can I just say...

how much I hate the phrase:

Just do what makes you happy/feel good!

It is such a worldly philosophy and I cannot stand it.

Cuz, really, if I did what made me happy...there would never be any clean laundry, the dishes would be in huge piles in the kitchen (or more likely, all over the house), the kids would be little monsters cuz I would not take the time to discipline and guide them, I'd go shopping everyday and actually buy stuff (lots of stuff), and I would watch HGTV (if we had cable) all.day.long.

I'm just saying.

honestly, why do we think just doing what makes us happy is a good idea?

How about doing what makes God happy?  It may not always be easy (especially at first), but I really believe we get true happiness, joy and peace out of living a life that pleases God...not just ourselves.

some verses to mull over:

Romans 12:2

Do not conform any longer to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Galatians 2:20

I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.

 

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s workmanship, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

Sydney goes to school

We've enrolled Sydney in 4K. 

Enrollment was way back in March and we finally today received our confirmation/placement letter.

We had checked out 3 of the 5 sites available in Manitowoc and I really wanted her to go to the YMCA site.  I had worked there the first year that they introduced 4K to that site and really enjoyed the program and director.  I also liked the extra opportunities that were available at the Y...swimming and gymnastics each week.  Not to mention, it is only about 8 blocks away.

Thankfully, the Y it is.

I'm hoping, once I've recovered enough from the c-section, that we can walk there most days if the weather is nice. 

I'm really hoping this will be a great experience for her.  A good introduction to school, new experiences with other children, listening to adults other than mommy and daddy, and just an overall happy time for her.

then again...

quote of the day:

I'm not a big girl, I'm SYDNEY!!!

Proud Wife of . . .

the new Produce Department Manager at Walmart . . .

AND

the new Assistant Pastor of Discipleship at Trinity Alliance Church.


Both of these new positions are a huge blessing and answer to prayer.

Wayne's new position at WalMart means a full 40 hours and a consitant schedule!  I can look at a calendar 5 months from now and know exactly when Wayne is working.  With his old schedule, I could barely remember what he was working the next day!

Wayne was hired June 1st (I know, I am really behind in the times right now) as the Assistant Pastor of Discipleship at our church.  It is a very exciting developement in Wayne's goal of serving in a church full time.  It is very part time, so he still works full time at walmart, but he has already been encourged and challenged in his new position.

it's a date

August 12th

11am

see you there little one!

the driveway

ok, so I don't mind

if people use our driveway to turn around in,

but it always gives me a small heart attack.

pleeeeeeeeease don't be someone from church...

I'm still in my pajamas...

and need a shower...

badly.

sydney's favorite verb

not sure why, but

SOAKING

is sydney's new favorite descriptive word.

as in,

wow, that's soaking pretty!

this is soaking good!

you're soaking funny daddy!

and today's lunch time winner:

this is soaking yucky!

it should be noted that "soaking" was never used in reference to her diapers or her underwear when she had an accident the first few days of potty training. 
Apparently the term "soaking" actually has little to nothing to do with any liquids real or imagined.

ode to the commode

So, every once in a while the last year or so, I decided to try and potty train Sydney.  It never went well and never lasted more than a day or two.

One of the more recent attempts began one morning when I was changing her overnight diaper and realized it was still dry.  My theory was... How much longer can she hold it? 

Apparently the answer was an hour and twenty minutes, because that is how long we sat on the toilet waiting for the 'pee-pee' to stop "hiding" ... Sydney's excuse when she cannot/will not go.

Two days later, she was dry again in the morning, so again, onto the toilet to await the arrival of the hiding pee-pees.  That time she held out for just over 2 hours(!!!) and still had not gone on the toilet.  I decided enough was enough and we were done.

Then, for some reason, we decided last week to try it again.  I switched her to simple cotton trainers and prepared to have a ton of messes to clean up. 

What I did not realise was the extent of the stubbornness possesed by our nearly 4 year old. 

She held it in for 7-10 hours those first few days.  The only time she pee'd each day was when we were playing outside.  I could not believe she was able to hold it that long. 

Finally, I think on the third day, she went on the toilet.  She had been doing the 'gotta go' dance, and so I knew it was only a matter of time.  It took 15 minutes of near panic-attack-like symptoms from Sydney, but she finally went.

After 6 days, we had only had 3 successes, but I was ok with that.

Then yesterday, she used the toilet without fussing!  I had put her on the toilet and told her to try and go while I was putting elijah down for nap.  She suddenly calls out, "mama, I did it!"  I think to myself, yeah, right, but she did!

Then, after nap while cleaning up my crafting area, we found some old tickets from a kid carnaval we did at church last year.  Sydney likes tickets and asked for one.  I told her she could have one if she went on the potty.  "Ok, I get a ticket," she tells me.  "When you go pee-pee," I remind her.  She then walks to the bathroom, gets on by herself and, after waiting a whopping 2 seconds, pees!

It can't really be that easy?

can it?



Apparently tickets speak to Sydney, because she went again today and I am hoping she will go again two more times...that's my goal.

(for the record, all types of reward type systems were attempted in the past and NOTHING worked.  I'm really happy that things finally seem to be falling place for her to figure this out...cuz baby comes in less than 5 weeks, and she starts school in about 8 weeks.)

visit with grandma f. at the beach

Parlor/Living Room Makeover

The biggest project we have tackled yet! 

Painting the living room and parlor room.

Seems so easy, simply painting the living room and parlor room.

Well, first we had to get rid of the dropped ceiling...and make a few holes in the process.

Sydney was my mesh tape helper.

She helped cut the tape while I held it.  It took me three days just to tape and mud the areas I could reach in the living room.  Sure, some of it was just the kids getting in the way or needing things, like food.  :)

But most of it was due to the sheer amount of cracks in our plaster walls.  While more were very small, if you just mud (no tape) they will crack through the new mud.  So, each one needs tape, mud, sanding, mud, sanding, mud and finally sand. 

We joked about needing mesh SHEETS instead of just mesh tape  (wouldn't you know it, I actually found mesh sheets at Menards after we were done mudding.)

In addition to mudding cracks, there were the numerous nail holes to be filled. 

Here's a picture of my favorite nail.

It's important to use the right size nail for any project...apparently the previous owers liked to cure meat in the living room.

Our awesome pastor came and helped us on two of his days off.  He tackled the ceiling and Wayne did the upper walls where I could not reach.  When completed, I noticed our living room ceiling looked like it had a cool abstract cartoon character.

I also worked on adding some trim to our built-in bookcase. 

here it is without.

a few cuts with the miter box later, and...

tada! trim!  This helped give the bookcase a start and end point on the wall.  I wanted it left white and the rest of the wall painted my way cool accent color.

Some more of the "extreme mudding"

(sounds like a sports show on Spike)

Big gapping hole in parlor room patched and mudded

And, my ACCENT WALL!!!!  well, in progress anyway.

I know what you're thinking.  "It's a what!?!  WHAT IS IT!!!"  (rex from toy story)

It's a portion of Nairobi where I hung out when I went to town.  The circles are round abouts and I just love how the streets (where I hung out) were not set on due north and south, making them a graphically interesting artwork.

Eventually, I want to find a cheap left over slab of some sort of stone counter top to put on the radiator to hold a few knick knacks and photos from our missions trips.

this is my accent wall.  the main walls in both living room and parlor room are a soft yellow green (somewhere between a golden delicious and granny smith apple).  On the one hand a bold color, but soft.

The accent wall (above) is a pretty accurate color picture.  A medium, edgy green. 

I LOVE LOVE LOVE how the rooms turned out.  I smile everytime I walk into them.  They are the last big spaces to be changed.  I am so happy that the places I spend the most time during the day are now reflecting my style.  (pale, soft blue in a flat finish is just bleh).

\

on a "how to" note.  We used Frog Tape to get the map on the wall.  I've seen adds for it on TV and how it is supposed to be treated specially to not leak/bleed paint underneath it.  Well...

womp, womp.

It did not work as promied and it cost at least twice as much as the old blue tape.  Some places worked out nicely and were very crisp, but most bleed like above.  While I'm sure some of it was user error, I would suggest not spending the extra money.  (it also recommended removing and reapplying new tape for each coat of paint!?!?! who has time to do that?)  so, anyway.  it took quite a bit of touchup work, but I love my Nairobi map.

the inspiration for that came from an episode of Summer Showdown on HGTV a few years ago.