weekly 10

1.  I was praising God on Tuesday with the results of my mammogram/ultrasound.  And then I checked my facebook and saw the news of two people I went to college with that have been diagnosed with cancer.  Definitely humbled me and made me that much more grateful for the good news I received.  One of the girls was diagnosed with stage 4 breast cancer.  She is my age and was first diagnosed at age 30 when pregnant with her son.  I thought pregnancy was full of anxiety, but add chemo to that... she is definitely a strong woman.  She actually started an amazing non profit org for those dealing with cancer called Hope Scarves.  Check it out here....  http://hopescarves.org/

2.  I tried to stay away from it as long as I could, but Ashton finally became victim to the stomach flu on Sunday night.  Grant seemed to think it was an appropriate time to claim a tummy ache to get out of going to school the next day. Not cool that he is starting this at age 4.

3.  The anticipation of when the rest of us will get the flu is killing me.  I wish we could just get it over with already.

4.  Ashton built me a beautiful house the other day.  Not sure how I feel about the polar bear on the roof though- that might give me nightmares!  It is funny how different my boys are.  Grant could give or take building blocks but Ashton will sit for an hour straight and just build.

5. While I am mentioning differences.... Ashton refuses to let me do anything for him.  Grant on the other hand refuses to do anything for himself.  Polar opposites.

6.  Ashton's favorite food these days is green olives.  He would sit down and eat an entire can if we let him. 

7.  The other night at dinner, I asked Grant to pray and he did a great job thanking God for the beautiful day even though it was only 9 degrees outside and we couldn't leave the house!  Ashton asked if he could pray too... "Dear Lord.  Bless the juice and the pepsi (what he was calling 7 up when he was sick) and this and this and this as he proceeded to point to the peas, turkey burger and avacado on his plate.  It was so precious.

8.  If I knew it was going to snow this much this winter, I probably would have asked for a snow blower for Christmas.  My back hurts.

9.  I was trying summer clothes on Grant the other day and realized that he has grown out of his wardrobe from last summer already.  I knew he had gotten taller, but that just confirmed it.  My baby is no longer looking like my baby.  Sigh.

10.  Blessing of the week: our house is framed!  It seemed like it took forever and a day to get to this point.  Now that it is here, I am ecstatic!  We have had these plans in our heads for so long that I literally cried as we walked through it because it is actually happening.  And then I cried because we had to shovel 8 inches of snow off the main floor:)

good news....

It is not a cancerous lump!  It is glandular tissue that has been there the whole time but is suddenly becoming more prominent/large due to hormones in my body.  I always knew I was full of wacky hormones:)

I have to consult with my dr now to find out what to do about the lump from here.   I am just so thankful that they could tell me right there on the spot that it was nothing of concern and not make me wait a couple days.

I was so full of anxiety before this appointment.  Everyone kept telling me it would be nothing, but you only ever hear about the women who go in and hear the news that it is cancer and that is what your mind goes to. This past week definitely gave me a new perspective on everything.  I hugged my boys a little tighter and have learned to not sweat the small stuff meaning my house is a disastrous mess and I don't care!

Thank you all so much for the prayers and words of encouragement.  I definitely felt a peace as I sat in that freezing cold office waiting for my results.  It was a peace that I know only could come from all the prayers lifting me up. I am grateful.

Prayers

I would really appreciate some prayers today.  I am having a mammogram and ultrasound on a lump in my right breast at 2:30.  I found the lump in November and assumed it was a cyst due to the characteristics of it and the info I read on webmd.  Last week at my annual exam, my dr thought it was excess tissue.  Either way, I am a 'go instantly to worse case scenario' type of gal and am totally freaking out.  If you think of it today, could you please lift me up with prayers of peace for my heart and mind and prayers that this lump is not cancerous.  Thanks!  

Another fun list I saw on Pinterest that I thought I would use for my 2014 goals.  List by Lauren Conrad.

A bad habit I am going to break:
Coveting.  "Do not love the things of this world.  Those who covet will find no satisfaction." 1 John 2:15
"Be content with what you have-contentment allows you to enjoy what God has given you." Hebrews 13:5

A great article I recently read on this topic can be found at this link to Thriving Family Magazine.  This definitely describes all the issues I fight with in this digital age.

A destination I would like to visit:
I always want to go back to Hawaii but don't think that will actually happen again until my kids are older.  More realistically, I would love to go to New England in the fall and see the colors.

I am going to work harder at:
Decluttering my life.  I am a slight hoarder.  That fact combined with two small children and a house with no closets other than for clothes, means my house is always a cluttered mess.  I can't wait until we move and I actually have places to put things and I have space to go through all my treasures and get rid of stuff!

A project I would like to finish:
my house:)

A class I would like to take:
I would love to learn how to sew.

I would like to spend more time doing:
devotionals.  Still looking for a good book.  Let me know if you have a recommendation.

A food I want to ear more of:
I always need more chocolate in my life:)  I would like to incorporate quinoa in more things though.  I have a great stuffed pepper quinoa recipe but that is about all I have used it for.

I want to wear more:
This is one of my coveting issues.  I just don't have a budget for new clothes all the time so instead of saying I want to wear something more, I am going to commit to being happy that I have clothes to wear at all.

What are your resolutions?

weekly 10

1.  The last few winters I have longed for winter wonderland days where we are stuck inside, eating chili and cozying up to the fire.  I never really got that wish.  This year however we are trying to build a house and somehow I get that wish every.single.day.

2.  This is Jason shoveling off the first floor of our house.

3.  The other day I caught Grant putting my Victorias Secret swim catalog (previously put in the recycling bin) on the bookshelf.  I told him that we didn't need to keep that and he looked at me and siad,"I just want to keep it there so I can look at it every day."  LOL!

4.  This past weekend was supposed to be our annual ski trip up north.  Mother Nature decided to dump a lot of snow and cold temps on us so we chose to stay a little closer to home.  Grant loved skiing and if it wasn't really cold out, he probably would have stayed all day.

5.  Ashton even got his turn at skiing.  I had no doubts that he would love it since he loves anything that requires adventure.  He went down the hill with a daddy a couple times and then we made him go in cause it was cold out.  He also would have stayed out there all day.

6.  This was taken at the top of the mountain.  Whiteout conditions but the fluffy snow was really nice to ski through.

7.  After skiing we checked into a local hotel with a really cool pool.  The boys loved the hot tub that went outside.  Ashton loved the pool.  He is a true fish and scares the heck out of me.  I can't wait until June when he can get into his swim lessons.

8.  Grantism:  I took the ornaments off the tree while Grant was in quiet time the other day.  He came downstairs and said,"mom, why is the tree unhung?" 

9. It was definitely a weekend of outdoor adventure for us.  On Saturday Jason and I went snowshoeing through the golf course that our house is on.  It was beautiful out there and fun to see our house from a different perspective.

10.  Blessing of the week:  A "message" from above letting me know my girls are being loved on and taken good care of by their grandma in heaven.

20 questions....

I saw this on Facebook and thought it would be fun for my end of year post.....

20 questions for a New Year’s Eve reflection

1. What was the single best thing that happened this past year?
We started building our house in November

2. What was the single most challenging thing that happened?
Started to build our house.  We were supposed to start in August and it just kept getting pushed back and then we had issues with our septic drain location.  It was pretty much a nightmare to get it going.

3. What was an unexpected joy this past year?
Our camping adventure.  It was a perfect time of reflection and relaxation in a time that we desperately needed it.

4. What was an unexpected obstacle?
Taking Grant to preschool.  I never realized how hard it would be on both of us to let him go.

And, the passing of Jason's grandma.  She was such an amazing person that exemplified Christ like living and she is missed everyday.

5. Pick three words to describe this past year.
excitement, challenges, grief 


6. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe your year—don’t ask them; guess based on how you think your spouse sees you. (If you’re not married, have fun guessing the answers from other friends and family, or just skip this question.)
hmmmmm.... I really don't know!  He always says I am too emotional and attached and I need to let go and stop trying so hard so maybe let go would be appropriate:)

7. Pick three words your spouse would use to describe their year—again, without asking.
excitement, challenges, hard work (his beach project, house projects he is helping with)


8. What were the best books you read this year?
Charles Martin books were my favorite this year.  Of course I can't remember the name of the one I liked the best!

9. With whom were your most valuable relationships?
I have formed a wonderful friendship with my neighbor Jodi.  I kinda think she was an answer to prayer actually.  I have been lonely for quite a while.  I have friends, but most of them grew up here, have church friends, or family and pretty much already have strong friendships formed.  Jodi is a person that would do anything for you without expecting anything in return.  She would never judge me by what school I send my kids to or laugh at me for wearing my jammies all day.  When she found out about our girls, she brought us flowers in their memory and is not afraid to bring them up in everyday conversation unlike a lot of people who actually lived through the experience.


10. What was your biggest personal change from January to December of this past year?
My biggest challenge is always to stop comparing myself with others and wanting what they have.  I feel I have come a long way at realizing that my life is pretty great and material things don't matter as much as the 3 cute boys I have in my life.

11. In what way(s) did you grow emotionally?
I let go of all the what ifs this year.  Yes, I did catch those daddy daughter dance pictures, but for the most part I was able to stop wondering what life would be like if my girls were here.  That was a huge accomplishment for me.  It felt very freeing emotionally.


12. In what way(s) did you grow spiritually?
Not sure I really grew spiritually this year.  I am on a hunt for a good devotional book to get me back on track.

13. In what way(s) did you grow physically?
The only way I grew physically was the ginormous zit that appeared on my chin the day before Christmas......I thought that stuff wasn't supposed to happen when you were 36? 


14. In what way(s) did you grow in your relationships with others?
I tried to be authentic in all relationships I had.

15. What was the most enjoyable part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
 I love being able to stay home with my boys and be a part of their daily life. And then get out for two days to grow my patience and have some adult conversation!  I feel very blessed that I am able to make that work.


16. What was the most challenging part of your work (both professionally and at home)?
 Relationships with co workers that didn't have good intentions in their heart.

17. What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?
Facebook.  About half way through the year I started checking it only once a day and that was very freeing for me. It also helped in my coveting of others since I wasn't seeing all their perfect family pictures complete with fifteen pinterest projects in the background!


18. What was the best way you used your time this past year?
playing on the floor with my boys

19. What was biggest thing you learned this past year?
To cherish every moment.


20. Create a phrase or statement that describes this past year for you.
I have no idea so instead I am going to pick the theme for 2014- the year of the house.  We have dreamed about this house ever since we bought this property 6 1/2 years ago.  To finally see this dream become a reality is overwehelming.

weekly 10

1.  Ashton seems to be coming out of his no sleep phase.  He has slept through the night 5 out of the last 7 days.  I will take it!

2.  I take that back.... the last two nights he refuses to go to sleep.  And then last night he woke up an hour after he finally fell asleep.  When I asked him this morning why he won't sleep, he told me it was his super creature powers.  Maybe we need to lay off the Wild Kratts a bit:)

3.  Jason and I were lucky enough to get away for our annual Christmas trip to Chicago with some friends last weekend.  This is something that my family has done every year since I was in high school so to me it isn't Christmas until I see all the twinkling lights on Michigan Ave.

4.  To Jason, it isn't Christmas until we hike out to the big tree by Macy's.    

5. Our extended family Christmas party was moved to Sunday this year so tit was the first time since Jason and I have met that we actually had no where to be on Christmas.  We spent the day in our jammies laying around and watching the boys go crazy with all of their toys.  In the evening we took a trip out to our lot to see if they had delivered the lumber yet and then we stopped at Chinese to grab some take out.  I could definitely see making this laid back Christmas a tradition!

6. Ashton never ceases to amaze me.  I was working with Grant on his counting this morning and suddenly Ashton burst out with 1- 20 all by himself.  It was a little rough around 12 but for a 2 year old that doesn't even know his ABCs I was really impressed!

7. Christmas morning Grant woke up at about 8 and started to head downstairs.  There were a few presents that my mom still needed to put under the tree so he had to sit at the top of the stairs with daddy to wait.  While they waited, Grant reminded daddy that Christmas isn't about the presents it is about God and all that He gave us.  What a sweet thing to hear. 

8.  I am in serious Christmas let down mode.  It is hard to go from Christmas 24/7 to nothing.  I am glad Sirius gives you an extra week of Christmas tunes so I can bring myself down gradually.

9.  My favorite Christmas tune is Silent Night sung by our church congregation by candle light at our Christmas Eve service.  I never make it past 'Sleep in Heavenly Peace' without balling my eyes out, but it is so beautiful that I long for that moment every Christmas.
 

10.  Blessing of the week:  seeing the look on the boys faces as they opened their presents.  They were so excited and quite spoiled I might add!  I just love to sit back and soak it all in and thank God for these simple yet amazing moments.