Sunday Night Game

 1. Would you rather bungee jump or sky dive?
I want to do both!  I don't like heights but I love speed.  I also love the expereince things that not everybody has done.  The thrill, the rush!


2. When using a public restroom to you squat over the seat or sit?
It depends on how clean the bathroom is. 

3. Favorite flower?
Light Pink Rose.  I love roses. 
4. Pedicure or manicure?
Pedicure since I like fake fingernails.  Plus I love sitting in the chair and getting pampered.  I found one place that will give you a glass of wine with it. 
5. How many siblings do you have? 2 bothers both younger.  Yes, I am the bossy older sister. 

6. Do you pee in the shower? (gasp!)
No.  When I am the one cleaning the shower later. 

7. Bikini, tankini, or one piece? Tankini.  I like the ones with the cute skirts.  When I had the body for a bikini I was not allowed to wear them.  I am just excited about getting to bathing suit shop this year since I have been losing weight. 

8. Where do you hate to shop at, but go there anyway? Wal-mart.  At least since we moved this town has a nicer one.  The town we came from was always dirty and crowed. 

Day 7

Day 7:

todays challenge:

Today's challenge is simple.

Find a way to help a stranger.

Be creative!

Not sure how this is going to work but I am open to what the Lord is leading me to do.  It is funny that this happens today because I am having the worst day that I have had in a long time.  A lot went wrong today, a lot of stress and just pressing through.  A blog will come later just need to process before I write. 

Day 6 Challenge

Day 6:

todays challenge:

Sometimes we get so busy that we forget to stop and rest in God's presence.

And instead at the end of the day, as we're drifting off to sleep, we give him what's left.

If even that.

But how much better would things be, if we began AND ended our day with intentional time with Him?

Today's your chance.

Wake up a few minutes early and spend that time being with Him.

And at the end of the day, before you're even a tad bit sleepy, sit aside time to be with Him once again.

Make it personal.

Make it intentional.

And see how it may just be the sweetest time you've had all day
Since today is Saturday I challenge you to get up early tomorrow morning before church and spend time along with God.  Then make a concious effort to be peaceful and as quiet as you can getting ready for church.  (As much as you can getting kids ready for church.) But really foccus on having a worshipful attitude getting ready for church and on the way to church.  Don't watch TV while getting ready (guilty of that and watching the soap network while getting ready. Wow that gets you ready for worship!)  Then listen to Christian worship music while on the way to church. (Guilty of listening to secular music and walking into church with those songs still bopping in my head.)  Here is the big one for all of us.  Pace yourself and don't run late.  How many times does Satan set us up on Sundays simply but us not getting up early enough to get to church on time.  Then we are frantic.  We are stressed and it takes two songs or more into the worship service to get into it and we miss God.  What is it doing to our kids sence of Worship?  I have been guilty of the yelling, frantic sliding into to church just as it starts and then rushing them off to their classes.  That does not leave them with a legacy of Sunday being a day of worship.  With my husband being a minister they need it even more.  They see all of the behind the scenes stuff that goes on at church and I need to protect their sence of worship on Sundays even more and mine.  So this exersize was a huge eye opener for me.  Leave me a comment and let me know what you think or how is changed Sunday's worship for you.  I will leave you with one of my favorite songs of just pondering who God is. 

Five Question Friday

1.  Do you sing karaoke? If so, what is your go to song?

YES! I love it.  But never have a place to go or anyone to go with me.  I love to sing old Patsy Cline music.

2. What is your favorite coffee drink? Starbucks White Chocolate Mocha with a shot of caramel.  So not on my diets but yummy!

3. If you could choose your own name, what would it be? I love my name.  Nocona.  When I was a kid I wanted to change my name because I could never find stickers or anything with my name on it.  Now I just have to go to a western store where they sell the boots.  If I was going to change my name it would be Brighton which is what I named my daughter.  I love her name.

4. Were you ever bullied? Yes.  By a big guy in 5th grade and my mom had to go to school and take care of it. 

5. How often do you eat fast food? Not much anymore.  Since I have been on this weightloss journey I have had to cut it out.  It has saved us soo much money since we did that and it has helped retrain my kids.  They were thinking every time we ran errands we had to stop and get them something it eat.  It has been hard though.  My husband is an assistant GM for Whataburger and we get everything 50% off.  (For those of you outside of Texas that is an awesome Texas bases burger joint. Those of you that don't have one are missing out!)
Click on the button above to get in on the game. 

Feature Friday & Day five of the 21 Day challenge

Today I will feature my friend's new Website.  Nikki and I went to the same church as teens and sang in the school choir together.  She has a new site where she has handmade cards.  Her site is http://www.designsbynikki.net/.  Check it out. 

Wow Summer is really pulling for some hard stuff with todays.

Day 5: todays challenge:

Imagine all the things we could get done if we didn't have social media....

for example: Facebook & Twitter.

Let's try it out and see just what happens when we take a break for 24 hours.

Take notes on what you accomplish in the time not wasted.

Does this mean I have to take a break from my blog too?  I might get that laundry folded finally. 

I am going to try this tomorrow since I did not do the challenge until the middle of the day and I have already checked my FB today.  I am going to take a break from FB, and my blog.  I will write up Day 6 tonight and post it after I get home.   

Thankful Thursday & Day 4 Challenge

I am so thankful this week that I feel great.  When I look back on how terrible I felt in October I don't even recognize myself.  I am 20 lbs lighter.  Mary Kay is back on track and getting better than ever.  But, I truely feel loved and inspired again.  The other day in my bible study reading I felt true joy and excitement down in my spirit just because I was soaking in how much God loves me.  He loves us! He delights in us.  He loves us too much to leave us like we are and not to inspire us to be better, greater and more.  He allows us to go through the valleys to shape us, and weed things out of our souls.  I am thankful for the valley's too.  I love who I become in the process.  With out the rain we don't appreciate the sunshine.  With out sadness we don't truely embrace joy.  Without turmoil we don't even notice times of peace.  Tears wash our soul and laughter nourishes it.  Heartbreak brings a sweetness to the times of restoration to our heart.  I am thankful for who God made me and who he is developing me into. 

Day 4:

todays challenge:

Often times we can get caught up in negative self talk.

Or in being negative period.

We tend to speak to ourselves more horribly than we would ever imagine speaking to someone we love.

So today, that stops.

With every negative thought that comes into your mind,

first immediately STOP it...

And then, replace that thought with what is TRUE and positive.

Even better, get some index cards and write out the negative thought on one side,

and the truth on the other.

Along with the truth, you could find a bible verse or quote that further encourages you in that area.

Notice what a difference you feel about yourself and about life at the end of the day.

The bible talks about holding everythought captive.  Not every thoughts that comes into your head is your thought.  We have an enemy that is a liar and the best way he feeds those lies to our souls in whispering those thoughts into our heads and we swallow it without question.  Not only stop the thought but speak truth over yourself.  The power of life and death are in the toung.  I have discovered that your can not think away a bad thoughts.  You must speak it out over yourself.  This may sound crazy but it works.  For example, how many of you moms have struggled with this thought, "I'm a terrible mother because_________." Stop and say "No I am a great mom because_________."  Read your bible and discover all of the wonderful things that God says you are to him.  Keep notes that people send you to reread during down times.  Here is a simple thing.  ACCEPT A COMPLIMENT! How many times does someone compliment us and we either verbaly dismiss it or mentally do.  Accept it and let it sink in.  When people compliment my kids and tell me how cute they are I found myself telling people what little monster they can be.  I have learned to say thank you.  My kids don't need to hear me put them down and people who complimented them don't want to hear the negative either.  Or when someone compliments you and you want to argue with them.  This is not being humble!  I have a bad habit when someone compliments my clothes I want to tell them how cheep I got it.  That is not good either.   The bible says we are to love our neighbor as ourselves.  But how can we love our neighbor if we hate ourselves!  We would have a lot less women caddiness if we as women loved who God made us to be.  Be aware today of how you talk to yourself. I love this challenge.  Please leave a comment and tell me how your 21 day challenge is going. 

Day 3 of the 21 Day Challenge

Day 3

Today's focus is on the blessings in your life.

I have in the past kept a blessing journal that I wrote all of my blessings for the day in.  Now on Thursdays for my blog I do a Thankful Thursday.  I do this for two reasons.  One, to foccus my attention on the things that are good in my life to help out weigh the bad.  Life is full of blessings if we take time to notice.  Even when bad things happen I try to look at the positive and the blessing behind them.  It reminds me of Pollianna playing the glad game.  The other reason is to glorify God.  If my kids never said thank you for anything, do you think that I would keep wanting to do things for them?  How do we treat God when we complain constantly about the messy house that we live in when other people don't have a home.  The terrible ways our kids act when some can not have children.  Or the jobs we hate to to go to when there are so many unemployed.  An ungrateful heart is a slap in the face to the God who blesses us so richly.  Develop a grateful heart and look for the good in all things, because we know that He works all things for the good for those who are in Christ.

You can link up with Summer who started all of this on her blog.  http://www.lemusingsofmoi.com/p/personal-challenge-21-days-to-better.html

I love this song that I leave you with.

Top Two Tuesday

I am also linking up with a new blog that I found.

Today is the top two shows you like.  Right now I Tivo everything because I can't watch it live.  Either the kids are still awake or I am gone.  I have more than two that I like to keep up with. But if I had to narrow it down it is

House

Pshyc

But Darin and I also are really getting into these other two USA Shows too.

Burn Notice & White Collar

Then these are the Two Shows I have started watching with him.  His hunting shows.  I call it the Tree Whispering Shows.

Ted Nuggent's Spirit of the Wild and The Bone Collector.

Day 2 of the 21 Day Challenge

Day 2:
Let today be a day that you are focused on going out of your way to show love and kindness to the people around you.
Whether that means sending a card,
writing a thoughtful email or note,
doing a chore for someone,
or spending extra intentional time with a friend, child or family member....
Whatever it may be, just find as many ways as you can throughout the day and do them.
And do them with a heart full of love.
Bless someone close to you, bless a stanger that has no way of repaying you.  It is my personal goal to leave everyone that I encounter better than I found them, if I can.  I go out of my way to thank all people that check me out at a store or wait on me at a resteraunt.  Compliment people.  We think a lot of things that are good about people that we should tell them.  I love this song.  Every day of my journey I am going to leave you with a song that goes with that days assignement.  This song is one of my life songs. 

21 Days to A New You

I found a new blog that I really have enjoyed reading.  It is Julie at and she blogged today about 21 days of change.  You can click on her button to go to her blog.

Her 21 day challenge came from Summer another new blog I am following. 

She is on day three if you go to her blog.  You can click under her title bar on the sub heading 21 days of change.  I am starting today February 22 to committ to this. 
Day 1:

today's challenge:

Think of something you are willing to give up for 21 days,

and commit to it once and for all.

Write it down.

Tell someone so they can help to hold you accountable.

and remember,

it's just for 21 days.

you can do anything for 21 days.

I am going to be doing 4 things that I think my life is divided into. My Spiritual Walk, My Personal life, My family, My Mary Kay.  I think I will tell my director and have her hold me accountable.  She is already my mentor in my life.  I am excited about this because we can do anything for 21 days.  It is a short goal that gives you no time to percrastinate or half heartedly do.  Plus if you do something for 30 days it becomes a habit.  So here are mine. 

Spiritual- Every single day spend time in prayer.  Not just doing my bible reading so I can check it off my todo list.  But taking time to pray.  This includes Sundays.
Personal-Not gossiping.  No if, ands or buts.  Not to speak my oppinion about anyone else and what I think they should or should not do.  I hate it about myself and I have gotten better but I want it not part of my character.
Family-Every day connect with each one of my kids and husband.  Look them in the eye and tell them I love them. 
Mary Kay-Meet two new contacts every single day for 21 days to facial.  Hand out my card and get a name and number to follow up with.  I have been doing this half heartedly and inconsistant for too long. 

I am excited to report on day two tomorrow.  I am also going to print this list up and hang it in my office and in my goal folder.  If something is not visually in front of you, you will not stick to it or forget.  I will end with this song.  It is my favorite Taylor Swift Song. 

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I heart Faces- Hands

I heart faces 2/22/10

This my little Madie's hand when she was 5 months old.  I love babies perfect little hands and feet. 

Pictures from the 80's Birthday Bash!

My friend Jenny C, Me, My sister-in-law Jenny and my friend Jill all have February Birthdays.  For the past three years we have had a big birthday party with our group of friends we grew up with.  This year it was an 80's theme and we had a blast! Here are the pictures.

Our cake rocked!

My honey and I.  He was Brett Michaels.  It was a last minute costume change. He was going to be Ferris Bueler and I could not find the right vest.  As we were walking out the door I grabbed the Hannah Montanna wig from my girls dress up box and tried to brush it out.  He was a good sport about letting me put eye make up on him. 

 

I thought our costumes were a hit and then my brothers showed up in their 80's costumes.

 

So here is the Christmas Card picture for my mom to send out next year.

I love my two sister-in-laws! We have so much fun!

Our Rockin' Friends Crystal and Darell.

Kara and Clifford Wheeler! (Judd Nelson from Breakfast Club)

My friend Susan and her husband!

I had fun putting her costume together!

My adopted sister/hairdresser Erin and my newest friend Cara! Love these girls!

The birthday girls with their husbands! The Childress, The Koenigs, The Helms and The Wenzels

We walked like an Egyptian, got Footloose and did the Thriller dance. (Or attempted it anyway!) The music of that night was the best of the year yet! 

I love my birthday sisters!

I am linking up Keeley for her getting to know you Sundays.  I love her random questions.

1. How often do you wash/change your sheets?
Every two weeks.  Everyone in my house takes a bath before bed every night. That is unless a child has not wet the bed or puked in it. 

2. When is your birthday?
2-4-77

3. Have you ever met a bloggy friend in real life?
Not any that were not my friends before I started blogging.

4. Brad Pitt or George Clooney? That is a hard choice.  George Clooney

5. If you could change one thing about your body what would it be? A smaller rearend and thighs. 

6. How often do you wash your hair? Every other night.

7. Do you have pets? We lost our dog this fall that we had for 13 years.  Not ready to get another yet. 

8. How many social networks do you belong to..if you had to give up one, what would it be?
Mary Kay, Church, My church friends I grew up with since I live in the same time I grew up in.  I love facebook and getting to know more people through my blog. I hate letting go of anyone.

Feature Friday-My Friend Susan

Today I am featuring my best friend from highschool Susan.  We have been friends since we were 14 and in History class our freshman year at Hays.  We could not be more opposite.  She was a soccer player and I ran track.  She was on yearbook and I was in the drama club.  Her reserved and calm nature has kept me a little bit more grounded and I have always added the fun.  My favorite memory is when we were Jr.'s in highschool and I had an out of town guy I was dating come to see me.  He had a friend with him so we needed a date for him, and I called Susan.  We had the best time showing the cute cowboys from East Texas around the big city of Austin.   Oh, man were they cute and had the sweetest southern accents.  We went to see the movie "Three Musketeers" that night.  Later that year, for my 17th birthday, Susan got me three of the Three Musketeers Candy Bars to remind me of the night.  The funny thing is I have to remind her of all of the details of things like that because she does not remember and does not see how I do.  (I scrapbooked it all and journaled every detail with it.)  I pulled all of these  pictures out of one of my books.  The this picture is at Prom our Sr. Year.  When we graduated we went to two different colleges and after my freshman year I got married.  Susan was a bridesmaid in my wedding.  We lost touch after that for the next few years.  Our mother's were both  teacher in the district and would catch each other up on the details of our lives.  After the birth of Dalton when I was 25 we got back in touch and I started calling and emailing again.  She got married that year and I got to come in and do her makeup for it.  Then after we moved back to Kyle when my 2nd was a baby we became fast friends again.  I loved going to the same church with her again.  It is amazing how you can fall back into a friendship like so time has passed at all.  When my youngest was born Susan got to be in the delivery room.  She drove all the way from Buda to San Antonio at 5 a.m. to be there for Madison'd birth.  As she was holding Madie her husband call and said, "Put the baby down.  I don't know if we are ready for you to want one yet."  Well, a year almost to the day later her Madie (Madeline) came into the world.    I keep meaning to get a picture of the two little girls together because they are both our "mini-me's".  

 

14 years old our Freshman Year of Highschool.

Age 25 at a Reunion for our church in Manchaca.

Age 32 at the New Moon Midnight Showing.

Thankful Thursday

There are always things to be thankful for even when life is hard.  This week I had two close friends loose one of their parents.  Darin's sister lost her mother in law this last week to cancer.  She was only diagnosed in December.  Jerry was a sweet lady with a strong faith.  She did not have to suffer long and the family has really leaned on their faith to get through it.  Then my friend Melinda lost her dad on Tuesday.  I have not found out the details on how it happened, but I did find out that he had become a Christian in the process of being sick.  It was just in January that she and I were talking and she was expressing concern for his salvation and how she was handling talking to him about it.  I rejoice with her that she does not have to worry about this question anymore.

When I look back on all that God has done is a short time in my life I am filled with such awe!  My heart is so full from all of the people God has placed in my life to walk with me.  One of my best friends from highschool and I have gotten to become close again since moving back.  I am loving it!  Just having a best friend again that you can depend on is a blessing, but one that has your history is so much sweeter.  She encouraged me to join the YMCA with her and I am so glad that I did.  I have not felt so good in months. 

I was able to get off antidepressants through the grace of God and I feel great.  There was not the hard transition that I worried that it would be.  Through eating better and exersize I am feeling great.  Life is falling back into place too and we seem to be out of so many transitions for now.  Praise God!

I will always be thankful for my sisters Erin and Jenny.  God did not give me sisters in my family but my sister-in-law and her sister have adopted me.  Erin texted me just the other day to remind me of that.  Now my question is when I get my sisterly discount on my hair cuts?  No really she has always worked with me and given me such a bargain for all that she does to keep my hair cute. 

I am thankful for my mother and her special touches that she puts on holidays for my kids.  I did not have that growing up with my grandparents and I love the things she does.  She brought my kids Valentine's bags on Sunday.  They got chocolates, fancy socks and cards with $5.00 bills in them for them to use at the movies that night.  She does things like this for every holiday.  I am also so thankful that Dalton is going to the school she teaches at.  It is like having an "in" at the school and I don't have to be the one that is a teacher on campus.  I know first hand exactly what is happening in his day to day routines.  If a problem arises it is usually handled before I know about it.  Like my check for his lunch got lost this last week and Dalton had no money in his account.  Nonna took care of it and deposited even more money in there.  I am interested in seeing though what it will be like when Dalton is in second grade next year with Nonna in her grade level.  I am also excited about sending Brighton next year to the school.  My mother was going to retire this year and changed her mind.  I am so glad because I like the idea of her being on campus when I am sending my little girl next year.

I am thankful our church is growing again.  I love Laurie Minton our pastor's wife.   I thought that the transition from going from the Sr. Pastor's wife to a staff member's wife was going to hard.  Not with Laurie.  She is the kindest and most pure hearted lady I know.  It has been wonderful working with her to do the ladies ministry and kids ministry.  I love that she is my mentor and friend.

Wordless Wed.

Wordless Wed.

This is my friend Melinda and I at an awards lunch we earned this last fall.  We got to have lunch with Dailene White.  She was the very first Mary Kay beauty consultant and Mary Kay Ash's best friend. Since Mary Kay passes away in November of 2001 this was the next best thing to meeting Mary Kay herself.  We got to hear stories about the start of the company and what they had to do to get it off the ground.  Dailene was the one that brought Mary Kay her last meal before she died, when she came to visit her. This was one of the neatest rewards that I have ever won in Mary Kay and these pictures I will treasure.  These pictures also make me miss my blond hair and that hair cut. 

To link your pictures up today go to...http://www.5minutesformom.com/16184/wordless-wednesday-33/?

I heart faces "Do you Wanna Dance"

This week's theme is "Do you Wanna Dance"

This was Dalton dancing with my friend Jenny at her Wedding.  Dalton was the ring bearer in the wedding but stole the show at the reception. He danced the night away.  He always wanted to dance with every pretty girl there.  His daddy gave him a dollar so he could dance with the bride at the wedding.  I love his little face as he is looking up at her.