Officially Retiring this Blog

Well, No guilt attached, I'm officially retiring this blog. I can't get excited about posting these days and I'm secretly afraid "Blogger" will cancel this thing and I'll have wasted time and energy, losing my precious memories to cyberspace. Call it paranoia.

Anyway, thanks for my few faithful followers. Maybe in a few years I'll try this blog thing again.

Love from Jessica

Pic 1: My little purple "welcome home"! It sits right inside my front door!
Pic 2: Bless This Home plates made with letter transfers and a couple of white plates from Goodwill. Total Cost: $5.00
Pic 3: A fall version of my "H" wreath hanging on the front door. I stole the twine idea from my girlfriend, Monica.
Pic 4 and 5: Blair and London on Blair's first day of preschool

A few new pics!

Just a few pics to keep this blog updated!

OMGosh...I'm a horrible blogger

Okay, so it's been nearly 3 months since I last posted. Not good. Especially not good when I left my last post with a cliffhanger, claiming to make a spiritual connection with my early summer reading obsession, Twilight. Well, fast forward to fall and I can't for the life of me remember the spiritual significance I drew from the series.

Such is life of Jessica Hibbing. Great ideas. Horrible Follow-thru!

So, let's move forward from here, forget about Twilight (until November 2011 when Breaking Dawn debuts!), and give a brief synoposis of our Summer 2010!

Traveled a good amount:
-Went to the Omaha Zoo with my mom and the girls!
-Had a great time in Kansas City with just my mom on a girls mini-vacation. Love that city!
-Took a 5 year anniversary trip with my hubby to Minneapolis, Minnesota! Go Twins! Ikea!
-Multiple trips to the Quad Cities to see my mom and Decorah, IA to see Tim's family

Growing Girls:
-Enrolled Blair in preschool! Woah...she's getting so big. So far, she LOVES it!
-London's hair grew long enough to ponytail!
-Bought clothes for the girls to share. Can't believe their nearly the same size
-Blair learned to write her first and last name without help


The House:
-Finished a number of fun craft projects, including a purple vanity inside my front door... (what?!) I post them all later.
-Tim bought me my deeply desired cowhide rug! Yes!!!
-Bought a new washer and dryer. High efficiency, front load, Samsung. Enuf said.
-Mulched our kiddos swingset and added a sandbox. Yes, I love hearing the crackle of my vacuum as I suck up gazillions of sand granules in my carpet.

Us:
-Made a baby! Yep, I'm officially 19 weeks along now and awaiting our favorite milestone...the ultrasound...in less than a week and a half! In fact, we get to find out on Tim's birthday.
-Enjoying marriage more today then the day we wed!
-Embarked on a completely new adventure of international ministry. Realistically, that looks like feeding 5 chinese boys and driving them to places like Goodwill and the grocery store once a week!

That kinda sums it up. There has been many laughs this summer, with the growing 3 year old logic of our first born, as well as the the new "words" verbalized by my nearly 2 year old!

No promises, but I do hope to be more consistent at posting! Until next time, whenever that may be!

Jessica

Twilight Saga

Okay, I swore I'd never watch the movies. I mean, c'mon, I'm a 27 year old mother of two...Isn't the movie about a teenage love triangle? I'm so beyond that.

Then I swore I'd never read the books. No time to free read...especially fiction.

And I certainly never be caught dead in one of those black shirts with the giant face of Rob Pattinson on it.

Oh gosh...Punish me now...

It started with a lazy night, girls in bed and nothing to watch on TV. Tim and I found Twilight was playing on a free movie channel and decided to give it a go...I mean, I was a little intrigued about all the hoop-la revolving around this saga.

I unfortunatly, like the movie. And unfortunatly, my like grew the next day as I thought about the movie and it's plot line/love story. My girlfriend lent me the next movie and Tim and I watched it 3 days later. It was official, I was hooked.

It didn't help that I joined two other girlfriends two weeks later for the Twilight Triliogy the night of the Eclipse premere. Twilight at 7:00pm, New Moon at 9:30pm and Eclipse at 12:30am! What was I doing?!?! This was so unlike me!

Anyway, fastforward a week and I'm 150 pages into the first book, anxious to pick it up whenever I have a free moment. I figure the books will get me through the next year and a half (til Nov 2011) until the first part of the final movie, Breaking Dawn, comes out.

You're probably wondering if I bought the shirt....thankfully, I just can't go there...not that I blame any one who has (love your passion, Mandy!)...I can actually relate to your desire to keep Edward Cullen close to your heart!

Okay, there is a spiritual lesson/disclaimer to my experience getting wrapped up in these movies but I have to go now, so I'll leave that for my next post!

Until then....

Prayful Crotch Shot

Okay so the title of this post is rather crude, but it's exactly what happened to my poor husband at the wedding we attended over the weekend. Allow me to set the stage:

We're at the Gateway hotel attending a lavish wedding reception for which Tim was an usher and asked to also give the pre-dinner prayer.

I've finally captured London and am holding her in my arms for what will respectfully be a brief 60 second prayer as Tim takes the mic and begins to ask the crowded reception of people to bow their heads.

At just that moment I see Blair at the edge of the dance floor about 50 feet away from Tim, her back to me, with her arms outstretched before her like a Zombie. She's just out of reach of me and I realize I didn't get the opportunity to remind her "we're going to pray now and she needs to stand quietly and listen to daddy talk".

To my horror, I watch her walk like tin man, arms still locked strait in front of her, briskly across the dance floor towards Tim, whom I know is utterly unaware of her approaching as he's got his eyes closed, head bowed and is concentrating on his prayer.

Most people didn't see what happened next because Tim covered really well but because Blair had to walk in front of the head table to reach her father, the wedding party erupted with laughter as they watched Blair's locked arms gore Tim directly in the crotch.

It went something like this: "...and Lord we just remember your bounty at thiUUUUUFFF...ahem, at this time of celebration..."

If only the videographer wasn't praying, we mighta been millionaires with that clip on AFV. The only thing I saw Tim mouthe as he walked back to his seat after he concluded the prayer was..."Un-Be-Lieveable."

HAHA...Isn't parenting like that sometimes? Unbelievable.

Swagger Wagon

Well, it's official. No Chevy Suburban for Miss Jessica Hibbing, at least not for a year or so. That's ok. In honor of our Toyota Sienna membership in our family, I'm posting this video.

"Where ma kidz at?!"

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ql-N3F1FhW4

An intimate moment I didn't want to forget...

This morning I went for a jog around Ada Haden park. About 10 minutes in I thought to myself..."oh Snap! I shoulda read the Word a little before I left so I had a verse to meditate on. That really would have made this run go faster!" I prayed that the Lord would just give me a verse to think about while I circled the lake and He tenderly answered with Psalm 23.

Here were a few of my thoughts. It was a precious time I pray I don't forget.

The Lord is my shepherd= Jesus, thank you for watching over me, as a tender shepherd watches over his lambs. Thank you for knowing me by name and calling me. Thank you, Jesus, for keeping me safe inside the herd, my friends and church. Thank you, Father, for being personal with me; being mine.

I shall not want= Jesus, you are my supply. How could this be; I shall not want? Even on the darkest of days you have promised me… fulfillment. This is such a special comfort to me, Lord. I am growing in trust that even if all were stripped away, you would be all I needed.

He makes me lie down in green pastures= This is peace, Lord. You are peace. Jesus, I can just envision a lush green pasture-one I don’t have to water, I don’t have to mow, I don’t have to maintain. You beckon me in, cradle my head and lay me down. You ask me to close my eyes, breath in pure fresh air and simply rest.

He leads me beside quiet waters= Lord, you are such a friend to me. Beside our quiet waters, you walk with me. I look in the stillness of the lake and see the reflection of you walking in stride with me. You will always be the source of my refreshment, Jesus. You are the quiet water. When I thirst, you promise to make my cup overflow.

He restores my soul= What a promise, Lord, that you could mend a broken heart. Not only mend it…restore it fully. FULLY! Father, this is all I could ask for. You don’t promise a life without sorrow or tragedy, but you do promise healing. What a gift I have in you, Jesus.

Juice Plus

I've had a couple of opportunities throughout the past few years to start an at-home franchise... Mary Kay, Silpada, etc. I have never considered myself a sales-type and just couldn't imagine myself trying convince someone to buy something I wasn't totally convinced they needed!

(Disclaimer: For all those out there that have an at-home business, I totally commend you and don't think there is any sin in sales or making money. I just think in order to be good at selling your item, you have to be fully convinced a persons life will be benefited by your product!)

A year ago I decided, after many years of fighting numerous colds and infections during the winter months and averaging stomach flu 3 times a year, I needed to find some sort of immune system booster. My cousin told me about Juice Plus.

The long-short of it is this: Juice Plus starts with fresh, high quality fruits and vegetables that are carefully tested to ensure that no pesticides or other contaminants affect the natural purity of the product. The fruits and vegetables are juiced, then concentrated into powders using a low-temperature process so that none of the nutritional value is distroyed. Then the powder is put into capsules that you take with a glass of water! I take 2 vegetable capsules and 2 fruit capsules everyday and have consumed my entire days worth of fruit and vegetable servings.

With cancer and heart disease on the rise, the FDA just upped the food recommendations to 7-13 servings of fresh fruit and vegetables every day. I find this standard impossible to meet without Juice Plus. Additionally, the high costs of fresh produce would make it expensive.

Anyway, I guess this is a sales pitch of some sort, because I am a distributer of these products, but I truly truly have seen a great improvement in my overall health and immune support throughout the past year and am passionate about the benefits of Juice Plus. For less than $1.50 a day (much less then it would cost you to buy your recommended whole fruit and veggie requirement) you can meet your nutritional requirement in it's entirity.

I have tons of information on the benefits of Juice Plus, but what I like the most is that there is no added chemicals or man-made vitemins...it's simply whole fruits and vegetables.

If you'd like more information on Juice Plus, please comment or let me know. I'd love to share with you how it's improved my life and give you a sample!

Last thing: Juice Plus even makes "gummies" for kids! It's like fruit snakes. Blair and London eat their 6 gummies everyday and they've fully consumed their fruit and vegetable requirements for the day! How easy!!

Yum Yum African Peanut Stew!

I'm posting my first recipe. I'm didn't take a picture, so you'll have to just trust me that this stew is amazing!!!

African Peanut Stew

-Serve as a soup or over rice for a hearty main dish-

1Tbs olive oil

1 med. red onion, finely chopped (about 1 ½ cups)

1 med. green bell pepper, finely chopped (about 1 ¼ cups)

½ cup chopped carrot (2 small)

½ cup chopped celery (1 rib)

3 garlic cloves, minced

2 Tbs minced, peeled fresh ginger

1 Tbs curry powder

1 bay leaf

4 cups fat-free chicken or vegetable broth

1 (12 oz) sweet potato peeled and cut into ½ inch pieces

1 ½ cups shelled edamame (I found mine in the frozen vegetable section- I microwaved it just enough to get the shells off)

¼ cup creamy or crunchy natural peanut butter

1 (5 oz) bag baby spinach leaves, torn into bite-size pieces

½ tsp salt

Coarsely ground black pepper

1. Heat olive oil in a 4-quart saucepan or Dutch oven over medium heat. Add onion, bell pepper, carrot and celery; sauté until soft and translucent, about 5 min.
2. Add garlic, ginger and curry powder and sauté until fragrant, about 1 min, do not brown garlic. Add tomatoes and bay leaf; cook, uncovered, until tomatoes are slightly reduced, about 3 min.
3. Add broth and sweet potatoes and bring to a boil. Reduce heat to low and simmer about 8 min. Stir in edamame and peanut butter until combined. Cook until thoroughly heated, about 2 min. Stir in cilantro and spinach until spinach wilts. Season with salt and pepper. Serves 8

Enjoy!!

Your message defines you!

A blog I really enjoy reading is Sally Clarkson's "I Take Joy" found at: http://wholeheart.typepad.com/itakejoy/

Today she blogged about the messages we hear in our heads and how our life will reflect the messages we're listening to. An amazing truth!

The last few days I've felt so frustrated inside-upset with my own inadequacies, the business of my schedule, the toil of mothering, and how nothing ever seems to just "be easy." I find my instinctual reaction to my frustrations is blame-usually directed at God or my husband- for my frustrations. "God, You just HAD to make that dish fall to the floor and shatter glass everywhere, didn't ya?!"

Sally explains that living your life in bitterness and anger may mean you're listening to voices that life is unfair and that God has not heard your prayers; that God doesn't really love me and is really not a good God or he wouldn't have let this happen to me. While Sally seemed to be referring to a general life approach, I think her wisdom applies to our daily thoughts and reactions to our circumstances as well.

In looking at my reactions when something goes wrong in my day, I really do think it boils down to my perception of God and the message I hear in my head. Is this true for you as well? Psalm 85:8 "I will listen to what God the Lord is saying, for he speaks peace to his faithful people." This is just the type of scripture that helps us discern God's voice from others in our lives. I must remember that any message that isn't peaceful but filled with blame or anger, or doesn't yield a peaceful response in my heart is not from the Lord!

Sally says that if you are living in hope and peace of mind, the message in your heart that you're believing is "All things work together for good of those who are called in Christ Jesus" and "I know in whom I have believed and am persuaded that He is able to keep that which I committed to Him." She concludes that we are what we believe--and our actions tell the world what we believe.

Lord, Help me to hear your voice in those moments where life isn't easy. Help me to live my life daily with a message that gives life, not steals it from myself or others! And let my reactions to my circumstances be those that glorify you; truthful, patient and peacegiving.

Volleyball Girlzzz!!

Just a little shout out to all the girls on the Serve-ivers city league volleyball team! Last Monday night we took home 2nd place in the B+ league! The agony of defeat in the championship game left us all yearning for more, but I've never had more fun playing any sport on any team...ever! There were games where my gut ached from laughing (who knows why...) and other games were the desire to win was so fierce, it hurt!

Anyway, thanks, girls, for the super fun season and if it weren't for certain people...ahem Jill... moving away I'd say "See you all next year...for the championship!!"
Until then, Bump-Set-Spike!

A little pizzaz with scrapbook paper!

This has been a little project I've had my mind on for a couple of weeks. I just lOOOve wreaths and I think there is no good reason they should be reserved for Christmas time. I found this little summery looking wreath at Goodwill a few weeks ago and spruced it up with a wooden "H" from Hobby Lobby. I decoupaged this cute scrapbook paper on it and tied it to the wreath with twine.





I also used this same print on scrapbook paper to make little sleeves for the white candle sticks/tubes on my chandelier in the dining room. Those little white candle sticks were so bland and dingy looking, but now they totally coordinate with my wreath! Now all this chandelier needs is some light eggshell blue mini shades! Anyone know where I can find them cheap??




And finally, this little helper was watching me hang my wreath!

Remorse and Repentance

Today in a bible study I attend we were discussing John 18. That is the part in the Bible right before Jesus's trial and crucifixion where Judas betrays Jesus with a kiss to the Roman soldiers and Peter denies Jesus three times to the temple guards. We were discussing the difference between "remorse" and "repentance". Even though both men betrayed Jesus in his time of need, the scriptures say Judas feels remorse and Peter demonstrated repentance.
Judas' remorse for his wrongdoing led him to hang himself but Peter's repentance for his wrongdoing led him to go on and have an amazing ministry for Christ.

So, how did these two men have such different reactions to their sinful actions?

Well, yourdictionary.com defines "Remorse" as: a deep, torturing sense of guilt felt over a wrong that one has done. "Repentance" is defined as: to feel such regret for past conduct as to change one's mind regarding it.

The difference between Judas and Peter is that Judas never humbled himself and asked for forgiveness. His guilt, therefore, followed him-torturing him, until he couldn't take it any longer and ended his life. The scriptures say, Peter, on the other hand, "wept deeply" over his actions and we learn that he sought forgiveness from the Lord. Peter humbled himself and repented of his sins-allowing God to free him of his guilt. This freedom fueled a ministry for Peter that was one of true devotion to God and passion to do Christ's work for the remainder of his life.

Praise God for the freedom He so mercifully gives when we repent!

Discipline and Trust

"No discipline seems pleasant at the time, but painful. Later on, however, it produces a harvest of righteousness and peace for those who have been trained by it." Hebrews 12:11

How true this is.

Isn't is amazing how accepting discipline and trust go hand in hand. I see this most clearly in moments when I'm leading my child who has just misbehaved into the bathroom. Her hand in mine, we go. Often times she is crying as we walk, but she keeps ahold of me, walking right by my side. While she knows what awaits her may sting a bit, she trusts her momma to hold and comfort her after, and not to cause her pain for any reason she can't understand.

Can we view our Loving Father this way? Can we trust God to discipline us for our good? Do we truly trust God to produce righteousness and peace in our lives?

Like my little girl, I don't look forward to being disciplined. I like to cry or pity myself for awhile. One such situation happened a few months ago. I, after two margaritas (and a whole lot of chips and salsa) made a flippant and casual comment to a group of young women in my church's college ministry about "what to expect from your man once married." I was challenged by an older godly women at the table, that my comment wasn't biblical and untrue for couples submitting to each other and the Lord. I, pridefully tried to defend my comment for the next 10 minutes until falling awkwardly silent and anxious to go home.

The next day, God weighed heavily on my heart. I read through my prayer journal and realized that I had prayed for an opportunity to grow in humility the week before. Obviously this was my answer to prayer. God told me I was not right and that I needed to apologize to all the women I had mislead, the specific woman who had challenged me and even to my own husband- who wasn't even there, but whom I had inadvertently disrespected. I cried much that day. I tried to make my comment sound more right. I tried to convince myself I didn't really explain it well enough or that all the women had misunderstood me.

But by the end of the day, God had convinced me of my sin and the ugliness of my pride in refusing to admit it. I followed God's leading-wrote an email and made some phone calls of apology to these women. After repairing these tender hearts and asking for my husband's forgiveness, I felt a hearty weight lifted off my shoulders. It felt good to obey but I still sat discouraged that I had so messed up.

I read back through my journal and realized that I had also asked God to allow me to be joyful in this humility training. No sooner had I thought, "now that's impossible" did God give me 5 reasons that I could be JOYful in His discipline!

1. God hears me! He answered my prayer so swiftly!
2. God is interested in my spiritual growth! He desires to produce a HARVEST of righteousness and peace in my life.
3. I got to demonstrate humility-a quality of Jesus Christ's- to other women who look up to me!
4. I got to be comforted by my husband as I apologized and cried in his arms.
5. God got a victory!

Eating my pride that day was hard, but choosing to trust God and allowing Him to train me produced an immediate peace and even great joy!

Even though my little 3 year old may not recognize it, her smile and freed spirit after a correction reminds me that discipline is good when we trust God (or momma) to be trained by it.

G'night!
Jessica

What color are you?

I love my girlfriend Ashley's blog. She always seems to weed through the ideas and post about the best of the best. Research is her gift! You can check her out here: http://rahouck.blogspot.com/

Anyway, recently she posted a cute little quiz that determines what "color" you are and what your color means about you. I took the quiz. At 11p.m. Can't sleep.

I'm a purple and I'd say I'm pretty happy with the results!
Purple people:

Spontaneity is the key to your existence. Quick-witted with a flair for originality, you enjoy situations that allow you to explore your creativity. Comparatively conservative, you appreciate beautiful surroundings, especially if they’re found in nature. Your relaxed and self-assured personality allows you to work well with others. Surprisingly enough, your unique and unusual tastes don’t prevent you from being comfortable among your more conservative peers.

Ashley is definitely a Red.
What are you?!

Subtle reminders of Spring

So, warmer weather struck Iowa on Thursday-62 degrees! Friday morning we woke up to 2 inches of snow. Thankfully, it only stuck around but a few hours and we were basking in the glow of Spring skies and soggy yellow yards once again! In fact, the only thing snow white around here anymore are my pasty legs that haven't seen the light of day in 6 months. Looking forward to breaking out the spring wardrobe any day now!

With sweet Spring in the air, I've been inspired to add a few Eastery/Springy things around the house for fun!

I found this white rod-iron tree at Goodwill. It originally was a tacky gold color and held little votive candles. What 15 minutes and a can of Heirloom White spray paint from Hobby Lobby can do!

I had extra eggs laying around, so I gathered some sticks from our back yard (And their is plenty more where they came from!), planted them in a vase and let Blair decorate our very own outdoor Easter tree.

It's hard to see, but I love this little nest displayed in the mini cake plate I splurged on from Hobby Lobby yesterday ($15!). The little robins eggs are actually chocolate malt eggs. Who doesn't love edible home decor?!

Blair is very much into doing crafts these days (a girl after her mom's own heart) and we found this paper plate flower idea from one of her "High Five" Highlights magazines. It's hard to see, but we taped different strips of scrapbook paper to a paperplate that we cut into a flower shape and hung with twine! It was an easy craft that held her attention well!

I hope everyone enjoys their beautiful, blue-sky Sunday today! Even the skittery ground squirrels that run in and out of the nest they've made in my front step remind me of God's beautiful creation and his faithfulness in bringing about new life each March.

Love,
Jessica

Cutesy Clipboard!

Okay, so there has been a craze of "dollar store crafts" in blog-world these days, and I've jumped on the bandwagon. Well, sorta. I really just had this idea in my head and found a clipboard at The Dollar Tree last week! I needed a new clipboard to keep me organized while coordinating weddings at my church. I thought it would be kinda fun to decoupage some lovely little decals on it-to use while working with the young mushy love birds on their wedding day! To help me...get in the mood, so to speak. :)

Supplies
Mod Podge...a girls best friend. Also, what I call my post-pregnancy belly.

Finished product. It's still drying, that's why it's so glossy.


Decorative back

"Delight yourself in the LORD and he will give you the desires of your heart." Psalm 37:4

I wanted to hurry through this little project because it's already 11:15pm and I suspecting another "bad" night with London and Blair's room-sharing endeavor. (London's already woken up 3 times since we put her to bed at 8pm. I pray that I'm able to "Delight myself in the Lord..." even in the wee hours of the morning while trying to rock her back to sleep.) But this project could really lend itself to some creative genius...think, ribbon, calligraphy, buttons!

Goodnight!

Oh yeah...here's those pictures of Blair and London's bedroom

Looking from the door view

My first attempt at sewing curtains didn't turn out too bad. Never mind the safety pins behind the frilly pink bunches holding them together...

Butterfly collage I made by punching out pretty designs in magazine pages with my butterfly hole punch.

Another view!

Ahhh...more Pink...More PINK!

Pretzel Tub Drum

Yes, this pretzel tub was filled with pretzels at one time...I ate my way through the entire tub in 4 months.


Nonetheless, it's empty and begging to be repurposed! I came up with the idea of turning this pretzel container into a drum after watching one too many episodes of Blair's favorite cartoon show, "Caillou".

I used left over felt to wrap the container and make a carrying strap. I find that felt is the easiest "fabric" to work with for kids projects or costumes because it doesn't require sewing, comes in every solid color of the rainbow and is cheap!


I'm always looking for little craft projects to do with Blair and this one was a success. Even though we didn't get around to it initially, I had her pick out different colors of buttons and embellishments to glue onto her drum. She also got to pick out the different colors of felt. When we were finished, we paraded around the house--Blair on drums, London carrying a mini piano that belted out it's demo music, and me humming into a paper towel roll. Our very own marching band welcomed daddy when he came in the door from work!

Refashion a chipped mirror

Okay, so I started and finished a project in 1 hour. Victory! I picked up this chipped mirror at Goodwill a few years ago and had this idea in mind...3 years later, I've finally finished it.

See the chipped top left corner?

This fake flowered girly mirror is now hanging about one foot off the ground so Blair can check out how she looks in her dress up clothes. I hope I'm not creating a monster!

There isn't any special tricks in creating it, but here are a few tips:
1. Buy your flowers at the dollar store. I got 7 bunches of various pink roses for $1 a bunch.
2. Add some variation in size and shade of color. I tend to like going monochromatic when creating with fake flowers. I think an array of rainbow colors might be a little much for the eye!
3. After popping the heads off each stem, snip the ends of the stem off of each flower so that it's nearly flush with the petals. You'll find that you'll need to add a dab of hot glue on the end of what's left of the stem so that you can avoid this. (see photo)
4. Same some smaller flowers for the end. You can fill exposed gaps in between the larger flowers.

You can see my progress with the following pictures. I will also post some pictures of Blair and London's bedroom. We just moved London into Blair's room yesterday to make room for Uncle Paul (he's moving in with us in 3 weeks). It's turned out pretty cute. Much of my crafting energy was put into this room. Somehow setting up a pretty little girl's room was a top priority when we moved into our house-- Tim says there is no way our girls will be tomboys sleeping and playing in a room like theirs....What can I say? I love pink!

Enjoy!


Dollar Store Roses

Secure stem base so flower doesn't fall apart!

Rows of Roses!

Finished Project!

New focus?

It's been a long time since I last posted! In fact a few weeks ago, I pondered abandoning this blog thing all together. That would be just like me. I tend to love the hunt of a new hobby, enthuastically jump in head first and then burn out after a month or so. It's one reason i have a "craft room" full of unfinished projects. I was talking with one of my girlfriends about how she seems to have time to pursue all her interests and stay motivated to continue them. In complaining to her about my lack of follow-through on just about everything, she asked me a thought-provoking question..."What motivates me?" In general, I would say I'm not a "goal-orientated" person. I just don't really giggle under the satisfaction of reaching a self set goal. I was kind of discouraged realizing this-- being that "setting and reaching goals" seems to be the #1 reason for success among highly published self-help authors! I also don't seem to thrive under pressure--not that I don't feel comfortable under pressure...it just doesn't toot my horn to imagine that I'm gonna get axed to death if I don't complete "this one task"--plus, what pressure do I really have as a stay-at-home mom with a loving, laid back, completely accomodating husband. In thinking through the question, I think I determined that I'm a "deadline" person that thrives under accountability--meaning, if I set an end date for my task to be completed, preferably short-term, I'm much more motivated to stick with my project and even complete it, especially when someone is counting on me to see it through! This has definately proven true in my fitness regime, among other things. I have found that if I sign up for a road race a few months away and ask a friend to train with me, I force myself into continuing a running regime up until that race. Usually the week after the race, I won't make it in the gym once, being that there is no race looming in the near future.

So, why do I waste 30 minutes of time explaining all this in a blog I haven't touched in 4 months?? Because in an effort to be more productive and faithful in my follow through, I'm going to be changing the focus of this blog a little to more of a track sheet of completed crafty and home projects with lots of before and after pictures that'll hopefully inspire you, my accountability readers! I do still hope to post about funny one-lines of my girls, updates on our family and little "favorite things" or ideas I've found or discovered here and there. So, hopefully, it'll be worth your time reading--if not, hopefully I'll get something completed for once! Either way, I'm going to try and live by with one main rule of thumb....I can't post about a project until I've completed it and I'm going to try and post once a week. There--I have a deadline and some accountability. Ready...Set...Go!

Changing subjects again...here are the latest two one-liners from my 3 year old:

1. Tim has made Blair grilled cheese sandwiches for breakfast (yes...for breakfast)and after finishing his, he takes a bite of Blairs.

Blair: "No Daddy, you can't eat mine. These are not "boy cheese", these are "girl cheese" sandwiches.

2. Blair saw a commercial for Chuck-E-Cheese's, a local kids restuarant. After being mezmorised by the commercial of kids playing and laughing, she quickly turned around and said, "Dad, I wanna go to Chick-en Jesus" too!"

Until my next completed project,
Jessica