Day 4: My Favorite Quote

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My favorite quote is from Jesus. He tells us in Matthew 6

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]? 

33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Image from svcov.org

I struggle a lot with worry. I worry about everything; I even make up things to worry about that aren’t even going to happen. This summer, I have really tried to get into God’s word each day, and I can’t tell you how much peace it has brought to me. Rather than worrying about things, I am learning to pray, to trust God, and to do the best that I can do on my part. God wants us to need Him. When we let God take over, great things happen. I can assure you!

Why is worry pointless? Just as the verse says, "can anyone of you by worrying add a single hour to your life?" No. My pastor, Mark Doss, says that "worrying is like sitting in a rocking chair doing a whole lot of work to get no where." No one is guaranteed tomorrow and when we spend all day worrying about tomorrow, we are missing out on today. 

You have heard the saying, God only gives you what you can handle. That is true. He gives you enough time and enough to do for the day. You are the manager of your time. You control what you chose to think about. So knowing that God has provided you with the tools necessary to tackle whatever comes each given day, you are creating undue stress and ultimately defeat if you invite tomorrow’s troubles into today. We aren’t meant to deal with tomorrow until tomorrow. We are equipped for today alone. 

Now, I am not saying don’t plan… but I am saying don’t worry about everything. Sometimes trusting God with your tomorrows is the best way to free yourself from stress. Things just work out better that way. It is your job to deal with today’s troubles and decisions. “Tomorrow will worry about itself.” We only have one life, don’t miss out on today worrying about your tomorrow.

Carpe Diem… seize the day!

Day 3- Things That Make Me Uncomfortable

1.     Calling people I don’t know- I have had to call parents to schedule orientation times for iQ Academy. This is so awkward. I am not confident. I fumble. I am downright uncomfortable talking to people I have never talked to before.

2.     Grown men on playgrounds- My child was playing on the playground the other day, and there was a man just hanging out in the tower at the top of the play equipment. Just chillin’. "No old man. Get down." This is making me uncomfortable.

3.     Holding Wall Squats- I freakin’ hate these but love them at the same time. I get so uncomfortable; I want to punch someone in the face each time I am done.

4.     Walking down the feminine product aisle- First it screams.. “I am bleeding you know where.”  Sick. Not only that, but there are other products there. KY Jelly, Condoms, Pregnancy tests. It is just awkward. I don’t like it one bit. But, it is what it is.

5.     Wearing socks to bed- I have to have bare feet in bed. I get so uncomfortable if my feet can’t be free while I sleep. It drives me crazy.

6.     Having a dirty house- I can not be at peace until my kitchen is cleaned, my house is picked up, and my bathrooms are clean. I will not be able to relax until these things are done. I am just too uncomfortable. Or maybe I am too crazy...

There you have it… things that make me uncomfortable.

Day 2: Something I am Good At

Cleaning your bathroom, in 15 steps

When I saw that today's topic was something I was good at two things came to mind: cooking and cleaning. Talk about 1950s housewife. I kind of felt bad about myself for a minute, then I remembered that it is that time in my life. If you asked me this same question when I was 16, I would probably say waltz jumps (figure skating move) or booty dancing. But not today folks, it is all about cleaning and cooking great meals in this house.
Ever since I can remember, cleaning was a Saturday routine. My grandmother kept a clean house, and still does.  I don't just mean clean, like it looks nice, I mean clean like the walls are scrubbed, cabinets washed, faucets polished, and floors scrubbed by hand. Guess who got the cleaning bug gene? This girl. Although, I am not on "crazy" level like Meme. I just don't have the time. So, today, I am going to tell you how to efficiently clean your bathrooms so that it doesn't take lots of time, but you get everything SUPER clean.

You will need:
Scrubbing Bubbles Bathroom Cleaner
Toilet Cleaner
Windex
A Dobie sponge (or another abrasive sponge)
Two dry towels
Two wet towels
Broom
(The reason for two is because you don't want to touch anything that has touched the toilet to other areas of the bathroom. Yuck.)

Directions:
1. Go into bathroom. :)
2. Line toilet bowl with cleaner, shut lid.
3. Sweep floor. 
4. Spray Windex on mirror. Wipe with dry towel.
5. Spray Scrubbing Bubbles (SB) on counter. Wipe with wet cloth. Make sure to get faucet.
6. Polish faucet with dry cloth.
7. Wipe cabinets down with wet cloth, then go over with dry cloth.
8. Wipe all surfaces of towel rack and TP holder down the same way as the other, no SB needed.
9. Spray SB on all surface area of toilet. Epecially the handle and the underside of the seat. Let soak.
10. Move on to the shower. Spray SB all over. This is where the Dobie comes into play. Scrub, scrub, scrub. Especailly scrub the bottom of the tub. Feet can be dirty things and bacteria can settle in the little grooves of the fiberglass. Rinse shower with a few cup-fulls of water.
11. Polish faucet and shower head with dry towel 'til sparkling.
12. Next, wash the toilet wash the outside first with the other wet cloth.
13. Wipe the inside with sponge. Dry with other dry towel. (The sponge can no longer be used. Needs to be disinfected before the next cleaning day.)
14. Now, it is time for your floors. You can simply use water, or hot water mixed with a few splashes of bleach. Use the first wet towel, the one you used to wipe the counter, not the toilet, to scrub the floors. Make sure to do EXTRA scrubbing around toilet. Get those germies.
15. Then, use the first dry towel to dry the floors. This will ensure that they won't dry streaky.

Voila! Beautiful bathroom.

Take a hot shower and enjoy the cleanliness.
And remember when bathrooms are clean, all is right in the world. Or is it just me that feels this way?

Day 1: My Life in 250 Words

 Since committing to the "Blog Everyday in July" challenge with some friends, I have been dreading today. The topic is "Story of MY Life" in 250 words. I hate talking about my life story. At my age and stage in life, I don't like telling my life story because I find it uncomfortable to share details about childhood. So this is a very basic overview of my life...I hope the other entries for July will be more interesting than this, but this is a start. 

 

I was born, Candice Kay Axtell, on July 17,  1984 to Barbie Buchanan and Robbie Axtell. A year later, my parents married. 4 years later, my parents divorced.

Fast forward....
I was raised by my grandma Meme because sometimes life isn't perfect and parents aren't always great parents.

I attended Kansas State University to become a teacher. I had always wanted to be a teacher... I wanted to change lives. I wanted to be Michelle Pfeiffer in "Dangerous Minds." ("As I walk in the Valley of the Shadow of death, I take a look at my life and realize there's nothing left..." you know the song.)

I met my husband freshman year. I saw Keith Hill at the rec center and believed him to be the cutest guy EVER, gave him the lamest pick up line, and told him to meet up with me that night at an All U party. He stood me up only because the party was rumored to have been busted... likely story, Keith. But, we met again at a football game and were inseparable from then on. We married in 2006 after I graduated. God knew what he was doing... We were meant to be. :)

After we were married, we moved to Salina where I taught high school English for 5 years. We had our first child there, Charles Kent (Chip). After 5 years in Salina, we moved to Topeka, Kansas for a job change with my husband's work. Since living here, we have added to our family, Calla Lane was born 4 months ago. She has been a blessing, but a lot of work. :)

This is life thus far... can't wait to see what the future holds!! It is all in God's hands. So far, so good.

To sum it up in a list of life's greatest moments... 
my grandmother stepping in to raise me, my salvation at 18, my marriage to my best friend, and of course, the birth of my two children. 

Keith and I in 2005

Our first hike up Mt. Holy Cross where Keith proposed.

Our stay in Vail to celebrate our engagement.

Mr. and Mrs. Keith Hill

Our little bundle, Chip

Chip, 3 days old.

Chip when we moved to Topeka

Such a sweetie face. Chip.

My lovely grandma, Meme.

Calla, day 1 of life.

Chip and Calla meet for the first time.

Our baby girl... what a blessing.

Blog EVERYDAY in July

Sooo… I took on a challenge to blog EVERYDAY in July. Each day has a different prompt.

I am not sure how I feel about this, but I am excited because I will be doing it with friends. Here goes it. 

July 1^st will be the very first post… it is my life story. Be prepared.

Thank you to Randi, author of Bring on the New ( http://bring-on-the-new.blogspot.com)

See you in July!

Work-At-Home Mom a.k.a WAHM

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Ever since Chip was born in December of 2010, I knew I wanted to be at home. It was so hard to leave him after my maternity leave to return to finish the school year at Salina Central High School. After that school year, my husband was promoted to district manager with Propane Central. This new job relocated us to Topeka, Kansas. I got a job, because there was still not quite enough money to keep us out of poverty if I stopped teaching to become a stay-at-home mom. I resolved that this would be fine. I could do it.

I was hired to work at Washburn Rural Middle School.  I worked there two school years, and met some great friends in the process. (God knows what He is doing; sometimes it takes me a minute to believe Him but it all works out.) Working the past two years afforded me great friends, memorable students, and it gave Chip the opportunity to make great friends and memories at his in-home daycare. Our daycare provider, Cathy or “Khaki” as Chip calls her, was a great mentor for Chip. She taught him manners, sharing, cleaning up after making messes, and how to trust other adults. I wouldn’t trade those years of learning for anything.

However, the desire to be a stay-at-home mom was rekindled the moment I discovered I was pregnant with Calla. I began to bring it up to Keith, and he wanted to make sure we prayed about it and did everything possible to make sure we could afford to do it. So I got busy looking into options. I applied for an online teaching job with K12. This opportunity had Keith excited, but it almost seemed too perfect. A job I love to do, that I went to school for can be done at home! And, I can be with my kids? It was a “have your cake and eat it too scenario.” I thought, “There’s no way. This is too perfect.” I had applied previously with this company too, after Chip was born, but obviously didn’t have any luck. I began to feel discouraged with this job option once again when I heard nothing. So, I pursued other avenues. I went through all the steps to get our home certified to do an in-home daycare. This wouldn’t be ideal, as it is not guaranteed income, but it would allow me to help provide good care for families, give Chip some playtime with others, and my family some added income. Before Calla was born, and the deal was sealed on the daycare, I received an email from Manhattan-Ogden school district. They were looking for an English teacher, immediately. I was 8-months pregnant (they would never hire me, I thought) but I interviewed for the job anyway, and two weeks later was filling out papers for HR.

I began to teach a freshman English course in February. I continued to teach during my maternity leave. (Yes that was a daunting task. But I made it). I guess I did something right, because I was asked to teach full-time (which means 5 live hours of teaching a week) for a little less pay then I make at my current “brick and mortar” teaching job.  I am just simply amazed at the doors that opened, and at the doors that were so easily closed. God is great, and He does answer prayers. Truly, this was all Him. I am excited to see what this new career opportunity has in store for me as a professional, as a mom, and as a wife. I may not be your traditional stay-at-home mom. I still have a career that I love, but I will be a work-at-home mom. I feel that this could turn out to be the best of both worlds. I get to be with my kids every moment of their little lives, all while doing what I was born to do, which is teach. I will keep you posted.

Calla Lane

In the time since I last posted our nameless baby was born. We finally decided on a name. Calla Lane. Calla Lilies are my favorite flower and Calla also means "beauty" in Greek. Lane, as you know from a previous post, is my great-grandmother's maiden name. There you go. This poor girl will have a story to tell about how many names she had before she was born. It was quite insane. (Sorry Calla).
Now, some people are interested in the "birth story." If you are not one of these people, don't read on. But if you are... well here you go.
Saturday, March 2nd, Keith got off of work from the base. He had drill that weekend. We decided it would be fun to go to the mall to buy a new PJ set for the hospital, and I was hoping the walk around the mall would help kick-start labor (and it did). We got home, put our son to bed, and got ready for bed ourselves. My husband jokingly said, "You are having this baby tonight." I laughed and said "No way." At this point in pregnancy, it felt like the baby would NEVER come. I was doubtful and thought I would just be pregnant forever. Well, about an hour after heading to bed... around midnight... I had some light cramping. Nothing huge. I went and "Googled" my symptoms because I didn't know what to expect. With Chip, I was induced so I didn't know what labor felt like when it started on its own. The pain got a bit stronger, and that's when I called the hospital staff. They said it sounds like labor but to be sure I needed to time them for about an hour, and if they were regular then I could go ahead and come in. I went and woke up Keith, who was only pretending to sleep. I think he was freaking out. Actually, I am sure of it. We both were a little nervous and not quite sure this was really happening. It was close to 2 AM. We called his mother, Nita, to come stay at the house with Chip while we went to the hospital to have our baby girl. When we got to the hospital, I had to stop several times to endure the contractions... there was no doubt that this was labor. The security officer at the hospital took one look at me and said, "No need to sign in, just go." He clearly didn't want to have to deliver a baby. They admitted us at Stormont-Vail birthing center here in Topeka, KS. I spent several hours in the triage room because they wanted to make certain I was in active labor. Well, I was and it didn't take long. By the time they got me to the birthing room I was 6 cm and progressing fast. I started to push around 8 cm... not because the doctor told me too but because my body said too. It was just too hard not too. Sorry doc. I pushed a few times before my doctor, Dr. Teply, arrived for the final push. With that last push, our baby girl arrived in this world. She was 7 lbs of perfection. Seriously. Instantly my heart was full of love for her and even more so for her father, Keith. He was amazing during the birth. I had no pain medicine because I am "weird" like that. It was an amazing experience. One worth doing again, just not anytime soon. ;)

Calla Lane Hill

Born at 7:31 AM on March 3, 2013

7lbs, 20 inches long.