38 is GREAT!

Today is my BIRTHDAY! I am 38 ... hard to believe, I really don't feel 38. But then I look at my kids and can't believe how big they're getting and can't believe they're really mine so I guess I must really be 38, whether I feel like it or not. =) 

So anyway, I haven't blogged in forever and I feel bad, but life has been so, super busy lately and thankfully we only have 3 and half more days until the school year is over - then we can enjoy SUMMER! Yay, can't wait! 

I thought it would be fun to document some things about myself at 38 ... some things haven't changed but some things have. For one thing, with every year that passes I feel more and more confident in just being who I am. Not trying to be someone else, or trying to impress people, or trying to change to whats expected of me - but simply embracing the ME that God created me to be. Little things like the fact that I'm so emotional and cry so easily - so what, that's me - get used to it, it's not going away anytime soon. And that I like to change things often, not because I'm discontent, but because changes are fun and keep life interesting. I love changing around the furniture and decor in my house ... I also love changing things like my hair cut and color. Change is good. Embrace it. 

Some things I love ... coffee always tops the list. =)

Family. Friends. Reading. Scrapbooking. Taking photos. Flowers. COLOR. Decorating.The beach. Swimming. Relaxing. Watching my kids play sports. Being with girlfriends. 

Movies nights with my family. Baking. Camping. 

Sitting outside and enjoying a quiet morning.

Smiles and hugs from kids at school. 

This year I got my nose pierced! Not something I EVER thought I would do! Bob had been begging me to do it for SO long and I kept saying no, I'm not interested. Finally around Valentine's day I had been thinking about it more and thinking about how he is always SO good to me and would do anything for me. I thought that if he was willing to do so much for me, why couldn't I do this one little thing for him. I'm not gonna lie, it did hurt when they did it. But only for a little while and then it's been fine ever since. 

And I actually really like it now. 

 And can I just say how thankful I am for this guy? Later this year we will celebrate 18 years of marriage ... I have known him for more than half of my life and could not even put into words how blessed I am. I have never, ever, ever met someone as selfless as him - he will literally put me and our girls before himself in just about every single scenario. He is always going above and beyond to make sure we are safe, cared for, loved and yes, even spoiled. 

Then there is my amazing family. I am incredibly blessed to have the family that I do. This year my Mom got married to a wonderful man named Wayne and I got 6 new step-brothers and sisters along with more nieces and nephews. It's something I never expected, but has already been a blessing. And not to mention that I am SO happy for my Mom. 

This year we've all tried new things. Some good, some bad, some hard, some fun. One thing I never thought I'd do was run a 10k. Just about 4 years ago I had never run more than 30 seconds in a row. I couldn't even get a quarter mile without feeling like I was gonna die. But through Bob's encouragement and a lovely little plan called Couch to 5k I slowly learned how to build up to running a 5k ... then, last year through my friend Christina's encouragement and lots and lots of lovely miles we put in together, I finally built up to a 10k! So in the past year I have run TWO 10K's and a few 5K's as well. It's an amazing feeling to know you can conquer something like this! And in just a few short weeks Bob and I will be running in our first ever Spartan Race - I am definitely nervous but also excited to prove to myself how strong I am and how far I've come. Now if you're reading this thinking 'no way, not for me, I could NEVER do that' ... trust me, you CAN! I have a lovely friend Erin who blogs here ... go check out her posts on running, weight loss and how far she's come in all of this. Anyone can do this!

I love, love, love my girlies ... so deeply that sometimes it hurts! It hurts when they don't respect me how they should, or don't seem to care if my feelings get hurt over something they say or do or when they would prefer their friends or their ipods over me ... but more than the hurts are the crazy, amazing ways that I learn and grow through being their Mom. Sometimes I am the worst perfectionist and think it's totally my job to make sure they 'turn out right' ... not remembering that these are amazing girls, each with their own gifts and personalities and that God will see them through! He has big plans for these girls! He loves them SO much more than I ever could! Being a Mom is tough sometimes and I often feel the weight of the world on me ... but it keeps me on my knees before God, asking Him daily to watch over them and give us wisdom in raising them. And I am one proud Mama ... they are smart, beautiful on the inside and out, talented, and I am just so thankful for both of them!

Since I am such a perfectionist at heart I am always trying to find ways to improve myself. Reading articles about raising kids, reading books about parenting through the teen years, trying to find ways to become healthier and teach my girls about healthy choices, etc. I love the idea of always changing, always working toward new goals, always challenging yourself and learning new things. I have some goals for summer, which include reading a large stack of books on lots of great topics that I have sort of been putting off during these busy school-year months. Summer is such a great time to sit by the pool and read while the girls swim. I also REALLY want to catch up on my scrapbooks! I am SO far behind! I have started doing more of a 'Project Life' style instead of 12x12 fancy, decorated pages ... much easier to slide the pics in and be done. I hope to show some pages I've done in future blog posts. 

So anyway ... I guess that's all for now ... thankful for another year of LIFE and just thankful to be ME! 

 {So far} ... 38 is GREAT!! 

Show Us Your Biggest Design Challenge

Today I'm linking up with Kelly's Korner because quite frankly friends, I need HELP! The biggest eyesores of my home are the two cement porches that greet you as soon as you walk up. Now I don't have a very big house, but since we bought it 13 years ago we have put a LOT of work into it to make it nice - new siding, doors, windows, roof, fencing, pool, etc .... Yet even though I think the front looks pretty cute now, the two porches look HIDEOUS!

I have tried painting them, but it always eventually flakes off and looks terrible again. We don't have a lot of extra money right now so I'm looking for inexpensive ideas. {I have thought about bricking over them but not sure how costly that would be.}

Ideas welcome!!!!!

This is the house, there is a porch on the side that leads into the kitchen, then one on the front too.

Ugly porch number ONE ...

Ugly porch number TWO ...

Chipping paint ...

Any advice is greatly appreciated!!! 

~~~Kathy 

Bermuda - our favorite vacation destination!

Our favorite vacation destination is BERMUDA! My husband and I have been on 9 cruises ... we started cruising when we went on our honeymoon to the Bahamas. We pretty much went on one every year until we had our first daughter. Then after having kids, we went on one when the girls were 1 and 2 yrs old, then another when they were 3 and 4 yrs old ... THEN we got brave and started taking them WITH US on cruises and they have been on two with us. 

We have cruised most of the Caribbean - St Thomas, St Croix, Puerto Rico, Bahamas, St John, Grand Cayman, Cozumel, Jamaica, etc ... as well as a cruise around several of the Hawaiian islands. But the past 3 cruises we have taken were all to Bermuda because it has easily become our FAVORITE place! 

We took the girls for the first time back in 2009 and they loved it as much as we did. We loved the fact that this was an island where we felt VERY safe to bring our children to. We have been on islands where they basically advise you to stay at the resorts or in large groups and where people beg you for money to push the items they're selling in your faces. You get NONE of that in Bermuda. You feel VERY safe there. 

It's a very formal island, the people there where very proper clothes - kids in uniforms for school, men in long Bermuda shorts, collared shirts and long knee socks. People from the island don't wear bathing suits once off the beach, they cover up and dress appropriately. 

{Snorkel Park Beach}

 {Royal Naval Dockyard}

There is a lot of rich history there and lots of gorgeous old forts and buildings. It's very clean, hardly any litter and very little crime. They also don't have critters like rats, mice, skunks, etc and very few bugs. 

{The Moongate in Royal Naval Dockyard}

{9 Beaches resort}

{Police at a huge Sailfest celebration that was happening in Hamilton while we were there. There were ships from all over the world there, including the Coast Guard Eagle from where we live!}

{Even very little children were dressed up and dancing in the streets for this celebration!}

One downfall would be that it's very expensive ... we have never stayed ON the island because the hotel prices are too expensive for us. That's one reason we like the cruising option, you stay on the boat and eat most meals on the boat, but can explore the island during the day. 

 {Tobacco Bay}

The crystal clear waters are GORGEOUS and snorkeling is great. There are tons of neat tide pools and little coves between rock formations so there are lots of neat little places to snorkel around and explore. The water is the most comfortable temperature ... you can just sit in it for hours. We have been there in August, June and September and all three times the weather was stunningly gorgeous. {Bermuda is NOT a good destination in winter months like many of the Caribbean islands are - it does get cooler there in winter, probably similar to weather in the Carolinas.} 

 {Second trip with the girls in Sept. 2012 - Horseshoe Bay Beach} 

{Old phone booths in Royal Naval Dockyard} 

The beaches are said to be pink sand and there are certain times of day in certain light where you can look across the beach and see a pinkish tint ... but it's really neat if you pick up a handful and look at it up close because you really do see specks of pink sand. {I've heard it's crushed shells, but not sure on the truth of that - I will say there are hardly ANY shells to be found on the island.} 

Probably my one and only complaint about Bermuda would be that we did find quite a bit of glass at certain beaches ... some of it is neat sea glass that has been ground down by the sea ... but we also came across many sharp pieces too. I'm not sure if this is from people littering, or boats throwing it overboard or what exactly. I just know we were always careful to keep flip flops on our feet at certain beaches. Not all the beaches were like that, just certain places. 

Ok I have one more complaint ... I wish I was there right NOW!!!! 

Would you like to see a lot more vacation destination ideas? Go check out Kelly's Korner today! 

The Best Thing You Can Do For Your Marriage

If you are married and you also have children, I'd like to suggest that the best thing you can do for your marriage is to have regular overnight dates without your children around. So whether you have little ones or big ones, it's crucial for your marriage that you have this time set apart for just the two of you. The ONLY stipulation I would make is if you have a newborn or are still nursing a baby - in those cases I understand if you can't make this happen yet. In any other case, you have NO excuse, make it happen!

Here are some ideas:

* If you think you have no one who can watch your kids overnight, try doing a swap with local friends. We are blessed to have Grandparents living nearby who are always happy to take our kids for a sleepover - BUT, that being said, we have also swapped kids with friends before too. One weekend we took our friend's kids for a sleepover at our house -- a couple weeks later they took ours. Both couples got to enjoy an overnight without any kids. Win-win for everyone because the kids are also thrilled to have sleepovers with their friends!

* If possible, make it special with a night out to dinner and maybe even a night at a hotel ... it's SO much easier to relax and enjoy yourselves when you're not in your own home {seeing laundry that needs to be done, dishes that need to be washed, etc.}. We even went to a hotel just a MILE from our house! The funny thing is that it felt like we were very far away from home and not right down the road!

* However, if money is a problem, you CAN create a fun and special night at home! Make a special dinner together {or order take out if that's easier and less stress!}, set a nice table with candles, turn off the phone and any other distractions and just ENJOY your time together!

* Take the time to think about how to make the night special for the other person. My husband has become so good at this! A couple months ago I mentioned it would be neat to have Christmas lights in our bedroom ... so one night we came home and he had set up lights in the bedroom, bought me some flowers and a new bracelet {just because}. Not trying to bash him AT ALL, but he wasn't always this good! Over the years he has become very attentive to the things I like and does lots of special little things to make me feel important, special and loved. I admit I'm not always so thoughtful ... but I do try to think of things he likes so he feels important too.

For us, we have found that the years keep going faster and because our girls are getting bigger our life just gets busier and busier. We are always busy with sports, activities, work, school, church, etc ... and it's honestly SO hard to set aside special time as a couple. It's also hard when we're often so exhausted each week! But having some of these overnight dates to look forward to has become such a time of refreshment for our marriage! We try to do this about once every month or every other month. In order to invest in your marriage you have to MAKE IT HAPPEN! No more excuses people ... don't wait till your kids are grown up ... do it NOW!!

Weekly Check In {Jan. 25, 2014}

Well it's been a crazy week, but crazy in a much different way than usual. On Sunday, I was sitting planning out my menu for the week and thinking about what we needed for groceries. I remember thinking 'oh boy, here we go with another busy week being out of the house every evening for the girls sports and activities!' ... Little did I know all that would change!

Here is my weekly catch up!

Sunday Bob headed out of town with a couple friends to ski for a few days. I know it's so good for him to do these things but I really miss him when he's gone! 

The girls and I spent Sunday afternoon cheering for our Patriot's {who sadly lost!} and watching movies and relaxing. Thankfully we had NO SCHOOL on Monday for MLK day so we took advantage by staying up late and having fun together. 

On Monday we drove about an hour from here to a HOBBY LOBBY! I had only been in one once many years ago and let me just say ... my hubby should be VERY happy it's not closer to my house! That store was AMAZING and we spent so much time {and money!} in there! I could have taken pictures for hours of all the cool stuff they had but I was so busy looking around I wasn't focused on taking pictures. I came home with a few cool things for my house, some scrapbook supplies and NEW fabric for my kitchen! {When my husband came home on Wednesday his first comment was 'wow, it looks very ... retro!'} =) 

After Hobby Lobby we went to The Olive Garden for lunch, then Savers for a little while. It was a fun girls day out! Monday night we THOUGHT Haley had bball practice, come to find out it was cancelled because of the holiday - so we enjoyed a quiet evening at home. 

{Haley is very into decorating her room lately, she picked these fabrics to make throw pillows for her bed.} 

The other thing I bought at Hobby Lobby was some denim duct tape. I have this hardcover Bible that I have had for MANY years and it's filled with notes I've written, verses I've underlined and all sorts of stuff. Well, it was falling apart and I just didn't want to get a new Bible because this one means a lot to me. So I bought the duct tape and got it all fixed up - might be a little redneck, but it's as good as new now!

Tuesday we went to school/work - but there was snow arriving mid-day so they called it a half day and everyone was sent home early. With that happening it also meant all our evening activities and sports were cancelled. 

I'm including this picture from our school, I just LOVE these pictures that have been hanging in the hall lately! I love walking down the halls and seeing all the neat artwork, it might be one of my favorite things about our school! I wanted to be sure I snapped a pic of these ones before they were taken down and sent home. 

And this is a project Haley had to do for Social Studies, I think her lady is drawn pretty well! 

It snowed most of Tuesday and Tuesday night into Wednesday morning ... so with that, school was cancelled for Wednesday - woohooo! We woke up to a winter wonderland!

Unfortunately the temps have been FREEZING this week, so other than shoveling the driveway, we really haven't been out to play in the snow. Wednesday was a pretty lazy day - did the shoveling, then worked on some of my sewing and we also just laid around being kinda lazy. And again, the evening activities got cancelled. 

Thursday morning was the most bitter cold day I've seen/felt so far this season. The moment I stepped outside to go warm up my car, my nose hairs froze! It was also the first time I'd seen the negative temps in my car this season. It was definitely a BITTER COLD day. We did have school and work that day, but we had indoor recess because it's too cold for the kids to be out. And because there was a band concert at the middle school that night the basketball game for the evening got cancelled. {How funny that I went from being busy every single night to have things cancelled every single night!!} 

Friday was another bitter cold day, we did have work and school again. AND the kids were indoors again! These poor kids really need to get outside and RUN around a little! This is probably the one thing I like least about winter, being cooped up for so many weeks on end. 

Friday night we went to the LUKE BRYAN concert with some friends. We went out to dinner at Sol Toro before the show {one of my fave Mexican restaurants!}. Our seats were great, the opening acts {Cole Swindell & Lee Brice} were great, the show was AMAZING and we had a great time ... unfortunately my hubby wasn't feeling great though {I'm certain he has what I had last week} but he toughed it out the best he could because he really wanted to see the show. 

And that's our week! Last Friday we had a half day, Monday no school, Tuesday half day, Wednesday no school, then Thursday/Friday were regular days  -this sure has been a strange week but hopefully next week will be much more back to normal! Enjoy the weekend friends! 

Good Morning Girls and Women Living Well

So this may be a bit more than I can keep up with but I am currently involved in two different Bible study groups and am SO excited about them both so I wanted to share.

The first is by a blog called Good Morning Girls and this is something I've taken part in before. It's an online study which is great for me as a working Mom because I can't get to the Ladies Bible study at my church like I would like to. I've been part of Good Morning Girls off and on for the past couple of years. You can follow along through their blog, and also I'm part of a Facebook group where we discuss the passages each day. The best part about this study is that it helps me be focused on reading from the Word every single day. Even though some days it may only be a couple short verses, it's getting in the Word every day.

And this session, which is about to begin {TOMORROW morning!!!!!} is called Intentionally Focused! I feel that the Lord had already placed the word Intentional on my heart before I heard about this study, then when it was announced it was even more confirmation that this was what I needed to be learning about and focusing on. So I am THRILLED about the topic!

If you are interested in joining, please go to the blog and SIGN UP! You will get emails which include all the study materials, you'll get blog posts, videos, etc. It's all included and I can promise it will be a BLESSING in your life!

Here is a little bit of how I set up my study materials. I use a basic spiral bound notebook and of course, if you know me at all, you know I have to 'pretty it up' a bit. {The second notebook is for counting 1000 Gifts, I could write another whole blog about that so I'll save that for another day!}

I printed out the reading schedule and taped it in my notebook:

Then I printed certain pages from the study guide where there are specific questions to answer or verses to memorize. Other than these few pages, the rest of the notebook will be filled with writing out and 'SOAPing' my passages each day. 

This is the first page in my 1000 Gifts journal, hoping to count to WELL OVER 1000 this year! 

And the second study I'm working on is from one of the author's over at Good Morning Girls - her name is Courtney and she blogs at Women Living Well. She wrote her first book last year and I bought it over Christmastime - I'm about 4 chapters into it now and really, really loving it. It's such an encouragement for every area of the Christian woman's life - The tagline is 'Finding Joy in God, Your Man, Your Kids and Your Home.' 

You know a book is good when I have highlighting on just about every page! 

So Courtney has also started a study to go along with the book and those materials are also available to print out for free! I printed out the schedule, then each of the pages that has discussion questions for each chapter ... so far I am really enjoying reading the book and following along with the questions. If you're interested in jumping in on this study, check out Courtney's blog and order your book today! {I got mine from Amazon and it was very affordable! It's an easy read so I'm confident you could easily catch up even though you missed week one.} 

So that's what I'm up to lately. Many mornings having my quiet time and study time is a challenge as I'm trying to get the girls up and ready for school as well as getting myself ready for work and out the door. But I've been trying to set my alarm clock at least 15 minutes earlier and also stay OFF the computer in the morning. And if I don't finish it all in the morning, then I try to work on it when I get back home on my morning work break.

All of this doesn't make me superMom or superChristian - in fact I'm just a sinner, saved by grace who needs to keep learning and growing each day to become more like Christ. I feel like you can never know enough and always have to strive to grow more and more each day.

Are you currently doing either of these studies?? I'd love to hear from you!