It's Not Lazy, It's Science

So, I do believe that I have once and for all, and possibly scientifically, proven that the theory of evolution is a myth. We are going to say that I did an experiment. I won't mention how long this experiment lasted. One because it was so long I don't really remember and two because if I did remember people would die of shock and I would probably go to jail for some form of neglect.

All that said, my toilet and the floor around it are now clean. Not once in this undetermined length of time did anything grow legs and climb out of it (that I know of). When I say there was ample time and opportunity please trust me because there was AMPLE time and opportunity.

So that's it. While my kid is working on his science experiment I finished up one of my own. At least that is the way I am choosing to see it.

Boy Meets Girl

When people find out that I got married at the ripe, old age of 18, they generally all respond the same way. You really have to have a visual for this. First, there is the look of confusion. Remember Sylvester and Tweety? "I tawt I taw a puddy tat?" That is it! Confusion. Once the brain has processed the numbers one and eight together, in that order, we move on. Next is the light bulb going off combined with a slightly shocked look. This is the "I did! I did! I did tee a puddy tat!". Now here is where they like to switch it up on you. There are some people who generally do not know how to respond. It isn't the norm and so they kinda go through a huge range of feelings all at once and then settle for nothing. Show no emotion. They are generally at a loss for words and completely confused by this curve ball. Then there are the people who's eyes get large and they start looking me up and down like I just sprouted a few arms and turned an awkward shade of green. I think my favorite reaction is the one of horror. Just plain and simple. These people will seriously look at you like they fear for their life. Processing how you feel about this "bizarre" occurrence just about always determines the line of questioning. The people who look like they got a bad case of the botox generally stick with the safe responses like "oh" or "that's nice". The people who make the "I thought I was talking to a person but now I realize it's a sea monster in disguise" face go with "why did you get married so young" or "where were your parents"? Then there are the people who make the "this person just pulled out a shotgun and is holding puppies hostage" face. They typically go with "were you pregnant"?

*Climbs onto soapbox and adjusts microphone*
Seriously. Were you pregnant? First of all. Rude. Second, does it matter? And, if I were to say yes, what is your response? Is your marriage better than someone else's because of certain circumstances? I give props to anyone who can withstand the stress of being young, as well as pregnant, and make a marriage work.
*Sighs, steps down*

Where were my parents?
Around. That is what I have to say about that. There are so many dynamics to the relationships I have with the people in my life that I just can't get into. I am not saying this as a negative thing. If I needed anyone, my mom, dad, step-mom, grandmother, all I had to do was pick up a phone.

Why did you get married so young? Well, to that I mostly answer "why not?" There are so many pros and cons to getting married at 18 but I knew it was the right thing for me. You don't see a lot of couples who were married young that stay married. I wish I had some great wisdom to pass on to people. A list of criteria I could hand out or a checklist of some sort. It just didn't happen that way. I just knew.

I was 13 when I met Charles. Back when Brother Richard was the youth pastor and we had just finished the first discipleship classes he held. My leaders, formerly known as Julie Broxson and Amber Linkenhoker, were great. When we graduated, Bill and Shannon hosted a party at their house for everyone. I think at the time they only had 4 children. Crazy to think that was ever the case. So, here we are, me and the bestie Heather. I don't remember how or when but I am sure at some point Charles and I are introduced. We didn't really talk much but I remember that he popped one of those big rubber bouncy balls like they sell at Walmart. You know the ones. It's the huge square contraption made of a few PVC pipes and rubber bands. The one that draws anyone under the height of 4'6" like moths to a flame. Seriously, stand on your knees and imagine seeing a 10-foot tower of bouncy balls. This display, for lack of a better word, emits a high radio frequency that only children can hear. It gives them exact instructions on how to strategically pull at just one of the outer bands in order to release half of the balls like super charged atoms. When, and if, you can manage to wrangle up your child, as well as any of the escaped, colorful orbs, you get to spend the next 10 minutes doing your best Michael Jordan impression because you know one wrong push (or pull) on any of those scarce little bungees will send the rest of those rubbery projectiles scattering to the ends of the earth.

And back to the story. He popped the rubber ball. At some point later he had dropped his retainer on the ground and someone shoved it in my pocket. I gave him back his slobber and dirt covered piece of plastic. And that was it. Now, I know what you are all thinking.

*swoon*

After a chance meeting like that? Popped bouncy balls, spit and mud covered retainers, 10 whole words, maybe. Ahhh. A match made in heaven. How could anyone not be head over heels in love from that moment on, right? Still, I knew. I'm not sure what exactly I knew but I did have a feeling that he and I weren't done. I didn't see him again after that, not even at church. I was 13 and busy being all that a new teenager can be, he was 16, had a girlfriend and a baby on the way. We went our separate ways.

I moved to Texas for a while before moving back here for my last three years of high school. He graduated, joined the Marine Corps and went through school in California before moving back to this area. While he had popped up once or twice since we met, it was never more that a fleeting thought and that same feeling of knowing. As I am leaving school one afternoon I happened to look over and see him sitting in his car. I walked right past him perfectly content to go on about my plans but that same knowing sense had me turning around to say hello. We talked for a minute but I had to go but we exchanged numbers and over the next few weeks started talking. After that, well, the rest is history.

Now if I were to tell you that our relationship was perfect and that it developed and grew into love, yeah, that would be a big, fat lie. Even though I knew that he was the man that God had for me and wanted me to marry, there wasn't a whole lot of Godly going on. Honestly, at times, it was volatile. It was messy and it got really ugly. At the same time, it was amazing. He made me feel happy. He made me feel safe. He made me feel loved.

So, yes, I got married at 18. I still believe it was the right decision for me. Did I make sacrifices? Absolutely. Do I feel like I missed out on things? Sure. It isn't like I spent my childhood daydreaming of the day I turned 18 so that I could grab a white dress and the first man who would take me and rush him down the aisle. I was accepted to colleges and had scholarships. I knew what career I wanted to have. My plans changed. Do I regret my choice? No. There are too many choices, good and bad, day in and day out, that will effect your life. You can't change them but you can learn from all of them. I don't regret the way our relationship started and the struggles we had to go through because of it. I don't regret getting married young even though it has had it's own set of challenges. It is our life and our journey. If we had done things differently I am sure some of it could have been a little easier but we wouldn't be where we are today. For that I am thankful.

Honey, About That...

I think we are headed to an "on again" in the off again, on again cycle of my little ol' piece of cyber space. That little place where I can post all of my random musings and then pester all of my friends until they have no choice but to read the insane ramblings that somehow made it, if incoherently, from the ether, to my brain, out of my fingers, onto my little keyboard and then out here for all of you to endure, I mean, enjoy, that's it, ENJOY!

While learning about Hinduism in a class this last week I told the hubs:

"Babe, did you know those people have a god of housework? Seriously, they go and worship this lady god and ask her to give them less housework to do. I could totally see myself being converted just for that."

My husband, the amazing and supportive man that he is, answered something like this:

"I think if you did any less housework, you and the house would cease to exist."

Sad but true, folks.

Practice What You Pinterest: Circle Zip Earbud Pouches

Many of you know that I sing at church. Let's not go into whether or not I do it well or if it is my charming personality that makes them keep me around. Either way, there it is. What no one realizes is that every time I get half way to church just to remember that my earbuds are at home and I have to turn around to go get them. I have been looking for something to keep them in for a while now. I was originally thinking something that the cord can wrap around as well but then I came across this little zippered pouch. I love it! Not only can I keep my earbuds (or really anything) in it, I can also put it on my key chain. Now I really can't forget them! The tutorial comes from www.erinerickson.com and was incredibly easy to follow.

I know a lot of you do not sew at all but for those who do, even beginners, I would recommend this tutorial! I had all of the materials at my house so I made this item for free! I have made a couple and so I did go out and buy a few zippers because I have a couple more in the works. Prior to this I had never installed a zipper but with the instructions and the pictures to follow it went very smooth. From start to finish this project took me about an hour and that includes the kiddos running around. The pouch ends up being a good size, I think about 5 inches around, and you can make it with any fabric pattern you want. I would like to try to make this in a fake leather material and see how it would turn out.

The basic instructions are to cut out your materials following the downloadable pattern provided. You need a main fabric, a lining fabric and an interfacing. I used a piece of felt. You will have two half circles that you will attach the zipper to and then a whole circle for the back piece. Sew them together with right sides facing and turn it inside out. Then add a top stitch. There are a few more little steps but that is the basics. Super easy and these would make a great gift for just about anyone! If you have any questions about these please ask.

Here are the two that I have made so far:



and mine:



Enjoy!

Practice What You Pinterest: No Bake Energy Bites

Here we go!

This is the first post in this new series. Basically I am going to be taking ideas I find on Pinterest and letting you know what I think about it. If you are familiar with Pinterest then check out this post. These are all just my thoughts and opinions that I am going to share with all of you!

First up, No Bake Energy Bites. This is a recipe from Smashed Peas and Carrots. This is a blog that I really enjoy. Recipes, reviews, giveaways, crafts and lots more. I am telling you the Creamy Chicken Enchiladas... YUMMY! But back to the point.

One of my first finds when joining Pinterest was this recipe. Looked so good and the no bake part is always a plus! I won't post the whole recipe since that is what their blog is for but it is basically this: oatmeal, coconut, peanut butter, honey, mini chocolate chips and ground flax seed. Mix it together. Chill and then roll into balls. That is it! I am not a huge peanut butter fan but I am in love. I think I have made them 5 times in the past couple of months and 3 times I doubled the recipe. They are pretty much a staple at my house.

Just a few helpful hints: I omit the flax seed. Not for any reason except that I don't have it. I think it would be an awesome addition and the kids wouldn't even complain that they are eating something good for them. Tonight when I made these I used half and half vanilla extract and coconut extract. I really wanted a little more coconut flavor and this seemed to do the trick. The only other thing I have to say is to think before adding those few (or not so few) extra chocolate chips. I may or may not have dumped a little extra in the bowl and mixed them in before chilling. When I went to shape the mix into balls it wouldn't stick together. I had to really squeeze to get them to form at all. So, if you do add a little extra of the dry ingredients make sure you have a little extra of the wet ingredients to hold it all together.

All I can say other than that is try not to eat them all at once and save a few for the kids! Super easy and only 5 ingredients. It doesn't get better!

There it is. My first review. I will try to add pictures in the upcoming ones if I have them so I don't bore you with text, text and more text. Until then!

An Intro to Pinterest and a New Blog Series

Unless you live under a rock or have been off in another galaxy then you have probably run across the term "Pinterest". Now you may or may not be part of this online community so I will briefly explain it to you. Pinterest is a virtual planning board (or boards). There could be a lot more to it than what I use it for but this is going to be my description of the site and how I use it. You need an invitation to register but with all of the users out there it shouldn't be hard to find a friend who can email you one or just leave a comment and I can get one to you. After registering you have your "profile" page. You can customize this with information about you as well as a profile picture. Here you will see all of your organization boards. There are some preset and you can also create any for whatever category you choose. This is the page people are going to see when looking at your profile.

What you will see when you log in to the site is different. On this site you are able to "follow" people as well as have them "follow" you. What you see when you log in is all the things that the people you follow have "pinned". You can follow people, friends or not, as well as just certain categories from each person or all of their "pins". You can also "repin" things that the people you follow have pinned and post them to your profile. Here is where we explain a little better. Pinterest has a toolbar that you can download. As you search the internet for anything at all, clothing, crafts, recipes, etc. Anything you can look up online you can "pin" to your Pinterest profile. If I am looking at a quilt online, and by this point I have probably clicked on 15 links and jumped to 8 different websites to find it, all I have to do is click the little "pin it" button on my toolbar, pick any picture from the page I am on, choose the board I want it to go to, add a description and click "pin". Now, anytime I want to pull up that quilt I log on to Pinterest, go to that board and click on the picture of the quilt and it takes me straight to that link. Make sense?

Also, you can search Pinterest itself. There are billions of ideas from other users from all over the internet right there for you to browse! The hardest part about this is the fact that when you search through Pinterest it searches the descriptions of each persons pin. The fact that we all write our own description can sometimes make this a little difficult. If I pin a lasagna recipe but in the description box I write "It's what's for dinner!" and do not say anything about what it is, when you go to search for lasagna recipes mine will not show up.

Another thing to keep in mind when pinning items onto your boards is the source. Sometimes you find a great idea but when you go to click through to the actual site it is only an image or it will say "uploaded by user" and just keep opening the same window. (Not sure why that happens.) A lot of ideas come from blogs but when you click through the blog post was actually showing a few ideas from other blogs so you still have to click through to find the actual post online. When you are pinning ideas from all over the internet it is best to make sure that you are on the actual site with the correct link in the address bar so that way you can get back to it and others can get to it easily as well.

The last tip I have also deals with the description bar. While you want to describe the item you can also add a personal statement or even a reminder to yourself. For instance, I am going to be planning a 2nd (AAHHHHHHHH!!!!!) birthday party for my daughter Ryleigh. I may describe something as "Owl Birthday Cake. This will be perfect for Ryleigh's 2nd birthday!". Now all of my followers can see the cake, are able to go to the site the cake is on and see my description that tells what it is and what I may be doing with it. Now let us say that my husbands second cousin who is retired sees my pin of this cake and wants to repin it to her page because she loves all things owls. Well, she repins this but doesn't change the description. Now everyone who follows her sees that she loves this owl cake for some random 2 year olds birthday. Odd, right? I am not saying you have to write your own descriptions but it is a good idea to read them before you post and make sure they apply to you before you inadvertently tell the world that your husband made you a crocheted hat or some other completely untrue statement.

I think that is the basics. I may have missed a lot or just not know what this site is capable of but I do have to say that it is amazing!!! The internet is a crazy web of sites and information and it is great to have a way to keep track of all the wonderful ideas you come across online with the social media aspect as well. You get to see what other people find and get great ideas! I would definitely recommend this site to anyone who has ever used the internet to find a recipe, or toddler boredom busters, school ideas, home decor, fashion, hairstyles, makeup, and on and on and on.

I am sure if you are a user of Pinterest you have spent countless hours in front of your computer looking at organizing ideas and drooling over the yummy foods and cakes. I think some days I spend more time looking at all the things I could do than I do actually doing them. That is where my new blog series comes in. Practicing What You Pinterest. There are so many ideas out there but how many do you actually do? How many seem like great ideas but aren't the time savers they claim to be? I have had a lot of success with the things I have tried. There were also a few things that I don't feel were worth the effort. Each week I plan on posting about something I found on Pinterest and what my thoughts are on it. I won't be doing tutorials, after all, I am not trying to reinvent the wheel, just telling you what it is, where it is from and what I think. That simple.

I know that I am notorious for a lack of follow through so if you don't see more posts then email me, text me, call me. Whatever it takes. Also, if you have any ideas that you want tried provided they are cheap and easy, I will do my best to get it on here! I am all about the cheap and easy. If it is going to be a 3 week long project and I have to not feed my children to do it then it probably won't happen. I am sure I will do some more involved things that I see if I love it for my house or it will be a benefit to my family but those are going to be too few and far between for this series. So... here we go! Please let me know what you think and what you would like to see or how I can make it better!

Choosing Love

I feel like this post needs a preface.

These are just my thoughts on the subject. I am not an expert. I am no ones judge. I truly pray that this will be helpful and encouraging to someone out there or I would not be up this late typing. I am simply writing this because I need to hear it and I have seen too many of my friends hurting lately. I don't think that this could or would have been a fix for everything going on in their lives but I know that I have been truly grateful over the years to whoever it was that first told me that LOVE isn't a feeling. It's a choice.

1 Corinthians 13

The love chapter. The book every Christian turns to when proclaiming anything on the subject of love. I love this chapter. 13 verses that speak volumes. It is beautiful but at the same time, it is hard to see the beauty of it without seeing the hardship of it.

When I used to think of love, I would think of Valentine's Day. Hearts and flowers. Romance. Butterflies in your stomach. Getting dressed up to see someone and spending all your time away from them just thinking of them. Now when I think of love, I think of a choice. A choice you make to love every single day from the moment you say "I do."

I love my husband. It is a completely different love than 12 years ago. So many things have changed. Me, him, our lives together, kids, responsibilities. It isn't a bad change and each one of these things will change the way you love that person in ways you cannot expect. Still, love isn't the warm, fuzzy feeling that everyone thinks of when they hear the word. It is truly a choice. I wake up in the morning and I choose to love my husband. (my kids and life and all of that as well but you will see where this is going) Some days that choice is like breathing, you just do it. Other days I make that choice over and over and over. Especially when I open my bible and see that:

Verse 4: Love is Patient

I am NOT a patient person. I want you to hear me the first time. Do what I ask the first time. Do it now. But today I chose to love my husband. That means when I have repeated myself for the upteenth time and he asks me to repeat it again. I do it. And I don't roll my eyes, or sigh, or tell him he is deaf, even though he probably can't hear me. (By the way, I need to make better choices!)

Verse 4: Love is Kind

I was browsing the older posts of my little blog here and realized. I am kinda mean. Maybe a lot mean. While I am a lot better than I was I still have a ways to go. Being kind does not come naturally to me. I find myself rolling my eyes at Charles a lot. I mean, who does that?? ME! I think I need to look up the word kind in the dictionary.

Verse 4: It Does Not Envy

Not a problem! Or is it?
Does that mean when my hubs walks out the door and "escapes" to the land of grown ups and eats lunch at a restaurant with real silverware and tablecloths and has conversations using words that are longer than 3 letters I don't get to be jealous??? Tell him how unfair it is he gets to have a life at that job of his and I am stuck in the house with little people all day? Can I at least remind him of all the tedious and gross things I am stuck doing while he is away living out his dreams? NO! Hmmm....

**Let me just say that this whole choosing to LOVE someone isn't looking so good. It's hard. And honestly, if I were my husband, I would start to wonder if I was loved at all. If the bible says that love is these things and I am being shown the complete opposite how does that feel?**

Moving on.

Verse 4: It does not boast,
It is not proud.
Verse 5: It does not dishonor others,
It is not self-seeking

Self seeking? Like when I know my husband likes to have the house picked up and clean clothes to wear to work and I don't do it unless I want to go hang out with friends? Is it wrong to do those things simply to ease my guilt? Not because they are expected of me because I am a woman or because I am a stay at home mom. Simple because this is my family. My husband goes to work everyday and provides for us. Should I not too have a responsibility to him and my kids to get things done as a leader of our household?

Verse 5: It is not easily angered

Enough said there.

Verse 5: It keeps no record of wrongs

Like last week when he forgot to put a trash bag in the trash can even though I have asked him to do it every week and every week he forgets? Like that kind of record? Sure there are serious issues that come up in a marriage and they are repeated and need to be addressed. You work on it. Don't let someone's shortcomings build resentment.

Verse 6: Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth.

I once had someone tell me that they hoped one day they could confirm the suspicion of their husband cheating years in the past so they could justify leaving. It broke my heart. Of course I don't condone that behavior but how can you want to have it proved true at all? Do you allow your relationship to sit stagnant if that chance ever arises? Do you give up on any relationship you have built since because of something committed well before? I do not know what I would do in that situation exactly but I do know it would take a whole lot to get me to ever consider ending a marriage. Without some serious attempts with professional help at saving it and a release from God from the marriage I am in it for good.

Verse 7: It always protects,
always trusts,
always hopes,
always perseveres.

This in no way sounds good. Maybe it's because I read tons of books and have an overactive imagination I can't help but think: What kind of situation do I have to be in to be protecting, trusting, hoping and persevering? It honestly does not sound like something I want to go through.

I look at all of this and I am overwhelmed. Why on earth would I choose to love someone if it is going to be this hard? Look at all I have to put in to making this choice EVERY DAY. I was just here for the chocolates! But for me, when we go back to the beginning it is like this:

There is this guy. We met and fell in love. (Remember the whole warm, fuzzy love?) We get married, live together a while, have some kids, grow older, we have responsibilities and have to start making plans for our future as well as our kids. There are some really good times and I love him. There are some really bad times and I choose to love him. Despite how hard it might be or how many times that day I had to ask for forgiveness and decide again. I may not know exactly what you are going through but after almost 12 years I have gone through a lot. The choice is the same. I know that it is worth it to choose to love. When I look at my husband I know that in all the good and all the bad he has to wake up each morning and make a choice. He chooses to love me. And then I can truly understand.

1 Corinthians 13
4 Love is patient, love is kind.
It does not envy, it does not boast,
it is not proud.
5 It does not dishonor others,
it is not self-seeking,
it is not easily angered,
it keeps no record of wrongs.
6 Love does not delight in evil
but rejoices with the truth.
7 It always protects, always trusts,
always hopes, always perseveres.
8 Love never fails.