I Passed

Today I had to take the Computer Competency Test in order to renew my teaching certificate and I passed. Yeah!! I can officially go back to teaching now. The test had a lot of stuff on Power Point and Excel which I know very little. For those of you that don't know, I just learned how to send an attachment and a group email a few months ago. Passing this test was a big deal for me. I apparently guessed right....

Any Good Books?

We are going on vacation in 2 weeks. Yeah!! I am ready and looking forward to a week with nothing to do but relax, eat and spend time with my family. My father-in-law is taking the whole family on a cruise. (Thanks, Poppie :)) I am hoping to get some reading done while I am soaking up the Caribbean sun. I am a lover of Beth Moore's bible studies but her books aren't always my favorite. If you have any recommendations, please pass them on.

My children

I love it when my kids pray and want to read God's word. Ryan's teacher encouraged them to try and read through the New Testament this year. He has been reading a chapter a night on his own and we have had some really neat conversations. The other night he said that he never realized that Jesus told so many neat stories and that he talked that much. Last night as Ashleigh was praying she thanked God for making her just the way she is. She told me that God doesn't look at her beautiful hair but at her heart and we were able to talk about what our hearts look like. I love these times with my children and I love to see the work that God is doing in their lives.

Good Deals

Okay, the store with the best buys that I found today was New York & Company. It's not Doug's favorite store for me but I like it. I was able to get 4 shirts, a pair of capris and flip flops for $38. I was impressed. The receipt said that I saved over $100. I always like to think I get things for a good price even if I really didn't. They have plenty of stuff left so you should go check it out. Doug was able to get a few things with his birthday money. If you need any summer stuff, most of the stores have some really great deals.

Going to the mall

I am so excited. We are going to the mall today. I need to get a few things for vacation (21 days but who's counting?). I don't have much to spend but I have heard of a few stores that have some really good sales and clearances. I love getting a good deal. Doug is my personal fashion consultant and I like to have him along. He has good taste in picking out clothes for me. Anyway, I don't know why but today I am really excited about going to the mall. In all reality, I get excited anytime I get to hang out at the mall. I'll pass on any good deals that I find.

Date Night

Our date got rained out tonight. I help Doug put out signs on Friday nights and I love it. We have time to talk, laugh and catch up on the week. Well, another thunderstorm hit tonight and I wasn't about to get out in it. He will be going by himself in the morning. I am not ready to sacrifice sleeping in on Saturday mornings. Seriously, I do love the time Doug and I get to spend together and very thankful for the extra income that it provides. I am also very thankful for the much needed rain. The kids are at a birthday party so it is very peaceful sitting here listening to the thunderstorm once again.

Thunderstorms

I love thunderstorms. I love to listen to the rain and thunder. It is raining and hopefully cooling it off outside. It has been so hot and I am definitely ready for Fall. I think God knows we will appreciate the cooler weather after having such a heat spell the last few weeks. Just remind me of this heat come winter when I am whining about being cold.

Getting on a schedule

I have been really trying to get on a good schedule lately. You know, turn off my cell phone by a certain time, no computer during certain hours, homework completed by 5:00, paperwork completed during certain hours....However, I like to play and be out and about so being on a rigid schedule takes a lot more discipline for me. I can get distracted easily and it usually only takes a phone call to get me to change my plans. I am learning to say "no" to certain things but it is hard. One thing that I am pretty good at is only being out one evening during the week, whether it is for work, church or fun. Even then, I want to be home by 7:30. Oh well, I had better get to work so I can stay on my schedule. I told you that I would rather be doing something fun.

Happy Birthday, Doug!!!

Today is Doug's birthday. He is 30something. God has blessed me with a great husband and Ryan & Ashleigh with a great dad. There are times that when he walks in the room, my heart still skips. Here are a few reasons why I think he is pretty terrific:
1. He surprises me with Diet Cokes all the time.
2. He pushes me and encourages me to think.
3. He spends a lot of time with the kids playing and being a kid himself.
4. He goes to the mall with me.
5. At night, he reaches over and will hold my hand.
6. He puts up with all my phone calls asking him "what are you doing?"
7. He enjoys cooking.
8. He works hard and is committed to all that he does.
9. He is humble.
10. He is committed to God, our family and people. He is truly sold out to seeing lives changed for Jesus.
11. His great looks :).
12. He sings "Christmas in Dixie" to me and I just melt.
I could go on, but I will not bore you anymore. It is an honor to be Doug's wife and best friend.
Honey, you challenge me and keep me on my knees but I love you and I can't wait to see what the future holds for us. Life has been and I hope continues to be a great adventure. I love you!!

Build-A-Puppy

Doug's birthday is this week and he got a coupon for a free animal at Build-a-Bear in the mail. Don't ask why? Anyway, I couldn't pass up a free stuff animal so after church we took off to the mall for Ashleigh to stuff the animal of her choice. She picked a puppy and named her "Aly". Of course her puppy needed a new outfit. We had a great time finding the perfect outfit and the glasses were the finishing touch. The free animal ended up costing me $15 but we had a great time!

Yard Sales

Well, I am completely over Yard Sales. I lasted until about noon on Friday. It was so hot, I was melting. There were a lot of people that stopped by and I was able to talk and invite people to CATR. There are some really great people in our community. I made enough money to take care of Ashleigh's dance registration and stuff for this year, which was a blessing. We have so much junk and we were able to get rid of most of it and the rest is going to Good Will today. I like to get rid of all the junk and declutter my house. It makes everything look better and I feel better too. Last night I kept thinking what do I need to declutter in my life. What is the junk that I need to get rid of that is keeping me or holding me back from me being everything that God has called me to be. Where do I need to exercise more faith? More Patience? More love and time for others? Sometimes it is not pretty when God shows me the junk that is cluttering up my life, but I do know by cleaning it out, I will draw closer to Him. My desire is to have a heart like God. I love it when God gets my attention through little things.

Nothing to say

This has been a crazy week getting used to the kids being back in school. Ryan and I have both been sick with a cold. I don't know if it is the new routine, the heat or my cold but I have been just blah and haven't had much to say. We are having a yard sale tomorrow and Saturday. I have only been talking about it for 3 months now but since the whole neighborhood is doing it, I decided to join in. Maybe making some money on junk will get me going if the heat doesn't kill me. Oh well, I had better get off the computer and find some more junk...

First Day of School

Today was the first day of school. I always cry. Ryan requested that I not kiss him and say "bye sweetie" in front of his friends. We did our good byes and kisses in private. Ryan and Ashleigh have wonderful teachers and I think it is going to be a great year. Ashleigh couldn't wait to come home and start her homework. Ryan couldn't wait to get outside and run. It is sad watching them get older but also so rewarding. God has truly blessed us and I am enjoying watching my children grow up. It is amazing how I grow with them. I continue to pray that God will give them a heart for his people and for the things that please Him. I can't wait to see what God has for them!

Instant Air Conditioning

The kids found a way to stay cool this past week. They ran an extension cord from the basement all the way to the play fort to plug in a box fan that they found. Pretty ingenious I think. They wanted to sleep out in the fort but after about 15 minutes, they were scared and ready to come in. When cousins are here, we don't know what will appear. The 5 of them are always up to something!

Great Weekend

It is quiet around here tonight. My sister and her family left this morning and it feels weird. I hate saying goodbye. It is always such an empty feeling. We had a great visit but all good things come to an end. Summer is over. Tomorrow, the kids start school. I can't believe Ryan is going into the 4th grade and Ashleigh is going into the 2nd. Didn't they just come home from the hospital? We are off to bed early tonight....5:30 is early.

We went to 2 services today and it was great. I believe that I heard that the count was around 360. God is so good. I can't wait to see what he has in store for CATR and the people of Paulding County.

Recipes and More...

We are having one of Doug's favorite meals tonight. He loves this Chicken Broccoli Casserole. It isn't the kids favorite so they are having Spaghetti with their cousins. Here is the recipe...
Chicken Broccoli Casserole
3 cups of crushed Ritz Crackers
3 large boneless/skinless chicken breast (boiled)
2 1/2 cups of Broccoli (I cook mine first)
1 can of cream of mushroom soup
1 can of cream of chicken soup
8 oz. sour cream
2 cups of shredded cheese.
Spread crackers on the bottom of the pan. Mix all the ingredients (except cheese) and pour over the crackers. Sprinkle the chesse over it. Bake at 375 for about 30-45minutes. It is so easy and so good.
Tomorrow night the kids are going to make English Muffin Pizzas for dinner. Ryan and Ashleigh love doing this so it should be a lot of fun with the cousins. The adults will probably have some kind of take out.
Well, that is enough cooking ideas for today. We are counting down the hours until the cousins arrival-6 hours to go......

Cousins are coming!!!

Ryan and Ashleigh are so excited! My sister and her 3 kids are coming this Wednesday and staying until Sunday. They always have a blast with their cousins. We haven't seen them in several months so we are counting down the days. They have been cleaning their rooms and helping me get the rest of the house clean. I don't know why I always clean so much before they come? We will have a great time and have a lot of fun things planned. We are hoping to go to Stone Mountain to see the Lasershow. The kids always have fun just running around making a lot of noise. They usually get very creative. Buster, our dog will probably hide in my room for 5 days! I may have to hide with him :).

Back to school shopping, slumber party and more

We have had a busy last few days around the Garvin house. We went to LaGrange Thursday night for dinner to thank and show appreciation to some supporters of CATR. I really enjoyed meeting everyone and dinner was great. My cousin's daughter, Hope, came over Friday to spend the day and night with Ashleigh. They had a blast. We set up the inflatable bed upstairs and they tumbled and did somersaults off of the couch onto it. I will post pictures later. They even allowed Ryan to join in on the fun. Then today we went shopping for school supplies and clothes with the rest of the state of Georgia. I don't think the money we saved was worth the crowds we encountered. People were crazy. Three different stores that we went to were out of notebook paper. I have never heard of a store running out of notebook paper. Oh well, we are almost finished with everything we need to get this school year off and running. The kids are excited. Ashleigh couldn't wait to get home and pack her book bag. She has been wearing it around all evening and even went to swing with it on. I am ready to settle down and watch a movie with the kids. Tomorrow is another busy day!

Laundry

Why is it that you never can get caught up on laundry? Just as I think that I am all caught up, it is bath time and I have more. I feel like I do laundry every day of the week and there are only 4 of us. Since I work outside of the home too, we all share a part of the chores; however, I can't share the washing machine. I would like to but I am just too picky. I won't let Doug get too close because things have a tendency to change colors if he washes. The worst part of laundry is putting it all away. The kids put theirs away and I take care of mine and Doug's but that is always the biggest chore. Oh well, I think it is time to switch the laundry...