BOO!
Shocking, I know. I'm back. There is light at the end of the tunnel and I feel life coming back to me so I thought maybe I could attempt to revive the ole blog. I was looking for a new blog template and I couldn't resist putting this one up. Mitch and I always joke that if anything happened to him I would be that lady with 80 cats. I LOVE cats! When I saw this template I just couldn't resist. Of course I will change it soon, but will leave it up for now. Maybe shock value will retain my 2 readers from 2009. I look on 2010 with some hope. Hobby Lobby no longer makes me sad because we are finally moving into a house, our house! Happy New Year to all.

Some Vision For My Valley

I read this yesterday while soaking my sorrows away in the bath. I have desperately needed some perspective while trudging through this valley and this helped nudge me to get up and keep walking:
From The Valley Of Vision: God the All

"I rejoice to think that all things are at thy disposal,
and it delights me to leave them there.
Then prayer turns wholly into praise,
and all I can do is to adore and bless thee."

Today I will choose to praise Him. God knows my heart. He knows my desires. Today I will find rest in that. God is good.

Hobby Lobby Made Me Sad

I know, Becky. Shocking right? For the craft lovers, it the happiest place on earth! Well, today the kiddos and I embarked on a journey at Hobby Lobby to find some fun surprises to play with to help the rainy day pass more quickly. After parusing through the isles at the back of the store, we headed towards the checkout with chalk, erasers, and pipe cleaners - $4 worth of fun that is working wonders even as I write. On the way to the front of the store we passed all the the halloween stuff which kinda got me excited. For those who know me well, I LOVE LOVE LOVE the fall and all the things that come with it -the warm clothes, the baking, the leaves, football. Then we passed the isle with the Christmas wrapping and my excitement was quickly replaced with a sudden pit in my stomach. Well, maybe it's best described as heartbroken. I am heartbroken for home. Oh how I miss home. MY home. I want to decorate my home, celebrate the Advent season in my home, make chili in my home with my crockpot. I know some of this may seem silly to you, but a year with all of our belongings in storage and living in transition is really wearing on my heart today. We are approaching the 1 year mark of when we moved back to Birmingham last year. The year has gone by somewhat quickly, but it really has been a hard year filled with transition, longing and disappointments. I was in tears on the way home from Hobby Lobby, begging God to change our circumstance soon and allow us to be in our home, with our belongings, with just our family. Some days I feel like a broken record as we have asked the Lord for this many many times. Even still, we wake up each morning and by His grace we have the faith to continue walking, trusting and believing that His plans and His timing are perfect. Friends, would you pray with us that God would change our circumstances soon? That Mitch would find a suitable job to support our family and that we would finally be able to make a home for our family?

Psalm 143:5-8
"I remember the days of old;
I meditate on all that you have done;
I ponder the work of your hands.
I stretch out my hands to you;
my sould thirsts for you like a parched land."
"Answer me quickly, O Lord!
My spirit fails!
hide not your face from me,
lest I be like those who go down to the pit.
Let me hear in the morning of your steadfast love,
for in you I trust.
Make me know the way I should go,
for to you I lift up my soul."

EATING SIMPLY
For most of my teenage and adult years I have been somewhat obsessed with food. Some of those years I was obsessed about not eating it. At other times and seasons food became a close friend which was not healthy either. Over the past several years I have enjoyed learning more and more about the health benefits of different foods and teaching others what I have learned. That brings me to what I want to share with you today.

About 4 months ago Mitch and I decided to make a major change in our diet. We have always eaten pretty healthy, but with all the transition that had gone on over the past year we had gotten off track a little bit. One of our friends, Forest, told us about a diet called the Paleo Diet. It's a little out there in some ways because it talks alot about evolution, but the principles it taught were things I knew were right - having a diet based on what is naturally provided to us through nature. This meant having diet that consisted of only fruits, veggies, lean meats, and a few nuts. A few weeks ago I came across a book that I have had for years, "What The Bible Says About Healthy Living." As I have revisited the pages of this book, it has verified from a Biblical perspective they way Mitch and I have desired to honor our bodies with what we eat. The author points out 3 basic principles:

1) Eat only substances God created for food. Aviod what is not designed for food.
2) As much as possible, eat foods as they were created - before they are changed or converted into something that humans think might be better
3) Don't let any food or drink become your God

As Mitch and I have been trying to eat at leat 80-90% of our meals this way, we really have experienced such freedom. Freedom from not worrying about what we are eating. Freedom to enjoy exercise instead of being burdened by trying to burn of something we shouldn't have eaten. And for me, freedom in my schedule because menu planning and grocery shopping is so easy and simple. In the past month, we have added some grains back into our diet, like brown rice, Big Sky's whole wheat bread, and I have started making homemade granola which has a base ingredient of rolled oats. We do still splurge on the weekends and eat out, enjoy a DQ blizzard :), and I get my baking tank filled by trying to find healthier alternatives to not so healthy treats. Interestingly, though, we have found that the less we eat junk the less we want it.

I wanted to share all of this because I really do feel like God designed our bodies to eat food that He created. Good clean food. When we eat this way, we lower our risk significantly for disease. When we eat this way, we allow ourselves some freedom from the bondage that our love for food can have over us. I hope that you can find some encouragement to make some changes in your eating habits and make choices that will greatly benefit you and your family.

2 quotes that have changed my perspective on how I live:

"There are 2 ways to have enough:
1) keep buying more things or 2) desire less"
-Richard Foster, Freedom of Simplicity

"The less I want, the less I need."

Surprise! I have decided to change the name of my blog. Since the start of my blog, it's purpose has been to keep family and friends informed while we lived in Tennessee. Now that we have been home for a while I felt like it was time for a change...A change to something that was more reflective of me and my family. Those who know us know that we truly enjoy living life simple. What does that look like? For us it means making choices for our family that don't complicate life- that involves how we eat, where we choose to live, what we choose to commit to, how we use our money, etc. Mitch and I have found so much joy in living this way. I know that this lifestyle isn't for everyone and, as we have discovered, living simply looks different for some than it does for others. Regardless, I hope that this blog may encourage you to find a little simplicity in your life.

Livin' The Vida Loca
Okay, so not really. Our life right now is anything but that, just wishful thinking I suppose. Why would I want my life to be crazy you ask? Well, when life gets crazy again for us that will most likely mean that Mitch has a new job and we are excitingly looking for a new place to live. It has been 2 months and 3 weeks since we moved in with my parents (who's counting?) and we are praying that the remainder of our stay here won't be quite that long.
So, what will we be doing for the weeks ahead now that school is out?
-Play outside as much as we can before the heat wave hits
-Visit with our friends at the Homewood pool and maybe even take swim lessons :)
-Enjoy the amenities at Mt. Laurel which is only 3 miles from my parents house. We love to take evening walks over there and have recently discovered Spoonwood Lake which has a fun little beach area that the kids love. The Lake is for residents, but we happened upon it while exploring some of the wooded trails out there. Shhh...dont tell!
-Teaching Neily to read. She loves putting letters together and is always asking me to spell things out for her. I am so excited for her to get to read books during her rest time. It will open a whole new world for her. Once we learn to read, she has already requested that she wants 11 books on coyotes and 3 books about deer. Hmmm, I think she has been watching too many animal shows with daddy!
-Summertime also means no TV for us. Every year we try not to start any new shows once the regular season is over (I will say that every summer I am tempted to get hooked on "So You Think You Can Dance"). We like to use the summer evenings to read and play games. I would love to know some of the books you are reading and some of your favorite games to play.
-And last but certainly not least I will continue to enjoy the women's Friday Bible Study at church. Great study, great women. I will be so sad when it's over!

Until next time...

Oh How I Love These Faces...


We dyed Easter eggs today and had so much fun. Most of the eggs turned out a brownish color because they kept wanting to put each egg in all of the colors!
On behalf of the Stephens, I wish you all a Happy Easter.

One Day At A Time, Sweet Jesus

For some reason that song has been in my head lately. At least I think it's a song. Is it? Regardless, it is certainly my theme of life! I have been wanting to blog for a few weeks now, but considering that we moved in with my parents one month ago this weekend and are now sharing 1 computer between 4 people (and the computer is in my parents bedroom), there hasn't been many times where the blogging urge and computer availability have been in synch. Mitch and I talk most everyday about what God is up to in our lives and we encourage one another to take like day by day. We really are excited to see what God is going to do with our family, but waiting for it to unfold can be so hard sometimes.
As most of you heard, Mitch passed his LEED AP exam (woohoo!) and so the next step is obviously finding a job. After lots and lots of networking, Mitch was actually offered a job last Friday. It's a job he was certain that he wouldn't get b/c it's not really in his area of experitse. But, the folks at Green Building Focus obvioulsy thought he was good enough because they offered him a sales position with their company. What's super great about this job is that all parties involved know that Mitch really wants to work in urban redevelopment so they have given him the freedom to continue to pursue other options if he would like. It totally leaves the door wide open for Mitch to take a different position if something comes open, but all the while he can have a job in the "green" industry and who knows...maybe he will be a fabulous salesman. To be honest, we are just thankful that this job doesn't involve the words "May I take your order?" because we seriously thought we were headed that way! And another bonus of the job is that Mitch can wear flip flops and shorts to work! If you know him, that's a HUGE plus:) The only downside of this job is that it is (in our minds) somewhat temporary so we will be staying with my parents a little longer. Mitch is dreading the long commute to downtown everyday, so we are asking God for wisdom in that area.

So, that's the lastest with us. Mitch should be starting the new job sometime next week so I will let you all know how it goes. I hope that I haven't lost all of my blog readers since it has been a month today since my last post! I promise to write again sooner than later:)

POTTY UPDATE

Thanks for praying everyone. We started training on Saturday morning and I have to say it was shockingly painless. Jake has been slower than neily on so many things so we were settling in for the long haul with the potty training. However, our little guy surprised the heck out of us and did great. He had 3 big accidents Saturday morning (all before 9:30am) and that was it. No more accidents and he is even going poopy in the potty with no complaints. He wore the same pair of undies ALL DAY on Sunday. What's even more shocking is that we put him in pull-ups for naptime and bedtime and even those have been dry! We are so grateful and think that God is being gracious to us because he knows we really can't afford diapers right now :o) We are so proud of Jake and just wanted to share that he is officially a Big Kid now!

IT'S POTTY TIME!!

Well, the time to potty train is upon us again. Mitch and I are planning a long weekend at home this weekend to potty train Jake. We are going to try the Potty Train in Three Days method that we used with Neily. I know that every child trains differently, but we are hoping he will respond to it well. I just wanted to get any tips from you moms of little boys. Is there anything you would suggest or anything you can warn me about? We are starting Saturday morning and would appreciate any prayers, especially for patience!!

Four

My sweet little girl is 4. I can't get over what a big girl she is. She can write her own name and most of her letters, she loves exploring new things and it's so fun to watch her come into her own. We had a small family party and here are some pics. She wanted a princess party and picked out all her decorations, her outfit and the cake. At the last minute Jake decided he wanted to dress up, so all we had was his halloween costume that was in the trunk of our car (one of the "perks" of living in transition!). That explains the pumpkin in the pictures:)

I feel a little overwhelmed lately when I think about blogging. So much is going on in my head and I still can't seem to get it all out. I have been wanting to blog, but every time I sit down I don't know where to even start. So, this post will be somewhat simple. This is the best I can do for now.
-I just finished "Same Kind of Different As Me." It helped me to see the poor differently and challenged me to not be so quick to judge those who are different from me. It's an easy read and I would certainly recommend it.
-I've just stared reading "Blue Like Jazz" and have loved it so far. Thanks for the loan, Jess.
-Mitch losing his job has certainly had it's perks. Although we feel like it has taken our faith to a whole new level (which is what i'm mulling over to blog about at some point), we are enjoying the time that God has given us that we otherwise wouldn't have. When it's nice outside Mitch can take the afternoon off and we can enjoy the day together. On Friday after dropping Neily off at MDO I actually got to have a "mother's day out" while Mitch stayed home with Jake. I got to go run at one of my favorite places, Jemison trail in Mountain Brook. I have logged so many miles on that trail since college, but hadn't been back to run there in over 3 years. It was such a delightful morning.
-My little girl just turned 4 and I am still getting over the fact that I have a 4 year old. I'm sure I will say this again as each birthday rolls around. Man, it goes by fast.
-One thing I struggle with right now is feeling displaced. I feel like I belong, yet I don't. This is one of the hard parts about our circumstance. We are trying to dive in and be a part (of church, of a community), but at some point our circumstances bleed into that and it makes it seem more difficult and frustrating than we ever expected. Oh that we may have a permanent address one day!
-Okay, so Mitch is watching some vampire movie while I am writing this post and I have totally lost my train of thought. Seriously...does anyone else's husband watch this stuff? Monsters, vampires..I just don't get it.

Nighty night.

A New Chapter
Let me first apologize for leaving the lovely 5th grade picture up for 3 weeks. I was quite the blogging slacker over the holidays!

As many on you know by now, a chapter of our life has thankfully been closed and we are eagerly anticipating what the next will bring. As of Friday, Mitch was laid off from his job. Some gasp when they hear the news, yet we are truly relieved. We have known for sometime now that our family was not a good fit for his company and vice versa. We knew that we wanted to stay in Birmingham and really felt like God was leading us to do so. For us, Mitch losing his job is wonderful confirmation of our desires to remain here. The road we have travelled with his company has not been a fun one for us and we are certainly glad it is over.

So what next? We have outlined a "what if" plan for the next several months (what if being "what if it takes Mitch several more months to find a new job") but in general we will take things week by week. His company did give Mitch a severance package which will allow us to not sweat the financial side of things until the end of April. So, when you think of the Stephens, please continue to pray for a job for Mitch. He has made several great contacts over the past 3 months and thankfully he has a list of people to call tomorrow. He will also finish up studying the next 2 weeks so he can take his LEED accreditation exam (for green building) at the end of the month. That will be a big deal and something that will look fabulous on his resume. Pray that he will pass because we hear that it's a pretty tough test.

God is good and is loving our family so uniquely. We are excited and hopeful to see what he has in store for us!

Way-back Wednesday...on Friday

So, here's yet another laugh for you at my expense. This is me in 5th grade. To think that my only worry that day was the zit at the corner of my mouth...



Seriously, could my glasses be any bigger?

16 Random Things
I was tagged a few weeks ago to do this, but haven't made the time to sit down and think of sixteen random things to tell you..until now. Why today? Well, it's 2:11pm, i'm still in my pj's and i'm tired of cleaning.

1. My favorite meal of all time is homemade chili and cornbread. A close second is Thanksgiving - dressing and sweet potato casserole.

2. I love the Little House on the Prairie Christmas episode "Christmas at Plum Creek." It makes me cry every time I see it.

3. I love, love, love animals. We have 2 cats and I have befriended 3 stray cats at our apartment in the past 2 months. I joke with Mitch and call myself the "Kitty Whisperer." I can eventually get all cats to love me back (except my sister's cat Mowgli)!
I can't wait until we can get a dog and another cat.

4. My most embarrassing moment happened at my surprise birthday party in the 7th grade. I can't believe i'm about to tell you this. My sister and her friend Judith took me out to dinner to keep me away as the guests arrived. To buy time, they ordered dessert to top off my already full belly. It was french silk pie. It was yummy, but it really put me over the top. I remember the ride home seemed to take forever as my stomach grumbled almost non stop. By the time we pulled up to my house I was feeling quite miserable and couldn't wait to get inside. Still very unsuspecting, I ran inside the house with one thing on my mind...the bathroom. Instead I was shocked to find a living room full of friends, including my current crush Drew Murchison. As they all shouted "SURPRISE!" I was greeted by a surprise in my pants. That's right. Diarrhea. Horribly gross, I know, but it happened. I ran upstairs in horror. Thankfully no one knew (they all thought I ran upstairs and threw up - which is still embarrassing when you are in the 7th grade), I changed into another pair of jeans and the night went on as planned. Isn't that a great story?

5. I do not like the Thyme.

6. The one thing I do that get's on Mitch's nerves the most is finish his sentences. He has started to call me "The Finisher" because I do it so often.

7. I love to save money. It's like a game to me. Don't get me wrong, I don't mind spending. But saving is my favorite.

8. I probably think about food and weight way more than I should.

9. I've lived in 6 different dwellings since 2003...getting ready to make that 7 in a month or so.

10. I have "faulty" tear ducts so when I cry I rarely have a lot of tears.

11. I had to retake my drivers license test in 2001 and I failed the written part 2 times before I finally passed. Because I failed the written, I had to take the road test as well. It was me and about 20 16 year-olds in the line. I felt like such a dork. Thankfully I passed that part just fine:)

12. My favorite thing to do is anything that involves my hubby. He's my best friend.

13. The past 3 years have turned me into a "glass is half empty" person. I am working hard to change that.

14. I haven't seen a movie in the theater in 2 years. I think an evening show was only $7.50 then. I hear it's up to $9.25. Crazy!

15. A perfect date for me would be a Matinee, a nice dinner (i.e. not Moe's or Chick-fil-A), and then sipping coffee while looking at magazines at Barnes and Noble.

16. It has been so hard for me to come up with 16 things. It's taken me 2 days...

I tag Kari (so you'll have something to blog about!), Jessica P. (cause I'm enjoying getting to know you better), and Becky (because you're so cool!)

Oh, How I love these kiddos!


This was taken today as they were celebrating the purchase of their new pj's. Oh, the small joys in life.
I hope you all have a Happy Thanksgiving!

Does Anyone Know This Girl?

I found this picture in my camera and thought you, my trusty readers, could help me. hee hee.

The Latest and the Greatest
Well, not really the greatest, but here's the latest scoop with us. We have been in Birmingham now for 7 weeks and are still thoroughly enjoying our time back home. We have enjoyed being close to family, the much needed fellowship of old and new friends, and being reacquainted with out favorite places in town. The only downer of the experience is that the newness of the apartment has worn off and we are all getting a little stir crazy. Neily asks every day when we will have a yard to play in and wonders where her other toys are (most of our stuff is in storage). She even asked the other day if one of her friends in Franklin was in storage, too, because she wanted to play with her. I laughed because it was so cute and she was so serious. I, too, am ready to have our stuff again. I admit that this time of year the longing deepens for our home to decorate, our home to build memories in. (That's a whole other post for another day!) Moving on, my goal this week has been to turn that frown upside down and not let it get the best of me. I was motivated by my friend becky to get off my hiney and start doing more organized crafts with my kids. I was motivated because she wrote a blog entry about the other girls in the blogosphere who inspired her creativity and I knew I was no where in the realm of making that list. so, I decided to commit to doing some fun craft with the kids 3 days out of the week. This week we have made Thankful Trees where we (i.e "I") write on each leaf what we are thankful for and glue the leaves on the tree. Tomorrow we are going to make leaf people. Next week we have Peanut Butter Playdough on the agenda. I will keep you posted on all of our crafty adventures! And we also decided to make Friday night movie night here at the Stephens. The kids are SO excited about this and so are we. Tomorrow night will be the debut of Polar Express. Neither of our kids have ever sat through a whole movie before, so well see how it goes! Nonetheless, I will enjoy snuggling if not for just a little while.
Happy Thursday everybody!

The Tale of Two Trick-Or-Treaters

Once upon a time Tinkerbell and her Pumpkin were on a search find the yummiest candy in the land.


They set out on the long journey with hopes of all that they would find.


They met a lot of nice people along the way who shared goodies from their homes.


Tinkerbell and Pumpkin learned quickly that the magic phrase "Trick-or-treat!" brought them good fortune. (In Pumkin's case, it was more like "Wicka-Ta-Weet!")

As the night grew cold, they returned home. They were overjoyed that, indeed, they had found the yummiest candy in the land.


After a long day, Tinkerbell and Pumpkin snuggled up with the King for a Halloween bedtime story.


Happy Halloween Everyone!