Yup, that about sums it up...nuthin'!
Alf was gone all weekend at Lake Whitney for an All Chapter Wakeboard Church camping trip. I heard it was a blast! I was sad to miss it, but I wasn't ready to tent camp with Shaefer.
Trey and I had a pretty rough weekend as well. Apparently he doesn't want to be my son anymore...at least that is what he said at Walmart when I told him at least 10 times NOT to touch the conveyor belt at the self checkout line. All is well now. I knew the day would come when hurtful words like, "I hate you!", "I don't love you!", or "You are not a good mommy!" would be said. But it doesn't make it any easier when it does.
My sister, brother-in-law and I worked on the kitchen again this weekend. It is coming along nicely! Next weekend will be the countertop and backsplash! Another plus: NO CHARGING!! ALL CASH!!
Shaefer is asleep, so let's see what all I can get done... :)
Monday, September 29, 2008
Wednesday, September 24, 2008
We have more choices...
I must admit that I am not a very political person. Maybe it's better to say that I don't make politics a priority in my life. Having 2 little ones can do that to you! :) Does that make me lazy? Ignorant? I'm not sure, but lately I have been attempting to educate myself a bit more. This is not an easy task! It's downright overwhelming! The "political machine" would have us believe that we only have 2 choices for the upcoming election. I'm here to present a THIRD choice...as a write in candidate:
My dad has chosen to take on Washington! I ask that you take a few minutes to view this video and visit his website at Bob McNeil For President. Once on his website, you can learn more about him as a person and as a candidate. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!
My dad has chosen to take on Washington! I ask that you take a few minutes to view this video and visit his website at Bob McNeil For President. Once on his website, you can learn more about him as a person and as a candidate. Give it a shot and let me know what you think!
A Quick Update
I've missed you guys! I wanted to give a quick update on what has been going on around here:
1.) Hurricane Ike - We have family in the Houston/Galveston area, so we had some visitors as they waited out the storm. Although I hated to watch all the devastation, I am glad we got to host and love on our family. As far as we know, they received little to no damage to their homes!
2.) Kitchen Remodeling - My sweet sister has struck again! She knows how much time I spend in my kitchen and she knows how much I would appreciate an updated kitchen. So, armed with a budget we headed to Lowe's and began to scheme! I've been taking pictures along the way, so I hope to post some of those soon. Who knew how much of a difference a coat of paint & some new fixtures could make?
3.) Half Marathon Training - Man, this training thing is HARD!! But, I am determined NOT to give up!! I've been running at the gym for the past few weeks trying to get my body into the groove. I have a funny story I will post later about how I almost flew off the treadmill last Monday. Yesterday I picked up my GARMIN, so this afternoon I will head outside for 3 miles.
4.) Wakeboard Church - WBC is going strong! God is still allowing Alf to do this thing full time! It is exciting and humbling to be a part of what God is doing. Last weekend Alf was able to spend the weekend with a family teaching them about their boat, wakeboarding and Jesus. It was such a sweet time! This weekend he will be leading an All Chapter WBC weekend on Lake Whitney. It will be an awesome time for all 4 WBC chapters to get together, ride together, worship together and have tons of fun. Since they will be camping, I have opted to stay home. I not quite ready to tent camp with an extremely curious 16 month old!
I guess that is about it for now!
1.) Hurricane Ike - We have family in the Houston/Galveston area, so we had some visitors as they waited out the storm. Although I hated to watch all the devastation, I am glad we got to host and love on our family. As far as we know, they received little to no damage to their homes!
2.) Kitchen Remodeling - My sweet sister has struck again! She knows how much time I spend in my kitchen and she knows how much I would appreciate an updated kitchen. So, armed with a budget we headed to Lowe's and began to scheme! I've been taking pictures along the way, so I hope to post some of those soon. Who knew how much of a difference a coat of paint & some new fixtures could make?
3.) Half Marathon Training - Man, this training thing is HARD!! But, I am determined NOT to give up!! I've been running at the gym for the past few weeks trying to get my body into the groove. I have a funny story I will post later about how I almost flew off the treadmill last Monday. Yesterday I picked up my GARMIN, so this afternoon I will head outside for 3 miles.
4.) Wakeboard Church - WBC is going strong! God is still allowing Alf to do this thing full time! It is exciting and humbling to be a part of what God is doing. Last weekend Alf was able to spend the weekend with a family teaching them about their boat, wakeboarding and Jesus. It was such a sweet time! This weekend he will be leading an All Chapter WBC weekend on Lake Whitney. It will be an awesome time for all 4 WBC chapters to get together, ride together, worship together and have tons of fun. Since they will be camping, I have opted to stay home. I not quite ready to tent camp with an extremely curious 16 month old!
I guess that is about it for now!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Girly-Girl Tomboy
I love watching my sweet girl grow into her own person.
It is becoming quite evident that Shaefer LOVES shoes. Throughout the day she will bring me a pair of shoes that she would like for me to put on her. I must also note that they are a matching pair! She looks pretty cute walking around the house in her diaper and shoes. She also likes to help me pick out her outfit for the day. She definitely has her preferences!
Shaefer also LOVES to be outside...all the time...no matter the weather or daily schedule. From the time she could stand up, she would crawl over to the door, stand up and begin jabbering...her way of asking to go outside. Here are some pictures I took of her this weekend playing in the mud. I washed this outfit 3 TIMES and still couldn't get it clean. It found a new home in the trash. Oh well...it was totally worth it!
It is becoming quite evident that Shaefer LOVES shoes. Throughout the day she will bring me a pair of shoes that she would like for me to put on her. I must also note that they are a matching pair! She looks pretty cute walking around the house in her diaper and shoes. She also likes to help me pick out her outfit for the day. She definitely has her preferences!
Shaefer also LOVES to be outside...all the time...no matter the weather or daily schedule. From the time she could stand up, she would crawl over to the door, stand up and begin jabbering...her way of asking to go outside. Here are some pictures I took of her this weekend playing in the mud. I washed this outfit 3 TIMES and still couldn't get it clean. It found a new home in the trash. Oh well...it was totally worth it!
Monday, September 1, 2008
Peer Pressure...the GOOD kind
I've officially caved to peer pressure! Go here to read about my newest adventure! Good thing I'm not doing it alone! Anyone want to join in??
Wednesday, August 27, 2008
Trey's First Day of Kindergarten
Monday was Trey's first day of Kindergarten. He was SO excited! I think it was easier than I thought it would be on me because Trey was READY to go. He had his bag packed, his clothes laid out, teeth brushed...raring to go! (THANK YOU to all my sweet friends who called the night before and the day of to check on me! It meant SO much to me!!)
I prayed long and hard about where to send Trey to school. I instantly fell in love with Treetops the first time I visited. It is a public charter school that sits on about 20 acres and depends on parent involvement though coop hours to run efficiently. Each family is required to volunteer a minimum of 80 hours per school year. The only downside is the drive...I will spend about 1 - 2 hours a day commuting to and from school. If this proves to be the best educational situation for my son, then it will all be worth it.
I just got a call from Trey's teacher. I am now the official "Classroom Coordinator" I am SO excited! It will be hard work, but I want to be an active part of Trey's education.
Let the year begin...
Thursday, August 14, 2008
Involuntary Solitude
God has blessed me with awesome friends. I always adore our time together, but I am also a person that enjoys being alone. Even as a teenager I remember hanging out in my room listening to music or reading a book...fully content with my "aloneness." Now as an adult I try to head out every once in a while by myself and drive, window shop, stop by Hobby Lobby, check out the bookstore, etc. During those times I really enjoy the silence. I enjoy not talking. I enjoy going where I want to go on a whim. But what happens when "aloneness" or solitude occurs in your life outside of your control?
Here is how the Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines solitude:
1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : seclusion
2 : a lonely place (as a desert)
I also liked the synonyms listed:
synonyms solitude, isolation, seclusion mean the state of one who is alone. solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates. isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily. seclusion suggests a shutting away or keeping apart from others often connoting deliberate withdrawal from the world or retirement to a quiet life.
On Sunday, July 27th I woke up with a wonderful surprise: PINK EYE!! I was already going to stay home from church due to Shaefer having a fever the night before. She woke up absolutely fine. I woke up with eye cooties. Thus began my two weeks of involuntary solitude. In my personal opinion, time alone is totally different when it's of your own volition! :) I wish I could say that I was pity party free during those 2 weeks of being home bound. I wish I could say that I didn't lose my patience and say some really "mature" things like, "This is SO not fair!" I wish I could say that every minute of those 2 weeks were filled with meaningful conversations with God. But alas...I cannot. I did learn some things about myself that I will share with you a bit later.
I've written many times about our current church home and how God has used the people and the teaching to sharpen us like never before. I had never heard of solitude being taught as a spiritual discipline before coming to 121 Community Church. For those of us raised in some sort of church environment, we probably had the concept of having a daily "quiet time" with God preached week in and week out. The discipline of solitude is different than and in addition to our daily time with God. Solitude is intentionally carving out time to totally unplug ourselves from the noise of the world to spend time with our Creator. It may be just an hour. It may be 4 hours. It may be an entire afternoon. It may be for an entire day. It may be for an entire weekend. The point is this: no phones, no ipods, no T.V., no radio, no distractions. Just you, your Bible, maybe a journal, an open heart and your Father giddy as He awaits your arrival. Please don't get me wrong...daily time with God is vital! I honestly couldn't get through my day without spending time with my Father. Sometimes we just need to unplug and intentionally seek out some peace and quiet.
Are you ready for my list? Here is what I learned about myself:
1. I use shopping (even for bargains) and food to settle my emotions, to fill voids in my heart and to quiet my stress. I couldn't leave my house because I was contagious and I couldn't shop because of our new budget. So now I get to learn how to deal with this stuff the old fashioned way...through hard work.
2. I hug and kiss my family A LOT!! I never realized what a touchy-feely person I was until I couldn't touch them. It made me SO sad! Don't worry...I made up for it as soon as I was cootie free.
3. I place unspoken expectations on people around me and get upset when they don't meet those expectations. I am setting them up to fail. Very sad, but I am working on it!
4. My family & friends bring so much life to me! I missed them terribly when I was stuck in my house. I couldn't see their bright faces. Our kids couldn't play together. We couldn't attempt to have a conversation while our kids played together. (All you moms know what I'm talking about...it takes the entire 3 hour time slot to finish one simple conversation!) I never want to take them for granted. I WANT to spend time with them. I NEED to spend time with them. The other stuff can wait...relationships can't...and shouldn't.
5. God revealed some "bratiness" in my heart. It sucks. I am working on it.
I think I may try this whole solitude thing out again. Hopefully I can carve out the time myself and not have to wait for more cooties to attack my body.
Have you ever taken time out to unplug? What was it like? What did you learn?
Here is how the Merriam-Webster's dictionary defines solitude:
1 : the quality or state of being alone or remote from society : seclusion
2 : a lonely place (as a desert)
I also liked the synonyms listed:
synonyms solitude, isolation, seclusion mean the state of one who is alone. solitude may imply a condition of being apart from all human beings or of being cut off by wish or circumstances from one's usual associates. isolation stresses detachment from others often involuntarily
On Sunday, July 27th I woke up with a wonderful surprise: PINK EYE!! I was already going to stay home from church due to Shaefer having a fever the night before. She woke up absolutely fine. I woke up with eye cooties. Thus began my two weeks of involuntary solitude. In my personal opinion, time alone is totally different when it's of your own volition! :) I wish I could say that I was pity party free during those 2 weeks of being home bound. I wish I could say that I didn't lose my patience and say some really "mature" things like, "This is SO not fair!" I wish I could say that every minute of those 2 weeks were filled with meaningful conversations with God. But alas...I cannot. I did learn some things about myself that I will share with you a bit later.
I've written many times about our current church home and how God has used the people and the teaching to sharpen us like never before. I had never heard of solitude being taught as a spiritual discipline before coming to 121 Community Church. For those of us raised in some sort of church environment, we probably had the concept of having a daily "quiet time" with God preached week in and week out. The discipline of solitude is different than and in addition to our daily time with God. Solitude is intentionally carving out time to totally unplug ourselves from the noise of the world to spend time with our Creator. It may be just an hour. It may be 4 hours. It may be an entire afternoon. It may be for an entire day. It may be for an entire weekend. The point is this: no phones, no ipods, no T.V., no radio, no distractions. Just you, your Bible, maybe a journal, an open heart and your Father giddy as He awaits your arrival. Please don't get me wrong...daily time with God is vital! I honestly couldn't get through my day without spending time with my Father. Sometimes we just need to unplug and intentionally seek out some peace and quiet.
Are you ready for my list? Here is what I learned about myself:
1. I use shopping (even for bargains) and food to settle my emotions, to fill voids in my heart and to quiet my stress. I couldn't leave my house because I was contagious and I couldn't shop because of our new budget. So now I get to learn how to deal with this stuff the old fashioned way...through hard work.
2. I hug and kiss my family A LOT!! I never realized what a touchy-feely person I was until I couldn't touch them. It made me SO sad! Don't worry...I made up for it as soon as I was cootie free.
3. I place unspoken expectations on people around me and get upset when they don't meet those expectations. I am setting them up to fail. Very sad, but I am working on it!
4. My family & friends bring so much life to me! I missed them terribly when I was stuck in my house. I couldn't see their bright faces. Our kids couldn't play together. We couldn't attempt to have a conversation while our kids played together. (All you moms know what I'm talking about...it takes the entire 3 hour time slot to finish one simple conversation!) I never want to take them for granted. I WANT to spend time with them. I NEED to spend time with them. The other stuff can wait...relationships can't...and shouldn't.
5. God revealed some "bratiness" in my heart. It sucks. I am working on it.
I think I may try this whole solitude thing out again. Hopefully I can carve out the time myself and not have to wait for more cooties to attack my body.
Have you ever taken time out to unplug? What was it like? What did you learn?
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