Threefold Chord

GAPS Update

2012-01-27T21:14:00.000-08:00

Proper planning prevents poor performance.... (if I had properly planned for meals this week, I would not have experienced the following discovery)

Today, I didn't have anything in the house for lunch and decided to take Joshua to Subway. On the GAPS diet, we are not supposed to give him any kind of grains (gluten allergies as well as undigestable properties). But what can I say, the kid loves a spicy italian sandwich (and with the $5.00 deal, it makes it very tempting).

I should have taken the meat off the bread and given him just the meat. But what can I say, the kid loves his carbs...

Tonight, he was BOUNCING off the wall at bedtime. Actually, it was more like bouncing out of his bed... I thought about all the things he ate today, and the bread was the only thing on the list that he is NOT supposed to eat. I have to assume that he definitely has a gluten sensitivty.

Good to know.

Other than that, we are doing pretty good on the diet. I say we, not because Jim and I are doing the full diet, but we as in, I prepare Joshua's meals, so we are doing good in that general area of life (haha).

He has really enjoyed the new recipes we have tried. He especially likes the banana pancakes (or crepes) and he loves to eat meat wrapped in lettuce or cabbage leaves and call them tacos. Additionally, he has learned that he LOVES brussell sprouts and swiss/rainbow chard. He used to love to eat salads full of different veggies, but now, he only wants to eat lettuce (with EVOO and salad seasoning).

(Chicken Cabbage Wraps & Brussell Sprouts- YUM!)

He has stopped liking most soups (except the black bean & sausage soup at Crispers). It's like pulling teeth to get him to eat my homemade soups now... His veggies are a struggle sometimes, although I found a little trick, he will eat ANYTHING (and I mean ANYTHING) if I give him a little dollop of honey to dip it in.

(This one is just for fun!)

I get such a kick out of this picture.
He got a cape and mask for Christmas from
Jim's sister & family and he thinks the
bucket makes a great hat! But the lack of
pants really makes the whole outfit!

TOP 10 TUESDAY

2012-01-24T03:00:00.000-08:00

This week's edition of Top 10 Tuesday will be.....

Top 10 Perfectly Random and Pointless Questions to Ponder

10. How important does a person have to be before they are considered assassinated
instead of just murdered?

9. Do people get buried with braces still on their teeth?

8. When Atheists go to court, do they have to swear on the Bible?

7. If prunes are dehydrated plums, where does prune juice come from?

6. If nobody buys a ticket to a movie do they still show it?

5. Did Noah have woodpeckers on the ark?

4. If there is an exception to every rule, is there an exception to that?

3. If you live in a 3 story house and you are on the second floor, are you upstairs or downstairs?

2. When was fire invented according to the scriptures?

And the number 1 Perfectly Random and Pointless Question to Ponder is................

1. Did Adam have a belly button?

The Day I Realized Joshua Was All-Male

2012-01-20T08:55:00.000-08:00

We started potty training Joshua just before he turned 2. He picked up on it fairly quickly and did well for the most part. When we moved to out apartment at the end of September, he started reverting back to accidents in his pants (accidents of the poopy kind). I attribute some of it to the move, some of it to the major digestive troubles he has had recently.

I had to come up with something to motivate him. We were in the progress of taking sugar out of his diet, so the mini-M&M's that he got as a reward were no longer an option. And quite frankly, when you get m&m's as a reward the bar is already set high... So, I thought MAYBE I can teach Joshua patience along with potty training. So I designed the chart pictured above, got multi-colored star-shaped stickers and we began our new phase of training.

I explained the new system to Joshua and told him when he filled up the chart, he would get to go to the store and pick out ANY toy he wanted (granted, I did not reveal that the store was the Dollar Tree, and all the toys were $1.00). So we began and it went really well. So well, in fact, that I decided to reward him after the first 8 stickers. He was quite excited and picked out a smiley face balloon as his "toy".

We continued on and while things took a little longer (due to some of Joshua's recent health problems) he finally finished his chart yesterday! :)

I knew he has been wanting a Francesco (character from Cars 2) so I decided instead of the Dollar Tree, I would take him to Target to get this car that he wanted. In addition to Francesco, he also got a Monster Jam truck too (one of his favorite things to watch is Youtube videos of former Monster Jams). He was very excited.

Here's where the title of this post fits in: This morning, we put a new potty chart up (to continue with training). And Joshua walked out of the bathroom and said to me, "Mom, I know what I want when I fill up my next potty chart, I want a tv and a remote for my room"

I laughed at him and he cracked up too (He MUST have realized how absurd that request was). :)

TOP 10 TUESDAY

2012-01-17T03:00:00.000-08:00

10 Things I Wish My Son Wouldn't Do

10. Pitch Fits at EVERYTHING
9. Act like he KNOWS everything, and I know NOTHING
8. Ignore people at church
7. Get out of his bed to play with his toys at night
6. Ask 10 BAJILLION questions on the 5 minute car rides to the store
5. Put his fingers in his ears during song services at church
4. Constantly ask for food ALL DAY long
3. Slam doors when he's mad
2. Grab EVERYTING in his reach off the counters, desk, dressers, night tables, dining table etc.

AND THE NUMBER 1 THING I WISH MY SON WOULDN'T DO

SCREAM AT THE TOP OF HIS LUNGS (when he is mad, or when he is excited)

GAPS Update

2012-01-11T05:19:00.000-08:00

We are making great strides in our effort to begin the GAPS diet. We have gone to a completely organic diet (meats, veggie and fruits). It has taken a BIG bite out of our budget, but it's amazing to taste the difference. (In our experience, the organic fruits and veggies burst with flavor and juices that we haven't really experienced with conventional fruits and veggies)

I am finding more and more recipes every day to make for Joshua. He is not allowed to have refined sugar, dairy, or grains (gluten). As a substitute for ice cream, I blended a partially frozen banana until it was a smooth puree. Then I placed it in a bowl in the freezer for a short while (to harden it up) and Joshua had his very own SUGAR-FREE ice cream (he loved it BTW)

We bought some whole, raw almonds that I soaked in water overnight. I then de-skinned them (you don't have to, but I didn't want to later pick the skins out of the pulp as I have plans for that too). So, after they were de-skinned, I placed them in the blender with 1.5 cups of water and blended until pureed. Next I added 1 tsp vanilla about 3/4 Tbsp of honey and another 1.5 cups of water and blended for about 3 minutes. I strained it through a fine mesh strainer with cheese cloth and VOILA... ALMOND MILK! (which Joshua LOVED also, BTW) The pulp left over from the almond milk will be used (today hopefully) to make almond flour (nut flours are the only flours allowed on the GAPS diet).

I also made a recipe from my new GAPS cookbook the night before last called Honey Glazed Drumsticks and it was DIVINE! I enjoyed it, Jim enjoyed it, I had to pull the bones out of Joshua's mouth because he loved it so much he was going to eat the bones too! :)

We have seen a noticeable difference in Joshua's overall behavior and I am not sure if this is the case, but I let him have some "non-GAPS" food the other day and the whole rest of the day and the next day I fought with him about his bad attitude and was constantly having to get on him about his behavior. Coincidence? Maybe, but I have a hunch that it's not!

We have been making non-dairy smoothies, eating green veggies and will soon be experimenting with a dehydrator. (making yogurt and fruit leathers [a.k.a. fruit roll ups] and vegetable "chips") I have also ordered a mandolin slicer and I am going to attempt making noodles out of zucchini.

If we didn't live in an apartment, I would be buying an almond tree. We found several "dwarf" varieties that for $60-$80 you can buy a tree already producing the almonds (to buy raw organic almonds is $9.00/lb I could but a whole tree for the cost of 10lbs of almonds)... Oh well, maybe in our next house.

We are attempting to grow some organic veggies that we can have as a container garden on our porch. I will have to keep you posted on that as well.

TOP 10 TUESDAY

2012-01-10T10:40:00.000-08:00

I had a thought today of something to get me blogging again. I would like to call this (hopefully weekly) segment, Top 10 Tuesday.

The topic today:

Things I would rather do then clean my house :)

10. Peel the skins off almonds (yes, I did that today)
9. Read recipes on line (oh, yes I did that todat too)
8. Cook and Bake
7. Go for a walk with Joshua
6. Talk on the phone to my BFF
5. Watch PBS Kids programming with Joshua
4. Watch TV
3. Check my email
2. Catch up on reading blogs

AND THE NUMBER 1 Thing I would RATHER do than clean my house?

Log on to FACEBOOK (I am sure you all are shocked that it's my number one) :)

Tune in next week when I shall discuss 10 Things I Wish My Son Would Not Do!

Life Changes

2011-11-28T10:00:00.000-08:00

How do you read the title of this post? Do you read "Life" as a noun and that it changes? Or do you read it as "Life-long" changes?

Well, either way you are correct. Life does change, but for this post, I will mention changes that we will be making that should be for life.

Jim and I have had concerns about Joshua's hyper behavior. We know that he's a boy, we know that he's a toddler and we know that it's common. However, we feel that we know our son better than anybody and that his constant need to move coupled with his very short temper and extreme aggression are cause for concern.

Our family doctor, during our very first visit asked, "Is he always this hyper?" and it's the first time anyone outside of Jim and I have recognized exactly what we have been concerned about. And his recommendation (mind you, this is a MD) was not, "Get that kid on meds", it was, "you need to eliminate dairy and sugar from his diet". Poor Joshua though, his two favorite foods are cheese and anything with sugar! But, he's such a smart little guy and really does understand so much for such a young child. We have been telling him that sugar and cheese are hurting his belly and that sugar is what causes him to act out and now he will tell us that he cannot have certain foods. (For example he told his Uncle Phil tonight that he can't have cake and ice cream because it has sugar in it and sugar is bad and hurts his belly).

A dear friend of ours (and a sister in the church) has been working with different diet changes with her own family and has been such a big help to me. She has been recommending a diet called the GAPS diet (Gut And Psychology Syndrome). A diet designed by a medical doctor with a degree in neurology as well as nutrition. We ordered a few books pertaining to this diet and will begin our journey as soon as the books arrive (via mail 4-6 days).

This is a very radical diet- and while the diet itself will take approximately 2 years (the time it will take to heal the gut) it really is a life-long change. I am saying very little about the diet itself as I have a LOT to learn about it.

I hope to keep a log of the changes we make as well as results we encounter.

We of course have a lot of foods in the house that we are going to try and use up (so we don't waste money)- we had a pkg of instant oatmeal (which is full of sugar) that we made for Joshua Sat. am and within an hour he was bouncing off the walls. On Sunday he had ZERO sugar and he was calm in church, he actually played quietly after church and Jim and I were able to sit on the couch and talk (without being interrupted) but then we gave Joshua a snack with cheddar cheese and within an hour he was almost uncontrollable (of course it could have been because he was excited to be with his cousins too) but I am convinced it was the cheese. At one point this evening he walked up and punched his Uncle Kyle for no reason (other than he was all hyped up and thought it was funny)???

I think the hardest part is going to be for me. I LOVE to eat out with my family. I am going to have to figure out a way to still eat with my family all while not eating the wrong foods. We're going to go through these changes a long with Joshua- I think we could all use a little help!

Permanent Writer's Block

2011-11-08T22:55:00.000-08:00

Subtitles include: READER BEWARE; RANDOM THINGS YOU HAVE NO DESIRE TO KNOW; and DON'T WORRY, I'M NOT SUICIDAL

Due to personal trials I am going through, I seem to have contracted a serious and, what seems to be, a permanent case of writer's block.

I usually am able to share at least SOME kind of story or thought with you all- but at this time all I can say is I have SOOOOOOOOO much to say, but no words with which to say it.

Joshua is still Joshua,
Jim is still Jim,
I am still me (only worn out but still treading)

Joshua is still funny and smart and cute and growing
Jim is still strong and handsome yet still stressed and sacrificing
I am existing and functioning and desiring to get out of this "funk" but can't

Joshua has grown 3 1/2 inches since last year (and an 1 1/2 inches in just 4 months)
Jim's company has undergone a lot of changes (mostly for the better)
I am behind on my housework (as usual) failing at being a good wife and still sleepless (but not in Seattle)

Joshua is AWESOME at doing mazes (just learned that tonight)
Jim is AWESOME at helping me around the house
I am AWESOME at procrastinating and not sleeping at night!

Joshua has a bigger room in our new apt (compared to his room at our old house)
Jim got rid of EVERYTHING that meant anything to him (ok, well not everything cause he got to keep me and Joshua) :)
I have a vanity in my dining room.

The story of Job has been heavy on my mind and I feel guilty about it.

I think it's ironic that the nutrition label on the Great Value brand of Party Peanuts discloses an Allergy Warning that the product contains peanuts (REALLY?) Did someone SUE the manufacturer because they had a peanut allergy and they didn't know the Peanuts contained PEANUTS since it wasn't on the label? So now, the manufacturer has to disclose that the Peanuts contain Peanuts so that people who are allergic to peanuts won't eat the PEANUTS??? (I tried to get a pic, but my camera wouldn't focus on the words)

Sleeping with Budgets and Other Tales of a 2 Year Old

2011-09-01T19:38:00.000-07:00

We have made many changes in our life (mostly financial) and it's no surprise that some of the things we're changing has rubbed off on Joshua.

The other night, as Jim was working on our budget, Joshua was at the table next to him writing on his papers. When it was time for bed he grabbed his paper and said, "Mom can I sleep with my budget?" (of course I let him). The next morning he stood by my bed rustling his budget (which is how I woke up) :)

Today, when at Walmart, we passed by the toy clearance section and there was a Tow Truck and Excavator (Joshua calls it a Digger) that he FELL IN LOVE WITH. He asked if he could have it and I told him that it wasn't in the budget, but we could have a budget committee meeting with dad when he came home and talk about adding it to the budget.

When he woke up from his nap, Jim was home from work and he ran out of the room saying, Daddy I want to buy a digger at Walmart and mom says we need to have a meeting. So after dinner, we got Joshua's piggy bank (actually it's a monkey) and told him he only had enough to buy one (with the help of Mom and Dad) and he was very possessive of that money in his bank. But, he eventually decided that he would like to use his money to buy the digger.

On the Move

2011-08-15T16:51:00.000-07:00

It's been a while since I have written anything. Life seems to be passing by at an alarmingly fast speed! As many of you know, Jim and I went(are going through)some tough financial times. When we opened the cabinet business in 2007 we knew that it would be hard for a while, but we never imagined the economy to tank the way it did. We tried using our "credit" for saving the business, but when we stopped getting work, we had to make some very tough decisions. One of which was to include our house in the bankruptcy.

Shortly after the discharge of our bankruptcy, we tried to work with the bank to obtain a loan modification. After putting us through several months of a "trial period" (where we paid them a "good faith" payment) they came back and told us we didn't qualify. We made another big decision to hire an attorney to help us avoid foreclosure. Unfortunately, the process had already begun and less than a week of retaining an attorney we were served. LONG STORY short (well, not quite so short)... For one year now, we feel like we have not seen any result with regards to keeping the house. We have been able to work through the baby steps in the Total Money Makeover (we are on Baby Step 4- saving for retirement). And by continuing to fight for the house would essentially keep us from moving forward in our process to become financially stable. Sooooooooooo, all that to say, we have decided to let go of the house and we'll be moving.

Our move-in date to our new apartment is September 24. That gives us close to 6 weeks to slim down (our stuff,) pack and move. We are going to attempt garage sales each weekend from now until the weekend before we move. Hopefully we will sell off all our unwanted stuff (that we don't want to put in storage) and make a little moolah too.

We have a 3 year plan in place. By taking a smaller, less expensive apartment, we will be able to stash cash and in 3 years have a hefty sum of money to put towards a down payment (Dave Ramsey advocates paying cash for a house, but if you can't do that, he recommends no more than a 15 year mortgage). We trust that the Lord will bless our efforts in being better stewards of what HE has given to us, and that HE will show us when the time is right to move forward on another home.

Please pray for us as we make this change in our lives. I have no idea what kind of emotional attachment Joshua may have on this house. It's all he's ever known for almost 3 years. I know I may get weepy eyed but I can see the big picture and understand what is trying to be accomplished, Joshua doesn't understand that. I pray that he transitions like a trooper.

We have our new address and phone number and I will send out an email when we get settled in with that info. If I don't have your email and you want an update please email me at kaustin14325@yahoo.com!

GOD'S HAND vs. MOMMY MIND

2011-07-01T06:11:00.000-07:00

What you are witnessing below is the ultimate MOMMY MIND.

We make our own tea to drink (for so many reasons: cost efficient, delicious, controlling sugar and caffeine)- I make two, three, sometimes even four gallons on any given day. Since it's the only thing we drink, we go through it A LOT!

On Wednesday evening, after dinner, I cleaned the kitchen and saw that the tea was low so I decided to put on a pot. After getting everything set up, Jim asked if I wanted to go out front with he and Joshua (for car maintenance) so I decided that I would also make a trip next door to the in-laws to return something.

An hour or so later (maybe even closer to 2 hours). We walked into the garage to an unusually funny smell. I mentioned to Jim the smell and he agreed it smelled strange. As I opened the door to the house, I was instantly hit with the fumes of smoke and ashes.

I LEFT THE STOVE ON!!! There was not a stitch of water left in the pot. The tea bags were dissolved and coated with fiery embers. The stench of smoke is still in my house (and it's Friday) and all I can do is say- THANK YOU, LORD! God's hand was certainly protecting us from what could have been a disastrous situation.

SCORE BOARD
GOD: infinity points MOMMY MIND: 0

On a side note, if anyone knows a way to clean burned tea bag ashes off a stainless steel pot, your input would be greatly appreciated! :)

My Prayer

2011-06-28T19:44:00.000-07:00

Someone on my FB friend list posted this on their status and it struck me to the heart that I wanted to share it, and jot down some thoughts:

"Lord, help me live from day to day in such a self-forgetful way that even when I kneel to pray, my prayer shall be for others."

Our Lord and Saviour lived day to day with no other purpose than to do HIS Father's will. And in one selfless act, laid down HIS life to save HIS people from their sins. What better example could we possibly have. Yet we live in such a "self gratifying" society. We have a lot of obstacles to overcome in putting away self and doing more for others.

Jim and I have talked often about how to be more helpful to others and are looking into several volunteer opportunities in the community.

In like manner, I am reminded in this short little poem that there is such power in prayer. If I took just one of my daily prayers and devoted it entirely to praying for others (and leaving myself out) WOW!!! There are so many people that stand in need of the Lord's help. If any of my 2 readers (hee hee) have anything/anyone specifically that need prayer, please let me know. God Bless!

Identity vs. Activity

2011-06-10T12:56:00.001-07:00

We had the wonderful pleasure of visiting Dallas PBC in Dallas, GA last weekend. We were blessed to hear messages from 7 different elders and I would like to share the thoughts brought forth by Elder Marty Smith.

Paul on the road to Damascas said: Who art thou, Lord? and What wouldst thou have me to do?

IDENTITY: who art thou?
ACTIVITY: what should I do?

When asked "Who are you?" how do you respond? Are you so-n-so's mother, are you a "salesman at XYZ company" are you the "deacon at ABC church"? If that is how you answer, think about the above- is your identity mixed up with what you do? So often now, I identify myself as "Joshua's mom"- how many times have you answered with "I am a child of God"? One of the examples of our identity in the scriptures is "I am my beloved's; and my beloved is mine" What happens when you retire from your job, orwhen you child leaves and cleaves, you have assumed this "activity" as your identity and it is difficult to move beyond that identity after being in it so long... So we need to really examine our identity and realize that we are NOT what we do, but we are HIS in Christ, we are "My Beloved's", we are "Child of God" or "Child of grace" we are so many things in Christ, and once we recognize that, we then need to ask "What wouldst THOU have me to do?"

I in no way did justice to this message, but my feelble attempt in rejoicing in what we heard. I hope to bring you more posts of the other messages we recieved. God Bless!

Do I Look Like I Want To Be On Survivor????

2011-05-25T15:20:00.000-07:00

I realize that ladybugs are VERY beneficial in the garden, but... when you buy a bag of lettuce that is marked "Washed and Ready", you would think that it would be "washed" and "ready" right? Well, let this be a lesson for all you non-lettuce washers out there.... I bought two bags of Fresh Express (hearts of romaine) at Publix last week (Buy 1 get 1 free- of course). And what did I find in BOTH bags? DEHYDRATED LADYBUGS!!! I'm all for protein, but I prefer it in the non-insect form (cow, chicken, bacon...) Thankfully, my momma was wise enough to teach us to be leery of grand promises of pre-washed vegetables, so I avoided what may have been my first audition tape to Survivor (you know eating bugs and all???) Anyway- WASH YOUR VEGGIES OR EAT BUGS! THE CHOICE IS YOURS!

Preaching to the Multitudes

2011-05-15T19:34:00.000-07:00

Ever since our January Meeting, when Joshua's interest in preaching was sparked, he has been pretend preaching as part of his playtime. He came to the realization recently that his foam mats stacked together could be a make-shift pulpit and his blanket spread on the floor somewhat resembles a pew, and his lov-a-lees (that's what he calls all his stuffed animals) sitting on the "pew" make for a nice congregation... (we're taking a bit of creative license on this one folks) And what do you get when you put all these pieces together? A really cute little boy preaching in his "Sunday best undies"- be advised, his message is short and it's more of a video about the hard work that goes into preparing for a sermon

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

We're on our way to being Fiscally Fit

2011-04-25T05:37:00.000-07:00

No, you read it right, "Fiscally Fit" (not physically fit).

Jim and I have read the Dave Ramsey book, "The Total Money Makeover" and we are going to hit our finances with "Gazelle Intensity". Dave pointed out in his book that a gazelle can outmanuever a cheetah (the fastest land mammal) one in 19 times... because of their hard work and total focus.

Jim, as most of you know has been seeing a pshychologist to help him overcome the extreme stress and depression caused by his job and our financial state. In one of his early meetings, the doctor was suprised to find out the things we were doing to "fix" our finances and that Jim had never heard of Dave Ramsey before. He told Jim, "You are already doing the things that he has written about". So Jim started listening to him on the radio on his car ride home from work. He purchased the book (kindle edition for our free kindle download on the pc) and began reading it. He kept telling me different principles that were being talked about and mentioned several times that he would like for me to read the book too.

Since he began reading before me, he stated working with the "Baby Steps" (there are 7 steps in the book) and by the time I began to read (and finished) we were already at Baby Step 3... As I mentioned before, we were doing somethings already (such as, we had already been living on a budget for 2 years now) so that was easy enough to adapt to. Then Baby Step 1 (saving $1,000 fast). Baby Step 2 was unique for our situation in that we did it the "gut wrenching way"- What Dave calls the "Debt Snowball" (the principle where you list all of your debt lowest balance to highest and you make min. payments on all except the very smallest balance in which you apply what ever extra money you can find to that small balance until it's paid off, then you apply that money plus whatever extra to the next smallest balance and so on)- well, we had already gone through bankruptcy which believe me, is not the easy way out. You will face reprocussions from bankruptcy for many years to come. Next is Baby Step 3~ saving for a fully funded emergency fund. Once your debt is gone, your basic household expenses (including a mortgage payment) is what's left to pay so you are to save between 3 and 6 months worth of money to cover your expenses. We are very close to meeting our goal.

So what will we do next? Baby Step 4 is saving for retirement, Baby Step 5 is saving for your child's college and Baby Step 6 is paying off your home (if you own a home, otherwise it's saving for a 100% down payment (or sizable downpayment on a 15-year mortgage) and Baby Step 7 is a 3 parter: a) have fun b) keep investing c) and GIVE

Here's the hard part of this process: SACRIFICE! We have made major cutbacks in the last 3 years because we were forcced to, however, there are areas where I (not so much Jim) need to be super diligent about- I have got to cut out the eating out so much. Even though the money is coming out of our food budget, and I not going over the budget, it's money that is spent that could be put towards something else. We're starting much later in life on being Fiscally Fit, so for retirement we have about 20 years to save and for Joshua's college we have only 16 years to save. That's really not a lot of time when you think about the fact that we could have been saving for 20 to 30 years already...

So, what willwe do with the money we have been able to save (and grow in investments). Well, for me, the giving part sounds so much more fun than the actual having fun part. Jim and I would LOVE to be like Elder James Compton and his wife (in their younger years) and go around to PB churches in the US (and other countries if needed) and help fix church buildings (repairs, additions, etc.) Wouldn't that be so nice to be able to freely give of your time and your money to help sustain a church that may not have the funds to do so... it's pure excitement!

As for the having fun part... the possibilities are endless. We both would love to travel to Italy, I personally would love to go on an alaskan cruise, and quite frankly, I think it would be tons of fun to have someone come clean my house for me (haha).

So what would you do if you were so fiscally fit that you had no dream out of reach? Where would you give of your time and money if you had plenty to give?

Songs of the Broken Hearted

2011-04-19T04:54:00.000-07:00

When the world my heart is rending with it's heaviest storms of care.
My glad thoughts to God ascending find a refuge from despair.
There's a hand of mercy near me, Tho' the waves of trouble roar.
There's an hour of rest to cheer me when the toils of life are o'er
Oh to rest in peace forever joined with happy souls above.
Where no foe my heart can sever from the Saviour whom I love.
This the hope that shall sustain me till life's pilgrimage is past
Tears may vex and trouble pain me; I shall reach my home at last.

I love Jesus, hallelujah. I love Jesus, yes I do. I do love Jesus, He's my Saviour. Jesus smiles and loves me too.

My heart is broken, but God is my refuge.

Troubles here below often bring us woe, Jesus is a friend ALWAYS
He will be with you trust in him a new, Jesus is a friend ALWAYS

Blanket Time Day 1

2011-04-11T06:28:00.000-07:00

I have recently been exposed to the concept of Blanket Time (or Blanket Training) and while it may be a controversial topic, I felt like it might be a good opportunity for us to teach Joshua some boundaries and self control. There are a few techniques of blanket training that I do not really agree with, but there are no blanket training police patrolling the area telling me I am doing it all wrong. :) The concept is this: Lay a special blanket (meaning dedicated just for blanket time) on a space on the floor and allow child to have toys (also dedicated just to floor time) and train them to play quietly for a determined amount of time without setting foot off the blanket. You are supposed to start with about 3-5 minutes on the blanket and gradually work up to an hour. I thought I might have missed a window of opportunity with Joshua being 2 1/2 already, but it was quite the opposite. His comprehension level is marvelous and I had no problem communicating to him what we were doing. I explained to him what we were doing, set the timer for 5 minutes and when the timer rang, He looked at me like he was not ready to be done, so I let him go another 5 minutes. (We did briefly stop the timer for a potty break). But the first attempt was, I think, successful. We tried again on Saturday morning and that one was not as smooth (but I think that had to do with Jim being home) One of the things I hope to establish in the upcoming weeks is that he can sing and play quietly, and to cut down on the amount of time I interact with him. Here is some video I captured of him not being a wild man and playing nicely on his blanket. (nothing real interesting, just video evidence [for my sake] that he stayed put) :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Web Cam Singing

2011-03-31T07:11:00.001-07:00

I have a hard time getting video of Joshua because he is so vain he wants to watch himself on the camera rather than let me video him. So I got the bright idea of allowing him to sit at the computer on the webcam so he could see himself while he was being recorded. It proved to be a big hit (and quite funny) because of the slight delay, Joshua got easily distracted by himself. The video is unedited because there are so many funny things throughout. I still laugh everytime I watch it!

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Diaper Baby

2011-03-30T13:51:00.000-07:00

This is the cutest, easiest thing to make for a babyshower. I used about 17 diapers (probably could have used a few more). One sleeper outfit, cap, paci and I made the baby blanket too. I keep telling Joshua he needs to be quiet so he doesn't wake the baby! :)

The things kids say:

2011-03-25T04:59:00.000-07:00

So, I may need to shave my legs a little more often because my two year old just asked me if I had a beard on my knees... YIKES!

Writer's Block

2011-03-16T13:48:00.001-07:00

Sorry to "all" my readers for the lack of posts lately. I started a post about a terrible hair-cut experience, but the more I typed, the more I realized this is a very long story and most likely boring to any person reading it... so I never finished it, nor posted it.

I have had no motivation to write anything so I am MAKING myself write. Jim and I finally watched the movie, Fireproof. It was a hard movie for me to watch at the beginning due to the similarities with past experiences I have had, but once I got past that part it was a really good movie. If you are married, and haven't watched it (regardless of whether you are having marital problems or not) you should check it out. It's very good. When I told my mom and dad that we were going to watch it, my dad gave me a book (called The Love Dare) to go along with the movie. Jim and I decided, even though we have no marital problems, that we were going to commit to doing the love dare. It's 40 days of dares to help you be a better husband or wife. So far we have made it to day 12. In one sense, it's encouraging to find out that we don't have a lot of the problems that many couples face in this life, but it's also an eye opener (at least for me) to see how selfish I tend to be, and how giving and caring Jim is. I am really enjoying it though- if you want to read through the book (after you have seen the movie) I have a pdf version of it that I can share. Just let me know.

Hopefully this writer's block will clear up soon, and I can get back into posting more.

That Boy Sure Can Preach

2011-02-26T10:00:00.000-08:00

Joshua has been telling us of his desire to preach since our annual meeting in January. Since then, he has been "play/pretend" preaching. It's hard for me to capture video of him anymore because he is always wanting to "see Joshua" on the camera (you could say he's his own biggest fan) haha But, after a couple of takes the other day, I was able to get several short video clips of him "preaching"... I must admit, he's a bit "sing-songy" and he may get a little over zealous towards the end but it still gives me the warm fuzzies! :)

Make video montages at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Anybody else that has raised or is raising a 2 year old with an extremely wild imagination and tendency to play a lot of make-believe?

Yet Again, More Sewing Projects

2011-02-13T12:43:00.001-08:00

In case you hadn't figured it out already, I LOVE to sew! I especially love to sew things for baby showers and friends who have had babies... Here are a few things I have added to my ever-growing list of fun baby projects:

(travel diaper changing pad)

(Baby Sling)

(Travel Diaper Changing Pad w/ Pocket)

Why Oh Why?

2011-02-04T07:47:00.000-08:00

We have hit the "why?" phase in our house.... and boy does it try a lady's patience!

Joshua: Momma, why you taking those covers off your bed?

Me: Because they need to be washed.

Joshua: Why?

Me: Because they're dirty.

Joshua: Why?

Me: They get dirty when we sleep on them.

Joshua: Why?

Me: Because our bodies sweat and get them dirty.

Joshua: Why?

Me (walking out of the room): Joshua, STOP ASKING WHY!

Joshua (running down the hallway behind me): WHY? WHY? WHY? WHY? (I am not kidding, he seriously did this)

(courtesy of Bekah's favorite cartoon strip)

2011-01-23T23:12:00.000-08:00

Troubles here below, often bring us woe.
Jesus is a friend always!
He will be with you, trust in him anew.
Jesus is a friend always.

Conversations with a 2 year old

2011-01-19T05:51:00.001-08:00

We had a wonderful spirit-filled meeting this weekend at Little Union. During the course of the meeting, Joshua told Jim and I at least 3 times that he wanted to preach. The first time I was not present when he said it. The remaining times, I "brushed" it off with the comment, "let's work on your song leading first" (he loves to get up before services and pretend to lead singing)

Then, Sunday night, as we were putting Joshua to bed we had this conversation:

Joshua: I gonna preach, daddy

Jim (raising his eyebrows at me): Well Joshua, if God has called you to preach, then you need to pray that God will help you to learn the scriptures and learn to be a good servant

Joshua (immediately folding his hands and bowing his head): Dear God, please help me to be a preacher, amen

Can you say lump in throat?

Joshua's Favorite Toy

2011-01-13T12:39:00.000-08:00

Is it the wooden train set from Mimmy?

no, sorry!

It must be the ABC Train (battery operated) from Poppa and Gigi?

Um, negatory!

It must be the Doctor kit or broom/dustpan from Aunt Ki-Ki!

Try again!

Well, then it has to be the HUGE dumptruck and blocks from Grandma and Grandpa, right?

Wrong again!

You mean to tell me, Joshua got all of these totally awesome toys for Christmas and they are not currently his favorite? Well, what, pray tell, could possibly beat out all those great toys?

You would be correct if you guessed a big box that has been turned into a playhouse- and as you can see it's plenty spacious for Joshua and a house guest (aka- daddyboy)

Quilt Suprise

2010-12-28T19:38:00.000-08:00

My sister got some good pictures of my mom and dad as they opened the quilt.

My Latest Sewing Projects

2010-12-25T18:18:00.000-08:00

Sara Abernathy and I were asked by one of the sisters at church to help put together a quilt for her daughter's school fundraiser. The kids decorated squares and we (Sara and I) put them together in a quilt for the school to auction.

It got me thinking, we could totally do a quilt for my parents for an anniversary or something (which is something my mom and her siblings did for their parent's 50th Anniversary)... and then, my sister Kerry said, "I am always looking for unique gift ideas, can we do a quilt for mom and dad and Matt's mom and dad for Christmas?"

Two quilts in 2months???? No problem!

I really enjoyed working on these two projects. I had never done a quilt on my own (I have always worked with a group of people, or as I mentioned before, with Sara). It was a little stressful having a deadline, and my house work MAY have lacked a little over the last two months... not too mention trying to squeeze in POTTY TRAINING... BUT... I think the end results, and the joy expressed by the recipients was well worth the 2" layer of dust on my bedroom furniture! :)

Call Me An Elf One More Time

2010-12-24T07:19:00.000-08:00

Can I just say how much I LOVE my Abernathy Family! We had a wonderful time Sunday night at our "Elf" movie party. We enjoyed yummy food... including the Elves four basic food groups: Candy, Candy Canes, Candy Corn and Syrup. Plus we had pizza and breadsticks and chips and hot chocolate and best of all we enjoyed great fellowship!

Thanks, Abernathys, for spending the evening with us!

Christmas Came Early

2010-12-20T09:40:00.001-08:00

Ok, so maybe you all don't think potty training breakthroughs are worthy Christmas presents... But let me paint a word picture for you.

We're going on a month and a half since beginning potty training. I have yet to transition Joshua from "nakey baby around the house" to "when you have big boy underpants on, you tell mommy when you have to go". We've had occasional moments where he I have asked him if he has to go and he says yes, (like at church) but today, we were pulling into the driveway having been out running errands and such and he says, "MOM I have to do poops" I coasted into the garage, grabbed him out of the carseat (car seats may be handy for major traffic accidents, but they sure aren't potty training friendly), and rushed him in to the house... and the guy held his "business" until we got to the potty!

(insert HALLELUJAH Chorus here)

Dust If You Must

2010-12-17T04:33:00.000-08:00

Dust if you must.
But wouldn’t it be better,
To paint a picture, or write a letter,
Bake a cake, or plant a seed?
Ponder the difference between want and need.

Dust if you must.
But there is not much time
With rivers to swim and mountains to climb!
Music to hear, and books to read,
Friends to cherish and life to lead.

Dust if you must.
But the world’s out there
With the sun in your eyes,
the wind in your hair,
A flutter of snow, a shower of rain.
This day will not come round again.

Dust if you must.
But bear in mind,
Old age will come and it’s not kind.
And when you go, and go you must,
You, yourself, will make more dust.

- – - written by Mrs. Rose Milligan

What's Your Favorite?

2010-12-11T06:22:00.000-08:00

There is a commercial on TV hosted by a local news station where the news anchors each list their favorite childhood gift. I thought it would be neat to hear from all "4" of my blog readers (hee hee) what your favorite childhood gift was and your favorite gift as an adult. (Even if you didn't celebrate Christmas as a child, you could list your favorite gift from anything)

My favorite gift as a child was the year we (my sister and I) got the entire HOTWHEELS City. It was soooooo awesome, especially the intersections where you could push a button and it would send the car "speeding" through the intersection- I also liked the intersection where the pedestrian was crossing (let's just say that pedestrian sustained many a broken bones)

My favorite gift as an adult: the gift of eternal salvation. I have come to an appreciation and love of my Lord and Saviour that I never understood as a child.... No gift could top it!

Remember When...

2010-12-06T22:50:00.000-08:00

Jim and I were dating- and overalls were cool?

We took photos just hours before Jim proposed?

On our wedding day my Father-in-law wanted a pic with us, so he took it himself?

We had a BRIGHT YELLOW living room in our first house?

We bought our second house- and it had ugly brown siding, roof and garage door?

We removed the ugly brown stuff and stuccoed and painted and re-roofed?

I begged Jim for "a" kitten and he decided 2 would be better?

I was expecting Joshua?

The Lord blessed us with the most beautiful baby boy?

Look how big he's gotten! Can you believe?

Potty Training Month 2

2010-12-03T21:06:00.000-08:00

Can you believe it is possible to undo in 3 days something that you've been working on for 3 weeks?

We had a minor setback with Potty Training the Sunday after Thanksgiving. Because we were visiting next door (Jim's parents live next door to us) with all the family for the 3 days surrounding Thanksgiving, we put Joshua in a pull-up the WHOLE time- and he did very poorly with telling me he had to go. I would take him in to use the potty periodically, and whenever I had to go, I would make him go too, but he generally had already gone in his pull up> Grrr!

So Sunday was back to nakey baby and he pitched a fit when we took his pants off... he was not happy. Then he proceeded to, 3 days in a row, poop somewhere on the floor (one time was at Gigi's house~ sorry Gigi!) The first time it happened, we had a talk with him and told him that he would be "disciplined" if he did it again- *and we did* Plus, he forgot to tell me both at breakfast and lunch that he had to go potty, and I ended up cleaning "piddles" off the floor :( Grrr.

But alas, tonight at El Bethel's church meeting. Joshua told me (during preaching service) that he had to go potty and when I took him in the bathroom he went and stood on the step stool and said "No, Mamma, I not go piddles" and I said, "Joshua, if you told Mamma you had to go and don't have to then that means you told Mamma a lie, and you get a spanking when you tell a lie" I sat him on the potty and he went piddles! Hooray. Then we got up 3 more times becuase he said he had to poop (which I think he really did- but the it wasn't until the last time that he actually did) I was SOOOOOOOO thankful. This would be the first time he has EVER told me he has needed to potty while wearing a pull up- Perhaps, we have had a breakthrough!

So after two steps forward and one step back, I think we made a giant leap tonight!

Conversations with a 2 year old

2010-11-24T06:05:00.000-08:00

Joshua (picking up the phone): I call Gigi

Me: No, we'll call Gigi on Thursday and wish her Happy Thanksgiving. Can you say 'Happy Thanksgiving?'

Joshua: Oh, Happy Birthday to the giving!

(no relevance to the story, just thought it was a cute pic)

Potty Training Week 3 Recap

2010-11-20T18:51:00.000-08:00

Well, as you recall, we went back to nakey baby this week and as well as Joshua did in week one, he has done even better this week.

When we do go out (church, walmart, library, etc.) he is not too keen on sitting on the big boy potty. And while we have a "reducer ring" that makes the big potty more comfortable for tiny hineys, he still whines most of the time when I have him try to go in public restrooms.

We made over to the Winter Garden PBC meeting today and 3 times I took him in to use the potty, and 3 times he went potty! (after whining about "don't like it") I was so proud of him that I asked "Daddyboy" to stop and get him a treat for the ride home. He got a Cherry Tootsie Pop (which is the biggest lollipop he has ever had- he usually gets a little dum dum from the bank teller) Well, we decided that it would certainly keep him busy for the 1.5 hour ride home. Would you believe that little guy scarfed that lollipop down in about an hour???? He does like his lollipops though!

This coming week is going to be very hectic with cooking, preparing, family coming into town, etc. But we are going to do our best to keep on this potty training!

Mindless Monday

2010-11-15T11:11:00.000-08:00

Here is my precious gem for this fine Monday~

It's hard to have a "case of the Mondays" when you go through the day thinking it's Tuesday. That is until you realize it's really only Monday and that it's going to be a LOOOOONG week!

Babysitting Baby KK

2010-11-14T02:52:00.000-08:00

Joshua and I got to babysit for Her Royal Spitiness on Thursday and quite frankly, I don't think we got to keep her long enough! She is so cute with her Mowgli (from Junglebook) stance boy does she LOVE watching kids play- she was mesmerized anytime Joshua was nearby (which was cconstantly- just in case she had a toy to play with that he maybe wanted for himself)

(I am sure you can't tell that Joshua is about to throw a fit because Kinley is in his SPACE)

If you will notice partially through this video, Joshua is nice enough to ask Baby KK "please may I have the truck" before he takes it from her (and I love how he looks at her when he's asking her, and has no concept that she will not be able to answer him)

Potty Training Week 2 Recap

2010-11-14T02:15:00.000-08:00

(Joshua reading his bible stories while potty training)

Potty Training is EXHAUSTING!!! Who knew? (besides every parent out there who has been through it) :)

I will preface this post by saying, this is not me complaining, because my son is doing exceptionally well with the potty training. However, we are going to revert back to nakey baby/mostly nakey baby method for another week or perhaps two. Perhaps I was a bit rushed to think that one week of nakey potty training was sufficient enough to move on to underwear training.

Having said that, he didn't do too terribly bad. I'll put it this way, we did not go through the entire drawer of undies this week (although, we did go through a lot). So we'll go back to no undies this coming week and give that some more practice. And we still need to work on that aim a little. We did go to Hebron PBC last night for church services and Joshua did great, no accidents and then right after church I took him to the "big boy potty" and even though he is not a big fan of the big potty, he did manage to go piddles (only because I stood there saying, "Joshua, don't piddle on mom" and he giggled and tried his hardest to accomplish that- what a boy!)

I leave you with this, a musical montage of what we sing when we're sitting on the potty!

Make an on-line slide show at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Potty Training Week 1 Recap and Week 2 Happenings

2010-11-09T05:57:00.000-08:00

Well, if you had asked me last Monday how I thought Joshua would do with Potty Training, I would have told you he was not ready, I was not ready, and we should all call the whole thing off. However, after the attitude adjustment(s) Tuesday through Saturday were a breeze. It's a little bit surreal that he picked up on potty training so well. As I mentioned in previous posts, we went with the "nakey baby" method (which is a little difficult when the weather in FL throws you a curve ball and gives you frigid arctic air in the middle of November) With the heater on, and a pair of socks and shirt, we went with the "nakey bottom" method. By the third day, Joshua was pretty much running to the potty on his own when he needed to go. I would remind him several times throughout the day. But he had really grasped the concept quite well. On Wednesday and Sunday, he and I sat on the back pew (towel on the pew) and he wore his big-boy underwear. He did great. No accidents at all!

Our lesson for week 2 is to get Joshua used to wearing underwear and the complications that come with that. I will say this about little boy underwear, I don't know why they make little boys undies so tight around the waste, he cannot get them off by himself. But that didn't hinder him in any fashion. He did great all day yesterday and would come and get me when he needed to use the potty. We even made it up to Walmart wearing underwear instead of pull-ups and no accidents the entire time! Anyway. We had one accident last night, the "I've got more important things to do" culprit appeared. But, we knew that would happen eventually. All in all, I would say that the Lord has greatly blessed this to be an easy transition. And I am truly thankful for that!

So we will just stay close to home this week and work on our potty training with underpants on and occasionally venture out to Sams and Walmart.

Facing the Giants

2010-11-06T08:44:00.000-07:00

Jim and I watched a movie last night called "Facing the Giants" From the creators of the movie "Fireproof" (which I still have not had opportunity to see). Can I just say, I LOVED this movie! I had to choke back tears and lumps in my throat during a good portion of it. There are some "worlds'" religious views in the movie, but I'd rather have that than smut, filth and cursing! One thing I said to Jim at breakfast this morning is that I felt like we could serve the Lord so much better than we are. The faith that was showed in the movie was moving! Here is a synopsis I took from the website:

In his six years of coaching, Grant Taylor has never had a winning season. Even the hope of a new season is squelched when the best player on his Shiloh Eagles decides to transfer schools. After losing their first three games of the season, the coach discovers a group of fathers are plotting to have him fired. Combined with pressures at home, Coach Taylor has lost hope in his battle against fear and failure.

However, an unexpected challenge helps him find a purpose bigger than just victories. Daring to trust God to do the impossible, Coach Taylor and the Eagles discover how faith plays out on the field and off.

With God, all things are possible

One preacher said recently, "Are you a big godder, or a little godder?" Do you believe God can do big things? I have seen it personally, and I believe he can!

Potty Training Day 4

2010-11-04T14:19:00.000-07:00

Can I just say, I am about as proud a peacock as a mamma can be. Joshua has taken so well to potty training. I am so thankful! Having said that, next weeks potty training will not be "nakey baby" style but big boy underwear style. He does great when he's naked as a blue jay, however he doesn't understand the concept of having underwear on... so we will stay in most of the week next week in nothing but our skivies (well, just Joshua, I will wear clothes) :)

If there is any wisdom that I may impart (which is actually what I learned from my big sis "143") is to barricade yourself in the house (don't plan outtings- although we had a couple of trips to the grocery store/library/eye doctor). We stayed in the house for the most part and did absolutely nothing but potty train. Now, this may only work when you have one child (or in 143's case one big kid and one little kid). But I definitely think it had everything to do with how quickly Joshua learned!

YAY!!!! We may actually be potty trained before birthday #2~ :)

The Joys of Potty Training (aka Potty Training Day 3)

2010-11-03T19:07:00.000-07:00

WOW~ Another great day today. It was off to a shaky start as we had some errands to run today. But after naptime, Joshua was on the ball with potty training. At one point he felt his "piddles" coming out and without me even telling him, ran straight to his potty! WOO HOO! (if we could only get him to remember his aim while ON the potty) :)

And then again, I saw him do a bit of a "poopy jig" and he ran to his potty and had another success! Plus, we put a pull up on him for the car ride to church and he stayed dry. When we got to church, I took him and showed him the potty, let him sit on it and he went potty while sitting there! WOO HOO- I then put big boy undies on him and sat in the back of the church with him and he stayed dry. I took him out twice to go potty, but he really didn't have to go, so we tried one more time before we left to come home. Then put him in a pull up for the car ride and that little man stayed dry even on the car ride home!

WAY TO GO JOSHIE!!!! MAMMA AND DADDYBOY ARE SO PROUD OF YOU!!!!!

Potty Training Day 2

2010-11-02T16:33:00.001-07:00

Whew! Today was a GREAT success! I will no longer be looking for gypsies to sell my son! :) Joshua had a great night sleep. While he woke up with a wet pull-up (I was much expecting this), he sat right down on his potty and went #2~ (T.M.I., I know) (I was half expecting that too since he had not gone at all yesterday!). Then he did his piddles a little later and we were off to a great start.

At lunch time, he had a minor accident in his booster seat, but on a positive note, he seemed upset about it and we got up several times during lunch to sit on the potty and he eventually went piddles! HOORAY FOR JOSHUA!!!

We had a dry pull-up after nap time! HOORAY AGAIN! And as the day progressed he started doing a little jig every time he needed to do piddles and he would RUN RUN RUN to his potty!

And aside from one minor fit (of course while I was on the phone with my pastor) we had a much better attitude today! WHEW!

I don't think I could have taken two days like yesterday in a row, so THANK YOU LORD for helping Joshua to have a great day today! (And thanks Amanda for the encouragement!)

Almost Thou Persuadest Me

2010-11-01T20:59:00.000-07:00

Persuadest me to what you ask? Hang up the towel on potty training and sell my son to the gypsies.

So you may have guessed Potty Training Day 1 was not as successful as one would hope. Now, mind you, we had no accidents on the floor, BECAUSE JOSHUA DECIDED TO HOLD IT IN ALL DAY! I put pull ups on him while I was getting ready to go to the eye doctor this morning (and he did "piddles" [as we call it] in the pull up), but when I went to the eye doctor and when he went down for his nap (both occasions he had on a pull up) he stayed dry. "YEA!" I thought, until I realized the boy wasn't going to use the bathroom at all, not on the floor, not in the pull- ups, not on the potty.... Grrr!

But would you believe that was not the worst part of the day. Apparently, the "Terrible Twos" myth/legend is rearing it's ugly head 16 days early. And not even over potty training. Let's just say we had an all out Battle of the Wills over me telling him to come and put his shoes on... I have never seen such defiance in this child as I saw today (it's no wonder, look at who his parents are haha)

Then daddy swooped in and intervened when he came home from work. With a little strong arming (if super gluing a child to a potty was not a crime, I would so be there) and a full 8oz glass of watered down ice tea, we finally had two successful potty attempts. Followed by another battle of the wills this time between father and son... You want to see a temper, just tell Joshua it's time to clean up and get ready for bed (That went on for what seemed like an eternity) I had to take some Motrin after that (but on a positive note, I folded all my laundry while Jim calmly battled the little booger)

All I have to say is AMANDA MIZELL (and any other parent of multiples) you have my utter respect in the potty training department! :)

October Happenings

2010-10-28T07:12:00.000-07:00

I took on the pleasurable task of babysitting for all of the nieces/nephew (except for baby Kinley) a couple weeks back. Before the other kiddos got out of school it was just Joshua and Lindsey. At lunchtime, Joshua and Lindsey got a special treat of eating in the living room while watching Barney on DVD. They were GLUED to the tv as you can see... but I must say, I didn't have to get on to either of them to eat.

We have been anxiously awaiting the arrival of Miss Lucy Elizabeth Franklin. I literally slept with my phone next to my ear JUST IN CASE I got the call in the middle of the night. I am very happy to say that I share a birthday with the cutest Lucy Goosey in the world!

(Birthday day was spent at the hospital w/ the Franklin Family)

(Birthday evening was spent with my in-laws and this delicious cake that my mom-in-law made for me)

(Joshua and Grandpa hanging out)

Since I was on call JUST IN CASE, I put off the potty training (I didn't want someone else to be responsible for that while I was off making googley eyes with Lucy). So we will commence potty Training on November 1.

In preparation of potty training, we converted Joshua's bed to a toddler bed and I must say, he has taken to it as if he has always slept in a big boy bed. The very first naptime, he stayed awake for 1.5 hours singing and playing in his bed, but he never got out. I disciplined a couple of times and he finally went to sleep. But it's been smooth sailing ever since.

We had a great photoshoot with Bethany last weekend. She's such a great photographer and is so patient with us (Joshua does not cooperate when it comes to posing) Here are just a FEW of my favorites (it was hard to narrow them down)

(Jim was plum wore out after the photoshoot. So Joshua let him take a nap with Puppy and Gator blanky!)

(me and Joshua just hanging out and being cheesey)

Glimmer of Hope

2010-10-19T03:07:00.000-07:00

Perhaps Joshua is not a perfect heathen. We took Jim's mom to a viewing on Saturday (for the passing of a relative). While walking around in the lobby of the funeral home. Jim and Joshua had a nice conversation about the angel statues and Jim told him a little about angels. When all of the sudden Joshua told Jim, "Dadda, I see God" at first Jim didn't understand him, so he asked Joshua what he said and he repeated himself. Jim asked, "where do you see God?" to which Joshua replied, "at church"

As Jim recounted this story to me, I had to fight back the tears. As a parent, my biggest prayer has been that Joshua would love the Lord as much as Jim and I do. Who could know the extent to which he "understands" (except God). But I would like to think that he HAS seen God, and I pray that he continues to seek HIM and grow in grace and knowledge!

Liar Liar, Pants on Fire!

2010-10-11T19:21:00.001-07:00

Would this face lie to you? Well, as a matter of fact... this little guy told his very first lie this weekend. Picture a very tired little boy, a long church meeting weekend and a new version of the boy who cried wolf. (Jim titled it, "The boy who cried poop")

Because of Joshua being tired and ornery, Jim was holding him during the church service (mostly trying to restrain him). When all of the sudden he wails "DADDDDDYYYYYY.... POOOOOOOOOP..... DIAPER CHANGE" Of course to which I immediately grab the diaper bag and head to the nearest changing table with him. Only to find out... there wasn't a THING wrong with his diaper... not even wet... How do you explain to a not even 2 year old about lying? I did as best as I could to explain to him that he was bad for telling us that he needed a diaper change when he really didn't- and after church Jim touched on the "Boy who cried poop" story (and as a side note has decided it would be a huge seller in the book stores and we would make $millions)

He tried it a couple more times and then on Sunday while I was holding him in church he told me he needed a diaper change. I told him that he needed to wait until preaching was done... only to have him leak all out of his diaper and I had to get up and go change his diaper and overalls (of course before preaching was done)... Grrr

I have a feeling we are in for some trouble with this little guy... On a separate but similar note, I will be starting potty training VERY soon! I think if he's old enough to lie about pooping, he old enough to poop in the potty! :)

It's My Potty And I'll Cry If I Want To

2010-10-02T09:12:00.000-07:00

In an effort to jumpstart Joshua's Potty Training, Sweet Mimmy went and bought him Thomas the Train "underpants" (as Elmo refers to them in his potty movie and book). As you can clearly see, Joshua is NOT crying in any of these photos, so who's crying? Well, I will admit- I get a little misty eyes seeing my sweet darling baby boy growing up before my very eyes. Joshua has had some successful practice potty training and I am thinking we will begin very soon with the full-on, nakey-baby, chocolate induced potty training. And to get Joshua comfortable with this new chapter in his life, Rex will be training with him (hence the underpants on Rex). Everyone should have a potty training buddy... don't you think?

Joshua-isms

2010-09-26T20:41:00.001-07:00

Don't you just love the things kids say? Jim and I tend to disagree on the whole baby talk thing. I don't necessarily talk baby talk to Joshua, but when he says a word incorrectly (especially when it's REALLY cute how he says it) I don't correct him but Jim thinks it's imperative to teach him the correct way to say things. But, lucky for me, Jim is not home enough during the week to make a serious impact on that end so... here are some of my favorite things Joshua says:

Hopikeekee (sometimes Hopikaka)= helicopter

Uppeyside Down= upside down

Oh Daddyboy (what he yells from his bedroom when he wants Jim to come to his room)

cancake= his very most favorite breakfast item, pancake

mac ronie cheese (said as three words)= any pasta item

shocker ball (I'll give you a hint- it's a black and white ball that is referred to as a football in some countries)

rammaw/ranpaw (he has stopped calling Jim's parents memaw and pepaw and is calling them grandma and grandpa now...well kinda)

dayee bled (you know, Thank you, God for our daily bread)

He's just so cute! Don't you think?

Day 30: A Dream for the Future

2010-09-23T19:30:00.000-07:00

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds, to meet the Lord in the air: and so shall we ever be with the Lord.
1 Thessalonians 4:17

Day 29: My Hopes/Dreams/Plans for the Next 365 Days

2010-09-22T19:30:00.000-07:00

Where do I even begin? With the financial trials we have had my biggest hopes plans and dreams for the next 365 days is to do all we can to stay on budget and try to regain some financial stability. My hopes are that we continue to trust in the Lord and that His will be done. My dreams are for my husband to not be so stressed out and be able to enjoy life with Joshua and with me.

Day 28: What's In My Diaper Bag

2010-09-21T19:30:00.000-07:00

(I very rarely carry a purse anymore, so these are the things contained in my daiper bag)

I've got keys on a ring for everything, my lucky rabbits foot, a bell a whistle, a feather a thistle a map of Connecticut...

Oh, wait, that's what's in my pocket (winking at my sisters) ;)

I have 8 diapers, a changing pad, two changes of clothes for Joshua, two travel wipe cases, 3 toys (A dump truck, a duck and a yellow submarine). A dreft pen, diaper rash cream, orajel, nose sucky thing, rod of correction, my wallet and keys and that is about it. There is usually a book in there too, but I think that is somewhere else right now... not sure.

Day 27: My Worst Habit

2010-09-20T19:30:00.000-07:00

I am a big twisted knot of bad habits.

As I told my hubby (and sisters) this week, I don't know how I made it through life without getting addicted to drugs and alcohol when I have the worst time with getting addicted to other things (like facebook, family feud, freecell, tv, food, etc...)

But my worst habit is my laziness... *yes, of course it's embarrassing to admit* but I struggle with it on a daily basis. I am working hard to not be idle during the day. I even had my hubby change the password on the computer so I wouldn't be able to get on it during the day... it's working so far. I do most of my online stuff after he's gone to bed.

I have really been praying about this bad habit lately, and the Lord has blessed me to see a light at the end of the tunnel (so to speak) and with a really detailed checklist, and a son who apparently was really craving a good schedule I have had a very good, productive week!

Day 26: My Week In Great Detail

2010-09-19T19:30:00.000-07:00

This is going to be less detailed than my post yesterday (simply because I do not feel like writing in great detail)

Sunday, went to church (had a lovely day in the Lord). Brother Buddy preached about God's Will. After church (and resting a bit) we went to Walmart and to Home Depot. At home I made chicken pot pie for dinner. We ate dinner and watched tv and went to bed.

Monday (started a new daily checklist)- woke up made the bed, got dressed, got Joshua up, he watched tv and drank milk while i made breakfast (and lunch for Joshua since we were going out). We ate, (and while slow pokey continued to eat) I cleaned the breakfast dishes up and vacuumed the floors (hallway, living room, dining room and kitchen). After breakfast, Joshua watched tv while I prepared for going out to lunch with my siblings for Kyle's birthday. I then got Joshua dressed and we read for about 30 minutes until 11:00 am when Kimberly came to get us. Went to Books A million and then Crispers. Then we left to pick up Brooke from school (yes, that is how long we were out) :) Kimberly drove me to Publix (where shopping is a pleasure, even though it's more expensive than wal mart). Played with Joshua for a while, then heated up dinner. Me and Joshua ate. Cleaned up the dishes (Jim's dinner was in the fridge for when he got home). Joshua got a bath. We had our praise time (this is the part of the evening where we all sit on the couch and sing hymns and try to work with Joshua on sitting still). Put Joshua to bed, watched tv Joshua kept waking up because of really bad congestion, finally just laid on the couch with him until 2:00am, finally put him to bed and went to bed also.

Tuesday, woke up made the bed, took shower got dressed, got Joshua up, he watched tv and drank milk while i made breakfast (and lunch for Joshua since we were going out). We ate, I cleaned the breakfast dishes up, Joshua watched tv until 10am at which time we had story time for 30 minutes. Joshua then went to play in his room and I cleaned the bathrooms. At 11:45 prepared lunch, ate lunch, put Joshua down for a nap. Caught up on my bible reading. Got Joshua up from his nap, gave him his milk, prepared for going out with family to celebrate kyle's birthday (this time for dinner). Got dressed and dressed Joshua. Dad picked us up at 5pm went back to their house. Got to the restaurant and had a wonderful meal with my whole family and Jim met us there after work. (got to feed baby Ka Ka a bottle for the first time). Went home put Joshua to bed stayed on the computer writing blogs/playing fam feud. Went to bed

Wednesday, pretty much same routine, got up, made bed, took shower, got Joshua up, gave milk, prepared and ate breakfast, cleaned up kitchen, started the crockpot with dinner, vacuumed, had story time, Joshua played in his room, I flat-ironed my hair, me and Joshua played together a little, i prepared lunch, we ate, he went down for a nap, I did my bible reading, got Joshua up from his nap, played for a little while, gave him a bath, served and ate dinner, got ready for church, went to church, another wonderful sermon about God's will, stopped on the way home for a choc shake, put Joshua to bed, watched some tv, played on the pc, went to bed

Thursday, same story, woke up, made bed, got dressed, got Joshua up, gave milk, made breakfast, ate, cleaned kitchen, dusted the house, had story time, borrowed mom-in-laws car went to bank, came home made lunch, ate, put Joshua down for a nap, did my bible reading, took a little nap too. Got Joshua up, gave milk, played ABC blocks etc. Prepared dinner, ate, sent Joshua to room to play and worked on a nursing cover for sister's friend, gave Joshua a bath, had praise time, put Joshua to bed, sent a couple of emails, watched tv, ate popcorn, played on the pc, went to bed

Friday, you know the drill, woke up, dressed, Joshua-up, milk, breakfast, clean kitchen, vacuum floors (including bedrooms this time), have story time, Joshua to his room for playing, mop the floors, break for lunch, Joshua down for nap, strip bed for washing, bible reading, finish nursing cover, Joshua up-milk, mom and josh time, break for cooking dinner, eat, clean kitchen, bath for Joshua, praise time, Joshua to bed, free time till bedtime

Saturday,

Day 25: My Day in Detail

2010-09-18T19:30:00.000-07:00

In case you don't know this, I have been writing these blogs (mostly all at one time) and scheduling them to post on their respective days. So this post is actually reflecting my day on August 31.

Slept on the couch with Joshua until 2am (poor little guy was real congested and kept crying because his throat must have been sore). Woke up at 8:30 am (Joshua woke me up by singing "Happy Birthday To Puppy" at the top of his lungs). Made my bed, went in got Joshua and changed his diaper. Warmed his milk and sat him on the couch to watch Curious George (one of his very most favorite tv shows). While he drank his milk, I made pancakes. We ate our pancakes together and I cleaned up the kitchen while he finished.

After breakfast, we brushed teeth, got dressed and at 10:00am we had story time. I set the timer for 30 minutes and we read The Very Hungry Caterpillar, Baby's First (Golden) Book, Joshua's personalized Disney Cars Book, we looked at a seek and find picture book. And read his ABC Train book.

When the timer rang, Joshua went to his room to play while I cleaned the bathrooms. My mom-in-law came for a visit at 11:30 and Joshua dumped all his ABC blocks on the floor to play with while "Me-maw" was visiting. At 11:45, I prepared lunch for me and Joshua (we had leftover chicken pot pie ("bot bye" as Joshua calls it). After lunch, I put Joshua down for a nap. While he slept, I cleaned the kitchen from lunch time and talked on the phone with Kyle and mom. At 1:45, I sat down to read my bible. I missed my reading yesterday and Sunday so I read Proverbs 29, 30 and 31 and I am reading in Joshua right now also so I read Joshua 8-10. I then read a few more chapters in To Train Up A Child.

At 2:40 Joshua woke from his nap. I warmed his afternoon milk and let him watch his Barney movie while I prepared things for going out later (to celebrate Kyle's birthday). At 4:15, Joshua and I got dressed for going to dinner, and cleaned up toys and books. Dad picked us up at 5:00pm on his way home from work and we went to mom and dad's house so dad could get ready for dinner. We left at about 5:50pm (that's miller-tarry time which is about 10-15 minutes fast).

We arrived at Louie Macks steakhouse and were sat right away. They gave us our own private dining room (it was quite nice). Everyone arrived at the restaurant (Jim made it just in time for the waiter to take his order). I had the prime rib with mashed potatoes and it was DE-LISH! We enjoyed great time with the family for this special occasion (I got some good quality time with Baby Ka-Ka and also with Lindsey.

We left the restaurant at 9pm and came home where we got Joshua ready for bed and did our bedtime ritual with him. Jim was really tired (poor guy is completely burned out from work) so he went on to be too. I stayed up to get in my computer time. I have been staying off the computer until the evening so I can stay on task throughout the day (it is working very well so far). And after I finish this post. I am headed to bed!

Good night!

Day 24: Where I Live

2010-09-17T19:30:00.000-07:00

Mulberry... not the cultural high point of the good ol' USA, but a place I have loved to call home for the past 4 years. We live in a very quiet subdivision that was developped in the 1970's (our home was built in 1978- what a great year). To our knowledge there were only 2 owners prior to us purchasing the home. The first owners lived here from 1978 to 1984. Then the owners from whom we purchased retired here from OH and lived here from 1984 until 2006. The house was immaculate when we moved in (noticed I said "was") It looked as though it had just been built... in 1978 (not modern by any means, but very well maintained). Since moving in, we have gutted the living room (jim removed a 3/4 wall that divided the dining room and the living room) raised the floor (it was a sunken living room) and put in hardwood bamboo floors. He enclosed the laundry room (which was in the garage) and made a doorway from inside the house so I have an indoor laundry room (which I LOVE). There have been very few other changes made. We took the wallpaper down in the Master Bath and painted, but that's about it.

Please be in prayer for us as we continue to work with a real estate attorney to try to re-negotiate with the bank (so that we can stay in the house)

Day 23: A Youtube Video

2010-09-16T19:30:00.000-07:00

Il Divo singing Amazing Grace live at the Coliseum in Rome.

And my personal favorite Youtube video (of course it's my favorite cause it's a video of my Joshua!) I am sure it will make you laugh! :)

Day 22: A Website

2010-09-15T19:30:00.000-07:00

The Duggar Family

This truly is an amazing family.

Day 21: A Recipe

2010-09-14T19:30:00.000-07:00

Vegetarian Tortilla Pie (from Good Housekeeping)

I make this recipe at least twice a month. It is SOOOOOO good and so super simple. And healthy to boot! :)

4 10" flour tortillas
1 8 oz. can tomato sauce
1 (12 oz) jar medium salsa
1 can no-salt corn, drained
1 can black beans, rinsed and drained
6 oz. reduced fat Mexican blend cheese (cheddar or Monterey can be used too)

1/2 cup packed fresh cilantro leaves (I used 1/8 cup dried cilantro)

Preheat oven to 450°F. Spray the bottom of a 15x10 1/2" jelly roll pan with cooking spray.

In a small bowl, combine tomato sauce and salsa. In medium bowl, combine corn, black beans and cilantro.

Place one tortilla in the bottom of the jelly roll pan. Top with 1/3 of the salsa mixture, then 1/3 of the black bean/corn mixture then 1/3 of the cheese. Repeat layers twice, ending with the last tortilla.

Place in oven and heat for 10-12 minutes.

Day 20: A Hobby of Mine

2010-09-13T19:30:00.000-07:00

I love to sew, and I have really enjoyed making nursing covers for several sisters in our church (as well as some friends of my sisters). I have several projects ahead of me, just not sure when I will get to them

Day 19: A Talent of Mine

2010-09-12T19:30:00.000-07:00

I don't really consider myself to be talented at anything. If you ask my family they will say I am a talented singer, and perhaps a talented sewer. But, I think I am just average- though I love to do both those things. I know there are a lot of people that are a lot better than I at both.

Day 18: My "Past" Wedding

2010-09-11T19:30:00.000-07:00

It all started because Sister Gayle asked me if I liked Jim as much as he liked me: (I did, but I was not at a place in my life where I was available to have such feelings). Afraid that Jim would move on before I was available, I (contrary to all I was taught) approached Jim with my feelings for him and he told me he had already planned on waiting for me... (The Lord was already working) :)

On October 25, 2003 (I think- I remember it was not too long after my birthday) Jim took me to a beautiful formal restaurant where he proposed. We were married on May 8, 2004. My Matron on honour was my lovely sister, Kerry (I was Kimberly's maid of honour, Kimberly was Kerry's maid of honour and Kerry was my matron of honour). I had two other bridesmaids, my sister Kimberly and my friend from church Rachael. Jim's Best Man was my brother, Kyle. And Matthew (Kerry's hubby) and Phil (Kimberly's hubby) were his groomsmen. We had the most adorable Junior Bridesmaid, Tess (Jim's niece) and Ring Bearer, Ethan (Jim's nephew) - and even though you might think it was my day since I was the bride, it was actually the two most precious flower girls anyone has ever had in their bridal party that stole the show! Abbey and Brooke (both were 4 at the time- if I remember correctly) Brooke (who is a little CDO like her mom) was not very happy about throwing flower petals on the floor.. it was after all just a huge mess. So as they walked down the aisle, Abbey threw the petals and Brooke stepped on them :) Our Pastor at the time, Brother Steve, married us, our Ushers were Rachael's dad, Chris and my cousin, Bill (who Jim worked with prior to ever meeting me). We had the best photographer, Danny Cruz (of Lakeland, FL). We were truly blessed with the family and friends that attended, and while it went by so fast and all I have are pictures as reminders, it is by far my fondest of memories as it was the day I married my best friend!

Day 17: An Art Piece

2010-09-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

I hope I don't get in trouble for posting this on my blog. I know the artist personally, but didn't ask his permission to post it:

Jim's Uncle Richard is an artist. He works with a media called digital art and I think he is absolutely phenominal. I took this image from his website. It's called Flight Path and it's part of his "abstract" works.

Day 16: A Song That Makes Me Cry (or nearly)

2010-09-09T19:30:00.000-07:00

Show Pity Lord, O Lord Forgive
Show pity, Lord, O Lord, forgive,
Let a repenting rebel live:
Are not Thy mercies large and free?
May not a sinner trust in Thee?

My crimes are great, but not surpass
The power and glory of Thy grace:
Great God, Thy nature hath no bound,
So let Thy pardoning love be found.

Should sudden vengeance seize my breath,
I must pronounce Thee just in death;
And if my soul were sent to hell,
Thy righteous law approves it well.

Yet save a trembling sinner, Lord,
Whose hope, still hovering round Thy Word,
Would light on some sweet promise there,
Some sure support against despair.

O Depth of Mercy! Can it be
that Mercy's still reserved for me?
Ah, can my God His wrath forbear,
And me the chief of sinners spare?

Mt Zion Primitive Baptist Church of Gray, Ga - Show Pity Lord

Day 15: My Dream Home

2010-09-08T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have always been drawn to Plantation Homes. I love the large wrap-around porches, and generally there is always a grand staircase as you enter a plantation home. It's the very picture of Southern Hospitality don't you think?

Day 14: A Non-fictional Book

2010-09-07T19:30:00.000-07:00

As Kerry stated in her post of favorite books, I too am reading the book To Train Up A Child. I am really gaining some good tips on training Joshua. However, there is one book I would really like to read: (this was prior to the birth of their 19th child and is in ref. to the parents + 18 children)

(Publisher's Description) This practical, positive book reveals the many parenting strategies that Jim Bob and Michelle Duggar use as they preside over America's best-known mega-family. Each time a new baby arrives, the press from around the world clamors for interviews and information. Visitors are amazed to find seventeen (baby number eighteen is due January 1, 2009) well-groomed, well-behaved, well-schooled children in a home that focuses on family, financial responsibility, fun—and must importantly, faith.
Readers will learn about the Duggars' marriage—how they communicate effectively, make family decisions, and find quality time alone. They'll discover how the Duggars manage to educate all their children at home, while providing experiences that go beyond the family walls, through vacations and educational trips. And they'll see how the Duggar family manages their finances and lives debt-free—even when they built their own 7,000-square-foot house.

Answering the oft asked question—How can I do with one or two children what you do with seventeen(soon to be eighteen)?—Jim Bob and Michelle reveal how they create a warm and welcoming home filled with what Michelle calls "serene chaos." They show how other parents can succeed whether they're rearing a single child or several. With spiritual insights, experience-based wisdom, practical tips, and plenty of humorous and tender anecdotes, the Duggars answer the questions that pour into the family's Web site on a daily basis—especially after every national media interview and TV appearance—including their segments on the Discovery Health Channel's "Meet the Duggars" series.

Day 13: A Fictional Book

2010-09-06T19:30:00.000-07:00

Published in 1985, this is the only book required by the school system to ever make it on my "I can't put it down" list. I have never been a huge fan of sci-fi but this book (and the movie Gattaca) are two that I thought were awesome.

(Book introduction from the website)Ender's Game is a science fiction novel that tells the story of Andrew Wiggin (nicknamed Ender by his sister, Valentine.) The story takes place on Earth in the future. Earth has been attacked twice by an alien species called Buggers, nearly destroying the human race. Mankind begins training young geniuses to become soldiers and commanders to fight in Earth's defence if the Buggers should ever attack again. Ender is extremely intelligent, and at the age of six years old, he goes to Battle School to be trained. Ender quickly rises to the top in Battle School and begins training in order to command Earth's fleet.

Super Good Book!

Updated "Day 11 Recent Photo Of Me"

2010-09-06T13:24:00.001-07:00

So I mentioned on Day 11 that I would post a photo from our trip to the Central Florida Zoo. Well, I lied. Instead, I will post a photo from our trip to Lowry Park Zoo (after a little research and reading of reviews, we determined our time would be better spent at Lowry Park than the Cen Fl Zoo. I really didn't like any of the pictures with me "posing" for the camera, but here's a pic of Joshua with me in it! :)

Day 12: Something I Am OCD About

2010-09-05T19:30:00.000-07:00

First of all, if you REALLY knew me, you would have laughed at this title knowing that I am OCD about NOTHING... Now if you asked me what am I a hypochondriac about that would be another story. So, I am going to tell you what my oldest sister, Kimberly (aka 143) says about OCD:

"I'm CDO, that's OCD with the letters in the correct ABC order" :)

Day 11: A Recent Photo of Me

2010-09-04T19:30:00.000-07:00

I really don't enjoy having my picture taken, so the most recent is from our trip to Marie Selby Botanical Gardens (and that was back in May) But stay tuned because we are going to go to the Central Florida Zoo on Monday and perhaps I will have an updated photo for you!

Day 10: Photo of Me From Over 10 Years Ago

2010-09-03T19:30:00.000-07:00

Yeah.... here's the thing, I have no pictures scanned from me from 10 years ago (and plus that's a part of my life that I would rather not revisit.. so the oldest picture I have was from June 2003 (This was during the time when Jim and I were "not dating") ;)

Perhaps one of my dear sisters may have a picture of me from over 10 years ago and if they send it to me via email I will post it- other wise 7 years is as far back as I can go! :)

Day 9: A Photo I Took

2010-09-02T19:30:00.000-07:00

The tv in our bedroom gave up the ghost about a month ago so we now only have the one tv in our living room. However, every once in a while we'll move the tv into the bedroom (because it's just so darn comfortable to lay in bed and watch tv.) This was taken a couple of weeks ago while Joshua was drinking his milk and watching tv while laying in daddy's bed (it's daddy's bed on the side Jim sleeps and mommy's bed on the side I sleep) :)

Day 8: Photo That Makes Me Angry & Sad

2010-09-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Need I say more?

Day 7: Photo That Makes Me Happy

2010-08-31T19:30:00.000-07:00

Day 6: 20 of My Favorite Things

2010-08-30T19:30:00.000-07:00

Raindrops on Roses and Whiskers on Kittens... well of course I am going to sing the song from The Sound of Music... because when I here "My Favorite Things" that's what I think of... which brings me to... uhhh... #6 on my list

1. God's Grace
2. Jim/Joshua (how could I possibly prefer one over the other?)
3. My Family (which includes Jim's family)
4. My Pastor and Family
5. My church family
6. Singing
7. NY (esp. in July)
8. Memories of our trip to San Fran
9. Memories of camping with my family
10. Melting Pot
11. Italian food...umm...make that "Food"
12. cooking/baking
13. back massages
14. being pregnant (even with the morning sickness, I LOVED being pregnant)
15. being suprised with fresh flowers for no reason at all
16. birthday lunches with my siblings
17. Playing games (any board game or card game)
18. Laughing
19. Did I mention Singing?
20. Soda

Day 5: Favorite Quote

2010-08-29T19:30:00.000-07:00

I have a lot of favorite movie quotes, while most are incredibly funny, none are worth sharing. However, just this week I read on The Duggars website (they are the parents of 19 children and have a tv show on Discovery channel called 19 and counting) that Jim Bob (yes that is the dad's real name) shared with Michelle (at the time she was just a girl he went on a date with) a principle he learned at a dating seminar at his church this is taken directly off their website so therefore it is a quote! :)

"...the relationship triangle that’s formed when a boy and girl set their hearts on God. God being at the top of the triangle, then the closer each one moves toward God, the closer the boy and girl move toward each other. "

Is that not the most simple, yet beautiful image?

Day 4: Favorite Book

2010-08-28T19:30:00.000-07:00

I think this may be the one area in which I TOTALLY don't fit in with my mom and sisters... I LOATHE reading! LOATHE I TELL YOU!!! I used to like reading these really sappy "main character is dying and falls in love" books (when I was a teenager) You know the kind that romanticizes fatal diseases... (yeah, I am not sure why I was in to these books) but now, I barely even make it through a magazine article (although I love reading blogs) :)

So, my list of favorite books is narrowed down to 2

NUMBER 1 and most important is The Authorized King James Version of the Holy Bible (in it contains all God's wisdom that HE divinely inspired to be written for our use throughout all ages) If I need to know how to deal with my bad habit of laziness, I can find God's guidence in the word. If I need to discipline Joshua, I can find instruction in the word. If I need to know how to be a good wife, I can look right in the passages of Proverbs regarding the Virtuous Woman

Number 2 is my favorite book to read/recite to Joshua
They Rock... and Rock... and Rock... to sleep (followed by slamming the book shut and saying "The End"

Day 3: Favorite Television Program

2010-08-27T19:30:00.000-07:00

By now you are seeing a pattern with me. I cannot choose just ONE of anything. So here's my list.

Favorite Comedy: Big Bang Theory

Favorite Drama: Grey's Anatomy

Favorite Crime Drama: Criminal Minds and Rookie Blue (just started watching and really like it)

Favorite Reality Show: The Apprentice

Favorite Game Show (not sure if this counts) Wipe Out

Day 2: Favorite Movie

2010-08-26T08:00:00.000-07:00

Just as I have many songs that are "Favorites", I have many favorite movies too.

Favorite Disney Movie: Little Mermaid & Beauty & the Beast are tied. I can sing just about every song in both movies, and I just love them!

Favorite Comedy: That is SOOOOO tough, I am a huge comedy fan, so I would have to ask myself, what movie would I watch over and over no matter what? It's a toss up between Dodgeball and Elf... Favorite lines-
Dodgeball: If you can dodge a wrench then you can dodge a ball
Elf: I'm a cotton-headed ninny-muggins.

Favorite Drama: No question about it my alltime favorite drama is Men Of Honor... I wish the language wasn't so bad, but the story line is AWESOME and it is based on a true story

Favorite Action Film: That's kind of a tough one. I love the Bourne Series, and I love the Ocean's movies (the newer ones, not the original).

Favorite Chick Flick: This one is a toss up too: I really like 13 Going on 30, but I also like Hope Floats (just about any Sandra Bullock film actually)

Favorite Scary Movie: I don't watch very many scary films, so it's not hard to choose Sixth Sense

And last but the top of my list (not sure the genre) Anne of Green Gables.

Day 1: Favorite Song

2010-08-25T19:30:00.000-07:00

With so many songs from which to choose, it will be hard to narrow it down. I will give you 3 of my favorites.

Joshua and I are ALWAYS singing (and that is almost not an exaggeration)- we sing when we're eating breakfast, lunch and dinner (my mom always told me not to sing at the table). We sing before nap time, before bedtime, during our bath time, when we brush our teeth when we wash our hands... we just LOVE singing.

Having said that, my favorite song to sing to Joshua right now (which is the song he asks me to sing the most) is "That's How Much I Love You" (my mom would sing this to me when tucking me in at night too, so it's a special song for that reason.)

One of the lines in the song is:
If I had a nickel I know what I would do
I'd spend it all for candy (we sing candy, cookies, cuppycakes, rockets, etc.) and give it all to you
I'd spend it all for candy and give it all to you
Cause that's how much I love you baby (I sing "Joshie") that's how much I love you

My Favorite Church Song is: #603 O Come Let Us Worship (by John J. Overholt)

I love the melody, the harmony, and most of all the instruction taken from Psalms 95:6 O come let us worship and bow down: let us kneel before the Lord our maker. It's a song purely of worship and thanksgiving to our Lord and Master! I just love it!

And finally, my favorite secular song is from the concert Jim took me to last year (Celtic Thunder) Take Me Home

30 Day Blog Journal

2010-08-25T10:48:00.000-07:00

My amazingly awesome super terrific totally cool sister is doing this on her blog, and as most people accuse me of wanting to BE my sister, I am in fact going to totally copy her idea:

30 Day Blog Journal

Day 1 - your favorite song

Day 2 - your favorite movie

Day 3 - your favorite television program

Day 4 - your favorite book

Day 5 - your favorite quote

Day 6 - 20 of my favorite things

Day 7 - a photo that makes you happy

Day 8 - a photo that makes you angry/sad

Day 9 - a photo you took

Day 10 - a photo taken over 10 years ago of you

Day 11 - a photo of you recently

Day 12 - something you are OCD about

Day 13 - a fictional book

Day 14 - a non-fictional book

Day 15 - your dream house

Day 16 - a song that makes you cry (or nearly)

Day 17 - an art piece (drawing, sculpture, painting, etc)

Day 18 - my wedding/future wedding/past wedding

Day 19 - a talent of yours

Day 20 - a hobby of yours

Day 21 - a recipe

Day 22 - a website

Day 23 - a youtube video

Day 24 - where I live

Day 25 - your day, in great detail

Day 26 - your week, in great detail

Day 27 - my worst habit

Day 28 - whats in my handbag/purse/diaper bag (for those of us who don't carry a purse at the moment)

Day 29 - hopes,dreams and plans for the next 365 days

Day 30 - a dream for the future

That's Child's Play

2010-08-09T09:05:00.000-07:00

It is one of the hottest summers I can ever remember here in good ol' Florida! I was thinking about all the time we used to spend outside playing games and how, as an adult- I really hate being outside (unless it's nice cool weather). But it made me think about the old time games me and my sisters used to play (and a couple of kids from the neighborhood).

Ever heard of TV Tag? Freeze Tag? Ghost in the Graveyard (not one of my favorites)? Sardines?

The rules of the games were so silly, but as a kid- boy did we sure have a lot of fun!

With Freeze Tag one person was "IT" and the other people had to do their best to keep away from the person who was "IT". If you got tagged by "IT" then you froze with your legs a little more than shoulder length apart and you waited until someone else came and crawled through your legs before you could move again. If I remember correctly if you got "frozen" 3 times, you became "IT".

Like Freeze Tag, TV Tag had the same rules, except you had a safety net. If you were close to being tagged by "IT" then you would shout out a TV show as quickly as you could and you would be safe from being tagged- But don't EVEN try to call out the same TV show more than once, you will LOSE! :) I can remember shouting out on several occasions "Dukes Of Hazard" (oh, yeah! Bo and Luke Duke were quite the hit when we were kids) :)

Now, Sardines was like the opposite of Hide and Seek... if that makes any sense. Instead of everyone hiding and one person trying to find them, one person hides while everyone else counts to 20. Then the seeking begins, but when you find the hider, instead of chasing them back to base, you hide with them. Obviously the Loser is the one who is the last to find all the people hiding. I remember playing this one time at a park my Aunt used to take us to (one of the very few parks that had see-saws and a merry-go-round) and the oak trees were MASSIVE and made perfect hiding spots!

What kind of games did you play as a child? I can't wait until Joshua is old enough to start playing games like tag and hide and seek! Right now it's just hide and go peek-a-boo!

A/C News

2010-08-02T13:31:00.000-07:00

To ALL my readers (you know, all 12 of you):

Thank you again for the cool thoughts you sent our way. Joshua and I camped out in my and Jim's room with the fan on high and the blinds blocking out all the sun (it seemed to be the coolest room in the house). We drank lots of liquid and tried to move VERY little. (Well at least I tried to move very little, it's hard to keep a 20 month old boy still for more than a few seconds at a time) But at around 4:00 on Friday, the A/C man got to the house, identified the problem (quite quickly) and proceeded to fix it. By 5:30 we had a working A/C again!

We left to go eat dinner (because it was too hot to cook) and thankfully by the time we got back home the house was cooled down quite a bit.

Is it hot in here or is it just ME?

2010-07-30T13:32:00.000-07:00

It seems as though my lot in life is to be surrounded by no air conditioning....

My car for 3 years in a row has had the a/c go out in the middle of the summer. The first time, we replaced it with a used compressor. The second time we replaced it with a new compressor. It was/is still under warranty, however the warranty outlasted the mechanic's business (he sold his business to a guy who has no intention of honoring the previous owner's warranty work). So we have been with out A/C in the car for a few weeks now.

Today, I went to run a few errands and when I returned, it was as if the heater was on in the house. And it has only gotten hotter as the day has gone on. I have called the a/c company and they will be here sometime this afternoon... I hope it is soon!

Perhaps you remember a little story I blogged back in Oct 2008 where I may or may not have in an enraged-pregnancy stupor accused the post office of breaking my a/c...

Well I will let you be the judge of whether or not they are up to it again. I dropped an entire soda on the ground on Tuesday (after getting out of the truck and going and checking the mail). Our mailbox lid is M.I.A. for several weeks now... and now the A/C??? Mr. Postmaster General??? I demand an explanation! (FYI- I am not pregnant this time, so I did not cry when I dropped my soda- I just said to Joshua "OH NO.... My soda's all flat and junk")

Our First Tomatoes

2010-07-08T13:43:00.000-07:00

We picked our first two tomatoes off our tomato plant the other day. It was so neat to watch how quickly they turned red after being green for so long. It seems like almost overnight that they ripened.

Since Jim is actually not a fan of raw tomatoes. I decided to cut the tomatoes to take over to my in laws for a snack before dinner tonight! (We're having spaghetti and meatballs, so why not have an appetizer of tomatoes and mozzarella cheese). I of course sampled before arranging the plate and I must say, it was/is one of the sweetest tomatoes I have EVER had!

We have a lot more tomatoes growing and hope to be able to make a nice tomato sauce with them. But for now, I am quite impressed with how well they turned out!

Cousins

2010-06-21T09:30:00.000-07:00

COUSINS

(author: unknown)

My cousins and I are the best of friends

It's fun when we laugh and play

I'm so glad when they come around

I wish that they could stay

My cousins and I are the best of friends

I know that you'd agree

They are so kind and I'm so glad

That they're part of my family!

Urgent Prayer Request

2010-06-07T15:24:00.000-07:00

My dear friend Melissa was told today there is a possibility that her baby girl may have downs syndrome. She is awaiting results from a blood test she took today and would appreciate everyones prayers. She will find out in 3-4 days the results. Please pray fervently! Thank You

Are You Full or Hungry?

2010-06-07T08:35:00.000-07:00

Have you ever been in a church service where you thought the pastor was as dry as could be and you got nothing out of the sermon at all, and then you look around and you see people who have been very moved by the sermon or you hear individuals talking about what a great sermon?... I remember hearing people say, "That preacher is on fire" while hearing others say they got nothing out of the sermon. But I have been blessed to learn a couple of things:

1). If you are going to church expecting to GET something, you are going with the wrong attitude. You are supposed to be going to church to GIVE: Give worship, Give praise and Give service to the Lord.

2). Proverbs 27:7 says: The full soul loatheth an honeycomb; but to the hungry soul every bitter thing is sweet. Are you hungering and thirsting after righteousness sake, because if you are even the hardest messages are going to be sweet to you.

I received an email yesterday that I thought put a very practical spin on this-

A Church goer wrote a letter to the editor of a newspaper and complained that it made no sense to go to church every Sunday. "I've gone to church for 30 years now," he wrote, "and in that time I have heard something like 3,000 sermons. But for the life of me, I can't remember a single one of them. So, I think I'm wasting my time and the pastors are wasting theirs by giving sermons at all." This started a real controversy in the "Letters to the Editor" column, much to the delight of the editor.
It went on for weeks until someone wrote this clincher.

"I've been married for 30 years now. In that time my wife has cooked some 32,000 meals. But, for the life of me, I cannot recall the entire menu for a single one of those meals But I do know this... They all nourished me and gave me the strength I needed to do my work, If my wife had not given me these meals, I would be physically dead today. Likewise, if I had not gone to church for nourishment,
I would be spiritually dead today!"

I pray that we will all be spiritually nourished and that we will be thankful for what the Lord has blessed us with in our churches.

I'm Not Sure He's Quite Ready

2010-06-05T19:07:00.000-07:00

Since Joshua's major binky breakthrough we purchased a potty chair for him because it seemed the most logical next step in the growing up process. I came right home, put the potty together, grabbed a book and the camera and captured on film Joshua's first introduction to the potty. Perhaps, it was a bit pre-mature. Just watch the video and see.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

I am not sure which is my favorite part. Was it the immediate attempt to stick his head in the potty, the potty seat hat, or the foot in the potty? What I didn't capture on film was his extreme disdain for me making him sit on his potty without a diaper. For now, it is a new favorite thing for him to sit on his potty (with his diaper on) so we'll try that out for a while see how it goes. No pressure!

Porch Garden Update

2010-06-03T06:40:00.001-07:00

It seems our little porch garden is doing well (as you can see we have a tomato on one of our plants). Out of the two tomato plants, we ended up taking one back to Home Depot because it was practically dead (the leaves were yellow and wilted looking while the other plant was thriving and producing TONS of flowers). Home Depot did not have the same type of plant that we returned, so we got a cherry tomato plant (don't be deceived though, the picture above is a medium sized fruit, it will get about 4"-5")

We have been using our basil almost quicker than it grows. We made some squash soup (which was delicious) and it called for basil. And to go with our squash soup, we made some delicious chicken panini's with fresh basil pesto... It was so yummy, but unfortunately I did not get a picture...

We cannot wait until our first tomato is ripe. I actually dreamed that I picked it against Jim's will just to cut through it and see what it looked like (as if I had never seen a tomato before) LOL

The best part about it is, Jim doesn't like tomatoes so I (and Joshua) will get to try the very first one! Jim just wants the plant to produce a lot of fruit so he can make homemade sauce!

Fear Anxiety and Worry

2010-06-01T21:30:00.001-07:00

I know I am not the only one who struggles with worrying. Almost every woman I have ever spoken with has told me it is a constant struggle for them and I know that the scriptures say it is a sin to worry.

Is it a lack of faith that causes me to worry? Is it a lack of knowledge? Why is it that when I lay my head down at night, my mind turns on and thinks of things when it should be shutting down for the evening? Why is it that my wonderful sweet husband can control his anxiety and lay it aside and my anxiety turns into knots in my back and hyperventilation?

My mother has given me some good advice on relaxation techniques (which I did try this evening and was unsuccessful). But why cannot I not lay it at Jesus' feet and forget about it?

Please pray for me!

Gajilinth Haircut

2010-05-19T06:00:00.000-07:00

I feel like I have cut Joshua's hair more than any other mom has cut a child's hair in 18 months. The last hair cut went fairly well. I cut it while he was taking a bath. However it is not his FAVORITE thing.

He has recently been showing much interest in Jim's electric razor. Jim pretends to shave Joshua's face when he is shaving. So we thought we would give the electric hair trimmer a try. We were going to do it on Sunday, and got busy and forgot. Then we were going to do it on Monday, but it just got too late, so I couldn't wait any longer. While Jim was at work yesterday, I got out the hair trimmer, sat down with Joshua in my lap and the longest comb (#7) on the trimmer and went to town.

I don't know why I haven't been using this thing the whole time. It made his hair cutting a cinch, and the results were FAR BETTER than when I was going willy-nilly with the scissors! :)

Major Breakthrough

2010-05-19T05:30:00.000-07:00

(Joshua @ 5 days old with his coveted binky)

Ever since Joshua's last dr. appointment (April 19) we have been trying to ween him from his pacifier (aka binky). After reading Amanda Mizel's account, we decided we would try the cutting of the nipple method. Slowly we have been nipping a little off each week. We were immediately able to get him back to only using it at naptime and bedtime.

Last night when I put him to bed, I noticed that he had his puppy dog's tail in his mouth (not an uncommon thing) so I offered his binky to him and he didn't seem to care if he had it or not. So I brought it out of the room and put it on the kitchen counter. I thought, "we'll see how long this lasts" (thinking I would be going in to his room in the next 15 minutes to give him his binky). But he went to sleep and had no trouble.

This morning, Jim was holding him while I prepared his morning milk and he noticed the binky on the counter. He pointed and smiled and said "Binky". Jim and I told him that he didn't need that binky. I asked him if he wanted to throw it in the garbage. He smiled, shook his head "yes" and said "garbage". So, we handed him his binky, opened the garbage can and he threw it in there. Didn't even bat an eye.

We are now binky free! The doctor said no later than 2 years old and here we are at18 months! THANK YOU LORD!

Now off to Walmart to look for a new potty...
I don't guess potty training will go that smoothly (but a mom can always hope)

Ravioli Fun

2010-05-12T08:41:00.000-07:00

Jim and I celebrated our 6th Anniversary on Saturday. We (Jim, Joshua and I) went to Sarasota for the day to the Marie Selby Botanical Gardens. When we got married, one of the things we did in San Fran for our honeymoon was visit the Botanical Gardens there, and we have since visited the Brooklyn Botanical Gardens, and it would be safe to assume that if we ever get to travel again, we will probably choose destinations with Botanical Gardens as well. We both absolutely love it! (and I will post a video of the pictures later).

On Sunday, after church, we continued with our Anniversary celebration (as well as my Mother's Day celebration) with a cooking date! Several years ago we purchase a couple of ravioli making forms (pictured below). We had actually purchased them for a cooking project not related to ravioli (and BTW- it didn't work). But I came across the forms when I was SPRING CLEANING (yuck) and said a couple of weeks ago that I wanted to try to make home made raviolis

We had such a great time, Joshua even got a little dough to play/eat/throw on the floor. Jim did the majority of the work (that dough is hard to roll out) and plus he is the real Italian (and I am just the wanna-be). After working with that dough for so long, Jim decided to take a short cut with the left over dough and make one big ravioli calzone (you will see it pictured in the video below) It turned out to be a YUMMY short cut too! All in all, it was the most delicious dinner I have had (but then again, I say that about every meal now a days) :)

Make an on-line slideshow at www.OneTrueMedia.com

My Mother's Day Card

2010-05-09T05:38:00.000-07:00

But don't be fooled by this silly card! My hubby made me French Toast for breakfast (Yum) and cleaned the kitchen, got Joshua dressed for church, told me to sit and relax before church (which is how in the world I wrote this blog before church). And tonight, he and I are going to attempt to make homemade ravioli (and of course homemade sauce to go with it) together.
(I am SUPER DE-DUPER excited about that part. I just love trying new things in the kitchen)

Be On The Lookout

2010-05-07T06:33:00.000-07:00

Borrowed Poppa (aka my dad) recently asked me to help him create a blog. I have created it, but have not yet had a chance to sit with him to show him the ropes. So please be on the lookout for the up coming blog:

A Word Fitly Spoken (www.silverliningsonny.blogspot.com)

I forsee many great posts with lots and lots of wonderful insights!

Quality Time

2010-05-03T06:23:00.000-07:00

Joshua and Jim have been spending some great quality time together in the early evenings. One of Joshua's favorite things to do with his dad is to go outside and walk all the way around the house: checking the plants, the trees, finding sticks beating on misc. items with said stick... he also likes to walk over to his grandma and grandpa's house and see if Buddy is hanging out in the porch.

He also likes sweeping the back porch for dad...

But of all the things he likes outside, the very most FAVORITE thing right now is the lawn mower (or as he says "mow mower") Kerry donated Brady's old lawn mower, which has been a big hit, but he really does prefer the real thing.