What a wonderful day. We had a play date today with our friends Julie & her son Garner. They came over, the boys played & then we enjoyed lunch together. We made pizza out of the flat breads (the deli flats). Kind of like the english muffin pizza's only better (at least in my opinion). It is so much fun because you can make them all different. I will tell you that our favorite today was with cheese, spinach & bacon. Oh my goodness, it was DELISH! Such a great lunch, dinner, party idea, kid friendly, whatever you want it to be meal. I am even thinking breakfast pizza's would be yummy made with them. Ooohhhh...may have to do that sometime! Anyhow, after lunch the kids played a little more & watched a little Land Before Time. Such a nice time spent together. I know that Eli & I had a blast!
I love the movie Pay it Forward. If you haven't seen the movie, it is a MUST see. I also enjoy surprising people by paying for something for them. (as in a previous blog). Dan & I have had it happen to us several times & we were so thankful & enjoyed it. We have now taken it as a fun thing to do & hope to teach Eli how fun it is. So...I just saw on Facebook a Pay it Forward page. Apparently there is a national day in April, but they are also encouraging people to do it tomorrow December 1st. So, I am encouraging you to do that. Pay it Forward tomorrow (or any day for that matter). It doesn't have to be a lot. Here are some ideas from the page:
Pay It Forward Day December 1st, 2010 ‘Tis the Season! A random act of kindness goes a long way so…PAY IT FORWARD!!! What can you do? ON DEC. 1st...
• Pay for someone’s cup of coffee…
• Buy someone some groceries…
• Get the next person’s gas…
• Help someone out…
• Donate something…
• Be creative!!!
When you do something for someone there’s a good chance they’ll do something for someone else. If not, at least you’ve done a good deed for someone. So on December 1st share some kindness and spread some joy! It can be as little as a few dollars or as much as you want. No one needs to know! I would love to hear your experience if you would like to share it! Join in with me for this!!!
Scoot was on the curtain rod today above a window. It really has been such a neat thing watching Elijah each morning find him. Today he continues to talk to him. So neat! If you haven't noticed by now...we really are having a blast with this!
Well, Eli & I are off to the Library to return his books & check out some new ones. Love my little man! The best part is...he just told me..."Mommy, I love you & Daddy, ALL the time!" Oh what a blessing!
Tuesday, November 30, 2010
Monday, November 29, 2010
Wonderful Monday
If you would have asked me this morning as I was cleaning up spilled milk from me dropping the container of Elijah's Vanilla Silk let me tell you I wouldn't have thought it would have turned out as well as it did. Let's just say that was the worst thing that happened to me today. :-)
Elijah woke up early, but was in a VERY talkative mood today. He normally will let me sleep for a while as he watches TV, but today, nope. Not so much. That threw me off a bit, but I was just thankful he was being good & energetic as usual. He had preschool today so we got everything together & off we went. On our way there he talked & talked & talked. At one point I was laughing because he was just going on & on about the trees & the planes & all the wonderful things outside. He was too cute. As we were walking in he told me that he wasn't going to cry today & viola...he didn't!!! I was so thankful.
Then...I am enjoying some special treats this week. When we moved here & selected our electric company they told us we would get a welcome bonus. We recently received the bonus gift card & I was so excited. Then...my sweet husband told me to use it for me. So, this week I am getting an early Christmas gift. (Thanks Santa!) Today I enjoyed a pedicure & manicure....LOVELY. Thursday I am going to enjoy my first ever Facial! I am so excited!!! Here is a pic of my beautiful toes & fingers. :-)
So after some pampering & running a few errands I then went to get my little man from school. He did so well at school today! I was so proud of him. We had talked about going to pick an ornament, so we did. He did so well! Then....surprise of all surprise...he wanted to see Santa! He told me how excited Scoot would be that he saw Santa. Well, when we got to Santa, he didn't really want to see him, but he did. Afterwards he was so excited to tell Scoot & that is the first thing he did when we got home.
Scoot was in the kitchen today & with as well behaved as Eli has been lately I am starting to think that we need a Scoot all year round. LOL!
Tonight Eli & I ran to Walmart to make a quick pick up. Once we parked there was an employee taking in carts...Eli yells at the guy..."STOP, we need a cart!" I was laughing so hard! Then after we paid he told the cashier, "Bye, I love you all the time." Awww...he was crushing. Haha. :-)
It seems that this transition to Dan leaving for work has been much easier. I really think Eli is getting into the routine of life here in TX. It was odd today as the temp was close to 80 today. I was smiling as I was Christmas shopping in flip flops! Yup, I am really enjoying Texas!
Sunday, November 28, 2010
Advent
You know, I really enjoy getting sleep, but for some reason lately sleep hasn't been one of my strong points. I usually will sleep one good night out of 10. I had that Friday night into Saturday when Eli left us sleep in until 8:30 Saturday morning! Today Eli showed up in our bed a little after 3 am. That was it for me. I was awake. So...I went to bed a little after midnight & was up a little after 3. Ugh. Could be a looooonnngg day. Maybe I will try to take a nap this afternoon. Oh yeah, right. Who am I kidding?!
In all my time this morning of quiet I enjoyed listening to Christmas music & thought a lot about the upcoming holiday. I am challenged to teach Eli everything I can about the real reason for the season. We are enjoying having fun with the "Santa" idea, however I know at some point we will let him know Santa isn't real. I know...shhhh....don't tell. The idea of Santa is fun. I just hope that we can teach him to be a "Santa" to others & not be so concentrated on what Santa will bring him. In our home we have decided that there is only one gift from Santa each year. The rest he will know who they came from. We will keep the Scoot idea going even when the real Santa is fully revealed, just to have some fun!
Church this morning...first of was so exciting for us to know that we are settled in our new church. We have found our new home. We know that God will use us there in His time & way. Service today was like nothing I have even been in. It was incredible!!! Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The first candle of Advent was lit today for Hope. The focus was to Worship Fully. Our church is participating in Advent Conspiracy this year & each week having a focus to help make your season more focused on the real reason. So, today as the church had the "Hanging of the Greens" here are things I learned or was reminded of that I would love to share with you.
(This is taken from our bulletin)
Advent represents the beginning of the Christian year, where our spiritual journey begins. It links the ancient, humble signs of Christ's first coming with His triumphant return.
The candles of the advent wreath are arranged in a circle (to remind us that God's power is continuous). They are lit each Sunday. There are three purple candles (symbolizing the royalty of Christ our coming King), one rose candle (lit on the third Sunday, representing joy), and one white candle (symbolizing Christ, lit on Christmas Day).
The cedar tree of royalty, symbolizes Christ's purity and His everlasting reign.
The evergreen garlands symbolize the unchanging nature of God and the everlasting life that is ours through Christ.
In ancient times, holly and ivy represented the signs of Christ's passion: the prickly leaves ~ the crown of thorns; the red berries ~ the blood of Christ; the bitter bark ~ the drink offered to Him as He hung on the cross.
The wreaths of evergreen shaped in the form of a circle remind us of the eternal reign of the Messiah.
The poinsettia, reminds us that it was Christ's blood that brought life into a cold, dead world.
The lights ~Jesus is the Life-Light who blazed out of the darkness. He will return in a blaze of glory.
Even though I was physically exhausted this morning God used this service & spoke to me. I was so excited to be there! I can't wait until next Sunday. I know God is going to teach me so much this year!
Well, we are going to enjoy the rest of the day with Dan. He will be leaving tonight at midnight to be at work tomorrow morning. He has a 7 hour drive, so we value your prayers. Elijah has already been talking about Daddy going to work, but Mommy being home with him. I am praying he handles it just fine this week.
Scoot has been chillin' out today by the Ipod docking station. He is enjoying the Christmas music & sweet spirit Elijah has today.
Happy Sunday!
In all my time this morning of quiet I enjoyed listening to Christmas music & thought a lot about the upcoming holiday. I am challenged to teach Eli everything I can about the real reason for the season. We are enjoying having fun with the "Santa" idea, however I know at some point we will let him know Santa isn't real. I know...shhhh....don't tell. The idea of Santa is fun. I just hope that we can teach him to be a "Santa" to others & not be so concentrated on what Santa will bring him. In our home we have decided that there is only one gift from Santa each year. The rest he will know who they came from. We will keep the Scoot idea going even when the real Santa is fully revealed, just to have some fun!
Church this morning...first of was so exciting for us to know that we are settled in our new church. We have found our new home. We know that God will use us there in His time & way. Service today was like nothing I have even been in. It was incredible!!! Today is the first Sunday of Advent. The first candle of Advent was lit today for Hope. The focus was to Worship Fully. Our church is participating in Advent Conspiracy this year & each week having a focus to help make your season more focused on the real reason. So, today as the church had the "Hanging of the Greens" here are things I learned or was reminded of that I would love to share with you.
(This is taken from our bulletin)
Advent represents the beginning of the Christian year, where our spiritual journey begins. It links the ancient, humble signs of Christ's first coming with His triumphant return.
The candles of the advent wreath are arranged in a circle (to remind us that God's power is continuous). They are lit each Sunday. There are three purple candles (symbolizing the royalty of Christ our coming King), one rose candle (lit on the third Sunday, representing joy), and one white candle (symbolizing Christ, lit on Christmas Day).
The cedar tree of royalty, symbolizes Christ's purity and His everlasting reign.
The evergreen garlands symbolize the unchanging nature of God and the everlasting life that is ours through Christ.
In ancient times, holly and ivy represented the signs of Christ's passion: the prickly leaves ~ the crown of thorns; the red berries ~ the blood of Christ; the bitter bark ~ the drink offered to Him as He hung on the cross.
The wreaths of evergreen shaped in the form of a circle remind us of the eternal reign of the Messiah.
The poinsettia, reminds us that it was Christ's blood that brought life into a cold, dead world.
The lights ~Jesus is the Life-Light who blazed out of the darkness. He will return in a blaze of glory.
Even though I was physically exhausted this morning God used this service & spoke to me. I was so excited to be there! I can't wait until next Sunday. I know God is going to teach me so much this year!
Well, we are going to enjoy the rest of the day with Dan. He will be leaving tonight at midnight to be at work tomorrow morning. He has a 7 hour drive, so we value your prayers. Elijah has already been talking about Daddy going to work, but Mommy being home with him. I am praying he handles it just fine this week.
Scoot has been chillin' out today by the Ipod docking station. He is enjoying the Christmas music & sweet spirit Elijah has today.
Happy Sunday!
Saturday, November 27, 2010
Happy Day
My little man slept until 8:30 this morning! That was amazing!!!! Honestly that was such a nice surprise & I'm not sure it will happen again anytime soon, so I enjoyed the moment!!! I'm hoping that we will enjoy more of those moments soon though. LOL.
Today was so nice as a family. After breakfast we went to mail our Christmas cards. I sent out quite a few, so I took them to the Post Office. It always feels so good to put them in the box. I really enjoy sending out Christmas cards. I pray that everyone who receives them enjoys the card as much as I enjoy sending them. Then we had a couple other stores to hit...finally getting some throw rugs for our house. I am telling you that between hanging things on the wall and placing some rugs and decorating for Christmas this house is becoming home!
Tonight we had guests for dinner. Our Pastor & his wife. What a great time we had. It was so nice to learn more about them & the church. We have found our new home church!
Elijah has been so good lately. He has really been a big helper for Daddy these past few days. It has been so neat to watch. Dan is so good with him. Today Elijah actually talked to Scoot. I told Scoot that Eli was so good at the stores today, but then he was in time out a little later....then when he was out of time out he went over & talked to him. Too cute! We have been having so much fun with Scoot! (I'm still hoping he is listening to what I'm wishing for too. ;-) )
Well, tomorrow will be our last day with Daddy home for the week or ???? He will leave tomorrow night for San Angelo for the week. We have been so thankful to have him home for this holiday weekend! What a blessing it has been.
Today was so nice as a family. After breakfast we went to mail our Christmas cards. I sent out quite a few, so I took them to the Post Office. It always feels so good to put them in the box. I really enjoy sending out Christmas cards. I pray that everyone who receives them enjoys the card as much as I enjoy sending them. Then we had a couple other stores to hit...finally getting some throw rugs for our house. I am telling you that between hanging things on the wall and placing some rugs and decorating for Christmas this house is becoming home!
Tonight we had guests for dinner. Our Pastor & his wife. What a great time we had. It was so nice to learn more about them & the church. We have found our new home church!
Elijah has been so good lately. He has really been a big helper for Daddy these past few days. It has been so neat to watch. Dan is so good with him. Today Elijah actually talked to Scoot. I told Scoot that Eli was so good at the stores today, but then he was in time out a little later....then when he was out of time out he went over & talked to him. Too cute! We have been having so much fun with Scoot! (I'm still hoping he is listening to what I'm wishing for too. ;-) )
Well, tomorrow will be our last day with Daddy home for the week or ???? He will leave tomorrow night for San Angelo for the week. We have been so thankful to have him home for this holiday weekend! What a blessing it has been.
Friday, November 26, 2010
Home Sweet Home
I can just say that Black Friday shopping is most likely out of my league in TX. I have never seen so many people. Okay, correction, I have seen that amount of people in the Philippines Airport around Christmas time. Yup...wall to wall people. People punching people over a game. Really? Wow. The deals aren't this good. Yup. I'm home. I left WalMart completely empty handed. I really am sure that is the first time in my life that I left WalMart without spending money. Oh well, at least I live less than a mile from the store. I was home quickly.
Later today I did decide to head out for a little time by myself. My men stayed home & worked on hanging items in our house to make it feel more like home. It's amazing how having things hung on the wall make it more like home. I really do like our house. I miss a lot of things about our home in Shippensburg, however, this house is definitely becoming our home & there are many things I LOVE about it!
While I was away Dan & Eli began decorating for Christmas. Dan later shared with me that Elijah was so excited running around the house saying it's Christmas time. He stated "Merry Christmas Daddy, Merry Christmas Mommy, Merry Christmas God!" He was so happy to see me when I came home & couldn't wait to show me the tree & have me help them finish decorating it. truth be told, I didn't decorate much. Eli actually did most of it. It was so neat to see.
So...our home is well on it's way to being decorated for Christmas & I must say, I LOVE IT!
Scoot was in the kitchen today. Eli has been having fun with him. Tonight when we were eating dinner Eli just looked at him and was watching him while he ate. It really is cute & although I'm not a big Santa person this has been working out for us. :-)
All in all this day has been wonderful. The deal that I went to WalMart for last night, but didn't get, well, I ordered it online today for the bargain price! I was able to get some other deals online too! I did hit the mall this afternoon & got the deal there that I wanted. I actually enjoyed the crowd there. Christmas cards are almost done & most of them will be in the mail tomorrow.
For now...I'm getting ready to watch Elf with my hubby. I really do enjoy the Christmas season!
Later today I did decide to head out for a little time by myself. My men stayed home & worked on hanging items in our house to make it feel more like home. It's amazing how having things hung on the wall make it more like home. I really do like our house. I miss a lot of things about our home in Shippensburg, however, this house is definitely becoming our home & there are many things I LOVE about it!
While I was away Dan & Eli began decorating for Christmas. Dan later shared with me that Elijah was so excited running around the house saying it's Christmas time. He stated "Merry Christmas Daddy, Merry Christmas Mommy, Merry Christmas God!" He was so happy to see me when I came home & couldn't wait to show me the tree & have me help them finish decorating it. truth be told, I didn't decorate much. Eli actually did most of it. It was so neat to see.
So...our home is well on it's way to being decorated for Christmas & I must say, I LOVE IT!
Scoot was in the kitchen today. Eli has been having fun with him. Tonight when we were eating dinner Eli just looked at him and was watching him while he ate. It really is cute & although I'm not a big Santa person this has been working out for us. :-)
All in all this day has been wonderful. The deal that I went to WalMart for last night, but didn't get, well, I ordered it online today for the bargain price! I was able to get some other deals online too! I did hit the mall this afternoon & got the deal there that I wanted. I actually enjoyed the crowd there. Christmas cards are almost done & most of them will be in the mail tomorrow.
For now...I'm getting ready to watch Elf with my hubby. I really do enjoy the Christmas season!
Thursday, November 25, 2010
Laughter
Maddie, Sadie & Eli watching TV
The feeling & sound of laughter is something that is soothing & feels good to the soul. Happy Thanksgiving to all! We have had an amazing day. Dan made our turkey this year. It was sooooo moist & delicious! Good job honey! Our stuffing was delicious! It tasted so close to my mom's! That made me really happy! Sarah & her girls joined us & brought some wonderful sweet potato fluff & delectable Peppermint Mocha Cheesecake. Oh my goodness! Our dinner was complete with baked corn, green beans, cranberry sauce, rolls & some gravy. We had enough food to feed an army & well, we had 3 adults & 2 toddlers eating. Needless to say we have LEFTOVERS. Oh yeah...forgot about the pumpkin pie too. LOL. Elijah had watched Dan put the Turkey in the roaster this morning. About 20 minutes after he put it in there Eli asked..."Daddy, is the chicken done yet?" I think Eli asked about the turkey (chicken in his mind) being done so many times we couldn't help but laugh.80 degree day is a pretty spectacular Thanksgiving day in my opinion. Eli & Maddie were able to play outside for a while & enjoyed some time in the warmth. I personally enjoyed being able to wear short sleeves today. My niece Sarah however, willed the cold weather by wearing a sweater. Well, by the time she left this evening it was rainy & getting chilly. It is now 55 degrees outside. It is to get a little colder this evening. I'm just thankful it is not snowing.
Laughter...today we had so much laughter in this house it was fantastic! Eli & Maddie played well together for the most part (aside from the normal loving tats). They played the piano together which was adorable & they just enjoyed the day. It was so wonderful listening to them say Happy Thanksgiving. Meanwhile, us adults...yup, we laughed & laughed & laughed some more. I'm not even sure we were always aware of what we were laughing at. Although one thing that caused laughter...we have been trying to get Eli to keep his toys out of the kitchen (mainly because I'm tired of stepping on them in there), well...all day...I kept asking him, please keep your toys in the living room. While we were eating dinner this evening Eli had toys in the kitchen. I looked at him & asked...Eli, how many times have I asked you to keep your toys out of the kitchen? He just looked at me & said..."Three!" Oh My Goodness...I BUSTED...okay WE all cracked up. I did get the toys out of the kitchen, but oh my.
Scoot....Eli & Maddie realized that they both have an elf. Maddie was so excited to see Pyga at Aunt Beppie's house. Pyga is the name of her elf. Well....Eli all of the sudden decided that he wanted to have his named Pyga. Thankfully Sarah came to the rescue & explained that Pyga & Scoot were probably brothers & maybe even twins! Eli was content with that answer. Scoot didn't have much activity today. He just watched the good & bad behavior and I'm sure has some exciting stuff to share with Santa tonight. I just hope he is listening to me too...Santa needs to know what mommy wants for Christmas! Hopefully Santa can deliver! ;-)
All in all my first Thanksgiving in TX was great. I am so thankful that I was here with my men & that Sarah, Maddie & Sadie could join us for today. We are so blessed. We had a great day! We lacked for NOTHING! So, that is a wonderful day!
Wednesday, November 24, 2010
Home Sick
Today was a stay home day. The weather was gorgeous & thankfully Elijah played outside for quite a while today while I cleaned. He was so good for me today. I am so thankful for that.
It has been an emotionally tough day. I really miss home. At one point today I was crying & Eli asked me "What's wrong Mommy?" I told him that I missed PA & my family. He matter of factly just looked at me & said, "It's okay Mommy, they will be here in a couple weeks & then you will be happy." So sweet, even though they won't be here in a couple weeks, it was nice to hear. I really am missing home. My family is all together this year for Thanksgiving & I really wish I were there too. I am thankful for so many things & I won't let it ruin my day tomorrow, but I really am struggling today.
As I was thinking about family today I would like to encourage you all one thing. For many years (and still so) I did what I felt others wanted me to do. Sometimes Holiday get togethers were more of a turmoil for me than a good thing. Today knowing that I miss that togetherness I wish I had done some things differently. I encourage you to spend time with your family. Do things that you know in your heart are what you need to do. Who cares if you make someone mad because you did what you wanted & not what they wanted. If you want to see someone, GO. If you want to help someone, HELP. If you want to encourage someone, DO IT. Don't let the holiday pass you by.
Scoot was found today on the piano. Eli is really liking him. He asked me to read him the Elf on the Shelf book again today. So, I did.
One final thing...having watched the movie Santa Paws with Eli last night I am really dealing with some internal struggles. Please pray for me that God will direct our family in the direction we are to go. We want to be used by Him. We long to serve Him & only Him. Thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving. Love your family!
It has been an emotionally tough day. I really miss home. At one point today I was crying & Eli asked me "What's wrong Mommy?" I told him that I missed PA & my family. He matter of factly just looked at me & said, "It's okay Mommy, they will be here in a couple weeks & then you will be happy." So sweet, even though they won't be here in a couple weeks, it was nice to hear. I really am missing home. My family is all together this year for Thanksgiving & I really wish I were there too. I am thankful for so many things & I won't let it ruin my day tomorrow, but I really am struggling today.
As I was thinking about family today I would like to encourage you all one thing. For many years (and still so) I did what I felt others wanted me to do. Sometimes Holiday get togethers were more of a turmoil for me than a good thing. Today knowing that I miss that togetherness I wish I had done some things differently. I encourage you to spend time with your family. Do things that you know in your heart are what you need to do. Who cares if you make someone mad because you did what you wanted & not what they wanted. If you want to see someone, GO. If you want to help someone, HELP. If you want to encourage someone, DO IT. Don't let the holiday pass you by.
Scoot was found today on the piano. Eli is really liking him. He asked me to read him the Elf on the Shelf book again today. So, I did.
One final thing...having watched the movie Santa Paws with Eli last night I am really dealing with some internal struggles. Please pray for me that God will direct our family in the direction we are to go. We want to be used by Him. We long to serve Him & only Him. Thanks.
Happy Thanksgiving. Love your family!
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