Sleepless AGAIN!

Okay so although I have many things to help me sleep at night, it seems none of them are working. I still wake up and go through the day exhausted as when I was not even sleeping at night. It does not make sense. I am eating better, taking vitamins, and even being more active than normal. I am not sure. Maybe its just a period of adjustment for my body. Either way I hope I start feeling rested soon or I am gonna have to take a week or so to just sleep. Speaking of a week. Last Wednesday I started a Bible Study at my church. Breaking Free by Beth Moore. Whew. Nothing like having a spunky little blonde woman give you a spiritual butt whoopin every week. I have also started in a new Sunday School class. Which is even more exciting because I actually KNOW my teacher and there is some work assigned in that class. Finding the time to get all of the footwork done has been a chore... With EVERYTHING else that is going on. Homeschooling and trying to juggle spending time with my husband and kids in there too. But I am sure I will manage. If I put God first he will give me plenty of time to do it all or he will weed out the things that can wait till later. My "lifestyle change" is going good. Im trying not to call it a diet. I have done really well at eating healthy foods, less junk and more water. I have even started eating breakfast and taking a multivitamin that has helped a lot too. I cant wait until I can get into a gym and start working out. I enjoy walking but it hurts so much. I get shin splints and they are extremely painful. I really do try and push through them but to no avail I cant get over them. Hopefully once I get some more weight off it will be easier. At least that is what I am praying. I will find out on the 28th how much weight I have lost. Praying its what I am hoping my goal would be. Anyways! I hope you all have a blessed day.

A Little of This and a Little of That...

Kind of happy, kind of sad.

OK so here is day one of one of my "resolutions" is to blog more. On a daily basis... As you can see I have already missed 6 days of blogging... ALREADY.. So I guess you could say I got off to a rocky start. So here goes. There are actually many things I want to blog about... Just have to get my thoughts in order. Might start utilizing my Blog Planner. Im big for making lists and planners and things I just usually do not stick to them. Terrible isn't it? With three kids you would think I would organize and stick to it. NOT! My  three kids and husband is probably the reason I DO NOT stick to it. So if you are reading this and it has been a day since I have blogged feel free to kindly remind me. As with New Years there is always a time for you to restart and work on yourself. I have some medical issues that I am addressing and in order to do that I am having to make a serious lifestyle change. I mean really, when is a lifestyle change NOT serious? Especially when it comes to something that you have done for a while and it is time to change it? But, If I want to be on this planet and HEALTHY for my children as they grow up and get older I need to get on it. Well Bible Study is starting back up and might I say I am SO ready for it. Nothing like getting your Spiritual butt handed to you each week.  It helps though that with the move I have found a wonderful church to go to with a phenomenal group of women to worship and fellowship with. I was so worried that no church would ever amount to the one I left back home but God showed up and showed off and placed me in a church that is just as wonderful as the last. God has blessed me so much, its time to start showing him I appreciate his love. Lord knows I do I just do not show it like I should. Today is such a bitter sweet day for me. And I do not know how much I can blog into it but today 9 years ago I lost my first baby sister. You can see pics and read my blog on her before Here and on my Grandmothers website she made for Carly Here. It was a difficult time in my life as I had just found out I was pregnant and the next day I turn around and bury my 3 month old sister that I have wanted all my life. Many thought I would be jealous of her being I was the only girl but when I walked into the NICU and seen her precious little face... I have to admit... being my first baby sister she was my favorite out of the twins. I love them the same but there is just something about a baby sister. I fell in love.. Looking back I was so hurt but the pain in my heart is nothing compared to what my dad and step mom went through. I cannot even begin nor want to begin to imagine. I just pray that the hurt eases as time passes knowing that on this day as Carly is looking down at us God is snuggling her in his arms saying "No worries my precious child, they will all be ok and one day they will get to hold you in their arms like I am now." 6 years to the day after my sister passed my first biological nephew was born. Oh sweet Michael. He is just too sweet. Now you all know that as a proud Aunt I wrote a blog about him too! So you can read about that Here! We also live with him so you will probably read about him quite frequently. His maternal grandparents are in town so he is out and about with them but we will celebrate with him later!  I will get into more detail about things later on to give me some blog post ideas. Thanks everyone for taking the time to read my blog. Your feedback, comments and time are deeply appreciated! I hope you all stay warm and have a blessed day!

A Day (or two or three) Behind!

Im always a day behind writing my blog. Usually after a busy day I am too tired to type up a blog and post pics and what not or I write one in the middle of the day and then do fun stuff after that I post the next day. Quite crazy.Now Iit's gonna be a few days in between my posts unless I can muster up some spare time this weekend from visiting family and post a blog or two if I'm lucky. Either way I hope everyone has a safe and blessed weekend.

Family Days

Sitting in the car line waiting on my new buddy to get outta school I'm reflecting on so many things. Listening to my daughter and nephew ramble on and on about sweet things that make absolutely no sense lol. Either way I love Mondays and Tuesdays. Those are family days and days we do things with everyone and have all day to do it. Today grocery shopping the. To find the perfect tree. =) Already stopped by the mall to have my wedding ring taken care of and even a little visit with Santa. .....

-Break-

Okay well now its the evening chill time and Im having a nice warm cup of coffee. Looking forward to decorating our beautiful tree! Its HUGE! 11 feet tall!! Oh yeah!! This family knows how to do it up right. Not to mention it helps to have a house with high ceilings to do it with. Let me say finding the "perfect" tree was not easy. We are all very picky and particular about certain things about the tree. Needs to be tall, full to the bottom, straight, green, smells good, ya know things like that. 

-Break again-

Haha so a blog I started yesterday afternoon is finally getting finished. Too funny! Anyway got the tree up its about 11 feet tall! So excited! Now we just have to start decorating. Will post pics when it is complete. Hope everyone had a great weekend!!!! =)

Corner Office!

I bet you are wondering how 5 adults, 5 children, 4 dogs, 1 cat and some fish fit into a house together. Well, we do and for the most part we fit well. Which brings me to the "office". One of my favorite parts of the house. Where we are all together but sometimes doing our own things. I have a cute "corner" office set up with my new desk I recently got and hubbs inherited my old one so now he has a desk as opposed to a table he had his computer stuff sitting on. Anyways, I love this room.

My "office" is the one all the way to the left, then hubbs is next to mine, sis in laws is straight across, my little brothers is in the right corner and my big brothers is all the way to the right. NEAT huh! Im surprised the govt does not come and arrest us lol. Here is a close up of my work area!

Again, I love my new desk in the corner. Kind of opens up the room some more. So in my boredom in between school, household duties, family time, reading, gaming and watching movies my older brother has turned me on to coloring. NO, I can not color like him. He has such a creative imagination and quite talented I might add. But I have started coloring too I know sounds immature too. But I throw on some music (my fav is Celtic Music for Reading and color away. Has a way of clearing you mind even for a moment. Here are a few of the ones I have done that my older brother has not took off to his room to keep for himself. =D

This last one is my work in progress. Anyway. Nothing huge. Just coloring Tinks friends! I have yet to color one with Tink actually in it. lol. Just a lil something extra as a time filler... like I do not have enough to do. Got some Christmas shopping done. Got a couple things for the kiddos even got my hubby a lil something. one of the great things about the area I live in is we went to wal-mart Thursday night about 11pm and it was just like it was any other day. Actually less busy in my opinion. So it was nice not to have to deal with the crowd. Biggest crowd was at Ulta and Old Navy and still it was not even that bad. SO my Black Friday in itself was fun. Even got to spend some extra time with some great friends we have met down here! =) Anyways, I hope everyone had a great Thanksgiving and a safe Black Friday, enjoy the rest of your weekend! =)

Happy Thanksgiving

1 Chronicles 16:34 O give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting.

Today is Thanksgiving for most. We had ours a couple of days early due to hubbs job and where his days off fall. Its very chilly here. Definitely not what I expected from these parts of the country. But its ok I have my nice warm cup of coffee to sip on and my sis in law has a delicious pot of chili slow cooking on the stove, which might I add smells delicious. So since I do not have to slave over an oven or a stove all day I get to sit back and reflect on the many things I can and am thankful for. So because I didn't do the each day what I am thankful for this month I am going to do it here. So, here goes, in no particular order!

25 Things I am Thankful For:

1. God

2. Jesus

3. My salvation

4. My family

5. My home

6. My husbands job

7. Homeschool

8. Cofee

9. Makeup

10. Clothes

11. Family Days

12. Soldiers

13. Forgiveness

14. My friends

15. Cell phones

16. Books

17. My Church

18. Womens Bible Study

19. Harleys

20. Awanas

21. The Internet

22. My fur babies

23. My health

24. My happiness

25. Time

There. That just about all the big things. Of course I am thankful for so much more but that is at least 25 of them. I am actually going to Black Friday shop. Yes I know I am so crazy my first time ever. Once again Hubbs and I have agreed not to get each other anything but we will see how that goes. Usually one or both of us break down and break the agreement. We want to take care of our kids and others gifts first. Sigh... Gonna be a fun but busy busy Christmas! Have a very safe and Happy Thanksgiving. Remember those who can not be home with their families. 

Life as we Know It!

Things have been going wonderful here in Florida. Hubbs loves his job and I love the family I am with. Though I am missing quite a few terribly the ones I have here fill in most of the gaps. I was very nervous about finding a church group that I would love as much as I do the ones from back home but God blesses doesn't he? I have found a wonderful group of women here and I just adore each and every one of them. They make me smile and laugh and make me think. They are the epitome of what a Godly woman should look like, act like and love like. I was truly blessed. =) I am really enjoying living with my brother and his family. We have our hiccups as any close siblings do but we manage to work through them and move on from it. Its a choice that the hubbs and I have made. We choose to stay here and live with my brother and his family we don't have to. We figured with the holidays coming up so soon we would be together all the time anyways might as well continue to live together you know. Much easier than spending the whole day together till late at night and having to drive home with 3 oh so tired children. Never the less we are ultimately happy with our decision. Another plus is with my older brother being here I have had an opportunity to get to know him better. We did not spend much time together as children, of course it was just the circumstances that life presented but now I am glad to have the chance. We both have so much to learn and talk about with each other. Most is we agree to disagree but its great either way. With the holiday break from Bible Study is in full swing I have been debating on doing one on my own. My sister in law and I want to start one together and we have chosen one I have just been lacking in the motivation. Sigh. Isn't it wonderful that God does not lack in his motivation when it comes to his precious children. Makes you feel even worse when he does so much for you but you can not seem to muster up 15 mins to devote to him in prayer and reading his word. I have to admit I am guilty of this quite frequently. I was however blessed with a precious gift of tickets to going to Living Proof Live and see Beth Moore speak. What a phenomenal woman. A love for the Lord. Her worship team was a whole other blessing in itself. I bought the CD to prove it. So in one year I have had the opportunity to see Anne Graham Lotz and Beth Moore. Still... the fire in my heart is not burning as it used to. I struggle with that. As I am sure many Christian women do. What do I need to do to get revival in my own heart? Where do I begin? I sit here pondering looking at the stack of books I purchased at LPL trying to figure out which one to begin with. >.< There are so many things I am STILL struggling with, anger, resentment, jealousy you know silly things like that. I have had hints about the next bible studies to come and if they are what I am hoping they are I am REALLY gonna need them. Funny when you look forward to getting a spiritual spanking. We have no plans on going "home" for the holidays. Not because we do not want to, we just cant. My parents are joining us for Christmas. I always look forward to seeing them. Homeschooling has been going O.K. I have envisioned me being on top of everything every day and my children loving school and me loving it as well. Some days.... not so much. Its a struggle. Especially with kids of 3 different grades and 3 different mentalities. But in my heart I still feel like it is the best choice for my children and our family. So now that I have thrown you back and forth and to and fro with my extremely scattered update I am hoping AGAIN to stay on top of my blogging. I hope you all have a blessed and safe holiday season!