Lady in Waiting

I'm waiting.

I'm embarrassed to say, I'm waiting and I'm not waiting patiently.

Jared and I have a lot going on and nothing going on all at the same time.

We are waiting on the bank.  Waiting for that "yes" you can move from our lender.

Waiting to pack,

Waiting to plan our future in our new home. 

Waiting to see if this truly is God's will and if He will bring it to fruition.

Waiting...

He is working on me.  Taking inventory of my spiritual life.  The new home is no longer the only prize at the end of this journey.  My thoughts and prayers are continually focused on His will for my life, my family's life. 

I truly believe He has been waking me up early.  The last two mornings I have been awake at 6:30a.  I make a coffee and head out to the back porch and spend some time with Him.  I've been reading A Lineage of Grace by Francine Rivers.  The stories of Tamar and Rahab have brought me to tears. 

This afternoon I started getting anxious watching my phone.  Waiting for that call.  One of my favorite songs came to mind.  Wait on the Lord by Enter the Worship Circle.  I've been listening to it this afternoon on repeat.  Over and over this is my prayer:

Wait On The Lord lyrics by Enter The Worship Circle
Wait on the Lord, oh, my soul

Wait on the Lord, oh, my soul

Wait on the Lord, oh, my soul

Be strong and take heart

Be strong and wait upon the Lord
He is beautiful and good

He's the lover of all men

He has rescued us before

And he will rescue us again

He is faithful and true

He is living and just

Surely He will deliver us

Just Placed My Order

I was blog browsing this morning when I stopped in over at Craftaholics Anonymous.  She had a link to a super cute tutorial for a sack dress for the 4th.  So I clicked over to Aesthetic Nest to see what I needed to make one for Anneliese.

How cute is this:

To make it small enough, you don't add the red ruffle along the bottom.  Since Anneliese is only 2, her's will not need the ruffle.

I clicked on her link to purchase the fabric and that store was sold out.  After a quick search I found it on eBay and purchased two panels for a total of $13!

My plan is to make one for her and possibly a matching shirt for me.  We'll see.  Regardless I always tend to buy two of most things in case something goes wrong.

I'll be sure to post a pic of the girl in her patriotic glory :0)

They Will Know Us By Our Love

Day Camp

Today was 1st and 2nd grade day camp up at Mission Lake Christian Camp.

We had the Dilley boys stayed over last night so they could go with Elijah.  Other than terrible storms this morning, the day went great.  The kids had so much fun!

Elijah playing Blind Ninja

Andrew getting ready to be blind folded

Hide and Seek!  They played for 45 minutes!

Where's Cale?  Anyone seen Cale?

Painting a Journal

The kids LOVED the craft, Thanks Cherie!

Jared teaching about the rich man entering heaven

Jared trying to fit through the tiny hands of a camper

My Fav prayer ever.  So sweet! :)

Baby It's Cold Inside

This is what it feels like in my van:

And I couldn't be more

My sweet boy comes home from camp today. We all miss him A LOT.  His sister was crying out his name on the way home from work last night because she was just sure we left him at the Y.

I wasn't sure if you heard, but we are hoping to move come August.  Want a sneak peak of the new digs?

There's the amazing wonderful attached garage to the left.  Attached, YAY!

Grandma Anita stopped by late last night and brought the kids each a bag in their favorite color.  Anneliese's may be a bit big for now :)

Random Acts Of Thought

-My van's AC is getting repaired today!  YAY!  It's been a little over a year since it went out.  Jason R. and Jason H. have been working diligently on it.  The best part (sarcasm) is that the issue seems to be a error done in the factory.  Jason R. said it's obvious someone over tightened the hoodie to the hadda (very technical terms here) causing both to crack.  Regardless, my 5 little monkeys will no longer be sticking to each other in the back seats.  Thank you guys!!!!

-We're just hanging out here on Russell and still hope to move come August.  It's so hard to wait!  I've been envisioning what we'll do with the kids' rooms.  Brennan and Tanner will be sharing a room in the basement.  I'm thinking navy blue on the bottom half of the wall, a white chair rail, and a crisp green on the top.  With Brennan's fav color being blue, and Tanner's green I thought it would be an attractive way to have both colors.

-Anneliese is the hard one.  Part of me wants hot pink and zebra print.  Soft pink on the walls but super fun accessories, the other part wants a precious quilt and lots of white and pastels.  Decisions decisions ;)
Do you have an opinion?  Zebra print (she could grow into it) or super soft dainty pastels?

-Work is going great.  I've been putting in lots of hours over the summer.  At first I was so distracted by the house and moving I really didn't want to go.  Quickly I realized,  the more I work, the better position we're in financially and the more we can save for the move. 

-What is with this amazing weather?  I LOVE IT!  Windows open enjoying a breeze as I type.  Heaven!  If only my children agreed.  They are behaving as if it's some form of child abuse to make them stay out for more than 20 minutes.  In my day, we played outside for hours because we wanted to.  No one had to force me out of the house.  

Happy Father's Day!

We (the kids and I) are so blessed by our Daddy.

He's super fun!  Takes us to World's of Fun even when it's 102 degrees :)

He loves Jesus and teaches us all he knows...

He had a great teacher

I guess we're double blessed :)

Thank you Jared and Richard for being the best Daddies we could ask for.  We love you so very much and pray you have a blessed Father's Day. 

Try and get some rest

You deserve it!

Whoo Hoo!

Thanks for reading!  President Bush gives you a THUMBS UP for reading all my ramblings :)

"If You Exercise Your Pup Daily...

 She will be much calmer."

I don't know how many of you are fans of the Dog Whisperer, but Jared and I often giggle how much of his advice applies to humans.

I have had so much pent up anxiety over our upcoming move that I have decided to work out more consistently to see if it helps.

I just finished a week of 30-40 minutes a day for 6 days.  I'm sore head to toe, but I really am much calmer.  I'm sleeping better (and needing less) too which is awesome.  Tomorrow is my day off and then I start back on Monday. 

There is definitely truth to the fact that working out releases endorphins into your system that make you feel better over all. 

So if your stressed, depressed, or just not feeling so hot anymore.  Try chatting with God about it while doing some cardio and you'll be amazed at the results.

I Found My Twin

I have been milling over ideas about the new house with my sweet friend Alisa.  While chatting about the kitchen I was telling her all my ideas.  This home was built for a elegant Southern Bell.  She's very put together, very feminine and her husband built her dream home for her with all that in the fore front of his mind.  The kitchen has beautiful cherry cabinets with pink counter tops, floral wall paper, and beautiful antiques every where.

Let me show you a quick peak so you can see what I mean:

A look at the living room from the kitchen.

Isn't it beautiful?  It's formal, feminine and when my mom went through she fell absolutely in love.  She kept saying, "I would leave it just like it is Sis."  My mom is a bit of a Southern Bell herself.

With 5 kids, 4 being boys, those precious antiques and the beautiful antique light fixtures etc would be at risk.  I have been thinking and planning ways to frugally decorate and make it little kid friendly.

So I've been searching the blogosphere for ideas and I came across The Thrifty Decor Chick.  I swear she and I were separated at birth.  Today's blog (Are You a Piler Too?) made me giggle and feel like I'm not alone in this :)


She loves DIY and had a project that ended in this:

That was her back door, Click the "a project" link above for the details

Now, while I've never had this particular incident, I am known for taking on big things and getting ahead of myself and once or twice they have ended in shattered pieces.

Back to the kitchen, I had an idea of what I wanted to do.  The trend these days is painting cabinetry and I'm just not a fan (sorry!).  This house has beautiful cherry wood cabinetry that were custom built.  There is cherry trim through out the house.  It feels sinful to even consider painting it! 

I had a picture in my head of what I wanted to do.  Including building an island since there's so much space.  I want darker counter tops with pops of black here and there.  Imagine my awe when I pulled up The Thrifty Chick and saw my future kitchen on her blog!  (click here for more pics and the original post)

Look!  Cherry Cabinets!

The back splash in the new house is white tile so the bead board isn't necessary.  I love the counter tops.  Call me crazy, but I love that they're not granite.  They look great and I can afford them.  The island she has is very similar to the one we built in this house and we planned to build the same thing (sans oven) in the new place.

Everything she's done so far has been very in line with my taste and it's all Goodwill finds and garage sale finds.  She's a woman after my own heart.

Beautiful but affordable.  Two of my favorite words.

Happy Birthday Anita

To my Mom in Love!

Happy Birthday, or Flag Day.  Whichever you prefer :)

Anita and Anneliese March 09

I Scream, You Scream, We All Scream...

FOR ICE CREAM!

I have been eyeballing the ice cream balls.  Haven't heard of them?

It may look like a hamster ball but it's so much more!  It's so simple...

One end gets ice and a cup of ice cream salt.  The other end gets a quart of half and half, 3/4 cup sugar, and a table spoon of vanilla.  Then you shake it, roll it, toss it etc for 30 minutes.

I actually bid on one on Ebay the other day.  $30 free shipping.  That's a good deal!  They're closer to $50 in the store.  I just thought it would be a super fun toy/treat for 5 kiddos in the summer time!

This morning the kids and I went across the street to the old elementary building for a church's sale to raise funds for their youth group.

Guess what I found, in the box, brand new, never used....

Go ahead, guess.  I'll give you a hint:

 The sprinkles on the ice cream is that it had this adorable little sticker on it:

Yep, just fifty cents!  I snatched it up immediately and headed to Wal-Mart on the way home.

 It was a huge hit!  We all had our fill and even Daddy took a few bites.  We can't wait to try other flavors vs vanilla.  They had so much fun rolling the ball around once they realized it was going to take 30 minutes and everyone would have their fair share of time rolling it ;)

It's fair to say that:

I spent $15 today and ended up with a trunk full of beautiful things for the new place.  So excited!! 

Goodwill Find

This may not look like much in the picture.

Click on the image for a closer look

But if you look real close you'll notice 2 things...

1.  Someone spent a whole lot of time on this.  It's cross stitched.  Every little detail was done by hand.

2.  This little girl looks very familiar :)

Anneliese and I on Mother's Day

My mom actually found the picture and insisted I buy it.  The longer I have it the more I love it.  Stay tuned to see what creative ideas I have for it's framing.  This will be an adorable addition to her "big girl" room in the new house.

This House Is Not My Home

Anxiety, fear, trepidation, excitement, nervousness, impatience, did I mention fear?

My world has been turned upside down.  Jared and I are embarking on a really big change in our lives.  One we didn't see coming.  For those of you who know me well know that I can be a bit...obsessive at times.  It would be fair to say I have a "one track mind."

The idea of this move has had me in tears, unable to sleep, giddy, worried, and scared all at once.  There is so much good that could come from it.  We will be debt free other than our mortgage.  The house is a better fit for our family and feels like an enormous blessing.

It's scary to want something really really bad.  I have been praying that God would work on my heart.  Refocus my mind and allow me to settle.  I told Jared I really wanted to write about this simply because I feel He has answered my prayer in a real way.

He answered with perspective.

We are purchasing the home from an elderly widow who has been more than gracious, more than loving, more than kind.  Two days ago I was thinking about her, about all she has ahead of her to prepare to move out of her family home.  She has told us so many stories of their lives there.  Plans she and her husband had.  I began to see myself in her.  Married for decades, lots of kids (8 in fact), and a life of grand memories.  This could be me in a matter of years.

Then it hit me, it's all so temporary. 

I remember being 15 like it was yesterday!  How and when did I become 34, married for 15 years, and have 5 children of my own, and where did this gray hair come from?!

My first reaction to this epiphany was anxiety.  My life is going too fast!  My children are growing too fast!!  My husband and I are aging too fast!!   I don't want to be at the end.  I want to freeze time.  There are days when I wake up and I think, "There went another day!  Where does the time go?"

But then the Lord stepped into my panicked heart and said, "It's a stepping stone."  Life is a stepping stone to Him.  Yes, its temporary.  It does go quickly, Praise God!  This world is broken, this world is painful, this world carries disappointment and fear.  Only a foolish heart would want to hold onto this world and fear Heaven!

Revelation 21:4

New Living Translation (NLT)

⁴ He will wipe every tear from their eyes, and there will be no more death or sorrow or crying or pain. All these things are gone forever.”

The new house, the old house, none of it matters.  All that matters is that I live my life bringing Him glory.

Thankfully my heart completely settled.  I have peace.  For the first time in 2 weeks, my mind has slowed down and I am so thankful for a loving God that has so much patience with me.

"This world is not my home I'm just a passing through
My treasures are laid up somewhere beyond the blue
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore
Oh Lord you know I have no friend like you
If heaven's not my home then Lord what will I do
The angels beckon me from heaven's open door
And I can't feel at home in this world anymore"

-Jim Reeves, This World is Not My Home

Great Bargain Finds!

Today I spent my morning at garage sales and then spent mid day at the Redway's auction.  It was so much fun and since I sold my table and chairs yesterday, I had money to spend on things for the new house!

First of all, by far the best deal:

Sage, microfiber with scotch guard.  Perfect shape! $110

The new house has two living spaces.  The main living room and a small "family room" in the basement.  We thought we'd put our couch of 7 years (used when we bought it) in the basement and hoped to find a couple newer pieces for the upstairs.  This is a great start and perfect for my budget!

-I love to accent with red and thought this would be a perfect addition to my train station clock that fits between the kitchen and living room.  I love it!

Antique, perfect color and only $10!

-Then the adorable little black chair that is from an old ice cream parlor.  I'm thinking of placing this in the entry way with a small table.  LOVE

Can you believe no one wanted this?  $2

-I found a 12" square shadow box at a garage sale that is perfect for the kitchen

So cute and only $2!!

-I mentioned in our Anniversary Extravaganza that I loved the way our room was decorated at the Raphael.  I would really like to work towards that in our new place.  The colors were: butter yellow walls, white linens, black furniture, and lime & sage green accents.  It was beautiful.  This little lamp is my first step towards this oasis for a master bedroom

Not sure about the shade, but the lamp is perfect $10

-My favorite piece of all is the oil painting.  This was done by a local artist and is signed.  The first time I saw it I just loved it, so you can imagine my glee when I saw it in the auction!  It's so pretty and fits perfectly into my style.  Isn't it beautiful?  And how neat are the metal rods for hanging.  So unique.  LOVE IT.

I picked up some great deals and didn't even spend 1/2 my table money.  That's a great bargain day :)

Anniversary Extravaganza

Jared and I left the house at about 11 yesterday and headed to the Plaza. Anita and Hannah have the kiddos and they seem to be doing great!

We wandered around the Plaza a bit but when we got the call from the hotel our room was ready, we headed over.

We're staying at The Raphael. Since our Anniversary fell during the week, we have a beautiful room for 1/2 the price. It's so beautiful I'm going to take some pics today and I'm seriously considering decorating our new bed and bath "in honor" of our stay. Jared and I have decided to make this a yearly date. It's so nice and so close to home.

Unfortunately, I've been struggling with a nasty cold. When we checked in yesterday I teased Jared that we are obviously getting older. We took a 2 hour nap. I was so thankful for the rest, otherwise I wouldn't have been able to make it the rest of the day.

Last night we used our gift certificates for New Theatre. The show was The Odd Couple. It was super cute and dinner was delish. As icky as I feel, I'm thankful it's a cold and not the flu. I have been able to enjoy the yummy food and the huge soaking tub clears my sinuses and soothes my aches and pains.

I slept great last night and now I'm enjoying coffee and watching the travel channel while Jared sleeps in. Jared promised me a quick stop by Lowes and Home Depot on the way home, my two favorite places.

We've had a wonderful, restful time. We feel so blessed.