Baby, It's Cold Outside

Oh yeah, it's cold outside all right, but that doesn't seem to affect Sassy at all:

She has been running around the house in a bikini for days now. I have been wearing a sweatshirt around the house, but Sassy doesn't seem to feel the cold. She has been pretending to go to the beach -- I guess she has spring fever like her mother!

I'm a Cowboy, Baby!

And what a cute little cowboy he is!

Let's See Who's Out There!

I know y'all are reading -- I can see from my Google Analytics -- but no one is leaving comments. That means that either a) you're reading and you think my posts are dull (gee, thanks! ;-)) or b) you just don't want to take the time to comment.

However, I would love to know who y'all are!

So, let's start this in a really simple way. Leave a comment to tell me your favorite book or just a great book that you have read recently.

Simple enough, right?

So get to commenting!!

The Farmer

The Farmer is my wonderful husband of eight years.

He and I met at a sorority/fraternity mixer at Clemson when he was a Junior and I was a Sophomore. Our relationship got off to an interesting start, to say the least. The Farmer wasn't sure of my name because one of his fraternity brothers (who grew up in the same church as me) kept telling him it was something different. I, on the other hand, agreed to go with him to a baseball game the day after the mixer, but I was worried that I wouldn't know which boy he was when he came to pick me up at my dorm (can you tell there might have been alcohol involved at the mixer?). To make matters worse, part of the reason that I agreed to go to the baseball game with The Farmer was because I had a huge crush on a Clemson baseball player -- so really I was going to watch him!

However, it soon became apparent that we were crazy about each other, and I knew pretty quickly that we would one day get married.

We got married right after I graduated from college, and we moved to The Farmer's hometown. We lived there for almost two years, and I was totally miserable. I didn't have many friends. I didn't get invited to do things. I felt so lonely. We had Miss Priss during this time. I think if we had had a lot to do socially we probably wouldn't have had her so quickly, but I wouldn't trade her for the world (obviously).

After realizing that I wasn't getting over being miserable, The Farmer agreed to move to my hometown. We have been here ever since, and he has commuted an hour and fifteen minutes twice a day.

Boy, does he love me, right?

I tell you that background story to let you know how wonderful The Farmer is. He is a great husband and a great father. He does everything he can to make our lives the best that they can be, even if his life might get a little harder because of it.

The Farmer loves God. I credit him with making me see that church wasn't something you just did on Sundays if you felt like it; church was something you do every Sunday because it is your chance to worship the Creator of the world who also takes the time to love little ol' me. It's funny because I don't think that was what The Farmer set out to do; he just lead by example.

He also loves farming. He is like my dad in that way -- farming is his life, and he could do nothing else. He has no hobbies (which makes Christmas and birthday gift-giving terrible for me), and he likes it that way. He lives for his family and his farm.

The Farmer can also be very funny (which comes as a surprise to some people). And it doesn't hurt that he is a hottie, either! ;-)

I am so thankful for the day I met The Farmer -- interesting stories or not -- because I really got a good one!

Weight Watchers, Week 2

Or, Hallelujah, It's Working!!!

Weight Loss This Week: 2.4 lbs

Overall Weight Loss: 2.8 lbs

Phew.

That is the first thing that comes to mind when I think about this past week. Phew. I lost some weight. I am not doing this all for nothing!!!

One thing I tried to do this past week is eat bigger meals -- 4 or 5 points for breakfast or lunch rather than 2 or 3 points -- to try to curb my hunger in between. It hasn't worked exactly like I planned -- I am still eating snacks -- but I have learned more what to eat when (if that makes any sense) so that I don't become absolutely starving at any point during the day.

I still stand by my view that it is really, really hard to stick to 19 points!

Over the course of last week, I got the following hints that I thought I'd share:

1. Change weigh-in day to Thursday. That way I am not weighing in on the weekend when I am most lenient with my eating.

2. Drink fiber in the morning to fill up. I got some Benefiber drink packets at the grocery store today and tried this, and I will definitely say that it helped. And the raspberry tea flavor was pretty good.

3. Laughing Cow Light cheese is 1 point and is so good on things like 100 Calorie Pack Wheat Thins (which I cannot find in my grocery store). A good breakfast "recipe" is toast 1/2 Arnold Sandwich Rounds (so either the bottom or top half), spread a Laughing Cow Cheese wedge on top, and top with three scrambled egg whites.

Anyway, that's my input for this week! Now that I have had some success, I am getting more excited!

A Reminder

Miss Priss didn't have school this morning because of a teacher workday (Monday and Friday off in one week, really?!?!?), so we got to sleep in this morning. The bad thing about getting to sleep in is that we seem to always start our day off in a rush if we do it. Sassy and Bubba still had school, so once we all got up, we got up running.

Well, all of us, that is, except for Bubba. He was in Mr. Disagreeable mode. I went to put on his pants, and he ran away. I went to put on his shirt, and he ran away. I got one boot on, but he wouldn't let me put the other one on. When I went to put on his coat, he insisted on wearing his raincoat -- backwards.

The girls weren't exactly little saints this morning, either. They were playing when they should have been getting ready, and they tried to dress like it was 90 degrees outside rather than 40. I had to beg Miss Priss to put on her Uggs so that she would at least have something warmer on her feet than her church shoes.

It was cold and wet when we headed to the car, and Bubba, wearing his hood over his face, ran smack dab into the corner of the car door. So, of course, he had a meltdown. That was also when I realized that The Farmer forgot to take out the trash before he left this morning. So I, running late already, had to drag the darn trashcan to the curb before I could take the kids to school. Then when I got in the car, Bubba was having a meltdown because he wanted his sunglasses and he suddenly wanted to brush his teeth -- even though I had been begging him to do it a couple of minutes before, and all he would do was run away from me (are you sensing a pattern here?)!

Needless to say, I was a bit perturbed when we arrived at school. I was just ready to be rid of the kids for a couple of hours.

Then we walked into the doors of the school, and hanging there in the entrance was some of the kids' artwork, and a copy of Proverbs 15:13: A happy heart makes the face cheerful...

I just had to laugh at myself in that moment. Because, really? I needed to get a grip. I definitely didn't have a happy heart in that moment. I let myself get so stressed and irritated so quickly over the silliest things. And Bubba is two. It's his job to be a complete pain-in-the-you-know-what sometimes. And it's my job to be his patient, kind, and loving mother. Because a happy heart makes the face cheerful...

Thank you, Lord. I needed that reminder this morning. and I will admit that my day got considerably better after that gentle reminder!

So Far So Great!

This week has gone so much better as far as Weight Watchers is concerned (aside from a little grumpiness at the beginning of the week). I sneaked a peek at the scale on Tuesday, and the news was good -- much better than the 0.4 pounds lost last week. Hopefully we (me, myself, and I) will keep up the trend so I have some good news to report on Sunday.

I am still starving all of the time, but it doesn't seem to be taking as much to fill me up. I have also gotten a lot of great suggestions from a lot of y'all as far as recipes and secrets, so thank you, thank you, thank you!

I finally feel hopeful!

Spring Is On the Way!

How do I know that?

Well, aside from the wonderful, springlike weather we had today, this is how I know:

Those pictures may not mean much to you, but to me they show the beginning signs of spring. We are laying plastic on the farm which is the first step to getting ready for our June tomato harvest -- and, let me tell you, even though there are several months between now and June, they will definitely fly by. This is a busy time around the farm!

And for a little farming lesson, laying plastic is the process of putting down plastic mulch on top of the tomato beds. If you look at the pictures above (which are a couple of years old -- we haven't gotten to this field yet this year...), you will see three tractors in this process. The first tractor is tilling up the ground to get it ready for the plastic. The second tractor is forming the beds for the mulch. Finally the third tractor comes along and lays down the drip tube -- which will later water and fertilize the tomatoes -- and plastic.

Since I am not a huge fan of winter, I am always excited to see these little signs for spring!

Grumpy McGrumperson

Oh, boy, this afternoon was a doozy.

I was really hungry (dang this Weight Watchers diet!), and it made me grumpy. I was home with all of the chillens; we were supposed to be having a great day as I was playing hookie from work and they were all out of school, but by this afternoon I was totally irritable. And I have to admit that I took some of it out on the kids. Now, they weren't totally innocent bystanders -- they seemed to have trouble listening and following directions today -- but my fuse was especially short. I yelled. I fussed. I threatened.

And I hate it when I am like that.

Now that the chillens are in bed, and I can think about how ridiculous I was this afternoon, I am thankful that children are quick to forgive and forget. I am thankful that they are always willing to love.

And isn't that how God is? Quick to forgive and forget. Always willing to love. All we have to do is ask for the forgiveness; the love we get without question. And, boy, do we not deserve that! Because, like my kids, we are always having problems with listening and following directions. Or, at least, I know I do.

But He is quick to forgive and forget and always willing to love.

Tonight, I am most thankful for that.

(And a few prayers that I stay nice tomorrow wouldn't hurt either...)

***Also, as we are all praying for those in Haiti affected by the earthquake, please add one of The Farmer's workers to your prayer list. This is a guy who has helped lead the watermelon picking crew for years, and he is from Haiti. He was here in the States when the earthquake hit, but his wife was in Haiti and was killed. I know he could use the prayers as could all of those in Haiti.

Weight Watchers, Week 1

Weight Loss: 0.4 lbs

Well, I lost some weight this week. It is definitely not enough to get excited about; in fact, I am pretty darn depressed because this past week was really hard. I didn't do perfectly, I admit, but I ate a lot better last week than I did the previous week. I also realized that, before last week, I ate a little bit constantly throughout the day, and when those little bites weren't healthy or low fat, they definitely would add up.

I was hungry a lot this week, too. The so-called "filling" foods don't keep me full for long, but hopefully once I get used to eating better I will stay full longer.

Please tell me I'm not crazy?!?!

Anyway, that is the status for this week. Hopefully next week will have better news!

Vacation Tips

The Farmer, the chillens, and I are going on vacation this summer with our good friends Muffie and The Architect, HB and The Minister, all of their chillens, and two babysitters. (I am choosing to use the nicknames from over on our joint blog, Three Rights and a Left, to protect the guilty -- those are obviously not real names). The six of us adults went to Islamorada together in September 2008 and had a blast, so we decided to all vacation together again and this time bring our kids along. (I am thinking, however, that next year we need to go on another adults-only vacation.)

All of this vacation planning has reminded me of another vacation that Muffie and I planned for our families. It was back when there were only three kids between us -- Miss Priss, Sassy, and Muffie's son, G -- and before we met HB and The Minister. It was our first official family vacation, and we were so excited to be spending a week together at the beach.

It started out as the vacation from Hell.

However, we quickly turned it around and had a wonderful time, and we definitely learned from our mistakes. I thought I would mention some of them to y'all so that you won't do what we did!!

Let's get started...

Only rent a house or condo from a reputable source. Maybe this should go without saying, but there are tons of places like VRBO out there, and you have to be careful that you know what you are getting. We decided to go to Amelia Island, Florida, and Muffie found a great house for us online. It was beautiful, but all of the pictures were taken at night (and that shall be a sign unto you not to go with that house...we should have known).

We showed up at the house on our first day, and it. was. a. dump. I am talking no covers on electric outlets or vents, nasty shag carpeting, moldy spots on the walls, shallow, scary stairs -- I could go on. It was a total nightmare.

We got to Amelia Island pretty late in the afternoon, so we had to stay in that nastiness the first night. First thing the next morning, though, The Farmer and The Architect went in search of another house for us. They found a great one, and the rest of our stay was in a perfect beach house.

However, we then had to deal with the hassle of getting our money back from the owners of the dump. That was no fun and involved a lawyer.

Don't go too far from home. Obviously if you have kids you already know this, but car rides with children pretty much stink. Someone is constantly hungry or has to go to the bathroom. Someone is always fussing or asking "how much longer?" As the parent, you are pretty much spending your time changing out the DVD, picking up a dropped toy, or saying "not too much longer, honey."

We are fortunate to live pretty close to a lot of great vacation spots, so our trip wasn't too bad. This year we will be travelling with 7 kids, so we are trying to keep our drive down to as short as possible. Planning to drive around nap time or at night is a good idea, too, if your kids will sleep in the car.

Take a babysitter -- or two if you have more than one family -- if you can afford it. I don't know if The Farmer and I would splurge on a babysitter if it were only the five of us going on a beach vacation, but I think it is a must with more than one family. A lot of times a vacation with the kids ends up being just more hard work for the parents. We decided to take babysitters on our Amelia Island vacation, and we are so glad we did. The babysitters enabled us to have "grown-up time." We got to go out to eat without the kids, and we got to spend some time actually relaxing on the beach. Of course we spent plenty of time with the kids, so it wasn't like we were on two separate vacations; the babysitters gave us the opportunity to get just enough time away, and they were extra hands when we were all together. Babysitters are well worth the extra money!

If you do get babysitters, make sure their duties are outlined before the vacation. Muffie and I really had no idea what we were doing when we hired our babysitters for our last vacation; we just knew we wanted extra hands on the trip. We asked a high school girl that I used a lot at the time, and we asked her to bring a friend. We had both girls over before we went on the trip, but we didn't really know what to tell them. That is something that I think can be hard -- we didn't exactly know what we wanted them to do until we got there.

Some things to think about are:

**Who is going to get up early with the kids?

**Who is going to sit inside during nap time?

**How much free time do you want?

**How much free time should you give the babysitters?

**Do you want to handle all of the discipline, or do you want the babysitters to

step in some?

It can be kind of awkward when having the parents and babysitters all together with the kids if these questions aren't answered beforehand. Muffie, the boys, the babysitters, and I would all kind of look at each other like "who is supposed to handle this?" whenever we were all together and something came up -- whether it was nap time, diaper changes, whatever.

Obviously the babysitters are there to work, but they are on vacation, too. They should be able to enjoy themselves -- especially if you want to be able to take them on your next vacation! They need some time to themselves, but they also need to know their duties up front so they can be of help -- it will make the vacation easier on everyone!

As I mentioned, this year we will have 7 kids ages 7, 5, 4, 3, 2, and 2 babies. Our babysitters are in for some work! Luckily the two girls we have going are well known to all of us and extremely responsible; one has practically raised my children through the past three packing seasons, so I know we are in good hands. We should not have any of the problems we had before -- and it wasn't the babysitters who were the problem last time but our lack of communication, I guess. And even with the awkward parts, the babysitters were worth it.

Honestly I am not a pro at this vacation-planning-with-babysitters thing. This is only the second time we have done it, but as I said, the first time started out as a nightmare, and we had many learning experiences along the way. Maybe some of what we learned could help you from having to deal with the same issues!

Now I am just ready for that vacation to get here...

Bubba

Before The Farmer and I had Bubba, I thought that all was right in our world of two little girls. When I found out that I was pregnant with baby #3, I knew I would be happy with a girl or a boy, but I just thought about how much easier it would be to have a little girl. We already had a pink version of every baby thing imaginable. We already had tons of bows and frilly diaper covers. We already had more smocked dresses than one little girl could wear. We were totally set. And what's more, I knew how to handle girls -- I could do the tea parties and the baby dolls and the makeup. I had no clue about cars or trains or Spiderman.

And I really hated when people would say "Oh yeah, trying for that boy, huh?" All I could think was No, we're perfectly happy with girls!

I had a lot to learn.

When we found out the Bubba was, in fact, a boy, both The Farmer and I were very excited; we just had no idea what exactly was in store for us.

Bubba is a sweet, loving messy-haired little boy. Bubba is a growling, fit-pitching little tyrant. But then, all two-year-olds have their own little Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde personalities, right? Right?!?!

Bubba is all boy; isn't it funny how children are just born that way? He loves trains, trucks, tractors, and any other moving machinery. He loves to play with balls. He loves to chase his sisters around, and, yes, growl at them. He walks around all day with his thumb in his mouth and his other hand down his pants (which we are trying very hard to stop); all the teachers at his preschool call him Al Bundy. He always has bed-head, and I think it is so cute, so I leave it like that.

Bubba is a definite Mama's boy. It is really flattering most of the time -- I love any chance I get to cuddle with the little punk. Sometimes, however, it is not so nice -- I would really like to not have to be the only one who can help him go to the bathroom or put on his clothes or whatever. But I try to remember that he won't always need me so much as he does now, and there will be days when Daddy is much cooler than I am; I try to enjoy it while it lasts.

Bubba attends the preschool at our church along with Sassy -- Miss Priss went there when she was younger. I love to watch as the seeds of faith are planted in his little heart as he learns about Jesus in school, at church, and at home with The Farmer and me. I hope he will grow into a love for the Lord like his sisters.

That boy has definitely opened my eyes to the joys of having a little boy. I am so glad that I got to find out what I was missing (although I still think my little girls are pretty sweet)! He is -- hands down -- one of my three favorite chillens!

Happy Anniversary!

Eight years ago this evening, The Farmer and I got married. Eight years -- that just sounds like such a long time to me, but, of course, it is a drop in the bucket compared to how long my parents and grandparents have been married! The night we got married was cold and rainy, but nothing could ruin our excitement to start out lives together. Now, eight years later, we have three beautiful kids and a lot of great memories, and we are making more memories every day.

As I told The Farmer in the card that I gave him this morning, I have loved sharing the last 8 years with him, and I am looking forward to the next 80!

Here are some (scanned and very grainy) pictures from our wedding:

Weren't we just so young and cute?!?! And, yes, we really did leave our reception in a tractor -- I bet there aren't many people who can say that! And don't worry -- it had a major bath before I got in it in my white dress!

Taking Control, Step 1

I was getting dressed to go to a party Saturday night when I had a revelation -- my skinny jeans are just getting tighter and tighter. And yesterday morning I made the mistake of getting on the scale -- and that was a scary sight, let me just tell you!

So, I went straight to my computer and joined Weight Watchers online.

I have tried to "eat better" and "not eat as much" but neither of those approaches has helped me in the least. I decided that I needed to do something that would work, so that was why I went for Weight Watchers. I decided to do the online version because I work all week, and when I am not working, I am with the chillens. I can't go to meetings during work because the farm is 20 minutes from civilization, and I can't go after work because I don't want to have to get a babysitter for the kids after they have just been with a babysitter all day. I am always at my computer, anyway, so I decided the online option would always be at my fingertips.

I will say that I am off to an okay start. Yesterday was really eye-opening. Honestly, I had no idea that pretty much everything I eat is high in fat or calories or both -- no wonder my skinny jeans are a little snug! Today went pretty well as I am learning what I can and can't eat. I am not sure how I am going to handle eating out, but I will cross that bridge when I get there!

I will be honest that I have some hurdles to overcome. For instance, I have a huge sweet tooth, so I am not sure how that will play out with all of this dieting stuff. I have never been able to stick to a diet before because I have no self-control when it comes to food (or clothing or shoes or a lot of things...), and I love to eat out.

However, this time I am going in armed with one very important thing: prayer. I have been praying like crazy for self-control. I keep repeating to myself I can do all things through him who strengthens me (Phil 4:13). I know that Saint Paul wasn't talking about dieting when he wrote those words, but I am going to apply them to dieting in this case. I know that I can't do this without some help, so I am enlisting the best Helper there is!

Hopefully this Step 1 is just the first step of many towards my goals for 2010!

Sassy

Where do I start with Sassy?

Sassy is our middle child, but she definitely makes herself known. She is spunky, funny, hard-headed, and, well, sassy! She knows her own mind and isn't afraid to let others know it, too. While Miss Priss is a pleaser, Sassy is the I'll-do-what-I-want-to-do-when-I-want-to-do-it type. As my mother says, she will be our child who will be smoking and drinking under the bleachers -- probably by middle school! ;-)

While her strong-headedness can be hard to deal with in a four-year-old, I am happy that she knows her own mind and stands her ground. I think it will serve her well as she gets older; hopefully it will help her to stand up to things like peer pressure. Honestly she doesn't get that attribute from me -- I am definitely more like Miss Priss, but I always wished that I could be more like the Sassy type.

I don't mean to make y'all think that Sassy is always a difficult child. She is really sweet and funny and considerate of others. She is our child who really considers who needs prayers and prays for those people. She is our child who has told us repeatedly lately that she is most thankful for the gift of Baby Jesus; like her sister, she has a solid faith in the Lord at a very young age. She is very protective of her baby brother and big sister, and she is always telling The Farmer and me that she loves us.

She really is a sweetheart. She is our middle child, and there is no one like her!

She is definitely one of my three favorite children!

The Game Plan

This morning while the chillens were eating breakfast, they started talking about birthdays. Bubba likes to tell everyone "It's my birfday!" in this really growly voice, but his birthday isn't actually until August -- he just thinks that every day is his birthday, especially since we sing "Happy Birthday, Bubba" every time we wash his hands. Miss Priss pointed out that her birthday was the next one coming up, and then she started talking about what she wants to do for her birthday party.

That is when Sassy came up with the best plan of all: "I know, Miss Priss, let's invite all of the Clemson football players to your birthday party!!! Especially that one named JC!"

I asked Sassy who the heck JC was, and she said "You know, JC Spiller!"

"Oh, you mean CJ Spiller!"

"Yes ma'am, CJ Spiller!!!" Then she proceeded to march around the room chanting "CJ Spiller....CJ Spiller!"

Later today when I picked up carpool, Miss Priss was telling her friend, W, about how all of the Clemson Tigers were going to be attending her party and that everyone in attendance was going to have to wear their Clemson jersey or cheerleading uniform.

Even later this evening when we were eating dinner, I told The Farmer about how the chillens want to invite all of the football players to Miss Priss' party. The kids got all excited again talking about the football players coming to the party in their "football outfits." I tried to let them know that there wasn't much chance of the football team coming to a seven-year-old's birthday party -- especially a seven-year-old who lives nowhere near Clemson.

"Oh, no," said The Farmer "if Miss Priss writes the letter inviting the players to her party, we will definitely send it to Dabo. I bet he will get a kick out of that. I especially think he'll like the part about the players wearing their "football outfits!'"

We talked and laughed some more about the Clemson football team - and the Tiger! - attending a little girl's birthday party. Finally Sassy said "You know, Mommy, we don't have to have all of the football players. Just as long as we have JC Spiller!"

So, Clemson players -- and especially you, CJ -- y'all have an invitation to a birthday party coming your way!

Reason #1

I have something to tell y'all about that my family is just raving over these days. It is something that Miss Priss gives two thumbs up...and so does Sassy...and so does Bubba.

And it is probably a big reason for my roundness lately, but that is neither here nor there.

It is something that you are just going to have to make. It is something that I first saw on another blog, Fly Through Our Window (a favorite of mine), but it is also on allrecipes.com. I originally decided to make it for Christmas gifts for the kids' teachers, but once I tasted it, I couldn't get enough of it. Now as soon as we run out, I just have to make some more. I am an official addict (really, it is a good thing I never got into drugs...).

What the heck is it???

Cinnamon Honey Butter.

And it is delicious. I have eaten it on pretty much anything that isn't nailed down...bread, biscuits, and my current obsession is to eat it on Eggo Special K waffles (which are at least only 80 calories each).

Here is the recipe:

2 sticks of butter, room temperature

1 cup powdered sugar

1 cup honey

2 teaspoons ground cinnamon

In a medium bowl, combine all ingredients until light and fluffy.

That's it! So easy and so good...now you go try it! You will give it two thumbs up, too!

Miss Priss

***I thought I would take a little time to introduce y'all to all of my family members in case you are new to our family. I will start tonight with Miss Priss...

Miss Priss is the oldest of our three children. She is going to be seven at the end of February, and I just think that sounds so old!

Miss Priss reminds me a lot of me. She is quiet and shy when she first meets someone, but after a while she opens up and is very giggly and talkative. She is a sweetheart and a grandparent's/teacher's/grown-up's pet. She tries to be very helpful and grown up. She has a cute little funky style when she isn't wearing her school uniform, and she loves to pose for pictures.

Miss Priss exemplifies the verse from Mark 10:14-15: "...Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of God belongs to such as these. I tell you the truth, anyone who will not receive the kingdom of God like a little child will never enter it." She truly has a faith without question and a true love for the Lord at an early age -- and I just love that about her. In fact, she tells me frequently that she wants to work in church up at the altar when she gets older; she said that she doesn't want to be a minister, but she wants to be one of the people who helps with communion. I would do well to try to live my life as faithfully as she does!

Miss Priss definitely warms this mama's heart; she is absolutely one of my three favorite children! ;-)

Resolutions

I don't like to make New Year's Resolutions because I am horrible at sticking to them.

It basically boils down the the fact that I have no self-control.

But, anyway, there are some things that I would like to work on now that we have begun 2010:

1. I would love to get out of this house. I believe this was on my list of "goals" for last year, and it just didn't happen. The Farmer and I put the house on the market last March, but it was/is just a terrible time to have a house on the market. No one was even coming to look at it and we were having realtor issues, so we took it off the market. We are going to try our luck again soon, so hopefully we will do better this time.

The Farmer and I moved into this house in 2003 when it was just us and Miss Priss. At that time the house was brand new, and we had plenty of room. Fast forward almost seven years, and we have more family members and more stuff, and we just can't fit that well in these tight quarters anymore. I need space -- more living space, more storage space, more every kind of space!

2. I would love to do something with myself. I am not at all happy with the shape that my body is in these days. Something about turning 30 and having had three kids has really done a number on me. I have always been a pretty small person, but I am nowhere near as small as I would like to be these days, and let's not even talk about this muffin top! I would like to change that.

The problem is that I have never, ever been on a diet. It goes back to the no-self-control thing. I just can't seem to do it; I need something to hold me accountable. I do pretty well with fitting in time on the elliptical machine, but it just isn't giving me the results I want by itself.

3. I would like to spend more time with the Lord. I have really started trying to start a quiet time. My problem has always been fitting it in with my crazy schedule, but I know that it is something that I have to make a priority. So, at the end of 2009, I started getting up early, before I had to get the kids up for school, to read the Bible and spend time in the presence of God. I would like to be more consistent with that this year; it really makes a difference in my day, and it really makes a difference in my relationship with the Lord!

4. I would love to get more control over my spending habits. I like to shop. I mean, I really, really like to shop. And I do it too much. Because I want to get out of this house, I need to save money for the next one, so the shopping needs to come to a halt!

So there you have it: my resolutions for 2010. Hopefully I can be successful with them! As you can see, most of them boil down to me getting some self-control, so if you would, pray for me to get some!!

How are y'all doing on your New Year's Resolutions?