Then Sings My Soul - I Don't Wanna Go

It is Saturday, and that means it is time for my favorite meme!!! Then Sings My Soul Saturday, sponsored by Amy over at Signs, Miracles and Wonders.

This one is special to me, on many different levels. Today is the anniversary of the day I married the most amazing man on the planet. I have been so Blessed to be his wife - he is truly a gift from Heaven. He is my very best friend, my greatest supporter, the love of my life and the best husband I could have ever asked for. I am truly honored to be his wife and to spend my life with him is simply wonderful.


This is the song we chose to have our buddy Alice sing while we lit our unity candle. We did the candle thing a bit differently. We lit a 3 wick candle, signifying that not only were we united with each other, but also with the Lord. HE is the center of our home, our marriage, our family and our love for each other. We chose this song because not only were we committing to go forward together, but to also go forward, as a couple, with God. Because, without HIM in us, we are a lie. To ourselves and to each other. We only know how to love because He first loved us. And we have chosen to keep our love sacred and pure - only for each other - through HIS love for us.



I don't wanna go somewhere, if I know that You're not there, 'cause I know that me without you is a lie...

Me with out my man - a lie...

Me without my Jesus - a bigger lie ...

US without our Jesus - the biggest lie of all.


I love you Honey, more every moment. You are everything I could have asked for and more. I can't wait to see what each and every tomorrow holds. As long as I have you by my side and we are following the Lord, we can do anything. Thank you for the best 5 years of my life. Thank you for my children, my home and the life you have given me.

Lord, thank You for my man, for his heart that is pure and for the love you show me through him. Thank you for making us whole and bringing us together. Let us glorify YOU through all that you give us.

It is Friday - Fitness Friday - which means it is time to check in on my progress this week...

Well, I have lost two more pounds. Which considering on my date last Friday we went to a Mexican Restaurant - which in my world, spells doom for the diet! I ate, not one, not two, but THREE enchiladas! Can you say "big goofball"? I knew ya could! BUT, I jumped right back on the wagon on Saturday. Then Sunday came and we ate lunch at Olive Garden. Pasta, in diet lingo, is the same exact word as mexican food. Same results too.
So, as of Monday I was down to a 5 pound loss (after the seven on Friday I was clearly disappointed in my self!!). I was back up to seven by Wed. and now I am at 8.9 - which counts as 9 in my book. Please do not pop my bubble. I am very happy in my dream world!

So, something that I learned this week.... Well, I got nothing. However, I will share something that I learned from Biggest Loser. And if you have kids - and therefor kid SNACKS - you may find helpful. So, the losers were going on a plane trip. And, can I just say that airports are NOT the place to be when hunger sets in! Forget the fact that there is a Cinnabon waiting in every terminal. Forget the fact that IF you can get past the Cinnabon, you will pass a news stand selling every type of CHOCOLATE known to man. Let's just focus on the fact that ANYTHING you find to eat - healthy or not - is gonna cost you FIVE HUNDRED DOLLARS! 'Nuff said.
Anyway, the losers wanted to keep on track, so they packed snack baggies. Each baggie contained 100 calories only. SO, if they did eat, they would know WHAT and HOW MUCH they were eating. BRILLIANT I tell you. 'Cause, let me just say, when ya got a pantry full of animal crackers, teddy grahams and fruit snacks, you can get carried away FAST. Just another little way to be prepared.

Also, if you are feeding your child a PBJ and chips and she leaves a little on her plate, take said plate DIRECTLY to the trash can and DUMP IT OUT. 'Cause leaving it in the sink with chip crumples and PBJ crust remnants can get pretty tempting very quickly.

I learned that just now.

And, were I not typing this as it happened, I may have found myself licking the plate.

But I didn't.

I dumped it.

And I am proud!

Visit Natalie at Bye Bye Fat Mom for links to more tips. Let's lose it together!!!

Thank You Lord ...

... for a man that can fix dern near anything on the planet!!!

My man, may I just say here and now for all of the world to hear, ROCKS!!! I love him far a million and five reasons, but today, today I love him for this: Proof positive that the Lord has give my man a gift of handy-man-ness!

The parts arrived yesterday afternoon - have I mentioned my fondness for FedEx lately - as a sweet surprise. And by 8:30 my man had that thing up and running. So, I took all of the laundry out of the room, sorted and arranged in order of importance all items (there were piles all the way down the hall and around the corner!) and started her up. Here is a glimpse of the laundry room this morning:


And this is three loads into the fun!! However, I must say that the room has not looked this organized in a loooooonnnnnngggggg time. I did not have to make a trip to the laundr-o-mat land of fun, and I am getting her done with great swiftness. Why? Because the great shaking has stopped. Not only did my man get her running, he got her running RIGHT! Funny thing, it wasn't supposed to shake like that! IMAGINE THAT!!!

In other news, Sweet Sophie Lee is 9 months old today!! I can hardly believe that this amazing child has been on this earth for NINE WHOLE MONTHS!! And, honestly, I look at our home and our family and our lives and TRULY can remember none of it before she came. I know I was happy and fulfilled and totally in love with my man and my sweet Hattie Grace - and NONE of that has changed (except maybe to grow), but she has made this life just that much more amazing. I cannot believe all that the Lord has Blessed me with.

We've got bills up the wazoo, laundry piled sky high, my house is never clean, and about 90% of the time I don't know which end is up. But I know this 110% of the time - I am loved by a God who has fulfilled my every dream and who loves me beyond all comprehension. And I know that He has blessed me abundantly, so I know that I will PRAISE His sweet and Holy name with all that I am for all eternity.

Thank You Father God, for my life. May I use what You have given me for YOUR glory.

Up To My Eyeballs In Laundry

I have been drowning in laundry lately. And if it were a deadly fate, I would surely be six feet under this week. Ya see the washing machine, the one that rocks my house, in spin mode, with such velocity that NO ONE can sleep through it, was apparently rockin' too hard for even itself.

I am telling you, this thing SHAKES the house. Pictures are literally crooked on the wall. Sophie has been awakened from a dead sleep. Hattie, who fears nothing else on earth, runs for cover when the thing goes into spin cycle. Now, it had gotten worse as of late - shaking even harder than normal. Then it suddenly, last week, started stopping mid spin and I would have to resart it - at least once or twice per load. Then on Saturday it just stopped - period. I could hardly turn the barrel and the clothes were literally dripping wet. YIKES!

Now, of course we didn't buy the extended warranty. Because, honestly, how often do you really need an extended warranty. I will tell you how often, precisely the number of times that you do not buy it!!! Thankfully, my man happens to be pretty stinking handy. So he went in to take a look-see. It wasn't pretty.

The belt had snapped - as I suspected. But the whole pulley system had become unbalanced and had actually begun to wear into the metal around it. THUS THE SHAKING!!! So it all had to be replaced.

And because of the shaking I have had to plan and purpose every load of laundry and had gotten seriously backed up. Now we have no washer till the parts arrive and Hubby can fix it. Any one want to meet me for lady's day at the laundromat?

'Cause I will be there a while.

On a happier note, Miss Belle is with us today. She is SUCH a cutie. Seeing as how I have not gotten permission from her mommy and daddy to post a pic of her, I won't. BUT, I will give you a hint. They have a blog of their own - complete with a proud parent display - and there is a link to it on my little sidebar.

She is such a sweet heart - and to make it even better, I now have an excuse to watch Sesame Street when she is here. If not just to hear her say "Elmo". Which is seriously one of the cutest things you have ever heard.

That and listening to Sophie say "Dada". Which she does now. Over and over.

And my heart, it soars.

Picture Perfect Monday - Dedications and Graduations

So, yesterday was a BIG day here in B land. We had our sweet Miss Sophie dedicated at church (pics of the actual dedication to come - thanks to my sweet friend Amanda Jo, AKA "super model"), and our niece Chelsea graduated, after which we went to lunch at Olive Garden with ...
... Sophie ...

... Hattie ...

... Chelsea (the Grad) ...

...... Niece Kayla and "unofficial, but close enough, niece" Jessica ...

... and my parents in-love!!!

(I had to add this picture of Jess, 'cause she is so stinking pretty in this shot!!!)