First Comes Love, Then Comes...

...Marriage!!!! He did it! After eons of dating (ok, slight exaggeration), my brother FINALLY asked his girlfriend Lindsey to marry him. And she said, "YES!!!" Can you tell I'm just a little bit excited!?! Ok,... a LOT bit! After searching thru my pics to add some visual aid to this post, I have realized that we really don't have very many pictures of Miss Lindsey. Even though she's half hidden in these 2 photos, they will have to do for now; but trust me, she is beautiful on the inside and out! Here in Hosmerville, she has always felt like one of the fam and now it's official. Welcome to the family, Lindsey!

(oh, and can I just add that I clearly recall this {paraphrased}convo with little bro several years ago...

Me: Micah, Tom and I have been wondering, why don't you date Lindsey?

Micah: oh, she's a great girl and I love her to death and all, but it'd never work...

Flash forward to the present. They're engaged. He~llo!!! Just one more proof positive that big sis always knows best;) Man, I wish I was a betting woman. I could've made money off this deal.)

Congrats Micah and Lindsey!!! (And now that you've put a ring on it, Austin has put in 1 small request. He wants a boy cousin. Seriously.)

The Long Haul

It's official... we are credit card debt free! Thank you, federal tax return!!! I just scheduled our online payment and to hit the "pay account balance" option was, for me, a monumental moment I've been waiting 6 whole years to do. It almost hasn't sunk in... no more credit card debt... no more monthly statements... no more wasted money on interest and finance charges. Whew!

It was never meant to be this way. How many times did we hear "don't put more on your card than you can afford to pay", or "always pay your balance every month". And we were always so good about our finances. But then life crept in. A new/old house to remodel, an air conditioner on the fritz, closing costs for a home refinance, romantic dinners out fast food runs, and stuff we just HAD TO HAVE NOW! We bought into the instant gratification mind set, never intending to accumulate so much debt, always intending to pay the balance off in full after only a year (that was 5 years ago). And then, well, I lost my job (twice), the economy took a downturn, the cost of living increased, we had 2 more kids... etc., etc., etc. and the balance grew and grew.

So, what have I learned from all of this? My plans are sometimes not God's plans. And perhaps if I had been a better steward of the money and resources He had entrusted to me in the first place, He may not have needed to take these last 6 years to teach me such a valuable lesson. But through it all, no matter what the circumstance or need, He has always been faithful in His blessings and provisions. Not once has He failed us (and He tells me He never will;)

That's not to say that in a month or two some major life expense won't pop up and throw us back into debt. It just means that for now, we've purposed to live within our means so that our financial situation doesn't dictate what we can and can't enjoy. It's simply another step toward complete financial freedom that we're working towards.

I think we'll celebrate with dinner out;)

You'd Think He's Being Tortured

It started at breakfast when I oh~so~casually mentioned to Austin that I would be picking him up early from b~ball practice yesterday. I would have preferred to leave it at that but he persisted and asked why. So I dropped the bomb. His 7 year check up was that afternoon. The panic was instant. The last thing I wanted to deal with during our crazy morning routine. But I didn't want to completely ambush him in front of his team when I arrived to pick him up.

I arrived at 3:45 for him and the whining and negotiations started immediately. He knew he was getting a finger poke first thing so he suggested that the nurse could just get his newly formed scab (from roller skating that am) wet and get blood that way. He also claimed that he "didn't need them to tell me I'm healthy because I already know".

The task of peeing into a cup distracted him momentarily. (I almost got a smile out of him as he took aim.) And nurse Sally was so quick with the finger poke by the time he saw it coming it was over. Whew. He topped the scales at a whopping 48 lbs. and measured in at 49 3/4 inches. His weight was my biggest concern going into the appointment. To put this all into perspective I had Audrey jump on the scale while we were waiting. She is exactly 25 months younger than Austin and weighs 44 lbs. Hmm... See exhibit A for my case in point (this kid is skin and bones!)

exhibit A

Meal time is a battle every day. He fights me on everything I serve. Well, almost everything. There are usually no objections if he's pounding down a foot long from Subway or a double cheeseburger from McD's but healthy diets do not consist of only meat, cheese, and mayo. The biggest fight is getting him to eat his veggies. His favorites... pickles and tomatoes served in ketchup or sauce form ONLY.

As it turns out, he's just tall and skinny like his dad. He's in the 40th percentile for weight and the 75th for height. Dr. Rao did pause slightly before finally saying in his wonderful accent, "well, he won't be a fat boy." So if the doc isn't concerned, then I shouldn't be either. But still, I don't want the public judging me when I'm out with my pale, anorexic~looking child. So we'll work on it.

Finally, nurse Sally sweeps in with gum and stickers and (dum, dum, DUM) a shot! She tells him to squeeze my hand really hard (to which I jokingly protest) and blow out like there are birthday candles in front of him. Again, she's so fast there's barely time for objection. Done and over just like that and I didn't even break a sweat. Double whew.

On the way out he guilt trips me into a cross town trip to Maggie Moo's and since ice cream is sounding pretty darn good, I relent. (Plus, all those extra calories will be good for us the kids.) As we eat our treats (cheesecake and fresh banana ice cream mixed with caramel for me, so yum! and blue cotton candy with mini gummy bears for the kids, so clothes staining!) Austin can't help but suddenly mention to Audrey that she'll be going back for her 5 year check up soon. To which the panic immediately sets in. Ahh, kids! Gotta love 'em. I'm sure there will be more Maggie Moo's involved. And you gotta love that, too!

Little Forgotten Treasures

I've spent the last 1/2 hour or so "cleaning house". Going thru an inbox that hadn't been really cleaned out for over a year. Deleting old emails, moving others to various folders, and in the process stumbling across a bunch of delicious forgotten memories. Little snapshots of my life.

The emails between 5 best friends, each so desperately wanting/needing a GNO, and everyone doing their best to clear their schedules for a bit of girl time. Sometimes successfully, sometimes not.

The emails from my SIL, usually coordinating a playdate or family dinner or sharing photos from our latest get together.

The ridiculously hilarious emails that 2 certain friends are known to forward. You know the ones: the email from said friend who is selling bed throws for Christmas and then you scroll down to see a sample and are greeted not by a picture of a knitted afghan but instead of a (seemingly) naked man sprawled across a bed. The email that lists the 40 mistakes men make during sex (that leaves you contemplating forwarding it to your own husband with a footnote urging him to please take note of #'s 4, 10, & 18.) Yes, dear friend, you are laughing as you read this because you know who you are;)

Taking pause to consider those "stop & think" emails. Loving one that starts with: "so true..." and ends with: "don't worry about the world coming to an end today, it's already tomorrow in Australia."

Thanks for the mail and thanks for the memories!

To My Favorite Little Man

our basement ~*~ 2005

SAU field house ~*~ 2009

You're 7 years old today and over the years, one thing hasn't changed... your love for basketball! You were a baller almost from the start, crawling over to your little tykes b~ball hoop and pulling yourself up for a slam dunk! Now, you can easily shoot a men's sized basketball into the 10 foot hoops. Happy birthday, Austin Jamers!!!!

Sunshine!?! In Michigan!?!

Impossible, but today was actually sunny. Today was a good day. A chance to get caught up on lots of projects I simply haven't had the time or energy to tackle. This is my 30th winter in Michigan and every year as I trudge thru the snow, slip on the ice, shiver uncontrollably, freeze my freakin' nibblets off.... I question my sanity. It's a good thing family is so important to me or I would've been long gone;) Anyways, back to today, I:

• put away the last of my Christmas winter decorations
• I reclaimed the girls' room from the ever growing mess that threatens to consume it entirely
• put together a bag of junk goodies for the 1st graders' upcoming sale at Encore. (I have found that the best time to purge is when I am totally, completely ticked at all of the crap that accumulates. It's alot easier to get rid of things when I'm not being sentimental or indecisive.)
• cleaned up the remnants of last nite's Super Bowl party (just Tom and the kids). But don't let "remnants" fool you. Super Bowl XLIV chewed and swallowed my living room, dining room, and kitchen and then regurgitated it all over itself. (I am taking a momentary break because, well, I've been working all day and I deserve it.)
• took back a car load of recycles
• visited new bank to get some checks to pay bills tonite
• visited old bank to make a deposit
• dropped off dry cleaning
• washed 3 loads of laundry
• peeled 3 oranges for snack time
• and the list goes on and on

Yes, today was a good day. Thank you, God, for sunshine in Michigan in February!

Taylor Swift And Vampires

My daughters have 2 obsessions... Taylor Swift's song "You Belong With Me" and Miley Cyrus' "Party In The USA". We're constantly searching for them playing on the radio when we're running back and forth in the van. I went to playlist.com to find the songs and add them to the bottom of my playlist for future reference. Our laptop's sound in on the fritz and you can only hear sound thru the headphones but you should see my girls rock out. Lexi especially puts on a great show singing and Audrey has the "movin' my hips, like, yeah" part from "...USA" down very well;)

Anyways, the whole reason I mention vampires is because while searching for Taylor's song I came across "You Belong With Me" (Jacob Black's version). Anyone who has a neurotic slight obsession the Twilight Saga will find this amusing. Not real sure how to do it any differently so I just added the song to the top of my playlist so it will start automatically.