My Life As The Bachelorette...

It was Date-Knight at Chick-FilA for moms and their sons. If you've ever wondered how many boys will fit into a booth, I can answer that burning question. I won the award for the mom with the most knights protecting her. And received roses from each of my bachelors. I'm sure there are other mom's in this city with as many or more boys than I... but none were quite as crazy as to travel out alone with four under the age of 6.

We decided a while back to make this night happen and it turned out to be just about the best Mother's Day gift a girl could ask for. The boys were super excited about it and wanted to be great dates for me. So, they took their cues from my main squeeze... their daddy. They opened doors, got me flowers and told me I was the most beautiful girl in the world. It was a great night.

I am well aware that each one of these little men will be a fantastic catch one day. But for now... their hearts belong to me. And I am one lucky lady. Happy Mother's Day ya'll!!!







The Little Things...

Today was one of those "special" Mondays. You know the ones... 'the car won't start because two helpful little boys left their reading lights on in the back' kind of Mondays. You have to sign your kid in late because of all the excitement. Under the judgemental eye of the front secretary, you want to suggest that there is not enough room under the "REASON" section to explain the tardiness... but instead you just put 'late' like all the other terrible parents. Then you stop into the grocery store to pick up a few things and step on the scale. After all, all of this working out and calorie counting should have made a difference by now. 3 pounds heavier you say??? Tears stream down your face as you stroll through the store. You throw in some ice cream for good measure. And if you've never had the privilege of listening to a child scream the entire way home for no apparent reason, you're missing out on a real treat! Sound like your Monday??? Okay, maybe it was just mine.

But, I decided it was better to keep working out and not give up-- I climbed on my elliptical and went to town. Afterwards, I hopped in the shower and saw this on the wall. It is the little things, isn't it?

Brody's Dinosaur 4th Birthday

Dinowiches

Herbivore Habitat- with a cream cheese dip

T-Rex Fruit Salad

Dino-claws

Fossil Footprints

Favors

The Cake- With a T-Rex that jumped out when you tried to snatch one of her eggs!!!

Happy 4th Birthday Brody!!! We love you as big as the sky and all the way around to the back!!!

Crafts and Cupcakes

Catching up on some cupcakes, crafts and snacks I have done... enjoy the pics...

Owl Cupcakse for Girls Night:

Crayon Monogrammed Sign for Jadin's Kindergarten Teacher:

Grill Cupcakes for Father's Day


Easter Basket Cupcakes

April Fools Sundae Cupcakes

Rainbow Cupcakes with a Cloud for St. Patrick's Day

Superbowl Cupcakes

Strawberry Mice

Snail Wraps

Flower for Mom Cupcakes

Protect your Prized Possessions...

This airport sign is quite amusing... it's a perfect example of distraction. I interpret the light bulb like this: "Oh... there's a cinnamon bun with my name on it. I'll leave my very valuable luggage right here and.... golly-gee-whizakers... it will be here when I get back."

God will sometimes speak to me through a dream. Now... I am a vivid dreamer- always have been. So, I'm not going to get all hocus-pocus on you and assume that all my dreams have some great meaning. Most are a bi-product of what I have eaten for dinner the night before or a compilation of yesterday's events. But- every now and then... I will wake up from a dream and a sentence will pop into my head that explains the dream. In those times, it is God's way of relaying an important word to me.

So, last night I dreamed that I was shopping at the mall and was carrying around some of my previous purchases. An outfit on a rack caught my eye and I set my shopping bags down to go look at this outfit. When I turned around, two girls were walking off with MY shopping bags! I yelled at them to stop but they said, "You put them down... so now they're ours." Needless to say- I chased them down and clobbered them to retrieve my shopping bags. A girl's gotta do what a girl's gotta do. But- that's besides the point.

When I awoke- my immediate explanation was this -- "The moment you set it down... Satan will be there to walk off with it." And I knew exactly what God was trying to tell me. You see... recently, I made a commitment to God over something and in return- he has given me peace unspeakable, joy overflowing and the ability to accomplish tremendously more than I would ever be able to do in my own strength. But, because this is a new-found commitment, it's important that I keep up my end of the bargain day after day. God was reminding me that these treasures he is allowing me to experience will continue if I will remain steadfast. But, if I give up- even for a second- Satan will be there to steal my peace and joy.

Whenever we make a new commitment or promise, it's always easiest to give up after a short period of time. Not enough is vested. Our commitment has not yet taken root. And distraction causes us to set down our valuables only for them to be stolen by the enemy. But if we will continue. Press forward. And refuse to unleash our possessions to the enemy. Our dedication will turn into a deep seeded treasure that is near impossible to pilfer.

"Be on your guard; stand firm in the faith; be courageous; be strong." 1 Corinthians 16:13. I don't want to set down the precious treasures God has blessed me with only for them to be taken from the enemy. We must be vigilant and on guard. Don't let distraction rob you of where God ultimately is trying to take you. Refuse to leave your luggage unattended!

Talkin' Turkey...

Everybody Loves Raymond is probably my all-time favorite show. I don't know if there is an episode where I haven't experienced authentic laughter at one point or another. And the holiday episodes never fail to deliver good, solid comedy. I think because they remind me so much of real life. The holidays tend to bring out the best and worse in people. Leading up to the clip above, Ray and Debra are having an escalating "discussion" (if you will) about whose parents are worse. Bringing family together has always proved to be interesting over the years.

Many of you are experiencing stress right now about what to cook and how to deal with Crazy Cousin Eddie this year. (shout out to P-Matt) :) For some of you, eating Thanksgiving twice or three times in one day might be in your near future because of multiple visits to multiple families. I have a friend who once told me that because she and her husband both have divorced parents... they did four Thanksgivings in one day. And because of all the stress, an argument kicked off in the morning. They spent the day being dead silent between houses only to get to the next house, knock, and say "Hiiiii!!! Happy Thanksgiving!!!" Put on a happy face, right??? But the truth is... sometimes, we're all slinging turkeys around on the floor!

So, this is just a short, fluffy blog to remind you to lighten up this holiday season! Don't take anything too seriously and enjoy all the dysfunctionality every family has to offer... because every family has a little to offer! Remember the purpose and meaning behind each holiday. For Thanksgiving... it's time to count our blessings. And we all have so many!!! So, take a moment to try and list as many things you can think of that you are thankful for. If that is what your focus is on this upcoming Turkey-day, a little floor-grit for your turkey will never get in your way!