It doesn't make sense

I am sure by now that you have heard of the woman who recently gave birth to octuplets. When I first heard about it, I didn't think anything of it. I was amazed that a woman's body could actually hold that many babies at one time.

Then today, I read that she already has 6 other kids and here's the kicker: She lives at home with her parents. ??????? Is this making sense to anyone or am I the only one that sees a problem here? Don't get me wrong-- I still think it's amazing that she had 8 babies at once. However, I'm thinking that having 14 kids and living with your parents might not be the best idea one's ever had. Maybe I'm being judgmental (ok, I know I am), but I'm a little confused as to the details. Is she married? Why hasn't there been any mention of a husband/boyfriend? If there is one, how does he feel about living with his in-laws? Why, after having 6 kids, did she feel like she wanted more?

I realize that I shouldn't judge the choices other people make, but I can't help wonder what this woman was thinking.

Wordless Wednesday

I need to be on this beach. Now.

Time for a change

I am bored with my hair. I think I need something new. Although, something new would probably require me to grow out my hair. I remember that painful process when I was growing out my hair for my wedding. I hated it. However, I think if I had a certain style that I was aiming for while growing it out, it would give me something to look forward to instead of reaching for the nearest pair of scissors.



I really like this one.


But these are also pretty darn cute.
We'll have to see...I am just sick of the same old hairstyle!

Thanks a lot Bath and Body

Two days ago, I was running errands with my mom when she said she needed to go to Bath and Body. I never complain about a trip there seeing as I love that store! After browsing for a while, I see this body scrub and open it to take a whiff. One sniff and I was a goner. It was like a dessert/tropical getaway in a jar. And it became mine.

Fast forward to yesterday morning. I'm at work when I notice that I was feeling itchy. I didn't think much about it since I skimped on the lotion that morning and my workplace is known for being so dry. As the day wore on, I was getting itchier and noticed little welts beginning to form on my hands, and legs. Again, didn't think anything about it. I just chalked it up to the amount of scratching I was doing. When I got home, I took a bath (usual post-work routine) and when I got out, I noticed the most hideous welts across my shoulders and back. I almost freaked out.

Needless to say, I spent last evening in the med center getting 2 shots in my butt for HIVES. Thank goodness my mom had gone with me because soon after getting the shots, I felt like I was ready for a serious nap. I would have slept on the floor if they would have let me. Good idea not letting me drive.

Much thanks to Bath and Body for luring me in with your lucious scents of coconut and vanilla. Apparently you should only eat coconut and vanilla and not slather them in copious amounts all over your body.

Honest Tuesday

Andrea gave me this lovely little award and so here are the rules that come along with it!

The rules:

* Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design.

* Show the 7 winners names and links on your blog, and leave a comment informing them that they were prized with "Honest Scrap." Well, there's no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon.

* List at least 10 honest things about yourself.

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1.) I love chocolate. Oreos are my current fav. Followed closely by M&Ms, Haagen Daaz chocolate milkshakes, and hot chocolate. Yummmm...

2.) I think my entire casual wardrobe is from the Gap. Bless the person who invented the Gap, and most especially, the Gap outlet. I find it hilarious that I dispised the Gap in high school, because heaven forbid, it was "preppy". Ha!

3.) I have a hard time with seasons of waiting. I struggle with it everyday. Some days I am hopeful about what lies ahead, and other days, well, I don't even want to talk about it. Today is an optimistic day. Tomorrow may be a different story.

4.) Mike is an awesome husband. The problem is, I tell him, but my actions don't show it all the time. I need to show him more often that I appreciate him. (girls, get your minds out of the gutter! I wasn't even talking about that.)

5.) I can't make a good cup of coffee to save my life. Oh, I have all the right tools, i.e. my grinder, my water filter, my fresh coffee beans, my new coffee maker, but my coffee never tastes right. This is why the people at Biggby and Starbucks know me by name.

6.) I love the idea of being healthy more so than actually living healthy. Last night's example: pizza for dinner, followed by laying on the couch, then a before bed snack of Oreos and milk. Yup. My diet is screaming healthy!

7.) I am inspired by so many faith-filled women, but it really touches my heart when I hear of someone's struggle with their faith. Been there and have the t-shirt. In fact, I still wear it sometimes! My walk with God is new although I grew up in the Catholic church ( I think of myself then as a religious bystander). I never made my relationship with God personal until a few years ago. It is a journey unlike any other....

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There you have it..7 honest things about me. I am passing this award on to: Kim, Stacy, Krysta, Becky, and Nicole. Anyone else that wants to join in, feel free!!

Random Friday

There's nothing like a quiet morning at home with the coffee brewing and my eyes glued to the computer screen as I catch up on some blog reading. Thank goodness today is Friday, my day off, and although I don't have any big plans for today, I am so happy to be home!

Driving home from work last night was an adventure in overcoming fears, that's for sure! I left work about 10:30 and the temperature was a frosty 4 degrees. With the wind chill, it had to be below zero. Mix that with some snow and you have icy roads. I kept debating whether or not I should take the highway home, or take the back roads home which would mean a MUCH longer drive home. I decided to chance it, and took the highway, but you better believe it was with intense fear. So I inched onto the highway at 20mph, and stayed at that speed. The whole time I was praying to Jesus like it was the end of my life! I totally resorted back to the Scripture verse I posted yesterday because man, I was feelin' like there was no better time for it. And He pulled me through it. I would have gotten down on my hands and knees when I finally got out of the car, but well, it was a little too cold and snowy for that!

Another TGIF---one of my favorite shows is coming back tonight!
I never thought I would like this show. I thought it was just a show about a football crazed small town in Texas and I'm never going to like it. I was so wrong. I love it.


And now, for a shamless plug for my chica Jaime over at Jaime Pott Photography! Jaime is having a special for January that you must check out. Jaime also does reviews for Simple and she would love to give away a free pair of boots from KEEN. These boots are so darn cute, and we Michigan girls could really use them since the temps are so bone chilling cold!

Happy Friday everyone! Stay warm....

Putting it out there

I am doing a Scripture memorization as part of a thing that Beth Moore has on her blog, and this means that I am going to be memorizing 2 Scripture verses a month. Today happens to be the day when I get to start a new verse, and I can only say that this verse jumped off the page at me.

Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. PHILLIPIANS 4:6

Do you know what a relief this brings me? It makes me feel like a ton of bricks have been lifted off my shoulders. Way too often do I hold things close to me (stress, anxiety, doubt, fear) and make a decision not to send them off in prayer to God. I know He's there for me regardless, but I tend to forget that He's not human and will instantly be bored to tears with my problems and worries. So needless to say, when searching for a verse that gives words to what I've been feeling, this verse stood out. And now I share it with you!

Sticking to it

I really want this to be the year that I stick to my budget, and save more money (among other things!). The challenge for me in this area is going to be eating out. I eat out practically everyday that I work, and spend between $5-$10 each time. Not to mention my coffee addiction. I love grabbing a Biggby before I go to work, and it's wrecking my budget!

So, I recognize that my solutions are: bringing my lunch from home, and making my own coffee. I also need to give myself more time before work so that I can actually pack my lunch (or do it the night before), and make my coffee. I'm going to be honest-it is so hard for me to give myself extra time. I am such a procrastinator when it comes to getting ready for work. I stay in bed a few minutes longer than I should, spend more time in the shower than I need to, and those few minutes could be spent getting my lunch and coffee ready. However, I have to say that sometimes nothing beats a flavored coffee with tons of whipped cream to get my day started.

I'm not going to lie. It's going to be tough for me, but I want to be true to my goal and stick with it. We'll see how it goes this week....

Unloading

I wish I could just escape. Hope on a plane to somewhere warm and tropical. Lay on a beach all day long. Just get the heck out of here.

But unfortunately, taking a vacation doesn't mean that I could escape my thoughts and feelings, and that is what I really need a break from. Since Christmas ended, I've been thinking how fast time has been going by, and that very soon it will be February. February may not mean much to most people. To me, it's the symbol of sadness. February means it's been one year since I got pregnant. ONE YEAR.

I never imagined that I wouldn't be pregnant by now. I thought that after the miscarriage, we would take a few months off, but I was fooling myself. It took more than a few months for me to get over it. I'm FINALLY at a place where talking about it doesn't bother me, and I can think about it without crying. Yet, part of me is angry with myself for not getting to this place sooner. If I was ready to try again sooner, then it wouldn't almost be a year since I got pregnant. I know this sounds crazy and probably doesn't make sense. Half the time it doesn't make even make sense to me. I just have a huge problem with the timing of everything. I always have. I want things to happen when I want them to. Sadly, I know that life rarely works that way.

Now, I feel like another month is going to pass me by. I've been sick, and still am sick and the thought of even trying this month is making me exhausted. The whole emotional process of trying to have a baby is utterly exhausting. And for the people who say, "You just need to relax", you have NO IDEA what you are talking about.

I know that God has a huge and awesome plan for us. Most days, I'm excited for that. It gives me hope. Today, I'm having a hard time feelin' it.

I'm just saying...

If you have a cold, are you too sick to work? While you can try to run from a common cold , you can't hide! And you must use common sense before you expose others at work to your cold virus. Findings show that when we're sick with the common cold, we're not very productive. In fact, lost productivity on the job accounts for up to 60% of employer health costs -- more than if the sick employees had taken a sick day. (WebMD)

Enough said. No reason to give someone a hard time about calling in (especially when that person has 40 hours of sick time). I'm just saying.

After a Long weekend

After a long weekend of working, I am off today! I had these plans for getting so much done around the house, like taking down my Christmas decorations and catching up on some laundry. But I don't think I have the strength. This darn cold had to rear it's ugly head last night, resulting in one of the worst night's sleep I've had in a long time. You know the kind. The kind of night where you can't breathe through your nose, so your mouth gets all dried out, your lips start to crack and you can't get comfortable to save your life. Yup. I had one of those. Awesome.

However, on a good note, at least I can park my sick behind on the couch tonight and watch....The Bachelor! I know, it's super cheezy and everyone knows those relationships NEVER work (ok, except for Trista and Ryan), but I liked this guy immediately when I saw the last season. That Deanna chick was crazy for letting this one go! I'm rooting for him...

2009

Another year is gone and the possibilities of all that is to come lies ahead. 2008 was a bittersweet year, but I learned so much about myself that there isn't a chance that I regret any of it.

Usually I struggle keeping my New Year's Resolutions, as I'm sure most people do, but I really intend to keep mine this year! I have a couple of "goals" or things that I want to do in the New Year and I am committed to seeing them through.
*Starting a new Bible Study.
*Going back to the gym and working out at least 2 days a week.
*Sticking to my budget.
*Memorize 2 scripture verses a month (see the LPM blog on my blog list if you are interested).
*Make more time for my girlfriends.

Realistically speaking, I know the chances of me actually keeping these resolutions are small, but at least I'm attempting to do better this year!