Family Christmas Card

Wisemen's Journey Christmas

Shop Shutterfly.com for elegant Christmas photo cards.

View the entire collection of cards.

a week of activity...

I try and I try and I try, but I just can't seem to stay committed to checking into this blog.  Maybe it's because I feel like I have to have something profound to say.  Maybe it's because I know that no one is reading this but me.  Maybe it's because it's for me to get my thoughts out, and I talk so much on most days that I don't feel the need to write it all out.  But the truth is, I forget things, and I want to keep them in my memories.  I want to look back and say, "oh, yeah!  I remember that!"  Rather than events being completely forgotten.  On that note, here are a few events from the last week.


Daylight savings time ended and we gained an extra hour of sleep.  Is this really worthy to put in a blog?  Maybe not, but I love it that I get that extra hour back because it puts me on time again.  When we "spring forward" into the time change, I lose that hour and I struggle to be on time.  It totally throws my sleep schedule off, and I am not a morning person, so it makes a huge difference.  So, we gained an hour.


Also on Sunday, we celebrated the members of our church who have passed over the last year by lighting a candle for each of them.  It was painstakingly horrible.  I know it was meant as a tribute, but for me it brought back all of those reasons why we miss Myron so terribly.  As his name was read, there were sobs throughout the church.  It's just so crazy that he isn't here anymore.  So, the week was a bit rough dealing with that depression once again.  Not that it has completely left anyway.  


We did try to pull ourselves out of the funk on Sunday evening by going to see Megamind. As I had hoped, laughter was a result.  But how can you not laugh at a movie that features the voice of Will Ferrell.  That reminds me...I need to pull out Elf for the holidays.  :)


On Thursday, while everyone celebrated Veteran's Day (BTW...Thank you to all of you soldiers who are willing to risk your life and fight for our freedoms), we celebrated a very special day.  It was the day that my husband was shoved out of his 20s.  That's right.  My hubby joined me in the thirty something crowd.  He's now 30!  Why do I exclaim it?  You see, he always gives me a hard time about already being there, but now he's here with me.  :)  Of course, he's sure to rub it in that the same thing will happen when I turn 40.  Oh, the joys of marrying a younger man.  The family all met at our house that evening to have an incredible steak dinner to celebrate both Nick and Jerad's birthday, and we topped it off with a giant double doozie cookie and a trip to Rialto to see Secratariat, another incredible movie.


Friday, we ran to the German restaurant for another incredible meal.  Then, Saturday, we had friends over to celebrate Nick and Jerad's birthday.  We must be getting old or boring or maybe both because everyone was out of the house by 10:30.  Although, we had a great time with those who came by.


We ended the weekend with a trip to the city to see Shrek the musical.  The boys thought it was one of the best ones they had ever seen.  We had box seats which gave us a different perspective of the show.  We were able to see a lot of technical things, which for our family is greatly appreciated.  We ate Olive Garden for lunch, and for the first time ever, I didn't order pasta.  I looked at the menu online before we got there so I could try to make a healthy decision, which was much needed after the weekend that revolved around eating since Thursday.  I was surprised that I maintained my weight throughout all of that.  Now for a week of big weight loss!  I have the final weigh in for the Lose 2 Win challenge next Tuesday.  I've got to stay on track this week!

motivation...

Do you ever wake up in the morning and feel totally blah?  How about the opposite?  Do you ever wake up totally motivated and ready to conquer the day?  That's how I feel today.  I'm not sure what it is (maybe it's the time change), but I feel ready to get things done.  There are so many things that I want to accomplish, I'm having a hard time focusing on what I want to do first.  On a normal day, I will wake up and get the kids out of bed do a few things to try and wake myself up while they are getting around.  Solve a few arguments between the two of them.  Tell them to stop messing with the cat so they'll actually get their morning routine finished.  Then dart into town to get them to school, sometimes just barely before the tardy bell rings.  I do all of this while still in my pajamas.  That's right.  I leave the house in my pajamas.  No combed hair.  No bra.  I just hope I never get a flat tire during that time.  I noticed a difference last week.  One day I took the kids to school in my pajamas then came home and had a hard time getting motivated to do anything.  Another day, I put on workout clothes (to which I received this comment from Brickman:  "I thought you didn't wear a bra to take us to school.")  When I came home, I got so much more accomplished.  So, that's one of my goals each day now: to wake up and put on clothes to workout.  At very least, even if I don't work out, I'll get something else accomplished.


I've gotten quite a bit accomplished in the past few weeks as per weight loss.  I finally feel motivated to get that done, and I love seeing the results.  I'm down a pant size and have lost 12 pounds.  I feel so much better with just that amount off of me.  I'm trying to get into exercise.  I'm doing things each day to be more active.  I borrowed my sister's Zumba DVDs, which have been a lot of fun.  I think the biggest thing is that I actually see myself getting it done this time.  I'm changing habits that I can stick to, but am still allowing myself to have some of the things that I love.  Something that I know I'll love is the way that I look once I get more weight off.  I can't wait to see myself two months from now when I go to Arbonne's Global Training Conference.  Or six months from now.  Or a year from now.  I love it that I see myself thin and healthy.  I'm not there yet, but I will be.  I'm motivated.  No more procrastination.  I'm motivated and am taking action.

did you vote?

Today I am thankful that I live in a time and a place where I can vote.  So many people fought for that right, yet so many don't exercise that duty.  Of course, if a person is to go to his/her polling place to cast his/her vote, I certainly hope that he/she takes the time to get educated about the candidates and the issues.  I believe that everyone has the right to their own opinion [even though I may like mine more than yours :)] so I won't tell you that your vote was stupid because of what you voted.  That's something that I see all over the social networking world.  I also believe that you should vote for the best person for the job, not necessarily straight party.  But then again, how can you truly tell who is the best for the job?  The best thing to do is to continue to pray for our leaders, whether they were the ones who we hoped to see put into office or not.  And speaking of elections...here's one other thing I'm thankful for:  no more political mail or phone calls!

a new month...

There's something about a new month that makes me feel like I get a fresh start.  I guess it's really just another day, but if it gives me that outlook, I'm going for it.  I'm starting my November with being thankful, since we're in the month of Thanksgiving.  Today, I'm thankful for an awesome camera that helps me capture some incredible memories...most recently Halloween.


With the turn of the month, it makes me realize that I need to get in gear for Christmas shopping.  I've already bought several things, but I need to assess what I have and still need so I'm not doing any last minute shopping.  The new month also makes me realize how quickly time flies.  It really seems that we were just laying out by the pool this summer.  How did it get to be November already?  Before we know it, the new year will be here.  

tuckered out...

After constant Halloween celebrations since Wednesday, we're officially tuckered out.  As I've said before, we really get into Halloween, but I think it was almost too much this year.  Or maybe it was just too much going on and running from one thing to the next.  Jerad was extremely busy running sound on campus all day Saturday and Sunday then coming immediately home both nights to get dressed up and galavant around.  All of our tempers were a bit on edge from one thing or another.  Too much partying?  Too much sugar?  Perhaps.  We normally don't take the kids door to door to trick or treat.  Instead, we hit very particular houses.  Most of them want us to come by so they can see our costumes.  Others, the boys really want to go to.  By the end of the night, we were all ready to get home and get out of costumes.  We are, of course, already talking about what we're going to do next year.  Thank goodness we have a rest until then!


Here's a few pictures:

My little werewolf decided he didn't want to wear a mask because no one knew who we was.  

He preferred the werewolf makeup instead. (So why did I buy the mask? Oh, well!)

I thought Frankenstein looked really creepy here.  :)

And a family picture on Halloween night.  Brickman wore the hat because we ran out of the spray paint for his hair and didn't get the top of his head finished.  I thought the hat went great with it anyway.

And now to rest.  It's just too bad that we have to get up early so the boys can go to school.  I could see myself sleeping in!

my favorite time of year...

Actually, I love all of the seasons.  I love spring because everything is so fresh and new.  I love the relaxing days of summer where we can sleep in and stay up late and hang out by the pool in the afternoon.  But the fall is so beautiful.  The leaves on the trees are changing color.  The weather is simply beautiful.  And to add to all of that, it has all of the great holidays.  Halloween is a great kick-off into the season, although we start planning for it a year in advance.  Seriously...as we're driving home on Halloween night, someone always asks, "So what are we going to be next year?"  Last night was our first Halloween celebration with Trunk or Treat at the church, and I spent the entire day sewing.  Yes, we start planning for Halloween a year in advance, but I tend to wait until the last minute for costumes...at least the ones that I have to make.  And every year, we have a family theme.  This year, we're classic horror film monsters, thanks to our youngest little monster telling us that he didn't want to dress as a family this year.  It about broke my heart to hear it.  He told us that he wanted to be a werewolf, so we decided that we could work with that.  So, we have a werewolf, a mummy, Frankenstein's monster, and the bride of Frankenstein.  Trunk or Treat is always a great way for us to get a trial run with our costumes and work out any kinks that we may have before the big day of Halloween.  With Halloween being on a Sunday this year, we have lots of days to celebrate and wear the costumes.  School parties and trick or treating downtown are on Friday, costume party on Saturday, and Halloween on Sunday.  Love it!  Jerad and I both have theatre degrees, so I think this is a way that we express our inner desire to play another character.  At least for a night, we get to perform again.

Here we are for our first go-round.  

I'm sure the costumes will evolve as we get closer to Halloween night.

four months...

That's how long it's been since I've written anything on here.  I figured I'd write a few things...because writing is therapeutic...not that I feel like I have anything that I need to talk to a therapist about...not right now anyway.

So much has happened in the last four months.  Here's a few pictures (starting from where I left off):

I went to the Miss Oklahoma pageant in June with my best friend Amanda.  We had a blast!

 My main purpose in going was so see my beautiful niece perform in the Outstanding Teen pageant.  Even though she didn't win, she did amazing!

We attended the Music Theatre Wichita throughout the summer with the extended family.

We went to the midnight showing of eclipse.  

Brickman made his shirt just for the occasion.

We celebrated the fourth of July with lots of family and fireworks.

We went to Jerad's best friend's wedding in Texas where he and Nick were groomsmen.

My niece won the Miss Alva pageant which qualified her to compete in the Miss Cinderella pageant during homecoming, where she received 2nd runner up.

And the kids had fun at the homecoming game. (Or at least Brickman did.  Braylon was in a mood most of the day and didn't participate in much.)

So, those are a few of the events from the past few months.  Despite all of this that looks so happy and jovial, we've had extreme sadness that we will, without doubt, continue to fight for a long time.  In July, we lost Jerad's dad in an unexpected accident.  I guess all accidents are unexpected.  This has been something that has not only jarred us, but also affected the entire town.  Myron was an incredible man who would drop anything to help you.  Few could call him a stranger.  Many called him a friend, which was proved by the amazing service celebrating his life.  Knowing the months that lie ahead, normally the most exciting time of the year, I'm sure that we'll face some emotional times being void of his presence.  I rejoice in the memories that we had with him, although we'll always yearn for more.  And I praise God that we'll see him again, though not in this world that we know now.  It's still so hard to wrap my mind around what happened, and it seems like we've been without him for so long yet it seems like we just lost him.  It's crazy.  We continue in our daily lives knowing that there's definitely a piece missing but realizing that this is the new normal.  I praise God for his love and grace and for friends and family that have helped make this transition...not easier (as that can't be done)...more bearable.  What an amazing group of friends and family we have!

Now that I'm up to date, maybe I'll stay that way.  Or maybe not...we'll see.

the super summer adventure

This year our education team at church has implemented a program called

.

Do you like the logo?  I designed it.  :)

So many times people miss out on church throughout the summer because of activities that we can't normally do during the rest of the year.  We have a big population within our congregation that enjoys the lake on weekends throughout the summer.  Noticing that we lose so many of our children from Sunday school to other activities during the summer, we thought we needed something to keep everyone connected.  Thus, began the super summer adventure.  We have three activities that are designed for those who have finished 1st through 4th grades (since our 5th graders are now a part of the youth program) and an additional three activities that are for the entire family.

The first outing was to Leonardo's Discovery Warehouse.  It was quite the adventure when we got to the church and realized that someone had taken one of the church vans, and we had no way to transport 20 kids and 5 adults the 70 miles that we needed to travel.  Luckily, we have a church member who willingly gave of his extra vehicles that day.  The kids got to ride in style in the white stretch limo from the late 80s.  It's a great vehicle and lots of fun to ride in!  We made it to Enid a little later than planned, but that didn't hold the kids back from having fun.  From the woodworking station, to the art station, to the space station they ran.  Crawling through tunnels, weaving through the dark maze, peering at animals in glass cages, letting virtual butterflies land on their heads and hands, experiencing optical illusions...that was just some of the fun that happened before lunch.  When lunch time came, we picnicked inside and everyone was so polite.  One little girl said, "I really don't like this kind of chips."  Another says, "Oh, I do.  Let's trade."  When does that happen?  They really were great.

Once they finished lunch, we travelled across the street to the castle play area that's constructed of tons of logs.  It was such a great day!  As we were leaving, one of the workers complimented us on how well behaved our kids were and told us that we should really be proud of them.  I hope that the rest of the trips are as successful as the first!  I think everyone went home happy, except for maybe two little girls who were upset that they didn't get to spend their parents' money and a sponsor who really wanted Starbucks.  LOL!  (Totally kidding on the Starbucks thing.  She definitely had a great time!)  I loved it that it wasn't just the kids having a good time, but the sponsors enjoyed it just as much.  Thanks to the sponsors who donated their time!!  

As you can tell, my kids had a great time!

memorial day weekend...

What a fantastic weekend!  It started off great since it was Brickman's birthday, but then we filled it with lots of friends and family.  Ryan, Jerad's buddy from high school, came over and introduced us to his fiance Amie on Friday night.  Nick and Cara also came over, and Ryan and Amie taught us a new card game called 99.  We ended the night with the game of things.  We slept in on Saturday, but then headed to Freedom for the annual fish fry with Jerad's extended family on his dad's side.  I have a hard time remembering all of them since we only see most of them just once a year, if even that.  Jerad and I went back on Sunday for some more visiting while Charlene took the boys to see a You're a Good Man, Charlie Brown.  We got back to the house in time to clean it up a bit for dinner with Eric and Elise on Sunday night.  Then on Monday, we hung out at my grandad's pond for a reunion with my dad's side of the family.  The boys had a blast!

They swam in the pond.

They rode the grampa-go-round.

They rode jet-skis.

They love going to the pond.  As we turned the corner of the road that the pond is on, Brickman told us that he was so excited that he had goosebumps.  He couldn't stop talking about Sam the whole week.  Sam really does a great job keeping the kiddos entertained.  We ended up trading kids for the night while we were at the pond.  Chase came home with us to spend the night with Braylon, and Brickman stayed the night with Archer, while Hadley stayed with Libby.  I think we were all tuckered out after the long weekend, but it was definitely worth it!

things...

Have you played this game?  The game of things = HILARIOUS!!

We bought the game at Wal-Mart over Christmas break, and it was well worth the $20 that we spent.  We have had so many laughs from this game!  We've played it with several different groups, and it's all fun.  Whether you play it with kids or adults, you're going to laugh; however, certain groups are funnier than others.  Last night was one of the most hilarious times we played it.  We definitely had uncontrollable laughter!  In case you haven't played...you pick a card from the stack and read it out loud.  It will say something like...things you shouldn't do naked, or things that make you jump, or things you shouldn't title a children's book.  Each person will answer it on a slip of paper and give it to the reader to read them all aloud.  Everyone takes their turns guessing who wrote each response.  Eric, Jerad's friend from high school, came over with his fiance Elise, and we played things with them and Jerad's brother Nick and his wife Cara.  Eric and Elise had never played the game, so when the responses were read the first time around, we had to pause the game for five minutes while he tried to control his laughter.  The card was things you shouldn't do on the beach.  One of the responses was poop and cover it up like a cat.  We've found that when you can't come up with an answer, poop almost always works.  Anyway, we had an incredible time visiting, eating, laughing, and playing games.  I'm glad everyone got to come over!

happy birthday to my baby boy

Seven years?  Has it really been seven years?  Today my baby boy turns seven years old.  I can't believe how fast time goes by.  Seven years ago, I was lying in the hospital bed, waiting to see if they were going to send me home (again) or take him by c-section.  I had been in the hospital three weeks prior with high blood pressure, but instead of taking him then, they sent me home to be on bed rest.  I went in the Tuesday after Memorial Day to be admitted in the hospital and put on pitocin.  After a day on it, and nothing happening, they took me off of it for the night and started it back in the morning.  Gina and Roxey were great to keep me company, waxing my legs since I hadn't been able to reach them to shave them in quite some time, and painting my toenails, all while laughing hysterically.  Contractions on pitocin?  Nope, not me.  The nurse called the doctor to say that it wasn't working.  I was giddy as a schoolgirl, as she put it, when I should have been in pain.  The doctor came in shortly after five to tell me that the baby just wasn't ready yet.  As you can imagine, I was ready.  I told him that I wasn't leaving the hospital without a baby and that I'd steal one from the nursery but would rather have my own.  He smiled and told me that c-section was the only option since nothing was happening naturally.  I told him to do it, then broke down in tears.  I had never had a surgery of any sort.  The only time a needle had been in me was from a shot, the time I had sewn through my finger with the sewing machine, and when they sewed me up after a dog bite.  I had never been cut open intentionally.  I was afraid that I was going to die on the table.  I had no idea what to expect.  I really never read anything about the c-section in the birthing books because that wasn't in my plan.  I had my first son naturally without any pain medication, and had the same plans for Brickman.  Little did I know that he would weigh over thirteen pounds at birth.  13 pounds 8.6 ounces to be exact.  It never would have worked to have him naturally.  He got lots of attention from everyone in the hospital.  He was four ounces shy of the hospital record.  We had random people stopping by our room to see the "big baby."  He was quite the spectacle.  Jerad's grandma loved to tell people that in the nursery, there was small (a little premie), medium (an average baby weighing 7-8 lbs), large (a ten pound baby from a girl who was in our birthing class), and supersize (Brickman).  He looked exactly like my husband, minus the goatee.  My big baby has turned into a big boy.


We celebrated his birthday on Wednesday with a shared Shrek Forever After movie party at the local theater. Brickman and his cousin Hadley are near birthday buddies, being 364 days apart.  They shared a party three years ago when Shrek the Third came out...or as Hadley called it, Shrek da turd.  She was turning three and her speech hadn't fully developed yet.  It was great to spend time with friends and family practically the entire day.  Today, being Brickman's birthday, we haven't done a lot to celebrate, but he's called it a fantastic day.  I love it that he's easily pleased.  Because it's his birthday, Braylon has been especially nice to him.  I wish that they always treated each other with such respect.  


He still has his gifts to open this evening.  He and Braylon went to Bible School at the Wesleyan church. I'm hoping that he'll settle on something simple for supper since he picked out lunch today.  He really wanted steak or ribs, but that's more of Jerad's specialty, and he hasn't made it home yet.  He told me earlier that he really wanted to come home and everyone to jump out from hiding places and yell surprise.  I think it's a bit too late for a surprise party at this point.  Maybe another year.

Happy Birthday, Hadley and Brickman!

winding down the school year

Where did the year go?  I took the boys to school this morning and realized that there's only two weeks left.  It's crazy how quickly this year has gone.  It seems with the end of the school year, tons of things are happening.  Last week, Braylon's class had a parent appreciation program.  Each parent was given an appreciation certificate and each student received an individualized award.  He got the "future scientist" award.  His teacher likes to give everyone an award since they don't all get one in the big awards assembly.  Braylon has had the same teacher for the past two years because he participated in a looping program.  It's going to be difficult for him to leave her and move on.  The next day was the science fair, which he really procrastinated on.  However, he finished it, and did a good job.  The boys had Friday off of school since it was a built in snow day that wasn't used.  They took me to buy my mother's day gift.  I wanted a new pair of shoes, so they got me a pair of shape-ups.  I love them, so far!

Saturday was Jerad's sister Lisa's graduation from college.  

       

Here she is with her brothers, Jerad and Nick...

And with the parents...

And with the sister-in-law...

And with the nephews.

She'll be moving to New York in the fall (or as Brickman calls it, Younork).  I'm so proud of her for following her dreams.  When Jerad and I first started dating, Lisa was in the eighth grade.  That makes me feel so old!  I guess it has been nine years since I graduated college.  Wow!  I was just talking to a friend on Saturday about how quickly time goes, and I don't feel as old as I actually am.  Does anyone else feel that way?  I still feel like I'm 24.  When I talk to college kids, I don't think about how much older I am than them.  I feel like I'm just a couple of years older, when in reality, it's like 10.  I guess that it's better to feel younger than I am than older.  

catching up on the last little bit...

Oh, my!  It's been a while, hasn't it?  So much has happened over the last month and a half, but yet, I can't seem to think what all I did!


Let's see...I went to Vegas!  What a trip!  I had a great time with girlfriends at Arbonne's National Training Celebration.  The company celebrated their 30th anniversary, so they went all out.  It was amazing!

This is me with two of my upline VPs.  Love them!  BTW...you don't have to be blond and beautiful to be a VP.  It just so happens that these two are!

We got new baby chicks.  I do believe my husband is turning into my dad.  He seems to love his chickens more and more everyday.  Since the older ones are now laying eggs, he thought it was time to get a new set.  We've started free ranging the birds, so we've got chickens (and turkeys) all over the place.  Jerad loves it.  He thinks it makes our place look like a real farm.  Acres of wheat surrounding us and the farm equipment in the front yard doesn't make us look like a real farm.  It's chickens that make us that way.  Hmmm....

We had a great Easter with family.  The boys had multiple egg hunts throughout the weekend and got to play with cousins.  The sisters sang at a sunrise service, and it was a beautiful day!

It's been a while since we've had a picture with all of the cousins.  They're all growing up so fast!  Half of them are "too old" to hunt eggs anymore.  One is married.  One is in college.  Two are in high school.  One is in middle school.  The rest are stair-stepped in elementary.  Where has the time gone!?

I was in a play at the college.  It's been eight years since I've performed onstage, but they were in a bind, so I stepped up to take the part.  I wasn't sure if I could do it, but it was so much fun!  I even got a nomination for an award.  Of course, I wasn't actually eligible for it because I am no longer a college student, but the respondent (judge) didn't know that.  It made me feel pretty good.  It was great to revisit the college days, but I was glad to get back to reality.

Here we are...the Blue-Haired Belles.

Here we are without old-age make-up!

Since then, we've had cousins spend the night, a nephew with a birthday party, lots of proms (Jerad DJing), a girls night, and so much more!  It's been busy around here.  I don't think it's going to slow down this month between end of school year festivities, work picking up on the farm, and getting lots of Arbonne parties booked.  It's a good thing!

I'm getting excited for summer.  The boys will be out of school in just a few weeks, and then it will be Brickman's birthday.  Then Nescatunga, then Miss Oklahoma, then church camp, then a Manager's Retreat, then fourth of July, then Bible School.  Oh, my goodness!  I don't think I'll be taking a break anytime soon!

not just a coincidence...

Do you ever have those times when you realize that something that happens is not just a coincidence?  I feel it often, but yesterday was one of those overwhelming moments that I knew that something bigger was going on.  The grandparents called to take us out to lunch, which is something that happens pretty often.  I don't always go because with as few options as we have in town, I get tired of eating out.  There are two places in town that I could probably eat at just about everyday.  One is the local Sandwich Shoppe and the other is Subway.  I obviously like sandwiches.  Since the grandparents suggested Subway, I was on board to go.  The boys were out of school for the beginning of their spring break, so it would be the whole family, and I always love those moments.  We pulled into Subway before the noon crowd hit and began to order our sandwiches.  Jerad and I stood in line as the door opened, and I turned to look.  I immediately recognized the man walking in from several months prior.  He wasn't a local man but a vagrant.


A little history on this...
Last year, either late summer or early fall, we saw the man in Subway.  Jerad and I had just sat down to eat with the boys when the man walked into the store.  He first sat down at a booth, taking a rest from the heat outside.  I saw him look up at the menu, then open up his velcro wallet and shake his head.  I knew there wasn't enough in his wallet to get him something to eat.  As he got up and walked to the restroom, I told Jerad that we needed to buy him lunch.  He tells me to go do it.  Of course, the problem is that I never carry cash, so I was depending upon him to provide the money for his lunch.  Jerad gave me what was in his pocket to buy him lunch.  The man had sat back down, and I asked if I could buy him lunch.  He was delighted, almost giddy.  He gladly took the money and made his way to the line for a footlong.  His entire demeanor changed, knowing that he was going to eat that day.  It changed me.  I left the restaurant and couldn't quit crying.  My heart ached for this man.  It made me realize how blessed I really am.  How little money Jerad and I may have had at times, we have never had to worry about whether or not we would eat or be able to feed our children that day.  Every time I tell the story, I still cry.


Back to present day...
This man walked in while we were in line.  I knew it wasn't just a coincidence that we were there at the exact same time that he walked in.  This time he had a duffel bag and a Bible.  I wondered about his journey.  Is he heading back through from months prior?  Has he been wondering for the past several months?  Part of me is relieved to see him, as I've been praying for him, not knowing if anyone has helped him through his journey.  I knew that he needed money to eat, and I have the same problem as before.  No cash on hand.  I looked at Jerad.  He knew what I was thinking, and he gave me a look that tells me no.  I persisted and got him to give me what little cash he had on hand to give to the man.  Yet, I felt so disappointed that I couldn't give him more.


This to me was no coincidence.  I put it in the category of a "Godcidence."  God puts us in the right place at the right time, whether we realize it or not.  We need to take advantage of the little things.  If you feel the urge to do something nice for someone, do it.  If you feel the urge to ask someone to church, do it.  Life is so much more than running from here to there and catching the latest episode of our favorite shows.  It is so important to listen to the still, small voice, and recognize that it's more than our conscience.  It's the voice of God.  I'm saying this to myself as much as anyone.  I often am talking too much and forget to listen.  That's my challenge for myself.  Listen to God's voice.

I never used to be...

I never used to be the person who had to clean up after my husband.  No, he was the one who had to clean up after me.  It's been this way almost our entire marriage until recently.  Something has changed.  Of course, for the first few years of our marriage, I worked non-stop, bringing in the majority of the paycheck while he finished school.  I'd like to say that's the reason he picked up after me, but I know it's not.  To be honest, he's just a clean freak, and I am not.  I'm one of those people who it doesn't get bothered by the house being a mess as long as I get to relax and spend time with my family.  Like I said, something has changed.  I'm not that person anymore.  I got a taste of uncluttered chaos...and I like it.

I never used to be the person to clean up the dishes immediately after dirtying them.  No, I was the person who let them sit in the sink for a couple of days because I didn't want to empty the clean dishes out of the dishwasher.

I never used to be the person who kept my sink clean.  I mean, really, really clean.  I don't even want to put dishes in it.  Rather than letting the dishes get to the sink, I rinse them off and put them directly into the dishwasher.  Then I wipe down my sink.  This is due to "shining my sink" as suggested on www.flylady.net.  What a difference this has made!  Now that my sink is clean and "shiny," my cabinets are clean, too.  I like it a lot.  I don't feel completely overwhelmed when I walk into my kitchen area.  Someone walked in my house and commented on how clean my kitchen was.  Are you kidding me?  That doesn't happen!  I normally have to apologize for it being such a mess and then they politely tell me  that I should see there house.  It's just as bad.  I know better.  It certainly can't be as bad as mine.

I never used to be the person who swept and mopped my floors.  Now, I'm not saying I never did it, but it certainly wasn't very often.  We only have a few floors to be swept and mopped in our house, but it's the kitchen that collects the most filth.  Of course, it's where everyone walks into the house, bringing in dirt and mud from outside.  Living on a farm, there's lots of that.  After our small fire, the grandparents came in and griped about how dirty our floor was.  They lived in this house for over thirty years so when something isn't up to par, they let us know about it, sometimes in a very public place.  I wasn't there for that conversation, but the hubby was, and he wasn't happy about it at all.  So I had to clean the floors.  I steam cleaned the floors, and it was a amazing.  Once they were that clean, I didn't want anyone dirtying them.  With two young boys and a husband, that's impossible.  My next best option is to sweep and mop often.  It's not so bad since I'm starting out with a clean slate from the steam cleaning.  I do long for the day that the 1970s linoleum complete with brown and cream design can disappear, so I'll actually enjoy the floor that I've worked so hard at cleaning, but I'll live happily until that day comes.

So, to sum this up, I've changed.  Something has clicked inside of me.  I enjoy a clean, uncluttered house.  I think more clearly.  I don't procrastinate as much.  I like it.  The unorganized, cluttered chaos in my house has got to go, and I'm working on it one room at a time.  Could it be that I could train myself to be a more organized person?  When my house is clean and everything in my house has a "home" instead of some random place we decide to place it, will I be more productive?  Can I train my family to follow the same system, or is it going to drive me crazy because they're dirtying up my cleanness?  I guess, only time will tell.  But as for now, I'll keep pushing toward a clean home.

the lost lost tooth...

Is that a misprint?  Did I accidentally type two losts in the title?  Nope.  It is not by accident.  Brickman lost his tooth...and then he lost it.  He has this thing about taking his lost teeth to school to show all of his friends during their sharing time in the morning.  Now, I understand doing it on the first one, but every subsequent tooth after that?  I really don't think it's necessary.  What is it that makes a tooth so cool after it's out of your mouth anyway?  I have no idea.  Apparently, someone thought it was cool, though.  Brickman showed all of his friends his lost tooth and also the new tooth keeper necklace that Nammie and Bumpa brought over the night before.  He put it in his backpack in his locker to bring back home for the tooth fairy.  When he got to the circle drive to come home, his tooth was no where to be found.  He ran back to his classroom and told his teacher that it was gone.  They looked everywhere but unfortunately couldn't find it.  I realize that losing your lost tooth isn't that big of a deal, but to a six year old who has only lost two teeth, it was.  He came home upset that the tooth fairy wasn't going to come after he told her to come back after he showed his class his tooth.  His teacher told us that she thought it wasn't a matter of him losing his tooth.  It was a matter of one of his friends helping themselves to the tooth and the cool new necklace.  Poor kiddo learned his lesson.  Despite us telling him not to take it, he did it anyway, and since then we've found out that it is not necessary (which we already knew) but he insisted that it was.  Who knew that a tooth could cause so much drama?

I don't think there could be...

I don't think there could be anyone who makes a bigger deal about pulling a tooth that's barely hanging on than my six year old.  Seriously, my sister living hours away might have heard his girly scream.

I don't think there could be anything more adorable than the note he had me write to the tooth fairy.  For some reason, it's cool to show off your teeth once they've left your mouth.

I don't think there could be a laundry pile that's as big as mine is right now.  I'm quite ashamed of it, actually, but I just don't want to face it.

I don't think there could be anyone as obsessed with chickens as my husband is right now.  He just finished building a second scratch yard.  I guess we'll see how many he continues to build.  I'm starting to think that this isn't just a phase but more of a lifestyle.  At least the boys enjoy it.

I don't think I can wait until the end of June (okay, maybe I can but I'm certainly anxious!) to see the next installment of the Twilight saga.  I just saw the poster on the "Coming Soon" billboard at our local theater.

I don't think anyone can be as excited as I am about my niece winning a pageant and participating in the state pageant in June.  Okay, maybe she can and her mama can but I'm right up there at the top.  (I know.  She's beautiful!)

I don't think that I could be procrastinating any more than I am right now.  Get up and do something!  That's a note to me...not to you, but if you're procrastinating, too, then maybe you should listen to the message, too.  :)

reflection...

What started out to be a lazy Saturday actually became quite productive.  Sunday, however, was a different story.  Today, I'm setting out to be another day of getting things done.  Here lately, I've been taking a look at myself...at my life...at my goals and am trying to assess everything.  I'm in my thirties and am trying to determine what it is that I've accomplished so far and what it is that I'm meant to accomplish in the future.  I think that each of us can do so much more and make a stronger impact if we allow ourselves to let go and let God take control.  I tend to be one of those that has a problem relinquishing control, so this is a challenge for me.  I just listened this morning to a message by Joel Osteen on this subject, and it really hit me.  How often do I try to accomplish everything on my own?  Do I consult with God?  Couldn't I do so much more if I would take everything to him in prayer?  I'm always one to talk about everything.  I am truly an open book.  I always talk to my friends, but I tend to forget the greatest friend that I have...that we all have....Jesus.  Joseph Scriven wrote these words in 1855, and they are still significant today.

What a friend we have in Jesus, 

all our sins and griefs to bear! 

What a privilege to carry 

everything to God in prayer! 

O what peace we often forfeit, 

O what needless pain we bear, 

all because we do not carry 

everything to God in prayer.

If you can't tell, I'm doing a lot of reflecting today.  I'm trying to find that balance that I need.  I'm trying to fix things about myself that I know need some fixing, yet I know that if they are never fixed, I will still be happy.  I will just continue to do the best that I can.  I am a work in progress and will continue to work to be a better me each day.

My thing to make me a better me today...exercise.

I've sat in my chair and thought about exercising for quite some time.  I've thought about running.  I've thought about getting a treadmill, and then one of my boys tells me, "What's wrong with running outside?"  Great question!  Do I really need another piece of equipment that may or may not motivate me to do something?  The answer is no.  I have an ab circle, an ab lounge, the 10 minute trainer, among countless other things that have not motivated me regardless of the money that I've spent on them and the "guarantee" that I'm given on the informercial.  So, today, I did it.  I went outside and jogged.  Well, I walked and jogged.  I walked down to the mailbox and jogged back.  After the first jog back, I didn't know if I was up to it, so I walked three and jogged one.  I continued to do that until I had completed about a mile.  Not bad for the first day of exercising in quite some time.

I still have a goal of losing 40 pounds by September.  I need to lose some before I leave for Las Vegas over spring break, too.  I don't have the funds to buy a new wardrobe, and I'd hate to go with tight clothes, so I guess my only option is losing some weight.

Here's to a new and improved, staying motivated me!

a lazy Saturday...

I love mornings like this!  It was one of those mornings when I didn't have to get up for anything.  Even though I was awake, I could just stay snuggled under the covers for a bit longer.  So nice...until one of the boys comes running through the room into our bathroom yelling that he has a bloody nose.  Never in my life have I had a bloody nose, but this kiddo gets them often.  My first question is normally, "Were you picking it when it started bleeding?"  More often than not, the answer is yes.  This morning he told me that he had just done it once.  If he'd keep his fingers out of his nose, he wouldn't have near as many nose bleeds.  At least he's not eating anything from his nose after he's had his finger up there.  Nope.  That would be the other one.  Although, I think I might have solved that problem yesterday.  He doesn't do it often, but yesterday I caught my little Brick stick his finger in his mouth and slurp something off.  (Sorry if you're weak stomached.)  I give him a look and he has wide eyes and a little grin that knows he's been caught.  I ask if he just had himself a juicy, boogery snack.  I can tell he's mulling things over in his mind of whether or not to tell the truth, but just having the talk about lying, he decides to come out and tell me that he's guilty.  So I ask him about other things that come from inside the body.  Do you lick your sweat?  Do you drink your pee?  Do you eat your...  Okay, I'll stop there.  Things that come out of our body are not meant to go back in.  They come out for a reason.  I think he got the point.  He rushed in the bathroom spitting out his little green snack and washed his mouth out with mouthwash.  It grossed him out a bit.  Is that a tactful way to solve the little problem?  Maybe not, but it worked.

One of my best friends and her family came over for a visit last night.  It's been almost a year (way too long!) since they've been out here for dinner, but we finally made a point to make it happen.  Jerad grilled steak (delicious!) and we had lots of fixings to go along with it.  My friend made the most amazing dessert, too.  Yum!  The dinner was great, but the time afterwards was even better.  I really enjoyed just sitting back, relaxing and talking while our little munchkins ran around and played.  I hope they had as good of a time as we did.  We're definitely going to have to schedule things like this more often.

I suppose I should get up and be productive today.  At this point I've done very little...slept in, cleaned up the bloody nose, loaded last night's dishes and made french toast for the boys (which is now their favorite), perused the internet, drank a cup of coffee.  Did I mention get dressed?  Nope, because it hasn't been done yet.  It's a lazy Saturday.  I'm loving it.

a rude awakening...again

We had another rude awakening this morning.  Not quite as rude as the fire that appeared in our kitchen a couple of weeks ago.  Rather, it was a six year old in the bed, sitting up to tell us that he didn't think he could go to school today because...insert gagging noises here.  There's nothing like the risk of someone puking on you to wake you up in the morning.  I know...gross!  If you know my husband at all, you'll know that he has a very sensitive gag reflex.  I actually find humor in that fact; however, not at 6:45 in the morning when he's shoving our six year old who has been lying between us and is now gagging toward me.  Keep in mind that the closest way to the bathroom would be off his side of the bed, but that wasn't going to work for him.  Not at the risk of something coming from that gag on him.  Now, I apologize if this is a little too graphic.  I promise I won't get too descriptive.  I'm going to digress for just a moment.  One of the things that I dislike about our house is the carpet.  The 1970's shag carpet that covers the majority of our house.  Ugh!  With the knowledge of our flooring, you can imagine how much fun it is to clean up messes from it.  I would rather him have gotten sick on the bed than on the floor, but he had already been pushed off of the bed onto his feet.  Is he going to make it?  My quick thinking (I actually had quick thinking that early in the morning!) led me to grab a pillow.  That would be much easier to clean or even throw out if necessary.  I throw it into his hands and rush him into the bathroom.  Thank goodness he made it to the designated spot!  Wahoo!  No cleaning up for me.  I gave him instructions not to move out of the spot until I had the bucket ready.  When they're sick, I don't like to risk it, so I make them carry a bucket lined with multiple plastic shopping bags (that's my form of recycling) everywhere they go.  Since then, he's been from the couch watching television to the office playing on the computer.  At one point, he amused himself by making weird noises.  Does that sound like a sick child?  I don't think so, but I don't think he's learned to make himself sick just so he can stay home from school.  Although, I'm not sure that I would put it past him later on.  When his brother was sick a couple of days ago, it wasn't nearly as dramatic.  Thank goodness!  It's days like these that I'm thankful that I work from home.  Not only do I get to set my own hours, but I don't have to ask off because my kiddos are sick or rely on someone else to watch them at the risk of them catching what the kiddos have.  I certainly am blessed!