Happy about Thankful Thursday!

I'm going to shake things up a bit today and link up with MannLand5 for my "Thankful Thursday".  (I'm not "meme-hopping", but it looks like The Outdoor Wife might be taking a little break. . .)  So here goes. . .

Today's the day to post 5 things that have made us

Joyful

Giddy

Excited

Thankful

Jubuliant

or

Just plain ol' happy (of THANKFUL) this week!

Once you do that..go visit Keely and and link up.

My Five..

1.  I never thought I would say this, but I am super thankful for CUCUMBERS!!!  If you close one eye and stand on your left food and in your dieting mind pretend really really hard, they are surprising good as a substitute for CHIPS!!!!  These long green friends cut into slices are certainly helping me stay on my diet.

2.  I am thankful for my camera phone so that I can send my hubby pics of our kids when he is out of town and make him smile. . .gosh I love that smile!!  Today I actually sent him a picture of my lunch so he would feel sorry for me that I am living on rabbit food so I will look ultra hot for his friend's wedding next month! ;)-

3.  I am thankful that no one I know was hurt during the tornadoes that have been descending all across our State.  I have a good many friends that live down the turnpike from me and they tend to get it worse than we do in Green Country.  Continued prayers for everyone during the Spring and Summer months when this type of atmospheric activity is at its worst.  (P.S.  I wish I had gotten a picture of me and my kiddos SLEEPING in the closet last night as the tornado sirens repeatedly went off.  Obviously if I was asleep as well there wasn't much picture taking.  I guess my back started hurting and I woke up at 12:30 a.m. and took everyone to their beds!)

4.  I am thankful that I have lost 4 lbs so far so I know that I am not dieting and exercising for nothing!  Isn't that so discouraging when you try and try to "be good" and you step on the scale to see the SAME OLD NUMBER???  It's nice to debit something other than my bank account!

5.  Bubs and Busy would like me to extend their thankfulness that Daddy is coming home tomorrow!!!  Um, yes, they love me. . .but Daddy brings presents AND never disciplines!

As a post script, I'll add two more things since I typically do 7 thankful thoughts. . .

6.  I am very thankful that so many of Bubs' friends can come to his IRON MAN birthday party on Sunday.  It should be a blast and he is beyond thrilled that the countdown is nearing to an end.

7.  Somewhat thankful (and somewhat that time keeps marching on at such a fast pace) that Busy is now standing all by herself.  I know that the first step isn't too far beyond.  Then WATCH OUT WORLD!!!

WW: Picture of a Good Day!

I assure you that Bubs is one othe GREEN STARS!  Yeah!  Those days are far and few between for my "all boy" boy!

Visit Five Minutes for Mom for more WW fun!

Post It Note Tuesday

Welcome to another addition of PINT with SupahMommy. Click and join the fun this week!


At the request of Supah, I am posting this as well:
 
Twitter Party For Mission Monkey Next Week!  Donate ANY amount to be able to join and win win win!  (each dollar = 1 entry for prizes- donate more= more entries) Next Tuesday - 5/25 - 9-10 PM EST

Please POST THIS ON YOUR BLOG!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I'd like to thank the Academy, God, my family and friends. . .

Oh, sorry. . .while I am rather dramatic, I did not receive an Academy Award. . .I got something better!  My 1st Blogger Award -- The Versatile Blogger!!!  I am so excited that my friend Ms. Wendy over at Running on MMT awarded me this award.  I am very honored!  I can't remember how I found Wendy's blog, but we have fast become bloggy friends and I love reading her posts.  We also have alot in common. . .we're moms, we're runners, we're reality TV junkies, we're totally fabulous, AND WE ARE BOTH VERSATILE BLOGGER AWARD WINNERS!!  :)

There are a few rules along with this award in order to "officially" add the fancy award badge to my blog!

I'll call this Rule 1a - Post the rules so whomever I nominate knows what they need to do!

Rule 1 - Say thank you!   Thank you, thank you, thank you Ms. Wendy!!!!  I was so thrilled to see that YOU got an award when I looked at my blog roll this morning that I opened that post FIRST. . .imagine how SUPRISED and THRILLED that MY NAME was listed as one of the people you nominated.  I am still so excited that I am having trouble typing this.  So THANK YOU!!!  You have absolutely made my day!!!!

Rule 2 - Share seven fun facts about yourself!

1.  I absolutely love love love coffee!!!  Honestly, I am not sure I could function without it.  I don't know how or when the obsession started and it might be directly attributed to my college boyfriend who loved to go over to Columbia, Missouri and hang out at the hippie coffee shops and philosophize. . .yes, I was entranced.  I actually got hooked on Chai Tea. . .then Mochas. . .then Vanilla Lattes (which I still love once in a while). . .and now I just go straight for the hard stuff straight up!  My hubby got me a Keurig coffee maker for absolutely no reason and I love it.  You can get any types of coffee you like in little pods and make a cup. . .or 6. . .all for little old me!

2.  I am so freakin' tired today I can't even express it!  Sometimes I like to surprise my husband with little treats that I know he will love even if it is not something that I would particularly choose.  One of those things is going to concerts.  So....a while back we attended the Nickelback concert at the BOK Center, but the band Schmoops really wanted to see was The Sick Puppies.  Hmmmm. . .I know, but stick with me.  Well, they just so happened to be the opening-opening-opening band (before Shinedown, Breaking Benjamin and then finally Nickelback).  Well, our babysitter was running a little late and we didn't get down to the arena right at 6:30 when the tickets said it started. . .we got there at 6:40. . .and The Sick Puppies were OVER!  Literally, I thought Schmoops might cry. . .he certainly pouted. . .and I could tell that the rest of the concert was a letdown (as it was for me but that is a totally different story because let's be reminded that I went FOR HIM).  Enter my "Bright Idea of the Day" also known as things that sound great at the time but in reality are not very well thought out.  So after the Nickelback concert debacle, I got on the internet and found out that The Sick Puppies were playing last night in Fayetteville, a short jaunt from our home.  So I ordered up some tickets, asked mom to watch the kids and off we went.  Now Fayetteville IS a short jaunt at 2 in the afternoon when you are driving over. . .at 2 in the morning when you are driving home. . .not so much.  Ugh. (See #1 above. . .it will be my life source today!)

3.  As you might have guessed from reading my blog, I long to be a Stay At Home Mom and Housewife.  We have a plan. . .it is coming. . .I can't wait.  Until then, um, I really really really hate working.  :(

4.  Re: work. . .the dude that walks down the hallway whistling and humming all day long. . .UGH. . .SO ANNOYING!  I can appreciate happiness and I love it that he must have such a joyful life, but seriously.  We have cubes.  It is not quiet on a good day when everyone is working.  Do we need another distraction???

5.  I am a closet rap music lover.  I know, I know. . .it is hard to believe.  And I am not talking about the ones that cuss more than anything else or where they talk about raping, pillaging and killing.  But I gotta say that I love me some Ludacris, Jay Z and a bunch of guys that they play on the radio that I don't even know their name but when their songs come on and I have the sunroof open, I could not be in a better mood!  Seriously.  Please note that I do not listen to rap music with my kids in the car and I have also come to the realization that most parents at my kids' school do not understand my appreciation for this genre of music, so I make sure to turn it down when I hit the main street leading to the school!

6.  I miss my grandma EVERY.  SINGLE.  DAY.  It has been 12 years since she died.  Everyone says it gets easier with time.  I guess.  "Manaw" was the most awesome individual to me in the entire universe.  I loved her so much. . .still love her so much.  It kills me that she never saw me get married (she did get to meet Schmoops since we were friends in high school), that she didn't see me become a mother, that I can't call her and tell her that I am so tired and will she make me some hot chocolate.  I don't know why I just told you guys that. . .I'm not sure if it is a "fun fact". . .but it was on my mind.

7.  This is the last one, I better make it a good one.  Like Ms. Wendy. . .I am the LUCKIEST girl in the world!!!  I am married to my very best friend and soul mate.  It took us a long time to get together but it was definitely worth the wait.  And I have the two most AMAZING kids in the entire world!  My family is everything I ever dreamed of and so much more.  I am truly happy. . .and sadly, I'm not sure how many people can say that in the world today.  I wish everyone half as much love as I have and surely their cups would runneth over!!!

**********************

Okay, back to the rules. . .


Rule 3 - Copy and paste the picture of the award at the top of my post and add it to your sidebar so all your bloggy friends know you received it and someone thinks you are special. For good measure you can thank me for giving it to you!

Rule 4 - Pass this award onto other bloggy friends who I think are pretty special!  GLADLY!!!

All Things Cake  (not currently updated, but a good friend of mine/cousin who I think is AMAZING!!)

Family of Shorts (I'm a Stalker of "Muffin Top to Skinny Jeans")

Green Momma (one of the inspiration sites for me on my own going green journey)

The Ladies of the RHOK at their individual sites which I have come to read and love:
That's Baloney (actually been a follower for a long time because I know her from "the real world")
Kellyology
Dawn's Diversions
The Southern Family
Our New Journey
The Redneck Diva

Geez. . .I follow so many super fabulous blogs that there are TONS more, I assure you!!!

Thanks again, Wendy, for the great honor and happy blogging to all!!  XOXO

Bloggers Without Makeup Day

I just love this idea!!  And FYI. . .I can often be found sans make up!  I love a clean face and natural beauty. . .plus I like sleep alot so I will gladly take away from "puttin' on make up time" so that I can get a few more zzzzzzzzzzzz's!!  I will say that it is somewhat hard to find a pic of me without make up though due to the fact that typically I am the one taking the picture. . .or we are having the pic taken for a purpose -- holiday, special occasion, etc.. . .so I have applied my un-natural beauty products!

Anyhoo...Jodie with Mummy Mayhem has sanctioned this day, May 14th, as Bloggers without Make Up Day!  She posted a picture of herself in all her natural beauty and she asked female bloggers of the world to do so too.  I actually jumped on board after reading Beautiful Momma's post over at the RHOK.  I echo her sentiment that showing our daugthers (and our sons!) that being beautiful naturally inside. . .and out. . .is the most beautiful thing about being a woman. . .well, that and raising a naturally beautiful child as well!  So here are three pics of me in all my freckled-face glory and without a stitch of make up. . .coincidentally they happen to be three of the happiest days of my life as well. . .birthdays of my two babies and finishing my first 5K with McBFF.

I hope you will celebrate this glorious day and link up over at Jodie's original post.  130 of your female sisters have already done so!

Thankful on Thursday!

Feel free to head on over to The Outdoor Wife or join me here for Thankful on a Thursday. Here are 7 things I'm thankful for this week!  (I just checked and there was not a post today, but maybe she will get one up and we can all link up. . .and you can still be thankful regardless!)  And you can also participate in Thankful Thursday with Grace Alone.




Week Four:

I'm thankful for...

1.  Lunch "hours" (plural) with a good friend. . .two days in a row!

2.  Creative recipes (read "concoctions") for diet-friendly food. . .

3.  Great friends who have planned a great girls' night out, a great girls' weekend AND a great girls+family mini-vacay and all I have to do is show up!

4.  Good books and an awesome book club to share them with

5.  My mom (Happy Mother's Day -- again!)

6.  My children (Happy Mother's Day to me -- again!  Because being a mom is the greatest honor in the world!)

7.  My hubby for being so understanding and doing everything he can to try to alleviate my stressors -- real and imaginary!

Thankful, thankful, thankful!!!

Wordless Wednesday. . .In Honor of Mother's Day!

For more WW fun, make sure and visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

Post It Note Tuesday

For more Post it Note Tuesday fun. . .head on over to SupahMommy's site!  She actually just got her ONE THOUSANDTH FOLLOWER. . .Wow!  Ms. 1000th Follower happens to be a very nice lady named Trish who could use your support so head on over to her site too!

MckLinky Monday: Know Me from A-Z

Those Housewives are making me WORK this morning. . .but I guess this will give you a little more insight into Mrs. Howell and my life.  Thanks Mrs. Sinclair!!!

Mrs. Howell from A to Z. . .

A - Age: 36. . .of if you ask my son 30 which I like better!  :)

B - Bed size: Queen

C - Chore you hate: Cleaning the bathroom.

D - Dog(s') name: Clementine and Pete (we also have a cat, Musashi)

E - Essential start your day item: COFFEE!!!!

F - Favorite color: I may be a Bluejay, but I bleed ORANGE!!!

G - Gold or Silver or Platinum: All, duh!

H - Height: 5'6 1/2"

I - Instruments you play(ed): forced to take piano lessons as a child. . .ruined me for all musical instruments. . .although my son and I have a mean air band!!

J - Job title: Compensation Consultant

K - Kid(s): Bubs (3 1/2) and Busy (10 months)

L - Living arrangements: House

M - Mom's name: Anne

N - Nicknames: Ma, Mommy, and KW

O - Overnight hospital stay other than birth: zero

P - Pet Peeve: Oh GAWD. . .I'm such a hag lately. . .pretty much everything is peeving me!!

Q - Quote from a movie/show: "The most exciting, challenging and significant relationship of all is the one you have with yourself. And if you find someone to love the you that you love, well, that's just fabulous." –Carrie Bradshaw - An American Girl in Paris (Part Deux) –Series 6

R - Right handed or left handed: Right

S - Siblings: zero

T - Time you wake up: 5:00a.m.

U- Underwear: granny panties

V - Vegetable you dislike: peas

W - Why you run late: KIDS

X - X-rays you've had: teeth, hand, foot, back, chest. . .heck, I don't know?!?!?!?

Y - Yummy food you make: EVERYTHING, of course!  Why?  What did my husband say?????

Z - Zoo favorite: Flamingos because my son just LOVES them. . .it makes me smile!

The Best of the Best - Real Housewives of. . .OKLAHOMA!!

God Bless Mrs. McGillicutty!!  If you are a fan of Bravo television's Real Housewives series. . .go here and read a fun recap!  Here's hoping those RHOK ladies never come close to the drama going on in "Nu Joisey"!!!

Happy Mother's Day

I am on a roll today!  I had so much catching up to do from this week.  Even my e-mail was backed up and that is where I found this.  I don't know how many times I have read it before today, but it always touches me.  I got this version from a mommy-friend of mine and just wanted to say. . .Happy Mother’s Day! Celebrate the family that you have created and all of those who began creating it long before you!


I'm invisible.

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I'm on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I'm thinking, "Can't you see I'm on the phone?"

Obviously not. No one can see if I'm on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I'm invisible.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this? Some days I'm not a pair of hands; I'm not even a human being. I'm a clock to ask, "What time is it?" I'm a satellite guide to answer, "What number is the Disney Channel?" I'm a car to order, "Right around 5:30, please."

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again.

She's going, she's going, she's gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a banana clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, "I brought you this."

It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn't exactly sure why she'd given it to me until I read her inscription: "To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees."

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, "Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it."

And the workman replied, "Because God sees."

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, "I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you've done, no sequin you've sewn on, no cupcake you've baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can't see right now what it will become."

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don't want my son to tell the friend he's bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, "My mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table." That would mean I'd built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, "You're gonna love it there."

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we're doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

All your children will be taught by the Lord, and they will have much peace. Isaiah 54:13

Post It Note Tues-ursday!

For more Post it Note Tuesday antics. . .head on over to SupahMommy's site!

Wordless Wednesday. . .er, Thursday (and not totally wordless)

Something in his eye says "You can take a picture, but don't even THINK about touching this cupcake!"

For more WW fun, make sure and visit 5 Minutes for Mom!

God Bless Me. . .it's been a week. . .I'm late on EVERYTHING. . .

So tired. . .BUT STILL THANKFUL!!!!!!

Feel free to head on over to The Outdoor Wife or join me here for Thankful on a Thursday. Here are 7 things I'm thankful for this week!

Week Three:

I'm thankful for...

1.  Coffee
2.  Diet Dr. Pepper
3.  Chocolate
4.  Vitamin B12
5.  organic certified CLIF® energy bars
6.  my quiet desk at work (bet you  never thought you'd hear me say that, huh?)
7.  the hours between 7:30p and 11:30p. . .also known as the hours my daughter sleeps. . .all other hours of the day and night are subject to crying, biting and wanting to be held. . .I am thankful my daughter is getting teeth (finally). . .but the process of getting them. . .I don't think any of us are so much thankful for that!  :(
 
Happy 10 month birthday to my sweet little Busy. . .oh, how I love you so and wouldn't trade my mama's girl for anything under the sun. . .I wish I could make your pain go away!!  I will continue to ingest mass quantities of caffeine in honor of your new chompers!!!  XOXO