Catching up...

Hello to blogland! It's been awhile, but things have been SUPER busy (and fun!) around here. Andrew started kindergarten (please, someone, ANYONE, tell me how I can have a child old enough for kindergarten!!)

Anna Kate is my little constant shadow every day... I'm trying to do lots with her now especially with the baby coming soon. It has been so much fun! She has started dance class, and is just about one of the sassiest little ballerinas you will ever meet.

We are in the midst of fall basesball, AWANAS, playdates, AND I am taking a big (ger)load than anticipated in the good ol' PTA this semster, but life is wonderful and beautiful and good and full.

..Speaking of the baby... We are having another GIRL! I am just estatic about it, and so excited that AK will have a sister! I know Andrew will do a great job of being big brother to 2 little girls. He is already taking the responsibility very seriously indeed! Little Abigail (yes, that is going to be her first name for sure... middle name?? Still a source of debate) will make her arrival on December 8th. The C-section is scheduled, OR booked, and doctor reserved! I am at 27 1/2 weeks now, and am still feeling pretty good! I definitely have not slowed down yet, but am sure I will start "feeling" it more in the days and weeks to come!

Hopefully soon, I'll get busy on getting this template fixed (on my "to do" list for the next 2 weeks), and things will look a little more "normal" around here... looks a little icky at the moment!

For now, I am celebrating the arrival of fall, cooler days (!!!), my new iced pumpkin candle, and the many undeserving blessings God bestows upon us everyday.

His mercies truly are new every morning.

Favorite Randomness (Abbreviated!)

Favorite kid quote of the week- "I not bad, I just wyy-uld"



Favorite new obsession- These candles (Especially "High Maintenance"!!) Oh my WORD!! Do your senses and favor and get one please.



Favorite soundtrack of all time - Yeah, THAT would be This



Favorite color for decorating- yummy chocolate/espresso brown- especially since our bedroom and bathroom just got makeovers in shades of this color mixed with gold- ummm, ummm, UMMMM



Favorite nail polish (current)- "Have you seen my Limo?*"- by OPI* of course! I am loving the aubergine tones now...



Favorite new store- Plantation* Interiors- FabuLOUS!



Favorite feeling- 2 chubby little hands on either side of my face and a wet sloppy kiss planted firmly in the middle.



Favorite indulgence- Bath-so-hot-I'm-about-to-pass-smooth-out (and the obligatory bubbles, of course) with above mentioned candles and soundtrack--- bliss....!!



Favorite new restaurant- Bonefish*Grill- Yumm-eeee.


Okay, now...What about yours???


Happy Wednesday and

Much Love,

Thoughts from the week.

My favorite thoughts and phrases from the week....

On mornings ......"Alarm clock bad. Coffee good". (from my mother's coffee mug)

On a daily quiet time.... "A mother of small children gets a dozen unpleasant surprises a day! She needs time to settle her heart with God and be a growing Christian" (Anne Ortlund, Disciplines of the Beautiful Woman)

In song.... "Be still and know that He is God, Be still and know that He is holy. Be still O restless soul of mine, bow before the prince of peace, let the noise and clamour cease" (Steven Curtis Chapman)

Out of the mouths of babes... "Mommy, you are my BEST girl" (Andrew, age 3)

While shopping.... "Ma'am, did you realize this outfit was 30% off today?" (Sales clerk in children's boutique)

In print..... "No! She wept. Oh, God, I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'll take it back. I'll do anything...". Yet even as she reached out, the defilement disappeared and he stood before her, perfect again. "I am the way Sarah. Follow me." (Redeeming Love by Francine Rivers)

Happy Weekend and
Much Love,

Happenings

Hope everyone is having a blessed week!
As for us? I am currently drowning in responsiblities and various other "happenings" around here with barely a spare minute!
I had a church gathering tonight, another tomorrow night, missions meeting this morning, a party at our house last night, out of town company this past weekend, then the kids and I were out of town Sun. until Mon. morning. I even had a "mama's night out" consisting of dinner and a movie with some people very near and dear to my heart on Fri. night (There was even a babysitter involved- Hallelujah!) I will be trying to catch my breath before the madness begins again next week in the form of more company here at our house for a couple of nights and 2 (unavoidable) afternoon obligations.
This is an unusually busy time for us, and truthfully I don't like it! I don't feel like I am fulfilling my responsibilities as a homemaker when I am never, ummm, home? It makes me anxious, tired and overwhelmed!! I know that after the next 2 weeks things will calm down though. So I can accept that "this too shall pass", and we shall be back into our happy, predictible little routine that I so love. I can't wait!
So, for now, I'll leave you with some photos of the antics from the our home this past week. My little "Miss Shortcake" is obsessed with her new "glasses", and my little man is doing what he loves to do... which would be to make mommy laugh! Definitely a great medicine these days!

Happy Wednesday and
Much Love,

Put it in the want ads...

The text of this little newspaper ad reads as follows: (you can click to enlarge if you like)

NOTICE

To the person that came in Jack Bufkin's store last Friday afternoon, January 4, 1957, between the hours of 3:15 and 4:15 and took my purse from underneath the counter.
Will you please be kind to me and return to some place, say, my front lawn or some prominent place, the personal articles that were in said purse such as fountain pen, gold pencil, cigarette lighter, man's band ring and pocket knife. These articles were Preston's and were valued greatly by me.
I would also appreciate your returning the two big one dollar bills as Preston gave them to me years ago- also my keys and personal papers that were in bill fold.
If you return them, I will not have anything fingerprinted.

Minnie Lee Barrett

I found this little gem tucked away in a scrapbook that had been kept by my great-aunt.... Minnie Lee ... while going through some pictures, etc. at my grandmother's house. This great-aunt of mine died before I was ever born, but people still talk about her to this day in the small Mississippi town, not too far from here, where she spent her life. She was every inch the ideal "Southern lady"~ right down to her manners and white gloves. She always gave of herself and her time to her church as well as others, and was much adored by my dad. She never had children of her own, so daddy enjoyed alot of "special attention" from this beloved aunt.

The purse mentioned in the little ad was never recovered, nor were the items that she so treasured. I got just a little nostalgic reading this tiny bit of insignificant history. Nostalgic for simpler times when the big news of the week (month, YEAR?!!) in a sleepy little town was the purse that was stolen from underneath a store counter.
*Sigh*... how times have changed.

Balance?

I am going to have to make some decisions about blogging.... soon. My "real-life" is so time consuming and overwhelming right now, that I simply do not have much time to post or really even give a second thought to blogging (or reading many blogs). I love this community. I love all of the support I have been given and friendships that I have made. I never expected any of that, and I really don't want to give it up. That being said, however, I cannot neglect my family and obligations for the "cyber world". When I am on the computer, there are a million and one other things that I *need* to be doing at this point in my life. Simply put, the computer and blogging take my focus away from where it needs to be. I have TONS of things I would like to write about, TONS of posts I would love to do.... but to do them would mean that other things are NOT getting done. Other duties are neglected. Things that would have gotten done in a day stretch into 2 or 3 because more of my free time (what little that I have!!) has been eaten away by the computer! This is something that is just not acceptable to me. I have been given an awesome responsibilty in my home and my children and I simply cannot do the best job of what I have been entrusted with when other things (blogging, etc.) steal away that precious time.

"Do not squander time, for it is the thing of which life is made".

I have prayed about this, and think that I have a solution. You know in Proverbs 3 where it says in ALL your ways acknowledge him? I absolutely believe that in ALL of our ways (situations, conversations, problems) every. single. one. we should acknowledge God, consult him, ask hime what HE would have us do. I don't think blogging is any exception. He DOES care what we do with our time and we WILL be accountable for how we have handled/what we have done with the time we have been given. I don't think that I will give up blogging, but I do know that the time dedicated to this venture will be less than it has been in the past. It has already diminished some by necessity! I post much less now than I did in the past- not because it has been a concious decision- but because the time to do so simply has not been available. So bear with me, dear friends, as I find my new "groove" on the wonderful world wide web. I am thankful for each and every one of you, and pray that you have a blessed week.
Happy Monday and
Much Love,

Housekeeping

I thought I would change the mood a bit here, and introduce a rather "highbrow" discussion here at MG.
Let's start off with the question of ...
What is the best remedy that you have for removal of soap scum from a glass shower door?
Seriously! Yes, I know this is a rather boring and mundane topic, but it IS one that is driving me absolutely nuts! After spending hundreds (yes, this is an exaggeration) of dollars on cleaning products, I still cannot get that door clear!
Any comments, remarks, suggestions that you have on the subject would be much appreciated. Help me out!

In other news, Miss Anna Kate's tooth has "tightened up" in its' socket. It IS crooked, but I am just so thankful and happy that it is actually there. I can take the crookedness in her wee little smile; after all it is just a baby tooth! Thanks so much for your kind words and prayers.

Busy, busy days ahead. Days full of starting a new bible study, birthday parties, choir preview practices, and family dinners. Days that remind that these really are the good ol' days.

Happy Friday and
Much Love,

Fatigue and good things

I am soooo absolutely positively exhausted. This week and last have been 2 of THE most hectic weeks yet since Andy has been gone.... which is a good thing in a way. I went to my parent's home at the end of my (almost) last guest lecture at the college today because my kiddos were there. Sometimes nothing brings more solace when you are bone weary than to walk into a warm house full of people that you love. It was like a balm to my very soul to come into that cozy environment with the candles burning, fire ablaze (a staple in the wintertime) and the smell of home cookin' on the stove. Home cookin' to the tune of... roast, rice, gravy, sweet potato casserole, sweet tea, butterbeans and biscuits. It took me back a few years to when I lived at home. Back to the wonderful-ness of being taken care of, loved and enveloped in the warm presence of family. A good thing? Most definitely.
Now we are back at our home with our tummies full, minds relaxed, and the sweet aroma of family still lingering. The next good thing for tonight? Climbing into that HOT bath that is running as we speak in my swimming pool of a bath tub. Complete with bubbles, candles, and a very large mug of spiced tea, it will be a VERY good thing and a good note on which to wind down my day.

Happy Wednesday and
Much Love,

"The winner is".... and other news

First of all, let me just say a big huge "THANK YOU" to all of you that submitted names for my sister's new little pup. The big news is that Miss Indecisive (aka sister) has finally chosen one of them (Hallelujah chorus playing in background).

...And the winner is LUCY... submitted by Big Mama (who just happens to be one of my absolute favorite bloggers). Congrats girlfriend! You can now offically add the title "dog namer" to your resume!

We've had a fun, relaxing weekend here. Andrew spent Friday night and Saturday with my mom and dad. I think he actually spent most of it with Dad seeing as how how followed him everywhere and insisted on doing everything daddy did. Anna Kate and I had a quiet Friday night and Sat. here at home where I managed to accomplish about 101 things that I had been meaning to do all week! It really is amazing how QUIET the house was with just one of them here. We met everyone out Sat. night and had a nice family dinner at a local restaurant. I actually got to you know, um, EAT, too since there were about 10 other pairs of hands to help with the littles. Nice.

I probably won't be around much this week, (though I AM going to do that meme, Michelle!!) because I will being doing some guest lectures at the community college (as a favor to my mom!) on cardiac nursing for the RN students. I am SO excited because I love, love, love to teach, plus it is my area of expertise! A nice little diversion, though I am quite sure by the time the week is over I will be more than happy to return to my "adventures in mommy-dom" here at home. Sadly, the gym will still be waiting for me in the mornings. It doesn't take guest lecturing as an excusable absence. *sigh*.

Hope everyone is off to a great start for this brand new week!!

Happy Monday and
Much Love,

Fashion Statement and other ramblings

This is what happens when an (almost) 4 year old dresses herself.
I laughed until I couldn't at this picture of my little niece sent to me by her mother today. Is she not the CUTEST thing?? Thought this might make y'all smile, too!

We've been busy around here. A picture taking session of both kids turned into a 3 ring circus when our tiny princess decided all she wanted to do was suck her thumb and lie down upon the backdrop *sigh*. In the end, at least she decided to look in the direction of the camera while sucking that thumb. She was quite mad at the whole ordeal, I believe, but was placated later with a nice dish of vanilla ice cream. Older brother? A complete DOLL during the session. Thank goodness or I am sure that I may have been driven mad!

Speaking of madness... I have been much engrossed in a 700+ page book about the life of Mary Lincoln.. she is actually very fascinating and was even commited to an asylum for the insane by her own son. Unbelievable. If I have never mentioned it, I am quite a voracious reader. The downfall of that is I want to stay up all hours of the night reading (like I did BEFORE I had children)... and one is apt to be extremely tired, cranky and run down feeling after such nights. Perhaps it is a good thing that I also read rather speedily so that there are not so many of said nights!!

Any thoughts on small (preschool) brothers and sisters sharing a bedroom?? I have seen several setups of this lately in some of my favorite decorating/merchandise magazines for children (Pottery Barn Kids being the most recent as it came in the mail today). The decorating schemes are just precious! Lots of gingham, monogramming and sweet rugs and window treatments. I have been contemplating this, and am not quite sure yet as to what I think of it. We certainly have the room for them to have their own rooms (as they do now)... but just a thought. Any input?

Hope all of you are having a wonderful week! For me, it feels absolutely wonderful to be settling back down into our routines after the busy and hectic holiday season!

Happy Wednesday and
Much Love,

Total and complete randomness...

1. I finally got my "new" antique china cabinet today. I bought it the day after Christmas at an antique shop in the town where my parents live. And, let me just tell you, Dave Ramsey was right. People really will take significantly less for an item if you are willing to pay in cash. I was shocked that this really works! Sooo.... I am loving my sweet little purchase even more. I already have my "big" china cabinet in my dining area, but was looking for something kind of small and somewhat inexpensive to put in my kitchen for pottery. I love finding things like this!


2. I talked to my husband today... YAY! It was wonderful to hear his voice. They are all doing well, but morale is pretty low there right now, I think. One of the injured soldiers (and my husband's good friend) was flown out of the country to a military hospital in Europe today for further treatment and surgeries. His wife is my sweet friend, and she will be flying out to see him soon. Please keep them in your thoughts and prayers. They are good friends of ours and have 2 sweet LITTLE boys.

3. It seems as if Anna Kate has developed a fascination for the garbage can!!! Just today I had "misplaced" several items, and for awhile this afternoon thought I was literally losing my mind over what in the world I could have done with these things. Seriously. I was beginning to wonder about myself. Tonight while bagging up garbage, guess what items I found amongst the banana peels and coffee filters? Ahhh, yes... a dry erase marker, the pieces to Andrew's elephant puzzle (which was the source of a near meltdown this afternoon), a new pack of stickers, my favorite writing pen and a tube of lip gloss. I am raising a tiny thief!! Let's just say at this age she is into everything... and more.

4. My dear friend, M. gave me the most amazing CD that I have to share with all of you! It is called "Motivating your Man God's Way" from he Love and Respect Marriage conference by
Dr. Emerson and Sarah Eggerichs. Click here for their website. Wow. WOW! It was just awesome. Maybe that's the reason why it is the #1 broadcast for Focus on the Family. If you are married (or even preparing for marriage) you have to listen to this!

5. I had my "annual visit" this morning... Yeah, that one. You know the one where you are only partially clothed in a room that only a polar bear would be comfortable in, and the one where you are stuck waiting in said room for oh, let's say 30 minutes or more? Quite, quite lovely. The only nice surprise was that I've lost weight and I haven't been trying... unless you count endlessly running after 2 "angels" 24/7. Hey, whatever, I'll take it.

6. On my current reading list? Taking Care of the "Me" in Mommy, by Lisa Whelchel. Highly, highly recommend.

7. One of my dear friends and her little ones are coming to stay with us tomorrow night. Can we say 7 o'clock is looking quite nice for a bedtime for the little ones, and not cooking and ordering lots of pizza and cheesesticks is looking even nicer? And nicest of all will be watching a movie with no interruption and REAL LIVE adult conversation after bedtime. You know, as opposed to me walking around talking to myself which has been the norm around here since Andy has been gone. This is my version of girls gone wild, I tell you!

8. I am so thankful for every one of your thoughts and prayers over the last 2 days. Y'all are wonderful... have I told you that lately?? Seriously. Please continue to pray for the safety of our men (and ALL the ones serving) until their return. God Bless the USA.

9. Is this not the sweetest little three year old boy you've seen in a while? Okay, okay, maybe in just the last hour or so, but I can't help being biased? Aren't I supposed to be as a mommy? He is "modeling his zippies" (his words, not mine, in reference to his zip -up pajamas) Anyway, he has been a.b.s.o.l.u.t.e.l.y. hysterically funny tonight. Don't believe me? Just ask my mom, dad, sister, grandparents, and all the other people he has called on the phone tonight. I was REALLY wiping tears out of my eyes and laughing the slient laugh (you know how you are laughing so hard that no sound comes out..??) when he was talking on the phone to mom and dad tonight. I only wished I'd have recorded it. The boy is funny. He is SO DRAMATIC with all his gestures and facial expressions... hmmmm... wonder where he gets that from (tee hee)!


10. This has gotten ENTIRELY TOO long, and my apologies to any of you that are still reading. This really is THE most random post I have ever done~~ (but FUN!)

Happy Friday and
Much Love,

Back to our regularly scheduled programming....

At the "in-laws" last week... Photo credits to Aunt Gigi

Hello to all of you!! I think that now we are finally back in the world of "normality" (what IS that, anyway)?? At least I should say that all our world traveling has come to an end, the Christmas decorations are gone (except for the naked tree in the living room that will go to its' home in the attic today), I actually FINALLY got to sleep on that awesome new featherbed my sis gave us for Christmas (BLISS!!) and we are back on some semblance of a schedule. Whew. The past 2 weeks have been a whirlwind!! I can't wait to catch up with all of you... my bloglines feeds were FULL yesterday!

Today I am working on our New Year's "goals" for our family this year. Andy and I set (attainable) goals for each family member, laminate them, and display them on the side of the fridge so that we can actually review them from time to time throughout the year. I have to say, doing it this way has given us a pretty good track record of attaining them!

Speaking of Andy... check out Mr. Skinny (He is the one in the middle, by the way). My dear husband has lost around 30 lbs. since being in the big sandbox! He is 6'3" and was not really overweight before... and I thought he looked absolutely great, but he looks great now, too!! I think he has become somewhat of a "gym junkie" since being over there... AND a healthy eating junkie. Way to go, Andy!

Hopefully, I'll be back to regular posting and reading now... I've missed everyone!
Happy Happy New Year to you all.
May your 2007 be blessed!

Happy Wednesday and
Much Love,