Monday, May 19, 2008
Making Some Plans and Having Fun
I'm sure like many of you, the summer is a time you want to relax with your kids more, and make some special family memories. I have actually been doing so much of that this past year with home schooling, that my next few weeks before summer will be filled with lots of detailed planning and decision making. Home schooling allows so much freedom, but if you decide to discontinue at some time and return your children to formal schooling, you may have your hands full figuring out what to do next.


In Victoria, I felt my options were very limited with options for school, but in Corpus I have many options. I think Skip and I have decided to choose a private christian high school for our oldest. It is a very advanced curriculum and it is going to be extremely challenging for her. I know she is remarkably smart, but she is not always one to put forth a lot of effort in her studies. She has often just "got by" unless it involves her favorite subjects. We are still deciding about Seth and Annie. Seth will begin junior high and Annie is entering the third grade. I am leaning towards their previous school which I loved and so many of their friends attend. It is also a private school, but the tuition will be considerably less than the private school Ashley will attend (thanks to an awesome pastor discount). Peace of mind in taking them all to one place and picking them all up at one place sounds awesome, but it will be quite a bit more expensive. I have already felt a big enough crunch over the last year, and I don't want to be so strapped ever again.


June is already filling up with a trip to Victoria to watch my brother's twins for a few days, the She Speaks Writer's Conference, and my niece's delivery of her first baby. All of these are great things and should keep us on our toes.


Most importantly, I am prayerfully anticipating Skip's hip replacement July 1st. We know what it involves which makes it a little more tricky with making plans for the summer. I am already covering this surgery in prayer from start to recovery. Summer before last was one I never want to revisit. If you could start putting this on your prayer list I would appreciate it so much. Just in case you were wondering, he is now getting his right hip replaced (not the same one he replaced two summers ago). He has only known pain for the last 15 years or so that we've been married, and I know God can relieve it with this one. He will hopefully be able to start exercising after this. It has virtually been impossible due to the pain of even walking lately.


Posting is going to be sporadic over the next few weeks as we try to wrap up our home schooling year. We aren't only doing work and unpacking around here. Actually this last week or so we have been having some fun as well.


Beach- 2 times with kids, once with adults
Poker and Blackjack nights with Skip and kids- twice (thanks for the new poker chips-M.D.)
Overnight trip to Victoria to nieces' dance recital
Swimming with friends
Double date to movies to see Iron Man (so good!)
Attending our new church
Watching dance routines the kids have made up
Listening to my son's new music he is creating on this
Learning to text (that's all anyone does in CC) and though I'm a fast typist, it's not so easy without a keyboard
Trying to keep our beagle from howling-Uggghh! I'm sure our new neighbors love us(: Well, at least we crate her at night.
Oh, and chasing my husband around the house like we're newlyweds. At least that is what he thinks I'm doing.
Happy Monday everyone!

My nieces with their beautiful mom
My brother's twins who came for an overnight visit so the he and his wife could have some away time. I don't know how they do it with two at the same age. I only kept them up 3 hours past bedtime. What a good aunt I am!




  posted at 9:25 AM  
  5 comments



Tuesday, May 13, 2008
A Day at the Beach
The kids and I began the day with a little math, a little history, and a little reading. We had every intention of completing a full day of home schooling, but ...we heard the seagulls calling us, then we felt the breezes and the waves whispering, "Come and play. You won't regret it." (I know I'm being a little silly, but we ARE right in the middle of reading Prince Caspian and this dialog seemed so appropriate.) Guess what? We didn't regret it. In fact, the waves were so huge and the wind was perfect for the kite surfers who entertained us with all their tricks. Living by the beach is so cool (except if a hurricane comes our way of course).


Here are some of the pics of our day.
Ash and Seth hanging out by the shore.
This was the look on Annie's face most of the afternoon.
Check out her ears. I finally gave in and let her get them pierced. Too cute!
Ashley said, "Finally she can really accessorize!"

There were 4 kite surfers doing all kinds of flips and tricks. I have never seen it so windy. I would have got a better shot, but my beach chair was just way too comfortable. Just kidding, it was just hard to get a shot because they go by so fast. Kite surfing looks like so much fun, and maybe one day I'll have to give it a try. Ha Ha!

Do they look like they would have rather stayed home for their grammar lessons?



  posted at 9:54 PM  
  9 comments



Monday, May 12, 2008
One Week of True Joy
I've been back for exactly one week, and I have had a continuous smile on my face. I know that the joy has a lot to do with reconnecting with my friends, but it also has a lot to do with feeling like I'm home again. I loved growing up in Victoria, but Corpus is where Skip and I became a real independent family. We love and miss our families already, but I know our friends will be our family here. God has provided us with such a great new church, and I already see Skip rockin' and rollin' in his new position.


If you don't see me around much, I have some life to experience. We have started home schooling after a two week break, there is a beach 15 minutes away calling my name, and I still have about 10 boxes to unpack with absolutely no place to put everything. Have a fabulous week everyone!

  posted at 11:07 PM  
  4 comments



Wednesday, May 07, 2008
Welcome to our New Home(At least for the next 9 months)
I should be unpacking more boxes, working on lesson plans, or soaking in a hot tub right now, but instead I am blogging. I know what your thinking...this girl has her priorities in order! Ha Ha. Here is the front of our new home. Blue is normally my least favorite color, but I think it looks precious on this little home.

This next picture is my living room and the only room I have pretty much unpacked. My mother in -law came in town yesterday to help me out. I love the laminate wood floors. It makes it so easy to move furniture in place. We only tried out a bazillion different ways until we came up with this one. Thanks Lori for your input too!Now, so you won't think I'm super woman and have my act together completely. Here is the garage full of mess I still have left to unpack. I figure I should have everything in its place right before it is time to move again in January. Remember we are renting this house for 9 months and then moving back to our home that never sold last year. Got it? Good, because I don't.

See that mattress in the background. No, I'm not making my kids sleep on the floor or anything. It is just that the girls are sharing a room, so Annie's bed is staying in storage (my garage storage that is). * I just want to send a special note of thanks to all of our family and friends who helped us move. We couldn't have done it without you!


In the midst of packing and getting ready for our move, last Saturday I helped my family and some others throw my niece Stephanie a fun baby shower. It is her first baby and we are so excited for this new blessing to arrive. Deacon will be his name and he is due in late June. Here is Steph in the middle of my girls. Ashley is 7 years younger than Steph, but almost 7 inches taller. Ashley is already 5'7'' and I don't see signs of her slowing down.


Here are all the hostesses with Stephanie. From left to right: my mom, me, my cousin Paula, my cousin Cindy(the one who owns this yummy coffee shop), Stephanie, my cousin JoNell, Steph's aunts Diana and Renae, and my aunt Connie. She received the cutest gifts for baby Deacon and we had such a great time celebrating.




Here is a picture of Ashley and Annie with my sweet mother-in-law. I can't tell you how much I love Skip's mom. She is the kind of mother-in-law everyone dreams of having. Thank you Linda!




Lastly, here is my nephew Matt (on the right)at a cast dinner right before he began filming HSM3. My sis says he is doing great and having a ball. I can't wait to see him in his first feature film.









  posted at 4:29 PM  
  11 comments



Monday, May 05, 2008
WE ARE MOVED!!!
We arrived safely and had a crew help us unload the truck in record time. I would write more about how happy and thankful I am about everything that has transpired in the last week, but I honestly have never been so exhausted in my ENTIRE life. Can't wait to catch up with every one's blogs soon! I also have lots to share about my niece's baby shower and my nephew's filming that began Saturday for HSM3.

  posted at 11:06 PM  
  7 comments



Thursday, May 01, 2008
THANKFUL THURSDAY!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
"I will bless my people and their homes around my holy hill. And in the proper season I will send the showers they need. There will be showers of blessing. " Ezekiel 34:26 (NLT)



This verse is my verse I am claiming for what God has given me over the last 24 hours. I had some really frustrating moments of crying out to God this week for understanding as to why all the plans I was trying to make for our move kept giving me and Skip unsettledness. Sometimes, we just have to allow God to be God, and be open to His leading. It really works, and for me, never like I would think.



1. We are putting a deposit down on a rent house in Corpus today and moving on Monday!!! The sweet family is letting us rent for only 9 months and they went down just a bit so that it would fit our budget. Praise God!!!

2. With all the stress of finding a high school for Ashley, I am now seeking God's best by checking out a private Christian school that goes from kinder to 12th. They give pastor discounts too! I really feel like God opened my eyes to this new possibility that was there all along. It doesn't matter what area of town we live in by going this route.

3. This was one of those secret prayers answered. I have been wanting to buy a cute little apron for the last year, but I just never have. It seemed frivolous, but I still wanted one. When I saw one of my favorite blogs, Reluctant Entertainers had a giveaway with a book and an apron, I knew I had to enter. Guess what? I won!!! Here is what I'll be receiving in the next week or so .



And



If you have something thankful to share this week, please stop by Sting my Heart and leave a link.









  posted at 9:12 AM  
  17 comments



Wednesday, April 30, 2008
Eat Your Heart Out Skip!
As you know may know, cooking is just not that fun for me. Skip is the chef in the family and I have many LBS to prove it. However, since my children must eat something other than breakfast foods(my specialty) and things in a box, I have decided to expand my cooking to include some simple recipes that Skip NEVER, EVER makes. He is not a mexican food kind of guy. Did I ever tell you chips and salsa are a staple in my diet? I could eat Mexican food 24/7. I don't, but I could. I found a simple recipe last night on this can, and the kids LOVED it.
I could have added a lot of extra ingredients and seasonings, but then the kids probably wouldn't have eaten it.
Not only did the kids eat it, they asked for seconds. We also had spanish rice and beans. And I can't forget, chips and salsa. Of course, I needed a tums before bed, but it was so worth it.
In addition to my new cooking skills, I can also take apart the pipes under my sink and find a clog. It took me over an hour Monday morning, but I did it. The culprit was a popsicle stick and some apple peelings that someone put down the disposal after he made me a cobbler on Sunday. It had made a little dam in the curved section of the do-a-ma-thingy. Yah, I'm so plumber savy.
Skip, you better find us a home quick or I might even learn to edge the yard.

  posted at 9:25 AM  
  5 comments



Tuesday, April 29, 2008
A Fun Giveaway I Had to Share With You
One of my new favorite blogs to visit is 4 Reluctant Entertainers. Sandy and her family express their love for others through entertaining and hospitality like no other family I have peeked in on in the blogging community. My husband loves to cook, but we definitely struggle with having friends over as much as we would like.

Right now 4 Reluctant Entertainers is hosting a great giveaway. Go here to hear the details and enter yourself. Even if you don't win, you will be blessed by all the wonderful ideas and inspiration you will find on this site.

  posted at 12:06 PM  
  1 comments



Monday, April 28, 2008
This Picture Sums it Up for Me

Here is the latest on the house/move situation. Over this last week Skip and I both have had the strongest uneasiness about the house we have put under contract. It is a cute house, a good school district for Ashley, and an okay street and neighborhood. However, both of us feel a pit in our stomachs whenever we would talk about it. If it was just me I might figure it was indigestion or something, but both of us feel that having two homes right now is just not smart moneywise for our current situation. We also found out that we would have to live in it for one year by law with the kind of loan we are doing. We can't commit to that because we are supposed to move back into our other home in January. Ugghhh!

Needless to say, I have spent most of the day in prayer and searching scripture for direction on what God would have us do. My options could be renting an apartment for 9 months, renting a home(if someone would be willing to lease for only 9 months), finding a townhouse, or running away to a cabin in Colorado(just kidding-kind of). At this point there are so many possibilities, my head hurts. This is where I wish I was 15 years old and my dad would say, "Honey, you need to......" and I would do it. In the midst of all of this, I still need to consider options for Ashley and high school. I don't know why but I felt God all weekend remind me of a Christian high school I hadn't thought about previously. I even dreamed about it Saturday night. I have no idea if it is something we could afford, but maybe if we choose a less expensive housing option, it may be possible. Sorry if I am boring you guys, but this is what I am focusing on right now. I love that God may be preventing us from making the wrong moves, therefore I am going to trust that this path will become clearer in the next few days. We would really like to move somewhere within the first week of May. Please keep us in your prayers!


  posted at 7:05 PM  
  6 comments



Sunday, April 27, 2008
Weekend in Review
Thursday

-went to Corpus to see my hubby
-traded in a vehicle for another vehicle and paid off a vehicle. No car payments, finally!


Friday

-Coffee with Tiff at Barnes and Noble (even though I had a frozen strawberry/lemonade drink)
-Spent the entire day reconsidering where we are going to live in Corpus (We just aren't feeling 100% sure about buying a second home in this crazy market)
-Checked out a possible high school for Ashley
-Annie made us all laugh when she said, "Daddy, I'm want Chinese food for lunch. I'm hungry for an enchilada, rice and beans." That is so Annie.
-Used a half a tank of gas looking at possible housing options in case we don't go for the Flour Bluff home

Saturday

-The kids spent almost the entire day swimming at the hotel we were staying at with Skip
-I finally had my first visit to our new church Saturday night. The message was an update on all that is happening at all the different campuses and a look at all the lives changing by what God is doing there. It was perfect message for me to get an understanding of what Real Life Fellowship is all about.
-We had dinner with some great friends of ours and the pastor's family at a fun pizza place. Our kids had a wonderful time making new friends.


Sunday

-Woke up early and drove back to Victoria
-Picked up Triscuit
-Let Triscuit attack us for ten minutes with kisses. She really missed us a lot! I don't know who was happier-Triscuit or Skip's parents who babysat her for 3 and a half days. Thanks Otto and Linda for giving us puppy freedom!
-Skip just arrived home from a very long week and is sound asleep. I'm off to see what I can get him to cook me for dinner tonight.

Have a great week everyone!



  posted at 5:17 PM  
  7 comments



Wednesday, April 23, 2008
Thankful Thursday-Truth

I have had a lot of time to think lately about the new adventure that my family is about to begin as we move back to Corpus soon, and I truly feel that too much thinking can be a dangerous thing. When we allow thoughts that are simply thoughts and not truth to come into play, we can find ourselves feeling anxious, afraid, and even depressed. Because I will be going to the same town(it's a big town thankfully), but an entirely different church, I can already feel some friction. We are all part of one body of Christ, but I know that there will be hurt feelings, awkward moments and just plain confussion by some. I know this because I've already experienced some of it. God gave me this scripture a couple of months ago, and I am clinging to it. "He who trusts in the Lord, will never be put to shame."



Here are my top thankfuls for this week:


1. I am thankful and proud of my husband and the way he has followed God this past year and a half, and even if things are not in our understanding, God DOES have a plan and that is what Skip is trying to follow.

2. I am thankful to my friend Liana who has always reminded me of Philippians 4:8, not that I would ever forget. "Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is noble, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is admirable-if anything is excellent or praiseworthy-think about such things."

3. I am thankful for the friends I'm leaving behind at Parkway who have been nothing but supportive of our leaving. They love us -PERIOD. Especially, Bard and Mollie!

4. I am thankful for my sweet group of friends who call and email me every week to say that they can't wait for me to move back. Coffee dates, and get togethers will be a must!

I want to encourage each of you today to look past the lies and the hurts that Satan wants you to believe, and just trust Christ and His Word. That is what I will choose today!
If you want to share your own Thankful Thursday post, just head over to Sting My Heart and leave a link to your site.

  posted at 9:45 PM  
  30 comments



Tuesday, April 22, 2008
"5 on 5" Meme

I am bored, the kids have had enough of me and went outside to play, and Skip is sick of talking to me on the phone, so I thought I would invent a new meme for you lovely folks out there who should be cleaning, working or actually having a life. Here it goes:



5 Things I'm Good At (or so I've been told)

1) Listening and encouraging others

2) Cleaning (according to my family because they don't like doing it)

3) Roller skating (I know, it's a lost art form)

4) Wasting time (hence this meme)

5) Loving my husband and children




5 Things I Can't Do But Wish I Could

1) Play the piano (any instrument for that matter)

2) Sleep in (try as I might, every morning I wake up early)

3) Photoshop

4) Lose weight (Ughhhhh!)-I'm not giving up on this one

5) Write more (It will happen someday)


If you want to join in, please do. I'd love to hear what you come up with!

  posted at 6:17 PM  
  5 comments



A Dove Morning With a Side of Triscuit
I love mornings in Victoria, and especially in my backyard. My kids sleep late and this is what I tend to find scattered across my fence as I come out for my morning cup of coffee. I could sit and listen to the birds and read forever. I never thought of myself as much of a loner, but I really enjoy this quite time with just me, the birds and my puppy Triscuit. This morning the dove were everywhere. It is a good thing Skip doesn't come out in the mornings, or he would have his bbgun in hand. No, I am not kidding.

Here is a shot of the backyard. It is on a corner lot so it is a weird angle, but so much fun for the kids. It goes on around the tree for quite some way and then there is another section of yard for tons of places to explore. The home we are moving to in Corpus does not have one tree in the backyard, but I'm sure I will have the sound of seagulls to keep me entertained.
I couldn't resist showing you how big Triscuit is getting. Seth took these pictures and I think he has a pretty good eye for Photography.
"Don't hate me because I'm beautiful"


"I'm sorry I chewed Annie's new bathing suit to shreds. It was so pretty I couldn't resist."



"What are you looking at?"






  posted at 10:11 AM  
  2 comments



Saturday, April 19, 2008
Shhh! Don't Tell Skip

When the chef(Skip) is away, this is what I feed my kids. Thank goodness they love simple and quick meals just the same as gourmet. You don't even want to know the calories involved here. If you have make a quick easy meal that involves little brain power, what do you serve?

  posted at 3:36 PM  
  11 comments



Thursday, April 17, 2008
Reflecting on Today
At one point today, I had to get outside and be alone for a while with God. I had gone for a visit at noon with my brother to see my Popi for the first time in the ICU and it was not what I expected at all. He was hooked up to a ventilator and was not responding to anything we were saying or doing. I think he heard us talking a few times because he would move his head a little. It was so sad because my Noni(his wife of over 70 years) was holding his hand and trying to tell him how much she needed him to come home with her. Her vision is basically gone, and Popi takes such good care of her. They have five children and more grandchildren and great- grandchildren than you can count to pitch in, but it is Popi that she wants. I touched his hand several times and said prayers over him. I am praying that he recovers soon, or that if that is not God's will, that he will go peacefully. I really am hoping for a miracle for my Noni.

When I returned from the hospital we found out the loan process isn't going as well as we hoped and we will now be putting more money down than we had hoped. Everything had been running so smoothly, so this really took me a little by surprise. I am so ready to get my family together and I don't want any more setbacks. It's funny because just when I was thinking I would do a few things for the home (rugs, curtains, etc.), we find out that we won't be having those extras. I don't care about those things much, but I was finding myself dreaming about them instead of spending more time in prayer and thanksgiving for what God has been doing in our lives.

After starting to feel a little overwhelmed by the two above mentioned things, I started to get a little anxious. Instead of throwing a pity party (which has happened in my past many times), I went out in my backyard and sat on the deck to have some much needed prayer time. I laid it out with God and told him everything I was feeling and everything I was scared about. It was such a beautiful thing and I literally felt songs of praise on my lips. I'm sure the neighbors would have heard me singing, if it were not for the wind blowing so hard. It felt like a hurricane minus the rain and danger. God's presence was all around me and I know everything is going to be fine. Though I don't know the rest of our earthly story, I do know the end of my story in Christ. And it is going to be a HAPPY ONE.
"You will be sorrowful, but your sorrow will be turned into joy." John 16:20

  posted at 7:47 PM  
  6 comments



About Me...

Name:
Susie


I am a child of God, a wife, a mother, a daughter, a sister, and a friend. My hope is that this blog is a reflection of the life I have in Christ. I am not a perfect person, but I happen to serve a perfect God.

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