Life is good. People are too.

So we've been trying to adjust, yet again, to our new schedules.  School is starting up again, well kind of.....we do year round schooling but now it's REALLY time to focus.  Plus the school supplies are on sale at Target and a general feeling of school-iness abounds.  Andy has officially been working his new job for over a month now, and we've kind of gotten into the groove of things.  

But in general life is pretty good.  We get to spend time together as a family!  Something that was missing for us for almost 2 years.  The differences are astounding and if I ever questioned moving back to Hawaii I don't anymore.  The first time we lived in Hawaii I had a huge problem with being homesick, I missed the people I had known and I couldn't quite make any connections that felt real here.  This time around I am just so surprised and grateful at the awesome people God is putting into our lives.

I am still struggling with my trust issues, which I've mentioned before, I've been deeply hurt by people I have trusted to never betray me and while that hurt is still there I think God is trying to show me the goodness in people.  It's so easy to see the bad, the negative, the people that use you, the back stabbers, the women that act like life is still high school, and while I know they're still there I hope that maybe I've gotten better at not letting myself be used and praying that God surrounds me with people that make my life better and hopefully I do the same for them. 

Women that I have just met that encourage me instead of compete & compare.

Fellow mothers, breastfeeders, home schoolers.

Fellow Christians, Crunchy Mamas, wives.

All helping to build one another up, congratulate on jobs well done and children well raised.

Maybe it's something in me that's changing or I've just gotten lucky but I am truly so thankful for the women I have been so blessed to be friends with.  From my best friends, an ocean away in California.[ One who I got to see yesterday!] Old friends that send me an encouraging word on Facebook or messages to ask how I'm doing. To new friends that I am just meeting that have an honesty about parenting, the ups & downs but also the joys & rewards.  Those people I can laugh with, enjoy an iced coffee and just talk without feeling like I need to be impressive, that I can just be myself flaws and all without being taken advantage of.

[One of my best friends. <3  Although we are far in miles we have gone through so much together in the short time we have been friends.  She is genuine and such an encouragement to me when times are hard.  She is proof of God's goodness in people and I am forever thankful that she is a part of my life.]

It's just something I have been so thankful for that I can't explain.  As much as I try to fight it, I need people.  I need someone to go on clearance Target runs with.  I need someone to read 50 Shades of Gray with me and then make fun of it.  We we're not meant to be alone and I am so excited for the new relationships God is putting in my life, just to prove to me once again, that I don't know it all, people are not all bad, and sometimes it's ok to trust. <3

[Also many thanks to my dear friend FranQueen from the 6th grade!  She re-did my blog for me and got it looking all spiffy & Chevron-ed up.  I <3 it.]

And since I'm too lazy to type up a recipe I'll just pass on the goods that I've been given lately and tell you to check out www.coastal.com.  

No, I'm not one of those cool blogs where people pay you to write or anything, so there's no gimmick here or anything.  Cause if I'm not cooking, baking, or cleaning I'm looking for ways to save money!

But seriously.  I've gotten 2 FREE pairs of glasses from them & I love them both!

And by free, really the glasses and frames were free and all I paid for was $16 for S&H [to Hawaii!] and insurance on each pair.  Just a good deal people, I'm not gonna lie. 

If you've never ordered from them before just put in the code FIRSTPAIRFREE at checkout.

You have to pick from certain pairs, obviously, but there are tons of styles to pick from.  

I have a horribly bad prescription too, like I'm legally blind without my glasses, and I don't even pay for any of the thinner lenses and my glasses STILL look good.  Damn!

I also friended them on Facebook which is how I got a code for another free pair.

So yeah, I'm basically set for life.

Go enjoy people.  Enjoy life.  Enjoy free things.

I know I do.

[My newest pair!  Nerd glasses. 

 I had almost this exact same pair in high school.  They were not so cool back then.] 

Mornings are never good. [French Toast Iced Coffee recipe.]

If you know me at all, you know I am NOT a morning person.

I keep waiting year after year, child after child for my body and myself to understand that waking up early is just the adult thing to do. I always imagine waking up early, doing my prayers in a calm & quiet house and using the time before the kids wake up to be productive and wonderful.

But try as I might to convince myself, it just never happens.  I HATE mornings.  I don't like being woken up until I'm good & ready.  Of course I'm usually woken up to various unpleasant scenarios because of this.....Oliver somehow got his diaper off & peed all over our bed, Jonas & Lily are fighting over the iPad, someone is STARVING and must be fed rightthissecond or they will die.  The usual.

So, I know it might be time to give up this illusion of sleep that comes with being a mother.

Resign myself to the fact that I should be waking up before them, or if not at least before them than at least with them and not try to fight them off for an hour in bed grumbling that I just need 5 more minutes and wouldn't they be kind enough to leave Mommy alone?

A few things to help my morning transition go a little smoother.

A hot shower.

Waking up to a clean house. 

Cartoons.

COFFEE.

Morning prayer.

Cartoons for the crazies, since they don't get to watch much TV I do like it for the morning so they can let me shower in peace and if we can catch the Ryan Reynold's episode of Sesame Street, even better. 

I also love waking up to a clean house, ahh nothing is better than that.  

It's pretty rare but just such a nice way to start my morning without the stress that comes from already having a sink full of dirty dishes and yesterdays beach gear thrown all over the living room.  I know that stuff will come soon enough, an hour or two without it is my heaven.

& coffee.  My constant companion.

I made up an awesome French Toast iced coffee yesterday morning and its become my new addiction.

Seriously, so tasty. 

Yesterday morning Andy also found us an awesome prayer for morning time and I'd love to wake up everyday and recite it to help my day start off on the right track no matter if I'm waking up to a cup of water being dumped on my face or 3 pairs of feet in my face cause they all missed me so much in the night.  

I may never learn to love mornings, and people still might call me "The Beast" if I'm awake before 8am.  But I can choose to start my days better no matter what time that is and prayers & coffee will definitely aid in that.  

Morning Prayer of Consecration

Good morning, Lord!

I adore You,

I bless You,

I love You,

I praise You,

I thank You,

and I worship You!

Lord, I consecrate this day to You, and call upon the fullness of:

Your anointing,

Your grace,

Your guidance,

Your healing,

Your power,

Your presence,

Your protection,

Your provision,

Your revelation,

Your understanding,

and Your wisdom

to permeate everything that I do today.

I ask all this boldly and confidently:

To the eternal glory of God the Father in the might name of Jesus the son, and through the awesome power of the Holy Spirit.

Amen!

French Toast Iced Coffee

I cold French Press all my coffee, I just don't like hot coffee.  Weird I know, but at least here in Hawaii it makes sense.  So this is exactly how I make my coffee but you can tweak it to however you make yours!

[1] Put ground coffee, about 1/3 cup into bottom of French Press, I have a standard size.

[2] Fill with cold water & leave in fridge over night.

[3] In the morning pour coffee over ice.

[4] I use French Vanilla creamer, pure Maple syrup, about a tbs. && garnish with TJ's cinnamon sugar grinder!  

But really, you get the idea.  Tweak it to your taste, I like my coffee pretty sweet!

Everything's going great! Now what?

 Hooray for good news!

Andy got hired at another job that he interviewed for last weekend.  His current job is full time in Honolulu as a delivery driver for a small gelato company.  While this was great, he already has a full time job as the praise leader of our church.  And like before, his work became his life, not through his own choosing but the days were long, the commute longer [3 hours round trip, a day] and our family began to come in second again.  This new job is part time and only 15 minutes away!  It's amazing to see God answer prayers, and I think we are finally learning how to just give up on things we can't control and trust in him to do the right things for our family.  True, we will be making a lot less money but we can deal with that.  Time is of the essence for us, money is not.

Second great piece of news we received yesterday is that we got accepted into the Keiki O' Kaina marriage course!  It's a great government funded program that they are starting here in Hawaii.  We have orientation this Saturday to hear what it is all about but in a few weeks we get to go to a weekend long marriage retreat, than 9 weekly classes and after that we will have a celebration ceremony in the beginning of September, just a month before Tulip is due!

The course includes child care and they also serve gourmet dinners weekly to you & your spouse while you discuss things you learned during the course.  All for free.  Pretty sweet deal.

We have been so blessed to be given these opportunities to work on a marriage during a time when we really can use it, although honestly marriages to me are always a work in progress.

Now if your like me, which I'm starting to think isn't that weird anymore.  Anytime something good happens, or if too many good things are happening you're just waiting for the second
 it will all go wrong.

Life isn't like that, right?  Good things don't come to those who wait.

Good things don't come to those who believe, who pray, who have faith.

Right?  Maybe not.

I have always been a believer of life sucks.  I'm not one of those lucky girls that's naturally skinny, somehow gets an inheritance from an unknown dead relative,
or wins a car in a grocery store drawing.

But maybe that's my problem, maybe I need to BELIEVE I am that girl.

I have more in this life than I could ever dream of.  Healthy children, a loving husband, a mission field in Hawaii, all the coffee I can drink, an iPad....

Seriously, I AM a lucky girl.  

I think it's something I have to learn to change about myself.  We will get nowhere in this world and never be happy if we're not willing to give our lives over to God and trust that his plan is the right one for us.  Yes, there will be hard times, we live in a sinful human world.  But sometimes, sometimes there will be good times, even great times and I intend to enjoy those times.

To be at peace with what God has given me, and it's ok to know there will be more waves in the ocean but for now it's smooth sailing.  My ship is on course as long as I am in his will.

So I am choosing to be merry!  To not wait anymore for the bad to come, but to be grateful and thankful for all that is given to me today.