Grumpy Pants

I Know, I Know

2011-06-24T12:27:00.001-05:00

I know it’s been a sweet forever since I’ve posted anything. Sorry, about that but life has been moving at a breakneck speed for the past few months. There’s been a ton of travel for work to New Mexico, Colorado, Nevada, and Washington. Not to mention tons of stress in the Houston office. As well as a fitness-crisis and relationship-fixing.

I’ve been struggling with balancing living out faith/home and work, with a strong desire to be more focused on home and faith. I’ve come to a conclusion – God wants me living out my faith more at work. I’ve been fighting the desire to be home and made myself miserable in my work life. Well that does not equate to a very good attitude or representation of Christ at work. I’m not saying I just flipped a switch one day and became this awesome Christian living out her faith boldly in the workplace, but I am saying that I make an effort every day. Some days I fail miserably, some days I have small victories. But because I’ve made myself so miserable I have not felt inclined to blog.

I’ve also been struggling with terrible body image issues. I’ve gain about 35 pounds since D and I married 3 years ago and it’s catching up with me. I have never struggled with my weight until now and it’s a totally new experience for me. It’s tough – it’s hard work – it’s embarrassing. But one day a few weeks ago I hit my wall, so to speak. I decided to stop wallowing in self-pity, making excuses as to why I cannot get healthy ( I don’t have time, it’s too expensive, etc., etc., etc.). I’m on a healthy eating plan and regular work out schedule. Again, I know I won’t be perfect at this and there will be days I will be discouraged, but I will push through with God’s help. I’m not looking to become a supermodel or cause those reading to develop their own body issues. I just realized that I cannot do much for God if I let myself become unhealthy. I’d hate to stand before Him one day and say, “Sorry I allowed myself to become so out of shape that I was unable to obey You.” No ma’am, not gonna let that happen. So that’s been taking up a lot of my time as well.

Then, since D and I moved to Houston, our together time has been drastically reduced. In Shreveport, we ate lunch together almost every day, had at least 3 hours with each other at the end of the day, and had a devotion almost every night. In Houston, we never eat lunch together, get about one good hour together after work, I travel a ton, and I’m so exhausted at the end of the night that we don’t do our devotion. We decided to change that. So, again, not much time for blogging.

And then, we are trying to have a baby. Well, you all know, that takes time folks.

I will continue to blog because I want to look back and see the work God has done in my life. And, also to look back on our memories. And once babies come along, I’ll be blogging a ton.

So, sorry for the inconsistency, but thanks for stopping by occasionally. I promise, there will be new posts – just not every day and maybe not every week.

Trust and Be Thankful

2011-03-22T18:00:00.011-05:00

As I read my devotion this morning the hymn Trust and Obey kept playing through my mind. I examined the following verses:

⁴ Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Philippians 4:4

1 Come, let us sing for joy to the LORD;

let us shout aloud to the Rock of our salvation.
2 Let us come before him with thanksgiving
and extol him with music and song. Psalm 95: 1-2

10 Those who know your name trust in you,

for you, LORD, have never forsaken those who seek you. Psalm 9:10

If you've been reading my last few posts, you know I am reading the devotion Jesus Calling by Sarah Young. Here are the sections I highlighted today:

...Trust is the channel through which My Peace flows into you. Thankfulness lifts you up above your circumstances...Rather than planning and evaluating, practice trusting and thanking Me continually.

This all really struck a chord with me. I realized I go through a lot of my life whinning and complaining about my circumstances, planning and evaluating so I can avoid my fears, or begging God for something (whatever it is I think I need at the moment) - but I rarely stop and just thank Him and trust Him in whatever circumstance I am facing. I will beg to be let out of that circumstance, but it's not often I actually thank Him in the midst. I imagine God watching me just yearning to give me peace and to lift me above my circumstances, but I stand in the way. In my human weakness, I really think I can bring peace to myself with my actions. He must shake His head at me a lot.

As I pondered this, God revealed to me that there is nothing wrong with planning and evaluating (in fact, many of us have a gift for just those things). The problem arises when we do this out of fear instead of out of trust. Trust that God has me in the palm of His hand and is guiding me along. He already has the road paved. He may reveal to me a plan He has and I can then implement the gifts of planning and evaluating. It's then that He shows me just how much He loves me.

For a Melancholy, Type A like myself, to see God's power unfold through the work (planning and evaluating) He has given me is so amazing and satisfying.

So, if you are like me - you have a need to know every possible scenario and outcome before you make a move - have peace. God has already done all the planning and evaluating. He does not need you to do it for Him. But if He does use you in His work, do it out of faith not fear. Trust in Him and be Thankful that you do not have to carry the weight of this world on your shoulders - He's got it.

I'll leave you with the words of Trust and Obey today:

When we walk with the Lord in the light of His Word,

What a glory He sheds on our way!
While we do His good will, He abides with us still,
And with all who will trust and obey.

Refrain:
Trust and obey, for there’s no other way
To be happy in Jesus, but to trust and obey.

Not a shadow can rise, not a cloud in the skies,
But His smile quickly drives it away;
Not a doubt or a fear, not a sigh or a tear,
Can abide while we trust and obey.

Not a burden we bear, not a sorrow we share,
But our toil He doth richly repay;
Not a grief or a loss, not a frown or a cross,
But is blessed if we trust and obey.

But we never can prove the delights of His love
Until all on the altar we lay;
For the favor He shows, for the joy He bestows,
Are for them who will trust and obey.

Then in fellowship sweet we will sit at His feet,
Or we’ll walk by His side in the way;
What He says we will do, where He sends we will go;
Never fear, only trust and obey.

Do Not Be Anxious!

2011-03-04T17:00:00.001-06:00

So if any of you read the Thorny Soil post, you know I am struggling with fear and anxiety. It creeps up and then out of the blue I'll be a ball of nerves, most of the time over nothing. For example, this morning I woke up at 4:30 and could not go back to sleep. Why? Because I was worrying over my schedule for the weekend and trying to figure out how to get it all done. Is that really worth losing sleep over? No. It's a daily battle and the Enemy knows this is where he can get me. And even though I know the only defense is to fill myself with the Spirit through time with Him, I can never be consistent. Holla if ya feel me, sistas!

All that to say, since I was up at the crack. o. dawn. I was able to get to work very early (over an hour early) and I had time to be with the Spirit. Thank you Jesus. I'm reading this awesome daily devotion, Jesus Calling - Enjoying Peace in His Presence, by Sarah Young and it is blowing my mind. My sweet SIL gave it to me for Christmas and it's been the best gift.

I want to share this morning's word and I hope that if you are struggling just as I am, that this will give you some peace:

REFUSE TO WORRY! In this world there will always be something enticing you to worry. That is the nature of a fallen, fractured planet: Things are not as they should be. So the temptation to be anxious is constantly with you, trying to worm its way into your mind. The best defense is continual communication with Me, richly seasoned with thanksgiving. Awareness of My Presence fills your mind with Light and Peace, leaving no room for fear. This awareness lifts you up above your circumstances, enabling you to see problems from My perspective. Live close to Me! Together we can keep the wolves of worry at bay.

John 10:4
⁴ When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice.

Luke 12:25-26
²⁵ Who of you by worrying can add a single hour to your life? ²⁶ Since you cannot do this very little thing, why do you worry about the rest?

I Thessalonians 5:16-18
16 Rejoice always, 17 pray continually, 18 give thanks in all circumstances; for this is God’s will for you in Christ Jesus.

Wow, that Sarah does have a way with words, doesn't she? And then these verses, wow. Reading this today I felt as if God and Sarah had a meeting about GrumpyPants and decided to write a devotion just for me. Of course that did not happen, but I am floored at how God can speak so individually yet so globally all at the same time.

My response?

God,

Thank you for being the Great and All Powerful, but especially thank you for being my personal Father. I am so grateful that you go on ahead of me in this life. You know how everything will work out and you have planned it, so what am I so worried about? Thank you for reminding me that you will bring me through, you will not harm me. You have always and will always provide what my family and I need. If I cling to you I will be able to hold all you have given me with an open hand - and be able to let it go if you so desire. Thank you for loving me even in my disobedience and thank you for your protection and provision. I ask for your perspective today and a mind that is open to your Holy Spirit's leading. I REFUSE TO WORRY TODAY!

In Jesus' Name, Amen

Many Blessings Sisters!

Another Unplanned Hiatus

2011-03-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Well, here I am again, apologizing for taking another unplanned hiatus from blogging. Sorry about that. But I've decided I won't apologize anymore.

The hiatus came because life took off. We moved, had the holidays, and work got very busy. In the midst of all this have come some real life drama and disappointments. I've been forced to be a grown up, and we all know that's not fun. Through all this I learned I don't handle change and disappointment very well. I'm also struggling to balance my life. Mostly because I'm a planner and not much has happened according to my almighty plan (God has really had some good laughs on my behalf lately). I did not respond very well to that. Basically, there was a lot of crying, whining, shouting, and driving my poor hubby insane. So I began seeing a sweet counselor at our church. I want to learn how to respond to life in a way that pleases God instead of viewing everything through my selfish eyes.

It's been a great process and I'm very grateful for it all - even the crying. :) Anyway, that did not leave much time for blogging. I decided to focus on my man and our life for a little while. I know you understand.

But let me catch you up...

We did move into our wonderful new home (pics coming as soon as the Hubs can find time to get them off his camera). Two weeks later we had the whole family over for Thanksgiving. Nothing like a little motivation to get the unpacking done :). Then two weeks after that we had our Open House. Again, motivation to put the finishing touches on the home. Of course, there was Christmas, which was glorious. D was in our church's large Christmas production and for a week went to work at 8a and did not come home until 10p or later. But it was an awesome experience for him. Our sweet friends the McG's came to a show and loved it. After the show we headed to Shreveport for an entire week. That was heaven. We did not have to rush through a visit but were able to see everyone and enjoy our time there.

Once we returned from the holidays, work just took off for both of us. I have had several 70 hour weeks and travel, but it all seems to be settling down a bit now.

I can't complain. I have a very loving marriage to a man who loves God and me, a beautiful new home, sweet friends, a great job, and I work with awesome people. I'm so grateful for this period in my life, even though it's taken some adjustment. It's through these challenges God makes us stronger and brings us closer to him.

I'll try to get some pics up of our adventures over these past few months. And I'll post as often as I can, but I can't guarantee consistency. So please check back periodically. I promise I'm not gone, only living life.

The Texas Hill Country

2011-03-03T08:00:00.000-06:00

So the Hubs and I are going to take our first vacation since we were married in May. We are going to take in the Texas experience and go to the Hill Country. We have been hearing about it since we moved here, so we decided to take the plunge. I think Greune is our destination of choice, and then a day trip to San Antonio. But if you guys have any suggestions please let me know. I am in the process of planning now.

Thanks.

Am I the Thorny Soil?

2011-03-02T08:00:00.002-06:00

I am at a point in my spiritual life where it's time to leave adolescence and begin adult hood. Now, I believe that an person's age has absolutely nothing to do with their spiritual maturity - it's all about the pace at which God has planned for that particular person's life. I'm of the slow to mature variety. I've been a Christian 18 years and I've felt God calling me to a different place in my walk recently. For so long I have taken from God - going to church/prayer/Bible study to feel fellowship, to feel better, to learn, to get to Heaven - but it's time to not only continue to do those things but begin allowing God to work through me. Not coming from a Christian home, I have no idea what that looks like, but I feel ready to begin that journey.

So that is why a particular morning devotion hit me so hard recently. I am going through Making the Most of Your Resources, a Women of Faith study.

It's a great, easy little devotion with a ton of God's wisdom. So anyway, I was reading last night and it brought me to Matthew 13: 1-23, The Parable of the Sower:

1 That same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the lake. 2 Such large crowds gathered around him that he got into a boat and sat in it, while all the people stood on the shore. 3 Then he told them many things in parables, saying: “A farmer went out to sow his seed. 4 As he was scattering the seed, some fell along the path, and the birds came and ate it up. 5 Some fell on rocky places, where it did not have much soil. It sprang up quickly, because the soil was shallow. 6 But when the sun came up, the plants were scorched, and they withered because they had no root. 7 Other seed fell among thorns, which grew up and choked the plants. 8 Still other seed fell on good soil, where it produced a crop—a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown. 9 Whoever has ears, let them hear.”

10 The disciples came to him and asked, “Why do you speak to the people in parables?”

11 He replied, “Because the knowledge of the secrets of the kingdom of heaven has been given to you, but not to them. 12 Whoever has will be given more, and they will have an abundance. Whoever does not have, even what they have will be taken from them. 13 This is why I speak to them in parables:

“Though seeing, they do not see;

though hearing, they do not hear or understand.

14 In them is fulfilled the prophecy of Isaiah:

“‘You will be ever hearing but never understanding;

you will be ever seeing but never perceiving.

15 For this people’s heart has become calloused;

they hardly hear with their ears,

and they have closed their eyes.

Otherwise they might see with their eyes,

hear with their ears,

understand with their hearts

and turn, and I would heal them.’[a]

16 But blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For truly I tell you, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

I realized I am the seed among the thorns. I have struggled for so long to leave my childish, adolescent understanding of my faith behind, but something always holds me back. I now realize, it's been my fears, my worries - I've allowed the deceitfulness of wealth choke the Word. Don't get me wrong, I'm not trying to say that having wealth (whatever that means to you) is wrong and makes you less of a Christian. But, I am saying that by putting my faith in that wealth is wrong and I've let it deceive me for far too long. For many reasons I've put my faith in wealth - I mean who wouldn't, it's tangible and attainable and by the world's view it brings security.

Well, as I discovered this through my devotion, God brought to mind another devotion I'd read a few weeks earlier. In it the author discusses fears and how they hold us back (see a recurring theme, do you think God is trying to tell me something?). In it the author had an excellent idea, write down all your fears. All the things that take your thoughts away from God and focus everything on you. Give those fears to God and then when he addresses those fears write that down as well. That way you can begin move your focus to God and to see that God is just as real, more real, than any wealth. He loves you, wants to know your fears, and address them for you.

So, to hold myself accountable, here are my current fears:

1)    I'm scared we will never have enough money to pay our bills
2)    I'm scared of some unforeseen disaster that will take away all our security (house, cars, jobs)
3)    I'm scared I'll never be the wife God wants me to be for D
4)    I'm scared we will never have a baby
5)    I'm scared we will never have enough money to have a baby
6)    I'm scared we will have a baby.
7)    I'm scared I won't be a good mother because I have to work
8)    I'm scared I'll work so much I'll miss the life God has for me
9)    I'm scared I'll worry myself into oblivion
10) I'm scared of others opinions of me
11) I'm scared my motivations in serving God are not pure
12) I'm scared my lost loved ones will never come to know Christ and it will be my fault because I never
       opened my mouth
13) I'm scared I'll never get control of my temper
14) I'm scared I'll never be the person God wants me to be (at work, at home)
15) I'm scared I'm not outgoing enough and I'll lose out on real relationships with other women
16) I'm scared to tell God my fears because He will make me face them.

I think that's enough for now. I'm being so open with this because I know I am not the only woman who struggles with these things. We are not alone. God wants us to give our all to him, that includes our fears. Don't be like me. Don't be the thorny soil and let your fears choke out the power of God's word in your life for years.

I'm excited and scared all at the same time about this new phase of my life. But I know He is with me through this all and I remember:

11 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.

God bless you sisters in our journey.

March, Already?

2011-03-01T12:33:00.000-06:00

Not much to say except, is it really March? I guess that means I should take down the Christmas tree and other decorations. Hehe! I meanb, it takes such effort to put up the decorations and I like to enjoy them as long as possible - is that all bad? That, or I'm just a chronic procrastinator. Either way, I think the time has come.

Kidney Stones and Stay Puft

2011-03-01T08:00:00.001-06:00

Just take a gander at this pic:

Yes, ladies and gentlemen, that is a Stay Puft Marshmallow Man Bank. Who is Stay Puft? If you grew up in the 80's and you don't know, for shame! Please see the blockbuster, favorite film of my childhood, Ghostbusters.

This is how my sweet hubby cheers me up (after kidney stones and terrifying plane rides) - he drives across town and buys me this bank because he knows it will make me smile. Then, we curl up on the couch and watch Ghostbusters I and II. Yeah, he loves me that much. Eat your heart out.

The Pain! Oh the Pain!

2011-02-28T11:14:00.000-06:00

It started out like any other day. Well, any other day that I am traveling for work in Washington state or Nevada. On this particular day, I flew from Seattle, WA to Fallon, NV. The day began bright and early at 5am and I hit the bed in Fallon at 10:30pm - a typical travel day for me. I was in the middle of a 5 day work trip, trying to pace myself and missing my hubby terribly. I had already endured the scariest plane ride of my life. I flew in a little commuter plane from Yakima to Seattle, WA with a snow storm chasing me the entire way. I had never experienced such turbulence. SCARY! But I made it and had only two more plane rides that week. I figured, if that plane ride is the worst I have to experience, I'll be fine.

Well, I had no idea what was coming my way.

As I said, I hit the bed on Tuesday at 10:30p and was looking forward to a very restful sleep. Then 2 hours later I woke up with the worst pain I have ever felt. The pain was in my right side and I immediately began getting sick - the cool little commode was my best friend. I could not stop getting sick and the pain would not stop. This continued for an hour. When there was nothing left in my stomach, I finally was given a reprieve. I immediately called Cece, my nurse traveling with me who also just happens to be an emergency room (ER) nurse. It's moments like this you know there is a God. She rushed down to my room and immediately knew what was going on - Kidney Stones!

I'd always heard people say it's a pain worse than child birth, but I always thought they were just making more of it than it really is. They were so right! It's the worse.

I was terrified because I had no idea what was going on. But Cece saved the day. She threw me in the rental car and rushed me to the ED we were in town to visit. They pumped me full of pain meds within 5 minutes of my arrival and I could finally begin to relax. After about 4 hours, I was stable enough to discharge. I was so full of pain and anti nausea medication, I could barely hold up my head. But I slept all day and I needed it. Because the next day, Thursday, I had to get on a plane back home.

Keep in mind I still had not passed the stone and was still experiencing nausea. Now talk about a nightmare! I was so scared I would get sick on the plane. But I had to get home to my sweet worried hubby. Cece pumped me full of drugs, so I was pretty groggy through most of the experience. I was given first class service - I was escorted through both airports in a wheelchair and it was heaven. I have to say that the Reno and Houston George Bush Airport personnel are so caring. I was never made to feel like a burden. But, just my luck, I had another very turbulent plane ride home. Apparently, the snow storm I had barley missed earlier in the week was again, hot on my trail. But we just experienced some turbulence and did not get stranded.

We finally landed Thursday around 7p and I have never been so happy to be home. I saw my sweet man and finally felt peace. He has taken such awesome care of me. I already know I have an incredible husband, but it's always so wonderful when I'm sick and he becomes the great caretaker that he is. He's cooked all my meals, made special trips to the store for cravings (Hostess Chocolate Cupcakes), waited on me hand and foot. He's takes that in sickness and in health vow seriously.

It's Monday and I am still home on the mend. I go to the doctor tomorrow and hopefully this whole ordeal can be put to bed and I can get back to life.

Well, that's my harrowing story. I know many people have been through much worse, but to be over 1,000 miles from home and to be so sick, for me is just about the worst thing that has happened to me so far. I am so grateful for the people who put themselves before me and took such great care of me: Cece, Cindy and Traci (the other two nurses traveling with us), the ED nurse and doctor, the flight attendants and personnel who helped get me home. And of course, D. God shows himself so clearly through these circumstances and he showed up time and time again.

VIRUS!!!!!

2011-01-30T07:49:00.001-06:00

Hey Everyone,

I'm not quite sure of all the repercussions, but my Blogger account has been hacked. I just had to delete a very strange entry I did not post. I also have a ton of Mail Delivery Errors in my personal email. So if you receive something very strange from me DO NOT OPEN it, just delete it immediately and probably do a virus scan on your computer.

Thanks.

Frequently Friday

2010-11-19T06:00:00.007-06:00

It's been another very crazy week, but hopefully I'll have some down time soon. So not much time to look at blogs, but I did find these three awesome posts. Hope you enjoy.

I think this is just so smart. What a great way to get organized and clear away all those little loose pieces of paper from around the house. Thanks ThriftyDecorChick! A Hidden Memo Board.
This little lady is an answer to prayer. If any of you struggle with planning your weekly menus and/or getting it done in time to eat, then check out Make 5 Dinners in ONE Hour. Make sure to tell her I sent you.
Make sure you visit BigMama and read all her beauty product wisdom - such a great post.

Please leave a comment for these ladies and show some bloggy love, and tell them I sent you.

2010-11-16T09:03:00.000-06:00

Hey Guys - Susie Davis, The Good News Girl is having a great giveaway. Check it out and her Joy Challenge!

I just found her blog and really enjoyed it, so I had to give her a quick mention.

Enjoy!

Frequently Fridays

2010-11-12T11:16:00.000-06:00

I am back y'all! Whew, what a whirlwind of a week. So much to tell - moving, unpacking, cars breaking down - it's been an adventure. But more posts on that to come. Let's focus on the cool posts I found this week.

Centsational Girl's Learning to Sew post - so helpful! As one who is about to jump into the sewing arena, I found this extremely helpful. Now I am not scared or intimidated by the prospect of buying my first sewing machine and teaching myself to sew. Yay! I already have a huge list of projects, can't wait. If you have any suggestions on machines, please share them with all of us in the comments.
Centsational Girl was on a roll this week, I love this Artist Canvas turned to Inspiration Board - my anal, organized side is salivating over this. Love it!
So, this is a total brag, but I love my cousin, Stacey's, Etsy shop! She makes the cutest baby and children's clothes/decor/blankets/etc. Here is a look at her latest creations, with lil Fritter as a precious model.
And if you are looking for super awesome and beautiful Christmas wreaths or any wreath or anything gorgeous, check out my friend Erin's latest blog introducing her Christmas creations.
Becky's totally convicting and helpful post on Gossip.

Happy Blogging!

Moving On Up...

2010-11-02T16:30:00.000-05:00

Well, we finally closed on our new home...after 2 delays. I count us lucky since we've had friends who have had closings delayed for up to 2 months, so 2 weeks was fine. I'll post pics next week because it is fast and furious right now. The Hubs and I were up bright and early Saturday morning to meet the security system install tech at the house at 8am. Then, the painter came by. We did not finish with them until 1 and then we had some shopping to do. And we got some great deals ya'll, that always makes me feel good because I really don't like to spend money. But we bought some needed pretties for the house, mainly a new King comforter. It took all day, we did not get home until 8p. We were zonked and then we got up bright and early on Sunday and started over. After church we made a few more shopping stops, bought groceries and crashed. I'm still not recovered. I'm walking around work like a zombie.

It's all worth it though. We met several of our neighbors while we were at the house and it was awesome! Everyone is so friendly and apparently, our new neighborhood is Trick or Treating central. It was packed with kids, parents and grandparents. I see that as a good sign. It feels like a real community, I can't wait to get to know everyone.

But I cannot wait for you all to see the house, especially after the painting is done. So there will be no Frequently Friday this week, but I will resume next week because we move Saturday! So I'll be busy all week packing and such.

Talk to you all next week.

Frequently Fridays

2010-10-15T08:52:00.002-05:00

Good morning Bloggers! It's a wonderful, cool, crisp Autumn day in Houston, TX. It's amazing. Today is also the day the winner of the Scentsy giveaway is announced. But before we go there (hehe! I know the suspense is killing you) I am going to begin a new regular post called Frequently Fridays.

On Frequently Fridays I will post other bloggers posts I've read throughout the week that I found interesting, stuck a chord with me, or I just thought were really cool. So here we go!

Nester's 31 Days to a Less Messy Nest. Don't we all need a little help in this department. These posts are full of great, simple tricks o' the trade so to speak. Very helpful.
BooMama cracks me up on a consistent basis. So in the same vein as Nester but with some pretty funny anecdotes you can get some Less Messy Nest ideas in the Little Bitty Mini-Makeover.
Pioneer Woman. I could not have a list of my fav posts from the week without PW. I read her religiously. She cracks me up, plus, she cooks and is a super talented photog. This week she wrote about her sweet Charlie, the Basset Hound and George the Lab (there are obvious reasons why I love this one). I also have to suggest Bakugan - anyone with a young child in their life (my nephew) will love this.
Centsational Girl has some awesome tips on getting ready for the (gulp!) holidays.

Please visit these ladies and comment, comment, comment. Let them know I sent ya. Let's share the bloggy love.

Ok, ok, I know you are just sitting on the edge of your seat to find out who is the winner. Sooooooooooooo, here it is......

(drumroll please)

It's Lindsey at Louisiana Livin'! Thanks Lindsey and everyone for participating, this was so much fun! Lil Sis thanks you very much as well. And if you have any product you'd like to promote let me know and we can do a giveaway (free of charge).

Lindsey send me your mailing address to grumpypantskelly (at) gmail (dot) com. I know we used to live in the same city but I hear you are moving or have moved or are thinking about moving. Whateve, I'm terrible and do not have your address. Or lil sis and you can meet up if that would be easier since she lives there too. Just let me know girl.

I will leave you guys with my memory verse from this week.

Therefore as God's chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, and patience. Bear with each other and forgive whatever grievances you may have against one another. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. Colossians 3:12-14

May we all strive to live this way. Have a wonderful Friday ya'll!

Crafty Project

2010-10-14T16:30:00.000-05:00

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! You have until 11:59pm tonight, don't wait!

I have been inspired ya'll! I am putting together my fav posts from fellow bloggers from this week for my new Frequently Friday's (I'll explain more in my post tomorrow). But I came upon The Hand Me Down House and her post about recreating her Target bookshelves. (Squeel!) I absolutely love what she did and better yet I know I can do it too.

We move into the new house in 2 weeks and this is my first big project (after all the painting). I am sooooo excited! I know that one of my H-town people's has to have a jig saw I can borrow. It's the perfect opportunity to prove to the Hubs how useful it is and that I to have it for Christmas. Well maybe our January anniversary since I have already asked for a sewing machine for Christmas.

Ok so give me about 2-3 months (Christmas is coming ya'll - I have some shopping and home made gifts to create) and I will post my before and after. Yipee! My friend Erin would be so proud of my craftiness.

Go check out HMD's post and tell her I sent ya!

It's King-Sized Baby!

2010-10-13T18:00:00.001-05:00

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! You have until 11:59pm tomorrow, don't wait!

So the Hubs and I splurged this past weekend and bought a brand new bedroom suite to go with our brand new house. Well, no, we did not buy it just because we are buying a brand new house. It's because our queen sized mattress has reached the end of her days. There are two Grumpypants and Hubs-sized indention's on either side of our bed with a big ridge down the middle. And the other night I started to feel springs poking me in the side. It. was. time. for. the. KING!

Let me tell you, sharing a queen bed with a 6'5", 220ish lbs man is challenging. He has actually bounced me out of the bed before. Really.

We went to Star Furniture in Katy, TX and had the most incredible sales person, Martha Rafferty. She rocked. We looked at every single bedroom suite in the place. Then we started testing out the mattresses. Is it just me, or does anyone else feel really weird running around a furniture store and laying down on every mattress? I know you have to in order to find the right one, but it's just creepy. People walk by and look at you funny.

Anyway, after much deliberation we decided to go with......drum roll please....the Simmons Beautyrest Anniversary Mirella Plush. Oh it. is. so. plush baby! It's that bed where you can't feel your partner move. I think their commercial is the one with the bowling ball.

This should be the Hubs and me.

It's so big! I love it! They look so happy...ah, blissful sleep.

Look at all the different layers of stuff. I feel like it just hugs me when I lay down. No more back problems.

Here's the bedroom suite. It's the Kensington from Aspen Home. I love the extra storage in the foot board. Oh what I can do with that! And I love how the top drawer of the nightstand is a charging station for all your electronic thingies. You just plug up the night stand and all the other plugs feed into the back. One cord! No more surge protectors. And best of all...there is a nightlight built into the nightstand. You just touch a little button on the side and it turns on underneath and makes a lighted pathway for you. SWEET! No more tripping over the furniture in the middle of the night.

This is a better view of the full suite. We bought what is circled in red. We decided not to go with the bureau mirror, trading it for a second nightstand.

Can ya tell I love my new bedroom. Too bad I have to wait 2 weeks to sleep on it. We decided to have the store deliver it to our new house and we don't move for another 2 weeks. I feel like a little kid dreaming about Christmas morning. It's ridiculous, but it's exciting!

InTALLerance!

2010-10-09T17:10:00.002-05:00

**Don't forget about my Scentsy Giveway!! There are now 2 additional ways to enter. 3 chances to win until 10/14/10**

Ok, so I have just discovered another reason why the world is not fair for tall people. I need some new blue jeans. I have 2 pair right now but one is too big and one is too small. So, since Fall is finally here in Houston – it’s time for some new Fall jeans.
Old Navy is having an awesome sale today with jeans for $16 - SWEET! I was all about that. I mean, I am working very hard to loose some weight and I don’t need to spend beau coup dinero on jeans I may only wear for a few months.
I was feeling good as I walked into the store. Every woman knows that feeling of joy you feel when you know you are about to get a great deal. It’s almost like that Christmas morning feeling you had as a kid. Imagine my disappointment that after 15 minutes of digging looking for my size in Long’s, I found none. Then when I asked for help in finding some I was told that Old Navy does not carry Long’s in the store. I have to go online and buy them. What the what? Did I just walk into an alternate dimension?
Oh yes ma’am. So I went to a few more stores and was told the exact same thing. I’d almost given up hope and then I found The Limited. I found a pair of Long’s, oh sweet Hallelujah. I asked for another size in Long as well. The sales lady couldn’t believe I’d found a Long because she said what all the other store’s said – you have to buy Long’s online. The pair I found were bought online but the person returned them to the store. God was with me. He knows how much I need a nice fitting pair of jeans.
I left the mall with a feeling of such accomplishment. But, I spent way more than I wanted. It’s discrimination – Discrimination Against the Vertically Gifted. It’s InTALLerance!
And let me tell you, I’m not a freak. It’s not like I play for the WNBA. I am 5’9”. Shorter than the average model. It’s not the money, it’s principle of it people. I should be able to walk into a store and find my length and buy it at the same price as every other person under 5’6”.
If you feel my pain let me know, I’d like to know I’m not alone. Let’s lift each other up. Maybe if enough of us raise a stink, they’ll start carrying Long/Tall in the actual store. It’s not just a world of short people – I deserve to be able to buy quality, well-priced clothes IN THE STORE!
I’m done. Peace out!

Scentsy Give Away!!!!

2010-10-08T17:04:00.003-05:00

Now 2 additional chances to win!!!! Post about this contact on Facebook, make sure you put the link in your post, then leave a comment telling me you did it. And post about it on your blog. Again make sure to put the link to this post in it and then leave another comment to tell me you did it. Make sure you leave one comment for the Facebook post and another for the blog post. Good Luck!

If you have read my blog at all you know I have a little sis, Katie. I love my baby sis with all my heart and I am so proud of her. She is only 25, married and is a big shot Public Relations person for Chesapeake Energy. And now, she is pursuing her Masters in Business Administration. So to help pay for the additional cost of school she decided to become a Scentsy representative.

I had no idea what Scentsy was when she told me about it, but, of course, I was like, "You can sell anything, go for it." Then things got busy and I never had a chance to visit her website to check out Scentsy. A few weeks ago Don and I visited some family and the hostess gave all the ladies the Scentsy Nightlight in Vanilla Cream. It was so cute! I put it in my office and it's a hit! All my office mates come by just to smell it. They love it. The great thing about Scentsy is that they are not candles, so you can have them in your office or your home unattended. The wax feels like lukewarm water to the touch and does not scorch or burn skin. It's awesome for homes with children.

To give you a better idea of what all the hub bub is about, here are a few of the newest Scentsy's:

The Safari Collection

The Full size Victorian Warmer

The Plug-In Roma Warmer

The Enchanted Mid-size Plug In

The Taro Plug-In

The Brand New Zebra Plug-In

So, to celebrate my new love of Scentsy and Katie's MBA dream, we are giving away a free Scentsy plug in of your choice and a Scentsy bar.

To enter just go to Katie'sScentsySite, browse all the products and let us know which is your fav in the comments. It does not have to be just the Plug Ins, just which products you really like. And if you find something you really like you are more than welcome to purchase as well :).

And to help you out even more, Katie sent me some specific links to some awesome products:

FULL SIZE WARMERS

MIDSIZE WARMERS

PLUG-IN WARMERS

NEW SCENTSY BUDDY (perfect for baby gifts!)

NEW NURSERY COLLECTION

NEW SCENTSY PAKS

NEW FRAGRANCE FOAM (hand sanitizer)

As you can see, the smelly goodness and gift giving opportunities are endless. Happy Browsing and good luck!

You have until 12AM on 10/14/10. We will announce the winner an 10/15/10. Good luck!

Everyday Blessings

2010-10-08T09:56:00.000-05:00

Wow, what a whirlwind the last 2 months have been! So much has happened, times full of Everyday Blessings. These two months have been a time to reflect on and receive more of the blessings of God. So to keep it all straight, I think I will join the "Bullet List Bloggers."

D started his new job (a dream job) at our church last month. What a blessing and an answer to months of prayer. God is so good! When we moved to Houston, D left his job for me. He began looking for a new job in Houston a month before we moved. We thought that he would find a job quickly since we were moving to a big city. Boy, were we wrong. D is a graphic designer and well, with the economy, no one was hiring in the creative department. But, the 10 months he was unemployed were really a blessing. First, this was one of those trials that brought us closer together and really strengthened our married. Second, we both learned to truly trust God with our life. Not just say we trust Him, but really live it out. For example, not living in a constant state of anxiety and worry. For those of you who know me, you know that is totally out of character for me. I was transformed through this experience. I can't say I did not have my moments, because I had just a few. But we gave it up to God and trusted he would take care of us, and he did. It was so freeing, a feeling I had never experienced before. Even though we are already frugal, Dave Ramsey people - we learned how to live on what we have and enjoy it. So much of what we thought we had to have to live was "fluff." Plus, when this job opportunity finally presented itself, it was more than we even hoped. The world may look at it and not think so, but it meets all our needs plus more than money can buy. My man loves his work - he tells me he's excited to go to work in the AM and just as excited when he comes home, he works in ministry, he loves his team, and it's at our church - so many work/life balance issues resolved there. We are truly blessed!
We are buying a home! We thought we would have to wait another year to buy a house since D had been out of work for so long and with the new mortgage laws, but God came through again. We found a house way within our budget, newly redone (it's like moving into new construction), in a well-established neighborhood, lots of old trees, 4 bedrooms (for kiddo's and visiting fam/friends), 10-15 minute commute to work and church, on and on and on. The blessings don't stop there. When the home was inspected it was found that it needed a new roof - the sellers replaced it! New legislation went into effect Oct 1 which would have significantly raised our monthly mortgage, but we were grandfathered in (missed it by just days). It's been incredible. Plus, the biggest blessing is our realtor, Patty Cwalinski with Houston Heritage. If you live in the Houston area and need a realtor you must call Patty. She was awesome! Plus through her referral we found our mortgage lender, Jamie, who has been a miracle worker. I was fearful this would be a very stressful and difficult process and they have made it so easy. So, I'll post pics of the new digs as soon as we close, which should be Oct 15 - crossies!
D's car is dead. Ok, I know what you are saying, "How is that a blessing?" Well, because, again, God is showing us how we can be completely content and happy with what the world sees as inadequate. Sure, we have had to make some adjustments with only having one car, but I've never felt like it is a problem. We will have to buy another car once we start having children, but for the short term it's fine. Plus, when we do go buy a new car, we won't feel like we have to buy something extravagant. A car is just a mode of transportation, not a symbol of who I am.
Veritas/Small Group. Veritas is the name of our Sunday School class and the people there, and in our Small Group, have been the biggest blessing of them all. I don't know if we would have taken all these issues that have come our say so well if it were not for our Veritas people's. They welcomed us with open arms from the moment we stepped into that classroom and have not let us go yet. They allow God to move through them and we have reaped the benefits. We love them all so much and look forward to continuing to Do Life Together with them all.
My Accountability Partner. K is my accountability partner. We have only been meeting for about 2 months now, but that relationship has changed me. God brought us together at the exact right time for us both. We are both dealing with some discontent in areas of our lives, as well as change. Also, she is just about my baby sister's age, so she's helping to fill that void. I miss my sister so much! Our talks have helped me to truly put some things in the right perspective, to accept the challenges that God has put before me, and to confront them without a whining or resentful spirit. I love that girl and can't wait to see what God will do through our lives. K, if you're reading, you are constantly in my prayers!

There are so many smaller (for lack of a better word) blessings which we have experienced in these 12 months since we moved. If I listed them all I would have the longest blog post ever. But I felt, since we are moving to a new chapter in our Houston life, it was time to truly reflect upon and write out all God has done for us. It was a big leap of faith to move to Houston and God has been faithful. My prayer is that our life, this particular chapter especially, can be used to bring others to a saving knowledge and relationship with my God and Savior.

So on that note, here are the verses which sum up my life and faith at this time:

Philippians 4:4-9, 11b-12

4Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! 5Let your gentleness be evident to all. The Lord is near. 6Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. 7And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus.

8Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable—if anything is excellent or praiseworthy—think about such things. 9Whatever you have learned or received or heard from me, or seen in me—put it into practice. And the God of peace will be with you.

...11for I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances.¹²I 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. ¹³I can do everything through him who gives me strength.

K and I are reading this book, Calm My Anxious Heart, I highly recommend it for anyone. We will all face circumstances which bring us discontent and anxiety.

What verses are you clinging to right now? How is God working in your life? Let me know, I'd love to hear it and it will be an encouragement to others. If you have a blog, post about it and then link up below at my Mr. McLinky. If you don't have a blog, just leave a comment.

Look for those everyday blessings!

Fish Lips Photography

2010-09-28T18:00:00.005-05:00

I am so excited for my friend Sara! She has officially launched her website for her photography business, Fish Lips Photography.

To celebrate, Sara is having an awesome give away on her blog. The prizes are:

Grand Prize: FREE session & CD of edited, high resolution images!
3 MORE Prizes: $25 OFF session & CD of edited, high resolution images!

Sara is a super-talented photographer based in Houston, TX and I have the privilege of knowing her. Here is a little info about Sara's mad skills in her own words:

Sarah is an on-location, natural light photographer in Houston, Texas. She shoots couples, maternity, newborn, babies, children, and families. Sarah is Ryan's wife and Elizabeth's mama. She loves reading, October, red wine, traveling, her 4 pound Yorkie, and Jesus. Not necessarily in that order.

I cannot wait to have babies so Sara can photograph them, she is amazing! To enter the contest click here.

Good luck!

A Dog's Life

2010-09-03T18:00:00.002-05:00

This post is long overdue. A lot has been going on this summer and I'll post updates in future posts. But I just had to let you know what Daisy and Bruiser did this summer.

Every year D's family has a big family reunion at his uncle and aunt's beautiful lake house. It's not like going camping people, this is nice. They live right on the lake and have all the toys for lake fun (ski boat, pontoon boat, 2 jet ski's, and a huge float that gets pulled behind the boat - more on that later). They also have a wonderful saline pool that is enclosed in a UV cover. I prefer the pool to the lake because I can actually see through the water. When you hear stories of alligators and alligator gar roaming the lake waters, you tend to want to stay close to safer shores. I let the little one's of the fam brave the wild waters. Oh and the huge float, well we are not friends. 2 years ago I decided to be a sport and ride on it with some of the little cousins. We were thrown off and I ended up with a broken chin. Had a ginormous bruise for a month. So I stay close to the pool.

This year we decided to bring Daisy and Bruiser for the first time. I could have brought Bruiser before because he's 6 lbs and no bother. But we were not going to torture ourselves and bring a Lab puppy. So we waited until this year since Daisy is now the ripe old age of 2 years old. I was very nervous because Daisy and Bruiser are not the only dogs at this reunion. D's cousin always brings his Basset Hound, Trixie and his aunt has Huey, the Scottish terrier. I always worry how dogs will react to each other for the first time.

Here is the Gang below minus Trixie. (Lord of the Manor Huey on the left, my little man Bruiser center, and our girl Daisy on the right). They are a happy bunch. (Check out Bruiser's cowlick!)

Well everyone got along so well except for Trixie (hence her absence from the pic). Let's just say Trixie (a female) kept trying to prove to little Bruiser that she is a large and in charge woman. Poor thing, he just didn't know what to think of all of it. And Daisy just looked dazed and confused. It's as if she was saying, Can't we all just get along? I think Huey just expected it. He's been Trixie's victim in previous years. But once everyone settled down and found their corner, it was all good the rest of the week.

The biggest event of the week was Daisy discovering water. I mean she is a Lab which is a water dog, but we have never had a pool or taken her to a lake. So this was her first time. D was determined to teach her how to fetch a ball from the lake. Well, mission accomplished! It took all of 5 seconds and then we could not keep her out of the lake or the pool.

Here's our brave girl.

"Not too sure about this."

"Here goes nothin'!"

"Wooo Hooo!"

Look at that graceful form

"Yikes! Water"

SPLASH!

Always brings the ball to her Dad

I'm a very happy puppy

This picture tells the whole story.

Friendships

2010-07-15T22:00:00.012-05:00

Last weekend I attended a women's retreat organized by several members of my Sunday school class. It was just us girls from the class and it was awesome. We spent time being silly, staying up late, eating, and learning about each other and God's Word. Our speaker was Tammie Head, a woman for our church who founded Totally Captivated Ministries. She was incredible! We learned that our insecurities keep us from close relationship with God and with other women. Well, it's a concept I always knew but when she said it and explained it - it finally clicked. I have to just say, my church is awesome! I mean, not only has Tammie been a result of our church's focus on ministry and encouraging everyone in the purpose God has given them, but also Beth Moore. And Tammie is Becky's mentor, encouraging her in ministry as well. I know we also have several other ladies who have written Christian books or studies too. It's that emphasis on living out your faith rather than demanding to just be fed, that led D and I to join.

To learn more about our retreat visit Becky's and Ally's blogs - they really captured the entire event.

At the end of the retreat, we all shared what we learned and, wow, did we ever learn! We discovered we were all craving deeper relationships with each other but let our insecurities keep us from each other. We made a decision to reach out to each other more and keep cliques from our class.

Then, this week I came upon this post at Kelly's Korner telling us about Lisa Whelchel's (of Facts of Life fame) new book, Friendships for Grown Ups. And today Kelly posted an interview with Lisa where they discussed friendship.

Check out Lisa's book and Kelly's post if you are struggling with this issue. I cannot wait to read it!

Let's all reach out to each other a little bit more.

Great Family Movies

2010-07-15T06:00:00.002-05:00

The Hubs and I are avid movie goers (or DVD at home goers). We saw two awesome family-friendly films this weekend I thought I'd share.

First is Jonah A Veggie Tales Movie. As we were watching I just about fell out my chair when one of the characters (Carlisle the caterpillar) called Jonah Grumpypants. I know, I know it's silly - I just never thought I'd hear someone else called my name. And really it's a great way to introduce the trailer I found. Enjoy!

Can you tell I really like this movie?

Next was Disney's Princess and the Frog. Love, love, love this movie! First, because it is set in our home state of Louisiana. Second, Raymond! Raymond is the cajun firefly from the swamp and he so reminds me of some of my relatives. D and I rolled when he asked if the frogs were from Shreveport. If you love all the classic Disney animated films (The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Cinderella, etc) you will love this.

Here We Go Again

2010-07-13T18:00:00.005-05:00

Well, a few months ago I posted that I was beginning the P90X challenge. And boy was it ever! I have never worked out so hard, even with personal trainers. Unfortunately, after 4 months of hard work (including watching what I ate) not one single pound or inch came off my body. Talk about discouraging. I cannot blame the P90X DVDs. Most of my problem comes from my thyroid/hormone issues. Those issues are being resolved, but it still makes loosing 20 -30 pounds a big challenge. Anyway, I have to admit that for the past month I have fallen off the wagon big time. I was so discouraged by my nil results that I just gave up for a few weeks. But I am revitalized and have a plan. I will begin my working out again next week by using the P90X Lean Circuit. And I am ordering Jillian Michael's Master Your Metabolism book. I am such a type A melancholy and I crave details. Well, I've heard that Jillian's book it full of them. Wish me luck, again, as I continue this challenge.

I have some great websites I'd like to share which contain a ton of great info about weight loss and healthy living:

1) My friend Erin, the dietitian and certified trainer. Erin has launched a series of services and informative posts on her blog. When you get to her page, scroll down the right side and click on the button with the bird titled Nutrition and Fitness Series. I am so excited that Erin is finally sharing all her incredible knowledge. I am very tempted to hire her for the Grocery Store Tour. Navigating the grocery store as someone trying to eat healthy is a huge challenge. I highly recommend you visit this site. Even if you never hire Erin, she gives some great tips on her posts.

2) SimplyFitMama and VitaMama. I love these two blogs! They are just two mom's trying to feed their families healthy - eliminating preservatives and fat by buying and cooking smart. They have awesome tips and info for anyone ready to make the change for a healthy life for yourself and your family.

3) FitBottomedGirls and Sparkpeople. These two sites have so much info and tools at your fingertips. I especially like Fitbottomedgirls DVD reviews. It can get pretty confusing choosing a DVD or two to develop your workout routing, especially considering that some programs can cost up to $120.

4) American Dietetic Association. The public tab of this site has so much wonderful info on healthy living, lots of tools (like a BMI calculator), and expert reviews of diets (such as Dr. Oz, Jillian Micheals' Master Your Metabolism, and many others).

I hope these sites encourage you, as they have me, to dust myself off and try again. My true motivation is two-fold: 1) Get myself healthy and take care of this body God has given me. I never want to be unable to serve him because I did not take care of myself. Don't you know that you yourselves are God's temple and that God's Spirit lives in you? If anyone destroys God's temple, God will destroy him; for God's temple is sacred, and you are that temple. I Corinthians 3:16-17. 2) I want to give my future children a good example of healthy living and eating. I never want them to deal with being overweight because of my laziness as a parent (i.e. eating out all the time, serving frozen premade meals regularly, feeding them sugary snacks). It is so easy in this busy culture of ours to fall back on fast food. I want to give my children something better.

So, I know this is not going to be easy and will take a lot of time. But I'm ready. I'm tired of not liking my body, of feeling like crap, and having no energy. I do not want to tell God No simply because I am too lazy to get up off the couch and change my body.

Will you join me? Even if you can't right now, would you pray for me? This is totally a spiritual battle. Satan would love for me to continue on my current path and destroy my body - making me unusable by God in so many ways. I refuse to give him that power. I AM READY!

Lightening McQueen, Toddlers, and Cake

2010-06-29T18:00:00.018-05:00

Oh yes ma'am Little Trey's 2nd Birthday party was a PARTAY! What could be better than 100 degrees, 100% humidity, HEB Cars Cupcakes, and birthday boy? Nothing. We had a blast at the Hearn's celebrating Trey's big day. It was such a big day that Trey had 2 cakes.

Trey is actually John III which is where Trey comes into play. His grandmother's housekeeper could not remember how to spell Trey so she went with John. What a cute cake and a lucky boy!

The highlight of the afternoon for the kiddos was the pinata. A Lightening McQueen pinata! Here's sweet Aubry giving it her best. And Everett trying to out do Aubrey. Precious!

This was one of the funniest moments of the day. Everytime a child would swing all the adults would scatter, scared they might get hit instead. But the kids really enjoyed it. But no one was able to actually break the pinata, so John (Trey's dad) took care of that and Cars bouncy balls went everywhere. What a prize!

Soon it was naptime and most everyone left to put the little ones down for a well-deserved rest. So we hung around and watched Trey open his gifts. As you can see, Mom, was very excited about his first gift. A handmade crayon tote from Erin. I absolutely loved it and freaked out with Mom. I want to be a Crafty Diva like Erin. She is my inspiration.

Then Trey opened our gifts. Let me just tell you, D and I had such a great time shopping for his gift. D is like a kid in a candy store when we go to Toys R Us or any toy store. He runs straight for the GI Joe, XMen, Star Wars ~~dolls~~ action figures. It is a priceless sight, I cannot wait until we have some little ones for him to play with. Do any of your husbands freak out over toys? Anyway, we bought Trey this awesome Cars board book with a sound board (yes we are those people who buy the noisy gifts). I think he liked it, what do you think?

But the finale was the Cars Bowling Set. Yes, score! He loved it, but he didn't quite understand the bowling concept. Instead of rolling the ball he chunked it. Well, whatever works. I just love to see babies happy.

After Trey had his nap, the Hearn's extended family came over to celebrate the day. We ended the festivities with an awesome family pic. What a sweet family!

Happy Birthday Trey!

Weekend Update

2010-06-28T10:30:00.001-05:00

I don’t have anything exciting to write about and no pictures, but it was a great weekend!

Saturday started early, as D and I (mostly D) prepared breakfast for my friend’s Erin and Laura. The menu consisted of D’s amazing Migas and yummy orange cinnamon rolls with a side of HEB San Antonio Blend coffee. Delicious! The girls arrived around 9 and were greeted by a very enthusiastic Daisy and Bruiser. Poor babies, they went crazy! We have not had anyone over to our home in the 9 months we’ve been in Houston, so they went berserk. After the dogs were wrangled outside, we all sat down and stuffed ourselves. Have I mentioned I have an amazing husband who woke up at 7 am on a Saturday to cook my friends and I breakfast. After we were filled to the gills we headed out for some shopping. Erin knows all the great places to find a deal so we headed to Marshall’s/Home Goods in the River Oaks area of Houston. I believe angels began singing when we walked through the door. Ya’ll there was so much wonderful home décor. I was in Heaven and have found my new Christmas shopping headquarters. Next, we stopped at TJ Maxx (yes, we are fashionistas and proud of it – so are our husbands). I found a cute bathing suit for $20. Let me say that again, bathing suit. $20. It was just as cute and well made as my incredibly expensive Dillard’s purchase. That made my day. Finally, we ended our journey at The Guild Shop. Ya’ll, if you are crafty and talented like Erin, or the Nester, or Pink and Polka Dot, or Centsational, or Thrifty Décor Chick and you live in Houston, make your way to the Guild Shop. So many incredible finds that I know you crafty types can make beautiful. Let me know if you’ve found something there and transformed it.

As we shopped our hubbies and the kids hung out at Laura’s house. Laura hung out with them for a while that afternoon and what an experience. There were 3 boys under the age of 2 and a sweet baby girl under 12 months. It was blissful pandemonium. I cannot tell if the hubbies enjoyed the play more than the kids. But when D and I got home I crashed. I know now without a doubt I do not want more than 2 children. Those of you with 3+ kids, I commend you.

Later that evening we headed over to the Kiser’s Baby Shower. It was so much fun! We were there are hours and it felt like minutes. We enjoy our friends so much that time spent with them flies by. Becky received so many cute gifts. I loved the little Stardust Shoes Erin made for baby Karis. Adorable! Several of Becky’s gifts were homemade and awesome! She received a beautiful hooded towel and some sweet burp clothes. When I discovered that my friends made those I was hooked. Which led to my first Christmas gift request – a sewing machine. D was thrilled. I know nothing about sewing machines so any suggestions on brand, type, etc would be appreciated. Anyway, all the time around babies this weekend is having quite an effect on me. Baby Fever would be an understatement.

On Sunday, we went to church and Sunday School. Then headed to Pie in the Sky for lunch. Amazing Mississippi Mud Pie! If you live in Houston, I highly recommend the place. Then, my amazing husband accompanied me on another shopping excursion as I braved the mall in search of lake shorts and tee shirts. 3 ½ hours later we emerged – Mission Accomplished! I just cannot say enough about my sweet husband. He really did not want to go to the mall. He would have been content to just veg on the couch and enjoy a lazy Sunday afternoon. But he put me before himself and came. I was afraid to go to the mall by myself because there had been a shooting there recently. I know it was pretty silly, but I had to get these clothes and Sunday was the only day. He rocks!

We ended the weekend by watching Jonah A Veggie Tale’s Movie. We are not ashamed. It was so good and, of course, cute. I highly recommend this movie – great story with a wonderful theme (compassion and mercy), a lesson we could all learn, especially me.

That’s it, a typical GrumpyPants weekend. How was your weekend? Find any good deals, clean out your closet, take the kids to the park? I’d like to know.

Now I am off to think of a way to show my hubby how much I appreciate him. Any ideas?

Have a great Monday ya’ll!

Happy Birthday to….Elizabeth!

2010-06-25T07:54:00.001-05:00

The last few weeks have been so fun for D and I. We do not have little ones yet, but we get to enjoy our friends kids and love it! In the last few weeks we have attended 3 baby birthdays. I was not able to attend sweet Everett’s First Birthday – but I hear it was a blast. Lot’s of little monkey’s playing till they dropped. But I was able to attend Elizabeth Grace’s First Birthday and lucky for me, the Hubs was asked to be the Party Pics guy. He had a blast. Here is our pictorial documentary of this fun event.

Starting with the details…can you tell this was a little girl’s party? Lots o’ pink. Here are the delicious cupcakes. Several of the Mom’s in the class got together to help Elizabeth’s Mom, Sarah, bake and decorate these. So awesome! Of course there had to be pink lemonade.

Here are some shots of Elizabeth’s grandparent’s sweet backyard. Yes, this is a backyard. Isn’t it awesome!?

Here’s the Tator Tot Gang. These little one’s will soon be keeping up with our class toddlers, but for today, they were content to just chill by the pool.

Could life get any better?

Here’s some shots of the kids enjoying the several baby pools set up all over the rest of this enormous yard. I was so jealous of that backyard. It was like having your own private park.

Pure baby joy!

Who do you think is having more fun, the kids or the Dad’s? Hmmmm?

Here’s the Birthday Girl chillin in the big pool.

This is precious Jemma, a model in the making. As soon as the hubs put the camera on her, she started posing. I’m not lying, it was hilarious!

But, if you were that beautiful, wouldn’t you be all smiles?

Here’s the newest addition to our class(at the time, Kellen just beat him last week), Little Man Jake. He’s content to just stay with Mom, thank you very much.

Here are some examples of the awesome parents in our class. D and I are learning so much.

Here’s Tif and her little men. Dad had to work that morning, so Tif bravely came by herself with these two. But she knew we would all help her keep an eye on them. Another reason why we love our class.

Perfection!

Can you tell Aubrey loves her Daddy….sweetness.

And the grand finale of the afternoon…the birthday girl enjoying her cupcake.

Cupcake Happiness!

Thank you to all the parents who let us enjoy their children, they just made our day.

Next post is Big Man Trey’s 2nd Birthday. Get ready for some Cars (Mator and Lightening McQueen may have made an appearance).

Patience is a Virtue

2010-06-23T19:00:00.001-05:00

I have been on a dangerous and legendary journey known as Getting A Texas Drivers License. Ya'll, what. a. hassle. This all began 1 month ago when the hubs got pulled over for speeding. We were informed by the lovely officer that it is Texas law that when you move here you have 30 days to get your cars all registered, inspected and get a TX license. 30 DAYS!? I guess since we don't pay state taxes they have to get it from somewhere else.

So there is where the journey began. The Hubs has been awesome! He got both cars inspected and then went through the arduous (and expensive) process of getting the cars registered. So all that was left was for me to get my license (he got his last week). Yesterday, I took off the morning from work to do this. I had my social security card, my registration, my insurance. What else would you need?

I pulled up to my neighborhood DMV bright and early at 8 am. To my complete dismay I found a line of people wrapped around the building. This building was so old and so small that we couldn't all fit in. So we were forced to stand out in the blazing hot Texas sun for over an hour. Ya'll it was 96 degrees and 90% humidity - it's dangerous to stand out in the direct sunlight in that weather for a long time, doesn't the Texas DMV know that they are located in TEXAS? And there was no breeze.

After I'd been in line for about 5 minutes, a DMV employee came out and started helping the first 5 people outside. Then she decided it was too hot and went back inside. So helpful. One hot, sticky, sweaty hour later I made it inside. I was drenched front head to foot in sweat. My clothes were soaked through (yuck!), my hair a disaster, and my makeup was running everywhere. The "helpful" DMV lady from earlier comes up to me to ask what I was in line for today. I told her and she asked me for my birth certificate (why in the world would you need a birth certificate to transfer a drivers license? why I ask you?!). I told her I did not have one, but that my husband had received his license from that DMV last week without a birth certificate. She said I had to have one. Then I got a bit snippy and told her, "You know, this would have been helpful information to have about an hour ago when I was melting in the sun outside. I guess it was just too hot for you to do your job."

Yeah, not Christian-like at all. I said that, then turned and stormed out to my car. I was a wreck. I got in my car, started crying (because I knew I'd have to take the rest of the day off work to get this done, plus I was just hot ya'll - MISERABLE), and sped straight home for a shower.

After I'd cleaned up and composed myself, I gathered said Birth certificate plus my passport (for good measure) and headed out to another DMV. Thank God it was modern, big, and had AC. I had to wait in one line for 30 minutes just to get a number. Then, was told to take a seat until my number was called. I sat for 45-60 more minutes. Then they told me to get in another line. I stood there for 30 more minutes and finally made it to the counter. As I stood in line I found out that this DMV was the only one in all of Houston, TX that you did not have to wait outside in the heat, which is why all of Houston was there yesterday. REALLY TEXAS, REALLY?! I don't ever want to hear another Texan tell me how much better Texas is than Louisiana because I will win that argument everytime. EVERYTIME!

Anyway, 5 hours after I started my epic journey I walked out of the DMV office with, not a license, oh no, not in TEXAS, that would be too easy. No, I was given a print out of my license and told that they would mail it to me in 2 - 6 weeks. Again, REALLY?! I never had to wait outside at a Louisiana DMV, nor did I ever have to wait more than 2 hours, and I always left the DMV office with a new drivers license. What a concept. I am very disappointed Texas, very disappointed.

Ok, I've gotten that off my chest and I feel better now. I hope you are all forewarned. And if you live in Houston and have to go to the DMV go to the one on Dacoma off of 290. Do NOT, I repeat, do NOT go anywhere else - you will regret it.

Anyone else had any terrible DMV experiences? Let's share.

Dog Days of Summer

2010-06-21T07:00:00.000-05:00

We are the proud parents of two adorable and wonderful dogs – Bruiser the 7 year old, 6 pound Maltese and Daisy the 2 year old, 75 pound yellow Lab. D and I love these animals so much. We’re not so into our dogs that we dress them up and humiliate them, but we do talk to them and do just about anything to make sure they are content.

Well, as you fellow dog owners will attest, there are some not so pleasant aspects of being a dog parent. Obviously, the poop. Yeah, not fun. The “I ate too much too fast” barf. Sooooo not fun. And the dragging of the butt across the floor in front of your house guests. Not cool.

There are a few special things Daisy does particularly that are just unique to her and drive me crazy.

Exhibit 1. Shedding. Everywhere. Constantly.

If you have not figured it out…that’s a hairball on my floor! And yes, we vacuumed just two days prior. You should see my clothes people. I am mistaken for a blonde Wookie on a regular basis. The shedding, oh, the shedding!

Exhibit 2. Tissue Eating.

So Daisy has this terrible habit of eating tissue. In the morning when I put on my make up I use tissue to catch any loose powder. Daisy stalks me and as soon as she thinks she has a chance she’ll stealthily (is that a word) but quickly grab the tissue, run as fast as she can into the front room (where she thinks we can’t see her), and eat the tissue. Weird. Well, a few days ago I walk into my bedroom and notice my tissue box on my bedside table. Something was strange about it. Can you guess?

This was the culprit when confronted with her weirdness.

Tissue, Mom? I don’t know anything about tissue…maybe Bruiser ate it. Yeah it was Bruiser. Love me, I love you.

What, are you blaming me again? Don’t even think about it, Kid. I mean really, I can barely reach Mom’s knees.

Yeah, they have a very Odie and Garfield relationship. Except my Garfield is a dog.

Do your pets do anything funny or weird? Please say yes, because I really can’t afford a Pet Therapist (yes, that is a real occupation and ~~idiots~~ people actually spend thousands of dollars on this).

Baby Field Day 2010

2010-06-16T07:30:00.000-05:00

Ok, I know what you are thinking, “What? Baby Field Day?” Yes. It is apparently a tradition in our Sunday school class. Since so many of us are having babies, the Hubs and I excluded, we through this event instead of a million separate baby showers.

We all met up at Memorial Park’s Picnic Area and had a blast. The weather was perfect. It wasn’t humid yet and felt like an awesome Spring day. We celebrated the birth of 4 sweet babies and played fun goofy games in the park. There was the Baby Diaper/Stroller Relay, Toss the Baby (Egg), and Water balloon Volleyball.

That’s me in the purple shirt. Mr. Frog was our baby and we were supposed to put a diaper on him and get him in the stroller. So that’s the ladies effort. Here are the guys.

There’s my man trying his hand at it. I guess he did alright considering the guys won. Can you believe it?

But I guess it makes sense, I mean, look at these awesome dads.

And here is our fearless hostess, Super Mom

It is so nice to be a part of a group of people who care so much about each other. Our Sunday school class and small group have been the biggest blessing to us. We love these people.

The Big 3-1!

2010-06-14T07:51:00.000-05:00

Yep, I turned 31 years old on May 20th. Where did the time go? I feel like I just graduated from college. Seems like yesterday.

I had an awesome birthday. Well, the actual day I was traveling in New Mexico for work. By the time I got back on the next day, I had a full blown sinus infection. The worst one I’ve had in years.

So on Saturday, I woke up at 6 am after a long night of coughing. I had to move to the couch in the living room so I could stop coughing and sleep. All day long, I slept. My husband kept coming in and out of the kitchen. At one point I asked what he was doing and he reminded me that we were going to our friends, the McGraw’s, for dinner. Then I slipped back into my medicated coma.

Around 1pm I woke up and decided I should probably take a shower and get dressed, it’s the least I could do for the McGraw’s. Around that time Hubs told me he had to run over to the McGraw’s to help Mr. McGraw move a heavy piece of furniture. Ok, whatever. He came back and then we headed out.

The minute we walked through the door at the McGraw’s, Mrs. McGraw took me to the backyard to “visit.” After a few minutes, I decided I wanted something to drink so I went back inside.

To my surprise, the Rabe’s from our Sunday school class were in the kitchen. This confused me since the McGraw’s and the Rabe’s have never met. As I was pondering this strangeness everyone yelled, “SURPRISE!”

My Hubs threw me a surprise birthday party. Isn’t he the best! He had to have it at the McGraw’s because we still have not unpacked yet since we know the lease situation is only temporary. So, I’m sure he knew I would not want people over at our house tripping over boxes. So the McGraw’s graciously opened their home – I have awesome friends.

Here’s my man and Mrs. McGraw hard at work putting together the incredible chicken kabobs:

They were delicious!

Then Hubs shocked me again. He made my birthday pie. Pie, you ask? Yes, amazingly sweet peach pie. Perfect. And not one but three,each one with my initial: KFE! Check it out.

View Full Album

There are the guys helping Hubs present his masterpiece and there I am making my birthday wish. Really, could a girl ask for more? It was a wonderful day spent with the best friends and an amazing husband. Thank you Lord, I am blessed.

Crawfish Boil 2010

2010-06-10T07:21:00.000-05:00

I’ve gotten a bit behind on blogging lately. Mostly because all my pics are on my hubby’s awesome Canon D. The Canon is not like my little snap and shoot. I can get those pics lickedy split, but I have no idea how to get them off the Canon. So I have to wait for Hubs to be in the mood.

Anyway, he finally did it, so here ya go.

We had an awesome Memorial Day weekend, which began at our friends Tanner and Jessie’s house on Saturday. Tanner’s family is from Louisiana and has a crawfish farm, which is why Tanner and Jessie have an annual crawfish boil. Well, it was awesome.

If you’ve never had crawfish before, it can be a little intimidating. They really are mud bugs with very hard shells covering their bodies. So be you have to rip them apart and pry off their shells, which will inevitably lead to some cuts on the fingers. But it is totally worth it.

Tanner and Jessie did it up right. Not only did we have crawfish but potatoes, garlic, mushrooms, and corn. Yummy!

Feast your eyes.

Certified Cajun goodness, it does not get any better than this folks.

It was a wonderful day spent with good friends and enjoying great food. Aren’t you jealous?

What are some fun, unique foods from your part of the country? Let us know in the comments.

Where My Ladies At?!

2010-06-08T18:09:00.000-05:00

So, summer is here in the good ole South which means 100% humidity and 100 degree heat. Or in other words, Bath Suit Season.

Oh, did you hear that blood curdling scream? No? Sorry, must have just been my knee jerk reaction.

Up until this year, I was one of those annoying young ladies that just did not understand why other ladies dreaded shopping for a bathing suit. Well ladies I have crossed over to the other side and I now understand. I really, really understand.

One Sunday a few weeks ago our sweet friends invited us to swim at their pool. So, of course, I panicked because a) my size 2 body had morphed into a curvy “real woman” body and b) I have not bought a swimsuit to fit said “real woman” body. But we said “Sure.” Poor D, he had no idea what was to come.

As soon as we left church I informed him that we were not going to eat lunch, but in fact, were on our way to Target. I thought, “Surely, Target or Old Navy will have a suit and I won’t have to go to Dillard's and spend a fortune on a bathing suit.” I know, those of you experienced “real women” are shaking your heads because you know the folly of my thoughts.

I mean does Target or Old Navy not realize that anyone over a size 6 does not want to wear a string bikini. I mean, all I wanted was a great tankini and swimming shorts for a cover up. Is that really too much to ask? Well, 2 hours later we ended up at Dillard's.

My poor man. I grabbed about a million suits and headed to the dressing room. 2 seconds later I realized I needed him to be in the dressing room because there was no way I was going to parade my new body in front of everyone in Dillard's.

He was awesome! So after several very quick bathing suit changes, and an awesome sales lady who kept bringing me a bigger size. I truly believe that the designers are dumb and put a size 10 on a bathing suit that is really a size 6. That must be it.

Anyway, here is the total awesome, comfortable, sweet suit I bought (and yes, I spent way more just on the top than I have ever spent on an entire bathing suit).

It was impossible to find a one piece or tankini that was long enough for my super long torso, so I compromised. I feel totally comfortable in this (the fabric is like a dream) and I don’t have to worry about my bikini line. SWEET!

The annual 5 day family reunion is coming up the week of July 4th, so I need just one more suit. Well, I could just rinse out my suit at the end of everyday, but come on, really? So I am hoping that Dillard's will have a major sale soon. Please?

Otherwise, I’ll be hitting Marshall’s as my good friend Erin says it has great deals. I’ll be hitting it soon and I will let you all know the results of my search.

So for all you real women out there, let me hear ya! Do you have any good bathing suit finds, any great stores the rest of us should check out? Let us know.

Now I am going to go feel comfortable in my new body and enjoy eating my hubby’s awesome cooking for dinner.

A Recipe, Finally!

2010-05-20T19:14:00.000-05:00

So I finally put a recipe on my Recipe tab! It took forever, but it's finally here. And this recipe is so appropriate. It's my Mother in Law's delicious salsa recipe. And Carol, my sister in law, and husband have taught me sooooo much about cooking - to them cooking and food are an art, they are amazing. So check out the recipe and enjoy, you will not regret it.

Profileq

2010-05-18T09:48:00.002-05:00

Ok, I am working on my Settings because I've been told that you guys cannot view my profile. I think I fixed the problem. Let me know if you are still unable to get to it. Thanks.

How We Met

2010-04-23T08:41:00.001-05:00

Head on over to Kelly’s Korner and enter your Love Story on her McLinky. I posted mine and D’s, which you can read by clicking on Love Story above in the toolbar. It’s so much fun to read how other couples met and see how God moved in their lives.

The Houston Chronicles: Minute Maid Stadium and other stuff

2010-04-14T14:48:00.003-05:00

I’m just now getting around to blogging about my wonderful weekend – it’s been a busy week. It was sooooo beautiful in Houston! Nice and warm and breezy – perfect baseball weather. What? Did this girly girl say baseball? I sure did. Now, granted, I don’t know the first thing about baseball, but when a friend has tickets – you go. You go especially if you live in Houston and the game is at Minute Maid Stadium. What an experience. I’ve never lived anywhere where the baseball stadium was so nice. I have to give some big props to whoever built Minute Maid. It was awesome, so comfortable and clean.

D and I ended up going because our friends Erin and Matt at Chocolate, Tater Tots, and Cheerios invited us. A vendor at Matt’s work gave him the tickets, which is great because whoo is it expensive to go to a baseball game nowadays. Of course we had great seats. We sat right behind the Houston Astros dugout and had incredible views. Here’s a few pics.

Isn’t this the coolest. Oh and I forgot to mention the roof was open! Yes, our stadium has a retractable roof. I mean, I know I sound like country come to town, but I just think that is the coolest (how many times do you think I can say “cool”, “awesome” and “incredible” in this one post?) And did you notice the yellow foul ball marker? Yes, that is a Chick Fil A cow and it says “Eat More Fowl.” Great marketing. I love the train running on top of the wall, it really moves. And we were right on top of the field. It was so great. Well, not so great for the little girl sitting behind us – she got clobbered by a foul ball in the 3^rd inning. Poor baby, everyone was so concerned, but she was ok, more scared than anything. But wow those balls come at you fast – I guess it’s the price you pay for getting great seats.

Here’s another view. I made D take a pic of the Minute Maid Park sign. Yeah, I’m a dork.

Here’s Erin and I. Isn’t she gorg? She always has on the cutest outfits and looks so beautiful. I’m not looking too glamorous – I came straight from work and I didn’t do much with the hair that morning. Plus, that close up isn’t very good for the double chin. And don’t you just love the yellow pallor on our skin from the stadium lights (yikes)? But Erin’s gorgeousness shines through all the pallor.

Me and the Hubs. Yeah, he’s a dork. But he’s a cutie and he’s mine. Love him!

The Dubroc’s – Erin and Matt. Love them-sweet new friends in Houston. They were the first people to invite us to dinner.

All in all, it was a super time. But we always have a good time when the Dubroc’s are involved. Oh, I almost forgot, the Bush’s were at the game. As in Former President George Bush (Sr., as well call him in the South) and Barbara. We actually did not know they were there until they left because everyone stood up around us and applauded. But it was nifty none the less. I love how Americans honor all presidents (I mean I’d stand and applaud for Bill and Hillary – no matter what my opinion – they still served our country for 8 years). Thanks George and Barbara, we love you too!

So that was Friday evening. Then Saturday began with my certification exam prep course. I plan to take my exam this summer so I started a 6 week prep course this Saturday. It wasn’t bad at all, only 4 hours. It was very good actually, I’ll certainly be prepared when test taking time comes around. After that, I zoomed home so D and I could attend little Claudia’s First Birthday Partay! Please go to The McClendon McBlog to see the pics – they are hilarious! We had a great time. D got to spend some much needed quality time with his fraternity bros and I got to visit with the ladies. I just love baby birthday parties. It’s so much fun to see them destroy their smash cakes and open gifts. I think my favorite is when they end up playing with the tissue paper and wrapping paper instead of the gifts. It’s the simple things in life that satisfy. At the party, my husband ate a piece of cake, 2 cup cakes, drank an Arnold Palmer (like an 80 ounce can of tea and lemonade), and several small sodas. So when we got home at 5:30 he went straight to the bedroom and passed out. He slept for 4 hours. I guess you can still get the sugar rush and subsequent crash even when you’re 30. It reminded me of the episode of The Office where Michael gets the gourmet pretzel with every topping, starts bouncing off the walls from his sugar rush, then crashes and falls asleep at his desk for hours. Oh, my man, I love the kid in him.

Well, that’s enough for one weekend. It was a blast, but I think we’ll take it easy this weekend. How was your weekend? Any cool, incredible, awesome (hehe!) plans for this coming weekend? Share, that’s what we do in Blogland.

See ya lata!

Answered Prayer

2010-04-09T15:35:00.000-05:00

Well, ask and you shall receive. My last post was about my weight loss woes and how we (women) should support each other in this struggle. The very next day my email devotional was all about weight loss and supporting each other. Wow, it’s almost as if God listens to his children and answers through his other children. The devotion was written by Karen Ehman and here is the link to her post: My Triple Braided Cord. It really lifted my spirits. She also listed some awesome links, including one to her blog where every Wednesday is devoted to weight loss: Karen Ehman.

Now this one cracked me up! If your weight loss perspective ever gets too serious or out of control, please read this - Dear Bathroom Scale (awesome and hilarious view on the weight issue).

And, guess what, I’ve lost some inches. Well maybe not inches but at least one inch. Last night I put on my “large” jeans to go to a friend’s house and noticed they were very loose. Normally, I have to pull them up, but it’s because they are made with that stretchy material in them. So they, ya know, stretch and sag – hence, they were perfect as “large” jeans.. Well, last night they were larger and saggier than normal. So this morning for Jean Day at work I braved it and put on my old size 6’s. As I slid those jeans up my legs my heart was beating so fast. “Could I take another body disappointment? Especially at 6am. Could I really take seeing my middle turn into a muffin top?” It was almost as if time stood still, everything moved in slow motion. Then, lo and behold, they made it past my thighs, my butt, and then the ultimate test – will they zip and button? Oh, they did baby! They did more than that – I could even sit down with them on and I was comfortable! I believe I heard angels singing. Now, granted they are still a little snug, but now I don’t have to undo the top button when I sit down. VICTORY! It’s one small step, but it feels so good.

Please, revel in your small success because when you add them all up they become one huge success! Good luck this weekend, be kind to yourself, and enjoy your life (just eat healthier).

“For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother's womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place. When I was woven together in the depths of the earth, your eyes saw my unformed body. All the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, O God! How vast the sum of them!” (Psalm 139: 13-17, NIV)

The Great Bulge

2010-04-06T16:40:00.001-05:00

I have mentioned briefly here that I am struggling to lose about 25 pounds (brought on by honeymooning and hormonal issues-‘nuff said). Well, guys, when I say struggle, I mean STRUGGLE. 6 weeks ago I completely changed my routine. I started working out with the P90X CD’s. I’m sure you’ve seen the numerous infomercials. I love it! I know I’ve worked out when I’m done because they are intense and hard. I work out hard every morning at 5 AM for an hour with my man. I’ve also started to watch what I eat. I don’t eat out for lunch anymore, only go eat out for dinner once every 2 weeks or so, cut down on my portions, eating more natural foods-less processed. I’m doing everything you’re supposed to do and I have not lost. One. Single. Pound. But Hubby’s lost 10 pounds. AWWWWWWWWWWW!

Don’t get me wrong, I am so happy and proud of my husband. That is a big accomplishment, it’s my half way mark. So anyway, I’m bummed, but I am not giving up. I took my before pics when I started along with my measurements. And no, I will not be posting my before pics right now. Maybe after I’ve lost the weight with my after pic right next to it. We’ll see, I’m not sure if I’m ready to share that with the world. My friend Erin , the dietician/trainer extraordinaire, has been such an encouragement. She said that it may take up to 8 weeks to see any results. So, in two weeks I’ll be weighing and taking my measurements. Hopefully by then I’ll have lost at least one pound a an inch or two.

So, I did not write this so people would feel sorry for me. No. I’m chronicling his experience because I know I am not the only person going through this. It’s hard, but the effort is so worth it. I feel incredible and I know I will be healthy for my kids/family in the future, enabling me to serve God whenever he calls. I’d hate to say I couldn’t do something he asked of me because I was physically unable. So, if you’re reading this and struggling just like me, don’t give up. Keep going. Keep pushing. It is all working to the good of your body. Don’t get caught up in what the world says your body should look like. Don’t make this about vanity, make it about your health. Make it about how you feel physically. Do you have more energy? Are you able to do one push up when before you couldn’t do it? Do you feel stronger? That’s what it’s about.

Ok, I’m done. But I’d love to hear of your past or current weight loss successes, processes, tips, etc.

Happy Easter!

2010-04-05T15:15:00.001-05:00

This was such an awesome Easter! I don't have any photos unfortunately, but I can tell you I had a wonderful time. No, I don't have any kids, so I can't blog about them egg hunting and opening their Easter baskets. But, I did have my mom and little sister in this weekend. I had not seen them since Christmas and that was way too long. Have you ever been separated from your family for that long? I haven't. Not even when I lived in Little Rock, Ark. I still was able to come back in at least once a month. Well, not anymore – being a grown up sucks sometimes.

Anyway, they came in and we had a blast. We didn't do anything particularly special, we just spent a lot of time together.

The weekend started Thursday night. D and I went to the Holy Thursday service at church – awesome! Then after we went with some of our friends to the Chocolate Bar. Oh. My. Goodness. More chocolate than I have ever seen. D was in heaven. Wish I had a pic of the look on his face as he ate his chocolate ice cream, chocolate brownie, and chocolate peanut butter cupcake. Gluttinous. We probably could have stayed there all night but Mom and sis called to tell us they just pulled into town. So we high tailed it back home and the fun began.

We visited for quite a while Thursday night (the chocolate high helped with that one) then hit the hay. It was so nice to sleep in on Friday. Then we got up and took our time getting ready to eat lunch and shop. We ate lunch at an awesome restaurant, Cedar Creek Café. Yummy! We discovered this place a few weeks ago with our Sunday School class and have been hooked ever since. It's great because you can sit outside. Actually, the place reminds me of the Whistle Stop Café in Fried Green Tomatoes. It's very rustic and all the tables are old and wood. So fun! The wonderful weather helped quite a bit as well. I had a Boca Burger with an egg and avocado. No it's not on the diet, but it's the first "bad" food I've eaten in 6 weeks.

After the café we moseyed on down to the Highland Shopping Center. It's awesome. We meandered through Crate and Barrel (which does not exist in Shreveport, LA) as well as Anthropologie (again, not in Shreveport). After some fun window shopping, we went to the Chocolate Bar (yes, again, come on – it's Easter). We all snarfed down some rocking chocolate ice cream and then decided it was time to go home. We spent the rest of the evening watching the movie Up (Love it!), crying our eyes out, and visiting till the early morning.

Saturday was a lot like Friday – more sleeping in, more eating, and more movie watching (Wall-e and The Blind Side). Which led to more crying and more visiting. What more could you ask for.

I do have to make a special mention: D. D rocked the house this weekend. He carted his women all over Houston, shopped with them, and cooked for them. He made the most incredible fajita spread Friday night and it lasted us all weekend. How many husbands do you know who would do all that? Not many-he is awesome!

Finally on Sunday we all got up and headed to church. I sang in the choir and I have to say the music was inspiring. Houston's First Baptist's music leadership rocks. Now don't get me wrong, I certainly do not believe that church and worship are purely about the spectacular of the music and emotion-but when the music, prayer, and message combine to result in a sanctuary filled with the Spirit; well there's nothing better.

I hope your Easter was filled with faith, family and love (oh and a little chocolate too).

Holy Week

2010-03-31T09:50:00.001-05:00

As I have progressed through this week of remembrance and celebration I have become so aware of my complacency. I have been given so much throughout my life. Sure, I’ve experienced hard times: my parent’s losing their jobs and then our home, parent’s divorce, poverty (not really, but in my mind it was), my own job loss and now my husbands’. But you know, I’ve never suffered. Through all those hard times God provided and protected, I never wanted. He provided, just as he provided Jesus for my sins-for the world’s sins.

This week God’s provision was made so real to me as I traveled to rural New Mexico and Colorado for work. I visited two towns with a poverty I have never seen or experienced. You hear about it and you see it on the news, but until you walk in it, you do not know. I still don’t know how the people in this town feel or what their lives are like, but just to see it is life changing. I’ve been consumed lately with my plans. My plans that D should have a job now because it’s house-hunting season and we have to have a house by a certain time because the time to start a family (by my plans) is coming soon. Then I realized this week, I should glory in this moment God has given me. D and I have been supernaturally blessed with wonderful new friends here in Houston. Friendships I know are real and genuine and that came so quickly. Blessed to be a part of a church living the Word-genuinely and actively. I am blessed with a job I like and a boss I love, a job that provides for all our needs and more. God provides and I need to be satisfied and content in what he provides in this moment, not worrying about when my plans will come to fruition. Why would I want my plans when his are so much more awesome? It makes me laugh at myself.

The devotion listed below spoke volumes to me, made me appreciate my Savior and my God. Take a look and let me know your thoughts in the comments. I hope it brings you blessings.

http://proverbs31devotions.blogspot.com/

Happy Easter!

Hello Old Friend

2010-03-12T20:22:00.002-06:00

Um, yeah, ok, it's been quite a while since I've posted one dang thing. I've been a little busy with, ya know, LIFE. I miss you bloggy world. Where else can I be the total dork that I am?

So, sorry for all 2 of you who read my blog. I cannot promise I will write everyday, but I have made it my goal to post at least once a week. We'll start there and see where we end up.

Where have you been, GrumpyPants, you ask? Well, bussssay! Where to start? I'll make a list, that always helps my Type A, Melancholy brain.

1. Started a new job in October. If you read this blog, you know that at least. I love my new job, but it's a Big Girl job. No more breezing through the day. No more going to work and not being challenged. No more wondering how the people I report to ever got their job and have kept it for 30 years. And, hallelujah, no more Baby Boomers making me feel like a worthless idiot simply because I'm a woman and under 40 years old. I love that my boss is exactly my age and bases her opinion of me on the quality of my work. It rocks! But this job entails a lot of hours. I'm at work by 8am and leave between 5:30 and 6pm. No lunch people, there is no time. Oddly enough, I enjoy this because the days zoom by. It's great, no more watching the paint peel and begging God to make the day go faster. There's also a bit of traveling involved with this job. I've never had a job where traveling was required. It's taking a lot to get used to - mainly getting used to being away from the Hubs. But it's totally manageable. So work is good-for the first time in my career.

2. The new job brought Hubby and I to Houston, TX. It's very different from Shreveport, but we are learning to love it as well. God has been so wonderful to us in Houston. We have a month to month lease and I live less than 30 mins from work - I never have to take a Loop, or a Freeway, or a Toll Road, or an Interstate. If you are from Houston, you know what a miracle that is. The only drawback is Hubby is still trying to find permanent employment. I love him so much. He gave up a steady, easy, cushy job in Shreveport to follow me to the great unknown. He's been so incredible. He's handled it with his usual faith, patience, and trusting attitude. I want to be like him when I grow up.

3. We joined an awesome church, Houston's First Baptist. The moment we set foot in the sanctuary, we knew it was the place for us. Since we've been here we've joined the most amazing Sunday School class, the church, and choir (me). Love it and it keeps us busy. We absolutely adore our Sunday School class and small group. The very first day we visited Sunday School we had friends. We've been making friends ever since. This is such a blessing. I was so concerned it would take us years to form the same close relationships we left in Shreveport, but God let it happen in 2 months. He rocks and so do all the sweet people in the Veritas Sunday School class.

4. Then there is P90X. Have you heard of P90X? If you haven't, then apparently you're not cool. Because all the cool people are doing it. No, not really, but everyone we know seems to know about it. It's the most extreme workout program, or at least that's what they say in the infomercial. Anyway, I have gained about 20 lbs since the whole Thyroid thing started happening and it's now time to get it off. So Hubby and I borrowed the DVDs from our friends. Again, this is why my husband is the most awesome man ever. He gets up with me every morning at 5 am and works his butt off. He rocks! We began the routine 3 weeks ago. It's been tough and I know exactly how out of shape I am. But just watch out - I'll give updates periodically. Apparently in 90 days I'm supposed to have a completely new, Victoria's Secretesque body. Watch out Heidi Klum, here I come.

So, as you can see, I've had a lot taking up my time and there's been no time for blogging. Between moving, starting the new job, traveling every two to three weeks, going to church, going to choir, working out, and oh yeah, making time for my man -there hasn't been much down time. If there is, I'm sleeping.

But, I will be back. Look for a recipe post soon. It might even be more interesting than this post. So, there you have it, that's what's been going on in my so called life.

Christmas 2009

2009-12-22T17:12:00.003-06:00

This is our first Christmas in Houston and it's different. Every year I usually pull out the Christmas decorations at Thanksgiving. I spend hours and days make sure the tree and hosue look perfect. I look forward to it every year. But this year, we are still in temporary housing and all the decorations are tightly packed. So I thought I would have a hard time getting into the Holiday Spirit. Not so, thankfully.

A few nights ago my husband surprised me by pulling out our little silver table topper tree. Here it is in all its glory surrounded by presents.

I know some of you may be thinking, What's the big deal? And you know what? You're right - that's what I learned in Christmas 2009. The decorations are fun and festive, but they do not make the season, they are not the reason we celebrate.

We celebrate because our Savior came from Heaven to earth to save us. It's not about stressing over getting the house ready and buying a lot of presents. It's about Him, His love for us, and sharing that love.

Don't get me wrong - traditions of putting up the tree, going to parties, exchanging gifts, and celebrating with the ones we love are awesome. I just learned that it's all about balance and putting Jesus first during this season (really all year round).

The Echols pray you have a very Merry Christmas with your family!

I bring you good news of great joy that will be for all the people. Today in the town of David a Savior has been born to you; he is Christ the Lord. Luke 2:10b-11, NIV

The Eternal Question...

2009-12-08T12:59:00.003-06:00

What do I get my husband for Christmas?! I already bought him one gift, but he knows what it is -he picked it out. So I'm stumped. He just had his birthday in October and he got a lot of what he wanted. Then he used his birthday money to buy some books and DVDs. To top it off, he doesn't have the typical "guy" hobbies. He's not into hunting or fishing or sports (the Big 3). He does like video games, but he said he doesn't want any right now. He also does not want any clothes. So, again, I'm stumped.

Anybody have any creative husband Christmas gift ideas? What did you do when you were a newlywed and found yourself in this position?

This sounds so petty compared to what this season is really about. And I know he could care less what I get him, but I just want him to feel special on Christmas morning. So any help is greatly appreciated. And tell me if you've been there too - there's consolation in numbers.

Happy Shopping!

We Don't Get White Christmas's in Houston - Or Do We?

2009-12-05T09:29:00.004-06:00

Well, living in Houston has brought it's share of challenges and surprises, but nothing tops yesterday. We got 3 inches of snow! It was so beautiful! Here are a few pics. They're not great but they give you an idea of what we saw.

We did not get much on the ground in our backyard because of all the trees, but look at the roofs!
You can kinda see how much snow was coming down in this one.
It really was awesome. The hubs and I were sipping hot cocoa and watching the snow fall as Christmas music played from the ipod. It reminded us of our honeymoon to Whistler, Canada. A perfect winter day.

Making it Feel Like Home

2009-10-10T08:56:00.002-05:00

Houston is definitely a good fit for the Echols. We've only been here 2 days, but we've had some fun exploring our new home. There are so many new and exciting things. But there are also many familiar things. Such as, the torrential downpour of rain yesterday. Well, that's Fall in the deep south for ya. Lots and lots of rain. It made running errands yesterday an adventure. We avoided I10 and 610 completely. Which was a good thing. We saw parts of town we would not normally have seen. We made the obligatory Lowe's run and then I had my first HEB experience. That is the coolest grocery store ever. I could have gotten my entire lunch free there by just visiting all the cooking demonstrations. Then finished it off with a delicious dessert wine or coffee. I. am. in. love. Thank you HEB.

It's going to be fun these next few months exploring neighborhoods and boroughs to find our perfect home. We already found a few neighborhoods we'd like to see homes in. If you do not know, we are leasing until we find the right house. Don calls it Base Camp. It's a perfect description.

We moved in on Thursday and found that our master bathroom toilet spewed water out the back everytime you flush. Then found that the guest bathroom toilet did not work at all. Quite a problem. But our landlord was wonderful and she had them both replaced. So we have brand new toilets. I know it's not a big deal, but it's nice to have something new.

Next, we discovered that the tiles on a section of the counter in the kitchen are not glued down nor are they grouted. Interesting. So leasing is turning out to be an adventure. Even though in the big scheme of things we have a nice lease home - these things are such an incentive to find our home to buy. It's going to be fun looking.

The move itself was an adventure, but easier than I thought. The puppies were awesome. Mostly because we gave them doggie downers before we left Shreveport and they slept the entire way to Houston. Saweet! Then, we hired Impack Movers to unload the truck in Houston. The best money we ever spent. Those two guys had everything, and I mean everything, unloaded in one hour. And that includes the refrigerator and washer/dryer. It was amazing to watch.

The only thing I'm disappointed in is that I will not be able to decorate for the upcoming fall and holiday season. We decided to only unpack the bare essentials. Everything else is staying in it's boxes since we'll be moving again in a mere 6 to 8 months. All the boxes (our entire home) is stored in the two guest bedrooms. So even though I really want to make the house homey and Fall-ish (and Christmassy later) - the thought of repacking the house again in 6 to 8 months is enough to keep me in check. But next year will be awesome!

Lastly, the hubs and I are enjoying all this time we get to spend together. In Shreveport, we were committed to a lot of things (Church ministries, friends, social activities). So we were constantly busy. We were together most of the time but just busy. Here we cannot commit to much until find our home - so it's like we get to slow down and date again. It's going to be so much fun.

Keep us in your prayers as my man begins his job search. I'm not worried because God has provided so much for us already. Just pray for wisdom and discernment. We want him to be exactly where God wants him.

We love and miss everyone in Louisiana. But we are so excited to get to know our Houston friends and family better. And I promise pictures are coming soon.

Moving Day or Days I Should Say

2009-10-07T11:07:00.002-05:00

Well it is officially MOVING DAY! Yay! I have prepared for and dreaded this day for weeks. Now it is finally here. Although a lot of the heavy duty stuff was done last night by my new superheros.

Sasquatch and his two awesome Side Kicks - Troy and Noland. You guys rock! I mean they really do. Troy was even injured and he still managed to get it done. These guys moved the refrigerator, washer and dryer, sofas, dressers, hutches, and dining room tables with the greatest of ease (well - maybe not ease, but they did it).

Poor things! We have had the most wonderful Fall weather the last few days. Cool and breezy. Then yesterday the Heavens decided to rain down their fury, not to mention 200% humidity. It was awful, but my superheros persevered.

So that's the latest update. Sasquatch and I need to get back to work. I'll catch ya in Houston (with pics hopefully!).

House Hunting in Houston

2009-09-29T09:10:00.002-05:00

What a week it has been! I never thought finding a home in Houston would be so hard and exhausting.

Don and I thought we'd found a home last Sunday - after a 48 hour marathon of looking in Houston. We put an offer in Sunday night late and drove all the way back to Shreveport. Unfortunately, late Monday night we found out it would not work out. So Tuesday morning we headed back to Houston. Thank goodness for great friends! We stayed with Don's sweet fraternity bro and his beautiful wife - and their brand new baby.

My mom - the real estate agent - came along and we began looking again. Another one of Don's fraternity brother's hooked us up with our wonderful realtors. They're a husband and wife team - Tony and Charlsey. Charlsey took us all over Houston Wednesday, but on Wednesday evening we wrote a contract on a new construction with her. But you could tell she, Tony and my mom were not crazy about the house. I was so determined I just did not realize. Plus, Don and I were so completely exhausted - it was 10pm when we wrote the contract. We gave the builder a huge deposit and went back to our friend's house and passed out.

I woke up with my sweet husband sitting on the edge of my bed. He said he knew we'd made a mistake and wanted to get out of the contract. After about an hour of crying and talking I agreed. My husband was awesome! He got us out of our contract and got our money returned. Then, he found us a great lease house.

I was determined not to sign a one year lease - I was kinda a baby about it. But again it worked out. The home we really want agreed to a 6 month lease and we passed the credit check. So now we are waiting on our phone interview with the landlord. If she likes us we finally have a home in Houston.

We just decided to lease and take our time looking, instead of rushing things and buying something we really were not excited about. It took a while for that wisdom to penetrate my hard head, but I'm finally excited and ready to go.

Yesterday was my last day at work so now I can focus on getting the house packed and get going. I am going to miss Shreveport and all our friends but I feel God has a real adventure in store for us - and I. am. ready.

On the Road Again

2009-09-22T14:57:00.002-05:00

What a weekend! Don and I traveled to Houston on Friday to find our house. We spent all weekend looking and saw nothing we liked. Then, at the end of the day on Sunday we finally found one. We wrote a contract at 7pm and got back on the road home. We drove into our garage at 11pm and went to work the next day. We were sooooooo tired yesterday, but excited because we were waiting to hear if our contract was accepted. We fully expected it to be. But then we got the call late last night that it was not and the owner was not willing to negotiate.

Yeah, I had a fit. I was, again, left with nowhere to live and I start work on 10/12. So Don, Mom and I decided to hit the road again today, go back to Houston and find the house. We are using a realtor who is Don's fraternity bro and I can tell he's more familiar with the market than our previous realtor. So I am very optimistic.

Pray for us! We are driving in the rain right now. And we will not leave Houston until we find our house!

B-I-G Announcement, Big Changes

2009-09-18T15:28:00.002-05:00

Well, as I'm sure you've noticed, my posting has been rather sparse the last two weeks. There is a reason for that...We are MOVING to HOUSTON, TX! Yeah, that's right, out of the blue! Here's the story:

If you've read this blog anytime, you know that 2 weeks before Christmas of 2008 I was told by my boss that my entire department and I were being laid off. Our last day of work was 1/30/09. So during those two months I was posting my resume like crazy. I ended taking a job in town with a physician practice.

I was at my new job about 2 months when I realized that this would not work out. It was not the job I was told I was being hired for and many other reasons. But I did not look for another job, I just tried to stay optimistic. I knew when God was ready for me to move on he would provide the opportunity. And I prayed that constantly. About 2 weeks after I started praying for God to present an opportunity, I was contacted by my (now) new boss, Leanne.

I received an email from her saying she was not a solicitor (ha!) and that she'd found my resume on my professional organization's website. I wasn't sure about responding, so I called my boss from my previous job. He had worked with the company recruiting me and I wanted his insight. He was very encouraging and complimentary of the organization. So I decided, Why not? I responded back and then immediately sent a big Thanks up to God.

Leanne and I emailed and talked on the phone for about 2 weeks, then she set up a web cam interview with her and another individual at the company. It went so well. But I didn't hear from Leanne for like a week after the interview. The waiting was so hard. Then I got an email from her asking if we'd be willing to move to Albuquerque.

WHAT?! ALBUQUERQUE?! That, of course, was my first response (as well as the Hubby). But after we prayed and thought about it, we decided that if that is where God wants us to go, we'll go. For about 3 weeks we were set to head out to New Mexico. Then Leanne and I met in person in Lafayette for another interview. She said she really wanted me in Houston, but that job would not be hiring for about 2-4 months. Yikes! I decided I wanted to wait for the better position in Houston (plus I really did not want to move to Albuquerque). Then I came back home and started the waiting game. Boy was that hard! I was so frustrated with things going on at work, but I knew if I was just patient God would put me in the right place.

Just about the time (about 2 weeks) I resigned myself to the fact that I would not be hearing back from Leanne for a few months she emailed me and asked me to come to Houston for a last interview. WooHoo! I was so excited. They flew me down to Houston and had a Town Car and driver waiting to pick me up. It was so cool.

The interview was awesome! Everyone was so nice and it is the exact environment I've dreamed of working in. Better yet - Leanne brought me to her neighborhood and house to check out the area and then to lunch. I felt so wanted. I've never had an organization recruit me so hard. She offered me the job that day. And not only did God provide a new opportunity, he provided a better paying one. And they are giving us a huge allowance that will cover our moving expenses. It is almost unbelievable.

But that's not the best part - here is how God really showed us he would take care of everything.

So of course, I was excited about moving, but I only had 4 1/2 weeks to sell our home, find a home in Houston, buy it, and move (plus Hubby has to find a job). I was just a little freaked out. I started having nightmares with me living in a run down apartment in Houston and Hubby staying in Shreveport until he found a job. But God is sooooo good. One week after we put our house up for sale it sold to a sweet couple in our Sunday School class. And it sold for the exact amount of money we need to get into a house in Houston.

So, Hubby and I are heading down to Houston to find our house. There is still so much left to happen before we move. And, as I have learned this week, the new home loan regulations make it very difficult to close in our time frame. Our loan officer told us it's possible, but we'd better have a Plan B. Right now we are looking at closing on both houses on the Friday before I start work. Moving the next day. Putting the house together the next. And then I start work. It will be a whirlwind. But I don't care, I am sooo excited! Hubby is diligently looking for a job, so please pray for that. But I know God will provide because he has all along the way.

So, it's scary, fun, and exciting - but so worth it.

And that's why I have not written lately. Hubby gave his notice today, so we couldn't take the chance someone from work would find out. It was killing me! There was so much I wanted to tell you guys. But there it is and the saga continues Monday, I'll tell you all about the House Hunting Trip.

Have a great weekend!

My Fav DIY Projects

2009-09-16T13:15:00.007-05:00

As you may know from one of my earlier blogs, I am trying to win the grand prize in the DIY Showoff Scavenger Hunt at DIY Showoff

Well, one of the requirements for entry is to blog about your favorite DIY project. Um, since I have a big life change going on right now (I will reveal all next week, I just cannot right now, you will understand when I tell you) I have not had time to do my own project. So, I decided to feature my 2 most recent favs from one very talented blogger.

#1 is Pink and Polka Dot's The Laziest Slip Cover Tutorial Ever! I cannot wait to get started on this! I have the most ugly duo of chairs in my living room which desperately need slip covers. But like I'm gonna spend $200 on a slip cover. I could buy a new chair for that! But they really need help. For one thing, they do not match. One is faded maroon and the other is a brown crisscross pattern. Second, Daisy made the maroon one her chew toy for a while and it's covered in her bite marks. So this is definitely going to be a DIY project for me.

#2 is also a Pink and Polka Dot creation: Monogrammed Crow! I know, you're thinking What?! But, I love this idea! I plan on using a Fleur de lis pattern and other's that will fit each person I give this to. Because this is going to be one of my Christmas gifts to my family members. (Shhh! Don't tell) How sweet! I love it because you can personalize it to each person and their front door. Here is the pic of PPD's finished product:

Photo courtesy of PinkandPolkaDot: http://pinkandpolkadot.blogspot.com/

One more requirement, in order to get another entry, is to link this post from DIY Show Off. I like this Sparkly Fall Garland. I can really see it in my home going well with my pumpkins and other fall decor. Check it out!

More news to come soon...I promise! Until then I really hope I win the grand prize (I'm gonna need it with the big life change):

The DIY Scavenger Hunt

2009-09-12T08:00:00.002-05:00

I am soooooo excited about the DIY Show Off Scavenger Hunt! You can find this great blog by clicking on DIY Show Off or going to my Blog Roll page.Those 5 of you who are loyal readers will remember Grandma's Chair as my first DIY project on this blog. Well, I have about a million more at home I'd like to do, but I do not have the necessary tools. DIY Scavenger Hunt is the answer to my DIY prayer - well maybe. This is the prize for the winner of this fun game:

Black & Decker 7.2V Project Kit with Bag (Saweeet!)

If you are interested in playing too, just click on the DIY Scavenger Hunt button above and you can get all the rules. FUN!

And remember (and I'll try to as well - pray for me people, it's so easy to give in)

Wisdom is having something to say and NOT saying it. (Anonymous)

Do You Remember?

2009-09-11T09:14:00.003-05:00

Today is the 8th anniversary of 9/11/01. All the news programs are asking people to remember where they were on that tragic day. Where were you?

I was 22 years old and sitting in my very early 8 am Speech Disorders class at Louisiana State University in Shreveport. I was a Speech Pathology major. I'm one of those dorks who never. ever. used her degree. I just went straight into grad school.

Anyway, there I was, surrounded by about 5 other young ladies. We were all extremely tired. You know, that I have not had my first cup of coffee look. Hey - it was 8.o.clock.in.the.am. I had to drive about 40 minutes to get to class.

So we're sitting there quietly working on a project and all of a sudden a girl comes running into the classroom yelling Can you believe it? We had absolutely no idea what she was talking about. Finally, we turned on the TV in the room and were shocked, like everyone else. It was the most surreal event I've ever experienced. We felt like we were in a movie or watching a movie. We made that comment several times.

My professor canceled class and I went down to my car to listen to the news. I still had other classes that day so I had to stay. I remember thinking Why are we still going to class, we need to do something! It still irks me to this day that my other classes were not canceled. Anyway, I know I was feeling what everyone else did at that moment. You felt as if you needed to make a beeline for the Pentagon or NY because people needed help. I have never felt more helpless as I did that day.

Of course for me that was not an option because I was half way across the country from those locations. And I think we all remember what air travel was like that day and many weeks after.

As the days passed I remember watching our new President - George W. Bush with swelling pride. He wasted no time rallying the workers in New York and Washington. He was inspiring. The people were inspiring. I was in awe of the display of human bravery and love.

Today, our nation saw evil, the very worst of human nature, and we responded with the best of America"

President George W. Bush, September 11, 2001

Years later I've met some of the volunteers of those terrible days and seen the effects their work took on their health. It's sad to see them suffer, but they are so full of fulfillment and pride, knowing they were there and they helped.

Sept 11 will always be a day I will remember - a day of tragedy but the days and weeks that followed were some of the greatest displays of humanity ever. I love my country and I love the people who serve to protect it. Make sure you let them know.

Where were you on that day? How do you remember it?

The Lord is good, a strong refuge when trouble comes. He is close to those who trust in him. Nahum 1:7 (NLT)

Lots of Change

2009-09-10T12:00:00.000-05:00

I know, it's been a good week since I've posted anything, but I've had a lot going on. I cannot reveal the big change now, but will very soon. All I will say is that the Hubs and I have a big adventure ahead of us (no, I'm not pregnant).

Well, I don't know about you, but I do not do change well. at. all. I tend to freak out, fret, worry, go insane (as Sasparilla loves to put it). I always wonder why I do this because every time a big life change has occurred God has carried me through beautifully. He always makes everything fall into the exact right place at the exact right time. But yet, I still fret. I usually end up making myself an exhausted mess and the people who love me are so annoyed. Where is my faith? Does anyone else struggle with this? How do you deal with it?

So as I was beginning my descent into anxiety hell, I opened my email and found this wonderful devotion from Proverbs31 Ministry by Tracie Miles. It's as if she's lived my life. Please check it out, it will bless your day.

I'll leave you with words of comfort from out LORD on this subject:

And my God will meet all of your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ Jesus. Philippians 4:19 (NIV)

You are my hiding place; you will protect me from trouble and surround me with songs of deliverance. Psalm 32:7 (NIV)

Oh and check it out. I have a button thingy. Jenny from Simply Delightful Designs made one as part of my blog redesign. Grab it on the side bar. Tell all your friends!

Grandma's Chairs

2009-09-02T21:10:00.001-05:00

I recently inherited my grandmother's dining room table and chairs. And even though I love her, I hate the Golden Girls, 80's, floral print fabric.

Not exactly my style. So I decided to be a big girl and recover the chairs. It took me a while to find the right fabric at the right price. But I finally did, so here's how I transformed my grandmother's chairs.

Obligatory before picture

First things first...Here are all the tools you will need except the staple gun which I forgot to photograph. Batting or a chair seat foam, if you want to be fancy. A level or ruler for straight lines. Scissors, screwdriver or large staple remover, white fabric pencil, black magic marker, measuring tape, and Febreeze.

Once you have everything assembled, remove the seats from the chair. Usually you just have to take out the screws. Then, start the fun job of removing the staples. I used the screwdriver by shoving it under the staple and just wiggling the staple out. I had a ton of staples because I had 3 layers of old fabric to remove. Here are the other two, nice right?

Now that all the fabric is removed your left with the old foam and old batting and wood seat. I reused the foam which is where the Febreeze comes in. My grandparent's were heavy smokers. So I Febreezed the heck out of these and put them on the back porch. It worked great. But I most definately did not reuse the old batting - gross.

Place your wood seat on your batting (or foam) and trace a pattern using the black magic marker. Cut out your batting and use it as your pattern for your other seats.

Unfortunately, I did not take pics of the next steps. But, believe me, if I can do it so can you. It's so simple. If you have a pattern in your fabric like me, make sure there isn't a part of the pattern that needs to be centered on the seat. My fabric has one so I put my batting on the wood seat then centered the pattern. I flipped the seat, pulled the fabric taught on one side and stapled. I just went around and when I came to the corners I folded it (like a present) so there is no puckering, just nice and neat.

Make sure you staple everything down nice and tight and your done. It's that simple. And here is the final result.

I love my new dining room table and chairs! Do you have any fun do it yourself fun?

The Fancy Fritter

2009-08-28T17:30:00.001-05:00

I have the most talented cousin in the world, Stacy. Stacy is my younger cousin and she can make the cutest baby clothes, bibs, burp clothes, etc. Here is a preview of some of the stuff from her Etsy shop (note the precious model, her little one and my little cousin, the Fritter)

I've seen some of the precious pillowcase dresses and they are to die for...I can't wait to have a baby and let Stacy pretty her up (I guess if it's a boy, we can boy him up? maybe).

Anywoo, please check her out: Gracious Creations, her Etsy store. And the Fancy Fritter, her blog where she will sometimes feature some of her best stuff.

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Showers

2009-08-28T06:31:00.006-05:00

Today at Kelly's Korner is Show Us Your Life Friday - Wedding Showers. This is perfect for me since Sasaparilla and I just threw a shower last weekend for his best friend. We threw the tool and garden shower, but it was open to all, not just the guys. I am very proud of myself in my decorating abilities

We went with the typical theme of tools, so I decided to take my step ladder and put it on the table. It made the perfect serving piece - it replace my smaller, wrought iron , stacked serving piece. We put all the fixings for the chili on it - cheese, sour cream, and Fritos.

Here is the remainder of my table scape. I took an existing arrangement and added nails, washers, and bolts to the bottom of the apothecary jar. Then I filled in the arrangement with the tools from my husbands tool set. Finally, I took the tool box and arranged it askew on the table and put the arrangement on top of it. There you go!

As for the food, we decided to serve three kinds of chili with all the fixings. It was a guy themed party so we wanted to keep with that. The ladies enjoyed it all just as much as the guys. I'll post the chili we made on the Recipe section soon. Then, my sis in law and I split dessert duty. She made these lovely vanilla cupcakes. She made these for us on the day we were engaged and they are delicious. Note the sweet little silver rings in the frosting. Then I made Southern Living's Chocolate Bread Pudding. Sorry no pic but it was awesome! I'll be posting that recipe soon as well.

Finally, we bought them a wheelbarrow. So we put it next to where they were going to sit to open their gifts and put all the gifts in it. We did not get a pic but it looked great and everyone loved it.

Well, that was our Tool and Garden Chili Shower and we had a blast, hope you enjoyed!

The New Look

2009-08-27T14:05:00.005-05:00

Look at my new blog! Isn't it pretty? I'm so excited! A few weeks ago I won a blog redesign by

She was awesome! She worked with me so patiently even though I kept changing my mind and asking silly questions. But the result is awesome I think. I really wanted her to incorporate Fleur de lis because it represents two big parts of me: My french heritage and the Trinity/Cross. I also love my rotating header. 5 pics and 5 scriptures will rotate, so each time you come to the site you will get a new one. Sweet!

You will also notice my top bar options. Let me explain them a little. Love Story is the story of how my husband and I met, and met, and met and then finally fell in love. Recipes is my recipe blog. I will be posting my recipes, but I'd love to have some guest bloggers post their own. So please go to the Contact section, email me with the subject as GrumpyPants' Recipes. You can put your post right in the email and I will post it for you on my page. I really want this to work because I know that myself and my girlfriends are always looking for recipes. I think the other sections are pretty self explanatory.

Go check out Simply Delightful Designs! She is incredibly creative, great and easy to work with, and has awesome prices.

Thanks Simply Delightful Designs!

To Bang or Not to Bang

2009-08-25T20:33:00.000-05:00

So I decided I needed to get a haircut. Nothing drastic just a little style. About a year ago I went for it and cut my hair into a short bob (see photo below).

This is my 2008 Birthday and yes, my mother in law gave me that book. I love her sense of humor.

I had about a million "That is such a cute haircut, who did that?" comments after the cut. I loved it, but it took some work every morning. And I could never pull it into a french twist or pony tail on those mornings I just didn't want to mess with it. So I grew it out.

Once grown out I had this mop of hair that just hung in my face (see before pic below).

So I thought I'd go just about an inch shorter and put on some bangs (see after pic, along with extra chin).

What was I thinking? I asked Don what he thought and after some Umm's and Well's, he told me he liked it better before. He said, I look like a thirty year old with the bangs, but I didn't before. Thanks Sasparilla (that's his blog name - SasparillaSasquatch - check it out as soon as he actually posts, encourage him to post, he's terribly loquacious). It's not his fault, I asked. So now, it's back to the growing out. But what do I do about the flopping in the face? I hate it. I usually end up with my hair tucked behind my ears at the end of the day. It doesn't make for a professional or managerial look. I end up looking like the teenage intern. Talk about getting some respect.

So tell me about your hair disasters, even post some pics (hey I showed you mine, now show me yours). I'm gonna try the Mr. McLinky thing I'm seeing on everyone else's blog. And since I love all 9 of you, but you're 9, tell a friend. If you tell a friend and you tell a friend and you tell a friend...you get the point. Let's laugh about our hair mistakes together (and make Grumpy Pants feel better, that's the real point). Anyway, there ya go. My hair. At lease I can pull it into a twist and it looks good.

Trust In...

2009-08-21T09:09:00.004-05:00

I just finished reading a great trilogy of books by Linda Lee Chaiken, The East of the Sun trilogy (check it out of your church's library or your local library or buy it at Lifeway). The books follow a young woman, Evy, through her life and as she falls in love and marries Rogan, in the late 1800's and early 1900's. The focus of their relationship is Evy learning to put her trust in God as well as her husband. That struck a chord with me. I love my husband more than words can express. He is the most loving, sacrificing, and humble man of God and I thank God for him everyday. But, I'd have to say that trust has been an issue with us. Don't get me wrong, we're very happy - I think this is why they say marriage is the ultimate Refiners fire. In marriage, you are forced to face all the good and bad things about yourself, but hopefully, with a loving partner who is willing to go on that journey with you. Don has been so wonderful through this process.

Anywoo, I was single for 28 years before I was married. In the South that is apparently considered OLD MAID territory. Whatever, I wasn't ready to be married until then, so there.(that's a little shout out to all my single ladies who think that just because they are 20 something and not married they are losers. NO MA'AM! God will bring your man about at His appointed time and it is wonderful when He does - so don't rush things. Enjoy your singledom, God has a purpose in it, seek it out). Ok I'm done with my little side note.

So, like I said, I was 28 when I was married. Plus, I came from a single mom family, so I was used to being very independent and not having a man around. This has led me to make some rooky wifey mistakes. Such as questioning my husband on every decision he makes. Why? Why did we turn this way, I go that way? Why? Why? Why? Ummm, I can see how that can be quite annoying, but at the time I feel like I'm entitled to know everything. Instead of just trusting my husband and his ability to make decisions for us.

Evy and Rogan faced this on a much more dramatic scale. The scene that really spoke to my heart was when Evy and Rogan's ship (this takes place in 1900) docked in Tarshish. Rogan was in a hurry to get them passage on another ship and told Evy not to go into town. Evy decided she was going anyway - despite her husbands wishes. She didn't think that he might have a good reason for not wanting her to leave. No, she just thought he was being mean and she deserved to get off the ship. Well, let's just say, Rogan swooped in just in time to save her from a desperate situation. If she'd just listened to him and trusted that he knew what he was talking about and that he had her best interest at heart, she never would have been in danger nor done damage to their relationship.

As I read this, I finally became fully aware of how I have hurt my husband by not trusting in him. When he brings this up I usually say I deserve to ask questions and know what's going on. I did not realize until recently that I am in essence questioning him and his abilities as a husband. I had no idea because I was only looking at it from my perspective. I am sooooo sorry Sasparilla, I love you and even though I know I won't be perfect, I will trust you and have trusted you always. I just have not done a very good job at showing that.

I started to think about all our pre marital counseling. We were told marriage represents man's relationship with God. Wow! Did I screw up or what? Not only did I tell my husband I didn't trust myself with him, I told God I didn't trust him with me. I never realized how arrogant I could be. But again, that's part of marriage, God revealing our little issues and helping us deal with them with a loving partner.

I'm not trying to say we as wives shouldn't ever question our husbands, just check your motives. Am I asking because I just want to know or understand? Or am I asking so I can make sure I get my way? Quite humbling.

Let me leave you with a few verses God brought to mind today.

I trust in God. I praise his word.
I trust in God. I will not be afraid.
What can people do to me?
Psalm 56:4 (NIRV)

Trust in him at all times, O people;
pour out your hearts to him,
for God is our refuge.
Psalm 62:8 (NIV)

Have a great day and be encouraged - no wife is perfect (neither is a husband) - hold each other up and encourage each other in your journey through life - do not persecute each other, but love unconditionally.

The Prayer Life

2009-08-20T15:37:00.002-05:00

This is hilarious and so, so, so, so true. Wow, let's laugh at our humaness.

Weight Watchers on Hold

2009-08-20T10:38:00.002-05:00

As you read in Thyroid and Antidepressants, I have a slight thyroid problem. It's being treated, but my doc told me I'd gain some weight until we got my levels correct. Great! I'd just lost two pounds on the Weight Watchers and she tells me I'm gonna gain it back, plus more. So I put Weight Watchers on hold. Oh and to top it off, she said I could not work out until she gave me the ok. Dang It! I mean talk about no control!

I'm not happy, I'm getting fat, and I can do absolutely nothing about it. I got a new haircut (which I will post as soon as I can get the pics from the husband's camera). Don took pics of before and after for me. I just about cried when he showed me those pics. I made a mistake because the new do emphasizes my roundness. Notably the double chin I'm developing.

Did I mention I am not happy? I'm not a vain person ya'll. But I'm just as concerned with my appearance as the next girl. It doesn't help that I used to be a size 1/2. I know, start groaning. That's usually what most people do. But I was. And when I was training for Miss LA, my trainers tried to make me gain weight. Unsuccessfully, I may add. I was the contestant who ate the Johnny's Pizza the night we had swimsuit competition. And all the girls hated me. But now, I look like a bloated pageant queen, instead of toned and beautiful swimsuit contestant. It's not fun. My arms swing in the wind now. OMG! And did I mention I have not had children yet?

The doc visit is on Sept 3rd, so hopefully I can resume the working out and the Weight Watchers. I will, of course, keep you posted and let you know my progress (and include some whining because I am Grumpy Pants after all).

Good day!

(in)Courage

2009-08-18T16:20:00.002-05:00

If you need a little lift in your day, check out (in)courage

It's a wonderful site full of encouragement and God. I signed up to have the feed sent to my email and I cannot tell you how great it is to get them. I usually end of receiving it when I am in the most need, and God uses these ladies to speak to my heart. Don't we all need a little of that everyday.

Thyroid and Antidepressants

2009-08-17T16:59:00.001-05:00

I have been vindicated! I cannot tell you how happy I am to write this post (although some of you may think I'm crazy before it's over). I have been on a long journey and have finally come to the end. Let me slow down and start at the beginning...

About six years ago I moved to Little Rock, AR to begin grad school. At that time I started feeling funny - not quite myself. Gaining a little weight (even though I was still training for Miss LA and had never had this problem before), emotional, and fatigued. All normal reactions to grad school, so I just wrote it off. My third year I began my residency and moved to Monroe, LA. There the symptoms really started to kick in - terrible fatigue (the kind that you're so tired when you're driving home at 5pm after work you feel drunk), more weight gain, really emotional, and fast heartbeat. Again, I attributed all this to stress and beginning a new career. This is three years now. So I moved back to Shreveport and started dating Don. He and his family were just shocked at the fact that I was always tired. I would go to bed at like 8 pm every night. Poor Don started getting very worried. But I was putting on a brave face and pushing it hard to keep up. I'd already mentioned all my symptoms along the years to my doctors and they all said it was nothing. My Ob/Gyn in Monroe said it could be my thyroid, but instead of giving me a blood test she gave me a quiz. A QUIZ! Really? Can we say lazy?

Anyway, the wonderful day came when Don proposed. Soon after that he put his foot down and made me go to the doctor. I went to my family doctor, explained all my symptoms and told him I would not be leaving until he actually did something. He drew some blood and told me he'd call me with the results.

The results came back that I had hypothyroidism. What? Basically, he said my thyroid was a little underactive and I would need to take a synthetic hormone for the rest of my life. I could live with that. Anything to make me feel better and help me loose the 20 lbs I'd put on. But the annoying thing was he never did any follow-up. I learned later that I should have been getting blood work every 4-6 weeks to check my levels and ensure my dosage was correct.

So, of course, I started to feel like crap again about 3 months later. I found an endocrinologist, and thought this person would take care of me. He was nice and he listened - but he prescribed me an antidepressant. So instead of looking into my strange symptoms and finding out what was wrong with me, he decided I was a little high strung and depressed. Yeah, that makes sense.

I gave up at that point. I was tired of going to doctors and being made to feel I was crazy. I must be a hypochondriac because my symptoms in someone my age without children just didn't make sense.

Don would not have it. The breaking point was when my heart starting beating so fast and so hard I thought I was going to pass out. Literally started seeing stars. Well, I'd just started my new job in the clinic and so I made an appointment with our endocrinologist. Who just so happens to be a woman. She spent 5 minutes talking with me and knew exactly what was wrong with me. Of course, she took some actual blood to confirm (no quiz here). Turns out I do not have hypothyroidism, I have the complete opposite - Grave's Disease. Grave's disease is hyperactivity of the thyroid. So my other doctor basically prescribed me more of what was making me sick and made the problem worse. My current doctor said she's surprised I didn't show up in the ER with cardiac arrest.

So that was a happy day. I finally knew what was wrong with me. I was not imagining it or being a crazy hypochondriac or anything, I really was sick. The treatment is to basically kill my thyroid and then start me back on the synthetic hormone. We killed the thyroid by taking radiated iodine. Nice huh? I could not be around people for 2 whole days because I could have given them radiation poisoning. Don had to sleep in another bed room for 2 weeks.

It will all be worth it though. I will be well and feeling good. I go back to the doctor on the 3rd to follow up the killing of the thyroid and get my new hormone dosage. We did have to put off having children for a year, but this way my baby will be healthy as well.

Well, that's my long story. I felt some of you might benefit from my struggle. Do not ever let a doctor intimidate you or make you feel like you're crazy. You know your body better than anyone and you know when something is wrong. If your doctor won't listen to you, find another.

Ok that was long, so I'll stop now. Good bye.

Long Time No See

2009-08-13T20:51:00.002-05:00

The coolest thing happened this week on Facebook. My best friend from when I was 6 found me on it. It was awesome. We were buds. Her name is Kelley too and she lived in the house behind mine. We'd climb our chain link fence about a dozen times a day to play. We spent a lot of time in our saaaweeet above ground pool. We'd listen to Bruce Springsteen and play with all her Care Bears. She had about a million of them and most of their little friends. Her mom made the most incredible Monkey Bread. Good times.

Then, Kelley's family moved back to Georgia, where they were from and I was a very sad little Cajun. Shortly after they moved I was able to visit her in Georgia for about a week and then that was the last time I saw her. I've tried for years to find her and her family, but never could. But I have thought of her so many times over the years. Times like the prom and graduation and my wedding. I always felt she should have been at those events and I wondered what they were like for her. She was the funniest and the best. And now we found each other! WooHoo! Facebook you rule!

Anyone else found some long lost friend or relative on Facebook or other social networking site? What was it like?

Life Without the Cable

2009-08-11T10:37:00.001-05:00

I was reading BooMama this morning and decided I needed to share my dilemma. I call it my HGTV-detox. Ummm, Hi my name is GrumpyPants, and I miss my HGTV. I know I'm being a baby about this, but I miss it, I really do. Here's the deal...My husband, Don, has not had cable since around his 3rd or 4th year in college. He and his roommates moved in and just never found the time to get cable. They weren't home much anyway and when they were they'd watch DVDs. Then, in his first job after graduation, he'd work 60+ hours a week. So there was no need for cable. Also, he joined the Blockbuster Club, which is just like NetFlix except it's Blockbuster. So there was never a shortage of entertainment. Don was great with me when we got married and we tried the cable. But, we really only watched it first thing in the morning when we were getting dressed and on Saturday mornings. And, let's face it, I need to be cleaning my house on Saturday morning instead of watching other people clean up their house. But, dang it, sometimes - say Saturday mornings - I want to watch a peppy designer transform a run down house into a mansion, all for $2,000. Can I hear an Amen!?

But, Don's right. We are so much more productive without cable and the $70 extra bucks a month is nice as well. Plus, we still watch a good deal of TV during the week. We get The Office, House, The X Files, and Lost in from Blockbuster and watch that quite a lot. We have even discussed cutting back on this. Because the couch potato body is just not attractive and the laundry should be done at some point.

Anyway, all this rambling to say, I miss HGTV. Can someone create a way that I can get my HGTV, FoodNetwork, TNT, USA, The History Channel, TLC, and Animal Planet only and leave everything else out. Because I really do not need all the sports, news, and hunting (really? do we really need to watch someone fish?) channels. Anyone else feel as I do, or am I just crazy? Anyone ever cut out TV cold turkey? What was it like?

I will end with saying that TV is fine in moderation, but when it gets out of hand - say more than 6 hours on average per week - it's time to cut it off. And we plan to limit TV severely with our children - we do not want overweight kids who have no idea how to play because they sit in front of the TV all day - no TV babysitter in the Echols' household. Thank You Very Much.

Followers

2009-08-10T16:07:00.003-05:00

Hey guess what? Guess what? I now officially have 4 followers. Four! Woohoo! Thank you followers for being at all interested in my ramblings and life. And for reading my totally random posts. I completely appreciate it and tell your friends.

You like me, you really like me! (Ha!)

Opportunity

2009-08-10T11:51:00.002-05:00

You know, I read a devotion today that really has me thinking. Where is my passion, my desire to represent Christ and draw others to him? Why am I so consumed with me and my life, yet never think of what God would have me do today? I mean, He's my entire reason for being. God created me to worship and praise him and to bring others to him. What have I done for him lately? Not much, I fear. Does anyone else struggle with this? I find myself battling time constantly. Trying to make time for a devotion or a quiet time or a simple prayer. Most times I fail and then I wonder why I do not hear the Spirit's leading, why I miss opportunity. I know there have been many times God has presented an opportunity to represent him to someone and I've missed it. What a frightening thought!

My pastor, Dr. Chuck, taught on "Reaping and Sowing" this past Sunday from Galatians 6:7-10. 7Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 The one who sows to please his sinful nature, from that nature will reap destruction; the one who sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life. 9Let us not become weary in doing good, for at the proper time we will reap a harvest if we do no give up. 10Therefore, as we have opportunity, let us do good to all people, especially to those who belong to the family of believers.

There is so much in those few verses, but one really got me. Dr. Chuck said that an opportunity is a limited time in which to fulfill a purpose. For us, as Christians, that purpose is to SOW and REAP - to sow the seeds God gives us and reap the rewards of that obedience (seeing others saved, seeing others healed from a hurt, feeling the joy of serving, etc). When was the last time I made time to serve a fellow believer? Or a non-believer for that matter? When I did, what was my hearts motivation?

So then, in Sunday school, we were in the book of Acts - Acts 1:1-11. It is so awesome how God's Word applies just as much today as it did on 1 AD. God's disciples and apostles were just as distracted and human as we are. They wanted to know when Israel would be restored. "When will we see you, Jesus, come back and kick some Pharisee and Roman butt? (paraphrased)" I always seem to be like them - focused on what I think is best and wondering why God does not listen to me. I mean, I know what I'm talking about, right? How arrogant and disobedient can you get? Then he tells me, It is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:7-8). God trying to tell me to stop struggling in making my own way and follow his. Take the opportunity he's given me - it's only for a limited time - and reap the blessing. I hope you find time for the blessing as well, for that is all He wants to give.

My determined purpose is that I may know Him - that I may progressively become more deeply and intimately acquainted with Him, percieving and recognizing and understanding the wonders of his person more strongly and more clearly.Philippians 3:10, AMP

Show Us Your Life - Wedding Reception and Honeymoon

2009-08-06T15:48:00.006-05:00

This week Kelly's Korner is hosting "Show Us Your Life - Wedding Receptions and Honeymoons." Well, I am very happy about this, because we had a rocking reception and a beautiful honeymoon.

Here's the Big D and I in our First Dance. We went to dance lessons to learn the Fox Trot and dance to "I've Got My Love to Keep Me Warm." It's not "our song", it just fit with theme of the wedding and honeymoon. Well, as you can tell from this pic, the dancing lessons flew out the door as soon as we hit the dance floor. Mostly my fault, I completely forgot everything. But, hey, the dress swung beautifully - Thanks Low's Bridal!

A good spin

And the dip

Here's our cake. I loved it! And so did our guests, because it was gone, gone, gone. It was a vanilla but each layer had a different filling. Yummy!

Of course Don had his Groom's Cake. It was marvelous, everyone got a kick out of this. Can you guess what this is?

Our decor was unbelievable. Our florist turned the Barksdale Air Force Base Officer's Club into a sophisticated winter-themed club.

Then we danced the night away:

Yeah, I'm biting my lower lip, what about it?

My feet never hurt once all night because I came prepared with my bedazzled Sketchers

Here's my mom, sis, and I dancing to "Shout" and Don

Yeah, he did, I don't want to talk about it.

Can ya tell we had an awesome time?

So we were off to the Honeymoon Suite at the brand new Hilton in our town. We got there around 12 am and had to be at the airport for 7am to make the flight to Vancouver. That's right, we continued the winter theme into the honeymoon and went to Whistler, British Columbia, Canada.

I don't really know what I was thinking because I don't ski. But I thought I'd try it. Well, after 4 hours of falling down the mountain and going all of 100 yards from the lift, the mountain patrol told me to give it up. They made me walk back up to the lift. It was so embarrassing. But I got a spa day out of it, so it was totally worth it.

Here's a small bit of the beauty we saw.

Here we are as we arrived at the airport in Vancouver

This was the view from our seeewwweeet condo, which had a hot tub on the balcony. I thought at first, "Who would want to get in a hot tub outside when it's -2?" Well let me tell you, after you've fallen down a mountain and have bruises from head to toe , that hot tub is your best friend.

Day One, we went dog sledding. It was so much fun! This little guy liked me a lot.

Here we are! My man had the time of his life. You can see me, having fun, but wrapped up tight cause it was cooooooold ya'll.

And this is what happens when you get ice sickles on your eye lashes.

Here's one of the little guys. Cute!

Day Two, Ski Day, the worst day of my life. It was also a day that cemented for me that I married the best man for me. Each time I fell down the mountain I would get more and more upset and started crying. But my man instead of getting mad and frustrated with me because I was ruining his trip, he just kept encouraging me. He was awesome! So here I am thinking, "How the heck do I walk in these?" And then, "WHAT AM I DOING?!"

That's the end of Day 2. Period.

Day 3 - Touring. To make up for the bad day before Don took me on a tour of our beautiful Whistler. We took the lift to the top of the mountain and had lunch at the beautiful 5 star restaurant at the lodge.

Here I am at the top! Oh Canada!

Since Whistler will be the host of the 2010 Winter Olympics, they had all kinds of cool things on the mountain.

Here we are at the the lodge restaurant. Cool view.

Day 4 - SPA DAY! And the angels were singing...not really, but it was awesome. Don went back up the dang mountain and skiied and had the best time. He was like a little kid.

Awwww, did I say the spa was great?! Then we ate the most wonderful fondu.

Day 5 - A One Horse Open Sleigh

Yeah, he took me on the most romantic, rustic one horse open sleigh ride. He's the best

Aren't we sweet?

Hey, and guess what? We ate some more.

Whew! Ok, so I know that was a monster post, but the reception and the honeymoon in one is a lot.

I hope you enjoyed your tour of the Echols' Winter Wonderland Wedding and Honeymoon!

Turn That Frown Upside Down

2009-08-06T09:22:00.002-05:00

I just had to post this, especially considering what the past few days have been like (there's a reason my husband calls my GrumpyPants). This is an awesome devotion from Lisa TerKeurst. Please check it out, it will bless your day. I will leave you with the Power Verses from the devotional and pray God's Word lifts your heart:

Philippians 4:4-5, "Rejoice in the Lord always. I will say it again: Rejoice! Let your gentleness be evident to all..." (NIV)

Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge him, and he will make your paths straight." (NIV)

Colossians 3:15-17, "Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom, and as you sing psalms, hymns and spiritual songs with gratitude in your hearts to God. And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him." (NIV)

Low Ridin and Partay

2009-08-05T20:31:00.003-05:00

Well, tonight I'm sitting on the couch - blogging - watching Ghostbusters and watching my husband wrestle the lab on the floor. Ahhh, bliss. Well, it's bliss after my day. I won't bore you with all the mishaps, but I'll tell you how I ended up low riding today, ya know - rolling with the homies.

Anyway...on my way to work I made a swing by the post office. While I pressed the button to lower my drivers side window I heard a loud grinding sound. Then, my window stopped. So of course I freaked out and started pounding the button. The window went all the way down and then stuck. It stuck! Well, considering that we have to cut into the tile wall in the bathroom to in order to be able to turn on the hot water again, this was one expense I did not need. Does anyone hear me out there? I hear these things come in threes - what next? So, in order to keep my hair looking nice and work weary, I lowered my car seat back and leaned to the right. Oh yeah...I think the teenagers in the car next to me were all like, "What's with the old lady? Man everyone tries to copy us. "

So, I know I ran on about that, but dang it - it is rare that in the summer in Louisiana that my hair is straight, poof less, and shiny. I was willing to try anything in order to save my 25 min to do hair do. I know there are lots of women who understand me.

Finally, I need some ideas. The hubs and I are throwing a Honey Do shower for our friends, Troy and Hannah. Anyone ever put one together? What kind of food did you serve? Did you have little favors for the guests? How did you decorate? What was your theme? Yeah, I need help and the party is the 22nd. Like I need one more thing. But these are awesome people and I want them to have a great time. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated.

Ok, Dana just started floating over her bed and Vankman is all confused, so I'm gonna go and enjoy some awesome Eightiesness (yeah, I just made it up, so what?)

Redesign

2009-08-04T18:48:00.003-05:00

I am sooooo excited! I won Simply Delightful's giveaway - a new blog design. Woohoo! I cannot wait to see what she can do. Please check out her wonderful website, it's full of tips, tutorials, and ideas.

Well, I wish there was more to blog about today, but it's been pretty tame lately.

Oh, but even though I am not a Bill Clinton fan, he did some good today. Check it out - he was able to talk Kim Jong Il into releasing Laura Ling and Euna Lee. Praise God some good news for a change.

My Mistake

2009-08-01T21:14:00.003-05:00

Ok, so apparently I am the worst wife in the world. In my "Show Us Your Life"post I said that Don and I were married on January 18, 2009 - um, no, it's January 19. Seriously, I know my anniversary, it was just a momentary lapse of memory. But the hubs was not happy. Then, I did not give Don credit where credit was due (oh the humanity! how does he put up with me?). I said Don's friend did some graphic design work on the light saber photo below. Well, I was again very wrong - this is Don's creation:

I stand corrected, please forgive me. All should be right with the world now.

Several people commented on the wedding - our colors, our theme, the bridesmaids dresses. Thanks for all the sweet comments. I worked hard on our wedding. I wanted it to be beautiful and memorable, but not over the top. With my Mom, sister, SIL, and MIL's help (as well as tons of help from Don), we accomplished just that. Then we planned my sister's wedding for August (8 months after my wedding - my bro in law proposed less than a month after our wedding - my mom was a little freaked out , but we had a beautiful wedding for them too).

So I made a boo-boo, sorry and I guarantee it will happen again. The End.

Kelly's Korner - Show Us Your Life

2009-07-30T20:26:00.012-05:00

I am so excited because I can finally participate in Kellys Korner's "Show Me". Today is the beginning of a new series, "Show Us Your Life - Wedding Party and Flowers."

Don and I were married on January 18, 2008 at our church, Broadmoor Baptist Church. I was worried we wouldn't be able to get to the church because it snowed and iced the night before. Did I mention I live in Louisiana - WHAT?! Anyway, it all worked out and we had a beautiful day for our wedding.

We did not use any flowers, except in the bouquets, because we got married in January. Flowers are expensive in January ya'll. It didn't matter because I had an awesome florist. We decided to go with a Winter Wonderland theme (most people said it reminded them of Narnia). My florist even went out in the woods behind her house and cut down little trees! She put them in cement-filled buckets, spray painted them silver, then coated them in crystals. BEAUTIFUL! She took an old black wrought iron garden gate that stretched the length of the altar and wrapped it in tulle and lights and crystal branches - it has to be seen to be believed. I wish I had better pics, but I don't. We also did not have anyone sing a solo. We believe the wedding ceremony is a worship service, so we did just that. My bridesmaid, Kati, lead the congregation in "Come Thou Fount of Every Blessing" and "Love Lifted Me." It was awesome. Our two good friends, my best friend Thomas, and our friend Billy officiated the ceremony. It was so nice to be married by people who knew us instead of a stranger. It was the happiest day of my life.

Here are a few pics to give you an idea.

Here's the florists mom delivering the bridesmaid bouquet. It was supposed to be white, but c'est la vie, they were yellow. No worries, it worked. This is my bouquet. I love the crystal inserts and my white (yes white) roses. The florist matched the bouquet to the theme and my dress. It was soooo heavy though. I felt so bad for my sister. She was my MOH and had to hold it most of the ceremony. I love her.Here's the whole gang after the ceremony. We had the best photographers - Hannah Parker and Kelly Moore. That's kinda a funny story - how we ended up with two photographers. Kelly lives in Ruston (45 mins east of Shreveport). As she was driving in for our wedding she ran headlong into a massive traffic jam. After sitting in traffic for an hour she calls her friend Hannah who just happens to live within walking distance of the church. Hannah swooped in like a superhero and saved the day. She took all our pre wedding pics. We love Hannah. Which is great since she is engaged to the best man (had not met him yet at the time - that's a whole other sweet story). Anywoo, this is one of my favorite pics. Kelly took this one. We are in our beautiful church parlor.This is another shot of all of us in the sanctuary. I just thought it was cool. Here I am with my ladies. I had the best bridesmaids. My Maid of Honor was my little sister - the cute blond on my right. Next to her is my good friend Carole - we met in the church Singles group and survived (ha). My beautiful sister in law Leslie is on my right and my sweet friend, Kati is on the end. All these ladies mean so much to me and have been with me through some great and not so great times in my life. We all need ladies like this.

I had to save the best for last. Hannah took this little gem. Thanks girl. As you can see, my hubby and his friends are nerds and into Star Wars. He gave them all custom made LightSabers for his groom's gift. Needless to say, they were totally excited and couldn't wait to play with their new toy. Here they are. Let's just say the worship of Star Wars is such that they could all qualify as Fan Boys.
Richard, Mr. Green Light Saber, is a photographer. So he took the pic and turned it into this. Yes, it made my man's day. Awww, nerd love, nothing better.

There's our wedding party and flowers. It was a great day, the happiest. Afterward, we went to the reception and had a blast.

Adventures in Weight Loss

2009-07-06T21:24:00.004-05:00

I just weighed myself and I have lost 2 lbs! Victory! I know it doesn't seem like a lot since I've been doing WeightWatchers Online for 2 weeks, but I didn't really start until last Monday (thanks Father's Day). And I even went to a 4 day family reunion this last week. Tons of BBQ, cherry pie, snacks, pasta, etc. I enjoyed myself, was sensible, and never once felt like I was on a diet. And I still lost 2 pounds. The Hubs on the other hand, gained 8. I may have to encourage him to check out WeightWatchers for men (Love ya Babe!).

I have to say my biggest challenges are finding time to workout and lunch. I have to get up at 5 AM to get the time in. And oh my goodness is it hard to find a decent lunch. Most of my fav lunch joints are ridiculously high on the points. Tonight I went out to eat with the Hubs and some friends at our neighborhood eatery. Many of the items are more points than I can eat in one day. AWWWWWW! One of them was a salad. Yikes. But I still found a great meal within my points. SCORE!

Overall, I have to say WeightWatchers is definitely doable. For one who has never dieted ever, I love it. In fact, I wouldn't even call it a diet because it's totally sustainable for a lifetime. I'm learning to eat healthy and that should be lifelong.

Wish me luck this week!

The Cone of Shame

2009-07-06T20:56:00.004-05:00

Well, it's the day most dogs dread...Spay/Neuter Day. Even though I know it has to be done for her own good, it just breaks my heart. I mean look at her:

The Cone of Shame

Pitiful.

Ok and by the way, please go and see UP. It such a sweet movie - the best I've seen in quite a while (and you'll understand the Cone of Shame reference).

Tree Worm and Ball

2009-06-30T14:41:00.007-05:00

No, my title is not names from a Tolkien novel. It is what became of one of the junk trees over the back fence in my backyard. One day it was a fully leafed (is that a word?) tree. It had huge leaves all over it. The next day Don went outside and found this:

A tree completely devoured by this and his pals:

Yummy Tree!

Daisy was not impressed, so she found a tree limb and decided to play (check out the tongue, my lord!)

Then she found this kickball.

Oh Heaven!

O how I love to frolic with my ball

And run....

and run....

Awww, bliss

Wait, what's happening?
Yep, you guessed it. After about 5 minutes of blissful ball playing, the ball sprung a leak. Daisy's teeth punch a few holes in it and it went kaput.

Awww, the life of a puppy owner. I love my silly dog.

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Dear God, Help Me to Zip It!

2009-06-22T20:54:00.003-05:00

Does anyone remember Dr. Evil and Scottie in the movie Austin Powers? I laugh so hard every time Dr. Evil tells Scottie to "Zip It!" and then Scottie gets soooo frustrated. Well, I've realized recently that God has been trying to get me to Zip It, but I haven't been listening. Anyone have that same problem? I feel like I need to get my word out there because "so and so" needs to hear it. Pahlease, I'm not that important. God has brought this problem to my attention a lot recently. I think He wants us to have a talk about this. We've all been there, haven't we? Someone completely discounts your opinion on a matter or the way you have been cleaning your house your entire life or cooking or wearing your clothes or doing your hair or how you speak and on and on and on. I have been faced with this time and time again in the last few years. Sometimes I just cry because they really hurt my feelings or I get incredibly angry or very frustrated or I just brood about it for a long time and then I finally explode all over my poor husband. Yeah, see, that's one of the big problems with putting myself in such a state - I hurt others around me.

My biggest problem is my mouth at work. I get so frustrated for a variety of reasons (i.e. my coworker never got my important email because she doesn't know how to open the email application or open an attachment), none of which constitute my haughty and rude responses. I think it's ok to say certain things because I'm not saying it to the "offenders" face, just to my coworkers. Ummmmm, yeah, not cool. Or how about this, you know without a doubt how something should be done and if only the company would do it, it would save a bunch of money and things would work better. But no one will listen to you because you're the young one. Talk about frustrating, but not my place to give my two cents. Even though I have done so on occasion, but again, not to the party who offended. So how am I any better than that person? Well, three things happened recently that have brought this issue front and center.

1) Last week I started my new Bible study, Can We Talk? by Priscilla Shirer. The first week is called Fire Starter (ie our words start fires in our lives and others lives that hurt). Yikes! So here are the verses from Day1 and Day 2:

James 3:8-11
8No one can tame the tongue; it is a restless evil and full of deadly poison. 9With it we bless our Lord and Father, and with it we curse men, who have been made in the likeness of God; 10from the same mouth come both blessing and cursing. My breathren, these things ought not be this way. 11Does a fountain send out from the same opening both fresh and bitter water?

James 1:19,26 AMP
19Let every man be quick to hear [a ready listener], slow to speak, slow to take offense and slow to get angry. 26If anyone thinks himself to be religious (piously observant of the external duties of his faith) and does not bridle his tongue but deludes his own heart, this person's religious service is worthless (futile, barren).

Matthew 12:34-36, AMP
34You offspring of vipers! How can you speak good things when you are evil (wicked)? for out of the fullness (the overflow, the superabundance) of the hear the mouth speaks. 35The good man from his inner good treasure flings forth good things, and the evil man out of his inner evil storehouse flings forth evil things. 36But I tell you, on the day of judgement men will have to give account for every idle (inoperative, nonworking) word they speak.

Quite convicting, especially since the sentence to begin the week is: Your words revel the truth about your character.

2) Dr. Chuck, my pastor at Broadmoor Baptist Church, gave a very convicting sermon last night. Here are a few points which stuck out to me:

To say you love someone and then talk behind their back is hypocrisy.
To love someone who is hard to love simply because it's what a Christian is supposed to do is not love.
Instead of asking God to change a person so you can love them, we should be asking God to help us love that person as he loves us, despite their imperfections.

His sermon last night and yesterday morning are great to listen to regarding this subject. Check out any of Dr. Chuck's sermons and you will be blessed.

3) Sunday School this week. One of the husbands in our class taught this week and we were in the book of John. We studied John 15:1-8 The Vine and The Branches -1I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit.... After we read this verse we began talking about our mouths at work - do you think God is trying to tell me something? But I realized that I am not the only one with this problem. Men and women alike have the problem, it just manifests itself differently.

So anyway, I'm working on my words reflecting my heart while giving my heart to God and letting him mold it to reflect his Son's.

"Dear God, please help me to 'Zip It'.

AMEN"

Oh the Humanity!!!!!!!

2009-06-19T19:25:00.004-05:00

Ok, so I'm about to venture into the world of weightloss. Um, yeah......(crickets chirping).

(I need to insert this disclaimer: I am perfectly ok with my size 6 body - if I never lose weight again, I will happy. So I don't want anyone to read this post to think that body image should be based on your clothes size. It is all about you and what you want for your body and what is healthy. I want to be healthy and baby-ready, that's my purpose - not to make anyone think that their body is not good enough. Thank you, please continue)

Anyhoo. If you know me you'd be like, "What?" Because I am not overweight (really), but none of my clothes fit. NONE. They are either just a bit too small or too big. Their too big cause when my body exploded into the hypothyroidism body that it is today, I panicked and bought clothes that just were ridiculous.

I have to stop right here and give my little rant on hormones...I gained 15 pounds in 1 month because my thyroid decided to be a jerk and stop working. Those of you who feel my pain, give a little shout out. Yeah, it sucks. So I went from a size 4, swimsuit competition-ready body to Squishy (that's my lil nickname for myself now) in ONE MONTH! Did you hear me say ONE MONTH?! Quite a shocker. Oh, and this is the best part...4 months before my wedding!

Not cool, not cool at all. And I could not lose the weight because the doc couldn't get my dosage levels correct. Whatever. But the best part (really) is that I learned I have the best man in the whole wide world (if you are a regular reader you might already know this - I mention it just a bit). He never once made me feel like I wasn't pretty. He loved me for me. (Sigh, Tear).

So I made it through the wedding satisfied with my appearance and completely joyous over my marriage. I settled into newlyweddom and forgot (mostly) about my weight. Then summer came. Thank you swimsuits and 1000 degree weather. I think we should go back to Victorian times when realy women covered themselves from head to toe in the dead of summer. They never had to worry about a spare time. Despite that, I made it through last summer and promised myself that I would be back to my old self by next summer.

Well, here's next summer and guess what - no weightloss, none. This is way harder than I thought. I was under the impression that I could actually make myself work out on a regular basis (Oh how I kid). Um, didn't happen. I am spoiled, I admit it. I'm accostomed to haveing t0 7 years of training for swimsuit competition with an army drill sergeant as my trainer yelling at me for 6 hours a day. Because, I mean, once the cause of the Fear of God is gone - what's my motivation?

The motivation? Never, ever having to see my upper arms wave goodbye. Plus, the Hubs and I would like to become parents some time next year. And did you know you could gain like 50 pounds when you're pregnant? So I figure I need to get a head start because 50 pounds is enough without adding 15 more.

So I am starting WeightWatchers Online today. Mark your calendars. My goal is to be 15 lbs lighter by 01/01/10. Want to join me? Tell me your secrets? Got any good recipes or time saver tips? I am desperate people. You're looking at a diet (sorry, PI, weightloss) virgin. I have no idea what I am doing.

Well, here I go!

The Big 3-0

2009-06-10T19:07:00.004-05:00

Oh goodness. I turned 30 last month. 30. Now, I'm not one of those people who laments her youth and acts as if I've turned 80. I like being 30. I don't obsess over my hair or makeup, don't worry about what others think (not like in high school), and I don't constantly doubt myself. The thirties bring such a sense of confidence and freedom. In my teens, I was such a basketcase. Always worried over something - especially fitting in. College were those searching years, trying to figure out who I was. Then, my mid and late twenties were mostly about figuring out what I wanted to do with my life (Have I figured that out yet? Hmm I wonder).

Even though I'm 30, I still feel like that 22 year old - just graduated from college with no idea what I want to do. I feel like that was yesterday. Countless pageants and titles, 5 moves in 5 years, 2 grad schools, 1 masters degree, 3 jobs, 15 pounds, and the best husband in the world. Life moves so fast. I think that my 30's will be about savoring the moment, and not trying to rush through to accomplish the next "milestone." I just want to enjoy who I am and where I am.
I'd also like to slow down and make my life about the important things and not about wearing myself out trying to go to as many events and parties as possible.

Here's me turning 30 at my birthday party

Do I like turning 30? I don't know...

Yes, Yes I do, very much thank you.

So, yes, I'm 30, and thank God it's finally here.

Bath Time!

2009-06-09T19:01:00.004-05:00

I just have to give you all a glimpse into a little thing we like to call "Bath Time." Oh we have so much fun. Don gets to wrestle the Daisy and Bruiser in the tub. I get to clean up the aftermath. It's a good time for all.

Somebody likes bathtime

Somebody does not

Some Kind of Crazy

2009-06-09T06:42:00.004-05:00

I did such an injustice for womankind last week, please forgive me. My husband and I spent 4 days digging out and planting a flowerbed in my backyard (not to mention the money invested). It looked so great, I was proud. Then, two weeks ago I came home from choir practice and saw the destruction. Daisy, the yellow lab puppy, thought it would be so much fun to dig in the soft dirt and dug out my entire begonia border.

The Culprit

It was awful! I have never been so mad. I threw my purse in the house and, of course, screamed to Don, "Look what your dog did!!!" Notice the 3 exclamation points and the fact that she's not mine all of a sudden? So, then I hiked up my beautiful Ann Taylor Loft dress, got down on my hands and knees in the destruction once known as a flowerbed, and replanted every begonia. I was outside for 45 minutes. After 15 minutes I started bawling. I mean not just "sniff, sniff, tear, tear"; it was the ugly cry. Red face, running mascara, snot.

Once I finished the reconstruction, I went inside. I was covered in dirt from head to toe. I stood in the doorway of the living room and waited. Don was innocently watching TV. He turned and jumped off the couch. He was horrified at the sight before him. He had no idea I had been replanting the flowerbed. He thought I was so mad I needed time alone. Well, thanks to our wonderful "monthly visitor", I tore into him like never before. I think bats may have been able to hear the high pitched ranting which ensued. After unleashing my rage on my poor husband, I broke down again. He was like, "I'm so sorry, what's wrong now?" Crazy woman replied, "I'm sorry you're sorry. You didn't do anything wrong. I don't know what's wrong with me. You're the best husband ever." I mean, he is a saint. After all of that and a shower and a bowl of ice cream (delivered to me in my comfy chair by the hubby), I turned to my Don and said, "Wow what was that? Crazy, huh?" The saints reply, "I love you." I know - the best man ever.

So anyway, I lost it over some flowers. I gave men everywhere the excuse they need to call all of us insane. But, I also realized the love of my life is the most wonderful man in the world and I could never love anyone else the way I love him.

"Dear God,Thank you for creating Don - a man who loves me despite the person I am."

Amen. Hallelujah.

Caution: Work In Progress

2009-06-08T18:51:00.003-05:00

The hubs, the great and wonderful graphic designer, will be working on my header (unbeknowst to him). So please forgive the look, it will be better soon.

To Love the Unsaved

2009-06-08T18:43:00.003-05:00

Wow, I stumbled upon this verse today and it just spoke to me:

I pray also that the eyes of your heart may be enlightened in order that you may know the hope to which God has called you. Ephesians 1:18, 19

I was saved at the age of 14. Now, I've had my ups and downs, like most of us; but through it all I always knew my Heavenly Father was with me. I may have been defiant at times, but deep down I wanted to and still do want to please him. So that's why, since 14, I've always struggled with the fact that some of my family members are not saved. Sometimes I feel like I've failed in part of my purpose because I haven't just come right out and had "the talk" with these people concerning their salvation. Part of it is fear and part of it is frustration with them. But I have to say, it's given me a heart for the lost to see my family member's struggles. Now don't get me wrong, these people are wonderful and sweet. They pray and believe there is a God, but they haven't surrendered themself to him through his Son (anyone else know what I'm talking about?). But they have given me insight into the lost of this world. Everyone wants to be acknowledged or loved or admired or made to feel special. So they spend their entire lives climbing a corporate ladder, or climbing the social ladder, or buying the big house so they feel a sense of accomplishment (even though they really can't afford the house, the cars, the boat, the 4 wheeler, the spa, the clothes, etc). The sad part is that they feel great when they have these things but when they go away - all of a sudden, "why would a loving God do this to me?" They can never see their role in it all, pursuing a life they were never meant to have and that is so much less than the life God had in store for them.

The other part, is the difficulty in talking to family members from another generation. I mean, they are the one's to teach you, so it's a big slap in the face to some if you try to tell them about Jesus. They take it as if you are telling them they are a bad person. Let me just say this right now, I never have and never will believe that the unsaved are "bad people." They are lost, not bad. Now they may do bad things, but so do Christians. The difference is that Christians have a heavenly Father to run to when they realize the mess they have made of things. Believers still have to face the consequences of their actions, but they have the joy of knowing that they are forgiven - maybe not by anyone on earth, but they are by the One who matters-God. Unbelievers have no hope.

So anyway, it's tough to talk to unsaved family members about their salvation. That's why this verse just touched me today. It says everything I want those people to know: I love you and I pray and yearn for you to have the hope that God wants to give you. Embrace the full life of purpose and joy he has for you. Give your disappointments, hurts, fears, and disillusionments to him - that 's what he wants.

Anyone else struggling with this issue? Let's support each other. Have you faced this trial and overcome? What was the result?

The Great Worship Debate

2009-06-08T07:52:00.001-05:00

This weekend my husband and some guests at our home had a very interesting discussion about worship in the modern church. It was basically Hymns vs Praise and Worship. I was completely shocked at how strong a grip some believers have on their hymns. They are absolutely unwilling to let go. Which is perfectly fine, but why bash praise and worship music? I don't have a favorite style of worship music or an opinion that only one style is holy, but this conversation got me to thinking. I was not raised in the church, but saved at the age of 14.
Even then, my parents were not and still are not saved, so I have a completely different perspective on the issue. I've been in churches that only sing hymns, those that only sing praise and worship, those that sing a mix. To expound on that, I've also been to churches which play music in all different styles: southern gospel, rock, gospel (I love me some Yolanda and CeCe!), contemporary, classical. At each place God spoke to me - no matter what the style or form of the music, it didn't matter. It's as if we are saying that the Bible written in Hebrew is more holy than the Bible written in English. God still speaks to other people groups through the Bible written in their language, so what does it matter that it's not the original Hebrew? My opinion is that as long as God is in the inspiration and writing of a song and in the selection and playing of a song, what does it matter the style? God still speaks. I mean, are we saying that God can only speak and work through hymns? My God is big enough to speak through rocks, why not a heavy metal, grunge style praise and worship song?

So this begs the question, if you feel God can only speak through hymns, is that your opinion or God's truth? Are you alienating people from your church because you are saying their worship style is wrong and against God's word? Or are you, in our ever-so-lovely Baptist way, patting them on the shoulder and with a pitiful look in your eyes saying, "Oh darling, you'll understand and feel the same way when you reach my level of spirituality?" If you say you don't mean it that way, sorry, that is how unbelievers and young believers interpret it.

I also wonder, for those clinging to their hymns and absolutely unwilling to believe that God can be worshiped through other styles of music, how are you different from the Pharisees? They clung to tradition and ritual which led them to not hear God...they bucked the new style, Jesus. They bucked Him because He didn't look or sound like what they thought was reverent and holy. Are we doing the same today? Is the style of music used to worship really worth splitting a church over? Why are we letting the Enemy pit us against each other and tear us apart? We should be focused on our LORD and spreading his word to our world. Instead we are focused on styles of worship music? I mean, can anyone else see the silliness of the situation? (As a side note, singing in church on Sunday morning is only one form of worship, are we serving and worshiping Him in otehr ways as well or just so focused on singing that we let those things go to the wayside?)

This is just my opinion, I plan on doing a scripture study on this subject, but I'm just curious about your opinion. Have you been apart of a church that was destroyed from such matters? Do you think I'm completely off base and want to prove me wrong? Let me know. Because I really need someone to tell me how this debate is more important that the Great Commission.

(Note: Listen to Track 10 of Travis Cottrell's Jesus Saves for another's Biblical perspective)

The Love of Dogs

2009-06-07T07:48:00.002-05:00

I love my dogs. They have brought Don and I great companionship and laughter. They calm you when everything seems to be falling apart and they always know when to cuddle up with you because your sick. But I never understood shedding until I had a lab. A whole lotta shedding. I think my sofa, which used to be brown, is now a very stylish shag blond. Not to mention that I have to empty the vacuum cleaner three times before I finish the living room (ONE ROOM!). Oh and then it's so fun when they get sick. Like this week when Bruiser, the Maltese, comes and wipes his lovely stinking ear infection all over me. Yeah, that's how I found out he had one. I guess he got tired of dragging his ear on the floor so he figured I would notice the infection if he put it all over me. Aww, the joy of "motherhood."

If I have one more person tell me how owning a dog will have me prepared for real parenthood, I think I may scream. Because how many children will pull my gutters off my home just to have fun. Daisy the Lab, thinks it's the funniest thing in the world and she's so proud when she lays the gutter at your feet on the porch. Shock and Awe are not adequate to describe my feelings at that moment.

So, I love my animals, (really, I do) but I don't think I want anymore after these go to be with their Creator (well, maybe if their cute, I might consider it). And Creator, thanks for the many memories.

Water World

2009-06-06T07:48:00.001-05:00

Ok, so there are days when I love being a grown up and owning a home and then there are days like yesterday. My hubby and I live in a established and OLD neighborhood. We love our home and our neighborhood, but we hate our old pipes. Yeah, that's right, old pipes. If you had asked me 10 years ago if I would care if my home had old pipes I would have laughed in your face. But oh yeah, I care a whole lot. Since, because we have old pipes, every open drain and toilet in my home overflowed yesterday, several times. And it got on my carpet. I don't even know if the emergency fund can handle this one all on its own. So I'm waiting for D to talk with the plumber and see what he says. Plus, I have to find someone to come and vaccum the water out of my carpet before it turns to mildew. I guess I could look on the bright side...maybe I'll get my hardwood floors. God I love how you answer prayer!

Sorry for the Furlough

2009-01-28T13:53:00.002-06:00

Ok. so I am sorry, to the 5 of you who read my musings. I am so sorry for being away for so long. But it's been a time of trial, change, and faith in the Echols' house. Here's the scoop:

2 weeks before Christmas my wonderful boss pulled me in his office to tell me that my program was being closed. And ya'll, my boss is so great, he felt so bad. Of course, I was calm and cool in front of him, but inside I was screaming bloody murder. "OMG, how are D and I going to survive?!" So can ya tell I'm a worrying, melodramatic Melancholy? Oh and the icing on the cake was that I was ordered to not tell any of my staff. "What?" And remember, this is two weeks before Christmas.

So, I went home to D and cried and cried and cried and cried (I think you get the point). I thought we were going to have to move to Houston or something. Because, those of you who know me, know the nightmare that was my former employer and the only other hospital system in town. So, my wonderful husband was my rock of calm and faith. He just kept reminding me that God has brought us through very tough times before and we have always ended up in a better place. So I clung to that and my memory verse notebook.

We made it through Christmas and the New Year. Finally, on January 19th, my boss told my staff. But this is where it get's good...I found out I had a job the next day! Now I can't say what it is, but it is exactly what I want to do and will be awesome experience. Plus, it's only 5 minutes from the house. So God is sooooooooooooooooo good.

The LORD is my rock and my fortress and my deliverer; (2 Samuel 22:2)

So, to conclude, this is where I've been for the past 2 months. I will now resume my random ramblings for your reading enjoyment.

Giving Back

2008-12-01T21:36:00.000-06:00

A few weeks ago my Newly Married Sunday School class served at the Pool of Siloam medical ministry. It is a wonderful mission who provides free medical care, pharmaceuticals, durable medical equipment, dental care and much more. There is a clothes closet, meals program, etc. Here are a few pics from our time there. We didn’t serve in the clinic, we just helped the staff put together mailers to get the word out. Check out their website and see if you’d be interested in helping, you don’t have to be medically inclined to make a difference.