10 Things I Learned This Week

1. Tithing really does make a difference. This morning our small group was talking about the importance of tithing to the church and in return God will give back ten-fold. We have tithed off and on for years, until within the past year or so, we have tithed regularly and have really seen God give us so much wealth in return. I'm not talking about monetarily, but He has given us a beautiful, healthy little boy and good health ourselves, wonderful family and friends who support us in whatever we do in life, and a promise in God that we have eternal life in him. God is good.
2. Starting on a new home improvement project is stressful. I am SO excited about our plans for the deck and the backyard, but I am also stressing about money and the time we have to do it before we have a shower for Olivia and Tim here in October. Oh well, no sense in worrying about what we can't control. It'll get done when it gets done!
3. Joy is buying new clothes for myself! I finally bought a couple of articles of clothing at Old Navy this past week!
   
4. I LOVE planning parties, even though it is a lot of work! I am in the midst of planning a shower for my sister and finance as well as a bachelorette party for her as well. I'm having fun so I know when the day comes, it will be a lot of fun as well!
5. I love watching my hubby light up when he talks about home improvement! Listening to him talk and get excited about projects brings a smile to my face. He is so hand and loves to build things, and he is really good at it! Obviously he did an outstanding job finishing our bonus room, but he's also built a ladder shelf that's in Ethan's room, re-wired and patched the drywall in our master bath (we added two lights instead of the awful "Hollywood" lights the builder put in), and numerous other things! I can't wait to see how the deck turns out!
6. Teething is hell, excuse my French! Ethan cut one tooth a couple of days ago, his third, but now I think one of the top ones are coming in and he's having a hard time.
   
7. Keeping up with this South Beach diet is hard, and gets harder even after you can add fruit and whole wheat bread back in. I fell off the wagon this weekend - I had a cupcake, French toast and pizza! Oops - gotta live every now and then!
   
8. I'm excited to watch the closing ceremony for the Olympics. It's been a lot of fun watching them the past two weeks, and now I really don't have anything to watch on TV, until football and our shows start back!
9. We found a really pretty umbrella and matching seat cushions at Home Depot for our patio set! We've been looking around for a little bit and finally found one we really liked!
10. For the first time, Ethan slept 12 hours straight! He was so cranky Saturday night we put him down at 7 PM and he didn't wake up until 7 PM Sunday morning!