Quote of the Day

"To truly enjoy the life God has given you,
you need to know how to be happy on the days
when you're not at Disney World."

I can't remember where I read this...but I posted it beside my computer as a reminder.

Counting my Blessings

This blessing just had to be recorded. Really.

Last Tuesday I had consignment work in the morning and errands. I had to leave town around 12:30 to get to Siloam for Lauren's swim meet.

Erin called around 11:00 and told me her glasses had broken. Well, Erin can't see without them, so I needed to pick her up quick and see if there was anything to be done. The school secretary encouraged us by telling us it took a week and a half for her new glasses to come in. Oh well.

When we got to the Vision Center there was only one employee and she was busy trying on glasses with a customer. Richard had come with us to grab a sandwich and so went directly with our orders to Subway. Over the course of 10 minutes there were 4 customers waiting and it looked like we were going to miss the school lunch hour as well. It was then when the vision specialist called for some backup.

The lady was really wonderful when she got to us. We just asked for whatever she thought she could do in a hurry. She showed us two frames (in the entire store) that would match the shape of E's current lenses and they were PERFECT for E's face! She went to the back, made the adjustments, fixed them perfectly on E's face, even cleaned them for us and then...proceeded to tell us that because her old frames were less than a year old we only needed to pay the difference...$2.14.

Erin, who could now see me...looked as shocked as I was. We happily paid, grabbed our sandwich bags from Richard and were on the way out of the store and headed back to school in time for 5th hour and my trip out of town.

Counting our blessings...5 minutes to the store, 25 minutes for PERFECT NEW glasses, 5 minutes back to school.

A Beautiful Day in the Neighborhood

High School Swimming

I learned from my mother

I had fun working at my friends children's store on Thursday and Friday while she was at market. She gave me free reign to move around whatever I wanted and I had so much fun!

I learned all this working for my mom at her stores so many years ago. At one time I thought I might want to do displays for a living. It was something like little boys who want to be firemen, it was a shortlived. It's fun to be able to do it once in awhile for my friend. Her store is so cute and touching all the sweet things was a treat!

What's for Dinner

Last week was great in the meal department! With Richard gone I was a little extra busy after school and I loved having our dinners already planned. This week I'll be gone on Tuesday night to a swim meet but there will be leftovers in the fridge for those left behind!

Monday: Black Bean Enchiladas
Tuesday: swim meet ...leftovers for those at home
Wednesday: church night
Thursday: Taco Salad
Friday: Shrimp Pasta
Saturday: White Chicken Chili
Sunday: Alice Springs Chicken (link to recipe)

On Sunday I'm going to make one of my favorite copy cat dishes: Alice Springs Chicken. It's from Outback Steak House and I love the flavors. We really enjoyed having two college kids over for lunch this Sunday and if I plan a nice meal, then it will be easy to invite some friends over again. Of course, my family loves it if we have a good meal then too!

For a cute notebook like mine:



For more menus link over to I'm an Organizing Junkie!

All Region Band

We couldn't be prouder of Lauren. This year she made 1st band 5th chair in our region. She worked hard learning all the scales, going to after school lessons and practices, and practicing at home almost every day of the week.

The night before tryouts she told me she'd like to be 1st band, 6th chair. Wow! There were 163 trumpets who tried out...we were hoping for the best. And she earned it!

Quote of the Day

"I'd rather hear your voice."

Said to me by my husband, in reference to texting. He has been gone for 5 days.

Counting my blessings...

Highlights

At the end of the year we usually all make Top Ten lists of our highlights from the previous year. For some reason, we didn't all get to it on January 1. Yesterday Sheridan wanted to write hers down. It made us all laugh!

1. 6th birthday party
2. getting a bunk bed
3. got to go to 1st Grade
4. we went to Florida
5. Getting my shot. (Lauren was being sarcastic when she suggested this, but Sheridan wrote it down! Flu Shot? Highlights?)
6. VBS
7. I started reading Junie B Jones
8. I am starting to put up ponie Tales. (pony tails)
9. soccer
10. I play softball and I got a Grandslam

Counting her blessings...

What's for Dinner?

I got this sweet notepad for Christmas from a dear friend and today is it's debut!

Richard is out of town until Thursday and the kids are home from school today. I knew if I didn't make a meal plan for this week we'd eat out of the freezer and a lot of vanilla wafers with peanut butter. Not a bad snack, but not dinner worthy.


Monday: lasagna, garlic bread and salad
Tuesday: Breakfast food (because it's my favorite!), waffles & sausage
Wednesday: Kids eat at church!
Thursday: Potato soup & cheese and crackers
Friday: Richard home! Hamburgers, cheese dip, veggies & chips
Saturday: Pizza Day (swim meet out of town)
Sunday: Crock pot pork chops, twice baked potatoes & salad (invite kids from church over?)

For more menus check out ORGANIZING JUNKIE.COM

For one of these cute note pads:

Pepto Pink

I'm still working on the girls' room re-model. They are obviously living around the remaining laundry baskets of books and totes. (They may not even notice them!)

I had it in my mind to re-paint the furniture going back in their room and a good friend gave me the brightest colors I couldn't pass up. OK, so Lauren isn't too hip on the pink...and I admit it's a little pepto for my taste, but it will look awesome as soon as it's finished and loaded with their books. I painted their desk turquoise and I think it looks GREAT against the pale yellow walls.

I have a habit of starting big projects and never finishing them quite all the way. I will say the freezing temperatures have held me up on painting this time, but now we're supposed to have a few warmer days. I want them to love this room and know I did my best.

My goal is to finish this bookshelf tomorrow and then get it in the room on Tuesday. I'll take more pictures then.

Favorites

This is BY FAR the favorite thing I made in 2009:

This book is one of my most favorite possessions! It's one full year of my blog! I love that I wrote these entries and now have them in a hard covered book for us to look at and remember our year.

I started my blog two years ago because one of my sister-in-laws had started one. She did it because one of her friends had a blog and had published it at the end of the year in a nice book. Sounded good to me! I wasn't sure how I was going to accomplish this until I learned that there was a web site that could SLURP my blog into a book format and I checked them out!

The company's name is BLURB, INC and they specialize in downloading (slurping, I love that word!) blogs and such into books! You can lay it out or they can do it for you. You can choose what size and cover you want. You can choose all the colors you want, borders for the pictures, ornaments on the pages...it's actually fun if you like that kind of thing!




I published a 168 page book for $60 and that included shipping! Seriously, I'm psyched! This was my Christmas present last year...but it took me awhile to lay it out because I wanted to do it myself. I re-read every entry, made some adjustments and placed all my pictures like I wanted to. After I ordered it took only 7 days to get to me!


I chose this dust jacket hard cover book and got to choose which pictures would be on the front, back and inside flaps.

This year I downloaded entries throughout the year so I wouldn't have to do it all at one time. As soon as I catch up my Christmas entries I'll be done and can order the actual book.

For other projects by bloggers check out TipJunkie!

SWEET 16

SWEET:

o Wake up to NFL ringtone on new phone placed under his pillow during the early AM hours.
o Start day with Monkey Bread for breakfast. Typically we only have this on Christmas morning but butter, sugar, cinnamon and pecans were the first birthday request!
o Family members and friends starts texting and calling on new phone beginning at 7:30.
o Open presents: weights from Grandparents, and Hawgs Illustrated from Mom and Dad before school.
o Hugs Sheridan in thanks for custom colored artwork.
o Takes 150 pieces of mini chocolate and candy to school in gift bag to hand out to friends.
o First spring baseball practice after school.
o Shrimp pasta and salad for dinner.
o Texts Trey to come over for dessert.
o Trey arrives from next door in 2 seconds flat.
o Ice cream sundaes in waffle bowls with hot fudge and caramel, M&Ms and Butterfinger toppings.



o Ahhhh. The boy is 16.

Lovin' my boy/man!

Ryan turns 16 tomorrow. It's the one event during the year that ages me every time! Not even my 40th birthday effected me like the day he turned 12!

Tonight he went to his Sr High Life Group and I made him a humorous little cake of his Mii character. It was worth a little laugh for our whole family. He's "professional" in almost every game we have...so I made him a double brownie Mii!

I love you Ry!

National Bubble Bath Day

January 8, 2010 is

Bubble Bath Day

Seriously folks, I'm headed out the door for a ball game and I've just found out it's a holiday...not any holiday, but Bubble Bath Day! I HAVEN'T EVER HEARD OF THIS...apparently there are e-cards for this day. Did you know that if I had more time everyone I know would get one? I suppose I shouldn't say that, since I haven't done more research...I wonder who made up this holiday, hopefully not the adult industry, if you know what I mean. I could hardly let this moment pass before I posted...but I will research...and I will write more. For now, HAPPY BUBBLE BATH DAY!

FROM: My Punch Bowl website:

Who says bubble baths have to be just for kids? They are the perfect way to put an end to a stressful week and unwind.

There are many benefits associated with bubble baths. The warm water and steam will open up your pores, cleanse your skin, and loosen up tight muscles so that you can fully relax.

Celebrate Bubble Bath Day with a super relaxing bubble bath. To create a calming, relaxing atmosphere that makes you feel like you're at the spa, add a little background music, light some scented candles, and roll up a towel to put under your neck. Enjoy it -- you deserve it!

• Today is also National English Toffee Day
• January is National Oatmeal Month & Get Organized Month

7 weeks

There are 7 weeks until my next consignment event! I have been sitting at the computer for most of the day since January 1st answering e-mails from moms and friends, ordering my print materials, and updating my web site. It's good for me to be busy.

7 weeks goes by fast...it is the distance from the week before Thanksgiving to New Years. I know that because I thought I'd do an intensely focused and self controlled diet for 7 weeks and start the new year more comfortable in my clothes. God was with my weak flesh and I was fabulously self-controlled until two days before Christmas.

My flesh was loosed...as King James would say, and it wasn't a good thing! I am unhappy with myself today as I haven't gotten back into the less is better mindset. As in, the less I weigh, the better I feel. The less I eat, the better I feel. The less I eat, the better I look...gotta love January.

Quote of the day

I read a lot. I limit my choices to Christian fiction, non-fiction and how-to books. Every once in a while I find a quote that hits me and I've decided to record these here. I believe God uses many different ways to get my attention.

For instance, I've been a little lax in my Bible study over the holidays. It doesn't matter that I have 4 great Bible study books lined up to read and another one started...I just haven't opened THE BOOK with much regularity the last 14 days.

In a Kristen Billerbeck novel I finished last night, the main character is at a singles Bible study and she is talking here in first person...

"The group recaps their previous conversations and then I read a key passage aloud, getting into the lesson in spite of myself. Isn't that how Bible study works? It's a pain in the keister to get there, get your brain focused, but when you do, your heart follows. That's gotta be God."

I have never used the word "keister" but the point is true for me. When I do my part, God is always there to do His.

Come near to God and He will come near to you. James 4:8a