A Time Such as This

I have made my decision!

2007-08-02T09:08:00.000-04:00

Thanks to those who did comment and let me know they would stick with me if I move completely. I will be moving all posting to our other blog that chronicles our journey of adoption. That is a big part of our life now and it will continue to be. So, if you want to find out what's new with us visit here:

http://vietnambabygirlsmith.blogspot.com

As much as I hate to leave this beauty of a blog template, it is going to make it easier on me and it seems that you guys read the other blog too! I will continue to post on decorating, my God, family news, life in general, and of course, our journey to our sweet girl through the miracle of adoption. I hope that you will join us there!

Gorgeous Fabulousness & a Poll !!

2007-08-01T10:08:00.000-04:00

Please visit my other blog HERE to see some things I am considering for the nursery.

Also, I am going to take a poll in my comment section so please comment if you are reading this. If you read this blog, do you also keep up with our adoption blog? I am having the hardest time deciding on whether or not to combine them. I want to share everything with everyone but some may not care to hear about adoption detials and some may not care to hear about God, our life beyond adoption, crafting etc. I do not want to lose any readers from either blog! Your help in this matter will be greatly appreciated!

Just comment with a yes or a no as to whether or not you keep up with both blogs. This will help me to make a decision on the blog combination thoughts!

A good time at the lake!

2007-07-30T09:34:00.000-04:00

God has blessed us with GREAT friends and GREAT family. Yesterday, we got to enjoy both! We usually get out on the boat a couple of times in the summer but yesterday was the first time we have been able to go this year. I forgot how much I LOVE it! Hopefully, we can get a few more outings in this year. Our niece Breah was able to go and all things are so much more fun with a joy filled child in toe! Brandon's Dad took us out and we swam around for a little while then rode the boat straight to dinner. We have a restaurant that we go to that is right on the water. I just think that is so much fun. I have put together a slide show so that I could share our good times with you guys! Enjoy!

Vwahh lahh!!

2007-07-25T09:02:00.000-04:00

At least when you sound it out...that is the way it sounds like it should be spelled :o)
I forgot to take before and after pictures but I painted our dining room table about a month ago. Surprisingly, I painted the chairs with spray paint and it worked. The table was done with a $5 gallon of Behr paint. Yes $5...a deal that I was lucky to get! Brandon's Mom and Dad gave us this table a little over a year ago when they got a new one. We were very thankful and decided we would like to put our own little spin on it! I have seen a lot more black furniture around and thought it would be great to try it in our dining room since our fixture is black. I have managed to find a before picture in a previous post (kinda...people are in it) and an after picture at my friends Jill's new BLOG. Go check her out and give her some comment action if you would. You know how it is being a new blogger, you think no one is reading due to little to no comments and you wonder if you are just blogging for your pleasure alone! :o) Anyway the after picture has the diaper cake on it so just ignore that and take a look at how it turned out. If you have been thinking about painting something, I encourage you to give it a shot. I was nervous, but my table turned out better than I could have hoped for!

Before

After

Also, if you have not visited within the last couple of days, go to my previous post! Check out my blogfolio for my Holiday decorating business! I will be posting a giveaway for a Christmas in July wreath within the next couple of days so check back!

A Sneak Peak

2007-07-23T20:54:00.000-04:00

Go HERE to take a look at my blogfolio! This upcoming year will be my second year working my Holiday decorating business, Decobrations. I will start as early as mid October and not finish until the second week in December. I am trying to get ahead on marketing my services. I would love to have my calendar booked by mid October. I will be sending out emails and snail mail marketing pieces to last years customers and potential customers. There will be an incentive for referrals and early bookings! I have not gotten all of my work up yet but I will within the next couple of weeks. I hope you enjoy the sneak peak! If you know someone in my area who might be interested, please pass this information along!

I made a deal with God this morning and he came through!!!

2007-07-19T10:32:00.000-04:00

Yep, you heard it! I made a deal with God this morning. Not because I planned to, it just happened. Plus it was early in the morning and when it's early in the morning, I am a teeny bit stubborn. I have heard all of these stories about people praying to God to help them wake up at a certain time without their alarm clock so they could do their quiet time in the morning before starting their day if he really desired for them to do it, and he did. I never believed those stories for a second. Well, I must have a little because I decided to try it myself. I did not go as far as without the alarm clock but I did do some dealing with Him.

Last night, I set my alarm clock 30 minutes early with one intention. The intention was to get up and start the day with the Lord. As my goal is to do this much more consistently. Well, the alarm went off at 5:15 and of course, I pushed snooze. I decided if I just let my hair be curly (no blow drying no straightening), I could sleep in a little longer and still do my Bible study. Well I pushed snooze a couple of more times and at 5:39 I decided to put him to the test. I made a deal. I said "Lord, if you will help me wake up without the alarm at 5:45, I will get up, come spend some time with you and dive into your word." If I woke up that way, I would know it really was meant for me to get up and do this early morning thing. What happened next you may ask, or did my blog title give it away??? I woke up by myself at 5:47. "Close enough," I thought to myself, and I got up and held up my end of the bargain. It was rough but I did it. I would have been really good to get up a little earlier but hey, it is a work in progress.

Now, I just have to do this all over again for 20 more days to make it a habit. I might have some inspiration coming soon. Not that, a more intimate relationship with Christ and a consistent Bible study time is not enough. Let me explain.

For my birthday in August, I have asked for two things...

From Hubby: some sort of soft comfy sofa chair with a foot stool (it can come from a yard sale or Good Will as long as it is clean. I can always cover it with a blanket)

From Mom & Granny: a porch swing

My ambition for these items are in no way selfish. It is my attempt to give myself a "cozy place." I can get up and go to either place depending on the weather. There, I will start my day with the Lord, Beth Moore (or whoever I am doing Bible study with), & coffee. My quiet time has never been consistent and mostly never quiet. Sometimes I do it in the car while Brandon is driving us to work but that means Ralph from talk radio is my quiet time serenade. Sometimes I do it in our bed while Brandon is working on his school work or coins or something like that but that means I am in a hurry so I can go to sleep cause odds are I am not doing it before 10pm. Some days..I do not have my quiet time...I know, I know...shame on me! Don't worry though I am working on it!

So how about you, tell me about your quiet time. What works best for you? Do you have a cozy place? If not, what is your idea of a cozy place?

Back Yard Bible Clubs

2007-07-18T15:09:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Brandon and I participated in back yard Bible Clubs with our key group at church. We hit the inner city of our town! It was lots of fun and the children were precious!

More creative fun!! For a wedding this time!

2007-07-12T23:39:00.000-04:00

This is another one for my friend Tiffany's wedding. The wedding is at the end of this month and I am in it! This is my first time being a bridesmaid & I have definitely kept busy!!

The Diaper Cake!!!!

2007-07-10T08:05:00.000-04:00

This was my project for the bambino fiesta Saturday!! I was pleased with the way it turned out!! It was fun to make too!!!

Love and Marriage, Love and Marriage go together like a ...

2007-07-03T15:22:00.001-04:00

**Addition to original post: click HERE to see the marriage challenge made by Christine at Fruit In Season**

Marriage...what a topic! Since I am 2 years young to the marriage experience, I like to talk about it. I still have all of those young wife qualms to work out. There are so many things I could do differently! I could do better with laundry, weeds, being submissive (yeah that is a biggy, my personality tends to be a tad bit strong), being respectful, & handling money like my husband wishes I would (although I have come a LONG way in the money department from where I was when he first met me)! It is not that I do not do some of these things well some of the time. I just can not do ALL of these things well, ALL of the time! I know that our God does not expect that but I get so mad at myself sometimes.

I have said this before but I will say it again, I thought I would be the perfect wife and then....I got married! Marriage discussions have been floating all around the blogosphere! I think it is God's way of telling us something ladies!! We have to step up and be the wife that he calls us to be. We have to work! work! work! on the subject. Our marriage should be really high on the priority list. Honestly, let's think about how often we allow it to be.

Let's talk about nagging. I think there is a perception issue with the term nag or nagging. What our guys perceive as nagging, I like to refer to as constructive suggestion making. Our husbands translate it much more differently than we do. We simply want to help them remember. After all, we know their hearts desire is to make us happy...so of course they would want us to remind them!??

Over at Beth Moore's blog (click HERE to see it) she has left us with some good finds from some sort of survey that she gave to several men. I really enjoyed this blog entry as well as the comments. My favorite comment was the one of the ones relating to intimacy:
My husband and I will celebrate 6 adventurous years at the end of July; while in seminary early on in our marriage at a women's event at our church a woman once said this in regards to INTIMACY - there are Snacks, Dinners,and Banquets. Snacks are short, Dinners are longer than snacks and Banquets, well, that might me a few hours worth. My husband and I loved that so much that it's the lingo we use.

My girlfriends and my husband got a good laugh out of this one! I just had to share. :o)

So in closing I feel like I need to reveal a list of things that I feel I want to work on to make sure that my husband feels that our marriage is priority to me:

1. I want to be more agreeable. If I do not agree just think it rather than feeling my opinion is always needed. If I turn out to be right just enjoy thinking about it too :O)

2. Make sure Brandon knows I appreciate him and respect him! He works so hard and is so dedicated to providing for our family for the long run. I respect that and I am very thankful for it!

3. I would like to brag on him more when he is around as well when he is not. This man cleans our bathrooms sometimes and pulled weeds for me the other day. What's not to brag about??

4. Pray for him every day sometimes more than once a day! I heard from Beth's survey conclusion and I have heard from many other areas... Nagging and trying to change him is not going to work. I will have to get down on my knees and discuss it with the Lord if there is a true issue that I/we need worked out! It is the only way.

There is a tidbit of a verse that I think I can get the most clear instruction and reminder from:

Love is patient, love is kind. 1 Corinthians 13:4

Those are the two things that would help me to go a long way in my marriage!

Girl's Just Wanna Have Fun... and That We Did!!

2007-07-03T13:21:00.000-04:00

Girl's Night was all I had hoped it would be and more! Some of the details are below!

This first picture below is all of us!!! The salon had just enough chairs to fit us all in a row! We had lots of laughs and fun! It was an especially special moment when the lady was trying to get all of our back massagers working and turned on the "bum massager." Yep, that's right, the chairs had a setting for a massage on the bum. It did not take long before we all asked her to turn that setting off. It felt like a bunch of golf balls rolling around on your buttocks area! Yeah...we laughed hard at that one!

The finished product!! Which one do you think is mine?

This is the part of gang that was left after dinner! Some of us headed over to Cocoa Mocha, a new coffee shop in our town, to squeeze in a little more girl time! It was yummy! We sat on the patio until after they closed and the only reason we left then was because a couple of us had to go the restroom and, since they were closed, the only choice we had was to head home! It was such a fun night and we hope to do it more often!

Family, friends, & crafts Oh My!!!

2007-07-02T10:20:00.000-04:00

We had a great weekend! Friday, I was able to enjoy some girl time with my very good friend and neighbor, Hannah! We have a craft fair at work every year and Hannah and I have decided to put our craftiness to good use. We plan to make decorative cards, book marks, lamp shades, luggage/diaper bag tags, place mat purses, canvas art and many other boutique style decor & gifts. It is in October so we are starting early. We do not want to overload ourselves! We spent Friday and Sunday evening working away on some cards and book marks. We are so excited about our creations! Here is a picture of some of the hand made cards we made. I apologize for the quality. I am having to use my phone for pictures now that our digital camera is out of commission. I am going crazy without it!!

Brandon and I watch his niece and nephew every other weekend while their Mommy works. They usually arrive Saturday afternoon and then head home with Mommy on Sunday evenings. Saturday afternoon was spent at the pool with my Dad, uncle, little sister, our friends Clay & Hannah, & Breah and Colton the niece and nephew. Everyone had a blast. We were not sure how Colton would respond since he does not seem to care too much for baths but Colton loved it! We got a float for him but he is a little on the small side for it so I felt most comfortable with someone holding him. Every time we put him in the water, he started to fall asleep. We kept him entertained to prevent it though. He loved to stand on our chest and pretend like he was skiing :o) He liked to splash too as long as the water stayed out of his eyes! Breah, the 4 year old, is a regular fish. She spent 3 hours jumping in the pool and then doing it over and over. Towards the end of the day we were able to convince her to practice swimming without her swimmies and she went right for swimming under water. She swam about 6 feet at a time without swimmies and without coming up for air. We were so proud of her!

Pretty Toes and a Bambino Fiesta!!

2007-06-29T09:58:00.000-04:00

I am counting down until Monday evening. My Bible Study group is having a GIRL'S NIGHT!! Can you tell I'm excited!! I so need this! We reserved 10 pedicure chairs at a local pedicure place??? What else could you call it? Afterwards, we are going out to eat and hopefully we will stay out longer and enjoy coffee too!!! Or ice cream because I can do coffee or ice cream! Both are great for a girl's night. My plan is to post pictures of this much anticipated event!! I have been wanting to redo my toes all week but I am not touching those puppies (except to wash them of course). I am going to let someone else do the work on Monday. I have to get my $25 worth. This will be my 2nd professional pedicure ever. The 1st was on my wedding day and I was not really able to enjoy it that much! I plan to do it a little different Monday!

I am hoping that the 2nd term above means something along the lines of baby party! Our Sunday School class is coming over next weekend so that we can celebrate a couple and their baby girl that is on the way. She is actually due on mine and Brandon's anniversary. Another couple in our class is due on my birthday with their baby boy. In case the title did not give it a way, it is a fiesta theme. We are even having a contest to award the couple with the most fiesta-ish apparel!! I was going to post a picture of something I will be working on for this baby party but I just remembered, she is a lurker on my blogs. That would not be smart if I wanted it to be surprise now would it?? I guess I will have to wait until after next weekend to share my special project with you...and that is only if it turns out like I hope it does! So look forward to something fun next Saturday evening!!

Have a great weekend all!!

It is funny how all of a sudden... since we started the adoption process

2007-06-28T08:50:00.000-04:00

-We see a baby and think of our future child.

-We hear a parent with a crying child and instead of getting annoyed, we have compassion for that parent because we will soon be in that position.

-Everywhere we go, we evaluate whether or not it is "baby girl friendly."

-We hear a story about something unfortunate happening to a child, and wonder "What if that happened to our child?"

-We (or really I on this one) see a cute little outfit on sale and just have to buy it. I can not help but picture our little one in that... it is on sale after all!

-We see a happy baby and it reminds us of the joy that we hope to bring to our child's life!

-We are now what we would classify as, adoption blog-a-holics!

-When we get hungry, too hot, or too cold, we consider our child. How often (before we bring her home) will she go hungry, be too hot, or too cold?

Every decision we make revolves around our future child.
-Should we spend this money?
-Let's declutter!
-What will our parents be called by this child?
-How often and who will we have babysit our child?
-What discipline methods are going to be healthy for our little one?
-We know that light blue walls are recommended for a previously institutionalized child, but for a girl?
-How early and how much money should we use to start a college fund?
-Our camera is broken so in looking for a new one, which one is going to capture our child best? How to fit this in wisely with all of the expenses we have?
-We are going to need laptop so that when we go to Vietnam, we will be able to keep in touch with family and definitely post pictures of the process. How to fit this in wisely with all of the expenses we have?

I just had to get this out here. We are early in the process but find ourselves consumed with these thoughts. It makes me smile to see a joyful child or a happy family of 3 or more because I know that we will soon be there! It reminds us to make efforts to enjoy the moment and not hurry through any of the stages of our future children's lives!

**Edit to the original post: Brandon informed me, on the way to work, that I was talking in my sleep last night. He said I was getting very aggravated and huffing and puffing. He asked me what was wrong and I replied "they don't have a baby carrier!" He asked me again because he did not understand and I repeated that. He said I just went right back to sleep. He said he was laughing hysterically. I promise I do not remember a bit of this. You know it is bad when things like this start to happen!**

Long weekend to St. Louis...

2007-06-22T23:36:00.000-04:00

Once again, we are taking suggestions! We are staying a Thursay and Friday night in July. So please share your ideas on where to stay, what to do, & where to eat!! We are planning on going to the zoo because it is free of course! Besides that, we are still planning! So if you have been there and you are reading this please share!!

Long time no blog...

2007-06-18T13:30:00.000-04:00

First I want to say "I am sorry" to my faithful few readers out there. Any writing, much less interesting writing, has not been something I have done on this blog in a while. We have been super busy. First, we dove right into this amazing adventure of adoption. You can read more about that at my other (newer with more posts) blog HERE. I took two weeks of vacation for the last two weeks and today is my first day back at work. Man...I was ready for a vacation from vacation!! Brandon and I chaperoned a Student Life Youth camp for our youth group the first week and last week I directed preschool VBS at our church. It was fun but it was busy!! I want to keep updating this blog especially since the beautiful and money costing design was payed for on Valentines by my husband but it is gonna be hard I think. Oh well! I am still trying to decide. Until I do decide, I should be able to do a little better than I have for the last couple of weeks and I would love for you take a look at our adoption story on the other blog too. It is what will be consuming a good bit of our time and attention over the ohhhh... next two years or so!! :o) Stay tuned for hopefully, more frequent and more interesting bloggity goodness!

I do not have any...but I want some!!!

2007-05-29T17:06:00.000-04:00

I am still (selfishly) debating on whether sharing this is a good idea or not!!

I saw THESE a couple of months ago and I really wanted one then. My husbands grandmother, we call her DeeDee, would be so proud of me! I do not know if these are ones that will be featured in the Apronpalooza, but I am excited to see what is going to be up for grabs!!! When I came across Apronpalooza over at Nan's blog, I was screaming with joy...on the inside, since I am in a cubicle at work amongst 20 others!! :0) I do not know why I was filled with so much excitement...I do not win things often. I guess it truly is the little things that bring me joy. I think it just reminded of how badly I want one. I will wait until next week and if I do not get one, I might just put it on a birthday list! I just realized that sharing this does lessen my chances of winning. I am ok with that! I want to share the joy!! If any of you do win, my birthday is sometime in August! :) Just teasing!!

Also, sorry about the long time in between posts. Since we have THIS going on, it is definitely taking a lot of our time and attention. We are totally ok with this! It will not be long before I am blogging my time away until we have a referral for baby girl! Toodles for now!

I am going to share this with you!

2007-05-17T10:11:00.000-04:00

Go HERE!

www.vietnambabygirlsmith.blogspot.com

Go to the bottom and read that post first.

(I am sorry but after several attempts, I could not get blogger to link to my other blog. Copy and paste the address above if you can!)

It was a bridesmaidy Saturday!!

2007-05-12T15:26:00.000-04:00

I have never been a bridesmaid. This year, will be my first year to be a bridesmaid and I get to be one to two of my very good friends.Today I cooked lunch for some of the bridesmaids and family of Tiffany, the July 28th wedding. We also worked on making some tissue paper peonies for the reception area, as well as some of the arrangements that will go on the pews. They also brought over all of the silk flowers for me to start working on some of the big altar arrangements. I will get started and hopefully finished with them this week. We had lots of fun! I love to have people over and entertain and I also love to be crafty. So here are some photos of our big Saturday!!!!

I made an enchilada lunch for all of the ladies...yummy!!

Then we got to work learning how to make these napkin rings...we have to make 50 each. This idea came from Martha Stewart magazine. She made it seen much easier than it is.

We worked really hard. I think we got about 5 done in 2 hours or so! :)

Myself, and the brides mom put together 15 of these in no time. That is what I am talking about!!

The Bride-to-be sharing her expertise!!!

To top the day off, My handsome husband and I went out on a hot date!!! We have got to make these more of a priority. No kids yet and we are already slacking!!!

To buy or not to buy... this is the question!!!

2007-05-08T09:19:00.000-04:00

The cup says this:
"Why in moments of crisis do we ask God for strength and help? As cognitive beings, why would we ask something that may well be a figment of our imaginations for guidance? Why not search inside ourselves for the power to overcome? After all, we are strong enough to cause most of the catastrophes we need to endure."

Can't Starbucks just sale some coffee? Why open themselves to the chance of losing customers by allowing something like this to be on their cup?

Share your opinion with me!!

** P.S. This is not me in the picture. I found this when I googled "Starbucks cup" **

New York City, here we come!!! We are taking suggestions!!

2007-04-30T22:10:00.000-04:00

We are so excited! Brandon and I, along with some of our best friends, are headed for New York City at the end of the year. We plan to be there mid to late December. We may be there on New Years! We do need some tips though. So for anyone reading who has been there...any suggestions on where to stay, what to do, and, very importantly, where to eat...please, please, please leave it in the comments! We will only be there for 4-5 nights so we want to use our time very wisely!! So far, we hope to go to a Broadway show, the Statue of Liberty, Ground Zero, & Central Park. I had a suggestion today to go here on Sunday. I look forward to some helpful comments! This is the 2nd to last big trip that Brandon and I hope to take before kiddos. Next stop Hawaii!

Something worth sharing....

2007-04-30T09:23:00.000-04:00

Just in case any of you have not seen THIS blog, I want to share it with you. I will be adding it to my favorites! I need a little something every day to remind me of where my head and heart should be as a woman striving to be of God's will.

Wordless Wednesday

2007-04-25T07:16:00.000-04:00

The first bath I gave our nephew where he smiled instead of cried. I will have to use the sink from now on!! Until he gets too big of course.

Not so Wordless Wednesday... Our Disney Trip (last month) better late than never!

2007-04-18T09:46:00.000-04:00

I also wanted to add this picture!! Smashed nose and all, I love this guy so very much!!!

If you could read the tablets of your peers heart, what is it that you would have contributed?

2007-04-17T08:56:00.000-04:00

The verse below is a verse that was brought to my attention at our church's women's retreat a couple of months back. I really LOVE this verse. In fact, I have not moved the ribbon in my Bible from the page it is on since. I do not want it to get lost in the pages because I can look at it anytime, and be reminded of the desire God has for us in our walk with him.

You show that you are a letter from Christ, the result of our ministry, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.
2 Corinthians 3:3 (NIV)

The Message says it this way:
Your very lives are a letter that anyone can read by just looking at you. Christ himself wrote it—not with ink, but with God's living Spirit; not chiseled into stone, but carved into human lives—and we publish it.

It is just a reminder of what we are called to do as Christians. Our everyday walk should consist of investing in the hearts of others. I think that if Jesus were a member of my church, he would not spend so much of his time at "church." He would challenge the "church" to get out of the church building and invest in the lives of others. By others I mean those who do not already know Jesus or seek a relationship with him. We should be a breath of fresh air to "others." I think that the hard part is that we do not know how to relate or how to avoid coming across as judgemental or condeming. As a result, we then avoid investing in the hearts of those people all together. I know that I struggle with that balance myself. I feel like I could do so much more but am concerned with these very things.

When you serve in many areas of a church, you start to see and realise things that you could do without seeing or realising. This verse helps me to overlook these things and to focus on the ultimate goal. I do not need to be concerned with others actions and agendas, I need to make sure that my heart is in the right place and that the imprint that I leave in the lives of others is what God would desire it to be.

This helped me to have a, much needed, spiritual reality check today. I thought I might share!

Thursday 13

2007-04-12T08:46:00.000-04:00

13 Things I WILL get done this week!

1. Post pictures from our Disney trip!! Brandon does his school through Phoenix online and I have not been able to get to the computer much at home the last couple of weeks.

2. Get back ON track with weight watchers. I have lost 22 lbs since January but I have been going up and down between 2 lbs for the last month. I am ready to get back to going DOWN in pounds ONLY!

3. Help hubby get our garage cleaned out.

4. Fill the clean garage with items for our neighborhood yard sale that will be next week.

5. Help hubby upstairs in the bonus room. We are trying to get our bonus room finished. We started in November and have not done much since February. We have got to get it done! It is going to be my craft space and our office combo. It will be great to have a space for those things and then we will have two official guest bedrooms.

6. Work on some crafts projects that I have started recently but have not had the chance to finish. I might have some things good enough to sale on Ebay. I might get some pics of that on here if it turns out well enough.

7. Set a time to talk with a lady from church that always has a good prospective on things. I have been struggling with some things happening at church lately and just need some wise counsel on how to handle these things. Hmmm...There is probably a deeper post here.

8. Laundry...laundry...and more laundry. My poor husband.

9. Love on and Pray extra hard for my husband. There are some opportunities he is pursuing and we want to make sure that we follows God's will and not ours.

10. Give Mya a bath.

11. Take a nap!

12. Work hard at work!

13. Start a prayer journal.

Thursday 13....dedicated to my husband!!! Happy Birthday Brandon!!!

2007-04-05T10:55:00.000-04:00

13 reasons I am glad that my in-laws decided to have a 2nd child : )

1. He is my husband. He truly means the world to me!

2. I have a best friend!

3. They produced God's tool in giving me lots of practice and lessons on the fruits of the spirits...Love, Joy, Peace, Patience, Kindness, Goodness, & Self-Control.

4. They produced God's tool in teaching me to just slow down sometimes!

5. Who else would hang things, lift things, build things, & fix the car all because they love me?

6. He is everything that I imagined a husband would be. He spends quality time with me and works very hard at providing for our family.

7. He wants as many (or more) kids as I do.

8. He shares the same goals for our families future.

9. He helps to control the amount of animals at our house. He loves the ones we have but says that if I want another, I must get rid of one that we have. How can you argue with that? I love our animals so much and if it was up to me, I would take in every stray and visit the pound once a week to get more! In all reality, he is preventing the neighborhood from labeling me the cat or dog lady.

10. When I lose things (daily or even more frequently) he helps me to look for them without complaining. He even trys to help me find methods to not lose things. So far...we have not found anything that works. Just this morning, I lost the keys to our SUV. We had to take the car because we could not find them.

11. Who else would rub my back or play with my hair, anytime I ask them to?

12. He drives me to work every day. We work within 10 minutes of one another! If he did not, I would probably have had an anxiety attack by now. When we are in traffic, I do not normally show the fruits of the spirits too well :)

13. I have a great future Daddy on my hands. This is one of the most important things about a mate. Since we want a little larger family then we both had, it will be good to have good parental traits on hand!

A Super de Duper opportunity

2007-04-02T10:04:00.000-04:00

Alrighty...here is another chance to win something. Go visit 5 Minutes for Mom for a chance to win a Dyson vacuum. With the combination of dog hair and white carpet at my house, I could use one of these super de duper vacuums!!!

Also, I plan to give everyone an update on my weekend and pictures from Disney sometime in the next couple of days! We have been super busy and there have been many blogworthy happenings that I hope to have time to post here very soon!!!

Wordless Wednesday...

2007-03-28T07:08:00.000-04:00

This is Brandon with our nephew, Colton. He is going to be a great Daddy one day! We are not ready for our own yet. We have some school to get done and some places we would liked to go before we jump into that new phase of life. For now, we get lots of practice with the family. We will know when the time is right!!

I am on a mission...but I need your help!!!

2007-03-27T09:46:00.000-04:00

Since Brandon and I keep pretty busy AND we now have more daylight which translates into more time working in the yard in the evenings after work, I am looking for some healthy crockpot options or even quick-to-cook healthy recipes! I would like to use the crockpot about twice a week but I need some good options to do so! We are trying to cut down on eating out. We eat out because it is quick and convenient. We just have to master this eating at home concept better than we have in the past! It will help us to have extra money and to get more done around the house!!! I appreciate any suggestions you might have!!!

Everyone likes free...right???

2007-03-19T21:29:00.000-04:00

My fabulous blog designer, Lindsay at Splat Designs, is giving away a free blog design! Click here to see all of the details! There is not catch! She does this so that she can get her the Splat Designs name known across blogland! She is GREAT to work with! I highly recommend her. Go check it out!!

***On a side note, the Disney trip is going wonderfully! I will post some pictures in the next couple of days. Today we went to Animal Kingdom. Later this week, we plan to hit Epcot & MGM.***

We brought sexy back!!!

2007-03-17T10:04:00.000-04:00

Yes, you heard that right! Last night between the hours of 7:30pm and 11:30pm was when we, some friends and I, brought sexy back! You might be raising an eye brow or thinking of clicking off the screen! Not to worry though, this post is totally PG-13...ish!

As a bridesmaid, which I am going to be twice this year, you have duties. Last night I had to fulfill the bachelorette party duty. Even though the wedding is September 22nd, bringing our sexy back was a neccessity. I was a little hesitant at first but, I gave in. I spent the $87 to go to a Justin Timberlake concert. The title of the tour had something to do with getting your sexy back. Let me tell you, my sexy was much more modest than some of the others that presented themselves at the arena. I took a double take once or twice with some of the outfits dawned in the 30-40 degree weather. I was tempted on several occasions to tap these, less than dressed, folks on the shoulder and ask how much their leg hairs had grown since they left the house. You know what I am talkng about. As soon as you get cold after shaving recently, you presented with that lovely stubble. I think that their intent, in addition to enjoying the show, was to give Justin himself a show. I was gonna take a picture but the opportunity did not present itself.

Now, I did not know any of the songs because I do not do Justin Timberlake. I do not dislike him, I just do not know his music weel. I might have to change my mind on that. I really enjoyed his music and he played about 5 of the 10 instruments that they used. I was really impressed with that. Justin is from Tennessee so his family was there to watch. If I were his mama, I would have given him a good talking to once the show was over. He did many things to girls on that stage that should probably be saved for well...marriage. Anyhow despite not knowing the songs and being sent all the way back to my car because I had a camera in my purse, I really had a blast. It was a great girls night out. I do not have pictures of the inside of the concert just the dinner leading up to it, my fellow bridesmaids, and the bride to be on the way to the concert. When I got inside after walking back to the car in the cold with aching feet, there were thousands of people flashing away with their cameras. I would be one of the ones sent back to the car!! Well here are a few pictures I did manage to take of the evening below.

Oh and by the way, if you ever have the chance to get your sexy back, do not hesitate like I did. Go and enjoy!!

A view of Nashville's Hard Rock sign!

The Girls (I am second from the left)

Waiting for our dinner! (I am in the bottom right corner)

Thursday Thirteen

2007-03-14T22:12:00.000-04:00

13 things I am looking forward to doing on our Disney World Trip (leaving Saturday)!!
*If anyone has tips for a Disney trip, as far as, deals or fun things to do, please leave a comment and share*

1. Getting to Knit on the drive. I have just started learning this week! My goal is one whole scarf!! I will post the finished product. I wouldn't set you expectations too high. :)

2. Getting to read on the drive. I have started reading The Power of a Praying Wife, A Woman's High Calling & I am also going to find a not so serious book today at LifeWay.

3. Sitting by the pool at our hotel while reading and/or knitting!! Not to fret about my new knitting hobby...it is hip & cool..I assure you!

4. Sleeping in (on a couple of days)!

5. Time off with my hubby!! Oh, how I love spending quality time with my best friend!!

6. Quality time with my in-laws. We are going with them! Yes...we like them!!

7. The break from work.

8. We bought some Disney stamps (they are beautiful by the way) and they will hold us accountable to sending out postcards!! I think we are going to have characters, that we run into, sign the postcards and then we will send them to friends & family! Really, it is my excuse for getting in line with all of the kiddos to get Minnie's signature. :)

9. The trip to Animal Kingdom! When we went on our honeymoon, they were putting the final touches on Expedition Everest. This time, it is done and we have heard it is awesome!! The safari part is great too.

10. My granny and Aunt live in Florida. They are going to come visit for a couple of days!! I can not wait to spend some time with them!!

11. We are going to Cirqu De Soleil!! On our honeymoon, we heard great things about it. We did not budget for it so this time we did.

12. The MGM fireworks show!! We are not going to Magic Kingdom because we went last time. The MGM fireworks show is great!

13. Eating at some new restaurants. Last time we went to Emeri's Chop Shop. It was tasty and fun! I am not sure what we are shooting for this time but, I do know there are plenty of options! Suggestions are welcome!!

To Keep or not to keep...this is the question!!!

2007-03-14T22:01:00.000-04:00

Ok...so I need some help! I bought this dress from Target. It looked cute until I got home and took a picture. It has a sash around the waist but it blends in the picture. I have lost some weight and the last thing I want to do is wear something that makes me look bigger. This is a medium. So...please leave a comment and tell me what you think. I am going on vacation and want a cute little dress for the trip! If this is not it, I need to make a swap!! Thanks!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-03-14T07:30:00.000-04:00

We LOVE the bark park!!

Brandon had to clean up Mya's dirty work!

Mya has a blast!! (she is in the bottom right corner)

Mya likes the other dogs owners more than the other dogs!! : )

Thursday Thirteen

2007-03-08T13:32:00.000-05:00

13 positive things that have come from my Weight Watchers experience

1. Down 20 lbs....woohoo (going for 15 more)!!!

2. The more I exercise the more I can eat! Let's just say, I exercise quite a bit.

3. I am forced to make better food choices so that when I want to splurge, I can.

4. I am taking advantage of my YMCA membership 5-6 times a week compared to 0 in six months.

5. Mya, our dog, is losing weight too!! This is due to more frequent and longer walks & runs. We found the bark park this way. We have a trail that goes through our town and while running one day we found a park for dogs to hang out.

6. I now have leg and arm muscles.

7. I will feel more confident in my bathing suit around family and friends.

8. I have made great bonds with my workout buddies at work.

9. We started The Biggest Loser at work this past week and I am already on a routine and that I know I can stick to and benefit from.

10. I do not have to say NO to ANY foods.

11. This is something I can really see myself stick to for life.

12. I am becoming much more attractive for my husband. Of course, he will not admit that I was not already!! I like it that way though!!

13. When we get ready to have a baby, I will be in much better shape and I will know that this works. (please note, this will not be for a while) This way, after the baby comes, I can widdle back down to pre-baby weight!

If you want to see more about Weight Watchers go here. I have tried several diet approaches. Weight Watchers has been the most realistic and doable for me!! It is also the most weight I have ever lost too.

If you can't say anything nice....

2007-03-07T22:11:00.000-05:00

" I have no respect for justice and no mercy for defenseless humanity. I ruin without killing. I tear down homes. I break hearts and wreck lives. You will find me in the pews of the pious as well as in the haunts of the unholy. I gather strength with age. I have made my way where greed, distrust, and dishonor are unknown; yet my victims are as numerous as the sands of the sea, and often as innocent. My name is Gossip."
-author unknown

We all know the phrase.... "If you can not say anything nice then do not say anything at all."

Well, I have started attending a ladies Bible study on Monday evenings. I have always wanted to do this. By this I mean, regularly attend a Bible study with a group of girls. I really did not realize what I was missing. The accountability and the prayer partnerships are so great. It also helps to keep me in the word and of the word...if you no what I mean. The difference is amazing!!! It really keeps you on your spiritual toes. The study we are doing is by Elizabeth George. It is titled, A Woman's High Calling. We have studied wisdom and now, you guessed it....GOSSIP! What girl can not use help in this area?? I have been presented with scripture that compares gossip to things such as murder, poison, evil, and even compares a gossiper to a she devil. There are three categories of gossip. The categories are malicious, rationalizer, and innocent. I think most of us probably fall under the last two categories. I have never studied gossip to this degree. It really gave me a wake up call about the damage that it does not only to others but, to ourselves and our ministry to others. The study of this topic has really helped me to realise that gossip is not of God. I want everything that I am about to be of God. The study has definitely helped me to be aware of my everyday speech and action. I want others to see Christ in me. Gossiping is not going to help that. Just some thoughts I though I would throw out there. The "riddle" above really hit me hard and I thought I would share it.

She opens her mouth with wisdom and on her tongue is the law of kindness.
-Proverbs 31:26

Thanks for coming and please take off those shoes and stay a while!

2007-03-02T09:17:00.000-05:00

Hey Ya'll! Welcome to my party and please...come on in! To include your blog in this party, you can go over here to 5 Minutes for Mom and see what it is all about! There are favors, prizes, & new blogger friend opportunities! Browse around my blog and come back for more throughout the week. Feel free to bring some friends!I am new to the whole blog thing but really enjoy meeting others and attempting to develop something worth reading over here!

A little info for ya'll! I am April. I live in middle Tennessee with my incredible husband, dog, & 2 cats. I have been married for 1 1/2 years. I am still learning about this wife stuff. I thought being a great wife would be a cinch. After the actual wedding, 10/1/05, I have realised that just is not so. There is a lot of work that goes into this wife thing! I signed up for it and I am up for the challenge!!

My loves include but are not limited to God, scrap booking, decorating, entertaining, running, children, serving others, & our families! I enjoy a lot of this with my husband (maybe not the first two) as I am his sidekick and he is my best friend.

My guilty pleasures incude but are not limited to Grey's Anatomy, Desperate Housewives, Dark Chocolate, Mexican food & Ice cream. I lack talents in areas such as, laundry, organization, laundry, remaining calm, & did I mention laundry! I keep a full calendar here with work, church, friends, and family but I would not have it any other way. To be bored is not something I desire! I love any opportunity to laugh, be creative, be adventurous, and/or enjoy life!!!

I hope to have a great party with many things going on throughout the week! Please, keep popping back by to see what is new over here! I hope to be visiting many of you as well!

Looking forward to getting to know you!

Taa Dahhh!!!

2007-02-25T08:59:00.000-05:00

I absolutely love my new blog design from Lindsey over at SplatDesigns! Go check her out! She was very accommodating to my ideas and did an incredible job! I am so happy with my new look!

Wordless Wednesday

2007-02-21T10:24:00.001-05:00

Neice Breah wanted to share and & Mya wasn't opposed!

Day 9

2007-02-20T22:28:00.000-05:00

Day Nine:
"...be swift to hear, slow to speak..." James 1:19b

We are often so busy speaking that we don't take time to listen. We are so quick to offer a comment - negative or positive - that we don't really "hear" our husband's heart. Remember: we have two ears and only one mouth. We need to listen more!

As you continue in your 30-day challenge, not speaking negatively and focusing on positive encouragement, hear the Lord's admonition today: "Be swift to hear."

If listening is a real problem for you, play a game with yourself. See if you can listen to your husband for one whole day, only speaking when asked a question. If your husband notices the difference, explain that you are learning to listen more-not only to God, but also to him.

For those of you who know me, this whole listening thing could be a problem sometimes. I have so much to say and lots of opinions. It is my prayer that I can take this days challenge and practice, practice, practice! Brandon is similar in that he has lots to say and lots of ideas as well. He has so much to say and so many new ideas that I sometimes downplay some of them. I can definetly get better at not doing this. My prayer is that I can become more of a listener and encourager. I pray that I can stay away from always looking for the bad in things. My prayer is that I can become more trusting of Brandon and his decision making and that we will seek Christ in all decisions that are to be made for our family.

2007-02-20T16:03:00.000-05:00

Day Seven:
"Do not overwork to be rich; because of your own understanding, cease!...for riches certainly make themselves wings..." Prov. 23:4-5
"That I may cause those who love me to inherit wealth, that I may fill their treasuries." Proverbs 8:21

Money is the root of much marital discord. Ask yourself, "Am I being negative toward my husband in the area of finances?" Determine not to speak evil of your husband in this area. Discover ways to encourage and help him instead.

Does your husband handle finances wisely? Does he make good financial investments, based on biblical principles? Does he have a budget? Does he make wise decisions about purchases - checking many sources before he buys? Is he a good steward of his money before the Lord? Let him know how much you appreciate his strengths in financial matters.

Day Eight:
How are you doing with the "30-Day Encouragement Challenge"? In case you've forgotten, here's the challenge:

* You can't say anything negative about your husband ...to your husband...or to anyone else, about your husband.
* Say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...and to someone else, about your husband!

"...but who can find a faithful man?" Prov. 20:6b

Faithfulness is a wonderful but rare quality today, especially in regard to marriage. Do you understand how important this quality is? Your challenge is to continue to root out all negative speaking, and plant seeds of encouragement instead. You may be amazed at what will grow.

An instant family...only temporarily : )

2007-02-17T21:31:00.000-05:00

Well today has been an adventure. Brandon started feeling better last
night. Today we have had 3 kiddos with us since this afternoon and will
have them until tomorrow evening. I have an 8 yr. old sister and we
have started keeping the niece(4) and nephew(2.5months )every other
Saturday & Sunday. Brandon likes to say that we are practicing on
other peoples kids. It can't hurt! It is fun to us. We enjoy the time
we spend with my little sis and our niece and nephew. The nephew is
only 2.5 months old. His mom says he sleeps through the night so we
will see how this night goes. We plan to get up in the morning get
everybody some waffles, get them dressed, hair done, and all ready for
church by 8:30am. It can't be too hard can it? I will definitely let you
know how it goes! I got the niece and nephew a few church outfits a
piece. I bought everything on sale and I am so proud of my choices. I
willdefinitely post a picture of that tomorrow. I am rather proud of my inexpensive church clothes choices. I tryed
an outfit on each of them and they fit and match. I think that clothes
buying is going to be one of my favorite parts of having a baby. Of
course it will come after several other important things like, the
unconditional love and excitement they will bring to my life!Anywho, that has been our day. I will definitely have a post for tomorrow too!

Day Six:
"...whatever ye do, do all to the glory of God." 1 Cor. 10:31b

Do
you recognize and appreciate your husband's creativity? Or do you
criticize and demean his efforts? Instead of negativity, determine to
be positive. Perhaps you can help your husband see that his efforts are
an opportunity to glorify God.

Our Valentines date...not exactly as planned

2007-02-16T20:20:00.000-05:00

Mine and Brandon's Valentines celebration was planned for this evening. We were going to go to Fuji, a hibachi grill, and then come home and spend time with one another. I was in charge of dinner and Brandon romance! Our plans totally flopped. Wanna know why? Brandon caught a stomach bug. Poor thing, he was up all night
trying to "get rid" of the bug. He spent all of today doing the same.
Brandon,definitely was not up for food and as for the romance, well,
let's just say, I do not want that bug. I did manage to have a great
day myself. I had decided to take off before I knew about the bug. I
stayed around the house for a little bit this morning. My sister
and I went shopping the rest of the day. It has been a while since I
have done that...the all day shopping thing that is. I did not get much for
myself but I did take care of some much needed niece and nephew items
and husband things. My sister and I had a great time.

Brandon and I plan to spend the rest of the evening here on the couch. He had
chicken noodle and I had cheerios. Not exactly the hibachi grill but as long as we are together.

I had planned on placing Brandon's gifts in places where he would find them
all throughout the day. They were small things with a poem that
referenced us or him, and each item played a part in the poem too. I
think I may have had more fun putting it together than Brandon did
receiving the gifts. I ended up giving him the whole pile of things to
open while I was gone today. He said he enjoyed them. Brandon's gift to
me is a new blog template purchase from Lindsay. She is
working so hard on it and I am so impressed. I can not wait until
everyone is able to see the whole thing completed! It should not be
long.

30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge

Day 4

"...let him labor, working with his hands what is good..." Eph. 4:28

We
are all accountable for the things we say, both negative and positive
words. Have you embraced the challenge to speak only positive things to
your husband and to others about him? Here's a suggestion that touches
the core of your husband's world.

Some women take their
husband's career for granted, and they show it in many ways. Do you
"dump" on your husband at the end of the workday, or do you strengthen
and encourage him with your words? A wise wife will make her husband
feel that she values and appreciates his work. Let him know that you
are glad he is a hard worker. Take opportunities to praise his
diligence and resourcefulness to others.

Day 5
Let
no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but what is good
for necessary edification, that it may impart grace to the hearers."Eph. 4:29

Another
way to describe the positive side of this "30-Day Encouragement
Challenge" is by using the word "edify," which means, "to build up."
Negative comments only discourage and tear down. Positive comments
encourage and build.

Do you edify your husband before others,
adding to his value in their eyes? This is especially important to
other family members.

Do you praise your husband to his
relatives, and yours? Does your husband's mother know how much you love
him? How about your dad? Perhaps you can drop a word of praise into a
conversation or letter. Be creative in letting your relatives know that
you respect your husband, love him, and support him - in spite of
whatever flaws and weaknesses he may have.

Rose are Red Violets are blue, We had a fabulous Valentines, How about you?

2007-02-14T23:05:00.000-05:00

DAY 3 of the Husband Encouragement Challenge

2007-02-14T14:09:00.000-05:00

Day 3

"...love suffers long, and is kind..." 1 Cor. 13:4
"And my God shall supply all your need according to His riches in glory by Christ Jesus." Phil. 4:19

Love indeed suffers long and is kind. As you consider your Encouragement Challenge, determine today that you will not say anything negative to or about your husband. Speak kindly to him with words of genuine encouragement.

Since today is Valentines, It may not be too hard to follow this days challenge. After all, it is the day for sweet nothings and lots of love! It will just be one more day to practice. Practice makes perfect right? Well maybe not perfect but each day that I take this challenge on I get closer to making these actions habit!

***For the specifics on the challenge look here

Hey good lookin...what ya got cookin??

2007-02-14T08:48:00.000-05:00

Day 2 (this is in reference to yesterday)

"...through love serve one another." Gal. 5:13b

Today, find some way that your husband is serving you or your family. Does he help around the house? Take care of the car? Fix things that are broken?

Today was a great day. On Tuesday's, we have started keeping our niece and nephew Breah & Colton during the evening.

We decided to throw a special Valentines dinner, mainly for the benefit of 4yr. old Breah. My little sisters got to come to so I think that we made it a little special for them as well. Everyone wore red, pink, or white and we had baked ziti for dinner. We had candles and flowers and lots of love!! I plan to post a couple of pictures this evening. Even Mya, the dog, got into the spirit.

Brandon was such a trooper he fully participated! From picking out gifts for Breah and her mom to keeping everyone occupied while I got dinner taken care of. He wore his red Christmas sweater and even helped Breah set the table and make the place mats. They painted a piece of over sized construction paper for each guest in order to make the place mats. It was so fun. We really wanted to do something special for Breah for Valentines. I think everyone enjoyed themselves.

The most wonderful part of my evening was coming to the realization that Brandon is going to be an awesome Daddy one day! : )

So glad he chose me..

2007-02-12T22:26:00.000-05:00

Day 1

It was pretty good. To make sure that everyone is aware of the goal of the 30 day Husband Encouragement Challenge, I am going to post the 2 most important rules for this 30 day challenge.

For these 30 days...

1. You can not say anything negative about your husband... to your husband... or to anyone else, about your husband.

2. You must say something that you admire or appreciate about your husband...to your husband...or to anyone else about your husband.

"The heart of her husband safely trusts her, so he will have no lack of gain. She does him good and not evil all the day of her life. " Proverbs 31:11-12

Today's challenge was to let your husband know that you are truly glad he chose you. How often do I think, what if? What if he had chosen his previous girlfriend? What if we had not worked out and he had found someone after me? I do not think about it enough. This thought really does just make me so very thankful. Our lives would be so different right now. I really could not imagine life without Brandon and I do not want to.

I am so thankful that he chose me! I let him know this early this morning as we got ready for work. His response was, "I am glad you chose me to." It is so easy for me to get hung up on the little things that he does that might aggravate me. I hope that this challenge will help me to make it a habit to get hung up on the so MANY things that he does do "right".

That is all for now! It is time for me to get to making some homemade valentines for everyone at work! The homemade ones are actually going to turn out to be less expensive since I had most of the goods. They will also be much more heartfelt don't ya think?

Lazy Days

2007-02-11T19:57:00.000-05:00

Alrighty... This weekend has been so great. We have had a lazy weekend. We did not do anything that we did not want to. We slept in Saturday and Sunday. Yes, we skipped church. For purposes other than vacation or going to church with family, this was the first time in probably a year. We just enjoyed each other and some rest. This is definitely something we could stand to do a little more often. ( not the skipping church part...I was just so exhausted) We did manage to go out to a movie and dinner last night. We also went to the greenway, a trail that goes throughout our town here, and got some exercise in. We ran 4 miles today. We are thinking about training for the 1/2 marathon at the end of April. We will have to see how it goes. While we were running we found a Bark Park. Ever heard of it? It is actually a little park for dogs. You just take your dog right in and let them off of their leash. I was really nervous. Mya is such a passive dog and there were some big and mean looking dogs running around in there. She did really well though. It would seem she was enjoying the other dogs owners more than the other dogs. She was just running from person to person trying to get as much attention as possible. It was not surprising to us. She had fun though. I think we will go back.

Update in the 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge. You can go here to see the whole 30 days and how it will work. I will start with Day 1 tomorrow. I will definitely post my progress.

I better get off of here. Our neighbors are coming over for the usual Sunday night dinner and Desperate Housewives extravaganza.

2 New Commitments!!

2007-02-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Hi All! I really do not think I have many people reading this, if any! I hope to be able to change that soon. I have 2 commitments I want to make to myself and the future readers out there ; )

1. I want to post here at least 4 times monthly!! I hope to join in on some of the Wordless Wednesday's and the Thursday Thirteen to help with that. I also hope to have a new blog design up and going soon. The purchase of this should help keep me motivated. I have found a 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge over at reviveourhearts.com that I hope to start in the next couple of days. With the start of this challenge, I am going to try and post my progress and get some input from future readers. I am going to start posting comments on other pages and hopefully that will link some over here! I do a lot of reading and I want to post, I just have not done it yet!

2. The 30 Day Husband Encouragement Challenge
I mentioned this above and I do not have all of the details yet but I hope to keep this going the whole 30 days. With this process, I hope to post my progress and possibly encourage others to give it a shot. More info to come on this very soon. I am going to try to post a link to the challenge and I am going to post the details of my 30 day adventure. My hearts desire is truly to be a wonderful wife. I have been married over a year now and being a FABULOUS wife is not as easy I thought it would be! It is hard work, but I love B so much and am willing to put in 100%. I think this challenge is going to be a good motivator and this blog will hold me accountable (especially since I am commited now)!!!

Up to the commitments,
April

A Christmas gift for Moi!!!

2006-12-19T10:14:00.000-05:00

Since Brandon and I have been married, my biggest struggle in the domestic area has been laundry!! Since I have been bringing in a little extra cash with my Christmas decorating, I bought myself a Christmas present. It is my favorite so far. I paid to have my laundry washed, folded, put-up & hung....THE WORKS!!! We came home yesterday to no dirty laundry, with the exception of the clothes we were wearing! The closets were full and so were our dressers. We even ran out of hangers. Who would have known we did not have enough hangers?? I wouldn't have because, of course, I have never gotten that far in the laundry process. Getting every drop of laundry done, that is. Brandon woke up this morning to get dressed for work and said, "Hey honey...my dresser is full" and "Maybe we could do this more often."

That is all I wanted to hear! I have had no trouble admitting my inability to get laundry done. During our short marriage, I have actually had a few (small) emotional break downs due to laundry issues. I am now thankful that he sees that it is advantageous to invest in a, as I call her, laundry doer. It is kind of like if Brandon ran into something mechanical on the car and has to consult a mechanic...I ran into an issue with my laundry and I needed to consult a laundry doer. I still must sort the laundry and make sure the house is presentable for the laundry doer but it is well worth it!! I just want to complete this by saying....Thank Heaven for Laundry doer's!

Thoughts of Thankfulness!

2006-11-24T23:56:00.000-05:00

I am thankful for:

1. My loving and supportive husband/best friend. (No matter how many Christmas trees he ends up helping me decorate)
2. My dog Mya and the joy that she brings me.
3. OUR merciful savior.
4. Our beautiful home.
5. The Christmas decorations that we are using this season to create a warm Christmas welcome.
6. Our great families.
-extra kudos to my in-laws who spent Thanksgiving day helping us start... to finish up... our bonus room!!!!
7. Our new friends/neighbors/fellow Grey's and Desp. House. watchers... Clay and Hannah.
8. Our nephew, what's his name?(it is a secret), due to arrive in 2 days.
9. My job.
10. Our church family.
11. Some things that may seem minor to you but are so totally major to me:
-Scrabble
-Mexican food
-sweet tea
-Mya learning new tricks(our dog)
-my husband/best friends cuddles and kind words
-hot cocoa
-quality friendships
-opportunities to put my creativity to use
-a good hard laugh

New Blogger!

2006-11-16T13:30:00.000-05:00

So, I am new at this. After a couple of weeks of viewing others blogs, I am so excited about joining in on this community of people. I was unsure if I had anything that interesting to write about. I think that between my faith, my husband, my dog, my decorating, and my busy schedule....I will be able to come up with something worth sharing. I have been most impressed with the wonderful blogs of young mothers and wives. I am a new wife of a year. I am not a mother yet but, I sure do look forward to learning a thing or two from these moms so that when that is the season of my life, I might be a little more informed!