Lullabies and Lace

We're In!

2012-01-27T18:27:00.000-08:00

Our adoption application has been APPROVED! I am so excited. Giddy, really. I know this is just one small step in the long process of adoption, but it feels so incredibly good. We have our foot in the door. More like our big toe...or the edge of our toenail...something is in the door anyways. The process has officially begun!

So, the next step is an application interview. I am not sure what that entails other than we will meet the coordinator for the older child adoption program and discuss information regarding the agency and the program details. We will also meet our social worker to receive the paperwork we need to complete for the homestudy process to begin.

I just have to say something.

WHEEEEEEEEEE! (with a high-pitched squeal in my voice)

There. Now that I got that out of my system...

I can't believe this is finally happening. We've been working on this for a few years. The timing has just been wrong so often. James deployed (twice) and we thought we were moving to England and a whole myriad of other "things" popped up that prevented us from taking the first step. I feel surreal...like it isn't really happening. It sort of reminds me of the feeling I had the day before Chloe was born. You've been waiting for this thrilling moment for a long time and you don't really know everything to expect but you know your life is about to change drastically.

Woah. I need to breathe. My heart is pounding. This is really happening!

Beginning of the Birthday Dress

2012-01-27T12:03:00.000-08:00

Every year I sew Chloe a special dress for her birthday. This year I picked a pattern from my box and asked Chloe if she would like it. Normally I allow her to pick the pattern but I wanted something different this year.

I took her to the fabric store and told her she could pick one fabric that was her absolute favorite but preferably not pink. I then picked the two coordinating fabrics to use with it. Here is what we came up with.

Chloe picked out the blue floral fabric. I chose the blue paisley and the polka dot to coordinate. Chloe, of course, approved my final decision with whoops of satisfaction.

I sat down this morning to cut out the dress. Someone came to help me.

Snow is Chloe's kitty and she knows it. She also somehow knows when I am working on anything that belongs to Chloe and she needs to mark it with her scent. She would not leave me in peace to cut out this dress this morning. She rubbed her face over the entire surface of the fabric. Even while I was cutting the fabric, which proved to be somewhat of a nuisance.

After repeated instances of calling her name, "Snow. Snow! Snoooooow... SNOW!" I finally asked Chloe to entice her onto the couch for a cuddle session so I could finish cutting the dress. It is done and ready to be sewn...just as soon as I finish sewing 13 Jedi Knight Robes.

The Jedi Robe

2012-01-27T11:50:00.000-08:00

I laid the bolt of brown, cotton fabric onto the cutting table and the clerk asked, "How much?"

"24 yards, please," I promptly replied.

"24?" came the immediate response. I am certain she was just checking to make sure she heard me correctly.

"Yes ma'am. 24 yards."

She looked at the bolt of fabric, turned it over and looked at it again, a puzzled look on her face. Before proceeding to cut the fabric she just had to ask (I knew she would feel compelled to ask the obvious question hanging in the air),

"What are you making?"

"14 Jedi Knight robes," I answered.

So, she cut 24 yards of brown fabric and I set to work this afternoon cutting out Jedi Knight robes. Sadly, 24 yards was not enough for 14. I only managed to fit 10. (I budgeted for 2 yards per child when I actually needed 3. I will be heading back to buy more if all 14 children RSVP affirmative.)

I sewed up my sample one to try on Chloe. Wow! I can't help but chuckle at the absolute cuteness of it. Can you just picture 14 of these little padwans running through my living room? This is going to be such a fun party!

I need to get some rope to tie around the waist. Other than that, the first robe is finished. Only 13 more to go. Wooo Hooo!

Tom Tommers Restaurant

2012-01-26T08:06:00.000-08:00

This morning I visited a fantastic little restaurant. The food was so impeccably delicious that I thought I would share this restaurant with you all so you could visit in the future. I am sure the cook/owner of this restaurant would love to share her delicious entrees with you.

This restaurant does not have a sign above the front door so I did not know the name of it before I sat down. The waitress walked up to where I was sitting on the couch (Yes, you actually sit on a couch and dine from a coffee table. Unique, right?) and introduced herself.

"Hi. My name is Chloe and I will be your servant tonight."

Servant. I held back a chuckle. She was, after all, in complete earnest.

Chloe handed me the menu after informing me the name of the restaurant. Tom Tommers. (Next time I visit I will have to ask where the owner came up with the name.)

I choose the mac and cheese and green beans (from the grownups menu). I was told that the mac and cheese was a little spicy but I opted to go for it anyways. I waited patiently while the cook prepared my food.

Indeed, the mac and cheese appeared red because of the amount of spices used. They were absolutely scrumptious though. As were the green beans (which were cooked to perfection).

Now, Tom Tommers does not hand you a dessert menu. After the meal, the waitress (or servant as they are called here) offers you the choice of dessert options. My choices were cake or ice cream. I chose cake. I was then offered chocolate or vanilla. I chose chocolate.

When the cake was brought to my coffee table, the ~~waitress~~ servant informed me that it was my birthday today and so she made me a birthday cake. Wow! I totally forgot it was my birthday today. For some reason, I thought it was in April, but apparently I was mistaken.

After the ~~waitress~~ servant sang me a beautiful rendition of "Happy Birthday", I blew out my candles one by one, the flame magically disappearing after each blow as typically happens when you blow out candles.

You might think the party ends there. But not a Tom Tommers. They go all out on your birthday. I was brought a handful of balloons of which I could choose one to take home. My options were blue, red or green. I had a hard time choosing just one but the delightful ~~waitress~~ servant at Tom Tommers offered me two.

What an amazing dining experience. I highly recommend every single one of my friends visit Tom Tommers for your next meal out. It will be an experience you will not soon forget.

Star Wars Birthday Invitations

2012-01-25T15:16:00.000-08:00

They are ready! The invitations to Chloe's birthday party are made and ready to be handed/mailed out to her friends. Yippee! We are so excited.

I bought this nifty little white paint pen so Chloe could cover the edges of the black cardstock with galaxies of stars.

I downloaded a Star Wars font to use and let me tell you...its PERFECT! I may use it for other things I need to type in the future.

So the front of the invitation says...

Star Wars
Episode VII: Birthday Party
Starring: Chloe Skywalker

In a galaxy far, far away, on the morning of March 15, a baby girl was born. The Jedi Council named her Chloe. They knew she was the chosen one. In the seven years that followed her birth, young Chloe has been learning the powers of the Force. Meanwhile, the Republic has discovered a new enemy. The Jedi Knights feel a strong disturbance in the Force. Fear, pain and suffering have opened the path to the darkside. Many Jedi Knights have been lost. The very future of the Jedi Order is now in jeapordy. Young Padwan Chloe has been called by the Jedi Council, to seek out future Jedi. Master Yoda is urging the younglings to complete their training and take part in the upcoming trials.

The back of the invitation includes the party information.

Padwan (child's name) presence is requested to complete the Jedi training and prepare for the trials on March (day of party) 2012. Transport to the Jedi Temple, on Coruscant, will be departing promptly at (time) from the Ness system, Docking Bay (address) and returning at (time). Please advise Jedi Masters James and Anna Ness ASAP at (phone number) as to whether Padwan (child's name) will accept the challenge of the trials.

May the Force be with you!

In a small note at the bottom I included...

Please note that due to new security protocols in the republic, no weapons will be allowed on transport vessels. Please forgive the inconvenience and rest assured that the Jedi Council has secured enough equipment for the padwans to complete their training.

I don't know what got into my little brain. We made 14 invitations. Yes, that's right. FOURTEEN!!! If they all accept, that will be 14 little Jedi padwans running around my tiny house. Oh goodness me.

But how do I tell Chloe that she can't invite her friends? That is so very, very hard. We already culled the list as far down as I possibly could and still we ended up with 14 names.

Ah, but good time at the party we will have. The Force is strong in our family!

My Place, My Job

2012-01-24T08:22:00.000-08:00

I have struggled most of my life with knowing who I am and where I belong in this world. I seek love and affection from so many sources other than the only One who completely knows and understands me. I turn to the creation rather than the Creator, seeking what I need from people who fail me.

I look at what other people have and I want that. I know God has a task/job for me on this earth, but I often look at everyone else around me and desire what they have. They have talents and "cool jobs" that I feel should have been given to me. An outgoing ministry leader. A talented choir member. A mother of multiple children. Inspiring authors filled with beautiful words. Insightful and thought-provoking Bible study leaders. I spend my life attempting to create those talents in myself.

I long to be outgoing and friendly like so many I see. People swarm them. They flock to them. They are drawn to them and love them. Why? What makes them any different than me? I mimic their traits but find that I fail miserably at being them. My sense of self-worth diminishes as I realize I CAN'T BE THEM!

This morning as I was driving my dear husband to work a song flooded through the speakers of our van and into my heart, reminding me that God has given me a place in this world. My own place. My own job. My own talents. I choked back the tears.

I listened to the song for myself. God gently spoke into my heart and told me that I Have A Place in This World! The song finished and I hit the back button to listen a second time. The second time through God spoke again.

My job is to give other children a place in this world. That is my task. God, in His Great Mercy, has blessed me with the talents and desire necessary for this wonderful job. Adoption is my place in this world. Through adoption, I will shower children with the love of Jesus and teach them to glorify our Lord with their lives. Teach them about their place at the feet of the One who created them, loves them deeply and knows them like no one else.

As the understanding and knowledge of this rained down on me this morning, I could barely contain the sobs as I drove down the highway. I now know my place. I know my job!

Wholeheartedly, I accept.

Pinkle Purr Video

2012-01-20T13:51:00.000-08:00

This one is from Chloe, ya'll. Proof that Mama got the hang of this whole posting videos on the blog thing. (I still need to get them up on facebook though.)

Note: Chloe acted out the part of Pinkle Purr the cat during her recitation. (She did NOT have to use the restroom. I asked when I was done filming.)

I am amazed at how much this child can memorize. She worked on this poem before Thanksgiving and remembered most of it this morning. This is in addition to her scripture memory work (1 full chapter every 4 weeks) and her verses for Awanas (she is working through her book for the second time this year). Way to go Chloe!

Another Note: I am sorry but the voice you hear prompting Chloe is my own and I think it imperative I inform you that it is NOT the same voice I hear in my head when I talk. That voice is much softer and gentler. I do not intend to sound harsh and dicator-esque when I speak. Please forgive my confused video camera for this erroneous representation.

The Lamb and Her Shepherd

2012-01-20T13:45:00.000-08:00

I am a lamb,
Leaping through the meadow;
Chasing butterflies in the tall grass,
Frolicking amongst the wildflowers.

Mindless and carefree,
I dance and sing for my own delight.
Wandering heedlessly, I stray from the fold;
Content to find my own amusement.

The world delights my fickle fancy,
So many frivolous things to achieve.
Darkness creeps in around me,
Drinking up my blessed light.

Dark.
Alone.
Scared.
Nowhere to turn.
Caught between giant boulders on the cliff side,
I cannot move from this snare.

Crying out, bleating for my Shepherd;
Scared He won't come.
Foolishness.
Shame.
Why?
Why did I leave my protection?

A still, small voice.
It reaches through the darkness;
Gentle hands secure me into a loving embrace.
My Shepherd never left my side,
He followed me through it all.

Home.
Where I belong.
Humbly I kneel, face to the ground,
To worship my Shepherd.
Safe.
Warm.
Loved.

The Incredible Journey Begins!

2012-01-19T14:39:00.000-08:00

We did it!

We finally DID IT!

We submitted our adoption application!!!

I cannot begin to tell you how excited I am at this moment. Our lives are on the brink of changing dramatically and my heart thrills just to think of it.

This incredible journey has been thought about, prayed over, meditated on, researched, prayed over again and researched yet again many times. When a family begins to think about adoption, there are so many choices to be made. Infant? Domestic? International? State? Private Agency? It boggles the mind.

A year ago our minds were set to foster through the state. We filled out the application and attended the information meeting. All that was needed was to drop the application in the mail. Something caught in my heart. I could not move forward. I could not mail the application. It sat on our kitchen table for months. I prayed. I cried. I searched. I asked advice of friends and family. No peace came. I needed peace with our decision.

This Christmas, James and I made the decision to adopt through an agency. We chose one and filled out the application. I felt a bit of peace returning to my heart. This was a step in the right direction. We filled out the entire application and all that remained was hitting the submit button on the computer. I asked the Lord for a sign by Friday of last week. I gave him two days. Friday night the word came. This agency might not be the best choice.

But where to go? What do do? We had just finished filling out the application! God? What do you want us to do? We need your guidance.

I began talking with a lady in our church who adopted previously. She mentioned another agency. Aha! I've heard of them! I liked them but I forgot about it over the past year. And if that wasn't enough, another lady walked over and mentioned her praise of this agency.

I immediately texted James and told him, "Do NOT hit submit! Please tell me you haven't hit submit yet!" He had just finished filling in the last line. We spent this past weekend filling out the new application. I waited until they were open on Tuesday to call and talk with the coordinator. As I was speaking with her, a peace that passes my human understanding washed over me. Yes. This was right.

That afternoon I slipped the envelope containing our application into the mail.

Now we are waiting for our initial interview so we can start our adoption training classes on February 1.

The incredible journey has begun!

State Park Adventure #2

2012-01-19T14:22:00.000-08:00

We took advantage of the holiday this past Monday and James day off work to head out to another state park. Brrrrr! What a chilly day for a hike. We bundled up warmly.

It took some of us a little while to get in the spirit of a winter hike. I think little bodies take longer to warm up...or something like that anyways. After climbing a few trees, Chloe started to enjoy herself.

She takes her tree climbing quite seriously. It is an important skill she feels must be mastered. And soon!

Chloe and James found many rocks to climb and jump from. Meanwhile, I photographed from the ground. I can't believe I used to jump off things that height (and higher) in my younger days. Little daredevil that I was. (hmpf)

We saw four deer jumping through the woods. I have never, in my life, seen deer jump as high as these deer. They literally bounded through the woods. So graceful. With such agility. It was amazing to watch. After such breathtaking beauty, we needed a little rest which provided time to study the importance and usefulness of a good walking stick.

Honestly though, I think they were poking each other. Walking sticks are useful in more ways than one might originally think.

The good Capn' says its time to get a move on...

Walking down the opposite side of the mountain, we found ourselves in another world. Fairyland. Chloe immediately claimed the trees were "fairy trees" and we were in the midst of fairyland.

Chloe saw moss in various shades of green alongside the trail and commented that it was "Fairy Carpet!" We began hunting for fairies, knowing we would never see any. We did, however, find many fairy homes along the way which I photographed.

What a beautiful park! Unfortunately, time is fleeting and were unable to explore any longer that day. We decided that this park is one we definitely MUST visit again.

Do You Know How to Post Videos to Facebook?

2012-01-19T09:01:00.000-08:00

Well...you should!

Just kidding. But for real, this is Chloe's favorite commercial on television right now. They seem to play it every single tv commercial break during the Giants football games. (Go Giants!)

I often overhear James and Chloe reciting this phrase to each other and then bursting into laughter over it. It would seem they have an inside joke between the two of them that I am not privy too. I don't understand the humor behind their uproarious laughter, but I am happy for it none-the-less.

This commercial sparked a new ~~obsession~~ interest for Chloe. She keeps begging me to post a video of her on my blog and on facebook. In her eyes, the question posed in this commercial is valid. Can Mama post videos to faceboook?

So, I promised her I would. She chose to recite one of her school poems so I could post it. Chloe...this one is for you...and OF you, coincidentally... (I added all those little trailing periods for her as well...Chloe loves them and now adds them to most of her writing assignments. I limit her to four dots per sentence...or else she fills the paper with them. She finds the humor of the dots increases with each one added. 10 trailing periods is infinitely more hilarious than 3. Go figure.)

A.A. Milne happens to be one of our very favorite authors. Chloe and I both love his humor. She adores his poetry so I thought it would be fun for her to memorize some of it this year. I will have to get another video of her reciting "Pinkle Purr" up for you. (hint: it's about a cat.)

Since that was so easy, I better run along and figure out how to post this video to facebook!

Book #2 Review: The Perfect Christmas

2012-01-19T07:38:00.000-08:00

One night is all it took for me to read this "cute" book.

My goal for the year is 52 books. That translates to a book a week. I am obviously behind. I understand that during our times off from homeschooling I will undoubtedly find more time for reading, thus making up for my losses. It's just that I hate this constant feeling of always being behind.

So, to help ease my mind, I picked this book off my shelf and read it.

My thoughts on the book? I suppose it could be considered twaddle. Easy to read. Not much substance to it. But hey! Sometimes you just feel like an easy, light read. And this fit the bill.

I enjoyed reading the book for that purpose. Like I said earlier, I found little substance to the book. No delightfully long words. No important lessons learned. It was pure romance and quite predictable romance at that. You knew upon reading the first chapter or two how the book would end. I did appreciate the fact that the book remained clean. No monkey business, if you know what I mean.

This book doesn't rank very high on my favorites list however. If it had more meat to it, I would probably rank it higher. That being said, I might just have to read another one of Debbie Maccomber books in the future when I need a break from using my brain too much. (which can happen sometimes...)

A Suprise Inside

2012-01-11T12:26:00.000-08:00

Every year we hide a pickle ornament inside our tree for Chloe to find. When she finds it, she receives a little gift. If (when) we had (have) more children, it would be the first child that finds it gets the gift. (And the gift would be something for the entire family, like a puzzle or a board game.)

Anyways, as she was hunting for the pickle she found a treasure inside our tree.

A real bird's nest!

We waited until we took the tree down to get it out. (Sadly our tree was deader than a doornail...I don't think we have ever seen a deader tree.)

Unfortunately, the nest broke almost in half as I tried to maneuver it out from the branches. We all decided that we will put it outside in my shrub rose bush in the back garden and maybe the birds can make use of it. Who knows. Maybe they can repair it and use it. Wouldn't that be neat?

A Change of Plans...Again!

2012-01-11T12:13:00.000-08:00

I did it again! I planned Chloe's birthday party down to the color of the icing on the cake and she went and changed the theme of the party altogether.

So, I guess I can tell you what the original plan was although we may use it in the future. (She said maybe her 8th party. I am thinking maybe the next child if we adopt or get pregnant with a girl.) The original plan was a Fairy Garden Tea Party. How sweet, right? She loved the idea when we were cleaning up from her shark party last year. In fact, she helped me come up with the idea.

But no. Christmas day her plans changed. I will give you a clue. Here is her favorite you tube video at the moment.

Yup. Chloe wants a Star Wars party! How fun!

You see, she bought me the whole saga on dvd for Christmas this year. She heard me say I would love it at some point this past year and got it into her little noggin that it would be the perfect gift for me. I almost cried as I opened it on Christmas morning. Quite an elaborately expensive gift from a 6 year old child, but it showed her love and devotion to me. What a sweet, sweet child my dear Chloe is. Unknowingly, I also purchased Star Wars memorabilia for Chloe's gifts. A Darth Vadar mask, a Storm Trooper mask and two light sabers. Needless to say, she adored them. We had quite the Star Wars Christmas, complete with a movie marathon (which lasted until New Years Eve. Do you have any idea how long all six Star Wars movies last back to back?) and now a child who believes herself to be a Jedi Knight and capable of using The Force to open/close our van door.

Is it any wonder then that she asked for a Star Wars party? And Star Wars it will be. (I just need to research how to make an R2-D2 cake. I think I found the perfect plans.

It is going to be a great party! Just you wait and see what I come up with this year! I am so excited!!!

State Park Adventure #1

2012-01-11T11:45:00.000-08:00

Sunday afternoon, we visited a beautiful state park close to our house that we never even knew existed before. Knowing that there are many more parks we have yet to experience brought excitement to my heart. I love this state!

Now, I must say that after making our goal of visiting every state park in our state in 2012, I then went onto the website to hunt for the names of each one so I could make a spreadsheet of all the state parks and their distance from our house. Wow! There are over 50! We have to visit over 50 parks in the next 50 weeks! YIKES! What a goal, right? But hey! I just know that by attempting this goal we will visit more parks than if we stayed home without any goal at all.

Anyways, we walked a trail around a wetland area first. For our nature study, I had Chloe look for bird nests. They are much easier to see this time of year without all the leaves and brush in the way.

We counted over 15 nests on our walk. Some were quite large too! Ginormous might better describe them.

We found many interesting objects along our path.

We figure someone must have tied a string or wire around this tree when it was a sapling to create this twist. Other than this twist, the tree stood straight and tall.

These mushrooms needed to be photographed. I thought they resembled saw blades stuck into the trees. They almost looked like a center cut from a tree. I think we may need to start a mushroom study soon. There are so many unique and different kinds.

We saw these "seed balls" hanging from this tree and couldn't help but think that perhaps God decorated his own Christmas tree.

Oh! Look at what we found! A Turtle!

Chloe begged to bring the turtle home. We denied the request. Multiple times. Daddy, however, placed the turtle on her shoe as recompense.

Chloe tries her hardest to find climbable trees every park we visit to no avail. Well, this park boasted many beautiful climbing trees, just right for a small six year old. Chloe was in heaven.

I love tying in multiple subjects in one outing. Art and nature go hand in hand for any homeschooling family. Chloe wanted to create her own art project in nature while James and I hunted around for interesting objects and skipped seashells along the bay water. (James held the record at something between 6-8 skips for one shell.)

This tree spoke to me. I needed to photograph it.

I found a setting on my camera that James and I fell in love with. While on the sports/motion setting, I can hold down the button and the camera will automatically click a series of pictures to get those wonderful action shots in succession. We spent some time playing with it.

Well, that was fun!

I cannot wait to visit some other parks to see what treasures we can find. Maybe we might even find some places that will become family favorites!

A New Christmas Tradition

2012-01-08T17:18:00.000-08:00

In an effort to prolong the gift opening ceremony this year, I tied strings to Chloe's gifts and hid them throughout the house. I wound the strings up and down the stairs and around the furniture until the end (or beginning) ended at the tree.

Christmas morning Chloe carefully followed each string to her gifts.

Round and round the coffee table...

I was unsure whether she would love this little game or absolutely hate it.

She LOVED it! She actually asked if we could do this for her birthday party this year. I told her no because her friends might not enjoy sitting there watching her get to play the game by herself. Maybe next Christmas. (She can hardly wait.)

Definitely a hit. Instead of opening her gifts in 3.4 minutes it lasted until 3 in the afternoon. What a lovely Christmas morning! We spent the day at home with just our family and we sure needed that this year. Just some slow, quality time to be ourselves in our pajamas.

Celebrating Advent

2012-01-08T17:02:00.000-08:00

A few years ago I almost burned my house down.

I felt the need to begin a new tradition in our home. The tradition of advent. Lighting candles every Sunday throughout the Christmas season to remind us of the reason Jesus came to earth and keep us looking for his return.

Well, ahem...er...one Sunday I might have left the candles burning when we left for church. A thought flitted through my brain and I quietly whispered to James during the sermon to ask if he blew out the candle. Nope.

So, we arrived home to a hole burned in the center of our table and a smoke filled house.

Needless to say, I have been banned from "celebrating advent" since that time.

I asked James this year if perhaps he thought I might be mature enough to handle lighting candles. The answer was yes, as long as my candles were pillars that could not be knocked over without some considerable force. AND I needed to make sure we blew them out EVERYTIME.

So that's what we did. I found an advent devotion book that we used each night beginning December 1. We would light the appropriate number of candles for that night and read the devotions. Each night had a symbol to correspond with the devotion that I traced onto paper and then backed with felt. I added a sticky-backed velcro to each symbol and then let Chloe choose where to put them on the "tree" (which I cut out of green felt and machine sewed to the white background).

I cannot tell you how much of a blessing this tradition was to my family this year. We experienced one of our busiest years ever and spending time each evening of the Christmas season as a family, focusing on Jesus Christ, really blessed us and kept our hearts right where they needed to be.

Of course, you all know me. I always take things a step (or two) too far. I had to add just one more thing to our nightly routine. I wrapped 24 Christmas story books (YES! Twenty Four! I didn't realize I had that many.) for Chloe to unwrap each night. Now she has read these stories a billion times, but somehow the unwrapping of a book each evening remained thrilling. It was fun just to see which book it would be and remember reading the stories last year.

This is certainly one tradition we will continue again next Christmas.

A Good Goal Needs Motivation, Right?

2012-01-05T14:28:00.000-08:00

I ~~bribe~~ motivate Chloe with trinkets and small toys sometimes to help her want to tackle a hard task. I figure if the task is that hard we all need some help in reaching for it, right? Sometimes, the end goal is enough motivation in itself. But what happens when it's not?

Take my fitness goals for this year. If you are a long time reader of my blog, you might vaguely recall a similar goal from last year. And the year before. (And the year before that.) ~~and before that too.~~ We don't need to go back that far. You get the point.

So, how can I make sure that 2012 is THE year that I accomplish this desire to lose my pregnancy fat and obtain that ever elusive energy I see so many other mothers with?

Ah-ha! Motivational rewards!

Makes sense, right? So, my reward is this. For every 2 pounds I lose I get to buy a book for myself from my extensive book list. Some of these books have been on this list for over two years. I can't quite bring myself to purchase them. I know I want them, but somehow other things seem more important (like broccoli and laundry soap and socks). My only rule is that they must be books for MY enjoyment. They cannot be "schoolbooks" for Chloe.

This might prove a very hard rule for me to follow. I am a homeschooling Mama who has a "thing" for books.

Opps. I may have already broken my only rule. I bought a book yesterday. I Love Dirt! Oh, but you don't understand. I REALLY wanted this book. So, it was just as much for me as it was for Chloe, if not more. She could probably care less that I bought it. (Although I could most likely say that for 95% of her schoolbooks, but that is beside the point.)

But the rest of the books I buy will be solely for myself.

And I will have you know that I did not intend to lose 4 pounds in one week when I chose this motivational tool. My "plan" was/is .25 pounds a week. That would amount to one book a month. I figured that would be enough to keep me focused. (How to make James believe me...)

My other motivational reward was fully approved of by James himself (as was the book idea but he might not confirm that fact since he is out the money for two books this week). Once I reach ALL my fitness goals this year James will take me out to buy a new dress and then dinner at Ruth's Chris. I know, I know. They say you are not supposed to use food as a reward with fitness goals. Oh well. It's what I want and its what will motivate me. It's not like I am promising myself a candy bar for every two pounds I lose or something. I may change my mind, however and opt for Fogo De Chao. That might be a bad idea. All you can eat meat. Hmmm...we shall see how hungry I am the night we are to dine.

Book 1 Review: The Elegance of the Hedgehog

2012-01-05T14:01:00.000-08:00

I may be cheating a little bit with this book as I started it sometime in December. I am allowing myself to include it in my 2012 Reading Challenge because I finished it two nights ago. So, I am only sort of cheating.

"The Elegance of the Hedgehog"
by Muriel Barbery

This book took me longer to finish than I like with a book. It was not "unreadable" however. Just challenging. You may recall my problem about a year or so ago (if I mentioned it, which I believe I did, although forgive me if I am mistaken and didn't) of being stuck in a genre rut. For a few years I read only Amish novels. I drank them up. I read just about everything I could lay my hands on. I bored myself to tears with them. (Yes, I did.) While I dreamed of living as an Amish woman, reading strictly Amish novels for over two years sucked me dry. I needed a drastic change.

Along came a dear friend of mine who listed some of her favorite authors for me. I actually tried new books. I joined a book club and, again, tried new books. I found that there is so much more in the world for me aside from Amish novels or Grace Livingston Hill. But I have filled my head with such "twaddle" for many years that reading a good, challenging book...well...challenges me.

And that's a good thing.

So, I love this book because of the large vocabulary. The amazing thing to me was that the book was originally written in French. I read the translation. It was fantastic. I don't fully comprehend how you can translate a book from its original language and still maintain the humor the author intended, especially when that humor involves grammar and language itself. I found that fact alone fascinating.

Now I do not happen to agree with everything philosophical in the book. While I do not believe in "religion" per se, I do believe God exists and is very real. So, to read a different point of view as if it were absolute fact can be difficult for me.

The hardest notion for me to wrap my brain around was the intelligence of a certain 12 year old girl. (The story is written from the perspective of a 50 something year old lady and a 12 year old girl.) The girl wrote in her "journal" during her portions of the story and was extremely intelligent for one so young. I just couldn't believe some of the ideas and words this child knew and understood. I kept thinking to myself, "What 12 year old knows and understands this?" I guess that's what made her so unique, but for me it made the plot a bit unbelievable. "Yeah, right!" I often thought sarcastically to myself.

Anyway, here is one of my favorite quotes from the book.

“The tea ritual: such a precise repetition of the same gestures and the same tastes; accession to simple, authentic and refined sensations, a license given to all, at little cost, to become aristocrats of taste, because tea is the beverage of the wealthy and the poor; the tea ritual, therefore, has the extraordinary virtue of introducing into the absurdity of our lives an aperture of serene harmony. Yes, the world may aspire to vacuousness, lost souls mourn beauty, insignificance surrounds us. Then let us drink a cup of tea. Silence descends, one hears the wind outside, autumn leaves rustle and take flight, the cat sleeps in a warm pool of light. And, with each swallow, time is sublimed.”

Okay. It involved tea. I know. Every time I read about the art of taking tea in a novel, I can't help but smile to myself, put down my book and brew myself a cuppa. There is just something about a cup of tea that warms the soul.

And my other favorite quote from the book...

“The only purpose of cats is that they constitute mobile decorative objects.”

When I read this line, I actually chuckled out loud.

A book about grammar, art, cats (and a bit about dogs), tea, friendship...what is not to love?

2012 Book Reading Challenge

2012-01-04T11:51:00.000-08:00

I will compile the list of books I am reading or have read this year here in one blog post. My goal is 52 books this year. I plan to review the books too. Just my own feelings and thoughts, but that will come in other posts. For now, here is the list...so far...

1. "The Elegance of the Hedgehog" by Muriel Barbery (review)

2. "The Perfect Christmas" by Debbie Maccomber (review)

Happy New Year 2012

2012-01-02T19:42:00.000-08:00

Hooray! We made it to 2012! I don't know why I feel such a deep need to celebrate this fact. Well, maybe because 2011 proved to be somewhat difficult for me to get through emotionally. It could have been worse. Yes. But we saw quite a bit of chaos. We survived and I am happy to say that things are calming down for a bit. I need the break. I really do. A break from the chaos to get my life back on track.

Okay. So, I put together a little list of "New Year's GOALS" to help me. Here they are.

1. Read through the Bible this year.

2. Run a 5K.

3. Reach "Airborne PT Standards". (19 pushups in 2 min., 53 situps in 2 min., 18:54 min 2 mile run)

4. Read 52 books.

5. Visit every State Park in my state.

6. Blog every day except Sunday.

7. Zone clean everything in my entire house at least once. (see www.Flylady.net)

8. Do something creative once a week. (I tried the daily thing last year, as you may recall...and, well...you know how that went. I figure a weekly goal would better suit my "free spirit" nature.

9. Take a photography class.

10. Adopt a child or two.

So far the New Year is off to an excellent start. I have been to the gym 3 times since Friday. Woo Hoo! I am no longer scared of running the treadmill in front of total strangers. (I am still a bit nervous walking into the fitness room, but then I reason with myself and try to convince myself that everyone else there is not watching me to see if I fall off the treadmill or sprinkle sweat on the increase speed button and I soon settle myself down into a routine. It's not the same as being scared though. It really isn't. Scared is not going...which is exactly what I've been doing for the past 10 years. Not going.)

I hope all of you had a wonderful holiday season and that your new year brings you closer to the heart of Jesus. (That is another one of my "goals" but I am unsure how to make it less general and more obtainable.) Have a fantastic Monday night!

Finally...an Update!

2011-12-29T21:47:00.000-08:00

Greetings my faithful and sadly neglected blog-world friends. I am sorry to have left you in the dust as I did, but life threw us a few curve balls this fall and well...other than that, I have no other excuses. So, I will just apologize and hope that someone out there is still reading this.

So, what have we been up to since...oh...say about last summer? (Seeing as it has been that long since I have really contributed substantially to this blog.) Well, let me recap some of the high points for you.

1. We survived an earthquake. Wooo Hooo! Yes we did! Last August or thereabouts. Scared dear little Chloe out of her wits. She was at the top of the stairs and I was at the bottom. After the fact (and once we realized we were alive and that it was, indeed, an earthquake *thank you facebook*) we decided it was quite a thrilling experience to live through. Nothing fell on us nor did anything break so we now consider it an impromptu theme park ride of sorts.

2. In the same week our entire basement flooded. I would say that the earthquake scored a much higher rating on the "fun things to experience" list. The basement flooding caused too much chaos and turmoil in our home. (P.S. The flood happened before the earthquake by a couple of days and it was due to our sump pump taking a much needed vacation during some of the worst rains I have ever seen in these parts, not the earthquake. Don't get confused.)

Anyways, the emergency water mitigation company worked quickly to pack up ALL our belongings and cart them off. I scrambled to retrieve as many of Chloe's schoolbooks as I could from their swift fingers before they were packed up. I cannot say the same for the remodeling company, on the other hand. It took them a good 2 1/2 months to get the basement put back together. We have yet to finish unpacking the boxes in our newly remodeled basement.

I feel as though I now understand how Jesus works all things out for good according to his purpose. Take our basement. I was in tears as the water mitigation company walked around and informed me of each and every one of my possessions that would need to be thrown out. It was sad. But, now we have a beautifully finished basement that looks 100% better than it did before. The carpet was replaced. The drywall was replaced and painted. The baseboards were replaced. It looks fantastic. I can only thank Jesus for this.

3. So, Chloe has been over 2 years without a seizure. Praise Jesus! She came off her seizure medication in September. So far we have had no seizures from her.

4. I cannot say the same for the rest of our family though. In November (the weekend before Thanksgiving) James went mountain biking with a friend and had a pretty bad accident. He broke his finger (Poor guy had to wear a cast for 3 weeks. That's tough for a computer guy who spends most of his day typing.) and about 30 seconds after the crash, his friend saw him seize up. Oh my. Yes. What a weekend. We spent 3 days in the hospital trying to get tests run to find out why, but they don't know. He never hit his head. Anyways, all is well. All is fine. He is completely normal.

But he cannot drive for 3 months. Guess who gets to drive him everywhere! Yup. Yours truly. And you all know how I hate driving, right? God is teaching me through this though. I am capable. And flexible. Not that I have been in the past, mind you. But that is what He is teaching me through all of these trials that have come my way in the past 6 months. We can homeschool in the kitchen while the basement is uninhabitable. I can rearrange my schedule to take James to work and doctors appointments and school and all that. If I need to clean the house in the evening instead of read books or blog, I can do that too.

So, there you have some updates from this side of the computer now. Hopefully, I will have more for you soon. I have been thinking about my New Years "Goals" and once I get them ironed out, I will have to share some of them with you. One of them might just pertain to this here blog. We shall see.

Have a delightful weekend.

Fall 2011 To-Do List

2011-10-24T10:47:00.000-07:00

Here is a list I compiled of things I would like to do this fall with or for Chloe and James. I have no idea if we can even get it all done, but I am going to try. These are things I want to do every year but when it comes right down to picking something to do on a given weekend my mind draws a blank and I end up saying something stupid like, "I don't know...what do YOU want to do." Well, not this year. I have my pre-made list ready and now there shall be no excuses.

1. Day Camping Trip - go camping for an afternoon/evening with all the expected "camping activities" only come home to sleep in our own bed instead of the hard, cold forest floor.

2. Go for a hike in a State Park we have yet to visit

3. Bake Monarch Butterfly cupcakes.

4. Bake an apple pie

5. Make a gold leaf tree for our coffee table

6. Make Thanksgiving Placemats

7. Make Caramel Apples

8. Make Caramels

9. Carve a pumpkin

10. Bake a pumpkin roll (yummy! a must-do every year item)

11. Decorate the house for fall

12. Sew a fall dress for Chloe

13. Fry doughnuts

14. Make soft squishy pumpkins

15. Make a pom pom tree

16. Take a drive on the Blue Ridge Parkway to see the fall foliage

17. Make sausage ratatouille

18. Make chicken pot pie

19. Build a scarecrow

20. Turkey Trot mile run

21. Make cornhusk dolls

22. Throw an Apple themed playdate party

23. Make Bread Bowls and chili

24. Visit a local farm fall festival and corn maze

25. Attend a Thanksgiving Parade

26. Make lots and lots of fall crafts!

27. Make a fall wreath for the front door.

28. Attend the local "day after Thanksgiving" festivities with ice skating, Santa, carriage rides and tree lighting.

Gone

2011-10-03T12:33:00.000-07:00

It's gone. Completely gone.

My Nikon D5000 is no more.

It was stolen from our apartment in New York City.

Sigh.

My parents came to visit for a couple of weeks and we took them to NYC to see where James was raised and the Statue of Liberty. We stayed in an apartment in the Upper West Side. Well, that evening while we headed out to climb (ride an elevator) up the Empire State Building, some person broke into our room and helped themselves to my $800 camera.

I can't cry. It was only a camera after all. I didn't lose my daughter or my leg or something of that importance. A camera can be replaced...if one has the finances to do so (which I do not). But oh, how I miss it. I look at my charger (which was left at home) and sigh. I even have my camera bag. Empty.

I have some pictures my mother gave me from her camera as documentation that I truly "was there" but it's not the same. It is not MY photography. With MY camera.

Sigh.

Those college classes on photography I was asking for Christmas seem a little pointless now so I will remove them from my wishlist.

Someday I will replace it. Not now. But someday.

In other news, the remodeling work commenced on our basement this morning. Hooray! Oh yea. I forgot to mention (or maybe I did mention and forgot) that our entire basement flooded a few weeks ago. Right in time for my parent's visit. So they (not my parents...the water mitigation people) tore everything up and dried it out and now we've been waiting for 4 weeks for them (the remodeling people) to come and replace everything. We get a brand new basement out of this.

So, lots going on in our household. I will have to update you all more at another time. I am off to clean something. Or take a nap.

A Dressing Station

2011-09-13T19:07:00.000-07:00

Chloe owns so many hair bows and clips and ribbons and doo-dads and hair ties and...well...you get the idea. She needed a way to store all these accessories in an easily accessible manner. After giving it some thought and peeking around Pottery Barn Kids a few times, I came up with a solution.

Wall shelves.

Chloe begged and begged and pleaded and begged some more for a mirror. Honestly, she asked for one for two Christmases in a row, poor dear. So, a good dressing station would involve a mirror of some sort too.

Here is what I came up with.

White mirror - $4 at Target.
Wall shelves - $8 each at Target.
Jars - $5 for the set at Target.
Hooks - $3 at Target.

And she has a dressing station fit for a princess.

I still need a ruffle curtain. Pottery Barn Kids has the most gorgeous one in the entire world. Unfortunately, I cannot afford the price tag for such beauty. I found a simpler one at Target for $20. I might purchase that one and add some lace and trims and all that "girly" stuff. Won't that be so pretty?

The Moon

2011-09-13T18:53:00.000-07:00

Speaking of the moon...

The real moon. (and no...James did not hang it. Although closet doors come pretty close.)

I took those pictures through the telescope with my camera. I borrowed a lens from another stargazer to get this next picture. My lens could not get anywhere near this close.

I need to get out my manual and read up on how to change my shutter speed. I could have gotten a much better picture if I could have found the button, but it was very dark, even in the light of the full moon.

I just think its pretty cool that I got the images I did with my camera and limited photography knowledge. We saw some other cool things too. Like two stars that appear next to each other but are really lightyears away and the M16 Nebula star cluster. So very cool. We might need to go stargazing again.

P.S. We are studying space for school right now, hence the stargazing through telescopes and knowledge of M16 star cluster and such. I am getting a quality education over here. I wonder if they will let me homeschool college too. I would be all over that.

Hanging the Moon

2011-09-13T18:46:00.000-07:00

James hung the moon. Okay. So not literally. But he might as well have. He hung some closet doors for me AND he laid laminate flooring in my entryway. Major improvement. Here are the "befores".

Note how terrible that floor looks. Inside the closet is the original hardwood floor. Choke. Gasp. Agggghhh! Sigh. Yes, underneath the carpet is hardwood flooring. Isn't that sad? Little did we know this fact until after we purchased the carpet before we moved into the house. And since we didn't actually see the floor, we don't really know the condition of it and how much work it would take to make it presentable. So, we just live with the knowledge that its down there. Its enough for us.

There is 1/4" subflooring underneath that "peel-and-stick" tile. Yes, someone put plywood subflooring on top of hardwood floors. Really makes me wonder about the condition of our hardwood. Anyways, about the time our new kitchen was going in, the doors on our entryway closet broke. I've put up with a broken closet door for 6 months. Talk about annoying.

So there it goes. Bye-bye! My main job for the day was painting the new closet doors. Every time I turned around my painter's canvas was twisted up in a pile instead of nice and flat like I left it. Hmmmmm....how does something like that happen?

Yup. Found the culprit. Leave it to a kitten to play with everything. She got a little antsy when Chloe went outside to help daddy though. She waited at the window for her, watching her little girl.

And by the end of the day, the entryway was finished. Isn't it beautiful?

Its always the little things that you don't notice that make the biggest difference. I love the whiteness of those doors. They change the entire look of the living room. I love how quietly and smoothly they open. I never noticed how noisy and ragged the old doors were. They were hard to open. These just glide along with absolutely no effort.

Thank you James.

It Begins

2011-09-10T08:34:00.000-07:00

The website transformation has begun.

Okay. So honestly, not much has happened yet. We are researching Joomla. I love the shopping cart feature they have. Customers will be able to instantly download the patterns with a link provided them with Joomla's shopping cart. I have been wishing for something like that for a LONG, LONG time. As things stand now, I still email every single customer the patterns when the order them. That means I can not be away from my computer for more than 2 days. And do you want to know what I have found in the 5 years I've been doing this? Customers don't like waiting. Do I need to mention when my husband deploys and my internet or network goes down. How do I get the patterns to my customers then? Sometimes they get very angry with me when this happens. Very angry. And dealing with irate or irritated customers is one of the major reasons I have felt like giving this whole business up. I desperately need that instant download feature. Desperately!

We are in the process of trying to install Joomla on the server as I type. It will take us some time before anyone on your end of the computer screen will see any difference in the website. But things are happening. And I can hardly wait. A transformation! A streamlined website! Wow. This is exciting!

I learned a new word today. Metadata. I know what that means. Isn't that exciting! What a fun and confusing word. I am not comfortable using it in a sentence yet, but I could probably explain it to someone (not a geek) in 1,000 words or less. I feel quite accomplished at the moment.

So, I am off now to enjoy a cup of coffee while I read up on parameters and the difference between subscript and superscript. Goodness, though. It boggles the mind. Have a bright, sunshiny weekend!

My Refuge

2011-09-09T05:30:00.000-07:00

"I would have enjoyed that a lot more, had I known I was going to live through it." - Mark Lowry

I was watching some of my favorite Christian comedians on YouTube yesterday talking about fear. I loved what Mark Lowry said. I absolutely love it.

We've been through a lot this summer. But through it all, Jesus stayed by my side. Holding me. Comforting me. Whispering his Love into my heart.

Psalm 46: 1-3

"God is my refuge and strength, an ever-present help in trouble. Therefore we will not fear, though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, though its waters roar and foam and the mountains quake with their surging."

God is my ever-present help. He is always here. Always! I will not fear. I WILL NOT FEAR! Though my house shakes and rattles in an earthquake. Though a hurricane blows through and my electricity shuts off. Though the basement floods and water saturates my belongings. Though the doctors probe and stick me with all sorts of needles and questions. Though I sit through yet another EEG, praying Chloe experiences no seizures as she comes off her medication. Though bills arrive yet money does not. Though the earth give way and the mountains fall into the heart of the sea, I WILL NOT FEAR! God is my ever-present help.

Psalm 46:10

"Be still, and know that I am God; I will be exalted among the nations. I will be exalted in the earth."

Be Still! Know that God is God. He is. He will be exalted. Though everything on earth may crumble and come to ruin, God is still God. He will still be exalted. He will still be by my side, my ever-present help.

And I can't help but wonder if its true. If what Mike Lowry said is true. When I get to heaven and look back on my life here on earth, will I say, "I would have enjoyed that a lot more, had I known I was going to live through it."

So, now I am off to find some joy in the rain. And make my daughter laugh. And enjoy a good book. And spend some time shopping with my best friend. And hunt for owls. And paint a picture. And hug my darling child. And kiss her tummy. And cuddle my kitty. And maybe, just maybe, enjoy this life because I know beyond a shadow of a doubt I will live through it. And when I die, I will live through that too.

New Design

2011-09-06T10:25:00.000-07:00

Ahhhh. There it is.

The beginnings of a new design. It feels so good to look at that and know that in a few more days, or weeks, or months, it will be a new article of clothing and a new pattern I can add to my website.

Once I get my brain screwed in place, I will update you on some family happenings. Have a fantastic day.

Back to Business

2011-09-05T17:32:00.000-07:00

What? I have a crochet business? Woah. What happened to that? Okay. So, I took some time off from my business. A lot of time. Like 3 1/2 years. I've been thinking lately of giving it up altogether. But I just can't seem to cut it off like that. I loved it. It was my baby. My passion.

Where did that passion go? Toward homeschooling. That's where. I love homeschooling more than I love crocheting. And carpel tunnel. That whole "syndrome" slows a person down considerably. And cooking 3 meals a day takes time. Cleaning up the kitchen after cooking 3 meals a day takes time as well. And somehow life picks up speed and you begin to realize that there are more important things at the moment. Things like putting puzzles together with your daughter. Teaching her to ride a bike without training wheels. Making sand castles at the beach. Dancing around the living room to Jack Johnson. Baking chocolate chip cookies. Watching birds soar through the trees. Catching leaves. Skipping rocks.

But lately, James has been asking me to put a bit of effort back into the business. I know I can't crochet 8-12 hours a day like I used to, but surely I still have something to offer. Right? Surely I can handle a new design every now and again.

So, a bit of that passion has returned to my soul. It won't be like before. I have other passions now too. But, I do want to design again. I want to create heirloom clothes for Chloe to wear. (She asked me to crochet her a Christmas dress yesterday. I said maybe I would sew one since I probably don't have enough time to crochet one before December. We'll see.)

That is where things stand at the moment. We are looking at re-designing the website soon and advertising in various places. I have added most of my patterns to my Etsy shop and will be adding them to Artfire this week. I have emailed the owners of Ravelry to see about getting my name linked to my patterns there as a designer. Baby steps. Baby steps.

In the meantime, I have picked up a hook and yarn again. Boy does it feel good sliding through my fingers. Crocheting feels so natural. Designing is in my blood. Just so long as I remember to take it slow.

Funny Moments

2011-09-04T15:50:00.001-07:00

Chloe says some of the funniest things. I love to laugh. This was a match made in heaven. Here are a couple of her most recent phrases.

(While setting up the board game Mousetrap) "Mommy. Do you want to be green? Green wants to be you."

I bust up laughing. I couldn't help it. I know she was totally serious in her question but it was too funny.

Last week I took Chloe in for some labs. Chloe hates bloodwork. Fiercly. On the way to the facility she said, "I can't wait to get to heaven Mommy."

"Why?" I queried.

"So I don't have to do bloodwork." (Short pause) "Will we have blood in heaven?"

The Lump

2011-08-22T05:26:00.000-07:00

How do I say this? I've contemplated that question a ridiculous amount of time over the past few weeks. It's amazing how someone who adores words, such as myself, can find them completely vanished just when they are most desired. Since I am at a complete loss, I will just tell it like it is and hope you all can understand my presence of mind at this moment.

One morning, a few weeks ago, I stood in the shower. You know how that goes. Shampoo the hair. Shave the pits. Stand there to feel the warm water streaming over your shoulders and down you back. But for some reason, this particular morning, I reckoned I should administer a breast exam on myself. Why did that pop into my brain on that morning when I've only given myself one, possibly two, breast exams in my entire life? I can't explain where this thought came from. Why, on that morning, did I feel the need to check myself? I had just been to the "female" kind of doctor for the first time in 6 years just a couple of weeks earlier and everything checked out normal. (Yes, I am ashamed to admit that I have a slight aversion to doctors and have not been to that kind since Chloe was born.)

Maybe I turned over a new leaf in regards to my health. Maybe seeing the doctor stirred up the need to take better care of myself. I don't know. But I determined to examine myself that very moment.

As my fingers traveled around my "you know what", I felt something like a large, cushy rock inside. I immediately rationalized that James needed to inspect the find before I made any rash judgements.

He arrived home and confirmed my suspicions.

I tried not to allow fear to enter my heart. I really did try. My attempts failed miserably, but I want you all to know I tried. I am still trying. But it is there, mocking me, chiding me, gloating over me when I fail to evict it.

I am scared.

We made an appointment with my "lady" doctor and she immediately confirmed. Yes, there is a good sized lump in my breast. Oh, but not to worry. It doesn't "feel scary". Most likely a cyst.

Fear sent its barbed hooks further into my soul.

Last week I suffered my first mammogram and an ultrasound. I laid there thinking, "Ultrasounds are supposed to be used to view babies. Not lumps in breasts. This is all backwards." I longed to be in a different room, seeing a baby through that monitor. Not a rock in my breast.

A silent tear stole down my cheek.

The technician walked in with a clipboard and calmly stated that it, "doesn't look scary." Again with that word. I am scared out of my wits. Doesn't anyone understand that? So what if the lump doesn't "look scary"! I just had some stranger groping my breast! I AM SCARED!

Biopsy.

She said that word. The word alone can freeze a heart. It froze mine.

So what if the lump doesn't "look scary." Oh, for joy! I get a giant needle stuck down into my breast! And they say I don't need to be scared. Ha! Anyone who says that should have a giant needle stuck in their breast. Just because.

So, the biopsy occurs in a couple of hours. This very morning. My throat has constricted so much so that I can hardly swallow my coffee. Tears perch on the brink, ready to spill over.

And still I try to keep fear at bay. Fear has sent his icy fingers deep down into my soul. I cannot live by fear. I must eradicate it. I must turn my eyes to Jesus. He had reason for fear! He sweat blood before his crucifixion. You cannot tell me he wasn't feeling some sort of emotion there. And you know what? He will walk me through this. He will stay by my side. He alone has what I need to get through this morning.

So, if you know me in person and you happen to see me around and you ask how I am doing and I respond, "I'm fine." please understand that those are probably the only words I can speak at the moment. Please don't ask further. Please talk about sewing projects or your favorite flavor of coffee or what you cooked for dinner last night. And please know that I am fine. I am. I am fine. I could be worse. I could be better.

So there. I said it. I probably didn't use the right words and you might not understand everything I am going through. But I said it.

I have a tumor in my breast. I am fine.

The Sparrows

2011-08-16T05:25:00.000-07:00

I stood at my back window the other day watching the sparrows. I quietly observed about 30 or so sparrows, pecking seeds off the ground. Beside them stood a dove. One lone dove. I love my doves. They are such sweet birds. So gentle. So kind. They do not chase away the smaller birds as the black birds (Common Grackle, Cowbird, etc.) do. They walk on the ground, side by side with the sparrows and wrens, eating the same seeds.

As I stood there, ruminating about some recent circumstances in my life, a thought seeped into my head.

"God is watching those sparrows too. His eye is on those sparrows."

Wow! Just when I was feeling despairing and forlorn, God reminded me that He is watching over me. He cares for me so much more than the sparrows. And how neat to think that maybe God and I were watching those sparrows together.

"Therefore, I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat; or about your body, what you will wear. Life is more than food, and the body more than clothes. Consider the ravens: They do not sow or reap, they have no storeroom or barn; yet God feeds them. And how much more valuable you are than birds!"
Luke 12:22-24

You see? I am much more valuable than birds. God said so right there. God will take care of me, through whatever storm I must pass through. My God will carry me through.

Meet Snow

2011-08-05T12:36:00.000-07:00

I would like to introduce you to Snow, the sweetest little kitty.

James took Chloe and I out this morning on a kitty hunt, as he promised Chloe while he was away. What I figured would take all day and many cat rescue shelters, took all of a drive to Petsmart and 10 minutes with this sweet kitty. Immediately upon being set on the floor at the pet store, Snow (at that time named Messy Hessy) commenced with rubbing all of our legs, hands and even my purse. Chloe held out her hand and Snow rubbed against her like she was her long lost best friend. In that instant, the bond between kitty and girl was forever sealed.

"Please!!!!" Chloe begged. "Please! I want THIS kitty. This is the kitty I want. I love this kitty. Please can I have her?"

She didn't need to beg. James and I could clearly see that this gentle, sweet, loving kitty would be the perfect addition to our family. She loves all of us equally and can't be petted quite enough. But she also loves to play. She chases her toy mice across the floor and carries them around in her mouth as she shakes them to death. (poor, dear, toy mice)

Less than an hour later, Snow was ours.

And when I say "sweet kitty" I really do mean sweet! The one and only time her eyes widened was on her journey in the cat carrier from the store to the van. The entire time in the store and the entire van ride home, her eyes stayed naturally in a contented manner. And I have yet to hear a single peep from her. Not a squeak. Not a mew. Nothing. She is perfectly happy to have chosen our family as her people and is showing us just how affectionate and playful she can be.

And now I must be off. Twillerbee is a little confused and upset by the curiously dreadful noises emitting from under Chloe's closed bedroom door. Something is in there that should not be, of this she is quite certain. While Snow's eyes have yet to widen in horror or fear at anything since we adopted her, Twillerbee's have remained saucers ever since she realized something spooky was shut behind that door about 3 hours ago. I must go assure her that she loves me and that she will not be eaten by a black and white monster.

Daddy is Home!

2011-08-05T11:59:00.000-07:00

Hip-hip-Hooray! James is home! I don't know if I happened to mention that he had left earlier this summer on this blog or not. Tried to keep it a bit low key this go round. But yes. James has been gone most of our summer. He returned home yesterday. Hooray!

We started a tradition. (I know...*eye roll*...another tradition in our household. Like we NEED another tradition. Hmmph!) But when James returns home from a deployment, we enjoy taking Chloe to a certain bear building venue. Yep. You guessed it. Build-A-Bear.

This time, Chloe informed us that she needed a boy dog "bear" to marry her girl cat "bear". She's been looking forward to this excursion since before he left town...that is, up until the moment James promised her a new kitty. Suddenly a stuffed dog lowered itself on the "wants" list pretty quickly. But, she did not forget the promise and so as soon James was buckled into the mini-van next to Chloe in the backseat, we drove to the Build-A-Bear palace.

It's funny. It has been 1 1/2 years since we've been to Build-A-Bear, but Chloe knew where everything was and the steps needed to build Fluffy, her dog "bear". She chose a soft body for Fluffy and stepped on the peddle herself to fill him up.

It is serious business stuffing a bear.

I can't help but wonder what Chloe's wish for her bear was. She looked so adorable making her wish with Fluffy's heart in her hands. But I just can't ask her. She would tell me in a heartbeat. And we all know that if you tell your secret wish, it won't come true. I wonder, though, if it has anything to do with Daddy never leaving again.

Time to wash Fluffy.

And then we printed a birth certificate for Fluffy.

Upon arriving home in Chloe's bedroom, Cinzy (the cat "bear") and Fluffy met for the first time. After saying hello to each other, Fluffy cut quickly to the chase by asking, "Will you marry me?"

James and I were able to talk them into a courtship after Cinzy said, "yes" since we felt they truly didn't know each other that well yet. When James asked Fluffy if he would like to meet the other kitties in our house, he replied, "No! I don't like cats!"

Huh.

"What are you doing marrying one then?" I queried.

"Oh. I only like this cat. Just this cat. No other cats." He replied.

I just have to say. I enjoy having James home. We have so much fun as a family. We laugh and play and enjoy being in each others presence. Welcome home James! I love you very much.

Marshmallow Flower Cupcakes

2011-08-05T11:37:00.000-07:00

When the need arises for something cute but quick, I will turn to these adorable cupcakes from now on. I pulled a box of cake mix from my cupboard and some marshmallows and sprinkles this week to whip up something fun. Voila!

Opps. I forgot to taste test them before I gave them away. But how can you go wrong with marshmallows, sugar sprinkles, vanilla icing and vanilla cake? I don't think you can.

Little Joys

2011-08-04T06:42:00.000-07:00

Sometimes, the smallest or simplest things bring me so much cheer. I can't explain it. Maybe its my simple mind. You know what they say...simple minds = simple playthings. Well, if such is the case, so be it.

While baking in my kitchen a smile creeps across my face every time I reach for...

I adore this little baking soda can. I worked for a French chef while living in England where I was responsible for making various sandwiches which he then sold for lunches to the local colleges. My boss catered other goodies as well so I often walked into our storage shed/kitchen and found myself in the midst of a baking marathon. He used this baking soda. I fell in love with the tiny can and when I saw him preparing to toss it into the "rubbish bin", I asked if I could keep it.

Upon arriving home, I began looking for the perfect location for my new-found treasure. Ah-ha! Toothpicks! They fit neatly inside the can. It was like this little can was made to be my toothpick holder. I've kept them in it ever since.

So, you see. This little can is more than just a cute baking soda can from England. It contains my memories. Each time I grab for it, I float away to a time when someone attempted to teach me french words. When I learned that Disney inserts vulgar curse words into their movies in French. (I shocked my boss a time or two when I said a word I learned from Beauty and the Beast. He stared at me like he couldn't believe a good girl like me would say such a thing. I had no idea! It was in a kid's movie, after all.) When I worked alongside my neighbor/best friend, chatting about the best places to go shopping in Cambridge or Bury St. Edmonds. When we stopped work every mid-day for an egg salad sandwich and tea.

All of that, packed inside a baking soda can with my toothpicks. And it's a pretty neat little can, too.

Love Notes

2011-08-03T07:37:00.000-07:00

Chloe ran down stairs yesterday and silently handed me a note.

It read...

"I love you Mommy. Do you love me?"

I stopped what I was doing and smiled at her. "Yes. I love you very much!"

"I knew you would say that!" she replied with a grin as she scampered away up the stairs.

A few minutes later, I heard the pitter patter of feet scurrying down the stairs and a second note fluttered into my lap. I picked it up.

The second note read...

Ok. So you love me. Ok. So I love you too. I ssssoooo lllloooovvvveeee ttttttooooooo!"

I laughed and hugged her and planted kisses all over her face. This little girls lights up my world. I reluctantly let her go as she announced that she would like to write me another note. Can it get any better than what she already wrote?

When she trotted back downstairs for the third time, grasping the third note firmly in her fingers, she gingerly handed it to me and said, "This note is not for you. It's for Daddy."

How sweet is that? My heart melts. She meekly informed me that she wrote another note for Daddy but that I couldn't see it because I would get mad. I promised her I would NOT get mad. She picked up her foot. Her foot? Yes, her foot! And here is what I read...

"I miss you Daddy!"

...was written across the bottom of both her feet. I couldn't stop laughing. I am chuckling now as I write this post. This child is the sweetest little girl. So full of spunk and fun. She loves laughing and making other people laugh. Laughter is good for the soul. Even when we are missing our Daddy! I choose to ignore the fact that my daughter has ink seeping in through her skin (which makes me cringe...I have a phobia of ink on skin...but we don't need to discuss this) and laugh with her.

Bird Tea Party Tablescape

2011-08-02T14:18:00.000-07:00

Chloe and I have wanted a tea party with our friends for quite some time now. I finally got around to planning and executing just the thing. It took me a while to gather all the supplies and plates and decor, but once I started, it just sort of came together.

First I found the blue/green plates at Home Goods. I found a matching cake plate and the party just sort of evolved from there.

A good bird tablescape needs a multitude of birds, in my opinion. I found quite a few on clearance at Micheals. Egg candles, a set of 3 for 60 cents, added just the right touch to the table here and there.

A perfect find. A bird candle for 2o cents.

A birdcage filled with daisies and a bird nest with a couple of eggs for our centerpiece.

More daisies spilling over the table.

Dainty pink accents. I love these pink glass bowls I found at Hobby Lobby for half off.

Tea time necessities.

I found these cute little espresso cups and saucers at Crate and Barrel for $1.95 each. I could not pass them up for a little girl tea party. (Or a future grown up espresso party.)

I love my salt bowl and spoon I picked up at an antique store a year or two ago. Isn't it darling? I can't get over how adorable it is.

For the party favor I found these little soaps for $1.00 each.

Tea party fare. I kept the food relatively simple but stunning in presentation. It took me all of 1 1/2 hours to whip up everything this morning.

Bird Tea Party Menu

Fruity Magic Wands
Sugar-and-Spice Sandwich Swirls
Ham and Cheese Squares
Fairy-Tale Bird's-Nest Cookies
Raspberry Tea
Pink Lemonade

All the recipes were taken from Chloe's Fairies Cookbook.

We told the girls to come dressed up as fancy as possible. Chloe chose her princess dress I made for her 5th birthday. I put a crown in her hair and she wore her lace gloves. So girly. Each girl that came was dressed just as fancy as Chloe.

We need to have another tea party soon. We had a delightful time.

Cat Tags

2011-08-02T13:32:00.000-07:00

I walked downstairs the other day to find a strip of toilet paper on my coffee table.

Upon closer examination, I noticed words written upon the toilet paper.

Odd.

But hey! Such is a day in the life a six year old's mother. Stranger things have happened.

"What is this?" I asked Chloe when she walked down the stairs shortly after me. She immediately began talking fast (You know...the excited, "aren't you proud of me" kind of chatter.) while holding up her creation for me to see.

I know you are just as curious as I was when I saw the writing on the toilet paper. But once Chloe explained it, it all made perfect sense. That what you see is a cat tag. You just tie it around the neck or the belly of the cat and if they happen to escape out into the wild and dangerous neighborhood, whoever sees the toilet paper will read it and be able to return the kitties home.

The toilet paper says...

"This is the (our last name) family.
Twillerbee"

Having the kitties names on the paper is important. Those who find the kitty will need to know their name.

I praised Chloe for her wonderful ingenuity and creativity and then explained that perhaps the toilet paper might get wet if it rained when the kitties got out. She then explained that we would just make sure they don't escape on a raining day. Ah ha! She is so clever!

So, I am thinking we may market this. It could go far. Toilet paper cat tags. We keep a steady supply of toilet paper in the house. The process to make the cat tags remains relatively simple. All you really need is a fountain pen and some toilet paper. Production time is minimal. Really. I see a great future for our family with our new cat tag line.

If you are interested in our cat tags, leave me a comment in my comments section. We have yet to establish the value of these tags, but I am sure they will be less than $10 each. We may even branch out and create tags for dogs, but we still need some time to work out the kinks in the design. Dogs slobber and would ruin the tags before they could even escape through the front door, rendering the tags useless. We will keep you posted.

Say Y-Y-Y-Y-Yes....

2011-08-02T13:02:00.000-07:00

...to V-V-VBS!

What an exciting week around these parts. Let me tell you about the beginning of our VBS week which kicked off this past Sunday night.

It's the Big Apple Adventure in NYC. What could be better? I LOVE NYC! How perfectly fitting for my first VBS teaching experience to be something so near and dear to my heart as NYC. Each group of teachers is responsible for decorating their own room so my co-tour guide, our cabbie and I planned the outrageously cool decorations for our Empire State room! Check them out.

And my humble contributions to the mix. I painted a statue of liberty to hang on the wall.

Did you notice the black lines running across Lady Liberty's chest? You may be wondering what they are and if they were intentional. Well, those are actually my telephone lines. Chloe and I formed paper mache pigeons as an art project for school and I thought I would "kill two birds with one stone" and use them in our city decor. (That was really bad...I am sorry. I just couldn't help myself.) No city is truly complete without a flock of pigeons, right? So our cityscape now has five little pigeons sitting around the room, two of which are elegantly (and quite precariously) perched on the telephone wire.

So, at our church, we like to dress up. It seems we have "themes" for everything. VBS is no different. Sunday night was tourist night. Chloe and I donned our Yankee gear and headed off to our first night of VBS, NYC style. (and could you believe that no one booed us? Not a solitary soul. We even saw some other "yankee fans" that night. (Now whether they were honest fans -as we truly are- or not remains to be seen. But at least we finally fit in.)

I am amazed at the talent and creativity of my church. Chloe's kindergarten room looks so fun!

We are having so much fun! I can't wait til tonight to experience more of NYC right in my own church foyer!

Ask and You Shall Receive

2011-07-28T16:36:00.000-07:00

...if your name happens to be Chloe, that is.

After Pattycakes passed away early this spring, Chloe and I visited a local Petco to cuddle the kitties. We found the most perfect kitty. She sat contentedly on my lap for a full ten minutes, just purring her little heart out. She allowed Chloe to pet her while still purring. Her name was Minnie Mouse. I immediately called James at work and described this kitty to him. I explained how well she would fit into our family and that she would help me get over the loss of Pattycakes (who was my lap kitty). James said, "NO!" I don't blame him. I really don't. Three cats can be a lot. Three cats along with four, possibly five (if Searchy didn't eat Willie 1) hermit crabs make for a small zoo in our little townhouse. But, oh, how Chloe and my hearts did break when he so adamantly said,"No!" It was so final. So resolute.

I gave up. I thoroughly enjoy the two kitties in my life. Bumblebee and Twillerbee. My fat cats. My babies.

Even after adding three new hermit crabs to our tank, Chloe still insisted that she needed a new kitten. Daddy promised her a fish. So, when he arrives home, we will be adding a new fish to our menagerie.

Oh...and Chloe still begged for a kitten. Cats tend to be slightly more responsive to human interactions than fish. And after another two weeks of pleading, imploring, beseeching and downright begging, Daddy said yes.

WHAT???

Yes! He said yes! So, we are getting a new kitty next week. And a fish. It will resemble a proper zoo around here.

I have researched the best ways to introduce a new kitty to Chloe for optimum bonding. So far my research has found that maybe a 1-2 year old kitty might be the best option, contrary to my original belief that a kitten would grow up around Chloe and be used to her. What I have read is that if a kitten becomes frightened by the loudness and lack of gentility of the child, they grow to be skittish. Well, we have two extremely skittish kitties right now and I now believe that we most likely created this problem. When James arrives home, we will head to the shelters to greet some 1-2 year old kitties and see who bonds with Chloe.

One thing I must keep in mind with a new kitty is safety. Big monsters live in our house and threaten the kitties happiness.

Bumblebee protects us. He takes down the monster by walking slowly around it, sniffing it from all sides and then guarding the door so the beast is trapped until I lock it away in the dark, dungeon of our closet.

Thank you Bumblebee. It is now save to play.

Although, Twillerbee always keeps a watchful eye out in case the monster escapes. You will often see her staring up at the ceiling with a look of fear in her eyes. But Bumblebee is never far. He watches over us and protects us from whatever he warrants we need protection from. (Steam cleaners are down right evil, let me tell you.)

Although, even heroes need a rest now and then.

We are officially ready for kitty number 3. Way to go Chloe! (Maybe you should start asking for a puppy now.)

Flying Lessons 101

2011-07-27T21:03:00.000-07:00

Chloe dreams of flying. Not in an airplane. Not in a hang glider. No, she believes she can truly fly. If only she could find the right supplies for the wings.

Got wings? Check! Got wand? Check!

It can be quite intimidating standing on the edge of a precipice. Jumping off into the wild blue yonder. Soaring into worlds unknown.

Muster that courage and take the leap of faith.

But sometimes, you stumble and fall. Sometimes you don't reach your dreams.

Pick yourself back up and smile. You are someplace different than where you started. You have learned new things and met new people and have seen some amazing sights on your journey.

It can be frustrating when you fail again.

But that just means it is time to think things through.

If you want to fly without an airplane, you are going to need an elaborate plan. A scheme. A strategy. It will be complicated and involved.

But don't give up. Never give up. Don't ever stop dreaming, baby girl.

Imagination Destination: Candyland

2011-07-27T20:37:00.000-07:00

While laying down the yesterday, trying to catch a quick catnap, Chloe popped onto the bed and promptly asked, "Will you play with me, Mommy?" I asked what she wanted to play and she responded, "Ummmmmm...Family."

She grabbed Lotso, Little Lamb and Eeyore and announced that Lotso was Daddy, Eeyore was me and Little Lamb was none other than herself. I played Eeyore and Chloe played both Lotso and Little Lamb. Our first round of "play" involved me (Eeyore) baking cupcakes with Chloe (Little Lamb). Daddy (Lotso) came home right as we were pouring the batter into the muffin tins. When Little Lamb asked if he would like to help us, Lotso said, "No!" quite emphatically and hastily removed himself to the living room at the bottom corner of the bed. We finished baking the cupcakes and boy were they delicious. Of course, Lotso joined us to eat the cupcakes.

Our next game involved the entire family playing Candyland together. Chloe informed me that I must switch roles and play Lotso (Daddy) but I needed to lower my voice to sound deep.

We moved imaginary game pieces around an imaginary game board. I was quite impressed with how many times in a row the players would draw the same cards as the previous player. I began wondering if maybe Eeyore was not placing hers at the bottom of the pile as instructed.

We ended the game celebrating Little Lamb's amazing victory (in just 3 turns, no less) by hoisting her up on Lotso's shoulders for a ride around the bed.

Childhood passes by so quickly. I am so entirely blessed that I have moments like this to share with my daughter. I could have slept. I could have gotten my 20 minute catnap. But I chose, instead, to enter fairyland for a few minutes of delightful play with a darling girl who will grow up before I even blink. And really. Who doesn't love a frolic through peppermints and gumdrops with Eeyore?

Chloe's Photography

2011-07-27T19:55:00.000-07:00

I love handing my camera to Chloe and then peeking at what she captures. It helps me see the world through her eyes.

Cats. Her favorite subject, both to talk about and to photograph.

Me. Chloe always takes a few pictures of me when she gets a hold of my camera. She manages to capture faces I would never intentionally give to a camera.

Photographers (or any artist in general) should always try to branch out and learn new skills or techniques. They should push themselves to new limits, new heights. Chloe ventured into the "staging" element of photography. She spent a good five minutes placing her mouse in proximity to the new kitty toy and then peering through the viewfinder to see what it would look like and then back to the placement and then back to the viewfinder, back and forth, back and forth before she finally felt satisfied enough to snap the picture.

The next skill to try is self-portraits. It didn't take Chloe more than 2 tries to get it just right.

I believe we have a photographer on our hands. She is already just as good as I am with the camera.

Meet Searchy and Willie 2

2011-07-24T08:36:00.000-07:00

Once upon a time (this past Easter), after much discussion and mild debating, James and I agreed to enhance our home atmosphere with hermit crabs. Such a fascinating little creature to study. We purchased an aquarium, substrate, shells, bathing pool, lava rock, climbing twigs, thermometers, heaters along with three little Hermies.

Unfortunately, being pet store hermit crabs, one promptly died within a week. RIP dear Sleepy. The other two lived for a couple of months. Searchy and Willie.

We engaged the help of a few friends to care for our beloved creatures while we vacationed with Mickey, Minnie and gang. Upon arriving home we found that Willie had vanished and a day or so later, Searchy too disappeared entirely. My only conclusion was that Searchy ate Willie and then buried himself to die. But I failed to smell that dead hermit crab smell. (Think seafood restaurant on a beach here...yea...gross.) Anyways, no such smell.

After 2 months with no hermies, Chloe began begging for a new kitten. (In all actuality, she's been begging since Pattycakes passed away in March, but James adamantly said "NO!" so I gave up asking. Chloe on the other hand persisted.) She poured on the charm and tears and downright pleading this past month though. I felt terrible that she lost her hermit crabs and I hadn't replaced them. I figured if I replaced the crabs she would lay off the kitten requests.

We hiked to the pet store and purchased 3 more hermies. One, immediately upon being set on the substrate, ran to the corner and buried himself. We've yet to see him again. His name is Nilly. I believe he was desperate for a molt.

Three days after I inserted the new hermies into the tank, guess who popped up for a midnight snack rocking new skin? Yup. Searchy! So, now we have four hermies in our tank when my intention had been three. Three hermies is a good number. Four? A bit larger. But then I got to thinking...I wonder if Willie is down there molting too. Maybe Searchy didn't eat him. That would make a grand total of FIVE hermit crabs. Oh me, oh my. Oh me, OH MY! What have I done?

So, let me introduce to you Searchy.

Searchy comes out to greet me when I pick up his shell. He loves grated carrots. He also plays with me on the couch, coming up close to my face to study me and then backing away. He will feel my arms with his "feelers" (sorry, don't know the technical term for them) as he scouts around for a good climbing location.

Chloe named her three new hermies Willie, Nilly and Silly. I told her Willie needed to be Willie 2 since we already owned a Willie. And now to think that we might own two Willies at the same time. Wow! Confusing.

Willie 2 tends towards shyness. It takes him quite a bit longer to come out of his shell when you pick him up. We wait a good bit for his little eyes to peep out.

I am trying to play with the Hermies every day to get them used to humans. We are planning on studying them for school soon and so I thought it might be good them get them out in our hands to play with. Willie 2 actually did a great job in Chloe's hands. He walked back and forth across them for a good bit before hiding in his shell. I think the shutter click of the camera grates on his nerves after a while though.

Even after adding three new hermit crabs to our tank, Chloe still insisted that she needed a new kitten. Daddy promised her a fish. So, when he arrives home, we will be adding a new fish to our menagerie. Just a goldfish in a bowl. Or maybe a beta behind our kitchen sink. Nothing fancy. Just a fish in a bowl. With an Ariel figurine and some fish flakes.

And I have another surprise for you in another post on another day. Exciting news but it will have to wait. This post is about Hermit Crabs. Have a delightful day everyone.

I am...

2011-07-20T18:20:00.000-07:00

I am a child of the King of Kings.

I am a joint heir with Jesus Christ.

I am bought with a price.

I am loved.

I am chosen.

I am created in the image of God.

I am beautiful.

I am a work-in-progress by the Holy Spirit himself.

I am victorious.

I may not be anything or anyone to you. I may be just another face in the crowd or another warm body in the seat to most people. You may forget my name in a week or a year. You may not even realize I exist, or love, or feel hurt or pain. But I am the apple of my Father's eye. I am His pride and joy! I am the reason He sent His Son to die on the cross. He wants me. He loves me. He cherishes me.

I am His.

Little Lamb

2011-07-19T07:51:00.000-07:00

Chloe's favorite stuffed animal for quite some time now has been a little, white, stuffed lamb. Her fluffy fur and floppy body make her the perfect companion for squeezing during slumber or wiping tears from eyes during a moment of sadness.

In one of those precious moments that appear unannounced, Chloe and I sat cuddled together this morning talking about when Jesus will return to earth. She mentioned that he will come down to take us to heaven. I discussed with her that one of two options will happen. Either we will die and go to heaven, or we will be here when Jesus comes down out of the sky. You should have seen her eyes light up at the mention of Jesus coming down in the sky. She thinks it would be better to stand outside to see him coming because it might be difficult to see him from inside our window. Oh how precious was this conversation with my daughter this morning. I loved watching the joy in her eyes as we chatted.

Her eyes started filling up with tears and her words became choked.

"But little lamb won't be able to come to heaven with us," came her garbled words.

"No. Your right. She won't be able to come with us," I quietly replied.

"Because you said that we can't take anything with us when we go."

"Yes, your right. We can't take anything with us when we go to heaven."

The Holy Spirit prompted me to mention Jesus as the Lamb of the world. I did so and the joy returned to Chloe's eyes. Jesus is a Lamb? Yes, not quite like her little lamb, but yes. I then explained to her that when we get to heaven, we will be with Jesus for all of eternity. Sometimes, I need to leave to cook dinner or prepare for her schoolwork or return books to the library. But when we get to heaven, Jesus will cuddle her for 20 years if she so desires. He is her lamb and she will have his undivided attention for all of eternity.

These moments amaze me.

They take my breath away.

I cherish them.

I want to remember them forever.

Precious moments when I get to share Jesus love with my little girl. This is what motherhood is all about. It's not about the cupcakes, or the math sums, or the painted rocks, or the bike rides in the park. It's about sharing the Love of our Savior with our children. Nothing, and I do mean nothing is more important than that.

Thank you Jesus for this treasured moment. Thank you for your love!

I kissed Chloe on the nose and said, "Jesus WILL come back. He promised."

(Chloe is quite excited about meeting Jesus in the air. She has waited her entire life to fly. You could say it's her lifelong dream. And if Jesus returns in her lifetime, her dream to fly will come true.)

Backyard Birding

2011-07-16T10:55:00.000-07:00

We've been bird watching in the back yard quite a bit lately. To entice our feathered friends to our yard we are adding some little touches here and there. First we painted some terracotta pots that I stacked and glued together for bird feeders.

Chloe painted hers to "scare away the birds." I couldn't figure out why she felt the need to scare the birds away from her bird feeder. Who can fathom a 6 year old's logic? Sometimes, I don't think she even understands herself. The top pot is painted like a bee's eyes. (Note the black "eyes" on the yellow head.) She then painted tiger stripes on the next pot and completed that with a tiger grin. "Tiger's attack birds so the birds will be scared of this feeder", Chloe explained to me.

Unfortunately, her plan failed and little house sparrows visit her feeder whenever there is seed in it.

After the feeders we decided to paint bird houses.

Now I just need to figure out how to hang these on my fence so they are stable enough. We plan on constructing some nesting boxes this fall/winter to place around the yard. Hopefully next year we will entice some birds to nest in our yard and raise their babies so we can see them.

Every so often, after weeding the garden or filling the bird feeders, I will let the hose run down the back walk. This sure captures the bird's fancy. They fly to our yard by the dozens to jump around in our trickling "brook". I caught a Common Grackle sunning himself after a bath on our back stoop. He hopped up the steps...

...and ruffled his feathers and sat there in the warm sunshine.

Of course, this sort of behavior outside arouses the kitties curiosity inside. They don't quite know what to make of all these bird noises.

What on earth is out there? Did you hear that noise? I know it's something to pounce on. I can feel it!

Birds we've seen in our yard so far:
- Common Grackle (which we do NOT like so we stopped feeding black oiled sunflower seeds for a time to get rid of them.)
- Cowbird (we feel much the same about cowbirds as we do the common grackles)
- House Sparrow
- Mockingbird
- House Finch
- Mourning Dove
- Robin (we love to watch the Robin's antics as she hops around the grass, picking up worms in her beak. It is amazing to watch how quickly she sucks that work down her throat)
- Pigeon (for some reason I LOVE these pigeons. Don't ask me why. They just make me smile)
-Northern Cardinal

And now I must be off to get ready for a birthday party with Chloe. Have a fabulous afternoon. Spend a minute and watch a bird. They can be quite fascinating as they feed their babies or slurp up worms. You may even become a "bird watcher" yourself.

Our Altered Book

2011-07-15T16:54:00.000-07:00

These next few pages in our altered book came from Chloe's vivid imagination. Problem is, her imagine far exceeds her fine motor capabilities so I ended up doing most of the work. When finished though, they took Chloe's breath away.

Her first request was a pop-up flower. I found a tutorial online for a giant flower. Chloe didn't think it would work out, but when I opened up the final results for her, she literally gasped.

She was in charge of adding little details to the page whilst I created the flower. She cut out a butterfly and a frog from cardstock with my paper punches and then informed me we needed to make a lily pad for the frog. She painted the water so I could add the lily pad. She opted for an orange frog.

I couldn't help but add the little scroll details behind the flower. The page practically screamed for them.

Tangled has quickly become my new favorite Disney movie. (It should be after I waited 3 hours in line to meet Rapunzel and Flynn Ryder at Disneyworld this past May.) Chloe envisioned Rapnuzel's tower for a page in our book. We dreamed and schemed for at least an hour of what we wanted our tower to look like. I handed Chloe the flower paper punch and let her go crazy with it and my paper scrap bin. She cut way more flowers than we could fit on the entire layout, let alone the small portion of the tower we wanted them for. She helped me braid the embroidery floss for Rapunzel's golden hair. And against Chloe's better judgement, I went ahead and painted a waterfall in the background. There is a waterfall in the movie and I just needed to have one in our scene. I believe this is Chloe's favorite page. The pictures do not do it justice one single bit. It really is a beautiful page.

I came up with the idea for our last page. Okay. So, it did not originate in my brain. I actually spent some time googling "altered book" images and boy...you would be amazed at what is out there. People really take this to a whole different level. Our book will remain pretty basic but I just had to try out a technique I stumbled upon. A double door window in our page, revealing an outdoor scene when you open the window. We used rubber stamps from Close to My Heart for this layout and one from Stamping Up. Chloe picked out the sparkly brads for the flowers and the door handles. We used a pop dot behind the butterfly inside our picture window so she would stand up from the page. (Chloe seems to be fascinated with anything "3D" at the moment.)

I just knew we would enjoy this project. It really has been delightful working on it every Sunday afternoon with Chloe. She has already started talking about the next few pages we will work on this next Sunday. We are thinking of ways to do them and how we can make them special. This book is going to be an heirloom for both of us. What a treasure it will be someday.

Book Reading Frenzy

2011-07-14T18:12:00.000-07:00

Books, books, books. Can anyone own too many books? Or read too many books? I love books. It seems this summer I can't get enough. And I thank the Lord Jesus for libraries. I really do. Just imagine living in a third world country or somewhere you couldn't gain access to as many books as your heart desires? I simply can't fathom that. I love books so much.

I obtained my own "teacher's card" this past year which allows me to hold onto my books longer with no late fees. Can you believe that? What a blessing that has been for my marriage. (No more late fees for late books. It has saved my marriage AND a few $100 a year.) And our local library system has absolutely no limit to the number of books you can check out. The only sad thing I find is that they do not provide shopping carts. Often I am dragging my book bag loaded completely down with books, books piled up on top of the bag, books under each arm and Chloe carrying as many as she can possibly hold. Shopping carts at libraries would certainly save my arms.

So, I have been reading quite a few books lately. Did I mention that already? Sorry. One book that opened my eyes to a world much different than my own was The Glass Castle by Jeannette Walls. What really shook me was the fact that this sort of poverty isn't limited to third world countries. It's right here in our own country. Sometimes right in our backyards. Children with not enough food to eat or clothes to wear. Homeless families with no where to turn, stuck in a lifestyle they can't seem to find their way out of. This book caused me to stop and look at my home and what God has provided for me. The variety of food we eat on a daily basis. The amount of clothes we own. The very fact that we have running water and a toilet inside our house. Did you know there are people in the United States who don't have those basics that we feel are necessary to live? Wow. And I complain about the color of my bathroom floor tiles. Sheesh!

I fell completely in love with another author. Karen Kingsbury. I have read five of her books this past week. How come I have never read her novels before? Where have I been? Hiding under a rock? Phenomenal! That's all I can say. Her writing is superb and her stories are meaningful. I am working my way through her Firstborn Series right now. I have one book left and I can hardly wait to start it.

I better get off the computer if I would like to get some reading time in before my eyelids shut down on me. I challenge you to stop by your library and pick up a book or two to read this summer. Sink yourself into a delightful story and tell me about it when you are done. I want to know...what are you reading? Maybe I can pick a copy up at my library and read it too.

Our Altered Book

2011-07-05T05:49:00.000-07:00

We did it again. Sunday afternoon I pulled out our altered book and crafting supplies and we worked on a couple of pages together. Chloe expressed complete joy during this weeks project. She keeps asking if we can do it everyday. I love this kind of enthusiasm.

First up, we glued down the pieces from a page we designed last week. The glitter on our first page took all day and night to dry so we had to wait until this week to adhere the next grouping.

One of our favorite books to read together is The Kissing Hand by Audrey Penn. We often kiss each other's palm at bedtime or other time of brief separation to remind each other of our love. Such a sweet story and my daughter has firmly attached herself to it and our kissing hand ritual.

So what better way to immortalize the memories than to create a kissing hand page with our own hands?

I printed off the lips clip art from the computer to attach to each hand. Chloe added a single flower die cut to each finger while I opted for a pink diamond rhinestone. We painted two paper doilies with pink acrylic paint and added those behind each hand.

Next up are the pages we created from scratch this past Sunday afternoon. I volunteered the idea of painted butterflies and scattering them across the page with grass at the bottom.

Chloe would have liked a pink background on this page, but I suggested the blue background to act as sky. She obliged after I pleaded a couple of times and mentioned that it would look "more authentic" and "prairie-like".

We smeared blue acrylic paint across the page for the background. We painted green watercolor for the grass. The butterflies were painted on drawing paper with watercolors and then cut out and glued onto this page. We hand drew the antennae.

Okay. I just have to say...this next page is our favorite! By this time we established a good rhythm working side by side. We bounced ideas off each other. We giggled. We gazed studiously. We thoroughly enjoyed creating this page.

We've been studying our backyard birds lately. I put out a few bird feeders and we watch to see what birds come to visit our yard. A local specialty bird store offered us a poster with pictures of some common birds we may see. I already own a whole book. So when Chloe asked where we could find pictures of birds to put on our page, I whipped out this poster and we cut out our favorites.

Ahhhh...but the page needed something after we glued down all the birds. We thought maybe it would be eye-catching to leave the words on the pages instead of painting over them. But it needed something. Ah-ha! Branches. Oh! And berries! I painted the branches in watercolor and Chloe came along behind me adding red berries for the birds to snack on. PERFECT!

And don't forget the grass. We needed grass and a log for our dear little dove. We do have a sweet little dove who visits our yard every day. She arrives alone and pecks at the dropped seeds from the feeders. I love my little dove. So, yes. She needs a place to rest on our page.

Now it is going to take every ounce of inner strength I have to resist the pleas coming from a certain little one, begging me to work on this project every day. I really want it to be our special Sunday project though. Let's see how long I will hold out.

And now we are off to prepare for a Grand Adventure. Have a splendidly amusing day!

Watercolor Cardinal

2011-07-04T18:46:00.000-07:00

I have never been a fine arts painter. That particular art form never chose to attach itself to me. So, when I asked Chloe if she would like to sit down with me today to sketch and paint pictures of birds which we've recently admired flocking to our yard and she obliged, I knew I was in for it.

How can someone with no artistic abilities teach a child with artistic abilities (budding) how to sketch a bird?

Well, "how hard could it be?" I reasoned with myself and promptly sat down with our sketching pencils and watercolors before me.

Less than an hour later, I created my first ever watercolor painting. Wait. Er...correction. First ever as an adult. I took a watercolor class in 8th grade, but, as previously mentioned, it didn't quite take.

You can imagine my surprise and...well...sheer delight when I laid down my brush and gazed at my finished project.

It actually looks like a cardinal. Wouldn't you agree?

Ha!

Ha-ha-ha-ha-Ha-Ha! Tra La La La la...

Tickled. That's what you could say. Tickled all different shades of pink.

So, it's not perfect. I know this. But somehow I've gone from someone who knows absolutely squat about painting to someone who can paint an object that resembles a cardinal in less than an hour. Wow! Who knew, right? Who knew. I am floating on cloud nine.

I need to go call my mother. She is never gonna believe this! She can attest to my lack of painting skills. She tried to teach me a few years back. Okay, so I was wrong earlier. I HAVE tried painting as an adult. The second attempt proved no different from the first. But you know what they all say... Third tries a charm...

Mother Daughter Project: Our Altered Book

2011-06-27T16:31:00.000-07:00

With the start of our first grade school year today came the inception of a new Sunday afternoon tradition for Chloe and I. I plan to spend the afternoon reading missionary biographies to her (just one chapter a week...not the ENTIRE afternoon) and then creating something special and unique for just the two of us.

My mother introduced me to the idea of an altered book about 3 years ago when I was back for a visit during James first deployment. While the notion intrigued me, I never got around to starting one myself. Well, as James was preparing to leave Saturday, the idea took root once again and I knew it was the perfect solution to our lazy Sunday afternoons without him. (Sundays tend to be the hardest for us to get through without our dear man.)

Okay. So, to find a book that needed altering. And you know me...I own just the book.

Now I am not going to tell you what book this is, because...well...ummmm...there is a slight chance that it may or may not still be under copyright for 3 more years. So...we will just say that this is a VERY old book which I feel no longer needs to be in circulation.

Ahhhh! Now for the fun stuff!

The only rule for our creation is that the pages must reflect Chloe and I together. Our book is an expression of our relationship. We each can bring different elements to the book, but the page must tell our shared story. Sound complicated? It's not, really. Just a bit hard to explain on paper. (I'll just say that Chloe understood when I explained it to her. And she's 6.) So, care to see our first page? Thought so.

We painted the background with brown acrylic paint. After it dried, we glued a recent picture of us down (recognize it from Me and Mommy Day?) and edged it with glitter glue (from Chloe's art supply box). She picked the pink flowers to add to the page. I attempted to stencil a design onto the background but my pen bleed so we covered up the worst of my mistake with Chloe's giant pink flower. PERFECT! (We work so well together.) Chloe also added the paper flowers down the middle of the opposite page to which I adhered pearl centers. A little more stenciling, Amore written on the bottom and a small do-dad that says "smile" finish off the page.

We wanted the page to introduce the concept of the book. We needed it to describe our creation in some way. I found one of our favorite Winnie the Pooh quotes and printed it off for the top of our main page. Absolutely Perfect! Chloe and I actually cried a bit together while making this page. It is sooooooo us. (I think the quote is what did us in though, if truth be told.)

Well, so that's it. Our first page. My hope is that we can create at least one page every Sunday until we finish the entire book. By then, maybe Chloe will feel comfortable enough to create her very own altered book. (Or, better yet...I will feel comfortable allowing her to create her very own altered book.)

And now I am off for a chapter 7 of Mary Poppins Comes Back, snuggles and evening prayers and then I need to work out some kinks in our school plans. Have a stupendously capital evening and I'll chat at you again soon.

Making Masks

2011-06-25T11:20:00.000-07:00

Our final school book arrived in the mail yesterday and Chloe could not wait until Monday to start it. I know, I know. But we did so good. We made it to Saturday before diving into our school books. Let me say though...its hard to pass up a good art project. And this book is choke full of wonderful art projects. Usborne What Shall I Do Today? Chloe saw the masks and just HAD to make one. She has been begging for quite some time now to make masks with me. I've put it off because the instructions I find everywhere appear a bit more complicated then I feel inclined to work through.

Not so with this book. So, I found myself pulling out all our art supplies again this morning and designing masks with Chloe. She was thrilled!

Chloe wanted to make her mask a heart shape. I giggle because it looks a little bit more like Skippy Jon Jones to me. Either way, she loves her mask. I also found it a bit humorous that she opted to write her name on the front. I guess I should explain to her the purpose of a mask? (She claimed she wrote it "so that people will know who I am in the dark." Yea. She doesn't get it.)

And you all know me. I always have to complete the same art project alongside Chloe. (Can't quite decide if its more for her sake or my own...)

I used watercolor paints on that one and then spread swirly lines of silver glitter glue around. I added the stars for that extra bit of glam. I must say that James was quite impressed with my mask. (He refused to participate in the project even though Chloe practically begged him on her knees.) I do believe I heard "Wow!" escape from his mouth too.

But then I couldn't stop at just one mask. I felt an urge to make another one. James asked, "You really enjoy that???" Oh yes. I do. It seems I can't get enough of kids art lately. Maybe I am re-living my childhood or something. I don't know.

For this mask, I painted the background with green watercolor. I cut out leaves from tissue paper and drawing paper. I used Crayola oil pastels on the drawing paper. I used a flower paper punch to cut them out of construction paper. Markers added the little edging on the petals and then a dabble of glitter glue on top. I stuck a sequin in the center of some of the flowers. Voila! My bright jungle-esque mask.

Okay. I am off now to spend the afternoon/evening with my family. James heads out tomorrow morning for 6 weeks. Booo! Not happy about that. But it's only 6 weeks. MUCH better than 6 months. And I get to go visit him at the end and possibly even see some old friends! That is exciting! Gives me something to look forward to.

So, do you think I could talk James into spending his last afternoon with us at the Thrift Store? I have a couple of projects in my head that need to get out but I need to stop by the thrift store for supplies. I wonder if he'll say yes! (Maybe I could entice him with chocolate chip cookies.) Anyways, I better run along. Have a fabulous weekend. I'll chat at you again soon.

What Does Chloe REALLY Need?

2011-06-24T08:51:00.000-07:00

I tend to fret over everything. Am I reading to Chloe enough? Am I cooking the right food? Does she get enough vegetables? Did I choose the right curriculum for her? Am I stifling her future because I didn't put her in ballet? Gymnastics? Theatre? Are we involved in enough extra-curricular activities? Too much? And boy oh boy but we don't get out in nature enough. It's all so mind-boggling and leaves me feeling defeated.

Do you ever feel that way? Like you aren't measuring up to some standard someone (or you yourself) created?

Read this post.

Yea...makes me want another Me and Mommy Day. Or at least a dress up tea party. Or even a snuggle under a blanket with a pile of books which we may or may not read depending on how the tickle war progresses. I have tears in my eyes as I sign off to go hug my little girl and smother her face in kisses. I highly recommend you do the same with your dear children. They are such a precious gift from God. Let them know that. Right now.

Anadama Bread

2011-06-24T05:42:00.000-07:00

Nothing beats the smell of baking bread. I start salivating as soon as the scent wafts my way. James questions me numerous times as to when it will be ready to eat. We just love fresh bread, straight from the oven, smothered in butter. Yum! Can you beat that? I think not.

Yesterday, I found myself with a hankering to feast on some homemade bread. I searched through the cookbook to find just the right recipe. (Meaning one that I could locate the ingredients for in my cupboard.) Ah Ha! Anadama Bread. One of the ingredients is molasses. I LOVE MOLASSES!

I tried my hand at shaping a round loaf. I even went so far as to make the cross marks on top. Artful, no?

But alas...we did not care for this bread. Sigh. I don't know. It could be the fact that the recipe called for "light" molasses and I chose to use my "full flavor" variety instead. Or that I failed to "constantly stir" the cornmeal/water mixture. as it boiled. Don't get me wrong. The bread is edible. We will finish it off, no doubt. But normally we eat an entire loaf within 20 minutes of it coming out of the oven. Not Anadama bread. I only nibbled one slice.

Well now. I must be off to ready the house for playgroup! Chicken and Dumplings in the crockpot? Check. Dress up clothes? Check. Clean house? Okay. That's what I forgot. Gotta run. I'll chat at you later.

Garden Collage

2011-06-23T13:06:00.000-07:00

I thought I would share this little art project with you today since if I don't I probably won't remember or get around to it in the future. Chloe asked if I would "play" with her this morning. We've had so many Me and Mommy Days lately that I didn't quite feel up to another "My Little Pony" episode or such like. I suggested to her that we pick an art project from her 365 Things to Make and Do book. She gracefully agreed.

We began by painting the background on our watercolor paper. Then we rummaged through our pile of fabric scraps for the flowers, butterflies, bumblebees and dragonflies.

Four hours later, we completed our creations. Here is mine.

And here is Chloe's collage. I am always amazed at her artistic abilities. While I merely copy something, changing only a few things as needed based on supplies and whatnot, Chloe will take the general idea of the project and create something totally unique. There is no copying for this creative genius.

I think I will frame these and hang them in Chloe's bedroom. Wouldn't they just fit with her garden flower theme? And now, I have found a bread recipe with ingredients I have on hand, so I am off to make bread for supper. Yum! Have an amazing evening.

Cake for Breakfast

2011-06-23T07:16:00.000-07:00

I can't recall the last time I baked a crumb/coffee cake for breakfast. Many years. I miss it. But in my endless (and futile) effort to eat somewhat healthier, cake for breakfast was the first thing to be removed from my diet.

Last night, after dinner, I proposed to Chloe that we bake something for dessert. "Chocolate cake!!!" she quickly suggested. "Brownies!" was my immediate response. Quietly, James voiced his vote. "How about a crumb coffee cake thing. We haven't had one of those in a while."

How could I deny my husband? He never asks for dessert, let alone a specific one...unless it is chocolate chip cookies but that's different. Completely.

Anyways, Chloe and I whipped up the crumb cake last night and savored a piece before bed. The first thing out of her mouth when we walked into the kitchen this morning was, "Cake?" Ahhhh...that's my girl. I couldn't very well say no. After all, I planned on having a piece myself with my coffee.

This simple recipe came from my Good Housekeeping Great Baking cookbook. (I know I've mentioned that book on this blog before. It is, hands down, my favorite cookbook.)

And now I am off to dream about baking some bread. Fig Walnut Bread to be precise. Doesn't that just sound scrumptious? Problem is, I can't seem to find any figs in my cupboard. Weird, eh? So, plain ole white bread must suffice. (I am out of whole wheat flour.) Have a delectable day everyone. I am sure I will.

Peanut Butter Grapevine Wreath

2011-06-22T13:27:00.000-07:00

I guess bluejays love peanuts! A friend of mine suggested smearing peanut butter on a grapevine wreath and hanging it in our back garden to see if we can attract some bluejays. I sure hope so. They are gorgeous birds.

All you need to make this wreath is a wreath that you don't mind getting messy (I found mine at a yard sale for 50 cents last Saturday) and some peanut butter. (I used creamy since that is all I found in my cupboard but I imagine the blue jays prefer chunky for the nuts.) A knife might be useful but not altogether necessary.

Find a place outside to hang the wreath. I hammered a nail right smack dab in the middle of my fence.

And now we wait for blue jays.

Me And Mommy Day

2011-06-20T08:39:00.000-07:00

I love Me and Mommy day. We started the concept while James was deployed. I don't recall exactly how it came about, but I do remember it had something to do with Chloe feeling forlorn and I felt horrible and so I instigated a Me and Mommy day. Chloe wrote her very own to-do list for us and we spent the entire day working our way through it. She even crossed off the items herself as we accomplished them. By the end of the day we felt so connected and we both had a truly delightful time.

Well, you can imagine that I receive multiple requests every day for more Me and Mommy days. It was clearly her favorite. So, last week I finally said yes. (You have to understand the concept. I don't do ANYTHING all day except what is on Chloe's list. So if she doesn't write "vacuum floor" I do not vacuum the floor. It can be quite intimidating to say yes to a Me and Mommy day. But oh, the joy and the fun. It makes it completely worth the double list of chores the following day.)

I scribed Chloe's "to-do list", only this time I added a little twist to the concept. I wrote out the to-so list the night before while she was sleeping. All the ideas were mine. (She was a bit apprehensive at first, but soon realized my ideas were totally cool too.)

This face says it all.

First item: Read a book.

Item #2: Play Trains. (We find it imperative to build a large city and a countryside surrounding our train tracks.)

Item #3: Play Kitchen. This time we decided to play restaurant instead of "kitchen". Together we made a menu and took turns being the waitress/cook for each other. We even rated the restaurants based on service and whether we received the items we ordered. (The restaurant seemed to be out of 3/4 of what I ordered.)

Chloe gave my restaurant five stars. Hooray! She said she loved the added touch of Romano Cheese I put on top of the soup.

Item #4: Draw Castle. I bought Chloe the Usborne Book titled 365 Things to Make and Do for her birthday. I thought we needed to make more things out of it so I added Draw Castle to our to-do list. Chloe is fairly good at drawing and it is something she enjoys so I am hoping to help her increase her skills in that area this next year.

I want to increase my drawing skills too so I drew a castle with Chloe. (It WAS Me and Mommy Day after all.)

Item #5: Read a chapter of Mary Poppins. We are currently working our way through Mary Poppins Comes Back. Chloe thought it would be a good idea to read all the Mary Poppins books after having met Mary Poppins at Walt Disney World last month. (More on that when I finally gain access to my photos on the hard drive.)

Item #6: Color a Picture. This is not Chloe's favorite thing to do, but I just loving coloring pictures with her, so I added it to the list and she obliged. I suppose solely for the fact that it was Me and Mommy day and she just enjoyed basking in my presence all day.

Item #6: Build with Legos. I hope this teaches her logic. I don't know. But she loves it when I build her things for her playacting. She hasn't quite mastered the concept that she too can build things. She would rather I do the hard work so she can then play with it.

This is a house I built while watching a you tube tutorial. (Can you believe what you can find on You Tube? How did people do ANYTHING prior to the internet???) Chloe then tried to mimic my house.

Item #7: Put Together a Puzzle. I allowed Chloe to pick a puzzle and she pulled out this simple 24 piece princess puzzle. I told her if she wanted that puzzle, I would not help her. I only help on the 100 piecers. She was perfectly okay with that.

Item #8: Go Swimming. Nuff said.

Item #9: Tickle War. Nuff said about that too.

Item #10: Play with Kitties. By this time we had reached the end of the day and neither kitty seemed interested in playing with us. It was almost bedtime thus their snuggle time. I usually snuggle with them for a bit after Chloe retires to bed. They stood around anxiously awaiting for that moment. But we still tried and Chloe enjoyed racing across the kitchen floor with the toys regardless of whether the kitties chased her or not.

It amazes me that we never seem to be able to finish our to-do lists on Me and Mommy Day. I shorten them each time too. Sometimes I even set a timer on each item, but we still can't get through everything. Oh well. We have a fabulous time anyways.

I have an idea regarding our next Me and Mommy Day. I plan on homeschooling for 6 weeks and then taking a grace week. 6 weeks on, 1 week off sort of a rotation. We could appreciate a Me and Mommy Day full of playful fun during our break from school work. I might just employ that idea.

So, what do you all do that is special for your children? Got any wonderful ideas or favorite activities that your kids beg you to do over and over?

Garden Makeover

2011-06-17T06:35:00.000-07:00

Frankly, I am quite surprised that my mailman has consistently delivered our mail. I don't think I would have dared to reach in through this thorny monster to deliver someone's mail. Rose bushes win every time.

Now mind you, this picture was taken shortly after our late spring pruning. Give it a month and she would have stood taller than the mailbox you see hanging on the wall by about a foot. Yea...brave mailman. We were forced to prune this sucker about once a month and yet she still kept right along growing. So, if you want a huge shrub rose with gorgeous blooms all season long that won't die even when you try to kill it, then I strongly suggest going with the Knockout Rose.

So, the shrub rose had to go. I also felt a desperate need to get rid of the plethora of Iris from the mess I called my garden. The stunning Iris flower blooms only a short period of time. While breathtakingly gorgeous, the rest of the year I am left with this...

A muddled mess of decaying leaves. Not such a pretty sight when they cover 1/3 of the front garden. The only flower I actually love in this garden are my Daylilies. Aren't they beautiful? I love the color and the leaves stay nice and green even after the flower has finished blooming.

I also sadly neglected my flower pots for a year. Poor dears need some loving. (Those are weeds you see in that pot. Pathetic. I know.)

I ripped everything out this week.

I curved the front of the garden for eye appeal. A friend of mine offered that suggestion and I decided I liked the idea. This was about as bold as I got though. (I blame the garden hose for my lack of inspiration. It simply would not stay put where I placed it. I could have created something more visually impressive if the hose would have cooperated.)

And then the new plants went in. I bought another Knockout Rose (I know...I know...) to put on the OTHER side of the garden. I went with a lighter pink this time too. I planted Rosemary underneath the mailbox because I figure it will make a nice height once it grows but will not hide my mailbox. In front of the Rosemary I planted a trailing Geranium. Talk about gorgeous! Wow!. Behind the Daylilies, which I left in, I planted two Lavenders. I needed fragrance and height. In front of those, on either side of the Daylilies, I added two Azaleas. I wanted boxwoods but the nursery was sold out and these will still stay green all year with the additional bonus of blooming in the spring. (And these will be PINK! What could be better?)

I added a few petunias to the front for instant gratification and voila! I have a garden! So, in a couple of months I will take more pictures and show you how she looks. I am sure it will be scrumptious. (And for you doubters out there, I do believe gardens can be scrumptious.)

Oh, and before I forget. You can no longer call my flower pots neglected.

Well, I am off to prepare for a playdate. Have a delightful summerly day! Oh...and if you have time, I updated the homeschool blog. It's just our first grade book list but I thought someone might be interested in it. I know I always love perusing good book lists (weirdo that I am). So, go enjoy your summerly day.

Early Mushroom Practice

2011-06-10T18:40:00.000-07:00

I planned Chloe's 7th birthday party today. A tad bit early...I know, but I can hardly wait. And hey! I figure I can start shopping now for supplies so that the party doesn't kill my budget come March. I am not going to tell you what the party theme is quite yet. I will hold you in suspense for at least a few months. But I will mention that she picked something entirely girly. I have not allowed her this option for the past 5 years since most of her friends previously have been boys. But this year we had a hard time eliminating some of the names off her list (I refuse to allow more than 10 children in my tiny house for a party) so I decided she may have a girls only party this next year. (sorry boys)

Well, I spent a couple of hours just planning the decorations and activities and food and whatnot. Let me tell you...this party will be the absolute best party ever. And if you all have seen our previous parties then you know that means something. Ohhhhh boy...I can hardly wait! I got to looking at cakes and sheesh! I need some practice. It looks like I am going to need to play with fondant for this cake. At least a portion of it. I haven't quite made up my mind yet, but I have some general ideas of what I want.

Anyways, I looked up a youtube video on how to form mushrooms and you would not believe how incredibly effortless these are. I was so taken back by the level of ease that I simply had to try some today just to make sure that were, indeed, that simple.

And just look at how darling they are. What cute little mushrooms.

Now remember that I mentioned earlier that I intended to keep you in suspense regarding the theme of this party. So, I think it imperative to inform you that the theme is NOT mushrooms. Now you may see bits and pieces of things over the next few months as I "practice" various ideas, but that's that. Practice.

I whipped up these mushrooms in about 10 minutes. See? Easy! And now I am off to work on my knitted skirt and sip a cup of tea. Have a charming evening everyone! Hope to chat at you again soon with a finished skirt to show off.

My Morning Routine

2011-06-08T08:44:00.000-07:00

It saddens me to announce that I lost the memory card for my camera. Yes. I did. (Those little suckers are so tiny.) I do know where it is, but I cannot find it. It is somewhere in my back garden lawn. Sigh. I searched and searched on my hands and knees for about an hour and I cannot locate it. Uggggg. (I don't even want to know what the neighbors thought if they happened to see me.)

In other sad news, James transferred ALL of the pictures from my laptop over to our external hard drive. That should be wonderful news, right? Well, our dear external hard drive decided to take a vacation into cyber space so I am unable to access all our wonderful Disney World pictures for you all. I was gearing up to write out a couple of posts for you all too. (I even have one or two started.) Sigh. When it rains it pours, right?

Talk about pouring...James little truck got sick too. Now we need to take it into the shop to have it fixed. In the meantime, I am without a vehicle unless I feel the urge to get up at the ungodly hour of 5:00 am to take James to work. Nope. I don't think so. Not this 9:00 am riser. I just don't do mornings.

So...anyways, enough of that rain stuff. It's summer and with it comes sunshine and all sorts of other delightfully warm activities. I made one and only one goal to accomplish during our summer break. (which is almost over...boo hoo) I wanted to form the habit of my morning routine. I have not maintained very good routines over the past school year and I have a feeling this could have something to do with my stress levels. If my house is not clean I feel out of control. So, for our 6 week summer break, I am forcing myself to finish my morning routine every single morning. Want to see what that routine is?

My Morning Routine

1. Devotions
2. Make Bed
3. Give Chloe meds
4. Start washing machine (on washing days)
5. Clean kitty box
6. Change kitty water (Chloe feeds them)
7. Wash breakfast dishes
8. Sweep floor
9. Vacuum floors
10. Shower
11. Swish and Swipe bathroom

So, there you have it. This is what I do every single morning as soon as I wake up. Breakfast is, of course, thrown in there somewhere. I figure after 6 weeks, this should become a habit so ingrained in me that I don't have to think about doing it. That's sort of the point, right? At least that's what Flylady says. I've been doing it every day since we arrived home from Disney World and I have to admit that the flow of the routine is becoming a habit. I no longer have to look at the list to know what comes next. And once I start the routine, I naturally finish without thinking about it. The problem is...starting. That needs to become a habit.

I have also started timing this routine. I need to know how long it takes me to do it so that I can plan my mornings better on days when I need to leave the house early for a playdate or field trip or something. That way, I don't feel out of control when I get home and things start piling up.

Well, I am off to do something. What? I don't know. Maybe finish knitting a skirt. Maybe weave in the ends on some dishcloths I crocheted this weekend so I can show them to you. Maybe bake some bread. Maybe blog about the cookies Chloe made yesterday. (which I was able to photograph with James old rinky dink camera.) Hmmmm...too many decisions.

Letting Go

2011-06-03T19:00:00.000-07:00

I am letting go.

I have recently learned that I am a perfectionist. Yes. Indeed. I was just as shocked as you when I first heard this thought in my brain. Never did I think I was that. Anything but that. Right? Well, I most assuredly am that. I really am. And quite frankly, I need to get over it. So here it goes.

I am letting go of some clutter in my home. Things that I like but that I just don't love any more. They don't make me smile. Quite honestly, they make me groan. Do I really want to clean those knic knacs one more time? Nope. How much dust can one plate collect in 4 years? Tons. I am letting them go.

I am letting go of that silly 365 day challenge. I really wanted to do it, but then things got crazy. Then the fact that I didn't keep up with it caused to me no longer blog. I felt like I had nothing to say if I didn't write about that silly challenge. Well, there it goes. Floating away. Bye bye 365 Day challenge.

I am letting go of this crazy idea that I must insert a photograph into every single post. Like this post here. No photo. Crazy, right? But it is doable. Gone. I let it go.

I am letting go of the fact that I am not Miss Popularity. I strove for most of my life to be the friendliest, most outgoing person I could be. Well, I think I pushed away too many people in the process. Do you want to know why? Because its not me. Not the real me, anyways. I am shy. I am introverted. I am a private person (aside from this here blog where I tend to let things loose a bit at times). I am a homebody. I am a family orientated person who just likes to be with my family. When I get nervous I talk a lot. A LOT. I say stupid things. (Don't let Chloe know I used that word.) But I really do. I try to make up for the fact that I don't know what to say in circumstances and so I end up saying too much. I would much rather sit quietly by listening to everyone else talk. So, I am letting go of this notion that I must be super outgoing to be a good Christian girl. I don't have to attend every party or every social event. I can be me. I am okay with that.

I am letting go of this insane notion that because someone else is doing something on a blog, I must then do it myself. Yes, we can learn quite a lot of good ideas from blogs. But we do not need to base our entire lives off the lives of others. There are so many good things out there but we can't possibly do them all. I need to sit down and decide, with prayer, what is best for MY family. What God would have MY family do. Do I need to read to Chloe for an hour every afternoon just because I saw Jane Doalot over there posting that very goal for herself and then feeling guilty when I fail? No. I don't. (this coordinates with the whole 365 challenge thing I let go of above.) I am letting go of this too. There is goes, right along with the guilt.

I am letting go of my fear. I am petrified. I don't know where God is leading us in this whole adoption thing. James would like to go through the state with their Foster to Adopt program. That just plain scares me. What if I pour my heart into a child for 2-3 years only to have them ripped from my home and I never get to see or hear from them again? That could tear me apart worse than this "infertility" thing has. We have the application sitting here. It's been filled out since November. But my fear has held onto it and not allowed it to leave my house. It's time to let go of my fear. To take a step of faith. To allow God to work in our lives. To see a miracle. It might not be the miracle I expect or even dream or hope of, but I know God has a plan and its for my good. Goodbye fear. You've lived in my heart for too long.

I am letting go of the word perfect. It will no longer exist in my vocabulary. For far too long I have wallowed in guilt because I simply cannot attain perfection. God brought a perfect verse to my mind this week as I pleaded with him for help. (I guess I can't eradicate the word entirely from my vocabulary...I do serve a perfect God.)

2 Corinthians 12:9
"But he said to me, 'My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.' Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me."

So, there you have it. I am weak. I am much too weak to hold onto all these things. I am letting go. Now let's see some power! God's power! Woo Hoo! I feel free!

Epcot Greetings

2011-05-15T16:15:00.000-07:00

Hey Ya'll. Mickey says "Hi!" Yes, I spoke with him this morning. AND yesterday. Wooo Hooo. I have talked to him twice. (and hugged him and got my picture taken with him.)So...are you ready?

Yes, we are!!!

Day 2 of Disney World 2011 Ness Style commenced at 9:00 am with the Epcot Center. Okay...so our hotel door wouldn't lock and we ended up having to wait a half hour for the maintenance lady to come fix it so our Epcot Center day actually began closer to 9:43, but that's beside the point.

Little did I know when I planned our Epcot day that today was the very last day of the Epcot Flower and Garden show. If you haven't seen it then you are certainly missing out. Think Disney...but in flowers!

And if those flower arrangements in the shape of Mickey's head fail to impress you, then surely the giant character topiaries will. Check out some of my favorites.

So, enough pictures of topiaries, eh? Yeah. James said the same thing. I missed the entire Winnie the Pooh gang, Mickey and gang and quite a few others. Oh well. When Daddy's had enough...he has had enough. Moving on to the character greetings. Wow! Mickey Mouse is shorter than I thought he would be...but then he is a mouse, after all. What was I expecting?

I think everyone's favorite today was Lotso. For some reason, our family has an extreme love for this evil bear. He certainly is huggable, that's for sure. Chloe was fascinated by how soft he was too. Lotso was the only character who she literally ran to and gave a full-fledged hug to.

And he's the only character Daddy wanted a solo shot with.

At this point in the day, James was tiring drastically of my photographing nature and as I said, "okay...say goodbye to Lotso," he shoved the camera at me and said, "No. Wait. I need a picture with Lotso too."

We chanced upon a cute little train village somewhere in Germany, I believe.

Complete with Rapunzel's tower. Wow! We loved watching the trains go through the tunnels and around the mountains.

So, we ate lunch in Norway. Chloe was quite impressed by this garden on top of the roof. I was too, for that matter. Not your typical roof garden. (James called it an authentic thatch roof.) Unless you live in Norway, I suppose. I don't know since I have never actually been to Norway. But it looked pretty good in Disney's version.

Gingerbread cookies in the shape of viking hats are pretty cool too.

Disney pays such good attention to details. I suppose that's why they make so much money. But all these little details are what make this place so magical. I love it here.

The only thing that saddens me is the entire lack of anything eternal here. Sure, there is a certain element of "magic" and we are to "believe" and know that "miracles happen", but boy...Disney got one thing wrong. It doesn't happen without Jesus Christ. I am so glad my castle is in heaven, with my Lord and Savior. And it will be a thousand times better than anything I see here in Disneyworld. And I will get to live there FOREVER!!!

Okay. I had better hop off this here laptop. Naptime is over. It's almost dinner time with some princesses and then an extremely late night for us at Magic Kingdom. Have a fantastic week everyone.

Greetings from the Minivan

2011-05-14T04:13:00.000-07:00

Happy Saturday morning to you all. I got about 5 and a half hours of sleep last night. That's pretty good for car sleeping, if you ask me. So, do you want to know something crazy cool? I am sitting in the front seat of my minivan, cruising past the Florida State line. I just have to say that I am married the one smart man. He is so tech savvy, it boggles my mind. Who knew that I could connect my laptop to my cell phone and get internet access in my minivan (while driving down the interstate, no less)? Crazy cool, right? I thought so.

We have made good time. I woke up, ready for another shift of driving, only to be told that we are 3 hours out. 3 hours out from Mickey's House!

So, I don't really have anything else to say at the moment. I haven't had coffee yet. I just wanted to let you all know I am thinking about you. (Yes, I do think about the blogging world multiple times a day...) Now I am off to see what my minivan can do about the coffee situation.

Happy Friday

2011-05-13T13:18:00.000-07:00

Guess where I will be in 24 hours! Yup. That's right. The house that Mickey built! (Or Walt Disney, depending on who you talk to.) I am so excited. I even packed my underwear. And Chloe's.... and James... None of us will be underwear-less in Disney World. (I know you are all silently relieved.)

I thought about posting the You Tube video called "Friday" by Rebecca Black but I figured I would rather not lose any readers over something as silly as that so I just linked to it for you. You can pop over and view it yourself, if you dare. (I am, of course, playing it in the background since Chloe is sitting here watching me type and saw the video pop up when I copied the link. She loves the song.) Okay. You gotta admit, it's catchy. And who doesn't love Friday? Especially when you get to drive to DISNEYWORLD on Friday!

So, needless to say...I couldn't sleep last night. Go figure, right? When I was a girl, my parents could never tell me about family vacations until the day of the trip because I get so sick from excitement. Yea...I never outgrew that. Thank goodness Chloe did NOT inherit that trait from me. We can bounce on the bed for hours the day before a big trip with absolutely no side affects. For her that is. I, on the other hand, get motion sickness and end up awake half the night trying to calm myself back down.

But I digress. I couldn't sleep last night. Even though I already packed the underwear, I was still worried. Did I pack enough? And what about socks? Should I go check again? So, to keep my mind from racing circles around my brain I did a little late night photo editing.

Woah! Where did that come from? Left field, right? It makes absolutely no sense to me either. But that is what I did at midnight last night. I played with some pictures in photoshop.

So, I have an hour left until "go time". We are headed to Awanas and then, at long last, the arduous drive begins. I have stocked up on Frappuccinos, M&M's and Disney dvd's. Every camera, ipod, nintendo, etc is fully charged and ready to roll. I have FOUR books on cd packed within arms reach and James' 5-hour Energy's are stacked in the glove compartment ready to go. Ack! I feel butterflies in my tummy! I better go check the hermit crabs food supply or something useful.

I have a surprise for you tomorrow. I can't tell you what it is just in case the stars don't align and my plan malfunctions. But if all goes well, I may just do something crazy cool. (At least, crazy cool for me...boring for others of you.) Have a Happy Friday everyone!

Disney World Hair Bobbles

2011-05-12T05:04:00.000-07:00

A girl just cannot survive Disney World without the proper hair treatment, can she? I highly doubt it. Seriously though. A girl simply NEEDS her hair bows.

Unfortunately, search though I may, I could not locate any Mickey or Minnie Mouse bobbles to decorate my hair bows with. I tried three craft/sewing stores. Before I completely frustrated my child to the point where she would then refuse to wear the hair bows I worked so feverishly on, I opted to purchase some Minnie Mouse ribbon with which to create the hair bows. Compromise. It keeps everyone happy...most of the time.

I find it mildly humorous to watch my progression of projects. I start with something quite elaborate like that funky boutique bow above. Each bow then grows smaller and less complicated. I created a double layered bow next. A tails down for the bottom layer and a diamond cut for the top.

I then ran out of the gorgeous pink ribbon which I found half off at Hobby Lobby (Oh? Did I fail to mention we have a Hobby Lobby now? Oh my goodness. How could I do that? Yes....hooray! My most favorite store on the planet is now in my area! But I digress.) and so I decided to finish off the Minnie Mouse ribbon with these cutsie little bows. Again with the double layer but this time I used the tails down bow on both layers, just turning one bow upside down when I wired them together.

I taught myself something new yesterday. How to line an alligator clip.

This was my first time attaching bows to alligator clips. (It wasn't complicated. Trust me.)

So, now Chloe is all set for Disney World, if only her mother would get off the computer and start packing. We leave tomorrow! Do you want to know something funny? I am walking around in a complete daze. Weird, huh? It's like I don't even know where to begin. Thus, the hair bobbles yesterday. Could I walk out to the shed and dig out the suitcase? That would be a good place to start. No, I couldn't even do that. I had to run all over creation searching for hair bow supplies. Sigh. And now here I am blogging. More than likely, I will put off packing until tomorrow afternoon and then find myself running around like a chicken with its head cut off and invariably forget to pack something important like underwear. (Do you think they sell underwear in Orlando?) Okay. So, before I panic I think I better run along and dig out that suitcase. I wonder if I could make fairy wings today? No, Anna! Focus! Suitcase. Underwear.

Chloe's Shark Cake

2011-05-11T07:07:00.000-07:00

Better late than never, right? (at least that's what I am trying to convince myself of so I will feel better about my lack of updates recently...kindergarten is harder than one would think...) Anyways, without further ado, I present to you (drum roll please) Chloe's 6th Birthday Cake. (She stuck with her shark theme and I must say it was a fantastic party. You all might try convincing your 6 year old girls to have a shark party as well.)

So, let me tell you about this cake. Chloe asked for a vanilla cake when I inquired as to the flavor she desired this year. Vanilla? Vanilla cake? Okay. Out came the baking cookbook and the search for a vanilla cake. This is the first year I have attempted to bake a cake from scratch AND decorate it too.

I found the perfect Vanilla Chiffon cake and although it required a few extra steps in the process, it turned out to be scrumptious. Very much worth the effort.

Now the ocean waves you see are buttercream frosting. Can you get any yummier than that? I think not. I took two different colors of blue and gingerly mixed them seperately so that some marbling took place with the bright white icing. Then I used both blues to cover the square sheet cake. Easy peasy! This has got to be the easiest cake I have ever made. (At least for Chloe's birthdays, that is.)

Now for my little shark. I opted to cover a loaf cake in fondant. I am beginning to see the value in fondant. I made sure I spread an extra thick layer of buttercream on the loaf before I smoothed the fondant over my shark. Oh, but wait. I am jumping ahead of myself here. How did I get the shark shape? So, I baked a chocolate cake in a bread pan. I froze the sucker overnight. The next day I wielded my carving knife and produced my very own shark.

I actually made the fins and tail with fondant the day before and laid them out to dry overnight so they would hold their shape. After the cake was finished, I used a tad bit of buttercream to add the eyes and gills.

Chloe simply said, "Yup. That's right!" when I showed her the cake. My little drama queen. Imagine if you will a grin plastered across her face as she made this seemingly benign statement. The poor girl begged and pleaded for her shark party. This was her way of proving her point, I guess. The cake turned out absolutely delightful. (I would not, however, take the advice of multiple friends who suggested I add red blood from the shark's mouth...)

Lesson learned. When your 5 turning 6 year old daughter asks for a party theme which you think is uncharacteristic, just go with it. You never know how much fun you could have. Now we are discussing a tea party option or a chef party for next year. The big 7! Wow! I don't want to talk about it anymore. I am off to enjoy our third to last day of kindergarten with my SIX year old. (She IS 6...no matter how many times she tells you she is almost 7. She is still just six...barely.)

Moments in the Sun

2011-05-10T19:12:00.000-07:00

"Children have neither past nor future; they enjoy the present, which very few of us do."
Jean de la Bruyere

As I attempt to enjoy more moments with my family, I am struck with how fleeting my life really is. We are only given so many moments on this earth. Only so many moments for vigorous hugs and exuberant kisses. Only so many moments for effervescent giggles and contagious laughter. Only so many moments to leave a legacy for our children. What kind of legacy do I want to leave for Chloe? How do I want her to remember me?

30 years from now, will Chloe care if every crumb was immediately swept from the kitchen floor? Will she ponder on my dust free bookshelves or the sparkling windows and mirrors?

Please no.

I pray she remembers the moments in which I blew bubbles for her to dash away with her pom-poms, dancing to and fro and giggling as she toppled to the ground. I pray she recalls the flowers drawn on the sidewalk in chalk. The moments we sat observing a robin feathering her nest or a butterfly alighting on a flower. The laughter as we watched the cat pouncing on a dandelion fluff floating by.

I do not want to find myself so caught up in preparing to live my life that I fail to actually live it.

Winter and half of spring speed by me in a blur. I lost myself in the coming and going of various events. Mostly good, but not altogether necessary. I found myself crying one day because my dear daughter was in tears, begging me to sit and play with her. "You never play with me anymore, Mama," she informed me through her tears. My heart broke as I realized the truth in that statement. At that moment I realized how much I miss just sitting down and immersing myself in fairyland with my precious daughter.

I am trying to do better. After spending a good portion of our afternoon playing dolls together today, we ventured outside where we enjoyed a romp around our sun-drenched garden. We found a few roly-poly bugs to examine and watched as a Mama house sparrow took a worm to her babies somewhere in the neighbor's rain gutter.

Every day, I am attempting to learn this valuable lesson regarding time. Time is precious. Time is fleeting. Use time wisely, but don't forget to enjoy the moments that come along. Stop to gaze into your child's laughing eyes. Watch a spider spin her web. Count the stars. Catch a firefly. Give a bear hug. Dance.

Enjoy your moment right now.

A Long Overdue Update

2011-05-03T14:35:00.000-07:00

Well hello there blogging world! I have not fallen off the edge of the world nor have I taken a luxurious vacation to the moon, as some might suppose. No. I am quite well, actually. James informed me the other day that I might want to contemplate posting on this here blog to let everyone know I have not "gone crazy" since Pattycakes died two months ago. I can understand how one might surmise such an idea since I have not posted since that time. Here is where I shall apologize profusely. I am sorry. Life got carried away and I found myself flying along at breakneck speed through a myriad of events, most of which I could not recall even if all the chocolate in the world hung in the balance. Here is where I shall end my profuse apology and get on with some updates.

Update #1. I last left you in the midst of a hectic week, preparing for Chloe's 6th birthday party and saying goodbye to my dearest kitty friend Pattycakes. What a week, eh? You can say that again. Anyways, I pulled off Chloe's party with laughter and fun and I will have to show you pictures of all that soon.

Can you believe my little girl is SIX YEARS OLD? Where did the time go? I ask you...seriously...

What a joy this little girl is to me. I fully expected to have three more children by now according to my plans, but God clearly had other plans for me. And I must tell you that while my heart aches for more children, He could not have given me a more sweet, loving and gentle child than Chloe. She is my sweetheart. I know, I know. EVERYONE thinks their child is a joy and a sweetheart and all that jazz. But really. I believe it with my whole heart! I adore this little girl and it is the biggest privilege to walk beside her everyday, training her to be a Lady who loves Jesus and will serve Him someday.

Update #2. Chloe's birthday party only began the whirlwind of events that crashed through our lives. Shortly after I popped the last balloon and tore down the last streamer, we started packing up our kitchen. It was worse than moving, let me tell you. I know. I've moved quite a bit in my lifetime. At least when you move, everything gets packed up and you leave your house for a nice hotel and a couple months later you find a new house and unload everything. Not so when remodeling a kitchen. Nope. All those boxes must find a home somewhere in the house and in our house that happened to be all over my living room, along with the dining room table and almost every tool and gadget and gizmo my husband owns. Can you imagine such a horrendous mess? Got your mental image? Now live like that for TWO MONTHS! Okay. But you know what? It was totally worth it. I can now cook in a brand-spanking new kitchen. Ahhhhhhh...the bliss. I will have to show you the new kitchen soon.

Update #3. We are finishing school in another week and a half, or thereabouts. WHOO HOOO! This year has been a whirlwind. (Oh...did I say that already? Sorry.) Chloe reads ALL THE TIME. Although I might hear a complaint now and again during "school time" I will shortly thereafter find her curled up somewhere reading a book. (At this very moment she is reading this character building book. I think the section is on Attentiveness. What a girl!!!)

I started planning out our curriculum for first grade too. We shall begin first grade the last week in June. (I know. Cruel mother, right? Forcing my child to "do school" during summer break? Okay. But we get to take breaks throughout the year, whenever we feel like it. Yeah. Oh...and we are usually done in May or April. Now I can see you all nodding your heads and wishing you could be out of school in May when the weather is gorgeous outside.) More on the curriculum ideas and choices for first grade will come soon on my homeschool blog (which also found itself sadly neglected this spring).

Update #4. Three new creatures found themselves added to our family. Hermit crabs. Sadly one died within five days. We didn't mourn him. (I think we were all cried out with Pattycakes.) Originally I asked James for a Chinchilla. He said no. Too high maintenance or something like that. He agreed to hermit crabs because they are small and can fit inside a glass aquarium. What James failed to realize is that hermit crabs are extremely high maintenance. Or at least I think they are. They need their "crabitat" a certain temperature. And if that weren't bad enough...they need a precise humidity level too...quite a high one at that (70%). Oh, and they are extremely social creatures so they must have at least two other crabbie friends with them. They also need salt water to bath in and fresh water to drink. And you can't forget the shells. They must have shells so they can switch homes. They also need to have a deep substrate so they can bury themselves and molt for 3 months, during which time you must keep them isolated without disturbing them. SHEESH! Did you even read all that? I think we would have been better off with a new kitten.

Update #5. WE ARE GOING TO DISNEYWORLD!

I have been waiting most of my life for this. In ten more days it will finally happen. I couldn't tell you who jumps around and shrieks louder, Chloe or me. But I will tell you this. Planning a vacation to Disneyworld is just as bad as planning a tour of Europe. Hotel reservations, dinner reservations, itineraries, packing lists, etc. etc. etc. But I am so excited I could scream right now! I GET TO MEET MICKEY MOUSE!

Okay. Chloe has finished reading the sections on attentiveness and faith and is now asking for a game of Sorry! before I prepare dinner. I feel a strong need to grant her request. After all, it won't be long before I plan her 12th birthday party and wonder where these next 6 years went. Sigh. Life speeds by too fast. Enjoy the moments. Each and every one of them. Savor them. Linger over them. Go and make a memory.

Precious Pattycakes

2011-03-11T06:10:00.000-08:00

Every now and again, we are given the privilege of knowing someone so unique and extraordinary they impact our lives significantly and change us forever. For me, that happened to be a cat.

Please forgive me as this will be a very emotional post for me and parts of it contain portions of my life which I have shared with very few people.

A little over 14 years ago, I left home at the age of 17. After trying out a few places, I eventually found my way into a small apartment within walking distance of my high school. The first week quickly passed before I walked up the stairs to the manager's door so I could sign my contract for the apartment. At the base of her door sat a miniature food dish alongside a water dish. As I knocked on her door a long-haired gray cat strode up the stairs, gave a meow and started rubbing on my legs. I reached down my hand to stroke her head. The minute my hand touched the cat's fur I heard the loudest purr I have ever heard emit from a cat. She rubbed her head and face against me a few times, her little engine roaring powerfully.

I commented to the manager as I was signing all the papers on what a beautiful and loving cat she was, thinking it was her cat. The manager proceeded to inform me that this cat didn't normally like people. Her previous owners used drugs and abused the cat. They would swing her around by her tail and let her go to slam into the walls. They would blow drugs in her face to make her high and then laugh at her drug-induced antics. Well, they ended up skipping out on the apartment because they couldn't pay the rent and left every item they owned inside. Including the cat.

The manager didn't realize what had happened until two weeks later. When she entered the apartment, she found the cat inside. She had been left behind with no food source and no water bowl. She had been drinking water dripping from the faucet in order to stay alive. The manager mentioned that she would keep the cat herself except she was allergic to pets. I sadly said I would love to have the cat but I pointed to the "No Pet Agreement" I had just signed my name to and said I couldn't. In a blink of an eye the lady picked up the piece of paper, tore it into shreds and said, "What pet agreement?". She grabbed a half full bag of cat food she used to feed the cat and the food bowls and handed them to me. As I exited her apartment I asked what the cat's name was and she said, "Pattycakes".

We enjoyed a blissful summer. James and I spent as much time together as possible, savoring our new found freedom from the confines of school. Every afternoon, I would return to my humble apartment and receive the greetings of an overjoyed kitty. Our bliss would soon end. James would join the military and leave that September for boot camp, leaving me by myself.

At this time in my life, I had no friends. I was not on speaking terms with my family so I spent each day waking up, going to work for 5 hours and returning home. I worked at a restaurant which provided me with one free meal a day. That was all I ate. I came home and immediately dove into bed to hide from my loneliness. 16-18 hours later I would drag myself out of bed, get dressed and go to work again. I literally slept and worked and that was it. Most of my days off were spent sitting on my couch, staring at the white wall. I would sit and stare for hours at a time. Sometimes I would find that I had been crying, but I wouldn't remember when it started or for how long.

During these times, Pattycakes would jump into my lap and gingerly kiss my nose, after which she would curl up onto my lap and purr. If I didn't respond in a timely manner to her kiss she would stand back up and head butt my face, as if to say, "Come back to earth, Anna. I am here."

Pattycakes is the reason I am alive today.

When James and I decided to get married I informed him, "If you marry me, you marry my cat. Pattycakes comes with me. I will never leave her." (He was living in Germany at the time.) He wholeheartedly agreed and so Pattycakes traveled the world with us. She was there for everything.

Pattycakes never left my side. If I sat on the couch, she would sit on the other side. If I walked into the bedroom she would follow and lay on the bed. If she happened to fall asleep somewhere and didn't see me leave the room, I only had to call her name and a minute later she would appear. Pattycakes loved to be cuddled. She would rub her face against mine and press her body against me as if she just coudn't get close enough. I could sit and pet her all day and she would purr her little heart out. There was never a moment in her life when she didn't desire to be in my lap.

Tuesday afternoon Pattycakes died.

She was 17 years old.

I miss Pattycakes.

It hurts worse than anything I have ever felt before.

Every now and again, we are given the privilege of knowing someone so unique and extraordinary they impact our lives significantly and change us forever. For me, that happened to be a cat.

Day 50 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-05T15:26:00.000-08:00

Monday I wrote out clues to the treasure hunt we are having for Chloe's shark birthday party. We will play a twist on the "Hot Potato" game. I will wrap layers of wrapping paper with a shark toy in each layer. James will play music while the children pass the parcel. When the music stops, that child will open the first layer of paper to reveal a shark which they will be able to take home in their goodie bag. They are then removed from the circle and the game continues until the last person opens the parcel (which will strategically happen to be Chloe). Inside they will find this letter from Capt' Bluebeard.

The letter reads,
Capt' Bluebeard is my name,
Stealing treasure is my game.
If you find it you will win,
All the treasure that's within."

And then they are given the first clue. The clues are such that the first letter of each location is given along with spaces for the remaining letters. Then there is a picture of what the location rhymes with. So the first clue is S _ _ _ and the clue is the color pink, thus the location for the next clue is the sink. Which one? They will have to look themselves. That's all part of the hunt! I made enough clues so that each child will be able to grab the clue out themselves.

To make the letter appear old, I tore the edges and "burned" them by sponging chocolate brown ink along the edges. Chloe was amazed that I wanted to make my paper look old. It confused her for a minute but then I explained the pirate buried the treasure many years ago so the letter needed to appear old. She changed her mind and thought it was the coolest thing ever.

I attached each clue on its own piece of brown cardstock and made those look old as well. On the day of the party, I will tape the clues in their locations.

And now I must be off to plan a custom closet organization system for Chloe's new bedroom. More on that in another post. Oh! And my dear husband sanded her new bed last night for me so I can paint it tonight and have it ready this next week. I need to order her bedding though so she can move in on her birthday. I am so excited for her! She is so excited she can barely contain herself.

Day 49 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-04T11:56:00.000-08:00

The Pancake Story

It all started early Sunday morning. We borrowed Pretend Soup from our library and Chloe begged to cook something from it. I decided to try out the blueberry pancakes Sunday morning.

I allowed Chloe to do most everything involved in making these pancakes. Yes, even cracking the eggs for her first time ever.

She poured milk from a pitcher (which I filled with a bit of milk for easier pouring. The gallon milk jug proved slightly too cumbersome.) into the measuring cup...

...and then poured the excess back into the pitcher. This happened a couple of times before we arrived at the correct amount.

This book is simply amazing. Not only is it full of recipes, but if you turn the page, there is a picture recipe with a few words under each picture. Chloe was able to read her own recipe and follow the instructions herself which left me free to snap a hundred pictures.

Seeing the wonderful job she did at cooking the pancakes, I went so far as to hand Chloe the syrup bottle. Wow! What a unique privilege for this little girl. She felt so big! (She IS going to be six in two weeks, after all.) And then the first bite...

Ummmmmmmmmmmm........

These pancakes are fall-off-your-chair delicious!

"giggle, giggle"

Now you may be asking yourselves, "How is that Anna's creative attempt when Chloe made those pancakes from scratch?" Check out that first pancake above. Yup! That's mine. *grin* Creative, right?

Oh, I also took all these pictures. Photography is creative too. So, there! Two creative attempts in one day! I am on a roll...

Day 48 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-04T09:21:00.000-08:00

Saturday, I found an easy project on The Crafty Crow to try our hands at. It sounded interesting enough. Salt Painting. The general idea is that you glue salt to a piece of construction paper, drip food coloring on it and watch it travel across the salt. Novel idea. We gathered the supplies.

(Chloe thinks she needs to be in every picture I snap of random objects. Really, people need to be the focus of pictures...not construction paper and glue! What am I thinking???)

This was my first attempt. I tried a gluestick and food coloring on a paint brush. The salt traveled nowhere. How disappointing. I actually painted the salt.

Chloe used bottled glue so her lines were much thinner, but she still had to paint her salt.

I switched over to watercolor paints and my colors appear much more vibrant with the paints rather than the food coloring. I love it. They also traveled across the salt better too. Chloe's hands began to tire of dipping the paint brush into the cups, so I gave her the food coloring bottles to squeeze instead. I couldn't allow her artists fingers to become weary from fatigue. Poor thing.

Not the greatest art project we've ever tried, but we did enjoy watching the paint travel across the salt. Hopefully we come up with something better this week. Maybe more tie dye???

Day 47 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-04T09:03:00.000-08:00

Last Friday we grabbed a few paper towels and a box of watercolor paints and created our very own Tie-Dye Window Art. I just HAD to delve into this project with Chloe, for obvious reasons.

Is that not the coolest kindergarten art project?

I found this project via The Crafty Crow on Wendolonia. Can I just say that I LOVE The Crafty Crow? I do. What a fantastic resource for elementary art.

Chloe would have created these tie-dyed paper towels all day, if I let her. Here are some of what she made. (I made the ones pictured above, so this totally counts as my creative endeavor for the day.)

Unfortunately, we exhausted our watercolors before our stamina diminished so I promised Chloe I would pick up another box of paints for us to try again at a later date.

Really, this was such a super simple project. I can see every wall of my house covered in these kaleidoscopic paper towels.

Day 46 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-04T08:45:00.000-08:00

Just hang in there with me. It's gonna get better soon. I promise. As I mentioned yesterday, last week was seriously crazy. James was out of town which meant I wallowed my way through each day, quite unable to keep my focus on any given task. (Oh...and the car broke down for the second time in a two week time span...fun times...)

Thursday I grabbed the newest cookbook from my shelf, the one my dear friend Amy gave me for Christmas, and baked up some granola.

Okay. So, I have been dying for this cookbook for quite some time now. Farm Chicks in the Kitchen. My mother first introduced me to these fun ladies (not personally, mind you...just informed me of them so I could then fall in love...you know how that goes) about two years ago. I have wanted this book ever since.

But for some perplexing reason, my granola darkened considerably during the last ten minutes of baking. So much so that it tastes slightly overdone. Not quite burnt, but...well...you know. Not quite the pure scrumptiousness I was aiming for. That's too bad, really, because the granola must be eaten, by me no less. I am the only one in my household who eats the stuff, let alone adores it. What is my problem with granola? I have burnt it the last 3 times I have attempted to make it. And this time I followed the recipe to a "T". I used to make it continuously and it tasted delectable. Maybe I am just out of practice.

So, I am off now to pour myself a bowl of granola with french vanilla yogurt and work on another post. My lofty and quite noble goal for this week will be to catch up on my creative posts.

Day 45 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-03T07:07:00.000-08:00

I read a novel last week regarding a woman living in New York City who learned to cook. Hmmm...you can just imagine what reading this book did to me. Yep! You guessed it. I needed to learn to cook something. In this particular book (which I will not name here because I cannot honestly recommend it...had some horribly bad parts I wish it didn't have) the woman first taught herself how to fry an egg. Simple enough, right? Doesn't everyone know how to fry an egg? Well, after I thought about it for a day or so, I realized that I don't properly know how to fry an egg. Oh, I get by mind you...but maybe, just maybe, I am going about it all wrong. I googled "how to fry an egg" and quickly found out that I, indeed, was defectively frying my eggs. How sad! (Can you feel for my poor family? They've been sorely neglected.)

First things first. I learned that to correctly fry an egg, you simply MUST use butter. Not margarine. Not cooking spray. Butter! How could I have been so disrespectful to eggs for so many years?

Then you gently slip the egg into the pan after the butter froths. (ohhhh....how I love to hear that sizzle.) Cover the pan and cook until the egg white is set.

Now I like my eggs over easy, so I flip it with a pancake turned and let it cook another 30 seconds and voila! Yummy runny eggs.

Runny eggs need toast to sop up that delicious golden yoke.

And that, my friends, is how you fry (and eat) the perfect egg.

Day 44 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-03T06:55:00.000-08:00

I enjoy creating art projects alongside Chloe. Granted they are kindergarten art projects, but I could care less. Kindergarten art is FUN! I find that it helps her focus and create if I am sitting next to her focusing and creating as well. I think she likes to see how someone else can take the same general art form and create something entirely different. Never does she try to copy my art.

I knew this Collage Art would require extra amounts of focused energy from Chloe, more than she would willingly give, so I sat down on the kitchen floor next to her and produced my own collage.

Year of scrapbooking combined with years of being unable to throw away pretty paper scraps (I am not a hoarder...I am not a hoarder...I am not a hoarder...)makes for quite a large bucket full of scrap paper. When I saw this collage art project, I knew we would dive into this bucket of paper and hopefully put a dent in the stash.

I traced Chloe's upper body for her art project. Unfortunately, my upper body would not fit on the page, so I traced an artful arrangement of my hands and feet. (Chloe exclaimed, "Oh Mama! That's so creative!" Ahhhh. I am so proud that my five year old daughter thinks I am creative. Makes me feel good.)

While my project took me all of about 20 minutes to complete, Chloe's took her about 5 days with a full 6 hours on the 5th day. For that reason, I would like to present her project to you now. This is truly a work of art.

Please note that this art originated solely from Chloe's creative heart. Aside from explaining collage as an art form, showing her google images of other children's collages and tracing her on the paper, she completed this entire project by herself.

I challenge you all to go create something today. I believe we all have been gifted with creativity by the Creator Himself. Some of us just need to know how to find it within ourselves.

Day 43 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-03-03T05:56:00.000-08:00

I gathered with some good friends last Monday (President's Day)to scrapbook. Wheee! A whole day of paper crafting fun. I should have gotten an abundance of layouts completed, right? One would be inclined to think such a thing. But, if that idea entered your brain when thinking of my scrapbooking day, you would be dead wrong. For some reason, I could only manage to get 3 layouts done. And one of those layouts shouldn't even count as a layout because it was the very last page of my book. One page!

I just love the details of the background paper. I need to find some way of embellishing this page so as not to detract from the gorgeous paper.

To make matters worse...these layouts aren't even complete. I haven't embellished them to my heart's content, nor have I started the ~~chore~~ undertaking of journaling. Oh well. I tried. I am learning that group scrapbooking efforts fall short with me. I cannot concentrate like I can at home. My creativity takes a back seat to my chatability. (like that new word I just made up?)

The problem with embellishing at a scrapbook function is that I am unable to lug my entire craft room to someone's house or church...or anywhere for that matter. And I USE my entire craft room while scrapbooking. I feel so limited while away from home.

And this paper just happens to be so busy with flowers that anything I could think of while sitting there chatting with my friends just added to the floral clutter.

This next layout appears to be my most creative of the day.

My only wish regarding this page would be that I needed to use a slighter darker shade of pink for my "Tea Time" title. The pale pink loses itself in the pale pink of the page.

I used my Cricut to cut out the letters with cardstock. I used Lyrical Letters cartridge in the Loop Dee Loo font. This is one of my favorite fonts. I hand-cut a tag and tied a striped ribbon to it. I carried this ribbon to the other page for visual balance.

I stamped a two tone pink rose bud on the pale pink paper for embellishments. After hand cutting them out, I dabbled some Liquid Glass in streaks across the bud and then sprinkled it with Prisma Glitter. (to keep the glitter from spilling all over everything (which I am very, very good at) I employed this extremely functional and practible Craft Tray.)

And what is a girlie scrapbook page without some bling?

Ahhhh...I need another sabbath week from school so I can scrapbook some more. I love it! I must get more than 3 pages done though.

And now I am off to write one more post and then school. It's another busy day for us and I have much to do. Have an extravagant day all day long. You deserve it!

Day 42 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-28T13:38:00.000-08:00

So, my last post featured papers I purchased in sets from the store. But what do you do when you have a passel of leftover onsies and twosies? (We're talking a whole bin full...) Well, that's when true creativity shines through. (and takes a lot longer than littering the floor of an entire aisle in the craft store)

Now some of them are stretching it a bit. I am not 100% sure I like them together and I may just break down and run to the store to pick up some supplemental papers. But hey! At least I tried.

Looking at the last one as I uploaded I realized I detest it. I don't like the blue square paper. If I take that one pattern out, the others are wonderful together. Now to get these all scrapbook-ed together with my pictures. And that is some creativity for another day.

Days 40 and 41 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-28T10:30:00.000-08:00

Day 40 I failed to create anything exciting. It was crazy. (All of last week was crazy, but that is entirely beside the point.) Friday of the previous week saw the commencement of craziness. Hence, I conceived nothing exceptionally creative.

Not to say that I didn't work on anything. A dear homeschooling friend of mine came to me with an emergency sewing project of sorts. A cheap shirt she had purchased decayed in the washing machine and she solicited my help. I more than gladly obliged. Friday I reattached the trimmings. Sadly, I did not photograph either the before or after or anything in between on this project. It needed to make its way back to the owner early Saturday morning for her to wear at a party.

But I DID sew it, and as much as my deep insides are screaming "CHEAT!", I can't help but count this project as one of my Days of Creativity! (Did you see my mention of how crazy my week was above?)

Okay. Day 41 saw a bit more of that creativity I lacked on Friday. A dear friend and I paid a little visit to my very, utmost, absolute favorite store on Saturday to shop for scrapbook supplies. I needed paper. She seemed amazed at my paper choosing process so I will share a bit of that with you.

So, I first pick out an appealing paper that catches my eye. My next step is to find a second patterned paper that compliments the first. I have learned in the past year or so. Papers do not necessarily need to "match". They can "coordinate" and even appear incongruent at times, but when used together on a page, they somehow come together harmoniously. It's amazing to behold a truly artistic page. (I wish I could come up with some of my own. Maybe one day.)

I can't believe I forgot to purchase coordinating card stock for those patterned papers. I will have to peruse my stash and see if I have something on hand.

I love adding embellishments while I am at the store. This way, I know they coordinate. Like these super adorable stickers. I couldn't pass them up. They screamed and yelled as I passed by and I felt like a scrooge if I just left them hanging there on that peg.

While in the store, I tend to take up the majority of floor space down the paper aisle as I lay out various options and see what grabs the attention of my eye (and heart). Paper picking truly stands out as artistic to me. It's all about an eye for color and pattern design. I love it and I thoroughly enjoy this pastime.

Another time I shall have to show you all what I do with these papers once I sit down to scrapbook. It is now time for me to go eat the delicious pigs in a blanket my darling daughter made for our lunch today. Yum! (or gross if you prefer not to indulge in hot dogs.) She may need help peeling the eggs for deviled eggs though so I should pop off and see how far along she is. Have a fantastic day!

Day 39 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-24T21:52:00.000-08:00

So, the cookies in my last post needed the correct packaging and wording to transform them into a birthday party invitation. How does one package a shark cookie so that the recipient understands they are invited to a party? I spend quite a bit of time pondering this very question. Here is what I came up with.

Chloe jumped right in on the action. How could I not let her participate in an activity involving paper confetti? (Which, if you care to look, is probably still floating around underneath the fridge.)

I took giant paper cupcake wrappers and Chloe stuffed them with blue shredded paper.

Plop in a shark and voila!

That takes care of the wrapping, but what about the wording. I puzzled over this for a few days. Birthday planning websites offered no brilliant, breathtaking ideas. I searched the internet far and wide for a suitable shark poem that I could alter the wording to make it fit an invitation to no avail. Most were slightly too graphic for a 5 turning 6 year old girl's birthday party.

I finally resigned myself to the fact that I would have to write my own shark party invitation poem. Not that I couldn't do it. I used to write a bit of poetry back in the day. I know how to rhyme. I teach kindergarten to Chloe, after all. I just needed to bolster my courage and pick out some shark-esque words that rhyme.

WARNING! Shark Sighting!
Join us if you dare;
On our underwater adventure,
Into a shark's dark lair.
Hunt for Treasure, Fish for Treats,
But be wary as can be;
Keep a lookout for the shark,
Waiting to chomp you or me.

Not my best poetry, but it works for its intended purpose. And Chloe loves it and reads it to everyone who will pause a moment to hear her, so that's that. She is the only one I need to impress with these party plans and so far she is duly impressed.

I included all the pertinent party information on the back (note the line "shark food included") and then wrapped my shark cookie cupcakes in plastic wrap, tied a bit of blue curling ribbon around the top which attached the wording on the outside. Oh, I forgot to photograph it, but I also printed each child's name on a small bit of gray paper and added it on top of the "invite".

And now I leave you with a fascinating video of a basking shark. (This is Chloe's second favorite You Tube video at the moment.)

Day 38 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-24T21:02:00.000-08:00

I DID IT!!!! I really, really did it! I didn't think I could, but I did. I piped icing and then flooded it and the icing did exactly as I told it to and I could not be happier than I am when I look at these pictures of my shark cookies. (unless you consider my wedding day, or the days I see James, or the days I think about James or the day Chloe was born, or the days I celebrate the day Chloe was born or the days I play with Chloe....)

But this post is about shark cookies and royal icing acting royal.

While I remain baffled at my daughter's choice, I have to be honest here and say that I am having an absolute blast creating this party for her. Who knew? Sharks.

Instead of the recipe I used last time in Cookie Craft (which needed to be returned to the library) I found a recipe at Joy of Baking that I used instead. Weirdly enough, I didn't add more water for my flood icing. I used the same exact icing to flood the cookies as I did to pipe them and it worked perfectly. Now, my gray color is much lighter on these cookies than I would have wished for, but come on! The sheer joy of mastering flooding is enough to negate the light gray color, don't you think? And did you see those eyes? I was unable to run to my local cake store to pick up smaller black dragees so I simply added cocoa powder and half a jar of black gel coloring to a little dab of icing to create the dark black I desired for beady shark eyes (which I piped on ever so delicately). I even went so far as to add gills to my sharks.

These sharks are so adorable in an ominous, menacing sort of way. (And they taste marvelous too.) Now I leave you with Chloe's newest favorite You Tube video. I believe she would like a whale shark for her birthday. Anyone want to install an ocean in my backyard by March 15th?

Day 37 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-23T20:30:00.000-08:00

I think its adorable to have a child's name hanging on their bedroom wall. I know its banal and trite, but I can't help myself. It tickles my heart. So, I painted Chloe's name in wooden letters to hang on her wall. (She has no clue how corny it is and, of course, simply adores the idea.)

You must admit though, these bright colors bestow a certain element of gaiety and cheer to the wall name cliche. I simply couldn't stop there. Not when I spotted these fun words to paint and hang on the wall with the name.

What fun! Chloe thinks this is going to be the best bedroom on the planet. I happen to agree, but more because a certain little girl will be sleeping and playing in.

Oh how I love this little girl. She is such a blessing and joy! She deserves a bright, cheery bedroom to dream in. To pretend to be a princess or a fairy in. To enjoy tea parties with dolls and bears in. To read delightful stories in and cuddle under cozy blankets in. To be a girl in.

Yes, I cannot wait to give this room to my little girl! I just need to get that bed sanded and painted first.

Day 36 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

Now presenting, for your ogling pleasure, my Valentine Tablescape.

I felt rather giddy when gathering the various ingredients for this tablescape. I fell in head over heels in love with these heart shaped plates.

It took me a while, but I finally found the perfect black and white plates to create a harmonious background for my hearts. I also splurged and bought some napkin rings. I realized during my last tablescape creation that I do not own a single napkin ring and decided then and there that I would purchase some for my next table decor fabrication.

Once I selected the plates, the rest of the table took came together harmoniously on its own. Red, black and white. How elegant and romantic! I just needed roses.

And candles.

I thoroughly enjoyed putting all these elements together. James arrived home after a long day of work and appreciated the extra effort I put into creating this table for him on Valentine's Day. I think this is the most effort I have ever put into the holiday and I savored the gratifying feeling afterward.

Next tablescape, however, I will iron the tablecloth.

Day 35 - 365 Days of Creativity

2011-02-23T19:31:00.000-08:00

So, where were we when I last left you? Day 34 I believe. Which means I must begin with Day 35. Sunday. A week and a half ago Sunday. (has it really been that long? Sheesh!)

Day 35 - The Heart Garland.

I took all the crocheted hearts I made the previous week, wove in the ends and strung them along a length of baby pink ribbon. I tied the ribbon in a knot around the loop on each heart, spacing them just so...

Not my most favorite project, but I kind of like it in its own way. It's different from most everything I've made in my life. I don't recall ever having crocheted a garland before. I quite like it.