Just some recent pics...

His eyes are so beautiful.

My boys likes to climb up and jump off of EVERYTHING!

I took the boys to Fink Park and we went for a little walk down the trail.  It's so pretty there.

He was thirsty!

Two little girls' aprons I made for Hope's birthday present

Both sides of the apron I made for Hope's birthday present

Posing during a Friday playdate with Nicholas and Casey

Tile is set and ready for grout.  Bathroom is coming along slowly, but surely.

Front beds with freshly planted Purple Heart that I rooted all winter.  I love the beds all fresh in the Spring!  Can't wait til the Magnolia starts blooming.

Watching them play is so much fun!

Got this for $6.99 at Old Navy.  I love a good deal!

I love the smell of coffee.

It's true.  I love the smell and taste of coffee.  It makes me happy and warm inside (literally and figuratively).  Add plain sugar and cream or (OR!) add hot chocolate mix and cream to stir up some chocolatey bliss.  Mmmmm...  I'm smiling just thinking about it.  Also, I can't drink it late in the afternoon because it keeps me up at night.  You all know what a night owl I am and I definitely don't need more energy at night!  So anyway...

Late this morning, I made coffee.  Not a whole pot, just a little over half.  While it was brewing, I left the kitchen to check in on the blogworld and see what the rest of you have been doing.  After a bit, I eagerly returned to the kitchen for a hot cup of liquid contentment.  When I saw the pot, I knew something was amiss.  The brew cycle was complete, but the pot wasn't full of coffee.  Hmmmm.  I guess I had forgotten to put the little basket back in the maker when I was preparing the whole thing.  I used a filter, just missed the whole (completely necessary) basket.  So, instead of depositing itself in the coffee pot, the coffee ran over the top and sides onto the counter and floor.  I have tile on the counter top, so all the grout lines were full of (delicious smelling, yet staining) coffee. 

>STARE<

>>>BLINK, BLINK<<<

>>>>>SIGH<<<<<

The good news is that it, of course, didn't have sugar and cream in it yet so it wasn't sticky.  (I'm trying to see the positives in all situations.)  I set about cleaning it up which consisted of sopping up ALL THAT COFFEE, then bleaching the grout lines to get the icky stain out.  After all that, I washed my coffee pot and maker so I could brew a second time.  Thankfully, I had just enough grounds left to make a large cup.  I'm drinking it right now.  

My advice to you on this fine April morn:  DON'T FORGET THE FARKING BASKET.  IT'S IMPORTANT.

Hope you all are making the best of it today!

Sleepless in Edmond

What the junk?!  I can NOT sleep.  That is so weird.  I usually never have trouble falling asleep.  Oh well.  Might as well blog...

I have been meaning to write since last Wednesday because we've had some big happenings in our family.  I've got good news and terrible news.  Let's save the best for last, shall we?   

Most of you know our dog, Grace (who will be 12 in September), has been an AMAZING pet but has always been plagued with health issues.  Itchy skin problems, ear infections and hematomas, eye infections, UTIs, heart murmur, etc, etc.  It seems like everything that is a known weakness in the Boxer breed has reared its ugly little head with our Grace.  We have powered through all that mess and she has been, by far, the best dog I've every known.  Well, a few months ago when Ashley was out of town, Grace had a grand mal seizure late one night.  It scared me BIG TIME.  She had never had one and it was absolutely horrific.  I took her to the vet the next day and they ran tests but didn't find anything obvious (brain tumor).  Since then, she has had 5 more and they are getting closer together and longer in length.  I have called the vet each time, but really, there's nothing they can do other than give her anti-seizure medication.  On top of that, last week she started randomly nearly falling over.  She's gotten increasingly more nervous as she's aged (and Silas has gotten louder and faster), and I just thought she was standing too long and getting tired.  When I took her to the vet, she was really nervous and nearly falling over every few minutes.  After some tests, the vet said they are called syncopal episodes.  She apparently has cardiomyopathy which means that her heart is weakening and the falling over is actually like fainting.  Her heart is not pumping enough oxygen to keep her from passing out.  :'(  With all of this horribleness being said, when she's not nervous or in the throughs of a seizure, she is acting completely normal.  She still eats, plays, and sleeps normally.  The vet says that the seizures can make her muscles sore, but other than that, she's probably not hurting.  At the first sign that she is suffering at all, I will have to make a heart wrenching decision.  I know it's going to be soon and I just honestly want her transition to be as peaceful and painless as possible.  I would love for her to just fall asleep and go while she dreams of something sweet.  I just can't imagine my life without her.  Eleven years ago, just she and I were our own little family.  It's so hard to accept that her time has come.  For now, I'm loving on her every chance I get and making sure to hug and kiss her each night.  And oh yeah, she's been getting canned food every day since last Wednesday.  :')   

Her tummy was full after a delectable meal of dry food mixed with Beef/Liver/Chicken combo.

Let me dry my eyes so I can tell you the good news...


For those who have been reading recently, you know we've struggled with budgeting and finances.  Ashley is no longer traveling (yay!) and he's been doing land work from the house.  We're grateful for the income, but there is no guarantee of how long the work will last.  He submitted resumes to a few companies in February and has been on several interviews.  I am beyond ecstatic to announce that he has been offered a position as a Division Order Analyst with Chesapeake Energy.  Hallelujah!!  This is specifically an answer to our prayers!  He starts on Monday 4/16 and (brace yourselves, y'all, this is the best part) we'll have BENEFITS!  Did you hear that?!  Health, Dental, Vision, and Life Insurance.  And retirement.  (tearing up again)  WOOOOOHOOOOOOO!!!!  Thank GOD!!  Seriously, I can't be more excited or proud of him for landing this job.  He loves the oil and gas business and is very happy to be going to work in-house for a large company.  However, we'll have a few changes to make before next Monday, namely his wardrobe.  No more jeans!  ;)  Saturday, I picked up a few things for him and made him try them on.  

Doesn't he look handsome?  

So, anyway.  That's my big news.  Thanks for reading and journeying with me.  Will write again soon...

I'm back in the saddle again!

It's been a long time!  Silas and I visited my sister and her family in Colorado at the end of January and I fell off the blog wagon.  Whoops!  I haven't forgotten about the blog, though, or my goals!  Here is a quick update on the 1st quarter of my 2012 goals. (WOW!  Can you believe how fast time is screaming by?!)

1.  Health - I am making progress.  :)  Juicing frequency could be better, but we are doing it and we like it.  I have been working primarily on quality of food and portion size.  If I eat the right serving size of good, real food, I'll be better off.  When we can (and as budget allows), I'm trying to buy fresh and as minimally processed as possible.  Also trying to stay away from harmful preservatives.  I'm not the best, but I'm better than I was!  So far, I have lost 11 pounds.  Yay!  Looking forward to steady progress!

2.  Finances - mixed progress here.  Ashley and I are sharing responsibility as of now.  We struggle with a hard, fast budget because Ashley's income is not the same every pay period.  It feels more like feast and famine than steady and reliable.  We are praying and trusting that this area will improve in our near future.  With that having been said, we have made some progress.  I am VERY pleased to report that both of our cars are paid off as of February.  WAHOO!!!  It feels good, y'all!  I would really like a new vehicle, but I like not having a car payment even better.  Things to look on future blog posts: some of my money-saving project attempts.  I'm going to share my successes and failures!

3.  Being a better me - I have been focusing on parenting these last few weeks.  Ashley and I like reading together, and we just finished the book Bringing Up Boys by Dr. James Dobson.  It was wonderful.  Very enlightening for someone who's never been a boy!  It helped me understand why boys behave the way they do (running, shouting, crashing, shooting, etc. ) and also made me aware of some snares to watch for as my son grows.  My heart's desire is to do right by him as a parent and I hope to recall the valuable things I learned.  I've also been working on my attitude about the house.  Instead of resenting the fact that it still needs work, I'm thanking God for his provision in our life and the ability He's given us to make it what we want and love.  I'll be sure to keep you updated on our sowing endeavors!

So!  There's my summary.  I look forward to touching base with you more often.  ;)

These have been some of our day-to-day activities since the first of the year...

Can't believe Muffin is 10!

When he climbs stuff like this, he likes to remind me that he's not afraid of ANYTHING.

Homemade Chicken Pot Pie that my sister and I made.

I painted Muffin's nails for her Father/Daughter Dance. 

Our sweet Remy Precious

Isn't she lovely...

Cousins!

Gorgeous snow in Castle Rock

Finally finished the apron for my sister

In February, we had fun visiting the Sam Noble Museum in Norman.

While making the bed skirt and pillow shams for Silas' bed, I discovered that I LOVE PIPING!

Thank God for a man who will don a mask in Wal-Mart and have a light saber battle with his 4-yr-old son.

Purple Heart that I rooted all winter in my laundry room was finally ready to pot!  As of April 15th, these little beauties will live in my front flower beds.

Cashew chicken and Fried Rice that I made at home.  Cashew Chicken was SOOO good, but the Fried Rice sucked.

The first weekend of March, we visited my Aunt Nancy in Azle and Silas loved petting this sweet little dog, Liberty. 

Exercised my right, I did!

One of the baby beanies I knitted

Horseback riding in Norman

Starting to remodel the master bath.

Silas watching TV in one of his many "disguises"

Starting keeping Nicholas on Tuesdays and Thursdays and we're loving it!

First time to fly a kite - he did so GOOD!!

You're officially caught up! ;)

  

Unseasonalby Warm

So I keep reading reports about how unseasonably warm it is for January.  I, for one, am super thankful for the higher-than-normal temps.  About 4 a.m. last Tuesday morning, I woke up and it was cold in our house.  Like 59 degrees.  Whoa.  I checked the thermostat and it was on and set properly.  Hmmm, not good.  So, I took a space heater into Silas' room and slept the rest of the night with him to make sure we stayed warm enough.  Ashley was out of town and so was my dad.  :(  So, I moved our trusty space heater all around the house and to my surprise, it was cozy during the day.  At night, as long as we slept in the same room with a space heater and the door closed, the temperature was just fine.  Thankfully, Ashley's dad was able to find the problem after climbing up in the attic Wednesday evening and inspecting the furnace.  My dad was home on Friday and we got the new part early Saturday morning.  He had the parts swapped in about 15 minutes and the total bill was $40.92.  Hallelujah!  For those of you that know of our recent electrical debacle, this bill was a monumental relief! 

I am so thankful for the resourceful, knowledgeable, and willing people in my life (and inexpensive furnace replacement parts)!  Where would I be without my husband and our dads?!  I am amazed at how they can look at something mechanical and figure out what's out of place.  So, tonight as the heater kicks on and starts warming up, I am feeling grateful and happy.  I know my husband is happy as well, knowing we are being cared for well. 

Good night, y'all.  I promise to post some pics soon!  I have some fun projects to reveal.  :)

In Your Dreams

Just had to share something really quick.  Last night, I dreamed that I was running for exercise (in my parents' neighborhood.  Weird.)  I remember thinking in my dream, "This is the 3rd day in a row that I've been on a run.  I'm going to blog about this."  HAHAHA!  I haven't actually been running, but I have been dreaming about it.  So funny!  However, this dream does show me that the blog is already making me accountable.  I'm eager to share my progress in 2012, whether it's actual or imagined.  ;)

Happy Friday, blog world!  Today, the ringer on my phone plays, "I don't care is Monday's blue.  Tuesday's great and Wednesday, too.  Thursday, I don't care about you.  It's Friday - I'm in love..."

Well, here goes...

So, I started this blog a LONG time ago. When I read my old posts, it seems like a lifetime ago. BUT! It's a new year and along with other big changes, I'm going to start blogging again. YAY! After working full time from March 2010 to October 2011, I am home again with Silas. Thankful doesn't even begin to describe how I feel about being a SAHM. I'm determined to use my time and resources wisely and not waste this amazing opportunity. This first post will voice my goals for 2012 and (hopefully!) I'll use this blog to give you updates on my progress. ACCOUNTABILITY! I'm glad you are along for the ride, friends!

1.) First and foremost, I am going to focus on healthier living. I have not been a good steward of my health and that is going to change! I won't lie, I've made this a New Year's Resolution before and not followed through. Not this year, people! It's HAPPENING! How, you ask? Well, we're going to attack this beast from several sides. I'm going to eat healthier. I got an Omega Juicer (singing, "amazing"!) for Christmas and it's going to help us get the nutrients we need from fresh fruits, vegetable and nuts. We also received an XBOX 360 with Kinect for Christmas. We bought a workout "game" that will help me with Cardio workouts and strength training all from the comfort of my living room. Trust me, no gym environment is ready for THIS body! Also, for my birthday/anniversary, I got a new bike with a trailer bike for Silas. We're going to get outside and enjoy the world *while* exercising!

2.) Secondly, I am taking back management reins of our finances. Ashley has done it since Silas was born, but it's my turn again. As adults, Ashley and I haven't been the best stewards of our money (actually, we've failed miserably). That's not the kind people we want to be! So, we've prayed about it and committed to doing it right, no matter how hard we have to bite the bullet. Bear with us, y'all. This could be trying! I'm inspired, though. Excited to do it! I'm looking for ways to make our money go as far as possible and also for ways to save. Ex: making products we have bought at a high price in the past (wet wipes, laundry detergent, peanut butter, etc).

3.) Third, I am going to find ways to be the best ME I can be. I'm going to "BE THE CHANGE" I want to see in my life. I want a better marriage, so I'm going to be a better wife. I want to spend my life with great people, so I'm going to be a better friend and family member. I want my children to have a good life, so I'm going to be a better mother. I'm thankful for my house and everything in it, so I'm going to be a better house keeper. I truly believe in the principle of reaping and sowing. Now is my time to sow.

These are big goals, I know. It may take more than 365 days to complete them. I may work on it for the rest of my life, but I know it'll be good work.

Three verses that inspire me today:

"The diligent find freedom in their work; the lazy are oppressed by work." Proverbs 12:24

"...Give away your life; you'll find life given back, but not merely given back—given back with bonus and blessing. Giving, not getting, is the way. Generosity begets generosity." Luke 6:38

"Whatever may be your task, work at it heartily from the soul, as something done for the Lord and not for men..." Colossians 3:23