The Willcutt Girls

Catching Up

2012-01-27T23:56:00.000-06:00

We have had so much rain lately. It's storm season around here, so Jason has spent several nights sitting up watching the weather to make sure we are safe.

Our backyard has been looking mostly like this...

Last weekend, while Jason was in the woods hunting, the girls and I made Rainbow Pinwheel Cookies. They were so much fun to make!

You can find the recipe for these cookies here.
Despite the rain, we did have a couple of beautiful days this week. One day was perfect for playing outside.

Lucy got the sidewalk chalk bucket out and got busy in the driveway!

Macy was so excited to finally be able to throw the football with her Daddy again.

Abby enjoyed us being outside, too *Ü*

The girls' school collected canned foods for our community's "Helping Hands" program. Because of the great turnout, the kids were rewarded...they got to have "Wacky Dress Day!" Macy and Lucy were so excited about this. They decided to wear all their clothes backwards, and for the most part, did not match.

Miss Lucy has a VERY wiggly tooth. I think it is just going to end up falling out...she does NOT want us to pull it! And by the way, I absolutely adore this picture of her *Ü*

Her kindergarten class has been learning all about careers this week. One of her friend's Daddy is an orthopedic surgeon...he came and spoke to their class and brought them all kinds of "doctor clothes" as Lucy calls them. She LOVES the gloves especially. When I asked her what orthopedic surgeons did, she quickly answered...

"They fix your bones. And deliver babies too."

They got to dress as what they want to be when they grow up to end "Career Week." Lucy chose to be a vet *Ü*

She wore Macy's doctor coat from Halloween, which is why "Dr. M.R. Willcutt" is on the pocket.

We are getting settled in to watch "Dolphin Tale" tonight. The girls are so excited!

I'm hoping to get back to blogging like normal...I haven't done so well the last couple of weeks!

Hope ya'll have a great weekend!!

We Finally Got a Chick-Fil-A!

2012-01-20T21:14:00.009-06:00

Yesterday was a HUGE day!!

Our town's Chick-Fil-A opened! Now if you have had a Chick-Fil-A in your town for years, this might not seem like a very big deal. But imagine if you DIDN'T have one!!

We love Chick-Fil-A. If I am ever in a town with one, I'll pass up ANYTHING to eat it. Jason and I ate it the night we got married. We were in Birmingham, AL on a Saturday night and could have had anything we wanted...but we picked Chick-Fil-A...that is how much we love it!!

*Ü* I knew it would be mass chaos on the first day...so honestly, I wasn't really planning on going by there yesterday. The girls and I had to run a quick errand after school and happened to ride by it when there was a little lull though, so we just HAD to go.

I am a chicken strip girl...with Chick-Fil-A sauce. I am also in love with their yogurt parfaits with granola...yummy!
I have a sweet friend who shares my fondness. Looks like we have both really enjoyed having our own Chick-Fil-A! So we had it yesterday, and then again tonight! We just can't get enough!!!

We heart Christan Chicken!!

A Day at Home

2012-01-16T23:56:00.001-06:00

I have not stepped foot out of the house today. Mail didn't run, so I didn't even get out to walk to the mailbox. We stayed in our pajamas all day long, and it has been so nice. Lucy has been fighting a yucky cold for the last few days, so I think it did her some good just to be inside. The girls built a blanket fort of all blanket forts and had a blast playing in it.

My sister has been in town because of everything that happened last week, so she came over tonight to spend the evening with us. She got into the dress up fun with the girls. Macy insisted that they dress up as pirates (cute pirates).

Lucy didn't really like the idea of being a pirate, so she stuffed herself into a size 3 leotard and tutu.

Macy even had a telescope...
And a parrot on her shoulder (aka my lime green scarf)...

It has been a nice day of rest and relaxation.

And yay for a short week of school!

It's Been Awhile...

2012-01-15T23:51:00.013-06:00

It has been two whole weeks since I last blogged! So unlike me! I have received the sweetest texts and e-mails wondering if all is well...I appreciate that so much.

The first week of January always sort of knocks my socks off it seems. Just getting back into the routine of the girls being in school, etc. after being out for over two weeks...that sort of thing. And this year, we have a thousand pound new baby (the horse!) to take care of everyday, so that has taken some getting used to.

Truth be told, though, there has been so much sadness already in this year, and I tend to avoid my blog (and the computer as a whole) when I am sad.
Out of respect for her family who is grieving so terribly right now, I will not say much, but I lost a very special Aunt...JoAnn Graham...just this past week. She was the person that I idolized...the kind of person I have always wanted to be when I grow up. She was an icon of our town. Everybody knew her, and if you knew her or even just knew of her, you loved her. She had a picture perfect life...she was absolutely beautiful, she had a husband that adored her and children who loved her, a beautiful home...just a perfectly beautiful life. She had a knack for gardening and collecting. And she shared ALL that she had with others. She has battled cancer for the past 5 1/2 years. This past Thursday, she went to be with Jesus. She loved life and even considered her struggle with cancer a beautiful part of her life. An amazing woman was she, and her legacy will live on and on and on. Her funeral service was the most beautiful I have ever attended. But it is still sad, and it still hurts. And I think that is why I have avoided blogging...because while life goes on, her life has ended. It is so hard to believe that she is gone, and still seems so very unreal.

I do want (and need) to catch up on my blogging. Honestly, I have taken very few pictures since the first of the year. The break from blogging has been kind of nice, but I really have missed it. I have to tell you the funniest thing...I walked into the bathroom to dry the girls off after their shower several nights ago...Lucy was sitting on the seat in the shower wiping a cut on her knee. I immediately asked if she had fallen in the shower, to which she so matter-of-factly answered...

"No ma'am, I was just shaving."

Excuse me? Shaving?

"Oh yes ma'am, I do it all the time."

Well, I do not really believe that she does it all the time. But apparantly this wasn't the first time it has happened. Can you say six going on sixtenn? Oh the horrors. I enjoyed them being out of school over Christmas break so much. I think ya'll know that my favorite days are days when the girls are at home with me all day (more specifically at home and in our pajamas all day!). And we had lots of those days over the holidays.
We made coffee filter snowflakes... And Macy decided to write a "newspaper" to chronicle the life of the Willcutts. She never fails to make me laugh! She even included a copyright...

Lucy is all into fancy writing, and she loves writing out Bible verses...

The girls found these batons on the dollar side of a local grocery store...

Can I say that they have played with these one dollar batons more than anything they got for Christmas? Isn't that just typical?

Lucy had safari day at school one day this week. They got to dress up in safari-type clothing and actually went on a safari at school. She was so excited about it!

Lucy is ALL into reading. I love it. She is just like Macy was, in that one minute she could not read, then the next minute, there is nothing she can't read. She reads ALL the time. Whether it be reading signs as we are riding down the road or books at home. She loves, loves, loves to read. She even gives me Phonics lessons on my Gain detergent bottles (notice the pink sharpie...the "long a" mark about the "A" and the the mark through the "I" because it is silent).

We have a holiday from school tomorrow...Lucy decided to build a fort in the living room to sleep in tonight. This child cracks me up. She even hung a flashlight from the "ceiling" so she could have a light in there. She is busy, busy, busy right now making sure it is just perfect!

So there's a brief catch-up post. I promise it won't be another two weeks until I blog again. I have missed it too much!

Happy New Year!

2012-01-01T22:56:00.015-06:00

I told Jason this morning that it seemed like Christmas was FOREVER ago. And it was only just one week ago today. I purposefully tried to make the week between Christmas and New Year's go slow...not many plans, not many errands (except to the huge Bath & Body Works sale where Macy and I scrounged around the store for the last 2 "winter wonderland" candles that they had...ha!). And it really in truly seemed like the longest week ever. I love that. As much as I love, love, love where the girls are in school right now, I still like them being home with me. If you know me, you know I love staying up late, and I love a laidback lifestyle...when I get stressed it shows...and oddly enough, being stressed gives me lower back pain (yuck). Jason would tell you I get stressed a lot more than I should over things that should not stress me at all...and it's true...but I think stress is just a part of the season of life I am in right now. Or maybe, juuuuuuuuuuust maybe, I allow stress to get the best of me when it does.

My blog friend, Courtney, posted on her new year's blog post that instead of making a bunch of resolutions, she was making a list of things that she would like to FOCUS on more. I like that.

So one thing I am going to FOCUS on this year is not letting little things get the best of me.

Being less stressed and realizing that I am more blessed.

To my teacher friends...sorry...that sentence is probably the most grammatically incorrect sentence ever...but I think it makes perfect sense.

We had a wonderful church service today. We talked about new beginnings. About how 2012 is probably going to be a lot like 2011...there will be happy times and sad times, times where we are content and times where we will worry, new people will come into our lives and sadly, there will be people who will leave us. Things will happen that we will expect to happen, and things will happen that will take us by surprise...we may even get the wind knocked out of us for a time. But we will pick ourselves up, dust ourselves off, and by the grace of God...we will go on.

One of the most comforting thoughts to me is that God has already been where we are going. He has already seen us so excited and full of happiness and joy that we will literally want to squeeze somebody. And He has already seen the tears that we will shed. Nothing...NOTHING takes Him by surprise.

I pray that 2012 is going to be a good year. I pray that babies will be born to people who have dealt with infertility. I pray that those who are single will find love. I pray that those who have dealt with depression will overcome it. I pray that those who are hurting will be healed. I pray that those who have dealt with or will deal with loss will find peace. I pray that those with unforgiveness in their hearts will find the courage to forgive...forgive others and forgive themselves. I pray that 2012 will be a wonderful year for my family and for each and every one of you and your families.
After our church service today, we headed to Jason's parents' to ride Prince. This was a much anticipated day, as it was the first day the girls actually got to ride him since finding out he was theirs! I have to say, I am totally smitten with this horse. We love him so much, and what is so great is that I think he loves us just as much. Especially if we bring sugar cubes with us when we visit! Macy rides like a little pro. She has put her whole heart into learning how to ride him, and it shows. Seeing how happy the girls are around their horse brings Jason and me such joy. When I was downloading these pictures, the next picture got me tickled. It's hard to tell without being able to zoom in, but Macy is raring back to stop Prince, and his nostrils are blown out as far as they can go, and it looks like he is giving the biggest gummiest smile. Lucy was very full of herself today. She kept telling me cowgirls don't smile for pictures and that the camera was distracting her. Funny how she had the biggest smile on her face riding him the ENTIRE time...EXCEPT for when I wanted to take a picture (or when she didn't know I was taking one). I love the way you can see the sunbeams shining through in this next picture... We had a few things we needed to get at Wal-Mart this evening (where I was checked out by THE sweetest girl ever), then we decided to pick up chinese food at our favorite chinese take-out place. One thing we love about this place is that there is always plenty of food for two meals...so guess what we'll be having for dinner again tomorrow night?! I did attempt to make real black-eyed peas. And much to all of our surprise, they turned out so yummy! The instructions from the sweet people at the grocery store worked perfectly! Macy loves black-eyed peas, so she was an eager taste-tester. She approved! But I had to promise her she could have oreos afterwards. Dipped in milk, of course. Poor Lucy missed out on all the black-eyed pea excitement. Sister fell sound asleep right after her bath. I have said it before, and I'll say it again...we are so truly blessed. We are ALL so truly blessed.

May we all continue to be blessed...AND MORE AWARE OF AND THANKFUL FOR OUR BLESSINGS...in the new year!

New Year's Eve For Us...

2011-12-31T23:56:00.000-06:00

Growing up, I always stayed up to see the new year come in. It was such a big deal to watch (and hear!) my brother rattle the neighborhood with his shotgun when the clock stuck midnight. At the time, my parents' house was not zoned inside the city limits. Things have changed since then, and we'd probably get hauled off to jail if we did that at their house now.

Then there came the highschool years where I thought life just wouldn't go on if I wasn't at the happening party on new year's eve. Those parties included crazy kids, somebody's house whose parents were off at their own party, loud music, maybe some fireworks, and depending on if the party was inside or outside of the city limits...my brother's shotgun.

I chuckle a little these days when people ask us what our new year's eve plans are. Um, does nothing count? Not nothing as in we are in bed by 10 o'clock...but nothing as in we don't do parties or anything involving leaving our kids with a babysitter. We like to be at home with the girls. They get a kick out of watching the ball in New York drop...Macy realized this year that it wasn't OUR new year's when the ball dropped. The countdown continues for us for another hour. And by george she kept us informed during that hour...minute by minute by minute...

I bought some cans of black-eyed peas at the grocery store a couple of days ago...because everyone (or at least every Southerner) knows that if you want to have good fortune in a year, you MUST eat black-eyed peas on January 1st. I decided today though that I wanted to try to make "real" black-eyed peas...you know, the dried kind. We made a quick trip to the store this evening to get some dried peas and whatever else I might need to cook them with. Keep in mind, I have never attempted this before....and I am a recipe girl. I also know, though, that "real" cooking doesn't call for recipes...so I found me a very nice fellow and a sweet lady in the store to pester about how I need to cook these peas. I am sure I was the topic of conversation at somebody's dinner table tonight. I can just hear it..."Ya'll. I ran into this little gal in the store tonight...never cooked black-eyed peas before in her life." The fellow led me over to these little bags of stuff called "hog jawl" and said that is what I needed to cook with the peas. Dried peas. Check. Hog jawl. Check. I am fully prepared (at least I think I am) to make a big pot of black-eyed peas for tomorrow. Maybe they'll be edible, maybe they won't. We'll just have to see about that.

Jason and Macy stayed in the car while Lucy and I ran into the store. As we were about to check out, sweet little Lucy said, "Mama, let's make Daddy that pie that he asks you for all the time and you never make it."

She would be talking about a cream cheese pie.

"Oh sister, let's do that." So along with our dried peas and hog jawl, we got the ingredients for the pie. When Jason and I first got married, this was the only thing I could fix for dessert. It is virtually impossible to burn them...as they do not have to be baked...although it would have come as NO surprise if the mixer I used caught on fire and burned the batter...I had THAT sort of luck in the kitchen during our first few years of marriage. Remind me to tell you about the time where my oven door fell off...literally...before the repair man came, I would have to stand there and HOLD it on if I needed to use the oven. Because they required no baking, we had cream cheese pies quite frequently. And Jason still likes them, if that tells you anything.
Lucy and I made the pie tonight. She really enjoys helping in the kitchen. And she REALLY enjoys taste testing...

So our new year's eve this year consisted of a trip to the grocery store, me learning how to make real black-eyed peas, and making a pie. The 4 of us were all together just hanging out...perfect night to me *Ü*

*I posted the pie recipe almost a year ago here.*

**And just for the record, my brother no longer shoots his shotgun at midnight on new year's anymore. He's now a daddy and spends new year's eve at home with his wife and 2 boys...and if I know my brother...asleep long before the clock strikes midnight.**

Hope you all have a happy new year!!

Thursday

2011-12-29T22:00:00.007-06:00

Poor Macy had a little "episode" in the night last night. We thought it was a stomach bug, so she slept with towels spread around her and a trashcan by her side. When she got up this morning feeling perfectly fine, we decided it must have been due to my baking frenzy yesterday...I think the girl ate 24 of my chocolate chip cookies all by herself.

Lucy went to the library this morning with my Dad and my nephews and my sister. Mother Goose doesn't take the holiday off...ha! Macy and I met them afterwards for lunch, and the girls went home with my parents for a little while this afternoon, leaving me all by myself. For really no particular reason, I do not do well all by myself. I like to be with my girls. You'd think I would get a lot done when I am alone and enjoy a little break, but really in truly, I walk around in circles and get nothing accomplished. Weird, I know.

So what did I do this afternoon? Well, that's a good question. Would you believe me if I said I sat and watched my husband and my father-in-law chop wood? Probably not, but that is EXACTLY what I did. As I was leaving Jason's parents' house after stopping by to check on the horse, he and his Dad drove up with a truckload of firewood. Chopping wood (i.e. watching my husband's awesome arm muscles operate an ax) sparks interesting conversation. It was fun!

I picked up the girls after a few hours, stopped again to take care of the horse, then headed home. We ate supper (yummy new crockpot roast recipe...I'll have to share), and had horse cookies for dessert.
Our shaving cream/glue snowmen that we made last night were dry, so we broke out some craft supplies and got busy embellishing them.

This craft is so simple...equal parts shaving cream and glue...stir it up, then fingerpaint with it. You could use a brush if you wanted, but the girls really had fun getting their hands in it.

Embellishing the snowmen caused an all out craft fest...

We made felt flower hair clips...

Hairbows for American Girl dolls...

Flower clips out of ribbon and fabric scraps...

And tiny snowmen...

After crafting for about two hours, they got a little crazy on the tricycle...

It's been a fun Thursday!

Christmas Aftermath

2011-12-28T20:30:00.019-06:00

We have had a wonderful few days since Christmas. Jason was off on Monday, so we had a good day around the house with him. We have enjoyed simple days of doing not much of anything...those are the kind of days that we love. Like I have said before, my girls are so content with staying at home and just playing. While there is a time for getting out and doing things of course, our family truly enjoys being at home and just "being" rather than constantly "doing."

We have been staying up way too late...

And sleeping way too late... Breakfast usually comes around the time when most are getting ready for lunch (okay, maybe not THAT late...but you get the point)...
Cinnamon toast and hot chocolate or coffee (I do let my children drink coffee sometimes!) for breakfast every morning...yum! The girls have been enjoying all the things they got for Christmas.
This is a draw-your-own puzzle that Lucy got... And Macy has done a lot of coloring in her stainglass horse coloring book... I have become obsessed with a few things lately, and you know I have to share them!

Such as poking cloves in oranges (in a pattern, of course). They smell so good! Jason thought this one looked like a person's head, so he dressed it up in my ruffly coffee coozy... Another new obsession...roasted sweet potatoes wedges. I had never had these before...but oh my goodness, I am now smitten with them. My mother-in-law and sister-in-law were talking about these at Christmas, and I had to try them. I just cut up some sweet potatoes into wedges, drizzled them with olive oil, put sea salt and fresh ground pepper on them, and roasted them for 15 minutes at 350 degrees.

They are so yummy! I love, love, love the mixture of these two juices... I prefer a 3/4 cup white grape juice to 1/4 cup cranberry raspberry juice ratio, but you can defintely alter it to your taste. Next best thing to diet sierra mist with cranberry (and you can ALWAYS find white grape juice and cranberry juice!). And baking. Need I mention that I have a slight obsession with baking? Today was chocolate chip cookies. These turned out so chewy like soft batch cookies...they are delicious! And along the lines of baking...icing cookies. You would think I would enjoy some time off from being the Cookie Mama...but actually, I miss it so much! I decided to make the kids some snowman cookies using a cookie cutter kit I got last Christmas. And horse cookies with the cookie cutter I got in my stocking this year. The highlight of our days has been when we go feed Prince. The girls get so excited...and I do too! It is so much fun to go out to the pasture and see him...it's so cool when we drive up and he trots over to the edge of the fence to see us...like he's been waiting all day for us.

We took him sugar cubes and yellow apples today for a treat. He seems to prefer yellow apples over red ones, for whatever reason. And during my baking frenzy today, I googled "homemade horse treats" and came up with a recipe with ingredients that I had on hand. Don't these look yummy?? I thought they did too *Ü*

However, Prince wasn't too fond of them. This was the result of me feeding him one of the cookies... One tiny bite, and the cookie was spit on the ground. He didn't seem to enjoy them as much as I had hoped. I even mixed a broken up cookie in with his sweet feed. He licked that bucket clean. All except for the cookies, that is... So I'll google another recipe tomorrow. I'm not giving up yet.

Can you see the excitement in this little girl's eyes when she goes to see the horse?? I have decided that having this horse is going to work in our best interest as parents. The girls get sassy, we threaten them..."if you don't cut out the sass, you won't get to go see the horse today." How quickly they snap out of their sassy mood! Granted, there will be days when two sassy little girls get to go see their horse, I am sure. After all, he IS ours to take care of...every day. I have not been more excited about caring for something everyday as I was when my babies were born. Prince is such a blessing to our family!

I love this picture of "twice my size" and "mini me" (although some think Macy is beginning to look like me)... We have also become quite fond of this dog that lives near Jason's parents' house (where Prince stays)...he always comes running when we drive up... I found this cool project on pinterest that we worked on tonight. You take equal parts of shaving cream and glue and use it as paint. We left ours white and made snowmen... We'll let them dry overnight, and embellish them tomorrow. Such a fun craft! Hope you are all having a nice after-Christmas week!

Christmas Eve

2011-12-26T23:17:00.022-06:00

We woke up Christmas Eve morning to my vehicle on the front porch...VERY close to having been driven right through the front doors. Very perplexing...

Until upon further investigation...we discovered that Susan and Dottie were the culprits.

Shew!

They had a backseat full of stuffed animals and dolls in the car with them...late night joyride, I guess!
Jason always makes me laugh. The girls asked for coffee...so coffee they got...

In teeny-tiny American Girl doll mugs. Ha!

Mid-morning, we headed to my parents' to spend the day celebrating Christmas with my side of the family.

The girls brought Susan and Dottie along to spend the day with us, as they would be returning to the North Pole with Santa that night.

Boy, are we going to miss these two little elves!

The girls with their stockings at my Mom's...

That is a cupcake hat on top of Lucy's stocking...and she sure looks adorable wearing it!

The girls with Bippy...

My nephew, Carson...

And my nephew Cade, who walked around all day snapping pictures on his play cell phone...

Lucy just hanging out...

Macy was loving the horse gifts she received!

Cade told me a month or so ago that he wanted me to give him a sock monkey for Christmas. So by all means, I found him a sock monkey. A dancing sock monkey at that...it's the cutest thing!

Lucy got the cutest book written by a Mississippi writer...

And she got an owl alarm that hoots. She loves this alarm clock! She toted it around with her for the rest of the day!

More horse stuff for Macy...

The sweetest gifts were these vintage necklaces...all the girls got one. They were created by using my Nana's jewelry. These necklaces are so special. The clasp on all the necklaces is a bird...my Nana loved her birds. This was our first Christmas without her, but it seemed as if she was there with us in spirit.

We tried to get a picture of all the girls with our necklaces, but the ones taken with my camera didn't turn out so great. So just a couple of snaps of me and the girls...

After opening gifts, it was time for dessert. Looks like somebody found his way to some red velvet cake...

Snowman donut holes made by the kids...

Then it was time to make little gingerbread houses!

They turned out so cute! My sister had melted peppermints in the oven for little "trays" to go under each house...such a cute idea!

The front two houses are Macy and Lucy's. Lucy's is on the left, and Macy's is on the right.

Once we got home that night, we made reindeer food to spread in the yard. We just used a hodge podge of things...oats, chocolate chips, and lots (and lots!) of glitter (oh, how I love me some glitter!)...

The girls got Santa's cookies and milk all ready...and placed Susan and Dottie right beside the plate so Santa wouldn't forget them. We sure are going to miss those funny elves!

The girls were in such a hurry to get in the bed. As a little girl, I always had so much trouble falling asleep on Christmas Eve. Not my girls. They are very eager to get in the bed and fall asleep so that they don't accidentally see Santa!

Right before bedtime, the girls wrote their letters to Santa. Lucy asked Macy to help her with hers so it wouldn't take too long. Lucy told Macy exactly what she wanted her to write. These words caused her Mama a lot of tears late that night...

Sweet tears. How precious is it that a 6 year old only wants "everybody to have a VERY merry Christmas." She never asked for one thing for Christmas. Because this was her wish.

She signed it herself...

I went to bed with such a full heart! And lots of anticipation for the next morning!

Christmas Day

2011-12-26T22:00:00.002-06:00

The girls woke up at 3 a.m. Christmas morning. After a little coaxing, we got them to lay back down, and they didn't wake up again until 6...which was perfect. Macy and Lucy are so funny...they are both PETRIFIED of Santa Claus...they sleep in our room on Christmas Eve because they are so scared that they will wake up in the middle of the night and see him.

Jason and I always have to go out to the den first to make sure Santa came.

He came alright!

Lalaloopsy dolls are a favorite... We opened gifts from under the tree after they looked at what Santa brought. I had painted a few of these angels for gifts this year and decided the girls needed their own too... I was excited to find some new boots under the tree for me! Jason and I were so eager to finish up Santa and opening presents, because we knew thebiggest gift was waiting to be revealed. I have shared a few of these pictures already, but I am going to share them again, because it is what made this Christmas the best ever!

We told the girls that Daddy had been working on a present for them that was too big to bring to the house. So we all loaded up in the car and headed to see it. The girls thought we were headed to Jason's office (we may or may not have told them a little fib). However, on the way, we decided to stop at Nana and Gran's house...which is where the big surprise actually was. Jason and his Dad have been working very hard to rework the fence surrounding the pasture and stable at their house (they had horses back when Jason was growing up).

Jason came up with the wording for the sign we hung on the pasture gate...It was freezing cold and raining when we got to their house. There was so much excitement, though, that nobody seemed to notice. When we got out of the car, the girls took off up to the house, but stopped dead in their tracks when they heard the gallop and loud whinny of a horse.

Can you say perfect timing on the horse's part??!! Words cannot express my girls' reaction to the horse! It was one of the sweetest, most precious moments for our family ever. It was so awesome! Like I mentioned in my last blog post, Prince is the horse the girls have been taking riding lessons on. I think one of the things that made everything so perfect was that the girls knew him, and he knew the girls already. One of my favorite pictures from the morning...Love this picture of Prince wearing his special halter from Jason's Mom...After all the excitement, we headed back home to get ready for our ten o'clock Christmas church service. I think this picture is so sweet (especially as they are at my feet right now fighting over a game of UNO)... After church, we headed back to Jason's parents' house to spend the rest of the day celebrating Christmas with his side of the family.

Taking a picture of the 7 Willcutt grandchildren is a challenge, but I'm always up for it. Even if it does mean causing everybody to have to wait to eat. Sorry!! Opening presents is always fun and crazy with this many kids! My girls were super excited about their gifts, especially their new North Face jackets... I can truly say, it's been the best Christmas ever!

We are so very blessed!

Best Christmas Ever...

2011-12-25T23:49:00.005-06:00

As you know, Macy and Lucy are obsessed with horses. They started taking horse riding lessons back in October.

Little did they know, they have been learning to ride their OWN horse for almost 3 months now.

I cannot even BEGIN to describe Macy and Lucy's reaction this morning to the loud whinny of a horse and this sign...

On this cold and rainy morning, we shared a Christmas unlike any other. My girls' dreams came true. It was a picture perfect moment that we will never forget. It is with great joy that I introduce the newest member of our family, Prince. According to both of our girls, this has been "the best Christmas ever."
I hope your Christmas was filled with joy as well.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-24T09:14:00.003-06:00

Merry Christmas from the Willcutt girls...and Jason too!

Much love,

Jason.Shannon.Macy.Lucy

Christmas Cookie Baking

2011-12-23T23:56:00.000-06:00

We did our traditional Christmas cookie baking with my sister at my parents' house today. We sometimes do the baking at our house, but we decided this year to do it at my Mom's.

I love watching my girls do what I do a lot of myself *Ü*

My nephew enjoyed baking with us this year too...

What a fun mess!

I like this picture of Lucy and my sister's dogchild Milli...

I love, love, love their creations...

And I love how Lucy went back and added bows to her reindeer antlers...

I always look forward to Christmas baking...and so do the girls. I love that it is one of our fun traditions!

Friends and Things

2011-12-22T23:39:00.012-06:00

The elves have been enjoying themselves this week. They hid in the girls' pink Christmas trees and brought the girls little happies one day (I love happies!)...the cutest little gingerbread girl ornaments...

They also colored the milk green...

Macy and Lucy were a little iffy about drinking the green milk...
And yes...those are Wal-Mart iced sugar cookies that the girls are eating for breakfast. It's Christmas, right?!

Macy's friend, Emma Kate, came and spent the night with us Tuesday night. She is so sweet...the girls all get along so well (except for the occasional squabble between my two!).

They wanted to make American Girl size "tiny treats" so we made chocolate donuts with sprinkles (cheerioes with chocolate frosting)...

And smores (mini marshmallows and a chocolate chip between two golden grahams cereal pieces)...

I had seen a recipe for peppermint playdough (on pinterest of course!), so we made that and incorporated lots of glitter into it. Between Christmas decorations and this playdough, you would think my kitchen tile was actually SUPPOSED to be glittered!

Christmas cards are in the mail...yay! Hopefully they will arrive BEFORE Christmas! I ended up doing a couple of different cards, but I only snapped a picture of this one...

Joy is my favorite word. Ya'll that know me know that. And the back of the card reads "He has done great things...2011." He truly has done great things this year.

Onto some other things...

I am loving these vintage-like mercury glass birds that I found for really cheap at a local shop...

And these Bath & Body Works candle scents are my fav-o-rite!

Winter Wonderland...

And Winter (I love the turquoise on the label, and it looks like a cross to me)...

The girls and I stopped by a special lady's house one day this week, and she sent us home with this fun (and very true for us!) plaque...

Last night during our church hour, we loaded up about 17 children and went carolling. It was SO much fun! I have never been carolling before! Macy went with the church kids 2 years ago, but I was home with Lucy because she was sick. And last year, none of us got to go because we all had the flu the week of Christmas. But this year, Macy and Lucy and I went...and can I tell you what a true blessing it was. I am so thankful that we were able to go, and I plan on making it a yearly tradition. We carolled at several of our homebound member's houses. These ladies were precious...you could just see a sparkle in their eyes as we were singing to them. If I get nothing else for Christmas this year, I have my gift...the gift of seeing smiles on worn and tired faces...all because of children singing "Joy to the World." It was a priceless evening.

Ater we finished carolling and were back at the church, a little boy that I used to teach in Sunday School ran up to me with his adorable snowman...

He made it himself and stuffed it with birdseed. I will treasure this little snowman forever!

I continue to be in awe of the thoughtfulness and generosity of others. My cup is overflowing.

Macy and Lucy are spending the night with my sister at my parents' house tonight. I finished up all my before-Christmas errands today and got my house cleaned...yay! Now I am off to wrap up some presents to put under the tree. I'm going with polka dot paper this year...

Along with my polka dot cross gift tags from Doodle Bugs Paper (owned by a precious girl from Mississippi whom I absolutely adore!)...

Can you believe tomorrow is the day before Christmas Eve??!!

Snow Elf-Angels and a Happy

2011-12-19T23:56:00.001-06:00

We woke up yesterday morning to the sweetest thing under the Christmas tree...

Susan and Dottie making snow angels in flour *Ü* They had to have a bath after that stunt...a real bath...like an in-the-washing-machine bath!

We enjoyed the first Monday of our holiday. We stayed in all morning and did things like make towers out of solo cups... After lunch, we loaded up a ginormous order of cookies for my Dad's office and headed into town. I had a few errands to run after taking the cookies...the girls begged me to let them stay at the office with my Dad. He said it was fine, so I ran my errands all alone. I got so much accomplished in about an hour and a half. And my Christmas shopping is all done!!

Yesterday was such a great day at church. We had a birthday party for Jesus in Sunday School...the kids really enjoyed that. And last night was our adult choir Christmas musical. We incorporated the children into, and it was wonderful.

I have to share what my friend, Maggie (who is in charge of our children's ministry) gave all of us Sunday School teachers... The cutest cup... Filled with smarties, sharpies, thumb tacks, and a pencil sharpener. Such a fun gift...would be awesome for school teachers, too!

Hope you had a great Monday!

Flash Post!

2011-12-17T21:45:00.001-06:00

It's hard to believe that one week from right now, we'll be tucking two little excited girls into bed...eager to wake up on Christmas morning!

So on to my flash post...

We celebrated my nephew Cade's 3rd birthday today! His birthday isn't until the 22nd, but his party was today. Here is a snap of the 4 grandchildren on my side of the family...

And just a little bit of sweetness to help remember to remember the real reason of this crazy, busy time of year... Here's to trying to slow down and enjoy every minute of this week before Christmas!

Happy Birthday, J!

2011-12-15T23:51:00.003-06:00

Today is Jason's birthday! The first words out of his mouth this morning were...

"I'm half of 70."

I thought that was so funny.

Ya'll know Jason is not much on having his picture taken and put on my blog. Therefore, I thought I would put a picture of him on here that Lucy drew. I am not sure why he is shirtless and wearing swim trunks in this picture, nor do I know what he is holding in his hand, but it is a cute picture nonetheless...

I have to say, Jason is the sweetest husband I could ever imagine. He has more patience with me than I deserve.

Seriously...he dries my hair for me on Sunday mornings. He never complains about the hundreds of cookies that I make each week or when I need his help with something. Just today, I called him to meet me to pick out his birthday present...we walked out of the store with MY Christmas present and NOTHING for him...and he was so excited about it.

He's the real deal...and I am so glad he is mine!

He loves these girls with all his heart, then some more. They are so blessed to have them for a Daddy.

Happy birthday, Mr. President!

*Ü*(inside joke) *Ü*

Elf Recap and What We Did Today

2011-12-13T22:51:00.009-06:00

I have forgotten to post what Dottie and Susan have been up to the last couple of days. Since the elves are a big tradition at our house, I like posting what they do on for when we look back.

Sunday morning, we found them taking a nice "bubble" or more like a cotton ball bath in the sink in the girls' bathroom. They had tiny baby wash, tiny towels, and a tiny bath puff. I especially liked the way they turned their little clothes right side out when they took them off. I think everything that Macy and Lucy take off ends up wrong side out. Maybe they could learn a thing or two from the elves.

And yesterday morning, we found them outside peeking in the house...

I sort of forgot to bring them in, so they stayed perched on the front door all day long. Oops. No wonder they were tired last night...we didn't find any fun this morning!

A little girl at church had the cutest sweatshirt on Sunday night. It was Rudolph with her handprints for the antlers. I knew I had to add it to my craft list...I also knew I better get it down fast since there are only 12 days left until Christmas...*gasp!*

I gathered the supplies plus two $5 sweatshirts from Wal-Mart, and we made them today.

I love them!

Lucy's sweatshirt...

Macy's sweatshirt...

My favorite part is the fat polka dot bow...love, love, love...

While waiting on our shirts to dry, the girls painted and crafted again. I love this horse Macy painted...so much, it may have to be framed!

And Lucy's sweet singing angel...

I am still adding touches of Christmas here and there as I find things in my rubbermaids. This vintage wreath added to my apron hook is one of my favorite things...

Updated my Christmas frame on our foyer table (oh how I love some Wal-Mart one hour photo)...

I ran across these rustic snowflakes that I had forgotten about...

I thought they would go well with my JOY wreaths and would be the perfect way to hide the ugly pushpins I used.

I've got Christmas cookies drying...

And I am off to ice more!

Art by Macy and Lucy, Supper by Jason

2011-12-12T23:56:00.001-06:00

My girls are SO happy with some paper and a pen or markers. Seriously, we put away tons of toys this year (remember my playroom makeover??) because they would rather be playing outside or coloring or drawing. They also enjoy imaginatory play...which I love that they love that too. Now, don't get me wrong, they do have toys that they do play with...we just weeded through a bunch of stuff that they didn't play with anymore and that was just causing clutter and chaos (which drove them as crazy as it did me!).

Lucy did this today, and it just made my heart happy. She knows that my favorite word every is "JOY." How precious are these words she wrote (all on her own)...

And you know I am all about some handprint art! So Macy did this reindeer for me... These angels were inspired by the ones I did with my Sunday School class last week.

Macy's...

And Lucy's... Between this angel and all the craft projects I did myself this past weekend, our house is literally covered in glitter...tis the season! I heard once that "glitter is the gift that keeps on giving." How true is that??!!

I had to take a picture of supper tonight...made by Jason *Ü*

Egg and cheese on grand's biscuits...very simple...but so yummy! Today was the girls' last full day of school! The rest of the week will be half days. So exciting!

Sunday Fun

2011-12-11T23:56:00.001-06:00

I love Christmas cards! I love sending them, and I love receiving them. But as much as I love them, I am always last minute sending them out. After church today, I took a hundred pictures in attempt to get the perfect Christmas card picture.

This one just may be the one...I love it...

Sorry for all the pictures you are about to see, but you know me... At some point in the midst of picture taking, we had a meltdown. I even lost Macy for a little bit... Then we got goofy... When Macy decided to rejoin us, she still wasn't too happy with me... Until I reminded her that as soon as we finished taking pictures, we would leave for horseback riding lessons. All smiles after that *Ü* And more goofiness...it's just to be expected when you want to get some good pictures! This was our little fingerprint craft we did in Sunday School this morning. I have seen it done smaller where the children create the stable out of toothpicks, and it can be used as a Christmas ornament. But I realized I had no toothpicks late last night, so we just did it like this. Horseback riding lessons...my girls are LOVING them. We are riding the same horse we started on in the beginning...he is really getting to know the girls and the girls him. Of course, the girls are still asking for a horse for Christmas. Ha!For now though, they are perfectly content with just taking lessons *Ü* In other news...I ironed my ironing board to death. Literally. The leg literally split in half... So Merry early Christmas to me...a new one... And just because I love the view out our front doors at Christmastime... Hope you had a happy Sunday!

The Last Few Days...

2011-12-10T23:32:00.012-06:00

I was at the school again all week subbing, so things have been a bit crazy again. Well, I say crazy...but honestly, it seems like things run more smoothly when I am subbing...I honestly feel like I get more accomplished. That probably sounds so weird, but it's the truth. I stay focused and on task and get so much more done!

Life with elves is never dull. We found them hanging from Lucy's ceiling fan one morning. The next morning, they got into toilet paper...

The elves had to take a little break because of nanny-nanny-boo-boo attitudes that my girls possessed one day. They wrote the girls a note telling them that their magic was gone until the attitudes went away...and let me tell you...my girls have been angels every since!

Lucy called Jason one day and asked him if he could put some lights on Abby's doghouse. So, he did...

One day, we arrived home to a bag of goodies that my Mom had dropped off. One of the things inside was this adorable towel...

Sorry I am being random and jumping from one thing to another and back, but once the attitudes were better, the elves were back in full swing...

I got some Christmas craft projects done around the house today. I have had a couple of visions in my head (partly thanks to pinterest!), and I got them completed. I really like how they turned out!

These are my "wreaths" for my front doors...

I just spray painted (excuse me...Jason did the spray painting for me!) some Wal-Mart picture frames, made a mesh bow (bows are NOT my for-tay), and hung ornaments from various grosgrain ribbons.

One of my favorite things about my house are double front doors. Until I decide to make something for them. It can get a little tricky to try to match 2 things exactly!

I also had a vision to do "JOY" wreaths for my breakfast area window. While I am sure something like this is somewhere on pinterest, I actually got this idea while on a field trip with Macy (the wreaths said "READ" and were in the book corner of a souvenier shop).

I just used real grapevine wreaths ($ 3.50 each at Wal-Mart), poster board, paint, glitter, and striped grosgrain ribbon. Easy peasy, but again, I love how it turned out!

Tonight, Jason and I had our Sunday School Christmas party. We had a blast. We played dirty Santa, which is always so much fun! This little tree was used as a tag on the gift Jason got, and I thought it was very sweet...

This is the adorable ornament I ended up with...I love it!

And bless Jason...he ended up with a girly gift too...

It has been a fun few days since I last blogged! Hopefully I can be more consistent this week. School is in all day on Monday, then we have half days for the rest of the week. Christmas countdown is on!!

Crockpot Potato Soup

2011-12-09T23:56:00.001-06:00

This recipe is from my sweet friend, April Forrester. It is so yummy!! I asked her if it was alright if I posted it here for ya'll, and she said sure!

Crockpot Potato Soup

5 lbs baking potatoes (peeled and cut into cubes)

2 cans chicken broth

2 cans cream of chicken

**I also added about a cup of 2% milk**

Put all in crockpot and cook on low for at least 8 hours. Peeling all 5 lbs of potatoes does take a little time, but it is worth it, I promise!

About 30 minutes before serving, add the following:

8 oz cream cheese

package of real bacon bits

We always like these simple breadsticks with potato soup...I just cut up slices of bread in about 4 pieces each, spray them with some cooking spray, and because I happen to have a couple of contatiners...I sprinkle them with Paula Deen silly salt. If I did not have the silly salt, I would use garlic salt or sea salt and garlic powder.

Trimming the Tree

2011-12-06T23:56:00.000-06:00

The girls were excited to see their elves playing UNO this morning when they got out of bed! Looks like Susan and Dottie love this game too *Ü*

Macy and Lucy have been SO helpful with the Christmas tree. Jason brought home our massive tree on Saturday. We trimmed it up, got it in the stand, and put the lights on it...and the girls have worked very hard at decorating it.

Since we have been in our current house, Jason has brought home an old-timey cedar tree from the deer camp every year. It's a big tradition for our family. The bigger the tree the better! We put it in the girls' playroom since it is on the front of the house. The tree basically fills up the entire room. I am not picky about the tree...it has ornaments from my childhood on it, ornaments from my grandmother, homemade ornaments, as well as ornaments that we have collected over the years since we have been married and had our children. Whatever the girls want to put on the tree is fine by me!

I love the coziness that a Christmas tree brings to our house!

Our Weekend

2011-12-04T23:56:00.000-06:00

Susan and Dottie must be still catching up from their long flight from the North Pole. All they seem interested in is eating and sleeping! But the girls are still having fun with them...wondering each morning where they will be and what they will be doing. I can just mention that the elves aren't on the hearth (which is where they put them every night), and they bolt out of the bed!

They enjoyed most of a bag of marshmallows!
Saturday morning, the girls had a birthday party for their sweet friend, Emma Kate. It was an American Girl party...my girls have been really looking forward to it!

I must say, my friend Jennifer P (Emma Kate's Mama) REALLY outdid herself on this party. It was absolutely precious. I had a funeral to attend Saturday morning, so I had to drop the girls off and didn't get to stay...I really hate I missed it. I got back to pick the girls up, and they didn't want to leave they were having so much fun.

They did the cutest craft with soup cans...

I wish I had gotten a picture of Macy and Lucy with their dolls, but I didn't. Their outfits matched their dolls outfits *Ü*

After a trip to Wal-Mart, I am ready to get my craft on for Christmas! I will share my little projects when I get them finished.

I needed some glitter balls for my bowls, so we made a stop at KMart. I spotted this Santa with an apple green glittery hat and knew he had to come home with me...

I found the cutest napkins (these were from Wal-Mart)...

And Wal-Mart had some of the cutest ornaments...they were all like $ 1.97 each! My favorite one is this one...

I let the girls pick out an ornament a piece. Lucy picked a red bird...

And Macy picked out a whimsical felt tree ornament...

Some of the glittery bowls I found...

I put up a few more decorations around the house. Now ya'll know me...I am pretty simple...

This is still my all time favorite piece of handprint art that I have done with the girls...

I snapped a few pictures after church on Sunday. Lucy was pretty much like this all.day.long...

I loved these...

And yes...Macy's mouth is blue...she decided to eat an airhead right before we went outside to take these pictures.

This is the angel we made in my Sunday School class this morning. I used the kids' hands for wings...just made sure their fingers were smoooshed together.

We went to our small town's Christmas parade and also got to visit with some special friends of ours this weekend.

December has been a month of many blessings already!

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas...

2011-12-02T23:52:00.005-06:00

Jason brought our pencil tree home from storage this evening. Now, I love my big tree (which will be here tomorrow!)...but I really love my pencil tree. Jason's Mom gave it to us several years ago, and it has become one of my favorite things.Lucy was so funny. She said, and I quote...

"It's time to get a little Christmas cheer at our house!" Bless her little heart...she told me she wanted to decorate the tree all by herself. So I let her. I think she did a perfect job... I have put a few things out around the house...just a few...more to come...

So it may not look A LOT like Christmas yet, but I'm working on it *Ü*

The Elves Are Back in Town!

2011-12-01T23:56:00.000-06:00

Macy and Lucy were very excited when they opened the pantry to see that the elves are back!

Susan and Dottie are back in town. They are such a fun part of our Christmas traditions!

They arrived hungry and thirsty as usual...

Macy's elf, Susan...
Lucy's elf, Dottie...

They found the tiny plates and mugs that we brought home from the American Girl store in Dallas. Perfect size for little elves *Ü*

They promised in their letter not to make too much trouble this year, but we shall see about that!

And of course, Lucy had to draw the elves...

Happy December!

Here's to one of the most fun and magical months of the year!

This Is the Day...

2011-11-27T22:27:00.004-06:00

I wake up Macy and Lucy every morning by singing to them. I either sing "Arise, shine for your light has come" or "This is the day that the Lord has made." My singing to most people would be pretty annoying, but if I forget to sing when I wake the girls up, they are quick to remind me that I forgot. So I know they notice...and I think they like it.

It was nice to be back in church this morning. We did not have a Sunday evening service or a Wednesday evening Bible study due to the holiday week this past week. It always feels so good to be in the house of the Lord.

When I was trying to come up with something for my Sunday School class for this morning, I thought about this book of Lucy's...
I love this book. And it is based on the verse that the song "This is the day that the Lord has made" comes from. I thought it would be fun to read this book to them and make a sunshine using the kids' handprints for rays. I thought it turned out pretty cute...

I hope you rejoiced in today!

Filled With Family

2011-11-26T21:45:00.001-06:00

We are blessed to be able to spend time with both sides of our families each Thanksgiving.

Thanksgiving starts out for us at Jason's parents' house. My mother-in-law's family all travel to be with us. We did a head count this year...there were 33 people there, but normally would have been 34 (we were missing Beth!). Can I tell you what a blessing it is to have this many family members gathered at one place at one time? We range from the age of 6 months to 60 something.

Can I tell you how thankful I am that I married who I married?

I'll be honest. It took me several years to realize JUST how blessed I was that I married him. We both would agree that we have come a long way...but to be where we are now...it was all worth it.

A big and growing family means tons of little ones (and cousins, cousins everywhere!)... This picture is a miracle...all 7 of the Willcutt grandchildren (here on earth) looking pleasant and in the general direction of the camera...The grandsons... The granddaughters...Me and my girls... After a fun day at Jason's parents' house, we head down to my parents' camphouse for Thanksgiving with my side of the family. My sister being home is always one of the highlights of Thanksgiving. This picture is funny to me...the 4 Hollis grandchildren with turkey shirts and Santa hats...Milli (my sister's dog) enjoys watching all the excitement from her little perch on top of the chair (and yes, she has a turkey shirt on too)... We usually spend a couple of nights at my parents' camphouse. It's a nice time to just relax. There's no internet usage (except what you can get on your phone...and that's only if you stand in the middle of a deer field with one foot in the air and your hand on your nose...you get the picture). The kids enjoy squirrel hunting, having boat races in the creek, and target practice. This was Lucy's first year to participate in the target practice part. She loved it... I think target practice is everybody's favorite... My nephew "accidentally" took this picture, but I loved it... Hope you all had a wonderful Thanksgiving week. We all have so much to be thankful for.

Happy Thanksgiving!

2011-11-24T08:00:00.003-06:00

I have so much to be thankful for. It truly overwhelms me when I stop and just attempt to count my blessings.

I hope you have a happy, happy Thanksgiving. I hope you are able to spend the day with those you hold dearest.Happy Thanksgiving!

"Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all you lands. Serve the Lord with gladness...come before His presence with singing. Know you that the Lord He is God..it is he that has made us, and not we ourselves; we are His people, and the sheep of His pasture. Enter into His gates with thanksgiving, and into His courts with praise; be thankful unto Him, and bless His name. For the Lord is good; His mercy is everlasting, and His truth endures to all generations."

Psalm 100

Tuesday, Tuesday

2011-11-22T21:00:00.000-06:00

Today was a rainy day. It was a nice day to stay at home in our pajamas...in fact, the girls went to bed in the same pajamas tonight that they went to bed in last night *Ü*

The girls played all day long and made lots of messes...I mean memories *Ü*

They also got along very well...which is such a huge blessing, as you with children know! Yesterday was sort of a nanny-nanny-boo-boo kind of day, so I started off the morning today reading the girls this Bible verse...

"Do all things without complaining and disputing, that you may become blameless and harmless, children of God without fault in the midst of a crooked and perverse generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world." Phillipians 2:15

And I am telling you, it made all the difference in the world! Amen!

They colored, drew pictures, played with pumpkin spice playdough, dressed and redressed their American Girl dolls, and decided to redecorate the living room...

I have so much to be thankful for. I am constantly reminded of the many blessings God has bestowed upon my little family. Including our church and our pastor. I received the sweetest note in the mail from our pastor's wife. It's the little things that are really the big things to me. And these silly, silly little girls. I don't know where I would be without them!
Macy is doing so good with her contacts. This is usually the face we get when we tell her to let us see her big brown eyes... I was looking through some old pictures today and ran across these little turkey headbands we made several years ago when Macy was 4 and Lucy was 1...

I love this on Google...looks like a handprint craft to me...ha!

Remember the picture of Billy the miniature pony in this post? Well today, the girls were playing horses, and Macy decided that Lucy should be "Billy the pony" and give rides to all the dolls. I couldn't help but laugh at this picture where Lucy looks just like Billy...

You would think after finishing 500 cookies in 4 days I would want to get out of the kitchen. However, I have been in a baking mood all day long today. Jason says I am addicted to baking. Good for him, though!

We baked swirl cookies... Pumpkin spice cupcakes (muffins)...

And right now, there is pumpkin bread in my oven baking (recipe from my sweet friend). I have made this bread a hundred times, and it turns out beautifully every time. However it is not looking quite right this time (glad I put that cookie sheet under it!)...

We are about to start an UNO marathon...

I love days like these!

My Brown Eyed Girl

2011-11-21T23:56:00.000-06:00

We always go to the eye doctor the week of Thanksgiving for our yearly checks. Macy just got her glasses updated a few months ago, so she did not need a full exam. She did decide today, however, that she was ready to try contacts. Now, I think she is cute as pie in her glasses, but I have missed seeing this big brown eyes...

She did really well with them today!

Sister was being silly and wouldn't sit still for her picture to be taken.

One more picture of my fall decorations...

Hope you had a happy Monday!

Crazy, Busy Week!

2011-11-20T23:56:00.000-06:00

Seems as though my blogging has become rather spasmatic. Sorry for that! It drives me crazy! It has been a crazy, busy week. One of the highlights was filling shoeboxes for Operation Christmas Child. The girls look forward to this every year. They always do boxes for little girls, but this year decided they wanted to do a box for a little boy, too.

Besides the normal every day stuff this week...I have had 4 ulcers in my mouth, I fell...yes, I said I FELL this week (like major embarrassingly fell), and I managed to super glue my shoes to my feel this morning (seriously...and don't ask).

I wasn't very good about taking pictures this week, but I did get several from the Thanksgiving Feast at school. The kindergarten classes all dressed like pilgrims or Indians and sang several songs. Lucy's Indian name was "Dancing Horse." I thought that was so fitting. I know she's mine, but I think she is the cutest little Indian ever...

I helped out with the first graders during the feast. This picture is for you, Crystal Phillips...
Lucy sang her little heart out on the stage and did all the motions. Can I tell you that I cried watching her? This is my child that stood on stage at church for 2 years in a row during VBS parent night and wouldn't make a peep. She wasn't about to sing in front of a crowd, much less do motions. She has blossomed SO much since she started kindergarten. I could just eat her up... I filled in a good bit at the school this week, plus had a bazillion cookies to ice. My house looks like a bomb exploded in it right now...and I am not exaggerating. Totally unlike me. But you do what you have to do sometimes. While I have been very calm despite the busyness this week, my OCD kicked in a little bit when Lucy decided to cover the playroom in little strips of white paper (this is just the beginning). However, Jason read a quote to me that I think will stick with me forever...(and might I add that this picture shows no where near how messy the room really was!) "Pardon my messy house. My kids are making memories."

I love it. I know you are all probably like me and thinking how in the world can it be Thanksgiving already??!! I have SO much to be thankful for. We are all so truly blessed. The girls are out of school all week for Thanksgiving, and I plan on putting some of this busyness aside and enjoying them being at home all week. We're looking forward to spending a lot of time with family over the holiday.

Hard to believe in a few days it will be time to decorate for Christmas. I am heartbroken about having to throw my pumpkins away, but I know once I start getting my Christmas things out, I will be okay with it.

This has helped me actually really look forward to putting out my Christmas stuff this year... It is the sweetest little nativity I have ever seen. I love it. I might leave it up all year long.

Thank you to my sweet friend Crystal for seeing it and just knowing that I had to have it *Ü* If you look close, you'll see that the baby Jesus even has a little halo...how precious... I am blessed beyond measure.

Here's to a fun week filled with fun times with family.

And just in case you were wondering, I did finally get my shoes un-super glued from my feet. It's never a dull moment around our house!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

2011-11-18T01:07:00.000-06:00

Wanted to share a yummy recipe...

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

**makes 2 loves**

3/4 cup softened butter

8 oz pkg softened cream cheese

2 cups sugar

2 large eggs

3 cups all-purpose flour

1/2 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/2 tsp salt

1 1/2 cups mashed bananas (about 4 med bananas)

1/2 tsp vanilla extract

Beat butter and cream cheese on medium speed with electric mixer until creamy. Gradually add sugar, beating until light and fluffy. Add eggs, one at a time, beating until just blended after each egg. Combine flour and next 3 ingredients...gradually add to butter mixture, beating on low speed just until blended. Stir in bananas and vanilla. Spoon batter int 2 greased and floured 8x4 inch loaf pans (I use granulated sugar instead of flour on this part). Bake at 350 degrees for 1 hour or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean and sides pull away from pan. Cool bread in pans on wire racks for 10 minutes. Remove from pans and cool for 30 minutes on wire racks before slicing.

**Original recipe called for 1 cup chopped and toasted pecans.***

Our Trip To Texas

2011-11-17T22:31:00.020-06:00

I have been reminded this week that I left ya'll hanging with my last post about our trip to Texas. My week went a bit differently as planned, therefore I wasn't able to do any blogging *Ü*

So, we flew to Texas out of Jackson...great airport, I might add...small, easy to get through, etc. I don't travel much and definitely am not an expert on airports, but I really liked flying out of this airport.

I usually get really anxious when I fly. However, these two girls were so excited that I sort of forgot to be anxious.

My sister lives in a small town outside of College Station. She picked us up from the airport and took us to her office to look around, then to her apartment. She has a really cool loft type apartment...newly renovated, but with touches to make it look old (like the exposed brick in the picture below...LOVE it).

My sister is a pinterest girl...and she even makes stuff she sees on pinterest...ha!

Like this jewelry hanger...

And candy corn made out of styrofoam cones and yarn...

I think I drank my weight in Starbucks while in Texas. We don't have the luxury of having a Starbucks on every corner where we live, so I have to get it while I can (salted caramel hot chocolate, that is).

The main purpose of our trip, other than getting to visit my sister, was to go to Dallas to the American Girl store and bistro. We went to the one in Atlanta when Macy was 6, so it was Lucy's turn.

It was even more fun because the store (and the whole mall where the store is) was decorated for Christmas.

I loved the jars of candy...

Everything was just so cute...

And tiny...

Me and my Mom...

The food was even cute...

And yummy too!

My sister is in her element in big cities. Me, not so much...but it is fun to visit.

This is a picture of the girls in front of the biggest Christmas tree (in the middle of the mall in Dallas) that I have ever seen!

We spent the night in Dallas, but got up pretty early the next morning to head back to College Station. The hotel we stayed in had the prettiest swans. The girls enjoyed feeding them. Lucy loved that they enjoyed lettuce as much as she does...she kept saying she was feeding them salad.

This is right before we left headed back home...I had to take a picture in front of this sign because it was cute and colorful for one, and two, I thought it was funny that is said "Houston is big" because goodness gracious...it is huge!

Right before boarding the plane to head home...

We had a great time in Texas!!

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane...

2011-11-13T23:56:00.000-06:00

The girls and I and my Mom headed out to Texas on Thursday to see my sister! We actually planned this trip only 19 days in advance...

My girls love a countdown! Every morning, Lucy would jump out of bed and run mark off another number on the countdown chart.

I sang the song that was on the movie "Armegeddon" all week long...you know..."I'm leaving on a jet plane...I don't know when I'll be back again."

Jason didn't like me singing it too much. He kept saying, "You WILL be back on Sunday." I think he was a little sad about us leaving.
Well, it is Sunday, and we are back. We had a blast! I'll post more about our trip in the next day or two!

Tuesday

2011-11-08T23:56:00.000-06:00

Thank you so much to my friend, Jennifer P., for the cutest t-shirts for the girls. They have wanted to wear them every.single.day since they found them on our front porch last Thursday night *Ü*

I love the precious message on the back of the shirts.

Along with everyone else in the world, the time change has thrown us off a bit. Dark by 5:30...crazy...which means we have to get some quick outside playtime in as soon as the girls get home from school.
Abby is NOT enjoying the time change. The few minutes of the girls being outside in the afternoons is just not enough for her.

I snapped a few pictures of Abby chasing her tennis ball...these are for Jason *Ü*

She will do this until she literally wears herself out. And if we stop throwing her ball to her, she starts throwing it to herself...I kid you not.

Since Lucy started school this year, I have been substitute teaching a little bit here and there (at the girls' school). I absolutely love it. I think I missed my calling. Lucy loves when I substitute because it means she gets to stay at school all day. She loves eating lunch at school and taking a nap. I packed her a little owl sandwich for her lunch today (not the prettiest owl sandwich, I know...but she did know it was an owl)...

Her teacher came in the room where I was subbing and told me to make sure I saw the family picture Lucy drew today in class. Priceless. She even got our ages right.

Hope you had a happy Tuesday!

Happy Sunday!

2011-11-06T23:56:00.001-06:00

This weekend has been absolutely beautiful! The weather was perfect...sunny, warm, and breezy. We spent most of Saturday outside...a birthday party at the Country Pumpkin, a birthday party at our church, and the girls had horseback riding lessons.

Today was a great day. We went to church and had lunch with some wonderful friends. Then back to church for Awana and evening services. I hope you all have had a wonderful weekend as well!
I have to share the craft my little Sunday School class did this morning...because I love owls and I love Jesus...and they do too *Ü*

Hope ya'll have a happy week!

A Post About Stuff...

2011-11-05T01:00:00.000-05:00

I found a blast from my past at WalMart the other day...basis facewash. I used it for years then couldn't find it anymore. I am using it again...and loving it!

L'Oreal lipstick in Silverstone...love it. I have been using lipgloss for forever, but it wears off too quickly. I love this color!

Suave dry shampoo. If they sold stock in this product only, I would suggest each of you buy it based on my usage alone. Best $ 2.74 you could ever spend!!

Glittery owl masks for my girls for Halloween from a local shop in downtown Columbus...

These candles smell awesome and are made in my hometown! And the jarring and the label make them just too perfect.

"Olivia the Pig" books. We have had several for years, and Lucy is loving reading them herself...they are great for beginner readers!

It's Gain and it's turquoise. Need I say more?

The girls got new tennis shoes this week (they desperately needed them!). Plain gray New Balance because I knew they would hold up. They of course wanted the craziest off-the-wall tennis shoes they could find. I let them pick out which neon color shoelaces they wanted, and now they love them!

As a reward for great report cards, the girls got to pick out a game. They have been wanting this one since they played it at Nana's a few weeks ago...

It is a really fun game! Can I tell you how funny they thought it was that my card happened to say "I am a Pig" on it when this picture was taken?

And perhaps the best of all. I got this text from my sweet friend, Apil, right after I bumped into her at Wal-Mart last weekend...

It's baaaaaaaaaaaaack...

And I couldn't be more excited!!

Playing Catch-Up!

2011-11-04T22:20:00.000-05:00

Okay, I can download pictures and charge my laptop, so I am back in blogging business. Do I even need to warn you of the crazy amount of pictures that are in this post? Probably not...ya'll know me *Ü*

Lucy had "Cowboy/Cowgirl Day" at school, which included a field trip to the Country Pumpkin (the fabulous pumpkin patch right around the corner from our house). The kids had the best time. The picture above is of Lucy and her little classmate, Sterling. I grew up right next door to Sterling's Daddy, so it has been fun to watch our kids in kindergarten together. Sterling's Mom and I thought this would be a perfect picture to show at their wedding one day. Ha! The corn box is always a hit with all the kids.

The kids all looked so cute in their cowboy get-ups. Lucy was all about dressing up like a cowgirl, as that is one of the things on her list of what she is going to be when she grows up.

I love this picture of Lucy and Abby that I took when we got home from the field trip (and notice the bandana around Abby's neck...she was ready for cowgirl day too)...

Lucy also wants to be a vet. Here she is doctoring on her lamb...

Here are several pictures from after church Sunday a week ago...

I took advantage of Macy letting me take her picture (normally I snap one or two and everybody runs off) and got some really cute (and goofy) ones.

I love this dog more and more everyday...

Macy cracked us up one day when she came out with my fluffy white robe on and Jason's dress clothes from the cleaner's pile draped over her head. She was pretending to be Cruella Deville. I thought it was pretty imaginative.

I noticed one day that there were magnets with eyes and eyebrows drawn on them over Lucy's eyes in a picture on our refrigerator... Upon further inspection, I noticed every single picture of Lucy was covered with magnets. You would think Macy would have been the one that did this, but it was actually Lucy. She is so funny.

I know I share a lot of the girls' artwork with ya'll, but this is my absolutely favorite picture that Lucy has ever drawn. I may have to frame it!

The girls' school had book character day on the Friday before Halloween. They have book character day every year, and the kids all look so forward to it. This year, Macy was Bethany Hamilton, Soul Surfer...

And Lucy was Olivia the Pig...

Macy has been blessed with so many precious friends at her school. I grew up in a private school (went to the same school k5 through 12th grade), so I was a little nervous when she started at her new school last year...I just remember how new kids sometimes had a hard time fitting in with kids who had been together forever. I stayed nervous for all of 2 seconds...those kids took her in with arms wide open! I love this picture of Macy and her 2 bestest friends...

We have had some chilly temperatures! The girls bundled up one day to jump on the trampoline. I love rosy cheeks *Ü*

If there was a good time to be without my computer and take a blog break, this was the perfect time. I was cookie crazy. I think I set a record for the most cookies I have made in the fewest days. I lost count of confectioner's sugar used at 52 lbs. And this is ALL that was left...

I have the best cookie customers and cookie friends ever. My cup overflows, both spiritually and physically...

Halloween also came and went during my little blog hiatus. Macy decided to be a vet. Easiest costume ever and so fitting for her. She wore khaki pants, a polo shirt, and an 8 dollar boys' button up shirt from KMart for her white coat.

We put her name on the pocket, added some props, and wah lah...cutest little vet ever.

I wanted to get as much wear out of Lucy's Olivia the Pig costume that my Mom made for her, so she went as Olivia for Halloween too.

My girls and my brother's boys...

I've had a little bit of time to get my craft on...

This morning was very rainy...my favorite kind of morning. I love how cozy our house feels when it is raining. And I am still enjoying my pumpkins (and have even been back to the pumpkin patch to pick up a few more!).

And that concludes my catch-up post!

Happy November!

2011-11-03T23:56:00.000-05:00

So, I got my laptop back from my awesome computer tech friend...only to discover that my charger was no longer charging. I so would have run outside and hugged my UPS man's neck if I had been at home when he delivered my new one today.

I have lots of pictures to post in order to catch up...hope to get all that done this weekend!

HaPpY NoVeMbEr!

Be Back Soon...

2011-10-24T09:02:00.003-05:00

I have successfully used up every last drop of memory on my laptop. My computer tech guy laughed at me when he got into my computer to look around to figure out what he needed to do. We are working on getting that issue resolved this week...turns out I need an external harddrive to save all my pictures to. Makes me nervous not to have my pictures on my laptop, but I know it's what makes sense.

I've got pictures on my camera that I can't download because of the memory issue, which drives me crazy...and I love blogging in a major way, so I am missing it!

I'm using this week to take a little blog break...perfect since it is Halloween cookie time anyways *Ü*

See you soon!!

The Willcutt Cowgirls

2011-10-17T23:56:00.001-05:00

In Macy and Lucy's words..."Today was the best day ever!"

As I have mentioned before, they are obsessed with horses. And I do mean OBSESSED. We found a sweet, sweet girl through my veterinarian sister-in-law that was willing to work with the girls and give them some horseback riding lessons. Today was their first lesson, and let me tell you...I had some more than excited girls on my hands.

She picked out one of her horses for the lessons that she thought would fit the girls best. We all instantly fell in love with this horse.
Macy went first. While Macy rode, Lucy and I were entertained by Billy the miniature pony. He was so cute and kept his head hung out of the fence the entire time we were there like this... Lucy and Billy...Macy did such a great job. I think she would have ridden that horse all night long if she could have. This is the face I got when I asked Macy how she felt about horseback riding lessons... Okay, I'll be honest, I was not sure Lucy would catch on. I thought she would make a couple of loops with Kaylie (our instructor) leading her and then be done. Ummmmm...that is NOT at all how it went. Sister jumped on that horse, did exactly what Kaylie said to do, and loved every minute of it. When the girls finished up, Kaylie asked them which one wanted to lead the horse back into the pasture. Before I could blink, Lucy had that horse and was taking off with him. I could not believe this precious sight... Needless to say, today was a great day. I might have even thought to myself a time or two that it was the best day ever. My girls living out a dream...how awesome!

And now they are asking for a horse for Christmas...ha! And instead of praying for a baby, they pray for a horse. Sweet little cowgirls *Ü*

It's Already Sunday Again!

2011-10-16T23:39:00.010-05:00

This past week went by like a whirlwind! I don't think it would have been possible to cram anything else into our busy schedule!

It seems like October is just that way for everybody. I keep thinking that things will slow down once November gets here...but I surely don't want to wish October away by any means. The weather was pretty warm this week, but we are looking forward to some cooler temps (and possibly some rain!) this week. I have gotten the girls' drawers closets organized...summer clothes are put away, and the Fall clothes are out. When they were little, I was a huge fan of summer clothes...smocked dresses, bubbles, etc. But now that they are older, I am loving Fall clothes for them.
The girls were actually cooperative today when I was trying to take their picture *Ü*Our front door has gotten so weathered and is in need of a new coat of stain (or whatever it is it needs), but I actually sort of like the worn look of it. I got some really cute pictures, then Abby decided to bust out of the fence and join us...

And that was the end of our Sunday picture taking session!

Sunday

2011-10-09T23:56:00.000-05:00

The girls insisted on wearing their hair down Sunday morning to church. We got in late, late last night from an *absolutely beautiful* family wedding in Birmingham, so the girls got their "church bath" Sunday morning instead of Saturday night. Their hair always looks so pretty right after it is washed and dried (which is usually at night...so by the next morning, sometimes it looks crazy!). I think wearing their hair down makes them look so old!

We had a very busy, but wonderful day today. Our worship leader and very dear friend was ordained into the ministry tonight, so it ended up being a very special day. We have a busy week this week...fun busy...but still busy!!

Fire Station Friday

2011-10-07T23:35:00.000-05:00

Lucy's class went on a fieldtrip to the fire station today! A couple of our friends were on duty, so we got some pictures with them.

Lucy and Mr. Dale (this one is for you, Mrs. Elaine!)...

Lucy and Mr. Brad...

Hope ya'll have a wonderful weekend!

According to Lucy...

2011-10-06T23:11:00.003-05:00

Opening a kindergartener's take-home folder is a little like Christmas for me...every single day. It was the same when Macy was in kindergarten as it is now that Lucy is in kindergarten. As soon as Lucy gets in the car, she immediately hands over the folder...because she knows me, and she knows I am going to ask for it (she's the kid who can finish every question I ask or statement I make...every time).

So today, she was supposed to draw a picture of her father or mother working. Sweet thing picked her mother...

That is me, icing cookies. I went to mush when I looked at this picture for some reason...tears came. I don't know why...maybe her attention to detail. My hair in a ponytail...I always pull my hair up in a ponytail when I am icing cookies. The shirt with a heart on it...I don't know that I own a shirt with a heart on it, but that heart to me says "I love my Mama." And the bluejeans...sister knows how hard her Mama has worked to get into her bluejeans *Ü* And the arms...I love the arms...she told me the other day "Mama, just because you hide your arms under long sleeves doesn't make your arms skinny. They are still fat." Yes, I know. Exactly why I don't wear a gurdle (sp?). Because even though a gurdle may hold the flab in, the flab is still there. And who wants to be that uncomfortable all the time?

And I love the picture of what she wants to be when she grows up. She, like Macy, wants to follow in her Aunt Jennifer's footsteps and become a vet. Jason says he'll be paying for college for the rest of his life.
The girls took an owl cookie to their teachers today. I like to show their teachers how much we appreciate them, even in little ways. We have been so very blessed this year with wonderful teachers...ladies that not only teach our girls, but genuinely love them as well.
Hope you had a happy Thursday!

This Is How Much I Love My Girls...

2011-10-05T23:56:00.001-05:00

(I saw something similar to this on pinterest.com and recreated it for myself).

A Fabulous Fall Break!

2011-10-04T23:58:00.000-05:00

I decided over the last couple of days that instead of having a two month summer break, we should have a two month fall break. I'm sure that will never happen, but wouldn't it be so nice??

The girls did have a two day fall break yesterday and today. We were THIS excited about it...

It was so nice to have nothing on our agenda. We just did whatever Macy and Lucy wanted to do. They were up by 8 a.m. Monday morning raring to go. They wanted to go to the pumpkin patch first (the infamous Country Pumpkin). We were dressed (and I use the term "dressed" loosely) and ready to go by 8:30.

First stop was the corn boxes. I think this is such a cool alternative to a sandbox...except the deer would probably be all up in our backyard if we had a box full of corn out there.

There is SO much to do at the Country Pumpkin. Macy and Lucy loved the horse tire swings...

And the GINORMOUS horse (pulling a covered wagon) made out of corn stalks...super cool...

We live in a farm town where we are fortunate to not only have one pumpkin patch, but two pumpkin patches! The other one is Cherokee Pumpkins (although the truck says Cherokee Melons...it is also a watermelon patch in the summertime).

We headed over to Cherokee Pumpkins to check out their pumpkin selection and to play around there for a little bit.

This is one of the things I love about our little town...

And you know us and pumpkins. Notice how serious we take their well-being...

After visiting the pumpkin patches, the girls wanted to go have a picnic at our church playground. We packed a fun lunch, loaded back up in the car (including Abby this time) and made the whole 35 second trip up to the church.

Then, it was back home to paint a pumpkin for Lucy...

and a gourd for Macy...

We spent most of the rest of the day in our own backyard.

Being silly, of course!

Lucy has decided she thinks climbing on top of the doghouse and sitting on the roof is super fun...

The temps have been so nice...even a bit chilly! We broke out the space heater Monday evening.

I have to show you the vase / candlestick Lucy made for her teacher. She made this with the pottery wheel she got for her birthday, then painted it all by herself after she painted her pumpkin.

And she even signed the bottom. So sweet...

Today was day two of fall break, and we just hung out around the house. We made pumpkin spice play dough...

And had a picnic outside on our trampoline...complete with pumpkin shaped peanut butter & jelly sandwiches *Ü*

More silliness...

Can I show you just how blue the skies were BOTH days of the girls' fall break? It was a.m.a.z.i.n.g.

Macy and Lucy have become a wee bit obsessed with glitter. As in, they like to shake it EVERYWHERE (outside, of course!).

Our bushes literally sparkle.

Jason and I had no idea this was going on until we noticed that our entire front yard was sparkling in the sunlight. Upon further inspection, we realized all of our shrubbery looks like this...

Reminds me of one of those "Keep Calm" posters I once saw...it said:

"Keep Calm and Glitter On."

Ha!

More and more blackeyed susans are popping up behind our house.

The girls weren't much into having their picture made by this point.

We have had the absolute best 2 days of fall break ever. My children would agree.

Pumpkin Spice Play Dough

2011-10-04T23:56:00.000-05:00

I ran across a fabulous recipe for some play dough that is perfect for Fall (and for all my teacher friends...I really do know that "fall" should not be capitalizied...but because I love it so much, I like to capitalize it *Ü*)

PUMPKIN SPICE PLAY DOUGH

I found the recipe here.

2 cups water

orange food coloring

2 Tbsp vegetable oil

1 cup salt

4 tsp cream of tartar

3 tsp pumpkin pie spice (I used 4 tsp because I like the smell so much!)

2 cups flour

Combine all ingredients in a large pan on the stove. Over medium heat, stir until most of the lumps disappear and the mixture thickens up to a dough-like consistency. Put on countertop and knead like bread dough. Store in an air-tight container.

The house smelled so yummy while this was cooking...and while the girls were playing with it.

We got out lots of pumpkin and fall cookie cutters, along with some little baking sets the girls got for Christmas one year.

My girls love play dough. They will sit and play with it for hours!

Lots of teeny tiny pumpkin "cookies..."

And Macy HAD to make a horse. These days, we turn everything into a horse...every conversation turns to horses, every picture we draw is of a horse...everything can be related to a horse. Have I mentioned that the girls (especially Macy!) are OBSESSED with horses?

I think this will be a fun recipe to make during Thanksgiving when we are with family and cousins...such a fun thing for the kids to do...and just perfect for the season!

Happy Sunday!

2011-10-02T21:18:00.004-05:00

Today was a beautiful day. It seemed like there was a revival in our church, which is always an awesome feeling. Our service was so wonderful this morning...the music was very moving. I was moved to tears, and I wasn't the only one.

I am in a Bible study this year outside of my church, and we have been learning about the Holy Spirit. I have never completely understood the Holy Spirit. I mean, I have always known there was such a thing, but I really didn't understand WHO he was and what exactly it is that he does for us. I have prayed that I would fully understand (if that is possible!), and while I still have a lot more to learn, he revealed himself to me today.

I hope you all had a wonderful Sunday!

In Everything Give Thanks...

2011-10-01T20:28:00.018-05:00

Jason left early, early, early this morning to go to the woods to get fields ready for hunting season...so it was just us girls at home today. The girls played inside while I got some ironing done (you know me and my ironing). My ironing board is literally on its' last leg. I have worn out so many irons and boards since we have been married.

**Jason...here is your reminder to go pick up that new ironing board for me. Thank you!**

Macy and Lucy pulled out the Barbies...Lucy informed me that it was "totally rude to take pictures of naked Barbie dolls" after I took the above picture.
They don't play with Barbies very often, but when they do, it seems there is Barbie stuff spread from one side of the house to the other. We spent the afternoon and evening outside, waiting on J to come home. Please pardon the obnoxious amount of pictures of our dog that you are about to see. She is the sweetest, most loveable dog ever. And very photogenic too *Ü* Okay, enough pictures of Abby. On to my human children... Macy, doing some moves to a song playing on the radio in J's truck... And here she is making a frog face... Lucy dumped out all the sidewalk chalk (and everything else in the sidewalk chalk bucket) and went to town drawing the solar system. I painted pumpkins while watching them play. I combined two of my favorite things (crosses and pumpkins) and painted, painted, painted... It was such a beautiful fall day. It felt SO nice outside. Perfect day for taking some pictures of some sweet little girls *Ü* I painted one of my little baby boo pumpkins a distressed turquoise color, wrapped the stem with twine, and set it on a red candle holder that used to be in Jason's grandmother's house. I love the way it turned out!I got the idea for the turquoise painted pumpkin and twine wrapped stem here.I intended on all my painted pumpkins to be given away as happies (except the little turquoise one), but a few found their way into my house... I can always paint more *Ü*

I pulled out this little ceramic plaque and hung it on the table in our foyer. It is something I try to remind myself every precious moment of every precious day... It's been a wonderful Saturday. I hope yours has been too!

P.S. I am doing a cookie giveaway here. I am currently not shipping cookies, but I will ship to the winner if they are not in my area!!

Clown Day Ü

2011-09-30T23:58:00.001-05:00

Today was "clown day" for Lucy at school! She did not want a wig...just pigtails. And a little paint on her face. We recycled a top she wore when she was a clown for Halloween a couple of years ago...added some striped ruffle pants and her sparkly tennis shoes, and she was cute as a little button.

Even though Macy didn't have clown day, she is a regular little clown...ALL the time. Me and my little clown...

Lucy with her sweet, sweet teacher. We just adore her.

The kindergarten classes did a little clown parade through the school. They were so cute!

Then on with the rest of the day...

I boxed up some cookies and thought these ribbons looked so pretty together...so fall-like!

We are having some absolutely beautiful weather. The temps are getting cooler, which means it's time to pull out my boots. Yay! I love my boots...

Lucy has been entertaining us tonight with the clown face she made at school...

And off subject a little bit, but have you tried one of these? They are SO yummy. The whole pack is 5 WW points...but worth every.single.point.

It is supposed to be a gorgeous fall weekend, and the girls are out of school Monday and Tuesday for Fall Break. And we have NOTHING to do...whoo hoo!!!!

Simple Shrimp & Grits

2011-09-30T23:56:00.000-05:00

While Jason and I would love for all of our siblings to live closeby, there are perks to having brothers and sisters live in other places. Like Jason's brother for instance...he comes to town and brings loads of fresh shrimp from the Gulf. Sometimes we will just boil the shrimp up and eat it with a yummy mixture of ketchup, mayonnaise, and a dash of worcheschire sauce. But most of the time, we make Shrimp and Grits. Two things I have learned from this recipe:

1. Shrimp and Grits is way less complicated and takes way less time than it looks.

2. I actually enjoy deveining shrimp. Gross, I know. But I like it.

I have found a hundred recipes for shrimp and grits over the years. But we like simplicity, so I adapted a recipe from the Neely's (Food Network) that suited our taste...

The Grits

32 oz chicken broth

1/2 cup half & half (you could use heavy whipping cream instead)

1 cup quick grits

salt to taste

1 Tbsp butter

1/4 cup parmesan cheese (I use the kind in the can)

Bring chicken broth and half & half to a half simmer/half boil over medium heat. Add grits and a dash of salt. Stir often for about 5 minutes or until grits thicken. Add butter and parmesan cheese.

The Shrimp

2 Tbsp butter

1 small sweet onion

half of a green bell pepper

1 tsp minced garlic (because fresh garlic intimidates me)

1 to 2 lbs of shrimp, peeled and deveined (the fun part!)

all-purpose flour

a little more half & half

Melt butter over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, and garlic. Saute until onion is clear. Add shrimp. Cook several minutes (it's pretty easy to tell when shrimp is done). Sprinkle shrimp mixture with a little all-purpose flour, then pour a little half & half in to make the mixture a little more liquid-y (I don't have exact measurements for the flour and half & half...Jason took over at that point). Toss the mixture for a couple more minutes, then serve over cooked grits.

Like I said...it's a simple recipe...but so yummy!

2011-09-29T23:56:00.001-05:00

First of all...

My little sister is 30 today. Saying my little sister is 30 makes me feel really old. I remember the day she was born. I had just turned 4 years old. Of course, that was "back in the day" where you didn't know if you were having a girl or a boy until the baby was born. I was determined the baby in my Mama's belly was a girl. My brother felt otherwise...he wanted a brother. My Mom must have gone to the hospital in the middle of the night, because I just remember waking up and my two grandmothers were there to take care of us. We waited and waited and waited to hear the news. And those being the times of no cell phones either, we had to wait until that night when my Dad finally got home to hear the news of what the baby was. I never will forget my Dad walking in the house and telling us we had a baby sister. I started squealing with excitement, then I looked over at my brother was standing there all wide-eyed and sort of zombie-like. He said (and these are his exact words, I promise)..."Oh noooooooooo. NOT another Shannon." He literally fell backwards into the floor.

And then...I never will forget the day my sister came home from the hospital. My brother was in kindergarten, so he had to go to school. I was the lucky one that got to ride up to Amory with my Dad to bring my Mom and my baby sister home (and when I say "ride" I do mean on the hump in the front in the middle of the driver's seat and the passenger seat of my Mom's brown Buick regal with white vinyl interior). Now, apparantly it was planned all along that I would get to ride with my Dad to bring them home, because my Mom had laid out a beautiful smocked dress, matching bonnet, and matching purse out for me to wear...complete with lace trimmed socks and Mary Jane shoes. But, for whatever reason, I decided to pick out my OWN outfit...brown cordurory pants and a faded worn-out red t-shirt that boldy said "I'm a Dr. Pepper Kid." And some sort of brown clunky hand-me-down shoes. No socks. I was styling in my opinion. When we drove up to the hospital, out comes my Mom and my feltman brother dress-clad baby sister. One look at me, and if I had to guess what happened next, my Daddy probably got chewed out.

So...to my favorite sister in the whole wide world...happy birthday!!

I made the sign myself. I love markers. I waited until after the girls went to bed to make it because I knew they would want to do it...aren't I a meanie?? I laughed out loud when I finally found the markers Lucy was supposed to put up...stuck in the door of the armoire in the playroom. So there goes my theory of "a place for everything and everything in its' place." Oh well...at least they weren't strewn all over the floor. On to other things, like pumpkins. You are probably t.i.r.e.d. of hearing about them from me. Actually, these aren't my pumpkins, if you can believe that. A sweet lady from church asked me to paint crosses on some for her. I did some last pumpkin season, and am excited to paint some more this year.
Lucy made a masquerede mask one day, and I never took a picture of her "wearing" it. She made it all by herself *Ü* Thursdays have become our crazy day. I am so excited tomorrow is Friday! And as of now, we have nothing planned for Saturday...and the girls have Fall Break Monday and Tuesday! Yay!!

Frogs and Pumpkins

2011-09-27T23:56:00.000-05:00

We had some stormy weather come through Sunday night...some lightning and a good bit of wind. When I got home from taking the girls to school on Monday morning, I noticed a couple of my pumpkins were kaddy-wompus. I went to straighten them up, and this little fellow scared me silly...

He sat right there all morning. I promise I did not spend my entire morning watching him (I do have more to do than that!), but I had some things to do outside, so I would glance at him every once in a while. Once I had come back inside, I opened the front door and saw that he was getting a little froggy (ha!) and looking like he wanted to come inside. Ummm, don't think so little man. (That is the step into the house he's staring so intently at...sorry...that was typed so grammatically incorrect).

I had to make an emergency trip back to the pumpkin patch yesday morning. And since my last visit, they had put out some baby boo pumpkins...some more of my favorites. Of course I had to pick up a few. The bowl in the middle of Macy and Lucy's table in the playroom needed some...

So did my mantle *Ü*

And they make the cutest tiny topiaries...

I have mentioned the pumpkin patch that is right around the corner from my house. Well, there is also one that I pass every time I go to and from the girls' school. Folks, this is not a good thing (except for the pumpkin patch owners). Pumpkins tempt me. This other pumpkin patch has the best squatty, round pumpkins that you have ever seen. I am serious when I tell you they were calling my name this morning. I wheeled in and picked up the squattiest, roundest one I could find. Pumpkin love...

Jason told me to look straight ahead from now on when I drive by a pumpkin patch...ANY pumpkin patch ANYwhere. I think he is kidding with me. At least I hope so.

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

2011-09-25T23:56:00.000-05:00

Fall is finally here! And I couldn't be more excited!

I hardly ever make cookies "just because" but I had an idea swirling around in my head, and I just couldn't wait to try it out. So I did...

I think...

I like *Ü*
The colorful messes I make when baking make me smile (actually this is a mess already cleaned up)...

Okay, so ya'll know I have a fetish (okay OBSESSION) for fall. And pumpkins? Don't even get me started. If you've read my blog for at least a year, you know we live right around the corner from the most awesome pumpkin patch. Not only can you get all the pumpkins you could ever imagine from there, but it is a great and fun place for kids to play. Their opening date for this year was yesterday. Can I tell you how excited I was?? I set my alarm for 6:45 so I could go get my pick of the pumpkins. Jason told me I was crazy...really...6:45 on a Saturday morning? What can I say...I love my pumpkins. We'll go back a hundred times between now and the end of pumpkin season, but I was eager to get my fall decorating done.

You can tell by this picture that I was really there that early in the morning (Lucy got up and went with me, but was not about to let me take her picture)...

Pumpkins, pumpkins, pumpkins...

I spent the rest of the morning decorating my front porch. This is my basket chair that has been brown for the last several years, but I decided to paint it bright blue a few months ago. I really like it with the bright orange!

I bought these candlesticks about 7 years ago when we were getting ready to move into our house. I used them inside for a while, but decided I liked them on my porch mixed with my fall decorations. I usually put candles on them, but decided on little pumpkins this year instead...

And I love to do pumpkin topiaries in my concrete pots...

I also decided to paint some owls on burlap for my front doors. The colors were inspired by the owl Jason got me for my anniversary and my bright blue chair *Ü*

And of course, I had to put some pumpkins inside too. This bowl is on my table...

Instead of just filling it with pumpkins, I filled the bowl with split peas and just put a few pumpkins on top...

And this bowl is filled with pearled barley...

I love the way this candle makes our house smell very fallish...

I got a few pictures of the girls outside this morning after church...

Abby was insistant on being in the pictures too *Ü*

I love this picture...

And this one too...

I plan on savoring every.little.moment of fall.

*Ü*

Weight Watchers Spice Cupcakes

2011-09-24T23:58:00.002-05:00

Along with my favorite time of year (that would be fall...who knew??) comes my favorite foods. Soups, chili, pumpkin bread...okay, make that ANYTHING with pumpkin in it! Well, I sooooo wanted to make some yummy pumpkin bread this weekend. I could not get it out of my head. But I have been doing so good lately with weight loss (16 lbs to be exact!), so I did not make pumpkin bread, but I did make these...

I cannot even begin to tell you how yummy these are!! And they are only 2 points!!
And even better warm with a little spray butter...
Even if you aren't watching your weight...go make these now! They are SO yummy!!

Brown Sugar Chili and Oyster Crackers

2011-09-24T23:56:00.001-05:00

I decided there was no better way to celebrate the first weekend of fall than a big pot of chili! And of course, what is a pot of chili without some oyster crackers to go along with it?! The chili recipe is one that I have pieced together...combining some things from some of my favorite chili recipes that I have tried in the past. And the oyster crackers...well...most of you probably have a favorite recipe for these, but I will share my simple one.

**I just realized that I shared both of these recipes last year here, however I did a slightly different variation of both of them this time***

Brown Sugar Chili

2 lbs ground beef

1 lbs diced bacon

3 Tbsp chili powder

2/3 cup dark brown sugar

3 (16 oz) cans diced tomatoes

3 (16 oz) cas chili beans...in mild sauce

2 onions (chopped into the teeniest tiniest pieces)

3 cloves garlic (1 1/2 tsp minced garlic)

salt and pepper to taste

Brown meat, bacon, and onion all together. Drain off grease. Put in crockpot with all other ingredients. I cooked mine on high for an hour, then about 6 hours on low. However low all day (for a minimum of 8 hours) would be fine. I served it with fat free sour cream and oyster crackers.

Oyster Crackers

2 bags oyster crackers

1/2 tsp garlic salt

3/4 cup vegetable oil

2 pkgs ranch dressing mix

Combine all ingredients and pour over crackers. Toss well. Store in an airtight container.

A New Violin and Feeling Better

2011-09-22T23:56:00.001-05:00

Macy has finally grown into a half size violin. The bigger the violin, the better the quality and tone. This one sounds so nice and has definitely motivated Macy to practice a lot more *Ü*

Like everything else she does, Macy is GOING to get her pieces right. She will often flip ahead a few pieces, ask me to play them for her so she can get the tune in her head, and then work and work and work until she masters it. Even though I played the violin growing up and still do, I have never pushed Macy to play it. I don't want my girls doing something just because I did it growing up. It's just not fair to them. Macy asked me if she could take lessons when she was in kindergarten, and she has taken ever since. We have never really had to force her to practice...she usually just does it on her own. I love hearing the sound of music (no pun intended!) through the house. Macy and Lucy were both in rare form tonight.. Sister Sue was feeling much better today. She went back to school...can I tell you how excited she was to get to go today?? Her teacher texted me and said she seemed very happy to be back. Sweet *Ü* Did I mention the girls were in rare form tonight? Pardon the spagetti inbetween the teeth... I mentioned the other night that we were going to play a game of UNO before putting the girls to bed. Well, since then it has become a ritual that we play a few games of UNO every night before bedtime. It is SO much fun. I seriously look forward to it all.day.long. We live a simple life. But I love our simple life. I can't blog and not mention that tomorrow is the first day of Fall! Do you know how excited this makes me??!!

Mission Organization

2011-09-20T23:56:00.000-05:00

I have OCD, therefore my motto is "a place for everything and everything in its' place." Sometimes I drive myself crazy. I like for my house to be neat and tidy and for everything to be in its' designated spot. I do fall short of this a lot...things get stuck here and stuck there...mostly behind cabinet doors, so nobody notices but me. But it still drives me crazy. Well, since Lucy was sick today, and I didn't have any running around to do, I decided to get my cabinets back in shape.

These pictures will mean nothing to anybody, but just for my sake...

The medicines had gotten out of control...I had them in two places in the kitchen...it was making me mad (as in crazy mad, not angry mad). They all have a central location now.

We have plastic cups out the wazoo. And bowls. I love bowls.
Platters and more bowls...

And even more bowls...ha!

And cookware. I have tons. Another cabinet full, but here is the more colorful side...

While I have been participating in mission organization, Lucy has benn in thread heaven making friendship bracelets *Ü*

Thank you for the kit, Olivia!

Lucy is still running fever, so looks like another day at home tomorrow. Hopefully she will be well soon!!

Pottery Wheel and a Sick Little Girl

2011-09-19T23:56:00.001-05:00

Jason's brother and his wife gave Lucy a pottery wheel this past weekend for her birthday. Thank you, Brad and Erin!! Can I tell you how much excitement this pottery wheel has brought?? The girls could not WAIT to try it out!

They had so much fun with it this afternoon. I let Jason take charge over this project...he seemed to have even more fun than the girls did!
My baby girl is sick. I picked her up from school today and had to run an errand in town. She was so tired (which didn't really surprise me...she and Macy woke up at 5 this morning and were literally bouncing off the walls). She fell asleep on the way home and slept all afternoon. When she woke up, she was burning up with fever. So it looks like we'll spend tomorrow laying around on the couch and eating chicken noodle soup and watching PBS Kids. She was sad when I told her she would have to miss school. I do not like for my children to be sick at all, but I am going to enjoy having Lucy home with me all day. I miss her!

A Nice Weekend

2011-09-18T23:56:00.000-05:00

Friday was "Pajama Day" at school for Lucy. My kind of day for sure! Ha!! She wanted to go shopping (which for Lucy, asking to go shopping is HUGE) for some new pajamas (although she has a drawer full). She picked out some purple silky pajamas with bows all over them...they were super cute...

It was such a nice day Friday. The weather was beautiful! We played outside all afternoon...I think we finally came inside at about 8 o'clock.

Abby got all caught up on her yearly shots, and we also had her shaved...her hair had gotten so crazy. She looks like a different dog! And acts like she feels like one too!

The girls played football with Jason...

I love these next two pictures...

Random, I know, but we have this vine (more like a weed) growing up the side of our house. Jason was going to kill it, but I really like how it looks. Just hoping it is not poison ivy or something like that...

Jason will get mad at me for posting this, but I really like this picture of him...

Did I mention that it was SO beautiful outside??

I call these flowers "black-eyed susans." I think they have another name, but I like that one. In a few weeks, they will be blooming like crazy back behind our house. There are a few early bloomers, and I just cannot wait until the rest bloom!

The sunset was beautiful too...

We spent most of the day Saturday over at Jason's parents visiting with his brother's family that had come in from the coast. It was a nice day...and once again, I got zero pictures.

Here are a couple from Sunday...

I love doing crafts with my Sunday School class (I have pre-K and Kindergarten children). But one of my very favorite things to do is to draw a simple picture under the words "The pre-K and Kindergarten Sunday School class at New Salem Baptist Church is praying for you" and let them color the picture. Then, I will put the pictures in envelopes addressed to people that are on our church's prayer list (whether they be sick or a shut-in or going through a difficult time, etc), then let the children hold them and say a prayer for that person. I will mail them during the week. It is a very simple thing, but I just love doing it.

We just finshed up a hardcore game of UNO...

And now the girls are in bed, and I am about to tidy up and get ready for the week ahead. Hope ya'll had a great weekend and are looking forward to a good week!

Playing Catch Up...

2011-09-15T23:40:00.009-05:00

I'm jumping backwards a little bit to catch up!

Sunday morning, Lucy was SO excited to see her name in the church bulletin in the birthday section. This is a REALLY big deal to a 6 year old!!

We took a few pictures after church... Sunday was a big day because AWANA started back! I was an AWANA teacher last year, but shifted around this year. I am now working in the kitchen, and I love it! I loaded the kids up on sugar for the first night...I don't think anything has more sugar in it than a cupcake from Wal-Mart! Macy and Lucy were very excited for AWANA to start back... Monday morning (Lucy's actual birthday) was Grandparent's Day at school for the kindergarteners. I love how our school does Grandparent's Day...they have an ice cream sundae party, and all the kids are asked to bring their favorite board game to play with their grandparents. I snapped a picture of the picture Lucy drew of her grandparents... We decided to wait until Tuesday to celebrate Lucy's birthday at school, since things would be so busy with Grandparents' Day on the actual day. Lucy requested whoopie pies...chocolate chip cookies, pink icing, and sprinkles...NOT the circle kind (non-perils, which I had in my pantry of course!)...oh no, she wanted the "long kind of sprinkles."

Yes mam! She carefully picked out the napkins, plates, and cups that she wanted to use... And my goodness, she has been excited about her sparkly orange "6" candle since she turned 5 *Ü* Sweet... Celebrating her birthday for the first time at school...she was one happy little girl. I almost cried. Now that she is 6, she thinks she can do everything for herself, including making her own sandwich for lunch... Being 6 is definitely a big deal *Ü*

The Willcutt Girls

Catching Up

We Finally Got a Chick-Fil-A!

A Day at Home

It's Been Awhile...

Happy New Year!

New Year's Eve For Us...

Thursday

Christmas Aftermath

Christmas Eve

Christmas Day

Best Christmas Ever...

Merry Christmas!

Christmas Cookie Baking

Friends and Things

Snow Elf-Angels and a Happy

Flash Post!

Happy Birthday, J!

Elf Recap and What We Did Today

Art by Macy and Lucy, Supper by Jason

Sunday Fun

The Last Few Days...

Crockpot Potato Soup

Trimming the Tree

Our Weekend

It's Beginning to Look a *Little* Like Christmas...

The Elves Are Back in Town!

This Is the Day...

Filled With Family

Happy Thanksgiving!

Tuesday, Tuesday

My Brown Eyed Girl

Crazy, Busy Week!

Cream Cheese Banana Bread

Our Trip To Texas

I'm Leaving On a Jet Plane...

Tuesday

Happy Sunday!

A Post About Stuff...

Playing Catch-Up!

Happy November!

Be Back Soon...

The Willcutt Cowgirls

It's Already Sunday Again!

Sunday

Fire Station Friday

According to Lucy...

This Is How Much I Love My Girls...

A Fabulous Fall Break!

Pumpkin Spice Play Dough

Happy Sunday!

In Everything Give Thanks...

Clown Day *Ü*

Simple Shrimp & Grits

Frogs and Pumpkins

Happy Fall, Ya'll!

Weight Watchers Spice Cupcakes

Brown Sugar Chili and Oyster Crackers

A New Violin and Feeling Better

Mission Organization

Pottery Wheel and a Sick Little Girl

A Nice Weekend

Playing Catch Up...

It's Beginning to Look a Little Like Christmas...

Clown Day Ü