Projects on my mind!

Why is it that someone else can come into a home and transform it into something you never dreamed possible on all these tv shows, but when your actually living in your home you can have no creative direction whatsoever! I am a very visual person and I guess that is what makes things difficult for me. We haven't done anything really in the last 2 years we have lived here other than replace some carpet and fix a broken shower. I am really good at fixing obvious problems that I can see need work but I lack the ability to see beyond broken things. I would love a stainless steel appliances but I can't foresee replacing them when our mismatched ones already work so well. I would love to paint the kitchen but the previous owners worked so hard to paint the design that's already there. We have a friend who distressed her kitchen cabinets and they look fantastic, but I hate to commit without seeing the finished project. See my dilemma? I also struggle with wanting to do too much at once which tends to burn us out on future projects! Then there is the guilt of spending money that could be saved instead. I hate that I over analyze every decision and even when I do decide to do something I am too indecisive to decide on how to do it! Grr any personal designers out there who would like to come into my home and have your way with it? lol

I am glad God knows the plans...

We just got back from a week in Falling Water, Arkansas for an old fashion campmeeting revival. The area just reminds me so much of my youth. As a kid and even now I love going there to just escape into that serene atmosphere of country life. Trees as far as the I can see and no city traffic, buildings or street lights. Just a simple life.

The revival was held on the grounds of my Grandma's church, the church my Mom grew up in. It is a annual event that has happened every year starting the last Friday in June lasting through the next weekend. This year was the 30th year I believe. It is nice to be able to share this tradition I was raised in with my daughters. Every morning we get up and have a country breakfast of homemade biscuits, gravy, rice, sausage and for some reason fried spam. I do not eat the latter but I can't say it would be the same if I didn't see it sitting there at the table. After breakfast we get ready for morning services. The kids go to bible school and the adults go under the tabernacle for song service and preaching. At noon they let out for the "noon meal" which is a free meal the ladies from the church serve up to everyone on the campgrounds. We didn't get to this year but when I was little the afternoons were usually spent playing in the beautiful falls down the road from the church.

The girls both were cranky and tired so instead of swimming after eating we headed home for a nap to get ready for a long night ahead. In the evenings they hold services that last from 5:30pm-10:00ish. Afterwards every one goes to "the kitchen" which is the cafeteria hall where they have concession and fellowship. There is just not a whole lot that compares to fries and nacho cheese with a coke after a good church service! lol We usually talk and hang out with our friends and family until after 11pm and then it all starts over in the morning! :)

I had a really good time and got to spend time with my loved ones that I don't get to see much throughout the year. It is so fun to see Rylin playing with her cousins who all happen to be girls under the age of 4! :) Between us all my cousins and I have 8 little ones all around the same age and one more on the way for my cousin Elizabeth who is expecting her first in January! It sure makes me feel old! I remember us being the toddlers who ran around playing in the sawdust while our parents enjoyed the services.

We just got home yesterday. We spent 5 nights away from Chris and both girls missed their Daddy! While we were gone Jordyn learned how to wave and say "Hi!" which is so adorable! She also started standing on her own in her play pen. She is just the cutest! Rylin says the cutest things all the time and she was so happy to tell her Dad all of the stories of the week she was gone. It was special to see them both on his lap when we got home. They were just hugging him and giggling with excitement. I am so proud to have married a man that is such a good father!

Today Chris went to orientation at a vo-tech hoping to start working in EMS and Fire education part time. He was planning to at least volunteer until he was able to get his foot in the door but God had other plans. Not only will he get paid for working, but the pay is more than we ever expected! It is an 80% increase of what he is making at his current part time job PLUS it is doing something he loves! I could not be more thrilled at the amazing blessings God has preformed in our lives over the last year! It is just not explainable other than by the grace and good will of The Lord that he has allowed us this life that we have.

When we got married we claimed a scripture for the foundation of our marriage and it is sweeter to my ears every time I see another part of God's plan unfold before our eyes.

Jeremiah 29:11-13 (New Living Translation)

¹¹ For I know the plans I have for you,” says the Lord. “They are plans for good and not for disaster, to give you a future and a hope.¹² In those days when you pray, I will listen.¹³ If you look for me wholeheartedly, you will find me.

Something about getting older...

It seems like getting older is less "fun" than it seemed to me as a child. Yes as an adult we get to have spouses and children and "things" that kids can't have, but those things require a lot of work that our younger versions don't expect!

The reality of getting older gets a little more real every time I see the tiredness in my moms eyes and the tremble in my Dad's hands. I am almost to the age that they were when I was born and the time has flown by for me so I am sure to them it has been a whirlwind. You blink and your kids are another year older and your body gains another reminder of your fading youth.

Your parents seem younger than they did when you were a child and you are pretty sure your just telling yourself that because you dread the day that your where they are. The emotional battle we face as we age is not something I look forward to. If I could stand time still indefinitely I might actually choose to keep things the way they are. Keep our parents in relatively good health cling to the grandparents that we have left. Stretch the time we have to visit with those we love without the constant go go go that causes us to unintentionally put time with our family on the short list of priorities.

It breaks my heart to think about how many Fathers Day's I might have left with my Daddy. He has always been such a hard worker and as a child he was just my Daddy but he is getting older as am I and I don't REALLY no him as more than who he is as my father. Even if I did I don't want to reach the day that I don't get to see him on Fathers Day. Who does?!

I am going with my mom to see family in Arkansas this weekend and I want to cherish this time with her because I know that as much as I want to keep her there for me forever, I won't always have her to go see family with and the family we are going to see won't always be there. It is sad that she is going to go and spend the week with her mom and she has to acknowledge that it could be their last. I don't want to be the age that I cling a little tighter each time I say goodbye to my parents.

I know this is quite an intense out pour of emotion for a Tuesday, but today I am going to pick my Dad's mom, my Nanny up from the hospital to stay with us for a couple days. She has been in the hospital since Friday. A couple weeks ago after going to visit her husband 40 miles away in a nursing home she was walking out to her car and fell. After a week of extreme pain they discovered 7 broken ribs and a compress fracture in her lumbar. Due to her falling she is not allowed to go back to her home and has been staying with my Aunt. Unfortunately my Aunts husband had his kidney removed yesterday because of cancer and they will be in the hospital with him this week. While I am grateful to have the opportunity for her to stay with me I hate the circumstances. When I look at all of these circumstances in a small fraction of the lives of my elders it terrifies me.

I know we still have a lot of wonderful things to do as grown ups but I think I would trade them all to avoid the heartache to come. Something about getting older makes me want to run the other way!

Three years later...

Well 3 years ago today I woke up at home for the first time with my baby girl at my side. Today however I woke up with her foot in my side!

What a weekend! Rylin's birthday was Friday and she was so much fun this year! From the minute she woke up she was in birthday mode! Unfortunately that was starting at 6:30am!

After opening a present we got ready and took her to McDonald's. I had to take my Grandma to the doctor afterward so she got to ride with Daddy in his big red truck. I had to go but Daddy let her stay and play at McDonald's for a while.

By the time I got home he had her in bed for a nap. We had to make sure she was well rested for her first ever theater experience! We took her to see Toy Story 3 at IMAX in 3D. She picked out twizzlers for her movie snack. I failed at convincing her of a tastier candy but I guess it was her birthday after all! :) She did great during the movie other than not keeping her glasses on. They didn't fit her well and she had no problem watching the blurry version without the 3d glasses. We treated her to a birthday cookie with sprinkles after it was over it only took her about 5 minutes to decide on one that wasn't over $10! On the way out to the car she announced proudly that she would take care of her toys. After getting her buckled into the car she didn't last 5 minutes before she fell asleep! She had a long busy day.

The next day we had her party. After a morning of cleaning and preparing her friends started arriving at 4pm. They were so cute! 4 little girls having a pre party tea party in her playroom was priceless! When everyone got here we did cake and sang Happy Birthday. She got shy and but her head down and wouldn't blow out her candles. We were afraid the candles would blow themselves out if she didn't hurry. Finally she peeked out of her hands long enough to blow the candles out. We jumped right into presents after cake and she handled that like a pro! One present after another she asked for the next! I don't even think she realized what her presents were until after they were all opened. Like a delayed reaction 6 presents later she started wanting to open her new roller skates! After she finished opening presents we let the kids go out to play on her "playground". We had slides and a sandbox in addition to her swing set. There ended up being about 12 toddlers in the end. It was fun and despite a few bullies on the playground I think everyone survived. We finished the night off by staying up late playing with ALL of her new toys.

Sunday was Fathers Day so we went to church and took Rylin to her first day in the 3 year old class. This was more emotional to me somehow than taking her to the nursery. Just walking in and seeing her go sit down at the little table with kids her age making a craft just made her seem so old. After church we hung out with friends at the churches annual Dadfest. We ate and her and her buddy Abrielle got their faces painted and made little foam visors. After Dadfest fun we had a cookout with Chris's family and finished the night off with a cookout with my family.

Like I said what a weekend! Welcome to my blog! :) This is how most of our weekends are... "simple"!