The Clouds...

We have been having some pretty regular evening storms around here and the clouds are just down right scary! Nope...it is not getting dark in this picture but yet we are having another 6:00 pm storm!

Blah!

See that picture of my newest little niece above....that is what I have felt like lately. If I could fall on the floor and throw a temper tantrum, I probably would. Lack of routine has me out of sorts. But mostly I have to say that when I have things planned out in my life to go a certain way and then they don't, I don't like it. My plans and struggles for the last couple of years to go to Radiography school have been shut down. The programs around my area have gotten pretty impossible to get in to. So many people have been going back to school for the medical field. I knew that it was going to be tough, I struggled through the classes and it didn't happen for me. At first I was sad, then I was worried about what next, then I didn't give a crap and now I'm feeling relieved. Strange I know but I am. The school is very strict and goes for 2 years at 40 hours a week not counting study time. You can't miss days for sick kids or school parties.

Then there was that job that I had at the hospital that just gave me a reality check...I hated it. It wasn't the job or even so much the night shift as it was the missing things. The strictness. The holidays. It just isn't me. I am a my kids are first type person. So my mind is content with the answer that I got. I am looking in a totally different direction. What that direction is...I have no idea. I am just waiting, thinking and praying. We'll see what happens but my hopes are high and I am trying to remember that great big Godly things can happen when you least expect it!

It doesn't really matter that much...

My parents divorced when I was five years old. I still remember the final argument before their split. It's one of those stories you tell and laugh about now but then it wasn't so funny and I'm pretty sure that something I told my dad is what started the whole thing.

So began the next 13 years of my life spending every other weekend at my dad's house. Even though he tried, I'm pretty sure we never got enough time with him or with my mom for that matter....what kid does get all of the time with their parents that they want?? My dad has an amazing ability to tell stories and will have you laughing so hard. What makes it so funny is that they are true life stories and will leave you wondering "who does this stuff happen to". He will tell stories that range from having his bicycle repossessed as a child, to his brother's ability to be elusive from the cops and all the way to where he use to hide at when he skipped school at a very young age. The titles of those stories may sound sad or horrible but to hear the actual stories behind them will have you rolling on the floor laughing. I'm sure that at a very young age when someone comes to repossess his bike it is very heartbreaking but life continues and he loves to tell that story and laugh about it now. It is part of his life.

My dad has a quality that I seem to lack. Little (and sometimes big) things just aren't the end of the world. I have noticed the past couple of weeks more than ever that I freak out about small things...something I am certain that I have always done but am determined to change. I want to care but yet just not care much...I have no idea if that makes sense. A few days after my birthday the kids and I went to meet my dad for lunch at his favorite place. It had been a stressful Tegan morning (or week for that matter) and lunch was no different. At the end of lunch Tegan wanted another chocolate milk. I said no but of course Pawpaw ran right to the counter to get both kids another chocolate milk like any grandfather would do. Within 10 seconds of Tegan having the chocolate milk, he spills it everywhere. I instantly jump to react and a mere second before I could start fussing and saying mean things to Tegan, my dad jumps up and repeatedly tells Tegan that it is OK. Accidents happen. I can always buy you another one. We can get someone to clean this up. The kid that had just looked at me with fear that he was going to be in trouble is now looking at my dad like he is a superhero and has just saved him from his mommy.

To be honest I haven't really thought much about that moment since that day....that is until today. I had two moments today, one with Rylee and one with Tegan, that involved me using my words to make them feel bad about accidents that had just happened. As I was getting on to them and blaming them for not being careful, I heard a voice inside of me saying "It doesn't really matter that much". But that didn't stop me. I was so aggravated and not even the looks on their precious little faces could stop me. I don't want to break their spirit. I don't want to put them down. I want to say "Don't worry, we can always get you another chocolate milk".

I have spent 31 years of my life worrying, reacting and not enjoying. It doesn't matter if my child is loud in public as long as he is happy. It doesn't matter if my daughter spills something on her clothes every time she eats, an outfit can be replaced. I have been working really hard to let go of a lot of my germaphobia and have really came a long way so there is no reason that I can't learn to just go with the flow and let my actions mean so much more than my hurtful words.

The point is that we all worry and react to things that we shouldn't b/c in the grand scheme of life is it the end of the world or just another funny story that you will have to tell.

Handmade Diaper Bag....

***KEEP READING FOR A LITTLE DEAL***

So I have been working on several different things for my shop lately. I am not ready to show a lot of them but one thing that I am ready to show is the diaper bags I will be selling. When I started my etsy shop, diaper/tote bags were my thing. They were the whole reason that I started the shop and for a long time how I made my income and not to mention how many I sold on ebay. I let it get a little out of hand though. I started offering to many different fabric choices so that was causing me to have to keep stock of all those fabrics which can get expensive fast. Then I was selling the diaper bags locally for basically what I had in them. Sometimes, I was losing money on them. I got to where I hated making them and they were way to time consuming. So I took a break. I completely stopped offering diaper/tote bags and really enjoyed the break. Recently I made a diaper bag for my sister. I made it different. I used quilted fabric as the base and started from there. I really loved making that diaper/tote bag and really liked the end result. So I got to thinking, I always keep that black quilted fabric on hand so why not start offering diaper bags in a few standard fabric choices. Hopefully I will find the brown quilted fabric I use to have and add that to the collection but for now Joanne's is sold out of it:)


The new bags are a little bigger than my old ones. They measure 18 1/2 inches wide by 14 1/2 inches tall. They have two interior pockets. You can find this exact bag and purchase it HERE!

Now for a little price break....I am wanting a few sample pictures of some. I would love to do the two black and white fabrics below with either pink, green or turquoise fabric, ribbon and embroidery. So I will offer one sample of each combo for $26.99 with FREE shipping if you choose one of the two fabrics below. You can also get this deal on the zebra print one if you choose green or turquoise colors instead of pink! Please comment here or email me (at tabatham8@hotmail.com) if you are interested. I will work out the details of payment with you. If you feel more comfortable going through etsy then I will set you up a reserved listing for your order.

Stay right here!!!!!

I made the comment to my husband the other day that I wish our kids could stay this age forever. Although I honestly have to say that every year since Rylee was born I have always said that I like the present age better than the previous. But right now we have an 8 year old and an almost 4 year old. It is the perfect age b/c the 4 year old is finally big enough to do pretty much anything and we can threaten him in to cooperating...or at least my husband can. Then the 8 year old is still young enough to want to be around us and doesn't hate us yet:)

This weekend Rylee has been gone to church camp....alone....without me....her mama whom she abandoned and pushed right out the church cabin door and told to leave and that she would be fine!!! How on this earth is my precious baby girl old enough to go to church camp...alone...without me. She is there for less than 48 hours but all this is doing to me is making me realize how miserable I will be next year when she goes for a full week. Or better yet, what in the world will I do when I have an empty nest???? Yes I know that my 8 year old going to a weekend church camp isn't the same as empty nest...just leave me alone!!!

I need to get a job and make some money so that I can afford to cram in as many memories as I can with these kids!!! I just want these kids to stay right here! Exactly where they are. Is that to much to ask??

Just A Taste...

**DISCLAIMER: Husband I don't know if you ever read this but don't read this post until after Sunday unless you want to know what small gift you are getting for Father's Day:)**

So I thought I would give you a sample of one small little paragraph that I wrote in an email to my friend today. I had to laugh when I looked back over it b/c she asked the simple question "What are you up to today?" and she got this really awesome answer....

It isn't even 2:00 yet and it feels like it has been a hectic day. I made a trip to Athens to meet my dad for lunch for my Birthday. Of course I had two kids in tow which makes for pure craziness. Life is so stressful right now with Tegan b/c he is seriously to big for his stroller (his feet drag the ground) but yet he runs WILD when we get out of the car. I think I like him best when he is strapped in his car seat:) Anyways, we ran to Old Navy b/c before our beach trip Paul saw a Braves shirt there that he wanted but wouldn't buy for himself. So, I being the good wife that I am, took my own birthday money and bought him the dang $20 shirt. Plus I had to buy Rylee a whole piece bathing suit and I lucked up b/c Old navy had some marked half price so I got one for her for $8. Then I had to pick up one more piece of fabric at Hobby Lobby which is so stressful b/c I have to concentrate and then wait for three days for someone to cut the fabric and then wait 5 more days in the check out line. All that while Tegan is running around like a mad man and knocking things off the shelves. Then we go to the Varsity. Not my lunch choice but it is my dad's favorite so whatever. Anyways, the kid spills an entire cup of chocolate milk all over him, the table and the floor. It was awesome and got even more awesome when he decided to stick his foot in all of the chocolate milk under the table...on purpose. I was going to make a trip to Wal-mart but who has the energy for that. I gave up and came home where I continue to fight Tegan just to get him to sit down and rest a while. Good times! I have got to find things to do in the mornings to start wearing him out but the only problem with that is that I will wear out before he does. Kid with a lot of energy + mommy with no energy = bad day, tired mommy and still wild boy!! He is lucky I love him so much and that he has a really cute smile. Rylee was sweet as always so I think there may be hope for a calm down phase with Tegan in about four LONG years:)

I'm not sure if she was ready for all that but she asked and I answered. Happy Tuesday everybody or whatever day it is!!!

Because It Is My Birthday...

Today I am finally taking a break from the beach post although there is sure to be ONE more with never before seen pictures just to drive you over the edge. Well today I am 31 years old. No worries though because according to the lady at Hobby Lobby, I look like I am around 20. I'm sure that she was just being gracious but I don't care....I'm going to take it and run with it. I spent three much needed kid free hours out and about this morning to grab a few things and head to lunch with my bestie. I have to tell you this summer break at home with the kids is proving to be more of a challenge than I thought. When I thought of spending the summer at home with my kids I had visions of sugarplums dancing in my head but instead I am getting a whole lot of sibling fighting and power struggles. I plan to change that if I can though. The first week was just a resting week and celebration from surviving the school year. The second week was beach week. This third week of break has been Baycay Bible Cool (vacation bible school). So hopefully next week I can start getting them out in the mornings and if I can't find a way to wear them out then I am sure the Georgia heat will pick up my slack.
This post was suppose to be about my birthday but as always my world is centered around my kids. I will take this to the dark side shortly and then pull it right back if I may. This past week a little boy that is 10 years old and attended our church on Wed. nights, was killed in a car wreck. I didn't know him but my daughter did. Actually there were two 10 year olds that were killed in that car wreck. It was a very quick and harsh reminder to me that these kids may be driving me crazy, are turning my hair white and are sure to force me to lock myself in the bathroom but they are ever so precious to me. I have loved them and hugged them even more than normal this week and pray that I get to do that for the rest of my days.
The years keep flying by, for me and them but as with everyone I have a hard time remembering to stop and smell the roses. Turning thirty one to me doesn't mean I am getting older (but I guess I kind of am) but it means that I am still alive, well, happy and healthy. So many people don't get to live to see their 31st birthday but I have and for that I am grateful. So ladies (and men), complain all you want about life, your kids and even your spouse but always stop at the end of the day and praise the Lord for the blessings, burdens and life that he has given you!

The Sky Wheel....

Their slogan on the billboards reads "Get a little closer to Heaven"....that should have been my first clue! I'm not really sure I have ever realized that I am afraid of heights. I guess I have subconsciously always avoided all things that would make me realize my fear. When my husband and kids wanted to ride the Sky Wheel at Myrtle Beach I was all for it. I mean it is a closed in ride that all four of us got to go on together. Plus it was hot outside and the cars on this Ferris wheel have AIR CONDITIONING. Anyone that has ever even heard of the south, knows that is a huge deal. So we stood in line to buy tickets. Paid $43 total for the four of us to ride. Stood in another line to get on the ride. Then it was our turn. The closer I got the higher up it looked but I was still OK with it. Really I was OK with it until we got about half way up on the ride and it stopped to load more people. I thought I was going to die. I couldn't swallow and I couldn't figure out how I was going to save myself and my kids if this thing came tumbling down. I couldn't look out at all. I had to just focus on the kids and what all they were saying. But just like that (and no where near worth $43) it was over. Thank Goodness. I have a new found appreciation for the ground!

This is what each car on the wheel looks like. They can fit probably six people each but the great thing about this ride is that they don't make you ride with anyone else. Like if you come up to ride with only two people, then you are the only two in your car.

Behind me you can tell we are still close to the bottom. This is right before I thought I was going to die.

We were higher than the tall hotels. The Sky Wheel lights up at night and does a light show but when you are on it you can't see it but this glass building that is next door reflects it. The funny thing is that there is another hotel in between the Sky Wheel and the glass hotel but we were so high up that we didn't even notice that hotel until we got off the Sky Wheel and couldn't see the glass building.

These two loved it!

This is those crazy people that bounce around on a rubber band at the beach. There is NO WAY! We were at the very top of the Sky Wheel when I took this and those people were going higher than us!

The view from half way up....that is the best I could do:)

It was something to do but not something I will probably ever do again. I like life to much:)

Fun in the Sun

This is like part 15 of my beach post but I can't help it. You would be shocked to know that I only pulled my camera out 4 times the whole time we were there but yet still had over 400 pictures to sort through. So you can expect at least two more beach post and then I will be done.

We weren't suppose to leave out until dark and early Tuesday morning to head to the beach but being the crazy people we are, we decided at around 2:30 on Monday afternoon to go ahead and get the drive over with. We loaded up and in less than a half hour we were on our way. This little dude was excited and I think he thought he was going to bike week at the beach:)
We arrived at around 8:30 Monday night. Just enough time to check-in, grab dinner and rest up for the next day. The kids had us up at 7:00 AM ready to hit the beach. We had a very relaxing and go with the flow type week. We had no set schedule and no idea what we would do from day to day....just what the Dr. ordered for me.

This little beauty has decided to move to the beach when she is all grown up! I hope she changes her mind and decides to live with me forever!

This one...well what can I say. He keeps me on my toes that is for sure!

We stayed in an angle oceanfront suite. The husband and I both don't like the whole "angle" thing but we sacrificed and it was so worth it. We ended up with a room that had one room with two beds, a full kitchen, bathroom and another room with another full size bed, couch & TV. It was awesome and kept us from killing each other!

Both kids loved the ocean but Tegan insisted on me carrying him through the waves. There was this one time that me and him may have gotten knocked down by a wave and my bathing suit bottoms may have gotten pulled down a little.

Now in the next several pictures you may notice that most of them are of Tegan. Believe me, there is no lack of pictures of Ry but I just don't feel real comfortable posting lots of pictures on here of her in a bikini bathing suit. If I had it my way she would have wore long sleeves and blue jeans to the pool and ocean everyday!

Look at this cutie!!!

He LOVES to TORTURE me with the fingers in his mouth!

Ry was in pouting mode when I took this picture! I just sat there snapping pictures of her until she perked up a little!

We look like we are on a sky lift but we aren't, we are on the pier and Ry took this picture of us.

See me in the picture below?

Below is a picture of my beautiful family.

We had a great vacation. Everyone got along (except for the occasional brother/sister spat), no one got sick and we actually got to relax. My husband may have drove like a race car driver on the way home but I tried to just close my eyes. Any one who knows my husband knows that I have to beg and plead to get him to go on any kind of a trip b/c he just hates leaving home and hates spending money. He wasn't happy at all about going but once we got there he was better than he had ever been on a trip. He let himself enjoy it and not worry about all the stuff back at home as did I.

I am trying to figure out a way that I can go back next month but so far no luck:)

BEST IDEA EVER!!!!!

Our hotel at Myrtle Beach was really geared toward kids which made for a much better experience. I just have to say that whomever came up with this idea is a freaking GENIUS!!!!
This little area is just one of the areas for kids to play. There is an indoor large 1ft pool, regular indoor pool, two indoor hot tubs, one indoor lazy river and a large outdoor regular pool.

Just about everyday we parked our butts in some chairs around this pool and actually got to sit and relax while the kids ran wild and played for days in what Tegan called the "White Pool".

The whole entire pool is only 1ft deep which made it perfect for Tegan. Rylee would get bored with it so we would tag team taking her to the other pools but she always liked coming back to this pool and going down the water slide. Tegan did the water slide once but he was terrified and came out crying saying "I so scared, I so scared". We will blame that on Paul b/c he is the one that let him go down it:) I intend on holding on to my mother of the year award so I was standing at the bottom to jerk him out of the water as he came out.

I will never ever go to another hotel with my kids or future grandkids that does not have one of these play areas. A total genius idea!!!!!

What I learned from Vacation!!!

This past week we went on a nice five day vacation to Myrtle Beach. It has been a while since we took a REAL (more than a weekend) trip and also the first time we have been on a vacation just us four . Every year we have had a vacation scheduled and stuff would get in the way and cause us to cancel. This year all the stars aligned and by God's good grace we got to get away for a while and stay at a great (and clean) place called Sea Crest Resorts. I am going to do a whole different post about our trip with tons of pictures but since I am so tired tonight, I am just going to do a "What I learned from Vacation" post....

1. DO NOT put Bath and Body works lotion on your body right after you have gotten sunburned!!! I did this and literally had to peel my bra straps off of my shoulders. It was very painful!!!

2. All because you put on sunscreen at the beginning of the day does not mean that you are invincible!

3. DO NOT ride the new Jimmy Buffett Sky Wheel at Myrtle Beach if you have a fear of heights. The fact that it is enclosed does not help with the fact that you are going 200 feet in the air in a glass case!!! It is awesome though b/c it is air conditioned and private but I was pretty sure I was going to die at some point! But if you aren't afraid, it is a must for your next Myrtle Beach trip!

4. Contrary to my belief, all the swimming, walking, sweating and playing does not counteract all of the totally fatty foods that we ate! My scales were not nice to me:(

5. Although I love my SLR camera, I will get me a much smaller camera to take on my next vacation. It isn't practical to carry around that big camera everywhere we went!

6. There is no place like the beach to make you feel both horrible and great about your body. Great b/c you compare your body to some of those that shouldn't be walking around in that two piece bathing suit. Horrible b/c some ladies look so great that they make you feel like you should be wearing a t shirt and shorts to swim in.

7. Long hair is wonderful at the beach b/c you can just pull it up!!! I forgot that and almost got it cut right before!

8. Long and thick hair really sucks at the beach b/c it seems to never get dry.

9. I was totally capable of taking a week off from being a germaphobe and just let whatever happens happen! It wasn't easy but it was a stressful losing battle that I just gave up on within an hour of getting there.

10. Going on vacation is awesome and fun but when you get home you remember that there is no place like home!!!!

Goodnight....I have missed my bed!