Over Prep

In a lot of things it can be good to over prepare; make checklists, lay out your outfit, make sure you have the ingredients for the meal you're going to cook tomorrow/later tonight, have diapers and wipes for the soon to come baby (and clothes LOL), etc. 

However when you work for a company in the kitchen and food only has a 7 day shelf life in the fridge it's better to prepare less than you'll need than it is to prepare more. I've had to waste food because to much was prepped. Sure I'm grateful that my coworker filled up some of it no doubt! I just wish she'd done WAY less. 

Been a busy day and I had way more cleanup to do because of this.. I'm not even finished with it all yet. Tomorrow I should have it all weighed, bagged, and wrote down as expired.. oh and the dishes clean. 

Oh well, hopefully we've all learned our lesson. Lol.   

Have a great night! 

People Underestimate Us

I think a lot of people underestimate people who work at gas stations. I can't speak for all stations of course, but the company I work for you work 8 hours, get one 5 minute break (unless you smoke, as if that's fair. I was once even "informed" by a coworker that my break isn't as important because I don't smoke...), there's no break room, no seats to sit down besides the one chair in the manager's office (yes, I stand ALL day), no lunch break, we have a drive thru window so we are going back and forth to get people literally anything that we sell, we aren't allowed to hire someone or give more hours to current employees to have the staffing that we really need for our later shift, we deal with some really rude people (some really great ones too), we work Holidays, our scheduled hours keep us from seeing much of our children, no insurance/benefits, our break room is standing outside by the shed (unless you have a car and feel like sitting in it. I don't have this option.)... even factories have chairs, break rooms,  benefits and a lunch break.

I love my job, but I'm sore from head to toe, I'm tired and when the day is done at work I have no energy or care left to do anything but sit and use my heated foot massager. If my heated back massager wasn't missing the cord to plug it in I'd be using that too. All I want to do after work is eat OUT, come home, play video games and/or watch tv. That's it...

Appreciate us!

Now... my head is hurting so I'm going to rest now. Have a great night and a Merry Christmas, everyone! If you're lucky enough to have Christmas day (or Christmas + days off) just know I'm sticking my tongue out at you. Lol.

Secret Santa

Next time I sign up for Secret Santa please slap me... unless I have like a month to plan the gift.

Thank you!
                                       

 Your Truly Awful Gifter,

                                              Me 

I wish I was better at this. With more time I could have gotten better gifts. Most of what I wanted to get would have come from Amazon and wouldn't get here on time. Ugh why?!

Thank You Mr. and Mrs. Obvious

Well if I wasn't self conscience before I started my job I am now. I've had 4 (possibly 5..) people make comments about my face in the 2ish months that I've worked there.

1 rude guy
1 nice guy (happened today)
1 Mary Kay worker (happened today)
1 kid (happened today)
and I may be forgetting someone.

I really must make an appointment with the dermatologist. This is getting ridiculous.

Don't mind the worker with the bag over her head...

I'm Getting There...

I think I'm getting the hang of this Gas Station work. I come in, make lunch, clean up the mess I've made from making lunch, help "up front" (cashier, cleaning, filling ice, etc) for a couple hours, I go back to the kitchen to make dinner, clean up that mess, help with the front again for another couple hours, take the food I made for lunch off around it's "shelf life" time, and then leave when it's time. It's a pretty much run non-stop day.

Register isn't hard, but it's different than the one I'd run at a previous job so I keep hitting the wrong buttons (On 2 or 3 parts, always the same ones). I'll get there. Some days I'm ringing things up without thinking about it and others I'm having to stand there with the "Which button was that again..." look and thought LOL

Lottery is still throwing me for a loop if they get ones that I have to print off through the computer. The scratch offs are really simple to deal with.

Cigarettes... I'm getting the hang of where they are and which ones are what, of the popular ones anyways. I try to always show them the box and make sure I've got the right ones that way if it's wrong I can fix it. If they say it's right and it isn't it's their own fault LOL

The drive thru is crazy! People come all at once, traffic is going by, you can't hear what the customer is asking for some times... Most of the customers have been very kind (Thank God!), but I've had some real jerks come through. It's not my fault we're next to a busy road and you won't talk louder or clearer. And heaven forbid I don't know everything in the station front to back. Lol. Oh well, people are people.

One of the girls from work suggested we do Secret Santa so those who wanted to participate signed up and she talked me into it. So now I need to figure out what to get for my person. I asked our boss what this person liked and I got a one word answer.. a pretty good one word answer, but you can find a lot of things to fit this. Our cap is $10 and I have to have it brought in by 2pm on the 21st.. Looks like I need to go to the store... I'll tell you more about that later.

Hope you're all having a great week!

Slow Down Christmas!

I finally ordered my husband's gifts today. That's really the most shopping I've done for Christmas so far. Guess I need to pick up the pace.

I've talked to a few others who were behind on their shopping too. Anyone else with us?

My plan is to shop all through the year that way I have nothing to worry about when Christmas comes. Last year I did pretty good. This year is an epic fail.

Forgive me family, I'm not a good gift giver, it's not that I don't want to give I'm just not that great at it.

Good luck all you last minute/fell behind shoppers! I hope you find great deals and get gifts for everyone on your list before Christmas Eve LOL

Let It.... Mow?

It doesn't even feel like Christmas time. I know it is from looking at the calendar, but there's no snow on the ground, not that I'm complaining, it's just not normal around here.
I had a friend who posted a picture of them mowing on Facebook and said, "Let It Mow, Let It Mow, Let It Mow" Lol. Yeah, we normally have snow and instead people are mowing. Odd.
I'm good with the warm though. Keep it coming!

"Can You Stay Over?"

Hmm.. can I stay over? Sure I CAN. Lol.
So my sister tells me one of the employees called in and she's trying to call someone to see if they can come in for him. After trying to get a hold of someone and having no luck yet she says "I hate to ask, BUT could you stay over until 7 or 8?" I say something like I should be able to and I looked at the clock to see that my husband should be on break so I told her I'd call and make sure. He says it's up to me and to let him know what time. So my sister says lets go ahead and go with 7:45. I text my husband and let him know.
So today I had my first day of staying over. It was fun working with the girls I was with, but OMW I'm SOOO sore. Way more sore than yesterday. My feet feel like.. idk.. a car ran over them.. yeah, I think that'd feel about correct.
I'm off this weekend and I'm hoping that my body will stop hurting so much. Unfortunately my church is having all the parents bring their kids in for Christmas practice tomorrow. I was really hoping to just BE... such is life.

My brain is in shutdown mode..

Have a great weekend, everyone!

Hurry Up Weekend!

Tomorrow is the last day of work before I get days off! I'm so excited... and SOOOOOO extremely sore! My body just is not used to this. Tomorrow 6pm cannot come fast enough. Don't get me wrong I love my job, but I need some time for my muscles to stop aching. I may be in a hot bubble bath from 7pm tomorrow to 9am Sunday LOL
Have a great Friday!  Pray for me LOL

An Intentionally Rude Customer..

Yesterday I was helping at the drive-thru window at work and a lady came through to get Lottery tickets. Well I'm new to the whole thing so it took me a while to get it all together. I finally get her through and the next vehicle pulls up...
The lady in the vehicle says, "What did you have to print those tickets?" (Obviously in a crappy tone) so I look at her and said something like "Sorry I'm new" and suddenly she's all "Oh, it's ok, baby" I'm just sitting there thinking seriously you couldn't just be patient?
People even if it does take a while, new person or not, you don't have to show how upset you are; be an adult and smile; vent to a friend or family member about it later! Lol.
Now obviously if this was happening a lot, especially with the same person, you'd need to notify a manager or contact the company. BUT you also have to take into account how busy of a store it is. In our station it's pretty much either you have no one there or you have the whole town, not much in between. People have us running to get them drinks, ice, lottery tickets, cigarettes.. you name it. When the employees leave my station they're sore and tired from running nonstop. If we aren't helping a customer we're putting away a truck, cooking, cleaning the floors, taking out trash, cleaning counters, cleaning the bathroom, stocking the cups, etc. Not to say there aren't employees who just stand there and talk, every company has some of those, not my problem (But it is an annoyance) Anyways stop being rude, people.

Full-time

Today was my first day of full-time. I figured it'd be kind of long, but then again I know full-time shifts can sometimes pass faster than part-time. It chose to be long. Good thing I love my job. Lol.
I got to do a lot of things I'd never done before at this job, including the cash register. It was different than the other registers I've dealt with, but everything seems pretty easy on it so I should have the hang of it in no time. However where to locate the several different kinds of tobacco is going to prove difficult. Lol.
My poor legs aren't used to this full-time stuff anymore. So my legs and I are going to go sleep so I can rest up for another full-time day. Can't wait to see the paycheck. Lol.

B.R.O.N.C.H.I.T.I.S.

Well there's all sorts of stuff going on in my life recently.

Another, to my knowledge, first Doctor thinks I have bronchitis. Not exactly a wanted first. Sore throat, fever, sore, tired, cough, nausea.

Then to top it off my allergies decided now would be a good time to show up. Sneezing, runny nose, hard to breath, unable to think clear.

This all makes great working conditions....

On the plus side I have the next 4 days off. Hopefully I can kick this bronchitis before I go back to work. It'd be nice if the allergies went away by then too, but I'm not holding my breath.


I hope you all had a Happy Thanksgiving!

A Few Reasons You Shouldn't Support Pro-Sports

I cannot, I will not, and you should not support Pro-Sports. I'm all for people getting out and playing sports. It's exercise and for those that like sports it's fun. However pro-sports (or any who get paid to play sports) should NOT be supported. I'm sure I could write a whole book on why, but for now here's my "best reasons"


   1. Sports are a hobby/exercise NOT a job. I had to do sports for gym in school. Did I get paid for it? No. Why? It's not a job.

   2. They make WAY to much money. We live in a world full of debt and once again sports aren't a job yet they're getting paid for it and not only are they getting paid they make more than people with real jobs!

   3. You want to know where all that money should be going? Those who work in the military! They sacrifice their lives, their relationships, their sanity to protect us. Yet most of them once they leave the military can't find a civilian job, can't pay their bills, end up homeless, suffer from PTSD, some are dealing with how to live with loss of limb(s), a lot of them suffer from divorces from being away for so long, ... and there's a lot more to the list.

The highest paid athlete is Floyd Mayweather (boxer) at $300 million. (according to my Google search) $300 million to get beat up for no good reason. I'm sorry, but if you like fighting, fight to make a difference. Your little boxing match will never make a difference; it won't end world hunger, it won't provide homes for the homeless, it won't save people's souls, it won't provide purified water, it won't provide an education, it won't give us/keep freedom, it won't help the deaf,... it won't do anything.    


Why.. How could I / How could you support something so flawed?

First Mandatory Meeting

This is my 3rd week on the job and I've already had my first mandatory meeting. I've never actually had a mandatory meeting for a job before so that was a new experience.
Our station(s) used to be through another company who decided they no longer wanted to be in the business so they reached out to the people who now own it to see if they'd like to buy the company, obviously they said yes. Everyone who worked for the previous owners really liked the way things were ran and some of the changes have left some of them upset. Change is never easy, but as they explained in the meeting the previous owners wanted to sell and sought a buyer. It was not our current owners bullying them into selling.
It seems there has been some us and them-ing and complaining, etc. They were trying to explain that we are all a team, it doesn't matter which owner we were originally hired under. We now all work for the same company; the company that signs our checks. From everything I've seen it's a great company. But as I said change isn't easy. The station(s) have been under the new owners for almost a year now so they're now cracking down on the things that need fixed or improved. Cut hours, mandatory uniforms, work harder, better customer service, etc. All normal things that happen in companies. The better we work, the cleaner it is, the friendlier we are, the more customers come in, the more we sell, the more hours we'll get; common sense.  

Semi-funny story: If you were to look up my station on Google Earth it is a picture of a female employee sitting in the ledge of our drive-thru window with her back facing the camera. I say it's semi-funny because who would have thought that's the moment google would have chosen to take the picture? But it's also not funny because that looks bad for the company, it makes us all look bad. That employee along with several others no longer work for the company.

I'm a bit amazed at some of the things that have to be explained to people...

Light It Up!

      I've been married for 6 years and FINALLY my husband, after much hinting and telling him he was ruining my Christmas, allowed me to decorate before Thanksgiving!

Also, for the first time ever I got to light up our porch! I'm so excited!

     As a teen I dreamed of all the things Christmas would mean when I was older. Part of it was decorating the outside of the house (as well as the inside, of course) We never decorated outside when I lived with my parents, which is a shame because we had a great house for it, I feel like decorating outside is just apart of Christmas (it should not be left out!). It's a way of sharing the Holiday cheer with your neighbors, a Christmas tree from the window just isn't enough.  

    We have 2 Christmas trees and I'm thinking about lightly decorating the old, small one and putting it on our porch. I've seen pictures where others have done that and I just loved it.

    I do ALL the decorating alone so it can be a bit hard on me, but I'm sure gonna try! Hopefully one of these Christmases I'll getting it looking the way I really want it... Until then just deal with what I've got, it's the best I can do. Lol.

**I LOVE CHRISTMAS LIGHTS** 

Kitchen Only

So we left off with me on Cloud 9, but still completely aware of my imminent transfer to cashier....

Today I went in to work ready to learn the register like they'd told me I'd be doing today. I wore my hair in a ponytail which I don't normally do because I deal with the food, but since I'd be on register I didn't have anything to worry about. I go into the backroom nervous, but smiling. I'm thankful for my job and even if it meant transferring to a new shift and to a cashier, which I didn't want to do, I'm going to smile. Anyways as I was saying I walk into the backroom and my sister and her boss (my boss too, of course) are talking and they tell me I did a great job yesterday then my sister tells me that she won't be training me on register.. So I'm thinking that's odd.. and (not sure if I actually said anything now that I think about it. Either way with a look or words I asked why) and she said that corporate told her I'm Kitchen only! That thrilled me beyond words. I did not want to be a cashier. I'm all for hopping on a register to help when they're desperate, but for that to be my job, no, please don't make me. My sister and boss told me the inspector told them all the same things he'd told me about me taking pride in my job, how much he appreciated the pride I took, and how good I do cooking the food, etc. After that my sister walked out to do something and I looked at our boss and said well I guess I'll put my hair up LOL
My days and shift are going to change a little. I'm going to do 1/2 of my days on 1st and 1/2 on 2nd, which will make it easier on my whole family. I will be working 2 jobs on Fridays, but I'll be getting a 3 day weekend this way so it's a fair trade.
I'll have my first mandatory meeting on Friday, if my sister was correct about me having to be there. I'm excited to start this newer part of my new job. This is my 3rd week and it's been crazy and changing so quick, but I'm loving it and I'm so grateful to be "stuck" in the kitchen. God knew what I wanted and needed and He gave it to me. I'm so blessed! Now speaking of my job I need to get to bed so I'm well rested tomorrow.
Can't wait to tell you new stories. I'm sure I'll have some soon!

Inspection Time

I went to work yesterday thinking it would be a normal day. It wasn't. I come in and my sister tells me not to be intimidated, but there are inspectors in the kitchen. Of course I immediately get intimidated, but I tried not to show it. I go back into the kitchen and start doing what I'd normally do. The inspectors are going in and out of the kitchen checking things, then they bring food back into the kitchen to try. After they finished the food they started talking to me more, which was intimidating. After they asked their questions they continued to talk to me and I found out they're really nice and cool. (Awesome!) I got to ask tips on cooking some of the food to their liking.

When it was just about time for me to leave they started thanking me and telling me they loved how much pride I took in my job and that, that's something very hard to find in people now. I was about 2 seconds from doing a dance, I was so excited! I'm sure the smile on my face was huge and possibly goofy. I left for the day feeling super great about my job and how well I do.
See I'd been worried about it. I was so afraid I wasn't cooking everything as well as I should; I knew I was cooking it as well as I knew how to and I tried my hardest. It was just.. amazing (doesn't even seem a strong enough word) to hear inspectors tell me that I was doing a good job and that they appreciated it! Don't mind me on Cloud 9 over here LOL

As happy as I was I knew they still were going to teach me to be a cashier and move me into the store :-( .... But this leads to a whole new post, which took place today....

My First Unintentionally Rude Customer

So as I previously said I have a new job at a gas station and I like it. I'm the cook and I bring the food out into the store and so the story begins.

I just finished cooking up, packaging, and labeling some food and I walked it out to the store, I put the food in the warmer and I start to head back to the kitchen, but there's a guy standing in the way. I, of course, patiently wait for him to move. This guy is at least in his 40's, kind of looks like a guy who'd play an Ornery Uncle, not well groomed.. he looks at me and says, "Looks like you broke out in some rash" For those of you who don't know me I have always had a hard time with my face breaking out. I hate it, it's embarrassing, but you learn to just live with it. So after I mentally stumble out of my shock I say something like, "Oh no, I've dealt with this all my life." All I could think was "Wow! That's so RUDE!" (Even though I'm pretty sure he didn't mean to be)
I've had others ask about my complexion, but it's always been people that had a right to ask (Family, friends, or doctors)

Just goes to show age doesn't always equal wisdom.  

My New Job

Had you told me a couple months ago that I was going to work at a gas station I would have thought you were crazy. Had you told me not only would I be working in a gas station, but I'd be their cook I would have started setting up your sessions for counseling. And had you continued on to say I'd even like the job I probably would have tried to slap the insanity out of you.
However I am working at a gas station, I am the cook, and I do like my job. *Mind blown* LOL
The days go by fast, the employees are all pretty cool, I get to pretty much set the menu, and I get to make pizzas which I've found can be fun. (In case you didn't know, I'm not really a pizza fan. Our pizza is good though!) I get to stay in my kitchen pretty much alone, which honestly works very well for me. (I don't hate people I'm just a bit awkward around them. lol) Along with cooking I clean up the kitchen and help out with cleaning the store and bathrooms.. obviously the bathroom is no one's favorite room to clean, but luckily our bathroom isn't one of THOSE gas station bathrooms. *Insert horror movie music*
I started out only getting 2 days a week, 4 hours each day. Well that lasted a total of 2 days and I was bumped BLESSED with 2 more days also at 4 hours a day. Also I was informed that I'll probably be going to another shift soon *dun, dun, dun* and I'd be a cashier *Insert horror movie scream* So I'll only have the comfort and not lonely loneliness of my kitchen for a little while. I would prefer to stay on my current shift and in my current position, but 1. I'm needed in this other position/shift and 2. It's currently what's best for my family. *Insert me sobbing with the violin playing in the background* (Okay so I'm not really sobbing, but I seriously like what I'm doing) When Seth goes to school I'll probably try to switch back to this job, but that won't be happening for a little while.
Also a plus I've been able to see my sister a lot more because she works there too. Amazingly the company is fine with hiring family members into the same store.   
I'm sure you'll hear more about my job soon be it because I got moved into the new position or because some customer says/does something crazy. Oh actually I have a short story for that already, but I'll put it in another post...

Coffey Grounds

Adorable bridge!

 This weekend I went to the wedding of one of my friends located at the Coffey Grounds. The Coffey Grounds is beautiful! It's the perfect place for an outside wedding, camping, bonfires, swimming, parties, etc. My pictures unfortunately cannot do this place justice. 

This was my first time ever going here since I'm not from the area. I wish I would have known about it sooner!

Lots of land!

This is probably my favorite decor part because of the personal detail

Sign in for the wedding

The shelter house and the reception tables

Simple, but beautiful

Love the use of candles and tree stumps

 

Pond view in the background

Diving/Swimming

The tent was huge

I have more beautiful pictures, but the rest of them have people in them and I won't post other people without their permission.

The bridesmaid dresses were beautiful. The bride's dress was gorgeous and the bride was as well.
The bride and groom are so adorable together.

It was an outside wedding on a cold day. This was genius!

The Wedding Party's Table

 





I got some really great photos of the wedding. I'm a little surprised at just how well they turned out.

I think I'll start carrying the camera around more often. The only way to get better at taking pictures is to just dive in and take them.

I hope you've enjoyed the pictures and if you have a chance you should throw your next event there.
I don't know the owner's information, but I know that you can Google: Coffey Grounds Noblesville, IN. and that can lead you where you need to go.

Bonfire/Picnic Tables

Reception tables and the photo "booth" in the background

Sun poking through the trees

Reception table decor

I Choose Blessings

I found myself dealing with depression again recently. This time it was more focused on the hurts from people around me. I've had hurts from family, friends, church members, leaders in churches, etc. Just to verify, I know the word church was mentioned a couple times, but it hasn't just been the people in church. Plenty of "worldly" friends and family have hurt me too.

I could not find a way around the pressure and pain from all the hurts, be it recent or past. Everywhere I looked it seemed like my life had been one big depressing blow one after another. I just couldn't shake it. I didn't understand what was so wrong with me (or them for a few of the issues) that they had to cause these hurts in my life. I'd been down for weeks, knowing good and well I was depressed, but I didn't tell anyone at the time. I spend a lot of time alone so appearing OK is quite easy on the rare occasion I do see people.

One day I was sitting at home lost in a maze of thoughts each one about what hurts I'd faced and who had caused them. In the middle of my "maze" something happened.. I honestly can't tell you what it was, I've forgotten, it may have been a scripture that popped in my head or maybe just a thought, could have been the voice of God.. I don't remember, but suddenly I knew what I needed to do. I needed to pray. Not for myself, though God knows I need it, but for each person that had hurt me. So I wrote a list of names of each person I could think of, no matter how big or small the hurt. Now I told you I needed to pray for them so I told God all the hurts and ask that He show them how they've treated people and that He'll help them to change, etc... but that wasn't what God wanted or what I needed and I knew it... I knew what I had to do. So humbling myself, with tears streaming down my face, and with all my heart I prayed that God would bless each one, despite who they were, despite who they are, despite what they'd done I want them to be blessed!
Wouldn't you know I woke up the next day and I felt great, the depression was gone, I wanted to actually get up and do stuff.. like cleaning lol. I've continued to feel better, I'm not saying that I don't have moments where hurts pop up. They just don't bother me like they did before. I've reminded myself that there's a possibility that they don't know what they did... although some of them would have to be complete blind idiots to not know what they'd done, but you know those kinds of people do exist LOL  But even if they do know I choose to want them to be blessed.

Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments

Anyone that really knows me knows that I love video games. That seems to shock a lot of people lol. Anyways I don't always want to play a FPS  (first person shooter), car racing (I don't even own a racing game for my new consoles lol), and The Sims I love but sometimes I want something more challenging. So while at the nearest GameStop  (30 minutes away lol) I came across a game that sounded like a welcome change + it's a Sherlock Holmes game ♡
For those of you who don't know, I love Sherlock Holmes stuff. Honestly I'd love to do his job. Investigating is kind of thrilling lol.
I've  played L.A. Noire, which was a good game, but you also had to deal with a lot more than just investigating and I wanted something pretty much purely investigating, which I got in Sherlock Holmes: Crimes & Punishments! I absolutely love the game and I'd recommend it to anyone who loves the "Sherlock ways" Investigate crime scenes, piece together the evidence, question people, and put away the right person(s). You get to investigate your way so it's really cool. I wish I would have known about this game when it had first come out!

It's That time Of The Year - Chili

Would you believe that I never attempted to make chili until October 1st of this year? I'm 25 and just now decided to get the courage to try making it.

My chili was "acceptable" (it reminded my husband more of a spaghetti type flavor. I disagree with the spaghetti part,but it does need some work.) I'm going to have to play around with it some to get it right. As firsts go I'd say it was a success though. Lol.

Chili and cornbread ♡ Now I need Pumpkin pie and some pumpkin flavored drinks

12 Roses, 6 Years

Tomorrow is my 6 year Wedding Anniversary. It doesn't seem possible that it's been that long.. not when you look at it all together anyways LOL
Anyways he got me these lovely roses and brought them to me at work. It was a nice surprise.

Kirby Vacuum.. I think not

*Knock, knock* (to my front door, it's around 6pm) I come to the door and I glance out and see a van that looks like my parents so I open the door to realize that it's not my parents, but some strange guy with a french mustache. He hands me a Gain dish soap (the small, cheap bottle) and says they're handing them out for free and asks if I'd gotten one. I say no. So he hands it to me and then says they're doing a small survey and asks if I'd help, he says it will only take a few minutes.. my logic was he handed me Gain dish soap so he's probably just going to ask me what products I use for cleaning so I say yes. He says he's going to tell the other guy that I'm going to help so he goes to the van and yells to the guy, he then goes to the back and grabs out a couple of big boxes (oh great) It's a vacuum and he says what's the most trafficked area in your house so to keep him as close to the door as possible I just say that everyone comes in and out the entry room (which isn't a lie) so he begins his demos ration (and I'm kicking myself for opening the door) The guy of course seems nice and my husband, Miles, comes in maybe 10 minutes after he got here and I realized I was going to have to go to church soon so I keep checking my watch and of course he's still there. *Honk, honk* (from my drive) My ride to church is here. I grab my stuff and open the door. I realize the guy who drove the vacuum guy here isn't sitting in the drive anymore (that shouldn't have been the first clue) so I go to church and hear the whole way there how those guys are scam artists and their vacuums are just like any other and how my husband is going to fall for it because everyone does and I told them he wouldn't. So to ease their minds and mine I try to call my husband who of course has his phone on vibrate and no where near him (someone please slap him) so though out church I try texting him and nothing. After church on the way home (at 8:30) my husband responds to a text where I'd asked if the guy was still there and he says he's getting ready to leave so I'm picturing on of two thing 1. The guy is still there and Miles is signing us up for a new vacuum that we don't need or 2. I walk in the guy is gone and Miles is standing there with a smile and a new vacuum. So i get home and the guy is still there. I manage to sneak Miles off into the next room and whispering ask him if he's signed anything and he says just one paper but it wasn't like a sale paper. Ok that's good. And the guy continues to try to sell us this vacuum. I end up having to be the bad guy because my husband is in love with the vacuum now after the demo. I say no we can't and the guy goes to the "it will save you money in the long run", "you just feel that way because you didn't see the demo" (I gladly told him that had nothing to do with it), "you can't afford not to do this",.. etc.  Seth asks me for milk so I take him into the kitchen to get a drink and I hear the guy talking, but he's talking lower than normal (sign #.. who knows there's been a lot ) I come back in and once again tell him no after he continues to try and sell it. He finally leave after being there for 3 hours! (A few minutes my butt!) Come to find out when I went to the kitchen with Seth the guy was telling Miles to stand up to me and just buy it anyways. (It's knockout time!) If I ever see that guy again I'll have a hard time not giving him a piece of my mind.. and my fist. So Kirby will forever have a bitter taste in my mouth. Bunch of liars!

I Work Out

For a week and one day I have been working out via the Wii, Wii Fit. We've had the Wii and Wii fit for years, but I just now got back to it. I work out for at least 30 minutes, which on the Wii depending on what exercises you choose can take 30 min to a little over an hour. I started off burning a little over 90 calories and I've worked up to 145 calories. I do Yoga, Strength training, balance, aerobic, etc. They have workout workouts and they have ways to workout that seem more like games.

My weight has been shifting around like crazy according to the Wii fit board, but I don't trust it's measurements especially since we have carpet and that always throws things like this off. The Wii will randomly tell me during my workout that I've shifted weight between one exercise and another.. uh yeah, because that's possible.. Let me just pack on 5 lbs in a one to two minute span LOL

My stomach is getting harder, which for the time being hurts. My legs are getting stronger, but feel weak from being sore. My arms are sore.. not so sure about how they're doing strength wise. Lol. Even my *clears throat* .. bottom .. is getting toned up! Lol.

It feels good. I still find myself tired, but I'm sure when this extra weight is gone that won't be an issue so much.

As I said earlier I'm doing 145 calorie burn. That's what I've been doing the past 3 days. I'm going to stick at 145 for probably around a week so I'm not pushing to hard and then I'll go to the next level.. I'm not in front of the Wii or I'd tell you what that is.

Support/Motivation
I've had some motivation besides the normal just wanting to lose weight.

I have a friend who's really worked hard, he's lost weight, and he's working towards some awesome goals. He's a bit like me, he'd been on and off again many times with his fitness,  but he's stuck to it and it's really paid off. I believe he's even working toward becoming a trainer so that's awesome.

I have another friend who's supportive and honest and just a great person to have as a friend. Having support and honesty from someone you trust is a big thing.

I, of course, have the support and honesty of my Mom and I love her, but let's be honest sometimes it's easier when you have a friend over a relative to support you and be brutally honest with you, especially about fitness. Not that I don't love your input Mom! :-)

♡ ♡

A Great Day For Seth!

We had a wonderful day today!

We went swimming and finally got Seth to swim (with his life suit on) all by himself! He was so brave after that, that he started jumping in the pool without anyone catching him! He now LOVES the pool.

After that we went to Milky Way and 2 Police Officers showed up (to eat). They gave him Junior Officer stickers and a grand tour of their Police vehicle, lights and sounds included! Seth really enjoyed this and it made me one happy Mommy. I was so glad to see that there are Police that will take time out for the kids of the community. We have such great Officers!

Courses (Classes)

Well, it's been a while. Hope everyone has been doing well.

      If you remember I had a post about taking a course (I've been calling it a class, but course is the word they use.) I finished that up a couple days ago. I PASSED! I missed one question on the Final, not bad for someone who hates tests.. and schooling in general.

   I'm taking a course on Teaching Preschool: A Years Lesson Plans. I'm taking that so I can find fun ways to help teach Seth here at home. It has some really cute ideas. That course will be over the beginning of July for me.

   The middle of June starts another course for me and that is the second of three courses on Excel. Can't wait to dive in more. Hopefully it isn't to difficult. The instructor so far has done a pretty good job at keeping thing simple enough.


  I'm really enjoying taking these courses.. Obviously I keep signing up for more lol. It was really thrilling when I got to copy my Certificate of Completion! I'm so proud of that paper! LOL.

   You may wonder why I'm so proud of that paper? Reason is because I dropped out of school, 2ish years later I got my G.E.D. (which is better than nothing, but it's not the same), and then I got married and had a kid. I never went to college or did any Online Schooling..and I've regretted it ever since, but I didn't have the money to do it. So each Online Course I complete is just another way that I show that I can do this, that I can be knowledgeable about things. Sure I'll never be a Doctor, but I don't want to be! I don't like blood, needles, etc. Which means I'll never be a Nurse either. BUT I can be smart about Excel, kids, Photography... things I'm going to need/use throughout my life. Maybe one day I'll take something I can make a real career out of, but for now I'm content with just these courses.

Mother's Day

It's that day again, it's Mother's Day! Like every other year and every other holiday it snuck up on me. I keep saying I'm going to be better prepared and have all my holidays/birthdays gifts covered long before.. and I am better than I was before, but I really hope to one day have gifts bought ahead of time. But that isn't what this post is about. This post is about Mother's Day.


The sweetest, orneriest, most beautiful little boy made me a mother. He makes me want to cry out of frustration some days, but he makes me want to cry out of complete and total love some moments. Like when I'm crying and he looks at me and says, "No cry, no cry.." and helps wipe my tears away with no direction from anyone. When he comes and gives me a hug/kiss just cause, once again with no direction from anyone. When he says, "Love you". Those moments make it all worth while. Those moments heal my heart of any bad things he's done before. Those moments make my day brighter. Those moments are the reason I would die for him and fight to live for him. Those moments make me see/understand why a mother's love for her child is so strong. I love being his mom. I'm so glad God blessed me with this precious boy.


My mother is THE BEST MOM ever! She's beautiful inside and out. She's my best friend. She sees me for who I am and loves me despite my faults/failures. She gives me her best advice, but doesn't try to force me to do things her way. She is a shoulder to cry on and a rock to lean on. She is a godly example. She's a wonderful Grandma. A fabulous cook. A designing genius. A gifted musician. Crochet pro. Cleaner extraordinaire (Danny Tanner). She prays for me and only wants the best for me. She's all these things and more. I'm so grateful that God gave her to me to be my mom. I love you, Mom!


I hope you've all had the privilege of having a mom that, in your eyes, is as great as mine. Hopefully you've spent time with her today or if you couldn't spend time with her at least called or sent a text.
If your mother has passed away I hope you've taken this day to remember the good times that you had together.

Hope you're all having a great day! Happy Mother's Day!  

ClassES

I did a post before about taking a class in Excel. Which is going well. 5 more lessons left and then the big test. The quizzes have been really easy. The lessons are obviously getting more complex. I'm a bit curious/nervous about the final test. There's 2 more classes in Excel after this one to learn all there is to know about Excel.

Well..... I signed up for another class outside of Excel. This one is Teaching Preschool: A Year of Inspiring Lessons. Now I have no plans on teaching preschool.... but I do have a 2 year old who has no desire to learn the basics. I'm hoping that this class will give a few ideas that will help me teach him in a way he'll want to learn. Not just for now, but as he gets older. I can't wait to start it! It has great reviews. Yay! This class hasn't started yet, but I'm obviously super excited lol.

Less Than 32 Hours

One day these people who have spent their lives devoting hour after hour watching football, baseball, hockey, Etc. games and drafts on TV and playing the video games are going to wake up and realize that all the important things are gone, that they missed out on all the important moments, but by the time they figure it out it will be to late. Parents are missing out on their kids growing up. People are missing out on the life that's going on around them. 

Now you may say, "This can happen with anything you watch on TV!" Well sure that's true you can... I think of it this way: Sports are taking over Monday's, Thursday's and Sunday's. Each game is on average... 3 hours and 12 minutes (Football), 3 hours 8 minutes (Baseball), 2 hours and 20 minutes (Hockey), etc... So we'll say 3 hours. That's 9 hours a week. But they play multiple games in a day so lets say you watch more.. Football says a maximum of 15 games on a Sunday so we'll go with that one.. 15 games on a Sunday * 3 hours per game = 45 hours. That's not even including the games on Monday's and Thursdays. You can't watch each one as it's on since they sometimes play at the same time plus you couldn't watch all of them in one day anyways, but if you DVR them then there goes 45 hours of your week. That's a full-time job! Now I know most people don't watch all the games, but lets just say they do. So you spend 40+ hours at work & 40 hours in front of the TV. 168 hours in a week - 80 hours of work + Sports = 88 hours left. 88 hours - 56 hours of sleep (if you sleep 8 hours each night = 32 hours of "free" time. Now I could get really technical and add up on average how much time we spend bathing, using the restroom, eating, etc., but I'm pretty sure you're getting the picture. If you still don't get it, that's less than 32 hours to spend with your kids, parents, siblings, friends, ... That's around 4 hours each day. It's not enough, just ask your kids.... Be careful what you spend your time on. 

What Do You Want Them To Say?

Picture it, it's the end of your life. You know that soon you'll be dead leaving behind family, friends, acquaintances, and even enemies. The thought comes across your mind..."What will they say about me? How did they really see me?"

Now look at your life. Think about who you are, how you act, facial expressions, attitude, personality,.. all of it. What do you think they'll say? What would you say if you were someone else looking at you?

So what did they say?


Very recently an elderly woman passed away and person after person mentioned how they remember her testimony and her faithfulness. After seeing and hearing about her and all the good things over and over I couldn't help but stop and think, "I want that!" and "What will they say about me?"

No matter what age I pass. I want people to say good things about me.

I'd like things to be said of me like: faithful, caring, loving, strong, a great friend, confidant, always smiling, great mom, etc.

I don't want people to say: she did the best she could (which typically means not much), she had her moments, she could be smart, she was there most of the time, etc. That's just an Ish, like our Asst. Pastor preached. I don't want to be an Ish, but that's a whole other Blog Post.

So lets say you're like me and in your very honest look at your life you decide people wouldn't always have great things to say or they won't say what you want. Guess what we're still alive, which means we still have a chance to change. Will it be easy? No. But I bet it will be worth it.

So what do you want them to say? ...

Online Class

Yes, that's right the woman who hates schooling is taking an online class. It's a class on Excel '13. I must admit I'm, for the most part, enjoying this class. I'm currently taking the Introduction to Excel '13. There's a second class Intermediate to Excel '13, which I'll take when this class is over.

I was looking around the site and noticed they have a ton of great classes that I'd be interested in. So when I'm done with Excel I'm definitely going to take some other classes.

I'm only going to do one class at a time. They'd let me do more, but I prefer to focus on one at a time. Plus with Seth one class can be hard enough to focus on.

Can't wait to get my little paper of completion!

Warmin' Up

Wow, it's been a while since I've been on here. I have to admit the weather got warm and that kept me offline, but then the weather got colder again and that's just depressing so once again I wasn't on. Oh well. I'll try to do better.

I can't wait for the warmer weather to stay! Get out, go on walks, take pictures, play with Seth, shooting hoops, hitting softballs, ..  all things we've been doing on the warm days and I can't wait to get back to it.

We've been having a lot of Milky Way recently. If you've never been to one, you're missing out. Great tenderloins, orange tangerine, vanilla coke, fries, etc. Now if only they'd put up a gate on their outdoor (and only) eating area so the kids can't run out in the lot!

Speaking of Milky Way I met a friend their for lunch on Saturday that I hadn't hung out with in a while. Had a great time getting to sit an talk to her. Honestly didn't feel like a ton had changed... besides the fact that she's engaged and I have a 2 year old.. some pretty major changes, but it just seemed right to hang out together. Can't wait to get together again!

We need to get out with some of the other friends too. It's been far to long. This means going to the park with the kids, basketball for the guys, maybe some softball, lunch, bonfires, cook outs, shopping, and all other kinds of fun. Hopefully this year we'll be better about having these outdoor things at our home and not just waiting for someone else to have them.

Bring on the warm weather!!

Big Hero 6

 If you've never seen Big Hero 6, or as my son calls it 6, you really should see it. But I must warn you your kid may become addicted to it, like mine. Lol.

    It's about this boy Hiro and this inflatable robot Baymax who team up with a group of friends to form a band of high-tech heroes.  There's not much more I can say about it without giving away some of the story.

    It's super cute, has great music, and even has some good lessons in it. If you haven't watched it yet I hope you will soon.

Health > Sickness

Well yesterday was a pretty blah day for me. Headache, lightheaded, fever, nausea, total body ache, ...

Today I'm feeling better. I still have a headache and my body still aches some. But I'll take this over what I felt yesterday any day.

I felt like I could fall flat on my face any second yesterday, especially when standing. I've had that feeling before, but never when I was sitting down like yesterday.

New Schedule

Have you ever had to change your daily schedule? If no, it's not easy. For example I changed from sleeping 1 or 2am - 10am to 12am-6:30am.

If you know anything about me you know I love my sleep. I like to sleep often and for long hours lol. Having my son changed my ability to sleep as much as I wanted, which is a good thing really, except for when it comes to my weight. Hey can't eat if you're sleeping.

So why the change in schedule? Well, one and most important my son needs to be on a schedule. Two, I'm hoping this new schedule will help me to get more done in a day.

We woke up around 6:30 this morning and Seth just now fell asleep for his nap at 9:30ish. I'm a bit exhausted, but the point of the schedule was to get stuff done so as much as I'd love to nap too I'll take this time to get a few things done in the house.

With it being a new schedule I have no clue how well it will work to what I planned, but I guess I'll adjust what I have to adjust and go from there. But as I said he's napping and I need to do some stuff around the house so I hope you all have a great day, but I must go clean.

Beautiful Outdoors

Riding the 4-wheeler

We've had some great weather around here! It's been in the high 60's and low 70's *sigh* Seth and I have been spending a lot of time outside enjoying the weather and our backyard.

Here he's searching for rocks

We've had a great time outside enjoying the backyard and great weather. He loves being outside, playing with the leaves, rocks, his 4-wheeler, and our swing set. He's all boy lol. 

It's been so nice to get outside after how long we've been stuck inside. Hopefully the weather will hurry up and get warm.. and stay that way! It's supposed to be a bit cooler this week so we may be stuck inside again for a little while longer, but I'm thankful for the few days that the weather was warm enough to go out and enjoy.  

I hope you've all enjoyed the weather wherever you are and I hope you have a great day today! 

Rustic Candles

This is a simple, Dollar Tree DIY! My inspiration, Pinterest.

Here's what my first one looked like when I finished. Clearly this isn't a new candle. I have a candle I bought at the same time, but hadn't lit yet, that one I'm working on now and I'll update this post with a picture of it when I'm finished.

What you'll need:

Twine

Candle

Yes, both of those can be found at Dollar Tree (if you live in a small town you may want to try a bigger town's Dollar Tree). You'll also need a Glue Gun and Glue Sticks. 

Directions:

Start at the bottom of the candle. Apply a dab of glue to the candle and press the twine into it. I didn't put the very beginning of the twine in the glue, I went about an inch into it. That way an inch of the twine was neatly tucked under the layers. You'll want to make sure the bottom of the candle has plenty of glue so the twine won't slip off. Wrap the twine around the candle, gluing every 2-3 inches, until you reach the desired height, cut and glue the tip. 

Keep in  mind you can do designs, patterns, or whatever you want. I chose to do a simple, full cover over most of the candle.  

So long as you already have the Glue Gun and Glue Sticks this DIY costs less than $2/each. It takes 10-15 minutes per candle depending on how much you glue.. and/or if you have cats attacking the twine. Lol.

I hope you've enjoyed this post! Have a great day!

UPDATE:

This is what the second candle looks like

Adds a bit more than when they were plain white candles.

Hangry

   I got some inspiration on a couple of things to blog about. Unfortunately they're kind of deep, heavy subjects that require some research and I have just not been feeling that well today.

  I came home from work hungry.. or as I was corrected by a friend on Facebook, Hangry. I bit my husband's head off because I was hungry and having a hard time focusing and he was trying to pay some bills. Obviously paying bills is important, but if you know me I don't function well when I'm hungry. I ended up with a low sugar from needing food and that put me in a bad, grumpy mood = Hangry (Hungry and angry, if you still hadn't figured it out lol)

  Anyways, after eating I felt somewhat better, but I have this awful headache that just doesn't want to go away.

 
I need sleep.


  So my deep, heavy posts will have to wait for another day when I can give my full attention to my researching.


Hopefully tomorrow I'll be able to get a good post out. I hope you all have a great night!

You Are My Sunshine

Jimmie Davis ~ You Are My Sunshine - YouTube:



'via Blog this'

I'm sure you know the children's song I'm talking about, You Are My Sunshine. I was singing Seth to sleep last night and I started thinking about the song and what it said and I suddenly had to know the origin of this song. So I did what I do best, I Googled it.

The song was wrote by Jimmie Davis and Charles Mitchell. Although there's an article from 1990 that says the original song was written by Oliver Hood. It was first recorded in 1939. Did you know it was declared one of the state songs of Louisiana?!

Have you ever listened to the whole song? Link above if you haven't. I never knew it was a whole song with, you know, verses. I just thought it was some children's song that consisted of a chorus. If you listen to the words it's actually a sad song. Why on earth did we make such a sad song a children's song?

The Lyrics:
Verse 1
The other night, dear,
As I lay sleeping
I dreamed I held you in my arms
But when I woke, dear,
I was mistaken
And I hung my head and cried

Chorus
You are my sunshine
My only sunshine
You make me happy
When skies are gray
You'll never know, dear,
How much I love you
Please don't take my sunshine away.

Verse 2
I'll always love you
And make you happy
If you will only say the same
But if you leave me
To love another
You'll regret it all some day

Chorus

Verse 3
You told me once, dear
You really loved me
That no one else could come between
But now you've left me
And love another,
You have shattered all my dreams

Chorus


Anyone else feel like crying after reading those lyrics?
We took something painful and turned it into a kid's song. Sure let me use your pain to lull my child to sleep. Don't get me wrong there's something beautiful about the song and I won't stop singing it just because I finally know what it's about, but it's still just so sad. Hopefully I haven't ruined the song for anyone.

Don't Sweat It

I'm going to talk about a not so fun subject, sweat. Gross, right? Unfortunately we all do it.  If you've ever seen me during church you know I'm constantly fanning. Sitting there sweating like a sinner in church LOL

We all know that sweat is a bodily function that helps to regulate our body temperatures, but did you know that there are other things that cause you to sweat?


Causes:

-Anger
-Fear
-Anxiety
-Embarrassment
-Emotional Stress
-The food you eat, gustatory sweating, is caused by eating/drinking spicy, caffeinated, or alcoholic food/beverages.
-Illness/Medication use. Cancer, fever/fever reducing drugs, infection, hypoglycemia (low blood sugar levels), pain killers, synthetic thyroid hormones, complex regional pain syndrome (a rare chronic pain in the arms or legs)
-Menopause
-Salt. Our body will sweat to try to release the salt from our body, which is one of the reasons that cats and dogs like to lick us.
-Obesity



Facts:

Sweating is controlled by the body's autonomic nervous system.

Our body's "normal" amount of sweat can be as much as a quart of fluid per day. One quart = 4 cups.

Sweat is mostly water, but about 1% of it is a combination of salt and fat.

We have an average of 3 million sweat glands. Did you know that there are different types of sweat glands? Eccrine sweat glands are all over the body and they release a lightweight, odorless sweat. Apocrine sweat glands are located at hair follicles such as the scalp, armpits, and groin and these release heavier, fat-laden sweat that carries a distinct odor. What causes the body odor is Apocrine sweat breaks down and mixes with the bacteria on our skin. Can we say, "Yuck!"

Tips to minimize sweating/make yourself more comfortable:

-Wear several light layers of clothing that allow your skin to breathe
-Remove layers as you heat up <-- all="" are="" don="" hot="" how="" layers="" lol="" matter="" not="" p="" please="" remove="" t="" you="">-Wash off dried sweat from your face and body for optimum comfort
-Change out of sweaty clothes to reduce the risk of bacterial or yeast infections
-Drink water and/or sports drinks to replace fluids and electrolytes
-Use deodorant
-Remove foods/drinks from your diet that cause sweating such as spicy, caffeinated, or alcoholic foods/drinks
-If it's caused by a medication have a talk with your doctor about an alternative.


If you feel you sweat to much you may have Hyperhidrosis and you should talk to your doctor.
There's also such a thing as not sweating enough and that's called Anhidrosis, which you should also talk to your doctor about.
It's not good to sweat to much, but it isn't good to sweat to little either. Guess it's a gross necessity.

I also guess that they're trying to tell me to lose weight, not drink pop and tea, have less salt intake, and stop being so self-conscience. Well there goes my norm. Lol.

The information I used was from www.healthline.com.

My First Homemade, Two Layer Cake!

I've always loved cakes! I'd look at them and wish that I could make something so cool and now I've finally tried it!
I've gone most of my life not trying things out of fear of failing, but within the past few months I've decided I'm going to try all these things I've been wanting to do!
So here's how my cake turned out:

As you can see I'm not so great at icing a cake, but I enjoyed making it. It didn't taste to bad... I will however be looking for a different recipe because that one wasn't as good as I was expecting. 

I LOVE CAKE! LOL

Happy 25th Birthday To Me

It's my birthday!!!! Today I celebrate 25 years of life!

You know how people around their 40's+ are always talking about how fast time goes? With every year I understand a little more just how true that is.  Honestly I don't feel 25.. I'm not really sure how old I feel. When I'm asked my age my brain wants to say like 19, but most days I think I feel more like 30.



Ok, so for 25 years I'm going to list 25 things/people that I love and/or am obsessed with.. in no particular order.
*Note I kept it to 25 so not everything or everyone has been listed and if you aren't here it's not meant to hurt anyone. I love all my family!

1. Cats - They're so Purrfect. I have 3 and I love them all! If it didn't cost so much to have them I'm sure I'd have more. Well the cost and the husband doesn't want anymore lol.

2. Owls -  Woo wouldn't love something so cute? I mean sure they aren't all cute, but the ones that are, are really cute. I'd love to one day be able to pet one!

3. Guitars - Strumming at my heart strings! I've always wanted to play guitar and I'm actually teaching myself to play! I need a good guitar, but for now I'm just learning the basics so what I've got will do. Sorry Mom, I know you wanted me to play piano lol.

4. Hunger Games - Killer story. Lol. I love archery. One day I hope to learn!

5. Crocheting - I don't get to do this enough, but I do love it! There's just something so rewarding about finishing something you've started, your own design. I'm hoping to make myself a dress one day.

6. Blogging - Give me a good subject and I'll give you a good post. I've been finding lots of inspiration and I've really enjoyed searching for proof and giving my opinion on subjects. Though currently I blog just for myself it would be nice to one day have a blog that many others enjoy reading.

7. Facebook - Hello anti-social socialism. I'm a pretty shy person and here's how I know what's going on without actually having a conversation with anyone. I'm slowly coming more and more out of my shell with each year. Hopefully one day I will no longer need Facebook to feel apart.

8. Baking - Cakes & Cupcakes are my jam LOL! I'm going to bake my first homemade, first 2 layer cake today with homemade frosting.

9. Youth - I can see the "huh?" faces already lol My passion/burden is the youth (ages 12-18ish) I'm hoping to eventually start helping with the youth at church. Maybe one day I'll go for Psychology to counsel these ages.

10. My nephews and nieces - The more time goes on the more I realize just how important family is. And I have some pretty awesome nephews and nieces. I hope they all realize that even though I'm not outgoing and I don't see them a lot that I really do love them and that I'm here for them if ever they need me.

11. Party Decor - I love helping put thing together for parties! Esp with my mom. We come up with some pretty awesome things together. I love seeing a bunch of tablecloths, lights, ribbon, streamers, balloons, etc become something beautiful.

12. Lights - Yep, I said lights. I love Christmas light, white and/or colored, it doesn't matter. They're just so pretty! Lets hang them everywhere!! Who's with me?

13. Photography - I don't get out to take a lot of pictures, but I sure do love taking them. One day I hope to have my own photography decorating my walls

14. DIY - I LOVE DIY.. unfortunately that takes time, tools, money, etc. One day I will DIY all the things that I've been wanting to do! Lamps, tables, art, etc.

15. Home decor - I wish I had the money to do all the things I'm wanting to do! Only problem is that I like so many different styles that I have a hard time settling on one. One day my house shall be fabulous!

16. The number 13 - It's so often called unlucky, just like black cats. Guess what.. I love them both. Why do I love such an "unlucky" number? I don't know, maybe because so many others don't. It'd nice to like something that goes against the norm sometimes.

17. God - The more you look into the scriptures, the more you believe, the more faith you allow to grow, the more you focus on Him the better He becomes. Always faithful, always supplies our needs. He knows every tear we've cried and every hair on our head. He's a great, on time God.

18. Chinese food - Hunan chicken, pork fried rice, etc. I could eat this almost every day for the rest of my life. Hard to believe they had such a hard time getting me to try it 21 years ago. One day I will learn to fix at least one Chinese meal!

 Have you noticed a trend yet? I'm in this whole trying new things kick.   Which brings me to #19

19. Trying new things - This is new to me. I'm suddenly wanting to try all these things I've wanted to do, but was to afraid to fail at before. There are quite a few things so it's going to take a while to do them all.

20. Clothes - I've always loved clothes. Unfortunately most of mine no longer fit from all the weight I'd gained. You should see my Amazon wish list, I have like 4-5 pages full of clothes that I cannot wait to buy! Oh the possibilities! The different colors to match, the different sides of me I can show,...

21. Pinterest - I love being able to go to one place and find a thousand different ideas for a hundred different things!

22. Horses - I have ALWAYS loved horses. I used to beg for mom to buy me a horse. I wouldn't have the time to take care of one now, but I wouldn't mind going riding sometime this year. Hint, hint...

23. Bling - Yes, I love bling. I'd put diamonds on everything if I could!

24. My mom - She's not just my mom, she's my best friend.
She's such a strong person. I've secretly (not so secretly now) always wondered if I could ever be as strong as she is. She's gone through so much in her life and she's always come out stronger than she was before. She's such a great example!

25. Seth - I just couldn't imagine my life without my "little" bundle of joy. He may drive me nuts sometimes, but he's the cutest, most lovable little guy. I've had plenty of days that the only thing that kept me going was him. 

Hope you're all having a wonderful day!

Parenting In The Pew

No, I'm not talking about parenting as a Christian apposed to someone who doesn't attend church. I'm talking about the struggles of parenting a child in a church service.
If you've had a kid(s) and attend church you know the struggle of trying to correct your child and not draw attention to yourself. We hear stories of parents pinching arms, pulling ears, and whispering threats and we laugh, but it isn't so funny when we're the one having to do it. 

Sunday night Seth was in this noisy, not going to listen mood and in the middle of church service I'm not going to give my stern "Seth" So I try The Look and I point (with The Look). I try giving him things to keep him occupied, quiet, and sitting still.. nothing works the way I'm wanting. Well this is where threatening whispering comes in. If you know kids you know if you go to tell them something they don't want to hear or if they feel you're going to take something from them they back away. So instead of being able to simply lean towards him and whisper I'm having to grab his jacket and pull him to me just to simply whisper that he needs to be quiet, sit down, etc.

***Let me take this moment to say I applaud all the parents out there who go to church service after service just them and their kid(s) having no help throughout the services, especially if the kid is active!***

Having a kid and going to church isn't so bad when you have family and friends to help. I normally have 2-3 family members who help me with Seth and I'm SOO thankful. But Sunday night it was just Seth and I. Don't get me wrong I know that going to church is the right thing. I know that Seth and I need to be there, but services like Sunday night I can't help but feel like being there is pointless. All I wanted was for Seth to sit in my lap and be quiet so that I could pay attention to service, but instead I spent all my time focused on him and ended up completely out of touch with the service. I felt like the services lasted hours longer and I ended up feeling more drained than when I first walked in. I left having received nothing. Thank God that isn't typically how services go for me!

Every kid will at some point do something during service that you wish they wouldn't. And what do you do?

Your options are:
A. Correct them, which may force a little attention on you and make you feel like a bad parent because it's your kid being the pain. Correcting may or may not work the first time.
OR
B. Ignore the issue, allowing your child to be a disruption and actually be a bad parent.

I choose A. But with the way people are today you never know what parenting style is going to offend the people around you. Personally I have no problem with timeout, spanking (spanking not beating!), taking away a toy, threatening to take away a toy, dirty looks, or whispering. But the whole time I'm trying to get him to behave I'm wondering, "Do the people around me think I'm handling this ok?", "Do they think I'm a bad parent?", "Are they wishing I'd take him out of the service?", "How loud does he sound from where they're sitting?", etc. I'm sure all parents have felt this way at least once.

Do I have any solutions? No. But.....

Good news parents!!!! This stage doesn't last forever! Every parent before us has gone through exactly what we're going through and look, they made it! So choose A. Correct that adorable, little pain in the rear. Ignore the things going through your head about what other people think because you know that correcting them is better than ignoring the problem. And remember this stage will be over before you know it... and amazingly one day you will miss it.

So take a moment with me to cry about your baby growing up ....................................................You done?.............................................................

Keep calm and parent from the pew!

"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it." -Proverbs 22:6

International Women's Day (IWD)

Happy International Women's Day, ladies! I hope you're all having a fantastic day.

Did you know that this was something celebrated? I didn't until this morning. So in honor of I.W.D. I thought I'd blog on the origin. I've collected my information from Wikipedia.org.

Initially it was called International Working Women's Day.
Celebrated every year on March 8th.
The earliest observation was February 28th, 1909 in New York, the Socialist Party of America organized it in remembrance of the 1908 strike of The International Ladies Garment Worker's Union.
It was started as a general acknowledgement of respect, appreciation, and love towards women as celebration of women's economic, political, and social achievements.
In some regions the day lost it's political flavor and became a day for people to express their love for women in ways similar to Valentine's Day and Mother's Day.
Some people celebrate by wearing Purple Ribbons.

Well, maybe next year I'll remember this and wear my own purple ribbon! (I wouldn't hold my breath, since my memory is so bad)

So happy International Women's Day!

The Past

People often want to hold onto the past. What most of them don't realize is that holding onto the past can't hurt you and can also hurt those around you.

Remembering the past is one thing. Looking back at good times is not a bad thing, but don't live your life there.
Remembering bad things that happened can sometimes help you keep from making the same mistake in the future, but don't live there.

We have friends who come and go. Sometimes we try to hang onto people that are no longer relevant in our lives. When I say they're no longer relevant I mean that sometimes these people hurt us or hinder us, but we're so used to having them there that we cling to what we know instead of doing what's best for us and for those around us.

We can also hold onto past hurts. We hold onto what people have done to us, we hold on to past failures, we hold onto things that, yes, they happened, yes, it stinks, but that can push us away from a good future and that can push good people away from us.

Each and every one of us have a story that is all our own. What we do with that story is up to us. We can let it make us better or bitter. It's your choice. I hope you choose well.

Abortion

I saw a Facebook post today.. Notice most of my inspiration comes from Facebook posts?...What it was about makes me sick! University students who are signing petitions to legalize abortion after the child has been born. They call it "fourth-trimester" abortion. Currently it's illegal in all 50 states, as it should be!

I've posted the link so you can read the post yourself. The Editor of the post is with all of us who call abortion what it is, murder.
 http://freedomoutpost.com/2013/07/university-students-sign-petition-to-legalize-abortion-after-birth/

Furthermore there's talk of legalizing killing kids that are around the age of 2 or 3. I don't have the post to that one, but I've heard about it enough to know that someone is plotting it.

I can't tell you from personal experience what having an abortion is like, but I can tell you that every person who's come out saying they had one has said that it haunts them and that they regret it.

I can tell you that it's murder.

I've pulled a tiny bit of information on fetal development from www.ehow.com:

The first month ends with the baby's brain, heart and spinal cord developing.

In the second month, the baby is less than an inch long. The heart starts beating regularly, and the arms and legs begin to develop as small buds. The umbilical cord is visible, and by the end of the second month, the baby will start to develop fingers and toes.

Read more : http://www.ehow.com/how-does_4925681_fetal-development-month-month.html?ref=Track2&utm_source=ask

I am sickened at the fact that people think this is ok, that murder is ok. That they can have this baby, this person, growing inside of them and kill it. It makes me cry. I've literally been over here crying.

In case you are unaware of what happens during an abortion here's a link to a Youtube video that explains with illustration what happens to the baby. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-WiQNPk_2G8
Next time you see a baby you remember this video and you tell me if what they're doing is ok!


I can tell you as a mother that there's no greater love or bond that I've ever felt with a person in my life than with my son. The mere thought of my son no longer in my life, be it through death or separation, literally hurts my heart.. I feel physical pain at just the thought. If these people could feel what I feel abortion wouldn't exist, they would truly see it for what it is, murder.