Just Checking In...

Our kids are great about checking in with us when they're away from home...  So, when they aren't home by the time we were expecting them, I usually send a short text asking if they're ok.  Today, I ran a few errands on my way home from work, and I got a text from our son saying, "You okay?"

#happyparentingmoment
#thoughtfulson
#justcheckingin

Just a reminder that you can always find me on Instagram --> 

When Crafting With Candy, Know Your Audience

So, I'm not entirely sure what I was thinking when I fell in love with my friend Pam's Valentine idea.  Obviously, I forgot her comment: "You gotta use a candy that you don't love more than life itself, or you're just asking for it be be refilled constantly." 

Obviously, I forgot the "audience" at my house -- since this jar wasn't even out on display 48 hours before somebody wanted to empty it.  [In reality, 48 hours is probably some kind of record around here!]

That person shall remain nameless, but suffice it to say that he[?] was told it was there for decorative purposes.  I really didn't think that these little cinnamon red-hot things would be very tempting.

Obviously, I am not the right person to ask.  Obviously.

The good news is that I am pretty sure he[?] heard the edge to my voice, shook in his[?] boots, and returned the jar to the tabletop, unopened.  Pretty sure.  Or, you know... umm, not.

Either way, I have learned my lesson.

When crafting with candy, KNOW YOUR AUDIENCE.

#LoveIsWorthCelebrating

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Friday Farrago ~ 11.7.14

Well, this might be the most mish-mashed Friday Farrago ever.  Of course, it IS only my second "farrago" post, so I guess that's not saying much, but...

LIFE has been so busy lately.  Monday through Wednesday FLY by with lots of baby-rocking.  Before I know it, it's Thursday again, and I have to buckle down at home and get things done, or else the following week spirals out of control.  How do I know?  Oh... don't ask.

At any rate, if you follow along here, I'm sure you're well aware that I haven't been posting as often as usual. Not for lack of wanting, I assure you -- but the time just gets away from me.  For a while now, I have had little snippets of posts ready -- but nothing big.  So, I thought I would take a bunch of "nothing bigs" and combine them for the second in a series called  "Friday Farrago."

Ready?  Hold on tight.

A Coke and a Smile

One night a couple of summers ago, my hubby and I found ourselves home alone.  On a whim, hubby said, "Let's go for ice cream!"  We took a long and winding ride down country roads to get to one of his favorite ice cream places.

Admittedly, ice cream isn't really my thing.  Let's just say... it's not usually my friend.  On this particular night, I chose the smallest cone, which... wasn't small enough, apparently.  Before the evening was over, I was very sick. Like, sick enough to make me think about whether or not I ever needed to eat ice cream again.

The culprit was so obvious.

Days later, as we looked back on the situation, I said to my hubby, "Next time, ask me out for a Coke."

I like to say I was raised on Coke -- but the truth is, we didn't drink pop at home except for special occasions.  It was my GRAM'S treat to us when we visited her.  We could always count on white peppermint Canada Mints and CocaCola at her house, and though we had a few other "favorite" snacks, she'd often out-do herself, trying to find a treat that we'd never had before -- or the latest and greatest new thing on the market!

[The end.  Yeah.  Obviously this post has no good transition or ending... just some memories that came to mind, one sort of leading to the next.  What can I say?  They made me smile.  I thought I'd share.  That is all. By the way, the people at Coca-Cola don't know me at all, but I still love their product to this day!]

Grandma's Vase

Not long ago, I invited a friend over for lunch.  I told you about it HERE.  It was a gorgeous day, and I found myself with my act all together [woo hoo] and a few minutes before my friend arrived, I actually got to go out in the yard and cut a few pretty blooms that I had spotted earlier that morning. [They were already slightly faded by the time I snapped these pics.]  It was just a few short stemmed beauties, so I brought them in and put them in this sweet little vase made by my Gram.  When we were kids, my sister and I used to use this vase on our bedroom dressers with pretty little blooms in it.  It's always such a sweet reminder of my Gram... really -- her fingerprints are all over this post today, aren't they?

Table Talk

We started our marriage with a hand-me-down kitchen table that came from who-knows-where.  [My hubby probably knows, but this is my story... LOL.]  The table wasn't pretty.  It swelled out in the middle, and tapered a little at the ends.  Built that way, but awkwardly un-natural - and very laminated as I recall.  Nothing wrong with either of those things I guess -- but it wasn't us.  It hadn't been chosen.  Merely settled for.

Our choice was a round oak tabletop on a pedestal -- with a leaf.  Pricey for a young couple with no spare change.  One thing about my hubby.  When he wants something, he finds a way.  And so, he found our table in the classified section of the newspaper one day.

Together, we went to see it in the cramped and disheveled apartment of a smoker.  I was going to say in the apartment of a smoking man, but then you might have thought he was smoking hot, when really, he was just ummmm... smoking.  We looked at the table, negotiated on the price, and then said [cough, cough, sneeze, sneeze] "We'll take it!" -- and loaded it into our truck.

We took it home, where it landed in our gravel driveway, and got a good washing down before it was allowed into the house.  [AaaaaaCHOO!]  Pretty sure I washed it down TWICE.  Yeah.  We don't really get along well with smoky stuff around here.

As I recall, it had a few pretty worn spots on top, and my hubby put a couple coats of polyurethane on it.

Fast forward to family life.

[My intention was to include lots of other pictures of our table, set up for various occasions.  Alas, I never got around to looking for said pictures, so... imagine if you will...]

The table has become our HUB.  Since it is the only place for seated eating in our home, it sees breakfasts, lunches, AND dinners.

And sometimes this:

You can get to my Instagram account by clicking on the photo above.

Forgive the poor iPod photo... but really, this may be one of my favorite uses of the table.  My son asks if he can have his buddies over to play a game, and tries to plan a place that is out of the way so they don't disturb us... (there aren't many places to go in our house). When I offer the kitchen table, he accepts my suggestion, and I smile.  This table... it is really the heart of our home!

Here ends my "trains of thought" ragbag.  Hope you're having a Fabulous Friday.  TGIF!

On Having Homebody-itis (A Slice of Life)

Wow, so... those of you who stop in here regularly may have thought I'd fallen off the face of the earth.  No worries.  I'm alive and well.

Since my last post I've been pretty busy.  I've been spending lots of hours in the church nursery for another year of babysitting for English classes, young mother's club, Biblestudies, and date nights.  It's such a JOY to spend time with these little ones!  I usually am caring for children birth through 2 years.  It is quite an amazing thing to strike up little friendships with them --while still maintaining a sense of authority over them (you know, all in the name of keeping a room full of babies happy and well-cared-for for a few hours!)

Though we have LOTS of fun, I find myself falling back on much of what I learned years ago while earning my degree in Family and Child Development.  It would be a shame not to use our time wisely with these little ones, so don't let them get away with any bad behavior.  We encourage "please" and "thank you," sharing, and all that other good stuff that the mommies would want us to encourage.  Granted, sharing is not something these little ones are good at yet, but we talk the talk so it all becomes a familiar thing to them.

Can I share a fun little scenario with you?  One of my best little buddies was recently babbling loudly and insistently at me about something that he wanted -- namely another snack cracker.  I fully knew that this is what he wanted, but encouraging him to channel his frustration, I said, "Use your words."  This little guy isn't super-verbal yet {at least not in a way that I can often understand}, so I knew this would be a challenge for him.  Never the less, I wanted to plant the idea in his head.  You know what he did?  With his little toddler hands, he SIGNED "more."  JUST THINK ABOUT THAT.  In his little not-even-two head, he made the connection between me saying "words," and the way he knew to express what he wanted -- through sign language.  Brilliant, right?

Some of the little ones that I care for don't even know English, or have it spoken to them at home.  In fact, they are with us so that their parents can attend English classes!  What a challenge it is to look into these precious faces, and attempt to comfort them in a language that is not their own!  It can be an emotional time, and I often leave feeling so helpless.  It's amazing, though, how God rewards our efforts, as our friendships with these little ones continues.

Usually by day three, I am thinking that I cannot take one more step in the direction of babies, but out I go again.  When I return home, I crash, knowing that Thursday and Friday are MINE ALL MINE.  Oh, please don't think I'm being too selfish -- they are only MINE for completing laundry that has been waiting for me, and grocery shopping that has yet to be done.  In between errands, I enjoy this home that we have been blessed with.  How good it is to just BE here.

By Saturday, I am already looking forward to spending time in the nursery on Sunday morning -- and my week starts all over again.

It's so hard to believe that I have already been babysitting for three weeks, and my daughter has a month of school completed!  The time has flown!!!  Mind you, none of this is a complaint -- I am simply incredulous over the passing of time!

It's always so good to get grounded again at home, and to be reminded of the simple pleasures that we enjoy here.  As I sit here at my computer, I enjoy the sun streaming through the kitchen window.  Looking out to the patio, I see a web glinting with dew as it swings between two chairs.  It's a reminder that the patio has gone long-unused as days have gotten cooler and schedules have gotten tighter.

Squirrels scamper back and forth on the patio burying things in my potted plants.  I'm always amazed when I find them later.  

The crickets sing wildly -- louder than any birds today.

The bunnies have been scarce.  They seem to have been replaced by a groundhog and a skunk.  Ummm, not my favorite.  Doesn't exactly make a girl want to get out and weed the garden or anything.

Inside the house, things are cozying up.  I've been burning Sweet Cinnamon Pumpkin candles, and am loving this fragrance from Bath & Body Works.  I might have to go stock up on some more, as these will never get me through the fall.

Today, I celebrate twenty-two years married to this guy.

While life hasn't always been easy, and we have dealt with our share of "stuff" -- I can't imagine sharing the load with anyone else!  I'm thankful every day for him.

Thanks for stopping by and sharing a slice of life with me.  If you are a homebody like I am, I hope you get to enjoy your own little slice of home today!

Project Life Update ~ 9.15.14

Here's another handful of pages for you!  These are from spring/summer 2014, so we're catching up to real time!  In looking over these, I've decided that I must scrapbook according to my mood.  Some pages are all matchy-matchy, and others, well, not so much.  I'm okay with that.  I don't stress out about it.  Sometimes though, when the mood strikes me, I might change some cards around on a page, or switch out cards for something new I've gotten that "works better."  I love the flexibility to do that!

I'm so proud of our daughter's efforts at school last year.  She had a real struggle transitioning from homeschool to public school, but each year has been so much better than the last.  Her confidence has grown by leaps and bounds, and she has matured beyond her years.  She's amazing.

I wanted to make this page especially colorful and eye-catching.  This is something our son has been waiting to do for a long time, and he LOVED it!

Can't believe this guy on the right (below) is TWENTY.

How am I old enough to be his mom?

Young mamas are you listening?  DON'T BLINK!

I tell you a lot about my daughter... she reads my blog, so she "gets it."  My son, like his dad, enjoys his privacy and is not really into all my sappy blog-stuff -- but I'm going to brag on him a bit.  He's a working man at TWO jobs, and we couldn't be more proud of him.  He's a very hard worker, and has recently undergone a lot of changes in his work place.  He's held it together, hung in there, and risen to the challenges.  He knocks my socks off daily.  No lie.

I'm so proud to be his mom!

What's new in your scrapbook?

Project Life Update ~ 8.26.14

Well, it's finally happened.  I knew it would eventually -- but I had no idea the mix of emotions that this would cause...

I am up to date with my photos!  Well, to be specific -- I have a few current photos to put in the books... but, I am caught up on my fall-2010 through July 2014 photos!  !

I am:

• relieved beyond belief to have this off of my plate (and if I am honest, to this I will add guilt-free.  Yes, I confess, I was experiencing a bit of guilt for letting these memories sit so long)
• excited that scrappin' no longer feels like a burden, but has become totally manageable
• a little bit sad that the big push to catch up is over
• happy that I have found a workable answer in moving forward

Hmmmm, who knew?  And with that -- here are today's catch-up pages:

As I've mentioned before, every event is not a two-page spread for me.  Case in point: the photo below.  The left-hand page has a few different summer-time events, and the right-hand page starts a photo-heavy section for our son's graduation party.

WooHoo!  What a party!

I love these photos of the next day, too -- a gathering of six cousins.  I loved photographing this girl-time.  Love these sweet faces!  This is another photo-heavy spread, but I did manage to cut a title card in half to use in the smaller pockets for a little journaling.

More adventures around town.  We happened to see the blimp out one day, and followed it to the hangar, where it landed, and took off, and landed.  Lots of cars pulled into the parking lot to watch.  The blimp was pretty awesome -- and HUGE up close and personal!  Additional photos are from a trip to Amish Country.  I love the cards on this page.  They are from the "Hi Sunshine" Value Kit.

Most summer Saturdays, we get in the car and drive somewhere.  Sometimes we know where we're headed, and sometimes we don't.  {I think my hubby "knows" most of the time, but doesn't let on that he has a plan.}  Here's a perfect example... we headed to a car show that I [yes, it was me this time] read about on-line, but ended up driving some country roads, and getting some other fun pictures.  Cards on this page are from the "Road Trip" themed kit.  Perfect!

Off to Hershey-country, where bottles of Hershey's chocolate syrup are as big as... well, BIG!  These pages use only title cards from the "Road Trip" kit and  the "Hi Sunshine" kit.

These pages wrap up the previous ones, and move on to all-things-fall: football and apple orchards!  Cards are from the "Family" and "Fall" themed kits -- and the football cards are homemade with bits and scraps that I already had.  I shared those with you on previous pages.

You can see that I have a couple of tendencies:

1. I have photo-heavy pages.  As much as I love the Project Life cards -- THEY do not tell my stories... my photos do.  I use the cards to fill in the visual blanks, and to help tell my stories with journaling.  In most cases, I do not use them to stretch a few photos to an entire one or two pages.  I said most cases.  I have a weakness for beautiful fall pictures, and I love our fall adventures.  Upon occasion, I do a more traditional two-page spread.  Spreading the photos out over two pages, I use the cards more decoratively, or in a pattern to fill in the blanks.  You can see some examples of that style of page in this older post.
2. Additionally, I am committed to NOT letting this type of scrapbooking stress me out in any way.  It is such a fun process for me, and I want to keep it that way.  That said, I may scrap my photos one way one week, and totally different the next week.  Sometimes I edit my pictures down to fit in a certain area.  Other times, I let extra photos spill over onto the next page.  This is my family's story, and we understand the flow of these pictures -- and that's all that really matters.  Below, you'll see a perfect example of this.  My fall photos spilled over from the previous pages, but didn't fill the space -- and I only had a few pictures of homecoming.  The homecoming shots just fit in the last quarter-section of the two-page spread.
3. Overall, I think I lean more towards an old-fashioned "scrap-as-it-happens" technique rather than prim and proper layouts.  Of course, just when I say that, I find myself breaking that "rule."  ha! FLEXIBILITY IS THE KEY!!

One thing I am learning through this process: stick with horizontal pictures!!  {Or, at least until I change my mind about using different style pocket pages.}

Stay tuned!  More's comin'!  *wink

Parents, Take Heart!

As parents, many of us walk through uncharted territory.  It's scary stuff.  Our family was not immune to some trials.  We have struggled through periods of time with our kids when communication was hard.  The very things that we were trying to teach them to do well, were oh-so-hard for us sometimes.  But parents, take heart! If you hang in there, you will see the tide change.  I'm not saying you can do it alone.  We leaned heavily on the Lord, make no mistake!

The other evening, I sort of felt like I had a full-circle moment with our son.

He came home from work after a 7-4 shift at one job, and a 4:30-9 shift at another), and I got to enjoy about 45 minutes of conversation with him.  I was at the kitchen table, and he came to sit down, and we talked.  About work.  About life.  He was tired.  He was scheduled for the same shifts the next day, and should've been off to bed.  But he took the time to talk.

I have long been a proponent of a "things were so much easier when the kids were toddlers" philosophy -- and I've really felt that to my bones.  When the kids were little, there was so much more that was under my control -- or at least I labored under that illusion.  As they've grown up, there is so much that I need to let go of and give to God.  I know you cannot go back, but those early years were easy for me -- at least, comparatively speaking.  So, to have grown-up evening chats at the kitchen table with my 20-year-old son is kind of amazing to me.

When he said goodnight, I said, "Thanks for chatting," and on his way up to bed, he responded, "Thanks for listening."

I was still in the kitchen... smiling.

You've Come a Long Way, Baby!

Thanks to those of you who have prayed, or sent me sweet comments about my girl.  She's having a great week in Chicago so far.  They've never been allowed to take cell phones or iPods on their ministry trips before, but they were allowed to this year.  Or, I should say, it was left to the parents' discretion.  Our girl doesn't abuse those privileges, so we allowed her to take them.  As a result, we have gotten sweet texts at the end of the day, as the team is driving back to the church where they are staying.  All kinds of "great" and "success!" -- which I'm loving.  She is working with a man, we'll call him "E," and today, she and "E" will be buddies at THE ZOO! I'm praying for clear skies and sunshine with a breeze -- not to mention safety for all!

When our girl gets home, it will already be almost mid-July.  Time for summer clearances, fall merchandise in the stores (actually, I saw fall flowers the other day at JoAnn's!), and back-to-school sales.

If you've followed along here for a while, you may know about our homeschool background, and the changes in our family in the last several years.  This will be our daughter's third year in public school.  The first year was horrendous, but ended well.  Last year was better!  Much better.  And this year?  Well, she told me the other day that she's excited for this school year.

Did you catch that?  Excited!!

Words like that do a mama's heart good -- especially knowing the road that my girl has traveled, so to speak. She's come a long way.

Speaking of words that do my heart good...  Last year, my girl shared her personal testimony at a small "house-group" that she attends weekly -- a break-out group from the high school youth group at church.  One of the leaders told her that she was so proud of her, and recognized how much she had matured in the past year, and grown in her faith.

Stuff like that gets to me, and I'll tell you why:

1. Because we're talking about my child -- obviously.

2. [and this might not be as obvious]  Because, it totally knocks the wind out of me to see other people invest themselves in my kids' lives -- and I mean that in a good way.

Our kids have been blessed with amazing leaders who have become important friends!

Well, this post was slightly themed, and slightly... RANDOM.  Just some things that have been floating around in my head.  Apparently there's lots of room in my head for floating when my girl isn't around to keep me busy.  Ha!

Three more days to get my garage sale act together.  I asked my hubby about putting some computer "stuff" in the garage sale, and he said, "If it isn't nailed down, it's fair game" -- which is good... except... now I need a truck and a big, empty garage.  ANYONE?

A Beautiful Day In the Neighborhood

Morning Friends.  I'm running late today.  My girl is off in Chicago-land, and my hubby and son are on the late(r) shift today, so I slept in a little later than usual.  A treat!

If you have a minute today and would pray... Please pray for my daughter.  Her assignment in Chicago shifted at the last minute from VBS with kids to helping out at a facility for disabled adults.  I believe it's a "daycare" facility.  While I know she will do well, the text she sent me was filled with doubt and uncertainty.  New ground.

And speaking of a beautiful day in the neighborhood (title reference)... why, YES!  It is.  AC is off, doors and windows are open, and the birds are singing a happy song this morning.  While I am a huge fan of AC for those steamy summer days, there is NOTHING, NOTHING like the smell of fresh air, and the sound of the outdoors filtering through the rooms of our home.  It gives a totally different tone to the day for me.

I have big plans for this week!  Time to get all of those garage sale items priced.  Today might be just the day to get started if the temps aren't too overwhelming.

I'm also hoping to get lots of scrapbooking done this week.  BECKY HIGGINS had a bunch of her Project Life products on sale over the weekend, and I took advantage of that.  Moving forward, I'm planning to switch over to Project Life rather than the more traditional method of scrapbooking which I've been using since... my daughter was a baby... about 16 years!  That method served me well, but the truth is that I've been getting more and more behind!  Since becoming a blogger, the more time-consuming "traditional scrapbooking ways" just don't seem to suit me as much.  In a way... blogging has becoming a new form of "scrapbooking" our life.  I do still enjoy the physical albums to look back on though -- so I want to continue in some form of scrapbooking.  While stores close, and supplies seem to become more limited... Project Life is just getting started, so I'm confident I'll be able to use this system for a long while -- particularly if I stay tuned for Becky's sales!

You've heard me talk about Project Life before.  Remember my Disney album from our big Disney trip for my parents' 50th Anniversary Celebration?

Also, you can read more about Project Life HERE.

Well, that's all for now.  I'm hoping my "late start" won't mess me up too much, since the guys will both be working late today as well.  Hoping for a productive day.

Is your neighborhood beautiful today?

Life Circumstances: Out of My Control

There's nothing like coming home from vacation.  The only thing better might be... staying on vacation!  If you're like me, you get to a point on the drive home when HOME can't come fast enough!  As we sat together at our last dinner on the road, we were talking about iPods, and apps.  My mom (with all of her techy wisdom) said, "I'd like an app that sprays me HOME!"  Can I get an "amen?"

After a wonderful week at the beach, we finally arrived home after about a two hour delay due to traffic congestion.  Congestion.  That's what the sign said.  As if we needed a sign to tell us it was congested!

Not long after we arrived home, my daughter and I heard a rather loud splashing water sound from the basement, and ran downstairs to find water spraying everywhere from the tank in the corner of our basement that links our well outdoors and the plumbing indoors.

While my daughter ran upstairs to get my hubby, I quickly moved all of the vacation laundry that the kids had just deposited there within the last hour.  I found myself saying, "Thank you God!  Oh Lord, Thank you!  We are here to handle this!  Thank you for not allowing this to happen before we got home!  Thank you Lord!"

Can you even imagine?  That would've been ONE BIG, BIG MESS!

In fact, we did have a mess on our hands -- but nothing like what we would've had if this had all happened while we were away from home.  God is good.  All the time.

He's been doing a lot to get my attention lately, and to remind me WHO is really in control in this game we call LIFE.  There are so many some areas of life in which I have relinquished control.  That's one of the things I've been learning as our kids get older.  And wow, as a former homeschooling mom, that was/is a "biggie" for me!

Recently, I realized yet another thing that was out of my control: whether or not our son would be able to go on vacation with us.  It didn't look good at first.  We had a lot of discussions about it.  I shared with friends and family, asking them to pray -- because, as I said, I knew it was out of my control.  It didn't have anything to do with talking my son into it.  He was game!  It had everything to do with his supervisors at work, and whether or not they were willing to work with him on this vacation issue.

I told the Lord my heart's desire.  I know my son won't always be able to go on vacation with us -- and that someday a day will come when it just will not be possible.  "But Lord," I prayed... "please let it work out this year!"

And then I let go.

No really.  I did.

 

I'm so thankful that through the "growing pains" of life that God is teaching me to trust him more.

Yes, our son DID get to go on vacation with us this year.  I'm so thankful.  I'm equally thankful for the way God helped me to keep my eyes on HIM rather than the circumstance that I couldn't control -- and I'm SO thankful for all those who prayed for us.  The power of prayer is an amazing thing.