a family history... of sorts


'Twas Autumn '07, the setting serene...

An upstanding young man arrived on the scene
Where his parents had attended some decades before.

He knew the rules of this tranquil estate.
Even his brother stayed 'til graduation date.

No pink or blue sidewalks as rumor suggests.
A fine Christian place, where "only good kids" are sent.

Stained glass windows abound.
Making prisms of light.

And this place where some have found love at first sight...

Unlike those secular schools, no making out here.
Not for this boy, (it was early in the year).

This young man and his friends had a "home away from home".
But rules would not allow them to roam.

Still, they obeyed, doing their best.
To appease the VanG's and all of the rest.

Demerits were slow as the semester began.
Examples needed to be made, of any young man
Who stepped out of the box, did something silly or rash.
With the Dean of Men he surely would clash.

One day there was horseplay in a dorm room.
No beer, cigars, nor rock n' roll tune.

Just some guys tossing around the "Stay-Puff marshmallow man";
Out the window it fell and on the sidewalk did land.

The young men were then told they were sinful and liars.
At semester's end one left, as of mind games he grew tired.

Home returned, and one night out with the friends,
He told me the story... and I believed him!

Several years later, we visited the site.
Where that boy and his buddies got in trouble that night.
Hubby wore shorts, our baby sniffed a flower.
We loitered on campus (with his parents) for over an hour.

Is her tuition pre-payed?
Oh, we don't know if to this college our children should go.

In the midst of the rules and strong academics,
lies a pandemic of the heart which may breed rebels and cynics.

We hope to follow the Word and let bygones pass...
only the Lord knows our children's paths.

home, sweet home

we had a great weekend. went to hubby's cousin's wedding in SC. saw family, met other cousins' new spouses, visited with family friends who were surrogate "uncle and aunt" to hubby's parents when they were in college. i had heard much about the university, and we walked around the campus for a bit, then drove to see the downtown area since we did not have any pre-wedding obligations.

the wedding was beautiful. traditional, simple and elegant (complete with a string quartet). the bride's gown was gorgeous and suited her. hubby kept baby bear in a back room so she wouldn't disturb the ceremony. baby bear was afraid of aunt janet's wheel chair at first, until she realized she could push it around like a car (with daddy's help).

the reception was at a gorgeous southern mansion. i didn't get as many pictures as i intended of the wedding or reception, due to chasing a little one around to keep her from breaking antiques, etc... she met a 7 year old boy and they chased one another around the bushes and gates, giving my weary feet a break.

Maybe we'll just buy this house while we're in Gulf Shores!

We only need a few million bucks!

p.s. Thanks, crt, for the idea. :-)

Please pray!

My cousin's baby, Catherine, is had heart surgery TODAY. This is being done to repair a hole in her heart that did not close up after her birth a little over a year ago. They expect her to be in the hospital for 5-10 days.

Pray for peace for Mom and Dad, healing for Baby Catherine, and for her big brother, Sammy.

Apparently I got my dates mixed up. Anyway, here's the update from another cousin:

" Mary Just called (12:36 west coast time) , Catherine is out of surgery. The
surgery went very well and quicker than expected. She had already come out
of sedation but was immediately wanting to get moving and busy (no surprise
to anyone who has ever met Catherine :)) so they have given her something to
make her sleepy and rest. Mary says she looks great, the incision is
smaller than she had anticipated, and she only has 2 chest tubes left in at
the moment.

She and Sam have been ordered to go get some fresh air and a bite to eat,
while Catherine Rests."

Praise the Lord, and keep praying for continued recovery!

Weekend prep

We're going away this weekend, so I've made it a point to water my flowerbeds really well the last couple of days. I tied my cherry tomato plants up to stakes, as they were leaning over the side of their pot. Baby Bear's "help" turned her into one very wet toddler. She poured water from one bucket to the next, watered the flowers and her dress with her watering can, and turned dirt into mud.

Thankfully, the past couple of days my housekeeping has improved slightly. I've managed to just straighten a little here and there, put things away a bit at a time, and the result is so much easier to look at. And walk through.

Today's mission: pack for the weekend. maybe run to the store for some snacks for the road.

For more Wordless Wednesday images,
visit 5minutesformom or the WW Headquarters.

to dispel the myth believed by some blogging buddies that i am a master gardener:

here's what's left under the birch tree.. one verbena and one celosia
(i blame the wandering animals who mark their territory there for the other plants' failure to thrive under the tree)

hosta with slug holes and crooked flower stems
note the verbena and snapdragons that i should probably just pull out from in front of these

half-eaten black-eyed susan plants (and not so gorgeous buds)
i do hope that since we scared the most recent bug infestation off with sevin,
with a little tlc these may thrive

the mid summer re-blooming of the day lilies, surrounded by withering glad leaves
i suppose that if i did not water these, they would not be re-blooming.
at least that's what i like to think!

my gardening observations:

• bugs happen
• animal poop & pee happen
• drought happens
• do your best to take care of things anyway, but don't blame yourself if your efforts aren't as well-rewarded as you hoped
• (unless you spray round up on green peppers instead of insecticide!)
  

10,000+ visitors?

um... my guess is that the ticker counts the # of times i click back to my page, which would probably cut the actual count in half.

but for those of you who really do wander here, especially those who come back, thanks!!!

Let's Tackle!

Ok, the past few weeks I have not really tackled any "project" areas. I have mostly done basic maintenance-type tackles. The floors, laundry, bathrooms, etc...

This morning started out with outdoor maintenance of sorts. I watered all the plants and fed my hostas and black-eyed susans some Miracle Grow. Last week, hubby dusted all the flowers with Sevin, because they were getting eaten. (I hate using it very often with Baby Bear running around outside. I have to make sure she doesn't try to pick any flou-flous with dust on them.) I apparently have slugs on my hostas, too, so I may have to go buy some beer. By the time I got home from my half-weekend adventure, the black-eyed susans looked pretty thirsty.

Anyway, my Master Bedroom is looking increasingly like a collection of various piles of stuff instead of the peaceful retreat it should be. (I would love to be able to light candles without danger of catching something on fire!) So that's what I'm going to tackle this week. A nook or dresser top at a time. (It may not get completely done today, and be warned... these pictures are for real. Yes, I realize my room looks worse than many teenagers'. Don't run away screaming or puking, please... and don't tell me that if I just took care of a little at a time it would not get so bad. I already know that.)

BEFORE:

AFTER:

I accidentally deleted the "before" shot, but this afternoon I managed to uncover my dresser.

Well, mostly.

So, what's your tackle today?
I challenge those of you who
don't usually participate
in this meme to join us this week-
with before and after pics!

updated 1:43 p.m.&10:10 p.m.

Center Hill Lake

"Grace" got me thinkin'....

When I first began blogging, I stumbled upon a site about Grace-Based Discipline. I've added it to the "ponderings" section in my sidebar. Not because I agree with every single thing this woman says about everything. But because I do like that she gives practical alternatives for disciplining kids without using corporal punishment. And she seems to have good Biblical basis for many of her ideas.

I've spanked Baby-Bear on occasion, usually when she put herself in some type of physical danger. Ironic, eh? (For example, when she flip-flops on the changing table like a fish out of water while I am trying to get her diaper on. Changing her on the floor really is not much easier... she's quite the squirmer. If Daddy is not around for on of us to pin her shoulders down so she cannot flip while the other takes care of the diaper, I have been known to smack her little bottom after. And it's worked momentarily.) However, it's not something I want to do on a regular basis. I was not spanked a whole lot as a child, or else I've blocked the episodes out of my memory. I do remember having my mouth washed out with soap... Dial. Ugh... Not sure I really want to do that either. Anyway....

I'm searching for any and every recommendation for effective discipline and boundary setting tips for parents. Preferably ones that help us address the "heart" issues. "Parenting is Heart Work" is a good book, but seems geared more toward the 5+ age range.

WHAT WORKS FOR YOU? (Or worked for you when you had little ones.)

I have sea legs.

After getting our planning done last night and this morning, we spent lots of time in the water. Center Hill Lake is the only lake I've been near in this state that has not scared me to get into in a long time. No, it's not the clearest, but we could see some fish in the water in the marina, and there was very little debris of any type in the water. And the water actually felt clean when we got into it. Oh, and it did not stink. The temp was perfect. (Once while we were dating hubby and I went for what supposed to be a romantic day trip to Kentucky Lake, the next state up. I now refer to it as Stinky Fish Lake. If I believed in bad omens, the sight and smell of the dead fish which we encountered washed ashore and saw floating in the water would have been enough to end our relationship. Percy Priest Lake is not AS bad, but not nearly as scenic or clean as CHL.) We swam off the boat for at least an hour, using rafts and "noodles" for flotation. Fish nibbled at our heels from time to time, and ducks swam within 10 feet of us. Oh, and a few of us went down the water slide off the back of the boat into the water. FUN!!! The weather was PERFECT. Our hosts were gracious. Their boat was amazing.... probably worth more than our house, and oh, so comfortable. A perfect place to relax. The fellowship was sweet, and our Mom's HEART ministry should have a great year. I had the pleasure of getting to know our church's founding pastor's wife personally, and friendships were formed and strengthened with some wonderful other Moms. In a big church, it's hard to get to know people sometimes. I knew more people on our committee than I realized. And they either liked my cake and brownies or were really gracious. The best part was finding a group of women that I didn't feel like I had to really pretend around. It wasn't quite like being around the close friends I've had forever, but it was much easier than I expected. I even confessed my near-cancellation and allergy cop-out. (My allergies are real, but I have felt better the past days over all than in a week.)

Got home around 6:45 tonight, and received a great big BEAR hug. She and Daddy did well, other than the fact she woke him up at 5:45 this morning. And I can't believe it took me 21 months to leave my baby for 1 night. I loved knowing she was in good hands. And I must confess, I loved leaving hubby with the responsibility. I came home to a happy baby girl,a swept floor, folded laundry & an empty kitchen sink. AND a clean dishwasher. He is the best. Oh, and he didn't make me cook... we split fajitas at "our" Mexican restaurant. Baby Bear LOVED the guacamole.

I'm going to go cuddle with my hubby in front of the tv now. Hope the rest of your weekend is great!

Don't be fooled...

I may appear quite social on here, and even if you were to meet me in real life. However, certain situations make me nervous. Going on a retreat with a bunch of women I don't know all that well is one of them. However, I've been asked to serve on a committee and our retreat is tomorrow night, so we're going to a house boat on a lake to plan and relax. Hubby will have baby duty til Saturday evening, and I suspect my cell coverage will be limited, based on the water level in relation to the hills surrounding the lake.

My allergies seem to be doing better, though the inhalers make me a tad shaky. So I have to get over my social anxieties which have resurfaced and just go. I have a chance to actually get to know some wonderful women from our church, I can't back out now.

My favorite sounds...

• Baby Bear's exclamation of "yayyy!!!" and hands clapping at the end of any song. This could be a song on the radio, Mommy or Daddy's rendition of the ABC song, a song on a video, or even a hymn or gospel song at Avoca Bible Church.
• The garage door or front door opening when hubby returns home from work, followed quickly by Baby Bear's shouting ,"Da-Da or Daddy! " as she runs to greet him.
• The ocean lapping against the sand on the shore.
• Birds chirping.
• Baby Bear's breath as we rock.
• The creak of the rocking chair.
• The sounds of nature at my parents' home: wind through the trees, frogs (well, sometimes they get annoying), birds.
• Baby Bear's chuckles.
• Wind in the sails of a sailboat.
• Wind in my ears at the beach.
• Music. Especially piano, classical guitar or Baby Bear banging on the keys or turning a toy or everyday object into an instrument of some sort.
• Baby Bear asking for a bow whether it's to play with or wear.
• Soft wind chimes.
• Rushing water- Falls Creek Falls, Laurel Falls, or other streams in the middle of the woods.
• Baby Bear's grunts as she attempts to pull herself somewhere she really shouldn't be, like on top of the chest(makeshift coffee table) in our play room.inspiring
• New words or phrases from Baby Bear.
  
• Hubby's voice. and breath from the pillow next to me while he sleeps.
• A well-played harmonica.
• Gentle, steady rain
• silence the morning after a heavy snowfall. you can almost hear the glistening of the snow if you listen carefully (doesn't happen often here)
• a good friends voice on the other end of the phone line
  

Thanks to FarmWife for inspiring this post! Please leave a comment if you've decided to play along with us!

my new motto is in the sidebar

My friend Angela over at Creative Day Cafe' e-mailed it to me... she said it reminded her of me because of my comments about my blogging addiction.

wordless wednesday

I have another WW post on Baby Bear's Blog.
I couldn't bear to post it as the follow-up to our wedding pictures on this page.

8 years ago...

we posed.. got the pictures over with before the ceremony.
one of the best decisions we ever made.

here's a picture of a photo of a reflection... with our sisters posing with us

my all-time favorite photo from our wedding day

(it was a candid shot, we did not have a dance at our reception.):

There, that's my tackle this Tuesday. Reminiscing. Giving thanks for a wonderful husband and friend, who is now a terrific daddy.

I could type a long elaborate post. I could post more pictures, too. But I won't. Believe it or not, I am a private person. (Don't let my 500 posts on this blog alone fool you.)

Happy Anniversary, Hubby. Te amo mas y mas...

ok.. my stream-of-consciousness-pity-party-posting is OVER.

(For now.)

I'll be back after I get over myself and get some stuff done.

Tackle It Tuesday????

Getting out of bed was a tackle for me today. The sore throat I got struck with late Saturday evolved into sinus issues, which have become accompanied by a cough. My usual bi-annual crud.
It's a good thing we celebrated our anniversary early on Friday night!

Bear's eyes glued to Sesame Street. In a few months, maybe we'll get cable, DirectTV or Dish network. I would love to have more variety in kids' shows. At least I haven't seen this episode before.

I am bitter. I know the not-so-fresh tasting salmon was not my fault, and the store gave me an apology and a refund when I brought in the receipt last night. But when you already feel like you've been hit by a truck and re-stuffed with cotton balls, the last thing you want is your hopes of a good meal crushed by inferior quality meat. Even if you live a great distance from an ocean and fresh seafood is an oxymoron.

I am also stumped. I wanted to cook a nice meal last night. Should I try again tonight, or demand we go out to eat on our anniversary? The thing is, since I am not a domestic diva, and hubby is pretty content and doesn't need a lot of gifts for our special occasions, attempting to make him a decent meal is sort of a gift in itself. So I enjoy serving him a good meal on our special occasions. And then when we visit homes that are perfectly manicured the guilt trip for NOT being a domestic diva, or just a good homemaker sets in. (That's what happened Saturday. I am my own worst enemy.)

Anyway, lots of possibilities loom around me for today's tackle. Toys and blocks are everywhere. I've unloaded the dishwasher once. The bathrooms need freshening. The kitchen floor needs scrubbing, as it will again 1 hour after I wash it. There's a pile of clutter next to my bed that has been haunting me for months now. The fridge needs a good "science project removal". There's laundry (that my beloved made sure got washed while I was sick on Sunday) strewn across the guest bed waiting to be put away. (He did fold our clothes, just threw the sheets and towels on the bed.)

Oh, and I can't forget to get or make my beloved his anniversary card.

I'm a wimp.

Just when I think about considering natural childbirth the next time around, I get a reality check. I AM A WIMP. I have a measley (well, not quite) cold, allergy attack, whatever it is. It's not bad enough to send me to the doctor, but it is bad enough that I'm being a real baby. We're out of kleenex, so I'm using TP. Either Angels aren't very soft or "Angel Soft" is a misnomer. No big deal when it's being used for the advertised purpose. Not so good for the nose area.

I had my contacts in... something got in my eye, so now I'm back in my glasses. That puts me in a foglike trance under normal circumstances. Take into account the fact that they are 4 years old, Baby Bear has bent them out of shape, and one screw has been replaced with a tiny little keyring to hold it together. My prescription hasn't changed much, but just the crooked factor messes with my vision. Oh, and we took our prescription in to get a cheap pair at the supercenter. The optician was not in, and the optometrist is not licensed to do whatever is needed to fit glasses. Something's wrong with that. Efficiency, please? So my script is stuck to the fridge, after floating around the whole downstairs. (DON'T tell me that's what I get for going to the supercenter. Costco's selection of frames was terrible (they did have the same design I purchased FOUR years ago, and I'm not about to pay full price for things that I only wear when necessary... just before bedtime or when my contacts are really bugging me.)

Well, I did buy that salmon and roast potatoes/squash/carrots/onion sound like a yummy treat, so let's see if I can get dinner going.

Who wants to come clean up for me? There might even be enough leftovers to share.

It's menu-plan-monday in the blogosphere, thanks to OrgJunkie. Not here, though. I got dizzy & worn out just running to the grocery store to pick up pre-seasoned salmon to bake for tonight. I haven't planned the rest of the meals for this week, though I imagine we'll be eating a lot of squash, carrots & celery. And probably some chicken, pork chops, and hamburger. There's my outline... just gotta fill in the details.

I thought I'd just post a link to this site which has a lot of potential to be useful. I believe Steph at Olive Tree mentioned it a couple of weeks ago.

Free weekly dinner menus from Menus4Moms.com

i'm about 0 for 20 on my contest entries, but i'm not going to stop entering them yet!

Steph at Adventures in Baby Wearing and Jenn from All Natural Mommies
are going to give away a Podunbutai baby carrier.

After reading books such as Babywise and Secrets of the Baby Whisperer, I started out motherhood with a fear of anything remotely related to AP. Both books implied that baby-wearing would result in a clingy, needy child with issues. They did have some helpful points in them, but I should have read more from "the other point of view" and relaxed a bit.

Well, my child will probably have issues anyway. I have issues, and anybody who is human has issues. You don't? Well, then, you're in denial and that's an issue all by itself! Right now one of my irking issues is how to get things done with a toddler hanging off me. EVERY time I try to sweep or Mop, someone wants to help. The problem is, the dirt and junk doesn't get picked up when she "helps." Watering the garden? Toddler gets soaked so she needs a change of clothes at best, and if she's covered in mud, a bath. I can't corral her and hold a hose. Normally, I just don't bother trying (to get things done). This results in a less than sparkling kitchen floor. There are times I want to give the whole baby-wearing thing a try. I keep telling myself it won't be long before Baby Bear will not want to be held so much... as she clings to my leg with a death grip. Anyway, if I win this contest, I will have to get hubby to take pics of me looking ridiculous trying to figure out how to get bear into a carrier. And if the experiment fails, and Baby Bear does't go for the confinement thing... I'll either have a tool to try with my next baby or a great baby gift to pass on to someone else!

So cross your fingers for me... or go enter the contest for yourself!

my garden last week...



this rosebush cost 3.22 at walmart. it's had a couple of pretty blooms. i'd say it was worth the $$$. plus, it looks great in the urn.

verbena

black eyed susans wait to peek through

hosta

cherry tomatoes-
bear ate the first ripe one this afternoon!

So, I am home because my throat feels like sandpaper and I didn't sleep well last night. this link to a plethora of links. I found I highly suspect I may not agree with every site theologically, however, it looks like there's some interesting info.

just when i start thinking my body is "above" being affected by allergies...
they rear their ugly head.

Last-minute Date Night

Our anniversary is coming up, and we decided to splurge on dinner and a movie. We don't go to the theater very often, and we rarely go out to eat without our toddler in tow. Well, we had hoped to go out on the lake today, but the more we thought about it, the more we decided that would be a bad idea with Bear. I can't see her handling a life jacket very well. So we spent the morning relaxing, and my parents came over this afternoon to babysit. She smiled as they walked up the sidewalk. I love how she recognizes her family members.

So hubby and I went down to a matinee showing of Transformers (loved it- very nostalgic, and well done. I didn't really expect it to have a plot, but it did. Good special effects.... not for young kids, violence justifies the pg-13 rating; they couldn't have done the effects this well back when the cartoons came out), and we even got popcorn and cokes, which almost never happens. After dinner at Red Lobster, we decided to stop by Kohl's, as we knew Baby Bear was in good hands with Granwendy and Grandaddy. I found a beach towel/blanket & flip flops for our upcoming trip- no luck in the swimsuit area. Hubby found some shirts. Why is it that he finds clothes easier than I? Again, it was soooo nice to not have to worry about our little one while we were out.

So, happy early anniversary to us. Of course, you know you are an old married couple when you are home and on the couch by 9 p.m.

I found a blog where I can reminisce my childhood summer vacations... and learn more about the Cape, I'm sure.

I'd sure like to be there right now. It's too hot here in the South.

Argh...

-another business opportunity presents itself. Dear Lord give me discernment & grace through this whole process of listening to the excited person's pitch. Have I mentioned that I am burnt out on network marketing? They are not all schemes or pyramids, but they are NOT for me. And I pray that my loved one doesn't get shafted in the process... (It does sound like the people behind it are decent people, but I can't help but be a skeptic, even if the product is pretty cool and shows potential.)

-another friend is having a very tough week. I wish I could be there to give her a great big hug, cry with her and pray with her in person. I can't share the details, but please pray. In a weird way, I am grateful to be able to say that I have been in a similar situation, because I know how much it helped me heal to hear that I was not alone.

-my house does not self-clean. I want an in-floor vacuum unit someday. That would probably require a crawl space or basement. I also want self-cleaning toilets, self-folding laundry and an irrigation system. While we're at it, something to keep the birds and bugs from eating my cherry tomatoes as they ripen would be nice.

-my yard has mole tunnels. lots of them. i hope i don't actually see one of the pests live. seeing the mulch move from one near the flowers i watered was creepy enough.

-gas was 11 cents higher less than 15 miles away today. what a ripoff. i only put $5 in the tank since I didn't want hubby to have to come rescue me, and i hope it doesn't go up before we fill up here. The oil companies are tyrants.

Yesterday was a very good day. So was today. I'm just tired, and now I "get" to go trim hubby's hair. I did get to go "gamble" at bunko tonight. I love a good girls' night out, and the fellowship is well worth the $5 lost in the bunko pot. Congrats to my lurker and neighbor, gina. :-) Oh, and the neighbor whose wife hosted is a sales rep for Russ, and he gave me some cool stuff for Baby Bear.

Argh....

Our Sunday School teacher has posted a very fitting prayer for today on his blog.

Two Memorials...

The first, a celebration of Mrs. Y's life, took place last night. It was a Memorial Service filled with love, laughter, tears, celebration and hope. The life of a woman who served her Heavenly Father and loved His people well was celebrated, Jesus' gift of eternal life for those who repent and trust in Him alone was celebrated, and the Holy Spirit's peace was present. While Mrs. Y was undoubtedly involved in her family reunion in Heaven, some of us who knew her here on earth had a little "family reunion" of our own. It was a blessing to see friends whom I hadn't seen in years... several years, almost a decade for some of them. After the Memorial Service, we fellowshipped together as Mrs. Y would have wanted.

The Second, today. Independence Day. My nation's birthday. I bought my own little cheesy T-shirt with a hint of the stars and stripes on it, and dressed Baby Bear in her red,white and blue outfit. Her Grandparents came over to see her, and she entertained them well. She displayed her own growing independence on many occasion both last night and today. We grilled out and ate inside. I am grateful for the many freedoms we have. I wish the entire globe shared the same freedom. But alas, I am a realist, and I know that such a dream is impossible until the Redeemer come to restore all things to Himself.

Happy Independence Day!

Time to Tackle...

the usual. (housework.) bathrooms. kitchen floor/counter/clean out fridge. laundry...
once again, i am grounding myself from the computer until i accomplish something.

i thought i might claim my scrapbook pages from the weekend as my tackle for the week, but i will not.

tech mom and dad are coming to get their grandbaby fix over the holiday, i have a memorial service to attend tonight, and my house is... a cluttered, dirty house. baby bear didn't help by dumping fruity cheerios all over the swept floor.

...see you after i've tackled it this tuesday.


******
updates:

• guest bath cleaned, most toys moved out of the tub (the bathroom process included digging a whole roll of tp out of the toilet. apparently baby bear knows it goes there. it least she doesn't have the flushing thing down yet so we didn't have an overflow disaster.)
  
• guest bed made, with extra blanket so my in laws don't freeze in their son's igloo. the guest room is the coldest in our house. hubby likes the temp at 69.
  
• laundry in process. 1 load put away, 2 dumped on master bed ready to be folded, 1 each in washer and dryer
• hot pocket and brownie eaten for my lunch
• kitchen floor swept & mopped
• pork chops, diced tomatoes, & onion in crock pot for supper... squash to be added soon.
• living room floor cleared of toys (temporarily)
  
• living room, hall, bedrooms vacuumed
• sweet tea brewing
• 1 produce drawer cleaned out and washed
  

Boy, am I thankful that my in-laws are coming to see their Grandbaby and not a house. The clutter in other areas is still out of control. But after all this hard work, I do believe I deserve a break. Took a break and went to the scrapbook store to buy more papers (I had a coupon for 2 free sheets of cardstock with the purchase of 5 sheets of patterned paper. I couldn't resist. Yes, I do believe the shop is dangerously close. Even if it doesn't cost much in gas to get there...)
lauren

It's STILL contest time!

These are the drawings I'm entering, but there are also others!

Krups Ice Cream maker & bowls for dishing up the treat!!
Lands End Custom Swimsuit
Momager Calling Cards
a Mommy resort getaway!
Metrowrap
Living the Dream T-Shirt
Designing Diva Handmade Jewelry
Personalized Placemats
Lil Sugarplum Hairclips
Days-Ago Digital Counter
Patriotic Toddler T-Shirt

2 more days left until the giveaways... I hope I win something!

Cancer takes another beloved woman home.

After my family moved South, God led us to a very special church. It was a church that felt like home. It met in the local community college, then the high school, and finally we built a multipurpose building. Oh, and wasn't perfect by any means. In fact, while I was in college, my parents made the tough decision to stop attending there. However, the church was so special that til this day my Mom has some very dear friends she met there, and so do I. (3 of whom are now some of my blogging buddies.)
Every so often, some of the ladies get together for a luncheon. Some of them came to Baby Bear's bridal shower.

One of the women has been battling breast cancer for 3-4 years. Mrs. Y is what I will call her here. She was a remarkable woman, one who loved others well. My most vivid memory of her is from a youth retreat to the beach. She came along as a chaperone, and she was a prayer warrior. I'd had a lingering cough, which is quite common during allergy season. My Dad's health was acting up again, and I was worried about Him. Mrs. Y had a gift of knowing how to comfort and her prayers for me provided comfort. My cough did not go away completely, but God gave me peace.

I haven't seen Mrs. Y very much in the past 10 years. But whenever I have, she seemed like her same old self- at peace. Even in the midst of her battle with Breast Cancer. Last week, her kidneys failed. She was in her earthly home when her soul left her body, and now she is in her eternal home worshiping her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ. Healed.

Please keep the Y family in your prayers as they celebrate her life and mourn their loss.

My scrapbooking observations in progress...

1) artistic, 1 photo pages have their place but are not fiscally responsible... or possible for every page.
2) journaling is of utmost importance. i want my daughter to be able to show these pages to her daughter and not wonder, "who, what, when, or where?" answering "why?" or "how" may be appropriate, too.
3) saving digital pictures in folders by date taken is a LIFE SAVER when my camera loses the date due to death of battery. i'm uploading pics daily these days.
4) even simple color blocking can be very pretty and costs less than using the best papers for every single page.
5) a corner rounder can really add a simple, clean look to a page without overdoing it.
6) the making memories circle cutter that has a center mount thing which the blade swivels around is hard to get perfectly round circles as you increase the diameter. hiding flaws behind photos makes this not-so significant. but if you are shopping for a circle cutter, as much as i like the cutting mat it came with, i don't know if i would recommend this.
7) if you have buttons out, your 20-month old daughter is sure to want to play with them. occupying her with large buttons is better than letting her play with scissors or a paper trimmer.

9 scrapbook pages done....

...tons more to go! But 5 pages in 3 days' time is a huge improvement over the 6 months it took me to move past the first 2!

2 more pages done...

... and I'm ready to go to sleep.

Was today's garage sale bargain really a find for Baby Bear...

(yes, our laptop is on her new-to-us kid-sized table.
She's playing Sesame Street games under CONSTANT supervision, of course.)


....OR MOMMY?

When she's not using the table, it will make a great scrapbooking surface upstairs.
Did you check out my 2nd page completed in 2 days?!
I'm especially proud of this one,
because the photo is so special to me.
I've also decided that since I have spent over $100 at our local scrapbooking store alone since it opened, it's time I start actually doing more scrapping instead of just collecting paper and embellishments.
(Tools used: Making Memories circle cutter & mat, cutterpede straight edge 12" cutter,
Bazzill and American Crafts cardstock & patterned paper, silver gel pen)

I had no idea I would be using the table, too, when I found it at a garage sale this morning.
At least not for anything other than playing with my daughter.

It's been a good day!

• I had a yummy treat (Scroll down to 1st post of the day for details).
• I took a shower.... I didn't take one yesterday, so I really needed it.
• I didn't have to water the plants because we got plenty of rain yesterday. Thank You, Lord!
• Baby Bear and I had fun.
  
• Baby Bear napped well.
• I got a couple of chores done. I am perpetually behind on chores.
• Lil' sis, BIL, & little niece J surprised us for a visit during their "let's see where the wind blows us" day.
• We ate a yummy dinner and both toddlers did pretty well at the restaurant. They even held hands as we exited the restaurant. SOOOO SWEET!!!!!
  
• After dinner, we took the girls to a park and played on the playground with them.
• Baby Bear kept asking for more of her Aunt, Uncle, Cousin, & the "gound" during the drive home.
• Baby Bear snuggled with me on the couch for a few minutes before her bedtime.
• I finished the 6th page of Baby Bear's Scrapbook (at this rate... I don't want to think of how long it will take me to get through her first year). I also came to the realization that I don't have to complete the pages in chronological order, since fancy-dancy scrapbook pages can be moved around. Yes, I am THAT slow to learn basic scrapping:
  

Tools used: deckle-edged cutterpede trimmer, mini-brads (i use a thumb tac in the carpet instead of a hole puncher- works great!), Shutterfly Studio collage feature, Bazzill pink cardstock from scrapnmemories, vellums from somewhere, brads from somewhere or somewhere else. ok, so those last two might not have been all that helpful. oh, well. it was either target, wal-mart, hobby lobby, or michael's.

Yum-o!!!!!!

I have to try today's Roasted Chicken recipe from Rachael Ray....

...but not tonight. Tonight we're going to Pei Wei's, the not-as-expensive version of P.F. Changs.

The Happy McFamily is in the area, so we're grabbing some grub together. I love it when an excuse not to cook falls in my lap! (And I love seeing my family, too.)

Baby Bear is taking a nap... I hope she behaves while we're out tonight!!!