Moose Antics

a reflection of Him

2012-02-07T22:12:00.001-06:00

My biggest fear lately is that I won't be reflecting the image of God when my family and friends really need me to be. I know that I know that I know that God is for me, and that His hand is on my life. I have seen Him open doors and abruptly close others. But when people watch me struggle with medical issues, will they see the image of God in me and on me? I do hope so.

If tomorrow I breathe the last breath of this earthly air, I now have the comfort of knowing that I will see my family again in heaven (praise the Lord!!!). I know I would run to Jesus if He called my name and had His arms open wide. But will I shout His name and dance in His mercy like a child dancing in the rain even if my path requires me to live with chronic pain for years and years and years? I do hope so.

Father guide me and let me go and make disciples of all nations, leading them to you and your warmth and compassion that you have for us, your beloved creation. Walk with me and carry me when I am in danger of taking the wrong turn and veering off the path you desire for me. THANK YOU for blessing me with the opportunity to take part in and witness my sweet boys' baptisms!!!!! Good gravy that was amazing and a total answer to a very specific prayer. You are big and you move tall mountains in us and through us. Use me. I'm yours.

christmas in kentucky

2012-01-28T19:45:00.002-06:00

We pulled it off. We drove all night, literally and landed on Janey's doorstep at 9:30am on the morning of Christmas Eve. She had NO idea that we were on the way, it was an awesome surprise!!!! WE LOVE YOU JANEY!

meet #15

2012-01-28T19:39:00.002-06:00

I'm SO proud of my boy. He hasn't ever scored. He hardly gets the ball. He isn't the best player. But he has signed up to try something new and he goes out there and has FUN the entire time that he plays. He doesn't complain about not getting any baskets, and he never complains that he hardly ever gets the ball.

He can't wait for practice each week, and on Saturday mornings he counts down until it's time for his game. I am so proud of him for trying something new and for giving it his all. He truly is a happy kid. What else could a momma ask for?

seasoned traveler

2012-01-28T19:37:00.001-06:00

This kid is the BEST traveler a parent could ask for. He has been traveling since he was 2 months old and he has always been so patient ... and always a great sleeping traveler!

life. is. good.

2012-01-28T19:27:00.004-06:00

I took these pictures over the summer in 2011 up in Kentucky. I love that life is simple for our son. Love God. Love others. Have fun!

christmas in a nutshell

2012-01-28T19:09:00.002-06:00

Christmas at church.

Driving through the infamous Arkansas sign at approximately 11:30pm on the way to surprise Janey for Christmas Eve.

Christmas morning with the love of my life.

freeze!

2012-01-28T18:53:00.002-06:00

On our way home from Kentucky in December we stopped for the night in a hotel and

we.

had.

blast.

We pulled out the nerf guns and ran amuck in the hotel room. The next morning we found darts in the curtains, on the a/c unit, in the bathroom ... pretty much everywhere. It felt good to be silly together after being in the car for so long. We love being silly. It is pretty much a staple in our family.

very merry "cousin" Christmas

2012-01-28T18:48:00.002-06:00

As usual, it wouldn't matter if we starved to death and didn't have a single present at Christmas ---- just as long as William's cousins are there to celebrate with us. That's ALL he cares about! He loves them so very much, it warms my heart to think about how much he cares about them. We didn't get to hang with all the cousins due to scheduling conflicts but we were able to hang with Faith and Gracie-girl. The kids decorated gingerbread cookies and we played Apples to Apples. Dad was awesome and ordered pizza for all of us so no one had to cook!

As more time goes by, I am grateful for every single family get together because I can see time is speeding up the older I get. It doesn't even matter to me that we don't always get along, I'm just grateful for our time together.

singin in the rain

2012-01-26T20:40:00.001-06:00

It started to pour just as we pulled in the garage. The next thing I know, William is spinning in circles on the driveway in 40 degree temps, completely drenched and loving it! I pray to God I never squelch his spirit. He is such a joyful person and I truly love being in his presence.

i miss blogging

2012-01-05T09:57:00.002-06:00

I'm not making any crazy goals to blog. But I sure do miss blogging! I'm going to try to get our fun family memories up here again because I love going back to read them all!

I love remembering things like this picture, for example!

brought to you by

2011-10-27T14:00:00.005-05:00

This smile brought to you by my dear sweet husband, and our Father in heaven who used my hubby to remind me that being happy and embracing your life situation is sometimes a choice. Yesterday I chose to rise above it all and start my day with a smile. Without the gentle nudging God gave me via my husband, I'm not sure I would've had the oomf to make that choice on my own.

Last night I prayed that God would just hold me - like a father holds his daughter. And for the first time I totally understood this verse:

"And because we are His children,
God sent the spirit of His son into our hearts,
prompting us to call out, "Abba, Father."
Galatians 4:6

Thank you Father for comforting me, anytime I call on you! Thank you for allowing me to climb up into your lap and cry my tears while you embrace me.

oblah-dee, oblah-dah

2011-10-27T13:54:00.002-05:00

So I have chronic pain, and have to do things a little different now. I'm over myself. I'm over the shock of the big life changes .... life goes on. God is with me. Always.

good scars

2011-04-10T23:13:00.002-05:00

TV is cool.

The wii is fun.

Nothing compares

To a weekend with your son.

Thank you my love for giving our son one of the greatest gifts he will ever receive from you. The gift of your time, wrapped up in an adventure. And he might even have the scars to prove it - decorated like a war hero you know {wink}.

"Every father should remember that one day his son will follow his example instead of his advice." - author unknown

walk in HIS ways, not mine

2011-04-10T22:50:00.003-05:00

Over the past 10 months, I have had a lot of ah-ha moments... about myself, my faith, motherhood, ministry work and more. It's amazing to me that God is always at work. Even in the mundane things like going to the grocery store I find that when I am open to what God is trying to show me, I walk away blessed and humbled.

Last week I ran to Kroger after dropping off a co-worker after a lunch meeting. I was doing the typical working-mom thing where I had a list and wanted to run in and run out with as little distraction as possible (well technically I FORGOT my list and my darling husband emailed it to me). See, I was on a mission.

In.

Out.

Done.

With as little human interaction as possible.

Once inside I ran into a long time friend whom I hardly ever have the pleasure of catching up with ---- it was a welcome distraction and we planned a coffee date. It put a little pep in my step and forced me to breathe for a moment, recalculate what was "really important" and finish my shopping at a normal speed, not a mad-woman speed. I finished my shopping with a smile and calm spirit.

So after I shopped and got out to my car is when it happened. The moment that God needed me for. I got in my car and took a deep breath and started to check my email on my phone because it had been dinging like crazy the whole time I was in the store. I felt a little overwhelmed and put my phone in my lap and just sat there in the parking lot. One row over I watched a man trying to push his grocery cart and then load his car. He was missing an arm and one leg was in a soft cast from his toes to his mid-thigh.

"I should go help him." I thought.

God said to wait.

His cart rolled away from him while was loading the car and I unbuckled my seatbelt.

God said wait.

"Ok I'll wait .... but I should offer to put his cart away."

God said, "yes - go now."

I walked up and said, "man, I was in a walking boot for an entire year and it was miserable, I commend you for making it all the way out here and getting your groceries loaded --- and I would love to bless you by putting your cart away for you."

His smile said it all. He needed someone to care for him, not feel pity for him. If I would've rushed to his side immediately, it would've been because I would've "felt bad" for him and his situation. Winded, he thanked me and said that it would be crazy helpful to put his cart away. As he was getting into his car he said, "the arm happened a long time ago in a war, but the leg has been an ongoing issue for months and months - the tissue is diseased and I'm praying it doesn't take my life."

I asked him if I could pray for him - and he said he would much appreciate me praying for him. I got his first name, and as I walked away I fervently prayed for this man who clearly still wanted to be dependent but just needed a friend.

Makes me wonder how many times I've rushed through my day, missing God moments left and right because I'm on my path and not His.

Deuteronomy 11:22

“Be careful to obey all these commands I am giving you. Show love to the Lord your God by walking in his ways and holding tightly to him.

bleeding heart

2011-04-07T08:10:00.003-05:00

This is my friend Tami and her beautiful family. Baby girl #6 is in Tami's tummy. This family was handed a serious blow in mid-January. Jeremy's entire body unexpectedly filled with blood clots and after numerous strokes, he passed away. It all happened in a matter of 2 1/2 days. No one saw it coming, and there was little that could be done to save him.

So now what? Well, now Tami is raising five children on her own and is expecting #6 in about 3 weeks. What breaks my heart? Well - watch this video that Cristen Ransom Photography put together for the funeral and you'll see what breaks my heart. Look at how Jeremy loved his family. Look at how his children looked at him.

Jeremy's Celebration of Life Video

Now do you see why I have a bleeding heart? Jeremy is so missed. The hole he left behind is like a crater. Would you please join me in sending aid to this family? You can go to any Wells Fargo bank and make a donation to the Jeremy LaChausse Bereavement Fund.

$5 covers a breakfast or lunch at school.

$40 covers a doctor copay.

$100 pays a monthly water bill.

$300 will make a car payment.

$400 will feed her family for about 2 weeks.

Numbers 6:24-26 (New International Version, ©2011)

²⁴ “‘“The LORD bless you

and keep you;

^{²⁵ the LORD make his face shine on you}

and be gracious to you;

^{²⁶ the LORD turn his face toward you}

and give you peace.”’

big deep crazy love

2011-03-31T20:34:00.004-05:00

I'm in love with my husband.

The man works his tail off to provide for us and on top of all of that, he is so incredibly supportive of my job and the way it keeps expanding, taking away more time from home but also opening my eyes to the world of ministry work. He has filled the gaps ten fold.

I won't list out every amazing thing that he does, but I met with one of our Team Members from church today and her story both broke my heart and made me want to be like her. She is strong, courageous and her tenacity in doing the right thing for her kids no matter what --- blows. me. off. my. feet.

So how does this relate to my husband? Well, since our sweet friend Jeremy quickly and unexpectedly passed and moved in with Jesus (I bet they have a SWEET diving board in heaven!), and after hearing this lady's story today ---- my appreciation for what I have right here in front of me is billowing. I would be ridiculously stupid to ignore this beautiful man who is both in front of me, next to me, and holding me all at the same time.

Oh AND ----- he was nominated by his peers for supervisor of the year, and then he was chosen by a panel and he won the award. That's my man.

And I love him.

Yesterday, today, and forever.

wiggly memories

2011-03-17T21:59:00.003-05:00

We watched a movie the other night where the adult guardians of a toddler didn't understand what the big deal was regarding The Wiggles (c). Hubby and I looked at each other and LAUGHED!

Oh man, we had about 8 months straight of listening to and watching "Wiggle Bay".... you can thank us later for this little gem.

(I dare you to NOT hum it after you listen to it)

and then?

2011-03-17T21:32:00.003-05:00

Wow. So much has happened in the past 2 months. More than I can write - more than I can really express. But I know this.....

life

{short}

Don't miss out on opportunities to apologize to people you love, to laugh with your family, and most of all to really figure out what you believe in.

What about me?

believe

{{{(God)}}}

december 26th ... it's all good

2010-12-26T10:41:00.002-06:00

What a joyous Christmas we celebrated this year. I woke up all excited for William because he couldn't wait to see what all was under the tree for him. I also kept thinking about what it must have been like for God to send His son to live for us, and then die for us. I can't imagine sacrificing my child for ANYONE. I know I think like a human, and not like God so there is that afterall, but it just blows my mind and makes me feel so unworthy when I think about all God did for us to get us to open our eyes and really see what He is all about.

It was such a huge blessing that Daddy was here with us on Christmas morning. I worked at church on Christmas Eve but I got to leave early and got home just in time to sing the 12 Days of Christmas with my boys before William went to bed :) Did I say sing? I meant scream. {giggle}

We are pretty good about cherishing the nights that Jon is home with us, but it was just FANTASTIC to have him home for Christmas. He did work Christmas night, but we had already had family time before he left so we didn't feel too gypped. We were also blessed with fun times with our good neighbors last night. I absolutely love sitting around the table and just chatting it up with those super cool ladies. It's almost like a sisterhood, no one is afraid or ashamed to share anything - it's a complete open forum. Love that.

Merry Christmas to all --- I'm going to go get my tail kicked in Wii Sports Resort now.

santa saved by the golden arches?

2010-12-13T08:05:00.004-06:00

I think we're almost there. I think Santa is about to have his cover blown at our house. Yesterday we brought a kiddo home with us from church and I asked what I thought was a safe question since his mom was JUST telling me what "Santa" is bringing at his house.

Me: Ren, what do you think Santa will bring to your house this year?

Ren: Oh, my mom and dad told me the truth about Santa. Rayleigh doesn't know yet so I pretend. I think my parents are getting us a cat to say it's from Santa cuz he isn't real. Well he USED to be real but he isn't anymore.

Me: {audible gulp}

William: He is TO real! He's like 100 years old!

Ren: No he ISN'T! He would be like 200 years old if he were real.

Me: Who wants McDonald's????

I told Jon last night that we might need to have this talk with William very soon. I want him to make it through one last Christmas of believing because we're SO CLOSE ..... but I don't want to lie to him if he asks us flat out.

And for the record, the Santa topic didn't come back up in the car yesterday. The talk turned to which kind of dipping sauce is the best. Whew!

the Christmas story

2010-12-13T08:00:00.003-06:00

William and I made 9 huge snowflakes last week and then wrote bible passages on the backsides of each one of them. Together, they make up the entire Christmas story. We hung them up over our kitchen table and at night it warms my heart to see William standing on a chair to look at the backs of them to pick out the passage that he wants to read from his bible before bedtime.

{{{love}}}

Here's the sad part of this whole thing, Jon and I have yet to have an age appropriate talk with William about sex and how babies come about and when he asked me why they called Mary a virgin ---- I choked. Looks like it's time to have that talk! Not "THE" talk, but "A" talk.

Just so we're clear.

there's a new sheriff in town

2010-12-05T16:31:00.001-06:00

monkey mayhem

2010-12-05T16:01:00.003-06:00

Made this today for my sweet friend's little 2 year old. They call him "monkey".... apparently my scanner is dirty - that's lovely that it shows up on this scan.

whistling bill

2010-12-02T13:54:00.003-06:00

I can remember sitting with Bill in the hospital and feeling utterly helpless while he coughed so hard with his pneumonia that his face would turn beet red and he would gasp for air at the end. Today I am in his shoes (not quite pneumonia but the hard cough is identical) and I have a whole new respect for how much physical discomfort the man was in. I'll give him this though, he never complained about how much something hurt, or how bad he wanted to stop coughing.

He just complained about wanting to go home.

Shoot. I'm already home and I feel like I wanna go home too.

Wish my hindsight and empathy wouldn't have come so late. I miss you Bill. Wish you were here to laugh with and whistle with me while I sing in the kitchen.

i medaled in seal removal

2010-12-02T13:40:00.002-06:00

I have a problem. It's pretty ridiculous in the grand scheme of life, but it's a problem none the less. When I buy a new bottle of say.... salad dressing, I would like for there to be a universal, across the board, no questions asked policy on if there will be one of those obnoxious sealed labels under the cap. See here's my issue ---- it takes me a good 3 1/2 minutes to get that outer wrapper off, and by the time I'm done I've jabbed myself with a knife and ripped about three-fourths of the entire packaging off.

By this time I am sweating. And sometimes swearing ... let's be honest. And truly, after all of this time spend on the outside of the bottle, I'd really like to partake of the goodness that is inside the bottle.

So at this point in the juncture, the odds seem to be 50/50 that I am either going to have to unscrew the lid and used my fingernails to pry off another obnoxiously tight seal or I am going to be pleasantly surprised that the fruits of my labor are about to deliciously pour over my salad or other said menu item.

I'm just saying that there should be a warning on the products that require a relay team to remove all safety labels and seals. It would be awesome to know which ones are booby trapped so that I can either hand them off to my husband or prepare myself with a towel to wipe off my sweat and a bottle of water.

2010-11-30T22:20:00.002-06:00

When I am frustrated with my silly kid, I just need to look at this picture. He can't help himself. Wonder if he'll go into something comedy related. What a hoot.

I love you boys. Thanks for always taking such good care of me.

dragon breath

2010-11-30T21:20:00.001-06:00

Dear William,

I love your art.

Love,

Mommy

too hot for me

2010-11-13T16:02:00.004-06:00

Yesterday Jon and I got a little taste of what it must be like to have a kiddo who is sick .... really, really sick. Thank the Lord that we only had a glimpse into what it must be like, but it really makes me feel for the parents who are torn between work and watching over their child ... running to the pharmacy, or watching over their child ... getting some rest finally, or watching over their child.

How do you even begin to make those choices? They seem simple enough, but when you're in the heat of the moment the choice feels anything but simple.

Yesterday William went from not feeling well at school at 1pm: complaining of his asthma cough and a headache with no fever ---- to 2:30 pm: fever of 103.1, completely lethargic and struggling to even stay awake and converse with the nurses and doctors. The tissue under his eyes reminded me of a beautiful purple and red sunset, except that I didn't care for the colors at all on my kiddo's face.

They did a flu test.

A strep test.

Considered a mono test.

Chest x-rays.

Turns out he has all the ingredients for the perfect landslide right into pneumonia. He has bronchitis and is tip-toeing the line of hospitalization. The worst part wasn't even trying to keep him awake or trying to bring his fever down ---- the worst part was holding my son down (took 3 of us) while the nurse gave him a shot that literally took about 20-30 seconds. If you're a mom and you're reading this - imagine your child screaming bloody murder in the middle of Target ... for 20 or 30 seconds. It feels like an eternity. I wasn't embarrassed, I wasn't ashamed, I was hurting for my child.

I was kissing the tip of his nose while my tears dripped onto his pale cheeks and trickled down his neck, mixing in with his tears and soaking the collar of his shirt. The last 7 seconds were the worst while he screamed at us to get off of him, that we were hurting him. Ugh. Maternal agony. Daddy was at the other end trying to hold his strong legs still while the nurse was in the middle holding down his abdomen with her body weight and administering the shot. When the shot was over, he cried loud and hard and I held him as best I could without hurting him more. It was a "you have completely violated me and hurt me, and I trusted you!" kind of cry.

About 7 hours yesterday feel like a blink. Jon and I had fantastic parenting teamwork and we split up the duties without even really discussing it all that much. I went to the pharmacy and they were amazing. They filled his scripts in about 10 minutes flat. Is that a record?

This morning when William gave me attitude, I actually thanked God because I knew he was feeling better. He isn't out of the woods by any means - but I don't think we're dancing on the line anymore. We go back in the morning for a follow-up appointment. I hope they do another chest x-ray so we can be certain his little lungs are responding to all of these breathing treatments.

That 103.1 fever was just a little too hot for me. To all of the parents in the world who are watching their children fight for their lives - know that I am going to be praying for you.

breaking through

2010-11-05T08:10:00.002-05:00

Lately God has been working on something in me. I always know when breakthrough is close because I have anxiety and I seem to trip over my mouth and a slew of other things. Thankfully I work for a very honest group of people and they have all been more than willing to help me feel my way through this, and then at the end it allowed me to just jump and rely on my faith in God. I have found that when I rely solely on myself and other people, I am always disappointed. But when I turn to God and really pour my heart out - things happen. When my trust is in Him, I am never disappointed because it feels good to release that control.

Lately I've been listening to this song a lot and remembering when my faith was wavering quite a bit back in 2007.

WHAT IF YOU'RE WRONG?

What if there's more?

What if there's hope you've never dreamed of hoping for?

What if you jump, just close your eyes....

BOOM. There it is. What if you just jump and close your eyes and let Him catch you and take you to the next level in your faith, or the next place in your life? Sometimes that's just what you have to do. You have to trust your instincts and believe that God is there. Call on Him ...

I did. I'm not at the next level in my life yet but I'm on my way. I know what it looks like and I know I want to be there. God put some pretty cool people around me at this time in my life and I am constantly learning just from watching so many. (I can think of 8 people right off the top of my head)

So today I encourage you to just .... jump. Whatever it is you're wondering about or analyzing in your sweet little head ---- talk to God about it and jump. Call that friend who hurt your feelings, confront your boss about the issues at work, muster the courage to talk to your child's teacher. Make today the day that you finally donate blood, or volunteer at a food bank. Go read to the kids at your child's school, or better yet volunteer at their school - even if it's just for 30 minutes during your lunch break. MAKE the time to read that book that you know will change your life, COMMIT to attending a bible study somewhere.

Go to the next level in your faith and in your life.

Jump.

the sisterhood

2010-09-27T19:27:00.004-05:00

When you're feeling overwhelmed with life and you just need to come up for some air - I HIGHLY recommend going on a weekend trip with your girlfriends. 7 of us headed out early Friday morning, and mozied home around 6 Sunday night. ahhhhhhhhhhh! Now that's what I'm talkin' about!

We scrapbooked the entire weekend - to some that may seem tedious, but for me it was exactly what I needed. No email, no work, no errands ---- just a ton of time to work on Janey's heritage book. I finished 20 pages - only 20 more to go!

I sure was glad to see my boys standing in the front yard waiting for me last night ... it was awesome to wrap my arms around them and give them smooches and really, truly love every minute of it. Saturday night I was really missing my snuggle time with William at bedtime, and my TV watching time with Jon. We only get to have time together about 2 or 3 times each week - and I really missed it this past weekend.

But man oh man did I need to just get away! Thanks Jon for letting me go be with my gal pals!!!!

with all creation

2010-09-20T16:24:00.002-05:00

Some days I just need a little something .... I love it when I find just the right thing to help me remember my woes are so small in the grand scheme of things. He is amazing ... Holy is the Lord God Almighty. With all creation, I sing praise to the King.

kid conversation

2010-06-25T12:13:00.003-05:00

Lately William and his buddy Caleb have been having HILARIOUS conversations in the car and at our house....

on the toothfairy

W: I KNOW the toothfairy is real!

C: HOW do you know it's real?

W: Cuz I have this pillow that's just for the toothfairy, and I put my tooth in it and the next morning the tooth is GONE and there's MONEY in there!

C: Yeah. I knew all along the toothfairy is real.

on grandmothers

C: I got new crocs, my nana got them for me

W: Your nana gets you EVERYTHING!

C: I KNOW, my Nana is like SANTA CLAUSE!!!!!!!

W: My e-papa is like Santa Clause too, she sends me packages in the mail all the time!

C: Grandma's are the best, aren't they?

W: Yeah, my other grandma always gives me ice cream and popcorn when I stay there.

C: Nana lets us have candy WHENEVER we want, even if my mom tells her not to give it to us!

on ownership

W: Mom? God owns everything right? I mean, like, everything is His and we're just kinda borrowing it?

Me: Pretty much - like you for example are God's son and He picked me to raise you here on earth. But some day you'll go to heaven because he likes to have all of His children right there with him.

W: Like Brett?

Me: Yes honey, just like Brett.

W: I knew it.

Me: You knew what?

W: Caleb said that God only owns heaven and I told him he was wrong.

on the way to a pool with water slides

C: Mrs. Sk___, my sisters are really jealous.

Me: Jealous of what, bud?

C: Because you always take me to the COOLEST places! We went to Arkansas, and now we're going to the water slides, and ..... (quiet for at least 15 seconds) .... and well you know, all the other cool things you've done with me.

W: Yeah, my mom is the best!

Me: (holding back the tears) Sometime we'll have to bring your sisters with us to do cool stuff too.

C: That's ok, you can just bring me.

summer, day 2

2010-06-04T09:45:00.001-05:00

William, that movie is WAY too loud!

WHAAAT????

I said your movie it WAY too loud!!!

WHHHAAAAATTTTT?

I said .... oh for the love of Pete.....
(going up the stairs)

What Mommy? I couldn't hear you, my movie was too loud.

just wait

2010-05-24T23:22:00.004-05:00

Back in the day, I didn't pray much. Just never occurred to me to do so. Let's skip over all the stupid mistakes and hateful hurtful things I did and jump to several weeks ago. My husband said something out of frustration that I just couldn't shake from my heart - his frustration wasn't aimed at me, nor were his words hurtful to me but I could tell they were really brewing inside of him.

And so I prayed.

I prayed for him. I prayed for an answer - for something that I could do to help him, to help us.

I wish I could say I prayed without ceasing like it says to in the Bible:

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 (New Living Translation)
¹⁶ Always be joyful. ¹⁷ Never stop praying. ¹⁸ Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.

But I'm still learning.

I prayed that I would be able to shut my mouth and turn off my brain long enough to pour out my heart. I prayed that I could then just listen. And wait. If you know me at all, listening isn't one of my strong suits, nor is waiting. But I did it. I listened for several weeks. I saw doors open that I wanted to go through, I heard about doors that sounded interesting but still I waited.

Today was my first day at my new job. This job is in the Lord's house, with God's people. People who are all happy to be there, people who are always looking for the bright side, and people who I know I will learn from and go places with.

Even though I didn't hear my husband give a sigh of relief - I can see it in his face and feel it in his hug. Thank you God for helping me be patient and helping me wait for the path that you were straightening in front of me. And with all that I have, I thank you for leading me to the path of my hubby - he is an amazing man with ethics of steel.

tales from the scale?

2010-05-07T10:28:00.002-05:00

A blog I follow has a "tales from the scale" post every Monday. She has been going all out since Jan/Feb and looks fantastic. She even posted fat pictures. EEK. Maybe that is what i need to get my rear in gear again. I have ups and downs with motivation. Sometimes I feel like I am going to eat my way into becoming a diabetic. Not cool. Life is totally a balancing act and while I'm doing REALLY well in other areas, I not only dropped the ball in the health department - my ball is deflated and dusty.

Will I do a tales from the scale post every Monday? probably not ... I don't think I have the guts to put pictures of my guts on the internet.

the message

2010-05-07T09:49:00.004-05:00

Sometimes I enjoy reading "the message" version of the bible because it makes things so much clearer the first time I read something I haven't read before ---- or even with verses I know by heart, it just opens a new window to a different thought process. I read this today and am really soaking it in. It makes me want to run .... er, limp into God's arms today!

^12-14I'm not saying that I have this all together, that I have it made. But I am well on my way, reaching out for Christ, who has so wondrously reached out for me. Friends, don't get me wrong: By no means do I count myself an expert in all of this, but I've got my eye on the goal, where God is beckoning us onward—to Jesus. I'm off and running, and I'm not turning back.

These verses make me take a reality check.

Am I doing the best that I can?
I am certainly trying - most certainly trying.

Am I working on the areas where I am lacking?
Yes, definitely yes.

Do I still fail?
Yes I do from time to time.

Is that ok?
Absolutely. It opens the door for new learning every time I trip and fall.

another new project

2010-04-30T16:00:00.001-05:00

I am going to decorate a nursing school grad's cap! Stay tuned for pictures :)

opening the can of worms

2010-04-30T09:28:00.003-05:00

I never thought I'd do this on my blog ... but ....

I think what the (R) is getting at here is ethics. Wouldn't it be nice if the Senators were all ETHICAL and actually attempted to read and understand all of the bills that they sign? Wouldn't it be nice if we actually took the time to understand these bills that get made into laws that effect the entire public of the United States? He isn't asking for a committee to be formed to test all of the Senators, he is asking for EACH SENATOR to check his own values and ethics and ask himself or herself --- am I just signing this because everyone else is? Or am I signing it because I think it would be a GREAT thing for the American public?

Ok, fire away ---- I know it's coming. It's cool, I just put my thick skin on.

technology and friends both rock

2010-04-23T22:14:00.005-05:00

Blue is the fracture,
red is the break.

Technology is so cool.
So are people who go out of their way to do something sweet for my kid.
You know who you are.
{grin}

it's broke

2010-04-22T18:03:00.005-05:00

William's day, in pictures....

if you sprinkle...

2010-04-18T11:44:00.002-05:00

While I'm on my Mary Poppins kick, my sisters and I used to take this little Jane and Michael diddy ... and use it in a bit of a different way...

Our lyrics?

If you sprinkle...
when you tinkle.
Please be neat and ...
wipe the seat.

Jane and Michael...
Banks. (head nod)

playing tidy up the laptop

2010-04-18T11:24:00.003-05:00

William and I watched Mary Poppins together last night and we laughed and laughed and danced and sang ... he loved the part when they played "let's tidy up the nursery". I wish I was having that much fun and could snap my fingers to make all the files move from my laptop to our backup hard drive.

I would love a bird like that to sing with me too ... it's so easy to harmonize with a bird. Maybe I'll just keep playing this video over and over again while I work.

"aaaaand, SNAP! the job's a game!"

Jedi William, the saga continnues

2010-04-17T23:33:00.001-05:00

The night was long, and filled with restfulness. The dark side threatened Jedi William's clear mind. He had visions of storm troopers and dark, desolate planets. He stood his post until sun up, and tested his Jedi mind skills for 8 full hours. He woke and was pleased that he didn't have to fire his trusty Nerf gun a single time, though the temptation was there.

While he was still very grateful for Fort William and as much as it pained him to do so, he informed his wicked mother that he had no intention of guarding Fort William for a second night in a row, although it was an excellent place to hang out with his buddy while he was here today. Come sundown tomorrow, Fort William will be dismantled and the pieces will be used in other facets. It was a good 48 hour run, and we'll never forget Fort William.

May the force be with you.

excuse me, do you have any fun?

2010-04-16T22:07:00.002-05:00

I'm sorry, we're all out .... we used it all up at the park today. Meet us at 9am tomorrow and we'll have a full tank again.

fort william

2010-04-16T20:57:00.007-05:00

Once upon a time there was a wild, wild ... Jedi, who went camping under the vast blanket of stars in ... the playroom. His name was Master William, and he adored cats and other plush animals with creative names like, "Fly-ee, the Eagle and Black Cat, the ... black cat." William thought his dreams would never come to life because his mother was mean and cruel and required a shower before the construction of Fort William could begin. After much stalling complete with time wasting conversation starters, William saw that he would never get his beloved fort without that required cleansing that his wicked mother was forcing upon him.

After much time, and a $200 water bill, the squeaky clean Jedi emerged from the bathroom complete with toothpaste in the corners of his mouth. The wicked mother was quite pleased and jumped up to begin rummaging through the linen closet. Although the construction of the basic frame took place rather quickly, the decision on which weapons to arm himself with took serious contemplation.

The perimeter was set with choice weapons, his trusty Nerf gun tucked in by his side and after the campfire was built, and rebuilt, and stoked a little, and then rebuilt again, the sun set with the flip of a switch and Jedi William was on his own. After what seemed like an eternity but was really 2 minutes and 37 seconds, the Jedi wished for more riches in his fort and searched for the wicked mother to request a radio be placed in his solid fort. Again she disappointed and he walked away in despair.

Did Jedi William make it through the terrible storm caused by the ceiling fan?

... to be continued....

joy

2010-04-15T22:52:00.010-05:00

As we go through life, some of the things that bring us joy change after time and others are constants. The past 10 years I have been in love with growing things in my gardens. I'm still learning what to plant and what not to plant, when to trim things, and when to leave things the way they are. I'm awful at lining things up to make it look like the perfect garden because I see something I like, have to have it, buy it, and stick it in the ground in any open space I can find!

The past 2 weeks, I have been outside almost every dawn and every dusk --- and sometimes I eat my lunch in the backyard and just watch ... as if the rose bushes are waiting for me to get out there before they will bloom.

This spring I have found immense joy in watching things change:

And these two things bring me joy for another reason. Janey salvaged three stalks of forsythia from a flower arrangement we received after Bill passed away. We planted them in the rose garden and only 1 stem survived. I waited until the end of last summer to move it out to a place of its own so it had space to really root and grow. This is how it looks today .... all from 1 stem.

You can see the original stem in the back on the left side - it's now dead but look what has come from that one stem! (Jon mowed this morning and I didn't get a chance to take another picture after he mowed .... so try to ignore the crazy grass if you can!) When I look at this plant it reminds me of family, and reminds me of so many fun times with Janey while we worked in the gardens.

This little tree (which I think is a birch??? not too sure) has a fun little history as well. When we went to PA for Bill's Celebration of Life service in 2008, Jon, William and I went for a family hike in the mountains after the service and after everyone had left. William kept stuffing his pockets and our backpacks with acorns and fall leaves. He wanted to share the leaves with his class, and plant ALL the acorns in our yard. We humored him and planted the acorns in a big pot in the front flower bed. Well, I don't remember what happened but the huge clay pot broke and I thought I got all the acorns picked up but clearly I didn't. At the end of the summer in 2009 I saw what I thought was a weed so I tried to pull it. Upon closer inspection I realized it was a little TREE! A Pennsylvania tree was growing like crazy in our Texas climate. I couldn't believe it! In the Fall, I transplanted it to its own spot in the backyard. Sadly, over the winter some little animal made a nice meal out of the little tree but it's a fighter! Look at it today!

Knowing it's a fighter, reminds me of my kiddo. He always has these grand ideas and even if everyone tells him they won't work (like growing a Pennsylvania tree in Texas), he wants to do it anyway. "You never know, mommy ... it just might grow!"

april 14th: thankful

2010-04-14T20:09:00.002-05:00

Today I am thankful for all of the days and nights that God has allowed us to share together as a family. I am thankful for every giggle, for every tear, and for every single hug. I'm thankful for all the road trips, the board games, and the movies nights.

You just never know when all of that could change in the blink of an eye - and for many people, it has all changed in the blink of an eye.

So I am going to dance with joy because I am so very thankful for every second of all of it.

project impossible, made possible

2010-04-07T08:30:00.009-05:00

I don't have great pictures of this project but you'll just have to believe me when I tell you the finished result was fantastically fabulous! A client wanted a large, and I mean large, drop spine box. A what? ... yeah, that's what I said too. She also wanted two hand-made scrapbooks to go with it. I had NO idea what a drop spine box was, but after some explanation and a little hand holding from the wonderful people at this store, I was on my way, nerves and all, to piecing together a large drop spine box from scratch.I started with the scrapbooks. I had NO clue how to make scrapbooks from scratch but this project was very special and I wanted to be sure that the recipient of these gifts was pleased beyond all expectations with the results. I started with two of these kits and quickly realized I was in over my head. Bookcloth? PVA? Um.... these are terms I was not familiar with. Again, Ken and Erin at Paper Source were fantastic and really helped me understand how to get started and make sure I had all the materials I needed to ensure a very pristine look in the end.

And I failed.

Twice.

The first two tries resulted in album covers that had little wrinkles on them, and white linen tape that showed through the bookcloth. Oops. I called my client and told her I was going to head back to the store to show them my result to see if they could help me identify what in the WORLD went wrong (twice). I was honest and told her that I just might not be the person for the job because she deserved perfectly constructed books and a box for her brother and his story.{Enter Erin stage left}

Erin saved me. First off she praised my corners and told me I was doing everything right BUT I didn't have the right mixture of PVA and Methyl Cellulose. (let's go back to the 1992 to recall that I almost failed out of Chemistry - just the terms methyl and cellulose make me sweat) She also helped me walk through the hand motions of the best way to lay down the papers to ensure a nice, flat result, and noted that I didn't need linen tape anyway that I could just double over with book cloth (are you lost yet?). Lastly, she pointed out that I would have a MUCH better result if I moistened the paper with the adhesive instead of the boards. GOT IT!

So the THIRD round of finished products looked like this:

SCORE! Two, 12x12 handmade scrapbooks complete with coordinating paper on the inside covers and pretty ribbon to tie them shut. WHEW! Now to construct a drop spine box from large pieces of chip board, and a boat load of beautiful and expensive oriental papers. I measured 800 times before I cut any paper because I was so nervous that I would ruin MORE beautiful, expensive papers! The first step was to glue the inner box together which was really easy using straight PVA (the methyl cellulose gives it a longer dry time - so if you need something heavy to stick together QUICKLY just dab some straight PVA on it!)

Then I covered the outer pieces, or the spine. (and AGAIN, thank you Paper Source for labeling all the parts for me to make it easier on me!)

Even though I was sweating applying the papers to the actual inner box, I was pleasantly surprised at how little time the drop spine box took, and pleased with my nice flat application and crisp corners. The end result was an 18x13x6 box that functioned perfectly, and closed with two pretty pink ribbons.

Was it hard? Um, YEAH! Would I do it again, in a heartbeat!

book worm

2010-04-06T21:28:00.019-05:00

Tonight William read one of my all time favorite stories from when I was a little girl ... just looking at the pictures brought back memories of sitting on my mom's lap and listening to her breathe between sentences, smelling her sweet perfume on the neck of her shirt, and being whisked away into a world where all my stuffed animals really DID come to life!

See if you can name all of these books ...

i can only imagine

2010-04-01T16:51:00.006-05:00

I can only imagine how amazing heaven is ... I can only imagine what I'll say or do when I get there. I can't know these things for sure ... but I can imagine. I can also imagine children going through awful times right here on earth and how their faces would light up when the nurses bring a brand new cool toy into their hospital rooms ...

Help me make a difference to kids who could really use a smile:

http://www.burdick.webs.com/

Go visit this website and see how you can help make a difference. It's all in the name and memory of Brett Burdick who got to see what heaven is really like in December 2008. He was only 4 years old. You are so missed Brett ... so, very missed.

i {heart} spring

2010-03-09T13:43:00.000-06:00

I just couldn't stand it anymore. I just spent 30 minutes pulling weeds in the backyard. Our Bradford pear tree is SO close to pushing out amazing buds!!! Some of them are really fat too - I can't wait to see the blossoms on that sucker. Our Redbud tree is starting to form some buds too - I saw one out in full bloom today on 380 and I just about forgot I was on the highway and started to slow down. Oops. The rose bushes ALL have purple leaves on them which means they will all produce buds. I was so worried they would all die because of the fungus issue last summer. My hyacinth is out and looks fabulous! The daffodils are almost all perked up and flowered! The day lilies are all about 2-3 inches tall .... I can't wait for those to pop out!

i {heart} spring.

piecing it together

2010-02-23T20:27:00.005-06:00

Well hello cute little lamp from Target ... why yes, I too strongly believe you should become part of my new and improved office space. I think you'll be stunning on my white cubes where the purple wall and turquoise wall meet.

What's that you say? You have a sister? An older, TALLER sister? Well I believe that when one child is rescued that the sibling must come along as well. My husband begs to differ. Tell your sister that she can stand tall where the ocean blue wall meets the lizard green wall. I know how it is to share a room with a sister, which is why I have placed you in opposite corners from each other. You'll thank me later.

ten

2010-02-21T21:07:00.002-06:00

Our ten year anniversary is coming up and my husband has been hard at work to wine me and dine me and SURPRISE me! He has ten gifts in store for me --- and all I know is that the LAST one requires me to wear a hot dress and wash my hair. So far I have received a gift certificate for a massage at a fancy spa, and a gift certificate for a mani/pedi at a fancy spa .... the suspense is KILLING me for items 3-10!!!!

From This Moment, babe .... love you still ... yesterday, today, and forever.

A little humor to go along with my mani/pedi ...

I think I'm related to this guy

2010-02-21T21:02:00.003-06:00

I don't have all those dance moves on the OUTSIDE --- but mmm, baby I got it on the INSIDE! Can't touch this! OW! If I met him tomorrow, you KNOW I would be doing all of this right alongside him ... boot and ALL, and I would call my sister Liz cuz she's got skillz!

a note from a friend

2010-02-21T20:37:00.005-06:00

You know how sometimes you're just going about your day, doing your thing, running from here to there and everywhere and then BOOM .... something hits you and the next thing you know you're humbled to pieces and just so grateful to God for working in you and through you? That happened to me this week when I got this email from a friend while finishing up at the pediatrician's office on Friday:

I can't tell you how much comfort and joy (beginning to sound like a Christmas carol) your friendship brings me. You are a ray of sunshine, an example of giving and encouragement. The Bible says, "As iron sharpens iron, so one man sharpens another." Proverbs 27:17 Thank you for making me a better person just by being who God made you to be. I love you, Girl!

Wow. I was so blown away and deeply touched when I read this. (and of COURSE I cried ... duh!) It reminded me how easily words can hurt or heal someone and it made me want to write letters and notes to all the people who mean so much to me ... if you're reading this and wondering where your sweet letter is, well ... I haven't done it yet. (I know, what a let down right?!?!) Sometimes I feel like such a failure at things that I try REALLY hard to do (like make it through an entire week .... ok a DAY ... without eating sweets) and notes like this really pick me back up off the floor.

God has truly blessed me with an amazing net of friendships and relationships - some of which have been in place for YEARS but it took me a really long time to value a few relationships as I saw them survive and strengthen through some really ugly storms. And sisters, I mean UGLY storms. We all have skeletons in the closet and WOW does it feel good when you can finally say, "and this one here --- this skeleton is Gus. Gus took over my body back in 1998 and he would celebrate with every hurtful thing I said to Sally --- Sally, I am so sorry ... let's go bury Gus together, shall we?" Sounds like that Dixie Chicks song where they go bury Earl - but I SWEAR Gus is dead already!

This got way off course, didn't it? (my husband is probably shaking his head right now as he reads this and is dialing our physician right now to get me medicated)

Ok, aside from the dead bodies and cake .... mmmmm, CAKE! .... I truly am thankful that I am finally "getting it" in terms of opening myself up and letting God do His work in me. It took me a long time to get to this point and I can't WAIT to see what He has in store for me next! I LOVE IT when God uses me for His good!

⁶ And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue his work until it is finally finished on the day when Christ Jesus returns. Philippians 1:6

feeling safe

2010-02-21T16:48:00.005-06:00

I always feel safe when I have a jedi/knight/snake-slaying/baton-twirling/pirate by my side ... especially when he's in jammies.

puppy kisses

2010-02-21T16:34:00.004-06:00

Meet Maggie. She was rescued by my friend Cristen and given to another friend as a gift for her daughters. My house just happened to be the drop off location and OH. MY. GOODNESS. William was in puppy HEAVEN! He couldn't get enough of Maggie. He would lay on his belly and she would hop up on his back and just hang out up there. She ran with him and he held her and she gave him kisses ... and, and, and .... I am so NOT a dog person, but seeing him with this precious little puppy made me want to get him a dog. A SMALL dog. And probably not a puppy ... anyway, I'm just saying it was DARN cute. He wants to know if we can visit Mrs. Kim's house to go play with the puppy.

another one bites the dust

2010-02-19T15:44:00.003-06:00

Some people just get hurt more often than others. I happen to be one of those people and I was truly hoping that my son would be spared and would inherit his father's equilibrium and level-headed genes instead of my accident-prone ones. William shut his finger in the back door last night. This is the third finger that we have had x-rays taken of over the past year and a half. The first finger got caught in a door at school. The second finger got whacked on a metal pole at the playground. And now the third was this backdoor incident. The poor kid was in so much pain but he was hellbent on proving to us that he could do what we asked him to do the FIRST time we asked it. Jon asked him to put the lid on the sandbox because it was time for dinner. He went out the backdoor and was taking FOREVER to put the lid on so Jon went out to see what was up. He was bawling silently while dragging the lid over the top of the sandbox with one hand. He didn't want to disappoint his daddy.

Immediately there was pressure under his nail (stop reading here if you tend to vomit with gory details) and we iced it and gave him ibuprofen. The next day the pressure was still pretty bad so we took him to the doctor to have the pressure relieved. Again, he tried with all his might to be brave but finally on the third stick he let out a loud, "OW?" ... like.... please stop? it might hurt, kinda, sorta, please stop? He turned to Jon and a big ole crocodile tear went down his cheek.

Once the pressure was relieved and the doctor reassured him that she wouldn't stick him anymore at all - the needles were all going away, he was ready to show me that he was a-ok.

He was rewarded with a mini sundae from Braum's for his bravery.

moose mug

2010-02-19T08:28:00.003-06:00

there is NOTHING like a nice hot cup of coffee in my moose mug after a long night of hanging out with girlfriends and eating entirely too much dessert.....

the big snow

2010-02-16T08:24:00.001-06:00

I don't have time at the moment to type out all of the funny snow stories --- so this will have to suffice for now ;)

the best ice cream in the country

2010-02-10T15:31:00.002-06:00

Click here to get a $1.00 off coupon for your next purchase of Blue Bell Ice Cream! Wait for a good sale at Albertsons or Kroger and then use your coupon on top of that! Look for the little box on the right side that says "special offer". Note that you do have to create an account ... but seriously, who WOULDN'T want to know about the new flavors coming out!?!?!

coupons

2010-02-08T17:40:00.002-06:00

I wish I could say that I am a rockstar when it comes to saving money at the grocery store but the truth is that it takes a LOT of time to prepare to go to the store(s) if you're wanting to save oodles of dough. Like, HOURS of time to prepare ... what ever happened to walking into a store and getting a good deal and walking out? Now to get a great deal you have to cut coupons, check competitors' ads, look at coupons online and load them to your Kroger card or your smartphone, make your list and spend way too much time in the store filling your cart.

The most gratifying part is walking out with your husband (to whom you are barely speaking by the end of the shopping ordeal) and showing him that you just saved about 50% off of all of the groceries that he is now graciously loading into the back of the filthy, dirty, minivan.

too smart

2010-02-08T17:35:00.003-06:00

William is getting to be too smart for my liking I think. On Saturday night he got a low grade fever and just didn't feel well. Sunday morning he was 100% FINE! As I approached him with my hand out to fee his head he said, "Mom, I know why I had a fever ... see this tooth right here? See how it just came through my skin? I'm teething."

The scary thing is that he is probably right about that there fever.

Then on the way to church he said something nice and I said, "that's just AWESOME William David!" He got quiet for a minute and then said, "Mommy, I don't think you should use awesome and David in the same sentence because you say David when I'm in trouble and awesome means the opposite."

Hmpf.

kids' workshop @ home depot

2010-02-06T10:27:00.002-06:00

Since it's either been raining or REALLY cold lately, I've been trying to think outside the box in terms of things to do with William. Tuesday we went to the free Lego event at the mall and today we went to the free Kids' Workshop at Home Depot. I didn't really know what to expect but it was really fun. We walked in and he was sporting his Home Depot apron from Uncle Jack, Eema embroidered his name on it for Christmas. All the grand kids got one - super cute gift idea! We went to the back of the store and they had huge slats of wood laying across upside-down buckets... that was out "work desk", and then our seats were upside-down buckets.

We got our packet of wood pieces and instructions from a table up front and after we picked out our buckets to sit on and started to pull out the pieces and read the instructions. William learned that you can't just look at the pictures because you'll miss the steps that talk about using the wood glue {wink}. He did a great job with the hammer - I pushed the nails in a teeny bit so they were standing straight up and he pounded those suckers all the way in, nice and straight.

It was a really fun little event and it was a GREAT boost for him. He got to do something creative and use a HAMMER for Pete's sake! He is very proud of his shelf that he made all by himself. One of the other parents there was telling us that Lowe's does a kids event on the 2nd and 4th Saturdays. We're going to have to check out the competition to see what kinds of fun things they do over there!

being crafty

2010-02-05T23:00:00.000-06:00

Covered these sketch books this week for two 10 year old girls.... LOVED doing it! I miss making crafty things in my office ... perhaps I should reserve every Friday for crafty time :)

a date with my son

2010-02-02T22:35:00.001-06:00

I was so proud of William tonight. I took him to the monthly Lego event at the mall and he had $20 from Janey to spend in the store. He kept looking for clearance items to make his money stretch further. He picked up a sword and said really loud, "TEN DOLLARS?!?!?!?!" then rolled his eyes and put it back. He found two other swords that were very cool for $2.48 each! He held all the doors for me (I took the crutches so I could get thru the mall without crying from pain), and I treated him to wendy's on the way home.

We went through the drive through and then pulled over so I could hand him his burger and there was no burger!!! He said, "mommy, just park by a door and I will go in so you don't have to walk anymore tonight.". Totally gives me happy tears in the creases by my eyes :)

Then he saw a shooting star on the way home and do you know what his wish was??? He wished that his best friend felt better and was well enough to go back to school tomorrow. Ugh, talk about silent tears in the car!

So yeah, my kid might be hyper sometimes, and talk back too often, but he knows the value of a dollar - and the value of friendship - and the value of treating people kindly.

not yet

2010-01-25T13:54:00.002-06:00

I haven't fallen off the face of the earth yet .... yet. About to start taping off my office for the new paint. I'll post pictures when it's all done!

Now, what can I procrastinate with so I don't have to tape off the walls?

he's got style, baby

2010-01-15T21:18:00.002-06:00

From the pants tucked into the sock on the BACK of his right leg, to the gobs of gel in the hair, to the hat worn backwards (which now that I think about it, I don't think the hat made it home today) ... yeah, he's got style and he knows it!

but I'm not creative...

2010-01-15T10:14:00.004-06:00

So many times when I tell people what I do for a living, they come back with, "I'm just not creative, I could never do that!" But really - you CAN! When companies come out with things like this - ANYONE can scrapbook (reminds me of the movie Ratatouille - "anyone can cook") if you have some pens and a paper trimmer! (and maybe adhesive if you're feelin' a little crazy!)

Simple Stories by MemoryWorks from Amber Crowell on Vimeo.

If you go here you will see that it's still a regular scrapbook but it has special pages where you just slide things in. Slide in your photos, slide in papers, slide in journaling blocks, slide in pre-made CUTE things!

So enough with the "I'm not creative" bit ... you can totally do this!

photo traditions

2010-01-14T16:56:00.008-06:00

We always seem to stop and take a picture at this sign when we're on the road. Maybe because it's the only good rest stop in the entire state of Arkansas! It's kind of fun to look back and see William at different sizes in-front of and ON the sign! Boy he has grown!!!!

Another random road trip photo tradition...

miss her already

2010-01-14T16:48:00.004-06:00

whew, I'm glad THAT'S over

2010-01-14T16:35:00.005-06:00

Janey and I spent about 6 hours cleaning out my office and organizing it. I had piles of scraps and all kinds of crazy things here and there from my projects throughout the year. We threw away a TON of stuff, donated a huge pile of things I never use, and we even found William's school pictures .... from LAST year! (sorry mom and dad!) We figured out how many more storage cubes I needed, we even found all the unfinished projects and put them all in one place (and I've been chipping away at the pile - honest, my neighbor will back me!).

(ignore the paint sample on the wall - that wall will be avocado green SOON! and yes I know I need one more 12x12 frame...)

I totally couldn't have done it without her. She kept me on track and she was my runner - she got garbage bags and all sorts of things so I could stay on task. She even helped be build the new cubes that we got at the store that day. What a breath of fresh air it is in here!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Now for the paint. I have it narrowed down to the paint strips I want --- now to choose either the third row or the fourth row. I can't decide. I'm shooting for the fourth I think... I think. I'm excited to get it painted and be done in this room. The next space we would like to tackle is the entry and up the stairs but we'll have to hire someone for that job - so I better be sure that I am head over heals with the paint color because we probably won't ever change it again.

the man-ride

2010-01-14T16:31:00.006-06:00

Jon took his mom home the first week of January, they were driving late into the night and I got this email (complete with photo) from Jon while they were stopped at a gas station:

Now that's a lean mean drivin' machine. I love my truck.

I am SO glad, honey --- I know it's just a "thing", but I'm REALLY happy that it's still making you smile :)

janey's in town, can you tell?

2010-01-02T23:13:00.003-06:00

I haven't been on facebook or posting blogs hardly AT ALL since Janey has been in town --- we are having a blast and I'll be sad to see her go next week when Jon takes her back to Kentucky :(

said in my best Forrest Gump twang, "and that's all I have to say about that."

beautiful

2009-12-29T20:16:00.001-06:00

long time no post ...

2009-12-29T19:46:00.016-06:00

Here's what we've been up to for the last several weeks:

Making treat boxes for teachers and staff at the school:

Watching William meticulously do his hair in the mornings:

Finishing up with my last client of the year:

Silly time with my sisters, smoking our ... well, our candy canes.

Glamour shots in Jackson, TN:

A little bit of driving:

Throwing some teeth around here and there:

Sucking down some frosting:

Snuggling:

Opening a gift that upon construction completion we heard: "this is the BEST Christmas EVER!"

Throwing some snow around:

Hanging out with friends:

Merry Christmas, and Happy New Year!

cold comedy

2009-12-11T08:43:00.002-06:00

the night giggler

2009-12-09T09:12:00.003-06:00

Last night I was blissfully dreaming about my scrapbooking girls. We were all laughing hysterically like we tend to do when we're all together. It was slow motion laughing --- mouths open wide, eyes squinted, tears pillowing up in the creases of our eyes. I could actually HEAR the distinct laugh of everyone in the room. Ok, think of Mary Poppins with me for a minute...

I love to laugh
Loud and long and clear
I love to laugh
It's getting worse ev'ry year

The more I laugh
The more I fill with glee
And the more the glee
The more I'm a merrier me
It's embarrassing!
The more I'm a merrier me!

Some people laugh through their noses
Sounding something like this "Mmm..."
Some people laugh through their teeth goodness sake
Hissing and fizzing like snakes
Some laugh too fast
Some only blast - ha!
Others, they twitter like birds

Ok, you've got the picture now. Forgive me because that song will be in your head the rest of the day. So I'm in this blissful dream, laughing with my friends, enjoying every moment and then I get a nudge and a

"HONEY ARE YOU OK?!?!?"

wha? huh?

"You're dreaming are you ok????"

yea, I'm LAUGHING! ... (apparently, snorting and the works)

Apparently it's time to hang out with those friends again!!!!

remembering Brett

2009-12-08T09:29:00.005-06:00

Brett Alexander Burdick

April 17th, 2004 - December 8th, 2008

As a gift, the Lord lets us have a glimpse of those we love for a brief moment in time. For a short while, a butterfly is seen at our window sent from heaven. Then we know, all will be well with those we love.

five things

2009-12-04T09:52:00.002-06:00

5 Things I love this week:

my friend Nichole. She's a rockstar on wheels. She stepped in and is saving the day as we speak!
wise friends who know just what to say when I feel like a loser parent ... two that come to mind right off the top are Mandy and Maureen
iTunes. GEEZ I love music!
comfortable, elastic pants from the GAP - got them in May from the clearance rack ... best money I spent in the entire month of May
my sister Liz. I was reminded today while blogging about how she truly might have saved my life when I was a young teen by stepping in and helping me realize it was time to get some help with some issues I was having. I love you, Liz --- even if I do a terrible job of showing it, I truly love you.

upside down Christmas

2009-12-04T09:11:00.005-06:00

Our church is doing a message series right now called, "Upside Down Christmas" --- it's all about celebrating JESUS, not just the season but doing what Jesus would do. Jesus wouldn't sign himself up for more than he can handle ... ok wait, He could probably run circles around ALL of us huh? What I meant was, he wouldn't fill his time trying to be everywhere at one time. He wouldn't be obsessed with Christmas lights, finding the right color red plates to match your pretty Christmas napkins, standing in line at 3am to get a good deal on another toy, looking for just the right wrapping paper, worried about what outfit to wear to the Christmas Party at work, juggling 18 parties that all fall on December 19th.... and so on. Our pastors encouraged us to do little things AND big things this season to turn Christmas "upside down" - to live, give and celebrate differently this year. One example was to pay for the person's food behind you in the drive through.

The background is that earlier in the evening on Wednesday I was at a church service with my dear friend who lost her 4 year old son last December in a car accident, and I remember praying to God and telling Him that I felt so disconnected from Him right now. I didn't have that overwhelming sense to shout His name from the rooftops as I have in the past. I told Him that I was ready to take the necessary steps to get my relationship with Him back on track.

After church and dinner, we went to an ice cream place together and the lady in front of me in line was buying a gallon of ice cream, a box of ice cream cones, and something else small. When I got in line I had no intention of paying for anyone's items but my own - then without even thinking about it, I pulled out my debit card and said, "I would like to buy those items for you tonight" and handed my card to the cashier. I think it surprised me just as much as it did the cashier! The lady was taken aback and managed to stutter out, "oh, but I am not in financial need of that, I can pay for it!" I wasn't expecting that response and never even thought someone would take it that way!!! So I said, "oh goodness, I didn't mean to insinuate that you couldn't afford it - I just wanted to bless you tonight and pay for your groceries. Merry Christmas!" She shook my hand and said, "I'm Carol Ann, Merry Christmas to you as well!" I introduced myself as well and we shared one of those smiley moments, stranger to stranger that warms you up on a cold night.

So she left and we sat down to eat our ice cream and have more girl talk before we all headed home. I heard my friend Andrea over my shoulder say, "Ann? She's over here." I turned around to see Carol Ann walking towards me with her hands clasped together, I stood up and she took my wrist and said, "I make these bracelets and wear them when I go out. When I feel the spirit tell me to give them away, I do and I want you to have this. It has Philippians 1:6 on it." While she was putting a pretty bracelet on my wrist with colored beads and silver letters and numbers she recited over me:

And I am certain that God, who began the good work within you, will continue His work until it is finally finished on the day that Jesus Christ returns. Phil 1:6

I wasn't expecting to be blessed by someone I tried to bless. I wasn't expecting to receive anything at all, except to maybe have a warm fuzzy feeling in my heart. I've never had a stranger pray over me in a public place and I tell you what ... when my heart tells me to do the same, I surely will. You just never know who God will use to touch your heart ... even at 9:30 in an ice cream parlor.

2 stories in 1

2009-12-04T08:02:00.013-06:00

When I was 13/14 I went through a very rough time in my life. I *thought* my whole life was going to be basketball. I practiced just about every day outside. My dad even let me spray paint the driveway with the lines to the key so I could practice free throws and 3-pointers. And then I got asthma. I couldn't keep up with the other girls anymore. When we did our runs on the track outside I could feel my fingertips and lips getting numb because I wasn't getting enough air. No matter how much I practiced, no matter how many times mom took me to a gym to shoot 3-pointers (which was my specialty by the way), no matter how many dribbling camps I went to .... I couldn't keep up with all the healthy girls. And I got cut from the team my Sophomore year.

Just as a side note, did you know that Michael Jordon (whose face was plastered all over my room as a young teen) got cut from his High School team his Sophomore year too? Even if you aren't a fan, the man has a pretty amazing life story. My mom found this video for me and it really made me want to be more than I was, better than I was. He was my hero ... I wanted "to be like Mike"... watch near the end when he makes a shot and jumps into the air pumping his arm --- I had a freeze-frame of that poster in my room!

Well, I didn't end up having the ability to BREATHE like Mike, and I got extremely depressed and didn't really know what to do with myself anymore. All of my friends were at basketball practice after school and I was ... on the bus on the way home. All of my friends were going to games and having a blast together --- sweating it out on the court, the smell of the ball on their hands, high-fiving each other with every shot even if it didn't go in, praying together on the court before and after each game. The head coach asked me to be a team manager so I could still be part of it all. I said yes, and hated it. It was brutal. It was like putting a piece of cake in front of me but telling me I couldn't eat it. Here, you can look at this, smell it, and enjoy it from every angle - but you may not partake of it in any way.

I went through some very dark times. My sister Liz was the first to really reach out to me and force me to see that I was headed down a path towards death. I didn't want her to reach out to me. I wanted her to just let me go, but she refused. She refused to let it slide and be swept under the carpet. I am forever grateful to her for that. That's not something you can ever repay.

My soul searching led me to the elementary school park behind mom and dad's house (which is where I went on my first date with Jon coincidentally). As I sat on the swings I wanted the feel of the air in my face, pushing my hair to and fro and giving me butterflies in my stomach. But I didn't get any of those sensations as I just sat on my rear, motionless. Something inside me said, "You idiot! you can't coast through ANYTHING in life and expect great things! Pump your legs on this swing ... do it!"

And I did. I started praying while I was swinging, and crying. God, what am I supposed to do now? Basketball was all I wanted. All of my friends are there and I'm not. I feel like you aren't even here with me. You wouldn't have let this happen if you were here. You would want me to be happy. And with that I looked up and saw the coolest thing. I saw a little bitty rainbow in the clouds - like a prism rainbow. Not a full-blown "after the storm" rainbow, but just a little one that made me think .... you ARE here, aren't you? That's for me today, isn't it?

I eventually was coaxed into trying out for the varsity softball team by another girl who got cut from the basketball team. (who I'm now friends with on facebook ... love facebook, hi Jennifer!) I made the team. I was a starter in Center Field ... my favorite position. I had that adrenaline back. The kind that pumps through your entire body and you feel like whooping out, "WOO-HOO!" for no reason at all. I was good at it. And I loved it. I didn't have to be able to run and run and run ... it was just short bursts of running which ended up being perfect for me as my lungs tried to adjust to this new life changing issue. I ended up with a letter jacket, and mom got it all doctored up for me with "flair" I guess you can say. Patches, and lettering on the back, and so on. I still have it and it makes me smile when I pull it out of the closet. I still have my warm-up sweat pants too ... love them. My number in softball was "23" because guess what ... dang it, I WAS like Mike, just not with basketball! (be nice about the glasses, friends!)

We are having a hard time with William right now. He says he wants to run away when he's upset over getting a yellow day at school or for being punished for behavior that he knows is not acceptable. MAN it hurts as a parent to hear your kid say they don't feel like there is love in your house. It makes you second guess everything you do and say. And then I saw this on my way home from dropping him off today and praying over him before he got out of the car, and guess what.... He is here, I just need to reach out to Him.

Scientists say that these rainbows are either this or this. But me? To me, it's God's way of getting my attention.

it's a good day!

2009-12-02T11:37:00.008-06:00

I'm about to be a whirlwind in the office and create some FABULOUS pages for my client. Today is the day. Yesterday was "preparation day" ... today is CREATE day! The day started off with a little of this:

And I am STILL on cloud nine about THIS from last week!!!!

And I am just so blessed to have a family like THIS!!!!

and like this:

It all just kinda makes me feel like this:

I know that your day is what you make of it, but it's pretty easy to be stoked about God and His grace and mercies when you have all these cool things in your back pocket.

which one of these feet is doing it's own thing

2009-11-12T10:15:00.003-06:00

Just got back from the foot doctor. Sigh. I'm SO frustrated because I just finished day 4 of the 30-day Shred. Looks like I won't be doing much shredding for awhile. However - on the flip side I am thankful that we're trying something else to get rid of this darn heel pain!

Here's a funny for you ---- when you go to the podiatrist the nurse says, "take of your shoe and sock and put your foot on the paper on the foot rest, the doctor will be in shortly."

Isn't that SO much better than, "undress from the waist down and use these oversized paper towels to ATTEMPT to cover yourself up while you wait for an hour for the doctor to come in."

jigglin' with Jillian

2009-11-11T09:20:00.002-06:00

A friend of mine from Spark People got me interested in Jillian Michael's 30-Day Shred dvd... ok, I just finished day 3 of it and I have to tell you --- I can FEEL results already! Jon said he could see some results last night too. Isn't that nuts? After only 2 days of it, there are already results?!?!? It's not overly difficult (granted, I'm still on level 1, tho I scoped out level 2 this morning but didn't participate in that one) and she doesn't scream in your face as I feared she would. I have knee issues and now I also have a foot issue. If *I* can do it .... seriously, I think just about anyone can.

I REALLY want that size 10 for Christmas!!!!! All I want for Christmas is a pair of size 10 pants that I fit nicely into.... oh, and I want a bike too. ;)

work out reward

2009-10-29T12:35:00.002-05:00

This is how I reward myself after I make it to the gym and get in a good workout. I get to take the back road home ---- and I drive REALLY slow because there's no traffic that way. It's so peaceful ... and the perfect reward!

rusty halo

2009-10-26T10:59:00.002-05:00

Took this picture of william before church service and thought tomyself "awww he is so sweet and handsome!" then during a very movingsong I thought "why don't those parents make their kid stop whistling,he is totally ruining the moment!!!"

Then it dawned on me. It was MY kid whistling!!!!! Sorry about that folks!

please, no

2009-10-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

This past week, I have been fatigued much like I was when my mono was full-blown over the summer. By 7pm I am useless and exhausted to the point where my body aches a bit. I've heard that once you get it, you're likely to get it again --- but this soon?????????? I don't want to go to the doctor for more blood tests - pretty soon they're going to admit me for hurting myself on purpose just to be able to go to the doctor. But if you must know - I go for the suckers.

What's that you say? I can buy them in the store? for cheaper than a copay?

If I'm still wiped by Wed, I'm going back in ... even if they're out of suckers.

this is ridonkulous.

meet yoda

2009-10-21T09:02:00.005-05:00

William's pumpkin entry for the contest at school.... if nothing else, we had a blast making it and he's SUPER excited about how it turned out :) Makes me happy that I took the time to do it with him even though I originally didn't even want to bother with it --- awful confession, but true.

i adore you

2009-10-21T08:57:00.001-05:00

Ah-ha moment in bible study yesterday ... I'm doing a terrible job of absorbing all of these things I'm learning. Today I am making an effort to make the changes that I can SEE that I need to make. This video takes me to a place where I forget all about the scale, the car troubles, the foot pain ... none of that matters. My relationship with God and my willingness to submit to Him and His plan for me needs to be at the forefront of my mind ... every day.

5 things (again)

2009-10-20T21:53:00.002-05:00

5 Things i Love this week:

Working in the library at school. I love how excited William is when he walks by. I love listening to the little conversations happening all around the room. I love being able to talk to other moms who go through the ups and downs of homework, getting to school on time, and all the extra "fun" things that parents get to be involved in.

My husband's dedication to his family. My husband works his tail off for us - there is no other way to say it than like that. He BUSTS BUTT big time and I am immensely appreciative in ways that I cannot express.

Facebook. A high school classmate of mine passed away on Saturday and because of facebook, we were able to really spread the news to other classmates so that we can be there to support his wife both at the service this week, and in the coming months.

Tea. I have been trying to get back on track again with staying inside of my calorie range each day. When I *think* I am hungry - I make a cup of hot tea. It takes awhile to drink it all since it's so hot and by the time I'm done with the cup I realize I really wasn't all that hungry to begin with.

Our clippers. Five years ago, I started cutting Jon's hair at home to save us money - now I do both Jon AND William's hair. (I used to cut Bill's as well before the chemo took it all from him) Sometimes I get frustrated because it's just "one more thing" that I have to do, but when I alter my perspective about it ---- it's one more reason to have one-on-one time with my two favorite people :)

5 things

2009-10-14T11:10:00.004-05:00

I stole this idea from my friend Laura ...

5 Things i Love this week:

1. The podiatrist. I haven't even met him yet and I already love him for his expertise. Yes, I'm expecting great things tomorrow!

2. My Bible Study Group. I love that these ladies are REAL and not afraid to talk about real issues and real topics. No one is wearing a false veil of holiness.

3. The cross I bought this weekend. My sisters and I all three bought crosses that are extremely symbolic - but I can't post a picture or tell the story because we got one for a family member and I need to ship it before I blow the surprise! So now this cross holds many symbols to me ... a reminder that God is in every situation, Jesus died on the cross for us, past hurts and struggles, and a FABULOUS sister weekend!

4. Nights with my husband. Jon is in training all week and for the most part, we get him to ourselves at night. Granted he's completely wiped out - but at least he's here! I am looking forward to our family day on Saturday. We have been saying no to birthday parties, time with friends, and other assorted things that keep popping up so that we can just be together the entire day. Even if we stay home and play games or watch movies --- it's just us, and I am so pumped about that!

5. Did I mention the podiatrist? Yes? .. ok. Then #5 is my flowers. I love driving up into our driveway and seeing the pretty mums that we planted last year. They aren't shaped perfectly, and we didn't have the funds to mulch this year so they aren't as awesome as others in the neighborhood. But Janey planted them with me last and THAT makes me happy. I also love every single flower in the backyard. The roses, the lilies, the things that I can't remember the name of (x's 3), the clematis, and the morning glories!!!!

terrific tuesdays

2009-10-14T10:59:00.002-05:00

Tuesdays are my REALLY busy days this fall (and probably in the spring as well). I drop William off, then head to bible study, try to sneak in an errand or two, grab lunch, then head to the school to help in the library. William LOVES seeing me in there every Tuesday. I guess their "potty break" falls during the time I'm in there so he goes by the big windows and waves like Forrest Gump to me. It cracks me up every time and melts my heart a little too.

I love being in the library because I learn so much about what's happening in the school, I get to meet teachers and get to know them, and I also get to see what the popular books are that the kids are reading. Since I volunteer, the librarian lets me check out as many books as I want to - while the kids are limited to just 2 books at a time. Just last night we read 3 of the 6 that I brought home yesterday! It thrills me to no end that William enjoys books like his daddy did when he was little. Jon STILL loves books! I go back and forth - I fall in love with a series, and then I'm done for awhile. William would rather read books with us than play with his Star Wars guys - that's pretty cool stuff.

So yeah, I'm WIPED out on Tuesday nights, but it's totally worth it to have those sticky boy fingers and hands wrapped around me in hugs. AND, I've met some wonderful ladies at church who have helped me unwrap some deep things that I needed to just give to God.

Tuesdays truly are terrific!

a good hike

2009-10-14T10:35:00.004-05:00

This is just a little nugget of where Michael and I went hunting at the beginning of October. It was SO incredibly peaceful and the weather was amazing! We got to talk for about 2 1/2 hours - it was awesome. I haven't had good talk-time with Michael in AGES ... it was such a blessing to me. He's one cool uncle, I tell ya!

Here we are all sweaty, sitting near the top of the mountain. I nice lady with THREE small children stopped to take our picture. If they can hike that sucker, than William could TOTALLY hike it! He was sad that I went on a mountain hike without him. He so enjoys exploring and hiking - just like his daddy. He could care less about sports and such, but put him in front of a mountain and his eyes light up and he's ready to rock!

Love ya Michael, thanks for the excellent talk-time and exercise! I miss you and Granny SO much already!!!!

bashing on facebook

2009-10-14T10:17:00.003-05:00

I just can't understand when people make serious bashing posts on facebook. I know and understand how it feels to want someone "on your side" during a frustrating moment. I TOTALLY get wanting to blow steam - but really? In a public forum? Just call a friend, blow some steam and be done with it. It's TOTALLY cool to post something like, "I'm just having a hard day." But when you throw specifics in there, it potentially puts people in the middle. Don't make other people be the judge and hold the whistle!!!!

Now with that said ... I can't believe Martha said that the other day!!!!!!!!!!!!

(kidding, I don't even know a Martha)

happy birthday sis

2009-10-11T11:54:00.002-05:00

face fissures?

2009-10-07T12:33:00.002-05:00

Is it possible to crack your face from a big, big smile? I got this from a previous client today:

Ann,

I hope all is well. We are back from our honeymoon! I just wanted to send you a quick note thanking you again and letting you know that Igor absolutely loved the scrapbooks and the box. I even think he shed a tear, but I don’t think he would want me to share that with you. Looking back, it was one of the best decisions that I’ve made. We must have looked at it a hundred times together. Each time we notice something that we haven’t seen before. He really loved it.

Thank you!

No, sweet lady.... thank YOU!

so emotional for NO reason

2009-09-30T21:04:00.002-05:00

So most of my readers know that I have no ovaries, therefore I have no cycles, therefore I have no physical reason to have emotional days - but sisters, I am SO emotional today!

This morning I ran into William's Kindergarten teacher from last year. Her college age daughter had mono so this teacher has been great in helping me find remedies and helping to coach me through all the highs and lows of mono --- ok seriously there are NO highs, but whatever - it's a figure of speech. Work with me people.

YOU people. You people? What do you mean YOU people?
(inside joke btwn me and hubby... sorry to drag you along through it)

ANYWAY ... I was telling her that the past few days i have just DROPPED around 9:30pm and I am completely dead to the world. She was telling me that her daughter STILL goes through days like that and it's been a year since she had mono. UGH. It's like I just hit a wall and can't even keep my eyes open to brush my teeth thoroughly. And again, those who know me well know that I am beyond thorough when brushing my teeth - to the point of hurting my gums.

I've been trying to lose the rest of this weight since ... gosh... mid 2006? Dude, has it seriously been that long? Ug. I still have about 15-20 pounds to go and I sometimes find myself totally avoiding tracking my calories because it's just so EASY to eat whatever you want and pretend to be ignorant about it. (I've done great the past week however ... with TRACKING that is) This morning they had Pastries for Parents at the school and Nichole brought the extra donuts to my house (think two ENORMOUS sized boxes from Sam's Club that would hold a sheet cake big enough for 100 people) so my hubby could take them all to work with him. Ok, let's be honest. I totally caved. I ate ..... 1. Oh MAN the chocolate on it was AWESOME!

I KNOW, I KNOW .... believe me I know. I wanted to stick my finger down my throat as soon as I finished licking my fingers. Of course I didn't because seriously, who WANTS to throw up? Not me. I did about 10 lifetimes-full of throwing up when I was pregnant! So anyway, I was emotional about that. (and still am, kinda)

I got all ooey gooey watching So You Think You Can Dance tonight... I cried at a commercial ... I felt like poo when William asked God to "please make my mommy and daddy be nicer to me when I make mistakes" ... did you feel the heart stab that I felt just then? ... and then an email that *I* sent and a friend sent back to me with a response on it made me SOB! WHAT?!?!?

Are you SURE you got both ovaries, Dr. Bank?

So now it's 9:14 and I can't stop yawning. I'm going to take my leaky face to bed and see if the pipes are fixed in the morning.

Strange emotions today I tell ya! Tomorrow will be better because I will have 8+ hours of sleep on my side.

me

2009-09-29T08:52:00.003-05:00

I like me. Sure I'm rusty around the edges sometimes and I constantly seek God's guidance and grace and mercy. But I like me. I like who I have become. I am learning to be more secure with who I am and worry less about what people think of me. (which is why I am going to bible study all sweaty from my quick workout this morning) I like that my husband likes me and who I am. My friends like me and who I am. I don't think anyone is ever done growing or done learning. But right now, today... I like me.

and I repeat... God is good!

2009-09-23T20:21:00.003-05:00

TWO of my neighbors formerly known as employed are now EMPLOYED!!!! And a third neighbor just passed her real estate exam today. I am just SO ELATED for these people that I care about that I don't even know what to do with myself. But it's cool. God painted a glorious celebration picture in the sky for us to admire!