Prayer Request

Hi, guys. Things are good here, just working through my still growing to-do list. :) I do have a favor to ask of you. If you're a praying person, I sure could use your prayers this weekend. Tomorrow I have to go pay a car payment. Monday I have to pay a house payment. I don't have the money for either one, and I have no idea where it's coming from. If I can pull together $300 this weekend (somehow??), it will cover the car payment, but that leaves the (even bigger) house payment, and I am OUT OF TIME on both. Nick's next check also has more than usual that has to come out of it, and it will be short a day through no fault of his own, although that's a story for another day. Please pray with me that God provides for these needs. I know that He can do this, and I have faith that He will. 

We've been here before. I mean right here. Just a few months ago in fact, and God showed up in a big way. I know that He can do it again. I want you guys to know that I appreciate being able to come here to people that really care about me, and it means the world to me that I can ask you guys to pray with me and know that you will! Thank you all! :)

The past couple of weeks...

So just a quick post to catch up on the couple of weeks. Let's see...Kelly's baby shower was the 9th of this month. I had planned all kinds of things to make for her. Unfortunately for my timeline (but not for our church), we had revival at church the week before, which kind of killed any crafting time I had. The revival was over Friday, but I had some errands to run Saturday and Nick was also working, so I didn't get any real time at the sewing machine until that night after the kids were asleep. One thing Kelly had actually requested was one of these:

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I made one for both Faith and Melanie a few months ago, and they loved them, so I did one for Kelly too. Then I started on some burp cloths. A few months ago my trusty iron that I got for my wedding quit on me. I was going to go buy one, but my mom, frequenter of estate auctions, had several, so she just gave me one of her extras. It had been working great, so when I plugged it up that night I was expecting no trouble. But when I took my fabric to the ironing board several minutes later, it was stone cold. No amount of turning it off and on or cord wiggling or new outlet trying could coax the least bit of heat from it. So I found myself heading to Wal-mart at 1 AM to buy a replacement. I went back and forth and finally decided on one of the least expensive models. When I got back home and opened it, I was most irritated to find that the whole tip of the iron plate was broken off! I couldn't see myself making another trip, so I just used it as it was and decided to return it the next day.

I did the carrier handle cushion, two burp cloths, and three skirts. Nick, who had fallen asleep on the couch, woke up about 4:30, just after I finished the first skirt. I told him my whole iron saga, and he didn't seem terribly upset that I was still up. He headed up to bed, and I told him I would be up shortly. Unfortunately, shortly turned into 6:30. 

The next day at lunch Nick asked me what time I'd come to bed, and he wasn't happy with the answer, especially since we had all ended up oversleeping and missed church that morning. (Not entirely my fault I don't think. It was Daylight Saving Time change weekend, and he overslept too!) But I didn't realize I was in trouble until that evening.

Nick runs the sound booth during our church services, so it's rare for us to get to sit together. Occasionally we will shoot each other short texts (generally not during the preaching). This was the conversation we had:

(Me) So sleepy...

(Him) Maybe if you went to bed at 2 instead of 6:30...

(Me) Possibly

(Him) Probably

(Me) I'm unconvinced.

(Him) Later I'll show you.

(Me) Nah, I'm good.

(Him) Too bad. It's already been earned.

(Me) You're no fun.

He didn't get a chance to do it for a couple of days, but finally Wednesday night at bedtime he had me come up with him. There was some lecturing, and I did plenty of assuring him that I was sorry and that I understood why I have a bedtime and why it doesn't work for the family for me to stay up all night, but there was no real question that I would be getting a spanking. He got a new tactical belt for Christmas, and he decided to try it out. It was the first time I've ever been spanked with a nylon belt, but it was very thick and stiff, and every bit as painful as leather. It was also very loud. I don't know how many licks I got, but enough to make me very glad when it was over. 

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The good news is that Kelly loved all her stuff. I was also able to make her a few of the other things on my list (before bedtime!) and take them to her at church Wednesday. All the pictures of the stuff I gave her at her shower include her in them, so I can't post them here, but I did think to snap a picture of the items I made later: another skirt, two pairs of shoes, a nursing scarf (the gray fabric) and a diaper clutch (to keep a few diapers and a small case of wipes in for quick changes on the go).

Friday I got to go to Melanie's house along with Kelly and one of her friends, and Melanie taught us the basics of crochet. It's something I've wanted to learn for ages, and it was a lot of fun having some girl time. 

On Saturday Morgan had her first soccer game. They lost, but only by one point, and her team is quite good this season. Afterwards we went to McDonald's and let the kids play on the play equipment. Jack and Daisy had a blast, and of course Morgan was too cool to play on it, but was gracious enough to climb up in there to keep an eye on Jack for us. Morgan has been struggling lately with some teen angst issues, and they've been manifesting themselves in some unhealthy ways. She's started doing a bit better, but I would really appreciate your prayers for her (and us as we parent her!). 

Saturday afternoon I did three month pictures for Brandon and Melanie's baby boy J, and it was exhausting! Fortunately my sweet husband fixed dinner for me. :)

Sunday night there was huge drama. Daisy...cut her hair! And I don't mean a little bit. She basically butchered it. Nick flipped out. He was furious! I wasn't thrilled about it either, but well, it's kind of something a lot of three and four year olds do at one time or another. I called Nick's stepmom (who does our hair), and she agreed to come and try to fix it the next day. When she saw it, she was kind of taken aback, but I told her we knew it was going to have to be pretty short, so she waded in. There were spots that were less than an inch long, so she ended up with a pixie cut, almost exactly like Maggie Gyllenhaal here, but a little shorter around the ears:

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Guys, I wish I could post a picture here, because she looks so freaking CUTE! I was resigned to it because it was better than the cut she gave herself - I didn't expect to love it! She has these big huge Disney Princess eyes like Katy Perry, so she still looks very girly, and with her dimples she looks like a mischievous woodland sprite, or a miniature Audrey Hepburn (although Audrey didn't have those dimples)! I'm sure we'll let it grow back out, but for now I'm glad we were forced into a cut we would've never had the nerve to get on our own!

Today Elizabeth came over for a while. She had laundry she needed to do and no money to do it (they use a laundromat), and I needed help unburying my kitchen table (which is going to get me spanked again if it's not done by Friday). So I let her use our washer and dryer, and she helped me clean. 

I've got so much stuff to do in the next few weeks! A list:

Skirts (2) for craft exchange

Shoes for craft exchange

Ring for craft exchange

Pillow Cover for craft exchange

Acorn Pillow for craft exchange

Pack gnome figurine and ribbon for craft exchange

10 xl pom poms for cupcake liners/garland

Make cupcake garland

Make 15 makeup bags

String washers for washer necklaces

Make 15 Rosettes for necklaces

String Rosettes

Make 15 Leather Bow Barrettes

Make brush pouch for nail brushes

Make pillowcase shirt for Morgan

Finish J's pictures

Easter bunnies for Logan, A, and J

Make shirts into short sleeves for Maddox

Leather envelope, Knot Bracelet and leather barrette and bracelet for Kit

Mail Easter stuff for Maddox and Kit

Make Daisy's Easter dress

Mother's Day gifts - stitch markers, dish cloths (crocheted)

Order of three pillow covers for Faith.

Anyway, I'm off to bed so I can get some rest and got some of this stuff done!

Answers!

You guys had some fun questions!

Ronnie asked: Who would you want to play the role of you in a movie?

That's a tough one for me. Maybe Emma Stone? Of course she would have to be playing a younger me, lol. But I really love her as an actress, how real and down to earth she is; I love Jennifer Lawrence for the same reason. Of course neither one of them looks like me.

Sunny Girl asked: You're always making or doing something crafty, what is your favorite?

I love this question! I love doing all kinds of crafty things, but I'd have to say sewing is my favorite. I'm far, far from an expert at it, but I do feel like I've come a long way from where I started. Kelly is due with a baby girl next month, and I made her some sweet little fancy skirts that I'm pretty proud of, along with some little baby shoes. It was my first foray into shoes, and while the first pair turned out pretty well, they really kicked my butt in the making. The second pair though was a much easier pattern. They went together like a dream, and they turned out so precious! I want to make a pair for every baby I see!

Anonymous asked: where in the world would you like to go most?

I would really love to go to Ireland, Great Britain, and many of the countries of continental Europe. I'm of Irish Heritage, so Ireland has been on my bucket list for a long time. The most beautiful place I've ever been is Hawaii, and Nick and I dream of going back there someday.

do you have a college degree? if so in what?

I do not. I did attend collage for a little while, but I didn't finish. Do I regret it? Not really, because I'm doing just what I'm meant to be doing right now, no college degree needed. I would love to take a few classes on things that interest me, but that will probably be down the road a few years.

what's your favorite movie of all time? 

The Notebook, hands down.

Princess asked: Do you have a spanking fantasy?

Most of my fantasies are pretty standard spanko fare - principal/student, boss/secretary, doctor/nurse. But in real life there are a few things I'd love to have happen someday. I think being made to stand in the corner would be an incredible turn-on for play. As part of a serious spanking (before, or during the middle of it) I think it would be very hard to submit to, especially if my attitude is not where it needs to be, and it would seriously ratchet up just how disciplined I feel by the end of it, which would probably be a good thing as far as achieving the intended effect of a punishment. Punishment spankings around here are no joke, and the last thing I feel before or during them is aroused. But when they are over and the pain has subsided, I'm often turned on after the fact by the feeling of being both taken care of and made to obey. I would really love, once the serious issue has been taken care of, to have Nick occasionally send me to the corner to "think about what I'd done" then spank me again, quite a long time, this time for play and ending in an orgasm for me.

Violet said: What is the worst job you ever had? What is the best change that has occurred in your life over the past year? What is your biggest pet peeve?

The worst job I ever had was probably a toss-up between the job I had when I got married, which was at a magazine distribution warehouse, and the last couple of years at my last job, in the customer service call center at a bank. The warehouse job was 20 miles from home and started at 6:00 in the morning. The warehouse was not air conditioned, and we actually had a girl pass out from the heat that summer. Add to that, I wasn't very good at it, and it was a pretty miserable few months. My last job I actually loved for the first few years. The pay was good, and they really took care of their employees. After the first six years or so though, there were some changes in management. Raises, which were once very regular, dropped to almost nothing, right as the cost of living shot up via gas and grocery prices. At the same time they greatly increased our workload. By the time I quit after 10 years on the job, morale was in the toilet. There was zero respect for the employees, and no job security either. Just before I left, a well respected department head who had been there for nearly thirty years was let go without warning because they decided they didn't want to pay her position any more. They combined her department with another (that really couldn't handle the extra workload), and when she came in on her day off to pick up something from her office, they told her she was fired and escorted her from the building without even letting her clean out her belongings. In my last three years there we lost 3 people from heart attacks and 1 from a stroke. One heart attack happened at the lady's desk, and the stroke happened in the parking lot. I started my maternity leave with Daisy three weeks before her birth because my blood pressure was through the roof and my doctor's office put me on bed rest. 

The best change that has occurred in my life in the last year...hmmm. There haven't really been any changes in the last year, but just over two years ago I had my sweet Jack, which has been one of the best changes ever!
As far as my biggest pet peeve, I confess to having a few - I'm kind of a grammar freak, I hate when people mispronounce things, and people who ride your bumper while driving make me nuts!

Thank you for all the questions - I had fun answering them! And of course it's still March, so keep 'em coming if you have them!

Question Month

March is Question Month! Anybody have anything they want to know? Put it in the comments and I'll put up answers in a day or two. :)