Laundry Day

One thing I love about Monday: it's clean sheet day! There is nothing quite like slipping between cool, freshly washed sheets. If it wasn't such a hassle I'd strip the beds everyday, but I suppose once a week will do. Goodness, I don't know how some people go who knows how long without changing their sheets! OK, I will not get on my hygiene soap box (no pun intended, ha!) today ; )

I am quite pleased with my productivity today. I really got a lot done! Mondays are usually that way because of the weekend. I tend to go into overdrive trying to get everything back to normal. I have so much cleaning and straightening up to do, and of course stripping the beds! I like to clean the house on Monday, but sometimes it doesn't get done until a few days later because of all the other stuff there is to do. Like laundry....does it ever end? There are only 3 of us, but heaven's sakes we do have a ton of dirty clothes! I have to wash all of Aaron's work clothes separately, so that's a whole load in itself each week, and then there are lights and whites and darks and towels....and so on and so forth. Of all the household chores though, I do like laundry the best. I just love folding all the clean clothes and putting them away, especially Haven's stuff. I love the smell of the detergent wafting through the house as the clothes are washing and drying. It sounds so silly, I know. I think it reminds me of being out of school for the summer when I was a kid. There was always something comforting about the smell of clean laundry all through the house. To this day, I still love the smell of laundry in the summertime. Oh boy, here come the men in white coats, haha!

Well, now that I have shared my housework rituals with you and bored you to tears, I'll move on. We had such fun at "Let's Paint Pottery" on Saturday. I have pictures, but they're on my phone and I'm having a time trying to download them. I will keep trying and maybe post them in a day or two! Anyways, I painted a small bowl which is to be my ice cream bowl. I painted it in green, yellow, coral, and aqua with some brown in there as well. It turned out very cute, just a little rough around the edges, so to speak. The people at the table next to us thought it was lovely, but (ahem) I don't like to brag. hee hee. Aaron painted a speed boat/bank which is to be our "boat fund". More than likely, you couldn't fit more than 50 bucks in there so we might want to get something a little bigger! Haven painted a plate that had a princess crown/tiara on it. She wrote "Princess Haven" on it and it turned out quite adorable. Saturday was actually a lot of fun all around. The 3 of us spent the whole day together which doesn't happen nearly often enough. Aaron has been working most Saturdays because he's been so busy, but it was raining so we stole him away!

Anytime Haven does something (good) without being asked she says she did it without permission, which is to say she did it without being told to. Today it was "mom, I made my bed without permission" and tonight "mom, in the morning I am going to get up (for school) without permission". I think she learned that word at school. I can just hear the teacher saying "you have to ask permission to do this or that..." I am still in awe at how good she is reading. I sat down with her today to read some books, but she was reading to me. She can sound out all kinds of words, hard words too! It's really amazing what she has learned this year. I'm really glad that we decided to put her in K-5 . It's so wonderful to see her learn new things, and she loves it too!

It is getting late and I still have a load of laundry to get out of the dryer. The smell is wafting up here and calling my name....or is that those pesky men in the white coats....

Spring Fun

It was such a lovely day out today that Haven and I decided to soak up some of it and have some play dough fun! I took her little art table out on the front porch so we could play and enjoy the beautiful Spring day!

Pretending to eat her blue "Oreo"

She was rather proud of this little endeavor!

My incredibly sad birthday cake!

It was so nice to be outside having a good time! We took our activities outside a lot last year just to enjoy the summer sunshine! I'm glad it's warm enough to start doing that again. Haven had a ball...it was such a little thing really, just playing with play dough, but to her, it was wonderful! It's nice to do things together : )

Yesterday and today were very productive days. I had a lot of little nagging things to get done and it seemed I was on a roll! It feels so good to get things off your mind! There is always something else waiting to clutter it up (my mind, that is).

I am very much back on track with my workouts. It feels so good to be back at it. Even when I don't see the results, I know that I am working hard to get to my goal and that feels good! I can tell I took a few days off because I am having to get used to it all over again. My stamina wavers a bit on some of the harder workouts, but the good thing about workout videos is that you can hit "pause" any time you need a break! I had cardio tonight and Haven did some of it along with me. She's so funny running and jumping around. She's actually better at some of it than I am! Anything that Aaron and I get involved in soon becomes her newest favorite thing to do. She is enamored with these workout videos! She definitely has the energy for it, whew!

Tomorrow we're going to "Let's Paint Pottery". It's basically self explanatory....you pick out some pottery and you paint it. It's a lot of fun. We've been several times and it's neat to see how Haven's painting skills get better with each piece she paints. The only problem is...what to do with it once you've painted it! Haven's pieces are in her room, but I don't really want anyone to see mine, haha! Ah well, it's a jolly good time even if we won't be winning any awards ; )

Haven just walked into the room saying "jab, cross, hook, uppercut". LOL! That's a karate sequence from my workout video! She really does pay attention to it!

Spring Fever

I have recently become such a fussbudget in regards to keeping the house neat and tidy. I think it's mostly because we live with mom and dad, and we don't have as much space as we're used to having. Everywhere I look, there is something that doesn't need to be there. I am cleaning out every nook and cranny, every closet, everything I can get my hands on! It probably also has something do with Spring. I just want everything to be cleaned out and fresh! I am trying not to make everyone crazy, but I'm making myself crazy in the meantime. The other day when Haven and I got home from school she went to her room to play. I hollered out "Haven..." and before I could finish my sentence she retorted "I know the rule, don't make a mess!" Poor thing, I don't want to make her neurotic by constantly harping about being messy. I am really trying to chill out a little bit and realize that she is only 4 and she is going to make messes. As long as she cleans up (or at least helps me clean) then we're okay. I have taught her from an early age to pick up after herself and put her dirty clothes in the laundry basket. She is actually very good about tidying up after herself, so I can't complain. It's just all of a sudden, I am obsessive about it! I've always been neat and clean, but this is like overdrive. I am constantly looking around the room for something out of place so I can straighten it up. I vacuum every other day because my pet peeve is dirty carpet! With Haven eating in the living room, you are going to have crumbs in the floor, so I just pull out the vacuum and voila, wonderfully clean carpet! It feels so good to sit down and see a clean house. OK, the other side of the story is this.....seeing toys everywhere or little messes here and there makes me realize how truly blessed I am to have Haven in my life. I can't constantly worry about having a perfectly clean house. I have to take time out to enjoy her and spend time with her. She is already growing up so fast and I don't want her to only remember what a neat freak I was! I want her to remember the fun times we had and how she was comfortable and safe at home, not that she could never make a mess. OK, so it's really hard to find a balance. It's pretty much just realizing that even if there is a mess, it will get cleaned up eventually. But sometimes the more important thing is right in front of me, waiting for me to read a book, or put a puzzle together : )

So...I think I am going to get my Pathfinder. It would seem that Aaron's stubbornness has paid off. I spoke with the salesman at he dealership yesterday and I think they are willing to accept our terms. He said to give him a few days to work out the details, so we should know something by next week. I am keeping my fingers crossed because I know that Aaron will not concede unless they are willing to meet us halfway. I have to hand it to him, he is a good haggler. We'll end up with a pretty good deal, thanks to him. I'll post pictures when/if I get it!

I was trying to post some pictures from Easter, but I'm having a little trouble with it. I'll try to post them next time!

A Weighty Issue

I have currently lost about 4 pounds...not that great, but at least I am losing! I have strayed a wee bit from my workouts, only because the past few days have been really hectic! I am going to get back to it tomorrow if it kills me! Working out really isn't the hard part....it's dieting that I hate. I HATE drinking water, but I am trying to do it as much as I can to help in the battle of the bulge. I cut back as much as I can, but sometimes I just want what I want. You only live once, why be miserable? I think indulging myself (in small ways) is better than telling myself I can't have it and later on devouring way too much. It's a mind game with me, but I am determined to win ; )

Haven did not go to school today since mom and dad were leaving for Australia. I would have had to pick her up early and it's such a long drive to just turn right back around and go get her. Besides, they wanted to spend a little extra time with her before they left. Many tears were shed as we pulled away from the airport. She's already missing them terribly. As soon as we pulled in the driveway tonight, she asked when they were coming back. Ah, well...as busy as things are, 2 weeks will fly by!

Things are going splendidly, business-wise. Aaron has never been this busy in all 7 years since he started this company. He's got more work than you can shake a stick at! (what does that mean exactly...?) Anyways...to God be the glory! We certainly have to give Him the credit for this. I know His hand is in this business, I have seen it so many times. He certainly takes care of His own! A lot of landscaping companies went out of business this year because of the drought and whatnot, but we haven't missed a beat. Even all through winter, he's been covered up with work. I am ever so thankful that the Lord has seen fit to bless us with a prosperous business. We are undeserving to be sure, but He just pours out blessing upon blessing. My heart is so full I can hardly express it all. God is good in so many ways!!

Cold Monday

It was quite surprising to walk outside this morning needing a jacket, since yesterday it was in the 70's! I really do hate this Georgia weather. I have already moved our winter clothes out so I could make room for summer clothes and I'm having to pull out sweaters and boots! Oh, how I long for the warm days of summer....when you know without a doubt it's going to be hot, very hot!

We are still car shopping, trying to find the best deal. It has been quite frustrating, to say the least. I am usually ready to sign whatever they put in front of me, but Aaron is a haggler to the bitter end! We have a deal on the table that's pretty good, but we're going to do a bit more shopping before we decide. We may end up with no car at all, if Aaron isn't willing to concede at least a little. I would have a 2008 Pathfinder in my driveway right now if he weren't so stubborn...humph! But I do love him for it...he is very invested in our well being and wants the best deal possible. Such a sweetie, he is....always looking out for us. It has been quite an undertaking to tackle car shopping on top of everything else this week. Aaron has 9 big landscaping jobs ready to start and we've hardly had time to squeeze in trips to the car dealership. So, that's why it's taking so long to get it done....hopefully we'll have something settled by the weekend, new car or not!

Mom and dad are leaving for Australia tomorrow...for 2 weeks! I must say, I will miss them terribly. Since we live here with them, their absence is very apparent any time they travel. BUT, I am happy for them that they are getting the chance to go and I hope they have a simply marvelous time. They're going to get to feed and hold a baby Koala bear.....aww! I told them to take LOTS of pictures! We'll be leaving for Disney World two weeks after they get back! Yipee! I'm so ready for a vacation! Can you tell? heehee

So, this wasn't so interesting....but you read it anyway ; )

T.G.I.F.

Oh, how I do love Fridays! Haven is out of school on Fridays so we get to sleep in a little and loaf around all day if we want! Of course, this is all going to change in a couple of weeks. The school has informed us that the Board of Education requires a certain number of days for the school year, not just so many hours. So, to be on the safe side and not be shut down, they are going back to a 5 day school week. Wednesdays and Fridays will become half days, so we'll still have some extra fun time! I'm in a bit of a dilemma as to know what to do for school next year. The school she goes to now is about a 25 minute drive each way and about 20 miles....80 miles a day! With gas and tuition we are spending a small fortune every month. I like the school, but they do leave a lot to be desired in some areas. I really don't mind paying for her to go to a private school, but if I'm going to pay, I would rather her go somewhere that has more to offer. However, since she started K-5 this year, being that she's only 4, no other school is going to let her go into first grade being only 5 years old. The state requires that they be at least 6 years old to be in first grade. She turns 5 this June and won't be 6 by the start of the next school year. This means that if she goes to a different school this year, she will have to repeat K-5 and all the money we have paid will be wasted. The only thing I can do is home school this year so that she can move into first grade and then the next year she can go to second grade at whichever school we decide on. This is probably what I will do since she won't be going to the same school as she was at this year, and I don't want her to repeat K-5 either. Aaron and I have been discussing it a lot lately and we think this will be best for her. She is going to be very bored if she has to repeat K-5. I would rather her move on now instead of wasting this whole year! So anyways....it's always something!


An interesting opportunity presented itself today....Aaron has been working for a few months on a huge project and is finally almost done. A lady from a local magazine contacted Aaron about advertising in their publication. She had to meet him at the job site to talk to him about it, so Aaron mentioned maybe having an article about this project published in their magazine. I'm not sure how it came up, but Aaron told the lady that I enjoy writing and blogging-not professionally, just as a hobby. She told him that if I wrote an article on this project they would publish it and Aaron would have a full page advertisement in their magazine. She also told him that if I wanted to write any other articles that they would be most welcome and to give her a call if I was interested! I have no idea what I would be writing about, but I know I would enjoy it! I'm just not sure I would be that great at it. Blogging is one thing, but actually writing articles that who knows how many people would be reading....I don't know about that. I feel compelled to at least try it though. I have always wanted to write.... a book, or an article or something....I just love to write, about anything! So, I will probably give her a call and get all the particulars. Perhaps I will find that I'm not so bad at it : )

In other news....we are planning a trip to Disney World/Sea World in April. Haven is so excited, everyday she asks if we are going tomorrow, haha! I hope it won't be overly crowded. We got a good deal on our condo, so I'm thinking it may be their off season. I guess we'll find out when we get there!

I have been nostalgic lately and I've been trying to find some shows and movies that I watched as a kid. Who remembers the real strawberry shortcake? Yes, well I have located all of the old episodes! I am beside myself with glee! I told myself I was ordering them for Haven-after all, she would enjoy seeing the same old cartoons I watched as a kid, right? But the cold, hard reality is that I will wait anxiously for them to arrive in the mail, tear them open and watch every single episode in one sitting, all the while remembering how my heart sang as I watched her flit across the screen spreading joy everywhere she went! Call me silly and childish, but there is something about finding a good old memory from your childhood....it just makes you feel all warm and gooey inside. Somehow, though, I don't think watching it will be quite the same as it was when I was little and all I had to worry about was whether or not the Peculiar Purple Pie Man of Porcupine Peak would again wreak havoc on Strawberry Land. It will more than likely just make me feel ancient....to think that something I watched as a kid is now considered "vintage". Yikes! Ah, well I will be glad to have them anyways and maybe Haven can enjoy them too!

Bad Morning...Happy Spring

I was too tired to write anything last night, so here I am this morning, ever faithful : ) My morning started off badly, but is slowly getting better. Haven didn't go to bed until midnight last night and had to get up at 7 am to get ready for school. Needless to say, there was much fitting and whining about getting up. Of course, even when she goes to bed at 8:30, she is still horrible to get up! Some mornings, I just want to crawl back in bed rather than have to wake her up. She sure makes home schooling seem very appealing....at least she could sleep in a bit. But then I might be ready to pull my hair out by days end. I wonder how well she would do with me as her teacher....hmmm, I will have to think on that one. Anyways, back to the horrible morning....Haven was still very grumpy as we headed off to school and whined for a solid ten minutes about being cold. This is an every morning ritual, whether it's 10 degrees or 90 degrees, she is cold in the mornings. So, I have the heat blasting us in the face, meanwhile I am roasting! She continued to whine that she was sleepy and wanted a place to lay down to go to sleep. AAAAAAH! To make matters worse, we were driving Aaron's truck this morning....which only has a bench seat (no backseat)....so she was sitting right next to me and all the while she is griping and complaining. Finally, I had had enough and I told her so. She settled down soon after and the rest of the ride to school was rather pleasant. She is out of school tomorrow so she will definitely be sleeping in! Only two more months of school and then she will be out for the summer....joy of all joys! I will not mind sleeping in a little myself : ) I'm surprised at how well I get up in the morning. I have always been a late sleeper, but once Haven started school all that ended. I have adjusted pretty well, but sometimes when I get back home I take a little nap, hehe. So, all that being said....most mornings are ok, but today definitely wasn't one of them. Now I have vented and am feeling much better! Moving on.....

We went car shopping yesterday and we took one of the cars for a test drive. Haven was sitting in the back seat with the sales lady and was talking her ear off. The lady was telling Haven how pretty she was and Haven piped up "Yes, I know. Everyone loves me. They just want to eat me up." A vain one she is! Speaking of cars....we MIGHT be getting a new one in the next week or so. The lease ended on my car and I am driving Aaron's truck in the mean time-UGH! We shopped a little yesterday and found one we like, so we'll see!

We are still deciding about a house....we still really want to build, but haven't found any land we like yet. We have talked about buying a house, but you can't get exactly what you want unless you build. We haven't looked all that hard for any land because we weren't sure we wanted to build. Once we make up our mind about it then we can really start looking!

Today is the first day of SPRING!! Oh, I am so excited about winter being over. I just hope we don't have any more cold weather. I have already moved our winter stuff out of the closets to make room for summer stuff. I just couldn't stand to look at those drab winter clothes any more! They are still around just in case we do have some more chilly weather, but I won't pull them back out unless I absolutely have to! I know I am so silly about it, but I just love this time of year! Well, that's all that's on my mind for now....I think it was plenty....


HAPPY SPRING!!!

Another Day...

Ah, to finally sit down at the computer for a moment of peace is a thing of beauty : ) Although it is almost midnight! Nothing extraordinary happened today, just the usual....but then, I guess everyday is extraordinary just because we are alive and well! I am alive, barely, HA! I had Kenpo tonight for my workout, which is basically Karate...whew, that is quite a workout! I'm doing much better than I thought I would with exercising. Aaron and I are both doing it so that helps to keep us motivated. I usually end up working out late in the evenings which probably isn't the best time to do it. It just seems like the day gets away from me so fast that before I know it, it's almost time for bed! I'm usually pretty pooped once I'm done...the workouts are an hour long, six nights a week.... sometimes it's hard to get it done, but then I think...it's only an hour out of my day and I know it will be well worth it in a few weeks when I can really start seeing results! So, I push a little harder and before I know it and hour has passed and it feels great to know I stuck it out! Ok, enough patting myself on the back...

I baby sat for my cousin today for a couple of hours. She has a newborn and an 18 month old. It seems like so long ago that Haven was that little. I almost felt all thumbs trying to feed and diaper a baby! Haven was such a big help. It made me realize how easy it will be when we have a second baby. She's just like a little mama, it was so sweet : ) Bless her heart, she has asked over and over for a baby brother for her birthday, which is June 3. She just doesn't realize how long it takes to get a baby. I told her maybe next year ; )

Now for a little bit of Haven....

Today she asked for an ice cream sandwich and I told her they were all gone. She said "Why did y'all eat all the ice cream sandwiches? They were for me!" As if she didn't eat half the box, or more!

The other day we had a some terrible storms come through. There were tornadoes all over and we had major hail here at the house. We were all talking about it and we told her about the hail being kind of like big chunks of ice. Later on, she told my dad "Poppy, there are two kinds of hell....the kind that's like ice and the big black hole where the devil lives." We got a big kick out of that one! She is very aware of hell all of a sudden...probably from hearing about it at church. She is constantly talking about how bad people go to the devil. It's nice that she is learning right from wrong....but it isn't so nice when she blurts it out in the store about someone passing by!

One Wednesday night, recently, I was all ready for church and sitting on the couch with her. I was wearing a new ring I had bought...one of the big ones, that takes up most of your finger between the knuckles....I thought it was cute and didn't really think she even noticed it, but all of a sudden she said "Mama, you don't need to wear that big ol' Jezebel ring!" I guess she told me! She must have been learning about Jezebel in Sunday school!

Ok, that's it for now....even my fingers ache!

The Story of Us

Well, I have decided to jump on the bandwagon and create a blogspot of my own. I really enjoy writing about the goings on in my family, so I figured why not share it with everyone? Most of you will not take much interest in what I write about, but maybe a few will. And for those of you who are just itching to know what we're up to....this is just for you ; )

So, to catch everyone up to this point....in short, I have been married to my husband, Aaron, for 8 years and I have a four (almost 5) year old daughter, Haven, whom you will hear much about in this blog. There is a whole lot in between, of course but that could take days. Aaron owns a landscaping/lawn maintenance company-going on 7 years now. It is amazing how it has grown year after year. He is busier than he has ever been and we are ever so thankful for that! Haven started kindergarten this year and is learning more than I ever thought possible at her age. I am a stay-at-home mom and I really enjoy it. I am finding that the older I get, the more I enjoy the little things in life. Like folding laundry and putting clean sheets on the bed, putting away shoes and toys and making dinner. It seems I have found my niche , and I am more than happy with it. Life seems to be at an even pace now and I am soaking in every minute of it. Learning to live in the moment and enjoying it for as long as it lasts. Things change much too fast for my liking, so I am trying to embrace it all as it comes.

So, this is pretty much our story, minus a few details.... ha! I will write as often as possible and update on the goings on around here. I'll try to get some pictures posted as well, for the handful of people who will even look at this! Hope you all enjoy this!