Hello everyone, I've been trying to get onto my blog and had some problems but now I'm on and am excited because in a little bit I will be posting a book review. This is a new thing for me but I have a great friend who will help me get started so I hope to be able to help others to pick out some good reads.

Freedom

I'm so excited today I have to see if I have pictures to post I'm not sure but I do have the best news. WE HAVE BEEN FREED OF MUCH CLUTTER!!!!!!!! don't you wish you where the one typing that. I've been Married to the best man ever for almost 11 years and never once have we had a garage sale. I was never ambitious enough to get it all together and have one, not to mention our first house was in the country I was afraid no one would come and our second house was in an area that I was ashamed to have one ( I know tisk,tisk,tisk,). I was afraid the people around us wouldn't like us.....(no need to comment on this I know the error in my thinking.) So since we have just moved into the new house one night when I opened my door to a flyer closed in the storm door I said honey we are going to do this and immediately called the neighborhood organizer to say we are in.
At this point my hubby groans in anticipation of 2 long week, that would end with little change.
How I love it when he is pleasantly surprised, because we have started with a full house over flowing garage and went to house needing some organization and decluttering (which I have 3 books on in my book shelve, so no I don't need a book to read about that process, as my hubby would say we need to stop reading about what we need to do and just start doing it.) to a house that's unpack mostly with all my hubbies tools in the new shed and lots of room in the garage. We haven't park our cars in the garage, but if it were snowing we could get one in so we are well on our way to our goal of getting both cars in by winter. I have to add the beautiful shed Mark and I built together, I worked hard on it also, with help from a neighbor and another friend.

Every day we are getting closer to freedom, free from clutter, free from things (we don't use or need) free from stress mess creates stress, free to spend more time as a family and less time cleaning, which will free us up to get that family picture done that we have been wanting and been asked about several times and haven't done it. No offense to the asker, I'm honored that someone out there love us all enough to want a mug of us four.

Don't mean to get on a soap box or preachy, but I was just thinking of "Chains" that Mandisa sings. Jesus loves us all enough that he wants to see us, and not as just a perfectly cute little family which is totally what we are:-) but really see us as the free from the world children we are to him we are like the Israelites he free from there captors, but wondered around for years not knowing how to be free. God send Jesus to free us once again and sometimes we wonder around trying to figure out how to be free, hey just give it up man, just give it all away.

Girls Night at the Bandixen's

The boys wanted to go and see Star Trek the movie that just came out at the Drive Inn. I didn't want to go and Elexis would have gone because she wants to be with Jacob, so I decided to have a girls night. She has been wanting to try the new little girl press on nail and I have been saying no for a while, well tonight we went shopping and got some press on nails for her they come off with warm water, and a movie to watch, I let her pick out a new 2 piece bathing suit with the long top that covers most of her stomach for modesty. She got to choice what she wanted for dinner, an a drink. We had a great time. It was so much fun and then she fell asleep around 9:30-10:00. It was great here is some pictures of her nail.


I took them as she was asleep, you never know how long they will last. She did say after having them on for about half an hour, I feel sad for people with long nails it hard to grab anything, I can't do anything then she spilt her drink all over the living room table trying to pick it up. Maybe the fake nails wont be so appealing after this experience.

Big Weekend

I'm off work this weekend which is great I get to spend time with my family. My wonderful hubby has a fun work weekend planned for us, which is O.K. He's going to work on building his shed this weekend. So we will all be helping out with that as much as we can, I'm not much help other then muscle, I'm not a builder but I am good at helping out with stuff. I'll make sure to take picture so we can show off the fruits of our labors this weekend.

Zoo Fun

Today was a Pretty o.k day at the Zoo, where I work not many people due to other area activitys, but the weather was great and the animals were out enjoying it. The Penguins love this cool but warm weather, and y can tell because they come out and go swimming and just hang out where people have enjoy them so for a saturday away from my family at work it was very enjoyable to see the Penguins and other animals out. I'm not a huge animal lover, but I'm findng a new found joy just from being around the Zoo animals and Poeple. I think weather wise tomorrow is suppose to be like today, I may take the kids to the Zoo and we can see it the animals are out they would love it. I post pictures if I get any that are good.

Life

As a mother I've always found that as the childre grew my excitement grew with them, I couldn't wait for my babies to walk and then talk, make sentences, ask questions, learn there ABC's, tie there shoes, read, I remember my son sat down one day intending to just look at a Dr. Seuss Book, and all of a sudden I heard him exclaim, I can read this!!!!!!!, Mom I can read this and then he continued by reading the book to me. I was so proud of him wow!!! I have to say my husband was the opposite he would have loved for the children to stay at that total dependent, cuddling, I need you daddy stage. He would feed them, and cuddle with them, get up with them in the middle of the night. Just love on them until they fell a sleep. When our son was born he had a hard time sleeping at night still does Nine years later, but my husband would sing to him, it got to the point that he could only go to sleep if dad was singing to him, so we made a recording of my dear husband singing so that we could get him to sleep. As he grew and got older we didn't need the CD anymore, but my husband still sings to both of the children Jacob who is 9 and Elexis who is 6, there is just more of a variety of songs they sing, even when they are sleeping at a friends house they call and want dad to sing to them. I have to say Jacob is going into Middle School 4th grade and I'm having a hard time with it, I would love for him to stay where he is right now forever. I see things coming that I'm not ready for, Attitude, peer pressure, boundary pushing going on everywhere. It scares me a little I just pray and pray that God will open our eyes wide and give us the insight we need to have a healthy communication with him as life continues on and gets harder and harder for him and us. He is a great kid and listens well, he tells us stuff even when he knows he may get into trouble, I just pray that he will be able to continue to stand up for what he believe in right.

House Pictures

The first Picture is my daughter Elexis dancing around in the office/ family room
This is the eat in part of the Kitchen the tile floor is wonderful so far anyway.
We never thought we would buy a house with a fire place, we just aren't fireplace people but I love the fireplace the first time we set it going it was so nice and peaceful.
This is the kitchen there is so much pantry shape.

Today I have so much to be thankful for I'm just not even sure which on to write about. I will Highlight several but talk about on in particular. We had a great day for our move weather wise I couldn't have asked for a more perfect day, the muscle we had was awesome, the creativity used to fit everything into our now much smaller house and garage was a God send. We couldn't have picked a better group of friends if we tried not to mention all the great help I've had unpacking has been great.
But the one thing that really hit me like a lead balloon this morning as I was at the bus stop with my kids waiting for the bus to come and pick them up was one of the children on there bus who is at there bus stop is so devoted to God it just oozes out of his pores. When we first met him he let us know what church he went to right away, he talks about God and his church just about every morning. The thing that but a smile on my face this morning was this kid who is in the 4th grade was all worked up about part of President Obama's speech he heard on the news last night. I love to see people especially young people get excited about politics, because this is the only country we have and if we can't make a stand for what we believe in who knows what is going to happen in the future. Today I learned of One individual from the next generation will be fighting for the rights of other Christians. I walked home after taking the kids to the stop with a smile on my face and a little chuckle in my heart. What a great start to a great day.

Moved

Wow, What a weekend, we are moved. I'm amazed excited and overwhelmed and a little stressed and emotional. Which I think is normal when you move yourself and don't use a moving company, but it's done. We are going go to bed early for about 2 weeks and unpack at a relaxed pace for a while until we aren't exhausted anymore. Our goal is to park the cars in the garage next winter, for those of you who have seen our garage since we moved you know what a big job that is. Wish us luck, and lift up a short prayer for us if you think about it.

Thankful Thursday

I'm thankful for my friends, and family but this blog is going to be about my friends. We are moving if you haven't noticed the count down on my blog, but we have had so many wonderful people, friends, offer to help us move. I was a little concerned that we would have enough help because it's a big job if it were only myself and my husband. We don't have any blood relatives closer then 3 hrs. away, but the family we've meet in our church and community has embraced us with a love we could never have imagined. At last count we have 15 people including ourselves helping us move, one great lady making lunch for everyone and bringing it to us and another friend of mine who offered to keep our kids for the day or make us a meal. I'm just floored by Gods love and provisions, I shouldn't be I know, I should have known all along that God had it all planned out. He always does, and it couldn't have been at a better time. When God told us it was time to sell the house, I thought O.K. but you do realize that I'm going through all this medical stuff, with the vision problems and constant doctor appointments, I'm going to be overwhelmed (that is the human part of me)I had hoped the house wouldn't sell for a while so I could get the medical stuff under control then work on the house. Notice I said I could get it under control. God told me in no uncertain terms that he was going to be in control of the house and the medical stuff and that there wasn't a thing I could do about it. I'm thankful that he has been there when I needed him most and put people in my path when I needed them most. Although I'm still suffering with headaches, vision problems and all that, I couldn't have accomplished everything I've accomplished without God and the friends he has brought into my life.

3

we have 3 days until the move, wow I can't hardly believe it. It's amazing. I have pictures to post but I'm not sure how to get them off my camera phone. I'm gong to figure it out tomorrow or probably ask my hubby how to do it because he is brillant, and knows everything.. Well 3 and Counting.

6,5,4

Sunday Monday and Tuesday, I'm a little overwhelmed with packing and all I have left to do. I have to tell you my daughter is so excited she is 6 years old, and when she woke up this morning she said to me I'm so excited we only have 5 days, then tomorrow it's 4, then 3, then 2 then 1 day and we move, I can't wait. Her saying it of course is much better then me saying it. She is so into change it's amazing, she doesn't shy away from change at all, where as my son who is 9, is embracing the move well but not with the enthusiasm his sister is. He understands that we are being obedient to God and that he will provide for us. Which he has and we are so blessed and thankful. All thought last week I pick the kids up from School and we drove over to the new house and checked out the neighbor hood and saw the bus they would be riding, as well as were it will pick up and drop them off and they got to see some other kids that were around there ages who lived close by. Anyway we are at 4 and counting.

9,8,7

I'm behind on my count down, I missed Thursday,and wasn't up and about on Friday. Today I was busy packing with my hubby, so here we are at 7. Wow. Is it time to do the surface sweep yet, no not yet but soon. If anyone out there doesn't know what the surface sweep is ask and I'll fill you in.

Thankful Thursday

Right now I'm stressed and worried (or trying not to worry)Which is making it hard for me to be thankful in a happy loving way. There is so much to be thankful for, but for me that emotion isn't there right now.

I'm thankful that I can be thankful for the many blessings in my life even when I don't feel it overwhelmingly at that exact moment. Sometimes in life other emotions are so overpowering that we don't always feel the good ones. I've learned a while back when I went through the Post Partum Depression with my kids that feelings can't be trusted unless they are backed by our faith and fact. So I know that even though I'm not feeling thankfulness right now because of other things that are weighing me down, my faith and the facts tell me without an ounce of doubt that I'm thankful deep down where it really matters.

10

Wow 10 days until we move. Will we have it all done. I thinks so. We are so excited to start this new adventure in our life. It's going to be a learning curve for us and a stretch space wise, but good. We are use to haveing a place for just about everything and plenty of room for more. At the new house we will have to really search our hearts and needs hard and deep to determine what we can do without, right down to how many sheet set we have storage room for per bed. I'm going to have to dig deep looking for that organized person I know I can be but haven't embrassed. I'm ready for the challenge, I hope my family is also. If not they will have to be soon.