7 Quicktakes Friday

I got this idea from a friend, and since I always have random thought floating around in my head, here it goes:

1. My kiddos were absolutely insane today! I charge them "tiger tickets" (tickets they collect as rewards and can buy stuff with) to get out of class on time. Usually it only takes two threatened tickets to get them quiet; today it took 5. That is A LOT!!! I wanted to strangle myself. I think I even told them that they made me want to hang myself. They thought it was funny.

2. Yesterday Zoey took two steps in a row. It was so exciting. Today she took a whopping 0 steps. I had every expectation that she would be zooming around the house by now. She is hardheaded.

3. I bought this book called I Can Make You Thin. I saw an ad in my junk mail from B&N that said "Do you want to be thin?" I said, "Yes I do" and clicked the ad. The book said it could make me thin, so I bought it without hesitation. A big deal for those of you who know me. Mainly because it comes with a hypnosis CD. I want to lose weight, but I don't want to work very hard, so maybe if I am hypnotized I won't notice what I am eating. I keep thinking back to the movie Office Space when the main guy tells his friends that he is going to a hypnotist about his job. His friends give him some grief about it, and he states that the hypnotist worked for his girlfriend's weight loss. One friend says, "Peter, she's anorexic." Peter says, "Yeah, the guy is really, really good." Not that I want to be anorexic, but a little discipline would be nice.

4. I finally took my wedding ring in to be sized this week. I kept thinking that my hands would go back to normal, because you never really think about gaining weight in your fingers. I have managed to gain weight everywhere. I hated not having anything to wear on my ring finger. I wore lots of different rings, but nothing quite made me feel married. I decided that while I was at the jewelry store I would buy myself a thin white gold band to wear while I wait for my ring to return. It sounds funny to be getting one now, but I had one before that fell down the sink at a bed and breakfast that John and I were staying at last year. I was devastated. Anyway, as soon as I put the ring on in the store, I felt elated. I stuck my ring finger in the air and sang a little tune. I did not realize how important it is to me to carry around a symbol of my marriage to John. When I put that ring on, I felt more like a woman again too. It is funny what one small ring can do for a girl.

5. Yesterday, Jack decided that he would attack Daisy. He does this often, because he is quite literally the devil, but yesterday it seemed like Daisy decided to attack back by losing as much hair as possible in the process. (When cats get mad or fight they lose chunks of hair.) I guess Daisy thought she could use a diversion on Jack. If she lost enough hair, maybe he would think another cat had entered the kitchen and he would lose his focus on her long enough for her to sneak away. Like a little black phantom. Too bad it didn't work. I wish I had a picture of this phenomenon. Daisy probably lost a pound of hair. Okay, maybe that is an exaggeration, but it felt like a lot when I was cleaning it up.

6. I think God is beginning to reveal to me that party planning is my spiritual gift. I just really like hosting parties and planning outings for my friends. I recently co-planned a 30th birthday party for a dear friend, and it was such a rush. I can't lie, I loved the praise I received for the party, but even more, I love how special it makes the guest of honor feel . My friend said that she got really teary, and I was so overjoyed that she felt so loved. I appreciate my friends so much, and I feel like everyone should be celebrated. One of the ladies at school jokingly calls me the "cruise director." I feel like God has given me this spirit of celebration for a reason, and I am still trying to figure out how to really use it for his glory, but it is exciting to know that I CAN use my joy for his glory. God is so good.

7. Nanny Kelly has been such a blessing in my life. Not only because I know that when I am gone that Zoey is in the best hands possible, but because her family has even fallen in love with her. They are such wonderfully loving people. I am so lucky to see Christ's love radiated through people just doting on my daughter. Being a parent gives you a whole new perspective of how God views his children and how he feels about us. It is awesome. I really feel like Zoey has three sets of grandparents. Mrs. Karen (KayKay) and Mr. Greg are so wonderful to my sweet girl. I especially love how Mr. Greg is just so taken with her. Everything she does is just perfect and wonderful. It shows me how much he must adore his own two girls and how much he must love being a dad. I ate dinner with them tonight, and I was in heaven. I just love, love, love that family.