New Carpet!!!!!

After three years, five kids, two parents and a dog our carpeting was DISGUSTING!!! We looked into wood flooring. Which is ultimately what we want to do but for right now was too expensive. So we saved up some money, had a little help from parents and got ourselves some new carpet. We covered the worst areas of the house first. We will save up to finish the other areas of the house later.

It is amazing what the new carpet has done. It makes me feel more confident about having guest over. I was so embarrassed of our old carpet. It looked like we were dirty people. It makes me want to keep the house clean. I feel more motivated to keep up because I don't feel like I am doing all this cleaning just to look back at a mess.

Check it out!!!

Picture Update

I have updated pictures on Flickr.

It's All About Me!

I stole this idea from my cousin Lisa. Thanks for the idea Lisa!

Four things about me that you may or may not have
known in no particular order.

A) Four jobs that I have had in my life
1.Family Video Clerk
2.Taco Bell Late Shift
3.Orthodontic Assistant
4.Ski Rental clerk

B) Four movies I would watch over and over (or have
watched over and over)
1. Princess Bride
2. National Lampoons Christmas Vacation
3. Blast from the Past
4. Willy Wonka and the Chocolate Factory--the original

C) Four places I have lived:
1.Howell, Michigan
2.Cheboygan, Michigan
3.Jenks, Oklahoma
4. Tulsa, Oklahoma


D) Four TV Shows that I watch:
1. King of Queens
2. Seinfield
3. American Idol
4. Scrubs

E) Four places I have been on vacation:
1. Alaska
2. Las Vegas
3. Maine
4. Florida


F) People who e-mail me (regularly):
1.Mom
2.Johanna
3. Alison
4.Spammers


G) Four of my favorite foods:
1. Pizza
2. Greek Salad
3. chocolate
4 . Fresh green beans or asparagus...cooked just right


H) I'm looking forward to.....
1. All my kids being out of diapers.
2. Meeting my heavenly Father
3. Summer Vacation
4. Moms and Tots next week


I) Four Albums I love! (I couldn't just pick four.)
1.Brandi Carlile- The Story (AWESOME...THE BEST)
2. Casting Crowns-Lifesong
3. Enya-Day without Rain
4.Jeremy Camp- Carried Me
5. Jon Foreman- Fall/Winter

J) Four things you may not know about me.
1. My favorite number is five. It was my favorite number before I had five kids and had no bearing on how many children I decided to have.
2. During the week that I was taking driver training classes I was in two car accidents. The first two car accidents of my life. I was not the driver in either of the accidents.
3. I went to Christian school until the middle of 9th grade.
4. I worked in a real train caboose serving ice cream for two summers. Whoo! Whoo!

Happy Easter!

Child of God

Does the learning and continuous search for being better ever stop? I have been struggling within myself for awhile now with that question. Here I am almost thirty years old and I feel like I am a failure as a Christian, a horrible mother, a nagging wife, and just an okay friend.

I have been searching, reading, taking classes, working on change in myself, all in hopes to better myself. Better myself for God, my family and the people that I love. I feel like it is all for nothing. I feel like everywhere I turn another obstacle is there. I have one more thing I have to work on. Some things I don't think will ever change. I am my own worst critic, and I know I am harder on myself than I should be. Yet, it is so hard to work on yourself and continually feel like you are failing God, your family and yourself.

In the past few weeks this thought has been on my mind. I am a child of God. What do I do with my own children. I teach them, continually. Even though I am a grown woman, an I am still a child, and always will be to my heavenly father. And just like my earthly father, He will love me always ,no matter what. Instead of feeling down on myself for feeling like I need to change things, grow in certain areas, work hard at discipline, I should embrace those things. Every interruption, every learning experience, every conviction, every discipline is sent from the hand of God and it is not my right to be upset and not content with that part of my life.

My prayer is that I will be patient with myself in this process. That the Lord will help me be content with myself in my failures and successes of searching for Him. That the Lord would show me when I am looking for happiness instead of the joy that comes from Him. I pray for joy that only comes from the Lord to fill my life. I ask for the perseverance to pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, and gentleness.