Brook Turns 2!

My baby Brook turned 2!
Whatever will I do?
And where are my shoes?!

Okay, that is the extent of my poetry abilities, I know that one will be a classic ;o)

Brook turned 2 yesterday. We actually celebrated on Sunday because it makes it easier for David to be a part of the celebrations. I was lazy this time, and I bought her a cake from Costco instead of baking her one. We sliced up the extra and put it in the freezer so that I could suffer the temptation of it longer, grin. I will be so surprised if I lose any weight this week, sigh. Anyway, now that my baby is TWO I am feeling all teary eyed. I have always had a new baby by this time, so not having one and having my baby becoming pre-school age is a big change. I want a new baby, but I also want to give my body time to lose weight and get stronger. I also want to get my house in order. But it isn't up to me anyway, David isn't ready for another one right now.

Now the next big step is potty training! What will I do without diapers?

Chat with Mara

Today I was working in the kitchen and I had a nice chat with Mara who has just recently turned 4. Here is how it went:

Mara: I want to be Cinderella. Call me Cinderella.

Mom: Okay Cinderella, please get a rag and start scrubbing the floors. And after you do that could you pick up all the laundry and toys?

Mara: Cinderella didn't pick up toys.

Mom: Cinderella did ALL the cooking and cleaning in the house.

Mara: I don't want to be Cinderella, I want to be Sleeping Beauty.

Mom: Okay Sleeping Beauty, go and lay down and take a nap until Prince Charming comes and wakes you.

Mara: There isn't any Prince Charming for real.

Mom: Yes there is, I married him. Dad is my Prince Charming, someday you will get one to if it is the Lord's will.

Mara: I don't want to marry Prince Charming, I want to marry Spiderman.

Mom: Are you sure? You will have to clean up spider webs all over the place all the time.

Mara: I just want to be called Mara.

Mom: Okay.

I think she made the right choice. What do you think?

Our Wasteful Society

Today as I was writing with a VERY small pencil I thought back to the 'olden days'. You know the days when folks used every last bit of anything that they had. They would use the pencil until it wasn't possible and then probably find a use for the last little bit. Every thing had a use even the sacks that the flour came in.

Now our society is so wasteful, me included. We buy disposable everything from razors to pens and even baking pans. We rarely reuse things and if we can't use something for its intended purpose anymore we just get rid of it. Now, I am not saying that you should keep everything just in case, because we would drown in stuff. But, making sure that you cannot use something for another need before tossing it makes a LOT of sense. Also, how about not buying every whim that crosses our minds? That is a biggie for me. What about buying washable and reusable baking pans, razors that you just replace the blades, and how about using the WHOLE pencil before getting frustrated and tossing it.

There are so many things that I throw away every day that I am sure might fill a need somewhere else. I hope that with these thoughts I am more careful when I throw things away and also more importantly when I buy things. Being good stewards of what God has given our family is very important.

I Thought This was Cute

I like this comic today for two reasons. First we Christians do follow the Son! And second that turtles comment is just too funny! I hope you enjoy it as much as I did!

I couldn't help but smile when my 2 year old insisted on helping me unload and load the dishwasher and right after that she walked over to the washing machine opened the door and started loading clothes in it. After she loaded it, she tried hard to push the right buttons to start it, but just couldn't. It was so cute to watch Brook helping Mama!

Today's Plans

Today I am going to go out to lunch with my Mom. I thought I would be really excited about the food, but the longer I am on Weight Watchers and seeing progress, the food isn't as exciting anymore. So now I am just looking forward to chatting with my Mom.

I also have to do my shopping and errands while I am in town. This will be a busy day. I woke up tired and am having a hard time getting motivated to do anything. I am trying to get some school planning done and housework along with my exercising before I need to get going, but I just can't seem to get motivated. And as far as exercising, I keep telling myself that I will do it when I get home, but I know I won't, life will be to hectic. But when I am having my monthly visitor I just don't like to exercise. I lose all motivation and basically just feel uncomfortable.
I know I need to just get myself up and get moving, but I DON'T want to. I feel glued to this chair and nothing short of a quiet shower is going to move me. And since I can't shower before I exercise, that wouldn't be smart, I am stuck here.

As I sit here my almost two year old is laying on the couch next to me. She is laying on a pillow and saying to herself while shaking her head, "yes, NO" over and over. She is so cute, she is trying hard not to fall back asleep, it is to early for her. Hmmm, she is telling herself yes-no and so am I. Yes I will exercise, NO I WON'T EXERCISE. Wow, I feel closer to her now, I can relate to what she is going through, lol! Maybe it's a girl thing.

Friday Weigh In

Okay, I lost another pound, so I am 10 pounds down!

Start weight: 189
Current Weight: 179
Goal Weight: 126
First WW Goal: 168

Paying Bills

When I pay bills, I have always gotten depressed as I see a big balance on payday and after I pay the bills a teeny tiny balance left. I know this is somewhat natural, but I don't want to live this way any more.

The Lord says He will provide for our needs, and we don't need a big bank balance for that. So from now on I am going to thank the Lord as I pay each bill. I will thank Him for providing the money to pay these bills. I will focus on Him and His provision, and not the meager amount left over or all the needs still needed to be met. He will provide for those other needs in the same way that He provided the finances for the bills to be paid.

Now I am off to have a bill-praising session!

Swamped

Lately I have been feeling swamped. I woke up this morning just sure that I needed genetically altered clones of me. One altered to just LOVE cleaning and organizing and would eagerly and energetically do all day long. Another altered with an affinity for yard work so she could care for the yard in the way it deserves. Another altered to just do all of the finances, shopping etc. then our finances could stay on track. Another altered to do all the school planning and implementing of all the fun and exciting extra stuff that I seem to never have time to do. Then I could spend my time enjoying my husband and children and I wouldn't have to spread myself so thin trying to do it all. So not counting the personal selfish part of me that is left over I need five of me to accomplish well all that is on my plate. Hmmm, maybe I can be each person one day a week? Let's see how that would work out.

• Monday's I could be a cleaning and organizing machine. But how would the children get schooled, or the meals made? And I am very sure that I could not do all of our laundry on only one day of the week.
• Tuesday's I could be a gardener and make our yard beautiful. But once again my poor children would be neglected. And how would the dishes or laundry be done if I am busy outside all day?
• Wednesday I could be the financial whiz and do all of our shopping and errands. Hmm, who would school the children or feed them or look after them? I couldn't fit them AND groceries in the car right now with the van broken. And what about swishing the toilets which NEED to be done daily?
• Thursday I could focus on school planning and teaching great stuff. Okay is one day a week enough? And if I am doing this all day what else is being done? How will the children learn math and spelling and grammar or more importantly Bible if it is only one day a week?
• Friday I could spend my time enjoying my children and husband. Now this one would work out, I would gladly not do anything else but enjoy my family. But what about shopping, meals and dishes? I guess I would have to blend these into one.
• Saturday I could be my own selfish person. Well, this one is a no brainer. If I am spending a whole day focusing on me than who is caring for my family? So obviously this one has to go

So, this wouldn't work out at all. Maybe if I were to switch the days around? No, I don't think that would work either. God made me a whole woman with many different parts. I am to do all of these jobs He has given me by looking to Him each day for guidance. By looking to Him I can see that maybe I think the finances need an overhaul today, but the Lord wants my to spend it playing with my children. Or maybe it is the opposite, I want to play all day, but the Lord nudges me to focus on encouraging the children in diligence and focusing on getting the laundry caught up (ha-ha). So even though I feel like I am being pulled in many directions and I am being pressure cooked, God has a plan. When I through being refined by the fires and pressure in my life what will be left will be gold and very pleasing to my Lord.

These have come so that your faith—of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire—may be proved genuine and may result in praise, glory and honor when Jesus Christ is revealed. 1 Peter 1:7

Some of the wise will stumble, so that they may be refined, purified and made spotless until the time of the end, for it will still come at the appointed time. Daniel 11:35

For you, O God, tested us; you refined us like silver. Psalm 66:10

Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, 3because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. 4Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. James 1:2-4

When Everything Goes Wrong

Do you ever have times when you just want to curl up and cry? Times when it seems things just seem to go wrong and you can't help thinking, "What next?". This is me right now. First we have had several injuries resulting in ER visits over the last months which results in more bills. Then we find out the transmission is really broken and we can't drive our van. Next my blender breaks (not a biggie, but David likes a smoothy each night and now I can't make him one). Now my Palm dies and my computer is only limping along. My husband comes home last night and tells me he lost his wallet (he just called though and told me he found it at work). Finally the pilot goes out on the furnace and simultaneously one of the children accidentally turns it up all the way resulting in a house full of gas in the middle of the night! And now until the gas guy gets here hopefully today, we won't have hot water because my dh shut off the gas to the water heater and the furnace, so I CAN'T TAKE A SHOWER (and believe me I NEED one)!

So right now I am asking the Lord it He thinks I can take much more, and maybe it is time for a break. There is a song that I really like by Out of the Grey called If I Know You. It talks about these times when you are just hanging on, and how God comes and brings you just the right type of encouragement just when you need it. If you get a chance look it up and take a listen, it is a wonderful song. So, that's where I am right now. I am waiting for my "perfect surprise".

But even in the midst of these times I see God's hand caring for us. When Elijah hurt his finger, he could have lost it, but he didn't the Lord protected him. When the van broke in town, we could have been stranded, but the Lord got us home. My Palm broke and my computer is having problems, but the Lord is giving me grace to accept it and even to see this as an oppurtunity to grow in my role as a wife and mother and in my service to Him. And with the furnace if our dog hadn't barked at 1 o'clock this morning so I would let him in, all of my babies could be dead! He has protected us from so much and I am so thankful, but I do feel kind of like I am in a pressure cooker right now.

But:

'If I know You,
You will turn this day, into a perfect surprise,
If I know You, like I think I do,
The worst of times will work out right,

If I know You
You will turn this day into a perfect surprise,
If I know You like I hope I do,
The worst of times will work out right,
Lord I know there's hope in sight,
You will get me through if I know You.

Computer Problems

I am having some computer problems lately. My notebook keeps overheating and shutting down. It is starting to show it's age. I am doing some trouble-shooting, but being far from a techie I don't know how successful I will be. I can't help but wonder if this is God's way to get me to not spend so much time on the computer. At the same time my Palm that I purchased at the same time refuses to charge. When I put it into the cradle it doesn't show the charging bolt and it is slowly loosing what little charge it has. So, they are both dying. I am so sad that earlier I wanted to cry. I mean I USE these things. There is no extra money to fix them or buy new (which is probably more nessessary). But, God knows all these things and He is in control and has a plan even in this.

On a happy note, we have some good news about vehicles. We are waiting to get our van fixed until we can afford it (hopefully early next year), but my husband's mother just bought a new car, and she is going to sell us her old car on payments for a VERY low price. It has a LOT of miles on it, but it is another vehicle. This gives my husband a back-up and we can go places together by driving both vehicles for the time being.

So, I might not be able to blog as frequently. If you don't see me for a while, you will know that my computer actually did die.

Holiday Gift Ideas

It is about time to start thinking about Christmas. Here are some links with all kinds of ideas. Let's have a wonderful time blessing others this year!

recipe goldmine

http://stretcher.com/stories/04/04nov22b.cfm

http://stretcher.com/stories/971210as.htm

http://stretcher.com/stories/03/03nov10b.cfm

http://stretcher.com/stories/04/04dec06a.cfm

http://stretcher.com/stories/00/001211g.cfm

http://www.bhg.com/home/Christmas-Gifts.html

Pam's Holiday Haven

Amazing Moms

http://organizedchristmas.com/

Christmas-World

http://www.allfreecrafts.com/christmas/index.shtml

http://www.christmas-celebrations.com/gift_ideas.htm

http://www.make-stuff.com/hollidays/christmas.html

http://www.angelfire.com/wa/wafstetworld/GiftIdeas1.html

Amazing Mom's Gifts

http://www.dltk-holidays.com/xmas/gifts.htm

http://www.amomslove.com/hg-recipe-giftjars.html

http://familycrafts.about.com/cs/giftgiving/a/120400a.htm

http://www.kidsdomain.com/craft/_gifts.html

http://www.kitchenproject.com/christmas/

http://www.bevscountrycottage.com/christmas/


If anyone has any other great ideas or sites please share them!

I'm Back!

I'm glad to be back!

Last night my husband had a really bad headache. It was so bad that he was vomiting and it was so hard to watch him suffer. He is home today, and hopefully he will get some rest. But as you can imagine I was also awake a lot of the night trying to comfort him. So I am very tired today.

Yesterday I made a Home Maintenace Box. I think it will really help with me keeping up on the chores. I will try to make a separate post of the details when I get a chance. I also made new chore charts for the children. They each picked out their own character, and I printed them in black and white so they could color them in. They seem to like the charts better now that they are more personal. Now if only I could find the scotch tape to stick them on the fridge.

Here are some sites I found offering different types of chore charts and one software system that looks kind of neat:

http://www.tipztime.com/chorecharts/freechorecharts.html

http://www.tipztime.com/chorecharts/freechorecharts.html

http://www.organizedfamilies.com/kids.htm

http://www.successfulfamilychores.com/choretools.phtml

How Does It Happen?

How does the drifting apart, and miscommunication happen?

Yesterday I was reading a news report about the couple that had their yacht stolen and were murdered. As I went the their website I saw pictures of them. I was shocked by how muscular and in shape the male owner had been. I commented to my husband how shocked I was that he was overpowered because he looked so strong (he was in his 50's and I didn't expect that).

Unfortunately my husband got hurt. You see, my husband works out and he is very strong. But I don't usually comment on the size of his muscles because that is just not a biggie to me. And you know how it is when you see something every day how you kind of stop noticing? Well, my not commenting on how strong and big he is meant to him that I thought he was just an average guy. That I kind of thought he was a wimp. That is so opposite of how I see him, and I am going to have to work hard to build him back up. I am so ashamed that I didn't see this sooner, and am very thankful to God for waking me up to it.

No matter how I feel, he needs to feel big and strong. It will be awkward for me, because I am not naturally one that will say, "Wow, look at those arms! You are so strong you make me feel safe!" I will have to learn to build him up in ways that are natural for both of us.

I will try to be much more sensitive to him and how he feels and encourage him. I have stumbled badly, but with God's help we will get back on track. I want my husband to not lack anything of value. I want my husband to be respected at the city gate, because he is confident and at peace. Lord, help me to change, and give me the words and actions to speak to my husband. Amen.

Her husband has full confidence in her and lacks nothing of value.
She brings him good, not harm, all the days of her life.

Proverbs 31:11,12

Her husband is respected at the city gate, where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

Proverbs 31:23

I Added Word Verifaction to Comments

I added word verification to comments, because I was chosen to recieve comment spam. This should prevent that from happening. I hope that this isn't to inconvenient when you post a comment. I also don't think I will need to do it forever, just till whoever it is moves on. I have been spending this weekend deleting spam comments, and I prefer not to have to do that.

Fun Idea List

Here is a list not really from anyone person, but from all of us:

School List

Here is a list of things we would like to have for school:

Mom's List

Here is my list: This list is more for me than anyone else. I mean I usually forget what I want, so this list is really meant for reminding myself of things I want when I get extra money.

all of the Anne of Green Gable DVD's, 1, 2, 3

Stainless Steel Mixing Bowls

White fluffy bath towels

Heart Rate Moniter

Blender with a glass carafe

Babylock Ellure sewing machine by Brother (computerized and does embroidery)

Hoover Floormate

Hoover Fold-over Vacuum

Cuisinarte food processor 11-cup

Brook's List

Here is Brook's List:

Dolly stuff

Mega blocks

Wooden blocks

Little Tykes shopping cart

Mara's List

Here is sweet Mara's wish list:

Princess dress-up clothes

Dollhouse

Dollhouse furniture and dolls

Tea Set

Kitchen Set

Play cleaning supplies

Chloe's List

Here is Chlo-doll's list:

Dollhouse

Dolls and Furniture for the dollhouse

Tea Set


Play cleaning supplies

Giant teddy bear

Noah's List

This is Noah's list. He has a lot of interests, so this should be a fun list.

Superman Costume-he has wanted this for several years now

Magnetix

Moses' List

This is Moses wish list. I always have trouble thinking of what he wants because he doesn't tell me. So, this one might take longer to get going.

Lego's

Ride On Car (battery powered)

Remote control car

magnetix

costumes

Elijah's List

Okay, here is Elijah's wish list. The key word is WISH, grin!

The game of Life for the computer


Spy set

Star Wars Risk

Star Wars Monopoly

I Am Adding Wish Lists

I am going to add a wish list for each person in our home. I think this will be helpful for others when they want to bless our family. It is common when someone asks what a particular child wants or needs for their birthday for me to draw a complete blank. I don't know what happens, my brain just short circuits. So now to help me focus I will put up some wish lists. I will edit them as needed.

I do have a question, does anyone know how to put a line through something? If something has been purchased I would like to be able to cross it off, but I don't know how.

Please Don't Post Ads

Hi, I just deleted some comments that contained spam. I enjoyed the nice comments, but really don't appreciate advertisements left also. If you enjoy a post and would like to leave a comment please do. But I ask that you would not leave any website address spam type of stuff. If I haven't used a product or a service, I don't want to have it listed here where it could be mistaken for an endorsement.

Thanks so much!

I Changed My Weigh In Day

I changed my weekly weigh in day to Friday. Monday just didn't work well for me. So here's the progress:

Start Weight: 189 (7-18-05)
Current Weight: 180
Goal Weight: 126

I think that 9 pounds in one month is great! Praise God!

Need to Take This Week Off

I am not going to be blogging until next Monday. I need to take this week off to focus on my home and family. My children need some extra attention right now, and my home needs a lot of catch up. I tend to get focused on projects and I have had a couple that have kept me from cleaning the house like I should. So this week is my week to get back on track.

So, I will be back next week, blogging from a nice CLEAN house.

Okay I Am Slow

Okay, I just looked up exhaustion midcycle. Guess what, newsflash, it is PMS. The dreaded PMS, it's also responsible for my headache, and fluid retention. I never thought I had PMS, but I guess I was in denial. Now that I am facing it head on, I feel much better. And I am slightly encouraged that when I get past this that extra water will melt away and I will be back on track.

Monday Weigh-In

I did terrible this week. I used all of my flex points in one day, and then couldn't seem to get back to staying within my points. So, I now know that doesn't work for me and I need to stay in points always only using a few flex points at a time. I also have had a terrible time with water retention, and I wouldn't be surprised at all if the 1 pound I gained was all water.

Start Weight (7-18-05): 189
Current Weight: 182 I could cry
First WW Goal: 168

14 pounds to my first WW Goal!

I'm Tired

Today I am tired and my brain is mush. I can't think of anything to write about at all. I am mid-cycle and I get so wiped out, I need to look that up and find out why. I never used to be this way. The joys of aging. I am so glad that David is off today so that he can help with school. And, I took the weekend off of my diet and GAINED 2 pounds! Man is that ever discouraging! I guess I will just have to work harder this week. Now I need to get exercising before the children wake and get some comic relief. Maybe that will pep me up.

Am I Really?

On my other blog, Spunky made a very nice comment about me being a sweetie. I felt great when I read that, and thought to myself, "I guess I am." But then I kept thinking. You know this verse:

Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things.

Phillipians 4:8

I realized as I was thinking that I don't always do that. Sometimes I am not nice at all. There is a particular woman in my life that will remain unnamed, that I admire, and yet am not nice about. I am jealous (awful I know), so when she comes up I have been known to throw in carefully worded statements that are not nice, but don't come off as totally mean either. Of course other times, I am just not nice. Why do I say these things? Because I can never become as wonderful as I perceive her to be. She is just one of those people that excels at most things. I do well on some things and limp along in many. So in the wickedness of my heart I am NOT nice. She would never know, because I would never say anything to her face, which is worse. There is nothing wrong with her, she is a very nice person. It's all me.

Am I thinking about whatever is praiseworthy if I am trying to tear down anything praiseworthy about her? No. Of course I know the only true praiseworthy being is our Lord Jesus, but by twisting the noble things I am not doing that. I should be rejoicing with her, not focusing on me.

Rejoice with those who rejoice; mourn with those who mourn.

Romans 12:15

All this to say that I don't really think I am a sweetie. It feels good to think so, but in my heart where I see the darkest depths, I know I am not. I need to do some cleaning in my heart today and tommorrow and for the next lifetime. I need to come before the Lord and ask forgiveness for my sin. I need to repent and turn away from this sin. I need to learn to rejoice in the wonderful person that God has made her to be. And maybe someday I truly will be a sweetie.

Where Did Momys Go?

I kept trying to check Momys this morning and I kept getting a message that the domain had expired! Does anyone know where Momys went?

Weight Loss Commitment

I have been having thoughts about my commitment to weight loss and why it is so hard. I have always seen losing weight and exercise as optional. I had a choice I figured. I could stay fat and frumpy and eat whatever I wanted, or I could lose weight. But it was my choice. And it is, but it changes once the choice is made.

For example, I could have chosen not to marry my wonderful husband (painful thought). But once I HAVE chosen to marry him and am wed, I cannot change my mind and get a divorce. Marriage is for life. The decision was made, and now I have to be committed and faithful to him. I am now trying to see my weight and fitness as the same thing. Yes, it is my choice. But once I have chosen to lose weight and be fit, I need to be committed with the same commitment level I use in my marriage. Let your yes be yes and your no be no.

And I did not make the choice for fluffy reasons, I want to be healthy and happy for my family. My husband is a very good looking man, and after 12 years of marriage I still go pitter patter when I look at him. I want my husband to have the same pleasure when looking at me. I don't think that is a silly reason, yes my husband loves me as I am. But I want more for him. I want to play with my children without feeling like I am going to fall over dead. I want to be fit enough to serve the Lord in any capacity that comes my way.

So, now that the choice is made, I need to be committed. And I will.

Simply let your 'Yes' be 'Yes,' and your 'No,' 'No'; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.
Matthew 5:37

A Couple of Things NOT to Do

1. DON'T look in others shopping carts when out shopping. If you do you will see all kinds of neat things. You will then seek out these items and place them in your cart. When you arrive home, you will find that you didn't stay in your budget. This will not bring joy to your home, trust me I know.
2. DON'T go browse at the Dollar Tree when you are waiting for your take-out pizza to be ready. You will find all kinds of neat things. These neat things will end up in your cart and then your home. When you are trying to find a place to put all your new neat things, you will wonder why you even bought them. This also will not bring joy to your home, trust me I know.

DO shop according to your list only changing it when you remember that you forgot to add your husband's coffee.

DO enjoy the Dollar Tree with only $5. You will have much more fun when you are only bringing the best home with you.

And most definitely DO bring home pizza after a tough day of errands in town when you haven't loaded the crock-pot first. You NEED a break!

Home Management as a Job

I have been thinking today as I go about my daily tasks and to-do list, that managing a home is a job. But it really is so much more. If I have a "job" that I find to demanding I can quit. But I cannot quit motherhood or homemaking. It is my calling. Over the years I have read many books for the homemaker that offer guidance to managing your home. Several suggest that to be successful, you need to manage your household as if it were your "job".

What they mean is you need to get up at a certain time, get dressed, and have an agenda to follow. I agree that you shouldn't treat being a homemaker as a full-time vacation, it is not and your family would fall apart from neglect. But on the other hand you can't really run it as a "job" either. I have a rough schedule that we naturally fall into (actually two, if life interferes with one we just naturally go to the other), but life does interrupt it repeatedly. There are sibling squabbles, babies to toilet train or change, special moments that you just have to stop and be WITH your children. These things you really can't schedule. This is not my "job", this is my life.

If you tend towards wanting to 'do it right' then reading these books can be a real discouragement when you are trying to schedule every aspect of life, and find it doesn't work out the way you planned. I tend to be one that wants to follow the boxes on my planner. But when life hasn't gone the way I planned I tend to get discouraged and do nothing. I bought MOTH and gleaned a lot of good stuff from it, but I have learned that for me I cannot put times to every task, it just doesn't work. This does not make me an under achiever or failure, it just makes me who I am. I AM trying to become better scheduled and organized, but I feel it is so very important to let go of the guilt that comes with trying to run my family professionally. I am still working on this area, and will always be because of who I am, but I just don't want to live in guilt anymore.

After saying all of that, I do think we should:

Teach us to number our days aright, that we may gain a heart of wisdom. Psalm 90:12

But it is a calling, not a job. And it is filled with love and joy, heartbreak and bittersweet moments. Not many "jobs" can offer that.

Do you like the new colors?

I am fiddling around with the colors. I don't know how to do much else with this thing, ha-ha! The green edges were okay, but I didn't really like it. How do you like this? It is a little bolder than I would normally do, but I think it looks okay. What do you think?

Tomorrow is the day I do my errands, shopping, basically run myself ragged outside the home. And Elijah gets his stitches out, hooray!

That makes today my menu and shopping list planning day. Normally I would dread it, but after all the hard work I have been doing to create my Menu Binder it is really a breeze. If you look in July's archived posts, and scroll way down, you can read how I made my Menu Binder. Anyway I just took out the shopping list from my binder for the menu I chose, and copied it on my all-in-one machine, enlarging it to fit an 8-1/2 x 11 sheet of paper. I had made a master shopping list of all non-food items that we regularly buy and put the master in my Home Management Binder. So I reloaded my sheet with the copied shopping list on it into the machine and copied the other list onto the back, (oops I forgot to add pet food to it, I had better fix that). Now all I have to do is take a highlighter and highlight the items that we actually need. So simple, and super quick.

This binder is going to really be a blessing!

Do You Ever Feel...

Do you ever feel like you just can't seem to find God? You KNOW He is there, but you just can't seem to connect? You read the Word and it feels dry and you just can't focus on it?

I do sometimes and it really sends me into a spin. It makes everything in life seem out of focus and kind of hopeless. I mean, if I can't find God what good is trying to do anything, right? Well, today's chapter of Matthew gave me a promise that I have read many times but didn't really connect with except to say, "yeah, I know that".

Ask and it will be given to you; seek and you will find; knock and the door will be opened to you. For everyone who asks receives; he who seeks finds; and to him who knocks, the door will be opened.

Matthew 7:7-8

This verse just hit me. This is the promise I need to remember during those times! Not the footprints poem, it is good, but it's only a poem. I need to cling to this promise from the Word! The Lord promises us that if we seek Him we will find Him! Isn't that wonderful?!

In my personal experience, I can't really predict when those lonely moments are going to be. So what I am going to do is print this verse out and put it in my household notebook, tack it up over the sink and near the bathroom mirror, maybe even add the verse to the top of my printed devotional pages in my notebook. The next time a far away season arrives I will cling to the promise that I will find Him and life will not lose it's hope or meaning.

Crayons Again

Today I was changing Brook's diaper. You'll remember that Brook is extremely artistic? Well, as I was changing her diaper I noticed something odd. There was blue color all over the inside of her nice cloth diaper. As I investigated closer I discovered that she had stashed a blue crayon in her diaper for later use. Not a good place though because her body heat melted it all over the inside of her diaper!

You know, you just never know what's going to happen with children. You never have a dull moment, even a hum drum diaper change can be an adventure!

New Printer!

I have a new printer! Woohoo! I am so excited, I can get back to copying and printing and you know all kinds of stuff. God is so good to provide us with a way to purchase a new one. And I even recieved a $25 gift card for Office Depot with my purchase! So now I can buy paper, pencils, the new 2-inch 6x9 binder I want for my recipes and menus....

He gave me more than I asked for! Thank you Lord!

Crock-Pot Chicken-ladas

Serves 6 (9 WW points) or 8 (7 WW points)

10 oz can Enchilada sauce

8 oz can tomato sauce

2 cups cooked chopped chicken

8 corn tortillas

8 oz Cheddar cheese, shredded

2 oz can sliced olives

Cooking spray

1. Spray the inside of a 3-quart crock-pot with cooking spray.
2. In a bowl mix enchilada sauce and tomato sauce together well.
3. Ladle some sauce into the bottom of the crock.
4. Spray both sides of two corn tortillas with cooking spray and place into the crock. Layer 1/3 of the chicken onto the tortillas. Layer 1/4 shredded cheese onto the tortilla. Ladle some sauce onto the tortilla.
5. Repeat layers two more times, spraying corn tortillas each time.
6. Place last tortillas sprayed, over the top. Pour the remaining sauce over the top and sprinkle with the remaining cheese.
7. Top with sliced olives.
8. Cook on low for 4-6 hours or until done.

Enjoy!

Pinto Bean Mix

Make a LOT! 2 WW points per 1/2 cup serving.

Mash for refried beans, use as is for a delicious soup.

6 cups dried pinto beans

10 cups water

3 large onions, chopped

2 cloves garlic, minced

Tbsp butter

1-1/2 Tbsp salt

1/2 tsp pepper

Wash and sort the beans. You can soak them overnight if you wish (if your beans are old, do soak them), but it is not nessessary. Place all ingredients in a 6-quart crock-pot and cook on high 4-8 hours (depending on your beans). Add more liquid if needed.

To use as refried beans, drain some liquid off of desired amound of beans and blend smooth using a stick mixer or hand blender. Use in any recipe that calls for refried beans. You can reserve the drained liquid and freeze it to add to soups for flavor.

Mmm, My House Smells So Good!

This morning I put today's dinner into two crock-pots to cook. My house smells so good! In the large crock-pot I have pinto beans cooking to make homemade refried beans, yummy. And in the little crock I have chicken enchiladas cooking. This is David's favorite meal, so he is pretty excited. I will post the recipes and points values separately later.

Mmmm, just smelling it makes me feel like I am eating!

What I Use to Exercise With

I have been trying to get regular in my exercise. For the past month, I have done pretty well. I have been using something called Yourself Fitness. This game customizes a workout for your fitness level and keeps a record of your progress. For me that meant that I can do just the simplest of exercises, but I am progressing. If you have loads of energy on a given day, you can ask the program to increase the intensity. And if you are exhausted from being up with baby all night or sick kids or whatever you can have the intensity lowered for a workout. You can workout in increments of 15, 30, 45, or 60 minutes. There are many different types of workouts to choose from and I have not gotten bored like I usually do with exercise video's, bikes, treadmill's etc.

Also this has been something that my children are starting to use for physical education. This has been great and they enjoy using it. Now I know that many don't have any game systems, we do because my sweet husband loves to play them, but this is available also for PC and for PS2. So assuming that you are at home on your computer reading my blog, you can possibly use this on your computer.

I am not trying to sell this, why would I? But, I do think it is a great product, superior to the standard fitness videos available because it changes with you. I wish that I had known about this sooner so I thought I would share it with you. I rented it before I bought it to try it, and if you are interested at all, perhaps you might do the same.

Monday Weigh In

Okay, I didn't lose as much as I would like. But hey, anything is better than nothing. I have started to measure myself, and I did shrink a bit even though the scale doesn't show much.

Start Weight (7/18/05): 189
Current Weight: 181 (down 1 pound from last week)
First WW Goal: 168
13 pounds to go until my first WW goal!

It Doesn't Matter Who is Right Or Wrong

I was just reading Matthew chapter 5. It is a great chapter filled with so much. As I read it today I was struck with how we are to respond in arguments, or unjust treatment.

During the early years of our marriage my husband and I would have a big fight about once a year. Other than that, we just don't and didn't fight. But during these arguments, which of course I never started ;) things would be said that were not very kind. Honestly during these times I would just be trying to share my heart or feelings and my husband would get mad and there it would begin. I guess I had pretty bad communication skills. Well after all and more than either of wanted to say was said, I was always the one to apologize and make it better. He NEVER did, not once. For years that bugged me, I mean we should both apologize, we were both in the wrong. But it didn't work that way. Over time I adjusted and my husband has softened some and this isn't really an issue anymore for us. But during those times it was hard for me.

Reading these verses made me realize today that I did right and I would have done better to not even expect an apology.

Therefore, if you are offering your gift at the alter, and there remembr that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there in front of the altar. First go and be reconciled to your brother; then come and offer your gift. Matthew 5:23,24

This verse tells me that I am to humble myself and ask forgiveness. It doesn't say anything about the offended brother doing it, I am to do it.

You have heard that it was said, 'Eye for eye, and tooth for tooth.' But I tell you, Do not resist an evil person. If someone strikes you on the right cheek, turn to him the other also. Matthew 5:38, 39

Here this says if I am wronged don't resist. Once again I am to humble myself ask forgiveness and risk getting a strike on my other cheek.

"You have heard that it was said, 'Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.' But I tell you: Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you. Matthew 5:43,44

Now, I know that my sweet husband has never been my enemy, but you have to admit in the heat of "battle" it can sometimes feel that way. And here it tells me to love him and pray for him. So this would mean to once again apologize, find a way to make it right and pray for his good.

Of course these verses apply to so much more than my marriage, but they do apply. And as I read them this is what came to my mind. There is no need for bitter angry or even hurt thoughts to gain a foothold in my heart when these times happen, because the Lord has already made a way out for me. Humility, forgiveness, love and prayer bring the renewel and sweet peace that I need. And the Lord has shown me the way in His Word.

What a wonderful God we serve!

Here's a Good Blog to Read

I just had a lovely time reading Lyn's blog. It was really nice and her posts really made me think, I love that! If you have a few minutes, go take a look. I know you will be blessed. I am adding her to my favorite blogs and look forward to reading what she has to say.

Cloth Menstrual Products

I use cloth diapers for my baby. And I have for my babies before her. During my hunts for cloth diapers online I discovered cloth menstrual pads. At first I was shocked and turned off by the ewwww factor. Then I decided it wouldn't be so bad, I mean I use cloth diapers already, how much worse could it be? Then I thought about sanitation. You know I always thought disposable pads were sanitized, but they aren't any more than toilet paper is. So I decided to give it a try. I ordered some and eagerly (I can't believe I was eager) waited for my monthly. It arrived and I tried them. They were so much more comfortable then store-bought. And maintaining them wasn't really all that difficult. They worked wonderfully. I was sold.

Most of the sites gave a dozen as all that was needed for an average woman. Well, I am NOT average. I prefer between 3-4 dozen because I use 12-16 in a day. Between washing and drying I don't like to feel like I am running out. The average flow is said to be about 3 oz., Mine is about 10. You might be asking how I discovered that information that not many would even want to know? I bought something called a Keeper, which is a reusable rubber cup that goes inside and catches the flow. It is just washed and reused. This made life much simpler for me, because now I could leave the house without carrying a huge bag full of pads. Anyway, the keeper holds 1 oz., and by keeping track, I was able to gage my flow. I discovered the Diva Cup, which I much prefer and am using currently. With the Keeper I always leaked a bit, but I don't have those problems with the Diva Cup. I only really use my cup for errands, exercise etc. I prefer not to use it all the time. Just my preference.

I am so happy that I don't have to go to the store and buy those paper things anymore, and even post-partum I use cloth, because I just really don't like paper pads anymore.

I have used many types. I made my own with this pattern, and they turned out really nice, I use these for post-partum. I also have used Gladrags which I don't really recommend (except the over-night or post-partum pad which is great). Of course if you have a lighter flow than I do they will work fine. I am currently using Gladrags overnight, Cyclez Maxi (a favorite of mine but pricey), Sweet Cheeks pads in different sizes. Most of mine are Sweet Cheeks because they are very comfy and work very well, they also are very affordable. I would like to try Happy Heiny's Mama Pads, but I haven't yet. They are just like the old Fuzzi Bunz pads that worked wonderful and were very reliable.

As far as washing goes, I just soak them in an covered container of cold water and wash them in a laundry bag with my family's daily laundry. It is very simple and isn't really any extra work. Just don't leave the soaking water more than a day, it gets really yucky.

Currently I am trying to design a better overnight pad for the heavier flow gals like me. I have ideas rolling around in my head, but I haven't acted on them yet. Cloth pads are kind of an odd hobby of sorts for me, because I want to have everything ready for when my 3 girls are of age. I want to know the best and have a wonderful package made up in advance to give them as a gift to celebrate that special time.

I Feel Blue-ue-ue, Blue-ue-ue, Blue-ue-ue-uue

Today I took the girls and Moses to my sister-in-law's house to go swimming. She has her own pool so it is really nice and we had a blast, but as I drove home I was near tears. You see my pride and 'I wants' got the best of me.

On my husbands side of the family they all have nice, very large, newer homes. They drive nice new cars and have all kinds of cool gadgets. Basically they have all kinds of cool junk. Now, normally that doesn't bother me, and I am quite happy and thankful for all of the cool junk I do have. What did bother me today was the way I think they perceive us. I was feeling like they were looking at us like we were pathetic, poor and felt sorry for us. I felt like we totally didn't fit in. We have chosen to have many children and that means that we don't have as many fancy things. We have our wonderful blessing children. But knowing that most people don't value it and knowing that certain people in our family do refer to people as "trash", which honestly makes me sick, I couldn't help feeling like that is how they see us. I wanted to cry because I don't want people to see us that way. I want them to see God in us and not how pathetic we are.

So on top of feeling sorry for myself I explained to the Lord how tired I was of being poor. Of not being able to do whatever we want, have nice cars and a house that would actually fit us comfortably without us being cramped and having NO storage.

God is so gracious that He heard my heart and He loved me anyway. Then He used Veggie Tales to remind me of what He wants and values, and it isn't a new SUV or 3 story house with a pool and HUGE yard. He values a thankful heart. As I sang the Madame Blueberry song He brought to mind all that we have and reminded me of how thankful I am. I asked His forgiveness, but was still feeling in a 'mood' when I got home with the children. So, I took a 'depressed I can't go on, I feel sorry for myself' nap. My husband being the wise man that his is didn't say a word. When I go up I was ready to share my heart with my husband, how I felt inadequate and worthless. He really is my best friend, and he said all the right words and boosted me up. He is a wonderful man!

Now, I am feeling really truly thankful, and it really does make a happy heart!

I Blew It!

I blew my diet yesterday! I ate much more than I should have. I still have some of my extra points allowance left for the week (12), but I am so dissappointed in myself. I haven't lost any weight since last week, and I just know that when I weigh in on Monday I am going to have gained. I am so depressed I could just.....eat. BUT I WON'T GIVE UP! I am not going to eat, and I am going to stay on points for the rest of the week. I was doing so well, and now this. I can't help thinking about this verse:

So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don't fall! 1 Corinthians 10:12

I really thought I was "standing firm" and that it really wasn't so hard. Whoops, I fell! So, now I will be careful so I don't fall.

My Other Blog

I have another blog dedicated to our homeschooling journey. Here is the link take a peek and see how an average mom schools at home.

Serious (ha ha) Thoughts on Candy Bars

I have spent some quality time considering why certain candy bars are my favorite (grin). I have come to the conclusion that Kit-Kat and Twix are my fav's because I get both a cookie and a candy. So I decided that these candy bars were designed for people like me. You know the type that has a really hard time making up their mind? That's me, and I like these candy bars because I don't have to decide, I can have both a cookie and candy.

I know that today's post deals with a very deep and thought provoking topic, don't worry we'll move to lighter things tommorrow (grin).

Please Pray

Our van hasn't been working, it needs a new transmission. We have to wait until we get next year's tax return to fix it, because we just don't have any money saved yet. I have been fine with waiting and trusting the Lord during this time. My sister-in-law just offered to get it fixed for us and we could pay her back next year. My first response, is no we will just wait, but I don't want to do what's wrong. I told my husband about her offer, and he is going to make the decision. It would be really nice to have it fixed, the children and I could go to the park together again and it would be nice to go places as a family.

So, please if you think of me, take a minute to pray that the Lord would guide my husband into the right decision. Whether it is wait or go ahead and accept the help we need to know and have a peace about whichever direction it is. I tend to fret and feel guilty and needy if anyone helps us. I guess it is because of our family size, so many people feel like you shouldn't have a large family at all and if you do you should be well off financially to raise them. We believe that children are a reward from the Lord and He will provide for them. And the way that He provides is not always the way we think it should be done. He uses things that seem foolish to us, I mean He is using me, and that seems ludicrous to me! I am so very ordinary it is painful sometimes. But, He is using me for His purpose and glory! Isn't He amazing!

A Silly Thing I Do

Last year I started a silly thing. I bought glass piggy banks for each child for $1 and glued each child's name on the top with small letter beads. I did this for my silly idea.

I started collecting quarters with the year of each child's birth. So before I spend a quarter I check the date. If it is one my children's birth years, I save it to put in their bank. When they are grown they will have a bank full of quarters with only the year they were born. It is silly, but I wanted to give them a keepsake and this idea just came to me. So now instead of collecting state quarters we collect birth year quarters. Instead of using quarters to commemmorate the states, they are celebrating my children's entrance into the world.

Most of the banks don't have much, but the year 2000, my daughter Chloe is really doing good. I also started putting in dollar coins when I have them.

The children really like it and get excited to see their jars being added to.

My BudgetMap Came

My BudgetMap came yesterday in the mail and this morning while it was quiet (ahhhh) I got it all set up. It really is quite organized, not cheap, but if we make progress and actually SAVE some money it will be well worth it. Now, all I have to do is have some money in the bank to actually put into all those nifty little categories!

The Importance of Washable Crayons

My little Brook, who you might remember gets into everything, decided to decorate my BRAND NEW COUCH! She is very artistic you see, and while I went off to wet a cloth to change her diaper, inspiration hit her. She started with great deliberation to color the armrest of my NEW couch. Did I mention this is my NEW couch? Well the doll looked up at me with such a happy pleased look when I came back into the room, I couldn't be upset.

So this brings me to the discovery of exactly how important washable crayons are. You see, I have had my doubts. I was leaning towards just buying the super cheap crayons and not worrying about it, I have Magic Erasers for the walls so why do I need them? I now know that they are very worth the extra few pennies (and nickels, dimes and quarters).

When I took a wet rag and scrubbed my couch, the crayon came right off! Woohoo! So my NEW couch is still looking good (for now anyway, 6 children doesn't make for beautiful furniture). And I very firmly explained to my little artist that we don't color on the couch

Monday Weigh-in

My actual start weight was higher than what put on Weight Watchers, I just guessed and weighed in later thinking I could change it (you can't). I have been using the wrong WW weight, but I have decided to use the real weight that I was at the beginning.

Beginning Weight (7-18-05): 189
Current Weight: 182
First WW Goal: 168
7 pounds lost! Only 12 pounds to go to my first goal! Isn't God good!