A 2 year old + 2 minutes alone =

This is what happens when you let a two year old go in her sister's room unsupervised...

She was obviously not happy about getting caught:) I love her creative use of color!!! I suppose I should be thankful the make up is on her face and not on the walls.

Lions, Tigers, and Bears, Oh My

Actually it was just 3 elephants, 7 tigers, and a pack of the cutest Dachsunds you've ever seen :)! Yes, we went to the circus! It was so much fun! It has been several years since our last visit, so Miss E didn't remember anything and Miss A had never been. We actually made it a surprise. We told them that we had a special treat for them and right before we walked out the door we told them where we were going. They were so excited! We went to the pre show warm up where they let the audience participate. Miss E was in heaven! They let her swing from a trapeze, hoola hoop and jump rope! I thought she might be shy and not want to do it in front of everyone, but she was raising her hand and jumping up and down when they asked for volunteers.

Here are some pics of the night...

Things that make you go...hmmm

Just some things I've been pondering...


- Why does the detergent clump up in my dishwasher when it is supposed to be released in the second cycle? I have to run the thing again because I am not totally sure my dishes are as clean as they should be... you know the whole germa phobe OCD thing:)

- Why does my forehead look as if I were beginning puberty again when clearly the rest of my body does not? Seriously when will I stop having break outs??? Proactive, you are my friend again!



- Why is there a perpetual mountain of toys in my living room floor? Oh wait I know the answer to this one.... because we have too much stuff! Yup! Thinking about trying the Aunt Chandra trick of the weekly toy box... 4 rubber maid tubs filled with the toys for that week. Will let you know how this goes! Might have a mutiny on my hands!


- Why can I remember stupid useless trivia and yet I can't remember what I am looking for the next room? This is really disturbing to me! I am trying to convince myself it is all the years of sleep deprivation and not age:)


- Why do I assume things??? This one has gotten me into trouble lately! I have met some new people recently that I, for whatever reason, already had preconceived notions about their life, past, the way they feel about me, etc... that could not have been further from the truth! Why do I do that?? I think the Lord is really bringing this one home to me... I DO NOT know everything!(I have been aware of this for quite some time, just think He's making sure I remember) And I certaintly should not presume to know what is in some one else's heart! I hate it others do that, but somehow I have not held myself to that same standard. So Spring Resolution.... Do Not Assume Anything!


- What else in my house is spray-paintable (not sure if this is a proper word)? Since I have discovered the joy of spray painting, I have been a crazy woman about it! At the moment I cannot park in the garage because of my new hobby! I may need an intervention!

Here is a frame that I redid. (Sorry not the best pic) It was hideously ugly when I rescued it from Mimi's garage. I wish I had the before shot! Think ugly 1970's avacado green with a little gold... ewww! A little black spray paint, some classy scrapbook paper and one of my favorite sayings burned aroung the edges and Viola! I love it! It hangs in my kitchen now and it makes me smile!

Ok on with the things that make me go..hmmm

- Why is it 70 degrees today and lovely, but on Friday we are going to have a blizzard??? And then on Saturday it will be sunny and mild again? Couldn't we just pick a season & stick with it? Oh well I won't complain too much because that means one more fire in the fireplace... and more importantly.... smores!!! How's that for looking at the glass half full?

- How can 4 people make so much laundry? I had every speck of laundry done on Sunday, even the sheets and today I am now working on load 3 with two more to go! Either we are very dirty or very clean people.... I just don't know!

- One more.... How did I live my life before knowing about Blueberry Scones from Sugarbrown's??? I heart them!!! I have taken to scheduling all the meetings there that I can! I told Hannah not to tell me what is in them or how many calories they have! I don't even want to know! She said though for the record they were the healthiest thing in the case... not sure this means much since they were sitting next to the most amazing frosted cinnamon rolls that I have ever seen! I really don't care though.... they are that good!

2 Tags

Wow! I had 2 different tags when I checked all my favorite blogs! How fun! The first tag was to post my 4th picture from my 4th folder and explain it. So here it goes...

This is a picture from our balcony when we were in Cancun for our 11th anniversary. It was the best trip! That pool in the front had a lazy river connected to it...me on a raft with a good book = my idea of a perfect day!!! Oh and they had 24 hour all inclusive room service! Ahhh! Definately my all time favorite vaca!

Ok second tag is 12 Random Facts about yourself....

1. I have moved 31 times in 30 years! Crazy, I know! If you are ever moving and need help... I can pack a house in 3 days!

2. I absolutely cannot eat tuna fish! Or smell it for that matter. It makes me gag! Also not a huge fan of chicken salad just in case you were wondering.

3. My favorite books growing up were Anne of Green Gables and Emily of New Moon.

4. My leopard high heel peep toe shoes are currently my favorite, but they kill my poor toes! The things we girls suffer!

5. I am the only person in my family (the hubs side) who cannot wiggle my ears. Yeah sometimes I feel left out as they are all sitting around the table wiggling their ears :)

6. I watch Serendipity and You've Got Mail everytime they come on TBS even though I've seen them a thousand times.

7. I HATE doing laundry!!! When I was in high school I would buy new outfits instead of doing laundry... pity I can't do that now.

8. Tulips make me happy!

9. I adore room service!!! See above tag! Breakfast just tastes better when some one else makes it and serves it to you in your room!

10. I could spend hours in Hobby Lobby or Mardel.

11. I still own a pair of socks that I had in the eighth grade. Very durable socks I must say!

12. We have pancakes at our house almost every Saturday that we are home... so I'm off to make a batch!

I now tag Abby, Liz, & Missy. Paige I know you've been tagged for the 12 random facts, but I tag you for the 4th picture.

Goodbye 2008...

Hello 2009! I am a bit behind in blog land. Umm... Yeah I think I left off somewhere in November! What alot of catching up to do:).

Ran my first half-marathon in December... finishing it was an awesome moment in my life!!! Especially considering I couldn't run around the block six months ago without needing an oxygen mask!

It was a fabulous day for a run...like 70 degrees in December! However, I neglected to remember that Dallas is exceptionally humid at all times of the year. So what did I wear for this momentous day??... a track suit. Yes, that's right, pants... cotton lined pants in humid 70 degree weather. What was I thinking??? As I stepped out of the hotel that morning I asked myself that very question, but it was to late to do anything about it. I was commited. So off we went towards American Airline center which was 2 miles from the hotel. And 25 minutes later we were still 1/2 a mile from AA center. They had closed off almost all the roads to the starting line. Yikes! So I start to see people jumping out of cars and just walking. This seemed like a good idea, so I joined up with a group. By the time I got to my part of the line up it was 10 minutes till the start. Great! I didn't miss it! Shoot though! I really had to go to the bathroom at this point. No big deal just run into the AA center real quick. There are a thousand bathrooms in there right??? Wrong!Guess what, 15,000 other people decided they had to go to the bathroom before the race too. Well I didn't have to go that bad I rationalized. Surely there will be a bathroom at each mile....Haha! No bathroom until mile 3!!! And when I got there I was like 7th in line! Oh and did I mention it was a dreaded port-o-potty? Yeah... so here was germaphobic me in my sweaty sticky cottonlined track pants in this tiny box trying not to touch anything! It was a MOMENT to say the least!

After that little milestone, it was pretty much trauma free the rest of the way:)! Hubs and the girls met me at mile 6 & 8. They were so cute waving their little pom-poms (courtesy of my sweet running hero Ms.Paige) and signs! Somewhere around mile 11 it dawned on me... I really think I can do this (big smile)! What a relief! Such a cool moment coming down the last hill seeing all those people encouraging you to finish strong! Such a beautiful visual of what heaven is like with the great cloud of witnesses cheering us on! Hubs, the girls, Tom and Chandra were all at the finish line too! It was such a great day!

After the race we went on into E.T. to celebrate Christmas early with our extended faimily. So we were actually home at our house for the first time ever on Christmas morning! It was fantastic! We are seriously thinking that we may do that every year from now on! We stayed in our jammies all day, played Monopoly until E beat us ;) and ate yummy holiday food! Delightful!!!

Yes 2008 was quite a year! A year of changing and growing! Didn't look anything like what I thought it would, but turned out to be so much better. Isn't that just like Jesus:)! Looking forward to enjoying the journey in 2009!

Move over Martha Stewart

Just kidding... Martha Stewart I am not, but give this girl a glue gun, some fabric, maybe some paint and we will have fun! So I discovered a whole new facet of blogging that I didn't know exsisted... home decor blogging!!! I am in heaven! Ideas without spending a bajillion dollars on decorating magazines! Can you say fabulous!!! In case you are interested, here is my new fav

http://nestingplacenc.blogspot.com/. Seriously if this woman lived near, she would be my new BFF! I am going to make her holiday garland and I may quite possibly just copy her whole house! Who said I am ever original?

While I am in decorating mode, here are a couple of nifty little projects that I am going to give as Christmas gifts this year. Now if you are on my gift list and you see this post, just act surprised when you open these :) Ok?

I am not sure what rock I have been living under, but I also did not know about Modge Podge!!! This is amazing stuff! I am going to be decopodging EVERYTHING! Just finished this little wall hanging for a friend's baby gift. (still need to add ribbon to it and I may go over it with the matte modge podge cause it's a little glossy)

And also while we are on the subject, I burned the heck out of my middle finger (yes the hubs thought this was hilarious as I was showing him my war wound) with hot glue! YOWWWW! Everytime I use the glue gun I say to myself, "This time, let's not burn yourself ok?" But wouldn't you know it on the last frame I stuck my finger right in the molten hot lava glue.... it was a moment that either the expletives were going to fly or it was so bad that you just had to give it all to Jesus! You're curious now aren't you? Is Jennifer cussin in her kitchen??? :) Not this time :) It was so bad all I could do was dance around and say " Oh Jesus please help me". My girls also thought this was hilarious. When I calmed down enough to look at my finger I couldn't tell if it was glue or skin that was flaking off my finger! If you have a weak stomach that was probably TMI. Sorry! Anyway turns out it was just glue, but I do have a lovely blister on the tip of said middle finger. If you care to see it I will show it to you...just don't be offended.

Ok, off to craft some more! Toodles!

'Tis the Season

Well, E & I put up her Christmas tree today! Yes I know it is not even Thanksgiving yet:) but we just couldn't wait any longer! She was so precious...as we were getting everything out of boxes she said, "I just don't want to rush this". Coincidentaly, this is how I feel about her entire life:). Anyway we had the Christmas tunes going and even though it is 70 degrees outside she assured me Daddy's famous hot chocolate is on the agenda tonight! I do believe the hubs and I have successfully passed on our love for the holidays, wouldn't you say?

This year is a little bittersweet for us though. Our beloved Mimi (Hubby's grandmother) went to be with Jesus this past June and this will be our first holiday season without her. As I was putting up the tree, I thought of her again as I have everyday since she finished her race on this earth. You know it is funny how even though we had a year and a half to say goodbye...there are still talks I wish we could have. She absolutely knew how much each of us loved her and how much she had profoundly impacted our lives. But it's the little talks I miss the most.. you know like when my girls do something funny I want to pick up the phone & call her because I know she will laugh as hard as I did. Or when the hubs does something amazing (which he often does), I want to tell her because I know she will be as proud of him as I am. Or sometimes I just want to call her for some good girl talk. She had such a way of listening that made you feel heard and understood...what a gift! So to honor Mimi's memory in this holiday season i want to tell you about a few of the incredible gifts/lessons she so graciously deposited in my life ....

1. Love, Love, and then Love some more. - When things are good and you are loving life, when things are bad, when it hurts, when you are disappointed, when you are betrayed, and when you just plain don't feel like it - that is the time for unconditional love. Boy did she practice what she preached... I never knew anyone who had more ups and downs in her life and yet was so full of love.

2. Let your home be a place of welcome. - When we were youth pastors in E.T., the youth group loved to hang out with us at Mimi's. She had a way of making you feel as if she was just delighted to see you!

3. Light up when those you love come in the room! - She would visibly brighten when any of her "kids" came around or actually if she was just talking about us. She has a sign at her back door that says "Let me tell you about my grandchildren" and if you gave her two seconds, she would.

4. Give your family strong roots and fearless wings - She was an anchor in all of our crazy worlds when we needed it and a gentle nudge out of the nest when we needed that too.

5. Live generously! - Have you seen Hello Dolly? You know where Dolly says "Money is like manure, It's not worth a thing unless you spread it around encouraging young things to grow" - that was Mimi's philosophy... be frugal with your own budget, but be generous with your excess.

6. Contentment - This one was huge for me. Mimi had a lovely home that she and her husband built before Keith was born and can I tell you in 4 decades, it changed very little (sparkly gold countertops and all). Mimi surrounded herself with the things she loved. It did not matter to her in the least if it was out of date or unfashionable. And although she had the means to redo her house yearly if she wanted to, she felt that people were more important investments than things.

7. Pray, Pray and then Pray some more. Again when things are good, when things are bad, when you feel like it and even when you don't - that is the time to pray. Every morning you would find her in her chair reading her Bible and pouring her heart out to Jesus. I am so thankful for this legacy and I feel so honored to have been prayed for by her. It is with great humility I pick up the baton of prayer for the future generations of our family.

8. And Finally Laugh.... ALOT! - Mimi had a fabulous sense of humor! She would crack her own self up sometimes:) Last Christmas we all sat around for hours telling her the "Mimi" stories we remembered... you should have seen her laughing! It was pure joy!

The Adventures of the Hurricane

I just love my curly headed, blue-eyed hurricane! She brings endless entertainment to our lives! And endless clean - up! If you leave her alone for more that 2 minutes she can dismantle an entire room! It is really amazing! I told her this week...."It's a good thing you are so cute!" It never ceases to amaze me how different our girls are! E is our quiet peaceful one, always ready to help, and a rule follower to the last detail. A is a ball of energy and laughter from the moment she gets up until her head hits the pillow. She has two volumes loud and louder. And everyday is a party!

So in the latest installment of the adventures of the hurricane.... we are desperately trying to entice the munchkin to eat her veggies...this is proving to be a lesson in futility! Why oh why can't we humans survive on fruit snacks alone??? Anyway, I know that dipping is always fun and A is a huge fan of the ranch dressing. So last week the star veggie of lunch was carrot sticks with ranch! Taadaa! I put the plate on the tray of her high chair and turn around to wash something in the sink and then I hear...."Look at me Mommy...Look at my eyebrows".....I slowly turn and look to see that my creative two year old is apparently looking to start a career as a make-up artist....she now has two very thick, very white eyebrows painted by the said carrot sticks and ranch and she is moving them up and down with great gusto!Taa Daa!

The Breath of God

Wow! It's November! How did that happen? October was quite possibly the busiest and most productive month of my entire life....well maybe that is a bit dramatic. It was seriously busy though! We finished up the corn dog stand at the end of September. Then we rolled right into the Ladies Conference, then came PURSUE, throw in a skit, some homeschooling, soccer, and a toddler and you have got one busy momma:)! I have loved every minute of it though!

The hubs and I have been talking alot about living life inspired. I love the word inspired, it literally means "God-breathed"... I don't know about you but I want to live life like that! I want the things that I am pouring my heart into to be God breathed! The older I get the more I realize life is too short to just go through the motions! We have such an amazingly creative and passionate God! To be made in His image and not use the unique gifts He put in US would be such a tragedy! As busy as October was, I can honestly say I felt the breath of God and it brought LIFE to my heart!

I loved the Ladies Conference! It was such a joy to see ladies connecting with God and each other. To have helped facilitate the strengthening of familes in such fun and creative ways was really very satisfying!

And PURSUE...wow...where do I begin? The whole concept of the weekend just sums up being a real Christian...pursuing God and pursuing the people He loves! Doesn't get any better than that! You know when you just feel the smile of God? That was my experience with PURSUE! I had such a great time with the kiddos! They are hilariously funny and incredibly perceptive! It was a thoroughly enjoyable weekend! And the team that made it all happen....AMAZING!!! Talk about inspiring! Now I will confess that I was completely exhausted on Sunday night...I fell asleep in mid-sentence on my couch:) and Monday was totally a pajama day....oh how I love those days!

So bring on November! I am feeling inspired to snuggle on my couch with my sweet family in front of a roaring fire and perhaps our beloved Cowboys will feel inspired to win a game...a girl can dream can't she:)

Blog Literacy and Fall Fashion

Ok folks... I am not figuring out this blogging business as fast as I did the MySpace thing! Can anyone tell me first of all how can I respond to comments and second of all how do I follow other people's blogs??? Leslie, your count is probably up to a bazzillion because I keep logging into yours to catch up with yours and everyone else's!! Sheesh! I am sure this is not as complicated as I am making it, but someone please rescue me from my blog illiteracy!!!

Oh and by the way, this is really random, but did you know leg warmers are back in style??? What the heck? I did a double take as I passed Forever 21 today. Not that I plan on sporting these any time soon, after all short girls and leg warmers do not mix. It really is true though that if you wait a couple of decades stuff comes back around! Wonder what's next? Perhaps shoulder pads and brightly colored denim?

Mommy Moments in a Mini Van

Yup! I'm a fibber! Said I was going to post about life so far in October...but I decided I'm still living it so I'll wait on that one...

So my little E is turning into quite the deep spiritual thinker these days! Often as we are whizzing here and there in the trusty mini van (who ever thought I'd be a mini-van mommy? ) we have these very interesting conversations.

Here's a recent entertaining example...

"Mom, can I tell you my new Bible verse I learned in school?"

"Sure , I'd love to hear it"

So here is where she recites Psalm 23:1-4! Love it!!! Makes my heart sing to know she is loving God's Word! Then the talk continues....

"You know Mom I really don't like the Bible we read from at school. It leaves out stuff. You know like when God closed the door on the ark and the angel telling Abraham about Isaac"

And here's where I explain about paraphrasing... using the illustration of movies vs books.

"Well, I don't like it! I mean if it's in the Bible they should put it in there!!"

At this point we arrived at our destination. So she's unbuckling and getting all her stuff together.

Time for one last comment...

"Mom you know that story about Job too? Well I don't like that one at all! I mean why is that even in there?"

Haha! Out of the mouths of babes!!! That story kind of messes with my theology too!

Seasons of Change part 1

So ok.... I'm doing it! I'm joining the world of blogging! This is exciting I must say! So much to say and where to begin :)

Really the theme of my life these days is transition and who knew that I would love it? I am surprising myself! This weekend we had our Ladies Conference at church (which was fabulous by the way) and I went to a breakout session on personalities. It was really fascinating! I took the test thinking I would be one color and as it turned out I am actually more dominate in another! For those of you who have taken the TrueColors test... I am a gold/blue... I know...what a shocker! Seriously, I don't think I am all that organized or structured, but as I took this test I realized what a "by the book" kind of gal that I am! And honestly I don't usually enjoy uncertainty, which is why this transition time would normally freak me out, but I have to say I am truly loving life at this moment!

September was unbelievably busy for us! First of all both of the girls started Mother's Day Out this year! I remember thinking... "What will I do with 7 hours all to myself?" Ha ha that is funny! I now have a list that will take me up to the end of the school year! There is that gold coming out again:)! They both love it and their teachers are just precious! So Tuesdays are an exciting day at our house!

So that brings us to the fair! DUNDUDUDUN!!!!! Yes we survived another year! And believe it or not I did not cry even once! That in itself is a miracle! And I didn't gripe and complain either! Again another miracle! Have you ever felt like God kept putting you in a situation to build some character in your life and you just kept failing the test over and over again? This is me with the corn dog stand! Every year I would just dread it coming and every year I would gripe and complain and every year I would have to repent and tell God and several others I am so sorry for letting my mouth and emotions get away from me! So this year I was bound and determined to pass this stinking test (and I do mean stinking...there is no other smell like that of corn dog grease... it might just be a living organism)! Anyway by golly, I think I just might have passed this year! What a pleasant year it was too!!! I officially handed off my sacred corn dog notebook to Pam this last Wednesday and crowned her Queen of Corn Dogs! One chapter closed...another one opening!


Ok so next post I'll catch you up on October so far... it's been really exciting!