WOW, second post in the SAME DAY!!!

Here are some pics of The Prince, The Princess and Gearhead.

The older boy in the picture in the upper left is The Prince. I chose this picture because he is so sweet with younger kids, and this is one of his best buddies.

The pictures of the Princess are from last Friday, after the final show of "A Christmas Carol." The boy in the top hat played the young Scrooge, and they did a beautiful waltz together. In the picture above, with her daddy, she looks a little teary-eyed...and she certainly was.

But where are pictures of *me*? Hmmmm, that will take a little more bravery, and possibly a professional photo session, with hair, make-up and lighting.

I promise I'll get better with this picture thing. :-)

Second day IN A ROW!!!!!!!

I'm sure my extensive blog-reading audience is just THRILLED to see another post (or at least LadyT is thrilled) ! :-)

Had a little disaster yesterday. Everyone was out of the house all afternoon. I returned first and discovered glass all over one end of our front porch. It seems our doggie, Mel, perceived that the postman, who comes to our home six days a week to deliver mail, was going to break into our house and murder us all. He broke one pane of glass in the process. *sigh* How do I know that's how the glass broke? Well, he always goes a little crazy when the postman comes, but we're usually here, and I either put him outside, or tell him to stop, and he does. And...we got a letter from the post office today, that if we don't restrain our dog they'll require that we put our mailbox away from the house. Oh, goody. I'll be calling them in a little bit to try to smooth it over. Mel will now be mostly an outside dog, which makes the kids and I very sad. He's a member of the family, for Pete's sake.

We picked up new orthotics for The Prince today. He has very, very flat feet, and has had orthotics (which fit in his shoes) for awhile now. Insurance doesn't pay for corrective orthotics, only the ones that make your feet feel better. Isn't that dumb? It's a quality of life issue for The Prince, yet the insurance treats it like we're in it for the fun.

Let's see, we need a little uplifting talk, eh? Okay. On the weight loss front, which I meant to blog about from the beginning, but haven't:

I joined a weight loss program in April of this year after a good friend was succeeding on the same program. At that time, I had about 70 lbs. to lose. Long story short, I lost 35 lbs. from April to August, or so. Great, right? Well, yes, but I'm a bit stagnated right now, and have been. I'm good at encouraging others, but I haven't had the oomph to get myself up and going again. The good news is, I haven't gained but one pound. The program I was doing (not WW) really taught me how to eat better, and I have internalized it to the point that I think all the time, "Oh, I need to eat another fruit today," or, "Done with the starch for today."

I know the holiday season is really not the best time to start again, and on a lot of blogs I read, people are taking a few weeks off of weight loss during this time. There' s one thing I've realized; weight loss is not about being "on program." It's about making changes 24/7, 365. Yep, that's right, Thanksgiving, Christmas, Independence Day, all of it. I used to look at weight loss as punishment for all the wrong I'd done to my body. Now, I look at it as finally taking care of the temple that God gave me, and undoing some of the damage I did to it. Not punishment but repentance. Ah, it feels like freedom.

I think part of my struggles lately are linked to the potential move to Texas. So much to consider, so many choices to make, even if we stay here. It is darn near a miracle that I haven't gained all the weight back in the past month, since food has traditionally been my drug of choice during stressful times. I keep telling GH, "I just want us to make a decision, either way, and then move on!!!!" He gets it, but ultimately it's his final decision, and I just have to be patient. HA!!!! :-) That's what I get for praying for patience...

Oh, I had my first, first-hand encounter with a high-speed chase yesterday! I was standing on the sidewalk talking to a friend, when I saw four helicopters coming our way, and then so many lights from the police cars that I knew something major was going on. I got inside and waited for them to pass. It's a narrow street (not our street, but one lined with small businesses and only two lanes going one way), so I would have been very close to the guy who was fleeing. He crashed a few miles up the road, thus ending a chase that lasted about two hours. I didn't like the feeling of being that close to that much drama.

This morning when I was checking the Pioneer Woman's blog, she had a link to another blog, asking for prayer. Here's the link to Bossy's blog.

Be blessed today. Amidst all the chaos that is the commercialized Christmas, try not to forget that love came down to save us all, and that's what we should be celebrating.

Blah...

I'm visiting blogs, drinking coffee, basically escaping from reality. One kid is at one grandma's, the other is at the other (that's probably a grammatical disaster - sorry).

Had a great day with GH yesterday. We went for a "cruise" in an old car (his favorite past time), ate lunch out, then took in a movie. We saw "I Am Legend," with Will Smith. My folks and brother had seen it a few days ago, and raved about it. I found it boring for long stretches, but it was very thought-provoking. GH, who is not into movies AT ALL, felt it was a colossal waste of time.

Guess I'd better go find my children and get 'em schooling. If I ever figure out how to post pictures, I'll get some put up from The Princess's show last week. It was really wonderful. She's had PPD (Post Production Depression) a bit since concluding the show, but a movie, lunch and shopping with Grandma makes lots of things better. :-)

No grand announcements here

We're still discussing (ad nauseum) the move to Texas. There are so many things to consider, not the least of which is our parents. My mom is basically distraught. GH's mom is kinda quiet about it...to us. The Princess was over at her great-aunt's house (who is mother-in-law's sister) a few days ago. Auntie told the Princess that g-ma said, "If Gearhead (she said his real name FYI) goes, I go." We shall see. That certainly would make things easier, to have some family there. The friends we have there are definitely on par with family, but you know what I mean.

I've been checking on some message boards where you can ask advice from people who live in the areas you want to live in. The one thing that stands out about Texas versus California is the weather. We know it's hot and humid in the summer, but we figure that's what air conditioning is for. And they do have snow maybe two days a year, which would actually be kinda fun!

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On to more interesting things: The Princess will be performing in "A Christmas Carol" for seven shows this coming week, with rehearsals on Sunday, Monday and Tuesday from 4 p.m. to 10 p.m. Thankfully, one of the women from the show lives near us, and will pick up and drop off The Princess for me, thus saving hours of driving and a lot of gas!


What else? *tapping finger on edge of desk* Oh, I had a lovely time today with some friends from our homeschool group. It was "Mom's Night Out," which was actually, Mom's Entire Day Out. We made tea sandwiches and desserts and had hot tea (several varieties), and here's the best part...we watched the 6 hour miniseries of "Pride & Prejudice!" Oh, my, it was so much better than the movie version - and oh, so romantic.

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On the homeschooling front: The Princess hasn't been accomplishing much, school-wise, for the past few days. However, after more than a year of her yearning for babysitting to earn money, she has hit pay-dirt! A lovely couple with three little boys has her come to their home each Friday morning to watch their littlest one, along with several other young kids, while their mothers do a "Dream Dinners" type thing. They cook, then split the food up between the families. They have been paying her really well, and now one of the other moms asked her to come over this morning, AND her friend asked her to help with a babysitting job last night! She made $65 in two days! And she' s 13!!! I babysat my heart out at her age and older, and I don't think I ever made that much. She loves to buy everyone Christmas gifts, so she's a happy girl.

The Prince sold Christmas wreaths with a company called "Wreaths of Maine" and made about $41.00, the check for which should be arriving the end of the week. He also works for our very nice neighbors, when they need help with yard work.

Both kids have learned a lot through doing jobs for money. They both give 10% to church. I have to work with the girl on saving, since she spends every dime in no time. She's her mother's daughter, I'm afraid. The Prince is quite frugal (though he loves to treat me to a coffee at Starbucks), and has a little savings.

The Prince is taking a reading class with a local homeschool - um - school. It's a school for homeschoolers; you can take your kids two days a week for a variety of classes, or just pick and choose. Anyway, he has a lot of homework, which we've been working at each day, and he's been reading to me everyday. I can already see an improvement, and he's only had two classes. He's somewhat resistant to going to the class, but he's had a good attitude doing the work.

Okay, long post here. I want to post about my weight loss, and about other stuff, but I'm about to fall asleep, so I'd better sign off.

May God richly bless you.

Big changes afoot - maybe

Okay, so ya know how The Prince and I visited Texas this summer? Well, this is the second time we've visited there in recent years, and we always leave very sad. Not only because we love our TX friends, but because we really love TX.

Property values here in So Cal are dropping, and may drop a lot more in the next year. Combine that with the fact that our lifestyle here is rapidly going down the tubes, and you have a family ripe for change.

We are seriously looking into moving to TX, and putting our house on the market very soon. GH actually spoke with a realtor this morning! House sales are way down in our area (though we live in a very desirable city) , so if this is meant to be, God will be providing the right buyer. We have not listed the house yet, nor are we decided. We are however, talking about it constantly.

The biggest drawback is leaving my parents. There is a possibility that my in-laws would follow us...but not my folks. My mom is kinda freaking out about us leaving, and it's freaking me out. I have told GH that if we move to TX, we will be keeping a fund just for traveling, and get a frequent flyer credit card. He agrees with me, so I anticipate that we would become big travelers.

That's the latest. Hopefully I'll update sooner rather than later.

My first tag...a little late, I'm afraid

Elisa at My Journey Begins Now tagged me! This is my first tag, so I'll try not to mess it up.

Devise a list of 5-10 courses you would take to fix your life. It’s more fun to be in classes with friends, so include one class from the person who tagged you that you’d also like to take. Tag five.

This is the class we'll take together from your list, since this is how we met...when I asked for advice on internet marketing!

Internet Marketing for Dummies - after completing this class I won't have to muddle through all the annoying forums and sales pages; I'll be techno savvy and in tune with the IM world and raking in enough money to allow dear husband to decide what he wants to do with his life.

Dave Ramsey's Class - This is a real class, but it's one we really, really need, and should have taken a long time ago. 'Nuff said.

Lose 40 Pounds OVERNIGHT!!! - Weight loss is such a long, difficult journey. In this course, we'll learn how to lose it and keep it off...in one day (without surgery to remove a limb)! (Hey, this is my world, and in my world you'd be able to lose 40 lbs overnight, so there.)

How to Plans Meals and Cook for a *very picky* Family of Four, and Love It - I just don't have the cooking gene, though I have to say, in recent months with working less, it's a lot easier to cook. Now, it's become a necessity to prepare all meals at home, so I really must get this all figured out.

What to Say - This course equips the student to give the proper (and witty) response to any comment or in any situation. You will no longer say to yourself (after the fact) "I should have said..." or "I should not have said..." You will always be able to say "Awww, I'm so glad I said that."

I'm afraid I don't know how to tag others, so I'll just say, that's it. Thank for reading! :-)

Updates and stuff

Again, nearly a month gone by without a post. *sigh* Updates, updates....

The Princess was allowed to audition for the musical "A Christmas Carol," and made it! GH figured the commitment time was shorter than with her other theater group, so he allowed it! We're pretty excited. Rehearsals are Sundays from 1-5, so it doesn't interfere with any other activities...until Production Week. Then, we're traveling 40 or so miles, in traffic to rehearsal at 4, then picking her up at 10 p.m., Sunday through Tuesday! Then, on Wed., Thurs., and Friday mornings, we have to be at the theater at about 8:15 a.m.

Can I just be honest? I love it! I think I'm a stage mother, without the whiny, "my-child-has-to-have-a-lead-role" attitude. The Princess gets to do the stuff that I really wanted to do at her age (but was not motivated enough). God has essentially given me a second chance, and I'm so glad.

Both kids got to perform at a Senior Center recently. The Prince, playing the keyboard, accompanied his sister as she sang "In Christ Alone." There were audible approving murmurs from the folks in the audience. It really warmed my heart. The Princess also performed the song from "White Christmas" called "Sisters" with an 8 year old friend. They had done the same song for our homeschool graduation in June. Seeing as the average age of their audience was, oh, about 75 years old, and they therefore were very familiar with Rosemary Clooney, Bing Crosby and the like, their performance was well-received! The kids really enjoyed performing for the folks, and I made sure that they socialized with the folks a little, too.

I was always afraid of old people when I was a kid; my only exposure was at a rest home, where most of the residents were in really bad shape. I had this perception that all old people smelled bad and drooled. Sad, but true. I'm so glad my kids have energetic grandparents who live nearby so that they can have regular interaction.

My work has finally dried up, almost completely. I'm alternating between panic and peace. Weird, I know.

Here's the deal: For YEARS, I have felt the Holy Spirit's urging to stop working. I've even prayed to be "able" to stop working, meaning that I wanted GH to make enough money to sustain us. Well, I ignored the Lord's leading, time and again, always wanting to "save" us financially. And here I am, with a teenager and a pre-teen who become more expensive by the day, and not enough to make ends meet. And God said, "Guess what? You're not working anymore!"

I have to trust that He'll work it out...He always has. Miracle upon miracle, GH is applying for several much more lucrative jobs...which he put off for years, partly due to the fact that his wife (that would be me) wasn't allowing him to provide for the family! I respect my husband more than I ever have, watching him rise to the occasion; he doesn't even want me to look for a job. God is revealing to me how important obedience is; I've always known it, but this situation really drives it home.

The Princess is off camping with friends this weekend. The Prince and I are off to babysit three little darling boys while their mom takes the older two kids to a symphony. We are absolutely in love with babies, so this should be fun!

May the Lord richly bless you today!