Dress Up

My girls played dress up today.

I got an elvish fairy...

...and a French beatnik exhibitionist!

Maybe you'll feel what I'm feeling...

Haven't posted much...
Have been in an 'Over the Rhine' kind of mood...
(so to speak)
Decided to share one of their songs here...
Maybe you'll feel what I'm feeling...

This is 'Remind us' by OTR.

New look

I decided to change the look of my blog a bit. I guess I just needed a change. Hope you like it.

Boosting my self-image

Lately I've been feeling pretty sloppy & overly preggo so my self-image has taken a nose dive. (It's hard to feel attractive when you can't bend at the waist or get off the couch unassisted.) Luckily, as I spent the weekend with Russ, the girls & my parents on an overnight trip out-of-town, I was given some motivation to try a little harder to make myself look good and to feel good about how I look. Mom bought me some new shirts and I actually blow dried my hair! Anyway, I'm posting one of the few photos I've gotten of me & Russ recently to remind myself that pregnancy hasn't totally eliminated my ability to look presentable & semi-attractive once in awhile.

Russ says he thinks I look beautiful all of the time, but I figure that he's probably biased or at least has good reason to lie. In any case, I'm lucky to have him.

2 Year Portraits

Today I took Jasmine's "professional" photos to mark her 2- year mark. I tried to maintain some continuity with Eden's photos. She did pretty well for a two-year old. It's usually pretty hard to get her to sit still long enough to get any posed shots. (I bribed her with a lollipop.)

Jasmine is Two

Friday was Jasmine's 2nd birthday. We had a little cake party at the park. Most of the family was there. We thought we might get rained out but it only sprinkled for a minute so all the kids got to play on the playground after all! She wanted a Tinkerbell cake so I stuck a little Tinkerbell doll on top of a cake I purchased at Wal-Mart. She is maturing so quickly. I believe I can easily say that my "baby" will be a faint memory by the time our new baby arrives.

Thursday Thunks

Thursday Thunks for June 11th, 2009

1. What is your least favorite candy bar? Least favorite? Boy, there are a lot of gross candy bars. I'm gonna go with Twin Bings.

2. If I were to call you, what would you say? Nothing, because I don't answer the phone if I don't know the number.

3. What is your favorite type of leaf? Maple (I'm not too familiar with leaves.)
4. When was the last time you....
- had sex? nonya
- swam in a lake? 1997ish
- went barefoot outside? yesterday
- ate peas? a couple weeks ago

5. Since Father's Day is right around the corner, tell us about the person that you are celebrating. My dad & my husband are the honorees. My dad has always been very understanding and has set a wonderful example of what it means to be a Bible believing, God fearing Christian. Very wise person. My husband has been the most patient, understanding, loving husband to me. He is a very good father to our girls, balancing his role as disciplinarian with a wonderful dose of tenderness, love & fun. He is their hero. I praise God for such excellent male figures in my life when so many woman struggle to find even one stable factor in their lives. I not only have my husband & father but also a couple of very faithful grandfathers as well. Not to mention (although I have to mention them) the great men who are my brother & brother-in-law! Happy Father's Day to all of you!

6. Were you dropped on your head as a child? I sure act like it sometimes but as cautious as my parents are I wouldn't think so. Although I was the firstborn...maybe it was the drop on the head that caused them to be so cautious? Hmmm...

7. How often do you clean your toilet? Whenever it gets really dirty or we're going to have guests.

8. Have you ever been sunburned? Tell us about it. Yes. I stayed in the sun too long wearing a tank top and the sun "burned" my skin... Ummm nothing exciting. I don't have any exciting stories to go here.

9. On average, how many hours a sleep do you get a night? about 8 hours (midnight to 8)

10 How many hours did you get last night? 6 1/2

11. Take a picture of something. Post it.Photo is of a bear my daughter, Jasmine, got when she was born (2 years ago tomorrow!) wearing the little hat she wore at the hospital.

12. Are the bottom of your feet dirty? No...I haven't been awake long enough. ;)

13. Do you know the names of every member of the family who lives next door to you? The neighbors to the east are K**** & K*** and our neighbor to the west is D**** but she has had her grandson living with her the entire school year and I can't say that I remember his name.

What once was lost...

Over a year ago...February of 2008, I lost my wedding/engagement ring. The ring that Russ slipped on my finger while we said our vows was gone. The ring that contained Russ' grandmother's diamond was gone. The ring that I had chosen to represent my commitment to Russ & his to me was gone. I was so upset! I kept hoping it would turn up but after several months of tearing the house apart, I got discouraged & bought a replacement. Over the past year & a half I have sent many prayers up to my All-Seeing Father knowing that He could bring my ring back to me and hoping that He would. My eyes have periodically been on the look out for the miracle of my ring's return. Today God returned my ring to me!!

I was going through boxes of junk and pricing them for an upcoming yard sale. One box in particular I had put off going through due to the random nature of its contents but at long last I got to it and when I reached the bottom I was amazed to see it glistening up at me. It took several seconds for it to register what I was seeing but when it finally hit me and I was holding my long lost ring between my fingers, I jumped up with a screech, grabbed the phone & ran up the stairs while dialing Russ' cell! I was so excited to tell him the news! He, too, rejoiced with me. He mentioned it being a bit like the parable of the lost coin.

"Or suppose a woman has ten silver coins and loses one. Does she not light a lamp, sweep the house and search carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her friends and neighbors together and says, 'Rejoice with me; I have found my lost coin.' In the same way, I tell you, there is rejoicing in the presence of the angels of God over one sinner who repents." NIV

I am excited that God answered my prayer...in His time, nonetheless. And it serves to remind me that some of the people who are I particularly & continuously bring up to Him in prayer for the salvation of their souls may be lost for now...but in God's time they too will be found (perhaps in an unexpected place) and there will be an even greater amount of rejoicing over their being found!

Thank you God for recovering lost treasures! I rejoice over finding my precious wedding ring...please let me one day soon rejoice over the repentance of those I love & pray for. Amen!

Tuesday Tip

Tuesday Tip: Bladder Control

Don't drink two glasses of tea and eat a large bowl of watermelon right before bed...especially when you're pregnant. ;P

Yard Beautification & Tiny Toads

Today I spent the afternoon beautifying the "flower bed" in front of my porch. It hasn't been anything but a mess since we moved in. Full of ugly rocks, trash & weeds. Today I fixed it the best way I knew how. I bordered it nicely & filled it with purposeful rock. I currently have a single potted plant sitting in it but I'd like to get a few more. I wish I would have taken a 'before' picture but I didn't. Here is the after.When I was just getting started cleaning out the area, I found a small toad. The girls were fascinated by him. We put him in a bucket for awhile so they could keep an eye on him. After awhile the cat jumped in the bucket with him and he magically disappeared. I don't know if the cat ate him or if that just gave him the opportunity he needed to escape but...he was gone.

My Social Struggle

I am not a social person. I like people but I prefer my contact with them to be from a distance or on my own terms. I am private. I like my own space. I like being on my own time. When I am in a social situation, I do not feel free to be who I am and I like being free. I am so guarded when it comes to my emotions that it makes being around people for too long, quite stressful. I prefer having a few close friends, a few casual once-in-a-while friends, and letting everyone else remain in the acquaintance/stranger category.

My question is this--am I wrong? Is this something that I should feel is a flaw in myself and work to change or is this a part of my make-up that I am fighting against every time a "social" person thinks there is something wrong with me for not wanting to spend time with them on Friday night and I end up feeling bad about myself? I want them to just understand that it is nothing personal against them...I'm like this with anybody. I'm content to stay at home with my family and not have many friends. Is this just me being selfish or is okay for me to be content with this aspect of myself?

And when I ask this question, I feel that the only Person really qualified to answer is God so, "Heavenly Father, please help me find the answer."