Busy week

It has been crazy the last couple of weeks. We are still trying to settle in our new house. My garage is still packed with boxes and basically junk. I have all of our clothes put away and I have the kitchen all set up. I even have pictures on the wall. But the problem is I can't pull on the boxes. I tried and pulled a muscle in my back. We also have taken several trips back to Georgia for several different reasons. I let Hannah stay with my grandmother last Sunday until Wednesday, and of course they crying started all over again. She was doing okay until yesterday. My husband and I decided that Hannah can not go back and stay anymore without us until she accepts the fact, that we live here now and that we are not moving back anytime soon. I know that may sound mean but we don't know what else to do.
I had to take Bryson to the ER last night because we thought he had an abscessed tooth, but it was some kind of cyst that is common when children start to lose their teeth. We went to the Children's Hospital and they had us in there and out within 30 minutes. That was the fastest I have ever been in and out of the ER ever.
I want to take pictures but I can't find my camera, it is packed away somewhere, so as soon as I find it I will post pictures. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Blessings, Delilah.

Frugal Friday~ Line drying clothes and Ebay

I always line dry all of our shirts and good clothes. First of all it saves on your power bill, but it also keeps your clothes looking newer and helps with shrinkage. I have a bar to hang them on in our laundry room, so even if you can't hang them outside, you could hang them up in your laundry room. My next tip is Ebay. I love to sell on ebay. If I am at a yard sale or thrift store I always look around to see if there is anything that I could make a profit off of it on ebay. For example one time I was at the salvation army and there was this cute Christmas outfit from a highend boutique. The outfit cost me $2.00 but it sold for $47.00. You must look over the items really well and make sure there are no stains or rips. For more tips make sure you visit Crystal's blog.

It has been a while!!!

It has been a while since I last posted. My husband moved into our new home May 2. I stayed that weekend and did a little unpacking. I came back the following weekend but didn't get much done because I had a nasty stomache virus. Those two weeks were really hard being away from my husband and having to stay at my grandma's house. We went home Friday and I did a little unpacking, but Sunday we went back to Georgia for the girl's dance recital. The last couple of days have been really hard for Hannah. She sits and cries and calls my grandmother constantly. I don't know how to deal with her emotions. She has a very strong bond with my grandmother. I told her once she finishes up third grade she can go stay a week. But everytime we leave, the crying starts all over again. My grandmother and Hannah both want us to drive down every week to go to church, but it is a 2 1/2 hour drive one way and with the gas prices like they are I don't see it in our budget. It takes $50 round trip and that is at $3.60 a gallon. If gas prices keep going up there is no way. My husband is making more money but the cost of living in Knoxville is more expensive than the small town we are from. I have put it God's hands and ask him to give both Hannah and my grandmother peace. Please everyone keep us in your prayers and as soon as I get everything in order here I will post pictures of our home. I really love this house and am thankful God has given it to us. Blessings, Delilah

My oldest is 9 today!!!

Today my beautiful Hannah Michelle Brooke turns 9. She was born Friday April 30, 1999 at 12:05 pm. She weighed 7 lbs and 6 ozs and was 19 inches long. Her name means "full of grace"(Hannah) "like God"(Michelle). She has been such a blessing, more than she will ever know. I had Hannah when I was 15 and my husband was 16. It was a hard time in my life and yes I knew that sex before marriage was wrong, but I still fell. I do not feel that Hannah was a mistake at all and I most certainly do not regret having her. She has been a blessing to so many people and she truly has been a gift from God. I can not see my life without her. My husband and I did not get married until after we graduated from high school. I just wanted to share her story with everyone and post a song she sings.

We Are Moving May 1!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It is official, we are scheduled to move May 1. First off let me explain why I have not been blogging. I took on a temporary full time position. Now yes I know my job is to be keeper of the home and I still believe that full force. However, I wanted to take up a job to pay off my van before we move. I only owe a little over $1900 on it but that is an extra $300 a month we will have. I have been working 8-5 M-F and that is an extra $400 a week. I do not like it one bit. The job itself is not hard but I have been getting up at 5:30 getting myself and the kids dressed, driving 30 minutes to my mother in laws to drop the kids off and then driving an additional 30 minutes to work. Same thing when I get off, then we have to go to ball practice/games. We do not get home until about 7:30 or 8:00, I cook supper, bathe the kids, put them to bed, do a little cleaning, get their school work ready for the next day and go to bed around 11:00 or 12:00. This is no life, I hate it. My house is a mess the laundry is piled up, I spend the weekend catching up on laundry and cleaning the house. Why would a mother want to work outside the home? For independence, to show the world they do not need a man, for what? This is craziness. I am so blessed to have a husband who thinks that I should stay home and take care of our babies and not pawn them off on someone else. My last day of work will be May 16 and that is when I am moving.
Back to moving. We are scheduled to be in our new house May 1. We are in the process of packing everything now and will move all our stuff May 1 and May 2. I will stay there the weekend and my husband will go ahead and move in. We are moving 2 1/2 hours away from Georgia to Tennessee. My husband started his new job 3 weeks ago and has been getting up at 5:00 and not getting home until 8:00 or 9:00 at night. That is too much for him. He is exhausted and on the road too much. I will move in with my mother in law for two weeks and go to my new house on the weekends. The reason being is for my children to finish up their season of ball and the girls to finish up their year at dance(I have invested too much money for them to quit now). I am also going to work to May 16.
We are very excited to move to our new home it is much bigger, but it is also a little more expensive. The area we are moving too housing cost more, but my husband wanted to move to that area and he thinks we will do just fine and I trust his judgment. With all that is going on I have not got to see him much and can't wait to we start our new life in a new town. I will try to update soon and post pictures of our new house. I hope everyone has a blessed week.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Getting Your Home Back in Order

Today over at Crystal's blog she wants us to do a two hour clean up to get our house back in order. I can't take any pictures because my camera is in my husband's car, so if he comes home for lunch I might take some this evening. Crystal also says before we get started we need to spend some time in God's word. Then we need to get dressed from head to toe. Then she gives this list:
And now you're ready to roll...

1. Put on an apron, turn on some uplifting music, light a candle, and start a load of laundry.

2. Go to the kitchen sink and wash, dry, and put away the dishes. Then, shine the sink (ala FlyLady!) and wipe down the counter tops. Try to get this completely finished in 30 minutes or less.

3. Set the timer for 15 minutes and briskly go through the house and pick up as many items as you can which are out of place and return them to their proper places (and if it's trash, throw it out!).

4. Switch the laundry in your washer to your dryer or clothesline and start another load of laundry.

5. Take some all-purpose cleaner and a few rags and go quickly spray and wipe down all the bathrooms. Remember, this is just a simple spray and wipe of your bathrooms which should only take five minutes maximum per bathroom. Save the heavy-duty cleaning for later!

6. Do a quick sweep and mop of your kitchen and bathroom floors if they need this (and if your home is anything like our home, they will need this!).

7. Vacuum the main living areas of your home--don't worry about moving furniture or going over every inch of carpet, just make sure and hit the main traffic areas.

8. Pull the laundry out of the dryer and fold and put it away. Switch the laundry from the washer to the dryer, and start another load in the washer if you still have more laundry to do.

You're done! Make a pot of tea or coffee and put your feet up for a few moments. Way to go! Your whole family will enjoy the fruits of you labors.


This is my to do list:
~ Read Psalms 55
~ Start and finish laundry(I have about 4 loads from the weekend)
~ Make all beds.
~ Get caught up on school (We got behind because we have been house hunting)
~ Give my bathroom a good cleaning.
~ Put all dishes away from the dishwasher and start a new load.
~ Sweep and mop the Kitchen.
~ Vacuum the entire house.
~ Dust the living room.
~ Take Bryson to ball practice.
~ Relax and enjoy my family.


This is my to do list. As you can see I have not posted in a long time. That is because my husband has got a promotion and we are moving out of state, so I have been busy trying to get this house sold and look for a new one. So please keep us in your prayers. I hope everyone has a blessed day.


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

I haven't got everything done just yet but I had to update. I was cleaning the kitchen after dinner and I had put some baskets in the living room to fold and when I walked in there Haley was folding the clothes. I did not ask her to, she just started doing it. I have to say she is a really good folder to just have turned 3 in January. I am so proud of her. I will update later.

KITCHEN TIP TUESDAY: GETTING RID OF KITCHEN CLUTTER

I have a bad habit of buying too many kitchen gadgets. I see something on sale, and think, "wow, what a good deal" and buy something I probably will never use. So my tip for Kitchen Tip Tuesday is to take all your gadgets, wooden spoons, spatulas, etc. and put them in a box. As you need something go to that box get it out, use it, clean it and put it in the appropriate place. After 12 months of non-use of items in the box, get rid of them and the best part is the stuff is already boxed up. For more great tips and ideas visit here.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Pick a Pile!

Today on Crystal's blog, she wants us to pick a pile, and organize it. I picked my computer desk, I have been wanting to do it for about 2 weeks and have kept putting it off. I know some of you who have seen all my cleaning lately must think my house is a mess, well that is partly true. Lately I have been doing a lot of organizing but I have a bad habit of getting the house perfectly clean and then not keeping it up. My desk was cleaned and organized in January, but I kept putting it off and everyone kept piling it up. So far, since I have started "making your home a haven," everything I have cleaned has stayed that way. Last week I organized all my kitchen cabinets because I got new cookware, and let me tell you it is so nice to need something and know exactly where it is. I have prayed that God would let me be more organized and I believe that "Making your Home a Haven" was what I was looking for. Now I am more accountable to a lot more people(who ever views my blog, even if it is just one or two people). Not to mention my husband can not stand a messy and disorganized house.

Crystal also wants to know any tips for keeping piles to a minimal. My suggestion would be as soon as a bill comes in pay it, and file it, and throw away/recycle unnecessary papers.

Works for me Wednesday baking and decorating birthday cakes

I always bake and decorate my Children's birthday cakes instead of buying them at a bakery. They are so much cheaper, once you buy all the stuff needed, and they taste so much better. I am not creative but with the help of Wilton's I have succeeded. I use their recipes for the butter cream icing, and oh my goodness that is the best icing in the world. For more works for me Wednesday go here.

Making Your Home a Haven Monday: Pick a Drawer!

Today Crystal has asked us to clean out a drawer or dresser. It is ironic because I have been cleaning out my kitchen cabinets(making room for my new pots and pans).this weekend and all I have left to do are these 3 drawers. She says "Today's project is to clean out and organize a drawer or dresser. Set a goal, set the timer, and get busy!"
The first drawer isn't that bad, I just need to organize it. The second drawer is awful, I have way too many utensils. The third drawer just needs to be organized. I will update later.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Well I am finally finished. I have been busy all day decluttering. Honestly I have way too much stuff, and my house is in chaos with too much stuff. My goal is to get rid of 75% of everything. I know that may seem extreme, but if you could just see all the stuff I had you would agree. I hope everyone has a blessed day making your home a haven.