The Suits Sisters

On Monday, as I was getting ready (Side note: my kids always ask me, "Where are we going?" when they see me getting ready which proves that I'm WINNING AT LIFE. Maybe I'm just getting ready for life? Nope. You're right, we're going somewhere) A verse came to mind, the first part of Galatians  6:14, " May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ.." I let it sink in and was like, "TRUTH" before moving on. Fast forward an hour or so later when I walked into the post office with my three girls. I noticed that there were 7 people ahead of us in line as I sucked in my breath and contemplated leaving. And then...a Christmas miracle...they.did.everything.right. The baby was awake, but silent. Liza stood by my leg and didn't pull on any of my clothing (up or down), Caris not only held our packages, but sang in a loud enough to hear but not loud enough to be  obnoxious voice a made up song that went something like, "I...

Someday, when I look back on this chunk of time, I hope to have all sorts of praise hands and nuggets of wisdom a la Ruth Graham Bell or Elisabeth Elliot, but until then, I'll continue praying (a little) and stress eating (a lot). May your advent season be filled with Jesus-hope. When you realize that you're 3 days behind on the kiddie advent or that you've eaten 2 pounds of fudge while standing alone in the kitchen, may you give yourself grace. 

A friendly reminder that when my life gets overwhelming, I make lists in my head.  3 Foods I’d Give My Right Arm to Eat 1. Mayonnaise Lately it's been tomato sandwiches using white bread and extra mayo C'MON 2. Bacon My love for bacon has grown at a rapid pace over the last couple of years  3. Ripe fruit  My recent fruit purchases have left me disappointed. I'm picturing a juicy peach, perfect watermelon, etc.  3 Male Singers that Grab My Attention (*For their voices winkyface )   1. Josh Groban I can pick out his voice from miles away (Say, at Christmas time) This dates back to high school  2. Keith Urban Also from my high school years, he pays homage to my introduction to country music. Also the early years of pining for a boy named Kent 3. James Taylor Hard to explain this one, but it probably starts with my first memory of good ol' James here 3  {Expensive} Things I’d buy 1.  Letterboard I hav...

On Mondays we play with play dough I always thought I'd be the mom who gladly swept up glitter every night while quietly humming a song a la Cinderella.  But then.. kids. And messes. And effort. And it just seems easier to putter around the house all day. Then at the end of every week I give the depressing "You didn't bake ! You didn't paint!  You didn't sweep up any glitter !" speech to myself. I recently made one small change to our week: On Mondays we play with play dough. It's a set plan for me (no backing out), the girls love it and it takes all of 20 minutes. I'm one step closer to being that artsy fartsy mom I always dreamed I would be.

Disclaimer : This is coming from someone who went to Target at 8PM on Thanksgiving night to purchase seven copies of *Suits Christmas Spoiler Alert! Finding Dory at the request of my mother in law. The same person that just an hour ago purchased new sneakers on a random Thursday night. To say this list is written by a hypocrite is putting it lightly. Onward ho. 5 ways to have the December of your dreams 1. Avoid the unavoidable  Ugh, you guys, commercialization! Avoid being bombarded by all things money by having a  budget/price cap, a gift list and shopping online (We don't even have Amazon prime and I'm singing its praises)  If you must shop in stores, do so right when they unlock the doors or right before they lock them at night. If you find yourself grabbing your keys on a Saturday afternoon at 1PM, immediately put your wallet and keys in a large vat of water and carefully place it in the freezer. Then sit your buttocks down on the sofa and have peace in your t...

1. The rowing machine I am no expert, having only used it three times, but I am digging the rowing machine at the gym (ok ok, it's the YMCA). We joined last August and I always eyed it as the intimidating machine, but people looked legit when they used it. I finally convinced my security blanket to use the one beside me and Kent said YES. I recently worked up enough courage to use it alone. There are only two and they're pretty much in the front of all the machines so everyone is watching you. Or so it seems. winkyface  Using the rowing machine is the closest I'll ever get to..being on a rowing team, and it makes me feel like I'm getting my money's worth out of our monthly fee. 2. Podcasts I am also no expert on podcasts (I have listened to a mere handful) They've been around for awhile so I'm late to the game. So far I listen to them while I do chores (earbuds are helpful). Instead of thinking about how much I hate to clean the bathroom/Kent coul...

1. Iced water with drops of lemon oil As in, essential oils . That could elicit 3 possible responses from you: -Essential what?? -{eye roll} If she starts selling oils, I'm never reading this blog again (read in your best Valley Girl voice)  - Lemme know if you want to buy more and I'll add you to my next order! (spirit hands!!) Whatever camp you're in, all I have to say is that my 75 year old German friend, Ilse, had us over for lunch and served me a glass of water with lemon drops and it was refreshing. I later mentioned to her that I might order some from my sister in law (Suits side) and dontcha' know, the next day Kent brought lemon oil home from church via Miss Ilse. I don't know if the lemon is supposed to do crazy impressive things like keep cataracts at bay or help my bone marrow. I'm a fan because it spruces up lame ol' water and helps me drink more of it. *Warning: The oil made my Tumbler foggy and I think it's permanent. 2...

Remember my unofficial goals for 2015? I'm still telling Kent how to drive (but I'm praying about it. Gotta start somewhere winkyface )  and blogging is my only hobby (Thank you, dear readers! Hi Mom!) But here are some notable personal accomplishments from 2015.. +Gave birth to a baby. And it wasn't just any birth. I had a fast, all natural DREAM BIRTH. And I'm not saying that a year later when memories and pain are distorted. And I'm not saying it in a Judgy-Mom way (remember my first experience?) Just minutes after she was born I said, "LET'S HAVE ANOTHER"--but that's before I had to raise her-- The experience still makes my chest constrict, makes me want to throw my fists in the air and sing the ROCKY  theme song. It's the closest I'll ever get to running a marathon or climbing Mt. Everest and I am so thankful. +Raised(-ing) two girls. Potty training. Sleep training. The works. +Joined the YMCA and lost ahem .. a few pounds +St...

On having my car broken into: There was the feeling of shock (no way!) and our stomachs dropping. My mind raced, "What did I have in there??" Followed by a feeling of creeped-outed-ness (we were just 200 yards away) And annoyance. And anger. Things to be thankful for? Kent was with me. Only two "diaper bags"/kid book bags were stolen (Although they were CUTE. And NEW) We had our phones and wallets (We have been known to stuff our wallets in the middle console. Never again!) either with us or at home. I had slept 8 hours the night before for the first time in ten+ weeks. Had I been more sleep deprived I would have either laid down in the parking lot and sobbed or just started walking and maybe I would have come home like, two days later. I would've looked at Kent and said, "I can't even" before I took off walking.  If they had broken into the car 2 days earlier, they could have stolen about 6 sippy cups. I had just cleaned the car so I wasn't...

As the first Fall Facebook Posts begin to pop up, ( I am LOVING this cooler weather! First morning wearing my new boots! Sipping a Pumpkin Spice Latte while wearing my wool cardigan! )   I thought it was time to reflect on our first Summer in Florida (Which is currently still going strong, by the way) Coming from South Carolina I knew the hot summer wouldn't be a complete shock, but there were a few things that left an impression on us.  1. THE HEAT No need to check the weather forecast from June-September. Everyday is a high of 92. At first I thought, "92 is sooo doable" since some SC Summer days would occasionally climb to 98+. What's NOT highlighted on the cute NBC weatherboard is the heat index of 102. Mix in a whole lot of humidity and you're ready to fry eggs in front of your house. Early in the Summer Caris learned the word "hot" from dinner time and then she started to say, "Hot hot hot" every time we walked out of our front doo...

"Diapers make great pillows" "That thing moves ??"

Thoughts on...  A Hospital Stay for Oligohydramnios   (Oh yes, whippin' out the big medical words) -An introvert, wall flower, "I just wanna be invisible" getting wheeled across the parking lot to the hospital = AWESOME -Getting stuck for an IV...yowzas! But babbling about how "your brother just had open heart surgery so surely you could get an IV" does kind of help -Once you get the initial cry over, everything gets better. Also helpful: saying "I miss my Mom" in a 5 year old voice.  -Relying on people (even your husband and mother in law) is quite humbling -Leaning the hospital bed back slowly can make you feel like an astronaut getting into position, ready to orbit the moon -Hospital food is decent. Loved the pizza, fruit and chocolate milk. Will skip the french fries and breakfast (altogether) next time -It helps to pretend that you're just on a Babymoon vacation complete with cable tv and room service -Visits from si...