Dishwashers are NOT overrated

I found that out a little over a month ago when we moved in to our new home. I LOVE having a dishwasher. I never thought that I'd like or want one, and when it came with this house, I thought, Oh well. ha! It doesn't take all the work out of doing dishes, but it does make it much easier. And in the mornings, I can just put them away. It's quite therapeutic;)

Have I mentioned that I really enjoy having a potty trained girl? Well, I do. And I have absolutely no advice. Now for her younger brother. Just kidding, of course. He's only (almost) 8 months old. Mikayla never got higher than a size 3 in diapers, and our Joseph will be needing 4s! soon. Yikes! He's such a chunk.

This is the first year that I've not submitted a photo at Pow-wow days in Comanche. I'm seriously pretty sad about it. Life has been just a bit too hectic around here, and it's just not the same if my mom's not joining me in the big contest. So, maybe on Saturday, we'll head that way and see all the awesome photographs. sigh. I LOVE looking at others photos. So cool.

Monday- Wednesday is CARPET and TILE TIME!!! Yay! All the painting is done and after Wednesday we'll be able to get furniture in this house. Our beds are pretty much the only thing we have out. Everything else is in the garage. I'm ready to sit down on a COUCH. Hope it doesn't sound like I'm complaining. I'm just ready. Is that so bad?? So, while they're working on our house, I'm snatching up my mom and we're off to see Grace and fam for a few days. YAY! I think we'll have loads of fun- a trip or two to IKEA and whole foods AND we get to see her beautiful brand new 5 bedroom house. Wow! How fun, eh?

Oh yeah. I'm now officially (ha!) the teacher for 10-12 year olds at our church. We have about 5 kiddos in that class. I'm looking forward to teaching them and I pray the Lord will use me in their lives. We'll be starting with the book of Ruth. First things first. I need to make sure they all have a Bible. So, hopefully I can find a few pretty cheap.

Enough. Good night! I really want to post pics- after the carpet and tile and when we can finally get some pics up on the walls.

Elisabeth Elliot writes...

If through losing what this world prizes we are enabled to gain what it despises--treasure in heaven, invisible and incorruptible--isn't it worth any kind of suffering? What is it worth to us to learn a little bit more of what the Cross means--life out of death, the transformation of earth's losses and heartbreaks and tragedies?

Good times in Winters, TX

Here are a few shots of what has happened this week. We're having a lovely time waiting for our house to be finished. I miss my husband!

Abundant Life

12 years ago today the Lord so graciously saved me. Such a short sentence, but it speaks volumes. At the age of 16, I was so lost in my sins, and the Lord opened my eyes and revealed the Lord Jesus Christ to me. Praise His name!

John 10:10 says, "The thief cometh not, but for to steal, and to kill, and to destroy: I am come that they might have life, and that they might have it more abundantly."

I do have life. Abundantly. Hugely. Eternal life. And it's nothing that I've done to deserve it. Quite the contrary. Jesus died for my sins. What a glorious thing to know. I'll close with a quote I found in a book this morning (how appropriate!):

"Christianity means knowing and trusting Christ as a living Person: it is a relationship which so captures both the mind and the heart of the believer that henceforth to know Christ, to esteem him and his words, becomes the very object of existence."

~Iain H. Murray

my kiddos

Big boy eating big boy food

some before pics of our house

I'm at my parents' house and am able to post some pictures. So, here's a HUGE update (in photos) on what all has transpired at our place. Enjoy:)

well said

While reading in my newest edition of Parenting, I came across this letter to the editor:

"Calling spanking "hitting" is like saying that surgeons stab people with knives- technically correct, but it's misleading. Just as a surgeon skillfully applies the scalpel, a well-applied and well-timed spanking is safe and effective. Any kind of abuse is wrong, but there's a difference between that and wise spanking."

I don't want to put the lady's name who wrote it, but I thought that was good- so I shared.

Celebrate good times, come on!

My dear girl, age 29.5 months old, may be what some might called "potty trained." But, like Grace said, it's kinda like walking. Even when they know how to walk, they'll still stumble. sigh. cry. shout. My girl is growing up. We told her that she's a big girl now and she said, then I'm gonna get married and have a baby. I'm gonna name him Joseph and feed him off my chest. Who knew it? :) I'm feeling a bit sentimental tonight. For the past two days she's worn "big girl pant&&s" and has woken up from both naps DRY. You should see me screaming for joy- it's quite hilarious. but, I don't care. I may never have to buy another princess pullup. (I recently bought a package of them but haven't had to open it yet. So, if we're ever in desperate need of 15 bucks, I can take it back to walmart;)

Update on the house:

The guys will be starting the painting on Monday. YAY.( The kiddos and I will be spending that week with my mom and dad in Winters. I think we'll have tons of fun together. My mom even said she'd prepare plenty of raw food for me AND treat me to Abuelos in Abilene. :))) We got to order the tile and the color grout we want and our carpet today. We payed half down. ouch. So, we're going to have to be frugal for a while around here. I like to think of myself as already that, but I know there are some things I can change.

Enough for now. I'm off to see who's done some posting... Ok, ladies. Don't let me down...

More pics of the wedding...

Can you believe it's working for me to post pics?? I'm on our laptop instead of our desktop. And it worked! Let's see if it will work yet again.

Our little flower girl

Happy 1 month of being married, Christy! Here's a pic of her with her flower girls. I think it's a sweet one:-).

The inevitable

It was bound to happen sooner or later. We went to Mi Familia tonight for some Mexican food and alas, I left little Joseph's favorite "toy." It was his red little plastic teaspoon. I'm just a bit saddened by it. He loved that thing. He'd clutch it in his sweaty hand and even take it to bed with him. I guess we're moving on. I quickly searched through Mikayla's kitchen toys and found him a white spoon. Not the same, but I guess it'll do the trick.

NEVER take a 29 month old girl who didn't get a nap, and a sleepy/hungry 7 month old boy to a restaurant that just opened and is very popular. NOT a good idea. Joseph (the smaller one) threw my tortillas on the floor. I just gave up, so I boxed up the food and ate here. The good news? It's just about a mile from our house. phew!

Have I ever been reading about Palin. One thing I do know I like about her is her first name. ahem. Grace called me last night and the first thing she said was, "so, what do you think of her?" I can't believe that MY sister would talk politics. She's pretty knowlegable (sp??).

Ok, enough small talk. Tomorrow we're going to a birthday bash and we're super excited. So, I'd better get my rest for that. ha!

good night.

Banana bread kind of day

Isn't it? The weather is so gorgeous today. Living in a bit of a newer home allows me to OPEN WINDOWS and let the air blow in. Very lovely. So, I got some ingredients out to make banana bread- after my nap (which I'm pretty sure is not going to happen...).

We hope to have an estimate turned in tomorrow on what we want done to our home. Hopefully the guys will be able to start on Monday.

I think it's a sign. I got an email today from GENGHIS GRILL with a 20% off coupon. Have you ever been there?? The food there is unbelievably good. sigh. Oh yeah. Grace lives really close to one of those restaurants. hmm...

What's new here?

*Mikayla likes to have the pullups with TWO princesses and not just one. Yes, she's still in pullups. Is she EVER going to be trained??????

*I have to pick a new color of paint for the kitchen and a new color for Joseph's room. They're too dark and it will end up costing us hundreds of dollars more (primers and more coats of paint= more labor= more money). I'd wanted "awning red" for the kitchen and "washed navy" for the other.

*I really like those antibacterial/cleaning wipes. They are GREAT. I highly recommend them. I especially enjoy using them to clean my bathroomS. You don't have to worry about a cleaner and a horribly dirty rag. Wipe it down and throw it away. perfect.

*I'm still reading in Genesis with Mikayla and Joseph. For my own reading I'm in the Psalms and in Nehemiah (an awesome book of the Bible!)

*We finally got our carpet shampooed in the Explorer. To put it mildly, it looked HORRENDOUS. Thankfully, it looks much better now.

*It's almost payday!

Enjoy your day, lovely ladies. The Lord has given us a beautiful one!

A place to call home

It finally happened. We closed on both homes. So now we're waiting on carpet and tile and for some guys to come out and give us an estimate on painting this house and doing some outdoor repairs. Phew!

We LOVE it here! It definitely feels like home now. Once we get it all painted, etc., I can hang up things on the walls and arrange furniture just like I want. (Renee, I loved the oreo analogy- pretty accurate!:)

I've got so many things milling around in my mind. So, I'll put a few of them out there:

*My sweet,sweet sister-in-law Misty is expecting another BABY!! :) Praise the Lord for that wonderful news.

*My mother and father-in-law live in Louisiana and are experiencing some bad weather. Right now they have no electricity. (I think it's been since last night)

*Everyone in our family has/will move this year. (CRAZY!)

*Grace and family are BUYING A HOME. Too bad it's in McKinney, but I'm very happy for them.

*Little Joseph is not so little. He's 7 months old and weighs about 5 pounds less than his 29 month old sister. He's a good eater!! and precious to his family.

*Our Mikayla has just started "talking back." Oh, we used to get in so much trouble for that. Now I definitely see why. Grrrrr... She's very loved and is at a hard stage (doesn't it seem like I'm always saying that??). Thankfully, we have the Lord to help us. Without Him, I don't see how people do it.

*I need to get an eye examination and more contacts. How can a mom go when she has 2 kiddos and nobody to watch children? I guess I need to make an afternoon appt. That makes sense.

*My dear married friend Christy had us over for yummy hamburgers tonight. :)

*The Lord is so good to me.

Good night. so much rambling on, but it's something. right? :)