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Monday, June 30, 2008

"Untle Mite"

This is "Untle Mite"



Crazy-man extraordinaire, fun guy, Jule's hubby, Brian's bro, Scott's BFAM, the best man from our wedding, the guy that makes up weird noises to shout out and gets all of us to play along.



He's a counsellor, a chicken farmer, a hiker, a frisbee-player, a snowboarder, a tree-hugger, and a true blue California boy (DUDE!).

He's not really changed a bit since the day I first met him.

He's still crazy, he still loves life, he's still laid back to the max.



Jayden LOVED him from the moment he arrived in our house:
Daddy to Jayden, "I love Jayden!"
Jayden's response to Daddy, "I love MITE!"




Jayden HATED to see him go.

Come back soon "Untle Mite." We like having you around.

PS...They need counsellers in Charlotte, too! and Vets!! I KNOW they need vets!! I'm certain we can find a house with enough room for your garden...

and your chickens...

Seriously!

Sunday, June 29, 2008

Trapped.

Do you ever feel trapped by your circumstances?

I so do...

Sometimes I look around me and think, “This should be different than it is. How should it be different? How do I get there from here?”

And the more I think on it and pray about it, the more trapped I feel.

Now, this is completely counter to what God tells me about His way.

Which begs these questions, “Am I not following God’s plan? Or am I following His plan and not seeing what He intends for me to see here? Or is this not even about me?”

Lately, I’ve felt a tremendous amount of pressure – to provide more of my presence to my family, to provide a better quality of work for my job, to provide some creative time for myself to nurture that part of me, to provide more openness in my life to hear God.

As you can tell, these things all seem to work against one another.

And since we all have the same 24 hours in a day, I start thinking about what I’m not doing right that causes this pressure, alternating with thoughts about what I’m supposed to be finding out here in this place of pressure.

Fully believing in the “diamond principal” I sometimes have great hope and happiness over my pressure…God must be making diamonds, right? I mean the Bible talks about the refiner’s fire and how we are put through it to make us pure.

Then I think “Well, that’s just poppycock and I’ve obviously made decisions in my flesh and not in the Spirit.” In these cases, I begin to analyze and ponder how in the world I made such poor decisions that I ended up with so much pressure.

Sometimes God’s answer to prayer is a very simple silence. I’ve bolstered others by saying “God isn’t saying ‘no.’ He’s saying ‘not now.’” And, being the do-er, the worker bee that I am, I’m rarely content to just sit around in my pressure and cook, so to speak.

Lucky for me (BLESSED for me) I’m a believer and I have the instruction book for life – my Bible. Here is what I found today…

1 Thessalonians 5:18 says “Be thankful in all circumstances, for this is God’s will for you who belong to Christ Jesus.”

Ok…I’m thankful for having a job and a family and a creative spirit and a God who loves to be with me. I say I’m thankful for not having any time to sleep or think straight, believing in faith that this too is a moment, a day, or perhaps a season, but not a lifetime.

Matthew 6:34 says, “So don’t worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will bring its own worries. Today’s trouble is enough for today.”

Indeed…today’s trouble IS enough for today. And since I’m having so much trouble today, I sometimes can’t help but worry about tomorrow. But the Bible says just DON’T. So…I can make a choice to just NOT worry. This is hard for me. CHOOSING not to worry. Putting it aside. This is the sort of thing that Paul is talking about when he says “I die daily.” I die second to second with my desire to worry.

Perhaps my favorite scripture about all of this, though, is Jeremiah 29:11, “’For I know the plans I have for you,’ says the Lord, ‘plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.’”

God intends us no harm. He calls us to find contentment where we are (Philippians 4:11). He tells us in His word that a good plan and hard work will lead to prosperity (Proverbs 21:5). He wants us to have Faith that He is in control and that whether we got where we are by our own choices or by following His voice, He will work it all out for His good.

So while I fee trapped, and while the answers are not clear, I know who is in charge, and He has told me how to behave in these circumstances and to have faith that He is with me and will use these things for His good.

Amen.

Saturday, June 28, 2008

Sprayground

Yesterday, we visited Latta park here in Charlotte.

It is a beautiful park with amazing equipment in one of the neatest parts of town - a restored historical area called Dilworth.

They have a wonderful thing called a sprayground - which is essentially a small concrete area with a series of fountains that spray up in various patterns and allow children (or child-like adults) to "run through the sprinklers."

It was Jay's first experience with such a thing...I took 46 pictures, nearly all of them with this face:










He had a great time...

But I'm not exactly sure what this face is...

Concentration?

Surprise?

Determination?

Bravery?

At least I got one like this:



Peace, y'all!

Friday, June 27, 2008

Friday Fun

Yesterday, "Uncle Mike" came for a VERY short visit. (Please come back soon, Mike! And bring Jules with you!!!!)

We will put pictures of him up very soon...

Until then, here's a shot of my boy being charming...he has the worst crushes on these two little ladies from our neighborhood. If either of them is outside, he wants to go "outside pay." I must say he has excellent taste. Both of them are cute as can be and sweeter than honey.

I guess this fascination with the opposite sex starts early...HA!



Peace, ya'll!

Thursday, June 26, 2008

I'll get hate mail for this...

But you have to go read THIS POST BY APRIL

Its a snort!!!

And then, you REALLY should read THIS ONE...its called "The Lawyers Party" and largely sums up why our great nation is in peril...for real:

Peace, y'all!!!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Fort Fun

As kid, I know I loved having tent forts, but I don’t remember doing it very much. In an attempt to find something fun for Jay that didn’t involve color crayons or “outside play” I made some forts.

He had a blast…it was the greatest thing to see his busy-little-bee self trecking from here to there getting things to put into his “fort.”


In fact, I think his most favorite thing about forts is going in and out…



Would that we all could have so much fun with a couple of blankets, something to prop them up with and our own normal stuff…

Next construction project: Dryer Box House…HA!

Peace, y'all!

Tuesday, June 24, 2008

GG

This is GG…


She is the oldest member of Scott’s family…

And Jay is the youngest…

And these two people are my husband’s most favorite people in the entire world. He would fall on his sword for either of them at a moment’s notice…and I can safely say that none of the rest of us hold quite the same place in his heart as these two.

Somehow, they manage to bridge 81 years of time and get along famously.

She is ever-indulgent and just loves his company.

He is ever-indulgent and just wants her near him.


She doesn’t care what they do as long as she can sit with him and play.

He doesn’t care what they do as long as she is there while he plays.


It’s a relationship truly made in Heaven.

I’m so grateful that my Jay gets to know GG – and that GG has gotten to spend some time with him.

The stories and the pictures will be priceless to him someday.

She is going home today and, as it often is with these things, nobody really knows if they will ever get to see each other again this side of Heaven.

But for now, they have had a couple weeks of play and fun and love and hugs and togetherness.

And for that, I am so so grateful!

Peace, y’all!

Monday, June 23, 2008

Slip-N-Slide…er…walk…

After reading Sam’s Post about her kiddo’s being Slip-n-Slide pros, I found it quite humorous that my adventurous boy is still trying to figure out the whole concept.

He LOVED being wet, and having the water jets spray on him…


He LOVED playing with the various floaties…


He LOVED having Daddy down there with him…


But he did NOT love it when Daddy used the Slip-n-Slide for its intended purpose, that is to say, slipping and sliding. THAT made him very upset and frightened.

Still…he enjoyed the jets and being cool and wet.

And that is what summer is all about, right?

Peace, ya’ll!

Friday, June 20, 2008

Coming Soon...

Cute boy pictures...

And a RAK...

I've been taking cute boy pictures with Grandma Trudy and Grandpa Bob and GG and Cousins Richie and Jamie and 2nd (3rd?) cousins Autumn and Ellie (or AHMUHM and ETTIE as Jay says) and the slip and slide and the big turtle floatie and the Father's Day Candy Bar Bouquet...oh just tons of stuff...

BUT my work is hectic and we've had quite the social life in June, so I've not gotten the pictures downloaded.

AND the RAK...If you are a scrapbooker, cardmaker or papercrafter, you might want to pay attention. I have an...ahem....abundance of product that is unopened and un-used...and I need to find a loving home for it...so...

Happy Friday, y'all

Thursday, June 19, 2008

Fun Stuff from TCB and Yellow Fence

So...there is a FABULOUS give away happening here:



With fabulous scrapbooking-related stuff from HERE:

Yellow Fence

My Createive Blog is one of my most favorite feeds...its full of yummy stuff...

You should go check it out!!

Sunday, June 15, 2008

HAPPY FATHER'S DAY!

To my Grandpa Orville:



To my dad and Jayden's "Brampop" Steve:



To my father-in-law and Jayden's "Brampop" Bob:



And to my wonderul husband (and Jayden's Daddy) Scott:



Jayden and I love you all!!!

Friday, June 13, 2008

More cool stuff…

After playing around with the swatch maker yesterday on BIG HUGE LABS , I also found you can make these fun things.

Warholizer:



Inspirational Poster Maker



Jig Saw Puzzle Maker



Now, go have fun!

Thursday, June 12, 2008

Some cool stuff…

I’ve been browsing my e-mails and blog sites and such and found these interesting things…

THIS SITE . provides a color pallet for any picture you upload. Especially helpful for painting rooms, picking fabrics or…well…selecting papers for a
scrapbook page!

This is the boots picture along with the really cool pallet it provided:



PS, it also gives you a downloadable swatch and the color id's for doing web pages and such. Very handy.

I also found THIS SITE full of actions for digital photos. There are so many I almost don’t know where to start. I'm sort of in the "don't edit your photos" mode right now...I find I'm taking some better pictures, so I don't edit them as much. Still...its fun to play!

Considering all the issues with fresh produce, I started looking into canning fruits and veggies on my own a bit. I thought THIS SITE was a good one to get started.

My biggest issue at the moment is space to store the things I've canned...oh, yea...and that TIME to get it all done things. I would love to make my own applesauce and can it for Jay, but where to store all these GLASS jars?

Anyway, I have also been tossing around the idea of a bit of garden for some fresh produce. I have NOT got a green thumb, so I’m not sure how that will all work out. Perhaps I will just buy from my local road-side stand and can that stuff.

I’m also giving a shout out to my fabulous friend Mary who is going in for surgery on her leg. Head on over to HER BLOG and pop an encouraging word or two on her comments. She wants lots to read when she gets out…cuz she’ll be doing a LOT of sitting on her booty for a bit.

So…what’s on your mind, y’all?

Wednesday, June 11, 2008

NO WAY!!!

I’m a regular reader of a blog called Org Junkie. It’s a fabulous place to indulge my obsession of organization and the plethora of products and options that can make organizing easier.

Laura always has something fun to read or some hint that you will want make note of.

Anyway, she also has this passion for meal planning.

For the record, I’m not a big fan of meal planning, although my dear husband has tried many a time to get me to plan things out and post the menu calendar so he can help with dinner.

Its not that I don’t think it will work. I’m pretty sure it works fabulously.

Its just that, for me it creates more work and more lists that I have to keep track of…and I feel like I’m writing and writing and writing with meal planning…first the plan, then the calendar, then the grocery list.

WELL….Laura also does product reviews. (hang on with me, here...it will all tie together!)

She did a review of a fabulous product called Lily on the Fly .



This thing simply rocks…it has recipes, a simple way to plan and darn if you don’t just flip it over to see your grocery list. WHAT could be easier!

So, Laura was giving one away as part of her product review. I never win, but this product was neat enough that I was looking at the various options to purchase it.

AND...

I cannot believe it, but I WON!!

I never win...

But I WON!!!

SHUT UP!!!

THANKS, LAURA and LILY-ON-THE-FLY! You made my day!

Peace, ya’ll!

Monday, June 09, 2008

Because we all need a new outfit for summer…

In honor of the temps in excess of 100 degrees here today, combined with a humidity level of roughly 70%, my blog has put on a new summery outfit of cool blue and summer flowers.

I got the new skin here: Leelou Blogs

DH said he liked it better the other way…he’s a fan of black and white…I’m kinda liking this…it feels much more like my personal space and much less like my work space.

So…

What do you think?

Thursday, June 05, 2008

“Sassy Go”

As I watch my little boy grow, I am consistently surprised by how rapidly things change.

Of all things that change in my son, his language has been the most remarkable. We always knew he’d have high energy, would be a climber, a dancer, a runner, a physical guy. That, after all, runs in his father’s bloodline.

But what we never really knew was how fast he’d find his way round to effectively communicating with us. We aren’t sure what the reason for this is…

It could be because I’m a verbal person.

It could be the books.

It could be because we try to involve him as much as possible in our family conversations.

Or…it could be because he’s been aware from the beginning he’d have to raise his game when it came to language because we never seem to know what the heck he’s talking about.

Let be be really clear here - Jayden is a good communicator. There is rarely any doubt about what he wants, knows, sees or thinks.

He can label the basic 8 colors and gives most things he touches a label (yellow hawse! ), can count (to sixteen), he knows the alphabet song and can tell you what some letters are on recognition (A, C, O, and I are the current faves), and he can tell you the full story of “If You Give A Mouse A Cookie” (without connecting words, of course, be he’s got the gist of the story).

And it seems we have passed a new milestone…a subtle milestone.

Normally, children with new language are very efficient…there is a word or two and a hand gesture and a facial expression.

When they start to put a couple of words together, its usually about giving you directions or expressing something that applies specifically to them. And virtually always, its about NOW or the immediate future. “Go, go, go, Mommy!”

One of the hardest things for me in communicating with Jay is asking him about something in the past (he rarely has expressions for things in the past) or finding out what he did with something (like his shoes.)

Over the last couple of weeks, we’ve noticed Jay has been able to tell us what he did at grandmas…

What did you do today with Grandma? Play Sand
And what did you make with the sand? TURTLE!
Oh, you made a turtle! YES!
Did you make anything else? HOUSE! BLUE HOUSE!
(Just in case you are wondering, the mold he uses to make a house out of sand is blue)
Did you go down the slide? YES! And BALL DOWN!
(this means he threw the ball down the slide)

But on to the milestone.

Last night, in the middle of the night, my sweet boy, who still uses his Pacifier (aka Sassy) to comfort himself to sleep at night, woke up crying. He was fussing and fussing and I couldn’t get him to lie down.

At last, obviously frustrated with my lack of mind-reading skill, he says, “SASSY GO!” and he rubs his chest – where the Paci is usually tethered.

Ahhh…the Paci is gone.

What did you do with the Paci? Down, Mommy. Sassy go down.

So I looked down.

And there it was on the floor…

Right where he put it.

Right where he remembered he put it.

Right where he told me he remembered he put it.

I know…I know… I know…

Its just a little thing…

But for me, it was phenomenal because I spent five minutes getting my boy back to sleep instead of 20.

And at two in the morning…that is a milestone!