For Sale

All I have time to say is that we're FINALLY going to be putting up a for sale sign in our front yard today. Praise the Lord. Hallelujah.

Busy Week

I haven't posted this week because I have not had the time... I've been a single working mother of 3 this week. I am so thankful to say that Jason finally has some new employees that he can now let work on their own from time to time. So, that frees him up to do other things as needed. Jason and Rhett went to BV on Friday night with a load of supplies so that Jason could get some extra work done. Me, Braden and Gracie stayed here and got everything packed up for the weekend. After Braden's 2 soccer games on Saturday morning, we headed to BV to join them. We worked hard all weekend and didn't get home until 8:30 on Sunday night. We were in separate vehicles, so the kids all rode home with me (since the Suburban has the DVD player, of course!) I stopped to get food for all of them and we hit the road. Only to find out that my phone, my brand new phone, wasn't working. So, I caught Jason while he was going thru the drive thru at Mickey D's to tell him and he followed me in case we needed each other.
Braden spilled KFC mashed potato gravy all over himself and the car not once but twice. I was in such a hurry to get them home and bathed and in bed on this school night, that I threw him a box of baby wipes and told him to clean it up. He ended up having to take his pants off the 2nd time, b/c the mess was all over him but he was upset b/c he didn't have any underwear on under his pants. (My boys hate underwear. They always have. As soon as they get home from school, they go straight to the bathroom and take their underwear off. That is, unless they manage to get out of the house without any on, which does happen from time to time... little stinkers! I have no idea where this comes from, because I can assure you that both their mother and their father wear underwear on a daily basis.) So, I managed to get my jacket off while driving and throw it to him so he could sit on it and cover up with it. Then he started getting car sick with all the commotion, so he had to make his way up to the front seat. Gracie had been screaming bloody murder the entire time and we had been on the road about 40 minutes at this point, so I finally pulled over to check her diaper. She has been doing this alot lately, and it's never her diaper, she's just throwing a temper tantrum to get out of her seat. This time, it was a poopy diaper, so I got her changed and she settled down. Rhett had also fallen asleep and had a night terror in the car as he was in his car seat before we got home. By the time I got them in the house, got the car unloaded and bathed them and got them in bed, I was exhausted. Jason made it home a while after we did and he got the gravy mess cleaned up for me.
So, in a sit down heart to heart, I told Jason (again) that I just can't keep going like this and we have to get this house finished. So, bless his heart for loving me so much, he woke up early Monday morning like usual, got his guys started, unloaded the trailer of stuff from BV at our storage unit here and headed to BV to work on the house.
The last time I saw him was on Sunday night when we went to bed. He didn't plan to stay there all week, but the more he's getting done, and the more his guys are ok working without him, the more we wanted him to stay and GET IT DONE. He went to Wal-Mart and bought some clothes and he's been staying at my mom and dad's house at night. Yesterday he worked until after midnight and was up and back at the house by 7am. I love him for so many reasons, but the fact that he is just such a hard worker and so dedicated, is one of the main ones. I don't say it enough, but I am so glad I'm married to him. I do not deserve him.
Hopefully we will have the house officially for sale by the middle of next week. We will be working there as much as we can this weekend after soccer. We have some other fun things planned for me and the kids this weekend, but Daddy will be working.
Praise the Lord we will be getting it done soon. We are exhausted and burnt out, to say the least. We need a normal weekend where we can rest!
I also have to say that tomorrow is a very big exciting day for my dear husband. He is turning the big 3-0!! I've been thinking for weeks about planning a big hoop-la shin-dig, but I'm sad to say that I'm just too exhausted. This has been a good week, but definately a long week here by myself holding down the fort without my helpmate. I'm looking forward to him coming home tomorrow night. Hopefully we can take Daddy out for dinner or something. I hesitate to get a cake because I don't want to be tempted to eat it!
Tuesday was my weigh in and measure day. I am up to 10 lbs total in 4 weeks and also I lost several more inches. I'm well on my way! Couple more pounds and I'll be 1/3 of the way to my goal!
I'll leave you with a prayer request. Could you all please pray for our house to sell? I feel like it's selfish to ask for that when others have such big needs, but I know that God calls us to pray for and with each other, so please whisper one or two for us when you think about it. We know that His perfect plan and purpose will be carried out, and we're committed to hanging in there until that time comes. Now that I'm writing this, I suppose that what we really need prayer for is just that we can remain faithful and that we will be able to not worry about it and keep seeing this whole thing through God's eyes and not our own.
I am so thankful for praying friends and family.
And I'm also exhausted and am hoping to sleep all night for the first time in a very long time tonight. So, goodnight!

I've Been Tagged

My friend Rachel at Just Another Day in Paradise tagged me. It was neat to find out Random/Weird facts about her.

About Me:

1. I can type 80+ Words Per Minute. Now you know why I always have such long posts! I can type a lot in a short amount of time!

2. I LOVE to cook/bake. But HATE to clean up the mess!

3. I HATE housework. Mostly laundry, but I hate it all. I am not the world's greatest housekeeper.

4. I sleep with 4 pillows and a heating pad every night. That's one thing about me that is high maintenance!

5. I've had at least 1 child sleeping in my bed or my bedroom for the last 8 years. Lord help me... and my husband... :-) This scenario isn't easy on a marriage, so the fact that we're still crazy in love is even more of a miracle to me.

6. The thought of being pregnant again, ever, terrifies me.

7. I always have my toenails painted Red.

I tag only 6 because that's all I know!

Mindi

Marci

Sonya

Amber

Rachel

Jill

New Haircut!

I went and got a haircut today. I needed it so bad! It's been since last May since I actually liked my hair. I love it! I wanted to go shorter, but I ended up going shorter than I intended. When she got it cut and asked if the length was ok, it just wasn't exactly how I had pictured, so I asked her to go a little shorter.

Here's pictures:

Of course, this is the straight version. Who knows what it will look like curly... I'm not worried about it. If I have to wear it straight for a while, so be it. Just a little more time in the getting ready department. The norm is about 5-10 minutes and that's when I'm really getting dolled up. I'm so low maintenance it's sad. So, this will be good for my self esteem, I'm sure.

Plus, it's only hair and mine grows like crazy, so no biggie.

AND.... Tuesday was my weigh in day. Are you ready? I lost 4 lbs last week. I know, I couldn't hardly believe it. That makes 9 lbs in the first 3 weeks. I get to do my measurements again next Tuesday when I weigh in. I can't hardly wait. There's just nothing like seeing results when you know you've been working so hard. Sure does make those salads and grilled chicken go down a little easier when you know it's working!

5 and 7

Those are my magic numbers for this week. Numbers that I've worked very hard for. Numbers that make me so excited!!

5 is the number of pounds I've lost in the last 2 weeks since I started working out with my trainer. 3 last week and 2 this week.

7 is the number of inches I've lost in the last 2 weeks. This is the number that really makes me happy! Afterall, I really don't care as much about the number on the scale as the number on my jeans.

I lost 1 inch off my neck, 1/2 inch off of each arm, 1 1/2 inches off my chest, 1 inch off my waist and drumroll please..... 2 1/2 inches off my hips!

The L Word

There is now a new curse word in my vocabulary. That word is Laundry. It almost makes me sick to even say it. I feel like that's all I do. Make no mistake, I don't really care for any type of housework, but laundry has become the #1 worst thing for me. This evening, I stayed home from soccer practice so I could work on the laundry some more and maybe I wouldn't feel so behind all week. So, as I folded and put away, I felt sorry for myself and wished I could be having fun with my family. As I "stewed" my mind wandered to just how many loads of laundry I have done in the past week anyway. To the best of my recollection, I was then working on load #15. That doesn't include the 4 loads of blankets I've done so far. I currently have 1 load in the washer and 1 load in the dryer and 3 loads still waiting to be done. Does it ever end?
The answer is no and I know I need to quit worrying about it. I know all of you mammas out there are going through the same thing and I know I'm not the only one drowing in a sea of laundry. Let me just say that I feel your pain.
Even though I have to make a conscious effort to be thankful for anything regarding this chore, I am thankful for the following:
1. That I have a washer and dryer in my home and I don't have to go haul my laundry to and from a laundromat.
2. That I have both a washer and a dryer.
3. That I have a home to store the clean laundry.
4. That I'm not scrubbing away in a creek with a washboard and lye soap trying to get my clothes clean.
5. That we have clothes and towels to get dirty and then clean again.
6. That I have money to buy laundry supplies.
7. That I have a family to do laundry for.

Do you hate laundry as much as me? Do you have another household chore that you loathe? Gotta go switch another load!

Check this out

Every now and then I check in on a blog called Baby Bangs. It is Amanda, Beth Moore's daughter. (If you don't know who Beth Moore is, you can Google her. She is an amazing bible teacher. I have enjoyed several of her books and bible studies throughout the last 8 years.) Tonight, I stumbled upon this post and I want to share. Sure does make you think, huh?
Just click on the gray words above and go to the post titled, "There is a Rescuer".