I've Been Tagged!

I was tagged by a delightful, fairly, sweet, positive, fairly new blogger lady, Casey to post ten things about me. Wow!!! An excuse to talk about ME! (Like I've ever needed one before) Anyway, I'm delighted. Try not to fall asleep reading them.

(First the rules)
Honest Scrap Award Rules
When accepting this auspicious award, you must write a post bragging about it, including the name of the misguided soul who thinks you deserve such acclaim, and link back to said person so everyone knows he or she is real. Choose a minimum of 7 blogs that you find brilliant in content or design. Or improvise by including bloggers who have no idea who you are because you don’t have 7 friends. Show the 7 random victims’ names and links and leave a harassing comment informing them that they were prized with “Honest Weblog.” Well, there’s no prize, but they can keep the nifty icon. List at least ten honest things about yourself. Then, pass it on!

Ten things about me.

1. I'm pretty sure I'm the only one NOT reading Twilight. Mostly because I'm not sure God would approve and also because I get in trouble with the family when I veg out for more than 10 minutes at a time. GOOD READS DEFINITELY CAUSE ME TO VEG OUT FOR MORE THAN 10 MINUTES AT A TIME!!!
2. I'm left handed.
3. I'm a middle child. Older sister. Older brother. Younger sister. Younger brother.
4. I used to sing in a folk group at a Catholic church that consisted of no more than five people at a time.
5. I now would be petrified if asked to sing in my church choir that consists of no less than 20 people.
6. My favorite children's author has always been Hans Christian Andersen. Even though most of his stories didn't end with the uplifting finishes we usually see in the movies.
7. I tried to make the Pioneer Woman's chocolate milk syrup and messed it up. Twice. ( On a happy note I now have a happy replacement for Starbuck's discontinued Chantico. Not something I need to be indulging in.)
8. I would rather be a stay at home mom. Not because I think the job is easier but because I wish I could say "I" was THERE for every possible moment of my childrens' life.
9. In my dream world I would not awake before 6 am. I do only because I want to be home for as much of my kids' waking moments (and because I hate walking FAR FAR FAR from my car to my job).
10. I've never been to New York City.

There. Not the most wildly creative things but hey, it's like after 5 in the morning and I should be out the door already.

So, I'm begging and pleading these folks to carry on. I've been faithful readers of their blogs for some time.

1. April Showers
2. The Country Doctor's Wife
3. Life With The Stanfords
4. Gitz
5. Mud and Coffee
6. Mabel's House
7. Blessings Times Two

There. Wasn't that neat? Go post.

Thankful Thursday

We now return to your regularly scheduled program...

Ah, I've missed Thankful Thursday. I need it more than I can say. A time to remember what I have--not what I have not. A time to reflect on positives. Not negatives. I challenge you to think of just ten things you can be thankful for. Feel free to post them here. For me thinking of them is not hard. Sharing them is the part I get lazy on.

1. My family. Each one unique and different. There is never a dull moment.
2. Time. It heals all. (remember I believe in the eternity)
3. Distance. It helps me choose love over gnashing of teeth sometimes.
4. Eyes. God gave me a good set of them. Sometimes I even take Him at His word and look around to see the good He has done, and take in the beauty of His world. Like this morning's sky--which my poor camera can only see this way...
To see it through my eyes (at 443am this morning) The sky was not quite black but had an orange-ish hue. The silhouette of leaf-bare trees complemented the bright ball of beauty. Thank you God for the simple pleasures of waking to scenes such as this.
5. I'm thankful for days when all I really have scheduled is playing with my kids. As a working mom they sometimes get lost in the madness of the work and home balance. But aren't Legos just the bomb?
Oh and that future pilot SO creative. Check out his plane (he took this picture--I see photography in his future).
Me? I'll never stop dreaming of building homes (complete with a comfy couch and fireplace).
7. I'm thankful that I'm past the stage in my life where I feel I face the world alone. This was a "me" original from my teen years. If you know God you are definitely NEVER alone and He will always put help in your path when you need it most. Can I hear an amen?
8. I'm so very thankful that I don't feel the need to tout most of these types of "flare" anymore. Really. What was I thinking? Hey parents--MOST KIDS DO GROW OUT OF IT!!!
9. I'm thankful that I have readers. I take great delight in knowing that there are other people out there and that they've felt comfortable enough to open up to me. It's exciting to know that when I get to heaven on that appointed day I'll be able to look across the vastness and say, "Well hello there good and faithful blogger--nice to meet you in person." (Don't judge me for being corny. Heavens a safe place to meet!)
10. And last but not least I am thankful for God's word. I have to admit I'm not a faithful reader but God still gets His message to me in the most creative ways. Take for instance the following verse I found while cleaning out my desk at work!

"You will make known to me the path of life; you will fill me with joy in your presence, with eternal pleasures at your right hand."
-Psalm 16:11


So thank you to God, of course, all else will fail you. Not on purpose all the time. Take time to remember that people are human. They were put on the earth to be needy. I truly believe that we have a jealous God and He wants us to need Him. We just get confused sometimes and think we are in pursuit of someone or something else.


Have a blessed Thursday folks.

Not Me Monday

Here goes my first attempt at a Not Me Monday---something started over at My Charming Kids.

I did NOT pull a pair of pants out of the hamper and rub it with a dryer sheet to freshen it so my future pilot could go to church in a pair of pants that smelled fresh and were appropriate. Nah, that wouldn't be like me at all.

I did not avoid a call back about ice skating with some awesome friends and deprive my kids of a day of fun because I can't ice skate. Honestly because what 40 year old is so uncoordinated she is afraid to fall down on the cold hard ice? And what mom would not make that sacrifice for her childrens' sake?

I did not fall asleep on the computer Friday night talking to my sister and forget about whether we had made plans for the weekend yet or not. Nope that would so not be me to ever fall asleep mid conversation.

I did not drive to another state with the sole intention of going to a store to buy stuff to organize my house and instead go to a fancy mall and window shop instead. Nope. That's something folks with time to spare do. Not me.

Purging: Part I

One of the things I committed to last Fall is getting organized. I'm not there yet. I get side tracked. A lot. I've been thinking about some of the things I know I've been holding on to for a very long time and really shouldn't be.

I watched this "Clean House" episode yesterday and was appalled by a super messy house they aired. One of the things they told the owner who simply could not find it in her heart to part with ANYTHING was, "Hang onto the memories, not the materials." That is something I really need to take heart in. My grandmother died of Alzheimers but that is no excuse to think I need to hang onto "things" for fear if I don't have anything to jog the ole memory I won't remember things. If I don't remember, looking at things is NOT going to bring back the memory.

So begins part one of purging. I thought I had just one tote box in the basement marked "Mementos". Imagine my surprise when I found two.
True to my word I grabbed a box and headed upstairs. I obviously picked the wrong box because I'm not even all the way through and so far I'm having a problem parting with things.

An "X" rated anniversary card from my hubby...
With this risque message inside...(and his signature XO on the bottom--he had me from XO)
Two count them TWO autograph books from circa 1982-83. (That would be 8th and 9th grade for me) I thought, "Surely I can throw these out." Then I turned to THIS page and this signature belongs to a news anchor. I rationalized that she's famous therefore I must keep it. I need therapy don't I?
Then there were these...
from my first TDY. I'd never been TDY before. Never left my great state alone until this time. This trip I hit two states for work back to back. The first state we were in for a short time and both evenings were spent exploring with my coworker since the town was small and nothing was within walking distance. Then we hit San Antonio and I was left to my own devices. I was prepared to stay holed up in my room forever. We got back to the hotel at 4pm. Work was over for the day and the first thing I did was call home. I got all choked up when I talked to my husband and sat on my bed for an hour. AN HOUR! Finally I got mad at myself and decided I needed to leave the room.

We stayed on the Riverwalk so a ton of stuff was within walking distance! I was very pregnant with my favorite little girl in the world and it was very hot (August). I was greatly surprised when I found a candy store inside the very cool mall. You see I was hooked on Sour Patch kids and practically lived off them during my pregnancy. Note to readers...your dentist will hate you for acts such as this. Sugar plus acid equals very bad combination for your enamel.

Sniff, then there was sniff, this. My Aunt Elli painted one for each of my siblings and I. I was a great big like 1 year old. Finding this made me think of her and how much she is missed. Such an awesome being and so talented.
Then, haha, I found these.
That diary is old. I mean OLD. From the early 80's. My my. And that little (aka BIG) baby resembling Popeye--with his winking eye is my oldest baby. At a whopping 1o pounds 13 ounces that baby resembled a Sumo wrestler!

Ah, "my sister's keys". Here's the funny part though. These keys are the keys to my older sister's apartment. An apartment she lived in like TWENTY PLUS YEARS AGO!!! These I think I can get rid of.
Okay, this picture has absolutely nothing to do with the post but the future pilot came by and swiped the camera. This is HIS doing. Honest.
Speaking of the future pilot can you believe I found THESE in the box? The future pilot was THRILLED and ran off with them immediately after I took this picture to show his daddy. I might have to wear them tomorrow.
I also found two of these, that were still in an envelope, that indicated I had sent away from them in 1983. My oh my. Anyway, I think the future pilot will enjoy them for about 5 minutes.
I found this prayer rock someone made for me years ago. I seriously think I need to place in on my pillow. God gets far less of my time than He deserves.
My last pull from the box was this Promises book. I lined up my thumb like that because I've seen that done in detective movies and always wanted to do that. Just like the prayer rock I think I need to open this a time or two.
Just so you know I DID throw a few things away. This is going to be hard though. Anyone want to volunteer to come purge for me? I'm sure if I don't ever SEE what you throw away I won't remember and become attached again. Anyone out there have a method that helps them rid their lives of these types of accumulations? I need serious help here. I might even be contemplating my first contest over this. Hmm...a contest. That would be a great way to start out the new year wouldn't it?

Resolutions?

It seems around the blogsphere people are stating resolutions or or to do's for 2009. I have to say this is the first year in quite a while that it never crossed my mind to think of any. I think it might be because I was so wrapped up in trying to accomplish great things in 2008 that I just didn't realize that hey, a new year is coming. But come it did. Zip zam zoomed right in.

I gave it some thought and I'm going narrow my list to three things.

Live
Laugh
Love

Original huh? Seriously. There must be a reason that these three words are being pictured together all over the place. I want to live and not just literally. I mean I don't mean just having blood pumping through my body and air coming in and out of my nose--or mouth which is usually the case. But living. Honest to goodness doing things. For me and for others. I think if I get this house simplified a bit I'll be able to do this.

Laugh. They do say it's the best medicine. I was eating dinner last night and I happened to see my reflection in the window. What I saw there wasn't very becoming. I can remember a day when I would get stopped walking down the hall and people always remembered me as the girl with the smile on her face. It was natural. Granted many years have gone by and gravity might have something to do with the fact that my smile corners happen to drag down a bit, but I think I'm going to work on smiling more. It's contagious don'tcha know? I'm going to work on NOT letting anyone steal my joy. "Proverbs 17:22 A merry heart doeth good like a medicine: but a broken spirit drieth the bones."

Love. I've noticed as I've grown older I've become a very judgemental person. This isn't my job. Lord knows I have enough to keep me busy without taking on jobs that don't belong to me in the first place. I'm going to try and do what Jesus taught us to do. Love. Unconditionally. Without thought for loving them because I accept them and what they do but because it is what Jesus WANTS me to do. Not because they are like me. Not because they do something kind for me. Not because they are "cool". Because it is what I should do. Experience has shown me that when someone is shown love it tends to soften them. Clay is much easier to mold and use when it's soft, not hard. Is loving going to be hard? From experiencing I know I may end up working a few millimeters of enamal off my teeth but my hope is that it will get easier with time.

Live
Laugh
Love

For Him.

Thank God It's Friday!

I had this theme of doing Thankful Thursday and I have kind of blown it the past two weeks. I promise to get back on schedule next week. I certainly never run out of things to be thankful for but I have been quite lazy in the computer world lately. Don't hate me. I've been very busy putting my home in order.

Last Sunday I was supposed to go on a hayride with the kids and some good friends but my daughter was feeling queasy in the stomach and since she had adorned my carpet early in the morning with three shades of vomit I decided we needed to sit this one out. So instead I set her up on a computer to register her very first Webkins pet. Me? Well, I went up with the rug shampooer and proceeded to try and do a better job of ridding the carpet of her regurgitated dinner. (Oh I really hope you aren't enjoying dinner while reading my blog by the way. If you are I apologize) I have to say there is nothing romantic about cleaning chunks off the carpet with your sweetie at 330 in the morning. However, it makes you appreciate that you aren't doing it alone.

After I finished with the carpet I reorganized my pantry, and my broom closet. If you will recall my pantry needed quite an overhaul. Since our Brownie troop is going into full swing food pantry donating this month it was easy for me to say we didn't need 10 of this or 15 of that. I felt good. My pantry today is a much more organized place (and so is the broom closet).

Yesterday my favorite little girl in the world opened up her salon and decked me out for the new year. Aren't my nails just FAAAAAB-U-lous?!!!

Today I went to work and had every intention of working out afterwards but ended up staying later than planned. Then I stopped by the mall to pick up the jacket Santa had promised my favorite first born son for Christmas. It was a bit pricey and I have to say I was nervous leaving the store with it for fear I might be mugged. As I grabbed my Starbucks latte and watched all of the people going by with their designer clothes and super expensive handbags, I felt very inferior in my jeans, that are wearing to the skin thin on the inner legs. Please try not to picture that.

Something I realized though, is that if I don't go to the mall I don't feel like "inferior" quite as much. I don't need those things to be happy. Note to self for 2009 STAY AWAY from the MATERIALISTIC FLASHY MALL. I probably should give up the 4 dollar coffee too. That is going to be a bit harder so I think I'll save that for 2010. Okay?

Oh but I should mention that I did win a blog contest over at Jennifer's place and I get to go shopping at Anthropology on someone else's dime! Thank you SOOOO much Jennifer. YOU ROCK. (And she does. That woman is ahMAZING.)

I got home and made dinner. My lovely "never need a repairman" refrigerator is on the fritz for the second time since we purchased it just 8 short years ago. I had to go to Iceland to retrieve the green beans...pick in hand I was able to dislodge them from this mess without puncturing the fridge. Thank you God for that.
I made a delicious dinner for my family. These were a hit, though hubby was a bit freaked out that I "mixed" evil sweet potatoes in with his redskin potatoes. Not a yam fan that one.

I hate meatloaf. My hubby and daughter love it. I try hard to make it paletable so "I" can stomach it. This time I added instant rice, onion soup mix, worcestire sauce, ketchup, hamburger seasoning, and garlic powder to it.
It wasn't a hit. :( "I" liked it. I think there was too much "stuff" in it for them. Oh well, back to the drawing board.

Tomorrow I take down the Christmas decorations. That always makes me sad. I love Christmas and all the decorations and twinkly lights. This year I'm in a hurry though because between the future pilot, RC, and Dora my ornaments are dwindling! I'm finding ornaments all over the house! Some of them not salvageable! So, before I have nothing left, it's time to tuck them back in their hiding places for another year. Sniff sniff wah. Oh but get a load of this beauty I splurged on and bought for ME on Christmas eve!!!!

Happy 2009!

Blog tidbit and end of a year

Ever notice how everything seems to taste better by candle light? My friend made this beautiful arrangement for me. She's so talented. We are always at my in-laws for Christmas dinner so we never seem to light our Christmas centerpiece. She makes me one every year. I'm tired of never getting to use it. This year I decided to feed the kids by candle light a few days after Christmas and they actually ate better. This could be a trend.

This was the temperature in my neck of the woods on Sunday. Simply gorgeous day.
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In just a few more hours 2008 will be a sleepy memory. Oh but what a year it was.

2008 was the year my husband almost died from a very bad case of pneumonia. Standing in the cold investigating a homicide while recovering from the flu will make stuff like that reality.
God was gracious and blinded me to that whole death thing. I visited him in the hospital every day for 13 days, kept going to work, managed the house and kids (with much help from my mom), and rearranged every room on the upstairs floor of our home. It wasn't until 10 days in when they opened him up to scrape his lung and insert a drainage tube, and he squeezed my hand and would not let go, that I realized things were bad. I say thank you to God for shielding me from what could have been a time of worry and fear and pity. I thank Him even more for healing my husband.

2008 was the year my favorite first born son came back home. I was missing and worrying about that one. Now most nights I know he's home safe. He is also building a special bond with his siblings that he is taking great delight in.

This year, 2008, was also when I began a journey back to school. I'm still uncertain where that will lead me but I'm willing to take baby steps back to get an educated mind--did I just say that?

Its the year my last baby was finally potty trained and I realized the baby years are really over for me--until God blesses me with grandchildren--no hurry there.

I've got a good life. It's my life and it's unique and if I spend more time cultivating my relationships, being hospitable, and less time wondering how to BE like someone else I'll enjoy it a whole lot more.

It's in the ending of this year that I have reflected on all of the "stuff" I've held onto. Inside myself and around my home. It's time to purge the unnecessary and get to the heart of what is really important. Time to detox my house so I'm not spending all of my time picking up and putting away. Time to declutter.

Oh its also the year I started a blog and started meeting bloggy buddies--which has been awesome by the way.

Happy New Year to everyone. May it be blessed and joyous for you and your's.