Two update videos

First video is yesterday and second video is tonight after workman left. 

Great time to Order!

I'm loving my new job as a Trades of Hope Compassion Entrepreneur! I haven't been able to go 100% yet with school starting and our house renovations, but people get so excited when they hear about it. Now is a great time to buy because our new catalog comes out September 1st with new products and new prices. So if you want to save money, buy some beautiful products and make a difference in the life of a family getting out of poverty, go to www.tradesofhope.com, go to the store and click on my name in Texas. I'm loving sharing this with so many people. I know you will love it!

Another update...

Oooh boy, it has been a week here. I'm not really OCD about most things, but I do like to be organized and settled, especially when its the first week of school. But let me show you a video of our home this weekend, so maybe this is stage 2 of our redo?

Friday, some sweet ladies arrived and packed up my dining room and part of my kitchen (I have way too much stuff in that china cabinet!) The painters arrived on Saturday and painted most of the day while we were at two football games, and then came back Monday and Tuesday. Supposedly we are getting our floors on Thursday. I will take another video tomorrow so you can see the paint job and my new desk. I had  to pick a color for my bathroom and I knew I wanted blue, but its so hard to pick a color off of a little square. It looks great in the bathroom but I had them put the same blue on the bottom of the dining room walls and it looks hideous, but we'll have to fix it ourselves. That will come later. I am trying to take deep breaths and quote scriptures to myself about peace and contentment. Most moments that helps.

On top of that, check out what bad parents we are. Coop played in a select baseball tournament this weekend (who schedules a baseball tournament the weekend before school starts?) and it was supposed to be done early on Sunday, but because of the rain we had on Saturday, all the games were pushed back. His team played Sunday at 4, 6 and 8. We didn't get home until 10:30 and then had to have showers, so the night before the first day of school, my kids weren't in bed until 11. All of the moms were just shaking our heads, questioning our parenting skills, but what could we do? They won the tournament (they better have!) So here is a picture of my boys on the first day of school, 3rd and 5th grades, after not getting to bed until really late!

They don't look as tired as I know they were. I think they were running on adrenaline. They have had a great week so far though! Excited for their year. Hopefully things get finished soon at the house and we can get organized!

300th Post

I've been putting off writing this one because I was trying to come up with something meaningful and deep to be my 300th post, but its not going to happen. So just an update. That's about all I can handle this time around.

I don't take back my post on summer and how I wasn't looking forward to it, but maybe the Lord is laughing at me now that there is only a week left of summer and I don't know where it went and am not ready for it to be over. It has been the craziest, fastest summer that I can remember. VBS, my grandfather passing, my house flooding and Jason and Coop left for two weeks for London. The day they got back, football season started and our laid back summer was over, what there was of it. So in some sense I can't wait for school to start so I can have a few days to myself to rest, but in some ways I feel like my family never really had a summer, at least not together. My kids visited both sets of grandparents, more than once, and of course, Cooper had an amazing summer trip, but we didn't get to do much together. But it is what it is. We did go today all together to buy some school clothes, and I took a minute to really enjoy our lunch at the food court together. My kids are funny and fun to be with, so I guess its ok that we didn't take a summer vacation really and I didn't accomplish hardly anything on my summer goals list, but I just have to take in each moment that we have together and be thankful for them.

Other updates: Cooper is in the process of getting his mouth ready for braces on Sept. 4th. He had 4 baby teeth pulled yesterday, but seems to be doing fine with it. We got our foundation fixed on our house and have picked out a new vanity for the bathroom and new floors, but nothing has been installed yet or fixed, so we still have holes in the walls and concrete floors. I have had my first party for my new business with Trades of Hope. I just had a "guinea pig party" where I invited some close friends over to my construction zone of a house to hear my presentation and give me some feedback. It went really well and I'm excited to get started having some bigger parties. The big boys are both playing tackle football. They practice 6 days a week for the first 3 weeks and then games begin next Saturday. Cooper is doing great, practicing as quarterback but we'll see if that sticks. Cade is getting the hang of tackling, but its taking him awhile. I don't blame him, I don't want to get tackled either. Their select baseball teams both won the last tournaments they were in. So fun! And poor Campbell is just trying to keep up!

Speaking of, my sweet baby turned 4 last week. How did that happen!? Its so strange to be so relieved to not have a baby anymore and yet so sad to not have a baby anymore. I was fine the day of, but the night before he asked me to carry him to bed, and I realized it was the last time I was carrying a 3 year old to bed and I got a little choked up. He is getting so tall. He's really funny and smart, but he's also still more of a handful than the other two ever were. He's starting his last year of preschool. Craziness! I had a few people ask me last week if I was planning on holding him back before kindergarten. Have you met my child? He could probably start now except he would get in trouble all the time.

So one more full week before school starts, but with football, the house, orthodontics appointments, meet the teacher, etc, it doesn't look to be a relaxing one. But I will try to enjoy each moment the best I can.

Book Review of "Tidewater Inn"

Tidewater Inn is by one of my new favorite authors, Colleen Coble, and she did not disappoint me with this first book in the Hope Beach series. Main character Libby is an historical restoration specialist, and is horrified when her best friend, Nicole, is kidnapped while on Hope Island doing research for her. Right before the kidnapping Nicole gives Libby huge news that her birth father, who she thought had died when she was a child, only recently passed away and has left her a beautiful old inn on the island. Libby arrives desperate to find her friend, but is faced with being accused of the kidnapping and two new siblings who do not trust that she is there for pure reasons. She also meets a handsome man from the coast guard who seems to be helping her find Nicole, but she is not sure if she can trust his motives either. Throw in a hurricane, and it makes for an exciting escape.

I had a hard time putting down this book. Coble writing style keeps me on the edge of my seat and wanting more. I was rooting for Libby and hoping that everything would turn out the right way. Coble's description of Hope Island made me want to visit this place, and check in to the Tidewater Inn. Coble also does a great job of inserting Christian perspectives in her characters without it hitting you over the head. Pick up anything by Colleen Coble and you won't be disappointed.


 I received this book free from the publisher through the BookSneeze®.com <http://BookSneeze®.com> book review bloggers program. I was not required to write a positive review. The opinions I have expressed are my own. 

Step of Faith

I am now an official Compassion Entrepreneur with Trades of Hope. "What is that?" you might be asking. I am now able to provide you with beautiful accessories made by even more beautiful women from all over the world who are finally able to earn a fair living and provide for their families, getting many of them out of poverty, the sex trade and slavery. I have mentioned this wonderful company before on my blog back in May when my husband bought me a gift card and I purchased a necklace and bracelet. I fell in love with them and even more in love with this company and what they are doing around the world.

I have been approached more than once about getting into selling something with home parties and have never felt the desire or calling to. It seemed too stressful to me. I always told myself that if I was going to sell anything, it had to be something that sold itself, I didn't want to have to explain it. It had to be something that I didn't have to keep a large stash of it in my home. It had to be something that not everyone was already selling, and it had to be something that I loved! And I love it even more that its serving a purpose. I do hope to make enough money to buffer our bank account a little and make it worth my time, but I'm even more excited about helping other women make money for themselves, a fair wage for their efforts.

I have been praying about it and talking to J about it since May, and I've been so excited and had a peace about it the whole time. But I almost chickened out. I am honestly admitting I'm a little scared. I've never done this before. Its risking some money, not much, but some. And if I fail, I feel like I'm failing my family. I'm nervous to get out of my anti-social comfort zone and meet new people. And I'm nervous about balancing it with taking care of my family. But I realized that it has been probably 10 years since I have been scared to start something new, and doing something scared is an adventure, its taking a step of faith, its depending on God to help me instead of myself. I was reading some of my older blog posts where I talked about how I desired to live an adventurous life and I was jealous of other people who were. I know this isn't a big deal to some people, but its something new and a big deal to me. Its exciting!

I don't have my new starter package yet, but you can already go online and buy from me. http://www.tradesofhope.com/list-of-compassion-entrepreneurs.html  Click on my name in Texas and it will take you to the store where you can begin to buy amazing items that are helping families around the world live a better life. And when I get my stuff and get organized, I would love to help you throw a Party with a Purpose! I have opened a new email account for my business, so feel free to email if you have any questions about my new adventure. hopegadman@aol.com