Homemaker Survey

Aprons – Y/N? If Y, what does your favorite look like? Not usually, I always forget

Baking – Favorite thing to bake?
muffins
Clothesline – Y/N?
I'd like one, I love to hang out sheets in the Spring

Donuts – Have you ever made them?
No, it's on my list

Every day – One homemaking thing you do every day?
Cook, clean Kitchen, make bed

Freezer – Do you have a separate deep freeze?
I would like one

Garbage Disposal – Y/N?
Yes! Missed it soooo much when I didn't and I'm planning to start composting

Handbook – What is your favorite homemaking resource?
Tightwad Gazette, Several blogs

Ironing – Love it or hate it? Or hate it but love the results?
I never make time to do it. My DH irons his clothes if needed, hats of to those of you who still iron!

Junk drawer – Y/N? Where is it?Kitchen

Kitchen – Color and decorating scheme?
Carmel colored walls, black appliances, cafe theme...kinda

Love – What is your favorite part of homemaking?
The feeling I get knowing that my family is well cared for, and seeing the end results

Mop – Y/N?
Yes, just did this morning

Nylons – Wash by hand or in the washing machine?
I wear tights

Oven – Do you use the window or open the oven to check?
Open the door. Ya can't see through those windows!

Pizza – What do you put on yours?
Veggies and cheese only for my son

Quiet – What do you do during the day when you get a quiet moment?
Blog,read,or rest

Recipe card box – Y/N? What does it look like?big box w/ bird's on it that was my mother in law's (Lana 2/14/03)

Style of house – What style is your house?
2 Story, Cream w/ black shutters,painted brick

Tablecloths and napkins – Y/N? Paper napkins and sometimes cloth

Under the kitchen sink – Organized or toxic wasteland?
Organized chemicals, but most are safe and environmentally friendly

Vacuum – How many times per week?
about 3

Wash - How many loads of laundry do you do per week?
5-8 X’s –

Do you keep a daily list of things to do that you cross off?
in my head

Yard – Y/N? Who does what? I love to work in the yard! We trade off who mows, I usually do the rest. I'd really like to have a garden this year.

Zzz’s – What is your last homemaking task for the day before going to bed?
picking up, load dishwasher, let dog out to potty, set alarm...night night....zzzzzzzzzzz

Profound...I just had to post this

When Minister Joe Wright was asked to open the new session of the
Kansas Senate, everyone was expecting the usual generalities,
This is what they heard;


"Heavenly Father,
We come before you today
To ask your forgiveness and
To seek your direction and guidance.

We know Your Word says,
"Woe to those who call evil good"
But that is exactly what we have done.
We have lost our spiritual equilibrium
And reversed our values.

We have exploited the poor and
Called it the lottery.

We have rewarded laziness
And called it welfare.

We have killed our unborn
And called it choice.

We have shot abortionists
And called it justifiable.

We have neglected to discipline
Our children and called it
Building self esteem.

We have abused power
And called it politics.

We have coveted our neighbor's
Possessions and called it ambition.

We have polluted the air
With profanity and
Pornography and called it
Freedom of speech and expression.

We have ridiculed the time
Honored values of our
Forefathers and called it enlightenment.

Search us, Oh, God,
And know our hearts today;
Cleanse us from every sin
And set us free.
Amen!"

The response was immediate. A number of legislators walked Out
During the prayer in protest.


In 6 short weeks, Central Christian Church, where Rev. Wright is
Pastor, logged more than 5,000 phone calls with only 47 Of those
Calls responding negatively. The church is now receiving International requests for copies of this prayer from India , Africa and Korea .

Commentator Paul Harvey aired this prayer on his radio Program, "The
Rest of the Story," and received a larger response to this program
Than any
Other he has ever aired.


With the Lord's help, may this prayer sweep over our Nation and
Wholeheartedly become our desire so that we again can be called "one
Nation under God."

We've added a new member to our family...

Welcome to the Brown family Boomer!!! So far you are a great little puppy, for now. Destruction has not yet become your middle name, let's keep it that way...PLEASE! We can't wait to take you to the dog park and teach you to fetch. You will also like the pond all the other Labs like to jump into. Welcome home Boomer!

I'm not too girly!

I'm not sure of I'm proud of this or not??? I don't like to think of myself as a girly girl or a "hardcore" tomboy. I think I'm in the middle. Maybe leaning more towards the tomboy side. I like to get my hands dirty...cleaning, raking, working in the yard etc.... But I also like to wear a little makeup, so I don't scare anyone :) Thanks Anita for this little link, it was fun!

You Are 28% Girly

You are a pretty hardcore tomboy, and a very free spirit. Gender roles be dammed, you like to do things your way.

How Girly Are You?

Before I was a Mom...

Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on. Pooped on. Chewed on. Peed on. I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts. I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do tests. Or give shots. I never looked into teary eyes and cried. I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin. I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put him down. I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt. I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much. I never knew that I could love someone so much. I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body. I didn't know how special it could feel to feed a hungry baby. I didn't know that bond between a mother and her child. I didn't know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay. I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom. I didn't know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

Tree Update...

Some of you have asked me about the tree. Well, it is still present. After finally speaking with the owner of the home she offered to pay half of the cost to have the section removed. I don't totally agree with this, however, it will probably be less expensive to go this route as opposed to going to small claims etc...Funny how things happen this way. Yes, I know I could fight this and probably win. Honestly I don't want to. I don't have the time nor money to do so.

So for now I am awaiting a bid/estimate from the Arborist who will be removing it for us. From that point we will await for the removal, and pray there are no damages in the process. She did inform me that she will not be held responsible for any damages yada yada yada!!! So hopefully by mid February it will be gone. Sigh.

Celebrate Recovery

As many of you know I am very involved in Celebrate Recovery(CR) at our church. I am a firm believer that this program has saved lives! CR is NOT just for the chemically addicted. We have so many people who come for struggles such as depression, anger, co-dependency, anxiety, food addiction, sex addictions;in the form of pornography, lust, etc... I think many of us know someone or personally experience some of these things I have just listed, and that is just a few of the hurts, habits, or hang-ups you will hear discussed at CR. What I love most about CR is that the participants are calling on GOD to break them free from whatever is controlling their lives. Who better to call on?

I have learned so many things about myself and my character defects these past 2 years in attendance at CR. God revealed so many things to me through an intense Step Study that I attended for 18 months with 5 other amazing women. There is no way to explain all the blessings I have received from completing that journey. All I can do is encourage everyone to do one.

Some of the other things I have learned through the CR program is that...I am not the only one facing the struggles I am going through, being in denial of certain things only separates me from God, I have to consciously choose to allow God to control my life daily, it's OK if others don't like me or get mad at me, denial only turns in to shame and guilt-I hate feeling that way, resentments act like an emotional cancer, and worrying is a form of not trusting God enough.

To be honest I could go on and on about CR. I think it is one of the best ministries that has ever been created. Many have left a CR meeting stating,"that is what Church is supposed to be like". If anyone relates to or has ANY questions about CR I am very willing to answer them.

Have a blessed evening.

I want this tree gone!!!

For those of you I haven't griped to yet, "I want this out of my yard"!

Ever since we had the ice storm here in OKC this tree has been down in our back yard. It broke off of our neighbors tree. They need to clean it up, however, they refuse! It is actually a property manager/owner that refuses. Therefore we are going to have to make an appearance in her office next week with an arborist to explain that it is indeed unhealthy and rotten in certain areas. I am not looking forward to this. Yes, I am thankful that no one was hurt and that it did not take down any power lines!

That being said, I need it out of my yard. My little ones would like to play.

Galileo's

Well Dave and I had a nice time last night on our hot date. The place was dead and the music was average. He was a great guitarist though. That contradicted itself. Well anyways what do you expect on a Tuesday night. Most importantly I got some much needed one on one time with my best friend. We don't get that very often. Sigh.

The children are awaking all snug on their mats, cribs etc...( I watch 4 children)....I'll be back..........

No more Caffeine after 5 o'clock...

It's official. I can't have caffeine after 5pm or so, otherwise I lie in bed staring at ....no actually I get back up and blog, blog, blog or read your blog blog blog. How will I function tomorrow? I wish I could get paid for this. It is after midnight. I must turn in.

I actually keep trying to change this ugly background. I found several darling backgrounds but when I paste them and then preview my selection most of my page elements are missing??? My friends in blogland, html, pictures, etc...

If anyone could help me I would be very thankful.

Tomorrow I believe I am going on a hot date with my hubby. A local guitarist/singer is performing at Galileo's in Paseo. I really want to see him. I heard he is really good. Can't think of his name right now or I'd post a link. We haven't been out together in sometime. It is always much needed.

I will write more with a little more detail tomorrow. I am off to stare at the wall, or better yet warm my cold feet against Dave...Oh he'll love that. If you see me with a black eye you'll know why. He can be really crazy when he is in a deep sleep. Smile.

My Sophie

Yes, I have a little girl too! Here is sweet little Sophie. She is such a joy, even though she is 2 1/2. So far she is not throwing tantrums, just an occasional toy or two. She loves Davis very much. I think I can say the same for him, he actually wanted to share a bedroom with her! It is too sweet in the mornings when I hear her calling for him to wake up. However, I'm not sure how long he will go for that.

Sophie is very verbal to say the least. She loves to sing. Her daddy is top on her list! Although she is shy at first she always remembers a face and many times a name. Last Sunday at Church, during worship she yelled out several peoples names as she saw them. Although it was cute as ever, it was a little distracting to those around us.

I could easily blog all day about my kids. I just wanted to make sure and mention little Sophie, after writing mostly about Davis.

I must go to bed for now...

God wouldn't give me anything I couldn't handle...

This little quote is well said. I have yet to figure out my little 9 year old son. Whoever told me that being a parent is the hardest job you will ever have wasn't kidding. How can one little person fill your whole heart with more love than you ever imagined and at the same time make you so frustrated you feel like...well you can fill in the blank!? There is no way to prepare a new parent for all of the emotions and feelings they will experience when they bring that precious baby home. Maybe that is why so many of us stop riding roller coasters... we are on one too many days of the week. I wouldn't trade this experience of being a mother for anything. I find comfort in knowing that my faith, patience, commitment, love, and happiness blossomed when I became a mother. I thank God first then Davis.

Cao Nguyen

Last night I had the privilege of visiting our Asian market in OKC. Where have I been? The selections were awesome; if you are looking for veggies, meat or seafood. Of course if you have rabbit, goat, or beef hooves on your list you can get those too! It was a wonderful cultural experience for my son. Although he mentioned feeling a bit sick by the time we were leaving. His little 9 year old body is not accustomed to smelling so much fish, clams, oysters, etc...although he did enjoy watching the crabs laying in a box snapping their pincher's! We decided we would return when we actually knew what we would cook with all of our great finds. What I liked best were the prices! Some items in the produce section were less than half of what I have been paying at the grocery store down the street. It helped to have Lily along to point out the better quality items. So for those of you who have access to such a store, check it out! It was an enriching experience to say the least!

Alone

What a relief to sit alone. I even took a nap today. I wouldn't have needed one had I not stayed up until 2am reading other blogs. It can be addicting. I'm not actually alone, my daughter is...was...sleeping. I spoke to soon.

The boys went to see National Treasure. I had no desire. I think I need to watch the first one before I go to the 2nd. I'd rather read blogs.

Sophie beckons...

"Lily"

Here is our wonderful sweet student "Lily", actually Lillian, but I renamed her :) She is studying English at the Edmond Language Institute. She has lived with us since October 15th. We are enjoying her very much! Many of you know we have hosted several students, most from South America. Lily is from Taiwan. She actually plans to stay here and continue at UCO, after she passes the TOEFL! Ugh! Keep her in your prayers. We have a lot of fun visiting and practicing english. She is very sweet with our children and Sophie loves to play in her room! Sophie likes to wear all of her fashionable shoes. So, for those of you who thought we had 4 in our family, we actually have 5!