Good-Bye Summer!!!!!!!!!!!

So, the summer is basically over and I could not be happier. I mean, this summer actually was pretty enjoyable compared to recent years but I'm really not a hot weather kind of person. I LOVE vactioning somewhere tropical and enjoy the beach when I can just hang out and not have to worry about any little people. lol But, it's been oh about 7 years since I had that kind of summer vacation.

Anyhow, I'm looking forward to the fall season. It's my favorite. I love wearing sweaters and jeans and boots and all that fun stuff.

Emilee starts Pre-k next week. I can't believe it. She's going to a Christian/Lutheran church and they call it Jr.Kindergarten. Isn't that adorable? I don't know who's more excited, her or me! ha ha I'm excited for several reasons. One being I think it will be good for her to have some classroom structure other than Sunday School. She is soooooooo smart but LOVES to talk and do her own thing - very independent - so I think this will be great for her. The second reason is I will get a bit of a break. I know, I know, what a bad mommy I am. Not bad, honest. lol It is hard work being a stay at home mom of 2 rambunxious little girls (yes, Gracie is a busy little girl too). We don't have any family up here and no real baby sitter close by so it's just me and them, all the time. I'm very thankful for being able to stay home and raise my girls - I would not have it any other way - but it's hard work and I'm also thankful for the break. Now, before I go on, I just have to say this. Tim is GREAT! He really helps out sooooo much. After a hard day at work, he'll come home and help out with dinner and dishes or just hanging with the girls. He's always willing to give me a break when I need one and has on many, many occasions taken over to give me some time to myself. I really could not ask for better. :)

My third reason for being excited about Jr. Kindergarten is being able to spend some time with Gracie. I've never had any time alone with her really since she was born and I'm looking forward to it. I missed this age with Emi b/c I was working full time so I'm really happy about being able to be with Gracie during this time.

My last reason for being excited about JK is that I'm hoping to get to the gym a few mornings a week to use the gym membership I've been paying for. lol They have daycare and there will be just enough time for me to do a quick workout, go home, shower and then pick Emilee up.

Did I mention that I've lost 60 lbs so far? Well technically 58.6 but I weigh in tomorrow at Weight Watchers and I KNOW I'll pass the 60 pound mark this week. Yay! I've been doing Weight Watchers since the end of March and I could not be happier with the results. It's been a real lifestyle change for me and I'm in it for the long haul. I'm not brave enough to post any progress pictures yet but soon. ;)

I think that sums it up for now. I've been a big time blog slacker this summer. All my blogs have been suffering. Well, not ALL of them. I started a new blog called Sass n Scrap Designs because i have FINALLY figured out how to design digital scrapbook kits. So I've been creating about a kit a week to giveaway as a Freebie until I can team up with an online store and sell my designs. Go me. :)

Keeping Busy - Some New Pics

So, business has been really slow and since my life is not crazy enough with 2 crazy little girls (insert rolling eyes), I have been doing blog design to keep me busy. I'm participating in a Giveaways Carnival which basically means a bunch of people get together and sponsor a giveaway on their blog. We then post the link to our giveaway on on main page and people will then go to our blog and enter our contest. Well, I could use as much exposure as possible for my business so we're participating. We get such great comments and responses about the website - how cute our products are, how easy it is to navigate, etc. but no one is buying anything. :( Not sure how much longer we can go on because we're losing money keeping it going. So, if you are a prayer warrior, could you pray for God's will and direction for us and for the business? We put a lot of time and energy into it and would love for it to be prosperous. We're in a tough spot because unfortunately, we're unable to sell any of our products on Ebay.

We broke out the bounce house again the other day and the girls (and half the neighborhood) had a great time. Gracie probably did more roaming around the yard than bouncing but it kept them busy for a good while. Here's some pictures. Probably looks a lot like Gracie's birthday pictures but that's okay. :)

Oh, here's a few nice little pictures of Gracie after she decided to color her face with pink highlighter. That was nice. lol

On another note, Tim is off this week - had to use some time before he lost it so this should be an interesting week. lol He hopes to do some work in the backyard - just cleaning it up a bit.




Emilee had an ear infection last week which was really weird because she has only had 1 since she got tubes put in 2 summers ago. She's back to her normal, feisty, strong-willed self so she must be feeling better. ha ha




Gracie has been asking for Justin for the last few days. I explained that he's with his mom so whenever she asks for him she answers her own question with "his mom?". It's too cute. Emilee on the other hand understands that he moved away and is anxious to get his big bed. lol Hopefully in the fall when it's not a suana upstairs we can move her and Gracie up there as well as us.




Nothing else really to report. Until next time........

God Moments

Last night was a girls night out with some of my girlfriends. Emilee is sick with an ear infection and Tim was working late so I could not make it. Not a big deal. I've missed them before and I know there will be others. Then today I was reading a post that a friend of mine had written about an encounter they all had last night with a lonely old man who they were able to share the love of Jesus with just by listening to him talk and not shunning him. I started to get a little bummed because I missed out on that. A God Moment. Then I was quickly reminded (a soft rebuke maybe from the Holy Spirit) that I was taking care of my kids and that was just as important. I'm really enjoying my kids this summer. I've purposed to do things with them and just enjoy them. Even if it means just going for a drive or running errands. I'm doing what God is requiring me to do at this time in my life. Sharing (and showing) the love of Jesus with my family. Those, too, are God Moments.

Siggie

Just want to test out my new little siggie feature. :)

Gracie's 2nd Birthday Pictures

Today is Gracie's 2nd Birthday. I can't believe how fast time flies. We have truly been blessed by her presence in our lives and here is how we celebrated her special day. :)

Enjoying the summer

This summer I decided that we're going to have fun. Regardless of the hot weather, me and the girls are going to do some fun things. I'm hoping to plan a few outings with some friends and some play dates too. I am taking some time off from all the time I spend on the computer to just really enjoy being with my family. I also plan on doing some serious praying and just seeking God for His will in my life and the life of my family.

On a side note, I have been doing a little bit of scrapbooking too. Here are 2 pages that I did today.

I haven't scrapbooked in a long time but it's something I really enjoy and I hope to do more of this summer. I plan on taking lots of pics of the girls and our "adventures" and scrap away!

Change

Anyone who knows us knows how much I have my hands full with Emilee and Gracie. For the longest time it feels like we have been going through that horrible "terrible twos" stage with Em. She's 4 and a half and she started it when she turned 1. Boy, oh boy, has it been a long 3 years! Don't get me wrong, throughout those few years we have had a lot of fun. Emilee is really funny and the stuff she comes out with makes me laugh. But her strong will can be really tiring.

Everyday I'd find myself frustrated and grumpy b/c it was just utter chaos around here. Trying to get a business off the ground has been nuts b/c the girls are just all over the place. Gracie, although a little more subdued than Emi, is a handful. She'll be 2 in July and she is one busy little girl. So, lately I've been miserable. Normally I'm a pretty happy person - I tend to find humor in everything but I noticed that I was not really portraying what a Godly wife and mother should be. I knew I needed to change but I found myself getting cold and not as convicted as I used to get. Right away that was a red flag. I felt like I was treading some very dangerous waters. I felt like I was in a spiritual rut. And for whatever reason I just could not get myself out.

On Easter I was sitting in church and my pastor was talking about Jesus' words on the cross. He mentioned when Jesus said "it is finished" and he started talking about not finishing things that we start. That immediately brought something to mind (something that I won't share just yet) and the very next day I began to work on finishing something I had started a long long time ago. So, with that change and goal I felt my life start to take a bit more order.

Then last week after hearing a message on Mother's Day I realized that my mothering skills really REALLY needed some work. I knew I was not being the mother that God really wanted me to be. I mean, how could I be when I was grumpy, stressed and screaming at my kids all day. I knew the answer to my problems lied in daily time with God. I knew that, for me, my short little prayers here and there throughout the day were just not cutting it. I NEEDED that time with just me and God, devoted to praying for my family. I think what always kept me from doing that was always thinking that I had to get up early and pray and I had tried that and I was always half asleep, could barely say a coherent prayer. I never stuck with it long enough to make a difference.

Well, last week, around mid-morning when I was wide awake, i put a show on for the girls, went into my room, got on my knees and prayed. I talked to God just like I'd talk to my husband or a friend. I remember one week recently during my Beth Moore study how she was talking about talking to God like that so I did just that. It was great. I was not dead bent on having to pray for a specific amount of time or say something specific. I just got open and honest with God and let me tell ya. What a difference it has made! I feel so much better - so much more connected to Him. Emilee and I had a great week last week! We even made 2 trips to the store and she did wonderful. Now, that's huge! I'm praying for my family and friends everyday. I'm far from perfect for sure. I still had a few outbursts last week but I've been happier and my kids seem happier and I'm just SO THANKFUL that God moved in my life and is bringing me to places of change.