Depression

Depression is a state of low mood and aversion to activity that can have a negative effect on a person's thoughts, behavior, feelings, world view and physical well-being.^[1] Depressed people may feel sad, anxious, empty, hopeless, worried, helpless, worthless, guilty, irritable, hurt or restless. They may lose interest in activities that once were pleasurable, experience loss of appetite or overeating, have problems concentrating, remembering details, or making decisions and may contemplate or attempt suicide. Insomnia, excessive sleeping, fatigue, loss of energy, or aches, pains or digestive problems that are resistant to treatment may also be present.^[2]

Depressed mood is not necessarily a psychiatric disorder. It is a normal reaction to certain life events, a symptom of some medical conditions and a side effect of some medical treatments. Depressed mood is also a primary or associated feature of certain psychiatric syndromes such as clinical depression.

Depression SUCKS!  

12:12:12 12/12/12

Today is December (12), 12th, 2012.

At 12:12 and 12 seconds  JK and I took a picture together (Well, Joel took the picture, yay for him!)

I love my husband so much, he makes me smile and makes me feel so special and loved :)

Here is our series of pictures... 12:12: 09,10,11,12 almost 13, and 13 :)   (it's backwards, pictures start with 12:12:13

It's the End of November

Finished Reading "Choosing Gratitude" by Nancy Leigh Demoss.

My life is open to being truly grateful for things I've taken for granted, but also, learning to say "Thank You" and mean it, instead of just saying it.  The most difficult chapter was learning to be thankful even at the worst of time (like when her son died from a car accident caused by someone else).  UGH... makes me thankful for all my BLESSINGS!!!

I started reading Beth Moore's Praying God's Word.  I LOVE IT!!!  Lots of great chapters that have already taught me so much about Guilt and unforgiveness, and more chapters I'm looking forward to reading.  

Next I have Beth Moore's Get Out of the Pit book.  (THANKFUL for the Library and free books to try out!)  :)

In January our ladies Bible study will start "listening" to "SO LONG INSECURITY" by Beth Moore on Audio.  I've already gone though it, but it's AWESOME and I want the ladies to also!  

October and November were crazy busy months with TONS of crafting, getting ready for Halloween (which turned out to be a SURPRISE Vow Renewal :)  and the huge T-shirt Quilt I made for a lady off craigslist... I'm making some big bucks doing something I LOVE :) And Joel's 5th Angry Birds Birthday Party... which I did a lot of crafting for.  CHEAP party, love it!

November is almost over, the Christmas tree is up, but the house is still not completely decorated :(  I bought the material to start another quilt for the ladies other child, and have made $50.00 this week selling toys on Craigslist.  Trying to make money to make up for the loss in Child Support that my kids dad hasn't been sending :(  Sad, hate having to sell their toys, but they are things they have outgrown, or NEVER play with.  Good timing too since Christmas is coming and they will get more toys.  

For Christmas I want to make the kids Hooded Towels.  Working on which theme for each child, SOOOO excited to make these and show them how much I love them.  They love it when I make them something special and unique for each of them :)

December doesn't look too busy yet.  I hope it will be a sweet, calm, relaxing month!!!  Mostly doing crafts and spending time inside with the kids!

Oh, Joel started doing "school" work during nap time yesterday (and he did it again today).  So far, in two days, he has learnt how to spell RED and read RED and he's doing tracing patterns and doing connect the dots :)  He loves it, and I love watching him learn :)

OH I AM SOOOO BLESSED!!!  I am so thankful that today I was able to sleep in until 8:30am (while JK was up taking care of the kids from the moment they woke up; feeding them breakfast, getting Brooke ready for school and sending her off, and then make sure the kids didn't bother me until I had to wake up...
to go to Brooke's school to Volunteer with the Take Home Reading program, 
then I was able to take Joel and Kamy to day care, and have "alone" time 
while I drove to JoAnn's to buy Kelly Green material for the quilt, 
and then spent time with Joel and Kamy for lunch, 
Kamy took a nap while Joel did some of his school work :)
And since about 1:30 I have been sitting in the big chair working on computer "stuff"... which mostly consists of fun and pictures (tons of them :)  
Now it's time to start the potatoes for "Crock Pot Roast Beef, Mashed Potatoes and Broccoli" that we'll be eating for dinner and then the evening with my kids and husband!!!

Oh I am SOOOO BLESSED!!!

Now potatoes and kiddos :)

<3 from, me

Gratitude

Two weeks ago I joined a ladies study group and started reading - Nancy Leigh Demoss - Choosing Gratitude: the journey to Joy.  In 1 week we all read the 1st chapter, and applying it to my life has been life changing.
Last night we talked about how in our every day life, in simple ways we say "Thank you", but there is truly no "gratitude" behind it.  We were taught as children to be polite, but never the true meaning of gratitude.

Just since I've been focusing on gratitude I have noticed SO many things in my life that I need to show more gratefulness for.

Today's post is about my AMAZING husband!!!

Yesterday I worked from 9am-3pm and then drove a friend to the airport and finally got home at 6pm, meaning I had 1 hr to get ready to host our 7pm study.  Because JK is so wonderful, he knew I would be stressed to get the house clean and ready for group.  So, while I was gone he:

Swept, mopped, vacummed, cleaned the bathroom, did laundry, put laundry away, washed the sheets, made the bed, did the dishes, picked up and took care of our two youngest kids (4 and 2 years).  All that was done between 9-12:30, then he came to drop the kids off with me and went to work for 8 hrs.

What an AMAZING man I have!!!  I sat during group looking around at my clean house :)  And realizing that I have never really show true gratitude for all that my husband does for me!!!

September 10th will be 1 year since I almost died and was in the hospital.  We are SO excited to celebrate my life (my 1 year anniversary) with a trip to Vegas :)  I am so blessed that I have an AMAZING man who has stood by my side through good and bad, sickness and health, rich and poor, you name it... he is always there, holding my hand.  And now I am learning to be more grateful!!!

JK and I at our daughters 7th birthday, hawaiian party (8/19/2012)

Old Time Photo

I've always wanted to take a picture of our whole family dressed up.

That dream came true this past week when we were in Estes Park on vacation.

This was so much fun!!!

Summer Photo Shoot

Brooke (7), Jackson (5), Joel (4), Kamy (2)

It's been a long time...

It's been a long time since I blogged.  I had trouble with all my blogs and then finally was able to pull this one back up :)  Yay Blogging!  I miss it!


We've had a WONDERFUL summer, and I have SO many pictures and great memories to tell you about!!!


It's been really busy lately, but things will settle down in a couple weeks.  I will finally be done with school in 2 weeks, YAY!!!!!  Jackson goes back to Missouri next week :( VERY SAD!!!  And I'm finally only working one job, the drop-in child care.  For a while I worked at two = stressful!!!


JK is still AMAZING and treats me like a princess EVERY day!!!! I am so blessed to be his wife, what a honor to stand by such an amazing man!!!  He works at T-mobile (which gives me free phones and way cheap service, YAY, love it, and it pays the bills, and all my craft/pinterest projects and clothes, shoes, hair stuff, nail polish, coke, chocolate... oh and dental, but that's not fun!! :(


Brooke will be 7 on August 19th, I cannot believe my baby is almost 7... WOW!!!  So far, we've bought her 2 things off her birthday list (she's an expensive girl, one of her wishes is for a GIRL yorkie puppy, YEAH RIGHT!  Keep dreaming Drama Queen!!! :)  But some things are possible, like the $7.00 high heels from walmart, and the AWESOME garage sale Barbie Jet for $7.00 (WOO HOO... new = $119.00) And some new books (since she is an AMAZING reader and these books are about 2nd grade, cause my baby girl is almost in 2nd grade!!!!  And a few other goodies, but you'll have to wait a while to see :) She's for sure 6 going on 17 :( UGH!


Jackson is 5 1/2, but so tall, he has grown every night this whole summer :)  He must have his height from his mom's side, and he'll probably pass JK and I up sooner than later!  He is a great reader, and loves sitting by me and reading from his books from Jr. Kindergarten.  He started calling me "Mama" this summer.  He decided since he calls his step-dad "daddy" that he wanted to have to mom's too.  I LOVE IT!  But I completely let him decide, I will NEVER force our kids to call us something they do not feel comfortable with.  (The other kids call JK daddy sometimes, but that's also their choice completely.)  He starts Kindergarten this year!  And he's going to have a little sibling at his other house in a few months.  Lots going on in his cute little self :)  I love his sweetness!


Joel is a BALL of something, energy, craziness, wildness, BOY, all BOY!!!!  He was my dream come true, I cried when I saw him on the ultra-sound and when I heard his first cry... I was THRILLED I was having a boy!!!  He is my boy!  He loves his mama but Mario Kart Wii is very close to driving over me!!!  He would play video games ALL day if we let him, but we don't... a couple games every other day or so is plenty in our house!  He won't go to school this year, it's too expensive when I'm at home and I can teach him everything his brother learned in Jr. Kindergarten.  So, the books and bought and the crafts are in order... let pre-school begin :)


Kamryn Joy-Bell, Oh and we should have named her SPOILED ROTTEN BRAT!!! :)  She is so rotten, and has hit the TERRIBLE TWOS!  But she still has a smile that will MELT your heart!!!  She is potty trained... she decided those cute "boy leg" panties were what she wanted to wear, so besides a couple days vacationing, she's in panties all day :)  She loves to play with babies, and pretty much follows her siblings around all day and tried to do whatever they do.  If she's not with them, she's following me around asking me for a snack, a pop-pop (lollipop) or "Nilk"... which would be "milk"... And usually she doesn't get any of those until I just cannot stand hearing her ask anymore!!! :)  She's got her daddy wrapped around her finger, it's priceless to see them snuggle :)


And that's it for us... We're still busy and still so happy and blessed!!!!


I'm going to post a few pictures and then I'll try to get back on track and do a little summer updating when I get a chance :)


Happy Weekend!!! :)


<3 

My Life is Wonderful!!!

I have been so busy this week spring cleaning, organizing, getting ready for my parents to come (tomorrow) and getting ready for our garage sale this weekend  (27th-28th) :)

I'm tired, but still have lots of energy and motivation!!!

Today I cut the grass for the first time this year :)  I had a great time weed waking and making the grass lines, then I watered it so it shined, it's SO green and so pretty!!!!  :)  I'm so proud of my grass!

I am so thankful for my AMAZING husband!  For my beautiful and healthy kids, Brooke (6 1/2), Jackson (5 1/5), Joel (4) and Kamryn (2).  I have a wonderful house, a cute minivan, so many craft things,   a FULL fridge and pantry.  And the most WONDERFUL church in the WHOLE world!!!!!  We are SO Blessed to be at Flatirons Community Church and to have the huge opportunity to serve and teach kids to love and be friends with Jesus.  

God has blessed me beyond measure!!!  I never imagined me here, today!  But I am so thankful for EVERY step of the way, each success, failure, hurt, gift... has made me who I am and who I am with.

My life is WONDERFUL!!!

<3

LOVE

I saw this picture of pinterest and was

SO excited that I have 4 kids...

and look was we made at Christmas :)

SEW CRAZY!!!

I LOVE my new sewing machine!!!!

It is very simple and the stitches are perfect

(my old one needed the tension tighten or something,

the stitches were uneven :(

I got out my machine and started attacking things

I've had in my "craft box" for years...

2 yards of Blue, fleece material I was given when I was pregnant

with my first daughter (I found out on Jan. 7, 2005... 7 yrs)

T-shirt quilt I started about 5 years ago...

I made the front, and originally planned to attach my

(now ex-) husband's t-shirt front to mine...

THANKFULLY! I never got around to it...

Actually, i can tell from some of the hidden stitches that

it must have been when my machine started messing up.

SO... I had two burgundy bed sheets in the box... guess I was

planning to use that :) And I finished the quilt!!!

With the 2 yards of blue fleece, I made 18 burp cloths,

to give to three new/about to be mama's with boys.

I am one busy, happy mama!!!