I will be an Efficient Multi-Tasker, maybe....

Lots going on around here lately & I cannot believe it has been so long since I last posted. Guess I'm not as good at multi-tasking as I thought I was. So it seems the most efficient way to keep you up to date with all the goings on...is this nifty little timeline:

numero uno:

Finally, my Parents are all

 

and here is how I feel about that:

 

 

 

 

Lots of BIRTHDAY CELEBRATING going on:

Started my Birthday out with this:

Cap'n Crunch's Peanut Butter Crunch with milk that doesn't expire until the day after my birthday....

It really is the little things in life.

 

My cousin and I share our birthday, with a 14 year gap between us. I am the oldest on that side of the family and she is the youngest, so I think it's pretty neat.  Here is a pic:

 Both of our moms were also August babies. Which brings us to the yummy Spaghetti party to celebrate and a lil Birthday Card Round-UP:

The first card was for my Aunt, the adorable T. Swift card for my little cousin, and the last was a gift from another Aunt to me. I love birthdays and birthday cards!

 

On my birthday, I took a vacation from work and spent the day with my family. On Wednesday, when I returned, this was hanging up in the office above my desk:

My co-workers are the best! ;)



 

 

I was definately a happy birthday girl!

 

 

For some time now I've been needing a sun to hang -up in my Kids Church room.

But not just any sun....a sun with some POP!

After much debate on how exactly to make my sun, I finally decided on this:

(With a little help from my mom!) I think it was a success and the kids seemed to really like it!

Super easy to make all you do is cut out a cardboard circle, roll up scrapbook paper from corner to corner and glue, then hot glue all the "rays" to the cardboard circle. Next cut out a smaller cardboard circle and cover with scrapbook paper and hot glue to the center of the "sun" in the front. Then attach a pretty ribbon for it to hang by, and viola!

 

 

and lastly, numero quatro:

 

We've been super busy @ church. Here are a couple of flyers I've made for our summer events. I really enjoy doing this kind of stuff. I'm cheap so I use Microsoft Publisher b/c Photoshop is expensive! 

I think they turned out well, to bad they were both printed in black and white. Ink isn't cheap either.

I blocked out some things I wasn't 100% keen on posting, I hope you'll understand.

 

 

Here are some Birthday related Bible verses, hope they can bless you on your birthday! :

"Lord, you are my hope. Lord, I have trusted you since I was young. I have depended on you since I was born; you helped me even on the day of my birth. I will always praise you. I am an example to many people, because you are my strong protection. I am always praising you; all day long I honor you." Psalm 71:5-8

"Let them praise the name of the Lord, for at his command they were created." Psalm 148:5

(there really is a Bible verse(s) for any situation)

 

Now give yourself a pat on the back for reading this entire post, it was a long one. You deserve a prize but like I said I'm cheap so a personal pat on the back will have to do.

 

Just Call Me Packing Pro or Mover & Shaker, I'll answer to both.

This is what much of my vacation looked like:

because...

my parents and my brother are moving to town!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In case you are wondering, I am seriously excited!

Here is a little more from our short lived family vacation turned family packing adventure:

The good thing about family vacations are all the photo opps.

I think this is a great shot of my little brother, Zachery, and me riding in the backseat on our way to get some mexican grub.

My Mom and I had a little bit of photo fun at a florist/uhual shop she's been working at while living 3 hours away from me. If I have the idea right you bring in your own camera and they supply all the props. I edited these pics with the PicsArt app on my Droid phone. Do yourself a favor and don't get this app, it is highly addictive!

 I'm naming this picture "giraffe kisses."

But actually all this giraffe wanted was some food. I took this picture at Pine Mountain Animal Safari. You can drive thru and feed all kinds of animals for $20 (adults). I have loved this place since I was a child. My family still enjoys it.

Then it was back to the ocean of boxes.

We also celebrated my dad's birthday while I was in town with them. Birthdays are a big deal in our family, and so are birthday cards. At this point I think I've read them ALL. What is that Bible verse about "nothing new under the sun"? Think he wrote that about greeting cards? Nah, me either. ;)

Here are some images of the card I got for him:

It is back to school season in these parts.

 So tomorrow in church we will be having a special Back To School Prayer for the kids and teens and whoever will be going back to school. This is a good chance for my kids church to see how we pray for each other. I'm looking forward to it.

“Forget the former things; do not dwell on the past. See, I am doing a new thing! Now it springs up; do you not perceive it? I am making a way in the wilderness and streams in the wasteland."

-Isaiah 43:18-19

I will understand the human brain.

Over this last week I have been swamped at work b/c of a number of reasons. One is that the week and a half before, it was like I had NO WORK AT ALL! Usually when bored out of my mind I tend to day dream and usually it is very hard to return to the present once I've begun. So during those very slow days to keep me from drifting off into space while waiting for something to load or something to save, I needed to do something keep me here on planet earth. Like any responsible adult would do in between games of Solitare and Sudoku on my Smart Phone I DOODLED. I didn't however pull out the color pencils this time, even though I have a set of them at work for such occasions.

Here are some of my Work Place Doodles:

Why they couldnt have given me some the work I received this week when I was so bored the weeks before, is beyond my comprehension. Now I have some deadlines during my mini vacation that is coming up. So instead I need to have them done even sooner. But it's okay, I got this. ;0)

Speaking of my mini vacation: I'm going to be spending a few days with my parents and my brother. They live way too far away....okay so it's only 3 hours, ahem, if you drive the speed limit. I am excited!
Did you notice the exclamation mark there? It's not that I don't ever get to see them, just don't get to see them often enough. (Mom and Zach are gonna love this last picture.)

Anyways I'm also excited because I'm taking my laptop with me and I'm gonna let my mom read, for the first time, what I have written so far on my book. She doesn't know this yet. Well she will when she reads my blog. I recently had the house all to myself when my Aunt Jane went to visit with my family and I got a lot of re-witing done. A lot of blanks filled in and at the moment I am 3 small changes away from being satisfied with my first 30 pages. That may not be such a great thing, and maybe for someone who has spent as much or as little time on it, maybe I should have more done. But I don't, so I have to be okay with what I have and strive to make it "mo' better."

Another reason I'm looking forward to my trip is this sweet <3.

She is blind in one eye and is getting on up there in age. I'd say she wouldn't hurt a fly but I'd be lying because she attacks bees and wasps or flies that come at her. But she is sooooooo sweet, and she loves unconditionally. She hates storms so when my parents visit they usually bring her with them but not always so I get to see my Sadie girl even less.

I am lucky because I am surrounded by family where I live and when I go to visit my parents I am surrounded by family there as well. Looking forward to seeing my Papa and my Uncle Craig, Aunt Rene, cousins Eden and Karis. I get to see them even less then my dog it seems.

I'm planning on taking lots of pictures and going to a drive in movie. My brother is on a bowling kick so we will probably do that a couple of times. There will probably be shopping and the consumption of really great food! My mom is a great cook after all (and my dad and brother really know how to grill! ;) ).

Speaking of food, tomorrow in Kids Church we will be measuring in Banana Meters. Yup, it is exactly what you are thinking. Each team will have a banana to use as a ruler to measure a list of 5 random things in our Kids Church.

What's the point?

I am so glad you asked! You see if the world measured in Banana Meters then measurements would be inaccurate. Not all bananas are the same size. Somethings just cannot be replaced. Just like you would not replace your hands with your shoes. Imagine carrying a glass of water if you had shoes for hands. Something that takes only 1 hand to do would need the attention of both. There is no substitute for God. He is the only true God, the only living God. (Jeremiah 10:10)

Need more proof?

Then read 1 Kings 18. Elijah knew God was the only real God, and he proved it.

"No one can know a person’s thoughts except that person’s own spirit, and no one can know God’s thoughts except God’s own Spirit." - 1 Corinthians 2:11

“My thoughts are nothing like your thoughts,” says the Lord.
“And my ways are far beyond anything you could imagine." - Isaiah 55:8

"The Lord directs our steps, so why try to understand everything along the way?"

-  Proverbs 20:24

I will be rich!

In an effort to put a nice down payment on the car I want, a lemonade yellow Chevy Spark (the pic above), I've been saving money a little bit at a time. So when I found out that getting the alternator fixed on my current car as well as buying a part for a window that fell off its track and getting it fixed would cost me $500...I was both ticked and relieved. I'm relieved that I had the money to pay the bill, but it totally stinks that the money for my new car had to go toward my old car. Ever have to pay for something old when wanting and planning for something new? Well, it really stinks! Don't get me wrong its a nice car but it hasnt really been what I wanted since I left the lot with it. It's just depressing to spend more money on a car that soon wont belong to me, (I'm passing it along to my brother once they release the Spark).

While my car was at the shop, my 18 year old cousin bought a Dodge Charger. His parents were really smart with making him save Birthday & Christmas money for years so he was able to pay cash and leave with car keys and title in hand. Maybe, if I ever have kids, I'll do this for them as well.

So like any good manger of money would do after spending a chunk of savings,

I went shopping!

I know what you are thinking "How irresponsible!" but at least I went to Kmart instead of a store where I might really do some damage..like Kohls or Hobby Lobby. I don't know about you but Hobby Lobby really puts a hurting on my wallet!

Here is some of what my $80 bought me:

'Powder Room' Hand Soap Pump $6. Super cute, right?

Toothbrush/paste holder. $5

Paid $10 for these sandals!

Really cute shirt and cami: $30 

If I'm never rich, rolling in money here on earth, I know I'm rich in many more important things.

Here is what the Bible says about riches:



"We all come to the end of our lives as naked and empty-handed as on the day we were born. We can’t take our riches with us." Ecc. 5:15

"Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be." Matthew 6:19-21

"Our hearts ache, but we always have joy. We are poor, but we give spiritual riches to others. We own nothing, and yet we have everything." 2 Cor. 6:10 (I think this is my favorite of the 3.)

I will conquer drawing straight lines.

Here is a picture of my 4th of July nails.  My lack of steady hands made drawing the straight blue lines extra fun! Not! I think they turned out cute, even if it did take two forevers to finish. Now Independence Day has come and gone but my red, white, and blue nails are herr to stay! At least until the polish starts to chip.