Happy New Years!

Well here we are at the end of 2009. This has been an exciting and at moments frustrating year. I am so thankful for our family and for the fact that God love us so much that he has seen us through changes and still blessed us. We are being changed by him daily. Chris is still working when so many aren't and we are greatful for that. My buisness changed some but it is still fun and I love it so much. We still have our parents and my grandparents and for that I am thankful. The kids have made it through the first semester of school without to much trouble. I am very proud of our family.
I am thankful for great friends. We are so blessed to have such sweet friends. I am thankful for our church family. Even when we don't agree with what's going on we all still love each other. We are blessed to be part of family that wants the light spread across the world. I am thankful to be an American where I do know I am free. There is no one that can force me to say Happy Holidays or take my Savior away from me unless I allow them to; and won't allow them to.
As the new year comes I hope to grow into the woman God wants me to be, and to really de~clutter my house and my life. Clutter that drags me down, and clutter that makes continual messes. LOL I'm just so sick of stuff! Wanting more stuff, when we have closets full of stuff. I think it's time to pretend like we're moving and get rid of a bunch of crap. As for me on the inside it's past time to declutter; i need to get rid of the things that drawl me away from God and change my focus. It's time for fresh start on the inside that leaks to the outside.
This all kinda sounds like new years resolutions but I don't normally make those, these are just the things I feel like God is telling me to do. So I plan to start as soon as my babies are back in school. If you read this and wonder what the heck. I'm sorry this is just where I am tonight. Happy New Year!

God,
Watch over our family and friends. Lord, thank you for blessings we never deserved. Thank you that you love us more than we can imagine. God draw us near to you and help us to love you and know you more everyday. Continue the work you have started in us. God thank you for Jesus and that we have a way to you thru him. Jesus thank you that you left heaven to come make a way for us to get to heaven. Father, keep our family safe send your angels to protect them. Our children and our parents. God strenghten us so that whatever trials come our way in the new year with your help we will respond the right way. God I love you and I want to be the woman you want me to be.
I ask this in Jesus precious name,
Amen

Got the Blues

I'm just feeling blue tonight. I'm tired and it just seems like things never change. I sometimes wonder if it's all worth it! It seems like the only people that have anything get it illegally. I'm really not convinced hard work pays off. Everyone I know works hard and still just gets by. Especially all the 40 something white men. Make just enough to not qualify for help, or for our kids to go to school without paying out the butt. Oh well that's life. Guess we'll Keep on Keeping on.

Party tonight.

I got the house all cleaned, made special brownies, did swim team practice, and got dinner made and cleaned up by 6. So I could have a Close to my Heart Party. It was a lot of fun. I had eight that said they were coming and only four came so that was sort of a bummer but I don't care we still had lots of fun. We made a cute card and visited. That's always the best part of being with my scrappy friends. We share a passion and we love visiting. I'm excited to see how it actually turns out. If anyone wants anything you can check out my friend and CTMH reps web site at allthatcraft@myctmh.com Terri is a great rep. She's an amazing teacher! I love her. Just let her know you want to place an order for Deanna Powell's Party. This is our cute Birthday card we made. It didn't quit scan the true colors. It really is pretty, we used liquid glass on it. I love that stuff! Great times!

Fresh Start

What's that saying about you always can make a fresh start. So that's what I am choosing to do today. Fresh starts all around. I am going to try to get back into my blogging and some other things that I have just pushed aside in the last few months. I don't want to loose those months so I am going to try to get the calender out and go back. All I know is a lot has gone on and I want to take some time to remember it. Today is a fresh day.

OMGOSH!!!!!!!!!!!!!

It's July and I haven't put anything on here since April. I've been so busy. Pray for me. I need a rest! Seriously i do!!!!

Sunday April 26,2009

I went to bed last night with a headache and woke up with it. UGH I hate that. I think it must be the wind.
Anyway Papa had called and wanted me to drive them out to Laurel Land to pick up the deeds to their plots. Not because it had to be done that very moment but because he couldn't wait on Marlena till Tuesday. We were suppose to be going to Ennis, but I just felt like if he asks I need to do stuff for them. Sorry, it's the people pleaser in me. Then he calls "you need to come check on your mother (my granny) she's crazy today." So needless to say spent several hours with them. He wasn't to happy that I wouldn't take them out to dinner but everyone was at home waiting on me so we could go.

We left and went to Ennis. Everyone was in a bad mood. Daniel and Robert fought half way there and Chris snored! Amanda and Josh were in his truck cause
we don't have a vehicle big enough to get us
all to one place at one time. I told them they were going
to smile and be happy cause come hail or high water they were
getting their damn pictures made in the blue bonnets!!
We go to the visitors center to get our map of the trails and lady says i want ya'll to go a different way and uses this high lighter to mark up the map and then sends us off. We never did find the trails, and finally just stopped in these peoples drive way not on the trail and took pictures. I was afraid if we kept driving the sun was going to go down before we could get a picture. I was really disappointed. It just wasn't the way it was suppose to be. However by the time we got done everyone was laughing cause of their crazy mama. I will be my granny some day Chris will be calling our grandkids come see what's wrong with your crazy mother. We went back to Ennis cause Daniel had seen a skate park
that was open and he had his board. He skated and the others
played on the swings. Then we went and ate dinner at this
cute Mexican grille outside on the patio. It turned out to be a
really nice day.
I did get a few good pics, and some really bad ones. LOL It's getting harder to get us all together for things like this. Everyone always has something else they'd rather be doing.
Josh doesn't get it at all! LOL He's not use to a mama that takes 20,000 pictures a year. ~JK~ (not really 20,000 or maybe more LOL) He was like lay in the blue bonnets? Are you sure that's what you want us to do. I was like yes that's what I want ! LOL Good Times Good Times!!!!

Inchies

I got my inchies done tonight. I have loved working on these. I did cross ones for April since I lost my April showers ones from last time when I got excited and did more than i needed to. I did cute graduation ones for May,

and for June I did Lady bugs, butterflies and a flower. I hope the girls love them.

*LOL guess what I found when I was finished! You guessed it the April showers ones I had lost. I'm crazy crazy crazy!!! Oh, well they will just get an extra set.

March 26,2009 God knows our needs before we ask!

I know your wondering what a crazy picture for the title, right? Well this is the beginning of the many things I expect to see over the next several months as we prepare for Down the Street Week. DTSW is our home mission trip we do the last week of July. It's very HOT then and we do very hard work. We work on the homes of needy and elderly people. Paint, roof, clean-up, etc. For now I get to help as the co-director. Our Missions Pastor may fire me. But, I love this and think I always will! Missions are my passion.

As for this story it starts with Sarah our leader over lunches and snacks talking on March 4. She asked me if there was anything I could think of that we needed that we didn't have last year. I told her all I could think of is that we needed Gatorade. We also decided to start praying that God would provide more of the things we needed this year without us having to buy it. Last year we spent ten thousand dollars on five houses. This year we want to double the houses but not the cost. So anyway she says ok and agrees. That was that. Right? Not exactly, on Monday March 16 as I am driving to my mom and dads for spring break I get a call from a lady in our church wanting to ask some questions about DTSW. As we were talking it became very clear that God had her call me because she is this amazing prayer warrior. I personally had been praying he would send me someone that would own DTSW with their prayers and draw others to do the same. Linda is that person! God heard my prayer and answered with her. She tells me as were getting off the phone I may be calling a lot cause the TX. Baptist Men's Association may want to help in some way. (she works for them) I told her to call as much as she needed that we would take any help she could rake up.

Anyway about 2 hours later she calls again and says Deanna, we have 2 pallets of Gatorade and they want to know if we could use it for DTSW? I just laughed because it was clear to me at that very moment that God cares about what we care about. He answered our prayers again. At this point I was blown away. I just cried and praised him for loving us so much that he would provide for refreshment from the 120 degree Texas sun in July on march 16! We were blessed...On March 26th Sam, Chris, and I went to Dallas and picked up a pallet of Gatorade. I supervised because the little old men there at TxBMA wouldn't let me help. "I'm a girl" shhhhh,don't tell anyone!

They are such strong studly (LOL) men. At least to Krissi and I. I was very sad because I didn't bring my camera. The horror! I usually don't leave home without it. So these came from my very crappy phone camera. But hey at least I had something right. So anyway. We made it home without loosing any of the boxes, and once out of the site of "gentlemen" I got to help our studs unload 800 bottles of Gatorade into our storage building. There will be NO one without a drink this year. God is always working!

Here it is all loaded up and ready to be moved again as soon as we get our building out at the church.

Thank you Father that you know our needs before we voice them and that you provide for your children!

"love your neighbor as yourself"

Jesus

Azela's

It was so beautiful today! I went outside and my Azalea's were so pretty. Last year when I planted them I wasn't sure they'd make it here cause the ground really isn't acidic enough for them. I've been giving them special food for a year now and they are gorgeous. I love Azalea's, and today was the reason spring is such a beautiful time of year. Everything is getting green, including the car, and the flowers are blooming. Welcome to Texas! Hold on it could still snow. We aren't to Easter yet!

No Sleep!

~Yes, Krissi I was talking about you. I'm glad you can read it. LOL ~

I'm so tired tonight, I did work on the slide show. I've got from the birth to 1997 (about 125 pictures) on it and the music (5 songs). I worked on it last night from 9 until 2 am. Then worked at the salon today. I donated 2 hair cuts and styles for the Burleson Gala yesterday. Today I had a lady come in to see about getting her hair done because she saw i had made a donation. That's pretty cool! I'm going to keep on keeping on God is blessing things like that.
Ya'll pray for my friend Stuart. His daughter Nicole is 21 and has a very rare cancer. She will probably be gone before summer unless God heals her. Her husband is not a Christian and he is really struggling. His name is Josh. They have a baby that just turned one. Stuart lost his 16 year old step daughter a year and a half ago in a bad car wreck, then his wife went crazy from the loss of her child and she divorced him. They are all in a lot of pain and grief so i just ask for prayers.
Amanda is at skills usa. (like UIL) but it's for technical programs. She says they are staying in the ghetto in a no tale motel. I asked her it there was a flashing sign that said you could pay by the hour. She laughed and said probably. They had to go buy flip flops so the could take a shower!! Then they got in their bed and there was a HAIR and not the kind on your head!! The worst thing about it is her teacher has been there before and told the girls oh it's not bad!! Ok, here's your sign!
So there ya have it my day in a nut shell. I had to go to the funeral of a dear man i loved today. So it's been a long day. I think i'm off to the clean powell shower and my bed.
Hugs and kisses, ~Dee~

A little late!

Ok so yeah I've been so busy I didn't take time to blog. I'm sad cause I've had lots going on and wanted to blog about it. You know I have a good friend that is an English teacher that reads these blogs, and dang it if I can't spell and make proper sentences. I'm so glad your not grading these! I'd be in a heap of trouble. Well maybe tomorrow I'll try to catch up and work on Manda's slide show for her graduation party we're having. I can't believe my baby is graduating in just a few short weeks. I think she's amazing!

Update, I still love my job! It's great. I had the first of my return customers, it's been six weeks. I just believe God is going to continue to bless this. I believe he has led me this far and will continue. Keep praying me customers. Hugs and kisses!

Groceries

Well I went and got grociers today. $144.00 worth. I didn't buy anything you can't eat and still didn't get everything on my list but ran out of money. I'm sick of money and bills! I got fruit washed it and put it in bowls in the fridge so it looks pretty when you open the fridge. My WW leader had given us that idea when I was still going. Keep fruit handy so you can grab it instead of bad stuff. Their grabbing it. So it won't last long.

I got the last load of laundry done. It's a good thing because I'm now out of detergent. I didn't get anything else done. I had to go clean for a lady this morning, and by the time I got home it was time to take the boys to the dentist. Then go to the store, come home cook dinner, go get dog food, and clippers, cut Chris's hair, clean up kitchen and now here i am on here. I'm fixing to check my face book and then i'm going to bed early. I'm really tired tonight and I just feel really stressed out. Maybe I will rest and tomorrow will be a new day!

Twilight

Ok, so no I haven't read the books! Robert has been begging me to please read the books and I just really didn't want to. But anyway we watched the movie on Saturday morning at like 1:30 in the morning. So yeah I stayed up with all of them. Amanda and Nicole had gone to wal-hell at midnight so Nicole could buy it. So when they made it home I finished my pages I was working on, brushed my teeth, and settled in to watch with them thinking oh yeah i really doubt I'll like this. My mind is changed and as soon as we finish Crazy Love and a couple of other books i had started I'm going to read those. I'm not good at multi-booking. Another Deanna word. It is one of the things I admire about Robert. He can read 5 books at one time and keep it all straight in his head. I'm just not that way. I can only concentrate on one thing at time. Back to the movie it was great, can't wait to fill in all the details that you don't get in a movie that make books so much better. I am a twilighter! Just a little side note, Edward is pretty sexy in a teenager vampire kinda way. LOL Now I know why the girls are so in love. He can be the bad boy hero!

~Cleaning~

So I had the most amazing day today. It was one of those worshipful days. Is that a word? Anyway you either know what I'm talking about or not. Church was just awesome. God was there and I felt him. Then after church we went and grabbed lunch. We were suppose to be going to the Botanical Gardens to take pictures and spend the afternoon as a "family"! Well I guess you've already figured out by the sound of my voice we didn't. LOL Those ingrates we call teenagers put a kink in things. So I was mad that they were ruining my worshipful day and I let God know they were making me very mad. Anyway we came home and I started cleaning. Not just your normal cleaning. Oh no, it started with I'd straighten the pantry. Then that turned into throwing away stuff, that led to washing the floor and baseboards, that led to going through the shelves, that led to me making boxes to put sprinkles and jello in, that led to cleaning out the fridge, that led to washing down cabinet fronts that led to getting rid of clutter, that led to cleaning off the top of the fridge, that led to wiping down stuff on top of the cabinets, that led to mopping floors, that led to a beautifully clean kitchen 7 hours later! Ahhh, ocd can be a good thing! Now if those same ingrates that made me mad could only clean up after their selves. What a world it would be. As you can see the kids are right there is nothing to eat in this house!! Well if I were single there would be one meal. Diet Coke, tuna, applesauce, and grapes! To bad there are 4 other people that want to eat too. Dang now i have to go to Wal-Hell! I hate that place that's why there are no groceries. Oh well such is life.

New Scrapbook layouts

This is my layout I did while Vicki was driving home. It's my pictures of the roses Chris bought me for Valentines day. I think it's beautiful. He bought them just because they where purple and that's my favorite color. He's so sweet. I'm going to put it in a contest so go vote at Rockin R. I also did this one of Amanda's flowers Josh got her. They were beautiful too.

FUN

So I spent the week with my mom and daddy. We had such a great time. I spent it pretty equal between the two. Half the time in the shop with my daddy and the other in the house with my mama. The kids get bored but I love it. It cracked me up on Tuesday my mom started dinner at 4pm! Amanda is pointing and asking me is she starting dinner? I said yes and she said why? I said um I'm really not sure. We ate at 7! She made spaghetti with macaroni noodles because she was out of spaghetti noodles and the nearest grocerie store is 30 minutes away. I'm not kidding I could have made that dinner in 30 minutes. I think she may be turning into a turtle too!!! NO NO NO not yet. God help us all. So anyway I'll add pictures and more. I had a wonderful time and I'm so glad I went.

I love this weather!!!!

I love us all going to church together as a family. I love Chris being off on Sunday. I love this weather!!! I love the sound of the birds singing, the children playing, and my sweet boy's laughing. I love the smell of fresh cut grass, and the look of the flowerbeds freshly cleaned out. I love the sun staying up longer. I love that it all happened on Sunday. My favorite day of the week. This has been the best day. A day of worship, and all these other things. We are so blessed!

Daniel and his bf Robbie have had a blast today playing air soft wars. I'm so glad to see Daniel laughing and having fun. I've missed it! Thank you God for a wonderful day.

Great Hair Day!!!!

It's so AMAZING to have a hairdresser in the family!!! I went to school today and Amanda waxed my eyebrows and cut and styled my hair. I just wish I had been going and getting this caterpillars above my eyes done all along! LOL I had not been waxed since I was in cosmo. I just pluck and pluck! It's yuck and it hurts way more!!!!! Then she did the most amazing haircut so far and if i don't say so myself i look pretty darn cute :) :) :) I love that girl and I'm so proud of her. She has 4 hours left and she will be done with hours and ready to go to state board. WOW time has flown, this weekend she is going to SKILLS it's like UIL for technical school kids. I hope our girls do great. Go ELKS!!!! Oh, it's been such a great day. I'm so happy I love my new job!

Salon Day

Today was such a fun day. My mom has been here all week, for the first time since I started working last year I have actually got to see her. We went shopping on Wednesday for just a bit. She loves the half price book store so we went there. I got this adorable little book called big hair! It is so cute. I has all these hairstyles from the 70's and 80's LOL!!!! Can you say OMGosh, there is some CRAZY hair in it. That's a story for another day. We just ran around for a bit and talked. Then today not"1-2-2004" but 2- 19-2009 she brought my granny in for me to give her a hair cut and style. Then I did mama's hair too. I asked her to take pictures of me since no one up here is scraps like "me". So she did, then one of the girls took one of the three of us. It's not very good, I have a dumb smile on my face, but it's precious to me because my mom and granny are in it. My granny asked me 6 times about this cross picture I have on my station. Can you take that cross off there and wear it for a necklace? No granny it's an antique that is mounted in the frame. Aunt Karisa bought it for me. Oh, sometimes I wonder if I'm going to be just like her? Probably! Chris already calls me Tommie half the time. Because I ask him things more than once. I keep telling him it's because I have so much racing through my brain! It was a wonderful day. I have been so blessed, God has given me the most wonderful gifts in my parents and grandparents. Thank you Lord for them.

February Challenge

I just finished my February challenge page. This was such a cute sketch! I love it Angie. I'm going to do some of my Valentine pictures with this same sketch. These are pictures taken at the Ft. Worth Zoo back in December. Josh took Amanda to the Zoo one Sunday afternoon for a date. She says it was the best date they've ever had. She's always loved the zoo. It was one of her favorite places to go when she was little. Precious Memories. I wish I had an awesome computer so I could edit these pictures so you could see them better. Oh well to many more important things.

Great Great Granny's Banana Cake

This is one of the kids favorite things I make. Now it is also Josh's. It was my granny's, mother's, mom's banana cake recipe. My mom makes it the best, but I'm getting better: It was our Valentine Dessert. I thought I'd share it because it's really good and a favorite.

Ingredients

2-3 very ripe bananas mashed

3/4 Cup Crisco

1 3/4 cup Sugar

2 Cups Flour

1 tsp baking powder

1/2 tsp salt

1/2 tsp baking soda

1/3 Cup of sour milk

2 tsp Vanilla

1cup of chopped pecans *optional*

***If you don't have sour milk add 1tsp of vinegar to your 1/3 cup of milk before you start and it'll be ready by the time you need to add it in.

Directions:

Cream Crisco and Sugar together, add eggs mix in good, add bananas, vanilla, and milk mix well, then sift in dry ingredients. In a 9 x 13 cake pan sprayed with Pam, bake at 350 degrees until it tests wet done.

The cupcakes I made took 25 minutes, the extra I put in a small cake pan took about 35 minutes. I start testing at 25 minutes and test every 3 to 5 minutes until it test done in the center.

Cool Ice with home made Butter Cream Icing

This is how I do it, it's how my mom taught me.

1/2 bag of powdered sugar

1 stick of butter softened

1 cap of vanilla

1-3 caps of milk to make it a nice workable texture

~Valentine Tradtions~

I love precious moments that seem like they get caught in time and you can hold onto them as long as your mind will let you. One of the things we've always done is on Valentine's Day I made a fancy dinner and we gave the kids a card that reminded them how much we loved them. Chris and I have just never done presents for each other much. So this was our way of having a nice date without having to have a baby sitter and spending a bunch. I get out the most beautiful china ever it was my mom's my beautiful crystal that was my granny's sat on the table this year for the first time. We use to drink out of fancy glasses but I only have 5 and now our family has grown. I decorate with candles and hearts. It's just one of those precious moments full of memories. Well with everyone being gone yesterday doing their own thing I decided to wait and have our fancy dinner tonight when Josh could be there. Then it turned out Mari and Ryan were here. Of course there's always plenty at this house. As we sat and I listened to Chris pray for them and watched them laugh it was so truly amazing. I don't know why God has chose to bless us like he has but there are just those awe moments that are almost indescribable. Tonight was one and in church this morning was one too. The music was perfect, the speaker fantastic. This has been such a great day. As the kids grow and things change sometimes it's hard for me to let go, but tonight I realized I don't have to let go, I just have to be flexible. The kids that were extras said my mom hasn't ever done anything like this. We couldn't have gone out and had this nice of dinner or so much fun. That is what I want more than anything for every person that comes to this house to know that love lives here, and they will always have a place to go if they need something. This isn't ours anyway it's Gods. He's just blessed us with it for a time such as this.

Happy Valentine's Day

~Well here it is the first day of the dream~

I had a great first day in the Salon. I went to Armstrong McCall at 8:30 because I forgot to go get hair product! LOL A hairdresser without Mousse' the horror!!! Hmm that could be the title of a scary movie! Anyway back on earth. Austin Pyles was my first client and he arrived right on time at 10am. I started cutting hair and worked until 2:40 "not just on him" I did 8 haircuts and styles. They were all my clients so I didn't have time to do any walk ins, there were 5 walk ins the receptionist said. It was the most amazing day! God's approval was definitely on this day. I came home a little tired but so excited. It was perfect! I seriously could not have asked for more.

Happy Valentine's Day

I must say sometimes I look at Chris and wonder how long have you known me, like 22 years and yet do you know me? And then other times it's as if he reads my mind. He is my best friend and I love him more today than I did on our first Valentines 21 years ago. This year I walked into our room and on my night stand sat a vase full of one dozen purple roses. My favorite color! They were beautiful. He told me he was looking at red roses and just happened to see those. He said I thought to myself, in 20 years I've bought flowers but never purple roses and that's her favorite color and flower so that's what I'm getting today. He does get it most of the time!

Last Day ~ New Day

February 13, 2009
Well today was my last day at State Farm, it was bitter sweet. It's sweet because I'm getting to try my dream. It's a "little" bitter because I've made a bond with the girls I work with. They are sweet and we spent a lot of time together so we know each other. They are so funny, Alison sent Jeannie to On the Border to pick up lunch for us. Well, Jeannie told me she was going to Mexican Inn to take a pen holder and some pens for advertising and then she was going home for lunch. So then about 11:30 she walks in and I said I thought you were going to lunch when you got done, and she looked at me with this blank look and said oh yeah I was. I just thought she was being dingy! "sounded like something I'd do" Oh no she had gone and got the lunch and forgot what she told me. She was lieing!!!! We had a great lunch, we laughed and talked. Keri made me a cake. It was so sweet and they all chipped in and gave me a $30 gift card to Sally's. I do the whole office's hair so I will get to still see them. We had a nice day. Art was gone. LOL
Then after work I went and got Vee and we went to Keller to scrap with our girls in our meet up group. It was another fun Friday night. I was taking my stuff to the car and Chris says so where are you off to? I said my once a month scrap night at Angie's house. He said so last Friday was your once a month scrap night at Tammy's, and next week will be your once a month scrap night at Vicki's? I laughed and said well maybe they will come to our house, I'm sorry you have no friends to scrap with. He looked at me and with the most serious face says well how am I suppose to feed all these kids? "his car is a two seat er" I said well I guess you ask them what they want and go get and bring it home, eat a sandwich, or order pizza. He said oh, yeah ok well have fun. I smiled and said I will. Bye. It was so funny. If I die ya'll better come take care of him!!!!! I'm not sure he could function.