It is so difficult to get a picture of Halle that captures her personality because the flash on the camera makes her blink and that's always what I catch. So I turned the flash off and used the diffused light that was coming in the window and got several really good pics, two of which are shown here. Travis took the two photos at the bottom that I thought were cute.

Grumpy Buttersticks

Yesterday was such a grumpy day. Halle was rudely awakened to the joys of the time change to take Amanda to school- I know it happened on Sunday but she didn't have to get up super-early that day. So, yesterday she moaned and groaned and fussed all-morning-long. And when she wasn't doing that she was getting into things. While I was stripping wallpaper she got into my brown eyeshadow and was digging it out with her fingernails and rubbing it on the arm of the khaki chair. I-was-so-upset. Thankfully I could brush a lot of it off and Resolve took care of the rest.

Actually, any time I do something around here that requires a lot of concentration Halle destroys something. Last week while I was stripping wallpaper she got into my purse and dug out my favorite lipstick with her fingers and rubbed it all over my favorite green leather wallet along with the table and the floor. I still get a sick feeling in my stomach when I think about it. She gets in trouble of course, but I know that I'm at least partly to blame because I'm not paying attention. I can't expect her to behave perfectly because she's two and she's going to get into things. So I've resolved that I'm not doing home improvement stuff during the day. It's not like there's not enough laundry to do during that time anyway. Of course the evenings are super-busy too and I can't just leave all of that to Travis while I strip wallpaper. I guess I'll have to wait until they go to bed- I'll figure it out.

Chloe has been sick for the last 6 days. She had a sore throat and a fever but that is pretty normal for Chloe and she usually gets over it in a couple of days. But yesterday was day 5 and her fever was 100.7 still so I decided that it was definitely time to take her to the doctor. The only catch was that I hadn't taken the time to find a new pediatrician. We really liked our former doctor and really, who likes to find a new pediatrician or any doctor for that matter? So I looked on our insurance website and there were 4 pages of names. How are you supposed to figure it out when you have no idea who any of those people are? So I prayed and asked the Lord to help me figure it out. Then I saw a listing for a children's clinic in Cool Springs and checked out their website. And one of the doctors is from our former doctors practice. And I suppose I should say that Tisra found her a couple of weeks prior but I wasn't sure that I was going to go there. But I have to say that when I saw her picture on the web I felt much more comfortable with a familiar face rather than with someone I'd never met. I hadn't actually seen her that often because she wasn't our doctor but I really liked her a lot. She was very low-key but personable and and asked lots of questions and listened patiently and intently while Chloe told her a story plus her credentials are excellent so I feel comfortable taking the girls there. Oh, and Chloe has Strep Throat- fun. Oh and I should mention (just for bragging because it was cool) that I took Isaac to his Mom's office after the doctor's visit because it was time for her to leave work and she asked if we'd like to take a tour. A tour of what you ask? Well, it was just a tour of BIG IDEA'S STUDIO!!! There really isn't a ton of stuff to see but the studios design is very cool and there is lots of Veggie memorabilia and it was neat to see where the movies are created. Very fun.

So Chloe's new expression of frustration is to snap her fingers and say "Awww, buttersticks!" I don't know where she got it but it is super-cute.

And my final photo of the day is of Amanda dying her hair a couple of nights ago. She kept sculpting it into different designs and would say "hey, look, look. I look like I'm hanging upside down!" etc. So this one is of her "running". That's funny stuff.

What a great weekend! The Fadely's kept Chloe and Halle overnight for us on Friday and Amanda went to a show in Hendersonville so Trav and I had the place to ourselves for the first time since we moved in. We'd been putting it of since around Valentine's Day for this reason or that but we finally were able to push everything aside and spend some time together. We got out later than we had hoped because Travis had to work late unexpectedly so we got to the restaurant we wanted to eat at around 8:00. I figured that 7:00 is the rush so we probably wouldn't have to wait long but boy was I wrong! We talked to the hostess and it was an hour and fifteen minute wait which would put us actually eating at about 9:45- no thanks. So we wandered around and finally decided on Panera; good food, good music, good atmosphere, and quick. I can't even begin to tell you how relaxing it was. As much as I've wanted to spend time with just Travis I also really needed some kid-free time. We were able to sleep in the next morning and go out to breakfast. We chose a local popular "hole in the wall" restaurant- Travis' menu had been signed by Ashley, Wynona, and Naomi Judd. It was an older menu and since they couldn't get rid of it they just scratched out the parts that weren't valid anymore- cute. This was the type of restaurant that my parents would love- unique and country food. I wouldn't say it was the best breakfast I ever had, it wasn't even close actually, but it was nice to be able to try it out. Then we walked around downtown Franklin for a while and headed back to pick up the girls. We missed them and Halle missed us and told us so. Chloe didn't miss us and acted so badly that she had to go home and take a nap- sigh. I'm glad she loves the kids so much but she could at least have said "hi".

So yesterday we spent hours cleaning and doing laundry. Travis and I finally tackled our bedroom. It's always the last room we get to even though it should probably be the first. It had gotten so bad that I didn't even want to go in there unless it was time to go to sleep. I decided that it was finally time to pull out the clothes that I've been hanging onto forever but NEVER wear. I was holding onto a dress because it was $100 when I bought it even though that was about 13 years ago and was for a date with a guy that wasn't Travis. I wouldn't be caught dead in it now even though it would still be a very nice "churchy" dress. And I got rid of the formals that I'm never wearing again even if I could fit into them. And the suit from 1999. And the ugly brown skirt. And the button up shirts that I have to iron so I never wear them. And the pants that are too big but I hold onto them in case- in case I gain weight!?! That doesn't seem like a good idea, I haven't been able to wear them in a year. And Travis followed suit and got rid of stuff that he hasn't worn in at least a year- even though that meant getting rid of a nice Banana Republic sweater that I love but he thinks it's too big. Oh, and I quit holding onto stuff that I don't wear just because he likes it. We also unpacked a couple more boxes and cleared out a corner that held pillows and pictures. I put these great pillows on the couch. I bought them at Target before we ever moved. They were on clearance, of course for $6.24 marked down from $24.99. They didn't match the couch at the time- and are a little too fancy for the casual furniture we have now but I like them and I don't care. We weren't able to finish our room but we got a lot done and I was able to vacuum and I even made the bed this morning. We still have 10-15 boxes on the dresser but we're going through them and I'm sure we'll get rid of more stuff.

This is our new table and chairs set. It is much more sturdy than our last set and while I was sad to see the other set go (our first one) I think this one suits our needs a little better. It's smaller and you can't seat as many people but it gives us a little more room in the kitchen. I want to refinish it but I was just reading one of my mags and a designer was saying that it's really difficult to get the varnish off, it's tedious, and you can really mess it up. So, that's not even on the horizon right now. I could do the table pretty easily but the chairs would be pretty difficult.

Sooo, in other news, well not news really but anyway....if you haven't checked out the new Crate and Barrel catalogue you really should. They've got some great stuff and even if you don't decide to buy they've got some great decorating ideas. They've got a pottery barn, meets pier one, meets the coastal look,meets mod look. It seems like a bit of a departure from the other stuff I've seen from them even though I always like their style. And for the artsy set that reads this blog I saw this painting ideas machine the other day. It's great for getting the old thinker rolling for new projects. My thinker has already rolled to a project that I intended to start a few weeks ago but I've been sick pretty much constantly since then. I'm planning on painting a surfer girl motif on Chloe and Halle's ceiling fan. It's just a cheap little Wal-Mart fan and I have a picture we bought for Chloe for Christmas for inspiration so I don't think I can mess it up. I didn't get to any wallpaper stripping last week because I was sick but that's definitely my top priority this week. But since I can't do that constantly I'm pretty sure that I can get the fan blades down and primed today. I bought some actual artis acrylics for the project and I'm excited to use them. And now since this post is so long and Halle is screaming I will go and let you know how it turns out later.

Apparently I'm.....

Apparently I'm on the "she's a sucker for a magazine subscription" list. And I guess Having 3 magazine subscriptions would suggest that I might be a sucker for a magazine subscription. And I guess that ordering the Cooking Light cookbook has now put me on the "she's a sucker for a cookbook" list as well. A couple of months ago I decided that my cooking is in a terrible rut and I need to try new recipes and that I wanted them all to be healthy. And since 2 of my magazine subscriptions are Southern Living publications I received an offer for an entire years worth of Cooking Light recipes cookbook plus "2 free shockingly extravagant gifts!". Um yeah, the shockingly extravagant gifts were a calculator that will tell me the current local time as well as the time in Denver and Hong Kong and a shockingly extravagant PLASTIC toile bag! I'm using the calculator because I needed one and Amanda absconded the bag and carries it to school every day. And they sent me an envelope full of "special offers" which consisted of fliers for free Hoodia (except the cost of shipping), some sort of mother's ring or pendant, and colorful elastic waisted pants. So if I take the free Hoodia do I still need the elastic waist pants?

But all cheekiness aside I did try an alfredo sauce recipe (which was actually from their magazine, I don't know if I have it in the cookbook) and it was really amazing. It was very rich and very garlicky- just the things you'd expect from an alfredo sauce with a lot less fat and calories. It is not, however, the recipe that I e-mailed to several friends last week. Same company different recipe- the one I sent out doesn't have garlic and what's the point of an alfredo sauce without garlic? And tonight I'm going to try a potato soup recipe that is Cooking Light but it's from a flier they sent me for ANOTHER cookbook! I just bought a cookbook and I haven't even had a chance to look through it yet! Um, yeah, I'm on the list.

Well, I've posted some pics and we'll have to see if they turn out. The first one is of Chloe smashing Grant between the couch cushions for a sort of "Grant sandwich". The funny thing was that she was trying to get his attention but he wanted to watch a movie so he completely ignored her and she gave up and started watching the movie with him- good times.

We went to B'ham this weekend to visit with my Grandmother who is very ill. She's been sick for quite some time and we just found out that she's going to have to stay in a nursing home rather than going back to the assisted living facility that she'd been in. So Mom called and asked if we could help move Grandma's stuff and of course we said we could. So Saturday was a long day- so long in fact that we had to push our visit with Grandma back to Sunday. That meant no church on Sunday but this weekend was so rushed there really wasn't anything we could do about it. So we went to the nursing home Sunday afternoon (I picked up a cold/cough from the little boy I'm babysitting so Travis was kind enough to let me sleep in) and as we walked down the halls I felt so sad. It wasn't a dreary place, I was surprised by there message of hope on the wall and little prayer room. I remember as a child I was so excited anytime I knew we were going to visit Grandma and Grandpa. And one time my brother and I were out running errands with my Mom and Dad and when we got home we saw Grandma and Grandpa's car in front of our house. We started jumping up and down and asking if they were there and Mom and Dad acted coy saying, "I don't know I guess you'll have to look for them". So we ran around the house in a furious search and we finally found them in my brother's room. I remember being so excited. I know that my Grandparents weren't perfect and it's not like anybody in my family was "touchy-feely-so glad to see you I've missed you so much- i love you", etc. They were always happy to see us though and tried to stuff us full of pringles and Jello Pudding Pops. So I'm sad that this is where (barring divine intervention) my Grandmother is to finish out her life.

I was concerned that the girls might be afraid to talk to her or touch her but they weren't at all. Even finicky Halle jumped right into bed with her and gave her hugs. I really seemed to mean a lot to her. Chloe made a real connection with her when we saw her at Christmas. She hadn't ever talked to Grandma that much but she started talking her ear off- " I love you Grandma, you're so sweet, you're the greatest Grandma ever!" And really, who can't resist that? And I know that Grandma remembered it because she was dying to give Chloe a hug. She said "Chloe you're my little sweetie, aren't you? Grandma loves you" and that seems to be out of character for her. I'm so glad that Chloe could make a difference and bring her some happiness, she's such a precious child and seems to know that she can make anybody feel better. And she's so genuine in it- it's just who she is. I'm looking forward to seeing God use that trait even more in her life.

So after the nursing home we went back to Mom and Dad's for a feast fit for 5 hungry Buttons. Steak. Baked Potatoes. Homemade herb rolls. Homemade cheesecake, mmmmmmm. So we stuffed ourselves, said our goodbyes, and made the 3 hour trip home. Oh and unloaded the car- including the table and chair set of Grandma's- bathed two grubby tots, put the table back together, brushed two little sets of teeth, put two sleepy tots to bed and then followed our own bedtime ritual and were in bed just before 11 to start the week- whew! I actually thought I would be exhausted today but I feel pretty good. I'll post pics later of the new table set that I think I'm going to paint. But this week will be devoted to stripping wallpaper because I really want to get the house painted. More later....

I'm Making Coffee

I am making coffee today. If you know me very well you know that I'm not much of a coffee drinker- does a Latte count as coffee? And if I do make coffee it's decaf with copious amounts of creamer. Not to be confused with cream- it's creamer, the fake stuff-flavored- with hydrogenated oil in it. It's not healthy and I don't care. Well, today I'm making the caffeinated kind- full on coffee; still with copious amounts of creamer. I'm tired. Like, dog-tired. I want to start working out again today and I kind of doubt that's going to happen, I might as well wait until Monday right? So far this week I've managed to sleep every-other-night. Monday night it was because of Halle and last night it was because of Travis. He had to work late doing an inventory project and he got home at 12:40 am. He left for work the previous morning at 6:30 so I probably don't need to say it was a long day for him.

I actually went to sleep early but I can't stay asleep if Travis isn't here. He finally called at 12 o'clock to say that he was on his way home and I stayed on the phone with him because I didn't want him to fall asleep on the way home. So, I'm drinking coffee- and babysitting. Did I forget to mention that? I'll be babysitting for the next 2 1/2 weeks for a little boy from church. The extra money will be nice and he's a sweetie. And now we're heading outside (with my coffee) for playtime so that we can have lunchtime and naptime....so I can have packing time since we're going out of town for the weekend. Did I mention that I'm really tired? This coffee thing better work....

These are the new floor pics. I took new pictures, uploaded them and have blogged about the floor AGAIN. If they don't turn out this time then you'll just have to come over to see it. Also, notice that I rearranged the shelves on one side of the island to make it more asthetically pleasing. Well at least the bottom shelf is. The top shelf is where I put my stainless steele mixing bowls because I need them often and I can rarely find them and I figured it would be handy if my measuring cups were there too. I'll re- do the shelves on the other side of the island as soon as I can figure out what to put over there.

So while I'm here I suppose I should post about something other than the floor.....like maybe my two-year-olds sudden disdain for sleep? I think for the last two months off and on she'll have trouble sleeping. This is a recent development and is quite unwelcome considering the fact that she's my only "good" sleeper. Chloe didn't sleep for the first year of her life due to her constant tooth eruption- she had every tooth/molar with the exception of her canines by her first birthday. And she's lost 7- soon to be 8 in the last year! But Halle was different, she occasionally had trouble sleeping but for the most part she's like me- put her to bed and leave her alone. Last night however was soooo different. We put her to bed and she went to sleep, we put Chloe to bed and Halle stayed asleep, Travis and I went to bed and she started crying- sigh. So we put her in bed with us for a while to calm her down, Travis ended up on the couch and at 2 am she was still wide awake! At that point I felt myself starting to come unraveled and decided that she HAD to go to her bed. So I put Chloe in my bed and put Halle in hers. For the rest of the night there were periods of quiet mingled with cries and Halle banging on her door. Or at least it seemed that it was the rest of the night. Travis said that he got her and slept on the couch with her on his chest for 2 hours before he had to get ready for work. Then he put her in Chloe's bed and the quiet-crying-banging on the door cycle returned. Then I got up at 6:45 for my taking kids to school routine followed by snuggling with Halle on the couch. I fed her and put her down for a nap at 11 and there was MORE CRYING! I thought she HAD to go to sleep at some point, really, what is going on?!? Then the thought came to me "two year molars". So I went to her room and asked her to open her mouth. I put my finger in the back of her mouth and there they were- four molars coming in at once. It's not like this is my first kid, so why does it take me so long to figure this stuff out? I have no idea how tonight will go. She'll get some Advil and some numbing gel, I'm sure and she has to pass out at some point, doesn't she? I mean, really how much non-sleeping can a two year old that likes to sleep take? She actually fell asleep on my chest for about 45 minutes but as soon as I got up so did she. I'm sure that this will pass soon and as much as I enjoy most parts of taking care of these little ones this is one thing that I'll be glad to see pass.

I WantTo Be a Pwincess

Halle brought one of Chloe's princess dresses to me this morning and said "Hewe, I want to be a Pwincess! So I put this little dress over her clothes and then she decided that she wanted her puppy backpack on so that's how she's dressed for the day- so sweet! Oh and BTW, the puppy backpack is actually has a tether that goes with it (Amanda calls it a leash which drives me nuts) to give little ones some freedom to walk around without having to hold your hand- and really, how comfortable would you be walking around with one arm over your head. Anyway, I bought it in Gatlinburg on vacation this past summer. We were walking around for hours and Halle just couldn't handle being in the stroller (did I mention it was 100 degrees outside- I'm not exaggerating) so my MIL found this in one of the little shops there. It was cute and $20 bucks which I thought was a bit pricey but considering the circumstances I figured if it would help her to be more comfortable and would help us keep our sanity I'd try it. It worked OK, but since Halle has a strong personality she still got frustrated by being "tethered" and we still had to try to keep her little hands from pulling things off of the shelves. So we decided that until the kids are older we need to take vacations that don't involve very much shopping. And I also saw a backpack like this at Target for $10 and I think it was Eddie Bauer- well at least she likes to wear it.

And here are the floor pictures! This is the very last strip that Travis has left to pull up. It's under the computer desk and he says that there seems to be more glue on this spot than the last but he'll have it up tonight. I'm almost finished tileing, I just have to tile under the stove and 3 or 4 more rows and then we're done. It is so nice to have a clean floor. Since we moved in I either walk through the house with shoes on or with my toes curled up because it was so gross. We didn't want to spend the money to put down a temporary floor just to come back later and spend more money on what we really want (bamboo) so we were going to use porch paint. I think that would have looked fine and would have given me a license to be a bit more creative but since you have to go through the kitchen to get to 75% of the house I just don't think we could have survived the drying time. So this is the cheapest, decent-looking flooring we could find and it does look so much better (Amanda said that it looks 500% better). It's cheapness is evident in the fact that not all of the tiles match up perfectly. You can't tell too much but in every line I put down there is a small gap between at least two of the tiles. I suppose it could have been my error but it is very consistent and very aggravating. And I have nothing to fill it with. If I was using actual tile I could fill it with grout but as it is that is where food and dirt will get caught and it will get gross and will be impossible to clean- grrr. So hopefully the new floor will be temporary. But other than that I love it- No Really, I do!

I don't have much time to post as usual but I figured if I don't start posting more often people will quit reading soooo.....here we go.

I've been sick for a week- gosh that never happens! I'm going to babysit for a couple of weeks so we're doing the floors. I didn't think it would be acceptable for the little boy to run around on plywood so we've ripped out all of the old-nasty vinyl except for one small strip that Trav couldn't get to last night. And in case you ever need to know how to do it- there is a great vinyl cutting tool that is indespensible and since vinyl is mostly just glued around the edges you can place a towel on top of the glued portion and place a hot iron on top of that. Heat through and pull it up- it takes some muscle (and I have some blisters) but it's better than using the awful chemical method. Oh and I should mention that there was 27 years of crud under the fridge and stove- including rodent droppings! It was so nasty but now it's gone and I couldn't be happier. I've put down peel-and-stick vinyl tiles in the hallway and am working my way through the kitchen. I'll post some pics later. It's very tempting to start sanding the cabinets while the appliances are out but I'm going to try to stick to one project at a time and just get it finished. More later.....

Goodbye Old Friends

Isn't it silly how we humans get attached to things? This couch and chair were a gift to me from my parents when I graduated from college. They had only had them for about a year when they gave them to me and I remember going with my Mom to pick them out. We had actually picked a plaid couch and chair in jewel tones but it would have been 6 weeks before Mom could have gotten them and I guess she figured that Dad would make her cancel the order before then so time was of the essence. Now if she had gotten the sofa and chair that she wanted I'm pretty sure that I wouldn't have gotten this set so I'm glad it worked out the way it did. Oh and I suppose I should mention that Mom and Dad sat on lawn chairs for 6 months after I moved out.

This set followed me to my first rental house in Panama City. That house was so small that in the living room I had room to put one piece of furniture on each wall. So I had the couch on one wall, the chair on another, my piano on another and I squeezed the TV on the remaining wall. And I remember that sometimes on my off day I would lie on the couch with the window open and just relax. It felt very homey. This set is ugly for sure but it has traveled with us from place to place to place getting more beat up as time went on. It has been a place of comfort for me during pregnancies and sickness and a place to lie our sick kids.

And now we're inheriting another set from some dear friends so it's time for these to go. I'd considered putting these out on the curb since the city has a disposal service but I listed them on Craig's List for free and am selling the slipcovers for $75. I called a girl today that sounds like she's 18 and she and her husband will be the new owners. I'm hoping that this set will be a blessing to them- it surely has been a blessing to us. I suppose I'm not as sad about getting rid of the set as I am about the memories it represents. And I'm sure that one day it will end up on the curb, I'm just glad that I'm not the one to do it.

Pictures From a Snowy Day

I love snow. When I was 4 my family went to visit my grandparents in Bradenton, Fl and when we got home there was snow all around the edge ofour house. And I remember that I didn't know what to do with it so I scooped it up and rubbed it on my slide. Even at 4 I remember thinking it was a silly thing to do but there was just a tiny bit and what else could you do with it? So for the rest of the 27 years I lived in FL I prayed for it to snow. Every-single-year. And the first winter after we moved to TN we had TONS of the white stuff. I actually remember that it was such a cold- snowy December that when the temperature reached 35 degrees a pastor at church commented that he didn't think he'd see the day that 35 degrees felt warm. And for the next two years we had lots of snow culminating in the January that we had 7 inches fall within a couple of hours and it seems like we've had nothing since then-and that was 4 years ago! I suppose maybe I'm snow-greedy. But when you move 770 miles north you expect to get some (a lot of) snow- really is that asking too much?

So this morning my prayers (and the prayers of hundreds of thousands of Tennessee school children) were answered with an almost generous snowfall. And in preparation for the snow that we were supposed to have gotten- but didn't get- on Wednesday night I picked up a "snow wedge" from Target (on clearance so I'm not sure if they have any left). It was really a pain to blow up but it was totally worth it. The little girls and I went outside to make the most of our snowy day (while Amanda slept). The snow wedge worked so much better than I expected and at one point I slid from the top of the hill at our house into the ditch! Now I didn't really intend to end up in the ditch because it totally creeps me out so I made sure to put the brakes on in other trips down the hill to keep it from happening again.

It was nice to be able to slide down the hill since that is one of the only pluses to having a home built on a hill. I also slid down the hill in the back yard which is steeper but I ran into the railroad ties that define our back deck so it was a faster slide but it also ended very abruptly and since I didn't want to break any bones we moved back to the front yard. Halle was a good sport and she slid down the hill as well but after a half hour or so her hands were freezing and she started crying and was pretty much inconsolable so I brought her in, warmed her up, and made Amanda get up to watch her so I could sled some more with Chloe. Oh and our crazy kitty cat got out and climbed up the tree in the front yard and got stuck. So I had to climb up and get her- it was kind of cool. So there has been much fun going on at our house. Of course, I feel for Travis who had to head into work to do a project before leaving to help the Fadely's move. Hopefully there will be snow left when he gets home so he can try the snow wedge out too.


End Note- Blogger is dropping my photos for some reason so I'll have to wait until Blogger fixes the "bugs" in the new system. But if you're really dying for photos let me know and I'll e-mail them to you.

Yesterday I followed my usual afternoon routine of picking Amanda up from school and when I dropped her off I decided to check the mail first and there it was- a letter from the Governor's School.

Amy- Here it is (hands envelope to Amanda)
Amanda- (looks nervous) OK
Amy- Do you want me to open it for you?
Amanda- No
Amy- Are you nervous?
Amanda- I'm not sure. I'll see how I feel when I open it. (tears open the envelope and reads the first line which CONGRATULATES HER ON HER ACCEPTANCE TO THE GOVERNOR'S SCHOOL!!!)
Amanda- (tears)
Amy- (tears) I'm so proud of you! (hugging Amanda)

So Amanda is one of 14 girls from the entire state to make it into the theater program. She'll be gone for 5 weeks this summer and while I'll miss her this is an opportunity that she can't pass up. I asked her if she was excited later and she said she wasn't sure but that it was nice to have her talent recognized by professionals in the field instead of "just" friends and family. So you all are invited to her play at the end of her session this summer- date TBA.

Wow, blogging twice in one day- what's gotten into me? Well, the termite guy just left and I'm very thankful-happy-ecstatic to say that it's only a superficial wall wound. Except for the hole I knocked in it, that is. Apparently the termites just ate the paper underneath the paint so fixing it is going to be pretty inexpensive. And what I thought was black mold is just residue from the termites eating the paper. So the termite guy (Clay) said that we could just use dry wall mud to go over it or use 1/4 inch dry wall and cover over the whole thing which would mean no more wall paper stripping in that room, hmmm, maybe I'll do that in the whole house? Or my Realtor (Lisa) who knows that I love to be creative suggested maybe doing venetian plaster in that room. That way it wouldn't have to be perfect and that look is very in right now. Of course it doesn't really fit in with the cottage theme we're going for in this house and everything we do is only about resale value so I'm completely open to suggestions.

OK, so things are not devastating; actually I didn't think for a second that they would be, so we can move on now.

Last night Travis and I went to Life Group ( basically it's a small group church meeting every other Wednesday at a Life Group leader's house) for the very first time and it really was completely amazing. God moved in such a real way during worship and I don't think I need to tell you that we needed it so much. We had been putting of going for months now and in prayer God basically smacked us and said "get to Life Group". And we really felt like the Life Group that we went to is the one for us- because there are probably 2 dozen that we could try out. I sense that there is a "divine-appointment" for us there and I'm very excited to see what that is all about.

I'm very excited about life in general actually. I've been doing some soul-searching for some time now. You know- what should I do, what is my calling, what am I supposed to be doing right now. It was really driving me crazy because to be honest I need to get a job. We've had some unexpected setbacks that I won't go into but the end result is that I need a job. But I didn't want to go back to being an administrative assistant or retail or waiting tables. So I thought about graduate school- but what would I study? Music would be fabulous and I looked at Belmont's requirements and it looks like I meet them and (with some brushing up on Music Theory and Music History) I could do it. But the practice time requirements on top of studying would be massive and I'd end up missing as much of Chloe and Halle's growing up as I did with Amanda. So maybe Theology then? Are you kidding? It's 96 hours for a Master of Theology degree and 120 for a M. Divinity compared to 30 hours for something like, say English! So maybe English then? If you've noticed my punctuation I'm sure you could answer that yourself. Then I though about design school. In other sould searching I'd come to the conclusion that I don't have to be "Pastor Amy" (my former title) in order to minister. In fact I led as many people to the Lord when I worked at Target as I did when I was on staff at a church. So if it doesn't matter what I do- as long as I'm in the Lord's will- then I could be anything and minister to people. So being an interior designer sounds like something I could do day-in and day-out without being miserable. And I was praying all this time and thinking about different tragedies that I'd seen recently involving young people and God broke through my "thought-prayers" and reminded me of the scripture that says "train up a child in the way he should go and when he is old he will not depart from it". And I felt God say to me "minister to your kids". And then just a couple of days later we were at church and Pastor Dale said in his sermon "it's not about doing what you want to do but wanting to do what you're supposed to do". And then everything became abundantly clear to me- I'm called to be at home. I've been praying for years about what I'm specifically supposed to do. And if God had answered me years ago and said that he'd called me to be a stay-at-home-mom I would have been devastated. It's not that I feel it's beneath me or anything like that, it's just that I had much bigger dreams for myself. And I don't know if this is a for-the-rest-of-my-life thing but I do know that it's a calling. And I've never said that before. I've always wanted to stay at home because I'm so in love with my kids that the thought of someone else caring for them for 50 hours a week just felt awful to me. So now that I know that it's a calling it gives me more purpose and makes me more determined to stay at home to the best of my ability. Of course that brings us back to the fact that we can't afford for me to stay at home. But you know what? I'm not worried- I'm excited! Because I know that God is going to make a way. So, who knows? Maybe one day I'll design things. Or better yet maybe this weekend I'll take my lazy little behind to the library and check out books on designing and I'll do it as a hobby rather than getting a degree in it. But it doesn't matter if I'm Martha Stewart or Suzy home maker as long as I know my creator. Because then I'm not defined by my title; I'm defined by Christ.

Merry Christmas

Here are a few pics of our Christmas trip. We had an absolutely wonderful time with my parents and were able to see most of my Dad's side of the family as well. We had a fabulouse Christmas lunch at my Aunt Cindy and Uncle Charlie's place. There house has been featured in several Southern Living articles- for their kitchen, driveway (seriously), patio, and another one that I haven't seen. So I got a few pics from the back yard. Not as many as I would have liked to have gotten because I was visiting with relatives and chasing kids around the back yard. But it was wonderful and we had a great time.

Happy Birthday To You!

Halle's second birthday is today and as she likes to say "hap booday TO you"! We had a birthday party for her this past Saturday and I don't know how it happened- especially since I saw Travis take Halle's picture- but we have no pictures of the birthday girl from that event. So I just picked out some that I thought were cute. I'm very thankful for our fiesty, sweet little Halle and am glad that she joined our little family.


 

It's an All Chloe Day!

Oh my goodness! I dropped my precious Chloe off for her first day of school today. Of course, in typical Chloe fashion, she wasn't the least bit concerned about my leaving her. She was just content to take in all of the sights at her new school and to make friends. I'm sure you're wondering why, since this is such a big day, I don't have pictures of the occasion. Well that's because I loaned my camera to Amanda who is finishing her semester of school today. I'd have to say that I held up pretty well although I did get a bit teary but I decided to make her first day of school a non-dramatic one and kept my tears (and the hole in my heart) to myself.

I was able to talk to Ms. Macintyre her teacher and found out where the students are in the year and I was very relieved to learn that Chloe isn't really behind. There are some things she hasn't learned such as a page full of sight-words but I'm going to make flash cards and Chloe will know those by the time she gets back to school from Christmas break. And the other thing is journaling. They write in their journals most days of the week so during the break we'll read a story and I'll have Chloe write a sentence about it and draw a picture (which is what her teacher said that the students do) and she should be familiar enough with everything to be up to speed.

I'm so excited for her. She's going to be in a learning environment for the whole day (yes, ideally home school should be a constant learning environment but it wasn't here) and will be able to make friends, do crafts, learn music and I am thrilled for her. I will miss her dearly here but she and Halle seem to be fine with the new arrangement and I will have more time to do things that I need to do here. And now I'm off to pick up Amanda from her last day at her current High School. Pray for her if you think of it- thanks.

Which of These Items Doesn't Belong?

If you said the carrot you are correct! Yes, I walked into the living room a few days ago to find that my precious Chloe decided to add to the decorations. I found 3 shriveled pathetic little carrots among all of the other decorations so I scolded her a bit and laughed a lot. Kids are so much fun. Well sometimes they are. I've had the worst time keeping Halle out of the ornaments. She kept taking them off the tree and pulling the tops off. So I would spank her hand, put her in time out and tell her "no, no". So finally she started taking them off the tree, told herself "no, no" and put herself in time out. At least she's efficient.

These other pics are the best ones that I could get of Chloe during her Christmas program. I didn't get to take any pictures of her in her costume because Halle was sick so Travis went to the first service and I brought Halle to the second service and we swapped her there. But unfortunately by the time I got out of church and to her room to pick her up the only part of her costume that was left on her was her little white leotard and hair decorations- I wish I'd remembered to send the camera with Travis.
In other Chloe news she will be starting public school at the beginning of the year. I'm excited for her because the school district here is amazing and she'll have opportunities that I can't give her. And I'm glad that we homeschooled the first half of the year. At the point that we started we knew we were moving but weren't sure where and I wasn't ready for her to start school in one spot just so that she could change in 6 weeks. But I had no idea that we'd be moving to a fixer- upper and the amount of stress that all of that would amount to. It's actually begun to affect me physically and I'm not devoting the amount of time to anything that I need to. I really don't feel like Halle or Chloe are getting what they need and the house stuff has to get done. I'm not complaining- really. I love it that we own our home and it's OK with me that things need to be done I just can't do it all. I really feel the need to justify our decision because homeschool is a passionate subject but we've prayed, talked to the guidance counselor and her new teacher and they're totally excited to have her and Travis and I really feel like Chloe is going to thrive here.

OK, moving on. Amanda is home for good- well at least until college- next week! I'm so excited and am very much looking forward to our family getting back to normal or actually better than normal. I know that God opened these doors for us to be close to our church and I'm convinced that he didn't lead us here just to be home owners. I truly believe that we're going to see some great changes in our lives. Have you ever felt like you were just on the edge of great things happening and it seemed like you could taste it? Well, we're there. I don't know what it is or what it involves but I'm expecting it. It doesn't matter to me what it is as long as we're doing what God wants us to do. We don't have to be in "full-time" ministry or recognized as ministers in the traditional sense. That used to be so important to me but it isn't now. Travis and I want to make a difference in the world and maybe that will be in our neighborhood or Chloe and Amanda's school or in the grocery store or whatever but through these 6 and a half crazy years the Lord has changed us and has changed what's important to us and I think we're finally ready for whatever......whatever's next.

This weekend is "A Dickens of a Christmas" in Franklin. My parents will be in town and I think this would be a great community thing to take them to. There is a "wave down" spot at the end of our street for the trolley so maybe we'll take that rather than fight the traffic to get into town and you usually have to pay to park so we'll see. But if anyone wanted to go we could meet there or you could park here. Maybe this will help me get into the Christmas spirit because I'm not feeling it yet.