The Barbie Fan

There are no words to describe my sweet Ry and her creative mind.   The girl will play for hours with her Barbies and Liv Doll which I totally think is fabulous.  I love that she is creative and still 'plays' during a time when many 8 year olds are too old for dolls and barbies (which I believe is ridiculous by the way). I will foster her love of all things dolls as long as I can.

Here is what I walked into the other day....priceless I tell you!

Such a smart girl....love how she curved their legs so they'd hang on!  Genius!

And NO, we did not allow her to turn the fan on!

The Funk

I have a confession.  I am in a funk.  A BIG funk.  I can't put my finger on it, but I'm just not myself.  I'm tired and worn out.  I'm not sure if it's the overwhelming feeling of uncertainty regarding the Hubs job.  Or if it's fear of not having medical insurance.  Or it could be our dwindled savings account and all the moo-la we've had to dump into our vehicles lately.  Or maybe it's the extra poundage hanging around my middle (yes, I promise there is).  Or it could also be the fact that the homeschool thing isn't what I imagined it to be.

Whatever the main cause is, I know that this restless feeling is not from God.  I know that I need to take time to be still and give all my worries and cares to him.  I need to pour my confessions to Him and seek peace in scripture. 

I am thankful that he gives me small moments to remind me that it will get better.  Moments like last Friday when I awoke to find Ry working on her schoolwork alone.  Without prompting or direction she got her little self up and went downstairs to complete whatever she could.  It was exactly the mommy moment I needed to bring a smile to my face.  And it was enough to get me through the day.

Seriously?

If you know anything about me, you know I'm a little bit of a clean freak.  At least I used to be before I was with my fabulous girls 7 days a week (no joke, 7).  So, now I'm just a clean freak that has anxiety over the things I can't clean!  Serious issues...serious issues!

The other day I noticed something green sandwiched between the 2 doors of my slider in the kitchen.  Upon further inspection I realized it was a smooshed preying mantis or possibly a grasshopper.  Unsure of which.  Anyhoo, somehow it got behind the stationary part of our slider and when the door was opened..  I thought I had taken a picture of it to prove I'm not exaggerating, but of course I can't find it!  You'll just have to imagine it for yourself!

Though Hubs managed to remove most of the creature (I can't bare to ask how), in order to clean it properly the entire sliding part of the door must be removed.  A true nightmare which I have yet to figure out how to do.

This would only happen to me. Another thing for me to truly freak out over every time I see it.  So, I do believe the slider will be taken apart this weekend.  And while we're at it, those nasty tracks will get cleaned as well.  Ahhhh, I can just picture it now....all squeaky clean!  I told you, serious issues!

The Project

I mentioned a few days ago that the Hubs started a project in our home while waiting for his new job to begin.  Welp, it started with an idea, that went like this: "hey honey, we should think about closing in our playroom." Let's say that led into measuring, sketching and pricing out wood and supplies.

Our girls have a loft style playroom which is a huge blessing.  However, that room is so open that we have a battle of the tvs when they have friends over.  In fact, I can hear their tv upstairs better than the one downstairs!  Crazy!

Here is the before:

coming up the stairs

a view from inside

looking into the room

So, last week, he went with his Dad to purchase the wood and supplies and began work (thanks dad).  I must say his handiwork is amazing.  Within a day most of the work was completed.  Of course, it took me another week to start painting it all (hey, I homeschool remember)...ahem, we won't talk about who was supposed to paint!

And the during:

closed in pass-thru

the new door = quiet

inside the room

So, it's still not completely painted and Hubs has some molding to finish up, so you're going to have to wait for the "after" pictures!  So sorry my friends...it may take another week, but I promise it will get finished!

New Living Room Accessory

Ok, so maybe I don't have a new living room set, but I did have a temporary accessory in my living room for a week.  Here it is:

and yes, that's the Hubs with the dog

In case you're clueless, it's a Genie Lift.  Why would we have that in our home?  Well, let me enlighten you.  The Hubs needed a project while waiting for his job to start, so this little guy was needed for the project.  And, no I'm not telling you what it is yet, but let's say it involved drywall and a door!

So, while we had this little guy for a week, we had some fun with it.  The girls and to take rides on it.  I mean seriously, how often do you get to touch the ceiling that's 22 foot above (or something like that)?

chloe touching the ceiling...and yes, she left fingerprints! erg!

chloe's sweet friend was dying to take a ride!

a little scared

 So, there you have it!  A Genie Lift as a living room accessory.  This little guy will be visiting again someday when we decide to paint those ugly builder beige walls!

An update on Unemployment

I'm happy to report that the Hubs has found a job!  Can you hear me singing the Hallelujah chorus now???  You should, because I am!

Yesterday he started a job with Lockheed Martin.  Temporary again, but we're praying God opens the door to full time employment after 90 days.  He's excited and we're so proud of him.

The funny part is that he had to decide between taking this temp job and full time employment with the company that had just let him go.  It's hard to explain, but there were many reasons that he decided to pass on the full time job (of course the 37 mile commute and less than desirable work environment added to the decision).  He truly felt God leading him to take a chance on a job that he may truly enjoy verses a job that just pays the bills.

He has waited and God has provided!  Woo Hoo!

Welcoming Fall!

Pumpkins, apples, hayrides, and the creek....all of our favorite things to welcome fall.  Last week, we visited the apple orchard, pumpkin patch and our favorite state park.  It was the perfect fall day...a little chill in the morning and a warm, sunny afternoon!

I took Ry's tiny little camera instead of my 'good' camera (that I still don't know how to use properly after 7 years), so I failed to get really great pictures.  Anyhoo, here's the highlights of our trip:

The Big Thirteen!

Last week, the Hubs and I celebrated our 13th wedding anniversary.  A huge milestone compared to the national average for marriages today.

It hasn't been easy.  It hasn't always been fun.  And many times we've had to CHOOSE to love despite our feelings. 

"Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  It is not rude, or self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no records of wrongs...it always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres."  1 Corinthians 13:4-7

I am so thankful that I never gave up. I'm thankful that he never gave up on me.  I'm thankful we trusted God and he brought us to a place of true love. 

I am so proud of this man.  God has brought him through an incredible journey and he has persevered.  He has fallen more in love with Jesus than ever before.  He is an amazing father and husband and I couldn't be happier!

Summer Deals

A few weeks ago, I popped into CVS to grab a couple things and saw a woman with 3 carts full of chairs.  I quickly realized that the employees were marking all summer items 90% off!  Woo, hoo!!!!!!!!  Though the crazy woman with 3 carts bought nearly everything on the shelf, I managed to snag a few deals.

I purchased everything below for around $13.00!  I may be rusty in the coupon game, but I scored big time!

The 7 bottles of sunscreen alone would have cost more than $13.00.  I haven't been able to dedicate the time to my coupon game that I'm used to, so I was super excited to score some cheap items for next summer without all the hassle of cutting coupons and watching ads. 

Proof that even if couponing isn't your gig, you can score some great deals if you buy ahead during sales and clearance events!

A Journey Through Unemployment, part 5

(to see previous posts, click on the unemployment link)

I few days ago, I discussed just a few of the major struggles we faced during our unemployment journey.  Today I want to focus on our blessings and where we are today.

To say that God blessed us during this journey would be an understatement.  He DID NOT bless us financially...but he did bless us in the ares of our lives in which it meant the most.

I mentioned in the last post, that our most difficult struggle came in the area of our marriage.  I'm happy to report that God took those 10 plus months to work on our marriage and bring it to a place of true wedded bliss.  I mean the kind of woo hoo honeymoon wedded bliss.  Ok, maybe it's not like the movies, because hello, this is real life, but we are happier  than we were 10 years ago!

I wish I could explain how, but I truly cannot use adequate words.  When we lost our income, we realized that if everything gets taken from us, all that would remain is our marriage.  I look back and realize that God had to bring us to a true place of complete brokenness in order to restore our relationship.  It happened through a great amount of prayer.  A great deal of conviction and many, many tears.  God surrounded us with Godly friends and an amazing therapist to help us deal with our emotions and all the junk we brought into this journey.  God healed our hearts and gave us the most amazing gift of all; a God centered marriage.

We were blessed is countless other ways.  Our family grew closer together.  We focused on what mattered and quit worrying about all the things we couldn't purchase.  God gave us perspective.  We had friends facing horrible trials such as childhood cancer, breast cancer and divorce.  Our small financial journey was peanuts compared to those.

God provided small needs such as gifted clothing for my girls and some wants such as Christmas gifts.  In fact, we had the best Christmas ever!  Not because of what we received, but in the form of family togetherness.  I  mean seriously, it snowed on Christmas day in Georgia for the first time in like 100 years!  I know God did that for us!  Hee hee!

God showed us who our true friends were and surprised us in some new relationships.  We never felt that we were alone or unloved.

We decided to make some changes in our girls' schooling.  This "never ever going to homeschool" momma, decided to homeschool.  Wow!  God provided that direction and the funding make that change. 

After 10 and a half  months of unemployment, a drained savings and emotional roller coaster, God provided Kyle with  a job.  It wasn't the rainbow after the storm I had envisioned.  It was far from the perfect job.  It was over 30% less than his previous salary, it was a 37 mile commute, and it was a temp to possible full time position with no insurance or benefits.  However, it was God's gift and we were grateful.


As far as where we are today, you would be surprised to know that we are unemployed again.  It's quite ironic that Kyle would be let go from his 6 month temp to perm job as I ended this post. 

I don't know why and I don't know what the plan is.  I'm scared, sad, emotional and frustrated.  I thought our journey was over.  I'm not sure if our finances will sustain us, however, I do know that our marriage and God will.  So, I end this post with a verse I'm holding onto:

"For our heart is glad in him, because we trust in his holy name."
Psalm 33:21

A Journey Through Unemployment part 4

(to see previous posts, click on the unemployment label to the right)

During the last few weeks I've been blogging on the topic of unemployment.  As I read over my past posts I get emotional, and frustrated as I rehash such a difficult year, yet I'm thankful for how far we've come.  I also feel like I have left out so many things I wanted to say, but realize I may never be able to adequately write about all we that went through.

That being said, I wanted to discuss some of the struggles we experienced on our Journey.  We had faith, emotional and marriage struggles.  I must admit that our biggest struggle was getting to a place in which we fully relied on God.  A place in which we quit saying to ourselves, "when you get a job _______." 

We realized that we had to live each day and quit worrying about tomorrow.  We had to take each day as it came and pray for God's strength to get through it.  We had to accept our new "normal". Sometimes this was easy, but most times this was very difficult. 

I think we had in our minds that the Journey would only last a short time.  When we hit 3 months, we thought ok, maybe 6 months.  Then at 6 months, we thought surely any day now.  Then it hit me one day that it could be a year.  Luckily, God gave me a scripture one day that I never thought would be applicable to our situation.   

James 1:17
"Every good gift and every perfect gift is from above"

I've used this scripture before, but always in referring to our children.  However, on that particular day, God was telling me that Kyle's job was a gift.  He was going to give him that gift in his own timing.  I had never thought of employment as a gift, yet on that day I did.

I began to dive into God's word and focus on being the most supportive wife I could.  The best mother I could, and most of all, I began to strengthen my walk with the Lord.

Unemployment took a huge toll on Kyle emotionally and it wasn't always easy for me to be his cheerleader when he needed it.  I was exhausted all the time from working and taking care of a family (praise you full time working mommas). I wasn't always the example of Christ's unconditional love.  However, God got me through it.  The more I took time to be still and truly listen to God speak, the more it seemed I could handle.

The scariest struggle we faced was the toll this journey took on our marriage.  While I don't feel this is the place to expose those personal details, I will say that it took awhile for me to understand why God would allow us to face such a journey while our marriage was so very brittle. 

We were thrown into this journey in which we had to figure out how to work together.  All of a sudden we were together 24 hours a day.  We had to determine our roles in this new "normal."  Small things such as who was going to make dinner became situations of resentment and dispute. 

Learning to figure out these new roles, learning to divide responsibilities and learning to humble myself was not easy.  God had to do some major work in my heart and praise him for getting me to listen!

Next week, I will finish this series with our blessings and where we are today. Let's say you may be surprised at where God has us now!

Jelly Belly Soda, Cupckakes and Smores!

Below are some sweet pictures of how we celebrated Rylie's birthday with her friends.  She hosted (ahem, I hosted) her very first "big" sleepover.  We had Jelly Belly soda, cupcakes,and smores!  It was a ton of fun and though they wore me out, I absolutely loved having all 7 of those sweet little girls take over my house!