Christmas is coming!

I'm always amazed at how quickly the years go by. I remember when I was a child, older people used to tell me to enjoy each day, "because the older you get, the faster the days go by." Well, they were right. I'm not very old, but I do know that each day and all of it's moments are precious and need to be enjoyed.

I took a little flack for setting up my Christmas tree the weekend before Thanksgiving. But I figure, if the stores can have all their Christmas stuff up before Halloween, why in the world do I have to wait until after Thanksgiving to decorate my house? Seriously, this holiday is my favorite and I want to enjoy the wonderful look and feel of it as long as possible!

Plus, having a 4 year-old makes this even more fun. Casey loves Christmas and winter. This year I'm going to try to not be a scrooge about either one. I am struggling with what to get my family for Christmas. I love pictures, both taking them and getting them. So I'm guessing that's the direction we'll go this year. I've never been very good at picking out Christmas gifts. Part of my struggle comes from the fact that we already have so much, why do we have to spend a ton of money on more? I think I would rather take a family vacation somewhere and make a ton of new memories that way. Am I strange? I feel like we get the commercialized part of Christmas shoved down our throats. What is Christmas really about? Does anyone remember?

How can I honor Jesus during this time of year? Or better yet, how can I honor Him every day of the year? I find myself becoming so consumed with all the stuff in my life that I forget to make time for the one Person who has made my life possible! If I can change my eating/dieting habits, then I can most certainly change my daily habits and insert Jesus into every aspect of who I am!

I know this post was very random, but so am I!

Update Time

Ok, so every time I look at this blog I think, "For pete's sake, Faith, update it already!" So, here I am. I wish I had some pictures to upload and make this post perfect, but since I don't - well, this is what you get. I think the biggest thing right now is that I just need to write something to get over the hump of not writing for so long. Hope that made sense...

I'm sitting here at the computer with our beautiful Christmas tree glowing beside me, and Sports Center blaring in the background. Do those two go together? It seems that I should have Christmas music playing softly as I type. Oh well, I'm not complaining. I'm just letting you in on my life. At one o'clock in the morning.

Now that I've gotten over the "not writing" hump, hopefully I'll be back very soon!

Un-Busy?

It's funny how I always think that things will slow down when summer gets here. I don't know why I usually feel that way, because I'm nearly always wrong about it. I mean, why in the world would things slow down when the weather turns beautiful and there are a million and one things you can do when it's warm outside that you can't do in the freezing bitter cold?! I don't claim to be brilliant...

Amazingly though, this week is quite un-busy. I need to get some grocery shopping done. I have one photo shoot. We need to go to the pool as often as possible this week because it's warm outside. I need to do the regular household chores. And that's all. Really. Of course after this week, things take off like a wild horse, but I'm going to relish every peaceful moment of this un-busy week. Because these weeks don't come around often enough.

Why don't they come around very often? Because I don't let them. Which makes me want to actually schedule these kind of weeks - and I think I will. Why not? I feel so much more relaxed, and it's only Tuesday. So, here's to a relaxing summer!

Summer?

It's sad. My house looks like we've been having nice weather. Meaning that we've been spending the majority of our time outside! That's not a bad thing. I just need to be more efficient when I'm inside. I'll get there!

Today the pool is opening and Casey is chomping at the bit to get there. She's so funny! This year I'm having her start swim lessons and hopefully I can teach her some basics, too. After all, I'm assuming we will be there almost every day. I'm looking forward to the adult swim time. I'm going to take full advantage of it and get in a good workout. Last summer I went a couple times, not nearly as often as I should have! And wow! What a workout! I was really out of shape then, I can only imagine how bad it will be this year...

We are getting ready to take our "new" camper on it's maiden voyage. Next weekend we finally get to use Chris' creation and I can't wait! It's always fun to camp with friends, but this time we won't have to sleep in a tent and we'll have air conditioning! I'll post pictures as soon as I take them.

Casey was sick for 10 days with Hand, Foot & Mouth. It was awful! The pictures I posted earlier were only the start of how bad it got. Poor child wouldn't eat a thing and I basically had to force her to drink. She had a horrible sore throat along with blisters on her tongue, cheeks, gums and lips. Unfortunately, there's nothing they can do for this - it's viral and has to run it's course - but, wow, it was horrible. From what I read, I think she had an exceptionally bad case of it. By Friday, day 8, it was so bad, I called the Dr just to see if there was anything else I could try. She called in a prescription that I later found out was just to appease me - she never actually spoke with me. And that REALLY upset me! Enough so that I've switched doctors. Never prescribe something for my child just to get me off your back... In spite of all that, I now have my sweet Casey back and jumping to go swimming!

The nice weather and lunch is calling my name... Lunch, by the way, is homemade pizza made with olive oil for the sauce, fresh mozzarella and veggies. The best pizza ever.

Hand, Foot & Mouth....

I can honestly say that I did not know what Hand, Foot & Mouth disease was until this week. It has to be among one of the most painful sicknesses a child can get. Casey started with symtoms on Friday afternoon - fever, not feeling well - and by Sunday night she had sores all over in her mouth, tongue & throat. Her mouth is so swollen, it looks like she got smacked in the face. And it hurts. They say this lasts 7-10 days and this is day 5 of pain and suffering.

Unfortunately for kids, this is highly contagious. The best way to avoid it, is to teach your children how to wash their hands. I would say that I'm a stickler for clean hands, and yet, my dear Casey still got this. I feel so bad for her, if I could take this pain away from her I would in a heartbeat!

Notice all the blisters on her lips and tongue. It really is a horrendous disease. Thankfully, once this is over, she won't have to worry about getting it again.

Grandparents

Casey with Grampa & Gramma Dee


When I was a young girl, I loved to spend time with my grandparents. I grew up just down the road from my mom's parents and in the summertime, I think my sister and I were up there almost every day. I remember watching Grosdoddy clean fish while he would tell us the fishing story of the day. I remember helping Grosmommy in the garden and house. Sometimes she would even put little quilts in a frame for us to "quilt". Growing up with grandparents is a treasure. I'm so happy that Casey knows and loves each of hers!

Oh to be debt-free...

Chris and I are trying desperately to get out of debt. We've put ourselves on a strict budget and are throwing every penny on our lousy debts. I'm a big fan of Dave Ramsey's and have been inspired by all those people who call in to his show to scream, "I'm debt free!!" I want to do that someday. It sickens me to think that we could have been out of debt years ago - long before Casey was born - if we had been sensible and smart about our money... But you can't change the past, you can only learn from it and move forward. Which is what we are doing. And we are making progress, even on our measly little income. We've stopped using our credit cards, which is what got us into trouble in the first place! But now, it's the unexpected expenses that keep popping up - - Chris' appendectomy in February, major car repair in April, health insurance increase - - just to name a few. Amazingly, we're still making progress on that debt, even though we've had a bit of a setback.

I know it will all be worth it in the end. To be debt-free. Can you imagine? What would you do? I know what I'll do - celebrate!! We're getting a sitter and going out on a date - a real one! And we're going to stay on a budget so that this never happens again!!!

Complaining...

I am getting tired of this cold drippy weather! I want summer!! I'm not trying to complain, it just comes naturally when I have to wear a coat to go outside because otherwise I'll get cold... Ok, I'm done complaining. I intend to make a positive impact on my world today, and that means a smile and happy feet.

I'll start by getting off the computer - after I'm done posting this - and cleaning my house! The dining room table has a stack of papers on it, the laundry needs to be done and I think I'll clean the bathtub - it's looking a little grimy... When I get that done, I know I'll feel better - honestly! Oh yes, I also want to make cards with my daughter. That should be fun - nothing like a 4 year old with scissors and glue! *grin*

It's funny, because if it today were a gorgeous warm and sunny day, I'd be complaining because of all the things that need to be done inside... So here's to turning the tables on myself and that attitude!

Mothers Day

I remember how I felt 5 years ago when Mother's Day rolled around. I was sad that I wasn't a mom, and I felt a little sorry for myself thinking that I never would be a mom. But God knew what He was doing, and month later I found out I was pregnant. Now here we are, with the most beautiful, spoiled daughter in the world. And I'm the happiest mom around. Sure, there are days.... But the good far outnumber the bad. And I wouldn't trade a minute of it.

It was a wonderful Mother's Day.

Why do I procrastinate?

I wish I wasn't such a procrastinator. Seriously. If I would just do things right away when I think about it, then I can only imagine how much more I would accomplish in a day. Right now, for instance, there is a pile of laundry waiting to be folded, a dryer waiting to be emptied (and folded), dirty dishes and a stack of papers to go through. At least I stopped to write here - which I've been putting off for the past little while....obviously. Again, I don't know why. I mean, it's so easy to sit down at the computer and take a couple minutes to write something. It's not that hard. But for some reason, I procrastinate. And then, before I know it, way too much time has gone by and the job that should've been done long ago still sits there - waiting to be done. So what am I going to do about it? I think I will take a step in the right direction, and for the rest of today - I will not procrastinate. Tomorrow, I shall try the same thing. And we'll see if taking on this problem one day at a time will help me overcome this particularly unsightly flaw in my life.

Amazing. I feel better already.

A Wonderful Day

Today was both a sad day and a wonderful day. Sad, because it was the last Mops meeting for this year. Wonderful, because I realized that I have made 9 fabulous friends this year. This was my 4th year of Mops and by far the best. The ladies at my table just clicked. Our personalities seem to mesh well and we always have a great time together. It wasn't all fun and laughter, though. We were able to spend time praying for each other and sharing from our hearts. I think Mops really filled a need in my life the past 8 months like it hasn't in the past. Thank you, God, for these wonderful new friends!

The BEST Mops table ever!

Today was also a gorgeous day! Casey and I were outside again, planting flower seeds. It'll be interesting to see how they make their appearance since she did most of the planting. *smile* I'll be sure to take pictures. Casey is truly my sweetheart. She makes me laugh and cry, but I think mostly it's her carefree approach to life that keeps me inspired. For example:

My sweet, little princess

Who LOVES to get dirty

Ahh...Spring

I love Spring! (Although Summer is still my favorite!!) I spent all afternoon outside. It was wonderful. I tilled up my little garden and planted lettuce and onions. And plotted out where I want my tomatoes and peppers to go once it's warm enough. Hopefully I can get to my flower beds tomorrow. I'm finding that there is something very therapeutic about working in the dirt. I don't know if it's the promise of food and flowers to come, or if it's just the whole idea of being outside without having to bundle up...hmmm - I think it's the last part!

Everything is starting to look so beautiful outside. The trees are turning green. The grass is growing. The birds are nesting. Flowers are blooming. Spring just oozes new life and I love it. God really knew what He was doing when He made the seasons - except I'm still not sure about the usefulness of a 4 month winter...

I watched a documentary recently about how over-processed our food is, and it really made me thankful that I live in a state that produces so much food - naturally. I don't have to go very far at all to get grass-fed meat or home-grown produce. I've become so picky when I buy meat in the stores - Did you know that most of the "fresh" meat at Aldi and Walmart, for example, is a combo pack from the USA, Mexico and Canada!?! Why in the world is this country buying meat from Mexico and Canada? Oh. My. Word.

Ok, I'm done with my soapbox for now. Can't wait to see where Bulaga goes in the draft tomorrow night! Go Hawkeyes!

Michigan

Casey and I just got back from a week in Michigan. Chris' grandmother is living with his folks, and we thought it would be nice to go up and help out. I specifically went to help with the cooking and cleaning, and Casey went along to spend time with Grampa and Ganna. Casey had a lot of fun during the days with Grampa - he took her for a ride on the excavator, she really enjoyed playing in the sawdust in his shop - which made for a very dirty little girl. She also got to ride a 4-wheeler and pet baby chicks. She spent time playing with cousins and made friends with Armanda's cat, Igor. Needless to say, the week flew by and we are now home again.

Chris stayed home and, in his words, "made the paycheck". Hopefully, he will go with us on the next trip. I tried to have plenty of food in the house for him, since he's not known for his cooking. Unless you count cereal and frozen pizza...

Spending time with G'ma Eula was really a treat. She's bedridden, but has a seemingly good attitude about it all. I tried to make food that she would enjoy since she barely eats enough to keep a bird alive, and I think her favorites were the cookies - go figure. I think she's eaten so healthily for the past 20 years, that she rather enjoyed the "not-so-good-for-you" treats. I do what I can.

Now it's time to focus on life here at home. I really want to get outside and clean up my garden and flower beds, get some flowers, onions and lettuce planted, and mow lawn! I'm hoping that this weather is an indication of a fabulous spring and summer!

Irony

Looking around at my house right now, you would never know that approximately a year ago a friend came over to help me organize. Everything looked so nice and neat when she left and now, if I didn't know better, I'd swear someone ransacked the place. There are blankets laying over the couch and draped over chairs to make a "house". There are clean, folded clothes lying on the living room floor waiting to be transported upstairs, along with an undisclosed number of toys. There are tiny pieces of cut up paper laying on the dining room floor from a 4-year old's "project". There are dirty and clean dishes piled on the kitchen counter. The kitchen floor is so dirty that today when I dropped a dollop of dip, I didn't even bother to wipe it up because I HAVE to mop later anyway. The garbage truck got missed yesterday, so the trash is setting in the kitchen waiting to be taken to the porch. The dining room table is piled with papers and stuff I need to "go through". The play room, well, let's just say it needs to be cleaned up. Oh, and I need to pick my coat up off the floor where it landed when I came home from my house cleaning job this morning. We won't even discuss the irony of that last sentence...

Sometimes I wonder where my days go, and how at the end of them I find myself asking, "what did I actually accomplish today?" Well, yesterday morning I woke up and ate breakfast with my daughter. After that, we made masks - like the kind people wear to a masked ball. She added her fun little decorations and they turned out really cute. We made lunch together, and then baked a chocolate cake in the afternoon. I laid down on the futon with her and read stories and we took a nap. After supper, we watched American Idol together and then I read her some more stories before bed.

When I look at my day in that light, I guess I accomplished quite a bit.

Re-Connecting

I think I'm finally starting to feel a few Facebook (FB) withdrawal symptoms. It's been a week, and I've paid attention to a ton of things that were suffering from the lack thereof; however, I'm also starting to realize that I had let FB become my social life - yikes! I mean, it's FB, come on! How scary is that!? That's why I think I'm feeling the withdrawal. I guess you could say I'm feeling a little "lonely"? How ridiculous does that sound...ugh.... So, looking ahead - I am going to be intentional about re-connecting with my friends - in real life!

I had a good re-connect this past week. And it reminded me how crazy, and sometimes devastating, gossip can be. Oh man, I really want to be the person who does NOT listen to, participate in or encourage gossip. It's so ugly and amazing how quickly it can become this huge distorted monster. Seriously. I learned an invaluable lesson this week - when I hear something about a family member or a friend, I need to go directly to them. And I mean directly - do not pass Go, do not collect $200 - go directly to them. Psalm 39:1 says, "I will watch my ways and keep my tongue from sin; I will put a muzzle on my mouth..." That pretty much sums it up.

On a totally different note... Be sure to check out my new amateur photography blog "Enjoy The Moment". I don't claim to be a pro, but I sure do love to take pictures!

And the fast continues...

Let's see, I'm now on Day 5 of my Facebook fast, and I wish I could say that I'm missing it, but I'm really not. I'm kind of surprised by that, but it also tells me that it was something that I didn't need to be spending that much time doing...duh! I've spent more time with my daughter, my house is getting straightened up and clean again, my tax stuff is nearly ready to send out, the MOPS directory is almost done, I've started working on a scrapbook and that's just the beginning! Now I need to fill more of my time with "God-time". After all, isn't that the purpose of fasting? Again - duh!

I've been inspired lately, to do more thrift store shopping. I'm already a bargain hunter, but I've never really tried to define and then actually dress in "my style". So I've been trying to find my style. In the past I've bought clothing simply because it was cheap and fit, but now I'm trying to be more particular in what I purchase. It's another reason that I'm trying so hard to lose weight this year - so I can find more clothes that fit me! My inspiration has come from this blogger: Juniper James. I love her ideas and her sense of style. I don't think I was born with a natural sense of style; however, I do believe that a person can be trained - and I'm working on it!

Facebook Fast

Casey is a healthy growing 4 year old. Chris is recovering quickly from his surgery. And me, well, I'm trying to get back on track. It's been a busy February so far! Casey got sick right before her birthday, and it hung around for a week. Then Chris got sick. He was having pretty bad stomach cramps, and we treated it as though it was a stomach virus until the third day - when he said he was ready to go see the doctor. Well, he ended up with a pretty bad case of appendicitis - had to have emergency surgery! It ended up being gangrenous (yikes & yuck!) and was perforated!






He has a lovely 4 inch incision and was in the hospital for 3 days. What a way to start out the month! Fortunately, his parents were already on their way out to visit us and they were able to watch Casey while I spent most of my days and all of my nights at the hospital. I felt so bad that I wasn't able to spend more time with them, but Glenda kept telling me that she was so happy to be able to help out. And since they are so far away, I can totally appreciate how she feels. I would want to be able to help my children out, too!







I was challenged yesterday to fast from something until Easter, and for some reason, Facebook kept coming to my mind. Thus, I've decided to take a Facebook fast. As I was thinking and praying about it, I really started to see how much of my time has been spent on that crazy network. It's insane! I'm hoping to use this time to seriously reconnect with God and my family. I would also like to get back into blogging. I enjoy writing, and even though I don't consider myself very gifted at it - there is a certain amount of therapy in doing it. I've never really been a journal-er so this, in a sense, is my journal. I don't care if no one ever reads it, it's good for me to do this!

Casey turned 4 this month! I cannot believe how fast the time has gone by! Even though she was sick, I still made a cake and we had a present. I say "present" because I was a procrastinator and did not purchase her gift before she got sick and then we were home-bound for a week. So she didn't get her real present until a week after, but she didn't mind at all. I guess I learned that when I know what I want to get for a gift - to get it now - even if the event is months away! You never know what can happen... Anyway, Casey is thrilled to be 4, and keeps saying, "I'm 4, next I'll be 5 and then I'll be 6!" Just what mommy wants to hear - time moving faster...

So, all that to say, I hope to continue my blogging journey on a regular, consistent basis. No more of this once a month posting.

Tomorrow

I don't even know where to begin. This past week has been difficult, to say the least. Casey got her annual croup and is only now starting to get better. Needless to say, I am drained. I haven't gotten more than about 3 hours of sleep at a time in the past week, and it's starting to show. I have a great cold going and Chris is developing some nice symptoms, too. Today, my patience died and I had to dig deep to find some - which I did. Wasn't easy. But thank goodness we are finally on the upswing, so maybe tomorrow will be a better day!

Speaking of tomorrow, it's Casey's 4th birthday. I can't believe my baby is 4!! Wow. I got her cake done tonight, and I actually wrapped a small present for her. The sickies of the last week prevented me from going shopping like I had originally planned, so her real present is going to have to wait. I know, I should've gotten it weeks ago and there's no reason I didn't. Next year, I will. I really hope we are all well enough to celebrate tomorrow!

Well, it's nighty-night time for this one.

Bandwagon

So, Chris has finally jumped on my bandwagon - we are both going to try to lose weight this year. I can't express my relief that he's finally doing this with me. It's so hard to go it alone... Now he's also concerned that we eat healthier and not have so much junk food around - which includes my yummy homemade treats.... Hopefully we can make this work!

In the spirit of trying to cut back a bit on sugar, carb intake - I made a crustless pizza today for lunch. It was really good! I guess I shouldn't be surprised, but I am. Basically, I used hamburger for the crust - pressed it into the pan and baked it for 30 minutes, then drained it and added the rest of the ingredients. I added a little more sauce than I normally would for pizza, but since it's my own recipe, I know exactly what's in it and it's not loaded with sugar like a lot of sauces. I should've taken a picture - maybe next time. Chris said I could definitely make it again, so I guess that means it's a winner! Yay!

Along with the weight thing, this year we are trying desperately to get out of credit card debt. We made exceptionally bad choices in that area several years ago and are now trying to dig out of that hole. I look back at what our income used to be before Casey was born and I just cringe - we could've been out of debt YEARS ago! But that doesn't help us now, so... for the past 2 years we have been buckling down - especially last year! - and praying that we can be out from under that debt by the end of the year!

I'm trying to come up with ideas to contribute to that "loss" of debt. So, I'm hoping to pick up a couple of house-cleaning jobs. I don't really enjoy it, but it's not fair for Chris to be working 2 jobs and house cleaning is good money and would help out tremendously! I also want to get more involved with taking pictures. Of people, that is. :) I love photography and feel like there's so much opportunity out there. I'm really looking forward to seeing where this year takes me!