16 days and COUNTING.....

The time is ticking by....16 days and its fastly approaching but in other ways it seems to be slowly creeping by....!

I went to several thrift stores over the weekend, found some neat knick-knacks that I wanted to add to "Baby C's" room. I got him a Boy coat rack, a new lamp, some cute blue photo frames....even a cute Thomas the Train raincoat...

I have not been sleeping at all...I'm just anxious about meeting this new little blessing....So unless he graces us early....December 26th will be the BIG DAY.....5:30 am arrival time for me....!!! Doctor estimated 6 lbs.14 oz.is his weight from the measurements took last week.....

SANTA time!

Chloe has had 2 Santa visits this week & last.....She was kind of shy at both but did mention a few things she wanted.

Our Delivery day of "Baby C" is drawing near, 3 weeks from tomorrow...21 days~ I'm very anxious, tired and sluggish....I'm just ready to hold this sweet baby boy in my arms.

Here are a few photos of our Santa visits......

1 Month AWAY!!!!

Today marks 1 month until Baby C is going to be delivered! I have not been sleeping good at all the last few weeks and have been having Braxton-Hicks every few days....my husband keeps saying that he KNOWS that he will be here earlier....I am just so tired, hurting and now having some other medical problems....I'm trying not to want to rush him into this fast-paced life yet, but I'm just so miserable now!

We had a Great Thanksgiving....Lots of Food, Laughter....and SHOPPING! I did do the Black Friday shopping tradition, even though several people thought I would skip this year....I felt decent, got lots of walking in...our Family tradition since I was about 5 years old.....Never missed a year! Chloe spent the day with her Daddy shopping, putting up our Christmas lights in the yard and wondering when Mommy was going to get home ??!!

Saturday we went to an Actual Christmas tree farm in North Carolina. My Parents & Sister went with us...I was not prepared with how cold it was...around 25 degrees with the wind blowing...We finally found the perfect tree.....oh, how I LOVE the smell of a fresh tree.... ( my husband won me over with this Christmas tradition :) )

And then Sunday we had our final Thanksgiving gathering with my Dad's side of the family....more food and memories in the making.....

Decorating, wrapping gifts, Apple cinnamon candles, Christmas music.....oh, how I LOVE this time of year!!!! And tonight is our Family/Santa photos.....hope we can get the little rascal Chloe to actually smile and cooperate.....

T~H~A~N~K~S~G~I~V~I~N~G

It is so hard for me to believe it is already THANKSGIVING, this year has truely flew by....we have had our up's & down's for sure, alot of family trials, morning sickness, etc. etc. But I am GRATEFUL for All that We have been Blessed with this Year of 2012!

We are counting down until getting to meet our New addition, "Baby C", about 5 weeks from now, unless he comes early, we will get to meet this baby boy into our family....I'm getting more and more anxious and excited about it...even though I seem to be procrastinating on the "packing suitcase for hospital"....

I LOVE this time of year! Lots of good food, great family time, cool, crisp weather...Happy Thanksgiving Everyone for our Family to Yours!

50 Days!!!!!~

With about 50 days left until my scheduled c-section, I'm starting to feel the "rush" of getting everything I "think" needs to be done. We've about gotten the baby nursery finished, got the carseat out, wiped off and put the new carseat covers on it that I ordered. I've been going through the 0-3 month clothes in his closet....trying to narrow down what I want him to wear in newborn hospital photos, homegoing clothes etc.
As predicted by my husband, he predicts that I will have him earlier than December 26th, which is the date of my c-section....I wouldn't mind myself, but I want him to be fully developed and healthy, so no rush on my end. He kept saying wouldn't it be cool if he was born 12-12-12...???? I have been making myself paranoid about not having my suitcase packed, not only mine, but James & Chloe's. I think that is next on my agenda of "To-Do" just so I know most of the essentials are packed and ready.
We still are not announcing the name as of yet, "Baby C" is what we've been calling him....kinda my last "secret", so I think we are going to wait until he is born to actually announce his name his name.

Until next time....still on the waiting game.....50 days and COUNTING...... ~~~~

Busy Days and Even Busier Coming.....

We have been SUPER busy lately! We have been trying to cram everything in the next several weekends before our New Little one arrives! We went to the Pumpkin Farm the 1st weekend of this month, had fun, 5 1/2 hours of fun, well me being pregnant I wasn't too over joyed, I sat and watched some of the time.
Chloe spent the next weekend with her grandparents....SPOILED!!! She LOVED every minute of it! We had a date night that weekend, we went to dinner/movie....nice evening together.
And then last weekend we went to visit my husband's grandparents that live about 1hr.45 mins. from our home. We usually get to go about 2-3 times per year, its been so hectic we haven't been much this year....We stayed and visited all day Saturday.

I can't believe in 8 weeks ( from this Saturday) we will be meeting OUR LITTLE PRINCE!!!!! I am getting super- EXCITED....trying to tidy everything up at home, finishing some decorating in his room....I have to say this pregnancy has really flew by, I guess since I've been chasing Chloe and will all of the family events that have taken place in the last several months....I get to schedule the exact time of my c-secion at my Dr. appointment this week....Physically I am tired of being pregnant, ankles a.k.a "cankles", back aches, constant trips to the restroom....I think being 25 and pregnant was way different then being 30 and pregnant.....I know all of these aches/pains will be a thing of the past as soon as I hold my precious baby in my arms....Not long at all.....Just waiting!

God's Timing & God's Will = So Worth the WAIT!!!

We got the final word yesterday that my husband got the job he had applied for about a month ago. I found the job for him online, helped him fill out the application, made him a resume and prepped him for the interview. This was his "1st" ever interview in his entire Life! I did the usual: eye-to-eye contact, firm handshake, etc. I ironed him a nice outfit to wear as well.

He was nervous beforehand, but after the interview he said " he was so at ease with the whole experience, they were very nice, easy to talk to etc."
He did tell me of the STACK of applications, over 60+ applicants, with them interviewing 12 of that....so our Faith was a little slim, but I still felt pretty confident and had a calmness in my heart. We continued to PRAY daily for God's will in this job, if it was meant for him to receive this job then we prayed that the door would open, but we were okay if he did not receive it too, since he is currently working.

2 weeks went by with no word, even thought the boss said that he would call either way. We were both anxious and anticipating what the final decision was. Then on September 25th, my 30th Birthday we got word.....THAT JAMES GOT THE JOB!!! But in a round-about way, the head boss said that he had to go pass a drug-test and go do a phycial for them to finish up the paperwork. And now 1 week after all of that we got the call yesterday...."When can you start ???"

We believe without a doubt that this is God's plan for our family and that he opened this door for us....We are so BLESSED & Thankful for this Awesome opportunity!!!

For once in my husbands life he will have a set schedule, set hours....this will be VERY Strange for him...He will have so many more opportunities to spend with our kids, do yard work etc.

{So BLESSED.......}

Today is the BIG 3-0 !!!!!!!!!!!

Well today is a milestone for me.....reaching the BIG 3-0!!! Hard to believe myself, when I say I"m 30 years old....seems like yesterday I was in high school. I feel beyond blessed, a have a healthy, happy family, loving husband, 1 beautiful daughter and carrying my little boy at 26 weeks pregnant today!

This week has been a Blessing in itself, I, myself was having some health issues with my pregnancy and went to have another ultrasound yesterday, and found out my placenta had moved....so forever thankful for that...my Dr. was concerned about that, but he said everything looked to be great!

We received some other news yesterday that is WONDERFUL news to our family, we just can't let the news out yet, but its an opportunity that we have been praying about for weeks now...and God has opened this Awesome door to a great opportunity for us! To look at all of the details of this opportunity alot would say that there is no way....but with God ALL things are possible if it is his will for our lives! Just as our Sunday school lesson was this past Sunday, "Ask and Ye Shall Receive", "Seek and Ye Shall Find".....We did honestly seek God's will on this matter....all of the puzzle pieces have just fit into place. I know that this opportunity is going to Open up many more doors....just anxious to see what the future holds....

Until next time....Off to Celebrate with a nice dinner out with the little of family...........

24 Weeks & Counting.....

I can't believe how F-A-S-T this pregnancy is going....I guess having a little one and living the quick-life it has absolutely FLEW by!!! I have felt my little guy moving around and fluttering, but from the outside he can't be felt, Chloe wants to feel him so terribly bad.....she just melts my heart when she runs up to rub my belly or hugs my belly...."Baby Brother" is what she calls him!
I have been doing pretty good right now healthwise, going for another ultrasound this week due to my placecenta being so extremely low.....Dr. said that it should move up, but that we will just keep a check on it.
We still haven't let our "baby name" out.....myself and my husband are the only people that know it....I kinda want to wait until he is born....but then again, there are SO many people having babies I want to lay claim on our name. I have liked this name for years now, but had no idea about the middle name, and then about a year ago I put the 2 names together....I love the combo of the two name....they seem very strong and self-assured names!

The sleepless nights have been going on for about a month now....which is no fun, and the constant feeling of not finding a comfortable position to sleep....I'm sure this will only get worse in the coming weeks.

Our baby nursery is moving right along....we have almost all of the 'junk' out of there and have the pieces of the crib and changing table in there.....I know the following months are going to fly, Fall is such a busy time of year, Pumpkin farms, Halloween, Thanksgiving, all of the family gatherings....then Christmas will be here and 2 DAYS later.....Baby #2 will be gracing his presence.

Until next time.....

Chloe is 5!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Chloe had her **5th** birthday on Thursday, the 23rd....I can't believe that she is already 5!!! We told her she could pick where she wanted to eat out on her birthday, she requested TACO BELL!!! 2 cheese roll-ups & she's a HAPPY girl!! We gave her our gifts, which was one she had been asking for forever! A Nintendo DS, she was all about that gift!!

Saturday we had her birthday party with family/friends.....the weather was Perfect!!! We had pizzas, cake, ice cream.....Chloe & 2 of her long-time friends from Winniford Academy came, Christopher & Brady! They had a blast running around and playing on the play set! The funniest part of her birthday was the "trick candles", of course her Daddy being a prankster....she HAD to get them....It was pretty funny, Chloe kept blowing them out and they would light back up....We had the Pink/brown polka dot theme....Chocolate cake and Chocolate ice cream!

Chloe got another gift that she had been asking for months & months....a Double baby doll stroller! She started squeeling when she saw it and kept jumping up & down....so after that forget playing on the play set with the boys....she was ALL about pushing her dolls around the backyard!

So, now the Braswell household has a 5 YEAR OLD on our hands!!!!!!!

New Chapter in book of LIFE~

The past several months have been a MAJOR change for our life as a family. My husband quit his job at the first part of August, out of no where! At first I was like okay, we can deal with this but then reality set in! Applications, Job descriptions, numerous trips around the surrounding towns....I worked non-stop on trying to help him find a job, even if only for temporary, something to help bring some sort of income into our family.
We went by 2 weeks with NOTHING! We were both frustrated....and might I add only having 1 cell phone & 1 vehicle to share between us both! Frugal was an UNDERSTATEMENT!!! We broke down and got him a new cell phone ( since previous was a work phone) and then the start of looking for a vehicle & a job! Wow!!! One is enough to have on your plate at a time....I knew this period of growth was something God had placed on us....We rode around and looked online non-stop for something to drive. We really wanted to get some sort of truck since we didn't have anything to haul our trash, lawnmower or any other large items.
My Dad finally found a really nice truck that was for sale. Low miles, nice shape, not exactly the type we wanted, but who can be picky when trying to be frugal and be in reality with just needing an extra set of wheels for our family.
So we purchased the truck....1st check off our Family list of "To-Do"....might add that same day a family friend needed some extra help with his personal business, so James did have something to bring a little income into the family.....

During this whole process though, I have to admit, I didn't have one sleepless night, I just kept holding on to the fact that "God sees ALL, knows ALL and as his children he is going to Open or Close any doors he sees fit". I know James was frustrated with not having a job, I could tell by little comments and looks of him feeling that he was letting our family down, as being the "breadwinner" of the family! Trust, Faith and Patience in the Lord was what we had on our plate!!!!!

After applying for numerous positions in different settings, finally a family friend got up with one of his buddies and offered James a job! Wow!! I felt like a ton of bricks off my chest....James was  really nervous as never worked for anyone other than himself/family business, he was like a little kid about to start school for the first time....I knew he was anxious and excited all at the same time....New Chapter in our book of Life!

Yesterday being his 1st day wasn't quite as expected, got sent home with 7 other guys as they didn't have enough work for them to do....Another day of frustration and anxious feelings.
Today though on a better note....got to work all day, even though I received call, a very frustrated and upset husband being the 1st day of work, with no direction and no one really to ask.....but as day has progressed, I think it turned out better than he had thought....

We are thankful for this job offer, but we hope that he can find something more stable, but until God sees fit for another door to open or close, we will TRUST IN THE LORD!!!

Ps- All of these high's & low's with being pregnant, plus the physical health problems I have been having has really gotten my phyically and mentally drained....December can't get here soon enough...!

Kids Consignment Sale = SUCCESS!!!!

It's been a while since I've blogged, SUPER busy and dealing with all of the pregnancy woes too! We had our 1st Little Feet Repeats Kids Consignment Sale in Clarkesville, several weeks back. I have to admit it was ALOT of work physically & mentally. I had alot of behind the scenes work. We did the set-up, had some Great Volunteers that helped out tremediously! I was AMAZED at how much stuff we ended up getting in.....I, myself was on a "hunt" for some Cute Boy Clothes and found so MANY!

I was a little nerveous I have to admit about running the software program, doing the scanning of UPC codes, running the cash register, all while have some EXTREME problems with my colon/colitis. Everything went smoothly!!!!!!

We had so Many Postive responses about our Sale....How Friendly, Helpful we were, what a great selection we had etc! I was VERY well pleased with how well everything fit together....Chloe had a Blast as well playing with the vendors' kids. I met some REALLY, really nice people that I had set up as vendors at our sale, we all became really good friends over the week.

I was planning on doing a "Christmas/Santa Sale" at the end of the year, but with me being due with our son around that time, I just felt it wouldn't be a good idea, especially with my ankles already swelling etc.

But this Spring, I am going to be back at it FULL FORCE!!!! This will give me time to work out the details for this sale and I am sure this one is going to be BIGGER & BETTER than Ever!!!!

It's a .......B-O-Y!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We found out Saturday after going to an extra-paid ultrasound, we are going to be Blessed with a Lil' Man!!! I had no idea, I told everyone that I had no set feeling of whether it was a boy or a girl....even though Chloe was DETERMINED it was a sister!! The expression of Chloe and her Daddy was priceless....James had a big ol' grin on his face ( even though he thought it was another girl) and Chloe had a blank stare on her face.
I am personally tickled....deep down I really wanted to experience raising a girl and a boy....and am so forever thankful to God for this opportunity!
So after the appointment we headed to Babies R Us and Target. Chloe was non-stop BLUE!!!!! She kept picking up this & that, throwing it in the buggy!

Sunday we did the SURPRISE on everyone! We made everyone guess and then told them, I was rather suprised more than half said Boy! So now we are just Waiting....December will be here before we know it!!!!

Beach in June!

I haven't posted in a while, its been so BUSY lately! We had a Great Family vacation to Ft.Morgan/Gulf Shores the last week in June. It was a place none of us had ever been to, and we wanted to visit a new place. We had a really nice condo, had crystal clear ocean water and a non-crowded beach to enjoy!
We went to the beach with my parents and sister. Chloe LOVED having them to interact with.... even though Chloe was a "Daddy's girl" the whole week, constantly playing in the ocean, pool or in the sand with her Dad.
It was a nice week, even though we didn't really relax a whole lot, we were constantly on the go, beach, pool, out to eat, walking down the shoreline...it was nice to get away though....

Just came to thought, next year we will have 2 KIDS to Enjoy our Vacation with....an almost 6 year old and a 6 month old....Sure it will be super FUN!!!!!

Ps- Chloe did get to Enjoy her 1st Ever boat ride....it was a Ferry we took from Gulf Shores to Daulphin Island. It took us 30 minutes to get the island....it was pretty neat, had some interesting historic sites on the island.

Salt Water & Sand.....I HEAR the Ocean, Calling My Name!

Well almost time for our family vacation and I am SUPER-EXCITED!!! We are venturing out to a new place this year, Ft.Morgan, AL, which is just a short drive from Gulf Shores. I found a great condo for 1/2 the price of what we've been paying. I anxious about the new sights and new places to visit. I literally dislike getting in a rut of going to the same vacation spot year, after year, there is so much God has made for us to enjoy!
Our last family vacation of 3.....We actually are going with my parents/sister too. I'm looking forward to sleeping in, getting some Vitamin D during the day, nightly walks on the beach and maybe some seafood!

Its a slow go on the packing of the trip, but hope to get that finished up soon....BEACH BOUND!!!!!

7 Years ...........

It is so hard to believe today at 6pm will be 7 years since I became Mrs.Braswell. Some times it seems as just yesterday and others it seems like it has been FOREVER! I think back to our dating life, meeting on a blind date, not knowing ANYTHING about each other, to being inseperable! I feel so fortunate to have been led by God to the Man of My Dreams.....We are still so in LOVE and I look forward to the future together.........Happy Anniversary, Babe!!!!!!

December BABY~

I have been battling with this "Pet Peeve" for the last couple of weeks and finally after a phone call to some family on Saturday it really broke the straw! I know I personally always imagined having another child in the spring, summer or fall months, but some times God sees differently, and of course he knows what is best, right ???!!
After finding out our new little one will grace us more than likely 2 days after Christmas ( due to planned c-section), I was not exactly totally excited about the date, but was Very Thankful and blessed for God seeing fit to give us this ultimate BLESSING!!
After telling everyone about our new addition, we have received some rather "unpleasant" looks & comments about being due in December. We have heard every comment under the sun, but as I see it God Does NOT give us a choice on the day we are BORN or the day we DIE....It's ALL in His Timing!
I really wish others would be considerate of others and see this bundle of a Blessing to Mean more than any Month or Day that He/She Might be born......

Welcoming #2 Into the Braswell Household.....

Myself & My husband have known for weeks and weeks now, NEVER ( and I mean NEVER) did I think I could keep this secret to myself, but very proud of myself for holding it in. We had orignally planned on announcing it last weekend, but due to my better-halfs "lovely, (NOT)" kidney stone episodes, we opted to wait.
We told Chloe on Friday that she had a surprise we were going to give her on Saturday morning. Wow!! Her little mind was rolling, she said, "I bet its a new IPOD!"....I told her she would just have to wait and see. Saturday morning we headed out to the patio, we handed her a gift back and I captured "EVERY" moment of that surprise....Chloe not thrilled at all.....She said " I don't like picture frames!!!!" threw it down and kicked her sandals off....the pouting was on for now! I told her to look and see what was in the photo frame....She was like "What ???!!!" after explaning it to her, she got a little happier. I know she was thrilled inside, she has been praying for a baby brother or sister for so long and has gawked at the babies in stores, restaurants, church etc. wanting one for her own.....

Later Saturday we went to tell my parents/sister. Chloe pulled it off very well. She told them she brought something that she had made at school for them to see. She never budged and then after they pulled it out of the bags, she just smiled the BIGGEST smile ever!!! Even though we have no preference of boy or girl, Chloe insists that she is going to have a SISTER!

Yesterday at church Chloe wanted to wear her "Big Sister" shirt I had bought her. She was All Smiles!! Alot of people didn't catch on as much as I thought that they would have....but everyone was so very happy for us!

Now that the "cat is out of the bag" per say....We are on for the waiting game of finding out if it will be a BOY or a GIRL....Either is fine with me, just praying for a Happy, Healthy Baby!!!!

Rough Weekend~

The past several days, and the weekend was HORRIBLE!!!! I'm usually pretty optimistic, but it was truely awful! My Husband has been battling Kidney stones for over 1 week. He has been taking pain medicine, drinking lots of liquids and praying!! Finally Saturday he got in so much extreme pain, he told me to take him to the ER, hopefully to get some sort of relief. They admitted him to get him some fluids and to give him so extra pain medicine. I truely despise seeing anyone in so much PAIN, it hurt my heart, b/c I felt so helpless.....Pain, Nausea, Pain, Nausea, this went on all weekend. As of today no stone still, but no he is just trying to get "detoxed" from all of the medications, he said that he feels so drugged. Trying to be a "Nurse" for someone you care for and have no clue how to help them is so hard to do.....Rough, Rough Weekend!

Mountain Laurel Festival - 50th Anniversary

Mountain Laurel was this past Saturday, this has been a family tradition since I was very small myself. Chloe LOVES parades, the candy, the whole atmosphere. I thought this was a great opportunity to really promote my upcoming Kids Consignment sale as well. My wonderful, supportive husband jumped right in, I was so impressed with how helpful and determined he was. We handed out flyers about our upcoming sale and trying to get the "word spread". We enjoyed the parade, some festival foods ( of course I HAD to get me a funnel cake) and some good weather as well. We had a great time Saturday!

Quiet, Weekend

Chloe has been at Her Nana & Papa's All Weekend since her Pre-K Graduation. She LOVES staying at their house, getting spoiled as any grandkids are with their grandparents. It was a Nice, Quiet Weekend....me & my Better-Half Enjoyed a Nice Dinner Out One Night, Some Leisurely Grocery Shopping, Even Had Time to Get my Hammock out and Enjoy the Beautiful Sunshine!!!!  I Missed Chloe, It was Just Too Quiet, but I knew She was Having a Blast! Now For Getting Back to the Work Grind..... :(

Chloe's Graduation

So hard to Believe My Baby Girl Has Graduated Pre-K! Yesterday, they had a Cute Program with Songs, Presentation of Their "Diplomas" and a Slide Show of the Year. Chloe was Super-Excited To Have Not Only Myself & Her Daddy, but Her Aunt Andrea and Papa/Nana there to See her. Seems Just Like Yesterday She was Starting in the Baby Room @ Winnford Academy, and Now She is Leaving the Pre-K room. She has Made So Many Friends and Will probably go another couple of Weeks to the Summer Camp program, But We are Ready for the Upcoming Journey ahead......KINDERGARTEN!!!!!!!!!

Mischief.....Is an UNDERSTATEMENT!!!

Chloe has been on a roll lately with her mischief....Monday get call from Pre-K teacher telling me that Chloe & another little boy snuck off with scissors and decided to play "hair salon" on each other. 5-6 inches later ( right in middle though) she has a spot cut out....All I could think was that she had a ponytail that day and was praying that the little boy didn't cut the "whole" ponytail off, so I guess thankful that it wans't as bad as it really actually was. So lecture Monday night! Tuesday, I go pick Chloe up and she has a "battle wound" on her face and a note home saying that her and yet another little boy (not same boy, not sure why she never plays with girls...LOL) were pretending that they were having a Wedding and they got in a schuffle about where to set the chairs up, she scratched him and he scratched her across the face. Then as were going home I noticed that Chloe has "earrings" and Chloe does not have pierced ears.....and to my suprise, Chloe has gotten Elmers glue and beads and glued them to her ears, pretty clever for a 4 year old I thought, just had to get the clumps of Elmers out of her hair....guess I should give into the pierced ears thing but as wild as she is, afraid she would rip them out. So just searching my head for more gray hairs from this WILD CHILD!!! She definately keeps everyone on their toes and am thankful that it was not Super-glue!

Busy.....Is An Understatement

I've been neglecting my Blog lately, it has been C-R-A-Z-Y busy at our home, work etc. We did have an Amazing Easter Weekend with Family, got some good photos of My Little Missy Prissy, Chloe. We went to 2 different Egg hunts, both were enjoyable, we went to Church Sunday to Worship OUR Risen Saviour and spent some much needed time with our whole extended family!

My Kids Consignment Sale work has been in FULL swing, being a little overwhelmed is an Understatement for sure....!!!Working on Sale Software, making flyers, setting up Vendors,booking facility, buying a MASSIVE amount of Clothing racks for all of the tons of Clothing We are hoping to consign....& this Just makes me tired typing all of this. I am Super-Excited at all of the Positive response we have had so far on this Sale, God has truely opened so many doors for this sale.

Until Next time.....Enjoying this Beautiful weather & going to plant some new flowers tonight!

It's Been a While.....

It's been Crazy Here lately, alot going on.....

Chloe had her tonsils/adnoids out about 3 weeks ago, I've took on a MAJOR project that is still in the making....and I've been having a few issues so I'm having a dreadful colonsophy tomorrow, so on the liquid diet today...which really STINKS!!!

Life is good....God is GREAT, as Always!!! I so enjoyed our Sunday School class getting to be held at the local Nursing Home in Clarkesville yesterday. We sang hymns, had our Sunday School lesson and visited with all of the residences. It's actually the "1st" time ever that I have spoke in front of that many people, I was the one in charge of the lesson. There were probably 15- 20 people, listening to "me" bring forth the lesson, I was not nervous for the lest bit, even to have my Pastor's wife right there listening attentively to the lesson I was bringing. I am Thankful for the opportunity we had to experince this yesterday.....

Now on for counting down the hours until I can EAT.....I have never craved food as much I have today.....and didn't help that I had an Awlful Virus on Saturday....so I am Food-deprived....In my opion......Wouldn't a great, juicy steak be so tasty ???!!!! :(

Build-A-Bear Weekend!

Chloe has been begging to do a Build-A-Bear and had actually gotten some accessories for one on Valentines Day ( Goodwill find, I found months back, bag load of clothes/shoes/accessories). We decided it was a good weekend to venture to the mall, we thought we would surprise her with the trip to make her furry friend. Note, I had my camera in tow.....Got the intial first reaction and some candid shots of her experience. Daisy the Dashhound...... I think this doggie will be good for the Braswell household...No Barking, No Actual Food to buy and Most of all NO DIGGING!!!

VALENTINES....for the Family of 3

Valentines day 2012 was okay, nothing extra special, but everyone I came in contact with seemed to have a little extra-pep-in-their-step that day, smiling a little more, being more generous, wouldn't it be grand if every day was as this particular celebrated day ?
I went to work, gave Chloe a few small gifts and my husband a card. We went to a place I've been to only once that I've been dying to go back to "Cheddars". I work less than 1 mile from there but have not gotten to take my husband or Chloe there. I decided Valentines night would be a good night to go and I wasn't disappointed. The wait I was anticipating would be extra long, as that is what they said on the phone when I checked in, but I decided we would take the chance and ended up only waiting about 25 minutes. The food was delicious and we ran into several families we know there as well. So our Valentines for 2012 was pretty Low-key...no grand gifts or unexpected gestures....Just me & my Family of 3!

My NEW Venture!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have been shopping/selling at Kids Consignment sales for 5+ years and have ALWAYS dreamed up having my own sale, but never had the nerves and/or extra $$ to spend on planning one, each and every year I would start planning and then back-out, but not this year! I have been telling my husband my plans for months & months now, he just listens and smiles....He told me that he was very confident in me and he knows how when I set my mind to something it is full-force....so today I OFFICIALLY told all of my Facebook family/friends of this new venture......"LITTLE FEET REPEATS KIDS CONSIGNMENT SALE"....so its out in the wide-open now....Still a little nervous/anxious but still sooooo.....excited! I'm currently working on a website, a location/date but it seems to be all coming along, slowly but surely...
I know alot of planning & hard-work goes into having a successful sale, I"m up for the challenge......Stay tuned!!!!!!!!!

Saturday Wasn't As Planned.....

Saturday didn't turn out quite as planned, but that goes to show me, as a VERY devoute planner that sometimes change can be fun! I had a call Friday night from our accountant that she had to cancel our appointment for doing our taxes, which stunk! We ended up dropping the paperwork by, but didn't get to figure out how much we were going to get back. We took Chloe by her grandparents,my parents and then we headed south on the interstate, we shopped EVERY Goodwill under the sun, I think we went to 5 different ones....We found some unique things, nothing grand, but still had fun on the pursuit of searching the shelves/aisles!
I had hoped to use one of our gift cards for dinner, but after relying on our GPS we ended up going in circles & my husband was going nuts....so We just opted for Chilis' which was a good choice but not Free as I had anticipated for.
We had our "Date Nite", not as planned but it was good quality time together!! ( and that is all that matters :) )

Saturday = DATE NITE

Saturday we are going to do our Income Taxes, Excited about that for Sure!! Extra $$$, but not so sure we will have much left after Chloe's surgery and some other medical bills that need paying. As the last several years the Saturday that we go file our taxes, Chloe has spent the day and night with my parents, just a parent-day/night out. Last year wasn't too great I ended up coming down with a virus so no fun at all...trash can & ginger ale in hand.
I'm not sure on our exact plans for Saturday, I do have some free movie tickets and some free Dinner gift cards...but I'm sure we've got alot more hours to fill, maybe we'll do some sight-seeing or rambling around.....I Love Days with no particular plans, but then me being a planner, can't stand just non-sense rambling...gotta have a schedule of some sort....Looking forward to Some Husband/Wife time this weekend!!!! ( This Movie was Too FUNNY!! Saw it Last year, sure Hope Our Date Night Doesn't Turn Out As Theirs!! Ha! Ha!!!)

AnXious Mom!

Well I scheduled Chloe's tonsil/adnoid surgery for February 28th yesterday. I think that so many positive things will come from this surgery, was hoping to have it done sooner, but looks like the calendar really fills up for stuff like this. I wasn't aware of the cost of this procedure with insurance, it's very steep...but I know that it will help Chloe in the long-run. Now that the appointment is made and 1/2 of the hospital bill is paid, all I can do is anxiously await surgery day! Praying for a speedy recovery and for peace for the nervous, anxious Mama (me)!

Rainy Weekend Review~

Our Weekend flew by as normal, just not enough hours in the weekend, to do what we really want to do, just thankful that my husband was off work to enjoy it with us! We did some Goodwill shopping, went to the funeral home for a dear, sweet lady that attended our church with us and spent some time with my parents ( Chloe was THRILLED!!). My Younger Cousin, Brittany's birthday was yesterday and we went to her party as well, Chloe LOVES celebrating birthdays with others, cake-eating, helping open gifts...Truly a PAR-TAY Girl!!!
Oh, and who can forget Chloe getting her haircut again, shorter & shorter we go...3 inches more....and Chloe insisted on wearing her "Valentine Dress" yesterday as well...Overall good weekend, but sad as well, with the loss of our Sweet Elderly Friend from church....

~The L*O*V*E for My Mama~

Yesterday was My Wonderful, Amazing Mama's Birthday!!! My Mom & I are very close, I call almost every single day to chit chat, catch up on the days events....She is not only my Mom, she is also one of my dearest friends! My Mom is one of 4 kids, so she knows how to be thrifty and she Loves family time.My Mom is CRAZY about my 4-year daughter, "Nana" is her name and she LOVES the time that they spend together. My Mom has been through one of lives "Hardest" challenges, CANCER ( the ever-dreaded word no one prays that the doctor will deliver to them). She has been cancer-free for 4 years now and I Thank God For Giving her the Determination and the Strength to endure this horrible disease. My Mom....My Personal Hero!!!! Love You To the Moon & Back!

Vacation Destination = Determined!!!

I have been wanting to go somewhere new this summer for our family vacation, new sights to see, new places to scope out, new photo ops....After some suggestions from friends we found a nice place that is very reasonable to try out....Fort Morgan, right next to Gulf Shores! I LOVE the beach, but have never been to this particular beach, seems the area that we are staying is very quiet, family orientated, but only 15-20 minutes away is the city with shopping, restaurants, etc.
I'm E-X-C-I-T-E-D!!!!!!! I can't wait to hear the ocean waves crashing in, the smell of the salt air and the feel of the sand between my toes.....Guess I got Several months to wait, but Glad We got our Week booked and now for Saving some Extra $$$$$ MOO-LAH!!!

*W*I*N*T*E*R~

I'm not a cold-person, it just makes my bones ache, I prefer the sun, hot, humid weather any day over this drab, blustery weather. I have enjoyed the extra time I got to spend with Chloe over the Christmas break. We slept late, ate alot of T.B (taco bell), stayed up late & just pretty much did whatever we felt like. I've never took much extra time off when she was smaller, but with her being in Pre-K it gave me a good excuse to, and I LOVED it!!




January has proven to be a Organizing/Cleaning month. I have re-arranged furniture, cleaned in places that have had a little neglect over the last few months, and it felt good!
So for Now....Let's see if We can Make It until Spring......a few months & counting..............