One year later...

I can't believe it's been almost a year since I wrote something on here. Well I have been busy. And lately I've been thinking of things that I have learned in the past year. Maybe I'll make a list....

1. You can't force a kid to be potty trained. I tried it in July, but Grace just one month ago decided to be potty trained. She is doing great now, no bed wettings, but she had to do it on her own time.

2. My body loves fat, and I can't go through pregnancy without gaining a bunch of it. Even when I keep up my normal exercise routine. The math doesn't add up, but whatever. I'll lose it later. Another related lesson, exercise makes pregnancy much easier! I even have less heartburn. who'd a thunk it.

3. Here's a spiritual one. I have come into a deeper understanding (probably continually) of how intolerant God is of my sin, and yet how thoroughly and gloriously I am forgiven at the same time. I have been made aware of how toxic and disgusting my complaints are to God; even when unspoken they are a slap in His face. I have also come to understand that because of Christ (and only in light of Christ) I already am the virtuous woman of Proverb 31. This scripture is not a laundry list of godly standards that I fall short of meeting (since that would be the law and not grace), but a promise from God of who I am in Him. It is a profound dichotomy, but so simple. Paul even said that we would stumble on the simplicity of God's grace. God hates our sin; we are truly forgiven.

4. Moving on. No matter how much I don't want Grace to be a vegetarian, she just might be. To spite me. (I like to sneak chicken into her quesadillas.) "Mommy, I don't like meat!"

5. Sweet potato casserole fixes everything. I would say brownies do the same, but they bring guilt. At least sweet potatoes have nutrition.

6. When I am pregnant, every plant I own must die. I don't know what the heck it is, but I can't keep anything alive while I'm pregnant. When I was pregnant with Grace, during the summer, I didn't want to be outside watering, so naturally all my plants died of starvation/dehydration. Understandable. But I thought the plants I had this year would make it through the winter without much help from me. I was wrong. We had a cold snap and EVERYTHING froze and died. I'm still sad about this. My huge jade plant, my gorgeous amaryllis bulbs in the dirt, all the in-ground hibiscus plants out front, everything. Well, some dianthus lived, but of course that would be my least favorite plant. So I had to break my back replacing all the dead plants with live ones for the spring. I'm hoping I won't kill them before the baby comes. Bubba really thinks I'm cursed and didn't want me to buy them yet, but the front yard was just so sad!

7. No matter how many times we sell Bubba's Jeep, it comes back. It's like a zombie Jeep or something. We are actually hoping to sell it AGAIN, this week. And this time get the cash up front :D

8. Never underestimate how fast Grace can grow, and outgrow brand new clothes. Every time I want to buy an outfit for the baby, Bubba reminds me that Grace needs clothes more than Olivia does. I guess he's right.

9. Europe is awesome. I want to go back. Grace keeps asking me to take her to the Eiffel Tower. She is crazy about that, and Big Ben. I can't wait to take her when she is older.

10. I never have enough time to finish a blog post! I guess that's why it's been a year.

Granny

Granny passed away Tuesday, April 7, and we drove up to Tennessee on that day. I can't tell you how difficult that was. The viewing was Friday. There was a slide show on a TV at the funeral home with so many pictures of her, even some rare pictures from when she was a teenager. It was wonderful to see all those. The funeral was held Saturday. There were so many relatives there that I had not seen in ages... people I used to be close to and that I often missed. I felt like all eyes were on me, and they probably were, because everyone knew that Granny and I were the closest. Normally this would have bothered me, but I think the Lord carried me through it fantastically. I grieved well, and cried no more than I had tissues for :) I absolutely loved Granny's pastor and his wife. I wish I could see them all the time. Their names are Bob and Bobbie, how about that? Their last name is something long that starts with a Z, so he goes by BobZ. It was so evident that Bob loved my Granny, and knew her very well. He also knew me and my sisters well, from all the stories he had heard, and the pictures he had seen. I used to upload all my pictures to Walgreens.com and have them printed in TN for Granny to pick up, so she always had the latest pics. Evidently she took them to church with her. Somehow I felt like I knew Bob, too. The service at the funeral home was heavy, but by the time we all drove to the cemetery, the atmosphere there was a little lighter. Unfortunately, the weather was very cold and wet. Everyone had to park in, and walk through, a lot of mud to get to the plot. Much to Bob and Bobbie's approval, I changed into tennis in the car. We all laughed about my flowy dress and tennis, and agreed that Granny would have approved. She was buried in the most beautiful cemetery, next to my grandfather (lovingly called Punkin), and my uncle Alan, their firstborn who died at age 33. I have pictures on my camera of the view from that hill, but I have yet to locate my camera in the luggage! I will post them later.

The funeral was lovely, but the rest of the trip was not! Grace was sick on the drive up. She ruined a car seat before we even got out of town. We did get to rent a new, fully loaded suburban, with DVD, nav, leather, power running boards, the works. It was awesome! So we had plenty of room with Hannah and Malachi, and also added Bekah and Noma to the passenger list for the drive home. The drive home included more sleep and was less eventful. I wish our stay in TN had been uneventful, but sadly, that was a lot of bickering over Granny's things. My dad decided to sell the house, and we only had through Monday to help dad move everything out of the house. His brother left town the night of the funeral, and we had to leave Monday night, so we had to clean out the house pretty fast. A cousin of my dad's, who is closer in age to me than my dad, agreed to buy the house, which is fantastic. My dad is busy taking care of that transaction right now. But since we had to move so quickly, a few relatives (nieces of Granny) got very angry with us. I'm sure they felt we didn't allow some proper time to pass before "ripping apart" the house. We have gotten quite a few verbal lashings. I don't know why they don't understand that all of Granny's descendants live in TX, and don't have time to let the house sit for a while. It is not a good idea to leave a house vacant with valuables in it! I just don't get some people. oh well. I hope mom and dad are able to put out all the fires before they come home.

Speaking of home, I am so glad to be in mine! So GLAD! I love this place! And I have some painting to do!

Finally, I posted. Goforth and tire swing!

It has been way too long since I posted! I just haven't wanted to sit down and write about myself I guess. Bubba and Grace and I are doing very well. We are excited to be paying down our debts, Dave Ramsey style, and we are way ahead of the schedule we first set up. I think when we first started out, we calculated that it would take us something like 25 months to reach "debt-free other than the house". Now that we are 7-8 months into it, our projected end date will be just 16 months from when we started!! And if we can get paid for the Jeep that we sold, it will be much sooner! Very exciting. God has blessed us abundantly.

Grace and I flew with Malachi and Hannah to TN to visit our Granny for 8 days, and we just got back last Saturday night. My parents and other sisters also went, but they drove. Granny has lung cancer which has spread to her brain, and she is bedridden and unable to communicate much. Fortunately, she is in no pain. It is the 8 brain lesions that are killing her, not the lung cancer, so she probably won't ever feel much. One of the lesions is on the area that controls heart and lung function. It was hard being there, seeing her so helpless, and even harder to leave. She is very dear to me. I don't know if I will see her again in this life, but I know I will drive up for the funeral, and take Bubba with me at that time.

We did get to have some fun while we were there. We visited one of my very favorite places, Goforth Creek.

And we drove John Deere Gators around the family property, mostly to get to the tire swing. We loved the tire swing. It hangs from about a 40ft branch, so you can swing that thing pretty far.

That's Hannah, with Mary's boyfriend Paul pushing. We have way too many pictures of the tire swing.

OK, happy subject. Grace likes to wear skirts. She just came up and begged me to put on her "princess" skirt so she could twirl to the music on TV. I love having a girl! But she is into that stage where everything "hurts". I don't know if she wants attention or what! Still love her though. She has been sitting very patiently at the chiropractor, watching the dr. Grimm crack my neck. I was very surprised that she was ok with this. Grimm said that little boys flip out when they see their moms get adjusted, but little girls don't. Funny.

Oh, and before my trip to TN, my dear friend Angela got MARRIED!! I was very excited to get to go to not only the wedding, but the bachelorette party too! I'm so happy for her. This is her and her HUSBAND Brent!


One last good thought. Lying in the grass. Don't you want to?

kids...

Did you know that yams are not available in the U.S.? We have two types of sweet potatoes here, and neither type is an actual "yam". Yams are native to Africa. I trust Food Network is right about this.

I can't wait until Thanksgiving. We are having a big shin dig at my grandmother's ranch, with spunky cousins and adorable great aunts and funny uncles. I've learned to make some smashing dishes since last year, and I can't wait to share them. I am especially excited because I thought until yesterday that Bubba was going to miss Thanksgiving to work, but now he has that Thursday and Friday off! And he has Christmas and New Year's eve/day off! I'm so happy about this.

Last night the three of us went to Walmart and shopped for Grace's birthday presents. We got her a Dora big wheels-type trike, a Disney Princesses tea set, an outfit that looks very Christmasy, baby doll bottles and diapers (she likes to use her own diapers on her dolls), and.... I forget what else. We had fun. Oh ya, new tennis shoes. As we were leaving Walmart, Grace was hungry (it was after 9pm) and we passed the in-store McDonald's. Grace started yelling and pointing at McDonald's, and I realized that this was the very first of many times she will beg for McDonald's in her childhood. We did stop and get an ice cream for her. (Of course I took some bites too. Which I had to report to my diet accountability partner, MIIIIIIRIam.)

I haven't told you about Noma's birthday, which was the 11th. She turned 12. She was born my senior year of high school, and now she's 12. I'm an old lady. But Noma looked fabulous. She has gotten so much taller and thinner in the past year; she is so grown up now! I have some pics of her in the dress I bought her and boots that Mary bought her. The pics really don't do her justice, she was so pretty in that dress. I'll show you anyway.

And this is the corn snake that mom indulged her love of reptiles with.
And these are the cutest cousins ever, at Noma's party.

I could look at pictures of my Grace and little Malachi all day long, couldn't you?

Speaking of Malachi, I uploaded the picture of him on his birthday, the only picture I got before we lost the camera! He's wearing his cute John Deer boots we got in Fredericksburg.

I also forgot to post Halloween pictures. Here is Grace, Cooper, and Connor, and grandfather Bob, in front of their house, waiting for trick-or-treaters.

And this is Grace packing herself away for the trip back home, ahah.


now here's a random picture of my lounging sweater I just bought at Gap Body for $23. It is so comfy!

Well I'd love to stay and chat some more, but Grace is throwing herself on the floor in defiance of my couch sitting. I'm sure she wants to go outside, like the public service announcements keep telling us to do. Why can't they leave me alone? I have a nice little butt dent in the couch.

Banana Balloons, Jeopardy Bonus, and Sweet Potato polish.

I just baked. I love to bake, I don't know why I don't do it more often. I made marvelous banana and chocolate chip biscotti! yummy yummy yummy...

We threw a balloon-filled birthday party for my nephew Malachi on Thursday. We had Thomas the Train decorations and plates; it was so cute. I made BBQ pulled pork, served on buttered Texas toast, and my grandmother brought tons of fruit straight from Sams. We had a glorious feast. My mom brought a red velvet cake from HEB, and Malachi had a good ol' time diving into it. I was cleaning up that mess for two days. I'm still finding bits of red velvet cake in random places around the house. My only regret was that in the middle of the circus I lost the camera! I have 2 pictures of Hannah holding her son, but none of all the action. So sad. I found the camera right after everyone left. oh well. good memories.

Ok, I could have sworn I had something great to say in this blog, but now I can't think of it.

Tomorrow in my class we are going to play Jeopardy to review for the next test. The kids had a lot of fun last time, so I'm looking forward to it.

Bubba finally got a bonus on his paycheck on Friday. It made me very happy. We paid off a credit card, increased our savings, paid an unexpected doctor's bill, and I have money to buy Christmas presents! :) We have a lot to be thankful for. Jesus is awesome.

This Wednesday is my last Bible study meeting (Ladies Wed. morning Bible study at CBC) and I have committed to make a sweet potato casserole with marshmallows for the luncheon afterwards. I have never actually made one before, but I hardly ever goof up a dish when following a recipe. I'm hoping I can cook the sweet potatoes the night before, refrigerate them and make the casserole in the morning before I go. I hope it turns out good!

One last thought, I am wearing some fabulous, new, dark red shimmery toe nail polish. I makes me very happy. And PedEggs are awesome. Go get one.

I have a joke...

It's a lesson too, but it's so funny. My MOPS friend Terri sent this to me, and I'm still crying over it. I have to do this one day. HAVE TO.

JUST A LITTLE SIN

A father of three teenagers set a rule that the family could not watch R-rated movies. This created a problem when a certain popular movie opened in local theaters. All the teens were bent on seeing the film, despite it's 'R' rating. The teens interviewed friends and even members of their church to compile alist of pros and cons about the movie. They hoped that the list wouldconvince their dad that they should be allowedto attend. The cons were that it contained only a fewswear words that misused God's name, only one act of violence ('which you can see on TV all the time,' they said), and only one sex scene (and it was mostly implied sex, off camera). The pros were that it was a popular movie - a blockbuster. If the teens saw the movie, then they would not feel left out when their friends discussed it. The movie contained a good plot and two hours of nonstop action and suspense. There were fantastic special effects! The movie featured some of the most talented actors in Hollywood. The teens were certain that the film would be nominated for several awards. And Christian friends at their church who had seen the movie said it wasn't 'that bad.' Therefore, since there were more pros than cons, the teens asked their father to reconsider his position just once. The father looked at the list and asked if he could have a day to think about it before making his decision. The teens were thrilled. Now we've got him! they thought. Our argument is too good! Dad can't turn us down! So they agreed to give him a day to think about their request. The next day the father called his three teenagers, who were smiling smugly, in the living room. They were puzzled to see a plate of brownies on the coffee table. The father said he had decided that if they would eat a brownie, then he would let them go to the movie. But just like the movie, the brownies had pros and cons. The pros were that they had been made with fresh walnuts and the finest chocolate. These moist frosted brownies had been created with an award-winning recipe. Best of all, they had been made with care by thehands of the teens' own father. The brownies had only one con. They had a little bit of dog poop in them.
But the dough had been mixed well - the teens would probably not even be able to taste it. And their father had baked the brownies at 350 degrees, so any bacteria or germs had probably been destroyed. Therefore, if any of his children could stand to eat a brownie that included 'just a little bit of poop,' then they would also be permitted to see the movie with 'just a little bit of smut.' By now the teens had lost their smug expressions. They turned down the tainted brownies, and only Dad was smiling smugly as they left the room. Now when his teenagers ask permission to do something he is opposed to, the father just asks, 'Would you like me to whip up a batch of my special brownies?'



Well, I hope you enjoyed that. I deleted a million >>>> thingies for you:)

Waiting for Christmas

This cold weather makes me want to put up Christmas decorations! Yes, I said Christmas. I don't know why, but I want to bypass fall decorations altogether and go straight to Christmas. It is 41 degrees outside! I put blankets in Grace's crib last night (usually I just dress her warmly), and she actually kept them on her all night! Well, they were on her this morning at least. She is mesmerized by Sesame Street right now.

I just want to document right now that I know Allison Johnson. My friend Allison is going to be famous. Last Wednesday I watched Allison speak at my Bible study, and immediately afterward she flew to NM to pitch the book she is writing to several publishing houses. She received positive feed back from all of them, including Tyndale, Beacon Hill, Harvest House, and AMG. Maybe she will actually have to choose which one she publishes with! I'm excited for her. She helps women become everything they are meant to be in Christ.

Speaking of books, I need to buy more books. I'm running out of things to read. Any suggestions? I always have at least two books on my night stand that I'm in the process of reading. I finished "Waking the Dead" (changed my life), and I found "Purpose Driven Life" on my bookshelf, but I don't know if I really want to read it.

Some ladies at my Bible study were talking about a fictional book called "The Shack" by William P. Young. Some liked it, some were completely disturbed by it. I don't know if I want to read it. It has been so long since I read "This Present Darkness" and "Piercing the Darkness" by Frank Peretti that I could probably read them again and enjoy it just as much. It has been 15 years! Wow! I bet I have forgotten most of it. Oh, if you've read the Shack, tell me how you liked it.

Well we are going to Laredo this weekend for Halloween and 2 birthdays, my father-in-law's and my nephew Cooper's. Cooper is turning 2, so that means Grace's birthday is 3 weeks and 3 days after that. I need to plan something!


I just read something terrible. Let it not be!

Joaquin Phoenix declares retirement from acting

Oct. 29, 2008, 2:11 PM EST

Zap2it.com

At the ripe old age of 34, Joaquin Phoenix is thinking about retirement.

The "Walk the Line" Oscar nominee mentioned his intent to leave acting behind at Monday night's (Oct. 27) Paul Newman benefit for camps for kids, reports "Extra."

"I want to take this opportunity... also to give you the exclusive and just talk a little bit about the fact that this will be my last performance as an actor," Phoenix told the entertainment newsmagazine. "I'm not doing films anymore.

"I'm working on my music," he added in explanation. "I'm done. I've been through that."

The actor's rep confirmed that was his client's intention.

Phoenix received a Grammy for his work on the "Walk the Line" soundtrack and is currently recording an album with the British indie rock band The Charlatans. Phoenix, who was also nominated for his supporting role in "Gladiator," next appears opposite Gwyneth Paltrow in the romantic drama "Two Lovers," set for release in February.

Taken from MSN.com. I loved him in The Village and Signs. We Own the Night was good too... except for the opening scene, just fast forward through that and the rest is good. He will be missed.