Family Photos

I hope everyone had a wonderful Thanksgiving, filled with family, laughter, turkey, stuffing, pies, and joy.  My family had 3 houses to visit on Thanksgiving, so we had our bellies more than full by the time we got home.

The day after Thanksgiving, I took family photos of Kalin's family (myself included), which was a total blast! Trying to keep up with 9 people in the middle of the forest was quite the adventure, as was trying to find something we could each wear that wouldn't clash completely!  But the pictures turned out great, and it's obvious we had tons of fun taking them!  

My Family

Kalin's Sisiter, Jordan

Kalin and his brother, Ashton

Kalin and I

Micah

Kalin with the boys

Jordan, Micah & Elijah

My beautiful boys!

Jordan and I

Ashton and Christian

Ashton

Christian

Ashton

Ashton and Pennie, Kalin's mom

Micah and I

Jordan, Pennie and My feet!

My little lovebug and I

EVERYONE! Elijah, Christian, Micah, Me, Kalin, Jordan, Ashton, Eric, and Pennie!

  I think these photos make up for the days I have missed in my "30 days of Thankfulness", but if not, I'll catch up one of these days! :

Until then, I've got Christmas music playing, and tonight Kalin and the boys and I will be putting up all our Christmas decorations! I'm super excited!

Hats for Little People Ministry

Hats for Little People Ministry

This is a new ministry opportunity for Pickles & Ice Cream Designs. We will now be crocheting newborn, preemie, and micro-preemie hats, and donating them to a local NICU, Christus Santa Rosa Children's Hospital in San Antonio. This is a ministry that will affect many, many people. So many new parents have their children in the NICU due to premature birth, undeveloped organs, or other birth defects, like heart murmurs and tumors. Many of these babies do not survive, but these hats, small as they may be, may help the parents see a small bit of light in the darkness that is watching your newborn baby struggle for life. Many times, these hats are one of the few items not hospital issued that their baby gets to wear.

If you are interested in all in supporting this ministry, please contact me. There are many ways you can reach me - here on this blog, on my facebook page (www.facebook.com/picklesandicecreamdesigns), on my website (www.wix.com/dnall1986/picklesandicecreamdesigns), by phone (830-305-2115), or by e-mail (picklesicecream@att.net)

There are many ways in which you can help support this ministry, also. Firstly, you can help by crocheting some hats and bringing them to me for donation. Secondly, if you do not know how to crochet, you can donate money for supplies, or the supplies themselves.

I hope you'll share this new ministry, and I would love to hear your feedback on this concept.

Thanks for reading!

P.S.  Today, I am thankful for new ministry opportunities. :D

Family

I spent the day crocheting coffee mug cozies and looking for new fun patterns to try.  I came across some really cute ones that I'm looking forward to trying out!  Tonight we have our friends, Chris and Courtney, coming over for dinner adn some fun, along with their adorable kids, Josiah and Jocelyn! Courtney is a very talented photographer, and a good friend.  We haven't been able to hang out much lately, though, because she and her family lived in San Antonio for a while, but they recently moved back to Seguin, and Kalin and I are really looking forward to hanging with them again!

We are making chicken burgers for dinner, and they're going to be super yummy because Kalin has been marinating the chicken in his delicious jack daniels bar-b-que sauce all day!!! I can hardly wait to eat one!!


Today, I am thankful for my kids, Micah and Elijah.  They are adorable kids, and for the most part they are well-behaved.  I know at times, I want to strangle them (as any good mother does), but they are so cute that I just simply can't!  I know they cause me a lot of stress and they test my patience daily, but I honestly don't know what I would do without them.  They are the world to me.  They make me laugh at the silliest things, and they somehow seem to know when I'm feeling down, which has always amazed me.  I remember when I was pregnant with Elijah, Micah was just 2, and when I had really bad morning sickness, Micah would go play in his room for extended periods of time, and come out just long enough to give me a hug and a kiss, and then go back to his room; like he knew I was feeling icky, and he was staying out of my way while still letting me know he loved me no matter what.  I have seen Elijah do the same thing when the whole family had a stomach bug except for him (because he had it two days earlier). 

My point is that my kids can never be replaced.  I realize one day they are going to grow up and go off to college and get married and all that, and I'm not quite sure yet how I'm going to handle not having my kids with me for the majority of the day, but I'm sure I'll figure it out in the 13 years (or more) before Micah can move out.  My heart melts when they run up to me and give me hugs and kisses, my heart breaks when they fall down and get "owies" and my heart stops for just a moment when they jump off something I think is too tall or when they go running away from me in a crowded place.  And I believe it always will do those things.  I am looking forward to the next however many years we will have together before my kids move out and make families of their own.

Freedom

We had a total and complete blast at the races last night! The kids all enjoyed it, and so did the grown ups! I was a beautiful evening full of laughter.  And even though we got home late, we got an extra hour of sleep (Praise Jesus) before of Daylight Savings Time ending!!!  We got up and went to church this morning, like we do every Sunday morning, then had lunch, and did some window-style shopping, and we are now back at the church, getting ready for Kalin's middle school band practice to start in about 10 minutes.  After this, we are going to wait around until about 6:15 because I am meeting a friend to borrow her external camera flash, so that I can go shoot a wedding on Friday with another friend of mine.  I'm really looking forward to that!  It will be the first wedding I've ever shot, so that's really exciting. 

So, what I'm thankful most for today, is the freedom we, in this country, have to come to church and worship God.  Many countries do not have the same freedom of religion that the US does, and I am so thankful for that.  I can't imagine living in a country where you are persecuted for reading the bible, or even having a copy of it.  I can't imagine being in a place where you are forced to worship whoever the government tells you to worship, and only at the allotted times.  But that's the beauty of living in America; we have the freedom to choose how we live our lives. 

I realize that Christianity isn't always well-liked, even in America.  There are plenty of places where Christianity and Christians are shunned because fo their morals and beliefs.  But no one, as far as I know, in this country, is put in jail for believing in God, or that Jesus died on a cross for their sins. 

I also realize that a lot of people don't like Christianity because it takes away their control - the bible calls us to "pick up our crosses and follow Him", and to "lean not on your own understanding" and "trust in Him, and He will make all your paths straight".  A lot of people don't like letting someone else, especially someone they cannot physically see or touch, be in charge of their lives.  They don't want someone else to pick what their career is, and when they are going to get married and have kids and get a promotion and buy a house and move to a different city.  People like to feel like they are in charge of their own destinies, and that's simply not what Christianity teaches, and therefore, people don't like it.  And, of course, that's their own perogative - to believe whatever they want to. 

Some people may even feel like Christianity has too many rules and regulations - too may guidelines to follow, and too high of a standard to meet, so they just don't bother with it, because they realize they will never be good enough.  I mean, really, only one man to ever live reached the standard that is set by God, and that man was the Son of God.  But what people don't realize is that, while we as humans will never be good enough to get into heaven on our own righteousness or good will, Jesus has paid our debt for us.  He took the punishment that we deserved upon himself, so that we didn't have to.  Because he loves us that much. 

Friends

"Remember, remember, the fifth of November,
The gunpowder, treason and plot
I know of no reason why gunpowder, treason,
Should ever be forgot" - V for Vendetta

Since today is the fifth of November, Kalin and I thought it fitting to watch this movie, as we do every year on this date. 

Today is also the first Saturday in November, and the last weekend of live horse racing at Retama Park in Selma.  Since my grandma had some free passes for us to use there, we decided to use them this weekend, and take a couple of our newer friends with us.  We will be taking 8 people alltogether, so this ought to be an awfully interesting evening.  I don't remember the last time I went to the horse races, but I am really excited about going tonight! 

So, today, I am thankful for our friends, Alex and Hannah.  They are a wonderful, Godly couple who have been together for 2 years (today) and have been married for 10 months.  It is so nice for me to have another girl around my age that I can talk to about just about anything. Hannah taught me how to crochet, and has encouraged me in more ways than one.  She is so much fun to be around, but she can also be serious when she needs to be.  She loves to laugh and have fun, and I have to admit, that I have been a happier person since we have become friends. I love having someone to share my ups and downs with and get another woman's opinion on my ideas. 

I will be posting pictures from tonight's races on tomorrow's blog, so keep an eye out! I'm hoping to catch some good motion shots, but we will see!

Thanksgiving

I don't know about you, but it seems to me that Christmas is taking over Thanksgiving.  Not that Christmas is bad, but I don't like the fact that it's the 4th of November and there are already Black Friday ads out.  That's a bit ridiculous to me...  Thanksgiving is a great holiday that should be recognized as such; a time where we get together with family and friends, and take the time to be thankful for everything that we have.  But it seems the corporate world doesn't want anything to do with that.  My guess is that they have decided that there is more money in selling Christmas presents than there is in people being thankful for what they have.  But what they are really doing is teaching this nation and this world to want more stuff rather than be thankful for everything they already have. 

I mean really, how many of us out there don't have the basics in life - food, water, a roof over our heads and clothes on our body?  Granted, there are those who are homeless and are in need of some, if not all, of those basics, but the vast majority of us have all of that and more.  We have more than enough food in our fridges and cabinets, more than a weeks' worth of clothes in our closet, electricty and water to heat our homes and wash our bodies and clothes, we have TV's, computers, cell phones, dvd players, and so much more.  But the big companies are telling us that that isn't enough - that we need more STUFF to make us happy.  We need bigger and better TV's; we need name brand clothing; we need the newest and hottest phones and apps and home appliances.  We need all the new game systems and the games to go with them and we need yet another DVD to add to our collection. 

We are told that we are helping the economy, and that's all fine and dandy, if us buying junk we really don't need is going to help, but what about those homeless people I spoke of earlier?  Who is helping them?  Maybe there is a homeless shelter in the town they are currently sleeping under a bridge in; maybe there is a job training center in that town, too.  But what if there isn't?  Take Seguin for instance - we don't have a homeless shelter, nor do we have the jobs to support the homeless people that would flock to the shelter if we did have one.  So what do the homeless people of Seguin do? Where do they go when the cold winter wind blows and the rain pours out of the sky? 

I guess I am passionate about this subject because my brother is, in fact, mostly homeless.  He is one of the lucky few that can usually find a friends' or relatives' house to crash out at when the nights get too cold, but for the most part, he sleeps in a cemetery.  I will say that this was mostly his doing;  he burned his bridges and he understands that he is paying the price now for it, but it doesn't change the fact that he's homeless.  I truly can't imagine spending a night like tonight, where it is supposed to get down to 39 degrees, without a heavy-duty coat, or a blanket to keep warm in, or even food in my belly to help my body stay warm.  I'm not sure anyone could, unless they have experienced it.

I read a Facebook status a few weeks ago that read, "What would happen if you woke up today with only the things you thanked God for yesterday?"  That really got me to thinking: What did I thank God for today?  It was then that I realized I didn't often thank God for what I had.  More often than not, I was asking God for help here, and can you do that for me over there, and that sort of thing.  I realize that if I had woken up with only what I had thanked Him for the day before, I wouldn't have much.  I have now made it a point, in my nightly prayers, to thank God for the most important things in my life - my husband, my two boys, my parents, grandparents, and friends, and health for all of the above.  Everything else is temporary.  We can't take all our accumulated stuff with us when we die, can we?  I don't think so.  So what's the point of buying all this new stuff at Christmas time, or asking people for gifts that we know we can't take with us?  There isn't one.  I mean, sure, it's nice to buy things for the people you love in order to show them that you love them, but is it really necessary to spend hundreds of dollars every year buying things for people that in a months' time, probably won't remember who gave it to them?

My point is, that it's time to stop focusing on what we want for Christmas, and start focusing on what we have that we wouldn't want to live without.  And not just at this time of year.  I believe that if the people of this country were more thankful on a daily basis for what they have, instead of lusting after something they really want, but obviously don't need, this world would be a much happier, more optimistic place to live in. 

So here is my pledge:  For the next 30 days, I am going to post a picture, either here or on my facebook page, of something that I am thankful for that day.  Today shall be day one.  I am thankful for my husband (who isn't here at the moment for me to take a picture of, so I'll just post one from the other night).  He has gone above and beyond for me and my kids, and I will never be able to thank him enough for the unfailing love he has shown me.  I would not be who I am today without him, and I haven't done much to earn his love for me; but he's still here, and I am truly thankful for that each and every day.

ThankYou

Yesterday, juts before we all sat down for dinner (baked potato soup), I asked Micah to say the blessing, like I do at every meal, simply because he enjoys doing it. I folded my hands and closed my eyes and waited for the usual "Come Lord Jesus, be our guest, let this food to us be blessed" that he always says. But instead, I heard my 4 year old say a new prayer - one straight from the heart. It went something like this: "dear Jesus, thank you for this food, thank you for my mom and dad and Elijah and grandma and grandpa and friends". I was just about speechless. I had never heard him say a prayer like that, and I was so touched by hearing that.

When I put the boys to bed last night, Micah and Elijah said their usual prayers, and I pointed out to Micah that he could say his own prayer If he wanted to, and he did. This prayer, like the one at dinner, was thank you for this and that, and then he closed it with "I just love you so much, God". I couldn't help but smile. That showed me that I must be doing something right.

I said all that to say this. I think we, as a culture and a country, need to learn to say thank you more often. I don't think we always realize how much we have - we are too focused on what we don't have. We need to remember that while it's nice to have nice things, that shouldn't be our main focus in life. We should always remember that if we have a roof over our heads and full tummies at night, then we have more than most people in this world. We may not have a bigger television than someone, but does that really matter in the big scheme of things? It doesn't.

So today, say thank you for the things you have more than you wish for the things you don't.

What is Love?

Since today is Valentine's Day, I thought it fitting that I write a blog on Love. 

So what is love? Is love what makes the world go 'round? Is love all you need? Is loving a movie equal to loving your spouse?  Is love just a feeling? Is love a myth?  Is love the one thing everyone is searching for and only the lucky few ever find? Is love remembering to order roses for your wife on her birthday, your anniversary and Valentine's Day?  Is love showering your spouse with expensive gifts, sparing no expense to make him/her happy? Or is love picking a wildflower from the side of the road and bringing it home to your wife for no particular reason? Maybe it's doing the dishes so your spouse doesn't have to, or running your wife a hot bubble bath after a hard day.

Every person has their own definition of what love is - for some its the bouquet of flowers from their husband for no reason, for others its the flutter in their heart they get when they see the person of their affection.  Some people believe that finding love is the ultimate goal in life, and that very few people ever find it.  Others believe love is an urban myth - that we never really find love, but we choose to settle down with the best candidate we find so we can procreate.

But I believe that love is more than a feeling - love is a choice.  Granted, when you fall in love with someone, you don't get to choose who that person is, so at first love is a feeling.  You get those butterflies in your stomach when you see that person, or hear that person's voice.  But when you make the commitment to spend the rest of your life with that person, there will be days when you don't feel the love, but you still choose to love them because you have made a promise to love, honor and cherish that person until "death do you part". 

One of the most well-known verses in the bible is John 3:16.  It reads, "For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life."  Verse 17 continues, "For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him."  These verses are the epitome of love - unconditional, unfailing and never changing.  God gave his only son, Jesus, so that we would not perish in our sin but that we would be saved and be given the opportunity to spend eternity in Heaven with Him.

In 1 Corinthians 13:4-8, we find this: "Love is patient, love is kind.  It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud.  it is not rude, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs.  Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.  It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.  Love never fails."  I think these verses say it all.  Love is not just a feeling you get.  Love is not just receiving gifts.  Love means giving and giving without expecting anything in return.

On the other hand, love does not mean it will always be easy to do the above things. If you ask any couple who has been married for any length of time, they will all tell you that it wasn't always easy.  But the older couples who have been married upwards of 40 years will also tell you that it's how you handle the hard times that defines your love.  If you pick up and run when things get tough, your love wasn't quite right.  If things get tough and you stick by your spouse's side and work through it together, then you've got the idea.


This concept doesn't just apply to your marriage, although your marriage is the most important relationship in your life.  This kind of love can be put into practice in your friendships, your relationships with your parents, your children, and everyone around you, even people you don't know.  You can show everyone love, even if you have never even seem them before.  Letting someone out in a crowded parking lot, letting someone with just a few items in the grocery store go before you when you have a full basket, buying a homeless person something to eat, and holding the door open at a restaurant are all ways that you can show love to people.

So today, take the time to show someone love, take the time to tell your loved ones that you love them, and take the time to love yourself.

Reap What You Sow

For the most part, anyone reading my blog from Texas knows a bit about farming, but for those of you who are unfamiliar with the practice, let me give you the basics.  You plow the land, plant a seed, cover it with soil, water it, give it sunshine and time, and it will grow into a plant and you will be able to harvest whatever you originally planted off it.  That's the key - if you plant a corn seed, you will get a stalk of corn, you won't get an apple tree out of the cord kernel.  Another key is that if you plant one or two corn kernels, you will not get just one or two corn kernels back - you will get between 2 and 4 ears of corn with around 800 kernels per ear - which is an average of 2400 kernels for the one or two you planted.  That's an increase of 1200%!


Now, lets take that practice and apply it to our lives.  It's as true in our lives as it is in farming - what we put into our bodies will come back out, but at a very increased rate.  So lets say you're trying to lose weight and get fit, but all you're eating is junk food - chocolate, ice cream, sodas, etc.  Do you really think you are going to lose weight?  NO, you're not; you're going to gain weight very quickly, even if you are getting some exercise every day.  If you plant a strawberry seed, you're not going to get a pear tree out of it! 


Let's take it a bit further:  If you want to get closer to God, but all you're listening to is secular music (secular means separate from religion), you're not going to get closer to God.  If you want to get closer to God, but all you're watching are secular tv shows and movies, you're not going to get closer to God.  The only way to get closer to God is by reading is word, and worshiping Him.  The only way to get an apple tree to grow is to plant apple seeds.  You have to plant God's word in your heart, and give it sun, water and time to grow.


So lets say you have decided to walk closer with God, and for the first week, you spend time everyday in God's word - you plant the seed and water it and give it everything it needs for that first week. But then, you slip up and miss a few days of reading the Bible - that's ok, as long as you get back into it as soon as you can.  But if you miss a few days, and then decide that since you've already planted the seed, it will just grow on it's own, you're wrong.  If you plant a grape seed and keep it happy for the first week, it will not continue to grow if you ignore it for the next 6 months.  It's going to wither and die.  The same will happen to your walk with God - if you give it what it needs for a week, that will not sustain it through the rest of your life.  You have to continue to put the word of God in you and continue to nurture it in order to get it to grow.


It's kind of like a grape vine in the sense that they continue to produce grapes year after year - you don't have to plant a new set of seeds every year; once you have planted the seed and it begins to produce fruit, you do not have to re-plant every year - all you have to do it continue to give it water and sun and time. 


We can apply the same concept to our lives in general - what we put into our bodies when we are young will come out when we are older.  What we plant in our lives as teenagers and young adults is what our lives will produce when we are older.  If we spend our youth partying and not taking care of our bodies, it will come back and bite us in the butt when we are older, possibly in the form of heart conditions, liver disease, etc.  If we spend our youth being rude and obnoxious to people around us, we will spend the rest of our lives being rude and obnoxious and we will drive away the people we love and that love us, and we will end our lives with disappointment and regret.  If we spend our lives, however, spreading the love of God to everyone we meet, we will continue to spread Jesus' love throughout our lives and we will have the joy of knowing that we made a positive impact on at least one person's life, and probably many, many more, and we will have the reward in Heaven for sharing Jesus with that many people.


So today, I want to ask you this:  What will you reap from your life?  Are you going to reap Heavenly rewards, or are you going reap disappointment and regret? 


Please remember that, even if this far in your life you have only planted anger and hate, you can still plant the word of God and it will grow if you nurture it.  So, if right now, you feel like at the end of your life, what you will reap is not going to be good, take this time to change it and make a better life for you and your family.


Take the time today to tell the ones you love that you love them - because you never know if you'll get another chance to do it.

Dating

Continuing with the theme I started yesterday, I would like to talk about the topic of Dating.

A date is "a social appointment, engagement, or occasion arranged beforehand with another person".  Another definition is "to assign a time".  Dating seems to be a bit anti-personal, doesn't it?

Honestly, I'm not a big fan of dating.  Dating, in essence, sets you up for divorce.  For example, let's say you're dating Guy A, (and by dating, I mean setting aside some time to meet with him), but then Guy B comes along and he seems so much nicer than Guy A.  So you break up with Guy A for Guy B.  But then, Guy B isn't really as nice as he originally seemed, so you break up with him to look for something better.  If you're dating, then you will more than likely do this a number of times before finally finding a guy that you feel like you can spend the rest of your life with.  But the problem is that you have gotten into the habit of dumping a guy (or being dumped) when things aren't perfect, so when you do find a guy you want to spend the rest of your life with, it's really easy to just "dump" him (divorce him) and go find something better.  But God has intended marriage to be forever - thus the "for richer and for poorer, in sickness and in health, til death do us part" NOT "only when we have money to pay all the bills, only you're in good health and we have no medical bills to pay, and only until I get tired of you and your habits that I originally fell in love with but that will eventually get on my last nerve".

So, instead of dating, I offer "courting".  To Court someone means to "try to win the favor, preference or goodwill of; to seek the affections of, woo; to attempt to gain (applause, favor, etc); to invite; to seek another's love, woo".  Another definition is "to fawn over, and pay attention to".

Courting involves not just spending time with someone, but getting to know them.  Courting, I think, should be done in groups - like going on double dates with other couples who are courting.  That way, you aren't alone with a guy in a situation where he might take advantage of you.  Courting is more enduring than dating.  It's the period in a relationship when the couple decides whether or not there will be an engagement and marriage.  Since God designed marriage to be a forever type deal, I believe courting is the more Godly way of finding your mate.  You begin the relationship looking for your future spouse, not just someone to pass the time with.   Dating tends to leave a lot of space and time for future regrets, whereas courting involves waiting until after marriage to share a bed, among other things.

So which will you choose? Dating - where you will spend a lot of time along with a guy, where he has the time and the privacy to try to take advantage of you, and where you will train yourself for divorce later in life; or courting - where you will spend a lot of time with a guy in a group where he won't be able to take advantage of you and where you will train yourself to have a successful marriage and learn how to work through your problems instead of just throwing the towel in like in dating? 

Until next time - Take time to learn something new everyday - no matter how small. :)

Don't Grow Up Too Fast

So, when I got home tonight after a wonderful date night with my husband, I sat down on the couch to get ready to watch the latest Grey's Anatomy (since I missed it Thursday).  Before we put it on, however, we had put the channel on The Country Network just for some background noise.  A song came on that I hadn't heard before, so I started listening to it.  It's called "Don't Grow Up Too Fast" by Daisy Mallory. I have linked to the music video above, and here are the words:

If I had a little sister, and I could talk her,
I’d tell her everything I know and everything I’ve learned.
What I’ve found out the hard way,
That might save her some tears,
So I’d share with her the wisdom upon my sixteen years.
If I had a little sister that’s what I’d do. 

I’d say go easy on the makeup,
And easy on yourself
Yeah, don’t believe the grape vines,
Got nothing good to sell
Fast forward past the drama, smile and walk on through
And you’ll always measure up, if you compare yourself to you.

Chorus:
If I had a little sister that’s what I’d do
Love with all that you have,
Cause all that you have is right here, right now.
And dream as big as the sky, then bring it to life,
Cause the one thing I’ve found
Is time is all you can’t take back,
Don’t grow up too fast

Well this next part is my favorite,
Cause it’s about the boys.
Yeah, half of what they say is really just a bunch of noise

You got your whole life waiting,
So don’t get all caught up in talking about forever,
It will happen soon enough

Chorus:
If I had a little sister that’s what I’d do
Love with all that you have,
Cause all that you have is right here, right now.
And dream as big as the sky, then bring it to life,
Cause the one thing I’ve found
Is time is all you can’t take back,
Don’t grow up too fast

Don’t eat spaghetti on your first date,
Keep all your secrets in a safe place
And don’t forget you’re special
In your own way

Chorus:
Love with all that you have,
Cause all that you have is right here, right now.
And dream as big as the sky, then bring it to life,
Cause the one thing I’ve found
Is time is all you can't take back,
Don’t grow up too fast

I really like this song.  I know that while I was growing up, I didn't really have an "older sister" type role model to give me this kind of advice, and I wonder if I would have made different choices if I had.  But that's the past, and no one can change it, so I would like to take a few of my blogs and dedicate them to sharing this kind of sisterly advice with the girls out there who may or may not have an "older sister" type role model to talk to.  I realize that I am not going to have all the answers, and my experiences will differ from others' experiences, but what I'm hoping to accomplish in doing this is to help just one girl make a better choice because of my mistakes. If I happen to help more, then so be it, but it would be worth it if I helped just one.

So, for tonight, I leave you with this:
Take time to be a kid - no matter how old you are.

Time Flies

It just occurred to me this past week that my first baby, Micah, will be starting Kindergarten in August!  It is so hard to believe that he is already going to be in elementary school!  I remember the day he has born like it was yesterday...I know people always tell you that it goes faster than you think, but I don't think I realized exactly how fast it would go until I lived it.  I remember his first birthday, his first steps, his first Christmas and everything since then.  It's so hard for me to believe that he will be in school in around 6 months - he will be making new friends, and learning new things and I won't get to spend all day with him anymore... I will no longer be spending the majority of his awake hours with him.  My heart aches at the thought of that.  Up until now, I have been able to call him my baby, but when he starts school, that will be the end of that. 

While I'm desperate to get Elijah potty trained, I realize that that marks the end of his toddler years.  Once he is able to go potty and wipe his own butt, he's officially a "pre-schooler" instead of a "toddler".  I am thankful that he is still in that stage where he doesn't mind giving mommy "loves".  Micah will still give me loves every now and then, but for the most part, he wants to be on the go.  Elijah, however, will still give me big hugs and kisses just about every time I ask him for them.  I can still "bribe" the kisses and hugs out of him, too, so that's nice for me. 

But while I don't look forward to it, I realize that my kids are not going to be kids forever.  I know that I am going to go to bed one night and wake up and they will be in high school breaking all the girls' hearts, and then I will take a nap and when I wake up they will be getting married, then I'll blink and they will be having kids (at which point I will be a grandma!), and I know I can't stop it, but I am going to do my best to enjoy the time I have with them while they're little. 

Photography

Since buying my first dital SLR camera this past summer, I have become more and more interested in photography - composition, lighting, editing, etc.  Along with that, I have plans to get my scrapbook caught up (I think I am something like 3 or 4 years behinds :-/).  So I have joined a few Meetup groups - some for scrapbooking, some for photography, even one for running.  Already, without going to any meet-ups, I have learned a few new things about photography composition, and I'm so excited to be able to go to a couple of meet-ups to see what else I can learn. 

Kalin and I have also taken an interest in Adobe Photoshop.  We have been watching videos on how to use all the different functions and how to create amazing pictures and layouts and stuff.  I really want to just jump in and start playing with stuff to see how everything works, but I know I will get more out of it if I watch the videos and then go play with it, because then I at least have an idea of what icon does what to my picture.

Part of photoshop is a program called Camera Raw.  When we first tried to use it, we kept getting an error message, and we just couldn't figure out what the problem was.  After asking Kalin's brother (who uses photoshop for college), we were informed that Camera Raw can only open "RAW" images from my camera - it doesn't work on jpeg images.  So I figured out how to get my camera to take RAW images, and now it works! I have come to the realization that if I want to be able to get the most of my pictures, I should be taking them in RAW and jpeg format (which, luckily, my camera does).  The problem with RAW images is that they take up A LOT of space on a memory card.  Lucky for me, I got a rather large compact flash card to go with my camera, so I have a bit more space for those RAW images. 

If anyone reading this has any tips or tricks for me, I would LOVE to hear them!  Anything about photography, photoshop, etc would be much appreciated! Thanks! :D

Running

I have decided to start running - like training for a 5K, 10K, etc running.  I have recently learned that I enjoyed doing it, and while I have an elliptical at home, it's a bit awkward for me to run on, considering I have short legs and the pedals are about 1.5 feet apart.  When I was in school in the summer of 2009, I used the treadmills at the gym there, and LOVED it.  Also, running does not cost nearly as much money as the Ballet Beautiful classes I blogged about a few days ago - all I need are some shoes, socks, shorts and t-shirts and I'm ready to go.  I got a hydration backpack for Christmas (totally out of the blue, but so grateful I got it), so I will be able to carry my phone, keys, ID, etc in that while I run.  So, I have decided to do it more often and use running to get back into shape. 

I have found a few websites dedicated to helping people like me (beginners) learn how to run properly.  For the most part, I am going to use Best Running Tips, but I will be keeping an eye out for other sites that may be of some help, too.  I am going to start with the Beginners Running Program 3: 30 Minutes in 12 Weeks, which will train me to run for 30 minutes straight. Then I will move on to either the 10K Running Program or the Half Marathon Running Program.  I am also going to be keeping a running journal of the date, time, length, route, speed, and other notes about my runs.  I haven't yet decided if I will start a new blog just for my running stuff, or if I will just include it in this one.  I will let you know what I decide. 

I am hoping that by posting this, I might find someone in my area who would like to train with me - that way we both have someone to be accountable to.  Normally, I would have Kalin be my training partner, but with 2 kids home all day, it would be pretty hard for both of us to go running at the same time without the kids.  We could take the kids, because we do have a double stroller, but it isn't built for jogging/running with, and it's fairly heavy and hard to push.  So, in the end I think the stroller would be a bad idea.  So, I'm looking for someone to run with, because as much as I like running, I know there will be days when I just don't want to run, but my training partner will be depending on me, so I'll go anyway (and vice versa).

For now, I am going to run in the area around my house (FM 1117, if you know where that is), but if I get a running partner, I am willing to run just about anywhere.  The only thing with me is that I have to be able to leave the kids with someone.  Since I will be running fairly often (3, 4, 5 days a week), it would be easiest to leave them with Kalin so I'm not burdening my grandparents or in-laws with watching two kids that often.  So either early mornings or late afternoons/evenings will work best for me.

so, here's to hoping I find a running partner! :D Thanks for reading!

Potty Training

So, as most of you know, I have been potty training Elijah for a while now.  He has been doing pretty good, even though he's not yet able to tell me when he needs to go potty.  Today, he only had one accident this morning, so I decided to leave big boy undies on him during his nap.  Today was also the first day that we put him in his bed for nap time without putting him to sleep first.  So, as you can imagine, I was fairly sure that I was going to have to wash his sheets after his nap, which need to be washed anyway, so it wasn't a big deal. 

During his nap, I worked on a sewing project I had been procrastinating on.  Just as I was finishing up, Elijah comes out of his bedroom.  The first thing I did was check to see if he was still dry - and HE WAS!!! I was SO proud of him! I'm hoping now that he's gone through his nap that he'll start recognizing the feeling, and his potty training will go much quicker!

Ballet Beautiful

So, today, while surfing the internet (instead of doing my 1.5 hours of yoga) I came across an article for the ballerina who trained Natalie Portman for her role in Black Swan, for which she has won a Golden Globe and a Critic's Choice Award both for Best Actress.  If you don't already know, Black Swan was one of my most anticipated movies, and is by far one of my favorites, if only for the dancing part.  So, as you can imagine, when I came across this article, I simply couldn't pass it up.  I then linked to the website for Ballet Beautiful, where I found out about the live, online classes that Mary Helen Bowers offers there.  I have linked to her Facebook page, (here) and have found out that they will soon be releasing videos for Ballet Beautiful, which is great, considering that the live classes are $40 and $25 for the 1 hour and 30 minute classes, respectively.  Now, in all honesty, $40 a class is not that much for lessons from a world-class ballerina, but I simply don't have that kind of money to throw around - who does, these days?  So I am waiting anxiously for the videos to be released, but I am unsure if they are going to be DVD releases or if they will be available for purchase as a download.  Either way, I am hoping that when they come out, I can afford to buy them, because God knows there isn't much I wouldn't do to have my ballerina body back from high school.

Children's Stuff for Sale

Here are some of the items I am selling.  I recently cleaned out my kids' closet to make room for any clothing and toys they got for Christmas, and I am trying to sell what my kids no longer use.  Please let me know if you have any questions about these items.  They are also listen on craigslist - simply search for Seguin or New Braunfels in San Antonio Craigslist - For Sale - Baby & Kid Stuff.  Thanks!

 This is a Rock and Ride Horse - he rocks, his tail and head wiggle and he makes horse noises.  For sale for $20

 Ball popper lawn mower - asking $5

 PlaySkool t-ball set - ball stays on tee, tee rotates when hit; on/off switch on bottom.  Asking $10

 Mega Blocks truck - tailgate opens, megablocks not included.  Asking $5

 HEB brand Size 3 diapers, 52 count.  Asking $5

 Little People School Bus - musical.  No little people included.  Asking $5

 Infantino baby set - includes crab, ball and caterpillar.  Asking $5

 Fisher Price Amazing Animals Train set - includes front engine, which plays music and make animal sounds, middle section and tail end, 7 animals (giraffe, elephant, hippo, zebra, monkey and alligator).  Asking $20

 

 Rainbow xylophone with attached mallet. Asking $5

 Beanie babies - Parrot and Deer are TY, frog and bear are not.  Asking $5 for all 4

 Styrofoam type building blocks - multicolored, multi-shaped, 2 wal-mart bags' worth

 Travel changing pad with two mesh pockets and one wipies container.  Asking $5

 12 month clothing - 6 short sleeve t-shirts, 2 pairs of jeans, 3 long sleeve t-shirts, 4 short sleeve dress shirts, 1 long sleeve dress shirt, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 jumper, 1 pair of pajama pants and 7 pairs of socks.  Asking $25 for the lot

 18 month clothing - 3 short sleeve shirts, 4 long sleeve shirts, 2 pairs of pants, 2 pairs of shorts, 1 set of pajamas.  Asking $20 for the lot

 24 month/2T clothing - 3 long sleeve onesies, 1 pair khaki pants, 1 pair navy blue pants, 1 long sleeve button-up dress shirt, 1 pair navy blue sweat pants.  Asking $15 for the lot