7 Random Things About Me

I have been tagged by my friend Jennifer, we transferred at the same time to ACU and we also pledged Kojies together! Seems like ages ago! I am to write 7 random things about myself:

1) I am a very scheduled person, especially since I have had the second child. I like routine- yes there are days or times I like to throw out the schedule and let my hair down; but for the most part I like to stick to my routine. I have a print out of our schedule for each day of the week. This helps me keep track of everyone and everything. I get out of sorts when I get thrown off or have a change or things don't work out like they are supposed to happen in my head. I have a cleaning day, play day, run errand day, family day, etc. I know sounds a little crazy!

2) I love to sleep in; however, I wake-up at 6:00am to beat the kids up and have my bible study and coffee. (My mom used to get up so early and she said that was her time, the house was quiet, she wasn't playing referee and she could do whatever she wanted. I totally understand! I so get it!) I love my quiet mornings. If my kids wake-up early or something wakes them up I get grumpy. Very grumpy! It was hard enough for me to roll out of bed early because I could sleep until 10:00am - therefore, they are not allowed to wake-up before 7:00 or 7:15am!

3) If you asked me to pick a vacation, I would chose the Caribbean or a beach somewhere every time. I love the sun! Love to sit in the sun; love to play in the sun; but most of all I love to be tan. I often dream of living on the beach someday. Although, I love the beach, the sun and hot weather; I hate being too hot that I can't cool off and I would love to live somewhere with 4 seasons.- I think I may have found it!

4) Where's the beef? Remember the Wendy's commercials in the late 80's? I'll choose beef over chicken, pork, or fish anytime! Steak love steak! Hamburgers are dangerous...hmmm just saying that makes me think of Fuddruckers! Perisan Kabobs! Tacos! Brisket! Beef that's for dinner!

5) My Dad is from Iran and I grew up with a little Persian culture influence. I love Persian food, can't cook it, but love it. I made my first kabobs this summer and they came out pretty good. I love to eat basmati rice with plain yogurt.

6) Christmas movies. I could watch them year round! I love to watch the Hallmark channel and ABC Family during the holidays and watch all the cute made for TV movies. There is a movie on every night! One of my favorite things I do all year. Some of my favorites are A Carol Christmas, A Rocky Mountain Christmas with Dolly Parton, the Christmas Shoes, Christmas in Connecticut remake, and many, many more. I also love the old ones Miracle on the 34th Street, White Christmas. However, The Santa Clause and the sequel with Tim Allen are probably pretty close to the top of the list! My hubby already said I could start watching them Nov 1. He has rules!!!!

7) I love watching College Basketball on TV! It is almost an illness. I don't get to watch it like I used to, but I do it enjoy it- especially NCAA Tournament! There are games on everyday of the week- except Friday. I can tell you that on ESPN Monday nights is Big Monday, Tuesday is Super Tuesday, Wednesday Big Wednesday, Thrown Down Thursday, no college games on Friday nights, Saturday begins at 9:00am and is on 3 channels ends at 9:00pm, Sunday is ACC Sunday on Fox. What can I say I am a devoted coaches wife.

I tag Angelina, Brittany, Sarah and Jamie W.

Out of the mouth of babes...

OK, so you need a little background. That baby weight- it'll kill ya! After S (the 2ND child) was born that baby weight would not come off, I gave it about 10 months before I took matters into my own hands...WEIGHT WATCHERS!

I lost about 20-25-30 pounds by the time S was 1 & 1/2. Sounds like a lot but I really wasn't even half way to my goal! Then my brother got engaged and it was on! I had to lose the rest of this weight by May 17, 2008; I was going to be a bridesmaid in their wedding and to top it off I was wearing Vera Wang. I had to look good!!! I wanted to be one hot mama in my dress; also, I was READY!

So, I busted my buns (literally) from Nov-May at the gym and lost about 30 more lbs. YEAH! I was so thrilled I was looking good and my dress looked great! (My sister-in-law Jenn chose a beautiful dress- very slimming- that helped!)

OK, so now we move, go on vacation, STRESS happens, plus yummy food and I have no gym....so up goes the weight only about 7-9 lbs (but it feels like 30); but a couple of months ago my E (the 4 year old) reaches out touches my tummy and says, "Mom, your tummy is sticking out!" Ouch, that hurt. She was right, my once slimmer tummy a few months earlier had gone a little soft and Rudy's BBQ, Chick-fil-a, Chili's and many other foods that I had recently been reacquainted with were now appearing. It's not like clothes don't fit, but that is when I knew I had to do something!!!!!!

I started working out again this last week and my daughter redeemed herself! :) Tonight she looked at my tummy and said, "Mommy your tummy is not sticking out anymore." Ah, music to my ears. I gobbled her up and said "thank you for appreciating my hard work that is from all the exercising I do!"

From the mouth of babes; they just tell it the way it is!

(PS- I never told her she hurt my feelings or ever use the word fat in front of her.)

Halloween Candy Recall

HALLOWEEN CANDY RECALLED (you can verify this on snopes: http://www.snopes.com/food/warnings/coins.asp) There is a new warning put out by the Canadian Food Inspection Agency.... Sherwood brand Pirate's Gold Milk Chocolate coins are being recalled due to the fact that they contain Melamine, the ingredient in milk product that has caused many infant deaths in china. These candies are sold at Costco, as well as many bulk and dollar stores. please make sure to check your children's halloween candy and DO NOT LET THEM EAT THE PIRATE COINS (you know the ones wrapped in the shiny gold foil) and please let other parents know about this!

Guilt...do you have it?

Do you ever feel guilty for wanting to do things for yourself? As a mom and a wife I have to fight that emotion. I need to workout for so many reasons and trying to fit that in the schedule is hard. I always find myself being the one who has to sacrifice behind everyone else's needs. The kids, basketball season, etc.

Don't get me wrong, I am servant at heart and I believe in putting others needs before my own; however, at the end of the day I need to find self-care, too. I want to be a happy mommy, wife, child of God, friend, etc.

So as I plan our schedule and try to get a workout in there...the schedule is full and it seems the girl will never have down time at home. Between preschool, church, life group, and just the regular daily routine of life- not to mention next Monday begins basketball season.

So the guilt is consumed and I raise the white flag and begin to think maybe next year...

Day with E at Preschool

Today was a blessing! S and I spent the day with E at her preschool. I volunteered to help with the Italian Carnival. They have been studying Italy this month and finished it off with a celebration. It was so incredible to see E participate, listen to her teachers and interact with her classmates. One of her teachers spent a few moments sharing that E is one of the easiest kids in the class and how thankful they are for her good behavior. It is was so reassuring as a mom to hear that the boundaries and expectations we have set are paying off! I was elated with joy and joy for her that she is getting the most of this experience because she is so well behaved. OK, so back to the carnival. There were different stations; they made pizza, masks, the Italian flag, painted the Mona Lisa and played soccer. It was perfect! S did an amazing job helping me and following instructions, too. It was a splendid day!

Sisterhood is so special

The Pumpkin Patch with Friends

Cute email I got....

A woman was asked by a coworker, 'What is it like to be a Christian?'
The coworker replied, 'It is like being a pumpkin.'
“ … God picks you from the patch, brings you in, and washes all the dirt off of you. Then He cuts off the top and scoops out all the yucky stuff. He removes the seeds of doubt, hate, and greed. Then He carves you a new smiling face and puts His light inside of you to shine for all the world to see.”
******
I thought about it and in a nutshell that was pretty accurate. Of course, there is more to it, but are you a pumpkin?

The Organic God

I just finished a 6 weeks Bible study called the Organic God by Margaret Feinberg . It was amazing! I know the title sounds interesting but it truly is about knowing the Organic God. Organic meaning simple, pure and essential. The topics she touched on: God is...bighearted, breathtakingly beautiful, amazingly wise, surprisingly talkative, wildly infallible, outrageously generous, unbelievably stubborn, abundantly kind and deeply mysterious. It was incredible. I recommend it and hope you enjoy it as much as I did.

Our first fall...

We just moved and everything is new, I like to call it the honeymoon phase. We are experiencing OUR FIRSTS...it is our first fall here in NM. BEAUTIFUL! The climate is unbelievable here and the scenery has it's own beauty. The weather has been changing and the leaves are beginning to turn colors. The mornings and the nights are cold and the afternoons are perfect. The sky is so blue, it is indescribable. During the daylight, you see the moon. You feel like you can reach out and touch it; it seems that close. The night sky is so clear you can see every star and the moon shines so brightly that you are captivated. God's creation is breathtaking and His land is enchanting. New Mexico is known as the Land of Enchantment and we see why. This morning L was leaving for work, he came back into the house to have me come and watch the sunrise over the mountains. Saturday it rained and stormed all day and we enjoyed it. We also knew that the blue sky would return with in minutes or hours or at least by the next day! You may not understand what I am talking about...you would have to live in a climate where gloomy days are the norm from Oct-June and you are uncertain when you will see the sun again. Sometimes it felt like you would never see blue sky again- but it did eventually come. We are blessed, grateful and thankful to be here!

Wednesday Night Lights...

The girls first high school football game we have taken the girls to! Well, it was only a freshman game; anyway, we enjoyed getting bundled up and drinking hot chocolate! Daddy was thrilled to have his girls there! GO JAGUARS!

Balloons every where...

The coolest thing about the balloon fiesta is that solid for 10 days each morning the sky was covered with hot air balloons we're talking 600 balloons. It is beautiful. This morning L went out to get the paper and heard the flame ignition, he looked up to see a hot air balloon directly over our house. AWESOME!!!! And look at this blue sky- oh we love it here!

Balloon Fiesta at Night

We went to the Balloon Fiesta GlowDeo nighttime event with part of our life group! It was so much fun. They blow the balloons up, but not take off. You walk around each balloon and then a countdown begins on 1 all the hot air balloons get lite up! It is very cool! I will say the mass ascension is so much better- even if you have to wake up at 3:00am! Landon was able to join us this time, too! His first experience. Our girls have fallen in love with a family from our life group. They have three girls and take such good care of them! We watched the fireworks, too. S is not too crazy about them. It was a very fun night!

Men's Retreat

L went on a men's retreat last weekend Quest For Freedom; it was a mini boot camp from the Wild at Heart book by John Eldridge. Anyway, he had an incredible time and enjoyed himself. He actually was the final speaker! What a praise and blessing to see the Lord working in L's life. I don't know if he would have done this at our other church in WA, and I was so proud of him for sharing his story and I gained so much respect at the same, too. Since we have moved, I have seen a new side of L and the Lord is changing him, growing him and the Holy Spirit is working inside of him. Praise God for a husband who loves the Lord! One of the activities was paintball, he is such a BOY! Too neat! Isn't it awesome....being a Christian is so fun!

Pumpkin Patch Field Trip

E had a pumpkin patch field trip today! Her first field trip! So cute! She was in a line and all grown up, listening to her teacher and following the rules. Oh My! As soon as she saw us she was waving and that just melted my heart. Sister ran to her and gave her the biggest hug! This was big because she does not show affection like me or E. They walked the patch, looked at the different pumpkins; colors and textures, picked out a little pumpkin, etc. They sat on a hay stacks for a story.

Balloon Fiesta

This was breathe taking...to see 600 hot air balloons, all different shapes, colors and sizes take-off was incredible. The girls and I left the house at 4:15am to see the sunrise and the mass ascension. We had a wonderful time. (L was a men's retreat and will join us for the nighttime show later this week! If you have never traveled to see this you should really plan on it next year!

About 4 inches

Today E and I got haircuts! I let E decide what she wanted to do with her hair. She has been asking me to cut it and I keep saying;" Lets layer it and thin it a little; not chop it off. The bottom line is- it is her hair and she is learning to making decisions. We looked at pictures and talked about ideas and at the end of the day she turned to the stylist and said; "CHOP IT OFF!" So we did...about 4 inches. It only took a year to grow that long but oh well...it's hair it can grown back. Did I happen to mention how darling she looks! She loves it and keeps saying, "She did exactly what I wanted." She is pleased therefore I am pleased.

I have a cook!

This girl loves to help me in the kitchen! She is always willing to stand with me while I make dinner or bake; waiting for the opportunity to contribute. I also think she likes licking the bowl and spoon. On this day we made a dear, dear friend recipe for pumpkin bread. It was our first time and we had a wonderful time. The women who gave me this recipe is very special and used to make it for me all the time when we lived in WA. Thank you for the memories and the opportunity to share it with my daughters. By the way pumpkin bread turned out fabulous! This may be dangerous for my weight!

Perfect timing!

Thank you, Daddy, for putting together the trampoline! The kids love it- not to mention MOM the big kid herself! It was perfect timing. We kept our "other kids" for the weekend while our dear friends were sent off for a romantic weekend!

"I BIG!"

I took my little one (well she is 2) grocery shopping and the whole time she walked the store saying, "I BIG!" as she grabbed the item and put it into the cart. It was precious. She was most definitely letting me know that she was BIG and capable and she can do anything! I wish you could hear her sweet little voice when she said it...that was the icing on the cake.

My 4 year old!

My daughther E turned 4 in August and I can't believe how grown up she is. She is amazing! Her comprehesion of life, school and church! Most of all how helpful she is. I can't even finish a sentence before she has completed the task. I am so impressed with her servant heart. She is a little mother.

On a different note...today this same wonderful, amazing child who is so obedient covered her hears and said, "I'm not listening." I was shocked and stunned. Oh, the teenage years are they already starting????