stopping

So I think I'm going to stop the 30 day writing prompts...some of the topics are great and I have the list saved for days that I don't know what to write about. But some of the topics are very...dramatic...like "write about someone who treated you like poop." Also, some of them are kind of repetitive. So, like I said...I'm moving on and will go back to the list if need be.

Also, I imagine my writing will slow down quite a bit since Im going back to work after vacation.

Im very excited about Christmas! Got the tree up, wreath up, lights on the house are in the process! My 2 projects now for this week are 1)make a little gingerbread themed tree for Colin and Carley's room. 2)Stockings! Making new ones since Carley is in the picture now. Pics to come!

Day 6

Day 6: Something I hope I never have to do.

Gonna keep this short and sweet and un-deep. :)

I hope I never have to move to a place that is always cold. I would be so angry because I HATE cold weather!

The End.

I am thankful for:

I am thankful for my home.

We were blessed with the opportunity to be homeowners. I LOVE my house. I love the peaceful and quiet neighborhood. I love that we back up to the woods and not other houses. I even love that we back up to the railroad track. I know most people would hate that, but I actually kind of like it! There is something comforting about hearing the train go by. I love the work and effort we (really Jeff) have put into the outside of our house. I love my red front door. I love having covered parking. I love our back deck.

But more than the physical characteristics of our house, I love the memories that are being made and the things that occur in this structure. This is our 4th place to live since we have been married. I look back at all the places we have lived and more than I think about the physical things that I liked I think about special memories that happened there. Like dancing with my husband in our jammies, bringing home puppies, decorating with a 4 foot Christmas tree and dollar tree decor, bringing home Colin, Colin walking and talking for the first time, etc.

We have lived in our new home now for about a year and a half. And I have already had some sweet memories! Like birthday parties, decorating with a 6 foot tree this time, and bringing home Carley. There have been some funny memories like multiple cars getting stuck in the ditch in front of our house, potty training accidents that we even have the stains to prove it, and lots of laughter with friends. There has even been some not so great memories like bringing my family over right after my sister passed away. But that is what home is all about, isn't it? Whether its the best day of your life or the worst day of your life, its still home...a place of comfort. A place where people love eachother and go through life together.

I am thankful for a sweet place to do life together with my family and friends.

Hmmmm.....

I am thankful for my job.

I tend to complain about teaching alot because it is way more stressful than people realize. But when I really stop and think about it I am so thankful for it. The only way I know how to explain why I am thankful for it is to list it. So here I go!

1. I get to invest in children's lives.
2. I get lots of hugs.
3. I get to see academic growth and get to teach kids how to read! So exciting!
4. I get lots of holidays and my summers off. Which is awesome since I have 2 little ones at home.
5. I have awesome co-workers and an amazing boss that make me actually WANT to come to work.
6. Sometimes, I get to be the only love or the only Jesus that some children see. (Not that I always succeed at being loving and Christ-like...)
7. I know that in this time, many people are struggling to find/keep a job. Therefore I am thankful for my job and that I am able to support my family because of it. I can't imagine how people feel when they cannot do that for their families.

I am thankful for my job.

I am also thankful for...

I am SO thankful for Jeffrey Wayne.

Let me start by saying, "What a stud muffin!" He is by far the most handsome man on earth (to me.) I am so thankful that his good looks contributed to the cute factor of our offspring. :)

I am so thankful for his ingenious thinking and sense of humor. The definition of ingenious is "marked by inventive skill and imagination." That SO describes him. I have always said that he was an undiagnosed GT kid. Being married to someone who is this way has been so fun and I have learned so much from him.

I am thankful for the way he fathers his children. His children look at him with adoring eyes and cannot wait to see him! I must say that the Stapleton household is NEVER emotionally stable when Jeff is gone.

I am thankful that he is my best friend. We have fun together! We also make a great team. We accomplish big things together!

I am thankful for how he perfectly balances being patient and understanding with my womanly emotions yet at the same time challenges me to "put my big girl panties on" and to be Christlike in every situation. I am eternally grateful for his accountability.

I could go on and on about everything that I am thankful for in the man I married...like his life partnership, his tender and emotional heart, his endless talents, his desire for excellence...but I will just end with...

I am thankful that Jeffrey Wayne is mine!

I am thankful for...

I am thankful for Carley Erin.

What a BEAUTIFUL addition to our family she has been. She came at a perfect time in our lives. And you would think adding another baby to the family would add more stress and chaos. But because of her personality she has added a sweet balance and calmness to our family. For example, when daddy is playing his guitar entirely too loud, and Colin is screaming because he didn't get what he wanted, and I am yelling (yes I am admitting I yell at him) at Colin for screaming....little Carley is just sitting by watching everyone and smiling. She is the peace in the midst of complete chaos! And I don't think its just a baby phase. I really think this is going to be her personality always!

She is ALWAYS (and I am not exaggerating!) joyfully happy! I love her toothless smile. And she doesnt just smile. She opens her mouth as wide as it can go and tilts her head to the side. She is friendly and social, but doesn't expect anything from you. She is very content and doesn't seem to mind if she is not held, she just wants to know you are there.

I am thankful for my peaceful, beautiful, happy Carley Erin!

takin a break from the 30 days

I'm going to take a break from the 30 day writing prompts to talk about what I am thankful for. From now until Thanksgiving, I'm going to talk (in detail) about what/who I am thankful for.

I am thankful for Colin Wayne.

I am writing this as his long legged body lays across my lap. It is 6:30 in the morning and he is NOT a morning person. Its about a 30 minute process of getting him up. Ha!

I am thankful for his vibrant spirit! He LOVES to laugh. And I can already tell he will be a man of many talents. I love how smart he is and how he loves to learn new things.

Even though this is interpreted as disrespectfulness/bossiness now, I can tell he will be a man that challenges other people. If I do something out of routine, or incorrectly, or if I raise my voice or say something that's not nice....he instantly calls me out on it.

He is the sweetest brother I have ever seen. Always wanting to help me take care of Carley, and wanting to talk to her and hold her.

I am thankful for his good health and the chance to see him grow. I can't wait to see what God holds for Colin.

I am thankful for Colin Wayne.

Now I must wake this beast and fight him to put his clothes on. :)

Day 4 and 5 combo!

Day 4: Something you have to forgive someone for.

I'm going to be honest. The reason why I havent blogged in awhile is because I have no idea what to say on this one! I've always been one to let things go very quickly. Doesn't mean I have forgotten when people have wronged me, but I have forgiven.

The thing that I love the most about forgiving someone is the freedom that it gives ME! My momma always told me, "Don't let other people have that kind of power over you!" So true. When I choose not to forgive someone, that person (as well as Satan) has taken over the reigns of my life.

Besides, I have been forgiven more than I deserve by others and by God!

Day 5: Something you hope to do in your life.

I hope to visit a 3rd world country. Ever since I was little, I have always loved when those missionaries would come to our church and show their slide shows and talk about these people's way of life! Our church is very active in supporting world missions. And I LOVE it!

But I want to do more than just support it. I want to GO there. I would love to spend a whole summer even in another country. I would love to even take my kids. What an awesome experience it would be for our kids (and us) to see what other people go without and then come home and weed out all of the junk we don't need that we waste our money on! What a lesson on materialism that would be.

And since I love to teach and love kids/families. I think it would be neat to go start a school and educate children as well as their parents! More than anything I would love to be a part of someone's salvation story. I want to further His kingdom. And I KNOW that can be done here where we are. But it can there too and I want to participate!

Day 3

Day 3: Something you have to forgive yourself for.

2 things.

1)When my grandmother and sister passed away, I felt a lot of guilt for not spending more time with them. But I know that is Satan at work. AND, I think even if I had seen alot more of them before they passed away, I would STILL feel guilty. I think thats a normal part of the grieving process.

2)Also, I'm going to say what I think most Christians would say. I am convicted and guilty of not spreading the gospel of Christ through my words. There have been countless times that I had the perfect opportunity to say something about Christ and I said nothing...

Day 2

Day 2: Something you love about yourself.

So I have just recently started memorizing about a verse/passage a week. I have always been good at memorizing stuff. Its very easy and natural for me to memorize. However, I have not ever used that ability for anything that might glorify the Lord. So I decided to start doing just that with the word of God! This was the first verse I memorized when I started.

"May I never boast except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which the world was crucified to me and I to the world." -Galatians 6:14

So since the topic is "Something you love about yourself" I will talk about the only thing I am allowed to boast about according to that scripture.

I LOVE that I am a child of God because of what he did for me on the cross. I love that everything that I hate about myself that I mentioned in the previous post does not even matter because of what he did for me on the cross. I love that the stuff that I DO happen to like about myself doesn't even matter either because of what he did for me on the cross. I love that my God is big and does big things!

Ok, ok, and I do love that I can grill a grilled cheese sandwich to perfection. ;)