New Favorite Quote

"When you reach the end of your rope,....
You will find the hem of
His garment."

2009 Resolutions (warning...long winded!)

It seems like every year I make some type of a resolution, only to not really end up following through. (I can only think of once that I actually completely accomplished my goal.) I love the idea of a New Year and a "fresh start", if you will. But the list of resolutions is not working for me, though I still want to better my family and myself with this upcoming year. For the past week or so I have been contemplating how I can do what I want to do and be successful. And all of this thinking has brought me back to the days when I was working and I had goals to set for an entire business that we needed to accomplish.

When it was time to set goals for my restaurant, I focused on what was referred to as the 80/20. What 20% of the things I wanted to work on would give me the biggest impact that would follow through to the other 80%? I started thinking of my life in that way and what I wanted to accomplish. What one or two (or even three) things could I focus on that would ultimately help me to accomplish MORE in this upcoming year and help me to be the better person I truly wanted to be WITHOUT setting too many goals and trying to work on too many things? Because the simple truth is that the more things you pile on your plate, the less thoroughly they all get taken care of.

Some of the things I want to accomplish this year include having more patience with the children. I want to remember that they are children and just let them "be" and not get so frustrated. Goofy, procrastinating, whatever it happens to be at that time. I also want to work on remembering that I am my own person, and to be happy for and with my family, I need to make sure I take care of me, too. I want to work on relationships with certain friends and loved ones. Some are thoroughly broken, some are slightly damaged, and some are only superficial, and there could be more depth to them. I want to remember to take time to find the joy in the journey and not always be so obsessed with what the end result of something is. And the last one I'll mention in my growing list is that I want to work on "Letting go and let God." I always try to control every detail of my and my families lives and try to fix and solve and even anticipate and figure out how I will solve every "potential" problem that may arise. I lose sleep, I stress, I don't eat, I make list after list, etc... I make plans and back up plans and then back up plans for my back up plans. It is exhausting!!

As you can see, I have quite the list of things that have crossed my mind that I would like improved. So I think it only made sense to try to figure out what REALISTICALLY I could work on that might hopefully impact the most things. And after a few days of contemplation, it hit me, and I couldn't believe that I didn't see it before. God. Improving my relationship with Him would flow into each and every aspect of what I talked about.

Not too long after getting pregnant with Jazmine (who was a planned pregnancy) the "world" fell out from under us, so to speak. We thought we were finally back up on our feet after a few years of serious struggling, so we decided to start a family, and then everything crumbled again. My faith at that time kept me positive, it helped keep my husband positive, and it kept us happy. Without my faith I am not sure what would of been, and I am not sure I want to know. However, somewhere in the middle of trying to run mine and my children's lives since then, I forgot that I am not the one that needs to be in control. I am fickle, I guess you could say, in letting God be in control. I do everything I can all by myself these days, and only stop to pray and ask for help from Him when I am about to be crushed by the burdens I am carrying. We still have been going to church because we found one that we love here in town, but I don't feel the connection with the Lord I once felt.

My resolution for 2009 is to work on my faith and trust in the Lord. I want to truly let him into my life and to STAY in control in my life. So though I am not a new believer, and have been raised in a Christian home and gone to church most of my life, I have made a point to ask the Lord into my life once more. I want to reopen my heart to Him. I feel a passion again that has been missing for a little while.

Asking Him back into my life will help me to start being a better person. It will help me with patience, it will help me with love and understanding in my other relationships, it will make it easier to be willing to stand back and let Him steer my life. I will hopefully be able to realize that He has a plan, though it may not always seem apparent to me, and I just need to TRUST.

So after many days of contemplating, after writing list after list after list, and after typing my longest entry in my blog EVER, I have realized the ONE thing that will give me the biggest impact. The ONE thing that will help me to make the most out of this year without overloading myself. Through the Lord I can improve all I hope to improve.

A look back at 2008

As the New Year really gets going this week, I decided I wanted to take a look back on what 2008 was like.

~We moved from Washington (where we had been all our lives) to Oregon
~Jazmine turned two and Isaac turned one.
~Isaac started walking and talking and Jazmine suddenly turned from my baby girl to a little girl
~Got reconnected with friends from highschool
~Found a new church we fell in love with
~Left both Isaac and Jazmine in daycare at the church for the first time ever
~Formed new friendships and really started to turn Salem into our "home"
~Spent the summer with family visiting us
~I started working again, but am lucky enough to be able to still keep the children with me
~Took the children to the Pumpkin Patch for the first time...also my first time since I was old enough to remember
~The children went Trick-or-Treating for the first time (Isaac as a pumpkin, Jaz as a bumblebee)
~Elected a new President that I am so very excited and passionate about for the first time since I was old enough to vote
~Had our first Thanksgiving in Oregon at Lenny's cousin's house
~Planned on having our first ever Christmas without tons of family around
~Had a huge winter storm that had us without power for days, so we spent Christmas with friends and it was wonderful

I am excited to see what 2009 will bring. The last year had plenty of challenges and heartbreak, like I think almost every year usually holds in store, but maybe, just maybe, 2009 will have a few less. :)

Calgon, take me away...

I can't believe it has been a month since my last post. Well, actually I can. It has been hectic. And if I have time to update a blog, I have been doing the childrens.

Work has been super busy. It seems like there is always something to do and I feel like I can never catch up. The first 3 weeks after Thanksgiving we had 7 apartments to turn. One turnover takes from 2-4 days, depending. So that has taken almost every free moment I have had.

The children are doing well, but Isaac has been a handful. I am at my wits end and do not know what to do. He has started these Earth shattering temper tantrums. Biting, hitting, screaming, flailing around, throwing things...I have tried everything I can think of or have read about or have had the pediatrician suggest. He is my laughing little boy one minute, then if he doesn't get what he wants or Jazmine makes him mad...on comes the temper tantrum. There has been numerous times that I am so exhausted by the end of the day, I just cry. I feel like I am failing as a mother. Everyone says "It's a stage"...well I'll tell you where this "stage" can be shoved!!

Then the middle of December, Mother Nature decided to dump a little extra "winter weather" on us. Snow came down like crazy, causing the ODOT to require chains to get around for periods of time off and on. Lenny's job site was shut down because they were outside, so more time with no income. Then in the middle of the "Arctic Blast", while Seattle continued to get snow, we got 2 inches of freezing rain. Oh, and did I mention that that 2 solid inches of ice was on top of the layer of 8 inches of snow we had? There was so much snow and ice everywhere, that trees were falling like crazy. So of course that means these falling trees were bound to hit a few power lines. At one point in time, more than 57,000 were without power. Of course we were part of that large number. And then just for fun in the middle of that, Mother Nature gave us another 6 inches of snow, and one more inch of freezing rain! She has been so generous this year!!!! I'll take the snow anytime, but the ice I could do without!

The first two days without power we stayed here at the apartment. We ate cereal and PB&J and hung out and tried to stay warm. Unfortunately these apartments are not well built, and therefore they do not keep the warm air in. Actually, you can feel a breeze inside on a windy day. So by the start of day 3, when we could see our breath in the air, we decided it was time to jump ship. Thankfully a friend from highschool of Lenny's (actually his sisters' BFF) moved to town a few weeks ago, and they welcomed us with open arms! (Thanks, you guys are the best!!) Late Christmas Eve, the power finally came back on, after 4 1/2 days. So we headed home!! In all honesty, I felt like a failure finding a place to go, because a couple years ago in Seattle we were without power for 7 days. But we had a fireplace so we kept warm even though Jazmine was just a baby. Anyway....

Christmas was nice. The children love their gifts, and then we spent Christmas day with Mindy, Adrian, and their two little girls. (They are the ones who took us in for those couple days.) Watched a movie, splurged on beer and wine, had a nice Prime Rib dinner and watched the children all play together. And did a good amount of laughing and chatting.

This past weekend was busy again, because we are still cleaning up storm damage around the apartment complex. Lots of trees and branches down. Plus we have had bad wind the last two days so more branches and mess keep accumulating. Not to mention the garbage. It was like everyone thought they could litter all over the complex and it would be hidden by the snow. Well, it was. For a while. Now it seems like everywhere I look there is trash to clean.

This week will also be a little hectic. We have 2 more apartments that have been vacated, and 2 more at the beginning of next week. Once again, it will keep my "free" time to a minimum. As for New Years, still no plans. I think New Years Day I will make homemade pizza with the children. A very dear friend of mine introduced me to that tradition a long time ago, and I did it every year except last year. I know Jazmine is going to have fun with it. Isaac too, since it's both of their favorite food!

I really hope things settle back down soon, so I can start keeping up again!!

Happy Thanksgiving!!

Happy Turkey Day!!!!

We started our turkey yesterday morning since we are smoking it, and have been working on it ever since. But it sure is starting to smell good and it looks fabulous!! I also decided to try to make some Pumpkin cookies last night since I was up all night, and they turned out great! I am pretty sure this is the first successful baking session I have ever had. LOL!

As soon as the bird is done, we will pack it up and all head over to Lenny's cousin Mark and his wife Kinda's house. They live about an hour and a half from here. Doris, Kristi, Monea and Kayla made the drive down yesterday and are already there. And Mindy, Adrienne, and their two girls are coming over, too. They just moved here to Salem, and Mindy is actually Kristi's best friend. It should be a good day with, of course, lots of fabulous food! Oh, and children. Mindy's girls are 2 1/2 and 9 months, and then Kinda and Mark have a 3 month old. Should be eventful. ;)

I hope everyone has a great Thanksgiving full of friends and family. And lets all try to remember what we are thankful for.

It's been forever.....

I have not really posted in forever, it seems. For a few different reasons. First of all, things have been pretty chaotic around here. Work is really busy for us here at the complex. There are literally hours of raking/blowing leaves every day right now. THANKFULLY we are almost done with the leaves falling.

I have also been busy with apartment turnovers. I have two I am currently working on, two I finished last week, and three more coming up next week. Ugh!!! On top of that I designed a blogger page for the complex that we are using in our Craigslist and Kijiji ads. Check it out if you get bored.. www.woodsideestates.blogspot.com . I had to read a ton of different html pages to learn how to write the code the way I wanted it since Blogger doesn't offer layouts with different navigation pages. Also last week my Mother and Grandmother came to visit for a few days. That was fun, but again, kinda crazy with that many people in a small apartment.

Last but not least Lenny is not working currently. So besides the chaos and stress that unemployment adds, he is always hogging the computer.

Right this moment the children are asleep, Lenny is at school, and I am sitting here on the computer enjoying "ME" time listening to my music. The music of choice right now is the Contemporary Christian channel on Pandora. Things have been really rough as of late, and I needed a little boost.

Besides the craziness of life, part of the reason I haven't posted is that I haven't felt like I have anything worth saying. Things are a huge struggle right now and it takes absolutely everything in me to wake up every morning and put a smile on my face, tell everyone that I am fine and everything is good, and keep the family afloat. Unemployment compensation is a joke, and the only reason we literally have a roof over our head is that it's a fringe benefit of work here at the complex. THANK GOD FOR THAT! Otherwise unemployment wouldn't' even cover rent. Bills need paid, but the children need food on the table. It's hard. And it breaks my heart that all this is going on with Christmas just weeks away. We were not intending on spending tons of money, but we were at least hoping to get the children a few goodies. But we will see. I just keep praying and doing everything I can to stay positive. And I remind myself that there are way too many people out there in the world that are going through worse times. That keeps it in perspective.

Besides that, the children are doing so fabulous these days. I finally got Isaac pretty much sleeping through the night, though most nights he ends up in bed with Jazmine. Jazmine is such smart girl. She now is up to 6 words that she can "read" on sight. She talks just like a little girl. There is no baby there anymore. And in just a couple months she will be 3!! I can't believe it. Isaac is a talking fool these days. He now says so many words I can't even keep track of them. And the last of his teeth (except for his 2 yr molars) are just about in. They are both so smart, so happy, and so loving that I feel like my heart could explode when I think of how lucky I am to have them.

The Bucket List

I just saw the movie The Bucket List not too long ago. And it got me thinking. When I was younger, my own "Bucket List" would of had things on it like visit Africa and take a safari, go to Greenland, do the Iditarod, swim with Orcas and dolphins, etc... I may of put have children and a family on there. But now that I have children, my list today would be so very different.

I want to watch my children grow. Make memories every day with them. Find the biggest park we can with the longest slide. Go to Disneyland. See the Grand Canyon. Go to Yellowstone. And then I want to be there at their highschool and college graduations, be a part of their weddings, hold my grandchildren, etc... Those are two completely different "Bucket Lists".

It doesn't mean that I still don't want to do that other stuff, because I do. But it isn't my priority. And if I live to the ripe old age of 97 or something, and have the pleasure of enjoying all of those things with my children, then maybe I'll change my "Bucket List" back to the types of things it was before. Imagine doing the Iditarod at 97....LOL! ;)

Tuesday.....

....is Election Day. Have you voted yet or are you going to???

Our ballots are already completed and sent back in.

I love your blog

I got tagged (awarded) with the "I love your blog" pic from my fabulous friend Ame. I thought it would be fun to continue and join in myself!!!

The rules are . . .

1 - Add the logo to your blog.
2 - Add a link to the person who awarded it to you.
3 - Nominate at least 7 other bloggers.
4 - Add links to their blogs.
5 - Leave a comment for your nominees on their blogs!

I think there are at least 7 blogs I love to check out!! :) Okay, these will not be in any particular order, but here I go...

Ame~ One of the first friends I made in 7th grade when I moved to Walla Walla. She was always the best person in the world to act goofy with! I miss her dearly, but LOVE to read her blog. I get upset when she isn't blogging often enough!

Robin~ A mommy friend. :) I love seeing all the fabulous videos and pics of the family that she posts.

Brandi~ I love checking out Brandi's blog. Her family is precious, and she is an amazing photographer. There is always something fun to check out!

Robin~ A very talented mommy and who just joined the "mommy of two" club. Her family just relocated to FL from CA and I love keeping up with her fabulous boys!

Tracie~ Yet another mommy who's blog I love to follow to watch her adorable family!!

Stephanie~ Mommy to Quentin and Parker. She lives in Idaho but maybe she'll get this way sometime! Until then, I have her blog.

Helen~ Crazy Miss Helen! She is so goofy and her blog is always full of fun stuff that makes me laugh!

Liana~ I like keeping up on the happenings of Liana and Evan, though she doesn't blog nearly often enough!

Cara~ She hasn't been blogging very long but I love reading about Sawyer, the baby on the way and all of her opinions!

I am....

I have been digiscrapping for about a year now, and I always use the children for pages. Twice I have done pregnancy pages (without ever seeing my face), but this is the first page I have ever done that was about just me. Thought I'd share. ***if you click on the image, it gets big enough to allow you to see/read the journaling***