Please Pray

for precious little Stellan! Our hearts ache for MckMama and her family. Please join us in praying for healing for Stellan and strength for the family.

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

• In NO WAY, SHAPE, OR FORM would I ever turn into a "Sink Nazi." Despite my recent attempts in becoming a FlyBaby, I would NEVER let a shiny sink become top priority in my home. So much so that I am CERTAINLY NOT afraid to cook dinner or anything else that might make my sink less than shiny. And even if I did behave this way (which I certainly DON'T) I certainly WOULDN'T sacrifice my family's nutrition just so I could relish in the fact that I can practically see my reflection in my beautiful sink!
• At church I am always super-focused on gleaning as much as can from our pastors in order to improve my walk with the Lord. NEVER would I use church as a place to vet a future husband for my middle sister (I DON'T already have future candidates for my youngest sister and kids).

Alright, it your turn! Let us know what you HAVE NOT been up to this past week. You really will feel better after 'fessin up, I promise!

Missing my Mema

Today is my Mema's birthday. However, no birthday parties are to be had today: she passed away in 1999. Growing up, I spent a great deal of time with my Mema. She was not just my grandma, but my friend, confidante, cook, shopper, and movie watcher. Thinking back to all the time we were blessed to share, there are a few things that really stand out. I rembember:

• Staying up late watching scary movies


• Eating her fried chicken and potato salad


• Savoring her collard greens, salt pork, and cornbread (NOT the Jiffy kind, but skillet cornbread)


• Talking about anything and everything


• Listening to Bread, Richard Clayderman, and Barbara Streisand in the car on the way to school


• Squeezing homemade buttercream icing straight out of the icing bags into open mouths


• Loving all the clever comebacks I could've used for school drama, but hating that I didn't think of them at the time


• Crawling in her lap and crying my eyes out when I found out my puppy died (I was 22!)


• Rolling and "putting the color on" her hair


• Playing endless games of Chinese Checkers or Trouble


• Waking to the sound of her singing "Good Morning to You" with her purposely cracking the last note of "you"

I miss my Mema so much! Not a day goes by that I don't wish my children would've had the opportunity to know her. There are several of you who knew her well and have special memories of her. If you were blessed beyond measure by knowing my Mema, please feel free to post a comment with your favorite memory of her.

Here is a picture of Mema and my little sister taken in 1991.

Happy Birthday Mema!

Are you ready to FLY (Finally Loving Yourself)?

I sure am! I'm getting just a little frustrated with the status of my overall household! Laundry is a never-ending battle, floors need sweeping and mopping 5 times a day, dishes seem to multiply every time I walk in my kitchen, and I can't even begin to tell you the last time I dusted! This may seem normal to most people, but for the love of peanut butter, I AM A STAY-AT-HOME-MOM!!! It is my job to maintain a tidy home (among other things). If I were still in the classroom and was as unprepared for an evaluation as I am for unexpected company, I'd definitely be on the unemployment line! Mind you, I have been plagued with almost daily headaches, so many days go by where I do NOTHING, but that is a story for another day. Nevertheless, I feel like an utter failure at my current job and am desperate for a change.

My cousin Lori (who appears to have it so much more together than me) recommended a website to me, FlyLady, and I think this might be the change I've been searching for (please ignore the fact that, yes, the English teacher just ended that sentence in a preposition). The beauty of this system is that it trains a person to build daily habits that create a uncluttered home as well as and uncluttered mind and body. To top it off, IT'S FREE! Okay, so it may seem a little corny or oversimplified and is heavily dependant on timers, but that's exactly what this Butterfly Chaser needs!

I am going to start the 31 Beginner Baby Steps today. As I progress, I'll try to post my accomplishments. Now, don't get me wrong, anyone can clean a house. And granted, some people can keep it that way. However, I am not one of those people. The goal of FlyLady's plan is to help you regain control of your home and life. One of the first rules is to throw out ideas of perfectionism. That's going to be a hard one for me (that is why my "meager attempts are lackluster at best")! But this is definitely timely in our household. I'd love to have some "FlyBabies" join me on this journey. Let me know if you're interested and maybe I'll modify part of my blog for accountability. As for that accountability part, here are some embarrassing photos of the CHAOS that is in my life right now:

Now that I am publicly ashamed, I will go now and begin Day One of the Baby Steps: Go Shine Your Sink! This is the basis of the Baby Steps System. I'll post before and after pics tomorrow!

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Now for some light-hearted stuff: my cuties enjoying DST!

Emma's Bayou Bash

There is a precious family in our church who has a daughter with Batten Disease. Emma is her name, and she is just a few months older than our Jilly. On Saturday, March 21st, there will be a huge event here in Baytown for little Emma. Click here to check out her Momma's blog and find out more info on Batten Disease and Emma's Bayou Bash.

Modesty Fashion Week

How many times have you walked out of a store practically in tears because you couldn't find an outfit that didn't show off more of you than you'd like?! My closet is looking pretty slim partly because I'm hoping that if I wish hard enough, weight will magically melt from my lazy body, but mostly because I find it near impossible to find something that I feel comfortable wearing without having to always worry about modesty. Furthermore, if I do find something "modest" it is horribly drab or makes me look much older than my 32 years (and NO that is NOT old!).

Well, boy am I thrilled to have found a link to this blog:

http://sahmissionary.blogspot.com/

What a refreshing outlook on fashionable modesty! You can also click on the icon on the left to go to Joy's blog.

Thanks Sheila for sharing this link!

Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Okay, so this your chance to take advantage of free therapy! As for me...

• NEVER in a million years would you hear me tell my sweet baby girl "No sugar, Mommy doesn't use pot" when she insisted, "Mommy do your pot"--my Neti Pot that is! Furthermore, I maintain the highest level of privacy when tending to my daily hygenic and medicinal routines, so I would NEVER catch my daughter trying to imitate what she NEVER witnesses! And if perchance by some freak accident I did discover one of my children mimicking what they DO NOT see, it surely WOULDN'T look like this:

• Because I am so organized and totally on top of things, it is natural to assume that I simply am NOT constantly hoping and praying that my deposit for the Ladies' Retreat was not too late and that my spot was not filled! It should be obvious that my first-born, over-achiever tendencies would prohibit such tardiness ;)
• I absolutely DID NOT leave a baby shower for my cousin Travis secretly wishing for another baby! Later in the week, I definitely DID NOT express overwhelming thankfulness at not being able to have anymore children after constantly walking/swaying/bouncing while holding a crying 12 month old in the nursery at church for an hour and a half!

Okay, your turn! Just get comfortable on the therapist's couch and relish in the fact that this session is totally free!