Run Baby, Run

Chandler and I are training to run a 5k. Well, I've been training for a few weeks, and Chandler finally started last night. :) We plan to run the 5k at Prairie Arts in West Point, which is the Saturday before Labor Day, September 4th. It hasn't been the easiest thing to do, mainly because it's 480 degrees in Mississippi right now, and also because physical activity (other than chasing kids around) hasn't been on my radar in over a year. Yes, I'm one of those women who, when pregnant, eat as much as I can and don't move for 9 months. I mean, what other time in our lives can we get away with that, right? I always planned on being an active pregnant woman, but the whole 'trying to stay as still as possible so I don't puke' thing in the beginning kind of sets the precedent for the rest of the time. Ha! That, and I enjoy food and cokes and candy. It usually takes me at least the 9 months following pregnancy to lose the weight, but that's okay with me. Thank God for the 500 calories burned each day from nursing! After Charlee, I lost all the weight plus 10 pounds. I was working full time, though. I've gotta add a little something this time to help out, thus the 5k training. I started with an iPhone app I found ~ Couch to 5k in 9 weeks. It's pretty cool. While you're walking/running and listening to music, a voice comes on and tells you when to walk, run, or cool down. Tonight is week 3, day 2. Since he started a little later, Chandler will have to convert the program to "Couch to 5k in 6 weeks", but I have no doubt he'll be able to handle it. My reward for finishing the 5k will be to finally get a BOB jogging stroller. Since I don't already have a jogging stroller, I have to wait until kids are in bed and hubby is home to watch them before I can go run. It usually works out well because I'd much rather run when the sun is down and it's not nearly as hot. Last week, though, Chandler had to go out of town. Kinda puts a damper on the whole training thing. Luckily, I have quite possibly the best in-laws around who came to my rescue and stopped by after work to watch babies while I ran. Love them! :)

My RAOKs since I last posted have included: paying for the lady behind me in the McDonald's drive-thru one morning, and another gift card at Wal-Mart (I'm beginning to think I spend too much time at that place). This time, I gave the gift card to the cashier after I bought it and asked her to put it towards the lady in line behind me's order. This way, hopefully my RAOK will affect TWO people instead of just one. :) The cashier seemed touched by my act, and I never saw the lady in line's face because I tried to get out of there quickly. I don't know why, but I try to get away as fast as possible, almost like I'm doing something wrong! Ha! With the McDonald's lady, I couldn't get out of there before she noticed. Guess it's the whole two window thing. Before I could get my Cafe Mocha, the cashier was shouting, "She said Thank You!", out the window. I felt a little silly and like I needed to explain myself or something. I didn't, though. Just grabbed my drink and sped out of there. :) My drink, which I might add, that didn't have the usual whipped cream and chocolate syrup. I know that seems little, but it really makes the drink! I could've gotten mad about it, but that would've probably cancelled out my RAOK or something, right? Ha! I think it helped me to realize that you can do kind things all day long, and it may help you feel warm and fuzzy inside, but the purpose for doing kind things is to obey the greatest commandment of all ~ LOVE ONE ANOTHER. Period. Point Blank. Not, love one another because you'll get something out of it or because it's easy, but love one another because HE first loved you! It may not always be the easiest thing to do or the most rewarding, but it's what we are called to do. So, bring it on! I don't care if you're covered in whipped cream and chocolate or not. I'm gonna love you anyways because that's what I'm called to do. :P Easy enough, right? Yeah right! Praying everyday is a must because, let's face it, it's just plain harder to love some people! We can't do it alone, but Christ in us can! Praise the Lord!!!


Silly head....



I'll leave you with my yummy supper plans....Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast. No, I don't know Marie, but when looking for a good roast recipe one day, I happened upon this one at allrecipes.com. I've made it several times, and each time it has been YUMMO! It's easy, too. Chandler wanted me to add bell pepper this time, and I have to go run to the store to get carrots. Here it is before carrots and with added bell peppers.



Marie's Easy Slow Cooker Pot Roast

Ingredients:
4 pounds chuck roast (I usually get a smaller one)
salt and pepper to taste
1 packet dry onion soup mix
1 cup water
3 carrots, chopped (I use baby carrots and don't chop)
1 onion, chopped
3 potatoes, peeled and cubed (I use petite potatoes and don't peel them)
1 stalk celery (I leave this out bc we aren't celery fans)

Directions:
1. Take the chuck roast and season with salt and pepper (we add cajun seasoning) to taste. Brown on all sides in a large skillet over high heat.
2. Place in the slow cooker and add the soup mix, water, carrots, onion, potatoes, and celery.
3. Cover and cook on low setting for 8 to 10 hours.
4. Serve with some rice and ENJOY!!

Day 2

Day 2 of big girl panties, and so far no pee pee accidents and only one #2! Yay Charlee! She even went to school today and asked to use the potty twice. So stinkin' proud of her! Barrett and I went to Wal-Mart while she was at school and stocked up on candy and prizes for her to earn each day. How do you expect that candy to last under your roof for more than a day, Jamie? (some of you may ask) Well, I'm having tooth pain, and anything sweet intensifies that pain. I had a cavity filled two weeks ago and the pain has been coming and going ever since. I have to wait for an insurance estimate to get a crown put on it because the cavity was so bad. :( That's what I get for postponing dental work because of pregnancies and nursing. So, no candy for me. BOO!

Charlee put this hat on her Bubba...



2 years later and she still loves it... :) She climbed in all by herself and started jumping away!



Sweet babies...



A few weeks ago I read about a lady who celebrated her 38th birthday by committing 38 random acts of kindness, or RAOKs. She paid for the people behind her in the drive-thru, gave out gift cards at Target, took donuts and coffee to hospice workers, etc. It was very inspiring so I've decided to copycat her idea for my next birthday. Maybe it will help take the focus off of the fact that I'll be entering a new decade. :( Seriously, though, I love the idea of making my special day less about me and more about the One who has given me these 30 years. To thank Him, I plan on charting out 30 random acts and taking my family along for the ride! I've pretty much got an idea of what all I can do, but any suggestions are welcomed. I'm really going to have to get out of my comfort zone, but I'm VERY excited about it! Last week, I told Chandler about my idea (or, my copycat idea) and told him I couldn't wait until my birthday. He said, "Why do you have to wait until your birthday? You should do a kind act once a week or something." He's so smart. :) I didn't even think about that! So, I started praying for God to open my eyes to opportunities available to show love to others. I decided that I would get a $10 gift card when checking out at Wal-Mart and find someone to give it to. It was very intimidating! I gave the first gift card to a nice lady walking in as I was walking out last week. She was a bit confused about what I was giving her, but she ultimately thanked me. I was back at Wal-Mart today and got a gift card when checking out, but I had trouble finding someone. I made it all the way to my car when I saw a lady putting her groceries into a truck with "Habitat for Humanity" decals. I went over and gave her the card and told her that it was just a random act of kindness. She was very thankful and said she had many workers to feed so any little bit would help. There were a few other RAOKs last week, too. We're starting to think we may need to branch out to include RAOKs that don't involve money. :)

This Little Light of Mine

One of Charlee's favorite songs is "This Little Light of Mine". She is quite the singer and loves the "hide it under a bushel...NO" part. :) She is so silly! When her daddy puts her to bed, that's the only part I can hear from the other room. It always makes me laugh. I'll work on recording her singing it to post on here. It's just TOO cute!

Hearing her favorite part of the song reminds me of all of the times I "hide my light under a bushel." Jesus is my light and too many times I hide that light to fit in with the crowd around me or simply because I'm too shy/scared/whatever to share the AWESOME gift I have been given from such an AMAZING and HOLY God! We all get into the grind of daily living and often forget about our purpose as Christians on this Earth. God wants us to let our lights SHINE for HIM, and who wouldn't want to after what He has done for us? I'm glad I have Charlee's daily reminder.

On a garden note.....
Garden ~ Week after Easter


Garden ~ Today


We enjoyed the fruits (or rather vegetables) of our labor a couple of days ago for the first time! Yes, our garden is a little slow in its production mainly because Chandler chose a somewhat shady location for the box. That's okay, though. Lesson learned for next year. I have never liked zucchini. I have never been willing to try it. (I'm a bit of a picky eater.) I picked the prettiest zucchini on Monday. (Forgot to take a picture of it, though.) I grew it so of course I've gotta try it out, right? We didn't have corn meal so we fried it up in some flour, eggs, and seasoning. It was YUMMY! Chandler claims corn meal would make it better, but I think I like it the way we made it. Charlee wouldn't have anything to do with it. Barrett probably would have, but I didn't give him any. Good thing I liked it because the plant is taking over the whole garden! Lesson #2 for next year.....give the zucchini squash LOTS of room to grow.

On a baby note.....

Lord help us ~ Barrett has become mobile! Ha! He's not crawling yet, but he rolls across the floor to get where he wants to go and he scoots all over the place. He doesn't like to sit up on his own, though. He's always gotta be moving those little legs. He'll be chasing his big sister around in no time. And I'll be chasing TWO!

To Do Lists

Okay, so ever since I started staying home I've had a to do list of about 50 things I've wanted to get done now that I have the time. About 30 sewing projects, decorate my house, read, start a garden, potty-train Charlee, volunteer, make baby food, start a blog, take more pictures, write a book, and many more. Who am I kidding? It seems like I have even LESS time than before! My everyday to do lists have turned into: dishes, laundry, change diapers, feed kids, laundry, bathe kids, dress kids, put kids to bed, wake up every two hours at night to console a kid. Ha!

It IS finally becoming easier to get things done since Barrett is getting a little less needy. He is starting to sleep better now that we have him on meds for silent reflux, so I'm not nearly as zombie-like during the day, which is a plus. I've been able to start the garden and have somewhat worked on decorating my house. We have almost been here a year and our attic is still full of boxes. Potty-training is going...well, it's going! And, now, I'm finally starting a blog to record my life at home with two of the sweetest babies in the world, Charlee and Barrett, my tiny Castles. :)