Exhaustion

I have been wanting to blog for almost a week now. It just seems like there is always something screaming for my attention and keeping me from being able to sit at the computer and form thoughts.

I actually have the time tonight (both boys were in bed and asleep by 8:00pm), but I am running on 4 hours of sleep and I have been up and working since 5:45am. This post should be interesting. Hopefully it will make sense.

I didn't get in the bed until midnight last night. I was up late working on my resume (YES! I applied for my very 1st job this morning) and then Webb was restless and fussy from that point until 3am when he started screaming. I moved to the recliner to sit/sleep with him. He was congested and uncomfortable. Nursing babies find comfort in nursing (it's like a binky). When something is wrong with their world they turn to the boo boo (the name we have for the boob!) to make everything better. If they are hurt, sad, uncomfortable, sick, sleepy (in the case of my boys: bored, happy, glad, thirsty, wanting to day dream, wanting me to hold them, or anything else under the sun) they want the boo boos to make their world right again. As a mom, I love being able to make everything all better for my little ones with such an easy solution. There are rare occasions that I don't like it. Nights like last night are an example. Between midnight and 3am, there was not one minute (I repeat, ONE MINUTE) when the boo boo was not in Webb's mouth. At 3am, he became so congested, that he could not breathe out of his nose and continue nursing. That is when he started screaming. He wanted mommy to make it right and I wasn't making it right in the way he wanted. That is when I woke up enough to know what I had to do. I moved to the recliner so he could sleep sitting up (which allows him to breathe). He ended up throwing up (SNOT) all over me at that time. We both changed clothes and then I dozed/sang/talked/babied Webb until 5:45am. I honestly did not mind the time in the recliner with him. It was not his fault he didn't feel good. I tried as best as I could to keep him comfortable and make him feel safe. When I put him in the bed at 5:45, he was peacefully sleeping :D

I, on the other hand, had TONS to do. I emptied the dishwasher, washed clothes, folded clothes, made my breakfast and lunch, got stuff ready for Daddy and the boys to be together for the day. I left at 8:15am and headed to where I was applying for a job (up on Gunbarrell Road in Chattanooga) and then I headed to Adairsville to deep clean a new house I got. It was a long day.

I really enjoyed coming home to my boys. I love how excited they both get to see me! I do NOT know how moms who work full time do it :( I mean, seriously. My heart is here with my boys. I am working right now (only 2 days a week and not many hours at all) to meet a need we have. Dane and Webb get to stay with Daddy though and that really helps put my mind at ease. I am so grateful for the opportunity I have to be able to make money working so few hours. God has been so good to provide for us. I am continually amazed at how He chooses to provide.

I realized this evening JUST HOW CLOSE Christmas is! It is THIS WEEK!!!!!! YIPPEE!!!! I still feel the same excitement I felt as a kid. I am so excited to see the boys and what they think about their toys. I am also excited to see what the family thinks about their gifts. I really put a lot of thought into things this year and I am pleased with what I got! I love giving gifts. I think giving gifts and seeing people open them makes me feel as good (if not BETTER) as I feel opening up gifts that are mine. Now is the crunch time to get last minute plans into order. We are going to Cartersville on the 23rd to spend the night and then celebrate on the 24th. We eat a huge breakfast and Brent has asked me to make Gingerbread mini donuts inspired by Pinterest. His mom makes all sorts of delicious breakfast food so, I will add this to what she is making... .I guess ;)  When we come home on Christmas Eve, we will make Santa cookies (I already have the dough prepared) and add m&m's to the tops because Dane is insisting that Santa get m&m cookies and chocolate milk. Somehow, I doubt that Santa Clause will mind. All I'm saying is he better share with Mrs. Clause. That night, I will stick all the ingredients in the crock pot for a breakfast crockpot dish, also inspired by Pinterest. On Christmas morning, after we open gifts, I will make my way to the kitchen to finish breakfast. Brent has requested made from scratch cinnamon rolls and since I generally give him his way, I'm sure I will be making these. I personally want some cinnamon sugar crusted coffee cake muffins (HELLO!!?!?!??! Yes, please!!). I maaaaaay make both ;) Mom and Dad will head over and enjoy the breakfast with us and also have lunch. We are going totally UNtraditional for that and having T-bone steaks, crowder peas, salad (I think we agreed on salad) and Snickerdoodle cake with brown sugar cinnamon buttercream cake for dessert. I think we may bust from all the food, but it will be so yummy and worth every single calorie!

I am pretty sure I have everything I need for all the meals. I am super duper excited about Christmas. What is everyone else eating??? I'd love to know!

Have a great evening and if I'm not on here for another week, Merry CHRISTmas!!!

Random Thoughts

Tonight, I am hosting a Pure Romance party at my house with my girlfriends! I am really looking forward to it. Having said that, I don't have much time to blog. We are expecting 13 (at last count). I have lots to get done before 5:30pm. I'm serving artichoke dip, hot bean dip, turkey and white bean chili, black bean soup, homemade Irish wheat bread, and chocolate chip cookie dough truffles. Then, the girl's are bringing "Sexy" food for a sexy food contest! It really should be a fun night we always remember ;)

I am officially finished with school. WHOO HOO!!!! It feels good to say that. Now, I am praying that I can find a job in January that will be ok with me only working around 15hrs a week. That way, I can keep cleaning houses as well. I took my final yesterday and after 6 years of college (and 3 degrees/certificates later--- an Associate of Science, a Massage Therapy certificate, and a Medical Language Specialist certificate!!!) I am so thankful to be done forever.

Everyone is finding out they are pregnant these days. I find myself getting SO excited for them. The excitement I feel is towards babies (I LOVE children!!!!) and also towards birth (I LOVE giving birth!!!). I want all mother's to have a great birth experience. The way I did. I want all mother's to feel confident in their bodies and to remember that God created our bodies to birth babies! I want mother's to get to experience the birth they want and the birth they deserve. I want to help educate and empower women. When I hear about a woman getting pregnant, it just furthers my desire to become a doula. I was planning on following through with those dreams in January. That was before Brent got laid off :( Now, I just don't think we can afford something like that. To want something so bad and not be able to do it is hard. I know the Lord is teaching me patience, yet again! Apparently, this is an area I really need to improve in. It stinks because I would have to do 3 births for free and now that everyone is pregnant is the perfect time to book those 3 births!!!! :( Oh well, all in the Lord's timeline, right?

Yesterday, I mentioned taking my final. That was an experience. I went to get all my things together and realized the USB plug, that all my documents are saved on, was missing. This is not something I EVER take out of the computer for this reason alone. My hubby gets it from time to time to put in his computer to save files on, but I have never moved it. I went to print off the documents I needed to turn in and asked Brent where it was. He didn't know. We spent an hour looking for it (and never found it!!!). I was sick thinking about the hard work I've put into this class and how I couldn't find my work on the last day of class. In desperation, I went to my school website where I turn my work in and was able to retrieve one of the (major) documents that was due, but that was it. I went to leave and my van wouldn't unlock. I knew the battery was dead. I went in and grabbed the truck keys. When I got home, Brent jumped it off (around 4pm) and left it running to charge the battery. The boys and I were in the shower around 7pm when I remembered he had cranked it. I meant to ask if he had turned it off, but forgot as soon as the thought floated through my head (that happens from time to time). This morning, I did a back and biceps workout in the basement and then headed outside to do some hill sprints up to the barn. I was on my 10th one when I caught the faint sound of The Ball Brother's. I stopped and listened. That is when I noticed smoke coming from the exhaust of my van. I was thinking, "NO WAY!!!!" I ran to my van and sure enough. It was still cranked. I opened up the door and a burst of HEAT hit me in the face and The Ball Brother's Christmas CD was blaring. I looked at the gas gauge. It had been 3/4 of the way full (a good $35 worth of gas) and it was now below E with the gas light on. Seriously??????? The whole way in I thought about how Brent could not make fun of me anymore (He always says I am a blond and do stupid things. This had to be a stupid thing if I've ever heard of one!!). I go and tell him and he says, "Well, if somebody hadn't left the interior light on we wouldn't be in this position. Not to mention, I told you to remind me to turn it off." I guess this was my stupidity ;)

Alright, enough blogging for today. I got to get busy and Webb is finally asleep!!! I hope you guys have a wonderful day :D

Blessings!

Santa, Cake, and White Elephant Gift Exchange

I took the boy's to see Santa yesterday at our bank. It is where I take them each year. The Santa is super real looking and I find myself thinking back to my days of believing. I was so intrigued by Santa. How DID he do that???? There was so much I wanted to talk to him about other than what I wanted for Christmas. But, somehow, I never got that opportunity ;) That was so much fun and I love how Dane (and I'm sure Webb) get to enjoy the magic of believing. Dane was so very excited to sit on Santa's lap and tell him what he wants. He saw this boy doll house at Costco months ago. It is a fireman and policeman 3 story house. It comes with a fire truck, a police motorcycle, a fireman dog, a helicopter, and so much more. He has talked about that and mentioned it numerous times. In fact, I KNOW Santa is bring that ;) I get so excited each time I walk in the basement and see it hidden. I think about his face and joy on Christmas morning and how he will be sooooo thrilled. Yesterday, we went to Costco and I didn't see that doll house. I was so glad I had bought it a month ago to be sure I could get it. While we were there, we looked down the toy aisle some. He gets up on Santa's lap with excitement and says, "I want these rescue lego worker men that I saw at Costco. They have these little saw things and they are really "tool" and that's all I want." WHAT????????!!!!!!!! NOOOOOOOOOOOOOO! Santa asks him about it and the whole time I'm thinking, "Oh crap.". When we leave, I ask him about it. He tells me he doesn't want the fireman house anymore, he wants the rescue lego men. I say,  "well I'm sure Santa is very confused. Daddy and mommy already emailed him and told him you want that fireman house. Why don't you?" He said, "I want both". I said, "Well, you can only have one. Santa can't fit 2 big toys on his sleigh for 1 little boy". He thinks about it for a long time and says, "Ummm. I only want the rescue lego men." GREAT. JUST GREAT. I keep trying and he tells me that I need to text Santa and tell him Webb wants the fireman house, not Dane. LOL. I don't know what I'm going to do. I'm hoping he changes his mind because I definitely think the fireman house is way cooler and much more practical than the lego men. I guess, if he doesn't change his mind, we will be going back to Costco and switching gifts!

Here are my little angles with Santa.

He was so excited :D

                                               

This does make me laugh! Dane only wanted me to take the picture! When he saw the flash of the professional, he put that hand up and said, "NO! Only MOMMY!!!" I had to get on to him for his attitude, but it made me laugh!

                               

Last night, we went to our church's annual White Elephant Gift Exchange party.

I made a Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough cake from a recipe I found on Pinterest. It was a lot of work, but so worth it. Within that one cake there were 4 recipes. Homemade yellow cake, homemade cookies, homemade cookie dough (with no eggs), and homemade buttercream icing (without any shortening!). Here is what my finished product looked like.

I thought it was really good. Here is the link to follow if you want to make it for yourself :D Which, I highly encourage you DO!

It was soooo much fun!!!! It's played like "Greedy Santa" or "Chinese Christmas" etc.

We got there and took the kids to the childcare part and we headed towards our Family Life Center. We ate incredibly too much delicious food and enjoyed fellowship with our greatest friends/family. You heard it called your "church family" and we truly consider it to be family. We share a special bond with each person there. It was like a huge Christmas party with 60+ family members there (Thankfully, that included 0 family arguments!).

We sat with our closest friends of the group and laughed and laughed and laughed some more. There were some interesting gifts there! To name 2 interesting gifts--- we brought Speedo men's underwear with a Superman sign on them. Then, around the waist they said, "Man of Steel". Then, our friend Nicole brought 2 wine glasses and sparkling cider (a joke was made that this is Baptist wine. LOL). Inside each wine glass held a pair of disgusting underwear with tags. One said, "For Her" and one said, "For Him". The "women's" were see through silky red and the men's looked like a tux sort of- black and white- the back had a ZIPPER. BHAHAHAHAHA. We all laughed FOREVER when this gift was opened and we tried so hard to get our Pastor's wife to steal it. LOL. But, she was too shy ;) BOOOOO!


The Superman underwear was the 2nd gift to be opened and we all had a good laugh. It remained with the man who opened it for about 55 people. Then, MY DAD stole them!!!!!! WHAT????? That was one mental picture I didn't need to have. LOL. Brent was #60 and got up and walked across the gym to my dad and STOLE the Superman underwear from him. On his walk back, he pulled them up over his pants and strutted back. So, we wound up with Superman underwear and I got a $15 Walmart giftcard. Score! With so many gag gifts, I left with a good one :D

Here is the underwear....

Sexy, huh??!!

It was a fun night and we stayed looooooong after it was over talking to our friends.

Looking forward to today :D We have NO obligations except things around the house. I need to make laundry detergent and do laundry and clean up a bit. Fun.

Enjoy your Saturday and chose to make today great!

Wednesday

Late night post :D The boys and I were having too much fun tonight. They were both in great moods and being so silly. All day today they have played great together. I must admit, that is a first for them. Brent and I enjoyed watching them interact and "talk". I love my boys!!!!

Today was a lazy/busy day.

We slept in and then I woke up to the silliness of a little 15 month old doll baby. He was being so cute. How could anyone wake up in a bad mood???! We got up and made our way to the living room. I started the coffee, pulled out the deer meat from the freezer to be thawing for dinner, and just hung out. Watched a little news, did my late blog, caught up on FB from during the night ;) It was a great morning. Brent had to get off to the unemployment office and the school for some paperwork. We had breakfast before he left (eggs and jelly toast) and then the boys and I started the 1st of 4 loads of laundry.

I got Webb down for a nap and Dane and I headed to the basement for my workout (legs and calves). It was a pretty decent workout other than the fact I kept getting interrupted. Webb woke up before I finished it (thanks to the tantrum from my 3 yr. old) and joined us in the basement.

When we came up, I let Dane finish painting our homemade ornaments. He insisted on painting the backside too and we had been waiting for the front to dry.

Here is the back (or front) of our finished product :D Cute, huh?

I made lunch after that and Brent made it back home. We got the kitchen cleaned up and I folded/switched the laundry around. Brent was studying during this time. His final is tomorrow.

I got Webb back down for a nap and headed to Walmart in LaFayette to meet someone who was buying the pillows that came with my couch. I HATED them and decided to sell them to make some extra $$. I deposited it and headed back home. 

Once home, I started on dinner-- hamburger patties in the oven wrapped in tinfoil and loaded with carrots, unions, and potatoes. My mom made these growing up and they were a favorite then and remain a favorite now. I season them a bit different than her, but they are divine!!!! Salt, pepper, garlic, Worcestershire sauce on the patties, then once I put the veggies and potatoes, I pour A1 on top. They take an hour to bake at 425. So delicious. My mouth is watering just thinking about them. Webb ate an entire patty!!! He is my meat lover :D

After dinner, I had Brent and Josh load up the chairs that belong to the church (I borrowed some for the Purse Swap). I got together the things that girl's had left at the house and we loaded up and left for church .I had to be there an hour earlier than normal for a class I am taking there- Financial Peace University. GREAT class. Brent and Josh were working out, but Brent was staying home to study, in silence, for his final. I was met at the church by Sheena (my WONDERFUL friend!!!). She and I were the only ones and it ended up being a great time of fellowship for the 2 of us. I had so much on my mind, church wise, family wise, life wise and it was so nice to be able to open up to her and have her understanding ear to listen :D

We stayed for a bit after church and then came home.

Once home, I had the munchies and had some Kashi cereal (a 9pm snack is SO not on my 12 week plan!) and the boys were being so silly, so I just sat back and watched them. They are so amazing and make me feel such joy!!! They had some cereal as well and then we started the bedtime battle :D Dane is now asleep and Webb is nursing and hopefully soon to follow :D

I have a super busy cleaning day tomorrow. I will be leaving here at 8 and cleaning 3 houses. I hope to be home by 3:30 or 4pm. I will be exhausted, but it is good money and I am so thankful for the ability to clean houses and the families I get to clean for!!!! God is good :D

A day late on Tuesday

Once again, I'm a day late. I'll warn you... I'll probably be a day late on Wednesday's post too. LOL.

Yesterday was soooooo much better than Monday! SO much better!!!

I got up, had my coffee, blogged, and took at test. I made us breakfast (eggs and oatmeal) and then the boys and I played.

I was knew I was hosting the purse swap at my house, but I also knew that sweeping and mopping was pointless with the boys there. I went ahead and dusted (with my homemade "pledge"-white vinegar, olive oil, and lemon juice) first thing in the morning.

After Brent and Josh finished working out downstairs, I took my turn--- Chest and Triceps. It was a short, but good workout.

When I came back up, I made a protein shake/lunch. 1/4 vanilla soy milk, 3/4 water, scoop of vanilla whey, 2 Tbsp Flax Seed, 1 Tbsp Peanut butter, quite a bit of cinnamon, and 1 Tbsp of cocoa powder. YUMMY!

The boys played some more and I did laundry and fixed my dish-- Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough Dip. Side note--- It was a "dip" theme. Everyone was to to bring a dip. I'll admit, I thought that might not be so yummy to just have dips. I was WRONG!!!! Soooooo many to chose from and all of them were so good.

Mom and Dad were keeping the boys for me (THANK YOU!!!!) because Brent had school. Next year, mom is coming to the purse swap though :D I talked to mom and she said she would meet me for the boys around 4pm to allow me to finish getting everything ready. I showered me and the boys and got us ready. Before leaving, I cleaned both bathrooms. Then we went to meet mom. I came back home and said goodbye to Brent who was leaving for school. He had a really important test and then his final is Thursday (tomorrow). Another side note---- While partying away ;) I received this picture in a text from my amazing husband.

I was sooooo proud!!!!

I came home, swept and mopped, and sat out my concentrates to thaw for the punch.

My friend Nicole (the "Queen" over all us girls. She plans things for us to do monthly and she is great at planning fun events!) got here early to help me get everything together. That didn't take long so we got to sit and chat for awhile before the guests began arriving. I think we were planning on 19 and we had 26 or 27 show up. It was such a FUN night!!!! I only got 1 picture of the group (more were behind me at the food and drink table). My friend Tara got TONS of good ones though ;)

We enjoyed all the dips, 2 different kinds of punch, 2 fun games, 1 ugly PJ contest, and 1 thieving purse swap. I laughed and laughed and laughed!!! I also scored! Check out my new purse.

I would just like to say (I know I have said it before) that I have the BEST group of girlfriends. We have so much fun together. To say I've been blessed in that department is the understatement of the year. I am amazed at the amount of close friends I have. Seriously, the ladies at my church are my dearest friends. I can count on them for absolutely anything and they love me and my family. I feel so overwhelmed  at times when I think on my friendships. God knew just what I needed when He placed us at Liberty.

The boys had a blast with their grandparents. They went to look at Christmas lights, when to an indoor playground after dinner (at McDonalds. Thank you mom and dad for feeding them at home 1st!), and strolled around Ace.

Then, mom and dad were gracious enough to bring them all the way home at 10pm in the pouring down rain. The house was so easy to clean up and I got in the bed with a spotless house at a decent hour.

Today is a lazy day for us with church tonight :D

I'm also thinking of posting my new workout challenge I'm on. I'm kind of nervous to do so though and that is why I have not made up my mind. I started in on Monday and it is a 12 week program. I took my before pictures yesterday (in my bikini.... yeah, who wants to look at pictures of themselves in that???!!!!) and while I know I am in "shape" I am really wanting to gain muscle and tone up. I haven't decided yet if I will do it or not. If anyone is interested in seeing my before pictures and hearing about my 12 week plan and then seeing the after pictures, let me know. That will help me decide if I will do it or not.

I hope y'all have a wonderful Wednesday!!!

A day late on Monday

Good morning!

I know. I know. I'm late on my Monday post. I can explain. Yesterday was a rough day for me. They don't happen very often, but they do happen.

It all started when I woke up late. I hate waking up late (I mean, seriously, WHO doesn't?????). It wasn't just a little late. It was 3 hours late! I had so much to do around the house first thing and I had planned on going to my workout class (that I don't get to go to anymore because of the distance and blah blah blah). After that, i had a lot of errands to run in town. When I woke up, I had a headache, my neck was hurting, and I was still so very tired (WHAT IS MY DEAL???? And no! I'm not pregnant. LOL.). I was a grump. I don't like getting off schedule and I was off by 3 hours. I got us ready as quickly as I could and went on to the gym to do my own workout- biceps and back. Despite missing the group class, I got an awesome workout. I knew I HAD to have an adjustment today (from the chiropractor). That would help me more than anything.

We then headed to Walmart. Dane insisted on the buggy that has the big grey attachment on the front. He and Webb both got in and we started our grocery trip. They were not very good. They hit one another and argued and fussed. Webb wanted to be held (which I cannot do while pushing that awkward and heavy cart). We were out of everything at home and I was trying to keep a running total in my head (which was just making me more ill and stressed because of our tight budget). I was feeling weak, tired, and extremely irritable. I know my blood sugar was probably low, but I had no appetite and the thought of food was nauseating. They saw these Christmas candy Star War toy things (LOL) and both wanted to play with them. They were light up swords with candy inside. I agreed that they could play with them if they would be good. I handed them each one and they played so well for a while. Then, they started hitting one another, hard!, and both were screaming bloody murder (Yep. I'm that mother with those kids.). I squatted down and threatened both with a big smile on my face (these days you gotta be careful people!). They both wanted me to hold them and I was ready to sit down in the floor and cry. We managed to get out of there and I was exhausted and more grumpy than when I woke up 3 hours late. This kind of stuff never gets to me. What is my deal?????

I load up the car and head to Costco. Brent calls and I tell him how I don't feel good. He asks what is wrong. I want to say, "I'm a GRUMP!!!", but instead I say, "I just don't feel like myself and I'm tired." We go into Costco and the boys were better in there. When it was time to leave, I realized they only had 3 lines opened and they were backed up with at least 6 people per line with each person buying at 4,503 things. That is when the boys lost it (and I almost did too). When I left the store, both kids were drawing as much attention to us as possible crying their eyes out and had snot pouring down their faces. I got to the car and Brent called. I searched for my phone and answered it. He told me he had good news. I couldn't hear a word for both boys. I called him back once the car was loaded and we were on the road. Right when I hear his voice I start crying (silently). I don't let him hear though because he is so excited about school. He had great news and I really am happy for him. However, when he asks for a response from me, I burst into tears. He asks what is wrong and I couldn't hardly talk (Heck, WHAT is wrong with me!!!!). I finally get out about how tired I am and how stressed out I am. I tell him what I bad day I've had and how bad the boys have been. I tell him about my shopping experience on such a tight budget and how nervous it made me. I tell him how I still need to go to Ingles, but Webb is now asleep. I tell him how I need to make another stop, but I also need to balance the checkbook before we go in. I tell him how I just realized the time and the chiropractor is closed. Then, I cry harder. He tries to calm me telling me everything will be ok. He says I need to come home and take a nap. A NAP??? Are you crazy????? I've not got time for a nap???? I've got a full car, a dirty house, dinner to cook, kids to take care of, and 20 friends coming over tomorrow. And I cry harder. I let him go when I pull up at Ingles.

I felt better once I let all those tears out. I decide to attempt to carry Webb through Ingles so he can get his nap. It works!!!!

We head home and Brent meets me outside where he gives me a big bear hug. He says, "It's ok. Everything is going to be ok. I love you so much." Ahhhhhh. Just what I needed :D

We unload the car together and come in and start putting everything away. I make a pot of coffee (I realized that in my rush that morning, I didn't drink any--- probably why I have a headache). Daddy and Dane head to down the driveway to put up wreaths. Webb sees out the door and almost passes out he got so upset. So, we follow them down the driveway. It felt so good outside. The wind was blowing and you could tell rain was on it's way. The fresh air did me so good (and my headache was gone. YAY!!! Thank the Lord for caffeine)! When I came in, I started on dinner: lemon pepper tilapia, quinoa, and sauteed mushrooms.

I saw that a Christmas movie was coming on at 8pm and decided to let Dane stay up late.

We cleaned up from dinner, did dishes, I got stuff together for our Purse Swap that is at my house tomorrow, and then I remembered! Santa had sent me an email for Dane. I called him to the computer and let him watch. He is so cute with his precious imagination. He loved it and would answer every question Santa had for him. Want to have Santa send your child an email (trust me, it works wonders!!!)? Go here. Last year, Dane loved his email from Santa, this year, he loved it even more. It has a video where Santa talks to your child by name and also has pictures of your child. Anyways, we had fun with that. I was so emotional, that I cried as I watched Dane's response to the email. LOL. I'm about to drive myself nuts!

Me and the boys had bathtime and I decided to get Webb to sleep. It had been a long day for us all. I tell Brent to make Dane some popcorn (a really special treat in our house) and turn on his Christmas movie. Webb goes right to sleep and I join the boys in the living room. When the movies go off at 9pm, I get Dane ready for bed, and he goes to sleep. Brent tells me he think we need to head to bed too. I look at him weirdly. He says, "I think an early night would do us both good." What a nice way to tell me I'm sleep deprived and grumpy. LOL. I agree with him and decided to leave my blog for this morning. We were in the bed by 9:30pm. Sleep didn't come immediately for me, but I was still able to rest while my mind went a million different directions. I woke up at 5am on time, and more importantly, REFRESHED and ready to go! This is going to be a great day. I already feel so much better!

I think my problem might be that I'm going to start my period back. I still haven't had one since having Webb (just another perk to nursing!). It has been over 2 years since I had one and been over 4 years since I had one every month (thank you Dane and Webb!). I think it is messing with my body. If it is not that, I would blame this on stress. I am not used to stress. It takes a lot to stress me out and I can honestly say, I am stressed out right now. LOL.

Anyways, I need to get off here and start on my preparations for the Purse Swap. I am REALLY looking forward to having all my girlfriends over for our annual swap. We always have the best time when we get together and tonight should be no different! I need to clean, make my dip and the punch, and get all the last details for the 3 games we are playing sorted out. I also need to come up with some ugly PJ's to wear. We have to wear our ugliest ones and the ugliest gets a prize. This should be fun!!!

Have a terrific Tuesday :D

Sunday

This post will be short and sweet. I am in the middle of a movie with my hubby and remembered I haven't posted yet. We are watching, A Time To Kill and it is really good. The commercials are longer than the actual movie though. Bummer. It came on at 8pm and is on until 11:21. WHAT??? Late night for  us.

This morning, we got up and thankfully, I felt better. VERY weak, but better. We had breakfast, did laundry, got our church stuff together and went to church.

We are so fortunate to go to an amazing church. We go to Liberty Baptist Church in Chickamauga GA. The pastor and his wife are so loving and kind as well as all of their family. We have felt welcomed there since we both started coming. The entire church is so friendly and genuine. We have so many friends within the church too. It's sort of crazy. I have never had a close knit group of friends like I have now. I come from a close church and I was tight with my friends that I had there. This is different somehow. I am older and married. My husband and I have close friends. Our friends have children who are best friends with our kids. We have the greatest friends ever in the church. We know we can count on them for anything and we feel so blessed that the Lord led us to Liberty. I cannot imagine going anywhere else.

After church, my mom and dad asked to take the boys home. I wasn't expecting that, but I agreed. Brent and I wondered what to do with no kids??? We ended up going to a Chinese restaurant in LaFayette. Our church was putting on the annual community Christmas Concert featuring the Ball Brothers. It started at 3pm and we knew to go home and fix something for lunch would be a pain. After that, we went into the Dollar Tree and Hibbett Sports. We were going to go to Fort O before the concert but we realized we didn't have enough time. So, instead, we went to Ace. It was on my list of things to do tomorrow and I knew it would be a huge help to go ahead and cross that off and not have to take both boys in there by myself. I bought a 5-gallon bucket and Nels Naptha Soap for homemade laundry soap. It was then time to head to the church for the concert.

(Yes, I know I said this would be short and sweet, but my hubby just said he was tired of watching the movie and he would rather play his PlayStation 3. Now, I have all the time in the world.)

The concert was great!! I enjoyed the music as well as the fellowship.

We came home and ate dinner and got the house picked up a bit. The house looks like a tornado went through it on Sundays. It's always a mad dash to get ready even though we know what time church starts each week. Sunday mornings are crazy at our house!

My parents came over after the concert. Mom was making me a new bow for my tree since mine that was packed away in storage was beyond repair! So nice!! Thank you, MOM!!!! Even Brent noticed how much better the tree looked with a new bow. She also helped me figure out a few details for the purse swap I have at my house this week.

They left and we got everything cleaned up. I went ahead and made lunches for me and the boys for tomorrow. I am going to the gym in the am, Walmart, Costco, Ingles, the Chiropractor, the bank, and possibly getting an oil change. It will be a long day, but I have so much that I need from town!

We got the boys ready for bed. Dane insisted on wearing his "work-out" outift to bed-- shorts, a cutoff Spider man T-shirt, workout gloves, and his running shoes. Yes, he is asleep now with all of that on :D

Webb was wound up again (Thanks mom and dad for the ice cream you gave him. LOL) and would not settle down. He was cracking us up. He finally went to sleep.

Since my hubby has the TV all to himself now, I'm going to pack my bag for the gym.... I will have to shower there and then I shall call it a night.

One last thing. I found this Friday morning and I loved it! Thought I would share it with you. It is 101 Ways To Tell Your Husband, "I Love You". I know so many times I am a grouch towards Brent and I nag him and make our home not so enjoyable or relaxing for him. This was a great reminder of my role as his wife. Our home should be a safe haven for him. He should feel loved and safe here always. I have failed more than I care to admit. As we enter this new year, I will be attempting to show Brent how much I love him and appreciate him daily. I want him to feel like he has the best wife in the whole world. I know I sure have the best husband! Hope you enjoy this link as well :D

Goodnight.