Really Amy?

Ok, so recognize I have been MIA for about a month...no updates on the fam and such....shame on me.  What have we been up to?  Hmmmm.  Ok, well, Spring has arived at the Joneses, or at least I hope it has.  Can we use my working in the yard as an excuse?  No, fraid not.  I have not touched the first weed.  I have been hard at work in the house?  No, sorry alas that is not the case either.  I have been working myself to the bone at work...well a little yes.  Still no excuse I know. 

Let me give an update on my people and y'all can yell at me later.

• Hunter is plugging away at sixth grade.  We have T Minus One month before the big day...sigh.  My teenager will be arriving. 
• Perry is being Perry...in a big way as always.  We just filled out Middle School information...This causes me to want to cry ALL.THE.TIME.
• Jesse has been working a lot.  Bless his heart.  On that note we continue to be very, very thankful for the work.
• Chicken update....holding my breath and crossing my fingers, they should be gone this weekend!!!!!  YAY!!!!
• Me, I have been lazy.  I have developed migraines {I know, all the stress, weather changes and no real suprise here}and that has been quite the ordeal the past month.  Hopefully they will ease up.  On a positive note for me I have perfected homemade whole wheat muffins this month!!!....woohoo! 

Keep us all in your prayers as we dive into spring with all the busyness that follows. 

~amy

In Honor Of...

I feel it...love is in the air.  Valentines Day is tomorrow and I thought in celebration....let's learn a little more about the people I love the most...with some tidbits of me and my little dog thrown in. 



Drama Island

Whew.  I would like the person who says raising an infant is hard to step forward please....ok, ok, I know it is hard...but someone forgot to tell me that it does not get any easier.  Without going through all the gory details, I learned a hard lesson from an incident at Church this week (yes, it involved my lovely pre-teen)....people will break your heart in a second...even if they are your Church friend.  Am I the only one that does that?  Puts my Church friends on a higher level than the general population?  They are going to fall.  I fall all the time.  How you deal with the falling is the key.  I chose to take the higher road. 
I am learning a lesson in forgiveness, as well as, a lesson in trust.  I have Cried. Screamed. Cursed. Oh and have been a generally unpleasant person to be around.  Why?  Because someone was human.  Someone continues to be human.  I am asking for prayers.  Prayers for me.  Prayers for my family.  Prayers for the others involved.


BTW:  I would also like to request my handbook {AGAIN} for raising these boys. Please?....I am still waiting for it.  Anyone?  Anyone?


Forgiving and forgetting with the Joneses....


~amy

Baking with Amy...

Sunday afternoon....the lovely time.  Napping.  Sweat pants.  Quiet house...yea right that never happens.  Still, love Sunday afternoons.  This Sunday, I was ready to tackle bread.  I have made homemade bread before.  For a while I had become quite regular with it.  However, my attempt at whole wheat bread a couple of weeks ago was not pretty.  My little dog Lou Lou wouldn't even eat it y'all.  OK, so now to today's baking experience.  First:  Armed myself with a handy little blog recipe.  Thanks Gina over at http://homejoys.blogspot.com/2011/01/country-white-bread.html...and away we go.  I took her suggestion and split the whole wheat flower and white flower.  Second:  I bought old fashioned whole wheat flower of the stone ground variety.  Third:  I followed the directions explicitly.  The result?

Before...

After

AWWW  Big loaf fail...tis ok, still tasted good!

....yummy.

~amy

These are the moments...

We are home today...it is a "snow day" for the boys and a service call from the HVAC people for me....that is a WHOLE other story.  So I am trying to work a little and this is what I hear from the kitchen:
Perry:  "Mom look under there" 
Me:  "under where?" 
Perry:  "ha ha you said underwear"
 I tried not to laugh.  Thought that might encourage him


Boy humor with the Joneses...

~amy

It's a New Year!!!

2011.  Doesn't seem right does it?  What do we have scheduled for the year?  HMMMM. 


OK.


1.  Get healthy...Jesse and I both.
2.  At the end of April we will have a teenager in the house (oh the horror)!
3.  My baby will start Middle School...
4.  Chickens will be gone.


I can live with that...pretty respectable list.  Two items I have no choice in the matter and the other two...I need help...anyone want any chickens???


Ahhh, a New Year with the Joneses...




~amy

Merry Christmas!

I hope this post finds everyone well and ready for a Merry Christmas. 

It appears I have blinked again.  Christmas is tomorrow...We have baked, decorated, driven, wrapped and even lost it a few times during The Most Wonderful Time of the Year.  Don't get me wrong.  I love Christmas.  I love the excitement of it.  I love watching the boys and my niece and nephew.  I will love tomorrow when we  s.l.o.w. down...savor...enjoy....and praise Him.
For now, I will leave you with some snapshots of Christmas with the Joneses.

Christmas Play...Perry's head is peeking out...

Cookies, or they will be

Finished Product...ready for Santa

Child labor...love it!

And to all a goodnight...

~amy