My Summer Bucket List

1. Swim
2. Eat Popsicles
3. Take each daughter (I have 3 remember) on 2 one-on-one time at Starbucks.
4. Go see the new spiderman movie that opens in July
5. Go see the new movie Brave, about the red headed girl (hum, I wonder why?!)
6. Surprise my girls with a late night run to Josh's snow cone shack
7. Go to a museum for the afternoon
8. Make string art with daughters for their room
(will post on this later)
9. Make cool crayon art with each daughter for her room
(will post on that in more detail later)




(see pics above of the cool artwork that I want to do with each daughter)
10. Sleep in
11. Stay up late
12. Open my house up & have friends over
(I truly believe this is the only way to build closer friendships!)
13. Watch my daughters try to catch fireflies in a jar
14. Read the books on my summer reading list!!
15. Encourage my daughters to read their 2 books each! (see previous post for details)
16. Take all the girls out for a fun outing of Toilet papering someone else's house (no damage to property just good clean fun)
17. Mail something fun to each niece or nephew of mine or my husband's over the course of the summer.
18. Paint middle daughters bedroom
19. Recover bench for my sitting area (aka known as the "bubble" to my girls..aka "can't talk to mom right now, she is in her bible study/ prayer "bubble". Let's come back in 15 minutes). I love that my girls are seeing that spending time with God is important!!
20. Be a good role model & exercise consistently (I have not been doing so good on this but I am determined to master this!!!) (pray for me!)
21. Leave a sweet romantic note or do a romantic gesture for my husband every 2 weeks!!
22. Get out on a date with my hubby alone at least once a month (it's a little more difficult in the summer months because that is the time he also takes each daughter out on a date!! I love that about my husband!! He wants to teach each daughter how she should expect to be treated, as well as filling up their love tanks!!)
23. Visit with my grandma once a week.
24. Go to a drive in movie!
25. Go on a hike!
26. Watch the sunset!
27. Watch a sunrise!
28. Make a smash book (like an art journal but mine will focus on God's promises!)
29. Be a good friend
30. Declutter my house some!!!
31. Memorize 10 scriptures!!
32. Make a piece of subway art for my house
33. Make "game day" deco for prep for Football in the Fall y'all!
34. Go to Pops! (an amazing little store in Oklahoma that has EVERY type of pop, that you have never ever heard of before!!!
35. Write some old fashioned letters and snail mail them to people. (don't you just love fun mail!!)
36. Make some "home-made" ice cream!
37. Buy some tennis rackets for daughters to play some tennis!
38. Hopefully get to eat a homegrown tomato washed, sliced, & salted all by itself right after picking!!
39. Remember to enjoy where I am at, not to be busy rushing through my life!!

Hope you all are enjoying your summer!!

What are you planning on doing this summer??

17 years together!

Well I did some celebrating this last weekend. Me and my husband celebrated our 17th wedding anniversary-Woo Hoo! I have now known this man 19 years - whew! Such a weird thing to state, that seems like such a long time when you say it years. However when you are living it, it has gone by fast-super fast! We have had good times, and bad times, we have had our ups and our downs. However I love this man, and enjoy living life with him. I am blessed to be so loved! I am humbled by his commitment and dedication to our vows, impressed by how he fathers our children, and strengthened by his strengths. I look forward to what the future will bring our way!

A Romantic Staycation

Well in my neck of the woods, I just returned from a "Romantic Staycation"!

Well you have heard a lot lately about "stay cations" and "family stay cations". However have you ever considered a "Romantic Stay cation"? Well this is what me and my hubby did this year. It was FAB! Every year my parents who live out of state take our girls for a week, to get to spend some quantity and quality time with them. Usually that leaves me at home, foot loose and fancy free, while Brent works, since he saves his vacation time for the family vacation. Well this year Princess #1 got braces, and yes our health insurance/dental insurance pays nothing (did you get that-Nothing! for them). So sob! This year we are having to indulge doing fun things around our town with the kids. So what ever was my husband going to do with his vacation time?.....(insert dramatic dun,dun, dah!!!! music here.) You guessed it, a "Romantic Stay cation"

Well you might ask yourself, what is a Romantic Stay cation. Well honestly it may look a little different for each couple out there depending on the ages of their kids, and what the couples interest are. For us, we set several ground rules approaching this week:

1. Not to be rushed! Also not to have every moment scheduled up! (our kids are at the age where they have their own schedules so our current life is pretty hectic shuffling kids to practices etc...)

2. We had to eat at restaurants that we had not tried for about 80-90% of our dining out experiences. We did not eat out every meal, and we did try to mix it up a little: one day we might eat breakfast out, but dined in for dinner. etc.. ( I learned at the German Restaurant that I do not care for sweet cabbage! yuck!)

3. We choose to sleep in (I LOVED THIS!!! The oldest princess is doing cross country this summer and I have to get up at 6:15 -AM!!! 5 days a week-sob!)

4. We choose to see several movies that were out, without having to pay for child care!! (and since hubby was off, we were able to catch matinee prices, as well as the early bird discount some days for the first movie showing.) Really I felt like a princess! Go ahead, ask what I think about a movie! I am in the know now, because I saw almost every first run movie out there that I wanted to see!

5. I did take a vacation from my diet this week. I did not restrict my food or beverages. (I did stick to diet soda when I wanted a pop). I did not weigh myself but once, and I did not enter my calories in the Lose it app. I also did not go to the gym, from July 5Th on. (Ugh! Missing the gym was the very hardest thing about this!) ( I believe that I have gained 3 pounds but this time was so worth it! I will get back on the diet horse on Monday!) I know, I know, I know if you are a diet purist, you might think I have lost my mind. However, I have not. I have been on a diet since Jan 7th. That is 6 months, with just a splurge meal, here or there calories always counted. I really needed this 6 days off, before I take my diet to the next level to help me loose the next 44 pounds. So no excuses, just a rational decision to take a vacation off for 6 days. I felt confident that I could do this at this time, because I have developed the tools and the strength to get back on the diet wagon on Monday.

6. We did connect with some other couples twice during the 6 day period. However we did limit this to only 2 times. (one night we went to 80's pub downtown, when it was free token night. They had all these old, 80's arcade video games to play! So much fun! I even got to put my initials on the high screen for centipede!-Only took 41 years to accomplish that goal!

&. We scheduled one day at home, except for church. I had a selection of books to read, and my hubby had a game for his PS3 to play. Downtime! Ah!! We slept in that day, lounged around.

We had so much fun! I felt like a newlywed again. It was amazing to get a chance to connect and talk without being interrupted by a child. We could pick a movie based on our interest, not on the entire families interest. It was exciting to re discover the uniqueness of one another as husband and wife, and not father and mother. We really did about everything we would have on a vacation: dined out, shopping, movies. However we did not have to pay for a hotel room, or a rental car. Nor did we have to loose time traveling to a different location. (Does this mean I would never want to travel anywhere - of course not! However if money is tight, this might be a great alternative!)

Do you need some inspiration?

Do you need some inspiration? Do you need to hear something positive? Do you need to be encouraged during the season of life that you find yourself in. Be it, single, married, divorced, etc... Well I am loving the new series by pastor Steven Furtick from Elevation Church from Charlotte North Caroline. I know I don't even go to his church, but his sermons are on my ipod every week. The new series is called Mr. & Mrs. Betterhalf. You can find them on itunes to download for free as an audio podcast or you can go to their website and listen from their archive at Elevation church. I included a link to their archive for your convenience.

Whether you are looking for Mr. Right, or you have found Mr. Right. Or you are raising kids that will be looking for Mr. Right! Check at this series!! Do Not Forget the Bonus teaching by Dr. Emerson so funny & so true!! For anyone who wants to understand why men & women are really different and how we handle and react differently to conflict. Also if you are raising boys to be men I would say that this message is one you can not afford to miss hearing!! LOVE IT! Love It!!! Love it!! I hope you are inspired in wherever you are in your life's journey! Happy Friday! I hope you have a Great Weekend!!!

Sweet 16!

I just recently celebrated my 16th wedding anniversary. Wow! That number is starting to sound bigger, and look bigger to my eyes. In someways we have built our lives together, had children and are busy raising them and the years have passed by very fast. In other ways I am still just as giggly, crazy bride in love with her new husband. God has blessed me with a good marriage, one that I hope I will never take for granted. Thank you Lord for blessing me with Brent to share my life with! Thank you Lord that 16 years of marriage is even sweeter than the first year of marriage!

Love Like Crazy - Lee Brice (official video)

I love this song, and want to share it with anyone who needs some encouragement, or just a pinch of romance back in their life. Long lasting love is possible it is just takes work, prayer, and dependence on God.

Have we met?

The night I met Brent I was at a New Year's Eve Party. I was introduced to him as my girlfriend and me went to get a drink. Brent was getting a drink at the same time and he introduced himself.. Brent and I struck up a conversation as to how he knew my friends' boyfriend, (who was hosting the party) Brent told me that they were friend from High School. It ended up that both Brent and I had attended the same school, (but I was um.. 2 years older than him) but we had not ever met. (timing is so important in matters of the heart!) during the course of the conversation he mentioned that he was a twin, but his twin had not yet arrived at the party. Well I got my drink and moved along visiting with others, and mingling.
Over the course of the evening I bumped into Brent a time or two. At each time I would ask "Have we met? or are you the other twin?" not wanting to look foolish and start talking to a complete stranger. Well one of times we were talking Brent's twin Brett (yes, the names are so close it can be crazy to keep straight at times!!) came in to the party - Brent pointed him out as he hollered at him to come over. I was shocked as he pointed out his twin I thought they looked nothing alike!! I told him so - which prompted Brent to die laughing and holler out at Brett to come meet the girl he was going to marry. Brett asked why he was going to marry me, Brent died laughing and said that I could tell them apart. Which everyone died laughing who had heard.
As the evening continued we both flirted with each other, and talked. I remember thinking that this guy has the bluest eyes! Also that he was a really nice guy, he listened to me, and he had me laughing every time he opened his mouth. Brent was so funny I really enjoyed spending time with him. I even kissed him that night (shocking!) but it was New Year's Eve! So the theme song "A kiss to build a dream on" by Louis Armstrong has become a theme song for our lives.
Leave me one thing be-fore we part,a kiss to build a dream on___________________
When I'm a-lone___ with my fan-cies, I'll____be with you,
Weav - ing ro-man-ces, mak-ing be-lieve they're true.

Give me your lips for just a mo-mentand my im-ag-i-na-tion will make that mo-ment live.
Give me what you a-lone can give,a kiss to build a dream on.
lyrics from the song "A kiss to build a dream on"
Well a few days later, we went on our first date -a triple date. Go figure! I wanted my best friend at the time, and her boyfriend (who had hosted the party) to double date with us, and Brent wanted Brett and at the time his girlfriend Jennifer (who later became Mrs. Brett Barnes) to go on the a double date with us as well to help check me out. So what to do - we all went! We went and saw the movie "Body guard" with Whitney Houstin and Kevin Costner.

Well Brett reminded everyone during the toast he said to Brent and I at our rehearsal dinner that Brent had told everyone the night we met that I was the girl he was going to marry and here we are! Married for 15 years, and 3 kids later. Yes, I am so glad that I asked "have we met?"!