My 1st Mother's Day!

Did you think I forgot about blogging? Well actually I did for the weekend. We have been so busy the past few weekends, so I just plum forgot. (Since I know you were all just waiting around to read my next blog post... Ha.) It was a very eventful weekend. Not in the way most people describe, "eventful weekends" though. Nothing bad happened, it was just full of events. Eating out like three times with families, Rebecca's baby shower for baby Noah, shopping, Lucy's dedication, and Mother's Day filled this eventful weekend.

Mother's Day was by far the best day though. No offense Rebecca, your baby shower was awesome too, BUT baby dedication and Mother's day trumps the shower... Scott, Lucy, and I stood before the church and made a vow to raise her in the light of the Lord. To be obedient to God when raising our little Lucy, and asking the church and family to stand behind and help us with our covenant we have made to God. It was the cherry to my ice cream of a day. I thought it was wonderful that she was dedicated on Mother's day. She did pretty well up front too, she couldn't decide who she wanted to hold her though... and she ate some tissue paper while we were praying. (She's real into paper these days, I call her a billy goat...) Pretty much all of our family was there too, so it was neat being in church with everyone again. I definitely miss being able to worship with my family at church.

After church, we headed over to the Bickley's (Scott's parents) house for a nice light lunch of sandwiches. They were delicious and we enjoyed spending time with everyone! Then we moe-zeed ( don't know how to spell it, so just sound it out...) over to my parents house where we ate more and sat by the pool. We did absolutely nothing there. Which was nice, Scott, Lucy and I are fighting colds, we needed some rest. That evening we came home and relaxed some more. I guess it was alittle uneventful...

I'll tell you what, Mother's day has a WHOLE new meaning after now being a Mom. Its nice to be celebrated and to be praised for being a Mom. It is a tough job and sometimes a very thankless job. Lucy could careless, and prefer I not, clean out her nasty nose or change her dirty diaper. Not one thank you yet :o) Don't be fooled she can say, "thank you". Although it's more like, "tank- tu" but hey it works. But thank you's or no thank you's I love my daughter. I love my husband for giving me my daughter. I love my Lord for lending her to me to enjoy. She has changed my life in so many great ways. She truly is the light of my life (Lucy mean's light). Even when she wakes up way to early and all I want to do is sleep, I see her smile and I'm hooked on her. She is my greatest accomplishment and I know the best years are yet to come! Happy be-lated Mother's day ya'll and THANK YOU MOM for all you have done for me and continue to do daily for me!

Toodles!

How To: Fold a Fitted Sheet

Don't laugh. OK you can laugh. I did a video tutorial... I am super nervous to put me talking about folding a fitted sheet onto this blog, but I am serious when I say that for three years I could not figure out how to fold a fitted sheet! It's irritating! All I wanted was to be June Cleaver and yet, I just couldn't fold that con-flabid sheet (Thanks Dad for the best word ever. Con-flabid- irritating, makes you want to throw something through a window.) Though I have found out I am indeed not June Cleaver, gasps, I definitely feel good knowing I can fold a fitted sheet. So enjoy and let me know if it helps you...

Oh and a disclaimer to my family, Sunday lunch I know you will chuckle and crack jokes about my video, but lest you forget I can fold a fitted sheet. Can you, my dear family? :o) (Don't worry everyone I will blog about Sunday Lunch one day, you'll just have to sit on the edge of your seat until then.)

Happy folding and Toodles!

Can cross that off my list!

I haven't ever sat down and made a bucket list, but there are some things in life I would like to say are on my mental bucket list. Birthing a child, check. Getting blood work done and not actually freaking out about it, check. Owning a house, check. Getting married, check. Owning a mini van, check (double check because it is the car of my dreams, no seriously it's my Barbie dream car.) Owning a business, check. The list goes on and on.  Today is exciting, I certainly most certainly did accomplish another task on my mental bucket list.

Like I have said in past posts, I love couponing. It gives me a thrill waiting at the check out line to see my total.I get butterflies as I see the number go down on my total and sky rocket in savings. It also helps with my insane desire to SHOP! Get ready to give me some cookies and a pat on the back, because today I hit the jackpot on savings and spending. I didn't just save 25%, or 50% or even 75%, no I saved (drum roll please) 97.66% savings! I spent a whopping $3.05 and saved $140.63. Check. I would have saved 100% but the cashier mistakenly thought I needed to get another item for it to total out. So I got some gum and mentos. I doubt this will happen again since the cashier told me they are having a, "coupon meeting" next week... But I did it and even if I only get to have this one time of feeling incredibly accomplished at couponing. I'll take it.

Coming up soon on the blog: How to fold a fitted sheet. With none other than me. Your blog host. I haven't decided if I will do a video or just pictures... We will see.

By the way anyone need any gas relief? That's what happened to be on sale and actually made me profit.

Toodles!

The loot.

Blucky. Blah and Yucky. Blucky.

 Blucky. I coined this term when I was pregnant, it just seemed to describe how I felt to the "T". It's a mix between blah and yucky. Blucky. That's my mood today. I woke up this morning, in a foul mood. Tired, irritable, angry, lethargic, and down right mean. Nothing has really gone wrong today. I don't have a flat tire. I have food in my pantry and fridge. I was able to get a shower and a little bit of rest time during Lucy's nap, so what is wrong with me? How did I go from thinking on some heavy stuff, wanting to surrender all my life to the Lord, to thinking I just want to hide my head in the sand or better yet, just go back to bed. What in the world is going on here!

Well I can tell you one reason I came up with. My sweet comfortable life has already started going into cruise control ie: God. I am convinced He reads blogs because somehow He got word that I am not so keen on my comfy, squishy, care bear life being uncomfortable. Scott and I have a friend who has some needs financially, spiritually, and stomach-lly (he sometimes needs food), and we have been trying to help him but can't help as much right now. Scott being the amazing person he is, and I mean that with all seriousness he is awesome, invited him to church. He came. He has actually come three times. He joined the church. Which may seem great, yes I know strike me now I said "may seem great."  But this has thrown me for a loop hole.

Scott and I recently made the decision to join a new church. It was a super difficult decision and was emotionally draining for me, and Scott. I was leaving the place I had called my "church home" for over 20 years. Most of my family and many of the people there I have know since I was negative nine months are there. So finding a new "home" was challenging. Blessed as we are, we found our new "home" relatively quickly. I was actually finding it refreshing to not know everyone and their mother, literally. No one really knew my past, my mistakes, my "tendencies",  anything that could be a hindrance to my relationship with them. It really was like a cool glass of water on a hot day, refreshing.

But all good things have a reality, and that was when our friend joined the church. He has needs, and we brought him to church, where he has asked for some of those needs to be met. Man, for once I don't want to be seen as the one who brings the drama! Why does it always, OK always is an extreme (but I never said I wasn't a drama queen), have to be me (us if you include Scott). I just wanted to blend in to the crowd for once, not come in with a pop, pop, BAM (not yet at least, I had everyone convinced we were normal, HA!) Ya'll we JUST joined the church like three weeks ago and already we are bringing someone who has great needs!

Geeze. It feels good to get that off my heart. BUT, now to the part that really makes me feel a foot tall, literally I need to get down on my knees and pray. He deserves and has the right to worship and fellowship with us at our new church all he wants. So what if people see us as bringing the needy in. So what! Doesn't God call me to minister to those in need? To open my door to them? Should he get to worship God any differently just because he has great needs? Who am I to stand in his way. Sheesh! All this to say, I am quickly seeing that blank contract, being filled with situations similar in comfortability to this one. I am going to have to get up and move on from my uncomfortable feelings and get on with the life God has desired for me.

Easier said than done. Be in prayer for me, I'll be in prayer for you.

Toodles!

Servant or slave which is it?

Get ready to be shocked, then gasp, then speechless (you just might want to sit down for this one). I am currently reading my SECOND book in three months! Seriously, can someone hand me a cookie, because this never happens. I think I can count on my fingers, and my toes... OK just my fingers, how many books I have read in my life. Most people can say they read for relaxation or fun, I can say I usually only read out of obligation when I was in school. BUT these past few months I have been reading.

My first pick was a book I got about a year or two ago on a random Lifeway trip.(Do you ever have those random Lifeway trips when you are feeling real "spiritual" and buy like 5 books that relate to your life, but don't read them for another 2 years?) It is by Nancy Leigh DeMoss: "Becoming God's True Woman". It was a collection of chapters about biblical femininity and becoming a woman of God by various Christian authors, mostly woman. It was an awesome book and seriously convicting in many areas of my life. Definitely a must read.

My second book I am still currently reading through, is also by Nancy Leigh DeMoss and it is "Surrender". Challenging women, and men, to give up control of our lives and let God take it all. She talks about how a lot of times we will tell God, OK here is our contract I will agree to sign and surrender to you if you do X, Y, and Z and in return I will do A, B and C, folks that aint' the deal. We should sign a blank contract and say, "God here I am, here's my signature on this blank contract take it and fill it in with what you desire for me." Let me just lay it on the line right now, while I was reading this I felt my nerves rise. Who wants to sign a blank contract and say, "God take it and do what you will, you have proven so many times that everything you do does not make me uncomfortable AT ALL!" Yeah right! God could make me leave the comfort of being, well, comfortable to go do something thats not so squishy, comfy, lollipops, and care bears.

I am a picture thinker, so says my sister in law Kathryn :o). Basically, I tend comprehend things a TON better when its in a picture form. (Note to self: Make a Bible for adults with pictures...) I am the person sitting in front of you at church that's drawing a picture of a big fish, while the pastor is preaching on Jonah. Believe it or not I am learning, not bored. Anyways, in the book she points out that there is sort of a "mis-interpretation" (stay with me now) of the word servant in the Bible, in some passages. Not all I assume; I have not taken the many spare hours I have, yeah right, and looked them up. But here goes my interpretation of her misinterpretation.

Josef Tson says (quoted from "Surrender"), "In the Greek Bible one never, never diakoneo to God- one never serves God; one only douleo  to God- that is, one slaves to God." Mr. Tson also says, "Translators did not like the term, 'bondslave' to be applied to people. Who wants to be somebody else's slave? Therefore they replaced it with 'servant'."

I decided hmmm that seems kinda harsh to accuse the translators of not liking the word "bondservant" or "slave" so they replaced it, so I asked my trusty Biblical encycolopedia: my husband. Who looked up on some website, I don't remember which one I was rambling on about my findings. To which he confirmed Mr. Tson was indeed correct. If you look a little more closely into a few passages of scripture you will see what he was talking about. One I thought of and "tested" his theory to, was Luke 1:38: "'I am the Lords servant. Mary answered'", servant (diakonos) is actually not the Greek Bible's translation of the word. It is actually slave (doulos).

"So what? What is SO important about two words, they pretty much mean the same thing right?" Wrong! They are two greatly different words. Servant, according to Webster, is "a person employed to perform services for another"; while slave is, "a human being who is owned as property by and is absolutely subject to the will of another." Ya'll that is straight out of Webster, no butter added there (get it Paula Deen? Butter? Guess you just have to be me). See the difference? In Exodus 21:1-2 and 5-6 it describes the rules when you buy a Hebrew slave:

 The slave is to serve for 6 years and in the 7th he is set free. Unless he says, "I love my master, my wife, and my children; I will not go out free." (Exodus 21) At that point in time his master brings him to the Lord and at the masters door post he bears a hole through the slaves ear, showing that he will be a slave to that master forever!

(Here comes my picture thinking) If I am really a slave to God, not just a servant, who simply does a task and when its done I am no longer employed or under obligation. Where there is no ownership over my body and life, that makes me property of God's. He owns me. If I am really a slave of God, I will go to the door post and bear a hole through my ear (OK not literally). What a painful way to show your complete surrender of your life to someone. Lest we not forget, there was no ice to num your ears, or antibacterial wipes to make sure the area was clean, or anything to relieve that pain in that time. Just an awl (a pointed hand tool with a fluted blade used for piercing wood, leather, etc. I guess etc. included ears). Giving up my desires, goals, energy time, money, and comfort is not easy. Fully surrendering to God's absolute will for me, is not without some sort of sacrifice or pain.

Don't be mistaken though, it is clear to point out in Exodus that the slave is free unless HE says, "I love my master...." He willingly gives up his freedom because he loves his master, beacuse he knows his master is good to him. Now, I am sure there were occasions where the slave really had no other choice but to go back to his master, but scripture clearly says that the slave has to say, "I love my master." This made me think: "Jenny, do you really love your Master enough to surrender your life fully to him? To go to His door post and publicly profess that you am now a SLAVE, not servant, a SLAVE to God and trusted that your Master will take care and provide for your every need? Knowing, it will come at the cost of your freedom, goals, and desires? That you will have to work hard for your Master, because that is your task as His slave, to obey Him?" Geeze Louise. Can you say convicted? Convicted.

There is a eency weency part that is hugely significant in this relationship though, I can know I will always be provided for, always loved and always taken care of. The needs of me as slave are met, in return for full surrender of my life and obedience to God's will. It's not all pain and sacrifice. It's freedom to live in knowing I am accounted for by God. He owns me, and everything He has created and owns is good. He makes all things good.

Heavy stuff ya'll. Heavy stuff. When I think of myself as a slave to God, it puts my life and my faith in a whole other ball game. While serving does go into play, it's more. Its about giving God ownership of what is rightly His. Me

(I am sitting here thinking toodles is so peppy.... I will just put in parenthesis and you can whisper toodles in your head... Toodles.)

PS: Some of this is my two cents but most of it is from the book, "Surrender" by Nancy Leigh DeMoss. She has like 90 cents worth in this post :o)

My Mondays

Just another Manic Monday (ohh oh oh) Wish it was Sunday, cuz thats my fun day, (which is so true). Monday is get everything that needs to be done around the house before the clock strikes 9pm day. I do laundry, all three loads (don't be fooled the washer is slam packed, I don't believe in small loads... so each load is pretty big), I clean up the house, well watch Mr. Robo vacuum up the dog traces, uh hem black Labrador dog hairs. What can I do she's a dog and it's hot outside.

I also try to get my couponing done for the current ads. Which makes me think I should have taken Mrs. Miller's advice and well, gone back to kindergarten. It takes me a good two to three hours just to get a list together for CVS. Ya'll I have some serious math issues, somehow every time I spend time getting my list together, I ALWAYS without fail am off on my math and politely feel the need to tell the cashier I think my items were rung up wrong. Then I realize it was my error.... Whoops (So far, I am to embarrassed to go back to the CVS on Tennessee Street and the Lake Ella.) I am slowly running out of options. Note to self: Humble thyself enough to let Scott help me with my couponing math.

I also try to get caught up on the bottles that were so conveniently left next to the sink and in the exersaucer... and under the table.... and the car... the diaper bag... and any other crevice you can imagine. What? We have busy weekends? Don't you too? So after spending an long time cleaning out the bottles, I try to make the kitchen look spik and span. I do love me a clean kitchen.

I do not love that laundry never ends. Just when you think you have finished matching socks, folding towels, and meticulously folding underwear, you change into your PJ's and start the process all over again.So much of a let down that just when you think your done, you are actually just back at square one. But that is life and when life gives you laundry ya can't let it get stinky so you just might as well wash it.

I guess I am alittle bit of a drama queen because when typing what I do on Mondays its really not all that bad.  I think what makes it difficult is the 10 month old crawling and getting into, but not limited to, the dog bowl, DVD's, cabinets, drawers, laundry, eating things off the floor, wanting to be held and so on and so forth. So take the baby out of the equation easy peasy. Add her back and you get more work. Take that Mrs. Miller, I can do math, Ha!

Toodles!

Prom 2011

Buying the dress, getting my hair, finger nails, and toes done, buying special jewelry, getting my make-up done, and last but not least the shoes... that's right everyone homecoming and prom were the highlights of my years in highschool (silly you did you think I was going to say my wedding? That was awesome too) Homecoming and prom were just so fun, especially when you had a date! Lucky me, I did! I love dressing up and wearing fancy clothes and any excuse to wear my ,on any other day, obnoxious rhinestone jewelry. 

Recently, I have been mentioning to Scott about how much I missed highschool dances. How much I missed feeling pretty in my dress, and getting beautified. How much I missed dancing (and I know what you are thinking, no we did not "booty dance") We actually swing danced and turned everyday tasks into dances. Some examples may include BUT are not limited to: the sprinkler, grocery shopping, mowing the lawn, washing the dog and washing the car. We even did some Karate Kid, wax on wax off, paint up paint down. That sort of thing. But no matter how silly and quite stupid we looked for going against the crowd and choosing not to "grind" on the dance floor, we had a blast. That leads me too yesterday, Friday morning:

AND ACTION (claps hands together loudly)

"Hey, Scott. What should I wear to our date tonight? I mean are we going to go somewhere after we eat? Should I be casual? Formal??" "Jenny" (Scott says grinning) "Wear something you would wear to prom." Me: "I am not wearing a prom dress to Mori." (Scott says sort of rolling his eyes) "Just wear something really nice!" Me: "K".

Later that day... Scott asked me to meet him at the Tallahassee Mall, so at five I drop Lucy off with her Aunt La La, Uncle Seann, and Grandma La La, and Granddad (these people are pivotal in this story, don't forget them) and I go on my merry way to the mall. 

* FREEZE: I didn't tell you what I wore. Here goes: My white and gold Ann Taylor Loft dress that I got on our 2nd anniversary trip to St. Augustine. It was a splurge item and I can finally fit back into it after having Lucy. Oh and it just so happened to go with my shoes I wore to our Junior prom :o)

ACTION AGAIN(claps hands together loudly again)

I see Scott standing outside waiting for me, and we go into the mall where he tells me: "Jenny, I have a surprise for you!" Me: "Are we crashing a prom.... That is alittle rude to crash a prom and not to mention possibly illegal." Scott (grinning): "I have connections." Me: "What?" Anyways, he we keep walking through the mall when he tells me I have a certain amount of money I can spend on ANYTHING I want! YES! Jackpot! If you have ever done the love language test by Gary Chapman you will understand when I say my love language is gifts. There I said it. I love gifts. So this was awesome, because Scott LOVES to save. 

OK so we walk around the mall and I didn't see anything I wanted to spend my money on, I mean I am not just going to blow it and we were in ghost town mall, so we head to go eat. Mori is our new favorite place to go. We love the food, it's quiet, sort of reasonably priced and they are quick! We ate our favorite: steak, shrimp, and chicken. No sushi this time, although their sushi is really good to. (Don't worry I haven't forgotten about my money to spend)

We then decide to go to the Governor Square Mall, we walk around for like two hours, I find like five things I love. But in trying not to just blow my money we depart from the mall empty handed. OK blah blah blah I am ready to get to the good part!

I get out of the car when we get home and hear some seriously loud music. Thinking its the neighbors I almost go into a fit of rage, because it annoys me greatly to hear their music inside my house especially when it is time for sleep!  We walk up to the door and I say, "Scott! There is music coming from the house, someone is in there!" (Lest we not forget the reindeer in the carport earlier this week. May he stay in his place until Christmas) So I was pretty shaken thinking someone has invaded my house. Not to mention when I opened the door the music was blaring AND the house looked like a babyless home, ie: not like babies r us. So I thought someone broke in... Freaked me out. Freaked me out more that Scott kept nudging me inside. So I creep in and see a microphone, music playing, and a brown chair with my name on it (ok not literally my name on it but he told me to sit there.) and a glass of sweet tea :o) From there Scott told me he was going to give me a concert and sang me five song. I think... I am still fuzzy and in shock from his creativity of this date, some had sentimental value and some were just cheesy love songs to make me blubber like a fool. Thanks Scott, my mascara apparently is not water proof. 

You see this week, month, 6 months, 9 months, year, OK 2 to 3 years, have been challenging for me and Scott. Like I said in yesterday's post we have flown through 5 chapters of life in 3 years. Life and personal issues have gotten the best of mainly me, and I have often lost sight of the wonderfully amazing man I married. I have SO, all to often forgotten the amazing memories we have and just how far we have come together. Seriously ya'll we have come so far. So as he sang the songs that meant, mean so much to us I just couldn't help but overflow with tears. Again let me say the Sephora sample size mascara I was wearing was indeed, NOT waterproof.

Back to the concert, after he sang me the songs, we swing danced, jumped around the living room, did the electric slide, clapped to Hey Ya, looked like crazy people and slow danced to the first song we ever slow danced to. Homecoming 2004. I waited ALL night for them to play ONE slow song and it was, "Picture" sung by Cheryl Crow and Kid Rock. Terrible first slow song to dance to, but absolutely a WONDERFUL memory with what I was later to find out would be my better half one day.

Now let me tell you little background on our date. Scott spent countless hours preparing for this date. Remember those amazing babysitters I mentioned earlier ie: the Kennedy clan (my fam), they came over while we were out and set up the whole scene AND did my dishes. Amazing.  Scott had given them an extensive to do list and they followed it to the T! I had no idea he had been planning this whole date for over a month!

I am never speechless. I almost always have something to say. But ladies and gents, I. Was. Speechless. It was a, "you kinda had to of been there" type of thing. But even if you would have been there I don't think anyone could have understood the depth of love that I felt from this date. It was so totally a Scott and me date. An amazing date. An amazing memory. I know I will never forget! 

If you haven't spent time with your husband or wife, give it a try. Make some new awesome memories. You won't be sorry.

Toodles!