I think I just lost two days...

Christmas is 6 days away. For real, I know. Crazy.
I am thankful that I had all but one gift bought. This last gift has been a doozy getting, though I must say. I didn't know what to get this one person. Said person gave me an idea but it wasn't soon enough to get said persons gift here on time. They may not have a gift on Christmas morning. Aaah! I feel bad. And then to top it off, cause not having it on Christmas isn't bad enough, I accidentally hit standard shipping instead of overnight. So they probably wouldn't get it until the New Year. Ack. Insane.
So, now after an hour on hold waiting for Customer Service, I think I may have the first half of this problem figured out. (I'm still on hold to do the second half of my figuring out while I write this. Shouldn't let this time go to waste!) They still may not having it for Christmas but they may have it the day or two after. That would be nice. Goodness. Nothing like waiting until the last minute to order something.
I'm just that awesome.

So much is going on.. This month has just been crazy. I really can't remember much of it. Trust me, I'm trying, but it's such a blur. I think it always is because of the holidays and two birthdays thrown into two months.

So here's what I have to look forward to, how 'bout that?

Sunday is Mrs. Kringle's Bakery. I'm frosting and baking cookies to help with the sale. There are always such yummy treats there. Our church members are rock stars in the kitchen.
And then we are practicing for the Christmas Eve service. Bryan and I are singing in it. I'm excited albeit a little nervous since we haven't practiced it much and neither of us know it very well.
Sunday evening we are celebrating our "Family" Christmas with the Pitts! Now having done this for a couple years and working out the kinks (especially in the food department) we have decided to order Chinese food. This way no one has to cook and we can all just relax and enjoy.
Excitement!

Bryan only has to work through until Wednesday then he's off til the end of the year. We'll have our little family's Christmas on Christmas Eve morning. I'm excited to set up A's playhouse and for her to see it. I feel kind of bad because she only gets to open one gift and her stocking. The rest can't be wrapped because it would just be silly. But I hope she enjoys them still!
Then later that day we'll head over to church for the Christmas Eve service and then to Bryan's parents to spend Christmas. We'll stay through til Saturday night but then have to head home because Bryan is on Worship that morning. We'd love to stay longer but it's just too much to try to squeeze everything in.

To spend Christmas with my family, we haven't decided if we'll leave Wednesday or Thursday. Wednesday night there's a concert in DM of one of Bryan's favorite bands. They're on their final tour before they break up.
If he decides not to go then we'll leave Thursday evening and wait for my baby sister to drive behind us. She can't leave until she finishes work that day.
(still on hold)
Then we'll stay through til the end of the year.
(Yay! It's been taken care of!)

So if I don't get on here again before then, I wish you all a very Merry Christmas and a brand new and beautiful New Year!

Where did the month go?

December is tomorrow.

What?!!

Yeah, I know, right!? So where did the year go? Sometime I'll have to do a recap of each month but I've got limited time on the computer so it'll just be quick.

I've finished painting my living room, dining room, kitchen and breakfast nook. I knew I should have taken pictures when my house was the cleanest it has been in way too long, and now it's messy. I did manage a couple pics of the breakfast nook and the back of the bookcase. But I'd like to get a few more of the rest of the house. I'll do my darndest to get it photo worthy today.

We had Thanksgiving with Bryan's folks on the actual day. It was fun. Mom and I brought crafts to work on which meant lots of girl time with the only three girls in the fam that are over the age of 2. A just ran around with the uncles and took a nap while us girls decorated sugar cookies. And of course I didn't take a picture of the whole lot of finished ones. Brent created a loot load. He was going to town.

My very chocolatey Cookies. They were yummy.

The most creative. Take note of the dismembered Santa done by Bruce,

the naked Santa done by Alyssa, and the Tree at Night by yours truly.

I tried my hand at making purple icing but failed miserably. It turned out black.

So Brent went nuts making Death Creations.

However, the most really awesome Santa is mine. Can you see the skull?

My Snowman Family (awwwww)

Bruce's Blue Man Group

(and of course I didn't take any pictures of his "Art inspired" cookies.)

Then we moved on to the ribbon trees that I brought. I didn't get a chance to take pictures of those. 2/3 of the way through we get a call from our friend Keith saying Em is having abdominal pains and is going to the ER. He asked us to take J for a bit and we offered to keep him over night. So we had to leave. Priorities but I'll take a photo of my tree later on.

Then we went down to my grandparents for Thanksgiving weekend. It was crazy. We ended up playing a game that my sister and her hubby suggested. It was too much fun. It had 5 games in one. My team won- Go Team!!

Too much pie and loads of turkey later, we headed home on Sunday.

We'll head back down to the farm for New Years. Then we'll celebrate a b-day, Christmas, and New Year's all in one shot. I'm excited for it all!! Now, I need to finish Christmas shopping...

25 Things I'm Thankful For.

Thanksgiving sometimes seems to get overlooked being so close to Christmas. And with all the hubbub of finding the right gift, only-so-many-more-days-to-buy-buy-buy, and Black Friday being right after the day of Thanks, the Turkey day seems to get glossed over or becomes a second thought.

So, because of Thanksgiving Day, I thought I'd take a moment to count my blessings, if you will.

1. My husband. He is wonderful. He's human and knows he has faults, but he tries his darndest and works hard at trying to be like Christ each day. He is also good because he knows I have faults and loves me in spite of them.

2. My baby girl. Who's not so much a baby anymore seeing as how she is 2 and 2 months. She's so smart, and kind, loving, compassionate and polite. She's a wonderful kid and I am blessed as a mom to have her as mine.

3. My extended family. They are amazing and I'd have lost my way a long time ago if it wasn't for their love and direction.

4. My in-laws. They've taken me in as their own, love me, care for me, and I'm proud to have them as my second mom and my dad.

5. My dearest friends. They may as well be family.

6. My church family. They are loving, gracious, supportive, generous and encouraging. It's lovely to see a church body really strive to be like Christ. We fail continuously and everyday but it's wonderful to know that we are trying.

7. The roof over my head. It may not be much, but it's sweet, cozy and home.

8. The clothes on my back. I don't have many and lately, it's by choice. Freedom right there.

9. The food in my belly. We are never in want or in need. He blesses us each day with our daily bread.

10. The car we drive. We only have one and sometimes we could use another but we have what we need.

11. My hubby's job. We are blessed with a job he loves, people he really enjoys working with, and being able to work from home. Not to mention, I don't have to work because of it which brings me to...

12. Being able to stay at home with my girl. And not having to miss a single moment with her.

13. Our stinky dog and snooty cat. Hubby loves the dog, the cat loves me. We all win. I think.

14. A warm comfy bed to curl up in at night. It may not be as big as we'd like but it holds us both (and the cat) and all is well.

15. Art. I love it. It feeds my soul and makes me happy.

16. Snow. I know, I know. People will think I'm crazy for this one, but I love it and I can't help it.

17. Sleep. It renews me, energizes me, and there is nothing like waking up to the sound of rain, the sun shining on your face, or to a fresh blanket of snow.

18. Photography. Yes I know this is considered art, but there is something separately special about it. Snapping photos and never knowing if you really got a good one until you get the chance to look them over. Then you're surprised at how many good ones you really ended up with.

19. Age. With age, usually comes wisdom. That is if you're willing to learn.

20. Stories. Stories bring up memories and vice versa. There's nothing like talking about some old memories that capture you and drag you into the story.

21. My grandparents farm. Although I was heartbroken when they moved from their last house, I have grown to love the farm. It has acreage of grass that waves in the setting sun, wondrous smells, and some of my favorite people. It's a place that warms to heart and feels like I've come home.

22. Dancing. Such freedom in dancing.

23. Music. Sometimes you just don't know how to express yourself until you've heard just the right song. It can bring you to tears, make you laugh, bring you to your knees, and make you stop and think.

24. Laughter. There is just nothing like laughing until you cry. Or cackle.

25. Last, but certainly not least, my Jesus. I'm thankful that he loves me and I don't have any years without his love and support. I'm thankful he's always held me in his arms whether I wanted him to or not. I'm thankful for my faith and hope in Him.

Shoes!

I love shoes.

They rock my world.

No matter what size clothes I wear, how I'm feeling that day, whatever- Shoes always fit and they always make me feel good. And they make me happy.

On Saturday, we went shoe shopping for Bryan. We had done so a few days before but Bryan was undecided after a couple of stores (Kohl's and Famous Footwear) as well as we needed to return home to our kiddo before my sister had to leave for work. So, we went back out... with our kiddo. We hit almost every shoe store in the mall and ended up returning back to the sister store of Famous Footwear where we found him some shoes.

He ended up getting a pair of running shoes, pumas, look nothing like he would ever buy on his own. But, if you knew how he dressed himself before we started dating and now, well, let's just say I've had an influence on him. A good one, mind you, but one nonetheless.

I was also on the hunt for some new sneakers. Mine had given up. I think I've walked and exercised and loved them to death over the last three years. They've been good to me. But it was time for some new ones to love to death.

So, in every store that Bryan looked, I looked for myself after finding him every option to possibly try on that I thought he would like. I had no luck either. I had a couple considerations but then finally found some shoes that were the girl version of the pair he finally chosen. However, they had a purple stripe but were a shade of gray that Bryan thought looked dirty. So I didn't get them.

Hey, he asked for my opinion and took it, so I did the same.

I was bummed, but, whatevs. I'd find something. So after buying him some new shoes, we headed home so A could nap.

I headed back out on my own back to Kohl's where I found some shoes I thought I'd give another shot. They were "eh" and I wasn't in love, but I bought them and took them home. Turned out I really didn't like them. They were cute but they were tight and leather.

I didn't want to have to worry about breaking a pair of shoes in. Especially not after Bryan kept gushing about his new shoes that felt like slippers and were a perfect fit from the get go. Jealous!

I kept thinking how I liked the girly version of Bryan's shoes. Then I remembered that I did try on another pair at the first FFW that were white with pink. So today I returned my leathery, harder-than-crap, didn't-want-to-have-to-break-them-in shoes and went back to the first FFW. I found those white with pink pumas and I bought them. I think they're just great. However, they run a bit small, but that's all right. They had my "extra" size.

So, here, I thought I would share a few of my favorite shoes:

On the left are my new shoes!! On the right are not my "just loved to death" sneakers but these are my beloved Adidas that I've had since about 8th grade. That's right folks, 12 years. But they are still so comfy, don't smell, look a little warn, yes, but, they're my go-to shoes.

Thank you, my Adidas.

My favorite high heels. Fav Or Rite. Love. On the left are my sequined gold shoes. I debated a bit when I was trying them on because I didn't know if I'd have anything to go with them. Turns out they go with a lot. And I love them. I do have to take special care of them, though, so the sequins don't get ruined.

In the middle are my beloved black shoes. They are pinstripe, sophisticated, and gorgeous dahling.

And on the right are my brown pin-ups as I like to call them. Or my 1940's inspired, because of the way the fabric covers the entire shoe. I've had all three shoes for more than three years. Love, love, love my shoes.

And lastly, my biker boots. These make me feel tough, rough and like I could go jump out on my bike (as though I had one {someday!}) and go for a ride. These are my don't-mess-with-me boots. My sweetie got them for me last year for my birthday and I still think they're awesome.

So, to recap: I don't choose my shoes lightly, I love them til there is no more loving to give them without a hole through their sole, and I'll wear them forever.

Have I mentioned I love flip-flops too?

My exciting Saturday (of last week)

Last Saturday was excellent.

First, I got to go to Book Club for the first time ever. It was very cool. Not only did I get to sit around with a bunch of lovely, godly women, but I got to talk with them about a very cool book. We read (before hand) and discussed Friendship for Grownups by Lisa Welchel.

This book touched my heart and helped me to realize the areas I needed to grow in to develop loving friendships. She had wonderful first hand, personal experience that I was able to relate to. And those ladies know how to talk! In a good way too! They were wonderful to listen to, and stated 95% of my own thoughts. I loved being able to sit back and soak in such wonderfulness these ladies radiated.

Then we ate salad.

It was yummy. We had a salad bar which everyone brought a topping and a dressing then created their own from everything that was brought. It was so good. I'm going to try to recreate it a bit this week because it was just that good.

Then:

My aunt Kimmy, organizer and simplifier extraordinaire, had come up to visit us on Friday night, along with my grama and my sister Sarah. I had invited Kimmy to come and do a Simplicity Seminar for the ladies in my church. Unfortunately, if was a very busy Saturday so not a lot of people were able to show up.

However- It was still most excellent. Kimmy has thee most awesome ideas of simplifying your life. Not to mention organizing as well as saving money in the process.

She gave us many ideas for each room and things within that room. She also talked a lot about purging anything you don't love or need. Insert FlyLady into my life once again. Not that she ever left, I think we just needed a reintroduction.

The ladies that came seem to be so blessed from what Kimmy had to say. They asked questions, gave thoughts, and discussed things to help get themselves clutter free. It was awesome.

I seem to always take something away from her whenever she comes up or I get to see her on one of our family visits. I love her.

She is like my big sister. Yeah, we're 16 years apart but in my family, my aunt Kimmy and her hubby are my close family. People don't seem to understand just how close we are, and truthfully, I never really understood just how they couldn't understand. That is until I met Bryan and got close to his family.

In their family, it's Parents and Siblings. No aunts and uncles. Not really even grandparents. Makes me sad for them. It's like I have a really, really big family. And I love it. And so very grateful for it.

Tomorrow I'll post some pictures, but let me tell you, I've cleared out my closet, given away unloved things that I've been holding onto because they were given to us as wedding presents, and pitched and tossed like a pro.

I only buy exactly what I need knowing just right where I'm going to put it. I am getting clutter free. So this entire week I have done all my FlyLady each and every day. I even bought a mop to replace my swiffer mop and did a full blown job on the kitchen and the bathroom.

Now, if you know me, cleaning the bathroom gives me the heebie jeebies. Hair, bodily fluids, soap scum.. I shudder. But I did it. I, me, did it. And now they both look so very nice.

My kitchen still has a bit to go because of the repainting but it's almost there. I just need to take care of the breakfast nook, sand, paint, and clear off and clean, then I'm done. Huzzah.

The Start of a Catch-up

Being with an internet connection is beyond frustrating. Not only was the connection on our phone slow because we had to be on 3G but Bryan had to work out at the church.

So it was just me and the kiddo.

That's not easy when I'm used to occasional help from the works-from-home hubby. I really enjoy a "vacation" to the store for some alone time while A naps. Bryan can still work without the distraction of a 2 year old, thanks to the convenient baby confiner of a crib. And I can run errands without having to map out the quickest route before the inevitable meltdown.

I am very blessed. And very thankful.

I did feel bad for Bryan, though, he enjoys being at home and so it was frustrating for him. Finally, they were able to fix it by Wednesday. Something had chewed through the wires and water got in. Simple as that.

So, we're back up and running. And I can finally edit my photos. Hopefully by tomorrow.

Bryan will be leaving again on Sunday, again for NC, again for a week. We're not excited but you gotta do what your boss tells ya to do. And, so, it's a good experience, builds up his resume, blah blah blah ;)

So now I will leave you with my top 10 favorites:

1. My favorite book is This Present Darkness

2. My favorite dessert is hot oatmeal chocolate chip cookies with a scoop of vanilla

3. My favorite flower is peonies

4. My favorite season is late Autumn/early Winter

5. My favorite hobby is photography

6. My favorite colors are blue, green, blue green... and white.

7. My favorite number is 7

8. My favorite verse in the Bible is Hebrews 11:1

9. My favorite animal is the polar bear

10. My favorite place to be is at The Farm

A quick nothin-to-do-with-nothin

I'm really disappointed that four days into November, our stupid internet connection with Mediacom went out and I had to miss blogging for the past week.

Stinkin' Mediacom.

But it's back up and running so here I am.

So, to get back into the groove, I have four memories of each of the four places that Bryan and I have lived in since we've been married, and I thought I'd share it with y'all.

1. Crazy memory: Our very first apartment. First floor and it was tiny, clean, and perfect. We had a half kitchen with a half stove. No dining room, one small bedroom, little bathroom, cozy living room. It was a straight shot through, from the front door to the back of our bedroom. Like a giant rectangle.

We never had to worry about our neighbors, everyone was quiet. The most we got was a dog across the street that would bark at our kitten whenever she would sit in the large front window.

Well one night, in the middle of the night, I woke slightly thinking I heard someone knocking at the front door. I kind of woke Bryan but we didn't hear anything so we went back to sleep. I'm sure seconds later we woke to someone banging on our bedroom window. I mean banging on our window. Right next to us. Scared us half to death.

It turned out to be a police man. He knocked on our front door but we didn't answer so he came around to the back and knocked our bedroom window. As it turns out, he was at the wrong apartment anyway. If I remember correctly, it wasn't anything serious anyway. But still.

2. Freaky memory: Our second apartment. This time we were on the third floor. Thankfully. Because New Years 2005 we had gone to bed early, 10:30-11ish.

Probably around 2 or 3 in the morning Bryan and I woke to the sound of gun shots and screaching tires. Bryan called 911 but he wasn't the first. Turned out someone had tried to run over another guy. When that didn't work they fired their guns.

No one died, which I think is a miracle. We could even see the tire marks that ran up into the grass. Nuts-o.

3. Annoying memory: Our first rental house. Two morning straight at about 3 or 4 in the morning, Bryan and I would be awaken to the sound of a car alarm going off.

I couldn't stand it. I couldn't go back to sleep until it went back off. Bryan can sleep through anything. The house could fall down around him and he still wouldn't wake until he was ready.

We called the cops after an hour the first morning. How could no one else wake to that??

The second morning someone ele called them. It turned out that the car alarm was broken and would just go off. But it only did those two times. At four o'clock in the morning.

4. Happy memory: Our first home. We moved in when I was 6 months pregnant. 3 months later I gave birth to a sweet baby girl. Then for many, many months I would be woken up several times during the night.

But each time I was rewarded with a sweet baby, I could lovingly hold in my arms as she nursed. I love, love, loved it. I still love the memories. I'm still bummed that those moments are now only memories but I love the new moments we share each day.

She wears her tutu, does the hula, and shakes her cute little tush. She gets in the dogs kennel, makes me look, and laughs and laughs and laughs. She says "pease" and "daent you", "bess you" when someone sneezes, "sooze me", and "ya yoo" in response to our own I love you's.

I'll have to do a better catch-up soon but that's all for now. Have a great night!

Stinkin' stinkin-stinkin.

I'm back! Stupid internet connection. I'll post tomorrow. Tonight I will be finishing up my Bible study.

Have a great night :)

And to finish 'er off.

First, let me state for the record so that I may bring this up to my daughter when she's older and hold it over her head, we called her twice on Saturday. Once in the afternoon which she responded with a "Hi Dadda!" and a "No Momma". We think she was telling her grandma that I wasn't there and didn't realize I was on the phone.

The second time was later on toward dinner time. We though we'd call to see how trick-or-treating went for her. It went well, however she didn't want to wear a costume, so she went as a stubborn little girl. And when it came time to talk to us for the second time in one day, we both got rejected. Yes. She said no to wanting to talk to us.

I am, however, really glad she had such a good time. I actually didn't even remember to think about her until midnight on Friday night. And the rest of the weekend, I was okay. It was nice to get away and have some free time. Bryan and I are definitely willing and excited to let her leave for the weekend or even just an over nighter here and there.

Only took 2 years.

So!, Friday. No, Sunday. Which day is it again?

Sunday morning was our day to "sleep in". I put quotation marks around it because that's just what it wasn't, however, it was still nice so really I'm not complaining. Just pretending like I am.

All girls, not just my cabin, woke to the lovely sound of banging pots and pans. The boys thought it would be a good idea to bring a wooden spoon and a pot down to our cabins and so lovingly bang on them to graciously give us a wake up call.

..yeah..

I wasn't startled or anything, it was just like a really terrible alarm clock. The boys even thought it would be a good idea to come back around for a second time since they saw no movement coming from any of the cabins. This time they put the pots directly onto the windows and banged as loud as they could.

I still barely moved. As well as the other girls.

I ended up laying there for another 30 seconds to a year and a half, couldn't really tell just how long, but I got up and woke the rest of the girls up. It's hard being a den mom because I don't want to be a bad guy as well when waking up a bunch of girls. But they were sweet as could be and got up when I told them to.

Good girls.

Breakfast consisted of NO bacon, thank you Brian, and it was tasty.

Worship wasn't too bad, but we were all so tired and my hubby picked such upbeat songs it was hard to get into it but we did the best we could with the little energy we had. The first song pathetically lacked energy but we picked it up by the second and more on the third.

Bryan's and my voice was so shot we were glad it was the last set of music for the weekend.

I don't think I've sung anything since. Yeesh.

I'm actually surprised we hadn't lost our voiced. Impressed actually. And I'm proud of our little worship team. A bass, guitar and two singers. One kid actually jumped on the beat box for a few songs to give it a little depth. Which was nice. Note: Drummer next year, please :)

We ended with our very own Pastor Keith riding in on his motorcycle to bring home the message of A Rebel With A Cause. He did an alright job. It was just okay. Not bad.. Eh.

He seemed to tie it all in together and the kids still listened; even though he was the fourth speaker of the weekend, it was early morning, and they were all super tired- they listened. That means something.

And it was so cool because we had 2 guys who were popular in HS, were going to go somewhere with sports, had everything, then God took it away so they'd make Him first in their lives. Then we had the other two guys who were geeky in HS, no one liked, picked on, and wanted it to be over when God stepped in showing them He would happily carry everything and be everything in their lives.

So, which ever category those kids fell into, there was someone who could relate and spoke on it. So cool.

We ended it off by cleaning up the camp, saying our good-byes and 'see ya next year's, and driving home.

It was a very cool weekend.

When Bryan and I got back to the church we got to stop and talk to our friend Sheila about the weekend. She was so bummed on not being able to go this year that we were excited to talk about it with her and fill her in on the juicy details, fun stuff, and awesome ridiculousness of it all.

After we dropped the last two teens off at home, we headed home ourselves. Thinking we'd get a few hours just to rest, unwind, watch some Dr. Who.. Grandpa dropped off our A. She was super excited to see us, as we were her, we were just too anxious to see 8 o'clock roll around so we could go to bed.

Yes, 8.

We didn't end up going trick-or-treating. We didn't have anyone to go with and our A isn't all that into it just yet so it would have been more trouble than it was worth. So we stayed home, had Papa Murphy's pizza, and ate a lot of chocolate. Don't judge. It was Halloween.

At 6:30 our friends the Pitts' stopped by and we got to see their kiddos cute costumes. A Crockeye..er.. I mean a Hawkeye cheerleader, Iron Man (I think), and Dorothy with a real Toto. He was my favorite.

Thankfully A didn't take a nap so she was ready by 8 to go to bed. Bryan and I went soon there after and fell asleep about 9, 9:30. And everyone slept in until 8:40ish the next day. And all was well.

My Rad Saturday at camp Wannahockaloogie

Saturday morning came way too quickly. I love mornings but I'm not a great morning person unless I have to be. And in this case I did have to be.

I was up at 5:40am to be at the lodge at 6:30 to get breakfast ready. However, there were more girls than there was for things to do, so most of the girls just sat around for the longest time. They rest of the girls did have to do clean up, but I'm sure they wished they could have slept in if they had known that. I do understand that.

Having to lead a group of teenagers in worship early in the morning is not an easy task. Still asleep myself, we had to do what we could to get ourselves going. And if that meant shaking our butts and acting goofy, well, then I was all for it.

The first speaker was Pastor Chris. He did an awesome job. I took notes. I figure that even when the message is directed at the kiddos, that doesn't mean us adults can't take something away from it. And I sure did. Good job Chris.

We had free time, which for me meant watching everyone else play dodgeball. There was no way I was getting involved when the game consisted of volleyballs rather than your typical dodgeball. I saw way too many people get hit in the head. Nu-huh, no way, no how. So I sat out and talked with Mr. Tim.

Lunch and the next speaker followed. Pastor Nate. We only heard the second half, because Bryan and I went out to call our kiddo and see how she was doing. She was great. Really great. So great in fact, she didn't even want to talk with us. Ha! Goober.

Afterwards was the second free time. A group of 15 went to walk the nature trails around the camp that led to caves. It was cool. I have realized that I am so not 16 anymore, but for a 26 year old, I should not be as out of shape as I am. I will have to work on that.

After the first bout, about half the kids headed back to camp, the rest of us went off to find the Mystery Cave. It was worth it. It looked like not much of anything but it fit all 8 of us into it. So cool. I did crack my shin on a rock and I now have a very nice bruise to show for it.

We all even climbed into a tree and got our picture taking. This is when I really realized I'm not 16 and fearless anymore. My shoes weren't as "grippy" as they should have been. But it was fun.

That was the second bout and four split off from us heading back. The last of us finished the full trail off and went to see the labyrinth and the tree houses. Very, very cool but my legs were so dead at this point. I really just wanted to be back at the camp.

From start to finish, approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes of hiking. And not just a flat trail, but over rocks, up and down hills, a bit of rock climbing as well as tree. I was beat.

We had about an hour before dinner and I really just wanted to lay down and rest. I knew that if I did, however, I would not be waking back up before dawn the next day.

So, I got myself out of my cozy flannel sleeping bag, put my bunny slippers on and went on back to the lodge to mingle. Sorta. I sat and let everyone come to me. That's my kind of mingling.

We heard Pastor Phil speak and then dinner. It was soo good. Really so good. This lasagna came back to bite us in the butt.

(more on that in a few)

Then it was Pastor Terry. I must say, all these pastors were wonderful speakers. They flowed together so nicely. Later we found out that they didn't coordinate their lessons. In fact, they didn't even talk about it before hand. It was most certainly a God thing.

He's kind of awesome that way.

Afterwards there was free time. The kids went and hung out while watching a movie. Bryan and I stayed back to talk to the cook Brian. Very cool guy. However, this is when we found out that he put bacon in the lasagna. BACON. Bacon, folks. And when I say it came back to bite us in the butt, I was being quite literal. I'll just end it at that, though, to spare you.

We talked until 10 when I excused myself for a much needed shower. It was sooooo good. Especially after that long hike. On a pretty warm day. When I wore a long shirt under a short sleeve shirt. You get the picture.

Devo's then bed. I hit the sack so hard, I was out before my head hit the pillow and I didn't move until morning. That's rare. I am a wiggle worm when I sleep. But not when I'm that tired.

Morning felt like it came too quickly. And the boys were rude.

Just sayin.

And we're off!

It's national blog month once again. I will do my best to blog each day and now I've been challenged to comment on each blog as well. I will sure do my darndest.

So, to begin, I'll start with this last weekend. It was a slow weekend. Very calm and relaxing. Lots of rest and quiet. That is, aside from spending it at camp with 80 Jr. and Sr. high schoolers.

Bomb diggity.

Yes, I did just say that.

First, I'd like to say, that is was the very first weekend, even a single overnighter for my hubby and myself to spend away from our 2 year old. Long over due, but I wasn't ready until now. And no one could make me before then. It took me a year to let anyone else hold her. Do you really think it'd be any less than two before I'd let her spend the night away from both her parents??

So, Friday afternoon Bryan's parents came and got A. She was beyond excited and couldn't care less that she was leaving us behind. Needless to say, she had a great time at grandma's and grandpa's house.

They left, then soon after we headed for the church to meet the teens. Six kids were able to go. 3 boys, 3 girls. Four sponsors. We were out numbered. But we tricked them into liking us and behaving themselves the entire weekend!

Bryan and I led worship, which meant I had to do actions and be lively and lead a bunch of teens who thought it to be uncool to move during worship. Heaven forbid they encourage a 26 year old and jump around like teenagers.

I eventually got them to. I tricked them, again, into thinking it was cool. Cause it is cool. Who doesn't want to wave their arms around, jump side to side, and point to your butt when you sing the word "end"?

I sure do.

I had the three girls with me for the nights since I was the only female sponsor for our church. But I sure didn't mind. They were such good kids. But we did have to share a cabin. It wasn't bad after the first night.

Strange sharing with a bunch of other people when you're one of the two leaders and you've never been there before and the other person has and she's older than you and probably knows better at what she's doing than you and you're only 26 years old!! But it was all good.

I led devo's for the weekend and the girls did pretty good to listen, pay attention and respond back to the questions I asked. The first night we talk about Philip and the Eunuch. I'm sure glad they didn't ask me what a eunuch was. I would have been able to explain it, I just didn't want to explain it to them. Awkward. Maybe not.

I even brought a bag of mini twix. I slipped into their hearts riding their love of chocolate. Then I made them all tell me a favorite something of theirs. I may have made that too broad of a topic. One girl responded with a, "My favorite is hot guys and men who smell really good." I should have stuck with favorite color or food. Maybe day of the week?

Anyway..

We ended going to bed at midnight which was the bedtime on the schedule. So I cozied up in my flannel sleeping bag topped with a second flannel sleeping bag with my flannel pillow. It was freezing outside of my sleeping bags but I was warm and cozy. I slept alright, only waking once or twice to roll over. I forgot how tiny bunks are so I was afraid I'd fall off. But I slept fairly well.

Then I had to wake at 5:40. AM. It wasn't pretty, but I did it.

Stay tuned for Saturday at Camp Wannhockaloogie...

Long Week

Let's start with the rough:

Sunday.. no, let's back up, Friday night we went over to Bryan's brother and sister-in-law's for dinner and ended up staying until 11. We had a really good time, however, we also had A with us and her bedtime is 8:30.

She's a lot like me and doesn't just fall asleep with so much going on. I wish she was, but she's not, so she was up til 11 right along with us. That made for a hard Saturday.

Saturday, we got up and picked up the Pitts', because they're just cool, and we all headed west and south to a pumpkin patch.

There we did a corn maze, jumped hay bales (those large round ones are still called "bales", correct?), pet a cow (well, I did), and picked out some rockin' pumpkins. Ours has warts. Lots of warts. And I got some gourds and made a pretty display on our dining room table.

Later Saturday night, Bryan and I were finally able to see his brother's band in concert. They weren't too shabby. Okay, they were pretty good. I dug 'em.

Out again late, and Sunday we had church, them off to take Bryan to the airport. For NC. For a week.

*sigh*

I was able to occupy my mind that night by hanging with Em. But Monday was hard. Really hard. It was a crappy day. In fact, it just sucked. But I was able to write three letters for three really awesome people who celebrated their birthday's that night. And I got to give it to them. The end.

Tuesday was the start of a much better week with A and I getting along, me having the patience to be mom without the support and loving breaks my husband so graciously gives to me. And we had a pretty good rest of the week. We got to do dinner with my favorite 80 y/o, some Youth Group, Bible Study, lunch with a sweet girl, and helping a friend get her dresses finished to sell.

My momma and gramma even came up a day early to help me out. It's so nice. I'm typing this in quiet...

Tonight I get to pick up Bryan but before then there will be painting of the kitchen, a photo shoot with a dear sweet friend and her very nice hubby, hanging with my kin folk, and, more than likely, cleaning.

Next week will be another long week but I won't be thinking about that until Monday. I'm just going to sit back and enjoy the next three days.

2 more days

We just got back from a really nice weekend with my family. We just spent the Saturday hanging out and around but Sunday was busy. Good but busy.

It was my cousin Mattie's 9th birthday on Sunday. She also wanted to get baptized the same day. So we headed to their church to watch her born again. Praise God for her faith. She is the sweetest kindest little girl. She has a heart of gold and a personality to boot. Plus she's beautiful. Inside and out. Love her.

I did get to see one of my best friends from college. It had been since him and his wife got married. In between our last visit my hubby and I had a kiddo, and him and his wife had a son followed by a set of twin boys. And how handsome they are. Well, I only got to see one twin, but he said that "If you've seen one, you've seen them both." Heh :)

After church, my aunt and uncle had a little party for her rebirth. We had pizza and cake, then wrote our memories of our own baptism day. It was a very good (and large) celebration.

My mom and sister Courtney, A and I soon left to head back to my mom's where we met up with the rest of the family to celebrate Miss Mattie's birthday. She got to open gifts, then we just hung out and around the house. My family plus Courtney left for home around 6.

We didn't get home til 11 and I felt sick with exhaustion. I slept through til 9:30 this morning not even hearing our kiddo wake.

Yeesh.

Bryan and I also have to do 2 more days of Phase 1 to make up for the weekend. We tried to stick with the MD but it's really hard when you're away from home. We have all of the foods we need for phase one but can't expect everyone to have the same. So, we went off of the MD knowing we'd have to make up 2 days for it.

We had pizza twice in two days and it felt so heavy. We haven't had grains for nearly two weeks by that point and it just felt like too much.

We also had some sweets. So I did not feel well by last night and was happy to start healthy again this morning. So today and tomorrow, we'll finish the first phase, then move on to phase 2. It'll be nice to add in lots of fresh fruit to our eating habits. We're restricted to berries, cherries and grapefruit in P1. I've never been more excited to have my choice in fruit!

Day 6, Phase 1 and a Quick update

Day 4 is always hard. Always. And I always want to give it up. I'm so hungry at that point and I want a heavy meal. Something yummy with bread and ends with chocolate. But this time I read a friend's health blog and she talked about cleansing and that's when I remembered that's what the first phase is, a cleansing.

"Oh yeah," I thought, "I can do this... I can do this with God's help."

He got me through eating sweets and He can get me through a cleansing.

And in the end, this change of eating habits does work. I've already lost a few lbs, so it is worth it.

A had her 2 year check-up on Thursday. She did pretty good. I mentioned my slight concern for her tininess but the doc said she was healthy and tall so there was nothing to worry about. Sounds good to me. But will I need to bring out her 18 month winter clothes? Or suck it up and buy those pricey jeans with the adjustable waist?

We're home this weekend. We were suppose to head to my family's for a friends wedding but we wouldn't get to see my grandparents. That would mean that it would be 3 months before we'd get to see them again for Thanksgiving. I can't not see them. And only having the funds to get down there once this month sealed the deal.

So, I'm gonna go enjoy my Saturday with my little family. Have a great weekend!

Here we go again...

Things have been a little crazy around here. My baby girl turned two, my hubby left for a Men's Retreat on friday and returned on Sunday, my awesome friend celebrated her birthday, I'm working on things for the improvement of the nursery and starting a new thing for the youth group, as well as returning to my love/hate Maker's Diet.

So to update quickly and briefly on the subjects... A'sbirthdaywasacompletehitAllthekidsenjoyedthemselvesaswellastheadultsWehadbonfirecakeandicecreampresentopeningandagoodoletimeBryanhadagreattimeattheretreatandAandIsurvivedwithouthimBarelyWeareveryhappythatheishomeIdon'tknowwhatwe'lldowhenheleavesforhisbusinesstripsoIthinkwe'llgovisitfamilyEmandIcelebratedwithsomeHuHotItwasjusttoogoodnottohaveforeverybirthdayfromhereonoutThenurseryisselfexplanitoryandthenewthingfortheyouthgroupisn'treadytoberevealedyetAndI'mbackontheMaker'sDiet.

Whew!

Hello, Maker's Diet. How I've not missed you. But it seems to be the only way to lose weight. The hardest part is to get through the first 4 weeks. After that, it becomes much much easier to survive. I just always feel so hungry all the time. I need to stock up on strawberries :) And the bad thing is that the one place that I can find goat milk placed a sign that read the company will no longer be making milk products. So I am now dairy-less for four weeks. So, now what?

I don't know.

I'm also going back off sweets. I can't seem to handle it. I have a hard time saying no because I just like it so darn much. I did so much better and it was easier for me to be off of it consistently for those 6 months. So here I go again. September 20th marks day one of no sweets as well as Day 1 Phase 1 for the Maker's Diet.

Pray for me that I don't eat my foot.

To my baby on her 2nd birthday

My sweet, sweet girl, you are two today. Two. I can't believe you are already two. It has been a remarkable two years. You are so amazing in how much you've grown, have learned, have mastered, can now understand. You are awesome.

Just the other day I heard you say "love you" for the first time. My heart skipped for joy to hear those two little words.

You still speak a lot of gibberish but you are using more and more words in context. It's so much fun to hear you say what you are learning! Guess I better not use the word "crap" around you anymore.

Yesterday afternoon I really felt like a mom when I called you to the dinner table. Then you even responded with a "Kay!".

You are a rascal when it comes to changing your diaper or brushing your teeth. But it's gotta be done. No one likes a saggy bottoms-monster breath baby- No, big girl.

You still love to watch a few television shows here and there but you really love to read. And you really love to play with your baby dolls.

You have a beautiful heart that is full of compassion. You show it with a concerned "she sad" whenever a baby (or doll) cries, the dinosaurs in your book show tears, or someone in a book has been splashed. At least you care :)

You still love instruments and play like a rockstar on the guitar. You have no idea what to do with your left hand but you strum like a pro with your right.

You are infatuated with shoes! You wear momma's shoes all the time, dancing around in my fancy gold shoes with all the bead work. I fear for their lives! But you've got great moves and have improved your "slide".

You know how to shake your groove thang and have become an excellent hopper.

You are very good when it comes to praying before meals, although you tend to sneak a bite or two, and you listen when momma prays with you before bedtime.

You have become a "daddy's girl" and he finds it hard to work from home when you're too cute not to play baby doll's with.

You still have your beautiful curls and they manage to disguise how long your hair really is.

You officially do not like baths.

But you love to swim.

As long as you don't get splashed.

You're not dramatic at all...

You have a beautiful singing voice and awesome dance moves, especially in the car. I love hearing a "momma!" only to turn around to see you showing me how your groove to the song.

I love when you read out loud to yourself. And even to momma or dadda when we were trying to read to you in the first place.

You're very good at sharing... when you want to.

You're a good "momma" to your "babies".

You always seem to request one more book at night even though we've just read four. And I always seem to be suckered in.

You love to squeal and run away. Especially when we're trying to get you ready for the day.

You have a funny thing of running back and forth between the tv, landing on the couch.

You love your new bean bag chair. You even dragged it from your room to the living room.

You're a good listener. Especially when I start counting to three.

You had a naughty streak of saying "two" if I said "one" in my countdown.

You're loving, kind, and compassionate. A wonderful little girl and I hope to have 10 more just like you.

I love you so much, my sweet baby girl. You'll always be my baby, no matter how old you are.

Momma

Day six as a 26 year old.

Yes, I am officially 26 years old. Turned another year older yesterday. Now my question is:

When do you start to feel like an adult?

More to come....

(I apologize in advance for all the exclamation points)

Good morning!!

I am up and at 'em this morning and I like it! I hate to say that I am not a morning person and I often wish I were. I seem to be tired all the time with a thyroid condition and it's easier to stay awake than to wake up. But this morning is different and it's a nice change!

I haven't blogged in a while because it feels like nothing exciting has happened since then. I have been busy with things but nothing blog worthy... until now!

First, the last two Wednesdays we have been preparing to start up Youth Group. I'm excited!! We have a lot of sponsors, which is good because that means lots of ideas. I'm so ready to get to know these kids and help them to grow in Christ. I pray I can bring things to the group, lift them up, and encourage and not hinder in any way. I've wanted to be a part of this for a long while now but I had to wait for God to call me into it. I think I'm ready. I hope I'm ready.

Secondly, we had a Youth water park trip as an end-of-summer celebration/let's-get-this-school-year-started-off-right celebration. It was so much fun. The place was big enough for grown ups to play and have fun.

Most of the time when you go to things with your kids, the place is too small and adults have to squeeze through to be able to play with their children. Kind of a like an unspoken Adults Not Welcome So Go Chit Chat With Other Adults sign. So, we squeeze through tunnels and passageways with our little ones who are too little and timid to go by themselves until we're too tired of maneuvering our way around and tag our spouses to take over.

But not this time! This time there was all sorts of running around (and by running I mean walking really fast because the ground is wet and we don't want to get a whistle blown at us from a nearby lifeguard cause, geesh, that'd be embarrassing with your youth kids there), going down slides multiple times, standing under the giant bucket waiting for it to sound the alarm that it was about to dump on you. Ahh, it was a good time.

But. But, my poor hubby. He wasn't feeling very well and our daughter only wanted Daddy that day. She wasn't able to take a nap anywhere and was so hungry that she didn't know what she wanted. I kept asking her if she was hungry and she just kept saying, "Nooo," and start whimpering. So Bryan held her for hours. I told him that after we eat I'd take her so he could have an hour of so of doing whatever he wanted.

She was much better after we ate and perked right up. She didn't mind hanging with me on the lazy river for a while but it was right next to the water basketball area and that's where daddy was. She wouldn't let me do anything else but stay close to daddy.

He finally held her as he played some b-ball and eventually he went to the lazy river. They floated around in a double raft where she finally found contentment. Then we had to leave. She wasn't very happy. Poor baby.

When we got out to the car, she settled right in and played a little with our friends kid, M, who was also in our car. But 1oish minutes into the car ride and our kiddo was out. At 7:30. You'd think that'd be a problem for the rest of the night but it wasn't at all.

Home at 8:30 and stopped to let M out to go with her parents, not a peep from our kiddo. We even stopped at DQ and got an ice cream. She didn't wake until we stopped at home and I took her out of her car seat. Even then she just rested her head on my shoulder, then curled up in her crib when I put her down. Didn't even ask for milk so I know she was beat. Slept through til morning at around 8. I even had to drag myself out of bed but it was well worth it. Such a fun day.

And finally, us girls had our annual birthday celebration for one of us again. It starts in September and goes right on through. Except we have more girls now, so more birthdays. Fun!! Ate too much food, had good laughs, and a funny movie to boot. Next is my birthday!

Youth groups starts on Wednesday, we get to see family this weekend, and what a long weekend it will be, and my birthday on Sunday! Yay!

Enjoy your day!

Raptor Center

This week has been crazy but yesterday, on a whim, I decided to take A and Emily's M and J to the Raptor center. My sis, Courtney got to tag along with us. She's an animal nut and wouldn't have been missed it.

Well, there's two Raptor center's around here and I meant to take them to the closest one but I didn't. At all. I got directions for the place and didn't bother to check them and wound up passing the closest one by 20 some minutes to the next location.

However!, it was gorgeous out there! I told my hubby that

we have to take a family day to spend

the entire day out there walking the trails, seeing the sites, boating, fishing. It was just so gorgeous.

We got out there and I told the kids that we were asked to keep our voices down so we wouldn't scare the birds... they didn't do too bad. They had thee cutest owls. Some where so little and the kids asked if they were babies. They weren't, they were just little. We also saw a bald eagle, which was magnificent, a vulture which was so weird looking, and a hawk eat, or rather, tear into a mouse.

They checked out their wing span compared to that of an eagle's 7 ft. They fell a little short ;)

We found a trail at the end of the cages and decided to walk it down. We ended up close to the water but I wouldn't let the kiddos get any closer. Don't need someone falling in. So we just stayed our distance. But it sure was gorgeous.

At the end, on our way back, we went through a butterfly garden and saw mostly bees with only a couple butterflies, but still way cool. On our way into the place a butterfly landed on my hand. I tried to get the kids to see it but J kept looking around me when the little guy was right there on my hand. And on our way out of the center a butterfly was chasing J around in circles. Then he decided to run with his eyes close. We'll just have to take his word since he was running away from us.

All in all, it was fun. Definitely going again.

Tomorrow I'm painting another room. Stay tuned...

Whew!

Here I am, sitting at the computer, exhausted, sleepy yet not, yearning for my bed yet not in it, and eating chocolate graham crackers because my hunger has just now caught up with me.

I was in bed at nine. Just, so ready for bed. But then when I curled up to fall asleep, I couldn't. So I thought I would recap. Recaps are fun.

I love the exhausting busyness of the last couple days but, my oh my, am I tired.

Yesterday, my mom-in-law came over to keep my kiddo company. And God bless her because I got a ton done. I cleaned so fast and til I could clean no more.

It's amazing how a person gets to a point where their house is picked up and it seems clean because you have a little person running around who terrorizes your couch, your movies, dragging their toys to the living room, crying, tantrum throwing, hungry cute little beast making you crazy!.. (whew)

But yesterday I got it really picked up. So much to the point where all I had left was the deep cleaning instead of only the top layer picked up with three more underneath that before you can see the floor again. Toys, stuff, everywhere!

I shall throw it all away and start anew!! Maybe tomorrow.

Well, after I finished cleaning and it was time for A's nap, my sister and I had to head over to clean some more. Our new pastor and his family were on their way into town from the Big Apple. Their new house was bought yet not quite ready to move in. The previous owner was still in it!

My hubby found this out when him and two other people (friends{Walters}), from our church, went over to set up a large fenced kennel for the incoming dogs. They met the guy. He happily showed them the place. They were baffled with how much he still had left to pack.

Bryan was going to go back over with Walters to help him pack up so he could get out of there. I offered to go since A was sleeping and Bryan had to get back to work. I got there an hour after Walters and was surprised with what I saw. However, I was told it was an improvement from when Walters had seen it that morning with Bryan and after they greatly encouraged him to get going.

Anywho, after two hours, and lots of encouragement we got his stuff out of there. The Fosters (new pastor and fam) showed up as we were loading the last of it. The previous owner had a few things left, and really wanted to take a break because of the rain, but the four of us continued on to get him out of there so the Fosters could take over.

Fortunately there wasn't a lot of cleaning to do. He kept a pretty clean house. Just not so hot at the moving part. Can't really blame him. His wife was in DM waiting on him while he stayed behind to sell the house. Two years he's been apart from her and longer than that, been in that house. Maybe he had a hard time letting go.

We all understood, so we were kind and loving and helped him in any way we could.

Afterwards, we got back home, had dinner and set out to work on the yard. Bryan mowing and I trimming the bushes with an owner operated clippers. We worked til we were working til street light.

Second time I was dripping with sweat that day. First time without the rain beating on me as I was trying to work. Not complaining. It actually felt really nice.

Today, we went back over to the Foster's new house but this time to move things in. After about a half hour of being there I get a call from my sister. Inside a noisy house with people trying to move things does not a heard phone call make.

All I could hear was my sister asking me to meet her. Me asking where. Her crying and trying to tell me what happened beneath the noise. Me panicking. My sister Courtney does not cry. Rarely. So I knew it was serious. I had no idea what happened. Just that she was working at her vet job and she was now heading to Mercy Care.

I get there and, thankfully, she's doing fine. A dog bit her while she was trying to give him his meds. Only a little broken skin in between her index and middle finger but her thumb was swollen stiff from the bite. She still can't use it very well but the doc put her on antibiotics so that should help.

Went back to the Foster's and the stuff was all moved in but the VV crew was helping to unpack. So unpack we did. I did. My sis took their dogs (she's tough, what can I say) back to our house to care for them for the day. We all worked our little tushies off until noon when Bryan and I had to leave.

At noon(ish) my awesome aunt Kimmy and my rockin uncle Jon showed up with their two beautiful kiddos to bring us lunch. They were just passing through but we got to hang with them for about four hours.

I didn't put A down for her nap until 3:30 which was not a good idea on my part. She wanted out to play, and was just so off that I don't think she got more than an hour and a half of a nap. That made for a grumpy kid.

We eventually had to take the Foster's dogs back home. We were all kinda sad to take them back, especially A. They kinda blended into our little home. But there is always dog-sitting. I think, however, that I sorta promised to get a big dog for A... kinda sorta.

We made a run to MtV and back home for a bath for the stinky rugrat. That catches us up to now. I'm tired. Maybe now I can sleep considering Bryan's going to make me get up at the butt crack of dawn to go to church at his crazy hour. We have to leave a 7! Can you believe that!? A even lets me sleep til 8.

Goodness.

But I get to sing with the worship team tomorrow so I'm excited. First Sunday of our new pastor fam being there to stay, friends back from a long vacation, getting to see everyone. Should be a great day.

P.S. My daughter can tell me all the names of the Fresh Beat characters. I'm wondering if I should be worried.

Our Wednesday

Yesterday was off to a tiring start. A had stayed up late the night before and didn't get to bed until 10. Which was awful for her. We were just out and about and didn't get home til late because of Worship practice and so yesterday morning she got up before she got enough sleep. That made for two trips back to the crib just to sit in there just for her binki. It isn't suppose to leave the crib so back she goes if she wants it.

Anyway, I ended up putting her down at her normal naptime, 12:30, even if she wasn't quite ready because I was. Since my sister was over, because of car dilemmas that I'll get to in a moment, and my husband working from home, I headed out to the pool for the youth Wednesday.

Sheila and three of her four kids, Jolene with her two kids, Pastor Keith with two of the three, and four youth kids were all there. Us adults sat in the shallower end talking while the little ones would swarm and splash at times. It was nice to just sit in the pool. It was only the second time I've been able to go this year but the first time without someone to have to keep an eye on. It was kinda nice.

About 45 minutes before I had to leave, I laid out to dry out. I figured I could get a little sun so my legs weren't so pasty before autumn hits and we're all back in jeans again. My sunblock had worn off on my shoulders so they got fried for the billionth time this summer. My legs did get sun but they also got blotchy. Good fun. Apparently I don't tan very well. Go figure. It's alright. I'm actually looking forward to the winter where all my summer color fades and I'm one color once again. Silly, I know. But I enjoy being pale. And one color.

So, I took off and took Courtney to work so the men could work on her car that evening. Home, shower, then off to the Pitts'. They fed us and us girls got to gab like we haven't since before they vacationed. Then we played with the apps on our phones. Don't mock us. :)

The men worked and worked on that car and decided it would have been over $1000 if she had taken it in to a shop. In the end it will only cost her about $150. Not too shabby. Thank you Bryan and Keith (and even Dave although he wasn't able to physically help because of a wasp sting to his hand). We didn't end up leaving until 9:30. I think we all were tired.

The men are finishing the car this morning, which meant that Courtney stayed again last night and Bryan took her to work this morning. But thankfully, the car should be finished soon and all will be right with the world. (Love you sis!)

Hopefully today will go well. A has already made one trip back to the crib for her binki and I can't decide on what to do with the day. The Park? The Pool? Stay Home? I don't know. Any ideas would be welcomed. I need to get us out more. Even in this blistering heat.

Randomness just to get caught up.

August 3rd, we just celebrated our 6th anniversary! My how time flies. And so weird. It's weird to think that my husband is two years from 30, I'm leaving my mid-twenties, and our daughter will soon be two. Two!! I was just pregnant with her! So crazy.

Speaking of crazy, I think I may need to go back to my "no-sweets" thing. I think I just like sweets too much. If it's around, I wanna snack on it. If it's not, I'm okay but I just don't know if they're worth it anyway.

I made it that 6 months, maybe I should try for 9....

Last night I got to go to worship practice. It was too much fun. Singing loudly in some ridiculousness. And other times just in worship. But always having a good time. We even had a fill-in drummer who doesn't drum. Not too shabby, Miss Sheila.

We went and saw Mewithoutyou on Friday night. Totally awesome. Last time they were here I was pregnant so we couldn't go. I was soooo sad. But we got to go this time!! And it was awesome!! I think I've already said that...

Summer's coming to an end. I try to enjoy each season as it comes and not wish for the next. I do love summer, it's just the humidity. Give me a nice warm day any day.

My garden isn't turning out too bad. I discovered I have cucumbers a month or so ago and even got to enjoy one. But they are now taking over my garden. And my pumpkin... minus any pumpkins, just the vines, are taking over the yard. I will definitely know better for next year. I'm just happy that I know I can do it! Maybe next year I'll even try my hand at flowers.... Hmmm.

Since we were blessed with this laptop from Bryan's work, I'm hoping to be able to work on my photos with it. Maybe I can drum up a business from it.. I really love photography.

Anyway, I think I'm caught up for now. Maybe something exciting will happen today. Or maybe just the Splash Pad...

I am back!

We have been without a laptop for about a year and a half. But just the other day Bryan's bosses decided to send him one so he was able to do some work in OSX (I know what that means!!!). For free. I love his job. Actually, I don't always love it because of the long hours at times, but I am so very thankful for his job and more importantly the people he works for. They are so kind and thoughtful. They treat us well and they're just, well, awesome.

So, here I am, on the Macbook that they have generously sent to us. I think I'll be blogging a lot more.

A lot more..

Day 172 of 175

I'm nearing the end of my "no sweets" ...thing... Here, I don't even know what to call it.

A while back I had talked about giving up sweets for 6 months. I had a couple of people say they didn't think I could do it, or I was crazy, or I shouldn't give it up cold turkey. Well, I did do it and I did give sweets up cold turkey and I've been doing it now for 172 days.
Saturday is Bryan's birthday. The day I said would be the end of my anti-sweet diet. And I've got to say, I'm a little nervous. It has become easy for me to pass on dessert. Even at my mom-in-law's, who makes incredible desserts every time.
But now that it's getting closer, I find myself thinking about sweets a little more than I have been. And each time I do, I become a little more nervous to taste a sweet once again especially come this Saturday.
In fact, Bryan has already had one birthday party, and I passed on dessert there, then this weekend we'll have another, but I may pass again until next week when I try my hand at some cookie ice cream sandwiches.
The whole point in me doing the 6 months of being sweet free was to "reprogram" myself when it comes to sweets. I feel like it's my drug and my go-to. And, so, I will just have to watch everything until I can get a handle on eating sweets again.
During my 172 days there have been times when something will come my way for me to taste. Someone would point out that it has sugar in it and to not eat it, but I'd have to remind them that this wasn't a sugar-free fast, it was a craving fast. Some things I could have like my caramel frappachino from Starbucks while others, say the chocolate cherry mocha sinful goodness coffee at Starbucks, I'd have to pass on. And it was okay. I would just say, "Welp, can't have that again." and I wouldn't.
So maybe I just have to take those kind of lessons and apply them generously at day 175 and on. Maybe now I can just have a little and not over eat every delicious thing in front of me. Okay, so it wasn't that bad. But I do need to have better self control. And that was the whole point. And truthfully, I'm giving all props to God. Because, without prayer, I wouldn't have made it past the first week, let alone these 6 months.
So, now, after reading this, y'all probably think I'm crazy, or making a big deal out of nothing. I can assure you, though, it wasn't nothing to me. I don't want to turn to a giant warm cookie topped with delicious ice cream instead of taking my stresses to the Lord.

And that is the point.

It has been far too long.

Recently I've been busy working on a painting for our church.

Since May of 2009 we have been without a pastor. For a year we've had a committee dedicated to prayer and allowing God to lead us to the new Pastor that he had in mind for our church. During the prayer process, the committee came to a verse that we have adopted as the church's reminder~

Behold! I am doing a new thing... Isaiah 43:19

Around last December, there was talk to find a vinyl lettering to place at the back of the sanctuary, on the balcony wall, so you'd see it as you left the service. After finding that there wouldn't be one large enough, they were going to have a member in the church make one with a Cricut machine. But that wouldn't be able to make one large enough either. So then they came to me, told me what they were thinking, and asked if I'd be willing to paint it. I was. I really, really was.
Well, having a year and a halfer running around made getting to it very difficult. I kept putting it off and putting it off. Until finally I decided to just get it done. I found a font I liked, printed it off, got a transparency of it, ran it past the Wonderful lady in charge of the whole thing, and after she loved it from the first moment I was determined to get 'er done, as in the words of my beloved dad-in-law.
So I got started.
My plan was to have the larger black lettering done in the first week and the smaller blue lettering done in the second. Yeah, well, that didn't happen. I did get the larger lettering done in two days, 8 hrs for that first week. {Praise the Lord for nap time and a hubby that works from home.}




So after I got the "Behold" finished, I was going to wait to start the blue. But I couldn't. I just wanted to keep working. So I went out and got a blue paint and got to work. I finished "I am doing a" in 2 days, 6 more hours. That's when I had to call it a week.



Come Saturday, A got sick, then Sunday I was down with her. I was disappointed to not get to see everyone's reactions that day to the big black lettering on the wall behind them. But I was informed by my friend, who's also the Youth Pastor of the church, that everyone was thrilled at what was being done and gave an applause. Not to be boastful but I am proud of myself.

The next week I really wanted to continue on. Once I get on a project, I really want to finish. It's hard for me to take a break. Even when I am sick. So by Thursday, I got back to the church. I got "new" done in 2 hours. Progress.


That next Sunday, my family and I went down for the weekend to visit my family. So, again, I didn't get to see everyone's faces. Oh, well. As long as everyone was liking it, I was excited. So last week I finished "thing..." because that's all I had time for. But this week I finally finished it.

All in all, it took me approximately 24 hours to finish since the blue needed three coats to cover. But I'm happy and proud of myself for what I've accomplished.

So that's about what I've been up to this last month. Hope y'all are having a great weekend.

Aaaaaaaaand I'm back.

It's already April, and look at me, I just am now getting to blog. It's true.

So much has been happening between now and the end of January I don't even know where to begin. So, taken from my lovely friend Emily, I will now lovingly subject you to bullet points :)

• My baby girl is nearing 19 months. She is getting so big so fast. She's such a little girl.
  For summer, I went and got her a sandbox and she already loves it. Soon we'll be getting her a swimming pool which I know I'll never get her back inside when that comes along.
  
• My mom and stepdad are up for a visit. It's been fun, exhausting, creative, and with laughter infused times. My mom has even gone and bought A some new outfits for the summer. One being a new bathing suit that is absolutely adorable. She's just too cute anyway.
• I have such amazing family and friends. I am blessed.
  
• In February, we celebrated our 6th engagement anniversary. We do that instead of valentine's day. That way we beat the rush of couples, we get to avoid the mass hysteria of buying cards and candy, as well as celebrating one of our special memories.
• In March, my younger sister got married. Happy 1 month and 4 days :)
• Spring is here and the warm weather, sprouting flowers, and greening trees makes me happy.
• My girlfriends and I are planning a vacation in July to Chicago that we are super excited about. Sometimes, though, I can't tell if we're more excited about Chicago, getting away kid-free, or the food we will be consuming. Yay!
• My hubby and I sold the car he bought me when we were dating to my sister. With that he was able to buy himself a guitar. It's a beaut. And he's happy.
• I was able to participate in a weekend for the youth girls to come together, bond, hang out in girl time, talk, discuss and learn more about God. It was a fun weekend full of great conversations.
  
• Last time I mentioned that I was going off of sweets for 6 months. Well I am 3 months and 10 days strong. At first it was hard and I would struggle with it a lot. But I kept praying about it and giving it up to God. He has really gotten me through the hardest parts and there is a day here and there when I would just love to have some chocolate but I can tell my mindset is changing about sweets. When the day comes that I allow myself to have sweets again, it will be few and far inbetween.
  

Anyway, that's all I've got for now.. not entirely but it will have to be because I am tired.
Until next time... have a wonderful day!