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.