When your plate is too full

I haven't blogged in a long time and to tell the truth, I thought I was done with blogging for good. My life has consisted of work, starting grad school, doctors appointments, headaches, a husband who has had to increase his travel for work (this is not a husband bash,just a fact), and dealing with life with a chronic condition.

In March my life was transformed, I saw things through a new set of eyes and a new heart. I spent more time alone with God in 5 days than I had in my whole life and it was life changing. I will never be the same. I forgave, I cried, I learned just how much our Father loves ME! I came home and I was knocked on my knees and I have been there ever since.

I came home to a 12 day headache that only subsided after three trips to the doctor and 4 injections, those were some of the worst days I have ever had. My headaches only continued after that, and I was prescribed a medication that helped my headaches but made me feel sluggish and depressed.

I was so tired of fitting the puzzle pieces together, increase this medicine, take this one away, be a single mom, be a student, be a teacher, wife, friend, we are budding leaders at our church. I was overwhelmed and full and empty at the same time. I was a perfect target for Satan to attack me and he did, he attacked my marriage, my self-esteem, my friends. After I was back on my feet and the sad empty feeling was still there, I called my doctor, crying, you get an appointment real quick AND on a Saturday morning if you call and cry about being depressed. Kind of funny, kind of not.

So during that appointment we talked a long time about what was going on in my life and I told her all the things above and she said she was going to tell me something I was going to hate. I had no idea what she was going to say. Every single person I have told this story to has known the ending but me. She told me I needed to quit grad school. Bam. That did sting, confirmation that you really can't do everything. Friends, you can't do it all. I am proof, I fell apart when I tried, now not everyone is dealing with chronic pain but it made me realize how much women try to do and how much we suffer from it, our bodies, our minds, our families. I needed to slow down and it took a Medical professional to make me realize it.

Where is God in all this? Right here beside me. On the days I don't want to get out of bed, He lifts my head. When my prayers are groans, he hears the words in them. He knows what I need. When I need to be me for my kids He gives me the strength to be that all day and then fall into bed and rest. I am not feeling better yet after taking my medication for three weeks. I have faith that I will be me again.

The man I married...

The man I married got off a bus yesterday and I didn't recognize him. Because God is now the true owner of his heart, he has been redeemed! It is such an intimate thing for our family that I won't talk about it anymore here but I encourage you to seek out Fellowship of the Sword and have your husband, father, brother, father in law go on a Quest. I am going to seek the heart of God on a Heart Quest very soon, sooner than I ever expected after I saw Jonathan last night.

I begin Graduate school today, I am filled with doubt and fear. I have had many headaches. they are getting worse. Please pray for me.

A few of my favorite things!

First, let me just say as a person gets older priming the skin becomes a necessary step if you don't want your make up to settle in those weird little lines on your face! What are those things anyway? I found a great primer for the face and lips at MAC, the lip primer is great I was sceptical at first but let me tell y'all lipstick does not stay on these lips and now my gloss lasts for LOTS longer!

Here is the necklace Jonathan got me from The Vintage Pearl, love it!

Laine was nominated as Citizen of the six weeks by her teacher! We are SO proud of her, what is learning to read, write and do math if learning to be a good citizen isn't a big part of what you are about! I am glad to work and have my kids go to a school where that is front and center.

Snapware! These things keep your dry goods fresh! Cereal (as modeled by Trix) Goldfish, anything! They are awesome! I got mine at Costco. Greatness forever.

Holly Jolly!

Merry Christmas!


Aren't they all so cute? And happy? And cute? Come on Lawson, it's not that bad, right?!

Finally a picture of my new hairdo! And a picture of my cute husband to go with it.

We had so much fun hanging out with the San Angelo group on Christmas Eve. I even got to make a trip to SA earlier in the week to visit it was great fun! I love having such a wonderful family!

My favorite people on Christmas Day! We had a great time in Abilene, played a fun game, learned that my Dad is a fantastic artist, just ask him, and most of all enjoyed each others company!

Tonight we are having Christmas with the Williams' family, so there are gifts under the tree again and anticipation is in the air and tamales and beans are waiting to be eaten!

It's the most wonderful time of the yeeeear...

1. I cut my hair really, really short. Sorry I don't have a picture right now. At least I am blogging.

2. Right now if you say "hey Bowen" he looks at you and winks. It's super cute!

3. I signed up for my first Master's degree class, that means I really have to go back, no jokes.

4. Love having Christmas in our new house!

5. Jonathan's family is coming to Fort Worth to have Christmas, it's going to be awesome! We are blessed to have such wonderful families that we enjoy spending time with.

6. I have been in San Angelo and I am now in Abilene, it has been the perfect way to get in the Christmas spirit!

7. I am so happy to be giving my gifts in two days! I love giving presents, it's way better that getting!

My New Year's Resolution ( and I rarely make them) is to blog more this year!

My cup runneth over...

I am blessed beyond belief this Thanksgiving,

families that love me

a wonderful husband

great children

a fun job

super friends

and a faithful God

what more could a girl ask for?

Ugh

I am typing this from my bed
I have a girls day today but I feel crappy, I need to get my act together.
Bladder infections suck.


Moving on... I started a runners club at my school. I have 90! children signed up it's great and it's a good thing I have a great friend to help me or it would be crazy town.

I am ready to put up my Christmas Decorations! But I won't.

Laine is out of her boot!! Yipee!!

Last weekend the kids went to Abilene and we went to see three (3) movies! It was heavenly!

Harry Potter and the Deathly Hallows Part 1 opens this week. That is all I have to say about that you guys know that makes my month.

This app has no spell check that I am aware of soooo...

Random Thoughts

1. Laine's foot has been hurt since the second day of school. It is November, that is a long time.

2. Bowen put his ice pack from his lunch down the front of his pants the other day in the cafeteria. Then, I laughed when I told him not to do that again at school. I rock.

3. I am going back to school to get my Masters Degree, yikes!

4. I am trying an app for blogging on my phone, let's see how it works!

Expectations.

As parents we all have expectation for our children. Big ones (that they will be followers of God), small ones, (that they will eat their green beans), and all the expectations that fall in between. What I have found about expectations and parenting is that they sometimes place limitations OR burdens on my children. For example, when we wanted Bowen to play soccer and although he enjoyed it at the time he wasn't very good and never wanted to play after that one season.

Well, I had expectations about what Kindergarten would be like for Bowen. He would go into class, be great at everything, because guys the boy is seriously SMART and all would be fanflippintastic. Expectations can be a burden. Bowen's K teacher came to me last week and told me she was concerned with the way he gripped his pencil and since the Occupational Therapist was at school she was going to have her pop in and observe him. She did, and later Mrs. OT caught me in the hall and told me Bowen is delayed in his fine and gross motor skills. (did you hear me sigh?) I knew it deep in my heart, I watch him struggle to get both feet off the ground to jump and have a hard time balancing, I've seen him grip and pencil and tried to correct him myself. She wants him to have OT and Physical Therapy. If you're a teacher you know the ropes I am about to have to go over and under and cut though and maybe not even get past to get him therapy in the district. Thank You LORD we have a program at our school that will help him immensely if all else fails. And Thank You LORD the boy is smart and I only have to worry with motor skills. It's changing my expectations of my district, my school, my child, and myself. I've always been my kids' advocate but when you have to step it up a few notches it's like digging your heels in the dirt and getting ready to stand your ground, I just have to find my feet first.

I feel confident he can easily catch up with his peers with the right help, everyone at my school is on Bowen's side, I just have to get the ball rolling. We have a Doctor appointment tomorrow, that is the first step. Laine has her foot check-up tomorrow too, big day for us! Please pray!

Cool new blogs!

If you look to the right you see I have a new button! I found a blog that is written by a 5th grade teacher, one of the things I like best about his blog are his posts called "Moments with Joey" any teacher or adult for that matter will appreciate the humor, sweetness, goofiness that is a pre adolescent male. Please check this blog out! He is a great writer and photographer.





I have also added some new blogs to my blog roll, I can't begin to number the blogs I read but the ones a added I check up on again and again!

Here is what I am SUPER excited about! Some teachers t my school told me about e-mealz, this website plans your menu for you, gives you the recipes, makes your grocery list and even organizes the list for the store you shop in so it goes in order! How great is that!!! It also works the meal plan around the sales in the store for that week, holla! You really need to check it out. I'm starting it next week. I'm going to do the low fat Wal-Mart menu. Yahoo, no more cooking the same stuff over and over or looking on the Internet for new recipes to cook! It's all done for me and on a budget.

A few of my favorite things!

I've been meaning to write this post for a while now! Here are some things I really love right now!

MAC lip gloss! I could buy bunches! I am NOT a lipstick wearer at all so these are a great alternative and fairly inexpensive to boot!

These are the plates I got to coordinate with my new fiestaware, don't you love them?? They fit perfectly with my Mexican inspired home! Dillards makes these especially to go with fiestaware and I think they hit this one out of the park.

Attention everyone with a messy or black hole of a purse! You need a Purse N! It has tons of pockets, zippers, and it expands to meet your organization needs!


Look! A neat purse and all you do it set that in the bottom your favorite purse and go!

This coffee mug keeps my coffee hot all morning long, so when I have to let 42 Kindergartners go potty and get a drink after PE my drink is still hot! Thanks Starbucks!

I got this lunch sack last year at Container Store. It's great because it can hold all sorts of tupperware and zip all around funky shaped stuff. The colors make taking my lunch fun everyday! AND it's washable so if something spills in the bottom, that aaaalways happens to me it just goes in the washer!

The fun never ends!

So we have started school! Kindergarten and Third grade to be exact, everything is going great at school.

We have a cat that can rejoin the family now because he has no front claws with which to destroy my furniture.

We have a Laine that has a chipped bone and a pulled tendon in her foot from playing tag bare foot in the gym after school on the second day of school. it took three sets of x rays and three doctors to figure this out. I'm just happy we got it sorted out!

We are getting the little things done around the house...wait the garage isn't little.

We have had lots of fun visitors! Linda came to help decorate, Mimi and Paco came, Pop and Gran came and Meredith brought Graham and Blake to visit!

We had a surprise sleepover for Laine! Can you tell she loved it?

More Pictures!

The fireplace:

Family wall, I just named it that, I'm not really that creative!

Master Bedroom, I love our room!

My dresser, the tree has all my jewelry hanging on it.
Master Bath.
Kids rooms to come!

I stay somewhere new!

Over the summer we built a house. Notice the lack of an exclamation point at the end of that sentence. Hold on. We moved in and it's awesome!!!! OK, that's better. I won't go into all the details, let's just say at one point when the stain got cleaned off our stain concrete floors, that was a low point.

We closed last Wednesday, I started school, two days later. Gag. My Aunt Linda showed up and saved the day decorating wise and we are good to go except for a few minor things oh andthegaragedon'tlookintheofficeeitherpthhhhbth...

Here are some pictures.. They are taken with my phone because our camera is sick and had to go to the doctor.

This is the entryway looking from the living room.

Above is a close up of one side of the entryway I am particularly proud of that large picture...$20!

Below a view of the living room from the kitchen, we are getting two chairs too. Sorry the pic is so dark.

The two pictures above are of the kitchen. Duh. I love,love, love the shelves! And the huge thing on the wall is a room divider made into a big picture!

More to come!!

Signing in from the OC

We are on our last day here in California, it has not been sunny so we have not been wearing our daisy dukes bikinis on top...not even Jonathan! But we have had a stupendous time! We have spent two days at Disneyland, gone to the beach, visited the San Diego zoo. We have done some serious work Laine and Bowen have been troopers they woke up early stayed up late and were happy 95% of the time. It was great to spend time with Jonathan's' family. We were hosted by his Dad's cousin Cathy (who I just found out reads this blog HI CATHY) she and her husband Don are wonderful gracious hosts! I will be back later with pictures!

House update, it has a frame and a roof and insulation!

Hello Summer

I am typing this at a Mc Donalds in Mansfield for 2 reasons:

1. We live in Mansfield right now
2. We have to no internet connection along with no cable and no home phone

We closed on our house and moved into a rent house given to us at a very good deal by some friends from SCS days. It is in Mansfield, way far awayville if you're used to Fort Worth stomping grounds. Right now I have no oven or garbage disposal because the people are flipping this house and it isn't quite flipped yet. We're making it though!

We have a home that is being built in Benbrook, I am really excited about it, and will be even more so after spending the summer away from Fort worth! We love where we live!

Here is a Bowen story:

He was at my friend Julie's house and a fire truck came blaring down the street and he said "what the hell?" Only Laine heard she chastised him. Then everyone had the goggles at the pool and he couldn't find any "what the hell??" this time the adults heard. Later they told me how impressed they were that he used the phrase in the right context and everything! I had gotten on to him earlier in the week for saying it just mumbling to himself in the car. He tried to cover it up but he said it! My word! It has been used quite a lot in our circle of friends!

We are looking forward to a great summer of swimming, a trip to Cali, a nephew, and a new home!

The big 3-5

I went and got my hair did...
I needed a change! I haven't had my hair this short since Bowen was born, I love it! 35 is great so far I always say my life is getting better the older I get, God has truly blessed me! Halfway to 40 is looking good...

We have a contract,

we have a contract, we have a contract, hey, hey, hey! I'm cautiously excited, we still have the inspection and all the financing to get through but if everything goes well we will close in May! Thank You God! Now the search is on for a great house for us, and it would be awesome if we could do it by April 30th and get to take advantage of the tax credit for home buyers. Keep you posted...

Happy Birthday Jonboy!

Happy,
Scottish,

Creepy,

or with teacher face

I love and hope 37 is a great year for you ( and won't rub it in that it's only 35 for me)!

Facts:

I have not read blogs in about three weeks.

Our house is on the market.

Jonathan and I may die before it is sold. (because one of us might kill the other)

Keeping a house clean everyday is easier than I thought, you just have to pack lots of your shit up in boxes and take it away!

Oh and tell your kids they can't play with toys. Ever again.

I am compiling a list of things I will miss when we move. I am afraid of revealing the list, lest it jinx the selling of the house. Maybe if I just do it a little at a time it will be OK.

Bowen really does not prefer me right now and if I do something he doesn't like he will turn to Jonathan and say "Daddy you make the best chocolate milk"...WTH!

My 35th birthday is coming up. 3. 5.

We are going to see the Black Eyed Peas on the 19th! Fergie Ferg!

So, life is a little stressful at the Williams house, it could be worse. It will get better, as soon as we finish all the things on our house TO DO list. Oh, and sell our house.