My thoughts tonight...

     I had to turn off Facebook (FB) and the Live Streaming about the Presidential Election between Mitt Romney and Barack Obama tonight because I got so frustrated on so may different levels. I did make a few comments on a few posts, but refrained from posting my own. I thought a lot about it, and really felt that I have something to say but didn't feel that FB was the place to do it and felt just as strongly that this would be the place for me to do so. Let me say why. 

     This was supposed to be MY place to record my comings and goings with my family and for my family, our family history, and a place that my children will be able to know their Mother in a way that they are unable to right now. I use to censor myself afraid that I would offend someone that was reading then posted that I wouldn't do so any longer. How can I be true to myself and my posterity and censor myself, well I can't. Also being someone that has lost both of her parents and wished that there were things I could ask them or know about them, that wasn't known before they were gone, I want my children to be able to have the ability to really know me and who I am and what I stand for. It is my responsibility and privilege to be true to myself, to my God and Savior, and to my family. I hope to always do so. Enough of that rambling!! The other reason that feel so strongly to express myself is that my boys have been very interested in this election and what it meant to them, so I want them to understand (at a latter date if not able to now) how and why I feel the way I do tonight. 

     I am disappointed in the results, that the struggles our country has gone through the past 4 years will continue for another 4 years and as many, fear may even be worse. Our family has defiantly been affected this past 4 years. I can't speak for others and wouldn't dream to be presumptuous to do so. I know that there are MANY that have suffered and know our pain and MUCH MORE. I want to only talk about some of my own family's experiences that we have gone through. We were affected by the change in Presidential Election 4 years ago when Oil Fields were closed down and many companies had to close their doors. Chad was working in the Fields at that time and found himself out of work and quickly out of options. Our lives were turned UP SIDE DOWN!! Without going into details, we were affected just like SO many in our country. We can possibly be affected GREATLY again by the outcome of tonight. I can say that it would be so easy to be angry, annoyed, enraged, exasperated, infuriated, irritated, and FEARFUL!! (OK we got the point already Tammy lol). But I am CHOOSING to NOT go down that path. I have been preparing for this outcome, and know God has a plan for us. He prepared this country for us, it is the promised land, but we also know that as the last days are approaching there is going to be much wicked and righteous upon this land. There is both on each side of the political world we all know it, as well as all around us. What I have to and choose to do is always remember: 

If you have FAITH in CHRIST there is NO room for FEAR. 

     

     So instead of being fearful for what may be, I choose to have faith in what might be! Not that I have faith in Obama or what he might do, or in his case be too lazy to do. I have faith in what God's plan is and what he has in store for me and my family and our country. I know that I have a lot of work and preparations to do. God has warned us and has had his Authorities warn and try to prepare us for what is to come. I take this as a in my face; am I ready, am I prepared? I will use this energy to draw nearer to my Savior and my God, to prepare myself and my family for the future and to draw nearer to each other. This is how I choose to go forward from tonight. 

 NO FEAR and PREPARE! 

GOD IS ULTIMATELY THE ONE IN CHARGE!!

Of all of it our Country's destiny as well as Mine.

 We all have our FREEDOM of Choice, this is my Choice!!

I'm back I hope...

I have missed blogging SO MUCH!! I was in the middle of a project that meant a GREAT deal to me, and then my computer crashed!! I had to go without a computer for a bit, that went into January. I'm not sure if I just got discouraged because I wasn't able to complete my project like I wanted and was inspired to do, or that life got REALLY crazy and busy!! On Dec 10, 2011 we had a foster placement and then another in January. Life got away from me as I was learning and growing in my new/added roll, as well as trying to work and all the other things we all do everyday. 

I have tried several times to come back to my blog and just haven't been able to for some reason, which is a shame because what it has meant to  me and where I was with it and where I had developed to. I haven't even been able to keep up with my friends blogs!?! I have given it a lot of thought and know that I need to return and continue on my journey. This was not for others as much as for me, my family, and for my boys as a journal of our lives together, for me to leave them something of myself including my testimony. I want them to know who their mother was personally someday, not just a mom and the day in and out of life. 

I am going to start where I left off with my dedication to my Savior, maybe done a little differently, our lives right now and then maybe a few random posts to cover our last year. It is important for me to journal it some for the boys. So if there is anyone left out there that remembers my blog...lol... and would like to catch up with our lives, here goes!! Thanks for coming back and hope it wont be so long for me to come back again!! :)

There has been a ton going on in our lives and part of the biggest part of it I can't really talk about and that has somewhat kept me from blogging besides the fact that I haven't had internet at home still... I have found a temporary way around that and am working on a permanent way around it. I also changed my background again.... I'm not going to keep it on Bronco's long term, but in honor of my dear husband and the first game of the Bronco's being today, I thought it fitting!! :)... Enjoy it hun because you know me, I'll be changing it again :)

I am excited to get back to blogging!! One of the things that I will be doing for a short time is not using the boy's names... In short order I should be able to, but please don't use them in any comments until you see me use them in the posts.

Thank you!!! :)

More to come really soon!!

I have been thinking about things *I know scary huh* with the new year coming in a few days as many of us are. I've been asked before in the resent years, "What do you like to do for fun Tammy, what are your hobbies, etc." Well I haven't been able to answer that for the longest time. I jumped completely into a career and drowned my life into if for 10 years. When Mom died I told myself that I needed to re-find myself, that I didn't want to be known as a "good worker" and "good boss" but rather a good wife, sister and friend. So for 5 years I've been searching for the path I wanted and needed to be on. I know, why so long? I'm not sure, but there is a plan and I've needed to follow it. Sometimes I think that you have to totally loose yourself in order to really find yourself. I've never been known for taking the easy road :)

So where in the world am I going with this you may be asking?... My posts are getting a little wordy lately... not as much to post about without the kids running around :(... but anyways back on track. I have re-found one of my all time favorite things to do COOK!! most Anything and Everything!!!

I LOVE cookbooks and love to collect them!! I use to have a New Recipe Dinner night with friends once a month (a long time ago now). Problem with that is that Chad hates to try new things and isn't too keen to having people over, however he's been feeling better with it lately. I'm hoping to in some way find a compromise for us both and be able to do something along this line again, but in the mean time I'm enjoying getting back to my cooking!! and in new ways that I've never done before :) ie: I've started cooking totally from scratch (as much as I can) and I'm really enjoying that. You never know what REAL FOOD tastes like until you use non-processed food!! you know the stuff you grow yourself or that you see, touch, and smell you know the real stuff el-natural!! LOVE IT!! Can't wait to afford to do even more of it!! :) :)

Photography and crafts have been something that I've always enjoyed and have been getting back into as well... *side note- I think that I have about 7,000 pictures of the boys now. I wanted to capture every moment I could, I think... **

Couponing is a passion that I am re-kindling and enjoying. This is a benefit to the whole household and to me, so it's a defiant WIN WIN... I think I'm going to add one more to the list... Thrift shopping ... I use to when I was younger and a little here and there, but I've seen some really cool things done with "finds" and I would like to FINALLY do some decorating to our home and I think that this could be another WIN WIN!! We'll see....

I also have a plan for this year to strengthen my bonds with my family and friends. This isn't at the bottom on the list just where it fit here because I started talking about what I was doing to help make me a more well rounded person again. This little project is number one on my list for the year (just before getting back into shape). It's shaping up to be a great year ahead of me!!

So these are the things that I am doing to re-find the inner Tammy and I'm starting to enjoy the journey more each day!!!

I have been asked to share some of the sites that I've been getting some of my new recipes from... I have posted some of them on the right sidebar near the bottom. 365 Days of Slow Cooking has some really great Crockpot recipes!! She is almost done with the year, I'm sorry that it's taken me so long to post her link here. I found her a few months ago I think that if you check it out you'll find at least a few that will work for you and your family :). What's Cooking is where I found my recipe for my homemade Laundry Detergent we're using.

Have fun checking them out and I'll have fun sharing some of my NEW ADVENTURES this year!! :)

HAPPY NEW YEAR EVERYONE!!

2010...I'M READY FOR YOU!!

BRING IT ON!! :) :)

Ok so remember back here and I talked about having 8 posts that were started and not finished. I did one of them… so I should have 7 left right…well I added three more to the list, so before it gets crazy out of control I thought that I had better get started!!... It has been hard to keep up, first not having the internet, and then there has just been so much on our plates that I couldn’t even bring myself to do anything extra that wasn’t necessary. Like I’ve stated before, I’ve really missed blogging it is something that I really love and enjoy. I told myself that I can’t get caught up on reading all of yours until I get at least 2 more caught up on mine. So I’ll be checking in on yours VERY SOON!!...

p.s. They obviously are not in the correct chronological order but I will try my best to have some sort of order. Oh and I got a great link from a good friend to a site that you can turn your blog into a book (among other ideas as well), which is one of the two reasons that I really started blogging, before I knew how much I would love it and what it would evolve into. The first two reasons were:
1. A record for the Boys for their time here with us (ie: the book)
2. So that our family (none of which lives nearby can watch the Boys grow and keep up with them.

Now… I just really enjoy it for so many reasons and the fact that I can have a “written record”!!!... I can’t wait to put the blog into a book form. How fun will it be :)

Well not much happened here with us this week, just getting back in the routine of life. Can you believe that it’s already the 11th of the month? Crazy quick already. I’m looking forward to this next week. I have some goals that I plan on taking action on this week, I’ll report at the end of the week. Hopefully I make some headway with them and have something to share. In the mean time I hope that you enjoy the pictures and have a great week yourselves!!

Jimmy, Uncle Chad, and Dad made a snow fort together.

Chris is completely into super heroes,

it changes day to day who the favorite is, but this was a

Superman moment.

I’m behind several weeks in reading all my blogs.

Well I can read them on my phone i.e.:

waiting for Jimmy after school, waiting at the Dr office etc.

But I can’t post comments so I have to find time (lol) to go back and post them. Well tonight is the first time that I could, and I got to everyone’s!!.. Thank you for all your beautiful posts and you comments on mine.

I love to get them and know that someone actually reads my blog. I’m reaching the magical 100th post, I’m already thinking about what I want to do for it :), is that silly? lol

ok so I'm not 5 weeks behind...lol I'll be posting this weekend and my goal is to be all caught up again :)... I"ll try and not bore you too much. :)

Just wanted to let those of you know that watch our blog, and aren't a blogger, that I have reset my comment settings. I didn’t realize or forgot that when I first set up the blog, I had it set that you had to have a Google account to leave a message. So now any of you can leave a comment on the posts. If someone that we don’t know leaves a comment it might not be approved.

We love our family and friends and love hearing from you. We are so glad and lucky to have so many good people in our lives.

I just wanted to put a note in here that I know that I’m a week behind in my posts again… You’ll see why after a few of the ones that I need to enter… But I wanted to get the one about Chad out to everyone that He’s ok… Incase I haven’t gotten a chance to let you know, and of course that we found Griz as well.

Now I will post the rest and get caught back up….again… You’ll never believe that I took almost 300 pictures in a week…WOW!!! Thank goodness for digital pictures and not worrying about “film” anymore… will our kids even know what that is??? LOL but I do need to commit myself to printing a certain amount of my “favorites” once a month and start scrapbooking them… I use to really enjoy it and it’s been a long while… I love to “create” and I want to do more than just think about it… besides if I don’t do a book for the boys who will… guess I’ve got to get on it!!

Two weeks ago (getting closer to the present lol).. Our washer went out (still out) and flooded my laundry room. What a mess!!.. I had all the laundry that had built up that still needed to be done and now had to add to it, as well…

I had to sit (literally) on top of the washer wait and watch it. As the washer would push the water out I would have to stop it and then wait till it drained out then turn it on for a second and click it off before it filled too far & so on & so on. Here are a few of the pictures of all that was done. I was up till 4 a.m. working on it. What a long day and night. It still isn’t working but thank goodness, to a good friend’s help I’m not sitting on top of the washer these days!! :)

Oh I guess I should say that the washer didn’t go out it’s the plumbing again. So it’s the clothes washer, dish washer, and sink in the kitchen…. non of which work till I get a plumber out here, and well it wasn’t in the budget so it will be 2 more weeks… what fun huh!!... I’ve got to get some paper goods…lol…. (I don’t have a kitchen of dirty dishes.. I just have to do it very carefully and only let a small amount of water down at a time…so no worries)