Well, just wanted to let everyone whose been asking me know that, yes, we are raising money for our trip. We've raised almost half of the money we need and so appreciate everyone who has blessed us financially. I can't even describe how it feels to know that people believe in the Kingdom of God planted in us and are willing to sow into that. Thanks to all of you who have generously given. We need to have most of our funds in by June 10th so we can purchase our tickets. In the meantime our van has died! My old faithful Pearl, I can hardly bear it. Nice Guy will be going and cleaning out the contents (because I can't! sniff!) and we'll be donating it to Goodwill this week. God is teaching me how to trust in Him! We had agreed not to have another car payment and well, by golly, we just don't have $10,000 sitting in the bank right now. Fortunately, we can get by on one car with Nice Guy's work schedule, so I've been driving the truck around, but it's just not the same...I'll miss you Pearl!
Also, we will be going to get shots in two weeks. Can you say typhoid? Please pray for us regarding this that we don't have any side effects from the shots!
Today I was so blessed! Something that's been on my heart for many, many years came to pass. I was able to go to a local women's shelter and love on, pray for and minister to the ladies there. My friend Hope taught a lesson on God the Father's plan to redeem mankind through Jesus from the "foundation of the world!" It was excellent! And then we prayed for the ladies. They were so thankful we came, thanking us over and over again until I wanted to say, "No! Thank you for letting ME come."
Hope you all have a wonderful Wednesday!
Wednesday, May 09, 2007
Thursday, April 12, 2007
To See the Glory of God...
I wrote this at the beginning of 2006 and never finished it....
Well, Happy New Year everyone. Seems I haven't had quite as much time to sit and write as I did when we were having our Christmas break.
I have spent alot of time thinking and praying. I'm wondering what this year will bring. And I've been reflecting on the past two years - horrible in one sense - magnificent in another. I lost one of my precious nephews. Despite living for only 7 weeks, he touched the lives of our whole family in a way some people never do - he pulled us all closer together - closer to the Lord. The loss, at the time, was overwhelming and beautiful too because God was beautiful TO us despite our sadness. And then my dad, only 59 and healthy as all get out, suddenly found out he had a vicious tumor growing in his leg, eating his bone and depositing cancer in his body. Despite removal of his leg, he only stayed with us 10 more months. I miss him soooo.....
But I'm beginning to understand as never before, that you need to come to the end of yourself to really find God. I've been a Christian for 18 years and tried to stay in control of any hardship or sorrow that came my way, but I was liberated and swept away by the love of God when I learned to let go and let Him hold me and hide me.
I'm reading an incredible book called More than Enough. It is the story of missionaries, Heidi and Rolland Baker whom the Lord called to start caring for the orphaned and abandoned children living in the dumps in Mozambique. They have absolutely nothing and they find God in such an incredible, powerful way. They experience the reality of God. Miracles are common, everyday events in their lives because they need Him SO much. In America, we just don't need Him enough.
I know I don't. Except now I don't have an earthly Father and I DO need my Heavenly Father to be my Father here and He's promised He will be a Father to the fatherless, but I'm talking about needing him and wanting him more than anything else this world has to offer. I look at myself and see so much of me and I want people to see God - not Me.
And now here I am...2007....
To see the glory of God and not ourselves. Isn't that our hearts cry? I know many people passionately pursuing the glory of God in their lives and it is so inspiring. I feel blessed to be surrounded by many. But isn't it necessary if we are going to make a difference in this world? We need to be different and separate, otherwise who will see God?
This summer Hannah and I have the opportunity to go to San Pedro, Honduras for our first missions trip. I'm excited for both of us, but mostly for Hannah who feels the Lord may be calling her to full-time missions work one day, especially with orphans. Recently she had a vision of Jesus with children of all races hiding behind his robe looking at her. They brought flowers and put them in her hair and sat on her lap. This is MY daughter at the age of 15 experiencing God more powerfully than I ever have. I am overwhelmed.
Yesterday, I was working on our support letter and explaining all we would be doing in Honduras. I was very excited while I was writing, I was thinking of Heidi Baker at the time. One of our outreaches will be in the Bordo, an area where 30,000 children live in a trash dump. We'll pass out food, candy and hygiene products, but also pray for the children, believing the Lord to heal and deliver many. It is beyond my imagining right now. I have never in my life seen poverty like that.
Yesterday afternoon it hit me. I was walking by a man that smelled like....well....urine. And it struck me that I will be holding children that are sick and filthy and smell horrible. Suddenly I was scared to death. I am afraid I won't be able to do anything but cry. I've heard that Heidi Baker holds her babies and cries over their sick, diseased and dying bodies for hours and the Lord heals them, so that may not be the worst thing. What if I can't hold them or love them because I'm too scared or repulsed? What if I want to turn my back on them, so I just don't have to see how horrible life is for these little children. What if I can't do it?
In fact, I realized suddenly that I couldn't.
You see that word up there? I. This is what I'm talking about. I can't do it. I know I can't, but I do know that God would not be sending me there if He did not think I was ready to let Him be sufficient for me. He doesn't even want me to have the strength to do this, because His Glory and Grace can't be compared to our own feeble attempts. When He loves and moves through me, I will be one step closer to my heart's cry of all of Him and none of me.
Sometimes prayers aren't answered like you'd hoped or God doesn't show up like you'd imagined. The worst thing I can think of would be to pray for an orphaned, sick child and not see God move. That's the other thought creeping around in the back of my head, but really, I know it's a lie. God doesn't hold out on us. At the very least, what God has done in my life this past year is I know His character and I trust that He is always good and loving and reaching out to us constantly pulling us towards Him. We take one small step of faith and He comes bounding toward us. Ephesians says, "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him at the place of honor at God's right hand in heaven...and God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the church - which is his body, filled with Himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere." Amen!
Well, Happy New Year everyone. Seems I haven't had quite as much time to sit and write as I did when we were having our Christmas break.
I have spent alot of time thinking and praying. I'm wondering what this year will bring. And I've been reflecting on the past two years - horrible in one sense - magnificent in another. I lost one of my precious nephews. Despite living for only 7 weeks, he touched the lives of our whole family in a way some people never do - he pulled us all closer together - closer to the Lord. The loss, at the time, was overwhelming and beautiful too because God was beautiful TO us despite our sadness. And then my dad, only 59 and healthy as all get out, suddenly found out he had a vicious tumor growing in his leg, eating his bone and depositing cancer in his body. Despite removal of his leg, he only stayed with us 10 more months. I miss him soooo.....
But I'm beginning to understand as never before, that you need to come to the end of yourself to really find God. I've been a Christian for 18 years and tried to stay in control of any hardship or sorrow that came my way, but I was liberated and swept away by the love of God when I learned to let go and let Him hold me and hide me.
I'm reading an incredible book called More than Enough. It is the story of missionaries, Heidi and Rolland Baker whom the Lord called to start caring for the orphaned and abandoned children living in the dumps in Mozambique. They have absolutely nothing and they find God in such an incredible, powerful way. They experience the reality of God. Miracles are common, everyday events in their lives because they need Him SO much. In America, we just don't need Him enough.
I know I don't. Except now I don't have an earthly Father and I DO need my Heavenly Father to be my Father here and He's promised He will be a Father to the fatherless, but I'm talking about needing him and wanting him more than anything else this world has to offer. I look at myself and see so much of me and I want people to see God - not Me.
And now here I am...2007....
To see the glory of God and not ourselves. Isn't that our hearts cry? I know many people passionately pursuing the glory of God in their lives and it is so inspiring. I feel blessed to be surrounded by many. But isn't it necessary if we are going to make a difference in this world? We need to be different and separate, otherwise who will see God?
This summer Hannah and I have the opportunity to go to San Pedro, Honduras for our first missions trip. I'm excited for both of us, but mostly for Hannah who feels the Lord may be calling her to full-time missions work one day, especially with orphans. Recently she had a vision of Jesus with children of all races hiding behind his robe looking at her. They brought flowers and put them in her hair and sat on her lap. This is MY daughter at the age of 15 experiencing God more powerfully than I ever have. I am overwhelmed.
Yesterday, I was working on our support letter and explaining all we would be doing in Honduras. I was very excited while I was writing, I was thinking of Heidi Baker at the time. One of our outreaches will be in the Bordo, an area where 30,000 children live in a trash dump. We'll pass out food, candy and hygiene products, but also pray for the children, believing the Lord to heal and deliver many. It is beyond my imagining right now. I have never in my life seen poverty like that.
Yesterday afternoon it hit me. I was walking by a man that smelled like....well....urine. And it struck me that I will be holding children that are sick and filthy and smell horrible. Suddenly I was scared to death. I am afraid I won't be able to do anything but cry. I've heard that Heidi Baker holds her babies and cries over their sick, diseased and dying bodies for hours and the Lord heals them, so that may not be the worst thing. What if I can't hold them or love them because I'm too scared or repulsed? What if I want to turn my back on them, so I just don't have to see how horrible life is for these little children. What if I can't do it?
In fact, I realized suddenly that I couldn't.
You see that word up there? I. This is what I'm talking about. I can't do it. I know I can't, but I do know that God would not be sending me there if He did not think I was ready to let Him be sufficient for me. He doesn't even want me to have the strength to do this, because His Glory and Grace can't be compared to our own feeble attempts. When He loves and moves through me, I will be one step closer to my heart's cry of all of Him and none of me.
Sometimes prayers aren't answered like you'd hoped or God doesn't show up like you'd imagined. The worst thing I can think of would be to pray for an orphaned, sick child and not see God move. That's the other thought creeping around in the back of my head, but really, I know it's a lie. God doesn't hold out on us. At the very least, what God has done in my life this past year is I know His character and I trust that He is always good and loving and reaching out to us constantly pulling us towards Him. We take one small step of faith and He comes bounding toward us. Ephesians says, "I pray that you will begin to understand how incredibly great his power is to help those who believe him. It is the same mighty power that raised Christ from the dead and seated him at the place of honor at God's right hand in heaven...and God has put all things under his feet and made him the supreme Head of the church - which is his body, filled with Himself, the Author and Giver of everything everywhere." Amen!
Wednesday, April 11, 2007
One year later...
Can it be?? It's been almost a whole year since I was here writing folks. Not that anyone is reading this probably. Mostly I just do it for my own amusement. I was thinking about what I said about Mr. and Mrs. Grump last year. I was thinking that I was too hard on them and not being a nice person and that I should delete my post, but it just cracks me up everytime I read it. (snort!) Mr. Grump did confirm the other day that we have very different gardening styles when he suggested I spraypaint my beautifully aged birthbath. He also told my husband that we needed to "do something" about the "overgrown" rosebush in that bed outside his garage. (in our yard though) It's a climber that has nothing to climb on and I've left it alone since we moved in and it's now a gorgeous spreading bush. In another month, it will be a waterfall of red blooms. He hates it.
I finally realized he may not like what I'm doing over here after all. I had this "you wait and see" attitude that he would eventually appreciate all the flowers, but maybe not. Maybe he'll see it as an overgrown weedy mess. This makes me thankful we finally got the ligustrum hedge planted in the backyard. In about 5 years, he won't see over here anymore and he'll have to find something else to criticize. You can talk about me, but don't talk about my flowers!
I finally realized he may not like what I'm doing over here after all. I had this "you wait and see" attitude that he would eventually appreciate all the flowers, but maybe not. Maybe he'll see it as an overgrown weedy mess. This makes me thankful we finally got the ligustrum hedge planted in the backyard. In about 5 years, he won't see over here anymore and he'll have to find something else to criticize. You can talk about me, but don't talk about my flowers!
Sunday, May 07, 2006
"In the spring at the end of the day, you should smell like dirt."
That's a quote from Margaret Atwood. A Canadian writer who looks very much like Barbra Streisand. I don't know anything about her, other than we would probably have alot to talk about based on such brillant insight about spring and dirt.
Yesterday I lied to you. I mentioned that I was about to do yardwork, but that's not entirely accurate because I don't actually DO yardwork. I garden.
Lest you think differently, let me assure you there is a huge difference. Gardening involves cooking large quantities of compost, bringing needed shovelfulls of the stuff to hungry plants, talking to and staring at the flowers, making sure everyone is happy where I planted them, warding off any unpleasantness (such as slugs or Japanese Beetles). I also search for new plants and then find places for them among the older ones, helping them to get established and get along with their neighbors. I find new homes for the ones that don't fit in. In this respect I guess I am more like a real estate agent or a mafia mob boss. (I CAN get kind of tough.) Yardwork is what my neighbors do. More about them in a minute.
As I've mentioned before, this is only our second summer in our house. Alright, technically it's the third, but the first was spent moving in and not gardening, so it's the second summer I've put concerted effort toward transforming my little slab of grass and foundation plantings into an English Cottage garden.
I've noticed I've spent quite a bit of time staring at and appreciating the area I worked in last year. Talk about delayed gratification. You spend hours getting compost ready, preparing the bed, planting, watering, fertilizing, and staring. The sweet little darling rose bush responds by sitting there for a year looking like a stick in the ground. Which is a good thing, because it's roots are getting strong and healthy so that one day it can support a mass of gorgeous floppy red flowers, so it's worth the wait. But I digress.
Last year I decided to start with the area between my driveway and the neighbors driveway. Our neighbors are a lovely retired couple from Long Island, New York, who talk very loudly and like to cuss you out when they are mad at you. Something I found out my third week in my new home. We'll call them Mr. and Mrs. Grump. The reason I selected this particular spot is because their garage is RIGHT THERE and they sit and watch us all the time. As I said, they are retired so I guess we're better than TV.
Nice Guy wanted to install a 10 foot fence, but I talked him into planting something that would turn into a beautiful hedge. We planted three skip laurels (Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'), which have beautiful glossy evergreen leaves and will one day be a hedge about 8 feet tall and 20 feet long. Just the right size to cover up Mr. and Mrs. Grump's viewing area. Nice Guy pointed out that by the time the hedge is full grown, Mr. and Mrs. Grump will be dead, but I patiently explained we'd at least have a nice hedge. In front of the laurels, I planted three Rosa 'The Fairy' bushes. These sweet little innocent pale pink rose bushes are growing like mad. In another year, I'll probably have to start pruning them. I hope they behave. They certainly LOOK sweet. A true Southern rose bush if I ever met one.
Across from the rose bushes are about 5 hosta plants which came with the house. I planted pink lily bulbs a few weeks ago to grow in and around them. I moved a dark marroon Asiatic lily to that side, as well. In front of the very first Rosa 'The Fairy', I planted lavendar daylilies. The lily crew may need to get moved around later on, but for now I can't wait to see the show.
Now, if you were here with me, you'd be standing on the side of the house, so follow this neat little path of pavers I put down and notice the ground cover. Yeah, I'm not sure I like it either. It's chocolate chip ajuga. The least invasive ajuga, but it's looking kind of....wierd. But looky there, do you see the arbor we put in? Yeah, I know Mr. and Mrs. Grump have one too. Theirs is plastic. Mine is wood. Mine has my great-grandmother's climbing rose bush growing on it. Theirs has plastic pots of petunias dangling off the side. The Grumps like plastic. You can tell by the many plastic pots and plastic pavers and plastic trellises they have on their side of the house. Yeah, they like annuals too. And fertilizer. Yeah, I've never seen such a green lawn either. Yup, that's a riding lawn mower sitting in the garage. The quarter of an acre gets mowed faithfully by Mr. Grump every three days...well, he has to because of all the fertilizer, remember? Yes, they actually did plant golden euonymous bushes around their porch. Well, aren't you smart? Yes, they do get about 20 feet tall, but see how they have masterfully whacked them into round balls to keep them in check? Well, I know they look like a bunch of bleached blonde bimbos sitting there. It IS an ugly bush, but don't you think it looks interesting with the red salvia, multi-colored impatients and purple clematis? Well, at least it matches their personality quite nicely.
Anyway, back to my yard. If you look waaaay down here at the bottom of the trellis....right there, no right there. See it? Seeeee?????? Yeah, that. Those little itty bitty sprouts of green? Blue forget-me-nots....just sowed them a week ago. Aren't they precious??? Babies! Yeah, I know the irises are flopping over. I just put them in last week too....I had to get tough and move them and I'm not sure if I should whack off their legs....errrr....trim their green leaves. The frustrating part about irises is you have to plant them with the bulb showing or they won't bloom but that means they keep flopping over. I'll have to keep on eye on them. Might have to get tough.
Sigh....isn't it lovely? Couldn't you sit here for hours watching the flowers grow too? Thanks for stopping by. Come back later when the hydrangeas are blooming. And don't forget next year! You can tour the other side of my house and see the new vegetable garden and the perennial bed I'm working on right now. Ta-ta!
Yesterday I lied to you. I mentioned that I was about to do yardwork, but that's not entirely accurate because I don't actually DO yardwork. I garden.
Lest you think differently, let me assure you there is a huge difference. Gardening involves cooking large quantities of compost, bringing needed shovelfulls of the stuff to hungry plants, talking to and staring at the flowers, making sure everyone is happy where I planted them, warding off any unpleasantness (such as slugs or Japanese Beetles). I also search for new plants and then find places for them among the older ones, helping them to get established and get along with their neighbors. I find new homes for the ones that don't fit in. In this respect I guess I am more like a real estate agent or a mafia mob boss. (I CAN get kind of tough.) Yardwork is what my neighbors do. More about them in a minute.
As I've mentioned before, this is only our second summer in our house. Alright, technically it's the third, but the first was spent moving in and not gardening, so it's the second summer I've put concerted effort toward transforming my little slab of grass and foundation plantings into an English Cottage garden.
I've noticed I've spent quite a bit of time staring at and appreciating the area I worked in last year. Talk about delayed gratification. You spend hours getting compost ready, preparing the bed, planting, watering, fertilizing, and staring. The sweet little darling rose bush responds by sitting there for a year looking like a stick in the ground. Which is a good thing, because it's roots are getting strong and healthy so that one day it can support a mass of gorgeous floppy red flowers, so it's worth the wait. But I digress.
Last year I decided to start with the area between my driveway and the neighbors driveway. Our neighbors are a lovely retired couple from Long Island, New York, who talk very loudly and like to cuss you out when they are mad at you. Something I found out my third week in my new home. We'll call them Mr. and Mrs. Grump. The reason I selected this particular spot is because their garage is RIGHT THERE and they sit and watch us all the time. As I said, they are retired so I guess we're better than TV.
Nice Guy wanted to install a 10 foot fence, but I talked him into planting something that would turn into a beautiful hedge. We planted three skip laurels (Prunus laurocerasus 'Schipkaensis'), which have beautiful glossy evergreen leaves and will one day be a hedge about 8 feet tall and 20 feet long. Just the right size to cover up Mr. and Mrs. Grump's viewing area. Nice Guy pointed out that by the time the hedge is full grown, Mr. and Mrs. Grump will be dead, but I patiently explained we'd at least have a nice hedge. In front of the laurels, I planted three Rosa 'The Fairy' bushes. These sweet little innocent pale pink rose bushes are growing like mad. In another year, I'll probably have to start pruning them. I hope they behave. They certainly LOOK sweet. A true Southern rose bush if I ever met one.
Across from the rose bushes are about 5 hosta plants which came with the house. I planted pink lily bulbs a few weeks ago to grow in and around them. I moved a dark marroon Asiatic lily to that side, as well. In front of the very first Rosa 'The Fairy', I planted lavendar daylilies. The lily crew may need to get moved around later on, but for now I can't wait to see the show.
Now, if you were here with me, you'd be standing on the side of the house, so follow this neat little path of pavers I put down and notice the ground cover. Yeah, I'm not sure I like it either. It's chocolate chip ajuga. The least invasive ajuga, but it's looking kind of....wierd. But looky there, do you see the arbor we put in? Yeah, I know Mr. and Mrs. Grump have one too. Theirs is plastic. Mine is wood. Mine has my great-grandmother's climbing rose bush growing on it. Theirs has plastic pots of petunias dangling off the side. The Grumps like plastic. You can tell by the many plastic pots and plastic pavers and plastic trellises they have on their side of the house. Yeah, they like annuals too. And fertilizer. Yeah, I've never seen such a green lawn either. Yup, that's a riding lawn mower sitting in the garage. The quarter of an acre gets mowed faithfully by Mr. Grump every three days...well, he has to because of all the fertilizer, remember? Yes, they actually did plant golden euonymous bushes around their porch. Well, aren't you smart? Yes, they do get about 20 feet tall, but see how they have masterfully whacked them into round balls to keep them in check? Well, I know they look like a bunch of bleached blonde bimbos sitting there. It IS an ugly bush, but don't you think it looks interesting with the red salvia, multi-colored impatients and purple clematis? Well, at least it matches their personality quite nicely.
Anyway, back to my yard. If you look waaaay down here at the bottom of the trellis....right there, no right there. See it? Seeeee?????? Yeah, that. Those little itty bitty sprouts of green? Blue forget-me-nots....just sowed them a week ago. Aren't they precious??? Babies! Yeah, I know the irises are flopping over. I just put them in last week too....I had to get tough and move them and I'm not sure if I should whack off their legs....errrr....trim their green leaves. The frustrating part about irises is you have to plant them with the bulb showing or they won't bloom but that means they keep flopping over. I'll have to keep on eye on them. Might have to get tough.
Sigh....isn't it lovely? Couldn't you sit here for hours watching the flowers grow too? Thanks for stopping by. Come back later when the hydrangeas are blooming. And don't forget next year! You can tour the other side of my house and see the new vegetable garden and the perennial bed I'm working on right now. Ta-ta!
Saturday, May 06, 2006
Saturday
Well, folks.....it's a bright and sunny May Saturday morning which can only mean one thing for the thrifty minded: yard sales. Nice Guy won major brownie points by suggesting we go schlepping around other people's cast-offs this morning and this is what we came home with:
- A heavy-bottomed Oneida saucepan which I will use to make soap .25
- A nice guitar for my little man - something he's been wanting 10.00
- a tall, clear lemonade bottle with a stopper that a very nice lady gave me after I oogled some beer bottles with stoppers she had piled in a box FREE
- a CD case for the many CD's floating around in our van .50
- beautiful antique sterling salt and pepper shakers (to add to my collection of tarnished silver in the kitchen) 6.00
- many, many educational books 5.00
- new speakers for our computer which sound MUCH better than the old ones 3.00 (I would just like to point out I would have NEVER noticed these if Nice Guy had not been with me.)
- a few Christmas decorations .50
- a new blender because I chipped a tiny piece off the glass pitcher part of our brand new $40 Oster 5.00 (and because this one is also an Oster the pitcher fits the base on the old one, so now I have 2 bases. Anybody need one?)
I talked Nice Guy out of purchasing a Nordictrak, a massage pad thingy that goes in a chair, a lawn mower that was only 2 years old and still under warranty (we have a brand new one we just bought last year), and a laundry hamper (also have that, guess who doesn't use it).
I tried to purchase a skateboard ramp from a kid who positioned himself at the top of it when we walked into his yard. He wasn't budging. He had several, so I thought he could have parted with it, but he has obviously yet to learn the art of negotiation.
Saturdays in May are also all about the yardwork, so guess what I'm going to do now?
- A heavy-bottomed Oneida saucepan which I will use to make soap .25
- A nice guitar for my little man - something he's been wanting 10.00
- a tall, clear lemonade bottle with a stopper that a very nice lady gave me after I oogled some beer bottles with stoppers she had piled in a box FREE
- a CD case for the many CD's floating around in our van .50
- beautiful antique sterling salt and pepper shakers (to add to my collection of tarnished silver in the kitchen) 6.00
- many, many educational books 5.00
- new speakers for our computer which sound MUCH better than the old ones 3.00 (I would just like to point out I would have NEVER noticed these if Nice Guy had not been with me.)
- a few Christmas decorations .50
- a new blender because I chipped a tiny piece off the glass pitcher part of our brand new $40 Oster 5.00 (and because this one is also an Oster the pitcher fits the base on the old one, so now I have 2 bases. Anybody need one?)
I talked Nice Guy out of purchasing a Nordictrak, a massage pad thingy that goes in a chair, a lawn mower that was only 2 years old and still under warranty (we have a brand new one we just bought last year), and a laundry hamper (also have that, guess who doesn't use it).
I tried to purchase a skateboard ramp from a kid who positioned himself at the top of it when we walked into his yard. He wasn't budging. He had several, so I thought he could have parted with it, but he has obviously yet to learn the art of negotiation.
Saturdays in May are also all about the yardwork, so guess what I'm going to do now?
Sunday, April 16, 2006
Easter
A very happy Easter to all my friends....I pray you would understand more deeply the great sacrifice Jesus made for us.
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..."
"Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ! In his great mercy he has given us new birth into a living hope through the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead, and into an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade—kept in heaven for you..."
Friday, April 14, 2006
Funky Kitchen
So take a look at the boring cabinets we got with the house. I had the idea to distress them but I had no clue how and I was petrified that I would ruin them. Enter my wonderful artist friend Sandra who heard my vision and is holding my hand through this process. I've learned so much and am having a blast making these things look as beat up as possible!
I had to clean and sand the cabinets first - time consuming. I had primer tinted this red color which was supposed to be darker, but I found out that primer can only get SO dark. This was the best barn red Sherwin Williams Ryan could give me.
So far, the kitchen cabinets are not finished, however I have done the laundry room cabinets, and I am ecstatic about them! Unfortunately, I can't get a good picture to show you here. The lighting in that room is terrible, so you'll just have to wait and see the real deal when I'm done! Also, I didn't want to purchase new hardware, so Sandra RUSTED my current hardware! It is the neatest look! I'll post pictures of that later. It inspired me to bring my grandmother's old white (and rusted) metal rocker into the kitchen. VERY cool.
I had to clean and sand the cabinets first - time consuming. I had primer tinted this red color which was supposed to be darker, but I found out that primer can only get SO dark. This was the best barn red Sherwin Williams Ryan could give me.
So far, the kitchen cabinets are not finished, however I have done the laundry room cabinets, and I am ecstatic about them! Unfortunately, I can't get a good picture to show you here. The lighting in that room is terrible, so you'll just have to wait and see the real deal when I'm done! Also, I didn't want to purchase new hardware, so Sandra RUSTED my current hardware! It is the neatest look! I'll post pictures of that later. It inspired me to bring my grandmother's old white (and rusted) metal rocker into the kitchen. VERY cool.
Monday, March 13, 2006
The House We Built
Okay, so we really didn't build our house. We moved out to suburbia 2 years ago and got a great deal on a cape cod that a relo company owned. We moved from a 1600 square foot cutie-pie into a sweeping farmhouse (my view of it anyway) with a gorgeous front and back porch, tile and hardwood floors, huge picture windows and a master bathroom that made me cry the first time I saw it. Later on after we moved in, I found a list of things I'd wanted in a house and the Lord had given me every single item on my list! I hadn't even realized it when we moved! In fact, I'd forgotten I'd made that list, but God never did. He knew that I wanted a nice house and a happy family and lots of friends to fill it more than anything else in the world. He gives us the desires of our heart.
So here we are, two years later and I'm trying to, as inexpensively as possible, make it mine. We've done some major painting the past 2 weeks. The house was loaded with dark oak dentil molding, oak doors, dark oak wooden blinds....lots of oak. Yuck. It needed to be set free, so we painted all the trim in the living and dining rooms white and put a vanilla color on the walls. It's actually a Behr paint called Cottage White. It's gorgeous! The whole downstairs is light and airy and beautiful. I can see the whole side of my yard now. No more blinds! See what I mean?
So here we are, two years later and I'm trying to, as inexpensively as possible, make it mine. We've done some major painting the past 2 weeks. The house was loaded with dark oak dentil molding, oak doors, dark oak wooden blinds....lots of oak. Yuck. It needed to be set free, so we painted all the trim in the living and dining rooms white and put a vanilla color on the walls. It's actually a Behr paint called Cottage White. It's gorgeous! The whole downstairs is light and airy and beautiful. I can see the whole side of my yard now. No more blinds! See what I mean?
Wednesday, February 15, 2006
Valentines Update
By the way, I never told you that Nice Guy cried when he read the card I'd made him. He cried. Sigh....
Tuesday, February 14, 2006
Happy Valentines Day
Happy Valentines from Momma. I love Valentines.....it's a fun, romantic holiday and I'm a romantic at heart. Of course, I also have a romantic husband so that makes it even more fun. I guess if I were single or if Nice Guy just didn't get it, not so much fun.
I made Nice Guy a homemade Valentine card, which I do alot - make homemade things, that is. I like making things because I'm cheap, but I'm also an artist at heart (although I'm not exactly trained or anything like that). I was inspired because my girls are taking an art class where they've been making these neat books with lots of cool paint techniques and collages. I got a book from the library called Altered Art and that inspired me too....so I printed up that e.e. cummings poem that Cameron Diaz read to her sister in the movie In Her Shoes because I LOVE that poem. (It's called "i carry your heart with me" if you want to look it up.) And I had these cute pictures I cut out and I have lots of scrapbooking supplies including very nice paper, so I was set to make the Most Romantic Card Ever.
I sewed (yes, with my sewing machine - pretty cool) some paper into a book and started gluing on the pictures and the poem and then I painted the whole thing. If you, too, are trying to create a last minute card because you don't have time to run to the store (say, you live in a high traffic area) but you DO have 4 hours to spare in the making of a homemade card) here's a few do's and don'ts I learned. Let's call it Cardmaking 101:
1. If you sew together your pages first and then try to paint, the paint that's meant for one page will end up on all the pages.
2. If you glue down all your pictures before painting, the paint will cover the pictures and you won't see them. This should be obvious but sometimes we just don't think of these things.
3. Dogs like to sniff paint that's sitting on the floor.
4. Puppies like to play in paint that's sitting on the floor.
5. If you have ANY animals in your house, they should be kept out of the crafting area.
6. Carpet absorbs paint.
7. Remind the recipient that it's the thought that counts.
8. If you need detailed directions in the actual making of your card, contact a professional.
Happy Valentines Day!
I made Nice Guy a homemade Valentine card, which I do alot - make homemade things, that is. I like making things because I'm cheap, but I'm also an artist at heart (although I'm not exactly trained or anything like that). I was inspired because my girls are taking an art class where they've been making these neat books with lots of cool paint techniques and collages. I got a book from the library called Altered Art and that inspired me too....so I printed up that e.e. cummings poem that Cameron Diaz read to her sister in the movie In Her Shoes because I LOVE that poem. (It's called "i carry your heart with me" if you want to look it up.) And I had these cute pictures I cut out and I have lots of scrapbooking supplies including very nice paper, so I was set to make the Most Romantic Card Ever.
I sewed (yes, with my sewing machine - pretty cool) some paper into a book and started gluing on the pictures and the poem and then I painted the whole thing. If you, too, are trying to create a last minute card because you don't have time to run to the store (say, you live in a high traffic area) but you DO have 4 hours to spare in the making of a homemade card) here's a few do's and don'ts I learned. Let's call it Cardmaking 101:
1. If you sew together your pages first and then try to paint, the paint that's meant for one page will end up on all the pages.
2. If you glue down all your pictures before painting, the paint will cover the pictures and you won't see them. This should be obvious but sometimes we just don't think of these things.
3. Dogs like to sniff paint that's sitting on the floor.
4. Puppies like to play in paint that's sitting on the floor.
5. If you have ANY animals in your house, they should be kept out of the crafting area.
6. Carpet absorbs paint.
7. Remind the recipient that it's the thought that counts.
8. If you need detailed directions in the actual making of your card, contact a professional.
Happy Valentines Day!
Friday, February 03, 2006
80's Teen, but 70's Child
This morning, a friend I grew up with sent this to me....reminded me so much of our childhood together, I'm pretty sure she wrote it!
You were a little girl in the 70's if:
You wore a rainbow shirt that was half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve, across your chest, and down the other.
You made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake Oven and washed them down with snow cones from your Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.
You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.
You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.
You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (umm, try Scott Baio).
You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. People sometimes thought you were a boy. (My poor sister, there's a picture of her with her Dorothy Hamill and me with the Shag cut on my naturally curly, frizzy hair. I look like a q-tip. Both of us look very, very strange.)
Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.
You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.... and later on legwarmers...in every color!
You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.
You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.
You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.
You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.
You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).
You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson! (AND I had a Pioneer outfit my grandmother made me. I could also be Holly Hobbie in this outfit.)
You wanted your first kiss to be at the roller rink.
Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.
You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. (Muppets in Space, thank you very much.)
You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.
You and two of your best friends would play "Charlies Angels", And whomever was the blonde would automatically be Jill (Farrah Fawcett) and later on, her little sister, Kris (Cheryl Ladd); and whoever was a brunette would've to argue over being either Sabrina (Kate Jackson) or Kelly (Jaclyn Smith).
It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz"would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! (AND everything stopped at 8:00 pm on Sunday evenings to watch the Wonderful World of Disney.)
You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry, Shaun Cassidy or Leif Garrett?"
You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.
You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes or decoupage.
You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.
You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when you ordered books from the Weekly Reader book club. Double score if it was a teddy bear dressed in clothing.
You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books (Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.) (Absolutely - and unfortunately from the banned, Forever book as well!)
You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics.
You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.
You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin.
You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first "real"perfume you ever owned. (And is truthfully, much less "intrusive" to the senses than Plumeria Body Spray from Bath and Body Works!)
You were a little girl in the 70's if:
You wore a rainbow shirt that was half-sleeves, and the rainbow went up one sleeve, across your chest, and down the other.
You made baby chocolate cakes in your Easy Bake Oven and washed them down with snow cones from your Snoopy Snow Cone Machine.
You owned a bicycle with a banana seat and a plastic basket with flowers on it.
You learned to skate with actual skates (not roller blades) that had metal wheels.
You thought Gopher from Love Boat was cute (umm, try Scott Baio).
You had either a "bowl cut" or "pixie," not to mention the "Dorothy Hamill" because your Mom was sick of braiding your hair. People sometimes thought you were a boy. (My poor sister, there's a picture of her with her Dorothy Hamill and me with the Shag cut on my naturally curly, frizzy hair. I look like a q-tip. Both of us look very, very strange.)
Your Holly Hobbie sleeping bag was your most prized possession.
You wore a poncho, gauchos, and knickers.... and later on legwarmers...in every color!
You begged Santa for the electronic game, Simon.
You had the Donnie and Marie dolls with those pink and purple satiny shredded outfits.
You spent hours in your backyard on your metal swing set with the trapeze. The swing set tipped over at least once.
You had homemade ribbon barrettes in every imaginable color.
You had a pair of Doctor Scholl's sandals (the ones with hard sole & the buckle).
You wanted to be Laura Ingalls Wilder really bad; you wore that Little House on the Prairie-inspired plaid, ruffle shirt with the high neck in at least one school picture; and you despised Nellie Olson! (AND I had a Pioneer outfit my grandmother made me. I could also be Holly Hobbie in this outfit.)
You wanted your first kiss to be at the roller rink.
Your hairstyle was described as having "wings" or "feathers" and you kept it "pretty" with the comb you kept in your back pocket.
You know who Strawberry Shortcake is, as well as her friends, Blueberry Muffin and Huckleberry Pie.
You carried a Muppets lunch box to school and it was metal, not plastic. (Muppets in Space, thank you very much.)
You and your girlfriends would fight over which of the Dukes of Hazzard was your boyfriend.
You and two of your best friends would play "Charlies Angels", And whomever was the blonde would automatically be Jill (Farrah Fawcett) and later on, her little sister, Kris (Cheryl Ladd); and whoever was a brunette would've to argue over being either Sabrina (Kate Jackson) or Kelly (Jaclyn Smith).
It was a big event in your household each year when the "Wizard of Oz"would come on TV. Your mom would break out the popcorn and sleeping bags! (AND everything stopped at 8:00 pm on Sunday evenings to watch the Wonderful World of Disney.)
You often asked your Magic-8 ball the question: "Who will I marry, Shaun Cassidy or Leif Garrett?"
You completely wore out your Grease, Saturday Night Fever, and Fame soundtrack record album.
You tried to do lots of arts and crafts, like yarn and Popsicle-stick God's eyes or decoupage.
You used to tape record songs off the radio by holding your portable tape player up to the speaker.
You couldn't wait to get the free animal poster that came when you ordered books from the Weekly Reader book club. Double score if it was a teddy bear dressed in clothing.
You learned everything you needed to know about girl issues from Judy Blume books (Are you there God, It's me, Margaret.) (Absolutely - and unfortunately from the banned, Forever book as well!)
You thought Olivia Newton John's song "Physical" was about aerobics.
You wanted to be a Solid Gold dancer.
You had a Big Wheel with a brake on the side, and a Sit-n-Spin.
You drowned yourself in Love's Baby Soft - which was the first "real"perfume you ever owned. (And is truthfully, much less "intrusive" to the senses than Plumeria Body Spray from Bath and Body Works!)
Thursday, December 15, 2005
Ice, Ice Baby
It is nasty here this morning in South Carolina as I understand it is across most of the U.S. I'm thinking about my friends who have skedaddled down to New Orleans for some relief work and are staying in tents. TENTS! I hope they are okay and not freezing their hineys off.
Nice Guy works 3rd shift and went into work early last night, anticipating he'd be home by 2:00 a.m. or so. I woke at 5:00 with a start. He was not in bed with me, nor was he watching TV or reading the paper, or in fact, anywhere in the whole house. (Finally, duh!, I check the garage to see if the car is there. Nope.) I let my puppers out to go potty and it is icy on the deck. I panic and try to call his cell phone. No answer.
I keep thinking he surely would not have stayed at work. After one too many bad weather accidents we are very skittish when it ices like this. Finally, I turn on the news and hear the weather lady explain, yes, there is ice on certain surfaces like this car window here, but the roads are clear. She demonstrates by smacking the car window with a gloved hand and the road she's on with her boot. Back to you, Bob.
He must still be at work.....I'm assuming. I guess I should I mention right now that when he enters the security gate at work, it takes an act of Congress for me to get in touch with him. When my sister called me at 2:00 in the morning on September 28th and said, hurry, dad has taken a turn for the worse and we're not sure he's gonna make it. I had to beg a security guard to go find him because he didn't answer his cell. He actually took my NAME and NUMBER FOR HIS RECORDS while I'm crying on the phone begging him to please go to B Bay and get my husband.....My DAD is DYING! Looking back now I'm sure I was talking to a robot who only sounded human.
So now, this morning, I'm pacing, trying to pray, but why is that almost impossible when you're a nervous wreck? I continue to watch the news where they continue to assure me the roads are safe. I see livecams of roads near his place of employment and watch cars whizzing by. I start to relax a little. Finally, he calls at 7:00 to tell me he's on his way home. I have to yell at him a bit for not letting me know anything because that's what wives do. He promises to take it slow coming home and when I hear the garage door open I rush outside and see him at the bottom of the drive, barely able to get through the two crepe myrtles on either side because they are bent double under the ice. Once he's safe in the garage, I marvel at how beautiful it is outside and take a deep breath. He's home! Whew.
Now I'm sitting here thankful we have underground power lines. I'm sure if we still lived downtown we'd have no power right now. I hear limbs crashing outside and keep my fingers crossed that the 1/2" of ice will take down the pear trees I hate. The ones that are casting shade on the best spot in the yard to have a nice garden in the spring.
The kids are still sleeping....my fingers are cold. I think French toast and hot chocolate would be a good breakfast. And, definitely, it should be Pajama Day.
Nice Guy works 3rd shift and went into work early last night, anticipating he'd be home by 2:00 a.m. or so. I woke at 5:00 with a start. He was not in bed with me, nor was he watching TV or reading the paper, or in fact, anywhere in the whole house. (Finally, duh!, I check the garage to see if the car is there. Nope.) I let my puppers out to go potty and it is icy on the deck. I panic and try to call his cell phone. No answer.
I keep thinking he surely would not have stayed at work. After one too many bad weather accidents we are very skittish when it ices like this. Finally, I turn on the news and hear the weather lady explain, yes, there is ice on certain surfaces like this car window here, but the roads are clear. She demonstrates by smacking the car window with a gloved hand and the road she's on with her boot. Back to you, Bob.
He must still be at work.....I'm assuming. I guess I should I mention right now that when he enters the security gate at work, it takes an act of Congress for me to get in touch with him. When my sister called me at 2:00 in the morning on September 28th and said, hurry, dad has taken a turn for the worse and we're not sure he's gonna make it. I had to beg a security guard to go find him because he didn't answer his cell. He actually took my NAME and NUMBER FOR HIS RECORDS while I'm crying on the phone begging him to please go to B Bay and get my husband.....My DAD is DYING! Looking back now I'm sure I was talking to a robot who only sounded human.
So now, this morning, I'm pacing, trying to pray, but why is that almost impossible when you're a nervous wreck? I continue to watch the news where they continue to assure me the roads are safe. I see livecams of roads near his place of employment and watch cars whizzing by. I start to relax a little. Finally, he calls at 7:00 to tell me he's on his way home. I have to yell at him a bit for not letting me know anything because that's what wives do. He promises to take it slow coming home and when I hear the garage door open I rush outside and see him at the bottom of the drive, barely able to get through the two crepe myrtles on either side because they are bent double under the ice. Once he's safe in the garage, I marvel at how beautiful it is outside and take a deep breath. He's home! Whew.
Now I'm sitting here thankful we have underground power lines. I'm sure if we still lived downtown we'd have no power right now. I hear limbs crashing outside and keep my fingers crossed that the 1/2" of ice will take down the pear trees I hate. The ones that are casting shade on the best spot in the yard to have a nice garden in the spring.
The kids are still sleeping....my fingers are cold. I think French toast and hot chocolate would be a good breakfast. And, definitely, it should be Pajama Day.
Wednesday, December 14, 2005
Ya-Ya!
I am a pledge carrying, hat wearing, oath sworn, blood pricked member of the Ya-Ya's. I am a sustah. A sustah of the Divine Ya-Ya's.
And today, praise the Lord!, was our monthly girlfest where the 7 of us, all homeschooling moms, get together (17 children between us), eat (mostly desserts, today there were about 5), drink coffee and run our mouths for as long as possible. Normally we get together between 10 and 11 in the morning and leave at a respectable time - like when the husbands start coming home from work.
Some of our husbands have asked what the heck we do all day. Well....we don't know. Do we have to "do" something? Can't we just talk? One Ya-Ya husband, unfortunate man that he was, came home during one of our fests and later told his wife we sounded like a brood of cackling hens. We understand that they don't understand and we don't care. We talk until we are winded, laugh until our cheeks ache and eat until we're about to burst.
So here's to the sustahs! Sustah Dremi! Sustah C.! Sustah T1 and Sustah T2! Sustah Leesha! Sustah Beckster! Love you gals....thanks for the laughs....thanks for the love. Can't wait 'til next month.
And today, praise the Lord!, was our monthly girlfest where the 7 of us, all homeschooling moms, get together (17 children between us), eat (mostly desserts, today there were about 5), drink coffee and run our mouths for as long as possible. Normally we get together between 10 and 11 in the morning and leave at a respectable time - like when the husbands start coming home from work.
Some of our husbands have asked what the heck we do all day. Well....we don't know. Do we have to "do" something? Can't we just talk? One Ya-Ya husband, unfortunate man that he was, came home during one of our fests and later told his wife we sounded like a brood of cackling hens. We understand that they don't understand and we don't care. We talk until we are winded, laugh until our cheeks ache and eat until we're about to burst.
So here's to the sustahs! Sustah Dremi! Sustah C.! Sustah T1 and Sustah T2! Sustah Leesha! Sustah Beckster! Love you gals....thanks for the laughs....thanks for the love. Can't wait 'til next month.
Tuesday, December 13, 2005
Well, I think it's obvious these pictures should be down there with my Keeping Big Momma post, but I'm still figuring out how to post pix on this thing. Anywho! Check us out! Even Nice Guy got in on the action with me. A little Sly and the Family Stone. Notice how WHITE my hand is. It had yet to receive the Dermablend treatment.
What Smells?
I'm currently testing this hypothesis: "The older girls get, the smellier they become."
Forget poopy diapers and spit up. Forget dried, mashed yams on their sweet little faces. You are from yesteryear. And you are nothing a little Lysol and soap can't fix.
Instead, let's take some very cherry shower gel, vanilla body lotion, freesia body splash, strawberry lip gloss, apple shampoo, pear conditioner, fresh ocean deodorant and combine it with hair gel, hair straightener, hair spray and hair serum. Apply to one tall, but tiny 14 year-old. Needless to say, I cope with this on a daily basis by staying a wee bit at a distance.
I have a dilemma when there's a spend-the-night party here, though, because we now have 7 or 8 other girls with similar combinations. Instead of just vanilla body lotion, we could also have cucumber melon, plumeria or juniper breeze. Instead of a simple pear splash, we might also have warm vanilla, black raspberry, or brown sugar. Multiple that by 7 (or 8). And then mutiply again by all the shampoos, lotions, hair tonics, splashes and conditioners one teenage girl has on her self at one time. It's an equation beyond my mathematical abilities but will help you see why a gas mask would be a good Christmas present for me. Currently I handle the situation by taking a deep breath, running into the playroom and throwing sodas and popcorn at them before I turn blue and pass out.
Thank you Bath and Body Works, at least I always know where she is. Even if we are in the middle of a crowded store weeks before Christmas and I've lost sight of her, I can tell she's close by. And although I can't get real close to her anymore, no boy will either. And, while I used to think you were an instrument of Satan, I'm starting to wonder if an enterprising mother created you in her kitchen just in time to unleash it on her adolescent child.
Forget poopy diapers and spit up. Forget dried, mashed yams on their sweet little faces. You are from yesteryear. And you are nothing a little Lysol and soap can't fix.
Instead, let's take some very cherry shower gel, vanilla body lotion, freesia body splash, strawberry lip gloss, apple shampoo, pear conditioner, fresh ocean deodorant and combine it with hair gel, hair straightener, hair spray and hair serum. Apply to one tall, but tiny 14 year-old. Needless to say, I cope with this on a daily basis by staying a wee bit at a distance.
I have a dilemma when there's a spend-the-night party here, though, because we now have 7 or 8 other girls with similar combinations. Instead of just vanilla body lotion, we could also have cucumber melon, plumeria or juniper breeze. Instead of a simple pear splash, we might also have warm vanilla, black raspberry, or brown sugar. Multiple that by 7 (or 8). And then mutiply again by all the shampoos, lotions, hair tonics, splashes and conditioners one teenage girl has on her self at one time. It's an equation beyond my mathematical abilities but will help you see why a gas mask would be a good Christmas present for me. Currently I handle the situation by taking a deep breath, running into the playroom and throwing sodas and popcorn at them before I turn blue and pass out.
Thank you Bath and Body Works, at least I always know where she is. Even if we are in the middle of a crowded store weeks before Christmas and I've lost sight of her, I can tell she's close by. And although I can't get real close to her anymore, no boy will either. And, while I used to think you were an instrument of Satan, I'm starting to wonder if an enterprising mother created you in her kitchen just in time to unleash it on her adolescent child.
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