He's Got the Power!

"He's got the Power, everybody's talkin' bout his power!"

Yes, that is all that is in my head as I'm trying to wind down tonight. The theme song to our Power Lab Backyard Bible Adventure is stuck in there and I DON'T mind it at all. It's been a terrific week and watching all the kids perform (especially Adrianna, I can't believe how animated she is . . . I received so many compliments and I am a PROUD mommy indeed!) in front of their parents was the best of all!

I am so tired so this is going to be a quick one, just wanted to post the movie Chris and I made for our Family Fun Night tonight so moms and dads can have another look, or two. :o)

Thank you for such a GREAT week, everyone worked so hard!!! It was SUCH a pleasure working beside such amazing men and women, you all did a terrific job!

Enjoy!

Wow! Almost a WEEK!

I cannot believe this week is flying by!!! We have our Backyard Bible Adventure this week at two different locations and it's been a busy week to say the least! I've spent my days cooking with the kids, taking care of the yard, steam cleaning bedrooms and rearranging mine, yet again! Staying home has been great, I've had a chance to get alot done and during naptime I've been preparing the lesson for each evening, it's been WONDERFUL!

Our group is mostly 5 year olds and listening to their responses to the Bible Stories has been uplifting! I am learning most of these for the first time too so the excitement in the room is definitely elevated. :o) I get to wear a lab coat, pretend that we are in a "Power Lab", do experiment demonstrations for all the kids, lead them into prayer and sing songs with them. I get to work with my friends and play with the kids, what can be better than that?! The other wonderful ladies I'm working with prep such cool crafts, games and "Test Tube Treats" . . . it's so much fun. This is definitely a different experience than VBS was last year, because I am able to be so involved, it's been a wonderful opportunity! Adrianna has a few friends she knows and has had the opportunity to meet more friends, some she will even start Kindergarten with. It's so neat!

God has led our family to an amazing place and I get so excited with the anticipation of what is to come. I am thankful I didn't let fear of the unknown or any reservations I had about Christianity hold me back. This is the life I've been waiting for. Friends, lots of activities, spiritual guidance, love, hope, faith, acceptance and all the opportunites that are before us!

I mean for goodness sake . . . I'M TEACHING THE BIBLE TO KIDS!!! Who EVER would have thought I'd be doing THAT? Not me. :o) But I LOVE it!

"God, thank you for this amazing opportunity. Thank you for keeping Chris and I so strong and so united to have been able to start this amazing journey we are taking our family on. We have experienced what it means to have faith in YOU, to have hope in what lies ahead, and to not only love each other, but to show our love to those around us. By doing that, we are showing them the love you have for us all! Thank you for allowing me the opportunity to teach these beautiful children just a few of the amazing things that Jesus did for those around him and the love he has for each and every one of us. Please open their sweet little hearts up today to understand just why Jesus died on the cross and help me to explain that clearly enough for them to understand. Amen."

YAY! It's FRIDAY!!

Today is starting off GREAT! I spent last night with my ladies prepping and organizing stuff for our Backyard Bible Adventure, it was SO much fun! Chris hung out with Kyle, Justin and John and had some terrific conversation. John is an older guy with a great personality and lots of life experience who has been serving as a "Coach" to Kyle and last night he motivated and inspired Chris so much . . . his excitement THRILLS me! That will be a whole different blog completely. :o)

So today my sister decided to call into work since she's been sick for the last couple days so I was able to squeeze in a run and boy was it a good one! The weather was perfect. My spirit was high and my body was bursting with excitement with all the stuff going on in our lives right now. This weekend is going to be full . . . men's breakfast, meeting for our BBA next week, a birthday party, brunch with our "Lakeside Team" and dinner with our friends Jon and Sabrina and I am just PUMPED!

I used Chris's hedge trimmer he got for Father's Day, couldn't wait for him - - I was EXCITED to use it, love landscaping (he-he) and now I"m off to run errands in town...

Oh yes, and two weeks from today we are off to South Padre!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! Woo-Hoo!!!!!!

Have a Wonderful Weekend Everyone! :o)

He's MY Hero!

My friends know the Auditore Household celebrates special holiday "weekends" so needless to say we had a WONDERFUL "FATHER'S DAY WEEKEND". Chris took off Friday to stretch it a little longer...tee-hee! :o) It was spent "Chris Syle" and I loved it! Friday we took the kids to McD's (so different to do that as a family, I usually meet my friends at McD's for playdates so this was quite strange for me,LOL), then we went to the Old Settlers Water Park...WOW WOW WOW THAT WAS FUN!!!! We got there a little early so we went over to the actual park to see if there were any ducks but there weren't so the kids just chased the birds for 15 minutes before we headed back over to the water park. Oh and the best part of that day? We are nice and tan...HELLO SUMMER!

Saturday, Chris had his Resonate Brothers Weekly Men's breakfast and then he took off with Kyle to see The Hulk. We enjoyed the rest of the day hanging out in the pool and relaxing! Kyle and Erika came over for dinner (Crescent Roll Chicken, love this! Side note, Erika made this for us the first time we had dinner with them and it's a FAVE now!) and we just hung out with them until the kids had enough, HA!

Sunday, I woke up early and went to the store to grab a Sunday paper and then came home, pushed the "On" button on the coffee pot and made breakfast for Chris. I can't believe we were actually able to sit quietly and ALONE for an hour, the kids slept in!!! Chris opened up his traditional Photo Coffee Mug (I've bought him one ever since his first Father's Day and it's so cute to see the changes every year) and then the kids ran yelling holding their cards saying "Happy Father's Day Daddy" . . . that was the best part of all! Christopher tries so hard and is doing such a great job talking! Adrianna and I baked a pound cake for daddy and then we set up the pool and spent the day outside playing, took a nap, had lunch and spent the evening over Kyle's house with all of our friends. It was SO great!

This weekend was to celebrate the man of my dreams! I never had a hero growing up but God sure did deliver him to me at 23yrs old and there is no place I'd rather be than by this man's side! I love you with all my heart Chris...thank you for being the best friend, loving husband, confidant, leader, and most of all the most amazing "Daddy" a family can have! You truly are my greatest gift...

The Good Wife

I found this over at Heidi's Blog and HAD to post it up here. I truly and honestly LOVE being a wife and mom. Wife first, then Mom in that order always. It's so funny how much society can change in 53 years, I so wish it were this way still and will do everything I can to make it like this in my household. . . .
(Thanks Heidi!)

The following article is from Housekeeping Monthly in May of 1955. While I do agree that there are several great ideas within this article, some of them are definitely a far stretch from today’s “wifely roles”. Hope you enjoy!

The Good Wife

· Have dinner ready. Plan ahead, even the night before, to have a delicious meal ready, on time for his return. This is a way of letting him know that you have been thinking about him and are concerned about his needs. Most men are hungry when they come home and the prospect of a good meal (especially his favorite dish) is part of the warm welcome needed.

· Prepare yourself. Take 15 minutes to rest so you’ll be refreshed when he arrives. Touch up your make-up, put a ribbon in your hair and be fresh-looking. He has just been with a lot of work-weary people.

· Be a little gay and a little more interesting for him. His boring day may need a lift and one of your duties is to provide it.

· Clear away the clutter. Make one last trip through the main part of the house just before your husband arrives.

· Gather up schoolbooks, toys, paper, etc. and then run a dustcloth over the tables.

· Over the cooler months of the year you should prepare and light a fire for him to unwind by. Your husband will feel he has reached a haven or rest and order, and it will give you a lift too. After all, catering for his comfort will provide you with immense personal satisfaction.

· Prepare the children. Take a few minutes to wash the children’s hands and faces (if they are small), comb their hair and, if necessary, change their clothes. They are little treasures and he would like to see them playing the part. Minimize all noise. At the time of his arrival, eliminate all noise of the washer, dryer or vacuum. Try to encourage the children to be quiet.

· Be happy to see him.

· Greet him with a warm smile and show sincerity in your desire to please him.

· Listen to him. You may have a dozen important things to tell him, but the moment of his arrival is not the time. Let him talk first – remember, his topics of conversation are more important than yours. (This is the one that I have to be conscious of all the time!)

· Make the evening his. Never complain if he comes home late or goes out to dinner, or other places of entertainment without you. Instead, try to understand his world of strain and pressure and his very real need to be at home and relax.

· Your goal: Try to make sure your home is a place of peace, order and tranquility where your husband can renew himself in body and spirit.

· Don’t greet him with complaints and problems.

· Don’t complain if he’s late home for dinner or even if he stays our all night. Count this as minor compared to what he might have gone through that day.

· Make him comfortable. Have him lean back in a comfortable chair or have him lie down in the bedroom. Have a cool or warm drink ready for him.

· Arrange his pillow and offer to take off his shoes. Speak in a low, soothing and pleasant voice. (That's pretty impossible for me, quiet voice - - - LOL, this one can be bumped in our household!)

· Don’t ask him questions about his actions or question his judgment or integrity. Remember, he is the master of the house and as such will always exercise his will with fairness and truthfulness. You have no right to question him.

· A good wife always knows her place.

I finally RAN!

Man, these past couple of weeks have SUCKED to say the least! Last week was probably the worst because I had NO car and NO idea what it was going to cost to fix it. The "not knowing" is the worst part of it for me. But yesterday we finally got a call telling us it would run about $600-700 to fix which still stinks but it's better than replacing the transmission which would be double! So know I see an end in sight and just have to stick it out a couple more days.

But today, I feel back to normal! I went out for a run at 10:00, it was HOT and it was trash day...mental note to self, no running on Tuesdays...LOL! It's crazy when you learn and study "YOU" and are really able to realize the things that make you tick. Understanding your personality, your tendencies and your weaknesses can be SO beneficial to help you stay on track. For instance, when I'm overloaded and stressed out I "think" I want to be alone, do nothing, don't get dressed, take it easy for the day. Well, that doesn't help me recharge! Doing a physical activity and/or being around people, that helps me recharge and refocus. It's so opposite for Chris, he needs "quiet time". I love him for his maturity. He knows what he needs to do and when he needs to do it and is not afraid of just "doin' it"!

We had a weekend "Coaching Seminar" this past weekend and it was AMAZING! I came to a TON of realizations of myself, some really positive and some, well let's just say I know the areas I need to focus on for sure. :o) I want to give "life" to others, I want the people around me to know they are loved and supported and sometimes I think I go about it the wrong way. I approach everyone as if they are like me and well, that's definitely not the way to go about it for sure. I'm babbling on a little bit so I'm going to cut this short.

June is going to be a terrific month! We are taking a 3 day weekend with daddy this weekend, we have Backyard Bible Adventure in 2 weeks, the Round Rock Serving Center seems to be taking off with our group, we have our service the last Sunday of the month and then Chris and I are taking off to South Padre with the kids for the 4th of July weekend!!!!!!!!!!!!! I'm SOOOO excited!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Hope you all have a GREAT week! Check out my money saving tips and menu over here.

Fun, Cute Pics

My sister and I were sitting in front of the computer browsing old pics and here are a couple of really cute one that I LOVE. . .

Christopher 4mths

Adrianna and her friend Jason 7/06Easter 06

Nov 03

Easter Egg Hunt in Hutto 2005

First time at the movies with Kylie

How much life has changed for us since we first moved to Texas. There has been so many incredible things that have happened for us and to us. I know there was a reason that I couldn't explain that we NEEDED to move here . . . nobody understood it and in fact I didn't clearly know. I told my family in Florida that I was moving here since I became pregnant with Adrianna and Ruth just had a baby and all Chris's family was here so I wanted her to be around her cousins since I didn't grow up with that. It was a tough decision and I cried the entire drive in between throwing up with all day "morning sickness". That time seems like ages ago to me now.

I've been thinking alot this past week about life and where we are in the midst of it right now and I am just SO BLESSED!!! I have friends that I don't get to talk to often and it's okay, we are all moms with young children just trying to juggle life but I still adore them and cherish them all! I've made some friends that at one time we were super close but have grown apart and that's okay too, I cherish those memories as well. At one time, all I had was my family here, Chris's family, and they helped me feel loved and our relationships developed which helped me get to where I am right now. We may not spend as much time together as we once were able to but again, that's okay, we LOVE each other and relationships go through seasons . . . family, I TRUST and cherish and as time passes along, more friends become "like family" to me, trust is gained and love grows.

I love life, I love to give life, I love the gifts I have been given by God and just hope to fully know and understand my potential and use every one of those gifts I have been given!

Busy 2 weeks, car's in the shop...I'm Takin' it Easy!

We have had quite a hectic two weeks and Chris's transmission went on his car Friday so it's at the shop today, I'm praying it's not major! So, I'm taking it easy this week! We went out with friends yesterday to Chuy's after our service and it was a ton of fun, although eating outside didn't hit us till we got into the burning hot car and drove home, it WIPED us out!! The kids fell asleep and I headed out to CVS (my deals here) and grocery shopping, came home at 8:00, cooked dinner for my friend for tonight since I knew I wouldn't have the car to bring it to her, and passed out around 10...I was beat!

Cindy came by and picked us up for a playdate at 9:30 this morning and we had a ton of fun! (Thanks for bringing the food for me tonight!)We met a few new moms that don't really know anyone yet (new to our city), AND one of them has a small volunteer group that wants to help out with the Round Rock Serving Center one of the two days a month that I have scheduled! I think I've found my niche. My friend and organizer of the Hutto/Round Rock Mom's Group has asked me to step back up as an Assistant Organizer to organize the events that I am already doing or planning to be involved in ....RRASC, Resonate's Adopt-a-Cop program for 2 of our local Police Officers, and support a troop in Fort Hood that our church has also adopted, so needless to say, I'm excited! These serving opportunities are not high demanding, I just have to coordinate stuff and I LOVE that!

I am in the middle of squaring away some ideas for Adrianna's summer program, not 100% on what it is yet, but it's in the works. I want to have as much fun as possible with her this summer before she starts school! We are purchasing Sea World season passes this year and look forward to at least getting a few trips in this year! Our friends Davey and Carrie also have passes so it'll be fun to go mid week with them sometime soon, we're still trying to figure that out too.

I enjoyed my girls night out on Friday, LOVED the movie and can't wait for our next one, there were SO MANY AWESOME trailers we saw!!! Chris is having a guys night on Thursday and is still hosting the Men's Breakfast on Saturday mornings and THAT makes me so happy and so proud of him. Seeing him with guys and having fun fills me up so much!!!

So, having no car this week I am planning on hanging out at the pool, working on my tan and that's pretty much it! No big projects, did all my sweeping under couches, sheet changing, mopping, glass cleaning and stuff like that today so I'm looking forward to a nice week hanging low! Chris is picking up a movie tonight, spaghetti and meatballs was made last night at 9:00 so I don't have to do anything tonight! I planned salads all week!!! (and Chris is loving it! yay!)

Here is my Menu Plan:

Monday: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Tuesday: Oriental Chicken Salad
Wednesday: Cobb Salad
Thursday: Tuna Sandwiches & Sweet Potato Fries
Friday: Southwestern Chicken Salad
Saturday: Fresh Veggies, Homemade Hummus, Guac and Whole Wheat Pitas
Sunday: Some sort of sauce and Pasta of course! LOL

I am also placing my Avon Order on Sunday Night, there are some AWESOME deals in this Campaign 12 for sure!

My Picks from here are:
ANEW Alternative P.61
Advanced Eye Protector P.69
ProToGo Lipstick (Intimate Nude) P.35
Driven Black Cologne for Chris (Father's Day) P.86 (he loved the smell, mmmmm!)
Footworks Cooling Watermelon Line, it is AWESOME, I'm addicted. P.163
Glitter Flip Flops, great deal and adorable! P.16

There are all items, I've tried already, seen and/or tested at my last meeting and/or heard GREAT reviews about!!
You can order here

Hope you all have a GREAT week!!
Don't forget sunblock! :o)