Tuesday, July 31, 2012

Chick Fil A

Who doesn't like chick fil a?  Well, before a week or so ago, everyone!  I still do.  You know that the ole' chicken pays our bills right?
Did you know that the gay population, according to a super dependable resourse puts it at 1.7%?

Why is our nation and some of our nations leaders all up in arms over this?  Why are they getting bent out of shape for what a christian man said about the biblical foundation of a family?  If one believes in the bible, they will clearly believe it's contents.  If the bible sets up a family unit to be a man, women and their children, then one will believe that is the "right" family, right?

Did the media even read the whole article?  If they did, they should be taking notes, the Cathy family runs one of the most successful resturants in the industry.  They have their basics down and don't stray from it.  They speak with conviction and have some great business sense (duh!).  All they took from it was "Chickfila hates gays."  Read the whole article, it's really good.

Am I here to debate family structure?  No!  To be honest, I really don't care.  I really don't.  If you are gay, fine.  If you are straight, fine.  It's a whole other post of my views of homosexuality.  Maybe one day.

My point is this.  Why are we being divided over something that is so small?  I know that 1.7% of our popluation is real people, it's about 4 million people, that is a lot!  Everyone counts.  They really do.

Every single person counts.

But we live in a country where if you are a homosexual and you have a partner, you are still able to get insurance with them, you can adopt children,  buy property together and so much more.  You can act as one.  You are being one.

Why are we basing our political stance on something that effects so few people?  Why not rally against bigger issues?

Don't we have other things to get bent out shape about?   Let's talk slavery.  Did you know that there are more slaves today then ever before?
Did you know that children are being used as soldiers?
Did you know that run aways are lured into prostitution and held again their will?
Did you know that we are about to lose a whole lot more if there is not reform in our government?
Did you know that if things don't change, quickly, that we will no longer be the land of the free and home of the brave?
We will soon be another socialist nation on the map?
Did you forget that we are trillions in debt and the number is only climbing?
Did you forget that this country is made of small businesses that are losing ground daily because of government involvement?

So my point is: let's get all bent out of shape, protest and send nasty tweets to a cause that is worth fighting!

*I would love your comments, but I am not here to debate*

Monday, July 30, 2012

Happy Monday!

Happy Monday!

I have a lot to say and a little time to type it {yawn}... so here we go:

The other day, my phone started making noise (I can't remember if it was a call, text, email, twitter, instagram, facebook...) and I was ignoring it.  I was playing with Emma Kate.  Annabelle came running from the other room, got the phone and brought it to me.

Another day, she she came around the corner "talking" on her play phone with a plastic coffee mug in her hand.

Is that what I look like to her?

I just can't do it anymore.  I need to disconnect, I need to make these little babes the center of my attention.  The twitter, facebook, instagram, blogging, etc can all wait until they are gone.  I have them for a short 5 years before school starts.  Then I only have them for another even shorter 13 years.

I just feel like there is, sometimes, this popularity contest to have a big blog.  To have a rocking handmade store.  To be super crafty.  To have lots of followers on various social media outlets, to make money, to have comments.

If I can be so honest, I sometimes get caught up in it.  And I just can't do it anymore.  I stay at home to raise babies, not to just write something for your sweet ladies to read.  I can't be on twitter looking for funny retweets.  I need to be playing with dolls and changing diapers.  The dolls diapers- and peoples, I guess.

Maybe I'm a bad time manager.  I have a short 2 to 2 1/2 hours of naptime in the afternoon when they both nap.  I have house work that needs to get done.  I need to vaccuum {read: dog that sheds white fur and baby that crawls and is part goat}, I need to work on my business that i started.  I need to microwave my coffee and finish it.  Sometimes, just sometimes, I need to sit down and have a quiet thought.  Maybe these women who seem to do it all are just better at time management.  Maybe they have a cook, a nanny, a maid and a personal assistant that pays the bills for them.  Can I borrow one?  Just one, for one day.  Please.

Am I complaining about my life, no way.  I love staying with these girls and seeing their first.  Being the one that picks them up when they fall, holding them when they are super sad or just need a snuggle.  But I am saying, I just can't do it all.  That's all.

Am I saying these things are wrong?  No.  Am I saying that these women that have amazing blogs and a large following are not doing a good thing?  No way.  Am I saying that they have their priorities out of whack?  I don't know, that is for them to answer.  And I for sure am NOT going to answer for them.

So here is to my week- may it be full of bubbles, laughing, kissing, reconnecting, snuggling and maybe some husband make out time.  Cheers!


Friday, July 27, 2012

Just sayin

So as you can see, I've been MIA for this week.  And I'm not going to lie, it's been nice.

Which leads me to this post.  I have made more of an effort this week to stay off the phone, stay off the internet, go to bed with my husband and be more connected to the people that matter the most- my family.

I've been doing what I can at naptime, but mostly been house hunting and praying about the housing situation.  We got our power bill and it was just shy of $300.  Yes, we live in a mole hole and the power bill was $300... that is a hard one to swallow.

I'm just saying that while I love you people and I love the (few) comments that you do leave me, I love my little people and that striking handsome husband more.  They have taken the front seat and hopefully I learn to balance everything more.

Tuesday, July 24, 2012

Random Wednesday

We've had this cough going around our house since March.  A few weeks ago, Frank's mom called me and used her super kind voice scary please don't spank me tone and told me to take him to urgent care after church and that she would pay for it.  So we went, all of us.  I wanted to talk to the Dr. about EK's cough also.  He said it was viral bronchitis and that we needed to ride it out.  3 weeks later, Frank is fine (after coughing for 7 weeks) but EK started wheezing.  I called my nurse friend and she told me I should take her in.  So I did.  I first dropped AB off at my other friends house who always saves the day like that!  EK and I enjoyed our time together.

While we were in the grocery store waiting on her meds, I did some "filler shopping".  You know that run you have to do mid week that is SOO annoying and cost just as much as the main run but you buy nothing?  Yeah that one.  Well, EK is getting restless because we missed her morning nap and she is getting hungry for lunch, you can imagine the amount of joy she is at this point.  
I hand her a doll that she loves and start making it "make out with her"... she takes it and starts making out with it and all of these really loud noises, I mean people are looking at us.  Grown, single men- who would normally never look at a baby- are looking at laughing at her.  One guy says "that is some serious making out going on"... oh. my. word.  I don't think I was that embarrassed since high school when my dad drove me to school because I was grounded from driving.


She takes her making out serious!
Today, Frank was doing some work on the car and AB was playing with some bubbles outside as well.  I was just trying to stay cool.  We took the moment to have a family photo... 

Should have woken EK up... christmas card?

You know that time of day when the little people AND the big people are just grouchy and dinner is almost done but not quite and you are seriously about to eat it anyway, done or not because you realized you didn't eat breakfast or lunch?  Yeah, that happened today and the only way to get through it was some photo booth while Frank finished dinner... how can these faces not boost some moral?


Happy Wednesday!

Friday, July 20, 2012

A day in the life of Mrs. Robertson...


Happy Friday Friends!
So, I've never done one of these, but I like to read what other people's day is like, so maybe you would like to know what mine is like?  It makes me feel better that I NEVER sometimes stay in my pj's until noon.  
So here is what our day looks like, as of the last few weeks when we became a 1 car family.

We get up between 8 and 9am.  Ideally, I get up at 7 or so and make my coffee, have quiet time and unload the dishwasher.  The empty dishwasher at the beginning of the day just seems to make everything run smoother for the rest of the day.  Some days is happens and most days it does not.  Read:  Nigh owl.  Like right now while I'm writing this.  Most mornings, I wake up to this:


I fix AB's breakfast and get her working on that and in the mean time, I get EK up and feed her her bottle.  Then feed her breakfast.  We've been on a cereal kick lately.  While EK is still in the high chair, I take advantage of the clean living room and vaccuum real quick.  Vaccuum #1

I then get the girls dressed and idealy, I'm already dressed, shoes and all.
Dallas goes outside.  AB helps.
They watch a "ovie" (movie) and I tackle that beast of a kitchen and clean up from breakfast.  If I got up early, then I have a quiet time and they have book time.  AB looks at the books and EK chews on them.

After we finish that time, we play on the floor and be silly.  I am trying to be intential about playing with them on the floor and tickling them and teaching them new things.

Sometimes, I need to jump on the computer and get something done for whatever reason, or a friend will call or AB has work she needs to get done.  True story, she came around the corner the other day like this!!



About 10 or so, EK is ready for her first nap.  This is when AB and I get busy.  We usually clean, or play outside or read books.  I try to limit my house cleaning to when they are BOTH napping so that I can actually "stay at home" with them.  AB and I might also paint or color or do "abbey's ghetto preschool"... so fun!

This day, I was having a party at my house and 2 of the girls are really allergic to animals.  So, "we" literally pulled the furniture off the wall and vaccuumed behind there... did you know dog hair travels?  Eww.  I clean with vinegar, so AB totally dusted for me :)



After we've done a few chores, we have to think about what to do next:


Oh what a momma will do to see that laugh!!



Sometimes, things like this come in the paper or a cool magazine will arrive via snail mail and I just can't wait till naptime!!

AB really likes to play "mommy".  Some of her favorite mommy things, playing night night; she will take her babies {read: stuffed animals or babies} into her room, put a blanket on them, turn her fan on and shut the door.  She will also "feed" her babies; bib, bumbo, spoon and a random plastic object that resembles a container.  Playing "bye bye", she will gather things in her purse and push her stroller around saying "bye bye".  Oh, and wear daddy's sock- now that is hysterical, obviously:


Rocking, hushing, singing.  She's a natural, already.

By this time, it's noon.  And we are HUNGRY... Lunch; get AB started on lunch, wake up EK and feed her.  Scarf something down.  Check on Dallas to make sure he has water and is not having a heat stroke, AB helps.  Play for just a little longer.  Everyone goes down for a nap between 1 and 2.

This is when I get busy.  Make phone calls, catch up on emails.  Sometimes, I just want to sit and read blogs or take a nap.  Work on Mary Kay stuff.  
I'm drooling over this new MK director bag!!

2:30pm.  Daddy is home.  
4pm  Everyone is waking up.  EK eats again and AB gets a snack.  We snuggle and watch another show.  


We have dinner between 530 and 630.  It just all depends on if I start early.  I cook a lot with the crock pot.  A lot.  I try to get it started no later than noon, so it's ready when we are.  Other nights, Frank cooks because the girls are so whiny and just want me.  And if I'm totally honest, by that point in the day, I'm so tired that I don't really care who cooks, it just needs to happen with the least amount of mealt down as possible.  Our witching hour is really tough because the girls are so little.  EK is still taking that 3rd nap sometimes and sometimes not.  

And if I'm really, really honest, I usually let Dallas in to clean up dinner... then back outside for a little longer.  Thank you hoover Dallas.
*I'm going to take this time to pimp out my sister's and my new cooking blog.  It is full of great recipes that are super easy for working people or family life ladies... and they are GOOD!!!



Then the night just eases in... dinner time:  We ALL sit at the table and we talk, we ask the girls questions, and the other talks for them.  We tell daddy about our day and the funny things that happened.

Bath time.  Clean the living room up from the hurricane of toys.  Vaccuum #2.

8pm.  Bed time.

Dallas inside.

Frank and I try to hang out for a little bit and catch up- you know, a real adult conversation and maybe watch a show.  He goes to bed no later than 9:30.  I then stay up way to late because there is no one to make me go to bed and then starts the day over....




Thursday, July 19, 2012

Thankful Thursday

Earlier this week Frank found out that he did not get the job that he had a great interview with a few weeks back.  We were really devastated but knew that better plans were coming our way.  We have been praying that God would open doors that no man could close.  It's the truth that we have been clinging to during this season.  The day that we found out was just a rough day.  The girls were whiny and extra demanding.  I was tired.  Frank had a rough day at his current job, moral has been down for him and then the news of the job was just a total low blow to his little ego.  He had that look, you know- the look.  He needed to get out of here.  He called his buddy and 5 hours later, a few cigars and a HUGE cup of coffee, he was a new man.  Thankful.

When he is gone, I can not sleep.  I hate guys night, not because he is gone, in fact, I enjoy the alone time.  But I can not sleep when he is gone.  When he goes out of town... I'm terrified and don't sleep.  When we were in Charlotte, I would go and stay at my parents house.  I'm not kidding.  Now that we live here in Charleston, I make Frank load the shot gun for me and it stay next to me in our bedroom.  I'm not kidding.  Don't shoot in the back, you will go to jail for that.  In the front is self defense.

So the night that he was out having his attitude adjustment, AB kept waking up.  I had trouble getting her to bed.  Frank is the one that normally puts her to bed, while she is a momma's girl, she wants her daddy to put her to bed.  He's more fun, I guess.  She finally goes down but then wakes back up at 930, wanting him, calling for him.  I get her and give her a snack, tuck her back in, only to hear her cried for "daddy" again at 1130.  I go and get her- she's crying/whining and saying "daddy nite nite" over and over.  I tell her that daddy went bye bye but he'll be home soon.  Long story short, I couldn't console her so I just laid her down on his side of the bed and laid down next to her.  She was calm.

I watched her take her deep- about to fall asleep breathes.  I could feel her hot breath on my arm as I stroked her sweet tan face.  I literally watched her fall asleep.  I have never been able to do this with her past the age of like 6 months.  It was the most beautiful thing.  I wanted to grab my phone to take a picture of her, but didn't.  It was so intimate, so beautiful, so sweet.  While her blinks started to take longer and longer and she was fighting falling asleep, I leaned over and kissed her and whispered in her ear and she was gone.  Dead asleep.  I didn't know what to do!  Like I said, this has NEVER happened before.  So when she started to move around, I told her it was time to go back to her crib and she did and that was it.  Fast asleep.

When Frank got home, I told him about what happened.  Hello dad guilt, I didn't know you existed!  

I'm thankful for these people.  I"m thankful that Frank chose me to mother these children.  I'm thankful for these beautiful children that we have been intrusted with.  They are so pretty, both inside and out.

Thankful.

Wednesday, July 18, 2012

Not so wordless Wednesday

Frank is off on Tuesdays.  It's a nice break from the mundane of day to day, it's suppose to be a sabbath.  But life happens and it usually gets filled with errands, random things that he needs to get done.  There is something about Tuesdays, I just can't get it together.  I don't know what it is.  I can't seem to get it together to take AB outside to run around and torment Dallas, I can't get my house straightened up.  I can't get my kitchen table cleared off, for real that drives me BONKERS!!  But tomorrow is a new day!

I did get my Mary Kay website up and running!!  Ordering business cards today PLUS also, I'm hosting my  first girls night in.  Pedi's and facials at my house!  I'm really looking forward to it and hoping that it will be a good turn out.  At least my house will get cleaned, right?  I'll try to remember to take some photos :)

I have been sworn to secrecy right now, but there are some VERY exciting things going on right now in our home that we are not quite ready to share, but when the Mr. gives me the okay, I will be sharing asap!!

So here are the photos for wordless Wednesday!
The day we brought Emma Kate home from the hospital.

AB this time last year.

Monday, July 16, 2012

Happy Monday

Hey friends!  I hope that your weekend was relaxing and you added to your summer glow and you got to drink some fun drinks and church was ah-mazing.

Friday afternoon, we hung out and ate popcorn after naptime



Friday, Starbucks was giving away their new drinks... amazing!!  The lime one tastes like a margharitas.
Don't let her adorableness fool you, she was "growling" at everyone!!  Do not mess with this woman!
Frank worked on Saturday and that night we went over to our new friends house.  We had a blast.  New people, not to mention that there was 5 children under 22 months.  Oh my.

But Saturday, AB and I were hanging out while EK was napping.  I had to tackle this mess:



In the mean time, AB fed her baby...

Singing, rocking and hushing

Ya'll, I'm talking to my sister and AB comes around the corner "talking on the phone" with a plastic coffee mug.  I busted out laughing and took this picture.  Monkey see, monkey do?  Yes.



I won a scarf from Our reflections giveaway and it came on Saturday... too bad it's like 120 degrees here, so I'll have to wait awhile to wear it.  But thankful, none of the less!!



Oh my word!
Sunday we went to church and then had lunch with some new friends.  We came home and the little people took naps.  I did a TON of MK work (btw, my website is up!!!), meal planning/couponing and trying on lip stick.  In case you are wondering, yes we have 2 macs, yes we are apple junkies and yes, Frank was sitting on the other side of the table.  And if you were ALSO wondering, yes, I get in trouble for talking too much while he is trying to work.  No, he can not multitask and it's taken him YEARS to finally admit it.  I laugh at him and get him off track intentionally sometimes {grin}.


I have busted this lady multiple times up like this AND the other day, I caught her doing her baby yoga pose but flat footed.  Oh my.  But don't worry, I knocked her down... kidding!

I hope that you have a great day and that you get to play outside some :)

Friday, July 13, 2012

Just saying




I love a good maincure, don't get me wrong.  I usually paint my nails on the way to an event so that they won't get messed up while doing life.  I have been know to load up the kids, leave the doors open of the van and paint my nails.  True story.

You know I love pinterest.  I have slowed down in my pinning but lately, I love getting on there and checking out cute DIY's.  But there is something that I find just ridiculous.  These nails!
Up With Flowers Nail Art Design

And they are DIY!!  Who has time for that?  Seriously!  The hours, the steady hand, the artistic ability... wouldn't you rather do something more fun?


I'm just saying!





Do you have something to say?  Go over to my friend Bonnie's blog and link up with us today!

Thursday, July 12, 2012


You know when Jesus tells us that we need to be the voice to the voiceless and sometimes we don't know what that may look like?  Maybe we do but we don't know where to start.  Maybe the thought is too overwhelming, we may think too big and we just can't pick and move to Bulgaria and work at an orphanage.  Maybe we work too much and there are literally not enough hours in the day to work, have some family time and then serve at a soup kitchen on a regular basis.  Or maybe you are like me and you have VERY small children that need so much of your time and you have limited resources but you have great ideas.

Did you know that there is still slavery today?  It's called "modern day slavery".  I won't go into the details because I already scratched the surface here.

One of my good girlfriends, her sister lives in Charlotte.  Her company did a bra drive for "Free the girls".  The said sister called her sister (my friend) and asked if her "church friends" would like to participate.  My friend said, let me see what I can do.  63 bras and a week and a half later the sister's team won the contest.

Cute story Abbey!  What's the point?  Here it is:
Free the girls is a non-profit that just kicked off.  They collect gently used bras and ship them to Africa. The women in Africa, who have been rescued from trafficking, are given the bras to sell.  You can read more about their business plans for the girls here.  My friend is doing a HUGE bra drive for all of this month.  There is a competition that she is doing for the one who collects the most bras, you can read about that here.  I just wanted to let you know that if you have some bras that you would like to donate, please email me at:
abbeyalden (at) gmail {dot} com

I know you have tons of them in your drawer!  I didn't think that I did and then I started pulling out the pre-baby pre-nursing bras... yeah, those things will NEVER fit right!!

Will you take a button?  Please do!!  You can add it to your blog!  I know that everyone wants everyone to buy space on their blog, but this is a really good cause.  One that you can get behind and help some ladies out.  They are children, they are moms, they are sisters, they are human.  You can use your little space on the internet to use be an influence, do your little part in such a noble movement!






















mrspatebradrive


There is no bra that they can't sell.  Strapless.  Nursing.  Huge.  Tiny.  Any color, any coverage.  Think about it and email me!

Happy Thursday friends!!

Wednesday, July 11, 2012

Worship Wednesday

Hey friends!  Today we are linking up with Mrs. Pates Writes for her worship wednesday!  I don't have much to say today, I think this week has been full of my words.

I love this song and it only seems fitting after this post that wrote just a few days ago.  Enjoy!












Tuesday, July 10, 2012

Happy Tuesday... maybe.


So I try to stay away from discussing politics for may reasons.  One of which I don't know enough to hold a conversation.  When people start talking politics, I shut up and listen.  My director for Mary Kay is really into politics, she can discuss with the best of them.  It's a blessing and a curse.  A blessing because I can call her and ask her a question and get the full answer.  A curse because I sometimes lose motivation to research myself when I can ask her to easily.

Her philosophy, I've raised my kids.  You are raising kids and on a tight budget.  Let me go and protest in DC and petition at breakfasts.  My generation will do the leg work, you stay at home, raise your babies and save all your pennies so you can do it to, one day.

You see, she was in the health care industry way before she joined the pink world and she told me that many many moons ago, it was flaud- even then.  

However, when I asked her about the health care bill, I knew that I needed to do some homework.  Surely it couldn't be as bad as she was telling me.  It scared me, I mean really scared me.  What are we in for?  Well, just watch....




So now what?  The congressman put it so well, what about those 15%?  What about the 85% that are going to be left high and dry?  I don't think that anyone is arguing that we need to change some things, to make SOME changes.  But here's the thing... if you make a penny over the cap that they set, you will be forced to buy a health care plan.  A plan that the government is FORCING the health care business to make.  So what does that mean?  It means that your plan now that cost $X per month through your employer, is now going to cost you $XX now.  Let's talk real money.  Your family (of four with no major health complications) pays $300 per month for health insurance now.  After this, your income is over let's say $40K per year.  The cut of of income for your family size is $39k per year.  You now no longer qualify for the government plan and you will have to buy your own and it will now cost you $600 per month.
*These are all examples.  I don't know the exact numbers.
What else?  So Joe Smith who owns a cleaning company.  He has 30 employees that he pays minimum wage, for conversation sake, he pays them a little over.  They work full time and he even lets them work over time for some extra cash.  He does not have health insurance for his people.  He will now have to, with this bill, pay a "tax" of $2,000 per year per employee OR pay for insurance that will cost him $3600(guesstimated) per year.  So Joe, who is struggling already (like most small business owners) will have to come up with either $60,000 for the tax OR $108,000 for insurance for his employees.

What happens to Joe's business now?  Do you think that Joe is has an extra $60k in his budget?  Or do you think that he has the $108k for his people?  No way.  I'm sure that if he did, he would totally be giving benefits!!  He will either have to cut half of his people so that he can afford their the tax or the benefits BUT most likely he will be FORCED TO GO OUT OF BUSINESS and now 30, well 31, people are out of work.  Joe is out of business and this is, unfortunately going to be the reality.
Now we have 31 people waiting in line at the unemployment line, wic line, welfare......

Want another one?  Medicare.  Our grandparents all have it.  What is it?  Its a government assisted health care supplement plan.  My grandparents had it for after blue cross paid their part, medicare stepped in and helped out with the rest.
This will be gone.  They sent out their letters but our president did a Friday night bill and got the renewal letters to be put on hold until after the election.  The rates are going up.  Grandma and Grandpa will no longer be able to pay for it because it will be so ungodly expensive.  Google it (omg, I got sooo side tracked on fox news.com).


I am praying for this November election.  I'm praying for our congress.  That we can get some change.  It's time for reform.  IT'S TIME.  I think that it's time to get back to our roots, back to he basics and hopefully we have some leaders rise up that will do that and get our country back on track to the great nation that it was.


Monday, July 9, 2012



Hey friends,
Gosh, it just felt so good to share my heart with you on Friday.  I hope that you did not laugh at me, it was really hard to share but I just really felt like I was lead to to do so!  Then on Sunday, my church started this series called "at the movies", they pulled lesson's from the movie "money ball", next week, “social networking”.  I'm really excited.  But guess what the message was about... perseverance- ha!  Oh course.  The major thing that I took away was not asking God to get me out of this situation but rather asking him for the courage to persever through it.  OUCH.  I can not tell you how many times I ask the Lord to get us through this season.  We cant be in a harvest all the time, right?  But he also talked about how this season could be a rough one, maybe for the marriage, family life, job, fertility and on and on and on.  He talked about how seasons are but a vapor, they are so short and how we go through these rough seasons so that they can build perseverance and we can encourage others who may go through it later.  In those moments, we can point to God and tell them that He is the one that got us through it and showed us how He parted the sea or fed us the manna.

Enjoying some alone time with momma and daddy
I thought of different people I know and the life that they have.  How they may have one thing down but surely they struggle in other areas.  They may have their financials straight, but really all they want is to stay at home with their children.  Or they are having a rough time in their marriage, or all they want is for their husband to be home for dinner a few nights a week and not traveling for work all the time.  Or they may not get pregnant easily, or they can but they keep miscarrying.  Or they may have a child across the pond that they are working so hard to get home and complete their forever family.  Or they have sick parents.  I could go on and on and on, but I think that you get the point.
"helping" me vaccuum.
I realized sitting there in church that I have been praying for God to get us out of the season.  What I need to be praying is for my perseverance to endure this season.  That is will be a blessing to someone, some time, some how.  
oh my!  That twinkle in her eye!
Annabelle went to Charlotte on Friday.  I met up with one of my sister’s boyfriend, uncle Ark (Mark) and he took her on to Charlotte.  She is getting spoiled rotten {read; shopping, attention, tons of snacks, whatever her little heart desires and exactly when she asks}.  I am really love this time that she is having with them.  I have very clear memories of spending the weekend with my grandmother and I would not trade it for anything.  I want that for my girls!  They need it, their grandparents need it. I'm thankful that they stick to our schedule and the only problems I had last time was adjusting her back to sharing and not having undivided attention.  I know, real serious toddler problems, right?!?!   Saturday, Frank got up at his usual 4:30am and went to work.  Emma Kate and I slept until 10!!!  Frank asked me what we did all day when he got home.  I told him I really didn’t want to answer that.. hehe!!  It has been so nice and super easy having just one baby to take care of.  I’m not going to lie, it’s been a really nice break :)  My family has been texting pictures all weekend, so here we go:

My dad hired AB as his new admin assistant!
big tub all to herself!
Shopping with her aunts turned out to be a huge blessing (and super fun!)!
snacks, fruit, yummy food and lots of attention!!
playing in her new shoes!
Oh, my baby!

Happy Monday friends!  I hope your day is sucessful and productive- however you measure it!

Friday, July 6, 2012

An onion

The last few months have been hard.  Really hard.  There I said it.  They have been hard on this little family.  Frank finished up his internship at our church.  He was gone so much and stretched so thin that when we got him back, he was tired.  He's been around more and it has changed our rhythm.  We are for sure thankful that he is around more, it was just hard to get into a new groove.  Suddenly AB was WAY more sassy toward him, some experts would say that she was mad at him for being gone so much and didn't understand why.  It has been draining financially.  I mean, bad.  Frank is currently looking for new/more work, it's just not happening as fast as we thought.  I'm working to get my mary kay up and running, but you can only do so much during the 2 hour nap time all while trying to maintain a home (can i get an amen?).  In the midst of all these life changing things, God is doing a number on my heart.  I feel like He is peeling me like an onion.  All of these layers are being shed and it's ugly.  It's been raw.  Its like when you get an onion and they are all ugly on the outside, but when you cut it open and you keep finding more bad spots.  That is where we are, the layers and the bad spots.  He is shedding the layers of pride, entitlement (yuck!), resentment, judgemental thoughts (double yikes!), that hard shell (for the love, I ugly cried on my friends couch the other day!).


It really started when sisterhood, the women's ministry at my church, did a study called L.I.F.E. (living in freedom everyday). It challenged me, made me question and for sure gave new light to the Jesus thing.  I blogged a little about it here.  I managed to bribe one of my friends find child care and was able to attend the retreat that they do at the end of each study.  It was really cleansing and healing.
One of the sessions were about pride and entitlement.  Another was about resentment and unforgiveness.  Oh my. word.  I knew it had to happen.  After 14 years, it had to happen, I had to forgive him.  I literally could not say it.  The woman that was praying over me asked me 7 times to say his name, I couldn't but she kept on.  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, I whispered his name.  It took everything I had to say it.  It was one of the hardest things I have ever done.  I was ugly crying in front of this woman I had never met before and the words were so heavy, it felt like they were choking me.  I was pushed and I listened.  That sweet woman pushed me and I answered her.  Suddenly that pain was no longer stinging.  Yes, I miss my mom terribly, but there isn't that bite of hurt anymore.  I know it will try to rise up again, some time.  But I learned that I must grab that emotion or thought and captivate it.  It must be dealt with and then purged.
One of the other sessions was our thought life.  Wow.  I did not realize how out of control my thought life was.  I am not ready, nor do I think that it's appropriate to go into detail about it here, but it was moving.  Ugly thoughts of people, things and about my own self were running wild in my head.  I learned that I need to grab the thought and ask these 2 questions:
1.  Where did this come from?
2.  What does Jesus say about it?

I will give you an example (this is just a tip of the iceburg into my ugly thoughts!):


Today was so off.  We stayed up WAY too late playing at the pool at watching the fireworks having good quality family time.  Therefore, my little ladies slept until 9:15.  As I whipped around juggling breakfast and bottles and making coffee all while being calm and DRESSED!!

I thought, gosh, I'm such a good mom, I have so much patience and just really love my kids- actually, I really LIKE them, all the time!  I'm just so thankful to stay at home with them and can just knock out this to-do list my noon.  Unlike X, Y and Z who can't get anything done- ever!  If fact, when their husbands complain about them to my husband, my husband will chime in and tell them how awesome I am and that I am just a rock star.  How I do it all and wash his dry clean only pants at home and iron them.  I clean out and organize closets and vaccuum behind the couches.  And to top it all off, dinner is on the table at a reasonable hour to avoid melt downs and cut off the witching hour.

BAHAHAHA.  I literally just laughed at my confession to you guys.

oh don't act like you don't paint yourself instead of the paper!
Truth:
9:30am.  All the girls sit down at the table and have breakfast and we talk about what our day is going to look like.  Emma Kate interrupts the whole time yelling at me and looking at AB!  AB laughs at her.  EK then laughs at AB.  I give up and eat my cereal and keep giving cherrios to EK.
10:30am.  Emma Kate is already pissed that I woke her up to feed her breakfast (yes, my baby will sleep that late and I know it's weird.  I don't know why and I don't really care.  But I do wake her up no later than 9:30am because 13 hours is just too long to go without eating!) and is already whining and following me around trying her best, in her little 9 months old way, to tell me to put her down for a nap.  This is my window to get something done!!  Yeah right.
10:35am.  Bored toddler.  We all know the story does straight down hill from here and by the time Frank gets home from work at like 2:30, I'm trying to finish folding laundry because I can already hear AB up from her super short nap.
I gave in to my whiny toddler and asked Frank to cook dinner.  While I was sitting there holding AB and watching Elmo, I thought about my terrible and ugly judgemental thoughts from earlier.  I was  embarrassed of those thoughts, how dare I think so highly of myself and then compare myself to some of the sweetest women I know!
Yes, that is a raw onion that my toddler is eating.  She loves them.

Thought life:
1.  Those thoughts are not life giving to either myself nor my friends that I thought that against.  Who am I to think that I can make it even though breakfast without a whole bunch of grace?!?
2.  I asked for forgiveness in about 2 seconds!
Titus 2 talks about how older women need to teach the younger women to be kind and self controlled.  To stay at home and learn the trade.  I am working on the kindness and self control for the unforseeable future.

All of this to say, I am a work in progress.  It's been a messy season and we are so ready for this season to come to a close.  We are ready to put our ebeneser on this time and move forward ever mindfull of how the Lord kept us save, cool and the lights on.

Have a Happy Friday!!! 
 We will be laying low for the next few days and watching manhunters on netflix :)

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