Piggies Can't Go to Market!

As many of you may already know, my husband LOVES flip-flops. They are a part of his year-round wardrobe. Wearing them at all times, we have some pretty tragic stories of flops gone by. If you dare, delve into the mind of my crazy man and his take on our most recent loss.

Faded Glory flip flop, more commonly known as”Flip”, age 2 of Mauldin, died Saturday September 25th at 12:38pm., from injuries sustained in a flop of flipping furry. Although, great “strides” were taken to revive Flip, his premature death issued a “toe-tag” sentence.

Flip was born in December 2008 in a rural factory in the east of Taiwan. In 2009, Flip and brother, Flop, were shipped to the local Mauldin Wal-Mart where they were adopted by two crunchy feet. Flip and Flop worked a variety of odd jobs, including multiple sessions of praise and worship, being a cushion for the lead foot to the pedal, and an all too unfortunate event involving a dog, tall grass, and a slighted step. Flip’s life ambition, and now legacy was to see all lost “soles” to be found and “heeled”.

Flip is survived by brother, Flop; Mother, Stiletto; Father, Penny loafer; and distant Cousin Nike. He is predeceased by his Grandfather “Squeaky Heel” Oxford; and Native American Grandfather, Moccasin.

Services were held on the date of death shortly after the accident. Officiated by Pastor Plantar Fascitis, the service included a “toe-tapping” rendition of the hymn, If I Walk In the Pathway of Duty.

Contributions in memory of Flip can be made to the Corn and Bunion Foundation of Slater-Marietta.

Stinkin' It up!

Over the course of the past 4 months, I seem to have had a VERY stinky house, in every sense of the term! Probably sharing way too much information, but poor Nate has had a crazy bout with intestinal issues, to word it pleasantly. Let me just put it this way, I've had to change his crib sheets about three times a week for 3-4 months. (Needless to say, I hate bumpers! Argh!) Finally, having resorted to our last option, he took the meds for a parasite, and things finally seem to be on the up and up! Poor Bella on the other hand, has had quite the opposite problem and has been prescribed to Miralax. I'll let your mind wander a bit with this piece of info.; it got just so bad at church one night that people probably thought I was beating my child in the bathroom. The evening at church ended with me, Wesley, and my Pastor's wife giving a homemade enema with a turkey baster. EWW!! Don't worry church folks, it was thrown away afterwards! Guess I do need to buy a new one! Later that evening, she did get to feeling better, but being in our house was...well...SOMETHING! And now on to precious Marleigh, well things are MOVING just fine, but thanks to a recent cold of mine, that poor baby stunk up the whole house the other day, and I was completely unaware. Everyone kept asking what was stinking so badly and I just couldn't smell a thing. LOL Later realizing that Mareligh was literally up to her elbows in poop. It required a dunk in the bath. Baby wipes just wouldn't do the job!

Many times with books I'm reading, I often relate the material to happenstances in my life. You'll never guess what the book I'm reading now is titled? "Family Fragrance: Practical, Intentional Ways to Fill Your Home with the Aroma of Love". HaHa. Obviously, in the literal sense, my home has been quite stinky. However; now on my LOVE kick, I related my children's "issues" to the spiritual atmosphere in our home. Sometimes, like Nate, it just stinks all the blessed time. No one seems to be intentionally trying love others. Occasionally, we have a good stretch of loving one another, and then, like poor Bella, our anger and frustration with one another becomes quite an ordeal, and packs a punch! And don't forget poor Marleigh, sometimes we're just so busy with the "OUR routine" of life, that our sniffer is not even working correctly, and we can't "smell" the aromas (good or Bad) in our home.

Though an all too messy comparison, it struck a chord in my heart, and is causing me to be intentional with my love!

Thanking the Lord for poop today, to bring me this friendly reminder. My husband would be so proud!

Pictures coming soon in my next update. Sorry for the delay!

Hard? Absolutely! But Oh So Worth It!

We moved back in our home today from several days off! Gotta love family time! This month we did exactly what time off is intended for...REST!! Loved it! When reflecting over this last week though, several accomplishments/failures have been hard for me to face, yet always worth it in the end. Seems like life in general can be that way! You have to endure things, but looking back, they always seem to be worth the fuss; no matter how big or small! Here are a few of the reflections from my week that have been hard, but worth it:

Exercising(blast that stinkin' treadmill)

Eating healthy(I'm getting quite sick of salads!)

Waiting in a hair salon for 4+ hours while my two of my girls had their hair braided(only worth it b/c they didn't have to suffer the embarrassment of me trying to fix their hair)

Packing up the family(all baby gadgets included)and moving from one house to another for some much needed days of rest (Gets really old having to do so once a month)

Expertly cleaning the house to leave(only worth it because I get to enjoy coming back home to a super clean house)

Being a mom(24/7 job feeling like a harsh and cruel being, but somehow worth the struggles when a hug or kiss is planted on you!)

Burning the midnight oil studying like the old days(except now the kids that are involved make for a whole different ball game, but the 96.4 test score was worth my weary day!)

and finally, LOVING! (yes, this comes hard for me all too often!)


I have become vastly aware this past weekend of just how far I have fallen and how much God loves ME! The author and very definition of love, loves ME! Yet even though I understand it with my mind, I can't seem to push this information to my heart and let the actions, words, and thoughts of love come out of me! With my senses so heightened to the awareness of my loving heavenly father, I realized that love would not be quite so hard to exude if I myself would not continually slide away from my first love! God, help me to be filled so much with Your presence, that the action of love would become an easy task!
My beautiful mess this week concludes with the thought that when you find yourself in a spiritual mess, turn to Him, your first love, and become something beautiful; LOVE. No matter what the hard situations of life seem to bring, face them with love, and find them to be worth the hassle!

Sunday Afternoon Naps

Growing up, I had a love/hate relationship with Sunday afternoons. We would always have such good times at church in the mornings, amazing lunches, and some good converstation. Everyone in my family could usually pull themselves together enough to have great attitudes on Sundays, no matter how awful of a week it had been! The freshness of a new week, seemed to perk everyone somehow. But then it came......NAP TIME! My parents always wanted to take a nap after such good times. I just didn't get it! We, the kids, were given the option to either play outdoors if weather permitted or stay in and take a nap. BORING!! I remember having great fun outside, but we dare not get to close to their bedroom window yelling and playing. And heaven forbid we have to go in and go to the bathroom. We could possibly be sentenced to staying inside and being silent if we opened that door too many times. I could always tell the winter time was tough on my parents, becuase we were able to play inside and all too many times we were too loud! How could such a beautiful Sunday be ruined by such a simple resting of the eyes!
Now all grown up with so many kids of my own, I now long for my own Sunday afternoon nap and I also see the dissappointment in my childrens' eyes when we pronouce the dreaded time! I guess Wesley felt sorry for them today, because he let them stay up and in the house! But I didn't feel sorry for anyone today except my tired self! LOL I crawled in the bed and crashed!
Looking back, I thank my parents for teaching me the simplicity of Sunday's and the learned ability to REST. Though I know just how much it drives the kiddos crazy, I hope they too learn that rest can be a great thing to start your week with!

Flip Flop Farm Day.....

Today, Labor Day weekend festivities took us all the way to Dacusville! Ahh....HOME! Dacusville Farm Days; a labor day tradition in my family! Nothing like the scent of freshly cut wood and, well.... tractors! They have a very distinct smell! The girls from the home weren't quite sure what to think of the event, but I think they enjoyed it nonetheless. They were able to get their hair braided, faces painted, and hair sprayed all kinds of crazy colors. We also stopped by my dad's booth that was setup for the family-owned sawmill. Getting to see family is always fun for me! Bella and Nate enjoyed the tractors and the food of course! Even Marleigh got in on the action!

By the time we started home, Marleigh was starving, but we were all very tired and ready to head home. I thus decided that Marleigh would have to wait a 4 hour stretch instead of her usual three. Although she usually won't take a passy, one would be necessary for a peaceable ride home. But, uh oh......I forgot hers. In a desperate moment I gave into something I promised I would never do, even though I have two so close together. I SHARED THE PASSY!!! Nate was already asleep, so Marleigh got his and everything was right in the world for the long ride home.

Though an avid farm days fan and frequent visitor, I can already tell that I've been away from home for awhile. Wesley and I both wore flip flops to Farm Days today. What were we thinking?!?! Beautiful? Not hardly. Thus concluding with our mess of the day; flip flopped Farm Day feet in need of a footwashing!

Bumps, bruises, scrapes, and haircuts for all!

Disclaimer: Though I cover seamingly negetive aspects of our life, I want to make everyone aware that I still LOVE my life! In fact, in most cases, we are able to laugh at all of our "messes" of life! Just thought I'd let you know!

Today, like any other day, has been quite busy and eventful. Full of beautiful messes, all intertwined with one another, creating a very unique day like noneother. Sleeping in a little was a great start, thanks to Wesley who decided to get all the kiddos up and on their way. We then headed to the mall for a few items, one being a new wedding band for Wesley (YAY! now he looks like a married man again), then I was off to get my hair cut. (about 6 or 7 inches of it!) I also, got to visit the christian bookstore (a very dangerous place for me to be). I got a new bible for busy moms (first new one since high school graduation), and two new books that I'm super excited about reading in my spare time. LOL Family Fragrance and Who Switched Off My Brain! Mess of the Day: Nate was able to try Ketchup for the first time, today!

We got home just in time for some of our girls to get home and leave to go pick up the others. Wesley stayed home to be with napping little ones. And yes, Marleigh was safe in her crib today! Much to my dismay, after pulling out of the school parking lot with a short bus full of middle schoolers, I ran out of gas in the median! I'll thank my husband for that! The wonderful and helpful nextdoor neighbors had to come to my rescue. Oh yes, I have failed to mention that I forgot my cell phone and had to send one of the kids back in the school to make the phone call for help! We soon made it home and all breathed a sigh of releif that today was indeed FRIDAY!!!!

To conclude our week, Wesley got a wild hair (pun intended) and decided he needed a haircut like the rest of us. (Nate had one on Wednesday, Bella on Thursday, and me today). Problem was, he just had a fresh haircut last week! Hmm....how much shorter could he go? Well...I accomplished my first haircut and that's all I have to say about that! I thought I would absolutely hate it, but it's growing on me!

Our New Styles

Our finale for tonight was cooking Chicken Spaghetti Surprise for dinner. Can you tell it's time for a trip to the grocery store? It consisted of chicken nuggets, spaghetti O's, ravioli, spaghetti noodles, and cheese of course! Then we counted all the boo-boo's and prayed for each one. Marleigh's busted eye(from THE fall), Nate's pop knot on his forehead(from his face plant on the floor), and Bella's scraped arm (from sliding on the pavement)! Geez!!! What a day!

Chicken Spaghetti Surprise (they actually liked it!)

Bella's new boo-boo! Plus a glimpse of her new style as well!

A trip to the ER....

How crazy that on the day I choose to start a blog, I have such an eventful day to relay! The day didn't start out eventful; just an ordinary day still trying to break into the back to school routine. Got everyone off to school fine, one off on a visit with family, Bella off to preschool, and back home to the two little ones. As usual, my day passed much more quickly than anticipated and the afternoon rush of helping with homework, cooking dinner, and still managing the little ones had begun. In the midst of it all, Marleigh had fallen asleep on my shoulder as I carried her around like a sack of potatoes. I gently laid her on our bed, not wanting to put her in her crib since Bella was playing quite loudly in their room. I continuously checked on her, b/c she has become quite active and even rollng over here and there, although just 2 months. Much to my fright, the constant trips down the hallway to check were not numerous enough. From the kitchen, I heard a faint cry, yet very piercing! My heart jumped and I ran down the hallway! Panic mode was flipped in full-swing action when I saw Marleigh suspended, upside down between my nightstand and the bed! I quickly pulled her to safety and just held her close crying and praying, wishing over and over that would have just put her in her crib like any mom should just know to do!
After she calmed down from the initial shock, her left eye began to swell profusely and we knew that an immediate trip to the ER was necessary. In short, she had an x-ray and everything checked out okay, though she will probably have a black eye to show for. Sad, sad day! It breaks my heart and I have extreme "mommy guilt" right now; however, I am VERY thankful that the Lord took care of her and it was not any worse.
Lesson learned today!!!
In case anyone is wondering we are now sticking with the old wives tale that it's good luck to fall off of the bed before the age of one! LOL

The beginnings of a beautiful mess...

Well, well, well.....I'm finally joining the rest of the world and blogging! I guess journaling is now highly over-rated! Although I will continue to journal, I thought blogging might be a nice idea, especially since I can type a whole lot faster than write!
Now, to begin the story of the Evatt's beautiful mess with me and my wonderful husband, Wesley! As many know, he is my other side! We were just meant for one another and I absolutely cannot think of another that I would want to spend the rest of my life with. I refer to our life as a beautiful mess simply because our lives are always full of circumstances that could easily become a mess in the journey of life; however, we call it all beautiful because the Lord has been with us every step of the way causing us to see the bright side of life. Though we are surrounded by constant realities of life, the peace that we are surrounded by an even greater peace! In short, we love life and can see God at work no matter what the circumstance.
We are very thankful for our three beautiful children; Bella, Nate, and Marleigh! Though they just add to the mess of life at times(literally), it is hard to think of the day that they were not part of our life! As we take the journey of parenthood, we are learning MANY things! We seem to fail everyday in that realm, but boy do they(our children) teach us a lesson or two! It is always fun though to see the days roll arould when something good comes out of them and you know you must be doing something right! Bella, now in k-4, is now saying her own nighttime prayers and it absolutely thrills me to listen in. Her 4year old theology may be a little warped at times, but those prayers sure are precious! Nate, 17 months and wild as a buck, now successfully says, "Amen" after his nighttime prayers, and it melts my heart everytime. And Marleigh, 2 months, well... I just knows she sees angels all around!
So, as one can imagine, life with three little ones and living at a children's home to boot, can get a little hairy at times to say the least, but I wouldn't wish for life to be any different! So, follow along if you dare. I can promise that you will get a good laugh from time to time with the life stories from this house!