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?

Church

We do not have a church that we are regularly attending here in Susanville. I have a list of excuses as long as my arm as to why... but really it comes down to one fact--none of them are Ridge. I "begged" Tom to plant a church here, but I was politely told no (and rightly so), so we've begun our search again.

Today we visited the Highland Baptist Church after a knock on our door yesterday morning. They handed us a really great pamphlet on their church and I thought "why not?" It was a nice and short service, they had child care so we could focus on the sermon (which was on the parable of the prodigal son in Luke). However, the music was strictly hymns with no instruments--which has been a real turn off for us. The folks there were SO kind and we could tell that they were wanting new attendees, but it just wasn't the church for us.

We were so lucky to find Centerpointe in Eureka when we did (fresh in our marriage, we had only lived in Eureka for 2 or 3 months). It had a pastor who preached well, and that sense of "family" which we find very important. We've been in Susanville for a year and a half and aren't plugged in anywhere yet. The Church in Susanville is where most of our friends go, and they have been our "family" however, their Sunday service is not what we're looking for either; they don't have instruments, and there is no child care--two deal breakers.

With the remodel over the summer, we were so distracted from finding a church that just now do we feel like we can exert the energy to find one. We've tried the EV Free, Nazarene, Calvary Chapel, Chruch of Christ--denominations I thought I would never step a foot into... we are just trying to find where God is leading us. I think the "lesson" in all of this is "don't knock it until you've tried it," and we've been so spoiled at Ridge, I wonder if God wants us to go somewhere that needs us, but we don't necessarily need them...?

Just keep us in mind if you hear of someone saying "I love this church in Susanville," and give them our number! Next week we're going to try the Assembly of God. I'll update you then :)

Halloween 2010

We had many events this weekend for Halloween. Friday was "Safe and Sane" where all of the Uptown shops hand out candy. We went with our friends Janessa, Kayla (the mermaid), and Micah (Mr. Monkey).  Luckily they close off the streets, because the amount of people there was ridiculous. We moved up and down Main like a herd of cattle and just as slow. It was fun to show off Lucy however and she got some good treats.

After Safe and Sane we drove over to Almanor to see my dad who was staying in a cabin there on his annual fly-fishing trip with my uncle and several other guys (Adam was there, too, that night). Lucy was so excited to see Papa. She kept asking if she would also see Dash and Riley (my parent's dogs).

Saturday night was the Harvest Party with The Church in Susanville (a church that we do not go to, but have a lot of friends there). When I got Lucy dressed for the party, she asked "Papa?" I had to explain to her that no, we wouldn't be seeing Papa tonight. She asked "And Dash?" She's so silly. Lucy got to go "fishing" for treats, and play "kick the gourd." Flo (pastor's wife) made fresh baked bread which made me want to take up baking bread... however, I don't know how, and I don't have a loaf pan. SO, I'll have to do one or the other here pretty quick. Here's Lucy sitting with her buddy McKenzie who lives down the street from us.

Tonight we went trick-or-treating at 4pm. We caught everyone off guard--no one was ready with their candy out yet. We knew it was early, but more than anything, we just wanted to show off Lucy and add to our candy supply. By the time we went out, it was the third time she'd worn her costume (which I amateurishly made), and it was looking kinda shabby. I neglected to take pictures, but I figured we had enough. Oh, and when I put her costume on her she said, "Papa?"

Pumpkin Patch 2010