I love this boy.

It's pitiful around here. We've been sick... then my back went out on me. I was getting a drink of water at the sink and the muscles in my middle back locked up and I went to the floor. H went and got Danny - he was sleeping from working the night before. This has never happened to me... I can move about now... but I'm sore. I'm feeling so old. So today E is fever free. She been fever free since about 3 AM. She is napping now. H is at school... he has been well for a few days now. Can't help but miss the guy being home with out him.

In the meantime I've slowly but surely been getting our Pine Cove photos in an album. I came across this photo and I can't help but want to share this story about H. My cautious and safe child. Never had to deal with him climbing as a toddler or going too far away from me. Yet as he grows his confidence builds. When we were at Pine Cove he decided to do the zip line. Never hesitating he walked up the 30 foot high stairs. Got hooked on the line. Then it was time to jump... 1, 2, 3, GO! That's when the heartbreak began. He couldn't do it. He just could not make himself push off to zip down. And boy was he mad. Mad at the world! Mad that he could not make himself. Mad at me for telling him it was ok! Mad that he even thought he could jump. I was hollering "It's okay bud!" And he was yelling with tears, "It's NOT OK - I'm a baby and I can't do it." Oh man. As the momma 30 feet down I could not fix this. I could not make him jump, nor make him understand that it was okay if he couldn't jump. I wanted him to know there will be other chances to do a zip line... he didn't have to jump today. With tears flowing and loud cries he came down the 30 feet of stairs... mad and upset. I just held him. He calmed down and we talked about it. How proud we were that he even climbed those stairs and tried! He tried is best. And the next time we go to Pine Cove he'll try again...


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history.

Can't help to be grateful to live in a country where the transition of power is peaceful. To live in a country where I can pray freely. To live in a country where I have the freedom to teach my children from Scripture. And this may not be the man I voted for... however, I can trust God's goodness and sovereignty. I can teach my children this is an amazing day in history. A new president is in power yet God is in control. God bless America.

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sick boy & cleaning out

Still taking pictures for my Project 365... here are a few. I have 17 photos to show in my album... hoping to post those soon. Right now I have a sick boy... doing a lot of coughing. We're off to see the Dr. this morning - hopefully we'll return with answers. He's been coughing for over a week now but yesterday he had a fever. Ugh. Poor guy. He never naps nor lays around... this is what he did in the middle of the day yesterday... a very rare sight!

And then here's E... as I check my email she is in miss-matched PJs this morning playing at my desk. Everything is a wreck in my office as I clean and purge. I got inspired by Ali's new office - so I began changing the furniture around which led to all kinds of purging. Hopefully I can get this taken care of by the time the weekend is over. Notice E is playing with tiny animal pieces from a Animalopoly game. Too cute... and please ignore the messy desk. Hope to post a clean, orderly and pretty pictures soon.

Have a great weekend!

it's in the notebook...

Finally got to work on an organizing idea that I was inspired by early December... a notebook for each season. (thanks for the tip Jen!) My seasons worth of notebooks are: Christmas (including ALL that is Christmas that will stay out year-round so that I can be organized when the season arrives Dec. 1), Fall (including Fall, Halloween and Thanksgiving ideas, recipes, traditions and notes) and Spring (including recipes and ideas for Easter...) Perhaps I need a birthday notebook, too - since both kiddos have birthday in May... And then the "KDM" notebook... this contains coupons, phone lists, odds and ends to help keep all my do-dads together. An attempt to stop looking so much for "that" item I put in a safe place yet can not seem to locate...

This whole project took me an hour while the kids played "chutes and ladders"... Cut pretty paper to size (that I already had in my scrapbook stash), stamped out the season, slipped the paper behind the clear protector of the notebook... and edit: Viola! ha! Thanks for the anonymous tip!

For more Works for Me Wednesday tips be sure and check out Rocks in my Dryer... so great!

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lovely.

Went to a lovely baby shower today... had so much fun taking pictures of all the baby things... these ladies know how to shower...

Don't have too much else to add... sorted produce this morning and off to clean my house... home group here tomorrow evening. Always good to have people over to keep me motivated to clean. Happy weekend to you...

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Project 365.

Got home yesterday... happy mail! My Project 365 arrived. So excited. Now - these are sold out BUT I think they will make more... if you want to take pictures every day not having this kit shouldn't stop you...

And so inspired my BH's Sweet Baby Kit... this is awesome. She has done all the work for you - you just journal and add photos. Anyway... just thought it was a really great idea. Kinda sad my baby books are complete. ha! All about these kits... takes the thinking out of it.

Not sure how I'll post my daily photo... but once I figure out the most time conserving way I'll post them...

Happy Friday!

Weighing in...

Yikes. Those of you who have been with me for the past year and a half know of my weight issues. And how great boot camp was for me... I was successful! Then had to stop the boot camp to work out on my own... well... let me just say from experience - you can eat nutritious foods and not lose weight if you're not working out... in fact you can gain weight back...! It's a scientific fact - those stinkin' calories. *sigh*

So tonight I weigh in for our neighborhood's B*ggest L*ser contest. I need accountability... I need motivation. So there is now a $700 reward to the person who loses the most weight in 12 weeks. $700 y'all !!!!! If you gain a pound you pay $1. If you miss a weekly weigh in you pay $1. Second place gets that loot!

So here we go... and might I add, I hesitantly put this up on the blog. It's my pride I admit it - but man, I do love good accountability. And well, misery - it loves company.

Love.

That’s my One Little Word for 2009. Love. May seem a little cliché… but for the last few weeks I’ve been praying about my word for 2009 and "love" keeps coming up. Mainly in Scripture I’m reading containing the word "love". Often I focus too much on myself – and I believe dieing to self and loving others is simply a step closer to growing closer with the Lord – which is my life time goal. Here are my priorities and how I pray my goals for 2009 will flesh out.

#1 God

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deut. 6:5 NAS

How can I love Him if I do not know Him… must be in His Word daily.

#2 Husband

Love “bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things. Love never fails.” 1 Cor 13:7-8a NAS

May seem like a lofty goal – I’m not saying it will be easy or will I perfect this in 2009. Might I add that my husband is wonderful – yet there are everyday stresses of life that may robe my love for him. We’re on a budget, he has a rough schedule, we are parents, we have been married 12 years – need I say more? My calling as a wife is to love & serve him despite the stress.

#3 Children

“Love is patient, love is kind…” 1 Cor 13:4

Not only do I need to respond to my children with patience and kindness but I also need to teach them this very important concept. And how can they learn patience and kindness if I am not displaying this attributes. Some days will be easier than others…

#4 Home

“But the fruit if the Spirit is love…” Gal 5:22 NAS

I desire my home to be a haven for my family and friends… a safe place for them to rest, feel loved and be edified. That includes a home that is neat, clean and orderly.

#5 Self

Now I’m not going to say that I need to love myself – I love myself too much. Frankly, I can be pretty selfish – the whole point of my One Little Word of Love is for its focus to be on those around me. But I do need to be healthy and at a good weight so that I have the energy and endurance to Love. Nutrition - always my goal.

#6 Ministry

“…but through love serve one another.” Gal 5:13b NAS

“Love your neighbor as yourself.” Lev. 19:18

In serving others and loving perhaps people in my life who are difficult – God has called me to specifically serve and love – because He loves me and I can be difficult, too.

#7 Other Activities

In all my other activities I can’t help but come back to this verse:

“You shall love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.” Deut. 6:5 NAS

In my hobbies, in my job, in my shopping etc. I simply need to die to my flesh and selfishness and love Him – walking with Him will help me simply love. I won’t be able to love with out His sustaining me.

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And I'll be participating in this Project 365 that I'm SO extremely excited about. I plan to document these goals and what the LORD teaches me in 2009 through this project. Will you join me? If so... don't forget to let me know. It will be easy - no adhesive even! They give you everything that you'll need - except the pictures. And you're already taking those...