New Tricks!!

Check out what Little One can do now! We are so excited! Sorry the video is a little dark, but you can still see it. Enjoy!



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Wild Man's Week

So, this has been a week for Wild Man. He is has been a mess this whole week. It all started last Sunday when we started making him sleep in his room, with Little One. He has never slept well in the same room with Little One. We havn't really faught it either, because life has been crazy and it was just one more battle that we didn't have to fight. Now that Prof in break from school for a few weeks, we decided to tackle the battle. We had no clue how much "fun" it would be.

We made it through the first two night okay. The only issue was Little One and Wild Man talking for an hour or so before they went to sleep, but nothing major.

Tuesday night was when the real "fun" began. Wild Man figured out that he could really enjoy this bed time thing. The first time I went his room, he had turned his light back on and was reading. Okay, no big deal...I turned the light off and told him to go to sleep. However, the next time I went in he had gone into his bathroom and was making some sort of mixture with the bubble bath, soap, toothpaste, diaper cream, and my make up (which I might add took some climbing to get to). There was bubble bath all over the floor and door and all over Wild Man. Needless to say, I was not real happy...but all I could do was laugh. We cleaned everything up and he went back to bed. Prof and I were watching a movie, so we went back to the movie. Next thing we know, Wild Man has cracked his door open and giving us a puppet show with a stuffed rabbit from Little One's collection of stuffed animals. We laughed and then told him to go back to bed. Finally he went to sleep.

On Wednesday morning we all slept in, because Prof did not have to go to work. Normally, Wild Man comes to wake us up. However, he had other plans this morning. In fact, he found the pack of cookies Prof had bought the night before (which amazingly enough was unopened) and decided it would be best to let us sleep. At 8 am I woke up and turned on cartoons for him and told him to stay on that couch. I did not look at his room at all, because Little One was still asleep. I went back to bed. I dosed in and out making sure he was not into anything, but everytime I woke up he was where he needed to be. At 10 am Prof got up, because Little One was finally awake and he wanted to let me sleep in (isn't he so nice?!). Next thing I know he is saying, in a rather loud and urgent voice, "Amanda, you have to get up and come see this!" So, I hop up and run into the living room. He proceeds to tell me that he knows why Little One slept so long and that I should just go look in her bed. When I get to their room and look in the bed I could not believe my eyes. There was the pack of cookies! Only, it had been opened and about 80% of it had been eaten. The other 20% was all crumbs! The whole pack of cookies...GONE! At some point Wild Man had gotten up, gotten the pack of cookies, opened them, and then given them to Little One. What a mess! Wednesday was spent cleaning their bathroom and bed room, as you can imagine. I wish that I had taken pictures, but my mind was not even thinking about that in the moment.

The next few days were not so eventful. The only problem we had was convincing Wild Man that he can not get in bed with Little One. Her bed is not made for both of them. One of those nights I heard them in there just laughing and having the best time. I stuck my head in the door to tell Wild Man to get back in bed. His response was, "I am in bed!" He was right. He was in a bed...in Little One's bed with her! I mad him get out. The only other struggle we have had with this sleeping in his own room deal is that before he goes to sleep he puts on about 5 different outfits. We are still trying to figure out how to stop this.


Then on Saturday, the "fun" continued. Saturday morning we woke up about 9ish to the kids laughing and such. I went in the room to find Wild Man in bed with Little One and his basket of markers. Yes, the markers were in the bed too! So, you can imagine what I saw next. Here, imagine no more....take a look for yourself....

Let's just say, we are all very glad that he used his washable marker. He also drew a "T" on Little One's leg, but I did not get a picture of it, sorry.

I am sure that one day we will be glad we faught this battle now. But until then, we will be cleaning his room a lot more and most likely cleaning more messes. As a side note....Little One is not off the hook on this one. She starts most of the laughing and talking at night. She is really enjoying have someone else in the room with her at bed time. I do not even want to begin to think about what life will be like when she is not in a crib....life is fun!

Man of Many Talents

If you know the Professor, then you know that he is super smart. I mean he is beyond smart. I can not even begin to describe how smart he is. He is not just book smart. He can do just about anything he puts his mind to doing. When we first moved to seminary and were too poor for me to get my haircut, he looked online and learned how to cut hair. He did great job too! However, I did start going to get my haircut once we could afford it. Anyway, he just has this way of knowing how to do things.

A few months ago, we bought some material to recover our kitchen table chairs. I finally decided I wanted to recover them last night. I knew that I would need some help, so when the Professor got home from class we sat down to work on it. What happened next amazed me. The Professor just took over and did it all! How blessed am I??!! I am married to a man who knows how to recover chairs too! Wow! He did a great job. Take a look......

Rain Rain Go Away

If you watch or keep up with the news at all, then you know that we have been getting our fair share of rain, plus some, here in North Texas. We have not had one day where it did not rain in the last 2-3 weeks. Honestly, I am ready for it to change. I do not mind rain every once in a while, because I know that we need it. However, considering we have already well beyond our yearly average of rain, and it is only July 2, I think it is fair for me to say that I am ready for it to not rain for a while, and I have a feeling I am not the only one. We have not been affected by the flooding, but it is all over the news. People all around us are be affected by the amounts of rain we have been receiving. Last week alone, 6 children died, due to fast flowing water. There are people begin evacuated from their homes on a daily basis (not so much this week - but a lot last week). I do realize that there are bigger and more important issues in the world, but right now I would just like for the rain to go away. I would like to be able to go outside and have sunshine all day long! The kids are also due for some good swim time. Rain is in the forecast for the rest of the week here, but maybe next week it will go away....or maybe not.

What A Deal!!!!

Have you ever wanted to create your own bag? Well, now you can, thanks to Initials Inc. In fact, during the month of July you can do it for $30. Just ask me how!

To view the other products Initials Inc has to offer go to www.initials-inc.com. To order from Initials Inc contact me at askinkle@aol.com.

Old Friends

I do not know why some things in life amaze me as much as they do. I know that I serve a powerful God and that anything is possible with Him, but I am still in awe of how He works in my life and the lives of others in my life.

Last night I ate supper with some dear friends of mine. Katie, Maggie and I we little girls together. We played house and sleeped over at each other's houses all the time (well exepect for scaredy cat me who couldn't finish a night until I was way old - hahaha). Our moms were friends and our dads were friends. Our brothers and sisters were also friends. Those days were wonderful days in our life.

Then as most people say...Life happened. We grew up. All went our own ways. Each one of us is totally different from the other. We all of our own way of doing things and living life.

What totally amazes me about this, is that last night we got together for the first time in a very long time. I have not seen Katie in 5 years and I have not seen Maggie in probably 10 years. And, we have not all been together in about 15 years. But, when we got together is was like old times. We had the best time catching up and talking about life and about all God has taught us, now that we are old.

I am in awe how God has protected our friendship through all these years. I am looking forward to many more years of hanging out with my old friends!

My Space

I did something tonight that I thought I would never do. I joined the My Space world. I am not real sure what I am doing, but I have had fun playing with it. So, go check it out...

www.myspace.com/askinkle

Where is Manders?

This is the question most of you have been asking lately. Manders has not blogged at all in weeks and she is not commented on blogs like she used to.

I am here to tell you that I am still alive. The past few weeks have been super crazy at the Skinkle home. We have also, on top of all our normal activities, been spending tons of quality time, since the Prof has been out of school.

Since I have been gone a while, I thought you might like a little update...

The Prof has had a much needed break from school. He began classes again this past Monday. He will Monday and Wednesday for 5 weeks. After this, he will have a few more weeks of break and then the Fall semester will begin, which I don't even want to think about right now.

The Wild Man is becoming Wilder than ever. He is enjoying our, almost daily, visits to the pool. He was not so sure of the water the first time we went, but now when we go we can get him out. He has learned how to write a few letters and a couple of numbers. He actually enjoys sitting at the table and working in his workbooks.

The Little One now has 5 1/2 teeth. She is beginning to talk some. She can say, "Hey Daddy" "Night Night" and "Bye Bye". She mostly says, "Daddy". She is definitely a Daddy's girl. She wakes up from nap time looking at the front door saying, "Daddy Daddy Daddy". She has also enjoyed our pool trips. She loves lounging in her floaty. However, after about 20 minutes, she would prefer we just hold her. She is learning to color right now. She thinks she is so big holding the crayon and banging it on the paper.

I, Manders, am staying busier than I have been in a while. It seems like I never stop these days. In fact, today is the first day in a while that I have not had anything planned. It has been nice to just chill at the house. Next week I am doing something for the first time. I am driving both kids, by myself, to Mississippi for the week. I am not sure yet how I feel about this decision. You can ask me on Tuesday after I arrive in MS. Maybe the trip will inspire a blog post. I am also enjoying our trips to the pool. We have been going with another girl at the complex and her little boy. It gives me some adult time and sun at the same time.

Well, that is it for tonight. Maybe I can get my act together and beginning blogging more consistently.

Wild Man's Artistic Side

Tonight we had some friends over for dinner. We had a wonderful time. They have a little boy close to Wild Man's age, so they had a good time playing. Almost the whole time they were here, Wild Man sat at the table drawing very intently. Because we were chatting, we did not notice what he was drawing until later tonight. As I was going through all of his masterpieces, I found this one....

Wow! How did he know how to do this? He has never done this before! He actually drew a person! As you can I am very impressed with my little Wild Man's ability to draw so well at such a young age!

Being Content...Why Is It So Hard?

"... and be content with what you have, because God has said, "Never will I leave you; never will I forsake you." Hebrews 13:5

There are many things in life that God has protected me from, because of being saved at a young age and growing up in a family that taught me how to follow Christ and what He has for my life. There are many decisions that young people make that I never had the desire to make, such as drinking alcohol or doing drugs. I thank God everyday for taking those desires away from me. I thank Him everyday for allowing me to live in a family where His Word was taught. I can honestly say He has never left me or forsaken me! So why then, is it hard for me to be content with my life?

When I read this verse it says to me, "You have God on your side. He will never leave you. He will never forsake you. He is all you need. If you have Him, then everything else is just icing on the cake...be content with what He has given you." It seems so easy! I have Him in my life! He is there for me no matter what! He loves me despite of who I am! He has provided for every one of my needs! So why then, is it hard for me to be content with my life?

I believe that being content is one of the biggest struggles I have had my whole life. There has never been a time where I did not want something more. Everytime God blesses me with more, it seems harder to not want more. Why is that? Why is that I have such a wonderful family and a gorgeous apartment, but I still want more? I still want a dog, a new car, a house, a boat, unlimited tanning sessions, the ability to get my nails done anytime I want, a new body, cute clothes, and the list goes on. Why can I not look at what I do have and just be content? Why is it so hard?

I wish I had all the answers. All I know is that God is really dealing with me on this issue of being content. I pray that I will see the day when I can look at what He has given me and truly say, "There is nothing more I want. I am content."

Time Is Not My Friend

Tonight I was watching TV with the Prof and I saw a comercial that sums up my last two weeks. The comerical starts out with a women taking a shower (all you see is the back of her head - nothing horrible). You then start to see her grandfather clock begin to make its way to the bathroom. Then, the unthinkable happens. The grandfather clock flushes the toliet and the lady screams. The narrator than says, "Time is NOT your friend." To be honest I am not sure what the comercial is for, but it made sense to me.

The past two weeks have a whirwind of activity and emotion here at the Skinkle house. We have had so much going on. I have found myself at the end of each day with so many things to share on the blog, but so little energy to even sit here and make it happen.

So here is a snap shot of the last two weeks....

Sunday 6th - We had our first apartment event. We had an ice cream sundae bar. We had about 20 people come. It was a lot of fun!

Friday 11th - The Prof and I celebrated 5 years together. He surprised me by lining up a babysitter and letting me pick what we did for the night. We ate at Olive Garden and then walked around Grapevine Mills mall, where we each found new a shirt! We came home and put the kids to bed. Then we ate ice cream while watching 24!

Saturday 12th - We had our 2nd apartment event. We served a pancake breakfast at the clubhouse. We had about 13 people show up for that. We had a great time and really enjoyed getting to meet new people.

Sunday 13th - Mother's Day! I had a wonderful Mother's Day. The Prof made sure that Wild Man and Little One both had cards to give me. He helped both of them decorate and write in the cards. He also gave me a card with the movie "That Thing You Do." (We threw out our copy not too long ago - so this was a replacement). He also let me buy this beautiful wall clock for over the mantel. I did not have to cook all day and I just enjoyed being my kids and wonderful husband!

Monday 14th - B and D came to our new place. They are the first to officially sit on our new furniture. I am sure there will be a blog about it. We had dinner together and just enjoyed being able to spend time together. After our time with them, we headed off to an Apartment Life meeting.

Yesterday and today I have been battling a sinus infection, which is not fun!

Somewhere in all this I found time to plan the events, shop for the events, work out, eat lunch with our mentor couple (well the wife anyway) and keep the kids on their daily schedule. We have also had a lot of Welcome Visits to do. These visits are to people who had just moved in. We have enjoyed meeting these new people and are continuing to pray that God will show us what we need to do to meet the needs of those around us.

New Furniture

As you know, before we moved, we were in the process of looking for a new chair for our living room. The looking was put on hold while everything was up in the air with Apartment Life. However, as soon as we knew were moving the looking began again. Only this time, we decided to just get all new living room furniture. Lee and I have never bought really nice furniture for our living room, so this became a lot of fun! We looked for about 3 days and then made our decision. We went into the furniture store and told the guy we had been working with, "This is the one we want." He said "Okay, let me go check on when we can deliver it and I will be right back". When he came back he proceeded to tell us that the one we wanted was out of stock and they could not sell us the floor model. So, we were back to square one. We liked the guy who was helping us, so we decided to find something else in that store. He told us about one, that some how we had missed in the 2 days we lived there. How could we have missed it? I don't know! We saw it and fell in love! We knew right away it was the one for us! On Thursday of this week we received our new additions to the house and absolutely love them!!! I have to tell you that I feel like a big girl now. I have painted walls (I have always had only white walls, now I have Khaki walls), real carpet (the seminary used the industrial carpet, so it wasn't real), and new living room furniture!

The Loveseat

The Couch

Tagged

Okay, so Kearsmom tagged me the other day. So, here I go. I started blogging last June (June 06) so that I had a way to journal and share fun things about our family with those who do not live near us. I did very good and then life happened. Well, working full time with 2 kids happened and something had to go...so there went the blog. I started blogging again, once I became a stay at home mom. My intentions were to keep it about the family, and for the most part it has been that. However, I have now added a personal element, so those of you who read can learn more about me, and what makes me tick.

Blogging for me is therapy. I can not explain it, but there is something stress relieving about putting my thoughts into words. It gives me a place where I can be me and say what I think without people thinking badly of me. It also gives me a place where I can brag about my kids, or share funny stories. I guess it's my "happy place".

I really also like reading every ones comments and all the conversations that begin because of things I write. It is a lot of fun...and very addicting!

Anyway, that is why I blog. I tag BB! Why do you blog, BB?

The Storm

Tonight, the Prof and I packed the kids up and headed to church, like we do most Wednesday nights. When we left the apartment it was sprinkling a little bit, but we thought the worst had past, so we kept going. However, as soon as we got onto I-20 it started raining and then before we knew it we were in the kind of rain you do not want to be in. The kind where you have to strain to see in front of you. I kept asking the The Prof if we needed to turn around and go back home, but he assured me we were okay, so we kept going. The closer we got to the church the stronger the rain got.

None of us had supper yet, so we decided to drive thru Wendys. By the time we got to Wendy's it was raining so hard we could not hear the speaker. So, we drove up to the window, crack our car window enough so she could hear us and we could hear her and proceeded to order. The Prof was completely soaked by the time we got our food, but we got it, so that is all that counts.

We drove off and headed to church. When we got there, we decided to sit in the parking lot and eat. This way, we didn't have to drag everything in the building while it was pouring rain. We parked in the back of the lot and began to eat. As we sat there it began to rain harder. The next thing I saw was the light post in front of us begin to sway back and forth and then our car begin to shake back and forth, as rain is just pouring down around us to the point where we can not see a thing. Now, I am not dumb...I know at this point we are not just in the middle of rain. I have been, and still am terrified of extremely bad weather. So, I begin to freak out. I immediately grab onto Prof's arm and say, "I am so scared! This is not good!"

At this point Wild Man speaks up and changes the whole mood. He says, "Momma, you don't have to be scared. All you have to do is pray to God and he will make you not scared." He proceeds to bow his head and pray, "Dear God please help mommy not be scared." Wow! You know I have been working with him on being scared of sleeping in his room at night by himself. I think it is the neatest thing that he was able to remind me of something I had been trying to teach him. Wow! How amazing! God is good!

We did make it inside. We were soaked, but safe! As we headed home we saw lots of damage. There was not a tornado, but straight line winds that got up to 75 mph. This is one storm I will not forget!

Bulletin Boards

One thing I have never liked are bulletin boards. I do not mind looking at them, if they have been designed well, but I really dislike making them! This is something I do not get from my mom. She is an awesome bulletin board maker and she enjoys it! I personally do like being the one responsible for designing something that people are going to walk by and look at all the time. It is very nerve racking and that is why I dislike it so much!

This is the funny part, since I can remember I have always had a job where I was responsible for updating the bulletin board(s). Is God trying to tell me something? Or, punish me?

Anyway, as a CARES Team, we are responsible for the bulletin board in the Clubhouse. Yes, the bulletin board will not only be seen by every resident, but it will also be seen my anyone who decides they want information about Highland Park. PRESSURE!!! So, even though I very much dislike making bulletin boards, I found enough creativity to design this one......

The Cat

Unlike the Seminary our new place does allow animals. In fact someone living near us has a cat. The cat is a friendly cat and has decided a few times to make itself at home in our new place. The cat looks a lot like a cat I had in highschool, so it doesn't bother me too much. However, Wild Man can not take it. The cat really bothers Wild Man. He just does not like the cat getting near us or anything that belongs to us. He has made it his mission to make sure that cat stays away from us.

The funny part is that now all we hear about is that cat and what Wild Man is going to do to that cat if he sees it and what the cat is going to do back. He has come up with some funny situations. Tonight Wild Man told Prof that the cat had been throwing rocks at him. I am laughing out loud right now just thinking about it. I mean the picture of a cat picking up rocks and throwing them just makes me laugh! Oh, I love Wild Man to pieces! He definitely makes my world a happier place, most of the time.

The Move

You would think that because I have moved so much, that I would have this moving thing down. You would think that I had figured out how to do it in the best possible manner. However, it is quite the opposite.

I was not at all warned, at all by anyone, that moving with a 3 year old boy would be impossible! Wild Man thinks that every stack of stuff (and yes it probably really is just "stuff") is there for him to play with and spread out all over the place. In fact right now, as I type this, Wild Man is playing with the rope The Prof left out. Wild Man has decided that everything in the kitchen should be tied together and so that is what he is in the process of doing. The door, fridge, table, and chairs are all tied together. The funny part is Little One is right in the middle! So, like I said, Wild Man thinks everything is his to do with what he wants to.

Also, because we are moving so close, we have been taking things in shifts. So, we have some stuff there and some stuff here. It is quite confusing for some one who is as organized and scheduled as I am.

I am telling you this, to tell you that life is CRAZY right now in the Skinkle home. Nothing is where it belongs and there is not a schedule of any sorts right now. So, this will be the last post for a while. I promise as soon as things calm down I will post pics of the new place up. Of course I must take them first! :-)

Rubbermaid Storage Tubs

I am sure everyone, some where in their house or office, has at least one Rubbermaid Storage tub. Rubbermaid invented a wonderful thing when they thought up the Storage Tub! You can buy them in all different colors, shapes, and sizes. Some of them come with cute little snap on lids, while others come with just regular lids. They can be used for many different things, but mainly they used for storage. That is how they get their name "Storage Tub".

The Prof and I are organizers, so we love storage tubs. We love them because they are easy to stack and store things. If they get dirty, no worries! You can just wipe them down with a wet cloth. They very durable and are easy move, since they have the handles. We also love them because we can buy different colors. For example, all of our Christmas stuff in red tubs. This helps us know exactly which tubs to pull out at Christmas. I know we are crazy - but it works great!

We love storage tubs so much that on our 3rd move we decided to invest in some big storage tubs to move in. This would replace the boxes and we could reuse them everytime we move. We went to walmart and bought almost all of their tubs. We bought tall and short ones. Each were used for different purposes. We loved moving in the tubs, because they stacked up so easliy in the moving truck. However, I will be honest and tell you that I was not planning on having to use them this much already. They have moved with us 3 times now. And, now they are moving us one more time.

I have to be honest and tell you that I am not loving them so much right now. I sit here and look at them stacked up in my kitchen and think about everything I have to put in them. WOW! Well, my work awaits me! If I do not blog for a while, you can blame the Rubbermaid Storage Tubs!

Just a few of them!

The Easy Bake Oven

The Prof and I have lived in 3 different apartments on the Seminary campus. All of them were different in many ways. They all had different carpet, tile, cabinets, and some even were painted a different color on the outside. However, there is one thing that was the same in all three. The Easy Bake Oven. Yes, I called it an Easy Bake Oven. To be honest, I have never in life seen an oven so small, before living in seminary housing. The Easy Bake is a lot of fun sometimes, like when it is time to clean. It is also very smart. It just decides on it's own what tempurature it should be and how fast it should cook. It keeps us on our toes that's for sure! We have learned a few things about the Easy Bake. One thing is that the eyes on the top will lay down perfectly. So, we quit trying and just let them do their own thing now. The other thing we learned is that the Easy Bake likes cooking faster than she is supposed to. So, now we have to subtract 5 minutes from whatever the instructions say and then just watch it until it is done. This makes cooking just loads of fun. The last thing we have learned is that big pizzas will not fit in the Easy Bake and neither will large cookie sheets (no matter how hard we try).

As much as I have learned to appreciate my Easy Bake, I will not miss her at all when we move!

The House

A few years ago, when driving to Jackson, TN to see the Prof's sister graduate from college, Prof and I saw this house on the side of the interstate. We absolutely fell in love with it! However, we did not think fast enough to take a picture.

A few weekends ago we were back on the same road headed to Memphis and saw the house! We decided to take pictures of it this time. So, on the way home, we pulled over and took some pictures. Check out this house...

Several things came to my mind when I saw it for the first time. In fact Prof and I had very lengthy conversations after every time we saw it. We asked questions like...I wonder who lives there? How many people do they have to take care of that house? How people live in the house? And, why in the world do you build a house like that on the side of the interstate? Just curious.

What do you think?