Merry Christmas, and happy New Year.........

I just wanted to tell you all Merry Christmas and happy New Year. We are doing well. Our computer crashed so when I will get a nice post up with pictures is questionable. Sure hope you all enjoy your friends and family this wonderful season!! Until then remember the reason for the season.


Love,
The Miller's

It's THAT time of year.........

You know that time where you feel like you can't hardly breathe? You go, go, go and then go some more. There are Christmas parties for work, church, social, and of course the kids. You have to BUY a gift for this event or that one. Your kids are in 10 different activities that you must attend. I mean what kind of Parent would you be otherwise. It's the time that we can't eat together as a family because we have to Go somewhere. Well guess what? If this is your life I am sad for you. JESUS is the reason for season. Or is he? Is he just another lame excuse we give to all our worldly friends. Well he is for me. We have all but stopped most activities this season. Sure we have gone to a party or two. But consume us no more. We as a family are tired of stuff, things, and wasting of time. So here is your challenge... SLOW DOWN. Enjoy yourself, and your kids. Go for a drive to see lights, make hot chocolate together, cookies, and watch Elf. It's a funny movie. And Please Please remember what it is really all about. Not getting everything YOU want, but giving to others. Some people are really hurting this Christmas season. Wouldn't it be great if we forgot about ourselves and gave of ourselves? Oh, and by the way Merry Christmas.


Love,
Vicki

Check In Time.........

I am on a weight loss journey. And some of you have been such an encouragement to me, I wanted to share my latest. I started out 31 days ago today. I was there and really needed and wanted to do something. So I started to walk/run 4 miles a day. I have had great results. Down 7 lbs, and about 8 inches between my stomach, thighs, and arms. I am so excited. I really wish that the poundage was more, but the fact that the inches are coming off is better. So just wanted to share in my baby steps to a healthier me:))


The I no longer want to be a fluffy girl.
Vicki

Weiners!!!

OK sorry for that but if you are any kind of PW fan then you will understand..


After much delay here are the winner:

Shirt: won by Amber but she said draw again she has one. And Melissa D. got it!!!

My Autograph: I know you all wanted it, but the coveted gift goes to. Andra:))

Dinner: Well Lisa it looks like we will be pot lucking when you come to Texas in May!!



Thanks for posting your memories. Fun to read:))

Ree Drummond AKA Pioneer Woman

So most of you are aware of my mild obsession with www.thepioneerwoman.com . Some of you are not so let me let you in. I found this small blog about 2 1/2 years ago while searching for a recipe. I was instantly hooked. She shows pictures of every step. I had never seen this before. Instantly I was in love with the concept. Then I started to look at other stuff, and read Black Heels. It was all over from there. She had me hook, line, and sinker. Back then she would have just snippets of her love story. I would cry at my computer, laugh out loud literally, and smile. I was so impressed by this woman's writing skills. She can draw you in on the first line. She told us of how she met MM short for Marlboro Man (what she calls her hubby). In a smoky bar as she was getting ready to move to California. Anyway he made her heart stop, and then she found herself married and living in the middle of no where Oklahoma. It is so much better than that so grab a nice drink and sit and read it for yourself. My point is she is my friend. She was not aware of it till last night when I met her. But I call her friend:)) So fast forward a while she now has 4 kids, but I don't think she is done. The response has been so big that she wrote a cookbook. Then went for a small book signing tour that has become out of this world. They have had to add places and all the places get packed out. Well last night it ws my honor to finally meet my new friend. And it was all I thought it would be and more. Judy, Lexy and I had the time of our lives. We met the most amazing people in line and friends for a lifetime:) I felt like I was at a HUGE family reunion. Where everyone liked each other. And I got to hold sweet Ruby, I will get a pic of her soon. She was the happiest, girl there. And she did not even know who PW was. So here is a preview of my night. Thanks to my hubby for getting me the book and keeping all the kids so I could go out:))



These are her girls. They were the most amazing home school girls ever. They even talked to people. So for those of you out there worrying about socialization. STOP!!




Matheo and Teresa MM's cousin and his Beautiful wife. They were just precious. I am making them some home made chips, salsa, and tortillas sooon:)




The first time I get this close to her:))) And that is my new Friend in the corner. She had her daughter with her, and is due in 50 days. We had fun together! Hi Andra and Sadee.




Yep she's my new BFF:))




That's her oldest and she is 12. And 4 feet taller than me. What is going on with my gut? I have no idea but I am happy!!




Her youngest girl. Sweet Sweet thing:))




I did not steal this sign, I repeat I DID NOT STEAL THIS SIGN. I asked and the guy gave it to me:))




Judy and Lexy sporting our sign.




Crazy Mexicans. Judy said she was going to tell PW "We are Mexicans and we come in Peace:))"




THE COOKBOOK of the YEAR!!!


OK so if you made it to the end of this post you are in Luck. I am doing a giveaway. All you have to do is answer this question. " What is your most favorite memory of all time?"


Prizes:

1. PW shirt it is cool......
2. My autograph...ha ha ha
3. The GRAND prize dinner prepared by me from PW's book. You pick the menu (has to be from her book).


Winner's will be picked randomly on Saturday December 5th 2009.

Do you know what tomorrow is????

Some answers may include: It's the first day of December, some may say oh no, I have to shop, some may say it's just a Tuesday. Well let me tell you the truth. Tomorrow is Tuesday, December 1, 2009. And yes you only have 23 shopping days left. BUT tomorrow is also the day that I get to meet and hug, and take a picture with Ree Drummond. She is http://thepioneerwoman.com/. I have followed her blog for over 2 years now, and what can I say but I LOVE HER dearly. She is like a long lost friend. Her blog is incredible. She is funny, witty, corky, beautiful inside and out. She loves to cook and loves her family. What is better that that in this world?? Please if you have been living under a rock and not had the opportunity to visit her blog then do so TODAY!! I am like a giddy kid, waiting for Christmas morning. Can not wait to show you all her picture from my very own camera:)))






Sorry about this picture, but that's how I feel!!

I made it, I made it!!!!

Some of you are aware that I have been a single parent now for the past 6 days. And tonight well it's my last night alone. I love/ hate times like these. I hate that we are away from Bryce. He hates to be away from us. But I LOVE when we reunite. He is ever so happy, and so are WE. We have been talking about our Daddy reunion all day. I am excited about co-op. But really could leave right now. I want/need to be in My Love's arms. I feel so safe there. But I am so incredibly Thankful to my Lord and savior. Because I was rewarded with sweet sleep this time. I was not scared like I normally am. It has been great. But tomorrow, well it will be like heaven:)) I also want to say Happy Thanksgiving to everyone near and far.

Be Blessed my Friends,

Vicki

I'm There

I'm at the place, I thought I was at long ago. I am READY to loose all this extra weight. I have been on a diet, life style change, whatever you want to call it. Now for 7 days, and you no what I am doing great. I love to get the exercise and I am making great decisions with my eating. I am encouraged. I have an accountability partner that I LOVE. And my hubby is really backing me. I just wanted to share this with you all so I have even more accountability. So there you go. You may contact me and ask me any question. Like did you work out? Are you eating well? What ever you want, I will answer. Ok just want my blogging friends to no where I am. Have a great week:))

<3
Vicki

What do you do with left over Donuts??

We make donuts for our kids every now and then. Before you say oh my. Let me tell you a little secret. All we do is get flaky biscuit dough, use a donut cutter to make the holes and then fry them up. My kids make the icing usually a vanilla flavored and OJ flavored. Anyway normally there aren't any leftover. Like I may get one and we make 2 cans. But the other morning Bryce was gone and I was feeling rather special. So I made them, and Colin made the icing. Wellll....... we had some leftovers. And it's not like we are going to reheat them, so we fed them to the birds. They have really enjoyed their tasty treats.

Honey Sugar Suuugar Mama's Baby

OK so I will do this again! Let me tell you. I have avoided doing this post again. I sat for an hour and did this really great blog. I was so proud of myself, it was the retold story of Owen;'s birth. I was uploading my last picture and the entire post disappeared. I tried for another 10 minutes to see what I did and Nothing came back. So I walked away from the computer and cried:(( So here we go again.


It was 5 years ago that I was expecting my third boy. I could not have been happier. I always knew I was a boy mom. So here we go getting our place ready and gearing up for the arrival of boy #3. But then pregnancy bliss, left quickly. I got really sick. And the Sciatic nerve that usually bothers me at the end of my pregnancy. Well it reared it's ugly head and decided that I needed to endure it's wrath the ENTIRE pregnancy. So Bryce literally had to help get me dressed every morning. Not sure he minded that part:0 And then Cheryl my wonderful MIL came to live with us for the summer. She was there to help me and the boys survive. Total side note but at night she would call my FIl. And cry on the phone cuz she missed him so. It was the sweetest and hardest thing to watch. I was so thankful to her for all that she was doing. Yet my heart ached for her. OK so mushy stuff to the side. We need to talk, birthing pains, mucus plug, and stripping of the membranes. Ready? So since you all are aware of the pain, and misery that I went through during my pregnancy. You will understand when I tell you that I begged, pleaded and cried. For the doctor to take my baby early. I could do this no more. I did not want to do this anymore. I was DONE. I convinced him, or maybe my very fluffy body convinced him. He started to strip my membranes daily. That did nothing but make me cry. So he scheduled my induction. It was set, November 3, 2004. We were to be at he hospital by 6:30am and by 5:15 that evening. My Honey Sugar Sugar Sugar Mama's baby was in the world. He was the cutest thing ever. So there you go. I managed to rewrite the post. Now remember that was 5 years ago. So I am not to be held accountable for the sketchy memories!! Enjopy pictures of my sugar sugar:))

SWAG Bucks.........

Ok so I have avoided this long enough. I must share. I joined this swag bucks. You get bucks for using their tool bar and using their search engine. I already have 7 and just signed up. It is reeally cool stuff you can get, books, gift cards, and so much more. If you have not checked it out please do.



http://www.swagbucks.com/refer/brycenvickibrycenvicki



Thanks:))

Two words: Divorce SUCKS!!!

This is my parents a mere 11 months ago.





Sorry guys but tonight is a venting night for sure. It is official. My parents will be divorcing after 39 year marriage. Was it perfect? No. But does anyone have a perfect marriage? NO. So here it is... After meeting and getting prego at the age of 14 and 15 my parents got married. Then they got a divorce because my mom lost the baby. They got remarried and had my brother. Split again, then remarried again with me, my brother, and sister at the third wedding. We were actually in our parents third wedding weird I know. But it is also all I have ever known. Their marriage was hard. At the age of 19 my mom and dad had 3 kids, a miscarriage and a full hysterectomy. So we were raised in a crazy, loud home. Then we moved to the country to get away from all the drama. We did well as a family. It was not ever perfect, but we were HAPPY. Then we grew up dad said he waited for us till he left. Thanks.:( So now I am a 34 married woman with 4 kids. And still want to cry like a baby. The only thing I have ever known was this family, as dysfunctional as it was, it was mine. Now what are we going to do about holidays? Really kill joy. I HATE it. What do I tell my kids? Will I ever be able to befriend her(his girlfriend)? What, about my kids don't they count? Oh man, this has been happening it did not just happen today. BUT I don't like it. And neither does the God I serve. Why not reconcile? Why do we choose sin? It is only good for a while. Then it brings death. I HATE THIS. I am not quite sure who to be angry at. One day it's mom the next it's dad. Hard for me I am have always been daddy's girl Now daddy is unavailable. Someone else is taking up all his time. I looked at statistics all afternoon, and wanted to throw up. There are 3 easy steps for a quick divorce, do it online, get the best attorney and Win. Really this is what we have become. Get out of Marriage free, quick ,and easy. Makes me want to throw up. Sorry but this is my reality right now, and frankly it just hurts!


Vicki

It's all about the 80's

Can you tell what kind of party we had? Well you see I am the MNO(Mom's Night Out) coordinator for our home school group. And we like to have fun, like totally! Shala a friend of mine wanted to host this event. And it totally rocked, it was awesome, rad, narly, and sweeeet. We had 12 moms show up in their outfits. We played air guitar, had 80's trivia, and had a dance off. The night was filled with so much hairspray(aqua net), fun, laughter, food, and, prizes. We all vary in age from 20's they were babies in the 80's to not so 20. Our group is amazing. Hope you enjoy some pics, and may some of them bring back fond memories.


Oh talk about memories. ATARI rocks and will never die!!!


Our hostess with the mostest. Shala:0


What I am doing here? Sorry to even show this picture but it's my inspiration to get off my butt!!!




Jody, meet Jenny she is our Co-op president. You could learn a lot from her. She not only can sport pink well, she can be a leader. Too cool huh?




What can I say there has to be a good one in the bunch. Thanks to Lari for being a "good girl".



Friends to the end:)) Tabitha and Cori.

State Fair of Texas

We recently took on the Great State Fair of Texas. We had not been in 5 or 6 years. Last time we went we only had 2 kids. We now have 4 kids and going anywhere like this is a huge commitment. But we made a plan and did it. We got free tickets. So that was a bonus. I was not aware that there are so many ways to get into the fair for free. Anyhow we left at 8:30am, and headed for the Big D. We arrived right at 10 the morning and the races wee off. We walked inside and got our oooo's and aaa's over with and headed to the puppet show. It was cool, but the little girl that went up stole the show. She was the cutest, chubbiest little thing that was afraid of the puppets. But by the end of the show she was kissing and hugging them. Then we had lunch. I asked my kids what they wanted and the resounding response was "anything on a stick" Can someone give a shout out for Corny dogs, nachos, burgers, fries, chicken on a stick, and sausage on a stick? That was our yummy lunch. Then after that yummy meal we headed to the backyard circus. This guy has been doing this forever The kids are the circus, nuff said. well all my kids got called on then Owen decided to leave the stage. When he wanted to go back up the man said sorry you have to come when I call you. So instead of wanting to leave I opened up some candy. I had to get pics of my other 3 kids still in the circus. We then went to the museum, and all other kinds of shows. But our all time favorite............Well it was the bird show. Oh my it wa incredible. The way the birds came flying down from the Texas Star(Ferris wheel) it was majestic. Everything about this show was interesting, amazing, and just plain great. Abby Rowland and I were called up to take pics of the owl. He was flying right to my face. I was scared, and so excited to be up there. Then we did it. The Ferris wheel, at the highest point you are 250 feet up in the sky. I was so worried about me and Owen. But guess what? We loved it. Now Bryce, Tanner, and Lucy they were a little scared. I laughed so hard, Bryce my macho hubby was shaking, had his eyes closed, and was biting his lip. It was worth the $6.00 a person we paid just for his faces. After a day of walking eating more, and plenty of memories. We sat down for the parade, and light show. We had no idea we sat right in front of the fire. Oh boy was it hot. You will clearly but mine and Lucy's face that we enjoyed it. After the show we got in the car, and headed back home. It was truly an amazing day as a family. Enjoy the pics.