50 things....

I've been racking my brain as to how to "revamp" this blog, after all, I am a "stay at home" mom, and have nothing better to do than to watch soap operas, drink cocktails, and get mani/pedi/facials every day....

And if you believe that, you clearly have NEVER been a stay at home mom, and know nothing about me, read on... :)

I've considered sticking to the cute things the kids say, or homeschool stuff, or going the foodie or frugal route, but frankly, I'm not that specialized in anything. Sometimes I'll post a funny thing from the kids, sometimes I'll post something I'm thinking about, sometimes it's a God thing, sometimes a rant. My blog is about my life, and that includes EVERYTHING I love. So...

I think I'll just start off with a good ol' list....

1. I am a married 29+1 year old mother.
2.  My birthday is May 7, which is apparently a very common birthday. I’ve always met tons of people who have the same birthday as me. I think it should be a day for celebration all over the world, maybe call it International Birthday Day and have free cake and ice cream everywhere.
3. I think I'm gonna Benjamin Button the next 10 years, then start forward again, then backwards, you get the point. I've got no problem with getting older, since I'm never gonna make it to 31 anyway :)
4. I have the best parents in the world. I've said it before, and I'll say it again. Not just my parents but my whole family. It's indisputable.
5. I am from an unconventional family, because my parents never divorced, my mom stayed home with the kids, we never moved, and there were seven of us all together. Oh, and none of the kids were born before 1970, which really adds to the obscurity.
6. I am the middle of five kids- the oldest girl, third in the pecking order, with two older brothers, a younger brother and a baby sister.
7.  I have lived in the same county, in the same state my whole life. In fact, I live exactly ten miles from my parent’s house, the same one I grew up in.
8.  People think I look exactly like everyone in my family. I don’t think that’s possible. I have been called a twin to every one of my siblings, from my 36 year old brother to my 23 year old sister.
9. I have more cousins that you do, probably anyway.
10. I hated school, even though my grades were great. I thought everyone was too dramatic and fake, then I figured out how to be just like that, but decided it wasn’t for me.
11. You will hear me refer to the years 1997-2000 as my prodigal years. That's exactly what they were. That's why my first daughter's name is Lady M. She is purely a gift.
12. My husband and I went our first date to Walmart. That’s when I knew he was the one… LOL!!
13. We met and married within 7 months. I wouldn't recommend it to anyone, but I wouldn't trade it for the world.
14. I had never lived on my own before marriage. That's a big shocker, considering how messy my life was at one time, and how independent people seem to think I am.
15. I have been married to my wonderful husband, Boss, for four and a half years. He is my amazing better half, and my second love...
16. ...because God is my first love. He's my one never changing Constant, and my source of strength in everything. Without Him, I would not know love.
17. I have two of the most awesome daughters in the world, Lady M, who is eight going on sixteen, and Miss Priss, who is two and half, and doing the Benjamin Button thing herself.
18. This one actually belongs closer to the top, but it just didn’t seem to fit well there. I HOMESCHOOL my kids, even though most days I consider putting Lady M back in public school.
19. I love to sing, which you will know if you are around me for long. I don't claim to be a good singer, but it doesn't stop me :)
20. I play piano. I went to college at UNC-G for 2 years as a music performance major in piano. (then I quit because they insisted I think of myself as a diva). Most people DON'T know that I play piano, because it's just something I don't get as much of a chance to do anymore.
21. I think I’m changing all the time, but I realize I’m not changing nearly as much as I’d like to be in the spiritual sense.
22. I am a fan of all things Carolina- the Panthers, the Tarheels, the Hurricanes. My husband bought me tickets to a Panthers game for our first Christmas together, and he proposed to me there. :)
23. I have a love/hate relationship with coffee. Sometimes I can't live without it, and other times, it tastes like a bitter cup of dirt no matter how much sugar, cream and flavor I put in.
24. I would love to scrapbook, but cannot rationalize the cost of all of the materials in my mind, much less find time to do it. Maybe when I retire...
25. I LOVE to do crafts!! This is probably the reason I would like to scrapbook. I crochet, but cannot knit, paint horribly but like to do it, make origami things even though most of the time I don’t have nice corners. I cross-stitch and embroider, and one of my most favorite stores in the world is HOBBY LOBBY!!
26. Another of my most favorite stores is Garden Ridge, but Lowes Hardware and Home Depot are almost tied with it
27. I am horrible at decorating. I can design bedrooms for kids that look like belong in a magazine, but I stink at living spaces, like living rooms, dens and kitchens.
28. The only seasons I decorate for are fall and Christmas. Everything else is just my regular stuff, but my living room and kitchen are pretty much fall colors anyway .
29. I am the kind of person who is always looking for a way to join in and help, sometimes to the point of being annoying... sorry!!
30. I love organization, but I'm horrible at it.
31. I am blessed to be able to do what I do, even though to some people, I seem to do nothing :) Good thing I don't find my worth in other's opinions…
32. I was diagnosed in 2003 with a left sphenoid wing meningioma… take a few minutes and google it.
33. My skull has been cracked open and my brain fiddled with twice since the diagnosis, by the chief of neurosurgery at Duke University Medical Center.
34. After I had Miss Priss, I had radiation on that same thing, since it would render me a “Helen Keller” if they took out the entire meningioma.
35. I have no central vision in my left eye.
36. My memory is like a fish.
37. The only other thing that’s a little messed up because of the brain stuff is my verbiage. I tangle up my words when I’m stressed or nervous. It would be troublesome if I held a job, but it’s quite amusing in general conversation.
38. After the first brain surgery, I had big problems with depth perception. In hindsight, it was hilarious. It took me about seven tries to open a fridge door without grabbing air or bashing my knuckles :)
39. I’ve learned to adapt, and be THANKFUL for life.
40. God has made it clear to me what His plan for my life is, in a sense, but apparently, there’s still some things that have to be done in me before He opens those doors.
41. I have no best friend. I haven’t really had one since I was in school. Sorry if you read this and think you’re my best friend. Think about it, when was the last time we talked on the phone? What was the last important secret I shared with you? See, you aren’t my best friend. Jesus, my mom and my husband are the closest people I’ve got, and really, that’s more than enough.
42. As a kid, I was afraid of everything, then as a prodigal, I don’t think I was afraid of anything (maybe getting caught?), and now, it’s sort of a mix. I have some irrational fears, but the best thing is that I know they are irrational. So it’s not so bad…
43. I am one of the “worship leaders” at my campus, at my church.
44. I have attended the same church since I was 2 weeks old, but it’s now a campus of a bigger church, and I LOVE how God is working in it all. (We’re better together!)
45. I have always been a picky eater, but I’m finding ways of fooling myself into eating things I used to hate, and discovering that they aren’t so bad!
46. I hope to be the best wife, mother, and daughter of God that I can be while I’m living in my tent of a body.
47. My tent is much larger now than it was 15, 10, even 2 years ago. Working on that though...
48. I have been pregnant 5 times, 4 times since 2006, 3 of those babies are now in heaven, and I cannot wait until I get to hold them for the first time. I have to be all the more thankful for the 2 God has blessed me with. I still want a little boy.
49. I am quirky, loud, and tend to speak without thinking, but I’m a work in progress.
50. My life is an adventure, every day holding something new, not always perfect, but always fun :)

If you want to know anything else, please feel free to ask. You can email me at Mama Bee@Made-in-secret.com. I look forward to your comments or emails :)