Gift of Gab
Avery is napping (I know it's 7 o'clock, but our summer schedule is screwed up) and I was thinking of all of the funny things she says lately. Here are a few of my favorites......

*Mommy, you memmer? Yessernight?
*Can a have one of does? Sur I can!!
*Mommy, I so pou uh you...... (usually when I'm on the toilet.... sorry if this is TMI)
*Dis is a bahereenna! (anytime she puts on a dress)
*Yet's go fwimmin
*I pee pee...... I nee a Hersee Bah! (she gets a Hershey Bar when she goes potty)
*insert rooster crow* It's summertime........ I wake up! (when I tell her to go to sleep, she closes her eyes and does this)
*I nee my see kuh (I need my sippy cup)
*I nee a pockle (popsicle) and I ri my bye-kle (bicycle)

She really amazes me with all she can do. She can ride a tricycle, and has been for a few months, and she can put all of her shoes on. It is unbelievable how differently girls progress than boys and how differently they play and think about things. God has some amazing designs!

Crazy Eights

Amanda tagged me back and this looked like fun....

Eight things I'm passionate about:

*God Enough said

*my husband I know, I know there are some of you who wonder if Rob and I really love each other because we bicker so much. But, beyond that, we are best friends. I crave time with him and don't get as much as I want.

*my kids It's easy for me to get bogged down in the "day to day" with the kids (especially lately---summer has recently gotten harder again) but I am constantly worrying and pondering what I can do better as a mother and I often get wrapped up in whatever they are currently interested in.

*photography I love taking pictures and playing around with different photo processing programs.

*do-it-yourself I am constantly seeing things and thinking, "I could make/do that......" This has created lots of half done projects around my house. (I'm passionate in my intentions and ideas, but not so much in the execution).

*good friends/family I am a very dependent person and "need" good friends and family. I've been lucky to be blessed with many good friends. Some of my good friends have seen me through some pretty crappy times and I don't know what I would have done without them.

*gadgets I love technology and can't wait to get the newest gadgets. I not smart enough to always know why they work, but I love it that they do!

*television/Tivo I hate add this to this list, but TV has provided me with some pretty necessary "calgon" moments. And if it weren't for my dear friend, Tivo, I would never, ever get to watch TV anyway. This way, I can watch it when it is convenient for me and I'm not a slave to the TV.

Eight things I would like to do before I die:
(a lot of things that could be on this list, I am too chicken to even think about)

*get a tattoo This seems to be a common theme....... must be our age or something
*drink Dom Perignon or Cristal
*see my kids become Christians, get married, have children---grow
*have both Rob and I on regular working schedules
*be able to retire and enjoy time with Rob
*go to Europe----anywhere
*go to New York
*be skinny

Eight things I say a lot:

*Stop
*How old are you?
*Wh0 made this mess?
*Go to bed/go to sleep
*I don't know
*It's up to you
*What's up?
*I stayed up too late

Eight books I have read recently (or in the process of reading):

The Memory Keeper's Daughter
Lipstick Jungle
Velvet Elvis
Blue Like Jazz
Bible
No Other Gods

(I can't think of any others...... not a big book reader lately)

Eight movies I have seen eight times:
(I'm not big on watching movies over and over..... they just have to happen to be on TV or something)

Steel Magnolias
Dirty Dancing
Grease
Lion King 1 1/2 (Tate was in the hospital once and I counted at least 10)
Wizard of Oz
It's a Wonderful Life
Silence of the Lambs
Elf

Eight blogger (or blog readers) friends I tag.... if you don't have a blog, post it as a comment:

Kristi
Kari
Andrea S
Andrea A
Leah
Gary or Lynetta
Mom
(could only come up with 7)

Fotofusion Fun

My niece

I have so many things I need to be doing today besides wasting time making collages. But I had so much fun tweaking these for the last few hours while Avery napped. Still seems like a waste of time........ Why do I always feel guilty about hobbies?

Midsummer Highlights

Cheese Dip and Church Ladies - Session One

Well we kicked off our summer Bible study with three of us here at my house on Tuesday night. We had some great food--Amanda, that queso rocked--and some great conversation! We reviewed our memory verse for the summer and decided we couldn't hang with the competition for the best memorization idea. Our best idea was to put it to the tune of the Barney theme song because Kristi said she heard once that the tune helps developmentally delayed kids learn (leave it to two speech therapist-one turned behavioral interventionist-and a physical therapist to come up with that one).

We discussed our personal struggles with being closer to God and realized that many of our struggles come from our deep history in religion. "Do I fully believe God is capable?"..... "Do I compartmentalize my faith?"........ "Am I close to God, or am I just going through the motions?"....... "How do I share, and teach, and give without becoming bogged down in it all?" Who knew that growing up in religion could be so hard? Correct me if I am wrong, ladies, but I feel that although we are all from different "seasons" of our lives, it is evident that our struggles are common. We are each modern women, unable to accept the "church lady" identity, but hungry for a closer walk with God and understanding our place in the religious world.

I did my first two days of homework and am excited to start discussion on what our modern day idols are. It was interesting to me to realize that not all of these idols have to be negative things. I've also always pictured "idols" as being tangible, but in our study, they are described as something operating as our god..... something we want "too much". It can be a physical object or a property, a person, an activity, a role, an institution, a hope, an image, an idea, a pleasure, or a hero. What are some things that you feel can hold us captive on this earth?

Summer Bible Study Update

Just letting you know that we (Amanda, Kristi, Amy, and I) are starting a summer Bible study tomorrow evening at 6:30 pm at my house. It's not too late if you want to join us either online or at my house! We'd love to have ya! I must tell you that I made one of the recipes tonight and it was a doosie! Took me over an hour just to prepare! It's gonna be good and I was so excited to make it for such a worthy bunch! Get caught up with what we will be doing tomorrow here. Watch Beth's video and get geared up for some good fellowship, fun, and most importantly, God's word!

Summer Bible Study!

Beth Moore's Living Proof Minisitries blog has suggested a summer Bible study and several of us have decided it would be a great idea. So far, there are 4 of us who will meet at my house every other Tuesday night. If anyone would like to join in either at my house (if you are local) or online, get a book and let me know. If we have some friends who want to join in online, we'll post discussion questions and blog about it! We are starting next Tuesday night at 6:30ish. There will be good food and fellowship, from what I hear. LPM has some suggestions (recipes and such) for each meeting and we think it will be fun to follow! Hope you can join us!

Cardboard Testimonies

Did you recognize yourself? I did....... several times. Thank God for his saving grace! What would our relationships with our brothers and sisters in Christ and those not yet in Christ be like if we were more honest about ourselves and what God has done for us?

I've been tagged!

Leah tagged me so here goes:

1. What did you do 10 years ago?
Wow, it's hard to remember ten years ago. Since I just celebrated my 12th anniversary, I can say I had been married 2 years. I was 23 years old and was going to college-- I know, I was on the 7 year plan for getting a masters degree.

2. Five items on your to-do list today: (since its late, i'll put it for tomorrow)
Get Avery and Tate ready for swimming lessons, help Deana with swimming lessons (just for tomorrow), get back on a healthier eating plan, do some laundry, and cook supper

3. Snacks I enjoy:
Good snacks: fiber one bars (beware! these can mess you up), honey wheat pretzel sticks, chocolate covered pretzel 100 calorie packs, laughing cow cheese wedges and pretzel chips
Indulgent Bad snacks: strawberries and chocolate, cheez its, little powdered donuts, chedder cheese and crackers

4. What would you do if you were a billionaire?
Quit my job and stay home...... then I would: do more at church, do more volunteering at the kids school, and get a second car that got better gas mileage (I guess I wouldn't care about gas mileage if I were a billionaire, huh?)

5. Places I would live:
I really do love living in Walnut Ridge because I am close to my family, but if I could take my family, I would live at the beach anywhere or specifically in Hawaii

That was fun Leah! I tag Kari, Amanda, Kristi, and Andrea.

My New Job

There is much debate about which is harder, being a working mother or being a stay at home mom. I am lucky enough to get to sample both, as I have a job where I am off about 6-8 weeks in the summer. But the hardest thing is transitioning between the two. Every summer, I spend the first few weeks just trying to find my footing - trying to fingure out, "What is my job?". Although it looks like it would be simple, it really takes some adjustment.

My typical day at work consists of as much control and order as I can pull off. I am NOT an organized person but I do feel like I have "control" over my day. At the beginning of the year things are pretty hairy. But by second semester, I feel like I'm a bit more with it. Have you noticed how much easier it is to make other people's kids mind?

As most of you know, my afternoons and evenings after work are often spent at home alone with my children. So, sometimes, home is more stressful for me than my job. The summer months are just an extension of this.......

The kids evidently feel like they have free reign of the house and are intent on trying to open every cabinet and drag out every thing they haven't had the time at home to look at in the last nine months. They are also used to being occupied and entertained so I end up feeling like "activities coordinator". When you have to be "cop" and "activities coordinator", who has time to be the "cook", right? No, three meals (or more) must be prepared and cleaned up each day. My dishwasher runs at least 3 times every day in the summer.

In the first few days, I think that being at home 24 hours a day with both the kids will make me go out of my mind. But after a week or so, I get my groove. I realize that there is no conference tomorrow or homework or therapy to plan for. This is my new job-- full time parent. And the summer months make me enjoy being a parent even more.

Thank you, God, for blessing me with a wonderful job where I am given this opportunity.