Thank You, Rewards Points!

I DID IT!!!!  Can you guess what??  Here’s a few clues:

• I’ve bought something,
• Something I’ve wanted for a long time,
• But never did because it’s kinda pricey $$$,
• I’ve been seeing them on many food and healthy living blogs,
• It enhances my whole-food and healthy eating lifestyle,
• It will have a permanent place on my kitchen counter…

…any guesses??

If your guess was a Vitamix, then YOU’RE RIGHT!!!!  Oh my goodness, I’m sorry to put so many exclamation points behind my new kitchen appliance but I’m just so darn excited that it really is necessary!

 (source)

Here’s how it happened:  I was checking the rewards points on our credit card, I’ve been letting them build up for awhile.  After looking through all the many options, I noticed that I could get gift cards for all these different stores for the points!  Well, one of the stores was Amazon.com…something in my brain instantly clicked <insert click here> as I realized, “I can get a Vitamix for almost nothing!!!!!!” 

After clearing it with the hubby, I redeemed my points, and yesterday my gift cards came in so that made today…ORDERING DAY!  And since I saved SO much money, I even added 2-day shipping!  Hehe;-)  We don’t have to tell the hubby ‘bout that part, lol!  Kidding…kinda;-)

So in just 2 days, expect a massive LOOK WHAT I CAN BLEND post!  You can never tell where this may go!  I mean, the thing can puree a whole apple!  Yes, a whole apple…stem, seeds, and all.  Um yeah, I’m pretty stoked!!! :-D 

Well hopefully some of my excitement for my new blender/food processor has rubbed off on you and you will have a spring in your step the rest of this Tuesday!  Well, ok, maybe not but just know that I will!

Love y’all!

xoxo

Day of Rest

Hello, friends and Happy Sunday!  Are you using it as a day of rest?  We are!  Well, sorta;-)

I had my alarm set for 530am so I could leave on my long run at 6 trying to beat the heat and humidity that IS Southeast Missouri summers!  I headed out with the sun just coming up and a nice breeze blowing.  I met my in-laws who were leaving to go see our nephew (their grandson), Cody, get on the bus to head to the Marine Corps for basic training.  We are SO proud of him for the decision he has made to serve our country and pray for his safety and his strength.  Here is a pic from his goodbye party, on July 4 with his Mama, Bonnie, Jack’s sister: 

Anyway, I kinda got off track, but I met my in-laws on their way out and only saw another 3 cars my whole run.  I LOVE that.  The feeling that I am accomplishing so much before most people are even out of bed is awesome!  Hehe;-) 

The details of this morning’s “accomplishment” are:

DISTANCE:	10.00 MILES
TIME:	1:48:52

I’m tellin’ ya, the heat, humidity, and hills are killllllerrrrr…  I am so anxious to get on pavement and flatter ground for a long run so I can make sure that I haven’t totally lost my speed!  I’m great on the TM, but here at the cabin with hills and the gravel road aren’t doing anything for my times.  But it was a great 10 miles.  At the end I was a sweaty beast, literally soaked from all the sweat, ewwwww….

But when you get to do this after your run, it makes it EVEN BETTER!!  Love, love, love sitting out on the deck and cooling off when I’m done.  Ahhhhh, a great start to the week!

Enjoy the rest of your day of rest, friends!

xoxo

“By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work.” Genesis 2:2

I Prayed for Her

When I was first pregnant with Katie, it was no secret that I was hoping for a baby girl.  We had two wonderful boys and I just knew that a little pink bundle would make our family complete.

At the beginning of my pregnancy, when sleepless night were frequent, I would pray for a healthy baby.  Then at the end of my prayers I would ask God if He would give me a precious baby girl who would be my best friend and never leave my side.

Then in the middle of the night in late-November 2003, one month early, my prayers were answered.  Little Katie Elisabeth was born and I knew instantly that we were inseparable. 

Thank you, Jesus, for the precious blessings that we have in all our children.  I pray that You will place a hedge of protection around them every day and that You would keep them safe and healthy.  It is my deepest desire that Your light would shine through them in all that they do and everywhere they go.  Help Tyler, Zachary, and Katie be a blessing to others.  In Jesus’ name I pray.  Amen.

Oh, and just as a side note, Katie no longer has that crooked-looking front tooth you see in the picture.  After it being loose for about 3 weeks, it finally fell out yesterday with much drama.  She was so upset; she said she didn’t want anybody to be excited for her and she didn’t want any money.  Period.  Sounds like the Tooth Fairy is going to get off cheap this time;-)  We’ll see if things change before the next tooth falls out, which will probably be very soon…the one right next to it is loose too. 

Have a great weekend guys!

xoxo

“Train a child in the way he should go, and when he is old he will not turn from it.”  Proverbs 22:6

The Great Debate

Hello lovelies;-) and happy Wednesday to ya! Aren't these the most beautiful 3 children in the whole world?! Yep, I thought so!

During our trip to PB on Monday to get groceries, I told the boys to go pick out a watermelon. Of course, I should have expected that they would have two conflicting opinions on which one was best. So I came up with the idea to have a watermelon contest: The Great Watermelon Debate 2010! I allowed them both to pick the watermelon of their choice and we would decide which one was best. How fun...and delicious!!

When we got home and had put away all the groceries, we had the initial inspection:

They both sure looked delicious!

And of course, my Zachary being, well, my Zachary...gosh this child makes me smile every day!

And sorry to be anticlimactic here, but the final decision was...TIE! Really! They were both really good! And I'm not just being a "mom" about it...not really;-) They both had the same taste, very sweet and delicious. The texture was different, but nothing that would make me choose one over the other. They really were both very good. They were both being so competitive about it, so a tie was a GOOD thing! And now we are enjoying ALLLLLL of the fruits of the competition! And, ahem, making frequent trips to the bathroom...it is water-melon after all!

Then yesterday, we had the pleasure of keeping my nephew Brayden for the day while my sister, Jessica, went to a teacher's meeting. We were so excited to go to his house and play with him for the day! Zachary and Katie were my special helpers and they really were a big help! Brayden is 6 months old now and I can't believe how quickly he's gone from this:

To this:

We had a wonderful day yesterday! Brayden is such a laid back and happy baby. I told Jessica that he has her sparkling personality, and his daddy's sparkling blue eyes. He is such a blessing and a gift from God. So precious! We had a great time babysitting. Katie now says she wants to be a babysitter when she grows up! I bet she'd be a great one...at least until iCarly or Hannah Montana comes on...hehe:-P

Well I hope everyone has a wonderful rest of the week! We're halfway to the weekend...now that has to make you smile!

I wanted to share one more thing with you before going that has lifted me up all week. It's something our pastor said on Sunday morning that is truly beautiful:

GOD LOVES US EXTRAVAGANTLY!

Extravagantly!! How awesome is that?!

Thank you, Lord, for loving me the way You do...the way only You can. You are so worthy of all our worship and praise!

Keep in His grip!

xoxo

Recapin' & Racin'

Hey y'all! What's been goin' on? I can hardly believe it is the middle of JULY already! It's crazy. I told the kids the other day that they go back to school next month and you should have seen/heard the responses I got! "WHAT?!", "ALREADY??", "WHY??????", and "YAY! I CAN'T WAIT TO USE MY NEW BACKPACK AND LUNCHBOX!" Haha, Can you guess which one was from the 6-year-old?;-)

Our trip to Saddle Ridge Ranch at VBS last week was wonderful! Our highest attendance was 88 kids, and for my class we got up to 8. That's not too bad for the oldest group of kids who have many other options and choices with what to do on a summer day...I was very thankful and impressed with their participation. They were a great group. And of course, I am oh so appreciative of my boys and all their help last week...I couldn't have done it without them! Even though they're both too old for Bible School, I will probably keep them in my class forever;-) I have to tell them, too, that God sees them helping me and being so giving of their time, and He sees it as a form of worship! Glory!

My class - 4th & 5th Grade

Katie's class - Kindergarten & 1st Grade

Here's Katie on the horse that ALL the kids and adults got the chance to sit on and have their picture taken. It was SO great of Gene and Gay to bring Lady out for VBS, the kids were so excited! I'm sure Lady thought otherwise after 100+ people climbing on her back, but you'd never know it...she was so gentle and amazing. And yes I got on and had my picture taken too, but...my butt looked big. Bahahaha, my blog, my choice;-)
So after a week of VBS, I slept so hard Friday night! I was sooooo wiped out. We spent yet another weekend at our cabin on the river with friends, relaxing and swimming. I have been running outside for my long runs on Sundays, and it has been a killer summer for it...and not in a good way. Like killer as in, the heat/humidity/hills may kill me! It has been brutal! The last two Sundays, it has taken me wayyyy longer than normal to run ten miles. Like, 1:55:00...at least 15 minutes longer than normal. I'm having to stop and take walk breaks and I hardly ever do that. But it's necessary. I would have killed for a camelback this summer. I guess it's not too late, though. Maybe...

Speaking of running...I'VE REGISTERED FOR ANOTHER HALF-MARATHON!!!! I'm returning to the location of my very first half mary in Kansas City to now run my THIRD!! It is October 16, and I could NOT be more excited! BUT what makes this so cool, is that MY SISTER IS GOING TO RUN IT WITH ME!!! Layne is running her first half marathon, and her training is going great. I'm so proud of her. I'm also trying to get our other sister, Jessica, into doing it with us...wouldn't that be just awesome?! I'm SOOOOO hoping she will! C'mon, Jessa!!!

Well, I think I've caught you up on what's going on with me, for the moment anyway. But before I go I want to share a video with you that I put together from last month's Komen Race for the Cure. It was such an amazing experience, and I am so grateful for the sisterhood that is WARRIORS & SURVIVORS.

God Bless y'all.

xoxo

"I can do everything through Him who gives me strength." Philippians 4:13

Since We Last Talked

OK, so I have been totally M.I.A. for the last week...um, and a-half. Sorry!

My father-in-law and I at my nephew, Cody's, going away party as he prepares to leave for basic training for the Marine Corps in two weeks:

I would love to tell you that I have been keeping this massive photo record of my goings on the past ten days (yikes!), but sadly that is not that case. The photos have been few and far between around here. Even the 4th of July! OH NO!! The scrapbooker in me is SO disappointed:-( What ever happened to the girl who used to carry a camera around with her everywhere and would take pics just for the sake of making pages??

----> The few pics here are ones I may or may not have right-clicked and saved from my sister-in-law's Facebook page...just sayin'... <----



It makes me sad, really. But I guess scrapbooking has just gotten shuffled in the craziness that is my life. And I hate that so much, because I LOVE to scrapbook...to sit down with blank sheets of paper and stickers and letters, and photos of all my favorite people and create memories everlasting = OH SO MUCH FUN! But honestly, I don't know where I would carve out the time in my day. I guess I could use some of the nighttime hours, since there are quite a few that I don't sleep anyway:-S



We had a good 4th of July, even without the pictures as proof! We hung out on the river all weekend with friends and just relaxed and soaked in the Vitamin D. (Very important thing, ya know, especially when it comes to breast cancer risk! 10-15 minutes of unprotected sun per day is all you need...so get on it girls!)





We finished up the holiday weekend with the start of Vacation Bible School here at our church. This year's theme is Saddle Ridge Ranch. Lifeway always comes up with the greatest theme ideas and this year is no different. It has been a good week so far, with 77 in attendance today! I challenged my class (4th & 5th grade) for each of them to invite someone and double our class by the end of the week...this would give us 12, which is great for the older kids' group! I'm believing God for a great VBS, and I'm praying that God would use me this week. And I definitely need His strength because I am worn out, y'all.

Hope y'all are doing fabulous! Love ya <3

xoxo

VBS Scripture:

"Now if any of you lacks wisdom, he should ask God, who gives to all generously and without criticizing, and it will be given to him." James 1:5