Senses and Memory and Being Blessed

It's amazing to me the way our bodies work so well. So many processes are going on to keep us alive and to help us move, talk, feel, and react yet we aren't consciously thinking about these things.

I am fascinated by our senses and our memory. It amazes me that I can see something completely random and it remind me of something from my childhood or past that I never recalled until that moment. Last night and today I have been smelling something in my kitchen. I don't know what the smell is. It's not really a good or bad smell, but I just can't figure it out. The thing is, I think it smells exactly the way my grandmother's house used to smell. Of course before this I could never have described or thought about this smell, but now I can't stop thinking about it. I can't stop going back in my mind to being at my grandmother's house and smelling this smell. This is amazing to me....being able to recall things like that subconsciously without thinking about it. How does that happen?

God created us so intricately and so amazingly. He designed us in a way that is so complex. The first time that I thought about this was when I had knee surgery and then broke my leg. It really taught me how so many things are going on in our bodies that we don't even think about....until they go wrong. I had never thought about the fact that my knees could bend, or support my weight, or allow me to walk or run across the room. I never thought about the fact that I have this to be thankful for every day. How interesting it is to me that the time that I thought about it , of course, was when it wasn't working properly and was interfering with my ability to go about my life. That is such a "fleshly" thing for us to do. When things don't go our way or when things aren't going perfectly for us (in our opinions) then all of a sudden we are devastated about it. Since that time in my life I have tried to remember to be grateful and thankful and realize how blessed I am that most of the time my body is working properly and that God is taking care of me and my family. I try to also remind myself (and my children) that God didn't promise us these things and that we need to remember that God is the one that allows us to be blessed and comfortable and live our lives as good as we do. I try to remember that things may or may not always be the way that they are. I try to remember that no matter what the situation is that I'm in or what the condition of my body and life is, God is still God no matter what. There are so many things that God didn't promise us and doesn't have to do for us - yet he does. Isn't that amazing and fascinating?

New work schedule

Life is busy here so I just haven't posted much lately. Now that I'm working from 9:30-6, it seems like I have even less time. (Of course, that's just because I'm not getting up early enough in the morning to equal the amount of time that I'm used to having in the evenings. I thought that this new schedule would allow me to have exercise, prayer, Bible study, and quiet time in the mornings. Instead, I am cleaning up from breakfast, preparing supper for the evening, washing/folding clothes, and then dashing out the door just in time to get to work. I have decided that I am going to start getting up at my old time and making time for the aforementioned things. I think it will start my day off right. I think that it will be very healthy and relaxing for me.

I'm not sure yet how I feel about my new work hours except for the lack of time that I seem to be having. It's kind of strange working different hours than everyone else at work. It always feels like I'm late for work and then it feels like I'm just working late, when actually I'm going in and leaving right when I'm scheduled. It's definitely going to take some getting used to...

Elijah funny

Last Sunday afternoon, I take Elijah to the potty. He does his thing.

Mommy - That wasn't much.

Elijah - That's all I've got. My pumper's all empty.

Mommy (laughing hysterically)

Elijah - Is that funny Mommy?

Mommy - Yes, that's very funny.

Elijah (bends down and look at his knees) Yep, I've got pumpers in my knees.

Later on in the week - Daddy says "Elijah, what is a pumper?"

Elijah - It's that hole where the pee comes out.

Brent to Mommy - You really need to put that on your blog.

I love to pay off debt!

I never in my life thought I could be so excited and so addicted to paying off debt!! I just keep thinking about how I could pay off even more. Brent and I are getting extremely close to being able to build our house and it is so exciting!!!

My Boys...

Planting Potatoes

On Thursday evening, we planted potatoes. The boys both enjoyed doing this.

Playing in the snow...

Brent and I both had to work today so we didn't get to play with the boys in the snow, but luckily I have an awesome mother who helps me out and plays with the kids when we can't!

Recent pictures of the boys...

Why play with the 100s of toys that you have

when you could just play with this storage container?

Happy Birthday Brent!

Yesterday was my sweet husband's birthday.

I just want you to know that you are an awesome husband and best friend!

I love you!!

Below are pictures from Friday night when some of our friends got together with us to help celebrate Brent's birthday -

Late Christmas pictures...

Funny things we saw in Nassau

The hearse in front of the emergency room...does it just wait for the first death of the day??

Would this fire hydrant really work if there was a fire?

Wiring via a tree??

A truck traveling down the road...Do you realize that you have a flat tire?

A sign on the health department!

Menu for 1st part of March

I think it's best if I don't assign days to the meals that I'm going to be preparing for the next few weeks, but here's the list: salmon patties; potato and beef pie; pork tenderloin; chili mac; salmon; baked chicken parmesan; baked ham; quiche; pancakes

That should get us through the first part of March. I'm trying to cut spending so I'm seeing if I make 2 trips to the store if that helps.

I also bought the ingredients to make my favorite cherry jello salad...yum!