gratituesday : quiet time

in two different ways, i'm thankful for quiet time.
1. ) in the morning, i have been faithful (for the past 6 months at least) in spending some quiet time with God every day.  i take some time and write in my prayer journal, and then take some more time to read a chapter of His word.  currently i'm cruising through exodus.  i finished james last month.  i'm trying to read every book, but i'm reading them randomly so that i don't get burned out when i reach leviticus or numbers.  when i feel like i'm at a rut, i'll go back to proverbs...  i like that proverbs ends with proverbs 31 (my favorite chapter in the bible).  i love taking some time (especially morning time), while the kids are quietly going about their morning chores, or eating breakfast... to spend it with my Lord.  i enjoy talking with Him, listening to Him, asking Him questions and favors, casting my cares upon Him...  ahhhhh!  it makes me smile just thinking about how blessed i am in this morning quietness.
2.) in the afternoon, i have been faithful in having the kids lay down and do quiet time.  they are to lay down, lay still, and be quiet.  ("toes up" time, is what we started calling it in the beginning.  the kids like that better than nap time.  but it wasn't as quiet.  now, it's QUIET time... with the q-word emphasized)  sometimes they choose a toy or two to play with, but if they make noise with it (or because of it) i take that away.  sometimes they choose a book or two to look at or read, but if they make noise with it (or because of it) i take that away.  sometimes they curl up with a pillow and blanket and sleep, and i don't ever take that away!  sometimes they just lay still...  either way, i've had them doing quiet time -like this- for several years now and i'm so thankful.  we do it at the same time every day.  no matter what.  1:00 - 3:00 (and sometimes we start earlier).  i do it when i have one kid home, or all 5.  i don't discriminate quiet time with age... we all need it.  sometimes i need to shut my eyes and rest my body.  i can, BECAUSE of this quiet time.  i am SO SO SOOOOOOOO thankful for this time each day to rest my body and my mind and clear my head. 
you can call me lazy because i get to take 2-3 hours each day in quietness... but i know better.  i'm not lazy, i'm sane. 
thank you, God, for your many blessings you give me.  today i want to give you a shout out for giving me two quiet times each day that help me in so many different areas.  thank you for helping me be a better wife and mom...  keep it up.  i love your perseverance in me.

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

monday menu #5 for 2012

we have 3 carry-overs, so i'm only getting groceries for 2 more meals.  we've enjoyed my new blender and are eating lots of fresh fruit!!!
carry-overs:
texas ranch chicken casserole with garlic fries.
crock pot cheesy chicken spaghetti
3-cheese chicken alfredo bake with steamed broccoli.
new ones:
i tried a great recipe for pork chops a while back, but when i went and clicked the link, it's broken!!!  so, now i have to try another one!!!  i think this one is pretty close with mashed potatoes and peas.
meatloaf with baked potatoes and granny green beans.

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."
WHAT'S ON YOUR MENU???

happy birthday girls!

yesterday, the whole day was spent cleaning and celebrating.  my parents came up and we celebrated binkins' 7th birthday, my 30th birthday, and boo's upcoming 4th birthday.  my brother and sister popped in to join us because they just happened to be in town as well. 
at about 7, otter pop and i then headed out on the town to celebrate my 30th birthday along with a good friend's 30-somethingth birthday with dinner, arcade, and a movie. 
it was an awesome day, as it was mostly revolved around ME!  (just being real, folks!)
here are a few pix so i can use less words:

my daddy getting his hair combed by my sweet and cute niece
(i grabbed the camera when i saw she was doing his arm hair at first!)

boo got one of the three dimes in the birthday cake.

binkins got another one of the three dimes...

and i got one of the three dimes!  all three birthday girls are 10 cents richer!!!!!  happy birthday!

 perhaps someone else got a picture of the beautifully lit birthday cake...  i'm pretty sure we were taking pictures of us blowing it out, but i guess since i was one of the blowers, my camera wasn't being used (shoot!).  i didn't think of that until i downloaded these pictures.  :(

boo received a rapunzel dress and wig!  (how perfect for my little tangled doll.)

this is my party-sharer and party giver.  <3  great gals!  great fun!!!

and these are our extra awesome hubbies who strive to please us women in all they do.  personally, i like mine the best!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

34 weeks

i had another dr's appointment today, so i held off a day for the update so i could give you all the stats too.  i was gonna do that last appointment but forgot.  so i'll do that now too.  last appointment, her heart rate was 135.  today she was up to 165-170.  last appointment i was measuring right on the dot for 32 weeks.  this appointment, she said i was measuring right on at 35... but i'm at 34 weeks, so... well, i don't care about any of that.  here's the questionnaire for the week:

How far along? 34 Weeks

Total weight gain: either 20 or 30 depending on where i started.  but this means i'm now about 60 (ish) pounds overweight.  or, in better words, about 60 pounds heavier than i should be if i weren't "with child". 
Maternity clothes? i got some new ones for my birthday.  that was sweet.  but they were jammies, so you won't see me out in them.  i've stopped wearing my belly band on a regular basis, and have replaced it with my tummy sock.  now's when my pants don't really want to stay up where they should, but it hurts me to force them in place with my belly band.  if i'm home, it's ok, but when i'm out in public, i'm pretty much always hiking them back up.
Stretch marks? no new ones that i can see (that's not saying much).  i got a thing of "mama bee's (from burt's bees) belly butter".  little buttercup LOVES for me to rub it on... it also has been helping my dry cracked hands.
Sleep: pretty good.  it sucks to have to roll over, but i'm sleeping on one side most of the night comfortably. 
Best moment this week: i have been having a great time celebrating my birthday all week.  it'll (maybe) end tomorrow with my parents coming up to visit and then a triple date with a few friends.
Miss Anything? comfortable hugs. 
Movement: still love feeling all of her hiccups & random wiggles, plops, and turnovers.  she's still sticking her but and head WAY out to get comfortable.  the PA was laughing at her today because she was just really going at it... i guess not all babies do that.  all of mine sure have!
Food cravings: not really.  maybe ice...  i got a blender for my birthday and have been excited to use it.  i don't think it's 'cause of cravings though as much as it is just a new fun tool to use.
Anything making you queasy or sick: my gas...  geesh it stinks! 
Gender: Girl
Labor Signs: Nope.  nothin'... 
Symptoms: the usual, but not in much pain.  just heartburn that has been relieved with salt&vinegar almonds.  i might be walking a little funny... 
Belly Button in or out? out
Wedding rings on or off? off
Happy or Moody most of the time: Happy!
Looking forward to: my parents coming up and our date night tomorrow... 

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

what's in a name?!?

well, after a few months of being kinda unsure, but still pretty firm... buttercup is now nameless.  :(  i know, you're all shocked and disappointed... but, well, the good thing is: she has always been nameless to you all!!! 
i guess we're back at square 1.  so, here's to another round of
THEBABEWITHNONAME  here's a post i did around this time for starboy... perhaps you'll remember.  perhaps you'll enjoy. 

ps.  i'm slowly in the process of transferring all my old blogs from myoldspace to this one... it's taking a while... but it'll get done.  this (above link) is an oldie.


Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

wednesday hair post #1 in 2012

i must nest by doing hair because in september of 2009 i have about 3 dozen (or more) pictures of my girls and their cute hair-dos.  that was about 2 months before my boy was born.  now, about 2 months before my girl's arrival, i'm just craving some hair to play with!  boo has been great and her hair is getting longer... but it's still short and it's hard to make it look cute ALL DAY LONG.  it'll usually look cute for about 30 min. or so.  :(

i've found some really pretty long hair-dos on pinterest that i've tried on myself.  -in the mean time-  i'll tell you what...

1. they're not all as easy as they look.
2. they're not all as pretty as they look.  i've done a few where they're really pretty from the back (just like the picture)... but the front. .  .  .  yeah, not so much.
3. they don't all work with gobs of hair!  i don't know what to do with all the leftovers after i've completed the task.  (i pretty much still have a head of hair either underneath or on top!)
4. nothing is going to help all these little burned up hairs i have sticking up above my forehead!  :(

with and without flash... i'm pretty sure they show either way!

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."

gratituesday : friendships that work

at each stage in our life we have friends... hopefully.  when we're young they're just a good play buddy.  as we get older, our friendship needs blossom.  they turn from someone who is fun to play compatibly with to someone who we like to talk and listen to.  then that blooms into someone who can set aside their time to be there for you, while you're willing to set aside time for to be there for them.  as we mature and grow, our friendship skills do too. 
at this stage in my life, i am blessed to have several friends that understand and put up with me.  these, to me, are friendships that work.
i am a mom and my first priority, after my relationship with God, of course, is my family.  i am so thankful to have friends that understand and respect that. 
i am so thankful that God gave me these friends because i need them.  and i love them.  and... i think i just did a post on this not too long ago.

well, my husband and i also have some friends.  currently we are praying for a few of them because of difficult times they are going through.  i'm not going to share anything personal, but will you please pray for our friends?  two families specifically that are really struggling.  you can pray however you want, because God knows ALL ABOUT IT (trust me, i talk to him daily about it)...  i'm currently praying for strength and faithfulness, love, and encouragement for these friends. 

thank you, God, for giving me friends to help and lift me up in prayer.  thank you for giving me people to friend who also can use my prayer and support.  God, you give us such a good example of friendship in your Son that came to earth to teach us as no greater friend.  please be with all of my friends... 

Try to remember, "I can do all things through Christ who strengthens me."