I will be Pampered, indeed...

I just recently hosted a Pampered Chef party. As a host, I received "X" amount of dollars in free, half-price, and discounted items based on guest sales. So, the higher the guest sales (a.k.a. the more people order), the greater amount of free/half-price/discounted money I get to spend on Pampered Chef items. This was the first show I have hosted and I have only been to one other show. But I LOVE Pampered Chef products. My mom has several items that I used while growing up, so I know EXACTLY how good they are. :)

Anyway, I invited practically everyone I knew...okay, not quite, but I did mail/email/hand-out about 70 invitations. I knew from experience with my sister's wedding and other such events, that only a small percentage of people you invite actually show up. And very few people R.S.V.P, too. So I was prepared to NOT hear from everyone and NOT have that many people show up. BUT, I was excited! With those invitations that I hand-delivered, I had soo many people get excited and tell me how much they LOVE Pampered Chef products.

...I should back up a bit. My mom encouraged me to host a Pampered Chef party as a good way to get some of the items I wanted without paying full price for them. Now that I am out on my own, I have been desperately missing all of her wonderful Pampered Chef items!...

So, I sent out my many invitations and sat back to wait and see how many people would show up to my party. The day before my party, I had 15 people say they were planning on coming. Even then, I knew that for some people, something would inevitably come up to prevent them from making it. The day of my party, I had 3 people call/text me letting me know they couldn't make it. But, I also had 2 people call that day and tell me they were planning on coming, even though they hadn't RSVP'd yet! And then, that night, I had 2 people show up that HADN'T RSVP'd at all! It was soo great!! :)

Before my party had even started that night, I had at least 8 outside orders already placed. Plus, my mom and grandma had told me they were planning on ordering stuff, too! I had already started making my wish list of items....

I had no idea how blessed I was going to be! All in all, there were about 22 orders placed. Total guest sales was over $1000. I was blown away. I was able to get over 30 items for less than $100!!! (That's how much I personally spent...some items were paid for by others as Christmas presents for me:) )

The order came in today: 5, rather large, boxes. I've got it all split out into the individual orders and after gathering the remaining items up (my items), I realized how "Pampered" I am going to be in the kitchen from now on! I also realized how truly blessed I am...to have so many amazing friends and family members who would come to my party (even if they didn't order anything) and order stuff, too.

Thank you so much to those who helped get ready for the party, those who came to the party, those who ordered from the party, and those who helped clean up afterwards! A special shout-out goes to my AWESOME brother who helped park cars and watched the dogs during the party and helped clean up afterwards! :)

Let the countdown begin!

I feel like December sneaked up on me this year! One minute I'm realizing it's only 9 days til December... and the next minute I realize it's 9 days into December! (almost anyway...)

My sister has started a countdown with my niece at their house. They are using the paper chain method...where each chain link is numbered with the days til Christmas and each day they take one off and see how many days are left. Yesterday when I was there, there were only 18 days til Christmas, which means now there are 17! I can't believe Christmas is so close! :)

I love Christmas. It has to be my favorite holiday of the year. When I was younger, a lot of it was because of the presents. As I got older, it still had something to do with presents, but I was more excited to give presents rather than receive them. Also, as I got older, the family started splitting up, going their own directions. This year is the first year that all of the kids are out of the house. We are all coming back to my parents' house for Christmas this year. It's a weird thought. But that is one of the reasons I love Christmas. I love being able to be with my family again. Now that we are all in our own places, it's so hard to get together. Even Kaleb and I hardly see each other and we live together. I love the camaraderie that my siblings and I have. I love how our family grows with each year. I love being able to simply sit in my parents' living room and watch the lights blink on the Christmas tree. I love watching Kaleb hit the mistletoe every time he walks by simply because he is so tall, and watching my mom run over to him to give him a kiss. I love simply watching my family members interact with each other. I love realizing over and over again how truly blessed I am. And I love remembering the true Reason for the Season: how my Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, humbled Himself to my level to save me from God's wrath because He loves me that much.

How I pray that I will remember this every day, not just Christmas Day; every month, not just December; and every year, not just when my family is able to get together to celebrate. 17 days til Christmas...

Where did November go?

Just a random fact I learned today...


In 9 days, it will be December.

What do you think?

Someone posted this on Facebook today. I found it interesting and wanted to share it and get y'all's viewpoint/opinion on it...

Apparently the White House referred to Christmas Trees as “Holiday Trees” for the first time this year which prompted CBS presenter, Ben Stein, to present this piece which I would like to share with you. I think it applies just as much to many countries as it does to America . . .

The following was written by Ben Stein and recited by him on CBS Sunday Morning Commentary.

My confession:

I am a Jew, and every single one of my ancestors was Jewish. And it does not bother me even a little bit when people call those beautiful lit up, bejewelled trees, Christmas trees. I don't feel threatened. I don't feel discriminated against. That's what they are, Christmas trees.

It doesn't bother me a bit when people say, “Merry Christmas” to me. I don't think they are slighting me or getting ready to put me in a ghetto. In fact, I kind of like it. It shows that we are all brothers and sisters celebrating this happy time of year. It doesn't bother me at all that there is a manger scene on display at a key intersection near my beach house in Malibu. If people want a crib, it's just as fine with me as is the Menorah a few hundred yards away.

I don't like getting pushed around for being a Jew, and I don't think Christians like getting pushed around for being Christians. I think people who believe in God are sick and tired of getting pushed around, period. I have no idea where the concept came from, that America is an explicitly atheist country. I can't find it in the Constitution and I don't like it being shoved down my throat.

Or maybe I can put it another way: where did the idea come from that we should worship celebrities and we aren't allowed to worship God? I guess that's a sign that I'm getting old, too. But there are a lot of us who are wondering where these celebrities came from and where the America we knew went to.

In light of the many jokes we send to one another for a laugh, this is a little different: This is not intended to be a joke; it's not funny, it's intended to get you thinking.

Billy Graham's daughter was interviewed on the Early Show and Jane Clayson asked her: “How could God let something like this happen?” (regarding Hurricane Katrina). Anne Graham gave an extremely profound and insightful response. She said: “I believe God is deeply saddened by this, just as we are, but for years we've been telling God to get out of our schools, to get out of our government and to get out of our lives. And being the gentleman He is, I believe He has calmly backed out. How can we expect God to give us His blessing and His protection if we demand He leave us alone?”

In light of recent events... terrorists attack, school shootings, etc. I think it started when Madeleine Murray O'Hare (she was murdered, her body found a few years ago) complained she didn't want prayer in our schools, and we said OK. Then someone said you better not read the Bible in school. The Bible says thou shalt not kill, thou shalt not steal, and love your neighbour as yourself. And we said OK.

Then Dr. Benjamin Spock said we shouldn't spank our children when they misbehave, because their little personalities would be warped and we might damage their self-esteem (Dr. Spock's son committed suicide). We said an expert should know what he's talking about. And we said okay.

Now we're asking ourselves why our children have no conscience, why they don't know right from wrong, and why it doesn't bother them to kill strangers, their classmates, and themselves.

Probably, if we think about it long and hard enough, we can figure it out. I think it has a great deal to do with 'WE REAP WHAT WE SOW.'

Funny how simple it is for people to trash God and then wonder why the world's going to hell. Funny how we believe what the newspapers say, but question what the Bible says. Funny how you can send 'jokes' through e-mail and they spread like wildfire, but when you start sending messages regarding the Lord, people think twice about sharing. Funny how lewd, crude, vulgar and obscene articles pass freely through cyberspace, but public discussion of God is suppressed in the school and workplace.

Are you laughing yet?

Funny how when you forward this message, you will not send it to many on your address list because you're not sure what they believe, or what they will think of you for sending it.

Funny how we can be more worried about what other people think of us than what God thinks of us.

Pass it on if you think it has merit.

If not, then just discard it.... no one will know you did. But if you discard this thought process, don't sit back and complain about what bad shape the world is in.

My Best Regards, Honestly and respectfully,

Ben Stein

So...what do you think?

Pictures...and update!

I know it has been quite awhile since I last posted...and I never did post pictures of our dining room table....so here ya go!

This is a close-up of the shower curtain I finally bought. :) I wanted to give you a good picture of the colors. We love it :)

This is a full view of our shower curtain. Isn't it great??

And here is the long-awaited pictures of our table!! This picture and the next give you a good view of the cushions...courtesy of our awesome sister, Kristen! :)

A "top" view of the table...amazing paint job courtesy of our wonderful dad! (Kristen, Mom, and I also helped sand it down before painting. Oh and if you remember, this is the same table that our parents had in their kitchen for several years. The chairs had a wicker seat. Our dad was awesome enough to take that out and replace it with a piece of wood, so the seats are solid wood now. :) Oh! And see the coasters in the middle of the table! Kristen surprised us with those, made out of the same material as the cushions!)

Another view of the table. Doesn't it just fit perfectly in the dining room? You can kind of see how the cushions are on the chairs...they are tied to the back.

Okay! Now you all can quit bugging me about these pictures....just kidding :).

Now, on to the update. Life has been pretty crazy and busy. Where to start?? I have been working anywhere from 85-90 hours every two weeks (and yes, that means some weeks I had 40 hours and other weeks I had close to 50). Since the college-aged employees left in August, we have been struggling slightly with having enough/the right people on certain shifts. Then, school started and many of the high schoolers don't want to close during the week. Plus, there are the usual school activities that keep them all busy. And then, we have had 7 people quit/get fired in the past 2-3 months. So, yeah, things have been crazy. The managers have been pretty much covering all the hours....or as many as possible. And, for the most part, I am the one that can cover hours the easiest because I don't have any kids and I'm not currently in school. Obviously, there are some times I really can't work, but for the most part, I'm pretty flexible. And, even though business has slowed down some since school started and the weather has gotten colder, we are still decently busy. Especially since at the end of September, corporate sent out coupons...which ALWAYS increases our business by A LOT. However, things have been going pretty well. We have hired 7 people (I think) in the past month or two also. So that helps, and will in the future, once we get them trained.

What else is going on in my life besides work? Well, I am still teaching Sunday School, although now I am in the 4's and 5's, instead of the 3's. Still loving it! I am also again helping out with Cubbies every Wednesday night. And on Tuesday mornings I provide childcare for the women's Bible Study. We usually have anywhere from 1-4 boys. (Yes, all boys.) And, every other Tuesday, I get to go to my sister's house and watch Ainsley while they go to small group. Then, I spend the night and watch Ainsley during the day Wednesday, so my sister can focus on work. It's been great!

Ummm....what else? I think that is pretty much it. Everything with the apartment is going great. We both love it still. :) The dogs are doing okay...Snowbelle lost 2 lbs in 2 months, which is great! Still working on losing another pound or so. Lilly is also seeming to lose weight, although she doesn't need to! We are working on figuring out why she loses weight so easily.

Anyway, hope you all are doing great!

Well....

I was going to try to write something....but there are too many thoughts going through my head for me to write coherently. So, instead, I changed the look of my blog. Hopefully soon I will be able to sort my thoughts into something reasonably interesting for you all to read.

Pictures!

So I finally took some pictures of the apartment! I had kind of been waiting until we got all our furniture, but I couldn't wait any longer! The only thing we don't have yet is our dining room table, which is in the process of getting painted!

Click HERE to see the pictures!

(There were way too many to put them on here!)

Update!

I know you all have been waiting for an update from me, and I'm sorry I haven't gotten one on here earlier! Life has been pretty crazy this past month!

Kaleb and I officially moved into our new apartment on June 4th. We are loving it! :) Pictures to come later. We don't have all of our furniture yet, but it is coming along nicely! The dogs are here with us and although they seemed pretty confused the first night, they are also doing well, and considering they are both sacked out right now, I'd say they are comfortable here. :)

Vacation Bible School was last week. Kaleb and I were both very involved in that: Kaleb with sound/light type stuff and me with the preschool. It was an amazing week! We learned about how our Faith can take flight and how to travel with truth!

Work has been pretty consistent. Business is booming, which can make for good or bad days depending on how you look at it. :)

On the not-so-bright side, my computer crashed last week. It wouldn't turn on and stay on. Thankfully, my amazing dad was able to get my documents and pictures and music off my computer and on to their computer, so I didn't lose anything. Tonight, he and I went out and picked out a new computer for me, which I am currently using. :)

Well, I need to head to bed as I have to work at 8 tomorrow and am pretty tired. More to come later!

APARTMENT!!!!

Okay, so those of you who don't know....Kaleb and I decided probably 2-3 weeks ago to move in to an apartment together. There were several reasons, but I won't go into all of that here, but we are both VERY excited!!

All of a sudden, the apartment search drastically changed. Now we were looking for a two bedroom rather than one bedroom, that allows dogs, and has washer/dryer hookups, with a different price range, too. We first tried to look at a nearby apartment complex that is fairly new, and looks really nice. Mom and Dad had looked there for my sister and her husband when they were moving back here, so they knew what they were like. At the same time, we looked into another apartment complex, that was a little farther away, but was also nice and met all our requirements. The second one, we soon found out, didn't have any openings until July 1st. So, we put that one on the back burner and started looking more closely at the first one. Through a telephone conversation with the complex, we found out that they do not allow first time renters (which we are), so that meant that place was out, too.

We were starting to get a little discouraged (or, I was, at least), but we knew that we really had just begun our search. (I was probably the most discouraged simply because I had been looking through apartment stuff for several months already.) Soon, we found a house that was 1.5 stories plus a basement. We went to take a look at it, and there were a lot of positives, but also a lot of negatives. Pretty quickly, we ruled that one out.

Then, we revisited a complex that I had looked at before, but had ruled it out due to cost. But, with Kaleb and I both contributing money, we were pretty sure we could afford it. So we went to look at an apartment a couple of weeks ago. We realllly liked it, but we just had to make sure it was going to fit in our budget. We picked up an application packet anyway, and after running some numbers, we discovered we could do it!

So, we turned in our applications (after a lot of phone conversations in which we tried to figure things out) last Thursday (the 5th). On Tuesday, I called because we had not heard anything about our applications yet, on whether we had been accepted or denied. She told me she would check on it and call me back. She called me back a few hours later and said that everything looks great and our lease was all drawn up and ready to go. She started talking about the apartment and I had to stop her and ask her if it was an upstairs or downstairs apartment. I really thought they would give us a choice, since they told us they had both available. However, she hadn't asked that question and had already drawn up our lease. So anyway, she informed me it was an upstairs. I asked if they had any downstairs ones available and she said they might be able to move things around and get us a downstairs one instead. I told her we would much prefer the downstairs apartment. So, once again, we hung up, with her telling me she would call back.

We heard nothing from her the rest of Tuesday or at all Wednesday. So I called again on Thursday asking if they found us a downstairs apartment. She informed me they had been working on it, so she was going to check to see how far they got and she would call me back. Ugh. Let me tell you, at that point, I was not a very happy camper. They seemed to not understand the concept of calling someone back. So I waited several more hours until she finally called back. They found a downstairs apartment for us and had re-drawn up the lease. Yay! She and I started talking numbers on how much our monthly rent was going to be, etc etc. After hanging up with her, I finally felt like this whole process was actually going to happen! I was beginning to get excited. :) I called my mom, and through talking to her, realized that the monthly rent that she had quoted me seemed way too high for what we had figured out. So I called back again (much to my dismay), but this time talked to a different woman. We got everything figured out, but since the monthly rent changed, our deposit was going to change, too. So she told me she would have the other lady figure it out and call us. Sigh.....let me tell you, I have been learning a lesson on patience this week...

Okay, so, she hadn't called me back by 2pm today. Oh, I forgot to mention, we set up an appointment to sign our lease on Saturday (tomorrow), at which time we needed our deposit, which had to be in a cashier's check, so we had to know the amount today so we could go to the bank to get the check before tomorrow. Whew. So, I had to call again and figure out what our deposit was going to be. Well, finally, we got it figured out, and after I got off work, my dad and I went to the bank to get the check. So, tomorrow morning, at 10am, Kaleb and I will be heading to the apartment office to sign our lease and turn in our deposit! YAY!

Our move-in date is June 4th, which is only 3 weeks from tomorrow!!!!!! :) We are both SUPER excited and thankful that God provided for us, even though there seemed to be a lot of obstacles. Thank you to all of you who were praying that we would find a place. Oh....in case you didn't realize....both Lily (Kaleb's dog) and Snowbelle (my dog) will be coming with us. :) That leaves Mom and Dad alone in our big empty house :). Even though the four of us are rarely home at the same time due to busy schedules, I know we have all thoroughly enjoyed being together this past year. I think I can speak for all of us when I say that we know change can be a good thing, but that doesn't always make it easy. Pray that God will bless us through this change and strengthen, rather than weaken, our faith in Him and our love for each other.

An Update: Finally!

I know it has been a while since I've posted anything and for that I apologize. I'm not really sure where the past few months have gone!

Here's what's been going on:

--I finished my class about a month ago. It was pretty easy and it went by quickly. I got an A.

--I am still teaching the 3 and 4 year old Sunday school class and still loving it.

--I am still doing childcare for the women's Bible study on Tuesday mornings. We still only have 3 kids. It ends the first Tuesday in May.

--I am still a Cubbie leader on Wednesday nights, although that also is ending, at the end of April.

--I am still working 40+ hours at Culver's, although I did receive a promotion and a raise. I am now the co-2nd Assistant Manager.

--I am still looking for an apartment. I haven't really looked at any, except one today, but I'm having a hard time finding one that is in my price range, allows dogs, and has washer/dryer hookups.

New things that are happening:

--VBS (Vacation Bible School) is coming up quickly. I will be heading up the preschool department and teaching the lessons. I'm excited! :)

--Also, this fall, our church is starting a new curriculum for preschool through sixth grade. It is going to be a big change for everyone, but it is very exciting stuff! I will be teaching the lessons for the 3-5 year olds for that, as well.

--Snowbelle is still healthy, so to speak. Recently, the vet tested her to see if she has Cushing's Disease, like he thinks she does. The test came back a strong positive, so this past Thursday, we started her on medicine to help treat the symptoms of Cushing's Disease. The disease is caused by a tumor on her pituitary gland, which is too small and too hard to access to remove it with surgery, which leaves us with the medicine. In two weeks, I will have to take her in to have her tested to make sure the dosage of the medicine is correct. I will have to do the same thing at 1 month, 6 months, 1 year, and every year after that. I'm hoping that in a few weeks, we will notice some positive changes in her!

Busy, busy, busy...

I have been keeping busy these past few months, as I'm sure you all have as well! And, as if I wasn't busy enough, I just added two more things to my schedule each week.

Here's pretty much how it goes for the next 8 weeks:

--Today marked the first day of an 8-week online class that I need to finish my Iowa certification. There are assignments due every week, by Sunday.

--Today also marked the first day of me providing childcare during the Women's Bible Study on Tuesday mornings from 9-11:30am at my church. Today was an easy day--only three kids.

--Every Wednesday night, from 6-8:45pm, I am again at church, as a Cubbie leader in AWANA. The Cubbies are the 3-5 year olds. I am a co-leader of the yellow group, which consists of 7 kids, one 3 year old boy, three 4 year old girls, two 4 year old boys, and one 5 year old boy.

--Every Sunday morning, from 9-10:15am, I am the lead teacher for the 3 and 4 year old Sunday school class. We usually have 11-12 kids each week.

--On top of all of that, I am also working 40+ hours at Culver's Restaurant as a Crew Chief (manager).

Sounds pretty crazy doesn't it?? It doesn't feel that busy....yet. Of course my class also just started....

In other news, Snowbelle had another appointment with the vet, during which they collected urine from her bladder and tested it for crystals (which eventually turn into stones) and for bacteria growth (which turns into an infection). Both tests were negative, which means, at this point, Snowbelle is completely healthy. Yay! She is restricted to JUST her dog food---no human food (which we have been following for several years) and NO treats! I think that will be the hardest part on all of us! Although, we have decided that when she would normally get a treat (after a bath, getting her nails clipped, etc), we will just give her a small amount of her dog food. We also have to soak her food in water in an effort to increase her water consumption, which will hopefully keep her bladder clear of infections and stones. She really could care less that she now pretty much laps up her food instead of chewing it...except for the wait period between when we put food in her bowl and when she actually gets to eat it (we soak it in water and she has to wait for it....which she hates!) I also have to take her in every 6 months to repeat the two tests mentioned above. Hopefully, with the strict diet, increased water consumption, and the frequent check-ups, we will be able to catch any infection or stone growth early so she does not ever need surgery again. I am not sure if the vet even would consider a 3rd bladder surgery on an aging dog (she turns 11 in May).

As far as the apartment search goes, I am still working on paying off my car (less than $200 left!) although I do have all of Snowbelle's medical bills paid off! Hopefully in the spring/early summer, I will have enough money saved up to get an apartment. I have, however, packed up a good portion of my room (all stuff that I don't need/use right now). The guest room next to my room has several stacks of boxes already! Although I will dearly miss living with my parents and brother, I can't wait to have a place to call my own!