Nathan to the rescue !

I have a real soft spot for boys helping out their mamas. Especially when that boy is almost 13 and tends to forget the I exist most of time, except when I am yelling for him to clean up his mess.

Monday I called Larissa from work to peel some potatoes for me so that I could start dinner as soon as I got home and we wouldn't have to make everyone wait forever. She said ok and that was that. When I got home I found the bag of potatoes sitting on the kitchen table unpeeled. Nathan saw my frustration and offered to help. Peeling potatoes for a family of five is no small task but he was up for the challenge. Mission accomplished!! He peeled, I washed and chopped and dinner was starting before I even knew it. Such a simple act of kindness brought Nathan and I together that Monday evening when he would normally be on the computer tied up in his games and I would be busily trying to get dinner on the table. Doing things together just made the time go by faster and allowed us to spend some much needed time together.

That just goes to show you that a boy is never too old to hang with his mama. Here is a pic of Nathan peeling potatoes. He was starting to laugh at the thought that I was about to take a picture of him peeling potatoes. Boy, do you know me? I take pics of everything ! Besides, one day you will look back on this and be thankful that I did.

And here is one more of him being nice and actually looking up for me...lol

A Nice Hot Cup of Tea

It's rainy where I am and chillier than usual because of it. I went to go make a cup of coffee but instead reached for a cup of tea. Everyone here at work always looks at me like I am crazy when I make a cup of tea. Being in the south sometimes surprises me. They are huge with sweat tea but hot tea is associated with old ladies, isn't that strange?

I should first off say that I am a crazy coffee drinker. I am not human without my coffee. I can drink it right before bed and still have a very good nights sleep. Anything hot before bed makes me sleep...caffinated or not. But tea brings me back to moments in my life. Moments in time when life was simple and relaxing. It is great that a simple cup of tea can make me feel that way all over again.

Growing up, I would always have tea and toast with cheese at my aunts house before heading to school. So when I have tea with milk in it (that is how my aunt prepared it)then I think back to those days in my childhood. As an adult I also enjoyed tea. I drank tea with my godmother often times. And another great moment for me was when I was pregnant with Larissa and we spent the summer in P-town. We had this cute little one room cottage that overlooked the beach and I would sit at this tiny table looking out the window sipping my tea. That was one of the most relaxing moments in my whole life. It is really nice to sit with a cup of tea and really think about those times for me.

I am sure that you have something that brings you back to a certain moment in time. Something that soothes you just by the scent or the taste. I would love to hear all about what foods or drinks bring you back in time.

Happy 16th Birthday Larissa

My dearest Larissa,

Today is your 16th birthday. You were born Oct 21, 1994 weighing in at 4lbs and 7oz. You were a little thing but despite a complicated pregnancy, you were a healthy baby. You were in the hospital for a mere 10 days after being born at 32 weeks. Right from the beginning, you were a fighter. Or maybe you were just showing us your stubborness right from the beginning...lol.

You are an incredible teenager, as far as teenagers go...lol. Sometimes you are wise beyond your years. You will say things that took me years and years to learn and it amazes me. Not only do you know them already but you live by them. Maybe I rub off on you more than I admit. You can be the sweetest and kindest person that I know...except to your brothers...lol. I don't thank you enough for always being so quick to help me out with anything that I need. You can be really loud but you can be really mild tempered too. And boy can you talk !!! I admire your value of friendship. You value friendship on the same level that I do and that says a lot ot me about the kind of adult you will be too. You are a true friend in every part of the word.

I have tried very hard to always remember to be your parent first and then your friend. We have the perfect balance, I think. I am so blessed that you come to me to talk about everything, sometimes more than I want to know but then I thank God for that. I am sorry for not always having time to listen to you in the way that you deserve. You are very open with me and I love that. I have always tried to keep an open mind with you and it has certainly paid off. You have been allowed to make many of your own decisions and although some I don't totally agree with, I know that you have to learn lessons your own way...and you do.

You are beautiful beyond words, both inside and out. You are so artistic, I wonder where you get that from? Except for the singing cuz I can't carry a tune to save my life. You love theatre and painting and drawing and broadcasting. You are definately a people person and you love to be the center of attention. You have a long way to go before you know what you want to be when you grow up but you are having a lot of fun finding your way through different things. I try to encourage you to try it all while you are young because before you know it, it will be time to grow up. And the truth is that I still don't know what I want to be when I grow up. :o)

I am not quite sure where the time has gone. It feels like it was just yesterday that we were celebrating your Quince. Seriously though, I don't feel old enough to have a 16 year old daughter. I remember being 16 myself as if it was such a short time ago. Now my daughter is 16 and it's a sureal feeling to me. You might be 16 but you will always be my little girl. Watching you grow has given me such joy. I hope that you one day (in the distant future) get to experience the same joy of having your own daughter and watching her grown into such an amazing young lady.

Happy birthday sweetie. I love you more than words can say. I hope that all your dreams come true. I will always be here to help you along the way.

Love always,
Mom

Note to my readers : And for those of you who have asked or are going to ask....no she is not getting her license yet. She hasn't even gone through drivers ed yet so I still have some time. I can't even begin to imagine her out on the road in a vehicle where I can't protect her. Growing up is hard to do, for her and for me ! The picture above was taken a year ago but it is one of my favorite pics of her. She has changed so much since then but still as beautiful as ever.

This is the pic of Larissa this morning with her birthday cookie. She refused to look at the camera. Still got the pic though !

A New Project For Me

Do you all remember when I got that garage sale table for free that was left out on the curb and redid it completely? Well I am so proud of that table. I admire it each day when I walk into my house. It is the table that we eat at each night and the table we sit at with the laptop and the table the kids do their homework on and the table that CJ plays on. It is solid and beautiful and it was FREE.

Yesterday I came upon another (actually two) FREE items. I was driving home (it was garbage night in our area) and someone had put out two headboards. I don't really know if it's two headboards or a headboard and a footboard but they are the same size, so for all intent and purpose they are going to be two headboards for my boys. I obviously need to work on them but they were FREE.

I wasn't even looking for anything. Ok, so I have been looking for chairs. I need nice steardy chairs to go with my nice table. Right now we are using some really nice folding chairs that are espresso brown with faux leather cushioins, but they are folding chairs none the less. That table deserves to have chairs around it that are as grande as it is...lol.

I digress...back to the headboards. So...Jose looked at me very strangely when I told him that I was going to go out after dinner to go get them. He doesn't understand that one person's trash is another person's treasure. He certainly wasn't argueing with me when he saw my table done though. I think that he loves that table almost as much as I do. So this is what I am working with:






They were laying on their sides when I took the pic. I took them with my cell so please ignore the bad quality. The first has one right in back of the other. They really are the same exact size, although I have seen some headboards and footboards that are the same size. The second pic shows them staggered. If you look closely at the back one you can see the one of the balls are missing from the post closest to the floor. No biggie. I will have to either take one off and try to find one at Home Depot or Lowes to match or take the remaining three off and put on four new ones. It will be well worth the few dollars I spend on it to have new headboards for my boys. I can't wait to start working on them.

A little about me...ok,maybe a lot !

I am 36 years old. I have three amazing children, ages 4, 12 and soon to be 16. I work full time outside the home. I am in a committed relationship of 9 years with my soul mate (really). I have a best friend of 21 years that knows me better than I know myself. I love the color red and I can't live without coffee. I almost always root for the underdog. I don't like the heat. I get sweaty and red, I break out in a rash and I get really dizzy. I would rather be cold than hot but I am rarely cold. I love holidays...all of them. I love decorating for them. I love spending time with my family. I love searching for the perfect gift for them. I love the traditions that go with them. I love the warm and fuzzy feeling they give you. I am not a typical girl. I don't like roses. Just buy me daisies, tulips and lillies. I don't like diamonds. I think that they are overpriced for a peice of glass. I would much rather stare at a beautiful ruby or a gorgeous emerald or a classic pearl. I don't like to shop. I actually get panic attacks in large stores. I know what I want, I want to go in and get it and get out. I don't spend a lot of time in bathroom getting ready. Again, I know what I have to do, I do it and I get out. I don't like chocolate, I crave salt though. I will reach for a bag of chips before I reach for a chocolate bar anyday. I will reach for seconds before I reach for dessert.

Values : I am an honest to goodness person. I respect people and I expect the same back. It take a lot to get on my bad side. I don't judge. It's not my place to judge. We will all be up for judgement one day and it will not be by me...lol. I hate lies. There is no place for lies in my life. I drill this into my family because it is the one thing that I have no tolerance for. I believe that you should do what makes you happy and not care what other people think. They aren't you. I can't stand fake people. I mean really, what is the point. Why wouldn't you want to be who you really are?

Family : I love to do things with my family. I love reading to CJ countless stories or watching his eyes light up when he helps me cook. I love baking with Larissa, listening to her music with her and just talking for more time than I thought possible with a teenager. I love coming up with things for Nathan to draw and watch his creativity soar or watching him work hard to achieve his next level in whatever game he is playing at the time. I love snuggling on the couch with Jose watching our weekly lineup on tv or settling down to a new movie. I love playing Rock Band with the whole family...it is such a great family game that brings us all together. Family is very important to me. Not just the traditional family because I have very little but people that become family in one way or another. I am blessed to have so many wonderful people in my life,many of which you can read about in this blog. I am also grateful that I have the most wonderful man in the world who feels the same exact way about family as I do. We both have "adopted" families that we can't thank enough for everything that they are to us. Family is not just about blood. It is about love, respect and honesty. It's about always being there.

God's Family : My godparents were and are the most influential people in my life. I strive to be like them and have what they have. I have three incredible godchildren and I hope that I am just half of a godparent as mine were to me. I expect the same from my children's godparents too and I am so happy that they also live up to that. It's not about a certain amount of time or money, it's about always being there and always coming through when it's needed.

Hobbies : I have many hobbies. I consider myself to be a die-hard DIYer. If I see it, I want to replicate it. I have refinished furniture, tore up carpets and laid down floors. I love to take pictures and plan parties. I love to organize and decorate or should I say, redecorate. I love to read a good book and/or a good movie...I have a weak spot for musicals. I love to make chocolate lollipops. Yeah, I know I don't like chocolate but I love to make them. I actually love to make stuffed mushrooms and hate mushrooms too. I told you that I am not typical...lol. I love to make my own artwork but I rarely find time to do that, although there are a million thoughts and ideas loose in my head as I type.

Faith : I have a very strong faith in God. I live with Him in mind each and every day. I try to keep Him in mind with all the decisions that I make. I am always looking to grow in my faith and learn new ways to become closer to God.

Music : I am not a huge music person. I like music but I don't love music. I don't have an ipod or an mp3 player. I don't play music when I am cleaning and I rarely have the radio on when I am in the car. With that being said, I love Aerosmith, Pink, Lonestar, Elvis Presley, TLC, Brad Paisley, Chris Daughtry and Madonna....I don't stick to one kind. Good music is good music.

Work : I work full time as an admin but the truth is that I truly don't know what I want to be when I grow up. Sometimes it bothers me that I am stuck as an admin when I was an office manager and a bookkeeper and sometimes I know it's just a stepping stone to the next place that I will wind up. I am tired of winding up places though and just hope that I can settle into a company for the long haul. A company that cares about it's own employees and promotes growth. Or maybe I will start my own one day. If I could just figure out what it is that I really want to do with my life.

Well I think that about sums it up...lol. Me in a nut shell ! Tell me a little about you.

My New Journey: Genesis 2...my answers

After doing a tremendous amount of snooping around and research I have discovered that all the Bibles that I was able to see (and those of people who emailed me back) all stated that God told Adam not to eat of the fruit and then created Eve.

This actually began to bug me as to why Eve was punished as well. I am not so sure that I found the exact answer that I was looking for to this but I did get into some great conversations and I did come across this answer as well as yet another question that had not occurred to me but was answered too. I hope that this helps you in your journey because I know that it helped me. Here is best answer that I could come up with:

Question: Did God tell Eve about the forbidden fruit directly and personally?
Genesis 2.16 clearly states that God commanded the MAN (Adam) not to eat the fruit, and warned him that eating the fruit would cause death.

The Bible is silent as to who told Eve but, from her conversation with the serpent (Gen 3.1-5), it is clear that Eve was quite aware of God's command.
God has made husbands responsible to be the spiritual leaders of their families, and to protect them, even if the husband must die in so doing (Eph 5.22-24).
Accordingly, it was Adam's responsibility to both warn and defend his wife from eating of the forbidden fruit. He may have done the former, but he very definitely did not do the latter.

Here is the question that had not even occurred to me but I am glad that I found it:
Question: What would have happened if only Eve had eaten the forbidden fruit, but not Adam? Would Eve have died while Adam would have lived forever?
The Bible does not answer this perplexing question.

Notice that God pronounced SEPARATE judgments on the serpent (Gen 3.14-15), Eve (Gen 3.16), and Adam (Gen 3.17).

God's judgments on Adam spoke of death whereas God's judgments on Eve did not. Moreover, Romans 5.12 would seem to indicate that it was Adam's sin that brought death into the human race.

Per Gen 2.16-17, it was Adam to whom God gave the command NOT to eat of the forbidden fruit. It was also Adam to whom God gave the warning that eating of the fruit would result in death.

I actually now feel as though I can finally move on in my reading of the Bible because I am content with I know and what I got out of it. The journey continues.

By the way, if you have any info that you would like to add to this, I would love to hear it. Just because I move on doesn't mean that I don't want to learn even more.

Larissa & Nathan updates with a little CJ mixed in.

Larissa got a call back ! For those of you that don't know, she auditioned for theatre and only eight people of all the people that auditioned got call backs. She got one of the eight. That means that there are eight basic characters in the play and she got one of them. They are still waiting to hear what play they will be doing but it is for the fall play so she is super excited and I am super excited for her. I can't wait to see my baby girl in her play.

I met with Nathan's teachers yesterday and it was great. They were wonderful and concerned teachers, the way that teachers should be. We worked together to try to come up with a way to keep Nathan on the right path. I am so in love with his school and his teachers are just amazing. I helped Nathan study for his Science test that he was having today and it blew me away how much he knew. I think that he might need to keep being nudged to stay on track but this is going to be an amazing year.

Larissa was doing her eye make-up yesterday and came to me (while CJ and I were playing) to ask if I liked her eyes. I said they are pretty and I asked CJ if he agreed. He said "yes but mama your eyes are very pretty too" and I said "aww CJ...thank you" then he said "mama your lips are beautiful too" and I said "wow CJ thank you" and he had to ruin it by saying "your lips don't have arms". Yes you read correctly he said that my lips are beautiful because they don't have arms. That is my CJ. I didn't even try to understand what he was talking about. I just took the wonderful compliments that I knew he meant...lol !