Weekend Events

Last week was quite a busy week here at the Brown house.  Seems like we had something going on almost every day.  Those types of weeks can either go by fast or slow.  Last week seemed to go by pretty fast. 

Callie is getting more used to school.  She likes her teachers and is making new friends all of the time it seems. 

Caroline is still her feisty-self.  She is actually going to be going to the Level Grove Preschool one day a week for a few hours just so she can have some interaction time with other kids and maybe give me a chance to do some things that I need to do.
She went today, and I was totally lost without her.  I feel like as a mama I am so used to having my kids (at least one of them) with me all of the time.  I felt so strange not having one of them to keep up with.  Perhaps I will get used to it, but I don't really want to. :)

Anyway, the point of this point was to talk about weekend stuff.

Andy's birthday was on Saturday.  He is officially 5 years older than me again.  We did not do anything super special for his birthday, but I did stay in the kitchen a good part of the day it seems.

I made him some bacon for breakfast.  Then, that morning worked on his homemade red velvet cake (Maw Maw's recipe).  Later that evening for supper we had homemade patty melts (Pioneer Woman style!), like the kind at the Waffle House.  All in all, it was a good day for eating!  Callie enjoyed the cake as did everyone else.  She always licks the cream cheese icing bowl clean. Silly girl and her sweets!

Sunday we had a good service at church too, then we ate with mama, daddy, Ashley, Levi, and Silas.   It was some mighty fine eating there too!

Good weekend over all.  I leave you with some pictures of the deliciousness that came from my kitchen this weekend....

 Red Velvet Cake.  My only complaint: I did not use pecans in the icing.  Some people don't like them! ha! Pay no attention to my messiness on the cake platter!

Ooey gooey swiss cheese, sauteed onions, and the patty on rye bread.  Oh yes!

Comments!

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Did I Do That? (in my best Urkel voice)

I sit here with my eyes still burning and tingling after crying and having a "weltdown" with Caroline. Yes, that's "weltdown" since "we" had a "meltdown" at the same time.

If anyone was watching (other than our gracious God), I would NEVER EVER receive the Mother-of-the-Year award for the show I just put on. *Sigh....

I was not giving her the attention she apparently wanted so she started crying.  I thought she might be hungry, even though it was close to nap time.  So, we tried food.  No.  She just screamed.  So, then I tried to get her to sleep.  No. She didn't want to be rocked.  She just screamed.  Tried to lay down with her on my bed.  No. She just screamed. 

Do you sense a pattern here? :)

While I was trying to determine what was wrong with her (gave her teething tablets, gas drops, orajel, and a cup of water) NOTHING was working.  It just kept wearing on me until I snapped.  Crying and screaming myself (must have been super ugly) I clearly did not help the situation.  So, after I called out loud to God for help and strength and He starting pulling me back to reality, I began to pray and then feel guilty and feel like the biggest failure EVER!

Why is it that I am so capable of becoming unglued by simple things sometimes? Ever been there?  Ever let your hormones dictate your actions and your reactions? Ever let your almost 2 year old control your feelings and your actions?  Ouch...that hurts me to type!

After God got my attention during my spell, one thing that helped me was to think about the inspiration I have been receiving from the new book I am reading called "Be the Mom."  Dude, this book will OPEN your eyes!!!!  I feel like the author is writing about ME sometimes!  It's so convicting, but I feel like right now it's something God is really trying to work with me on.  So glad He's long-suffering too! :(

God has given me two very different, but beautiful and smart girls to try to raise.  It's my job to "Be the Mom" and not fall down and start kicking and screaming with them, even though it's hard sometimes. :)  Pray for me that I would do better!  It's days like this that make me wonder why I ever tried to do this stay-at-home thing, but then tomorrow might be one of those days where I wouldn't trade it for anything.  Pray that God would get ahold of my attitude.  It's pretty raunchy about almost everything way too much.   Pray that God would magnify the good things I do and my children see and minimize those that are not showing the good side of me.  Being a mama is hard work and a serious job! I appreciate your prayers! :)

Crafting

Before I get started typing this blog, I just want you to know I have spared you what I REALLY wanted to blog (er, I mean complain) about.  Alas, people don't like complainers, and I must admit I am pretty bad about doing it ..... a lot. :(
Pray for me.  God truly is not finished with me yet!

Moving on....

I just wanted to share a couple of the latest things I have done in my crafting world.  I have been making some baby gifts and birthday presents.  I think I am going to do more of this for Christmas this year.  I have always appreciated a personal touch when it comes to gifts, but it is not required.  A personal, considerate store-bought gift is just as special.

Anyway, here are some of the things I've been doing lately.

Here's a name plaque for Madilynn Reese... my soon-to-be-born cousin!

A sleep sack for Madilynn made from her daddy's old dress shirt.  I also added a bow applique on the right hand side, but didn't take a picture after I did that.

Name plaque for Miss Chloe.  She is 2! She is also one of the most content children I know. :)

Decorated wipes case. Love these.  They are so easy and yet the possibilities are endless!!!  This one was for my friend's new baby, Shelby.

My first attempt at a chic and shabby bib for Shelby too.  And yes, it's supposed to look messy! :)

Homemade hooded towel I made for Callie.  I definitely see myself making some of these for Christmas this year! So practical, and it's easy to do on the sewing machine!

Present for my daddy for Father's Day from his grandchildren.  Callie's hand is the cow, Caroline's hand is the hen, and Silas's foot is the tractor.  Love this one so much. :)

If you would like any links to any of these things that I made, I could probably send you a link to the tutorials that I used.  I love crafting, but I must say that most of the time, I do NOT come up with all of the things I make.  My signs are originals, but the rest of the things I made I got from ideas of other people.  Most of the picture we made for my daddy is original, but I got ideas about how to incorporate the hands/feet into the picture.

I seriously think I need to have a Pinterest party soon! We could craft, cook, and just have a good girls time together if I decided to do it! :)



Facebook is really beginning to annoy, hurt, and yeah, hurt

As of late, I find myself getting more and more disgusted with some things and some people on facebook.

Am I alone in this!?!?!?

Please let me know if you have this problem too, but has being on facebook and being "friends" with people in church caused more strife in your church life? Or has it brought you closer together?

For me, it has been the first of those two:  It has caused me more pain than joy.  Aren't we supposed to be buildling each other up instead of tearing each other down?  I feel like some "friends" on mine have only one mission on facebook: to hurt people.

I am continually appalled at this.

But, then again, maybe I wear my heart on my sleeves..........

Call me crazy, but does it hurt you when someone "defriends" you for NO reason?  Especially if that person is a fellow member of your church? 

The devil is truly working so hard, and I KNOW that he uses facebook to defeat and discourage people.

So, here is my dilemma....

I have seriously considered deleting my account all together.  I have had my feelings hurt two times since yesterday about junk I have seen on there.  But only one thing keeps me logging in again.  It's those people that I actually like seeing what is going on in their lives, and those people who post encouraging words or Bible verses.  It's those people who I used to work with that became my other family, and facebook is the way I can catch up with them too.

What do I DO?

I don't feel as though I should delete those people who annoy me or post ugly or nasty things, because I do not want them hurt at me for the reasons I mentioned above.

At the same time, I don't want to delete my whole account, because then I would lose touch with some people I really care about and some that encourage me.

So.... what would you do?
Have you been struggling with disappointment from facebook too as I have?

Blog Title and My Long List of Excuses

Okay people.  So, here's my deal.

Yeah, it's been forever since I had a decent post on here.  Hence the reason, people do not frequent websites - lack of keeping it current.  :) My apologies to my 3 faithful followers.

So, I have a favor to ask.  I really wish I had a cute blog title.  Alas, my creative brain cells were ever so taken from me due to birthing 2 children.  Therefore, I depend on you all to help me come up with something creative that suites me and the purpose of my blog.  If it helps, here are some things about me that I like that might give you an idea of what to help me name this blog.  Please leave me a comment and give me all of your suggestions.  I want to hear them!

Purpose of my blog: Tell about my personal epiphanies, experiences, funny stories, food struggles, etc.
Likes: God, music, piano, singing, chocolate, and purple
Name and Nicknames: Brittany, BB
Other things about me: I am staying at home for now with my 2 girls. I have a husband who people say looks like Forest Gump and/or Mr. Bean.  I am certified to teach math, and well, that's about it.

There you have it!  Maybe together we can come up with something!
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Moving on.... here's my list of top 5 excuses as to why I have NOT been blogging faithfully.

1. My "sweet Caroline" (not sure if Neil Diamond knew what he was talking about when he sang that song.  My Caroline is not always sweet! :) ), has been sick off and on for months and we finally had it all come to a head.  Things are better for now thanks to medicine and most importantly the Healing Hand of God and sweet prayers on our behalf.  We are praying summer begins soon and that cold season ends quickly.

2.  I have been super busy.  Is it just me or do things really start kicking into gear after Spring Break?  There's Spring Break, then yard sales, birthday parties, end of school activities, and soon we will have vacation, VBS, more birthday parties, and sheesh!  I am getting tired just typing all of that.

3.  I am lazy and tired. Sometimes I take a nap when Caroline does, thus, greatly reducing my blogging time and cleaning up the house time.

4. Sometimes I just haven't felt like it.  I am woman.  I am entitled to say that. LOL

5. I have been feeling guilty because I have been slacking off on my food-watching!
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This is quite possibly the most random blog post EVER in the history of blogging, but I wanted to tell you about something I have discovered about me and what helps me stay on track with my eating.

Some people really don't like to do it, but let me tell you that I think counting calories and keeping a food diary are KEY in losing weight and keeping it off.  When I make myself count how many calories I put in my mouth and write it down and realize at 3:30pm that I only have 200 calories left for the day, then all-of-a-sudden I get serious!  I have tried phone APPS and tried writing it down, and keeping a little notebook where I write it all down is just the key for me. 

I don't know where you are with your food issues.  I hope that all of you reading this are your ideal weight, and you never have a struggle with food.  Unfortunately, I want to have my cake and eat it too.  Which is why I have to watch what goes in my mouth.  God didn't bless us all with super-fast metabolisms that just burn off calories as soon as they hit our tongue.

Even though, I have to work at it, my "issues" keep me where I need to be honestly.  You know, I can't do this healthy eating thing by myself.  I HAVE TO RELY ON GOD.  I have to pray for His strength to make healthy choices and to follow through with those choices.  Food, just like other unhealthy lifestyle choices, is a real temptation.  Having the willpower to tell your lips and your hips no is hard.  I don't always succeed, but I have learned that God is the ultimate source for my strength to do what I need to do, just like every other area of my life.

I will leave you with that thought.  Make sure that you include God in everything, and that includes the strength to say no to that twinkie and Dr. Pepper you know would just delight your taste buds, but afterwards leave you feeling sluggish, guilty, and defeated about your eating habits.  They are okay sometimes, but consumed daily, you know what will happen. :)

Let God be your strength.  I promise He will be. He said He would. 
Phil. 4:13, Isaiah 41:10

And by the way, this blog post was more for me than anyone else!

BB

P.S.  Have you exercised your body and your faith today? 

Still here!

To all of my bloggie friends.... (all 2 of you! LOL) 

No, I have not stopped blogging.

Yes, I think about the fact it has been FOREVER since I updated my blog.

I will try to update soon about my healthy eating journey.  I've had some success, but encountered some bumps in the road. 

More about it..... LATER..... :)