Fall Festivities

What a fun fall we have already had, and it isn't over yet!

Here are a few of the festivities we have participated in and still have many more to go.

This is the best weekend of the year...well, next to Thanksgiving, and Christmas. Okay, so it is a pretty good weekend of the year. It is Homecoming, and we are host to the world's best homecoming celebration. Walkaround on Friday, the Game Saturday, Church Sunday! Next weekend is jammed packed and Tuesday is the Halloween Festival, Thursday is Justin's last football game. He is 7-0 and looking for that final win for his first undefeated season!!!!

What a great time of year.

I don't wanna grow up

Made my own 30 by 30 challenge

I am losing at least 30 lbs by my 30th birthday!!!

I joined www.fatsecret.com and made up my own challenge. There are mini challenges within the challenge.

Check it out here. You can join fatsecret and be a part of it, or you can follow along without joining.

I am pretty pumped. Join it if you want, or be encouraged to do something for yourself.

Let me know what you think of the challenge! Here is a before picture from July of this year.

Rough night

First off, Happy Summer!

Tonight we were going to start a new family tradition. Snowcones on the first day of summer. I was so excited and so in need of a wedding cake with cream. A quick trip to Wal-mart quickly ruined our new family tradition. It wasn't quite Wal-mart that did us in...but it was the terrible attitude of our three year old. Oh how she is trying our patience lately.

Tonight we took a stand and it was really hard. Oh the tears nearly swayed us, but we realized that we couldn't give in. It was so difficult to not do what we wanted to do as a family. Instead of creating a happy summer tradition, we regrettably came home with a crying kid. That was really hard. But now we know that she understands that we mean business when we ask for her cooperation. Hopefully us putting our foot down tonight will help her obey and cooperate.

Another blog I follow posted just today about raising your children with discipline and it was just another confirmation to me that we made the right decision tonight by sticking to our guns. Maybe we can go for a snowcone tomorrow.

Our Secret Garden

Hold onto your hats, I am going to post twice in the same week.

I just had to share what I found tonight. It was a garden, although not really too secret.

In our back yard there is a raised flower bed. A few weeks ago when I looked there were things in there that didn't look like weeds, but I wasn't sure what they were. Tonight however, after Justin dumped dirt from the holes for Cori's swing set in there, I looked closer and saw those things were not weeds at all, but looks like a vegetable and herb garden. I am excited that I get to reap the harvest!


Tonight I discovered what I think may be green beans...



and what I am guessing in basil...very strong smelling and hairy leaves...but my mom just informed me is actually sage...


and what I thought was green onion, but turns out to be garlic!!!



There are some plants underneath all this dirt somewhere...We have to get the dirt off and see if we can salvage them.

Getting some flack

Okay, so I have been reminded that I haven't posted in almost two months. We have had a busy two months. We moved out, were homeless for 10 days, and then moved into our new house and have been busy ever since.

May found us homeless. We lived in a less than desirable hotel for a week, and spent the weekends with family. It was actually a fun adventure. Then, we closed on our new house and the adventures haven't stopped.

The end of May found us nicely settled in our home, Cori done with daycare until the fall, Justin being Daddy Daycare, and the most fun was Cori's dance recital.





I will be doing some before and after, and then after after when we get things painted and get everything complete with the house.

For now we are loving our new house, enjoying the summer, and just having fun. Isn't that what summer is all about?

Meet my new niece and nephew!

What a wonderful day! The Lord has blessed us with two beautiful babies! Madelyn Lillian was born at 9:15a. She weighed 6 lbs 4 oz and was 19 1/4 inches long. Jackson Ryan was born at 9:19a. He weighed 6 lbs 10 oz and was 19 3/4 inches long.

What a weekend!

This weekend was Easter! We spent Saturday night at our church to start off the weekend. Cori got to wear Easter dress #1.

Then Sunday morning after the Easter bunny visited--and Cori put on Easter dress #2--was the baby dedication for our neice and nephew at their church. (pics to follow...I did't get any on my camera) After that we had a wonderful celebration lunch and egg hunt, and then we went to OKC for the Thunder game. We had awesome seats thanks to Aunt Brooke.


Cori got to meet a Thunder Girl, \

And Rumble the mascot


But the best part (other than the popcorn, cotton candy, dip and dots, and lemonade) was that Cori got a little stuffed bunny from Rumble. She had to sleep with it last night, and even take it to school today.

We had a blast!

Dear Bathroom Scale--Part 2

I am writing this to let you know that I would like to clear the air between us. It seems that since my last weigh in, I said wrote some things that may not have been very nice about you. I just want to take the time to formally apologize. I know that it must have been very hurtful to hear read. I am sorry.

So, I understand why you--in turn--decided to retaliate by adding another pound to my weigh in on Monday. I have to admit...at first I was really upset. You obviously knew that it hurt the first time, and you still added that extra pound. It was spiteful to say the least. It has taken me a few days to get over it, but I do want you to know that I forgive you.

Now that we have cleared that up you can start moving in the right direction!

Thanks you for your understanding and forgiveness,

Jessica

Dear Bathroom Scale,

I am writing to inform you that you are no longer my friend.  Not that you really have been for a long time anyway...but this morning made it official.

 

Do you know what I have been through the past week?  I had a horrifying stomach thing, and had two days of only eating saltines and pudding.  I have not been eating anything after dinner time, and only partaking in 100 calorie snacks in the afternoon at work, that is after my low calorie breakfast, and sensible--however not the greatest tasting--microwave lunches.  I have been trying hard.  I have not been eating candy or ice cream or all the things that got me to the state I am in right now.

 

And you, you just sit on the bathroom floor waiting to ruin my morning...and possibly my week for that matter. And quietly you just glare that nasty little (well actually not so little) red number at me.  And it was bigger!  I know that they say you don't lie, but I really feel deceived right now.  How could I have gained a pound???   

 

Well, now I am just going to have to get even more serious.  So, you, my unfriended bathroom scale--you better watch out.  Because this won't happen again!!!!

 

Respectfully,

 

Jessica

 

 

 

 

 

The Challenge starts today!

Justin and I weighed in last night (at more than we have ever weighed) and we are starting the diet today.

 

Let me tell you...it was hard saying no to the freshly baked cookie someone brought into the office, but I did it.  Even as my neighbor (and close friend) made yummy noises while she devoured her creamy, warm, chocolate chip cookie, I stood my ground.  And I am proud of myself.

 

So, 20 lbs to go by June 6th (Justin's birthday).  I am kind of excited.J

 

 

 

 

 

Gussy Giveaway

So I am home sick for a second day in a row. This time yesterday I was just getting up for the day, so today I am thinking I feel a lot better since I have been up since 10 and am doing okay, but I am still not yet 100%.

I did feel good enough to check my blog, and I found a great giveaway on one of the wonderful blogs that I follow. Check it out here.

I also added the button for Gussy to my blog at the right.

Gussy makes the cutest, totally girlie girlie products. I can't wait to get the laptop bag. I have been looking for something that isn't so black and just like everyone else, and I totally found it here. Check it out and enter the giveaway yourself.

Shattered Dreams

Well, it happened.  The thing we have been fearing for the past month (or a little longer).  The thing that I didn't want to speak about, but my husband couldn't stop talking about. The house we wanted, the house we put our home on the market for, the house we have been dreaming of, was sold out from underneath us.

 

But, even though my dreams of living in that house, with the adorable kitchen, and huge rooms have been shattered (and my heart is a little shattered too) I know that everything happens for a reason.

 

God's word says there is a season for everything under the sun.  God's word says that He knows the desires of our hearts--and He will give them to us.  God's word says that all things work together for good for those who love Him and are called according to His purpose.  I am choosing to put aside my hurt feelings. I am choosing to let go of the house that I became attached to, even though I said I wouldn't.  And I am choosing to walk in the promises of God. 

 

I know that He knows what is best for us.  I know that He is taking care of us.  I know that He has a plan for our lives.  And I am trusting in Him.

 

 

 

 

My Little Cheerleader

Cori had a ton of fun cheering at her first basketball game tonight. She even did some jumps! Oh what Fun!

This isn't the post that is supposed to be here

Today I was supposed to be posting about the wonderful birthday party we had for Cori's third birthday. I was supposed to be posting amazing pictures of her very adorable fairy party. The party I have been working on for months--months of ideas, months of planning, and months of gathering items for the party. And it will have to wait for two more weeks.

Cori's party got cancelled because of a fever virus! She got a fever the Friday before her birthday party! What are the chances of that???? Poor little baby. Thankfully she didn't really realize what was happening when we had to postpone her party, otherwise I think she would have been really upset.

She did get to open her present from Aunt Brooke. She got just what she asked for...a wedding dress complete with a beautiful bouquet of flowers. She has been wearing the dress all weekend. That definitely eased the disappointment for her...but not so much for me.

Snow Day

Getting Ready


We love snow!


Trying to make a snowball


Snow slide


Snow Angels


Snow Dog


Snow Shoes

Doing it all over again...praying third time will be the charm!!!

We have some news! Our house will be up for sale for the third time...in almost as many years. We really want to move to a bigger house. We are in a position right now where it will be extremely beneficial for us to move, financially, and spacialy! We have outgrown our little starter home. It really pains us to leave it, especially since we have done so much to it. (See my post this summer about the amazing swingset my husband built for our dear daughter.)

This is how the story goes...We happened to drive by the house we fell in love with the last time we had our house on the market, and there was a for lease sign. We called the realtor (and by we I mean my husband did all the work) and found out the house will be going up on the market in March...so we wanted to know if they would sell it now. And they will. So that means we had to bust it and get our house ready to sell, NOW. This was something we were not even expecting to talk about, much less even dreamed we could get our house ready for sale in one weekend. But with the serious help of my in-laws, and the amazing feats of strength from my husband...our house is perfect and ready for market.

We looked at the house we love one more time, and decided we really did love it still, and now we are working up papers with the realtor and those should be ready tomorrow. So here we go again. And we need your prayers...big time.

Keeping your house completely spic and span every second of the day is not easy...especially when you have an almost three year old little girl who has a very determined spirit. But we are determined to do it, and we know that we can.

But this time it will be different. Before we were so ready to move, and then we got very emotionally attached to the houses we wanted, and when they would come and go, we were devastated...especially as our house sat and sat on the market. Since two years ago when we had our house on the market the 2nd time, we have really updated a lot, and we do really love our house, even if it is tiny. So we will be okay to stay, but we do want a bigger and newer house. So we are not getting emotionally attached.

We just want to walk in God's will and move where he wants us to be in his timing. So we will be having showings, and we will be cleaning, but we know that God will bring the right people at the right time.