A Birthday Surprise

So, today is my 30th birthday. Eesh, that statement made me feel old. Any-who, I just wanted to share the birthday surprise email I got in my inbox this morning from the Hubster. Thanks Babe, the weekend getaway sounds delightful. A special thanks to my Mother-In-Law who helped contribute to the get-away (although I don't know what it is) and to my Mom who is watching the kids for us (thus making the get-away possible). I love you all and appreciate it SO much.

 

****Oh and a little disclaimer, for those of you who don’t know how weird my husband is, and want to keep it that way, you may not want to scroll down. ****

 FROM WARREN:

So here’s my dilemma…what do you get the woman who has everything????

She’s got the dream house, dream kids, dream car…DREAM HUSBAND!  WHAT MORE COULD SHE WANT?????  

So what do you get the woman who has everything? 

 

 

  You get her what she wants of course!

So pack your bags, Babe and get ready because for

your birthday, we are heading out of town for a little two-day get away, just you and me.  Just be sure to pack something warm.  

Your mom is going to take the kids for a couple of days and we are going to take a “do nothing unless you want to do it” birthday trip.

 
Happy 30^th Birthday, My Love!

Love, Your Hubby

 

I Resolve 2013

I am trying to be more intentional about my goal setting.  I am slowly learning the power of breaking down big goals into smaller more objective one’s to achieve greater success. Also, the importance of having my goals organized in a systematic fashion.   In years past, my new year’s resolutions would include giving something up (like soda) and while that did take a tremendous amount of will power for me, there is something to be said about actively setting out to accomplish a task and following through with it.  This year my main resolution is to read 22 books.  I was going to read 24 books but I thought I needed some margin, for the craziness of life.  So basically, I will be reading two books a month, expect for August and December, those months I will read only one book. Thanks to the friends and family who helped me compile my list.  I am excited to dig into some uncharted territories, as I have never even heard of some of these titles.

  My schedule is as follows:

January:

·        1984- G. Orwell

·        Fit to Burst- Rachel Jankovich-

 

February:

·        The Murder of Jesus –John Macarthur

·        Guerrilla Marketing- Jay Conrad Levinson

 

March:

·        Anna Karenina- Leo Tolstoy

·        An experimental mutiny against excess- Jen Hatmaker

 

April:

·        The Education of Henry Adams- Henry Adams

·        Connected: 11 ways to be of service and create community- Andrea Mconstantine

May:

·        These is my words- Nancy E Turner

·        God’s Love- R.C. Sproul

 

June:

·        When calls the heart- Janet Oak

·        The millionaire next door- Stanley and William Thomas Ph.D

 

July

·        Growing Herbs indoor-Lee Anne Dobbins

·        In the presence of my enemies- Gracia Burnham

 

August:

·        War and Peace- Leo Tolstoy

 

September:

·        A place of Healing- Joni Earkison Tada

·        Stop Acting Rich- Thomas Stanley Ph.D.

 

October:

·        The Holiness of God- RC Sproul

·        30 Daily weight loss tips for a healthy lifestyle- Joshua Wyle

 

November:

·        EBay 101: selling on eBay- Steve Weber

·        The duties of parents- J.C. Ryle

 

December:

·        The spirit catches you and you fall down.- Anne Fadiman

 

 

 

 

 

Tip For the Day

If you have small kids invest in a good 'Dust Buster.' A good one is small yet very powerful and makes cleaning up spills after meals, snacks and accidents very easy.

The Power of 30 minutes

Okay, so now more than ever Warren and I are in a time crunch and it seems that there are not enough hours in the day. I am sure most people can relate with our situation as it seems that our society is ever busy, ever crazy. Anyway, since I can not miraculously come up with more of our most precious commodity (time) I am praying and learning how I can be a better steward of the hours I do have. So, since, between being a stay at home mom of two kids under three, trying to be a Proverbs 31 wife, fulfilling my church responsibilities, managing my household and working part time from home I have little time to clean I discovered the 30 min system. So basically, I break tasks up into manageable time frames (30 min) for me. I know a lot of people like to cook all their meals in one day or clean their entire house in one day or work an eight hour shift. But for the time being, my life just does not allow for that kind of commitment to any task. So each day I commit thirty minutes to one household chore. For instance on Monday I dusted my bedroom, Tuesday I cleaned my bathroom (you get the point). It is astounding the amount of work you can get done in thirty minutes of uninterrupted time. Oh, yeah, while I am doing this my kids are watching a thirty minute DVD.

But the thirty minute philosophy does not only work for cleaning, it works for my daily devotions, my part time business, my one on one learning time with my two year old. It is great for me and my household.

Just thought I'd share.

Life In Fast Forward

Since the birth (okay really the conception) of our second child Aubrie, life has gotten so busy. It feels these days that life is in fast forward. I guess a good example of that would be the fact that I haven’t posted on this blog since July. Soooooo much has happened since then. I was hospitalized for pre -term contractions, placed on bed rest, went off of bed rest and had our daughter Aubrie Raelene Smith on 09-09-09 (cool birthday, huh!). Aubrie is now a little over two months so she is sleeping a six hour stretch most nights, and for that I am thankful! But even with that extra sleep I feel so tired these days and most of the time just feel like I run around crazily and get nothing done. I know I sound so melancholy but truthfully I wouldn’t give up all this craziness for anything. For several reasons really… not the least of is that I love and adore my children. But it is more than that, it is not just their laughter and smiles that keep me going (because trust me there are several days when those are not ample) but it is God’s sustaining grace. He is using my children to purge out my selfishness and make me more into his image. Everyday He uses life’s trials and chaotic messes to teach me patience, love, peace and perseverance. It is ironic because as I teach my children these things, God is using them to teach me. So praise be to God for his grace to continue on when things get hard and for granting me with two precious children. I certainly do not deserve God’s grace nor the two lives’s that he has entrusted to my care, but I am grateful that I, along with my husband get to shepherd them.

Like A Weed

Our little man is about 9 1/2 months old now and he continues to grow like a weed. Every day it seems he is learning and changing. It looks like he is cutting 5 teeth right now, four on top and one on the bottom. He loves to crawl and pull himself up on anything and EVERYTHING!! We are so excited because the last few days he has been sleeping better, as in at least eight hours straight. Ahhhhhh, sleep, it's a beautiful thing. ;-) I took a couple (okay more than a couple) of pictures today in one of his cutest outfits because it is more than likely the last time he will be able to wear it... did I mention he is growing? :) Hope you enjoy.

A Blessed Woman

I just thought I would take a few moments to brag on my husband. I am truly a blessed woman!! Today I went to my routine ob appointment for my pregnancy and my Doctor said that my cerclage is still iron clad but that my cervix is thinning about 50%. He didn't sound too alarmed but wants me decrease my activities a little since I have an incompetent cervix. When I told Warren, his initial and really ONLY sentiment was for my safety and that of little Aubrie's. He immediately began to consider ways that he could take on more tasks to simplify my load. All of this from a man who already works full time and does duties at the church so that I can stay home with Caleb. As a matter of fact, as I write this post he is working diligently on the church getting it prepped for tomorrow's service. I am so thankful for you Babe and all that you do to enrich my life and our children too. You are truly an example to me and to others of what a Godly, hardworking man should look like. Thank you for working so hard for the family!! We love and appreciate you.