All I have Needed...

Time Flies

2009-06-21T00:14:00.001-07:00

I can't believe it's been a month since I last posted something. Funny how I thought that since I would be home all day, I could post more often, but it seems like I don't have a whole lot of time on the computer in the day time and by the evening, if I wanted to post something during the day, I've completely forgotten about by the time I get to the computer.

The more I think about it, another reason I don't blog as often as I would like is because my life really is sort of boring. I have no kids to post about and my housework is minimal since I have a small home, so I don't have anything interesting to say about that. I often wonder where I want my blog to go. Sometimes I think it would be fun to make it a homemaking blog since I am a full time homemaker now, but there are so many other wonderful homemaking blogs out there already, that mine would get lost and I wouldn't have anything new to add.

There are a couple things that I am mulling around in my head that I may post about, but I'm not really ready yet. Lately, I have been reading a couple of books about having a submissive spirit and I have a few thoughts about the topic, but I don't feel prepared to write about it yet. It may not be a hugely popular topic to some people and I want to prepare myself by *really* studying the Scripture so I can be prepared for any backlash that I may get. Also, these are things I am working on and struggling through right now, so I don't want to sound like I know everything when in fact, I'm still learning about it all the time. All I can say is God is doing a might work in this *very* independant and stubborn girl.

Looking back on my last post, I have done a bit better in my time management. This past week was kinda "meh" but I was in a mental funk and that seems to be over now, so hopefully things can go back to normal. Things are pretty much the same in our little corner of the world. I'm usually busy doing home-y things and Eric is researching anything he can find for work. We have been a little busy here and there between church, family and friends, but I'm really enjoying the slow paced life for right now. For a long time, it seemed like we were constantly busy and we were always going somewhere. Now we are usually home and I'm turning into a big ol' homebody. I have been wanting to get out my crafting stuff, and get my card stash going, but my stuff is in a few different boxes and it's a big ol' hassle to take everything out, make a huge mess and put it all back in those boxes again. I'm hoping to eventually make a crafting space in one of our rooms, but I'm not quite sure how I can go about that. I may have to think it through for a little while and see what I can figure out.

So that's my little update for now. I would really like to really get into blogging so hopefully I can post some more and hopefully you will all find it interesting!

Managing Time

2009-05-21T21:37:00.000-07:00

One thing I am struggling with lately, is learning how to manage my time effectively. Sure I have a schedule all written out. That's the easy part! The tough part is actually following my written schedule. So far I haven't been able to tackle that.

The only part I am consistent with is my coffee in the morning. After that, it's all down hill from there. I have to admit that I get very easily distracted and I'd rather do things that entertain me, than to do what's important, or as we call it in our home "first things first". There have been quite a few days wasted because I wanted to watch just one more episode of Star Trek, or I wanted to check my e-mail and facebook "really quickly". It never was "really quickly". Time flew by before I knew it and my day was pretty much gone. Dishes still needed to be washed and laundry still needed to be folded.

To be completely honest, I've also neglected to spend a lot of quality time with my man due to my distractions. He tries to let it roll off his back, but I can see that he sometimes gets hurt by it and I don't blame him! I'd be really hurt too if he'd rather spend his time doing other things than spending time with me. I'm really a blessed women to have a husband who treasures our time together and desires to spend time with me. His love language is quality time my goal from here on out is to show him I love him through his language (as a note, I'm writing this post while he is at church for worship team practice).

My other main goal from here on out is to get rid of my distraction and get my life back in order of God first, Husband second and home third. I'm looking forward to seeing the new blessings in my life as I work through this!

Fruits of My Labor

2009-05-04T16:30:00.000-07:00

As mentioned in my last post, today I was going to work on the first room on my spring/deep cleaning list. Just to show that I am human, here is the before picture of our bedroom. It's kind of embarrassing, but it makes the after picture look worthwhile. Here is the before picture as you are looking into our room from the doorway: Here is the after!

Here is the before shot as you are looking from the master bathroom:And the after shot:
Before shot taken from the window area:
And, of course, the after:

So that's what I did today. I moved all the furniture (except for the bed because that sucker is heavy) and vacuumed, dusted and wiped down the while room. Tomorrow I will be working on my master bathroom and doing some deep cleaning in there.

I feel great about what I have accomplished so far and I'm motivated to keep going on these projects! It's so wonderful to have time to do this now.

Today is the first day

2009-05-04T09:01:00.000-07:00

Of my new job as housewife! I've got a couple projects planned for me to do today and I'm so excited to get to them! I've been trying for some time now to come up with a good daily schedule and while I had some good ideas on what to do, I made it really unrealistic for me and it was hard to keep up. I tried to do everything in a certain amount of time and I would get discouraged if things didn't get done in that time frame. Awhile ago on the blog, Her Southern Charm, I saw a daily schedule that Jennifer created to help her get through her day and I loved it. There was really no time frame, but it was a good way to break down a list of things to do. I decided to make my own version and so far, it's worked wonderfully! The nice things about not having designated times for things is that I won't get frustrated if I get off of schedule. For instance, this morning I planned on getting up and having my quiet time right away. Well, my wonderful husband wanted to make pancakes for me to celebrate my first day home, so who am I to say "no"! If I had a strict schedule to keep up with, I would have been annoyed at my hubby and I would miss out on a wonderful opportunity to hang out with him. So my schedule needs a little bit of adjusting, but I can work with it!

Today on my schedule is the spring/deep cleaning of the master bedroom. Unfortunately in the past, our bedroom is the last to get any attention. I'm hoping to change that and keep up on it now that I have the time! On my master cleaning list for the bedroom is this:

~Clean out closet
~Clean out drawers
~Clean under the bed
~Vacuum
~Dust
~Wash blinds and windows
~Hot spot decluttering (We have a few surfaces that likes to attract random junk, so I want to get rid of that!)

Later I will post before and after pictures so you can see my progress!

T-Minus One Day!!!

2009-04-30T20:29:00.000-07:00

I am so excited that tomorrow is my last day of work... Forever!!! I've had a home keeping journal/binder for awhile now, but never fully used it since my work schedule was so wonky. Now, I've been able to sit down and start planning my days and really working on implementing a schedule that can help me in my new home keeping job!

The closer the time has come for me to be at home, the better I feel about my decision. I should be a nervous wreck that things won't work out and we'll lose our home, but I'm not! Both my husband and I are at peace about this decision and we are both so excited to see what God has in store for us. My main prayer now is that if anything does happen, our faith won't waiver and we won't start doubting this decision. I am also praying that both Eric and I can grasp on to our Lord and really learn how to hear his voice so that we know what the next step is.

Thank you for those of you that are reading this and praying for us during this time. We are so blessed by having many people in our lives that support this decision, no matter how crazy it seems!

It's 4:37 am

2009-04-24T04:38:00.001-07:00

Do you know where your children are?

Does anybody else remember that commercial (even though they said it's 10pm, not 4:37 am?). Unfortunately, at 4:37 am, I know exactly where my "kid" is. Why? Because he won't leave me alone!!!!

No, he's not a biological child, just my bratty cat
Pumpkin. That's him right over here------------->
He's the orange one on the right. So, he may look all sweet and cuddly, but don't let his looks fool you. At 4;15 this morning, he decided that he wanted his mama to wake up so he can play, so he decided to wake me up by lying on my face, pulling himself up on our headboard (which he KNOWS is a no no) and pawing at me.

That stuff usually sweet and I usually soak it in, but at 4:15 in the morning, I wasn't exactly in the mood for it and now I'm wide awake because of this brat. Oh well, maybe I can accomplish some stuff in the next couple hours before Eric wakes up.

Getting Back on the Right Path

2009-04-20T10:38:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to first of all say "hello!" to anyone who is coming over from Jennifer's blog. Thanks for stopping by!

I guess I should update what is going on, so you guys can understand what's going on in our lives right now.

Back in October, but my husband and I got laid off from our jobs. We worked in for a small engineering firm, and since business was very slow, we both lost our jobs. I talked about it in this post and a little bit in this post. Right after we got laid off, God was pressing in my heart that this was the time for me to stay at home. Sure, I didn't expect it to happen that way, but God was telling me that I was where He wanted me.

Fear then took over and questions were raised. Questions like "How are our bills going to get paid?" and "Are you sure you really want me to stay home right now? This doesn't make sense." When the flesh took over and fear crept in, I decided to take a job that seemed perfect at the time. Both my husband and I over analyzed the situation (well, he over analyzed and I did what I thought was right at the time) and stepped out in our flesh instead of stepping out in faith and doing what God was telling me to do. Because of course, we know more than God does right?

Fast forward 6 months. This job that seemed perfect at the time is not so perfect any more. Sure this job is WAY less stressful than my last job, but my heart is not at peace. I am unhappy and bitterness started to creep in. I found little things to be annoyed at and my attitude really changes. Seriously, I am a different person at work than I am when I'm home.

This past weekend we had a wake up call. God totally spoke to us through some fantastic spiritual mentors and we spent the weekend searching His word and praying about some big decisions that needed to be made. The biggest decision was that I am quitting my job. Today I am giving my two weeks notice. Here is the comment that I left on Jennifer's blog to summarize what is going on in my heart:

I just wanted to comment on what you said about being called to the home. I have been called to my home as a stay at home wife for awhile now and I had the chance back in October, but my flesh caused so much fear, I decided to take a job that now I realize, I should not have taken.

This weekend God pressed it into my heart so much that I NEED To be at home, that I am giving my two weeks notice today.

Here's the rub; my husband is unemployed and we were really relying on my paycheck to help pay bills and buy food. Does it make sense for me to quit my job? Absolutely not. On paper, it looks impossible for us to make our bills, but that's not the issue. The issue was that for the past 6 months, I have been in direct disobedience for God's command for me to be home and now is the time for me to step up and take that step of faith and trust God to meet our needs. Am I scared? I'm totally scared, but I serve a righteous God that will take care of us and will bless us for taking this step of faith.

I'm sorry I posted this huge saga of what is going on, but when God is calling you home, you may want to sit and listen and take those steps to be home, no matter how scary it seems because God knows what's best for you and He WILL provide.

So there you have it. This is where my new journey begins. I am back on track and yes, I'm scared, but I am so thrilled to see what God will do. I just want Him to be glorified in this time.

He is Risen!

2009-04-12T06:00:00.000-07:00

Good Friday

2009-04-10T12:14:00.000-07:00

Stricken, smitten, and afflicted,

See Him dying on the tree!
'Tis the Christ by man rejected;
Yes, my soul, 'tis He, 'tis He!
'Tis the long-expected prophet,
David's Son, yet David's Lord;
By His Son, God now has spoken
Tis the true and faithful Word.

Tell me, ye who hear him groaning,
Was there ever grief like his?
Friends thro' fear his cause disowning,
Foes insulting his distress;
Many hands were raised to wound him,
None would interpose to save;
But the deepest stroke that pierced him
Was the stroke that Justice gave.

Ye who think of sin but lightly,
Nor suppose the evil great
Here may view its nature rightly,
Here its guilt may estimate.
Mark the sacrifice appointed,
See who bears the awful load;
'tis the Word, the Lord's Anointed,
Son of Man and Son of God.

Here we have a firm foundation,
Here the refuge of the lost;
Christ's the Rock of our salvation,
His the name of which we boast.
Lamb of God, for sinners wounded,
Sacrifice to cancel guilt!
None shall ever be confounded
Who on him their hope have built.

Maundy Thursday

2009-04-09T15:13:00.001-07:00

Luke 22: 17-20 ESV
And he took a cup, and when he had given thanks he said, "Take this, and divide it among yourselves. For I tell you that from now on I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the kingdom of God comes." And he took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it and gave it to them, saying, "This is my body, which is given for you. Do this in remembrance of me." ²⁰And likewise the cup after they had eaten, saying, "This cup that is poured out for you is the new covenant in my blood.

Today is Maundy Thursday. This is the day we celebrate Jesus' last supper with his disciples. As we take communion tonight, let us remember our Lord's final moments with his followers.

Reason # 6,752...

2009-04-07T14:09:00.000-07:00

Why I love Johnny Depp: (From The Bitter Waitress)

"While shooting his latest film, Public Enemies, in Oshkosh, WI, Johnny Depp and his party enjoyed a meal worth $2600. He reportedly left behind a more-than-generous $1500 tip."

Today is a great day...

2009-04-06T16:26:00.001-07:00

It's opening night for the Anaheim Angels (oh, excuse me, The Los Angeles Angels of Anaheim). Tonight they are up against the Oakland A's and I'm crossing my fingers for a win for my team. It would be a great way to open the season!

Another one of My Favorite Blogs

2009-04-06T13:08:00.000-07:00

There are many days while I am at work that I have nothing to do. Usually when that happens, I go to my usual web stomping grounds and sometimes those places lead me elsewhere. Well, not too long ago, I was lead to an adorable website called Warm Pie, Happy Home. Immediately I felt like I was at home in Ruthann's blog and I just wanted to shoot down to the Ozarks and settle down for a nice slice of pie in her amazing kitchen.

She recently revamped her website and it's just as cute as ever. She's even doing a wonderful blog giveaway to celebrate her new site! You can also sign up for her online news letter that has fun tips for your home, product reviews and giveaway announcements.

Come on over and take a look. I know you won't be disappointed!

I have something to post about!

2009-03-31T18:50:00.000-07:00

It may not be too exciting, but I do have something to post! Recently, I found a wonderful blog that is written by a sweetheart of a gal and I am hooked! She has a little club that I decided to join in hopes of getting into a routine of waking up early to spend time with my Lord. It's not out of guilt or pressure that I am doing this, it's because I want to do this. I notice a major change in my outlook if I spend some quality time in prayer and in the Word. This club is to encourage other ladies to get up early and do the same and I am hoping that it will give me some accountability as well.

As a group, the 5:16 club will be doing a study of Habakkuk, starting tomorrow, and I am so excited to join in. I'm hoping to share little tid bits of what I'm learning along the way. I am so excited to see the growth that can happen thorough this!

Writers Block

2009-03-30T19:44:00.000-07:00

So I have had no idea what to blog about lately. I don't even have anything too interesting in my life to blog about. I have no kids to blog about and I have no interesting facts or tid bits to blog about. Frankly, I'm stumped. I didn't necessarily mean to take a long blog break, but with nothing to blog about, it just happened. I'm kind of getting the feeling back, but I'm still a bit stumped. I should be blogging regulary soon.

Words

2009-02-19T00:42:00.000-08:00

I love learning new words and the more I read, the more words I learn. Another blogger I thoroughly enjoy, also loves words and often will post her own collection on her blog If she doesn't mind my copying her, I also thought it would be fun to post a new word I have learned in my own reading.

I have recently begun the process of reading Jane Austen's books. I used to never be able to get through Pride and Prejudice, but after watching the movie and beginning to understand the Regency era, I cannot get enough of her! A good friend of mine let me borrow Jane Austen's last book, Sanditon. I'm about half way through it and I love it. As I read this, there have been a few times where I need to stop and look up a word. The most recent one is used here:

"He was convinced that the advantage if a medical man at hand would very matierally promote the rise and prosperity of the place [Sanditon], would in fact tend to bring a prodigious influx; nothing else was wanting."

Prodigious- from dictionary
–adjective

1.	extraordinary in size, amount, extent, degree, force, etc.: a prodigious research grant.

2.	wonderful or marvelous: a prodigious feat.

I'm ready for Spring

2009-02-19T00:11:00.000-08:00

I don't know about you guys, but I'm ready for spring. As much as I do enjoy the cooler weather, I absolutely HATE the wind that comes with it. When the wind picks up here, my allergies get so bad and my skin dries out. I'm also ready to break out my cute skirts and spring-y outfits. I'm ready for warmer weather.

Things haven't changed much in our home. My husband is still out looking for work. There was a moment where something sounded promising, but it never panned out. Well, at least it seems that way. If God has that job in mind for Eric, it will happen. I have to admit, I am losing patience. Not with Eric, mind you, but with the whole process. With the whole country in a major recession, it just does not seem likely that Eric will find a job any time soon. I do get discouraged at times, but I just need to focus that God is greater than this and something bigger than we could ever imagine will come our way.

My job is okay. It's definitely not what I want to do at all and I often find myself getting discouraged at my situation, but I still remind myself that is a million times better than my old job and that my paycheck is really helping pay the bills. My only source of hope is that once Eric is in a steady job, I can quit this job and stay home. Finally! Looking back, I realized that I could have always stayed home. We are living on so little and and can still pay our bills and eat. I don't know why we never realized that to begin with!

As far as my baking adventures go, Eric and I and a friend of mine tried our hand at scones and lemon curd the other day. Eric worked on the lemon curd while my new found friend and I worked on the scones. They were so delicious! We will definitely be making those again. It's so fun to be able to be hospitable without spending a ton of money.

Well, that's it for now I guess. I will leave you guys with a cute picture of my snuggle bug, Stella.

A closeup of her sweet face!

25 Random Things

2009-02-03T06:36:00.000-08:00

I posted this on my facebook account, so I thought I would just copy it here. I didn't think it would be hard to think of 25 things about me, but it took me quite some time.

1. I'm really not interesting enough to have 25 random things about me.

2. I'm pretty allergic to cats but I have two of them anyway.

3. Purple used to be my favorite color, but now my favorite is red.

4. I have lived in the same town my whole life.

5. The farthest I have moved from my childhood home is less than 10 miles.

6. I hope to change that someday.

7. I want to be fluent in French before I die.

8. So I can visit France and talk to the locals.

9. I love Styx and The Carpenters and I don't care who knows it.

10. According to my cousin, I "own" Sabotage by the Beastie Boys on Rock Band.

11. I met my husband on the internet.

12. I love Diet Coke and drink it all the time. Because of that, Eric calls it "Diet Crack".

13. I have a freakish obsession with Disneyland and can often spout off random facts about the park.

14. I often think about going back to college, but then I get an anxiety attack, break out in hives and get sick to my stomach. It's safe to say, I won't be going back to school anytime soon.

15. I'm really struggling with finding 25 facts about me.

16. I am the youngest of 3. There are 13 years between me and my eldest brother and 9 years between me and my middle brother.

17. I was a "surprise".

18. I have an irrational hatred of Nicholas Cage and I refuse to watch any movie with him in it because he annoys me so much, I want to punch him in the face.

19. I once spent 12 hours in one spot, just so I can see Johnny Depp in person. I saw his head. My life is complete.

20. My absolute favorite movie is The Princess Bride, followed closely by Singin' in the Rain.

21. I named my cat Stella just so I can yell "STELLAAAAAAAA"

22. I didn't enjoy the book Pride and Prejudice until I saw the movie (the 1995 BBC version). Now it's one of my all time favorite books.

23. I tend to jump on book bandwagons late on purpose, just so I don't have to wait so long in between book releases. For instance, I didn't start reading Harry Potter until the 7th book was just about out and I just started reading the Twilight series.

24. I am a severe procrastinator and always have been. I crank out my best work when the pressure is on.

25. I am an awful test taker. I can know the information inside and out, but once a test is in front of me, I completely blank out and panic. Which is probably why I freak out when thinking about school.

Schedules and Lists

2009-01-12T22:07:00.000-08:00

As I have said before, I am not a list maker by nature. I usually go with the flow or fly by the seat of my pants. Needless to say, I drive my very structured husband crazy.

One of my New Year's goals was to really sit down and work on a schedule in order to create some peace in our household. It's not uncommon to see us running frantic around our house before we go somewhere, due to my lack of planning. I know my husband needs a good plan, and it's my goal to come up with a workable one!

So far, I have created a weekly list. This includes my work schedule, weekly Bible studies and Eric's sound schedule at church. I also keep spaces open for any events (birthdays, parties, potlucks) that come up. I include a space on each day of the week to write what I need to bring to an event. For instance, I have a lunch after my Bible study tomorrow and I have signed up to bring a pasta salad. I put that in there so I know in advance I need to add the ingredients to the pasta salad to my grocery list.

I also have a monthly calender where I just write a brief note on each day. Then I can look to my weekly schedule for a more detailed plan of what's going on. This way I have an overview of what's going on in the month.

At this time, I'm still working on a daily schedule. Every day is different for me, so I am trying to figure out the timing of things. So far I've got that I wake up around 5:30 every morning and I go to bed around 9:30 every evening. I'm still working on the stuff in the middle.

On top of my daily, weekly and monthly schedule, I'm also working on a cleaning schedule. I'm trying to break my cleaning into smaller jobs that I can do a little every night, instead of all day on a Saturday. I'm hoping to get this done by next week.

So there you have it. This is my first jump into an organized life. I'm hoping that this all becomes second nature.

Menu Plan Monday and Catching Up

2009-01-12T14:13:00.000-08:00

Holy Toledo, has it been nearly a week since I last posted? I had so many blog post ideas last week and I just never had the chance to get on the computer to post them. I was really looking forward to posting my Works for Me Wednesday post, but I was gone most of the day on Wednesday and never got around to it. I'm hoping I can post it this week. My schedule is not as full as it was last week.

Speaking of schedules, I've got a post I'm working on (hopefully it can be up today or tomorrow) about my schedules. I'm a person who needs a schedule to get things done, however, I'm not organized enough to work on a schedule. I've decided to take control of my disorganization and sit down once and for all in order to create some order in my home. I won't be too strict on myself as far as keeping a schedule, but if I can just have something in writing, it keeps me accountable. A good friend of mine e-mailed me her schedule and I'm looking at it to get ideas for my own. Except my schedule won't include feedings and diaper changings.

Till I get that post ready, here is my Menu plan for the week!

As usual, breakfasts and lunches are about the same every day, so I don't include them in my menu planning. Here are the dinners.

Monday night- Out (yay!)

Tuesday night- Chicken stir fry and brown rice

Wednesday night- crock pot chicken, veggies, rolls

Thursday night- Leftovers

Friday night- Beef fillets (I found a couple in our deep freeze!) rice pilaf, broccoli

Saturday night- Spaghetti and Italian Bread

Sunday night- Leftovers

Menu Plan Monday...errrr, Tuesday!

2009-01-06T06:31:00.000-08:00

I really meant to do this yesterday, but I just didn't have the time. I usually have some down time at work, and that's when I catch up on my e-mails, blog reading and blog writing, (with full permission from my boss, of course) however, I had absolutely no down time yesterday, so I never got around to putting my menu on my blog, which is why I had to wait till now! Since were on a limited budget, these meals aren't exactly gourmet, but hey, at least we can eat and I'm making it with stuff we already have on hand.

Breakfasts are usually a mix of oatmeal and fruit, toast with peanut butter and some fruit, or cereal. Once and awhile, Eric makes a couple eggs for me. Lunch for me is a sandwich, fruit and some corn chips. Or sometimes some leftovers from dinner the night before. Simple, easy, cheap!

Monday- Eric is on his own (he leaves for a class before I get home from work) and I get spoiled by my parents, since they take me out!

Tuesday- Spaghetti and meat sauce, salad

Wednesday- Beef enchiladas, salad

Thursday- Taco soup

Friday- Leftovers

Saturday- ? (We are helping friends move, so I'm not sure if we will do something light, like sandwiches, or if we will eat with them)

Sunday- Mac and Cheese, chicken tenders (we have people over Sunday nights, so dinner is quick)

So that's it for the week. There's nothing fancy, but the enchiladas are soooo good. I will have to post the recipe on Wednesday or Thursday, after I make them. It's a great meal for a group and it's also nice for us because it gives us some leftovers for the next day.

I'm also hoping to get another blog up this afternoon, if I have some downtime. I have some ideas running through my head, so if I don't forget any of them, I will make a post!

Saturday Snippets

2009-01-03T15:28:00.000-08:00

"Saturday Afternoon" by Tim Coffee

It is a beautiful day today. It's a bit chilly (still not cold enough for me) and overcast and I'm just soaking it in. It's not often that we have days like this, here in sunny Southern California. It's also a beautiful day today because my husband is in the kitchen cleaning our ceiling fan blades. He's so good to me.

Well, my plan for getting up early bombed today. I feel slightly embarrassed to admit this, but we didn't get up till nearly 11. I don't remember the last time I slept in that late. To my credit though, my sinuses have been really acting up and I haven't been feeling well the past couple of days, so my body was probably needing the rest. I will be getting up extra early tomorrow to make up for it though, since Eric has to be at church at 6:30 in the morning. That's what he gets for being a sound tech. When he gets up at four dark thirty in the morning, I get up with him and make his coffee and breakfast while he's getting ready. He likes to have a big breakfast to hold him over till church is done by 2 in the afternoon (we have three services, so he's there for a loooong time). Yeah, it's early and I don't have to get up with him, but he really appreciates it and I like doing it for him.

Once we got up this morning, Eric made some coffee and I warmed up some of the banana bread I made yesterday, then it was time to tackle the house cleaning. I put away our Christmas decorations yesterday, but we didn't take the tree down because Eric's back was bugging him and we have a pretty big tree. Usually we dread taking the tree down, not only because it's sad (I LOVE my Christmas tree) but because it's so big and bulky, we don't know what to do with it once we take it apart. This year, my brilliant husband (he has good ideas once and awhile) thought of a new way to pack up our tree. You'll have to wait till Wednesday, because I will be making this a
Works for me Wednesday post. I've never done one before, so I'm excited. It's the little things that makes me happy.

Well, I've been on here too long and I still have some dusting to do and a couch to vacuum, so I better skedaddle. I hope you guys have had a beautiful day too.

Where has the time gone?

2009-01-02T17:35:00.000-08:00

I can't believe the new year is here already. I realize, as I get older, every year flies by quicker than the last. I remember a time when it would seem like for.ev.er for Christmas to get here. Now it just seems like I blink and Christmas is over and it's time to put my Christmas stuff away.

Every year, around this time, I just randomly think of things that I want to see happen in the new year, and every year without fail, I never see any of it happen. This year I want it to be different. Instead of randomly selecting things I want to see happen, I decided to pray about it first. I thought that since God knows what it best for my life, I should seek Him first and see if He brings anything to my mind that I should work on. Ask and ye shall receive, right? Well, I asked and I received!

One of the things that came up was the use of my time. I tend to fill up my time with things that can be good, but also take away from more important things. Things like cleaning my house, reading my Bible or spending quality time with my husband. For instance, blogging can be one of these things. As other bloggers have noted in the past, blogs can be great. I can glean information in things like cooking, home organization and even great spiritual insights. The bad things about blogs, however, is that they are a real time sucker. It's amazing how time flies when I get online and start reading some of my favorite blogs. I just need to scale back on my reading time and make sure my home life doesn't suffer because of it.

Another thing that came to my mind was that I do need to spend more quality time with Eric. We both (more often, it's me) get so busy with other things that nearly a whole day goes by and we rarely said two words to eachother. I want to end that crazy cycle and begin to just turn distractions off and sit and talk, play games or hang out with Eric.

A great way that I can spend time with him, and something else that God brought to me, was that we really needed to spend some time in family worship. Eric and I have batted the idea back and forth for a couple of months now, but this is something that's stirring more in my heart now. I'm not sure how that is going to look for us at this time, but Eric and I are planning spending time together, each evening, praying, worshiping and spending time in the Word. We may even listen to a sermon once and awhile. All I know is that it is imparitive to our spiritual growth and our marriage that we spend more time in God's word as a unit.

I also realized that I needed to have a more structured quiet time. I know that a quiet time is not demanded of us as Christians, but I do know that I do better if I have read the Bible and spend some time in prayer. It's amazing how just spending 15 to 30 minutes each morning can really effect my day. So in saying this, I am planning on getting up early each morning so that I can spend some quality time with God. I've had sporadic quiet times my whole life, but I am now wanting something steady. None of this once every couple of weeks thing.

Since I am wanting to get up early each morning, I will need to get to bed earlier in the evening. I know this is easier said than done, but this is something that I really need to work on. Not only because I will be waking up a little earlier, but simply because I just need the sleep. I am hoping to get to bed no later than 10, but even earlier would be great, if possible.

The last thing that God brought to my mind is the biggie for me. It may seem small to others, but for me, it's something I really do struggle with. Organization and structure in my daily life. I am not a structured person. I know I have mentioned orginazation in the past, but I haven't really grasped the concept yet. Sure my house is clean (most of the time), but you don't know what's crammed in my drawers and closets. Actually, I don't know what's crammed in my drawers and closets. The big problem with this is that I'm married to a man who thrives on orginazation, structure and lists and my way of life drives him crazy. Instead of making him an unorginazed slob like me, I realized that I needed to make some changes. I don't know how I'm going to do it, but I am going to work on some sort of schedule for us that will work for us. This is something else I will be praying for because I don't know the first thing about schedules. I am hoping to read some books on orginazation when I have the chance and hopefully I can learn some stuff.

The last thing I want to mention in this huge post of mine, is the verse that God has put in my heart to be my verse for the year. I am hoping to make a yearly tradition from now on, to have a piece of scripture that can define how I see the up and coming new season in my life. This year's verse is 2nd Chronicles 7:14:

"if my people who are called by my name humble themselves, and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then I will hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and heal their land."

I am praying that this year I can remember to pray and seek His face at all times. I know my sin is already forgiven, but I'm looking forward to see what "healing" God has in store for me.

Merry Christmas!!

2008-12-25T09:41:00.000-08:00

I hope everyone has a wonderful and blessed Christmas day that is spent with close family and friends! Let us remember what Christmas is truly about.

Merry Christmas Eve!

2008-12-24T10:12:00.000-08:00

I don't have much to post today, but I thought I would post a fun video by the Christian band, Reliant K. I'm not a huge Reliant K fan, but this video was just too cute.

Monday Menu Plan

2008-12-22T20:32:00.000-08:00

Yay for Menu planning! I really got off the bandwagon of this for awhile, but I recently got back on it. It has helped us so much and I'm spending way less money at the grocery store, which for us right now, is a necessity. I know not many people care, but it's helping me get in the right direction as far as organization, so you're just going to have to get used to me doing this weekly.

Here is the plan for this week.

*As a note, breakfasts and lunches are all the same. Oatmeal or eggs for breakfast, and sandwiches for lunch*

Monday- Leftover salad and garlic bread (we had our Bible study over last night for a lasagna dinner and I was planning on having leftovers of lasagna, but alas, there was non left to be had)

Tuesday- Sloppy Joes (or, for the PC people, Untidy Josephs) and steamed veggies

Wednesday- Out

Thursday- Christmas ham dinner at my brother's

Friday- Mac and Cheese with chicken tenders

Saturday- Christmas lunch at dinner at the cousin's

Sunday- Taco soup

I didn't do the family favorites addition this time, since I'm not really making a family favorite. Maybe next time!

Catching Up

2008-12-22T18:10:00.000-08:00

I'm such a horrible blogger. I think about posting something, but then I never get around to it. I am so envious of the other bloggers that have something great to write nearly every day, while I struggle to put out a single post. I don't know how many readers I have, but I don't want to lose any, simply because I don't post that often.

That being said, I think I going to try to make this more of a fun journal. I may post something serious, I will probably post about what's going on in my life and my ever evolving walk with God, but I will mostly post things I'm finding interesting at the moment. It may be something from another blog I read, it may be a fun You Tube video, or it may be some lyrics to a song that is speaking to me at the moment. I'm just thinking about this as a journal, so some day I can look back and see what I found entertaining or thought provoking at the moment.

That being said, this post will be about what happened this past week. "What happened?" You ask? Well, Let me just show you:

Oh my lucky stars! It's snow!! In the desert!!! Yes folks, it snowed in the desert. I woke up Wednesday morning at 6:30 and thought it looked whiter than normal outside, so I got out of bed and peeked through the blinds and there it was. In all it's wet and cold glory. SNOW!!!!!

I opened all the blinds in the house and just stared. I figured it would all be gone by 9am, so I was soaking it all in. I also went out and took tons of pictures, just to capture the magical moment.

Here are a few of them:

Down the street

Our backyard

Come rain, sleet or snow, USPS will always deliver

Earlier in the morning

Our front yard

By 11am, the snow was not slowing down. It was actually coming down more! Eric wanted to go drive in it, so I bundled up, grabbed a blanket and off we went. The main roads were pretty bad. Desert people just don't know how to deal with snow, so Eric went down some side streets. He had fun testing out our TCS and anti lock breaks on our car. After about an hour, we went home to go sit by the fire. By 2 in the afternoon, it was STILL snowing, so we decided to go to my aunt and uncles house to watch the snow from their picture windows. It took twice as long to get there, but we made it and my dad took some pictures of us by the snowman my cousins made earlier that day.

Close up!

When we got home that evening, we couldn't even pull all the way in the driveway, because there was too much snow. I couldn't believe it. This is the most snow I have seen. Ever. By the time we went to bed that evening, we had 10 inches of snow, and it was still coming down.

Our car stuck in the driveway

Our poor tree. Three branches broke off

The front of our house from across the street

The snow lined up with the sidewalk10 inches!!

The last of the snow melted today, but I will never forget the fun we had last Wednesday. I'm still hoping and praying we can have another day like it soon!

Thank Yous

2008-12-06T19:36:00.000-08:00

Since Eric and I have been abundantly blessed by others, I've been busy making thank you cards to show my appreciation to those who have been doing the blessing! Here are a few that I made today.

Big Bear Pictures!

2008-12-04T18:07:00.000-08:00

Our family has a yearly tradition that dates back to when I when I was in high school and before all the kids were born (except for Katie and Maggie). Every Thanksgiving weekend, the cousins trek up the mountain to spend the weekend at a cabin in Big Bear. I wasn't allowed until I was out of high school, but ever since then, it's been a tradition I always look forward to. We've been to three different cabins in the past, but the current one we stay at is our all time favorite. It has 4 bedrooms and two good sized living spaces. It fits perfectly with our growing bunch.

Below are some photos from this past weekend. I miss it already!

"Serious" Eric, on the way up the mountain

The view once we got up there

Here is our home away from home, Coulter Lodge.

A trip to the cabin isn't complete without playing a bunch of games.

Uno

I'm almost out!!

Poker is a must during Big Bear weekend

I'm preparing to deal

My brothers, Dave (who is camera shy) and Jon

My cousin, Tom, is the big winner!

Whatcha drinkin' Dave?
Amanda takes in the action
Karen's Big Bear tradition is to work on her scrap booking

Usually after spending lots of time sitting and watching movies, or playing games, we like to go out and get some fresh air by taking a walk.

My niece and nephew, Mia and Nick

My nephews, Justin and Joshua
Joshua is all bundled up! Good grief is he ever cute!

Me and the hubster. Sorry it's so blurry!
This one is a bit too dark, but at least it isn't blurry! We are in the same spot as above too.
Jon and Amanda
Dave and Karen
A random shot of the roaring fire we always had going

I can't believe Big Bear weekend has already come and gone. We always have so much fun and I'm already looking forward to next year!

Christmastime is Here!

2008-12-04T10:52:00.000-08:00

I love this time of year. I love baking Christmas cookies, putting up my decorations and listening to fun Christmas music. As Andy Williams sings, "It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!"

Since this is the year of homemade Christmas gifts, I've been busy putting everything together for my Christmas gift baskets. It's been so nice not to be stressed out about what to get people. I love shopping, but sometimes trying to figure out the perfect gift can be quite the challenge. This year, everyone is getting the same thing, so it makes my life so much easier!

I'm looking forward to posting some of the pictures of what I have been making, but since some of my readers may get said gifts, I won't show them until after Christmas. However, I also have a boat load of pictures from our Big Bear trip this past weekend, so I will be posting those soon. Hopefully I can get them up tonight.

I hope everyone has a wonderful time this Christmas season and for your viewing pleasure, here is a fun acapella group doing the 12 Days of Christmas!

I love this group because I can just see Andy Bernard singing in a group like this at, you know, Cornell.

Much to Be Thankful For

2008-11-25T22:06:00.000-08:00

Thanksgiving has always been my favorite holiday. It's the fun holiday get together with the family without stressing over buying presents. As Thanksgiving approaches, I've been thinking over these past couple of months. In the world's eyes, I don't have much to be thankful for. We lost our jobs and money has been extremely tight. I could be sitting and moaning about our situation, but instead, I choose to be thankful. Instead, I choose to count my blessings . Instead, I choose to think about God's sovereignty and His ultimate knowledge and I choose rest in Him.

I could go on and on about what I am thankful for, but I will just put down a select few.

I am thankful that God continually supplies our needs. Miraculously our bills are paid and we have enough money to put food on the table. I mentioned to Eric the other day that his unemployment check and my paycheck is the exact amount of our monthly bills. I don't think that's a coincidence.

I am thankful for my wonderful family that has supported us with gift cards, money and copious amounts of prayer. I am blessed to have them and I am humbled by their generosity. I can only hope we can give back someday.

I'm thankful for my new job. I don't make as much as I did before, but it's a great job and I have a wonderful Christian man as a boss. It's kind of nice not hating my job.

I'm thankful for our church. It's wonderful to have a place to go to and just rest. We are starting to build some wonderful relationships and I'm looking forward to what God has in store for us and for the church.

Lastly, I'm thankful that it's almost Thanksgiving. I love this time of year and this year I can really see that I have much to be thankful for.

I Got a Job!!!

2008-10-17T14:48:00.000-07:00

God is so good.

I got a job as a part time office manager at an insurance company. The hours are great and I will still be able to take care of my home and still get some income for our bills. I'm so stoked! I will also be working for an awesome Christian man who treats his employees really well.

At first I wasn't sure if I should take the job. When we got laid off I really thought that this was God's way of getting me home. I was convinced I would not ever be returning to work. Eric however, didn't feel this was the time. He feels I will be home someday, but not now. He didn't want to crush my hopes, but after much praying and searching God's word, he still wasn't convinced.

We met with one of our pastors on Monday to get some direction. This pastor also happens to own the insurance company I will be working for. He prefaced the meeting by saying he has a job for me if I wanted it, but to not let that sway our decision. He told us to look over and pray over our budget. If we could really live on one income, he would understand if I didn't take the job. He had other people he could hire, but he wanted to give me the opportunity first, since I have 8 years office experience. He gave us a couple days to pray over it and get back to him.

Eric and I went home and looked over our budget. Even if Eric got a great paying job, it would be tight. We have already cut many things out of our budget (cable, Netflix, cutting back the cell phone plan to the bare minimum) and it would still be tight. We prayed over it and the more we prayed, the more we felt that I should take the job. For one, it will pay more than unemployment and two, if Eric did get a great paying job, we could use my income to pay off our debt in half the time. I called the pastor the next day to tell him I would take the job and he wants me to start my training on Monday!! That job is such a blessing.

I had mentioned to Eric that I have never looked for a job. Every job I have had has come to me. I know this is a God thing. There is no other explination!

Words of Peace

2008-10-10T21:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I would post some scriptures that I have been meditating on since last week. They have brought great comfort and peace in a time of uncertainty. All I can say is that I regret not being this enamored with God before the layoff. If the layoff was God getting our attention, it certainly worked and I wouldn't trade it for the world.

Isaiah 12:2- Behold, God is my salvation; I will trust, and not be afraid: for the LORD JEHOVAH is my strength and my song; he also is become my salvation.

Romans 8:28- And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

Jeremiah 29:11-13- For I know the thoughts that I think toward you, saith the LORD, thoughts of peace, and not of evil, to give you an expected end. Then shall ye call upon me, and ye shall go and pray unto me, and I will hearken unto you. And ye shall seek me, and find me, when ye shall search for me with all your heart.

Isaiah 49:13- Shout for joy, O heavens; rejoice, O earth; burst into song, O mountains! For the LORD comforts his people and will have compassion on his afflicted ones.

Philippians 4:6-7- Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

James 1:2-4- Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything.

Blessing in Disguise

2008-10-03T11:24:00.000-07:00

Eric and I were talking this morning and we are thinking that this forced time off is a blessing is disguise. We aren't as stressed as we have been since we aren't rushing off to work and we have been spending so much time together it's been wonderful. We have also been able to work on some big cleaning projects around the house.

Yesterday I tackled our guest room (aka room of doom) and threw away a bunch of stuff that we kept for whatever reason. I was also able to vacuum, since I could see the floor after throwing stuff away and dust the furniture in there. I washed the bed linens and made the bed. Now our guest room is ready for guests!

Today I'm working on the cat room/office area. The floor needs to be vacuumed and then it's off tot he hard work of scrubbing the carpet and steam cleaning it. We have a cat that will pee on one specific area when he's mad at us. Little brat. I usually only have time to spray it with some carpet cleaner and wipe the area down, but not scrub it like I should. I'm planning on really going to town on that in just a few minutes!

We also will be working on our filing and shredding of this past years financial papers and re-organize our book shelves and desk areas. I'm dreading that actual work, but I'm looking forward to the end results! I'll reward myself later with a slice of the apple pie that is in my oven now!

We are really calm about this whole situation now. The first couple of days were hard, but we are resting in Him right now and it's the best place to be. On Tuesday we will be working on our resumes with my cousin and then Eric is going to hit the job hunt hard. He has a small lead already and we are praying that God will direct the job search.

We have decided I will get my resume ready for if I need it, but Eric will be the main one focusing on the job search. If he can't find anything great for right now, we will work on my finding a job. We are both satisfied with that direction.

God has been amazing through all of this and we could not be doing this alone. Our hope is in Him and I'm really happy about that.

I Will Praise Him in this Storm

2008-10-01T14:03:00.000-07:00

Eric and I were laid off yesterday. To say we were surprised is the understatement of the year. It was more like we were blindsided.

I'm still in shock. If I'm not crying, I'm walking around like a zombie. Eric is doing well. He said it hasn't really hit him yet, however, he feels that God has something bigger and better for us in store. I'm so thankful for him right now, because he is my rock.

I'm scared, confused and overwhelmed and yet, I know God is there. This didn't surprise God at all. He knew it was going to happen and He knows what will happen in the future. I'm just holding onto Him with all my might as He leads us down this new path. Who knows, maybe we were given this forced time off to help us strengthen our marriage. Maybe there is an even better job out there for Eric that he never would have found if he hadn't been laid off. I'm just trusting (well, trying to trust) and praying that God will work in wondrous ways through this storm.

Since we got the news yesterday, the Casting Crowns' song Praise You in this Storm has been running through my head and today I heard it twice on the radio within 30 minutes (I was channel surfing). This will be my theme song for awhile.

I was sure by now,God, that You would have reached down
and wiped our tears away,
stepped in and saved the day.
But once again, I say amen
and it's still raining
as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain,
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away.

Chorus:
And I'll praise you in this storm
and I will lift my hands
for You are who You are
no matter where I am
and every tear I've cried
You hold in your hand
You never left my side
and though my heart is torn
I will praise You in this storm

I remember when I stumbled in the wind
You heard my cry to You
and raised me up again
my strength is almost gone how can I carry on
if I can't find You
and as the thunder rolls
I barely hear You whisper through the rain
"I'm with you"
and as Your mercy falls
I raise my hands and praise
the God who gives and takes away

Chorus

I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth
I lift my eyes onto the hills
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the Lord, the maker of heaven and earth

Feminine Friday

2008-09-25T12:29:00.000-07:00

One of the blogs I adore hosts a little meme called "Feminine Friday". It's a way for us gals to show how many different ways we can include some femininity in our lives. I usually don't participate because in all honesty, I'm not that feminine. Sure, I love pretty things as much as the next girl, but in reality, I 'm a jeans and t-shirt kind of gal. This week she is asking us to share our favorite scripture that we use in times of tribulation. This week, a good friend of Kelly's lost her daughter. Even though I am not yet a mother, I can't help but feel sadness for this family as they go through this time of grief. The verse that immediately came to mind is:

Romans 8:28: And we know that all things work together for good to them that love God, to them who are the called according to his purpose.

It is just a great reminder that no matter what the trial may be, God is constantly working in our lives and even though we can't see the "calm through the storm", HE is there working through us and in the end, we will look back at God's great mercy and go "why did I ever doubt Him?"

My thoughts and prayers are definately with this family.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Fall!!

2008-09-24T15:38:00.000-07:00

Even though it's still 90 degrees outside, I felt like decorating for fall today! It may as well feel like fall inside, even though it still feels like summer outside! I dug out my box of decorations and got to work and I must say, it looks nice and cozy now!

Here is the overview of the living room. Don't mind the giant fan in the corner. It may be ugly, but that thing really make a difference in the coolness of the room.

Here is a close up of the mantel.

A close up of our coffee table

Here is my dining room table

I haven't even lit any of my candles and already my house smells like pumpkins and cinnamon. I love this time of year!

Apple Pie In the Sky

2008-09-24T13:22:00.000-07:00

While my freshly mopped floors dry, I thought I would take this chance to post about the apple pie I made! I was pretty proud of myself, since this was my first pie ever.

Since we bought some nice apples at Oak Glen, I thought I would use some up by making a pie. I used this recipe and the only thing I would change is the type of apples (I used the Spartans I picked, but I would rather use Granny Smith) I used and maybe I will add a little more sugar and cinnamon. Other than that, this recipe is great!

Before the top crust went on

Fresh Out of the Oven

Pumpkin says, "I want some pie mama!"

Yum!

Fall Meme

2008-09-23T13:18:00.000-07:00

I found this Fall Meme at one of my favorite blogs! I thought it would be fun to join in!

When does fall begin for you? Once it finally feels chilly enough to wear long sleeves. Usually that's not till November. I decorate for fall in September (I'm decorating tomorrow!) but it doesn't really feel like it until later.

What is your favorite aspect of fall? The cooler weather and the chance to have a fire in the fireplace

What is your favorite fall memory? Our Big Bear trips every Thanksgiving.

What do you like to drink in the fall? At home, coffee with pumpkin flavored creamer. At Starbucks, a pumpkin spiced latte.

What's your favorite fall food? Soups and pumpkin bread

What is fall weather like where you live? Not 100 degrees! September-October is usually around 80 degrees and in November it gets to be around 70ish. Still not cold enough for me.

What color is fall? orange, olive green, brown and red

What does fall smell like? pumpkin, nutmeg, cinnamon, apples

Holiday shopping in fall: yes or no? This year I already have my Christmas money set aside so I will be doing my Christmas shopping early this fall. Not 3 days before Christmas as usual.

If you could go anywhere in the fall, where would you go? New England. I would live to see the fall colors.

What is your favorite fall sport? I'm not really into sports

Do you have a favorite fall chore? Putting away my usual decor to break out my fall decorations

What is your least favorite thing about fall? Not a thing. I love everything about it!

What is your favorite fall holiday? Thanksgiving Day.

What's your favorite kind of pie? Pumpkin

Which do you prefer, the Farm or the Fair? I've never been on a farm, however I think I would like that better, seeing as our fair is ghetto.

Do you have a favorite fall book? I don't really have one. Perhaps I should find one!

How about a favorite fall poem or quote?

No Spring nor Summer Beauty hath such grace
As I have seen in one Autumnal face.
--John Donne

Weekend Fun!

2008-09-23T12:14:00.000-07:00

We had such a fun weekend!

All I have to say is that I'm sooooo ready for fall. The mornings here have been so gorgeous with their slight chill in the air. Sadly, by noon, the chill has worn off and the temperature has risen to 90-ish degrees or so. I'm ready for it to stay below 70 all day. I'm definately a cool weather girl.

To get more in the mood for the fall, we took a drive up to Oak Glen on Saturday to pick some apples. It's a yearly tradition that the cousins do and this year, we decided to join in. While at Los Rios Ranchos, we picked up some apple butter and pumpkin butter in their store, before heading into the apple orchards to pick our apples. It is a bit overpriced to pick apples ($10 for a peck!) but we were able to pick some apples that we can't get in the store. I forgot (as usual) my camera, so I am stealing some pictures from my sister in law (I hope you don't mind Karen!)

Here is the view of the city of Yucaipa from the apple orchard

Here are all the kids

My nephew Joshshua pickin' some apples (I love this picture)

Justin is excited about the apples he found

These are not our apples, but they are just like the ones we picked. They are called Spartans. I really wanted some Granny Smith, but they were not ready to be picked

My nephews, Nick and Justin. They are best buds

Joshua couldn't wait to eat his apple

After apple picking, we all went to the Spaghetti Factory and had a great lunch!

Sunday I decided to take the apples I picked and make an apple pie out of them! For my first pie, I have to say it wasn't half bad. I may tweak the recipe a little bit, but not too much. Maybe a little extra sugar and I will definately use Granny Smith apples. Hopefully tomorrow I can post some pictures of my pie!

Yesterday, my cousin Lisa and our friend Barb went to Culver City to see a taping of the Bonnie Hunt show. Her guests yesterday were Benjamin Bratt (hubba hubba) and Mekhi Phifer. She is totally adorable and we had a great time. All I have to say is that her set seems bigger on T.V than it does in person.

All in all it was a great weekend and now I'm tired.

I think I'm coming back to Blogger.

2008-09-23T11:50:00.001-07:00

We'll see though. I'm one that likes change (like Obama, but not really) so I tend to go back and forth on things. I originally went to Xanga because they had cute templates, but now I've discovered an outside source that makes cute templates for Blogger for free (thanks Denette!). Also, my mom would complain that she couldn't comment on my Xanga blog like she could on my Blogger blog.

All in all, Xanga was fun, but I lurk on more Blogger blogs and it's easier to comment that way.

So we'll see. I'm not the stablest of bloggers, but lately I've had a lot on my mind and I may want to blog about it.

I'm Moving!!!

2007-11-07T17:30:00.001-08:00

I'm really not, but my blog is. I have been reading blogs on Xanga and I really like how their layouts are. I am playing around with that blog, so I'm thinking of moving permanently. My new blog address is:

http://www.xanga.com/Desert_Ratt44

Psst- Avast There!

2007-09-19T09:33:00.000-07:00

Arrrrrgh! Today is National Talk Like a Pirate Day!!! Properly warned ye be, says I!

Yes!!!!

2007-08-31T16:33:00.000-07:00

It's the moment I have been waiting for ALL summer!!

THUNDERSTORMS!!!!!

It rained for like 5 seconds here, but it's been thundering here for about a half an hour. Now, some of you are probably thinking "Becky, you crazy girl you, thunderstorms are no big deal. They happen all the time!"

Well, I'm here to tell you where I live, they happen once in a blue moon. Once summer hits, I dream of amazing thunderstorms with flashes of lightning and the beautiful sound of thunder. Usually, I'm left in disappointment when a summer passes with no thunderstorms to be seen or heard. But this summer I finally got my wish. Today folks, I got my thunderstorms.

Now I'm gonna go back outside of my office for a little bit and listen to the thunder. Just pray I don't get struck my lightning.

It's Feastin' Time

2007-08-31T08:53:00.000-07:00

Appetizer
Who is the easiest person for you to talk to?
Eric. I love the fact that I can go to him to talk about anything and everything.

Soup
If you could live in any ancient city during the height of the quality of its society and culture, which one would you choose?
I would love to have seen Babylon when it was in it's heyday, especially the hanging gardens.

Salad
What is the most exciting event you’ve ever witnessed?
I don't think I've ever witnessed anything exciting.

Main Course
If you were a celebrity, what would you do for a publicity stunt?
I could say I'd be scandalous and steal Johnny Depp away from Vanessa Paradis, but that would be un-Christlike and I could never see myself doing that. Even if I were a celebrity! however If I really were a celebrity, I'd go into hiding for fear that the paparazzi would sell pictures of me picking my nose or something like that.

Dessert
What do you consider the ideal age to have a first child?
It all depends on the person having the child. For me, I have no idea. I don't think age is the issue, but the maturity of the parents to be.

Being Thankful

2007-08-30T11:35:00.000-07:00

Psalms 100:4
Enter into his gates with thanksgiving, and into his courts with praise: be thankful unto him, and bless his name.

I recently found out about Thankful Thursday's and I love the idea. Since there are a few life situations I'm unhappy about, I need to always remember to be thankful for what God has blessed me with. If the main thing I'm unhappy about is my location, I'm in a pretty good place and I should just suck it up. If I focus on the good things in my life, I won't have to dwell in my dis- contentedness (is that even a word?)

I am thankful for:
A God who loves me unconditionally and even sent his only son to die for me.
A husband who puts up with my scatterbrained antics.
A family who is so sicking-ly close we actually like hanging out together.
A stable job where we are paid enough to meet our needs
A beautiful lightning show at 2 in the morning. We never get stuff like that here, so it was nice to just look out my window and watch the show for a little while.

Oh How I Love the David Crowder Band

2007-08-30T10:49:00.000-07:00

There is No One Like You:

You are more beautiful
Than anyone ever
Everyday You're the same
You never change, no never

You are more beautiful
Than anyone ever
Everyday You're the same
You never change, no never

And how could I ever deny
The love of my Savior
You are to me everything
All I need forever

How could You be so good?

There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You

Everywhere You are there
Earth or air surrounding
I'm not alone, the heavens sing along
My God You're so astounding
How could You be so good to me
Eternally I believe that'

There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You
There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You

You, You, You, You, You, You

How could You be so good to me?
How could You be so good to me?
We're not alone, so sing along
We're not alone, so sing along, sing along, sing along

Here we go!

There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You

There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You
There is no one like You
There has never ever been anyone like You
There is no one like our God, yeah

Another Giveaway!!!

2007-08-28T10:57:00.000-07:00

This site:
http://musingsofahousewife.typepad.com/musings_of_a_housewife/2007/08/el iza-grace-giv.html?cid=80875371#comment-80875371

Is having giving away this fabulous handbag

All you have to do is leave a comment on her blog and then link back to it. Isn't it beautiful? I REALLY want to win this thing, however knowing my luck I won't.

Domestic "Stuff"

2007-08-27T13:26:00.000-07:00

I don't know if it's because I have been reading some really uplifting home keeping blogs or what, but I've really been in the domestic mood lately! I even cooked a meal from scratch, people! My house it still a bit messy (I'm working on that) but dang did we eat well over the weekend.

Friday we, along with my parents, went down to my grandmother's old apartment to pick up my China and China hutch. It has been my grandmother's wish that I get her China when she passes away. She hasn't passed away yet (I think we still have a few good years left with her) but she has moved to a really nice assisted living facility and there is no room for her China hutch, so she told me to come pick it up! While we were down visiting her in Westminster, we took her to dinner at the Claim Jumper (Yum!) and went back to her new place to visit. We had such a wonderful time and I think Grandma is finally getting used to her new place. It really is a whole lot nicer than her old apartment.

I meant to take a before picture of the hutch, but I forgot and now, after spending 2 hours cleaning the lower portion of the hutch, I found out I'm going to have to re-finish the whole thing. Cleaning it took off the original finish and now it's almost down to bear wood. I have never, ever re-finished a piece of furniture before so I'm counting on my husband's fabulous internet research to figure this out for us.

Anyway, I was able to get a picture of all the China and the other numerous pieces that she has given me. This is all of it stacked nicely on me new( to me) kitchen table:

Here is a close-up:

I don't know if you can see the detail, but it's just beautiful. It's white china with a white lacy pattern on the rim. It's from a company called Fashion Manor and the print is called "Lady Elegant". Isn't that a pretty name?

Since I had this beautiful China, I figured I had to get some use out of it, so Saturday night I made oven friend chicken from this recipe:http://www.cooks.com/rec/view/0,1726,135176-2501 93,00.html
and I made biscuits from scratch from this recipe: http://thesparrowsnest.typepad.com/the_sparrows_nest/2007/01/biscuit_making_.html

The biscuits came out thinner than they should have been, but they tasted delicious. Next time I won't roll the dough out so thin. Just to make you hungry, and to show off my new China, I took some pictures of this fantastic dinner.

Another thing I received from Grandma was her box of recipes and recipe books. Eric and I went through it together and we found a carrot cake recipe in there. Eric's favorite cake is carrot cake and since yesterday was his birthday, I thought I would make it for him. It turned out really good and when I can remember, I will post the recipe.

So that was my weekend of being domestic. I told Eric not to get too used to it.

Camping!

2007-08-27T12:47:00.000-07:00

Last weekend we went camping with my brothers and their families as well as my cousins and their families. For the past 3 or 4 years we have been trying to make it a summer tradition to get away for a weekend and go camping. The past couple of years, we froze our rears off in the mountain community of Julian, so this year we decided to try beach camping again. We had gone before, but it's very difficult to get a couple of camping spots at the beach.

My awesome cousin Lisa, being the awesome person she is, made the calls to the campground so that we can get our reservations for us. To let you know how difficult this is, she called 6 months in advance to get us the reservation and was online as well as her phone hitting re-dial multiple times until she got someone. She was able to get us 2 camping spots. One was right on the beach, and the other was across the little road from it. Thanks Lisa for your hard work! It was so worth it!

Here are some pictures of our trip.

Eric setting up our tent:

Our "home" for two nights:

The main camping spot:

Our view from the main site:

My niece enjoying the beach sand:

My nephew's not to sure about this beach thing:

My little cousin playing in the water:

This dog was so cute playing in the waves:

My niece again:

My nephew's making a sand castle:

My husband said he was "enjoying the beautiful scenery"

Justin can't wait to play in the ocean!

The three "old guys" have fun in the ocean too

Makin' the s'mores

Note to self: Being in the shade all day does not equal being completely protected from the sun. This is also a public service announcement to remind you to use your sunscreen!

Ha! I love it!

2007-08-27T12:13:00.001-07:00

Surely?

2007-08-15T14:37:00.000-07:00

Can I have her?

Well, We Did It...

2007-08-03T17:09:00.000-07:00

We canceled our satellite service. Since we are working on being more frugal, we decided that we were paying too much for a service we rarely ever use. I've also decided to finally give up my acrylic nails. Honestly, I don't miss them. They got in the way more than anything. So far, our savings with no satellite and no nails is about $90.00/month. I feel pretty good about this decision.

Living Frugally

2007-07-24T20:17:00.002-07:00

So I have decided to take the plunge and try to live *gulp* frugally. Some people think it's not that bad to live frugally, but this shop-o-holic is going to have a hard time.

Not only am I a shop-o-holic, I am an emotional shopper. That means if I have a crummy day, the thing that makes me feel better is buying something. I'm also an impulsive shopper. Even though I have my list, I always buy a few things that aren't on it. Take, for example, last Saturday.

I went to Target to pick up a few necessities. I had our budget money with me and I really only intended to buy a couple of things. Well, as I walked into Target, I noticed many shelves of the new Harry Potter book. I really hadn't intended to buy it for another few weeks, because I didn't think they would be on the shelves since this is the last book in the series. I figured all stores would be sold out. So imagine my surprise when I saw many, many shelves of the book in all it's yellow covered glory! And to top it all off, it was only $17.99!! I told myself it was such a deal because in a couple of weeks, the price would have gone up quite a bit. So, I picked it up and bought it, along with the other few things on my list. I went over our budget and I had to steal from another envelope, something that really isn't a good idea.

Even though this book is pretty good so far, it wasn't right for me to steal from another envelope. It's a good thing we get paid tomorrow, or we would have had to go without a couple of real necessities because of my impulsive buy.

So how am I going to try to save us some cashola? Well, here are some of my ideas:

1- Pray, pray pray! - God knows I struggle with this, so I know He can put those little reminders in my stubborn little head when I reach out to pick up something that isn't necessary. I can do all things through Him who strengthens me, right?

2- Take Eric shopping with me- I've already discussed this with him and he agrees that for awhile, he should go shopping with me. That way he can talk some sense into me when I reach out for those cute pair of shoes that I need (never mind the 30 pairs of perfectly fine shoes I already have in my closet!)

3- Coupon Clip- I have never, ever clipped a coupon. I know some people who do and they save a bunch of money! I found this great website, couponmom.com that takes some of the guesswork out of coupon clipping . I haven't had the chance to play with the website yet, but the website helps with searching the grocery ads in your area and then helps you find coupons to double your savings! She also has a couple of free e-books that help you learn how to get more bang for your buck! I'm looking forward to the time that I can sit and read through the material and learn how to save money for groceries.

4- Cook More, Eat out Less- We could save gobs of money by just stop eating out. Sure there are special occasions that call for eating out, but we really need to stop driving by fast food joints on our way home from work. Sure, I could use the excuse of getting home from work late most nights, but really, that is exactly why casseroles and crock pots were invented! I am going to work on finding good recipes that cost less in making and gives a good amount of food for left overs. That way we won't have the excuse of stopping by In~N~Out on the way home from work because there is nothing to eat.

5- Learn to be Content With What God Has Blessed Me With- Eric and I truly have all we need. Even though I don't have everything I want (well who does?) I need to learn to be content with what God has blessed me with. I need to stop looking at what others have and feeling sorry for myself because I don't have that too! I do have a nice home (just don't come by without giving my a couple hours to spruce up) and I have plenty of clothes, so there is no need for me to buy things that aren't necessary. As Sally from agracioushome.com says: "Use it up, Wear it out, Make it do, Do without" She has some amazing posts on celebrating a year of abundance. She too is learning to live frugally to save some money.

So those are the few things I am going to work on. Also, my verse for this period in my life is Philippians's 4:11-13":

I am not saying this because I am in need, for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

I got bored with the pink...

2007-07-24T20:17:00.001-07:00

So I changed it. I thought this looked pretty elegant.

Happy Fourth!

2007-07-04T09:05:00.000-07:00

Gettin' Creative...

2007-07-02T15:40:00.000-07:00

Oh. My. Goodness.

I just recently discovered a few blogs of women who enjoy stamping as much as I do. I had been in a creative drought, but after looking at their sites, I couldn't wait to dust off my stamps and ink and make cards again! Over the weekend a made a few cards, so I thought I would display them here. There is one that I LOVE, however it is for a gift for someone and since I'm not sure if they read my blog, I won't post it till after they get it.

Here is the website where I got the idea to make the following cards. It also has a step by step tutorial on how to do it!
http://www.splitcoaststampers.com/resources/triangletrifold.php

And here are the cards I made:

Outside:

Inside:

Card #2
Outside:

Inside:

Card# 3
Outside:

Inside:

Card #4 (Work in Progress)
Outside:

So there ya have it. This is the beginning of my creative streak! I'm already looking forward to playing with some new techniques. I'll post my new creations as I make them. Also, if you are into card making, I will add the links to the websites I steal ideas from to the right under my "links" list.

Four in Row?!?!?!

2007-06-28T14:13:00.001-07:00

I'm really taking advantage of being caught up at the moment. I know when I come back to work on Monday, I will be overwhelmed. When I have a down time, my brain just goes and goes, so I thought I would post on what's in my head.

Is it okay to have a change of heart? Just a couple months ago all I could think about was staying at home and having a baby. I think I was just so unhappy at work, anything sounded good to me. Now that I'm happy, I really feel that I could wait a few more years till I have a kid (sorry mom!). I'm only 26, so I can wait a couple more years. Many women have kids in their 30's and it works out fine! Eric and I both enjoy our time together and we don't feel the need to have a kid right now. We like the idea of being able to go where we want, when we want and not have to worry about a babysitter, or lugging a bunch of baby stuff everywhere. We like sleeping in on Saturdays and having an occasional "lazy day" here and there. Okay, I admit it, we are spoiled and we like it that way.

Now, if God has other plans in mind for us and I got pregnant before we felt we were ready to have a a baby, we would be fine with that because we know God has better things in mind for us. I'm always open and ready for God's will and we would make it work if I just so happened to get pregnant.

I don't know. I'm just really happy with the way our lives are going right now and I want to keep it that way. I don't feel the *need* to have a kid, so I'm not worrying about it.

I've pretty much stopped reading some of the "mommy blogs" I used to. Some of them were so anti working women I just started to feel discouraged and I questioned weather or not I was a good wife. After Eric assured me I was a great wife, I re-evaluated a few things and prayed over what makes a wife good helper, and I realized (with the help of my man) that I AM helping him by working.

I shouldn't have to feel sorry about that. I shouldn't feel discouraged because I enjoy working. I shouldn't feel like an awful wife because I only do laundry and clean my house on the weekends instead of every day, or make a fancy dinner every night (or ever). I should feel like a good helper because I'm serving my husband in the way that he wants. Not the way that other women serve their husbands.

All in all, I know I am at the place where God wants me. Shouldn't that be what matters most?

I love You Tube

2007-06-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

Thursday Thirteen

2007-06-28T09:50:00.001-07:00

Whoah, what's this? Two posts in one day? Don't get used to it, I'm caught up just for the moment. I got a whole stack of work waiting for me in the copy room, I just need the copies made before I can work on them. Anyway, today is Thursday, and you know what that means? Thursday Thirteen!!!!!!!!!

Today's Thursday Thirteen is "Thirteen Movies I Love"

1. The Princess Bride- " You keep using that word. I do not think it means what you think it means."

2. Singin' in the Rain- "Cosmo, call me a cab." "OK, you're a cab."

3. Gone with the Wind -"I don't know nuthin' about birthin' babies!"

4. Airplane!- "What kind of plane is it? " "Oh, it's a big pretty white plane with red stripes, curtains in the windows and wheels and it looks like a big Tylenol."

5. You've Got Mail-"When you read a book as a child, it becomes a part of your identity in a way that no other reading in your whole life does."

6. While you were Sleeping- "If you fit into my pants I will kill myself."

7. Pirates of the Caribbean-The Curse of the Black Pearl-"Honestly. It's the honest ones you need to watch out for"

8. Walt Disney's Sleeping Beauty- "Now, father, you're living in the past. This is the 14th century!"

9. So I Married an Axe Murderer- "I'm smitten. I'm in deep smit."

10. Miss Congeniality -" I am in a dress, I have gel in my hair, I haven't slept all night, I'm starved, AND I'm armed! Don't MESS with me!"

11. The Wedding Singer -"Sir, one more outburst from you and I will strangle you with my microphone wire."

12. 50 First Dates- "Are you staring at me or her? 'Cause you're starting to freak me out.

13. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory -"Everything in this room is eatable, even *I'm* eatable! But that is called "cannibalism," my dear children, and is in fact frowned upon in most societies."

Update

2007-06-28T09:02:00.000-07:00

I've had a couple people mention to me that I needed to update my blog. It had been awhile hasn't it? So in the words of Marvin Gaye, "What's Goin' On?"

Well I have been working in my new position for the past 2 1/2 months and I must say I love it! It keeps me busy, which makes my day fly by. Having every other Friday off isn't half bad either. I just told Eric the other day that I can see myself doing this for another couple of years. It's been a long time since I've enjoyed my work.

My "side job" with Cookie Lee is going well too. I have had a few parties and I have done really well with them. I think the most fun is going to the showroom and buying everything. It's also fun for me to "display" my jewelry by wearing it every once and awhile. I had thought it would be nice to make extra money (which that is pretty nice) but I'm just having fun with it right now. It's not like this is my "real job" and our bills depend on it. I think that is what also makes it fun for me. There is no pressure to make a money deadline.

Hmmm, what else have I done since the last time I posted...

Oh! I saw Johnny Depp's head! Back in May, I got the crazy idea to go to Disneyland at the butt crack of dawn and stand in one area for many, many, many hours just to see the Pirates of the Caribbean celebrities come down Main Street U.S.A. on the largest red carpet I have ever seen (Okay, it's the only red carpet I have ever seen.) I figured I only live once, and an opportunity to be a part of something big like that won't ever happen again. So I packed up some clothes and headed down to my cousins' house and spent the night. I got up at 4ish the next morning and took my cousins Katie, Maggie and a couple of their friends to Disneyland for the day.

We found our spot and stayed there for most of the time. Katie is my hero because she literally stood in the exact same spot for 14+ hours. Her perseverance paid off and she was able to get Johnny's autograph. I'm still bitter! I did have a good time making fun of the 12 year old girls who said they have loved Johnny Depp "forever". I wanted to tell them I've loved him longer than they have been alive!

It was so crowded, I ended up just hanging in the back of the crowd and standing on my tip toes as the celebrities walked down the red carpet. I tried to take pictures, but I kept getting bumped and my pictures didn't come out. I was able to get a good view of some celebrities( most of them "B" list), but as soon as Johnny came walking down, hundreds of people just crowded around me and I was only able to get a glimpse of his head. Oh well, I still got closer to him than just seeing him on my TV. If they do make a Pirates 4, you bet I will be there again to experience it all over again. Only at that time, I'm pulling a Katie and I plan on staying in one area the whole time.

Other than that, nothing too much has been happening. Eric and I are busy with work, and there have been a few family events, but other than that, nothing too exciting.

What's Goin' On?

2007-04-20T11:31:00.000-07:00

It's been a little while since I last posted an update on our crazy life, so I thought I would let you know what's goin' on. I ended up taking the promotion at my company and I've already stared my training. Next week is the last week for the girl I am replacing so after that, my new job will be in full swing! I am already enjoying it. I'm the kind of person the enjoys learning new things and there is so much to learn with this new position. You should see how thick my manual is! I will be guarding that manual with my very life because if I should lose it, I'd be so lost.

Not many of you know, but as a side job, I've started selling Cookie Lee Jewelry. I'm not sure how many of you have heard of it, but picture a Tupperware party, but instead of selling storage containers, I'm selling really pretty jewelry. I bought enough of it, so I finally decided to see what I could do about selling it. I recently signed up and I've got two shows this weekend! I'm so excited and I am looking forward to see how I do with this little business.

I love the people I work with (my "up line") and I LOVE the jewelry. I don't even have to give a spiel about the jewelry I sell. I just set it on the table and let the ladies do the shopping. How tough could it be? I also just recently got to me THEE Cookie Lee herself. She is a lovely woman and she makes us all love the jewelry as much as she does! I felt kind of honored to meet her, even though she's not really a celebrity. Below is the picture that was taken when I got to meet her!

Other than that stuff, not much else is going on. I won't be updated too much once I start my new position because I won't have time. I'll try to keep things going when I have the chance, but I'm not sure how often that will be. Don't miss me too much!!

Friday's Feast

2007-04-20T11:12:00.000-07:00

Appetizer
What is your favorite kind of bread?
I would have to say the Italian Herb bread I've made a couple of time. It's best served out of the oven! My second favorite are those yeast rolls at Roadhouse.

Soup
When was the last time you bought a new pillow?
It's been a couple of months.

Salad Approximately how many hours per week do you spend surfing the ‘net?
Right now, I would have to say somewhere between 10-12 hours at week. Once I start my position it will be drastically cut since I will no longer have free time at work.

Main Course
What’s the highest you remember your temperature being?
I have no clue. I rarely ever get sick and when I do, it's just a head cold, I'd probably have to ask my mom this!

Dessert
Fill in the blanks: When I ____________, I _____________.
When I am with my family, I am happy

If you think about it...

2007-04-16T10:15:00.000-07:00

I just read the sad story of the shooting in Virginia. If you think about it, say a prayer for the family members of those 21 people that were senselessly murdered.

Police: At Least 21 Dead After Virginia Tech University Shooting

Monday , April 16, 2007

BLACKSBURG, Va. —

At least 21 are dead and another 21 are wounded after a shooting at Virginia Tech University Monday morning, police said.

Campus police said there was only one shooter and he is now dead. They are unsure if the shooter was a student and it was unclear if he was shot by police or took his own life.

"Today the university was struck by a tragedy we consider of monumental proportions," Virginia Tech President Charles Steger said during a press conference shortly after noon. "I cannot begin to convey my own personal sense of loss over this senseless, incomprehensible, heinous act."

Steger said school officials are notifying victims' next if kin, and state police and the FBI are still investigating the various crime scenes. They are still trying to identify all the victims. The university will set up counseling centers for students and faculty.

YOU REPORT: E-mail your pictures to yourcomments@foxnews.com

At 7:15 a.m. Monday, a 911 call came in to the campus police department concerning an incident at West Ambler Johnston, a residence hall, and that there were multiple shooting victims, Steger said. While that investigation was underway, a second shooting was reported in Norris Hall, located at the opposite end of the 2,600-acre campus.

Virginia Tech Police Chief Wendell Flinchum said at least one person was killed at West Ambler Johnston, a residence hall, but several others were injured in that shooting. At least 20 were killed in classrooms in Norris Hall, an engineering building, Flinchum said.

Flinchum said the Norris Hall gunman was dead, but wouldn't say whether the shooter killed himself.

A spokeswoman at Montgomery Regional Hospital said 17 students were being treated there for gunshot wounds and other injuries, and Carilion New River Valley Medical Center in Christiansburg reports that four people with gunshot wounds were being treated there. Carilion spokeswoman Sharon Honaker said one was in critical condition and three others were stable.

President Bush was "horrified" of news of shooting rampage at Virginia Tech, said White House spokeswoman Dana Perino. The White House is monitoring the incident.

The school's Web site earlier said one shooter was in custody and officials searched for a second shooter as "part of routine police procedure," but during the press conference Monday, police said they believe there was only one shooter.

Police also said there is no evidence the two shootings at opposite ends of campus were related.

Virginia Tech student Blake Harrison said he was on his way to class near Norris Hall when he saw chaos.

"This teacher comes flying out of Norris, he's bleeding from his arm or his shoulder ... all these students were coming out of Norris trying to take shelter in Randolph [Hall]. All these kids were freaked out," Harrison said.

The students and faculty were barricading themselves in their classrooms after what one person described as an Asian student wearing a vest opened fire.

The shooter was "wearing a vest covered in clips was just unloading on their door, going from classroom to classroom … they said it never seemed like it was going to stop and there was just blood all over," Harrison said.

Matt Merone, a campus senior, was on his way to campus Monday morning when he saw a police officer grab a male student who was bleeding from his stomach area and put him into a vehicle, which whisked him away. He told FOX News that his roommate saw the first shooting.

Student Amanda Johnson was walking between Norris and Randolph halls around 9:45 a.m. when she heard six shots fired.

"I've been target shooting since I was a little kid so I knew what the sounds were," said Johnson, who saw a male student jump out of a Norris Hall window to escape. She and others helped him get into a car.

The FBI joined police on the scene to investigate.

All classes have been canceled and students and most faculty have been told to stay inside. Tuesday classes have also been canceled but the campus will open at 8 a.m. EDT. Faculty and staff on the Burruss Hall side of the campus drillfield are being released and asked to go home effective immediately. Faculty and staff on the War Memorial Hall side of the drillfield are asked to leave at 12:30 p.m.

The campus newspaper also reported that because of serious wind, helicopters cannot be used to transfer the injured. Ambulances are apparently being used to transport the victims to Montgomery Regional Hospital.

"There are police driving throughout the neighborhoods with a loudspeaker saying, 'this is an emergency, everyone stay inside, we're looking for suspicious activity," Brittany Sammon, a senior Virginia Tech student staying at an apartment off campus, told FOX News on Monday. "There's no one outside at all, there's no traffic, there's nothing … everyone's doing what they said."

Sammon, who has a brother and roommate confined to their buildings on campus, said she first got the e-mail from the school regarding the shooting at 9:30 a.m. Monday.

"It was just very short and brief and kind of scary, because it didn't have any details at all in it," she said. "It's definitely nerve wracking."

Anyone who observes anything suspicious or has information about this case is encouraged to contact the Virginia Tech Police at (540) 231-6411.

The West Ambler Johnston dorm, commonly known on campus as West AJ, houses about 895 students and is located near West End Market and Dietrick Dining Center.

Virginia Tech has the largest full-time student population in Virginia, with more than 25,000 students. It consists of eight colleges and graduate school and offers 60 bachelor's degree programs and 140 master's and doctoral degree programs.

The main campus includes more than 100 buildings located on 2,600 acres, and includes an airport.

Last August, the campus was closed when an escaped jail inmate allegedly killed a hospital guard and a sheriff's deputy involved in a massive manhunt. The accused gunman, William Morva, faces capital murder charges.

On April 13, the campus closed three of its academic halls after they received a letter stating that explosive devices were in the building. Classes were canceled for the remainder of the day. A bomb threat was also made against Torgerson Hall on April 2.

"For some reason, this just seemed a little different … it was more than just a sick joke someone was playing," one student told FOX News about those bomb threats.

Friday's Feast

2007-04-13T16:27:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's Friday again!! Where does the time go? Well, Let me get on with this weeks Friday's Feast!

Appetizer
When you were a child, which crayon color was your favorite?
Purple. Any shade of it!

Soup
On a scale of 1 to 10 (with 10 being highest), how likely would you be to change jobs if it required you to move?
Depends on where they would require me to move. If they wanted me to move to Siberia I'd say no way, but if it were in the in the United States, I'd be totally open to it, if that's what God wanted me to do.

Salad
Take all the numbers in your birthday and your phone number and add them up, one by one. What’s the total?
123

Main Course
Have you ever “re-gifted” anything? If so, what was it and who did you pass it on to?
I re-gifted a of wedding present for a white elephant gift exchange. I can't remember who got it, but it was a really ugly bowl that I was never going to use and the person who got it for us was someone I'd never see again. That's why they have gift registries people!

Dessert
Name something you need from the store.
Shampoo

Friday's Feast

2007-04-06T08:28:00.000-07:00

Appetizer
When you travel, which mode of transportation do you prefer?
~It depends. If I need to be somewhere in a hurry, I would prefer to fly, but if I have time to travel, I would love to road trip it and take in all the sights and tour all the historical places along the way.

Soup
Have you ever met a blogging friend in person?
~Nope

Salad
When was the last time you were really, really tired?
~Does this morning count? Actually, Back when I was a Jr. High leader at my church, they roped me into going on an all nighter. It started at 7 pm and we didn't get back to church the next morning till 7am. I remember sitting at the ice skating rink at 5:30 in the morning wishing I would go home and go to bed. At least the church had Starbucks coffee for us grown ups when we got back.

Main Course
If you could have dinner with any one fictional character from a book or movie, who would it be?
~Can I change this to a TV show? The only fictional character I would love to have dinner with, is Lorelai Gilmore from the Gilmore Girls. We are a lot a like and I think it would be a blast to just hang out with her. She might meet her match when it comes to pop culture.

Dessert
Fill in the blank: One day, I hope to see _______________.
~The Eiffel Tower. I have dreamt of going to Paris one day and taking in all the sights. The Eiffel Tower is on the top of my list for that.

More on my Organizational Challenge

2007-04-04T12:50:00.000-07:00

I thought that since I had more time, I would go into more detail about what I am planning to do while cleaning up/re-organizing our office/cat room. Right now it's a disaster. It's only open because that's where the litter boxes are and the cats need to go in many times a day. When I have company, that door stays sealed shut. It's awful. Other than the litter boxes surrounded by loose litter the cats like to toss around, I also have a book shelf that has a few books thrown onto it and stacks upon stacks of paid bills, financial statements, insurance stuff and Lord knows what else. We also have 2 desks and a table holding our computers. Yes we have more than one computer. My husband is a computer nerd and people just give us computers. We should be so blessed, but really, enough is enough.

So following is a list of questions that Laura has on her site and I thought I would try to answer then the best that I can.

1. What do I want the purpose of my room or area to be?
~A functional computer room where I can play my game, surf the internet, do our family budget and pay our bills without getting stressed because of all the clutter.

2. What do I need in or near the room to serve that purpose?
~Calculator- For our budgeting/Basket for filing/Some sort of makeshift filing cabinet/Bins for cat food/litter/ Place for pens and pencils

3. What can I remove from the room?
So much I can't think of at the moment

4. What problems do I see with the room?
~Messy/unorganized

5. What organizational tools might solve those problems?
~ A nuclear bomb?

6. What habits need to change to solve the organizational problems?
~I need to stop procrastinating when it comes to filing. It sits and sits till I do it, which is usually never

7. What kind of a budget do I have to create the organized room of my dreams?
~ A VERY small one. I might need a couple of cheapy bins, but we can re-organize with what we already have.

8. What kind of a timeline is necessary to organize the room?
~I've got 30 days to get it under control

9. What is my plan of action?
~I am going to take out everything I can first and put things back one by one until it's completely organized. Then I will KEEP IT UP!!!

10. Who can I ask to help me with this?
~I've asked my husband to help when I need it and I'm also asking other challenge members to keep me motivated!!!

So that is my plan. I am hoping to have my "before" pictures up by the weekend so y'all can see how bad it looks now.

I can't believe I'm doing this...

2007-04-03T16:54:00.000-07:00

Over at http://orgjunkie.blogspot.com/ there is a new 30 Day organizational challenge and I'm just crazy enough to try it out. Mom, don't shriek in horror when I post the "before" pictures, just realize that your daughter is trying the best she can to keep things clean. I know you raised me better than this!

I don't know how well I will do at this, but I'm gonna try. I've got a couple of rooms that can really use an organizational face lift, but I think I am going to work on the office/cat room. Once I have the chance, I will post more on what I am planning to do.

Wish me luck!!!

I Love How God Works

2007-04-03T13:06:00.000-07:00

Jeremiah 29:11-12

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. Then you will call upon me and come and pray to me, and I will listen to you.

Sometimes I just marvel at how God works. It's never when we expect it, which makes it even more amazing.

The past few months there have been a few things my husband and I have prayed about. The big prayer request was about us making a move halfway across the country. My husband is from St. Louis and the last time we were there, I fell madly in love with the city. I was convinced when we left, we'd be moving SOON. We (more me than Eric) researched home prices in the St. Louis County area and I really was ready to put an offer on a couple of them. My thought was we could sell our home in California for a good amount of money (it's a SIN how much houses go for here) and practically pay cash for a home in St. Louis. If we did that, I could stay at home right away and finally have a baby! I had our future all planned out for us, down to the Christian Classic school I wanted our kids to attend.

We didn't tell anyone any of this, but we did spent TONS of time in prayer and searching the Bible for an answer. It seemed to take forever to hear anything from God, but this week, we feel pretty sure of what God wants us to do and we are completely at peace about it. Right now he is telling us to wait. We don't feel it's a no, but with everything else He has shown us, we know He wants us to wait. So, what has God shown us?

Well, one other thing we have been praying about, is getting out of debt quickly, so that in the case God says "no" to St. Louis, I can eventually quit and be the stay at home wife/mom I have always wanted to be. Last night I had my evaluation at work (which was glowing, may I so humbly add) and the subject of me taking on a higher position in the company was brought up. One of our girls is leaving in June and they need someone to take her place. Moving into her position would be a HUGE responsibility, but it would also mean a nice pay raise. The pay raise would be enough to take the extra money to put towards our car payment and get that paid off a whole heck of a lot sooner. Being offered this promotion just confirms the fact that God wants us to wait on St. Louis. I haven't made my decision yet (I told my boss I would let her know Friday) but I really am leaning towards taking the promotion. It will be A LOT of work, but I'm ready for a change.

The last main thing that we have been praying about was margin. We are doing a Bible study with our care group by Andy Stanly and it's all about margin. We have been praying for a margin in our finances, but mainly we have been praying about a margin in our time. We are always so busy and by the time the weekend comes, we are exhausted. An exhausted Becky is not a very nice Becky. Eric and I had been talking about me taking one day off a pay period just to be able to handle stuff at home. It would have hurt us a little bit financially, but my mental health was more important than our wallet (or money envelope in our case). I was planning on talking to my boss about taking some days off, but then I got a memo on Monday.

Our company is going to try out a new work schedule. We would work one hour extra a day, but have every other Friday off. Right there is another answer to prayer! I can take a couple days off without it hurting our budget. So now with the idea of a promotion AND a new WONDERFUL work schedule, Eric and I can totally see God's hand in the whole thing.

I have seen how he has been telling us to wait on the BIG prayer request, just by answering the smaller requests in a way that we can still make it possible to afford living in California. This is why I love looking back on Jeremiah 29:11-12. God knows the plans He has for us and they will always be for our benefit. We don't have to worry about a thing because God has it under control. When we pray to Him, He listens.

Yippee a Contest!

2007-04-02T12:38:00.001-07:00

The blog, 5minutesformom, is having a contest to win a free Dyson Slim Vacuum. What a fantastic prize!!!

If you want to enter, just click on the little linky below and follow the rules.

I'm number 968, so I think I have a pretty good chance of winning!! What? I have as good of a chance as the other 967 gals on there.

http://www.5minutesformom.com/1343/dyson/

Something Funny out of Somethine Serious...

2007-03-30T13:53:00.000-07:00

I read this article today that was linked off of the Ladies Against Feminism website. I know it's meant as a totally serious article about how the man taking his wife's name upon marriage is showing how feminism is leaking into every aspect of life, but being the goof I am, found something kinda funny about it. I even highlighted what I thought was funny:

USA Today— As Donna and Mike entered their wedding reception, an unwitting announcer told the expectant crowd, “Ladies and gentleman, put your hands together for the new Mr. and Mrs. Salinger!”

The Salingers broke a patriarchal tradition so ingrained in American society that many women’s studies researchers have yet to study it.

That may be coming. The California Legislature is set to consider a bill this month that would allow men to change their surnames upon marriage as seamlessly as women now can. Only seven states now allow a man who wishes to alter his name after his wedding to do so without going through the laborious, frequently expensive legal process set out by the courts for any name change. Women don’t have to do so.

The bill is co-sponsored by the ACLU of California as a follow-up to a federal lawsuit the civil rights group filed in December on behalf of Michael Buday, a Los Angeles man who wants to take on his wife’s surname, Bijon, to show his affinity for his father-in-law. He accuses the state of gender discrimination for forcing him into the more complex process.

“We have the perfect marriage application for the 17th century,” says ACLU attorney Mark Rosenbaum, who is litigating the case. Buday did not respond to requests for an interview. “Every place Michael went, he had the door shut in his face or he was ridiculed.”

Mike Salinger, who said it cost him about $350 to change his name legally, concedes he changed his name “because I’m a big ole granola liberal and I wanted to tweak the tradition while showing my wife I love her.”

OK, if my name sounded pretty close to a French plumbing fixture, I would want to change my name too.

This is why I'm not allowed in serious discussions. I will always find something funny in any situation.

Friday's Feast

2007-03-30T08:28:00.000-07:00

I just discovered a new (well, new to me) Web Meme that I really enjoy so now I will be doing this on a weekly basis! I need some way to keep your interest in this thing!

Appetizer
What are you proud of?
~Both my husband and myself. We are working towards being debt free and we've both prayerfully decided to cut back our spending drastically so that we can pay our debt off faster. It's not easy seeing that we have major Stuff-itis

Soup
What is the best thing you’ve ever won as a prize?
~The only thing I have ever one was a bouquet of birthday flowers from a local radio station because my mom called in to wish me a happy 18th birthday. So by default, it's the best!

Salad
Name something you do that is a waste of time.
~I really, really enjoy the Sims2 computer games. I have found myself wasting an entire Saturday away because I lost track of time. That's happened only a couple of times, but since I know now how much it sucks me in, I time myself. But it's a very fun game and I love my little families. It's like a doll house for grown ups.

Main Course
In what year of your life did you change the most?
~Probably in 2002. That's when I got married and realized that it was time to grow up and become responsible. I've got the responsible thing down, it's the growing up that's hard to do.

Dessert
Where is a place you consider to be very tranquil?
~The mountains. I could spend all day in Big Bear if I could.

Just You Wait...

2007-03-29T13:15:00.000-07:00

I have to find something amusing in my job or else I'll go crazy. For those that don't know I am a receptionist for a civil engineering firm where I live. My main job to to answer the phones and get jobs prepared for our field crew.

Well, today I answer the phone and this gentleman is calling asking about getting a survey done on his property. I give him the information and since he wants to go ahead with it, I get his personal information so I can prepare his proposal and file. I was ready with my pen when he gave me his name:

Henry Higgins

I couldn't make this up if I tried. I had a hard time concentrating after that because all I could do to keep from singing:

Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait!
You'll be sorry, but your tears'll be to late!
You'll be broke, and I'll have money;
Will I help you? Don't be funny!
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait!
Just you wait, 'enry 'iggins, till you're sick,
And you scream to fetch a doctor double-quick.
I'll be off a second later And go straight to the the-ater!
Oh ho ho, 'enry 'iggins, just you wait!
Ooooooh 'enry 'iggins!
Just you wait until we're swimmin' in the sea!
Ooooooh 'enry 'iggins!
And you get a cramp a little ways from me!
When you yell you're going to drown I'll get dressed
and go to town! Oh ho ho, 'enry 'iggins!
Oh ho ho, 'enry 'iggins! Just you wait!
One day I'll be famous! I'll be proper and prim;
Go to St. James so often I will call it St. Jim!
One evening the king will say:
"Oh, Liza, old thing,
I want all of England your praises to sing.
Next week on the twentieth of May
I proclaim Liza Doolittle Day!
All the people will celebrate the glory of you
And whatever you wish and want I gladly will do."
"Thanks a lot, King" says I, in a manner well-bred;
But all I want is 'enry 'iggins 'ead!"
"Done," says the King with a stroke.
"Guard, run and bring in the bloke!"
Then they'll march you, 'enry 'iggins to the wall;
And the King will tell me: "Liza, sound the call."
As they lift their rifles higher, I'll shout:
"Ready! Aim! Fire!"
Oh ho ho, 'enry 'iggins,
Down you'll go, 'enry 'iggins!
Just you wait!

Thursday Thirteen

2007-03-29T10:20:00.000-07:00

13 Things I Love About Disneyland

1. It's the happiest place on Earth!
~There is never a time when I was upset while I was there. No matter how big the crowds are, I always have a smile on my face.

2. The food
~ When we want a nice dinner, we will make reservations at the Blue Bayou. They have the best prime rib and cheesy potatoes ever! If we want to grab a quick bite, we either head over to Condor Flats in DCA and grab a blue cheese burger (really good!) or go to Tomorrow Land and grab a jumbo slice of pizza at the Pizza Port. Also, For dessert, we aways go to the Gibson Girl and grab a waffle cone with Mocha Almond ice cream.

3. The Haunted Mansion

" When hinges creak in doorless chambers and strange and frightening sounds echo through the halls, whenever candlelights flicker where the air is deathly still, that is the time when ghosts are present, practicing their terror with ghoulish delight."

~It's my most favorite ride ever. I don't know what it is about it, but I love it. I love how it looks on the outside, simply because I'm a huge fan of the antebellum styled mansions. I also love the fact that when it was made back in 1969, it was the most technologically advanced ride ever made. Even though it's "haunted" I'd still love to live there. I also know the whole elevator shpeel by heart. Eric makes fun of me for that. Although The Nightmare Before Christmas is an excellent movie, the only time I don't like the mansion is during Halloween/Christmas time when they revamp it for the movie.

4. The Atmosphere
~ Since I am nostalgic, I love walking down Main Street U.S.A. and imagining I lived back at turn of the century and living in a little town just like it. The music that plays is so fun and just the smell alone takes me back in time to when I was a little girl. I love Main Street at Christmas time when it's all decked out and the Dickens Carolers are out in the period costumes singing Christmas carols.

5. The 50th Anniversary Fireworks show
~ When I have the chance, I will have to post a link to a video someone took of it. When the 50th was over, I was wondering what they would do with the amazing fireworks show, but thankfully, they just had Julie Andrews re-record some new words and they made it fit. It really is the BEST fireworks show I have ever seen. The first time I saw it, I actually teared up a little bit because it was so beautiful. I hope they never change it, or if they do, make an even better one.

6. New Orleans Square.
~ It is probably one of the most prettiest areas of Disneyland. You get the feel of being in the French Quarter without the worries of your wallet being stolen. There are tiny little garden areas tucked in the corners of the square and they always have some jazz musician playing on the streets. That is also where the Blue Bayou restaurant is. There are many times we will just hang out there because it's so cool. Just watch out for pirates.

7. The Plaza Inn
~ Where else can you have breakfast with Eeyore and all of his Hundred Acre Wood friends?
We went there for breakfast on our honeymoon and Eeyore pushed Eric out of his seat so he could sit next to me. Being a HUGE Eeyore fan, I loved it! They also have great waffles.

8. The Shows
~ This is a plug for the "family business". My cousins are producers (or something like that) for Disneyland and they have produced many of the stage shows at the park. My all time favorite was Beauty and the Beast followed closely by Aladdin. It's like you are at a miniature Broadway play.

9. The service
~ All the cast members at Disneyland are very friendly and helpful. They are never rude (that I have experienced) and really help you to make your day more enjoyable.

10. The Electrical Parade (which sadly is no longer, but I still love it anyway)

"Ladies and gentlemen, boys and girls, Disneyland proudly presents our spectacular pagaent of nighttime magic and imagination in thousands of sparkling lights and electrosynthomagnetic musical sounds. The Main Street Electrical Parade!"

~I can't describe how cool that parade was. The music (Baroque Hoedown) gets stuck in your head, but it's still cool. I think I love that parade the most because my cousin, his wife and his best friend were all a part of it and they did something special for us when they saw us (except for Lisa because the Blue Fairy was huge!). Tom and Lisa drove the floats (Lisa was the Blue Fairy) and Tom was a turtle (he would always drive close to us when we were there)Keith was Prince John from Robin Hood and he would always wave at me! There has been no other parade like it. The new one frankly stinks.

11. Fantasmic
~If I recall correctly, this was my cousin Mike's first show. It's a show about Micky's dreams and they show clips of Disney movies on GIANT screens made of water. It's awesome. I also know the soundtrack to this by heart and even though we may not see it every time we are there, I can tell what part it's on just by hearing the music in the background.

12. Billy Hill and the Hillbillies
~ This is a show in Frontier Land with 4 brothers named Billy Hill. They play bluegrass music and put on a very, very funny show. We try to see them every time we are there. We leave with our stomachs hurting because they crack us up.

13. The Memories
~ Since I have gone there many, many times in my life, I have built up so many wonderful memories that I love to re-live while I'm there. As much as I love the park itself, I will always cherish the memories that were made.

I'm Watching You!

2007-03-28T15:59:00.000-07:00

I just added a Site Meter to my blog. Now I can know how many people see my blog a day. This will make me one of two things:

1) Excited to know that people actually read this thing

~OR~

2) Depressed because now I know that no one really reads this thing.

OK, I won't really be depressed, but now that I'm tracking, I ask, no, DEMAND that you leave me a comment or something to let me know that you were here.

OK, I'm not demanding, but it would be nice to know who visits me.

So I changed it back

2007-03-28T10:11:00.000-07:00

Yeah, I changed my look back to the original. When I used a non-blogger template, I lost a bunch of my settings that I relied on, so I changed it again. I miss my pink flowers, but I need my settings!

My new look!

2007-03-27T16:48:00.000-07:00

I must be doing pretty well with this blogger thing because I've now figured out how to have a new, non pre-made blogger template. So how do you like it? I thought it fit in perfectly with spring.

Now I just have to re-do my link page.

Disneyland Pictures!

2007-03-19T12:21:00.000-07:00

My favorite ride, The Haunted Mansion. I've always wanted to live here!

Me, Maggie and Katie in front of my Mansion.

Eric caught us in action on the Tea cups. He said we were the fastest cup out there!

Us being silly after the ride was over

Maggie being a goof!

We're sad that the Matterhorn broke down

Eric and I laying in the middle of Main Street USA, waiting for the fireworks.

Catching Up

2007-03-19T11:47:00.000-07:00

Well, you hear nothing from me for a couple weeks, and here I am posting twice in one day! I thought I would also catch up on our lives in these past couple weeks. It's nothing too important, but I'm bored.

The weekend before last, Eric and I went down to Orange County to stay with my cousin's kids while Tom and Lisa were gallivanting in Las Vegas. Every year, my brother and a bunch of people go to Vegas to go to the NASCAR race. The girls go shopping and hang out while the guys go to the race. Since Eric and I are usually broke, we don't go and we stay home, but this year, Tom and Lisa asked us to watch Katie and Maggie for them while they were gone. We said yes, so we packed up for the weekend and stayed with the girls for three days. It's really not baby sitting since they aren't babies (they are 11 and 13) and they can pretty much take care of themselves. We were there to make sure they didn't burn the house down and we were able to spend some time doing fun things like playing Dance Dance Revolution (I am awful at that game) and we went to my most favorite place in the whole wide world, Disneyland!!! Those of you that don't know me, have no clue of my love the the land of Mickey Mouse. It's all pretty much the fault of said cousins, Tom and his wife Lisa.

Tom and his brother Mike have worked at Disneyland since they were 16. I believe they started out as parade people (One of them was one of the three little pigs, if I remember correctly.) Since they both worked for Disneyland, my parents got us season passes (that's when it was cheap to go) and we would go all. the. time. I was practically raised there. My cousins would tell their friends that I was going to be at the park (I was about 4 or 5 at the time) and their friends would pay special attention to me. I really thought Disneyland was MINE! As Tom and Mike got older, they were able to sign people into the park for free. Tom also got married to Lisa (who also worked at Disneyland) and our many trips to the happiest place on Earth continued. So many of my BEST memories are at Disneyland and I feel like a kid again when I'm there. In fact, Eric and I spent our honeymoon there because I love it THAT much. Now Eric and I have season passes and we try to go as often as possible. It's not nearly enough for this Disney freak, but it's good enough.

Lisa was able to get free passes for the girls to go to Disneyland on Saturday and Eric and I used our season passes and we set off to the park. It wasn't too awfully crowded (it's been worse!) and we spent the day going on rides, eating and watching the amazing fireworks display (seriously, the latest edition of the fireworks are the BEST Disneyland fireworks ever) We all had a blast. It's so amazing to see both my little cousins be so grown up. I remember when they were born and here they are now, so grown up and really fun to hang out with. They are both smart young women. I look forward to seeing the women they become.

Sunday both the girls had something going on with their church so Eric and I ran some errands while the girls were out. That evening we played had dinner and played Mexican Train before the girls went to bed. The next day Tom and Lisa came home and Eric and I left to go back to our own place. We had a great weekend and enjoyed spending time with Katie and Maggie.

When we got home, I went to unload the dishwasher and noticed the dishes were still dirty. I also noticed that the dishwasher didn't drain and there was water left in the bottom of the dishwasher (thank the Lord that it didn't leak into the kitchen!). Eric inspected it and thought there was just a clog. I freaked out because I couldn't live without my dishwasher (yes, I'm spoiled and I like it that way!)

The next day, one of our co-workers came over to look at it and realized a motor had been burned out. We needed a new dishwasher. I was sitting on the couch as this was all happening because I wasn't feeling so hot. Eric came over to me to tell me the news of the dishwasher. We had some money set aside for a new water heater and I told Eric I would rather take a cold shower than do dishes by hand (I REALLY hate doing the dishes). We don't really need a water heater at this moment so Eric agreed and he set about doing his research for the new dishwasher. Meanwhile, I went to bed because I thought I was going to pass out.

Wednesday I stayed home from work because I was so sick. I thought I was going to cough my lungs up. Eric came home and told me that our co-worker could get us a great deal on a new Kenmore dishwasher. I said great, let's buy it! So by Friday we had our new dishwasher. I was very happy. Eric spent a good part of the day on Saturday hooking it up and by that night, I was able to catch up on the three loads that were waiting for it (pathetic, I know).

So that's about it for us. Nothing too exciting but it's been enough to keep us busy. This weekend we are going to our church's couple's retreat and I am really looking forward to it.

Pictures!

2007-03-19T11:35:00.000-07:00

Here are a few of the pictures from our trip...

All the cousins with the boys (Eric's nephews Evan and Adam)

The Family (Lori, Dad, Gina, Eric and Your's Truly)

Snow!

The Front of our lovely accommodations for part of the trip!

The back of said lovely accommodations.

Group photo at Whities!

What a cute couple!

Partaking of the delicious Ted Drews. I had to be bundled up so I wouldn't freeze!

The Last St. Louis Post!

2007-03-19T11:06:00.000-07:00

Wow, how long has it been since I last updated? I didn't forget about the blog, it's just been crazy lately and I never had the chance to update. At least this time I have pictures! I also have a small video, but I'm not sure how to upload those. If I can figure it out, I will post it.

So, when I last left you, I was freezing my patootie off at Art Hill. The next day was Valentines Day and we just hung low and relaxed. Eric made his famous French toast for breakfast (or was it an early lunch?) and the guys ran a quick errand to Dad's to drop off the car, while Gabby and I just hung out at home. That night we had reservations at White Castle (yes, I said White Castle) for a romantic Valentines dinner and it was decided that we would walk to our destination. You would think that since I froze the night before that I would have stood up and changed the decision to drive, but alas, I was up for an adventure and said "yes" to walking a mile and a half (I think) to White Castle. When we first started walking, I about changed my mind. It was still freezing and I was afraid of slipping and falling on my rear, but after I warmed up and I figured out how to walk in snow and ice it wasn't so bad. In fact, it was an enjoyable experience! I really enjoyed walking through the city and seeing the beautiful brick houses up close.

When we reached our destination, the lovely hostess at White Castle seated us at our table. For those of you who don't know, it's quite the experience. The section off an area of the joint and decorate with Valentines decorations and set the tables with red plastic table clothes and candles. There was also a lovely plate of pretzels to munch on while we were waiting to have our order taken. We ordered a bunch of burgers and some of their sides and had a good time visiting. I don't think I will ever forget it!

After our dinner we walked back home and warmed up before making the trip over to Ted Drews for some delicious frozen (yes, frozen) custard. Who doesn't enjoy eating frozen custard when it's 15 degrees outside? Any time Eric and I go to St. Louis, a trip to Ted Drews is a MUST. They have the best frozen custard. We then spent the last night of our trip visiting some more with Brian and Gabby, wishing we didn't have to go home the next day.

Sadly, Thursday came too fast and we got busy packing up to leave. We had lunch at http://www.crowncandykitchen.com/ which is a cool restaurant that was built in 1913! They have excellent food and delicious malts! After lunch, we were dropped off at the airport and be bit a sad farewell to our best friends and were on our way home.

Our trip was too short, as usual, but we had a blast. We are already looking forward to the next trip, whenever that is.

Crazy Times

2007-03-06T10:10:00.000-08:00

I usually blog when I'm bored at work, however, I've been so busy I really haven't had the time lately to do so. I'm almost caught up, so by tomorrow I should be able to finish my St. Louis trip info and hopefully, by the end of the week, I can have my St. Louis pictures up.

So Much Stuff To Do, So Little Time To Do It

2007-02-26T14:17:00.000-08:00

I've got a bunch of stuff I want to accomplish this evening after I get home from work. It's almost overwhelming, but I know if I write it down, it won't be so bad.

Before I met my husband, I would just do things when they came to mind. I never thought of writing things out on a list. If I missed something, I wouldn't panic (too much) I would just do it later, if I had the time. The more things I forgot, (and I DID forget, because I'm scatterbrained like that) the more things I would have to do later, and then I'd have absolutely no time left to do the things I missed. Once that would happen, I'd freak out, spend all night working on a bunch of projects and get no sleep what so ever (remember those last minute term papers mom?) You would think I learned my lesson and learn how to make a list, but no, I didn't. I continued in my lack of organization and more freak outs occurred.

Enter my husband. He is list maker extrodinaire! He makes lists for the most simplest of things. When we were dating and I would have one of my freak outs because I, as usual, would forget a bunch of stuff, he would constantly tell me to sit down and make a list of what needed to get done. I would, sweetly of course, roll my eyes at him and tell him not to worry, I had it all under control. At first he would be sweet and console me during my freak outs, but after awhile he would tell me "I told you so!" and then walk off while shaking his head. I think he finally got sick of my freak outs because he finally sat me down and told me to write everything I needed to do down. I did and life as I know it got easier! Why didn't I do this before! Now, I'm still not the best at remembering to make a list, but I am doing a lot better. So since I just got done talking about making a list, here is the list of things I would like to get done after work.

Do load of "work clothes"- Done
Empty Dishwasher-Done
Load dishwasher again and wash dishes (We use more dishes than anyone else I know!)- Done
Clean kitchen and straighten up kitchen table- Done
Prepare dinner and stick it in the oven- Done
Tear down dog kennel and vacuum living room floor- Done
Dust living room furniture- Done
Do load of sheets and blankets- I did the sheets, but I will have to do the blankets tonight
Clean master bathroom- Done
Vacuum master bedroom- To be done tonight

I know it seems like a lot, but I think I can get it done in a couple of hours or less. I was hoping to get that stuff done over the weekend, but it didn't happen. So as soon as I get home, I'm gonna put my cute little apron on and get to work!

Oh, and if any of you working wives read this, please leave some tips for me on how to organize work and home. I could sure use them!

Monday Menu Plan

2007-02-26T08:39:00.000-08:00

Well, it's Monday again (groan) and that means it's Monday menu plan time!!! Laura's page, http://orgjunkie.blogspot.com does the weekly menu plan, and I am finding it fun and convenient to join it. It's nice to give an answer to my hubby when he asks the question "what's for dinner tonight?" Instead of my usual "whatever you can dig up" I can let him know. He likes it, I like it, we all like it!

So this week I'm planning on actually using my oven, instead of my Crockpot! The menu is as follows:

Monday- Chicken Parmesan with tossed green salad
Tuesday- Leftovers
Wednesday- Open face pot roast sandwich
Thursday- Taco Salad
Friday- Leftovers
Saturday- Chili and I am going to attempt to bake home made corn bread. We will see how that turns out.
Sunday- Take Out.

So there you have it. Not too exciting, but at least it's good food instead of our usual cereal or popcorn (no lie, that's what we usually would eat. Working all day sucks!)

New CD

2007-02-23T15:20:00.000-08:00

So last night after work, I decided to stop into the new Christian book store that opened in my town. I wasn't planning on buying anything, but as I browsed through the CD section (which I am always drawn to in any store) I noticed a new CD that was out. It is the soundtrack to the new movie Amazing Grace (which I cannot wait to see!) This CD is full of remakes of wonderful hymns that I used to hear as I was growing up in Christian school and when we attended a small Baptist church for a few years. The more I am listening to this CD, the more I am falling in love with it.

Now mom, if you are reading this, sit down. I don't want you to get hurt when you faint. Your daughter is falling in love with hymns and is now finding herself saying "the music is too loud at church!" Yes, I am getting old.

I am now finding myself longing to go to a church where these classic hymns are being sung. I do enjoy the worship my church provides and it always touches me in some way when I'm there, but the more I am listening to hymns, the more I wish we could sing them in church. It's somewhat funny to me because just a few years ago, I thought hymns were "old people Christian music". Give me Jars of Clay, Third Day, Delirious and David Crowder Band any day. Now don't' get me wrong, I do still like these bands, but the more I look into the old Hymns, the more I see how full of worship they are. Just to show you, here are the lyrics to my favorite Hymn.

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Summer and winter and springtime and harvest,
Sun, moon and stars in their courses above
Join with all nature in manifold witness
To Thy great faithfulness, mercy and love.

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

Pardon for sin and a peace that endureth
Thine own dear presence to cheer and to guide;
Strength for today and bright hope for tomorrow,
Blessings all mine, with ten thousand beside!

Great is Thy faithfulness!
Great is Thy faithfulness!
Morning by morning new mercies I see.
All I have needed Thy hand hath provided;
Great is Thy faithfulness, Lord, unto me!

So back to the original topic, if you love hymns, then get this CD. If you love some of the modern Christian artists (Chris Tomlin, Nicole Nordeman, Avalon, etc.) then get this CD. Pretty much, just get this CD. You won't regret it.

St. Louis Part Deux

2007-02-23T09:14:00.000-08:00

I know, I know, I said I would update yesterday and I didn't. I got caught up in other things and I didn't have the chance to. So today, since I have nothing else interesting to post, I will continue with the St. Louis trip. Okay, where did I leave off... Oh yes, after the funeral.

After the funeral we all went our separate ways. Eric and I went back to his dad's home to pack up and Eric helped his dad with a computer problem. After all that was done, we borrowed his dad's little Chevy car and drove to the city to stay with our good friends, Brian and Gabby. We got there and visited for awhile. We got the munchies at around midnight, so Eric and Brian made a Whities run. Nothing is better than White Castle burgers at 12:30 in the morning! After visiting more, we noticed it was almost 2 in the morning (time flies when we all get together!) and since we had church in the morning, we thought it would be a good idea to get some sleep.

Sunday we went to church and Eric was able to see some people that he knew when he lived there. It was fun for him to see old friends (not old as in age, old as in not new, or whatever) After church we ran a few errands to pick up some food to make for lunch, and then went back to Brian and Gabby's to have lunch and take a little nap before going back to church in the evening. After church, we all went to bed early since Brian and Gabby had to go to work the next day.

Monday Eric and I had the day to ourselves. The weather was beautiful (aka cold and rainy) so Eric and I decided to take a drive all around the St. Louis area so he could show me where he grew up. I have to tell you, the towns of Webster Groves and Kirkwood are simply beautiful. Both towns are well kept and their "old town" shopping areas remind you of Main Street USA at Disneyland. All the homes are around 100 years old most of them are preserved and they even have plaques on the front that have historical data on it. If we could afford to live there, I'd move to that town in a heart beat. Even the elementary school that Eric went to is a 100+ year old brick building. It's so beautiful, I wish I could go back to elementary school just to be able to attend there.

Tuesday morning we woke up to "winter mix" weather. Winter mix is a mixture of rain and sleet (for those of you California people who don't know what winter weather is like). After a little bit, the winter mix turned into snow!!!! The crazy girl that I am, went outside with my hair still wet from my shower and snapped a few pictures. The neighbors probably wondered which mental hospital I escaped from. It was below freezing outside, but the coolest thing was I could actually see the full shape of a snowflake when it landed on me. I had never seen that before. After snapping a few more pictures, Eric and I drove into Fenton MO to eat at a Cracker Barrel. We were able to sit next to the fireplace, but still be near a window so that we can watch the snow fall. It was so nice! After eating we walked around the gift shop for a little bit to look at what they had.

After walking around a little bit, one of the Cracker barrel employees, Marissa, decided on giving us a whole tour of the gift shop and stopped to tell us about every little thing they had there. She was so sweet, I didn't have the heart to tell her I had been to many Cracker Barrels before so I had seen most of what they had already. Really, we probably spent an hour following Marissa around the store so she could show us everything. Business must have been slow that day. Anyway, we both left with little treasures (Eric got some cool magnet toy thingy and I got some nice mug coasters that smell pretty when you put a hot mug on it) and we promised Marissa we would tell everyone how great the Fenton Cracker Barrel is. So if any of you ever are in Fenton MO, stop by the Cracker Barrel there (off I-44) and say hi to Marissa.

Tuesday night, Brian got the great idea to go sledding on Art Hill. I was originally going to let the boys go while I hang out with Gabby, but Eric really wanted me to go and see what Art Hill was like, since he used to go sledding there when he was a kid. So we bundled up and headed out. When we got to Art Hill, I realized I should have stuck with the original plan of staying home with Gabby. It was Fah-reezing! Literally freezing. It was about 16 degrees outside, but with the wind chill, it was probably in the negative numbers. Not fun. Eric asked how I was and I told him that my feet were freezing at one point, but then I couldn't feel them any more so it wasn't so bad. Eric said that wasn't good so he made me run back and forth to keep my blood pumping. OK, let me say this. I hate running. I think running is a punishment from God. I hate running on a treadmill in the comfort of a warm gym, so what makes Eric think I'm going to enjoy running in freezing temperatures! That was not fun. I stuck around Art Hill long enough to pressure Eric into going down the hill (heaven knows I wasn't gonna do it!) and then begged like a baby for the keys to the car so I can sit and warm up. After another half an hour, the boys came back to the car and we went home. It took a long time to thaw out from that evening.

Alright, I noticed this was getting long again. I'm wordy aren't I? I will let you all have a break in reading, and then I will post about the last part of our trip when I have the chance.

Thursday Thirteen!

2007-02-22T08:55:00.000-08:00

It always happens to me. I find this really fun website and as soon as I get into it, it shuts down. I was looking for a cute Thursday Thirteen banner, so naturally I went to the Thursday Thirteen site to find one. When I get to the page, I see a memo that the web page administrator is shutting it down. So, since they no longer have pages upon pages of really cute banners, I had to stalk some people until I could find a banner I liked. Hopefully, someone will take over the Thursday Thirteen site and I can once again find cute banners without stalking someone. So, since we just came back from St. Louis, my Thursday Thirteen is based on that!

13 Things I Miss About St. Louis

Brian and Gabby
The Snow (which I know it doesn't snow there a whole bunch, but it snows more than here!)
Weather cold enough to actually wear a coat and be comfortable in it
The Snow
White Castle
Friendly People
Seeing the old architecture
The trees (even though there are no leaves for the winter, it's still purty)
No traffic (really, you LA people should see the "traffic" they have there. Their rush hour is like a normal flow of traffic here)
The Snow
Crown Candy (Their big cheese sandwich rules!)
Ted Drews (Who doesn't like frozen custard when it's 15 degrees outside?)
Brian and Gabby (I had to add you guys twice!)

So, that is it for this weeks Thursday Thirteen. We really had a blast on our trip and we miss our good friends so much. It sucks when your closest friends are a thousand miles away.

Later today I will write more about our St. Louis trip. Hopefully tonight I can post some of the pictures.

I'm Back! (Part one)

2007-02-21T09:11:00.000-08:00

After a couple weeks of being gone, I'm back! Y'all (all 2 of you who read my blog) missed me didn't you?

These past couple weeks have been pretty busy (beware of a long post coming so I can tell you all about it!) Hubby and I made a mad dash for St. Louis to attend his grandfather's funeral. I've never planned a trip in 8 days and I'm pretty sure I'm not going to do that again. I don't think my sanity could take it.

Even though the St. Louis trip was for a pretty sad reason, we ended up having a great time. We arrived in St. Louis on Thursday the 8th and met our bestest friends as well as Eric's dad and nephew Evan. We all went out and met Eric's sister then had a LATE dinner (or was it an early breakfast?)

Friday we had to run a few errands (I didn't pack shampoo or conditioner for fear of TSA confiscating it) and then we went back to Eric's dad's home to get ready for the viewing. As I was going through my suitcase I realized (this was only a little over an hour before we had to be at the funeral home) that I had forgotten my black dress slacks. Let's just say I had a minor melt down. I'm not one to cry over a minor thing like that, however all the stress that had piled on me from the planning of said trip kinda came on me at that very moment. All I had were jeans and I did NOT want to wear jeans to a formal funeral. I didn't want to make Eric look bad in front of his family. Thankfully, Eric's sister came to the rescue and drove me to shopping center so I could find a new pair of pants. I've never shopped so quickly in my life. I grabbed the first pair of black pants I could find and tried them on. Miracles of all miracles, they fit!!! Let me tell you, it is RARE that I find a pair of pants that fits so well. Being almost 6 feet tall, a normal pair of pants looks like capris on me. I kept the pants on and the girls at the counter cut off all the tags and rang me up. I paid and was out the door in less than 15 minutes, wearing a new pair of pants that, in my humble opinion, look fantastic on me. After that, we rushed to the funeral home to make the viewing.

Now, I have to say, I have never been to a formal funeral. All the services I have been to in my life have been more of a "memorial" service. The people who have died have already been buried and the services are more of a celebration of their life. So you could imagine how, for lack of a better word, uncomfortable I was when I walked into the room and there grandpa was, laying peacefully in his coffin. Eric went up to pay his last respects and I stood back. I couldn't muster any courage to go up and look. I instead put my focus on a video that was playing in the background. Eric's Aunt put a video together of many pictures that were taken in the years grandpa was alive. I could tell, just by the pictures that grandpa Schroder was fun man. He always had a smile on his face and from the pictures, you could tell his grandkids loved him. There were also many pictures of grandpa and grandma Schroder (she passed away a few years ago) and they were always holding hands or kissing. Eric said they had a great relationship. They bickered like normal couples, but they really loved each other and you could really tell from their pictures. Eric said that his grandpa was half deaf and his grandma was half blind, so together they made a great team!

At the viewing, I was able to meet many of Eric's family members. They are all wonderful people and I really enjoyed getting to know some of his cousins. After the viewing, a bunch of us went out to eat. Again, it was a really late night, but we had fun visiting with the family.

Saturday was the funeral and it was what I expected. The preacher went up and read scripture and talked about how grandpa really loved the Lord and enjoyed serving in the church. After she spoke, we sang some hymns (I know mom, HYMNS!!) prayed, and then we moved on to the procession to the burial site. The burial part of the funeral was very short. Part of the reason was because it was 23 degrees outside (BRRRRR!!!) and the other part was that the cemetery closed at noon and it was already 11:30. If we didn't want grandpa to stay outside over night, we had to boogy through the service so the cemetery could do their job and bury him. Really, who heard of a cemetery closing at noon on a Saturday?! Aren't MOST funerals held on Saturdays so that people can actually go and pay their last respects? I thought that was kind of odd. After the funeral was officially over, we went out to eat again, and they every one went their separate ways. As I said before, even though the reason for getting together with family was a sad reason. I was glad I could finally meet Eric's extended family. They are a bunch of nice people and I'm glad to be related to them.

Since this post is getting kinda long, I will separate the rest of our trip. Hopefully by then I can get some pictures loaded.

Monday Meanderings and Memes, Sans Menu Plan Monday

2007-02-05T15:47:00.000-08:00

I know, my title is a mouthful isn't it? Well, here we are. Back at Monday. Just like Garfield, I hate Mondays. Even the weekends are even tainted for me, because I know Monday is coming right around the corner.

Despite the fact that today is Monday, my weekend was fabulous. It started out on Saturday with a wonderful birthday breakfast with my parents (beautiful roses included), a fun shopping trip to Lane Bryant, where I got some great clothes and then ended with a fun night of card playing with my brother and cousins. Then on Sunday we spent the afternoon at my other brother's home watching the Super Bowl in his home theater. A grand time was had by all! Since we didn't "really" celebrate my birthday, it makes me look forward to the 18th when we will do the family thing. It just makes it seem like a Birthmonth instead of a birthday!

I'm just about ready for our up and coming trip to St. Louis. All I need to do is pick up some dry cleaning, finish a couple loads of laundry and then pack. I do have this nagging feeling that I will forget something, but I'm not too worried about it. If we do leave something behind, we can most likely just buy it when we get to our destination.

Now, on to the next item of my Monday agenda... A fun Meme, brought to you by Kimberly, of her cute blog, http://kimberlys-cup.blogspot.com. I thought this one would be fun! So, here are a few of my favorite things!

A- Authors
Charlotte Bronte, Lori Wick, Francine Rivers, J.K. Rowling.

B- Books
Jane Eyre, Anne of Green Gables, Redeeming Love and many more that I can't think of at the moment.

C- Coffee
Cinnamon Dolce Latte

D- Dessert
Any cheesecake from the Cheesecake Factory

E- Elegant Object You Own
Hmmmm, I don't own anything too elegant. I'll have to think of that one.

F- Flowers
Hydrangeas and roses

G- Guests for Tea
Audry Hepburn. I would love to sit down and have a chat with her. She had such a beautiful personality.

H- Home
Anything that looks like this:
(It doesn't have to be Mount Vernon, but something similar would be nice)

I- Inspirational Authors
Beth Moore & Elizabeth George. Both wise and insightful Christian women.

J- Jane Austen book
Emma

K- Kitchen Gadget
My coffee pot

L- Laundry Help
My husband

M- Musical
Yikes! This one is hard! I LOVE musicals. Top three are Singin' in the Rain, My Fair Lady and The Sound of Music

N- Naptime
I don't take many naps, but I love a nice nap when I am snuggled with my kitties.

O- Organizing Tip
You're asking the wrong girl.

P Pride & Prejudice Character
Mr. Darcy.

Q- Quote
"Stop telling God how big your storm is, start telling the storm how big your God is." Alan Whitaker

R- Recipe
Right now I love that bread recipe from Bethany. I'm looking forward to making it again.

S-Scent
Fresh brewed coffee

T- Tea
I'm not a huge hot tea fan, however Paradise Tropical Iced Tea is one of my favorites.

U- Underwater Creature
Any huge sea mammals. Dolphins and whales are amazing to watch.

V- Voyage You’ve Taken
Probably my senior class trip to New England. I wish I could go again see things with my adult eyes instead of my annoying "teenage" eyes. I didn't have near the respect for historical stuff then as I do now.

W- Water Feature; Lake, Creek, Ocean, etc.
Ocean. Being a California girl, nothing beats the Pacific Ocean.

X- X-tra Special Treat for Yourself
Eating Dove dark chocolate and drinking a nice hot cup of Starbucks coffee

Y- Thing About YOU!
My happy disposition. I don't get upset too easily and I don't stress over much.

Z- Zoo Animal

Giraffes.

Last, but not least, there is no Menu Plan Monday for me this week because I'm leaving for a trip in a couple of days and menu planning isn't necessary. Plus it's an extra excuse to go out to eat a couple nights in a row (c:

So that's it for me today. I'm sure I'll find something else to post about later.

Frugal Friday

2007-02-02T10:45:00.000-08:00

I thought it would be fun to partake in a Frugal Friday posting. I'm still quite new at the blog thing, so I hope I get this right.

One of the blogs I lurk is Crystal's Biblical Womanhood blog, http://www.biblicalwomanhood.com/blog.htm and she has her Frugal Friday posts, so I thought I would try it out this time.

My tip in saving money is on gift wrapping. My husband and I lucked out one time at work and they gave us a whole bunch of 24x36 white bond paper that they no longer needed. Ever since having that, I have been able to make my own wrapping paper with that, just by stamping it with a cute stamp. Below is a couple pictures of the gift I wrapped up for my niece's birthday using the bond paper, one of my stamps and left over Christmas ribbon. It cost me nothing to wrap and it looked really cute!