I've been busy.

So I kind of have a purse obsession. My mom can attest to the fact that I was a total purse pack rat at a very young age. That obsession has transfered to a diaper bag obsession too! Anyway, that doesn't really have anything to do with the point of this post. I just wanted to show off the new purse I knit and felted!
Oh, and I bought more yarn yesterday to start a matching diaper bag!

This next picture is Mara helping Becca open her presents on her birthday last week. You can't see it really well, but she's wearing a dress I finished a couple of weeks ago.
And then this last one is the hat I started back when I was supposed to be packing for our Iowa trip. I've been finished with it for a while but couldn't figure out the stitch for the edging. I dug it back out along with every knitting book I own , and here it is....Mara says Becca looks like a piece of candy in it!

I'm confused.

So exactly what season is it?

The Bradford Pear trees in our neighborhood are blooming.

Did I miss the last six months and it's fixing to be April and not October.....or are the trees confused too?

Barbie's got it!

Mara showed me this the other day....
....and then said, "Look Mom, Barbie's praising Jesus!"
My heart just melted. It didn't matter that Barbie was...um....not modestly dressed because Mara is learning how and the importance of praising her creator!

Can. Not. Look. Away.

Hi, my name is Carrie, and I love reality television shows.

Ah, I feel so much better already.

Now that I got that out, I'm no longer embarrassed to say I just watched the first episode of The Bachelor. This show gets on my nerves.

Top 5 Reasons The Bachelor gets on my nerves.....
1. I can't stand how the girls compete.
2. I hate the jealousy.
3. The dirty looks really drive me crazy.
4. I know Brad is hot, but must he constantly be shirtless.
5. Where did they find these girls? Human pretzel, web toes, and a blubbering drunk.....classy!

So as much as this show gets on my nerves, I LOVE it! Go figure! Will ya'll still claim me as your friend?

Call MENSA!

There's a new strip mall being built on our town (another one!). It's called Mt. Rushmore Place, and the sign has a big picture of Mt. Rushmore on the top of it. We passed it on our way home from preschool the other day. Here's the conversation in the van...

Mara: Look Mom, South Dakota!
Me: (not having a clue what she's talking about) What?
Mara: (pointing at the sign) It's South Dakota, right there!
Me: Who taught you that?
Mara: Bob and Larry, you know (singing) I wanna gooooo.......South Dakooooootaaa!

So she recognized Mt. Rushmore from the Veggie Tales video where they sing about South Dakota. She's a genius!

And yes, I'm quite embarrassed to admit that I had to come home and google Mt. Rushmore to make sure it was indeed in South Dakota!

Wordless Wednesday #14

Look out American Idol!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Save $$ on Kleenexes

Me: Emily, come here please. We need to blow your nose.

Emily: (running in the opposite direction) No, I wick it. I wick it!

EEEEEEWWWWW!

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Becca Sue,
I can't believe that one year ago today, I kissed you for the first time.When we found out you were coming, we had just moved to a new town and were still trying to adjust. Mara had just turned two. Emily was nine months old and had colic for seven of those months. I cried for weeks not really knowing how I was going to handle another crying baby.It is so awesome to see how God's plans for my life are perfect. I could not imagine you not in it! You are everything I'm not, baby girl. You are the definition of easy going, and oh you're so content. You always have a smile for anyone looking your way. You make me a better person and a better mommy!I love you so much baby girl. I can't wait to see what else God has to teach me through you.Happy Birthday, Becca Boo!

Sisters

Becca and Emily have been spending some great quality time together when Mara's in school. Emily's teaching Becca how to wrestle.
Look out!

Nelly Olsen Hair! *Updated*

My mom used to put rags in my super straight hair to make it curly. This was a very sweet time the other night as I carried on the tradition.Mara loved the rags in her hair. She wouldn't let Emily or Becca come within three foot of her because they would "MESS UP MY HAIR!!!" But then she was even more proud of her curls the next morning. And she's already asked me to put them in again tonight! Do you do things with your kids that your mom or dad used to do with you?

*Updated*
I'm going to try to describe how to put the Nelly Olsen curls in....
First you need to get strips of fabric about 1" wide and at least twice as long as the hair. Sheets work great, or I used a really old tea towel. Put the strip over the head (Mara held on to the other end to make it easier) and wrap the wet hair around the strip. Then take the other end of the strip and wrap it around the hair, and tie the end of the strip at the bottom. Leave them in over night. Be sure NOT to brush the curls in the morning, just separate them with your fingers and you've got Nelly Olsen hair!

Wordless Wednesday #13

"What are you looking at?
Haven't you ever seen a princess scuba diver before?"

It's all about the accessories!

For more Wordless Wednesday, go here.

Susanna Wesley's Apron Works for Me

Since becoming a mom, I've really struggled with finding time to study my Bible and pray each morning. The last couple of years I've tried either
a.) Getting up before the girls.
....or.....
b.) Having a quiet time during nap time.

I'm still laughing at option a, and option b has worked for a little while but is still not consistent.

The most practical thing I brought home from Deeper Still was the story of Susanna Wesley. She had eight kids (one of which was John Wesley). Whenever she needed quiet time to talk to God, she would put her apron over her head. Her children knew that when momma had her apron over her head they were not to bother her.

Well, I don't put an apron over my head but I've used the same concept the last couple of weeks and it's working! First thing in the morning, I sit in a chair at the dining room table. I only sit in this particular chair when I'm doing my quiet time. I tell the girls that mommy is going to read her Bible and talk to Jesus.

The first couple of days I got about ten minutes of quiet time (which was more than I expected!), but it's getting better. I got a whole half hour this morning! And how awesome is that for my girls to see me spending time with my creator!

So, Susanna Wesley's apron Works For Me! For more great tips, go to Rocks in my Dryer.

You are not going to believe this....

I won! I still can't believe it. I've never won anything. Guess I can't say that anymore. I now have $50 to spend here. The problem will definitely be choosing ONLY $50 worth of stuff!

Monk and Neagle

See that flashing button over there in the bottom of my sidebar? It looks like this....

You really should click it!

A couple of months ago, they sent me a free CD. Hello!?! FREE CD! I thought at the time....it's free, sure I'll try it out. It came a few days later in the mail. I stuck it in the laptop and 'Beautiful One' started playing. Mara said immediately, "Curious George!" I hope they're not offended by being compared to a monkey theme song, but coming from a three year old who LOVES Curious George, there could be no bigger compliment!

Anyway, I not only got a free CD, I get a new favorite band to listen to. They are awesome.

And what's even better is that their new album came out today. Go ahead, click the little banner. You can listen to it and order an autographed CD for under $10. What a deal!

Ok, no really go click on it!

No Whining!

I love this picture. Check out the back of their t-shirts/nightgowns. That's my new motto!"No Whining....This is a No Whining Zone"!!!

There goes time, flying again!

I'm not sure what is more unbelievable..... that Mara Lin will be four in just a few months, or that Becca Sue is fixing to walk!

Philippians 4:13...Southern style!

Have you seen a cuter memory verse?

Dear Mr./Ms. Google Searcher,

If you gained any insight from your research on "two year old giving up paci", I would really appreciate you coming back here to fill me in. I would be grateful for any info you have to give because you obviously know from your visit here that I have no answers.
Sincerely,

Better late than never.

The first day of school was last week, but I just got these pictures off my camera. She's so big!

Auquadoodle Works for Me

You can tell by the several 'painting' pictures on my blog that my girls LOVE to paint. They ask to paint almost everyday....sometimes twice a day! There is fabulous washable paint out now so it's not that messy of an undertaking, but Emily can turn washing her hands into a messy undertaking! So on days that my sanity needs a little less mess, these aqua-doodle little pages "work for me"! They come with the little markers that you fill with water. Those are great when you need to take them with you. We really like to get a little bowl of water and a small paint brush (the smaller the paint brush, the longer it takes them to complete one, and the longer I get to blog.....oops, did I just say that out loud?). So if your kids love to paint, the aqua-doodle pages are a fabulous non-messy option. But you have to get the real stuff out and make a big mess every now and then!

Here are the girls 'painting' their Barbie pages....

My goose is cooked!

My blog has been quiet this weekend because I was at the Deeper Still conference. And let me tell you, my toes are still sore from being stepped on, and my goose is so totally cooked I'm not sure you'd even recognize it as goose anymore!

Needless to say it was fab-u-lous.

I had never read or heard anything from Priscilla Shirer but fell in love with her this weekend. She encouraged me this weekend to know whose I am and who I am. I am anointed just like David was anointed king. With this anointing I can expect opposition, access to God, specific and divine directions from God and super-natural results. So am I living in that anointing? Accessing that spirit and living beyond myself? My goose was getting pretty warm.

Then Beth Moore gets up there and was ALL up in my face! God wants to bring me so far that it HAS to be God in my life. If He made my life managable, I would just manage it! In order to allow God to do that, I have to move past my devistation with God ('unanswered' prayers, anger, fear, circumstances, etc.) return to whole-hearted obedience and have the courage to see the fullfilment of God's promises for me. Whoo Hoo! I want so much for God to bring me so far that others say, "Wow, that has to be God in Carrie's life." So now my goose is not only warm but starting to roast.

Then Kay Arthur gets up there and talks about crossroads in our lives and sin. Let me just say, praise God for that grace she concluded her talk with. Now is when my goose is totally burned you can't even recognize it anymore.

This post is getting way longer than I thought it would be, but I'm just so excited about the rema word God gave me this weekend. And I didn't even say anything about the awesome worship time from Anthony Evans, Travis Cottrell, and hold your breath...Mandisa!

Priscilla, Beth, and Kay were fabulous. Anthony, Travis, and Mandisa were amazing. But the coolest thing....God showed up just for me!

This is too sweet!

How cute are they?