Whittaker Woman

Yesterday, Today and TOMORROW!

My my this week has been a whirlwind! There has been so many things to blog about, but so little time. I can't wait to share. I also have been dying because I have had no time to read up on everyone. I feel so disconected! The good news is that I will be back on Tuesday! Oh I am ready to be home (in Georgia) and get back to my normal life. However yesterday we came down to LA (it feels so good) and today we are hanging out at my grandma's but the biggest is tomorrow where we attempt to run as far as we can in the marathon. Carlos and I just laugh because we are the most out of shape we have been during this whole training  (20 weeks), but we are here so we are going to give it a go.

Oh, one last thing... I booked a place so our party is on for November 8th, it will be in Roswell GA. I am really excited. I am going to  put together another blog so we can have everyones website on it. Maybe we can have one or who people highlighted each day. Oh that is a fun idea. Ok we will be up and running by NEXT WEDNESDAY! So...if you know you are going to be coming lets go ahead and get a heads start... go ahead and email me (whittakerwoman@yahoo.com) a picture, and a little story about YOU. What do you want us to know about you. I am excited!

Alright. I hope everyone has a great weekend. Please catch me up in one sentence or less. What have you been doing?

Attack of the Cat

I was sitting so nicely on the lazy boy when Mr. Carlie decided to sit up by my head.

Then all of the sudden he began eating my hair.
Or maybe I had bugs, who knows.

Whatever it was... I guess  it was tasty.

#207!

I have some good news. I spoke with the peeps over at Chris Tomlin's band and because so many of you were interested in it they are giving us another CD for free! So the new lucky winner is #207 Shellee!

And the winner is...

   The Lucky winner is #57 Which is ERIN!

We had Carlos' team over for dinner tonight and rocked the Mexican Food!

Mama's frijoles! So good!
 
We also had a grown up pinata with big candy bars and gift cards!
   

I love to host! Oh and by the way, it was 30 minutes before the party and we sure did go to Cold Stone to get some free Ice Cream! I loved the Marshmallow one!

Free Ice Cream!

Don't miss the 7th Annual World’s Largest Ice Cream Social at participating Cold Stone Creamery locations nationwide, a special night to join together and share the simple pleasures of life with a FREE ice cream and family fun. On September 25th from 5:00 - 8:00PM, guests will be treated to a 3 oz. serving of Jack or Emily's Creation. All donations will benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation.

Are you kidding me... Free Ice Cream... We are there! H

HT: My friend Bethany

Apparently I Missed the News

There is no gas in Georgia! None! When we were coming home from church on Sunday I saw a big line by our gas station, but I just thought an accident had happened and people were getting stuck behind the cars.  Then later that day when my gas light was on, I drove to the gas station as I was pulling in when I saw a line of cars. I thought it was strange, but the soccer fields were just getting out so I thought maybe their was a group all driving together. I don't know? Now that I look at my thought process I find myself quite clueless.
Anyways I did finally realize everyone was waiting for gas and figured I'd drive down the hill and find a gas station with no line.
And I did... drove by many gas stations with no lines, and that was because they were out of gas. By this time I was  beginning to see some black between the gauge and the E line. Not a good sign. Finally I pulled up to a gas station and that had cars which meant for the time they had gas. Good!
Oh but I did not realize that I would be waiting 40 minutes just to fill up. Good thing my kids were having fun...

Well maybe Seanna was not, but Losiah had candy and Sohaila had something to occupy her!

Nothing like sitting at the gas station with three kids... It puts mommy in a happy mood!

Finally after I got up to the pump the only gas left was Supreme! But after that ordeal you suck it up and pay it!

Looks like fun! H

I love Jesus but I drink a little

This just made my day...

HT: Angela

Hmmm, was this a hint?

So I was reading some of your blogs the other day and found a great blog that was about a woman's journey of loosing weight. I loved it. It was real, and honest. However I looked over at her blog roll and found this...

Everyone on there has to do with weight. HMMM, should Carlos and I get the clue phone. HA! H

Can you say... Give away!

I am so excited because I have been wanting to do a give away for sometime now, and well the problem was I had nothing to give away. I love my readers! I think you guys are great and I am so excited to offer this to you...
Tomorrow is a big day for the band called 33 Miles'. They are releasing their new CD called One Life! FYI for those of you not in the music industry... it's a big day! I have been listening to their music all day while I clean my house and have loved the sound! You can check out their music for free here. And you can buy your own CD here. BUT best of all, if you leave a comment to this post we will be giving a way a signed autographed copy of the CD to one of our very own. How fun is that. So... all you got to do is leave a comment here and on Thursday morning we will see who the winner is! H

Where is the dang umbrella when you need it?

It was just like the movies, the rain began right when it came time for Sohaila to be picked up from the bus, it was a coming down, but as soon as she got off the bus it was a down pour! As I was leaving the house I realized that the umbrella was in the car, with Carlos. Which is a very practical spot for it, because I was home all day. I did not need an umbrella, well except for the 2 minutes it took me to walk to the bus stop.

We look terrible, we actually look a like in this picture. I don't know what that says... She looks like my daughter when I look like a drowned rat? HMM. Can you say pretty! Ha!
We were laughing so hard, sometimes it takes something going wrong to make a great memory! H

My Bling

Our Saturday morning runs are a little less dangerous now that I have some serious bling. Each time we run I wish I had gone to the running store and purchased a flashlight or some kind of reflector  apparatus so when cars drove by we would not get hit. The street we run on has lights but then in some areas it is just black.  This week while I was cleaning the girls room I came across this

A barbie light up ring! Stand back cars, here I come! H

Repeat? Maybe? I don't know.

Ok friends, seriously I have lost my mind. There has been a blog on my heart for some time but I am questioning if I have already written it or not. I searched my archives, but came up empty so please humor me if I am repeating myself!

I have talked about my friend Nancy who uprooted with her family to be missionaries in Africa. Did I mention she has 4 boys. Talk about blog worthy material! Anyways  Nancy and I were friends in Riverside, but what bonded us even closer is the fact that God called us both to leave what we called home. We were on the same road, at the same time together. We were going to different places, but the bumps and curves that the road took each of us were very similar. Until now.
You see she had to make one of the hardest decisions of her life. Read her words...(For safety reasons her blog is password protected, I did got her approval and want to share what she has written)

June 5th, "We are facing one of the most difficult decisions of our lives. I have that familiar feeling in my gut that tells me what the answer is…could that be the Counselor?…but nevertheless it is painful. How do I condense it? I will certainly try, but if you’re in a hurry - you may want to come back later.

The bottom line is that it looks like J will be accepted to boarding school for seventh grade in the fall. This - in itself - is a miracle. Most MK’s here have been on the waiting list since infancy; J was placed on the list in March. There are so many factors that play into this decision. Yes, we have the option of homeschooling - but that doesn’t meet his longing and deep desire for friends, youth group, and extracurricular activities. J is really struggling right now because he realizes that all his friends in CA are graduating from the sixth grade - something he has looked forward to since kindergarten. He wants to go…something that we can’t ignore.

This morning in my quiet time the LORD reminded me of an event long ago…a decision similar to this one in which I had to trust God’s plan for J rather than my own. When he was 4, God clearly told me not to put him in preschool. I didn’t understand why at the time and it was really hard on me, but I knew that God had a reason and that somehow - that extra year at home would be important in the future. Now I know why. God wanted me to spend extra time with him then because He would be asking me to let go of him early. Wow. The foresight and wisdom of God."

Wow! Anyone in tears? I am every time I read it. Since then the decision has been made and J has only 10 more days at home. Nancy asks this question and I ask it of you...

"If you knew you had only two weeks left with your 12-year-old son at home…
What would you do?
What would you say?
Today I find myself facing these very questions.
I need a little help.
Give me grace, Lord, to face what lies ahead." -N

Please take a second and comment here to her, what would you do? Say? H

Living with the Whittakers

OOPS, sorry I did not post today. Can you believe it is 8pm and its the first time I've looked at my blog. I just realized the post I had scheduled did not post. Wow mark that in the record books!

I love co-living, well at least with those who we have lived with...
Bogie and Becca for 1 month in 2006             

Joy and Billy from Aug 07-Feb 08                  
Alyssa and James from March 08- Aug 08 

Every experience has been different. And yet each of the experiences have confirmed that we love to live with other people. The help, the support, the community is just so worth it!  We will continue to do it. I think we live in a world that has fallen away from relationships. I think we have alienated ourselves from each other, which only leaves many of us lonely and overwhelmed. I want my life and my families lives to be as rich as possible. We were blessed to have people welcome us into their home when we needed it and we will do the same for others!
H

Look what I found!

I was on the web today just surfing, which believe it or not I do not do very often. I am on the computer all day but rarely do I get side tracked and surf mindlessly. However if you see my post below you can see that it has been a day of random internet rabbit chases! Ok back to my find...
I found this post about This Store which is in LA. I took one look and realized it was the store I got my fabulous blue couch at.
My $350 dollar couch that really cost me $650 because I got my car towed while I parked on the street to go check it out. I then had to walk 2 miles to get to the towing yard and pay all the fees just to get home. Ahh, the life of living in LA! This was also the day that Carlos called me and told me that North Point was flying us out that Friday because the were considering him for this job. There are lots of memories with this store. If you live there it is something to check out!

I don't have time for this!

My friend Danae posted the interview that Steven Curtis Chapman did on Larry King Live. I watched the GMA interview but because we down graded our cable we do not get CNN. I had forgotten about it until I read her post. I expected a 10 minute interview, so I clicked on it and began to watch. I was crying with in the first 10 seconds because of this picture.
Oh man I just can not handle the thought of that kind of grief.  I sat for 45 minutes captivated by the story. I did not have the time to watch it but I did and am so glad I did. If nothing else you have to watch Part 6 of it and learn about this flower. It's amazing! H

HOW OLD ARE YOU?

I was just wondering. H

Summer is in the air, part 2

So the saga continues, the little birds hatched. Momma bird would constantly bring them insects of all sorts and then it happened... Dun, Dun, Dun.
My dad  had a great idea of celebrating my birthday with fireworks. I know where some of your minds just went, and let me stop you right now the birds were not part of a tragic firework accident.
Ok back to the story, the night of my birthday we went outside to light sparklers and roman candles. It was quite festive and fun. My sparkler was finished and I wanted another one so I asked my dad where he put them. I looked over and he placed all the boxes right on top of the birds. OOPS! The next morning I went out there and all was good, babies alive and well. The following morning after that however, they were gone.  Thankfully there was no sign of a animal getting them like last time! The explanation to the girls was simple... They flew away, see they are no longer in the nest. :)  It's just so sad that we get so far and get left hanging.

Bye bye, old pots!

Alyssa and James got me a whole new set of pots for my birthday! This is the best present because we have never had new pots and pans. We got hand me downs for our wedding and it is something I use absolutely EVERYDAY! I am so excited to say good-bye old friends good bye.

America

I loved this moment in our trip. Seeing this couple have a moment was just beautiful. Their obvious decision to serve a religion of their choice is everything that America stands for. It was just powerful. H

Casa De Whittaker is Full

Mom, dad, the Cullins, the Whittakers and Daley all reside
 

Can you say bargain shopper!

That's right your eyes are not playing tricks on you. This little dress was one cent at Old Navy. Really? I want to know how they tax a penny. I know there are some bargain shoppers out there, but no one is gonna take this cake!

5 spoons, a screwdriver, and a tourist book

Oh how I love Mondays. As Seanna would call them... Jammie days! We don't get dressed and it's just a day to put the house back together after the weekend. This Mama-maid, tries not to clean on the weekends so when Monday rolls around there is plenty to do. Look at what a little cleaning finds. These are the treasures I found in my couch, I did not even take the time to move the couch and see what lurks below! How does some of this stuff get there? I can understand the change, and the remote, but a pumpkin carver, 5 spoons, and best of all... a railroad tie? How in the world? I laughed at myself and thought, this could be so fun... lets all confess our little hiding spots. You know the ones that are clean on the outside, but when you look under or open it you could have your own garage sale with the random things you find.
So, lets compete... Who has more in their couch? Or maybe it's under your bed, maybe the hall closet. Where are your spoons hiding?  Let the games begin... All you have to do is  post a link back to this post, and enter your link in the "Mr. Linky" form at the bottom of my post. I am fine with the fact that I have areas in my house that are just dirty. H

Crap, I can't stop!

It's been a crazy past year one, no it has been crazy last two years and I have not had time for much TV. If I watch something it is usually during my lunch while I eat. I have been a follower of LOST but then when we moved into our new home, adopted Losiah, decided to leave everything we have known and move across country, well LOST got lost!

Until this week.

I have been stuck, I am living up to my mans explanation of a stay at home mom ...sitting on the couch, eating bon bons and watching soap operas all day. I am not watching soap operas but I am watching LOST. I can't stop! I love ABC and the streaming video!  It's a good thing my kids  like to play together for hours! 
Have you ever watched a show marathons style?  What show?

Spring is in the air!

I kept noticing birds flying to our wreath and today we found out why...

Carlos had to take the pictures because even on a stool 
I was to short. But how cute are they!
I am so excited to have some babies around here! H

No Vacancy

Hotel Casa Whittaker is closed. We officially have no more room.
There is the five of us., plus these two.   Oh and you
can't forget Nani, and now our latest cat just rolled in.
We have a full house! I have always wanted to own a bed and breakfast! H

NO WAY!

I was reading the blog of the wife of one of Carlos' best friends,
that he has known from preschool  and guess what I saw...

It's Rodger MY FAVORITE!  Check out why she saw him here.
We are having dinner with them tomorrow and I can't wait to
ask her a million questions! H

Treat others as you would want to be treated

Look what the neighbors across the street brought over.
See the cookies paid off. They are being nice! H

Back to life, back to reality

After 2 days and 14 loads of laundry I am proud to say it
is all done, now I just have to put it away. Who said
stay at home moms just sit around, eat bon bons and
watch soap opera's all day?  This laundry is really getting
in my way! H

Umm...

NO, NO, NO! Remember I do earthquakes not tornadoes!

My favorite thing to read today " A tornado has been sighted in your area, seek shelter immediately." The news is saying seek your place of safety. WHAT THE HECK! Cali I miss you!

This is for my sis Shelley

I forgot diapers and I am stuck here. So I did it like my sis does...