MY LIST
I was tagged by my friend, Ginny. So, here's some stuff about me:

What was I doing 10 years ago?
In 1998 I was working for a college ministry called Campus Outreach. Sometime that year (I don't remember exactly when), I visited Brazil for a week because I was planning on moving there to do ministry. After visiting, I felt the Lord was leading me to stay in Birmingham and work. A week later I met Mitch... and the rest is history.
5 Things on my to do list:
1) Laundry
2) Vacuum (surprise, surprise!)
3) Read/Quiet time
4) exercise
5) Work on simplifying our home
5 snacks I enjoy:
1) Cliff Bars
2) Stoneyfield Farms lowfat vanilla yogurt (yummy!)
3) Peanuts
4) Apple slices and peanut butter
5) A bowl of Kashi's Blueberry cereal
5 Things I would do if I were a billionaire:
1)Give, give, give. "TO whom much is given, much is required." I think I would give most of it away. Sometimes the thought of having that much money scares me!
2)Buy a Prius and a house
3)Buy cars for some friends, help pay off mortgages of friends and family
4)Save for retirement, college, and set up trusts for the kids
5) By a big 'ole piece of land somewhere where we could have a lot of animals, go camping, fishing, etc.
5 bad habits:
1) worry and anxiousness
2) biting my nails
3) seeing the glass as half empty
4) waiting too long to eat and then getting crabby
5) did I mention worry?
5 Places I have lived:
1) Rome, Ga
2) Birmingham, AL
3) Panama City Beach, FL
4) Franklin, TN
5) Belo Horizonte, Brazil
5 Jobs i've had or have:
1) Kennel cleaner at a vet
2) Lifeguard
3) McDonald's
4) Campus Ministry Administrative Staff
5) Personal Trainer (by far my favorite of them all)
I want to know more about (a nice way of saying "you're tagged"):
1) Holly Welch
2) Annie Haralson
3) Amanda Skinner (in all your pre-baby free time!)

Last Sunday the fam was taking a stroll to downtown Franklin. We were just taking it slow and enjoying the day. As we rounded the corner by Starbucks, I glanced in the window and saw a guy sitting there and thought to myself, "Hmmm...I know him from somewhere." I turned to see who he was sitting with and suddenly found myself trying not to freak out and look stupid. Sitting there, just 2 feet away, were Keith Urban and Nicole Kidman! We kept strolling by, trying to act cool like it was no big deal. Once I passed the window, I immediately called my friend Kari who shares my excitement for seeing famous people around town. After that, I think I "strolled" by the window 2 more times just because I am a dork like that:) I was the unassuming girl in the bright red Alabama t-shirt that was obviously not unassuming. But I really didn't care. I mean, how often do you see a major celebrity at the local coffee shop? Pretty cool if you ask me!

Earth Day 2008: A Tribute to All Things Green
I couldn't let Earth Day pass without doing a little blogging about being greener. We are always striving to learn ways of implementing "green" into our everyday life. Here are a few tips from me on being green:

-Check out www.freecycle.org. It's a great way to get rid of things without having to throw them away. Who knows, you may even find something that you are looking for!
-Buy local - Now that warmer weather is here and summer is approaching, it's time to head over to your local farmer's market. Here you can find a great varitey of fruits, veggies, and organic meats that are great for your family to enjoy. Buying organic from the farmer's market is often cheaper (and much fresher) than buying organic from the grocery store. So grab your mesh shopping bags, load the kids in the stroller and support your local farmers!
-Check the air in your tires. You get maximum gas mileage when your tires are filled to their suggested level. And who doesn't need better gas mileage when gas is up to $3.45/gallon! Fill your tires up and save money and the environment!
-Go to www.pluggreen.com and find out what businesses in your area (from dry cleaners to restaurants) are making efforts to be green.
-Go here to find coupons for Seventh Generation and Greenworks cleaning products. I use both and I am a big fan. I especially love the dish soap in Lavender Mint from Seventh Generation. You will also find LOTS of other coupons to help save you some green :)
-And last, but certainly not least, I encourage you all to evaluate your pantry. Beind green is also being healthy. It's about eating more whole foods and not a lot of processed foods. Look for snacks for your kids (and you) where ingredients don't include the words enriched, hydrogenated, and corn syrup. Three months ago we decided to make very effort to give our pantry a makeover. It has taken 3 months, but we are finally to a point where everything in our cabinet and fridge are either organic or, if not organic, not processed. Now, I will tell you that our pantry is not full. Buying organic for us means buying less b/c organic is more expensive. But, we do have enough and that's really all that matters. Check out www.organicvalley.com, www.stoneyfieldfarms.com, and www.laurasleanbeef.com for some coupons on organic stuff. Thankfully walmart carries brands like Back to nature, Kashi, Newman's and Annie's so we don't have to pay a fortune for them elsewhere!

Happy Earth Day, everybody. Go Green!

Attention music lovers: I need your help!!


Sunday night, Hubs and I got an opportunity to go and hear John Eldridge speak. It was an encouraging evening as we listened to him speak about growing in intimacy with God. One thing he dicussed was getting quiet before the Lord. All of us are unique as to what draws us in to that quiet place. For some it's worship. For some it's reading scripture or a book. For some it's getting out into nature. I personally struggle often with being quiet. It's very hard for me to get to a place of rest before the Lord because my mind is racing, the phone is ringing, the dryer is buzzing and letting me know that there are lots of clothes that need to be folded. Hearing John talk about finding "your thing" that draws you close was great for me. I remembered that worship is my thing. Oh, how music speaks to my soul! I find myself often listening to the kids music and rarely listening to the music that truly lifts my soul. Which leads to the reason why I write. I would like to know what your favorite's are. Artists or songs, what worship music is out there that i'm missing out on? I seriously can't tell you the last time I uploaded (or downloaded?which is it?) a song on itunes or put any new song on my iPod. I know many of you are in tune with what's new and what are just great classics, so I would love to hear your music suggestions. Bring 'em on!

In honor of Spring Fashion Fiesta
...I post today about the dream I have for my closet. Boo Mama had this going on a few days ago, but today is the first day I have gotten around to it. So, here goes... the dream I have for my closet.

I will start off my saying that I have lived most of my life in the "the more I have in my closet the better" mindset. So, I filled my closet with some things that I really liked, but mostly with things that I found that were on sale and looked pretty decent. This really wasn't the way to go because that left me being really excited about what I was wearing only 2 days of the week (if that!).

One of the best things for me in having 2 babies so close together was, by the time I lost weight from baby #2, mostly everything in my closet was out of style or too dressy for me to wear as a SAHM. So, at the end of last summer I literally gave away practically everything in my closet... And started completely over. A bit scary for this girl who really doesn't like to shop, but a bit refreshing too. I managed to get some great stuff for winter, but now that summer is approaching I am staring at an empty closet. So, this is what my dream looks like for my spring/summer clothes:
-skirts - I love wearing skirts during the spring and summer. They are cooler than shorts and I think they are more comfortable. I have found a skirt online that hits just at the knee and is a soft, flowy cotton. If it's cute I will definitely get 2 of them (1 black and 1 white b/c those colors never go out of style) If I like them, I will let you know so you can get one, too!
-tank tops - I love sleeveless shirts and tanks. I am broader in the shoulders, so wearing these is more flattering to my figure than regular tee's. However, I will still gather a few tee's (at least one white) to have around.
-flips - I just got these a few weeks ago and they are my new best friend. Mitch and I have talked for 2 years about getting some and both finally got a pair. We love our flips in the summertime!
***This is a must for me these days: Anything I buy, shirt or skirts, must go with at least 2 other items in my closet. This way I have more options and I really get my money's worth of wear.

Ultimately, my dream closet consists of clothes that I am excited to wear. I would much rather have a few nicer items that I love to wear than a closet full of things that are just okay. To me, less is definitely more when it comes to clothes! What about you?

OPRAH

I'm sure many of you have seen this, but thought I would post it here in case you haven't. It's about 6 minutes long, but really seems to show Oprah's thoughts on God and Christianity. It breaks my heart that so many women look to her for wisdom and understanding. Oh, how they are being misguided! I would love to hear your thoughts after you watch.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JW4LLwkgmqA

It's funny how kids change things in ways you wouldn't expect. I used to love the smell of fresh cut grass. Now, instead of running outside to take in the smell, when I hear someone cutting the grass I totally stress out because i'm afraid it's going to wake someone up from a nap. I used to love a good thunderstorm. The sounds of the heavy rain and thunder were relaxing to me. Now, instead of snuggling up in bed to rest and enjoy the sounds, when a thunderstorm arrives I snuggle up in bed next to my 3 year old (and her 8 stuffed animals) and focus on comforting her so she can rest. And, as most of you know, I love love love a nice hot bath. Now, instead of relaxing with a good book while soaking in the suds, I am usually dodging little hands and legos while I try to do a decent job shaving my legs. But, in light of all that, I wouldn't trade the way things are. I love that I get to watch my daughter fall asleep with a smile on her face because she feels loved and safe. I love that I get to watch my son push his little lawn mower around the yard and smile with pride because he thinks he's helping out daddy. I love...well, I love my bath and I am still looking for the silver lining for that one!