Adventures in Advent

We started our adventure heading up to 202 in hope that the Christmas Tree Shoppe would surely have an Advent Calendar. Go to the store, super excited and every single one was broken. I kid you not, a door was missing or a knob was broken off. It was ridiculous. For a second I thought about buying two and combining them into a Frankenstein calendar just so that I had one. That seemed like too much work. I left unsatisfied.

We then headed to the Concord Mall to get keys made. While there we thought we'd look around and just check to make sure no Advents went overlooked. Leave it to Hallmark, we found the cutest Advent Ornament with a Nativity theme, score!

You turn the blue base of the ornament and everyday it will read you a verse from the Christmas Story. I love it!

While there I noticed they also had book and ornament combinations (not advents). While reading the book you can press the buttons on the side and the ornament lights up and talks to you. Hannah loves this.





Last but not least, we also found a paper Advent from the Calendar store that when you open a paper door each day you will get a chocolate and a Bible verse.



I'm so thankful we stopped to get keys made at the Concord Mall ;)

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas...

I spent the day putting up Christmas decorations and singing Christmas Carols. Oh so fun!

Stockings hung by the chimney with care? Check!



Tree assembled, fluffed and decorated? Check!



Lit? (It's like trying to take a picture of fireworks!) Check!



Nativity out of the box and in place? Check!



Then my brother and his family stopped by to drop off a BUNNY!



A girl and her bunny!



Carter was pretty stoked too! (Han was behind the camera, ha!)

Peanut the bunny is pretty cool and gigantic. He might be the same size as the dog. A little skittish but I think that is normal for bunnies, right?

Wordless Wednesday: Carter's Twin?

Advent Calendar

Or the lack thereof.

Hannah is at the age where she knows and remembers what is going on. It's now that I've really been trying to be on point with what I teach her and how I shape her holidays. With that being said we don't have an Advent Calendar. I never had one growing up but wanted to start the tradition for my kids.

Do you know how hard it is to find an Advent Calendar that does not cost  a trillion dollars and does not look gaudy/tacky? It's hard, I can assure you. Every time I find one I like it is either out of stock or a million dollars. I am determined, so hopefully I can find an acceptable calendar shortly.

I did find this little number, but was saddened by the price:



Any suggestions would be helpful!

Why You Should Give An Opinion When Asked...

I always, always, ALWAYS ask my husband his opinion on things. His typical reply about 85% of the time is "I don't care, whatever you think." This is his first mistake and mine for thinking that is really his opinion. It never fails, once decisions get made I will typically get some sort of negative feedback.  Shopping for Christmas is no different.

At my leisure yesterday I took my lunch break as a prime opportunity to get my Christmas shopping done. It was easy, convenient and fast; bonus, Toys 'R Us has free shipping going on right now. Score! I got everything done and then sent my husband an email with the name of the toy and a picture. A little while later I get a call:

T: "You got Carter cool stuff and Hannah gay stuff."

H: "And by gay you mean the games I bought? I got those because she doesn't play by herself so this way I can play with her more."

T: "She doesn't play by herself because you bought her gay toys."

H: "Should I get her something else?"

T: "No, what you got is fine. Carter's is just cooler."

I love the Christmas season, don't you?

Progress Report with a Dash of History

(The Progress Report)

I'm back on track with my weight-loss and so thankful for that. I lost 5ish pounds since last week and am feeling "skinnier," even if it is all in my head ;)

I stumbled quite a bit for the past few months and have been yo-yoing with my weight since about End of July/August. I'm not sure if it was that realization or my new hair cut but I managed to get my butt back in gear and that is what counts.

My initially stumbling was due to your typical pit-falls: vacations, birthdays, more vacations, day trips, weddings, birthdays, repeat, repeat, justify, justify, justify.

I feel good about it once again and hope that feeling stays around awhile!

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

(The History)

I first started to become heavy as a child, around age 10 or 11. I was molested and never told anyone.  Instead I chose to eat through my feelings because that is what I could control. By age 12 I was gigantic or so I felt.  In 6th/7th grade I wore a size 18. It was then that I first started "dieting."

It started out with the vegetable soup diet, I lost a good amount of weight on this diet. Then I started taking Meridia around 8th grade into 9th grade to aid me in my weight loss. By the time 9th grade rolled around and I was starting high school I was a magical size 12 and I really felt a lot better about myself. I was "skinny" or so I thought and had a great high school experience. My diet in high school was less than stellar, I would eat cereal bars for breakfast and a diet coke with a butterscotch krimpet for lunch (most days). This was the picture of nutrition.

I ballooned back up slowly but surely and can't quite remember where it all went wrong but I think that in 12th grade spanning into life after high school I became gigantic once again.

For a good while I stayed around a 22/24. Then after a few years of infertility and treatment for such I started to balloon even  further. I finally topped out around 26/28 and even had a few pants that were size 28.  I couldn't believe I let myself get this way. Finally I started to lose weight, lost 30 pounds got pregnant, had baby, lost weight, gained weight.  Lost weight again, had another baby, lost baby weight, gained more weight. It's a vicious cycle. I fell into the trap every time.

This time around I really felt called to lose this weight, my journey started around May and from May to July I lost 35 pounds! I was ecstatic! It was then that I really started looking at the real issue of where this weight issue started in the first place. Being molested. I had never dealt with it. I had told next to no one and it had taken me 16 years to tell my parents. That is insane when I think about it that way.

Finally after all of  these years I'm dealing with it and it stinks. I still  cry when I talk about it, the shame, sadness and anger that I have carried around for all of these years has really taken a toll on my heart. I've gotten to a point where I'm at a stale mate with myself,  Do I continue to go to counseling to deal? What do I expect to come of it? Will this feeling ever go away? Will I ever feel normal? Right now I don't think it will and if I could step into a mind erasing machine, I would.  Since I can't change what I have experienced as a child and the impact that it has left on me; I'll focus on changing my body and I'll need tons of prayer to help me with that!

I know good will come of this someday, I just wish that someday would happen soon.

TTGs

It's always an adventure when you go shopping with your BF AND have kids in tow, this time was no different.

We had to do some shopping and were looking for a few things at Old Navy. As usual Old Navy puts a majority of their clothing in piles on tables. I walk over to the stack of camis in the perfect shade of brown. I'm looking through the stack and the sizes are in random order. I notice one of the labels is marked TTG. I was looking for a XXL. I can't find XXL and these "stupid" TTGs were in the pile getting in my way. I finally select a TTG so that I can give it a thorough examination and wouldn't you know at the top of the label was XXL. Eureka! I found my size! It appeared that the way the sticker was placed that it showed TTG instead of XXL. I finally used my brain after a long day of work and conference calls to put two and two together. One of my more blonde moments for sure.

Hence this day forward whenever I go shopping I'll always look for the TTGs. Until I lose more weight of course! ;)

My Morning Side-Kick

Every morning for the past three weeks Hannah wakes up at the crack of dawn. This has been super fun.  I don't know why but like clock work, 30 minutes before my alarm goes off she is up and ready to go. She drags her cup, baby and blanket into my room. Next she declares she is hungry and demands asks in a most pleasant tone for a poppy (pop-tart). So off I head to the kitchen after getting her settled in my bed. I begin heating up her pop tart and getting her a fresh drink. She will then come in to the kitchen a couple of minutes after me, like a little Chatty Cathy, asks for her daily vitamin. I remind her to be quiet and we head back to my room. She eats her pop tart on my side of the bed (crumb central!) and enjoys morning cartoons courtesy of NickJr. Once I get showered and dressed I hear the oh so familiar pitter patter of Hannie feet running to the bathroom. She knocks on the bathroom door and lets me know that she needs to do her hair. I continue blowing out my hair while she brushes her hair with her small pink brush. After we are done  our hair I walk her back to my room for the 5,000 time,  give her a kiss and tell her I'm off to work.

I don't know why she started doing this but it doesn't seem to be ending anytime soon!

Lord, I'm Listening

I felt overwhelmingly compelled to read the Bible this morning and this is what I found:

(It was the confirmation I needed to see this morning)

Psalms 40

¹ I waited patiently for the LORD;
   he turned to me and heard my cry.
² He lifted me out of the slimy pit,
   out of the mud and mire;
he set my feet on a rock
   and gave me a firm place to stand.
³ He put a new song in my mouth,
   a hymn of praise to our God.
Many will see and fear the LORD
   and put their trust in him.

 ⁴ Blessed is the one
   who trusts in the LORD,
who does not look to the proud,
   to those who turn aside to false gods.
⁵ Many, LORD my God,
   are the wonders you have done,
   the things you planned for us.
None can compare with you;
   were I to speak and tell of your deeds,
   they would be too many to declare.

 ⁶ Sacrifice and offering you did not desire—
   but my ears you have opened
   burnt offerings and sin offerings you did not require.
⁷ Then I said, “Here I am, I have come—
   it is written about me in the scroll.
⁸ I desire to do your will, my God;
   your law is within my heart.”

 ⁹ I proclaim your saving acts in the great assembly;
   I do not seal my lips, LORD,
   as you know.
¹⁰ I do not hide your righteousness in my heart;
   I speak of your faithfulness and your saving help.
I do not conceal your love and your faithfulness
   from the great assembly.

 ¹¹ Do not withhold your mercy from me, LORD;
   may your love and faithfulness always protect me.
¹² For troubles without number surround me;
   my sins have overtaken me, and I cannot see.
They are more than the hairs of my head,
   and my heart fails within me.
¹³ Be pleased to save me, LORD;
   come quickly, LORD, to help me.

 ¹⁴ May all who want to take my life
   be put to shame and confusion;
may all who desire my ruin
   be turned back in disgrace.
¹⁵ May those who say to me, “Aha! Aha!”
   be appalled at their own shame.
¹⁶ But may all who seek you
   rejoice and be glad in you;
may those who long for your saving help always say,
   “The LORD is great!”

 ¹⁷ But as for me, I am poor and needy;
   may the Lord think of me.
You are my help and my deliverer;
   you are my God, do not delay.

This Is Stuck in My Head, Right Next to "Like a G6"

Zacchaeus was a wee little man

And a wee little man was he

He climbed up in a sycamore tree

For the Lord he wanted to see

And as the Savior passed that way

He looked up in that tree

And He said, “Zacchaeus, you come down!

 For I’m going to your house today

For I’m going to your house to stay”