And I Could Not Ask for More...

So, this was my birthday weekend and really, I could not have asked for more. I'll just have to show you. But, just so you know, I'm getting old and what I consider a great weekend has really changed a lot. :)

Above, you see Sarah. What is so amazing about this picture is 1. My kids spent a good part of the day entertaining themselves in the playroom and that always makes me happy. 2. Do you see the elevator she made for the dollhouse? My child is brilliant, y'all. Her mama would've just begged for the Barbie house with an elevator. (I may need to give this blog an R-rating for Ken doll nudity. My children are very anti-clothing.)

This may not look very pretty, but it was very yummy!!!! Bless Josh's heart, I decided I wanted Enchalidas for my birthday dinner. He did awesome even though it was his first time to make them. And seriously, is there anything that ISN'T good smothered in sour cream, lettuce and tomatoes?

Um, I'm getting old Sarah, but I think you might have those backwards....

Really, does it get any better than brownies and magic cookie? I think not.

These are some of the goodies I got. The basket in back was a gift from my sis-in-law that contained shampoo and conditioner, 2 pretty nail polishes, and other super girly stuff. Karen gave me that pretty striped box filled with a gift card to BAM, a pink leather bookmark that says "Never put away your dancing shoes", some Chai Latte and a mug full of Dove chocolate!!!!!!!!! And yea, so maybe I ate all of the chocolate on the way home from our lunch Friday. You wanna make somethin' of it?!?!? :)

You might not believe this, but I was feeling a little sick at my stomach on my b-day. I'm sure it couldn't have been from the obscene amount of food I had been eating. I was also a little achy. Will you know how old I am when I tell you the best part of my birthday was when we put the kids to bed, I took some TylenolPM and we put in a movie? I also made some of my Chai Latte and it was SUPERB!! I totally passed out on the couch at like 10:00. For the record, I haven't been asleep by 10:00 since.....I don't know, I may have been 10. Anyway, I got a full night of sleep and then a nap this afternoon and I actually woke up feeling refreshed! Best birthday present ever!!!

To top off my weekend, Eli donned this little ensemble when I told him it was time for church clothes. What a great laugh!

Then, since Eli was getting a picture, Kate decided to stand still for one too. Check out her pretty dress from Nana!

Speaking of pictures, Josh bought me a gorgeous new frame that had a note on it that said it is for a new family portrait!! You have no idea what a sacrificial gift that is from Josh. I'm pretty sure between the expense of pictures and the ordeal of actually getting a good picture that family portraits rate up there with root canals for Josh. In fact, other than Christmas pics we had made in the garden center at Wal-Mart on Kate's 1st Christmas, we have no professional family portraits with her!!

So, there you have it, my exciting birthday weekend. :) I kept trying to get a pretty pic of me in this cute shirt and necklace that my sister Jenny sent me, but it never happened. So...here's this one. I had planned to be 29 and holding, but we watched 13 Going on 30 the other night and I've decided that instead of holding I am anxiously awaiting being "30, flirty, and thriving!"

If Mexican Food Doesn't Make You Happy, I Don't Know What Will...

I’ve been in a funk y’all. Do you ever get that way? I decide that I stink at everything in life, life stinks, the garbage stinks, and everything just stinks. I don’t know why I’ve been that way either. This has been a really good week. We got an awesome new fridge, Josh got his job back with hospice, and I even got some serious cleaning done. On top of that I’ve been eating carbs like they’re going out of style. Still, I’ve just been in a funk. They are the worst when you have no idea why you’re in one. Maybe it is Post Reunion Stress Disorder. Perhaps I am just exhausted. Who knows?

I feel that the fog is lifting though and I will tell you why. Because I have friends and people who love me. I’ll tell you, I don’t know how Josh puts up with me for 2 seconds, but he does. And today I had an awesome lunch in the very back booth of La Pinata on a rainy day with a friend who is one of those friends who knows me and likes me anyway. (I know because that is what the card she gave me said. :) I think I have shared that laughter is my coping mechanism. When I feel like I can’t laugh that is when life stinks. Thankfully, I’ve laughed today. A lot.

I have a tendency to take myself too seriously and despite the fact that getting 3 kids dressed and to church on time is my greatest life achievement thus far I stress that I have not brought about world peace. I am thankful for people in my life who laugh with me (okay, and at me).

Nicole Johnson shares in “Fresh Brewed Life”-

“Laughing with friends is just like eating cake at a party. You can have a party without cake, but who would want to? Every friend I have in my life knows how to belly laugh and not take themselves, or me, too seriously. Laughter is like a tall, creamy, four-layered, beautiful cake that leans to one side. A cake that is meant to be cut and shared. Two forks and enjoyment beyond belief… Celebration indeed!”

My prayer for you this weekend and next week is that your days will be filled with more laughter than tears and that God will send you someone to laugh and eat cake with!

A Little Perspective, Please

Josh told me that the refrigerator repairman will probably be coming out to make a housecall. I am relieved that our house is clean. Well, it is acceptable to have human beings enter in. The reason it is clean is because last night Josh called to let me know he was bringing people to this house in 30 minutes. I cannot even begin to tell you the thoughts I had or the names I called people as I jumped into action. Not only did I only have 30 minutes to whip this house into shape as I had been gone all day and not gotten a stinkin' thing accomplished here, but it was also bedtime and that is an event in itself around here. Adding to my super mood, our refrigerator is dying. It has gone from an annoying noise every few minutes that sounds like a cell phone vibrating to a constant noise that is driving me crazy and all of our food is going bad. So, in other words, Josh was bringing company to our house for supper and our house was trashed and we had no food to feed them. To top it off, Josh had the jeep getting the brakes fixed and so I didn't even have a way to run get something to eat and it wouldn't matter b/c around here there is nowhere to go that you could get there and back in 30 minutes. Are you feeling my frustration here??

Well, our friends decided it was too late last night and we have rescheduled. I will make a point to write in my calendar "clean the house, cook food, put on a smile and get in a better mood!!!" I really am ashamed at how I reacted last night. And I don't just mean that I totally put dirty dishes in the oven b/c the dishwasher was full and I could not find my dishsoap because Josh had left it outside after he washed the jeep. I am ashamed that I let myself get so upset and stressed out. I am ashamed that I stink so much at hospitality and that I don't have my house ready for guests at all times. I am ashamed that Eli asked me to pray with him before bed and by the time I got through throwing laundry in the washing machine, vacuuming the living room and bleaching the kitchen counters that he had already fallen asleep without me praying with him. :(

The good news is that the sun came out this morning, Eli still loves me, and the house is clean. (Um, will somebody remind me to get those dishes out of my oven?) Anyway, I was reminded this morning of a verse in Matthew chapter 6. Verse 34 says, "Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about its own things. Sufficient for the day is its own troubles." Can I get a Amen? Each day surely does have enough of its own issues. As I have shared I am planning our high school class reunion and it is happening this weekend. Please do not ask why I thought it would be a good idea for me to do so. I am pretty much the worst event planner known to mankind. Well, I am having a hard time reaching the lady at the restaurant where we are having our dinner. (And by hard time reaching her I mean I haven't heard from her in over a week despite obsessive, stalker phone messages that I have left her.) The reality of the whole event has also hit me and the fact that I have never done this and oh my gosh how many things could wrong? Will people have fun? Are we doing too much? Not enough? Will this be the worst class reunion ever becasue if it is it will be all my fault!!!!! Okay, let's all breathe.....

Why am I sharing all of this with you? Well, for one I can't afford therapy right now. :) And two, I feel that there is a lesson to be learned here. You see, usually when I have times like this I try to think about the starving, homeless people around the world. The abused, unloved people. I try to put my circumstances in the light of the big picture. Of course, I know that dying refrigerators, messed up brakes, and class reunions do not even register on the scale of what many people would consider problems. Wow, I am blessed just to have a refrigerator, a vehicle and a group of people to reunite.

At the same time, I feel like God is also teaching me that the trials in my life are there because they are the ones I need. Because they are the trials that will grow me the most. The truth is, I can handle a crisis like you would not believe. I am the person you want with you in the ER or at the funeral home. Those are the moments when I am at my best. It's as if I was designed especially for crisis control. In fact, if I did not have a family to take care of I woud be convinced that I was meant to be a trauma counselor for the Red Cross. I don't say that bragging. I just have recognized that for some weird reason I am able to handle death, natural disasters, and all sorts of other events with total grace and clarity. On the other hand, ask me to keep my house clean and plan a meal for people and it sends me into orbit!!! Are you kidding me? I can get a call to comfort someone who is dying and that does not stress me out, but dirty clothes piled up behind the kid's beds throw me into screaming rages that probably scare our neighbors down the street into cleaning their rooms.

So, this is a time when I am learning. Learning that the little frustrations of life (especially when they all pile up on each other like the laundry in our hallway) are what force me to grow. When I am crying out "God, will it ever end??", He has a bigger plan. 2 Corinthians 4:17 assures us, "For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are unseen are eternal."

I don't know for sure, but I'm guessing since you are human you are also facing trials and frustrations whether they be big or small. I will admit this: I failed my test last night BIG TIME. But God's mercies are new everyday and I'm taking advice from James today. James says,
"My brethren, count it all joy when you fall into various trials, knowing that the testing of your faith produces patience. But let patience have its perfect work, that you may be perfect and complete, lacking nothing."
James 1:2-4

I also want to share a story I just read. The truth is I'm borrowing it from a message Josh is sharing tonight at a memorial service for the Hospice company we both worked for. I know I'm a little biased, but my man is awesome. I would nominate him for President except for the fact that would make me the First Lady, and heaven help us all if I had to plan White House dinners!!!!!!!!!!!! Okay, here is the story.

In Northern Chile, between the Andes Mountains and the Pacific Ocean, there is a narrow strip of land where the sun shines everyday. Clouds gather so seldom over this area, that nearby residents can proclaim with honesty, "It never rains there!" Morning after morning, the sun rises brilliantly over the mountains in the east. It looms high overhead, and then falls to paint a picturesque sunset. Storm clouds are often seen high up on the mountains, and thick fog banks hang their clouds far over the sea, but still the sun continues to shine her warm rays on this "favored " strip of earthly territory. In our minds, we might envision this strip to be an absolute earthly paradise, but it is far from that! It is a barren and desolate wilderness. There are no sparkling streams of water-and nothing grows there.

Often in our lives, we look for an existence free from the storms. We long for lives of total sunshine where tears do not fill our eyes. But like that sunny unfertile land in chile, lives without trials and storms are unproductive and unchallenging.

I hope this has encouraged you. I have learned that the repairman is not coming and we will in fact be having a memorial service for the refrigerator. It seems the way to keep people from stopping by our house it to clean it up. :)

A Peek in the Pick-Up

If you have read my blog much at all you know that car problems are like holidays at our house. They come regularly and usually cost way more than we anticipated. Well, Josh's beloved Monte Carlo bit the dust, I mean has been resting in the yard for quite a while now. Josh has assured me that it will one day be worth millions AFTER we barter a few of our children and some homemade pies to pay for the parts. Anyway, to remedy the car situation while his car "rests" and waits for us to hit the jackpot, we bought a truck from one of our church members for Josh to have to get around in. It has seen better days, y'all. Nevertheless, I'm pretty sure it will still be running long after we have taken up residence in rocking chairs at the nursing home. It's just one of those kind of trucks.

So, right now the Jeep is awaiting it's annual brake repair, because in case you haven't noticed we just keep driving that thing to the ends of the earth and back. While it is "resting" I took the truck to Wal-Mart tonight. After that I stopped by Sonic to get Josh and myself a drink. After I placed my order I looked over at the seat beside me and LAUGHED OUT LOUD! I had to call Josh. Here is what I had to tell him: "Josh, I just had to call and give you a visual. I am sitting in the truck with a huge thing of toilet paper, some hair dye, and some pull-ups ." In case you don't find this funny I am including pics of the truck. Really, I am officially a country girl now. :)

As if that weren't enough you must know that there is a bumper sticker on the back that says "Mississippi Terrorist Hunting Permit". For real!! Isn't that awesome? All you terrorist out there better be scared of me! I will for sure beat you senseless with my purse!!

It might not be much to look at, but I have to tell you I am falling in love with this truck. It was pretty fun driving the country roads with the windows rolled down and the radio turned up. And did you see the moon tonight?? AMAZING!

p.s. I hope I don't cause any jealousy out there for anybody else who wishes they had this bumper sticker. I'm sorry, not everybody can be as cool as us....

It's Your Day

I have been a hot mess of sillines here lately, in case you couldn't tell from my last blog. And Josh is keeping the kids Monday so I can have a whole day for myself to listen to what I want on the radio, have uninterrupted thoughts, SHOP, and even probably pick what I want to eat. (Okay, the truth is that I am totally spoiled and Josh usually lets me do most of those things anyway). Still, there is something about planning for a day like that that has me so excited I am still up at 12:30. As I mentally mapped out my shopping plan and thought about the things I would think about (yes, I really did say that :), my thoughts turned to another day. The Lord's Day.

You see, as a Christian I believe that every moment of our lives is one that should be in tune with our Heavenly Father seeking His face and His direction. But lately I have really been convicted about how much I don't prepare for the Lord's Day. I mean besides preparing the massive "get us through service bag" which includes barbie dolls, cars, snacks and other random stuff. I'm talking about how much time I spend getting my heart and mind ready to focus on the Father. I don't know how many of you are like me and feel that Sunday is actually the busiest, craziest day of the week. That probably is a preacher's family thing. But I just wanted to offer up a prayer that this Lord's Day would truly be about Him.

Father, I come to you now, while my house is still and my heart is still. I know that in the chaos of getting my family physically ready for church that I often overlook why we are going, You. Please turn my eyes toward You and focus them there. Please rid me of the selfishness, frustration, and impatience that fill so many of our hectic mornings and fill me with Your Spirit. Fill me to overflowing with Your patience, Your kindness, Your gentleness. As I make my way to Your House please help me to take captive every thought that is not of You. Please replace my critical spirit with Your Spirit of Truth. Please place kindness and encouragement on my lips and make me sensitive to those around me. Open my heart and mind to Your Word and allow it to speak Life to me. Show me where I am needed and make me a willing worker. Please replace the dread and frustration I often feel sharing a church pew with my little ones with joy and wisdom that I would know how to teach them to love You and worship You. I pray that You will show me what You want this day to be. It is, after all, Your day. In Jesus name, Amen.

"God be merciful to us and bless us, And cause His face to shine upon us"
Psalm 67:1

Sometimes You Feel Like a Nut...

As you all prepare for this long holiday weekend I thought I would offer you some advice. Personally I am planning to take advantage of the Labor Day sales this weekend and as I have mentioned before, my high school reunion is NEXT WEEKEND!!! Holy cow. Well anyway, rather than admit that the reason I have put off shopping until this weekend is that I was waiting until the last possible moment to suddently become a size 2, we will pretend that really it was just to take advantage of the aforementioned sales. While I was researching upcoming fashion trends to help in the choosing of an outfit, I found some great ideas I thought I would pass along to help you in your shopping this weekend. Because really, I am about as hip and trendy as they come. :)

This first ensemble is a dream come true for me. It has 3 things working in it's favor as far as I'm concerned. First, the color. I personally heart this color blue and not only would I appreciate it, but it would also have the comfort factor of reminding my children of the cookie monster. Second, you just have got to love that hood. I don't even have to say what a lifesaver that would be on rainy, frizzy hair days. And honestly, wouldn't that be the perfect "my kids are embarrassing the mess out of me in Wal-Mart" outfit? You just pull that hood shut over your face and no one even recognizes you! Finally, I am always a fan of clothes that are so short you can't sit down in them. They make really great preacher's wife dresses. You go for visits and have to tell the little old ladies "I'm sorry I can't stay, I have somewhere to be" which really translates "I cannot possibly sit down in this dress without a blanket to put over my lap." Yes, this is definitely a winner....

This next piece (pieces?) just screams Dances with Wolves meets the Supremes. (Do you see that gold jacket in the background?!?!?) I will talk more about the Dances with Wolves theme of the upcoming year when I get to the accessories. I just thought you should see this whole look together. You really can't beat a fur vest, especially for a class reunion in Florida in September...
By the way, I would not recommend wearing these shoes anywhere near a location you might be forced to run from the wolves. Just a thought.


I've saved my absolute favorite outfit for last. As if leggings coming back into style did not already set my heart aglow, now the trend is for them to have a print! I personally don't think I have owned anything so stylish since my purple and gold hammer pants in 5th grade. And again, I am all about the head and face coverings. Let's just forget about hair and makeup altogether and wear a Fat Albert ski mask. Awesomeness! How do you think this would look with bowling shoes?

Now we have reached the most important part of our fashion lesson. Accessories!! I chose this picture because of the necklace on the far left. Again, this is a great mom piece. Just think of all the stuff you could latch onto that joker! Pacifiers, diaper bags, camera cases....if neccessary I believe you could put your kid in overalls and just hook them on there if they get a little out of hand! What do you think?
Hair is our most important accessory and I just had to share this picture I found and say DON'T DO IT!!!! This picture brings back very bad middle school memories of a hair cut that took place to correct a haircut I tried to give myself. Just say NO!!
Don't worry though if you have already messed up your hair. There is a solution for covering up those bad hair days. Feathered headdresses!!!!!! Seriously, why had I not thought of this before?? Wouldn't this look great with the Dances with Wolves ensemble I showed you earlier? My personal goal this year is going to be to kill a turkey, clean it and cook it for Thanksgiving and then make a feathered hairpeice for the special day. Y'all hold me to it, k?

Do you ever see runway fashion and just think, 'I could never pull that off?' Well, this year there is a trend we can all handle. Ripped pantyhose and tights. I am so excited about this trend because pretty much every pair of hosery I own either looks like this now or it will the first time I try to put it on Sunday morning. If you do not currently own this trend never fear. I will send my kids and dog to your house this very Sunday morning to help you on your way. :)

Finally, let's talk shoes. They are a girl's best friend, right? Well, I will just pass the trends along to you and tell you that you might want a podiatrist as one of your best friends too. Just sayin'.

Just to wrap up this little Fashion 2009 extravanza, I thought I would also leave you with my latest weight loss tip. Now, I know you have all been faithfully eating reese's cups, cresent italiano and doing the 3-legged race. I really hope that has been working for you. :) However, my latest favorite thing is Planters Nut-rition Digestive Health Mix. It has become my crack, y'all. It has granola, pistacchios, almonds, cranberries and cherries. I am addicted. I really think it has helped with appetite control. Okay, so maybe I eat 8 servings in a day, but still I usually don't eat as much of anything else.

I hope that helps. And I hope you have better luck finding them at Wal-Mart than I did. I was there with all 3 of my kids one day and we were at a different Wal-Mart than usual. At the end of our shopping experience with a buggy full and everybody nice and whiny, I went on the hunt. Some Wal-Marts keep them with the popcorn and stuff and some have them with the candy. I couldn't find them anywhere! Finally in frustration I said out loud "WHERE DO THEY KEEP THE NUTS IN THIS PLACE?!?!?" From the looks people gave me I was pretty sure I knew their answer. Just remember what they say. You are what you eat! :)

Puppy Love

My dog has a boyfriend. Seriously. His name is Rebel. Don't you love that? Are we southern or what? Daisy and Rebel. :) Around here we have what we call "neighborhood dogs" who just roam around. They are all boys. All of them! So as you can imagine, Daisy has become pretty popular. The thing is she is never out without one of us walking her on a leash. At least she is not supposed to be. While all of the boys are quite interested in Daisy, none of them show the devotion that Rebel does. He waits for her to come out, y'all!

Well, at first Daisy did not seem to share the affection but the past two days she has escaped to find him!! Yesterday I had to do a mile jog through the neighborhood in my pajamas to catch her. A girl could use the chance to put on appropriate undergarments before a jog if you know what I mean. I also made the incredibly wise decision to put on my flip flops instead of my running shoes and I was one hot, grumpy, out of breath mama when I finally caught her. Rebel walked the whole way home with us. I was fussing at them the whole time, but he stayed with us until we got to the house. Then he even waited outside!

Today Josh had the honor of the chase. Of course she only went to the church across the street. That's where the boy dogs hang out. Josh was so mad at those dogs. I don't know if I've ever seen him that way. He was going on and on about those dogs messing with Daisy and I was listening intently and agreeing. Then he said, "Those dogs want what all boy dogs want." HAHAHA!! I lost it at that point. I had an instant image of the boy dogs hiding out with magazines of girl dogs. Of the dogs slapping paws. It just cracked me up. I couldn't help it. Josh was still not amused. He is taking the task of protecting our Daisy's virtue and reputation very seriously. It instantly made me fear for the safety of any boys who like Sarah or Kate in the future. I've prayed for their future husbands since both of them were born. I think now I will start praying for those boy's protection!!!!!!!

And they call it puppy love..........

Here is Daisy loving on Josh. He is telling her that no matter how much she sucks up she still can't see Rebel. Oh yea, I really wanted a pic of Daisy and Rebel together, but Josh would not allow it!!!!