Is it possible to fall in love with a planner? If you're me...it is.

I have this slight obsession with planners and all things organization.  Sometimes my obsession comes to a productive fruition and other times it's less about productivity and more about writing birthdays and fun stuff in pretty colors with new pens.
I am extremely picky when it comes to planners.  It has to have everything I need, in very specific formatting, and anything else is icing on the proverbial cake.  I came across the Erin Condren "Life Planner" and let me tell you, if I had an extra $50 I would be all over it...all over it for every year from now on.  Maybe a graduate school graduation present for the following year can be a possibility to give into this new find.  I was already loving this planner but then I found this adorable video on their website and I have to admit it made the longing worse....So, for your enjoying pleasure I've shared the video.  Even if you have nothing close to a love for planners, the video is perky and peppy and colorful!  Enjoy!

Our Christmas.

Our Christmas was full of Baby Jesus, family, fun, and of course, breakfast with the princesses.

We hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! 

Love,

The Reid family

Sprinkled or Saturated?

No, I am not talking about food.  I am talking about Jesus.  Now, those of you who turn off immediately when I mention His name on here, hold on just one second.  Let me get this out.
I tend to go through my days sprinkled; not saturated with Jesus.  I tend to go through the day doing things my way, making my plans and going through the motions my way (notice all the "MY's" in there).  Through the day I will usually have little sprinkles of Jesus, sometimes as an afterthought, sometimes as a complete and utter necessity because I am to the point of pulling my hair out with the girls, sometimes it is because I get a text saying somebody is sick or having a bad day and in need of a prayer.  More often than not I end up frustrated at somebody or something and I hop on a roller coaster of emotions that could quite possibly beat out the Kingda Ka.
How often have we turned from Him, as in Isaiah 53:6 and still expected out lives to be grand? rewarded? easy?  What would happen if instead of sprinkling my day with Jesus I saturated my day with Him?  How much better would life be if I allowed Jesus to LEAD my day instead of just asking Him to occasionally be present in it?
In this holiday time it is easy to think of Jesus as a small helpless baby.  Why would we saturate our lives with any baby but our own, or at the very least nieces or nephews?  The thing is, we aren't saturating our lives with a helpless baby.  We are saturating our lives with a man who loves us with a love so intensely it even surpasses a mother's love for her child.  A man so powerful that he could rip the planet into literal pieces but who chooses to be so gentle a butterfly would not shudder in His palm?  We are saturating our lives with a God who is so patient that no matter how many times we DO turn away and try to do things on our own, He is there with his arms wide open, waiting for us to turn around and realize He has been there waiting all along.
So, this Christmas and this New Years, when you are beginning to make and list your resolutions, I have a challenge for you.  I am taking on this challenge, mostly for myself, but I am offering it up for those of you who would like to join me.  I pray that we will begin to saturate out lives with Jesus.  Not the baby Jesus, as cute as he may be, but the man Jesus.  The man Jesus who has His arms wide open waiting for us to turn around and be embraced.  The man who has had His arms wide open since He was sacrificed on that wretched and wonderful cross.
I know, I know, you wanted to loose those last four pesky pounds for your New Years Resolution.  I have good news for you....Jesus is ready and able to walk those pounds off with you.  So, whaddya say?  Join me?  Will you sprinkle or will you saturate?

Pinterest: School vacation to do list.

I don't have a lot of down time during the time school is in session. So, I was going to take my Christmas break to get a few things done around the house.

Here are a few ideas I had in mind:

1) Paint the girls bathroom and then paint/write scriptures and inspiring quotes for the girls like this, this, this, and this.

2) To organize the laundry area like this.

3) To organize the under our bathroom sink like this or this.

4) To organize the pantry like this or this.

5) To make a gigantic "R" out of cardboard and wrap it with fabric, similar to this.



Things do not always turn out like I plan and the only thing I have gotten done on my list is to cut out a large "R" out of cardboard and tape off/prep the girls bathroom.  I have, however, got to spend time with some of my family and friends.  I have gotten sick and gotten over it.  I have helped my Mamaw run errands and visit my Papaw's gravesite.  I have gotten Chuckwagon (my favorite restaurant in L-town) a few times.  I have ran around like a chicken with it's head cut off.  Today, my girls have their Christmas parties and PJ day at school that I will be attending.  I have realized that it will get done at some point.  But right now there are more important things going on in my life than hot gluing fabric to a cardboard letter or organizing my pantry.  It will happen. Slowly but surely. It will happen.

 

Sick kiddo and awesome pillows.

Last week a bug hit our sweet Kyra Mae.  The stupid stomach bug.  My poor baby threw up all night last Thursday.  After the second time of Josh changing everything in the bed and me changing Kyra's PJs, I decided to sleep in the floor with her.  We slept on a bed full of towels.  It was great and awful all at the same time.  I enjoyed cuddling with Kyra Mae because it is something I very rarely get to do.  It was awful because our poor baby threw up several more times through the night and we basically folded towels up and over the entire night. I also had an "OMGoodness I knew I had an awesome pillow but I didn't know how awesome it was until I slept on the floor with a  sick kid and did not wake up with a sore neck or back" moment.
Thankfully, Kyra's sickness lasted only around twelve hours and she was back to her normal sweet teething but not sick anymore self.

Dearest Kyra Mae.

Dearest Kyra Mae,
My sweet girl, you went to the dentist for the first time today and you did great!  You did cry a lot but after you were finished being what seemed like tortured you perked right back up and turned on the Kyra Mae charm!  You are getting in so many teeth at one time but you are such a trooper!  You started getting your teeth around nine months and you haven't stopped.  So, my sweet baby, you have been teething for four months non stop.  I just don't know how you've done it and not been a complete grizzly bear!  You haven't come out unscathed though because you have basically kept an ear infection the entire time.  Hopefully this next round of antibiotics will knock it out.  
You are growing so quickly.  Much too quickly.  You are practically running right now and you have almost caught Teagan in height.  You are truly going to give her a run for her money pretty soon.  You are a feisty little booger and I have a feeling she is going to realize that in the next few months.  Watch out, Big Sister!
You are working on eating with a fork and you are doing a pretty good job!  Tonight you ate french toast with a fork and seem to really be getting the hang of it.  You have also started doing "praying hands" on your own.  It is precious to watch!  
Even though you are a feisty little bear you are extraordinarily sweet.  You love hugging on your stuffed animals.  Whether you are walking or running around the house you typically have your puppy or your gorilla snuggled up to you.  You are still a great sleeper and 9 times out of 10 you go down without a fuss and without needing to be rocked.  Sometimes this still bothers me a little bit and I am so thankful when you allow a little before bed cuddle.  I don't force it though, because I know you are not a huge snuggler and that is okay.  I take whatever I get.  Even when you don't want to cuddle you allow me to sit you on my lap and I pray for you.  I put my hands over yours and we do praying hands, we say the typical sweet children's "night-night" prayers and then I pray for you, over you.  I pray for you to know how much I love you.  I pray for you to have sweet dreams.  I pray for your heart to grow closer to the Lord with every day.  I pray for you and Teagan's relationship to grow stronger each day.    I continue to learn so much from you, Kyra Mae.  You teach me every day that just because you and Teagan both came out of my belly does not mean you came out the same person.  You have different strengths, different weaknesses, different likes and dislikes.  When you were first born that idea intimidated me a little bit and I had a hard time dealing with it.  You have been so patient with me and our relationship has grown so much over the last 13 months.  We are still learning each other and I know we will continue to do so the rest of your life.  You and I are completely different and to be completely honest, I think that is going to come in handy come your teenage years!
I hope you know how much I love you.  I will continue to remind you every day a few times a day with a ton of hugs and and equal amounts of kisses.

Forever and Always,
Mommy    

Crockpot Baked Ziti. UhMazing.

Sometimes I don't feel like cooking.  With school sometimes I just don't have a lot of time to cook.  The crockpot is becoming a constant companion, a reliable one at that, in our house.  I wanted something filling and carb-y (hello, PMS, go away soon thanks) and something I knew the rest of the family would dive into as well.  

I had crockpot baked ziti pinned and thought this would be a good time to do it. 

Here's my version. 

1 box of pasta (I usually mix wheat and white)

2 jars of pasta sauce (I used one garlic/tomato and one sweet pepper/basil)

Parmesan cheese to taste

1-2lbs of the meat you love.  I used hamburger meat that I had browned in Italian dressing (SO FREAKIN GOOD). 

To do with the goods.

Put the crockpot on low for 4-5 hours or high for 2-3 hours. 

Use a crockpot liner or spray some cooking spray so it doesn't stick. 

Mix your meat and your pasta sauce together.

Spoon a layer or meat/pasta sauce. 

Spoon a layer of noodles (uncooked)

Sprinkle a layer of cheese (we LOVE cheese in this house, so I sprinkled a LOT)

Repeat. 

Cover. 

Go read play with your kids, go for a run, take a hot shower, or whatever else makes you happy. 

This turned out really good.  We are still eating leftovers and nobody has complained yet.  When you reheat make sure you cover it with a moist paper towel so it stays moist and add a little garlic and an extra sprinkle of cheese! It's almost better as leftovers! Move over baked-baked ziti, here comes the crockpot kind!

Even when you don’t think you can…Sometimes you just have to laugh

Sometimes life gets too serious or too regimented around this house and in our lives.  Sometimes I find myself having a below average day at “work” or school but wanting to run back there after we get home.  There are some evenings where Josh and I are squabbling because of miscommunication or both girls are having tempter tantrum after temper tantrum.  Last night was one of those nights for the double or triple temper tantrums.  We had a great ride home.  We even rode home paci-less without any tears.  Teagan and I sang Jingle Bells at the top of our lungs with the windows rolled down with Kyra Mae harmonizing with her sweet baby coos.   Then, we get home, and all hell breaks loose.  The cries, the not listening, the shrieks at the table just got to me about 45 minutes in and instead of crying I looked at Josh and started laughing.  Josh looked at me like I had lost my marbles at first and then he started doing the same.  The girls continued to cry and we continued to laugh.  It calmed us.  It calmed the girls down after a minute or two.  Did it fix the behaviors or the fact our sweet girls were tired but wanted to fight going to bed? Did it fix the fact that Kyra has four more teeth trying to make their way through while the others just made their appearance? Did it fix the fact that Teagan is bordering on three and ALL that encompasses?  No, it did not.  It did, however, change Josh’s perspective and mine.  Sometimes we don’t need a fix.  Sometimes we need a break.  Sometimes all we need is a change of perspective.  So here’s to laughing instead of crying.  Here’s to perspective changes, the fun way. 

American Heart.

I've never heard this song or seen this video.  When I did both at one time I cried.  Beautiful song. Beautiful message.  It makes me prayerful that Americans will come together and stay together. One heart at a time.