2011 is here!?!?!

How did that happen? Another year just slipped under the rug, a year full of activities and memories... Last night I packed up 4 of our 5 kiddos and drove them the 2+ hour drive to my parents house. You see, last night was the infamous BIG party! My parents have been hosting a kids only New Years Party for almost 30 years! 30! They invite all the grandkids and any of their friends, any of their friends. They spend the days right after Christmas until December 30th preparing for this no holds barred, no rules, night of fun! Well, atleast thats what I hear.... as an adult I am not aloud to enter and be a part of the fun.

I then hop in the car and drive 2+ hours home and get ready for our "party". Tim picks up wings for him and chinese for me. We sit and watch a movie and sometimes even fall asleep. This year we actually missed the ball drop, yep, we got engrossed in the movie and missed it totally. But you know what 2011 came anyway.....

Then today I got up hopped back in the car and drove the 2+ hours back to Mom and Dad's to have our traditional New Years lunch. We all had a great time and once again Mom and Dad outdid themselves, love love love to keep traditions!

Back in the car and head home..................... ugh! the only bad part is that darn car thing!

Saying Goodbye to 2010

Kendall with he dollhouse, she loved the dollhouse and Fancy Nancy Princess bed from Santa

The boys love their new Nintendo DS's

The girls opening Christmas gifts
Wow! Where did the year go? Every year I find myself sitting wishing I had done more.... more one on one kid specific things, before I know it my little brood is all going to to way to busy to spend time with me. Here I sit again this year, we had a great time this year. I absolutely love homeschooling the kids, I get great joy in seeing them learn and grow. The boys are growing so fast, they are becoming such big kids.

Logan is working primarily on 5th grade work with the exception of Math. In Math he is ahead of the grade and works at the 6th grade level. I'm so proud of him, this Math mind did NOT come from me! He is just a smarty. Continuing with Piano and soccer, he also added baseball this year. Logan's asthma and allergies continue to be a problem but not as bad as in the past.

Taylor, also really blossomed this year, he was able to go a group ahead in his Sunday school class. His ability at the piano just amazes me, he truly has a gift with catching on. This year Taylor also got his first pair of glasses. He looks so cute in them. He even learned that he does like to read when he likes the topic... yay! Piano and soccer were on his list of activities and this year he also thinks that he would like to join in baseball.

Our little princess is just that... a little princess. She loves all things princess! She loves tutus, and "glass" slippers, babies are fun and she loves being a girl. She potty-trained in a week after being told that she couldn't go to dance class if she pottied in her pants... if only I had tried that earlier. She is a true performer and loves to sing. This little one wakes in the morning singing and given the chance to get on stage she loves to belt out a tune for a crowd. Love her enthusiasm! She even got a taste of skiing this winter, so far she is a great part of the group and loves it!

The big girls also had big years. Courtney was accepted and started into Radiology classes and hopes to have a degree in 1 1/2 years. I hope in my heart when the time comes she heads back towards home to carry out her career. I LOVE it when she gets to come home and spend a bit of time with us. Tiffany also had a big year passing the first part of the RN coursework and getting her LPN degree. She is loving driving her new car and is still working at Lowes. I hope she gets enrolled in school and can find a job that she loves.

We learned so much this year and life is sweeter and more precious if that is possible. We became acquainted with SMA this year, a horrible killer of children. We have changed how we live our everyday lives trying to make sure we make more people aware of this disease in an effort to raise funds to find a cure so no family has to say goodbye to their children because of SMA. Our little business more than doubled in sales and we have added a lot of extra items to the store. Our hopes for 2011 include continued growth and the ability to keep caught up....lol. I LOVE the work and passion that we have put towards the fight against SMA. The families we have come to know are precious and we would do anything for them.

Tim is moving along and changed stores this summer, he is closer to home and we like that a lot. He hasn't spent as much time working on his appraisal license this year. Hopefully we will tackle that next year. We didn't spend all our free time working on the house for the first year since we lived here. We are getting there, moving along and soon we will be able to finish off the garage giving us believe it or not more needed space.

I have great hopes and prayers for our friends and family in 2011. I have a huge hole in my heart in loosing my sweet Sushi. She truly was a one in a million. I could nap with her beside me in the chair with Max 2 ft away and know she wouldn't bother him. I could tell she knew how much I loved her........ the hole is the pits and one look down our road and the tears fall over the brim of my lids...... I miss her sooo much.

Have a wonderful 2011! I hope to make better use of my blog, I want to document the crazy insane life we lead. I

Postworthy Post

I know, I know............. it's been a long time. A really long time... My life has been spinning, spinning on a small base. My homeschooling boys and Kendall keep me hopping and along with their big sisters I am truly blessed.... I mean big time flat out blessed. Then along came my awareness about SMA through our little hat business and well, life has not been the same since. I'm glad that it hasn't.... we spend time in our everyday life trying to bring awareness to this horrible genetic killer.....

But today, today I spent a great time with my kids. We got out the Santa given skis and gave them a spin. A great time was had by all and the day flew. We were having such a wonderful day, a day of laughter and smiles.

That is, it was until we topped the crest in the road by our house.... and in the brief second life once again changed.... the cogs in the wheels came to a screaming stop as I looked out and saw my 2 kittys laying in the road. DEAD...... I really hate dead.... These two were SO special to me, Casper a gorgeous long-haired black kitty had come such a long way. Traumatized by a neighbor dog when tiny, she had such a hard time trusting but she was coming along and even coming in to the edge of the sunroom. And then laying beside her in the road the most horrible shock of all. My sweet Sushi, although she was a "barn" cat she thought she was the queen. She spent most of our awake hours in a chair mostly with me sitting right beside her. A gorgeous cat she was one in a million. She never left the chair unless it was time to go out. She never minded the bird 1 1/2 ft from her. You see I think she was my angel, after Maggie died Sushi started to beg to come in and she sat right with me never trying to move around or be nosey. She was my companion when Maggie couldn't be..... my animals have been such important characters, especially after we lost Mackenzie. I could cry when I wanted and they never got tired of me talking about all things Mackenzie. I couldn't lay that burden on my family but my animals were always willing and eager to be a listening ear.

But why did they have to be taken?? I know this won't stop me in my tracks, I know this is probably part of some grand plan, (I don't think I like the plan very much at this moment). All I do know is that my chair is going to be lonely and not as warm as it was for the rest of the winter. My heart is broken and my heart just can't believe I will never see her again.

I know, I know.......... she is just a cat... they are both JUST cats. So try and tell my heart that one.

SMA what does it mean?

Today is the biggest Blog Post Party ever! Well, I wanted to be a prat of that wouldn't you? We all want to belong right? Well, for some people SMA means belonging to a group, a group of people in the fight of their lives..... a fight to save their incredibly beautiful children.

SMA (spinal muscular atrophy) is a disease you see. A disease that not enough people know about. Being a part of this group is not always fun, exciting, or where you want to be. You see these are the facts about SMA

SMA is the leading genetic killer of infants.

SMA steals these beautiful children's ability to move.

SMA robs children of the ability to cough or breathe unassisted.

SMA affects seemingly perfect babies.

SMA is an orphan disease and due to lack of future profits drug companies are not interested in spending research dollars.

1 in 40 people carry the gene for SMA!

SMA steals over 90% of its victims before they turn 1 year old.

The National Institute of Health says that SMA is the closest neuro muscular disease to treatment or a cure.

SMA does not affect the mind. These incredible children are bright and love to interact and play.

SMA is causing families to band together in a way that many families would love to.

SMA families have incredible tenacity, they will do anything to raise funds and awareness to save their children and thousands of others....

My introduction to SMA was not through one of my children but through a blog post, it was asking for votes to get funds for research. The little video clip that came with it changed my life..... Through our own loss of a child my heart was broken for these families that are given such a diagnosis. To have no choice but watch the child you love more than your own life suffer and die. I knew at that moment our little shop needed to become involved. I knew that if we all became involved and we all spoke about SMA that changes would happen and cures could be quicker. Funding for this disease should not fall on the shoulders of sweet families living in the moment with their precious children.

So, our little store www.Bebessentials.com has pledged to walk alongside families fighting this monster. We will continue to donate money, raise awareness, and celebrate the lives of these children! We hand out magnets, bracelets, and sell butterflies. Oh, these very special butterflies with incredible Gwendolyn's name on them. We created this special design as a symbol of hope. As a reminder that with funding comes a cure that will allow these children to move and jump just like a butterfly bursting out of its cocoon. These special butterflies are little pieces of art. Each one is designed with hand painted threads, hand blown beads and colors that will knock your socks off. The sale of each of those gives a 60% return to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation for research. One of the ways we can continue to raise finds and awareness.

Watch the clip and see how it moves you!


Here is a Gwendolyn butterfly, isn't it beautiful?!?! If you would like one just go to the Bebessentials site and pick one out. Then sit down and think of a way YOU can make a difference.


You can also go to this link and vote for GSF to receive a 20K research award! Please copy and pste the link, I couldn't get it to work in link form.... Just a few clicks for research funds for SMA.
http://www.jimmiejohnsonfoundation.org/Events/Samsung-Helmet-of-Hope/Vote-Samsung-Helmet-of-Hope-For-More.aspx

How will your tapestry look in the end.....

The Weaving
My life is but a weaving, between my God and me;
I do not choose the colors, He works so steadily.
Often times He weaves in sorrow, and I, in foolish pride,
forget He sees the upper, and the underside.

Not till the loom is silent, and shuttles cease to fly,
will God unroll the canvas and explain the reasons why.

The dark threads are as needful in the skillful Weaver's hand,
as threads of gold and silver in the pattern he has planned.


This is so inciteful to me, the tapestry that we sometimes see is so dark and hard. The journey painful, but then as the entire picture becomes more visable we see how necessary the painful time was for us to enjoy the beauty of the complete picture.....

Miracles take more than a moment!

Since it is SMA Awareness month I wanted to share a story.....

Do you believe in coincidence? I don't and really never have, I was blessed to be raised by parents that were able to point out those little "coincidences" and show the BIG picture. This summer I lived one of those miracles, right in front of me, like the magic trick of a great magician. See what you think..........

My friend Melissa & I own a hat and hair accessory business called Beb-e-ssentials. We sell online or at craft and art shows. Every since we started the business I have wanted to go to the Troy Strawberry Festival, it is legendary in the food department around here and well, for obvious "strawberry" reasons I wanted to go. When we looked it up the deadline had already happened and they said NO LATE ENTRIES. Bummer! I sent off an e-mail anyway trying to beg our way in. Then we looked again and the site said that they were still accepting a few entries (miracle 1) So Melissa sent in our application with pictures of our crafts to see if we would be selected. A few days later we found out we were in!

A couple months went by and we busily prepared for the show. We wanted to take a good selection and also take our SMA/Gwendolyn Strong Foundation information and butterflies. As the time got closer our excitement grew. Finally it was the day of the show! the plan was for me to go ahead, set-up, and work the first part of the day. Melissa would be home with Caitlin working at her garage sale. I got everything set-up and as I hung the Gwendolyn Butterflies on the board I prayed that we would sell all 12 over the weekend. You see for every Gwendolyn Butterfly sold we donate 6.00 or 60% to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation. I have been prodded and led to work hard (God can do that you know)to promote awareness for SMA (Spinal Muscular Atrophy) and help to raise funds for the much needed research to find a cure. We did a fund raiser over Mother's Day and did very well but I wanted to be able to start giving more often. So as the show started things were moving but not the butterflies... then the clouds rolled in. Very threatening clouds, clouds and storms that were bad enough to evacuate people to the stadium. I asked the man beside me, a army veteran, what we should do. He had told me he been working shows for over 40years! He calmly looked out from under his awning and shook his head.... "Nah, it not going to be bad, the most of it will blow over. I'm staying right here...." so after he declined my offer to sit in our tent with the sides on it, I rolled down the sides and put my chair in the middle and waited. As the wind howled and rain beat the little tent I got a bit scared and aggravated. I started praying in aggravation that with this weather we would never sell the 12 butterflies I had brought. We wouldn't be able to donate the money! The wind and rain whipped the tent around for what seemed like forever.... I think it was more like 30 minutes.

When it all settled down there was mud EVERYWHERE! People were walking along their shoes covered and with mud up their legs! But the shopping continued and I got busy and didn't think anymore about my prayer. When Melissa came I escaped long enough to go find something Strawberry to eat. Once I got up on the levy I shopped and tried to pick the best strawberry snack. I walked back and forth a couple times looking for the best deal. After I got my food I headed back to the booth but on the way I heard a voice saying "ducks for sale, anybody want to buy a duck?" (# 2 miracle)I walked over and asked a few questions of the sweet ladies behind the table. They were selling rubber ducks as a fund raiser to raise money for next year's event. Ducks were 5.00 each and the plan was to dump barrels of rubber ducks off one bridge and award prizes to the 1st through 4th place ducks as they made it to the next bridge. 1st place was $1,000.00, 2nd through 4th were local food places. They also gave a prize of a 500.00 gas card to the last place duck. I thought about it for a moment and then I was given a wonderful idea the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation needed a duck! I told the ladies selling the ducks about SMA and let them know I would be back in the morning. I ran back down the hill to our booth. That night I posted as a last minute thought that we were buying a duck and anyone that wanted a duck could message me. Well, after the long day I got a late start in the morning and forgot to check the messages. Once Melissa got these she asked me if I saw the message. One of the families dealing with SMA posted to buy 100.00 worth of ducks.... Wow! (#3 miracle)So I grabbed our SMA information sheet and some Gwendolyn Butterflies and I went up to buy our ducks.

I got all the information so I could photograph the "duck launch" and put the event in pictures. I wanted to give a smile to the families and spread the word..... I stood at the bridge for a long time..... a very long time. Finally I ran back to the table and the ladies told me that the water was too high from the storm and the ducks would be selected out of the community pool. I found out where it was and off I went camera in hand! I wanted to get pictures of Gwennie, our ducks! Once I got there I had a really hard time seeing to get pictures so I went around to see if I could step in. A really BIG guy came and told me nobody was allowed in, after I explained our story he said "Okay, you and only you!" (#4 miracle) Wow, I thanked him and headed in staying WAY out of the way. I started to snap shots when the girls came in. The Queen and her court would pick the ducks. They were given strict instructions on how to pull a duck from the wading pool. I snapped and snapped till the ducks were picked. Then I ran back to our tent and told Melissa how it all went. We got back to business and forgot all about it.

During the last hour of business we heard an announcement about all the winners of the several awards given during the show. They started with the duck race and the first place award, as we listened they announced The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation as the winner!!! We about jumped out of the tent!!! We scared the ladies in the tent shopping! $1,000.00 for RESEARCH!!! (#5 miracle, a BIG one!) We had 21 ducks in the race, 21 out of 1,007!!!! I checked the pictures that I had taken and I actually took the picture of the Queen pulling her duck from the water! How cool!!!

When I got a call the next day they told us we had won. I guess they didn't hear us yelling during the show! I went to the office the next day and picked up a check, posed for pictures, and met the Duck Race organizer.... none other than the BIG guy that I had met at the pool! I gave a interview about SMA to the newspaper and got some GREAT news! They asked us if we would partner with them next year. (#6 miracle)They want to give 1.00 of every duck sold to the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation! Remember this year they sold 1,007 ducks. Next year they have asked us to work with the Duck Race booth to sell more ducks! What that tells me is more Awareness!!!

When we did a final check I found another little "God thing". We took 12 Butterflies to sell, we sold 5. If you remember in the Bible five fishes fed thousands.... we had 7 left. Seven loaves of bread was fed with the 5 fishes... I was SO worried and disappointed when the rain came that we wouldn't sell the 12 butterflies, if we had sold them we would have donated $72.00. Instead, God took control and we were able to do "infinitely more". $30.00 for butterflies and $1,000.0from our winning duck! ..... one of my favorite verses......

Now all glory to God, who is able, through his mighty power
at work within us, to accomplish infinitely more than we might ask or think.
Ephesians 3:20

Who says prayers aren't answered?!?!!?

Don't forget August is SMA Awareness month!

Enjoy a few pictures from the race!

our entry form


the pace duck


ducks in the wading pool


ducks ducks ducks...... do you see Gwennie?



The Queen saw her, and picked her!

Jimmie Johnson Helmet of Hope

This is a portion of the notification from the foundation, another avenue for awareness has opened up!

Johnson Adds 2 More Charities to Samsung Helmet of Hope
8/02/2010
Foundation for Faces of Children and The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation Newest Additions

CONCORD, N.C. (Aug. 2, 2010) – Foundation for Faces of Children (Brookline, Mass.) and The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation (Santa Barbara, Calif.) are the newest additions to the Jimmie Johnson Foundation’s Samsung Helmet of Hope, the race helmet Johnson will wear during the Sprint Cup Series event at Auto Club Speedway in October.

Each organization will also receive a grant of $10,000.

Bill Strong of Santa Barbara, Calif. nominated The Gwendolyn Strong Foundation, which seeks to raise awareness about and fund research for Spinal Muscular Atrophy (SMA), the leading genetic killer of young children.

“Our daughter Gwendolyn was born in October 2007,” explained Strong. “She was perfectly healthy at first, but was diagnosed with Spinal Muscular Atrophy at six-months. SMA is a genetic disease that affects children all over the world and is currently a death sentence with no treatment or cure.”

“As parents, it was impossible to do nothing,” added Strong. “In 2009, we started the Gwendolyn Strong Foundation to raise awareness of SMA and funding to accelerate groundbreaking research towards a cure. Including the foundation logo on Jimmie's helmet would be incredible in raising much needed awareness of SMA and furthering our cause to end it.”

In its third year, the Samsung Helmet of Hope program is a partnership of the Jimmie Johnson Foundation, Samsung and Lowe’s. Fans and media members across the country have the opportunity to nominate their children’s charity of choice to be featured on Johnson’s helmet for a select race. New this year, selected charities will also receive a grant of $10,000. This partnership is part of the Samsung Hope for Children program, a corporate giving program that aligns athletes and retail partners to help children learn, live and thrive.

Johnson will draw one winner from a list of media submissions and one from a list of fan submissions each race weekend through the Atlanta event in September. The first two charities selected were Beads of Courage (Tucson, Ariz.) and Hunter's Hope Foundation (Orchard Park, N.Y.) They join the Feeding America® Kids Café program, which was nominated by Samsung to kick-off this year’s campaign program. The Kids Café program works to address the growing epidemic facing children’s hunger.

Fans and media members may nominate their charity by visiting www.helmetofhope.org.

For more information about the most recently selected charities, visit www.facesofchildren.org and www.GwendolynStrongFoundation.org.

Pretty cool huh? It is like SMA families have been given an open window to share their passion and message to save their children by curing the SMA monster.