busy busy

I don't know about you, but for me, the summer draaaaaaaaaagged on like crazy.
No preschool.
No money.
No break for Mommy.
and no sanity.

The last couple of weeks, however, have been a total blur.
Busy isn't even the word for it.
And honestly, I'm liking the busyness much better than the boredom.

I did a whole lot of hanging out with this little guy.

Look at that little man. 9 months and sporting a 'stashe already.
I'm so proud.

And took Avery to her first gymnastics lesson.


The cuteness was almost too much to handle.
I seriously giggled through the entire lesson.
She looked like such a big girl, but so teeny tiny at the same time.

We went to some high-class eating establishments with our high-class kiddos.


Lovely.

And took the family to watch a baseball game.


Charlie was beside himself with excitement.
Avery loved it too.

Until she saw the team's giant mascot.

It took quite a bit of convincing to help her understand that the giant bird/man wasn't coming to get her.
I finally told her he wasn't allowed to come up to the stands. That did the trick.

You do what'cha gotta do.

I helped this cute girl woman move into her very first dorm room.

Oh the excitement of starting a fresh, new chapter in life! Can you see it in her face?
Seriously.

And- oh my goodness - I made my first applique ever at Craft Club.

In true Jennifer fashion, I've become officially obsessed.
I'm appliqueing everything.

It's almost as bad as my obsession with the Podge o' Modge.

And last week, I celebrated the first day of Preschool with these little guys.

Evidently, this is Charlie's favorite spot in his classroom.

After his first day, his teacher said, "Charlie loves the mirror. Well, all the babies love the mirror... but Charlie REALLY loves the mirror."

Oh goodness.

Last week was also my first day back to the Preschool in 9 months. I'm so excited to be teaching a few days a week. It's divine. I seriously love it.

Life's been busy, but I think I'd take busy over bored any day. There are not many things in this world more frightening than a bored toddler.
Health Care Reform?
Swine Flu?
Yeah....
A bored toddler is definitely more scarey.

Me Time

Until Saturday, I hadn't been to a gym in 2 years.
2 years.
Just let that sink in for a bit...

I've been avoiding my return to the gym for quite awhile.
'Cause let's face it: going to the gym is just not fun.
But this belly full o' jelly has got to go. Far, far away. From me.

The sheer disgust with my "Mrs. Clause Physique" was enough to force me to push the horrifying visions of certain pain and embarrassment to the back of my mind and bravely head to my first class in 2 YEARS.

And I gotta say... it wasn't that bad.
In fact, I kind of enjoyed it.
Well...not the whole working out part - that part was pretty stinky - but the stretching thing.

As I was stretching my Jello Muscles to the relaxing sounds of pan flute music, I literally thought to myself, "Wow. No one is climbing on me. This is...awesome."

Next time, I may skip the first part of the class and go back just for the stretching part.
That's how desperate for a little "me time" I am.

Fast Forward to Monday for my dental appointment to have a cavity filled.
After my first dental cleaning in 2 years a few months ago (are you seeing a trend here?) it was revealed that I had three cavities.
Not fun.
Not cheap.
Not comfortable.

It does help that my Dentist's office is kinda fancy.
Sure, it's can't compare to my pediatric dentist's office (come on - a tree in the office? a cave that you can hide from your mom in? cool toys when you're finished?), but I like it.

He's got some nice comfy chairs, a flat screen t.v. with earphones, plenty of super-nice people asking me if I feel OK. Not to mention the "happy gas"....

Honestly, except for the drilling part and the painful shots in the gums, my dental appointment was the most relaxing moment of my week.
Really.

I'll take what I can get.

the rules of fashion

So the other day I was perusing the clothing in Target when I stumbled upon these:

Yes. They ARE bloomers.
No. I wasn't in the children's section.

They kinda look like these, don't 'cha think?

A little fashion rule I like to follow: If my 2 year old owns it, I probably shouldn't.

Well...I say that, but come to think of it...

I do own this little handy guy (which I made myself. with my SEWING MACHINE. I'm just sayin'):


and it does slightly resemble this:

In fact, I'm pretty sure that the table full of college kids sitting next to us at dinner the other night thought I was wearing exactly that.

So --new rule:
If my 2 year-old owns it, I probably shouldn't.
Except gigantic bibs. Those are fine.

214 reasons to floss

2
number of children I've had since my last trip to the dentist

0
number of dental insurance policies that we own.

2
x-rays I should have refused to get

1
scary drill

1
jab in the gums

2
questions asked while someone's hands were in my mouth.

3
times I clenched my fists in pain.

3
cavities discovered.

214
dollars spent

1
near anurysm that I had when we forked over the $214 for the bill.

4
pairs of shoes that I COULD have bought for $214.

2
hours spent doing something terribly UN-fun

1
lousy toothbrush

1
mini toothpaste

1
container of dental floss


0
fun toys, plastic rings, or suckers. because being a grown-up STINKS.

Just in case you ever wondered what a $214 tooth cleaning looks like:

Lovely, huh?
At least the toothbrush was pink. That's something.

irony

My life is full of it.
In fact, my life is so jam-packed with irony that I'm bathing in it.
Literally.

I've got the pictures to prove my point.

Prepare yourself. It's not pretty.

ARGHHH!

EEEEEEK!

NOOOOO!

Make it STOP!

It's not the horrific mold or the water stains that makes my blood run cold...
It's not the ancient tub caked with soap scum and other unidentified whatnot that gives me the shivers...
It's not even the cracks in the green 80's tile that scares the mess out of me.

As scary (and slightly embarrassing) as mold, 80's tile, and soap scum can be, they pale in comparison to the (I can hardly write it) FISH tiles on the wall.

For a girl who HATES fish, abhors fish, can't STAND fish -- having FISH tiles in the ONLY bathroom in the house is the textbook definition of Irony.

Did you catch that we only have ONE bathroom?
One.
One shower with disgusting fish tiles.

I haven't taken a bath since we've moved here.
A bath in our house would mean that a normally relaxing time would turn into a radical exposure therapy session for me.
No thanks.
I think I'll stick to showers.
Showers mean that the freaky fish aren't at eye level.
Showers mean that I can try to ignore the fact that the nasty, gross, fish tiles are less than a foot away from me.

Go ahead, laugh at me, but there's a name for my disease people.
It's a real thing. I googled it, so it has to be true.

It's called Ichthyophobia.

According to Wikipedia:
Ichthyophobia is a variety of a specific phobia which is an intense and persistent fear of fish, described in Psychology: An International Perspective as: an "unusual" specific phobia.

See?
It's real.
I'll bet you feel like a jerk for laughing now, huh?

I know it's ridiculous... I know... but I've seriously considered painting over those tiles until we can manage to replace them.

The problem is that Avery really likes the fishy tiles.
It's looking like as long as Finding Nemo is on her favorite Movie List, there will be no relaxing bubble baths for Mommy.

The sacrifices of motherhood. Will it ever end?

8 things

Kelli from Outside My Kitchen Window tagged me. She lives in the same city that I moved from a couple of years ago. We never met while I was living there, but I wish that we had! We'd get together for Craft Club...

Anyway - here goes:
_________________________

8 Things I'm Looking Forward to...

1. Going to the beach with our friends in a few weeks!

2. Going back to work in the Fall at the preschool. 'Cause man I need some spending money...

3. Seeing my little sister graduate from High School next month.

4. Hearing Charlie say, "Mama" for the first time.

5. Getting the yard looking all pretty and stuff. Do you think we could make this work in the budget?

(photo from southernliving.com)

I'm thinking that the envelope will have to be a little stretchier to hold the cash for something like that.

6. Going to ITALY next year for our 10th anniversary. We're already saving...and saving...and saving.

7. Taking some sewing classes

8. Calling Dave Ramsey and telling him what I think about his stupid envelopes that we're DEBT FREE in a few months.
_________________________

8 Things I did Yesterday...

1. Went to our little friend Miller's 3rd birthday party where I helped his mommy hot-glue ribbon reins on hobby horses.

2. Brainstormed various excuses for avoiding doing the laundry.

3. Drank waaay too much Diet Coke. Because I need it now to continue living. All of my major organs are totally dependent on Diet Coke to function properly. It's super healthy.

4. Heard that my sister made the cheerleading squad at Ole Miss!!! I'm soooo proud of her and can't wait to go to football games to watch her cheer next fall. I guess that means I have to be a Rebels fan now.

5. Ate a Sonic Butterfinger Blast. I figured I needed to do it now, cause after I stop nursing, I have to go on Butterfinger Blast Lock Down.

6. Watched The Gilmore Girls - oh how i love it...

7. Got reaquainted with my Google Reader. Would you believe that it said 341? What?!? Someone needs to go on Google Reader Lock Down.

8. Fell asleep in Avery's bed with her. While having my hair twirled. tightly. That's how tired I was.
___________________________

8 Things I Wish I Could Do...

1. Sing well. With David. Preferably like her

2. Sew things like this

or maybe this

(photos from hannah kate online)

3. Take a shower without worrying that my house will be destroyed or that Charlie will lose an eye.

4. Finally get the guts to paint and distress my armoire.

5. Get paid to do things like: read blogs, craft, watch TV, and shop. I would be a very rich woman. and happy.
I would be oh, so happy.

6. Go to Archiver's by.myself.
And spend an unlimited amount of money.
But not MY money.
Someone else's.
Someone who lets me keep everything I buy.

7. Go to a New Kid's On The Block concert. Yep. I'm admitting it. I'd sing "hangin' tough" with all those mini-van mommas and not think twice.

8. Blink and make things magically happen. Especially when it comes to cleaning the tub. or painting ceilings. or changing diapers.
_________________________

8 Shows I Enjoy...

1. The Gilmore Girls (why did you leave me???)
2. Lost (even though it confuses the heck out of me)
3. The Office
4. How I Met Your (wait for it) Mother
5. The Young and the Restless. (I know, I know...)
6. Burn Notice and The Mentalist (It's a tie)
7. One Tree Hill (why won't they leave Lucas and Peyton alone already?)
8. The Celebrity Apprentice
__________________________

8 Friends I tag...
Maribeth
Jackie
Misty
Brittany
Rachel
Ari
Kerry
Colin
Pam

just another manic sunday

Sometimes being married to a minister means that you've gotta put on your "big girl pants".

David leaves to go to church very (and I mean very) early on Sunday mornings.

That means that the very (and I mean very) spoiled Jennifer has to do all the work on Sunday mornings. Work that I normally have help with: diapers, dressing, feeding, etc.
I even have to make my own coffee, ya'll.
It's just not right.

Before I had kids, I managed to be on time to church - most Sundays.
After I had Avery, I typically ran about 15 minutes late to church, but could still squeak in for the last part of worship.
These days, I'm running about 30 minutes late for church.
30.

This week, however, was a monumental week for me.
This week, I was only 20 minutes late for church.
I shaved 10 whole minutes off my time - not bad!
Maybe next week, we'll try for 18 minutes.

Baby steps, people.

My problem is that I never seem to plan for the inevitable problems that arise on Sunday mornings.
Trouble-shooting. I need to do more trouble-shooting.

In an effort to understand exactly where I'm getting tripped up, I thought I'd write out my typical morning routine and go from there.
_____________________
Wake up

Change diapers

Feed the kiddos

Drink 1/2 cup of coffee

Dress kiddos

Re-heat coffee

Dress myself

Hear Charlie crying in the next room.

Say, "Hey - if he's screaming, it means he doesn't like what you are doing!"

Pray a quick, but fervent prayer that Charlie makes it through life with a crazy big sister.

Re-heat coffee. Again.

Change one or both of the kids out of pooped on/spit up on/colored on/food splattered on clothes and back into new clothes

Beg Avery to let me fix her hair

Tell Avery that she can't wear her Crocs with her smocked dress

Look for cell phone

Look for keys

Look for sippy cup

Pack diaper bag

Beg Avery to get in the car

Put Charlie in the carseat

Chase Avery down the driveway in THESE heels (church is the only place I get to wear them anymore - and I'm WEARING them)

Threaten to give Avery a spanking if she doesn't get in the car

Wrestle Avery into the carseat

Realize that I left the diaper bag in the house

Run through Itty Bitty House like a Mad Woman looking for diaper bag

Jump in the car

Listen to my CD player try in vain to eject the PENNY that was shoved into it a WEEK ago.

Try to explain to Avery that we can't listen to her Raffi CD because she put a PENNY into the CD player

Put my makeup on in the car

Drink last sip of cold coffee.

Try to find a parking spot in packed parking lot

Look for an available spot in the Senior Adult parking section (so naughty!)

Realize that someone else already had that idea (so naughty!)

Head to the back of the parking lot. Where the late losers park.

Make my own parking spot

Finish putting makeup on.

Strap on the sling

Try to shove my chubby monkey boy into the sling

Grab Bible, bags, and Avery

Try to convince Avery to walk on her own

Listen to Avery scream to be held

Sigh and carry her and Charlie at the same time

Make the one meellion mile trek to the church (in my pretty heels) from the back of the parking lot where I finally found made a parking spot.

Walk in very (and I mean very) late to church looking like this:

and feeling like this:


SO - any clue where the problem is?

And don't even think of suggesting that I wear tennis shoes with my skirt - cause that 'aint even happening.
If I have to wear my "big girl pants", I'm going to have on pretty shoes too.

today's craft has been brought to you by the letter "K"

This is my sister's birthday gift.
She turned 18 a couple of weeks ago.
Yes. I'm a total slacker and haven't given her the gift yet.

Isn't she a total DOLL?

I adore her.

I made the "K" to go in her room. The room that she will only be living in for a few more months since she'll be heading off to COLLEGE this fall.

When I started college, she was just 4.

When I started college, the Spice Girls had a hit song on the radio.
I actually jammed out to "Mmmm Bop".
I took over an HOUR to get dressed to go anywhere.
I had never heard of Raffi, Laurie Berkner, or The Wiggles (say it ain't so!)
I had at least 3 silky shirts because that's what Jennifer Aniston wore on Friends.
My hair was...blonde. For a semester or two.
I drank REAL coke - not Diet Coke.
There wasn't a Starbucks on every corner. In fact, I'd never even entered a Starbucks.
Adidas shoes were soooo cutting edge.
I thought that 21 was old.
Northface jackets and Vasque boots were worn even if you had no intention of EVER hiking.
I wasn't ashamed to listen to Hootie and the Blowfish
I still had a Walkman.
I only had like 4 friends who actually owned a cell phone.
Those same 4 friends were the only ones I knew that actually owned a computer - and it was purely used for word processing.

I'm seriously o-l-d.

Speaking of old, I'm turning 32 on Monday.
I actually REMEMBER when my mom was 32.
Pathetic.

Anyway - Happy belated birthday to my sweet, adorable, funny sister.
Hope you enjoy your little birthday "happy"!
I love you!

drama, drama, drama

I'm slightly ashamed to admit that I'm seriously addicted to a certain soap opera (notice that I said only slightly).

I've been watching it since David and I moved back to our hometown 2 years ago. When we first moved back, we had a house in Ohio that we needed to sell. While waiting to decide whether we should sell it or rent it out, we lived with my mother-in-law.

That's when I got hooked. and I mean hooked.

I realize that my show is a little silly and TOTALLY unrealistic, but I watch it anyway.
Every. Day.

Don't anybody interrupt me while my "story" is on . Someone WILL get hurt.

I find it to be the perfect show to craft to. You don't have to be a genius to understand the plot (after I watch LOST, I feel like my brain could possibly explode). In fact, you don't even have to listen the whole time to keep up. It's perfect for the sleep-deprived multi-tasker.

The other day, while I was drying my hair (when ALL good ideas seem to come to me), I started thinking about all of the re-occurring themes of my show -and just for kicks, did a little number crunching.

You may be TOTALLY bored by this.
You probably ARE bored by this.
I, however, think it's fascinating and I can think of at least 2 people who will agree with me.
You know who you are.

This is what is what I came up with:

Deaths - 7
People are dying like CRAZY on this show. Not regular, old-age deaths, but crazy, horrible deaths: Sudden, dramatic, plot-twisting deaths.

You don't want to live in this town, people. Not at all.

Living in this town means you are likely to do something like fall off a cliff, become trapped in a collapsed building, imprisoned by your evil twin, or FROZEN IN A LAKE.

Births - 2
One baby was born to a woman in A COMA and one without an epidural in a LOG CABIN.

Did I mention that the second baby was born without an epidural?

Just before I started watching this show, another baby was born in an elevator.
I'm guessing no epidural there either.
The writers MUST be men.

Children who miraculously turned into teenagers overnight - 3
Really.
Really?
REALLY???
a-n-n-o-y-i-n-g

"Hi, welcome back from your super-long trip/ two-month long summer camp/ boarding school. You grew SO much while you were gone!"
Barf.

Crazed psychos - 2
I know.
Just 2.
That one surprised me.

People who've had amnesia or memory loss - 3
Conveniently, all amnesia victims were restored to their original fabulousness after a few short weeks.

Dopplegangers - 3 (!)

Times I thought that I would have said the word "doppleganger" before 2 years ago - 0

My friends think that I made up the word "doppleganger". I didn't. It's a for-real word. It means "evil twin" or something...
Don't you just love it?

It may be tricky to find creative ways of incorporating it into my everyday life, but I plan on using it at least once a week from now on.

People who came back from the dead or returned from the grave in some way - 4
Yep. FOUR.
Most of these were people who appeared as visions or something random like that (Another very important reason why living in this town isn't such a good idea).

People hospitalized - 7+
Danger. Lots of danger. Grand-Scale danger.
Danger like fires, car crashes, falling off ladders, drunken driving, falling through frozen lakes, airplane crashes, pieces of large buildings landing on heads, facial burns from poison-laced facial creams, and so on...

Times one of the main characters was jailed - 7
People on my soap spend a lot of time in jail, but never seem to fill out their entire sentence. Hmmm.

____________________

When I was a little girl, soap operas were just about the dirtiest thing on T.V. Admitting that you watched a soap meant that you were guaranteed to receive more than one very disapproving look.

My addiction may cause some to think that I'm at best a little "spiritually delayed", but the way I see it - these days, soaps are way more tame than what you can see on a typical night of regular television. That being said, I still don't think I'm brave enough to call up my second grade sunday school teacher to tell her the news.

Nope. Definitely not that brave.

she's just not that into you

Dear Dave,
I'm not sure that things are working out for us.

It's not you.
It's me.

Wait a second...Maybe it IS you.

Lately, It seems like I'm the one doing all the sacrificing while you're doing all the bossing around.
The relationship feels a little one-sided.

Since we've met, I find myself doing things I've never done before. I barely recognize myself.

The old me would never do things like this:


And spend hours reading blogs like these:





(Who knew there were whole segments of people who LIVE to cut coupons? I'm speechless.)

I even switched to Cheap-o diapers. All for you.
Which makes THIS all your fault:

Where are YOU when it's time to change the diapers?
Sitting in your multi-million dollar house, no doubt.
Sitting in your multi-million dollar house, smoking Cuban cigars.
Sitting in your multi-million dollar house, smoking Cubans in a a leather swivel chair, behind a large desk.
Sitting in your multi-million dollar house, smoking Cubans in a leather swivel chair, behind a large desk, while stroking a white Persian cat and laughing maniacally.

Definitely.

Anyway - My couch still smells like pee.
Now I have to haul out the one-million-pound steam cleaner to de-funk it.

Thanks. Thanks a lot.

Lesson Learned: It's not really a bargain if you have to use TWICE the number cheap-o diapers to prevent leakage.

And ANOTHER thing, I don't know if I can ever forgive you for bringing this EVIL contraption into my life:

You can't fool me: It's just a fancy way to disguise the shackles of the "envelope system".

ALL of my "Blow Money" is gone. It's not even half-way through the month yet. I'm not really sure how that's your fault, but I'm going to go ahead and blame you for that too.

It's all been tough, but the biggest blow was definitely The Great Credit Card Massacre.
It was an event that still haunts my dreams.

Here's the deal: I'm willing to give you another shot because you make my husband a very happy man.

You've wooed him with your smooth talk of "spreadsheets" and "retirement plans", "savings accounts" and "budgets".
Before I knew what was happening, I was watching my husband drink the paid-for-in-cash-with-money-from-a-neatly-stored-envelope-kool-aid and there was NOTHING I could do to stop him.

You're a slick one, Dave. Very slick.

I'll stick with you for my David's sake, but I have to tell you:You're seriously getting on my nerves.

Jennifer

letter to 20 year old me

Dear Jennifer,
It's me. Your 31 (almost 32) year-old counterpart.
The wife.
The mom.
The teacher.

Yep, Teacher.
Don't waist your time switching majors. It won't be worth it. IN FACT, if you switch majors now, you will have to take a STUPID Intro to Theatre class that you will get a "C" in for nada.

While I'm dishing out the advice, here are some more helpful hints for you:

1. I know you've had your heart broken recently. I know it hurts. I know it hurts so bad you think you'll never get over it. But you will.

2. Know that You DON'T have impossibly high standards for a guy. One day you'll meet someone who meets every one of them. Seriously. Even the the little details that you didn't think you'd find in someone. It's pretty cool.

3. If a cop asks you out on a date, don't reschedule or try to get out of it. You'll like him.

4. Study. Study. Study.
Please study. I know it's hard to concentrate right now, but if you stop obsessing over boys, you'll be able to do it.

5. Graduate as soon as you can. You are going to LOVE teaching and wish that you had more time to do it. In fact, go ahead and start working on your Masters while your parents are still footing the bill. Student Loans stink.

6. In a few years, you won't remember the names of half of the people you went to college with partied with. It's crazy... Like they never existed. What you WILL need is a degree. Put down the beer and head over to the library. NOW.

7. Put down the tweezers too. Eyebrows are a good thing.

8. Save your money. As much as you can.

9. Pay cash upfront for your car so you can save your money for other things... things like pretty flowers for your wedding. If you don't, you'll have to go with a cheap-o florist and be really sad. Really sad.

10. Certain people will try to tell you that pink isn't an acceptable bridesmaid gown color. Don't listen. Have that pink wedding.

11. "The Rachel" won't always be a cute hairstyle and "Friends" will come to an end. You will go on with life. The world won't implode.

12. Spend all the time you can with your grandparents. Ask your grandmother to teach you how to make those cute little booties she knits.

13. You may think that you look cute in that little black skirt you have in your closet...and you do. But it's TOO SHORT. Don't wear it to church, Genius. In fact, don't wear it at all.

One more thing... It's a biggie.
You won't have a baby until you're 29. It sounds old, huh? It's NOT. The thing is, getting pregnant won't be easy for you. It will seem like everyone in the world is having a baby before you do. It will seem unfair. Especially when your younger sister has three babies before you have your first. It will be really hard and you'll cry a lot. Just remember that God's timing is perfect. He knows the desires of your heart. Keep trusting His goodness. It's worth the wait.

Remember that God's grace is bigger than any mistake you've made in your past. Let go of those feelings of guilt. They aren't from Him. It takes us a long time to learn that lesson. Years. Save us the tears and start letting those guilty feelings go now. You are loved.
You are treasured.
You are a child of God.
Nothing you can do will make Him love you more.
Nothing you can do will make Him love you less.

Keep it real, girl!
jennifer

*want to read more letters? go to Beth's blog: Not a Bow in Sight and join in the fun!

oh, honestly!

Kerry from Colored with Memories gave me this LOVELY award.

I like it.
If there's one thing I'd like to believe that I am, it's honest.
Sometimes, (wait - make that MANY times) too honest.
And as long as I'm being totally honest, what I call "honesty" is nothing but plain 'ol foot-in-mouth disease.

Is it bad when more than one of your friends compares you to this girl?


Hmmm....

So as recipient of this award, I'm supposed to list 10 honest things about myself. After that, I'll pass the award on to 5 bloggers I deem deserving of the coveted Honest Scrap award.

Here goes:
1. I hate mornings. Must kill mornings.

2. My first Cabbage Patch doll was named Aretha. I don't remember her middle name... It was probably something completely strange and random like Valencia. Anyway - I renamed her Cynthia. I thought "Cynthia" was the most perfect name in the world. Cynthia Valencia...It has a nice ring to it, don't 'cha think?

3. Doing laundry makes me physically ill.

4. My husband and i have been on staff at 3 church plants. Our current Church Home is NOT a church plant. We've been there 2 years now and just LOVE it. It's the first non-church plant that we've ever been a part of. It's kind of nice to not have to fold up chairs at the end of every service, raise financial support, or go door-to-door with flyers. Church planting is a LOT of work. We'd do it again if God wanted us to, but we are enjoying the break!

5. I hate English Peas. Yuck. Barf. Gross. Nasty.

6. I have a serious aversion to listening to voice mail. If you leave me a voice mail, you can pretty much count on not getting a phone call back. It really stresses me out to see that little envelope pop up on my phone. There's probably some emotionally gut-wrenching, deep-seated psychological reason for it. I can't afford a Psychoanalyist visit because DAVE RAMSEY IS THE DEVIL, so I guess we'll never know why I do it. I'll respond to a text all day long, but only listen to my voicemail like 2ce a month.

7. I'm the oldest of 5 kids and am 14 years older than my youngest sister. She's graduating from High School this year. It makes me feel really old. When I'm around her, I trick myself into thinking that I'm 18 again. A really dorky 18-year-old. With 2 kids. And a mortgage.

8. I have never balanced my checkbook. Ever. Dave Ramsey would come over to my house just to slap me if he heard that. Because he's mean. Did I mention that he is THE DEVIL?

9. I buy trunk show clothing for my kids and Target clothes for myself. I kill myself scraping money together to do it, but it's kind of my hobby... a very expensive hobby.

10. I drink wayyy too much Diet Coke. Especially Diet Cokes from Sonic.
_________________________

I read lots of different kinds of blogs.
There are my real-life friend's blogs, randomly discovered mommy blogs, craft blogs, home decorating blogs, preschool craft blogs, and shopping blogs on my google reader.

Aside from my real-life friend's blogs, my favorite blogs to read are blogs of people I've never met in real life, yet feel connected to because of the similarities that our lives have. Especially those whose husbands are in ministry like mine.

They make me laugh, they inspire me, they encourage me, and they help me keep on truckin' through life in church ministry. Thank you, ladies, for keeping it real: for not being afraid to be who God created you to be. For not conforming to unrealistic standards. For being HONEST.

So - here's an award for my special sisters who are living honestly in the middle of "battlefield church":
rachel @ in his hands: our adoption journey
cassandra@ tripping around the sun
sarah@ life in the parsonage
misty@all because i fell in love

it stings just a bit...

My eyes started to tear up as we did this.
No, I'm not kidding.
It made me seriously ILL to have to do the deed.

It's not even that I even use it that much. In fact, I hardly ever get to carry it in my wallet (a fact that has quite possibly saved my marriage more than once). It's just that I'm going to miss the option of being able to carry it in my wallet.

This means that the stupid Envelope System is definitely happening.
Dave Ramsey has backed me into a financial corner.
I'm not feeling the peace.
In fact, I'm feeling a little peeved right now.

Good Bye old friend.

I'll miss you.

priorities.

The Laundry Mountain is slowly creeping into every crevice of our itty bitty house.
My car looks like a McDonald's-filled Pinata exploded in the back seat.
The Dust Bunnies in Avery's room have been around so long that we've named them.
There's a potentially award winning sixth grade Science Fair project growing in my microwave.

It's bad. Really bad.

Life with a toddler and a newborn leaves very little room for doing anything but meeting their immediate (and frequently requested) needs.
Chores are just NOT a priority right now.
Evidently, SLEEPING isn't a priority either.

What IS a priority is survival. I've learned to function pretty well with little to no sleep and have finally perfected the "whip out a pan without being pummeled by the avalanche of pot lids" move. Maybe I'll make it after all.

Meanwhile, I've got tons of craft project ideas floating around in my head and NO time to do them. I'm having serious crafting withdraws. Just looking at my lonely little Mod Podge bottle gives me the shakes. It's very, very, very sad.

Another very, very, very sad thing is the fact that THIS GUY is ruining my life:

David and I are taking the Financial Peace Seminar at our church for the next few weeks. We've been to 3 classes now and I'm starting to think that Dave Ramsey might be evil.

Darn his "Budget Plans", "Envelope System", and "Live like no one else" mantra. All that fancy schmancy talk is just code for "NO FUN."

He's seriously cramping my style.

Before you feel the urge to tell me how wonderful he is and how I'll "appreciate all this later", keep in mind that I need a moment to mourn the loss of my credit card before I can see things your way.

I'm sure I'll be fine.
Eventually.

a few of my favorite things...

when the dog bites,
when the bee stings,
when I want to eat ice cream, but have to settle for sugar-free, low-carb yogurt instead...

The only sippy bottle/cup I've found that doesn't drip all over the place:


A gift from my friend Kris:


New Yellow Box Shoes:

Avery wearing my New Yellow Box Shoes:


Charlie's new diaper bag:


A sweet, precious, gift from my Aunt, Uncle, and Cousins:


New PINK(!) comfy house shoes from my sweet mother-in-law:


Cute, little vintagey bottle brush Christmas trees from Garden Ridge:


This necklace from here:


This candle by Aromatique:


This vintage postcard in Avery's room:


The bottom of the laundry basket. (A.K.A. The 8th Wonder of the World):
No picture. That's how rare it really is.

Buttons, Buttons, everywhere...



This (the greatest invention ever):


The tiniest diapers I've ever seen:


Ahh... Feeling better already.