A Day for Me

Thanks to the computer/babysitting swap with the Mitchell's, I have had some free babysitting lately.  Most of the time has been spent working on the house - organizing, cleaning, etc.  But this is my last day, so I decided to give myself a treat.  First, I thought I would spend the day shopping - you know the kind of shopping you used to enjoy before kids - with no time limit, no hurrying before the tantrum starts, no rules.  But then I realized that I have no money - and all that shopping would do was just tempt or depress me.

So I decided to hang out at home, doing stuff I enjoy.  Here is what my day has looked like:

Super cozy Lakeside Sweatshirt & Sweatpants

Hot Chocolate while reading Ephesians

Worship Music

Scrapbooking - working on my Journey to Motherhood scrapbook that I started before Sam was born - maybe someday I'll finish!

Bagel & cream cheese with chocolate milk for lunch

Technical difficulties with my computer & printer, which slowed down the scrapbooking

Coke with cherry syrup - mmmm!

Grape Laffy Taffy

Cudding up on the couch watching Elizabethtown

Sort of giving myself a manicure (basically just cutting my nails down to nubs, shoving the cuticles back, buffing & moisturizing)

Jumbo Smarties

Blogging

Just a few of my favorite things!

Thank you Amber for taking care of my Sam today so I could take care of me!

Retreat Recap

What an amazing weekend!  Here are some highlights!

Denim & Lace's Debut

Amber & I had such a great time with the skits - they went well and we had fun dressing up and acting!

My Sistas

We had fun shopping, eating, & chatting.  I love these girls!

We missed you Carrie & Jos!

The Real Denim & Lace 

Phyllis & Lois were incredible.  Not only did they provide us with a lot of laughter and biblical truth, they spent a lot of time with us.  I think Amber & I might be their new projects! =)  We'll see what God will do with that!

What I learned:

To be open-minded about people and give them a chance

To appreciate other's differences & how they serve the Lord

I was free to be me - and I had a blast!  I allowed myself to be open & silly and I wasn't shy!

That I need to be Mary for a while - I need to seek Christ and immerse myself in His word - so that I can become a better Christian and remove the hindrances I have to hearing His voice!

Ephesians 4:2-3 Be completely humble and gentle; bearing with one another in love.  Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace.

I am especially excited for the next Grace Women's function - that all the women at the retreat are wanting to get together and develop the mentoring relationships that I crave!

Sam's Big Weekend with Daddy

Sam's First Boat Ride

Sacked Out

Sam's New Friend Judd

Sam's First Scraped Knee

They had a blast!

I've been Tagged

I've been tagged - here are the results!

Four jobs I have had in my life:

1.  Cleaning houses

2.  Burger's Etc (mmm...still miss that greasy food and yummy shakes!)

3.  Librarian

4.  Mobile Crisis Specialist (and do I have stories!)

Four places I have lived:

1.  Nampa, ID

2.  Paul, ID

3.  Lakewood, CO

4.  Oak Grove, KY

Four shows that I watch:

1.  LOST

2.  House

3.  The Office

4.  Heroes

Four Places I have been:

1.  Isla Holbox, Mexico

2.  Jamestown, North Dakota

3.  Livingston, Montana (my shout out to Lois)

4.  Chattanooga, Tennessee

Four Blogs I read regularly:

See mi amigos

Four of my favorite foods:

1.  Turkey, mashed potatoes & gravy

2.  Burritos

3.  Cheeseburgers

4.  Pasta

Four places I would rather be right now:

1.  At the women's retreat (with Carrie & Jos added!)

2.  Scrapbooking

3.  With my family

4.  With my long-distance friends

Four + friends I hope respond:

1. Whitney

2.  Amy, Rachel, & Abbey

3.  The longshots:  Kyle & Chris

Four + things I am looking forward to this next year:

1.  Watching Sam grow

2.  Vacation with my family (especially with my new nieces!)

3.  Growing closer to God and the Grace women - learning more about His plans for me

4.  Potentially conceiving another child?

5.  My pipe dream:  buying a house!

If you've read this - you've been tagged too!

Flashback Friday

Women's Retreat - here we come!

Pics from the 2005 Retreat

Note that both Rachel and Carrie were with child then - and are with child now!

Works for Me Wednesday

One Muffin Tin +

6 Balls +

One Cute Toddler =

Fun & Free Entertainment

Idea came from Parents Magazine

Sam's big weekend

We had a great time this weekend playing with Papa, Grandma, and cousin Dexter.

The Children's Museum

The play place at the mall

Listening to the mariachi band at La Palmera, eating yummy food

Brunch with Ken & Maggie

Cartoons

The park

Playing in the back yard

What fun!