November

Just checking in.........

We're all still alive over here. In case you were wondering! ;)

I apologize for the severe lack of posts in the month of November.

Blogging has been put on the back burner for several reasons:

One, my computer is so slow that it's really hard to get up the patience to deal with it anymore. It takes me at least 5 times as long to do anything (upload pics etc) as it would someone with a decent working computer.  (ours is a 1998 Compaq that is FILLED with pictures making it sloooooooower than molasses)

That really takes the fun out of it for me.

It makes for so much more work and so lately, it's been bagged.

Two, our office/school room is cooooooold. I haven't pulled the heater from the garage yet so we've been doing school in our living room in front of "the fire" these days. I've been checking blogs, email, Facebook etc with my Kindle Fire. It's easy to read posts with but it's not really "post friendly".

Three, we're just plain busy.

School is going really well this year. Still working out kinks as always but it is soooooooooo much better than last year. (which all things considered isn't saying a lot, I guess, since last year was horrible ;))

Between school, family, keeping up with my house, all things fall related etc, there hasn't been much time to spend blogging.

I do miss it though and have so many posts that I'd love to share. Hoping 2013 will be a more productive year for this blog. It's on my resolution list! ;)

What have we been up to this month? Here is a completely random list of some of this months highlights:

•  We voted...and then later cried. ;) 
• I started a [morning] devotional book called Character Makeover by Katie Brazelton - I have been finding that the Holy Spirit has been using additional messages on the radio, church messages, random quotes heard etc to speak to me about the things I am studying in this book...I love that He works like that...because I am seeking Him, I am finding Him. It's been hard (He must increase and I must decrease)...but also a great delight bringing Him in closer focus. 
• Because of the above (I believe), this month has also had it's fair share of trials. I won't share them in detail but let's just say that when you are seeking God...Satan takes notice and he doesn't like it. Tests come your way and spiritual warfare is no picnic. 
• For fun, I've been reading the Divergent fictional series by Veronica Roth - almost finished book two, Insurgent - great series...very similar to The Hunger Games, I'd say... It is a Good Reads recommend and I highly recommend the series as well. 
• I got to spend a wonderful girl's day out with my cousins, Kim and Kelly, along with my sister, Julie - we spent the whole day in Lancaster, PA - breakfast at the Gap Diner, shopping and sampling of jam's, jellies and other yumminess in Kitchen Kettle village, dinner and finally off to see The Perks of a Wallflower. From beginning to end, the day was absolutely perfect in every way. :)
• My husband is a former Marine so we celebrated Veteran's Day in style at our church where they had a fantastic spiritual message on patriotism. The Valley Forge Highland Band performed and the church honored the veterans following the service with a nice big delicious lunch for the veterans and their families. Because my grandfather and father are also veterans, my whole family was there - it was such an amazing experience being surrounded by all of those good, brave men and women who at one time or another fought for our country.
• My parents celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary on the 16th. :) 
• My sister and I attended the final premiere of The Twilight Saga - Breaking Dawn 2. We started it together and ended it together. T'was a fantastic night. Always such a pleasure to be with my girl. :)
• Nicolas and Natalie won the challenge of reciting the entire Pledge of Allegiance in Spanish for their Spanish class and were rewarded with a $5 gift card (each) to Five Below - so proud of them!
• Noah got a very good progress report for his first semester of preschool this year. Love that little guy! He and Jeremy also attended Dad's night at school and both had a great time. :) This is our last year with RBCNS so every event is bittersweet.
• Natalie began doing landscape painting in art class.
• Nicolas started his first ever basketball season with PVBYL and so far, he LOVES it. Surprisingly, we have a southern belle coach (from Tennessee)...SHE is not fooling around...clearly loves the game and the kids and we're looking forward to a great first season.
• Nick and Nat are still in karate class weekly and they are progressing really well - November 8th marked one year since we've been in karate. 
• We got to spend a great night with the Rosenzweig crew with dinner and a movie at our house - Gina and I have been friends since the first day of kindergarten and now our children are friends as well. We feel so blessed to have our childhood dreams come true and still be as close as we all are. Just love them!  :)
• Thanksgiving Day took place with my family this year which I was so thankful for. There is nothing like being surrounded by your family at the holidays. We had our big Thanksgiving meal at my Pop Pop's house as per usual. He is 89 years old and still does the turkey himself...along with a fantastic side of sausage stuffing. Soooo good. The rest of the family takes part by bringing all of the yummy sides. This year, I brought a couple of pumpkin pies and some festive cookies for the kids. The weather was beautiful so after dinner, we went outside to take some family pics (like the one shown above) - hoping for a good Christmas card shot. ;) Some of the men went off to a shooting range for the afternoon while some stayed back to watch your typical Turkey Day football game. Some of us girls, mapped out a plan for the evening's shopping event. :) The kids had a blast being together and playing random games. Thank You Lord was sung before the meal and Uncle John read from Psalm 100. So thankful for a Christian family...for good, Godly people who uplift and encourage. For family who likes to laugh...a lot. For awesome memories. For big hugs. For being able to pass family traditions down to my own children and giving them the gift of a loving family as well.
• Thanksgiving night, my sister and I decided to participate in our now traditional Black Friday shopping trip (this is our third year). My mom decided to join us as well this year which made it extra fun. She didn't think that she'd be able to hang but she wound up being such a trooper and even was the last one to give in to exhaustion. (I bet she could have even kept going!). We left for our excursion a little before 8 p.m. on Thursday night and didn't get home until after 8 a.m. Friday morning. We.had.so.much.fun. Haven't laughed like that in a long time! Our 5 a.m. breakfast was especially fun as mom finally succumbed to a little bit of delirium and couldn't stop laughing! I seriously LOVE my family. Aside from the great deals we managed to get and the satisfaction of now having quite a bit of our Christmas shopping under our belts, the best part was just being together. It's not often that we get out "just us girls" like the old days so when we do, it's such sweet sweet fellowship. :) 
• We have one week left in November and I'm hoping to fill it with more of the same...more good times with friends and family. We'll also be taking down the fall decor and decking our halls for Christmas (still trying to fathom that it's almost here already!). 

(I'm sure I missed something...there were so many good things this month!)

As all of our months are, November was wonderful. Yes, there were trials but at the end of the day, I'm so thankful for this life. I am so incredibly blessed with the family and friends I have. And more than anything, I'm so blessed and thankful that God chose me for this life. I'm so thankful to be His child. November is a great time to remember all of the many things we are thankful for but the truth is that I am ALWAYS thankful. It's all so much more than I deserve and I certainly take nothing for granted.

Hope that you all had an amazing November with Thanksgiving. Hoping to start posting again soon as I have missed this!

Self-Discipline 101

I'm really having a hard time not jumping into my car and going to buy this right now. 

http://biblicalhomemaking.blogspot.com/2012/11/thrifty-deal-quatrefoil-mirror-for-15.html

I need to go on a spending fast. Kind of like a regular fast in that the moment you declare it, you are insatiably hungry for EVERYTHING.

(sigh)

It's Comb to This.........

I'm just gonna get right down to it.

My hair is thinning on top of my head.

I.am.freaking.out.

The worst part is that I have no idea if it's like an illness thing...a vitamin deficiency thing...a stress thing scratch that, I KNOW it's a stress thing...or possibly because every.single.time I put my sunglasses on top of my head, the nose-rester-thingys (official term, yes?) get stuck in my hair and I wind up pulling GOBS of hair out. This, embarrassingly enough has happened way more than I should probably admit.

I'm super smart. 

Soooooooooo...dude. I'm freaking out!

Ask my sister. She has been there when I've been white knuckled, sweating bullets, wide-eyed and hysterical over it.

I've cried, people. 

And hello...I just read that stress can be a major factor in hair loss in women.

And I'm stressing over it.

Eh hem.

I need a deep breath.

Please pass the sedatives.

Xanax...anyone? 

Tranquilizer dart?

I may also have ADD so now my mind has gone to the scene in Old School when Will Ferrell's character sticks himself in the jugular with the horse tranquilizer.

Inappropriate language.

Sorry. 

But hilarious, okay?

Am I right?

Now, you are thinking about it too if you've seen the movie.

You are smiling.

"I like you...but you're crazy."

:)

Yup.

You're welcome.

So yeah...if I start to decline invites for events, I'm probably at home with my guitar singing this:





True Story.

Losing weight...losing hair.

Yup, I am officially a loser.

Awesome.

"Hair Club for Jen. I'm not only the president. I'm also a client."

Same Old...Same Old...?

Source: achristiansjourney.com via E on Pinterest

I find myself often thinking..."Lord, why the heck am I STILL going through this? When are you going to decide to help me? When is the situation going to change for the better?"

After reading this pin, I think, "What have I learned from this though?" 

Am I different?

If I were to get into this same situation again (because I've been here before now), would I be different?

Dear LORD, I want this situation to change...

But has my heart changed?

This refiner's fire...has it refined me?

I typically think, "If only this would change or that would change, my life would be SO.MUCH.EASIER."

But maybe it should be, "If only I would change..."

"Change my heart, Lord."

Because clearly what I've been doing, isn't working...

And I'm sure tired of the same old...same old...

Daily Chalkboard

 

I love this little picture and sentiment that Natalie wrote on the board yesterday.

So cute! 

I love how she spelled Halloween. She didn't know how to spell it but she tried! 

I personally think that it was a brilliant effort. 

Love my little candy girl. 

:) 

Tuesday's Truth's

I don't have too much to share with you today other than the fact that I am soooo stinkin t i r e d.

I went to bed early-ish for me (like around 11:30?) and I got up at a decent time but ever since I've been crashing.........

[Ugh...even now, it's all I can do not to go curl up in my bed...]

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I stayed in bed for 2 hours this morning while I finished my latest obsession, the book Divergent by Veronica Roth. I have to say, the book bored me a little at the beginning and I was sincerely starting to doubt the Good Reads recommendation but around 1/2 way through, it took a drastic turn and I finished it crying, totally into it and quickly grabbing the second (thank God that I decided to pick it up at Marshall's the other day or I'd be a seriously unhappy camper today!).

Side note: Sorry. Was that like the longest sentence you ever read or what?!

Seriously so in love with trilogies or longer series. I turn my nose up at single book reads anymore. I guess I'm kind of a non-commitment phobe.

After Insurgent (the second book in my current series obsession), I'll be picking up the 10th installment of the House of Night series. It came out last week and I'm totally psyched to read it. I've missed the HON clan!

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If anyone cares, I'm also reading a great non-fiction book called The Good Wife's Guide by Darlene Schacht.

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Went grocery shopping this afternoon and I love having healthy snacks back in the house. It is so. MUCH. easier. to stay on track with healthy snacks in the house.

-----

I've already made friends with the box of Reduced Fat Cheez-Its.

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Great...I just had the thought that Cheez-Its sounds just like Cheese Zits and now I am feeling slightly nauseous.

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Gaaaahross. 

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I went away with my girlfriends from high school this weekend and definitely ate like I was on vacation. Didn't go way overboard but it was enough that for the past two days, I have been starving! I'm back on track with my healthy eating etc but I would love to have even just one more bite of that cheese steak and fries I had at Happy Days on Saturday.

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That thought also makes me want to confront every single person who can eat whatever they want without gaining a pound and punch them in the head.

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I'm doing pretty well with my whole weekly anger management challenge so far! Though today, my oldest son, Nick, is really testing that. I haven't yelled but I have growled deeply under my breath. Does that still count?

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Did anyone else notice that I said "want...to punch them in the head" and "weekly anger management challenge" not even one full sentence later? lol

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This is the first time in a few years that I feel like I'm in a really good place. There isn't any real family drama to speak of and overall things are pretty peaceful. It feels awesome to not go to bed with a knot in my stomach every night. I'm praying that feeling sticks around for a while...

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You have no idea how good it feels to write the above statement and how I never thought that I'd get to this point in recent years. I sincerely thank God for helping me get through the nuttiness that has been our life's drama and I'm praying for continued peace. 

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Noah said, "Yes, Ma'am" to me today. I felt like a character on Little House on the Prairie. As much as I loved his politeness, I also didn't love his politeness. Ma'am makes me sound so old! I seriously debated on getting out the soap to wash his mouth out. Kidding. 

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Or am I?

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Okay so that's it...the real truth of Tuesday is that life is a little boring round here at the moment. And also picture free today. Sorry. I'm starving and really must go make dinner now. 

We're having taco's!

But you already knew that.

;)

Sunday's Scripture - Weekly Challenge

 

Source: 24.media.tumblr.com via J on Pinterest

"In your anger, do not sin..."

I love that the Bible does not say "Do not be angry".

That would be an impossible feat, as in this world, there is so much that is anger provoking.

What the Bible does say is "In your anger, do not sin...".

Though admittedly, sometimes that also seems like an impossible feat, right?

Sometimes we can't hold back and we really just think that we need to give it right back to whoever or whatever is making us angry.

I personally am very guilty of this and honestly, lately it seems like I am always angry.

Also, it seems like I am not so keen on the "do not sin" part.

My husband says something dumb or hurtful...queue the backlash. My kids disobey or don't listen...queue the yelling. 

Sometimes my angry reactions turn out to be way worse than the original offense and it leaves me feeling even more angry...this time at myself.

It makes sense that God would say, "In your anger, do not sin...".

Because it makes things worse...duh!

You'd think after doing it time and time again, always with the same end result, I would have learned by now.

Eh hem.

Not.

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So...

I just decided right this minute to take today's Sunday Scripture as a challenge for this week.

You can join me if you feel so inclined.

This week, I will understand that I may get angry, which is okay, but I will not sin in my anger. I will not allow unwholesome words to come out of my mouth, which the verse goes on to say, but rather only speak what is helpful to BUILD up and not tear down. 

I will also write this verse on several 3 x 5 cards and post them in several rooms of my house to serve as a reminder to me to stick with my weekly challenge.

I'll try to remember to keep you guys abreast of my progress and I encourage you guys to do something similar. It doesn't have to be this verse b/c perhaps anger isn't your issue. Maybe it's something else altogether.

The Bible says in Psalm 119:11  "I have hidden Your word in my heart that I might not sin against You."

[So, Lord, this week, I am going to hide Ephesians 4:26-29 in my heart so that in my anger, I will sin not against You.]

This is a toughy and right now, being that I am home by myself with no husband and no kiddos to irritate me or make me upset for some reason, this is very easy to think of. It'll be a whole other story when they are back home and our new week is underway.

So, I thank God that the Bible ALSO says that with Christ ALL THINGS ARE POSSIBLE.

That means that I can be angry (it's just a fact sometimes in this crazy life) but with HIM, I can also SIN NOT.

Yay!

Happy new week, Friends!

I love you and pray that you will gain victory over something you've been struggling with this week.

We CAN do it!

XOXO

Hi

Oh my goodness, is it ever stagnant in here?

Sheesh.

The doors to this here blog of mine haven't been opened up and aired out in a while.

Sorry about that.

With homeschooling 2 of my kiddos, trying to get my house back in order after our summer long kids room project, decorating for fall, desperately trying to keep up with my daily chores and getting my health and fitness on, I've been kinda busy...

to say the least.

Most of my blogging lately has been done over at www.peachesandprayers.tumblr.com, otherwise known as my motivational habitat. That is where I have been documenting my daily journey about finally losing this blasted weight.

So far, I'm down 11 pounds since September 16th!

Yay!

I didn't feel like Tumblr was a particularly healthy place for a personal blog but for a weight loss blog, it's genius.

So much motivation and support and it's been really great being over there so far.

Feel free to follow along if you're interested!

As far as this blog goes, I do have things to share.

Every day, it seems I have something worth blogging about but time just hasn't allowed for it.

I used to blog in the evenings or whenever I had a break during the day but since beginning school this year, once the kiddos are in bed, I've taken to lying on the couch with my husband and watching TV or retiring to my bedroom for the evening with a good book.

[I just finished The Wolves of Mercy Falls series (Shiver, Linger and Forever) by Maggie Stiefvater if you're interested - check it out!]

Blogging often seems like too much work and at the end of the day, I'm just ready to blank out for a bit.

I do think it's important to document life. In a world where life is constantly go go go, it's nice to sit down and go over the many blessings of the day.  

Anais Nin once said, "We write to taste life twice".

I love that quote.

So, with that being said, I am really going to try to make more of an effort to take a few moments of my day and blog about what is going on here.

I, personally, love reading other blogs. They often help inspire, motivate, challenge or otherwise engage me and teach me something that I didn't already know.

I won't pretend to think that is what you'll find here because often we're just regular ol peeps having regular ol days but maybe at some point somewhere in my writings, you'll get a smidge of something you haven't gotten before.

Or maybe this will just be for me. I'm okay with that too.

This is all just to say...hi...I know it's been a while. I'm still here. We are still living life. This year is busier than we've ever been. Exciting things are happening...we just don't have much time to document it these days.

I do plan on finding more time to write though...starting with today...

Laundry is going...sink has been cleared...beds have been made...more laundry has been put away...kids have been dressed...fed...teeth and hair has been brushed etc etc etc.

School is about to start up again and on the day goes...

Hoping this rain lets up at some point this week b/c I'm looking forward to taking the kiddos out for school pictures.

Be on the lookout for those in the coming week or two.

I've got props and I know how to use 'em.

:)

Gotta get back to work here so...have a wonderful day, friends!

Desperately Seeking Regroupification (a word, no?)

I'm seriously starting to wonder if I will ever feel like we are all put back together again. 

Since we began our kids room re-do a couple of months ago, our life has literally been in shambles. 

Contents of our entire upstairs is scattered all over our dining room table and litters part of our living room as well.

Meanwhile, life presses on. 

School starts on Monday which means that my life HAS to be PERFECT before then. 

Or at least according to my new schedule it needs to be. 

Laundry needs to be done and put away...

House needs to be tidied, vacuumed, dusted...

School room needs to be cleaned, organized and new school supplies purchased...

Schedule needs to be nailed down, dolled up and printed out...

Ideally, I'll be all decorated for fall by then...

Oh and my yard...flower beds weeded and grass cut please! 

Tad bit tired of being a mess this summer. 

I'm ready to regroup. 

So why do I look at this list and the first thing I wanna do is take a nap 'til next summer?

((sigh))

Overwhelmed, party of me.

P.S. I do plan on posting all the fun details of our kiddos room remodel so be on the lookout for that...just need to scrounge up some more energy for writing! 

I think a pumpkin spice latte is on the horizon for me this week...