I'm back and I'm a winner!

So, I NEVER win anything!  I mean really, it just doesn't happen.  Until now! I started reading this fabulous blog last spring http://www.goodmorninggirls.org/  and I entered their giveaway - which I rarely do because I NEVER win anyway and I won!!  Okay, to be fair, everyone won, but that everyone did include me!!  Anyway, I took it as a sign that I needed to get back to blogging, so I'm back!  Below is part of the email that Angela from Good Morning Girls sent me and because I love their blog and am so excited to have won the Faith Box, I decided that this would be my first post....


Congratulations! You won the My Faith Box giveaway! I am so happy for you and have already begun praying for you and your family! I pray that as you receive this wonderful, intentional parenting tool that God will use it to help you pass down your faith to your child! Thank you so much, from one mom to another, for wanting to be intentional and pass your faith down to the next generation. Together, we CAN and WILL make a difference ONE CHILD at a time, with God as our leader, in our children’s generation!

consider purchasing one for someone else. Pass it on!  The My Faith Box would make a GREAT baby shower gift or Christmas present! 100% of the proceeds go back to HomePointe, an organization whose goal is to help parents become intentional in building a God-honoring home, one family at a time. 

Another way that you can help is by “Liking” the My Faith Box on Facebook. That’s another great way to let your friends or family know about this wonderful resource. 

Love God GREATLY!

-Angela


Anyway, please go check out this fabulous product!  I will be back soon with another of my rambling posts, but I have 3 costumes to sew between now and sunday, so off I go!

gone but hopefully not forgotten...

I know that I have been gone for over a month - my most humble apologies to those of you who stop by every once in a while! We had spring break and were out of town the week before and then it took a while to get back into the groove of things, but I think we are almost there! Well, at least close enough! We only have 6 more weeks of school and it is my prayer that they go by quickly!! Just a couple nice days and I totally have spring fever and am ready for summer break!! Big S's racing season started with a race in NC the week before our spring break and now continues with back to back weekends at our home track - races BOTH saturday and sunday! It's not supposed to be very warm this weekend, but hopefully next weekend we will sun some tanning time between races!! The spring calendar already looks sooo busy - I love it and hate it at the same time! After a busy spring, we will likely welcome the slower summer schedule that lies ahead! Off to do a couple things before an early bedtime! Will be back again soon!

It's true! It's true! Click on the link and get a free sample delivered to your door! Thanks to Big Bro Bryan for making me aware of this fabulous offer! You rock! and of course who can't use a little extra pick me up in the morning and DD coffee is so yummy!

a precious gift...

This morning hubby went downstairs first this morning and as per our usual routine, let the dogs out back for their morning constitution! Now to truly appreciate this story, you must understand that our sliding glass door opens onto our screened in porch which has a regular size screen door that we keep latched in the winter because its so darn windy, so the dogs go out to the deck and then to the yard via a little doggy door that we put in the lower section on just one panel of the porch. Mind you, our dogs are small - about 10lbs each, so it's not a big door.

We have our theories about who left this precious gift! Back around new year's eve, we were visited by this male tabby we lovingly named Jimmy - since he had no collar on! It was beyond bitter cold outside and very windy and he was at our backdoor for over an our, so we let him in, made sure that he was ok, fed him and gave him some water - he was immediately comfortable and wandered around like he owned the place - so much so that when he started bullying our 3 sweet kitty girls, we decided that Jimmy had to go back out into the cold. He was in good shape, so we know that he had a home to go to! Since that night, Jimmy has come back to visit a couple times, so we know that he knows how to get in and out of the doggy door and we feel certain that he was the bearer of our gift!

So, some of you may already be aware that it is a huge message when an animal shares it's kill with you and Jimmy (or whoever was at our back door during the night) must really like us! We were "thrilled" to discover the back and of a full grown rabbit sitting on the door mat waiting for us! The kill and primary feeding frenzy DID NOT happen on our porch - it was not bloody or mess, just a couple loose fur tufts and the intact hind quarters, tail and a small amount of abdominal skin/fur, but no insides! Gross? Yup, but a generous gift nonetheless! Our dogs are total wimps and have never caught anything other than a tiny newborn baby rabbit and our cats are indoor cats, so it just had to be our old friend Jimmy, don't you think?

4.) “Why do we watch them? Make fun of soap operas with a piece of writing.” (inspired by writing fix.com)

Soap Operas, always a controversial topic for some reason; and such judgement that I felt called to address this one! I grew up with extremely limited tv privileges - from after school friday afternoon until dinner time sunday with few exceptions. My parents had the Today Show on in the mornings to catch the news and we were allowed to watch the 6 and 6:30pm new, but that was it. We didn't even have cable until I was in high school - and yes smarty pants out there, it did exist! My parents did watch some tv in the evenings, but we were either doing homework, or I was at dance practice, so once we got used to the rules back in elementary school, it was pretty much a non-issue. That doesn't mean we didn't try! If we were left at home alone, my mom would check the back of the tv to see if it was warm (and therefore had been on when she was gone) and we were totally busted then! During the summer, we were allowed a little more viewing time, although never unrestricted, free reign over the tv! One exception came when we met Mary! Mary came to help clean the house once a week and she was a doll! My sister and I loved her - years later she even came to our weddings! Anyway, Mary LOVED The Young and the Restless and she scheduled her lunch and cleaning in the room with the tv around Y&R! During the summer, we would watch it with her! Truth be told, she got my mom hooked too! Even after Mary stopped coming to our house, mom managed to eat her lunch with Victor, Niki and the Y&R crew! My viewing habits have come and gone over the years - during college I might have watched it here and there - and thankfully you can miss months at a time and still pick it up again pretty quickly! Anyway, after college I worked 3-12 hour shifts and 1-4 hour shift per week so I was home during the weekday sometimes, so I would visit my old friends at Y&R from time to time! Well, after kids, I was often too busy with them to have the tv on and if it was on, it was on kids shows! My MIL has watched Days of Our Lives FOREVER - like I believe she listed to it as a kids on the radio (if I'm wrong, sorry MIL, that's the story in my head!). Anyway, when she visits here or when we visit her, we sometimes get a chance to watch it with her! She dvr's it so it's not like we are forced into anything, but she explains what's going on and BOOM, we are hooked again! Well, this time Big S and I are both hooked! I started watching Days on my own and then started dvr-ing it when I wasn't home, and sometimes I would watch it with her around, and NOW she is hooked too! I apologize. That was never my intent, it just happened. Now, I have to wait until she gets home from school and we watch it while she has her after school snack. Have I scarred her for life? I doubt it! Hopefully not! So few soaps are even left on tv - who's to say how much longer the remaining few will even be around?

As far as addressing the question; why do we watch? I'm sure there are several reasons - the two that I think are at the top of the list are that it is a mindless escape and that their lives are always such a mess that we feel a little better about the much smaller messes we have in our own lives! Those are my theories anyway! Also, perhaps there is a tiny addictive quality to it - they give you just enough to want more, but never enough for you to feel satisfied and walk away! They are tv crack dealers! Just a thought! Over and out!

another writers workshop...

I couldn't quite decide between these two this week on Mama Kat's weekly challenge.... Decisions, decisions, I think it's the lack of diet coke in my system that is impairing my cognition and therefore ability to make a decision, therefore, I think I'll do a mini answer both both if that's ok with you all!

4.) Childhood memory time: Write about something you loved to do as a child: Sadly the one thing I really enjoyed doing as a child was cleaning and organizing my room. I wish my girls had inherited that gene, but sadly, it appears that trait with die with me! I also loved to read - I was the kid with the flashlight under the blankets after my parents had made me turn my lights off! Another strong memory is when my sister and I used to play in the basement and choreograph dances to Air Supply songs! good times!!

5.) “The ache for home lives in all of us, the safe place where we can go as we are and not be questioned” ~ Maya Angelou -Now write: the ache for home, we all feel that at different times in our lives and for different reasons. As an adult, I believe that I have felt that ache even more often than I did as a child. I am, quite honestly, very much a home-body. I love nothing more than all of us snuggled on the couch with a bunch of blankets, a fire in the fireplace and a good, giggly movie on! I love the comfort and coziness of our home. It is often a mess, way more cluttered and disorganized than I would prefer, but the one thing that it is, that I am proud of, it is our HOME! Not just a house, but OUR HOME, a place where we are all comfortable, where we snuggle, talk, laugh, cry, argue sometimes, act silly a lot of the time and love each other ALWAYS! The doorbell rings, the dogs, tho small in size, can make a lot of noise and the cats have bells on their collars so everyone know when they are around! It is NOT a quiet place most of the time! Kids are sprawled out all over the place - Little S often spreads a blanket on the floor in the front hallway to "play school" and do her homework! If I am on the couch, there is at least one dog, often two and usually a kid snuggled up under my afghan with me - and I wouldn't have it any other way!! There's always some sort of craft in process on the kitchen counter or table! At the moment there is one sewing machine on the dining room table and one in the family room! On the surface, I should do a better job in some areas, but it has always been more important to me for my home to be comfortable, welcoming and feel like a safe haven rather than look like a model home. That's not to say that I would be upset if my house super neat, clean and organized as long as it was still a home and not just a house where some random people live!

Today is Ash Wednesday, the beginning of the Lenten season, a Holy Day of Obligation for us Catholics, a time of self sacrifice in preparation for Easter - the highest of Christian holidays!

Ash Wednesday is most known for the crosses we bear on our foreheads for the day, made from the palms of the previous year's Palm Sunday. Part of what many practicing Christians do during Lent is to give up something - not something that is easy to give up, but something that is a sacrifice, that will be noticed during their daily routine. The point is to somehow, on some minuscule level, align ourselves with Christ's sufferings, with the ultimate sacrifice that he made for us. With that in mind, our Lenten sacrifices seem rather trivial, but when done in the right spirit, they meet their objective of sacrifice for Christ. With that spirit in mind, I have decided to give up diet coke (and yes, also the far inferior substitute diet pepsi) for Lent. Once your gasps have died down and you are no longer numb from the shock, I think you will agree that although this seems trivial, it will indeed be a sacrifice for me - and one that the rest of my family may suffer through with me for 40 days, you see I am .....

Sadly, it is true, I am a diet coke addict. There, I said it. Step one, admitted we were powerless over diet coke... I truly love it, crave it, look forward to the first cold, refreshing sip of the day. It's great stuff!!! It doesn't matter the form, although I prefer the can, then the bottle, the fountain - I know, lots of people prefer the fountain version of their favorite poison, but I am not among them

Farewell my beloved diet coke, I hope that the next 40+ days will fade my memory of you and separate us for good.

snow day!!!

OK, I know that there are plenty of you who have lots of snow days - especially in the Virginia and DC area, but us hearty midwesterners don't cancel school - EVER! We have an especially dedicated superintendent who must LOVE his job - as did his predecessor - so we ALWAYS go to school! It doesn't help any that the state superintendent disallowed half days and so now we have only one make-up day in the schedule before we start adding on to the end of the school year - YIKES!! So, anyway, we got the call at 5:50am form the automated service that school was cancelled!! Poor hubby still had to go to work - mind you it took him almost 2 hours for what is usually 30-45 minutes - bummer for him! The kids don't get off scott-free, there are a few chores they will have to do before they can play outside - my job didn't get cancelled with the snow day, it got harder! So, they are going to help out a bit and then be rewarded with some hot chocolate after the play in the snow!! Pictures later if I get a hankering to go out with them!!! Over and out!!

Missed opportunity....

OK, I'll admit that I didn't watch the Grammies last night, but you can't help but wish you could rewind and watch it now after hearing so much about it this morning! For those of you who also missed it, check out Pink - amazing! And apparently the Grammies doesn't allow ANY lip-synching, so this is live! I'm impressed! Thank goodness for YouTube! Enjoy, and Pink, well done!

Just in case you are bored...

So, one thing you may know if you are a regular reader is that from time to time I enjoy participating in Mama Kat's Writer's Workshop - today is one of those days!  She had some really good prompts this week, I just didn't have really good answers for them so I chose this one.....

3.) Write a list of 10 things that can be done to stave off boredom.

Today is one of those days that definitely falls into the category of boring!  We had a two hour delay for ice - we got freezing rain last night - so it was lovely to get some extra sleep, but when the phone rang at 5:15am, it scared the crap out of me and I was busy trying to figure out who had died while hubby shook the cob webs and stumbled towards the phone!  Amusingly, and irritatingly, enough, Big S and Little G BOTH complained that I let them sleep so late when they could have used that time "to watch tv for 2 hours" according to Little G!  Big S would have preferred to sleep 1 hour and use the 2nd hour for something - she was never really clear on what!  I apologized profusely, and sarcastically, and told them next time I'd get their little butts out of bed when the phone rang at 5:15am and then they would have plenty of time to do whatever they wanted to!  Big G made me a cup of coffee just a couple minutes later!  Guess that was her apology and request that I not follow through on my threat next time we are delayed!!!

As far as not staying bored, there is always PLENTY to do around here - if you don't have something to keep you "busy" at all times, I'll give you my address, I can keep you busy!  Anyway, busy isn't always fun, and Mama Kat specified that we stave off boredom, not that we keep busy, so here are a few - 10 to be precise - suggestions if you are bored!

1. Teach yourself how to wax!  Save yourself a few bucks at the salon every month!  I would however, suggest you start with a spot on your leg that no one will see for a few months since it is the dead of winter!!  I have NOT taken my own advice and was sorry!  I tried years ago to wax my bikini line - just the line, nothing too ambitious, before our honeymoon 14 years ago and I was terribly sorry!  I have since tried again, taking my own advice this time, and am treading cautiously!  I really want to do my eyebrows, but mistakes are hard to hide there, so I haven't attempted that yet!  Arm pits aren't that hard and no one sees them in January!  Just a thought!

2. Curl up on the couch with a good book - preferably something a little smutty with just enough of a plot to keep your interest - grab your warmest blanket, a cup of joe - it tastes better when a remorseful preteen makes it - take my word for it!  Take your phone off the hook, or turn off the ringer!  Set a timer so you don't forget to pick the kids up from school, and loose yourself in a fantasyland for a few hours - we never do that for ourselves.  I read in bed almost every night, but I'm so tired that I often fall asleep with the book still in my hands.  It's just not the same as purposeful reading time in the middle of the day!

3. Go to blockbuster and rent a couple of those chick flicks hubby never wants to watch with you!  Assume same position as in #2, you can even invite a couple gal pals if you like!  Laugh cry and enjoy remembering when you still believed in fairy tales!

4. Organize your spice rack in alphabetical order OR in rainbow order!  Don't tell anyone you did it - ok that parts only fun if there is anyone else who EVER uses it, but then it's pretty funny!  Of course they think you are crazy or OCD, or both!  But I find it amusing!  You can do the same with your pantry too!  It would be funny to rearrange someone's closet to rainbow order, but that's a lot of work, and some people (sorry Lori) do that for real!

5.  As you go around changing the sheets and towels in the house short sheet EVERYONE'S bed!  We love short sheeting in our house!  We usually do it to guests, and it never loses it's power to amuse!!

6. Go to the mall and people watch.  Hear me out!  My sister and I LOVE to people watch together!  We make up stories about the people we see and always end up cracking ourselves up!  One time when we both had a lengthy layover in Charlotte, NC, we sat in those fabulous white rocking chairs that are all over the airport (yes, shocking, we found two empty ones together - they are a hot commodity) and we handed out superlatives to passers-by.  Well, we didn't actually hand them out, we chuckled and kept them between the two of us, but we were hysterical!  I'm sure the passers-by would have enjoyed hearing what we had to say about them, but they were all in such a hurry, we didn't want to cause them to miss their flights!

7. Make a "mixed tape" cd for your loved one(s)!  Didn't you always love it when someone took the time and thought to make one for you?  My big bro from college (fraternity) makes a mixed cd every year for Christmas and shares it with friends!  I love it!  He always picks sons (or at least artist) that for the most part I am unfamiliar with and I'm always excited to hop in the car and check it out!!  It would a great Valentine's gift - on second thought, I may do that for my girls!  They each did one for me back in the fall and I loved hearing, not just what songs they liked, but which ones they thought I would like!!  Big G made me one for Christmas too - so sweet!  See, that a great idea, isn't it?  

8. Put your computer's picture files on shuffle, grab that same blanket and cup of joe and kick back!  The farther back your files go, the better!  It's so much fun to relive those moments, especially on cold, gray, dreary days like today!  You can thank me later!  You might want to grab a box of tissues and your phone in case some of those pictures trigger the need to reconnect with old friends!

9. Start a blog if you don't already have one of your own!  Blogspot is a super easy way to start.  Do it for yourself first, it's fun and cathartic and you will probably surprise yourself with what comes out of your fingertips!  Share the addy with close friends and family - and send it to me, I'd love to read it!  It always starts small, but you never know where it may lead!  Perhaps you are a budding writer, perhaps you have a great idea that needs to be shared, perhaps what you have to say needs to be heard - even if it's by just one person - it still needs to be heard, or perhaps just needs to be said!  There are lots of people out there who have made blogging into a money making business, I am not one of those tho I wouldn't turn down any $$ anyone wanted to give me, but there are lots of people who have found ways to market themselves for their benefit - you never know!  The key is to do it for yourself and let it go from there!  And make it fun, if it's not, then it's a job and who needs another one of those?

10.  This is my last one!! I wasn't sure I'd make it that far!  Truth be told, I could come up with a million things that you could do if you are bored, but who wants to come here to read a boring list?  That just makes you more bored not less, right?  My last suggestion for those of you who are still reading because you have yet to be inspired is to go check out a few of the blogs that I enjoy reading and read some other people's thoughts!  You may find them amusing, interesting, educational or inspiring, but at the very least, you won't be bored!!

- Mama's Losin' It

- Cheaper Than Therapy

-A Mom on Spin

-Like a Warm Cup of Coffee

-That's What I was Going to Say

-My Insanity

-Hammond Ranch Happenings

-girl talk

-Half-Past Kissin' Time

-Evolving Mommy

-I'm an organizing Junkie

-Pioneer Woman

-Balancing Beauty and Bedlam

These are just a few of my favorites!   There are so many blogs worth reading these days - sometimes it takes a while to find them - I usually cruise my friends' sidebars to see who they are reading and check those out!  I myself don't like to see too many reviews or give aways - just my personal preference, I want to read to me amused, informed etc so one a week per blog is all I can handle.   I appreciate those who have separate review blogs - like my dear friend Jen at Cheaper Than Therapy - then I can go look at them if I have time and/or are interested and not if I don't!  Thanks Jen!!  To the rest of you, nothing personal, I just skim it and check back the next day!  Happy reading friends!

Please leave a comment here if you have some good reading suggestions!!

For those of you who were bored before reading all of this, you have NO EXCUSE now!!

By the way, I have NO IDEA why part of this post is underlined and some isn't - it appeared and disappeared all on it's own and I can't seem to delete it!  Go figure!

Gotta love those Colts.... and Rob Lowe!!

So, hubby and I had the most wonderful date this past weekend! We were lucky enough to be invited to attend the Colts - Ravens game compliments of his employer and I must say, we had a wonderful evening - oh and it was a great game too!! We were treated to a super yummy dinner with about 15 other people from his company and then enjoyed the game from the company's suite!! Not a bad way to fly I must say!! Lucas Oil Stadium is a really nice stadium and although there are no bad seats in the house, I must say, the suite seats are especially lovely!! I was sporting my new Jeff Saturday jersey (compliments of hubby who felt sorry for me since my other jersey "expired" just a couple months after I got it when the player left for another team). Anyway, I played photographer with my new D300 and my longer range lens and thought I'd share a few photos from the night! For some reason, the field didn't look very green, but I didn't get around to "fixing" them yet, so imagine it the green it looks on tv!!

The intro is always fun - watching the team fun out on to the field! I always feel sorry for the other team, the just say "the Baltimore Ravens.." and no one even cares. Oh well, they get the pomp when they are at home, so I'm sure they don't care!

Hubby loves this action shot - I think it's pretty cool too!

I had to get a picture of #74 Oher - you know, the guy that The Blind Side movie is about!

Peyton doing what Peyton does best!!

"THE" moment of the game!!

Hubby calls him the "oven mitts guy" - apparently those pretty orange oven mitts on his arms are how he signals those folks down on the field about tv time-outs; or something like that!!

I have total lens envy! Oh some day! Don't you just think that would such a cool job? And what amazing pictures they must be able to get from down there on the sidelines! They must be able to count the players' pores with those mac-daddy lenses!!

Hubby and me in the "suite seats"!! Hubby's boss took the pictures - not a great angle - the camera adds 50lbs!!

And, my favorite picture from the night!!! We were in the lobby of the hotel where the out-of-towners from hubby's company were staying after the game and guess who was there with his son? Yup... Mr Rob Lowe himself!! I did not stalk him! He was hanging out drinking coffee and talking with people and since I saw other people getting their picture taken with him, I threw my camera at hubby and said "come with me" and asked very politely if he minded taking one more picture! He was super nice and WAAAAAY cuter in real life than either the big screen, little screen or my camera lens can do justice to! He even gave me a little wink after hubby took our picture!! I wrapped my left arm around him and grinned like a moron! He totally made my night - heck my month!! I was all a flutter afterwards! Hubby thought I was a total dork, but you gals know what I'm talking about!!

I couldn't make this up!

Life always has a way of keeping things interesting! This week was no different from any other - keep your eyes open and you will be thoroughly amused! The story... Little S doesn't ride the bus (the story why for another time), so I put Little G on the bus and then put Little S in the car and drive her EVERY DAY! Well, I am usually dressed and ready for the day when I do, but there are exceptions and thursday was one of those days (I blame hubby, but that too is another story!), anyway, I drove her in my pjs, robe and slippers, hair on top of my head in a clip and traces of yesterday's mascara under my eyes! At the last minute, I decided to invite the dogs to join us - Divit is a Jack Russell and Napoleon is a mini dachshund mix, so both are about 10lbs - they gleefully hopped in the car! The drive there was uneventful, sitting in the carpool line, inching forward, we got to the front of the school and put the dogs in the back seat of my Buggy so they don't accidentally get loose on us - or so we thought! Divit, who at 12 1/2 is a grouchy old man most of the time, squeezed out from the backseat behind Little S's seat and ran out to join the crowd heading into the building! You would have thought he was wielding a machine gun - it looked like the parting of the red sea! People were scattering everywhere - mind you again, we are talking about an 11lb Jack Russell Terrier, not a doberman or rottweiler! He stopped to pee near the flagpole then crossed back over the carpool line and headed out into the parking lot! At this point Little S is frazzled trying to catch him, so I told her (still from the car - I'm in my pjs remember!) I would deal with it! At the same time, a friend is coming out of the school so she offers to help try to catch him! I pull out of line into the parking lot just in time to see Divit poop in an empty space! My friend was cracking up! I'm yelling at him through my window, he takes a look at me and takes off again - brat! At the same time, this man is getting out of his car in a nearby spot and getting ready to walk his son into school! Of course Divit decides to jump into their car! I buzz around the parking lot to the next row of cars and hop out to grab him! I was looking good! I apologize profusely and grab Divit just in time to see Napoleon jump out of the car and buzz past me! Thankfully HE has more respect for my authority and actually came back to me! I'm sure that we were quite a sight to behold! Thankfully I am at a point in my life that I am able to laugh at myself because it was really hysterical - a scene straight out of the movies!! Tho my old man dog is a lazy grouch most of the time, he did show a little of spunk for those 10 minutes or so!!

my new camera...

So, Santa came to visit me this year (thanks mom & dad!) and I got this SUPER FABULOUS new Nikon 300S!!!!!

I love it, love it, love it! The owner's manual is like an inch thick - it will take me forever to figure it all out ( really half of forever to read it and the other half to figure it all out!! The mini get started booklet was as much as I could digest so far!), but I have already shot a few shots with it on the auto and a few of the easier settings and it is FABULOUS!!!

Some day I will be like all those famous photographers and will have a lens display like this one!

Some day, when I have money (I know, ha ha), I'm going to have some of these mac-daddy lenses that all the big pros have! I though it was just sports photographers since you always seem them at sporting events and I thought they were special for action and speed, but NO, apparently regular professional photographers have them to - I have actually seen them being used by other photographers in my field! I get total lens envy ( who me? really? I know you're shocked!!) when I see those big gray lenses, but the cheap ones cost as much as my new camera body, so that's not happening!! (can't count on another santa delivery like this year, this was a big treat!!)

I am torn between thinking the person who photographed all these lenses was very creative and that they were a great big show off! It is a cool picture, but come on, how many of us have that many lenses? I'm going to tell myself that they were hired by a camera shop to to a cool picture for their advertisements - sounds likely, right?

I have hired a friend to redo my website, so hopefully it will be up and running soon - she's waiting on some stuff from me, so I better get off this blog and do what needs to be done! I'll let you know when you can go visit it!!!

Over and out!

thousand word thursdays

Complements of my dear friend Jen over at Cheaper Than Therapy I have decided to join the ranks, who join Jen for thousand word thursdays! I just took this picture a couple of weeks ago, so it's a goody, but not an oldie, anyway, I let the dogs out into the backyard and I noticed this beautiful image on my porch lamp! I ran inside to get my camera and prayed that it didn't disappear before I got back! In my opinion, a message from above about what life here on earth should really be about! Enjoy!

So, you may or may not know that my faith is a very important part of my life. It hasn't always been I am sad to say, but it has been a growing part of me since Big S was born. Since my conversion to Catholicism is 1999, I have developed a strong devotion to Mary and have also challenged myself to learn more about the saints. As far as the saints go, there are more than I can count, so one of the tools is http://faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com/ . I get a daily email with a quick little quote of the day from a saint - some old saints, some relatively new. I enjoy reading it and it always seems to have something relevant to say - check them out!

Saint Quote : Saint Basil the Great O sinner, be not discouraged, but have recourse to Mary in all your necessities. Call her to your assistance, for such is the divine Will that she should help in every kind of necessity. -- Saint Basil the Great

can we talk tuesdays....

I know it's only January 5th, but I am really, really tired of this bitter cold already! Yes, to those of you non-mid-westerners, it has not been above the teens in too long for e to remember (I do have short term memory issues, but that's a subject for another day!). Single digits are totally unacceptable to me - even as wind chill temperatures, but DEFINITELY NOT as the raw temperature on my little outdoor thermometer! I know that without winter, I would not appreciate spring and summer nearly as much, but I am being honest when I tell you that a month of cold is plenty to make me appreciate warm weather again! So if there is any chance that I have any influence out there, I would like to plead to whatever powers there may be that would have an influence on this particular subject and say that I am all for global warming, or at least Indiana warming!!!

For I have sinned mondays..

I have had this on my sidebar for a long time, but fail more than I succeed at actually writing an appropriate post for this on a monday! I got the idea (and graphic) from mom on a spin. I don't believe that she still does this, but I'm going to give it a try for 2010! My first visit to this particular confessional will focus on my glee that school has started again today! Now don't get me wrong, I adore my 3 crazy girlies, but at some point you reach the point of family time saturation and my darlings are at that point! Now hubby and I would be perfectly content with another week of down time, family time, sleeping in and staying up late! The three young ladies in our fold however have perfected sleeping in and staying up late, but NOT managing to be pleasant to be around when sleep deprived! We have had a lot of Jekyll-Hyde moments in the last couple days! One minute they are playing nicely together, the next we hear blood-curdling screams and the tears begin to flow! So my friends, I admit publicly, that I am HAPPY HAPPY HAPPY to send them off for some learnin' today! My money is on significant grouchiness upon their return to the homestead this afternoon, but hopefully the exhaustion will lead to earlier bedtimes tonight!! And with a Hail Mary and an Our Father, I am done with my confession for the week!!

my favorite saint...

Today is the feast day of my confirmation saint - Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton! I chose her as my Confirmation saint for several reasons; some of which include that my middle name is Elizabeth, that she was raised protestant like me, she is an American saint and she was a wife and mother. Her life is very interesting and shows us all how with faith and hard work, we can turn our lives around from any adversity! Happy feast day!!

Saint Quote : Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton

What was the first rule of our dear Savior's life? You know it was to do his Father's will. Well, then, the first purpose of our daily work is to do the will of God; secondly, to do it in the manner he wills; and thirdly, to do it because it is his will.

We know certainly that our God calls us to a holy life. We know that he gives us every grace, every abundant grace; and though we are so weak of ourselves, this grace is able to carry us through every obstacle and difficulty.

--Saint Elizabeth Ann Seton from her writings

courtesy of http://faithofthefatherssaintquote.blogspot.com/

Happy New Year!

Welcome to 2010 friends! My wish for you for this new year is health and happiness! I hope for quality time with friends and family, a healthy perspective on the world, enough of a balance between the good and the not so good to appreciate the good!

Blessings to you all!