This day is yours

I asked God to take away my habit.
God said, No. It is not for me to take away, but for you to give up.

I asked God to make my handicapped child whole.
God said, No. His spirit is whole, his body is only temporary.

I asked God to grant me patience.
God said, No. Patience is a byproduct of tribulations; it isn't granted, it is learned.

I asked God to give me happiness.
God said, No. I give you blessings; happiness is up to you.

I asked God to spare me pain.
God said, No. Suffering draws you apart from worldly cares and brings you closer to me.

I asked God to make my spirit grow.
God said, No. You must grow on your own, but I will prune you to make you fruitful.

I asked God for all things that I might enjoy life.
God said, No. I will give you life, so that you may enjoy all things.

I asked God to help me love others, as much as He loves me.
God said....Ahhhh, finally you have the idea.

~author unknown


This day is yours - Don't throw it away.


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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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The Beach & A Birthday

This summer we took our family vacation with my dear friend Meg and her hubby and their two girls. They are expecting their third child in October. Meg and T grew up together and we graduated HS together.

Meg's youngest daughter, J, turned 4 the day before Quintin, so we celebrated their birthdays together. We ate supper out (Wednesdays kids eat FREE) and had the restaurant put candles in their sundaes.

J was very excited - Quintin was not thrilled about having his picture taken - he takes after his dad! He really was happy about his birthday though!

We had beautiful days of sun and great weather - with just one rainy day!

Our Cabana Boy!!
Last evening, we had my parents and T's parents over for Quintin's birthday. T and I were thinking since it was his 5th, we would see if he would want to invite friends for a party. I asked him if he wanted to invite a couple of friends from Sunday school or a couple of neighbors. He answered, "Mom, I just want to have a couple of Grandmas and Grandpas!" What a sweet boy - this made it so much easier on me with having just come home from the beach the day before the party! Here's my pirate birthday boy!

I saved all my bloggin' buddies a slice of cake - Enjoy it with some ice cream, too!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Training Loving Hearts

Take a moment to stop by Training Hearts and join her commitment to training the hearts of our children. I think this is a fabulous commitment to make on behalf of our children.

Commitment Pledge:

We are a Christian family desiring to raise our children with the primary focus of Training their Hearts!

"I have no greater joy, than to hear my children walk in truth. III John 1:4
"Train up the child in the way he should go; and when he is old, he will not depart from it." Proverbs 22:6
"Oh, that their hearts would be inclined to fear me and keep all my commands always so that it might go well with them and their children forever!" Deuteronomy 5:29

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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My 5 year old!

1. Was your first pregnancy planned? yes


2. Were you married at the time? yes


3. What were your reactions? Excited that we were pregnant, but scared thinking what have we done? :D


4. Was abortion an option for you? NO, NEVER


5. How old were you? 26


6. How did you find out you were pregnant? Pregnancy test


7. Who did you tell first? Poppa Roar


8. Did you want to find out the sex? Yes, but I only ever had one ultrasound at 9 weeks - so it was a surprise


9. Due date? June 22, 2002


10. Did you have morning sickness? No


11. What did you crave? Flavor ice and slushies


12. Who/What irritated you most? I was irritated if I didn't get enough sleep


13. What was your child's sex? male


14. Did you wish you had the opposite sex of what you had? no


15. How many pounds did you gain throughout the pregnancy? 27


16. Did you have a baby shower? Yes, about one month before


17. Was it a surprise or did you know? I knew - my sister planned it and had it at our house - it was so nice not to have to take gifts home!!


18. Did you have any complications during your pregnancy? Not really


19. Where did you give birth? At a hospital


20. How many hours were you in labor? My water broke at 12:30am on the 23rd and I had him 19 hours later - the beginning wasn't hard labor, just the last few hours were intense


21. Who drove you to the hospital? my husband


22. Who watched you give birth? my husband


23. Was it natural or c-section? natural


24. Did you take medicine to ease the pain? Most definitely!


25. How much did your child weigh? 6 lbs, 7 oz


26. When was your child actually born? 7:18 pm, June 23, 2002


27. What did you name him/her? Quintin Scott


28. How old is your first born today? My big boy is 5!!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY QUINTIN!!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Blogging Break

I'll be away from the computer again this week. Have a great week and I look forward to catching up with you later!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Mr. Right Meme

Today is our 11th wedding anniversary - WOW - this came around fast, it feels like we were just celebrating our 10th.

11 years ago we married...16 years ago yesterday was our first date. I'll be 32 next month - I've known T for more than half my life!

This Mr. Right Meme was floating around a while back and I was saving it up for today.

Poppa Roar - or T - My Mr. Right

His age? 33

How tall is he? 5'10"

How long did you know each other before you got together? We really didn't know each other on our first date

What physical features attracted you to him first? His smile and laugh when with his friends

What color are his eyes? Brown

His hair color? Dark brown with some distinguished gray mixed in now

His style? Cool, calm and collect (goodness, he's gotta be living with me)

Normal outfit? Jeans and nice dress shirt (thinking of what he wore when we went out last night)

How did you meet? I was decorating a friend's locker at school for her birthday and her locker just happened to be across from his. Soooooo, I tossed a balloon in his locker with a note giving him my phone number! Another good friend knew him from church and put in a couple good plugs for me. This happened the last week of school, and after school, I told another friend (who would be seeing him that night at graduation because they both played in the band) to tell him to stop over afterwards. It was so strange to see him at my door that night - that was the first time we ever really talked - in my parent's living room. I had no idea that he had any interest in me. He told me after we were dating a few years, that when he saw me in HS, he told a friend "That is the girl I'm gonna marry!"

How serious is it? Extremely serious

Are you "in love"? Most definitely and it grows stronger every day.

Do your parents like him? They love him - they always kid me that they paid him to take me off their hands! (Nice, I know!)

Do his parents like you? Yes, they treat me like a daughter!

Do you trust him? Of course!

Would you share a toothbrush with him? Yes, we've done it before when we forgot to pack one for vacation.

Would he let you wear his pants? Sure, I wore his drawstring shorts when I was pregnant! As far as 'who wears the pants in the family?' It is most definitely him, but he likes to let me think I do sometimes!!

Do you have a shirt of his that you sleep in? No.

Do you like the way he smells? Yes I do!

Can you picture having kids with him? Can and did!

What bothers you the most about him? He tries to leave work at work, but I can always tell when something is bothering him because he gets more quiet - but he acts like nothing is wrong.

Does he have a temper? He can if pushed, but he's worked hard to control it.

Are you happy to be with him? I couldn't imagine my life any other way.

Does he embarrass you in public? Not really - but he enjoys moving the car to a different parking space after I've run into a store.

Does he smoke or do drugs? Nope and nope.

Does he have any piercings? I couldn't even imagine that ever happening!

Any tattoos? Nope.

Does he have any scars that you know of? He has one on his eyebrow from being attacked by a dog when he was little. He also has small scars on his knee surgery a few years ago.

Is he a party dude or stay at home? He likes to be at home, but enjoys being together with friends, too.

Is he outgoing or shy? He is in the middle leaning towards the outgoing side!

Does he love his mama? He does and that was a good sign for me because I knew that is how he would treat me!

Would he hang out with you and your friends? He would but he'd probably look for something else to do!

Sing? He has a nice voice, he sang "You are my sunshine" on our first date! He sang in our church choir for a few years.

We took our wedding party to a house next to a covered bridge for some photos. These were my favorite! I carried a bouquet with gardenias, stefanotas and ivy. The wedding reception was held at our church.

We went out for supper (with the children) last night to Macaroni Grille - YUM!! It was actually a combined Anniversary and Father's Day dinner!

I LOVE you T!

Just wanted to share a few things with you about my Mr. Right and our special day. What anniversary are you celebrating this year?

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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2 fun resources

I’m not sure what it is lately, but I am finding myself getting so frustrated with my children – mainly the older two…the ones that can talk. My frustration then leads me to feel discouraged...

Why? What? What’s this? May I do this? Can I watch this? Why not?

ARGH!

I feel like all I am saying this week is "No" and “Because I said so."

The other day I was searching the cabinets for chocolate. It dawned on me I can't feed my frustrations with food (although it seems easy sometimes) and I closed the pantry door and prayed. I asked God to take away my want for the chocolate cake frosting and fill me with what I needed - His presence! He answered and I realized we needed to get back to some structure.

I thought I’d share two resources that we are enjoying and have brought some structure back to our days!

The first one is Leading Lit*tle Ones to God by Marian M. Scho*olland. It is a ‘child’s bo*ok of Bible teachings’ and it is written in a nice conversational style. We didn't do any additional Bible reading with Interlock (our preschool program) because Bible is the foundation for the curriculum. So, I think we are going to really enjoy this book!

The second one is any of the 3 Kid Concoctions books we have. The one in front of me right now is The Ultimate Bo*ok of Kid Conco*ctions 2 by Jo*hn & Dan*ita Tho*mas. It claims to have more than 65 new wacky, wild and crazy concoctions. We’ve tried a few of them but some we’ll skip right over.

Last night, T had a meeting and it was getting to be a loooong day, so I opened up the book and found ‘Su*per So*apy Do*ugh.’ I had everything to make it and the kids always enjoy pouring and mixing ingredients.

2 c flour
½ c salt
1 Tbsp liquid soap
6-8 drops food coloring
Water
Mix first 4 ingredients in a bowl and slowly add water until a workable dough is formed. If the dough becomes too sticky, add a little more flour.

It is basically play dough that stuck to their fingers. But it didn’t matter to me, it kept them occupied so that I could sweep the kitchen floor and do some straightening up before their baths! Some of the other recipes that I’d like to do with them are: Spl*ongee flyer, silly sta*ined glass, wa*cky spa*ce balls, goo*fy gla*ss paint, 3-D squee*ze chalk, dryer lint cla*y to name a few. (Sorry for all the ‘*’ I just don’t want my blog popping up on a go*ogle search for these crafts.)

Just wanted to share some fun books – but I’m not guaranteeing the “Why mom” and “Can I do this” whines will go away!

Do you have any fun resources that you use with your children? (Or have used?)

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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The answers to the test

I'd like to say Great Job 'Jezz' and 'HJW' for guessing correctly. But sorry, no prizes for you ladies. I can give you a hug the next time I see ya!

Here are the explanations:

1. I've been skiing since I was 4 years old. FALSE
Actually, this is true about T - he even started a month before his 4th birthday. Me? I started after we began dating - at 16. T is a beautiful skier to watch, very graceful. Me? Not so graceful! (Although T wouldn't agree with my assessment - He'd say I'm too hard on myself.)

2. While teaching, I was asked to serve additionally as the Gifted teacher – I became the Gifted Physical Education teacher. TRUE
My teaching position was at a very small elementary school. So small, that I was only part-time, teaching only in the afternoons (for someone who is not a morning person, it was the perfect job, I didn't have to be in until 12). The morning time was an intense time with reading, math, etc. The woman who was the Gifted & Talented (GAT) teacher left a month into the school year. Her workload was heaviest in the mornings - so my principal, wanting to give me more hours and offer a familiar face to the students, asked me if I wanted to fill in.

Looking back, I wish I had said no. I had no idea what I was doing, even though a newly retired GAT teacher was helping me - I was in way over my head. The year I did this I became very close to a breakdown.

I gave it my all but it was intense. I did have some fun times with those students and I learned a lot about myself and my principal - I learned that she was nuts. ;-) As for my teaching, I learned how to ask better questions to lead children into discovering more and challenge themselves.

Oh, if you could have seen the looks on the parents' faces when they came in for meetings with me to plan their children's IEPs (individualized education plans) and I greeted them in my sweats and Nike's! And that is how I became the "gifted PE teacher."

3. I’ve never met anyone famous. TRUE
Nope, not a one (but I have talked to Ginger, Susan and weavermom!) They are as close as I've gotten!!

4. I was married before my 21st birthday. TRUE
Just less than a month before my birthday!

5. I fell victim to the 90s high school trend of rolling the bottoms of my jeans - and we rolled them tight! TRUE
Oh, boy, certainly did - and like Anna said, the tighter the better!

6. My favorite sport to watch on TV is track and field. TRUE
Shocking to many, yes, track and field is my favorite sport to watch (nascar coming in third - after cheerleading competitions/dance shows). I like the mechanics of movement - I like to take apart each athlete's movements - their stride, how they use their arms, etc. Weird, I know!

7. I was called ‘half-pint’ by my elementary PE teacher. TRUE
What more can I say!

8. I prefer Pepsi over Coke. TRUE
A diet wild cherry Pepsi at that - 24 oz please! Coke tastes bitter to me.

9. I was just at the beach and I ate no seafood while I was there – and I do not have a seafood allergy. TRUE
No seafood, zip, zilch, zero, nada - but this coming week, watch out! lol

Thanks for playing along, I had fun reading your guesses!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Off to the beach...to daydream!

It’s Monday, time for a test!

I’ve seen this on a couple blogs and thought it would be fun to play along – I thought this would count as my random things blog filler. ;-)

I’ve listed 9 things about me, and one of them is not true. Let’s see how well you know Momma Roar!

1. I've been skiing since I was 4 years old.
2. While teaching, I was asked to serve additionally as the Gifted teacher – I became the Gifted Physical Education teacher.
3. I’ve never met anyone famous.
4. I was married before my 21st birthday.
5. I fell victim to the 90s high school trend of rolling the bottoms of my jeans - and we rolled them tight!
6. My favorite sport to watch on TV is track and field.
7. I was called ‘half-pint’ by my elementary PE teacher.
8. I prefer Pepsi over Coke.
9. I was just at the beach and I ate no seafood while I was there – and I do not have a seafood allergy.

I'll post the answers later this week!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Dr. S*u*e*s*s - Momma Roar style

I do not like green eggs and ham,
I do not like them at the beach,
unless the ketchup is within reach!

There are 8 ladies here in our beach house and we take turns making the meals. This morning we had green eggs and ham sandwiches. They weren't supposed to be green, but we think they were overcooked. We scrambled eggs and put them in a glass casserole pan and baked them. Then we made sandwiches with biscuits, cheese and ham. They smelled yummy but the eggs were green - we ate them while joking that we hope we don't get sick...I guess we'll see! lol

We head home tomorrow and I'll try to post some pictures next week!

Have a wonderful weekend!



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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Time Away

My friend Tracy brought a laptop on our beach trip - so I'm back at it ladies, lol - don't even try to tell me I'm addicted!

We are having a great time and the weather is gorgeous in New Jersey.

You know you're excited to go on vacation when you're happy to wake up at 4am. :-)
You know you're sleepy when, while in the shower, you put your facial cleanser in your hands and run it through your hair. :-(
I'm not addicted to blogging, I can stop anytime...but not today, and tomorrow doesn't look good either! :D

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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A verse from Proverbs

In my Bible, the introduction to the book of Proverbs says, "As you read Proverbs, understand that knowing God is the key to wisdom....Don't just read these proverbs; act on them!" I am challenging myself to 'act' out what I am reading. I'll be away from my computer for a few days, so I wish everyone a wonderful week!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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PA Limestone Quarry

The quarry's open house was last month on the Saturday of Mother's Day weekend. They do an open house like this every 5 years - this year is their 70th anniversary! I finally had a chance to have Poppa Roar with me while I worked through the captions - suprisingly, I knew enough 'quarry lingo' to do most of them on my own, but needed his final approval (I think I even suprised him with my knowledge)! The Open House is a big hi-lite and the employees enjoy putting in the time to make it succesful. You can pick out the employees in the pictures, as they are wearing blue shirts.

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Meeting another blogger...or two.

Ok, so maybe it didn't happen exactly like that, but I was blessed yesterday with a phone call from dear Ginger!

It was so wonderful to hear her voice. I don't know if she realizes how much she blessed me yesterday, but it was wonderful. We talked as if we've talked before and have been friends for years.

Ginger, you are such a special friend and wonderful godly mother and example to me, and many of us here in bloggerville!

Like Susan shared earlier this week, my feet were not touching the ground for the rest of the day either.

Later that afternoon, I received an email from Susan and she had asked me a question. So, I called her to tell it to her directly. I thought I would pass along the blessing I received. It was wonderful to hear her voice and accent too.

Ok, so I've met one blogger face to face, and have had the privilege to talk to 2 on the phone - in the same day!

Thank you Ginger and Susan for your friendships - to those of you I haven't met or spoken with - I certainly do hope to one day!

I made the picture above after Ginger left a comment on my post about meeting Ghost Girl - something to the effect of doing some of my 'fancy work' and adding her face in. Do you like our matching sweaters?

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Woo Hoo...

...it's Friday!!

Susan tagged me for a meme blog filler and I thought I would play along, I liked how it played out with my book! I am still formulating (you know me and thinking, right?) my 8 random things that Tracy F and Lori tagged me for...and I think Tara once tagged me for a 7 reasons why I blog, blog filler. Still thinking working on those!

Here are the rules: Grab the closest book, go to page 123, find the 5th sentence and, on your blog, put the next three sentences. Write the title of the book and the author’s name. Tag three other people.

Maybe this one will make you want to grab the book and start reading, makes me want to find time to finish it - I've only read to page 35!! lol

My book is This Present Darkness by Frank Peretti (if you've never read any of his books - DO!)

"But millions...you're talking real money here."
"But you see all the connections?"
"Yeah."

Oooooh, you'll have to find the book to read more - if you've read it, please don't spoil it for me in the comments! lol :D

I'd like to tag you if have a real interesting book right next to you - feel free to play along in the comments!


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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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A request

We bought this really cool rain gauge!May we have some rain now?

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Bird Watching

We noticed some birds around the house yesterday. In the tree, is a Momma Robin sitting on her nest. I'm not the best nature photographer (I think it has something to do with the loud audience I have while taking pictures), but we scared the momma and she flew out of the tree.

She landed on the small rock wall below the front porch, so I snapped another picture of her.

Here is a...uh...stuffed bluejay, local to the region of PA called our playroom!

Here is the same bluejay perched on the swing set!

Here is the bluejay and his perch advisor. I think Quintin looks like a canary sitting on that bar!

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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My countertop

Heather asked about my kitchen countertop, it is called jamocha granite, but it is formica. My brother in law makes and installs formica countertops and he put it in for us. The darker formica is on the upper counter of our eat in counter and the rest of my countertop is a formica that has a texture to it, rather than being flat, but I forget the name of it. :)

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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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Strawberry Delight

I just had to share a second recipe for strawberries. It is similar to the other one, but I actually prefer this one! This is the one I made over the weekend.




Strawberry Delight
1 box Angel food cake mix
8 oz cream cheese
1 1/2 c 10x sugar
1 tsp vanilla
2 c cool whip
2 Tbsp cook clear gel (I replace with corn starch)
1/3 c water
1 1/2 c water
3 oz strawberry Jell-O
2 small boxes strawberries, washed, hulled and sliced

Bake angel food cake mix according to directions. (You can buy one from store, but they don't give as much cake as the box.) Mix sugar, cream cheese, vanilla and fold in cool whip. In saucepan, mix clear gel/corn starch with 1/3 c water and add the 1 1/2 c water to it. Boil until thick. Take off heat and add Jell-O. Allow it to cool before adding strawberries. Cut or tear the cake into bite-sized pieces. Layer the cake, cream mixture and strawberries in dish; I like to use my trifle dish, but a glass 9x13 works well, too. Let it chill in the refrigerator a few hours to firm up the Jell-O.

I poured the strawberries on a little too soon, I think, because it ran to the bottom. I usually put the saucepan in the fridge for a bit to let it chill there first.

Enjoy!!
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*:-:¦: Leigh Ann :¦:-:*
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