Changes, ME time, prayer, and some BIG news.

I needed a change on this blog.  I often find myself searching for blog templates on the web somewhere, but alas, I NEVER find what I want, and I am never impressed for very long and I want to change the blog quickly.  This is the reason I hesitate in purchasing a professionally created blog template.  I am constantly changing my mind (just ask the husband, it is a sore spot between the two of us sometimes). 

Anyway, tonight, out of no where, I started messing with the templates and layouts available through blogger and found this background, layout and made my own header quickly.  Voila.  I love it.  Now, don’t expect it to stay this way for long, if you read above, you’ll see I like to change this thing up a bit. 

ME time.  I don’t get much of it lately (hence the lack of blogging), and I needed some.  So tonight, while I was having my ME time and looking around for new templates for the blog I realized how nice this is.  The house is quiet.  Hubs and toddler are in bed, and it’s just little ol me with some peace and quiet.  I miss this.  I’m not sure when life got so hectic, but it sure doesn’t seem to calm down much around here.

I pray.  A lot.  I pray that God can change my heart and let me let go.  It is working, but still a major work in progress.  I have really been through quite a bit with the PCOS news and it has been both good and bad for me.  The Good:  I have realized that no matter how much I want to be in control of this life, I am not.  I realize that HE has all of the control and letting go of the want for the control is really the best thing.  The Bad: I may never have another child.  This is devastating to me, and this is where I really have to just let go and Let God.  (this is where the work in progress comes into play)  I logically know that whatever God’s plans are for our family they are the BEST thing for us, the ONLY thing for us.  It is difficult sometimes to follow logic and not be engulfed in emotion.  I know the crazy negative emotions are from Satan, and I must learn to push them aside. 

I am so thankful for everything that I have, and more thankful for everyone that I have in my life.  My husband, child, parents, step kids, siblings, friends, and all of you out there in blog land.  I have a great job with awesome co-workers.  I have nothing to be but happy, I wish that this logic was what I could always see.  I’m learning, little by little.

And now the big news…..

I AM GOING TO BE A GRANDMA!!  The baby will call me Mimi I think…..

My Stephanie is PREGNANT!!!  Here is a picture of her first ultrasound.  She’s due around the second week of July.  We are so excited to welcome this new little one into our lives!

Well, I think that’s all of the updates for tonight, It’s really time for me to hit the hay as it is wayyyy past my bed time.  Happy Friday to you all and I hope you have a wonderful weekend.  Please remember the reason for the season and remember to PRAISE JESUS.

Next weekend, we’ll be baking Jesus a birthday cake.  Is this something that you do in your house?  We are hoping to make it a tradition.  Cookies for Santa and a birthday cake for our Savior.

 

Show me your Christmas: Decorations!

Today we’re showing your our Christmas Decorations!  I do about the same thing each year, but this year I mixed things up just a tad bit…..

Mantle:  I added the Christmas subway art that I found on Pinterest.  I took down the picture that normally hangs there.  This year we have six stockings on that mantle, since Stephanie got married, we now have Ryan’s to add!  I love the Christmas card displays and still gotta love those Yankee candles, yum Macintosh!

 

The bannister.  We have painted it since last year, it was wood and covered in silver tinsel.  If you go here you can see my decorations from last year.  Like I said, mixed it up a bit.  This year, it’s decorated with ornaments my mom made for our family when I was little.  She gave them to me this year, and I knew they weren’t going on the tree, but I found another spot for them!

Tree.  Now, if you look, you’ll notice that we have a row of lights missing.  This is a tragedy.  This tree is going out the door this year and we’re buying a new one before next Christmas.  I just cannot stand all the hassling I have to do to get this one lit, and as you can see, EPIC fail on at least one row of lights.  One keeps going in and out too, so that makes two sometimes off.  ugh.  We got new bulb ornaments this year, and I’m loving them, makes the tree look much better.  Plus they are shatterproof, so that is helpful with the 2 year old.  I highly recommend.

Last, but not least, our outside decorations.  This is the first year since we got married that we did decorations outside.  I climbed my butt up that skinny tall ladder to put those lights atop those peaks of our house.  It was a bit scary, I admit.  Totally worth it to see my Cooper’s face every time we come home.  “pretty lights mommy, pretty lights”  That’s what he says.  Love it!  I dislike our cars being outside, but Tim’s working on a big Christmas gift for Cooper, so outside they must stay until it’s all finished up……

Well, those are my decorations, link up and show us yours!   Enjoy your Tuesday ladies!

The Johnson Five Lately

Wow, we’re busy, busy, busy.  There is always something going on, and just when I think things might slow down a bit, it just doesn’t. 

Since Thanksgiving it’s been one thing after another, and I am hoping that things will slow down after this week at least until we’re off on our multiple Christmas trips. 

What I want to know is, how am I going to keep up with more activities in the future?  Cooper is only 2 and we are so busy already.  What happens when/if we are lucky enough to get pregnant with another one?  What happens when he gets old enough to get involved in sports?  Goodness.

Before I keep rambling with all of the what ifs, lets talk about The Johnson Five lately.  Tim and I found out why we haven’t been successful in getting pregnant this year.  I have been diagnosed with something called polycystic ovarian syndrome.  I’m really not sure of all of the implications of this, but one of them seems to be that I don’t ovulate on a normal schedule so that we’re not having any luck right now.  We have to go through a few hurdles before we’ll have an opportunity to get pregnant, so keep us in your prayers for that.  We are hoping God has another little one in our future, but we will leave it in His hands, He knows what is best and we trust in HIS plans for us.

Stephanie is almost done with her classes, she’ll get an internship for the spring then graduate college in the Spring, YAY Steph! Ryan is attending school and working full time.  The two of them are enjoying being newlyweds.  I’m proud of the two of them.

Andrew is away at school, he’s enjoying his sophomore year and hardly ever coming home.  He’s doing great with his classes and his grades.  We miss him, but are so glad that’s he’s happy and having a good time.

Cooper, he’s just beyond cute, he’s wonderful and growing and learning new things everyday.  It really is amazing how much kids learn at this age.  It’s great.  I just cannot get enough of him.

Tim is playing in a kickball league and I’ve been working on doing all kinds of Christmas shopping. 

Those are the crazy things that we’re into right now, there is so much, on a daily basis, but that’s the overall scoop.

Since this post is all filled with words and no pictures, I’m including a couple of pictures we quickly took at Thanksgiving.

My brother (Craig), dad, brother’s two kids Layne (on my brother’s lap), Larissa (on my dad’s lap) and Cooper and me.

 

My brother, dad and me.

Have a great day and wonderful weekend.  I’m off to Louisville, KY to go shopping shopping shopping for the weekend with my Mama!   Yay!!

Show me your Christmas list

I’m a geek, and by geek, I mean I’m one of those people who wants things for their house/kitchen for Christmas. Sure, I have other items on my list, actually more of the other things, but I actually really want these things:

Cuisinart 4-Piece Color Coded Flex Mats:  I’m always running out of cutting boards.  These guys are thin and dishwasher safe.  Love the idea.

Kids Healthy Lunch Set 25 pieces:  These are really for me, not for Cooper.  This set has the perfect serving sizes for people who are trying to watch how much they are eating.  This set was recommended to me by a girl at work who is the size of a toothpick.  She told me she uses this set to watch how much she eats and I said, sign me up.  So it is now on my Christmas list.This bread cookbook.  I found it on one of the cooking blogs that I read and I just must have it. 

 

A new camera strap.  This one is made just for girls.  It is the Black Rapid RS-W1 Women's Strap.

That’s my list.  I’m late linking up but at least I’m doing it.  Hope I make it on time next week!