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Weekend Recap

March 5th, 2012 at 8:57 am / Amy Bennett / 3 Comments »

This weekend was a nice weekend at home. Friday night we stayed in and the girls decided to do a little sleepover of their own in the living room. I only mention it because when Scott got up at 4am Saturday to go to work, the girls woke up. They got up about 5 and tried to watch TV. I nixed that fast and got them to come lay down with me. But at 5:45 Lexi declared she was getting up at 6 no matter what. And then they never went back to sleep. Saturday was a loonng day. I think by 10am I had all my chores done.

We went grocery shopping where I had an epiphany about all this dinner cooking. I’m going back to the basics. So I got a chuck roast, chicken breasts, steaks and ground beef for spaghetti that were all on sale. It’s not going to be revolutionary or Pin-worthy but it’s going to be easy.

Saturday afternoon the girls decided Emma was going to give Lexi art lessons. They needed more canvases and with that tidbit, I got them to go to Hobby Lobby with me without a fight. You can see Emma’s latest art from paint lessons on the right and Lexi’s copy-cat. I was just happy they were working together.

I think I had a divine appointment at Hobby Lobby because I got these candle sconces I’ve had my eye on for either side of our bedroom TV. They were 50% off but one of them had some chipping on the edge and they had marked it down already to 50% so I got another 50% off of that. The chipping was no issue at all because it was on the back and on an angle no one is going to see anyway. So I got one for 50% off and the other for 75% off. Amazing. And look!

I LOVE them. The room is really starting the fill in.

Sunday we had church and the girls spent the afternoon with their cousin after lunch. I baked up a storm and did some other odds and ends around the house. It wasn’t an overly exciting weekend but you know when the hot spot on the kitchen counter is entirely clean, it was a good one.

Hope you had a great weekend!

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How We’re Coping Going Gluten and Dairy Free – Day 10

March 1st, 2012 at 2:39 pm / Amy Bennett / 21 Comments »

OK it’s been about 10 days since we started gluten/milk free (technically 12). I told my mom two and a half weeks this morning. Clearly I am delusional and want this over fast. Speaking of, we go back at the end of this month for a check-up to see how it’s going. This week I started to get super frustrated with all these changes.

On top of simply going gluten/dairy free I was also introduced to the book Wheat Belly. Has anyone read/heard of this book? I haven’t read the book but just a few articles and perused their Facebook page. And they say no grains at all, even the non-gluten ones and of course, sugar is a no-no too. Oh and I read another article that said I shouldn’t be eating spinach because it’s bad for people like me who have thyroid issues. After a week, I thought I was starting to make progress on finding new recipes and spent all this money on new flours only to be finding out I probably shouldn’t be having those either. So frustrating!

But a few friends talked me down and made me realize I just need to concentrate on one change at a time. Gluten free first. Then if we decide, we can eliminate more grains later.

But even still, going gluten and milk free is not all rainbows and puppies.

My biggest frustration is dinner and that Lexi is super picky. And I hate. Hate, hate, hate having to make two meals. I was always very insistent that Lexi ate whatever we all ate. Usually it was something I knew she would like but she was just being picky. But now, I’m fixing things like gluten free, dairy free spinach pizza and ya’ll, I just can’t make her do it. So I’ve been fixing two meals on many nights. And really I just mean I fix Lexi a quesadilla while the rest of us eat soup or pizza or stuffed peppers. I guess I could keep it really simple and just have baked chicken and two veggies every night but everyone knows that gets tiresome. Plus, the other thing is there are a lot of sauces you can’t use because of the gluten and dairy. Who wants bland baked chicken every night?? I could do BBQ sauce but Lexi hates BBQ sauce. Anything creamed is out because of the milk. Anything breaded is out because of the gluten. We all love steak but it’s expensive and I’m trying to stay away from red meat because that is known to lead to cancer. It’s just frustrating to be honest.

Lunches at school are really hard too. That first day they were home and serving fresh fruit is really easy. But for whatever reason, they never eat it if I sent it to school. We bought several lunchbox friendly gluten free items like fruit bars but they aren’t too into them. They end up eating their PB&J and cookie and then come home starving.

Afternoon snack and desserts have been the easiest though. I’ve found great banana and zucchini breads and old standbys like deviled eggs, tuna salad and popcorn do the trick. Dessert is a cinch. Did you know gluten free desserts are pretty easy to come by? In fact, I have found A LOT of gluten free recipes use a lot of sugar. It’s kind of ridiculous actually. We easily found a dairy free ice cream and even gluten and dairy free donuts that are to die for. Yum. Dessert is definitely not an issue.

I think in general too my two biggest frustrations are that I HAVE to meal plan and we can’t eat out like we used to. I have said on multiple occasions how bad I am at meal planning and just having to think about dinner all the time is hard and that has absolutely nothing to do with the diet changes. I’m just being forced into meal planning and I don’t like it. Whine, whine whine. Plus, I miss Taco Bell, darn it.

BUT.

Emma has only had two stomach aches since we started. Both were mild and after eating boiled eggs. She’s had scrambled eggs and eggs cooked in things with no problem. She’s also had softer stool even though it hasn’t been as regular as it should be. (Sorry for TMI) Scott has had no acid reflux and his gas has certainly decreased. I asked him if he was just being polite around me and he nearly laughed. I definitely can tell a difference. His whole attitude has been generally better too thanks I suppose to the serotonin spray.

So all that whining to say so far it’s really been worth it.

But also? All that to say it really is hard at times. I didn’t want to leave with the last post sounding like it was simple because it’s not. Or maybe it is and I’m just trying to make it difficult. In any case, cooking is my main priority. I’ve been spending lunches cooking breads, desserts and even dinner and the evenings finding recipes. Let’s not even get into the cost of this. But like I said, it’s worth it. We’re only 10 days in and already seeing changes. And who knows what changes there are we can’t see. I just have to believe it’s worth it.

And on that note, if anyone out there has some ideas for dinner that might work for Lexi, please lay it on me.

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Weekend Recap

February 27th, 2012 at 10:58 am / Amy Bennett / 9 Comments »

Friday night the girls stayed at Scott’s parents’ so Scott and I spent the evening watching Big Bang Theory. It’s so silly but Scott and I are really enjoying laughing so much together. To be honest, we haven’t done that a whole lot lately. We’re so busy working and getting kids fed and driving them to and fro and when we’re not busy, he’s playing his video game or I’m baking or spending time at my computer or in a book and we just don’t have an occasion to laugh a lot. That sounds so sad but it’s so easy to get caught up and forget to have fun on purpose. We are now randomly saying “Bazinga!” to one another. It’s pretty great.

So Saturday morning we got up and listen to this fun…went mattress shopping! In all of our years of marriage we have never, not ever bought ourselves a new mattress. Well, Scott’s side had gotten so bad that I really felt like I was being pushed into a ditch when I rolled over to his side. He was complaining about back aches every single morning. When a LivingSocial deal came up, it was just the green light we needed. We’ve also being eyeing furniture for our master bedroom. The deal also came with a 25% coupon on any same-day furniture sales so we snatched up a lime green couch and two chairs. And Scott would like to state for the record he picked out the lime green couch. Seriously. A man after my own heart. Or, has my heart. Or whatever. Everyone knows I love green.

Aren’t those chairs so fun? I love that they’re in my sight while we watch Sheldon.

I can barely take all the fun and laughter.

I guess you can’t really tell but that’s a pretty new Tempurpedic-ish mattress.

To be honest, it’s as hard as a rock and I don’t like it much. Scott loves it a lot and it’s not actually causing me pain so I guess I’m going to live with it. I surely can’t afford one of those sleep number beds with separate sides. Well, technically I could probably afford it if I really wanted it but I couldn’t bring myself to pay that much. I already about had a heart attack at the cost of this one. Did you know brand new king mattresses aren’t cheap?!

So we probably still want a new bedspread and headboard. That black leather I think is just too severe and the bedspread reads more purple than the brown that it is. Once we get that, we can figure out the wall above the bed and of course decorate the wall with the couch. It’s slow but it’s all coming together.

The rest of the weekend was pretty easy-going. The kids had their cousin over for Saturday afternoon, I fixed a nice steak dinner Saturday night, we watched Dangerous Animals of Australia or something Saturday night. Watching documentaries on Netflix is now Scott and the girls “thing”.

Sunday was church and dinner. We went to Jason’s Deli. We’ve only eaten out one other time since going gluten-free (oh my word at all the cooking! breakfast, snack, lunch, snack, dinner, snack, it never ends!). I had to take butter and sour cream for Emma to have on her potato and also bring her cookies since she couldn’t have the ice cream. I was officially one of “those moms” pulling food out of Tupperware from her purse. Whatever.

Sunday afternoon and evening we did a whole lot of nothing. The kids spent the entire afternoon playing with a neighbor and Scott had a meeting at the church. I baked (surprise) and the kids finished up the evening playing a few computer games and watching TV while I checked out the Oscars red carpet.

I found this note between Emma and Lexi on my desk just as Scott stopped in today for a break from work. Speaking of laughing together, this one had us rolling.

Translation:
Emma:

Dear Lexi,

Please play Bearville on your account with me please!?

Love, Emma

Lexi:

Big Fat nooooooooo

Love, Lexi

Bwahahahaha. Can’t you feel the sisterly love?

Thoughts on what color bedspread or headboard I should get? Who wore your favorite dress on the red carpet last night? Or just say hello below! Hope you had a great weekend!

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Word of the Day: Unctuous

February 17th, 2012 at 11:45 am / Amy Bennett / 1 Comment »

Today’s word came in an interesting way. I was ruminating on what to post today and it all came together when I was browsing through the book The Life You Always Wanted by John Ortberg. I came across a word with which I wasn’t entirely clear: unctuous.

The section I was reading from was “The Power of Prayer”. I first underlined the phrase “Prayer changes things.” And those three words resonated with me when I highlighted and again today as I reread the phrase. Prayer changes things. Is that not a humbling thought? Does that not make you want to hit your knees in the prayer closet? If I could just read those three words each morning I think it might do us all quite a bit of good.

Further down in the section, Ortberg quotes Walter Wink and herein we find our word of the day:

“The fawning etiquette of unctuous prayer is utterly foreign to the Bible. Biblical prayer is impertinent, persistent, shameless, indecorous. It is more like haggling in an oriental bazaar than the polite monologues of the churches.”

I got the general meaning but what is this unctuous prayer that is foreign to the Bible exactly?

Fatty and oily don’t seem to fit the meaning. Plastic either. And full of unction is probably it but what does unction mean exactly?

3b I think hits what Wink was after: “exaggerated, assumed, superficial.” In other words, prayer isn’t superficial. It’s not the fancy, ornate, empty prayer from the stage. Neither is it a handful of flippant phrases thrown at the ceiling from the bed in hopes of checking the task off for the day. It’s real. And it changes things.

So let us hit our knees today and let our prayers not be unctuous, but fervent and expectant.

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A Little Thursday Random

February 16th, 2012 at 1:31 pm / Amy Bennett / 3 Comments »

Source: someecards.com via Amy on Pinterest

Feels like a list day today.

Our adoption home study got turned in this week. Yay! Now we wait for a review and approvals.
In full disclosure I feel like I should tell you the alarm clock thing lost it’s magic. The girls have spent the last two mornings sleeping until I get them up. Now, they are getting up and getting dressed but no more helping with lunch and breakfast without us asking. Phooey.
And in full, full disclosure, I haven’t been doing the early morning thing that I was back at the end of the year. A big reason I was getting up early was to get done with my eBook and also because I was working at the office a lot more. Now that I’m home and can do things more on my lunch break and don’t have any extra projects going on, I’ve reverted back to late to bed, late to rise. Also some Big Bang Theory DVDs might have something to do with that. I really do miss it though. I wish I could at least get myself up and get fully ready so I could run a few errands after I drop the girls off.
I have been eating healthy since this post. Not quite as strict as the Daniel Fast but it reminds me quite a bit of it. I feel so much better, stay full most of the day and have lost a few pounds to boot. It’s odd, when I eat and feel full I have a temptation to feel guilty but I remind myself I’m eating healthy vegetables and fruit and it makes it even easier to make a good choice the next time. HOWEVER. Girl Scout Cookies are getting delivered to me today so we’ll see if I don’t have to do another update on this update soon.
In that vein, I’ve been swirling with plans to make a vegetable garden this year. I can’t keep the small flower in my kitchen alive (or any other plant that has ever come into my house) but for some reason I think it’s a good idea to have an entire garden of plants that we’re required to eat. We’ll see how that goes.
We have big plans this weekend. We have to travel out of town for a doctor visit (nothing to worry over) and we’re taking the girls to the American Girl store while we’re nearby. It’s going to be a whirlwind visit but hopefully some good memories.

And finally, I’ve gotten a few messages lately from readers that have really been touching. But all I really want to do is just fall at their feet and thank them profusely for even reading in the first place. For whatever reason, God keeps letting me write for you and I’m so thankful because I love coming here and sharing. So I need to say THANK YOU for reading.

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Marriage, Fashion and Healing

February 13th, 2012 at 11:30 am / Amy Bennett / 4 Comments »

I couldn’t call this simply a weekend recap. So much stuff this weekend! If my last few weekends have been quiet and around-the-house type weekends, the last 3 days have been quite the opposite. Each day we had something pretty big and I can’t wait to tell you! Hang on, because this is a long one!!

MarriedLife Live

Friday night Scott and I attended the MarriedLife Live event at our church. It was less conference and more a night out for married couples in the church. We had a live band, dessert and coffee and we did hear from our family pastor. He talked about seasons of marriage and how some bad seasons tear couples apart and others are drawn together. To avoid the former, we should store up in the good times, just as Joseph did in Egypt, knowing a famine was coming. I felt like this was especially appropriate for us as the last year or two has generally been a good season for our marriage but I know the adoption will test us. Right now is the time to build up our marriage, not only when we’re trying to salvage it.

We also did an exercise where each of us had to fill out what we wanted each other to do and say at four times during the day: morning, saying goodbye for the day, saying hello and going to bed. I have to say it was eye-opening. We rarely do anything like that and really appreciated knowing what Scott expects and desires.

Be Red Hot

Saturday morning I attended the Be Red Hot Women’s conference at Dani’s church to support her as she led a break-out session. I was completely blessed by the main speaker Branda Polk. The conference was a diving board off the verse about not being lukewarm but either hot or cold. We want to be red hot in our faith.

One thing she hit on that I hope she doesn’t mind that I share is the thought that the Bible says we ought to do all things unto God. But how do my menial tasks mean anything to Him? Isn’t it only big people doing big things for God that He treasures? She likened it to our children picking dandelions and giving it to us as a gift of love. Practically, they are giving us a weed but because it is done unto us in love, it is a treasure. Isn’t that an awesome thought?

Dani rocked her fashion session. She started out speaking to the heart of the matter. Does God even want us to spend time on how we look? Yes! He cares about all things and the way we present ourselves on the outside can say something about what He’s done on the inside. It also says something about how we feel about the people around us. I know Scott always notices when I dress up more for work than I do him. That’s sending a message, true or not, that I care more for what they think than what he thinks. However, if our vanity and pride are keeping us occupied and unable to give like He requires, it’s a problem!

(top right photo, credit to Sherry Smith)

She also went over the top trends for the year, how she builds her closet and took time to dress up a few folks with accessories she had bought. I even got to help on stage for a hot second to share her Sneaky Jacket Trick. She did a fabulous job and I think everyone was ready for a full day conference just with Dani. I know if there is anything I know about styling, it is all from her instruction over the past 14 years we’ve been friends. Those blue shoes I have on in that pic are results of an email from Dani…"buy these and this is what you wear with it” (that yellow shirt is my one of my Old Navy shirts)!

Testimony

Fast forward through Saturday family time, Sunday church, dinner and nap and we headed to my parents’ and sister’s church to hear my sister give her testimony. One day I want to take the time and give you all the intricate details about what happened but the gist of it is this.

Heather has had a sleeping disorder her whole life. Without medication, she always wanted to sleep. Like, she would go to bed at 7 on a Friday night, get up at 1 the next afternoon and then could take a nap at 4. She finally was diagnosed at 20 and got some pills ($600 a month!) that would keep her awake all day. However, my mom would have to call her every single morning over and over and OVER to get her to answer the phone long enough for her to take the pills so she would wake up an hour or two later. It was exhausting and frustrating.

During the past few years, she had also started playing World of Warcraft video game and found herself addicted. Addicted to a video game? Yep! I remember having the girls’ family birthday here at the house the year before last and she came in with her laptop, hooked it up and was playing through the birthday party. She was playing every chance she got.

Well, her church did a 40 day fast last January and God called her to fast her video game. She did and as she described it, went through physical withdrawals. Towards the end of the 40 days, God was calling me to do the Daniel Fast (I mention Heather’s healing vaguely in the post). I had two different dreams about her just days before I started and I knew that I was to fast and pray for Heather. Heather had given me her laptop so she wouldn’t play it and I prayed over her laptop during the fast. Yes, I laid hands on a laptop! I can’t tell you the power I felt when I touched it. My heart broke and my spirit was completely burdened.

Three days before the end of her 40 days and Heather woke up on her own at 5:30am. The next day she woke up again. The next day was the end of the fast and God told Heather not to take her pills anymore. That same day, as I closed my fast, God told me that Heather was free from her video game if she chose to be. He wouldn’t force her, but if she wanted to walk away, she was free. It’s been 352 days now and she hasn’t take a pill and she is free from her addiction to the game. God be praised! It’s been amazing to watch her flourish in the last year and I’m so thankful for God’s healing and Heather’s decision to obey.

So, wow! Gold star if you read all that! My heart is so full from the weekend. God is awesome and my church, family and friends are more than I could ask.

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Weekend Recap

February 6th, 2012 at 11:29 am / Amy Bennett / 5 Comments »

I would tell you about my weekend in succession but I’m afraid it would be dreadfully boring to read. Scott worked nights all weekend so that means we basically stayed in all weekend other than a few trips to the grocery store, a quick drive-by of the library to return books (before the due date, even), church and Sunday dinner. I didn’t even make my weekly trip out to CVS. At home, the highlight was reorganizing the tupperware. I only needed to do one load of laundry. I never painted the hallway that desperately needs it. We just didn’t do much at all.

And yet.

I layed around the girls’ room while Emma gave me fake tests. I scored a 100 on my spelling test. I wrote an entire essay on an article she made me read. Seriously. Three paragraphs. I turned it in and she didn’t even read it. Hmph! We ate all our meals together. I made all their snacks. We watched part of the Super Bowl together until they got bored. They watched the same movie at least twice. They danced with the music on loud. They played with their cousin. I introduced them to Little House on the Prairie. I referreed arguments. I pushed them on the swings.

It was nothing and everything.

A perfect weekend.

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Weekend Recap

January 30th, 2012 at 9:12 am / Amy Bennett / 13 Comments »

Highlights from the weekend:

Both girls spent the night with Scott’s parents’ Friday night and we got to sleep in on Saturday. Scott’s back has been hurting him lately so he didn’t do his normal mountain biking first thing Saturday. I hate his back has been hurting but I loved sleeping in.
I got to do a bit of shopping on my own Saturday morning. I got a belt at Kohl’s for $5. I wish you could have seen my old belt. I bought that old belt from NY & Company in the mid-90s. Ridiculous! I also stopped at Hobby Lobby where I got completely overwhelmed. So many ideas and so little money. I walked away with absolutely nothing. That’s the kind of place I need a friend to filter through all the decisions with me.

meltingpot

Saturday afternoon we went to the Melting Pot with our friends Jake and Jill. The girls had a real! live! babysitter! We usually have family watch them but they were psyched to have a “real” babysitter at the house. The Melting Pot didn’t disappoint. If nothing else, you should go and have the dessert and be sure to get The Original – a mix of chocolate and peanut butter. Yum!

Right of picture: Lexi, Emma, Skyler and Scott in a tug of war at Discovery Place

After church yesterday we went to the Mummies of the World exhibit in Charlotte. I’m not certain I have formed a solid opinion of the mummies. In some ways, it was like a bad wreck you couldn’t look away from. At times, I wondered why in the world I just paid to walk around and look at dead people. Other times, it was very cool to see the hieroglyphics on some of the mummies or see how much different people were years ago. Very fascinating. But yes, if you think about it too much it’s very weird. The kids loved it though and were fascinated by how the people died and how old they were. But at the end of the day, they still preferred all the amazing activities that Discovery Place has to offer. At this age, they can’t seem to soak in enough facts about science.

The rest of the weekend was filled in with laundry and TV (Downton Abbey! Big Bang Theory! Blue Bloods!) and shopping. A great weekend for sure.

I’m curious, do the mummies gross you out or fascinate you?

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Weekend Recap and Catch-up

January 22nd, 2012 at 6:52 pm / Amy Bennett / 11 Comments »

How’s that for an SEO-friendly title? I just know someone is googling for people’s weekend recaps.

So hi.

I’m still here. I still love blogging. I love writing. I love you. If you’re still out there. I guess you are if you’re reading this. And if no one does, I suppose this is like me talking to myself in the middle of the woods. It wouldn’t be the first time I talked to myself, so I may as well keep going.

The last two weeks have been hard emotionally for me. Lexi has come unraveled a few times and it’s led to some glaring issues and things that need to change, a lot on my part. I’m trying my best to spend as much quality time with them as I can. I’m having to say no when I don’t really want to say no. I’m having to bite my tongue. I’m having to pay attention. Really pay attention. In other words, it’s been taking a lot of my time and exhausting me a little. But in the most wonderful ways. This parenting gig is something I happily signed on for and while hard, the good is so good it’s worth it.

In super duper good news, I’ve been working from home a lot more lately. I’m SO thankful. It’s such a huge answer to prayer and could not have had better timing.

We stayed in Friday and ate pizza and watched TV together. Saturday I took the girls to the Nature Museum, Moe’s and the library. For whatever reason they really latched on to the rocks and minerals at the museum and most of their books were on those. Kids surprise you sometimes. Lexi was scared to death of the big bears and elephant. I embarrassed her when I started praying over her right in front of the monkey display. We were all alone in the whole hall but she still said, “Stop, Mom, you’re embarrassing me.” I think it was the first, but certainly not the last. The library we went to after that has this wonderful spiral staircase. My parents used to take me and my sister and I loved that thing. We were climbing to the second floor and Emma was complaining about so many stairs but it was one of those moments of passing down a tradition that is part of what makes parenting so fun. After that, we went grocery shopping and came home to wash laundry and have dinner. Exciting times, I tell you! I heard someone once say that the more bored the parent was, the happier the kids were. I really think that’s true for my girls, at least.

Today we went to church, had lunch with Scott’s family, went shopping just the 3 of us, spent some time at my parents’ and then came home to an evening of leftovers and wrestling. Church, shopping, family. You know it’s a good day. In fact, I might have to do a haul video on all the stuff I got at Old Navy. I honestly don’t think I’ve bought myself anything outside of a few shirts for Christmas since the end of summer. Today I didn’t spend more that $5 for a shirt and most of them were $3.50 so it was GOOD.

Beyond that I’ve been reading some good stuff on adoption (and getting scared to death) and eating better (and doing absolutely nothing about it) and watching Elevation’s revival services (and getting some wonderful words).

I hope you had a wonderful weekend!

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Ten Things I Haven’t Resolved to Do But Wish I Did

January 3rd, 2012 at 12:47 pm / Amy Bennett / 11 Comments »

I’m not a new year resolver. But there is an ongoing list of skills that I wish I could learn to do. Some skills need to come naturally and they just don’t. Others I don’t have time to tackle and still others I have absolutely no reason not to tackle but I just haven’t yet. And here they are:

Sell something on etsy. Anything. It’s a few-years-long dream of mine. I wish I was super crafty and my days were spent crafting something up while customers anxiously awaited new items. If there was an item on this list I’m considering, this is it. I just have to come up with that brilliant idea of a craft I can actually do. Ideas accepted in the comments.
On that note, I wish I could sew. It’s really sad I don’t know how to as my mother does it for a living. Plus, she sent me to sewing classes. I did learn how to sew a straight line. Or, wait, I think there was a curve in one of those lessons. But I don’t own a machine and don’t have the time to sit and practice or learn to sew from a pattern.
Can food. This is ridiculous as I’m sure I CAN can. I remember my great-grandmother canning all kinds of jellies and veggies and storing them in her cellar. But every time I look at instructions there are jars and special tong thingies (did you just read that as “thongs”. because I just did during a read-through). and rules about temperatures and it’s just overwhelming.
Write a song. But not just a song, a great song. I’m always in awe when someone can write a smart song, particularly with a play on words. I just haven’t thought of anything smart yet.
Write a novel. I actually tried that once and am pretty sure it’s not meant for me. But I wish it were.
Own chickens. Seriously I think those little houses are so cute and the idea of having fresh eggs is pretty amazing. But the mess. And the smell. And the inability to turn the chickens “off” turns ME off.
Run. I completed the Couch to 5K and really WANTED to like running but I don’t. But hey, I HAVE done the 30 Day Shred for 10 days.
Quit work. I wish I were a Stay at Home Mom and had time to learn and do all these things. No surprises there. However, being in debt is NOT on this list.
Floss every day. Please don’t tell me you do this or I’ll have to kick you in the shin.
Love to pretend play. I love to spend time with my kids. I really do. I can bake, color and play Monopoly with the best of them. But I don’t, and haven’t since I was 8, liked playing with Barbies, babies, American Girl dolls, etc. With the exception of running the toy cash register, I have to force myself in the playroom.

OK, so that felt a little whiny. Sorry for the whine. If you do any of these well, I would love to hear it! And list a few tips on how I might actually add one of these to a real task list!

This post was linked to ohAmanda’s Top Ten Tuesday.

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Christmas 2011

December 26th, 2011 at 1:20 pm / Amy Bennett / No Comments »

We had a wonderful Christmas weekend. Scott worked all weekend but we made it work. Friday evening the girls and I went with Heather to watch Dolphin Tale. Great family movie. Emma walked out and said, “See, that taught us it’s important to take care of hurt people.” I was just telling my aunt (who is also a nurse) I wouldn’t be surprised if she became a nurse.

Saturday afternoon we enjoyed a Christmas Eve service at church. I loved the opening video and they finished off with a great a capella version of Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.

Saturday evening we had Christmas Eve at my parents’. The kids got lots of American Girl and art supplies. Mom gave me a bunch of stuff for the house. Mainly, the hardware and fabric for the curtains in our bedroom and a new bench for our bathroom.

Saturday evening I decorated the living room while Scott was at work. Last year I put up some snowflakes but I decided to step it up. Since our plans were to wake up the girls super early so Scott could get in from work and get to sleep, I knew it would be dark so I decided to string lights across the living room and hang the snowflakes from there. I loved it so much I sat out and read in the recliner late that night.

Christmas morning the girls were up as soon as they heard the front door squeak. They normally sleep right through Scott coming in from work. They were shocked by the lights and had a great time opening their gifts. Lots of American Girl this year. I was ecstatic to be able to give them a set of baby dolls we thought were out of stock everywhere until January. I found them on eBay just last week. I had hoped they’d give me a YouTube worthy reaction. They were happy but we’re not going viral with it. Still, I was happy to give them what they wanted. Scott surprised me with a 24” monitor which I’m currently enjoying while I type this. Do you know how many Pinterest pictures fit on a 24” screen??

We wrapped up Christmas Eve by watching Yes, Virginia and having some Peanut Butter Hot Chocolate. I’m telling you, this stuff is GOOD.

Sunday afternoon after Scott was up we went to his parents’ for Christmas. We had a yummy steak dinner and enjoyed opening presents.

Last night we took it easy since Scott was working and watched Soul Surfer with Heather since she’s never seen it. The kids were exhausted after being up at 5:30am and were out like lights as soon as it was over.

It’s been a great holiday season. We’re so blessed with family, friends, wonderful presents for each other, health and time with each other. God has been so good to us and I’m so thankful.

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15 Random Thoughts to Catch You Up

December 14th, 2011 at 6:15 pm / Amy Bennett / 3 Comments »

Busy packing

Appreciative of Zicam for keeping my cold to a minimum

Grateful for the lady who retrieved my checkbook from a parking lot

Also to the JCPenney worker who recognized our street as her sister-in-law’s and called us right away

Beyond thrilled that eBay saved Christmas for my girls. Remind me to give Deborah in West Virginia a big hug when we get to heaven. I just know she’s an angel.

Overwhelmed with drama from my girls

Soul-satisfied with the maturity I’m starting to see in Emma

Proud of how she helped at a service project this weekend

Missing working from home full-time

Loving that presents are bought and wrapped

Jaded by social media

Wondering if we’ll ever find the right fabric for my bedroom

Frustrated at food

Annoyed that I couldn’t keep up with Truth in the Tinsel

Disappointed that my book hasn’t sold any books in a few weeks

Feeling the winter blues.

And PMS.

We’ll return to the regularly scheduled program soon.

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At the Salvation Army Christmas Center

December 8th, 2011 at 7:31 pm / Amy Bennett / 5 Comments »

The thing I really wanted to blog about yesterday but just did not have the time is my experience with the Salvation Army yesterday. As part of our job at work, we get a set number of hours to volunteer in the community. It has to be one of my favorite perks. I’ve blogged about a local garden I worked with back in the summer.

Yesterday we spent 3 hours at their Charlotte Christmas distribution center at an old Walmart location. First, I have to say that this was the Walmart that Scott and I used to go to when we were dating. Years ago neither Fort Mill OR Rock Hill had one and we’d have to go to Charlotte. So being in this building was a little nostalgic for me to start with. It still had the carpet laid out where the clothes were. The “Back to School” emblems were still in a few places on the floor. The bathroom signs were still up. But besides that, everything was ripped out. But still. It was still our old Walmart. And it’s silly to be nostalgic about Walmart but whatever.

So when we went in they had rows and rows of these placecards and bags. How it works is the Salvation Army takes on 14,000 children as angel tree participants, representing 6,000 families. Every single one of those 6,000 families had a spot on that floor. Those place cards were actually labeled family bags. After someone in the community took the angel and bought the child’s toys, they’d bring it back in a smaller bag. It’s labeled with the child’s name and the family’s number and then people like our group were responsible for putting the child’s bag in the family bag. That’s what we did the first hour or so.

Now. There are thousands of children’s angels that are never picked off the tree (oh my heart). But there are loads of toys that are donated to the Salvation Army. My work has 3 bins available to drop toys in and I’m sure you can find them near you. So, for those, they gave us print-outs of the rest of the angel tree wish lists. Each box on the sheet represented one child with their clothing sizes and a list of 4 things they wanted. Based on that, we got to “shop” in the ToyLand they had organized with the donated toys. Then, we would organize those bags in the family bags. Let me tell you, there were some mixed feelings doing that.

I felt a great responsibility picking the child’s ONLY three gifts that they would open. I tried really hard to match up their wish list with the toys we had available. My favorite was packing an American Girl for a little girl that wanted a doll. Or, maybe packing a little Lightning McQueen car that I happened to find in a pile for a little boy that wanted “anything Lightning McQueen”. Oh, it makes me so happy knowing they will have those!

I felt such great sadness at the kids who weren’t going to get anything on their list. Yes, some of them listed things like iPods and xbox games but other little girls that wanted something specific like Dora and I could not find a single Dora toy. Also, it killed me when the kid asked for a bike and helmet and there were no more to go around. Killed me! I wanted to go buy a bike and deliver it myself!

I can’t quantify or label this feeling but I just wanted everyone to know that their deal is legit. Salvation Army seems to be so easy to dismiss as they are everywhere. But the toys really are going to Joseph, or Daniel, or Kirsten in your community. And not only that, that the toys we give MATTER. These are kids and they want the same things that our kids want. I’m not pushing commercialism and materialism but buying brand names matter. When we were picking these gifts, the dollar store rip-offs just didn’t seem like ENOUGH for a kid that was only getting 3 gifts. I do realize that some families are consciously only giving their kids 3 gifts this year or maybe even none. But that is something you as a family can decide. These kids’ families are asking for help and I just wanted to give the BEST. I hope that makes sense without seeming materialistic. I mean, no lie, I’ll be stuffing my kids’ stockings with Dollar Store treats so don’t get me wrong on that account. All I’m saying is these kids matter and while packing I just wanted to imagine that they knew they were very loved and got exactly what they wanted.

So all that to say I hope you support Salvation Army when you see them out this year. I know yesterday really changed my perception of what they do and I hope I gave a glimpse of that. And there’s still time to donate toys (a bike! a Dora toy!) For those in the Charlotte area, here are the drop-off locations.

Ok, so tell me just one thing on YOUR wish list!

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Weekend Recap

December 5th, 2011 at 8:29 am / Amy Bennett / No Comments »

We started the weekend off with a bang. Or should I say kick? Lexi tested for her green belt Friday night. I had video of her breaking her board but just as she was breaking it, my phone ran out of space so I didn’t get it filmed. But she did great and I fully expect her to be presented with her green belt during the next class. She’s serious about getting to that black belt and I have no doubts she’ll do it!

Saturday morning I got some much needed rest. The kids spent the night with Scott’s parents and Scott went out for a bike ride first thing Saturday. Even if I had laundry waiting on me, I just couldn’t make myself do anything with an empty house.

We were out before lunch though to see our hometown parade. The Nation’s Ford band, one of the high schools in town, marched in Macy’s a few weeks ago and it was great seeing them. The kids had a blast and it’s a great tradition they love.

Saturday evening Emma ended up staying with my sister-in-law all evening so it was just the three of us. We did a little Christmas shopping and had a nice steak and potato dinner.

Sunday was church and then we took it easy at home. I had some major, er, stomach issues for the afternoon so I was no good to anyone. This is when I’m thankful the kids are a bit older and can entertain themselves if I’m in the bed sick for an hour or two. I was soon up though and we went to the mall for a bit so Emma could spend some birthday money and I picked up another Christmas present. My family came over for the evening to spend some time with the girls and we worked on my bedroom a bit deciding on fabric as I think my mom is going to make some curtains for me for Christmas. I think we’re going to go with the fabric from my dining room. I am nothing if not consistent.

There was no 5:30 wake-up for me this morning. I think I was still catching up from last week being so tired. But I’m ready to start the week. I can’t believe it’s December and in just a few weeks it will be Christmas!

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Five Minute Friday: Tired

December 2nd, 2011 at 12:00 pm / Amy Bennett / 3 Comments »

Today I’m posting along with The Gypsy Mama. Her word for today is tired. It’s hard to blog coherently when you’re tired so excuse the rambling…

I just told a coworker this morning how tired I am. Every day this week I’ve been consistent at actually waking up when the alarm goes off at 5:30 and snuggling in bed with my iPhone to read my 12 pages of the Bible in 90 Days plan. Don’t get me wrong, I wouldn’t have it any other way. I love that by 6:15 in the morning, I am done with my reading for the day and don’t have to think about it anymore. In fact, I love even more that I usually have time to listen to the audio at some point later in the day. But this week I’m also doing the Daniel Fast. I haven’t had sugar (ok, maybe a little in some Balsamic Vinagrette I had at Chickfila on Tuesday) since Sunday afternoon and I think I’m finally feeling the effects. I feel like if I could just drink a tall White Mocha that I’d feel a little more, oh, I don’t know, energy. In the meantime, between the early rising and lack of sugar, I’m tired.

But there’s more tired going on. I’m tired of working and juggling and and having a bad attitude because I’m in a hurry just so I can fit it all in even though I’m not fitting it all in. I’m tired of feeling like i don’t do enough with the girls while I’m attending to work. And yet, I feel like God is calling me to continue working right now so I don’t know how to not feel tired about it all. And honestly, I’m tired of being tired of it all. If I’m to continue for now in this job, then I want to enjoy it and be ok with the station I’m in right now.

STOP