They went on strike.....

My kids that is!!! They want a dog, Joe and I don't think it is the best idea. Here are a few reasons

I am allergic to "short-haired animals"

Both the kids already take Singulair everyday and we have NO PETS

We travel frequently - our closest friends live on the East Coast of NC and we go there often

My mom lives with us and she is home more than most of us so it seems unfair to get an animal that she would have to "watch"

When we go somewhere there is a dog if the dog is too jumpy my son gets nervous

Joe and I both has dogs most of our lives and I see their point, I really do. But I have also seen way too many families get dogs and then regret it, not take proper care of the dog, or just bring the dog back. Not fair to the dog or the kids....

So here they are on Sunday afternoon stopping for me to take a quick photo - and then they proceeded to walk through the downstairs of the house chanting

We need a dog

We need one now

We need a dog

We need one now

and so on................

Happy Birthday Christina Mari

This beautiful young lady is my niece Christina. She is turning 17 today!!! She was the first baby for the Marsicano Family. She came into my life at a time when I really needed some joy - and she was it!!! She was not as easy going as she is now, but we loved being with her.

She has turned into an amazing teenager right before our eyes. She handles herself with unbelievable poise and grace. She is kind hearted, soft spoken and has a true sense of family that comes from within.

She is caring and loving to Danielle and Joseph all the time - and a perfect role model for all the younger kids in our family.

She is incredibly well balanced - great student, member of the color guard, teaches the younger kids at Church, socially active and giving of her time.

I could not love "this baby" anymore if she was my own......

Happy Birthday Christina - I hope you have many more too come.

From her Sweet 16 last year

Disney - April 2008 with her family

Disney 2008 - with her sisters

40 Days of Giving and Giving Up

For Christians the season of Lent is for sacrifice and doing something positive for others.

For both adults kids it is easy to pick something to "give-up" and then over indulge on Easter Sunday, this year my family will be not only to "giving-up" but "giving" as well. My children have learned that we are very blessed, they both know that while we don't have a pile of money we are RICH because we have more than we need. I am a giver by nature and I love seeing my children give with ease.

The other day Joseph came home and said "Mommy there is a girl in 4th grade who's liver is not working and the school is having a change drive for her so we can help her. Can we give our can of change (that we save for vacation) to her?" My heart leaped when he said that, he knows exactly what the change is for yet he would rather give it all to this girl in need!!! As I prayed over him this morning I asked God to keep that selflessness in his heart as he gets older.

Our pledges for lent:

Danielle - I will do my best when I say something to follow through with it. (this is very, very significant for her right now)

Joseph - I will pray everyday for Aunt Rose (I pray that she is happy in heaven), I will pray for the people in the hospitals and I will pray for Sharron (that is the girl from school).

Dad - I will stop and think before just saying "no" to the kids. I will work on becoming more of a "yes" dad.

Mom - I will read the Bible for at least 20 minutes a day, no matter what. I will carry it with me at all times so I don't find an excuse. I will stop whatever I am doing when my mother asks me for help on the computer. She asked me recently and I was "so busy" that when I got to help her I was rushed and didn't realize she was deleting pictures she wanted to keep instead of the ones she didn't want. My mother deserves better than that from me and if you know her you know how much her photos mean to her.

So tell me what will you do during Lent???

Father/Daughter Dance

Danielle's school held their annual Father/Daughter Dance on Saturday Night. The theme this year was "A night with the stars.... A red carpet event..." The dance is for all the girls at the school and their dad or other significant male in their life. It is always a grand event that the PTA and volunteers work very hard on. My sister-in-law Regina and I volunteer every year because we love helping plan for such a special night for the girls and we also serve at the dance so we can see them all with their dads.....

Here is Miss Danielle with as her shirt says "The worlds greatest Nana" getting ready for the dance....

Here we have Joe & Danielle and Steve & Brianna taking their stroll down the red carpet....

Danielle with "Troy & Gabrielle"....

Steve & Brianna, Dale & Alyssa and Joe & Danielle dancing to "Daddy's Little Girl:....

Danielle and her beautiful friends - what a lucky group of dads these girls have as they are all beautiful on the inside as well....




For me the best part of the night is watching the dads beaming with pride as they escort their "Little Girls" - it is a great way for them to have time together and for the girls to be treated like princesses by the most important man in their lives.

Haters - Don't let them bring you down.....

Through out life we will all come across people who for what ever reason just don't want to see us happy.

Maybe they are jealous, insecure or just can't accept the fact that we have a great life that we love.

Haters come in many shapes and sizes, I think we all know that. But in reality I think we know it is really the devil trying to knock us down.

Don't let him!!! If you are secure and happy with who you are, what you have and where you are in life, nothing else matters.

BE HAPPY and don't let anyone steal your thunder!!!

Great Words

I Believe....
That just because two people argue,
doesn't mean they don't love each other.

I Believe...That sometimes when I'm angry I have the right to be angry, but that doesn't give me the right to be cruel.

I Believe....That we don't have to change friends if we understand that friends change.

I Believe...That no matter how good a friend is, they're going to hurt you every once in a while and you must forgive them for that.

I Believe....That true friendship continues to grow, even over the longest distance..
Same goes for true love.

I Believe... That you can do something in an instant that will give you heartache for life.

I Believe...That it's taking me a long time to become the person I want to be..

I Believe....That you should always leave loved ones with loving words. It may be the last time you see them.

I Believe... That you can keep going long after you think you can't.

I Believe...That we are responsible for what we do, no matter how we feel.

I Believe....That either you control your attitude or it controls you.

I Believe...That heroes are the people who do what has to be done when it needs to be done, regardless of the consequences.

I Believe...That money is a lousy way of keeping score.

I Believe..That my best friend and I can do anything, or nothing, and have the best time.
I Believe...That sometimes the people you expect to kick you When you're down, will be the ones to help you get back up.

I Believe...That maturity has more to do with what types of experiences you've had, and what you've learn ed from them.....and less to do with how many birthdays you've celebrated.

I Believe...That it isn't always enough to be forgiven by others.
Sometimes, you have to learn to forgive yourself.

I Believe....That no matter how bad your heart is broken the world doesn't stop for your grief.

I Believe...That our background and circumstances may have influenced who we are, but we are responsible for who we become.

I Believe...That you shouldn't be so eager to find out a secret. It could change your life Forever.

I Believe...Two people can look at the exact same thing and see something totally different.

I Believe...That your life can be changed in a matter of hours by people who don't even know you.

I Believe...That even when you think you have no more to give, if a friend cries out to you........you will find the strength to help.

I Believe...That credentials on the wall do not make you a decent human being.

I Believe....That the people you care about most in life are taken from you too soon.

It is never justified

All week I have been hearing little pieces of the Chris Brown/Rhianna story. At this point none of us know what really happened between them that night but I do know this, there is nothing and I mean nothing that a woman can do that justifies a man putting his hands on her. Some rumors have her hitting him first so I want to add that I do not think a woman should ever hit, kick, punch etc.... a man either.

I am not saying Chris Brown beat her up - we all need to wait and see what happens with that when all the facts are collected. I am saying for all of us, here in "real life" these things are unacceptable and inexcusable.

My hope is that very early on I can teach both my daughter and son that this is wrong and neither one of them should ever find excuses or justifications for this type of behavior.

This is a very personal issue to me - I have been there and done that. I thank God that he gave me the strength to see I was so much better than that and that I deserved so much more, and because I did He gave me the so much more in Joe.

I tell my nieces anytime it fits into conversation that if someone raises a hand to you end it. They will cry and say they are sorry, they will find an excuse, heck sometimes they will make you feel responsible but you are not and most importantly no one will ever hit you because "they love you so much".

I ask all of you teach your daughters to value themselves enough to never, ever accept this and teach your sons to use "gentle touches" when it comes to girls.

Dads - yes I am talking to all of you now - teach your daughter how she should be treated by a man. You are the biggest male influence in their lives and if you hold them on a pedestal they will seek a man who does the same. In the moment I may not have understood all that my father was trying to teach me, but now as a 40 year old woman, I sure do.

Concentrate

I am sure many of you have heard this sentence already but I want you to concentrate on it again:

'To get something you never had, you have to do something you never did.' When God takes something from your grasp, He's not punishing you, but merely opening your hands to receive something better.

Now another:

'The will of God will never take you where the Grace of God will not protect you.'