Thursday, January 04, 2007

Disobedience and a Missed Blessing

Don't you hate admitting when you've done wrong?

Me, too.

But I share this with you with the prayer you can grow from my disobedience. I did.

I am, still.

Tuesday night, Josh got a phone call from a guy at work. He informs Josh he has to be at work at 6:30 a.m. An hour and a half earlier than normal.

The alarm clock is on his side. I told him to wake me up when he got up, which was going to be 5:30.

The alarm goes off. I heard it myself. He tiptoes outta bed. Quietly gets into his sock drawer. And starts to walk away.

I was awake. And as I lay there I hear...

"Get up."

Ohhh, but I don't want to.

"By serving your husband, you are serving Me."

Plugged my ears, not wanting to hear Him. I totally ignored Him. I didn't get up. I didn't make breakfast or coffee for my dear husband.

I laid there.

Selfishly.

The Lord didn't punish me. Didn't ridicule me. Didn't tell me I was lazy. Didn't tell me I was worthless.

But the enemy did. It was a battle. I asked the Lord's forgiveness for being disobedient. And...He did, He forgave me.

Yet, I was reminded that I missed out on the blessing of spending an hour of quiet time with Josh. Instead of spending time talking, laughing and enjoying each other, my husband made his own coffee, his own breakfast and sat in silence.

Alone.

I called Josh and apologized. He was completely fine with it. He's good like that. But I know it would have been a blessing for both of us if I'd just been obedient.

Praise the Lord, His mercies are new every morning!

So, I learned I need to die to myself. And have a servant heart.

You know how...

they say the washer eats socks? Well, my bed does that. I was making my bed this afternoon...I can't do it in the morning, my eyes are barely open enough to walk downstairs...anyway, if only I had a digital camera to show you.

Here's the deal: My feet are always cold. I go to bed at night with socks on. However, I refuse to sleep with socks on. Your feet need to breathe, ya know? Plus, even though the sheets are usually cold, I love the feel of them on my feet. So, after a few minutes in bed, I take my socks off. With my feet. So, when I was making my bed, I took off the trillion blankets we have going on and find...let me count them real quick...2 white pairs, 1 black pair, 1 random black and 1 random white sock at the bottom of the bed.

It made me laugh. I so wanted to be able to show you. But if I took a picture now and then when I develop it next millenium it probably won't be as funny. Hey Kristie, remember when you talked about not having a corkscrew...and remember what I did...hmmm... hehehe just kidding, but thought it was funny anyway. ;)

Wednesday, January 03, 2007

Revision

After telling my mom about posting my most embarrassing moments, she asks, "did you tell them these?" So, I revised my MEM.

Enjoy.

My Weekly Schedule

In an effort to be more organized I've made a weekly task list. I love to make lists. And I really liked this one. I have it in a binder, each day in a clear page protector so I can see it.

If you're looking to get organized, maybe this will help you, too. Modify it to the needs of your household.


Sunday

  • Church
  • Lunch at Costco, for $3.31 we get a hot dog, piece of pizza and unlimited refills on a drink. This is great!
  • Clip coupons from Sunday paper
  • RELAX!!!
Monday

  • Laundry Day, fold and put away
  • Plan weekly menu, this includes breakfasts, lunches, dinners and snacks.
  • Clean out Fridge
  • Wipe Down Cupboards, Counters and Mop Kitchen Floor.

Tuesday

  • Grocery Shopping(I found our local Safeway marks meat down lowest on Tuesdays, so that's why I choose Tuesdays to shop.)
  • Lucky # Tuesday at Bi-Mart. If you have one in your area, go on Tuesday! Check your #, if you didn't win, leave! Don't be fooled into sticking around and spending money you normally wouldn't have spent.
  • Vacuum and Dust, Living Room, Bedrooms, Upstairs

Wednesday

  • Bake Bread
  • Clean up outside: front porch, sliding glass doors, under carport.

Thursday

  • Clean out Holly(our suburban) Vacuum, Dust, Wash Windows
  • Send cards or letters to family and friends. I've decided that on this day I'm going to send a card or letter to a couple of people. I know I love to get "snail mail" so I'm going to send some. I think it just might make someones day.

Friday

  • Wash Bedding and Bathroom Towels
  • Check Budget
  • Scrapbook (my mom usually takes Jaylee on Friday for the day, so I thought this would be a good time to spend a couple of hours getting caught up on my scrapbook.)
  • Clean Bathroom: Starting with the toilet, sprinkle some Comet and then close the lid. Sprinkle Comet in the tub, leave it. Wash the mirror. PineSol the sink and countertop. Sweep. Go back to tub and toilet, scrub-a-dub-dub! When finished, mop and put fresh towels out.

Saturday

  • SMT
  • Work on Home Projects
  • Visit Family, I've decided we need to designate a day of the week to visit family. Whether it works out or not-we'll have to see. I've just noticed it's hard to visit during the week. We enjoy being home in the evening, so it's hard for us to get out. I think having Saturday be extended family day is a good idea. I'll let ya know how it goes.
  • Prepare Sunday dinner.

Tuesday, January 02, 2007

Heart Issue

Seeing as how my last post was funny, I thought I'd make this one...not so funny. Gotta balance it out, don't ya know?

With the New Year and all, and my bajillion resolutions, one of them was to lose 20 lbs. Ugh.

I had a baby 18 months ago. I can't blame this on her. She's a year and a half for crying out loud. How I would loooove to blame it on being baby weight. But...it isn't.

My weight was never a struggle for me until Josh and I got married. Ooooh, I'll blame him. Okay...maybe that's not so good, either. Anyway, I did the whole birth control thing and ballooned up. Within about 6 months of our blissful newlywedness I had gained 30 lbs. On a 5'2" frame...that's not very pretty.

For four years I whined, cried and complained about it. My SIL started the Weigh Down Diet and was successful in losing weight. So, I finally got sick of myself complaining about being overweight and tried it out. Some of you may or may not have heard about Weigh Down. It's the diet that's not a diet. You aren't deprived of all the foods you love. You can eat anything you want. Yes...anything. Chocolate. Bread. Meat. Whatever. Just as long as you're hungry for it. And as long as you don't eat it until your zipper bursts on your pants...or your elastic in your sweats doesn't bust.

It's the easiest and most difficult non-diet there is. When you don't have any restrictions, ya freak. It's hard to trust yourself to eat the chocolate but it's so freeing to know that you don't have to give up those favorite foods.

Well, in 2002 I was successful at losing 35 lbs. I loved it. I felt great. Then two years later, I get pregnant and gain 52 lbs! UGH-ola!

I lost quite a bit of it after Jaylee was born. But I still have a good 20 to go. It's been a huge struggle. Physically. Emotionally. Spiritually.

This last weekend we were in Portland for New Year's and we went to the mall. There was a store that I fell in love with but didn't want to buy "fat" clothes. So, I bought none. I decided right then I was going to go back to the Weigh Down non-diet and lose these 20 lbs. Oh, it's only been two days and I'm panicking.

The fear of failure is wrapping itself so tightly around my heart. Gwen Shamblin, author of Weigh Down, says that we eat to fill a void. Some of us just eat to fill the void in our stomachs (thin people) others eat to fill a void in their heart (me).

A void.

In my heart.

I know what it is. I just hate admitting it.

The void in my heart is my time with the Lord. Instead of being hungry for more of Him and time spent with Him, I've been "hungry" for food. It's filling the void. But it's causing me to be overweight in the process. And it's making me miserable. I don't have any clothes to wear because I refuse to buy any. I'm afraid to go out in public because I don't want anyone to stare at me or laugh at me. I don't feel I deserve my husband's physical attention. See? I'm miserable. And I've brought in on myself.

I did really well today though. I ate only when I was hungry and I stopped when I was politely full. It's a good feeling.

When I screwed up yesterday I was so stinkin' mad at myself. This morning when I woke up I wanted to quit even before I started. But ya know what? God is so good. He whispered to me, speaking the words I so needed to hear.

"My mercies are new every morning."

Isn't that the coolest?

Well, I bared my heart. Made myself vulnerable. But I think it's going to help me. It'll help me to be accountable to you. I'll share with you my journey. My ups and my downs. I know there will be many.

I'm just thankful He's with me each step of the way.

So, if you happen to be feeling this way too, take heart. We can do this together.

Monday, January 01, 2007

Most Embarrassing Moments

Why I've decided to go for public humiliation in this post is beyond me but I thought it'd be fun anyway. Never know, just might make one of ya PYP. (pee your pants)

Most likely not...but still...I like to make you chuckle every now and again.

Not sure which of these are more embarrassing than the other, so I'm going to list them randomly. They came to me the other day. Most of the time I can't think of an embarrassing moment because, let's face it, there are too many to count to remember them all.

Guess the ones I remembered have left a scar.

Oh...I could list them chronologically. Good idea, Sarah. Oh, thank you.

1. The summer of '96, when I was 16 my boyfriend at the time, Eric and I are sitting on the couch talking with my mom when all of a sudden my sisters come flying in the door, screen slamming behind them. Megan, the youngest and 10 at the time yells, completely outta breath, "Mom, will they took food stamps for candy?!"

Oh how I wanted to crawl under the couch. Eric just looked at me. I shrugged. Yup, we're on welfare, I thought. Lovely.

2. Can't remember when this happened, but I know I was in high school. I'm hoping that I'm not the only one this has happened to...I wake up late for school one morning, throw on a shirt and a pair of jeans that were balled up on the floor. I'm in class, sitting in my chair and I feel something crawling down my leg. I panic and freak out-just sure a huge, scary, black spider is going to come crawling out. I start shakin' my leg all over the place. Kids around me are giving me strange looks. Finally the huge, scary, black spider comes out. Except it's not a huge, scary, black spider.

Nope.

It's my underwear.

Man, I loved high school.

3. Oh...this is a good one. To tell it I have to tell you a story first. Don't worry, it's not too terribly long. My mom, sisters and I have lived in many towns, cities and of course houses. Many of them have names. "Fifth Wheel" "Icky House" "Cedar St." "The Donut House" etc. Well, when we lived in the Icky House we didn't have a washer and dryer. Enough said about that house. So, on with my embarrassing moment.

I was 16 when I met Josh, my husband. Like I said in Tidbits, I knew I was going to marry him when I saw him. So, I wanted my family to make a good impression on him. But it's hard when you have a Megan. (in case you read this dear sister of mine, I love you, I love you, I love you) One cold night, we were sitting at the table drinking hot chocolate, horrifying him with the stories of all the houses we lived in. Just as Josh takes a drink of his hot chocolate Megan says, "and remember, Mom, in the Icky House how we used to have to turn our underwear inside out so we'd have a clean pair?"

Needless to say, he choked on his cocoa.

And you were beginning to wonder why he married me.

4. This isn't too bad, but it still embarrassed me. This fall Jaylee was pretty sick. She'd been throwing up all night and into the next day. I'm not big, panicky mom or anything but I didn't know what was wrong with her. I called the doctor and they told me to bring her in as soon as possible. I realized I hadn't gotten dressed yet so I throw on a hooded Gap sweatshirt with pockets in the front, a pair of jeans, slap my hair up in a pony and we head out the door.

We check in, receptionist tells us to take a seat. We sit down. I go to put my hands in the pockets of my sweatshirt but can't.

Why?

Because it's on inside out. That's right. Bet the receptionist wondered what brand Pag was.

If only she'd been cool like me.

There you have it. A few embarrassing moments in the life of Sarah Lee.

*This post has been edited to give you even more enjoyment of my public humiliation

At age ohhh, I'd have to say 8, we were going to have corn on the cob (or, as my sisters used to say, corn and the cob) My mom, being the wonderful teacher that she is, told me how to husk corn. So, this is what I did:

I put a paper bag over my head.
Then I spun around several times.

This is what she did:

Laughed hysterically.

Then, a year later we had to go to ShopKo. It was winter outside...a cold winter. We had a Mustang hatchback with leather seats. Possibly pleather, I dunno. Anyway...so, we are in ShopKo and I had a few dollars my mom had given me to buy her a gift, she was nice like that, so we split up. While I was on my own, I realized I had to go potty. Real bad. I was looking all over for my mother. Why I wasn't looking for a restroom...I have no idea. I looked for her all over the place. By the time I found her, I'd wet my pants. Seriously, 9 years old and I peed myself.

Oh, it gets better. She was very sympathetic, we got out to the car and she assured me it was okay. Blah, blah, blah. We get to our apartment, I get up off the seat, (remember...it's winter) and steam comes rolling up off the seat. She lost it. Guess her sympathy ended there. I think she laughed harder than when she taught me to husk corn.

Friday, December 29, 2006

Here they are...

In all their glory. I told you in Tidbits that I don't like making New Year's Resolutions but that I was going to do it anyway. Well, I did it. I thought them through. I wrote them down and now I daringly am putting them out for y'all to laugh at...I mean see.

Here they are in no particular order or fashion:

1. Read through the Bible. Our church gives little thingys out this time of year so you can read thru the Bible in one year if you stay on track. If.

2. Lose 20 lbs. Lord, help me.

3. Learn to make jam.

4. Grow a garden. I want fresh veggies and maybe some fruits.

5. Fold my laundry as it comes outta the dryer. Amber...we can do it together!

6. Stop chewing my fingernails. I've done this for 25 years, can I really stop?!

7. Get caught up on my scrapbook. Good luck, me.

8. Set and stick with a budget. I got part of it done, I wrote out the budget today! yeah!

9. Eat out only once a month. Oh boy...we eat out about once a week right now. And sometimes to a nice sit down restaurant. I believe in us, we can do it!!!

10. Have all Christmas gifts ready by August.

11. Have all Christmas gifts be hand/homemade. Don't be scared, I'm not going to color you a picture and wrap it up, I'm actually planning some fun stuff!

12. Learn to make a pie. Bake, make, build...what have you.

13. Teach Jaylee her ABC's. That's do-able, right?

Why so many you ask? Well, I know me. I know it'll be miraculous if I accomplish one, I didn't want to only set one and fail at it. If I set a whole bunch of 'em, odds are in my favor that at least one is do-able. Right?!

This is where you nod your head and say, "uh huh."

We're outtie for the weekend. Going down to see Josh's sister since it's been a whole five days since we've seen them. ;)

So, let me know what your resolutions are. Maybe we can hold each other accountable for 'em.

Or not.

P.S. Happy Birthday tomorrow, Candee. Love you!

Mormon Cats

First off, here is my disclaimer:

I am not Mormon. My neighbors are. I love them. I do not love their beliefs.

End of disclaimer.

I'm totally dying with laughter right now but part of me feels bad too.

So, we have these neighbors, and like I said, they are Mormon. They have 6 kids ranging from 5-12. Wonderful people. Love 'em. But they have cats. I love cats. But they don't feed them. So, I feed them. So, they come over to eat and then go home. Have I told you about them before? I can't remember. Well, there are three adults, Mama Kitty who's pure black with a tear in her ear, DJ who's orange and the third adult has been dubbed M.W.B. Kids cover your eyes. MWB:Mama with Balls. At first we only had 2 adults, Mama and DJ. One morning while we were drinking coffee "Mama" and DJ were eating inside. I said how "she" was filling out a little more and Josh says, "uh, Mama has balls." I choked.

So, that's how we got the name MWB ('cause I know you were wondering)

Anyway, Mama Kitty keeps having babies and Amber tells me that she must be Mormon too. That cracked me up. But...it must be true though.

The last batch of kittens totalled six. 2 calicos 4 pure black. Somehow or another (and my husband assures me it wasn't him) we're down to three. 1 calico, two blacks. About a week ago I noticed Cali was gone. I was a lil sad 'cause she's cute but then again, one less mouth to feed. She showed up a few days ago much to my inner relief. However, she only had half a tail. Scab on the end and she looked a lil sheepish.

Poor kid.

So, now she's Stubs instead of Cali and one black is Fuzz, because she has the cutest little fuzzy face you ever saw, the second black I don't have a name for. He/She won't let me near him/her so I'm not getting attached...yet.

Well, that's not all of the story. Josh comes home for lunch this afternoon and after he eats goes out to work on Holly (our '85 suburban.) He comes in and says, "I think I know what happened to the cats' tail." He leads me outside and there, on the ground, is Stubs' tail.

He found it while he was working on Holly. Thinks she got stuck in there and when she jumped it pulled it off.

Isn't that so funny...I mean sad?

I thought so, too.

Thursday, December 28, 2006

Bench Update

*Bowing*

*Standing up on podium, waving*

*Courteous nods to the crowd*

"Thank you, ladies...gentlemen...I would just like to thank you all for your support of my build-a-bench-by-myself. I'm so freakin' pleased to announce I tackled that bad boy all by myself. I didn't need the help of any man. Yes, I may have let a few unholy words slip from my mouth, I may have had to step outside a time or 12 to cool off and yes, I may have stripped a few screws, but by golly, I got'er done."

"By myself."

*Crowd stands, cheering wildly*

*I'm blushing*

In all honesty...I did get it complete. It was a good thing there was no large hammer around because if there had been, oh boy...I'd probably not only be minus a bench but several windows and possibly a child.

It fits perfectly where I want it. It matches the rest of my living room. It loves me. I love it.

Why do I have such in an issue with doing things myself? Well, sit back...I have a story to tell.

Not really, but growing up in a house with just my mom and two younger sisters, there wasn't a man around to "get the job done." My mom did it or I did it. We made do. Sure, there were tears involved. So much frustration because there wasn't a man to do it. But once the task (whatever it may have been) was complete, we could sit back and laugh about how it took Mom three hours to get the Christmas tree trunk cut off and put in the stand. A sense of accomplishment and pride wells in you when you've done something that usually only a man can do.

When tools are involved it's easy for us girls to think, "oh, I'll leave it for my man" or, "guess I won't be able to do it." Hog wash chicks! We may not be as strong but we are just as capable. It may take us a lil longer but the job can still be done. It's about persevering. Staying strong. It's about wanting to do it. Being proud of yourself enough to know you can.

I loved it when my husband walked in the door and saw that I had built the bench all by myself.

Go make your man proud. Go do something you've been asking him to do. Even if you get in over your head...you've manipulated him to help you finish it. ;)

Wednesday, December 27, 2006

GRRRR!!!

I just emailed my friend Amber to tell her how mad I am right now. But that wasn't enough. I'm going to tell the world. Okay, not the world, but the few of you who (for some reason unbeknownst to me) continue to read what I have to jabber about.

On my husband's lunch hour we went to Bi-Mart to purchase this bench I've been eyeing for some time now. I looked at the ad, it gave the measurements and they were within 3/4" of an inch of the area where I want to put it. Yeah!!! So, we went to get it. On our way home Josh informs me he and Shawn (Amber's husband) will put it together tonight while I fix dinner. My response?

Uh, no, I can do it myself.

He goes back to work. I lay Jaylee down for a nap. I set to work on my bench. After 10 minutes I want to scream!!! S.I.H.B.A.G Sometimes I hate being a girl. (I told you, I've started a weird acronym thing...) Anyway, I called Josh and told him I was ticked. He says, I told you we'd put it together for you tonight.

Pffft. Whatever.

Fine.

Pert Near a Good Time

So, how was your Christmas?

Ours was good. We had four days of festivities...yes, four. Saturday we started our morning with SMT, then drove all the way to my in-laws house (about 2 miles away) and had a super fun day there. Kicked off the day making an outhouse for Josh's cousin, Cara. (Another story...for another time.) Then, wrapped a few last minute gifts for my MIL, went home for a couple hours so Jaylee could sleep, came back and went crazy waiting to eat and open presents. Seriously, besides my birthday, Christmas is my favorite holiday. I LOVE TO OPEN PRESENTS!!!

I had a ton of them to open. I received some very cool stuff. I have a coffee house theme in my kitchen and was given some mugs and plates to match. My neice bought us these very cool Legos salt and pepper shakers. So fun. One is black, the other white. They're sitting on my table.
Sunday morning, we headed up to church, had lunch with my sister and BIL and their two kids. Off to my aunt and uncles house to open gifts and play Pictionary. Pictionary on a big white board, in a 10x17 room with about 17 adults and 6 children under the age of 2. Uh....too fun. Very crowded, very fun.
Sunday evening was the candlelight service, then back down to Josh's parents for more games, food and fun.
Monday, relaxing. We stayed home for most of the day. It was just the three of us. My Christmas tree and decorations were down by 10 am. I love having it up but even more I love taking it down.
Evening came and we decided to go back to Josh's parents for...you guessed it, more food and games.
Last night my mom, sisters, one BIL and my neices and nephews came over for dinner, presents and a game of Phase 10. I won so I had fun. :)
Whew...it's all over with and while I enjoy Christmas and all the family time spending, eating, games and what not, I'm glad I have 363 days til I have to do it again.

Hopefully in the next 363 days I'll lose the SIX pounds I gained. Sigh....

Thursday, December 21, 2006

Shower on the Run

Remember the days before kids? Me neither.

Post complete.

Not really.

My mom and I were discussing the other day on the phone about taking showers. Not together, geeeeez, just showers in general. And, how we take maybe 3 a week. If we're lucky. Gross, huh? I know. I think I kind of wanted to go off on her about why she only takes three showers a week when...

She's not the one who has to worry about an 18 month old wild child running loose in the house, pestering the dog, eating dog food, opening cupboards to taste household cleaning products, taking off her diaper, turning the stereo on and up as loud as possible, pulling the Christmas tree down, or my favorite as of late: throwing open the shower curtain and yelling "HI!" while I freeze my tillies off. Yes, tillies.

And how, when she's in the shower she could shave both legs in one shower installment, not two or three. And, the fact that she doesn't have to put shampoo and conditioner on simultaneously to save time and when she gets out of the shower she can take her sweet lil time putting on nice smelling lotions to feel feminine and over both recently smooth, shaved legs instead of slappin' on some deodorant and callin' it perfume(because at least it'll help with the sweat that's going to pour off me as I chase above mentioned wild child around the house). And, she can take her time blow drying and fixing her hair instead of twisting in a ponytail real quick. She can put on her make up in entirety instead of whippin' out the ol' reliable lip gloss-'cause a little dab'll do ya-because she doesn't have to worry about, once again...above mentioned wild child.

Her excuse for not showering on a daily basis. She gets cold after her shower. Pffffft!!!! If that were my only problem:

I might take up showering 4 times a week.

Wednesday, December 20, 2006

Lil Tidbits Part 2

I thought of some more, so I'm just going to add them to the others. If you read that post, start at number 21.

Tuesday, December 19, 2006

Bowling!

I have been looking forward to tonight for a week now. My friend Amber and I are going on a date. Or, what we have dubbed, NMNWJGN. I can't believe I'm admitting to this silly acronym but you know how somethings just strike you as funny and maybe no one else will understand? (I seem to have a lot of these, don't I?)

Anyway, Not Moms Not Wives Just Girls' Night is tonight.

We're going to Red Robin to stuff ourselves with burgers, bottomless fries, and possibly a round or 12 of drinks. ;) Then, it's off to bowl. That's right. Bowling!

I love to bowl but I'm so terribowl at it. LOL...sorry couldn't resist that one. My dear husband would be proud. He is, afterall, the King of Puns. KoP.

Seriously, where are these acronyms coming from?! I'm a little worried about myself and I haven't even had a drink yet!

The ante is up on bowling figures. I usually average about a 37. Amber thinks she can top that with a 42. My goal now is 52. I hate my competitive nature but it runs in my family and I can't seem to get rid of it. (honestly, haven't really tried very hard)

Our countdown is on for this evening. I make up countdowns for everything lately and it's fun. It's fun to have something to look forward to. Usually it's just Grey's Anatomy, (yes I watch that filth) but last week I started the countdown for NMNWJGN. Could there be a longer acronym?

So, with only 3 hours 59 minutes to go...I suppose I should shower.

*post title changed...grossed some people out, including myself. :)

Monday, December 18, 2006

Sheryl Crow Knows What She's Talkin' About

I have a confession to make. I don't always listen to Christian music. *gasp* I know, you're all horrified but it's the truth. I feel better now just getting that out there.

Okay, bye.

Just kidding! :) I'm silly, huh? Anyway...

On Saturday we were driving somewhere, thinking it was SMT, Saturday Morning Tradition, we've done this for almost six years, we get up early, go get coffees and sometimes donuts, come home and get to work on our house or lounge around and wait for someone to need my husband's help. This weekend it was me needing his help. I really want our junk room complete. Anyway...again. So, we're driving and Sheryl Crow starts singing "Soak up the Sun." Totally, love the song. Right now I'm trying to think of all the words to make sure I really want to state that I love the song, can't remember them all, so maybe I should just say I like the beat. I'm starting to ramble. I did have a point to this blog, for once.

"It's not about having what you want, it's 'bout wanting what you got." I almost started spelling it the way I hear it in my head..."Snot bout having wut you waaant, sbout wanting wuuut youuu gottt" Now, I did spell it the way I hear it. Please don't stop reading. I seriously have a point.

Somewhere.

That line of the song really resonated with me. I am so quick to want what someone else has. So quick. Sometimes it's something material, sometimes not. I have been getting better but when Josh and I were first married, eight and a half years ago, I wanted. And I wanted some more.

My husband wanted to please me. So, he gave. And he gave some more.

I wanted a Honda Accord, we got one. I wanted a newer one, we got one. I wanted a dishwasher, we got one. I wanted a beagle, we got one (free to good home btw) I kept wanting. And I was so selfish. I was so ignorant. So blind to see what it was doing to me.

To us.

It didn't stop when it came to the cars. In 2002 I decided I wanted a 2003 Mitsubishi Lancer. I got one. It was beautiful. It was red. It was mine.

It was ridiculous.

We almost had to file bankruptcy because the payments were almost $400 per month. We were so stressed. We were miserable. I felt like I was drowning. Looking back it reminds me of the Veggie Tales movie with Madam Blueberry. She shopped at Stuff Mart and she always wanted more but each time she got more, she still was not happy. That was me.

Honestly, it's getting better. I truly believe it's a heart issue. I was not walking with the Lord. I wasn't seeking Him out, wasn't asking for His peace. I was just living for myself. Trying to fill a void.

Oh but I was so empty.

I'm not saying everything is perfect now. It's definitely not. I told you at the beginning I still covet. But I'm learning to repent of it, I'm learning to want what I already have. There was so much stress in the "stuff" that I had or did. So, I started eliminating it, a lot of it cold turkey.

1. My cell phone
2. Credit card debt
3. My car, it was paid for but we sold it to pay off debt. And, the reason it was paid for...instead of filing for bankruptcy, we remortgaged our house to pay it off. We will always be so thankful to my Uncle Eric who suggested that to us. Otherwise, well...I don't know what would have happened.
4. Daytime TV, no more soap operas!
5. Unhealthy friendships
6. Wal Mart, I used to go there a few times a week. Not for anything inparticular, just to go. I always left with at least $30 worth of stuff. Now, I don't go there at all. It's literally saving me hundreds each month.
7. Coffee. Oh, this was so hard to cut down on. But now, instead of 7-8 times a week, we go twice. Once on Wednesdays between noon and 3, because it's double punch day and 50 cents off each drink and then on Saturdays for SMT. This is saving us close to $200 per month.

I'm sure there are more things I could cut back on, but for now, this is where I am.

The relief that I feel being happy with what I have is amazing. It feels good to get out of bed in the morning. I'm not scared to check my mail. I'm learning to be okay with going to the mall and not walking out with a brand new pair of Lucky jeans, but oh how I miss them!

I've been blessed. I love my life. I love my husband. I love our daughter. I love our house. I love our '85 suburban, even tho' she didn't want to start this morning!

I think the Lord wants to see what we'll do with what He's already given us before He'll bless us further. Does that make sense? It does to me. I've really felt Him telling me that lately.

Sorry this post is so long. It was just really on my heart on Saturday and we were gone all day yesterday so I didn't get a chance to talk to you.

I pray you have just the best day today.






Friday, December 15, 2006

Marbles


I get depressed. Easily. A lot. For no reason whatsoever. I have absolutely nothing to be depressed about. I think part of it is that if I don't do something I had planned on doing, I get upset with myself and then I start beating myself up. For instance:

I wanted to have our spare bedroom/junk room/laundry room/scrapbook room completely cleaned out on Monday so that we could sand the floors in there. I didn't get it done on Monday.

Or Tuesday.

Or Wednesday.

You're getting it, right? It's Friday and it's still not completely cleaned out. I don't want you to imagine a room filled to the ceiling with crap, 'cause that's not the case. But there is quite a lot of stuff in there. And I don't want to just throw it in another room and clutter it up. I'm actually going through the stuff and either tossing it or just putting it where it should have been in the first place. Man, if only I'd done that in the beginning. Geesh.

Anyway, so when I don't get something done that I wanted to get done, I don't do anything else. It's really bad.

So, my house has suffered for it. So, that means my husband has suffered for it. He's not a clean freak or anything but every man loves and deserves to come home to a clean home. Yes, deserves.

And since my sister-in-law reads my blog, I hate that she sees how her brother has come home to a cluttery home the last few nights. She's known me 10 years now, so I hope she's realized that in that amount of time I have grown up somewhat. It used to be that I didn't even realize I was in a funk like this. My house was just messy. Always. Always.

Josh would invite people to come over just so I would have to clean the house. Ohhh I'd be so mad.

I would load all my dirty dishes up (that had been accumulating all week) into a rubbermaid box, take them to my SIL's house across town, run them thru her dishwasher, wait for them to wash, take 'em out, dry 'em, load 'em back up, go home and they'd sit in that tub for a little bit til I felt like putting them away.

Yes, I used to do that.

I have grown. I'm much better than that now. So, when I get down on myself for letting my house go to pot for a couple of days, I need to remember how I used to be and praise the Lord for changing me and growing me.

I'm a work in progress.

Last night, he could tell I was in one of my moods. So, he went around the house and did the things I should have done. He did it with such a merry heart. He was happy to help me.

It took him all of 20 minutes. That's all it would have/could have taken me.

I'm going to do better next week. I'm not going to be down about it anymore today.

Thanks for letting me vent. Not that you had a choice in the matter. But it feels good to just get it out there. I don't want people to think I don't know that my house is a cluttered mess at the moment. I wouldn't want you to come here and think that's just how it is here. 'Cause it's not. I like a clean house. I like to clean my house. I enjoy it. But sometimes I think I bite off more than I can chew. Or, I plan more than is possible for a girl with an 18 month old to get done in a day.

I just have a day or 12 here and there where I lose my marbles and Josh has to go pick them up for me.

Thank You, Lord for this man You've blessed me with. He's the best marble picker upper ever.

Thursday, December 14, 2006

Just Some Lil Tidbits 'Bout Me

Here are some random things about me you may or may not know:

1. I love cats but have a dog.

2. My favorite color (at the moment) is red.

3. I chew my fingernails.

4. I don't like it when people chew with their mouths open.

5. I love to laugh and make others laugh, too.

6. I'm afraid of heights.

7. I'd rather hold a snake than a spider.

8. If my house were on fire and I could only grab 3 personal items (assuming husband and child are safely outta the house) they would be:
a. my scrapbooks
b. my KitchenAid mixer-it's red!! My best anniversary gift yet!
c. Jaylee's baby keepsakes

9. I love to have my hair played with.

10. My first boyfriend's name was Rusty. I was in 6th grade, he was in 5th grade.

11. I have two sisters.

12. Both younger than me.

13. But I'm the shortest.

14. I love chocolate.

15. I love to cook.

16. I've had 1 speeding ticket and 3 seat belt tickets.

17. The last seat belt ticket should have been a speeding ticket, I was racing the cop. He let me off easy.

18. My middle name is Lee. Yes, like the baked goods. Sarah Lee. But I have an 'H' that makes me cooler.

19. I don't like to be a passenger in a car unless it's my husband or father-in-law driving.

20. If it didn't snow or rain ever, I'd just own 37 million pairs of flip flops. Love those.

21. My dad drown in a boating accident when I was 19.

22. I now have an irrational fear of the water.

23. I'm trying to get over it.

24. I love receiving gifts, but prefer to have them in a box and wrapped. No gift bags, makes the opening go too fast.

25. I'm 26.5 years old.

26. I have a My Space account. It's been fun to connect with friends from High School that I haven't talked to in 9 years.

27. I'm still close to 3 of the 4 girls I had as bridesmaids in my wedding.

28. My husband is my best friend.

29. I knew I was going to marry him before I even knew his name. I'm serious. I just knew.

30. I'm 20 lbs overweight.

31. I can't believe I just admitted that.

32. I want to homeschool my daughter.

33. I'd rather clean 100 toilets than do dishes.

34. I watch Grey's Anatomy.

35. I wish I could stop but I'm terribly addicted! :)

36. I no longer have a cell phone.

37. I just started clipping coupons from the Sunday paper, that is so fun!

38. My favorite food is Mexican.

39. I love Sangrias.

40. After 22 years my sister and I are friends.

41. I threatened to run away when I was 4.

42. My mom offered to help me pack.

43. I didn't get far.

44. I love to scrapbook. I use Close to My Heart products.

45. I love to mow the lawn.

46. We used to own our own lawnmowing business.

47. I sell Pampered Chef.

48. I'd rather have McDonald's than Burger King.

49. I don't like to make New Years Resolutions.

50. But I'm going to this year.

51. I'm done tidbittin'....for now!

There you go. Hope this completes your day once again.

Wednesday, December 13, 2006

Phooey

I've been trying to think for the last couple of days what I could blog about. But there's nothing that's on my heart to share. Nothing funny, exciting, sentimental, etc.

So, just want to let you know that I'm still kickin' (and sometimes screamin') but I just don't have much to say right now.

During this CHRISTmas season, remember Jesus. It's so easy to get caught up in gift buying and everything that we sometimes forget the Reason for this season.

While in line at the department store or behind a slow driver or pushing through the crowds at the mall, wear a smile. Remember God's Gift to us. I say this mainly so it's in my brain. But maybe it's something on your heart too, you just needed a reminder as well.

I pray you have a great day. Talk to you soon!

Friday, December 08, 2006

Bravo!

I was in a rut until today.

A blog rut. A mood rut. And, until today, I was in a laughing rut. My goodness, my belly hurts from laughing so hard today.

I have nothing exciting to say really. No pictures to share. You know how you can think something's funny, but you're just not sure how someone else would see it? Well, that would be my funny stories from today.

Well, today started out just awful. Okay, maybe awful is exaggerating a bit, but it started off not so good. Actually, if we're going to get technical, today started bad last night. Does that make sense? I was supposed to have today "off," no baby, no housecleaning, no cooking, no domestic duties whatsoever. But my neighbor called last night and asked if I could keep her baby for a few hours today. Lovely, selfless, giving neighbor that I am (please sense the sarcasm here) I said, "sure, I'd love to watch her!" Well, I told my mother that I'd just keep my own child for the day so lil neighbor baby would have someone here to beat her up, I mean...play with her. Well, lil neighbor baby never showed. But my own was here. Alllll day. So, I had to cook, I had to clean, I had to be a mama, I had to be domestic.

I was not happy. I had a day planned for myself. It consisted of one thing and one thing only.

Scrapbooking.

I didn't get to do it though. That's okay, I'm pretty much over it now. Josh had the day off so around 3 he offered to take Jaylee for a few errands so I could do whatever I needed to do. I think he sensed that someone's (his) head was going to be bit off. While they were gone I started to address my Christmas cards. I addressed my moms last. I was delirious by this time.

We were sent these address labels from some organization to feed hungry children. The entire letter is a sticker. So, I decided to "decorate" her envelope with the stickers. "Feed Hungry Children" "Do not peel off" "Please do not remove backing" "Happy Holidays" I'm placing these stickers randomly on her envelope when I realize there's a picture of a "hungry" child on there. I cut it out and stuck it on her envelope. I'm in tears by this time. Laughing hysterically. I was in such a bad mood 5 minutes ago but this was killing me.

I don't know if this is funny to you or not but I'm dying remembering it. I cannot wait for her to get her mail.

That's not all. That's right, the story does not end there. You could only hope...

My mom and I went to a dessert and ornament exchange at church tonight. We were going to be early so we decided to get a coffee first. We drink the same thing, Iced Hazelnut Breve No Whip Cream. Before we got to the coffee stand I told her that if she asked the barista for an Iced Hazelnut Bravo (with a straight face) I'd pay for her drink. She busted up. We both did. I reminded her though that I'd only pay if she said it with a straight face.

We pull up. I had to face my window because I was already laughing so hard. Laughing so hard no sound was coming out. You know the kind.

Barista-"What can I get for you tonight?"

My Mom-"Yeah, can I get two Iced Hazelnut Bravos please, with no whip?"

Me-Totally dying in passenger seat.

Barista-"Uh, do you mean, Breve?"

My Mom-"Yeah, whatever."

Me-Still dying in passenger seat.

The barista goes to make our drinks and we were laughing so hard. My mom was quite proud of herself for keeping a straight face.

While making our coffees...

Barista-"You girls from outta town?"

My Mom-"Uh-huh, from New York."

Me-totally dying again, we sooo do not live in New York, where did she get that?!

Barista-"Here for the holidays?"

My Mom-"Mmhmm."

We get our drinks, we leave, go to church and I'm still laughing about our Bravo experience.

I love my mom. She's always up for whatever.

Now that I've shared this story, all my friends who wondered where I got my "normalness," yeah, that'd be from my mother.

Monday, December 04, 2006

Spot Remover

Josh and I served in our church's nursery last month. While it can be kinda crazy with about nine or so babies, it's so nice to get to know the parents of these sweet littles. A couple of Sundays ago a mother comes in to nurse her 5 month old little girl. She's originally from North Carolina, so she has an accent I love to listen to. While she's in the nursery with us I ask how her week was. And the story begins...

During the day she takes care of not only her baby, but her two older boys as well...and her father-in-law's large black dog. She proceeds to tell us that they'd butchered their cows that week and the dog got into the blood and other "stuff." He came traipsing into her home with his bloody paws. Of course it didn't make her happy but she was able to clean it up, needless to say he was kicked out. Well, a little while later it happened again, except this time he proceeds to throw up what he'd eaten outside. Gross, huh?

That's not the end of the story.

She says that the smell is still lingering in their home, she's tried to clean it out of her carpet, to no avail. She decided they'd just have to get new carpet.

The next week, we see her again. I ask if she has new carpet. She looks at me and smiles a soft smile. "No," she says. They'd had a carpet cleaner come out a few times and the spot was lifting and the smell had gone away. She tells me that the Lord really worked on her heart that week and had shown her a few things. Patience, for one. And the other was that He had shown her that the carpet was like us. People.

We get dirty (sin) time and again. But He cleans us, time and again. We have spots, areas of our lives, our hearts, our minds that are always needing cleansed. And He's always there to wash us clean. Always there to forgive.

I loved it. Loved the lesson that was learned, not necessarily for her, but for me. I loved her honesty, her humble nature.

Isn't God so amazing? There's nothing we have done or can do that He can't clean.

He's the ultimate Spot Remover.