It's about time...

I know that it has been a while, and Kari and Glynis have raised the bar a bit, so here it goes:

A few weeks ago, Elise and I were stuck inside on a hot day, and so we got a little creative. I got out the shaving cream, and some cookie cutters, and, well, she had a good time. Here are some pics.

Money, Money, Money

Bryce and I have embarked on a new road. A road paved with sweat, tears, laughter, and a lot of ibuprofen. A road named Budget Ave. Yes, we have joined with Dave Ramsey to achieve Financial Peace. I thought that it might be fun to journal through this time, and see how my thoughts and feelings change. And because we have a pack mentality, I know that you want to follow along with me.
We are currently on week 3 of our FPU(Financial Peace University) journey, and I must tell you that it has been harder than we thought that it would be. We knew that we had a few spending "black holes" and they were even more apparent when we sat down to do our budget. What do you mean that we don't have a GI Joe fund? Can't we only spend $30 a month on groceries? Does Elise really go through that many diapers? Can you potty train a one year old?
I am sure that these, and many other questions will be answered in the weeks to come. Stay tuned, this could prove to be very entertaining!

Called to Love

I truly believe that when God told us to love as He has loved us, we don't take this command literally enough. I have recently been made aware of the plight of the poverty stricken children of this world. Did you know that every 3 seconds a child around our world dies of disease and famine? That $50 could completely change one family's life. ( We spend that on gas for our over-priced cars in one week. ) Our church has decided that this is unacceptable and has decided to buy a South African Village. Did you know that for $12,000 you can provide clean water, education, food, and shelter for the people who live in that village? $12,000!!!!! This thought has kept me awake at night. If 24 people got together and each gave $500, children would go to bed with a full belly and thoughts of hope for a future. I don't know about you, but I don't know anyone in my circle of friends that would go completely bankrupt with the loss of $500. I believe that my generation has the potential to eradicate poverty around the world, and that God will hold us accountable for these lives. Thank you for listening to me, and may God bless all that read these words.

http://www.one.org/

http://www.worldhope.org/

Baby Giggles

Tell us something that made you smile today

Being a new mom has blessed me with both new joys and stresses in my life, but the one thing that I can count on is for her to make me smile. Just within the last few weeks, Elise has found her laugh, and there is nothing short of the Rapture that would keep me from watching, and listening to her when I am around. You also realize that you would do ANYTHING to make her do it again, even if that means humiliating songs, or dances that you should never do in public somehow seem perfectly reasonable to make your child happy.

Just in case you didn't have anything to write about, I will share mine:


http://s112.photobucket.com/albums/n175/jumpyrn/?action=view&current=May07040.flv

Foolishness

What is the most foolish thing you have done in your life?

I must admit, I have done a few. One that sticks out to me , almost physically pains me to talk about, but I will muster through. I was working at a surgery center, and local artists used to display their art in our waiting rooms and various other places around the office. There was one painting that had been hanging there for quite some time. It was a slow Saturday, and a gentleman came into the center. He was dressed in jeans and a t-shirt carrying a hammer and some nails, and another painting. I walked up to him and innocently enough asked if he was going to change the painting. He said that he was, and I said "good". The conversation continued and he asked "Why? don't you like it?" This is where a person who is smart actually uses that filter in her brain. You know the one that stops you from sounding like a idiot? "I then proceeded to tell him why I did not like the painting, and that it only looked good from far away. If you haven't already figured out where this is going, he was the artist. There is really no way to recover from that, and needless to say, a memo was posted entitled: Attention art critics... It was a proud day!!

Thanks Mom

Mother's day has made me a little sentimental today. This being my first Mother's Day, I have been thinking about the moms that have influenced my life. Allow me to share them with you.

Mom, first I have to thank you for teaching me how to be a good mom. You sacrificed so much for us. You didn't work so that you could be there for us. You came to every play, game, concert, and field trip. You made cupcakes at 10:00 at night because we forgot to tell you that we needed them until the night before. I will be forever grateful that you moved without dad my sophomore year of high school so that I would have an easier time by not having to move more than once. I hope that I can be as good of a support to Elise that you have been for Glynis and me.

Glynis, the role of motherhood looked easy when I watched you. You had great pregnancies, and births, and when Danae was sick, you had such courage and faith. You have always been someone that I admired, and it became stronger when you took on your new role as mother.

Grandma Harris. She was such a strong woman. I would love to think that I have allot of her in me. She never seemed to waver in her faith, and the thing that I will remember the most about her was her generosity. She always was giving something to someone who needed it. I love her and miss her everyday.

Grandma Buhler. We always had fun when we came to your house, and you always took time to play with us. You would take us on walk and pick flowers to press and then make card and bookmarks with them. You would help us to sew something, or make a plate of bubbles at the kitchen table. From you I learned to take time out to play, and that nothing tastes better in church than vitamin C!!

Andrea, you have taught me determination, and organization are key tools to parenting and motherhood. That being a sleep-Nazi really does make for a happy home. The encouragement and advice have been unwavering, and I can not express how much I love you, and am blessed to have you in my life.

I love you all.
Happy Mother's Day

The Haunted

What do you think about ghosts?

Ever since I can remember, I have loved hearing ghost stories. My family used to what Ripley's: Believe it or Not, and I remember being glued to the TV listening to the people tell their tales of haunting and supernatural occurrences. I always thought how cool it would be to stay at the White House in the Lincoln Bedroom, and have something to tell Ripley's.
The closest that I have ever come to an actual sighting was in the house that I just moved out of. It was an older house built in the 1950's. The house would creak and moan as old houses do. One day I came home, and the freezer door was open. Interesting, but nothing supernatural. Then all of the cabinet doors (and the freezer door)in my kitchen would be open. When this started to happen regularly, we began to call our ghost Dennis, and we would greet him when he was up to his antics. I never felt scared, but it is a bit creepy to share your home with someone that you never invited to be there.