knitting and other craftiness

i've been really enoying getting back into my card making mode. this is one i made a week or so ago and sent off to my mom. do you know it costs an extra 17 cents to mail something that has a bulge, such as this button, on the card? i was shocked. i love to add embellishments but i will be thinking twice if i am going to be mailing it.




this is a hat, really, it is! since this photo was taken, it has been finished. you knit it like this and then hand sew it to make it into a hat. this is the 4th one i've done. the first one for hubby came out fine, a little loose, but fine. the 2nd and 3rd were too small, don't know what i did wrong. i've already taken one apart. and now this one. i think its time to move to another pattern.




i started knitting again a couple years ago. i first did scarves, then graduated to dishcloths, which was fun. slowly i've been learning how to do more and more, but i haven't tackled anything in the round yet. and i'm itching to try knitting a pair of socks. hence the yarn ... in a burst of optimism i bought this skein of sock yarn. who knows when i will actually start tho ... stay tuned.




and my latest project on the needles: a winter doggie coat for daisy mae. she gets so cold in the winter. i figure this will allow her to be more comfy when she goes in the car with me on errands, which she insists on doing or going for walks in the park. so far, so good. i've made a few errors but i dont' think she's going to mind. when i finish it i'll post more photos.

ARRRRGGGHHH!

so there i was, trying to figure out how to update my blog and give it a more personal look. and with one touch of the finger, i lost all my cute little sidebars i had worked on for the last several weeks!!! aaarrrggghhh!!! can you feel my pain?

who knows when i will find all the lovely sidebar items again so don't hold your breath. and on top of that i still haven't figured out how to add the pretty wallpaper and photos and cute fonts that i want to add.

edit: hey, i don't know what i did, but i just got all my old stuff back! yay!!!

Happy Birthday Big Boy!

Happy Birthday!!!
We love you soooooooooooooooooo much!

***smooch***

Tomorrow is the Big Day

today is the last day for josiah to be 9 yr old. tomorrow he will graduate to the double digit years. he will be 10!! how can that be? where did those 10 years go? why did they fly by so fast when i remember falling into bed exhausted after chasing him all day wondering what he would be doing, how he would look when he was 5, 10, or older? now i know what he is doing, what he looks like, who he is at 10 yr old. i'm still fall into bed exhausted, but now i feel exhausted and OLD! how can that be? i was young -(ish) when i had him 10 years ago. now, not so much!

a package came in the mail from grandma and grandpa yesterday. joe's gifts from us are wrapped and ready to go. i made him a stamped, handcrafted card to go along with his gift that has crocodiles on it. which he will love.

i still have a cake to bake, after i pick up groceries including eggs. can't bake a cake without eggs in this house. joe's fav italian food, PIZZA, is on the menu for tomorrow night at the local pizzeria. this has become a yearly tradition for his b-day.

even tho i would love to return to those days when he was just a babe in my arms, even just for a moment, we cannot go back in time (no matter what star trek may do in tv land!). we can only go forward and enjoy each moment we have. i plan on enjoying joe's celebration tomorrow and every day afterwards that the Lord gives us together.

give a kiss and a hug to your loved ones and enjoy them! i know i will.

seed story monday: to sleep or not to sleep

here's your seed story for today. i'm posting this one cuz its one i need to be reminded of myself. while battling the funk that hovered over me these past few weeks, my daily bible reading and prayer fell off sharply. i know that is one of the attacks of the enemy as well as my flesh. so reading this again was good for my soul. enjoy!

our son, who has a genetic disability, has a problem getting to sleep and staying that way without the medications we give him. even with the meds there are nights where he wakes up and won't go back to sleep or takes a couple hours to get to sleep. this means one of his parents (usually me!) is up with him, as he can't be left alone unattended. this past month of december has seen more than its share of sleep disturbed nights.

so it was with great joy and anticipation that michael and i got away for a weekend without our son. michael usually wakes up early, but that next morning we both slept in. it was heaven! that night we stayed up late and again slept in longer than before. what a sweet gift.

i was pondering on the effects sleep and lack of sleep have on me. when i get a good nights sleep i'm renewed, energized, and ready to tackle whatever the day holds. when i am sleep deprived, no amount of coffee or sugar will energize me. i go thru the day in slow motion, yawning constantly. every action an effort that drains the few reserves i have.

i have noticed a similar reaction in my life when i don't have my time with the Lord. i made it a higher priority this past year to read the Word and have some structured prayer time in the mornings. when i did have that time with God, my days were focused, energized, and alert. i had a strength that did not come from within me. but on those days that i forgot, or skipped that time with the Lord were harder to get thru. little things would trip me up during the day. i didn't have as clear a focus as i wanted and i certainly didn't have any extra strength or energy. just as a person can't live an effective life being sleep deprived over the long term, i don't believe a christian can live an effective life without the Word of God and consistant prayer time with the Lord God Almighty.

tho the hard seasons the Lord has brought me thru have drawn me closer to Him and given me a greater desire to spend time with Him, i still struggle. and knowing the flesh and blood body i inhabit, i imagine i will probably always stuggle in this area. but that isn't a reason to give up and quit fighting. no the struggle shows me that this is worth fighting for. no matter how long i struggle to be consistant in this area, i will fight, i will press on, i will endure. just as i go to bed every night hopeful for a solid 8 hours, every day i will anticipate my time with the Lord. one gives me physical strength for the day, and the other .... oh how much more!

some color for a grey, cloudy day

these photos were taken 5 weeks ago or so. the leaves are gone, the skies are gray. but i thot a little color on my blog would brighten things up.

Thankful Thursday

i'm not going to do 13 thankful things but rather one big one today.

as yoda would say: thankful i am for josiah, my firstborn son.

josiah turns 10 next week and i am thankful for having him in my life. he is sweet, fun and fun loving, he laughs alot and makes me laugh with him. he is mischieveous and has a sense of humor. he loves dogs, and other animals, baseball and bowling, music, movies and having books read to him. he loves snuggling under the covers in mom and dads bed and hugging us tight. he loves sleeping in and staying up late.

did i mention he is disabled? probably not, cuz that's not what i see anymore. when we first got his diagnoses, that was all i could see. what he would not be able to do, what a loss we as a family had sustained. but now, years later, i see the boy, the person, who he is, not who he is not. sure, it makes for an interesting relationship with someone who can't verbally talk to you, but joe does communicate in his own way. sometimes i know exactly what's he's saying, and sometimes i have no clue. but either way, we communicate.

i am also thankful for my son for all he has taught me. "little things" like unconditional love! not judging others by the outside cover, being ready to have fun no matter what i'm doing or how i feel. thru him, i have learned to trust my Lord more, have learned to be patient, to cry out to the Lord when i'm hurting, and a host of other things.

my life is richer becuz my son is in my life and i can't imagine life without him. yes,we're not your normal, average family but we are who we are, and it works for us. God has been good to us, and i am thankful to the Lord for bringing josiah into our lives almost 10 years ago.

we got a chest freezer

a friend called this morning, she had some stuff of her mom's that she needed to sell. i asked her if she had a freezer? i have been wanting to replace the freezer we got rid of 3 years ago when we moved. this time i wanted a smaller chest freezer. i had even prayed about it a couple times. she checked in with her mom and sure enough they had one. when they drove up this afternoon to drop it off it was a small chest freezer in good condition! is the Lord good, or what? i am so thankful for His gift to me at this time.

my little freezer above my fridge has been stuffed to the gills over the last several months as i try to store more and more food in it. i have been wanting to get into freezer cooking again, but knew i needed more room. and la-de-da, now i have the room. crafty girl over at diary of a crafty girl posted these OAMC recipes and now i can try them out! i'm so excited.

i'm going to go dig out my old OAMC recipes and see what i can dish up!

the apple tree

another seedstory for this monday morning, enjoy!


when we moved into our house in Sumner we inherited an old apple tree. my husband, being in the tree industry, decided it needed a good trimming. this tree probably hadn't been pruned in over a decade. it was knarly and there were limbs crisscrossing every which way. it was an ugly mess, but my husband saw what it could be like, what it should be like.

he went to work trimming the branches, cutting, cutting and cutting some more. when he was finished there were very few branches left. it looked decimated. but he assured me that this old tree had needed a severe pruning in order to bring back order and purpose to it. all fall and winter i looked at that tree and wondered if we'd have to take it down eventually. but in the spring new growth appeared. new branches started growing and it began leafing out. over the next few years while we were at that house, that tree began bearing fruit and looked better than i ever imagined it could be. it was a stately, old apple tree bearing fruit and spreading its branches to shade us during the summer afternoons.

many times i have felt like that old apple tree. way out of control, left to grow without a good pruning, until the Master Pruner comes along and gives me a severe pruning. sometimes i wonder why He waited so long, but most times i know He was giving me the opportunity to voluntarily come back in line with His will. and when i didn't or wouldn't, He would step in with the pruning shears. not wanting to have to cut down the tree altogether He would cut and cut and cut some more ......

the blessing of a non-verbal child

if you want a laugh out loud moment, go check out conservachick's latest post. after reading it to my hubby, i told him, "there are times i'm glad our son doesn't talk!" i know i will never have an old lady diapers moment like conservachick had with her sons. if God ever does perform a miracle and heal our son, hubby and i are in big trouble! the things he could tell ....

girls afternoon out

my girlfriend, Joy called me this week to invite me along with her and a couple other gals to a trunk party. carrie of the cat's pajamas had all her wares set up at a friends house. what fun! funky purses made out of drapes, vintage earrings, hairclips, bracelets and necklaces. and skirts, jackets, and pants with creative embellishments. we shopped, we indulged in treats, we chatted. just what the doc ordered.

i'm so thankful for friends who reach out even when i'm in the funk, who aren't scared off just cuz i'm in the pit, who are still my friend after not connecting for way too long ....

and dear hubby was so gracious to say "go, i'll stay home with #1 son". what a blessing!

the funk

i've been meaning to write, really i have! but i've been in a funk ... there i said it! i've been depressed, i'm withdrawing into my shell, i'm not the fun and happy gal i like to be. why? i'm not really sure this time. nothing of epic proportions has happened, life is good for the most part. no major calamities. i'm just feeling a bit "peckish". but i'm outing myself, becuz i want to be real, authentic and genuine. life isn't always a bowl of cherries.

i have had a history of depression over the years. for many years i just lived with it and ignored it. living in the land of "de nile" can be a great experience--ha! but the last few years i have been more proactive and have taken steps to keep my depression at a bare minimum, if not cured altogether.

one thing i like to do when i feel the funk coming on is read the psalms. it seems to me that david and the other writers had their share of feeling depressed. and yet i see them turning to God. they were real in their weakness and cries of distress, they didn't try to hide it from Him, He knows anyway, so who am i trying to fool? and they knew that He was the answer to their circumstance, their weakness, their feelings. i want to be like them and turn to God too. i want to put my hope in Him, trust Him, praise Him and rest in Him.

one of my fav psalms says: "my flesh and my heart may fail, but God is the strength of my heart and my portion forever." ps 73:26

i'm hoping that this funk will pass on and i will be back to the fun-loving, friendly chica that i imagine i am soon.

the stars

i think monday mornings i'm going to post a story that i've written on my seedstory blog. they are a little more deep and insightful, things that the Lord has shown me. so grab your coffee and enjoy!

i didn't want to leave the tent that night, but nature was calling. we didn't have a flashlight so i was going to have to make my way somehow thru the dark up the campsite road to the restrooms. at first i took very tentative steps until my eyes adjusted to the faint light of the stars. as my eyes adjusted to the dark, i looked up. with trees on either side of the road i could only see a sliver of the sky but that small sliver was loaded with stars. dozens, hundreds, too many for me to count in just a small speck of sky that i could see.

i remembered one of my fav verses from isaiah 40. "Lift up your eyes on high and see who has created the stars; the One who leads forth their host by number, He calls them by name; because of the greatness of His might and the strength of His power not one of them is missing."

i think i gloss over the majesty of God creating the stars cuz i have heard that since i was a young girl, but then it hits me, He also named them. how many million or billion are out there? and He has named each and every one of them! and He remembers all those names!! the thought boggles my finite mind. i can't even remember all the names of all the people i have met in the past year, let alone a gazillion stars. and then if that is not enough, after creating them, and after naming them, He makes sure that none of them get lost or go missing. He oversees them all.

this is a good reminder for me when life seems to overwhelm me with trials and complications. i concentrate on God and His might, His power and my world suddenly comes into perspective.

clothes (i'm sure i must need these)

i just found a great clothing site. i really like this top, this jacket, and this one. if you check out this site, let me know what you like.

A Couple Cards I Made

this first card is the one i made for hubby's b-day last month. since i had my supplies out i decided to go ahead and make another one and the 2nd card is the result of that endeavor. i really miss making hand crafted cards ....

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

(i didn't get this up yesterday as i had a sick child at home)

i am thankful that this world is not my home and that someday i will live in a much better place with people i love and my Lord, my Savior.

i am thankful that my son enjoys school, his teacher, the other students and the aides.

i am thankful that we have been healthy this far into the fall.

i am thankful for good friends to have coffee with and chat about life.

i'm thankful for wonderful fall smells: pumkin, apple cidar, cranberries ... mmm!

i'm thankful for email, cell phones and old fashioned mail to keep in touch with family and friends who are scattered about.

i'm thankful for this new found hobby of blogging.

i'm thankful that i live in a full color world, instead of black and white. aren't you glad God made colors?

i'm thankful for lots of blankets at night to snuggle under.

i'm thankful that my sick child is now well again and ready for action.

i'm thankful for a husband who loves me very much, despite my idiosincrysies

i'm thankful that my mom's health is improving, that her strength is being renewed and that she is resting as she should be!

i'm thankful that i heard the good news as a young child and was savvy enough to realize that it was truth and to believe in Jesus Christ as my Lord and Savior.

Wordless Wednesday

this is my first time participating in wordless wed. what fun!

fabric flower tutorial

found this tutorial to make the cute flower broaches that i have been seeing everywhere on the net! cute, cute! i can't wait to try this tutorial.

the lawnmower

this is one of my favorite posts from my other blog: seedstories.


our son joe loves lawnmowers. when the family comes over to mow our lawn on mondays he bounces for joy at seeing them take out the lawnmower and start to get to work. if we're around and we feel like giving him a little fun, we let him go outside and he will chase the person mowing the lawn, up and down the yard, laughing boisterously at the fun of it all. when we go to the local hardware store he points to where the lawnmowers are sitting and if our attention wanders we can always find him there.

a couple weeks ago my husband and i started talking about looking for an old lawnmower at a garage sale to pick up for joe. something he could push around the lawn for fun and exercise. a few days later joe got out of the house, before we could blink we were looking all over for him. we found him coming down the sidewalk pushing a red lawnmower. we assumed it was our neighbors so we put in his back yard. the next day our n'bor told us it wasn't his. so joe and michael pushed the lawnmower to the next n'bors house. it wasn't theirs either so they left it on the front sidewalk hoping that the owner would see it and grab it. after 3 or 4 days no one had claimed it.

during those 3 days joe insistantly told us in his non-verbal way that he wanted to push that lawnmower. since no one had claimed it we decided it was a gift from God for Joe and let him play with it. we leave it on our front lawn in case the rightful owner should turn up to claim it, after 2 weeks no one has.

i am in awe of God's goodness and compassion in my son's life. if he could i'm sure joe would have prayed and asked God for a lawnmower, in his own way he was always asking us for one! and even tho joe couldn't pray the way we tend to think of prayer, God granted his fervent request and brought a lawnmower to him. tho i dont' know if joe understands that this is a gift from heaven, he is happy and shows his thankfulness every day by the joy he exhibits as he pushes that old lawnmower around the yard.

i am inspired by my son's example of thankfulness. i too, want to react with joy when the Lord brings a gift into my life, whether i have been praying for it or not. i want to acknowledge that He is the giver of all good things and that those good things that come into my life are not driven by luck or chance, but by a Heavenly Father who loves me. i want to enjoy those gifts that the Lord brings, but also remember that they are on loan. i am not the rightful owner. i must hold loosely what God has given me in case He takes it away.

"Every good thing bestowed and every perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of lights." James 1:17

sept 19th, postscript:

sunday afternoon after i wrote this, daisy ran away. after walking around the n'borhood looking for her and talking with a couple n'bors we had to conclude that she was gone. hoping that she would make her way home, by nighttime those hopes were dashed.

i woke up that night feeling sad and fretful about losing daisy. but i have to conclude that it was not a coincidence in timing. the Lord was testing me, to see if i was really living what i was sharing. so i had to give daisy over to the Lord. the verse from Job came to mind "the Lord gives and the Lord takes away, blessed be the name of the Lord" and so i gave her over to the Lord, thankful for the time we had had with her.

monday michael suggested i call the pound just in case. i wasn't enthused about doing so as i had truly thot she was gone for good, but i called. they didn't have her, but they took my name just in case. 3 hours later the pound called and said they thot they might have her. we went to check it out. the walls reverbrated with the sounds of barking dogs. i went down the aisle scanning to see if there was a black and white terrier. i saw one that was similiar and my heart sank, it wasn't her, but i kept walking. at the end of the room in the last kennel was daisy, trembling with fear. once she saw me she stood up and a huge smile replaced her earlier woeful look. i couldn't believe it was our daisy. the Lord had restored her to us. after taking care of the paperwork we took her home and she and i snuggled on the couch.

i am in awe of how the Lord works in our lives and how He is faithful to teach us what we need to know. its easy to share things that the Lord brings to mind but harder to actually live them out. yet the Lord knows that if its just words, it has no power. it must be in my heart and my life to make a difference. i pray that this lesson will stay in my heart forever. may all of us be able to say "The Lord gives, and the Lord takes away, Blessed be the name of the Lord"

Fun Friday

i found this meme over at under the clutter and thot why not? it looks like fun and its friday.

A- Attatched or Single: attatched….happily married

B- Best Friend: my hubby & my sissy

C-Cake or Pie: lemon meringue or blackberry--mmm!

D- Day of choice: Sunday; our veg out do nothing day

E- Essential Item: my computer, of course!

F- Favorite Color: light pink, cherry cobbler red, dark bold purple, hunter green... ya, that sums it up!

G- Gummi Bears or Worms: bears

H- Hometown: bothell, WA (near seattle)

I- Indulgence(s): prime rib, cheesecake, mango body butter--mmm!

J- January or July: january

K-Kids: one boy, 5 waiting in heaven for me

L-Life is Incomplete Without: the Lord, my hubby, friends

M- Marriage Date: June 30th

N- Number of Siblings: 1 brother, 2 sisters

O- Oranges or Apples: apples

P- Phobias or Fears: spiders, heights

Q- Quotes: "given enough coffee, i could rule the world!" "rejoicing in hope, persevering in tribulation, devoted to prayer" Rom 12:12 "our soul waits for the Lord; He is our help and our shield." Ps 33:20 "dull women have immaculate homes"

R- Reason To Smile: sunshine, blue skies, my son's laughter,

S- Season: fall i love the colors, and i love the cooler days. no jacket required

T- Tag: Anyone who wants to play.

U- Unknown Fact About Me: i decided to take up smoking as an adult, bought a pack of cigs and promptly got sick. that cured me!

V- Vegetarian or Meat Eater: meat! definitely meat!

W- Worst Habit: eating when i'm anxious

X- X-Rays or Ultrasounds: neither bother me

Y- Your Favorite Food: hmmm? do i have to have a fav? milk chocolate, with pastries a close 2nd.

Z- Zodiac: who cares? my birthday is Dec 19

If you play along, leave a comment so I can read your answers!

Thankful Thursday Thirteen

i really enjoyed doing this last week so i'm going to try again. it was harder than i thot to come up with 13 things, but a great exercise to be thankful. so here goes ...

1) i'm thankful for all of my friends and family who prayed for my mom this last month as she discovered she had breast cancer. the prayers and emails and phone calls were so supportive and encouraging. God is good.

2) i'm thankful that my mom came thru the cancer surgery and is healing now.


3) i'm thankful that she doesn't have to have chemo or more surgery.


4) i'm thankful for the great b-day weekend hubby and i had, the movie we got to see, the friends we got to fellowship with, the great food, the shopping ....


5) i'm thankful i have a husband who humors me and puts up with my girly ways. that he loves me, and LIKES me, and is my best friend.


6) i'm thankful that the summer heat is over--whew! it was a doozy this summer.


7) i'm thankful that hubby has settled on a new career direction and its looking promising.


8). i'm thankful that after a hard weekend for our son, he seems to be back to normal.


9) i'm thankful for my hubby who moves furniture around (without grumbling) every time i want to change things up.


10) i'm thankful for food in the fridge and cupboards, even when i don't feel like cooking.


11) i'm thankful for ears to hear, eyes to see, a mouth to speak and a sound mind to think. all gifts from God.


12) i'm thankful that the redsox won the first game of the world series last nite! (ok, i'm stretching it a bit here.) GO SOX!!!


13) i'm thankful for star trek voyager reruns in the afternoon when i'm folding clothes or ironing or playing on the computer ,,, (i told you its a hard exercise!)


so anyone want to join me? what are you thankful for?

Another Day, Another Year

Happy Birthday Honey! You made it---yipeeeeee!!!!




"...forgetting what lies behind and reaching forward to what lies ahead, I press on toward the goal for the prize ..." ph 3:13-14

Thankful Thursday 13

i have noticed out in bloggville, that certain bloggers do a thankful thursday. i looked (not very hard) to find who started it and how to download the cute graphic but didn't find it. but iwant to do it anyway. so here is my thankful 13 today.

1. God's grace and mercy i am so in awe that God doesn't give up on me and send a lightning bolt to snuff me out. i am so weak and yet, He is merciful, loving, longsuffering and compassionate.

2. my husband his b-day is tomorrow and i'm so glad we can celebrate his life. he was in a severe accident 3 1/2 years ago and he flatlined on the way to the hospital. the ER docs at the trauma center where he was taken didn't expect him to survive. but God had other plans.

3. my son my son has a disability. my son is a delight. do those things go together? before i had him i would have said no. but i have learned. tho he doesn't talk he still communicates in a rudimentary way. i love to see his humor, his mischieveousness, his love. he has shown me parts of myself that no one else could or has. he is a wonderful gift to me.

4. my sister cindi she is my BFF, my prayer partner, my encourager, my sounding board. we have always been close as sisters, but the Lord built a wonderful friendship between us as adults. she is a blessing to me!

5. my brother and his wife who are putting us up this weekend for our little getaway to celebrate hubby's b-day. they are so generous and welcoming. thanks bro!

6. our son's respite family who will be taking our son for the weekend while hubby and i escape. k & d are a wonderful couple who love our son like he was their own. they have a little daughter with downs who is as cute as a bug. our son and their daughter, tho years apart in age, play together like best buds. he loves her and gives her hugs. what a blessing they are to our family.

7. for being a stay at home mom i have worked off and on during our marriage, some jobs were good, some not so good. right now i'm at home and it is a good thing. i'm so thankful that i can spend time helping my husband, my son and making a cozy home for them to come home to. i have been decluttering, baking bread, making homemade meals, knitting and sewing. i love that i can be home and be available for them and others.

8. my laptop i love my computer. i love blogging, and emailing far off friends and family. i love surfing the net and discovering all kinds of new things. its like a huge library right at my finger tips.

9. for the Word of God as i have been more diligent in reading my Bible, i have a growing gratitude of the Word. that the Lord had it written by men so many years ago and it has endured! and it is new every time i open its pages. it speaks to me and renews me.

10. christian radio i really enjoy listening to the radio and while i may listen to a bit of country, talk or something else every now and again, the main thing i listen to is christian radio. it calms me and lifts my spirit. i hear God's heart and the body's heart towards our Savior thru it. and if you listen closely, you may even hear me humming along ....

11. my digital camera a gift from my mom, the true photographer in our family. i love being able to take pics and uploading them so family and friends and even strangers can view them. i love being creative and trying to design a pleasing photo.

12. chocolate do i need to expound? didn't think so!

13. yarn and needles my latest passion is knitting and i'm havign so much fun. stay tune for pics.

Tackle It Tuesday

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i've decided to add something to my blog. i found this at another blog (of course) where lots of bloggers get together and decide on a project to tackle on tuesdays. i figure this will give me the kick in the pants i need to work on some of my to-do projects i've been mulling over for awhile now.

i've decided to ease into my first tackle it tuesday. i will tackle my dining room table which has become a catchall for everything that doesn't seem to have any other home. plus, my husband uses the dining room as his desk so i will have to be creative and figure out a solution for that.

i will try to post before and after pics so you can see my progress!

edit: blogger is not allowing me to upload my pics right now. hopefully i'll be able to show off my progress soon.

test, test ...

just checking to see if my new signature appears.

my only child, my son

my only child is growing up

i can kiss him on the forehead without bending over (much)

i can't lift him or carry him anymore

i often find his father's socks in his sock drawer by mistake they are so close in size

he can put away more pizza than hubby and i combined

my only child is growing up, i'm sad, i'm happy, i marvel at the changes each day brings. my only child is growing up

the birthday dance

we begin the birthday dance in our house in october. hubby comes first with his on the 19th, then in november favorite son (we only have one child/son so i can label him my favorite!) has his right before thanksgiving, and then come december its time for me to celebrate. woo hoo!! since mine is only days before Christmas i always make sure hubby makes a big deal of it. i was scarred for life when older sister would give me combined b-day/Christmas gifts either making my b-day a day with very little gifts or even worse, Christmas with less than my other non december b-day siblings. up until my dad passed away, i had him to keep me company as his b-day was on Christmas eve! my mom always made it a point to really celebrate his b-day and wait for the Christmas celebrations to begin the next day.

so i have been shopping. and I SCORED!!! over the last year i have been looking to see if any of our local stores have that hot, new item they came out with last season ... each store gets just a trickle. its like they are teasing us with their advertisements that its out there, but every time you ask at best buy or target, they don't have any in stock and don't know when they will get another shipment. shame on them!

but tues morning i decided to take my looking to a whole new level. i went from store to store to store. at my 2nd store, i was told the last one had just walked out the door 10 minutes earlier! aaaarrrgghhh!!! why couldn't i have gone there first? but not to lose heart, i trudged on. my bank is inside another box store so i thot, why not? i went to the electronics area and what did my eyes behold??? a box! excitedly, i asked the clerk, is this ... is this really a ....? and yes, it was!!! so i plunked down my plastic, grabbed the necessary accessories for the item and made my way home.

of course, since its such a big budget item, and both favorite son and i don't anticipate letting hubby have all the fun, now i can justify the expenditure by calling it a b-day gift for all of us! (yes, my lovely older sis, i learned well from you!)

of course, that doesn't let hubby off the hook in getting me something wonderful, sweet, thoughtful, and exciting for me for my b-day. and i'm sure we will be bringing home some more toys and stuff for #1 son right before Thanksgiving.

babylon and us

i have been browsing thru other christian womens blogs and having a fun time discovering like minds and thotprovoking conversations. one that i came upon recently is from Julie at the peapod four. The Peapod Four: Studying Daniel she shares what she has learned from a study on daniel by beth moore. here's what Julie has to say:

"I am, and there is none besides me" was essentially the motto of ancient Babylon. Our culture is very much like that. Everything in western culture is all about the individual. We can get things anyway we want them and usually anytime we want them. Babylon was about over-indulgence. They didn't stop till they had it all. Sounds a little like us. As Beth says, "We are overwhelmed in a sea of self-absorption." We don't always recognize it or call it that, but our culture says it's all about us.

wow! that sure sounds like the culture i live in. here's more:

So as I listened to this session I realized just how true this was in my own life. I wouldn't naturally characterize myself as self-absorbed or even over-indulgent, but God began to open my eyes to the truth. Here's the way I see it now. When I graduated from high school and went on to college, I stepped out from underneath of my parents' authority. With that freedom, I began to do whatever it was that I wanted to do. I did not rebel or experiment with things that I knew were wrong, but I did over-indulge in the little things. Basically whatever I wanted. So in college, if I wanted to buy a box of Little Debbie donuts and eat them for breakfast, I did. If I wanted to eat pizza for dinner all week, I did. Once I got married and started grocery shopping, I bought whatever looked good. I remember Michael saying once that the way I shopped was as if I'd never been in a grocery store before. He said I was awed by everything. I tried all sorts of new things. So all during my twenties I have eaten what I wanted, baked what I wanted, gone where I wanted, and so on. Up until this past year or two, I have also purchased what I wanted as well. Not the big items like cars, furniture, computers, etc., but the little things...like what they sell at Target. I know many of us fall into that category because I hear people talking all the time about how they spent more than they meant to at BJ's or Sam's or Walmart.

boy can i see myself in this scenerio.

Once this became so clear to me, I was challenged by it.... I want to swim against the culture on this one. I've already started watching what all I put in my mouth. It's embarrassing, but I was eating a lot more than I was truly hungry for. I ate things because I was bored. I ate things because I thought I should. I ate things because I just wanted to! How silly. I bought things without having a good reason for it. I bought things because it was on sale. I bought things because it was cheap and I might need it someday. Again, how silly. I am determined to fight my way back from the influence of our culture. I don't want my motto to be "I am, and there is none besides me".

isn't that good? i am so encouraged and convicted by julies blog. i too want to swim against this culture i'm surrounded by. its so easy to go with the flow cuz its all around us. so much harder to swim against the stream. but i believe it is so worth it.

This Came From This???

last weekend hubby finally got thru to me that we HAD to do something with all the tomatoes we had cluttering up the limited counterspace we have. so we got busy chopping and made chunky tomato soup---mmmm!!!

tidbits

i decided to call this tidbits as what i'm going to chat with you about probably has no relation to each other, except that i'm thinking about it ....

so ... i've found a new fav show. "Chuck" on monday nites is about a geek who gets involved in the CIA and the NSA. fun spy stuff! and a great cast of characters. anyone else watching chuck?

i was able to do a bit of sewing yesterday. i bought some fluffy, fuzzy blue fabric to make a pillow for my son. i got 3 sides sewn up and then debated how i should close it. i decided i'll do something that lets me take the pillow out so i can wash the cover. that evening he found the pillow and promptly claimed it for his own. he wandered into our bedroom at 5am this morning, the pillow cover (without the pillow form) in hand rubbing his cheek with it and laughing as he climbed into our bed. i love being able to do simple things for him that make him happy.

i added a new sidebar to my blog as you can see. it will change each day with a different unreached people that we can pray for. i have wanted to be more intentional in praying for other countries and those people. i'm hoping that having this sidebar will help me do just that. will you join me in praying each day for the different cultures and nations that haven't been reached with the gospel?

i'm wearing pink today in honor of my mother who at 82 is fighting breast cancer. she just was diagnosed last month and has already had surgery. tomorrow she will be seeing the doc again and will be making some decisions as to what to do next. i'm praying for her as well as alot of others are. we know she rests in the Lord's hand, but we are selfish and want more time with her on this earth ...
so today i have a shortsleeve pink t-shirt on, pink socks with hearts on them, a pink heart necklace and my pink watchband and a pink beaded bracelet to honor her and to bring attention to this debilitating disease. october is breast cancer awareness month: will you be sporting pink?

today is name your car day. does your car have a name? we have had names for other cars we've owned, but i'm ashamed to admit we have had this car for several years and have never named her/him.

some things on the horizon: our church is going to be going thru a beth moore study. i'm getting excited about that. our local yarn shop is having some new fall classes. i'm checking them out and trying to decide which one to take. i want to learn more complicated knitting techniques! joe doesn't have school or his special program he goes to on thursday, so i'm trying to think of some fun things we can do together. got a haircut scheduled so far, maybe a matinee?? or visit a friend with 2 kids?? any ideas??

Happy October!

did you know that october is national apple month? that it is adopt-a-shelter animal month? or that it is computer-learning month? no? neither did i. but best of all, it is also national pizza month! so in honor of national pizza month i'm making homemade pizza tonite. i will definitely be scoring points with #1 son. mmm!

October: The Man's Birthday Month

ok, so i'm thinking i need to do something for the man for his b-day. for his 50th b-day! so the wheels are turning. his b-day is on a friday so that is good ... movie and dinner? a weekend away?? gotta find respite for the little one if i do that ... gotta call #1 respite family to see if they are available .... gotta do some b-day shopping. i've already got some ideas from the man as i quizzed him vigorously for the past couple weeks ....

did the suprise party for his 40th, not going to do that again. movie and dinner is what we always do. gotta shake it up a bit. a catered dinner at home? nah, i'd have to clean house. drive a ways to a fancier restaurant??? that might have possibilities. blind fold him??? i'm starting to like it ... how about invite some friends to join us at the restaurant?? have to make a few phone calls.

i would love to hear any ideas you might have, have heard of, or have done yourself.

Sour Cream Chicken Enchiladas

... was the new recipe i tried for my family last nite. it was a hit! son wanted 2nds which is his stamp of approval. and when i asked hubby if it was a keeper, he said YES.

i got the recipe from emilie barne's cookbook called "Simply Dinner" i haven't made alot of the recipes in the book but those i have have been wonderful. here's the recipe:

Sour Cream Cheese Enchiladas

2 bunches of green onions, chopped
1 pint (2 cups) sour cream
2 lbs longhorn cheddar cheese, grated
3 6 oz cans enchilada sauce
20 8 inch flour tortillas
butter

Preheat oven to 350. Mix onions into sourcream, leaving out some onions for top of enchiladas (i didn't do this). Warm enchilada sauce in medium saucepan on low. Mix half of the cheese with sour cream mixture. Butter tortillas and fry til soft, dip in warm sauce and fill with sour cream mixture. Fold enchiladas, place in baking dish, folded side down and pour remaining sauce over enchiladas. Bake 30 minutes at 350. Put remaining cheese on top (and onions) 10 minutes before serving.

Optional: add 2 cups cooked chicken

i used bigger tortillas cuz that is what i had and didn't use quite as much cheese as i added the chicken to mine---Yum!!

Have you tried any new recipes lately? I'd love to hear.

it's good to be home

as i sit at my computer drinking the final bit of my decaf peppermint mocha, i am reveling in being at home again. after being away for the majority of last week, it feels so good to be home. surrounded by the laundry that needs to be folded, the piles of stuff that needs to find a permanent home, the dishes that need to be washed (yes, i don't have a dishwasher). i relish that i get to serve my family. i haven't always felt this way, in fact just last week i wasn't thankful for all the responsibilities i carry. but then i happened upon this blog, http://joyandchaos.blogspot.com/2007/09/crumbs.html joy says it so well. the Lord used her words to convict me. and now i'm viewing my home, my family and my role differently. go check it out! its worth the read ....

Status Report

Drinking ... decaf carmel mocha in my favorite stainless steel and black mug

Sitting ... on my sofa in my living room

Enjoying ... the quiet, my dog nearby sleeping

Hoping ... an extended weekend getaway with hubby this fall

Reading .... just finished "Peach Cobbler Murder" a cozy mystery

Liking ... the cooler fall weather

Anticipating .... listening to the latest casting crowns cd i just bought. haven't even unwrapped it yet!

Praying .... for my mom as she meets with the oncologist on thursday

Studying .... created to be his helpmeet by debi pearl with online group.

Asking .... for wisdom, discipline and dilegance as i tackle my home responsibilities

Walking ... outside or indoors? i now have a walking dvd i can use on nasty days

Waiting .... on God's timing for our move

Thanking .... God for a successful surgery for my mom last week, and a safe trip there and back for me.

gloomy, gloomy seattle area

we made it!

my mom had her surgery on wed and it went well. she is recovering quite well, much to my astonishment. wish i came out of surgery as well as she does. i know the Lord is with her.

now that the crisis is over, i'm deploring the clouds, the deep grey, solid cover clouds that live here much of the time. its a good thing there is a espresso shop on every corner! (and that is not as much of an exaggeration as it sounds!)

i was able to drive up to a local craft store yesterday. wow, even the outskirts of the area are spawning housing developments and the expected retail that goes with it. but it was great fun to shop for yarn, gaze at the fabric, scour the beading section, and peruse the rest of the store. i started a knit hat for my son with the yarn i picked up and will post a pic of it shortly. we'll see if it turns out ....

Road Trip!!!

tomorrow evening i'm driving up to boise where my brother and sister in law now reside. tues morning we will be heading out for seattle. i'm excited about a road trip, esp since i won't be doing all of the driving--woo hoo! a luxury for me to be sure.

unfortunately, the reason for the roadtrip is not as delightful. my mom is going in for surgery wed morning. they found cancer in her breasts and she is having a lumpectomy on both sides. the Lord has been faithful. He has given both of us peace and it is amazing to watch my 82 yr old mom lean into the arms of Her Father. she has a blog here www.marj-friendforlife.blogspot.com detailing this journey she's on.

i'm looking forward to seeing my mom and other family members. i'm even looking forward to being back in the seattle area with the rain and clouds, rush hour traffic and crazy drivers. and yes, i'm looking forward to being in the espresso capital of the pacific northwest! so many mocha's, so little time!

look for updates from the land of latte and rain. ta ta for now ---

knitting

the last few years i've been dabbling in knitting. i started with all the scarves that were such the rage and then graduated last year to dish rags. its so much fun to knit, to see a finished product and to give it away to others. now that fall is heading our way and the awful hot temps are almost a thing of the past, i'm thinking of getting out my yarn and needles and doing some more dish cloths. during the summer i found a pattern for a shrug and it doesn't look to hard so that is my goal for the winter. make one for myself and if it turns out then make a few more for the gals in my family.

any knitters out there? any hints or tips you want to pass along to me?

gail

my fire bug

our son loves fire! its partly in his genes, i was a bit of a firebug as a kid, but it is also part of his obsessive compulsive tendencies from his diagnosis (dx). this summer we went up to the south hills a few times just to light a fire and let joe have fun putting bits of paper or sticks in the fire. as you can see from the picture he really gets into his play!

we have loved watching the ice age movies and we call him our "fire king"!

a perfect loaf

i've been getting back into using my bread maker. with fall here, 2 boys in school needing lunches, i enjoy making bread and trying new recipes. this loaf is from my old faithful recipe: Rich Buttermilk Bread. it makes great bread for sandwiches and toast. mmm!

besides trying new recipes the next goal i have is to mix the dough up in the bread maker but then bake it in the oven, making more than one loaf at a time. the way we go thru bread, i could easily make a loaf a day!

changing the blog

i'm going to use this blog now for more than just posting about family. i plan on using it to show off any crafts i do, new recipes i try, funnies i find, as well as talk about the challenge and adventure life in our household brings.

i hope to post often and hope you will enjoy the new theme

gail

what does the future hold?

its been awhile since i've posted. in sept i lost the baby at 8 weeks. my earliest miscarriage. tho we grieved for awhile, it hasn't been as hard as previous times. maybe becuz of my age, i wasn't looking forward to the whole nine months, or maybe that my life and hands are full with my son, my husband, working part time, writing, keeping up a home and dabbling in crafts as time and money allow. who ever knew that hobbies could be so pricey??

hubby was trained as a massage therapist 3 years ago after his accident left him needing to find a new career. tho we are thankful to have had that for him, it hasn't been the right fit. so he has been researching since last fall other options. he has finally settled on going back to school and getting a degree in operations management or supply chain management. he is taking a couple refresher courses right now and is loving the energy and learning atmosphere of college life. in the fall he will be transfering to boise state university, home of the broncos (for you football fans, the same underdog team that beat the highly ranked ohio state in the fiesta bowl). that means another move ... one that i am looking forward to, yet conflicted over. for one, i hate the actual process of moving! ugh!! and we have done it over 20 times in our married life that you would think that i would be a pro at it, but i'm not. but this time i am getting smarter. i have been decluttering, donating things, throwing away things, and setting aside stuff for a spring yard sale. i am not looking forward to getting our house cleaned, spruced up, and fixed up to rent out while we are in boise. but i know once it is accomplished and we are living in boise, the hubby going to school, the son settled into his school, us having found a church to attend, that i will be happy to be there. we like the urban living boise offers, as well as the closeness to trails, mountains, rivers and other fun activities.

in the meantime, i'm praying that the Lord would strengthen me for the tasks ahead. that God would pave the way for our move and settle us where He wants us to land.

what, me? pregnant again???

i'm 44 years old, and i'm pregnant again! this will be my 6 pregnancy i've had. the first time was 20 years ago. we had been married 2 years and weren't even trying. it ended a month later in a eptopic or tubal pregnancy. i was in the ER with horrible abdominal pain and within hours had surgery to tie the tube. the doctor assured me that i would still be able to have children ....

several years later when we started trying to start our family we discovered that its not always as easy as they say. after months of trying, we went to a specialist. i started taking my tempature, we tried drugs for a couple months, i read books for helpful hints, we prayed and got prayed over. nothing seemed to change the fact that i just couldn't get pregnant.

finally when i thot i had accepted that we would be childless forever and i trusted the Lord that that was ok, i started having those symptoms that only a pregnancy test can determine if its what you think it might be! sure enough that spring i was pregnant! at last. we were overjoyed. we were ecstatic, we were walking on clouds. until early may. i started spotting, i had cramps. "no, no, no!! this wasnt' suppose to happen." but it did. i had a miscarriage. a week later it was mother's day, adding salt to the wound.

i was depressed. i holed up with my computer and played solitaire for longer than i can remember. every day hubby would come home and ask how my day went, and i'd reply "horrible, terrible, or some such adjective."

then in july the unexpected happened, the unheard of .... i was prenant again. but this time i wasn't happy. it wasn't suppose to be this way. i was still grieving. and over labor day weekend i started to bleed and cramp again. again, no baby ....

2 years later i got pregnant with josiah. our first born. our golden child. it was wonderful, it was marvelous. he was a gift from heaven. of course at 2 and a half he was diagnosed with a rare genetic syndrome, but that's for another post .....

then when our son was 5 i got pregnant again. i was ecstatic, maybe this time i'd have a little girl and our son would have a sibling. but 19 weeks into the pregnancy i started to bleed. the cramping was so bad that when the ER nurse asked me on a scale of one to 10 to describe the pain i had to say 10 or above. that afternoon i went into labor and delivered a baby girl. she was so tiny but yet perfectly formed with all the toes and fingers, eyes, ears, and mouth.

now i'm pregnant again! we are both suprised, tho maybe we shouldn't be. God's ways are not our ways, obviously. we don't know what the next few months hold, but we pray for a healthy baby and we are at peace whether we have another child or if the Lord takes this one up to heaven as He has done with the others.