Southern girl plowing her way through life making the rules up as she goes. Warning: likes to bake, curse, quote movies/literature, is tattooed, married to The Man and mother of two girls. We bring new meaning to the "griswald way of life". Come along for the ride!



Life is My Highway

Montana and North Dakota have become home.... dang it lol.

These Girls

Lord help me but these babies wear me out.... they are just perfect!

Superheroes

Yes, it's from last winter but I adore this shot...so us....

Duchess

This kid glows from the inside out... my almost 11 year old!

We are so smexy!

Favorite sport: embarrassing our kids in public

Princess

My mini-me is finding her own way in life

Wednesday, May 3, 2017

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Saturday, January 21, 2017

Pinch Me

Long time no post... I'm pretty horrible about posting now but since I have my columns as an outlet, I haven't really remembered to post. I haven't forgotten my blog though, it's where I began writing out my thoughts and sometimes it's so neat to look back. Life has taken so many crazy turns. God is so good. My column was nationally syndicated and now I have the opportunity to plant seeds for God weekly in newspapers across the US. There is no way in the world that a girl from no where Louisiana could accomplish this... it's all God. Dave is wonderful as usual. I cant get over how amazing this man keeps getting... like my favorite wine, he keeps getting better and better. Yummy. The girls... good Lord but the girls have grown so much. Princess is in her first year of nursing school after graduating early. All the way down in Oklahoma, far from her momma but she's got both sets of grandparents nearby and she is just thriving. God is having his way.... making her path. Duchess well she's in 8th grade and frankly if she could go off to college tomorrow she would... in fact she's already asking about studying abroad in a couple years... she is a handful... but a beautiful musical handful. She plays the sax like a pro and it's pretty cool to hear some blusy jazz in the evenings. North Dakota has become home. It's quiet and peaceful.... so few people and such beautiful land. Oh you can see God's hand everywhere you turn here. The bison, the moose, and the land... it's good. I keep stretching and working to get closer to God and I'm enjoying our quiet life. It's good. Oh so good.

Thursday, July 28, 2016

Doing it our way

Sunday, May 22, 2016

Yeah It's Good

I guess since I write my column now, I have less to say... that's not a bad thing... I bet Dave gives thanks for that everyday. But things are really good. For years I prayed for simple and good... and I'm learning that contentment is a real thing. It's beautiful actually. I still need to lose 30 lbs but yeah I'm not giving that much though, I have a strawberry gf cake in the fridge... screw that 30 lbs... My job is amazing and I really love it... I just took a long weekend to go see Prin graduate from that CNA/Home Health Aide program with her state certified license... and she was class president. Come friday, she'll finish up homeschool classes and be one simple English 4 class away from graduating high school. She's gonna take her time and do it this fall while she's taking two pre-LPN classes at the votech... so she'll graduate at Christmas and start her LPN program in January... God is good. Dave is competing in gun competitions and really doing well. It's so nice to see him have a hobby... after all these years he is finally getting some free time to himself. It's freaking amazing. So now I'm going to go and get Duchess ready for band camp. Lord have mercy

Tuesday, April 12, 2016

Status

Life is pretty amazing. I just have to shake my head whenever I think about how my plans go awry whenever I just give God the reins. We had big plans and yet when we realized that God might have other plans… we took a huge big breath and just said Ok Lord. And it really just blows me away. Never expected to be living back in North Dakota… yet here we are. Life is really simple and I love it. I spend more time on the phone with my oldest back home than I have ever spent on the phone but other than that…. It’s working. God really knows his stuff. So the kid is rocking along down in OK. She’s settling in with her roommates and is just two classes short of graduating high school early. Looks like this fall she’ll be finishing up English 4 and one elective to graduate around her birthday! It’s kinda amazing to see this path and where it’s taking her. She has about five weeks of school left and she’s done with her classes both in her Christian studies and her nursing at the community college. She’ll be a CPA for the summer. Yah! Then she’ll be moving on with the next step…. LPN school. It’s so freaking amazing seeing the work that God is doing in her life. She’s set to head on her first international missions trip this summer and I’m in awe… just pray that she stays on God’s journey for her… cause I’ll kick her little white butt if we have a conflict lol…. The little is amazing as well. Musical and really enjoying the new school…. She randomly came home and announced that she was going to try out for cheer as some of her classmates encouraged her to join them on the team…. Ummmmm okay, I literally love the fact that this kid still surprises me greatly. She’s funny too, in the same way that Dave is… ironic and wry… I’m usually the butt of their jokes but even I have to laugh… urgh. How in the world did I get so lucky. Two completely different human beings from Dave and I… not to be gross lol. Still fighting with tummy issues but the splint took care of my jaw… How in the hell do I seem to keep falling apart. .. Luckily I keep getting healing and answers.

Saturday, April 2, 2016

Good week

Even with my mouth splint. Stupid jaw 

Even company at my office 
I'm blessed

Tuesday, March 29, 2016

Happy Easter

Life is really good. I need to switch that up… God is good. We have survived the decision to leave my oldest, Princess in Oklahoma to finish up her nursing program. It was easily the hardest thing I’ve ever done. True, we have her the very best roommates in the world… my parents… but dang it’s the hardest thing in the world to let my 17 year old really work outside the box. So my dearest oldest is marching to the beat of her own drum… and it’s working thanks to the grace of God. It’s scary to let your kid think outside the box and then act on it… and fund it lol. So we just had a great family weekend. Princess came up for Easter and we four really embraced our time together. We went to dinner and we had a girls’ day… I got my hair done and then Princess got her a deep moisture treatment… we shopped for clothes and then we laughed and laughed. Dave took us shooting. We managed to be sharpshooters at 200 yards. I’ll take that. Considering we have two leftie shooters and I have a new rifle… fun! I really have to give that man credit… we have quite the setup. We have shooting mats and a tarp and a cooler of goodies and while we set up the area to prepare… Max runs around like a crazy Vizsla chasing and flushing birds… We didn’t’ cook a fancy Easter dinner. Honestly it’s the first time we haven’t. We didn’t attend a big flashy service either. My work is a beautiful place to work. Not only because of the people but also because of the fact that underneath it all at the very base of it, they are a Christian company and they don’t disallow us the right to be Christians first. How utterly refreshing. We have a place on the property here where someone put up some crosses for the holiday… and an employee came out and at sunrise we had a simple service and then after a few hymns…. Everyone took fresh flowers someone brought and tucked them into wire that was wrapped around the cross’s base… it was beautiful. It was easily the most beautiful moment of my life…. Holding hands in the freezing cold with my husband, bundled up as the dawn started to break … the lights streaking behind the crosses where a purple sash was draped. It was amazing. My girls running in front of us holding flowers… as they approached the cross. Literally the most amazing thing every… and knowing that my sweet children are given to the Lord… that they were literally children of the cross… the very best thing I ever did… and yet it has nothing to do with me at all… Happy Easter

Monday, February 22, 2016

Back in da saddle

Clocked my first full day back to work in several years... God is so good, it's awesome to be back in the workplace... Oh I'll still write my columns but no longer features. Time to test drive that degree (or two)... 

Came home to crockpot dinner and some family time. So blessed. Now to FaceTime Prin .... And love this dog 

Friday, February 19, 2016

Praise report

God is so good. I start Monday at my new job here.... Using my degree and letting others see Christ through me 

Thursday, February 18, 2016

The why....


Watching him rush home do should tell him all about her first day.... God is so hooood. 


And this little nurse is good too. Keeping butt on a state test! As usual, we live a crazy life but God has us and all is well. 

We are unpacked!

Well we have arrived we've unpacked we've been here exactly one week 

I started Duchess at school this morning brand-new shiny high school down the road yeah she start high school here OMG

Princess on track nursing school is going well she's finishing up her high school classes 

everybody's doing good now to find a job and find something other to do than watching TV all day

This week and I get to see a good friend of mine he's gonna be in town with her kiddos hockey so all in all not too shabby turns out when you let God do his thing it all goes smooth as butter

Sunday, February 7, 2016

I'm Taking Opinions now....

Dave always reminds me... "Wanta see God laugh, make a plan..." it was a great plan. We were picking up our family and starting to move to our forever home in Oklahoma. We bought it a couple of years ago on the quiet... it was our retirement plan. It's not lake front but it's lake view and it's in a great community where it will increase in value over the years.... it was a great plan. The kids and I moved here this past summer. His family was thrilled to have us 20 minutes away and my mom immediately transferred to a local store and found a rental log cabin 12 miles away. For the last six months it's been awesome... except Dave was only here one week a month... his job evolved to a point where he will continue to work in North Dakota. So here we are... a family divided again. However we began to realize that God's hand was evident in our path. Our oldest has gone on to thrive in her accelerated classes homeschooling through an online Christian school and taking nursing classes at the local community college. In fact she will be a state certified CNA in May. She loves Oklahoma and she loves the process that she has started. So I went and met with her rep at the college and turns out that in May she will be only three credits from graduating high school a year early... and she qualifies to join the LPN class this fall. This kid could end up with her LPN by 19. I love the fact that she's hands-on and has created a path that works for her. She's not ready to go to "college". Where she's living away from everyone on her "own".... and God knew that before we all did. So here we are as I begin packing up. Duchess and I are leaving this week to go back to North Dakota to be with Dave and Max. They miss us and need us. Princess? Not so much... she needs us to support her dreams but she also needs a little independence..... So my parents gave up their rental and moved this week into my dream house here at the lake... they are going to be the best roommates a nursing student could ever ask for.... she'll have someone she can count on right here but this allows her to start nursing and live at home. Within 48 hours of Dave and I discussing this and getting everyone's blessing... you know my folks and my kids... that we saw God's plan fall into place. My parent's landlord let them out of their year long lease without penalty... Dave's landlord up North called and said he had a huge two bedroom apartment available and did Dave know of anyone that needed a bigger place... Chills yet? Duchess is ready to go. She misses her dad. And frankly at 13 she needs her dad everyday... just like we made sure Princess had when she was this age. It was hard to make this call even after seeing all the "signs". I just don't want to realize that she's ready to "go" without me but she is. Crap. Now I have kept this off of social media for one simple reason... we move alot. We have a lot of blessings on our life. And people can suck... they think they are cute when they make snotty ass comments about how often we move... yet they all wanta come visit. I counted up the states that we have lived in tonight with my mom... in the past twenty years we have lived in 9 states. And we are so blessed. So this is for my lovelies that are so happy and confident in their own life that they can talk smack about mine.... This is why we can't be friends... lol Cause I don't keep such negativity in my life. The blessings fall down life fire. Not even my cynical self can deny that amazing work God has done in our lives... embrace change and follow the wind people... life is such a small fragile thing. Enjoy yours...

Sunday, January 31, 2016

Crazy week




Life is fixing to take another crazy detour... Enjoyed a momma daughter date before .... Life moves so fast

Tuesday, January 12, 2016

I did it....

I really have no rational reason why I'm so scared of replacing that glass screen protector thingy on my phone but I am... in fact, that damn thing is busted up and now cutting me, so I did it. I sat down and successfully removed the screen and then replaced it! woohooo.... awesome sauce. It's the little things ....

Friday, January 8, 2016

Let's Pray

Okay my sweet hookers, it's time to start a new project together. We can do this. We gonna start praying for our spouses. Aaaaaand u single hookers.... U gonna pray for your future spouse! I found this great guideline.... Accept I don't wanta use her written prayers.... I'm challenging us to write our own. I grabbed s little notebook to stash by my bed and my goal is to write out a little specific prayer for my man. 

1. His wife - me... Cause I need God to strengthen me to do this right
2. His walk with the Lord
3. His work and career
4. His voice and his tongue
5. His faith and attitude
6. His mind and outlook
7. His choices
8. His finances 
9. His heart and health
10. His senses 
11. His marriage
12. His obedience 
13. His joy
14. His peace
15. His patience 
16. His kindness
17. His goodness
18. His self control 
19. His wisdom
20. His honesty
21. His spiritual leadership
22. His trust
23. His example
24. His influences and friends
25. His repentance 
26. His protection 
27. His courage and humility
28. His habits 
29. His past
30. His future 

Ok. Let's do this. So often I hear people complaining about their spouse or their marriage. God starts the change with US!!!!! Let's strength out spouse and our marriages which strengthen our home and kids and family! 

Tuesday, January 5, 2016

Nerves, the Nerves

Argh tomorrow I have my first technical interview. Ouch... This will be the first time I interview having my masters and using my masters. I'm freaking nervous! So I'm going to print out all of my paperwork then I'm going to set out my interview outfit of choice... and as a woman, holy crap can we address the problem of what to freaking wear............. and then I'm gonna shave my legs cause nothing makes a girl feel powerful like having smooth legs... right? I feel like my bowels are turning to liquid at the thought of tomorrow.... but I wanted to lose weight anyway. Pray for me.......... lift me up in your prayers....

Tuesday, December 29, 2015

Prayer Me Peeps

As I sit here watching Max, the Vizsla who stole my heart, clean his boy parts for the 70th time today.... I realize that this time tomorrow he and Dave will be gone. Back on the road to North Dakota and the oil field. We are so blessed to have a situation where Dave and Max can come home one week a month but it's hard to not get greedy. Urgh. Now that we are really settling into life here at the Lake, I'm turning my eye to job hunting. Lift me in prayers please... I would really like to have a position somewhere God wants me to be.

Friday, December 25, 2015

By the Rules

We spent the holiday chilling and spending family time.... along with some family games. Andddd no body wants to play with me... Apparently I'm a difficult person when it comes to games. I adhere to the rules and I enforce the rules... as well as require those playing to do so as well. Does that make me wrong? Apparently it does. No body likes it when you won't let them deviate from the rules of Scrabble... is there a happy medium between being right and being popular... I really don't think it is. Is that a personality flaw....? I am flawed because I have a compulsion to adhere to the rules? Food for thought today....

Saturday, November 28, 2015

The juggle

Homeschooling is def not for the faint of heart. While I'm prepping for resume and applying for jobs, I'm also working to continue prepping Madz for finishing her junior year. She's almost done with American History and it is cool to see her kick it's butt. Now we are pausing to jump into to Kill a Mockingbird for the holiday season... After that we will get back knee deep into chemistry. I'm lucky because she has an amazing homeschool curriculum online that really makes it easy for me to watch and supervise rather than led the process of teaching her. I am adding a writing program because I think everyone can benefit from extensive writing. While all of that, she's still kicking butt at her Pre Nursing class at the college. Whew, now if she'd do more laundry. Little one is doing some serious sax practice today.... I really love our blessed life... I'm juggling like crazy but it works!

We aren't really accomplishing much this week

Thursday, November 26, 2015

My favorite post yet....

Wednesday, November 25, 2015

It's been a good Fall day

Tuesday, November 24, 2015

Happy Surprise 13th Mere

Saturday, November 14, 2015

This.

Gonna put this right here.... it's the mood I'm in....

Sunday, November 8, 2015

Dang Saturday, you rocked

My man got him a sweet one in Montana today. Hello jerky!!!
The girls and I spent time attempting to get a handle on the leaves. Fall has fallen... All up in my yard. 
Molded pumpkins don't burn so well and this poorly made fire pit that previous owners built is useless lol. Time to raze it and put in a big ole swing. 
After hours spent chasing us around the yard, my little man was wore out... 

Foot surgery next month looks like I get my Myrphy man back and Max will go on the road with dad... Trading dogs, but they make us happy.