How much have you changed in 20 years

I snagged this from Amy from The King's Table. She didn't tag me, but it looked like fun so I stole it. I'm kinda sneaky that way. Love you Amy! :)

****20 YEARS AGO (1989)****

1) How old were you? 8

2) Who were you dating? yeah he was an older man...hehe NO I was 8!!!

3) Where did you work? nowhere, they had child labor laws back then

4) Where did you live? Springfield, MO

5) Where did you hang out? My friend Tara's and at my own home

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? glasses

7) Who were your best friends? Tara

8) How many tattoos did you have? none

9) How many piercings did you have? none

10) Had you been to a real party? slumber parties :)

11) Had you had your heart broken? nope

12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? Single

13) Any Kids? No

****15 YEARS AGO (1994)****

1) How old were you? 13

2) Who were you dating? no one

3) Where did you work? nowhere

4) Where did you live? Joplin, MO

5) Where did you hang out? home and Myra's

6) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? glasses

7) Who were your best friends? Myra and Angel

8) How many tattoos did you have? None

9) How many piercings did you have? ears

10)Had you been to a real party? nope

11) Had you had your heart broken? yes but it was the puppy love kind. Although that still hurts pretty bad

12) Were you Single/taken/Married/Divorced? single

13) Any Kids? 0

***10 YEARS AGO (1999)***

1) How old were you? 18

2) Who were you dating? not really

3) Where did you work? Taco Bell

4) Where did you live? Joplin, MO

5) Did you wear contacts and/or glasses? contacts and glasses

6) Who were your best friends? Heather

7) How many tattoos did you have? none

8) How many piercings did you have? ears

9) Had your heart broken? oh yes

10) Were you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? single

11)Any Kids? no

****TODAY (2009)****

1) Age? 28

2)Who are you dating? Married

3) Where do you work? at home

4) Where do you live? Joplin, MO

5) Who are your closest friends? My hubby, my mom and Heather

6) Do you talk to your old friends? yes

7) How many piercings do you have? ears

8) How many tattoos? None

9) Had your heart been broken? yeah hardcore breakage but I'm much better now

10) How many kids? Almost 3... Noah (7 , Anya (3) and The Little Squirmy Lump (due this summer)

11) Are you Single/Taken/Married/Divorced? I will have been happily married for 8 years in just 19 days!!!!

Now you try!!!!

Hello!

Oh goodness! I need to keep this blog up better! Not much new is going on. Just trying to keep up with life.
Today is my birthday! I am 28! Although it feels just like any other day. Noah’s at school, Hubby’s at work and I got lots of laundry to do.
I only have about 4 months left to get ready for this baby! Time flies! I have a lot to do, and PRAISE GOD! a friend of mine is loaning me pretty much everything I’m going to need. We had gotten rid of all our baby stuff. I wanted another one but we weren’t real sure it was going to happen so we just sold our baby stuff or gave it away. So this is such a blessing!
We still haven’t come up with a name yet. We have been thinking Emily maybe. But now that she’s been moving more, Emily just seems to be too much of a laid back name for her. I don’t know. Any suggestions?
Been doing inventory at the bead shop. It’s taking forever! It’s tedious, yet somehow enjoyable, work. Most of the beads are sold by the bead, so we get to count each and every bead. Seed beads are bagged up so we only have to count the bags of those. But the others, my gosh! There are hundreds upon hundreds! But we are determined to get it done so we can open up the shop!
Noah is doing good in school. He’s really liking it. I still don’t like the idea of public school, but until things change, I’m not going to be able to focus on home schooling him. I do plan on taking him out in a year or two, once things settle down and I can get more organized. Until then, he’ll do fine in public school. I just don’t like the idea of the government having that much control over MY child. But that’s a whole other blog post!
Anyway, I better get back to my laundry. Take care!

So much going on!

I can't believe it's been two whole months ince I last posted!!! Where should I start?

I guess with the business. We are soon going to be taking over a bead shop! When I was pregnant with Noah we went to a local bead shop and made some good friends. They're the ones who gave us our love for beads and actually taught us how to make jewelry. To start with, it was a bead shop/coffee bar. Well the coffee bar expanded to a little vegetarian restaurant. Now that's what they are focusing on. They don't have time for the beads anymore, but they don't want to close the bead shop altogether. So there is a room in front where they are keeping the bead shop and my hubby and I are going to run it. It will be all our business! We've wanted a shop of our own for so long now. And the plus of having it there is (beside the VERY inexpensive rent) they are keeping their inventory there for us to sell. We just pay them a percentage as we sell it. Plus, they are very business minded and are going to help us along and let us use their suppliers! It's the perfect situation! And we'll only have the shop open Mondays and Saturdays so I will still be able to be home with the kids the rest of the week!

Which brings me to something else. I put Noah in public school today. I wasn't keeping up well enough and with the new baby coming I knew it would just get worse. And today I found out that I had been doing worse than I thought because they had to do an assessment. They recommended putting him back in kindergarten. :( It was my choice. But they showed me how he did on the assessment and what he should be able to do and it looks like he would struggle too much if they put him in with the other first graders. I'm pretty mad at myself, but Noah doesn't seem to care at all. He's just happy to be around all the kids.

And yesterday I went in for my ultrasound! Everything on the baby is perfect! And it's a girl!!! We don't have a name picked out yet. We have a long list of them but can't narrow it down. We will soon enough though.

Isn't she sweet?

Well, I need to go get some stuff done. I've slacked far too long. Today was an eyeopener to that.

Love and hugs to all!

It's a baby!

I went for my first prenatal appt today! Everything is going great! I even got an ultrasound to determine exactly how far along I am. 11 weeks and 2 days! A little further than I was thinking. But that's cool! It was so awesome to see that little thing in there! It really made this pregnancy a reality for me. I know I've been sick, but it hadn't set in that there was an actuall baby in there. But the sweet little thing made itself very known! It's awas wiggling and kicking all around! Like it was doing a little jig for me! It was awesome!!!

Check out my sweet new baby!
This first one is the head. You can kinda make out a face. And the second one is from the side. See the little feet!
Here are a couple from the front.


I am so excited. Bet you couldn't guess that, huh?

Thankful Thursday!

What am I thankful for today? Where do I start?
*I'm thankful that I'm still having pregnancy symptoms (as icky as they are) even after having a bit of a scare. And I'm thankful that the scare is over.
* I'm thankful for my other two babies. As crazy as they drive me, I couldn't live without them!
* I'm thankful for my amazing, sweetheart of a hubby. He's just so huggable!!! (and kissable too!)
* I'm thankful that gas prices are going down.
* I'm thankful that the holiday season is upon us! It really is the most wonderful time of the year!!!
*I'm thankful that this year is almost over. It's been a doozy!
*I'm thankful that God has kept me on my feet through this doozy of a year. On my own I would've fallen flat on my face.

A Reed Shaking in the Wind?

“What did you come to see today?
A reed shaking in the wind?”

Those are the words based on Matthew 11:7 that are in the new song we are singing at church. Those are the words that made me bawl my eyes out Sunday morning. It was in the moment those words were sung, that I saw my whole life. Because that is exactly what I have been since I was young, a reed shaking in the wind. Always blowing one way or another. Never staying in one frame of mind long. Very indecisive and flakey. Then last night’s service, my pastor’s wife gave another word for me in her message. Vagabond Spirit. Oh, she didn’t say look I’m talking about Marietta! She’s pretty sensitive to the Holy Spirit though, so I wouldn’t be surprised if she sees it in me.
I don’t mean to be that way. But for some reason I am the most wishy-washy, most easily swayed person I know. I’ve never stuck with anything for long. Not once it got hard or complicated. I don’t want to be that way anymore! I CAN’T be that way anymore! I have too many things to do.
I am a mother. I am a wife. I am a Child of God. How can I truly do those jobs if I can’t stand strong? Obviously I can’t stand on my own strength. That would get me all the way to nowhere. I have to trust God and stand on HIS strength! I have to take hold of His promises and look the devil in his ugly face and tell him he can’t touch me or my family. And I want enough God behind me that the devil doesn’t laugh in my face! If I can’t stand with God, I’m as good as dead. And so is my family. It’s impossible to be a lukewarm Christian. Because being lukewarm negates your inheritance from the Lord.
In Revelations 3:15 & 16 Jesus says, “I know your deeds, that you are neither cold nor hot. I wish you were either one or the other! So, because you are lukewarm—neither hot nor cold—I am about to spit you out of my mouth.” (NIV)
So if I’m not going to go all out for the Lord, why bother at all. Playing church and not living for Him is living a lie. So, I had to make a choice. Get in or get out. Well, I know too much to get out. Jesus has done ruined me for the world! So I’m getting back in! All the way! God has re-ignited the fire in my heart for Him. I refuse to turn back now! He is my Lord and I’m going to speak it and live it! Everyone who knows me, will know whom I serve! A lot of them may not like it, but I have to stop living to please other people. It’s God’s opinion of me that matters, not their’s.

I'm still kickin'...barely...

You know that thing called morning sickness..I don't have it too bad. I have what you call afternoon and all night sickness. I have yet to lose my supper...if you know what I mean. I'm just horribly nauseous and exhausted! It's all for a good end though. At least I'm not sick for nothing! And it should be gone by Christmas, thank the Good Lord! I can't wait for my second trimester! No ickies and I'll get to feel my sweet baby move!! That's my favorite part!
Today I get a free day! Hubby's mom is taking the kids for the whole afternoon!!! I'm going to relax and watch tv! Without having to get up every 3 minutes to break up a fight! Wow! I'm so excited! The kids have been handfuls the past couple of weeks. I imagine it has something to do with the change in the weather. Hopefully we'll have our fireplace going this weekend. I guess it's supposed to get really cold here on Saturday. I'm so looking forward to it! A cracking fire, hot chocolate and Christmas music while we set up our Christmas tree!!! I get the Holiday Tingles just thinking about it!!! Anyway, I gotta go. TTFN!