Crazy Girl!

Here's my Elle-Belly! Here's Elle asleep on her bedroom floor - and yes, you can see she does have a bed! She gets out when she has a messy diaper. She gets a new diaper, the wipes and a change of clothes. Why she picks out the new clothing is a mystery to us. Then, instead of letting us know she's messy - she falls asleep.Wake up sleepy-head! Here's Elle cleaning. Again, when she wakes up from her nap she doesn't say anything, she just busies herself with taking the wipes out of the box. She hasn't done this for a while so maybe she's finally learned that she should stop pulling them out! And, here she is taking a much needed cleaning break. This girl cracks me up - she is just a photo op waiting to happen. If you remember, I don't drink coffee - so I'm not sure where she got her inspiration for this photo! These last few are of Elle playing with her dollhouse. Through Elle's play, you can get a pretty accurate idea of what I do during the day! ;-)

Oh, look, here's Mommy rocking Baby!

Wow, what a long day, time for bed!

Just to make myself look better clarify, this dollhouse is not equipped with a washer/dryer, but I find it funny that it came with a computer! Even the kitchen is rather basic - so this mommy is really limited to what she can do during the day!!! :)

**Update**

Please go here to find out more about printing, posting or purchasing Maggie's artistic interpretation of Beth Moore's Columbia commission.

Isn't it AWESOME?

2nd update - Maggie has given permission for this to be published on blogs again. You'll notice it now has a watermark.

I think it is so awesome - I wanted to update this post...again! he he :)
5/7/07

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The picture had to be removed.

From Magnanimity:
So…here’s the bad news: due to the above, it (the graphic posted on Friday) is currently available for printing, posting, or personal use without permission from the authors, and from LifeWay. And, one huge favor, if you’ve posted it, would you help all of us by please removing it. That would help everyone involved act responsibly. I’d so love to hear from you equally in obedience as I did in celebration. Spread the word. God bless you richly."


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The above is Beth Moore’s Columbia Commission (An Artistic Interpretation) by
Magnanimity. To read more go to the Living Proof Ministries Blog.

Thank you for letting me share this Maggie!

A*ndre*a B*oce*lli sings El*mo to sleep

This was on Ses*ame Stre**et the other night and I couldn't resist posting it. I have always loved his voice (An*d*rea Boc*el*li's is good too - har har har).
Funny story: After watching this episode, I gave the children baths and afterwards I was trimming their toenails. Quintin was counting each one in true "Count" fashion - 1 toe*nail trimmed, 2 toe*nails trimmed, and so on. He had the biggest smile on his face as he continued counting because he knew he was making his mom laugh!
So, do we watch too much Ses*ame Stre**et? Nah...

Do you have a favorite S*esame Stre**et moment?

The Four Promises of Forgiveness

The Four Promises of Forgiveness: Powered by Hebrews 9:22

"In fact, the law requires that nearly everything be cleansed with blood, and
without the shedding of blood there is no forgiveness."

Forgiveness may be described as a decision to make four promises:

"I will not dwell on this incident."
"I will not bring up this incident again and use it against you."
"I will not talk to others about this incident."
"I will not let this incident stand between us or hinder our personal relationship."

By making and keeping these promises, you can tear down the walls that stand between you and your offender. You promise not to dwell on or brood over the problem or to punish by holding the person at a distance. You clear the way for your relationship to develop unhindered by memories of past wrongs. This is exactly what God does for us, and it is what he calls us to do for others.

Taken from The Peacemaker: A Biblical Guide to Resolving Personal Conflict by Ken Sande, Updated Edition (Grand Rapids, Baker Books, 2003) pp. 209. Clicking on this link will take you to the Peacemaker bookstore where you can download the first chapter of this book for free .

Food For Thought
Do you sometimes find yourself breaking (or tempted to break) one or more of the Four Promises of Forgiveness sometime after you make them? That's a very normal experience--and, believe it or not, it's an invitation from God to draw closer to him. The key is remembering and applying Hebrews 9:22. That verse tells us that in the universe there is only one source of durable forgiveness: the Cross of Christ. "Without the shedding of blood," the verse says, "there is no forgiveness."

For a time, we may be able to forgive someone out of our own willpower or our human desire for reconciliation, but eventually even our best efforts will buckle (yes, even when they're buoyed up by the Four Promises). If we want our forgiveness of others to "stick", we ourselves need to "stick" continually--to the Cross. So when you sense a long-buried hatchet rising to the surface, don't dwell on those thoughts. Instead, dwell on Christ's forgiveness of your own sin. The more real that becomes for you, the less real temptations toward unforgiveness will be.

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I found this to be such a powerful email for me, that I wanted to share it today. Holding grudges is something I am working to break. Doing so is like building a wall between me and another person, and it is nearly impossible to talk openly while the wall is there. God doesn't keep a record of my sins; when he forgives, he forgives completely, tearing down any wall between me and him. I need to do the same.

How to correctly weigh yourself...

I can't believe I was doing it wrong all these years.

We must get the word out.

Making the Graphics

I wanted to share this since a few of you asked. This is how I make my graphics, there may be an easier way, but this is what works for me, lol. I use MS Publisher and HP Image Zone.

MS Publisher allows me to create the graphic with pictures and add the text. In Publisher, I can save it as a 'jpeg' file, by going to "Save As" and clicking on "Save As Type" drop down menu and choosing "JPEG File Interchange Format."

Once I have it saved as a JPEG, I can open it up in HP Image Zone and crop it down to size, rather than being a full page.

I hope this is helpful to some of you who wanted to know. I am not sure if it can be done in other programs or not, but wanted to share how I've learned to do it. Let me know if you make some graphics, I'd like to stop by and check them out.

Also, here is how to do the strike through:

Oh no...

The following is an ad that appeared four days in a row in a real-life newspaper -- the last three hopelessly trying to correct the first day's mistake.

MONDAY: For sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Phone 948-0707 after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who lives with him cheap.

TUESDAY Notice: We regret having erred in R.D. Jones' ad yesterday. It should have read "One sewing machine for sale cheap. Phone 948-0707 and ask for Mrs. Kelly, who lives with him after 7 PM."

WEDNESDAY Notice: R.D. Jones has informed us that he has received several annoying telephone calls because of the error we made in the classified ad yesterday. The ad stands correct as follows: "For sale: R.D. Jones has one sewing machine for sale. Cheap. Phone 948-0707 after 7 PM and ask for Mrs. Kelly who loves with him."

THURSDAY Notice: I, R.D. Jones, have no sewing machine for sale. I smashed it. Don't call 948-0707 as I have had the phone disconnected. I have not been carrying on with Mrs.Kelly. Until yesterday she was my housekeeper but she quit!

From the Good, Clean Funnies List

The Good, The Bad & The Kinda Cool

:) The Good: All the children are feeling great this week.

:( The Bad: Momma now has what the children had.

;) The Kinda Cool: I've lost 8 lbs since last week. Let me assure you first, this is not a weight loss program I'd recommend.

Lesson learned: Take the good with the bad, because you never know when something kinda cool will come of it!

I've developed a bit of an obsession a passion (quiet Ginger) for creating these graphics. A few have been labeled "silly" by some! The pictures are in a publishing program we have. When I come across a quote or saying that I really like, I look for a picture to match it - so they aren't 'originals.' But it has been fun making them and I was just REAL excited when I figured out how to save a document as picture file. All that to say - there will be more to come!

Have a great weekend friends!

Photo Exhibit by Quintin

Show and Tell

I thought this was such a fun idea that I wanted to participate. Thanks Kelli - for more Show and Tells visit Kelli's blog.

I'd like to introduce you to my first real knitting project! For me, this is a big deal, because I only learned how to knit a year ago. My mother in law taught me how while we were on a ski trip last year.

To back up a little, when I was pregnant with my oldest, I thought it would be so much fun to knit a blanket, booties and all that stuff for my first baby. I went to the store and bought a Learn to Knit book (basically a Knit for Dummies book) and I was such a dummy that I still couldn't figure it out! I was still able to nurture my baby and take care of him, even if he wasn't wearing cute little knit booties!

We were in a plane, headed west, and my mother in law taught me how to knit. I think I made 2 or 3 scarves that week alone! When we came home I was up for a bigger challenge. There is a local knit shop and the owner is just wonderful! I headed to her store and told her I wanted something basic, but wanted to go beyond a scarf.

She showed me a pattern for a purse and I believed it would be next to impossible for me to complete that. Instead of using 2 knitting needles, the pattern called for 1 pair of circular needles, basically 2 needles combined with a plastic cord. By using the circular needles, I was able to knit the entire pattern and not have to yet attempt to conquer my fear of learning how to purl.

The thing I liked the most about the purse is that it is felted. I knit it with wool yarn and the pattern has you make it really big! After I was finished knitting, I had to sew the bottom closed and then I tossed it in the washer on the highest heated water setting I had and it shrunk it. So instead of looking like a knit sweater, you can barely see the knit rows.

I am not much of an artist when it comes to drawing or painting, but when I can create something with my hands, by myself - and it looks like it is supposed to, I get excited! Thanks for taking a look at my show and tell.

Prettiest Moms

Before I was a Mom I never tripped over toys or forgot words to a lullaby.
I didn’t worry whether or not my plants were poisonous.
I never thought about immunizations.
Before I was a Mom - I had never been puked on.
Pooped on.
Chewed on.
Peed on.
I had complete control of my mind and my thoughts.
I slept all night.
Before I was a Mom I never held down a screaming child so doctors could do
tests.
Or give shots.
I never looked into teary eyes and cried.
I never got gloriously happy over a simple grin.
I never sat up late hours at night watching a baby sleep.
Before I was a Mom I never held a sleeping baby just because I didn't want to put them down.
I never felt my heart break into a million pieces when I couldn't stop the hurt.
I never knew that something so small could affect my life so much.
I never knew that I could love someone so much.
I never knew I would love being a Mom.
Before I was a Mom - I didn't know the feeling of having my heart outside my body.
I didn’t know how special it could feel to feed (nurse) a hungry baby.
I didn’t know that bond between a mother and her child.
I didn’t know that something so small could make me feel so important and happy.
Before I was a Mom - I had never gotten up in the middle of the night every 10 minutes to make sure all was okay.
I had never known the warmth, the joy, the love, the heartache, the wonderment or the satisfaction of being a Mom.
I didn’t know I was capable of feeling so much, before I was a Mom.

I don't know who wrote this or where it originated, but I thought it was sweet and wanted to dedicate it to some real pretty moms - that would be those of you reading, in case you weren't sure!

What does it mean when...

...you get excited that your flowers at the kitchen sink are blooming...

...and then you remember that they're artificial?

7 things about myself

Tara has tagged me to do a post telling you fine folks 7 things about myself. I could tell you the same thing 7 different ways, but I figure it'll be more to do that random "betcha didn't know this" kind of thing.

1. I've never had a cavity.

2. I was a cheerleader in HS.

3.I have lots of freckles and when my children first notice them, they ask I how I got my boo-boos.

4. I've done 4 loads of laundry since last night. I've set a new record. Quintin is now sick, and I even think Colin might have a touch of it.

5. Growing up I wanted to be either a teacher or a veterinarian. I gave up the latter because I got to overwhelmed thinking about having to put an animal to sleep.


6. My first job out of college was for the local YMCA. I taught PE for 2 private schools that didn't have gyms. So I would pick up the classes, in a really old 15 passenger van, and bring them to the Y. I also ran their youth sports programs on the weekends, soccer in the fall and spring and basketball in the winter. When I was hired, they wanted to welcome me by announcing my start on the marquee outside. Unfortunately, the worker in charge of changing it hadn't met me yet and didn't realize I had two names. Although it would have been nice to have two 'me's to do the job!

7. After spending one year at the Y, I got hired at an elementary school just blocks from the Y. I had driven past the school many times while traveling with my students and I didn't even know it was there.

Mrs. Goodnest

A mom was concerned about her Kindergarten son walking to school. He didn't want his mother to walk with him. She wanted to give him the feeling that he had some independence, but yet know that he was safe.

So, she had an idea of how to handle it. She asked a neighbor if she would please follow him to school in the mornings, staying at a distance, so he probably wouldn't notice her.

She said that since she was up early with her toddler anyway, it would be a good way for them to get some exercise as well, so she agreed.

The next school day, the neighbor and her little girl set out following behind Timmy as he walked to school with another neighbor boy he knew. She did this for the whole week.

As the boys walked and chatted, kicking stones and twigs, Timmy's little friend noticed the same lady was following them as she seemed to do every day all week. Finally, he said to Timmy, "Have you noticed that lady following us to school all week? Do you know her"?

Timmy nonchalantly replied, "Yeah, I know who she is."

The friend said, "Well, who is she"?

"That's just Shirley Goodnest," Timmy replied. "And her daughter Marcy."

"Shirley Goodnest? Who the heck is she and why is she following us"?

"Well," Timmy explained. "Every night, my mom makes me say the 23rd Psalm with my prayers, because she worries about me so much. And in the Psalm, it says, 'Shirley Goodnest and Marcy shall follow me all the days of my life,' so I guess I'll just have to get used to it!"

May "Shirley Goodnest" and "Marcy" be with you, today and always.

Feeling Randomized?

Aisha and Ginger were the only courageous souls to step up to my Feeling Randomized challenge! Thank you gals! I had done this a few days ago and it was really fun. Are you ready?

Here are my random questions:

1. What TV or movie character are you most like and why?

2. How do you like to spend a lazy summer afternoon?

3. You're stuck in Lancaster county for a day. How do you keep yourself occupied?

4. Time for a food fight...What's your strategy to win?

5. If you found a wallet with a ton of cash and an ID, what would you do?


Hmmm, between Aisha and Ginger, this could be very interesting! I can't wait to read your answers! And, please, don't think I am so creative in coming up with these questions. I stole borrowed them from blogthings!!! You know, I need all the help I can get with my recent surgery and all.

This brought tears to my eyes...

...and I had to share it. It brought tears to my eyes because I was laughing so stinkin' hard!

Please Click Here only if you've read the post below.

Sunday at home - this is how rumors start

Here it is 9:30 Sunday morning, and I'm at home. I am usually in my own Sunday school class or teaching the 2nd grade but a few of us are at home. Its Elle, Colin and me. Colin has been fed and is working on going back down for a morning nap...and Elle, she is still asleep.

Elle had a terrible night Friday night, throwing up in bed. I never did so much laundry in one night. She actually woke up Saturday morning with the same sheets that she went to bed with. While T would scoop her up and take her to the bathroom and get her cleaned up and I'd replace the sheets on the bed with fresh ones and take the dirty ones down to throw in the washer. Then an hour later, we'd be doing it again. So I'd head down and start another load after placing the wet sheets in the dryer. Each child has two sets of sheets for their bed and since Elle's were both being washed or dried at the moment, I reached for Quintin's other set. Well, she did not want to go to bed using his. Here it is 3:30am and I'm trying to rationalize with my 2 year old. Then I remembered that she likes to crawl into Quintin's bed at bedtime and wants to sleep there, so I said using Quintin's sheets is like sleeping in his bed. Worked like a charm! After that we had one more episode, so I took the dirty sheets down and the ones in the dryer were dry - the original set. 3 loads of laundry in one night, it has to be a record for me! She slept just great last night, didn't wake up one time, and like I mentioned above, is still sleeping.

So now to the "rumors." Last week, a prayer call went around for a woman in our church having surgery at a local women's hospital. This call came around Wednesday morning for this woman who shares my last name - except I don't believe our husbands are related. There are 4 families in our church with the same last name - 3 of those families would be us, my hubby's parents and hubby's brother. So, this call goes around and the name of this woman is LuAnn. So you can imagine there would be some confusion. My mother-in-law is the one who records the message for our prayer chain (done by a Phone Tree) and even I paused and had to listen to it twice, thinking, am I supposed to be somewhere this morning? A few friends called, I got some e-mails and two cards even came in the mail. One of my friends, at a Bible Study, said they were trying to get this all straightened out and she commented, "This is how rumors get started." I think since the call went around Wednesday that most people have figured out it isn't me but this other woman.

So, back to me staying home from church. I laughed as my son and hubby left because I was thinking of the people who haven't heard the correction and when they see my hubby there alone...oh boy. A few of my friends said they hoped I had a great evening Wednesday since they were covering me in prayer, but I know that the Lord knows who it was for. Even T's sister called her mom and asked if that was for me, because it if was why hadn't I said anything at Easter Dinner? Oh yes...even with the best of intentions, rumors still get started.

Have a good day everyone, I am going to head upstairs and wake up my peanut - I'm going to guess her diaper isn't going to hold too much longer :(

Birthday Meme

Heather from The Zoo and Ginger at Just a Thought tagged me for this birthday meme. It looked interesting, so I'll give it a go and see what new things I learn!


BIRTHDAY MEME
1. Go to Wikipedia and type in your birthdate only -without the year.
July 10

2. List 3 events that occured that day:
A) 1938 - Howard Hughes sets a new record by completing a 91 hour airplane flight around the world.
B) 1962 - Telstar, the world's first communications satellite, is launched into orbit
C) 1978 - World News Tonight premieres on ABC

3. List 2 important birthdays:
A) 1943 - Arthur Ashe, American tennis player (d. 1993)
B) 1980 - Adam Kyler Petty (d. 2000) was the first fourth-generation driver in NASCAR history. Grandson to "The King" Richard Petty and son of Kyle Petty.

4. List 1 death:
1978 - John D Rockefeller III, American businessman (b. 1906)

5. List a holiday or observance:
Silence Day - celebrated by followers of Meher Baba.

I'm not aware of this holiday or Meher Baba - but thought it truly fascinating that someone who struggles being silent, was born on the day some celebrate Silence!

I'll tag anyone who hasn't done it yet but would like to :)