The Shack

For those of you who have not read The Shack, I will not go into detail about this book…..I don’t want to ruin it for you.  I am just going to talk a little about how the book has impacted me.  I urge you all to read the book.  It is so worth the effort.  I would love to talk with you about the book when you have finished reading it.   Please email me, aubregary@yahoo.com.

 

I just finished The Shack.  My mind is a flurry with thoughts, questions, and emotions.  Let me first say, I am not a big reader.  I don’t rememebr the last time I finished a book in 2 days.  Honestly, I could not put this book down once I started reading. I first saw this book at my mother-in-laws house.  I didn’t know anything about it and had never heard of it. I saw it on her table and read the back.  I was intrigued from the beginning.  I asked her how she liked it and she had a hard time explaining her feelings on the book, now I can understand why.  From the moment I read the back of this book I had almost a feeling of "need" to read it.  I can’t explain it, it’s just a feeling I had.  I almost felt compelled to read it and the thoughts of the book wouldn’t quiet in my mind until I read it.  I put the book on hold at my local library and was thrilled this Saturday to finally get it!

 

I don’t really know where to begin when talking about the book.  To say I was moved by it in a way that is overwhelming would be an understatement.  I think this is why I am having trouble putting into words my feelings about the book.  I am overwhelmed with the message of the book. 

 

There are many times in the book that certain messages/passages stood out to me and seemed to jump off the page and speak directly to my heart.   I wanted to share them with you.  It is these words that have really touched and changed me. 

 

– "When all you can see if your pain, perhaps then you lose sight of me".

 

– "There are times when it is safe to touch, and times when precautions must be taken.  That is the wonder and adventure of exploration, a piece of what you call science-to discern and discover what we have hidden for you to find".

 

– "This life is only the anteroom of a greater reality to come. No one reaches their potential in your world. It’s only preparation for what God had in mind all along".

 

– "That’s all I ask of you. When you start to sink, let me rescue you". "Let me show you how. Just keep gving me the little bit you have, and together we’ll watch it grow".

 

– "Just because I work incredible good out of unspeakable tragedies doesn’t mean I orchestrate the tragedies. Don’t ever assume that my using something means I caused it or that I need it to accomplish my purposes.  That will only lead you to false notions about me.  Grace doesn’t depend on suffering to exist, but where there is suffering you will find grace in many facets and colors".

 

– "So when you don’t hear me the first time, I’m not frustrated or disappointed, I’m thrilled.  The first time is a building block to construct a bridge of healing that one day- that today-you will walk across".

 

– "Faith does not grow in the house of certainty".

 

– "If I take away the consequences of people’s choices, I destroy the posibility of love.  Love that is forced is not love at all".

 

– "You demand your independence, but then complain that I actually love you enough to give it to you".

 

– "All that I am telling you is that reconciliation is a two way street, and I have done my part, totally, completely, finally.  It is not the nature of love to force a relationship but it is the nature of love to open the way".

 

– "I have been unable to tell when you’re around"…."for you to know or not has nothing at all to do with whether I am actually here or not.  I am always with you; sometimes I want you to be aware in a special way – more intentional".

 

– "If anything matters then everything matters.  Because you are important, everything you do is important.  Every time you forgive, the universe changes, every time you reach out and touch a heart or a life, the world changes; with every kindness and service, seen or unseen, my purposes are accomplished and nothing will ever be the same again".

Weight Watchers

I lost 1.6 this week.  I was thrilled and surprised to be honest.  Although I didn’t eat horrible, it was my first week getting back on the wagon, so I gave myself a little freedom to go over my points here and there. 

 

It feels good to be back on the losing track, but much more importantly it feels good to have my head back where it needs to be.  I am feeling good about this week and am feeling energized. 

 

God took good care of me this week, He walked beside me when I need His strength and guidance, and helped me realize that I need to stop focusing so much on myself, my body, and my goals…rather, helping me to focus on helping others, taking care of my family, and turning to Him for help instead of relying on myself.  I have a long road to travel in this weight loss journey, but with help from Him I know I will succeed.

 

On the "new product" front….I found these Fiber Plus bars (by Kellogg) yesterday at Walmart.  They have tons of fiber per bar (120 calories, 9 grams of fiber, 4 grams of fat).  They are cheaper than Fiber One bars and lower in calories. I saw two flavors, Chocolate Chip and Dark Chocolate Almond.  I haven’t tasted them yet…..but I will let you know.

Winter Wonderland!

It has been a snowy winter wonderland in Ohio this week.  Today it was finally "warm" enough (above zero) to get outside and enjoy it!  We went to our favorite place, Inniswood Metro Gardens, to play in the snow.  It was lightly snowing the whole time we were there and it was so peaceful and serene.  Noah had a very fun time sledding and exploring.

 

This is how you know it’s way too darn cold….when you have frost on the INSIDE of your windows!  I don’t know if you can tell, but the white (usually silver colored aluminum) surrounding the dark plastic doggy door is ICE!  This picture was taken on the morning that it was -35 wind chill.

 

We had the most beautiful sunrise Saturday morning.  Stunning.

 

 Today Noah spent a little time snuggling with mommy (don’t mind my flower lounge pants and beautiful hairdo)!  Sweet boy.

 

Visit to Inniswood winter wonderland!

 

Now that’s a cold seat!  Look at that MASSIVE icicle!

 

Mommy was showing Noah the winter basics…how to do a snow angel, well at least the falling down process, and eating snow (not yellow snow!)

 

Noah and daddy doing some exploring….

 

We found a nice little place to warm up, and Noah gave some "nose kisses" to his new friend "frog"….

 

Here is my favorite picture from today!  We found a log with a hole though it…….and look what we found on the other side!

 

 

Noah thought it would be nice to share his sippy cup with Daisy.  She wasn’t thrilled.

Perfect Verse

I am in the process of sending out some cards to our military (our church gave us names and addesses of soldiers to send mail to).  I wanted to find a verse from the Bible to include in my card….this morning I found the perfect verse!

 

Joshua 1:9

"I will be strong and courageous, I will not be terrified, or discouraged; for the Lord my God is with me wherever I go".

 

 

Bad Mommy Award Goes to……

  The Bad Mommy Award definitely goes to me today. 

 

Noah and I stayed in most of the day today since it was only a high of 7 degrees (actually wind chill made it below zero).  I realize this is not safe for Noah to be out in.  Although, late in the afternoon (cabin fever set in)  I decided it might be fun to take him out on his sled for a short trip.  I bundled him up in several layers, added a scarf, hat, and even another scarf around his little face.  You could still see his eyes and cheeks.  I got him in his sled and started pulling….I wasn’t looking back at him since I was watching my footing and he wasn’t making a peep so I figured he was happy.  Suddenly the sled felt lighter, I looked back to find my sweet baby laying face down (well one side of his face down) in the snow!  AHHHHHHH!  I ran back (about 5 steps) and picked him up.  Mind you, he can’t move a muscle in all those layers…and the wierd thing is that he didn’t make a peep after he fell out!  I quickly picked him up, he let out a little whine and we headed right back home…rather quickly.  I can’t tell you how horrible I felt!  I got him inside and right up into a warm bath.  He didn’t seem to be affected at all by this event and splashed and played in the bath.  His little cheek that was in the snow stayed red for about an hour! 

 

I know, I know, I know.  Bad mommy.  I learned my lesson about WAY TOO COLD weather.  I will not being going out again in temps lower than 20.  Tomorrow is calling for a wind chill of -25.  Holy Smokes that’s cold.

 

Here are some pics of the snow this morning.  From our front yard and backyard. The sunrise was beautiful!

 

Noah discovered our shower today.  Just when I thought he had seen every inch of our house….he found a place that had not been explored.  He enjoyed bringing several toys inside the shower to play with!  Hmmm, maybe I can get him to help me clean the shower since he loves it so much!

 

Some food finds….I found this new flavor of Fiber One Bars at the store today.  Chocolate Mocha.  I have tried them yet, but I bet they are yummy!  Also, I found the Slim-a-Bear chocolate covered ice cream squared and they are only 3 points (for you WW folks) per bar!  They are really rich and satisfying!

 

Balance, Bath, Fish, and more!

 GREAT VIDEO’S!!!  They are a bit long, but so cute!

Bathtime Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1p0t9Y2afzs

Dance with Dogs Video: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fwE2Gb5GWWk

 

Yesterday Noah found out he could, with a little balance and effort, stand on his car!   He was quite proud of himself.

 

He also decided that Daisy would love to play with his car (she wasn’t thrilled with this) and then proceeded to watch Sesame Street with his car.  He did all this himself.  The little guy is getting really strong!

 

Yesterday Noah took a marathon afternoon nap, almost 4 hours!  I went in to check on him and found that he had climbed up onto our bed and was snoozing away on mommy’s pillow.  It was like a scene from the Goldilocks and the 3 Bears…..he found a bed that was just right!

 

I had to share this GREAT fish recipe.  I am a "fish virgin", meaning that I don’t make or eat it much and am a little scared to cook it.  One of my New Year commitments was to eat more fish.  I saw this recipe on the Food Network and tried it with Salmon (the recipe called for Halibut).  It turned out fantastic!  If anyone is interested in the recipe, let me know!

 

Bathtoy Caddy idea to share…..if any of you are like us and have TONS of bathtoys and not enough storage space, here is your answer!  I found this handy little bath caddy at Babies R Us for under $10.  It has Velcro and attached to a bath towel holder OR it has metal attachments that go over the bathroom door.  It is strong and has enough room for lots of toys!

 

Today we had a fun playdate with my friend Bridget and her girls, Natalie and Baby Lucy.  The kids had a fun time sharing snacks at Noah’s little table.  It was really funny watching the little baby steal raisins from Noah!

Weight Watchers – Surrender

I stayed the same this week at my weekly weigh in.  I didn’t have a great week of food choices, but I am at least starting to make better choices.  This is the the first week I have really felt "hopeful" again in my weight loss journey.  I have been doing a lot of thinking about this whole battle I have been fighting (for years now) and for the first time I feel like I am finally coming to a place of surrender.   I am one of those people who always feels like I need to be in control and I have a hard time "letting go".  This time is different.  I KNOW I can’t do this alone.  I have started praying every morning that God will give me the strength and widsom to choose healthy foods, set a good example for my family, and have the true desire to take better care of myself (not just fit into smaller clothes).  Surrendering my battle to God has really given me a sense of peace and hope for this week.

 

I had a wake-up call today at my doctor’s office.  My blood pressure has been high now for a few weeks.  I have another blood pressure check this Friday.  My doctor thinks it might be related to the birth control pill, but also mentioned that it might be weight related too.  I have never had a "weight related issue" before and it really opened my eyes to the reality of what happens when you don’t take good care of yourself.  I owe it to my husband, my sweet baby, and to myself to take care of myself.

 

Here’s to a week of good choices, faith, surrender, and hope.

Haircuts, trains, potties, shopping, and new skills!

We have had a fantastic weekend.  After a long week of work for Gary we really needed a good family re-charge.  We went to get some yummy mexican food on Friday night and then took a nice wintery walk around Easton Town Center (an outdoor shopping area).  We bought Noah some new slippers that are the cutest things I have ever seen.  He loves them and was pointing at his feet this morning smiling.  Adorable. 

 

We had a wonderful sermon at church this morning.  I will share more on that in a seperate entry.

 

 We also went to find Noah a new potty. Big day.  I was inspired by my friend’s blog (Thanks K!) and her son’s new truck potty! I read a lot of reviews on potty’s (seriously, there are reviews for EVERYTHING out there!) and the BabyBjorn potty was highly recommended by mom’s of boys. Apparently it has a fantastic "splash guard".  That made me laught a little, but it still sold me!  I figured that we could get a new potty and then just start planting a seed in his mind. I don’t want him to be scared of the potty so I am going to encourage him to just sit and "hang out" at the potty for now (isn’t that what boys/men do anyway, hang out at the potty?) Ha!  So, we have placed the potty in our bathroom and he really loves sitting on it.  He knows what "potty" means and seems to know to sit on it….so maybe potty training won’t be so bad?  I don’t think I will start actual training until after his 2nd birthday (unless I see he’s ready).  I don’t want to rush things.  Until then, the new green potty is a fun seat!

 

We started the weekend with a haircut for Noah.  He actually didn’t freak out!  Maybe because daddy was there…or maybe he was too busy slurping down the sucker!

 

At the restaurant Noah learned a new skill….drinking from a straw!

 

Saturday morning Noah and daddy were train engineers!  We are anxiously awaiting the NEW train table Grandpa is making for Noah!  It will be nice to get it off the floor.

 

At Easton Town Center with mommy and daddy!  It was lightly snowing and was so beautiful.

 

We went into a game store and I swear THIS is the game he chose out of ALL the games!  FUNNY FUNNY FUNNY!  Nope, we didn’t buy it.  I hope this isn’t a prediction for the future.

 

We stopped in Pottery Barn Kids (I love that store, but are you kidding me with the prices?) and Noah enjoyed trying out the kitchen set and ride-on toy.  He also helped himself to the toddler bed for a little cat nap!

 

NEW Slippers!!  Are these the cutest slippers you have ever seen?  Notice he is pointing at his feet showing off his "slip slip’s" as we call them.

 

Potty time…..he seems to enjoy lounging on the potty.  He also carried the potty out to show Ebony.  She wasn’t really that thrilled, in fact, I think she was a bit alarmed as he dropped the potty on her bed.

18 Month Check-Up

I feel like it wasn’t that long ago that we were taking Noah in for his one week check-up, then came the one month check-up, the 6-month check-up and now here we are….18 months!  It’s hard to believe how fast it goes.  Noah is now well aware of what happens at the doctor’s office and begins to cry as soon as we enter the building…however, yesterday he was excited about the puzzles in the waiting room and forgot to cry!  What a big boy.  We are always happy to see Noah’s doctor, Dr. Niland.  She is wonderful and we are so blessed to have such a caring and patient pediatrician.

 

STATS: Weight: 23.15 (25th percentile); Height: 33.25 (75th percentile), and Head: 18.75 (yep, he’s got a big ol’ brain)

 

Noah in the waiting room…enjoying the puzzles!

 

After stripping down for his weigh-in he is patiently waiting for Dr. Niland. He amused himself with paper, gloves, and by showing me his tongue (this is a new trick he learned this week!)

 

Now comes the bad part of our visit….at least for Noah.  2 shots.  Here is a before and after shots…..poor baby.  I promise I did snuggle and comfort him after I made him pose for pictures.  Last shots until he starts Kindergarten!!  YAY!

 

After we got home, he decided he wanted to take his nap with daddy’s sleeping pants….so sweet.

 

We had a beautiful sunset last night!  It literally lasted a minute…but I was lucky enough to catch it!

 

 

 

Food Finds

I have some food info to share.

 

If any of you have a picky eater like my little Noah….here is a great way to get them some fruit!  They are fruit leather and are simply dried fruit. No added sugar or preservatives.  Noah loves these!  They come in various fruits. Today I found Cherry, Grape, Apricot, and Strawberry.  I found them at our Giant Eagle grocery store, but they can also be found at Whole Foods.

 

You all know how I love Fiber One products.  I found a new product today…..Fiber One Pancake Mix!  YUM!

 

I have a child that loves hot dogs…but we all know (or maybe we don’t!) what hot dogs are made of.  YUCK!  My mother-in-law made me aware of these hot dogs that have no added nitrates, no added preservatives, uncured beef, no added ANYTHING.  They are a bit pricey, about $7.00 a package but worth it since Noah eats them everyday.  I found them at Giant Eagle and have not been able to find them anywhere else.  I am trying to avoid soy so these are the heathiest hot dogs I have been able to find.  They are Coleman Natural.

 

Finally I found this yummy fruit drink.  It is called Izze and they come in various fruit flavors (I had Clemetine yesterday and loved it, this one is grapefruit).  They are very fizzy but have no added sugar or preservatives.  They are all natural and are 120 calories for the whole bottle.  I don’t have them often but find they are a nice pick-me-up sometimes in the afternoon.  They are very flavorful.  I found them at Starbucks for about $1.99 a piece or they can be found in the grocery store in 6-packs for about $6.00.