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April writing...

Wow. The potential ehh? I have been thinking and I can actually blog while away from my desk now. Instead of trying to remember to blog something or even blog to be posted at a later date. ha!

For today...I have a little special journey through time...a trip back in time in my relationship with Cory.

(since I just transferred some pictures from my external hard drive to the laptop...whom I have lovingly named "Hattie Pearl" or "Mrs. Pearl.", yep...she's an HP...lappytop and obviously...I'm a dork.)

We were married in 2003...after for dating a little over 2 years.

(pictures are ordered oldest to newest, left to right, top to bottom.)
My it seems like we have changed so much, yet not changed at all! It's been a great journey together. We have had our shared of ups and downs...and he continues to be my best friend.

oh well...enough sappy-ness...haha.

Until next time...and who knows what is coming...!!

New toys...

April writing...

I am typing this post from our new toy. Mine and Cory's Christmas present to each other. A new HP G60 laptop.

She's a beaut!

She is so sleek and sexy.
Her buttons are fresh and crisp as they click under my fingers.

I love her.

...ok I am a little excited. There is alot of potential with this sweet little thing. I can transfer all my work for VERB onto her and then take it directly to church when we need extra items! I am just stoked!!

Anywho...thought I would drop by and say hey...Cory and I had a great Thanksgiving with our families and friends...the food was delish and abounding and the laughter and memories were all I could ask for! We had a great Black Friday...we weren't too caught up in the shopping, we had two goals in mind...a new GPS and a new LAPTOP...and we accomplished those goals with savings to boot!

So now, it's onto shopping for a few Christmas presents for the kiddos in our lives. And I need to prepare for the upcoming Cookie Exchange and we need to get out schtuff for the Gingerbread House Competition. It should be a fun Holiday season, one of my favorite times of the year.

I hope you and your families enjoy the special times together as well!!! Until next time...

Thankful.

April writing...

I'm thankful.

Husby, my best friend.
My pups.
My Mom and Dad.
My Sisters.
John & Cristy.
JoJo, Tammy and the kids.
Jason & Brittany.
My Cuppycake.
My girls, Manda-Rose and TT.
My boyfriend, Mr. B.
The Verbies.
VERB.
My job.
Money in the bank.
Flippy floppies.
Husby's job.
Pictures.
Brown Sugar Cinnamon Poptarts.
Creativity.
Heating & AC.
God's forgiveness.
Patience.
Music.
My House.
Date nights.
Good health.
Extended Family.
Heritage.
A good movie.
Laughter.
French Fries & Baked Potatoes.
Inside jokes.
DVR.
Students that love wholeheartedly.
Unconditional Love.

There is definitely so much more...this is just a taste.

What are you thankful for this year.

April....?!

Absent....errr uh PRESENT!

For now at least.

What's up with this once a week blogging?! I am not too sure myself. I haven't had the desire to blog at all. And what the heck...it's November 24th already?!?!

So I'm working on a pillow for my bay window. And it has now been sitting on my dining room table for over a week. I think I am very intimidated. I am making the cover from scratch. It's making my head hurt. And I see it every time I come in my house or walk through my living room. I feel like it's kinda taunting me...telling me I will never finish it. Or if I do...it won't look good. I am already doubting my fabric choice. It's too hard. I wanna quit that project and do something else fun and cute. Ehhh.

I am Black Friday pre-shopping and researching online today...I want to get the best deal. It's kinda stressful.

I feel kinda like Summ in my blog today...but that's just cause I love her. :P

Ok, that's it for now.

yeah 'bout that...

April writing...

It happened. I got behind.

I need to clean my house.
I need to catch up on laundry.
I need to edit my 365's.
I need to memorize my lines for the Children's Christmas Play.
I need to find a Murder Mystery script for our 09 date.
I need to sew a cover for my window seat.
I need to find fabric for said window seat cover.
I need to clean out our closets and get rid of clothes we don't wear.
I need to type a script and find two other scripts for the Drama team.
I need to drop 15-20 pounds.
I need to blog.

I'm sure there is more.
I need to get back to basics and back to removing the chaos of it all.
I can do that.
Right?

Simple Pleasure

Cory Writing....

Today is Thursday and that means it is time for you to share your simple pleasures.

My simple pleasure this week is being on a normal schedule. I have temporarily (hopefully permanently) changed positions. I have gone from working Patrol on the midnight shift to working in a school. My schedule is know a normal Monday through Friday gig. That allows me to spend quality time with my wife. This is the first time since we have been married that I have been on a normal schedule.

How does your toilet paper hang?

April writing...

Image courtesy of YoungHouseLove.com

And since we are on the subject...do you waste TP?

And for the decorator in all of you...here are some great ways to store toilet paper without junking up the bathroom! Courtesy of Young House Love.

Top 5 Tuesday

April writing...

Let's hear it...

What are your TOP 5 Fall Meals or Desserts?

Here are mine...somehow all of these SCREAM Fall/Winter to me!
5. Oreo Bark
4. Crunchy Peanut Butter Balls
3. Tomato Soup and Grilled Cheese Sandwich
2. Apple Pie
1. Chili and Cornbread

Your turn!

Monday Moan

Cory Writing......(yes that is right it says Cory)

Today is Monday and I am going to do the Monday Moan because my wife doesn't have anything to moan about and I can always think of something to moan about. Ha Ha

My Monday Moan today has to do with ignorant people. Last night after Verb several of us went to Chipotle and we were in line waiting to be served. This lady in front of use was telling the employee what she wanted on her burrito. She asked for extra meat, so the lady gave her a full spoon instead of the half spoon, which is an extra $2 charge. The lady started getting all ignorant, so the manager came over quickly to try and avoid a situation. She told the lady a full spoon is considered extra and the lady states, "That ain't extra enough for me." So the manager gave her about 4 more pieces of chicken and the lady stated, "Oh that is better."

YOU HAVE GOT TO BE KIDDING ME. You are making a scene over 4 pieces of chicken....C'MON MAN!!!!!!!

What is your Monday Moan???????

More Cloche encounters...

April writing...

*Target versions...

ahhh I want one of each!!! They are simply ADORABLE, and the BEST part...only $14.99!!

My bad...

April writing...

What? I've only blogged once a week for two weeks...your kidding?

oops.

It didn't seem like anyone missed me.................(cue softly playing violin in the background)

Anywho, I am here. My fault. I've been semi-busy and otherwise a little detached from the need to blog for a brief moment...but I'm back. We have had alot going on...and yet I still feel the need to pull the belt tighter and hold on because the business of late is nothing compared to what's headed towards us in the coming months!! But I am excited...with all the hub-bub it's actually one of my favorite times of year!!

Another bonus to this time of the year is my cousin Chris is coming into town for a week!!! I am just besides myself excited! Then we get to see his sister, my other cousin in January. When her and her new hubby hop over to the states (from Australia) during their honeymoon!

We have alot coming up...Thanksgiving, Christmas, Gingerbread House Competition, Cookie Exchange, Christmas Parties, Trip to NY, Children's Play, not to mention the little fun things sandwiched in-between.

I will be happily exhausted. And the best part of it all...Cory is on a normal working schedule. That's right! No more midnights for him (not for now, hopefully not for a long time!) He is M-F 8-4!!! It's been outstanding to have him around every evening, without it being interrupted with the need for a nap before work, or his having to be home to shower by 9 pm to get ready for work. So that's another great bonus!!

So...I promise...to add pictures, to blog more regularly and to bring the random just like I know I can!! :) Talk to you soon.

BTW - I was going to do the Monday Moan, but I just don't have anything to moan about. So I guess I'll see ya tomorrow for the Top 5 Tuesday and more!

Cloche encounters...

April writing...

Oh.Em.Gee.

I LOVE these!

They are over at ModCloth.com

Make it fun...

April writing...

I could live with making things more fun...

April asks...what would/do you do?

April writing...

**and no, for you smarty-pants out there...I am not tossing out a hot topic in order to induce commenting...(although it would be nice!) I do seriously wanna know what you think.**

...oh and by the way...this is a long one...so be prepared...

Spanking.
To some it's a bad word.
To some, it's abuse.
To others, it's a normally acceptable way of discipline.

Why myself, I was raised on spankings. I think it did very well for me. Taught me early. I had a healthy fear of my parents...(gasssspppp, you were afraid of your parents?) simmer down. We will get into that more later.

Let me get onto what lead to this post.

I was reading over at another blog, Clover Lane. ( it is where I got the following post.) Let me start by saying this...the thoughts and ideas in the post below are strictly that of the blog owner at Clover Lane and are not necessarily my personal opinions and they do not necessarily represent the views of my Husby and/or how we will raise our children. It is merely a tool to see another side of the proverbial child-rearing coin.

*deep breath*

Now let's continue...this is what she had to say...

"Awhile back, I wrote a post about childbirth, and prefaced it with saying it's one of those subjects, that if brought up in a roomful of mothers, can make everyone squirm in their seats. There are a handful of these subjects...and we all know what they are...that possess the ability to hold in their grasp strong opinions, emotional past experiences, and heated debates.

I will warn you right now...this is not a happy, go-lucky post.

Recently something hit me hard that I just have to talk about. I have been reading a very inspiring, touching book by a Christian author about motherhood and the strong vocation it is. When I bought the book from Amazon, a few recommendations came up below my purchase for other books by different authors...as in, "You'd like these too"...I clicked on one I had heard suggested before...one of those books I believe is "making the rounds". I checked out the ratings...and found it was pretty much divided between one star and five stars. I was surprised...just because I had this assumption that it was a beautifully inspiring book...the title and the picture, the premise...but when I checked out the criticism, I was shocked. Apparently there was an entire chapter on spanking! Like in...it's good! Complete with how-to's, age recommendations, an explanation on "why" it's so necessary...seriously, sick stuff in my opinion.

Call me naive, but parents still spank? And there are popular books NOW that condone this behavior? In 2009? WHAT???!!! When I read what this author wrote about this form of discipline, I seriously felt sick to my stomach. And it takes a lot to make me feel that way. I just felt so "icky" the rest of the day...that this author, as a grown man, as someone who can influence parents, can actually believe what he is writing...as a parent, he sees this method "turn out" good? And that there are some of us moms who actually discard our gut feelings, what we KNOW is right and turn our inner spirit away from our children, towards someone we don't even know...and listen to this garbage?!

Let me tell you something I KNOW FOR SURE:

Spanking will NOT make your children behave better. MAYBE at that immediate time and place, it will make them stop what they are doing out of pain and fear. MAYBE it will make it look, to you and to others, that it "worked". But be prepared...if you practice this form of discipline regularly, in more ways than one, you will create a ripple effect of emotional damage that you can never ever fix.

If you are spanking it the name of religion...in the name of Jesus (as this seems to be a "popular" reason)...you are doing the opposite of everything he has ever taught. Can you see him physically hurting a child? Raising his hand towards a child? In the name of ANYTHING? That's laughable. I've heard it before...the old "Spare the rod, spoil the child." Well, I don't care WHO said it, WHEN they said, or WHERE it's found in the Bible...it's wrong. Yes, if that's what whoever wrote thousands of years ago really did mean that we should HIT our children, I am telling you, it is WRONG. If you spank in the name of Christianity, you might want to revisit Jesus Christ and everything he has ever stood for. He treated and talked about children as if they were GOD himself...the closest thing to pure innocence and goodness as you could ever get.

Absolutely, discipline is necessary in raising children. LOVING your children IS disciplining them. LOVING your children is NOT physically HURTING them. If you have to HIT your children to make them learn, you are NOT parenting correctly in the first place.

How to LOVE/DISCIPLINE your child:

Children need your attention. They need to trust you, and to know that you love them. They need your instruction in words. They need to model behavior. They need you to know their limitations...I'll tell you when I've felt the urge spank a child (and we all do!), it's because I've made the wrong choices! Not them! I've expected too much of them, I've skipped a nap, I haven't been consistent and clear in my expectations, I've dragged them on too many errands, I've stretched meal times too long! I've been too busy with other things...material things, worldly things, things so much LESS important than a spirit of MY child. Break downs happen because of US. If your child's behavior stinks, look at yourself good and hard....change YOUR behavior, change your lifestyle.

Spanking is the "easy way out". It's a quick fix. It's a way of "training" a child, without doing the work. But we all learn....quick fixes all come back to haunt us right? You might see a change in behavior, but NOT in the behavior you want...everything you are trying to "train" against, will show up...anger, aggression, mistrust, dishonesty...the list goes on and on. After all...you reap what you sow.

There is NO right way to spank. There is NO "proper procedure" to follow. I've read spanking is acceptable if you don't do it in anger, and if you explain WHY you are doing it. That's more twisted than ever in so many ways. "I'm going to inflict physical pain on you, because you just hit your sister? I am not angry, but I just want you to hurt." It doesn't take an intelligent person to figure out how backwards that is!

Sometimes you might hear, see or think, "Geez, what that kid needs is a good old spanking!" I guarantee that what that child needs is EVERYTHING but a spanking! I think in the older generations, NOT spanking is associated with overly permissive parenting...where the child rules the roost and any behavior goes. Yes, there is a prevalence of that today...but I can assure you, it's not a result of not hitting the children...it's a result of parents being unwilling to spend time teaching their children the right way to behave. Unstructured environments, no bedtimes, no regular meals, no predictable schedule...the list is long. It's called lazy parenting...and it has nothing to do with the prevalence of spanking...they are one in the same in a way...the easy way out.

What's the hard stuff?

Attention, love, change of scenery, a good healthy meal, a good nap, a good book, consistency, hugs, a stern conversation, a calm environment, a clear set of enforced rules, a time out to refocus, strong parental relationships, a long walk, some fresh air, a loving grandma, a safe home....the stuff that takes a heck of a lot more time than hitting them does. The stuff that takes a piece of you...your LOVE, your SPIRIT, your TIME."

_________________________________________

Now...are we all still here?

That's alot to take in...and yes, it is a very strong opinion pitting against spanking. My personal feelings are as follows...everyone say April's personal opinion...

I was raised being spanked. I knew that it effected how I made my decisions. I had a healthy fear of my parents and it did cause me to think twice before making a poor decision, talking back or outright disobeying my parents.

With that said, I have always known I would spank my children as a form of discipline, but as I have gotten older, I would have to be honest and say it doesn't seem so cut and dry. Now my thoughts (even before children) are...how young is too young? Would I use a belt or my hand? (I was raised on the belt) Do I try other methods first or go straight to spanking? Would I spank in public? (which the thought of honestly raises the hair on the back of my neck) Do I even really want to use spanking as a form of discipline?

It's alot to think about.
I don't necessarily agree that spanking causes emotional damage like mentioned in the post above, however...I can see that it may cause different reactions depending on your different children. One child may learn well with the spanking method, while others may learn and be effected more by another approach. Obviously, I do not agree in beating your children or spanking out of anger. Those things are very detrimental to children and to your relationship with your children.

None of us enjoy seeing a child throw a fit, how do you deal in those situations? Where in my head, spanking may only make the situation worse. Or what about repeat offenses. There were plenty of times growing up where I got spanked for lying...initially I would think, try something else the spanking isn't working. How long do you try? There are endless situations and I am sure endless answers...
So, I wanna know your thoughts. How did you come to the decision in how you will discipline your children in your family? Tell me your stories.

Please participate in the poll below. If you do not see your answer, please leave a comment on the poll. You can also just leave your comments on our post.
*please know this, any rude or inappropriate comments will be deleted. Please discuss this with respect for each others opinions. We are not here to figure out RIGHT FROM WRONG, I believe each family needs to pray about this decision and they are solely responsible for their own actions.*

Would you ever spank your child?

Never. Under NO circumstances.No, I would prefer not to, but sometimes it is the best option to a bad situation.No. I am too afraid I will cause emotional damage.Yes, I was raised that way and see no harm in it.Yes, but only if I knew I would follow it up with a conversation about thier actions.Yes. I feel it works well within my family.I will only smack on the hand.We use the counting method only.

pollcode.com free polls

10 weeks till Christmas...

April writing...

I know what your saying...WHAAAAA???? Already?? But not me...yep...no sweat here.

This will be our 3rd year not celebrating Christmas the 'normal' way.

Going into debt crazy buying gifts for everyone and their momma...when it ain't even THEIR birthday! I mean truly...it is the birth of Jesus Christ. We should be doing good in his name...you know, since we can't send Jesus a pair of slippers with puppies on them up to heaven for him to open on his birthday.

So...there has been so much LESS stress.

Granted, we still buy gifts for the little ones in our life...or a special little something for friends and family if we see it and it makes us think of them.

But no more are the times of saying, we can afford $75 for Uncle Johnny and $45 for Aunt Sarah and we can spend $200 on each other...and blah blah blah.

It's quite simple...
Cory's side of the family...the couples (three of us; his parents, Cory and I and Jo and Tamm) we draw names and get that persons stocking. We spend the year filling it with little things that the person NEEDS or things we find that just scream THEIR names. And there's even a spending limit, that we stick pretty close to.
My side of the family...a family trip to do something together...One year it was Medieval Times...last year it was to the Movies on Christmas Day to see "Marley and Me."
The kiddos...they get gifts of course...but we have even limited our amounts...as it has been shown that spoiling kids with such loads and loads of gifts tends to spur greed and ungratefulness in the years to come.
Friends...we use the rule...only if they can USE it or it's just too PERFECT to pass up.

I believe that this year, Cory and I are going super easy on us...and buying a gift for US...we have wanted a laptop...well basically since we sent ours smashing to the ground, shattering the screen broke ours. :( So we will do that this year, but ONLY if we find a GREAT deal!

With all these changes...can I tell ya...it's just been SUCH a huge weight off. There's no added debt, no added stress and more time for FAMILY and less time devoted to wrapping and shopping with all the crazies out there!!

Just focusing on family, friends and making wonderful memories!!

Half the time I can remember what I got for whom and got from whom...but I remember the fun times exchanging gag gifts at Friends houses and making cookies with family and rejoicing in the birth of our Savior with my church family with no worries of having to run out after church and get those final needed gifts.

For those of you who are thinking...this is such a FOREIGN concept...here are a few simple ideas to make Christmas easier and less stressful. Take them as baby steps.

taken from SimpleMom.net

It’s not too early to start Christmas shopping. In fact, some of you might already be done shopping for the holidays. Starting earlier means spending less money, finding gifts people really want or need, and seriously cutting the stress during the holiday height.

Christmas is not about the gifts, and it’s much easier to avoid the “I wants” and the feeling of needing more and more if you don’t go shopping much during the season. There’s something about the stores that tempts well-meaning parents into feeling guilty for not getting the latest toy for their child, or enticing the innocent husband into blowing the budget on his wife.

You don’t necessarily need to go on a single-minded mission to the stores, but keep Christmas gifts in the back of your head when you’re already there. If you can finish your list before the stores start playing holiday music, then you’ve done a great job.

Here are a few tips to make Christmas gift shopping less stressful.

1. Make a List

Don’t ever go gift shopping without a list. Ever, ever, ever. You will more than likely buy more than you intended. List the people for whom you’re buying, jot down a few gift ideas next to their name, and cross them off when their gift is purchased.

Keep this list with you at all times. That way, it’s readily available when an unexpected gift idea pops into your head.

2. Set Limits on People

This is a touchy subject. At what point do you stop buying presents for your extended family? Or is it an eternal tradition in your clan?

Because Christmas isn’t about the gifts, at some point families need to just put a stop to the stuff. It’s definitely easier said than done in some families, because there inevitably will be a sister-in-law or a dad who doesn’t want to stop the gift exchange.

If your family is like this, are you up for being the one to call a hiatus on the tradition? If so, here are a few ideas for broaching the subject tactfully:

Do it gradually.

Maybe instead of stopping a gift exchange all together, suggest a reasonable cost limit for this year. After a few years of this, perhaps the adults might be more open to ending completely.

Exchange names.

Suggest drawing names over Thanksgiving, so that each person only needs to buy for one other person. This doesn’t always help that much, however. On one side of our family’s case, if my husband and I each drew a name, we’d be buying two gifts instead of four. A little better, for sure, but we’re still spending.

Go homemade.

A homemade gift created specifically for someone is more treasurable than a big box store purchase. We’ll share homemade gift ideas in this series soon, but for now, think sewing, an mp3 playlist, or a task like babysitting.

3. Set Limits on Quantity

Decide in advance how many gifts to buy each person in your family, and stick with it. In our family, the children receive three from Mom and Dad because Jesus received three. Well, that’s debatable, and it doesn’t really matter that much, but it’s our way of curbing the overflow under the tree. And it works for our kids, because it’s all they’ve ever known.

For the adults, the amount changes from year to year, but we do mutually agree in advance. Last year, my husband and I got each other one larger gift each (iPods). This year, we’re going with one small gift per person, probably a book or a DVD. We’re going on a family vacation in November, so we decided that’s the bulk of our gift to each other.

4. Shop Online

When you shop online, you avoid the crowds, it’s easier to stick within your budget (no enticing last-minute purchases made at the register), and you have endless options. I love supporting cottage industries and the handmade community, so my preference is most definitely online. Plus, a one-stop shipping option means no waiting in line at the post office.

My favorite places to shop are Etsy and Amazon. I know Amazon isn’t a small business by any means, but it sure is handy — they’ve got everything, and they’ve got a good return policy. Plus, shipping if often free when you spend more than $25. And I could spend hours browsing at Etsy — I love the fact that each gift bought is unique, thoughtfully crafted, and quite often made from quality, non-toxic materials.

(April's sidenote - when shopping online, always remember to check for added savings at retailmenot.com...you could save on your order or possible get free shipping!)

-------------------

So there...it's that easy!!! How you make changes this Holiday season?!
Make it more about tradition and family then debt and presents!

My Husband Rocks

April writing...

Well...if I were honest I would say that there hasn't been some huge, life-changing, spectacular way that Husby had rocked this week...and I don't mean that in a bad, sad, neglected kinda way either...
So I am going to just simply state, that Husby you rock...because you are my bestfriend. No matter what. I am glad that I can always depend on you...marriage is great if for no other reason than to live with your bestfriend everyday :)

Top 5 Tuesdays

April writing...

This week's prompt: What are your Top 5 things to eat with Peanut Butter?

5. Just a plain SPOON full of Peanut Butter
4. Peanut Butter and Jelly bagels - done best with fresh from the toaster
3. Peanut Butter and Celery - classic
2. Peanut Butter and Honey Toast - delightful
1. Peanut Butter and Jelly sandwich (pb on both sides of the bread a little jelly in the middle)

Let's hear yours!

Just wanted to say...

I love you Cory Jacob.

It seems like Cory has been working super hard lately...and I love him so much for his drive to work so diligently and hard for our little family! I hope that you enjoy your days off and your massage today! You deserve it!!

:)
143.

Monday Moan

April writing...

My MM this week is being behind. I just realized that I am really behind on my Project 365 pics. I mean, I have taken them, but I haven't edited them or posted them on Facebook OR the blog...ahhh maybe sometime this week ehh!!??

What are you moaning about this Monday?

Our weekend...

April writing...

It was a great weekend! Friday and Saturday night Cory and I attended a marriage conference at our church! It was a blast to sit and learn with some great other couples!! There were LOTS of laughs. We always love attending those conferences and being refreshed in our marriage and possibly learning new things!! Have you been keeping up your marriage maintenance?

Sunday was a long day...we had a VERB Leadership meeting first thing Sunday morning, then we went to church. After church, Myself, The Meat, Via and Nat all went to lunch and the mall. We had a blast!!! (especially in the photo booth!)

After that, we all had to be back at the church at 4 pm for Drama and Worship Team practice. I taught the 'dramatic' Verbies a new skit (well, new to them) called "English 101." For all me old school friends, you remember that one?

Well they did a great job with it! I was very, very impressed. Especially when my witty nephew made us all nearly wet ourselves with his "Hooters" reference!! So funny!

We had VERB service and about 10 minutes into service, Bek and I were notified that Mom was in the ER with another endless nosebleed. So we ducked out to head over and sit with her. She was fine...albeit rather uncomfortable with a nasal tampon shoved up her nose. As she stated, "it feels like it's touching the back of my eyeball!" Poor mom, this is the second time we have had to take her to the ER for a never-ending nosebleed. Right before she was discharged they dropped a bombshell on her...she would have to keep the nasal tampon in for 3 days or until she say the ENT. Well that lit a fire under mom for sure...she was in the Doc's office the NEXT day!! She is well and we are all thankful for that.

So...figured I would update you all..it was a long but fun weekend!!