Tree of Life: March 2012

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.