Commercial work

I just got an email from one of the commercial jobs that David & I did. You can finally view them. Check out http://www.foundyourcalling.com/
click on the commercial under the section that says"I.T"(under Fatal Error), then the one that says"fashion design"(under Doggy Wears Prada) and also the one that says "business"(under Mail Clerk). It's not Hollywood but boy was it fun!
Enjoy!

Summer Break!!!!

Congrats to Abby on another year of homeschooling! Wow she will now enter 2nd grade! Isabelle will be in Kindergarten! They both will be attending either private or public school next year. They are growing up so quickly right before my eyes.

Since I started working I just noticed them both acting differently...well, they have had to adjust to me all of a sudden not being around as much. So with much thought, I decided to only work on Saturdays. I was nervous going to my boss to ask such a thing, but she was amazing! She didnt think twice at allowing me this blessing. In fact, she told me to only work every other Saturday during the summer & when the girls are in school next fall I will go back to full time. Crazy. What boss would allow that? Another God thing in my opinion!So props out to my boss! She really is awesome!

So, our summer has begun. We've already taken advantage of our time together...going on walks, playing at the parks, swimming...what fun! I will cherish this time I have with them.

Here are a few picks I took before they each got their hair cut for summer...enjoy!

God's blessings

In the midst of everything going on God has continued to show himself faithful to us. Why? I'm not sure, He is just like that. That is just my God being who He is. I certainly do not deserve a lick of grace but He keeps showing it over and over again.

David & I have been talking about going to one car for about 6 months now...with gas prices at $4 who can afford to drive 2 cars anyway? We experimented with the thought & he would drive me to & from work to see how we could survive...well, it wasnt easy but to save some money we decied that would be best. Our leases on our cars will be up this year & we wanted to get out of them early & just get one good car. Well...........I guess that wasnt in God's plan because a good friend of ours just decided to give us their car. Yep, I said GIVE...they are getting a new car themselves & have an old car they wanted to give to someone....so, they are GIVING it to us!!!!Amazing! So, now we will be taking our leased cars back to get a good car & we'll also have this FREE car to use if we need it! Again let me say... amazing!!!!!

I'm not sure why I am always amazed at what God does...I should just expect great things...but I forget sometimes.

Thank you Lord once again for taking care of us...

Re-locating

Yep...we are relocating...again.
The economy has really taken it's toll on our household & David's job that we've decided to downsize so that we don't find ourselves in any trouble down the line. So, who knows what's in store for the Smith's? I do believe that God's hand is in all of this because David & I both feel a sense of peace about it. We are actually excited to see what lies ahead!
Also, we may have a potential buyer (which is CRAZY since the housing market is so slow). So we can only give glory to Him!!!!!
Why should I worry when my God in Heaven is watching out after me?
I'll update as things progress...

Time

Time seems to be going so quickly. I can't stand it. I just want life to somehow s...l....o....w down. It won't. Since I've started working 7 weeks ago I just feel like life is just passing me by. Somehow, somehow I need to savor the moments. The time with my kids, the time with David(which seems like "hello" then "goodbye" anymore) seems so quick, so rushed all the time.

I need to look at each opportunity & just take a picture...click. Remember it, enjoy it, savor it. Love each short minute with each person that I love in my life....my family, my friends.

My girls will be going to school next year(that is "outside" of our house-I've been homeschooling for the last 2 years) so on every day off that I get I just like to play (well, when school is done for the day). We play star wars, play-doh, Narnia, littlest pet shop, dress up, lions...whatever the girls imagine, we play.

I have to enjoy this time. Even though inside I am soooo tired, and soooo ready to just fall asleep, or I'm starting to think about all the housework I have to do, I just have to remind myself to just PLAY. Play hard. Love my time right in this moment.

Straight up now tell me

This afternoon over lunch, we started talking about "future husbands". Isabelle who is now 5 says "I really wish that I could marry Daddy!"
" I know sweetie, he is the best isnt he?" I replied.
" Yes, I just want my husband to be JUST like him" she says back with a huge smile.
" Well, why don't we start praying for your future husband to be JUST like your Daddy..someone who loves God, who is kind & gentle."
"Okay. "

At this point I thought the conversation was over...then we start talking about American Idol. They watched it for the first time with David the other night & they are now hooked. (David Archuletta is their favorite).
Then Isabelle says "Mom, I wouldnt want to marry someone like that mean guy on that singing show" she paused then continued," I wish I was a boy then I would marry that nice girl"
"Which nice girl are you talking about?" I asked her.
"The one who always says the nice things" she replied.
"Oh you mean Paula!"
"Yes, I wish I was a boy so that I could marry Paula!"

That's right folks, my daughter wants to marry Paula Abdul.

We are opening the new store this week & what a blast it has been! I am so glad that I am part of the team to open this beautiful, chic store! We were able to work on some projects as a group & it gave us the opportunity to get to know one another. So far everyone has been awesome! We have an incredible diverse team!
I never realized how tired I was going to be when I got home after work...but wow...I am tired! The moment I sit down to rest, I'm pretty much OUT.
So, I'm just checking in while I have a free moment before I crash tonight. I actually have 2 days in a row off so I'm gonna soak it up-then next week we will be working hard to get the store ready for opening day! Which means LOTS of hours!
Nighty-nite....

life of a working mommy

Since I have been working I need to figure out how to schedule my "new" life. It has been a full week of work & overall it went pretty well. I love the new job! I find its like a race. Quite literally since I am on my feet all day & running around helping people. I actually lost 3 pounds in my first week :)
I like dressing up the store windows-undressing the mannequins is a little strange, but it's fun to make things look appealing. I've really enjoyed helping people with fashion questions & I'm learning a lot.
But my life at home needs some work too. I need to prioritize my days when I'm home. I am still homeschooling Abby & we're finishing out her 1st grade year so I need to do school, clean, do laundry, play, make meals...etc on my days off. I started to get down on myself for not being able to do it all. Then I realized that I have just been taken away 32 hours out of my normal routine from home....wow!!!!! 32 hours!!!!!
So, I am making out a schedule of when things "get done". And when they don't...oh well. I am not superwoman.
David has been a great help with everything & we're trying to figure out our new way of life together.
I really look forward to coming home to my family after work. The girls actually run up to me to greet me. Since I've always been with them I have never really gotten a whole lot of that before. It's a great feeling. So I am really treasuring my time with them even more.

Spring Ahead?

When I think of spring & Easter time I think of cute little spring dresses, easter egg hunts, trees beginning to bud with flowers...not snow!!!!!
The snow has been nuts around here. The entire winter has been strange. Some days we'd have 60 degrees other days we'd have a blizzard all within one week.
I have to say it has kept us in to rest which has been much needed.
Since our commercial shoots, my new job, my business taking off, David's extra jobs, sickness, homeschooling & just keeping up with life...we have been pretty busy. So, it was nice to take a break, to be forced to NOT go anywhere & just chill (literally).

We had a blast sled riding down our hill (our driveway), making igloos, playing fetch in the snow with our puppy, going on a winter hike in our backyard & sipping hot chocolate when we got back to the house. It was a wonderful weekend of rest.

Give me a F...give me a L...give me a U...what does that spell?

Yep. Influenza struke our entire household this past week. Aches, chills, fevers of 103 was common among us all. We are finally starting to feel better-if you call having a harsh cough better. It literally took us like 6 days to get over this nasty flu.

But now we are ready to roll again. School is back in session & housework is being done. Fun, fun fun!

While we were all sick we celebrated Isabelle's 5th birthday on Feb. 26th!

Amazing!

It seems like just yesterday that she was born.

She has made our lives such joy since she's been a part of our family. She adds a lot of humor & laughs into our everday routines. She really knows how to make you smile just when you need it. I love how Isabelle crawls into bed with me on Saturdays & gets really, really close to my face & says"Goodmorning beautiful mommy"

And her bright smile just lights you up inside!

Isabelle has such a gentle kindness to her. She always notices when someone is in need. And she will immediatly fill whatever need at any moment!

She is learning everyday & growing up before my eyes.

The other day we were looking at the "Isabelle book"(the scrapbook I made her of her life so far)and it was such fun to watch her expressions as we turned the pages. She has been a blessing from God since day one & I can't wait to see what God is going to do in this amazing girl's life!

Happy Birthday my sweet Isabelle!

I landed some more commercial spots. It's funny how things happen when your not really looking. I stopped looking for opportunities & they keep coming to me. Thank you Lord. And the best part is they are paying jobs. I have an opportunity to work with a web company that is starting to market companies websites. They are making commercials to add to their websites to help promote them better so that people can physically see what they do. Not Hollywood, but great for my resume & learning about the filming industry.
My first commercial I'm playing a boss(kind of like Lumburgh from Office Space-except female) mmmmm-k?
That will be fun.
I then have another commercial where David is also going to be in it...we are playing a married couple who is leaving their dog with a doggie day care type place while they are on vacation...we actually get to work with a dog & trainer for this shoot. Even more fun...a doggie & my hubby!

We have some more lined up that I'm not sure of yet...I'll post some pics if I can get my hand on some while we shoot...
Have a nice day-mmmmmm-k?

After a long couple of weeks, I'm ready to get back in the saddle. Both of my girls ended up having strep throat (at different times), and when they did they both felt horrible. They only laid around wanting someone to snuggle them. I was blessed to be the one who comforted them since I am able to stay home. I didnt get much done...well, actually nothing got done. But that is all part of the mommy job. You love, you comfort, you put things aside for your kids. Sometimes it is difficult to remember to not worry about what the house looks like but after you see the sweet little faces beaming up at you...you just don't care about anything else but them.

I love being a mom. I love snuggling in bed on Saturday mornings watching cartoons (well, they watch cartoons I just snuggle & get some extra sleep). :) I love hearing them call me "momma" still. I love seeing their eyes light up when I am away from them & we return together (even if I'm only gone for an hour). I love the deep conversations that we have. I love the crazy playtime of tickling, wrestling & pretending that we are characters from another world. I love dancing around the kitchen shaking our "toushes" .

At moments I wonder how I'm going to get through the day with all the chaos. Some days are just crazy. Lots of tears, lots of disagreements. Little girls argue over some crazy things. But thankfully my God somehow gets me through. Each day. And each day I thank Him for my life. The good & the bad times.

We are about to embark on a new chapter of our lives.
The girls will be going to school next year. And I will be going back into the "working" world.
I am excited yet in another breathe somewhat scared & sad. It has been almost 8 years since I left my job. I loved being at home with my girls. But I am excited to see what God brings my way. My resume' is already out there. I want God to lead on this one.
I had an opportunity at my old work place but it would have required me to start working now. Abby would have had to go "into" a school in the middle of her first grade year, and I would have had to find somewhere for Isabelle to go. I interviewed for the postition & I really wanted my old job back but I did not get it. In a way, I'm relieved. I was frantic. I did not want the girls lives to be turned upside down mid-year. Again, God took care of that. I know He has the perfect thing out there for me, in His time.

still waiting

I'm still waiting to hear how things are going to turn out...I'll post more when I find out. In the meantime, I've been spending a lot of time giving things to God. He is in control...no matter what happens. Even if NOTHING happens, He knows what He's doing. He may just be wanting me to focus on Him more, to give up the steering wheel & let Him drive. He may just be opening my eyes to other opportunities, things I may not have thought of before.

I don't know. And that's okay. He knows & that is all that matters. By the way, my twitching eye has stopped (the minute I stopped worrying-was the minute it stopped) :)

Thank you Lord for your timing & not my own.

forgetting to breathe

I am forgetting to breathe. I need to take a big, deep breath & I just can't seem to. My mind is filled with the static of some life changes & I'm actually forgetting to breathe. I am not normally an anxious person. Actually not at all, I just don't worry about a lot. I tend to find the good out of every circumstance. I drive David crazy with that. But I'm feeling a bit anxious these days...I actually have a twitching eyelid because of this-it just won't stop. Some things came up that we didnt expect until around the fall. So we need to make some decisions a little early. Don't get me wrong, we DO feel this is God's hands...but wow, we didnt think our prayers would be answered soooo quickly! Over the next couple of weeks things around here will be changing dramatically...I need to find peace in my Lord once again & know that He is in control...(breathe in breathe out)

Ahhhhhhhhhhhhhhh.....there it is....

New Year

As I reflect on the year 2007 I think of utter craziness & utter JOY...the sell of our home, building our new home, moving my in-laws into our home, finishing the basement until they could move into THEIR new home, in-laws in a serious car accident, dealing with 2 new puppies that were very sick, sending the sick puppies back, getting a new HEALTHY puppy, Abby starting 1st grade, teaching Isabelle this year(pre-K), David's work craziness, screenplay ideas, commercial shoots, Abby dealing with 'true love', Abby learning the hard way about her role models making poor decisions, sharing with a young couple thru couple mentorship about marriage & life, loss of friendship, friendships being restored, forgiveness, God providing during hard times, God revealing himself in moments of feeling alone, planting grass, landscaping in-laws yard, welcoming old friends back to Ohio, helping the same friends flip their house, ideas, ideas & more ideas that God is giving us...I could go on & on!

Thank you God for another year of your faithfulness, help us to become more faithful to you this coming year. We will trust in you & we will strive to be joyful in ALL circumstances whatever 2008 brings!

Winter Fun

What a wonderful Christmas it was...being with friends, family & just plain doing nothing. We have really slowed down since last year & I love it! This year for Christmas we tried to focus more on the reason we celebrate rather than the world's view of Christmas. We took time to ponder Christ & His birth...every morning of Christmas we tell or act out the Christmas story(which of course the girls love doing). A friend of ours told us how she only gives her kids 3 gifts(afterall that is all Jesus got-right?) So we took on this new way of thinking, which limited our spending also. What freedom that gives when you know your limitations...

Here are some photos of us enjoying our time as a family during our snowy days...

Hope you have a wonderful beginning to your new year!

Friends for over 23 years!!!

Yikes that makes me really old! I just spent an evening with my friend Margaret & her family & we had such a blast! Margaret & I have been friends since I was in 4th grade & she was in 5th...it seems like just yesterday that we both were walking down our Christian school hallway wearing our uniforms & dorky glasses to match! We became instant friends the moment we met. This past saturday night we reminisced about life over the last 23 years & well, we laughed...and laughed, and laughed. (that's about all we do when we're together). So here's a picture of Marge & me! (Then & Now-can you tell which one I am in the pyramid?)

I love ya Marge! Thanks for hanging out! It was nice to catch up & laugh about our time together over the years...

Dream Big

I had to post this because Isabelle just looks too darn cute not to...in this picture she worked really, really hard to make a pillow tower to reach the ceiling...about 2 years ago I took a picture of Abby doing the same thing! That picture is in my scrapbook right now & below it reads " Expose yourself to the possibility of doing something remarkable!"

That sums up my two amazing daughters...they are both always trying to figure things out & doing pretty remarkable things along the way...in my eyes, making a huge pillow tower is pretty cool!!!!! Sitting on top without falling is pretty remarkable too! I like that they both dream big! As kids nothing holds them back, nothing! I want my life to reflect that...right now I'd say things like"yeah, but it might fall" but why not say" yeah, but it could stay up "

Dream big!!! Why not? What have I got to lose?

I know that I keep quoting Erwin McManus in his book "Soul Cravings" but listen to what he says here...

"We were created to strive for progress and to pursue it with passion. It is God who designed us this way. He made us creative, and he makes us responsible. "

We are the ones who have to ACT on the creative juices He gives us...we have to build the baseball field so that "they will come", we have to put together a "pillow tower" to reach the ceiling...why not? Yes it might fall, but why not try...dream big!

Late Anniversary Post

I've been waiting to put my pictures on my computer so that I can post about our 13th Anniversary vacation...so here they are!

We traveled to the Erie Islands back in October to get some R & R and to have a little fun with the girls.

It was almost 90 degrees the entire 4 days that we were there...beautiful weather & wonderful family time together. We sailed on a boat, Abby got to surf at Kalahari, we met pirates, stole buried treasure, took nature walks, discovered a deserted beach & walked thru underground caves...Kelly's Island, Put-in-Bay are Cleveland's lost hot vacation spots...I'd recommend anyone spend time up there! What a beautiful place!

I can't believe it has been 13 years already since David & I said "I Do". What joy it has been to call myself his wife. We have grown alot together(especially since I've known him since I was in 2nd grade & he was in 5th grade)we've grown not only as individuals but as a couple as well. I never realized that I would love him more & more with each coming year! I never thought it was possible to love him more than I already did! David is an amazing husband, father, son & friend...he loves soooo good on people! He gives his all to others. Thank you Lord for answering my prayers many years ago by giving me this Godly man...I adore him & I'm thankful for being able to stand beside him...thru the good times & the hard times...I look forward to many, many, many more times to come!

Role Models?

Last night we had a special HIGH SCHOOL MUSICAL birthday party for Abby & her friends...we had about 8 kids & 8 adults over & just had a blast! The kids had a little talent show & sang to all the songs & did a show for the parents...we had a few HSM trivia games...we put play microphones, starburts & HSM stickers in the kids goodie bags...what a fun party! Abby & Isabelle had a great time!

This morning after breakfast, I noticed David & Abby were suddenly missing from our morning playtime...they had closed the door of the school room & were talking-Daddy & daughter...I had no idea about what...until they called me in. David was practically in tears...

They then shared with me that one of Abby's friends who was at her party told her about Vanessa Hudgens (Gabriella from HSM)...I'm sure you all heard about her taking her clothes off & taking some photos of herself that ended up all over the internet...well, Abby's friend told her that it wasnt true & of course Abby wanted to know if it was true...so David told her that the rumor was true. Abby apparently began to weep. She loves Vanessa, she thinks she is so talented. She is supposed to be a role model...

We have all made mistakes, I know I have..too many to count. But if only the celeb's realized that people look up to them. Abby didnt end the conversation there...she decided to write Vanessa an e-mail. After I read it I then realized why David was almost in tears. It was heartwarming. She told Vanessa that she was sad about what happened & told her that she was beautifully & wonderfully made & that God loved her & that she would be praying for her...

Amazing...she was still not finished...she then printed off some HSM pictures & wrote on them "Remember to pray for Vanessa & the rest of the HSM cast"
She put the picture up in her room so that she'll remember to pray for them!
What an example...
...my daughter is "reaching Hollywood" right where she is at...
Beautiful.