Challenge Day 23

How you came up with the name of your blog



courtesy of image search



I have dedicated my life to listening to God's will for me and without Him as my Guide, I would have nothing. So I felt “He Guides Me” is fitting!

Challenge Day 22

Your favorite holiday.

"PuppyRabbits"

My first instinct is to answer: Easter. It's the first true sign of spring for me. I see Hyacinth's and Daffodil's in the stores, beautiful clothes and bonnets on kids, not to mention the church Easter service is just so uplifting!

My family Easter 2010

A close second though is the 4th of July. The only downfall for that is that it always seems as though summer flies by after the 4th! But what a way to show how beautiful America is!



Miles 4th of July 2010



Acilia 4th of July 2010

New semester

This may come off as a sort of "vent-ee" sort of post (no, not the Starbucks large size coffee kind; though that does sound nice right about now!) the kind that could potentially get a little whiney, as I air my frustrations.

I am a 30 year old, mom of 2 kids, who is also pursuing a nursing degree. There have been many perks to being an adult in college; but one not so "perky" aspect is one that comes up every single semester! The schedule game. I am a stay at home mom, my husband works full time plus more running a company practically solely on his own. It tends to fall on my shoulders how the kids are cared for and when each new semester comes up; I am forced to find a class time that works with someone that can watch the kids. My mom does home daycare, so during the year Acilia is in class and Miles can go to her house. Works quite well. Summer semester is next up and I am in for a doozy of a class. 4 credit hours. Which translates to lab and lecture hours condensed into a 8 week course. I am looking at 6 hours of class time two days a week, OR giving up 4 days a week for shorter periods of time. Both options suck in my eyes because asking my mom to watch an additional 2 kids for 12 hours a week on her already heavier load of kids over the summer is just unkind, yet I don't really want to be spending 4 days a week in class when I am trying to enjoy summer with my kids.
I have begrudgingly opted to do the 2 days a week class. It's smack in the middle of the day so at this point, I have no idea what to do with my kids during that time! I know it will all work out, and I know there are bigger problems in the world, but it's just so frustrating to go through this each semester. I end up having to give myself the pep talks as to why I am doing this. Why I am committed to seeing it through. Why I will be SO happy when I finally have my RN license. Why this is right for me at this time. Why I should keep focusing on the reward of it all.

Challenge day 21

Something you love about yourself.



My calm nature. I am always the one who brings panic down to zen and I love that I can be a source of comfort in a stressful time.

Courtesy of image search



Happy Monday- Pets/Animals

"Pets/Animals



I LOVE animals!! Therefore, I take MANY pictures of animals, especially my pets :) This picture is the one I choose for the post though because well, how could I not? This fox is a resident of our local zoo...he is so beautiful and peaceful and I am so glad I captured this moment!



Challenge Day 20

Oh my dear! I am losing it! My mind has so much going through it, I can't keep up with all that I got myself into :)
Today is Day 20 of the 31 day challenge, and I feel it today. I feel the urge to just *skip* a day and oops! :) Not gonna do it though! My commitment to sticking with things this year is going to hold strong even when I feel like taking a break!

So....challenge day 20!

Your biggest insecurity.

My first thought after reading this, is really? Today? Not only do I NOT feel like doing the challenge today, but to be vulnerable and share my biggest insecurity?!?! Are ya kiddin' me?! My biggest insecurity is totally shallow. It's skin deep, but guess what, I have been struggling with it for years upon years and I would give anything to be make up free and fresh faced in my youth...but I can't. I have poor complexion. My skin is in a state of constant break out and if I don't have any pimples, then I have leftover redness to be seen on my pale fair skin. I absolutely will NOT let anyone see me without make up and that's quite a facade to keep up at all times. It's frustrating and tiring all the same! So there you have it. Big insecurity!

Falling into place

I sit here today so humbly inspired by the God that I serve. 2011 started off a mere three months ago with signs of being a good year. I silently felt the peace in my heart. I could just tell 2011 would be a good year. My desire to commit to things anew. My fervent prayers. My uplifted spirit. Things are falling into place my friends. I can't wait to share with you the wonderful things that are transpiring. BUT I would like for them to actually happen first, so I will hold off for a bit. Life is good. God is good. If you feel as though hope is not there for you; I urge you to quiet your life and allow God to speak to you. He does come through.

"Be still and know that I am God..." Psalm 46:10

Challenge Day 19

 A skill you’d like to learn.



courtesy of google images



I would like to learn the skill of speaking spanish. It's a language that won't be going away anytime soon in America and I would really like to not have a barrier when I am talking to someone!



courtesy of Google images



Challenge Day 18

Something you are afraid of.

BEES!!!! My heart stops when they are near me, and it takes everything in me not to run! I will admit I enjoy watching them through glass. Honey bees are absolutely amazing!! The scary part is when you unknowingly touch something or *HEAVEN FORBID* drink something with a bee on it, you are bound to get stung! It happened to me a few times; must have been traumatic!!

Courtesy of Google images

Challenge Day 17

 Are you named after anyone?

Not that I know of. Boring answer :)

I will add a little flair to the answer by saying this, how the spelling of my name came about wasn't quite so boring. My name is spelled "Karrie". The reason is because there was a horror movie named "Carrie" out when I was born and my mom specifically decided AGAINST the spelling with a "C" because of that movie! Guess she didn't want her sweet baby to be compared to horror! (Can't say I blame her! AND I happen to like my name spelled with a K)

Photo courtesy of http://www.fanpop.com/



You capture- Youth

"Youth"

Challenge Day 16

Your least favorite chore

I DESPISE cleaning toilets. It's an ick job for this priss!



One of the toilets in my home that needs regular cleaning :)

BUT I will add a spin, I love vacuuming! It's my favorite chore. Not that I like chores at all, but there is something so satisfying about sucking things up with the vacuum! The best is the crickle, crackle SLURP that it makes if one of the kids leaves crumbs on the floor!
(I admit, I've officially lost my mind! ha!)



3 year check

Miles had his 3 year check up today.
Babes did so good. He's such a good child (wild, crazy silly, but GOOD!) He's got such a good heart, is interactive with adults and quite intelligent if I do say so myself :)

Miles weighed in at 40 pounds; he is 39 inces tall.
He's right in line with meeting milestones and is a very healthy little boy!
We are so very thankful for the blessings we have in our little boy!

Happy Monday-Spring

Spring by all accounts is my favorite season! After a long winter; things start happening. Life begins to appear everywhere you look! Flowers peek up from the cracked ground, the grass slowly starts to shift from brown to lively green. There is rain, there is sun, there are buds on trees!
I love spring! I love the new life it brings!



Challenge Day 15

Something that bugs you

My overactive mind. Whether I am excited about something or fretting over something, I think about it and analyze it to DEATH! I have control over how much comes out of my mouth but if I could have control over how much goes through my mind, I would be thrilled!



Image courtesy of google

 

Slow to judge

Learned a little lesson today. I took the kids to the library today. When we walked in there was a child causing a ruckus and the mother causing an even bigger ruckus. Nothing bothers me more than hearing parents berate their children! The child continued to be quite a pistol, she was screaming "I HATE THIS PLACE" over and over and over and over again. It was quite uncomfortable. My instinct was to silently judge the situation. Then my heart started to shift to how horrible that must be for both of them. The mom finally turned a switch on herself, told her daughter she loves her and started to talk to her in a more calm manner. After a minute or two of calm speaking, the little girl told her mom she was hot and she needed a drink. Easy fix! The little girl walked to the drinking fountain with her mom and then she was a perfect angel. Interacting with all of the children; full of manners and charm. The mom went back to a computer where she was doing a search of some kind, I overheard her on the phone explaining "her side" to what seemed to be an attorney. I am not one to draw conclusions but it became very clear to me this woman was going through an ugly divorce. My heart just broke. Clearly that child was going through a major change in her life, the mother was doing her best to hold it together and pressure of being in public at an unfortunate moment had both of them at their boiling point. I wanted to reach out to them in some way. My heart was aching to do so, but I just didn't know what to do or say. I gave the mom a few smiles and interacted with her daughter while she was near my son. The whole situation just reminded me how important it is to not judge others because you truly never know what they are going through!

Challenge Day 14

One thing you want to do before you die

Visit Italy! It's my goal for when I turn 40, so as long as I don't die before then, I should be good! :) My grandma is from Italy, came here when she was 17. I've been told so many stories over the years of her time in her homeland and I just would love to see it all firsthand! I've suffered from anxiety since I was in 1st grade; so traveling far from home was impossible for me until recent years. It's been such a blessing to go the places I have gone; I have thoroughly enjoyed each trip and I am working up to the long flight to Europe!

The closest I've gotten to Italy is a gondola ride in VEGAS :)

Challenge Day 13

How I relax

To me there is nothing more relaxing than going for a nice long walk! Before I had kids, I used to go on what my mom would call "marathon walks" I would walk and walk and walk, for hours! I LOVED IT!! There is something spiritual about leaving home and just going where the road takes you. Looking at your surroundings, pondering your thoughts. So peaceful. I still really enjoy walks, but having two kids and two dogs; it's a little less relaxing ;)

My walking buddies :)

Disbelief

Our life tends to take two lanes:
The wait and see approach.
The fly by the seat of your pants approach.

Putting our house up for rent and looking for a new home was sort of planned to be the "wait and see approach". Let's work on putting it up for rent, and see if we get any interest.
We've done it before with trying to sell the house. Had a For Sale By Owner sign in the front yard, only got interest from investors. No thanks, move along.
Rental market is different. Apparently! I listed our home on Zillow this morning, put a sign in the yard this afternoon and within ONE HOUR of putting the sign up, I had a person call me that wanted to see the house in 10 minutes. Nervouswreck.runaroundlikeachickenwiththeheadcutoffcraziness. sweatinducingspeedcleaning. I was ready for a showing. On 10 short minutes notice. They walked through. Liked it. Wanted to bring the husband back to see it. In the meantime I got another call...guy called three times, then his mom called. They want to come see it on Friday. Walking out to get Acilia from school, the family that came to see my house shows up again with the husband this time! Really?? I didn't know you were coming back today! LORD HELP ME! I show them the house again, then rush to get Acilia from school!

Same thing happened when we sold my car. You feel like you have to look before you sell, but then you start to look and you hold off because what if you find something but can't buy it because you have to sell first? VICIOUS CYCLE! I ended up selling my car on the spot and it took me 8 frantic days without a car to find something to replace it!

House hunting is similar. But with a twist. Al and I have very different taste. I will explain how we purchased this house. I was hunting for atleast a year; doing all the leg work with my realtor. If I found a home I thought Al would like, I would bring him back to see it. 99.9999% of the home visits consisted of him stepping 1-3 feet in the door and vetoing the house before seeing any more. Frustrating is the understatement of the day! So, when I came upon our current house, I noted that I thought Al would like it. I will mention here that I didn't say a word about the house to Al. I just couldn't take any more rejection! My realtor took it upon himself to call Al; show Al the house (without me knowing)! Al took it upon himself to make an offer and within 45 minutes, our offer was accepted!!!!!!!!!! 6 years of home ownership later, it's time for our family to find something more suitable. We have our ideas about what would work best. Too bad our ideas are a little different :)

I just pray; this time around is not so stressful; although seeing the way it's starting out, we may be in for a wild ride! :)

Challenge Day 12

Something you do every day

Breathe. It's something you don't often think about but your breathing says a lot about your stress level. Speeds up with adrenaline. Slows down when you are trying to calm yourself. Can be shallow (chest breathing) or deep breathing (abdominal). Try deep cleansing breaths a few times a day. Breath in to the count of 5, hold your breath for 5 counts and then blow out to the count of 5. Feel better! :)

Courtesy of image search for "Breathe"



Challenge day 11

A picture that makes you laugh



The perfect picture came to mind right away, it's absolutely hilarious to me! This is my nephew Joey last year when we were in Wisconsin Dells. Every part of it is awesome!



Urged to inform you....

Since my life is so important and all and I feel like you just can't sleep at night without knowing what I am going to be calling my husband; rest assured, I have taken suggestions and have settled in on one we are trying out :) (Sarcastic much? Maybe! Ha!)

Albert, Al, Alby, different, fun, flows nicely! We may have a keeper, though in all seriousness, I am still slipping quite a bit and calling him Albert, old habits die hard! It's been a fun few days in our house! I feel like a confused puppy!

I am compelled to note the truth behind the "fluff" of this shallow, fun, useless topic. Something deeper presents itself.

I am working really hard to become a better wife. Not just a wife that Al wants, but higher; be the wife that God wants me to be. All of the hard times that Al and I have gone through; I put a lot of blame on him. He was just more outward with what he was doing to me. I was suffering and in defense mode. Those times were completely relevant to our lives. It was so hard to walk through, but on the other side now I see that God was shaping me and gently urging me to open my eyes to myself and to realize that my passive aggressive defensive ways even though I wasn't the "offender" most times, I was still not acting in a Godly way toward my husband. I am soaking up all the information I can to be a better, Godly wife and I still have miles and miles to go. Every time there is a conflict between us, I find myself praying hard with confusion as to what I need to do in each and every situation. It's truly exhausting. I am growing so fast I feel the growing pains in my heart and though there is so much hope there is also a demanding stamina that sometimes I just don't know how to keep up. Each and every day is a trial and I am happy that some of those days I am able to go to sleep knowing I did it the "right" way in God's eyes. Each day I learn something new about what God wants from me and I have the comfort knowing that as I learn, he is there with me.

I am excited to share some of the specific things I have learned to be a better wife. However, I am not quite ready yet, I want to master them first so I can speak from experience, not just from the books I am reading :)

Our 5th anniversary trip to Vegas August 2009

WHAT?!?

I'm losing my mind! My husband, whom I have known since I was a freshman in high school has recently asked me to start calling him something different from what I have been calling him as long as I've known him!
His name is Albert. EVERYONE that knows him calls him Al, except me :) I call him Albert. Why? Because have you ever seen "Married...with children" remember Peg Bundy? That annoying way she says "ALllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllllll"



Yeah...NOT really what I want to sound like when I am speaking to my husband, however, that's all I hear when I say "Al".
 
Dilemna!! I am catching myself everytime I call him Albert, which is what I have called him as long as I have known him, yet, can't call him Al, what should I call him?! I am open for suggestions, come up with good ones! :)
 
(This post was written with a tongue in cheek attitude; it's only half serious...the story is true, but I will admit I am not nearly as distraught as I make it sound! It's all in good fun!!)

Challenge Day 10

Your favorite room in your house.

I struggled with this one. I love many rooms in my house; and don't think I'm weird, but our two bathrooms rank on highest! NOT because they are bathrooms, but the way the light comes in and shadows the colors we have painted, it's so fresh. Especially our upstairs bathroom. It's a cucumberish color with white tile on the floor. Anyway, I had decided I would not be taking pictures of my bathrooms because that would be plain weird. So, I settled on choosing my bedroom. Not because it's the best decorated room (the paint alone is the most "neutral" of all the rooms!) but I have a cross wall set up in the bedroom which I adore, I love the fact that I get to sleep in a huge, comfortable bed and I love that the ceilings are vaulted. When we bought the house, the ceilings were about 8 feet tall, when we renovated, my husband added vaults to our room which really makes it feel larger! And, best of all, we have TWO closets!!!! Yes, don't have to share with hubby which is REALLY nice! :)

standing in the doorway, looking to the left

standing in the doorway, looking straight

far corner of the room

peek a boo :)

I am not a fan of ceiling fans, but hubby insisted, and I was pretty impressed with this one!

I love how the windows are low!

looking out of the bedroom into the hallway, oh, if you look really hard you can catch a glimpse of the upstairs bath!

Just love this wall hanging :)

Deep breath

As much as I feel donating a kidney to my husband was meant to be; so is writing a book about the experience. I have always enjoyed writing, I LOVE having a blog, but writing a full out nonfiction novel is quite daunting. I definitely feel it's something God is urging me to do. I am praying about it, immersing myself in life changing stories and most of all picking my brain to reenact the details of the whole experience. The inspiration comes and goes, so there is no telling when this book would be ready but it's really starting to shape up as the recalling of the experience seems to be charging into my brain!  My excitement about it is what prompted me to write this post! You, my readers will be the first to get a chance at the book when it comes! Feel honored? I hope so :) Stay tuned!

You Capture- Body Parts

I cheat. I admit. But this is a picture that immediately came to mind when the capture was named "Body Parts". I put this collage together when my 3 year old (still getting used to that!!) Miles was just a little babe! It still melts my heart!

Baby Miles body parts

And one more...both of my kids and their stunning eyes!!!!!!

Acilia and Miles eyes



Slow down...

I started my 31 day challenge and missed the memo that weekends are "off" so I am currently a few days ahead of the game which is confusing my link up at It's Gravy Baby . So to catch up let the challenge catch up I will be taking a few days off from posting my answers. :)

Challenge Day 9

Your most treasured item.

My wedding rings. I will share the story of how Al proposed. We had been dating for 2 years and were leisurely looking for rings. We even went into a jeweler to discuss having a ring made. I wanted something really different. A week later we found out we were pregnant. Talk of marriage was put on hold as we adjusted to the idea of becoming parents. I was 8 months pregnant when we celebrated with friends and family the impending birth of our child. The party was at my good friend Nena's house and we had about 80 guests. I came out of the bathroom to be told that Al was on the deck waiting to make a toast in front of everyone. Everyone gathered. I came to sit in a chair that was in the center of the crowd. All of a sudden Al got down on one knee and pulled a ring from behind his back! He had asked his mom to record everything, and asked a friend of our's to take pictures of each “step” of my reaction. He had even gone as far as to ask my dad's permission to marry me before asking me to be his wife. He pulled off a perfect proposal! I was SHOCKED! My favorite part was he embraced the fact that I wanted to pick my own ring, so he chose the diamond and then presented it to me in a band that we could replace when we found the setting for the diamond.

Pictures of the pictures from "proposal day"

Challenge Day 8

A birthday celebration.

I thought about posting about Miles birthday, but I JUST talked about it...I turned 30 back in November, but I am pretty sure EVERYONE turns 30 at some point in their life, so that's not really worth talking about :) I even thought about posting about Christmas, because I can't think of a better birthday celebration than for Jesus himself! But, it's March, and I really don't like winter so the thought of going back to December to reminisce sends chills up my spine! I look forward to reading what others put for today :)

Happy Monday-Vintage

My home is vintage. Built in the 1850's....I try to modernize my decor as much as possible, but there definite touches of "vintage" built right in!

Radiator = "Vintage"



Warmed heart

Miles usually goes to the nursery when we go to church on Sunday's. Yesterday he decided to sit with us. One of the first songs that was played by the praise team was David Crowder Band "Everything Glorious". Miles loves this song and really draws out the "GLORIOUS" he's so cute and sweet when he sings it in the car, but the fact that he was able to joyously sing with us while in church and know the song, was just warming to my soul! There was one point where he was singing the loudest of everyone around us! Bless his heart! Sing loud to the LORD baby!!

Challenge day 7

 Something you use every day.

My car! I am in the car more often than I would like, and with a gas chugger like mine, it can feel excessive! We are currently car shopping for something more efficient :) But, I won't lie...I love my car! :*)

Challenge Day 6

A favorite memory.

I was 14 years old. It was New Year's Eve. We got all dressed up and went to my aunt and uncle's country club to celebrate. I was in my glory! I had a dress that I LOVED and I felt so special that night :) It was also the night that my grandmother gave each of her granddaughter's a ring. She had hand picked the rings to match our personal style and I still adore that ring to this day! (My grandma passed away on my birthday 9 years ago, it was 8 days after I found out I was pregnant with my first child. She was such a beautiful, graceful, special woman!)

Close up of the ring my grandma hand picked for me :)
I will always remember how old I was when I got it, because it happens to have 14 diamonds
in it as well!

My cousins; Gina, Missy, Chris, Grandma, Lisa, me
NYE 1994 showing our new rings :)



I absolutely love this picture of my grandma :)