A sneak peek...

Here is a family picture sneak peek!  Until I decide which ones I'm using for Christmas presents this is all you get! :)  This does NOT include some of my favorite favorites!

 

 

 

 

Ok fine, two of my favorite favorites...

 

 

a day in the life...

Today's is one of those days I feel like I have it together. It's 11 o'clock my kids are dressed, breads in the bread machine, the dishes are going, the laundry is running and things are pretty calm. I know that I still have a ton to get done today but frankly I feel really relaxed about it right now which is pretty weird for me.

4am move downstairs to the couch so I can turn the monitor off and Aaron can sleep

8 a.m. decided I don't really want to get the kids out of bed yet but I probably should

9am coffee is made kids are dressed we're on our way

10 a.m. first load of laundry is in bread is in the bread machine dishwasher is empty and refill

10:30 a.m. kids are eating toast iand apples, I eat some peanut butter and apples not too shabby for breakfast

11 a.m. kids are playing really really happily I'm working on my grocery list and my to do list for the day

11:30am laundry moved again, playing with the girls

12:20pm nap time show - Abi fell asleep in my arms

12:50pm both girls in bed, Bible then work time

3:00 Grace is up...never seems like I have enough time.  She is eating raisin bread that we made this morning and sitting at her little picnic table in my office while I work.

4:00 Abi is up - had a snack now I'm going to get them settled in with a show so I can sneak out the door.

4:30 Leaving to go grocery shopping

6:30 With a new pair of jeans and a FULL trunk I am headed to Bible study!

7:00 Bible study with my girls

8:30 Dropped off three girls, grocery story

9:45 Home...realized I didn't get Hub's text about what he wanted and went back to school

10:15 home, sleepy, hungry and going to eat now

11:30 It is now late and I have 25 emails to answer and a LOT of boxes to check off on my to do list.  Going to go get after it - goal is bed in 1 hour!

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #78

I am so tired right now.  To the point of looking at my emails and going hmmm, words.  I got nothing left.  Last night I went to bed at a sort of reasonable time but Miss Abi decided it'd be fun to be up until about 2:30.  I was up at 7 and at work by 8:15 and didn't get home until after 6pm.  Long day.  Ah well, the 40 some odd emails can wait till tomorrow right?

This week has seemed so smooth.  I feel like I have gotten a LOT accomplished and just thankful that things seem to be going well.

Thankful...

1.  ...for an upcoming trip to see my Grandparents.  I think they are amazing.

2. ...for a good day at work.  I got yelled at by a customer but other than that it went well.  I tried to be nice but man, I hate getting yelled at.

3. ...for a good balance this week.  I have work to do still but I feel like I have been busy about the important things.

4. ...for ALL the laundry getting done and put away on Monday/Tuesday.  It was amazing.

5. ...for my awesome new water cup from Old Navy.  I now drink a TON of water every day and I feel so much better.

6. ...for my continued weight loss!  I don't talk about it much but I am now down 10+ pounds and while the number I'm shooting for is another 19 to go, if I feel healthy before that, that's fine too.

7. ...for my husband and date nights with friends.

8. ...for Mama DiSalvos...amazing gnocchi and meatballs!  Oh, it was so good.

9. ...for some fun shows coming up at the teen center!

10. ...for getting greeted by "MOMMMMMY!!!" when I got home today.  Never gets old.

Week Goals Update!

Uh oh...so I didn't do so hot this week and will probably keep the same goals for next week.   I did get more blog posts written so I would consider that a win, small as it may be!  I am working very diligently to find balance and to maintain priorities although I feel like documenting my life AND keeping it full of pictures and images IS important.  I feel like sometimes life has a tendency to snowball on me so I'm trying to figure out what the things are that are always most important and what things will help me get the whole thing back down to manageable.  I'll let you know when I figure it out!

The goals for this week include...

1. Quiet Times every day!

2. Keeping up with Mt. Laundry

3. Being purposeful in separating work and life time.

4. Doing something fun with my kids every day (that is something they find fun!)

5. Allowing myself to sit and think and focus during my day.

We shall see how it goes!  This week I will hopefully also be getting our family pictures in so I am super excited to see those.  It feels like it has been SO long since we got them taken.  For my next career I want to be a photographer - after I get a sweet camera.  :)

Thanks for stopping by!

Five MInute Friday: Look

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

Five Minute Friday: Look

Go.

look beyond the piles of stuff, the dishes waiting to be washed and the crumbs on the floor.  look past the piles of paperwork, emails to be answered and voicemails to be returned.  peer into the small spaces that are so easily missed and you might find...

...a smudged hand print from not that long ago that is so much smaller than that same hand today...

...a love note written from a friend and received on a tough day...

...pictures, drawn quickly by three year old hands that illustrate everyone she loves...

...chocolate chips dropped to the floor when the stirring got a little crazy...

...marks from the wet lips of the one year old that likes to kiss everything...

this is life and more importantly this is MY life.  i will miss it if i don't just step back and look.  im so thankful for the days when the perspective is set and, regardless of what the day holds, the day is filled with family and life and love.

Stop.

Thankful Thursdays Top Ten #77

Here are my Thankfuls for this week!  Don't forget to leave me some of your thankfuls!

1. I am thankful for a change at work that means (hopefully) both better business at work and only out of the house one day a week.

2. I am thankful for answered prayer and acknowledging HIM.

3. I am thankful for a few sets of silly circumstances this week.

4. I am thankful for people to kick ideas around with.

5. I am thankful for my AWESOME bridesmaid dress that I get to wear in just a couple weeks!

6. I am thankful for old Nick shows on YouTube (Camp Onawana...anyone?  Am I the ONLY person who remembers Salute Your Shorts?!?)

7. I am thankful for date night with my hubs - it had been too long!

8. I am thankful for clips of stupid game show outtakes on Youtube.

9. I'm thankful that this list does not have to be especially deep.

10. I am thankful for the quietness of my house at nap time.

Happy Birthday Grace!

*this post is oh, exactly a month late*

My Dear Grace,

I adore you.  From the moment I laid eyes on you I knew my life was forever changed.  Now, three years later you have amazed me in so many ways. 

I love when you come up with new things, like the other day when you said "Look Mommy, an octagon."  I didn't even realize you knew the word octagon never mind how to use it.  Or when you sing bits and pieces of songs from here and there.  I love that you are always learning and wanting to know WHY - even when I don't give good answers.  Sometimes Mommy just doesn't know.  And I see that mind turning constantly - seeing and absorbing.

I'm sorry about that too, that absorbing you're doing.  That frustrated noise you make?  Yeah, you got that from watching me.  And I know that my attitude has a huge role in how you behave during the day.

But when I listen to you sing "You Are My Sunshine" to anyone who will listen, or when you go hold someone's hand because they look sad - those are the moments that just melt my mommy heart.  You are such a sweet little girl and want everyone to be happy.

I love how you love your sister and you look out for her.  I have to remind you sometimes that I'm the mom, but only because you are mimicing the things I do and the corrections I may give.

You love fruit - especially strawberries - but you will not eat meat, except bacon and all things breaded.  If I would let you live on milk and cereal you would be a happy camper although you remind me daily that you really like candy.

Grace, I am so excited to be your mom.  Thanks for making my world so much better!

Love,
Mommy

This Week's Goals

I always find I am more productive when I've publicly said "this is what I'm going to attempt to do."  In the midst of my fairly restful weekend, I needed some down time, I got a LOT accomplished.  She here are my goals for the week.  Let's see if that will help me meet them!

Spiritual:
1. Spend time with the Lord EVERY day.  Not just "oh, I snuggled under a blanket and prayed" but legit, spending time investing my relationship with Him.  How shallow I am sometimes.

2. Pray.  Pray for those around me, situations that are rising up and feelings that burn in my heart that just need to be poured out.

Work:
1. Come up with one new way to advertise in the two areas I work on. 

2. Focus completely when it is work time.

Personal:
1. Turn off work when it is "family" time.

2. Read my kids one book each day.

3. Update my daily chore list to reflect my new schedule and evaluate what my realistic expectations are.

4. Write.  Even if it is just 5 minutes a day.

Five Minute Friday: Race

Write for 5 minutes flat – no editing, no over thinking, no backtracking

Five Minute Friday: Race

Go.

my days are a blur and my heart is just hoping to hang on.  every time i'm away from the girls for more than a couple hours they get bigger, i can see it.  when i get rushed i get mean and when i'm mean i regret it.  slow down.

do this and do that. get this pile finished only to have that pile grow.  take out the trash, empty the dishwasher and fill another cup with milk.  hold back tears during hard phone conversations with ones that i wish lived closer.  then it is the end of the day.

what have i accomlished?  am i closer to the goal?  did i take time to make goals? 

here is what i know...
Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us, ² fixing our eyes on Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith. For the joy set before him he endured the cross, scorning its shame, and sat down at the right hand of the throne of God. ³ Consider him who endured such opposition from sinners, so that you will not grow weary and lose heart.
Hebrews 12:1-3

Stop.

Oh.My.Goodness. Thankful Thursday Top Ten #76

Ya'll, is it bad that I JUST realized I have missed thankfuls for almost two weeks?  It has been that crazy around here.  So here is my situation - I just "finished" a HUGE project for work (re-opening a twice/week event that I get to run).  So the start up is finished but now it has to be maintained which is more on my "regular" work week and now means two 8-10 hour days out of the house.  It is crazy.

I have learned a lot though during this process.  Some highlights are that I took my time with the kiddos for granted, I miss them a lot, it is great for them to have daddy time, I need more sleep, I have to ask for help.  I am so blessed with awesome friends who are willing to do almost anything for me and I have relied on them so much lately.  I'm also thankful that my husband pushes me to reach out.

Thankfuls...

1. Little Miss Heaven Reigns - I am so stoked that SHE is finally here and I want to meet her!

2. Music that speaks to my soul.  I think the Newsboy's version of Like A Lion (My God's Not Dead) is like a power anthem.  I could blast it all day and I think I couldn't help but be in a great mood.

3. A trip to Houston!  Oh my goodness, so amazing.  It was great to see almost all of my Aunts and Uncles and of course my cousins.  The main reason for going though is my Grandma who I love dearly.  She is such an amazing woman.

4. I am so thankful that my husband is able to stay home with our girls when I can't be here.  They love him and he is so good with him.  (I laughed last week when I got home - they were both in party dresses!  I think Grace talked him into it - she LOVES Princess dresses)

5. I get to be a bridesmaid!  How awesome is that!  I can't wait!  We are going dress shopping on Saturday and this girl will NOT let me look hideous so I'm excited!

6. Friends getting married on Saturday!  I'm not going to be able to be at their wedding but I'm sure it will be amazing and they are just amazing people!

7. The anxious anticipation of family pictures.  She said 4-6 weeks and it has been 5.  They were great last year and I can't wait!  (Almost time to update the photo wall again!)

8. A night to relax.  I have SO many things to get done but took the night "off".  I left work around 6pm, got the girls home after picking them up from a friend at 6:45, ate dinner, got them in bed at 8pm and have done laundry and almost nothing else since then.  I think I needed the down time.

9. Unglued by Lysa Terkhurst (I probably butchered her name but I'm feeling lazy right now).  It is such a good book. I love the part about labels and how we allow things to label us because we aren't willing to just take little steps to get rid of them.  I've got some projects coming on.  I'm feeling like another "getting rid of junk project" might be in order!  Although I really need someone with some craft and beauty skills to help me get my house decorated properly.

10. This quote from the other day...I think it was Joyce Meyers but I just happened to hear it while I was walking by a TV so I didn't spend a ton of time looking into it...
"Stop asking God to do things you could easily do yourself and just don't want to."