Random Thought

Why is it that when I sneeze, I can feel it in my ovaries?  Or at least that's where it feels like it is.  I get a shooting pain on both sides.  Does this happen to anyone else?  Or am I just special?

Future Fashionista

I am wondering if we have a future fashion designer on our hands.  Our little A. is so funny when she gets dressed.  At times it is annoying because it can take so long, but it can also be very cute.  We go through each set of shirts and pants and she inspects them very closely to see if they go together.  I wish you could all see the look in her eyes and she intensely looks at the shirt and her eyes slowly go over to the pants.  She intensely looks them over and either says "nah" or her eyes completely light up and she says "YES!"

She has such an expressive face, it is just so hard not to smile and laugh in delight as she makes her selection.  Soon we will be over the 4 to 5 outfits a day and she will be able to get dressed all on her own and not throw all her clothes on the floor.  And hopefully she will keep her little passion about clothes, and her expressive face.

Storm of the Century

 

Well, that's at least what the newscasters were calling it.  Last week was a wild weather week for us Arizonians.  We got more than our yearly average in rain in just 2-3 days, which is an amazing feet for Arizona.  It was very cool to see all the rain.  We heard that one of the local river beds was running like no one had seen before and wanted the girls to see it.  It felt as if we were at the ocean with mist and foam coming off of the water as it ran in the river bed.  It was absolutely freezing so so amazing to see all of the water.  It was a great opportunity to talk to the girls about rain and the weather.  It was a very fun day!

  Here are me and the girls, on the bridge, freezing, with the water running behind us.

I love Craigslist...

Yes, yes, I have said it before, but WOW, this past week I hit a huge jackpot on the free section of Craigs.  Thanks to other people just giving away their stuff for free, I now have a completely new living room.  Including the microfiber suede couches I got last fall, I got a leather chair, two brand new rugs (one is the oval one worth over $100 and the other is a rectangular one, not sure where I am going to use it yet), and a fake tree for decoration (actually, I got two).   Along with those major ones, I got a computer chair, vacuum, and some odds and ends.

I am just so excited!!!  A lot of times people put "first come, first get's it" and I usually stay away from those.  Mainly because of distance or having the ability to transport the item.  But Wednesday night one popped up in our town and I jumped on it.  And we were the FIRST ones their.

We had pick of anything in this foreclosed home.  It was so fun.  Their was no power on, so there I am taking a flashlight and looking through the entire house to see what I could find.  People have been wanting to see my great finds, so here they are.  I am so excited to see what I will find next.

We also hit it big with a grill someone was giving away.  Didn't realize how huge it was and what an awesome deal it was for FREE!!!!

So thank you to all those people out there that give their stuff away for free.  My family has totally benefited from it and we appreciate it.

Sunday Moment

Praise you in the Rain

Life is hard.  ML and I have been going through almost 4 months of a spiritual battle.  We are learning tons and growing closer to each other and the Lord, but it has been a tough time.  The Lord is faithful and seeing us through.  Today in church we sang this song.  As I focused on the words, I knew that this was the exact situation that ML and I were going through.  In the Bible, it says that through all things we should praise God, through the good and the bad.  I am hoping that if you are struggling that this may encourage you.  Stay strong and know that in the end this will all glorify God.

Bring the Rain - Mercy Me

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

Purging

I just love purging.  I don't know, call me crazy, but it feels good to get all of the old crap out of my life.  It gives me an emotional clearing as well as a physical one.  Makes me feel fresh and recharged.  I think it is so important for all of us to do it.  Besides having a clean garage or closet, I think it really does something for our souls.  You are letting go, moving on, releasing the negative and clutter.  So go ahead, start purging, where are you gonna start first???

Confession Time

I am starting something new - Confession Time.  Thought it would be fun to share things that pretty much no one knows or something about Mothering/Parenting that might "shock" people (in a good way).  So here goes...

In the five years that we have lived at our home, I have NEVER cleaned the oven... gasp (I can hear them now).  I just have no desire to get down there and scrub away and have just been too busy raising kids.  Probably a small spill has been wiped up here and there, but to be honest it looked bad and I knew it was time.  My oven has a self-clean button, but I never looked closely at my oven to see exactly what I was supposed to do.

So I did it!  I did the self-clean button.  I am very proud of myself.  I did happen to set off the smoke alarm in the meantime, but that's ok.  If this self-clean button works pretty good, then I will definitely clean my oven more often (and leave the windows open for ventilation). 

Do you have any confessions???

Snuggie???

I have to say the best gift we have gotten the girls so far is the Snuggie.  Who would have thought?  As soon as they started advertising, what a couple years ago, they wanted one.  I always thought that it was a little stupid and silly, but then I got to thinking this year...

I would come out on a cold, winter morning and see huge blankets strewn about my living room couches and floors.  Of course, the blankets were to big for the girls to fold up themselves, so that would leave me cleaning them up EVERY morning.  And that's when it hit me... the Snuggie actually IS a good idea.  They would each have their very own blanket, that fits them and they could fold and put away on their own.

The girls absolutely love them and use them all the time.  Go Snuggie maker - you Rock!!!!

Shoe Fairy

If only there were a shoe fairy (of course I don't believe in fairies at all, but you get the point).  One of the biggest expenses for us as parents are shoes.  Kids feet just grow way too fast!  And I love it when one day the shoe fits (or should I say before Christmas break) and the next day they don't.  Is it bad that I long for the days when their feet don't grow???

As of this moment, my E. has one pair of shoes for school.  Now normally this wouldn't be a bad thing, except they are the fancy, expensive kind (a gift from grandparents) that really shouldn't be worn everyday.  So I went through and cleaned out all of the shoes.  I will be blessing friends with what they can use, selling the rest at a kid store and then looking for the cheapest pair we can find.

At least we are lucky enough for her to have one pair and will trust that God will provide another.  Thank you Lord for second hand kids stores, friends and of course grandparents who can keep shoes on our girls feet. 

Dreaming

I have lately been dreaming of moving...to a different state, even to a different country.  The thought of just picking up and leaving all of our troubles and feelings here in Arizona and moving on to a new adventure has really been intriguing.  A fresh start, a new perspective on life, a new scenery is just what I really need.  Or at least that's what I am telling myself. 

To quickly, I am brought back to reality.  The fact is that even though we are physically moving our bodies and belongings to some new place, we are still bringing along with us all the aspects of our lives.  All of the pain, emotions, burdens, finances, etc.  I must remind myself that I don't need to move to escape.  I must keep my mind focused that God IS in control.  He DOES have a plan.  He has BEEN TAKING CARE of us all along and at some point His TRUE REASON for our troubles and trials will be revealed.  And in the end, they will all glorify HIM!

It is fun to dream, but make sure it's just not to escape the real problem!

Happy New Year

Wow, I can't believe that 2010 is here.  Looking back, it seemed as though we were going to have flying cars, robots and a bunch of different stuff.  Back when I was graduating high school, I couldn't believe that the year 2000 was only 4 years away.  And now it is 10 years past that.

I have high hopes for 2010.  For as much as we have been through this year, things could only be looking up.  Best wishes for the new year, I hope it is full of happiness and health.