MARK YOUR CALENDARS....

It is officially the first "WOW Wednesday" on the "Sane is a Four Letter Word!" blog!! So here goes....

It really isn't hard to find some wow's in my life.

1. God and his Grace toward me

2. Hubby and Kiddos (even tho' they keep me teetering on the brink (yes, you know what I mean people)). I wouldn't be where I am without them (imagine a life of peace, harmony and no wrinkles or grey hair).

3. Coffee in the morning.... and noon.... and decaf after 3 pm. Because I drink the stuff not just for the caffeine but for the flavor, the ritual and the downright "coolness" factor!

So here's what the girlies (ie, Greg and the Master Card) got me for mother's day this past weekend.....

I THINK IT HOLDS 4 WHOLE CUPS OF COFFEE!! IT'S WONDERFUL AND I LOVE THE "WOW" FACTOR IT HAS WHEN YOU HOLD IT AND PEOPLE SEE YOU DRINKING FROM IT. OH, ALRIGHT SO THE ONLY PEOPLE THAT SEE ME DRINKING FROM IT ARE MY FAMILY...... AND THEY COULD CARE LESS HOW BIG MY COFFEE MUG IS!

A New Thang....

I want to let you know that starting next week I will be posting "WOW Wednesdays" here on my blog. I want to share different things in my life besides just the insanity. I don't like to always be in the insane place in my head, so there are times where I take a wider view and realize there are many WOW (With Out Words) moments in my hectic, crazy existence that are valid to share with my readers (all 2-3 of you!)

So let me know what you think. I would love to hear about your WOW's. Who, what, when, where and how you experienced them. How they made your day, hour, minute or even life better. Leave me a comment, send me some pics (@ jlgfrump02@gmail.com ) if you have one or link me to something you've seen on the internet! I'll post it for those Wednesday's that I don't have anything!

Looking forward to this new adventure, please, come and join me in the journey!! Step out of the insanity for a moment!

He's really done it this time....

Well, as you readers know, Greg brought home a puppy couple months ago and I've been doing my whiney momma bit about it ever since (more so to him @ home than on the blog). This "puppy" is now probably about 45 lbs, stands up to my 4 yr olds arm pits, and has feet the size of her hands!! Alex has also been digging huge holes in all my flower beds (no flowers planted yet), chewing up odd things and dragging it all over the yard (added to his pooping out there and that is a major clean up day). Finally, I told Greg last night, the puppy has GOT to go! I don't care where, how or to who, but he's got to go!

So go he did. Greg packed the huge dog into the van this morning and took him to one of the local animal shelters (where I'm pretty sure he will find a loving family, considering he is all ready for lift-off with shots and neutering). The worst part about it.... Alex got into some kind of animal this morning and proceeded to puke fur, guts and bones up! In the van. More than once. Vulgar smell. Greg says someone owes him big time.... don't know who. Need I say more!

Lesson Learned: Don't bring home puppies (that need a lot of training), don't bring home an animal without asking the mom of the house first, don't bring home an animal that will quadruple in size in 3 months, and most of all DON'T TAKE A DOG FOR A RIDE WHEN HE'S JUST EATEN WILDLIFE!!!

I can honestly say I'm relieved. Alex is gone, my family will quite getting on my nerves about him, and I'm not the one who has to clean up the vomit!!! (LOVE YOU GREG!!)

Listen to Jfrump02s Playlist

Hi My Name is Jeanette.....

and I am an addict.

Granted it isn't illegal, deadly or looked down upon by others (well, maybe snooty people), but an addiction nonetheless! My addiction is Thrift Store shopping, thrifting.

I don't know why it has hit me all of a sudden. I have always gone to "Goodwill" shopping for the girls since they were babies. Probably about 90% of their wardrobes have constituted purchases from 2nd hand stores. I buy what is in good condition or what I can easily fix or clean. I mean my children have grown out of their clothes so quickly and need bigger ones that I donate probably more to "Goodwill" than I will ever be able to buy!

But the good stewardship has grown, ballooned, avalanched into an addiction... not quite overnight. It started with me browsing through some blogs (I do like to see how others are set up and look) and came across some "vintage" blogs. Blogs that I really enjoyed looking at for about a month.... of course the majority of vintage goods come from..... thrift stores! So then I started looking for blogs about thrifting. Quite a few out there! From those that are fashion conscious shoppers to those that enjoy the furniture side of thrifting. ALL are great! Fun, creative, and money-wise!!!

So the web browsing has come full circle and I have been enjoying searching out Goodwill (my favorite) and other thrift stores in the near vicinity. I'm am doing my best NOT to go overboard by telling myself that money is money... it will only go so far. Just because it is a 2nd hand store and I can get the girls' clothes for .99 each piece doesn't mean that they need 200 articles of clothes (AS IF).

I have gotten a few other things for the house too. A new mirror for the master bathrm., a set of dishes (with sunflowers), some silver pieces for the bedroom, and a wooden tray for the kitchen table (upon which I have set the sunflower dishes for easy access, and it's pretty too).

Sometime in the future I may start posting pics of the outfits I find for the girls. Of course if you see pics of them here they probably are wearing something that I have thrifted for them.

The only thing that has gotten to me lately is Liyah! She is succumbing to the same addiction. We made the trip to Dundee to get GP on Tues. and on our way home we stopped at a Wally-world on the way home for household needs (we had to borrow a roll of tp from my mom's the other day!!) and as I was pulling out of the parking lot what did I see across the street? Beckoning me, like a lighthouse guiding me to the safety and security of a unique shopping experience after having endured the franchised fracas of Wally-world!!

So I said, "Look a Goodwill that we've never been to before! We should go and see what they have!" To which Liyah piped up in the back seat, "Yea!!!! Goodwill (which comes out with a cute southern accent sounding more like this: Guuudweeeell). Let's go, let's go. Get me clothes and shoes too!!!"

See what I mean folks.... addiction runs in the family!

Greg actually came home last night with the girls from mid-week Kingdom Knights @ church, with rollerblades for the girls, from the Goodwill that is just down the road from church!! This could be reason for an intervention.

OR NOT (I still have to go to a vintage thrift store in Grand Rapids called "Coat of Many Colors") and I don't want to go there without the ability to enjoy the experience without guilt!

So I'm going to put up a couple cute pics of Greg and the chickies..... the girls sang this past Sunday in the kid's choir at Church. Two services to sing for, and they had to get up @ 6 am to get there on time. You go girlz....

Vacation is over....

GP has been in Ohio for 2 wks and came home yesterday. I made the 3 hr. trip down and 3 hr. trip back with Liyah as my co-pilot. Actually, she was busy watching Scholastic Books on DVD (something we can check out at the library for FREE!) to worry about me and my driving skills!

She did really well, she was very excited to see Aunt Linda!! A favorite of both my girls.

I've enjoyed the two weeks w/o GP, and although I love her, I really wish that I didn't have the responsibility of her care. It's good to have Greg to help me with the stresses and daily care.

The girls seem to be a little more agreeable to her being in the house. It was really getting to the point that there wasn't any peace in the house. There was just a lot of dissension between the girls and GP. Liyah is 4 now and better able to understand why grandma is living with us and why she (GP) does a lot of the things she does. We tried to talk to the girls and let them know that grandma was coming home and that they really needed to try and be helpful with her, not so ornery and rude to her. They have been doing well. Hugs were given for gifts she brought them (hair stuff), and there was a lot of talking and smiling and enjoying each other at the dinner table last night.

I don't know how long this will last, but here's to enjoying it while I've got it!!