Oh Untraditional Christmas Tree

Tis the season to bring stuff out of storage. 

This Christmas we have a very stuffed living room. 

We have a Pac n' Play and a baby swing and a baby play mat and a lil' kitchen set and lots o' toys all taking up lots o' space.

I had to put my beloved papasan in storage a long time ago. 

In case you didnt know we live in an apartment and are looking for and praying for a new home.  I am a stay-at-home mom so that makes home buying a little more difficult. 

All this to say, there is no room for a Christmas tree this year. 

At first I was bummed about this. 

Christmas without a Christmas seems very sad. 

I thought about how this might be the first Christmas Em remembers and there wont be a tree. 

After a brief mourning period and some prayer I decided its not so bad. 

I am going to have a Christmas tree. But it will not be the traditional type of tree at all. 

After searching the interwebs I found lots of different ways we can have a tree and still be able to walk around.

The Christmas tree decal. 

We have a ton of wall space because I keep telling myself this is our last year here in this apartment (its been 8 years) and I cant commit to a wall color or wall hangings.

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pier one

Or we can go with some tree wall art. 

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But you cant really put any presents under the wall art. 

We could go with an actual tree that is just a little different. 

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This one just makes me sad

The Half Tree
Sold at Target

The Skinny Tree
Sold at Target

And lastly the recreatable tree. 

I can have a tree that Em can decorate over and over
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I can draw a Christmas tree on our sliding glass door window. 

We can have a chalkboard tree.
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After thinking about it, I decided we will do the following:

~The tree decal

I already bought and will have it up soon. 

~The Felt Tree

I'm gonna buy the felt this week and have IT up soon

~The Window Tree

This will prob be done this week and redone many times until Christmas

~And lastly

the spinning tree. 

I saw it Target and had to get it. Its pretty small and will go on our coffee table and Em can play with it lots. It was on Sale!

So instead of being sad that we are not going to put up regular fresh tree this year and dress it up with our ornaments, I'm going to be happy that we have 4 trees and hope that it is a fun memory for Em too. 

Stay tuned for pics!

Learnin' and Returnin' Thanks

Its been a while since I did a Learnin' and Returnin' Thanks post, not because I havent learned anything or am not thankful for anything, but mostly because I am still reading the same book since my last post that was  written of September 2011! I think it is time again to bring back this post on a more regular basis :)

Starting with...

I am Thankful for,
A fun day at Sesame Place with friends on Ems 2nd Bday! She had fun although you could not always tell because her face is VERY serious very often. We went to see Elmo's world show and she was heckling Elmo and telling him "NO! NO! " And she cried almost every time we got off of one ride to get onto another.
She ended up catching a little bug and has had a fever and cold the past couple days but we regret nothing!

Em and Abby Cadabby

Em eating Cotton Candy while watching the parade. She ate A LOT of candy! 

What I am readin'
Like I said, I am still "reading" New York: A Novel. It really is a good book, but it spans several generations so after a few chapters you are reading about new people in a new time, so its almost like starting a new book...sort of. I dont feel the need to find out what happens next immediately. So I am taking my sweet time. I am about half way through and about to enter the civil war. I really do like it. But am not in a hurry to finish. In the mean time I am working on a Beth Moore Bible Study. Breaking Free. It is a very good study and I hope to share what I am learning from that.




What I have learned this week.
I am learning a lot from the Breaking Free Bible Study, which also surprised me. I thought that this study would not be very applicable to my life and that it would be for people that needed to "break free" from serious or deadly addictions and situations. This study would indeed help those people, but it also for people like me that are just living day to day, waiting on the Lord in what seems to be a long quiet waiting period.
What I specifically learned recently is what it means to give glory to God. Basically it means to make Him known. Since I have learned that, I seem to understand what I need to be doing on a daily basis a little bit more.
 I have also learned that I often felt like as a Christian, since I am saved, I should be grateful for my salvation  and should not expect too much else in life from God. I told myself that all the things God said he will give us in the Bible are really only applicable in the afterlife. The thing is I didn't realize that this is what I thought and would pray but not really expect God to always answer. At least not MY prayers. I believed he would answer others prayers, and my prayers are fine but unless I was praying about someones salvation or soul then they were just vain and superficial. I am slooowly learning that my prayers are valid and that God loves me too. He has more to give me than just salvation.

The new pretty book of the Breaking Free Bible Study

The book I have because I bought  it before and forgot. 

What surprised me.
I am getting VERY good picking stuff up with my toes! I am six months pregnant and it is getting harder and harder to bend down and pick stuff up. Em leaves A LOT of stuff on the ground and its just easier to grab stuff with my toes and clean up that way. If I bend over, I get all out of breath and it is just too much work to get back up, so then I just end up hanging out on the floor and getting nothing done.

Em's bday party is this weekend and I have procrastinated WAAAY too long on the preparations. Hopefully I get all the things done that I want to get done. I also have a  lot of things that I want to blog about.
So stayed tuned.

Contentment

In an effort to be more Thankful I created this. 

God Does Answer Prayer

God does Answer Prayer 

I wanted to make a list of how God has answered prayer and worked in my life...its nice to look back to especially when things look rough and I forget his goodness and love.

This page post is a work in progress, as is my life!
(this started off as a page, I moved it to a re-occurring Post. It will probably morph into something else later)

Here is one of my new favorite Bible Verses. 

Psalms 66:16-20

Come and listen, all you who fear God; 

       let me tell you what he has done for me.

I cried out to him with my mouth; 

       his praise was on my tongue.

If I had cherished sin in my heart, 

       the Lord would not have listened;

 but God has surely listened 

       and heard my voice in prayer.

 Praise be to God, 

       who has not rejected my prayer 

       or withheld his love from me!

My husband-He is good Godly man, and challenges me and helps me grow. 

My baby- She is a answer to prayer. We wanted children, but I didnt want to do anything evasive, it took a while...3 years, but she is here and she is wonderful.
I didnt have the epidural- Now this might sound weird, but I decided years before I was pregnant that I didnt want an epidural and confirmed that during pregnancy. Labor was hard, but the Lord answered my crazy prayer and I delivered naturally just like I had prayed and hoped.
I got an IT job immediately-Since taking this IT journey the Lord has provided me with great jobs even through 3 lay offs!!!
I was hired by the pharmacy and they paid me more- I wanted to work permanently where I was contracted and they hem and hawed at hiring me, I was hired by 2 other companies and was pregnant, and FINALLY just before Thanksgiving they hired me and paid me more than what I was going to get at the other companies. 

A Car- When we were first married, we had one reliable car and one not so reliable car. Then we were down to one car. When we went to buy another car, we could not get a loan for the life of us and didn’t understand why. Finally, a woman at a small bank sat with us and I told her that I didn’t understand what was happening and she said "I’m not supposed to do this but..." and she showed us our credit report and it was FULL of wrong information. Thank the Lord for that woman. My husband had a job interview in a week and we had no car for him, so I emailed the church to ask people to pray and in minutes someone offered to sell us their car for $500. We got the money from my in-laws and we had a car. I spent the next few months cleaning up our reports. 

**Side Note-Looking back, I don’t want to forget what its like to be in need of money or things. That way I wont take all we have now for granted. 

Learnin’ and Returnin’ Thanks

I am Thankful because…

I’m working and can be with Emily. She is pretty content to play by herself, but is able to come give mom a hug and kiss whenever she wants. Its pretty awesome.

What I have learned this week…

Copiers will break down when you need them most.

Last Friday I really wanted to take a scene from Office Space and take the church copier out for a little beat down. But logistically it wouldn’t have worked:

The copier is huge.

I had Emily with me.

It wouldn’t have fit in my car.

I don’t have a baseball bat, just a wiffleball bat and a tennis racquet.

Please beating up office equipment isn’t fun alone. Its just plain crazy if you do it by yourself. Not to mention one of the deacons told me that it is leased to us, so then we would have to pay Ricoh back…Sooooooo, instead, I just did the Christian thing and turned the other cheek, and then went to Staples to finish our copies which needed to be done by Sunday morn.

I ALSO whined and pleaded and begged for a new copier, which I am glad to say will arrive later this month. TAKE THAT COPIER! You’ve Been DUMPED! That’s way worse than a beat down. You will miss me, but I have moved on.

What surprised me…
The weight I am gaining…its so depressing. I am getting older and my metabolism is too. I have to actually work out now. I know-I know…some people may be like WAH WAH WAH! But when you are one way your whole life, and then it just CHANGES on you, its an adjustment! I just didn’t expect to look in the mirror and be like “Who switched out my floor length mirror for a fun house mirror?”

What I am readin’…

New York, The Novel. I am on an American History kick again. It comes and goes. It started off with a series on Netflix, called America:The Story of Us. If you like American History put together in a fast-paced, aesthetically pleasing way, then I suggest you add it to your Instant Queue. Then I started reading my college American History text book, (Im nerdy, I know )  then I bought the novel. So far so good. I am going to be reading it for while. Just so you know.

Learnin’ and Returnin’ Thanks

I am Thankful because…

1) Despite our car troubles we were able to continue on and the Lord provides a way for us always!

2) Working from home is becoming a reality!

3)We live in our tiny apartment. Our home buying dreams are on-hold still. I’ve been praying to find the secret to contentment. And it is slowly coming. I don’t hate our apartment anymore!

What I have learned this week…

Resentment and Anger give the offender power over you. So let go of the anger and resentment and the need to see justice. Too much energy and thought on these things just feeds it and makes it stronger.

Oh yeah, and you can patch a tire! I thought once it went flat it was done. The Tire Lives On and we get to keep a few hundred a little longer!

What surprised me…

1)I don’t love dancing at weddings anymore. Am I getting older or have I just been to enough that doing the same 6 dances have lost their appeal. But don’t get me wrong, I may be getting older but I am still fun DANG IT!

2)I am much more sentimental when it comes to kids on TV or movies.  I just saw The Help. MAN ALIVE I was crying like a little baby. So, unless you are a robot or a racist or a racist robot this movie will get you.

What I am readin’…

BossyPants by Tina Fey. Its really funny but kinda crass. I don’t recommend it to the youngins’. If there was a made for TV movie about my life, I would want Tina Fey to play me. She is smart and pretty and silly and hilarious.

You might be thinking to yourself “Geez, Tiff, Relax. You are only a couple of those things…on a good day!”

To those people I say…”Shut Up, you don’t have a TV movie about your life…I DO and I can have anyone I want play me and how I won the Oscar, the Emmy and the Dancing with the Stars disco ball all in year at the age of 31 whilst having amnesia. What did you do? What, Nothing…that’s right!”

Learnin’ n Returnin’ Thanks

I am Thankful for… My Husband, He is a hands-on dad! He loves his little girl and loves spending time with her, teaching her, playing with her and taking care of her. Im thankful for this because I know that there are a lot of men out there that are intimidated by babies and/or feel that it’s the moms job to feed, bathe and diaper the kids. My husband is a great dad and loves to do all those things!

What I have learned this week…That I really REALLY need to take care of my eyes. I stretch the time of use for my contacts to save money, I rub my eyes really hard when Im tired and I touch them way too much. I had to go to the dr. for some intense eye pain due to corneal abrasions. I was kinda hoping for an eye patch. I think I can rock one. I would bedazzle it and add some fabric and flare and be one F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S Pirate! I would answer our church phone like “CalvAARRRGHy Bible Church, me name be Tiffany” but alas, I was just given some drops and told not to wear contacts for two weeks.

What surprised me…I had an interview with a recruiter for a full-time work from home IT job. Due to my eye issues and Em had a fever, I had to cancel. I was relieved. This surprised me because isnt this what I have been praying for for years! This particular job required that I be on the phone from 9-6. I think this would have been extremely difficult to do with my little toddler. I have a few emotions, like confusion, guilt and concern. But Im trying to move past those feelings. Im continuing to pursue a job where I can work from home part-time that is IT related. Im praying for inspiration, motivation, discipline and wisdom.

What I am readin’…I recently finished Heaven is For Real. It’s a good read and I recommend it to anyone looking for something light and uplifting. Click Here for my thoughts on this book.

Learnin’ N Returnin’ Thanks

I am thankful for…

~Our Country-Ive never been outside of the country, but I think I have some appreciation for what we have that other countries don’t.  We can worship as we choose, we can speak out against the government as we choose and if you work hard you can do almost anything. I am very grateful for all those things!
~Skype- Its much more fun to talk via skype than on the phone. And you get to see you friends new life, not just hear about it.
What have I learned this week…
~I REALLY avoid confrontation or telling people how I really feel. I knew this about me, but I didn’t realize how it really is causing me more trouble later on down the road. Not BIG trouble, just annoying trouble. For Example, Someone has been trying to get me in on a independent consulting business. Ive been down that road, and I don’t think I want to do it again. But instead of telling this person that I am not interested, I just listen and avoid…and NOW, well its been months of phone calls and invites and this person efforts could have been put elsewhere instead of on me, if only I just told them NO from the beginning.
What surprised me…
~How much watermelon one watermelon really provides. I never bought one before. I felt like “Baby” from Dirty Dancing carrying it to my car. The phrase “I carried a watermelon” just kept repeating itself over and over in my head. Well I cut in fourths, and its been a week and we only ate one fourth. I don’t know what to do with all this watermelon! Em and I are going to be watermeloned out before August.
What I am readin’…
~I finally finished “The Element” I kinda just skimmed the end as it was a lot of the same. It was a decent read, a lot of inspirational stories of successful people and how they came across their passion in life. Some were young, some were old, most didn’t do well in school because it was too structured and money helps but isnt a requirement to find your passion. It was encouraging and I am just praying for inspiration and opportunities to find my “passion”. Ive always been a little envious of people that knew exactly what they wanted to do and pursued it. BUT its not too late…maybe I will have many “passions”

Learnin' & Returnin' Thanks

I am thankful for…

~A year with my new Bestie Emily. 

~Friends and family to celebrate first Birthday parties.(pictures coming soon)

~Date Night with Husband (we saw XMen) and friends that babysit. (It only took a year for me to leave her! :)

What have I learned this week…

~A new fancy camera with a lens means you have to wait longer to post pictures due to editing and blah blah blah. 

~Mutants are just like everyone else and most are just misunderstood. Seriously, Magneto is almost ALWAYS right...the government will turn on you when it gets it chance!

What surprised me…

How far chicken nuggets and baked Macaroni and Cheese go at a party. 

What I am readin’…

Sigh...The Element...Im starting to regret that I listed what I am reading. 

Learnin' & Returnin' Thanks

I am thankful for…

~A sinus infection that helped me lose those last 5 pregnancy pounds...Ill take an illness over having to jog.

~My Shark Steamer, it does a good job of removing dried baby food off of a high chair and puke from a car seat.

~My ability to list a third thing ;)

What have I learned this week…
According to Suze Orman, I dont have to buy a house any time soon. Phew...the pressure is off...until we have another kid, or buy ANYTHING and I have to find a place to put it. But Suze Orman said it...and what she says goes.


What surprised me…

How annoyed I am that the Eagles are considering taking on Plaxico Burress. Im not even super knowledgeable about the team, I just know that every other year or so they seem to lose my respect even further. This ACTUALLY kept me up at night. HAHA! 

What am I readin’…

Take a guess....yes....The Element. And Since Saturday is Ems first b-day, Im planning a party and will have even less time to read. There is a .0000000000001 percent chance I will finish it this week. But I will finish it, Oh yes...then LOOK OUT WORLD...

Learnin' & Returnin' Thanks

I am thankful for…
~A break in the heat. (I love the heat, but Em does NOT)
~False Eyelashes...when you are down and troubled, stick some falsies on and you will 
feel F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S!!
~Friends that love me and want me to feel F-A-B-O-L-O-U-S and buy me false eyelashes. 



What have I learned this week…
~Jojoba oil. That stuff is pretty cool. Husband bought it for his own purposes, but it also works great as make-up remover. 


What surprised me…
~Even though Im not working, we still have the $$ to have fun. That is such a huge blessing and a surprise. But why should I be surprised that God does more than provide...I dont know. But Im still surprised by His goodness...goofy me. 


What am I readin’…
~Im Still reading The Element. Now that I have it posted two weeks in a row, Im going to try to finish it this week. And hopefully I will discover what my skills and passion are. 

Learnin' & Returnin' Thanks

Learnin and returnin thanks…

I don’t want to take time or life for granted. I'm going to try to keep a weekly little tally of what I am thankful for and what I have learned. Lets see how it goes.

I am thankful for…
Husband finding some lost cash.
A possible opportunity for new work. Time will tell.
An opportunity to serve and make money with Em with by my side.

What have I learned this week…
Baby teeth don’t always grow “in order”. I was expecting Ems fourth tooth to be a top middle tooth, but instead it was a little side tooth…I was worried they were growing in crooked, or that she was missing some baby teeth, LOL, but a mommy-friend put that fear to rest.

What surprised me…
I kinda miss Oprah?! I was really moved by her last episode and kinda missed her the next couple days.

What am I readin’…
The Element (this is a good read for finding your passion and talents) Ive been hearing little whispers if you will from different sources about finding your calling and living out your purpose. Time will tell.

Im Thankful Still #4

Im Thankful Still #4

I need to do this so I remember Gods goodness and love and that I am blessed.

1) Friends that help us jump our car batteries.

2) Being able to pay for a car battery

3) Ive had a few people tell me how they made the decision for themselves or their wives to work from home and how it was tough at times, but it worked and they were really happy with their decision.

4) A husband that supports me in my desire to be home with our baby.

5) I am healthy and so is my family

6) Friends that sympathize with me when I complain.

7) Nap time. LO needs her nap and I can get things done, such as blogging, job searching and emailing.

8) A funny baby.

9) A funny husband

10) Time. Im surprised with how little of it I still have even though Im home. But Im thankful that I have more time to do those house wifey things.

idea from CuriousGeorgi

Thankful Thursdays #3

THANKFUL THURSDAYS

So I like doing this, it makes me remember how good my life is. 

1) Ant Traps. I tried to take care of our ant sitch naturally, but they just kept relocating. So we bought some traps, tucked them away and my ant problem seems to be gone.

2) Friends to email during the day. Keeps me from being lonely.

3) Cake Mania Im thankful and a little resentful of this game. Its fun, but too fun. I should probably stop.

4) My SNES sold for some decent dough.

5) Small Group. We pray together and grow together and creating long lasting friendships

6) Blogging. Its really become an outlet for me.

7) Hope Still

8) I lost some weight since Ive been home. I move around more and eat less staying home with Em.

9) http://allrecipes.com/ This site has helped stretch my domestic skills

10) Non hassle returns. I was able to return Ems first high chair for a better one all through the web and got all my mullah back.

idea from curiousgeorgi

Thankful Thursdays

THANKFUL THURSDAYS

So I like doing this, it makes me remember how good my life is.

1)   Today is my last day at the office. It was great, Im Thankful I can stay home. Its going to be tight, but we can do it.

2)   Christmas went well. We both liked our gifts and Baby had good time chewing on wrapping paper and bows.

3)   Linked In. It’s a good website and I hope it helps me find that telecommuting job.

4)   A warm apartment. I like living next to old people that have their heat blasting. It makes our place a little cozier.

5)   Nudys. That place is yummy. It’s a breakfast diner…NOT what you think!

6)   Friends to spend New Years Eve with.

7)   The Lord blesses us so much. We have enough to pay bills and buy gifts. I don’t want to forget when we weren’t able to do that.  I never want to take our finances for granted.

8)   Fed-Ex. They really come in handy when disputing an ongoing audit for 4 years now.

9)   Netflix and Hulu. We don’t need cable because of these companies.

10)     Hope for the future. Jeremiah 29:11

idea from curiousgeorgi

Thankful Thursdays

Im going to take a moment from my little story and list 10 things Im thankful for today. I hope to do this every Thursday.

1)  Im going to heaven and God saved me when I was young

2) My husband who is funny and handsome and supportive

3) My besties!  Super supportive and loving.

4) My little baby girl. She is an easy baby and super cute too.

5) We can pay our bills and have extra $$ for gifts and fun.

6) A lazy day at work where I can blog.

7) A very warm apartment.

8)  I live in a good country and neighborhood where I am relatively safe and am free.

9)  Hope for a prosperous future from God

10)              My Health!

Idea from

Curious Georgi