Striving to be More

Not Even Missing a Beat

2012-01-25T19:05:00.000-06:00

Sooo...I'm just gonna jump back in here, not missing a beat, and kind of ignore that year long hiatus that I took! ;-) Last year was crazy. And good. And sad. BUT, it's 2012. It's a new beginning of sorts, and I seriously *love* fresh starts!

There's no way I'd be able to summarize last year in just a paragraph so I'm starting with the here and now. Like this adorable little bit: Camden, who is now 2 1/2 (yikes!), was standing in the chair at the kitchen table. We have a pub height table so the chairs are pretty high up. For the billionth time, I told her to sit down and in true 2 year old fashion, she said, "no!" Oh. my. goodness, kid! Anyway, I told her that she had a choice: she could sit down or she could have a spanking. Know what her answer was? "Little spanking!" I don't think so, Miss Priss! When I spank, I spank to get your attention...no "little" spanks! Ha ha! Good thing she's so darn adorable.

Oh, I have so much more to write about. I'm afraid if I write it all now, I'll have nothing left to say later! I'm going to take my time, and post over the next few days. I'm so glad to be back, yall!

Get Ready to Worship

2011-01-31T14:35:00.002-06:00

I just have to share these 2 songs with you. I think Kari Jobe is amazing. These songs make me want to fall on my knees and just worship my Savior with all my heart.

The More I Seek You

Healer

*Linking up here:

Reflections and a New {hopefully sticking} Focus

2011-01-14T10:36:00.003-06:00

So every few months I get all kinds of bloggin' crazy. I'm going along nicely, blogging my little heart out, then BOOM! I give in to insane amounts of {self-induced} pressure and I disappear. It's my own fault, yall. I love reading blogs, seriously love it, and I admire so many women who write these blogs. Admire them, as in...dang, she is uber talented! Or dang, that girl's got it all together. Or man, I only wish I could parent/craft/homeschool/worship/write/clean/look/cook/decorate/etc. as good as her. It's pathetic but I'll be darned if I don't fall prey to it every time.

So, here's my new focus: I'm vowing to be the best ME that I can possibly be. I want to live with intention. No more of this wishing I could be something--or someONE--else. And this "living with intention" will include blogging. As I have time. As I see fit. For me. And I will *not* compare myself to all you awesome ladies out there. I'll try not to, anyway! ;)

The best ME includes living for Jesus, loving on my husband and kids, keeping my home, making nourishing meals/choices for my family, crafts!!!, reading books, homeschooling, working on my photography, making friends, and figuring out a less disgusting way of cleaning out the litter box!!!

Here's to 2011! It's going to be a GREAT year!

And now for a picture, cause you know you can't post without one ;)

{Loving those saggy, baggy, mismatched pajamas!!}

My Creative Mess (and Spongebob!)

2010-08-27T14:04:00.009-05:00

I have a crafting problem. I start a billion projects and about halfway through I decide I'm not in the mood to complete them cause there's something else I'd rather be working on. Yeah, I think it may be crafty ADD. I truly enjoy creating. I also enjoy (LOVE) looking at all my pretty supplies! What I don't enjoy, however, is the mess that comes along with it. Case in point:

(Yes, my walls are orange. No, I don't particularly like them. We're renting and we'll be out of here in less than two years. No way I'm painting...saving that joy for my next house!)

It's a disaster but I'm getting stuff done, slowly but surely. Here are a couple of things I've finished recently and a few I'm working on:

Twine balls. Love these things! Super simple to make but a little time consuming. All you need is a styrofoam ball, twine (from Target dollar spot) and lots of glue sticks. You just wrap the twine around the ball and glue every couple of inches. I work on these On Sunday nights while watching True Blood with my husband.

These $2 knee socks from Target will soon be baby legs for my girl. She's 13 months and the stinker still isn't walking! She takes steps here and there but she finds it much faster to crawl. So adorable to hear the splat splat of her little hands as she takes off crawling down the hall!

Ohhhh...my wooden welcome! I really like the way this turned out. My kids and I were taking a walk and I saw that someone was throwing out a bunch of wood scraps. I, of course, picked some up and brought it home. I spray painted it off white (it didn't give complete coverage which is great--adds to the weathered look) and then glued on the wooden "welcome" word (also spray painted) that Ibought for $1.99 at JoAnns. Quick, easy, and looks fantastic on the console table in my entry.

A fun and fluffy coffee filter wreath hanging above the console table in the entryway. Love those little Command hooks...just perfect for something like this.

And last of all, I have to brag on my boy. He is such an artist...I'm really amazed by his talent. Seriously. He's 8. Look at this picture of Spongebob he drew on a little whiteboard. (He wasn't looking at a picture and copying it--he just drew this out of the blue.)

The boy has talent, right?!

*Look at my sidebar to see link parties I love!

Meet the Baxters

2010-08-25T12:47:00.002-05:00

I *heart* my precious family! :)

*Thanks to www.nicoledenae.com

Guess what I bought??

2010-08-25T10:47:00.003-05:00

This bad boy!!!

It left Utah yesterday so I'm hoping I get it tomorrow. Yes, I'm stalking the FedEx tracking! So excited to get this thing. Vinyl home decor, scrapbooking and cardmaking, heat transfers, yada yada yada. I'm going to be a creating fool!

I've been doing little bits of crafting here and there, nothing spectacular. I'll try to take some photos today so I can post them soon.

I Love: Organization

2010-08-18T11:34:00.007-05:00

Organizing is one of my most favorite things to do. I love organizing and rearranging and making new systems. The only problem is, I have a tendency to organize something...and then do it again. And again. Rinse and repeat. I've recently rearranged the playroom and now I'm getting the itch to do it again. Actually, I need to re-do it so it'll be more toddler friendly. I want a room where both kids will have access to their toys. Plus, it'll be nice to get some of these toys out of the living room. (Are we the only ones who have toys lined up at every wall?!) I was looking for inspiration and found some fantastic rooms so I thought I'd share. (Now, much of this is "I wish", but some of it can be done with what I have.)

Damask Playroom

Oh my gorgeousness! Love this room. Love the bookshelves. In the spirit of keeping it real...in our house, the books would stay neat like that for all of 4.7 seconds. I love the chests on either side, too. Love that they used fun, bright colors while maintaining a more mature feel.

Dining Room Playroom

I want this room just for the pretty chairs and the pink kitchen!!

Pottery Barn Kids Playroom

I love pretty much anything Pottery Barn but this room is fantastic. It would be perfect for playing...and learning! I have a thing for kid sized table and chairs. So stinkin' cute!

Bright and Cheerful Playroom

Huge, bright and super organized! My kids would destroy it in no time flat! lol

Okay, I'm off here to bag up toys we own but are never played with so they can be donated. Then maybe I'll start on the playroom--I'll post updates and pictures!

Baby Girl is Sick

2010-08-13T16:53:00.005-05:00

My sweet girl is sick. She's been running a fever for 3 days. I took her to the doctor today because it's Friday and the sickies have a crazy way of getting worse during the weekend. Everything looked good...her ears, throat, lungs, etc. The doctor wanted a urine sample to rule out a UTI. Wouldn't you know that Cam didn't wet her diaper the entire 3 hours we were there. They ended up collecting a sample with a catheter. :( Heartbreaking. Say a prayer that sweet girl starts feeling better soon...I need to see that precious, smiling face again!

Folded Paper Flowers

2010-08-12T02:00:00.000-05:00

Look at this adorable bouquet I have greeting people in the guest bath:

Super cute, huh? I also have a few of them on my fridge holding up menu plans and artwork.

(The magnets are precious...the dust, not so much! I *am* wiping the fridge door down as soon as I finish posting. Yikes!)

These accordian folded paper flowers are super-de-duper easy to make. Here's what you need: a scorer, two strips of paper 12 inches long and 1.5 inches wide (you can vary the width), a handy dandy glue gun, and cute embellishments (flowers,buttons, bling, etc).

I'll give you step by step directions (although this is so simple you could surely figure it out on your own...just helping ya out in case!) First, use the scorer to make accordian folds on both strips of paper, 1/2 inch apart, all the way down. Like this:

Next, glue the ends of each piece together to make one long strip. Glue those ends together to make a big circle.

This parts is kind of hard to explain. Flip the circle in and pinch it together with your hand so that it looks like this:

Now put some hot glue in the center hole and hold it til its glued. Do the same for the back side of the flower.

Lastly, top it off with your embellishments and think of a billion cute ways to use the flower. Here's an idea...use it as a cute package topper.

Ca-ute! And easy. And fast. My kind of craft! :)

{Not} Back to School!

2010-08-09T21:26:00.009-05:00

Today was our first day of homeschool--3rd grade. The public schools out here don't start until the 23rd but we're getting a jump start on them. We take lots of breaks throughout the year so it all evens out. Cade did great today--he even said, "I can do my school work forever!" Ummm...shall I remind him of that a few months from now?! ;)

After a yummy lunch of this (of which neither of my children ate--I thought it was delish!):

We went and had ice cream! Cade decided on strawberry.

We were at Cold Stone Creamery and he decided on no add-ins. What? You gotta spice that ice cream up! Well, a little anyway...I chose vanilla with chocolate chips. Nothing too fancy for either of us.

I gave Camden a couple bites but she's not a big fan of ice cream. I don't like ice cream too much either (just pretend like you didn't see that I ate half a cup!)

After ice cream we went to Camden's 1 yr well check. She's 20 lb 9 oz (30%) and 30 3/4 inches (90%). Love this gorgeous girl!

Linking up to:

Camden's 1st Birthday

2010-08-06T10:15:00.015-05:00

I had so much fun getting everything together for Camden's first birthday party last weekend. As a matter of fact, I catch myself dreaming up silly little reasons to throw another party just so I can decorate again! The theme was pink and green and polka dots. Here are a few shots of the day:

Birthday chalkboard

Princess roses. I put them in mason jars and they were so beautiful!

Pompoms on the chandalier

Pink plasticware and green straws in mason jars. I made the labels for the water bottles, too. Bought the butterfly confetti from Etsy.

Balloons tied to the birthday chair

Smash cake getting smashed

My 1 yr old princess!

Spring snapshots

2010-05-25T09:35:00.011-05:00

This photo screams spring to me because, well, it says "happy spring" on the sidewalk! lol Kidding! It's those pink ladybugs on her gingham dress and also the two mosquito bites on her forehead--poor baby! Spring/summer and mosquitos go hand in hand down here, unfortunately. And yes, she did attempt to eat the chalk after I used it. :)

It's been in the 90's here so yesterday when Camden woke up from her nap and was still grumpy, I let her "swim". It took her a few minutes to get used to the idea but then she had a blast! She loves splashing and crawling all around the little pool. She also loves pulling the grass up and putting it in the water. Ew! Oh, and I need to buy some of those little swimmies. Her diaper must have held about 2 gallons of water by the time she got out of the pool!

Have to add one of the boy! The city was doing something with all the fire hydrants in our neighborhood and Cade thought it was the coolest thing ever to get to play in the water. He was totally bummed when the water was turned off. :)

I'm adding these photos over at Natalie's Sentiments for a chance to win this:

Check out her blog, yall...lots of great "currently's" on her sidebar, a couple of cute kids, and fun giveaways!

Public Enemy #1

2010-03-15T12:55:00.002-05:00

Mr. Wasp,

I've never liked flying insects that sting. So you've never really been a friend of mine. But yesterday after you stung my baby girl? I wanted to kill you. And I did. I smacked you with a stack of papers and it killed you. To be honest, that just didn't seem good enough. I wanted to slowly torture you. Instant death wasn't punishment enough. Why the heck did you sting my baby? She just wanted to pick you up. She's only 7 months...she learns about things by touching. And tasting. Thank goodness she didn't get you to her mouth! After a dose of Motrin, the swelling in her hand has gone down and she's doing fine. That means I'm feeling much better about the whole thing. I'm calm now and I realize you were just doing your wasp thing. Let's make a deal. You stay out of my house and I won't kill you. But if you ever mess with one of my kids again...I will not hesitate to snuff the life out of you.

Sincerely,
Angry Mama Bear

**for the record, I'm not a violent person. I just don't like my babies getting hurt! :)

Pooped

2010-03-12T07:01:00.004-06:00

This is not a picture of me. It is, however, prety much how I feel. I'm pooped. Worn out. My 7 month old, as adorable as she is, does not sleep well. Seriously. She's up every 1-2 hours. All. Night. Long. Like I said, I'm tired (pronounced tarred, like a true southerner!).

Another picture of not me. But definitely how I feel. 24 hours a day is just not enough. Not when there's homeschooling and cooking (from scratch?!) and cleaning (sweeping and dishes and bathrooms, oh my!) and laundry and baby raising and nursing said baby and character training and grocery shopping and homemaking and bill paying and bible study and taking a shower and getting dressed/made up and personal time and taking care of a husband and requesting defensive driving for his traffic ticket (such a pain when the ticket was received in another city) and non-sleeping all night long to do. Whew! Just typing all that I'm supposed to do every day wears me out. Is it possible to get it all done? Cause I'm reading blogs (uh-oh, might be a time waster, there!) and I "see" all these women that seem to be getting it all done. So either they're super women or they're not telling the truth. Hmm.

Alright, I'm off to put my precious, no sleeping babe back to bed. And yes, I'll be taking a nap with her!

Halloween

2009-11-03T08:24:00.005-06:00

Cade wanted to be a blue crayon so I made his costume from felt. I think it turned out pretty good and he loved it!

He wanted his sister to be a princess so I had someone form Etsy make a tutu for her. She looked adorable, of course! As happy and smiley as this baby is, I cannot get her to smile for the camera. Rotten girl!

Thoughts on Whole Living

2009-11-02T16:19:00.005-06:00

I used to subscribe to body + soul magazine. My favorite part was the "ten thoughts on whole living" page at the very end. I've actually torn them out and kept them to refer back to. Here are a few of my favorites...

Sometimes picking your battles means letting go of a need to engage in them. (I'm embarrassed to say I've battled with loved ones over things that are just plain stupid. Why do I feel the need to argue about silly, trivial things?)

Walk a little, every day. (There have been days that I don't walk much...I spend a lot of time on the computer. On those days, my body seems to get stiff and achey. Movement, activity and exercise are *necessary*.)

A healthy life stems from better choices. (It's all about choices...and perspective...and attitude!)

Try not to let the lure of electronics strip away your ability to be here now. (I have a love/hate relationship with my computer and cell phone. You know how it is.)

Worth doesn't begin and end with a bank account. Appreciate you true abundance. ("A worthy woman who can find? For her price is far above rubies." Proverbs 31:10 ASV)

Here's What I'm Working on...

2009-10-20T11:20:00.006-05:00

This is the small bookshelf we're working on. I forgot what kind of wood it's made of but it's good quality and very sturdy. The trim has been cut and just needs to be glued/nailed on. Then I have to paint it. There are two other bookshelves that need to be painted, as well. They're much larger, though. 6 ft by 4 ft. Huge! Those 2 will go in the living room, on on either side of the tv. This smaller one is going in the office and will be our "homeschool" bookshelf. It's really deep so it'll hold quite a bit.

See all the frames on the cardboard in front of the bookshelf? I bought them at Goodwill. They were all a cheap, tacky gold. I spray painted them and now they all hold Veggietales pictures that Cade drew! I matted his drawings on cardstock and framed them. I'm so proud of how talented he is and he's so proud to see his pictures framed around the house!

Here's the other thing I've been working on:

She's so stinkin' cute! Seriously, she's such a happy baby. She makes me want more babies. Except for when she's up til midnight. Then I don't want more!

That was a Long Break

2009-10-13T07:53:00.003-05:00

Whoa. It's been over 4 months since I last posted. We've had lots going on...new house, new baby, yadda yadda yadda! I'll try to keep up better but who knows how well I'll do. I'm always struggling to find balance. Why is that so darn hard? There's just so much to do. Cook, clean, do laundry, homeschool, take care of the baby, play with my son, take care of myself, help my husband, dole out supplements, give baths, etc. In my free time I usually read blofgs rather than post to my own. I'm going to work on that, though.

Anyway, my princess baby was born on July 21 weighing 9 pounds and 10 ounces. She was born a mini linebacker! lol I had a successful VBAC even though she was bigger than her brother. Unfortunately, I had a few complications and was in and out of the hospital for that first week. Praise God all is well now. So baby girl is now 2 1/2 months old and just so stinkin' precious! She's rolling from tummy to back already (too early!) and is always smiling. She's a good baby...never cries unless she's ready to go to bed. She sleeps okay. Better than her brother did but still not great. Cade absolutely adores her. He just loves her to pieces and is so protective of her.

I have yet to catch her smiling with my camera. Stinker!

My Funny Kid

2009-06-05T17:45:00.002-05:00

*click on the picture to make it larger and read the journaling*

Seriously Impressed

2009-06-03T14:21:00.003-05:00

Back when I lived in Phoenix, my girlfriends and I used to hit up all the local Goodwills and thrift stores. We were always looking for cheap pieces to alter (and Pyrex, we loved collecting Pyrex!). It's so much fun to take something old or ugly and make it new and gorgeous! I haven't done that in such a long time. Today I came across a blog called Thrifty Decor Chick and I have been seriously inspired. This girl is FAB at restoring old pieces! Seriously, you have to check her blog out! I really want to start altering again. I think I need to find some new Goodwills and stock up on spray paint

It's raining and thundering outside (and I'm loving the smell of the rain--I had to stand out back for a few minutes and just inhale deeply--very calming *and* refreshing) so that means swim lessons will be cancelled today. Cade is happy! He didn't sleep so well lst night and is cozied up on the couch watching Noggin. I'm kind of happy, too...I'm in the mood to create! I think I'll scrap again. I'm trying to get through some older pictures and stories so I can move on to newer things when the baby is born. (Ummm...which will be in about 6 weeks!!! EEK!) Here's a page I just finished up and also the card that I ended up making for my friend.

C is for Camden

2009-05-29T10:03:00.002-05:00

I altered a foam letter for miss Camden. I plan on doing one for Cade, too. I think it's so much easier to make things look girly, though.

Today I'm working on a card and gift bag for a friend of mine who's going through chemo. She's 32 and has stage 2 Hodgekin's Lymphoma. We're all very optimistic that she'll be just fine. I'm no longer a Mary Kay consultant and I have lots of leftover products so I thought I'd make her a goodie bag with pampering stuff. So far it's going to have Lotus and Bamboo loofah body cleanser and nourishing body lotion and a Satin Lips set (mask and balm). I'm not sure what else I'll throw in there.

My husband is a lucky man. Seriously. He's out of town on business and stopped into a casino last night. I agreed to him spending $20. (I'm not a gambler--at all--and think it's just ridiculous to lose money.) Anyway, he was there for about 5 hours (on $20!!!) and walked away with $600!!!!!!! Last time he went to a casino he went in with $40 and came out with over $2000. Shoot, maybe I shouldn't have such a problem with him gambling! lol Anyway, he plans on buying a GPS for traveling (I'm wondering if that would be reimbursed under business expenses?) and I plan on going to the scrapbook store! :)

Have a good weekend!

Craftiness

2009-05-27T08:33:00.005-05:00

The crafting bug is back...yay! I finished a layout last night and I'm working on another one this morning. I'm also going to alter a letter "C" for the baby today. We've decided to name her Camden Faith and I am completely in love with the name! So we'll have Cade and Camden...love it! :)

Anyway, here is a layout I finished recently. Horrible picture but I really do like the finished product. I so appreciate my husband. He really works hard to provide for us. And his efforts are being blessed--praise God!

Here are a couple of mini cards that I did...these were so simple and so fun! I can definitely see myself doing more of these. They're perfect little cards to put on the top of gifts.

The baby has hiccups right now and it drives me crazy! She's getting so big. Actually, it's me that's getting so big! lol Here's a picture from 32 weeks.

Time to finish scrapping and take Cade to swimming lessons. He's doing so very well, by the way. I'm seriously impressed with how much progress he's made and his coach is fantastic! Have a blessed Wednesday!

Been Oh, So Very Long!

2009-04-29T09:21:00.005-05:00

I haven't posted on here in such a long time! Life took a crazy turn and I ended up going through a short bout of depression/anxiety...something I haven't had to deal with in a few years. So anyway, I took some time to get things together and unfortunately, blogging was at the bottom of my to-do list. I'm feeling so much better now and ready to jump back in!

On the pregnancy front, I'm almost 29 weeks. I just had an ultrasound done and I am so happy to say that she is still a girl! Woohoo! I was nervous--we have so many pink clothes already and we're in love with the name that we've chosen. Plus, we're just plain ol' stinkin' excited about welcoming our new *daughter*! Even Cade is set on having a baby sister...he's always saying, "I just love my baby girl," and also, "I just want my own baby sister!" Too sweet! Here's a {blurry} picture of her sweet little squished baby face.

I haven't done too much with crafting. I did get a new printer hooked up so now I can start scrapping some pages with journaling. Yay for that! I'm also working on a simple little birthday calendar that I'm hoping to finish up today. I need to keep up with birthdays (I never remember til last minute) and I decided to use up some of my old patterned paper. It's bright and fun. I'll post pictures next time. I also made a card for my husband's cousin and his wife because they passed down a *ton* of baby clothes to us. I used a sketch from Mojo Monday and I love the way the card turned out. As a matter of fact, I think I'm going to use a bunch of these sketches to whip out a bunch of cards. That way I can have them on hand when I'm looking at my handy dandy birthday calendar. See how that works?! lol Anyway, here's the card:

Cade is doing well...making steady progress. And his two front (top) teeth are finally staring to come in! It's been about 7 months now and I was getting a little worried. They're both coming in, hopefully nice and straight. He'll be starting swim lessons soon. I'm looking forward to that. He also says that he wants to go back to school next year. Not sure how we're going to work that out. I don't have a problem with him going back to school as long as he has a teacher that is loving, patient and understanding. (He wants to go back to his old school so we might end up doing that.) As a matter of fact, if he goes back to school I'll be able to join MOPS again and I would love that!

Alright, getting off here for the moment. We need to go play at the park before it rains again!

Lyrics of the Day

2009-03-26T08:28:00.002-05:00

Praise Him, praise Him,
All you little children,
God is love, God is love.
Praise Him, praise Him,
All you little children,
God is love, God is love.

Thank you, Jesus, for the abundant blessings you have poured down on Cade. I am so eternally grateful for the progress he's made. I give ALL the glory to You. Job 8:21 says, "God will let you laugh again; you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy." Father, they will here me shouting on the other side of the Earth when Cade is recovered! I will always proclaim of Your mercy and goodness and Your faithfulness. In Jesus' name I pray, Amen.

***Putting language together and having it sound "normal" is something that is a little bit of a challenge for my son. Lately he has been saying more and more things that are just so amazing. For instance, last night he was playing Ratatouille and getting a bit frustrated. He said, "stupid crab!" I giggled a little because it reminded me of his dad (lol) and Cade looked right at me with a pout and said, "stop laughing about it." May not seem like much, but let me tell you, that was HUGE! Such a typical 7 year old moment. I can't praise God enough for His blessings!

Catch-up

2009-03-25T08:22:00.006-05:00

A momma tomato and a kid tomato were walking together down the street. What did the momma tomato say to the kid tomato when he was lagging behind? Ketchup! lol

I haven't posted in forever. Been so busy. Actually, posting and reading other blogs was taking up a big chunk of my time so I had to take a short break to focus on other things. Balance is the main thing I crave in life and balance is the hardest for me to obtain. I tend to get a bit "obsessed" with things. :)

So, last week I really focused on homeschooling with Cade. I found tons of awesome blogs that have activities but they're mainly geared toward preschool age. Cade's 7 and quite bright so I ended up using the hands-on activities but adjusting things so they were more at his level. I bought a white board and would make a list of "lessons and activities" that we were going to do that day and then he could check each one off as we completed them. Great idea--he loved it! And...he loved the fun activities so much that when we were done he wanted to do more. As a matter of fact, he said, "I can do school work forever!" So that kept me very busy. Here are a couple of the blogs I got ideas from: Adventures of a Flake and Hey, I'm Just the Nanny. Cute projects! So Cade's been learning but it takes a lot of time for me to decide what lessons we'll be learning and then plan the actual activities. Then I have to sit and do the projects with him. How wonderful it would be if he could sit and do independent work but that's just not the way he learns. Oh, and I bought these...they're so much fun! Cade loves to make up sentences, they're great for reading and will be perfect when we start working on nouns, verbs, adjectives, etc. I highly recommend them!

Second new thing--we got a Wii! Finally. Cade decided he was tired of playing Ratatouille on the PS3 and wanted to play it on the Wii. His dad, who is a total sucker and loves showering Cade with gifts, and who wanted a Wii as well I'm sure, hopped right up, traded in the PS3 at GameStop and came home with a brand new Wii! We have the sports games that came with it but we haven't played them yet. We've been playing Ratatouille. It took me just a bit to get used to the controllers but now I love it! I can't wait to play bowling!

And this is my latest obsession. I never thought I'd hop on the bandwagon for this one because I'm really not that into vampires. I mean, they drink blood. Eww! Saturday, hubby rented Twilight and I watched it. It actually wasn't all that good. Kind of cheesy. But for some reason, it drew me in. I wanted to know more about the characters and more of the story. So Sunday after church we went to Barnes and Noble and I bought the first 2 books. I was finished with the first one on Monday and the 2nd one on Tuesday. Tuesday evening my husband brought home the next 2 books. I'm trying really hard *not* to finish the this book in one day. lol They're not great literary reads but there is something that just sucks you in (no pun intended!) and I cannot put these books down. I've been struggling with completing and entire book for a long time so it's nice to kind of get lost in a book again.

Last, but not least, my friend Monica over at Home is Where Your Heart Is have decided to really start scrapping again. We both used to live in Phoenix and our husbands worked together in the Air Force. Her older son is about a year and a half older than mine and her baby boy will be 5 months older than my baby girl. I miss her! :( She lives in Japan...kind of far. We used to scrapbook together and make altered art together. We would give each other challenges and it was a lot of fun. Anyway, we've decided to start doing challenges again and I'm really excited about it. We have our first one picked out and I'm going to make myself put my book down and work on scrapping today. I'll be sure to post the results soon!

And that's it, I think! Oh, I'll have to take a new belly shot on Friday. I'll be 24 weeks and my belly has gotten big! Miss thang likes to practice her kickboxing in my belly...lots of fun!

Taking a Short Break

2009-03-20T19:24:00.003-05:00

I've been busy with homeschooling and life in general. I plan on enjoying my weekend with the hubby and Cade and I'll be back on Monday to post updates and pictures. Have a blessed weekend!

Winner Winner, Chicken Dinner!

2009-03-14T20:25:00.002-05:00

Have you seen the movie 21? Love it!

So, here are the winners of my book giveaway. *I used random.org but I have no clue how to capture a screen shot so yall will just have to trust me!* ;)

The first # that came up was 28. Congrats Rachel from One Day at a Time--you won a copy of The Love Dare!

The second # that random.org gave me was 24. Congrats Shannon from Just a Girl--you won a copy of The Strong-Willed Wife!

Thanks to everyone else for stopping by and playing! Have a blessed weekend!

Shiners? Raccoon? Masked Super Hero?

2009-03-13T06:00:00.001-05:00

What in the world made my crazy child think that using a marker to color his eyes purple was a good idea?! And look at that smug little expression on his face! {This happened on the same day that he stole my white, fuzzy craft fur that's about 3 feet long and stuck it between his hiney buns because he "wanted a tail"!!!!} Thank goodness for little boys and laughter! :)

I'm a Scrapper!

2009-03-11T21:07:00.004-05:00

Back in the day (which would be oh, about 3-6 years ago), I was just a teeny bit addicted to scrapbooking. It was my passion. I absolutely loved it. I loved taking pictures and even journaling, but most of all, I loved putting a layout together. The sense of accomplishment I had after completing a page really gave me a rush. I was proud of my layouts and I thought they were pretty darn cute. I got so involved in it that I started designing layouts for a couple of design teams. I would submit my layouts to magazines and they would get published...I actually got paid to scrap! I was posting my layouts to online galleries where other scrappers would leave comments about them.

Then it happened. I started comparing my work to others. My "art" which I loved so much. I started to feel inferior. I wanted to measure up--to be as good as the "famous" scrappers. I started losing my mojo. I started disliking my layouts. Scrapbooking wasn't enjoyable anymore. So I quit. :( I took a very long break. Like an almost 3 year long break. I had no interest in scrapping. No desire.

A week or so ago, I happened to go through a couple of my old albums that are being stored at my mom's house for the time being. I truly enjoyed looking at my old layouts. They were cute! And the journaling...some of it actually brought tears to my eyes while some of it made me laugh out loud. I am so happy that I preserved those memories. I had actually forgotten some of those things. {Advice--write things down. You just know that you'll never forget it--but you will.}

So all this got me thinking. I haven't scrapped or journaled in a super long time. That's a lot of memories from my son's life that I've missed out on recording. I'm going to be having another baby soon. I've gotta get busy! I absolutely must start scrapping again. I have to. And this time, I will not compare myself to others. I will make layouts that I love...I will make layouts for myself and for my family. And I'll share a few of them here with my bloggy friends! No more trying to be as "good" as others. I want my hobby back!

In honor of that, I'll share a layout I put together yesterday. The pictures are of my son about 2 years ago. I love his dirty little pig face! And I'm happy to say that I actually loved creating this layout (super simple, just my style!). So, on this Thursday, the thing I love is scrapbooking!

I like this little meme. I get to think of all the things I'm appreciative of and then share one (or two!) with yall. See what everyone else loves over at The Diaper Diaries!

Gratituesday

2009-03-10T10:39:00.003-05:00

I just read a fantastic interview over at Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers with Stephen James and David Thomas, authors of the book Wild Things: The Art of Nurturing Boys. I am so grateful for that interview. I really needed it. I've been struggling with myself lately, trying to decide what type of curriculum to start for Cade (we're homeschooling). He's been learning bits and pieces here and there every day but we haven't started anything formal yet. He absolutely hates sitting at the table and doing school work so I'm trying to find lessons that are hands-on. He needs to learn through doing and experiencing. I just sometimes doubt myself because that doesn't seem like "school" so much. This interview reassured me that I'm on the right track. Boys learn in a different way. They're kinesthetic learners and there's nothing wrong with that. My son definitely needs movement. He needs activity. He needs meaning to his learning, not just rote memorization. So, I'm grateful for the interview and the confirmation it gave me. And I'm eternally grateful for the chance I have to parent this amazing little boy of mine! What a blessing!

By the way, I haven't read the book yet but I'm going to...just ordered it from Amazon!

Crafty Tuesday

2009-03-10T10:18:00.004-05:00

Sponsored by The Southern Housewife...check it out!

Sooo...I am not a seamstress. But I love sewing. I decided to make some burp cloths for the baby. I was inspired by these burpies made by Susan Weinroth. A-stinkin-dorable! Of course, mine looks like poo compared to hers. But I don't think the baby will mind. She'll be content to spit up on the pretty pattern! This first one was my practice burpie. I have some adorable {girly} fabrics ready to go to make some more. I'm afraid to use my best fabrics in case I mess up! Silly, I know. Anyway, here's my first burpie:

I think it turned out pretty cute! And it was really easy to make. I just sewed together 2 panels of fabric and then sewed it to a Gerber prefold (wrong sides together). Leave a small opening, turn right side out, and top stitch all the way around. Easy peasy!

SITS Giveaway!!

2009-03-10T06:55:00.009-05:00

I'm participating in the Spring Fling over at The Secret is in the Sauce and I've decided to give away a couple of books! 2 winners! Woot woot! So enter the giveaway and take a few minutes to check out my blog. I promise you'll find some interesting stuff here...for instance, Spongebob taking a poop. I know you haven't seen that anywhere else! ;) Or maybe you need suggestions for toys. I can tell you the best toy ever and also the absolute worst toy ever! Have fun reading and I'm glad you're here!

The first book I'm giving away is The Love Dare. Okay, I haven't seen the movie yet. But I plan on it. I've heard it has a fantastic message. Not the best acting, but a wonderful movie, nonetheless. The book is amazingly simple...it lists a love "dare" to do every day for 40 days. Simple stuff but really powerful. Funny how we forget to truly show love once our lives get all crazy. I'm talking about me here. Why is it easier to get irritated than to have patience?

Next is The Strong-Willed Wife. I should probably be keeping this one for myself (shhh...don't tell hubby I admitted that!). In big, bold-lettered words on the back it says, "Submission isn't a four letter word." Love it! The book "presents how the scriptural concept of authority is designed to be a vital part of a loving, secure relationship. You'll discover freedom in letting your husband lead, because submission doesn't mean denying who you are." Yep, this is a definite must read!

{Can you tell that marriage has been on my mind lately? I've got marriage books out the wazoo. Never, never, never stop working on your marriage. It's way too important to just let it slide.}

So here are the rules. Leave me a comment. Plain and simple. I won't make you follow me (although I'd love it if you did) and I won't make you tweet about it. Just leave me a little note letting me know you stopped by. You can say whatever you want. If you're feeling especially nice and/or wordy, link me up to your favorite blog. (I love crafty blogs and homeschooling blogs. Oh, and blogs with recipes and homemaking blogs. Blogs about organization are good; and blogs that make me laugh, too. I love all blogs!) Not like I don't spend enough time on the computer already but I enjoy sharing the bloggy love! If you don't have a blog, be sure and leave your email address so I can get in touch with you. That's it. Oh, and I'll use a random number picker thingy on Saturday so be sure and leave your comment by midnight, Friday the 13.

Thanks for stopping by!

Play Ball!

2009-03-09T09:29:00.003-05:00

So Bongo, who is actually back to being Cade, by the way, had his first baseball game on Saturday. He's actually playing on the Dream League which is part of Little League but for special needs kids. He's on the Astros (go 'Stros!!) and they gave him a shirt (#3), baseball pants, belt, socks and a hat. He, of course, refused to wear his uniform and ended up being the only kid to play in his regular clothes! lol It was so much fun, though! He has 2 buddies (high school girls that have volunteered) who stay with him throughout the game. So anyway, all the players were announced and lined up on the field for the National Anthem. Seeing my precious son standing there with his hand over his heart just about did me in. I know I'm overly emotional when pregnant but I can't tell you how much I love this little boy of mine. I mean like momma bear love. Fiercely. Game starts and he gets to play shortstop. The first ball is hit right to him so he leans over and scoops it up. Go Cade! Then he just stood there with it in his glove...another little boy ran over and grabbed it from him and tried to tag the runner at first. For the rest of the inning, this is what my guy looked like:

He actually hung out and didn't try to run around the field or anything so I thought that was good! Then it was the Astro's turn to bat. Cade was last in the line-up which means that he automatically gets an in park home run (every player gets to bat and run the bases). So Cade goes up to the plate, bats with the wrong end of the bat, and then runs and picks up the ball! His buddies try to convince him to throw the ball down and run the bases but he insists on kicking the baseball along the base line...all the way around! It took him about 6 minutes to make a homerun. All the parents are cheering and encouraging him the whole time. He finally made it home and everyone was clapping and yelling. He looked right at us and said, "I did it!" Too stinkin' cute, I tell ya!

Second inning (they only play 2 cause it takes about an hour and a half) and
Cade came up to the fence and told us he was done. We went ahead and let him leave early. Next time we'll try to stay for the whole game...and just maybe he'll actually wear his uniform! Here's the sweet sight I got to see as we were leaving the park (bad photo but you get the idea):

Journaling

2009-03-06T16:00:00.006-06:00

The other day I found a few of my old scrapbook albums and sat down to look at them. The first one I looked at had lots of layouts from when Bongo was a newborn. I of course ooohed and ahhhed and fell in love with him all over again! The next album had a lot of layouts from when we were living in Georgia. We lived there for 2years; Bongo was 2 when we got there and 4 when we left. It was right after I realized he had autism. It was a seriously dark time in my life. I flipped through those pages and looked at the pictures of my beautiful boy who means the world to me and was so *grateful* that I had journaled about what was going on in our life during that time. It's heartbreaking and at the same time it's so awesome to see just how far my son has come! Praise God, Bongo has made so much progress! I also started thinking that I haven't scrapped or journaled in a couple of years. I'm really disappointed that I haven't. I plan on going back through my pictures and trying to catch up a little before the baby comes. I just hope I haven't forgotten too many of the stories that make up our life.

Here are a few of my older layouts (when I get some new ones done, I'll share those). Is he not just the cutest boy ever?!?!

It's a Baby...(warning: super long gushy baby love post!)

2009-03-05T07:45:00.009-06:00

GIRL!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Oh my goodness, I can't believe it! I am so super blessed; I have my sweet angel boy and now I'm going to have my precious girl. God is so good and He really knows what He is doing! So anyway, yesterday after finding out I just had to go shopping! ;) My husband took Bongo to Stomping Grounds and there just happened to be a Babies R Us in the same shopping center so off I went. I was proud of myself...I didn't go crazy and buy every cute thing I saw. As a matter of fact, I was much more picky than I thought I would be. I searched high and low for the perfect clothes and I finally settled on a 3 pack of Carters soft cotton t's (she'll be a summer baby...it's cool to lounge around in t's and a diaper!) and an adorable onesie and pants from Koala Baby (cream colored onesie with embroidered butterfly and peach pants with cream polka dots...so pretty!) Here are the t-shirts:

Last night I was looking on Etsy and all I kept thinking was thank goodness hubby's new position and raise start April 1!!!! I kid, I kid. I plan on being wise (or trying to) when it comes to buying baby stuff. It's just so hard to resist all that yummy pinkness! Here are a few things I found and love on Etsy:

Is this not the sweetest little crocheted hat ever? Love it! I found it here at Zoe Lynn Designs.

Love this painting from Galerie Anais. I'm thinking I could probably make something similar to this with all the art and craft supplies I have. It most likely wouldn't be as cute as hers, but hey, baby girl won't mind! :)

Pretty burpcloths! (Gracious Creations) My son was such a spitter. I almost hate to buy and use such pretty burp cloths if they're just going to get all dirty! lol Maybe I'll just use the cheap burpies at home and then take the pretty ones with us when we go out!

I also need a cute nursing cover thing. I found a tutorial for one so I'll attempt to sew one for myself but if that doesn't work out, I'll need to buy one. Know of any other good shops with lots of adorable girly stuff? If so, please let me know!

Thanks for letting me share my good news!

Today's the Day!

2009-03-04T07:43:00.002-06:00

We have our big ultrasound today so I get to see my sweet baby and see if it's a boy or a girl! I'm so stinkin' excited I can't stand it! I'll be back this evening to update. (I haven't posted in a week--oh my! I've been focused on purging and organizing throughout the house. Must be early nesting or something!)

Worst Toy Ever. (so far)

2009-02-25T11:36:00.004-06:00

This is in response to my Best Toy Ever post. Do not, I repeat, do not, buy Glitter Lava. It is officially the worst toy ever. This stuff is a mess. My son wanted some Flarp (flarp?!?!) but Walgreens was all out so I ended up buying him some Glitter Lava. Never again, people! It's not all fun and stretchy like they show on tv. Not at all. It's just super sticky and a pain in the you know where to get off of anything.

Need proof? Just take a look at this. We have stone columns in our entry way. They're beautiful. And now they have a little added bling, too! See that sparkley spot? (Now I admit, I'm a total girly-girl and I love me some glitter--just not on my house!) How in the world am I going to get this off? I'm fixing to get a wet towel and get to scrubbing. Cross your fingers that it works for me!

And this is just sad. Poor Spongebob. There he is, just minding his own business when ol' Bongo comes along and asphyxiates him with some glitter love.

Moral to the story--all that glitters is not gold. Stay away from the Glitter Lava! *Ha ha! I was trying so hard to work that one in there! lol My husband thinks I'm corny. I call it wit! ;)*

Works for Me Wednesday--Online Giveaways!

2009-02-25T07:54:00.003-06:00

Check out a million other fabulous tips at We Are That Family!

Just recently I participated in the SWAK carnival and giveaway over at We Are That Family and I actually won...a $200 gift certificate to Bid My Cleaning! Yeah, I know; I just about fell out of my chair! So now I've decided that I love giveaways. You never know...you might actually win! Here are a few that I know of right now:

Tucker Blair Preppy Headband giveaway over at Her Southern Charm. This one ends at midnight tonight so get on over there!

Lilly Pulitzer mug and stationery giveaway from The Preppy Princess. You've got another week to enter this one...but do it now so you won't forget!

Here's a giveaway from Weird, Unsocialized Homeschoolers. It's for the book Wild Things: the Art of Nurturing Boys. On second thought, maybe you shouldn't enter this one...I really need this book and I can't win if everyone else is entering! lol

Okay, I've got baby on the brain so here are a few baby giveaways from Design Baby. First, a Bumbleride Indie. Yes, a stroller valued at $400! And also, Piggy Paint. Oh, and then there's these adorable Personalized Wooden Blocks! Cute stuff! And speaking of baby on the brain...I had a dream (nightmare?!) last night that I gave birth to twins. That's not the bad part. The first one weighed 13 lbs 5.5 oz and the second baby weighed 10 lb 5 oz. Frightening!! lol

How about some yumminess? Ryan at The Gourmet Foodie Blog is giving away Torn Ranch Truffles. Actually, 13 boxes are being given away!

Okay, now this one is just stinkin' cute! It's a giveaway from Lollipop Book Club. You'll win a paperback book of your choice, a handcrafted lollipop (ca-ute!), a note from you to the child printed on a sticker inside the book, and it all comes delivered in a red envelope adressed to the child!

Alright, this should be enough to get you started. Good luck and have fun reading all of these AWESOME blogs!

A Few Cute Bongo-isms

2009-02-24T08:39:00.003-06:00

I want to get these down before I forget them.

"My stomach is farting because I need a snack." (We then discussed, burps, toots, and tummies growling!

He pointed at me and said, "You are the womanest." (Well...thanks! I guess. The womanest what? The womanest woman? I sure hope that's a compliment!)

"My brain feels really good right now." (I'm jealous...it's been awhile since my brain felt good!)

"Hey, I know that sound!" when he heard his dad snoring! lol

His grandma gave him a big bear hug and said to him, "You are the sweetest boy ever. Do you know that?" Bongo replies, all sweet and innocent, "mm hmm!"

"God made you very safe because I can never, never be a blueberry." He's terrified of this happening:

Spongebob Taking a Poop

2009-02-23T14:27:00.001-06:00

Where does my 7 year old come up with this stuff? And why is Spongebob green?! :)

Things I Love Thursday--My Belly! :)

2009-02-19T08:42:00.003-06:00

Hosted by The Diaper Diaries

I love my belly! With my first pregnancy, I was young and silly and thought I had a funny shape. (I was vain, sadly.) I ended up wearing loose maternity shirts. This time, I am so rocking the baby bump! Now, I won't be wearing a bikini this summer. I'm not that in love with the belly. And I wouldn't submit anyone to that horror (I mean really, a giant, pasty white tummy with a flattened belly button...not something I want to show everyone. Oh, and the hair. I now have these little hairs around my belly button that I didn't have before. What's up with that?!) But I will be wearing cute tops that show how round and big I am! Here's my official 19 week picture (technically 18w6d, I'll be 19 weeks tomorrow):

At 19 weeks, the baby is moving around all the time. I can't keep my hands off my belly when I feel it moving and kicking. Unfortunately, my husband hasn't been able to feel it yet. Every time baby starts kicking and hubby puts his hand on my belly, baby stops. My child is rotten already! :) Our ultrasound is in 13 more days and I cannot wait to find out what we're having. The countdown is on!

WFMW

2009-02-17T17:44:00.006-06:00

So many fabulous tips over at Rocks In My Dryer...go check 'em out!

***Disclaimer--this pretty much only works up to a certain age. Once your kids reach about 9 and up (earlier??), you can forget it! :)

My son is 7. He trusts me. As a matter of fact, he believes every. word. I say. Which is why I *never* lie to him. I do try to simplify things. And I stretch the truth just a teeny bit sometimes. And every once in awhile, I totally make something up. But I don't consider it lying! ;) For instance, the other evening he wasn't feeling well. He kept making weird faces and clearing his throat. I was hoping he wasn't about to puke. I hate the puke. Thankfully he didn't. I guess he just had a tickle or something but it was really bothering him. Drinking water wasn't helping at all. He didn't like it and was getting a little stressed out about it. So I simply told him that sometimes when you don't feel well, you really just need rest. Get some sleep and you'll feel better when you wake up. (Confession time...I meant it as maybe he should go to sleep for the night.) He believed me. And said he was ready to rest. So he layed down on the couch. Two minutes later, he popped up and said, "I'm all better! I rested and now my coughing is gone!" And you know what, it was!

Moral of the story: Sometimes you have to make up a story (not a lie) to help your child out. You just have to do it while they're still young enough to believe you! Worked for me!

Another picture of my handsome boy:

Crafty Tuesdays (a wip)

2009-02-17T13:35:00.003-06:00

Go check it out over at Her Southern Charm! She made the most adorable linen bag with applique. (By the way Mrs. Southern Housewife, I'm totally inspired by Pink Lemonade Boutique, too--she's awesome!)

This post will be short and to the point. I had a busy weekend and my husband had a day off from work yesterday so there was no crafting for me. I'm just getting started now so I'll give a little sneak peak:

Notice the pink! I'm into all things pink and frilly and girly. What am I going to do if I have another boy?! Anyway, I'm going to try my hand at applique. I'll finish it up in just a bit and come back and post the results. Stay tuned! :)

Okay, here it is. My attempt at applique. Drum roll, please:

Aaagghh!! Oh, the horror! I officially stink at applique! That's okay, it was fun trying. Not really. I got frustrated. But...I'll try it again. On a random piece of fabric and not a perfectly good onesie! lol

So, since I failed miserably at that project, I think I'll leave you with some yummy goodness by other people who actually can applique very well!

Lemons and Lollis She is awesome! Corina has an Etsy shop but it's closed for the moment due to the fact that she recently had a baby boy. Look at her work!

Amazing stuff, right?! Check out tons more on her Flickr photostream.

Another very talented lady is Christa at Dapper Duds. She also has a fabric store on Etsy: Sew Good Fabric.

Alright, I feel as though I've redeemed myself...lots of adorable stuff to make up for my mess of an applique project! Take care, everyone! :)

Gratituesday

2009-02-17T11:07:00.003-06:00

Gratituesday is hosted over at Heavenly Homemakers. This is such a good idea...to recall our blessings!

1. My mom was mugged yesterday. While she was pumping gas. She was standing at the gas pump, pumping gas, and someone came to her car, opened the passenger door and took her wallet that was lying on the seat. Seriously. She didn't see or hear anything. So very scary! No, I'm not grateful for that. I am grateful that guardian angels were watching over her. She wasn't hurt, abducted (which has happened around here recently), or worse.

2. My husband signs the papers this week for his new job. Praise God!!! This will be a substantial increase in pay...his salary will more than double! We can finally get out of debt and begin working on financial freedom. I'm such a Dave Ramsey fan, now!

3. My son is making so much progress! It's hard to condense it down to just a few words, but Bongo is really doing well lately. He enjoys playing with other kids at the park (social delays are very common in autism). As a matter of fact, every time he meets a new kid he says it's his new best friend! He also cracks me up. I mean, this kid is really funny. What a joy and blessing he is. (I know I'm his momma but isn't he just beautiful?!)

4. I'm so grateful that we're going to have another baby! For the longest time I didn't want another. One was fine with me. Now I can't believe I waited this long to have another. I get to hold that snuggley warm baby against me again, and listen to it breathing. Oh my, baby bliss! (ps--only 15 more days til the big ultrasound!)

Best Toy Ever. (for the moment!)

2009-02-16T08:17:00.004-06:00

For Valentines Day, Bongo got this really cool Melissa & Doug Pizza Party toy. He loves this thing and has played with it nonstop. This is what it looks like:

(by the way, i just realized that they have other sets...birthday party, ice cream parlor, slice and bake cookie set, sandwich making set. really neat stuff.)

So Bongo takes custom orders. You get a choice of pepperoni, mushrooms or bell peppers. I personally ask for mushrooms but he always gives me pepperoni for some reason. It's really cute to watch him "cut" the pizza and serve it to us. Then we all have to pretend to eat it. Over and over and over. And over. And over. Just when this game was starting to get a bit old, he came up with a new one. He'll leave the room and his dad will hide the pizza slices. When Bongo comes back in, he has to do a little "retective" work to find the missing pizza. Everyone in the house gets interrogated. We're all asked if we've seen any pizza. Then we have to give clues as to where it could be...without being too obvious about it. And we do this over and over and over. And over. :)

It was such a nice day here yesterday afternoon...sunny and cool, maybe 68 degrees or so. We decided to go for a walk around the neighborhood. Bongo wanted to ride his scooter so off he went with dad trailing behind him. They made it around the block and back to the front door. At that point Bongo asked for his wagon. We told him he had the choice of riding his scooter or walking with us (the walk was to spend time together but also to get a bit of family exercise). He promptly sat on the ground and said that his leg hurt. Yeah right! Where in the world did he learn how to tell these little fibs?! Do you think he got his way?

Of course he did! :)

My Son, Bongo

2009-02-14T10:19:00.003-06:00

My son has a thing for names. He likes to give people crazy, random names. When he's playing at the park and he makes a friend, he'll give them a new name, usually something like Buzz Lightyear or Meet the Robinsons. I've seriously heard him say, "Hey, Meet the Robinsons, come back here!" to a little boy that he had just met. He also names his family members. In the past, I was named Cain and his dad was Brain. It's always cute at first but it does get a bit old after awhile. I mean, when your kid is yelling across the store, "Brain!" at the top of his lungs instead of "Dad," people stop and stare! lol Anyway, we've all got new names again and he even named himself this time. His name is Bongo. We were at the park the other day and a little girl asked him what his name was. He told her it was Bongo. Then she said, "Mommy, his name is Bongo!" lol Yesterday he told me, "I can be Bongo forever." I'm thinking he'll change his mind on that by the time he's 12. I hope so anyway! I'm Sally, his dad is Mej, Grandma is Mango, great aunt is Monkey (good one!), other Grandma is Geo and Grandpa is Crazy Bamboo. I love Bongo so much--he sure keeps life interesting!

I hope you're all having a blessed Valentines Day filled with love. Bongo gave me a big hug and said, "we love each other!" Heart melting! I gave my husband a new Klean Kanteen. He's buying me a new tire. So romantic! lol

Grace Based Parenting--Secure Love

2009-02-13T12:47:00.002-06:00

*I posted earlier that Tim Kimmel says there are 3 inner driving needs of all children: need for security, need for significance and a need for strength. I want to go over what he says about secure love because "desiring to love your children and actually loving them in such a way that they develop a secure love of their own are two different things."

What is secure love? It's a love that is steady, strong and complete. As our children grow up, they'll have their sense of being loved tested. Bad things happen, unfortunately; someone they love breaks their heart, someone will betray their trust, they might get fired from a job, they may have a spouse or child who passes away (that one makes me cry...I can't bear the thought of my son hurting in that way). When life happens, our children need to be confident that they are loved...even if we are not there to physically tell/show them that we love them. We need to pass on to them the infinite love of God.

*It's possible to love your kids without them feeling loved because it's incomplete. They may feel like they have to compete for it or that they have to earn it.*

Dr. Kimmel defines love this way: "Love is the commitment of my will to your needs and best interests, regardless of the cost." Love is an action--not a feeling. It's about our children's best interests, not ours. It's sometimes inconvenient and sometimes painful. We need to love them the way God loves us...even if they're unappreciative, even if they don't deserve it and even if it's costly to us.

Here are three things we can do to build an authentic, secure love for our children:
1. Accept them as they are.
OK, he's not saying to accept disrespect or deceit or anything like that. He's saying to accept them for the unique things that make them individuals. If your child doesn't like to play sports, if your child is slow moving, if they communicate in "teen" language, if they're emotional, loud, shy, etc., that's okay. That's who God made them to be. Sometimes our kids do things to annoy, frustrate, or embarrass us...that doesn't necessarily make what they're doing wrong. When we accept the unique characteristics of our children, we communicate the kind of acceptance that God has for us. This one really resonates with me. My son is quirky, unique and special. I don't want him to ever feel like I don't accept for the awesome person he is.

2. Be a loving and honoring family.
All children are important. Their opinions, time, concerns, space and ideas should be respected. It doesn't mean that there won't be disagreements or sibling rivalry in a home. There will be. But there will also be forgiveness and respect. This all starts with the way parents deal with each other, by the way. What kind of an example are we setting for our kids? Are we loving, honoring and respectful?

3. Give regular and generous helpings of affection.
God hard-wired our skin to our souls. We were designed to respond to affection. Children are especially responsive. Both genders need it from both parents. Even when they move into their teen years, they still need touch. (So don't go kissing your 16 year old son in front of all his friends...he might not like that! lol But when he's at home, give him a hug, put a hand on his shoulder, ruffle his hair, give him a playful punch on the arm.) This one definitely comes the easiest for me. I have no problem showing affection to my son. As a matter of fact, I can't get enough kisses and hugs from that little booger!

In closing, Dr. Kimmel mentions that we've all fallen short. We've all unnecessarily stolen joy from our children more times than we'd like to count. Thankfully, God forgives. We just need to ask for it. We can also ask Him to help us meet the inner driving needs of our kids. Oh, and we might also need to ask our children for forgiveness, as well.

As soon as I finish up chapter 4, I'll be back to discuss "a significant purpose."

Things I Love Thursday--Snip-Its

2009-02-12T08:41:00.004-06:00

Hosted over at The Diaper Diaries. Go check it out!

I love Snip-Its. Snip-Its is my friend. Want to know why? Because cutting my son's hair is like giving a haircut to a wildcat! Ever tried that before? Not fun. But the people at Snip-Its are fantastic. They are so patient and calm and sweet. They're nice to my son (even as he's trying his best to rip the cape thingie off) and they're reassuring to me (even as I'm trying desperately to bribe my son to sit still cause it'll be over in just a minute)!

Not only are the ladies great, it's such a fun atmosphere. There are toys everywhere and the kids get to play a computer game while getting their haircut. And afterward, the kids use their "adventure key" to get a prize, usually a sticker or tatoo. Look how bright and cheery this place is.

So now for the details...they have a VIP program where you pay an annual fee (like $20, I believe). If you do this, you can make appointments and choose a particular stylist if you want. If you're not a VIP, it's walk-in only and you get who you get. Which is not a bad thing. A plain haircut is $17.99. I do have a code you can use to get $5 off (and I'll get $5 off our next visit, as well!). The code is 1470004485 and customer name is Baxter. Once you use this code for a haircut, they give you your own which you can then pass on to other people. Kind of cool!

I'll repeat it again--cutting the hair of a wildcat...not so fun. Having awesome people at Snip-Its do a great job with the hair cut and being super sweet...priceless!

Cute {Cheap} Craft Storage

2009-02-11T06:43:00.005-06:00

Get yourself to a Target Dollar Spot. There you will find a bunch of little buckets for only $1 each. That's right, only $1. Go now. Seriously. You need some buckets. I'll wait. *That was fast--glad you're back!*

I have about 20 of these little buckets (and a few bigger ones) around my house, mostly in my craft room. They make for great storage and like I said, they're cheap. Just add a ribbon and there you go...functional and cute! Here are a couple I have (please forgive the bows...I've been practicing my bow tying. I need a how-to video on this or something).

Works for me! :) *See lots of other ideas over at Rocks In My Dryer.

S.W.A.K. Carnival--How We Met

2009-02-11T06:00:00.005-06:00

Join the S.W.A.K. carnival over at We Are That Family.

I've been married to an awesome man for almost 11 years now. Granted, he has his faults as we all do, but truly he is an excellent provider and father. He is so very supportive of me and he makes me laugh. I thought I'd share the story of how we met. Now, you might not find it as funny as I do (trust me, the way it all went down was funny...I was there!) but I hope you get some enjoyment out of it.

I had just turned 19 and one of my most favorite things to do was go dancing. Like two-stepping. I rocked my size 0 Rockies (my how times, and my body, have changed!) and Justins and could do a mean polka, if I do say so myself! One night my girlfriend Tiffany and I went to Bushwhackers (what in the world kind of name is that for a club?!) and at some point that night, I ran into a guy named R that I went to high school with. This guy didn't give me a second glance at school but for some reason he stopped me to talk that night. I told you that I was rockin' my Rockies! ;) I kid. Anyway, we chatted for a minute and one of his friends, Jeff, came over. R told Jeff that I had went to the same high school they did. The first words Jeff speaks to me are, "Do you know who I am" Ummm, no. (Seriously, I've never seen this guy before.) Then he says, all incredulously, "You went to P high school and you don't know who I am?" Oh my! Wow, this guy's just a tish bit conceited. Yuck. I ended up walking away. And promptly forgot about him. Fast forward a week later. My friend and I ended up going to R's house for a little get together. Guess who was there? Oh yeah, the conceited guy. But something had changed...he was looking kind of cute tonight! He played pool with me...and didn't let me win! Oh, and then he had me feel a dent in his head. That was all she wrote! lol I was smitten. From that night on, I did not want to be apart from him. A year later, we were married! And I have to say, he is not a braggart in any way, shape or form. I have no clue what got into him that first night! That's okay, it makes for a good story!

And of course I have to add a picture of my handsome husband :)

Crafty Tuesdays

2009-02-10T07:23:00.006-06:00

Jennifer at Her Southern Charm is hosting Crafty Tuesdays and I'm really excited to participate. It's been awhile since I've been able to really share my creations online so this should be fun.

Yesterday I started on a cute little Valentine's Day frame but it's not quite finished so I'll save that one to show for another day this week. For now I'll go ahead and share a few things I made awhile back. I love creating. Sometimes I make things with a purpose and other times I make something just for the sake of creating.

I love these flowers! They're so bright and cheery and really give a nice punch of color. I just cut a few strips of patterned cardstock, accordion folded them and glued them together. Add a brad/flower/tag to the center and voila! Cuteness! I have these sitting in an empty jar but I think they would make adorable toppers on wrapped gifts.

I got the idea to alter a barn star from Sande Krieger a long time ago. I covered this one with adorable little boy paper (Mod Podge is my friend!) and lots of ink to shabby it up. If this baby is a boy I might put this in his room. Or...wouldn't it be cute in a boy's bathroom? Hmmm, might have to think on that!

Here's the last one for the day. I went through a big aqua/pink/white phase awhile back. I couldn't get enough of it. I still think it's a great color combo (although now I'm liking other combos more, such as aqua/red or limey green/brown or butter yellow/black/white). Anyway, on this one I just painted a canvas and used my glue gun to glue on a bunch of ruffled crepe paper and more accordion folded flowers. Ruffled crepe paper is so easy to make and so fun to use (and inexpensive, too). I used to have this one sitting in my craft room but it's been packed since we moved and hasn't come out of storage yet. :(

Well, that's it for now. Thanks so much for taking a peek and I can't wait to see what everyone else is sharing!

2009-02-09T07:39:00.004-06:00

For Today...

Outside my window... my front lawn is freshly mowed and the flowerbeds have been weeded. It looks so nice!

I am thinking... how to handle a certain situation. I know what God would want me to do...then i know what I feel like doing.

From the learning rooms... working on Valentine's Day crafts; lots of physical and sensory activities today.

I am thankful for... So much! The amazing weather we had this weekend. We have 2 very clean cars now...all washed, vacuumed and detailed. Church was fantastic yesterday (we're doing a short series on Esther and it was about "defining pressure"). I have the most tender hearted little boy who really loves his momma.

From the kitchen... Roast in the crock pot. Also need to bake and freeze mini quiches.

I am wearing... black yoga pants, pink t-shirt from Motherhood Maternity and fuzzy grey socks to keep my feet warm.

I am reading... Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel and various blogs.

I am hoping... a resolution to the situation I mentioned earlier.

I am creating... a couple of crafts for Crafty Tuesdays over at Southern Housewife's blog. Definitely something for Valentine's and also a baby gift for a dear friend.

I am hearing... my son is telling me that he doesn't like the videos on YouTube that have bad words because he only like good words! (Really just annoys me that people have to post so much bad junk on there.) You know the song "Slow Fade" by Casting Crowns? "Be careful little ears what you hear"

Around the house... Need to finish up laundry and start the dishwasher. The house is pretty straight other than toys.

One of my favorite things... feeling my baby move and kick! Did I say that last week? I love feeling the baby move...such a blessing! If you see me start smiling and talking baby talk to my belly out of the blue, it's because I just felt the baby! lol

A few plans for the rest of the week... need to get some homeschool lessons/activities organized; prenatal yoga Tuesday evening; OT on Wednesday; ice skating on Friday; play date at the park on Saturday.

Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

We took my son to the circus awhile back and I just love this look he has on his face. He was in awe of the people who were on those super tall swaying tower things. It sure looked like they were going to fall but they were didn't!

Book Update--Grace Based Parenting

2009-02-08T15:09:00.002-06:00

So I started with Grace Based Parenting and I'm so glad I did. There's so much wisdom in this book that really resonates with me. And not only does it encourage me to be a grace based parent, it inspires me to be a grace based wife as well. So the book is about parenting with grace, which is the way God parents us. Tim Kimmel says that there are 3 fundamental, driving inner needs that all children have and that knowing these is key to being able to effectively groom your children for the future. And here was a "whoa" moment for me: he states that satan knows exactly what drives our children and "he is working even as you are reading this book to meet your child's three driving inner needs in counterfeit ways."

If we aren't processing everything we say or do through the filter of these three inner needs, we're going to have a difficult time upstaging the counterfeits that satan offers so effectively to our children. Raising your children in a spiritual cocoon won't help because satan operates inside it. He appeals to your child's hear. Plus, he isn't our only competition. The world system and our children's inner bent toward selfishness can also do a pretty good number on our efforts.

The three driving inner needs are:

1. A need for security
2. A need for significance
3. A need for strength

The purpose of the book is for us to learn how to meet those needs by giving our kids love, purpose and hope. I love this quote, "If we've done our job adequately, our children should leave our homes with a love that is secure, a purpose that is significant, and a hope that is strong."

That's all I'll go into for now. I've finished the first 3 chapters and there is so much good stuff in there that I want to share. I'll save it for another post, though! Tuesday I'll be participating in "Crafty Tuesdays" hosted by the Southern Housewife over at Her Southern Charm. I'm looking forward to it. I love crafting and it's even better when a bunch of people get together and share their creations. I get all kinds of inspiration when others share. I'm feeling kind of Valentine-y so I'm thinking I'll be making something with pink in it!

And now I'm off to attend a virtual baby shower. My good friend Monica is due in about 4 or 5 weeks and since she's moved to Japan, another friend is hosting a virtual baby shower online for her. Such a cool idea!

Hmmm...Which One First?

2009-02-04T16:32:00.005-06:00

First, I have a praise--I took my early glucose test yesterday (I had gestational diabetes with baby #1) and my numbers were good! Yay! Thank you, Jesus! I have to be retested at 28 weeks but that's okay.

OK, back to my originally scheduled post: Number 6 on my "striving to be more" list is about becoming more knowledgeable through reading books. I'm such a book junkie! I have so many books...my problem is that I never read them! They just sit there, looking pretty and all full of useful info that I'm hoping I'll learn through osmosis or something. So anyway, I've decided to take action. I will read a book. From start to finish. No getting halfway through, forgetting about it and then starting it over 18 months later only to do the same thing again. (Not that that's been my experience or anything! lol) Now that I've made a decision to get to reading, I need to figure out which book to start with. Let's see, there are 3 that are calling my name right now.

Grace Based Parenting by Tim Kimmel. I've heard good things about this book. It's basically about parenting the way God parents us--with grace. It's about forgetting your ideas of perfection, letting your child be who they are and really focusing on the important stuff (like salvation, humility, kindness, compassion, etc.) He does not condone legalism, nor extreme permissiveness.

Marriage Without Regrets by Kay Arthur. This one is about how to be and do what God wants you to in regards to your marriage. It's about doing your part...biblically. I believe that marriage takes work. Lots of work. But it's the 2nd most rewarding relationship you can have...it's worth all that work.

The Prayer That Changes Everything by Stormie Omartian. Another one that looks sooo good. It's about praise and worship and how they can bring you into a deeper, more intimate relationship with God.

So there you have it. My dilemma for the day! Not sure which one I'll start but I'll keep you updated on it.

2009-02-02T12:09:00.005-06:00

The Simple Woman's Daybook

FOR TODAY (February 2)...
Outside my window... The sky is blue, the sun is shining, and I'm watching the flags at the model home next door blow in the breeze.
I am thinking... That I love this part of pregnancy. My morning sickness is long gone, I have so much more energy (although I still get more tired than usual), and I feel the baby moving and kicking every day!
I am thankful for... A fabulous Sunday spent with my husband, my son and my mom. We went to the park where I laughed harder than I have in awhile and then out to a delicious lunch of Mexican food. That evening I actually enjoyed watching the Superbowl with my husband!
From the learning rooms... More and less; ones, tens, hundreds and thousands place, prepositions
From the kitchen... Leftovers! Either potato soup or ham and potato salad.
I am wearing... Zoo walk t-shirt and comfy grey sweat pants.
I am creating... Organization. Need to be organized before I can pull out projects to work on.
I am going... To see my midwife tomorrow! So excited to hear the baby's heartbeat agin! Then lunch, a trip to Whole Foods and home to make a batch of pumpkin muffins and banana pancakes.
I am reading... A Marraige Without Regrets by Kay Arthur
I am hoping... To be faithful to our budget and focus on paying off debts.
I am hearing... my son playing a Spongebob game on the other computer.
Around the house... I need to finish unpacking from our weekend stay at my mom's. I cleaned before I left...it's so nice to come home to a clean house!
One of my favorite things... My husband's ears!
A few plans for the rest of the week: Appointment with the midwife, occupational therapy, work on homeschooling activities, more organizing/purging.
Here is a picture thought I am sharing with you...

Looking Forward to the Weekend

2009-01-30T12:37:00.003-06:00

That's what we'll be doing this weekend! I'm not a huge football fan. As a matter of fact, I'm not a fan of football at all. But my husband is. I'm what's known around these parts as a "football widow". It's a sad thing, indeed. However, I love my hubby and I want to make him happy so on Sunday I'll be sitting next to him on the couch cheering on whatever team it is that he wants to win! I'll make a nice lunch/dinner of ham, potato salad, green bean casserole and dinner rolls (not the healthiest, but hey, this Superbowl business only happens once a year--thank goodness!). We'll have chips and dip and those little smokie cocktail weenie things. Oh, and walnut brownies for dessert. I'm licking my lips already (and getting my heartburn relief ready cause I'm afraid the baby in my belly my fuss with all that food!). *By the way, I'm 16 weeks today--I feel the baby moving and kicking and dancing in there all the time now. Love it!*

We're spending the weekend at my mom's house. She lives here in town, about 45 minutes away, but it's a real treat for her when we spend the weekend over there. She is in love with her grandson! And she kind of likes us, too! We always enjoy our visits over there because we get to relax and laugh and watch movies and play card games. My mom is my most favorite person in the entire world (other than hubby and son) and I cherish the time I get to spend with her. She's getting older and I always make her promise me that she's going to live forever! Seriously though, I've never met a more patient, kind, warm, loving, forgiving, accepting, non-judgemental woman. She has been a great example to me and I can only strive to be like her.

Random thought for the day: Why does my 7 year old insist on saying hambooger instead of hamburger? The funny thing is, he's not even doing it to be funny. lol And here's another one, as many times as I tell him the word is phonics, he insists on saying it's foctions. What?!

Yummy Yummy Crafty Goodness!

2009-01-29T10:37:00.006-06:00

I've never considered myself a creative person. I'm analytical. I like facts. I follow rules. I don't have much of an imagination. That being said...I love to craft! Oh my, I seriously love the feeling of admiring a completed project. Yummers! Yesterday I stumbled across a blog called Just a Girl that I shall now forever stalk! ;) Love this blog--love Chris' wit and especially love her home decor. She has great style and a lot of it is repurposed items so it's frugal, too. Really, go check her out. She'll knock your socks off! Back in November she held an I Can Make That Party where over 100 people shared projects they had made (I think it was pretty much to try to make gifts for Christmas or something). Whatever it was, it was totally inspiring! My crafty juices began flowing so I started creating. Here are a few things I came up with:

I haven't made cards in awhile but I really like the idea of having a bunch on hand. That way I can send a short note to a friend or family member whenever they cross my mind. And cards are easy to make. I have enough scrapbook supplies to open my own store and to be honest, I've scrapped maybe 5 layouts in the past 2 years (why do I keep buying supplies??!) so I might as well use all the pretty paper for something!

I found a plain wooden frame at Michael's for $1 a few months back and finally got around to altering it. I just covered it with paper and added a couple felt flowers and buttons. My mother-in-law looked at it and said, "It's so feminine!" Then I said, "Look here, you old bat! We're about to throw down!" Not really, I didn't say that. But it did kind of cross my mind. ;) I think this picture of my son is just adorable...polka dots and all. Love the smile!

Last one for today. The colors are slightly off. I have 3 of these "birdseed" fabrics by Alexander Henry. I decided to go ahead and stretch it over an 8x8 canvas. I used my trusty glue gun and totally burned my thumb. But it's okay now, just a little pink! Anyway, if this baby is a girl (I find out in 4 1/2 more weeks!!!!!!) then I think I'll hang this canvas on her wall. If it's a boy, well, I guess I'll hang it in my bathroom! lol

Feeding therapy update: After 2 days of my son refusing to eat anything at all (I was only offering new foods and he refused to try any of them), I decided that we'll have to go about this another way. He was so lethargic; it was just heartbreaking. So I fed him the foods that he will eat. And wow, my baby is back! He's loud and rambunctious and full of smiles and laughter again! God is faithful and I know that one day we will overcome this self-limited eating business. I'll just keep praying and believing.

Job 8:21

2009-01-27T14:30:00.002-06:00

"God will let you laugh again; you'll raise the roof with shouts of joy." Job 8:21 The Message.

I so needed that today. Yesterday was our first day of feeding therapy for my son and it was absolutely heartbreaking. He didn't eat anything. Not a single thing. And instead of being cranky from hunger, he was the sweetest child ever. He kept hugging me and giving me kisses. Tore my heart right out. He fell asleep on his own at 7:00 pm and slept through till 7:00 this morning. I can't tell you how much I cried yesterday. Today, too. Just knowing that my son has got to be starving and knowing that he would eat if only I would give in and give him pizza or chicken nuggets is really hard to handle. I feel like I'm being cruel but really I'm doing this out of love. I want him to have a healthy body. It's my responsibility as a mother to feed him nourishig foods. This morning I offered him eggs, nitrate/nitrite free turkey bacon and grapes. He choked down half of a grape, gagging the whole time. I was so proud of him and did a serious happy dance! This afternoon for lunch we had leftover fried chicken (I know it's not healthy but it was here!), green beans and watermelon. He ate a small piece of the chicken skin that I had peeled off. Yuck! But hey, he chewed and swallowed and didn't gag! He then ate a small chunk of watermelon (which he's eaten before). So I think a little progress was made today. Tonight for dinner we're having herbed chicken, mashed potatoes, peas and strawberries. Please say a prayer for my angel boy, that he is fed, both nutritionally and spiritually. And when he is eating new foods, I can guarantee you that I will be laughing and praising and raising the roof with shouts of joy!

So Sad and So Happy

2009-01-26T11:08:00.005-06:00

First, the reason I'm sad: I'm torturing my little boy. :( Well, not really, bit I feel like it. My son has autism and is a very picky eater. And I mean picky. Like only pancakes, waffles, muffins, cheese pizza, chicken nuggets, french fries, applesauce and bananas picky. Poor kid refuses to eat anything else. A couple of weeks ago I went to a meeting on intensive feeding therapy for kids with autism. Basically she said as long as there are no medical reasons for self limiting foods (which he doesn't have), that we can get him to eat tons of new foods as long as we're focused and determined. Oh, and that's it's going to be a battle of the wills like no other. So far, she's right! lol We started with breakfast. I made scrambled eggs and peach slices. He actually chewed a piece of peach 2 times and then spit it out. That's huge for us! I was so darn proud! But since then he has refused to do more. Poor bubba, he's hungry and so whiney. I just keep reminding him that I know he doesn't want to try new foods but he needs them to make his body healthy. He says, "I can't have a healthy body!" Rotten child! ;) I'll make lunch in about an hour (turkey, avocado slices and blueberries) but I have a feeling he won' eat anything then either. Hopefully he'll be hungry enough to eat something by dinner (gluten free spaghetti with meatballs, green beans and purple grapes). Here's a picture of my beautiful son...it's so hard to see that sweet face sad.

Now here's why I'm so happy: I'm joining another challenge here in blogland. I'm telling you, I could join a challenge for every day of the week. These people think of some great, important things. Really. So this one is the James challenge. Sara over at Walk Slowly, Live Wildly has personally challenged herself to memorize the entire book of James by the end of 2009. I *love* the book of James. It's my favorite book of the Bible! About 5 years ago, I really struggled with my relationship with God. I was going through a rough time in life and was very far away in my walk with the Lord. (I now realize it was me that was running away and trying to hide although at the time, it felt like God had left.) Anyway, a friend asked me to sign up for a bible study with her at the church we were attending. I agreed to go, more to get out of the house than anything else. The study was on James. I remember reading, "draw near to me and I will draw near to you." I thought, huh? You mean I have to do the work? I thought God was supposed to make me want to be close to Him. I didn't know I had to make the first effort. That was eye opening for me. I started making an effort again (reading the Bible, praying, etc.) and wow! I felt the closeness of the Lord return so strong. It was awesome! So the book of James holds a special place in my heart. I'm definitely joining this challenge although I'm not positive I'll memorize the entire book. I will read, reread and read so me more so that I can hold His message close in my heart. Will you join us? :)

My New Love Interest and a Total Money Makeover!

2009-01-20T08:58:00.003-06:00

Check out this hot little number (errr...big number, maybe?): I Love This Thing! Oh yeah! We call it the "pillow boat" My son was lying in it and it looked like he was lying in a rowboat. He actually tried to confiscate it from me last night! lol It takes up about half of my queen size bed but let me tell you, it is so worth it. When I'm pregnant and I sleep on my side, my hips start hurting. With this pillow, I can lean back and it gives me the perfect amount of support behind my back so that the pressure is off of my hips but I'm not lying flat on my back. I can't recommend this pillow enough--seriously worth the money!

I had another God "smack" yesterday. Okay, not so much a smack as an, "Alright, I'm giving you this message plain as day. I hope you do something with it," type of thing! Love it when that happens! Anyway, in our past, the husband and I have been less than stellar stewards of our finances. We're working on it now. We're paying for it! Get it? Paying for it? Hee hee...that was my lame attempt at a joke. Ok, on with the story. So, my mother and I were at Mardel yesterday and I noticed that Total Money Makeover was 50% off. It's something that I've been wanting to look into and I thought it was the perfect time to buy it since it was only $12.50. I read a little of it yesterday and purposed in my mind that I would follow Dave's advice. (Side note--my husband and I have decided that the family finances are my responsibility. Basically, he brings in the money and I send it right back out! lol) Later that evening, my husband got a call letting him know that he has been promoted from tech support to a sales position! This means that he'll get a huge annual raise plus commission! Praise God!!!! I am so proud of my husband and I know that he will do an amazing job--he's truly a people person. I'm also thrilled that we'll have extra money to start really focusing on our debts, building a future and giving/helping others! God is so good and faithful! So, you see how it all fits together? It's like the Holy Spirit was nudging me to buy the book and helped me to determine in my heart to be a faithful financial steward. God knew what was coming...He knew that we were about to get a raise and He wants us to be responsible. Seriously love when He works things out for us!

Have a blessed day!

Poor Bubby and the darn donuts

2009-01-17T15:02:00.004-06:00

I think my little guy is trying to fight something off. He started weezing a little while sleeping last night and has a barking cough. I'm hoping he's not getting croup again. He doesn't have a fever and still has a HUGE appetite so that's a good thing. And is it wierd that I still refer to my 7 year old as my baby?! Anyway, we have church tonight and I'm trying to decide if he should go or if his dad should stay home with him. I'm leaning toward him going since he acts fine. I think I'll just give him a dose of Sambucol and load him up on vitamin C.

So with my first pregnancy, I had gestational diabetes. I controlled it well with diet and only gained 30 pounds. Regardless, I still had a giant baby. This time I'm going for a VBAC which means it would be really nice to have a baby a couple of pounds smaller this time! I'm hoping to keep my gd under control through diet and exercise from the get go this time. I actually have my first yucky glucose test on Feb 3. So dreading it. Well...today I gave into a craving. I had those Hostess powdered sugar donuts and a bottle of coke. Wait, it gets worse. I ate *2* packs of the donuts. (Hanging my head in shame.) Man, I could kick my own rear for that. But hey, it sure tasted good! lol Now my tummy isn't feeling so well. That's okay. I'm just going to pick myself up, dust myself off, and put the donut incidence out of my mind. (I just needed to confess--thanks for listening!)

Morning Routine

2009-01-16T09:55:00.002-06:00

So lately I've had this horrible morning routine of making some breakfast and then sitting in front of the computer to eat. Ugh...sometimes I feel the computer has really sucked the life out of me. Amazing how you can sit and start surfing and reading and before you know it, a couple of hours have passed. So annoying! Last night I was reading a couple of blogs while my husband and son were having father/son rambunctious time and God ended up smacking me in the face with a couple of truths. Oh yeah, I said "smack"! It went something along the lines of this... physically staying at home does not qualify anyone as a homemaker; many women stay at home and yet do not "keep" home. I hear ya loud and clear God!! Isn't funny how He speaks directly to us? There's no denying it. By the way, I found that little tidbit of truth right here: Titus2Talk: Workers at Home Part 2

So then, I continue on and move to this blog entry: Getting Back on Track: The Morning Routine Ohhh, a double smack! lol I know that God doesn't want me zoning in front of the computer every morning. It's a waste of my time...it's a waste of the time God has so graciously blessed me with. I came up with a new morning routine and I'm happy to say that I stuck with it this morning! It's very simple, but simple is what I need right now. Drumroll please....

1. Make breakfast for myself and my son/eat
2. Read and study the Bible/pray
3. Make a daily to-do list
4. Make and give morning supplements to my son
5. Shower/get dressed for the day

And there you have it. I must say, I think I'm starting the day off with more joy just from following the routine this morning. And hey, when I have this down pat, I think I might even start a nightly routine! Baby steps, my friends! ;-)

Adding to my list...

2009-01-15T09:52:00.006-06:00

6. Striving to be more knowledgable through reading. Oh yeah, forgot about this one. Before I had kids, I loved to read. I read all the time. I would read anytime and anywhere that I could. I'd even read the shampoo bottle while washing my hair in the shower! lol I gained a lot of my knowledge through reading. Now since I've had kids, I haven't read too much. I really feel like the babies steal my brain cells while they're gestating! I just don't have the focus and attention span that I used to. Maybe I'm too busy, maybe I have too much on my mind, or maybe I'm just plain old lazy! Whatever it is, I plan to read more this year. I plan on regaining some of my smarts (remember, my babies took my smarts...greedy little boogers!) through reading. I plan on training my brain to focus and learn again. So yesterday I started reading Ina May's Guide to Childbirth. It's good so far. I need it right now. I had a bad birth experience last time and to be honest, I'm scared about doing it again. This book is reminding me that birth is a natural process, it can be spiritual even, and it's not something to be afraid of. I do believe in the power of prayer and positive thinking...these are the two things I plan on focusing on throughout my pregnancy and labor/delivery. Oh, check this out...I just ordered this devotional yesterday and can't wait to get it.

Here's the link: Expecting
I think this is going to be an awesome way to meditate on God's promises and will bring me peace.

Here's another site I stumbled across yesterday: Scripture Sisters
A group of women have decided to memorize one verse/passage per week. I'm definitely joining in on this! Everyday I plan on studying one chapter of Proverbs (based on the day of the month), one chapter of the Gospel, and the passage of the week. I'll change it up a bit once I finish the Gospel. It's said that if you read one chapter a day of the Gospel, you'll get through it in 3 months. Spending every day for 3 months reading and learning and getting to initmately know Christ's life sounds like a plan to me!

Starting Fresh

2009-01-14T10:51:00.000-06:00

It's a new year and I definitely need a new start. Ever felt like a failure? Oh yeah. That's where I'm at right now. There are so many things that I want to be doing...need to be doing. But, I just don't do them. (In my defense, I am pregnant and when I'm pregnant, I have very little energy. Why oh why do my babies suck me dry?! lol) So that's why I'm starting this little bloggity blog blog. I need a place to vent and whine. A place to cheer my accomplishments. I need accountability. Yep yep. This'll do!

I think I'll start by listing a few areas where I'm striving to be more.

1. Striving to be more Christ-like. This is something I will have to work on everyday for the rest of my life. I want to follow God and have a real relationship with Him. I owe Him my life. I want to read my Bible everyday and spend some time meditating on His word. I want to live out His commands. I want to store His truths in my heart. I want my love for God to be a burning fire.

2. Striving to be a better wife. I love my husband dearly. More than I can say. I tend to put him further down on my "to-do" list than I should. Poor guy. I know that he should be number 2, right under God. I need to make more time for him and show him love in ways that he understands. I need to pray for him daily. A marriage takes work so I need to get to work.

3. Striving to be a better mom. Another tough one. So many things I need to do better for my son. I need to really focus on his diet and supplements. I need to help him have a healthy body. I need to show him how important God is...I need to be an example to him. I need to make sure he has a good education and teach him in a style that he can learn with. I need to get him ready for life.

4. Striving to be healthier. I need to take care of myself. I can't tell you how much I love powdered sugar donuts and a bottle of Coke! Man, that sounds so good! lol Totally not good for me. Especially since I had gestational diabetes with my last pregnancy and I'm trying to prevent it this time. Gotta eat good for the babe in my belly. I need to exercise. Not my favorite thing to do, but I need to stay healthy.

5. Striving to be more of a homemaker. My home is a safe place for my family. I want ot make a pleasant home where my family enjoys being. As a sahm, I want to so my part with the finances by saving us money when possible. I want to feed my family whole, nutritious foods. I want my home to be a place where people come and know that God is the center of our lives.

Okay, so that's just a start. And I'm already feeling overwhelmed! lol I'll be back tomorrow with an update on how it's going so far. Take care!