THE Blanket

Since Olivia was about 6 months old she became attached to this beautiful, soft pink Amy Coe blanket, given to her by Donna. She has slept with this blanket every single night and carried it with her everywhere. No other blanket would ever do....EVER! I used to think she was so precious when she would curl up in her crib with her blanket and suck her thumb. These days the blanket is definitely a darker shade of pink, covered in stains from a well-traveled toddler and does not seem as big as it used to. I'm sure she will have this blanket forever.

Then she discovered this quilt. It was made by my FSIL, Jenny...it's navy and red and has Olivia the Pig on it.



Oh the tears that were poured out because she wanted to carry both blankets with her to run errands one afternoon. It was one of her more, shall we say, passionate fits and luckily I had my camera near.



What's a mommy to do? I suppose she'll carry them both until they get too heavy. She's very determined.

LIKE FATHER, LIKE DAUGHTER

Spending Saturday night with panties our our heads and snacking on Oreos. Don't the Jasmine panties look great on Chris?

Silly Liv with her favorite Dora panties...





Posing with Mommy

Happy First Day of School!!!

Tonight at our study we will finish up C-O-U-P-L-E of the Energizing Cycle so come if you can....

Next week on Labor Day and we will do Chapters 15-18 over C-H-A-I-R-S

on Monday, September 8th we will do Chapters 19-22 over C-H-A-I-R-S

and then our final week of study will be on Monday, September 15th and we will do Chapters 23-24 over the Rewarding Cycle

Hope to see you there!!

Pregnancy Brain

Being the sweet wife that I am I have decided to let Chris not only name our baby boy, but pick out his bedding! Surprise, surprise it's a TxDOT related theme!

When it came to ordering though I had a little bit of a problem.

This is what I was supposed to order:




And this is what I actually ordered:



It came in the mail and Chris said, "Where are the dump trucks and the orange cones?"

Hmmm, I thought the colors were a little different, but they are pretty much the same to me!

I have ordered the correct set and it's on it's way. Who knew how important orange cones were??

Now if I can get him to forget the idea of making a lamp out of a TxDOT hard hat!

The Official Baby Name

We have decided on JONAH DANIEL

The story from the beginning...when Chris and I were dating his paternal grandfather John Daniel (J.D.) Reed passed away from pancreatic cancer...we always said that if we had a son his middle name would be Daniel. Olivia was almost Ava Danielle but we thought hey 50/50 chance our next one could be a boy so we saved it....

After we got pregnant this time Chris was flipping through a baby name book and found the name Jonah (which actually means dove *wink, wink*) He said he really liked it and that the kid would have not only his grandfather's middle name but his dad's (Jerry Don) and grandfather's initials. We had a boys name.

Enter Peter Jones} He discovered a way to make fun of the baby's name and make Chris change his mind completely.....so much that he was almost willing to use Jonah but not even Daniel!! Silly Peter....we still love you.

Then we found out it was going to be a boy...we poured over baby name books and involved fellow bloggers with my poll! I really loved Jonah Christopher, but Chris did not.

FINALLY, Chris decided it was going to be Jonah Daniel because of his grandfather and he didn't care what other people thought and no matter what the name was the men were going to come up with nicknames!

So to make a loooonnnnggg story long - there you go!

my 13 thoughts

1) i've got to finish our time cards
2) i've got to reschedule that juvenile hearing
3) i've got to do this 2008 planning calendar for Childress County before 3 p.m.
4) today is our 4th anniversary....i can't believe i actually forgot!!
5) Praise God for cool weather
6) my desk is NEVER going to be clean
7) now i'm addicted to dr. pepper & BLOGGER
8) liv either needs more sleep, more spankings or both
9) 8 more weeks
10) i'm tired of saying mean things that i don't even MEAN....silly, CRAZY CYCLE
11) i miss my mom&dad
12) i can't wait for thad's wedding
13) i hate dog hair and waterproof mascara

I had the best garage sale! For some reason I am one of those crazy persons that enjoys having a garage sale. I just LOVE bargains...finding them, selling them, etc. About a month ago I started going through my house, every room, closet, storage area, the garage...everywhere! I put everything into an empty bedroom and started sorting through it a week before.

Two nights before I went to Wal-Mart to purchase tons of big and little hangers for all of our clothes. I told my mom it was all about presentation...she laughed and said no one cares what kind of hanger it's on...."Mom, it's not about the type of hanger it's about having them hanging instead of folded in a box.... "
**edit** before I could even use all of my hangers I was selling them to people for the full price I paid...so I got most of my $$ back......but now I know that SHARON not only has lots of tables but hangers also!!! I also sold the stepstool I was using to stand on to hang my clothes up....I could've sold anything that morning....

The night before I worked until 1 a.m. taking everything out to the garage and placing it on tables some of my good friends loaned me. (Thanks to everyone else that offered tables and names of babysitters!!)

I woke up at 5 a.m. to finish taking things outside, hang my signs and price everything....but I didn't get to price anything or hang up any of my clothes because a huge crowd showed up at 7 a.m. a whole hour before I was set to "open." I had another friend that was going to have it with me but she ended up getting sick...so I was flying solo 7 months prego.

Fortunately, Chris was able to run to the bank for me, bring me breakfast, plastic bags and keep me hydrated throughout the day. It was so crazy...I had made over $100 before 8 a.m. and most of the stuff I sold was either 25-75 cents or $1...that just goes to show you how much stuff I had.

Women were laughing at me because I was practically giving my stuff away and I had about 7 people that came back to buy more. I really had a great time laughing with people and just freeing myself by letting go of stuff I had for over 10 years.

By the end of the day I had made over $500 and my husband was pleased with the outcome...my hard work had paid off.

Here are some tips on having a great garage sale:

1) Have it around payday...preferably the 1st

2) Don't price anything and sale it all really cheap--especially if you're just wanting to get rid of it--if you're wanting to make more $$ then I would suggest trying Ebay first

3) It's all about presentation - hang clothes so that people can see them better, organize things in groups of the like such as kitchen stuff, bathroom stuff, kids stuff, books, etc.

Watching the Olympics at the Reed's

Chris: "Man, Michael Phelps just won another gold medal and broke another World Record."

Olivia: "That's crazy!!"

Biggest Loser starts on September 16th....I am so fired up about this. Last year was the first season I watched and we both loved it!!!

For weeks I have talked about doing the Biggest Loser contest with Chris after I have this baby. I told him that if I lost the weight I wanted to buy a Louis Vuitton purse (something I have wanted forever, but can't justify spending $800 on).

Last night we were discussing the contest...and I enthusiastically say, "I hope I lose X amount of lbs. and get a new purse....what are you going to get?"

Chris says, "A skinny wife."

I laughed forever....I know you just had to be there....but he was so quick-witted and at the moment it was hilarious to me and even a little sweet....I hope I can get a new purse and give him a skinny wife....

Last week when I would ask my daughter to do something or tell her it was time for bed she would look up at me and sweetly say, "No thanks."

This week her excuse for everything is, "No, mommy I too big." or "I too little." As in too big to take a nap? I don't think so missy. Not yet anyway.

DON'T BE LATE...FOR A VERY IMPORTANT DATE...

MY HOUSE tonight AT 7:30 P.M.

LOVE AND RESPECT STUDY

Funny thing about Bloggerland...is that you just never know.


The other day I'm in line at McDonald's and someone yells, "Hey Tara, do you have plenty of gas?"


Hahahahaha. Belinda...you're so funny! I really am glad you pulled up behind me because I did need to be sure and get gas that day...so THANK YOU!

Irresponsible or just an honest mistake?

I thought I might type this quick post while my husband is sitting in the den wanting to yell at me!

I just finished taking my cousin home after we watched "P.S. I Love You" (soooo good btw) and I ran out of gas. Yep, in my 2 week old Tahoe I ran out of gas by the police station and FBC! I didn't have my purse or my cell with me and it was 10:30 at night. Plus, my car is more in the middle of the street than off to the side and I can't find my hazard lights. I can't walk anywhere because I think Chris would be more upset with me for leaving the new car unattended so I leave my lights on, lock it up and trot up to the police station. The people working don't know me and when I ask to use their phone they tell me they don't allow the public to use it. I want to laugh out loud. I also wanted to say, "I work for the County Judge," but who really wants to be that person. Some guy I didn't know was talking to one of the officers and let me use his cell phone. I call the house and no answer...I leave a message, "Hey honey, it's just me. I ran out of gas by the police station and the church. Okay, thanks, bye." I tell the people thank you and walk back to my car.
Not too long after that the officer is leaving and he pulls up beside me to see if I need any help or if he can help push my car out of the way. The poor officer gets out and pushes my huge vehicle out of harm's way, I tell him who I am and that my husband is going to kill me. We laugh and he tells me he'll come back by in a bit to check on me. I tell him I should be fine, but then I start wondering, {What if Chris doesn't get my message and just goes to bed? I'm going to be in sooo much trouble} Then my knight in shining armour pulls around the corner with gas in hand. I'm trying to be cute and apologetic at the same time, but he continues to tell me how bad this is for a fuel injected car! I'm quick to point out that last night I had 40something miles left and last time it took forever to reach empty and for some reason it tells you how many miles you have left when the gas light first comes on but after that it just reads "Fuel Mileage Low" .... my excuses were not flying at all as Chris says you had 40 miles left last night on the way home from Wellington!!!! Oh yeah. I promise not to let it happen again and to get gas as soon as the light comes on if not before! I feel so bad, but the feeling I had seeing my husband come save me left me happy especially after watching that sad movie!

Etiquette for Spotting Loose Cattle on the Highway

1. Call the Sheriff's Office or the landowner if you know who it is

2. Pull over to make sure Bessie doesn't try to move from the shoulder into oncoming traffic

3. Patiently wait for an officer or the landowner to arrive

4. Bravely try to get Bessie back over the fence

Last night was Date Night. We had such a great time. We made arrangements for Olivia to stay with her MeMe (Tonya) and we headed to the Ritz Theatre in Wellington to see "The Dark Knight." The movie was so good. I love Batman movies and Heath Ledger did an eerily, awesome job as The Joker. It's sad he is no longer on this Earth to see his work.
Ever since I was a little girl going to the movies has been by far one of my favorite things to do. One of the first movies that I remember going to see was "Rainbow Brite and the Star Stealer" back in 1985. I was 5 years old and my parents took me when we lived in Wichita Falls. In junior high I saw "My Girl" at the Palace Theater here in Childress 3 times. It's hard for me to find someone to accompany me to the Lone Star 4 these days because it's not exactly the best movie experience, but I love going so much that I'll go by myself if there's a great chick flick showing. Nothing beats a night at the movie theater with some popcorn and a Dr. Pepper. Another great movie I saw recently was "Sex and the City." Now there were definitely some graphic scenes I could've lived without but overall it was such a fantastic, girly movie about love, friendship and fashion, of course.
Alright, so back to Bessie the cow.
On our way back from Date Night Chris noticed a cow on the side of the road. So we call the Sheriff's Office and I learn what your supposed to do in these situations. I had no idea. If I had been by myself I would've kept on driving, but like the officer said he would much rather come out now and get Bessie back to her home instead of coming out at 2 a.m. for a fatality accident. Bessie went right back over the fence which made me happy because at this point it was already 30 minutes passed my bedtime.

This is the only pic I have from my 10 year reunion....I'll try to get some copies from some other classmates.

My conclusion is that I'm soooo happy to be 28 instead of 18!

There was drama, drama and more drama.

It was good to see everyone and meet some new spouses...

July is flying by

This weekend is my 10 year reunion...I'm looking forward to seeing everyone...I'll post some pics next week. I've been helping plan it and I just hope it's fun for everyone and we have a great turnout!

WE WILL be having our Bible study this Sunday night....hahaha....I picked Paige up for the study this past week so there weren't any cars in front of my house....so no one else came...at least that's what I'm telling myself...and I know lots of people were out of town for the holiday. We'll be doing Chapters 3-4 this week!! Hope you can make it!

Next weekend we are off to Bridgeport for my brother's wedding shower. We're going to go see the new batman movie on Friday night. Fun, fun. I'll be back in time for our Bible study next week also!

I'm still trying to get ready for my garage sale which will be on August 2nd....if you know anyone that needs little girl's clothes 9-24 months, toys, etc. send them my way! So sad to get rid of some of this stuff, but it MUST be done!

We have decided on the name Jonah for our baby son. The middle name is still undetermined...any ideas??? Speaking of Jonah, he is quite active right now and my sleep is getting disrupted....but I'm ONLY 25 weeks! So we will continue this journey and hope I can find some more pillows that will help.

I've enjoyed stopping by Ballyhoo this week for a delicious iced coffee!! It's been the highlight of my mornings...

Well, with a little R-E-S-P-E-C-T I got a new ride this past week....now if I had been asking Chris a million times if I could get a new car I promise you it would've been October before we got one! So this time I didn't say a word....when I told Chris about this little observation he laughed and said I was probably right. So now we have a new Tahoe that will hold 2 car seats and then some...

Last weekend while we were car shopping we went to see my Papa who is still at BSA doing rehab for his stroke. The poor guy still cannot talk or use his right arm. Chris and I had him laughing so hard which was fun and Olivia sang "Twinkle, Twinkle Little Star" and "Itsy Bitsy Spider." Leaving him was so hard. It just broke my heart. I hope he gets stronger and able to use his voice with more rehab.

Here's a few recent pics...



Liv at her 2nd Birthday party


Kaleb getting his first taste of "moodiness"


Playing with her new BUBBLES

(yes, that's my kitchen....)


On Mother's Day

I hope everyone has a fantastic weekend!

Sometimes I can be a brutally honest person. Most of the time I am an open book to those that I am close to; however, I'm not close to very many people. This blog has presented a struggle for me in regards to how much to share. I don't lie or like to sugarcoat things so I just tell it like it is. On a blog I posted last week I felt like I shared way too much and some of you don't know me that well. I appreciated your sweet comments and knew that they were in the best interest of me....but that blog went in a direction that I had no intention of it going. After posting I honestly had inner turmoil....I thought I did not show my husband in the best light and I felt like it was unfair to him for me to post that blog without him being able to defend himself. I don't want to act like my marriage is peachy-keen 24/7 that's just not who I am...but I do want to share my heart completely while continuing to be respectful to my husband. More than anything I want this blog to be uplifting while still being able to share myself and my heart openly and honestly with you all!

I Just Thought I Knew What Respect Was

Last week I started a blog with the question....Sometimes don't you just want more? I never got around to posting it...but I'm here to tell you that my little void has been filled! With none other than our new Bible study on Sunday nights over the book, "Love and Respect" by Dr. Emerson Eggerichs. I feel so energized and renewed!

The whole basis of the study is based on a verse from Eph. 5:33, "Each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband." (NIV)

I have read that verse several times but didn't quite remember the part about respect. Everyone talks about love these days...hardly ever respect. I had to ask Chris what were some ways that I could show him respect...his reply was, "Maintain this messy house of ours (of course, his #1 need, desire, want), listen to him and trust his decisions (financially and other). Okay some of them I knew but it helps to actually hear the words come out of his mouth in case I forget.

A few weeks ago I brought home a marriage book, "The Five Love Languages," for Chris and I to do......and most of you know exactly how well that went over. To him I was saying, "I don't like who you are, please change, let's read this book together so you can be exactly the way I want you to be, oh and I'm perfect by the way." Well, after beginning this "Love and Respect" study I told Chris I really didn't want to make him do something he didn't want to do. He was filled with pure joy and relief. After this study last night I know that I don't need to force my husband to do a study so my needs can be met....they are going to be met through this ladies Bible study....but maybe one day we will do a study together...just for the right reasons and because BOTH of us WANT to.

I have learned that once I take that first step and respect him in return he will be loving to me. Even though it sounds so simple it isn't. It takes daily prayer and application. After a few days I'll forget and get wrapped up in my own mind. I will have to constantly remind myself to put his needs first and respect him.

This morning I wake ready to start another work week, feeling so good about my marriage, etc. Then guess what happens? If there's one thing that can make me feel like an inadequate wife it is my husband asking me if I'm going to get to something...as in cleaning, organizing or just picking up. Yesterday I did a million things between going to church, potty training Liv, getting ready for my Bible study, laundry and I began going through my office for garage sale items. Needless to say, I left the office a wreck because it's going to take me a while to go through all of my junk. Chris comes in this morning before he leaves for Dallas and asks, "So are you going to finish cleaning up this office?" WHAT? ARE YOU KIDDING ME? Tears immediately stream down my face and I become a crazy wife.....saying, "I could do a million things to make you happy but you're always going to focus on that one thing I didn't do." I was beyond hurt and shocked. We had just had this wonderful study the night before and I thought I was well on my way to "respecting" my husband. After my little meltdown I remembered one of my favorite parts of chapter 1, pg. 22 where Emerson, states that, "But Sarah (his wife) is able to see me in a more positive light because she has decided to believe that I do not purpose to be unresponsive and unloving, not in my deepest soul." Okay, so I have to begin assuming that Chris is not purposefully trying to be unloving. He means well...on some level. Right?

This morning also reminds me of another part of this study. It's in chapter 2 on pages 32-33, Emerson is talking about how men see, hear and speak in Blue and women see, hear and speak in Pink. When we talk to our spouses sometimes they don't quite "get" what we are saying. However, when we talk to our girlfriends they are totally on the same page, can relate and even have similar stories to share. So I'm going to take this little episode this morning and remind myself that even though I was hearing, "You're a horrible wife, you can't do anything right, you don't do anything that makes me happy -" maybe that's just what I was hearing but not really what Chris was saying. Understand? Yeah, it's a little confusing. If you're not reading this book I suggest ordering one....it's pretty good with a simple lesson that is somewhat easy to grasp. You just have to trust God and not your pretty little head.

Sunday Night

Our Bible study on "Love and Respect" will begin tomorrow night at my house 8 o'clock sharp!! Tomorrow night will just be a casual get together to discuss our upcoming study. This will give everyone one more week to order their books, read Chapter 1 and do the workbook questions!
I hope you all will join us tomorrow night for dessert and discussion.

WOMEN OF FAITH INFINITE GRACE CONFERENCE
DALLAS, TEXAS ~ AUGUST 22-23

What's This All About?

It’s two days, 10½ hours. It’s refreshment, reality without reproach, and relationships. So what does that mean?

Refreshment – Imagine getting together with your closest girlfriends for a weekend. Think of the laughter you’d share, the tears you’d shed, the FUN you’d have. Now multiply that by 10,000 or so. You’re starting to get the idea.

Reality without Reproach – We’re not perfect. We don’t expect you to be perfect, either. Our speakers are real women who share stories from their real lives. We’re here to encourage women, not to condemn anyone. Even those who have never set foot in a church feel comfortable at our conferences. You can check your mask at the door. You’re welcome just as you are.

Relationships – Connecting with God and with each other. At Women of Faith we believe that God loves you – no matter what your situation in life may be. We also believe that He wants a personal relationship with you. Through our conferences, more than 150,000 women have indicated decisions to start or renew that relationship. Relationships with each other are important, too. At a Women of Faith conference you’ll have the chance to connect with other women – even if you go there alone!

Over the course of the conference, you’ll have the opportunity to:

**Renew your spirit with messages of hope and humor from the Women of Faith speaker team

**Recharge your spiritual batteries with drama that tickles your funny bone and touches your heart (at the same time!)

**Rejoice with music from top Christian music artists

**Reconnect with God and each other as the WOF worship team leads an arena full of women in praise to God

**Revitalize your life with resources that will help keep the conference experience alive all year

**Relax in the comforting knowledge that God loves you – right where you are


Speakers and Special Guests

**Allison Allen**Stephen Arterburn**Patsy Clairmont**
**Louise DuArt**Natalie Grant**Nicole Johnson**
**Max Lucado**Mandisa**Marilyn Meberg**Nicole C. Mullen**
**Sandi Patty**Anita Renfroe**Jan Silvious**Luci Swindoll**
**Sheila Walsh**Ayiesha Woods**


Conference Schedule

FRIDAY
5:30**Doors Open
7:00**Infinite Grace Conference Opening
9:30**End

SATURDAY
8:00**Doors Open
9:00**Session One
10:30**Break I
11:00**Session Two
12:30**Lunch Break
1:30**Session Three
3:00**Break III
3:30**Session Four
5:00**End


"I Second that Emotion Pre-Conference"

The Pre-conference is held from 10:00 am - 3:30 pm the Friday of the Infinite Grace conference, usually in the conference arena. It’s a more intense, in-depth time of learning. Often women find it’s their favorite part of the whole weekend.
Do your feelings have you tied in knots? You’re not the only one! Join Patsy Clairmont, Anita Renfroe, and Jan Silvious for a day of laughter therapy and solid biblical teaching on understanding your emotions. Learn to enjoy your rich emotional design with perspective from God’s Word on what to do regardless of how you feel. Bring your tangled wad of emotions with the anticipation of smoothing a few out.

Hotel Reservation Information

You can call and ask for the special conference rate by calling by the reservation date and letting them know you will be an attendee of the Women of Faith Conference.

HOTEL NUMBER ROOM RATE RESERVATIONS MUST
BE MADE BY:
Marriot Suites 214-905-0050 $125 July 31st 2493 Stemmons Fwy
Dallas, TX 75207


The Indigo Hotel 877-846-3446 $104 August 18th
1933 Main Street
Dallas, TX 75201


Adolphus Hotel 214-742-8200 $125 July 31st
1321 Commerce Street
Dallas, TX 75202

Hyatt Regency 214-651-1234 $129 August 1st
300 Reunion Blvd W
Dallas, TX 75207

Three other hotels...Renaissance, Courtyard Marriot and the Fairfield Inn & Suites are already SOLD OUT!!!!!


(All information taken from http://www.womenoffaith.com/)