34 Balloons for 34 Years and 34 Things

Age doesn't really bother me.  I didn't get all freaked out when I turned 30 and I am not freaking out today.  Today I am 34 and I'm thankful for another year.  I can honestly say I physically feel better (concerning arthritis) this year than I did last year, so I celebrate that blessing!  Actually I'm quite blessed and I don't mean I only have one thing to celebrate.  So in honor of my 34th birthday I am posting 34 things I am thankful for and some of them are not so obvious.  ~Smile~

1. God.  Everything about God.  Cannot, will not and do not want to live without Him.
2. My Bible ~ it keeps me sane.
3. My hubby ~ 14 years together and we are both still alive. Love him with much muchness. ~Wink~
4. My kids ~ 13 years of being a mommy and everyday I still pray I am getting it right.
5. My parents ~ couldn't ask for a better set of parents.  They rock!
6. My girlfriends ~ where would a girl be without them??
7. My Pastor and First Lady ~ They have blessed me more than they can ever know.
8. My family ~ blood and otherwise, our family is awesome!
9. Homeschooling ~ I am thankful I have the right to choose and I love it! (most of the time)
10. Yarn ~ it gives me a hobby, a way to earn a little cash and inspires creativity.
11. Fun crochet hooks ~ they make my already fun hobby even more fun.
12. My iPhone ~ it is not a necessity, but it keeps me smart ~Smile~
13. Books ~ it allows me to travel to different times and places without leaving my cuppa tea and my cozy couch.
14. My iPad ~ for many reasons, but mostly for electronic books.  See above.  ~Wink~
15. My dishwasher ~ Heaven knows I do not enjoy doing dishes, so my dishwasher is very special to me.  
16. Flip flops ~ I hate wearing shoes.  Flip flops allow me to, almost, not wear shoes from April to October.  Divine.
17. Ginger ale.  Yes, I truly love ginger ale and today I am thankful for it.
18. My journal.  I pour all my words into that journal and therefore I run my mouth less otherwise.  ~Wink~
19. Toilet paper.  I think that one is self explanatory.  
20. My mini van.  It's older and not the most fabulous van around, but it gets me where I need to go and it puts space between the children.  ~Smile~
21. Ear buds.  I love being hands free to talk.
22. Our homeschool group ~ They are an awesome group of homeschool families and I'm truly thankful we are apart of HELPS.
23. Facebook ~ Some days I'm thankful for FB and other days not so much.  But I am thankful that it keeps me close to friends and family far away.
24. St. Louis Bread Co CWE ~ I'm thankful for them because they are awesome and welcoming to our church plant.  
25. The Movement ~ I am thankful for our church plant for so many reasons!!
26. FroYo ~ Who doesn't love frozen yogurt??
27. Bobby pins ~ Those little pieces of mental make a world of difference in hair style.  ~Smile~
28. Maxi dresses ~ Comfy clothes are a must.  Because of maxi dresses I can be comfy and still look nice and modest.  
29. Washer and Dryer ~ This is a no brainer.  When you have laundry in the quantities we have, these are a blessing!!
30. Hubby's job ~ It's a blessing, with good insurance and benefits.  I thank God daily for it.  (Which by-the-way, he started at exactly two years ago today.)
31. Trees ~ I love trees, the colors, the flowering varieties especially.  They provide shade and oxygen.  I am thankful for oxygen, despite the pollen, I do love the trees.
32. Ability to move ~ Because I have a debilitating arthritis, I am thankful for another year of being able to move.  I may not get to do everything I would like too, but I'm better this year than last and for this I am abundantly grateful!
33. Fresh fruit ~ There is nothing sweeter and yummier than fresh strawberries, grapes, watermelon, cantaloupe and the list goes on.  God out did Himself with the Creation of fruit.  ~Smile~
34. My gray hair ~ I don't have an abundance yet, but I do like them.  Why am I thankful for them?  At least it's still hair on my head.  I'd rather have gray, than none at all.  ~Wink~

So today, my 34th birthday, I shall play with my kids and have a milkshake with them, we will go to the bookstore, we will read a funny book, possibly do a lapbook, fold laundry (because that's a given) and do a load of dishes (another given), we will giggle and laugh as much as possible and I will end the day with Bible study in the Central West End.  

It will be a great day.  

Some Days

Some days just do not start well.  Nothing epically horrific has happened, just a morning where nothing seems to go right.  More irritating than bad. The toothpaste is gone and you thought you had another tube, but as it turns out, you don't (so adults and kids alike are brushing with watermelon toothpaste).  There are four hundred socks in the clean laundry for your hubby but there are absolutely no matching pairs (really?!?!?).  You walk out the door without your keys and your eleven year old (thankfully) has her key and can let you back in to get said keys.

I know we would all like to wake up 100% refreshed and ready to start the day.  We would like for everything to just fall right into place with no hiccups at all.  We would like to float our way to work or through schoolwork/housework (whatever the case may be).  It would be appreciated if our boss/coworkers/family (again whatever the case may be) would be appreciative for all we do and be happy, joyful, cooperative people all the time.  We would love for life to just flow along like a peaceful babbling brook. . . . but reality is, sometimes it's more like shooting the rapids.  Sometimes we are flummoxed and socks don't match and the toothpaste is all gone.  Sometimes you forget your keys.  And always as long as we around humans at all, someone might be crabby, tired or unappreciative.

It's life.  It's filled with ups and downs.  It's got twists and turns, small irritations and grand rapids to conquer.  There are good days and bad days.

And then there are some days. . . I keep telling the Lord that a rewind button would be helpful but His response is always the same. . . "Give me all your days daughter and I'll sustain you."  I can't go back, but I can make a choice to not let the rough start drag the entire day down.  Will I let minor irritations ruin my attitude?

God never promised that all my days would be grand, happy, painless and carefree.  He did promise that He would keep me through every single day, no matter what it brings.

So I add toothpaste to the shopping list, continue to look for and match socks and go get a few extra keys made so that we don't have that problem again.  But first, I think I'll talk to my Father.  I think I'll pour my heart out for all I'm thankful for (because there are many things) and for all I still need Him to help me be, then I'll jump on that to do list.





*Yes I am aware that this is Tuesday, with a Meaningful Monday badge.  It just seems to match how my Tuesday is going.  :)

Almost April??

So much for my goal to blog almost daily! Ha! I can't believe it's almost April and its been too long since I blogged!

February blew right past me with no posts whatsoever! We were sick most of February, we passed it round and round. Any posts coming forth in February would have been germ covered and you wouldn't have wanted to read any!

March brought with it spring break vacationing in Indiana, for three of us and Boston for the other two. I took Makiah and Daniel to Indiana and Hubs took Sam to Boston. It was a lovely ten days of relaxing, chilling and taking a break. It. Was. DEE-VINE. Upon returning we have been trying to make ourselves stay home and do school when it's GORGEOUS outside and all of us would rather be at the park! I really didn't want to do school this summer, but it's so nice now and in June and July it will be too hot to move. . . . so do I play now and pay the schoolmarm later?? Since I'm the schoolmarm, I get to decide. We will work till we are done, but we won't pass up some opportunities for enjoying the weather (while it's still enjoyable).

We are however trying to get our big projects done for the academic day at church. Makiah has a space project, a sewing project, a social studies project and two book reports to do. Sam will be making a diorama of creation for his science project, since he officially started first grade in January.

What are you all filling your spring days up with? Are you ready for summer break or does that make you quake with fear? Are you cleaning out? (I am, but that's another post)

Now, I have lots to do this afternoon and Pinterest keeps getting in my way. ~Smile~

I leave you with this. . .

May your swim goggles never be foggy!

A Post About Why

It is a homeschooling post. . . so I posted it here. If you are a homeschooling family or if you are thinking it over, you might be interested in what one homeschooling mama has to say. Since that post is on the kinda serious side, the remainder of this post is all about the funny!

Otherwise, since today it's school talk here are a couple of videos that I must share. I must!

This is just hilarious! And it has truth too it too! If you know a homeschooler and you have asked these, please except these answers and never ask again! ~Laughter~



And if you have never heard this song written by Tim Hawkins about homeschooling families. . cracks me up every time!



I'll be back tomorrow with some Lovelock funnies. . . it's been awhile and I would hate for you all to think that my kids aren't funny anymore!

The Post About Finances (THE Series #2)

I have pretty great expectations for 2012, as my previous posts have stated, but most of those expectations require action on the part of a human. . . . .mostly this human. ~smile~ Which means you could say that I have pretty high expectations of myself, for my part of the awesome that will be 2012!

Every year I sit down and say, "well woman, what will you do differently this year?" Yes, I ask myself this, hopefully, I'm pretty sure it's a silent question. But if I happen to talk to myself out loud, don't judge. Every year we commit to doing something different financially and this year is no different. Being a one income family, well, let's just say we won't be considered wealthy by the world's standard any time soon, we are always looking for a way to free up a spare dollar or two. Sometimes a spare penny! We strive to honor God in every way and finances are no different. So this year, being the family accountant (please, hold your laughter or at least snicker quietly), I sat down and said, "what is something else I can do to help this budget. . . . .legally?" My hubby works hard so that I can stay home and homeschool and generally attempt to raise our kids, so I do what I can like transcription here and there and selling my wares (this is another post all together) to assist in the accumulation of dollars. But, not unlike many others, we would like and need our dollars to go further. So, enough rambling, what are we doing. . .

• We have committed to eating at home whenever possible, with an exception here and there.
• We have committed to leaving our Keep the Change savings account alone, only dipping in when absolutely necessary. This year we would like to take an actual vacation. Novel idea huh? We thought so.
• I have committed to buying our groceries at the healthiest and most cost effective store or market.
• Buying as many items as possible with coupons and buying items on sale.
• We have committed to thoughtful and intentional purchasing (is this a necessary purchase, etc).
• And last but THE MOST IMPORTANT, committing our budget to God. This years financial motto is "Living well on a Godly budget".

We all know that all good things, including our paychecks, come from God. It's not enough to just give our ten percent and then go about our merry way. We need to commit all of our financial situations, good and scary, to Him. When I say we, I really just mean me, because Hubs faith is always mountainous. He is our Jehovah Jireh. So instead of just giving the tithe and offering, we are committing it all to Him. He knows better than I what we have need of and I like the peace of mind that comes with knowing He's got it all in control.

Expectation in a GREAT BIG GOD, requiring the action of LETTING GO INTO TOTAL FAITH from me and being a good steward of His blessings.

I typed this on Sunday evening. . . then I had a major testimony on Monday!!! God is so faithful!!!

A Testimony, A Testimony!!

God is amazingly faithful! God is my Jehavoh-Jirah!! I am abundantly blessed!

My children and I witnessed first hand a miracle this morning. This story is humbling and faith building all in one. I went to Whole Foods to buy our meat for the next few weeks. I grabbed up what we needed and proceeded to checkout. The total stopped at $178 and I cringed a little inside but I wasn't going to change my mind about what I was purchasing. I swiped my card and the lady said, "ma'am I'm sorry but your card isn't working." My heart started pounding and I would have loved to just melt into the floor. I was baffled. I knew there was money in there. So I asked her to suspend my transaction while I called the number. My card was not going to work in that moment. I was confused and mortified and a little stressed because we needed groceries. I pulled the manager (who had bagged my groceries) over where I was off to the side and told her that my card was not working and I was sorry but there was just no way for me to pay and that after I figured everything out I would be back. Again, melting at that point would have been preferred! The young mother behind me in the line had just put her last bag in her cart. She stepped over and said, "I don't mean to interrupt, but I feel like I should pay for your groceries." I was dumbstruck. I attempted to stutter out I can't ask for that but before I could she responded with, "you didn't ask and it's what I want to do". Before I even knew what happened, I was being handed a receipt, being hugged by a stranger and walking out with $178 blessing.

~~PRAISE BREAK~~

I cried the whole way home, thanking God for His provision. I told the Lord over a week ago that I am giving all of our financial situations to Him, fully and left it there. And today God showed me He does hear me, He knows where I am and He knows full well my needs.

If you have doubts that God provides. If you think God doesn't care, isn't listening or doesn't know your needs. . . you are thinking wrong. Let my miracle testify to you of God's unfailing faithfulness!!!

"I have been young, and now am old; yet have I not seen the righteous forsaken, nor his seed begging their bread."~~Psalm 37:25

"He provides food for those who fear him; he remembers his covenant forever."~~Psalm 111:5

"Consider the ravens: they neither sow nor reap, they have neither storehouse nor barn, and yet God feeds them. Of how much more value are you than the birds!"~~Luke 12:24

"And my God will supply every need of yours according to his riches in glory in Christ Jesus."~~Phillipians 4:19

I know I said a series was coming, but I just had to tell of God's blessings! Tomorrow is the first installment of the series of new year, new me.

The End is Near

Of the year that is. I can't believe another is ending. It's been an interesting year, that's for sure. I said that this year would be epic. . . .and it was, just not in the way I was expecting. But it's okay because that means 2012 gets to be magnificent, mind blowing even. It's called expectancy. I am expecting great, marvelous, awe-inspiring things and I am refusing to accept anything less.

I am very excited about 2012. But I'll blog about 2012 later.

2011 was frought with highs and lows that I don't even know if I could adequately put into words. When I think of this year in review I am amazed by God's grace, mercy and faithfulness. Despite the lows and within the highs God's fingerprints are all over 2011. Here are just a few highlights:

• March-miscarriage of Lovelock baby #5
• April-my baby turned 3
• May-my sweet girl turned 10 (she is a whole post alone)
• May-my husband was blessed with a wonderful new job
• May-God started dealing with me on deep heart level that would take me to the wilderness and teach me about me and re-teach me about Him
• June-the first man to join our church plant received the Holy Ghost and baptized in Jesus name!
• July-his fiancé started coming to Bible study and received the Holy Ghost on the patio of St. Louis Bread Co. And then we baptized her
• September-I was diagnosed with Psoriatic Arthritis. I finally had a reason for extreme pain and I started treatment. No exercise at all. I'm still praying for remission. But God is teaching me to count it all joy.
• October-God brought me to new place in Him and showed me what I needed to do about certain areas of my life (this is just more of the same journey started in May). And restored my joy, the joy I hadn't even really realized I had lost.
• November-I picked up my crochet hooks again and I rediscovered my creativity and love for crochet projects.
• December-brought a flurry of activities, church functions and Christmas travel. I made a decision to open an Etsy shop, I have spent a lot of time reviewing this year, making new commitments for next year and making life changing decisions.

It's been quite a year. I left out a lot of details that are just to personal to share or would just be overload, but God took me into the wilderness and I'm journeying to a place of complete sufficiency in Him. I'm still learning, growing and walking in this wilderness. But that's okay, I'm learning to like it out here, in this place where I can hear God so clearly.

While I can't say it was a bad year I can say that closing the chapter that is 2011 is good thing. I'm ready for the next chapter. The next chapter of my personal walk with God, my family and great things in store for The Movment. I'm ready for the highs and the inevitable lows of 2012 because I know God does all things well and no matter the situation, He has it well in hand.

It's the Christmas Season. . . . .

and I can't believe it's been so long since I posted!!! Time is flying past me and I am holding on for dear life!

A quick update:

Fall is over, pumpkins put away and snowmen litter my dining room, living room and kitchen. Thanksgiving was wonderful! My parents came here, I cooked the meal and we just relaxed, played games and had fun. We went on a very quick trip to see friends in Indiana and now we are working on finishing up school work for our Christmas break!!

My fingers are flying, I have many crochet orders to get finished up for Christmas, not to mention the gifts I need to finish. I am loving it though!! I feel my creative juices flowing again, which also helps me to post here! I will post pics here when everything gets done (and given away, I would hate for the receivers to see before Christmas)!

This year has been one of great changes for me in lots of ways, some good, some not so good. There will be more about this in a later post, but from all this life-changiness has come an in depth study of Proverbs 31. Yes, I know, for most women its "the dreaded" chapter of Proverbs. God has been giving me some wonderful insight into this passage as well as working on my heart. I will be sharing some on here too.

I have so much to write about, talk about, praise God for and pray about and I have missed blogging and reading blogs, but I have been dedicating myself to time management. I am ready to add all things bloggy back onto my plate without too much of the plate getting taken up.

Now, back to teaching, I am pretty sure they are running amuck. . . I can blog when they sleep! ~Laughter~

Booting Summer Out the Door

I am so glad today is September 1st! I can bring out all my fall decorations without feeling like I wasn't giving summer a fair chance at all. I am done with summer, bring on FALL!!!

There are so many great things I love about Fall, so today I give you my top 10 Things I Love About Fall List:

10. Going to the zoo and staying all day because you aren't dying of heat exhaustion

9. Crunchy Leaves

8. Seeing all the colors change

7. Playing in the leaves with the kids

6. Doing art projects with leaves, pumpkins and acorns

5. All things pumpkin and fall decor

4. Picking apples at the orchard and then baking apple crisps with the kids

3. Soups, stews and honeycrisp apples!!

2. Visiting the pumpkin patch (probably more than once)

1. Cooler weather and my most favorite holiday THANKSGIVING!!!

Yes, I know I shouldn't love the cooler weather over, well, everything else but I do!! I love the mornings when it's a little brisk. I can sit on the porch with a cup of hot tea or take a walk. I love the way fall smells too. No need to tell me I'm strange, I already know it. There is just something about fall that is just plain wonderful!

I am already gathering all my soup recipes and finding new ones. I am already thinking of all the great projects the kids can do for school projects centered around fall and Thanksgiving. I am pulling out the pumpkins and other fall decor this weekend. I will also be putting together a new fall wreath (my finally just gave up and died after last year).

What do you love about fall? What are your favorite things to do in the fall?

Now, if it wasn't 102 degrees today . . . . . . come on weather, cooperate!!

The Lack of Blogging

This is kind of a piggy back post from yesterday. Kind of. You'll see, read on. ~Smile~

I had every reason under the sun for not blogging. Some of them were good but I had one excuse that was silly~~no blog fodder. While that is untrue, because my children daily give me blog fodder, it's more of a reflection of my own fears of you all being tired of reading about the Lovelock adventures. I felt like I could no longer capture in words something you all would want to read.

Silly, right? Not silly because, maybe you all are tired of reading about the crazy my household comes up with, but silly because it's my blog. I can blog about what is important to me. I can blog about all the silly, crazy, sad, happy, hair-pulling moments in my life and that's okay. Because it's my blog. I'm not getting paid to put out a certain post daily. It's also silly because no one ever made me feel like I was boring them. It was all in my own head. I had a talk with myself (yes, I do answer myself too) and I said to myself this, "Valerie, you are ridiculous. You are not blogging all the cute, funny, crazy, zany moment's because you think someone is bored and is expecting something else. Now you have accomplished no one reading it but it's because you aren't blogging. Get blogging woman, now!" (yes, I yell at myself too)

See for a long time I viewed my blog as a family history book. I wrote because I wanted too, not because someone made me. I blogged because my kids are hilarious and hair-pulling at times. I l blogged because I had things to share and say. I guess I forgot all that. All those moments I don't want to miss, I also want to remember. And the way my rememberer is working, I'll never remember all the funny stuff they say and do. My blog is my way to walk back down memory lane and laugh or cry.

No longer is it, I blogged because or I used to blog. I'm a blogger. I blog about my life with all it's moments, sad ones, happy ones, crazy ones, zany ones, helpful ones. My moments.



Let me just say, that I want you all to read and comment. This is not a dismissal, just a better explanation for my lack of blogging. Smooches, bloggity buds and thanks for putting up with me.

It's the Little Things

This post is a food for thought kind of post. Here we go. . .

A couple of weeks ago (yes, that's how long I have been simmering on this post) I had the pleasure of getting a mani/pedi. I finally used a gift card I got for my birthday and I relaxed and enjoyed the moment. When I got there, it was very slow, only two other women having pedi's too. I sat back, looked at a magazine and enjoyed the quiet. While I was sitting there the place began to fill up and before I knew it almost all the chairs were full.

In the mix of ladies coming in, there was a mother daughter combo. You could tell they were both anticipating their pedi's. ~Bear with me, I am going somewhere with this~ She [Mom] came in all excited and in her hand was her phone. Not shocking, I carry my phone in hand as well. She told the lady in a very excited voice, "today is her [the daughter] 12th birthday, we are here for birthday pedi's." They got settled in, mother beside me and daughter on the other side of mother. ~Pardon me, but I must set the scene~ I closed my eyes and thought to myself to just enjoy the last remaining time I have in this chair. I heard the daughter quietly chatting and the mother's "uh huh, mmmm, yes" responses. At first I didn't think too much about it, I was focused on my feet and how marvelous they felt. A few minutes went by and I heard the daughter saying, "Mom, mom, oh mom" but no response. I opened my eyes and what do you think I saw?? Mom, sitting in the chair, texting. She had not yet put down her phone. Her daughter couldn't even get her attention. Immediately I thought to myself, "wow, you can't stop texting long enough to enjoy your time with your daughter and have conversation with her on her birthday?"

It got me thinking about how many moments in life we miss because we are texting, facebooking or tweeting. A friend of mine told me she wasn't a fan of smart phones because people facebook about what they are doing with their family instead of just being with their family (because you know you can't get on fb and just post, you will read through some statuses of your friends). That comment she made came flying into my memory as I observed this mother/daughter combo.

I left the salon with really happy feet and hands, but I was thinking about what I may have missed because I thought I was too busy with my ______________ (fill in the blank). How many little things did I miss, little moments in time that I will never get back because I was too wrapped up in what I thought was important. I think sometimes we, I know this is true for me, get so busy with stuff that we forget to be present, really present, everyday. The greatest happiness I will have will probably not be a really cool status update of one of my friends (though I enjoy a good status update as much as the next person, it isn't a source of great joy, laughter yes, great and lasting joy, no). The greatest joy (besides God, that should go without saying, but I'm saying it anyway) I have is to really live in the present, taking in all the crazy, funny, sad, thought provoking, challenging, happy, surprising, gentle, loving, caring moments in life. It's what makes up life, you can't throw out the bad without throwing out it all. Really taking it all in, relishing the moments I'm given. Kissing boo-boo's, giving and getting AWESOME hugs from my little ones, passing out time in the naughty spot as needed, teaching Bible stories, staying up with a sick child just to make them comfy, answering 70 billion questions per day on every topic imaginable until I think my brain might explode, talking about boys being cute (oh Lord, Heaven help us now she is only 10), doing home spa treatments with a giggly 10 year old, hearing Sam tell of his inventions and Daniel talk about his friends Bob and Larry and Makiah discuss every Hello Kitty item available in the world for purchase, even potty training and all the good, bad and crazy moments that are too come. Every moment counts. I don't want to look back and say, "man I missed that time in my life because I was too busy reading on facebook and twitter what everyone else was doing in their life".

I want to look back and say, "I took in all the moments I could contain." I really lived present. Present every day, every moment. See, it's those little things that slip through and we miss. It's the little things.

~~DISCLAIMER~~This is not a slam against facebook, twitter or any other social networking site. I still facebook and tweet. I am not saying you should never ever facebook or tweet about your life and family because I do, but I also don't want to be so busy telling of all this cool family time or date night time that I miss the time. That is all. :)~~~~~

Roller Coaster

I do have good reasons for not blogging in the last two weeks. Let me explain.

On February 5th, I got some rather shocking news. I found out that I was expecting again. After about 24 hours of not knowing how to feel, excitement took over and I quickly got used to the idea.

On February 8th the doctor confirmed and I was truly excited. Hubs was still a little in shock. Deer in headlights, best way to describe him. ~Smile~

A week later (Valentine's Day) I had more blood work done to make sure that the numbers were going up correctly. They were not.

After a week of riding an emotional roller coaster, not knowing what was going to happen and being on bed rest the doctor got the results of the last blood draw on Monday.

Miscarried. Another little Lovelock was not to be. Its been an emotional two weeks.

God is faithful. God has given me peace in the midst of my sadness.

Normal blog fodder continues to accumulate and I will be back, I just need a few more days.

Four Drafts, No Posts

That's right, four days in a row I started new blog posts and four days in a row I didn't quite get done.

It's been a little bit of a crazy weekend and I'm kind of still trying to sort through all the crazy that happened. Nothing bad, just, well, crazy. When I have it all worked through in my head, I'll blog about it.

As for this Monday morning I am off and running. Laundry, school, dishes, referee and it's just now 9 a.m. My to do list this week is quite extensive, including but not limited to finishing those four drafts!

I have decided to start spring cleaning by faith that spring will come early and get some things cleaned out around here. We have too many toys, clothes and general stuff and it's time for it to hit the road! So I'm not just cleaning, I'm getting rid of all this unwanted stuff that I have to keep cleaning up. ~Smile~

Well, unfortunately this is all I have for you in the way of a post this morning. I must get busy on my to do list and get my workout in for the day.

Heart Tip~~This is an obvious one, but the one most overlooked. Exercise. Even this people need to get their exercise in. Exercise is not just about losing weight or staying thin, it's about giving your heart a workout, making it stronger, as well as your joints, bones, lungs and muscles. Exercise completes a healthy lifestyle. So I challenge you to get in 40 minutes of cardio at least three times per week. Get movin' and stay healthy! Love your heart, treat it right.

It's Been Awhile

I could come on here and list a whole bunch of reasons why I haven't blogged, but the main reason is I just haven't. I was feeling like my blog was very robotic, I can't explain it. But in the last week or so I have really been missing bloggin' and reading blogs too!! So here I am, going to make a go of blogging more regular like and hopefully my bloggy friends haven't given up on me!

So a lot has been going on since I had a real post up here. Christmas was grand! We had a lovely time with family, having a country Christmas. New Year's was good with the exception that I stayed home from Watch Night Service with a sick 2 year old. I sat some really lofty goals for this year (but don't I every year) but I didn't blog about it. I am sure I'll blog about them as I'm doing them.

The last week I have been on a sick couch with the flu. The real swab-your-nose-confirmed-knock-me-off-my-feet flu. I will never ever again casually throw around the word flu. Today is the first day I have sat at the computer for more than 30 minutes and the first time my head hasn't felt like it was falling off. I'm not dramatic. Seriously. All three kids have had it too, which truly makes for fun times. Oh the tears and fit pitching and whining~~it was worse than the actual illness. Fortunately the kids didn't get it as severely as me (thank ya Jesus) and we are all recovering.

I am sick of snow. I mean really really sick of snow! We have had more than enough snow to last us a few years and I'm ready for spring. You know, 65 degrees, pretty yellow flowers and the kids playing outside spring. I know it's only the end of January but a mama can day dream can't she!??!?

I have been making big health changes around here. I know I have blogged about weight loss in the past which is why I haven't really said a lot on here lately. I ended 2010 weighing 20 pounds less than when I started the year. Not what I wanted to lose, but at least it was a loss and not a gain. I've kicked off this year with new health concerns and medications and a serious determination to fulfill my health goals, THIS YEAR. I am making progress and I hope to put up some before and better pictures (I can't do before and after because it will be awhile before there is an after picture. Better yes, but after will be a while) during heart month!! You all know how serious I am about Heath Month, but this year I am living it and posting about it. You see knowledge is good, but its better when you listen to your own advice. Year after year I have tried to lose weight. This year I have adopted a new motto from a movie character from a movie I've never watched. "Do or do not. . . there is no try."~~Yoda Yes, I just quoted Yoda from Star Wars. I read it somewhere and it just seemed perfect. There is no try this year, just do. So as heart disease is at the forefront of my mind I am hoping that February will be a month of making changes for all of us. Heart month is quickly approaching, check back I have plans!!

Well, I think for today you are adequately brought up to speed. I mean there is more, there is always more, but tomorrow is another day.

Stay tuned, for I am back to regularly broadcasting. Have a happy Thursday!

A Hair-raising Sunday

This is a story of Sunday morning Lovelock hurry scurry. Just a little look into the Lovelock crazy.

I start out early. I always think I'm doing good on time (I later find out, I'm not) and then after I've been leisurely wandering around the hurry scurry begins. Yesterday was no exception. I thought (famous last thoughts) that I had the boys clothes all picked out and ready to go. I thought Makiah's clothes would be a cinch and I knew what I wanted to wear.

Well, I didn't take into account that even though I knew what I wanted to wear I wasn't exactly sure of it's exact location. I mean, I have spent hours getting fall/winter clothes out of storage for the kids, getting everything washed and ready to go. Me, my clothes, not so much. So even though I knew exactly what I wanted, I wasn't sure of where it was. Makiah has a severe skirt shortage (get sewing woman! just a little encouragement to me) so yesterday was one of those days wear we have plenty-o sweaters and shirts but the only skirts to be had were jean skirts. ~Don't ask me what this girl did with her skirts because they weren't hanging up, they aren't in the laundry and they weren't in her dresser. Humpf and Sigh~ So I finally got all the pieces of my outfit located, got the boys dressed, got Makiah's hair fixed and looked at the time. Doing good, minutes to spare I thought to myself and then I remembered~~MY HAIR IS HANGING DOWN MY BACK, IT'S NOT DONE, JUST STARTED!!! I had taken my hair out of the towel and put in the mousse (very curly hair) and I was waiting for it to get dry a little and fluffy (it's long and curly but thin) so I had started the hair but wasn't done. So I went from hurry scurry to crazy mama trying to get everything done mode. As I started working on my hair and picked up the freeze spray, yes, freeze. Empty! Oh no! I grabbed the travel size purple bottle of hair spray and got three sprays out of it. I knew what I wanted to do with my hair and I was silently praying my hair would cooperate and that I would have enough hair spray to hold it all together.

I did and it did. Best hair I've had in weeks. ~Prayer answered, Thank ya Lord for the small miracles in life~ I mean I loved it so much that I wish I had pictures of it. I love it when my hair cooperates with me. I will probably never get it to do that again, isn't that they way it usually goes??

Conclusion to this story: I obviously get better hair when I fix it in crazy mode than when I have lots of extra time to over think it.

Oh! And, we all got out the door fully clothed, hairs all combed and we all had on matching shoes. The day started out well.

Sew Thrilled!!

My parents visited a couple of days ago and they brought with them a wonderful gift!!

On the top of my wish list has been a sewing machine and a couple of months ago my mom mentioned out of the blue (I hadn't told her I wanted one, yet) that they planned on getting me a sewing machine for Christmas. Oh the joy that filled my little heart!! I immediately started planning all the wonderful things I would make once I gave myself a refresher course in sewing. About a week ago mom told me that they were having hard time finding a quality machine in a decent price range. I had been looking and thinking the EXACT same thing. So she informed me that she would be giving me her machine. I was shocked! Her machine is older but a VERY high quality machine. I asked her why and her response was hilarious, "because I don't use it. I like to think I will, but I don't. And I know you will." So Thursday my house get an addition, a sewing machine, cabinet and ALL of her sewing supplies.

My dad carries everything in and I got to laughing. I had forgotten about her sewing boxes. Once I saw them, recollection hit me, but I hadn't thought about those boxes in years! Well I got to laughing because they are 70's olive green plastic. There are two of them, a deep one rectangle one and a more flat rectangle just for thread. Now my wonderful mom had warned me that she had not gone through the cabinets drawers or the sewing boxes in years. That's right, years. So I started going through the three drawers and the two olive green boxes. We uncovered the treasures of Jo-Ann Fabrics, circa 1970's and 1980's. We laughed and laughed. Patches, decals, ric rac in various colors and widths, enough zippers to make a shirt out of zippers, buttons, thread (still in the plastic wrap complete with price tags), needles, needles and more needles. Four, count again, four seam rippers, three pairs of scissors, three tape measures, two pairs of pinking shears, four sewing gauges, two hem gauges, a never-been-cut-out Noah's Ark pocket pillow with animals set and various other sewing goodies. We cracked up! There were also some family treasures in there of my beloved Nanny's. Her last pair of scissors was in there as well as a little bowl with a lid that she had put a dozen bobbins with thread in. Thank you Nanny, I'll not need threaded bobbins for three months.

I have been reacquainting myself with using a sewing machine and I'm getting there! I found some flannel that I had packed away and you should have seen me last night when I realized I can finally make my own flannel wipes!! I made four last night in various sizes and shapes. I figured what better way to get back in the sewing groove by making wipes that no one will see but for cleaning. I can work on keeping everything straight and get some wipes.

Well, I have been up since 4 a.m. I have done and folded one load of laundry, two more are washing and drying, made and a few eaten caramel rolls (Linton's breakfast) and now written a blog post and its only 6:22 a.m. Pretty productive for a non-morning person.

I think I now deserve a nap. ~Smile~

By-the-way, I will be posting pictures of the funniest items from the treasures listed above, but I have to save some things for another post. Have a happy Saturday!!

Oh Blog, How I Have Neglected Thee

Contrary to my current bloggy neglect, I do miss blogging. I do apologize for my long absence in the bloggy world. So on this Saturday morning I will attempt to get my bloggy groove back.

I feel like time is speeding past me in and I'm losing not minutes but days! Does anyone else feel this? I mean, what has happened to October?!?! I am having a hard time wrapping my head around the idea that its almost November! Christmas is right around the corner and I am doing a repeat of last year and having a handmade Christmas (for the most part). So this means I need to get my self in gear and get these projects finished (started in some cases).

Makiah and Sam are doing great in school. Sam is doing so well that we may go ahead and start him in Kindergarten in January. I am still watching and trying to decide what to do. The Pre-K books do not challenge him, but I also don't want to overwhelm him. He will be five in a couple of weeks (mind blowing can you hear the explosion) and he amazes me with what he knows!! Makiah has decided that Math is NOT fun and she would rather do science and social studies. She did such a great job over the summer reading. She read 60 chapter books and I think she has finally decided that she does like reading! Daniel is doing well. He is like a completely different child from this time last year! You would never know that he ever needed any therapies at all. He talks a mile a minute and its clear as a bell! He jumps, runs, rolls, hits his brother~~he is normal. I thank God daily for his healing!!

How am I you ask? Well, thanks for asking. I am doing alright. I have found myself just slightly overwhelmed at times, but I am getting reigned in. I am sure that every mother in the whole world feels overwhelmed at times so I'm in good company. If you have ever read The Cat in the Hat, the page where the Cat is balancing on a ball holding ten things in one hand and ten on the other and his umbrella on his nose??? That is a perfect depiction of how I've felt the last three months. Good thing is, I'm still standing on that ball. ~~Smile~~

I have plenty more to say, but I think I'll draft some more posts now in case that ball I'm on gets wobbly. ~~Smile~~

Our First Week is Completed

We have successfully completed our first week of school!! YAY!! I blogged about it here.

So what else is going on you ask? This week, it's been focusing on getting school off to a good start. But that's not to say that we don't have a LOT of other stuff going on. We are really busy with the church plant and good things are happening there! I am also doing a little bit of rearranging how I take care of the house (for another post). I am still trying to get my home business off the ground and get all the laundry done. So to say that I really have anything to blog about over here today, would be both true and untrue. I have plenty to say, I'm just not able to sit down long enough to get it out in an intelligible format. Although I do have a kidism, courtesy of Makiah.

Monday we went out to eat to celebrate a great first day of school. We went to a local BBQ favorite and Makiah wanted applesauce for a side. Here's how the conversation went:

Me: "Makiah, you haven't finished your applesauce. You normally eat it all up first, what's wrong?"

Makiah: (wrinkles nose) "Mom, it tastes funny. Its, like, got lumps in it."

Me: "Yes, it is similar to homemade applesauce. It just has larger pieces of apple in it. That's all"

Makiah: "Well, I've decided I like the made by someone else applesauce better."

I cracked up. Crazy kid!

Happy Friday everyone! I hope your weekend is fabulous and filled with made by someone else applesauce!

Beginnings

I love new beginnings. Its new, fresh and fun. We started a new school year today and I am so excited. I have a fourth grader and a pre-k kiddo and of course a wild 2 year old! I have lots of fabulous things planned and I'm very excited. The kids are too.

I actually blogged over here today. Poor little neglected blog. Come on over and visit, comments welcome!

Vacation??

I only have one child in my care. First time in nearly 5 years!

Makiah and Sam are sending the week with my mom and dad. They are being spoiled. They are eating fruit snacks for breakfast. Grandparents, need I say more?

Anyway, that just leaves Daniel and I to hang out in the day time while Hubs is at work. My house is so quiet!! There is not yelling, no fighting, no arguing, its awesome but I miss them!!

I also thought that I would get a lot done while they were away (like throwing away more stuff they think they can't live without that they will never know I threw out), but alas, I am now Daniel's sole source of entertainment. I've been getting a lot of cuddle time, but not a lot done. So far.

Here are some pictures of what Makiah and Sam did on Monday!





They went to Holiday World and had a BLAST!

Daniel and I have been watching "Beggie" Tales (Veggie Tales), Sid the Science Kid and Barney on Netflix, eating grapes and yogurt and using "wipekins" (that would Daniel putting together, wipes and napkins) to wipe our faces. We've also played pirates and zoo animals, built a block fort and I entertained him with Penelope Parrot (so I could really practice my voice). So its shaping up to be quite a week!