Nothing is as simple as it may first appear. We first learned that when we first bought our house and realized that what we thought would be an easy updating task, was quite a bit more involved than that. Two years later we decided to fix up the bathroom just a little bit more. The toilet paper roll was in a retarted place and we weren't using it anyway. There was an old gas hearter on the wall that we weren't using either and both of these things were just collecting dust and looking ugly. So I decided that they must come out and to simplify the covering up process I thought we could just put up some beadboard and...Tada!!!

It kind of went like that but then the painting started. I had some trim paint left over from when we did the rest of our trim so I pulled that out and started painting. Not soon after, I realized that this paint was turning out a lot brighter white than what was all over the house. Then I realized that this was a different brand of white paint than what we had origanally started with. And since I had all the window trim to paint all of the house and our new front door, I was going to have to paint all of the trim again. You might say "YOU ARE CRAZY!!" No one will notice and you are just being picky. Well, maybe, but this is my house, I can notice the difference. It seems like a daunting task, and I hope that I will never have to do this again, even though I know probably in 5 years I will, but we will not think about that right now. Right now, I am trying to just finish this "little" project so that I can move on!

We'll see!

Today Joel and I got our Baltic Amber bead necklaces. Go here to read about them. We have seen the wonders that it has done for our son, and so now we are going to try them. We are hoping that they will help with our allergies so that we don't have to spend the big bucks every month getting suppliments. I will keep you posted!

Standing Ovation

I love standing ovations. There is something about them that gives me chills. I think it is because the only reason you give a standing ovation is when someone as performed in a superb way that calls for more than just clapping. When I was performing in operas when I was younger It thrilled me to look out into the audience and see them all standing. I could barely hold it in. I am sure we all felt honored. When I stand for the Hallelujah chorus I get all choked up and can feel the excitment and joy swelling up inside of me.

Last week I was doing my bible study and this chapter was on joy. I was really enjoying it (haha) because I feel like I need a little more joy in my life especially through the trials God sends my way. I can to the second day and the passage in Philipians was being talked about and how Paul counted everything as rubbish for the joy of know Christ. Then we looked at Stephen, another man who responded to earthly circumstances with a heavenly response. in Acts 7:56 it says " I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God." If you will remember, when Chirst ascended into heaven he SAT down at the right hand of God. Here Stephen was being stoned for his belief in Christ, and as he looked to heaven he saw Christ STANDING at the right hand of God. OOOH, it gave me chills! Christ was giving him a standing ovation for how Stephen was responding and the example that he was setting for the many that would follow in their footsteps.

I want to live my life in such a way that Christ is so please that he cannot but stand to his feet because he is swelling with pride! Lord may I life my life worthy of the gospel of Christ. I hope that you who read this blog know that you are precious in the sight of God and that He loved you so much as to send His son to earth to die on the cross, bearing your shame and sin so that you can have a personal relationship with Him and one day spend eternity with Him. We must deny ourselves, repent from our sins and follow Him!

"Dance"

Today Izzy danced! And oh it was soooooo cute! I don't know how to do a video link on my blog so I will just have to describe it to you. We were listening to some music and I asked if you could dance like I normally do. Usually he just smiles and laughes. But today he started moving his feet really fast in place and then twirled! I quickly got the video camera to catch it for Joel and thankfully he kept doing it. Now he will do it just periodically for the fun of it. Probably because we laugh so hard and clap!

Also, I cut his hair today. He did very well. I tried this once before and had to call my mom to come fix it, then the next time I decided to pay to have it done and then this time I decided to try again. It turned out really good! We went through 1sweettarts pkg, and 2 suckers! I know, I am a horrible mom, but hey, he sat still!

And then the last Izzy tidbit, is that he can say his name! If you ask him his name he has no idea what you are talking about, but if you say "Say Izzy" he will say it! now he is on the floor putting duplo legos in his mouth and blowing them out right along with silly daddy.  I love my boys!

Nice Change

Tonight I dyed my hair. This is the first time I have dyed all of my hair. My dear friend did highlights on my hair (that is a story in itself) one time, but never have I dyed my entire head of hair! But I decided that I wanted to try a little darker shade. I found a hairstyle that I am trying to achieve, and the hair was a darker brown. So I decided to branch out and be adventurous and try it. I felt scandalous and wondered what my mother would say! But my husband was all for it, so I did it.

This is the before!

This is the process

 

 

 

At Starbucks Saturday morning with my new hair fixed!

 

 

I did have a picture in the same place right after I did it, but I can't get it to upload. If you can't tell, it is a shade or two darker than what I had. The lighting is not very good, but you can definitely notice it in person!

I love it! I think that it is a richer color and brings out my eyes more!

We are in!

We are full blown cloth dipaer people...well, besides a desposable at night. But today I have ordered the rest of what we need to fully make the transition and to make it well. I am so excited but nervous too! When we were doing it month to month, I felt like I had an "out" so to speak. But now we are hooked. It really isn't that bad and we have made it this far. Besides we have only spent less than 200.00 total getting everything that we have gotten, which is a lot less than a lot of people send on cloth diapers. So now we can start saving!

Fall

A new season is here, and with it new things. We got a new table!

Kendra and Shawn, my sister and her husband told us awhile back that they wanted our table and if we saw something else that we like that they would buy it from us. So we saw the table pictured above, and it was exactly what I wanted, and it was going to be the same price as what my sister was offering, so we got it!
But....the table will not be in for maybe six weeks, so right now we have a card table in our dinning room as our makeshift dinning table. We can't wait to get it!!!

Grape Thief!

Israel LOVES grapes! He gets a small glimps of them and he goes crazy. Well, today after I got home from grocery shopping, I was putting away the groceries. Of course I had the fridge open and my little helper was "helping" me. At least I thought he was until he peeped around the fridge with his mouth full of grapes! He had figured out how to open the grape container and was helping himself tho them. It was so funny! Anyway, he is evidence of the grape thief!

Give me a break!

I love being a mom. I really do. It was my dream as a child, and now I am living it. But some days I would rather not live again. Some weekends I am glad to say have past. Some weeks, yes a whole week, are better left not thought about or else you will get depressed and not enjoy motherhood. This week has been one of them. Yes there have been the precious moments when Izzy has cuddled up with me and fell asleep in an oh so cute position. Oh, but I failed to mention that that happened AFTER he had slept for an hour only to wake up and refuse to go back to sleep even though he was dog tired! Every afternoon this week as been a cross-your-fingers-and-hope-that-he-sleeps kind of week. And has he? NO! We are worn out. Because, not only has he not slept much, if at all in the afternoon, he has had trouble at night too. Teething? Possibly, but we haven't had this kind of behavior since we got the teething necklace. Cold? He has a sniffle, but he has had worse and has still slept. So we are puzzled parents, and tired ones at that. Today, he took a cat nap while we were walking, and after playing hard this morning, and being at the park, he lays in bed from 1:00-3:00 talking, playing, and crying, until finally he falls asleep. It is now 3:24, I just sent my husband a victory text, and now I  hear him crying. A very tired cry. Lord give me strength, because I am out of it!