Not Me! Monday

Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.

Ok, so I really only have one Not Me! Monday for today.

On the way home from work this week, I did not stop at Taco Bell and get one bean burrito. When I was finished eating it, I was not still so hungry that I sucked the taco bell sauce out of the packet while driving down the interstate....and getting strange looks obviously. And for a little insight into my childhood, I totally did not do this all the time with Arby sauce when I was younger. Gross, who eats Arby and taco bell sauce straight from the packages!

Back to his roots

At last, I can finally post pictures! I've been wanting to post these for a few weeks now...

Theo's parents are Carribean. One of Theo's favorite things to eat is curry chicken and rice and peas. Carribean curry chicken is not the same as Indian curry. I know this because the last time I made curry chicken for Theo, he didn't like it that much. I couldn't figure out why until I made this curry chicken and it is indeed different.

So at the beginning of the year, as part of one of my new year's resolutions, I decided to give these recipes a try. Obviously the secret ingredient of chicken curry is Jamaican curry.

Add a few other ingredients and it turns out like this....

And the boy who won't even eat cinnamon rolls APPROVES!

A Tribute

It's been two years since my grandma (*aka* geemaw/grandmother/Nini) died. It's hard to believe it's been that long. I still think about her all the time and often wish she were here. I find myself frequently saying "Grandma, are you proud of me still? Are you proud of what I'm doing and how my life is turning out? Are you proud of the wife and mother I've become?" It's almost as if I can physically see her smiling down on me and nodding her head. I sure hope I'm making her proud.

There is no one else in the world quite like my grandma. She is one of the most Godly, Christian, and loving women I will ever have the pleasure of knowing. She rarely said an unkind word about anyone and we seldom had a conversation in which she didn't remind me of how good God was. There was a time in my life when I didn't have anywhere else to go and she took me in, and cared for me, emotionally and spiritually. Her face would always light up when I would come to visit her. She wanted me to just sit with her and talk. Those were the best times...those spent on her couch, listening to her. I learned so much from her, about life, about love, about God, about family. There was nothing I couldn't talk to her about.

And did she love Theo and Carter! I remember the first time she met him....I was unsure of what my family would think but grandma said that Theo just had a presence about him and she knew he would go far in life. She loved him as if he were her own blood. Then along came Carter. One of my favorite pictures is of her holding Carter the day he was baptized. Grandma always had a way of getting babies to sleep soundly. She had a signature pat and hold that could calm even the fussiest baby. The first time I ever had to leave Carter for school, grandma watched him. I knew he was in good hands with her and I think she loved every moment of caring for him. I only wish she were still here so she could see the little man he has turned into. I wish Carter had a chance to know her as well because I know he could learn so much from her.

I could fill volumes of things to say about grandma but at the risk of having a complete meltdown at work and doing my "ugly cry", I will close with this:

Grandma, there is no doubt in my mind that you are in Heaven where you have always wanted to be and I hope it is more than you ever imagined. I feel your presence here with me. Please stay with me always. I love you more than words can describe.

Too Cute Tuesday!

Well, our desktop computer is still fried and may be beyond repair. Until I figure out how to upload new pics onto the laptop, I can only post pictures from Christmas and older. So here is one of my fave Christmas pics. Hope you all are doing well. Not much new here. 8 more work days!!

Not Me! Monday

This weeks edition of Not Me! Monday.....

Click on over to mycharmingkids.net for more therapy. Here we go......

I did not put a block of cheese in the pantry (and I'm not talking Velveta, I'm talking real cheese...the kind that goes in the refrigerator and not the pantry) and did not realize I'd even done it until Theo came home and opened the pantry.

I definitely would not get a clean pair of socks out of my drawer, use them to dust off my piano and then still put them on my feet. Who would do that? That is disgusting!

I did not have to put Carter in time out three times yesterday and then I most certainly did not laugh at him when he said that I needed to go to time out too!

I would never let Carter eat a pop-tart and breadstick for dinner last night because I was so tired of the whining, I just gave in to his demands.

I would not waste two hours each day over the weekend taking a nap because I am that exhausted!

First time in 4 months!........

Carter is taking a nap in his bed! Literally since he's second birthday party, he has a) either refused to take a nap all together, or b) refused to fall asleep in the bed. We've tried all types of things to coax him into napping in his own bed but to no avail. He, of course, takes a nap at Michele's house every day at exactly the same time each day. But no siree, not at our house. Well, today I said enough is enough. I offered to sit in the rocking chair until he falls asleep but he kept thinking it was play time. I finally had enough and left, shutting the door behind me. I came and set the kitchen timer for 15 minutes and told myself that if he was still screaming after the timer went off, I'd go get him. Amazingly, ten minutes went by and then there was no more crying. I just went and checked on him, and he is fast asleep in bed. Daddy is out doing the grocery shopping, and I'm enjoying some alone time. Life is good......

New Year Challenge

Ok, I know it's already a week into the new year. But I would like to challenge all of you to embark on something with me. I am committing myself this year to reading through the entire Bible. I know I have read the entire New Testament multiple times and most of the Old Testament. But this year, I am reading it mostly in order. I will admit I started at the beginning of December but I would encourage my friends and family to pick up their Bibles and do the same.

Check out this website for a great guideline to get started.
http://www.oneyearbibleonline.com/readingplan.asp?version=51&startmmdd=0101

Leave a comment if you're up for the challenge!

Not Me Monday!

Ok, I know two posts in one day! What can I say, I have a lot to say :). Another round of therapy coming up! Thanks MckMama for the inspiration as always. Click on over to http://www.mycharmingkids.net/ for more Not Me Mondays! MckMama's is quite hilarious this week.

This past week, I definitely did not let Carter watch cartoons almost all day so I could read a James Patterson book cover to cover...315 pages in three hours! You guys know how I'm a stickler for my two hour tv rule.....

I did not think that I couldn't wait to get pregnant again so that I could wear loose fitting maternity clothes because my regular clothes are getting a little too tight.

I did not break into a sweat last Sunday as I was trying to put on control-top pantyhose to wear to church! I hate control-top pantyhose.

I did not almost tear up when Theo brought be flowers, cheesecake, and godiva chocolates this week. No we didn't have a fight...he was just being sweet! *tear* *sniff*

I did not make another double decker chocolate cake yesterday only to realize Theo doesn't really like chocolate cake so I'll be forced to eat the whole thing myself....well, ok, I guess I can share with our neighbor....if he's lucky!

I certainly did not throw away an old tennis shoe because I swore to Theo I hadn't been able to find the match to the shoe in a couple of years.....only an hour later to discover the missing shoe in the bottom of my closet buried under a pile of clothes. Oops, they were old shoes anyway.

Hope you enjoyed this weeks Not Me Monday. Life is always interesting at our place!

Resigned!

I have officially resigned from my position as pediatric surgery nurse practitioner at LSU! Whew! I had been having some anxiety over it off and on the past couple of weeks. But now that it's done, I feel relieved. I will be sad to leave. I enjoy the working with the people here and will miss their friendships. But I am excited to know that I will be doing God's will for my life and making Carter man really happy! Hopefully Theo will be happier too but I know he'll miss the extra money :).

God is so good though. Just this morning, I was sitting at my desk thinking "Ok, Lord, are you sure this is what I need to do? Who quits their good paying job in the middle of an economic crisis. I sure am giving up a lot of money". Well, lo and behold, in my e-mail box was a devotional e-mail I signed up to receive a couple of days ago. The first thing on the screen was:

"Do not overwork to be rich...For riches certainly make themselves wings." Proverbs 23:4-5

I just had to laugh. "Ok God, I hear ya!"

I must say being off with Carter for the past few days has really made me know in my heart of hearts that I want to be home with him. He is such a joy to have around. No one loves me quite the same way he does. Obviously my husband, my family and my friends all love me and I know that. But with Carter, it's just different...not necessarily better or worse but different. So that's that. I don't have any pictures to post because I accidentally let Carter spill a glass of water on our desktop at home and now the computer is fried and I can't upload any more pictures for now. Sorry :(

Happy New Year!

I rang in the new year in my usual fashion.....asleep on the couch. However the fireworks our neighborhood folks were popping rivaled a combat zone and woke me up around 12:15. I was waiting to hear Carter's cries but he managed to sleep right though it all. He did wake up at 6:30 though yesterday morning. We spent most of the day hanging out at home. Theo started cleaning out/reorganizing our "office" *aka* junk room. I played with Carter. For an hour, I tried to lay down with him so he would take a nap but to no avail. Around 4:30, we decided to go to Wal-Mart. We'd been there for a few minutes when I noticed Carter about to fall asleep in the buggy. So I stole a trick I saw a Target mom use recently and grabbed a throw pillow and laid him down in the big part of the buggy. To my surprise, it worked! He probably slept for close to an hour. Even through the obnoxious Wal-Mart employee's screams over the intercom. I haven't had that much noninterrupted shopping time with Carter in tow in forever. It was nice.

Today, Carter slept in a little and I got a yoga workout in (only 20 minutes....don't be too impressed. Namaste yoga on the fit tv channel rocks!!) We got ready and then went to Sci-port. One of my friends and her two boys were able to meet us there for a little while. It was fun. Carter loves Sci-port. We stayed for two hours and it was a blast. Now we're home and I'm on-line enjoying a little quiet time while Carter plays. We don't have any big plans for this weekend. We are finally taking down our Christmas tree and that will probably be the high-light of our weekend. This year, I am making a vow to spend more time with my family and to be attentive and present, not just in the same room. With that said, I better go play with Carter! Happy New Year!