Monday, September 27, 2010

We are finally up to date!

This morning I have been posting like a mad woman! I didn't realize how far behind I was! I think I added nine or ten posts this morning. Be sure to check them all out! These pics were from yesterday. It is finally cool enough to put Bella in some of the clothes I bought her at the consignment sale a few weeks ago. I bought these adorable shoes for her at the consignment sale last week for only $5.00! And the Puma pants she has on (it's actually a track suit with a jacket) I bought for $5.00 as well! I LOVE BARGAINS!!!!!!!!Her Pebbles ponytail! =)
Yes her bottle is in the background. We are hoping and praying that one day we can get her to give it up. Milk comes from a bottle, juice comes from a sippy cup, and water comes from a cup with a straw. I don't know why she is so particular about things? ;-)
I LOVE these shoes! I almost didn't buy them, but for $5.00 you can't beat it! They are just like brand new! WOO HOO for bargains!Do you think she looks guilty?

Here's what you've missed...

Looking back over our blog for the past six months I realized that there is A LOT that I didn't write about. The pictures start at spring break! Then Easter Sunday we had Bella out in the yard. She was so cute with her bunny ears!
We were VERY busy over the summer! Garrett FINALLY (WOO HOO!) learned how to swim in the deep end! I little threatening never hurts. Our neighbors have boats and he REALLY wanted to go out on the boat with them. We told him that he couldn't go until he learned how to swim. WOW! HE DID IT!
I went to Milwaukee for a lia sophia conference. It was a lot of fun! Although, I'm still not a fan of flying. Maybe one day when I fly with people I know I will like it more.
Bella got tubes put in her ears. She did really well. I did write about that but didn't post many pics so here are more pics we took.
We took a family "staycation" this year complete with working on our landscaping and all. =)We had a lot of fun and hope that next year we will actually get to go some where!
Aaron got me an iPhone in March and that is the camera I have been using. The camera I got for my birthday a few years ago still works, but it is slow to take pictures. You know how technology is...if you've had it for six months it's outdated. Well, my poor little five year old camera is outdated. I think that's why I haven't posted much because I never downloaded the pics off my phone onto the computer. I just didn't take the time. SO, I finally took the time and now you can see our summer in review!

Super Smarty Pants

Bella LOVES the computer! She has a little play computer that my mom got her for Christmas. Unfortunately she wants the REAL computer and not her play computer. She is SO independent that if you try to help her she gets SO MAD and yells NO over and over at you! That's my girl! So we put her in her highchair and wheeled her up to the bar so she could play Dora on Nick Jr. Too cute!I wish you could see her whole face here! She is making the excited face where her mouth is in the shape of an O. =)

Randomness

Bella's First Haircut

So I didn't realize how far behind I have been on updating this blog until I realized that I haven't posted anything on here about Bella's first haircut! She was SO cute and SO good! I know she doesn't have much hair, but she did have a rat tail in the back and I couldn't take it any longer!Look at me! I'm a big girl in this chair!What is this thing they are putting on me?A little blurry, but she is definitely checking out what is going on!Niki cutting Bella's hair! =)

The Park

Bella and I were out one Friday running some errands and it was such a beautiful day that we decided to stop by Community Park. If you haven't seen Bella in a while her new thing is making animal noises. She has SEVERAL down (I can't decided which one is my favorite...the elephant, lion, or cat) and one sound is a duck. Well, my daughter has NO fear (definitely not like her brother was at this age). The ducks were quacking and she was quacking back at them chasing them. It was HILARIOUS! I tried to take some video, but of course she quit quacking as soon as I did. All you can see is the back of Bella, but you can definitely tell she is chasing a duck! =)Bella trying to figure out how to get on the swing...she was so cute!

Bella's early Christmas gift

Aunt Bea had a friend that was selling an outdoor playhouse and asked if Bella would like it. Uh, YES! SO she bought it and a slide for Bella as an early Christmas present. We have had SO much fun with it! Thank you Aunt Bea!Our neighbor Addison or "Aaee" as Bella calls her. Bella LOVES Addy!

Hello?

I absolutely LOVE this picture! Look who Bella is YELLING at through the window! She was yelling at Marlon! I don't know what she was saying but I could make out Marlon's name amongst the rest of the words she was yelling at him. TOO CUTE!

Bella's slide or her "WEEEE" as she calls it!
I couldn't get Bella to stop long enough to take her picture so her she is going into her playhouse. For some reason she always asks for milk when she goes in her house. =)

Sweet Bella

Aaron and I both went to Indy this past weekend...however we did not go together. I went on Friday for a lia sophia conference on Saturday and he went up Saturday to watch the UFC fight and came home Sunday. Needless to say I don't sleep very well period ESPECIALLY when he is not home. Then to add fuel to the fire Bella woke up with a night terror around 12:30-1:00 (literally 20 minutes after I had finally fallen asleep) and then she slept like a baby in our bed until I finally put her back in bed around 2:00. I didn't have the heart to move her because she looked so sweet and comfy!

The Living Room


OOPS! I uploaded these in the wrong order! Go to the bottom first to see the before and then work your way up to the top to see the after! =)








Friday, September 24, 2010

Happy Anniversary

Yesterday, September 23rd, was our FIVE year wedding anniversary! I know, can you believe it? It seems like just yesterday we were married living in our apartment and here we are five years later, with a house, a dog, a cat, and added one more member to our family. We really had hoped to be able to go away for the weekend for our anniversary, but funding for that idea was unavailable at this time. :-) With me being home and money still being tight (can you hear it eeking past you as I type?) we decided to stay home. But, me being me, I couldn't let this BIG anniversary pass us by! SO, I secretly planned to make dinner for my hubby WITHOUT ANY CHILDREN!!!! Yes, you read that correctly....NO children! And then, my hubby was trying to plan something for me as well and spoiled the surprise...almost. I didn't give him all the specifics, but I did tell him that I had childcare covered and all he needed to do was come home from work and I had the rest taken care of.
So, I made him dinner. I even got "dressed up" for the occasion...as much as I tend to dress up anyhow. He didn't come home to me wearing gym shorts and a t-shirt. I actually had on a dress, fixed my hair, and wore make-up! WOO HOO! Not something I do everyday now that I don't have to go teach 25 kiddos everyday. =) I made him his FAVORITE dinner of Cesar salad, Shrimp Alfredo (he likes Cajun seasoning on his), garlic bread, brownie cheesecake with whip cream and hot fudge, and a bottle of Sweet Marcella from Hubers. We never got to the wine, but the rest was delish!
Unfortunately Aaron came home from work not feeling so well so he ate and then took a nap while I cleaned up the dishes. After he woke up we stopped by our friends Tracey and Rich's house (THANK YOU!) to pick up Garrett since he got off the bus with Ethan (hence we didn't have ANY children while we ate dinner) to go to Skyla's volleyball game and he didn't want to go so he stayed there...again a BIG THANK YOU to Tracey and Rich for allowing Garrett to stay at their house, play video games, and eat their food. =) Skyla's game was AWESOME! They won all three games and Skyla was rockin' out her serves! Although, I missed her best part of the game while I was out in the parking lot getting Bella from Jimmy and Robyn. They were SO awesome to keep her for the afternoon so that Aaron and I could eat dinner by ourselves (I know I keep saying this, but it was REALLY strange to be in the house without any kids at all. It was REALLY quiet!). And then they even dropped Bella off to us at OLPH! I have the best brother and sister-in-law in the world! Then we took Skyla with us and stopped back by Tracey and Rich's house to hang out with our awesome neighbors! Skyla wanted to make sure that she was going to get to see Juretta before she moves to New Orleans next week. We are all very sad by that. =( So we hung out with the Coomers, the Gabberts, and the Cardinal-Kinslow-Rowland families for a bit before having to go home so Garrett could finish his homework. Skyla is SUCH A GREAT BIG SISTER! She helped Garrett with his homework.
The best part of the day was that at the end of it all we were all together and surrounded by people who love us and whom we love as well. I couldn't have asked for a better day! =)


I looked for a picture of Aaron and me on our wedding day, but didn't have any saved on our computer or online SO I chose this picture from Aarons mom's wedding. This is very similar to how we were dressed on our wedding day. I wore a brown dress that had a floral print on it and Aaron wore a shirt and tie. Pretty simple...just like us! =)

Thursday, September 16, 2010

YOU ARE BEAUTIFUL!!!!!

"The king is enthralled by your beauty; honor him, for he is your lord." Psalm 45:11 (NIV)

One word. Flabbergasted.

That was the emotion I had coursing through my body as I sat at the coffee shop discussing my weight issues with a friend.

I told her I had recently cut out certain foods from my diet, but was continuing to maintain my "happy weight," that number the scale just seems extremely happy to faithfully report whether I have eaten healthy and exercised that week or not. We had a good laugh as she described how sometimes she locks her scale away so she's not tempted to jump on it every day just to find out if she's still her same "happy" self.

As a result of this conversation I realized that if I am not careful I can easily al low the scale, or the mirror, to become a compass that shifts my focus and points me in the wrong direction. It seems illogical, yet at times I look to this digital device, or this earthly reflection to gauge my emotional status and essentially define me.

The Bible tells us that the God of the universe is enthralled with our beauty. Seriously? Yes, indeed! He thinks we are amazing and wonderful. Unfortunately, more often than not, we look in the mirror and only see our flaws; hair that's just a mite too frizzy; a tummy that's a bit too fluffy; and thighs that have a few too many dimples on them. My friend Renee likes to call her cellulite "the fingerprints of God." One time I shared that with a group of women, and one of them said, "Well then He must have REALLY big hands!"

So, what would life look like if we accepted God workmanship? Can you imagine how different we would feel about ourselves if we glanced in the mirror and told God "thank You for making me so wonderfu lly"? If you listen closely, I bet you would hear Him respond, "All beautiful, you are, my darling; there is no flaw in you" (Song of Solomon 4:7, NIV).

No matter your size or shape, the number on your clothes tag or your scale, you are beautiful! Let's embrace that we are fine just the way we are because if God says so, then it's true!

Dear God, thank You for making me the way I am. Please help me to have more confidence. I will practice defining myself through Your eyes and not my own. I am grateful, and humbled to be Your beautiful daughter, and I can feel Your approving gaze upon me. In Jesus' name, Amen.

Related Resources:
Shari's new book, Good Girls Don't have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Women is a complete, full-color, style guide with lots of pictures of real women of all shapes and sizes!

Visit Shari's Blog to continue this conversation and to enter a contest to win a signed copy of Good Girls Don't have to Dress Bad: A Style Guide for Every Women along with your own set of personal color swatches to help aid in choosing your best colors when shopping.

Do You Know Him?

Behind Those Eyes: What's Really Going on Inside the Souls of Women by Lisa Whittle

Application Steps:
Make a list of five things you really like about your outer appearance.

When you find yourself in a funk, remember to define yourself through God's eyes.

Accept a compliment with a smile and a thank you.

Reflections:
When was the last time you gave yourself permission to treat yourself to something new? You are valuable to Him, and to those who love you. It is okay to take care of yourself too.

Does my scale define me?

Power Verses:
Psalm 139:14, "I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well." (NIV)

Song of Solomon 4:1, "How beautiful, you are, my darling! Oh, how beautiful!" (NIV)

Ephesians 2:10, "We are God's workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (NIV)

© 2010 by Shari Braendel. All rights reserved.

Tuesday, September 14, 2010

1 Peter 3:8

Live in harmony with one another; be sympathetic, love as brothers, be compassionate and humble.

-- 1 Peter 3:8

I AGREE!

Pictured is a young physician by the name of Dr. Roger Starner Jones. His short... two-paragraph letter to the White House accurately puts the blame on a "Culture Crisis" instead of a "Health Care Crisis"..

It's worth a quick read:


Dear Mr. President:
During my shift in the Emergency Room last night, I had the pleasure of evaluating a patient whose smile revealed an expensive shiny gold tooth, whose body was adorned with a wide assortment of elaborate and costly tattoos, who wore a very expensive brand of tennis shoes and who chatted on a new cellular telephone equipped with a popular R&B ringtone.


While glancing over her patient chart, I happened to notice that her payer status was listed as "Medicaid"! During my examination of her, the patient informed me that she smokes more than one pack of cigarettes every day, eats only at fast-food take-outs, and somehow still has money to buy pretzels and beer. And, you and our Congress expect me to pay for this woman's health care? I contend that our nation's "health care crisis" is not the result of a shortage of quality hospitals, doctors or nurses. Rather, it is the result of a "crisis of culture" a culture in which it is perfectly acceptable to spend money on luxuries and vices while refusing to take care of one's self or, heaven forbid, purchase health insurance. It is a culture based in the irresponsible credo that "I can do whatever I want to because someone else will always take care of me". Once you fix this "culture crisis" that rewards irresponsibility and dependency, you'll be amazed at how quickly our nation's health care difficulties will disappear.

Respectfully,
ROGER STARNER JONES, MD
If you agree...pass it on.

Wednesday, September 8, 2010

A look inside a teacher's mind...

A look inside a teacher's mind could help you understand lesson plans and maybe even guide your child to perform better.

1. If we teach small children, don’t tell us that our jobs are “so cute” and that you wish you could glue and color all day long.

2. I’m not a marriage counselor. At parent-teacher conferences, let’s stick to Dakota’s progress, not how your husband won’t help you around the house.

3. We’re sick of standardized testing and having to “teach to the test.”

4. Kids used to go out and play after school and resolve problems on their own. Now, with computers and TV, they lack the skills to communicate. They don’t know how to get past hurt feelings without telling the teacher and having her fix it.

5. When I hear a loud belch, I remember that a student’s manners are a reflection of his parents’.

6. Your child may be the center of your universe, but I have to share mine with 25 others.

7. Please help us by turning off the texting feature on your child’s phone during school hours.

8. Guys who dribble a ball for a couple of hours a game can make up to $20 million a year. We educate future leaders and make about $51,000 a year.

9. We take on the role of mother, father, psychologist, friend, and adviser every day. Plus, we’re watching for learning disabilities, issues at home, peer pressure, drug abuse, and bullying.

10. Kids dish on your secrets all the time—money, religion, politics, even Dad’s vasectomy.

11. Please, no more mugs, frames, or stuffed animals. A gift card to Starbucks or Staples would be more than enough. A thank-you note: even better.

12. We love snow days and three-day weekends as much as your kid does.

13. The students we remember are happy, respectful, and good-hearted, not necessarily the ones with the highest grades.

PLUS: 20 More Things Your Child's Teacher Won't Tell You

1. My rule for hormonal middle-schoolers: Keep your hands where I can see them.

2. My first year of teaching, a fifth-grader actually threw a chair at me. I saw him recently, and he told me he just graduated from college. That’s what makes it all worthwhile.

3. I have parents who are CEOs of their own companies come in and tell me how to run my classroom. I would never think to go to their office and tell them how to do their jobs.

4. We don’t arrive at school 10 minutes before your child does. And we don’t leave the minute they get back on the bus. Many of us put in extra hours before and after school.

5. We are not the enemy. Parents and teachers really are on the same side.

6. The truth is simple: Your kid will lie to get out of trouble.

7. Encourage your child to keep reading. That’s key to success in the classroom at any age.

8. We can tell the difference between a parent helping their child with homework and doing it for them (especially when they’re clueless in class the next day).

9. Teaching is a calling. There’s not a teacher alive who will say she went into this for the money.

10. Just because your child says he did his homework doesn’t mean it’s true. You must check. Every night.

11. Teaching is not as joyful as it once was for many of us; we get jaded too. Disrespectful students and belligerent parents take a toll on us.

12. Parents give their kids the pricey gadgets and labels, but what kids really crave is for you to talk to them. They want to know you are interested in their lives.

13. We spend money out of our own pockets to buy things our students need, such as school supplies and even shoes.

14. Supportive, involved parents are crucial. But some are “helicopter parents”--they hover too much.

15. Having the summer off is great, but many of us have to take on extra jobs--teaching summer school, tutoring--to make ends meet.

16. Success is not achieved by just making kids memorize flash cards and prepping them for an Ivy League school. Sensible parents know there is a college for every kid, and that responsibility and good citizenship are what really drive success.

17. Nobody says “the dog ate my homework” anymore, but we hear a lot of “I left it on the kitchen table.” And then Mom will send in a note to back up the story.

18. We wish parents would make their kids own up to their actions instead of pressuring us to bend the rules.

19. Please stop doing everything for your child and allow them to make mistakes. How else will they learn? Kids are not motivated to succeed because they feel their parents will bail them out every time.

20. There are days when I just want to quit, but then that one smile from that one kid, changes it all.

Being Crafty

Today I was feeling a little crafty. I felt sorry for Garrett with his new braces and sore mouth so I made him some homemade (from scratch) peanut butter banana muffins. These are a favorite in our house!!! They won't last long so I made extra batter to bake more muffins later. They are from the cookbook deceptively delicious and boy are they delicious! I'm not even a fan of peanut butter but I could eat the whole pan of these!

Next on the crafty list was to make Garrett's blanket for his room. It took me a bit with trying to finish laundry and make muffins in between but we got it done! It's just a tie blanket...nothing fancy. He asked me if I could sew it and I almost laughed at him. I have a sewing machine but I think it would run from me if I got it out. Hopefully one day I will learn how to use it! Until then...witchery stitchery and tie blankets are my forte. :-)

Garrett's Braces

Yesterday Garrett had to get braces. He was SO funny! He was telling me that he couldn't believe how expensive braces were and that you could buy a good used car for that price! (We have taught him well as Dave Ramsey has taught us well!) Then he told me that this was one birthday I would never forget because of all the money I had to spend on him! He's right! After the braces and painting his room I definitely won't forget this birthday! I love that boy!


The before picture! Notice the shirt...he said he dressed up for the occasion because he wore his tie! :-)


Brushing before the braces!

Can you see all that metal in his mouth?

Top braces and a herbst appliance for now. Then the herbst will come off and the bottom braces will go on!
This weekend we painted Garrett's room. I asked for a gift card to Lowe's for paint (because Sears doesn't make paint any more...but that's another story!) and spent my money on him. He wanted it painted Louisville Cardinal Red! So we accented one of his walls with black chalkboard paint. It looks really nice!