Emelia came third into our family. She was different from the very beginning. I remember the day she was born, ten years ago, she had the most black hair I’ve ever seen on a baby.

The first two (amanda and bailey) were both born with light hair and not much of it. I would not have believed she was my child if I hadn’t seen her come from me! I literally sat and laughed for at least an hour… maybe too much medication? I just couldn’t believe she was mine. She was so beautiful. (still is.) The nurses would take her during the night so I could sleep for a little bit and she would come back with a new hairstyle. I don’t think many newborns had enough hair for the nurses to fix with little doggy ears and bows. I breastfed her for too long in my opinion.

I realized it when it was a little too late. Matt had to help get her to sleep for almost a month so that she could be weaned. It was tough, for us both! She had a case of RSV when she was about a year old. We had to use the nebulizer. It was scary. When she was about three she came out of her room to show me she had cut her hair. She had the most beautiful hair I had ever seen and I loved it! She had cut a complete doggy ear off. To the nub. Let’s just say I was creative with her hairstyles for the next year or two. We did a lot of side pony tails until I could even it out. I refused to cut it short!

She was so excited when Isabelle was born. Finally a playmate! Amanda was eight years older and although Bailey was a playmate for her, he was a boy and wouldn’t play dolls. She was in kindergarten when Izzy had her near drowning accident. When the accident happened, Matt and I were right outside the back door on the ground doing cpr on izzy. We told the kids to go inside (and pray) as we worked on her waiting for paramedics to arrive. They took Izzy around the side of the house and away in the ambulance. When we talked to Emelia on the phone later that night she thought we were burying Isabelle in the ground. She just didn’t understand. It made me so sad that she thought that. I guess she had seen animals buried and just thought that was what you did when something died. (of course you know that Isabelle was resuscitated and is alive - praise God.)

Emelia is a stubborn little girl who doesn’t take no for an answer. She is smarter than most, but will argue for 2 hours about doing something that will only take her five minutes. Creative parenting has been very useful for Emelia. She has a huge heart and would give away everything she has, without question. At church they are raising money for a missionary group called speed the light. She had $8.00 in her purse. She gave all she had. Without thought. Tonight was her bible school teacher’s birthday, she made her jewelry with the beads she received as a gift. She tucked money into the card (money she had been given for her birthday) and I told her I thought the jewelry was enough. She shrugged and said, “okay.” She’s never selfish and always thinking of others.

She is on the phone 24/7! While it might appear that I am a “cool mom” by giving her a cell phone at ten, truth is I just wanted mine back. She always had it. She is the epitome of a social butterfly! Happy tenth birthday! It’s been a fun 10 years and I look forward to what the next ten years bring (please be a sweet teenager, please be a sweet teenager…)

This is yummy!

Taco Meat Loaf
1 egg

1/2 cup sour cream

1/3 cup salsa

2 to 4 tablespoons taco seasoning

1 cup crushed tortilla chips

1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

2 pounds lean ground beef

Optional toppings: sour cream, salsa, shredded cheddar cheese, shredded lettuce, sliced ripe olives

In a large bowl, combine the first six ingredients. Crumble beef over mixture and mix well. Pat into the bottom of a 3-qt. slow cooker. Cover and cook on low for 8 hours or until a meat thermometer reads 160°. Top with sour cream, salsa, cheese, lettuce and olives if desired.

Don’t you just love a good family vacation? Things like going to Disneyworld, or Disneyland… even the San Diego zoo would make a wonderful family vacation! When we were in Orlando, Florida, we had each day planned out. Actually a week wasn’t long enough to see everything we wanted to see and do everything we wanted to do, but we planned a schedule that packed in as much as possible. On Thursday we had planned to spent the first half of the day at Epcot. I noticed pretty quickly that around noon it would rain and then usually stop pretty quickly. We headed to Epcot and it was sprinkling rain, but we assumed it would stop by the time we arrived. We were wrong. If you have been to any of the Disney parks you know that it is a pretty good hike to get to the front gates from the parking lot. Even if you are parking in special parking it is still so far. I don’t mind walking, unless it comes a torrential downpour like it did that day. We were literally drenched. I mean soaked to the bone! Poor Izzy, I tried to keep my umbrella directly over her but the wind blew rain all over her. It wasn’t cold, but wet! We got to the front gates and paid a ridiculous amount of money for rain parkas and then magically the ran stopped! We spent our time at Epcot feeling a little miserable, being wet isn’t much fun. We always tried to enjoy our time regardless of problems and this day was no exception, but I would have preferred a dry day! When we go back I will definitely check out things to do in Orlando! There is even a newsletter to help figure out things to do!

Thirteen things I need to be doing… rather than blogging.

1. folding the clothes that just finished drying.

2.  putting another load in the washer.

3.  go to store to pick up a few things.

4. making potato salad for emelia’s party tonight.

5. eating lunch.

6. stripping beds… washing bedding.

7.  checking the mail.

8. go outside, it’s beautiful out there!

9. walk on the treadmill.

10. feed the dogs

11.  clean the glass.

12. read my bible.

13. fix my hair?

If you are looking for real estate in the Houston, TX area, the Houston Real Estate book has many listings to view.If you are looking for homes for sale, The Real Estate Book is a nationally and internationally recognized brand.

You can browse by location and price. There are many pictures to look at and many home to choose from. You can also find any property in the magazine by entering the web ID. They make it very easy to shop for a home online!  I have been to Houston many times, it’s a really busy city!  The last time we were in Houston it was only for a layover on our flight, so we didn’t see a whole lot there… but we used to visit a lot when my aunt was living there.  I mostly remember the huge interstates with eight or ten lanes of the fastest traffic I had ever seen.  I know there are beautiful homes in the area.  There are also so many to choose from if that is the area you are interested in living.  Check out the real estate book, they have so many listings your sure to find what you’re looking for!

Some other options on the web site is finding homes in foreclosure, or finding out what your home is worth! Check it out!

After church last night, and after I had my pj’s on… Emelia tells me she wants to take cookies for her class.

I told her if she got up extra early we could go to the store. She did, and we did. It was weird going out while it was still dark!

We found the exact cookies she wanted and she was happy!

All’s well that ends well huh?

There are levels of happiness and many factors that contribute to happiness. Do you know the secrets of being happy? I think I do, I believe that we are taught in the scriptures to count all things joy in the Lord. Some people find it hard to live a happy life and there are different methods out there to help in that process. Some things like your presence awareness are factors of happiness. The Sedona Method has a plan for happiness. There is also a book titled, “Happy for No Reason.” by Marci Shimoff. Here is an excerpt from her book. I first learned about the Sedona Method from my dear friend, Hale Dwoskin, who was one of Lester’s students and today carries on Lester’s work all over the world. Hale is amazing! He’s like a laughing Buddha and it’s contagious. I can’t be around him without wanting to giggle. He’s definitely one of my Happy for No Reason mentors.

When I met Hale, letting go was not my strong suit. Sometimes I fought my negative thoughts and feelings, but mostly I was the queen of holding on to them—doggedly determined to figure them out, to understand where they came from and what they meant. Hale kept telling me, “Marci, just do the process.” But I didn’t think I could just let my thoughts and feelings go. It seemed too ridiculously simple.

What helped me finally get it was a little demonstration Hale showed me of how letting go works. Try it for yourself. First, get a pen. Now hold the pen tightly in your hand—the pen represents your thoughts and feelings and your hand is your awareness. Notice that although gripping the pen is uncomfortable, after a little time it begins to feel familiar or “normal.” Are you feeling that yet? In this same way, your awareness holds on tightly to your thoughts and feelings, and eventually you get used to holding on and don’t even realize you’re doing it.

Now open your hand and roll the pen around on your palm. Notice that your pen and your hand are not attached to each other. The same is true for your thoughts and feelings. Your thoughts and feelings are no more attached to you than the pen is attached to your hand. You are not your thoughts or feelings.

Now turn your hand over and let the pen go. What happened? The pen dropped to the floor. Was that hard? No—you simply stopped holding on! That’s what it means to let go.

The Sedona Method is based on two main premises:

• Thoughts and feelings aren’t facts and they’re not you.
• You can let them go.

At your core you already have the happiness you are seeking and all you need to do is uncover this natural happiness by letting go of the unhappiness or limitation that appears to be covering or obstructing it.

The tendency to hold on and attach ourselves to our unhappy thoughts and feelings is so strong it appears even in the way we use language. When we feel sad, we usually say, “I’m sad.” When we feel unhappy, we usually say, “I’m unhappy.” We are constantly reinforcing the belief of our being attached to our thoughts and feelings. The Sedona Method helps break that attachment.

I personally feel that I have happiness through Christ Jesus, but there are other methods to finding happiness like this one out there for you to look into.