Adventures in Raganville

First Haircut

2009-07-28T09:22:00.004-04:00

It was time for haircuts...Emma's bangs are at the point where you either have to cut or just let them keep growing out...we are letting them grow, but we got about 5 inches cut off and got layers put in to thin it out (I hope!). It looks really cute!!

Dayna has never had her hair cut, but I wanted to just have it evened out at the bottom. She looks so tiny getting her hair washed and then sitting in the chair. Emma was a statue and Dayna was a wiggle worm!!

She was too short to sit in the chair and get it cut, so she ended up having to stand. We tried really hard to get her to stand like a statue...challenge!!!

Catching Up!

2009-06-25T22:03:00.006-04:00

Hello all! It has been a while since the last post and so much has happened in Raganville. Emma was baptized on Easter Sunday. She was so excited!

Emma earned 2 awards for her K-5 year...A Honor roll and Academic Excellence! Great Job!!

Emma graduated from K-5 this year as well. Here are a few pictures before my camera slid off my lap and broke....sad!

Check out Dayna...she just couldn't help not being in the picture!

On Father's Day weekend, Branson and I went to Charlotte (with my new camera :o) for Heroes Convention! It was a great weekend away getting to see all the artists and the sites of Charlotte! Check out the temperature...yikes!!

Here is a picture of downtown before getting to our hotel. I love downtown Charlotte!!

Waiting in line to get into the convention.

Just like a kid in a candy store :o)

Birthday at Build a Bear!

2009-05-16T19:00:00.003-04:00

Emma's 6th birthday was this week! I can't believe how quickly the time goes by. I decided to pick her up from school, take her to lunch, and then go to Build a Bear. I told her she was going to have a surprise and had to close her eyes until I told her to open them.

She was sooo surprised!!!

She chose a dog with cute bent ears. Here she is rubbing its heart and making a wish for her new friend! She just thought that was the best!

After the dog was stuffed and sewn up, she gave it a bath before picking out a cute outfit, complete with hairbows and red patent shoes.

Since we went in the middle of the day in the middle of the week, there was no one else there. She just had the best time and it was awesome to be able to take her and make her day special!! Can't wait for her K-5 graduation and then her birthday party later this week!!

I love my girls!!

2009-04-06T23:10:00.001-04:00

Aren't they cutie pies!!

Rag Curls for my Raggamuffins!!

2009-03-22T21:26:00.003-04:00

I have decided to have more fun with my girlies...I taught Emma how to play War today and then whooped her....but she had fun :o) Another thing we did after church tonight was to try rag curls. Now I am not exactly sure when this whole process was first used, but I have never done it with the girls before. They just looked so precious!! I will post again tomorrow and show off the results!

Fun and Flirty at 30!!

2009-03-03T16:58:00.005-05:00

.....well maybe not the flirty part :o) I turned 30 on Feb. 26th and my bff's planned an amazing surprise party for me!! They started planning a couple months ago and invited my family from Cali that I haven't seen in a couple years. I was completely surprised!! I can't believe so many people took time out of their week to celebrate with me...I am still overwhelmed with gratitude!! This is the only pic I got from the party because I was just too busy having fun!! The theme was Paris...for those of you who don't know, my heart's desire all my life is just to go to Europe and trapse around for a while :o) Here is the cake...just amazing! Everything was perfect!!! Thank you again to my girls!!!!

I had my family at my house for the weekend...my nephews (8 and 6) started building this tree fort...took them hours and it turned out great!

This is my great aunt, whom I love dearly, with the kids! They were watching some cartoons before bed!

Dear Uncle Branson with the boys putting together Legos. All those little pieces...

Eating dinner with my great aunt and my uncle.

My aunt brought cupcake goodies and Dayna was my little helper!!

I love winter and while the fam was here, we had a snow day!! They were supposed to fly out to CA on Sunday and their flight was cancelled due to the weather...they stayed with us for another 2 days...the boys loved the snow!! First time they had seen it!!

Here is my sister with my nephews!!

Random pic---we had a part of the tree out front crash down barely missing our car...that was bizarre!!

Snow Day!!

2009-01-20T13:24:00.003-05:00

We haven't had a snow day, with a decent accumulation, in such a long time!! I was so excited for the kiddos that we were able to go out and play in it!! Usually when the news says it will snow, it doesn't so I wasn't holding my breath when the news was predicting it last night. Sure enough, we woke up to it and saw that school was closed. After a big breakfast, we braved the winter weather. We stayed out for about an hour, even dad got in on it for a few minutes. Oh so much fun!!

My 2 snow princesses!!

I love, love, love this picture of the girls with their daddy!!

How cute are they?!!

Update in Ragan(crazy)ville!

2009-01-19T20:21:00.004-05:00

I know it has been a while since I have updated the blog. I feel like life has been a bit of a blur for the past 2 weeks!! Thank you for all your prayers. Branson is doing well. Still very tired and very sore. We met with the radiologist late last week and they are going to start treatments probably on Feb. 2. He will have 6 weeks of treatments, 5 days a week. Wow! So many things we are thankful for though-family and friends who are always there to love and pray for us, a church family that is amazingly supportive and there for us, employers that are understanding and compassionate, and we live in the city where these amazing doctors are so that we don't have to travel for surgery and treatments. The doctors always ask where we are from and are amazed that we are local folks. Apparently people from all over the world come here for medical care. I am overwhelmed with God's goodness to us. Life is crazy here with work, school, and appointments, and we are in constant need of your prayers.

Home from the Hospital

2009-01-09T01:18:00.002-05:00

Hello all!
Branson came home from the hosptial on Wednesday! He is doing very well, just very tired and managing his pain. He is sleeping a lot, which is what he needs to be doing. He will be going back to see the surgeon in a couple of weeks to have the staples removed and to set up the radiation treatment plan. Thank you all for continuing to pray for Branson and for our family. I really believe that is why he is doing so well!

God is Faithful, God is Good, and God Loves Us Very Much

2009-01-06T11:03:00.003-05:00

Hello all! The surgery went well. They couldn't remove the entire tumor since it is attached to the optic nerve and would've caused more damage to do so. Right now he is out of ICU and in a regular bed. They say he might go home tomorrow! He is still in pain and is very tired, but certainly more alert and able to remember things. Radiation to follow in a few weeks to kill the rest of the tumor. Even if things weren't going so well, God has taught me so much about His faithfulness, goodness, and love just by giving us the strength to get this far. Still a long road ahead. Thank you for all your prayers!

Surgery Tomorrow

2009-01-04T15:37:00.002-05:00

Hello all! I have no pictures today, but wanted to just post that Branson is in the hospital awaiting tomorrow's big day. The surgery is going to be mid-morning and we are much more at ease about it this time around. Please continue to pray for him and the doctors.

We told Emma about it and I had her recite "God is Faithful, God is Good, and God loves us very much." She had a hard time with it, but I think she has some peace of mind now. It is hard to explain to a 5 1/2 year old that people get sick and that sometimes bad things happen to good people. I'm afraid it is just life. It isn't always fair, the good guy doesn't always win, and sometimes it just stinks, but God is Faithful, God is Good, and God loves us very much!!

Merry Christmas from the Ragans!!

2008-12-28T22:48:00.002-05:00

Is it too early to plan the Christmas card picture for next year??? Because this would be it, for sure!! I always look forward to Christmas, but this year was extra special to me. The girls are still excited with the magic of Santa and we had so much fun with it this year! We decided just to make everything so special...time with family and friends, making cookies for Santa, baking a birthday cake for Jesus. It was a wonderful time at the Ragan house!! Hope your Christmas was just as magical and special!!

The girls with Uncle Jonathan at Nana's house :o)

Under the tree!

Be Ye Thankful

2008-11-30T22:53:00.005-05:00

My pastor challenged our church to list 25 things that we are thankful for...these are a few of my choices in no particular order.
1. I am thankful for siblings...without which we would be alone in our agony!

2. I am thankful for my aunt and uncle...without whom I would not be who I am today.

3. I am thankful for my great aunt...who is one of my best friends.

4. I am thankful for my sister...without whom I wouldn't have made it through.

5. I am thankful for my brother and sister-in-law...we are so glad that they are closer to us now!

6. I am thankful for my mother-in-law...who is the greatest Nana to my kids!

7. I am thankful for my husband...my bestest of all friends!

8. I am thankful for my crazy little girls...without whom I wouldn't be a mother.

9. I am thankful for my best friends-you know who you are...without whom I would be lost.
10. I am thankful for Jesus...without whom I wouldn't be a child of God.
Thank you to everyone who is a part of our lives....we are and will always be grateful for you!

Singing in Church

2008-11-24T21:54:00.003-05:00

Anytime you get this many 4, 5, and 6 year olds together on stage...you just never know what could happen! They did such a great job! See Emma?? She is the only one holding her "Bible." She was so funny! She did all the motions that Mrs. Kelly did to help the kids remember the words but that they didn't necessarily have to do themselves. She kept cutting her eyes at me and smiling for the camera. She is my drama queen for sure!

Monkey Bread

2008-11-08T10:56:00.005-05:00

I love easy recipes!! Among those is the one for Monkey Bread...which my kiddos love!! Who can go wrong with cinnamon, sugar, and butter??

Here are the ingredients...1 stick of butter, cinnamon, 1 cup of brown sugar, 1/2 cup sugar, and 2 tubes of biscuits.

1. Over medium heat, combine the butter, brown sugar, and 1 T. cinnamon. Doesn't it look yummy already?

2. Melt butter, sugar, and cinnamon until it looks like this then remove from heat. It will get very thick fast so you may just need to turn it very low until you are ready to pour it.

3. In another container, combine the sugar and cinnamon.

4. Tear the biscuits apart and coat with cinnamon sugar mixture. Don't be afraid to really give them a good coating.

5. Grease a bundt pan. I have a silicone one and I still haven't decided if I like it better than metal. I think it cleans easier because it is so flexible, but any will do.

I used butter to grease, but you could probably use non-stick spray, margarine, or Crisco. It has to be good and greased though!

6. After coating the biscuit pieces, place in the bundt pan.

7. Doesn't this look yummy?!? Pour wonderful gooey brown sugar and butter goodness over the pan...coat well!

8. Bake on 350 F for 35 minutes.

After it has a chance to cool just a bit, place a plate on top and flip the pan over. At this point you could top with powdered sugar or icing. You could be like me and eat it straight out of the pan too...can you see the dent towards the bottom front?? That was my "making sure it is done" piece! Enjoy!!

The Joys of Having Girls!!

2008-11-02T22:22:00.003-05:00

I love having 2 girls!! I always wanted to have a daughter, but I have been blessed with 2! We have so much fun with painting nails, curling hair, getting all dressed in fluffy dresses for church...all of this is my thing! Dayna's hair has gotten very long...to the middle of her back. It is so long that it is hard to tie the bows on the back of her dresses. Anyway, dinner is fun because she likes to swish her hair around and it often will end up in her food, never fails. We have bath time right after dinner in order to wash out the ketchup, mashed potatoes, and other equally sticky foods...I am sure I am not the only one with this issue. Anyway, our solution to lessen the chances of half her dinner ending up in her hair is to put it up on top of her head so that she can't swish it out. We started doing this a while back and this is by far the funniest dinner hair-do yet!! Tiny neck, little face, and great big samurai hair!!! I love it!!

Fun at the Fall Festival!

2008-11-02T22:10:00.002-05:00

On Halloween night, we went to our school's annual Fall Festival. It was an absolute blast!! My kiddos are still young, but they were just old enough to start going on some of the bigger inflatables and this slide was on the top of their list. Here is Emma on her way down. Honestly, I didn't think she would have the guts to get to the top, let alone actually go down the slide!! She is also my less-than-graceful one and tends towards accidents and injuries...she did great!!

Here is Dayna, my risk-taker, barrelling down the slide. She was the one I had to peel off to go to the next attraction! By the way, in case you were wondering...I am one of those crazy mothers who likes to dress their children alike. They might hate me later for it, but I think it is the cutest thing! The days of them tolerating it are limited so I am taking full advantage of it!!

Here are the girls with one of Emma's best friends. They have spent almost everyday together for the last 5 years and we just love her!!

Emma got her face painted...Dayna thought it was "gross"--her words, not mine!! She is 3, let me remind you!!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip!

2008-10-14T19:53:00.002-04:00

Emma had her first K-5 field trip 2 weeks ago...to the pumpkin patch!! I was so excited that I got to go with her and enjoy this time with her! She has lots of little friends and they were so cute!

We took a hayride all the way around the farm, very fun!

The kids got to pull ears of corn, put them through this handy little machine that picks the kernels off the ear, and then feed the animals. Emma was thrilled with the machine, not so much about the animals.

They had this great hay mountain and Emma climbed to the top and slid down about a hundred times!!

Queen of the Hay Mountain!!

My baby turns 3...where has the time gone!

2008-10-14T19:27:00.002-04:00

"Dayna bug" turned 3 last month. I love to see her grow everyday! She has always been a talker, with an amazing vocabulary. I love both my girls and can't believe how much they have grown. Birthday parties at Raganville have taken on a life of their own, full of fun traditions. For the past 2 years we have had costume parties and they are just so much fun. This party was no different, a princess party. Branson found a cutie pie Tinkerbell costume for Dayna and it was so adorable on her. Emma was Belle and Stacey, Dayna's friend, was Snow White. We painted nails and put on "makeup."

Dayna was so happy to be Tinkerbell!! She is still talking about it!

Every time she opened clothes or shoes, she gave this sideways look that was just too funny!!

This was her favorite present....given by Uncle Jonathan and Aunt Sarah!! She has slept with it every night since her party :o)

Here she is feeding her baby!! How sweet.

Pesky Mosquitos!!

2008-09-17T22:31:00.002-04:00

Just when you think the summer is coming to a close......the mosquitos strike again! Dayna was bitten right on her eyebrow causing an allergic reaction. This is just Dayna's personality...smiling through it all :o) The doc gave her some great medicine that caused some very interesting side effects like hyperactivity and insomnia. Thankfully, she only had to have 2 doses!! She is on the way back to normal, still smiling all the way!

Dayna Bug

2008-08-31T12:21:00.006-04:00

All this talk about number one makes me not want to leave out number 2! I am not sure where I came up with that nickname, but I started saying it early on, and it just stuck!

We were at Chick fil A with Uncle Josh and Aunt Sarah, whom she just adores!!, and snapped this picture. What a doll!! I can't believe how fast she has grown up! She will be 3 in a month and I honestly don't know where the time has gone...

Lost Tooth!!

2008-08-31T12:14:00.004-04:00

I don't remember when I lost my first tooth, but I remember it being such a momentous thing. And the waiting in anticipation for the tooth fairy! I also remember the moment I discovered the tooth fairy was not real. I lost a tooth and didn't inform the parents. I hid the tooth under my pillow and just waited. Nothing happened and I was crushed! Why I felt the need to know the truth, I don't know. I should've just gone along with it and enjoyed the fun. Well, we told Emma that the tooth fairy would be visiting her and she was so excited! The next morning she came into my room before I got up and showed me her dollar!!

Branson actually had to pull it, because it was just barely hanging on and I could see her accidentally eating it! She was fine until she saw the blood to follow. She freaked out and was a bit dramatic :o) I know......not Emma!!

First Day of School!

2008-08-31T12:04:00.003-04:00

Emma started her first day of kindergarten on August 20th. She is having a great time!! I asked her what was her favorite part of kindergarten and she said, "Oh mama, just everything!" So cute. Here are some pictures of her in her uniform. Of course, Dayna just had to get in on it too!

Sporting the Tinkerbell backpack!

Emma left her lunchbox, not a surprise considering all the other necessary items that had to go along the first day. I thought, she will just buy lunch today. Emma started to cry a very hurt cry. So, being the sucker I am, I went all the way home and got her lunch and brought it to school. I just wanted everything to go right for her the first day. Crisis averted!!

Back To School!!!

2008-08-17T21:32:00.002-04:00

I knew this day was coming and truthfully, I am very excited for Emma!! She is starting K-5 on Wednesday this week!! We went to orientation this past week, where she got to see her classroom and of course see who was in her class. She has been going to our school since 2 years old, just like half the kids in her class, so she pretty much knew everyone. I am doing okay with the thought that my first-born is starting school this year. I am excited to see her growing up.

I love our school!!! They have the best program I know of. I am glad the Emma gets to be a part of it all. Her teacher is amazing. Emma is very fortunate to have her.

Needless to say, we can't wait for Wednesday! Oh, yeah, Emma has a loose tooth, too!! I will post a picture as soon as that baby falls out! So cute...she told me that she needs to put it in a bucket and an angel will come and take it and give her money :o)

Adventures with the Durham Bulls

2008-07-26T09:14:00.004-04:00

The company I work for hosted Family Night with the Durham Bulls last night. I was so excited to take Branson and the girls!! The girls were really excited about it, especially seeing Wooly Bull again! Dayna is completely freaked out by any kind of mascot, but likes to see them from a distance.

Here is Wooly Bull.

They also had a special guest last night...Bugs Bunny! This is Dayna's impression of him!

After each home run, this bull's eyes light up and he snorts! They hit 3 homers last night.

Here is Bugs Bunny...Emma and Dayna loved seeing him.

This was the closests I could get Emma to taking a picture with Bugs!! What a cutie!

I wasn't sure how this would turn out since I took it myself...it turned out cute!

After the game we had a fireworks show. The kids absolutely loved it!! It is probably the best fireworks show I have been too.

Adventures in Charlotte!

2008-07-03T22:05:00.002-04:00

We went to Charlotte 2 weeks ago for our annual comic book convention trip! It was a lot of fun, though very tiring because we walked around all day!! We stayed at the Hilton, which I would highly recommend! The pillows, comforter, shower, everything was great. Charlotte is a great city. Downtown is under construction, so parking was a challenge, but it was a very clean city.

Branson with Spiderman!!

Ironman was amazing :o)

This was my favorite part of the trip...27 yards of new, beautiful fabric. We went to an awesome fabric store in Gastonia...honestly I could die a very happy woman there!!

Quilts by Design

2008-06-18T21:51:00.002-04:00

I have begun a new blog entitled quilts by design. You I am going to use that blog to keep my quilting updates and information and devote this blog to other things. I really like the way that it has turned out so far. Head over and check it out!! http://quiltsbydesign.blogspot.com

Life in a Cube

2008-06-10T23:04:00.002-04:00

I mentioned a couple posts ago that I started a new job recently. I really enjoy what I am doing now. After 10 years of working in a classroom, I now work in a cube.

At first, it was a little confining, but now I really like it. It is my own personal area.

Check out the stuffed lion above the map!! I always think it is a person's head!

Reminders of God's Goodness

2008-06-10T00:06:00.002-04:00

We have all heard of Ted Kennedy's latest health issues and have been touched by the news. He went home from Duke Hospital today, according to reports, and is doing well. This story is all too familiar for me. Two years ago this past February, my husband Branson was diagnosed with a brain tumor. They say it was the size of a golf ball. It wasn't cancer, thank God, but it was causing problems. Branson was losing his peripheral vision and was having horrible headaches. We brushed off the symptoms, thinking it was "stress." At the time, our children were 3 and 6 months. I was devastated by his diagnosis. I thought he would not survive this and that I would be left alone. Dr. Friedman, Ted Kennedy's surgeon, removed the tumor from my husband's brain. Here we are, two years later, thanking God for his goodness and for His love. I think of how many things I don't deserve and one of those is my husband. With Father's Day approaching, I think I couldn't have chosen a better man for my children's father. He is kind, fun, fair, loving, and firm. God's goodness guided Dr. Friedman's hands and gave me my husband back and I am so very thankful.

A Couple of Cuties!

2008-06-10T00:03:00.001-04:00

I love this picture of my 2 beauties!!!

Aren't they adorable!!

It's Been A While!!

2008-06-09T23:55:00.002-04:00

I started this blog with the best intentions...keep it up to date! Life just has a way, doesn't it?
We've had some major happenings here in Raganville...after 10 years of teaching, I started a new job on May 27th. Not that I didn't love teaching, I did. My favorite part about teaching is seeing the "light come on." I think my patience levels are just not what they used to be. I am really enjoying working in an office with adults...so quiet!

My Newest Quilt Top

2008-05-22T19:18:00.006-04:00

A little history first: I taught K-4 this year and my oldest daughter, Emma, was one of my students. Boy that was interesting :o) Anyway, Teacher Appreciation Week was 2 weeks ago and my husband found this amazing fabric for me from Emma (isn't that sweet).

I found a pattern that I loved out of American Patchwork and Quilting magazine called Scottish Stars. It took a little over a week to put the top together and now here it is in all its glory! There are many points that have been cut off, unfortunately, but you cannot really see them if you stand back and squint! This is the most challenging quilt I have done so far, but I like the outcome!

Here is a close up of the star block.

My quilting history

2008-05-18T18:58:00.006-04:00

I have been in love with quilting for about 3 years. In fact, my love affair began in the summer of 2005 when I was expecting my 2nd child, Dayna. I am not even sure how it started really. No one I know quilts. Maybe it was a book I saw that was bargain priced at $15 that gave every instruction imaginable for the new quilter...whatever the spark, it has certainly developed into a passion. I love hearing about the history of quilting and how it has always been a connecting thread among women. It was an integral part of a woman's world. All members of her family were somehow touched with her needle and thread. While quilting doesn't define who I am, it is a way to express myself to the people in my life. I am including a picture of my first quilt, which was made for my 1st child, Emma, for Christmas (she was 2 1/2). I had intended it to be a gift from the new baby, but Dayna was born 2 weeks early, putting my plans on hold. It is a modest quilt that she uses even now. It was inspired by my tile floor in my kitchen, of all things!

Emma turns 5!!

2008-05-17T18:02:00.002-04:00

It was a beautiful day for Emma's 5th birthday party!! She wanted a superhero party, which worked out very well. Most of the kiddos came dressed as their favorite superhero and they looked adorable. Emma was Supergirl and Dayna was Batgirl...so much fun! My husband is a comic book, superhero nut so we had a ton of decorations already on hand. The kids had a scavenger hunt, musical chairs (to the theme of Superman), and a Spiderman pinata. It was a blast!!

Welcome to Raganville!

2008-05-16T22:05:00.002-04:00

Here is the official first post of mine into blogging world. I hope that I can figure all the technology out and that this is a fun place to visit! For my first post, I am going to keep it short and just say that girls just should not have their ears pierced until they have gone through a major experience in pain...just so that they know what to expect. My baby girl, age 5 this week, decided that she wanted her ears pierced for her birthday. The first one was a piece of cake...the second was WWIII. I finally resorted to bribery and brute force...just kidding! She relented after an hour of persuasion and she is just as happy as can be about the results! Her b-day party is tomorrow and I will be posting pics of that event as soon as I can!