Change & MLK day

• I started a Beth Moore bible study tonight on James & couldn't be more excited about the next 7 weeks & what God has in store for me & all the other woman in the study!
• Mom & I have started to sit down on Sundays & "meal plan" for the week, where she cooks 2 nights & I cook two night kinda depending on what's going on.  But with dad having bible study Monday nights, me on Tuesday nights, & her on Wednesday nights, it kinda makes things a lil difficult but we're making it work!  This way we're not all eating out so much, & even if we don't get to eat together, we still have something prepared for us to eat!  It's also nice that she gets a few nights off from cooking, & same for me, yet we're all eating at home!
• Ryder's new babysitter Lauren starts tomorrow!  I am so excited about her keeping him, & am so thankful for her more than anything!  I know he is going to have the best time!
• This is the first semester I have classes all 5 days of the week (I know...poor me right?)  I was usually only in T/TR or only in MWF classes, or T/TR & MW classes with Fridays off & it was so nice!  Fridays were me & Ryder's day to run errands, go eat at chick & just have fun...that wasn't a "weekend day".  But we don't have that any more!  So I'm about to get a taste of what it's like in the real world!  But...it will be good for me!  ;)
• I love ice water.  I really do.  I would get a diet coke with vanilla at sonic just because it's what me & R did every day...but I've tried to drop that habit, because it doesn't even taste good to me any more. I don't LOVE the way Sonic water tastes, but I get a large ice water every morning on the way to school because I'm always parched, & I always leave my tervis tumblers at school...(GRRR.  $25 down.the.drain.)  So...I'm trying to do better & drinks lots & LOTS of water!  =)
• I am trying to limit & watch the amount of time I am reading blogs on my phone, especially when Ryder is around.  I am trying to give him my full attention rather than being glued to my phone when he is around, because our time is limited together this semester, & he LOVES his Mama!  ;)  If I am doing something else when Ryder is with me, I want it to be actively involved in playing with him (even though he's a GREAT independent player) doing laundry, cleaning house, or even reading for class, but not on my phone.  I don't want him to grow up only remembering me for always being on my phone.  

We had a fun day off from the normal routine of things yesterday.  KeeKee & Pops were off work, so we all met for lunch at me & mom's favorite lil lunch shop downtown.  Pops had never been (for a while it was kind of a "woman's only" place...but has grown to more men coming over the last year) & we wanted him to try it, & finally talked him into it!  ;)  We had fun, & Ryder was a ham, as always!  Afterwards Pop Pops took him to a town over to get his deer meat, & Ryder was just overjoyed he was getting to go with his Pop Pops, & didn't have to go home with his Mama!

Pop Pops also took lil man to the park, & to 3 flamingos for some Fro Yo!  I told dad he was spooling my lil man & he said that that's his job & he enjoys his "job" so I shouldn't complain!  ;)  & I guess he is right!  I am just so glad Ryder has such a good time with his Pop Pops! 

Me & R did a lil coloring when he got back!  I love my lil man so much!  He is just growing up so much right under my eyes!  

Project 365 Week 2

{January 8}

 Ryder was glad to see his Pop Pops after he had been out of town all weekend...they share a special bond!

{January 9}

 Sweet snuggles with his Mama before bed!

{January 10}

 Ryder loves his bath time every night before going to bed!

{January 11}

 He gets to pick out "one book" to ready every night, & he never lets me forget!

{January 12}

 He loves his woody doll!  It was definitely a GREAT Christmas present from KeeKee & Pops!

{January 13}

 I'm such a GREAT mom!--feeding my kid SONIC!  We had a Sonic date on Friday night!  It was actually perfect if you ask me!  ;)

{January 14}

I don't think there's anything sweeter than a sleeping baby!

...He is faithful.

Never once did we ever walk alone

Never once did You leave us on our own...

You are faithful, God, You are faithful.

Those three lines of words hit so hard to home to me...

As I look back at the things I've been thru in the last 3 or so years of my life, those words couldn't be any more true.  During the most trying times of my life, He never left my side, He never turned His head from me & He never made me face things all alone.  

This just amazes me.  No matter how big or how bad the sin is that we commit, He is faithful!-He is right there!  He held me up during some of the most difficult times in my life!  I may not have realized it then, but I realize it now, more than ever & am so thankful for that.  My dad has always told me & my brother that "We can't do it alone"...that is SO true!  We have to lean on Him & believe that He will take care of our needs.  This is so hard for me sometimes being super Type A, & a planner!  But it really does make life easier when you quite wasting time worrying about things that you can't control!  Give it to the Lord & let Him take care of it..& He will take care in ways you may not have ever dreamed!

He has been faithful to me & my family in so many ways...just to name a few.

-Allowing us to find out my dad had prostate cancer when he was just trying to get more life insurance for his family just in case something every happened to him.  If he hadn't have been getting more life insurance, & hadn't have had to get his blood drawn for the process, he would have had the cancer for probably years living & growing inside his body, before it would have shown up else where. He is faithful.   (Just a little did bit of my incite...if you don't have life insurance & have kids, GO GET IT for you & your spouse TODAY--BEFORE you get diagnosed with cancer!  Once you have cancer, you can't get any life insurance or any additional, for 6 or so years.  Yes, I'm only 22, but I have life insurance!  I would rather get it now, while I am able to because I am young & healthy rather than waiting till I'm "older" to get it, but it being too late because I have been diagnosed with some kind of cancer, & can no longer get it to make sure my son is taken care of when I'm gone.  It can cost as less than $10 a month.  JUST something to think about!  I'm not expert...but my parents have taught me a thing or two over the years! :P)

-Even though I made the choices I did, & got pregnant before I was married, He allowed me to carry a healthy little boy to full term (& then some...) & was perfectly healthy the day he was born & we haven't had any problems since then!  I feel SO SO SO undeserving of this, it's something I often struggle with.  But...He is faithful.

-I thought I was doing the right thing by getting married when I found out I was pregnant.  But that was obviously not what God had in store for me, or my little man.  This may sound totally wrong to you...but God allowed me to get out of that marriage I wasn't supposed to be in, in a short amount of time, allowing me to restart my life before it was too late.  He is faithful.

-If I hadn't have gotten a divorce when I did, I don't think I would have ever gone back to school...& that is something I am so thankful for.  He is faithful.

-After me & Ryder had lived with my parents (& brother) for 6-7 months, a house built in 1962 at the front of my parent's neighborhood, that we had never even noticed before went up for sale.  We looked at it the day the sign went up in the front yard & bought it the next day.  It was cute on the outside & even cuter on the inside!  This was totally a God thing, & the fact that he allowed my parents to be in a place where they could buy it for me & Ryder to live in.  Not to mention walking distance from parent's house.  I can see their house from my kitchen window.  I don't think I have to say it...but...He is faithful.

Those are just a few things that I can think of to name right now.  This post has been on my heart since Sunday & I have just been putting it off because I didn't know if I would have all the right words to say.  I know this is just a blog, but sometimes I think it helps me by just being able to have some where out on the WWW that's "mine" to voice my thoughts & opinions--has taught me SO much.  I love that I can get on here & write how I am feeling & the things on my heart, & the things God is trying to teach me.  I hope I didn't just totally bore you guys to death!  

Matt Redman's Never Once video on youTube

Project 365 Week 1

I never thought I would be able to do anything like Project 365, but with the technology of iPhones these days, there is no reason I shouldn't.  I didn't want to get it mixed up & confused with my blog, but once I found out there was an app for it, I decided to jump on the train!  There are days I don't have my real camera with me, or even document the iPhone pics I take during the day, so I'm hoping this will help me stay accountable!  On the app, you can even set a reminder to remind you to take a picture that day, as well as a spot to jot down a few words describing the picture.  So that's what I'm going to do on here each week to help me keep up with things.  I'm also thinking about making a book on shutter fly with all these pictures  & short descriptions...but we'll see!  

{January 1}

This was actually from New Year's Eve, I failed to take a picture on the first...but he loves Chick-Fil-A ice cream & ringing in the new year with his Mama!  :)

{January 2}

 Playing in bed before we got up, he said "Look Mama, Tangy's a cowboy!"

{January 3}

 Eating CFA for lunch with Mama!  Such a wonderful lunch date & shopping buddy!  He ate all of his chicken so he got to go play!

{January 4}

 Swinging outside in the backyard with Mama on a cold, windy day.  We also ate some cuties after a trip to Wal Mart.

{January 5}

It was Ryder's first day back to school after the break.  He stayed dry so we went to Sonic for an ocean water!  Then we came home, ate some cuties & played in the backyard!

{January 6}

Morgan came over to give Mama a facial & we watched a little bit of The Cotton Bowl.  Ryder was so much fun & loves Morgan! 

{January 7}

We lounged around the house today.  R did go over to KeeKee's to take a nap while Mama had some quiet time!

Random Wednesday Brain Dump...

• Ryder stayed the night with MiMi & PawPaw last night so I went out with the girls for some wonderful hibachi dinner, & then we went over to some friends' house & watched Something Borrowed!  Everybody that hadn't seen it loved it!  =)
• I slept in a little bit this morning & as soon as I woke up I started reading The Hunger Games where I left off last night...I was almost done & wanted to finish it before I got R back this afternoon so I could spend all my time with him, & not wanting to selfishly read that dang book!

•  My tabs on my Life Planner have started to get pretty messed up, & their only card stock, & with carrying it in my purse all the time, in my car & being drug in & out of the house & my backpack, those poor lil tabs get a lot of wear & tear on them!  I had seen someone else on here or Pinterest & knew I had to go get these tabs & try them out!
• & they worked just as magically as I thought they would!  So...if you're having the same problem...go getcha some of these lil tab-a-ma-jigs at WM!  They were about $2.50 if I do recall.  They are meant to slipped on top of regular paper with writing already inside the tab, so they do have to be ripped in the middle to be able to fit rich ton top of the tabs.  I also had to go back with scissors & trim them up a bit, but it didn't take long at all!  

•  EBATES!  Who has heard of it?  I hadn't until early December, & I was so glad I got to do most of my Christmas shopping on there...& earn myself CASH BACK!  Sounds crazy right?  But it really works!  I just got my first check in the mail today!  It's not much, but I mean I'm $21.78 richer than I was yesterday!  ;)  It's quite simple!  Sign up HERE, & get to shopping!  They will keep track of the amount of cash back you receive in you "account" & when you are ready for your check, you just let them know & they mail it to you just like that!  6% cash back may not seem like a lot at the time, especially if your purchase isn't all the much, but over time it can add up!  My 21 dollars only came from 3 or 4 different purchases!  Most stores are listed on Ebates including Wal Mart, Target, Macy's, Victoria's Secret, Barnes & Noble etc.  I needed to get a few things from WM, & I ordered it all off of WM through Ebates so I could get my cash back, even though I could have driven to the store to get it all...NOT a bad deal especially when shipping is FREE!  

•  I was so happy to get my lil man back today!  He tells me he's a "country boy" not a "city boy" & today he sure did look like it in his boots & dirtied up jeans!  ;)  I love it though!  He is cheesing like this because I told him to stop saying "cheese" & just SMILE!  Ha!  He's a ham!

• Back to school for lil man tomorrow!  We tried to get back into our routine of dinner by 6, bath by 7 & bed by 8 tonight!  I had him in bed by 8:05...not to shabby!  :P
• Mama is getting her teeth cleaned tomorrow & then I'm going to work on getting stuff together for the Rhea Lana sale coming up OH SO SOON...(more on that later! ;) )

• & this lil booger...my mom told me I would want to have the 2nd one AS SOON AS I finished the first, & she was right, but I'm making myself finish our thank you cards before I start reading it!  We'll see how long that lasts...or I better just get to writing!