New blog site

Ok, so I've been thinking about starting a new blog.

I'm no expert on any one thing. But I like my life. I love it. And I have joy. I wonder if I have joy that other wives or mothers are looking for...? So not being an expert and wanting to share joy, I've been thinking about starting a blog about all the things I am NOT an expert on. Cleaning, sewing, parenting, being a working mom, shopping, finding screaming deals to save money, cooking, being a loving wife, being a caring friend... There is so much I have not perfected, I'm just busting at the seams to share my trials and errors! Does any of this make sense? Why would I want to share how NOT good I am at something? Well, for one, to share with you how much of an expert I AM would be arrogant. I would rather share how often I fail and what joy it brings me!

The verse that has urged me to share these delightful failures is Titus 2:4-5:

...[Urge other] women to love their husbands and children, 

to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind...

so that no one will malign the word of God.

So, the point of this post is to tell you "I'm thinking about starting a new blog." Now you know why. The next question is: What will the name be? I'd like something catchy but not kitschy, and relevant. I'd like your help! I got this idea from Adam's cousin's wife (so basically MY cousin) Kait who has several blogs, one of which I "helped" name (The Ruffled Owl). She had a lovely apron to give as a gift for this help, but I'm not nearly as crafty, so my prize will be a set of microfiber towels from The Pampered Chef, which happen to be my FAVORITE  cleaning tool and may very well be the subject of my first post on my new blog (which has yet to be named).

Please help! I'm looking forward to getting started and the sooner the better. Please submit your suggestions via comment or email by next Friday, November 19th at 12:00pm, noon, PST.

Blessed by the Presence

My heart has been so full this week.
Heart? Full? What does that look like? I am happy. I have energy. I have patience. I am in love. I feel loved. My home is clean. My yard is tidy. Our bank account is not empty. Dexter should be in my mail box today. Yes, my heart is full.... It is full to the brim, or bursting at the seams with joy.

Oh, and we visited another church last Sunday. It was a church we were hesitant about for the past year because of some of the doctrinal issues that surround that denomination... BUT we enjoyed the Sunday service! The music was pleasant and was contemporary (a little loud, but at least is was on-key), and the preacher actually gave me something to thing about for the rest of the week! I haven't come away from a service feeling "fed" in a LONG time.

The sermon was on Zacchaeus, the unpopular and hated Jewish tax collector from Jesus's time. When Jesus saw "shorty" up in a tree trying to "sneak a peak" he said "Dude, I'm going to be a guest in your house today." Ok, so maybe Jesus didn't say "dude," but he addressed Zacchaeus as a friend and invited himself over. If someone I knew invited them selves over, I would probably be okay with it, however, it depends on who that person was. Someone I ran into at the grocery store and had no priors with? Maybe not so okay... but anyone who I had met more than 2 or 3 time... I'd be like, "yeah, cool, what time? Oh yeah, and you bring the beer." Haha.


Long story short... In response Zacchaeus says that he will pay back anyone he has cheated 4 times greater than what he owes and will give half of his possessions to the poor.

The point? Zacchaeus wanted to give to "redeem" himself as well as to show how blessed he was to have Jesus as a guest. Jesus had never physically met Zacchaeus but he invited himself to his house. Jesus didn't "bless" Zacchaeus with good health, a beautiful wife, obedient children, etc. (at least we are not told such). He was simply blessed by the presence of Jesus.

The preacher charged the congregation to show the world how blessed we are by Jesus. I went away thinking--I am blessed! I have a fabulous house, wonderful daughter, doting husband, and the list goes on... BUT none of these are a result of my faithfulness. I have done NOTHING to deserve these results.

I HAVE SIMPLY BEEN BLESSED BY THE PRESENCE OF CHRIST. Is it silly that this makes me misty eyed? I love the song "Blessed be the Name." We happened to sing it that day in church. One verse says "Every blessing you poor down, I'll turn back to praise." So, as the pastor instructed, I am trying to make it evident that I am blessed by His presence and I am trying to turn those blessings back into praise!

Plus Dexter will be in my mail box later today! YES!

Waiting for February

Adam and I have planned a mini-vaca for the first weekend of February. No, it's not Hawaii. No, it's not Cabo. No, it's not even a different state or somewhere "vacation-y" like the beach. Sacramento. Don't laugh. I AM SO EXCITED. Sacramento is my 2nd honeymoon: for 2 glorious nights in the Rancho Cordova Marriott (courtesy of my Uncle Kenny); a Kings game vs. the San Antonio Spurs; a tour of the Capitol Building; a quiet visit to the newly re-opened Crocker Art Museum, where I am Ashley, Adam's wife--not a household secretary, underpaid maid, on-call taxi driver, puppy pooper-scooper... the list goes on. I am and will forever be honorary title of Mommy, and I will miss Lucy dearly for those 3 days, but I NEED to connect with my husband without things that distract me from just being his wife. Oh, and I do LOVE being his wife. ;)

On another note... speaking about being husband and wife; Adam and I finally share a closet! We moved into this house in February and everything about it (since our remodel) is nearly perfect EXCEPT for the closet space. There are 3 single door closets in the whole house with one cabinet in the bathroom, and one mini-closet for linens. I got the closet in our bedroom and Adam got annexed to the coat closet, which made it really convenient on laundry day, BUT it just felt wrong not sharing a closet. So, I bought these "closet extenders" and now we share a closet! Yay! It's the simple things...

November beginnings

A great way to start a new month is with a winning record at the World Series. Not me of course, but the SF Giants. Regardless of whether you're a Yankees fan, or a Braves fan, you can't deny that this past series was just darn-good baseball.

Another great way to start a new month is with nearly $100 in savings! Yep, $100. I've been really looking online for good deals on things we need and trying to be frugal and one of the ways I've done this is signing up for the Just for U program with Safeway.

As a Safeway club member, I automatically get their club card deals. Now they have even more savings available in coupons. But the Club Card was supposed to save us from clipping coupons, right? Right! The nice thing about the Just for U program is the coupons are "clipable" online and automatically connected to your club card or phone number that you use at checkout. You "clip" the coupons online, and you can print your shopping list which lists your coupons by category and reminds you of your savings and when the coupon expires.

So, yes, it was an overall fabulous experience. At the beginning of my shopping trip, I was a little annoyed because it took me a little longer than my regular shopping trip (just choosing what I needed by the cheapest Club price) because I had to look for the items which I had a coupon for. For regular coupon clippers, this is probably a typical experience, but it was all new to me. I also ended up buying more than I usually would BUT I won't have to shop again as soon as I would in a typical month.

So, my total bill was almost $300 before the savings. I saved over $100 and the savings were so huge that the cashier needed an override from the manager! That made me feel special! I felt bad that I held up the line for an extra 30 seconds, but HELLO! I JUST SAVED A BUTT-LOAD OF MONEY!

Can you tell I was/am excited?