10th times a charm?

After a fantastic Christmas with all our family we moved for the 10th time in our marriage. For those counting- that's 10 times in 6 years, 4 of which were this year alone. Yeah, 2010 has been... interesting. We started looking for somewhere last Saturday and found an ad on craigslist for an apartment complex that I have always liked but we could never afford. Well, they had a big Christmas special going for their 2 bedroom that was too good to be true. We went and saw it Sunday, loved it and started the application process Monday. We signed the lease and set our move in date for Dec 26th. No we didn't move that day, we were in Plano visiting my dad and Linda, but we did start the next day. We are about 85% moved in and about 70% unpacked. It's going good, I'm excited about finally feeling like home in my own space again. It was such a blessing to be able to stay with my mom and step dad so we didn't have to rush into anything, and another blessing that we were able to find this deal and start fresh on our own again. I will post pics once we're all done moving in and decorated. 

Blog, erase, blog, erase, repeat

I have written a paragraph on three different topics now only to swiftly delete each of them after not being pleased with my writing. What's going on with my tonight??? Guess I'm not meant to blog today.

Christmas Newsletter

So I decided to write a newsletter this year after all. I had thought against it because when I started listing the things that have gone on this year I thought it seemed like such a downer.... who wants to read that kind of stuff at christmas, right? Then after a talk I had with my mom about the topic I had a change of heart and perspective. She really helped me see that it's not what our circumstances were but how we made it through them and what we've learned. So I decided to share- openly and vulnerably- because I want to spread the hope and reassurance of God's love that we saw this year. So here goes nothing!

We started the New Year in a very precarious situation, we had found out a few days after Christmas that I was pregnant. The circumstances surrounding it were causing questions of viability and so we entered 2010 with an unstable/uncertain pregnancy. Long story short, I ended up in emergency surgery to remove a cyst and the perfect 6 week embryo it had been blocking inside my fallopian tube. This was a tragedy for us. So much pain, loss and confusion. I'm positive had it not been for the absolute truth that God works all things for my good I would not have made it out of that dark place as quickly as I did, nor would I be as healed as I am this day. I'm thankful for the scars- they remind me that I have felt pain and heartache before and God delivered me from it each time. I don't ever want to forget my ability to feel that deeply or His ability to comfort so completely. In January Marc had a shift change that shook up our routine and challenged us. We did NOT like this shift change and prayed consistently for the Lord to prepare a way out. Our main problem was that it required Marc to work on Sundays and truly did not leave a time for any church service.

In February we lost our poor, recently paid off 2002 Ford Focus. This was a new challenge for us because we had to live on 1 car and are still doing it to this day. Would we like a 2nd car- ABSOLUTELY! but God has shown us what's important and what we can live without if needed.

In March I had started a temporary job as a receptionist for a lawfirm in Fort Worth. We were lucky enough to be able to borrow Marc's father's truck so that we could both have a vehicle to get to and from work. The Lord started speaking to my heart putting a passion into it for staying home and education Maddy. He opened my eyes to all the ridiculous things I was desiring and all the frivolous possessions that I was placing higher than my calling. He gave me focus and drive to become a better budgeter and to speak love into my husband to hold him up as the true provider for our family, and to find that what he could provide was more than enough to sustain us. I left my job and cautiously took the role that I felt called to fulfill. I have enjoyed being home with my family more than any work I've ever done. I find such satisfaction in their happiness. Marc has been amazing at supporting me and encouraging me in all the areas I'm struggling in.

In April we were struck with our 2nd great tragedy of the year. On April 4th, Easter Sunday, Marc's sweet grandma Nel was called home to be with the Lord. We were blessed enough to be able to spend her last few hours at her bedside saying goodbyes and spreading love with everyone. It was very bittersweet as she had been ailing for some time and was at peace with going, but she was the heartbeat of his family. Her funeral was beautiful and attended by many. She was such an amazing woman and loved fiercely. We often recall special memories of her and rejoice in the healing she received. How fitting that she entered heaven on the anniversary that salvation was made possible. God comforts in the most amazing ways. During this month we also decided that we could not continue to live the way we were with the calling God had given me. Something had to give- so we decided to downsize from our rented house and reign in the living expenses.

In May we lived with my sister and her family while trying to figure out where to go next. They were so gracious in giving us plenty of room to live with them, and it opened a new level to me and my sister's relationship. We were very unsure what the next step was but knew that following God's will was all that mattered. Did we struggle? Absolutely. Did we argue with God and question His timing? several times. But we kept finding peace and reassurance that His ways were higher than ours and His timing was not built around our hast and impatience. At the end of the month we found apartments that were looking for a courtesy officer and moved in June 1st.

June and July went by rather uneventfully. We settled into the apartment and I began to prepare to homeschool Maddy starting in August. We survived the sweltering summer months and Marc celebrated his 3rd year as an officer. My Aunt Becky was able to come visit for a week with her littles and we had a great time. In August we started looking for a dance studio to enroll Maddy in. She had been talking alot about dance since her cousin Olivia takes dance classes. After looking into several studios we found one that is christian owned and operated and chose it. They pray with the class before starting, they dance to christian music, require modest outfits and cover ups. She takes ballet, tap and tumbling every Monday for an hour. She LOVES it. Her first recital was Nov 29th and she did great. We are so proud of her dedication to dance and enjoy seeing her learning new things. The best thing that happen in August was finding and joining our new church, Keystone Church. We are so blessed to be a part of this church and have met some incredible people. The messages have been relevant, inspiring and challenging. We look forward to serving our church and speaking out about God's message.

In September we celebrated our 6year wedding anniversary by taking a family vacation to Colorado to visit my family. Since that's where we honeymooned we thought it fitting to return and celebrate as a family now. We had such a good time with everyone and couldn't believe how fast 10 days flew by. I have a post about it that details all the fun stuff we did and photos of where we went. It has been a great year since we've been able to see that side of the family several times. We always love spending time with them.

Then came October, with a notice that our apartments were terminating the courtesy officer position and we had a month to move out. WOW. Here we go again. We were really shocked and confused. We looked into several places to live and were not at peace with any of them. We made the difficult decision to live with my mom for the rest of the year and figure out the next step in January. It was a very hard time and we are still processing everything and looking into future living arrangements. It has been such a humbling time to allow family to bless us by helping out. Marc and I have grown closer and had to once again clear out some clutter in our lives. Its amazing what moving your entire life into a storage unit can make you realize and place value in. We have found that it truly doesn't matter what you own as long as you have your family.

November brought the celebration of Maddy's 4th birthday! We had a great party at Chuck E. Cheese with all our awesome friends and family. Maddy dressed up as the princess she is and had a blast. We had family come into town for Thanksgiving and had a great time visiting with them, and playing ALOT of games and practical jokes on each other. Marc, Maddy and I celebrated Thanksgiving Day with my family in Plano and had a wonderful time with everyone. They did a mini birthday party for Maddy since they weren't able to make her party. It was a nice mellow event and we weren't ready to leave when it came time. I had to get back to start my Black Friday shopping at 9:30 that evening. Now THAT was an event!! 9 hours of shopping and line waiting paid off with over $200 savings and alot of my christmas shopping done. Then a huge nap was required. It is something I can only do once a year but it is awesome, especially cause I did it with my sister and mom and friend Amanda.

December has started and we are planning on focusing this month on spending time with family and friends. We are so thankful for the year we have had and the lessons our sweet Savior has taught us.We have been so amazed at the support we've received and the strength we've found through various trials. 2010 will not be forgotten. We wish you the very best Christmas and pray for God's blessing on your 2011.

MERRY CHRISTMAS!!!!!!! 

4 years into the Journey

It's Maddy's 4th birthday and I'm feeling nostalgic and so overwhelmingly thankful. I thought I'd highlight our 4 years so far... and how much she has grown.

~Psalm 139:13-15~ Maddy was fearfully and wonderfully made. God knew her before she was even a thought in my mind, HE formed her just as HE wanted her to be. *This is our sweet child, no accidents*

~This is our 2nd Maddy Moo

1st Birthday

2nd Birthday

3rd Birthday

and we just celebrated Birthday #4 

It has been a great 4 years with this little princess. I am so thankful for the lessons she has taught me, those she is currently teaching me and all that is yet to come. I am a better person because I am Maddy's mom.

Christmas Preview

Some people already have all their christmas shopping done, presents wrapped, cards signed and stuffed, ready to mail... and then there's people like me. (pause for shoulder shrug with the head side tilt) Oh I have begun my christmas planning.. it looks a little like this..... "Christmas List". That's it. I've gotten so far as to title my page and list the names of people I need to get gifts for... undoubtedly forgetting someone until the last gift is done and the "finished high" is rising up..only to be smacked down with my forgetfulness. Just once I'd like a little help from my Mr.Claus in the planning/executing of the christmas gifting. Oh he will receive alright- but getting his help in planning and shopping- eh not so much. It's not that he doesn't enjoy thinking of others cause he does- he just doesn't enjoy the stress of finding a great gift for them. It's also not that he doesn't enjoy shopping- cause he does (as long as there's something manly in the store for him to drool over) it's that he can't stand the crowds and just gets crabby. So here I am.. our 7th christmas together.... alone,again.                        

But the show must go on so I'm setting a goal to have my list 75% done by this weekend. 100% by Black Friday cause you know I'mabe sitting in the lines starting at like 9pm. It's really only the hard to shop for people that I struggle with. This is why I'm a big believer in wish lists. This will be the first year that we are doing them but it just makes total sense. You know yourself best and you know what you'd love to get that you probably won't buy yourself... why not tell the people who are already planning on getting you something? It's a win win. So if you know I'm buying you something... send me a list. If you think you're buying me something... ask for a list. Let's make this year the best non-returning or regifting year ever!!

oh and yes, in case you were wondering, this post is totally taking the focus off my little baby turning 4 in less than a week. I can't even face it yet.              

Allstate vs. USAA

Ok so I have to say... I L.O.V.E. the allstate "mayhem" commercials. I think they are just stinkin hilarious. They don't make me feel the need to switch to them and spend more $ on my insurance.. but they are good for a great laugh and funny scenarios.

Is it really November already?

Well, we are all moved into storage and my moms house. Our apartment is officially not "ours" anymore. I am finally at a place of contentment over this "no control of the situation" situation I'm in right now. I'm learning to be still and wait upon the Lord for His direction and His timing. I have very recently and quite strongly felt Him whispering "stop rushing me" to me... and I'm so glad I chose to obey and chill out. I've come to enjoy "not knowing what the plan is" and "having NO idea where we will live next." Not that it's fun and enjoyable to feel those things, but the freedom from letting those burden me is very joyful! I am finding satisfaction in God's provision being different than what I would have liked it to be. I'm looking for new opportunities to show His love and His light in our current circumstances. I don't feel embarrassed to tell people that we are living with my mom right now, nor do I feel the need to justify why we are doing it. Truth is, a few weeks ago- I was completely beaten down and feeling forsaken by God... and then suddenly it hit me. Why do I think He's forsaken me just because He isn't giving me my way? How much does that sound like a 3yr old temper tantrum?? That was a H U G E ah-ha moment for me. How can I be professing His perfect timing when I'm stomping my feet at him in protest of his schedule for me? What use is it to tell others that He works all things for my good when I'm secretly arguing/begging him to make my circumstances better. How does that attitude reflect my belief if the word ALL in that statement/scripture? I tell ya- it's been an eye opening few weeks for me. I heard a great piece of truth the other day and it really summed it up for me- it was simply this- God isn't as interested in changing our circumstances as He is in allowing our circumstances to change us. !!! Simple, to the point and yet profound for me. I realized that if I would quit fighting to get out of my circumstances that I could start finding all that I'm supposed to get out of them. Wow- what a great end to those few tumultuous weeks. God truly is good ALL the time! Amen!

Now on to what's going on in November..... and it's ALOT! We have a few birthday parties to attend- 1 to host for my sweet Maddy Moo that's turning 4. We have family coming into town, thanksgiving to celebrate, Christmas shopping/crafting to do, doctor and dentist appointments, Maddy's first dance recital and general enjoyment of the season all to get done in November. Phew- tired yet? While we are finally adjusted to living at my moms I have really been slacking on the homeschooling stuff... and I'm painfully aware that I really need to get back on track. Not that I feel like Maddy's education is being neglected but mostly that I'm missing opportunities to start a good foundation for her routine that we will need once she's in full school gear. I'm committing to starting next Monday- November 8th- to getting back on track. One thing that is going to have to get under control is all my time spent out and about running around. I love play dates and interacting with all my sweet friends but I am bad about using them as excuses to not do work that day. So since I'm fully aware that I have no intention to stop seeing my friends (I'm not losing my sanity!) I need to incorporate lessons into that time. Who says we can't take supplies and do a project with our friends? or go on an educational outing with someone for a play date? So that's the plan. Instead of changing our lives for homeschooling we are going to invite our homeschooling into our lives. Let's hope everyone can play nice :o)

Well that's whats crack-a-lackin in my world. I've got alot to get going on so I better hit it. Hope everyone has a blessed Thankful November and takes a few moments each day to remember what's most important!

New Plans

So this time last week I was rockin and rollin on the to do list I posted before... then Friday morning we found a notice in our door that our apartments were letting my husband go from his courtesy officer position and giving us a month to move out!!!!!!!!!!! Ya, shock and disbelief. So with our world turned upside down, and the realization that we can't afford to move somewhere decent with our current budget, we've decided to move in with my mom and step dad til January. Why January you ask??? Well we are making some changes to my husbands deductions from his check and we will have more $ coming home starting January. We are extremely thankful that the Lord has provided an alternative that works well for all of us. Not to mention how grateful we are to my family for offering up space in their home for us. So that is our new plan for the rest of this year. We also have Maddy's 4th birthday coming up next month and then there's Christmas. Woohooo!

To Do List

I have noticed that I seem to have better luck getting things accomplished if I organize them and have a list to go off.. I also enjoy the satisfaction of crossing things off said list once finished. So I'm going to try putting up a to do list each week and keeping track of it. We shall see how it goes.

To do list for next week:
Finish setting up school room and organizing the closet
Clean bedroom and get rid of 50% of all the clutter
Meal plan for grocery shopping on Thursday
Work on debt binder and spreadsheets
Finish photo collage frames that have been sitting on the top shelf for months
Make folder games for Maddy
Change out the games/toys on Maddy's shelf in the living room
Begin looking through the trailer to bring stuff in
Clean off bar and decorate for fall
Hang photo's in dining room

Ok this is a good start... we will see what I get done, and what I add after having some time to think.
I really can't wait to get back to feeling well- this cold has claimed an entire week of my life and I'm getting pretty impatient to get back to normal. Hope everyone has a safe and blessed weekend!

Homeschooling?? Where are you?

So for those that know and those that don't, I've been prepping a homeschool curriculum for, oh, EVER.. not really but it feels like that. It's been about 2 months in the making. We are technically ready to launch, and were set to start last Monday, but then it seemed like one thing after another kept getting in the way. So here I am to recommit and pledge to (ahem, try my hardest) start next Monday. I should be over this cold/allergy/sinus hate-fest that is currently keeping me couch ridden. I have put so much work and planning into this, I am eager to get started and see how Miss Moo enjoys everything. At times I wonder if I'm simply using things as excuses to stall so I don't have to realize that she has zero interest in learning. But I know that's foolish, she loves to learn and work on things with me. The nice thing about all this is... she's not technically at the Pre-K age so I'm not feeling duty bound to keep a strict schedule (or that I'm harming her education by not). I am hoping to post some pics of the prep stuff I've done and what our school room looks like. More to come...

Meal Plans

Here is my meal plan for the next 2 weeks. It's just a rough idea, nothing is set in stone but it's nice to know that on any given day- we have food in the house for each of these recipes. I try to base the sequence by what food's go bad quickest. I also try to mix up the style of food so it's not the same cuisine back to back (i.e. mexican, italian, american). If you see anything that interests you just comment and I will send you the recipe. Also- my disclaimer is that I tend to "trash can" cook- meaning I sometimes throw things together and hope it tastes good. So some of my recipes are a little wonky.

Mexican Pizza, Beans
Ranch Chicken, rice a roni, Broccoli
Burgers, deli fries
Dijon Chicken, rice, sugar snap peas
Tuna Casserole, peas
Dorito Chicken, corn, brussels sprouts
Potato Soup
Pork Tenderloin with potatoes, carrots, onions, french bread
Hamburger Helper
Breakfast- sausage gravy and biscuits

Add in room for leftovers every few days, and the occasional dine out.

That's pretty much it, I make my meal plan every 2 weeks so I will be posting each time I finish a set.

New Idea?

So I have been looking at alot of blogs lately, for crafting and homeschooling and decorating ideas. I think I've decided that I want to redo Maddy's room. Not completely redo.. just spruce up and pull together with one cohesive theme. With that being said... I'm not sure what to do next. I guess I should start collecting ideas and building an image to work from. Luckily... I've got some SUPER talented friends in the decorating area.

What a difference 4 years makes!

So I thought this would just be a little cute something 

 to share. This first picture was taken in the hospital after Maddy's birth. 

It's baby Maddy with her Uncle Brad.

Now almost 4 years later... 

It's big girl Maddy with her Uncle Brad. 

They are so cute together!! She doesn't get to see him often, but when she does.. she adores him!

Colorado Vacation Part 3

We went to the mountains over the Labor Day weekend, Breckenridge to be exact. It was so gorgeous and we had so much fun. My family was gracious enough to arrange rooms at their time share so we certainly lodged in style. We loved venturing into town to look through the shops and street vendors. We took the gondola ride up to the ski area and ate lunch at the restaurant at the top. (I of course had a mini freak out when they slowed it on the way back down.. I hate heights). But Maddy and Marc loved it and thought it was so neat being that high above everything. What was really fun was when we would hit a stopping point for different levels and we would switch gondolas with each  other... especially when Brad missed the jump out point and Becky left him all alone in his gondola.. he was bummed ( but it was pretty funny).

  The kids had a nice time dipping their feet in the freezing cold stream and skipping rocks. Aunt Becky even got in for a few minutes. It was so refreshing just sitting by the stream watching all the people in the little town go about their activities, and letting there dogs run through the stream to get a drink.

We spent alot of time just hanging out with everyone, playing card games (golf) and acting goofy (singing camp songs in the car at the top of our lungs). Even getting Uncle Brad to do his CRAZY laugh and my grandpa to make a few really funny jokes! Marc even had an encounter with a bear!! up in the mountains. Not to mention the ridiculous deals we found at their thrift store which lead to us bringing home 2 boxes full of goodies. It is a completely different way of life in Colorado and it really made us wanna be there more.. like.. live there?!?! Sooner or later... sooner rather than later?! Who knows where God will lead us. All we know for sure is that we didn't wanna leave and could totally see ourselves living there.. guess we have some praying to do.

On our way outta town Uncle Brad (who is a pilot for Frontier) had a flight scheduled an hour before us so he took us to the airport and let us come see the cockpit to the plane he was flying that day. Um, it was AWESOME! Marc and Maddy sat in the chairs and steered and all that stuff, even pillow pet got in on the action. It was so sweet of him, I could tell he loved every minute of her exploring it. He's super cool like that. 

Now it's time to unpack (ugh!) and get back to the things we have going on here. Maddy has dance class and homeschool starts on Monday. Marc is still on vacation until Wed so we will be enjoying more family time!!

Colorado Vacation Part 2

So it's been an eventful vacation so far... in order to fill you in I must preface this post with the info that my Aunt, Uncle and Grandparents own/run a commercial cleaning business. So first thing Wednesday morning was a phone call that one of their employees has been killed in a motorcycle wreck (further validation for my NO motorcycle rule)... as if this news wasn't terrible enough.. she was also scheduled to clean a building on the other side of town that night so they were scrambling to figure out what to do- while sinking in to the reality of her passing. The day was filled with posting a job ad, fielding calls and scheduling interviews, making arrangements to get the building covered all while juggling us as guests to boot. I must say my aunt did a great job trying to play both roles as business owner/ vacation tour guide. She finally got 10 interviews set for today and we arranged this evenings plans to accommodate interviews on the other side of town. However, once we traveled the 45 minutes to the location we realized... we left the building keys at home...!!!!!!!!!  So we now had to figure out a plan to get the building opened.. ARGH! The new plan involved most of us traveling back home to get the keys and leaving everyone there but me and Becky and Brad and Grampa who were conducting the interviews (which only 3 of 10 showed up to). We came back and all went to clean the property which ended up going quickly and interesting to see what exactly their company covers. While I feel awful about the bad few days they have had, it's also been nice to see them handle various situations and overcome the obstacles. Plus it's been nice to help contribute to the "family" business even if I did just clean toilets and sinks. Tomorrow we plan to head to the mountains for the weekend, should be fun and beautiful.

On another note, I woke to a breath taking view of the mountains and felt compelled to just take in the awe of God's design. I played some worship music and just focused on His plan. It was a beautiful moment to slow down and remember that the God who created those mountains also lives inside of me. I am really looking forward to the church plans for Sunday. We are going to a hillside church that has their service outside when the weather permits- this should be AMAZING!!

We went to Jumpstreet tonight which is a place a lot like Let's Jump (the indoor inflatables place) but this place was all trampolines... like 10 rows of a long line of trampolines where both ends curve up like a wall you can bounce off of with padding in between. It was AWESOME! Marc and Maddy and Becky's kiddos had so much fun (I did not bounce much as it's not good on my back). They also had a trampoline dodge ball course. It was really neat and made us wish Texas had something like that to offer. Pics to follow.

Colorado Vacation

So we are finally on vacation in beautiful Colorado... Aurora, CO to be exact. My Aunt and Uncle were so gracious in offering us a place to stay, and tour guide services. We made it here safely, although for me anytime spent on a plane isn't exactly "safe". I only cried for the first 15 minutes while praying and singing "the presence of the Lord is here." Maddy had a blast on her first flight- although she was more entertained with the new stuff I'd bought her than the actual flight or view. (pics to follow). So far we've visited with family, my grandparents also live here (it's a two-fer vacation) and went out to eat at this amazing Italian buffet that put Golden Corral to shame. After eating we were introduced to a new activity that is very fun, addicting and sure to become part of our family routine once back in Texas... Geocache-ing. It's where people from the city have hidden a little "treasure" and you must find it based on the location it's posted at and the clues provided. Some are linked to others so it's more of a treasure map find where there's multiple stops. We did 1 stop treasures and found 2 out of 3. It's pretty cool because you get to sign your name and date on the paper and some have little trinkets inside. Our first cache was in a deck of cards tin and it had little trinkets for the kiddos (of course you must replace the items if you take them, luckily I had a pack of silly bands that we used to replenish.) Then our second was in a film roll canister, it didn't have treats but we had just as much fun finding it. This service is free and there is a program free on android for finding them.
All in all it's been a great first day .... more to come....

as they say... Here goes nothin!!

So I am new to the blogging world, but after reading and benefiting from so many other blogs I decided to give it a whirl. This is my first year homeschooling my daughter as well... lots of new journeys for this gal. I will be posting a little bit of everything on here.... lesson plans, recipes, outings, crafts, struggles, successes, etc. I am very excited to be able to share all our experiences and have a place to store our memories. We will be going on a vacation for the next 10 days so I will try to post as we go... but once we get back I will be in full swing.