Reflecting

Well here it is December 31, the last day of the year, and as I sit here and think about all things that have happened this year I am so amazed. If anyone would have told me 365 days ago what this year was going to look like I never would have believed them. The one word I can use for this year is BLESSED!! Wow God really knocked our socks off this year and honestly I feel so unworthy. As I look back here are just a few of things God has blessed us with:
*Jeremy being hired by NES
*having 2 beautiful, healthy girls (I've heard too many times lately of sick kids and it just reminds me all the more how blessed we are that our girls are healthy)
*selling our home
*blessing us with another child
*AMAZING friendships that have been built and/or grown this year
*providing a home for us

These are just a few of things, I could go on and on, but still this year has been amazing. Have there been times though that haven't been the best? Sure there are but God has shown himself strong in these times too.

This year could also be classified as the year for surgeries (several of the people in our extended family have had surgeries this year~thankfully none of us!) and each has had its own concerns however God blessed each of those as well.

Overall I wouldn't change a thing about this past year and look forward to what God has in store for 2008. Yes, I am making a few resolutions for the next year and I'll keep you posted on how those are going. Until next year.....

Merry Christmas Pop!!

Each year I have the hardest time finding something to buy Jeremy's dad for Christmas and this year was no different. What do you get the person who buys them self whatever they want/need throughout the year and doesn't give you even a hint on something they might like? Well this year I found the perfect gift for him. I really wanted to find out the sex of the baby before Christmas to be able to tell but since I am only 18 weeks my doctor said it wasn't worth it to do it early because we could miss seeing something that hadn't quite developed yet. I was really bummed and after talking to a couple of people decided to call back and see about having a gender determination ultrasound before Christmas and then having the "big" ultrasound at the scheduled time. Luckily I have a GREAT nurse and she set it up for me, so yes I lied and we do already know what we're having....a BOY!!!! I think this is the best gift we could possibly ever give Jeremy's dad...look at his reaction and tell me what you think!



We gave him a present with a baby boy outfit and a piece of paper that said "It's a BOY" printed on it as well as an ultrasound picture so he would know we weren't lying. The expression on his face was priceless! Merry Christmas Pop we hope you like your gift. :)

Merry Christmas!

Just wishing each of you a very Merry Christmas and praying that we all remember the TRUE reason to celebrate~Jesus Christ! Recently at the choir presentation at my church the statement was made to think about what the world would be like if Jesus never came. Have you ever thought about that? Honestly not until recently did I really think about this. We've celebrated Christmas as Jesus' birthday but what does that really mean? It means that because of Christ we no longer have to do things to please God (He's crazy about us already), no more rituals, or burnt offerings. We can now have hope and assurance of eternal life with God. So as you are with your family over the next few days opening gifts and remembering Christmases past don't forget to remember that it's not about the gifts we buy but about the gift God sent giving us a reason to celebrate.

Praise be to be God who is, was, and is to come!!

Let the guessing begin....

It is just a couple of weeks now before I find out the sex of baby #3 so I wanted to take an informal poll so see what you think it will be. Sarah did this on her blog and I thought it was fun so I decided to give it a try. My appointment is scheduled for January 7 (if I told you the 10th it's because I'm losing my mind) so you have from now until then to tell me what you think. I'll tally the votes and let you know the results late on the 7th.

Unemployed!!!!

I am proud to say that as of last Friday I am officially unemployed! I know this may sound CRAZY to most that I'm excited about it but it is such a weight lifted off of my shoulders. Some of you, however, may be thinking "you were employed?" Yes technically I have worked Springfield Drugs since January of 2004. I have (had) a WONDERFUL boss that was very flexible with my schedule and let me work when my MIL was off so that she could watch Gracie for me. Not only that, but because it is an old timey pharmacy we have a lunch counter so he also provided breakfast AND lunch for us. After having Gracie I went from working 4 days (10 hour days) to 2 days per week. Then once I had Carleigh I was going to quit completely but John asked if I would be willing to do the Medicare remittance from home. At the time it sounded great and at first it was but as both girls got older it got more difficult. Since August with all the changes going on in our lives I have not had the time to even look at it and it was becoming more and more of a burden. Finally I decided that with us looking for a house and probably having to do some kind of maintenance, not to mention #3 on the way, that I just can't do it anymore. So I packed everything up and took it back last week. It is such a GREAT feeling to no longer have it looming over my head.

Black socks

why are they so hard to find? I have been looking for Gracie some black socks for WEEKS and nobody seems to have them in a 2T-3T. I look in EVERY store I go in and still no black socks...what's the deal? The really bad thing is that black tights aren't any easier to find. I wanted to get the girls matching cotton tights to go with the matching dresses I had bought them but never could find both sizes in the same style. I reluctantly purchased matching pairs from Target however they are not cotton so their poor little legs are probably going to freeze. Has anyone else had this problem?

Next great invention

I should really preface this by saying that I REALLY do love my girls. I know without a doubt that they are a gift from God and I am so very blessed to have them and their little personalities. With that being said here's a question I'd like to ask....do they ever just drive you CRAZY in the car? It's amazing to me the things they think of to ask me to reach for them and/or do for them while I'm driving. Not to mention, how many times/ways can they say mommy between Gallatin and Hendersonville on the bypass? Jeremy and I agree that the best invention ever would be for someone to install those limousine windows in the van. You know the ones that you push a button and they roll up or down and are completely sound proof!! Now I will say that it would not need to be tinted b/c I'd like to know if the girls are beating each other up or chocking if they're eating in there...but sound proof-now there's an idea!! :)

What day is it?

This seems to be a question I've asked myself a lot lately. With everything that's been going on and now the busyness of the season, I just can't seem to keep up with which day today is not to mention...what am I supposed to DO today? Part of this might be pregnancy brain too. With that being said, if I forget to be somewhere, call someone, or bring something please forgive me!

Almost ready

Well it looks like we will be closing on our house in less than 48 hours, kinda hard to believe. I went today and after several locations finally found the place we will be calling home for the next couple of months at least. It's still sort of surreal that we a about to embark on a new journey. The house we currently live in is the house that Jeremy and I bought just prior to us getting married 5 years ago, the house we've brought both of our girls home to, and the only place other than our parents' house that we've called home. In some ways I'm excited to see where God is going to direct us but at the same time sad that we are saying goodbye. It seems like my verse for this year is Jeremiah 29:11
For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

Thank you Lord for the hope and future you've given us. May we never forget to YOU be the glory!!

Happy Thanksgiving

I stole this quiz off of another blog. Take it and see how you do, I only got 7 correct!!! Guess I need to do more studying on Thanksgiving!

http://home.aristotle.net/Thanksgiving/trivia-index.asp

God has a sense of humor

I don't care what anyone says, God sure can be funny. As an example how funny is this:

So we've had our house on the market now for 93 days. We had decided that if we didn't hear anything this weekend it was coming off on Monday and then we would put it back on in the Spring. I was at lunch yesterday with some friends when our Realtor called to tell me someone wanted to look at our house. At that time it was in NO way ready to be shown so I postponed it for a couple of hours in order to go home and clean. The people showed up right on time, stayed for 30 minutes, and MADE AN OFFER!!! It was what we were wanting so we accepted but here's the kicker....we have NO IDEA at this time where we are going to live. :) Through all of this we have said God is preparing a place for us so now He just has to show us where it is.

Ok it gets better. Our Realtor called me back today to let me know that not only do they want the house but that they want to close by the 30th so that they can get a better rate. That's right we now have 3 weeks to pack up all our stuff (we really don't have a lot to pack so I can do that in about 2 days) and find somewhere to live. See what I mean about a sense of humor?

Oh and did I also mention that we are also expecting our 3rd baby???????

Bad day

Well I guess I can't say that the whole day was bad more like the evening. as a matter of fact the first half was pretty good since the girls and I got to spend some time with my mom, sisters, grandmother, and nephew. It was on the way home that things changed. Both girls were exhausted from our busy day and feel asleep shortly after leaving my mom's house. I was really hoping that they would both stay asleep until we got home but Gracie woke up screaming. Come to find out she wet her pants and was of course afraid she's get her butt sucked in the vacuum cleaner. So we get home, get her clothes taken care of, put both girls in the bath, and get the car seat out of the car to clean (Jeremy was cooking dinner). After the bath we sat down for dinner where Carleigh was fussy the entire time. Once we were all finished we let the girls get down to play so that Jeremy could shower and I could straighten up. If not 10 minutes later Gracie went pee in her pants AGAIN! I'm not sure what's going because the last couple of days she's been having accidents. It wouldn't have been that bad if not within 30 minutes later she pooped in her pants, on the floor, and all over the toilet. SERIOUSLY!?!?!?!?? I could have spit nails. Well things have
calmed down now, they're in bed, and hopefully there won't be anymore drama tonight.

The other thing that has put me in a down mood is that I think we have found someone to take the dogs. it's one of those love/hate things. I love the fact that we found someone and it's someone I know but hate the fact we are actually letting them go. Brock turned 5 last month (he was the 1st Christmas present I bought Jeremy when we got married) and Gabbie will be 4 this month. They were our first kids and even though it's best, it break my heart thinking of them not being here anymore. for those of you non-dog lovers I know you don't understand but for those of you who are, please pray for me because this IS VERY DIFFICULT!!!

October 31, 2007

So I caved. I'll be honest and tell you that for personal reasons I never wanted my girls to celebrate this day but it was important to Jeremy. Up until the day before we weren't really doing anything, but Jeremy told me he really wanted to dress the girls up and take them out. After a couple of calls to friends and eventually a good compromise, I caved in and said yes. So what do your kids get to be when you only have less than 24 hours to come up with a costume? A hippie and ballerina/dancer of course!!



We took them up to Gracie's school for their Trunk-or-Treat, which we won't do again, then to the one at Joelton FBC where friends of ours go, and then over to Ninnie and Pop's house for more treats. In all the girls received 10 POUNDS of candy, which mommy and daddy are enjoying quite nicely!!!! :)

Here's a couple more pictures from the night...

Laugh for the day

So did anyone else watch the Colts/Patriots game last night? Did you see the commercial with Peyton? A little too broad? Ok let me break it down for you.....

It's a cameo of Peyton asking "Do you want bigger arms and 6-pack abs?" (to which Jeremy says out loud YES) Peyton: "Well unless you're under the age of 23 or a professional NFL player, GET A BIGGER SHIRT!!!"

I burst out laughing and unfortunately can't find the clip so you'll just have to trust me. Jeremy thought it was pretty funny too!!

Tough decision

After several months of talking about it Jeremy and I have decided that we are going to get rid of our dogs Brock and Gabbie. You can't believe how incredibly hard this is for us but we feel like it is the best thing for them. we don't have that big of a yard and with the girls getting bigger we haven't been able to spend the time with them like we would like to. So if you know of anyone who might be interested please let me know. They are both AKC boxers and really are GREAT dogs...especially with kids. Here's a picture of them....

For moms only!!!!

Here's your laugh for the day....

When Gracie doesn't want to take a nap

these are the kinds of things she does......

This was yesterday. She decided that she wanted to take her clothes out of her closet and put them behind the bedroom door.


And this was a couple of months ago. I had laid her down for a nap in my bed because I didn't want her waking her sister up. Well things had gotten quiet so I went in to check and sure enough she had gotten into my makeup. This was also the same week she poured shampoo all over my bed while she was supposed to be taking a nap. At least I can laugh about in now!!!

Calling all mommies, daddies, and well.... ANYONE!!!

I am desperately needing some "from the trenches" advice on a couple of things going on in our house.

#1~Whining. Seriously if I don't find a solution for this my head is going to start spinning around and green stuff is going to come out of my mouth!! :) Ok just kidding but on the serious note this has become a MAJOR problem with Gracie. It seems like from the time she wakes up until the time she goes to bed every word out of her mouth is in some form of a whine. It makes my skin crawl because I can't understand what she wants and even though she knows how to talk like a big girl she chooses not to. I have tried standing her in the corner, sending her to her room, and even a spanking or two. I am just about at my whits end. I want her to feel safe talking to me, especially if there is something wrong, I just can't handle the constant whining.....HELP PLEASE!!!!!

#2~Sharing. I'm really not an idiot and knew that this would be a problem especially with the girls being so close, but I'm curious as to how other parents have handled this issue. Like most older kids Gracie thinks ALL of the toys are hers and doesn't want Carleigh playing with them. you can just about time it...Carleigh picks something up, starts to play with it, and about 3 seconds after Gracie has realized it she's trying to take it away. The bathtub is the worst because Gracie doesn't want to give Carleigh any of the toys. I know an easy solution to that would be to give them separate baths but is that really a solution? I want the girls to learn to play with each other and also develop healthy problem solving skills. So what have you done in your family, or what were some things your parents did, that helped siblings learn to share??

Oh and for those of you who know that we would like 4 children and are probably wondering if after this we still do, the answer is yes! I know you might think we're crazy but hey these are phases that we have to learn to get through, hopefully after the first 2 kids we'll have it somewhat figured out!! :)

1st day of school

So being the good mom that I am, I kept my promise to Gracie about being able to go to school when she got fully potty trained and enrolled her last week! She has done such a great job going potty all by herself and only having 1 accident in the past 2 weeks that I knew I HAD to keep my promise. I was a little worried about finding a spot for her since most programs started mid-August but God had it all worked out. I called the private school here in White House because I have heard great things about them and it's only 5 minutes from the house. I really thought that they would tell me they were full but luckily one of the little girls that was in the class didn't transition well so they had moved her to her mom's room leaving an opening for Gracie!! I know I shouldn't be excited that it didn't work out well for the little girl but I am so excited that Gracie gets to go to this school. We went and toured the school on Wednesday and she had her first offical day today. I think that she really LOVED it. She told be all about going on the playground, coloring, learning about "B" in the alphabet. The funniest story though was her telling me she didn't listen and obey. "You didn't?" I asked her. She said "no, I didn't lay down and take a nap". Oh well if that's the worst of it I think I can live with that. Here are a couple of pictures of her with her packback as she calls it:

Carleigh's 1st birthday

Yes I know I'm a little behind on posting this but life has been a little busy lately. Carleigh's actual birthday was the 16th of September but due to some other family activities already scheduled we had her party on the 22nd. It was a great day, praise the Lord, since we had it outside at Jeremy's parents house. With this being her 1st birthday we only invited family because she really doesn't have any friends that she plays or interacts with, although with family alone there was about 30 people there. Thank you to everyone who came and helped make her birthday special. Here are a few pictures from the day:
These are her cakes that my friend Dana made....scrumptious!!
Her first tastes....

Oh yeah she likes it!!!!

saving some for later

she even let mommy have some

This is the present that Jeremy and I had made for her. It is a custom artwork made by Laura Kelley at Pitter Patter Art. She did a wonderful job and I hope that Carleigh loves it as much as we do. Thanks again Laura for doing such an amazing job!!

Jeremy's a genius

I have to give credit where credit is due and Gracie I believe is finally potty trained all thanks to her daddy. you know in some ways it's frustrating that I've been working with her and working with her to get her do this and all he has to do is say 1 little phrase and bingo she's done. What is that magically phrase? (chuckling) "Gracie if you don't stop going pee pee and poo poo in your britches I'm going to suck your butt up into the vacuum cleaner." First of all yes we really do say britches...no comments from the peanut gallery. This might also not make sense to you but if you knew how scared of the vacuum she is you would understand. I'm not really sure either why she's so freaked out about it but hey it helped with potty training and that's all I really care about. So there, that's how we at the Andrews' house potty train our kids!! :)

What a great day!!!

Can I just tell you how proud I am of my daughter? Yes I can!! I have pretty much slacked off on the potty training thing because she just wasn't doing it. I would ask her if she needed to go, she would say "no" and then turn around and pee in her pants. Well not today! She woke with a dry Pull-up, told me when she had to go potty, and actually stayed dry ALL day! Yippee! On our way home from the ballpark she said that she had to go and we just kept telling her to hold it. to our surprise when we got home she was dry, went in and went pee pee AND poo poo on the potty. Looks like I need to be checking into MDO for her since I promised she could go to school when she started going on the potty like a big girl. I pray that this really is IT and not just a fluke!

Long Weekend

This past weekend was one of our busiest all year. To start, Friday was Jeremy and my anniversary (5 years!) so he took off of work and we spent the day together. We started off just getting things done at the house and spending time with the girls. Then we packed up and all 4 of us went to B F Myers to look for a new bedroom suite. Jeremy's parents were gracious enough to give us one when we got married but we both agree it is time to get one we can call all our own. Unfortunately we didn't find one that we fell in love with but we did learn a valuable lesson...DON"T TAKE KIDS FURNITURE SHOPPING!! It's not that they didn't behave, it's just that we didn't get to spend the time looking like we wanted. once we left there we drove around a little, still house hunting, and eventually took the girls to Jeremy's parents house where they ended up spending the night! Thank you Harold and Cindy for doing that for us!!

Afterwards we went by American Signature to see what they had. At one time they had a set that I LOVED but it has since been discontinued and I've had a really tough time trying to find anything else that I like. Needless to say we didn't find anything there so off the went to eat at Olive Garden. I was almost a year to the date that Jeremy and I ate there together so it was nice. The evening finally ended with more driving around, a stop at Marble Slab, a stop at The Movie Gallery, and then home....I know we're real romantic!! :)

Saturday we got up, got the house together and then went back over to Jeremy's parents house to get the girls and go to a family reunion with his family. It is in Burwood (do you know where that is?) about 1 1/2 from us. It's a great facility with building, playground, ball field, and even mules next door! The girls had a great time playing and seeing those family members we only see at the family reunion. This was Carleigh's first family reunion as she was born the day of the reunion last year.

After the reunion we went back once again to Jeremy's parents house to kill the couple of hours between getting back and Jeremy's make up softball games that night. We didn't get home until about 9ish that night and the girls were worn out.

Sunday was Carleigh's first birthday!! We didn't really do anything because we are having her party this coming weekend. It was pretty much spent going to church and relaxing. I'm sure this next weekend won't be the same!

Whew did I get it all in? September always seems so busy for us...it'll be October before I know it!

New blog

not a new blog that I'm typing but a new blog that I am reading!! for anyone who knows me, knows that I love to read blogs. It's my way of keeping up with friends without having to spend hours and hours on the phone. So last night at church I found out that my Pastor is now blogging. He started a new Wednesday night series called "Have you ever wondered?" and he will be discussing touchy topics that often come up such as...should Christians drink alcohol, suicide, can you lose your salvation, and many more. I know not everyone can make it on Wednesdays however they are also supposed to have access to them on the website and then there should be good discussion on Brother David blog. If you get a chance check it out....I've added a link on my page as well so you can check back from time to time. I'd love to hear what you think!!

Naps...part 2

Wow! Thank you to everyone who sent me suggestions...i am taking several of them an tweaking them to fit our family. First I should confess and say that part of the problem is that i just wasn't ready for her to give up her morning nap. Yes she's 2 1/2 but i just wasn't ready. i enjoyed that time of day when both of my girls were napping and I had some peace and quiet all to myself. So now I am bowing down, letting her stay up more, and only asking for 1 nap a day. It seems to be working. Carleigh still has 2 naps (YIPPEE!) so once she gets up from her morning nap we are having lunch, the girls play some, and then I lay both of them down for an afternoon nap. Carleigh goes to sleep easily most of the time but I have also incorporated it being "quiet time" for Gracie instead of nap time. I set a timer on the stove for her and tell her that she has to lay down until the timer goes off. Before I know it she's off to sleep and yes I turn the timer off so it doesn't wake her up. Even if she doesn't sleep at least she's had some time to rest and chill out some....this is normally when I eat lunch!!!

I should probably also get some gates for during the day use. with the layout of our house it is very hard for me to get anything done without one of the girls being under my feet. Hence the need for nap time!

Naps

why is that it takes my 2 year old 3 hours to fall asleep for a hopefully 2 hour but more realistic 1 hour nap? I start out trying to be understanding...maybe she does have to go pee pee (even though this is the only time of day it even crosses her mind), ok so she has to blow her nose, and get a baby, and another baby, and so on and so on. She can get very creative and honestly I start feeling like all I've done all day is spank her. Oh and yes, I did even try laying down with her but she's so squirmy that I get tired of having her feet ALL over my body. Any suggestions??

First impressions

I was having dinner with a couple of my friends last night and some how we got on the subject of what each person remembered about me the first time we met. It was actually quite interesting hearing from each of them what about me first stood out. I will have to say that it looks like I may have some things to work on. :) I know this may be dangerous but I'm actually curious...what do you remember most about the first time we met? Be honest I really want to know!..good or bad

Dentists & Chiropractors

So yesterday was a fun day for me. It started out with a dentist appointment to finally get a crown on a tooth that I broke about 6 years ago. It was temporarily fixed but since we currently have double coverage insurance I thought I would go ahead and get it done. I've gone to the same dentist now for a couple of years but they have recently moved to a new office and WOW!! Of course because it is a brand new office it was clean and inviting as was the color scheme but the real treat was when I got taken back to my little room. I walked in and got seated into what I found out was a massaging dental chair. Yes so the WHOLE time my teeth were getting worked on my back was getting a treat too. Then the assistant handed me a remote which went to the TV overhead so that not only was I getting massaged I also got to enjoy my favorite show! It was actually quite relaxing since a dear friend of mine had the girls and I got a little me time. So if you need a new dentist go see Dr. Cox in Hendesonville...he's a great dentist, does a great job, and makes you feel right at home~literally!!!

Afterwards I went and picked up my girls and then we headed to the chiropractor. Gracie loves going to see Dr. Banning because the ladies in the office are wonderful. They play with her and give her candy while mommy is getting her back taken care of. As a matter of fact she loves them so much that she kept saying "I don't want to go home mommy I want to go see Dr. Banning". Ever since the first time I started going there they have been so helpful with the girls and even encourage me to bring them!! So if you need a chiropractor go see Dr. Banning in White House.

Selling Point?!?!?!?!?

As you know by now we are trying to sell our house. We actually had our first showing yesterday and it went well, however I believe they found another house they liked better. The fact that we didn't get picked doesn't really bother me; I'm just glad that we finally got to show our house and it got good reviews. I love our house but I can't expect everyone else to.

Anyway, as I was trying to get out the door today to go and run some errands i noticed something on the girls' wall.....
So what do you think? Selling point? Oh I was so mad!! when in the 5 seconds while I was trying to put my contacts in did she find time to do all of this? (this picture only shows a fraction of all of the coloring she did). And exactly where did she learn that it was okay to color on the walls? She doesn't color all that much and it is always in a coloring book....I guess this is just built into the kid make-up. I can now think about it and laugh, but only after me and my new best friend The Mr. Clean Magic Eraser got it taken care of!! Here's the after picture...so glad we didn't have to repaint!!

New link

As you know we are trying to sell our house and have discovered a great new website....
www.sumnercountychat.com/

It gives great info on what the market is doing, tips on selling your house, as well as various other related topics....go check it out!!

**disclosure**yes it is operated by our dear friend Ray Carman who is also our agent but in no way are we getting anything for endorsing it. Hey it's a great site and I just want to share it with you.

House and PT updates

First to the house...currently we have had no showings however just Tuesday we did have our first call of inquiry. We are staying optimistic considering it did go on the market the week school started back and it has been 100+ degrees so who wants to look at a house with all of that going on? Probably in the next week or so, if we haven't had anymore calls, we will drop the price just so that we are a little more competitive with what's around us. If for some reason it hasn't sold by about Thanksgiving then we will take it off and wait until the Spring. God does have a plan for us and like I've said before, He hasn't said "no" but He has said "wait" so we're waiting!!

Now to potty training. Can I just say I'm a little frustrated. The first part of the week went well, only 2 accidents per day. On Tuesday she woke up dry, stayed dry through her nap, looked like it was going good..but then pooped and went pee pee in her pants. Today on the other hand has been nothing but frustrating. First thing she went pee in her pants and then within about 30 minutes pooped too. I'm resorting to a friend's tactics of making her clean it up when she does it. Hey she knows exactly what she needs to be doing and how to do it, why should I be the one punished in cleaning it up. Hopefully soon I will have a good report....keep praying for patience!! :)

PT Boot Camp Day 1

Today started PT (potty training) boot camp for Gracie, although she's not really aware that is what it is!! :) In the last few weeks she has been asking several times a day about going to school. She even gets my purse and keys and tries to go out of the door to the car saying she's going to school. I figured with as much trying as she's doing that it would be good leverage to get her to be fully potty trained, so today was the beginning! I told her that once she learns to go pee pee and poo poo on the potty like a big girl then she can go to school. Hey so far it seems to be working! She only had 2 accidents today and 1 was during her nap. We'll continue and hopefully in the next week or so I'll have a fully potty trained child!! Wow! That's weird even to type. :)

Pet Peeve

For those of you who know me, you know that I have several pet peeves but Thursday night sparked a new one. Let me set the stage for you....I like Grey's Anatomy. I have waited all summer for new episodes. This past Thursday wasn't a new episode but it was an episode and I was looking forward to it. Gracie was at the in-laws. Jeremy got off work late, went to ball practice, and then was going to pick Gracie up and bring her home. Carleigh was with me.

We had dinner, played some, and as 8:00 neared I put Carleigh to bed for the night so that I could enjoy some Grey all to myself. So there I was on the couch by myself and the house was very quiet. Jeremy got home with Gracie which was good b/c she wasn't too wild and I could still enjoy the show. Here's the kicker....towards the end, when the good dialog is taking place the screen starts getting weird and I could hear my neighbors voice b/c of his CB radio. It pretty much ruined the end of the show for me. So now to say the least I will have to have a talk with him and the importance of Thursday night television....all in good humor of course!!

We're listed!!

Jeremy and I have been working really hard the past couple of weeks to get our house together so that we could put it on the market and guess what...now we are!! It's kind of scary and exciting all at the same time. no we don't know exactly where we are going yet (we have found a house that we are interested in) but we are trusting God to show us the way. I'm not sure how long this process will take (pray not long!!) b/c the lady up the road has had her house on the market since the first of the year. I know though that God is in control and will bring the right people at the right time I just have to have the patience for it. Oh did I just say the "P" word?? Lord help me with that too!!! I'll keep you posted on our progress.

YASNI

Yeah I had no idea what YASNI was either until today. It stands for "You Are So Nashville If". A friend of mine, Chris Thomas, recently (or at least to my knowledge) started a blog-Nashville Is My Home. Since I have been born and raised in the Nashville area and still have no idea what goes on in this town I check it out frequently because he puts out things that the ordinary person may not know about. Recently one of his posts was on the Nashville Scene's 19th year of YASNI where people finish the sentence"you're so Nashville if..." I'll be honest and say that the winners I didn't get but under what's titled "the rest" is absolutely hysterical. Go check them out and tell me which ones made you laugh. My personal favorites....

You know that Demetria's wardrobe is provided by the French Shoppe

You've lived here for 20 years and still haven't been to the Grand Old Opry (no I've never been)

You drive your dog to the dog park for a walk (GUILTY)

Life is busy

To all of those that I may have not returned a phone call, made a phone call, or been able to get together with I am truly sorry but let me recap for you what my life has looked like the past couple of weeks. As you know we have had puppies so taken care of them alone has filled my plate, however they went in the paper this past Sunday so my phone has been ringing off the hook (Praise God) ! I have had to answer numerous questions regarding them but my absolutely favorite came from a vet whose wife was inquiring about them. After several of the normal questions-color, sex, price, health, parents, etc.-here's what he asked "have you felt to see if both testicles have dropped?" Ok so that is probably something I might should do but come on I feel like that would be a little on the violation side for me. I would like to say right here Praise be to God because as of about 7 tonight we have sold all of our puppies!!!! In some way it's sad but then again a total relief b/c we are listing our house on Aug 4 which takes me to my next thing.

Yes you read that correctly, we are listing our for sale on August 4. Jeremy and I have lived here for 5 years now and as great of a house this is we need some more space. I know I've said it time and time again "if we just had a bonus room" but I mean it. Constantly running into toys not to mention each other gets a little hectic all in itself. We have looked at a couple of houses and although we have found one that we like God hasn't said yes yet. He hasn't said no but it is a wait (the hardest thing for me to do). Once we started looking we quickly realized that we are ready to move (we had originally wanted to wait until Spring) but we have some things to get done before we can actually list it. One of those things is replacing the vinyl floor in the kitchen and both bathrooms. It's something that needed to be done regardless and after I burnt a spot in the kitchen floor (long story, ask me about it later) it became mandatory. The floor guy came today and will be back tomorrow to finish up, Jeremy touched up some paint Monday, mulched yesterday, and will do more touch up as well as some more odds and ends (thanks Kim!) Saturday. It's amazing how once it was a go, how quickly things are taken place. I am really sitting here in awe/shock/daze at how things are coming together. Please be praying for us though as we continue this process and seek God to show us the place He is preparing for us.

On top of all of that I am also trying to de-clutter my house, take care of a 2 year old and 10 month old, going to birthday parties, swimming, oh and getting ready for a yard sale. Next week, August 2 & 3, I'm having a yard sale. We will be selling a treadmill, deep freezer, various home decor, sofa and loveseat slipcovers (only a few months old), wood bakers rack, possibly Nintendo NES (yes the original), kids toys, some clothing, etc. If you have anything you want to put in or would like directions let me know!

So in a nut shell that's what I've been up to...hopefully I'll get back to some kind of "normal" schedule soon!

Puppy update II

Well I tried to add pictures of Brock and Gabbie but it wouldn't let me so I decided to start over. The puppies are now 6 weeks old..can you believe it??..and went in the paper this weekend. We have 4 males and they have had 2 rounds of worm medicine, tails docked, dew claws removed, and will be getting their shots today. Here are some pictures for you to enjoy....***note*** the puppy in this picture is not in the current litter. This picture of the parents was taken last year

Public Service Announcement

A friend of mine recently told me about these 2 websites:

www.thecheapmoms.com
and
www.mommysavers.com

Oh my! They are wonderful! The first gives you info on things that are happening around town that are either free or cheap for the family to do. The second one has various kinds of information. I have only checked out the bargain shopping so far but WOW! Yesterday there was a link to a website that had Car tennis shoes on sale for $6.89 and free overnight shipping. Today there is a link to a couple of websites with GREAT toy deals! Go check them out and I hope you love them too.

Funny things Gracie says

Yes my child cracks me up all the time with the things she says but this one tops the cake. In the last couple of days she is no longer calling me momma..oh no it is now Mrs. Sarah or Mrs. Momma. Go ahead laugh I know you think it's funny...yeah I guess I do a little too!!

We fought hard

This past Tuesday was the championship game for the women's league at H'ville Drakes Creek. I've played on my church team for 7 years now (minus 1 year off b/c I was pregnant with Carleigh). We have a great team and it is always fun to play..hey what better way to shed a couple of those baby pounds?!?! It seems like each year or nearly every year it comes down to LH vs. 1st Baptist for the championship. In 2005 after 3 hard fought games in the rain LH came out victorious. We had aspirations of that again this year but at the end of 7 innings the score was 7-6~1st Baptist. Hey we can't win them all but is sure was an exciting game and as the old saying goes.."there's always next year" and we're hungry for the T-shirt!!!

iPod update

I have had several people ask me about the iPod so I guess I need to do an update. Believe it or not the thing still works!!! Praise the Lord that we don't have to buy another one! We did have to purchase new earphones because they totally got trashed with all the swirling they did but hey that's hardly anything compared to the cost of a new Shuffle. You may be wondering at how it could possibly still work. Well once I found it I left it in the HOT garage most of the day (not necessarily on purpose) and then put it in the freezer. That's right the freezer! Do you know what happens to an ice cube if you leave it in the freezer too long? It evaporates! Same thing here or with any other electronic device. I guess sometimes it does pay off that I paid attention during chemistry class!

Happy 4th of July

I hope you had a safe, relaxing, fun 4th of July this year. I know we did! To begin the day we went over to my aunt and uncle's house for a cookout since my cousin, his wife, and daughter are in town. His little girl and Gracie are 5 months apart and love to play together so it was fun getting them together. my cousin now lives in Kansas so the girls don't get to hang out like before but they throughly enjoyed the time.
Once we left there we headed home for naps and a quick dinner. Then when we were rested and feed we headed over to the church to hang out with friends and watch the firework show. It was actually quite a humorous night for us. Carleigh literally took Gracie down to steal her Ring Pop (see pictures) and then during the firework show Gracie kept saying "Look the fire's working!". Oh the things kids will say. All in all it was a great day and I am so thankful to have the freedoms that this day symbolizes. Thank you to the men and women that serve this country so that we may continue to celebrate Independence Day!!

9 months already

My o' my where has the time gone? I can't believe that my little girl is almost a year old. It is so amazing what a child learns in just their first year of life. They eat, sleep, roll over, crawl, go from strictly liquid to solids, and then if you have an over achiever like I do they are standing and almost walking on their own. Whew! No wonder she takes such long naps!! Here are a few pictures for you to enjoy....

oops!

Yes now i have another award I can add to my list this week..."worst wife". As I went out to the garage this morning to change over the laundry I heard a clinking noise as I took pieces of clothing out of the washing machine. That's not terribly uncommon at our house as Jeremy leaves nuts and bolts from work in his pockets all the time but this time it wasn't nuts and bolts. No my friends it was his iPod shuffle. ARRRRR! I'm not sure yet if it's salvageable or not, the earphones are a complete lose, but I guess it just goes with the past couple of weeks I've been having. Oh well it's just stuff in the grand scheme of things!!

First haircut

With Gracie now being almost 2 1/2 and her hair reaching to the middle of her back I thought it would be a good time for her to get her first trim. Yes I said trim! Not once since she's been born have scissors touched her hair so I didn't know what to expect. I called my normal girl and made us both appointments. I thought if she saw mommy getting her hair done (as she has since she's been born...yes I always take her with me) she would feel like a big girl when it was her turn. She did great as she waited her turn but once it was time she broke down. I don't know if it was sitting in the chair by herself or what but she freaked out. After a little convincing and giving her the Ring Pop I had bought earlier in the day she calmed down. I sat in the chair with her and then she let Rachel cut her hair. Not much was taken off, you would probably never know if I didn't tell you, but it did help to bring some of her curls back.

And yes I will take the "Worst Scrapbooking Mom of the Year" award as I forgot my camera to capture this glorious event. Hey she still has more hair.....I'll get it next time!!!

Well said

very convicting but worth your time......
http://www.raywcarman.com/blog/

read the one about the rattlesnake!

Tests

And no I'm not talking about pregnancy tests!! Ha! A couple of weeks ago my Pastor preached on James 1~trials and tests. It was a great sermon and one of those that you tuck away until that time of need. I never expected, foolish me, that I would have to get it out so quickly. It seems like over the past couple of weeks Satan has really been trying me in many different areas.....friendships, the sport I love, and even my marriage. Out of the blue it has all seemed to hit me at once so tonight I went back to James. Oh how wonderful the God I serve!!!! Right there in black and white He's laid it out that it WILL happen and what to do....

Consider it a great joy, my brothers, whenever you experience various trials, 3 knowing that the testing of your faith produces endurance. 4 But endurance must do its complete work, so that you may be mature and complete, lacking nothing.

5 Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him.

He also gives a promise to those who endure the test...

12 Blessed is a man who endures trials, because when he passes the test he will receive the crown of life that He has promised to those who love Him.


^{Thank you Lord Jesus that you allow me to go through these tests!! In each and every situation I pray for your wisdom, guidance, and endurance to run the race before me. Show me where I need to change and where I fail, O Lord, so that through this YOUR name shall be praised.}

Not funny

Tonight Jeremy and I were vegging out in front of the TV and just happened to be watching Last Comic Standing. This is not a show that we normally watch but apparently sparked enough interest for us to camp there for a few minutes. Most of comics were okay, not overly hilarious, but okay. Then there was this one girl, here is what her "joke" was....

So my friend just had her baby. Yeah you want to hear how she told us? She took us all to lunch and said "I think I'm going to keep this one".

There was a little more afterwards to the point of "wow people actually keep them?" Now call me what you will but this is NOT funny. I can't believe that a person would even think as such to put it in a comedy routine. ARRRRR....what has this world come to?

I'm a grandma...AGAIN!!

On Saturday our almost 4 year old female Boxer gave birth to 9 puppies, however only 8 have survived. We have 5 boys and 3 girls. Please pray for 1 of the little girls. She is the smallest of the litter, even though she was the 4th or 5th to be born, and I am concerned about her eating. It may be that I'm just not with her when she's eating but she seems to be a little sluggish. I did give her some formula this morning hoping to jump start her and it has seemed to help. Please pray that her appetite picks up as well as her energy (remind me later that I did pray for this when she's driving me crazy being everywhere)!!

Also, we will be selling them so if you know of someone who might be interested please let me know. They are AKC Boxers and at the time of them being ready they will have had their first couple of shots, wormed, tails docked, and dew claws removed. There is 1 fawn male, 2 regular brindle males and the rest are reverse brindle....we will be asking $300 each for them. Please email me for more info.

Helga???

Yes dear ole Helga. At first I wasn't so sure about her but now she has really started to grow on me. Who is she? My minivan!!! Right at a year ago Jeremy and I were on edge as far as what we were to do about getting a bigger vehicle. I really wanted to get an SUV however I didn't want to take on a car payment because that would mean I would have to go to work after Carleigh was born. Let me just tell you GOD is so good. I had gone over to a friend's house and on a spur of the moment trip was told that she wanted to sell her minivan. I then went into the how much, anything wrong, are you serious type of questions that I like to ask. Here's the cool GOD thing...Brea told me that it was such a blessing when they bought Helga that her family wanted to return the blessing and charge under KBB for the van. I couldn't believe it, the price they were charging we had in savings and could pay cash without having a car note!!! I'll be honest with you and did not like the thought of me driving a minivan at the age of 25 ( I know I know) but since it was something we could pay cash for I sucked up my pride and we bought the minivan. It did take Jeremy about 2 weeks before he'd drive her but now she's becoming part of the family. I can specifically remember the time that she gripped my heart the hardest. Last fall we took at trip to Gatlinburg with Jeremy's parents and on the way home she only used 1/2 tank of gas. WOW! She's a friend for life. Oh I forgot to mention where her name comes from....you see when I bought her from Brea her name was already Helga (the hooptie) and it was the one stipulation to the deal~I can't change her name. It fits her so why would I want to? Thanks Helga for just being you!!! ;0)

Ridiculous

Ridiculous=thinking that getting gas for $2.93 per gallon is good!! I couldn't believe what I was thinking the other day when I pulled into the gas station and looked at the sign. "Wow that's not bad." SERIOUSLY?!?! GRRRRR. **old timer moment** When I started driving 11 years ago gas was 89 cents per gallon. When it got to over a dollar I couldn't believe it. When it got to $2 per gallon we tightened down our budget and rearranged who drove which car. Now that it's $3+ all I can say is RIDICULOUS!! How are these poor people (no pun intended) making it on $5.15 an hour? They have to work for 3 hours to get 5 gallons worth of gas. How do they pay living expenses, food bill, utilities, etc. I know an increase in the minimum wage was just passed but how long until that takes affect? Again this is just plain ridiculous.

What do you do to save money on gas?

Pickle

Do you know what a pickle is? A vegetable(?) that some people eat whole and others put on a hamburger. NO!! A pickle is when you are playing softball and you get stuck between 2 bases with the other team throwing the ball back and forth trying to get you out...aka a run down. So tonight I endured my very first pickle. I have always wanted to get into a pickle but after tonight I think once is enough. So let me play it out for.....I can't remember if I was on first or second when the ball was hit but I do remember rounding 3rd just as the ball was thrown home. The catcher bobbled the ball so I thought I would take home, however I slipped on my attempt. Their catcher then came to tag me so I went back towards 3rd but she threw the ball so I went towards home again. Are you getting the picture? The funny thing that happened on my second attempt home was that my legs became like Jello so as I headed in that direction they (my legs) decided they didn't want to work anymore. I literally crawled/fell onto home plate laying flat on the ground.....SAFE!! That's all I really needed to hear. Like I said I'm not so sure I want to do that again.

Let the adventure begin...

Yesterday I had it and decided that was it I'm taking my house back. Who had it? You may ask.....the girls' toys!! We don't live in a large home but we work with what we do have. So since Carleigh was born, and even a little prior to that, there have been toys in the living room, nursery, and Gracie's room. I can honestly tell you though that we don't have many toys because it drives me crazy to see them ALL day but we still have enough to make my head swim at times. So after a little measuring, talking to a friend, and just deciding to go for it I took back my house. There are now NO toys in the living room, the girls are sharing a room (hence the adventure), and all the toys are in the room with the computer. I can now confine the chaos and shut the door when needed. I feel soooo much better.

Now onto the adventure....I didn't have to put the girls down last night for their first night in a shared room because I had 3 softball games so I was curious as to how that was going to go today for naptime. Well let me tell you this is going to be interesting. Carleigh went on to sleep but a few minutes later I heard her so I went in to check. Yep she was awake again because Gracie was in bed with her. Did I mention that Gracie had also taken Carleigh's diaper off? And then the second time I went to check Gracie was back in the crib and Carleigh was naked? Yep that's sisterly love.

They really do love each other which I know is a blessing but in times like this I almost wish they didn't love each other quite so much....ALMOST! Like I said, let the adventure begin!!

My girls

I just wanted to post a couple of pictures to show you what sweet angels GOD has blessed me with. I hope you enjoyed them.

Thank you

Thank you to everyone who has stepped up and let me know that you are reading...wow what a response. I really didn't know who was reading but now I feel a little closer to you (even those who didn't respond). I would like to give a shout out to Rebecca who I had NO idea was reading. I miss you girl, please come and visit soon. Kim we still need to get together too! To everyone else, not that you're not each individually special, thank you for being a friend and putting up with my Sarahisms!!

Question....do people still do shout outs????

Roll Call...

I'll admit it..I am a REALLY nosy person so I want to know who is reading this. Whether this is your first time stopping by or you come by often I'd like to know. Leave me a comment...even if it's just "Hi" and your name.

I'm a great neighbor

So I have to tell you this funny story that happened tonight. We have these great neighbors that live behind us. We go to church together and our kids play together so it works really well...up until they decided to move. They are scheduled to close on the house tomorrow and Jess came over to chat for a few minutes. She has this really bad habit of leaving her keys everywhere so when she went home I realized she had left them on the kitchen table. Through dinner Jeremy and I discussed what we should do. First I thought maybe we should just go up there, get in the car, and drive off. No that wasn't what I wanted to do. I knew they were in there packing so I decided to hit the alarm button on her keyring to set off her car alarm. I tried it a couple of times but it didn't seem to be going off so I went outside. I acted like I was cleaning the grill while I hit the button. I could barely hear the alarm but I saw her husband looking out the window. I went inside, opened the kitchen window and continued to hit the alarm, let it go off a couple of minutes, and then turn it back off. I was having a great time, especially when I saw her husband go to the car and check. Shortly into my little game Jess called to see if she had left her keys at the house. My first response was "no, why?" Obviously she knew the alarm was going off and she couldn't find her keys. I did fess up and what she said next was priceless...the button on her keyring doesn't set off the car alarm it sets off the alarm to her HOUSE!! Yep every time I pushed that little button it went straight to the alarm company that immediately dispatched the local PD. OH, can I tell you how hard I laughed. I thought it was funny when it was the car but the thought of them being in the house, the alarm going on and off and them having no idea as to what is going on...hysterical. Yeah I'm sure they won't forget about this moving experience...I hope you find it as funny as I did [they didn't ;0) ]

Life verse

Up until a few years ago I had no idea what this meant, that was until I was challenged to find a verse in the Bible that would be my life verse....a verse that I could live by. I remember reading Proverbs 3:5-6 and knowing this to be my life verse.....

5 Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight.

Then as we embarked on the NES journey I became frustrated with how long the process was taking. I didn't know if Jeremy would ever get on, if we would ever be able to afford a bigger house (or at least one with a bonus room to put the toys), or if I would eventually have to go back to work but then God reminded me of this verse....

Jeremiah 29:11 For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

This verse doesn't mean that God is saying that He's going to make us rich by the world's standards but it does say that He will provide and that I could be assure of a hope and future. Whew! I clung to this verse knowing that no matter what we would be taken care of and if not with NES we would still have a future.

My latest verse though is 1 Timothy 4:12 Don't let anyone look down on you because you are young, but set an example for the believers in speech, in life, in love, in faith and in purity.

The majority of the people I hang out with are older than me (you know you are!) which then makes me intimidated at times to say what I really want to say. This verse gives me security that even though my age may be young that I can still speak in honesty, truth, and love to those that by the numbers are older than me. I'm not saying that I do this perfectly or even remotely close to what I should but at least now I can feel confident that I have a "right" to.

So do you have a life verse?

Jana Alayra

If you don't know who this is and you have preschoolers you need to find out. Jana is an energetic woman who teaches kids Bible songs using motions. I first learned about her while teaching Cubbies at our local church. The kids there loved her so I searched out eBay and found a couple of her DVDs. When Gracie was a baby I would put them in but she really didn't get that much out of them. Now as she's gotten older she LOVES them. ALL day long I hear "I watch Jana" or if Jeremy turns it off to watch something else "Daddy turned my movie off mommy". Trust me they are well worth it...my child doesn't watch TV but she'll watch these. It's also been a great way for me to learn biblical truths. If you don't already own them, get them!!!

Potty training

This is the new adventure at our house. It seems to be going okay but I was wondering if anyone had any tips to ensure that it is successful.

I broke it mommy

Is NOT my favorite thing that my 2 year old says. Yesterday as I was doing my daily blog run through, she came to me with these words. As I looked at her I quickly said.."yep you broke it" because she was holding my cell phone in her hands...one piece in each hand! Oh well, looks like I'll be getting a new one so if I don't answer I'm not ignoring you I just didn't know that you called.

What do you think

This may just be another Sarahism but....I have a real problem with the child support system. Let me go ahead and say that Jeremy and I are fine but because of some people close to me going through divorces lately that is where this is coming from. One friend that I have who just went through a divorce, her ex-husband is supposed to be paying child support but isn't. They will go back to court in a couple of weeks because of it and if he still hasn't paid anything then they are putting him in jail. This is where I have the problem...what good will it do putting him in jail? Not only will he not be able to pay because he won't be able to work but he will also be costing taxpayers more money for housing and feeding him. He is also going to have a record which then can jeopardize chances for him to get a new job which then again puts right back in the same boat. In no way am I condoning parents not pay their child support but there has to be a better method for discipling dead beat parents. What makes more sense to me is that there be some kind of work program just for these individuals where they have to work long enough to pay back their child support as well as pay for their room and board. What do you think?

I'm addicted

Admittance is the first step right? I have to admit that I have officially become addicted to the computer. There it's out... why don't I feel better? There are so many things that I could be doing (Bible study, cleaning, playing with the girls, etc.) but instead here I sit checking blogs, looking at MySpace, and just waiting for that little envelope to appear signaling I have a new email. Is it because I have small children at home and I use this as my adult conversation or because Satan would have nothing better than for me to sit here and type away? ARRRRR!! So here's what I need of you....please keep me accountable as to how much time I'm spending in front of this machine. It's okay to do things like blogging but when I do it more than the things that are God honoring, there's my problem. Thanks in advance!

Humbled

I knew that the home run I reported on last week was a fluke but GOD definitely humbled me on it. My very first at bat of the first game I hit a dud but while running to first just hoping to beat the throw my thigh cramped. Well that was pretty much it for me. I was able to walk and stupid me still caught (I'm the catcher) 95% of the game but running was out of the question. As a matter of fact, I didn't even play the second game. So needless to say I will no longer be reporting on game highlights or at least until tournaments. ;)

Today...

Today is a sad day for this country. Today there was a shooting at Virginia Tech killing more people in 1 shooting than ever before. I had no idea it had even happened until I was talking with a friend of mine on the phone and she told me. When something like this happens I just can't help but believe GOD is calling out to us to turn back to Him. In a country where we are so prosperous and have so many freedoms we fail to realize why....because GOD has given it us. Point blank that's it! There is no doubt in my mind that there were/are people on that campus that thought "oh I'll enjoy today and worry about all that GOD stuff tomorrow". For some of those people tomorrow isn't coming....that's the sad truth. And the truth of the matter is that we have no guarantees for tomorrow but we do have this..."whoever shall call upon the name of the Lord shall be saved." I have no idea who may be reading this but if you too fall in that category of the ones waiting for tomorrow, I pray that today you you will call upon the name oh the LORD!! If you don't know Jesus to be your personal savior I'd like to talk to you about it.

Let the games begin!

Oh how I love this time of year. Flowers blooming, temperatures warm (except for this week), and then there's softball. I can't tell you how much I love to play this sport. I've been playing since I was 5 and I think I enjoy it more and more each year. For the past 7 or 8 years, minus last year since I was pregnant, I have played for our church's team and can I just tell you I LOVE the ladies that I play with. Last night was our first games of this season and it was awesome. It took us a little while to get warmed up but once we did we were on it. We won the first game 10-8 but the second game we blew them away with a score of 33-2. I caught for the first game and some of the second which made me a little nervous if I would even be able to walk this morning but to my surprise I'm not really all that sore. God is Good! One more thing.....I hit a home run!! Yep sure did. I think it was the best hit I have ever had. This is not the norm for me so don't be expecting to hear regular updates like this but I did want to share since I don't know when or if this will ever happen again.

WAAAHOOO!!!

I can't believe I am actually being able to "say" this but Jeremy IS going to be working for NES!!! That's right folks we finally got the call we have waited soooo long for. Thank you to all the people that have been praying with us for this, it seems like a lifetime to us but we know that it is in God's perfect timing. All Jeremy has to do now is pass a drug test, physical, and fill out the paper work. He should be starting by the end of the month. God is GOOD !!!!

Sarahism #1

So now that you know me and what happens in my life I guess I can start cluing you in on some of what I like to call "Sarahisms".

The first one would have to be Barbie, Barney, and Spongebob. These guys are not allowed in our house which many people find disturbing. Let me begin with Barney~there really isn't anything that I can say I don't like except that he gets on my nerves. I watched my share of that purple superdeeduper dinosaur when I lived at home as that was what my little sister LOVED to watch. Now that I have my own kids...I just don't think I can take anymore.

Spongebob...I think he is disrespectful and rude. He has crabby patties...I don't want my kids to be crabby or think it's okay. To me this is an adult cartoon that is not appropriate for kids of all ages.

Barbie~yes I have 2 girls and this doll nor any of her accessories are allowed in our house. To me she is an unrealistic role model that I don't want my girls looking up to. Really, what woman do you know that NATURALLY has that figure? I want my girls to believe they are beautiful and worthy no matter how many outfits, shoes, convertibles, etc they have. Because of what Barbie has represented I really don't feel comfortable purchasing anything with her trademark associated with it whether it be a shirt, lunch box, doll, or jeep....it's not welcome at my house.

There, now you know a little more about me......I hope we can still be friends!!