Friday, October 30, 2009

Packing Day...

It's that time. Time to get packed for our fun-filled, non-relaxing, wedding-oriented trip to Florida.

I hate packing and hate un-packing even more...ugh! But, I am excited to leave, so packing is a must! This is what our bed looked like the night of packing. Enough patterns of Vera Bradley to last a life time (and there are two patterns missing)!

Of course, trying to not to forget the "wedding outfits" is a priority, but I also can't forget to pack the boy's costumes for Halloween...we are going trick or treating with our dear sweet friends Donna and Baker and Owen...

And just for the record, my bag was the smallest out of all of our bags! Yep, THE SMALLEST BAG! Dang, how did that happen?

Now, the hardest part...trying to get all of this in Brent's car. We take his car because his company pays for maintenance and gas on this car, so even though it is small (and we have to pack like sardines) and we really wish we could take my SUV...we are going to be frugal and take his car...

So, in 6 hours we are leaving (at 3 a.m.), in the pouring rain...yep, it's pouring outside, so now we get to pack the car in the pouring rain...ugh! Florida, take me away!

TRULY BLESSED to be leaving for Florida! Land of Sunshine, here we come!
Chasity

PS...Do we really need all this crap, I mean stuff?

Wednesday, October 28, 2009

Profound Thoughts...

For those of you that know me, you know that I write this blog more as a diary (that one the day boys will read and laugh all they way through) than as some of kind of deep profound-type of journal. As the name of this blog states, we are trying to discover God's perfect plan (and amazing sense of humor) each and every day, so, I keep it light and funny.

BUT, this morning I had a thought. Not a huge profound thought, but one that was profound for me...

I found that Beth Moore has a blog site, so I was reading it -- it's a great site...and today's message brought something home for me -- while Beth Moore is this wonderful woman that God has blessed with an amazing ability to teach His word, she is human...and so is her family (or course as you will read later, it's the husband that makes her more human...leave it to the husband)! In fact, today's post made me laugh...it made me realize that it's ok that we, my family, are not always the perfect Christian-like family that I want so badly for us to be. (I know this, but I'm thinking...did I really know this?)

I am guilty of something I know I should not be guilty of, but I am...After years of going to church and going to a Christian school, you would think I would know by now that Christians are human beings, especially Preachers, Sunday School teachers, Youth Pastors, Preacher's kids, etc...but I don't. I tend to look at them as someone that I look up to. Someone that should be an example in everything they do. Someone not so human. Someone I admire for their work with the Lord, what they have achieved, accomplished whether it be in work, family-life or whatever it might be. Of course, when they fall or make a mistake, I tend to become disappointed because I've held them in such high regard. Disappointed because I wanted so badly to be kind of like them...of course, that is why I should be following more of Jesus and less of humans because after all, they are humans and they do make mistakes and are not perfect.

On rare occasions and in some instances, like Beth Moore's post, I laughed...in a good way:) I laughed because I realized that no matter how hard I try to be perfect or get my family members to be perfect, I can't always control myself or my family...

Her post talked about how her husband feels "ganged up on" since all of his girls are involved in the ministry. How he thought maybe his youngest daughter would not go into the ministry so that he would have one regular person in the house that he could sit around and use "bathroom language" with and talk about other not-so-Christian-like things, etc...This made me laugh because to me, this made her human. It showed me that it doesn't matter how Christian she is, her husband isn't always that way (and she probably has not-so-great days, when she is less than perfect). It made me realize that it's ok to not have the perfect family all the time because really, what is the perfect family... It made me realize that it's ok that my husband uses "bathroom language" while trying to fix the toilet that Palmer broke because he tried to flush a half-eaten apple down it and it became stuck along with the poopie and toilet paper that he used to wipe the poopie and my poor husband had to clean that out to get to the apple to get it out -- ok, that was gross, but you should have been there....it was way worse in person (I managed to not throw up some how). It's ok (well not really ok) that I yelled at my child because he didn't want to go into the bounce room at the gym when all I wanted to do was to make it to my spin class on time (this after sending my child to school all day and then trying to put him into another "childcare" place) -- which by the way, you should know that I replayed the scene in my head the entire time I was in my class and felt really bad. It's ok that Palmer got in trouble at school for calling someone a "poopie butt head brain head." It's ok that we are not perfect. It's ok that we are normal human beings. No matter how hard we try to live the right way and no matter how hard we try to teach our children things to do and not to do...we're not perfect, not even a little bit, but that is ok...all we can do is try...and laugh about it later!

I can only imagine how hard it would be to live in a "fish bowl." To have everyone thinking that you are perfect all the time and yet, at the end of the day, they are just like me...human. And yet, knowing this, I still judge them. So what am I going to do about this?...

I am going to continue holding these people to a higher standard, even though they might fall. I am going to try harder to not judge. Try harder to laugh about things that I just can't control. Try harder to be more forgiving. Try harder to be a better Follower, Wife, Mom, Daughter, Sister, etc...PRAY HARDER and more often...I am going to love my family for who we are and stop trying to immulate other families or people. I am going to PRAY that we continue to work towards and strive to become tthe perfect family that God wants us to be (this includes making more efforts to do the things we know we should do and not do the things we shouldn't do)!

TRULY BLESSED to be Perfectly Phillips (whatever that means right now),
Chasity

PS...As our title states, we are "Perfectly Phillips"...discovering God's Perfect Plan each and every day...

Saturday, October 24, 2009

Decorations...

I finally took pictures of our Halloween decorations...it only took me a month to accomplish this:)

Thank goodness for Pottery Barn Kids, Michael's and TJ Maxx Homegoods Stores. They rock!





Of course, now it's time for me to take the decorations down and add the Thanksgiving...maybe this will happen before Thanksgiving:)

TRULY BLESSED to celerated the Fall Season!
Chasity

Friday, October 23, 2009

Two weeks...

And Counting...

Until this lovely couple gets married...



It's hard to believe the day is almost here. Two weeks and we'll be rehearsing for this wedding...Craziness. Last minute details, and I'm not even the one getting married.

I do have to say though...10 years later and I still remember the weeks leading up to our wedding like it was yesterday! What an exciting time for them. I feel like a proud Mama (sorry Mom). Poor Chris...he's gonna hate having Mom and I around right before the wedding...I'm think I'm worse than my Mom!

One week and we'll be on our way to Florida...enjoying a few days in Tallahassee getting to see old friends, shopping at my favorite stores, etc... One week and a half and we'll be visiting my best friend and her precious little baby Bryce. We'll also be visiting Shamu, Mickey, Minnie and all their friends.

AND...AND...AND...I'll be in the land of PALM TREES!!!!!! YAY!!!!!! Nothing like a little South Florida to cure my crave to see Palm Trees:)

AND...AND...AND...I found the dress. I found it. My size. Good price (on sale at 60% off). YAY! No feeling like finding "the one."


TRULY BLESSED to be a part of Chris and Jody's wedding,

Chasity

PS...The boys and I are going to practice "walking down the aisle" this weekend. Fingers crossed, prayers being said that the boys will behave and actually do their part in the wedding...oh boy!

Thursday, October 15, 2009

My Mom...

Mama Kat's writing assignment for this week is all about Moms..so, I've chosen to write about "When I realized my Mom was more than just a Mom."

So, here it goes...this one's for you Mom!

My Mom is my best friend. My Mom is my confidant. My Mom is my cheerleader. My Mom is my inspiration. My Mom is my ROCK! My mom is the one person in the whole wide world that I know without a moment's hesitation would do absolutely anything for me...anything and not even hesitate to think about it!

I talk on the phone to my Mom everyday...mostly at the same time each day. There is nothing we don't talk about. I can be mean and she still loves me. I can be sad and she cheers me up. I can be tired and she wants to help me. I WISH WITH EVERYTHING I HAD THAT I COULD BE HALF OF WHO SHE IS!

I'm saying all of this because through all the years, I have tons of memories. Good, Great and not so great...(the not so great ones are mainly because of me -- the teenage and college years were a little rocky)! The one memory that absolutely without a doubt made me realize that she was more than just a Mom was on the day she left me with a two year old little boy and a 4 day old newborn...it doesn't sound like much, but boy...I still get tears in my eyes just thinking about it!

When Peyton was born, I was ready for Mommyhood! I was ready. for. it. My Mom wanted to helpme, but I didn't want my Mom's help, as I felt I needed to prove to her that I could be a Mom...I could manage and handle whatever was thrown at me. I was a grown-up. Stupid me. Stupid, stupid me!


(Mom with Peyton...this was her first picture holding him...we got home and realized that she of all people -- the one that stayed up all night while I was in labor -- had not her picture taken with Peyton...and she never said anything)

When Palmer was born, I remember wanting to say to the hospital and doctor, "what are you doing letting me leave this hospital with a baby when I already have another baby at home. I have no idea what I am doing!" I kept thinking...How am I going to do it with two babies...two sets of diapers. Two that needed all of me at all times!

(This time, Mom was in the room while I was delivering Palmer. She got to see him make his appearance into this world!)

(She watched Peyton the entire time I was in the hospital...in fact, she was holding his hand when he met Palmer for the first time!)

Mom stayed at the house with us for the first few days after Palmer's birth...she was such a huge help and this time, I let her help. In fact, I didn't want her to leave. As far as I was concerned, she might as well just sell her house and move in with us! Well, the day came, when she packed her bags and told me she was going home (see, I still get tears thinking about it..tears rolling down my cheeks)! Mind you, she only lived 20 minutes away, but the way I felt when she said she was leaving was like my world was coming to an end and taking my Mom with it! I was heart-broken. The most scared I have EVER been! I remember looking at her with crocodile tears (while trying to pretend that I was strong) and saying "You're leaving me!" She looked at me and as reassuringly as she could, she said "You are going to be fine."

THIS WAS THE DAY I REALIZED THAT MY MOM WAS AN ANGEL, SAINT and my BEST FRIEND all in one! She was more than a Mom. More than a human! She was an Angel sent by God to be my MOM!

Well, I've survived motherhood with two boys for four years. I'm still alive and so are my children and husband. AND all of this because my Mom said I would be fine!
I've managed to not kill anyone. In fact, there are days when she warns me to not kill them and to remember how little they are...

I am the person I am because of my Mom...good, bad and beauty (notice I switched the ugly part)!!!!
I can't imagine not having my Mom around. I often ask myself what I would do without MY ANGEL!
(Isn't she beautiful??!!!!!!!)

TRULY BLESSED to have an angel as my Mom!
Chasity

PS...I can only hope and pray that my boys will always love me!

Wednesday, October 14, 2009

P-A-L-M-E-R...


How do you spell Palmer?

Well, we should ask little Palmer himself! He has finally learned how to spell his name...and he's very proud of that fact...just as he should be!

He spent all of the night spelling his name for all of us. When he spelled it for Brent, Brent acted like he didn't know what it spelled...Palmer was so upset, but quickly realized Brent was just teasing him.

It was so cute hearing him spell it over and over again. He's my "Words of Affirmation" child, so you can imagine how excited he got everytime we told him how proud of him we were...

After being so proud of being able to spell his name, he looked at us (while Peyton was doing his homework at the kitchen table) and said, "I need to do my homework too!" He's learning how to write a G:)
Too cute! Just way. too. cute.

TRULY BLESSED to have a smart baby boy! Even if he is too smart for his own good...
Chasity

PS...I just hope I can keep up with them...

Wedding Dress...

We all know that the bride has to have THE DRESS! You know the perfect dress for the perfect day.

Yes, I had THE DRESS...that story I'll save for my 10 year anniversary post!

The wedding dress I am talking about is the dress I need to find for the upcoming wedding of my brother Chris and his bride-to-be Jody. We are ALL in the wedding, so I've stressed about making sure everything is perfect...right down to the clothes we are wearing to the bridal luncheon and rehearsal dinner...everyone in our family (me and all the boys) have to be color coordinated for pictures. Suffice it to say, I don't think I was this anal about my own wedding!!!



(We all had a hand in making sure this proposal happened as planned! It happened at the Opryland Hotel when Chris and Jody came up for Christmas 2008! Yep, that was me being intrusive and taking pictures of the whole thing as it happened!)


So, I've got my rehearsal dinner dress or it could be the bridal luncheon dress, but I'm still in need of another dress. What is so hard about this. Well, as you will see, I'm a huge fan of Lilly Pulitzer dresses. Not so much a huge fan of the prices. I will only buy these when they are on sale...by this I mean, the sale price is on sale. There in lies my problem. You see...this is the dress I currently have...got it at 60% off...If I do say so myself:
This is the dress I really want to find at a great price and wear to the rehearsal dinner...this way the boys can wear "blueish" colored shirts. Unfortunately, I'm not having much luck finding this on sale and in my price range. Dangit! But, I'm not giving up...


I'll even settle for this one...

or this one...

or this one...


and even this one...my last choice...

It's days like this that I wish we were just made of money...but paying $350 for a dress is absurd! So, I'm still searching. I'm gonna find it, dangit, in my size and the right price!!!

Truly Blessed to a part of such a memorable day for Chris and Jody...trying really hard to make pretty pictures,
Chasity

PS...This is the definition of OCD...


Monday, October 12, 2009

Perfectionism...

Well, he gets it honestly!!!!


Want to know what I'm talking about?

My Peyton...sad to say (or good if you ask me), but he has gotten my perfectionism gene!!!

I got a call from his teacher on Monday saying that for the first time this year, he was not being sent home with a "Super Star" next to his name. He got an "OK." She said he cried and cried and cried...she said he was upset because now he didn't have all "Super Stars." She told him everyday wasn't going to be perfect. Ha...and there we go... she said the "perfect" word. I started laughing...I didn't mean to laugh. I swear.

After this, Mrs. Melin then told me that at our parent/teacher conference she wanted to talk to us about the fact that Peyton is a "perfectionist." There it is. She said it. P-E-R-F-E-C-T-I-O-N-I-S-T! I started laughing again. Sorry. She said he likes to do EVERYTHING perfectly...Again, the laugh started.

I was laughing because until now, I hadn't really seen how much my child has been listening to me...OMG...I have totally rubbed off on my child in a not so great way. I have stressed out my 1st grader. MY 1ST GRADER...

He hears me say it all the time. "Peyton, your letters need to be perfect." "Peyton, your spelling test needs to be perfect." "Peyton, your room needs to be perfect. The way Mommy would clean it." "Peyton, if it's not perfect, you'll have to re-do it." WHAT KIND OF MOM AM I??!!

WOW...a real wake-up call! I know it, everybody knows it...I'M A PERFECTIONIST TO NO END! I just didn't know how much this was affecting my children!

So, what did I do to try to fix this? Well...when I went to pick him up from school. I thought I would find this heart-broken little boy begging me to forgive him for his imperfection...NOPE! NOT WHAT I FOUND! He was MAD (ok, so he gets this from me too). He was mad that he hadn't been able to explain to the teacher that he didn't know to do what he didn't do...which is why he got in trouble. He was mad because she wouldn't listen to him (ok, so he gets this one too). YAY...so he wasn't upset about the "not being perfect" thing...Ok, I haven't damaged him too much I thought!

Hearing my child say all of this was a WAKE.UP.CALL. Have I put too much pressure on him? Do I expect too much? Does that make me a bad mom or a good mom? Do I expect my child to live up to my expectations...of course I do! Do I expect him to try hard...of course I do! Do I expect him to behave...of course I do! Do I expect him to follow instructions exactly as they are given...of course I do. What is wrong with this? Well, probably nothing. BUT, it did make me realize that I need to back off a little. A LITTLE, not a lot.

So, we had a talk...everyday will not be perfect. He won't always get a "Super Star." He won't always get the correct answers...and that is ok, as long as he tries hard and learns from his mistakes! We also re-structured the "Report Card" plan. The original plan was ALL Es = $20 -- PERFECTIONISM was being rewarded. An S = Nothing. Now, it's $3 for every E...Nothing for an S...he gets something even if he's not perfect!!!

Moral of the Story...even though I try to be a perfect Mom, I'm not. I make mistakes and so do my children. That's ok. As long as we learn from it and don't do it again. I need to back off...a little!

TRULY BLESSED to know that my favorite firstborn is already a smart, intelligent, hard-working little man. So proud! So proud!
Chasity

PS...He's so smart the teacher said we didn't need to have a parent/teacher conference...YAY (but the perfectionist in me has requested one anyway)!

Thursday, October 8, 2009

My Crock Pot...

This is Mama Kat's challenge for today..."What's in My Crock Pot?"

Well, at this moment, absolutely nothing!!! I had intentions to cook chicken enchiladas, but, well...that hasn't happened!

Now that it is fall and the weather is getting cooler, I am about to break that baby out and cook my favorite things! Things that remind me of football games, families being together, get-togethers, fall and winter Saturdays and Sundays. Comfort Food...AHHHHH Comfort Food!

My favorites:

Chili (my own version with NO onions and served with cornbread -- I'm from the South!)
Beef Stew (best served over mashed potatoes made with Heavy Whipping Cream)
Sausage Corn Chowder (need I say more?)
Chicken and Rice (Comfort Food at its finest)
Apples & Raisins Oatmeal (Yes, the smell is as good as it sounds)
Mac & Cheese in the crock pot (Nothing like it, Nothing like it)

There are tons of other things hat can be made in the Crock Pot, these are just a few of my favorites!

I'm not really one to follow a ton of recipes, I just kind of add things as I go, but man I love a good Crock Pot meal. I have an entire cookbook devoted to this. I love it on the weekends, when I have time to get everything together!

So, now that I have officially made myself hungry, I might have to stop by the grocery store and pick up a few things...a few things to take care of my "crock pot" appetite!

TRULY BLESSED to be able to eat wonderful meals with my family! It's the little things that count the most!
Chasity

PS...I think I forgot to say that the mashed potatoes must have lumps...just sayin!

Craziness...

The past couple of weeks have been crazy...or so it seems.

I've totally slacked on updating my blog, so here's my attempt to cover the past few days/weeks/months...I've lost track.

Let's start with:

1) My work conference went very well. It was a ton of hard work, but in the end, it was awesome! We had a great time. It was great seeing my clients. It took me two days to recover though...ouch! Now, I've got tons of work to do...I love job security.
2) Brent finished our fort/tree house/swingset. He built it all by hand with no help from plans, etc...I have pictures and will post them later (I forgot the camera at home). It looks awesome...heck, even I want to play on it/in it!
3) Peyton and Palmer started Karate lessons. Well, Palmer only lasted one class, so he's officially "out" of the whole extracurricular activity thing, but Peyton is still going and seems to be enjoying it...he's my Karate Kid in the making! We've ordered his uniform, so once we get it (and I put my superior sewing skills to work on sewing on the patches), I'll post pictures.
4) I am the "official" Room Parent of Peyton's class. I sent home letters to the parents, so I'm thinking that makes me official. Of course in my everything-has-to-be-perfect/PR writing junkie/first impressions are the best impressions way, I had to completely re-do the letter they suggested we send home to the parents. It was embarrasing, and I never would have signed my name to something like that, so I re-wrote it. It was awesome:)
5) I volunteered in Peyton's class, while the teacher had them painting these huge fish-shaped papers...anyone that knows me, knows I am not a "arts and crafts" type Mommy (can't take the mess), but I survived! And Peyton was so excited to have me there!
6) Brent went alligator hunting...again! Can you say "let's just play with fire?" So, I bravely took Peyton, his friend Cannon and Palmer to the bowling alley, video arcade, McDonald's. It was fun and expensive, but I survived:)
7) Peyton busted his head open. He's tall enough now that he can hit our extremely tall kitchen counter/bar...so he took out a chunk of his head. I probably should have taken him to get stiches, but I didn't. Instead, we stopped the bleeding, put ice on it and watched Scooby Doo, The Mystery Begins...he was good with this (and oh, I did watch for the whole outward bump and sleepiness thing). He's still alive:)
8) I cleaned my house from top to bottom. A long day, but a great looking house...especially with all the fall decorations. I'm going to take pictures soon...just so I can remember what a clean house looks like!
9) Work outs, karate, workouts, karate...I love the fact that Peyton's karate lessons are at the Y...I work out while he is in his class. It's awesome. I did go back to my Zumba classes and was convinced at one point that I was dying, but alas, I'm still alive!
10) Book Fair, Picture Day, Work Celebration Party...all in one week! How in the world am I supposed to attend an after work party, pick up both children by 5 p.m. so we can get to the Book Fair, so I can get to Karate by 6:30 p.m.? And oh, did I mention it was Picture Day for Peyton?
11) I think I need a girl's weekend!!!! And by that, I mean, a vacation with just me. No one else:)

So, TRULY BLESSED to have a wonderful life full of activities!
Chasity

PS...Did I mention I need a girl's weekend? Soon!!!!!