7 months

Yup, if you look closely you actually see one of my hairs dangling from Daisy's hand. What a bummer to see that after taking a ton of pictures, uploading them and editing them. What are yah gonna do. I've got a ton of hair:-)
This is long: Please feel free to skip:). It's mainly for documentation and for Daisy's baby book!
Seven months on Halloween:). Every time we come upon another month I'm just in awe. Seriously, how have we already blown through seven months?? And yes, I know I will be saying that for the next 20 years!

It took a while but, Daisy finally rolls all over the place now. It is her way of getting around since she can't crawl yet. She almost rolled off the bed, (we were watching her closely) so no more big beds for Daisy!!
She reaches for things too far out of reach and face plants or falls back and hits her head a lot so we still can't let her sit on wood flooring or hard surfaces unattended.
She tries very hard to crawl and has scooted in a circle and backwards but, not forward yet.
She babbles things that sound very close to little words and it's so neat to hear!
She grabs at everything big and small. She's got an incredibly strong grib!
She has learned how to "give kisses." It's really just us asking her for a kiss and she smiles and stays really still and lets us kiss her with her mouth open. It's awesome!
Loves her bath time still and her daily walks around our neighborhood.
Daisy is fascinated by people. We went to the church nursery today and I sat in with her the entire time and watched her just sit in one spot and stare at all the adults and babies. She occasionally played with a toy but, was far more interested in staring at people and hoping they would look at her. She loves when people acknowledge her and talk to her. She always smiles really big and gets so excited. She can be shy and quiet but, once she is comfortable with someone she really hams it up!
Most recently Daisy goes to sleep pretty easily on average. She doesn't want to be rocked anymore and I don't mind. It's much easier for everyone now. She prefers just being laid down, her back rubbed and her blanket snuggled on her. Joey has been able to put her to bed with no problem and that makes me SO happy!! Her naps have gotten a bit longer on average too. Anywhere between 45 minutes and an hour and 15 minutes now....usually. It's a nice change that happened all on it's own.
She has eaten tons of different things now; our grilled chicken (loves it), bread, crackers, cheerios, mac n' cheese, all types of jar baby food, strawberry and banana smoothie (real fruit fyi), rice, casserole etc. She has a ravenous appetite. Well, she always has and now that she gets to try new things she is even more excited about food. If she sees us drink or eat she stops everything else and wants to join in.
Just this week she started liking TV. It's like a lightbulb went off in her head and she realized how much fun it is to stare at the TV all of a sudden. She would look at it briefly before but, now she can sit in her exersaucer and watch it for 15 minute easily and has a blast. The Wiggles is her current favorite show. Joey and I have memorized most of the songs...we've played the show probably 50 times in the past two weeks. Oh the things we do for our kids.
LOVES standing and holding herself up on a stool or a chair. I don't have to help her at all. She can stand for quite a while without assistance and loves it. We also walk around the house and I hold her under her arms and help her take steps. She loves that too.
Seems like she has allergies or something because her nose is always clogged and it drives her crazy. She rubs her face constantly and I am always cleaning it out for her. Hope it gets better for her!
Still wears 6-9 month clothes and size 3 diapers but, the clothes are just about too small!
Still spits up a few times a day and sometimes a pretty good. Yuck.
I nurse her every 3ish hours and plan to do so until she is about a year old if it works out.
Her hair has a reddish tint right now. How a dark haired guy and a brown haired mom could have a red head is beyond me but, when the light hits her hair it looks especially red. I think it may change as she gets older but, it's really cute right now.
Can I just say that now more than ever, Daisy is such a blast and a joy. She is into everything, giggling, hyper, cuddly at times, smart and smiley. She's such a good baby. She loves getting out of the house and going to places with lots of people to look at. She's a great shopping buddy right now. She doesn't like being in the car but, once we get somewhere she is happy as a clam. I'm savoring this season with Daisy for however long it should last. She is such a doll right now! Joey and I could just eat this baby girl up!! We love, love, love our little girl!

Mom reflections:

I think one thing that I am learning pretty quickly as a mom is to go with my gut instinct on things pertaining to my child. People will always have suggestions and opinions and good ones too, but no matter what I hear or am told, I have to stay true to what my heart is telling me even if at times it is contrary to popular opinion. I remember a few months back when I was feeling like it was my fault that Daisy was a terrible sleeper but, I wasn't ready to let her cry it out when she was so young. I'm so thankful to the people who have been encouraging and supportive of me as a first time mom. I haven't let Daisy cry it out yet at night and I don't regret it at all. I never had to force Daisy to take a longer nap, she has naturally fallen into that pattern all on her own. I never had to force Daisy to learn how to fall asleep at night, she has learned it all on her own. Things tend to fall into place quite naturally if we are patient enough to let them and I think that is what God has shown me these past 7 months. He's been telling me: Be patient Casey. Things won't always happen over night so don't get caught up in the how tos of parenting...just be. Just rest in me. I don't bottle feed Daisy at this time because I can't pump enough to feed her so I am limited by our 3 hour feeding schedule. Yes, it's tough at times in that it limits my freedom but, it's only one year in the overall scheme of things. I'm sorry that I have beat myself up at all or read to much into other mom's judgements about my parenting. I'm doing what's best for me and for Daisy and it works, it's all good. To each his own. I want to let each mom be who they are, to parent how they feel best and to leave room for everyone to be themselves. No judgements, no cliques (I hate cliques..are we in high school still?), no snobbery that my way is better than yours, no, "oh my gosh have you heard what she is doing with her child," just to love and support the other mamas around me as I would want to be supported. It's refreshing, enlightening and calming. Being a person is an incredible journey all on it's own. Being a person and a mom is a whole other ball game! Trust your instincts. You know what's best for your kiddos!

Happy Halloween!

Ho Hum

I got these little pink bootie shoes for Daisy to wear in our family Christmas picture that we are taking. Her feet are too chubby to fit in normal shoes and I wanted something that she can wear with socks on and keep her feetsies nice and warm this winter. These were super cheap at TJ Max and super cute if I do say so myself. Wouldja just look at the chunk on my little girl's legs. I know you are all thinking it, wow, she is chunky! Yup, I like my kids round and jolly. Baby rolls make me so happy; like eating a big piece of fresh baked cake only better!! haha. I would like to privy you to the fat that our house is 84 degrees inside. I have been sweating profusely here for the past week so me, Joey and Daisy try to wear as little as possible and forget make-up or doing my hair. My hair ends up being plastered to my neck and my make up melts off my face. We were trying to get through the rest of the season without fixing our AC unit but, I finally broke today. This is just too much heat for all of us. I'm feeling crabby and irritable and we are sluggish. Hope we can get the issue resolved tomorrow if the AC company will ever call us back. Fingers crossed.

I'll be the first to admit that blogging has taken last priority in my life lately and probably will continue to do so for some time. I'm still working full time until November 5th, I'm doing photography sessions every weekend and editing takes me every free second I have each evening after Daisy goes to bed and I'm being a mama and wife in every other free moment. I'm swamped and tired and definitely burning the candle at both ends right now but, otherwise doing okay. Just trying to pace myself right now. I really do look forward to getting back into the swing of things and learning a new and different balance when I am no longer working my outside job; however, we are coming up on one of the busiest times of the year so balance might have to wait a while:). I'm going "home" to California for Christmas with my hubs and I get to show Daisy off to everyone there for the first time. I'm very excited about this. I do have a question for you traveling mamas though...how have you dealt with the 3 hour time change and an infant who relies heavily on a schedule when you travel from coast to coast? We will be flying from NC to CA so it will be much earlier. Kinda dreading that part of things. Any suggestions, thoughts? Can't wait to see our families and spend the joyous holiday with them this year!! Such a blessing!



"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew {their} strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; {and} they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

As long as you're actively pursuing your dream with a practical plan, you're still achieving, even if it feels as though you're going nowhere fast. It's been my experience that at the very moment I feel like giving up, I'm only one step from a breakthrough. Hang on long enough and circumstances will change, too. Trust in yourself, your dream and Spirit. - Sarah Ban Breathnach


A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - William Shedd

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Winston Churchill

A stumble may prevent a fall. - English proverb

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. - Norman Vincent Peale

Begin somewhere. You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. - Liz Smith

Careers, like rockets, don't always take off on schedule. The key is to keep working the engines. - Gary Sinise

Fall seven times; stand up eight. - Japanese Proverb

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. - Samuel Johnson

7 Month Stats

Daisy had her seven month check up yesterday afternoon. She also had to get three shots which I wasn't expecting. Ug. I hate shot days. She handled the first one okay, the second one not great at all and by the third she was hysterical which is such a rare state to see her in. Made my heart hurt but, we got through it without any drama. I brought some celery and some bread in a bag and as soon as she had gotten her last shot I pulled out the celery stalk and she was happy as a clam to start chomping on it. She can't really get anything but bits of and she likes the taste so it works for me!

I kid you not; Daisy had everyone in the office wrapped around her finger. She was smiling, laughing and grunting at every patient, pediatrician, assistant and office clerk in the building. The pediatrician couldn't stop laughing at how active and silly DAisy is. Have I mentioned that Daisy is a total ham and will flirt and be goofy with any stranger. She loves when people look at her and smile at her. It cracks me up!

Daisy has actually slowed in her weight gain for the first time in seven months. She is 17 pounds 3 ounces which isn't even a pound of gain in almost two months. She did however go through a crazy growth spurt in length. She is now 27 inches long! That is over 2 inches longer than at her last appointment. That could also explain some of her crabbiness...well, that and the 5 teeth she is still working on. The pediatrician opened her mouth and then seemed shocked when she saw how many teeth DAisy is working on. "wow, she is getting all of her teeth at once," was her exact reply. Then she said she must be in a ton of pain right now...that would definitely explain the crabbiness. Head circumference is 43.2 inches.

I'm not going to ramble on any more as Daisy will actually be seven months old on Sunday this week and I will do her official 7 month post with pictures and all of the latest details revolving around her amazing little life:).

Pursuing your Dreams

I had this whole heart felt post to go along with these quotes. I sat here and stared at it and decided that the quotes are encouraging enough all on their own. To conclude: Don't give up on yourself! You are stronger than you realize and can accomplish more than you know if you set your mind to it. You will have good days and bad. You will get discouraged and you might fall from time to time but, get back up again and again and again. You'll get there!! Just keep chugging friends, just keep chugging!

"Whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for men." Colossians 3:23

"But they that wait upon the Lord shall renew {their} strength; they shall mount up with wings as eagles; they shall run, and not be weary; {and} they shall walk, and not faint." Isaiah 40:31

As long as you're actively pursuing your dream with a practical plan, you're still achieving, even if it feels as though you're going nowhere fast. It's been my experience that at the very moment I feel like giving up, I'm only one step from a breakthrough. Hang on long enough and circumstances will change, too. Trust in yourself, your dream and Spirit. - Sarah Ban Breathnach


A ship in harbor is safe, but that is not what ships are built for. - William Shedd

A pessimist sees the difficulty in every opportunity, an optimist sees the opportunity in every difficulty. - Winston Churchill

A stumble may prevent a fall. - English proverb

Any fact facing us is not as important as our attitude toward it, for that determines our success or failure. - Norman Vincent Peale

Begin somewhere. You cannot build a reputation on what you intend to do. - Liz Smith

Careers, like rockets, don't always take off on schedule. The key is to keep working the engines. - Gary Sinise

Fall seven times; stand up eight. - Japanese Proverb

Great works are performed not by strength but by perseverance. - Samuel Johnson

3 Fun Photo Sessions in one Weekend

I only have two pictures from my three sessions this weekend as my last one is tomorrow but, whew it's been fun! I did some headshot photos for a young gal in our neighborhood on Friday. She is such a beautiful girl and was super photogenic so I had no problems whatsoever. I also have to say that it is such a blast to photograph kids and teens. They sit still so 99% of the images are in focus and they look right at the camera every time. haha. I also got to photograph my beautiful sister-in-law and her boyfriend. They too were super comfortable in front of the camera and were willing to try all the odd and awkward poses that I put them in. Total troopers and as a result I got tons of great pictures. I'll be editing for the rest of my life! haha.

My apologies for my lack of comments on everyone's blogs. Work weeks are deadly until I'm done which won't be until November 5th and then I cram photo sessions into every free moment of my weekends while I can...uh oh yah, and I try to be a half way decent wife and mom and sometimes friend in that small window too. lol I'm really looking forward to pursuing photography more purposefully once I am a stay at home mama. YEAH!

Lastly, thank you Ashley Sisk from Ramblings and Photos for the directions on how to upload my pictures the proper way to avoid blur and blow out. I was going crazy dealing with the picture fuzz and she was kind enough to take the time to write me an e-mail with step by step instructions. Now I get excited when I see the uploaded pictures and not frustrated. I do have to say that the previous way I did it was much faster so I might have to continue doing that for my personal blog and do the nice crisp images for my photo blog only. Anyhoo, Thanks Ashley!

I will post the rest of the pictures from all of these sessions in the next couple of weeks on my photography blog: casey martinez photography

I'll be back....

Time To Resign

absolutely love these pictures of Daisy. She is so fun to photograph. So many faces and I love them all..I mean of course what's not to love, she is my child after all. :-) Love my pink pearl Princess!




Now that the news is out at my work I can officially share with you all that I have put in my two weeks notice at my job. I've worked for a Christian book publishing company for the past 7 years and in so many ways I will really miss this job as well as the wonderful people I have worked with. I worked inside the office for 4 years in California where the headquarters is stationed and then when we moved to North Carolina my company offered to keep me on a temporary basis and let me work out of my home which was a big treat! Then over time I became permanent again and this past September marked my 7th year with the company. I oversee about 11 states on the East Coast. I have handled orders, sales, customer service, territory management and new business growth. It has been such a blessing to be able to work out of my home and often times I didn'teven bother getting dressed (shhhh, I know you are jealous!). I have sipped my coffee and sat at my desk in my slippers and looked outside my window every day for the past few years and never once regretted my job. I would say I'm a lucky gal but, luck really has nothing to do with it. I am a blessed gal. God has taken great care of me and my family and has always provided for us.

The past 7 months (almost seven months) since we've had Daisy have been a tremendous strain for me. She still wakes up a few times a night. She does go back to sleep but, I have to get up to calm her down and this has worn me ragged night after night. On top of being exhausted I've had to work a full time shift and then get off to a feisty baby until late and night and then the cycle repeats itself. I know all you mamas have your plates super full so I'm not asking for a violin, just sharing my story. The icing on the cake for us has been our flaky nanny situation. We've been through 4-5 nanny gals in the past 7 months and it has been SO challenging to find a new one each time one bailed on us. I really do have the best of both worlds having an in home job and getting to see my baby periodically throughout the day so the last thing I wanted was to forfeit my job this soon but, after losing our last nanny I have not been able to find a replacement and with the help of friends and family I've been able to continue working but only temporarily. I feel like sometimes God closes doors for a reason. I would keep my work door open longer if I could because financially it is essential and it is comfortable for us but, God has His reasons. He knows how exhausted I am; He's heard my cries for help and sometimes it takes shutting the doors we want open to show us a different way. No, not the timing I expected and yes, this will be extremely challenging for us but, is God big enough to handle this change in our lives, again, yes.

So am I giddy and elated that I get to be a stay at home mom? Yes and no but, I am not ungrateful so please don't misinterpret my honesty. My head is reeling at the thought of the huge income loss we will be faced with in two short weeks so it's hard to be giddy and jump up and down and clap my hands. I'm nervous and fearful on one hand about how to make this work but, on the other hand I'm at peace and feel strong because God is faithful and has never failed us and I just know 100% that it will work out. God will provide and leave us with no one but, Him to praise for working this out and though this won't be an easy change it is worth it and I feel very blessed to be able to take this step! I might have to become a coupon loving mama (ug, I've never wanted to deal with coupons. So not my thing) but, whatever I can do to be wise with what we have I will learn to do! I know a lot of you mamas who stop by our blog are stay at home moms living on one tight income. What has been your biggest money saver and what things do you do to cut back?

Taking a step of faith in any area of life is seldom ever easy but, always worth it! We welcome your prayers as we change course. Prayer that I would fall into my role as stay at home mom with joy and grace. Prayer that Joey would not feel over burdened by carrying us financially on his own. Prayer that my photography business picks up in time so I can assist with the bills and prayer that we learn to be good stewards with our money. What an adventure we are about to embark on!! EEEEEEEEEEEEE hahaha

Video - Scootin'

Have I mentioned lately how much I love my chubby baby girl. I have? Well, I just can't help but, say it again. She is just SO precious to me. I love her baby rolls, her smile, her squeaks, her smell, her hair, her feet (I'm obsessed with her tiny feet..can't help it...look how cute they look holding onto her rabbit like they are her second set of hands...awesome!), her teeth, her whine (don't love it but, it is distinctly Daisy so that makes it special), her noises, her farts, her burps, her sleepy eyes, her rough grabs at my face, her tantrum scream, her cuddly moments and everything in between. LOVE this little girl.

Finally a picture that proves that she does have teeth!

It cracks us up to watch Daisy scoot around on her back. Every night I lay her down in her crib in the lower middle area and an hour later when I check on her she has smashed herself into the upper right corner of her crib. Silly girl! Love all her squeaks and bird chirps!

Daisy's First Pumpkin Patch

Hey what do you know...I actually got ONE picture of Daisy with a microscopic pumpkin! Yeah!
The normal family photo....

And then there are these....(below)
Can I just say that I LOVE this picture of me and Daisy (below). Just need to crop someone out! lol

WE couldn't stop laughing at Daisy's little chubby face in the hole. She was too stinking cute! Trust me, you would have been rolling if you coulda seen her in person.
Grandma and her Daisy Bean.
Daddy and His little girl. Daisy was being such a ham while we took these pictures with her on these hay stacks. She was all smirks and smiles. A crack up!

Auntie Jess loves her Daisy bean!

Photography Friends: How do you go about resizing your images for blog use? I've done it several different ways but, am never happy with the results. What program or size is standard for you when you re-size?

Fun afternoon at the patch. Just might go back to snap a few pictures of Daisy with some pumpkins and then I will have officially fulfilled my parental duty! :-)

For my own memory keeping I need to add the silly little fact that Daisy sat in a grocery cart for the first time this weekend at Target. I had planned to hold her but, then I got kinda curious to see what she would do if we put her in the cart. I buckled her in because she can still fall forward or back if not watched and boy did she LOVE being in the cart. She swung her feet, held onto the bars in front and stared and smiled at every single person going by. Joey and I were in Daddy and Mommy Heaven. It was so precious to watch the joy in her face and we too felt that same joy in our hearts. It's hard not to kiss her to death in those moments!

Editing a Picture

We went to a really cute pumpkin patch farm this weekend and I enjoyed snapping a few pictures of Daisy but, somehow forgot to get a single picture of her sitting amongst the pumpkins which was the whole point of going. Classic. I found a website recently that has some freebie actions and I decided to use this particular picture to try out all 8 actions. The bottom picture is actually done in a very basic edit and is a very natural looking picture. The top picture is edited with the melancholy action. I think both pictures serve a purpose depending on the mood I am going for etc. I'm not sure what is going on with my resizing program but, it is messing up my pictures when I upload them so I apologize for the fuzziness of the pictures. I have a few actions that I love to use on almost all of my pictures but, every now and then I'm inspired to try something really different and out of character for my style and sometimes I end up being pleasantly surprised. Editing is fun but, as a photographer I really have to hone in on my style and stick with it so customers know what to expect...hard to stick with a style when my own tastes are constantly changing! haha.

As I mentioned a couple posts ago; Daisy is still going through her worst teething spell to date. She is soooooo miserable. She fusses constantly, drools, has diareah, snotty, wakes up a ton at night and rubs her face all the time. I thought all of the teeth were coming in on top as that was all that I saw when I checked last week. Then today I checked and no joke she has a tooth completely in on the bottom. Where the heck did that one come from? On top of that tooth she still has about 3 more or so coming in on top. My poor baby is teething so fast and so early and she is trying to hard to get through this. I've been giving her tylenol and it seems to be the best remedy at this point. Hope they all come in soon!

More patch pictures to come...

What Kinda Camera?

I've been asked quite a lot lately what kind of camera I have so I thought I would share the details with y'all in case anyone else is wondering. I currently shoot with an old Canon Rebel XT. I think it's about 5 or 6 years old. The poor thing has been dropped, scratched and yet still has served me well. Many people look at my pictures (for the record I don't always care about my picture quality when I blog so don't judge my camera for my laziness) and say, "wow, what kind of camera do I need to get a picture like that?" I would like to privy you to a tiny bit of information that you probably are already well aware of or maybe not. The camera is definitely not everything. Yes, it is extremely helpful and will greatly impact the clarity of your images and nicer cameras have so many more features to let you manipulate lighting, motion etc. but some other things to consider: lenses are also very important and lastly 99% of the people whose pictures I oooh and aaah over, edit their pictures to suit their liking. My pictures often come out nice but, sometimes a tad too dark for my liking even if I meter them correctly so I usually lighten the images with software on my computer. I also try really hard to use the manual modes on my camera as often as I can because I am able to get better exposures than what the auto setting captures for me. These days you can get great pictures with a nice point and shoot camera so don't feel like you have to spend a lot or go all out! If you are wanting a professional grade camera such as the last two I've shown in the pictures below, the 50D and the 5D are absolutely amazing (also very expensive) and would be a great invenstment if photography is your passion. I love that cameras have come such a long way and are getting much more accurate in auto mode so everyone can enjoy great pictures now!

What kind of lens do I shoot with? I am poor so I shoot with best quality offered for the lowest price....(well, I am by no means poor but, I will say I would definitely upgrade my lens if I could afford to but, for now I am very content with the one I have)...I shoot with a Canon 50 mm 1.8 f lens. It was about $100!! Seriously, for the quality it offers you really cannot beat that price. It is a prime lens which means that it does not zoom in or out and is designed primarily for sharp portrait style pictures. It has flaws as all things do. Color wash out being the most frustrating thing but, this can be corrected with a few simple editing steps. Otherwise I love it. The reality if if you love photography, work at it with whatever camera you have until you can upgrade. I used to do photography challenges with my point and shoot in manual modes and loved it! I am currently saving my booty off for the Canon 50D. I would love to buy the Mark II but, for now the 50D will be a very nice upgrade, especially since I am pursuing photography as a career at this time. I have a whole slew of nicer lenses that I will invest in eventually. Any questions? What camera and lens do you currently shoot with and what camera and lens would you love to have?



I'm saving hard for the 50D at this time. It has so many features that my current camera doesn't. I'm giddy with excitement about owning it someday...but till then, gotta be patient. :-)

Do you See It Too?

Do you see it too?

Do you see that my baby is looking more and more like a big girl?

I don't know exactly when this change took place but, when I edited these pictures tonight

I just couldn't help but, stare at my boo boo's face and say, "wow, she looks so different!"

She loved sitting in the doorway so I could take these pictures of her.

She was all smiles and silly noises.

My sweet little baby models so nicely for me....for now.

Guess what??

Daisy has 2 more teeth cutting through the top.

She is in a lot of pain this time and it breaks my heart to see it.

Much more than when she got her bottom two teeth in.

Yes, she got teeth very early.

Poor boo boo is biting her fingers viciously and crying and snotty.

Nothing really helps when it's this bad. Just tylenol and sleeping it off.

Four teeth already! Wow!

Love you Daisy bean.

P.S. Cute outfit compliments of Auntie Becca who works at Gap. Thanks Auntie!!

I'm Thinking.....(uh oh)

I'm thinking that it's so nice that my little girl can sit on a blanket on the floor and I can feed her without a bib or a high chair because she only eats jar food and isn't messy at all. I'm cherishing this simpler time because I know it will not be long before she is throwing her food all over the place and ruining our carpet. hehe

My hubs and I were bummed to see that Courtney Cox and David Arquette have separated. Why? Because from what we had read of them in the past they seem committed to sticking together and working through things in their marriage. No, we are not surprised and no, I personally have no faith in Hollywood marriages but, it's still sad. Honestly though, marriages are hard work and they require a lot of TLC. I often think of how hard it would be for an alcoholic not to drink if they were sitting in a bar...same too for a marriage to stand up against the strain of Hollywood temptation....it would seem that these things are virtually impossible.

As we have all heard before, there is nothing like experience to give you a true understanding of something. I have a whole new level of compassion for people who are struggling in great debt. No, we are not currently in great debt but, we are constantly going one step forward and two steps back. I get an unexpected comission check and then the hubby has a root canal that is minimally covered by his insurance. Hubby gets a great raise and then all of that money goes towards the nanny each month instead of bills. I'm not complaining, just shelling out the facts. A lot of our debt is debt we chose to be in, a home loan, car payments, school loans etc. but, then again a lot of our debt we didn't have as much of a choice in: medical bills, dog surgery (yes we had a choice but you know what I mean), family weddings out of state, higher property taxes, car problems, a broken house AC unit in the south...(we could choose to die but lets be serious now). I would love to pay off all of our small loans and to get us into a position where we could live on less income and save more but, how does one do that if all the extras go towards unexpected bills? That being said, I am so thankful to the Lord for life lessons. There is nothing I appreciate more than having more understanding and compassion for others. It's easy to be critical when we haven't walked in someone's shoes but, boy once you've walked in them it's a whole new ball game. So many people have lost their jobs in the past few years at no fault of their own. Then they couldn't make their house payments anymore and lost their homes and then life just continued to spiral out of control with more and more debt. Oh how my heart breaks for any of you who have or are going through this now. Have you been taught any valuable life lessons lately?

I'm wondering why in 2010 with all of our knowledge and technology do we still not have a "cure" for people with really bad TMJ. Yes, there is the option of surgery but, from what we have personally heard and read, it is by no means a cure and often the people still suffer with great pain after wards. My poor hubs has tried just about everything that a person can do for TMJ short of the surgery and neither he nor myself want to go that route because there is a high chance of the surgery not working at all. I am curious how much research is currently being devoted to the study of TMJ and a solution??

I'm thinking that it's always a bummer when a favorite TV show comes to a close. It's like losing a best friend that you have laughed and cried with for a good few years. Sigh. What TV show has been the hardest for you to say goodbye too?

Coming home from the grocery store only to find out that your new carton of milk has a whole in it and has leaked all over the back of your car and all over you when you pick the bag up...is frustrating. Or when you bring home a nice bundle of cilantro for some yummy homemade salsa and realize that the cilantro is actually brown and nasty smelling in the bag. Do you spend gas money to return these small purchases or do you just eat the loss and purchase these things again the next time you go to the store??

I'm interviewing a potential nanny this evening and I'm hoping that this gal will be right for the job as she is the only responder so far. It would be great to get back into the groove! I'm thinking that daycare is probably a more reliable route to go for childcare. I just never wanted to go that route because I work out of my home and I didn't see any need to send my child off to a daycare when I am home all day. I might as well reap the benefits of seeing her cute face on my breaks...I am paying for it after all! I am very blessed to have the job that I do and to be able to have my daughter watched in my home. I'm incredibly thankful!!

Why do spiders exist in such ugly form? Ewwww. The creep me out so bad. We had a monstrous spider in our front bathroom the other day and it decided to perch right over the door and I was stuck inside the bathroom. I think I have a phobia of spiders because the thought of walking under the door frame and that spider possibly falling on my head made my heart race, my face got all hot and my body was tingling. I think I ran under the door squealing the entire way. Ya, you could say that spiders are to me what kryptonite is to Superman! haha

Now you are up to speed with things mulling around in my head at the moment. Aren't you luck! :-)

Yates Mill

I love that I live so close to such rich history here on the East coast. Yates Mill is not far from our house and it dates back to 1758. How cool is that. It has been the meeting spot of church baptisms, budding romances, prime fishing, and loads of history. The mill used to grind corn, grain etc. for the farmers so that they could then sell the goods. My how technology has changed huh. I just love standing somewhere that people before me have stood for hundreds of years and then I think about all the things that might have happened around me....good and bad. It fascinates the heck out of me. Yes, you could call me a history enthusiast but, I like to think about it more than I need to read every single detail in a museum or book.

My little Daisy bean was fantastic the entire time we cruised around this Mill. She was all smiles and enjoyed checking out the scenery. My little boo boo may not be the funnest driving companion but, she is a blast to have as a buddy when I get out of the car and walk around. She always flaps her arms and legs and makes silly noises whenever people walk by. She cracks me up! Do you enjoy historical sites or do they bore you to tears??

Funktified

Philippians 4:19

"But my God shall supply all your need according to his riches in glory by Christ Jesus."

Above: Looks like a baby for sale add. lol


So tomorrow I start another week with no nanny. My Mother In Law has kindly offered to come over and watch Daisy for me tomorrow and if necessary I will take another day off until we get a response to one of the many e-mails we've sent out to local nanny gals. I'm still baffled by the absence of our last nanny quite honestly. Her phone is turned off and she hasn't been on Facebook in days. I pray that she is okay. When things like this happen that make my life that much more difficult it's tempting to want to moan "why me" or "this isn't fair" but, fortunately when I lean on the power of God's word and specific verses such as the one I quoted at the top of this post, I can feel a sense of calm amidst the storm. Yes, my mind is saying, "Man this sucks," but, my faith is telling me, "hold on to the promises of God. He will see you through just as He always has." It's tough to choose an attitude of gratitude on a daily basis especially if you are being dealt blow after blow but, it can be done! I'm so thankful for all of the Godly people who I have crossed paths with over the years who have shown me by their life example what it means to "walk by faith and not by sight" and to "rejoice in the Lord always, again I say rejoice." Life is funky. It's up and then it's down and then it's all over the place but, God is never changing. He is stable, solid and steady through it all.