Let's Pretend I'm Cinderella...

Can I just say....YAY FOR FRIDAY!

• Tonight I get to go to dinner and shopping with my Bible study ladies...it is sure to be entertaining. In January we will begin the Beth Moore series Living Beyond Yourself and I am so anxious to get started.


• Saturday we're leaving in the morning to travel a couple hours to my nephew Gavin's first birthday party and that trip will involve the same mall I went to back here (when you live in tiny town, you get all excited about going to a big mall...or a town that still has a gas station.) I'm thinking I'm gonna be able to knock out my Christmas list!


• I'm starting Christmas cards today. I've gotten totally lazy this year. Usually I send a short letter to just those people we don't see very often...but that was before blogging. Now...I'm just gonna insert a slip of paper with my blog address and tell them to check it out if they're interested in what's going on...I should probably warn them it's more information then they'd ever want to know ;)

• Don't worry imaginary bloggy friends...I will post the Christmas card picture for you as well...probably along with outtakes because that's what makes it interesting ;)

Isn't my life all fun and fuzzy?!? In case I've deceived you, you should know that before I get to do any of that fun stuff I need to first deal with this:

Oh...it gets better....

Take a wild guess who's responsible for these shenanigans..It's like Cinderella. Except, well....not really.

Cinderella = me

Prince=already married to him.

The ball = dinner with my friends

Evil step mother = 3 year old

Chubby mouse friend named Gus = chubby wiener dog named Odie

Fairy god-mother = vacuum and Mr. Clean magic eraser

You get my point...it's a hard life I lead in my fairytale ending *snicker and a wink*

Happy FRIDAY!!!

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*Insert Eye Roll*

Last night after Bible Club I came home and plopped myself on the couch...it's a routine I have going.

Flipped through the DVR and channels and...nothing. Bummer. So I resorted to the Guide menu to see if anything would be coming on soon...nothing, nothing...and THEN I found it.

It read: Victoria Secret Fashion Show
9-10 PM
PG-13

*Insert eye roll* I had to laugh...out loud. Because THIRTEEN is the precise age that I WOULD NOT want my new-to-testosterone-crazed boy or feeling-completely-awkward & insecure daughter to watch the Victoria Secret fashion show.

For real.

I think it should read: Victoria Secret Fashion Show
9-10 PM
Ages 2 and under.

Just a thought ;)

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My Crush is Over...So That's Good...

*My apologies before you even read this...it is allllll over the place*

Remember that inner 15 year old I've mentioned?

Well... she is reading the Twilight series. There's four books (I finished the 2nd yesterday) and a movie that opened this weekend. For those of you who may not know what on earth I'm talking about, the Twilight series is about teenage love...one of them is a vampire...it's young love without smutty stuff or gore, and frankly...I'm quite enjoying it!

Friday night my parents watched the boys so Ben and I could go to a movie. Twilight was sold out by the time we got there. Apparently, girls who are ACTUALLY 15 really wanna see the movie too. Go Figure. ;)

We ended up seeing the "old married people's movie" Fireproof *wink wink*

As I sat in the theatre, I wondered if I was the only 30 year old Pastor's wife in there (or anywhere) wishing she was watching Twilight instead...likely.

How weird am I?!?

Fireproof was a fine movie...with a lot of real life drama...which may have been the problem for me Friday night.

Lately, it seems that the opportunities to minister to people with real life dramas are endless...some of their life stories seem more fictional than a teenage vampire series could ever be. Friday night I was looking for an escape from that...a tiny two-hour distraction.

Fireproof was not that for me. BUT three things:

1. ...I did realize that my teenage crush I had on young Kirk Cameron from Growing Pains...has ended even though he looks much the same. I know you're relieved.
2. I thoroughly agree with the message of the movie. All married couples should see it. Bring Kleenex...and Jr. Mints.
3. I didn't tell Ben about my crush until AFTER the movie...he acted surprised that I had had a crush on Kirk Cameron...I assured him that I wasn't the only woman in the theatre that had crushed on him a little back in the day ;)

*shaking my head and rolling my eyes* THAT is how I feel about this post :)

Happy Monday Bloggy Friends, and my sincerest thanks for putting up with this post ;)

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*Blank Stare*

That's what I'm doing. I must have bloggers block...that OR my posts are generally caffeine induced and will now be more boring than EVER.


Bullets...must use them.

• The new Office episode (which I DVR) made me giddy last night...I like knowing Pam and Jim are good.
• I may or may not have also bought season 4 of The Office. I may have found my favorite episode thus far in my viewing. It's a little one called Fun Run...Michael hits Meredith with his car...does a run for rabies, Dwight kills Angela's cat...all priceless.
• No school for my kiddos today.
• We will be having twin boys staying with us tonight until sometime on Sunday. Five boys age 7 and under + husband+ dog = 7 males in my house...with just me. Lord have mercy.
• I did what any good Pastor's wife does when she watches boys who go to her church....rented movies and bought lots of food. And prayed... A LOT. Should work, right?!?
• Odie is reealllly happy to have the boys home today...happy in a totally inappropriate way, the kinda way that makes me keep saying (in my mean voice) "Odie, GET OFF OF HIM!"
• You wish you lived here...don't you.

HAPPY WEEKEND!!!

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Good Times...

Yesterday was a first for me.

Remember these two girlies I mentioned previously?

It just so happens that during our Sunday School lesson on The Heart of Jesus, the topic of cute tights and where to get some, came up. I have no idea how this happens...but it does.

It may have been because this is what I wore to church last week, and that little hole is what happened BEFORE Sunday school even started. Did I mention they were new tights? So sad. I keep forgetting my boots have buckles on the back, and every time I cross my legs I snag my tights.

Lesson learned.

OK, back to my first story...the tights led to Target...because frankly, a lot of roads lead to Target. Both girls mentioned that they HAD NEVER BEEN TO TARGET...I know, I KNOW! So I said we'd have to go sometime...then sometime turned into next Sunday, and then next Sunday turned into yesterday :)

Oh we had fun. And it just so happened I had my camera. Because a girls first trip to Target needs documentation. For real.

Meet Rebecca (from Taiwan) and Kaya (from Denmark)

This is us at Starbucks in Target :)

Kaya in her fab new hat and sunglasses (there's matching scarf and mittens too:)

Rebecca stocking up on cute socks!

They were SO much fun and I'm so glad to have been a part of their first Target experience :)

And Target led to...the mall. Here I am with some ginormous sunglasses. I didn't buy those, but did get a cute outfit at Target that I may be too old for. That's what happens when you shop with 16 year olds. Maybe I'll share it with ya tomorrow...Until then, HAPPY MONDAY!

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There is No Title...

Big exciting stuff in the parsonage today.

I made fruit smoothies for breakfast for the 2nd day in a row...yummy and nutritious all at the same time. It's genius really...and I did not think it up.

As I look at this picture I'm thinking, "Sheeesh Sarah, the least you could do is take a picture of it in the glass and make it look all pretty, the blender, seriously?!?"

But at the time, it seemed like a good idea.

Anyways, the news you've all been anxiously awaiting since yesterday: The mouse is dead.

Can I get a WOO HOO!!!

It appeared dead in between smoothies and getting dressed. Eli found it between the wall and the fridge.

Praise God there were still boys in my house because they pulled together a little teamwork and swept it up into the dust pan and into the garbage in the garage.

I took a picture. Yes I did. And then as I viewed in on my camera and felt bad for killing the little mouse...and then promptly reminded myself that

1. I had given him fair warning yesterday and
2. they are filthy creatures that do not belong in our home...it is for the safety and protection of my family. *wink*
3. Justified.

I will spare you the picture.

You are welcome. *grin*

And lastly, it is supposed to be SIXTY degrees here tomorrow. 60. 60!

Good bye snow flurries. Amen.

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I Lay it Down...

If you could see me now...

• it would not be pretty.


• sitting at the computer, headphones in (trying to block out a 3 year old's incessant whining that is frankly driving me to drink....excessive amounts of coffee.)


• Making lists. Menu list, grocery list, things that need to be organized list, cleaning list, Bible Club to-do list, Bible Study to-do list, get my butt in gear list...on and on.


• sitting here with a complete lack of ideas on what to blog about.


• feeling a little inadequate in just about every area right now.


• hoping the Schwan's guy doesn't come while I'm sitting here because I don't have an order for him and that makes me feel bad...for some reason.


• listening to this song that just came on my MP3...how quickly I forget to do this...

Everything I am

Everything I long to be

I lay it down, at your feet

I lay it down, I lay it down, I lay it down...at your feet.

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Still in There...

Know what's been on my mind a lot lately?


Teenagers. For a couple of reasons:


The past few weeks I've reconnected with some friends from highschool through the previously mentioned wonders of Facebook. It's got me thinking about how fast time has flown by.


In a couple of months I will be 31 years old, but the words of this post, ring as true as ever. (you should go read it, because I wrote it back when I had about 5 people reading my blog, there's a good chance you didn't read it already...trust me.)


I have matured...for sure. But much of that same dorky quirkiness is still living inside of this body. And ya know what...I heart that silly 15 year old...she's the one that get's excited about the little things. Gives people the benefit of the doubt...remembers to give some grace...isn't afraid to ask why or ask hard questions, and easily admits she stands in awe before a Holy God, whom she can't wrap her tiny brain around.


The second reason I've got teenagers on the brain is that I'm going to start teaching a high school Sunday School class...which will consist of myself and 2 girls that are foreign exchange students. I'm already praying for them, because seriously, it's hard enough for people who speak English as their first language to follow my randomness...poor girls...I'm pretty sure the Holy Spirit will be doing some divine interpreting for them ;)


Anyways, last night I went and got a Revolve Devotional Bible for teenage girls (it's a gift to my inner 15 year old;) and the study we're gonna do, which is Experiencing the Heart of Jesus student edition by Max Lucado. When Ben was in seminary we worked with the teens...I didn't realize how much I missed it until I was standing in the bookstore looking at all the different resources.


Fun stuff.


There's more:

1. Picked up this CD for this song...it's my current fave...and life theme.
2. My parents are coming tonight to help Ben install my new light from IKEA. Happy Day! Pics tomorrow.

Phew! This was a long one.

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Oh...I Meant it Alright

Ever have those moments where you think, "Hmmm, Thursday already...what did I do this week?"



Having one of those moments as we speak.



I've been running here and there...and it's been fun, but today...gotta stay home and actually put away the laundry that has been clean for days, but strung all over our bedroom floor because it's disobedient and won't fold and put away itself...dang laundry.



I've also been learning some huge ginormous spiritual lessons from that one little study I mentioned before...Seeking Him. Lately it's been on obedience...which is not my strongest area when the obedience happens to require something that makes this flesh want to run around tiny-town screaming. OK...so I exaggerate slightly. The other is forgiveness...which isn't too hard, right? HA! Yeah right.



The words haven't quite come together for those posts...but I know God will bring them when the time is right...in the meantime, He's making me practice those two things...good times.



And, just for the record, the other day, on my humiliating video posts (that I'm not even gonna link to), I happened to say that I hope you all sounded or looked like dorks so that it would make me feel better....I didn't mean it....ok....yes I did. I did indeed :)

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Nothing.

I got nothing today.

I've been gone all day helping clean at someone else's house...which by the way is SO MUCH BETTER THAN CLEANING YOUR OWN! Why is that?!? Let me know if you happen to know the answer to that one...

I can't come up with anything because I am FREAKING out a little bit about this tomorrow:

I can't come up with ANYTHING to talk about so you can "see" me...it's like a deer in headlights.

Not good.

It well certainly not help me in pretending to sound smart when I talk on the camera ;)

Have any ideas for a topic?

Help....

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Post Office: I love You...

First off: Your comments yesterday were so incredibly encouraging to me, thank you, thank you, thank you! I'm feeling better about walking through that fear, realizing that it's going to feel scary, but maybe that's how walking in faith is supposed to feel...

Second: This bloggy friend had such a clever post yesterday...I'm totally wishing I'd thought of it...oh, and it mentions my name in it...and it's funny...and you should just listen to me and go watch it :)

Third: Guess what openes in tiny-town TODAY?!?
Did you guess?
THE POST OFFICE. Yiiiippppeeeee!
No more driving into the bigger city just to get my bills mail. But, it really was an excellent excuse to drive thru Starbucks...so for that reason, I might miss it a little.

Or not. I can still hit the Starbucks on the way to Target ;)


So, tomorrow, in honor of the post office re-opening and tiny-town (and me) recovering from this and this and this and this...I'm gonna have some pictorial updates and my very first GIVEAWAY (which I can send out from my new fixed up post office!)


I'm not entirely sure what the give-away will be yet...but it will certainly involve some of this super smelling stuff ;)


So...come back tomorrow and visit and enter yourself and then I can have a good 'ol time drawing names! :)


I have now resorted to bribing you....wow....it's kinda like you're my children now.

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I Am Everyday People

Again today...nothing.

Oh I do have one thing...that's actually quite interesting and meaningful, but you'll have to wait for Monday for that one. I know, I know, you're wondering how on earth you'll make it through the weekend with all the pent up anticipation *insert tongue in cheek*

Points of interest or just points...

• Jake and I ran to Target this morning because I needed some cold medicine and some Kleenex with vicks (at the recommendation of this real life friend:) Oh sure, there's places closer than Target...but not with a Starbucks inside ;) I'm sick afterall... ;)


• Those Kleenex with Vicks...best invention ever (next to Starbucks and cooked bacon of course) They are fabulous. You can bet that by the end of this day EVERYONE I come into contact with with be made aware of how wonderful I think they are...cuz I'm annoying like that.


• This may sound weird (and all you runners out there can go ahead and back me up on this one) but when I have a head cold, running is about the only time it feels better! Weird, I know, but it seriously clears my head.


• Heee Haw tastes like Mt. Dew...well it's supposed to anyways.


• Jake and I grooved to this song over and over and over on the way to Target.(I found it on an old WOW CD in my van...I had no idea it was on there...who knew?!?) Go listen, (but not to the first 11 seconds of the video, cuz that's NOT the song...the real song starts at 12 seconds ;) it's a good happy Friday song.


• Hope ya'll have a fantastic weekend!

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I Could...

I can't come up with anything interesting today.

I tried.

I could tell you:

• that the upstairs of my home (where the bedrooms are) is a total disaster, and that even if I do laundry from this moment until midnight tonight it still would not be done.
• that I plan on staying in my jammies all day...after all, I'm cleaning, and running tonight...why get ready. Seriously.
• That I am so bursting at the seams with joy at what God is doing in our tiny church that I can't even blog about it...because the words I come up with don't convey it right. But I can say that we're starting to burst at the seams of our little church building, and have more than run out of classroom space, and I see people loving each other, ministering to one another and desiring to let God change them...it brings me to tears whenever I think about it...and humbles me that God has allowed us to be a part of it.
• I have a cold and a headache that makes me want to crawl back in bed for the day.
• I'm a wimp and a whiner when I have a cold ;)
• I may be more popular through this tiny little blog than I'm am in real life...My hubby (who's also "The FedEx Man") runs into people all the time that inform him they read his wife's blog...which totally makes me smile, and then immediately think about all the hodge-podge of stuff they now know about me ;)
• I wish I knew these people in real life...and I wish I knew how each person found out about the blog...because that there is GOOD stuff that Sitemeter can't quite help me with.
• tell you that I'm drinking this right now...

Yep...I live in Iowa and I drink generic pop called Hee Haw. HEE HAW. This completely and utterly amuses me...could I BE more of a hick?!? Don't answer that. This is one of those cases where I can make fun of it...because I'm from here, born, raised, and came back to live here...because it really truly is who I am :) It's like when you're a kid, and you can be as mean to your siblings as you want to...but no one else better think they can be mean to them ;)

• that I'm also eating this right now:Fully cooked bacon: best invention ever. No amount of running can possibly keep up with the effects of the amount of bacon I consume. I love you bacon.
• There you have it: The true diet of an Iowan. Hee Haw and bacon for breakfast.
• Oh I kid...I won't inflict my weirdness on the entire state...
• wrap this post up...

Happy Thursday...which means tomorrow is Friday...WOO HOO! I heart Fridays. (Also, I caught myself saying "I heart something" the other day, and let me just tell you...it sounds weird when you say it...WEIRD.

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I Can't Help Myself...

It's been six months since I wrote this post. (when all but 5 of you were not reading)

Guess what I did on Saturday? C'mon guess.

Yep...I cut bangs...again. *sheepish grin*

But, GOOD NEWS! I like them this time. For now anyways.

I decided I needed to have a heavier fringe (that's bang term I learned in the countless magazines I flipped through)...

I also colored it...the exact same color it already is, but with dimension. And dimension is code for: no one else will even be able to tell a difference...not even me, even though I will try to convince myself I can.

Apparently there's something in the air here, because I also feel the need to re-paint and re-arrange everything in my house.

Weird.

How 'bout you...what's changing out their bloggy friends?

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My Life...

Do you ever have one of those moments where you feel like you're looking at your life as an outsider...like you're looking in, watching it?

I do. All the time.

And I always think..."Oh. My. Word."

One of those moments occurred just yesterday.

The inside of my mini-van was disgustingly dirty...and I am not exaggerating. I will spare you the details. So I drove to the car wash, went through the automatic section washed the van, scraped vacuumed it out, and then proceeded to wipe the interior down with...baby wipes. BABY WIPES. And ya know what...it worked quite well, I highly recommend it.

And midway through, I thought to myself..."If they could see me now..."


Oh, but it gets better.


After that ordeal I decided to pull the van into the wash bays where people, who are not as lazy as myself, actually wash their own vehicles...by hand.


I decided that the only thing that would get the rubber mats that line the floor of my van, clean, would be the power-washer that sprays out soapy water at roughly 150 mph.


So I hung the mats along the hooks on the wall, inserted my quarters and then pulled the trigger of the power-washer wand. Turns out, you should make sure you are an adequate distance from the floor mat BEFORE pulling the trigger, otherwise it will ricochet off and spray you, until you are totally soaked and your hair (which you took the time to straighten today) will turn curly in a matter of 1.5 seconds.


Not that I know this from experience. But if such a moment ever happened to me...I would think (again) "If they could see me now..."


Happy Friday!!

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My Apology Letter...

Dear Odie,

I want to thank you for being such a good sport while Jake adjusts to his brothers being at school.

You endured, with such grace and dignity under the Kleenex blanket he made for you.

Thank you for not biting his head off as he lays on you, props his feet on you, and totally disregards your personal space. I wish I could display your same patience under those circumstances.

I promise to get him out of the house more so that you can have some peace and quiet.

Sincerely,

Me

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I Have No Shame...

Lovely, no?


We have 5 people in our family and 5,000 toothbrushes.



And a smorgasbord of toothpastes.



I'm going to blame this mess on the flood. Many wonderful companies wanted to make sure that all the flood victims of tiny-town had clean sparkling teeth (and hair.)




I'm sure they meant for us to spread-out the use of the toothbrushes. But not in our home...nope. In our home, it meant tear open every single one and use it at least once and then forget which one you used.



Just thought you should know.




Your turn. Spill it. Are you lieing neat and clean in the family toothbrush department? Or does yours look like mine...minus the 5,000 toothbrushes?

It's important people...I need to know.

*Dear Ben, Happy 33rd Birthday! I love you. I promise I will make buy you a cake and I won't even eat all of it...AND I won't get you a toothbrush for your present...promise :) *

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It's Even Boring to Me...

I can't seem to get my thoughts into one cohesive idea.

Imagine that.

Guess that means bullet points.

• It was hair-cut day today, WOO HOO! I'll resist showing pictures because it was just a trim...but it feels GREAT!



• I'm feeling a little lazy now that I just have one child at home. I think it's part of the whole "adjustment" thingy, but still...



• Yesterday I learned how to do this cross out a word I've been admiring it for months but could never figure it out! Thank you blogging basics 101, my new hero. Be prepared for me to use it endlessly. ENDLESSLY.



• I'm going to start cooking...meals. And making menus. It's a novel idea.



• Oh here's a hair-cut pic...who am I kidding, I can't resist a hair cut picture

OK...this post is boring me to death...I gotta end it...after I apologize profusely. Maybe you can leave me a comment with something really interesting in it so it will balance out my boringness and my readers will at least have SOMETHING interesting to justify their time wasted here. Seriously...I'm counting on you :)

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Gearing Up

I am in gearing up mode around here.


Gearing up for:

• Eli's Kindergarten shots today.
• Increased running. Got new shoes last night. (unfortunately they are not cute...but they work the best for me...note to tiny-town: do not look at my shoes at 6am when I am running...they are bright & gaudy ;)
• School begins Monday. It will only be Jake and I at home. Weird.
• Our church's children's ministry on Wednesday evenings will begin early September. As coordinator/teacher there's lots of stuff yet to accomplish and look forward to.
• Tiny-town's restoration. Considering the tornado/flood this summer, tiny-town is really coming along nicely...more pictures and updates coming soon.
• Because of the flooding and busyness of summer we took a hiatus from our ladies Bible study. It was a hard decision, and I'm still not sure it was the right one...I just didn't want to lose most everyone right in the middle of Seeking Him. It's such a life-changing study. All of us have missed it and are looking forward to gathering together again and picking up in chapter 7. Let the revival continue...I'm in much need of it. :)
• We've had unseasonably cool weather here. Not the hot/humid stuff we're used to in August (although I'm SURE it's coming back:) but it makes me feel like fall is around the corner. I love fall...but this summer feels like it just hasn't been quite long enough.
• Blog reading. After a partial break I totally feel out of the loop. I've missed you guys. Looking forward to catching up and making new friends as well!
• I will refrain from telling you how excited I am about the Women's gymnastics all-around competition coming up...and how I keep crying along with Michael Phelp's mom each time he wins. *sigh* Love it.

Through all the gearing up, there is one verse that God keeps bringing me back to over and over again.

Unless the Lord builds a house, the builders' work is useless. Psalms 127:1
It's no surprise to me why He keeps bringing me to this verse. I know all to well that my natural tendency is to rush ahead, on my own and get things accomplished. It's His gentle reminder that I can (on my own) build/prepare/plan until I make myself crazy and it will be USELESS. He has to build it. Not me. I need His leading, direction, and wisdom because mine is useless.

Seeking Him today,

Sarah

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Moochers...

Oh Sitemeter...why do I miss you so? and it's only been a few minutes since we said goodbye. *shedding a little tear*

On with life.

We are off to the lake today. Clear Lake to be exact...and it is not at all clear.

We have a group of friends here in tiny-town. They have (grown-up) toys (campers, boats, snowmobiles, jet skis.) We do not.

They invite us to go along and play...with their toys.

That may make us moochers. *smile* So be it.

Happy Saturday!


PS - know of any other good stat counters other than sitemeter?!? I'm feeling withdrawl already... ;)

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