to give me my Mom! Happy Mother's Day...wishing I could be with you!
~is skipping Pilates tonight. Just don't have it in me!
~Somehow my little boy turned into a "seal." Working from home today...
feels like I am getting what Palmer has...UGH! When is there ever time for Moms to be sick? No rest for the weary!
~thinks Grey's Anatomy was sad, but awesome. Best yet...now I have to wait until next season...darn!
~has completely turned into an old person...going to bed at 8 p.m. on a Friday night!
~realized today that I have not bougt a new pair of shoes or purse in over a year! Told the hubby this and his only comment was "good"! That's all I got..."good." Obviously he doesn't realize how hard that was to do! Breaking the year long streak today....
~just introduced the boys to the "Beach Boys" Greatest Hits...complete with dance steps and all. they weren't thrilled...they don't know what they are missing!
~is a single parent for the week -- already missing the hubby! Have fun babe (or at least try -- remember to be thankful...you have a job:)!
~My new name: Snickle Dippin Lips (according to the children's book, Captain Underpants and the Perilous Plot Professor Poopypants)!
~ready for Dancing With the Stars...still can't decide on who I want to win!!!
~is DARN!
~takes back me "DARN." Glad Shawn and Mark won DWTS! Surprised, but happy!
~can't believe my little man is graduating from kindergarten today!
~is so ready for Brent to be home! We are all missing him!
~has my little man helping me at work today. Wondering if he'll help me on Branding Strategy?
~has a lunch date with my favorite firstborn! He's treating me to McDonald's!
~just realized I have "Twilight" on On Demand...Sweet! Just now realizing how cool On Demand is!
~pilates this morning and then off to the pool! I love SUMMER! Ok. I'd love it more if I looked better in a swim suit, but after two 9 lb. kids...the body is what it is!
~DNAH -- Date Night at Home with the Hubby. Boys in Bed. On Demand on. Bring on ~"Twilight"! A little late on the Twilight excitement, but addicted nonetheless...
~TGIH -- Thank goodness for Holidays!
~is laying by the pool (alone)...
~I think I can. I think I can. I think I can.
~is obsessed with Twilight. Just bought ,ew .o
~is obsessed with Twilight. Just bought New Moon last night and I am already half way done!
has discovered at 10:30 p.m. that I clearly have issues. Swore I wouldn't buy "Eclipse"...I did. ~Mistake. Obsessed much?
~found a pair of shoes in my closet that I forgot I had...brand new and cute! How awesome...new to me! (This status is dedicated to you Brent)
~is cleaning the house...Mother-in-Law is visiting this weekend!
~bought a pink iPod today! I know, I know...where have I been all these years?!
~is feeling the pain from this morning's workout! Ouch!
~is singing Happy 40th Birthday to my crazy, wonderful husband! A fun-filled day is ahead of us!
~is tired from a long day of partying -- husband celebrated 40th bday, but doesn't feel it...I'm not 40 and I feel it...hum??!!

June
~Mom-in-law just left, clients n town for 3 days (long days @ the office), 4 baseball games and dad and grandparents visiting this weekend...Calgon take me away
~is enjoying this beautiful Saturday morning with Brent, the boys and my grandparents!
~is off to the last baseball game of the season!
~A beautiful, peaceful Sunday morning -- my favorite:)
~is at the pool enjoying this beautiful Sunday!
~is done with Father's Day presents...not exactly last minute, but dang sure close...
~Country Music Festival downtown Nashville + me working downtown Nashville = traffic nightmare! Good thing I have a parking pass:)
~Updated Blog: 100 or so Things I Love! http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com
~Friday evening by the pool -- pizza and strawberry margaritas:)
~Worked out this morning. Just put the boys down for a nap. Going to the pool to layout. Peace and Quiet...AHHHHH!
~has two very tired little boys! I think bed time will be EARLY tonight!
~Sun, Sun, please come out and play! I have two little boys with tons of energy awaiting your arrival! Push those clouds out of the way...
~it's Sunday night...UGH!
~just learned some very upsetting things about Peyton Manning! Good thing my Peyton was not named after him!
~Off to pilates, then back to work for a while...I heart conference calls:)
~CMA awards tonight --just drove past the long line of limos! Too bad I'm not a huge country music fan. Wonder who I drove past?!
~Getting ready 2 go 2 cardio/sculpt class. Then home to blog about Things I Don't like -- great follow up to Things I Love!
~ultimate circuit class ultimately kicked my butt!
~My brother is home from Afghanistan!!! YAY!!!
~Can today get any crappier? Really?? I'm placing my bets that it can't!
~Today is the day the Lord has made. I will rejoice and be glad in it!!!!
my brother is home safely, my client is happy, today was better than yesterday...now pizza by the pool...all is right with the world!
~woke up to a little one in our bed--not so bad except that he also wet our bed!! DAD GUMMIT! ~Just weights class this morning...now to pool, then date night with the hubby! A great Saturday!
~is planning to get the biggest piece of cheesecake that Cheesecake Factory has to offer --this way I can gain back all the weight I've worked so hard to lose!
~Happy Happy Daddy's Day to all Dads -- and especially to my husband...an amazing Dad to our two energetic little boys!
~working out in 100 degrees weather is NOT going to be fun! BUT, I am going to do it anyways b/c I'm dedicated like that!
~is a single mom tonight while Brent has dinner with Jeff Fisher, Head Coach of the Tennessee Titans...how did this happen?
~so thanks to Michael Jackson, I had an awesome talk with Peyton about knowing Jesus and truly believing in Him...thanks Michael--you're bad and you know it!
~just realized -- my middle name should be "Don't make me Count to 3!"
~The boys and I are wishing Aunt JJJJOOOODDDDYYYY a very happy happy birthday!
Monday! Really?!
~just learned how to get more definition in my arms...sweet!
~Almost to my cardio/sculpt class then home to an early bed time! Two nights of sleeping with ~Palmer (aka Coughing Up a Lung Man) has taken its toll on the entire family!

July
~TGIW -- because today is my Friday!
~If the phone's for me, you call tell em I sailed away! And, I'm keeping it between the navigational beacons...MAYBE...TGIW!
~Has decided to take tomorrow off from work, blackberry, emails, facebook, etc...can I make it?
~Made it through yesterday with no work, blackberry, emails, facebook, etc...now, life is back to normal. Off to sculpt class then to the pool -- love, love, love holiday weekends!
~Happy Birthday America! Looking forward to your party today!!!!
~AHHH! Pilates! So refreshing!
~Got all sentimental over Peyton's first two-hours away bus ride trip to Kentucky! He's such a big kid now, and I, apparently, have some issues...
~Everyone make sure you check your clock at 12:34:56 on 7/8/09 (today) -- won't happen again till 2109...Cool, huh?!!!
~Went to "Just Weights" class even though I didn't feel like it -- so proud of myself. Then I came home and ate WAY TOO MANY Doritos...thinking I just missed the whole point of working out! I'm just thinking...
~Breakfast for dinner with GIGANTIC Pancakes...YUMMMMB
~IATIF -- It's About Time It's FRIDAY...pool and sun here I come!
~Locked out of my house -- thanks to the husband for forgetting to leave me the key! REALLY NOT HAPPY!
~Harry Potter weekend...yay!
~YMCA Spiritual Vitamin: The kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure hidden in a field.
~My boys are home safely, now for a morning by the pool and Thomas show this afternoon (Thanks Ryan!)...fun times!
~is soooo tired of two little boys in my house fighting with each other...can you hear me screaming?!
~Being brave...Zumba and Pilates tonight! To my family: If I'm not home by 8:15, send out the search party b/c I've passed out from the work out!
~Gave up caffeine! I think I might float away from all the water I've been drinking... or die from the " no caffeine" headache...
~Hummm...Thinking about taking Palmer with me to see Harry Potter tonight...if I bribe him with popcorn and go to a late movie, will it work? Thinking...
~At the pool enjoying a beautiful 74 degree day with no clouds in the sky...could get used to this!
~Date Night with my favorite 3 year old : Chick-Fil-A, Movie and a kiss one cheek (and I didn't even ask him for it)! Does it get any better?
~Had the perfect date night last night with my favorite sweet baby...now we are at the pool! Great weekend!
~is trying to make dining reservations for Disney World --ugh...can only make them 90 days in advance...I'm at 103 days...figures!
~Skipped Cardio-Sculpt class so I could go to Logans and get Country Fried Steak, only to find out they don't offer it anymore...GREAT...wasted calories on food I didn't like! That's what I get for skipping class!
~just realized -- after my Just Weights and Zumba classes...I had officially burned more calories than I had eaten today...SWEET!
~Off to a pain-filled workout, then relaxation by the pool, then date night with my favorite firstborn...it's going to be a beautifully, sweet day!
~is committed to getting in shape...in the past two days I have not touched the Krispy Kreme ~Doughnuts or the gigantic Gigi Cupcakes that are sitting on my kitchen counter...I am dedicated...Hear me Roar!
~Prayers, Thoughts and Extra Big Hugs to my Sister-in-Law...she lost everything when her house was struck by lightening! We love you Jody...all will be ok!
~is at Tiffany's! Since Brent is out of town, I wonder if he would mind me indulging myself a little:)
~Resisted the urge to buy something at Tiffany's AND resisted the urge to order Cheesecake ~Factory for lunch...WILL POWER Baby!!!!!!
~Ultimate circuit class...ugh...
~is rushing...A Mom's day is never done...
~is on my way to Bowling Green, KY to visit a client's office -- first time in Bowling Green!
~God is great, beer is good, people are crazy --why does this song remind me so much of my husband?
~Just heard from the husband -- he lost his blackberry...ugh! Great way to start a Friday!

August
~is wishing the sun would come out and play today!
~Yay! The sun listened to my request and came out to play...by the pool relaxing:)
~Zumba and Pilates classes and I didn't die...instead I burned 650 calories! Rock On!
~Little one joining me at work tomorrow...oh goodness!!!
~The little one is at work with me today--patience...I need patience!
~Amazingly enough, my little Palmer is being great at work -- better than I ever imagined! I'm thinking maybe the McDonald's bribe worked:)
~Back to school shopping on a 6riday night...what in the world happened to me?Sad. Very sad!
~Family day at the Tomato 5K -- the boys are running in the 1K race: Peyton says he' going to WIN!
~Nemo with the boys...NICE!
~Up early on the gorgeous Sunday morning --peace and quiet! Spending a few minutes watching the sunrise and thanking our AWESOME God for my beautiful, wonderful, crazy family and life! - Everything I am and have is because of Him!
~Can't believe my favorite sweet baby, Palmer, started 4K today...can't believe it!
~Tuesday is feeling more like Monday...
~Just got treated to lunch by my favorite firstborn -- Mickey D's -- my choice:)
~Is so very excited about Peyton's new teacher...Living in Nashville and he got the one teacher that is from Florida and went to Florida State!!!!
~Birthday party for Palmer on Saturday! Lots to do, Lots to do!!!
~Just took my favorite firstborn, Peyton, to his first day of 1st grade! It's going to be a great year...
~Pool Party for my little Palmer -- Happy 4th Birthday to my favorite sweet baby!
~Enjoying an evening by the pool. Not too hot, not to cold!
~School night...got to get used to saying that again! It makes me sad!!!
~Why are Mondays always Mondays? Why can't they be more like Fridays? I'm just thinkin...
~Just watched as my little Palmer tried to pour the bottle of syrup directly into his mouth (after eating pancakes with a whole bottle of syrup!) Thank goodness we gave him milk to drink!
~Don't feel like working out, but after the day I had, I think I need to!
~Massive, Huge, OMG-kind of headache going on right now!
figured out that peanut butter protein bars give me massive headaches...strange, but true!
~Taking my dog to work today for "Dog Days Of Summer"...what in the world am I thinking?
~Is it October? It sure feels like it -- 80 degrees makes for a perfect day to build an outdoor play gym!
~Up early on this beautiful Sunday morning. Lots to do. Play Gym: Day 2!
~Trying to sell 4 Britax car seats on Craigs List. Know anyone that needs really safe, very expensive car seats for cheap? I've got them!
~Sold my car seats! Yay!
~It's official! I am officially exhausted and I haven't even gotten home!
~Was kidnapped by a friend and taken to Cantina Laredo for lunch... It was so good! Paying for it now... I'm at the gym for the next 2 hours!
~Just saw the weather forecast for Destin/Labor Day weekend --praying the rain will either speed up or hold off!!! It's no fun being at the beach when it's raining!
~My husband left today to go Alligator Hunting for 4 days...Did I really just say that outloud?
~My warning to my husband who is alligator hunting: Lose your hands equals no help from me!
~One week from today I'll be sitting on the beach next to my best friend, my Mom...haven't seen her since March! Tears of joy just thinking about it:)

September
~Alligators, Rashes, Palmer Trees and Mommys...what do the have in common? http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com
~My hubby is on his way home from alligator hunting...with all hands, feet, fingers and toes! Lucky man he is!!!
~Realizing I have a few issues...thinking about Christmas card pictures in September. Seriously... ~Recognized by my boss for good work -- pulled an envelope with 100 dollars inside. Sold 2 car seats on Craigs List -- 150 dollars. Went to the mall to buy sunglasses. Didn't buy them, but did get a really cute, cute Lilly dress! Money gone! This is why I am not allowed to go to the mall!
~19 hours, 14 min. and 33 sec. till we leave for the beach! YAY!!!! (I've been counting)
~Has a major case of vacationitis, beachitis...whatever you want to call it...that's what I've got!
~Palm trees, pools, sand, water, sun (and sunburns), floats, lazy rivers, boats, family...now that is what I call a great weekend. Leaving in 8 hours to enjoy it all...YAHOO!
~Never been so happy to be in Alabama!! Did I just say that?! What is the world coming too? ~Apparently desperation makes me say crazy things...
~Floating on the lazy river! AHHHH. Get to see my Mom in 4 hours...Even bigger AHHHH!
~Dive-in movies...about to see the feature show with two very tired little boys...finally!
Lazy River Part 2 :)
~OMG...traffic to Nashville is HORRIBLE! 5 hours to get from Destin to Dothan!
~F-L-O-R-I-D-A S-T-A-T-E... Florida State Florida State Florida State WOO!
~Bar B Cutie (similar to Sonny's for those in Florida) for dinner -- last non-workout / eat-whatever-I-want day for a while...
~To tired to think of a clever status update...
~MARGARITAS! Enough said!
~Just randomly got told (by my 4 year old) That he wiped his butt good...just had to share!
~So blessed to have a great job/company...even in the most stressful of times, I still love going to work!
~Enjoying a Saturday completely free of obligations!
~Last day the pool is open...taking full advantage:)
~It's Sunday evening and I'm already praying for Friday afternoon to be here...not a good sign. ~Not a good sign at all...
~Gym...
~The Lord will fight for you...you need only be still...what an awesome thought!
~A MUST READ blog: http//kissesfromkatie.blogspot.com. It's about a 20 yo missionary living in Uganda, raising an "adopted" family of 13 girls. She started out in "Young Life," and from there God called her to be a missionary. It is amazing. Uplifting. Truthful. Beautiful. ~Inspirational...if we could all give of ourselves like this young lady, I can only imagine what the world be like. Prayers for her and her family!
~My six year old, Peyton, just told me he is too old to give me a hug and kiss! So what did I do? after a moment of heartbreak, I gave him a "love attack" -- lots and lots of hugs and kisses:)
~My Peyton got a love note as school yesterday, but not from his "girlfriend" Ella -- that's for you, Susan (Did you know this?) And to my sweet friend Sara, Peyton says he's cheating on Emma...I think we are going to have our hands full sooner than we expected!!!! Oh my!!!!
~What's your favorite thing about Fall? http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com/2009/09/fall-a utumn-indian-summer.html
~So thankful for my I-can-fix-anything hubby...he fixed our front loading washing machine all by himself (with a little help from the internet). Of course, not before I had a heart attack. But, it's fixed! YAY...thank you babe! You the man!
~Has a wonderful husband!
~is doing my non-rain dance...need Thursday and Friday to not be raining!
~Rain + Grumpy children is not a good combination!
~Has all my clothes ironed for our conference this week. Now, to get everything else done for the conference...Priorities. Priorities...
~cj Conference 2009 begins today...BRING IT!
~cj Conference Day 2...wearing better shoes today:)
~Room parent meeting then dinner with my favorite firstborn...great way to end this Monday!
~The pumpkins are coming! The pumpkins are coming...
~Hates when I'm not mentally prepared for busy day!

October
~Found Glee on hulu.com...might pull an all nighter watching all of the episodes. I LOVE THIS SHOW!
~Afternoon spent painting with 20 first graders, bowling and arcade with 3 little boys and now McDonalds...sanity is officially gone!
~Love Twilight, but it must be said that the characters on Vampire Diairies are WWAAYYY more cute!
~Zumba almost killed me...really?! I only took 2 weeks off...UGH!
~GLEE!!!!!
~Bobby Bowden created the FSU football dynasty...let us not forget that fact! Grass isn't always greener on the other side...
~My Friday feels like a Monday. Still trying to figure out what happened...
~My favorite sweet baby let me hold him while he fell asleep...perfect ending to my day!
~Date night with the hubby -- going out to watch the FSU game!
~My husband called me "high maintenance" for asking for silverware at a restaurant...REALLY?!
~My Friday was like a Monday, so I'm wishing, hoping, praying my Monday is like a Friday...how awesome would that be?!
~Had Five Guys Burger and Fries for the first time today...OMG...anyone from Tally remember Maxi's? Just like Maxi's...AWESOME!
~Busy, Busy day ahead! Lots to get accomplished...but all I want to do is sleep for another 5 hours...ugh!
~It's "officially" Fall...first frost of the season this morning! I'm thinking I shouldn't have worn sandals today:)
~Picking up a client and taking him to get hair and makeup done before his production shoot...I think I am on the wrong end of this! Just sayin...
~My workplace, cj Advertising, was just named one of the Best Places to Work in Nashville...WAY to go all cjers! Blessed to work at an amazing agency!
~Double date to Outback with great friends...looking forward to a great child-free evening:)
~Trunk or Treating tonight:)
~Loves, loves, loves spin class! Music rocked and 550 calories were burned...again, love spin class!
~Spin...and then karate for Peyton!
~Halloween Party at Peyton's school today, Pancake Breakfast at Palmer's school tomorrow, then Halloween Party at Palmer's school tomorrow afternoon...THEN we can leave for our week of touring Florida -- Tallahassee, Orlando and West Palm...YAY!!!!!! Family, Friends, Florida -- it's gonna be an awesome trip!
~Packing, Packing and more Packing! Hoping I get done at a decent hour. 3 a.m. is going to be here very soon...FLORIDA here we come!
~WOW...so this is what a really rainy 3 a.m. looks like! Yuck! Praying for a safe drive!
~Happy Trick or Treat to all my friends...especially Tallahassee friends! Can't wait to see you guys:)
~Hello Tallahassee...it's been a while! Forgot how humid you are, but love the Seminole air!

November
~Is really confused with the time..started out in CT, then went to ET, then the time changed, so now I'm back on CT time, but really on ET time...I'm not sure what time it is! HELP! If I'm supposed to be somewhere and I'm late (or early), please forgive me!
~Having lunch with a dear sweet friend in between shopping with my Mom at super cute stores!
~On the way to Disney:) Giving my Mom a 48 hour break from the chaos we cause!
~Sitting in an ice cave eating dinner with T-Rex and a few of his friends...
~Seaworld...Shampu (as called by Palmer) here we come...
~Just had breakfast with Mickey, Pluto, Lilo and Stitch...now it's wedding time!
~Forgot how windy South Florida is...anyone have a ponytail holder?
~Never thought I would use the term "groomzilla," but today is the day! Trapped in the car with "groomzilla"! TAXI!
~Bridal luncheon, Rehearsal, Rehearsal dinner...it's gonna be a busy day! Breaking out the Lilly dresses for today:)
~Going to the Chapel and I'm going to watch Jody and Chris get married...it's WEDDING DAY!!!!!
~14 hours of driving today...ugh! Jody and Chris -- we'd drive 14 hours for you anyday!! CONGRATULATIONS Newlyweds!
~Somehow survived the first day back at work after being on vacation all of last week! Besides the fact that Brent is in Dallas and one of our puppies had to go to the vet's office, I survived...now, it's bed time!
~Watching the volleyball scene in Top Gun...still an awesome scene even after all these years:)
~CMA awards tonight...downtown Nashville...traffic is already terrible! Ugh!
~Dear CMA Awards: If you are going to cause me to sit in a traffic jam, the least you can do is give me a tickets to tonight's show! Greatly appreciated, Chasity
~Actually shed a few tears for Taylor Swift when she won Entertainer of the Year...I'm becoming a softie in my old age...but happy for her:)
~is being VERY lazy today...I should do this more often!
~Found the cutest Christmas card...now I've got to figure out how to get a picture of us to match...I have issues!!!!
~helping Peyton work on his animal project that we forgot about. I'm a slacker Mom...missed the project deadline:(
~Heard Palmer in the backseat saying "I Love her!" So I asked, "who do you love?" and he gives me the DVD player and shows me Cindy Lou Who (from the Grinch movie)...Way too cute!
is today over yet?!
~Thought I was having dinner with my family, instead I get to spend an evening with my favorite sweet baby! It's amazing how well behaved he is when Peyton isn't around! AAAAMAZING!
~Just sent my favorite firstborn off on his field trip to the Chattanooga Aquarium! Praying for a safe trip...
~Bought myself an early 35th birthday present today...a cupcake...a Pandora cupcake:) So excited!
~So yesterday, I ran into an old friend at Pottery Barn Kids and she gave me the sweetest and best compliment: "When I'm a Mommy, I want to be a Mommy just like you!" Love you Mary Gray...you made my day!
~Oh Christmas tree, Oh Christmas tree...
~I love watching cheesy Christmas movies...it's the best thing to put you in the Holiday spirit! Jenny McCarthy as Santa's daughter ~ Classic:)
~has the best friends in the entire world. Thanks for all the birthday wishes...the boys picked -- Chuck E Cheese is the place for the birthday celebration tonight! That's what I get for letting them choose:)
~My work bought everyone Cracker Barrel breakfast this morning...I really do work for an amazing company!!!
~Just took a bunch of food to the rescue mission...feels good to give back!
~Kiddies at work with me today...it's gonna be a long day! I love them, but man, it's hard to work and play Mommy at the same time!
~Sour Cream Pound Cake about to be made...yum! What tastes sweet on my lips goes straight to my hips -- I'm really ok with that!
~Faith, Family and Friends...Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful! Happy Thanksgiving to All!
~My house smells like my Grandmother's house used to smell after Thanksgiving dinner...must have done something right with my cooking to get that smell:)
~Happy 10 Year Anniversary to the man I married for his heart! I love you Babe!
~Watching our wedding video...too funny! Seeing tons of facebook friends line dancing at the reception...I won't name names:) Boys are laughing at us...we look so young!
~FSU Football and then the Grand Ole Opry to see Brad Paisley...it's gonna be a great day -- well, at least the Grand Ole Opry part. Not sure about the FSU Football part!
~Anniversary Dinner with hubby at Flemings then the Grand Ole Opry with Brad Paisley (and hubby)!
~Just saw Brad Paisley...he was awesome, even forgot the 2nd verse to one of his songs...too funny!
~Trying to get in the Christmas spirit, but I'm not having much luck!
~Am I the only person in the world that HATES putting up the Christmas tree? I love to enjoy it once it's all nice and pretty, but hate the getting it up part...does this make me a Scrooge?
~So sad for Bobby Bowden:( A great man still loved by lots of people...including our family!

December
~Praising the Lord today and everyday!
~Busy, Bust, B-U-S-Y three days ahead... and have I mentioned I haven't bought ANY presents or decorated! Tis the Season of merry chaos:)
~Enjoying Music City Roots at the Loveless Cafe Barn...true Nashville night!
is unbelieveably thankful to work for a great company and have wonderful clients -- even on crazy, busy days like today!
~Dear Friday -- You are a beautiful thing! I love spending time with you, but could you do me a favor and move this day along...quickly?
~Dear Snow -- Please come down and play! I have two little boys wanting to play with you. They promise to not hit me with snowballs:) Hope to see you soon! Chasity
~Ready for snow!!! Bought the boys sleds tonight...come on snow...work with me:)
~bummed there's no snow, but the cold weather does make Christmas decorating a little more fun...decorating then taking the boys to see A Christmas Carol in 3D (giving Brent a little peace and quiet to watch the game with friends)!
~Baking cookies, decorating the Christmas trees, enjoying the cold weather -- it's beginning to look a lot like Christmas...
~Quoting my little Palmer -- It's cold! BRRRRRRR, I wish I had fur. I wish I was a bear with furry, furry hair...
~Struggling today...ugh!
~a cold, rainy night = fire and pizza party/movie night with the family (and a little Christmas tree decorating). Yep, still decorating the trees!!!
~Quote from my Peyton: "No wonder Daddy married you!" Then I got a kiss and a hug and I didn't even ask for it!
~Glee finale was THE MOST AWESOME season finale EVER!!! E-V-E-R!
~Dear 19 degrees, I'm a Florida girl at heart -- you know, summertime, flip flops kind of girl -- can you help a girl out and disappear? Seriously, hate to be mean, but...
~Old Age Wisdom: Attending the Christmas Party of a company you LOVE working for is SO MUCH BETTER than attending the Christmas Party of a company you HATE working for! Can't wait for our party tonight...cj Rocks!
~Shopping, shopping and more shopping...
~Just realized this is the FIRST Christmas in 7 years that I won't be giving ANYTHING Thomas the Tank Engine for Christmas...kind of makes me a little sad!
~Licking envelopes...yuck!
~Finally figured out that my Mom is my Christmas Angel!!! I really need my Christmas Angel to be here with me...only four more days till she arrives:)
~United States Postal Service -- you provided me with a great life (thanks Mom and Dad), but could you help me out and not make me wait in line so long?
on our way to Peyton's Christmas Program...camera is ready:)
~It's Friday and my Christmas Angel arrives tomorrow....Halleujah! Amen! Praise the Lord!
~Chuck E Cheese at 10:00 am for a birthday party...It's a little too early (in my mind) to be doing this!
~so excited...we got a dusting of snow. Not much...but maybe, just maybe, we'll have a White Christmas!
~Santa's coming to our house tonight...sure hope the boys are good for him:)
~Morning are so much easier when I don't have to get two little boys dressed and out the door (along with myself). Thank Heaven for my Mom (wish she was with me ALL the time)!
~My Christmas wish: To have my Mom win the Lottery so she can be here with us all the time. ~That's the only thing I'm wishing for...
~Just realized that my husband reminds me of Cousin Eddie from Christmas Vacation...kind of thinking I shouldn't admit that little fact!
~off to the dr. with little Palmer... so much for not getting out of my jammies today!
~Sour Cream Poundcake, Pumpkin Roll and Williams-Sonoma Sugar Cookies -- all baked this morning...MMMMMM...can't wait to dig into it (my hips can wait, but I can't)!
~Oh come let us adore Him...Christ the Lord! Merry CHRISTmas everyone...from all us at the Phillips House!
~Snow, Snow, Snow is falling. Snow, Snow catch it on my tongue! We're having a White Christmas...yeah!!!
~is shopping with my Mom...whew it's early!
~is so very sad that my Mom is leaving today...Oh, I need to check our Lottery tickets...maybe my wish came true and she gets to stay!
~Brent and Peyton are on their way to Florida, Mom just left...now it's only me and my favorite sweet baby...Just the two of us. I see a nap (and peace and quiet) in our future!
~Watching the Sound of Music with my Palmer...he loves it! He is my child!!!!
~Finally catching up on my blog...whew! http://chasityphillips.blogspot.com
~snow flurries...cool!
~Wishing I was at my Mom's house spending time with her, my brother and sis-in-law and Brent and Peyton (missing them!)...have fun guys! Palmer and I miss you!
~For all my cj friends...I'm bringing in my chili/cream cheese dip tomorrow -- us dedicated folks deserve a little something special tomorrow:)
~Worked hard on the last day of 2009...ended the year strong! Bring on 2010! Praying for a very blessed (peaceful) New Year! Spending a peaceful night with my favorite 4 year old! Happy New Year Everyone!

What a great year! Amazing. I know 2010 is going to be a great year!

My Date...

2009-12-31T21:39:00.004-06:00

for New Year's Eve...is my precious, adorable 4 year old favorite sweet baby!

After a looonnnggg day at work (Mr. Palmer joined me for the day), a day without a nap for Mr. Palmer and a rush to get my house picked up so I don't have to do any housework on New Year's Day, we decided Pizza, coke, ice cream, and an early bedtime were how we were going to ring in the New Year...

But, before we said our prayers for the last time in 2009, we took some pictures of us celebrating.

Besides my hubby (and Peyton), I can't imagine anyone better to spend my New Year's Eve with...

Tomorrow...The Princess and the Frog and Cracker Barrel for lunch (I'm gonna eat a ton of turnips this year. It's gonna be gross, but I like money, so I should eat as many as possible).

Happy New Year...I'm going to bed now (little man beat me, but not by much)...when we wake up, it'll be 2010. WOW!

Looking forward to 2010:)

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for a wonderful 2009,

Chasity

PS...Goodnight!

Reasons...

2009-12-31T20:48:00.003-06:00

We are blessed. I say this all the time, but before the year is out (which takes place in exactly 3 hours), I feel as though I should list a few (just a few of the things) of the reasons why we are blessed:

We have a God that LOVES us! More than we know. Although I grew up with the "hell-fire and damnation" sermons, I choose to believe that the Lord wants nothing but really great things for us. Everything we have is because of Him. Everything we are is because of Him. Everything good in our lives is because of Him. Everything bad that has happened to us is just a way of testing our Faith. I choose to believe. I choose to believe that the blessings we have and have experienced are just the tip of the iceberg of the wonderful things he has planned. I can't wait to see all the things he has planned, and as much as it scares me to know that there will be trials, I know those trials are just part of the path that we must take to get to all He has planned for us! Whew.

~Each other...we are best friends, lovers, fighters, parents and children. We (ok, I) struggle with letting go/getting past the stupid stuff, but at the end of the day, we love each other. We work together to get things accomplished. We are each other's strength when we need it. We love. each. other. and will for another however many years we have together (see below for my husband's thoughts on that subject:) He is my better half. He makes me a better person everyday.
~Health...even with a hypochondriac husband who seems the think he is dying on a daily basis...we are healthy!
~Our children...they are healthy, smart, beautiful and good children. They challenge us, but they are children. That's their jobs! I love them more than I could possibly say!
~Our family...they're dysfunctional to the core, but they're our family. And, they love us...what more could you ask for?
~Our jobs...we have two great jobs. Do I wish we made more money...of course, but do we like where we work and what we do...Yes! Yes! and Yes! I'd rather have a great job that I love paying little, than a job that I hate paying lots. That's just me!
~Our home...is it my dream home? No. Do I constantly want to change things, etc...? Yes. But, at the end of the day, we have a home. A beautiful home that a lot of people would give anything to have. So, dream or no dream, pretty or ugly, we're blessed!
~Nashville...ok, so it's not perfect and we miss Florida every moment of everyday, but we are here for a reason. This is where we are meant to be for now. So, we might as well enjoy it. We've got great friends and we are finally getting to know our way around. When God is ready for us to be back in Florida, he'll make that happen. I KNOW!

We don't always get to do the things we want to do, buy the things we want to buy, be where we want to be, but...at the end of the day, we have what matters the most -- God and family. Without these two beautiful things, we are nothing. NOTHING!

So, to end 2009, a year of scariness for a lot of Americans, we are blessed. beyond. belief.

We are beautifully blessed and for all of this, we are truly thankful!
Chasity

2009 A to Z...

2009-12-31T06:15:00.001-06:00

of 2009!

This was a wonderful, beautiful year for our family. 2009 was filled with many exciting times and blessings. So, it seems only right that I would recap our year with the "A to Z of 2009."

We began our year by ringing in the New Year "Phillips Style!"

A beautifully blessed year

Brent's 40th birthday

Cheekwood Botanical Gardens for Easter

Disney World and SeaWorld excursions

Engagement of Chris and Jody -- we were all there to see it

First grade for Peyton (also baseball, karate and swimming)

Great, big, record-setting deer for Brent

Honorable mention (Employee of the Year) for Chasity

Incredible families that come to visit us

Jody and Chris' Wedding in Stuart, FL

Kentucky field trips for Peyton (and Chasity, if work counts as a field trip)

Landscaping our backyard and building a Fort for the boys

Minor (ok, major) obsession with capturing EVERYTHING on camera

Neighborly get-togethers -- Friday night pizza by the pool nights

Opry...Grand Ole Opry with Brad Paisley

Pre-k for Palmer (we tried baseball and karate...maybe 2010?!)

Quiet naptimes EVERY weekend

Rookie of the Year (for Brent...we hope!)

Snowball fights and Snowman building

Ten years of Marriage

Unbelievable amounts of Energy from two little boys

Vacations to Florida

Working out for Chasity -- a big part of this year

eXcitement over new Bunk Beds

Year full of Hugs and Kisses

Zoo outings at the Nashville Zoo

We're waving goodbye to 2009 and saying hello to 2010!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for an amazing year...wishing, hoping, praying next year is even better,
Chasity

PS...So happy to have started this blog. I can't wait to one day give this to the boys for them to read!

Widdlytinks...Christmas

2009-12-30T16:55:00.003-06:00

So, this super cute site, Widdlytinks, is really awesome!

Their photo templates are adorable and it's easy...

Again, I LOVE IT, LOVE IT, LOVE IT!

Scrapbooking Ideas Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

So excited to post this picture...it's one of my favorites from this Christmas!
Chasity

Touring...

2009-12-29T20:22:00.003-06:00

Brent and Peyton are currently touring three states while bumming off of family all along the way...ok, not really, but dang sure close...

Saturday, Dec. 26, 2009 ~ Nashville, TN to Florence, AL
They started our on Saturday afternoon by leaving Nashville and going to Florence, AL. In Florence, they stayed with our cousins the McGee Family. Brent couldn't wait to show them the huge deer he got. They are such a sweet family. Brent enjoys spending time with them and so the boys! They live in a hunter's "dream" world...4 wheelers, lots of land, guy toys galore! They were so excited for Brent that they offered to mount his deer for him. How awesome is that??!!

Sunday, Dec. 27 ~ Florence, AL to Mobile, AL
Anyway, on Sunday afternoon, they left Florence, AL and headed south to Mobile, AL where they stayed with Memaw and Lynn for the night. Gypsies I say!

Monday, Dec. 28 ~ Mobile, AL to Pensacola, FL and Destin, FL
After an evening with Memaw, on Monday morning they headed east to Pensacola where they stopped off to visit Gran the Man, Mike and Karla and Uncle Jimmy and Aunt Linda. After a quick visit fulls of hugs, they headed East, again, to Brent's Mom's house. They ate oysters and drank beer and enjoyed an exciting evening at his brother's house with sis-in-law, niece, Kira and nephew, Dylan. Dylan and Peyton had a sleep over at Meme's house (stayed up to almost midnight) and then slept till 9:45 (I know for a fact Peyton has never done that before)!

Tuesday, Dec. 29 ~ Destin, FL to Lamont, FL
Today, they departed Destin and headed East, again, to Grandma and Granddaddy's house where they are going to spend the night. Peyton will get to see Grampy B. and Brent will get to see our beloved Farm...When I last talked to them, Peyton was opening Christmas presents and Brent was happily sitting in his deer stand.

Wednesday, Dec. 29 - Saturday, Jan. 2 ~ Lamont, FL to Tallahassee, FL to Nashville, TN
After an evening with the Grans, Brent and Peyton plan to go hunting together, then west to Mom's house...where they'll stay until Saturday -- they'll come and go, back and forth to the Farm and Grans house, but WOW! what a great trip.

In the meantime, little Palmer and I are stuck here in Nashville working and going to school. Dang! someone has to earn a living in this house:) If only work was a little slow this week...it's been crazy this week. As I said before, Christmas seems to be just a bump in the road this year!

I've banned any cooking this week, so Palmer and I have a "kids eat free" plan -- each night we'll eat at a different location offering "kids eat free." Yep, that's our plan. And on Friday, New Year's Day, Palmer and I are going to see The Princess and the Frog. And, since we've (I mean I've) banned all cooking, Cracker Barrel is going to be serving our New Year's Day meal. I'm not above having someone else cook the New Year's Day meal. If I can't eat Mom's meal and I can't (won't) eat mine, then Cracker Barrel will have to do!

What a week. Half of us touring several states and the other half working hard. What's wrong with this picture?

Truthfully, I'm happy for Brent that he gets to spend time in Florida and happy that Peyton got to go with him. Palmer asked me tonight when he gets to go with them...I said maybe next year, when you are 5. Let's hope:)

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be spending a week alone with my favorite sweet baby,
Chasity

PS...Beggars can't be choosers. I'm begging Mom to send me back Barnarby's Pizza! And, I have to note, why are children totally different children when the siblings are gone?

So long...

2009-12-28T12:35:00.004-06:00

Farewell. auf Wiedersehen. Goodbye. Adieu. Adieu. To you and you and you. ~ The Sound of Music...

Palmer and I said goodbye to everyone in our house.

Brent and Peyton went to Florida for the week and Mom went home.

It's so quiet. It's kind of sad (hearing little Palmer ask where Daddy is and when B.B.'s coming back). Oh, I feel so bad for him being left behind. And to think, we don't even get to do anything fun...just go back to work and school. YUCK!

So, before Mom left, she gave him a cute little bag full of stuff (like he needed more stuff)...but it did take his mind off of her leaving for a few minutes...then he started asking for her again.

So, we decided to have a Palmer and Mommy day:

We were lazy. We watched UP!, Bedtime Stories, Miracle and my personal favorite, The Sound of Music (he really liked it). I updated my blog -- two months worth of postings...yikes and he sat on the couch next to me and played. We made an airplane with TRIO blocks. We drew rocket ships on his new Glodoodle. We took a three hour nap and stayed in our jammies all day. It was the perfect Mommy and Palmer day.

And at the end of the day while we were laying in bed...at 10 p.m. when the Sound of Music went off...he fell asleep on top of me while I was rubbing his back.

The Sun has gone to bed and so must I...

It was the PERFECT MOMMY AND PALMER DAY!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for my little Palmer!
Chasity

PS...I forget how easy one is vs. two...WOW!

Deals...

2009-12-28T12:24:00.002-06:00

There were deals to be had on the day after Christmas and yes, we were one of the crazy people out at the stores at 6:00 a.m. I know. 6 a.m.

So, me and my partner-in-crime (aka Mom) got up, got dressed and were on a mission for three things (everything else purchased was simply a bonus)!

(Our 7 a.m. picture that we took of ourselves as we were waiting for Steinmart to open!)

1) JC Penney -- I finally found bedding for our bed -- and the best part -- it wasn't going to cost me an arm and a leg, so long as we got to the store when it opened-- only 2 were left in the store...
2) Target -- Half-price wrapping paper. Seriously, $4 for a roll is too much. But, $2, well now that's a deal.
3) Dillards -- Waterford 12 Days of Christmas Champagne Flutes. Mom buys these for us every year and last year, they went on sale BEFORE Christmas, so they were all out. This year, we needed to find four -- 7,8,9 and 10!

Well, we got the bedding, the wrapping paper, AND we got the Waterford Flutes -- and surprisingly, the Waterford was 50% off...I know.

It was packed. We pushed. We shoved. We won. We bought. We left. Isn't that how men roll?

We went and got a massage afterwards. This shopping for deals is a killer!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to not have gotten hurt while I was pushing and shoving :):):)!!!!
Chasity

PS...for the record, I only bit one person!

Do you...

2009-12-26T22:20:00.000-06:00

Do you…
Hear what I hear?

Nothing. No screaming. No crying. No fighting. No aggravation.

It’s amazing and wonderful. Two little boys not screaming/crying/fighting/aggravating for an entire day. WOW!!!

So that’s what Christmas is about?! I’m just kidding, but seriously…I haven’t heard a peep from them all day. WOW! LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

(Peyton playing his new Nintendo DS.)

(Palmer playing his new Cars Leapster Game.)

If this is what we get on Christmas, I need Christmas to be everyday. Seriously. WOW!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for a peaceful day without screaming/crying/fighting/aggravating,
Chasity

PS…ok, so now that I think about it…no screaming/crying/fighting for a day costed me lots of pretty pennies! I might have to rethink that Christmas everyday thing…

Christmas Morning...

2009-12-26T22:05:00.000-06:00

is made even brighter by a little company called Williams-Sonoma. Two years ago, I started the tradition of making Santa pancakes on Christmas morning…thanks to William-Sonoma for creating the molds for these pancakes!

I love making these pancakes for a few reasons, the two most important being 1) that it keeps the boys excited for a little while longer and it’s fun seeing them pick which one they are going to eat and 2) it buys me time to make lunch/dinner…whenever we decide to eat our big Christmas meal. Trying to get everything cooked and ready to go by lunch time is just TOO MUCH. So, we’ve now started another tradition…we stay in our jammies all day long and eat late afternoon or early dinner. This gives me most of the day to get everything cooked (and to sit back and enjoy the day)!

(Me, making pancakes...what a mess on my counter -- I'm a little OCD about keeping my counters clean!)

This year, I think I was extremely tired from the last month in general. So, we made the pancakes, made the cornbread for the cornbread dressing then laid on the couch and watched/fell asleep The Christmas Story – I’m pretty sure we watched it a good 5-6 times…it stayed on the whole day. Then I got up, fed the boys a little lunch...and low and behond -- SNOW! We had snow on Christmas. It didn't stick, but it sure was pretty and gave the boys a reason to run around for a few more minutes...then we took a nap. Then we cooked! It was great. Rock On! I love being lazy and productive at the same time!

(Peyton trying to catch snowflakes on his tongue.)

(Palmer -- with his bare feet -- trying to catch the snowflakes! They're there...I promise!)

(Us, right before dinner...Palmer didn't want to eat!)

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to stay in one place for Christmas,
Chasity

PS…staying in our jammies the entire day requires us to buy really cute Christmas jammies…this year, for whatever reason, no one had cute jammies. I know. I’d been looking since October. Maybe next year will be a better year for Christmas jammies!

Mrs. Claus...

2009-12-26T10:52:00.001-06:00

Christmas Eve is always such a fun time out our house! And this Christmas Eve was no different…thank goodness.

Other than starting the day by taking Palmer to the Dr., the day was wonderful. I made a Sour Cream Poundcake that fell…yep, not sure what happened…we think it was the weather (low barometric pressure because of a big storm coming in). I made a pumpkin roll (yum) and we decorated and baked sugar cookies for Santa.

(The whole family in on the action...)

(Daddy and Palmer having a great time.)

(Palmer decorating his cookies.)

(Peyton's cookies)

(Peyton having a great time with his creations.)

(Palmer's cookies)

We threw out reindeer glitter and then let the boys open their presents from each other and us.

(The boys getting ready to open their presents. Bathtime done. Christmas jammies are on. Ready to open!!!!)

(So glad B.B. is here with us!)

(Here we go..opening the first present!)

(Peyton's present from Palmer.)

(Palmer's present from Peyton)

(Sheer excitement and joy...priceless!)

The funniest quote of the day was when Palmer opened his present from Peyton, he said “Oh Peyton, thank you.” And Peyton replied, “Your welcome. I knew you would like it.” What makes the quote so funny is that neither of the boys knew what they had given each other since I was the one that bought it and wrapped it. I think next year, I might take the boys and let them pick out something for each other…maybe, just maybe, they’ll be out of the phase where they pick something out that they want!

(Us on Christmas Eve 2009!)

I do have to brag for a moment…Brent was so sweet. He insisted upon giving my Mom and I our present on Christmas Eve. I put up a fight…I wanted to wait, but he insisted. So…what did he surprise us with? He and the boys gave my Mom and I an hour long massage, already scheduled for Saturday (the day after Christmas) when he knew we would be out shopping. It was such a sweet and thoughtful gift! And to think, I only got him shirts, ties and shoes…

(Mom and I with massage certificates in hand!)

Of course, the boys were on their best behavior knowing Santa was on his way. Magic was sure to tell Santa they were good. A note to Santa can't hurt either... leaving Santa cookies and some carrots and apples for the reindeer is a must. For the 2nd year in a row, Mom had to sleep with the boys to make sure they actually stayed in bed until Santa rang the bells…poor thing, the boys scooted her off the bed, so she had to sleep at the end of the bed – just like her to sacrifice for all of us!

(Peyton writing the note for Santa.)

(Two little Angels...yeah. right.)

(Please bring us something good Santa!)

Once the boys were in bed, Mrs. Claus had work to do. Why I wait until the very last minute to wrap all the presents is absolutely beyond me, but inevitably, I do. So after gathering all the toys from their hiding location (the boat in the garage), Mrs. Claus got to work. All was done and wrapped by 11 p.m. Whew! Of course, after last year’s “Santa got busted,” presents go out in the early morning vs. late at night…so everything was in our room (door locked) waiting to be put out.

I wish I could sleep in until the boys got up, but knowing pictures are going to be taken, I’m usually up at 4 a.m. taking a shower, getting ready for Christmas morning! And this year was no different. I did get to lay back down for a few minutes before ringing the bells for the boys…let the present-opening madness begin…

(View from the 2nd floor)

I think and hope everyone was thrilled with their presents…I hope. Brent, bless his heart, with his shirts, ties and shoes. Mom with her Pandora bracelet and charms, wedding video and the annual “Book of Memories.” The boys with all their presents – Peyton with his Nintendo DS and games, Palmer with his camera, TV and Easy Bake Oven. What a morning full of great presents.

(Brent with his present from Mom!)

(Mom with her new Pandora Bracelet from Jody and Chris.)

(Mom and her wedding DVD -- an unexpected gift.)

(Peyton with his new Nintendo DS -- according to him, his best Christmas EVER!)

(Thanks Uncle Chris for the NERF Gun...paybacks are H___!)

(Palmer unloading his Santa bag...a big box for a little boy. His new TV!)

(Thanks for the new favorite Leapster game Uncle Chris and Aunt Jody!)

A few years ago, I introduced Brent to a little store called Tiffany & Co. This is his magic “go-to” store. He knows he can never go wrong with a gift from Tiffany’s and this year was no different. All on his own (I know, because I asked my Mom), he remembered the Palm Tree Necklace I had been wanting from Tiffany’s. So he bought it and that was his present to me…the Palm Tree Necklace from Tiffany & Co…I LOVE IT – reminds me of Florida each and every day!!!!

(I had a little help opening my little blue box!)

(Palmer opened it and said...there's nothing in here and threw it down. Oh, but there was something in there!!!!)

There’s nothing like giving presents. I love watching everyone open their present. It is worth it all to see their faces and expressions when they open their gift. I love it. I love giving. I wish I had a ton of money…I think I’d give to people all the time. Getting is fun. But Giving is SO MUCH BETTER!

(Mom with her "Book of Memories" that I told her I didn't have time to make. This year's album was 50 pages...WOW!)

Stay tuned for more on Christmas…Christmas Day has just begun!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to spend time with my family – tons of blessings and few worries…I’d be crazy not to be thankful,
Chasity

PS…Magic the Elf went back to Santa’s workshop for another year! It was fun while it lasted, but dang…I’m so happy that I don’t have to remember to move the little booger every night!

Traditions...

2009-12-24T14:34:00.000-06:00

are fun. Especially when you get to create your own!

Each year, it seems like we create new traditions.

The first year we were here in Nashville we started the tradition of baking cookies, throwing out reindeer food and letting the boys open their presents from us and each other on Christmas Eve. Watching the 24-hour marathon of Christmas Story all day on Christmas Day

The second year we were here in Nashville we started the tradition of having Santa come to our house on the Sunday before Christmas, Santa shaped pancakes for breakfast, staying in our jammies all day on Christmas day and shopping the day after Christmas (getting 50% wrapping paper at Target is a huge part of that).

This year, we'll we kept most things the same (we added the Toys for Tots giving evening)...pretty much everything from before. Except, now it appears we added...making a trip to the doctor's office. Yep, Christmas Eve and Palmer and I were at the Dr. Palmer had a sinus infection that we hope is now getting cleared up. In all seriousness, I hope we don't start that as a tradition, but I will say that it seems like he gets a little cold at this same time...must be something in the air.

Anyway, tonight, we'll have fun. I hope next year that we'll find a church home and we can actually go to Christmas Eve services...I want the boys to be in a Christmas play and continue to understand the importance of Christmas. That is our Big Hairy Audacious Goal for 2010...to find a church home. No more excuses...too many churces in this town for that. We're going to find a church!

Bring on the fun of Christmas Eve!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a family to help make wonderful Christmas traditions with,
Chasity

PS...Mom is so wonderful to give up her traditions and take on ours!!!

Biggest Deer...

2009-12-23T21:15:00.000-06:00

that's what Brent got this morning. The biggest deer of his life!

Since Mom has been in town, Brent has been going hunting every morning. Now, I'll tell you...I love that he has a hobby, but hearing about it ALL THE TIME gets kind of old. I used to enjoy hearing the stories, but now, I just feel bad for the deer!

Well, this morning, I got a call from Brent. I thought something was wrong. He was breathing heavy and I could automatically hear something was wrong. Instead what I got was a 40 year old man calling to say, "I had to call you. I'm shaking like a leaf. I think I just killed the biggest deer of my life." Relax. He's ok -- this is what I was telling myself. So, I gathered myself and said, "How big." Brent replied, "I don't know. I'm still up in the tree stand. I haven't even gotten down. But it's huge. OMG...he's huge."

Well, he finally got down and called me to say he's never gotten one so big. WOW...he was super excited.

So, he finally made it to work after trying to find a place to put this deer head that he thinks he is going to mount (really I ask?!). The man is still on Cloud 10! So, he finally got home and he showed me a picture...

(Brent's deer...this is his friend Jody in the picture)

The thing is huge. Come to find out, this might be one of the Top 5 deers ever killed with a bow in Tennessee. WOW...this is the best Christmas present Brent could have gotten!

He's taking it to his cousin's house in AL, where it will be officially scored and then entered into the record books! WOW...again! His cousins even offered to mount it for him...how awesome is that!!!

Anyway, I am truly happy for him. The poor deer on the other hand, well...he was just in the right place at the wrong time. Poor thing. But, it made for a VERY HAPPY HUSBAND (and that is worth every story I've been told)!

Congratulations to my hubby. I'm so happy for him!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a very happy husband,
Chasity

PS...Poor Peyton had to ride all the way to Florence, AL in the backseat of the car next to this deer head...gross!

Trying...

2009-12-23T19:50:00.000-06:00

so, I'm trying to teach the boys the important things about Christmas.

First and foremost that Jesus is truly the reason for the season. That is the true meaning of Christmas. In fact, Peyton didn't even know who Santa was until he was 4...he'll tell you why we celebrate Christmas.

But I also want them to understand that giving is so much better than receiving. Of course, it's a little hard for them to understand, but it's up to me to help them understand that!!!!

So, this evening, we gathered up all of Palmer's brand new birthday toys that he forgot he had and we took them to Toys R Us to give to little boys and little girls that won't get anything for Christmas. We gave them to Toys for Tots!

We also bought and gave Toys for Tots a few games. My efforts in trying to teach the boys a lesson was, well, let's just say not as great as I had hoped, but hopefully, if we do this every year, they'll start to understand the true meaning of giving back, especially to little ones that don't have anything.

I think this might be another family tradition...I really love this one too!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to help make a child that won't get anything a little more special,
Chasity

PS...I like coming up with our own traditions...it's kind of fun!

Nothing like...

2009-12-21T22:30:00.000-06:00

Shopping with my Mom.

I miss it. I love it. She's awesome. We have so much fun!

I wish she were here to go with me all the time. She's the ONLY person in the world that I can shop with! I don't know why, but she is!

So glad to have her to shop with me right before Christmas!!!!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have my Mom here with me right before Christmas,
Chasity

PS...she also keeps me from buying things I don't need!!!

Santa...

2009-12-21T19:23:00.001-06:00

came to visit!!!!!

Every family has some kind of tradition...something they do every year. As our family has grown, we've struggled with finding our own traditions. Somehow, we're starting to have some of our own and we didn't even mean too!

My fear of "Mall" Santas has definitely worked out for good. Having a Santa come to our house is one of those Christmas "traditions" that our family has created. One that is our very own tradition! I love having Santa come to our house the Sunday night before Christmas. I love that he spends an hour with the boys talking to them, reading to them and playing with them. I love that one day (I hope) my boys will look back and have the fondest of memories of Christmas and the Santa visits. I hope to continue this even when the boys are older and don't believe!

Until then, this is huge for them. It's huge for us. He's the sweetest Santa ever! He's a true Christian man and truly enjoys what he does. He's got real hair, a real belly and a real beard (Palmer knows...he was playing with it).

It's wonderful getting to see the boys interact with him. Peyton reading him his wish list. Palmer playing with his hat and hair. Little Ava screaming because she was scared and Big Sister Sophia showing off her non-stop grin! It's precious and classic!!!

We are truly blessed to have found this wonderul Santa. To have the Rudolph family join us for the Santa visit. To have my Mom here to enjoy it and experience it!

Merry Christmas to Santa. Getting the house cleaned, wrapping all the presents, cooking dinner...it's all worth it for his visit!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have found this wonderful, precious Santa,
Chasity

PS...thanks to the Nashville Junior League for introducing us to this wonderful Santa!

Widdlytinks...Santa

2009-12-21T06:45:00.000-06:00

This is an awesome new site I found that allows you to put in your picture to their cute little templates...

LOVE IT! LOVE IT! LOVE IT!

Scrapbooking Photo Tinks by WiddlyTinks.com

This is one of my favorite photos of this year. It's rare that we all look at the camera at the same time. But, we are...so I'm making the best of it.

We truly enjoyed our visit with Santa!

LOVE THIS NEW SITE!
Chasity

Just Resting...

2009-12-19T21:43:00.000-06:00

It's just a few days before Christmas and we had a birthday party to go to...at Chuck E Cheese of all places...ugh!

So, Palmer and I went, after all, it was his best friend, Spruell's birthday party...we couldn't miss it! After the party, Palmer and I did some shopping at the mall. My little shopper and I spent two hours there battling the crowds...whew.

Anyway, by the time we got home, Mom had arrived and Brent and Peyton had already taken their naps, so I wasn't going to make Palmer take a nap (a rarity). This is what happened:

So angelic!! It's amazing what happens when you don't push it!

And then, he woke up. When he woke up (after two hours), he said "I was just resting my eyes!"

A-M-A-Z-I-N-G!

He's my favorite sweet baby!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have this sweet baby (and shopping buddy),
Chasity

PS...after naptime, he was full speed ahead!

If I got that...

2009-12-19T19:01:00.001-06:00

I'd kill myself.

That's what someone at my work said when I told them what I got Brent for Christmas. What could be so bad that someone would kill themselves if they got that present?!

I got Brent shirts, ties and shoes for Christmas. Is that bad? He needs them and he won't by them for himself and truly what does he really need besides a really big deer?

Well, I decided upon Brooks Brothers and Borns...not so bad if I do say so myself...I'd be happy with clothes and shoes!

Hope he likes them. If not, well, there's always next year. Hope he doesn't read this...uh oh!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have a well-dressed husband:)
Chasity

PS...I'll try to get him something fun. My time is running out! Wait up...slow down!

Christmas Angel...

2009-12-17T19:13:00.001-06:00

What do you get a Christmas Angel for Christmas?

Why a Pandora Bracelet and a Christmas Angel charm of course...

Chris and Jody wanted to buy Mom the bracelet, so they bought the bracelet and the Christmas tree charm for her bracelet, so I bought her charms...

The Christmas Angel charm because she's my Christmas Angel...

And the Lotsa Love Charm because that's the charm she gave me when she gave me my bracelet...so now we have matching charms!

Again, I hope she doesn't read this?!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for the little things in life that make us so happy,
Chasity

PS...Thanks go to Chris and Jody for buying the bracelet!

Angel...

2009-12-16T19:09:00.000-06:00

After all these years, I finally figured it out. My Mom is my Christmas Angel.

What a great Christmas Angel...I couldn't ask for better! She comes to visit me and yet, she works so hard!

She watches my boys, does my laundry, cooks, cleans (I'm still working on getting her to clean my cabinets), lets Brent and I sleep in, sugars-up my kids...Christmas Angel --that's the only word I could find to adequately describe her.

How lucky am I?? Lucky I say...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have my Mom as my Mom,
Chasity

PS...Brent also loves having her as his Mom-in-Law...or should is say, Angel-in-Law?!

Music...

2009-12-15T21:48:00.006-06:00

programs for kids are always so much fun...and Peyton's 1st grade music program was no exception.

For weeks he kept asking me to "send in a note" saying he could be in the program (for the record, it wasn't as if I was going to say "no," I just kept waiting to get something about it in his homework folder -- never did...poor communication on their part), so wouldn't you know it, on the night of the program as we were getting him ready he just kept saying he didn't want to do it...go figure! (I think it had something to do with the fact that his friend Cannon decided not to be in the program).

Anyway, after some bribing (and threatening), we finally got him in his "good" clothes, of which he said "but Mommy, you said we only had to dress up one time this year...and we did...at the wedding!" Oh good gracious...why must my words of bribery come back to haunt me (It must be noted that his "good" clothes are pretty much identical to his uniform, it's just that I refuse to let him wear his "polo" pants to school -- $45 pants compared to $12 pants from Children's place -- easy decision!)

And we arrived at school...this is him right before the program began:

Entertaining little brother is always fun...thank goodness for the games on the phone!

This is us entertaining ourselves while waiting for the program to begin...our self-portrait!

It was really a cute program...they sang Christmas songs and of course, it is always fun watching Peyton try to find us in the crowd and then continue to make eye contact with us. We wouldn't want him to be too thrilled about being up there -- you can see from the videos below that he was just SO EXCITED to be there.

For 2010, we ARE going to be find a church and my children will be in a CHRISTMAS play....now, whether or not they are chosen to be angels remains a question...I'm thinking the mule might suit them just fine:)

It was a cute night. Not soon to be forgotten. So proud of my favorite firstborn!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to have a little boy up their singing,
Chasity

PS...All I can say is Palmer is a handful!

Where...

2009-12-14T18:54:00.000-06:00

is the time going?!

I can't believe it almost Christmas...yikes!

It's Monday and my Mom arrives on Saturday. I've got a lot to do. A house to clean, laundry to do, presents to wrap, and oh, I need to call Santa to make sure he's still coming. Wow, lots to do and so little time to do it...

Did I mention that I have an incredibly busy week at work...insanely busy!

There's a saying that I hate to hear, but must admit, wish I could say it and mean it "I'll sleep when I die." I hate that saying, but wish I had the energy to say it and mean it...

For this week, I think I might have to say, "I'll sleep when I die."

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for sleep when I get it,
Chasity

PS...Mom arrives in just 5 days...YAY...

Stamina...

2009-12-13T18:42:00.000-06:00

I have no more shopping stamina...

Where did it all go? I used to be able to shop all day and still keep going. What happened?!

Today was my marathon shopping day for Christmas. Even after my work Christmas party the night before, I still managed to get up at 7 a.m. and go shopping. I hit Walmart first and somehow managed to buy everything I needed for the boys in one location! Except for two things, I somehow managed to buy all their Santa gifts in one location! Rock On...

I typically hate Walmart, but today it came as a blessing!

Of course, I still managed to visit another 10 stores and even managed to walk out of the mall without anything...I know...how is that possible?! Of course, when I told Brent, he said "Isn't that what your supposed to do?" Clearly, he doesn't get it. Not many times have I ever walked out of the mall without anything! It used to be that I could go to the mall and just leisurely window-shop. Not anymore. Now with children, when I go to the mall, I'm on a mission to get something. I don't have time to leisurely window shop anymore.

Well, at least the boys are taken care of...now, what do I get Brent? More difficult to figure out!

By 5 p.m. I was wiped out. No more energy. Had to go home. Somehow managed to only be able to sit on the couch and I believe I was in bed at 7 p.m. Brent put the boys to bed. I ask again...what happened to my shopping stamina?

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to be able to give my children the things they want!
Chasity

PS...I figured out what happened to my shopping stamina...it's called "Peyton and Palmer."

4th Place...

2009-12-11T23:30:00.000-06:00

I'll take it...

4th place in what?! Employee of the Year for 2009! Yep, 4th place. It's awesome. I'm so excited.

I know it sounds cheesy to be so excited about something so silly. But, at my company being Employee of the Year is HUGE...Huge to the tune of $1k and the respect of your peers and leadership.

You see, Employee of the Year is voted on by both peers and leadership. So being voted 4th out of 70 employees and after only a 1 1/2 is pretty dad gum cool -- or at least I think so.

Additional note. At our annual reviews, we are required to put down "measurable" goals for the next year. That's kind of hard to do -- how do you measure how good of a job you are doing? One of the goals I put down was to eventually be "Employee of the Year." One of my "big, huge future" goals. I never expected to be in the Top5 in the first year, much less #1...that is why I am so excited. I can't wait to go into my annual review this year...knowing I got really close to one of my "big, huge future" goals.

In addition, it's also very humbling knowing that my peers thought so highly of me. Kind of awesome. Ok, really awesome!

It was a great Christmas party. We had a blast. We didn't win a door prize, but I did get a $100 gift card for my 4th place finish and a bonus check that is always higher than I expect.

What a great night...I'll take it!

(Brent and I having a great time...he was so proud of me!)

(This is April..my partner-in-crime, office mate, confidant --- love this woman!)

(Us Brand Managers...everyone thinks we have a "glamorous job" and most days it is cool, but we also get all the crap and none of the glory...it's quiet amazing how it all works out!)

Like I said in yesterday's post...going to a work Christmas party where you love to work is so much fun!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for such a great place to work. If I have to work, this is an awesome place to do it,

Chasity

PS...Brent was really proud...that made me proud!

Party time...

2009-12-10T18:06:00.000-06:00

Work Christmas parties are so much better when you like the company you work for....this is my old age wisdom!

I've had many years of attending Christmas parties of places I absolutely hated working. Places where going to the Christmas party was not only tortore, but a must...you were "invited," but technically you didn't have an option of not going. Ugh...

I love where I work. I love the people. I love the management. I pretty much love everything about cj! That's why going to the Christmas party is actually a treat:)

I'm so excited about our party. They give out door prizes and I'm not talking stupid door prizes, I'm talking Blue Ray DVD players, Boze Sounds Systems, Digital Cameras, iPods -- 15 in all. They give away our annual yearly bonus. They give away Employee of the Year Awards. It's truly a great time.

I've found my Christmas party outfit...ready for the party. Bring it on...

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to love where I work,
Chasity

PS...the boys actually had a Christmas party to go to as well -- Santa and all:)

Life...

2009-12-07T08:59:00.000-06:00

is crazy!

I'm way behind on updating my blog. I got stuck on the wedding and life seems to be speeding by since then.

Thanksgiving has come and gone and now Christmas is in just 18 days...yikes. I think I need to get busy buying presents and maybe, I'll finish decorating in this lifetime.

Stay tuned. I'm working on updating the blog! I'm gonna go backwards in time and try to keep it up-to-date all at the same time. Wish me luck!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful,
Chasity

PS...This is my sign-off:) I came up with this for our Thanksgiving cards and well, I think I might keep it!!!

Merry Chaosmas...

2009-12-05T00:37:00.000-06:00

What's that?! The chaotic month of December...

Shopping...what's that? Decorating...who need's trees anyway?!

The way I'm going...we're the Scrooges on the block -- no decorations (I just got up the Thanksgiving stuff for goodness sake) and shopping...the way I'm going, Santa won't be bringing any presents to our house. Santa's little elf had better get busy!

The first week of December has been CRAZY. With two clients in town at the same time, I am exhausted from working very long days, entertaining at dinners, catering to every whim of my clients...not complaining, just venting!

Magic, the Elf on the Shelf, arrived the day after Thanksgiving, so the boys have officially made out their Christmas lists...Santa decided that the boys could choose 3 toys each to get for Christmas. Peyton keeps asking why only 3...every year I go way overboard, so 3's the limit for him and me!

Peyton:
Nintendo DSi/Charger
Super Mario Kart for Wii
Star Wars Legos

Palmer:
TV (free thanks to Brent's points from work)
Easy Bake Over -- yes, you read it right
Digital Camera (the preschool kind)

Of course, these don't include the one from us and the one the boys give each other.

Maybe, just maybe, I'll go shopping soon. First, I need to get the house decorated...ugh!

Trying so hard to find the Christmas spirit, but it seems to be eluding me this Christmas...maybe it's because I have so much to do and no time to do it!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful to have no worries this Christmas,
Chasity

PS...we are truly blessed to both be employed this Christmas, as so many people (including people we know) are out of work.

One Time...

2009-11-29T12:06:00.002-06:00

All at one time...it all hits at one time! Birthday, Thanksgiving and Anniversary.

Not always in that order, but always within 6 days of each other.So, it's now Sunday and within 6 days, we celebrated all three. Whew...half the year's momentus occasions in less 6 days!

Mary Kay arrived on Wednesday and after successfully baking a Sour Cream Pound Cake, it was Thanksgiving Day...of course, it's not Thanksgiving without family and some really good food (and some window decorations announcing to the neighborhood that it's Thanksgiving)!

We were a little tired after all the cooking and eating. So, we laid on the couch for a little while. Then we went to visit our great neighbors, the Rudolphs, The Hughes, The Van Sandts and the Lenahams!

On Saturday, Brent and I celebrated our 10 year anniversary with a date night to Flemings and the Grand Ole Opry. Brent's mom gave us a great present by watching the boys while we enjoyed a night out doing something we hadn't done since moving to Nashville -- the Grand Ole Opry. We saw some great acts, Brad Paisley and Jimmy Wayne and some not-so-great acts! We've now gone to the Opry...done. Check that off of our list:)

It was a great week. A very busy week. A week not soon forgotten.

We are Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful for birthdays, Thanksgivings and anniversaries,
Chasity

PS...So thankful to have Brent's Mom visiting us for a few days. Wish all the family could have been together, but maybe soon!

35...

2009-11-23T23:42:00.000-06:00

oh my...I'm 35!

But what a great 35th birthday...

We're not big birthday people, so I find it kind of fun to let the boys decide where we go for dinner. I know you're wondering where they choose...

Chuck E. Cheese. Yep...that's where I spend my 35th birthday dinner. I think it's so cute that they choose Chuck E. Cheese. We had a great time (I got a birthday sticker) and a cake...they bought me a cake. The boys had a blast, it was a great time watching them enjoy themselves so much (it also helped that it was a Monday night, so it was not PACKED).

Afterwards, I decided to be a "loner." I went to see New Moon all by myself...AND I LOVED EVERY MOMENT OF IT! I had my blanket, my socks, my candy and pretty much the entire theater to myself. No one asking questions. No one sitting on my lap. No one talking. It was GREAT!!!

So, that was miy 35th birthday. Just another year. Somedays I feel 35, but I still don't think I look it...which I'll take just fine. Thank you very much!

Beautifully Blessed and Truly Thankful on this 35th Birthday,

Chasity

PS...Did I mention that I bought myself two Pandora charms...see, a girl knows how to treat myself -- a cupcake and an anniversary wedding cake (my Mom gave me the bracelet for my birthday..see, a Mom knows how to treat her daughter)!