Wahhoooooo!

On Mondays and Fridays OurTown shows free movies at the lake. MrC and I have been going because I love free, I love outside, and I love sitting with a bunch of crazy strangers on the lawn. Last week when we got home around 11, there was a shopping cart outside our apartment building. I got the bright idea that I should get in the cart and MrC should push me around the complex while I yelled "wahooooo." So then we did just that. And it was awesome. And much better than the movie Percy Jackson and the Olympians, The Lightning Thief.I have my picnic pillows in front of me because I was scared to fall out and mess up my face.

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I got a little word from the Lord (don't I sound super holy, lol) while I was praying: "Don't get comfortable, you won't be staying here long. Keep moving forward." Yes and amen!

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I made some scalp oil a few weeks ago. It really is working quite well. I've also noticed my nails are now super duper strong and are growing really fast since I've started massaging the oil into my scalp. Every other day I've had to file my nails down because they are getting too long.

 

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Does anybody else watch HawthoRNe? Did you watch it this week? If not, stop reading now. Did you walk around mad and yelling at the tv like I did? Probably not. But I was mad for an hour after watching that show. Hollering about disrespecting your momma's house and being crazy. Then I remembered a college aged Mr and Mrs Count. Totally calmed me down. Don't throw stones at fictional t.v. characters because you'll break your own t.v.

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Let's get random!

We need a new mattress something serious. I'm pretty sure I'm not supposed to wake up with back pain every day. Jesus be a pillowtop queen size mattress.

 

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Pserendipity- I looked up exactly what I sent her, this is what I said verbatim: This is just a reminder that the Subsidy file is due to the state by the 25^th, which falls on a Sunday, so it needs to be posted by this Friday.

 

I didn't say "you need"! But for future reference, I'll make sure I never, ever type "you need" in an email to somebody! But would you really jeopardize your job because somebody upset you in an email?

 

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Jurista- I'm glad you can see she doesn't respect me and realizes I have no power, lol. My boss is cc'd on every email I send to her and my boss has had meetings with her repeatedly about this. I don't think my boss wants to go to her boss because they're friends, but clearly that's what we're going to have to do. I wanted to approach her yesterday but I was so upset because I sent her an email at noon and I saw her sitting in front of her laptop all day and she didn't even have the decency to respond to my email at all! My boss comes back from maternity leave next week, so I'm sure we'll be having another meeting.

 

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Why is this post 57 different fonts? I have no idea.

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House Hunting update- the realtor has not responded to the email I sent her on Monday. It is 2010, if you can't conduct business on the internet I don't want anything to do with you. MrC is going to call her tomorrow. I don't do phone conversations well. We'll see what happens next!

 

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My birthday is in 6 days. I still haven't finished my 30 before 30 list, I haven't decided on a theme for my 25th year of life, and I never sent out my birthday list. People keep asking what I want for my birthday. I want a house and a 7 inch santoku knife. Nobody has been willing to accommodate any of those requests.

 

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Miracles are happening in my friends life right now regarding her mother in the hospital. If you have a moment, say a prayer for the healing of Beth Miller. We believe she will walk out of there better than when she went in!

 

 

 

Again? Again? (must be read with neck rolling and much attitude)

I know I've blogged about this before because it's been an ongoing problem, but this woman at work is trying to drive me crazy with her inability to do her job. I need some ideas about how to get her to do.her.job.

 

I have a report due to the client every month by the 25th. It is her job to get me the report by the 25th. Since she has NEVER done this correctly and on time in the 2 years I've been here, I send her a reminder email every month. This month I sent her an email on the 12th: Just a reminder the response file is due today and the subsidy report is due to the client by the 25th. I got no response which is typical, but they normally get the response file out on time. On the 19th I send another reminder: The subsidy report is due to the client by the 25th, which is on a Sunday, so you need to get the report to me by Friday. She doesn't respond, but the person that arranges the data copies me on the email giving her the data. Cool, we're on track. Friday comes and I haven't gotten the report so I email her that morning: I need the report today because it is due by Sunday. Can you please let me know the status. This lovely lady responds with: SoandSo is reviewing the report, I'll have it to you on Monday.

 

Ladies and gentlemen, look at your July calendar. Monday was the 26th. Please review my emails. Where did I say the 26th was an option? Do you see it, cuz I sure don't. Alright, fine. There isn't anything I can do about it so I wait. Monday comes and I get this: the report was only produced for one month, I sent it back and told them I needed it corrected by COB today. Oh now, you have a sense of urgency? When you're already late? At COB that day I get copied on an email to SoandSo that she needs to review it again. It is now Wednesday the 28th, and I still don't have the report! I'm really not understanding why she can't do her dang job. Last month, the report was provided and it was incorrect. You can't just be wrong by $200,000, that's kind of a big deal.

 

I'm starting to think that I'm the problem here. Have I not been clear in my expectations? Should I say: Just a reminder the report is due to the client ON or BEFORE the 25th of each month. Any date after the 25th is not an option. This is not a choose your own adventure book, you can't skip parts. If you fail to comply, I will be forced to declare you incompetent and child protective services will remove your children from your home and you will be promptly fired. It doesn't have to come to this. Please, do your job. 

 

I have my own job to do and I'm pretty sure it's not running after a 40 year old woman begging her to do her work.

What are your God-sized dreams?

Jamila, I get my Bible studies from Crosswalk.com. This is the Girlfriends in God series. I also subscribe to Dr. Charles Stanley (his are much shorter).

 

July 27, 2010 
Faith Believes God 
Part 2 
Mary Southerland

 

Today's Truth
Matthew 14:22-24 (NCV) "After he had sent them away, he went by himself up into the hills to pray.  It was late, and Jesus was there alone.  Immediately Jesus told his followers to get into the boat and go ahead of him across the lake.  He stayed there to send the people home.  By this time, the boat was already far away from land.  It was being hit by waves, because the wind was blowing against it."

Friend To Friend
Faith believes that God is able.  You would think, after seeing Jesus in action, that the disciples would not let something like a little storm rock their world.  They should have known with absolute confidence that God was aware of and able to meet their every need.  Faith is a quiet certainty that God keeps His promises.
We do not like to wait on God with "quiet certainty."  We see a need, and instead of seeking God's wisdom and timing, we make a plan we think will meet that need and then, with earthly resources, see that the plan is carried out.  As a result, we often settle for so much less than God had in mind.  "Now glory be to God! By his mighty power at work within us, he is able to accomplish infinitely more than we would ever dare to ask or hope" (Ephesians 3:20 NLT).  
Many children seem to possess the "quiet certainty" that God is able.  The prayer life of a child is often powerful as they dare to pray big prayers, asking God to do the impossible. 
Christmas was just around the corner when we decided to go home for the holidays.  We lived in South Florida at the time and rarely had the opportunity or finances to fly to Texas where Dan and I were both raised and our families still live.  Everyone was excited, especially Jered and Danna.  While they looked forward to seeing all of their aunts, uncles, grandparents and cousins, they were more excited about seeing snow for the first time.  The only problem was that snow was not in the forecast.  In fact, it was supposed to be unusually warm in Texas during our visit.  Danna and Jered would not be deterred.  Nothing we said convinced them that there would be no snow for Christmas.  Every night, they prayed, asking God to let it snow in Texas.  They told all of their friends and anyone who would listen that they were going to Texas for Christmas and that it was going to snow.  I gave up, planning what I would say to our children when it did not snow.  Yes, it would be a hard lesson, but life is filled with hard lessons.    
Our plane landed and we were met with hugs and kisses from my sister and brother-in-law ... but no snow.  It didn't matter. Jered and Danna were confident.  Betty and Carey fielded a barrage of "snow questions" as we claimed our baggage and started home.  Interestingly enough, it did seem to get colder the closer we got to Fort Worth.  In fact, by the time we arrived, it was just plain cold - but certainly not cold enough to snow.
As Dan and I unpacked suitcases, the kids squealed with delight at the Christmas tree, the gifts underneath, the home-made fudge ... and the snow!  "Everybody, come see the snow!" they shouted.  Dan and I looked at each other, smiled and continued unpacking, realizing that it was time for the "sometimes God says no" conversation. 
Suddenly, my usually rational sister appeared in the doorway of our bedroom, eyes big as saucers.  "You are not going to believe this!" she said.  The kids had obviously brainwashed her.  Dan and I played along, following her to the living room where both Jered and Danna were plastered against the sliding glass door, watching giant snowflakes gently fall, their faith on display for all to see. 
Over the years, I have often relived that moment, cherishing the lesson I learned that day.  God is able!  Even when everything seems wrong and everyone shouts "impossible," He is able.  We may not always understand the process, but we can always rest in the fact that God is God, able to meet every need in ways we cannot begin to imagine outside the possibilities of true faith. 

 

Let's Pray
Father, I want to have the faith of a child.  Help me believe Your truth even when it seems impossible.  Give me new dreams that will honor You and populate heaven.  When doubts come, remind me to never doubt in the darkness what You have said in the light.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.

 

Now It's Your Turn
What do you believe God for right now?  What are your God-sized dreams?  Is your life totally explainable in human terms or is God's power the obvious foundation for what is happening?
Read Acts 2:16-18 and prepare your heart for God to do something new.  Be open and willing to obey Him.  Celebrate "the next chapter" of life

God is Faithful

I get Bible studies in my email everyday, and I really liked the one for today so I thought I'd share it with y'all. It's long, but I know it helped me, so I figured it could help somebody else too. Oh yeah, just wanted y'all to know, MrC got a raise on Friday at work :)

 

 

July 26, 2010 
Faith Believes God 
Part 1 
Mary Southerland
Today's Truth
Isaiah 7:9 (NCV) "If your faith is not strong, you will not have strength enough to last."

 

Friend To Friend
   Our life may be deemed successful and powerful by man's standards, but when it comes to faith, only an eternal perspective and a holy standard will do.  Authentic faith produces authentic power.  Faith is active - never idle.  We talk a lot about faith, but the real question is - do we live it?  
   In his book, "Holy Sweat," Tim Hansel shares the following story of faith.  "One day, while my son Zac and I were out in the country, climbing around in some cliffs, I heard a voice from above me yell, "Hey Dad!  Catch me!"  I turned around to see Zac joyfully jumping off of a rock straight at me.  He had jumped and then yelled, "Hey Dad!"  I became an instant circus act, catching him.  We both fell to the ground.  For a moment after I caught him, I could hardly talk.  When I found my voice again, I gasped in exasperation: "Zac!  Can you give me one good reason why you did that?"  He responded with remarkable calmness: "Sure - because you're my Dad."  His whole assurance was based on the fact that his father was trustworthy.  He could live life to the hilt because I could be trusted."
The kingdom of God is not just a topic for discussion.  The faith through which we live should be undeniable proof that God is alive and well.  Faith believes God.

                                                      Faith believes God is who He says He is.
Matthew 14:18-21 (NCV) "Jesus said, "Bring the bread and the fish to me."  He then told the people to sit down on the grass. He took the five loaves and the two fish and, looking to heaven, He thanked God for the food.  Jesus divided the bread and gave it to His followers, who gave it to the people.  All the people ate and were satisfied.  Then the followers filled twelve baskets with the leftover pieces of food.  There were about five thousand men there who ate, not counting women and children." 
   Weak faith is not quite sure that God really is God.  Did Peter believe that Jesus was who He said He was?  It is interesting to notice where Peter was before he stepped into that boat.  He was with Jesus, in the middle of a miracle.  Jesus had just learned that His disciple and friend, John the Baptist, had been murdered by King Herod.  Needing time alone, Jesus "left in a boat and went to a lonely place by himself" but when He arrived, crowds of people had gathered to meet Him.  Setting aside his own needs, Jesus had compassion on the people and healed those who were sick.
   When evening came, the disciples, realizing they were out in the middle of nowhere, with no restaurants, no homes and no food, urged Jesus to send the people home to eat.  Jesus had another plan in mind.  He told the disciples to feed the people.  Their response was faithless.  "But we have only five loaves of bread and two fish." 
At this point, it is important to realize that these very same men had personally witnessed Jesus perform miracle after miracle.  He had healed the sick, made the blind to see, and the lame to walk.  He had calmed a storm, raised a young girl from the dead, convinced demon-possessed pigs they could fly and then empowered the disciples to perform the same kind of miracles He had performed before their very eyes.  Jesus had healed Peter's mother-in-law, and still, the disciples didn't fully believe that God really was God. 
   Jesus took the five loaves of bread and two fish, blessed them and turned the meager snack into a feast for thousands - with baskets of food left over.  Scripture tells us that Jesus then told the disciples to get in the boat while He dismissed the lingering crowd and went to the mountainside to pray.  I believe He prayed, not only in response to John's death, but for His disciples.
When the boat was about four miles from shore, a storm sprang up.  Even though these men were experienced fishermen and no strangers to storms, a small boat on stormy seas is terrifying and dangerous.  I imagine the disciples were more afraid of the unknown than they were of the storm.  Yes, Jesus sent them into the storm.  Why?  Perhaps He was setting the stage for another faith-building miracle, proving once again, that God really is who He says He is.  Don't miss tomorrow's devotion!

 

 

Let's Pray
Father, forgive me when I doubt You.  I pray Your peace will replace fear in my heart.  I do not want to believe the lies of the enemy.  Please guard my mind and help me to grow in faith so that others will see You and Your power at work in my life.
In Jesus' name,
Amen.
Now It's Your Turn
As our faith grows stronger, we begin to see God at work every day.  Think back over the week.  List three circumstances in which you saw God's hand.  
Read and memorize the following verses: 
1 Thessalonians 5:24 "The one who calls you is faithful and he will do it."  
Hebrews 11:6 "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."

House Hunting: Grass! Privacy! Fixer uppers!

Today when I got home there was a letter from the leasing office on our front door. It's lease renewal time! When I read it I realized something...we have until next Friday to let them know if we aren't renewing our lease. We have to give 60 days notice. It's going to take a quick work of the Lord for us to know by then (hey, if anybody can do it, He can) but we do have the option of going month to month. But that's $125 extra per month, and we still have to give 60 days notice. I'm not worried about it though. If we have too, we'll sleep in my old room at my parents house in a twin size bed for a little while :) I bet they would love having all their kids back at home!

We went to see two houses tonight. This was the fixer upper. The person who previously lived here was really into gardens. All around the house there are huge overgrown plants and weeds. That's no big deal, a quick trip to Home Depot to pick up some of our brown brothers will get rid of all the overgrown plants :) This house is about 2 miles down the street from where we live now, it's also at the end of a cul de sac. MrC was adamant about not living on a through street. His reasoning was that it's too easy for child abductors to get away. That was funny to me, because that's something I would say.

I liked the spacious back porch on this house. I could finally have a grill and patio furniture. In the right corner of the porch there was a built in dog crate. Considering I realllllyyyyy want a shelter dog, that's a nice little feature. From the back porch we were able to look into the dining room and kitchen. Y'all know I've already started remodeling it in my head right?

The backyard is a pretty good size. You can see the plants that line the yard. It makes for a lot of privacy though. I don't know if I'd get rid of all of them, or just trim them back (hmmm, seems like I've taken over this house, lol). There is also a shed on the side of this house which is great because MrC will have a lot of grass to cut. A front and back yard with big trees- that's a ream to me!

This was MrC's version of getting out of my way so I could take a picture. Baby, you failed. I like that the house has a garage- no more running down the sidewalk in the rain! MrC was not happy the driveway is on a hill and curved. The redeeming factor is that the part he is standing on is actually a bricked side driveway that is overgrown with weeds. That means we don't have to play "move your car so I can get out of the garage!" I get the garage, he gets the brickway. Sounds like a plan to me.

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This was the other house we saw. It actually looks just like the other one (ok, maybe a bit bigger. And the inside isn't in disrepair. And it hasn't been taken over by plants) except this is the entire backyard. I was standing in the neighbors backyard to take this picture. If we pursued this house, we probably wouldn't be able to get a dog. This house was also a corner lot, so no real privacy. If I wanted to sit on my patio furniture on a summer night and read by the light of citronella candles, I'd probably be too distracted with trying to look into my neighbors house.

Well that's the update on the house hunting. HGTV, I'm still available for the show I pitched yesterday.

House Hunting: New Leads

We're going to look at 2 houses tonight. I probably won't have pictures because we won't be going inside, but we want to check out the neighborhoods to see if we even want to pursue either of them. One of the houses is a fixer upper, which I'm really happy about. In my mind, I deserve a show on HGTV because I think I'm so creative and handy. MrC does not have quite as much confidence in my skills. There was one realllllly raggedy house we saw with a wrap around porch and it was only $90,000. I wanted to buy it so I could start fresh and customize it. MrC shut that down with the quickness and wouldn't even pull over so I could look at it. This house requires a little less work, so he's all for it. My mom also wants us to get a fixer upper. You hear that HGTV? Would you like a show about a cute, black, natural hair having mother daughter team fixing up a house one room at a time on a strict budget? Of course you would! It could even be an e-show. Dear HGTV, call me!

 

Anyway, the Ryan homes people have plenty of houses in a subdivision that were just as pretty as the townhome condo! But they cost $500,000. The condo townhomes were already pretty pricey (ok, everything around here is pretty pricey. It comes with the territory when you live in the #2 best small town in America.) I'm currently passing around the collection plate for you all to contribute, as this is so far out of our budget. I think I'm still going to email them, but I'm not going to tell y'all why because if y'all laugh at me like my husband did, I'll be really sad.

 

MrC has been tasked with calling the housing commission people to see what kind of programs they have. We definitely don't qualify for low income, but I thought we would qualify for moderate income housing programs, but it turns out we're too rich for that too! Hear that bank account? We're rich, so act like it!

 

p.s. my funny money situation at work still has not been resolved. It's cool though. As long as I get my back pay.

Pictures from Ryan Homes

Master bedroom

This would be my closet. The walk in with the window. It had enough room for an entire wall of shoes and purses.

Master bath

This is the first floor. the formal dining and living room.

First floor still. The view from the kitchen. I'd love to be able to cook and watch tv.

The kitchen. The eat in kitchen. The gorgeous kitchen. The kitchen with a double oven. The kitchen with a pantry. The kitchen with all the fanciness.

The Great House Hunt: Ryan Homes' Townhouse Condo

	The inside of these townhome condos were stunning! Do you see that kitchen? A double oven y'all. Not to mention the family room right there. On the same level (picture 3) there's the dining room and I guess the more formal living room. Upstairs was 3 bedrooms and 2 full baths. I couldn't get good angles, but there was so much space! There were separate master closets. A closet all to myself!? Pure Heaven. I already custom designed my closet in my head. The master bedroom was set up with a huge bed, two side tables, a sitting area and still 2 dressers. The interior of this house is the stuff my dreams are made of. I didn't even mention all the closet space. I could bulk shop and actually have room for all 48 rolls of tissue. It had a fireplace too! I don't know if the interior is enough to make up for the negatives. First of all, it's not just a townhome. It's a townhome condo. Which means neighbors on the side and a neighbor either below or above us. We have more privacy than that now. I want the top set, because it's larger (the bottom condo shares the space with the garages) but if we have the top set, there is no outdoor space. There's a tiny little balcony, but it faces the back of the next row of townhomes and it's so small, I don't think MrC could even fit. The point of buying a house is to have somewhere to go outside and to not have to step lightly, or laugh softly. But the kitchen and the closets... argghhhhhhhh quite the dilemma. We're praying about it. Asking God for direction because the though of my own closet with a window is enough to sway me, but nowhere to go outside? Living surrounded by people? Still having to hear my neighbor and her b.o.b.? Not looking forward to that.

Emotionally draining leech

I was all set to sit down and right a post about my awesome weekend. How much fun MrC and I had at watching Date Night at the lake on Friday night, how I enjoyed having our 4 year old nephew spend the night on Saturday, and how awesome the sermon was on Sunday. I was even on time for work today! Then I walked in my office and got greeted by DebbieDowner. Her whole spirit is just draining. Lately I've had to pull out my Bible in the middle of my workday to refresh myself because I could feel myself beginning to complain and whine too.

 

So I'll be back tomorrow with a post about my awesome weekend that includes pictures, and details about the house we went to look at yesterday. It was a townhouse condo. I lovvveeeeedddddd the interior. Loved, loved, loved it! I even liked the location. I did not like the fact that we would have no yard and no deck. I also did not like that the people at Ryan homes suck at giving directions to their locations and don't believe in putting addresses on their literature. But we shall see. We're praying about it.

You done made me mad

This weekend I don't have to do anything! My Saturday is wide open, and for the first time in months, I don't have class or nursery duty on Sunday morning!  That 8 a.m. class was wearing me out! Church starts at 9, and every Sunday I've had to be at church before 8. Did I mention we live 45 minutes away? Lawd! I want to sleep in and skip church just because I can (but I probably won't).

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Tonight we're going to the outdoor movie at the lake to watch Date Night. I already have our pillows and blankets packed in the "picnic bag." I keep my bag ready all spring/summer/fall just in case somebody knocks on the door and invites us to a picnic.

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This weekend I think I'll get my mixtress on. I want to make a leave in conditioner, an after bath body oil, some more scalp oil, home made tend skin recipe, and  tea tree/vitamin e oil mix. Big plans for me!

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Somebody better come get my SIL! Calling MrC talking reckless, lol.

 

MrC: Hello

SIL: What are you contributing for you mother's birthday? People are trying to send her on trips and give her a party. What are you doing?

MrC: Whoa, whoa, whoa. What are you talking about and who are you talking to?

SIL: I'm just saying. They trying to send her to Hawaii, and give her a party at the house. What are you doing?

MrC: Why are y'all planning stuff she doesn't want? You know what she wants? She wants you to get out. Why don't you clean up after yourself and move out for her birthday. Get some details and call me back later.

 

She called back a little while later and apologized for coming incorrect and he committed to spending no more than $250 toward her gift. Honestly, I think it's too much. She doesn't NEED any of that. She has all this stuff on the house that needs to  be fixed, that she keeps asking MrC and me to do (we put in her toilet, and MrC is going to help with the plumbing tomorrow) when she clearly needs to hire a professional. Her car is messing up too, why not get it fixed? I'm tired of people that are in debt and make stupid decisions on a daily basis trying to force us into bad choices. Ughhh, moving on.

 

 

Leaving work early!

I love my church dearly, but last nights 4 hour Bible Study was ridiculous. Especially for the people that were working and not in service. Thirteen kids under 2, well past their bedtimes. Oh what fun it was! It was even more fun when I had to write an incident report because a child got bit on the nose. I got home after midnight. At least the workers I had were good and fun! We were telling jokes all night. It was truly a laugh to keep from crying time.

 

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Tonight MrC's job got everybody tickets to a crab feast. Lord Jesus I pray I don't embarrass my husband but I live for crab feasts! I don't know of anything this side of heaven better than a crab feast! I forgot to paint my nails with clear nail strengthner last night, but I'm going to do it as soon as I get home. Let me file some of them down lower too. I am serious about my seafood.

 

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I've been trying to do my dang work, but the reporting tool seems to be broken. I scheduled 20 reports to run last night, and none of them did. Booooooo. Guess I'll spend today and tomorrow running them in real time.

 

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I have been typing this post for 30 minutes because I keep stopping to file my nails. Pitiful.

 

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Stop complaining about hating your job if you aren't going to do anything to change it. My officemate just got offered another position in a different department making $10,000 more a year, but she won't accept it. She'd rather complain about her work load now. If I liked numbers, I'd accept that position!

 

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I've been on a quest to find a new facebook/blog/twitter profile picture. I HATE taking pictures, and I don't like most of my pictures unless I'm being silly. By August, I'll have a new picture up. That gives me 2 weeks to figure something out!

Daring Cooks: Nut Butter Edition

The July 2010 Daring Cooks' Challenge was hosted by Margie of More Please and Natashya of Living in the Kitchen with Puppies. They chose to challenge Daring Cooks to make their own nut butter from scratch, and use the nut butter in a recipe. Their sources include Better with Nut Butter by Cooking Light Magazine, Asian Noodles by Nina Simonds, and Food Network online.

This is my third month as a member of the daring kitchen. The first month, I messed up big time trying to make stacked chicken enchiladas. The second month, I chickened out and refused to make pate. Honestly, I wasn't looking forward to this months challenge either, because I hate cooking with nuts. It's a taste I just can't get with. MrC loves it though, so I knew he would be down for trying it! I chose to make cashew butter. The recipe was super simple. Add cashews to your food processor with some oil. Keep adding oil until it's smooth. 

The recipe I used for the wraps is on page 88 of this months Food Network Magazine, Moo Shu Pork. I didn't have any cole slaw to add, and I didn't use mushrooms like I was supposed to, and those ingredients would probably have made this dish more tasty. I didn't enjoy the moo shu pork or the cashew butter, MrC loved them both. He scooped up the cashew butter and put it all on the pork. I won't ever make this again, but I'm glad MrC liked it!

SHUT UP!

Last night I thought I was going to have to kill MrC. I was really tired, so I went to bed at 10:30. He didn't come to bed until sometime after 2:30. At some point between 2:30 and 7, he started snoring so loud, he woke me out of my sleep. He's always snored, so it wasn't too big of a deal, I reached up to tilt his chin, as I usually do, but his head wouldn't move. He had his arm resting on top of his head. I moved his arm, tilted his head, and went back to sleep. I was awakened again by his loud snoring and tried to tilt his chin. Then I realized his other arm was on his head. In my sleepy haze, I lost it! I grabbed his arm and slammed it down on his chest. His eyes popped open

 

Me: Babe, you are so loud, you keep waking me up. Stop putting your arm on your head, it's making it worse. Don't you wake me up again with this nonsense. Do you need another pillow or something, cuz I can't take this.

Him: Nah, I'm good, sorry

 

I did all that fussing while holding both his arms down to his chest and blowing my stinky nighttime breath in his face, lol. At least he didn't wake me up again. We were laughing about it this morning, but last night I really wanted to put a pillow over his face.

 

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Re: yesterday's post

 

The lady that I feel wasn't being honest with me is no longer with the company. We got the announcement yesterday. Interesting. The plot thickens.

Rest

Last week was absolutely crazy for me. Working 12 hours in the office, then going home to work for another 3 is something I'm not used to. My team had a huge contract renewal meeting on Thursday and I had to get all the presentations together for it. My office was a mess! Thankfully people offered to lend a helping hand which made the process go a lot smoother. The meeting went well, I think the client will renew. 

 

I also found out some information that really upset me. I haven't talked to the person involved, but it seems as though there has been some dishonesty, and it involves my money. I don't like that (who does?). I sent her an email on Friday morning and she still hasn't responded. I've thought in the past that she doesn't like me, but that's never affected how I treat her. I've been praying about this situation and how to handle it. I know that ultimately God is in control, so I cannot worry about it, or treat her in an ugly way just because she did something ugly to me. I'll let y'all know how it works out, I have to finish my own investigation first. 

 

In talking to a friend last week about buying houses, I almost let her get in my head and cause me to start having doubts. A lovely twitter friend reminded me of "exceedingly, abundantly" and I adjusted my attitude with the quickness. I have to monitor who I share stories with. Everybody doesn't believe as I do, and I need to stay focused on what and Who I believe. It's funny, because Sunday, I got to sit in service for the sermon (I was in the nursery for the rest of service) and he was giving verses for freedom from doubt and fear. I'm going to spend some time writing them out and meditating on them heavily this week. This morning on the radio, they were talking about blessing the Lord at ALL times, and keeping  His praise continually on your lips. It is important that I only speak the words that God says. Speaking anything contrary to that is setting myself up for failure, and I will not fail! 

Hair!

Friday marked 6 months natural for me! I tried to post this on Friday, but my phone ate it and it finally showed up in my drafts today. These were June's hairstyles. My hair has certainly come a long way since I cut it in January!

Stir Fry Week: Wednesday

I tried to post this from my phone wednesday night and I just checked and realized it never sent! How rude of my phone!

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Tonights stir fry was chicken and rice with a garlic sauce. My computer is being held hostage by an ill MrC, so I can't link the sauce. I googled "stir fry sauces" and clicked on the cooks.com link and the garlic sauce recipe was on the front page. I must say, I didn't like this sauce as much as the sauce from Monday and Tuesday. I'm glad I made a huge pot of rice yesterday so the rice in this dish was sauteed cold, which made it a lot more firm than yesterday's shrimp and rice.

My sister just started a job 10 minutes from where we live and she has the 3:30-12 shift. I packed up a container and took it up to her for dinner and we sat outside and talked while she ate. She seemed to really like it, which made me happy. From the time I was 15-22 I worked 6 minutes from where I lived. I always used to ask my parents to bring me food, and those suckers rarely did it.

Stir Fry Week: Thursday

Nobody had any creative ideas for our 4th stir fry night, so I had to figure it out myself. I chose stir fry pizza! We had some Naan bread that I needed to use. I cut up a chicken breast and covered it in salt, pepper, and garlic. I used my stir fry mix and my mixed peppers mix. I cooked it all up using the same sauce as Monday and Tuesday's stir fry. I coated the naan bread with roasted garlic olive oil and put some basil leaves from my basil plant on there. Then I added mozzerella cheese and my cooked chicken and veggie mix and baked in the oven for a few minutes. It was good, but it needed a little something else, I just don't know what.

Now, I need to figure out tomorrow's stir fry combo. I think I have an idea though...

July: Just Do It!

This morning I had a wake up call that I think has put an end to my laziness. I woke up at 9 a.m. and realized I had a 9 a.m. conference call. A call with only 8 people on it, 4 of them being executives in the company. The mad dash I did running through the apartment setting up computers was so dang stressful, that my joints are swollen. It was just what I needed to kick my lazy self in the pants and get it together. My motto has been "Oh, I'll do it later" for the longest time, and then had to rush to get it done. July will be the month I cut that out. I'm also going to go back to writing out a schedule. In high school, I had a paper on my wall that had my schedule from 5 a.m. until bedtime. I was soooooooo organized and together then. I stopped that in college and that's when these lazy habits formed. By the end of the month, I'll have it all together. I'm also going to start taking my B-12 regularly because being tired all the time is probably not how life is supposed to be.

 

I'm going to spend this weekend cleaning up and organizing the house. This will also include many threats to my dear husband about washing a dish after you use it and not just leaving it in the sink. And a threat about doing laundry in a timely fashion.

 

I'm going to threaten myself that I better put stuff away after I use it. I'm also going to do a $20 per week budget in July (starting next week). That $20 is for all things nonessential to life. I also must wash my car! Seriously, it's gross. I am quite ashamed actually. Alright, time to stop talking about what I'm going to do and actually get to it!

 

What goals do you have for July?