WHAT?!!!

Has it seriously been more than 2 weeks since I've last put up a post?! NO!! OK, that's it - I'm grounded.

What to do, what to do...?

So much has happened since the last time I put anything up here, I'm not even sure where to start. I think I first want to start with doing something a little fun :o)

Though I've somehow managed to basically keep up on all my faithful reads, I'm positively HORRIBLE about commenting - even when there's a post that I absolutely adore. Why am I so awful about just taking the 10 minutes 2 minutes to tell someone how much I love what they wrote? Does it count that I do it in my head? Eh, didn't think so...

SO, there's a bit of what's been going on that I'd like to share... much of it about many of YOU!

First of all, some of what I've been very busy with the last couple of weeks is taking pictures (mostly of my little Livia, but still!) These picture sessions have been very time-consuming since all the shooting was out in my parents' neck of the woods... yeah, the middle of nowhere. But out in the country, guess what 's been prime for the pickin's (and for the 'pics')? Wheat! Well, actually kiddos posed in wheat fields.

I got the idea from my wonderful Aunt Tanya - who many of you may know as The Dairy Wife. She photographed a couple of multiples' families from around our area, and of course her kids too. She also was sweet enough to photograph my little girl - and ME! - when we were out with her kids one evening! I was going to wait to post pictures, but she did such an amazing job, that I just can't wait...!
Aren't those great?!! I seriously don't know which one is my favorite! I love the first one - all bright & sunny, and Livia's smiling from ear to ear... but in the second she's SO serious (and so sweet!) But the last 2 in the little rocking chair are really special to me... It was actually my Granny's - Livia's Great-Granny up in Heaven watching down on her... I can't help but get teary eyed when I think about Livie not getting to grow up with her and my Pa. But I know that they're in a much better place, and we'll all be back together someday.

Ok, *wiping tears away* just few more of me & Lil Miss Munchkinator:

Yes, I know I have the whitest legs in the world, but I've heard that panty-hose with open toes are HUGE no-no's. And I can't even imagine wearing them with flip flops! (which is what I actually had on! Haha)

Anyway, before I forget, The Dairy Wife did all sorts of photos in that wonderful wheat field, including some of my sweet sis-by-choice, Kendra & her family. It was so awesome! The kiddos called her Miss Tanya, they were beyond perfect angels for the picture-taking, and Tanya let me get in on the photography action as well. We ended up with some fan-tas-tic shots! Lemme tell ya!

**Note: I'll try as quick as I possibly can to get some of those wonderful pictures edited & will post them up as soon as I do! Promise!**

Thanks for letting us get some awesome pics of your kiddos, Kendra. And THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart, Aunt Tanya. I really appreciate you getting all those great pictures for us. You're absolutely incredible! I know you already know that, and I didn't really have to tell you, but I wanted to :o)

I also want to thank Tabitha (over at Twinkle Twinkle) for making me laugh til I cried. I've been laughing ever since she put THIS up last Wednesday - oh, what a perfect world that would be!!! Good luck keeping up with those tennis-lovin' kiddos, gal! OH! I almost forgot - Tabitha also had another post up about a month ago that made my eyes just about pop out of my head! See if you can keep from drooling if you go here ladies!

On an important (and exciting!) note, Sweet Elise is still beautifully glowing and growing, awaiting the arrival of her Mini Boy Blue. We're all so excited for her, T, and Sav! (I know that a lot of you - who I have been so blessed to 'meet' - also have Elise in your thoughts. Dani even has a baby-watch going for her & Mini!) I cannot wait to "meet" this sweet little boy. Please keep Elise in your thoughts and prayers that all will go as smoothly and perfectly as possible when Mini does come into the world!

**Note, in her last post, Elise has said that she & T will (of course) be very busy being VERY new parents right after Mini Boy Blue is born, and that her Mum, Lucy (I love her!) will "have a sneak peak photo and some stats for you on her blog when he is born..." I can totally understand why they won't be letting their camera out of their sight while in hospital!**

Another thing I wanted to mention is that Kindra over at 3 Guys a Girl and a Prim Place has done something very awesome. Earlier this past month, she started selling her wonderful, beautiful hand-made creations on Etsy! She has her own little shop and everything!!! (I didn't know anything about Etsy until Kindra posted about it, but it is such an awesome place for creative entrepreneurs such as this lovely lady) Anyway, be sure to check out Kindra's Etsy shop: Momma's Primitives

What else has been going on? Well, Valarie Lea has been posting some pics of fish, penguins, turtles, and fun from her adventures at the Tennessee Aquarium. Oh, and she had some super-cute videos that went perfectly with her pictures! Loved 'em!

The Doctor's Wife has some HUGE NEWS!!! (That I have yet to congratulate her on... Ooh, I'm such a horrible commenter!) Well, in case I forget (again) Joy, I'm so happy for you guys!!! Congratulations!!!

Also, there are a few of awards I've been given... one of which I'm almost embarrassed to claim since it was more than a MONTH ago that Nan sent it my way (and all who share commenting love with her)... Then she put another one up a few weeks ago for Linky Love - she's so thoughtful! But I want to definitely thank you, Nan, for the sweet awards! Also my wonderful sis-by-choice, Kendra, sent me one as well. Thank you sweetie :o) Gals, I'll post them up and pass them on ASAP, I promise!

A lot of you gals read Kendra's Blog (Who wouldn't? She's absolutely awesome!) Don't be worried if she's a bit absent in her writing this week - she's on vacation! What a lucky gal :o) Hope you have a great time, K~!

Oh, I hope I haven't overlooked or forgotten any other happenings with my blogger friends... Call me out on it if I have though!

Finally, I want to leave you with something I 'stole' from Valarie Lea's blog - with her permission of course. I think you all will love it just as much as I do!

The Bloggers Prayer

Lord help me to learn to spell without spellcheck, manage to visit all that visit me, and post regularly - all in 5 minutes a day, so that I can clean house and take care of my family. Help me to not look at every occurrence in my life as a blog post, and to quit taking pictures of weird things to share as well. Please Lord, help me to stop talking about my blog friends as though they are next door neighbors or someone I have known all of my life. And help me dear Lord, to think of something witty and wise to post tomorrow.
Origin Credit----The Dust Bunny Hostage

Much love to you all and God Bless!
~Amanda~

Tag!

I'm it!

I've been tagged in a couple of MeMe's - I know, everyone's probably sick of these by now, but I have a little something extra at the end of this post, so stick with me ;o)

First off, my best bud K~ (Conservative Supermom to you all) tagged me to list "Five classes I wish they would've taught in school" - sorry, no fun pics like she did!

1. A Class of Appreciation - Why the grass isn't always greener, and the laundry's not really cleaner on the other side. My husband is always pointing out which of our neighbors have the best lookin' lawn, and it never ceases to amaze me that other people's laundry always smells better than my own. Is this just all in our heads? And why wasn't there a class teaching about these and other real-life illusions?

2. A Class of Class - How to remain cool, calm, collected, and classy in even the most unnerving of situations. At least in public, anyway! It's bad enough to see a 3 or 4-year-old having a meltdown out & about... But it's even worse when it's an adult! After working in the service & retail industries for many years, I've seen WAY too many 'grown-ups' acting like toddlers. To graduate, I think students should have to pass an etiquette class.

3. A Class of Real-World Training - A class that actually prepares people for what's out there in the big bad world. Guess what, people? It's not all roses & rainbows out there! Yet, there are those who believe that they should receive their every wish & demand on a silver platter, tax free.

4. A Class of Learning - A class that would have taught me that there is SO much more to learning that just facts & figures, memorization. I wish I could have learned things in high school that I didn't find out until fairly recently. But there are lessons in life that really can't even be learned until you experience them for yourself... So how could these be taught? Well, in my magic fantasy world they could be!

5. A Class of Love - A class that (if even possible) could teach me all about love. The 'love' I would someday feel for a crush (oh, Jonathan Taylor Thomas - I'll never forget admiring you from afar on Home Improvement). Even then, it didn't take long to realize the 'love' wasn't at all real love. It's the kind of love you feel when you talk about how much you adore your favorite food or movie.
But the lessons in love would have become quite a bit more useful when I was a teenager... If only I knew back then how much my parents LOVE me. An undying, everlasting, simply pure & innocent love. A love I didn't truly understand until I was blessed with my wonderful little girl.
Another love I wish I would have understood earlier in life is the love of good friends. I don't think I really understood about this love until after I was married, and found out that there are very special people in this world who will still stick by you & love you, even if you're in completely different worlds. The epitome of this love was when my friend Tara came to the hospital to see me after Livia was born. Though we still are in completely different places in life, she & I have never stopped loving each other as friends.
Finally, the most important kind of love (next to parenthood) is the kind I feel for my husband. I am SO stinkin lucky that I was never in love with anyone before Perry. There were those I very much liked and cared for, but never In Love with. With every guy I ever dated & was rejected by though, I cried my eyes out. This absolutely was NOT because I loved them... Though at the time I didn't even know why I was crying. I know now that it was because I was rejected - not because I lost the love of my young life. Now, what's funny is that I still don't think I could describe the love I feel for my husband, though I feel it every day even more every way! The class would be a very complicated class indeed!

Whew! That was long! Sorry ya'll... I just have one more quick one though, and then some fun stuff.

Most recently I've been tagged by the lovely Joy to post "Six uninteresting things about myself" Only six? The list could go on & on here, but I promise I'll stick to the rules.

1. I'm the kind of girl who laughs at a joke 3 times: Once when it's told, once it's explained, and once I finally get it - true story! Along this same line, my husband and I have completely different senses of humor.
2. I've now had my DSLR camera for more than 2 years, and I'm still not exactly comfortable shooting in manual modes. I'm learning & practicing more and more, but 'auto' is still all too often my go-to.
3. I used to hate Fazoli's breadsticks when I was younger. I can't even remember why now, though! Between K~ and my Mom, I'm in love with them. And they're almost as good as Olive Garden's
4. The more awesome tip I ever received as a server was when I worked at Outback Steakhouse, and this sweet older guy was there all by himself - it was kinda late and he was my only table, so I spent quite a bit of time talking with him. He was so interesting, and I really loved keeping him company! And THEN when he was ready to leave... he handed me a $100 bill. I cried my eyes out, and I will never ever forget him. I like to think we'll meet again someday in Heaven :o)
5. I never highlighted my hair until 2 1/2 years ago, and now I'm addicted! I love being a blonde - I used to be very, very naturally blonde but over the years my hair darkened up. Blonde looks better on me - I'm SUPER pasty pale (and proud!) but dark hair makes me look deathly white.
6. When I first got contacts nearly 10 years ago, they were the soft non-disposable kind. I hated them. They were a you-know-what to clean, and if I didn't get all the cleaning stuff of of them, they stung my eyes like crazy. Oh, and I once lost one in my parents' pool... and my Daddy actually FOUND IT! He swam around with that little skimmer-net for hours, and finally came up with the contact lens.

And now for the tagging part. I'm doing a two-fer here! Kindra over at "3 Guys a Girl and a Prim Place", Mah-meee over at "Raising A & C", Dani over at "Give me a sec to think about it...", Nan over at "Nannybird Crafts", Marybeth over at "Four Silly Sisters", and finally My Aunt - "The Dairy Wife"
I would love for you all to do both of these, but if you want to just pick one (or if you're sick of them period) I totally understand, and my feelings won't be at all hurt (*sniff* - kidding!)

And here's the fun part!

To all you ladies I just tagged, plus you two gals who tagged me - Kendra & Joy, I'd also like you to have this:

Because you truly do.

I read each and every one of your blogs every time you post (plus all the others listed in the left-hand column!). This beautiful award was given to me by Elise from 'The Adventures of E & T" (You'll see more about her in the above post!)

And gals & Elise, I want you all to have this as well:
Well, I guess Nan kinda gets left out of this one, cause she's the one who gave it to me! Mmmuah! Thank you SO much again, sweet lady!

Finally, there are a few fairly new blogs I've been reading in the last month or 2, and I want EVERYONE to have this:Some of you may already have it (again, Nan!), but others of you, I hadn't even met when I created this little Blog Bling thing. Every one of you over there on my blogroll (and if you are a faithful reader & I don't read your blog, let me know so I CAN add & get to know you!) I want you all to know how much I love 'knowing' you all! Your blogs, your comments, and all of you absolutely make my day - you make me happy when skies are gray!

Thanks so much for sticking with me though this crazy-long post! Much love to you all and God Bless!