BRING THE RAIN
I know there are a lot of you out there who may have already watched this video. It is the one posted on Angie Smith's blog. But if you haven't...

Watch this video http://www.vimeo.com/951902/
About Todd and Angie Smith (Selah)
What amazing insight into the Love of God.

Let me know your thoughts.

10 Guilty Pleasures

1. Above anything else there is Dr. Pepper.

2. Then there is Starbucks. I have gone from drinking the wonderful Chi Latte 240 calories and 40 grams of sugar (oh my gosh!) to Solo Skinny Hazelnut Latte 130 calories and 17 grams of sugar. This is interesting to me because I thought the Skinny lattes were make with sugar free syrup. Anyhoo, its better than the Chi, right?

3. Mimi's cookies. I don't care what color, shape, or season of the year. I love her cookies!!

4. Blogging. or more appropriately stalking blogs.

5. Eating out in Dallas. I love the awesome restaurants in uptown D-town. Some of them are very pricey but when I am eating alone, it is sooo worth it to have good food. And I don't eat expensive every weekend. Sometimes all I can deal with is driving through Taco Bell.

6. spray tanning. Can someone actually be neon white?

7. Paying to much to have my hair done. But I like the way she does it.

8. Travel size soaps, shampoos, conditioners, deodorant, face soaps, q-tips, etc. Yes, they are practical for my "Rescue-pack" (do your kids watch Diego?), but I have always liked the mini size stuff. There have been times I have bought things that I did not need b/c the travel size was "cute". Come on its only a dollar!

9. Thursday nights. But only when it is girls night out. Everything else about Thursday night is the same as Mon. Tues. etc...

10. In Style magazine.

So there you have it. There are many more guilty pleasures, but I refer to them as necessities.
What are your guilty pleasures? What do you love? What is it you do when there is $20 in your purse and it is screaming at you?

I HEART BUNKO NIGHT!








Except for when it is my turn to host. Everything turned out great, but i am not the natural entertainer. I wish that it did come easy for me and I absolutely loved it, but I don't. What I do love is when all the prep work is done and everyone is here. Now it is time to relax and roll some dice.
Anyhoo, I stress out when people come to my house. Here is the crazy lady's confession...I worry. Are they going to like my chicken. I hope everybody eats broccoli. Now what about my house, is it clean enough. The dishes really need to go into the dishwasher now. When am I going to have time to put on my makeup. I hope they like the drinks. Will everyone show up? Why do I have so much CRAP in my house. I need a new table. The ceiling fan is disgusting. Mike needs to hurry up and get home so I can put him to work on his list. I CAN'T DO IT ALL!!! Pay, please pick up the pillows and blanket and put them back up. Ashley, I really need you to clean your room right now. I hate this huge TV. I wish the fish tanks would disappear. I need a bigger house. Look at this yard. Why do I have so much CRAP outside my house. The back deck and yard are a mess. I just don't have time to clean that up. I know every one will see all the junk on the back deck, but I just can't clean it.
Were you holding your breath while reading this. I was holding mine while typing. I'm OK though. Only passed out once.

Side-bar...Do y'all ever notice how you type when you are passionate about something? I have noticed that I am typing fast and pounding on my poor computer when I am really trying to get my point across. I feel like a concert pianist. You know what they look like. rocking back and forth. Hands up and down constantly. Head bobbing in different directions. Then, when done... Silence... Hands in the air. Sweat beads on my upper lip.

Anyway!! Bunko turned out wonderful and I think everyone had a good time. The chicken was good, I must say. We were 3 people short but it worked out.

You ladies looked AWESOME in your frugal finds!

I am looking forward to the next time I host. Not the prep part, just the part where my friends come over to have a good time!

FRIDAY NIGHT

It is not the ordinary Friday night scene here at our house. Mike is gone camping in Arkansas. The kids are at my friends house (thanks Ken and Kristen:)). And I am here alone. Of course it is not a night of luxury for me. Nope, just Starbucks, a shower and to bed I go. Got to get up early for my two hour commute to work. But, since i was walking by my computer, thought I would whine to y'all for a sec.
A "normal" Friday night for us is dinner out, come home, I am rushing around trying to find what scrubs are clean and a shirt that will match, iron, clean underwear, do I have nightclothes packed?, what about socks, oh yeah, I need socks. Now, where did I put my tennis shoes?
"HAS ANYONE SEEN MY TENNIS SHOES?"
Oh, here they are - right here on my feet.

TV blaring what ever is on Disney Channel.

"I WILL NOT TELL YOU AGAIN TO GET YOUR TEETH BRUSHED, NOW"
"OK, I'M TURNING OFF THE TV" (screams, moans) (pitter-patter of feet off to the bathrooms)

"Pay, go tell your daddy it is time to come inside and help" (Payton screaming at the top of his lungs from the back door.)(me thinking, well, I could have done that)

Kids finally in the bed. Now two CD players blaring different tunes.
"Mom, do I have to go to bed right now?"
"No, Ashley. Do you have a book to read? Then go read"

"Mike, the kids want some water"

NOW, shower, get in bed, watch some TV and fall asleep at 11:30 (or later)

Tonight, just me. It's nice not to have 3 sets of teeth to look after and 3 bladders to empty and water for everyone. BUT, I have become so accustomed to the CD players and all the closet lights on and saying "brush your teeth" 101 times.
Now, all I here is the fish tank running, my cat snoring in my ear (the stupid cat snores, who knew?) and the dog barking outside. I guess I would like to try this staying at home alone for a night when I don't have to be on the road by 4 am. For right now, I just pray that I won't get scared. Which brings up another issue.
Why do I get scared at my house, in my town - but I don't get scared while I'm at the hotel in big D? Well ok, sometimes I get a little nervous.

Guess I'll sleep now.
Nothing else to do.

PLAY GROUP AT THE ZOO!!



Are these some cute kids or what? I love play group dates! Anyone would be blessed with these girls and their children as friends. I am continually blessed by these ladies!!

Jealous?



You must be jealous if you do not live where I live. It was BEAUTIFUL outside today. I had to call my grandmother and brag about the weather. Who does that? Brag to their grandmother? I DO. Love ya grandma. I really called her to let her know that I was thinking of her and missed her because it felt like I was in Colorado today (which is where she lives). That is when I found out that it snowed there yesterday and she felt the frost bite kicking in on her way up to the mailbox. Anyway, low humidity, 74 degrees, and a nice breeze. Awesome! Doesn't sound like Texas does it? I'm sure next week I will be totally miserable, that's just the way it rolls here.






















Pay and I had to do some art on the drive way. Pay's pic is so good, don't you think? Truth is...I did that...He wanted me to. But he still wanted to take the credit for it. That's ok with me.

In other news... I got my contacts today. You know, sometimes I wonder if I really need glasses/contacts or is there really a problem? Since I have worked in a Dr. office before, there were time when I thought to myself, "Why is he prescribing that?" "This patient does not have problems that warrant this treatment?" "Whatever...I'm not the doctor." That is why I think this way. There has been improvement, post spectacles, but really do I need them that bad? All I know right now is these contacts are not comfortable. My eyes itch, I feel a headache coming on, and I have to consciously blink, a lot. If you have any words of encouragement that will keep me wearing these things, Please send it my way.

SPECTACLES, TIRE SWING, AND GETTING OLDER

I have gone my 33 years of life and never any trouble seeing. The past couple of weeks I've had headaches in the morning and headaches in the evening. So, I am lucky enough to start wearing glasses/contacts.
This has not been a pleasant experience, however. There is no love for the Dr. I am seeing. He is professional, which is a plus. But, no personality AT ALL. I just wonder how people get through life with no personality and playfulness. Maybe because he had such offensive halitosis, no one wants to be around him, therefore he has not developed interpersonal skills. Also, the way he said "clear-err" annoyed me. That is exactly how he said it too. With the hyphen. He didn't say the hyphen though.



Mike made this tire swing for the kids this weekend. Apparently they played all weekend on it. I have issues with this. Look how much fun they are having!! Aren't they sweet. Yeah, they are not able to push themselves on this swing. Do you know what that means. You guessed it....I get to spend a lot of time pulling a rope to swing them. My other problem is this...What if the rope breaks and someone is not paying attention. Ashley's head is up approx. 7 ft. That could be a serious closed head injury. But, I am the mom otherwise known as the constant party poop-er. (tee..hee..hee. poop-er)


Mike is now the big 4-1. He was so sad yesterday. There are many things causing him to be sad. The fact that he is 4-1 does not seem to be one of the reasons. Maybe it is a little. So, balloons make everyone happy, RIGHT? Forty one balloons in my car...They were hitting me in the back of the head!! Now as I speak (type) they are hitting me in my head again. This time we are in my living room and there is a very busy 4 year old making them dance all over the living room. There is also a dog growling at the very busy 4 year old.

What a week. Gotta go, church is calling.

WHAT DO YOU THINK?

Watch this -> http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

There are several things that come to mind when I watched this.

1.) It is scary that she has such an influence over so many people.
2.) She says "What about Jesus?" (in the video clip) as if He is just another man on the street.
3.) This goes against everything we learn from the Bible.
Many other things bother me, but lets stop there.

Of course, there is a very uneasy feeling in my gut.

She took "god" out of the box? What in the world is she meaning? I never knew God was in a box.

But there were also false prophets among the people, just as there will be false teachers among you. They will secretly introduce destructive heresies, even denying the sovereign Lord who bought them-bringing swift destruction on themselves. 2Peter 2:1 (from BlueLetterBible.org NIV version)

I urge you, brothers, to watch out for those who cause divisions and put obstacles in your way that are contrary to the teaching you have learned. Keep away from them. For such people are not serving our Lord Christ, but their own appetites. By smooth talk and flattery they deceive the minds of naive people. Romans 16:17-18 (from BlueLetterBible.org NIV version)


I must tell you that I have not researched this extensively. These are a couple of scriptures that stood out to me. The fact is, it does not matter if I am vastly educated on this subject or not, it disturbs me because it is not in alignment with the Word of GOD.

How do you feel?

MY ASHLEY

















I want her to stay a little girl, as we all do with our children. But, I know she must grow up. That's just the way things work here (just in case you were wondering). However, the anxieties that I am having are almost overwhelming at times. I want her to be prepared for the changes going on with her body. She needs to know about when she starts her period. etc... The American Girl book has been helpful and I think has taught her some things. So that's good. Right?

Our latest issue is her not minding and lying. I am sure they are both normal for her age. How do you keep the communication open with your pre-teen girl? Please let me tell you, her lying is not a frequent thing. We just had a episode last night at bedtime. Mike and I have always told Ash that she will be in a lot more trouble if she does lie to us. And, to date, it has worked.

Our strategy at this point is to pray, pray, pray. This is the only thing I know to do. Of course, I ask for your advice and love to hear it, but it all boils down to me praying that God will cover her with His hand of protection, and praying with Ashley for wisdom for us both to walk through this time in her life together. Also, asking God for our communication lines to always be open (with Him and each other).

Is that Ross?


Most of you remember the Friends episode where Ross spray tanned, right?



Well, I am going to attempt the Mystic tan next week and see how it goes. My fear is that I turn out like the guy in the pink jacket and blue pants. Y'all don't laugh at me if I do look like that. Actually, you can laugh at me if I look like that. For more pictures to make you feel better, check out this blog.

I just looked at some of the other pics on the above blog. There are some that are funny and some that are disturbing to be. Just BEWARE if you are going to check out some of the funny stuff! Don't do it with your children beside you.

APRIL FOOLS

My friend Becky called me and left a message that I needed to call her as soon as I got up. I was worried sick over her last night, so of course I called her right away. She said she won the lottery and wanted me to go to Austin with her to claim it. The Texas Two Step $350,000. Of course, I kept saying "you did not!" "quit joking me!" "no way!" "Are you serious?" "No you didn't". Finally getting to the point where I was starting to believe her, I asked if she was going to pick me up because I was not going to have my car today (another story in itself, still due to the wreck I had 3 1/2 weeks ago). She was so happy and excited, which she absolutely needs right now!

Then...

She said it...

April fools!

You will pay BECKY! Oh yes! Payback's a comin'!!