Month: October 2008

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Why Heaven?

Marcus and I were riding in the car yesterday and as he was driving, he looked up in the sky and remarked that he sometimes wonder what it will be like when Jesus returns. He talked about when he thinks about it, he gets a warm feeling inside. He said that when Jesus returns he wants to meet him in peace and not be one of those that are crying for the rocks to fall on them as the Bible states in Revelations 6:16. I then agreed with him and affirmed that I too wanted to meet Jesus in peace. As I said the words, I had a sobering thought pass through my mind. The question came to me-“Why do I want to go to heaven?” Do I want to go to heaven because I do not want to go to hell? Is my motivation just to avoid hell? If there were a 3rd option (besides heaven or hell), would I choose that option?

The mere thought caused me to think long and hard about my current commitments and the intent behind them. If I am just trying to avoid hell, will my intent alone get us to the desired result? Just questions that make you go ….hmmm. In my heart, I want to see Jesus face to face and be able to look upon the person that has saved me from this world. I want to be in the presence of the one who saw fit to die for my sins when I was so unworthy. In my heart, I truly believe that is my intent. Yet, I am thankful for the sobering thought that caused me at least to evaluate my intent. So many times, we have believed a certain way for years, but we rarely check in with those beliefs and validate them.

Why do you want to go to heaven?  If it is just to avoid the alternative, is that OK? Just questions.

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Sad moment

Today, my 9 month old son moved up to the next class at daycare for 9-12 months. It made me sad because #1-it is a change and #2-it means that he is growing up. With Lauren, I always anticipated the next step wondering when she would crawl, when would she walk, when would she drink from a cup and the list goes on and on….With Lucas, I have found myself not anticipating or even rushing the next stage. I savor each moment, each day, each second to enjoy his infancy and innocence. Moving up to the next class marks the fact that he is getting older and that the time is fastly slipping away. At the least, it helps keep in perspective my priorities as a mother and to not delay for later what I can enjoy today as their mother. I reflect back 5 years ago before we had kids and how my priorities were different.  I was very much interested in my career and moving up the corporate ladder. Now things have changed for sure. I still have a desire to excel at work but it is more about making sure the work I do is quality because it bears my name. It is less about making sure I get the next promotion, etc.

In fact, my kids and family were the main reason I switched jobs 2 months ago. It was more favorable for me to find a job with less hours and less travel. I am now able to spend more time with my kids, savor each moment, and be sad he is growing up, but not regretful.  I am now able to be a better mother that is more present in his life. So even in my sadness, I am thankful.

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Ambitions of a 5-year old

I picked my daughter up from school today and we had our usual after school talk. During the conversation she said, “Mommy, I am going to be a doctor when I grow up.” I told her that was great and I asked her what made her want to be a doctor. Her response was :”My brain told me I was going to be a doctor.”

 I asked her why she wanted to be a doctor and she stated:”  I want to help people and I do not want them to be sick.” I affirmed her and told her that she could be a doctor if she wanted to and that it was a great idea. My heart was proud just to hear her speak those words in her innocence, yet sincerity. I have noticed in the past 6 months, she seems fascinated with doctors. To add, her only request for her 5th birthday was a medical set. Who knows how long this ambition will last? I am sure there is some statistic out there that says the average person changes their life dreams/ambitions 18.4 times in their life. But, today my baby wants to be a doctor. So, today I accept her ambition until a new one arises.

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Project Complete

The dining room project is 99% completion and I must say I like the new look! We hung the valances that go with the window treatments and they have added a nice complement. They are waterfall valances and it gives the room an updated, but semi-elegant look which is what you want the dining room to be in my opinion. The only thing left is to re-adjust the rod so that the valances fit better and it should then be complete. After that, we will need to shop for some more wall decor, etc to finish the room off and add more gold accents.

We survived another project…on to the next one! Maybe if this HR thing doesn’t work out, I need to audition for Trading Spaces or Design on a Dime:)

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Quote to Live By

I love quotes. I do not know that I have always known that about myself. But, here lately I have noticed I am drawn to them and enjoy reading them. I saw a quote today that I liked:

“Life may not be the party we hoped for, but while we are here we might as well dance!”

I love this. There are so many times life presents twists and turns. How many times have our kids said “That’s not fair!” We then retort back that “Life is not fair!” And life is not fair. But, yet we can still “dance” through the twists and turns. Be encouraged! Know that you never “dance” alone. There is a promise in the Bible that states “I will never leave you nor forsake you.” (Hebrews 13:5)

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Pumpkin Patch Fun

I took the kids to a local Pumpkin Patch today and we had a great time. These events are so reminiscent of fall, harvest, and the entire new season. Even though this season starts the process of death with leaves dying, fall is a very invigorating time to renew and reflect.

Fall is by far my favorite season and time of the year. I love the weather because it is not too hot and not too cold-it is just right. You can wear shorts or you can wear long sleeves-just take your pick. Today was no different. The weather was perfect and the atmosphere was as well. I watched Lauren play and I strolled around Lucas. Even though I was watching them, I had quiet time with my thoughts to reflect on my blessings I have and to just appreciate the nature around us. The Pumpkin Patch was situated on a lake with great scenery and lots of area to roam around. They had hay rides, train rides, games, storytelling, and several inflatables. They also let the kids pick a pumpkin and build scarecrows if they chose to do so. All in all, it was a great experience and I am glad I took them.  Thumbs up to the Pumpkin Patch!

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Project 102 Update

Here is an update on the dining room painting project: We have finally painted the whole room red and did  the trim in white on the chair rail and shadow boxes. It looks pretty good-not too amateurish. It is far different than the previous chocolate wall and that I am glad about. It was a tedious process because red is hard to paint anyway and we had to be meticulous with the white trim, etc. Overall, I am glad we did it. Next, we have bought new window treatments to go in that room and have put them up halfway. They look OK, not as good as I imagined though. We will keep them up through the weekend and add the valances and decor and see if it grows on us. The dilemma is that I have not found anything else to go with this room if we decide to not keep this. We currently have up red sheers and the panels are gold. I would prefer a print with red/gold, but I have been unsuccessful. I am just not good at this. Stay tuned as we continue Project 102…

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The Price of a Noise

Two facts right up front:

FACT #1-I drive an Acura 3.2 TL.       FACT #2-I am cheap by most people’s standards. How are the two related? Keep on reading. First of all, I must say I love my car. It is pure luxury and drives like butter with a sports type engine. When I was looking for a car 4 years ago, I had narrowed it down to an Acura or a Lexus. The Acura won out and I have enjoyed it every since.

About me being cheap. If you let my husband tell it, I am real cheap.  When we go together to purchase a major item, he always goes for the most expensive item and I go for the cheapest. You can imagine the many discussions we have on which to buy. In the past year or so, I have admitted I am cheap and I have tried to have more balance.

Well..a few weeks ago, I got in my car and locked the doors. Out came a loud squeaky, squealing noise as I locked the doors. It literally scared me because it was so loud every time I locked the doors. I told Marcus about it and we talked about how and when we could get it fixed with our work schedules. In my mind, I figured it needed a little WD-40 and a new part. Total price in my mind of what it would cost-$75 tops! Well, I asked Marcus just how much he thought it would be to fix it and he said “Oh, probably about $150!” My eyes got big and my mouth got taut as he had already doubled the price in my mind. How could a lock repair cost that much? And remember I am cheap, so that was an extra whammy to my budget conscious mind as I pored in my head what I would have to not buy so that this would all work out. I already had shopping on my monthly list, so I moved that to the side in my head as I caught my breath over $150. My next thought-do I really need to get this fixed? How many times will I have to lock my door? These were the thoughts in my cheap head. Marcus then informed me to stop being cheap and ridiculous and said we needed to get it fixed becasue the lock would eventually go out. So, a few weeks later we took it in to be fixed and later that afternoon, the mechanic called to let me know how much it was going to be. I had already accepted the $150, so I was not worried when he called. A few seconds later, I went in pass out mode again when he told me it would be $368.00 to fix the lock! WHAT!!! I looked at Marcus and asked him what did he know about fixing locks. He said he could probably do it, but not 100% sure and it would take him a long time. The mechanic then said the part itself cost $250. Long story short, we got the lock fixed yesterday.

The price of a noise??? I was glad this morning that I could lock my door when I got to work and not worry about someone being in the parking lot to hear the embarrassing sound. But, we are $368 less than I would want right now. Again, the price of a noise? I’ll just go and cry now…

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A New Resolution…in October

My new pedometer!

My new pedometer!

  Most new resolutions happen January 1. So, it is odd of course to start one in October I realize. But, I am not going to wait until January. I bought a pedometer last week in an effort to jump start, re-start, or just plain start putting some action behind my words that state I want to be healthy. I have been saying that for quite some time, but it has equally been quite some time since I have done something about it. I have altered my eating habits some, but I have failed miserably in the exercise category. Trust me, I have plenty of excuses with the biggest one being that I do not have time. I am a mother of two kids right? Well, I must start somewhere.

So, I still have not mapped out when I will exercise, how I will exercise or what exercise I will do. All I have done is buy a pedometer. I had to start somewhere and that is my 1st step. My goal now is to take it out of the package and start wearing it tomorrow and increase my number of steps per day. Wish me luck on my October resolution!

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A New Project

The weather is getting a little cooler so it is time to move my husband from the outside projects to the inside projects. I am sure he would rather I leave him alone and let him rest. But it is not time to take a break yet. Our new project is changing the color in our dining room. When we moved into the house, the dining room was painted a chocolate brown!

Oooh....chocolate!

Oooh....chocolate!

Very different color that most people love when they walk in the house along with the whole wall of glass that is part of the dining room. It was the model home, so I guess it had to be different huh? Well, I liked the chocolate wall most days, but Marcus LOVED the wall. So, I decided to work with it since it was different. Now, it has been 18 months or so and I have not been able to work any wonders with the wall in terms of decorating the room, etc.  I could never find the perfect window treatments, colors, decor, etc. And I am not good at the decorating thing so that does not offer many rewards in this category. Hence, the reason to change.

I chose the color Spanish Red that I had seen in my friend’s house. I had a dark red in my kitchen in Huntsville that I loved. So, I decided to stay in the red family since it was tried and true. The red kitchen we had back home was painted by a friend of ours. No painting friends here. So, what option is next? Meet Marcus the painter! Painting red though is more than just a notion for sure. We had to start with a primer first before even attempting the red. And to add to it are the chair rail and shadow boxes that I want trimmed in white and not all red. That has added to the level of difficulty and the meticulousness of the project. So far, we have done 2-3 coats of primer, started 1 coat of red, and taped the shadow boxes and trim.

I am little nervous because the red is not looking the way it did in my friend’s house and it seems very bright. But, there is no turning back now. Stay tuned to see if we survive this one!