Set Free

After a busy week house sitting at my parent's house I had hoped to return home all ready and pumped to get my house back in order.  It needed a lot of cleaning done (I skipped cleaning the week prior.)  The day we were going to return home I woke up with awful allergies.  Today is the first day I actually feel more like myself.  This week I was pretty bummed.  Ellie was getting over a sickness and I was miserable. Movies, puzzles, reading books, baths, and grocery shopping filled our week.  I felt so down about the fact I couldn't get our house back in order with the normal weekly cleaning.  I just did what I had enough energy to do (sinus' made it hard to breathe). When a thought comes into my mind 50% of the time it happens within minutes of receiving that idea.  25% of the time it ends up happening within a couple days.  The other 25% it doesn't happen until that idea pops back into my mind. Today I had the idea "I want to shower an...

When Jon and I were first married I was a nanny for a two year old.  She was sweet and shy, but also full of things to say.  She loved to read books and loved arts and crafts.  She also liked to go on walks and swing.  I watched her for just over a year because Jon and I moved away. To be honest my least favorite age is 2-3 years old.  It's a hard age.  I like doing more advanced puzzles, games, and activities.  My favorite ages are 4-6 years.  For some of you that might seem like not much of an age gap, while others know exactly what I mean. But when I was a nanny I didn't mind her age at all.  Her personality was more like a four year old.  She was well behaved and mined her manners.  She was also fully potty trained.  Her and I had a lot of fun together.  She is such a sweetheart. Now what? "Must get this phone off!" I have a two year old.  In about a month my daughter will be the age of the girl I wa...

Hello stranger.  Sorry we've been away for so long.  Wifi is needed, because smartphones are not a fun way to write a blog post.  Then our laptop needed fixed.  Life has been really crazy lately... Especially when you realize the last post was October. Update posts must be made, here's a few: --Christmas (4 celebrations) --Bathroom Finished Product --Ellie updates & --Toddler Life Let's start with the bathroom! When we moved into our house March 10, 2014 it looked like this: We had to use the bathroom in our basement.  It stretched me for sure.   Read about that stuff here.   It was hard because Ellie wasn't walking yet and the mess of renovations really ended up everywhere.  She was crawling around in the living room or kitchen and getting the dust on her pants!  I had to get creative when I had to use the bathroom or for normal bathroom use.  We used the kitchen sink more often. And then I wrote in detail update...

When my daughter grows up I want her to feel like her parent's loved her equally.  I hope she doesn't remember that time I became angry because I was too tired.  Or that time I was so sick she thought I was ignoring her.  Or that time I gave her a banana and she cried because she wanted a banana.  (Yeah, you read that last part correctly.) life is rough Recently I've noticed my daughter's STRONG need to do everything her way.  And her Mom to follow along.  The typical toddler stage in life.  (This mom is tired.)  There have been too many tears and fits. Daddy's in the shower. Apparently that's not okay. So this mom has started a new strategy .  When that sweet toddler lets all her feelings out uncontrollably I am staying calm.  I pick her up and swing her around.  I sit her in my lap.  I cuddle her... And in the sweetest voice I hear a soft voice say, "I love you Mommy." It melts this Momma's heart. ...

Thank you God for bringing me where I am today.  I would have never asked to be in this position but I'm so encouraged by your Truth.  Lately I've been doubting.  After I miscarried the only thing that kept me moving on was knowing You had a plan.  You are faithful.  You were faithful in my past and would be faithful in my future.  Then suddenly October hit. The weather became wet.  I don't like that.  I stay inside cuddled in blankets, watching Elmo (thanks two-year old), and drinking soda to take off the headache.  I'm forced to warm up in sweatpants and sweaters and be around people.  It's good though.  It's healing. some mornings I just want to boycott life Father, I'm blessed by You.  Because as hard as October has been for me emotionally, I feel your presence.  On my knees, or laying on my pillow, drenched in tears, finding security in You alone.  Those who don't know You or can't find comfort in You I...

Sorry followers I've slowed down on blog posts.  Not intentionally, we just didn't have wifi at our house for awhile to save money, especially while we were getting the bathroom remodeling done .  You probably want a post all about that new bathroom, which I'll get on it as soon as I finish up what needs done first. Like updates on Ellie. :) The last time I wrote in detail about what she was up to was 16 months old , oops.  Since then there's been a few updates but nothing too detailed to look back on. Obviously a lot has changed since then!! *She uses walking, dancing, and running as her main source of mobility.  (Faster if she knows she's doing something naughty.) *She talks nonstop and knows a LOT of words.  One day she started using a word that we didn't know she knew what it meant.  She's a lot smarter than we think!  Now we know she knows what we mean when we want her to obey.  That little stinker.... "Ellie, are you being a stin...

Ellie turned two last weekend and we threw her a Sesame Street birthday party.  We invited family and some friends that live in our town.  When searching on Pinterest I found some cute, time consuming ideas for a birthday party and thought those people are crazy.  When your daughter is turning a young age she won't remember anything.  So what am I trying to prove to people when I throw a party for her?  I want it to look Pinterest-worthy of course!  So, go ahead and pin these great ideas!  I'm pretty sure we spent more time cleaning our house then planning the party. I think that's the best way to do it.  But here is what we did. Here's the cake.  It was so difficult.  I had to go to Hy-Vee three days before the party and tell them "Sesame Street themed, pastel colors (I don't like blue teeth), have it say Happy Birthday Ellie, and she's turning two."  Then the day of the party Jon had to go pick it up.  The nerve. ...