crazy beautiful life

Vacation...

2011-11-09T06:12:00.000-08:00

By now, if you are friends with me on facebook, you've likely seen the photos from the cruise that I took with my mother and sister. It was amazing! You've also probably learned about the wicked chest cold/ bronchitis that reared it's ugly head the day after I got home. I don't really remember the last week and a half. It was pretty miserable.

Anyway, about the cruise.

Spending that time away just to relax, read a book (books), sleep when I wanted, and be totally goofy with my two favorite women on the planet was really, really, good for me. We stayed up late (like 11:00 people!), slept in late, and shared funny stories from past and present. We read books on our balcony, surrounded by ocean air. We got massages (and sunburns) on the beach at Cozumel. We people watched (I have to say, this was surprisingly fun!). We are going to make this trip a yearly thing (maybe not a cruise every year, but just the time to get away together).

Here's what I have figured out based on cruising twice.

What NOT to do on a cruise:

1. Yell at the people who are putting you in line. We saw a group (who were possibly already inebriated) impatiently yelling at the staff because they weren't in the boarding line they wanted. Somehow, the more they yelled, the faster the other lines went, it was good for us.

2. Forget to pack sunscreen. We could only find sunscreen on shore in Mexico and it was about $20.00 a bottle. They saw us coming.

3. Leave your room on the first day or so without a plan (or a map). Are you familiar with the game portal? My sister and I spent about 45 minutes walking (and laughing hysterically) through doors trying to get back to our floor, only to find that each door led somewhere new...Though, our family isn't exactly blessed with a sense of direction.

4. Watch the road while you are riding in a cab in Mexico. Your life will flash before your eyes. It's like a car chase scene from the movie Bourne Identity, only without the dialogue, because you are too scared to say anything and because the driver wouldn't understand you anyway.

5. If you are bunking with two other people in a tiny room for 4 days, discussing religion, politics, or the Occupy Wall street movement, is probably not a good idea. Trust.

6. Look too closely at the other passengers after the third day. By then, you realize that most of them are sunburned, drunk/hungover, and easily angered. But hey, if an emergency situation arises, all you have to do is beat them to a life boat. Piece of cake.

7. Do eat veggies and fiber. 4 days is a long time. That's all I'm saying.

I can't wait until our next trip together!

My Literary adventures

2011-09-10T09:34:00.000-07:00

I can't imagine going through life without a love for literature. I worry when I see sects of the younger generation with no idea what a great book can do for you. Here are some great quotes about this subject.

"We read to know that we are not alone."
— C.S. Lewis

A great book should leave you with many experiences, and slightly exhausted at the end. You live several lives while reading."
— William Styron

"Until I feared I would lose it, I never loved to read. One does not love breathing."
— Harper Lee (To Kill a Mockingbird)

"Reading is the sole means by which we slip, involuntarily, often helplessly, into another's skin, another's voice, another's soul."
— Joyce Carol Oates

ahhh. I just sighed.

So, I thought I would post a few of my recent reads and try and get some feedback about what you like to read.

One Day- David Nicholls
This book follows a couple on the same day over the span of their lives. I LOVED the premise of this book, loved the way the author wrote it. I felt empty while reading it, however. I didn't connect wth both main characters and had a hard time living through them.. I would reccomend this book to those who enjoy great style, but a grating, at times infuriating set of events.

The Hunger Games Trilogy-Suzanne Collins
If you have not read these books, go now and get them. Don't wait for the movie.

Twenty-four are forced to enter. Only the winner survives.
In the ruins of a place once known as North America lies the nation of Panem, a shining Capitol surrounded by twelve outlying districts. Each year, the districts are forced by the Capitol to send one boy and one girl between the ages of twelve and eighteen to participate in the Hunger Games, a brutal and terrifying fight to the death – televised for all of Panem to see.
Survival is second nature for sixteen-year-old Katniss Everdeen, who struggles to feed her mother and younger sister by secretly hunting and gathering beyond the fences of District 12. When Katniss steps in to take the place of her sister in the Hunger Games, she knows it may be her death sentence. If she is to survive, she must weigh survival against humanity and life against love.(Synopsis written by The Scholastic Book Company)

The Help-Kathryn Stockett
I haven't seen the movie, but the book is gritty, honest, and captivating.

http://www.kathrynstockett.com/stockett-synopsis.htm

Little Women (again)-Louisa May Alcott
If you don't know what this book is about, shame on ya. Go read it.

Room-Emma Donoghue
Told from the perspective of a five year old.

You have lived your WHOLE life in a square room, and you know nothing of the outside world. Your only companion is your mother. You don't realize yet, that you are living a nightmare. When the nightmare supposedly ends, has it really just begun?

I couldn't put this one down, though it is difficult to read at times. I reccomend it. :)

I read most of these before I realized there were movies about them (aside from The Help) and I would love to catch a few more books BEFORE they turn into a screenplay and before they are "trendy".

So, what book should I put on my "to read" list? What's your favorite book?

My First Day of "Freedom"

2011-08-22T20:04:00.000-07:00

Ella was a suprise blessing for us. She came just at the point when her older sisters were just starting to become independent, and give old mom a break. I had to start the midnight feedings, the diapers, and the constant attention all over again. Needless to say, it was a busy, yet fulfilling time. I could see a day in the distant future when all my children would go to school during the day, and my house would be quiet again.

Today, it happened. The girls all got up at an early hour for school (actually they shot out of bed, eagerly anticipating the time to go), and we started the process of getting them ready. Kayleigh, who considers herself a pro at this by now can do everything herself and just needed some advice on how to fix her hair, accesorize, etc. She was anxious to get back and see all of her friends that she had missed over the summer, and get to the library to pick out some new books.

Taylor, was excited to pick out an outfit, with multiple accessories, fix her hair, show off her cute shoes to her friends, and see her teacher. She was eager to see her friends, too, of course and ready to play with them at recess.

Ella was excited about EVERYTHING. She couldn't wait to meet new people, carry a backpack, have a locker, carry her own tray at lunch, and play games at recess. She has been watching her sisters talk, complain, and explain everything about school for years, often feeling left out because being home with Mom leaves little room to be cool, I guess. Earlier this summer she and I were discussing the prospect of her leaving and I teasingly asked her to skip kindergarten and just stay home. She loves to make everyone happy, so she agreed. Last night, as I was tucking her into bed, I reminded her of her promise and asked her what she thought. She smiled at me, looked into my eyes and said "Mommy, you will be okay without me, won't you?" I told her "yes, of course", but as I dropped her off this morning, and returned to my silent house, I thought of all the time I spent thinking and anticipating this day, and realized that maybe I would, but it will be a lot harder than I thought...

Cherish every moment. Even the difficult ones.

Fall

2011-08-16T07:07:00.000-07:00

I promise I won't always wait to update during a solstice change..

My husband and I were talking this weekend and wondering if everyone else's life is this chaotic and maddening. It seems there is never enough time do what should be done. My house is never clean, we order take out with an indecent frequency, and I can't tell you the last time we had a date night. Are these just the years we will look back on and wish we could return to when the girls are all out of the house, or are we rushing through this time in our lives with such a fast pace we won't even remember it? I'm starting to believe that something has to change.

If I were to update you with everything that happened during the summer, it wouldn't seem like much. We had lost teeth, more independence, lots of days at the pool, etc. It was your typical summer. I have enjoyed the few moments I could look around at what I am blessed with. All my daughters will be going into those open school doors this year, and I'm sure not looking back at me who will be taking it harder than I predicted. I thought because I am a little worn out, I would be ready for my last baby to leave the house and go to school, but I don't think it's going to be the case. I will simply miss having someone home to take care of. I want to remember her little voice, how she mispronounces words, and how she still comes and needs a hug when she flings herself off of the back of the couch onto the floor. She still plays with barbies, needs me to help get her dressed, so I still have this for a while.

As for me, you could say that I'm flourishing. I get to work a lot, and I love it. I hope to be full time by next spring. I'm a bit tired these days, but I will use my husband's favorite expression when dealing with a bad situation "it is what it is". I look forward to cooler temperatures and leaving the house and not smacking into a wall of heat. I joined a book club, read two books, and have almost made it there twice. Third times the charm right?

Baxter, as usual, is working too hard, and too much. He has his sense of humor (and my nagging) to keep him afloat. He is feeling better these days with his bimonthly visits to the IV chair. Who would have thought psoriasis would change your life in such a dramatic way. Again, it is what it is.

I hate to sound so down and depressing. Life is really, really, good. I thank God for the wonderful life that I am blessed to live. I love everything that makes me busy. We laugh every day. If I had to live like this for the rest of my life, that would be okay with me. I will bloom where God plants me and prepare for rain while I am in this season.
I usually end my blogs by promising to update soon, but by now I feel your disbelief. I try, I really do.

I will leave you with a collage from summer. :)

Spring

2011-03-04T09:12:00.001-08:00

I'm in such a different place this year than I was at this time last year. I feel hopeful and ecouraged, rather than tired and sad. There are a few things that I believe have helped in the transformation.

1. medicine for my thyroid
2. I have a job that I love, AND get to spend time with my babies.
3. The girls are all older and more independent.
4. I've made a concious decision to be happy, and am intentional about it!

I love this season of new life and hope. Spring.

"See! The winter is past;
the rains are over and gone.
12 Flowers appear on the earth;
the season of singing has come,
the cooing of doves
is heard in our land.
13 The fig tree forms its early fruit;
the blossoming vines spread their fragrance.
Arise, come, my darling;
my beautiful one, come with me.”
Song of Solomon 2: 11-13

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-11T13:06:00.000-08:00

From my sweethearts to you!

I am a legacy.

2011-01-20T14:17:00.000-08:00

My Grandma died on January 11th. I have too many memories to recount here today about her. I shared lots of them with my family this weekend as we celebrated her life and what she meant to us.

She was feisty, she was graceful, and she loved to accessorize. She served alongside my Grandpa in ministry for many years. She taught my dad how to cook (something I thank her for whenever I get the chance to eat at my parents house).

As I spend time reflecting on her life, and try to remember that she won't get the emails I sit down to write her, I realize that I am her legacy. She passed things on to me. I get my sharp wit from her, I get my temper from her, and I get my high cheekbones and broad shoulders from her. She is a part of me, so in a way, she is not gone. I know that she is with her Creator, and this makes me immensely happy.

My Beautiful Family by Gina Beth Clark (written in 2007)
My Beautiful Family

The oldest is in his fifties now, and still growing
In wisdom and hopefully much happiness
The younger is wise beyond reproach
And needs a softer touch in life's habits

The eldest granddaughter has become a mother
Who dwells in a land of little people with love.
Her younger sister is learning all about the world
That give mysterys beyond anyone's power

Smart as a whip and reaching for the sky
Is my third granddaughter, life is becoming interesting
My grandson is my favorite one and only.
Who carries much upon his young broad shoulders

I love this beautiful family, and pray to God
To watch over them daily, and give them a boost.
When I leave this planet. I don't want them to miss me.
But to know that they are the best of me on earth.

Ginabeth

Giggles

2011-01-20T10:41:00.000-08:00

Please enjoy this while I get my thoughts together for some new posts. :)

Worth a thousand :)

2011-01-07T20:07:00.000-08:00

Project 52!

2011-01-07T20:03:00.000-08:00

I'm doing a project 52 on my Photography blog. Check it out! It's a once a week photo about something that I love or that inspires me through 2011.

Go here!

My babies

2010-12-23T11:53:00.000-08:00

Here are a few photos to get you through the Holidays. :)

Merry Christmas

2010-12-21T08:48:00.000-08:00

I've been a lazy blogger. Go ahead and smack me.

Work has been booming, Church has been busy, life is moving faster and faster. I wish things would slow down so I could enjoy it, but then if it slowed down, there wouldn't be as much to enjoy. Ah, the catch 22 of life.

Right now, I'm taking the time to write as all the girls clean their rooms while on Christmas break. We will see how long I have to write before I have to go break up a fight or clean something really gross up that has been lurking underneath a pile of laundry..

Just to catch you up on what will be our fun holiday this year.

This is my new favorite version of Santa.

My sister and brother in law and beautiful niece will be joining us for the Christmas weekend. I get the privilege of taking their family photos, and we will be having ham AND turkey (there is a debate in our family about which is the best holiday meat, so this year we are just doing it up big time!). We always have tons of laughs and this year will be especially fun because my niece is walking and can chase her cousins everywhere (insert evil laugh here).

We will be taking our annual pilgrimage to Branson to give half our money away on food and ozark entertainment the week after Christmas. I always look forward to this week when we can slow down and enjoy each other's company. While my threshold for being trapped in a small condo with my husband, three children, in laws and sister in law (don't get me wrong, I love them all dearly but there's only so much this recluse can take) is about 3 days, I'm looking forward to spending all five days this time. With as much as Baxter has been working, we need this time. We took a week in October to be together but I didn't get to enjoy it much because I got violently ill on the very first day (I'm talking chills, shakes, and a nyquil drip). I'm also hoping to come away from this trip less bloated than last year. I hope to pair up with my sister in law (who is an ironman athlete) and some of her willpower will rub off on me (not too much though, she eats chia seeds.ew.. I digress). I need not to have to lose 10 more lbs.

I hope everyone is enjoying life as much as me and that you all have a beautiful Christmas.

I will try to resume blogging on a regular basis (New Year's resolution perhaps?)

The Cheeky

2010-11-14T19:11:00.000-08:00

The Cheeky

Butterfly

2010-10-26T08:18:00.000-07:00

I've been wanting to write this post for a few weeks. Every time I come to the computer I get distracted. I am never in one place too long these days (unless I am editing photos).

This post is about self reflection. I think back to the person I was 10 years ago(20, and pregnant whoa!) and am just amazed at who I have become. In some ways I am still so much like the shy, reclusive, sugar craving, neurotic that I used to be.

I am still shy. When I meet you, I barely speak. I listen but make almost no comment. I think I am still damaged from growing up in a small town school full of girls who thought they were royalty. (If we went to school together, let me just welcome you, Your Highness. I hope your redneck subjects are treating you well.)
I was always out of my element and I guess I am afraid I still have no place in the clique-esque world we live in. You know what they say though, it's the quiet ones you should worry about. If we hit it off, I never shut up.

I order food now. Seriously ( I know there are others of you out there, so don't judge me). If we would go out anywhere, I would not order through the drive through I would not call and order pizza, and I would almost always make my husband/boyfriend order at restaurants. I'm just a freak. I have no idea how to explain this one. I still feel the hesitancy when it's time to order, but am able to push through it. I think it's just part of growing up.

I try to think if any of my ideas about my faith have changed. I feel closer to God now, and I find it easier to put grace in place of judgement. My desire for a stronger relationship with my savior grows stronger every day. There's so much more, but this is a different post altogether.

I'm much more conservative now. I have always been very conservative, but now I just see so much more hurt and damage in the things of this world. I constantly try to block it out. Becoming a mom, and living a life of ministry are definitely the catalysts for this change.

Music. What in the world is on the radio these days. I couldn't tell you 38 of the top forty songs. I used to know them all. My world today is country,soft rock, classic rock, and contemporary christian music. I have officially become my mother (who actually knows who Gwen Stefani is, so maybe I'm not even as cool as her).

I'm 30lbs lighter. My lifestyle no longer revolves around late night pizza, and ice cream for breakfast. I do alot more working out and a lot less television watching as well. Go me.

What can i say. I'm a butterfly. There is still the hint of who I used to be, but I think I've blossomed for the better. I wonder what I will say about who I am ten years from now. How have you changed in the past ten years?

(Okay, so this was 11 years ago, but close enough!)

Go fly a kite!

2010-10-26T08:11:00.000-07:00

We had such a great time with the strong winds yesterday. We took a spur of the moment trip to a kite flying hill.

The trip was topped off by two of the girls stepping in fire ant mounds. Of course. I will choose to remember the fun.

11 years

2010-10-01T13:54:00.000-07:00

Seems like just yesterday I was writing an anniversary blog. Time is flying by too fast these days. It has been 11 years (as of September 25) that I have been a married woman. I tell people that, and they look at me like I should have white hair and arthritis. We were just two silly kids when we got married at 19, and now we have the benefit of experience while still being young and cool...

I remember my wedding day just like it was yesterday. I have to admit, I had absolutely no idea what I was signing up for. All I knew was that I loved this boy, and he loved me, and that we would "conquer the world with our love"...

Boy, was I an idiot. I would not go back and change anything, mind you, but I definitely did not understand the level of work that goes into a marriage. We have endured struggles financially, physically, and mentally. Not without a lot of learning how to communicate have we turned into the team we are today. Some of the arguments that we have had would have been prime candidates for reality t.v.
(Like the time I grabbed the wheel of the car while he was driving because he wasn't listening to me, not my finest moment)

I have to say that after 11 years, we are strong, and we are just as in love today as those 19 year old idiots, but with maturity and a knowledge of what it takes to be married.

As for what the future has in store for us, I don't know what road we'll walk, but it will be walked hand in hand. :)

Miss me?

2010-09-01T19:19:00.001-07:00

You should, because it has been too long since I have come here to post. Sure, I post on my workout blog some, and my photography blog some, but here... No, I have been a bad mommy blogger.

What's new with us?

It has been a fun and uneventful summer for the girls. My spoiled little princesses had their vacations, and swimming, and trips to the library. For me, this summer has been spent in a fog. I have had a hard time motivating myself to (1). workout (2). stay awake (3). serve a purpose. The reason is a very annoying thyroid problem. I am severely hypothyroid (not the one where you miraculously lose weight and are hyper all the time). Oh no, I have the thyroid issue where your body basically slows to a crawl. Sleepy, depressed, and packin' on the pounds, My summer in a nutshell. I have made myself participate in things that the children will like because I love them and want them happy, but as far as things that I know i should enjoy (working out, going outside, blogging, etc.) I have just not had the energy. I expect to be back in the swing of things in a few weeks, then watch out!

As for any other new developments around here, I'll just go down the list of a few.

*My oldest is obsessed with tween spy novels and wants to work for the CIA when she grows up. If she can learn to keep a secret, she will do well.

* My middle child learned to tie her shoes. I taught her, and we were both proud of ourselves. If I can get her to wash her own hair, I can call her independent.

* My baby got her ears pierced. She told everyone she knows at least five times. She's impressed with herself.

* WE GOT NEW FLOORS! We finally saved up enough to put new floors in. After pulling up the former homeowners carpet we discovered why the vacuum was coughing at us. There was enough built up dust underneath them to build sandcastles (or dustcastles) all over the house. ICK! I'm so glad that nasty stuff is gone. I love my floors!

I hope all my readers are having a great end to their summer, and I promise I'll come back soon and post about all the fun stuff we are doing.

How was your summer?

4 year old Bean

2010-07-27T10:17:00.000-07:00

Today we celebrate Ella's 4th birthday.

Ella is wild, she never sits still, she yells even when she's just talking about something as mundane as cereal. I could not imagine life without her. As she lay beside me this morning after her early morning wake up call, I listened to a rare moment of her peaceful rhythmic breathing and reflected on the day of her birth.

It was a normal pregnancy (although I did have gestational diabetes), a normal delivery, and I expected there to be no complications. She was whisked away to the nicu right after birth, however, and stayed there for 7 days because her lungs hadn't developed fully. From what I hear, this is fairly normal for babies of moms with gestational diabetes. It rocked our world though. We were a mess. We walked around in a sad stupor for that first week, and after she came home, she was never put down. I now fully accept responsibility for her all too independent personality. She's had it with the coddling and she wants to be on her own!

She paints walls with primer after we have just finished the last coat. She applies nail polish and makeup to her legs, arms, face and the carpet. She tries to put together meals for herself (much to the satisfaction of the dog). If she can't reach something, she tries to rig a ladder out of books, boxes, and toys. She likes to call strangers via cell phone and have conversations with them. We like to say we supervise her enough to help prevent the major destruction of our property, but there are never enough eyes around here, to be honest. I'm hoping that with age, her sense of indpendence will guide her as we try and train her up to have common sense as well.

Ella has been the best surprise/blessing/gift I have ever received. I thank God for her chaos everyday (well, almost everyday).

Happy Birthday, Ella!

I've added a blog

2010-07-23T07:26:00.000-07:00

I'm a mom, but I'm also an "athlete". I use that term loosely. I'm going to continue to use this blog to tell stories about my crazy/dysfunctional family, but I've also started a "fitness" blog. Come read it!

http://desertthedessert.blogspot.com/

Summer Daze

2010-07-20T18:59:00.000-07:00

The girls left for a vacation to the farm in Arkansas where my husband's parents live. They were gone for about 2 weeks. I spent these weeks doing a whole lot of NOTHING! Well, not exactly nothing...

I slept.

I ate out. A LOT.

I took newborn pictures of Levi.

I went to Six Flags with my Bethany.

I slept some more.

I did dishes, twice. (that's how much we ate out!)

Oh, and I got this...

It says Selah, and you can read it both ways. It hurt, and I love it. :)

Hopscotch

2010-06-29T16:26:00.000-07:00

We had a little break in the heat, so my little crazies headed outside to play some hopscotch.

Here are some fun pictures!

Doubt

2010-06-28T18:15:00.000-07:00

I don't know if I'll ever be past the stage in my life where I constantly doubt myself. Is it normal, or am I just neurotic? There's nothing more frustrating to my husband than when I assail him with a barage of questions as to how he thinks I'm doing. Me: "How was dinner, honey?" Him: "Great" Me: " Are you sure, because it didn't show in your face that you were really enjoying it while you were eating." Him: "It was great, really!" Me: "I'm not sure you really liked it." Him: (sighs)

Me: "What do you think of this picture, honey?" Him: "Good, really Good!" Me: "Are you sure, you didn't even look at it for very long..." Him: "I didn't have to, it's great!" Me: I don't know, it probably needs more work" Him: (sighs loudly and rolls eyes)

Me: "Honey, How does the house look?" Him: "It looks great, Honey" Me: "You didn't say anything when you came home" Him: I haven't even come all the way in the house yet" Me: "Well, I'm sure if it was really great, you would have already noticed" Him: "What can I make for dinner?"

I do this to my friends too, although I will readily admit to them that I have an issue and need constant affirmation. They handle it in stride (probably because I take the bulk of it out on my poor husband)

Sooner or later he tells me like it is, that I'll never believe anything he says unless I start having confidence in myself. I don't know why I have this issue. I was alway loved and supported, and have always been given plenty of encouragement. It's just something in my psychie that makes me ridiculous.

Right now, I'm having to push aside all my doubt and surge forward professionally. I feel very confident in my abilities in what I do, and business is starting to really pick up. It's so exciting, but the better I feel about something, the more doubts that creep in. My inner dialogue is terrible and I'm having to stop and shut myself up. I compare myself to some peers, I compare my work with theirs and wonder why I'm not as busy as they are. I am my own worst enemy. How do I stop this vicious cycle. I'm starting to think that I should just use these thoughts and succeed just to spite them.

100 Things that make me happy

2010-06-14T17:58:00.000-07:00

I have seen this on a few other blogs and thought it would be fun to try. I always like to try to put things in perpective and remember all my blessings. Even if you don't blog, I encourage you to make a list of all the things that make you smile.

1.   staying up late and talking all night
2.   a great haircut
3.   crunchy ice
4.   watching Taylor's face on her favorite ride at six flags
5.   the feeling i get right after a great workout
6.   when my dog spoons my legs
7. hearing Ella sing herself to sleep
8.   dinner at my parent's house
9. wind chimes
10. my favorite jeans
11. the beach at night
12. when someone catches me daydreaming
13. teen camp
14. wednesday night at church
15. sunday nights with the teens
16. talking about books with Kayleigh
17. fall weather in Texas
18. floating the river
19. taking a great picture and not being able to stop looking at it
20. a great nap
21. coke zero
22. getting into God's Word with friends and talking about it
23. word searches
24. the smell of the kids right after they have had their bath
25. new car smell
26. a paid off car
27. a great fitting t shirt
28. crab legs
29. snuggling with any of my babies
39. talking with my husband about our future
40. dancing
41. girls weekends
42. riding horses
43. holding hands with Baxter
44. a great massage
45. falling asleep to music so my dreams have a soundtrack
46. birthday cake
47. laughing so hard i cry and/or can't breathe
48. clean sheets
49. razorback football
50. flip flops
51. looking at old photos
52. the feeling you get as you are climbing the highest part of the roller coaster
53. the smell of rain
54. a chick flick
55. reading a book cover to cover
56. when my girls use a new (clean) word for the first time
57. hearing my girls giggling up in their rooms
58. jumping out from behind a door and scaring someone
59. date night
60. my "special days" with each of the girls
61. quiet prayer
62. my niece's dimples
63. fuzzy slippers
64. giving money to someone who needs it
65. talking politics wih my political geek friends
66. baking
67. having company
68. shopping for furniture
69. long hugs
70. ponytails
71. getting a letter
72. singing
73. Crossdirection Worship team
74. History
75. waking up thinking i am late, but realizing i still have a few more hours
76. Christmas morning
77. talk radio
78. hearing a great song for the first time
79. a clean kitchen
80. editing photos
81. long walks
82. fresh cut grass
83. a beautiful sunset
84. family game night
85. fun sunglasses
86. looking at the ocean from our cruise ship
87. jumping on a trampoline
88. making a new friend
89. the look of fresh paint
90. new baby smell
91. tickling my kids
92. chasing my kids
93. teasing my husband
94. waking up knowing it's my hubby's day off
95. super mario brothers
96. my mom's lasagna
97. my dad's jokes
98. The Golden Girls
99. cloud watching
100. love notes

Can you name 100?

Selah

2010-06-11T21:02:00.000-07:00

Teen camp this year was for me, definitely a year that far surpassed any other year in the respect that i was more challenged and more convicted, and more frustrated that any other year that I have been.

As a leader, you hope to encourage your students in their faith, decisions, and challenge them while they are in the grips of finding who they are in this whole new world that has opened up to them. You don't expect to have obstacles and distractions thrust upon you personally that hinder your ability to lead. This week I dealt with my frustration with a leader from another church who didn't live up to my idea of what a follower of Christ should look like. I didn't handle the idea of conflict well. I felt myself moving toward bitterness, anger, and frustration. Luckily, I have an amazing husband and wonderful friend who were there to struggle, and exhort, and basically tame me. I eventually used biblical principle to deal with the above mentioned leader and confronted the situation (if you know me, you know that I can gag just thinking about confrontation). The outcome was less than I hoped for because they definitely didn't respond with an open heart, but I definitely felt God working through me. It's a funny thing how our God works, because just hours after this was over, we were asked for help from teens from another church about (yep, you guessed it) resolution of a conflict. Had they come to me just hours earlier, I would definitely not been able to guide them in any sort of biblical way because of my own bitter heart. I felt the Holy Spirit move me that night. I heard whispers of encouragement me and and blessing because of my obedience as I gave Godly counsel to young ladies I barely knew as they shed honest tears about their conflict. It was amazing. I don't know if I'm even (I'm actually sure that I'm not) giving it the colorful wording that it deserves. It was powerful.

As the week progressed (yes this was just about day 2) God started just moving in every area of our group. The teens were bold, and overcome with fire for their faith. They made decisions of action, and choices that are going to be very hard to put into motion now that they are home. It was wonderful.

I am an impatient person. I want what I want when I want it. I have to have instant gratification. I have to have a plan so that I know that I'll get what I want. When I pray, I want answers. When I begin worship, I want to feel God move. It has been a very long time since I have been able to consistently worship. I have been sporadic on being able to feel the intimacy with God in a worship setting. I believe now, that this is because I went into it with a heart of impatience. I wasn't waiting for God, I was trying to force my way into worship. He's always there, but I wouldn't know it because it's all about me. We all read in the book of Psalms this week a little and of course that little word "Selah" is used throughout at the end of verses. I knew little or nothing of the meaning behind the word except for the fact that it meant "wait". In doing a little research I found that the word selah was also used as a change or shift of the music played during that time. It's a bridge connecting one phase of the music to the next.

As we read, I was just fixed on that word. I liked it. I like anything that reminds me to hold on to my horses. Then the word changed for me as we did the ropes course on Wednesday. We did what was called the "Leap of Faith". I usually don't do ropes. I let the kids get out their crazy and I watch and make fun of them. I was basically forced into this one. You can't exactly call it peer pressure, but I did it. If i can, I will just paint this picture for you (there are pictures of me doing this and I will post them when I get them). Picture it, a 35 foot telephone pole with nothing at the top, except a rag about 10 feet away. The pole is only about as wide as your feet. you climb to the very top, figure out a way to stand up without falling off, and jump off and try to grab the rag on your way down. So, as I was making my way up the pole, I was sure to look up, not down. I was sure to ignore the teasing coming from down below, and I was sure to watch my footing so that I didn't fall off. I steadied myself and stood at the very top of this pole. I looked at this rag ahead of me, and had no idea exactly how far I had to jump to reach it. I didn't look down, and I was confident that I was safe with the harness that protected me. I took a few seconds to just settle myself and then i jumped. I grabbed the rag, and then i was lowered to the ground (trying to awkwardly hide the "harness wedgie" that had ensnared me).

Only later did I reflect on the few seconds on top of that pole. I had already done the hard part. I had gotten on the first step, and then I had climbed, and then I had turned around, and then there I was, just.. well.. waiting. I was gathering myself, i was reflecting on what I had just done, and I was bracing myself for the next step. The next action I had to perform. I waited, and then jumped. Now, this word has a whole new meaning for me. If I am in the midst of conflict, it means stop and wait. If I want to pray, it means settle down. If i want to worship, it means pause and reflect. If I want to hear what God says, I have to be patient enough to listen, and slow to react, or I might fall.

I am just in awe of how God can use the ministry with which He has called our family to deepen my faith, and strengthen my spirit. I'm overwhelmed. God is good.

Girls Weekend!

2010-05-24T19:32:00.000-07:00

I had some awesome fun with some of my best friends in Austin this weekend. We swam, went to the zoo, played pranks on strangers. What more could 5 grown women ask for?

Here we are!

It's not itsy bitsy, teenie tiny, or yellow, 4 out of 5 aint bad.

2010-05-17T14:25:00.000-07:00

This morning, I did something i do every year. It's not fun, it's not pretty, and it's definitely not cool. What did I do? I went bathing suit shopping. I have a girls weekend coming up with some fab girlfriends and I needed a new suit. My drawers are filled with past years attempts at looking presentable by the pool.

I have learned from past mistakes. Trust.

I had my year of just giving up and going for grannywear..

I decided that I could wear that when i actually became a grandma, and the next year I went with a style from your favorite stereotype and mine.. the mom blob

(No offense to Keely Shae Smith. She had a baby, and hey, we've almost all been the mom blob, I just shouldn't have stuffed mine into a bikini)

The next year, boy shorts were in. I have to say , that is the most uncomfortable bathing suit I've ever worn. It's especially difficult to avoid a wedgie while carting around a baby at a swim park.

See, there's no way to keep things where they are supposed in these.

The one I had for the past few years, it was what you call a Tankini. I had a good few years with my last one, and it's worn out, and I've gotten smaller, so I decided to try something a little different.

I dreaded going today, but it was all right. All the weeks of busting it at the gym might have helped, or maybe it was just the fake "you look great" lighting that gave me the illusion that I didn't look like I just came off the farm. Either way, I was pleased and I bought one. I'm not posting what it looks like, but it's polka dot, very cute, and I felt good the minute I put it on. It turned a usually torturous event into something i could live with. It's never something I would love to do every day, but at least i can say today, i'd pick going over getting my teeth pulled. So for all you who haven't bought your sunwear, good luck. I hope you find something that makes you feel less like someone is about to try to harpoon you, and more like people are envying how you look.

Happy Shopping.

Swagger Wagon

2010-05-16T20:00:00.000-07:00

The Reason I love Mother's Day

2010-05-10T11:21:00.000-07:00

Real women mow the yard

2010-04-27T08:23:00.000-07:00

I'm all about rocking the roles in the husband/wife relationship, but generally in our house, Baxter has just a few jobs. He mows the yard, takes out the trash, and does small repairs. He's also Super Dad, but that's another post for another time. Basically, he brings home the bacon and I fry it up (and serve it up, and wash the pan).

I've also never been what you might call "an outdoor girl". I prefer to stay indoors where there are no bugs and dirt (Unless I am laying by the pool with a nice breeze blowing over me). Yardwork has never been something that I've been interested in doing. Many of you know that I grew up redneck. We had no air conditioning, or any of the high falutin' contraptions you city dwellers had. So now, unless I have to, I enjoy the nice climate controlled environment that my home provides. When Bax gets busy at work, (or is just exhausted from the 500 hours he has put in that week), and our yard looks like we should have three broken down cars sitting in the front yard up on blocks (been there done that, like I said, redneck) I put on my spf 3000 sunscreen (just kidding, I don't but i should) and head out to start the mower. First, I circle the mower carefully , like a wary predator circling it's prey (making sure that I remember how to even start it) and pull the chord. After I put my shoulder back in joint, I start mowing. I see neighbors who are also out tending to their yard (men) look at me in awe and wonder as I make my crooked paces up and down the yard, I feel like I am accomplishing something great, until I realize that I just ran over a toy that the girls left in the yard and barbie shrapnel starts shooting everywhere.

I make my way to the back yard only to realize why Baxter put in a dog run in our previous house. I dodge the dog poop minefield cursing under my breath at the poor dogs (who never get used to seeing my angry face and the mower coming at them), and Baxter for not picking up the poop. By the way, flip flops are never a good idea for this chore. ew. I think I'll have to pay someone to do that, but I digress.

When I finish, I look around at what I have done and feel like a nature woman.The yard looks decent, not great, but decent. I conquered the wilderness of my suburban serengeti and feel proud. Who knows what I could do next?

* gardening is not something I do often, but I have done it as well. I have put in all of the (okay 95%) of plants and bushes we have ever planted in any of our houses.

Are you a real woman?

Tuned Out

2010-04-12T10:38:00.000-07:00

It's at least once a day (usually around 5:00 p.m.) that I'm doing something and I hear background noise and realize that it's my child speaking to me. I respond with a fake "wow" or "yeah" or "alright" while not even really listening to what my children are saying. Kayleigh has my number. She will often ask me something and then when my glazed over eyes eventually turn her way she will repeat the outlandish question she has just asked "hey mom, did you know that Ella is dressing princess up like a bride with all our extra toilet paper?" I jump to attention and she laughs. For me, this is what I really struggle with now that my children are old enough to feed, clothe, and entertain themselves. I've reached a point of complacency that is even taking over my discipline technique.

"Girls, go upstairs and clean your room"
5 minutes later...
"Hey, why are you still watching cartoons?"
5 minutes later
"Girls get upstairs or I'm going to get upset"
5 minutes later
"I MEAN IT, NOW GET UPSTAIRS"

And then I spend the next hour in agonizng paralysis as they come down the stairs multiple times whining about how difficult it is, and how much they hate it until finally i just give up and go help them (granted Ella needs some coaching, but she doesn't even try most days)

Each day is a trial of patience for me. I have lost the focus of my parenting, and it has shown. My kids are still pretty wonderful (even though we have been having significant issues with one of them lately) and I wouldn't change them for the world. They are a beautiful gift and I won't take them for granted. I am in the process of reading "Dare to Discipline" by Dr. Dobson (recommended by our pediatrician). It is giving me a fresh perspective on the three little crazy versions of me and is helping me apply a focus to my parenting. This book also recommends a loving guide to spanking. I'm not sure how I feel about this, but it also talks about swift consequences as well and that is the main point that I will focus my technique on.

I vow not to tune out because I am exhausted and let them fend for themselves. I vow to continually get to know my children and to foster their creativity, and their knowledge of their mother. It's a delicate balance, I know, when there is also so much that I want to do for myself. Is it even possible? I'm not sure. I intend to do my best to find out. We are all worth it.

Does anybody else out there, tune out?

Worth a thousand

2010-04-01T10:27:00.001-07:00

The Mom Blob

2010-03-30T09:56:00.001-07:00

I'm fairly sure that I've posted on this topic before, but i recently had a discussion with my sister (who is a new mom) about this idea and I thought we'd revisit it.

If you have seen any ads for nursing products, baby shampoo, or any other product a new parent might buy, you probably saw a vision of a mother snuggling with her soft, warm child. They hold each other in a tender embrace as the baby softly sleeps. This does happen on a rare period, but as new moms know and understand, this plays out in stark reality to a mom covered in drool, vomit, or some other bodily fluid, holding her child in tears, begging him or her to sleep for just 30 minutes so she can take a shower or nap for the first time in 2 or 3 days.

If you've browsed the magazines while waiting in line at the grocery store, you might have seen a new celebrity mom showing off their baby. The postpartumly svelte mom has every hair in place, and is all smiles while posing for the camera. The baby is well dressed, and usually sleeping, or smiling. This is also a break from the norm, which is a greasy hair, blurry eyed woman who has lost the belly bump but retains the stretched skin, stretch marks, and extra jiggle bestowed on her by the child, (your baby might possibly be well dressed but neither of you are probably sleeping or smiling).

This all culminates into what i like to call... the mom blob. Just after having a baby (for maybe 4 to six months) most women feel as though they are a walking, talking, shell whose only purpose on earth is to provide sustanence and comfort for someone else. You lose your body, you lose your mind, you lose your sense of self. Added to these physical changes, are all the little stressers that come along. Questions like "why isn't he/she eating every two hours like the book said" or more likely "why is he/she wanting to eat every 10 minutes". "why hasn't he/she pooped since Tuesday?"

Tips to cope with the Mom Blob

Get out and exercise (after your DR. clears it)
You may not lose all the weight right away, but I promise you will feel better about who you are.

Sleep when the baby sleeps
Duh

Avoid going into your closet for your pre pregnancy clothes
You are avoiding a meltdown of epic perportions here.

Do not expect the baby to do any of the things in any of the books you read
Babies are unpredictable and dangerous.

Treat Your Hubby like a king
Huh? After what I just went through, shouldn't he be kissing my unshaven ankles?
No. You are going to have wild moodswings (hey, it's not for sure, but trust me). If you treat him really well, he'll be better at handling them. And you should probably let him know that they are a'comin.

Side Note: He's going to want to fix everything when the baby cries and you feel bad and he'll be extremely frustrated when he can't. He will take it hard. Be nice to him.

Now, I'm not dissing motherhood. I love being a mom. Motherhood is an awesome wonder. I'm just providing reality. It's not all teddy bears, and baby bottoms. It's a tough, hard, ugly business some days. But, If you can lower your expectations, and find the little joys mixed in with all the drool, poo, and snot, it really is quite wonderful. If you are a new mom, or are about to be a new mom, here's a phrase to remember: Just hang in there. :)

Spring Break Diaries

2010-03-18T18:38:00.000-07:00

The week is just flying by, let me tell you. I don't remember having this much fun since I saw a documentary about how to make wooden shoes.

I'm just kidding. The girls have been miraculously well behaved (thank you, WII), and we have enjoyed spending time together.

Of course Tuesday evening, we went to Gamma and Papa's for Taylor's family birthday party. She really got crazy for her Zhu Zhu Pets. (those things annoy me, and make me want to pull all Baxter's chin hairs out). She loved her rainbow birthday cake, and her unicorn birthday card as well. If you don't know her, you would not be surprised that this fits in so perfectly with her personality. She wants to redecorate her room with a "candyland decor". This girl is all girl, all the time. When I do her laundry, I don't have to separate anything. It's all some version of pepto pink.. I digress.

Wednesday, we spent most of the day just hanging out and playing. I took a nap (thank you WII), and we had a dance party. We had church in the evening, and we were all really glad to get out of the house. It was a pretty uneventful day (that's a good thing in my world, folks).

Today, we went to the park, took some pictures, had lunch with one of my good friends at Chick Fil A. Yum. It again, was a pretty uneventful day. Tonight, I prepare for our trip to the motherland (AR) to visit our family. The weekend is going to be jam packed. Another birthday party for Taylor, a college gymnastics meet, roller skating, etc. I'm tired just thinking about it, and I haven't even started packing yet.

I know this hasn't exactly been seat gripping entertainment, but i just wanted to think on what my life has transformed into. I drive a minivan (you can not be cool and do this) and hang out at chick fil a. Going out dancing, is opening the windows and turning up the Kidz Bop cd. I love it, and I wouldn't change it one bit (okay, I could stand to actually go out and do something adults do every once and awhile, but that's it, I swear).

I have to admit though, there's one big similarity about this week now and then, at the end of the week, you always wind up looking for where the time went, where the money went, and looking forward to next year.

The Spring Break Diaries

2010-03-16T10:37:00.000-07:00

My, oh my, how my spring break celebration changed in the last 12 years or so. I, of course, was never a "party til you puke" on the beach kind of girl, but I did enjoy the R&R that comes with no classes, warm weather, and good friends. We would spend it visiting family, just hanging out, or fitting in as much goofing off as humanly possible. After becoming a mom, spring break seems like less of a break, and more of an experience. The girls get up when they want, I stock the pantry with junk food (no, that's not a usual around here), we play, we have dance parties, and we goof off as much as humanly possible.

These are the spring break Diaries..

Because it started yesterday, I'll go ahead and post the first day right here.

I caught a huge break and everyone slept in 'til 9:00 a.m. I haven't kept my eyes closed that long since I watched 28 Days later...(seriously, you haven't lived until you've seen someones face being eaten off) Then we had a peaceful breakfast of fruity pebbles, (the girls actually had fruity pebbles, I had a granola bar.) and they stayed in their pajamas for most of the early afternoon. There were intermittent WII tournaments, small amounts of cleaning, and the high point of my afternoon came when i blocked Taylor from trying to send Ella down the stairs in a cardboard box. Much to her dismay, and Ella's, i wasn't about to let that happen.

The evening was rounded out nicely with the girls, again having fruity pebbles for dinner, and me able to escape for a while with a great friend who was in town for a short time.

Day 2

Today is Taylor's birthday. As of 12:45, we've already been to the gym, and had another Wii tournament. I've already been chastised for not letting Taylor have everything she wants to eat and do today because after all "mommy, it's my day". (I don't know where she gets it). Lunch is next, and a family party for her later! To Be Continued..

Preparing for Rain

2010-03-08T05:30:00.000-08:00

I'm both sad and excited about the developments of the last month. Three weeks ago, we discovered that Ella's preschool will be closing (very sad, all three of my kiddos have gone there and have LOVED IT). The church that we left to pursue ministry had this awesome, wonderful, special, mothers day out program. The church is trying to sell the building, and as they don't know the future, they have decided to halt the program next year. There's the backstory. Well, Ella and the two children that I currently watch need somewhere to go next year. Next year will be Ella's last year home with me, before she enters kidergarten (this brings a whole other range of emotions to be discussed later) so I wanted it to be special. I had already decided and discussed that I would be taking fewer days providing childcare for my friend to focus on my photography business. I would only be doing in the 2 days a week that they had preschool (before and after). We found a similar program, and i enrolled Ella (it turns out I knew the director!). Something seemed to be holding my friend from enrolling, and well, long story short, she has decided to go a different way. No hard feelings here, I want whats best for her kiddos! So that leaves me where? Here's how i see it..

(1) Ella and I will have quality time during her last year at home with me.

(2)I will have even more time to focus on my business. I can't tell you how many times I've questioned myself for starting a business of my own. My friends and family closest to me keep urging me on, persisting and insisting that if I have this much passion for something i have to keep going with it. I don't have a very good track record for finishing things out (example: there is still a white spot behind our armoire where I didn't paint.). So, I've decided that I'm going all in, earning my way to either failure or success. Just keep swimming, as the fish say...

(3) More time to devote to ministry of family and teens.

(4) More time to work out (i don't know if i can handle that, but I'm going to enjoy it)

So, metaphorically speaking, i'm preparing for rain. I'm planting my harvest, and seizing the day.

How about you?

Bucket List

2010-03-01T18:04:00.000-08:00

99 Things I Ought to Have Done

Hey, I have about a million things I could post on, and will. Life is going great, yet busy. Here's a fun little diddy to keep yourselves entertained, while i wade through the chaos.

Instructions:
Copy the list, bold the ones you've done (with explanations if needed), share with friends.
1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band (yes, marching does count!)
4. Visited Hawaii (Send me, I'll go)
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity (I want to change this to, step out of my comfort box and give!)
7. Been to Disneyland
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris (nope, but i hear it's smelly)
13. Watched a thunder and lightning storm (we're in tornado alley, almost impossible to avoid)
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (photography is now my passion)
15. Adopted a child (trying to decide what God wants in this area)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight(almost every night growing up, thanks Kris!)
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill(guilty!)
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise (and i tentatively have two more planned for next year!)
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors (I don't even know who they are, i need to get on that, i guess)
35. Seen an Amish community (right outside Springfield, MO)
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied ( I am there now, I think!)
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke (I'm sure I have, but not in public)
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (one of my happy places)
46. Been transported in an ambulance (with Ella bean, and all her RSV crud)
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling (on our cruise we went snorkeling, during a storm. when it calmed down it was awesome but awkward.)
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud (mmm. mud pies)
54. Gone to a drive-in theater ( i need to find one here)
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (this one)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason (I have the best hubby ever)
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check (dumb and in college)
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy (she ain't pretty folks, but she is my "Linda")
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job (temp job, again dumb and in college)
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been a passenger on a motorcycle (my dad had one)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book (this one is a definite must do)
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (high school graduation present, 1998 dodge Neon, and our PAID OFF MINIVAN in 2004)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper (many times in high school for being a band geek)
85. Kissed a stranger at midnight on New Year’s Eve
86. Visited the White House (i'd like to, maybe in 2013)
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club (for a short time, and I'd like to find one again)
93. Got a tattoo
94. Had a baby (times 3)
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee

Gym Etiquette

2010-02-18T17:58:00.000-08:00

For many of us who frequent the gym, we know the basic rules of what to do (and not to do) at the gym. Don't forget to wipe down your machine when you're through with it (sweaty swine flu). Don't wear light grey workout pants...(if you don't know, just don't do it). Don't put your mouth on the water fountain spiget (drool, slobber, and cooties). Don't wear perfume, or cologne (gag, and barf, I love the word barf, btw.).

However, I guess there are a few unspoken rules that need to be put out there. I will perform this task with a sense of duty and honor. I have observed these infractions just this week.

1. Do not use a treadmill to stretch (especially if you are wearing spandex). Please do not hike your leg up on the side of the apparatus and lunge. It is very distracting and disconcerting to runners behind and beside you. I almost tripped and slid off the back of my treadmill around mile 4 while trying to avert my eyes. There are stretching machines in the back of the gym for a reason. Use them.

2. While I appreciate the thoughtfulness of you putting on underwear to workout, I would rather not be alerted to the fact that you are wearing a large black thong. Please find some pants that stay up, or a shirt that stays down. You choose. I would rather not have to see that, or the college age guys flagging each other down to point and laugh... Maybe I should have mentioned something to you, but you were two rows up, and I didn't feel like yelling. Just put it away, k? Thanks.

3. I know you think that multitasking is efficient and wonderful, but could you wait fifteen minutes to call your friends on the cell phone? I don't really feel priviledged to know what happened at the kegger two weeks ago, although i do realize the eliptical machine might do wonders for your beer gut. Tell Bubba about it later.

4. Deoderant is a must. Period.

5. If you are waiting for a weight machine, don't hover over me like a vulture. It puts pressure on me (and goodness knows I already feel pressure to hurry and get the heck out of the overly testosterone scented area of the gym). I'll stand up and walk away when I'm done, You'll know

Okay, those are some tips for anyone who might be working out in my general vicinity. Take them to heart, and do them with pride.

p.s. It's not polite to pass gas while in public. (sit up slip ups will be overlooked).

Upgrade

2010-02-03T19:03:00.000-08:00

Remember when we decided to finally after five years beautify our house so we could sell it? I got to enjoy the finished product for maybe three weeks before we got out of there. What did we do next? We went out and bought a fixer upper. With our track record, I would have thought our house would be finished up just in time to have everybody over for Kayleigh's graduation party. How excited am I to understand now that we are starting this process now? Guess...

So I currently have a toilet in my guest bedroom. If you want to freak your neighbors out, just sit on it and open the blinds.. It'll definitely get people talking. We are starting small with our guest bathroom. It's a half bath, but boy is Bax turning into Extreme Home Makeover. We are putting ceramic tile in, repainting the walls and ceiling, replacing all the fixtures, and getting a new seat for our toilet (it's wooden. Why would you want to feel like you are sitting on a pew while you are doing your business? But I digress)...We (Baxter) have ripped out the previous flooring, we(Baxter) have removed the toilet (as previously noted), we (Baxter and I)have primed and painted the walls and just need to finish the final coats (which Baxter is doing right now as I type while laying on the couch). Then we will begin the scary task of ceramic. I don't even want to think about it yet. We have his parents coming in a week and a half so it's kind of urgent that they don't have to hang their clothes on the toilet, though I wouldn't put it past his Father to think the new fixture in the guest room a stroke of genius. We are going to get it done!
Next up, we are having our awesome contractor friends over to put in some doors for the dining room and guest room.

If you would like to donate to the crappy carpet fund, let me know. It is what I am looking most forward to doing (these carpets have ten years of pets. What I'm sayin' is, help a sister out.)

*Side Note, there were better images to go along with this post. I just thought this was so disturbing and hilarious that I would share it with the world.

O'Doyle Rules

2010-01-29T19:47:00.000-08:00

Kayleigh is my sweet child. She really does not have a violent bone in her body. Really, if her sisters hit her, she whines, but she does not hit back. She just takes it and gets upset. I have found this character trait to be one of the most precious, until this week.

This week, Kayleigh encountered her first bully. It started with a little girl who told Kayleigh that she wanted to be friends with her as they were walking home from school in our neighborhood. The next day, the girl admitted she lied to kayleigh about where she lived, and who her parents were. The following day, the little girl and her friends yelled at Kayleigh (and Taylor this time) and called them names. This continued for a few days with both of my daughters complaining about the "weirdos" who hang out at the tree line by their school. It all erupted on Wednesday when Kayleigh (in tears) and Taylor arrived at our doorstep and announced that because Kayleigh had ventured into their territory she deserved (and received) a punch in the arm. I, of course, have visions of finding the little girl and, well, we won't go into it (not my best moment). Kayleigh was shaken, but received support from her friends at church that night (and several teens in our youth group who volunteered to walk home with her should she need them, lol). She's better, it's being taken care of at school (after a well written email by Daddy) and Kayleigh is NOT afraid to walk home (especially after given permission to defend herself in a very nonsubmissive way). She has yet to walk home yet after the incident, but I have high hopes this issue has been put to bed, although i know that it is not the last time she or my other children will deal with a cruel child. Ahhh parenting.

*side note. Taylor will not have to worry about bullies. She volunteered to stay behind and "take care of it" (the 5 third graders), but Kayleigh resisted and forced her to come home with her.

Youth Ministry Remastered (volume 1)

2010-01-29T19:27:00.000-08:00

I previously posted about how we are revamping how we look at, and pursue) a new youth ministry, here is an update on how it's going.

Last Sunday, our youth group "took over" the regular Service. As you would have walked in, you were greeted by a friendly teenager (or several, we had to split them up because they were looking very intimidating, as they were a little overzealous in their duties), as you were seated in the sanctuary, you might have noticed teenagers in the sound booth, teenagers as ushers. As service started, you would have been led to worship by teenagers (they did wonderfully, we practiced for months!), the only portion of the service not led by teenagers was the message (unless you count a 30 year old with the mind of a teenager). Baxter spoke to our congregation about the leaders of tomorrow. Our church is going through our 20 year anniversary celebration. His general message was that the term youth ministry should be considered a misnomer. We need to cross the lines and divide that separate the "big church" from the teenagers. Not only in the church, but also outside in the community. We must break down stereotypes and talk to each other. We are all part of the body, and teens can and will take ownership of their faith if you give them the chance. There is a time and place for separation, but we should take every opportunity to disciple each other. Teens can teach us a thing or two if you think about it! Summary: Our teens relished the chance to show their gifts. It has inspired them to step away from the box. Goooood Stuff.

Next up, our teens participate in the 30 Hour Famine, completely planned and promoted by an eighth grader!

My New Toy

2010-01-11T13:12:00.000-08:00

My buddies gave me a new toy for my birthday. Here is a present for them...

More monster

2010-01-07T07:31:00.000-08:00

Hey, come on it's not all fun and games...

2010-01-05T07:01:00.001-08:00

For those of my readers who are familiar with the typical makeup of a youth ministry program, there's generally a consistent pattern to how each service might go.
You've got your games, you've got your music, and you've got your hip youth pastor (usually wearing holy jeans, and sporting "the youth pastor goatee") who breaks down the bible for a total of about 20 minutes each service. We've certainly fallen into this trap in our ministry (well, maybe not the hip youth pastor part), and don't get me wrong there's nothing wrong with any of these elements. If you ask a guest or visitor after they leave one of these services what they would remember the most, it would be "hey we played this awesome game and it was so fun" (if they had a good time).

I haven't had experience with a whole lot of different churches, but in my several years of volunteering this is what I've seen. It may not be as prevelant as it feels, but we want to do better. We want discipleship with the older generation (50 and up, no you're not old, just older okay?), we want in depth study, we want community, we want true worship (we are so getting there already it's amazing to see!)we want the students to take ownership of their faith and their group. We want graduates to go off to college knowing why they believe what they believe. If they've already started actually LIVING out their faith, they can take it with them, and stay in church rather than take a 20 year hiatus once they go off to college (which is the statistic I believe for those that stop going to church). So, how do you make these things the focus of a ministry? Just do it? Right. Got it. It's a bigger process than one would think. The winds of change are a-blowin' and we are at the "fetus" stages so to speak. It's an exciting time. God is working! More to come later.

Birthday Week!

2010-01-05T06:55:00.000-08:00

It's everyone's favorite time of year again, my birthday week celebration. It's a low key celebration this year. For instance, yesterday I celebrated by doing about 6 loads of laundry and pulling one of the girls toothbrushes out of the toilet. I'm not giving up on having a spectacular rest of the week, though. I've got faith in Baxter that this year he'll pull something together. (especially since I know he reads this blog daily and is now reminded that he better get with it). He's been very good the last couple of years about surprising me. I am turning a milestone age this year (I won't put it down, it's too hard) and am catching a lot of grief from several people so I had at least better get something out of it!

I don't want to be leaving this age behind. It's been a good year. Maybe next year will be even better!

More updates to come when something magical happens!

There's no time

2009-12-17T11:34:00.001-08:00

I've been ruminating on some things that I'd like to share (of which I won't go into specifics on, is that a theme here? if you've been in my close circle for a while it shouldn't be hard to figure out, if not, well, just take these words as a big picture focus on forgiveness and healing).

There's no time to hold on to grudges against people that you once loved so much, but hurt you so deeply. When it feels like the end of a friendship it's supposed to hurt. There may have just been a silent goodbye over email, or a big blow up confrontation, or maybe both, but really it doesn't matter. You may be in a constant state of purgatory, wondering if you'll ever speak to them again because you really have been through a lot together and this person crosses your mind at least once a day and you truly miss them. There's no time to feel anger or bitterness over hurtful words and actions. Healing comes with acceptance that things may never be the way they were, and you may never be the same person you were and being okay with that. I know that I will carry the laughter and tears, and heartache and joy that was a part of me for so long with me until I really can let go. I'm not there yet. It's okay to be sad, but it's better to open your arms for a hug, rather than cross them to protect yourself. In the big picture of our infinitely small time on earth, there's no time, like the present.

Aunt Mimi

2009-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

I am a proud aunt. My baby sister had a baby on December 2nd 2009. I was woken around 4:30 a.m. on Wednesday to my sister's very distinctive cat ringtone (I call her Kitty), so I immediately knew what was coming. Her water had broken, and she was heading to the hospital. I, of course, was calm, cool, and collected as I gathered my things into my bag. I didn't even freak out, and i got on the road within 45 minutes of her call. I definitely did not speed to Arkansas drving 90 miles an hour to get to her, and I didn't make it in 4 hours and 45 minutes when the usual time is about 5 and a half hours...

So, when I got there we had plenty of time to wait. Little did we know that Miss Leah was going to stay put until around 8:00 when the doctor determined that a c-section it would be. Luckily for me, Kristen's husband gets squeamish and I got to go in the operating room! At 8:39 p.m. Leah Belle was born. I held and squeezed Kristen's hand, and got to hold the baby first! (this is something that I look forward to holding over Kitty's head, and reminding to Leah when she needs to remember who her favorite Aunt is). I was able to stay and help Kristen and her hubby out for a few days after that and tutor my sister in the art of breastfeeding. I just realized this week that I have actually spent over 2 years of my life breastfeeding. It was very helpful to remember all the little details this week. They are all doing wonderfully and I am so happy for them. I get to snuggle with her again in about 3 weeks for Christmas. My Leah Belle.

Here's her birth video. It would have been longer had I not been in the operating room, but check out this gorgeous face. :)

Wool socks and Sandals

2009-12-01T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ho Ho Ho. My tree is up, the stockings are hung with care, and of course everyone (except kayleigh) has been somewhat sick within the last two weeks. Me? I spent Thanksgiving day at my parents. I was there, but I was laying in the fetal position fighting off the nausea. I was thankful for rest. :) I've spoken many times about just expecting the months of November through March to be a time of constant sickness for our family and this has proven to be the case this year. That's okay. I know that there are people going through things a lot worse than we are right now. I can handle a little puke and mucus.

I went Christmas shopping while wearing flip flops on Sunday. Of course, the cold front came in after I left the house for church (flip flops in church? yes our church rolls like that) and after church, my mother in law and I decided to go to an outdoor mall in the ensuing downpour (yep, still wearing the flip flops). I've also spoken quite a bit about my hobbit feet, yet I don't think you can actually get the picture of them until you've seen me trudging through the puddles and 50 degree weather in hot pink flip flops. Now that it's actually December, I'll put the flip flops in the back of my closet, but I'm not sure I'll be able to keep them there. This is Texas and our weather is another kind of frightful. I might pair them with a set of wool socks the next time I go out shopping and see what kind of spectacle I can stir up.

Worth a thosand

2009-11-25T09:32:00.000-08:00

Extras from my attempt at our Christmas card this year. I've come to the realization that I'm much better at taking pictures of other peoples children. I just have more patience with them..I did come out with a cute one. I'll show it after I send them out. :)

Perspective

2009-11-20T08:08:00.000-08:00

Ever read a story in the news about someone who might have done something that seems pretty awful, and you immediately cast judgement and hope for vengeance (not justice)? I'm there, too. I just have had my head turned inside out about this particular topic lately and I thought I'd spill everything out for you.

I don't think I've ever once gone over to the other side of that argument and contemplated grace and mercy, and the fact that the people in these stories were just that, people. They have families, friends, people that love them. These past two weeks I've been forced to think about this, and feel the other side. I've felt the pain of disappointment, the shock to the system and the proverbial punch to the gut you feel when you hear news that you never want to hear or expect to hear, for that matter. For various reasons, I'm not going to divulge the details of what I'm talking about, but let's just say, we've been going through some things in our little corner of Texas. Anyway..

I've had to look at all my past reactions to news stories, and people that I've known who may or may not have done something not in step with Christ's humanity, and totally re-evaluate my void of emotion and compassion for them. Speculation, vengeance, and gossip run amok in the media, and in relationships these days. I have to take my piece of the pie, and accept how I've behaved until now. God has worked in me, and on me through these last two weeks and I'm glad for it. I don't know the whole truth, and I don't know all the answers, but I do know that God knows, and that's enough for me. It's a new day and a new perspective.

Baxter 3.0

2009-11-10T11:19:00.000-08:00

30 years ago on November 8, 1979 Baxter was born. I haven't heard his birth story, but if it's anything like his life story it was probably full of laughs and joy... I'll ask my mother in law the next time I see her..

30 reasons I love Baxter.

1. He puts the lid to the seat down.
2. He lets me hog the bed.
3. He'll wear whatever I put out for him.
4. He takes the girls out for "daddy dates"
5. He laughs at my jokes.
6. He'll watch a chick flick with me if I ask him.
7. He works extremely hard to support us.
8. If he's tired when he gets home, he won't complain if I am too.
9. He knows how to handle my neurosis.
10. He's never beat me at thumbwresting.
11. He plays with my hair.
12. He's changed almost as many diapers as I have.
13. He calls me everyday from work to check on me.
14. He buys me flowers for no reason sometimes.
15. He always orders the pizza.
16. He loves Jesus.
17. He doesn't get mad when I jump out and scare him.
18. I see him when I look in the girls eyes.
19. We've grown up together.
20. He's a natural encourager.
21. He tries to sing.
22. He prays with the girls.
23. He still opens my door for me.
24. He cries when he's sad.
25. He can fix anything.
26. He chews with his mouth closed.
27. He sacrifices his time for others, and rarely has any for himself.
28. He gives me the remote control.
29. He lives out his faith.
30. I can still find more things to love about him everyday.

Happy Birthday, Bax!

Fun with teens

2009-10-26T10:22:00.000-07:00

Dark video, but here's the plot. It's the IPOD game on the way to Hellhouse (that's a WHOLE other post). His buddy is helping him out, and I'm hiding the camera from him at some parts. The game is just you putting in your headphones, singing at the top of your lungs just like you would with no one around. Close your eyes, and you provide so much enjoyment for your friends. Watch as Nate gets an unexpected surprise from Baxter.

jammin' out in the Pickup line.

2009-10-26T10:12:00.000-07:00

Here's the little guy that I watch, jammin' out to some JT in the pickup line. Enjoy.

Rain

2009-10-21T08:48:00.000-07:00

I'm not complaining about all the rain we've been having. It's not that bad that the kids have been stuck indoors for weeks now, and are taking out their pent up energy on each other and me. It's really okay that Princess has decided that it's too wet to go outside to use the restroom, so the carpet has become her potty. I've really accepted the fact that it's been about 2 weeks of bad hair days, where my hair stays in a ponytail except for all the wild uncontrollable hairs that stick up and out everywhere. You get the point.

It's all okay. We had a break in the rain this weekend. The sun has never seemed so bright. The air was crisp, clear, and relatively free of humidity. You couldn't help but feel cheery when you stepped into the sunlight to just soak it all in.

Isn't that true for the trials and stresses of our life as well? We cling closer to our creator when we feel strained, troubled, and relunctant. At the end of the long tunnel, there's always light when we believe.

In life, sometimes you need a little rain to appreciate the Son.

The Ups and Downs of Teen Ministry

2009-10-15T05:36:00.000-07:00

7 or 8 years ago, I can't say I'd ever imagine myself saying this, but I love teenagers. I love that if they have a hard shell exterior that you can break it down with nothing but a little time, truth, and respect. If I'm having a bad day, I've almost always forgotten what a rotten mood I'm in after hanging out with the teens from the ministry that God has allowed us to lead. It's amazing and wonderful.

We're reaching our second year marker, (and hoperfully going strong for more) in just a few weeks. As I'm sure a lot of you know, 2 years is a really long time for a ministry to have a youth pastor. Typical turnover in this vocation is around a year and a half, max. It's not easy. In adult ministry, you have people, their faults, and their baggage. In children's ministry, or youth ministry, you have teens, or children and their issues, and their parents and their baggage and hangups too. You've got to walk that fine line between discipleship and making sure you and the parents are on that same page. If your not, it gets slippery, and frustrating. We're pretty darn lucky that we haven't had to tackle that situation much. We do tend to take it hard when it does happen though. We take it personally, when maybe we shouldn't, and we question the big picture when maybe it's a small blip on the radar. It's hard. (Did I mention that?)

The funny thing is, the easiest part about youth ministry is the teens themselves. I guess that's a positive affirmation for what we feel we've been called to do. When God works through you, you tend to know it. In a big way. Knowing that you won't always see the fruits of what you do, makes it easier when you don't. I just wish everything else was that simple.

Earnestly craving your prayers,

Amy

10 years

2009-10-08T10:09:00.001-07:00

I missed my opportunity to blog for my anniversary, but I won't let something like a date keep me from gesticulating.

It's been 10 years of marriage for me and the hubbs. As usual, I'd like to share with you some highlights of our relationship.

In 1998, I told one of my new friends at college that I thought this weird guy in Piano 101 was cute. He would always play with the demo button on his keyboard, and act like a fool. I appreciated his ability to shrug off the odd looks from people. (I've had a love hate relationship with this quality of his for the past 10 years...). Long story short, she told him, he asked me out, and that was that. We've been together ever since.

In 1999 we got married, and spent one weekend at the Peabody Hotel in Memphis, TN for our honeymoon. He took a tremendous amount of hours at school, I dropped out and went to work in retail...

In 2000 around our first anniversary, I came out of the bathroom (where I had just taken a pregnancy test, and screamed when I learned the results)to find him slowly rocking himself back and forth in our living room, almost in the fetal position, if you will. Yes, our first child was on it's way.
After our second and third daughter arrived, I soon adjusted to the fact that this would be his approach to raising children. Slowly acknowledge the terror of parenting, and then dust himself off and take what was given to him. This works well for us.

Baxter felt the call to youth ministry after 6 years of intensive study for something he will never use. Exercise physiology. That's okay. Somehow, we landed exactly where we needed to land. Now our Sundays and Wednesdays involve a lot of "hanging out", reading the bible, and making teenagers eat some of the nastiest food you've never tried. It's the good life.

There are lots of things that make our marriage work for us so well...
Here's a list of them.

* In arguments, we know our roles. I will yell and scream, and then give the silent treatment, and he will calmly take forever to realize when he is wrong. And on those rare instances that I am wrong, (tongue in cheek of course)he will wait for me to come around.

* We work as a team. When the kids gang up on us and try to take over the fort, one of us knows whose turn it is to go scream at them. I kid, I kid. We both give
100% of all we have. It's not 50/50.

* We are best friends first. Whenever I see something stupid or funny, he's the first one I want to call. Whenever he does something stupid or funny, I'm the first person to make fun of him.

We celebrated well for this anniversary. We went on a cruise, I got french doors for my new house, and we went out to eat at Red Lobster. Here's to 10 more years of screaming at our kids, making teenagers eat gross stuff, and loving each other!

MONSTER

2009-10-01T08:19:00.000-07:00

Worth a thousand

2009-09-22T13:20:00.001-07:00

flarp humor *warning this post is uncouth

2009-09-21T07:45:00.000-07:00

A few weeks ago, the ladies of my church headed to Waco for a "Just give me Jesus" conference with guest speaker Ann Graham Lotz. We planned the trip as "The AmazinGrace" (the amazing race/Grace of course!). Lots of fun tasks performed, i.e. walking into a store with a baby doll and asking for a changing table for her, walking through a drive through and ordering (which was illegal, but we didn't know). These are grown women, mind you, some with grandchildren. But perhaps the most fun thing for my small group was the flarp. Flarp? What is that, you ask? It's the goo in a cup that produces farting noises. I swear, I morphed into an 8 year old boy the minute the cup was opened, and I wasn't the only one. Grown women with children at home, enjoying the simple joys of throwing out a fart noise with an appropriate leg tossed up in the air,and making fart jokes "hey, can you hand me my fart?". I knew it was stupid, but I couldn't stop myself. At one point, I found myself crammed into a photo booth with two other women in a mall, scaring passers by with an aggressive flarp squeeze. I'd do it again in a heartbeat. So, I guess the moral of my story is, If you're ever down and out, feeling blue.. bust out the flarp. It's bound to make you smile a little bit.

See, you're not alone.

2009-09-14T11:35:00.001-07:00

love ya

2009-09-05T07:32:00.000-07:00

I love you mommy

love,
Kayleigh xoxoxo

Kayleigh's Korner

2009-09-04T13:19:00.000-07:00

My oldest feels the need to share the in depth and dramatic story of her life in the 3rd grade. It is of course by invitation only, so you can email me at prettypictures25@yahoo.com or request it by going here

I'm sure she'll be keeping it up to date (for a while at least) and it should probably be interesting as well.

3 deep breaths and count to ten.

2009-09-03T19:33:00.000-07:00

Warning: Political post

Do not lose your cool when you are called small minded, just because you disagree with a "new" idea.

Do not yell back at someone when they yell their opinions at you. Loud does not equal right.

Do not let your frustration overwhelm you when they say that you are alone, and no one else feels the way you do.

Do not see red when they try to turn our country red.

Do not feel despair when hope and change has a new definition.

Take 3 deep breaths and count to ten. Then just keep going.

ahhhhh

2009-09-02T20:36:00.000-07:00

After a very few frustrating days, I finally got my photography website (and blog) up and running. It's a basic "jumping off" point right now, but it's up and that's a huge victory for me.

In other news...

The girls are adjusting to school fairly nicely. Ella starts preschool next week (awww and Allelujah!). I'm ready. I only have really two plans...
1. Finish painting the living room.
2. Go to the movies during a matinee once. (I haven't done this, oh I don't know.. ever. ) Looking forward to it. I want to see "The Time Traveler's Wife" and I can't drag Baxter to go to it, it's perfect. Is it even still out?

Still loving the house (aside from a few air conditioning issues).
Still loving ministry (new worship post coming soon).
Still loving being married to a giant goofball (who is working his tail off these days might I add).
Still loving this crazy beautiful life.

Lots of pictures coming soon, and a few updates. Stay tuned, will ya? Pretty please?

So I'm making a bit of a leap

2009-08-27T07:12:00.000-07:00

Urged on by supportive pressure from friends and family, and inspired by some awesome (i mean awesome) new photo equipment, I'm starting a little business. You can check out the link by clicking here

I'm starting out very small, but my hopes are very high. I really love taking pictures, and appreciate the technique and time that it takes to turn memories into art.

Check it out, and I hope you enjoy it!

worth a thousand

2009-08-25T07:17:00.003-07:00

Beginnings

2009-08-24T07:21:00.000-07:00

Of course, here are the obligatory first day of school photos.

They are so cute. eh?

10 Travel Tips

2009-08-16T20:13:00.000-07:00

Here are 10 things I learned on my first cruise (and trip to Mexico).

(1). Cruise lines fool people into thinking they can get you on the ship quickly. It's called "Embarkation". However, what really happens is that you wait in a series of long hallways (all painted to look like the entrance to the ship). Every corner producing a multitude of "awww man" from everyone you're going to be bunking with for the next week.

(2). If you have babies/strollers/luggage.. etc. with wheels, kindly watch where you are rolling them when the lines move, or do not move.

(3). Once on the ship, everyone is happy and excited and there's a multitude of drunk people within the first two hours. The multitude of drunk people only increases throughout the week, making for very funny entertainment for the sober people.

(4). If someone is giving a lecture on how to form lines,or put on life vests, in the event of a tidal wave, or pirate hijacking, and they blow the whistle that is attached to the lifejackets you are all wearing, expect about 10 minutes of whistle blowing from previously mentioned misbehaving drunk people.

(5). Food is good on a ship. Very good, and you can have dessert at every meal.

(6) By the second day of the cruise, you can tell who is wearing sunscreen and who isn't. The formal night dinner served lobsters in more way than one.

(7). You quickly learn who would win in survival of the fittest. When your navigation skills are lacking, everyone knows it. Those are some small hallways to try and make a u turn in.

(8). Doing the "King of the world" on the front of the ship is actually dorky. But more people do it than you would think. (Sorry Baxter)

(9). When getting off the ship at any port, prepare to take a photo with someone dressed up in native dress, holding a plastic knife to your throat. Makes for good keepsakes.

(10). The ocean is big. Okay, kidding. Don't look too closely for whales in the Gulf of Mexico...It'll be very disappointing for you. Oh, here's another ocean one. While snorkeling, do not attempt to look behind your feet.

We had a fabulous time. Verrry relaxing and refreshing.

How's your summer been?

More pictures (because I can)

2009-08-16T20:09:00.001-07:00

Worth a thousand

2009-08-16T19:59:00.001-07:00

Tiny umbrellas

2009-08-09T19:04:00.000-07:00

More to come later, but I just wanted to let everyone know that we're home and we had a blast! 5 days of sun and sea, and quiet relaxation. I'm too exhausted to post much more, but it was sooo delightful I just wanted to share. Ta Ta.

Pointless post

2009-07-21T20:42:00.000-07:00

Some of the things that occupy my days.

1. Verizon on Demand-the girls are watching on demand during their free time in the mornings. The younger two prefer the enchanting melodies of the show "High Five". I'm not sure that I had ever heard of this show before we moved here, but I've gotten my fair share of the 6 episodes that are stuck in our on demand box this month. I've had many of the songs (that I dislike) stuck in my head and I also spend my time singing them against my will. Kayleigh prefers to watch anything on Disney. At some point we'll have a discussion on healthy expectations for body image and success. Disney doesn't always put out the most positive role models in this respect. I've been injoying the "I Survived", and "Intervention" on demand episodes. Not to mention the plethora of Golden Girls episodes sitting like a buffet on our t.v. lineup.

2. Working Out-I've had to rev it up a couple notches this past week and a half. Summer has kicked my butt so far. Between moving, staying with my parents, and just life making me feel a bit overwhelmed, I've let my fitness regimen slack. But I'm happy to say I'm back on track. 1 month without it nearly made me go crazy.

3. Laundry-I don't understand it. It seems since we have moved in, we're going through more laundry than ever. I think this is due largely in part to Ella's newfound love of fashion. She changes clothes after breakfast (sometimes layering many outfits), then during her nap she sneaks into her drawers and puts together 2 or three outfits and puts them all on. Of course before bed there's the fashion show she likes to put on for us with several different selections of pajamas. I do my very best to undress her down to one layer and keep her in the same outfit all day but she is two things... (1) sneaky, (2). persistent. She's difinitely my match.

4. Cleaning- of course there's cleaning (and I'll just go ahead and include unpacking). This house is huge and I have to do better about getting the girls to help. Big house, big mess.

5. Planning my total and complete relaxation on my cruise. I can close my eyes and feel the ocean breeze. 11 days. I'm so excited. No hurricanes, No Swine Flu, just let me go.

6. Ella's birthday next Monday. Gotta plan something special.

7. Planning Collide ( high school vbs). Upcoming post about that as well. It should be a good time.

I hope your summer is going well, and hope your days are as blessed as mine.

what i've been doing

2009-07-13T19:08:00.000-07:00

here are some of my recent photo shoots. Enjoy!

Television addiction

2009-07-12T20:18:00.000-07:00

I am now addicted to the television show "I Survived". It's storytelling at it's best. You need to check this show out. Its on the biography Channel.

Watch this.

I think I'm a little late to the party, but wow.

Home Sweet Home

2009-07-12T19:33:00.000-07:00

Well, we're finally in our little slice of heaven. We're all moved in, starting the settling process, and just basically taking a little breather from the adventures of moving. Here's a few tips I've learned from this experience...

*appreciate your family. There's a lot of things you can say about parents, but most of the time, they come in mighty handy when you need somewhere to store your children and husband.

*Don't plan a move on a holiday weekend. You don't get too many offers to help on the Fourth of July. (we actually did get offers, but we didn't get to enjoy the benefit of a holiday, it just plain stunk).

*Make sure your new house has, and will have POWER/AIR CONDITIONING when you're moving into it. It's not fun to move your stuff into a house when you can't live in it yet, and when temps reach around 105 degrees, moving stinks and so do you.

*Meet your neighbors early. The irony of not having power, is that our new next door neighbor works for the power company. He sped the process along for us. It's good to know people.

*Don't listen to your husband when he reccomends that instead of renting a storage space, you scatter your belongings throughout the various garages of friends and family. It's one of the best arguments I've ever won.

*Febreze is a must for 10 year old carpet.

*Do not change your mind about where you want to put heavy furniture when you have a 2 story house.

*trash bags can also double as tool boxes, but not neatly.

*Home Sweet Home rings true when you haven't had one of your own for awhile!

The girls are absolutely loving having all the room to roam around in, and now that we have power, a refrigerator, cable and internet, it's all starting to feel a little like home. Apparently also, our street is full of girls in ages ranging from 3 to 14, so we have friends and a potential babysitter! Score!

Oh yeah, we've also put up our razorback flag up on the 20 foot flagpole that sits in front of our house. You gotta represent, you know? We have OSU fans to the left, and A&M fans to the right, so we're right where we need to be come September...

Well, all I can say is that I'm ready to start fixing all the stuff in the house that bugs me, and Baxter is ready to rest for a month or so. We'll see who wins out in this battle royale...

Let the redecorating begin!

Closed Encounters

2009-06-30T18:19:00.000-07:00

As with all my posts as of late, this one is written with a weary brain. The girls are starting to revolt against our rules, and each other. They are staying up until 10 (playing/fighting) in their room two hours after we put them to bed (with intermittent spurts of coming out to tattle, whine, negotiate). We're ready to have normalcy put back into our lives. A big shout out to my folks for taking our sorry selves in, and housing us for the last two weeks, though. It's been a great blessing, and kind of fun.

Anyway, I see a light at the end of the tunnel. We closed on our new house today. We will be moving in this weekend (yes, Fourth of July holiday weekend). We took the girls to see it for the first time inside tonight. They loved it! They were running up and down the stairs, in and out of their rooms, and in and out of the backyard. I'm so excited to make it our own. It's got so much potential. Then, we'll have you all over to celebrate!

In other news, I did my first solo wedding photography shoot this weekend. I'll be putting up pictures as soon as I get the release from the bride. It was fun and I think I did pretty well. We'll see how the client likes it. Here's to saving up for my digital camera. I love my dinosaur but it's expensive to buy and process film. Gotta move with the times, as those crazy kids say...

Until next time...

Wearily yours.

Amy

2009-06-20T21:17:00.001-07:00

As I sit here tonight, we've got most of our clothes, moved out, the kids are asleep in my parents guest bedroom and Bax and I are very much exhausted from a weekend of packing , moving, and house hunting. We did find a house today that looks promising, the price is definitely right, and we're making an offer. It doesn't have quite the appeal of our first one (mostly because I'm jaded right now) but it's got definite potential. I'll hold my tongue and bite my lip until the deal is allll done. We've asked for only 3 weeks until closing so that'll put us in a house in good time.

We're pretty much moved out of the house that has been our home for more than five years now. When we moved in, we had one child (one on the way, though) and we saw the world quite differently. We've gone through vocational changes, big financial changes, a huge family growth spurt, and so much more. Our home was always a place that (although I never thought we gave in to it's full potential) we could go and just be. That's what owning a home is about. It's having a place you can call your own.. Although we've worked so hard to get out of the house, I can't help but be a bit nostalgic about all the memories we've made there. I can only hope that wherever we land will be as much of a blessing to us as this place has been. And as I listen to my mom and dad snoring in their room, I'm reminded that yes, no matter where you live, you can go home again.

Update

2009-06-17T06:32:00.000-07:00

So, life goes on... We lost the house. What we thought was our "perfect" house. The appraisal came back too low and the sellers had no wiggle room to adjust their price and we didn't feel like we should bring money to the table that we might not see at resale sooo.. it's back to the drawing board for us, and hello Mom and Dad we'd like to live with you for an undisclosed amount of time. Good news is, the sale of our house seems to be right on track. We'll be out by next week (we close on Friday). So, tomorrow night we'll be out house shopping again. I'm finally starting to enjoy the online search. The first couple of days I whined about how no other houses seemed to be comparable with what we had but now I'm okay. It obviously wasn't meant to be and I need to move on. I will not get my heart set now, until I have the keys in my hand, however...

So.. to do.

Finish packing our house up and move it into a storage unit
Find Baxter a car. (His died about 3 weeks ago) Yes, the beater car he bought (for $700)without having a mechanic or me there. Imagine that... This time I will be in the middle of the process, that way if we screw it up, I'll have at least had a hand in it.
Finish editing bridal photographs (which is so hard because our computer got zapped whilst we were gone to camp and it's now only running in "safe mode").
Prep for my first ever solo wedding shoot! (in a week and a half)
Shop for houses with our realtor and go through that whole process again.

I feel like I'm drinking from a fire hose. The girls are being great, so as a treat I'm taking them to the pool this morning. Maybe some of that heat and sunshine will melt my stress?

neurosis revealed

2009-06-01T20:10:00.000-07:00

Why? Why have you been praying for me for several weeks? Well, I found out today that it's because I am a neurotic mess (praise God!). I had a swollen lymph node in my neck at my last Dr. visit and was put on antibiotics to try to reduce it. It became a compulsion of mine to feel the lump and touch the lump and think about the lump and analyze the lump and do internet investigations about the lump. Needless to say that along with all the other exciting news going on in our little world, I was quite preoccupied with my little visitor. It was supposed to go away after the ten day treatment (which ended a week ago). As of today, I can still feel it. My Dr. however cannot (well she can, but only a little). After feeling and kneading, and questioning, her presumption is that I have a tiny swollen node that is a result of a small sinus infection. She said that it indeed has shrunk and that she is not concerned AT ALL, but ordered a CT scan if I wanted one for piece of mind. I'm leaning towards waiting it out, (I have 90 days to get it done)because 1. it's probably an expensive out of pocket test, 2. I want to quit thinking about it, 3. I really don't have time. So, unless it gets really big, or I just get really antsy about it, I'm done worrying about it for now. I called a wonderful friend of mine today after I got the news, and she denies my crazy. She suggested to me that maybe I was healed in the 3 minutes from when I texted her in the waiting area, to when the Dr. came in to see me. Maybe... Maybe.

Keep me in mind will ya? I need to be able to give up worrying for a little while and focus on all the great blessings in my life right now. Enhanced by my fear of leaving them, I have been reminded of how my children are so amazing. Absolutely fill up your lungs with love, smile through the back of your head, amazing.

Now, I'm off to watch Conan. Oh how I've been waiting for this for so long. Watch him!

p.s.
thanks for the prayers!
*In no way am I going to ignore the node and forget it. I have another appt in a month and I will bring it up again then.

the whirlwind of June

2009-06-01T07:19:00.000-07:00

It was a great weekend. We got great pictures in between the eye rolling from Kayleigh when we asked her to actually smile and pretend she was not bored out of her mind. We got to visit with family, I got to rub a pregnant (but not too pregnant looking) belly, and I get rear ended in an Arkansas Wal-Mart parking lot. Kayleigh also finally got her dream present. It's going to be hard to see her face for awhile.
It was definitely a jam packed weekend. Everyone is home and completely exhausted. I finish my last week of work this week and head into the joys of summer, so I'm hoping that I won't be too unfocused, and disoriented. That's asking a lot.

The prayers that I've asked from you will be especially needed today. I'm still not telling you what they're for, however, because I'm too neurotic to throw it into the blogoshpere until I'm informed and ready. So just keep praying, will ya

The Fast and the Furious

2009-05-29T07:46:00.000-07:00

We leave today for an Arkansas "birthday trip" for Kayleigh. We're going to vist the fam so Kayleigh can spend birthday time with everyone who can't drive all the way to Dallas to see her next weekend. We're bringing along Gamma and Papa, so the merriment will be complete.

It's going to be a jam packed weekend. We won't get in until late this evening, and knowing the girls the way I do, they'll be so jacked up on being the centers of the universe that it won't be easy getting them down to sleep tonight. We'll be staying with my lovely sister in law who always opens up her house for the tornado that is our family when we come to town. Baxter's parents will be there too, so it'll be a full house. Tomorrow, we'll head on over to Aunt Kitty and Knuckle Roy's house where we'll get the very first glimpse of the growing stomach (Kristen's too) and glow of the mini meow that's on it's way. That's right people, I'm going to be an aunt. I've waited in eager anticipation since my sister's wedding day for these months. Part of me wants to laugh as she retells the stories of wretching in the morning and evening, but that just wouldn't be right. I'm supportive and wonderful, so I can't do such a thing. And when she can no longer see her feet (they'll be so swollen, she won't be missing much) I'll rub them for her. And when that baby gets here, and she 'll be one of the best moms around, I'll finally get to see what I've been waiting for. Then I'll swoop in and take away her little one and hog it the whole time I visit, just the way she used to do with mine. It's the circle of life. But I digress...

We're taking Horton family pictures tomorrow night, (for once I'm not behind the camera!)and there should be enough people to wrangle all my children. Usually, I hate trying to get the girls to cooperate for photos. The usual progression is first, they make ugly/funny faces at the camera, then when they're told to just smile, they sulk and turn away from the camera, then eventually they run screaming away from the camera with tears and snot flying from their face, and I'm left to sit and wonder why I even bother. But with so many people to help, surely it'll go better this time around, right?

After pictures, we're doing cake and ice cream for Kayleigh. She'll get presents (probably too many because she's spoiled), and then they will all be so hopped up on sugar and wrapping paper fumes that they'll be up for another 12 hours. And we'll finally settle them down just in time for the drive home on Sunday.

Then, we'll get home and I'll do laundry from our trip, and start packing for the week long adventure that is teen camp. (7 days, 5 people, how much packing is that again? no, I don't want to think about it yet).

This almost makes me want to go outside and drift in my minivan...That'd be a release.

Hot Dogs, Burgers, and Apple Pie

2009-05-24T07:32:00.000-07:00

While you're at home this weekend relaxing and eating too much, lets' take a second and put the burger down to remember what this weekend is all about.

Memorial Day was actually originally called "Decoration Day". The graves of fallen soldiers were decorated to commemorate their sacrifice and honor their memory. Red poppies were worn as an outward symbol of respect. Today, for many Americans Memorial Day is nothing more than a three day weekend ringing in the arrival of summer. The reverence and somber recognition of what was lost has dwindled in its importance for most of us. For hundreds of years men, women (and yes sometimes even children) have put you and I and our freedom before their own lives. Their blood has been spilled in the grass, in the sand, in the air, and in the oceans. Many of them knew it was coming, and kept pushing forward anyway. Many of them were terrified yet were convicted to stay the course by their commitment. What do we say to the heroes that linger on and were somehow spared, yet seriously damaged when we don't acknowledge what they know was lost? Here's our chance. This holiday, make it about them. Enjoy your freedom, enjoy your food, but also, give credit where credit is due, Memorial Day.

Hodge podge of pictures

2009-05-21T08:38:00.001-07:00

Good Morning from the park!

This smile's for you!

The elusive and rarely photographed Coco.

There's no better way to fly.

Find the super tired Dad...

Whoosh

2009-05-19T10:25:00.001-07:00

Found our house this weekend. It's beautiful, it's perfect, it's just right. Made an offer, negotiated a li'l bit. Made another offer, was accepted today... We close June 29th. Just in time to get settled in for a little while before the girls start school. And before Bax and I go on our 10th anniversary cruise.. Which will be the subject of another blog at some point...

I'm loving this Crazy Beautiful Life.

Of course, this could all fall apart at any second. I realize this...
But, hey, today.. let's focus on the positive.

Keep praying.

Whoosh.

Next phase and ominous request

2009-05-15T09:04:00.000-07:00

We now have our house under contract! This has been a truly surprising, fast paced week. Now we begin the process of finding ourselves a new home. This is what I have been waiting for! Although, now I have to say that the worrier in me has kicked in. What if I find one I absolutely love, and our contract falls through? What if something happens and there's a problem lurking only to surface during our inspection? It's just who I am. I worry, a lot. Ask Baxter. He's tired of hearing me whine. But that's the beauty of me... I guess.

If I could just have a moment to request something else from you guys (this is a side note). For the next 8 or so days I would like to have your prayers. I'll go into more detail later, but for now I would just like to keep it under wraps. It's something I don't want to think too much about (worry worry worry) so I'd just like to know it's being taken care of. Please?

Exciting stuff. Can't wait to see what happens next.. sort of.

House Update.

2009-05-14T06:26:00.000-07:00

Our house was officially on the market on Monday. Our MLS listing was up Monday afternoon. By yesterday at 8:30 p.m. we have had 4 showings and 1 OFFER! It's a great offer and we're hoping to tweak it just a teensy tiny bit before we end the negotiations. It looks like we'll be outta here by June 26th. Let the fun house hunting begin!

I'll update again if something happens. We are so excited. I'm still cautious because this is so crazy.

If you're curious and wanna see my listing, facebook, myspace or email me and I'll send you the link. I don't want any crazies knowing where I live.

Worth a thousand

2009-05-08T07:44:00.001-07:00

Fitness and accountability update

2009-05-08T07:37:00.000-07:00

As of this morning, I have lost a total of 35 lbs (bringing my weight to the lowest since 9th grade or so). I can run 5K in 35 minutes, and am on track to pick out a 2 piece swimsuit for the summer.

Now what I really need to work on is scheduling my sweet tooth splurges to once a week, instead of when I get stressed out. I am an emotional eater. I also need to find time to fit in weight training. Come on summer!!!

House Update.

2009-04-28T18:53:00.000-07:00

New Carpet- installed.

Kitchen floor ordered -still waiting on arrival.

painting -finished.

Professional Deep Clean- scheduled.

House to be listed- the week of May 13th.

Now comes the hard part. Not letting Ella and the rebels declare war on our nice new things. So far, Ella has painted the finished walls with primer, used markers on the walls of her room, knocked off a light fixture in her bedroom whilst atop her bunk bed, the list goes on and on. Anyone need a good workout? I'll loan her out for a few hours.

I'm smilin'.

2009-04-22T10:57:00.000-07:00

There are some days when you just can't help but keep a smile on your face. Today is one of those days.

That's all.

I'm meowt.

Worth a thousand

2009-04-22T07:56:00.000-07:00

Gettin' it done.

2009-04-20T11:20:00.001-07:00

House update..

Carpet installation- scheduled

Kitchen floor installation- floor ordered

Outside repair and paint- Happening right now!

We're so close I can taste it. No really, I think I got some dust in my mouth.

He seems to be missing the point..

2009-04-16T16:53:00.000-07:00

Home » News » Politics

CNSNews.com
Georgetown Says It Covered Over Name of Jesus to Comply With White House Request
Wednesday, April 15, 2009
By Edwin Mora

Photo of Gaston Hall stage that shows symbol "IHS" that was covered up during President Obama's speech to accommodate a White House request. (Wikimedia photo)(CNSNews.com) - Georgetown University says it covered over the monogram “IHS”--symbolizing the name of Jesus Christ—because it was inscribed on a pediment on the stage where President Obama spoke at the university on Tuesday and the White House had asked Georgetown to cover up all signs and symbols there.

As of Wednesday afternoon, the “IHS” monogram that had previously adorned the stage at Georgetown’s Gaston Hall was still covered up--when the pediment where it had appeared was photographed by CNSNews.com.

President Obama is greeted by Georgetown University President John J. DeGioia as he arrives to deliver remarks on the economy, April 14, 2009, at Georgetown University. Georgetown had covered the symbol "IHS" on the pediment above and behind the two men. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) “In coordinating the logistical arrangements for yesterday’s event, Georgetown honored the White House staff’s request to cover all of the Georgetown University signage and symbols behind Gaston Hall stage,” Julie Green Bataille, associate vice president for communications at Georgetown, told CNSNews.com.

“The White House wanted a simple backdrop of flags and pipe and drape for the speech, consistent with what they’ve done for other policy speeches,” she added. “Frankly, the pipe and drape wasn’t high enough by itself to fully cover the IHS and cross above the GU seal and it seemed most respectful to have them covered so as not to be seen out of context.”

Pediment in Gaston Hall with "IHS" covered as photographed by CNSNews.com, April 15, 2009. (Photo by Penny Starr,CNSNews.com)On Wednesday, CNSNews.com inspected the pediment embedded in the wall at the back of the stage in Gaston Hall, where Obama delivered his speech. The letters “IHS” were not to be found. They appeared to be shrouded with a triangle of black-painted plywood.

Pictures of the wooden pediment prior to Obama’s speech show the letters “IHS" in gold. Many photos posted on the Internet of other events at Gaston Hall show the letters clearly.

The White House did not respond to a request from CNSNews.com to comment on the covering up of Jesus’ name at Gaston Hall.

President Obama speaking at Gaston Hall at Georgetown on April 14 with the "IHS" covered up on the pediment behind him. (AP Photo/Gerald Herbert) Georgetown, which is run by the Jesuit order, is one of the most prestigious Catholic institutions of higher education in the United States.

Roman Catholics traditionally use “IHS” as an abbreviation for Jesus’ name. According to the Catholic Encyclopedia, “St. Ignatius of Loyola adopted the monogram in his seal as general of the Society of Jesus (1541) and thus became the emblem of his institute.” The Society of Jesus is the formal name for the Jesuits.

Gaston Hall stage as it looked on the afternoon of April 15 with "IHS" still shrouded. (Photo by Penny Starr, CNSNews.com)Although the monogram was covered over on the wooden pediment at the back of the Gaston Hall stage where it would have been directly above and behind President Obama as he spoke, the letters “IHS” are posted elsewhere around the hall approximately 26 times on shields representing different parts of the United States and the world.

Obama did not mention the name of Jesus during his address. However, he did mention Christ’s Sermon on the Mount.

“There is a parable at the end of the Sermon on the Mount that tells a story of two men…‘the rain descended and the floods came, and the winds blew, and beat upon that house…it fell not: for it was founded upon a rock,’” Obama said.

“We cannot rebuild this economy on the same pile of sand,” he added. “We must build our house upon a rock.”

Does anyone else find this amusing? Can anyone else see what I'm talking about?
I won't give it away. If you get the irony in this, leave it in a comment. Maybe I'll give out a prize.

You know I'd be there

2009-04-15T09:30:00.000-07:00

If I didn't have church comittments tonight, I would certainly be one of the Americans standing up against the wasteful and distasteful spending going on in ALL parties of our government today.

Yell some for me...

Good Ideas

2009-04-10T10:58:00.000-07:00

It would be my nightmare, but we can all enjoy this together.

Egg heads

2009-04-10T06:48:00.000-07:00

In order to keep my sanity, sometimes all the kids and I will do a "craft". Knowing my skill level and ability when it comes to crafts, I will just say that I suck. (If you really want to hear a description of just how bad I suck, ask Baxter what happens when I try to paint trim, corners, or anything that requires delicate skill...)Anyhoo... even knowing that it will turn out looking like something the dog threw up, I still try. Hey, it keeps us all entertained for about 30 to 45 minutes. Good times.
Preschoolers/toddler crafts are my skill level so here's what we did yesterday.

Egg Hats/Crowns.

This is a joke, right?

2009-04-09T04:53:00.000-07:00

WASHINGTON — The president's new science adviser said Wednesday that global warming is so dire, the Obama administration is discussing radical technologies to cool Earth's air.

John Holdren told The Associated Press in his first interview since being confirmed last month that the idea of geoengineering the climate is being discussed.

One such extreme option includes shooting pollution particles into the upper atmosphere to reflect the sun's rays. Holdren said such an experimental measure would only be used as a last resort.

"It's got to be looked at," he said. "We don't have the luxury of taking any approach off the table."

Holdren outlined several "tipping points" involving global warming that could be fast approaching.

Once such milestones are reached, such as complete loss of summer sea ice in the Arctic, it increases chances of "really intolerable consequences," he said.

Twice in a half-hour interview, Holdren compared global warming to being "in a car with bad brakes driving toward a cliff in the fog."

At first, Holdren characterized the potential need to technologically tinker with the climate as just his personal view. However, he went on to say he has raised it in administration discussions.

Holdren, a 65-year-old physicist, is far from alone in taking geoengineering more seriously.

The National Academy of Science is making climate tinkering the subject of its first workshop in its new multidiscipline climate challenges program.

The British parliament has also discussed the idea.

The American Meteorological Society is crafting a policy statement on geoengineering that says "it is prudent to consider geoengineering's potential, to understand its limits and to avoid rash deployment."

Last week, Princeton scientist Robert Socolow told the National Academy that geoengineering should be an available option in case climate worsens dramatically.

But Holdren noted that shooting particles into the air — making an artificial volcano as one Nobel laureate has suggested — could have grave side effects and would not completely solve all the problems from soaring greenhouse gas emissions.

So such actions could not be taken lightly, he said.

Still, "we might get desperate enough to want to use it," he added.

Another geoengineering option he mentioned was the use of so-called artificial trees to suck carbon dioxide — the chief human-caused greenhouse gas — out of the air and store it.

At first that seemed prohibitively expensive, but a re-examination of the approach shows it might be less costly, he said.

Source: Foxnews.com

step by agonizing step.

2009-04-08T11:02:00.000-07:00

I'm spending the day fighting with the urge to look up houses in my area that are on the market. We are REALLY close to being market-ready and I am getting more and more impatient as the days go by. The sad fact is, though, that if I look, I will find one I have to have and then all hell will break loose. I'll whine about it, try to speed things up unnecessarily, and then throw myself into an adult temper tantrum that would make even Taylor uncomfortable. So, here I sit, weak, impatient, angsty, and excited at the thought of searching for a new home to place my family in. I should be doing laundry, cleaning toilets, spraying the weeds in the backyard, anything but just sitting here thinking about all the houses out there just waiting to be bought. I have to hold out, not only until we put our house on the market, but until we get a contract on it. It's going to be a long few months.

On the plus side, it is so beautiful outside today, that I will be able to send the children OUTSIDE of the house when they get home from school/preschool and they will not be terrorizing me, or each other as much as usual. I love weather like today, but then again, who doesn't. I've never heard anyone say that they don't like warm, breezy, sun filled days. I digress. It's lovely weather.

whew..

2009-04-06T09:41:00.000-07:00

It's Monday. and I'm thankful. Did you hear that, people? I'm thankful it's a Monday. After my Friday morning near meltdown, I soon realized that Kayleigh was not the only one feeling sick. I willed myself that I would make it to the end of the day, and somehow, I did. As soon as the babes from next door left, my body said, "okay, it's party time ", and Kayleigh and I spent Friday evening in my bed whining to each other and watching whatever mediocre programming that happened to be on Nickelodeon/Disney. This weekend was also when our youth group participated in the annual 30 hour famine, so Baxter and the other two girls were out of the house. Thankfully some good friends from church agreed to watch them for us. (the girls, not Baxter.)

The next morning Kay and I were both feeling much better, so I sent her on with her sisters and I went to the church to help with the youth event. This year, in lieu of not eating, we did things a little differently. How does 30 hours of not speaking sound? Well, for an adult, dealing with jr. High kids, it sounded heavenly. Ahh, well. The purpose of not speaking was to focus on God, and hear Him in the silence. The peace and quiet was just a big honkin' bonus for me. :)
The event ended at 10 p.m. and from there I went to drop some of the teens home, and go pick up my E. (she and her sisters were split up, as there aren't many people who can handle all three of them together for very long). You should have seen how tired she was. I can only imagine how much fun she had this weekend. We are so lucky to have people in our lives who love our kids almost as much as we do.

Sunday, Taylor and I missed church due to a disagreeable attitude. (Hers not mine, although I wasn't Mrs. Mommy Sunshine at the time, and when I say disagreeable, I mean melt your face off tirade). After Bax and the girls got home, guess who got sick? Yep, my favorite "workaholic" and yours, Baxter. So it was me and the too tired trio for the rest of the afternoon. It was a long weekend. My expectations are HIGH for this weekend that we'll be able to be relaxed and get some work done on the house. I shall will it into reality. That can happen, right?

Thank Goodness For... Mondays?

If I look distressed today

2009-04-03T07:48:00.001-07:00

It's because I was woken up by a 2 year old with explosive diarrhea, a 5 year old who wet the bed, and a 7 year old who is throwing up today. I also had to frost and decorate 12 cupcakes for Taylor's snack time at school, and fill 12 plastic eggs with candy for her Easter egg hunt. All the while picking up the house and getting myself ready for the 2 little sweeties that I watch to come over. That's a lot to handle before 8:00 a.m.

I know hindsight is 20/20, but maybe I should have been more productive last night instead of watching the 2 hour finale of ER...

This is my punishment, I guess.

Hey, let's try this, America.

2009-03-27T10:09:00.001-07:00