Our Disneyworld Adventure!! Day 1 :)

I have had a lot of friends who have requested to hear about our Disney Adventure since people are amazed at how we are able to do so much with the amount of kids that we have :) Here is a sneak peek into this year's awesome summer vacation!

Day 1: July 4, The Drive Begins...

We left for vacation later than we usually do (12:30pm) Thought it would be nicer to get to the hotel in Rock Hill, SC a little later so we could crash into a nice bed and be able to get right up the next morning. Made a pit stop in Jane Lew, WV (sorry...but baby has to go sometimes ;) Grabbed some pepperoni rolls for the road (ok, I have to admit that I stopped just for the pepperoni rolls) and we were on our way!

The next stop, we saw 2 old cars, one was a Nova and the other, not sure, but had an awesome fire paint job along the sides and said "Hillbilly Hellraiser." By the name and the way the crew was dressed, I would say they are a local band. Really cool so I snapped a pic of their car...love to find gems like these along our routes :)

 

 

I dozed for a few hours due to the heavy downpour of rain (I do love a good storm ;) and awoke to the most beautiful site! I can't remember exactly where we were in Virginia, but there was a gorgeous rainbow stretched clear across the road! I snapped a pic on the "Pop Art" setting of my new camera and it came out looking absolutely gorgeous!!! What do you think?!

 

 

 

 

Minutes later, for the first time in our lives, we drove through the rainbow!!! (Knock that one off of the bucket list ;)

 

 

Drive continues getting us to the Howard Johnson in Rock Hill around 7:45pm. We only had 2 pit stops along the way which wasn't bad for 2 adults (1 pregnant) and 6 kids! Had a delicious cookie at check-in and checked out the breakfast area for the next morning. This hotel was another first for us...we have never stayed in a hotel that had 3 double beds in a row!!

 

 

 

Strange, but worked for us :) Very comfortable for our overnight stay halfway down to Disney.

 

 

Found a local Cici's for dinner which we were very excited about! The one in Washington near our home shut down and we love to come across them when we can. Had some great pizza and salad...don't forget dessert ;) Brandis, our 5 year old, was the only one with the catastrophe, spilling his drink, but that is just typical Brandis :)  The servers were very helpful in cleaning it up.

 

When we returned to the hotel, we could see a 4th of July Fireworks show right from our hotel window!

 

 

It was like God put them there just for us :)

 

Not sure if it was the dessert or the excitement to be going to Disney, but the kids got a severe case of the giggles and had a hard time getting to sleep at bedtime. Eventually, one by one they all started conking out and that was the last I remember. Must have been really sleepy!!

 

Til tomorrow....

 

Book Review: Rosemary Cottage by Colleen Coble

 

 

Book Review: Rosemary Cottage...A Hope Beach Novel by Colleen Coble

"I received this book for free from BookSneeze for this review”.

 

Book Review: Amy came to Rosemary Cottage to grieve, heal, maybe even find love. But there's a deadly undertow of secrets around Hope Island...

 

The charming Rosemary Cottage on the beach offers Amy Lange respite she needs to mourn her brother, Ben. She's even thinking of moving her midwife practice tot he Outer Banks community. It's always been a refuge for her and her family. She also wants to investigate Ben's disappearance at sea. Everyone blames a surfing accident, but Amy has reason to wonder.

 

Coast Guard officer Curtis Ireland has lost a sibling too. His sister, Gina, was killed in a boating accident, leaving him to raise her infant daughter. If anyone knew who little Raine's father was, Curtis could lose his beloved niece. Yet he can't help being drawn to Hope Beach's new midwife, Amy. He even agrees to help her investigate. 

 

Can two grieving people with secrets find healing on beautiful Hope Island? Or will their quest for truth set them at odds with each other and with those who will go to any length to keep hidden things hidden?
  

 My Review: Another great book to blog about!! I have become quite the lover of beach novels :) From the second I received the book and took at glance at the gorgeous cover, I was drawn to this book! My first time reading anything by Colleen Coble and I must say, what an extremely talented author! Being a sister to a brother lost in a car accident, this specific story definitely tugged on my heartstrings. The situation surrounding my brother's car wreck has always had me feeling that something more could have been behind it, but I put it on the back the back burner for the family's sake. This story speaks of Amy, who believes that her brother was not simply killed by a shark during a day out surfing, but possibly murder. How I wish I could delve into the past like Amy did.

 

In the meantime, a relationship with a man in the same situation turns your stomach to butterflies when you realize that something so wonderful could come out of something so terrible. Just the right amount of love and hope throughout the story to really keep you on your toes and not wanting to put the book down. 

 

This book (and author) are a must!!

Who doesn't have a comfort food?

 

 

Anyone out there not have some sort of food that brings you comfort when you absolutely need it? Mine has been served to me as long as I can remember beginning with my Mom; Toast with peanut butter and a dusting of cinnamon sugar :)

I have seen people that have never heard of this contraption of greatness and am always sure to tell them how simple and scrumptious this quick snack is!

After toasting the bread, give it a chance to cool down. If you don't, the Pb will just melt right into it and you really want to be able to spread it right over top and have some thickness to bite into. Then simply sprinkle a mix of cinnamon and sugar over the peanut butter. Oh...yum.

This has been the snack I go to for a nice hearty breakfast (it will totally fill you with 2 of them), a stressful day and pregnancy (hence why I am explaining this now ;)

Take a bite and savour....add a glass of ice cold milk and you have a package of "you can't get much better than this!"

Bucket List!! "Love"

 

 

Bucket List Time!!

 

 

My husband Greg and I absolutely love watching movies together. We both are comedy lovers, but I am a sucker for a great love story (especially anything that is written by Nicholas Sparks ;)  While reading one of my blogging books "Everything Romance," I came across a great list..."Love on the Silver Screen." These are what the American Film Institute revealed as its Greatest Love Stories as ...chosen by actors, directors, producers, film critics and others in the movie industry.

 

Greg and I have decided to watch all 100 films in order from 100 to 1. Now mind you, we have 6 kids, going on #7 so we are definitely unsure how long this is going to take, but are determined to watch each one of them (some are classics that we have never seen) 

 

I think this little project will be a lot of fun in subjecting ourselves to the dreamy movie world of love. You never know what we will stumble across along the way...wouldn't it just be awesome to live as some of these movie characters? We may even find ourselves getting even closer than we already are along the way! 

 

I will be posting each movie as they come and are hoping that Netflix has all of them!

 

Our first movie...#100 Jerry Maguire.

 

 

Flip one open and sneak away...

 

 

Today is National Paperback Book Day! Curl up on the couch and drift into another world.

Feel like going out? How about hitting a local book store/coffee shop for a new addition to your library shelf and a cup of joe!

Either way, take some time for yourself :)

I lost some weight...but don't worry, I found some of it...

Well, here I am trying to catch everyone up on my hidden life this year. Do I hide on purpose? No, just trying to keep up with a hubby and 6 kids :)

My biggest news in the last year? I joined Weight Watchers and lost 50 lbs!! I looked great and felt even better.

Bigger news? I am now preggo with my 7th child (27 weeks today) Guess I was a little irresistible with all that weight gone ;) Nah, my hubby always thought I was. Nothing more attractive than a woman carrying your child. Crazy how you gain weight back so much quicker when you veer from your Weight Watchers healthy eating pattern. No lie! I almost thought there may have been multiple children in there as fast as I was gaining! Don't get me wrong, I look too cute with my little belly, but will definitely have to get on the ball once this little girl makes her way out. The scale was my closest friend during that time period and will have to be once again.

Alright weight...be easy on the momma this time around, pretty please ;)

Book Review: 99 Blessings..An Invitation To Life by Brother David Steindl-Rast

"I received this book for free from WaterBrook Multnomah Publishing Group for this review”.

Book Review: Source of All Blessings, you bless us with memory--that sacred in gathering of the past into the present that allows us to recognize faces, learn poems by heart, find our way back when we are lost, and bring forth old and new from its nearly inexhaustible store. May I know what to forgive and forget and what to retain and treasure, keeping in mind the smallest kindness shown to me and spreading its ripples for a long time.

My Review: 99 Blessings....Wow, they are!! I wasn't sure exactly what to expect when I received this book. I was so pleasantly surprised to see the candid way that Brother David speaks of the many blessings in the world. No biblical speaking...just everyday wording for everyone to understand and feel...There are so many things in life that we take for granted. There are literally and amazingly millions upon millions of blessings in this world. Thank you Brother David for bringing these blessing to light for everyone to reflect on and thank God for!!