No way I will be able to go back and "catch up" so I'll just jump right in.

Tonight was date night. Brought the kids a couple of pizzas home and went out with my hubby.

We did an exchange at Old Navy for a dress I had bought for Jillie for Christmas and then decided I did not like when I tried it on her today. Came away with a very cute into Spring-ish top and a tankini on sale for $10. very nice. nearly even exchange.

Then I popped in Joanne Fabrics, got my name on the mailing list for coupons one more time and found clearance ribbon for 10cents a yard. Maybe I will try to make some of those fancy hairbows. At 10cents a yard maybe I won't feel so bad about goofing up. Since I'm paying around $3-$7 a piece for her bows, it was worth my $3.90 to give it a go.

On to Moes for dinner. I used to like Moes, I did. The hubs still does. Me? not so much. oh well. I still got to spend time with my man and altho I refused to pay 1.75 for three cookies (when did they go up?) I did get Mark to go thru drive thru and share a Shamrock Shake from Mickey Dees with me. Home again, home again, jiggity jig.

The little ones who were suppose to go down at 9pm? They are having a loft bed sleep over in Emory's room and they are definitely NOT sleeping at this point.

so maybe not a HOT date but time with my hubby alone is good. so good. really good. And as a testiment to our "oldness"? He came in the door at 9:40pm and said, I think I'm going to bed!!!!!

Also made another stop at the goodwill today (I gotta stay out of that store!) and found a couple good deals. 2 to resale (know I can probably at least double my price) and two for Jillie to wear, and two storage totes I usually pay $7each for at only $2 each.

spent a lot of time today making Jillie a tutu! It's looking pretty good. It is pink and white except for that one lime green ribbon Jillie insisted on adding. . .

did a few loads of laundry. Cleaned up marker off my chair in the sitting room, what's with those two and markers these days!!!!! ugh. hemmed one pair of Kileys jeans (will she never grow any taller?). And deposited Zach's last paycheck from the Dunkin donuts. Still have not seen a W-2 for the boy?

Mark has our State refund in hand. Federal filed. woefully smaller than last year as we took our deductions out thru the year to pay bills. what fun is that? did go over budget with him for the year and managed to get a vacation line in there. I am holding out for a Disney cruise. I DO think it can happen. No WDW this year. And after trying to price out CA, Nevada, Arizona trips? Not happening. so sad. Everything takes money! And since last months energy bill was over $500 (and it's cold in here!) who knows what this month will be.

Kiley goes on Jr Hi retreat next weekend. I teach team kid on Sunday, Mark is on for Sunday School this whole month, Cameron and Ki have the first info meeting for Maine Missions trip this Sunday as well. And, Cameron starts drivers Ed this Tues night. Tues/Thurs for next 8 weeks.

Gosh, typing that out made me realize we are getting ready to hit a busy couple of months. And I need to be putting money aside each week for vacation if I want one which means gotta try and cut back on the eating out. Which means eating at home (blech) Been trying to gear up for that, really I have. I LOVE eating out. . .oh my

'nuff for tonight. Just wish I could be more consistant! with lots of stuff in my life. Read the Word with the two little ones at breakfast. Did my gateway Old/New Testament readings today, and Prov 31 devotional. Wish I could do that every day for sure! oh no! Just realized yet another inconsistancy today, I need to run and take my Insilin, forgot all day! ugh!

until next time.

oh dear just typed a whole long update on where I've been and what's been going on and then lost it. oh well. I am back and will update more later. to tired to type it all again! ha!

And for posterities sake I feel I must record that my Year of a Million Dreams Mickey antennea topper is gone! I am so sad! Glad for my clean car that went through the car wash that ate my antennea topper but so sad my ears are gone. Feel like it could be a long time before I get another. . . and I so want to go back. Emory and Jillie talk all the time about going back. I really want to go again. . .

10:00am January 6, 2009

Well, Mondays can be like that can't they? Totally missed writing on here. spent lots of time answering emails on my blackberry and got sore thumbs from it! made a run to BJ's and picked up a Winnie the Pooh video I bought off craigslist for Emory. Came home to a mess for dinner that ended up taking over an hour and a half to be done with and no one was thrilled about. oh well. Sat on couch and talked with Mark a bit and put kids to bed. Watched an hour of mindless tv and then most of the news and went to bed. No wonder I didn't write!

Did read my scriptures yesterday and today. Oswald Chambers selections last couple of days are not very clear for me or at least not very something. . . oh well.

Mark leaves for Phoenix tomorrow am so I will need to help him pack tonight also need to run to Kohl's and see if I can pick up a shirt for him. Also need to run to bank.

So I am off to do a couple errands and take care of the little ones.

January 4, 2009

Did make it to worship today. A little rough start as my vision was doing that stobe light like thing but it passed after just a few minutes. Bathed Em and Jill and was able to get out the door on time. Knew before we left this morning I would be ordering pizza for dinner. Sundays are hard for me. Maybe just getting us all out and going. Feeling like it should be a day of rest and it's not, or just needing to know I can have that one day off from the kitchen, not sure exactly what. Almost always glad to have made the effort though.

Anywho, got to have Mark with me in s.s. Studying John right now. John 3 today. And Nicodemus and Jesus discussion. Head knowledge or heart knowledge. Interesting. Understanding or belief. I like the book of John! Pastor Mark for service today and communion meditation. Little distracted as I had a headache and then an abrupt answer to my general greeting to someone in front of me in church! weird! Thought only I noticed and was racking my brain as to how to set it straight by end of service but all ended well and no one seemed offended in the end! And even Mark did notice the strange abruptness of the person so I wasn't imagining things! Whew!

Spent afternoon puttering around cleaning up kitchen and floors a bit to have Jim and Laurie over for the evening. Enjoyed visiting with them. Made the from cake mix snickerdoodles and added rice crispies fro crunch and even though I burned last batch coming out of oven, yum. Definitely make those again! Baked up my cresent wrapped gouda and actually got to eat some this time. Served with apples and crackers. yum again.

Zach took Kiley to small group tonight. Cameron did not have sm. group nor Emory Team Kid.

Did fit in my bible reading tonight. OT is interesting enough to keep me going right now and even wanted to read ahead but I will try and pace myself. NT was on temptation of Jesus in the dessert. Answering with scripture. What an excellent reminder for me. I know it has only been 4 days since the new year but I am so thankful to have had even 4 days in the Word. Must be God because I can never do it on my own.

Bible study to start back up this week on Thursday night. Need the accountability for sure. Not sure what to do about starting my own study here in my home. Timing just seems off or wrong or something. Guess what I need to do is pray and let God show me. Woudl love to do a couples study and a womens study as well. so many thoughts, so little time. 5 kids. husband. big house. littel money right now. Yup, better just seek God on this one for sure!

Hoping my upset tummy is more to many onions on my sub tonight and nothing more. Cold and flu season. yuk. Emory and Jillie still with the runny noses pretty good but no other symptoms just yet. No meds given yet. Need to call pediatrician for flu vaccine booster for both of them.

And Christmas decorations still await me. They are so pretty tho. . .

Not to much time on computer right now as I am sharing with Mark, Cameron and Kiley. Probably good. Lots of other stuff to do. And now I am needing to head to bed as it is after midnight and even with my tummy upset, I need to try and get at least a decent nights sleep or it just throws my whole day off.

January 3, 2009

So I missed connecting up with my craigslist guy who wanted my linen shower curtain, found out that the newly discovered dollar store with some different kinds of stuff is going under and everything was 69 cents today but I had no time to shop, attended a funeral for an old family/church friend who is my Mom's age, got a traffic ticket for making an illegal u-turn, tried to visit a friend in the hospital who got discharged just before I arrived, folded a back log of laundry, made pork chops for dinner, read to my little ones, played Phase 10 with my 13 year old, and surfed the net on my kids desktop as my laptop is dead.

I think that is all the randomness I can handle.

I tried to read my next passages of scripture for today but I was already ahead on the OT, and never made it to the NT (actually may have been ahead on that too come to think of it?) and was somewhat confused by the Oswald Chambers devotional for today? And to be truthful? I was touched by the memorial service today and maybe I was just off today in way more than one direction! ugh.

So the little ones are in bed, older boys are watching a flick, Kiley is listening to Harry Potter Book on CD and Mark is snoring on the couch. Tomorrow is church, I really want to go, I do, just wish I could leave my snotty two little ones home! Mark is done teaching his 4year olds until February so he gets to come to adult ss class with Jillie and I. Do not feel like spending money on lunch tomorrow or having to cook when I get home. Might have plans for Jim and Laurie to come over tomorrow night if Ki and Cam can get a ride to small group if they have it.

Zach returns MN in just a week and a half. Mark got lots of work done on Zach's car today before he leaves. Tires, oil, wiper blades, hope it holds up for trip out and in the cold weather once it gets there. Mark also took my van and filled it up with gas today and ran it through the car wash. Nice. That acts of service guy.

Mark also fit his walk in the woods in today. He must be feeling better.

I've yet to begin un-decorating. HUGE sigh, did you hear it? Maybe tomorrow. . .

Okay, so I wasn't done with the randomness. It was just a random day all around I guess.

January 2, 2009

Emory wants to know how much longer until his 6th birthday. he is tired of hearing oh about a month, or about 4 weeks . That answer is old. So today I told him 27 more days. He is much happier with that answer. Perhaps it is a great opportunity to fine tune his understanding of days and weeks and months and years. Such a big concept for a little one who has lived such a short span of time. He asked me this morning after remembering to rip off day one on his new desk top calendar, "Why are we keeping track of the days anyway Mommy?" Oh my little one, what a good question you ask! Emory is my thinker for sure. He loves a good count down to the next event. Proof for certain he is his Mamas boy. I, who live for events and seem to only get bogged down in the day to day understand his anticipation and need for events.

Last night was an event. We celebrated Dominic's 7th birthday with dinner at Chili's with Jeremy and Jineen, most of Jineen's family, me and all my kiddos. Dom seemed to have a good time, I know Emory did. Jillie had a fine time after she was able to move closer to the action but her early seating right next to her Mommy proved best for dinner eating purposes.

I need to "go out with God" (Oswald Chambers this morning!) now and get to the buisness of the mundane if you will. Never know what God will make of it! IT to include starting to undecorate the house from Christmas, it will look so bare. Trying to catch up on laundry. Bedding and towels as well. With Zach leaving in a few short days I must catch up with all of his things for sure. Thinking on where the weekly budget needs to be spent (fun stuff like do we have enough tp for the week, how about margarine or chocolate milk syrup, do we have birthdays or other things to cover, and always the milk and diet soda supply), and the ever present errands for a family. Today it is a trip to the library before I run Kiley up to Hannah's for a birthday party.
It's always the mundane things that weigh me down. I try to have a good attitude about it, even find ways to make it fun but inevitably, it is just so much more to get done. Not so much joy in crossing things off a list for me, I'm a more "wow, look at what I found in this kind of girl" Meaning a nugget of truth in my bible reading, a fun recipe in a magazine to try, an especially good book I come across, a new way of getting a stain out of something or cleaning something that makes it better, a special moment with one of the kiddos, oh, on and on. Perhaps that is why God has given me what He has. There is much depth and breadth (is that a word?) in taking care of this big house and this multitude of children. Nothing simple about that. Always something new or happening.

So I am off for now. Praying this day will be His, lead by Him and lived out for Him. I can find joy in that right?!

Keepin' it real, Kim

Well, 2008 has come and gone. How can it be the final countdown of hours before yet another New Year?

Simple. TIME marches on. We are simply along for the ride on that one. What we DO with that time is quite another matter.

Just read a quote at the end of Oswald Chambers Journal entry that I think is a worthy thought to go forward on, into a brand spankin' New Year.

Leave the Irreparable past in HIS hands and step out into the Irrisistable future with HIM.

No sense worrying over the undone, regrettable parts of last year, just learn from them, hopefully giving yourself as much and more Grace as you extend to others and move on into the future with the same grace and mercy extended to you each and every day by our loving and faithful Father God. And no worrying about the future either!

Happy New Year 2008