Thankful For My Babies

What a rollercoaster of a year this has been!  

As we roll into the week of thanks, I find myself particulary thankful for these precious children of mine.  

So blessed God chose me to be their Momma!

As we go through life doing this super, crazy busy life, I am thankful for the opportunities God has afforded us...that I can stay home, that I have such an amazing husband, and such a great family network surrounding us.  It's just amazing.

Not sure how much I will be on here this week with Thanksgiving preparations under way.  So in case you don't see much of me I hope you have an amazing holiday with your family and stay safe!

Count your blessings, name them one, by one, count your blessings...

Wow, God is Good on a Horrid Monday

Monday was a Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day!

I think I've written on here before how much I dislike Mondays...it involves a lot of back and forth action of taking the kiddos to and from places all day long.

Add to this that Nick has started his new job and had to go to Illinois for the day.

Not too bad except he took my car and left me his older car to drive.

Oh fun.

Also, add to that that Monday evening I had a meeting I had to attend for the children's resale organization I volunteer with.  I was so super excited to go!!!!

Until I got the phone call that Nick was stuck on the Dan Ryan and would get home too late for me to go to my meeting.  Bummer.

He got home around 7 (my meeting started at 6:30).  I had a JCP coupon for $10.00 off a $10.00 purchase and we had a gift card so we decided to get the kiddos out of the house and do some shopping.  The coupon expired the next day and I really wanted to see it used.  (By the way, did you know that they keep track of if you are using your coupons or not?  If you don't use them then they might not send you anymore...just a heads up :)) Which by the way, Nick found track pants for the gym and we bought two huge Christmas presents, and paid $3.00 out of pocket...woohoo!

On the way home oddly enough we stopped to look at a car lot, thinking maybe it was time to start looking for a new ride...and that is where all of our lights got dim and things started going wrong as the "Check Charging System" warning came on...

Ugh. Oh.

We managed to drive to a restaurant parking lot and that's where it died died, dead friends.

Eck.

We called my parents who lived super close to where we were but they were out of town.  So we called Nick's parents and waited the half an hour it took the poor thing to come up.  I felt so bad we had to drag her out.  The weather had been about 50 degrees that day but it was now raining and the temperature was dropping.

As we waited we let the kids climb into the back of the Explorer and, well, explore. They loved it!  I think they thought that was such an adventure and helped to take their mind off of us being stranded.

When Nick's mom arrived he charged our battery from hers and it started, but only made it about half a mile.

We did this 5 more times.  By the time we got close to home...our end stop was right across the river from where we live, it was only lasting about a quarter of a mile before it would die.

So stressful, but in the end thinking about it, I was so thankful God was looking out for us.  Everytime we died, it was somewhere where we could pull off and be okay...a side street, a gas station, a curb out of the way.  In the dark and the rain we could have very easily gotten hit since each time our car died we had NO lights, meaning NO hazards even to flash!  I was so thankful Nick's mom was happy to help.  We had a very nice police man help us right before the last time it died and he stopped traffic so we could get across an intersection.

All in all, as much as it sucked, we knew God was with us and helping us.  And that is what we hope this taught our children.  Every time Nick had to get out in the pouring rain to charge our battery we started praying.  And he answered our prayers.

The next morning Nick went and bought an Alternator and went to where we left it and replaced it.  I am so impressed with my husband that, while certified mechanic he is not, he can fix anything.  He just amazes me and it amazes me the talents that God has blessed him with.

It is running great now and an Alternator was the only problem!  The only other things were either 1) battery (no biggie) or 2) the computer system (way huge-o biggie!)

So there was our horrid Monday and through that we were given the reminder that the Creator of the Universe is always there watching out for us and loves us through the great times and through the storms (literally!) of life!

God is crazy in love with you my Friends!

Thank you!

I just wanted to say thanks to you all for reading this blog.  A lot of times, when things are awry in the day and I have no one to "vent" to, I take solace that come naptime I can sit down and type my feelings out.  It helps. 

It gives me something to do that's not covered in dried playdoh or other ucks. 

It always touches my heart and spirit when someone pulls me aside at church or the grocery store and tells me how much they enjoy my blog. 

Seriously, sometimes I wonder if anyone reads this thing. 

And it's not about readers, its about just sharing what's on my heart.  But I can see numbers and I do see that you all are reading, so I thank you. 

If we were in person right now I would sing you the "Golden Girls" theme song, but we aren't, so I won't :)

Our Humble Home

http://mypaintinggallery.wordpress.com/2010/04/23/thomas-paintings/kinkade/

"Thank God, O women, for the quietude of your home, and that you are queen it it.
Men come at eventide to the home; but all day long you are there, beautifying it, sanctifying it, adorning it, blessing it.
Better be there than wear a queen's coronet. Better be there than carry the purse of a princess.
It may be a very humble home.
There may be no carpet on the floor. There may be no pictures on the wall.
There may be no silks in the wardrobe; but, by your faith in God, and your cheerful demeanor, you may garniture that place with more splendor than the upholsterer's hand ever kindled." 

--Reverend T. DeWitt Talmage, D.D

I love this little snippet of inspiration that was spoken by Reverend Talmage (1832-1902).  Last week and the week before I was feeling a little blue.  I wouldn't say it was a full-blown depression, but I just was feeling mopey and uninterested in anything for no good reason.  Does anyone else ever feel this way?  Ugh, sometimes there's just no good reason for it.

I'm so glad that I have a loving Heavenly Father who makes sure to snap me out of it before it spirals out of control.  And I have a husband who is on me to talk about it and do whatever it takes to feel like myself again. 

So I talked to Nick about it.  A lot.  I remember him telling me that I am the little heart of this family.  Isn't that just the most precious thing???  He went on to explain himself: that when I am sad and mopey that is the general feel of the whole house.  Everyone waits to see how I am reacting.  Our home's warmth and feeling reflects my own.

And I guess that is somewhat true.  So when I read this quote above the other day, it really hit home. 

I desire a home that is quiet and peaceful, and no maybe we don't have the most stuff or the nicest things in the world but the job God gave me is to work with what I have to make our home welcoming, and inviting, and my family's safe haven. 

So my prayer is that in the coming months I may offer my family a place of warmth, and refuge, physically and spiritually.  This goal has brought me out of my slump, and when I think of it, I take the time and make the effort to stay up a little later than normal to get the kitchen completely clean, or wake up earlier than I prefer to fold laundry and tidy our little home. 

My prayer:
May all who enter our home leave feeling better than before.

God bless you and your home today...

A Day

I am working until noon today and then I am going to have the day to myself! I am going to be going to the mall to return some shoes and do a little shoping for the children. After that I am going to go to Target to hopefully purchase an Easter dress and some yummy sushi for lunch. I will eat said lunch at home while I let the dog out to do her thing. After that I will be going to the outlet mall to try to find some shoes for myself, some cute Valentine's Boxers for the love of my life, and possibly some easter outfits for the children.

How can I do this you ask? Because I have the best in-laws in the world (mother and father that is...I don't know about the rest of you yet! j/k :) ) They are taking the kids today. Nick is picking them up after work and will eat dinner down there, thus meaning that I have a day to myself and I also do not have to make dinner. Woot, woot!

I am so super excited because quite frankly, I just need a day! I need time to myself. And if I am super productive I will come home from errands and shopping and have time to get cleaning done so I can enjoy the weekend with the children. Hooray!

I hope you all have a fantastic weekend and are relaxed and refreshed come Monday!

Mama No!

From the moment my feet touched the stairs to hook up my Coffee IV this morning, Calvin was screaming "Mama, no!" I think he thought I was going to work right that second. After 15 minutes of relentless crying I went to get him. Poor dear. He had thrown everything out of his bed and had a huge armfull of his comforter. You could tell he was trying to figure out how the heck he was going to lug that thing out of the crib. It was so cute and he looked so excited to see me.
I put him into bed with Daddy and he just snuggled all in. He was definitely not happy to see me go this morning and it just broke my heart to have to leave him.
Right now I am living with the verse "Delight yourself in the Lord and He will give you the desires of your heart" in my heart. The desire of my heart is to be at home with those precious children. There is nothing I want more. So I am delighting myself in God and I am faithful that in His time I will get to be at home with my babies.

Being Happy

Lately I am sure that all I've been talking about it gloom and doom...blah, blah. But we are still rejoicing in all that God has given us! First of all Nick and I are so grateful for our little ones. We have such a bond with them and we are trying our best to raise them in the best home possible, and to show them the most love from God and ourselves. Next we have our family. I don't know how we would make it through anything without them. We have one another. I couldn't imagine going through something like this when your marriage is on the rocks. On a daily basis we find ourselves holding the other person up, telling them everything is going to be okay. Lastly and most importantly we thank God for, well, God. Who would we cry to if He wasnt' there? If He didn't care? How lonely that must feel for people who don't have God in their lives! So we thank God for all that we have. And we smile and find joy in our everyday life.

Well The Weather Outside if Frightful

But our fire is sure delightful. Oh I love my three snowbunnies! Today it actually snowed here for the first time this year...winter is definitely on its way. Thank the Lord we are prepared...our savings account is somewhat ready for the bills, we have hats, gloves, and coats, and our cars are equipped with proper tires and batteries...God is good all of the time. Bring on the snow!

Too Surreal To Talk About

I have not mentioned the new events in our life on here because I simply have not wanted to talk about them: it just doesn't seem real. I keep waiting for someone to pull the rug out from underneath us and for the walls of the World to crumble before us. But alas, this still hasn't happened. Nick got a new job: a REALLY good new job. Excellent benefit package and he will be making more plus he will actually be doing what he wants to do. They will send him back to school if he wants to...which may mean we would move to Rome for 6 months. In taking the new job we are needing to turn in the company car, so we bought a new SUV. All of this is amazing to me and what we have been praying for for months. Seriously, his interview process with this company started when I was in the hospital having Calvin and he is now 9 months old. I know this is God answering prayer and working in our lives but I can't help but feel that it is just too good to be true. How do you get past this? I have even been carrying somewhat of a chip on my shoulder and being kind of angry about it. Nick told me to knock it off because it isn't too good to be true. I am working on rejoicing: Really, I am. I know that God is amazing, I guess sometimes it is a hard bite to swallow to realize he is this amazing, you know?

Proud to be cancer-free

Just in case you were wondering…I don’t have cancer. A few weeks ago I started having some problems. The same type of problems that my mom had when she was diagnosed with colon cancer. So I went to the doctor and when I told him that my mom was 32 when she had been diagnosed he asked me why I had never had a colonoscopy. Um, because I didn’t know I needed to? That is my truthful answer after all; I had no idea. So in for blood work and a colonoscopy. I know all of those things are pretty standard run of the mill things except for after learning that my father had had gallbladder and stomach cancer the doctor informed me that “there is a very strong possibility that we are looking at cancer here.” Yikes. A million things ran through my head: would I be alive to help Emma through her first heart ache? Would I be around to see the kids off to Kindergarten even? Would Nick remarry? A million thoughts ran through my head as I cried in Nick’s arms. “We’ll fix this, you are going to be fine.” He promised. So this past week everything was done. I was happy to find out that my blood work showed everything to be normal: calcium, normal; electrolytes, normal; blood count, normal; iron, normal. And I was thrilled when the doctor met with us after the colonoscopy to tell us that they found nothing…my colon is squeaky clean. Yeah! Praise God! I know God has a plan but I was having a really hard time understanding how me not being with my babies was part of it. And fortunately it isn’t in the plan…at least not now. But one of the things this did teach me was that you really never know. I mean, I may be scared of getting cancer but I may get hit by a drunk driver on the way to work and never have seen that coming. We never know when our final hour is my friends. So we need to live every day with everything we have, and to represent The One who gave us everything we have.

God is Bigger than The Economy

Let’s face it everyone, times are tough right now. Sunday we came home from a family event and Nick and I basically had a giant meltdown together. Nick and his brother fixed our car last week and now it is making a different funny noise: more money for that. We got home and saw things in our house that need done as well as things in our house that we would love to have done but there is just no extra money right now. I am having some medical tests done and silly old money is what I am worrying about with them: I hope we can afford this. But God is good and His love endures forever. I must remember that. I must. I know that God will provide for us. I know people who are going out and getting second and third jobs to survive this and yet I only work part-time. As hard as it seems in day to day life we really are blessed. Nick was blessed enough to survive the budget cuts of the city: apparently they think they really do need him! He has a job and I have a part-time job and we are able to pay our bills, put food on the table, diapers on our baby boy’s behind and heat our home. We aren’t short in our bills and we do have at least a tiny bit extra to call our own. On top of all of that if we ever do struggle we are blessed with a fantastic support system of people we can turn to for help. Plus we both have our health that if Nick and I needed to go and mow lawns somewhere, we could go and do that. I know that times are tough but we need to try our best to look at the silver lining to our economy cloud. God is bigger than our economy! He’s bigger than that big bill you may not be able to pay this month or the groceries you may be dreading to have to purchase. Lets not rely on good luck or budgets or anything else…lets solely rely on Him to work everything out for us.

I hate Bills

I am on the computer now paying bills which I hate, loathe, dispise, etc. I insist on having the checkbook balanced before I pay bills which there in lies part of the problem that I don't record any of our purchases until it is time to pay bills. Read that I spend hours trying to justify everything. THEN I get started on the bill part. We pay our bills online, what works for you? This has actually worked extremely well in that I am the only one paying bills, I am the only one who knows how to pay bills so I kind of like that. When I was in the hospital having Calvin I asked Nick to pay something and I am still trying to figure out how he messed the numbers up so bad. By the way Calvin is now 9 months old and also by the way, Nick has a minor in finace...hmmm. Anyway, while cursing the bills and shaking a fist towards the heavens I realized that it is a good thing that at least we have money to pay our bills. After all we are not behind in our bills and we actually have some of our bills to consolidate things and get things paid down fairly quickly, which I personally am deeming as responsible. So I guess I should be happy paying bills, right? Kind of?

Spending the Weekend with Two Cuties

We don't have a ton to do this weekend but I am so blessed to be spending my time with these two. Laundry, the housework, car maintanance and everything else is boring (relaxing?) when they're not around...God has blessed me immeasurably! Aren't they cute together? What are YOU doing this weekend?

Unspeakable Blessings

It happens every time: A major tragedy; A baby’s dedication; A phone call from a friend about a hardship they are going through; A Birthday Party; A Wedding; a broken toilet; an oil leak in the car. It seems like any event now-a-days has turned into an opportunity for our family to give thanks to God. When something bad happens, Nick and I usually end up meeting in the kitchen; we cling to one another, he cups the back of my head in his hand and I can just cry if I need to. We are breathless and then one of us mutters how blessed we are. We look at our house, our cute little car, our children who are priceless beyond measure, and the love that we have between one another. We are in wonderment at our health, our careers, our “chance” meeting where we fell helplessly in love. We stand in awe of the silly facts that come with our lives: we both love capers, we live kind of near the water, we are addicted to Chicago. What are you thankful for in your life? Do you stand in awe of the massiveness of God in your life and everything he has blessed you with?