So I stink at Blogging consistently

I am pretty sure the few of you who are actually reading this won't hold it against me.

What have I been up to lately?
- packing, packing and, yep, you got it, PACKING. Ha
- taking care of T. I will be taking him to the doctor's office as soon as they open at 8am. His mom thinks that he has shingles in his eye. Poor sweetheart is absolutely miserable!
- working
- getting ready for choir tour. One week from now we will be leaving on tour... and I hate to admit it but the kids are no where near ready
- Writing out Galatians. My mom started us out writing Genesis in the first grade to learn the Bible and also improve our handwriting. I have recently taken it up again and I really enjoy it.
- Trying to keep my head above water

What does our weekend consist of?
SATURDAY:
       * 8:00am - Take T to the DR.
       * 9:00am - practice at the church for vocals on Sunday
       *  10-2 - Poppa, Josh, T(depending on what the doctor says) and I will move as much of our furniture as possible
       *2:00pm - Pick up Josie for the weekend
       *8:00pm - go to sleep. And no, I am not even kidding. I am currently pulling an all nighter so I will be beyond ready for sleep tonight. ;)
SUNDAY:
       * 7:00am - call time at the church. Chi Alpha is singing in all 3 services
       *  1:00pm - lunch with the family
       * 3:30pm - Our final practice before tour

Next week, I will try to post more than once. ;) And while we are on tour, I would like to post daily as a record of what we did. We shall see if I can actually do it.

Making It Through Monday

Today has been a great Monday. My sister, Winnie, spent the night last night and helped me pack for a few hours. It was mostly going through old "treasure boxes" and throwing away or donating things that I have lost some of my attachment to. It wasn't much but it was a start and I felt very accomplished. Plus we had a good time giggling and sniffing scratch and sniff stickers from my sticker book from kindergarten. Yes, they still worked. ;)

I slept in this morning, which was wonderful. After I showered and got ready, I took Winnie home and then went to eat lunch with too sweet ladies. I came home and spent some time with T before he had to go back to work. He got home at 8am from a 12 hour shift and had to be back to work 4p-midnight. What a day! I am so thankful for my sweetheart and all that he does. I decided to go to the pool to relax for a little while before hitting the to do list. Nothing sounded good for dinner so I ordered pizza from a pizza store, Hungry Howie's, within walking distance and walked to pick it up. I got the Howie Maui with cajun crust... oh my word. Delicious!

Things on my to do list for tonight...
- Pack up all DVDs.
- Pack up all books.
- Pack up all closets.
- Spend time with lady and coach
- Work out
- Wash 3 loads of laundry: Jeans, darks and reds

This may not sound like a whole lot but considering how many DVDs we have and how many books I have, it is a rather large portion of our possessions. Our Disney DVD collection has grown significantly in the last few months and I will be doing an update on that soon, so be looking for it! One day I will own all Disney movies. ;) Ok, maybe not. But a girl can dream. We have actually been Netflixing the movies we have not seen and marked several off the list of ones to buy some day. Who knew that there would be a Disney movie I wouldn't like. Ha.


What is helping you make it through Monday? Anything significant on your to do lists?

Friday Fails - Chickfila and I DON'T get along

 Welcome to my Friday Fail!

Hosted by:

Wednesday at work, the henny penny and I got in a fight. And the henny penny won! A henny penny, you ask? Oh, you know, the big industrial sized pressure fryers. Our baskets at Chickfila have detachable handles. Honestly, they are NOT very well designed. The baskets slip loose from the handles and fall into the grease at least once a day.

I was just Wednesday's victim.

Yes, friends. That is a lovely 2nd(ish) degree burn. Thankfully, mom has a prescription for the serious burn creme. It looks much better today but it is rather uncomfortable. :(
And in case you were wondering, it is in my "elbow pit"... which is probably why it is so uncomfortable. ;o)

P.S. I graduate tomorrow. And the huge bandage that wraps around my arm is going to look so darn cute with my cap and gown. Now to get a "big girl" job...  Needless to say, I need a job that does not deal with grease or the possibility of getting burned.  But God is still working on that. And I am being patient.

Wordless Wednesday - here's your HUGE hint

Can you take a guess as to what the part time job is? ;)

Image from Pixie Vacations

I mailed back my contract to become An Authorized Disney Vacation Planner with Pixie Vacations!

Making It Through Monday

Do you ever feel that you are barely "making it through" the day? Yeah, that is pretty much every Monday for me. There are some new and exciting things going on in the Spence household, and those of you on facebook already know some of it. Hint: It has to do with a job. One that is a part-time work from home position for extra money and I am BEYOND excited about it. :)

I have also been offered a full-time position but I am still kind of on the fence about it. Hopefully tomorrow I will be able to meet with them and that will solve some of the problems. My main concern is that I am only guaranteed 90 days with the possibility of becoming permanent. But at the same time, it is experience in my field of study. Please pray for guidance. Hopefully I will be able to do posts soon with the big announcements and share the joy with you all.

By the way, the part time job means some changes are coming to Spoonfuls of Sugar. =)

What helps you Make It Through Monday?

Happy Mother's Day, sweet Momma!

My mother is more than just a mom. She is my confidant, guide, mentor, dear friend, and role model of a Godly woman, wife and mother.
Not everyone has the type of precious relationship that we have. I know that it seems so cliche to rave about my mother on mother's day and so typical in this blog format. But this relationship is anything but cliche or typical. I know that I caused my mom much headache, heartache and gray hairs over the years(especially during those rough teen years). I absolutely adore my mother and I would love nothing more than to be just like her.
She has raised us to know and love God in a way that most children are only exposed to inside of the church. She made sure that learning the Bible and lessons from it were taught in a fun, real way. Growing up we were always listening to praise music, memorizing verses(through Awanas and Hide 'em in Your Heart), listening to Adventures in Odyssey. She taught us from home and invested in our lives in a way that very few parents are able to do. I cherish the memories I have of being homeschooled and hope to one day have those same sweet memories with my own children. She put up with me when I insisted that I would never read as a kindergartner and teased me kindly as a teenager because I would always have a book in hand. My mother lead me to Christ during a spelling lesson when I was in 2nd grade. There are so many more examples of how she has thoroughly imprinted my life through her love. My hope is to let her know daily how much I love her, appreciate her and want to be just like her. I want to make my mother proud of me because I know to reach that point I am becoming the type of person that my Heavenly Father wants me to be(my ultimate goal).

My parents have a precious, wonderful and beautiful relationship and have been a great example of what a Christ centered marriage is like. This morning our sweet family friend, Mrs. Becky Pearce, summed our family and my parents up better than I ever could. "Your family really, truly and genuinely loves and cares about each other. Not many kids, spanning that much in age, actually LIKE each other. Sure they love each other but you enjoy each others company. Each one of you glow around the other and it is obvious that the love your parents share has carried over into each of you. Your parents aren't afraid to gaze adoringly at each other in public, they are 100% living for each other and to make each other happy. And the weirdest thing? They like being around each other ALL the time. Most married people enjoy each other but also treasure their time alone." My parents take PDA to a whole new level but in a completely acceptable, sweet way. ;o) I just hope that years down the road T and I will still have such a wonderful marriage.

Psalm 127:3-5

 ³ Sons are a heritage from the LORD,
       children a reward from him.

 ⁴ Like arrows in the hands of a warrior
       are sons born in one's youth.

 ⁵ Blessed is the man
       whose quiver is full of them.
       They will not be put to shame
       when they contend with their enemies in the gate.

Proverbs 31:10-31

¹⁰ A wife of noble character who can find?
       She is worth far more than rubies.

 ¹¹ Her husband has full confidence in her
       and lacks nothing of value.

 ¹² She brings him good, not harm,
       all the days of her life.

 ¹³ She selects wool and flax
       and works with eager hands.

 ¹⁴ She is like the merchant ships,
       bringing her food from afar.

 ¹⁵ She gets up while it is still dark;
       she provides food for her family
       and portions for her servant girls.

 ¹⁶ She considers a field and buys it;
       out of her earnings she plants a vineyard.

 ¹⁷ She sets about her work vigorously;
       her arms are strong for her tasks.

 ¹⁸ She sees that her trading is profitable,
       and her lamp does not go out at night.

 ¹⁹ In her hand she holds the distaff
       and grasps the spindle with her fingers.

 ²⁰ She opens her arms to the poor
       and extends her hands to the needy.

 ²¹ When it snows, she has no fear for her household;
       for all of them are clothed in scarlet.

 ²² She makes coverings for her bed;
       she is clothed in fine linen and purple.

 ²³ Her husband is respected at the city gate,
       where he takes his seat among the elders of the land.

 ²⁴ She makes linen garments and sells them,
       and supplies the merchants with sashes.

 ²⁵ She is clothed with strength and dignity;
       she can laugh at the days to come.

 ²⁶ She speaks with wisdom,
       and faithful instruction is on her tongue.

 ²⁷ She watches over the affairs of her household
       and does not eat the bread of idleness.

 ²⁸ Her children arise and call her blessed;
       her husband also, and he praises her:

 ²⁹ "Many women do noble things,
       but you surpass them all."

 ³⁰ Charm is deceptive, and beauty is fleeting;
       but a woman who fears the LORD is to be praised.

 ³¹ Give her the reward she has earned,
       and let her works bring her praise at the city gate.

Show Us Your Life - How you picked your kids names/future names

Welcome over from Kelly's Blog. 

Of course, we don't have kids yet but we have talked about names.
Trevor is the 7th generation, first born son. Did that make sense? For 7 generations, the first born has always been a son. T's dad(first born and son), T's granddad(first born and son), etc. So there is NO pressure for us to have a boy first. ;) 
If we are blessed with a boy, first born or not, he will be named...

(Kit credit: Boys will be boys by Vicki A Work in Progress)

He would go by Trace, because that's a big name for a little boy. ;)

And if we were blessed with a girl, she would be named...

(Kit Credit: Pink Mocha by Vicki A Work in Progress)

Trevor likes the name Mary. Rainey is my mother's maiden name. Since I like double names and we both love family names, we though Mary Rainey was cute. I have literally fallen in love with this name. =)

Other family names that we would like to use...

Mac(after T's grandfather)

Lawrence(after my Granddaddy)

We have just toyed around with how to put the two of them together and I think Mackensie Lawrence is adorable(and could possibly) be changed around to suit either male or female. 

Any suggestions for using those two names?

Newspaper/Coupons and a dog = FAIL

 Welcome to my Friday Fail!

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Tuesday I walked to Walgreens to buy cleaning supplies and came back to find a stack of soggy newspapers. The dogs had gotten out of their room while I was gone and one of them decided that they needed to take care of business all over my stack of newspapers. But not just any stack of newspapers. They didn't pick the one that already had the ads and coupons sorted out of it, the one that I keep to use for the dogs. They picked the ones with the coupons still in it.


I couldn't exactly get mad, or not really mad. I mean, at least they know what the newspaper is supposed to be used for.

My camera was in the car which Trevor had taken to work so I don't have any pictures of my actual newspapers. And I DID NOT consider actually leaving them like that for 5-6 hours until he came home. Nope, sure didn't. ;)

Theater Thursday - The North Avenue Irregulars

It's Theater Thursday over at Crazy Shenanigans!

There's magic in the memories as great Disney moments are captured right here for you and your family to enjoy. The new preacher in town joins forces with the most unlikely group of organized crime fighters anyone has ever dreamed up -- six lady church members who are dedicated, eager, ready, willing ... everything but organized! The result is an action-packed comic caper that's as funny as any Disney comedy ever filmed!

 (summary from Disney Movie Club)

The new reverend at North Avenue Presbyterian (Edward Hermann) finds himself in a mess when he entrusts the church's sinking fund to Rose Delaney (Patsy Kelly). Unfortunately for the reverend he does not know that her husband is a compulsive gambler who bet the entire fund on the a horse race. Though the reverend finds out about the bet, his attempts at stopping the wager fail miserable. 

That night, rather than giving his regular sermon on the local television broadcast, Reverend Hill starts ranting about illegal gambling and how the local authorities seem to look the other way. This catches the attention of FBI agents and they contact Reverend Hill and ask him to set up a sting operation. None of the men in the congregation are willing to go up against the mob and the reverend is close to giving up when a group of church ladies come forward asking to help. The crew includes, the professional mom, Vickie (Barbara Harris), the bride to be, Annie (Karen Valentine), the rich perpetual single, Claire (Cloris Leachman), the retiree, Rose (Patsy Kelly) and the wife of a small business owner, Cleo (Virginia Capers). 

The crime fighters are faced with failure after failure, which provides for much of the comedy throughout the film. The ladies finally realize that they can't shut down the gambling locations or track down the leaders, they decide to go after the bank itself. The hunt to find the location and the chase that ensues lead to "a wild demolition derby". 

This is not one classified as one of Disney's great films, yet it is one of my favorites. It is full of laughs and, something rare in this world, clean. Below are some videos that feature Cloris Leachman's character in particular.

Wordless Wednesday - Animal Kingdom

I know this is supposed to be "wordless"... But I would just like to say, my goodness! My hair was so long. :( I kind of miss it.

Finished!

I am officially done with college classes!
Yesterday, I got to class at 8, completed some corrections, plotted out my final and turned it in by 8:45. But I hung around until 10 because I was suddenly in no hurry to get away. It is such a bittersweet feeling. I am glad to be done but so uneasy about facing the unknown and not having the comfort of those classrooms and "my" desk. I just feel at a loss as to where to go from here.
On my way home, I paid our rent and went to the bank. I came home and decided to treat myself to a nap. T worked Sunday 10p-8a and had to be back at work 4p-12a so he was asleep when I got home. Sleeping without him just isn't good sleep. I am sure several of you understand. It seems to take forever to fall asleep and then once I do fall asleep, I am restless and keep waking up to see what time it is. I think my 2 hour nap was better than my 8 hours of sleep Sunday night. Ha.
I worked 5 to close last night. We had a baseball team and several families call at 9:30 and say they would be there around 9:50(10 minutes before close). We had a mad rush to put everything back together that had already been broken down for the night but it honestly wasn't as bad as we were expecting it to be. That honestly wasn't the worst part of the night. Two people I work without decided I would be the victim of their teasing tonight and proceeded to tell me numerous times that I "look and laugh like a retard". It bothered me but not as much as it would have 2 weeks ago(Thank you, Beth Moore and So Long, Insecurity).
When I got home I finally had the motivation to go work out and since I didn't need to leave the house until midnight to go pick T up, it worked out well. However, my legs are feeling it today. One of those "good hurts".
T and I both slept in this morning. He left at 11 to go back to work and I decided to cook up my favorite for lunch: Fried rice, steamed broccoli and carrots, onions and Japanese pink sauce. Yum!
The plan for the rest of the day is to clean, organize coupons and wait patiently for a phone call at 6pm. I am beyond excited about this phone call. It isn't a job interview but a possible opportunity that would make me beyond happy. :o)
Thanks for reading(if you made it this far) my ramblings. Time to get my shoes on and go walk to Walgreens for some cleaning supplies. I am pretty sure that will be the extent of my workout today unless I get a random burst of energy and my soreness disappears. :)

As far as basic cleaning supplies, what are your go-to items? What do you always need to have on hand? I tend to go with whatever I have coupons for.

Single Riders(If you like it then you should have got a FastPass)

Every semester the Disney College Program students are given the opportunity to perform in the Night of Stars competition. This is a video from the Spring 2010 Night of Stars. Is it sad that I laughed hysterically at this?

Day of Rest

In regards to my job search and the prospect of moving, I'm learning patience and to rely more wholly on Christ right now. I want to be in control but I know that, honestly, He can handle it better than I ever could. So today, I am keeping some Bible verses close to my heart.

My presence will go with you, and I will give you rest. (Exodus 33:14)

It is the Lord who goes before you. He will be with you; he will not fail you or forsake you. Do not fear or be dismayed. (Deuteronomy 31:8)

I have set the Lord always before me. Because he is at my right hand, I will not be shaken. (Psalm 16:8)

I sought the Lord, and he answered me, and delivered me from all my fears. (Psalm 34:4)

Those who seek the Lord lack no good thing. (Psalm 34:10b)

When the righteous cry for help, the Lord hears, and rescues them from all their troubles. (Psalm 34:17)

Trust in the Lord and do good; so you will live in the land, and enjoy security. Take delight in the Lord and he will give you the desires of your heart. Commit your way to the Lord; trust in him, and he will act. Be still before the Lord, and wait patiently for him. (Psalm 37:3-5, 7a)

God is our refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging. (Psalm 46:1-3)

Hear my cry, O God; listen to my prayer. From the ends of the earth I call to you, I call as my heart grows faint; lead me to the rock that is higher than I. For you have been my refuge, a strong tower against the foe. I long to dwell in your tent forever and take refuge in the shelter of your wings. (Psalm 61:1-4)

My soul finds rest in God alone; my salvation comes from him. He alone is my rock and my salvation; he is my fortress, I will never be shaken. (Psalm 62:1-2)

 

Can you tell that I enjoy the Psalms? =)