my Harley Bug

We have just celebrated our girl Harley's 7th birthday! I have been absolutely blessed to have been chosen to be this little angels Mommy! Harley was our first born, and holds a special place in my heart, as all of my girls do. I so vividly remember the day that we found out that we would be parents to Harley (which was named Kamryn Mercedes for most of my pregnancy) The feeling of knowing that I had a life growing inside of me was almost too much for comprehension at first, but as she grew inside of me, I felt an immediate bond that I had never experienced before. After carrying Harley for 36 weeks, and spending much of that time in the hospital, we were blessed to recieve her into this world on November 1, 2002. I have never seen anything in this world so little, so sweet, so breathtaking, so perfect in my life. I fell head over heels in love with her from the moment that I saw her pretty little face, and over the past 7 years it has only grown stronger. Harley has became the sweetest young lady and the best big sister ever over time, and I cannot wait to see what God has in store for her in the future! There is something special about Harley and I know that there is a bright future ahead for her! Thank you God for my Harley Dustyn Paynter:)

my sweet MaKartney

So, I haven't posted a story about my sweet MaKartney on here yet... but today is the day that I will:).... As Nevaeh napped today I have had alot of time to spend with my sweet baby girl MaKartney and reflect on the journey that I have already taken with her in her short life, and wonder what experiences are yet to come with this little rambunctious angel!
All of my girls are special to me, but each in their own ways. MaKartney is my baby who has given me the most scares in the least amount of time, and has definitely brought me to my knees and immensely enhanced my relationship with the Lord ! God has shown me his mercies in so many ways with my children. I never doubt for one second that it is by his grace that I have 3 healthy, beautiful children and I couldn't be more grateful for his blessings!
When MaKartney was only 2 weeks old, my Dad, Mom, and the rest of the family took a vacation to the beach, and Roger was away from home working and I was of course at home taking care of my girls. I woke up (as all new mothers do I am sure) to the most beautiful sight that any mommy could, my new baby girl, and was marveling at how beautiful she was. I began to pet on her and snuggle her as I "examined every feature on her, and immediately noticed a HUGE knot on her chest!! I thought for sure that there would have to been something that had somehow got up into her onsie! However, there wasn't anything that had gotten into her onsie at all, there was in deed a knot, and a HUGE knot at that, that had emerged from my newborn babies chest. I was alone with three kids, and my baby had a BLUE and RED knot on her chest and I could do nothing but cry. I think that at that moment I panicked, but soon thereafter realized that there wasn't one thing about panicking that was going to make the situation any better. I got myself together and called my Mom first. I tried to stay as calm as possible, because if you know my Mom, then you know that she goes into orbit at any sign of illness. As I explained to her what had happened with MaKartney she advised me to call the pediatrician, and to keep her updated. The entire family went into prayer mode, and thank GOD for prayer, because that is all that got this worrying Mommy through.
After talking to the doctor, and calling my aunt Rita (who is a nurse to come and check on MaKartney) I felt little relief. Neither could tell me an exact prognosis of what this knot was, but ensured me that I should seek medical attention ASAP.....
That's exactly what I did. My husband and I took MaKartney to the pediatrician, who informed us that what this knot was, was a hamangioma (a vascular deformity), and referred us to Cincinnati Children's Hospital for a consultation and further medical attention.
To make an extremely long story short, MaKartney was seen at the children's hospital by a specialist team of about 20 doctors, and was spared surgery because of where the knot was located. The doctors described the knot to us as a "non-cancerous" tumor that was completely filled with blood pumping from, into, and out of the knot. Being that it was growing, aching, and laying directly on top of her chest, and had vessels flowing very closely to her heart, they would not remove it. They will simply keep and eye on the hamangioma until it has completely gone away, which will probably be around 7 or 8 years of age. MaKartney should live a completely normal life, and shouldn't be noticeably affected by her tumor.
I thank GOD for my little miracle, and will always remember that his mercy spared my angel from something that could have been so much worse than it is! I LOVE my little angel and thank GOD for her (an my other girls) EVERY day!!! I am blessed!!

Nevaeh's TOP TEN!

NEVAEH..... NEVAEH, NEVAEH, NEVAEH:)

What can I possibly say about my girl, but that she NEVER ceases to AMAZE me!!!! I decided that I am going to post this top 10 all time favorite memories and sayings of my girl to hopefully make your bellys hurt from laughing, the way mine seems to every day when I am around Nevaeh!:) ......

#10....Nevaeh : "My favorite animal is the baby puma mom" Me "what's a puma Nevaeh?" Nevaeh:"It's a whole lot like a leopard, but with a whole lot less spots on it Mom" (and she's 2 yrs. old).... where she gets it, i don't know!!??

#9......one of Nevaehs's favorite things in life is her "dintor" (dinosaur, which is her sippy cup) the word in itself is hallarious to me.

#8......We had told Nevaeh all week that her first name was Brittyn, which came as a total surprise to her, being that she didn't really understand that she has 2 names:)..... she insisted that she wasn't Brittyn Nevaeh, only Nevaeh....so. when we told her later that week that "swiper" (from Dora) swiped her bottles, I almost lost it when she suddenly got a look on her face and said "but I am not Nevaeh I am Brittyn!!" LOL! (like that swiper had taken the wrong girls bottles:) LOL!!!!

#7.....Nevaeh has three TV's on at all waking moments:) If you watch her eyeballs they "wonder" the entire time and during a commercial it is beyond hallarious to watch her make a mad dash to the nearest TV:)..... needless to say, she is a cartoon addict!:) Is there an intervention for that? LOL!

#6.....The time that I took Nevaeh to the dentist with me for my appointment, and she put in Billy Bob teeth in and walked up to the receptionists desk and said " I need to see the dentist"!!!! Hallarious!!!

#5.Nevaeh REFUSED to use the potty, so I thought that I would just insist that she sat on the potty until she did use it, and after about 20 minutes Nevaeh covered her face and said "Mom, this is SO impossible"!!!! Now, any kid that knows that word, probably knows the concept of using the potty if you ask me:) LOL!!

#4.....This one is kinda gross, but SUPER funny! Nevaeh "#2'd" in her diaper and knew that she was supposed to go to the potty, so she took her diaper off, and spread her "accident" around! She hid some of it in Harleys shadow box picture frame, some INSIDE of Harleys desk, and some of it was even hidden underneath of Harley Bugs rug!!!! Needless to say, I knew something was up when I walked into the room, and when I asked her what she had done, she immediatley replied "Maybe I pooped"! LOL and when I asked her where it was she very politely showed me all of it!:) haha! This was a turning point for Nevaeh and her potty training! I went into "mad mommy mode" and turned off all of the cartoons in the house (yes all three TV's:) and two hours later voila, Nevaeh was potty trained!!!:) yay!!!! LOL!

#3....."weebow"= "hairbow to Nevaeh:) LOL!!!

#2......Nevaeh squating underneath of the kitchen table, and when I asked her what she was doing, she said "pooping on my invisible potty! Go away!" LOL

#1...... The famous saying at Tumble World!.... "come here i wanna show you something"lol... comes from yours truely Brittyn Nevaeh!!! The story goes a little something like this!..... While trying to potty train Nevaeh, we usually kept a t-shirt with no panties on her to give her easy access to going to the potty. It allowed her to go quickly and not have to get her clothes off and also worked as a constant reminder that she wasn't wearing anything to pee pee or poo poo in;).... so to make a long story short Nevaeh had been playing in her play room when she suddenly pranced into the living room, obviously VERY proud of what she was going to tell me, and the words that came out of her mouth will forever be the funniest thing that I have ever heard..... She said "come here mom, I wanna show you something", "Ipooped in your floor!!!!" She smiled soooo big and was so proud that she was leading me by my hand to see her bowel movement!!!! On our way to the playroom to let her "show me something" she continued to smile from ear to ear and decided that she'd like to show her Daddy something too!:) She repeated what she had told me and said "come here Dad, I wanna show you Something!", "I pooped in your floor!!!"...... and in deed she did! She led us into the playroom where she had a shrine to her poo poo on the floor underneath of her play center!!!! And that to me was abslutely awful, and wonderful at the same time!!! Whatever makes her proud makes me happy! (Even if it was her poopy)!!! LOL

HAPPY 23RD BIRTHDAY TO MY BABY SISTER BRITTANY;)...... I figured in celebration of such a cherished life I would share with all of you a few stories about my baby sister.

The first vivid memory that I have of Brittany is one that I will never forget!..... When my sisters and I were little we stayed at home with my Mom, while my Dad worked away alot. He was normally home on the weekends, or every so many days, and we ALWAYS dreaded the day that he had to go back to wherever he was working. I remember hiding in a closet on this particular day, so that my Dad couldn't find me to tell me bye. (because of course, if he couldnt tell me bye.... he couldn't leave, right?lol) But, eventually he did find me and my sisters and said his goodbyes:(.... He got into his car, and started to drive away, but at one last attempt to convince him to stay, we chased his car..... BAD IDEA!! Brandy and I were older, bigger, and evidentally more stable on our feet, Brittany on the other hand,(who is 4 years younger than me, and MUCH more fragile than both of us) evidentally was not as fortunate in the stable catagory:) lol! As we chased Dad down the gravel drive, somehow Britt lost control and wiped out:(.... and when I say wiped out, I am not talking fall down and get a boo boo.... I am talking she bit the gravel, hugged the gravel, rolled on the gravel, and nearly killed herself on the gravel!!!!! NO JOKE!!! She fell harder than I had ever seen anyone fall before in my life, but the feelings of frustration over not catching dads car had trumped ANY feelings of sorrow for Brittany and her "accident" that she'd just had.

I remember dragging one arm, while Brandy had the other and we carried her forcefully up the hill (by her arms) and telling her to be quiet, we missed Dad too, and she would be fine!.... Well, eventually she was fine, but it was about a doctors appointment, some x-rays, alot of medicine, bandages, and a broken collar bone later!!!! OUCH!!!!!!

This wasn't the only time that I remember Brittany being sick when we were little.... I remember a time where Brittany had been sick for a while. She had flu like symptoms, and had gotten very white skinned with DARK circles underneath her eyes. Eventually, Dad and Mom took her to the hospital to later find that her appendix had ruptured and emergency surgery was required! It was serious, because at this point Brittany was in the first grade and had lost down to 21 lbs. and was almost too weak to undergo surgery. I remember feeling the saddest that I had ever felt before and at that point I think that I may have have decided to take Brittany under my wing, and start pretending that she was mine!:).... Until this day, I have felt no different! Brittany is like my baby, and I have loved following her from that day on.... through so many times in her life!.....

Like the time that Brittany was chosen as an ECHS (yess I said HIGH SCHOOL) Cheerleader when she was in the 8th grade at Carter Christian Academy!!! (If you know East Carter Cheerleading, you know this doesn't happen!!!!!!) To make a long story short, in order for Brittany to be a part of our squad, she had to transfer from Christian School to public school, and in the end, she wasn't willing to sacrifice her Christian Education!....Do you know how proud I was to stand beside of Brittanys decision? I don't think that I had ever been so proud.:).... Then, as you all know, Brittanys singing career..... Well, what can I really say?? My sister has been blessed with a voice that is like no other that I have ever heard! From church to fairs, talent shows, showcases, NASHVILLE!, BRANSON, His Servants (a very distinguished singing group)... and SO much more, Brittany has shined like a star! Never EVER leaving Jesus out of her message, Brittany has performed in front of thousands! I really don't know anybody else that has enjoyed watching Brittany grow as a Christian, and artist, and a performer like I have, and I can only imagine what God has in store for Brittany in the future! In 23 years I have been overwhelmingly blessed to be a big sister to one of the finest ladies alive! I have watched Brittany touch so many, but more than any other, I know she has touched my life the most! I LOVE my baby sister and thank GOD for her EVERY day! I want her to know that her birthday is very much celebrated by her big sister! I LOVE YOU BRITT!!!!!!

BOWquet:)

So, today I sat down and decided to try and making something kind of "crafty" to hold some hairbows that I am going to give as a birthday gift..... I took pictures along the way to show you how to make one of these if you decide that it is something that you like:)...... so here goes:)

Step#1: get a box (similar to the one that is pictured) and tape the top of it together (as shown)..... It doesn't matter if the tape is neat or not/you wont see this at all when it's finished.

Step#2: Cut pieces of ribbon (the length of the box) (any colors that you want)

singe the ends of the ribbon with a lighter

hot glue the pieces of ribbon to the box vertically until the front of the box is completely covered.

Step #3: cut pieces of ribbon (the length of the box horizontally) and glue them onto every other piece of vertical ribbon (this will leave about one inch of ribbon in between spaces without glue on them (so that the clip of the ribbons will slide through easily)

Step#4: after you have glued the pieces of ribbon horizontally cover the back and sides of the box with a bandana (or you can cover the entire box with ribbon in the weave pattern if you desire) using hot glue

Step#5: make sure all edges are smooth (use a lighter to keep ribbon from coming undone)

glue pieces of ribbon around edges and anywhere else that needs covered.

Step#6: clip hairbows to the outside of the basket (onto horizontal ribbon pieces)

Step#7: apply headbands to the top of the box (making a basket handle)

Your basket BOWquet is complete:)!!!

(fill inside with tissue paper and voila!!! you have a wonderful birthday gift:)!!

really simple sweet tooth recipes:)

Tonight I got the kids in the bed, and decided that I would make a treat for Harley's class at school for tommorrow (which didn't turn out to look that bad!!).... so I wanted to share the ideas with you:)......

RECIPE #1:Heavenly chocoate covered marshmallows: these are what they say they are...

things that you need are as follows:

marshmallows (one bag is PLENTY)

white chocolate or chocolate baking chocolate chips (one bag)

toothpicks

wax paper

directions: put about a half of a bag of white chocolate or chocolate chips in a microwave safe bowl

heat in microwave on high for approximately 30 seconds, remove and stir//repeat if needed until completely melted (make sure and stir very well)

stick marshmallow on toothpick and dip the end of the marshmallow into the melted chocolate

place the chocolate dipped marshmallow onto the wax paper (chocolate side down:)

let cool

ENJOY!!!!

(you can also dip the warm chocolate covered marshmallows into sprinkles, nuts, candy bar chips etc. to spice it up a little)

RECIPE #2: Brookeys Brownie bites:

what you will need:

box of fudge brownie mix (any brand will do)

eggs oil and water (for brownies)

white chocolate/chocolate baking chips

heath candy bar chips

This one is so simple:).....

simply bake the brownies according to the directions on the box

with approximately 2 min. remaining on your baking timer pour your white chocolate/chocolate baking chips into a microwave safe bowl and melt for app. 30 seconds and then stir (repeat if needed until melted)

when brownies come out of the oven immediatley pour the melted chocolate on top of the brownies and smooth with spoon until evenly dispursed.

Cover chocolate with heath bar candy bar chips

let cool

ENJOY!!!!!

On my heart

So, this morning while I was playing around on other "mommy blogs" I came accross two families who are without a doubt in need of PRAYER!!! God is so great to my family, and sometimes my small problems seem so enormous, when in all reality, they are so minimal to what some families are facing. I want to post a couple of links to these sites that I came accross in hopes that you may read their stories and you might join me in lifting them up in your prayers as I am.
The Maxey family - they had a little girl 5 years ago who lived a little over a year and died from a brain tumor. They had another little girl in October and she now has a serious brain tumor also. They also have a little boy. I wept over their blog last night. Please pray for this young couple. http://www.maxeyweb.com/

The Ramer family - due to a terrible accident - they had boy and girl twins who both drowned at the end of July. Can you imagine losing your 2 year old children - two at once? They are due with a baby girl in December. Please pray comfort over them. http://ramerbunch.blogspot.com/


Please dont forget to thank God for every little thing that he gives to you and your family. Our health, our children, our lives.......

Now and then....

So, today I have been thinking to myself about how different "yesterday" and "today" are. I literally remember a time, which doesnt seem so long ago, in which Grayson was considered a "big city" to me. If you lived in the city you were considered "high society", (to those of us who lived up the holler anyways.) lol;) That was where my family lived.... "up the holler". We lived straight across from my Mamaw and Papaw, down the hill from Uncle Bill and Aunt Dixie, and right up the hill from my Aunt Rita, Uncle Terry, and my cousins Tara and Richie. We really lived as one family who slept at different houses, and I have to admit, I wouldn't have had it any other way. Every Sunday the entire family (yes, most of the time, from what I can remember, it Iwas all 9 of my Dad and his brothers and sisters, and their kids) would gather at Mamaw and Papaws for dinner after church. ( and yes, for the most part, all of us went to church together at Cherokee FWB:) I vividly remember riding in the back of the truck all the way home where I would catch an occasional bug in the mouth, lol:), or riding on "the hump" (which was the compartment in the middle of the front seats of the car). We would stop by "Berts" to grab a quick snack (each of us ONE thing that had to be approved by my Dad) and then go back up the holler where we had SO many things to do:) Us kids would ride on the tractor (without it ever moving), play at "the rock house", (which was a bunch of rocks on top of the hill beside of the graveyard), or take walks to the barn on top of Papaws hill where we would listen for cyotes, wolves, bobcats or anything else that we wanted to scare ourselves with before running back down to the house as quickly as we could. We would set with the door locked in the bathroom, while we made up scary, far fetched stories, and would tell them for HOURS!!! We could play for absolutely ever, with absolutely nothing, but eachother. I never can remember hearing ANYONE complaining of boredom!! (not the case today, when I looked at Harley standing in the doorway with two American Girl dolls in her arms, looking at her two younger sisters, and saying "I'm bored!!" Not that Harley is any different from any other 6 year old child today, but just saying, when I took a step back to think about a statement like that, I can't help but wonder if I am doing the job that I should be as a mother?? Is teaching your children to be simple in the times that we are living in today not a reality?, or are there still children living up hollers who are spending so much more time, and a whole lot less money, and creating memories like I created as a child? I dont know, and probably never will know what it is like to raise children up a holler.... but I do know what it was like to be raised up one, and it seems so simple. Maybe not glamorous, or cool, or modern,.... just simple. Sometimes simple sounds good:)

small girl.... BIG HEART;)

Harley is such a kind hearted little angel..... her gift to tend to others started at the young age of 2 (almost 3) when she decided that she wanted to open her own "buisness". She started out by working around the house daily. Her buisness, which usually consisted of her calling Nanny, Papaw, and some other close family members, and selling them things that she would find around the house, or performing nail services, making cupcakes with her easy bake oven, or even giving temporary tattoos with makeup, was something that Harley took extremely serious. It soon developed into a situation that she would work around constantly. She wouldn't leave the house unless one of her "imaginary managers" were in the office, or she had called someone to let them know who would be in charge while she was gone. She would put the money that she had collected into her little purse that she carried around, and then spend it on little toys or treats from the dollar store, or the campus bookstore that was located on the college campus where our family lived.... The next thing I remember Harley was old enough to realize that if she was going to collect money then she needed a register to keep her income from her buisness straight. Her Aunt Brandy soon thereafter bought her a cash register (a real one) and it immediately took Harley (in her little 4 year old mind) to a whole new level with her buisness. She began selling pedicures, manicures, foot scrubs, and cheerleader makeup to family members and would somewhat complete her jobs, but rarely. She would usually end up collecting her money early and crying because she was too tired to finish. At this point, when Harley would send a birthday card to someone (i.e my Dad) she would buy a card that said "from all of us at the office) and sign everyones name to it (Meedy, Peedy, Leedy, Needy: you get the idea I'm sure:) lol) it was the cutest thing ever and we all loved seeing her explore with her imagination and go on adventures that only she could take herself on in her creative mind..... Until lastnight, Harley hadn't came up with any new fundraisers or services to offer, but would still often work around the house (cleaning or babysitting her baby sisters) and mention that it was for her buisness. Then lastnight Harley came to me at 10:00p.m. and told me that she would love to run a promotion of some sort through her buisness to raise money for sick children. My heart filled with JOY!!!! My little angel had sat at her desk and completed a plan to raise her own money, and that plan was to do family portraits. She called her Papaw and Nanny, and her two aunts, and scheduled appointments for the following day (today) and told them that the setting fee would be $10, and that she would donate all of the proceeds to the Cinncinnatti Childrens Hospital (in which her sister MaKartney is a patient in the vascular department).... Tonight, Harley completed her job!!! With three photo settings and selling some hairbows that her and I made together, Harley raised a grand total of $73.00!!!! What an amazing accomplishment for a 6 year old little girl. I can't explain how proud I am of her! I can only imagine what she will accomplish in her lifetime. She has went from pretending to sell, to half-way completing jobs, to now completing and donating her profits to others in need:)!!! I think that Harley's is doing a wonderful job at her "buisness" and hope so much that she will always follow her DREAMS and works as hard at her upcoming goals in life as determined as she does now!!!!!!!

you be you..... I'll be me:)

Harley..... Big sister/quiet speaker/good listener/independent.....
Nevaeh..... typical middle child/Loud/attention getter/story teller/borderline genius/freespirit!!..
MaKartney.....baby girl/sweetheart/comical/stubborn/LOVER/mommys girl

My three girls are nothing the same. If you know them I am sure that you will agree!!!:) In the journey of being a mommy I have discovered very quickly that just because you raise three females the same, doesnt mean that they are going to all become the same person:) I am soooo blessed to have the variety of personalities and interests that each of my girls share, and cannot wait to see what God has in store for each of them.... stories of my princesses/to be continued.......