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Friday, December 31, 2010

Happy New Year



A NEW YEAR
A New Challenge
A New Goal
A New Optimism
A New Aproach
A New Mission
A New Resolution
Wishing You a very
Happy New Year!!!

So long 2010! There were many ups and downs, and I have grown stronger. 2011 will be as good as I allow it to be! Thank you, Lord for carrying me through storms. Wishing all my wonderful friends a very Happy New Year and nothing but the best to come in 2011 ♥ ♥

No matter how you celebrate be safe and no matter what there is always HoPe no matter what your facing.

Thursday, December 30, 2010

Christmas 2010

Christmas eve afternoon Jennifer and I made some Peanut Butter Blossoms. Jennifer said Santa just had to have those kind. Also Jennifer requested that Chocolate milk be put out for Santa. So funny , Daddy just had that silly look on his face.

Christmas Morning we got up about 7am and I made cinnamon rolls. A must always have on Christmas morning. Last yr Carly was 8 months so she really wasn't that into it. This Christmas she was checking things out.




After we ate we read the Christmas story out of the Bible everyone read a couple verses except for Carly. It was something I always done growing up and I want my children to do the same thing. Jesus is the reason for the season so what better way to remind them of it.

Time to open presents !!!!!!

Carly got to go first !!!!



Thaniqua with a new Barbie !!!



Ridge being so serious opening up some Lego. He is really into that right now.



Jennifer and her Barbie Doll



Carly and Jennifer sitting at Carly's little Disney Table and chairs she got. Also they were playing with carly's farm set that Big Sister Jennifer said must go on Carly's list , Lol. Kids can be so cute.



We had Ham for dinner. I cooked it in the crock pot it turned lovely. Think next yr I will do the same. Made some homemade dinner rolls.

After dinner we had a birthday cake for Jesus and ice cream. Sang Happy Birthday to Jesus. All in all it was a good day. I missed my family in Ohio but did talk to them on the phone. We are going home in June for a visit and I'm so excited.

Merry Christmas and Happy New Year !!!

If you would like to link up just click on the button below and join in. Thanx to Lynnette for doing this.



Wednesday, December 29, 2010

~ Wordless Wednesday ~

Love this look .............


~ 20 Months ~

Today this little girl is 20 months. It doesn't seem possible. So many changes and to think in four months she will be two yrs old.

This is one of her Christmas presents from Santa ~ Disney Princess table and chairs. She loves it and I just had to snap this picture looking so grown up.



Happy 20 months old today our precious Little Rainbow Carly ~ We all love you !!!!!

Tuesday, December 28, 2010

Sharing about Our Children

Wow , I got to talk about our children and someone really listened. I was so happy because I'm not talking about our children that live on earth with me. I know wait a minute what could I possibly say about someone I never got the chance to meet.

A couple of months go we got a new landlord. She was nice but the past month I got the chance to talk to her. She seemed really friendly. I went in to pay our rent a month ago and she was decorating for Christmas. We chatted about decorations and so on. She asked me if I enjoyed being a Mom ?? Sorta seemed funny but this gang can be something else at times. She told me her husband was killed in a auto accident 11 yrs ago. I told her I was sorry. She told me she is excited because her son's wife is pregnant with a little boy , due in April 2011. She has other grandchildren but this will be the first one to carry on her husbands name. She told me her daughter in law lost a son early last yr. I told her I was sorry and she said it has been hard. I told her I really understand. I lost two children due to miscarriages. She said Wow , I could never tell but I know you sure love your kids. We talked , I told her about some websites I found comfort in. I took my new calander I ordered for Christmas from Carly that writes Names in the Sand. She looked at a few of the sites online and was really happy. Her daughter in law really is holding a lot in and thinks maybe this might really help her. Of course carrying her rainbow is bittersweet for all of them. Her son was born still at 37 wks , no problems just went to her appt and No Heartbeat. I'm going to get to meet her next weekend , I'm excited.

For a present our landlord bought her Grandson's name in the sand and a calander for her daughter in law. She even got one for herself. She thought what a beautiful way to help others in healing and to honor her son. I was just so happy I could share with someone and put a smile on her face.

Monday, December 27, 2010

My Step-Children



I'm typing I need to vent ~ sorry but sometimes I get like this. So instead of yelling at a person or like this time people , my blog is going to catch it.

My Step-children , I love them and I care but I'm sad or hurt. Christmas was this past weekend of course. Didn't hear anything from the two in Ohio. Jessica is home from college on break but her Mom doesn't have a phone. Justin lives there too , not sure if he has a cell phone. Paul hasn't really heard much from him since he went back there in May. Paul thought maybe the kids would be online but sometimes they are and they never bother with him. I did mail them a Christmas card from us. Jared lives here with us so he is the only one we talk to. They never sent him a message either. It's SAD !! I guess it all comes down to what's important and I know even though I'm miles from home I still take the time once a week to call my family. Sometimes I shed a tear cause I'm lonely but I know that they know I care. I guess after losing children and my own Father I look at life a lot different. Life is fragile and so important cause none of us knows what tomorrow brings.

Sunday, December 26, 2010

A Friend & A Rainbow

I posted this rainbow on Facebook a couple weeks ago. I got a comment from Jenny a friend from High School. Later on I got this message she left me.




Caroline,

I have to share a story with you about rainbows (if you don't mind)! My dad passed away 14 yrs ago on Dec 23. When he was dying, I asked him to please send a white dove so I would know that he was in heaven and ok; he shook his head yes. About 2-3 weeks after he passed, I was at my moms house in the living room and I noticed a rainbow on the wall. She had a suncatcher in the west window, but the weird thing was, there were rainbows on all the walls, including the west one!! The walls were loaded with them! It seems that if I'm worried about something, or just thinking about my parents, rainbows seem to appear!! Just wanted to share that!! Hope you have a very blessed Christmas!! :)

Jenny

I thought this was so special and so neat. God is so Good !! I love everything God makes but there is just something so special about Rainbows.

Friday, December 24, 2010

Merry Christmas

Decorating all done



Gifts wrapped



Tree so beautiful



The Angels in Heaven



Let us not forget the true meaning of CHRISTmas. When God sent his only son to be born on Christmas , only to die so that we may all live forever in Heaven One day.
Happy Birthday Jesus !!!!



May your day be filled with Love , Peace and many wonderful blessings




From The Croley Gang

Paul , Caroline , Jared , Ridge , Thaniqua , Jennifer and Carly
Plus Our Angels in Heaven ~ Riley and Little Muffin

Our Family & A Special Ornament

Bent or broken, this family tree.
Each branch a part of a part of me.
This is my tree and it's a beautiful tree.

This is the theme song from " Life Unexpected " on the CW channel. I love that show.

As I sat in our living room last night and looked at the Christmas tree with the lights off and it was quiet everyone was in bed. I love looking at the christmas tree lights in the dark. They are so bright and I think of that night when Jesus was born. What a beautiful gift God gave all of us.

So of course I had my little cry alone , I needed to do that so I won't be so broken on Christmas. I thought of those words to that theme song. No matter how bent or broken Our Family Tree is it's a beautiful tree. So to those in our family that aren't here with us one day our tree will be so together again because God sent his son so that we all may have life forever with those we love.

I also got this beautiful new ornament in the mail yesterday from Kelly. It just tied all my feelings together.

On the ornament it reads ~ " Every life leaves something beautiful behind "



It is so very true.

Thursday, December 23, 2010

This Touched My Heart

I was online and I ran across this and it touched my heart so much. The holidays are here and it's hard when people you love are in Heaven. We miss them so much. So I thought I would share this today.



I pray that everyone can have a peaceful and wonderful holiday season. Remembering that God sent his son so that we may live forever with those loved ones in Heaven.

Wednesday, December 22, 2010

Hurt Feelings Post ~ What I Did

Sorry this is kinda long.

Last week I wrote a post about hurt feelings. I was thankful for all the comments that people left. It's a tough subject but everyday it's there. I don't go on about it daily but I know it happened to me and to others. This time of year is hard the holidays missing family members but God is there for us.

I think back to the person that said those cruel things maybe she didn't mean it but then maybe she didn't know what to say. So I posted this today. I'm sure alot of you have read or seen something like this before.

I also sent it to the person that made me feel sad. I only put that if she should come in contact with another person , she should really stop and think about what she might say.

1.Never say...... It's a MISTAKE

(they want this baby! also..maybe they cant have another...)Also this comment is often very offhand...
2. "Now you have angel looking after you" (they didnt want an angel-they want their BABY back!)
3."its for the best" (How?The best is a successful healthy pregnancy!)
4."At least you didnt know your baby!"(whether the baby was held in the parents arms or their minds, it was REAL!)
5."There must have been something wrong" (with me? why?)
6." Did you do something you werent supposed to do?"(inflicts guilt/how could i have done this to my baby!?)
7."Have you ever thought of NOT having children!?"(well yes probably!I know i might never be a parent....)
8."Be grateful for the children you have!"(I am but I still need to mourn the one i have lost!)
9."It wont happen again"(I never thought it could happen..and to some unlucky people it does happen again!)
10.""Be brave,dont cry"(why not!!!?)
11."Get on with your life,this isnt the end of the world!"(right now it IS)
12."You should be over it be now!"( why!?This is not something you just 'get over')
13."Youre young, you'll get over it" (what does age have to do with pain!?)
14."Time will heal" (Time will make the pain easier to bear yes,but that is no help at the moment...)
15."At least it wasnt older" (it still matters and it still HURTS!)(In general best not to start with "at least"..it can sound as though you are trying to brush off the tragedy.)
16."It was Gods will" ..."God wanted him/her with him"..."God needed another flower in his garden" AND so on!
17. "Are you sure you were even pregnant"
18. "Your an idiot for wanting another kid right now anyway"
19. "Why are you upset"
20. "Maybe it was just bad timing to have another baby"


If you have never been through a miscarriage or pregnancy loss yourself, or even if you have , it can be hard to know what to say when someone you know loses a baby. You want to say something, but you just don't know what.

In short, the best thing to say is anything along the lines of "I'm sorry, and I'm here for you if you want to talk about it." It's also a good idea to offer help to your friend if she needs it, and ideally to offer something specific, since it can be hard for people to ask for help even when they need it.

As for talking about the miscarriage, your friend may or may not want to. Some women don't want to talk and may withdraw from friends and family, preferring solitude. If your friend or relative is doing this, it may be her way of coping. Let your friend have her space, and don't try to force her to talk before she's ready. Consider sending a card or flowers to let her know you're thinking of her. You might offer to bring dinner over so she doesn't have to cook or, if she has other children, offer to watch them for a while so she can have some alone time.

If your friend does want to talk, try to keep an open ear. Don't discourage your friend from talking, because it may be therapeutic for her. Consider asking questions like, "How do you feel?" in order to encourage her to open up.

In most cases, you should avoid offering advice unless asked. If you yourself have had experience with miscarriage, your friend might be interested in hearing about your experience but approach the subject with caution. If your miscarriage happened a while ago, remember that the feelings of grief can be very intense in the beginning and your outlook on the experience may be very different from your friend's. Remember also that every person goes through the experience differently, so you do not necessarily know what your friend is feeling (and your friend does not necessarily know what you felt when it happened to you.)

Try to remember that your friend or relative has lost a child, and be sensitive to that fact. Don't minimize the loss. She had probably started to envision her child in her mind and likely feels that she lost a baby, not just a pregnancy. It may be a while before she feels like herself again.

If you feel uncomfortable and awkward, just do your best. Try to be there for your friend as best as you can. She will most likely be reeling and in shock for a while, but years from now she will look back on this time and remember your support.

After she got this she unfriended me on Facebook which is ok. I would rather have true friends and not just be a number. I worked with her for a few yrs so we really weren't close. She did go to school with my sister. She did call my sister and tell her she thought I needed some kind of help. I filled my sister in on what really happened , so all I HoPe is the next time she runs in to someone that has lost I pray she treats them better than me.

Thanx again for the comments and love. It's just a good thing I was on my way to my daughter's school tea party , it took my mind off of it for awhile.

A Loss is a Loss , period.

" Little Cookie Monster "

Yesterday I was baking cookies most of the day.

I caught " Our Little Cookie Monster "

Didn't take her long to try and get some cookies of course the older siblings at home helped a bit , Lol. It was just so cute. It was all good she still ate supper.



Tuesday, December 21, 2010

Early Christmas Gifts

Some early Christmas gifts.

Packages have been coming the past few days , some for Mom which I can wait but the kids that's a different story. I have let them open there's just because we are so far from family.

The first one I wasn't allowed to wait it was from Thaniqua. She made it at school. Cinammon /Applesauce Ornaments. I love those , my favorite and they smell so good.



These are the gifts my sister Colleen , Jeff , Blake and Anthony that they sent the kids. I didn't expect them to send anything. They have had a lot of such going on since the accident. My sister always wanted a girl so since I have all girls she tends to always send something for any holiday. <3 We also got a bunch of christmas cookies so yummy.

Thanx to you all for everything we love and miss you.

Carly's Doll with Butterfly Wings I totally love it.



Jennifer and her Monkey being her silly self.



Thaniqua with her Monkey looking so cute.



Ridge and his Yu-gi-oh cards he collects. He got three packs.



Then from one of wonderful blog friends Sarita. She sent all the children a ornament of there own. So beautiful and so sweet. They just loved them. Thanx Sarita , your so wonderful.

Carly unwrapping the box from Sarita.






Monday, December 20, 2010

The Legend of the Candy Cane

I recieved this from my sister-in-law yesterday and thought I would share it. It's so very AwEsOmE.

This is a legend of the candy cane.


As you watch do not click on anything (except "Start") as it will automatically flip for you.

http://www.angelrays.com/fla/legend.html

Sunday, December 19, 2010

Dec 19th

Today was a good day and a busy one.

For starters Carly slept til 7:30. She is always up at 5:30 or 6 on a normal day. I had Paul go check on her but she was fine just sleeping. I always worry , a fear I don't think I will ever really shake.

I also found out my sweet friend Jess that I met a couple yrs ago on Cafemom , was in the hospital getting ready to have her Rainbow baby. I was excited for her. She wasn't due til Jan but she had a precious baby boy today. God is so Good. Congrats Jess and Kevin & family !!!!

Also today was my Grandpa's birthday on my Mom's side. He is in heaven has been there for 24 yrs so Happy Birthday Grandpa , miss & love you. I remember when we were little Grandpa was in the hospital for something can't remember why ?? He got out of the hospital a couple days before Christmas so that year he shared his birthday cake with Jesus. Grandma always made a cake on Christmas for Jesus Birthday. I thought wow how lucky Grandpa is.

Also today was my BFF's mother's birthday. Happy Birthday Mary Ann. She has always been like my second Mom and I'm excited for when I go back home in June to get to see her.

I made somee sugar cookie dough and some choc chip and put it in the fridge going to make cookies tomorrow. Yummy !!!!!!!

Saturday, December 18, 2010

~ Six Word Saturday ~



Here is how it works using six words , describe your life ( or something ) in a phrase.

If you would like to join in all you have to do is click on the button at the top.


Are you done ? Christmas next Saturday !!!

I'm done shopping and gifts are wrapped but .......... still can't believe it's almost here. Just seems like it came so fast this year. Hoping everyone has a great upcoming week.

Have a wonderful Saturday !!

Caroline

Friday, December 17, 2010

Finally Friday !!!

Yay for Friday !!!!!!

I have been waiting for this day for a couple weeks. It's Christmas break and I'm so ready !!!! I know the kids are too. No School til Jan 10th 2011. I enjoy being a Mom and I love having them home. We have no Big plans but just hangin out. Reading everyday a bit , playdates and just enjoying some down time. It will go fast I know but we are gonna have a blast.

Oh yeah Ridge and Thaniqua had AwEsOmE Grade cards too. Lots of extra happiness going on and I'm just so proud of all of them. So Yay for Friday !!!!

~ Holiday Tea Party & Being Kind ~

On Wednesday Jennifer's first grade class had a Holidays around the World Tea.

Here is the invitation ~





They gave reports on United States , Mexico , Holland and Israel. It was interesting and each child had a special part.

Here is there Gingerbread Christmas Tree




Jennifer waiting her turn



Jennifer doing her part being the pointer as the class read about the United States.



Cookies that they served after the kids all did there part.



My Little Jennifer so grown up




I do want to end this with a cute story ~ Jennifer's friend Molly , her mother couldn't come because she had to work. So Jennifer told Molly she would share her Mommy for the Tea Party. Molly got my cookies and Jennifer got my drink. So sweet of her. Jennifer told me that in the morning that little girl was sad and crying so Jennifer asked her teacher if she could share her Mommy. What a great child !!

Also Jennifer got her grade card yesterday and she is doing pretty AwEsOmE !! She is reading at 4th grade level. At the end of last quarter she was reading close to high 2nd grade level. We are so proud of her. Yay Jennifer and thanks for the wonderful and kind student you are. We love you !!!

 
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