Month: January 2009

I was reading a blog of someone I don’t know…this happens often.  I read my friend’s blogs and love, love keeping up with all the fun that they are having. In recent days I have stumbled upon some new blogs, and  I laugh out loud at their hilarious stories.  In the blog I was reading today a lady challenged us to write a letter to our 20 year old selves.  I thought I would take the challenge:

Dear, sweet little selfish Kristy,

Please take no offense to the greeting.  It’s me, YOU, writing to you.  Only YOU are 12 years down the road.  I can see so many things much more clearly than you.  Let me take the liberty to help you out some…

1- You need to call your mom AND dad more.  You have no idea all that they have done for you and are doing for you while you are away at college.  Call them more.  Talk to them about your life.  It’s good for you.  It’s good for them.  And your sisters, too.  They are FAMILY…think of others.

2- Guys are not as important as you think.  You do a lot of things for the attention of others.  While I am so glad you do have your quiet time and that you are journaling about all the Lord is teaching you, this guy-thing sort of sends you off the best path.  You’ll meet a handsome, godly young man very soon.  You’ll be so glad you didn’t embarrass yourself with being attracted to LOSERS.  Yes, they are LOSERS. Yeah, he can dance, SO WHAT?  L-O-S-E-R.  By the way, did you know you love red heads?  Yep.

3- OH, would you please stop fretting over your body????  It is a great body.  Trust me on this.  You will one day have three kids in less than three years.  I did not know that was possible either, but it is.  Your butt does not look big in those jeans.  Wear them proudly.  You. are. not. fat. ‘kay?

4- Love the skin you’re in.  Wrinkles do come.  Crows feet are FOR REAL.  And laugh lines are not funny.  That’s all I’m saying about that.

5- Hug Paige.  She saved you big time.  Even though she distracted you from studying by playing some sort of hide and seek game while driving a car, calling you to see her scared of a dog in the parking lot,tempted you to sleep in since she signed up for late classes, and clipped her big toenail and let it fly right between your eyes…the girl is honest.  She shoots it straight, and you need her—in your life now and in your life later.  Go hug her.  Oh, and it is so good that you girls don’t borrow clothes.  And just for fun, let her go get your shiny blue shirt back from that short, softball playing blonde chick….let her.

6- Follow hard after the Lord.  Really hard.  He has so much in store for you, and you need Him more than you can possibly know.  Get up early, be still, worship Him wholeheartedly, keep up your scripture memory box…you’ll kick yourself for forgetting all of those verses!!!!, and pray for your lost friends.  You should brush up on your witnessing “skills” for Asa.  You’ll never see her after Middle…or a lot of other folks.

7- Lastly, but possibly the most important (not really), GET YOUR EYEBROWS SHAPED BY A PROFESSIONAL.  And don’t keep listening to your mom and her comment about Brooke Shields…go now, my bushy-eyebrowed friend.

Enjoy your college days and pre-kids days.  Sleep until 11:00 and don’t feel guilty or lazy.  You will make up for all your “extra” sleep.  And just skip the breastfeeding class and don’t buy that silly bra.  You won’t need it and YOU AND YOUR KIDS WILL BE FINE, MORE THAN FINE.  Oh, there is so much more, but wasn’t this fun?  I hope I didn’t scare you…I hope it helps you to live the good life through your twenties.  Thirties arrive quick and sort of fierce, I must say.

Love you,

YOU/ME

Yes.  Three entries in one day.  It is January.  It is cold. I have settled the fact that I cannot clean while they are awake and moving around.  It is too much trouble to get out with three kids in the cold, so I have chosen to stay home most of this week.  Josh has been busy lately.  I mean, he is here, but his mind is on a lot of other things in the evenings.  I can respect that…work (in a bad economy and such), building a home for the first time ( I totally get that), and three little ones that want/need/get his attention in the evenings ( I love that.), a Sunday School lesson to prepare for and people in our class that need an ear from time to time (love that, too). Plus, I have been getting up before everyone to have my quiet time, drink some coffee and enjoy some worship music; I am not having to figure how to fit it into the day when everyone is awake.  It has been a great week spiritually speaking, but it doesn’t take away from the fact that I can sometimes feel a bit like a loon when I have been on “stay-at-home-mom island.”  This (blog world) is somehow a connection to the adult world, though I haven’t quite figured out why that is…ANYHOW, so I am entering on my blog AGAIN.  And this is so not important, but I will continue.

I have heard that a good pair of jeans can change your life.  I hate jeans.  I do.  I wear them, but I hate them.  The only thing I hate worse than wearing them is shopping for them.  At AnnTaylor Loft I can wear the Julie style for “curvy” figures (a round tail and smaller waist).  They cost about $50 or $60.  Not bad, could be better….that is what I have thought in the past.  After looking on line at some of the suggested brands of jeans, I am thinking that AnnTaylor Loft is just giving these jeans away.  True Religion?  Ever heard of them?  $329!!!!  HUH?  Yep.  Seven?  Heard of them?  $249!  Shut-up.  I am serious.  Now, I did run across a pair of Seven jeans at Stein-Mart for $34.99, and I bought them a while back….I had no idea what sort of deal this was.  So, I am sort of at this weird place.  I want to try these jeans on to see if they are really worth it.  I mean, if they actually fit me and look good, well, they might be worth spending the money and wearing them for the rest of my life…but could I actually spend that much money on something to wear?  One item to wear?  Will it change my life or just my bank account?  Things that make you go hmmmmmmm……..

 

Yes, I was telling the truth (see entry below).  I cannot let this little man out of my sight.  He decided to hop into the sink and play in the water.  THAT is why it is fairly difficult to focus on anything else while Mack Attack is awake and moving around.

And even the girls were having some fun.  They turned the living room into a jumpy place since I didn’t take them to one today!  Ha.  

Mrs. Lee, where are you?

So Mrs. Lee was scheduled to come and clean today.  She asked if she could change it to this past Wednesday…well, no.  Wednesday afternoons would be a horrible time to get my house cleaned.  The kids HAVE to have a rest time on Wednesday, we HAVE to eat dinner by 5:00 because we HAVE to go to church on Wednesday night.  She won’t be here until Feb 13th.  Yikes.  My poor house.  I decided that I would clean today…I know HOW  to clean, and  I actually enjoy it when I am not interrupted or when a million things get undone while I am trying to do ONE thing.  So, I am reminded today that I really, really, really appreciate having a cleaning lady.  I know it won’t last forever, but for now I choose to enjoy it.  A lot.

Now I am off to see what mess has been made while I have sat here typing this.  Then, I will head upstairs with the munchkins to try and tidy up there while they are “trapped” in the tub.  I use the word trapped quite loosely, as there are many days they escape and run their naked bodies all through the house.  

Happy Cleaning.  And Happy Friday.

Molly pooped on the potty, so all the kids got a popsicle to celebrate this BIG achievement (Yes, she is 3 1/2 …the pooping business is still quite the ordeal with her).  I started explaining to them that after this snack they were to go and play and leave me alone for a bit because their Daddy and I were having friends over for dinner.  

Ruby: “Are we gonna have friends over?”

Molly: “Do we get to eat?”

Me: “Yes, you get to eat with us, but their kids aren’t coming with them, so you won’t have friends over.”

Ruby: “MO-OM!  That is not fair!”

Me: “Ruby, what are you talking about?”  (you have lost your mind, my little four year old…)

A few seconds of silence….

Ruby:  “It’s like if I got a popsicle, but Molly didn’t.  That would not be fair.”

Molly: “but I did get a popsicle, Ruby, I did!  SEE?!”

Ruby: (trying to explain that it was an analogy) “I know, Molly, but IF you didn’t get one and I did, that wouldn’t be fair.”

Molly: “but I DID, Ruby, I did get a popsicle.”

Ruby just looked at me and went right back to her point—“It’s not fair that you get friends over and we don’t.”  

I am such a mean mom. 

It reminds me of the other day when we were coming home from Handwriting class.  Katherine was coming over to play, and I told them girls that we would eat pizza when we got home.  They were so excited…until we pulled into the neighborhood.  “Mama, you forgot the pizza!!!!” Ruby said.  I explained to her that I didn’t forget, and I told her I was going to bake it at home (a frozen one).  “OH, NO! I don’t like that kind.  I want the kind you buy at the restaurant.  I don’t want the one you make at home!!!!”  She continued this rant and rave about the pizza and a few other things.  When she started crying over it, I ever-so-gently pulled her to the side and let her know that SOME KIDS DON’T EAT AT ALL, MUCH LESS YUMMY PIZZA THAT THEIR MAMA COOKS FOR THEM, AND MOST KIDS DON’T GET TO HAVE FRIENDS OVER AND THEN GO OVER TO THEIR HOUSE, AND SOME KIDS DON’T HAVE TOYS…WHY DON’T YOU BE A LITTLE MORE GRATEFUL SO THAT I LET YOU EAT THIS PIZZA, PLAY WITH KATHERINE AND ENJOY ALL OF YOUR TOYS?????

Again, what a mean mom…serving a frozen pizza instead of a “real” pizza.

Bear with me, as this entry is quite random.

We had our carpets cleaned by Tim from Luster Kleen.  He is the most passionate man I have ever met in regards to flooring in general.  He is one of three master certified something or ‘nothers….the man knows floors.  It truly is amazing.  Anyhow, he has white hair and a white beard and mustache.  He also seems to have a wife that cooks very well (how is that for political correctness?!)  Mack stood at the bottom of our stairs looking up to where he was giving Josh a dissertation on what kind of carpets to buy and what kind not to buy and why Pulte may just be the champion of cutting corners in the building industry, and Mack kept saying, “Ho, Ho, Ho.”  It was quite humorous.

Molly went upstairs this morning to get some pants on, and she stayed gone longer than I was comfortable with.  I hollered for her to come down…she didn’t…I hollered again…and then she appeared asking, “HOW IS THIS, Mama?”

Before I could answer HOW this was, I needed to know WHAT it was.  Ends up, she found some Balmex butt cream to put on her face…nice.  After the quick photo opt, I cleaned her face.  Oh, and side note, notice that there are no pants on her legs.  She is so easily distracted.

Special thanks to the Koester Klan for watching our kids last night while we ate a nice dinner alone for our anniversary.  So great to have wonderful friends.  The kids had fun, and they never want to leave Mrs. Mary’s house!  I truly think they would move right in if I let them.  Molly came home with a DVD, two small stuffed animals,a pair of flip flops and a pair of Barbie 3-D glasses.  I told her maybe she should pick one thing to take home.  “But, I want all of them,” she said.  And she always adds, “Mrs. Mary said!!!!!”  She was even trying to think of more stuff to bring home with her as we were leaving…greedy little booger.

We just got an AWESOME photo book from Lori, a friend of Uncle Jason’s.  It is BEAUTIFUL.  Thank you, Lori, if you read this.  I will be in touch, for sure!!!!!!  It brought back some fun, warm memories on this cold, rainy day in January.  The kids enjoyed the pictures, but the box it came in is proving to be a winner for them!  They are using it as a boat, a raft, an airplane…..thanks!

Mrs. Debbie is doing well.  She never ceases to amaze me how she is allowing the Lord to teach her and mold her to be more like Christ.  I am so thankful that the chemo seems to be working.  Keep praying that the doctors will have wisdom as they keep working with her.  We hope to get to see them this weekend.  Her last day of work is Friday. Pray for Irvin, too.  He hasn’t felt well this week.  We really do wish we could be there to help in some way.  I feel so useless up here in Woodstock while they are four hours away…I know that they have wonderful family and friends close by and it is so obvious that the Lord is helping them through it all.

 

This is a picture of our house.  It is coming along nicely.  The roof is metal.  We love it.  They are building the porches today, then we will start more of the inside stuff.  These are exciting times and extremely busy times.  I can’t wait for the day we can actually move in to this house!

 

Josh and I are celebrating 8 years of wedded bliss today!  Sometimes it feels like just yesterday we were newlyweds, foot loose and fancy free down in Florida where I enjoyed most days at Clearwater Beach while Josh worked.  🙂  Seriously, we loved our time down in FL to just get to know each other even more.  I roller bladed almost everyday, kept a nice tan, had dinner on the table each night, kept our one bedroom apartment spotless….oh, those were the days.  Those four months flew by and then we made our way back to GA where we lived in another one bedroom apartment in Alpharetta.  Times were so calm and so laid back.  I can hardly remember what I did with my time.  We’ve since bought our first home, had three kids in three years and are building another home.  The days seem much busier and the house is not nearly as clean, and well, I haven’t roller bladed in 7 years. (I don’t do hills.)

 I have so loved being married to Josh!  He is such a great husband.  I hope we get 60 more years together. 

 

I loved, loved our wedding day.  It was perfect in every way.  I thought the ceremony was Christ-honoring, and I loved that Heather Richardson sang all the worship music.  Wonderful friends, precious family, pretty food, and a honeymoon to look forward to.  

 

I took pictures of the pictures in our wedding album, hence the poor quality.  The girls like to look at the album and watch our video…they always want to know where they were!

Last night Josh and I put the kids to bed around 9:30.  It was a late night at church, not to mention the late night fast food meal I already shared about.  Sooo, the girls wanted to watch a movie on their DVD player.  We said no, of course.  Well, I put their DVD player under a pillow on the chair in their room so that they couldn’t see it.  (They know how to work it by themselves.)  We didn’t hear a peep for the next hour and a half that we were awake downstairs.  We cleaned up the kitchen, checked emails and even started talking about next week’s Sunday School lesson.  As we came upstairs, Josh went down to their room to make sure they were covered up, and he found two little girls sitting on the bed together watching a movie!!!!!  VERY QUIETLY!

 

Once they figured out that we weren’t mad, they just kept on watching their movie.  I asked Molly who found the DVD player…she said, “I heard something coming from over there, and I found it already playing.”  Basically, I plugged in the DVD player to charge it up for the next day and didn’t realize it was still “on.”  So, it started playing after we left the room, and they decided to go ahead and open it and watch the movie…quietly…and super-close to the screen.  I don’t begin to suggest that Josh is a bad influence on our kids with the fast food and movies, but…..

He does love a good movie.  And I love him.  

Also, just a note.  Molly slobbers.  That is why her hair is disgusting in these pictures.  She sleeps on her tummy with her fingers in her mouth and slobbers all over the place.  When it is time for bed, she asks, “Can I slobber?”  She smells gross the next morning…her face, her hands, her hair, her sheets…and when I went to sit on my chair in their room, I felt something wet.

 

So, I will be hiding the DVD player in a better place from now on.  Funny girls!

Ruby just cried asking for a chore to do.  As I made small suggestions, she cried and cried and said, “Not that…I want a big chore!”  I told her I would love a clean playroom, so off she went to clean.  When I came down, she said very cheerfully, ” I LOVE CHORES.  I COULD DO THEM ALL YEAR.”  

Wow…thought I better write that down.

Let me start by saying that I cannot keep up with all the funny conversations we have around here with these kiddos!  They crack us up, but I cannot remember it all.  There are a few funny things from yesterday that I do remember…..

First, Josh is so funny.  He took the kids with him to church yesterday evening while I left early to get us seats at the Travis Cottrell recording/concert.  It was FABULOUS!  Anyway, he left early to get the kids out of nursery and go home since the night was going long.  When I got out, I called him to see if he wanted me to get him anything, but he had already taken care of that!  He had gone to Bojangles for himself, then to McDonalds for the kids at 8:30pm.  Oh my.  The kids love it, of course!  We don’t eat out during the week, but the weekends can sometimes do us in….gotta get it under control.  Here are some pics of them enjoying the food.  Josh is thrilled that I am poking fun at him, can you tell?

 

 

Ruby threw Josh under the bus by telling me, “I told Daddy that we could come home and eat chicken nuggets, strawberries or crackers.”  Too funny!

Molly is awake now, so I have to go tend to her….more later on their sneakiness last night!