New Dishwasher - Take 2

I say this is Take 2 because this is our second new dishwasher in 2 weeks.  We had to get a new dishwasher because our old one is on recall after only having it for 2 years, there is supposedly something wrong with the electrical system and it could cause a fire.  So in order to get the rebate we needed to order the new dishwasher, only certain model numbers qualified, and now we can get the piddly $250 rebate on a $700 dishwasher.

The first dishwasher took at least 2 weeks to come in.  Jacob brought it home, had it all set up, was getting ready to push it in and realized that the whole frame was completely bent out of shape.  We called maintenance who came two days later, they confirmed and ordered new parts, which would cost the same as getting a new dishwasher and said if we couldn't order a new dishwasher they'd repair the old one.  I'm not sure if the repairs would come out of our pocket or not or would be covered by our warranty, but we paid for the 5 yr extended warranty cause of our luck with appliances.  Anyway, the parts came in Tuesday evening and the repair guy was scheduled to come Wednesday and so was our new dishwasher.  Since we were able to order the new dishwasher, which only took 1 wk to get here this time, Jacob called and canceled the service call (or so he thought after a lengthy talk with the operator), but maintained the appointment in order for them to pick up the parts.  Well, the guy calls around 2 on Wednesday to confirm his arrival time and I said, now this is just to pick up the parts, this is no longer for a service call.  The guy was surprised and confused and said he'd be here shortly.  He arrived around 2:20 and was like, what's going on?  I was like, my husband called yesterday and informed whomever at the office that we were able to order a dishwasher.  The guy who came the week before said that if we were able to order the new dishwasher that when the parts came in that we should just keep the appointment to pick up the parts, but cancel the service call.  Apparently the lady in the office didn't relay that to the service guy.  He didn't seem very happy.

Anyway, the new dishwasher is in, Jacob installed it yesterday evening and I'm on my second load today.  This load I'm trying the normal wash, but it's not helping any with the noise.  This dishwasher is supposed to be a 400 quiet series, but it ISn't very quite!  If the noise from this thing doesn't go away, which I'm pretty sure it's not supposed to be as loud as it is, we'll probably need to call in the maintenance people to check it out!  If there isn't anything that we can do about it I might just have to run the dishes only at night...  I'm not sure why it's being such a difficult machine, it's quite frustrating! 

The first load I did on a sense mode, which went pretty quickly.  Our other dishwasher, even on the short cycle, would take 80+ minutes to wash the dishes.  I didn't time the sense load, but it seemed a lot quicker than that!  We'll see how long this one takes, there isn't a timer on it like our other dishwasher, so I guess I'll just have to wait and see...  Another thing with this dishwasher is that it isn't screwed into the cabinets like the other one and when I loaded the dishwasher it tipped over several times.  I had to keep the drawers half in/out to keep the whole thing from falling over.  We're going to have to fix that!

Wednesday Night Bible Study

This evening I went to our Wednesday Night Bible Study by myself.  Jacob stayed home with the kids since Maggie is still sporting a snotty nose and I didn't want her slimming everyone and have anyone catch her cold (though Church is where she got it from, 2nd one this month), he offered to stay home since I stayed home with the girls on Sunday. 

Bible Study went pretty good.  We talked about the Holy Spirit and all He does for us.  Pastor made a huge list of everything on the board.  Basically He, the Holy Spirit, is always with us doing everything for us and as long as we rely/trust in Him/God we never have to worry about anything because essentially He does everything for us.  Sounds easy hugh?  Except for the whole flesh/selfish thing that gets in the way ALL the time!!!  I'm working on it though. 

I also found out that next semester is when we are actually going to talk about 'how to tune our hearts to be able to hear what the Lord has to say'.  I almost started crying because I think that that issue was part of the reason that I joined the class in the first place and to find out that I'm not going to learn 'HOW' till next year...I was a bit heart broken!  We did go over a few items about listening to and hearing from God, but we didn't go in depth.  I did learn a little bit though nothing in great detail, but Pastor said that we need to filter our bodies of the flesh and worldly things so that we don't have all the distractions and then we should be able to hear what He has to say.  He said that it usually takes him half and hr to attune himself to be able to hear God, but then it's clear as a bell.  (All this what the pastor says has been a 'Jenny paraphrase', just fyi.)  Also if God has to yell at us or do something drastic or huge to get our attentions, WE AREN'T LISTENING!!!  Or being quiet enough to hear Him!

Anyway, I'm hoping that at our meeting with the Pastor next Monday that we can discuss this a bit more because unanswered questions and the feeling like I have no clear direction in my daily life is really driving me crazy!  I want to be able to ask God a question and get an answer.  At least to important, potential time critical questions!  I DO realize that it's possible that God's idea of important or time critical isn't the same as mine, but I guess that's the part that, if true, is really weighing on me because I don't see the harm in knowing the answer to the question and actually not knowing the answer is causing me great stress.  I'm not a patient person, but I've been praying and asking for quite awhile now and I still don't have peace, which is what I'm searching for, so I'm not sure what I'm supposed to do?!  I do have a plan though and that will have to tide me over till I either get a word from God or something else happens to answer that question in a different way!  We'll/I'll have to wait and see...

I am glad that I started this Bible Study though.  I think it's going to help me get my attitude in the right place to be able to cultivate the type of relationship with God that I long for!  :O)

A Score for Maggie's Birthday, the story revieled.

I told you I'd give you the details of how I found Maggie's new chair 

and how much of score it was,

well her Birthday has come and gone, so here goes...

 

I had been thinking about getting Maggie a little chair for the living room for some time, you know something her size so she could lounge with the rest of the family when we are in the room since she's not quite big enough to get up onto the couches or larger chairs yet.  About 3 and a half weeks ago I decided to try and find one.  I was originally searching for one of those foam chairs that are covered in a soft fabric, they usually have some type of character on them like Princesses or Fairies, they even have characters for boys, but I just wasn't finding anything.  AND unfortunately earlier in August I'd passed up a couple opportunities when the chair was just an idea, not a decision.  :O(  

I searched Craigslist every day, too many times to count.  Checked the chairs out at regular retail stores, but didn't want to pay the $30 price tag, and finally last week decided to go around to a bunch of resale and discount stores to see if I could find one.  After two hours of searching I had no luck until I came to the last store on my list.  I started around the left side of the store making my way around the back while I searched, rounded the corner and there was a foam chair...in somebody elses hands.  SMH  It was the only one in the store and come to find out, was just put out that afternoon.  I stayed for awhile hoping the people would put it back, but they didn't and left with their $4.99 foam chair purchase.  I was SO BUMMED!  It'd just missed getting what I'd been looking for by mere minutes!!!  SO FRUSTRATING!!!

On September 1st, since I wasn't having much luck on my own, I decided to submit a request on Craigslist for a little kids chair of some kind.  Almost immediately I got a response from a lady who didn't have a chair, but did have information on a place that she had gotten a chair for her son for much cheaper than regular store prices.  I thanked her for her info, Mapquested the place with the intention of checking it out if nobody else got back to me by the weekend or we didn't find one at the Mile High Flea Market we were going to head on Saturday.

Saturday, The Mile High Flea Market was busy!  I really had no other agenda for being there other than to find a chair for Maggie and letting the kids ride on the street carnival rides they like so much, so our trip around the shops was quick and unfortunately uneventful!  They just didn't have what I was looking for!  So, we headed off to the place the lady had told me about, Denver Overstock Freight.

We headed toward our destination and I ended up taking the wrong exit, so we took about a 10 mile detour.  Finally back on the right road we arrived where we thought the place was, but driving down the road there wasn't anything around really, just a dead end and a fenced sale yard.  Backtracking we followed a tattered sign blowing in the wind past a run down brick warehouse and finally saw some small yellow commercial signs on stakes pointing towards the rundown warehouse.  We parked in front of one of the signs.  Looking around we were really apprehensive, the place was rather scary, it was really run down and the signs were pointing to the basement. Jacob went in to check the place out for us.  Several long minutes later he came out and motioned for us to come in.  We all unloaded from the van and headed down the steep crumbling stairs to the basement.  Going through the large double rusted steel doors, of which only one was open, we entered a long corridor shrouded in almost complete darkness expect for the light coming in from outside.  As we traversed the hallway we felt a bit hesitant, furniture, fixtures, and other odds and ends lay broken and neglected along the walls.  All were covered in years of dust and cobwebs.  The uneven floor tripped us up a few times, but we continued on into a lit room.  The room was full of all sorts of other odds and ends, lots of boxes and furniture of all kinds.  Then we saw all the little chairs.  There were probably 2 or 3 dozen little rockers and other stationary chairs on the floor.  Cars were the first we spotted, then princess, fairies, pooh bear, and a little stationary butterfly chair.  We looked them over a bit, then Jacob and the kids went off to explore while I decided.  The salesman was near by so I asked him how much the little rockers were.  He said he'd let me have one for $20.  That was about $10 over my price range, so I kept looking.  Maggie and I went over to check out the little stationary butterfly chair.  By then Jacob and the kids were back, I told him about the other chairs being $20 and that I hadn't asked about the butterfly one yet, so Jacob asked.  The salesman came over and gave the chair a good look over, he said he'd let us have it for $10 cause it was soiled, then he walked off to do some other work.  Jacob whispered to me, "I like the $10 chair." We looked around a bit more, even asked about these nice cushioned storage chests that they had.  In the end we decided to just get the little stationary butterfly chair for $10!

The cool thing about it is that the chair we bought, if bought in a regular retail store (like Toys/Babies R Us) costs at least $69.99.  So it was a total score or only $10!!!  

When we got back home I sent an e-mail to the lady who had given me the information originally and thanked her again for helping us find such a great bargain!  

So if you're ever looking for furniture in Denver, check out Denver Overstock Warehouse.  Despite their location it's a great place to shop for excellent bargains!  :O)

 

Here's a picture of Maggie's new chair!

Maggie in her new chair playing with her laptop.

More 1st Birthday Pictures of Maggie

"Oh so pretty"

Twirling with her new scarf.

Rocking in her little chair.

Maggie was rocking out to the music in her Birthday card, "Shake Your Grove Thing" by the Chipette's!

It's a bit hard to see in this picture, but you get the idea. :O)

Maggie's 1st Birthday!

Today is Maggie's 1st Birthday!  

It's hard to believe, but this time last year I was holding baby Maggie in my arms!

What she's done so far today:

She drank a bottle when she woke up.

Got dressed in an outfit Anna picked out for her.

Took a bath.

Got dressed again.

Ate some oatmeal and pears w/ cinnamon.

Played with her brothers and sister.

Took a nap after Anna and David went to school.

Got up and played with John a bit before we left to get balloons for her party later this afternoon.

Drank another bottle and some water.

Now she's looking out the sliding glass window watching the different shapes that a combination of sun, shadows, and wind is causing on the ground outside.  She's also trying to grab a shadow on the carpet and go backwards through the sliding glass window so she can go outside.  

Wait...now she's playing with a sack of squirrel food.  lol

She's a busy girl!

It's now 11:31 and she off again, this time I'm not sure where as she's taken off walking down the hallway.  Oh, she's decided to play with the vacuum.  lc

This list will be pages and pages if I write down everything she does till her next nap and after.  But, I'll write more soon and try to summarize all she does and add more pictures...

Maggie's Birthday Party!

Maggie's 1st Birthday Cake.

Blowing out the candle.

Dainty bite.

Enjoying her cake to the fullest.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

*~* Maggie enjoyed her first chocolate cake!  She had fun getting her presents though she wasn't quite sure what to do with them before they were out of the packages, she just stared at them curiously.
Our friend Cindy and the Reeds came to help us celebrate, thanks for coming guys!
Dinner consisted of mashed potatoes, green beans, cooked carrots, and turkey breast for Maggie.
She played for the rest of the evening until about 7:30 when we all went upstairs for cuddles, story time, then bed. 
  Over all it was a good day!  :O)

Gift Ideas for Birthdays and Holidays

Dear Family and Friends,

Birthdays and holidays are coming up fast.  In case you were having troubles coming up with gift ideas, I have started wish lists at Toys/Babies R Us and Walmart for Jacob, the kids and myself.  These are solely for reference and we are not expecting you to only buy from them.  These are just idea of items that we are interested in to help when you are looking for gift purchases in the future.  I am also going to add a few pictures and lists of characters, colors, and sizes for all of us, plus a list of things that we don't want the kids to have, either because the characters are rude, obnoxious, or the gift is very messy, etc.

The kids have all grown a lot this year.  They still have some of the same interests, but lots of new ones as well.  I hope this helps make your shopping a little easier!  ~Jenny  :O)

***Walmart Wish List is under: Jenny Lacock, December 2010, CO
http://www.walmart.com/wishlist?povid=cat14503-env172199-module021209-lLink3_WL

***Toys/Babies R Us List is under, Creator: Lacock, Jenny, Aurora, CO
http://www.toysrus.com/wishlist/index.jsp

JACOB:
Jacob wears size LARGE
His favorite colors for clothes are BLACK and NAVY BLUE, please no girly colors like purple, pink, or pastels.
He prefers SILVER
*Gentlemen's Emporium:  http://www.gentlemansemporium.com/gentlemans.php
Barnaby Clifton Intrepid Motorist  ...Jacob likes this particular outfit and all that goes with it, though anything from this sight (not the girls stuff however) he said he'd be very happy with!
*Steampunk:  He prefers silver on any steampunk items.
*Anything LEGO, just FYI we have all the video games, however we don't have any of the new LEGO type board games.  I've put the three that we decided that we liked the best and couldn't create on our own with pieces we already have on the Toys/Babies R Us Wish List.

JENNY:
No clothes please, I'm still losing weight so I'm between sizes.  AND no jewelry either, I like to look at it, but never wear it.
Love GOLD, hate silver!
I love AUTUMN and autumn colors like dark oranges, yellow, deeper greens, burgundies, and brown.  HATE purple, pink, and light colors, especially pastels!!!
I like leaves, little birds (especially wrens and black capped chickadees, but they have to be realistic looking), and squirrels.
I love ladybugs (really cute ones) and yellow sunflowers.
*AND...the BOBA FETT bobble head that sits on a TV or Computer in the Wish List is for me  :O)
*This link is to a super cute ladybug music box that I like:  http://www.amazon.com/Little-Cutie-Porcelain-Ladybug-Music/dp/B001SJ3HVG/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&s=home-garden&qid=1283731572&sr=1-1
*This print is cute:  http://fromtheheartart.com/catalog/product_info.php?products_id=314&osCsid=2585c1d1b1a465991a099a06a0640564
*Gentlemen's Emporium (Ladies):  I love this hat!!! 

Victorian Touring Hat, Cognac

...A Gift Certificate to the Gentlemen's Emporium would be awesome too, they have so much that I would like to buy!!!

ANNA:
She wears size 10/12 or Large girls.
Her favorite colors are dark emerald green, dark blue, purple, and dusty rose.
*She loves jewelry!!!  Especially items with rhinestones and dangles.  She can wear gold or silver, but prefers gold.
*She's into Oriental items/designs, I have attached a picture of an outfit she likes.
*Gems and collectible/decorative rocks!
*Horse figurines
*Fancy dress-up dresses and shoes, she wears a size 3 in girls shoes and a 6 in womens (that's a bit bigger than her actual size, but she'll have them for longer)
*Hello Kitty

DAVID:
David wears a size 6/7 or a MEDIUM boys.  He could use sweat pants, long sleeve t-shirts, and footie pj's for winter, he's outgrown most of last years.
His favorite color is GOLD, he also likes BLUE and SILVER.
Spiderman is still his favorite super hero.
He is also still interested in LEGOS.
*One of the "How to Train Your Dragon" comforters is for him and they are only sold at Walmart!
*He also said he'd like anything that has to do with "How to Train Your Dragon".  I didn't purchase as many things as I should have before the movie came out and as soon as it did it was all gone within days because the movie was so good!  Now it is all really hard to come by anymore...if you are lucky you might be able to find something on eBay or Amazon???

JOHN:
-John wears a size 4/5 or SMALL, though 5/6 pj's are probably going to fit him better since he's on the taller side.  He could use long sleeve t-shirts, and footie pj's.
-His favorite color is BLUE, also likes GREEN and RED.
*He likes Batman and Indiana Jones for action characters.  An Indiana Jones costume would be awesome, something with a whip and satchel maybe???
*He's specifically pointed out several different Batman characters with a car at a couple different stores, but I've passed on getting them so far.
*The other "How to Train Your Dragon" comforter is for John!
*Anything "How to Train Your Dragon" would be awesome for him as well, that's actually what he finally decided that he wanted for his 4th birthday this year.  He got HTTYD shirts, pj sets, shoes, and a couple hooded towels (that's all they had left at Walmart) he was so excited!!!

***DAVID and JOHN are both really into BAKUGAN right now.  They can be pretty expensive individually (about $5/$6 or more), but you can sometimes find 'lots' (collections) of them on Craigslist or eBay for cheaper.  I put a couple carrying cases on the Wish List, the blue one is for David, the clear is for John.  They are really fun, portable toys that the boys like to carry around in their pockets.  They are also great fun on the run toys!
.....the boys BOTH REALLY LIKE to play police officers too, so any sets that include police equipment and/or uniforms (which they don't have yet) would be a BIG hit!!!

MAGGIE:
Maggie wears a size 12 to 18 months.  Her leg length though is still closer to 12 mo. though.  She needs winter clothes, pj's w/ feet, long sleeve shirts and fleece pants.
*She looks best in dark browns and pink, and other darker or fall colors, some light pinks.  Please NO purple, she looks awful in it!
*She really enjoys ripping paper, things that have buttons that she can push, and ball to toss and roll (there's a really cute princess soccer ball at Toys R Us that would be perfect for her, I think it's on her Birthday Wish List).  I'll add some of her birthday Wish List items to the Christmas List when her b-day one expires.

Other Ideas...
Gift Cards to:
*Lego.com  ...No shortage of things to find there and they ship directly to us!
*eBay   ...to get some Lego figures and pieces the kids have been wanting that people sell individually out of sets.
*Barnes and Nobles OR Boarders (I have a membership card to the later one and get a discount).  ...The kids all enjoy books, we have a family reading time every night before bed.  Anna is also interested in a couple series's that she would like to keep up and so do I!
*Olive Garden  ...This is one of our favorite places to eat!
**Staples (Office Store)   ...Had some great art type materials for Anna and I by Staedtler wich is made in Germany.  They are the best I've found and I immensely enjoy working with them, they are really high quality!
*OR Hobby Lobby (our Hobby Lobby is a craft/home type store a lot like Michaels)  ..for the art supplies as well and other home decorations, plus I can use the 40% off coupon I get every other week to get the Staedtler supplies even cheaper than Staples!!!  Here is link for their site:
http://hobbylobby.com/
*Chick Fil A Restaurant ...for Jacob, it's one of his favorite restaurants, but since nobody else likes it he doesn't get to eat there much, would be a food for grabbing lunch for work!

PLEASE NO:
*Spongebob, Wiggles, Telletubies or Barney
*Pokemon
*iCarley, Hannah Montana, High School Musical or other TV related teen type items (we dont' watch any of them)
*Plush Toys other than the ones in the Wish List, they are a learning/musical toy.
*Villains
*Moonsand
*Clothes with SKULLS, about SPORTS, or PEACE signs
*Leopard or other animals prints.
*NEON

David Quotes, 9-2-10

When were leaving the grocery store yesterday evening David said he wanted to be as old as Anna so that he could sit up front and sit next to Maggie.

"David when you are 10, how old will Anna be?" Jacob asked him.

"20."  he answered.  " Ya Anna, you'll be a teenager when you're 20!" he exclaimed excitedly and Jacob and I laughed!

...A few minutes later...

David was looking out the window of the van as we pulled out onto the road.  There was a large building with a terra cotta tile roof across the street, "For a minute I thought that roof was made out of chicken!" he said sounding a bit shocked and confused.  lol   ...He had had chicken on the brain since we were in the grocery store and saw the fried chicken in the deli.

Payday means, BUSY DAYS

Thank God it's payday again!!!  For some reason our funds seem to run out quite quickly and a few days after payday our account is so low our extracurricular activities grind down to almost nothing.  We mostly just stick around the house to keep the last few dollars in the account till payday arrives.....  

Now that it's payday again the routine errands need to be planned...  First is usually getting the grocery list together.  This morning as I started to work on my list, I was going through the pantry to figure out exactly what we needed and I ended up setting down my list to reorganize the pantry.  I threw out the old stuff, moved stuff around, and vacuumed the dust bunny floor.  I also drilled a new screw in the wall to hang the mop from since I'm not sure where the nail went that used to be there???  With that cleaned and my pantry list complete I decided that I would fix a couple other things in the kitchen that I've noticed needed replaced, like shelf paper that was getting all ratty on the edges.  So, I removed three different shelf liners and replaced them.  This time I made the sticky paper go over the edge and in one case all the way around to the bottom so that it would stick, particle board edges don't allow sticky paper to stick to it very well.  I also cleaned out the bottom drawer that holds the reusable storage containers, oven mitts and pads; ended up relocated some pretty much unused items and throwing out some ratty mitts.  Then I put the dishes in the dishwasher away and started to reload it.

With all the above accomplished I decided to work on the computer copy of my grocery list.  I keep an Xcell spread sheet of my grocery list so it's easier to add items and delete others that we no longer need.  It's pretty handy!  I also went through my stack of coupons, threw out the old ones, decided which ones I'll need for my pending grocery trips and even organized them according to location in the store (that's something that I don't usually do, but think it might be a good addition to my routine for the future just so I don't have to search through them all while I'm actually shopping to locate a particular coupon).  Now my list is all printed out ready to take with the kids and I to the different stores we need to do our errands at.

John and I have already eaten lunch.  Maggie just woke and is eating half a hot dog.  I'll be feeding her some cereal when she's done, then we'll take off.  Now I just need to figure out whether I want to try and get everything done today or break it up over several days.  Hmmm?!?!  We'll see... 

Stop Complaining

       I just wanted to start out by saying that I struggle with complaining as much as the next person.  However, this topic has been on my mind a lot and I've started to feel really guilty for my negative attitude and I want to try and change because I know that complaining isn't conducive to a healthy family atmosphere or when I'm around my friends either.  I would also like to apologize to my family and friends for all the complaining I do and let you know that I'm going to try and be more positive and think more carefully before I speak, please keep in mind that I am only human and things may slip, but I am going to try harder to have 'a thankful heart' not a 'negative complaining' attitude!  ...Below is an article taken from Joyce Meyers website, I'll include the link at the bottom so you can check out more information if you are interested.  God bless you all!  Love, ~Jenny

In Everything Give Thanks

A Thankful Heart

by Joyce Meyer

Thanksgiving is a wonderful time of year, and as Christians we can celebrate it all year long. 

Psalm 100:4 tells us to enter His gates with thanksgiving and His courts with praise… (NASB). The Message says it this way: Enter with the password: “Thank you!” Make yourselves at home, talking praise…. In other words, thanksgiving and praise are the keys to entering into God’s presence and being at home there. 

Now for most of us, being thankful doesn’t come naturally. Our normal, fleshly tendency is to let our circumstances determine our level of thankfulness. The problem with that is, depending on what our circumstances are at the moment, we may or may not feel like being thankful for them.

But for the believer, being thankful is meant to be a way of life regardless of what we may be experiencing at the moment. It is an attitude of our hearts that we maintain by the grace of God. I believe it’s vital for us to choose to have a grateful attitude because just as thankfulness opens the door to God’s presence, thanklessness opens the door to the destroyer in our lives. 

God’s Battle Plan

When we have an ungrateful attitude of murmuring and complaining, it’s like sending the devil an invitation to come into our house. I once had a dog named Buddy. When he was outside and I wanted him to come in, I would whistle for him and he would come running. Well, complaining is like “whistling” for the devil. When he hears our ungrateful words, he comes running through the door of our soul. He is quick and happy to give us more misery to complain about. 

How do we defeat him? I believe one of the quickest ways is through praise and thanksgiving. In Psalm 149:6 David gives us a picture of our battle position against the enemy. He declares, Let the high praises of God be in their throats and a two-edged sword in their hands. A thankful attitude protects us from a negative mindset and sets us free from Satan’s captivity. As we thank God for who He is—His character, ability and might—we will see His power for victory released on our behalf. 

Practice Daily

You and I need to make it our daily aim to have a grateful heart and resist complaining. I don’t mean that we need to stick our head in the sand and avoid dealing with things that are negative or difficult. But we do need to make it our goal to be as positive as possible every day. When we maintain a positive attitude, it’s much easier to fill our thoughts and words with appreciation.

As you look forward to celebrating another Thanksgiving holiday, why not let it be the beginning of a new season of gratitude in your life. Begin going to bed thanking God and waking up thanking God. Ask the Lord to help you develop an attitude of gratitude one day at a time. As you generously express your appreciation to God and others, you will not only dwell in the presence of the Lord, but also walk in victory over the enemy. Now that’s something to be thankful for!

http://www.joycemeyer.org/OurMinistries/Magazine/0611/in+everything+give+thanks.htm

Just Missed It

I've been trying to find a comfy foam chair for Maggie for weeks now and toying with the idea of getting one for even longer.  Well today I decided I'd go out to a bunch of different resale stores to look for one; don't want to pay the $30+ for a new one that the regular stores are charging.  So John, Maggie, and I headed out about 11 this morning.  We went to Little Tikes Trading Post, Big Lots, Unique Thrift Store, then the Goodwill.  No luck!  Then we headed to our last stop 'Kid to Kid'.  As I went in the store I started looking around for a foam chair, as I finished my lap around the store I noticed that another family had a little foam chair in their hands, the one and only one in the store, it was marked $4.99.  They didn't look like they were sure they were going to buy it so I thought I'd stick around and see if they'd put it back.  Meanwhile I found a cute little pair of soft sole dress shoes for Maggie and a super cute little ballerina tutu for her from Gymboree.  I waited for quite awhile before I decided to go and check out, unfortunately when I got in line the other people were already in line ahead of me and they DID purchase the chair.  I'm so bummed, if I'd only shown up a few minutes earlier the $5 chair would have been mine, well Maggie's!!!  Humph, I guess that chair wasn't meant to be...  I'll keep looking, but I'm running out of time, Maggie's Birthday is next Thursday!!!

Invitations, Evening Workout #2, and a Sick Baby

Several of my friends have been asking me over and over if I'm going to have a Birthday Party for Maggie's 1st Birthday, which is coming up here in one week tomorrow.  Until yesterday I was like, "I don't know, I haven't decided yet."  Well, I finally decided and committed to a date and time.  I even got the invitations handed out to a couple friends this morning and the rest are in the mail.  We're going to hold a very informal party for her on the 9th, her actual Birthdate, from 4-5pm.  We'll just have a little get together with some close friends, serve cake, and watch Maggie have fun ripping paper off a couple presents!  That's something that she really enjoys doing, ripping paper that is...  I already have a couple things that I'm planning to give her:  a little cell phone, some play keys w/ buttons, and a baby doll.  The last item I want to give her I've been trying to find for weeks, I don't want to spend more than $5 to $10 dollars for it.  I'm trying to find a little foam chair for her to sit in since all the chairs in our house are too high for her to crawl into just yet.  I've seen her try to lounge in her highchair seat sometimes.  It's the type that you strap onto a regular chair and you can also buckle the child into so they can't get out.  We usually just use it sitting on the floor, but it's really hard plastic and not very comfortable for lounging, but she's so cute when she tries to lounge in it!  I just want to find her her own little chair so she can hang out comfortably with the rest of the family when we lounge in front of the TV.  :O)

I also sent/gave out  the invitations for the Ladies Tea that I'll be hosting once a month till December.  Our next Tea will be on September 21st @ 12pm.  I'll be providing the tea and soup at every get together.  The other ladies will alternate bringing sandwiches, fruits/veggies, and desserts.  We decided that since the last two times some of us have gotten together for tea, we've overloaded on sweets so much that we got sick, that doing the same thing the next time around was a bad idea.  So we've switched to a lunch rather than just a sweets things.  I'm still looking forward to the 'tea' part, just this time around there won't be enough sweets to OD on that I'll feel like my head is going to explode!   We'll probably continue doing Teas into next year too, but I'll figure that out later this year and send out new invitations for those dates when the time gets closer.

Last night I didn't get to my workout till way after 8:30.  Usually everyone is in bed by 8, but last night that didn't happen.  I put on "G.I Jane" and walked on the treadmill varying the incline throughout the whole workout.  (I like to watch that show because I find I get really motivated to workout and get in shape because the guys are being such jerks to her; makes me want to to kick some a**!)  I got off at about 32 minutes and was about to sit down to start working on my leg exercises, however Maggie was crying like crazy so I went upstairs to check on her.  Jacob was up with her, holding her over the garbage can, apparently she'd just thrown up again (3rd night in a row).  It was now after 9pm.  I took Maggie from Jacob and held her.  We put her into a new outfit.  Jacob went back to bed and I took Maggie downstairs to just cuddle her for a bit and watched some more of my show.  Maggie didn't really want to sit very still though, she kept trying to grab the controller or my phone, so I finally just took her back up to bed and laid her down.  I had already turned the movie off so I just went to bed myself.  Had another good nights rest!  I think these evening workout are really going to work out!!!  We'll see what happens tonight?!  Hopefully after several long naps today Maggie will sleep off more of her illness and she'll feel good enough to actually go to sleep without throwing up again!!!