Latelys.

Goodness, it's hard to believe the summer is over and we are quickly heading into the colder months.  Daylight Savings Time has rocked ME this year… not so much the boys, but this Mama crashes early every night now, which is annoying since it cuts into my alone time with my hot man.

Summer was a blast and I feel like we did a decent job this year of spending every waking moment outdoors going on bike rides, spending time at the pool, taking the boys to different parks, and of course doing a fair amount of traveling.  Then we blinked, summer was over, and Jaxon was in school.

Tyler's work has slowed down quite a bit recently and he just survived another layoff.  There has been plenty of opportunities for us to simply trust in The Lord and his GOOD and PERFECT timing in our lives.  Last week we were given an anonymous gift that had both of us in tears.  I hate that it took a physical check for me to give over the control and stress, but admittedly it did.  I'm not sure why I continue to waste so much time and energy on worry when He continues to prove himself faithful time and time again.  He really does care about the small details of our lives.

My younger brother plays football for William Jewell College, so most of our Saturdays this fall have been filled with this.  It has been fun seeing my parents so much the last few months as they come to town for his games!

There's not much to say about these two that I haven't already said at least a million times.  My love for them grows by the day, which seems impossible, but it's true.  The more I get to know them, the more I love them.

I have thoroughly enjoyed my time alone with Cohen while Jaxon is in school.  It has been SO GOOD and SO FUN!  He really thrives on one-on-one time… so do I.  :)  Quality time is my favorite!

The way Jaxon spends so much time building Legos amazes me.  His teacher recently pulled me aside and told me after 17 years teaching, she thinks Jaxon is the most creative she has seen.  The details he thinks of, she said, are way beyond a typical 4 year old.  That was so good for my Mama heart to hear.  :)  I think we'll be having a Lego & Batman Christmas around here!

Psalm 74 has been rocking my world lately as David talks about how all of his enemies are getting all of these things, while he suffers.  In the middle of the chapter, he stops and says "…BUT THEN I ENTERED THE THRONE ROOM".  His perspective completely changes, the things that mattered before no longer do.  All that matters is intimacy with Christ.

I've thought about that so much lately as I still try to figure out the crappy sequence of events that seem to have happened to us this year.  Nothing horrible and I realize there's so much that could be worse, but if I'm honest, the unanswered questions still linger in my head.  BUT THEN I ENTERED THE THRONE ROOM.  What if bad things happen to good people because Jesus' ultimate goal is intimacy with us.  Yeah, sure, he wants us to be happy and enjoy life… but at the expense of closeness with Him?  Nope.  In HIM we find contentment… in HIM we find joy.



Just because it makes me giggle.  They are twins.

Church has certainly kept me on my toes lately!  Between multiple Women's fellowship events I've planned, PLUS hosting a big Women's conference at our church, I have been a busy lady.  I love ministry and I am still praying that someday an opportunity will open for me to work for a church.  I am so thankful for our church family and the way they genuinely love and walk beside us.  I'll say it once, I'll say it a thousand times… get plugged in to a church and small group.  Right now.  :)

I ordered my 2014 Erin Condren life planner!

This is news, people.

Pictures to come once it finally arrives… the anticipation MIGHT kill me.

I still can't believe my baby turned 3 a couple weeks ago.

I mean, the youngest person in my house is THREE??  We're officially "out" of the baby stage?!  Tyler actually had the guts to bring up selling the crib recently.  The conversation ended pretty quickly when I didn't respond and gave him a nasty look.

We had a super fun birthday party, "Wreck it Ralph Cohen", when we were in Iowa (pictures coming!), and then celebrated the day-of with a small group of friends.

Gahhh… I still can't wrap my head around this.

Oh Charlie.  She's such a great dog.

I wish she was about 10 years older… 10 years more calm.

But she's a great dog.  So protective and LOYAL to the boys!

Have you ever taken a "spinning" class?  DO IT!  It's a lot of fun… if you like feeling like you're going to die.  :)

I've still been faithfully going to the gym 2-4 times a week… usually closer to 2-3… and have maintained the same weight for 10 months now.  Which, by the way, is the lowest weight I've ever been, even through high school!  I've never been able to wear single-digit sized pair of jeans, and size medium shirts.  I'm not saying this to brag, but to simply encourage you to KEEP GOING!  It's so worth it. 

I love this new way of living, this new lifestyle I lead.  I am not going to the gym to lose weight, I am going to the gym to stay healthy.  To stay confident.  To stay happy.

Fall Mini Sessions are keeping me on my toes as well.  I love my job.

I've had this lightbulb moment in the last couple weeks when I've realized how thankful I am that my parents had 4 kids.  These people are no longer just annoying siblings, but really have become my closest friends.

Especially in the last year, they have poured into mine and Tylers lives in ways that we never would have imagined.  They've taken us under their wings, pursued deep friendships, been intentional in our times together, and have faithfully prayed for us.

Not only our siblings, but our parents as well.  19 people gathered in my Sisters home for Cohen's birthday party and just LOVED on him.

I fully realize not everyone has this kind of relationship with their family or with their siblings, and I don't take it for granted.  Thank you, Jesus, for your abundant blessings.

Iowa is really beautiful.  I still pray we get to call it "home" again someday.

I also recently participated in a Freezer Meals Workshop, through Wildtree!  Have any of you done one?  So far we have REALLY enjoyed every meal that we've made, and the math ended up being about $12 a meal, and most of the time we have leftovers.  It took me 2 hours of prep, but for 11 meals, that was really reasonable!  December is always SO busy that I hope to do another one, to prevent us from eating out.  And, now I'm hungry.

If God hadn’t been there for me,
    I never would have made it.
The minute I said, “I’m slipping, I’m falling,”
    your love, God, took hold and held me fast.
When I was upset and beside myself,
    you calmed me down and cheered me up.

Psalm 94:18-19

I hope you all have enjoyed the beginning of Fall!

I'll be back soon with PARTY pictures…

AND…!

A giveaway for some pretty sweet Christmas cards from my favorite company ever!

How I use my planner.

Before I made my Erin Condren purchase, I wondered how I would use it, and if it would be worth my money.

Of course y'all know how much I love this thing, and the hardest decision I have coming up is what cover to order for 2013....
Ok, that might be a slight exaggeration, but you get my drift.

I'm a tad OCD.  I like a schedule.  I like to plan.  I like to-do lists.  I like my t's crossed and my i's dotted.  I like to think ahead and know what is coming up next.

It just makes me feel a lot better when I'm organized.

So, here is how I use my Erin Condren planner, in case you wondered.  Or just in case you ever wanted to be nosey and take a sneak peek inside.  :)

I use the green marker for my "to do list" each day.
The boys appointments/things to do are usually in blue.
Purple is my color ... it's the things I have going on, or the exercises I did.
Orange is primarily for meals, but sometimes other random stuff.
Black is for all of us, or other misc. items.

I really use this thing to track everything.... and keep me organized as well.

When we go out of town, I also use it as a journal, so I can remember what all we did while we were gone.  Otherwise all of the trips start to blur together, you know?

It took me a long time to get our "menu" figured out... I tried many different methods of keeping myself on track for groceries and what we have in our cupboards, but this has BY FAR been the best one for me.

Also, it makes me laugh a little that the week I decided to take a picture of the meals, we had pizza rolls one night.  Hey - what can I say - I'm not a gourmet chef every night.  :)

The beginning of each month comes with lined paper, so I usually use it to write down what I have coming up... the big picture.

Also at the beginning of each month, is the "month view".  The boxes are little, so you can't write too much in them, but I use it to track our bills. 

The stickers are used often... I'm like 'em.

And I love the back pocket.  I keep checks, stamps, and misc notes in there.

 My tabs have seen their better days... but all things considered, they are still in good shape.  And the 2013 planners have laminated tabs, wooo!

What can I say... I'm a big fan.

And now you realize how big of a freak I really am.  Do you still like me?

PS:: this is not a sponsored post!  Just a product I really really love.  :)

Tidbits.

- Our church broke ground on Sunday for our new building.  The church has been meeting in an Elementary school for the past 15 (or more?) years, so this is HUGE!  We are so excited about the possibilities that we'll finally have once we're on our own property.

- Tyler and I are going to a marriage retreat next weekend and I can't wait.  We get to stay overnight downtown (again, yay!) and spend some time in the Word together.  I'm also excited to get to know some couples from our church that we don't know well!

- Erin Condren is running another promo through Plum District... you get $50 worth of goodies for $25!  Click here to purchase. 

- I love the age Cohen is at right now.  There's definitely frustrating times for us both since he's not talking yet, but this age of learning and growing and just being silly is SO fun.  This was one of my favorite ages with Jaxon as well.

- I have been running lately and in the last month or so have really started enjoying it.  My Sister is the runner, not me, so this is definitely a whole new world for me.  Of course, just as I've started enjoying it, my knees are not having it.  They ache and burn all.day.long, even on the days I don't run. I had knee surgery in high school and the surgeon told me I would never be able to be a runner... for a long time I used that as an excuse, but now I'm starting to believe it... and I'm super bummed about it.  As we speak, I've just taken more ibuprofen and have ice on them.  Big sad face.

- Yesterday my friend Andrea and I went out for coffee and then took the boys to storytime at the library.  The coffee shop had a big play area for kids which I thought was GENIUS!  Non-mommy's might disagree, but I loved it.

- I am in another redecorating mood and I think my living room is next on my hit list.  I love this rug but can't decide if it's too modern for my house, as much as I don't want it to be!

- We're looking into buying a cow (for the quality + better price) but haven't had any luck yet.  I've gotten a couple leads, but both are too expensive at $4-5 a pound.  I know it's better quality, but at this point in our lives we're just looking to save money, not have the best meat on the market.

- We have a super busy weekend ahead, but I'm looking forward to it!  It will be one packed to the brim with family and friends... one of my favorite kinds!

Erin Condren Giveaway!

Oh sweet friends of mine... I have a treat for you today.  :)  The best giveaway of all time...

You all know about my love affair with Erin Condren... it is so extreme that my husband has kindly labeled me an "Erin Condrenaholic".  I have the life planner, the address book, the note pads, and an iPhone case on the way.  It's nuts, I tell you... but what's not to love?  If you didn't see my post about my life planner, you can catch up here.

Such a fantastic company... quality products ... CUTE cute stuff ... and I'm so excited to partner with Erin and give one of my lucky readers a

$25 GIFT CERTIFICATE!

So, if you've been holding out for a sale... here you go!  Half off a life planner.  Or maybe you have another product of theirs on your mind... whatever you decide to spend it on, I know you'll love it.

Here's how to enter!

Mandatory entry:
"Like" ErinCondren.com on Facebook, then leave me a comment saying what you would buy with your gift certificate if you won!

Extra (optional) entries: 
Become a follower of my blog, or leave a comment saying you already are!
Share this giveaway on either Facebook or Twitter, then leave a comment saying you did!
Sign up for the newsletter on their website, then leave me a comment saying you did!

Make sure to leave me a separate comment for EACH one of your entries. 

I will count them up and randomly pick a winner at NOON on JANUARY 14.

GOOD LUCK!

In the details...
Giveaway begins today and ends January 14. Winner will be picked at random and will have 48 hours to claim their prize before a new winner is chosen.  The gift certificate cannot be used towards iPhone cases.  Open to US residents, ages 18 or older.

Extra fine print:
I was given this opportunity from erincondren.com.  All opinions are 100% my own and no compensation was made. 

Just FYI.

If you missed out on the Plum District voucher for an Erin Condren planner, here's another chance!

https://doodledeals.com/r/ae9ba43fb1/1408

Doodle Deals has a $50 voucher to ErinCondren.com for just $25.

If you need a reminder of my love affair with a planner, you can see it here.

have a happy weekend! 

Tidbits.

- I hope each of you had a great Thanksgiving.  Ours was great, spent with a dozen of my favorite people, what else could a girl ask for?  Friday, my Sister, Mom, and SIL braved the crowds and went Black Friday shopping.  To be honest, it was busy -- but not horrible.  Were we successful?  I'll let you judge for yourself....

- I am still absolutely in love with my Erin Condren planner, just in case you wondered.  SO worth every penny.

- Last week, we had break night at small group, so Tyler and I decided to take the boys to do a little Christmas shopping, share a Starbucks, and then finish the night letting the the boys pick out their ornament.  This is one of my favorite traditions that we do each year... try not to be shocked, Jaxon chose a train.  Cohen's pick was the bell from the movie Polar Express.  If you haven't watched that movie, add it to your Christmas 2011 bucket list.

- I am hoping to get our Christmas tree & decorations up tonight.  The boys received a train to go around the Christmas tree as a gift, and Jaxon will not stop talking about it.  He's obsessed with all things Christmas this year, the season continues to get more and more fun the older he gets.  I have a feeling keeping Cohen away from the tree & ornaments will be a challenge, but that's part of the fun I s'pose.  :)

- This year I'm attending my first Christmas cookie swap party, hosted by my close friend Andrea.  I am so excited to go!

- I have been really dizzy off and on for the last month or so and finally saw a doctor last week about it.  The dizziness gets so extreme that I start seeing black spots and feel like I'm going to pass out... it has freaked my husband out so much that he rarely lets me drive anymore.  The doctor's first instinct was my thyroid, but after all my blood work and tests came back clear, we are moving on to my heart.  He thinks it may be slowing down at random times causing me to feel like I'm going to black out, so I have been blessed with this EKG monitor that I have to wear for the next 48 hours... yes, that means no showering.  Pray for me if you think about it.  Health issues freak.me.out... I am so thankful I serve a God who knows all and sees all.  We should hear back from the results sometime next week.

- On a much lighter note, do y'all watch the show Revenge?  I was hesitant to watch it because I am not a fan of scary movies/shows, but we..love..it.  Like, staying up way way way too late to catch up on it... that kind of love it.  

- I was so thankful for Tiny Prints and their blog promotion this year.  I love to send Christmas cards, so the blessing of getting them for free was icing on the cake.

- I don't say it enough, but I'm absolutely smitten over my husband.  He is such a rock in my life, he truly is God's perfect one for me.

- The no-heat curls has turned into my "go to" hairstyle... I'm constantly amazed at how well it works for me, since my hair has never held curl.  Here's a little timeline from the first day I tried it:

8 hours after taking it out

With a curling iron touch-up

At the wedding

-I am so thankful for our small group.  Last night we had our first "split" night where the girls met together, and the guys hung out with the kiddos.  The study was focused on speaking truth into each other's lives... so often we hear lies from the enemy and I don't know about you, but for me I start to believe them after hearing them too much.  Last night was a sweet reminder of who we are in Christ, and who we are to our friends around us.  If you aren't apart of a small group, please join one... I never knew how life-giving it could possibly be, but I'm continually blown away by the community we have because of our group.

- I am so happy with the family picture that we got at Thanksgiving... it is going on our Christmas card and I'm weird about showing it before it gets mailed... but it's definitely a keeper and will be framed for sure!

- Happy Tuesday.

Organization makes me happy.

I've had my eye on an Erin Condren life planner since the first time I saw one featured on another blog.  Being the type-A organizational freak I am, something inside me got really excited about a place to put EVERYTHING, from errands, to-do lists, menu planning, and of course our family calendar as well.  I quickly jumped onto their website, only to be a little discouraged by their price.  We don't have an extra $50 laying around...ever...so I dismissed it and thought about asking for one at Christmas time.

Enter Plum District.  Recently they ran a special where you could get a $50 voucher for just $25.  On top of that, they had a coupon, so I was able to get a planner for $22.50.  There was no way I was passing this one up!

Deciding what cover/theme to get proved to be the hardest part of my decision.  I googled "erin condren life planner reviews" and read about a million of them, and kept going back to this one design... candy lace, which I kept hearing is even cuter in person {and it's true}.

Turn around and shipping time was extremely reasonable and one day, the heavens opened up and dropped off this package...

Seriously, don't you love companies that take pride even in their packaging? 

I literally gasped as we were walking out the door to go to the store, and Jaxon said "what Mommy? a big spider?"  :)

 love these pages, keeping track of birthdays & anniversary's... super easy! 

the whole year at a glance

 each month has a "month view" and then a "day view" as well, which is broken into 3 categories... 

morning, day, night so you can REALLY plan your day :) 

  a spot for receipts, stamps, etc... i plan to organize my coupons and keep them here

 tons of blank pages for notes/lists/etc

2013/2014 mini calendars on the back inside cover

So many fun inspirational quotes throughout as well... here's just a few!

And then all these extra's she included for free!  Love!

see the clear zipped pouch?  perfect for keeping things together you don't want to lose!

I also got my Sister one for her Christmas gift, but I will let her show hers off  :)

Stay tuned... I'll keep you updated as I figure out exactly how I'm going to be using this planner! 

Thank you to our veterans who have served our country so faithfully, and given so much to us. 

Have a great weekend!