Kellogg's Buy 10 get $10

I have done the dirty work to the best of my ability to get you the fastest way to $10! I go tomorrow to see how it pans it out but until then, here is what I have done.

Kellogg's is doing a Fuel for School where you buy any 10 Kellogg's product, and get a $10 rebate. Go here to get your rebate. It's on the bottom right. Click on it, and it prints your rebate and list of qualifying purchases.

How about some coupons?
This is one of the best places for coupons. A Full Cup. You need to sign up. Once you do, on the home page, there is a tab on the right: Target Coupon Generator. This will pull up any coupons for Target at this time. Best part is, you can type in how many of each coupon you want. So I chose the poptarts to get $.75 off and I had it print me 5!!
On a side note, on the website click on the tab at the top Coupons, choose printable coupons, and you get about 38 pages of coupons and there are tons of ways to search for what you are looking for!

Raisin Bran is on sale at Target for $2.19. Here is a coupon for $1.50 off 2 boxes. Make them $1.44 a box!

Cheez It for $.75 off Whole Grain only. (Scroll through this link for other coupons including Kellogg's)

The 100 Calorie coupon has reached its limit. Sorry.

You can also go to google and type in the search what you are looking for such as: Cheez It coupon. This will help out tons. But again, A Full Cup so far is the best!

I will write tomorrow how the deal goes!

Sinned Against

I can say in my life that I can't recall a time that I have been sinned against where I didn't contribute to the situation. Until this week. I can't explain the pain my soul felt and the tears that were shed. It was something that I hope you never feel, but if you do or have, we can rejoice that we are suffering like Jesus. This pales in comparison to what he felt on the cross when the weight of sin was on his sinless shoulders.
I find the timing a bit ironic since Beau, the campus pastor, was teaching out of Philemon where Paul urges Philemon to receive Onesimus back as a brother and to forgive this runaway slave who stole from him. Corresponding to the prodigal son where each of us were runaways and have been received by the father. Here are two things I have learned in the past couple days.

1. Atonement: Christ paid the debt. The end. It is not my job to make this person pay for their sin. Christ did it on the cross and for me to "make them pay for this" defeats the purpose of the sacrifice. I think it would be a slap in God's face for me to try to take the place of Jesus.

2. Forgiveness: Just like Philemon was urged to forgive, God tells us to forgive our brothers so that we might be forgiven. If I don't forgive, I am not forgiven. I must never forget that I have been received into the hands of God and am under his authority now. I must believe and apply the gospel of forgiveness with his help as to avoid bitterness, anger, self righteous pride and so on.

This was not an easy process but was quick I must say. I went straight to the throne and asked God to help me and I poured over the bible as to how I was to respond to the situation. Amazing how when you press into Jesus, you can truly forgive, no bitterness, no anger, no remorse, no sorrow, no guilt, no more pain, replaced by acceptance, joy, peace, grace, and mercy. This is not me who accomplished this process, but only the work of Jesus who was able to mend my heart and bring glory to him. Romans 8:28 "And we know that for those who love God all things work together for good, for those who are called according to his purpose." Even when we are sinned against.

Pain and Suffering

Sometimes I just get a breath of how painful life is. I sit back and know that God is control and wonder how he chooses to intervene or not. I read emails about our friends whose son is trying to recuperate from a heart transplant to a family in Ohio (I am assuming) whose in the hospital with their baby boy and the doctors are telling the family, "it doesn't look good."
I gripe and complain that my house is a mess, there is yet another load of laundry to do, another meal to cook, but my kids are healthy. They are safe.
My heart goes out to the these parents who deal on a constant basis with hospital visits and life changing decisions that must be made. I can't even imagine what it feels like to do kangaroo care with your baby in hopes that he might have his temperature rise. Is there any length that you wouldn't go to?
Oh how that is the heart of Christ. That he sees our pain and suffering, and as a gentle parent he wants to kangaroo with us, to draw us to hear his heartbeat alone, to rest in his arms and to trust him. Really trust him in all circumstances that the God who spoke the world and put in motion, took time to create us in his image, knows our hearts and minds, and pain and suffering is used for our sanctification and his glory. On this side of heaven we may never know why God chooses as he does, but we must rest in the unchangeable, unwavering, always consistent God of the universe.

Rare Day

Today was a rare day for me. I took the girls to go hang with Courtnee then went grocery shopping. I came home and cleaned the house, worked, worked out, and then was done. With a couple of hours to spare. That is a rarity for me! I decided to go get my sweet tea at McAlister's since it was free and got a BLT minus the T and ate there. By myself. Now, there would have been a day I would not have been caught dead eating lunch out by myself. I am super self conscious and the whole time I would have been wondering what others were thinking or saying about me when in reality, they probably didn't realize I even existed. Not today, I sat down, sighed, and just enjoyed. Then heard the screaming kids next to me which made me glad I was alone! Is that what kids do to you? Make you come out of your comfort zone and relish the quiet moments anywhere you can find them even if it means eating by yourself? For that, thanks girls for helping this momma very slowly learn how to not care what others think and just enjoy.

Well...

Last night Brian came out to the conference to have dinner with me and hear the speaker all which was good. Then we I showed him my room and I began to get sad because I would have to stay there by myself without him or the girls around. After 30 minutes of debate, pros/cons, I came home to sleep in my house, my bed, with my family. So, I just can't be away from my loved ones. Maybe one day. Just not today.
I will head back to the conference this afternoon to finish it up. Until then, I get to be with my family.

Conference Time

Tomorrow I will leave and head out to Ft. Worth for a conference for my company. Now, I have NEVER been to a real conference before where you go and stay, even in all my 7 years of teaching. So, there are questions that I have that are pretty dumb like, do they foot the hotel bill? If not, I'm sleeping in the car and taking bath in the pool. Well, I will more than likely come home instead, however, the other might prove to be more cost effective. Also, do I have a room? If so, do I share? How do I feel about sharing a room with a stranger? Now, I poke fun, but really, I have no clue what to expect, what is going on, and I don't know anyone. Except Courtnee. And I think she might be busy working.
To top it off, I have to leave my family. I love my family so much that it would be an idol for me. (I am working the steps folks, just takes time). Not that Brian won't do a great job and have tons of fun, but because I might miss out on something and I don't like being left out. Kinda like that one episode on In the Motherhood. Ever seen that show? I like our times together as a family. I relish them.
I have also come to sense a bit of guilt for my hidden excitement to get out of the house and be real adult around other real adults. The only problem is that I don't have any kids to blame the food stain on my shirt on.

New Heart

Our friends precious boy (age 11) had a heart transplant on Friday night that they have been waiting on. He is doing good now but not out of the woods. I can't imagine as a parent what that must feel like to go through that. The other night he coded and was out gone for 15 minutes before the heart started again. I am not sure if there is anything more helpless than knowing there is absolutely nothing you can do but trust in the sovereign Lord that his way is best.
I began to think of how something like this is what God desires for each of us. New hearts. Where we take out the old that is broken, beat up, and not functioning to full capacity, and he wants to sew his heart within us that brings about the fullness of life that he intended. I can't help but be reminded of what Ezekiel 36:25-27 says:
I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean from all your uncleannesses, and from all your idols I will cleanse you. And I will give you a new heart, and a new spirit I will put within you. And I will remove the heart of stone from your flesh and give you a heart of flesh. And I will put my Spirit within you, and cause you to walk in my statutes and be careful to obey my rules.


Just as Austin received a new heart physically, the Lord desires to give us a new heart spiritually. I continue to pray for Austin, his parents, and the doctors but more than that, that lives would be transformed by the power of prayer and the worship of believers that God can transform the old into the new.

Finding Balance

Now that Ellie is mobile and into everything, I often find myself telling Abbie to share, even if Ellie has forced herself to play. I find myself telling Abbie that Ellie is just a baby and doesn't understand. Then I began to realize that I was letting Ellie get away with almost anything! I have to find balance between both sides. Where Ellie learning and part of that is telling her NOW that Abbie is playing and will share and having Abbie share when appropriate. Boy, raising two kids has more challenges than just one!

Ellie is 1

My sweet little Ellie turns 1 tomorrow and I can't help but look back over this long, hard, fun, challenging year. So much has happened during this past year that I thought I might actually have something to say about it.
1. Ellie started off life rough. She was a colic, reflux baby who threw up on anything, anyone, everywhere, all the time with perpetual heartburn. She also had thrush that settled into her esophagus. The bonus: she slept through the night at an early age and PRAISE JESUS for that!
2. She loves her momma! She wanted me to play with her while standing her up, facing me, and nothing else would do. That alone was exhausting! She started to crawl finally at 10 months and our lives have forever been happier!
3. I quit my job and trusted God. He was faithful to give me a part time job at CDO then eventually to work at iteachTexas from home. It has been so hard to trust that we would be provided for. If you were to lay the budget out on paper, it does not work. We should be greatly in debt each month. Yet, somehow, we are not. I have no clue how God works that out each month!
4. I have learned that having 2 kids is way harder than 1! Abbie needs time, love, and attention while Ellie demands time, love, and attention. I have had to try my best to find a balance to top of my strong Type A, selfish personality who likes to get things done, NOW, and be a mom. I have to pray daily for God to help me engage my children. That is my job.
5. I am a better wife (I think) and a better cook (quite sure about that) than I use to be because I now have time to do that.
6. Abbie has grown up this past year as well and has adjusted perfectly to having another sibling in the house and kudos to her! She has been a great help to me and loves her sister so much that I pray for God to allow that to continue throughout life.
7. I have learned that when I trust God, am obedient, confess my doubts and fears, he instills peace that can only be from him and he gives me strength, mercy, and grace for today.
8. I appreciate the cool mornings and warm days, the stormy mornings drinking coffee eating breakfast with the girls, the park nearby, the zoo passes, and friends way more than I use to. I use to sit in my classroom thinking, I would love to go ______ with Abbie. Now I can.
9. I am where I know I am suppose to be. No matter what we have had sacrifice, I have seen Ellie each and every day of the first year of her life. I have seen each victory and trial. I have been her mommy and that, is something I can say I will never regret.

To you Ellison Noell, I love you and thank you for teaching me to be a better leader, lover, encourager, helper, friend, and mother.
Happy Birthday Little Bit!

Menu #3

Here is what we are having this week.

Spaghetti w/ Meat and a good ole can of spaghetti sauce. I do add red wine after the meat cooks then let the alcohol cook off before adding the sauce.

Taco Salad We just do meat, fritos, cheese, tomatoes, lettuce, hot sauce, catalina dressing.

Tomato Chicken Parmesan This is going to be new.

Breakfast Casserole For Mother's Day breakfast.

Steak and potatoes for Mother's Day dinner (per my request!) Kroger has their meat on sale for a great deal! And 4 baked potatoes for $1.99.

Crockpot Fajitas If it uses a crockpot, I will try it! My tortillas were on sale at Kroger for .99.

Happy Eating.

Menu #2

Some recipes we have had this week.

Creamy Tortellini This meal was really good. Next time I might consider adding more bacon :) I made a side of asparagus as noted below.

Cheese (or Beef) Enchiladas For this one, I used beef and a can of enchilada sauce. It was kind of bland. I think next time I will try the homemade sauce. Also, Brian loaded up his with hot sauce and sour cream and liked it. I served it with just corn and chips and hot sauce.

Asparagus I used to not like asparagus but I love it now. This is really yummy.

Bacon Wrapped Hamburgers We are not eating this this week, but I wanted to put them up because this hamburger is to die for (in my opinion). I absolutely love this recipe!

If you want to leave a short note if this is beneficial through Twitter or Facebook, that would be great!

Happy Cooking!

Installment 1

Here are some dinner ideas to get you going. I linked what I cooked to the website and wrote any changes that I made. Enjoy!

Quick Fix Beef Burrito Skillet I substituted the dry kidney beans for a can of black beans that I drained. We also just had corn for a side.

Slow Cooker Enchiladas One of my all time favorites! Plus you can use the mass amount of corn tortillas you buy for this recipe and the one above.

Oven Fried Chicken This is amazing chicken! I buy the mashed potatoes in the frozen section (with the fries) that cook in the microwave for 10 minutes and doctor them up and buy frozen rolls that take about 5 minutes to cook to make a full meal. Abbie loved this too.

Bachelor Stew This actually mine!
Ingredients:
1 lb ground beef
1 can vegetable soup
1 can ranch style bean

1. Cook meat in a large pan then drain.
2. Put the vegetable soup and beans in and simmer for 30 minutes.
3. We like to top with cheese and tabasco sauce and Brian smashes saltines in his too.

We do a side of corn bread too.

That's all I have for now! But more to come as I try them out.

Quietness

I got to thinking the other night but just now have time to write. Have you investigated the quietness of the soul? I think there are 3 places we (I) run. Either I drown out the soul with busyness or TV or anything other than facing my heart. Sometimes in the quietness of the soul I think of things and begin to worry and be anxious and fear begins to resonate until I am beside myself. Then there are times where all is well and I can face it. Where I just am and it's good.

When the site is down...

...you don't have to work!
What a fun fun day! We hung out at Fuzzy's for lunch with the Hipp's then headed over to the square for candy and proceeded over to the square for some hanging time where people struck a mini band and played and sang. Only in Denton would that happen. Later tonight we head off to Mr. Chopsticks for Brian's birthday dinner with his parents.

Going Good

I was talking to a long time friend of mine of just how God has been so amazing to us and that I needed to blog about it. As you may have read, I have a new job that is amazing and has allowed me to stay home and not go back to teaching. I am very excited about this. We are at a place in life where we went 6 months with nothing extra and barely making it to having an excess. The one thing Brian and I are praying for is protection over not falling back into old habits where we go back to charging whatever we want, but to realize we have been given a gift by God and we are to use it wisely. We want to be generous givers. Brian is natural at that. Me, not so much. I am greedy and stingy and don't like giving because, after all, the money is mine, right?! Now, you might say, "That sounds cold." Well, I must speak the truth of my heart and bring it into the light so that I can't hide in darkness and be given over to sin of greed. I have been praying for a few months now that God would give me heart of flesh. This will be his under taking and him alone who can do that.
Brian and I are wondering who can we help? Are there friends in need? Who could use a happy present? How can we go beyond ourselves and instead of having things terminate on us, let it terminate onto God? He has done something amazing and for me to be prideful, selfish, or greedy would be to deny my God the glory of what he has done. And that is a place I don't want to ever go.

Waterfall

I am so excited about my new job. I started grading yesterday. I have been praying for wisdom and fairness in my grading as to bring glory to God in this endeavor and benefit the candidates.
I began to think about this amazing job that seems too good to be true. Matt Chandler has been talking about going deeper this year and having hearts transformed and pressing into God. We can't just sit and wait for it to happen, but must put ourselves under the waterfall of God's grace for it to wash over us.
I have to say that I think this is how my job came to be. By putting myself under God, I went through Step Studies and have a better understanding of how to do life and deal with sin. Through obedience and devotion that has been hard for me, he has washed over me. Praise him for that. Now, I have to learn to stay here and not move.

I Have A New Job!

In case you didn't hear, I have a new job! I am so excited about it because I was probably going to have to go back to work teaching. I will be a grader for iteachtexas and I am so excited because it is still tethered to teaching and I can work from home a few hours a day. With this new opportunity, I will be able to stay home with my girls and Abbie is excited too because she told me she wanted me to stay home with her then was excited that I would get too. Ellie didn't have much to say on the matter. Diann, who founded the business, is responsible for hiring me. After praying much for God to get and keep me home, he has used this wonderful woman who was obedient and kind hearted to extend me this position. I thank God, through a humble obedience and a step of faith back in July, that this is where he has brought our family. I would have never in my wildest dreams would have thought this would be the road, but it proves once again that God knows more than me and certainly has things better laid out than I could. Praise his name. It's all about him, for him, and by him.

Car

Poor Brian has been trying to sell our car for 4 months now. We can't even give the thing away. By selling the car, we will get out from under a car payment that will hopefully help us keep me home. Lots of people call and never call back or say they are interested and disappear. I know he is frustrated with the whole thing. We are willing to take a hit to sell it. In fact, we are in order to get the price as low as possible. I won't beg or plead for it to be sold or grovel. But it that is what it takes, I will!
To you the reader (I think the only one who reads this is Erin--thanks Erin! ) please buy our car.

Framed

Tomorrow I am going frame shopping at the Dollar Tree. I am a big spender huh? Step Studies class will officially be over on Saturday. Such a bitter sweet day. I have walked with about 11 other ladies over the past 16 weeks who have opened their lives and struggles and have gotten to see healing and restoration and a good sort of pain that keeps us the feet of Jesus. It will be sad to leave them. It won't be sad to have our Saturdays back! Yahoo! 

To commemorate this experience, I am going to buy frames---hopefully---and put what I would consider the Step Studies Verse in the frame to remind us of where we have been and where we need to be. Then each person will sign the back of the frame that will forever remind us of our knitted hearts. How precious this time has been and I thank God for landing me smack dab in the middle of this. 

Thus says the LORD:"Cursed is the man who trusts in man
and makes flesh his strength,
whose heart turns away from the LORD.
He is like a shrub in the desert,
and shall not see any good come.
He shall dwell in the parched places of the wilderness,
in an uninhabited salt land.
"Blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose trust is the LORD.
He is like a tree planted by water,
that sends out its roots by the stream,
and does not fear when heat comes,
for its leaves remain green,
and is not anxious in the year of drought,
for it does not cease to bear fruit."

Jeremiah 17:5-8

Step Studies Update

So here I am about 14 weeks into step studies and it's a 16 week course. It is based off the AA 12 step model but biblical truths that lie behind each one. I am so grateful to have done this and see how God has been working on transforming my heart into who he wants me to be and not what I have created myself to be. I have been praying for my heart of stone to be replaced w/ a heart of flesh and for God's spirit to sustain me and lead me on his path. That is a slow process that is taking time. I shared my inventory with my sponsor and it was very freeing. That is my Ebeneezer. Which makes me think. How come in the church we don't begin to teach children at a very young age to recognize sin and sin patterns in their life, teach them to confess, then repent? How much easier would it be if we grew up with this way of thinking? It's kinda like I had to do catch up for the past 29 years of sin. From here on out though I can recognize my sin and deal with it immediately instead of stockpiling! I think going through this process will help me be a better parent in that aspect but I have to pray for God to protect me from being critical of others who don't do the "steps" and protection from self-righteousness but instead to lead a life of humility. Ahh, the call of a follower of Christ. Thank goodness for grace!

Satan's Getting Evicted

I have been feeling this oppression lately and darkness over me. I thought I was pregnant (no, I'm not, praise God!). I have been irritable, short tempered, and just not me. It is all coming together now. I know spiritual warfare is real and I am getting a taste of it personally. In step studies, we are now the part of our inventory. This is where we look at our lives and and find all the sin and write it out and how it affects us and others. This is when we shine light on the darkness of our heart and the wickedness that resides in us. It is not much fun to find out all the things that are wrong with you, much less have to confess it openly with a sponsor and pray repentance for each sin. Satan is getting angry because if I expose the lies that he has told me and believed, he no longer has any power. He's getting the boot. Fired. With this process, however, comes pain. I am praying for perseverance.
I sat down and began to write out part of my inventory today pouring out my sins, beginning the repentant process, and there was a weight lifted. There is something about shining the light.
The next step is true repentance. Turning from my sin. Completely away from it.
I pray that once these steps are taken (and will continually have to be revisited), that I can walk in true freedom under the cross of Christ who has already paid my debt to sin and that satan can no longer have a hold me because I am holding on so tightly to Christ.

Pay Day

Most people are excited about pay day. Today was my first CDO check. It was something less than desirable. Almost a little sad. I began to work on the budget for the upcoming month and I am scared. My heart just sank and I am worried. (I know that worry is not biblical!) I am now beginning to wonder for real how we are going to make it. This month marks a "real" month since I no longer pull in a teacher salary. I know God has called us to this point in our life. I know he has us exactly where he wants me---totally dependent on him. I have to pray for protection against doubt and fear and that I would completely trust him to take care of us. I know he can. I have to be willing to let go of the control I hold, and allow him to be God. Frightening for me. He is going to teach me so much during this time and I think humility might just be the first step!

Step Studies

Today I embarked upon Step Studies at our church. It is a 12 week process where you deal with the "junk" in your life. Perhaps you might have some sort of addiction, or co-dependency, or have life issues. This is where you shine the light in the dark places of the soul and reveal yourself to others and come clean. My friend Beckie is doing it with me and I think Brian might join in too. Nothing like unloading a lot of baggage! My prayer through this process is that Satan would have no reign at all and that I would be humble, open to change and transformation, that my eyes would totally be open to who I really am and who Christ really is and experience true freedom. I pray to not walk away defeated and beat down, but that I can lay all my sin on the cross. After all, He has already died for all my sin---past, present, and future.

Thanks Honey

Tonight at dinner, Abs and I were eating her all time favorite-pizza. Third time in 2 days we have had pizza. We were sitting there and this is how it went:
Abbie: I love you very much
Me: Ahhh, thank you. I love you too.
Abbie: That was very sweet.

Yes, yes it was sweet of you to notice you were sweet.

That's Mr. Mister Manager

I am proud of my husband who has been promoted in his job to be a manager. He will be over the reporting team and in addition to that, he gets to travel (his passion) to churches to find how to better serve them with the reports that exist or need to exist. I am proud of his hard work. He started in support three years ago, no degree, and no computer knowledge. God has blessed him in his ability to learn through hands on and books and a sponge for a brain. I am proud of my hubby! Congrats honey! With a humble heart and servant's attitude, may your skills be used to further the kindgom of God.

Work? Been off for 3 months!

Today I reported to work for CDO and I am stressed. There are lesson plans to be made, things to be cut, items to be pulled from shelves, and little 4 year olds to teach. I am use to 4th graders. Slight difference. I hope it all falls into place! Thursday we have meet the teacher and school officially starts next week.
It was nice though to see Abbie so happy that mommy was going to school with her and she wanted me to go in with her. Of course dear, I work here. It was nice to have Ellie with us too and able to take peaks in to her room.

What's Your Motive?

Today's sermon was one of those, "Got me. That's me" sermons. It was out of Luke where Jesus teaches his disciples to pray. To sum it up, prayer should be about God, to God, for God, to glorify God. His prayer was all about God--hallowing his name, asking for just enough strength, mercy, and grace for the day, forgiving others, and needing help in this life. Then the question came: What is the motive behind your prayer? Ouch. That stung. Most of my prayers are self-centered. An example of one of mine is: Jesus, please fix Ellie to be happy. What is the driving motive: to make life easier for me. Does that glorify God or does that become and idol in my life where I want that more than God? I pray for the spirit to keep this sermon fresh on my heart, to begin to pray prayers that are God-centered, and to be mindful and repent when they are selfish.

Goodbye

Today marks an important day. It is my last day to receive a paycheck from work. Now, we will really see what this faith thing is about. I am worried, scared, number crunching, and just don't see how it is going to work. I know we are where God wants us and I am home because he has called me here. This coming month will definitely begin to put things in perspective as we live off Brian's check and my CDO.

Back To Work

Wait, I don't have to go back to work. I don't have to get early and try to get everything done before the house awakes. I don't have to get children ready for day care. I don't have to have someone else take care of my kids while I work. I don't have to be out the door by a certain time. I don't have to worry about team members and meetings or lesson plans. Wow, for the first time in my life, I won't be teaching (I don't really count CDO). This is going to be weird...

Thrush

We went Tuesday for our checkups for the girls. Abs for her 3 year and Ellie for her 2 month. Everyone is doing great. We have a few things to work on with Abbie and Ellie still has thrush. This is basically a yeast infection in the mouth. Hers will not go away so she is on Diflucan. Come to find out, thrush can settle in the esophagus and cause irritability. Hmmmm.....she has been on it 3 days now and we have already seen a huge difference. She is smiling more and cooing and is almost, dare I say, happy? So, was it thrush and the meds that have helped? shots? just being 2 months? She has even gone to bed by 8:30 the past three nights too! Things are finally looking up and praise God alone for that one!

Have you Wii'ed Lately??

Brian bought us a Wii Fit and I love it. I have thoroughly enjoyed the yoga and strength training. I love how it uses the board to see if you are doing everything correctly and you get immediate feedback. When I logged in and set up my Wii, it was a bit depressing when it did the BMI because my Wii got fat. That's encouraging. I have about 15 pounds to lose to get back to pre-pregnancy weight. I am hoping this new game helps. There are a few things though I would like to change.
1. Compete with each other without having to log out then back in.
2. Create a workout that flows instead of having to choose each one separately and waiting for top scores.
3. When it gives you an idea to do another workout, why not be able to click on it as a link instead of going to find it.
Those are things I would like for it to do differently. Other than that, I love it! You should definintely Wii.

Affair

I am having an affair and I told Brian. It's with my slowcooker. I am in LOVE with it! We invested in the slow cooker liners by Reynolds that you place in the slow cooker then throw your stuff in and cook away. When you are done, pull the liner out, and voila! No mess (very little--maybe a rinse). I have found this has saved me much time and headache. Melt down is usually around dinner time so during naps, I put the slow cooker on and come dinner time, it's done. I just love it. I am looking for good slow cooker recipes and Allrecipes is where I have been but just can't find too much. I did find a chicken alfredo recipe. I used the Classico brand and in the end we added egg noodles. It was yummy and Abbie loved it! I recommend that one for sure! If you have a good slow cooker recipes, please share!

10:15 pm

Here it is, 10:15 and Brian now has assumed Ellie duty. She has been crying/fussing since 8:15 tonight. She is tired but won't sleep and when she falls asleep and you move, she wakes up screaming. I do mean screaming. We have the door shut to try to keep Abbie from hearing her. Today marks her 8 weeks in this world with 6 of them with terrible evenings. Tonight takes the top prize though. I have never seen her like this. I have been on her behalf before the throne asking for mercy, relief, and peace over Ellie and this house. That anything evil would be dismissed and for the angels to minister. It is sad when an 8 week old baby cries and has real tears from pain. What is a mother/father to do? How do you help them? The only thing I can say is that she won't remember this (the rest of us and the neighbors will!). Thank goodness.

Tired

Last night was a rough night. Ellie actually played on her play gym and smiled. It was sweet. Abs was at grandparents so that was nice too. Then, 10:00 rolled around and from there till midnight, Ellie was another creature. Screaming, not sleeping till finally we curled up on the couch together and slept. This morning, still crying, not sleeping. Of course she is right now :) The sling works wonders but that doesn't help me at night. We bought Gripe Water and that tends to be the best remedy thus far. Brian has a call to the doctor to see if I need to begin to weed out things I eat to help her. Is she colic? Milk sensitive? Is it her personality? Is she angry?? There are so many questions right now and no answers in sight. I have to turn to God to help me. I pray a lot for help. That my heart would be in the right position to help Ellie and not be frustrated. To love on Abs when I can and often. I have to totally lean on him for help. Even with all that happened last night, I am not too tired. That is Him giving me strength. Abbie being at grandparents when Ellie had meltdowns I believe was him too so that Abbie wouldn't be disturbed. He works in ways we don't think of.

Party Fun

Today was Abbie's birthday party and it was so much fun. We had our trampoline, swing set, small bounce house, pool, and slip and slide. We ordered pizza and had cupcakes and all kiddos got to decorate their own cupcake to take home in a cute cupcake holder. We had lots of kids and friends over and it was so much fun opening our home to everyone. We are going to try something new today too--formula. As you know, Ellie is a bit grouchy and maybe formula might do the trick because it could be something I eat that just sends her tummy off. I am not thrilled about this because it makes me feel, well, like I have failed in some way. Those magazines are right---if you don't nurse, you feel like you are not mom of the year. I will try formula though and if it helps Ellie, that is all that matters! I hope this helps. Any suggestions? Anyone?

Moved to Tears

Things have been very crazy. As most moms know, your day is full of things to do and when two kids don't nap at the same time limits your ability to get things done. Throw on doing a load of laundry a day because your small one spits all the time and colic in the evening (and fussy mornings) can make your nerves shot and a three year old who needs your attention and is dying to play a game with mommy. How do you balance it all? I have not figured it out yet. Tonight though was different. Ellie was pleasant with very few fussy moments and my husband drew my attention to this and said, "Praise God." Yes, praise God. At that moment I began to tear up (and am now as I write) because it has been so hard. Brian is a huge help and even with two of us, it is still tough. I don't know if this was just a good night or if God is allowing the prayer of healing upon our child, but praise his name either way--for healing Ellie or teaching me some character building.

Colic Anyone?

Ellie has colic. Let's just say it is not fun. She spends most evenings screaming and crying whether holding her not. It is pretty crazy around here during this time and most of us can't have a conversation over her cries and Abbie will say, "I can't hear." Me too honey. There is not much we can do except hold her and that takes up a lot of time. So, anyone had a colic baby with some ideas?? We could use some help. The upside is that the doctor said it should be done 6-8 weeks. She's 6 weeks old. Then to top it off, she has reflux. Lots of it! The upside is that she will out grow it in 4-6 months. Needless to say, there is something I am suppose to learn from this experience so I have to be open to that whole sifting thing I mentioned to get out what is in me that needs to be gone. I hope I figure it out soon. Until then, scream on Ellie, scream on!

Sifting

I believe I am about to enter into a time of sifting, just as Satan had asked to sift Peter. Now, I don't know if the devil has asked but I do believe God has some stuff to sift out of me. With me not working, we are taking a huge pay cut and in order to do that, we are forfeiting some things in our life--both good and neutrally moral. We are giving up our Compassion Kid and sponsoring our friends on The Traveling Team. Those are good, but we have to. Hopefully God will make it possible for us to sponsor them again. Neutrally moral things are just the fun things we enjoy doing. So, He will be sifting out of me liking creation more than the creator, aspiring for stuff, eating out just because I don't want to cook, going and doing just to go and do. He will be instilling into me a heart of contentment, gratitude that I can be home, and a humble heart that seeks him more than anything else in this world and turning me toward worship and a faith that he will provide even when I don't see how. Well, at least that is what I hope to get on the flipside, if not more. With a prayerful heart I enter into this season and ask for strength to be broken and built up in his image.

Transform

Today was Transform with our church. This is where we choose a place/location where we can help clean things up by painting, repairing, etc whatever needs to be done. Our location for Denton was Calhoun Middle School. This school is older and needs to have much done to it. Our goal today was tape and paint classrooms. We took Abbie and Ellie with us. Needless to say, I didn't do much. Brian was a taping fool though. It is cool to see so many folks give up their Saturday mornings (and for others, the whole day) to help out. Many were painting, taping, and working in the flower beds, and making stone paths. All to love on these kids, teachers, and administrators with no expectations. Very cool to love like Jesus.

HR Anyone?

After 3 days of trying to get hold of HR, I was finally successful. On Wednesday, I took my letter to HR to ask for a "nurturing leave of absence." I am waiting to hear if it is approved. I don't think it hurt that I had my two kids in tow! They thought were super cute (so do I) and wished me the best. I have to decide by February 1 if I will be returning because a leave is only good for one year. This will at least give us time to see if this whole stay at home thing works out! God has already provided one way by offering Brian a drum gig on Sunday at another church--and he gets paid! Who would have thought. God sure does work through ways we (I) don't ever think of. How creative of Him.
Oh, and last night I ran for the for the first time in 9 months. I ran 1 1/2 miles and it felt GREAT!!!! I can't wait to go again. Tomorrow. I am a little sore today :)

New Beginning

June 5 we were blessed with the arrival of our 2nd child, a girl. Her name is Ellison Noell and we call her Ellie. We have another daughter Abbie who is almost 3. I have prayed for 3 years now to be a stay at home mom and we haven't been able to afford it. I will be quitting my job and we still can't afford it but we are stepping on faith that God is going to provide. I am scared, frightened, and excited because this faith thing is hard for me. It will be a test of daily sacrifice to my wants and dying to the world. It will be realizing the only thing we get is Jesus and that is what matters most in this world. I am eager as to what God will teach us during this process and how he will provide. I will get to be with my girls and know their hearts and nurture them. I am excited about that! My goal is to keep up with this blog thing (as you can see it's not my strength) to mark the path of being home and no longer working (well, a job that pays) and trusting God more than I have ever had to. I step out in faith knowing the God who fashioned the world and knit this desire to mother in my heart will be glorified beyond anything I can imagine. Praise be his name.

Healing

Over the past three weeks or so, Abbie has had something of some sorts. We went to the doctor with a cough and fever and ended up getting x-rayed for pneumonia which was really bronchiolitis. Yeah, we are better. The fever came back and back to the doctor we went and it was the beginning of a sinus infection. Antibiotics take care of everything. Right? No. She wakes up today holding her right hear and crying in pain. Now, she has tubes so there should be nothing wrong. Right? No. They get us into the doctor thankfully about 4:15 and the doctor checks out her ear and says it must be her right one. Yes, doctor, it is. The tube she has in that ear is not draining the puss like it should so it is getting backed up causing pressure. Lovely. He gave us some antibiotics for the ear and a higher dose orally to try to knock all this out. If the ear drops don't work, we will have to go back to the ENT and possibly have the tube removed and another put in. She has spent most of the evening in a horrid mood, crying, fussing, and not wanting anything except to "rest mama" but even that can send her off screaming again. Now she is down to sleep. Hopefully all night. Oh Jesus, I know this is least of what it could be but we need that little girl completely healed! Please pray that these medicines do the job for her and the pain is subsided very quickly.

Doctor Visit

After waiting at my doctor's office for an hour and a half I had a lot of time to think. Sitting mindlessly I brainstormed an idea for doctor offices. They need little games for you to play like Cracker Barrel does. Those type of things to get you through the wait. Even have some Sudoku puzzles available. When I finally got back they weighed me (everyone's favorite),took my blood pressure and asked how I was feeling and I was able to hear the heartbeat (even at 10 weeks and having to hold my breath). She said all was good and then I left. This all took about 7 minutes. As I was leaving all the lights were being shut off or already off. Fighting traffic during Denton rush hour I was finally reunited with my family where my wonderful husband had cooked dinner and had it on the table ready to eat. I guess waiting isn't too bad when you don't have to cook!

Early Christmas

Today I got an email from the principal about our Christmas gift...which is a good one. Now some you say, "You already get two weeks off. What more do you want?" Jeans for a month. Yes! Jeans every day for a whole month! Now that is a Christmas present I can use.

Holiday Break

I must say this has been a great holiday season. It has been so relaxing and easy! We haven't done much and just enjoyed. The weather has been cold and now it's cold, rainy, and cloudy. The house is decorated for Christmas and it is just so much fun. I love it at night when the house is quiet and the tree is lit and Christmas music is playing. That just quiets the soul. Abbie is taking long naps which helps me get tons done so that when she is up we can just play. Then I keep thinking how weird it is to be our last Christmas together...just the 3 of us and how my time alone with her is passing by daily. Now I know the new baby will bring much joy but it has to do with change and now it not only effects us, but another little one as well who might not understand why her world is turned upside down. That is why I am already praying for her now. Next year we will be a family of four...:)

June 28, 2008

That is the official due date of Baby Vinson. Yeah!

It Did

She was up at 6. Her normal 7. Hopefully the nap will sort her out now...

Backfire

I hope my plan doesn't backfire. I let Abbie take a LONG nap today. 3 1/2 hours. She finally woke up at 4:45. Now, I would have normally already had her up and going but my thought was there is a time change so technically, this is 3:45. Then, I will let her stay up till about 8:45-9:00 so she will sleep late. Now, I am not sure if this plan will work. If not, she will be up with the birds! Thus, meaning I will too. Now, you are thinking that I will be use to the time I get up with her but there is something about that clock saying 6:00, and not 7:00. Cross my fingers, all 8, and my legs that this works!

Sickness

Abbie has been sick for the past week. From throwing up to diarrhea (more than you wanted to know!) to a bite on her arm that looked horrid and top it off with fever. The doctor did a flu check but it wasn't. Everything she has is like the flu, without being the flu. So I stayed home with her today to make sure she gets completely well. And she is. No fever, no need for any medicines, except that bite on her arm. She has been running and playing and is now starting to eat again, even if it is only Cheez-Its she likes. It is a beautiful day outside so we have enjoyed hanging out together and playing. I am glad to be home and certainly glad she is not sick (for the past 26 hours)!

Good

Things for the most part are going good. Abbie has begun school and she loves it. She also loves to go to Judi's and play with all her friends. Tonight we are baking muffins for her to take in the morning so they can all have breakfast. We are making big blueberry ones and mini-strawberry ones. The house smells lovely. Ahh...
Today there is rain but non around us. There have been flash flood warnings and we have enjoyed blue skies. This morning though I was mowing and it began to pour down. I kept trucking because I wanted it done. I didn't get to the backyard though. It was just too wet and I was soaked.
My class is very good at school. They actually say yes ma'am and no ma'am. I just want to fall over. They do what is asked and I couldn't be happier at this point.
My daughter calls...or whines is more like it. I must attend to her now.

Back to School

I am back to school. With no kids actually attending at this time and I feel like I have been hit by a Mack truck. We have a new principal and our school is so over crowded that bathrooms may soon be classrooms to make room. All in all it's good and our emphasis is to be exemplary. I will do my best in my classroom and teach my hardest...even if that means I don't always look like the rest of my team. I am exhausted and my mind is always going a 100mph and there just doesn't seem to be enough time to get it all done. God says that is mercy is new every morning. Praise Jesus he gave me enough for today and will again tomorrow. Oh, and it's Meet the Teacher Night. Always a nervous occasion!

Happy Birthday

It is a bit late but I had a super birthday! I think this one tops most of them. It all began on the morning on the 16th when I had to do a scavenger hunt in the house to find my presents. I ended up with 3 gift cards to go shopping, get my hair done, and get some new make up. But that wasn't all. I also got to go out on Friday and get my hair done, go shopping, and enjoy the day...by myself! Brian took the day off to spend with Abbie and I got a few hours to enjoy. It was a great birthday with great new clothes and super sassy haircut that I love. Thank you to my sweet husband for noticing me and honoring me and to my wonderful parents who chipped in to make my day of luxury a possibility. It was amazing. :)

Free Coffee

If you are not in a rush to brew some coffee this morning, check out Folger's link to get a free sample of their new coffee. 4-6 six weeks so you might want to wait to put the water in. It could be yucky by then. :) I have chosen the Vanilla Biscotti for kicks. Can't wait to try it.

Harry Potter

Are you a Harry Potter fan? Now, some say we shouldn't read these books because they teach us about witchcraft and wizardry and how to do spells and such. As my friend jokingly put it, They are of the devil. My response: have you actually read them your self? Probably not. I have found these books to be one the best written series ever. I have read all the books including book 7 which I just set down...finally! Over the past week to week and and a half I have devoured book 5, 6, and 7. I highly recommend these books. Even to children. I get to so wrapped up and my brain creates these wonderful settings where all these stories take place and I become to engrossed into this world I have created. The imagery and elaboration that J.K. Rowling uses is just amazing and vivid descriptions don't leave you guessing. I am a bit sad now that I am done because the life of Harry has ended...is that figuratively or literally? Guess you'll have to read to find out!

Friends

My friend Judi has 4 children and she wanted to go on her church's mission trip so I volunteered to watch her younger two and she would take the older two. I watched Hannah who is 20 months and Sarah who is about 9 months on Thursday and they spent the night and left Friday evening. Let's just say I was exhausted! They are terrific kids but with three in the house I was going non-stop. Certainly made me appreciate mothers who have more than one kid! Thursday night we went out in the backyard and swam and got on the swing. It was a great time. Abbie loved having Hannah to play with.

July 4th

I know it's a bit late but at least I am writing. This year we let little Abs stay up for fireworks. She loved them! That night she didn't get in bed till 11! and of course was up bright and early. We had friends come over and we cooked out, played games, then loaded up to enjoy a great night in Texas!

Firetruck

We have adopted a fire station here in town and on holidays we take them some sort of goodies. Abbie loves the firetruck too. They are very nice and welcoming of our hospitality. While we there the alarm went off and they had to leave. Not before Abs had a chance to sit in the firetruck though.

Magic Ink

Yesterday I was in the study with Abbie while she rummaged around, something she does quite a bit. I turned around to see this scene appear.


I took the PERMANENT marker away and she kept telling me, "Yeah!" No, not this one! Then I looked and noticed this. Look closely. She marked on Landry.


Needless to say, regular soap and water does the trick of getting it off. This time.

If all the rain drops were..

money I would be loaded by now! If you live around here you know it has rained and when it was done doing that, it would rain. Time outside is few and far between so what are you to do when you can no longer hang out indoors and your daughter is giddy with the thought of going outside? You go outside in the rain. This is her first time to play in the rain and what fun we had!

Potty Training 101

I think I know how to potty train. If you would like to know how, just see below. We have actually not gone yet, but it is fun to sit there.

Happy Father's Day

Today Abbie and I went to surprise dad at work. We had made a picture last night for him hand painted and colored by Abbie and was going to stop at Starbucks to pick up his favorite drink. I called to see how his day was going and I thought, "Great, he will be in the office when we get there." Then Abbie began to ask, "What's that?" Over and over. At that time we were going over Lake Lewisville so I said, "It's the lake." Realizing my mistake instantly my husband asked where we were going and since I can't lie to save my life, I had to tell him we were on our way to see him. We didn't surprise him but his Starbucks was a nice treat and we went out to eat lunch as a family. So to you dada-Happy Father's Day. We love you and love what you do to support this family!

Grandparents

I have come to realize how blessed Brian and I are with our parents. They are all in good health and can remember most everything :) They are in love with Abbie and go above and beyond to help us out. They love for her stay with them, spend the night, and just have fun. Not too many people I know are as fortunate as us to have family around and grandparents who take an active role in their granddaughter's life. So to you grandparents: Nana, Pops, Mimi, and PePaw, we say thank you for all you do!

Incredible Pizza

Looking for something new to do this summer? Have you been to Incredible Pizza? Indoor race car driving, bumper cars, bowling, games, golf, all you can eat pizza, pasta, salad, baked potatos, dessert, and drinks. All for an entrance fee of $6.99 per person. Of course games vary on price. We love this place! Pick the room you want to eat in. Feeling like family? Drive in? Diner? Gym? Best of all, it's a Christian run place. Check it out!

Staying Home

If you ever read anything on here you may begin to pick on a theme of staying home is the goal of our life. Today God and I had a chat and it came to my attention that I have been home, but haven't been home. Make sense? Even though summer is here, Abbie and I have just gone and gone. We have yet to have a day where it's just us, at home, no errands, nowhere to go. Just her and myself. So you stay at home moms, how do you balance it all? Quality time with your children and still keeping your sanity by getting out the house? When do you cross the line of being out too much? This is short season of my life to be home and I don't want to miss out!

Zoo Times

Back in March we bought zoo passes to the Ft. Worth Zoo because I love to go. We have been quite a few times and today I got out with Abbie with our cousin Robin and her two daughters, Mia and Taya. They had a blast today. Unfortunately, there is only one decent picture of all three. And you can see that one is not good at all! Abbie loves to ride the train: choochoo, ride. That is what she tells me. She also got to enjoy her first lemonade Capri Sun thanks to Robin!

Treasure

This doesn't have anything to do with Pirates of the Caribbean as much as I want to see the movie, but our treasure we lay up. You have heard before that where your treasure is, your heart will be also. I have heard that and thought how nice it was and that yes, my treasure needs to be in heaven so moth and rust won't get it and that pesky thief can't get to it. But I don't think I ever hit the core of it before until tonight from church. Basically it's this: you can pursue God and serve him, or you can pursue money and have it. If you pursue money you don't get God and in the end, you wind up with nothing because you don't get to take it with you. Pursue God, and you have him and he gives you his kingdom. This is all to say that this is a test of where our hearts are. If you like the transient, your heart is here on earth. And if you like (pursue, desire, long for) the invisible, well, your heart is in heaven.
I guess I have some work to do in my life. I am ok with this sermon because I know that I have been asking God to help me deal with this very issue and will continue to ask for him to help me so that my treasure may be found in him.

Home at Last

I finally have taken a few moments to sit and blog. Ever since our lap top crashed, blogging just isn't easy. I actually have to come sit in the study. I have been home almost a week now and I love it. I have been a bit uneasy about going from full time working mom to non working and what that might do. I have praying for God to give me peace and to enjoy each moment with Abbie and he has been faithful to answer that prayer. I think we live in Seattle because it has rained every day! Well, not today. There was actually sun this afternoon. The first day in a couple of weeks. I have to remind myself that the rain is God's mercy after us having a drought. Abs and I headed to the pool. The purple plastic pool in the backyard that is. It was great fun. She is a blast and I am loving staying home.

God has each of us in different periods of our life. This is a time for me to see what a stay at home mom life would be like. May I get a taste and do what it takes financially to get me home. Brian and I have been praying for God to simplify our desires in addition to liking sandwiches for meals and them filling us up. I pray for the hand of God to bless us...not because we deserve it, but because he finds us faithful to his calling. May I search out the heart of God always and forever.

Life's Learning Lesson

In life, we learn many lessons. As we grow up they are from parents. Then we enter school days and teachers begin to teach us and friends enter the picture. As adults we are being taught too. We still learn from parents and friends, but God teaches the life lessons that are valuable and bring character. Since attending The Village Church, God has used the messages there to open the eyes of my heart to the lessons of God and his desires. Life is not about me. Never had been, never will be. It is about the glory of God and making his name known. This teaches me that selfishness has no place. I pray boldly now for God to strip me of that. The Lord may ask me to wait. That is my season of life. Waiting on God to answer my many questions such as where should Abbie be next year for daycare? Do we have another baby? Do we try to make it with me working part-time? What is our next move? The waiting period is rough when you are like me and want answers now. I wouldn't have it any other way though. It brings me closer to God, keeps me dependent on him, and makes me seek his face. During this season of waiting, I am also learning about the heart of God and his never ending love and his faithfulness. I will continue to wait and may he find me faithful. My dad sent me this verse so if you too, find yourself trying to answer questions, seek God and he will speak over you, "I will instruct you and teach you in the way you should go; I will counsel you and watch over you." Praise God for life lessons.

Too Long

I was looking at the last date I wrote and realized it's been about two months. A lot goes on in two months and I guess that explains why I haven't written or perhaps it's on the bottom of my list. Brian and I are attending covenant class for our new church to become members. We do enjoy our new chuch a lot and just love what they are about and where their focus is and where their vision is. Abs is still doing just great. I am finding life a bit difficult with the demands of a full time job, full time kid, full time husband, and full time household to run. I get tired and run down and just have to ask God to extend to me a bit more grace and tolerance (that's the other word I use for patience. I'm scared to pray for it!)This week is super busy. We have Little Gym, Covenant Class, TAKS Writing, field trip to Austin (yes, down and back in one day! not my idea), and I have class for school on Saturday. Yikes. I am not use to this kind of schedule. May God just help me to keep my head up, trust him, and let him help me through. Grace and peace to you as well through this week.

Updates

Time sure does fly and I am not sure if anyone really reads this. For those who do, here is a bit about what is going on. Abbie had her first little Christmas play she was in. Her little Children's Day Out class "sang" Jingle Bells and I do use the word sang loosely. She was so cute! We have been so enjoying our holiday break and getting to reconnect as a family. I just forget how precious, smart, and fun she is. Thank goodness I am reminded of that. I pray over my daughter daily that God will continue to watch her and help her grow and development. Christmas was very nice and she got lots of goodies. So did Brian and I. We are working on her playroom and getting it to look cuter. So far so good.
Tonight we had a little fiasco. We apparently have (had) a little birdie who spent the night in our wreath on the door. I went out to check the mail and the little birdie decided to fly into the house. I hit the floor screaming my head off out of fear and my eyes being pecked. Brian comes running carrying Abbie to see what was going on. The bird made its way to the back of the house into the living room. We tried turning off lights in the house and outside lights on. Needless to say, Landry got the little birdie and it well, is now in our neighbors yard. Brian "helped" it over the fence if you know what I mean. I feel pretty bad for that little birdie. He was just trying to sleep. :(
We have also found a new church that we just love and hope to attend their class in January to learn more about the church but I feel a peace about where we are at. His sermons are just amazing and so applicable. Abbie likes it too.

Turkey Days

Turkey days are coming and I glad for the break from school. We are lucky and have to go to school the week of Thanksgiving. I only work on Monday since I will be having a student teacher sub on Tuesday. That will be nice. Brian is also going to be off so we will take little monster to school on Tuesday and a have some time to just hang out and be together which we have not done in a long time. My friend and I are planning on doing the Turkey Trot but I got to thinking, why drive to Dallas to run 8 miles when we could do that here in town? So, I am going to talk to her and see what she thinks about that new idea.
Brian and I are going to join a gym. LA Fitness. It is brand new and very nice. They even have free child care there which is a bonus plus an indoor pool. It's out front though where you walk in. I am thinking that is a poor layout idea. Most people don't want to show their "swimming body" to each and every member of the gym. It's their own fault if they look. I am excited though about getting to swim laps. Something I have not done since pregnancy. (Which I truly believe helped me have only 5 1/2 hours of labor from beginning to end!) I hope that my new enthusiasm continues because a couple of days a week I will be heading out at 5 am!! Don't worry, I won't be like the Biggest Loser and post my before and after picture. That can't be good for anyone! :)

Retirement

I am now in retirement. I thought I could train for a half marathon but was not correct in that assumption. It takes way too much time and my knees can't take much more. I ran 6 miles today (the most ever!) and my knees hurt so bad I had to limp around. Probably not the best for my body. I am doing the 8 mile Turkey Trot though and am working on training for that.
This weekend we took Abbie to the Dallas Aquariam at Fair Park. It was ok but probably won't go back. We were suppose to go to the zoo but it was so windy and cold that we postponed it until today and it was beautiful weather. Abbie loved all the animals and seeing everything. She discovered something very fascinating. Acrons. As many as you can possibly hold in your 15 month old hand and if you run out of room, try picking them up with your mouth. Silly girl. We had such a good time and tonight was Treat Night at the Ranch where we live. She dressed up in her pumpking costume and got to go on a hayride and get in a bounce house and do a cake walk. She has had a very busy weekend! She is just so precious!

Today

Today was a good day. It was beautiful outside. My friend came over this morning and we ran 5 miles. It was great! Full moon shining down on us, cool breezes. Loved it. We picked up Abbie's halloween costume. She's going to be a pumpkin. Can't wait to try it on. Then we went to......SUPER TARGET! Yes, in Denton. It was wonderful. We went grocery shopping. We got home and Abs went to sleep. I fixed her some bracelets and necklaces with some beads we had bought there. I am hoping she likes these better than mine. We will find out when she wakes up. It is just a nice relaxing day, TX/OU is playing. I just love the fall.
AND, on Thursday I took the day off and I went to the pumpkin patch with Abbie and her school. It was fun. She had a blast. I have added a couple of pictures for you to see. I sure did enjoy our special day.

In the words of...

In the words of Black-Eyed Peas...running, running, running
yup, that is what I am doing. Today I did a 5 mile run. I again, was dreading it and just about turned around and headed home. But Erwin was on the Ipod and my shoes were on the feet and my legs were already in motion, so I kept on. I am so glad I did. I got to see the sun peak over the horizon, feel the cool breeze, and see and hear a flock of geese in the early morning. I felt great! There is something that I keep thinking of though...I am training for a race I have not entered. That would be bad to miss it! Perhaps I should stop blogging and go register.

Weather

The weather has been so nice around here. Abbie and I enjoy going to the park on these crisp evenings. It is almost like we will actually have fall this year! I went running tonight and it felt great. Much better than Saturday morning in the humidity. It felt as though I was running in a shower. There are days I like running and days I don't. I often think about not continuing on this journey and I have to sit and ask what is keeping me from it? Probably selfishness. Maybe fear of not being able to pull this thing off. After all, if you quit then you don't have to worry about not crossing the finish line. But then I run, get home, and feel fabulous that I did it. I continue to pray that God will bless this journey and that I will be committed to it. Even when I just don't feel like it.

Rockstar Supernova

For those who watch this, I must say, poor Toby. I liked him. Bunches. But I guess Lucas is an ok choice.

Ahhh

I have to say that this new weather is quite lovely. We have so loved taking Abbie to the park each evening. She loves to swing and slide. She likes falling down into the woodchips to come up with a handful. We stroll around in the wagon and head back home. I just love having a park within walking distance. It is great to see neighbors out walking, riding bikes, and hanging out at the park. When we moved here I just thought, nice, a park. Now that we have a little one I have come to appreciate having it. The walking trails are fabulous and we have one that goes into a wooded section and one way leads you to a pond. What a great place to live and raise a family. God knew in advance that this is just what we needed.

Strength

Tonight I ran. Again. Every day I dread going but every time I am done, I am so happy with myself. I pray before every run that God would keep me safe, bless the run, and give me endurance. Tonight though I got specific. I prayed over my legs, lungs, heart, and anything else I could think of. I prayed for his strength to carry me and that he run through me. Sound weird? God has put running in my heart for a reason. If I am going to do something that is so outside of who I am, I am going to pray over everything I can think of. I don't have the strength to run, but God does!

PS. Doing a 5K on September 23 if anyone wants to join me. You know who you are :)

Fall

I have been teaching elaboration in writing at school and our topic was a critical setting: fall. We used the 5 senses to come up with things associated with fall. I look out at these 100+ days and I dream of fall. So I had to do it. Light a candle. A fall candle. It is to make me think it's cooler than 102 outside and the sun is not beaming down on me taunting me. So far, the house smells super good. As long as I don't walk outside, I can almost see those falling leaves (not because they're dying), feel the cool crisp autumn air sweep my hair back and see Abbie sticking out her tongue to catch the breeze. Ahhhh....fall.

Ugh

It is the second week of school therefore I survived the first. Today I really got to teach and it went so much better than last week. There is hope for this year after all!
I ran again tonight and am quite sure one of the these days I am going to disintegrate since it is so hot out. Pretty much like running inside the core of the earth. When I run on weekends it feels so much better probably because it's morning and I seem to go so much further. On nights, I just beg to make it home before someone finds me in the middle of the road. Yet, I shall press on. I looked at my training schedule and it doesn't look that bad. The week is pretty light but that long run on Saturday, that will be the true test of if I make it or not.
Ladies, in case you have not noticed at your house, you might find your husband a bit more giddy, happy, joyful. One word: football. Yup, it's back and my husband can finally stop his countdown. (He started in February after the Super Bowl). Our Saturdays, Sundays, and Mondays shall be filled with men chasing one another, throwing and pouncing on a ball thus pouncing on each other. And dare I go to fantasy football? The one thing I love about football is that it means fall is just around the corner. Oh yeah, I am in Texas, it'll be in about 3 more months.

First Day

Today was the first day of school. It felt like the 100th. I have a sweet class who love to talk. A lot. I told them that tomorrow consequences would come for talking. I have to get this under control before it gets worse.
This evening I went running. And I made it 3 miles! Yeah rah! I think that is the most I have every been in my life! My friend said, get through the second mile and its easy. You know what, that was true tonight. I would like to run in the morning, as I was going to today, but I got a bit scared. Out at 5 in the morning by myself makes me a bit uneasy. If I had only gone 10 more miles, it would have been a 1/2 marathon! :)

Run On

Today we went and got some good running shoes for me. The folks there at Run On know their stuff. Before, I would buy tennis shoes that were cute. After all, who wants to wear an ugly one? At this store though, the shoe picks you. They watch you walk and look at how your foot moves and measure it on the neat little scale (the last time I used that was grade school I think!). They are very knowledgeable because they either walk or run. Of course, with new shoes come socks and shirts. Dry fit my friend, we live in Texas! I bought their logo shirts for $10 each. Not a bad deal I'm thinking. With my new stuff comes a new love. Running. I never though those words would ever come out. Check back in a couple of weeks though and see if I still have this passion!

Walking

I thought little monster would walk at 10 months. Needless to say, it didn't happen. Today though, she took 13 steps on her own! A huge improvement on 2. Good job Abs! Keep it up.

Running

The other night (Friday) I went out and ran 1.25 miles, give or take. I felt really good. Tonight I decided to run like the wind. It was humid and super nasty out but I was on a mission especially after having a big mac for lunch and Red, Hot 'n Blue for dinner. After nearly collapsing and getting in my car, sipping gatorade, I was off to measure my long distance run. A whopping 2.1 miles. That's it?! I am not even sure I ran enough to work off the bun of the big mac! I sure am feeling it and it's only been 2 hours since the run. Again, I go back to the last blog, what was I thinking? I live in Texas! It's too hot to run in August. It doesn't cool off till mid-November! As a reader noted in her comment, I hope all this running gets me the body of a life time. Guess I need to lay off McDonalds too.

Thinking?

What was I thinking? I told my friend that I would train for a half marathon. I am now locked in because there is no way she will let me get away with not being in it now! We will be running in the White Rock Lake marathon on December 10. We begin actual training September 10. She says by then I need to be able to run at least 3 miles. The way I see it, training starts now. I did have a chat with God about this. That I would do it, stick to it, and that he would bless and annoint this committment. If any of you other readers are interested in training with us, we would love to have you aboard! (By the way, I just looked at the map and again I ask myself, What was I thinking?)

Shots

Today was Abbie's first year check up and everything is great! 31 inches and 22 pounds. She got 5 shots though. I have been praying about them that God would make them as pain free as possible considering the situation. She was such a good girl. She cried just a bit, took her pacifier, and was done. I think she cried maybe 30 seconds. Thank you God for answering prayers! She is happy and playing but I am keeping the tylenol in her...just to be sure.
Brian got to spend some time at home this morning which was really nice. I left her with him to get ready and this is what I found. Silly kids!

Getting Close

It's getting closer. Me going to work. I am excited about this year but am a bit sad to leave the monster behind. She went with me to the school today to work. She mainly crawled around eating things off the floor. Staples were her favorite. (I did take them away). I hung my curtains up and they look great. I grabbed a writing book to begin working on lesson plans. Yes, already trying to get ahead. I do hope, by the grace of God, this is my last year for a while. I feel a complete peace about going to work again and will continue to ask God to shower that on me. Plus, this year I get 10 days off! Wow, I can actually take days off this year! How fun will that be!

The Big Day

Today is the big 1 for our little girl. I can't believe how much she has grown. To think back to this little baby who could barely keep her eyes open and slept, a lot, to a little girl who crawls and moves and is learning so much and being so active. I am just amazed at what 12 months can do. We had her party on Sunday night. She sure is cute and a blast. Tonight we went to Chuck E Cheese with grandparents. Check this out: she can climb UP the slide all the way to the top by herself in about .23 seconds. :) To you my little monster, HAPPY BIRTHDAY!!

Help

Ok moms. I need some help here. Abbie decided to wake up last night from 1.30-3. I would rock her but she wouldn't fall asleep, I would put her in her bed and she would scream and cry. Needless to say, I am a bit tired this morning. The night before she did the same for about an hour, but not as bad. Why is she doing this? How do I fix it? She is almost 1 and I would think she should be able to sleep through the night. She has done it before. What are some things you have done and tried? Fill me because I need some beauty rest!

Where is she?

Our little monster is very busy. She is almost one and very curious about everything. She loves the cabinets and to take things out and climb into them. The other day she was playing in the laundry room and Brian said she was in the dryer. I didn't believe him because I figured I would have heard a thunk. Sure enough, there she sat in the dryer happy as a clam. What fun she is! Oh, don't worry, I keep it shut now and put a lock on the "dangerous" cabinets.

Humility

We went to church on Saturday night and I was wearing jeans, t-shirt, and flip flops but I felt really good about myself thinking I looked cute. That is when it began. Rated as one of the most embarassing things. I took a step off the curb into a puddle where I slipped and fell right in it. In the parking lot of Fellowship Church I am sitting in a puddle. Mortified I jumped up soaked. We began to walk back to the car but I felt so bad for Abs to have ridden there and not to have gotten to play with friends. I sucked it up and went on in, soaked jeans in all and added mud for flavor. Funny thing is, I didn't really mind. I would have before but somehow after having a kid, things don't bother me like they use to. I guess mommy-hood gives us something that says, "Oh, well. It could be worse."

Chuck E Cheese

Today Brian's aunt called to see if Abbie and I wanted to meet her and her 2 granddaughters (Abbie's cousins) at Chuck E Cheese. I thought Abs wouldn't like it and that it would be too big for her. I was wrong. Abs had a blast. She loved the moving rides and sliding. She loved watching her cousins play the games. I have to say, I enjoyed it a lot more that McDonald's and it felt so much cleaner. We did the sketching booth and had our pic sketched and had about 3 pictures made with her and Chuck E in the car. It is so cute. Again, it wore her out and in about 3 minutes into our car ride home, she was out. What fun we had. I am wanting to go back soon!

Home Depot pt. 2

After yesterday's pitfall with Home Depot (mind you our floors would be done right now!), they worked it out. Turns out we need 15 more cases of tile. I think someone made a big boo-boo. Home Depot is footing the bill on the extra 15 cases though. Even though our floors aren't done today, they will be. To top it off, the extra tile costs over $400! Thank you God that in little inconviences you work out great things! Now the thing is, will it all be in and done by July 23, Abbie's birthday party? Sigh.

Don't Get Mad and Blog

Brian and I returned safely from vacation and we had a lovely time. It was just the right amount of time to be away and rest for a bit. It was great to see little girl too. I missed her and think she great an inch while we were gone. My husband begs to differ.
Have you ever been so excited about something? You make sure you do everything just right so that when the big day comes, you are ready? Brian and I did that with our floors. We have waited 2 years to get new floors, more from not being able to agree, but finally we had it all figured out. We moved all our furniture for the tile and the house became an instant wreck. We woke up excited and the installers show up, our anticipation building. This was the day for new floors. They walk in and look at our floors and very-matter-of-factly say they don't have enough tile to do the job. Our hearts sank. What?! With that, they are gone and who is this great company we ordered from? Well, I must say, Home Depot. Needless to say, Brian and I are outraged and disappointed. The installers had everything right. We were told 11 cases from the beginning. The installers think we need about 25! UGH! That is just a slight difference. How will Home Depot fix the problem they made? I don't know. So, with our house still in shambles because we don't know what to do, we wait for the problem to be solved. And if it can't (it's paid in full), we will just ask for money back and go to Lowe's!

Vacation

This Friday, Brian and I celebrate 5 years of marriage. Wow. So many yet doesn't seem like any! With that comes leaving our little monster behind. Not alone of course for family will be taking care of her. I am ok about leaving her but then I will get a little sad and teary. I packed her sweet little bag last night making sure I didn't miss a thing. Brian and I packed this morning as she crawled all over the suitcase. It is a little sad but I am very excited about getting away a bit and sleeping. Sleep late, go to bed late. Now, I will probably crash at the usual 9.30 or so and be up by 7. Oh well. Abs will be just fine while we are gone. I think it hurts my heart more than hers. I have managed to rationalize it though. Technically I will only not see her one day. We leave Thursday so I will see her in the morning and come home on Saturday so I will see her that night. Technically, I just have to make it through Friday. :)

I Surrender

I was working out this afternoon and was listening to Lincoln Brewster, a praise and worship leader. One song, Surrender, not like the old hymn, began to play and suddenly it was like God was saying to me to surrender my workouts to him. Seriously. I workout to excuse my unhealthy eating. God wants all of me. My eating, exercise, thought life, every part that makes me me. I had to question myself. Do I truly surrender? How I want to. Tears were in my eyes as I realized that I just need to do it all. Surrender.
Here is the first verse:
I'm giving you my heart, and all that is within
I lay it all down for the sake of you my king
I'm giving you my dreams, I'm laying down my rights,
I'm giving up my pride, for the promise of new life
And I surrender, all to you, all to you
And I surrender, all to you, all to you

Decisions

There are some things that Brian and I have been talking about and one of those things are our dogs. I love them deeply but as most of you understand (Robin) they can become more of a pill than a joy. I am at that point. My dogs cling to me like static cling. They follow me constantly and are always in my face. It gets a bit tough when you are trying to take care of your child. Do we keep them both? Get rid of them? Get rid of one (Sydny)? The problem with Landry is that she won't like anyone else and probably bite their hands off the first chance she gets. Now don't I have people lining up to take her! Sydny is loving, kind, gentle, and great with children. Truly a great dog that has tons of energy and loves to play. What to do? Sometimes I think open the front door and other times I couldn't stand not having them in my face. I just don't think I could get rid of them to someone and not know that they are being spoiled rotten. Which is worse? Having them or worrying about how they are being treated? Any advice?

Can You Hear Me?

I have this sweet little girl who loves to scream. In the car especially and at home. She sometimes will scream in a restaurant. So you moms out there, how do you fix the problem? Let them? Spank hands or legs? Try to cover their mouth? She screams for fun and sometimes when we are mad but I don't know what I should be doing. HELP!