August 17, 2011

Less TV = more productivity!



I have found that less TV for me = more productivity. Don’t get me wrong I love TV (trust me), but lately I’ve been focussing more of my time and energy on getting some tasks done around our home. It’s really simple stuff too, but I’ve been avoiding it like the plague. I now have a new drive and focus (which probably has something to do with my healthier eating habits these days -but that’s for another blog:)

My first project was to tackle our table. Do you ever place one item on your table and then another, then before you know it you have a mountain of stuff piled on your table that you can’t even remember what it looks like underneath? Well that happened to us. It was a pretty crazy sight. One afternoon when Isaiah was napping, I turned off the TV and I finally tackled our table. Surprisingly it didn’t take as long as I thought it would. Once it was cleared off and wiped down it looked brand new again. I loved it. The best part for me was having Saj come home from work and being pleasantly surprised by our finally clean and cleared off table. We could finally eat at the table again, versus using TV trays, ha-ha:)

My other project was re-organizing some of the kitchen cupboards. Some plates, glasses, etc needed to be moved around and grouped together– again another simple task that I was avoiding. Thankfully that got done in no time too.

Another area that desperately needed some fixing up was our front closet. Shoes were piled everywhere (well at least on my side it was – Saj’s side was more tidy). I pulled out all of my shoes and put away the ones that I haven’t been wearing, and I neatly put my shoes back on the shoe rack. Finally organization hit that space. Now I can actually find both pairs of my shoes.

The next task was the linen closet which I actually tackled today. I pulled everything out of there and re-folded towels, blankets, sheets, etc and placed them in an organized manor back into that closet space. Now I’m not embarrassed to open it up if anyone is around.

It’s amazing the amount of things that you can truly accomplish by just turning off the TV and staying focussed. I get a lot of my tasks done when Isaiah is napping. It helps that he takes really great long naps in the morning and afternoon. I use that time to knock off my to-do list items. Before I would laze around, watch TV or spend too much time on facebook, but now I would much rather spend the time getting into the Word of God, accomplishing little tasks around the home, do some quiet reading, listen to worship music, write an old fashioned snail mail letter to a friend and my list goes on and on.

Do you find that less TV = more productivity in your life?



August 7, 2011

10 Month Isaiah/A Getaway/A Wedding

Our precious son Isaiah turned 10 months on July 29th but this time we weren’t around to wish our little guy a happy 10 month. Saj and I were away. We had a mini vacay/wedding to attend in North Carolina.



I know I say this every single month – but the time is really going by too fast. Isaiah is in the double digits now. Isaiah continues to amaze us. He crawls really fast now and loves to cruise around the furniture. He also finally got his two bottom teeth which came shortly after he turned 9 months. He’s getting use to his new teeth which is funny to watch. He gives little bites now when he gets a hold of your cheeks – sometimes it does hurt. He’s also started to laugh out loud more. If he hears others laughing, he’ll join in. It’s really funny to watch. We’ll often laugh just to hear him do it (which reminds me that I must capture it on video).
Isaiah is a wonderful baby and we are truly blessed. I enjoy our days together, and I love when we have the chance to go out and do things/see people. Isaiah’s sleeping is going pretty well again. It was trying there for a bit because he was teething, but now it’s gotten better (until new teeth decide to make an appearance). We are loving our 10 month old and can’t even begin to fathom that he’s going to be 1 very soon. Dear time, please slow down!!!!!!

As I mentioned before Saj and I were away at the end of July going into early August. We left Isaiah with my parents while we headed off to North Carolina for a mini getaway, but more importantly a wedding. This was the longest we’ve ever been away from the little guy. We really debated on whether or not we should bring him along, but in the end I believe that we made the right decision in leaving him. We had some back to back events once hitting NC that it literally would have been too much for Isaiah.

Saj and I stayed at this amazing hotel in Charlotte. It’s called “Aloft Charlotte Ballantyne.”


That was one of the coolest hotels we’ve ever stayed in. What I loved is that it just opened in 2009, so it’s still fairly new. We had the coolest room too. I love this hotel and would stay there again. Everyone was very friendly too (not just the staff but complete strangers).We absolutely loved our time away shopping, eating out, meeting new people(and yes we did miss Isaiah). I wasn’t too worried about him because I knew that he was in great hands.

The purpose of our trip to NC was to attend Ayesha Alexander and Stephen Curry’s wedding. All I can say is “WoW.” It was quite the wedding. Actually before the wedding, I had the privilege of going to Ayesha’s wedding shower which was held a few days prior. The shower was definitely a taste of the wedding. That was one of the greatest wedding showers that I’ve ever attended. It was an outdoor shower. The decor was beautiful, everyone was so friendly, and the food – off the hook. I don’t remember the name of the company that catered, but it was delicious.



July 30th was the big wedding. The ceremony began in the afternoon at 4:00pm. The church was beautifully decorated. We all waited in anticipation for the wedding to begin. I’m happy that we got there early as the church was filling up quickly. One of my favourite things to do at a wedding is watch the groom and groomsmen make their entrance into the church with the Pastor. Stephen looked happy, a little nervous too, but definitely excited to see his soon to be wife. When the bride made her entrance into the church with her dad all you heard were a lot of “wow’s, gasps, etc.” Ayesha looked perfect from head to toe. The ceremony was so moving. Everyone was shedding some tears. The part that always gets me is when the father gives the bride away. John gave Ayesha a big hug, and then Stephen gave John a hug too. That part got me. I think it’s because I still remember Ayesha as a little girl. Now watching her being given away in marriage made me choke up. The singing at the wedding was awesome too. Saj was asked to sing, and of course he was excited to accept that request. He sang a duet with Karen (Ayesha’s aunt). It was just beautiful. There was another great singer too. She had a very powerful voice that just moved you (kind of like Rebecca Chase in my personal opinion. When the Pastor finally announced Ayesha and Stephen as husband and wife there was an explosive applause and cheers. They glowed as they left the church. I kept on saying to myself and out loud too “I can’t believe my Ayesha’s is married.” Crazy how fast we all really grow up!


Now moving on to the reception.... Off the hook!!!!! The room was so whimsical, the cake was big (I loved the cake topper) the table decor, linens, lighting, flowers were just beautiful. Really – it was like a fairytale. Their first dance was so cute which was another moment for me when I said “I can’t believe she’s married.” I absolutely loved the live band and Dj combo at the wedding. Oh my goodness, the band was tight, and that singer was amazing. We grooved the whole night. The dance floor was packed the whole time. The music really kept your moving. It was a fun lively night. No one wanted to leave. (On a side note – there were many wedding crashers. I remember looking at some people and wondering if they really belonged there. When we saw Ayesha & Stephen the next day she informed us that there were a bunch of people who did in fact crash. I guess they really wanted to be a part of their wedding.

July was a busy month. I almost forgot that I turned 32. I’m thankful for another year of life and the blessings which God has given to me. I love my husband & my handsome little Isaiah. I am truly blessed and I look forward to seeing all that the Lord has planned for my life this coming year, and my family too.

This was an extra long blog but I wanted to give you the full update. I hope that you’re all enjoying the summer and taking some time to relax and cherish those precious moments with your loved ones. Happy August Friends!!!!