POTTY Time!

HELP!

It's time for me to stop procrastinating and add yet ONE more thing to my already full plate this Summer!  I seriously NEED to get on the ball with this Potty Training thing.  Makoa has absolutely no interest in it and I know, I know, he'll do it when he's ready and all that, but seriously, he's THREE and hasn't even tried!  He moves up to the 3 year old class at chuch this week, where they don't take "diaper bags" and this summer most of the kids in his class will be potty trained.  I know the majority of the problem is that I haven't taken the actual time and effort to potty train him.  I am at a loss.  Not to make this about my mom, but this is something I would totally need her assistance on!  Actually, I would have flown her out here to potty train her grandson for me :)

So when I have the time to blog, it'll probably be about the Potty Party in my household...All advice welcome and needed :)  And a TON of encouragement would go along way too, I'm gonna need it :)

Thanks and I'll let you know how it goes...

First and Last of 2010-2011

First Day of School 09.15.2010

Last Day of School 05.18.2011



I'm Daring 2 Share.

Jason Petty aka Propaganda
is truly amazing and inspiring.

I just had to share this with you...




"I hope you're closely listening..."

I Just Had To Share

Guess how much I saved?

Last night, to Stephen's and my dismay, we once again realized we were out of coffee for the morning.  And let me tell you, in this household, that is NEVER a good way to start off the morning.  So, thankfully, we have a gas station just outside the neighborhood that would provide us with our morning kickstart AND from immediate research online to find the store I would be going to to remedy our situation, Harris Teeter heard my cry. 

I LOVE Harris Teeter SALES! 

And I LOVE being an eVIC Member! 

This week I purchased:

Buy 2 Get 3 FREE!  So I bought TEN!

I see lots of baking in my future and lots of eggs spam and rice too!

Buy 2 Get 3 FREE!  Again, I bought TEN!
My sister Jesseca is coming for the Summer, so I need to stock up on CORN!
5 cans of Corn, 3 cans of Green Beans, & 2 cans of Peas

Buy 2 Get 3 FREE!  PLUS 2 coupons for $0.55/off 1!  So I bought 5 bags!

Buy 1 Get 1 Free!  I bought 2!

With my nephew in tow, we checked out and paid our bill, came home, scanned my purchase for the National Consumer Panel, and took a picture of our loot...

I paid $50 for $125 worth of groceries!

Yes, that's a $75 SAVINGS!

This is not something I do every week because the BEST savings is to NOT spend any money,

I do believe that "necessity is the mother of invention",

BUT

I LOVE getting the most for the money I do spend!

April Fool's Day

This day also happens to be my Mother-in-Law's Birthday.  Lucky Lady! 

The family decided to have a feast for her prepared by each of us contributing something. 

Stephen, Makoa, and I were in charge of Bread and Dessert. 

This is my staple Sourdough French Bread that I make often.

Photo by  Taste of Home

For Dessert, I've been working on mastering the Molten Lava Cake, one of my favorites.

Photo from Tasty Kitchen

As for her gift, Makoa and I had fun with this. 

I had made Marvelous Marble Cream Cheese & Chocolate Muffins to take to dinner at a friends house the day before the birthday dinner.  I had one left, so I decided I would put a candle in it and have Makoa hold it for a picture to be framed and given to her as a gift.  That "photo session"  sparked a bit of inspiration. 

A HomeMade Birthday Card

As you can see, Makoa and I had fun.

Honestly, Self-Accountability Time and a Prayer

Hi All.  I've been lazy (you should see my laundry).  I have been pushing against financial anxiety that is creeping around (a bad habit of mine).  My "To Do List" of all things I've been procrastinating on keeps growing.  I've been unmotivated and the inconsistent weather doesn't help.

I know why I've been in this funk.  I know exactly why.

I've been slacking and inconsistent with my alone time with God.  Partly because I'm trudging through the book of Exodus, but mostly because I have allowed myself to fall into distraction and a lack of self-discipline.

But I'm back.  Time to buck up.  Through this funk I have maintained prayer and God ALWAYS provides.

So.

Good Morning God.  Today I feel my motivation returning and I thank you for changing my attitude.  I pray for you to continue to work on me, my attitude, so that I will do your will with a joyful heart.  I do feel the weeds of financial anxiety creeping up again.  I pray.

⁶ Do not be anxious about anything, but in every situation, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. ⁷ And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus. (Philippians 4:6-7, New International Version, ©2011)

I thank you, Lord,  with an overwhelmingly joyful heart for Makoa.  I pray, Lord, for your continued guidance so that I may be your light, so I may inspire others through my example, as imperfect as it may be, to seek you.  I pray these things in Jesus' name.  Amen.

Ok.  Thanks for listening.  Thanks for praying with me.  Now, time to face that LAUNDRY :)

2010 Year in Review, Part 5

I've been putting this post off for several reasons, but mainly because this part of 2010 and any year, for that matter, is quite vast.  The End of the Summer always brings a whirlwind of emotions and changes. We always count our blessings and celebrate during this time of year.

We miss you Chilli Dawg



1997-2010

We celebrate the lives of my parents. 

We reflect and hold on to their love and legacy. 

We count our blessings.



Daddy Jesse  November 26, 1956 - August 11, 1984
Mama  August 22, 1976 - September 6, 2008

We moved out of our old house and into our new house.  This was totally God's work because we weren't "actively" looking.  We really weren't trying to move.  We set the standards to move pretty high...

1. Cheaper

2. Newer

3. Bigger

Nothing is impossible for God.  Our new house just literally just fell into our laps, with our criteria and more room than we know what to do with.  We LOVE it and Thank God EVERYDAY for His provision.



Our First House as a Family (The Old House)

I only have pictures of the backyard...we spent a lot of time in the back of the house.

View from the backyard of our First Family Home

 We LOVED our old house.  It was a perfect "starter" home for us.  We had MANY celebrations in the backyard, right on the water.  Lots of memories were made there.  We brought Makoa home from the hospital in that home.  But we were growing out of that house and with Makoa breaking free of any barriers, it was time to get off the water and into a cul-de-sac. 

Thank you God!  We LOVE our New Home! 

We went from a 2 Bdrm/2 Bath House to a 5 Bdrm/2.5 Bath House!

The view from our front porch.  We are now across the street from the water.

The view of our backyard from our screened in porch.

That would be my Sister-in-Laws home. 
Our backyards connect, making it easy for the cousins to grow up together.

After a long Winter and too much time with JUST mommy and daddy, Makoa was showing signs of major cabin fever.  He was extremely shy and a little behind in his Speech development.  So we decided to enroll him in Preschool. 

So we commemorated his

 1st day of school! 

First he wanted to mow the lawn

Then he was off and running

It took him about a month to feel comfortable. 

 But eventually he stopped acting like an Opihi every time we got to his classroom and now I barely get a kiss goodbye.  And thanks to his INCREDIBLE speech therapist, his vocabulary is growing more and more!

30 Day Facebook Photo Challenge

Day 3

A picture of the cast from your favorite show

Those who know me, know to choose a favorite TV show is like having to choose a favorite child.  I am a self proclaimed TV addict.  And since I am choosing to pick ONE, I do so with this said:  This show is just one of my favorites.  I picked it because of the important content it contains, particularly in the character of Max and his family.

PARENTHOOD

I love this show.  It brings me to tears and it makes me laugh. 

But most importantly, I love how well they are bringing awareness to Autism & Asperger's Syndrome. 

NBC Tuesday Nights 10pm/Eastern.

For the past, I'd say 10 years, I've been drawn to and, at first, fearful of Autism (ridiculous, I know).  I say drawn to because the subject always seem to be in any TV show or article or any random moment I'd come across.  It's not something I sought out or voluntarily researched in the beginning.  I just noticed the subject of Autism everywhere, all of a sudden.  I say fearful of because I tend to fear what I don't know or understand or know how to face.  And Autism, from the limited "by chance" knowledge I was receiving was daunting and haunting and it would break my heart EVERY time to see people on the spectrum unable to express themselves, be misunderstood, and then in turn judged negatively.  I have a strong desire to become AWARE, to learn about Autism and to help bring a positive awareness to others.   In doing so, I see more of the joy found in a person on the spectrum then their challenges.

30 Day Facebook Photo Challenge

Day 2

A picture of the person you have been closest with the longest

Hmmm. How do I pick just one?  Growing up both an Air Force brat and always with a village of family around (both related and unrelated), I find it difficult to name just one person.  Especially given the fact that the words "closest" and "longest" don't necessarily go hand-in-hand for me.  I believe you can know someone for only a short while but feel you have known them forever.

SO.  I'm gonna tweak this one a bit...

My Bridesmaids

I had NINE!

3 sisters, 2 sister-in-laws, 1 cousin, and 3 friends



A Classy Bunch

My Sisters know me the most.  They know EVERY part of me, EVERY mood, EVERY story, EVERY annoying habit, EVERYthing there is to know.  They are the closest to me.

My Sister-in-Laws. 

I've known them the shortest amount of time.  However, it's as if my brother, Brandon, found a woman most like me and my husband found a woman with characteristics most like his sister.  I think they "get" me in a way that doesn't need time.  And I am so blessed to have them in my life because they bring another dimension to the world around me that may have remained dormant without them.

My Cousin, Andrea

My cousin has known me the longest, literally my entire life.  Most of my childhood memories include her loving and tormenting me the way any older sister would.  She knows me like no other.

My friend, Trisha.

My friend, Jamie

My friends.  I've known Trisha since I was 6 and Jamie since I was 10.  Trisha and Jamie, distance definitely does NOT damage the kind of sisterhood we have.  They are the kind of friends that are the "pick right up where we left off" kind of friends.  As if NO time has ever passed.

My Friend, Desi

And then we have my friend, my mentor, my sister Desi.  I've known her since March 1999, only 12 years.  But with Desi, NO words need to be spoken.  We just look at each other and know. 

My Wedding was the first time I had ALL of my Ladies in one room at the same time.  I cherish each and every one of them and am so blessed and proud to be able to call them ALL my

sisters-in-LOVE.



30 Day Facebook Photo Challenge

Day One

A picture of myself and 10 facts

1.  I am totally excited about my growing relationship with God.

2.  I am a wife to the hardest working, kindest, most generous man I know.

3.  I am LiViNG my dream of BEiNG a Mother.

4.  I am the Oldest of SIX siblings; 2 brothers and 4 sisters.

5.  I thrive on getting the MOST for my money, making a buck stretch, couponing, bargain shopping, and MAKiNG iT LAsT.

6.  I LoAThE being COLD.

7.  I am REALLY bad at "small talk".  I prefer "open book" conversations.

8.  I LoVe all things film, television, books.  Its my therapy.

9.  I pack our entire house to spend the whole day at the beach.  One of my favorite past times.

10.  HoME is where the HeARt is.  I am blessed with many homes.

30 Day Facebook Photo Challenge

So there is this fun little thing going on on Facebook.  I thought it would be a good "go to" for blog ideas.

It's called the 30 Day Facebook Photo Challenge. 

It's an album you make on Facebook called "30 Days." Each day - for the duration of 30 days - you add a new picture to it with a new meaning...

Here's the list of what to upload during the 30 days:

1.A picture of yourself with 10 facts
2.A picture of you and the person you have been closest with the longest
3.A picture of the cast from your favorite show
4.A picture of your favorite night
5.A picture of your favorite memory
6.A picture of a person you'd love to trade places with for a day
7.A picture of your most treasured item
8.A picture that makes you laugh
9.A picture of the person who has gotten you through the most
10.A picture of the person you do the most ****** up things with
11.A picture of something you hate
12.A picture of something you love
13.A picture of your favorite band or artist
14.A picture of someone you could never imagine your life without
15.A picture of something you want to do before you die
16.A picture of someone who inspires you
17.A picture of something that has made a huge impact on your life recently
18.A picture of your biggest insecurity
19.A picture and a letter
20.A picture of somewhere you'd love to travel
21.A picture of something you wish you could forget
22.A picture of something you wish you were better at
23.A picture of your favorite book
24.A picture of something you wish you could change
25.A picture of your favorite day
26.A picture of something that means a lot to you
27.A picture of yourself and a family member
28.A picture of something you're afraid of
29.A picture that can always make you smile
30.A picture of someone you miss

Year in Review, Part 4

Fourth of July 2010/Makoa's 2nd Birthday

Makoa was born on July 4th, 2008 and, of course, a few new traditions were created. 

One tradition is one that'll last as long as Makoa allows me to pick out his clothes.  My Aunty Theresa, who I consider one of my second mothers, has sent these outfits to Makoa every year. And every year they will be his "Birthday Suit"...at least for as long as he indulges me. 

 What a difference a year makes!



Makoa's 1st Birthday



Makoa's 2nd Birthday

The tradition of family and friends coming to my home and visiting for the weekend to celebrate each other is one that I grew up with.  Some of my first memories are of huge weekend family gatherings.  It seems there was always an occasion to celebrate, to cook huge amounts of food, to have friends and family of old and new gather under one roof. 

Since Makoa's birthday falls on a National Holiday and we are blessed to live at the beach, I get the privilage of hosting future memories.  I love when my home is full beyond capacity!

Makoa's 1st Birthday 2009

 

Makoa's 2nd Bithday 2010



Makoa's 1st Birthday 2009

Makoa's 2nd Birthday 2010



Makoa's 1st Birthday 2009

Makoa's 2nd Birthday 2010