organizing my life.... part three_again

it rained and although i had the desk in the car port i decided that it was best to put the final color on inside.. it was just too humid out and the paint would never dry.

don't you LOVE the walls? i would love to either paint them or rip them down and replace with drywall.  drives me crazy :)

4 colors, you'll just have to wait to see what i do with the other three

don't you just love it?  i can't wait to get it all complete and see how pretty it is.... i might never be in the same room with vic again! :(

now i just need a GOOD office chair. right now i use the kitchen chair, which isn't that comfortable but will do for now..  i refuse to pay for such an expensive piece of furniture.

organizing my life.... part three

part THREE : Second Coat of Primer

note to self, when using oil based primer make sure you have paint thinner to remove the paint from your hands during clean up!!    sigh!!

it looks so much better than that black!!!

hopefully by tomorrow i'll be able to get my driveway back

next step : PAINTING  yeah!!

and a little sneak peak into the pattern i've chosen for the top of my desk!! and the color i'm going to paint the desk!! I'm so excited i can't even stand it.  plus i'm excited to get my house back in order, it seems like every room is a disaster!! 

organizing my life.... part two

Part TWO: First coat of primer

says it should take 1 hour to dry, well in this heat i think it took twenty mins. LOL

organizing my life... part one

well i posted on my facebook page yesterday "is in need of getting her life organized!! Someone wanna come do that for her?" i lost a VERY VERY important document and it made me realize just who unorganized my life REALLY is!!  SOOOO.....


it's time to get my life together and get back to ME!!!


Starting with taking my OFFICE back!!  


the office turned into emma's room when she was 5 months old and then it turned into the playroom once emma turned 14 months old and joined madison in her room.  but....


they never really play in there and with all the six chicks work i've been getting (and therefore taking over the kitchen table) it's time to take back my office.  


and of course i couldn't start that without a little design 


so i have this desk that was my mom's. i think she got it from her job once she got new furniture and she painted it white and then black. 

so this is my desk, don't you just love it?


of course i've taken off the legs (left side) and the drawers. and i've already sanded it, sorry i didn't take a picture before. i will add the coat of primer tomorrow :)


so, since i can't add any color to the walls (they are all wood walls) i will just have to spice it up with adding color to my desk.

so i was doing some research on what i wanted to do with this large desk and i was thinking decoupagecrazy right? and i came across this website called mod podge rocks which lead me to this desk from cupkateer.blospot.com  and i completely fell in love with this. of course my desk will be more colorful!! i can't live without color!!!

so what do you think??

stay tuned for the next phase of my organization!!

Graditude; Day 4, 5, 6 and 7

well yes i'm behind... go figure!

Gratitude; Day 7 : To be getting better

i am getting better and i have written a lot about this.  I am SO grateful to God for helping me to be better, to want to be better and to let go of my past.  i am really looking forward to our next series at church on Forgiveness.  hopefully it will help me with any unresolved issues.

my prayer
Dear Lord, thank you for showing me that there is a better way, that i can get better and I continue to be excited about the future.  I will continue to believe trust you and honor you!  thank you Lord for my salvation!! amen

Gratitude; Day 6 : our home

there has been a lot of sermons lately on God's plan for our lives. well let me tell you when vic and i moved to Belmont it was only temporary to live in this house that we are renting... WELL...... it's almost been two years.  and it's taken me a long time to be OK with living here.. not because there is anything wrong with this house, it's just because we would love to own our own home with more than one bathroom.  but now i understand there is a reason for this "season" of our lives.  and i really do like this home, although it may be small there is nothing wrong with it.  it makes family time fun.. well the girls really own this house. i only have my bedroom :) which i share with vic.  well one day i'll have a work room! one day! i understand that God has planned out my life.. from beginning to end. and i am going to work hard to align with God's plan.

my prayer
Thank you Lord for this house that you have provided for us! i am SO grateful to have a roof over my head.  i know that there are so many other people who do not have the many wonderful things that i have. I am grateful that you have provided this house for us for how ever long we need it. to be able to give a safe place for our children to grow up where we can love them and grow as a family.  i will always be grateful for this house, these walls, and this life.  Thank you oh might Lord, for you are great and greatly to be praised!!  amen

Gratitude; Day 5 : my marriage

i am very very very grateful for my marriage.  after watching my parents marriage i KNEW i wanted something better than that!! and although my marriage isn't perfect, it has it's up's and downs but i really think we have a good marriage.  our love is real!!

we are continuing to create a marriage where God comes first.  although Vic and I may be on different paths in our spiritual life we know that we can come together.  I truly believe that having God in our lives has made for a peaceful home, the day's where we may have yelled, thrown things or slammed doors are gone (for the most part) We as a couple are getting better, being a better husband and a better wife.  I truly believe that my faith in God has allowed me to be a better wife to Vic and working on myself and all my issues have have made me a better child of God.  it's a work in progress but i look towards the future.. forgetting the past and living in the moment.. b/c it's HERE and it's mine.  I tell my husband that i love him a million times a day... and he always says it too.  i don't believe you can say it too much.  i like to hear it :)

we will be starting some counseling in the future, not because anything is wrong but just because we believe that it can help us communication better.  i think the hardest thing for couples is communication and for me it's one of the things i want badly... good communication.  so finding out the best way to communicate with each other will make us a stronger unit.  we really work hard to make our marriage good.  we've only been married 8 years and i know a lot of marriages that fade after some time, but it truly is important to me and vic that we continue to have a strong marriage as the years go by.  I look forward to the future with my husband.

my prayer
thank you dear Lord for my marriage, a marriage that is rooted in faith. a marriage that will continue to grow because of our believe in you.  Lord please continue to bless our marriage... and we know that there will be ups and downs but as long as we have your hand on us and this commitment to one another we will continue to be strong.  amen

Gratitude; Day 4 : Emma

my sweet emma rose!!  i am truly blessed and honored to be her mother.  i was scared my entire pregnancy that i wasn't going to get her, to hold her or to love her and watch her grow.  i am a worry wart, as my family calls it. and therefore i worried my entire pregnancy that something tragic was going to happen. so of course when i had to have my gall bladder removed at 20 weeks that didn't make things any easier for me.  i honestly felt some relief the moment she was born and i heard her cry because i knew i was going to be able to hold her.  well that only lasted for a min... i'm a mom... i worry.. i worry about everything you can imagine!!  there's a big bad world out there.  but.....  i'm not that much of a worry wart anymore... b/c of my faith in Jesus Christ.

I love my emma and i am having so much fun watching her. she is so silly and dramatic.. she is almost 19 months old and loves to sing the itsy bitsy spider song.. and i mean loves!! she can't say it but she tries!  she loves her sissy and her daddy!!  in fact she just recently became very attached to me. she is my dare devil... so i'm sure the "worry wart" in me will come back soon.  i could go on and on about her.

my prayer
Lord thank you for blessing vic and i with our little emma rose, your child!  we will raise her to know you Lord, to have faith in you and to trust you with all her heart.  Please continue to guide us and to lead us to know the ways in which are right for her.  I am grateful to you for placing her in my heart to be able to love such a bright little girl. amen

Happy 4th of July!!

 
This is where we spent our 4th!!

US National Whitewater Center

picture from www.charlottecommunities.com

i will have to catch up tomorrow on my Gratitude's... it's the 4th and we celebrated with a fantastic fireworks show at the US National Whitewater Center.  it' was unbelievable, will want go go back soon and watch the people participating in all the various activities they have.  so if you are ever in the Charlotte NC area you really should stop by.. it's only $5 to park and free to walk around and observe.  it truly is amazing.

Graditude; Day 3 : Madison

Madison

we are silly playing around with my mac's photo booth

every time i hear this song by Martina McBride i think of madison. i believe that i was pregnant with her when this song came out and it always made me very emotional.

In My Daughter's Eyes : Martina McBride
In my daughter's eyes I am a hero
I am strong and wise and I know no fear
But the truth is plain to see
She was sent to rescue me
I see who I wanna be
In my daughter's eyes


In my daughter's eyes everyone is equal
Darkness turns to light and the
world is at peace
This miracle God gave to me gives me
strength when I am weak
I find reason to believe
In my daughter's eyes


And when she wraps her hand
around my finger
Oh it puts a smile in my heart
Everything becomes a little clearer
I realize what life is all about


It's hangin' on when your heart
has had enough
It's giving more when you feel like giving up
I've seen the light
It's in my daughter's eyes


In my daughter's eyes I can see the future
A reflection of who I am and what will be
Though she'll grow and someday leave
Maybe raise a family
When I'm gone I hope you see how happy
she made me
For I'll be there
In my daughter's eyes

she's my first born.. need i say more. she is ME and she drives me crazy!! that's such a scary thought, but my mother claimed i would have one just like me. i won't wish that on either of my girls. LOL Having children make you realize who you are. i've gone though alot in the last five years and no matter what happens to me (my slumps) madison is always there, she will always be my daughter. I am honored that God gave her too me.. she is a beautiful gift!! i love when she looks into my eyes and pulls my hair. she's so big now, it's difficult for me to continue to rock her in the glider (not to mention she won't sit still)

I am grateful for her b/c she makes me want to be better, she makes me work really HARD but it's all worth it. Madison and I've had a difficult two days, so it's probably a good thing that i have to right down why i am grateful for her. she tests my patients everyday!! I am grateful for her kind heart, she has these moments when she's cuddling with me when she looks and me with so much love and i don't want it to end. i am grateful to be able to have the opportunity to have children. there are so many women who want children so badly and here i am complaining on days b/c i can't deal with her. But I couldn't LIVE without her.. i can't image my life without my talkative, outgoing, little 5 year old with blond curly hair and blue eyes.

I always knew that i wanted to be a mother and i get to have that opportunity to do that everyday. some days i stress about NOT having a job, a paying job, but i do believe that being at home with my girls is the place i'm suppose to be right now. maybe he'll change that later but i'm trying to embrace my role as a stay at home mom and being a good one at that. learning how to be a Godly mother and teach madison and emma about God.

I am grateful for my madison for one main reason.... she's mine (even though i know she's only on loan to me while here on earth) i will always be grateful that she is apart of my life and i love her so much. parenting is not an easy job, but i believe love is. it's easy to fall in love with madison, from the moment i first felt her kick, till i saw her on the ultrasound, till she was laying on my belly only moments after she was born, and now i look forward to all the NEXT moments (memories) that i will cherish and be grateful because she is making my life better. I look forward to every one of her birthdays b/c i know that i've had one more year with her... to watch her change and grow. it goes by so quickly and at any moment if it's is God's will for her, she can be taken from me.

my prayer
Lord, I pray that i continue to be grateful for Madison, and be delighting in the little things that she does.  I promise to raise her to know you and to trust you with all her heart. I promise to show her how to be a Godly wife, mother and person. I promise to continue to pray for her and with her. I know that you have a plan for her life and I promise to help guide her with the knowledge that the Bible offers. Thank you Lord for Madison, my beautiful, health, happy little girl. You are an Awesome God!!

Graditude; Day 2 : Vic

 VIC
there is so much i can say! Vic is such a wonderful husband (even though he drives me crazy sometimes).  he was there for me at the most difficult time in my life, the loss of my mother. Vic and i hadn't been together a year when she passed away, and he was amazing!!  he is my biggest supporter, he puts up with me, and he loves me! i could go on forever about "our story" but you can read about that yourself in "Our Life", one of my first blog entry's.  i am SOOO grateful for his love, support and understanding. i'm not sure that anyone else could have stood by me while i have suffered with depression over the last 10 years. he is a great father (even if he lacks patience with the girls).  I am so proud to call him my husband.  and if you'd have asked me in high school what i thought about vic, i probably have told you he was quiet and a nice guy.  WOW he's come a long way. I truly enjoy being on this journey with him... my BEST friend, my partner in crime!  i love the laugh with him, i'm comforted when i cry and he reassures me that i'm a good mom.

things we love to do together...
drive around and look at houses (dreaming)
playing with the girls... making them laugh and be silly
watching movies
and being silly

my favorite part of the day is bed time, he always stays up with me although he shouldn't.. just like now i'm watching him across from me and i know he is waiting for me to tell him i'm ready to go to bed. we love to lay in bed and talk.  it's when the house is quiet, no screaming children and no tv.  sometimes he falls asleep while i'm talking, but that's ok i'll forgive him. b/c i love him... i love him being there!


it's hard to believe that we've been together for almost 11 years... craziness!!
i look forward to growing old with him... i hope i get that chance! to watch our girls grow and create families of there own. i look forward to more tradition, memories and lots and lots of laughs.


we were friends first and i know we will forever be friends.

I love you Vic Yancey  "vicaffer"

My Prayer:
Lord, thank you for showing me love!  true love!!  once in a life time love!  you've have blessed me with this wonderful man who i know will one day truly be a Godly man.  I look forward to watching him grow and transform while he learns more about you.  I am so grateful for Vic, whom you have given to me. thank you for continuing to bless me! Amen

Graditude; Day 1 : My family

grat·i·tude [grat-i-tood, -tyood]

–noun

the quality or feeling of being grateful or thankful: He expressed his gratitude to everyone on the staff.

Dictionary. com 

MY FAMILY 

when i think of family i not only think of my immediate family of Vic, Madison and Emma, but i think of my extended family. growing up family was a big thing for me.. we were a tight family. But, in some ways it's strange b/c when i say family i think of My Grandparents (Marvin and Edith Purvis) my Mom, and the Walden's (Marty, Tim, Rachel, Joshua, Stephanie and Martin).   the reason i say that it is strange is because there are a lot of people in my "family" that i just don't include... like my father for one.  These people that i mention before as my "family" are those that I spent EVERY holiday, birthday, Sunday and random days with throughout my childhood.  Family means SO much to me... the idea of family means so much to me.  When Vic and I got married i felt like I finally had my OWN FAMILY, but i was once told that it wasn't a real family until we had children... well it was a family to me... do pets count LOL.  

now that i have a "real" family of my own, holiday's, birthdays, Sunday's and random days just aren't to same.  not bad, not great, just not the same.  but i am grateful for them all the same.  well this is starting to sound depressing :(  I guess what i am getting at is that i've always had this idea in my head of what the perfect family looked like... it's was those days from my childhood that i spend with my family.. where i felt loved, wanted and supported. and although those days are gone i am grateful for the NEW FAMILY that i have and the NEW traditions that we are making.  

like eating dinner together every night.  that is one thing that my parents and i did has a family as well. and we talked about our days. (i can only remember those after i was about 10) And, with two little one's it's difficult to have a conversations about our day but we have fun watching emma try to eat with a spoon or fork and sometimes it's difficult to get Madison to eat her food, but i love it all the same. i look forward to "family time".  when vic's home from work and we can sit down together (where Vic get's to feed emma, YEAH) sometimes meals aren't pleasant, there is food thrown or spilled milk but this is my life and i love it.

bed time is my favorite because vic and i tuck the girls in together at night. we rock, we read and we sing (well i sing) and they LOVE IT.  

My Prayer:

Lord, thank you for this family that you have given me. For Vic, who challenges me, supports me and sometimes is the only one who will put up with me. Lord, thank you for allowing me to have children because they are such a blessing. I AM grateful for this family that you have given me... this simple life! I will cherish and honor you by continuing to do your work in and through them.  Amen

30 day's of Gratitude

Well it's July 1st and Vic and I are starting our 30 days of gratitude challenge. If you don't know what i'm talking about then you need to catch up on reading my blog LOL.  here's the post on Gratitude

Who knew that figuring 30 things that you are grateful for would be so difficult. but here they are.. and i'm going to try and do my best to write about them every night. 


    Jen's List
1. My Family
2. Vic
3. Madison
4. Emma
5. My marriage
6. Our home
7. to be getting better
8. Bemont
9. New opportunities
10. the things we have
11. Vic's Job
12. To be a SAHM
13. Elevation
14. Six Chicks Designs
15. antidepressants
16. Marty
17. The Walden's
18. The Yancey's
19. Support
20. For my mother
21. For my father
22. Life
23. that my children are healthy
24. Michelle
25. Suzy
26. Cayce
27. New friendship
28. Kelly Hanes
29. Renewed love for christen music
30. Technology

What are you grateful for? I want to challenge you do follow a long with us and write down 30 things that you are grateful for! Can you do it?