Another anniversary!!

Here's a wish for my parents in law for their 38th anniversary! They, too, have been great parents and I'm proud to have them for in-laws. Both are there for you when you need a listening ear or just a hug. Thanks to you both for welcoming me into your family like one of your own. We love you guys very much!!
Wheezer was very happy to be able to witness Ambria coming into this world. Looks like she's VERY happy to be holding her new grandaughter!

We went on vacation with Troll's family back when Jetta wasn't quite a year old. Brian, Dad and Troll....three men I dearly love and am proud to call family.

Jetta and Dad. She's deff her papaw's girl and I'm so glad he's a great grandpa to my kids. He's always there with words of wisdom for me and something to make me laugh when i need to.

Mom is a true nut and I love her for that. The numerous times we've laughed so much we're both crying, the times we've gone shopping or the times we're just venting...she's been a good mother in law.

Dad and Mom Tolley...you've been so helpful to us and we love you both so very much. Congratulations on 38 yrs together. We wish you many, many more.

Anniversary

Today is my parents 38th anniversary. I wanted to let everyone know just how much I love them and appreciate them. They are heroes in my eyes for all they have been through. They do anything for anybody. They work until they can barely move. Gentle people, kind people, compassionate people and wise. Thank you for being great parents. Thank you for your Godly influence. We love you guys and happy anniversary!!
This is my fav pic of my dad! So shows exactly how calm and gentle he is in spirit.

This is my mom...always has a child in her arms. The love she's shared with all the little ones that have gone to her home has been over and over what most people give. A real trooper!

Dad again...always helping out and doing what he can to make things easier for others.

Mom. Goofy when needed to make the kids laugh. I'll never forget the day she crawled across the table to throw ice cream at our evangelist!!! I was a teenager and will never get that scene out of my mind!! They have truly been great parents. Godly and giving. Thanks mom and dad!!

Cakes and Crud!

Here are the last two cakes I did. This was for my Aunt and Uncles 40th anniversary. I luvd the hearts on these. I used a papertowel that I cut into the shape of a heart and then pushed it into the icing to get the design!!

Yesterday we had two ball games. Aust's was at 4 and Reag's was at 6. I was washing their uni's last nite so that they would have them cleaned for their games every nite this week and I had to laugh. Below is Aust's getting pretreated with Oxy Clean...

...and these are Reag's getting pretreated with Oxy clean!!! Aust had dirt on his from a gr8 slide into home plate where he scored from first base. It was pretty funny to me to see the difference in the boys. Eth hasn't had a game yet but i'm interested in seeing what his pants are gonna look like. Reag is the only one of my boys so far that almost every pair of pants he owns are grass stained and have holes in the knees!

All three boys are doing a real good job. Aust was in the outfield last year but seems to be on 3rd base this year. He had a gr8 game yesterday. Reag was first baseman last year but this year the pitching coach tried him at pitching and was pretty impressed with how good he did. He's working pretty hard on him. Eth is yet to hav a game but so far at his practices he's done super. This is his first year so he's actually in T-ball but the coach pitches to him and he hits gr8 without the T. His team is so funny to watch. They are so little and they get SO distracted! They'll throw their mitts up in the air, squat and play in the dirt, fight over the ball...etc. !!! If nothing is happening where Eth is tho...he'll stand there stiff as a board with his hands in his pockets as if to say, "Just what exactly am I doing here?" LOL!!! I luv baseball season.

"Only Gwen"!!

Well yesterday was deff one that won't be forgotten soon! And as my one aunt and a dear friend said, "Only Gwen!" Grab your asprin...you're gonna need it!!

Sunday nite I left right after church to go to a friends house where I've been working the past few months. Got up Monday and worked until after 11 that nite. Got up Tuesday and worked again until a little after 3 when I was to leave. But things got kinda hectic and I was asked this and that and things kinda feel apart from there on out. Going on 4 I was finally getting ready to get into the truck when I dropped a heavyish item on my foot and it landed smack on my toe. It started to bleed and it really hurt. The whole way home it throbbed and throbbed. I was supposed to have left at 3 so I could get home in time to feed my kids, shower and get dressed to go back up to Belleville so Jetta could sing in the Revival services that were going on. As it was, due to the construction on the road and all the numerous other things that occured, I didn't walk in the door until 5:45. I was to leave at 6:15 for Belleville.

Kal came to pick up Reag and Eth for their ball practice/scrimmage and I ran upstairs with Bia to get changed as I no longer had time to shower. First outfit didn't match right so off it came. Second outfit went better and I quickly threw clothes on Beeps, combed her hair and realized that my hands were still paint covered and my nails were black due to the stain I'd be using (yes, mom...without gloves!!). So I ran into the bathroom and scrubbed my hands. Didn't work. I was running outa time. I grabbed Bia and we flew down the steps, foot killing me in my church shoes and out the door we ran. 6:20. I locked the door...looked down at my feet and realized I had on cream hose instead of white to go with the outfit. ugh! Now all my lady friends know that there is a vast difference between white and cream. You can't mix em.

I moaned...said, com'on Beeps we gotta go back inside. Up the stairs we both flew. Yanked open my dresser drawer to realize there were no white hose. What to do?? I went to digging and found another type of hosiery item that was a more neutral color and put that on only to realize that they were gonna fall down the minute I took a step. I said to myself, girl....you're gonna be walking up to that piano and down they are gonna fall...you really want that?? Nope, says I, not gonna work. Those came off only for me to realize that my poor toe was bleeding again and was killing me. I ran to the closet and found a pair of white sandals and attempted to put them on which only added to the aggravation of the hurting toe. I thought...girl, you gotta get out of here...ignore your toe. So Beeps and I ran back out the door. 6:40.

By the time I got to the church in Belleville, after driving 90 most of the way and praying that God would help the cop that might stop me to realize I was on my way to church and it was all for a good cause (LOL), my foot was NOT going back in my sandals which I'd taken off. I was in a quandry of what to do. I decided it wasn't worth the pain and decided to go in barefoot and carrying the sandals so at least the ppl there wouldn't think I was too poor and couldn't afford shoes.

I was a nervous wreck. We were almost late for church to start; in fact...got there right as the pastor was getting up. My hands were ice cold and sweating. I asked my cousin when the special was and she informed me and I sat there and prayed the whole way through. Lord, you know that we were asked to do this and we consented and I don't know why my nite went like this but you can use the song and PLEASE help them to not be offened when I walk up there.

The pastor brings attention to the fact that I was there and it was our time. I felt like squirming under the bench. I grabbed the song and marched up front like I was Sandi Patti!!! Jetta got her michrophone and I put the song on the bench and looked down at my feet. There sat the pastor and their visiting evangelist right on the front row!! I knew I had to explain the absence of shoes! So I launched into my story!!! And what was worse was that my feet had been hurting while working anyway so they were all stained and looked terrible. LOL!!! I told my story and informed them that I did in fact own shoes and soap and they neednt feel sorry for me but I wanted to apologize for looking like I did!!! Everyone was laughing (well at least the ones I dared to look at) and I went on to say how the song said to let the storms and dark clouds come...they don't worry me cause I'm sheltered in the arms of God. No matter how stressed out we become or how things just don't seem to work right...God know why and He has it all under control! That's what is so exciting about being a child of His!

We finished the song and I went back to my seat shaking!! The pastor (who is a gr8 friend of ours) got up and said he was glad we'd made it and did that song...barefeet and all...cause it spoke to him. :-) I'm thinking...ok, you're allowed to be compassionate cause you knwo me but what is this poor evangelist from God's Bible school area gonna think? Wonder of wonders he got up and said, "I'm glad the sister made it as well. And in my neck of the woods (Ohio) barefeet fit in just fine!" :0)

After church the pastor walked back, shook my hand and said, "I'm so glad you're still Gwen!" His wife and my aunt looked at me and said, "Only Gwen!!!" LOL!!! I begged them to please not tell my mom!!! They both agreed but as I've just put it on here...... (sorry mom!! LOL!!! I really do try to be finesse but it just doesn't work out too well!)

This gets chalked up to a first for me.....
I went to a church and played the piano in my bare, stained feet with black fingernails, paint all over my arms and hands and shaking like crazy!!!

baby cries when she hears the Michigan Fight Song

baby cries when she hears the Michigan Fight Song

This is for all our fellow Buckeye fans out there!!! :-)

latest cakes

Amber's diaper cake.
Faye's 75th cake.

Chas' 25th whimsical cake!

Aust's bday cake.
Diaper cake for Shannon.

AJ Peacheys

AJ Peacheys

Some pictures of the fire

'It Tears My Heart Apart,' Employee Says

'It Tears My Heart Apart,' Employee Says

For those of you that worked at or have been to Peachy's...my heart goes out to you. Click on the link to see the destruction.

Mooing burgers!

Ok, I'm not sure what my deal is but it never fails. I mean NEVER. I'm not a meat eater by any stretch of the imagination. I eat enough to get a very small amount of protein. But when we grill burgers and hotdogs I will eat those.

BUT.......here's the issue.....it has to be DONE! And I mean DONE!!! No pink whatsoever. Not burnt either or dried out. Just done! There can be an entire plate of hamburgers sitting on the counter and I grab one and fix it up how I like it...lettuce, mayo, ketchup, relish, mustard and tomato.....sit down, pray, take a bite and EWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWWW!!!! There's pink! Yuk! it NEVER fails! A whole plate of them and I get the pink one.

It happened again last nite. I picked a thin one that looked done, doctored it (minus the tomato and lettuce cause we didn't have any) and sat down to take a bite. PINK! Troll shook his head and said, "HOney, what is your deal? It just never fails!" To prove the point he gets up, goes to the kitchen, takes the platter with the remaining burgers on them (5) and breaks open every one!!! Not a single one had pink in it!!! I don't cause a fuss about it normally I just give it to Troll but I knew he'd put horseradish on his so I wasn't eating his pink burger either (he makes sure his has pink in it).

So I'm getting down to the middle of this burger and I'm like...this burger tastes weird. I said, did you put relish on your burger troll? He said, no. I'm like well this is my burger but it sure tastes like it has horseradish on it. I ate 3/4 of it and couldn't hack it anymore. I said, this HAS to have horseradish on it! AFter much thinking back over my steps (and his) we came up with a point of time where'd we both just put our burgers on our buns with ketchup, mayo and mustard..he'd gone into the dining room for soemthing and I'd gone into the pantry. In the process I misplaced my burger and thought his was mine and i got his, added relish on top of the (what I thought was mayo) horseradish and started eating!!! Two very nasty things in my mind....pink meat and horseradish! Gag!!! About next I'm only gonna get burgers from McDonald's. It doesn't even matter if I go to someone's house...I STILL get the one with the pink!

Me and mooing burgers just aint the best of friends. Blah!!!

Sunrise Service

This was Easter Sun morn out on Sunrise Hill. The pic below didn't turn out too well as I was using my phone. But I had to put it on here. Not sure if Troll was drinking his phone or what was going on but the look on Kim's face was priceless!

This is the pose that gets struck when Sam doesn't want her pic taken!! :)

Part of the 45 that were there.

This is the guy that shared/invaded (LOL) my space with me!! We had this huge grill with 3 cast iron skillets. Trust me when I say that the morning was not without incident! He was doing all the eggs and numerous times they'd come flying over into my potatoes!! :)

Here's our grill. It was allot of fun and I'm looking forward to next year already.

Trip to Park - Exploring

Saturday we took the kids to the park. We were on the hike through the woods when Troll spied a rock with fossils in it! So for the next hour we went fossil hunting. It was pretty cool how many we found.
One of the bigger rocks that got turned over had this monster worm under it! Beeps LUVS worms! She was proud to have her pic with it!

Eth was one of the official rock turner overers!

Beeps is our poser/dancer! I told her to look at the water and this is the shot that happened!

The hike up these steps might not look like much but trust me....they get ya!

Eth's Easter party

Easter party in the kindergarten class. Lined up to do the egg on spoon relay race.
Rolling eggs across the floor with their noses.

Beeps really enjoyed this one!

This little girl was so decked out in color I had to take her pic! I luved it!

Eth showing Beeps around his class. (O, and yes...Eth refused to dress wacky that day! Unlike Beeps and I!!)

Bread of Life

On Friday we went to the restaraunt called "Bread of Life". It is a Christian owned place and all the menu (for the most part) has Biblical names. Like a kids hotdog is called "Nehemiah's Dog"!! Someone at church had gotten us numerous gift certificates for there for Christmas and we finally decided we were taking a few moments to just go enjoy it.

For the last week or so our kids have all been sneezing, snotting and coughing. I had gotten it while in Florida and just got over it last month. It's that nasty head cold/sinus stuff that puts all the pressure in your head and you can't blow anything out and yet you're so full. I can't handle the sound of sniffing and blowing at the table and we had no tissues anyway so everytime someone had to blow their nose off they'd go to the bathroom. Well after an hour of this, with five kids getting up (sometimes all at once...sometimes different) to go to the bathroom to blow their noses, Austin had had all he could take.

Bia, Reag and Jetta had just gotten up and left. Aust was in the middle of eating his liver and onions and said, "Where did everyone go?" I said, to the bathroom to blow their noses. He rolled his eyes, sighed and said, "MOM!!! Do you realize that everyone is going to think that our entire family has bladder issues?" He was honestly embarrassed with it all!!! :) I found it quite funny and both Troll and I almost spewed our drinks across the table!!

Only in the eyes of a "child"!!