My Favorites!

When I started my blog many months ago, I was a the new kid on the block. I have come a long way since then! I have come out of my shell and learned to express myself. Most importantly, I have made a lot of new blog friends!

Today I have finally updated my favorites list. I believe the majority of you read my blog from time to time and I yours! It's great knowing that I have friends like you out there- some old friends and some new! And a few old college buddies, as well! And there might even be some of you that are reading that I haven't met. If so, take a minute and introduce yourself!

I am glad to call you all friends!

He has Risen!
Happy Easter!

Too many decisions

I hope to get back into my blogging routine soon! Life has me busy making way too many decisions. I am not a good decision maker! Please pray for me! I need God's guidance and peace!

Have a blessed day!

Sprinkles will do! My husband brought me this gift after he read my post "Playing Hooky". Isn't he a sweety? 

I've got the Joy

"Joy is the echo of God's life within us."
Joseph Marmion

A short note before I am off to my very busy day!
Are you joyful this day? Joy is deep within us. Not happy. Not glad. Not just in a good mood. You could even be mad or unhappy, but you still have God's joy deep inside you that radiates from your face and sparkels through your eyes.

We used to sing a song when I was a child growing up at church:

I've got the joy,joy,joy,joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart.
I've got the joy, joy, joy, joy down in my heart. Where? Down in my heart to stay.
And I'm so happy, so very happy
I have the love of Jesus in my heart. Down in my heart!

Do you have the joy?

Playing Hooky

As I waited for Blogger to magically appear on my screen, I finished the whole bowl of my really healthy Wheat Chex and working on my second cup of Ghirardelli Chocolate Carmel coffee (dang-that is good coffee). Why is it so slow? Is it my stubborn computer or Blogger!!!!! I would rather be eating a Krispy Kreme donut with my coffee. Is there anyone out there that has never heard of Krispy Kreme donuts? Just curious. I was craving those warm, soft, melt in your mouth, sinful things all yesterday! What excuse can I come up with to buy donuts......hmmmmm... I wonder if they sell them with green icing today? That sounds good, doesn't it, Saija?

Yesterday I played hooky! You were wondering when I would get to that, huh? I didn't lift one finger or cross one chore off my "getting the house ready to sell list". L and I went to see "The Pacifer" with some friends and goofed off the rest of the day! Well, it is Spring Break! It was a cute movie with a surprise appearance from Lorelai Gilmore. At the end of the movie my friend looked at me and said, "Are you crying?" I cry at the end of every movie, don't you? And commercial, right? L wasn't surprised.

Well, I better get to work....... I had a dream last night that our house had two holes in the walls and mice were going in and out. We had two cats that were really hungry but didn't want the mice. And, to top it all off, Hugh Grant wanted to buy our house! Try translating that one!

Have a great St. Patricks Day...... eat a green iced donut for me today!

P.S. Happy 40th Birthday, Cheryl! Do you feel old?

P.S. (again) I guess my spell check is out too, who knew? So, sorry if there are any missppelled words! Ha!

Hello - Goodbye!

I was going to post a picture of my trash today. Sounds exciting doesn't it? But, I can't! I know you are dissapointed! My Hello has said goodbye along with my Internet Explorer and Outlook Express program. My friend Mike who is a computer genius tried everything in his power to fix it last night, but again my computer is being very stubborn! For those of you who don't know, Hello is the program that let's me post pictures on my blog. Thanks to Mike, I am able to blog today!

Hallelujah! Hallelujah! Halleeeeeee-lujah!

So, it was a picture of my overloaded trash can with the full bottle of V8 perched next to a very black banana! I did it, JettyBetty! And of course other various items surrounded it - a empty crunched up bag of Doritos, a packing slip from my recent Pampered Chef order, some junk mail, etc.... You can learn a lot about someone from their trash- more than you would want to know, right?

When you see a picture, you will know that my Hello is waving again!

Open Me, Please! 

100% Pure Vegetable Juice

I don't remember exactly when I bought this bottle of V8. It was probably somewhere around the beginning of 2004 - not really sure. I bought it because I was on a health kick at the time. I had decided that I was going to drink a little cup each day to get my recommended dosage of vitamin A,B,C,D & E and all of the rest! Well, as you can see the lid is still intact and no juice has been consumed! The date on the bottle reads May 13, 2004- I think I'm a little late! I guess another wasted item going in the trash along with the lonely banana.

Did you know that V8 has the juice of carrots, celery, beets, parsley, lettuce, watercress, and spinach? Oh! Parsley and lettuce?

What out dated items do you have in your pantry or refrigerator?

Just a simple hello!

Ah ha! Very cool! Go to today's Our Daily Bread daily devotional site! It corresponds with my last post Indescribable Blessing (part three)! And by the way, I absolutely love all your comments and the super special small acts of kindness that you have done! It's so cool to read them! I love it! Thanks everyone for sharing. I want to hear more - who else would like to share?

I am spending the day with my youngest son L. I am going to let him pick our afternoon activity! Anything he wants to do---- yikes ---- I will let you know what happens!

Goal for this morning: Get something accomplished!

Have a super duper blessed day!

Indescribable Blessings (part three)

I only post "Indescribable Blessings" when I truly well up inside with emotion (or when I am PMS-ing). You ladies understand, right?

This morning I received two phone calls before 9 am. Carol came over this morning while I was taking K to school to look at my door. She is my door stripping , sanding , staining coach! I asked her for advice on my sanding. She called me to tell me I am doing a great job and to instruct me on my next step.

My other friend, Karen, called to tell me that Barry Manilow was going to be on Ellen this morning. She and I both share a love for him. I talked about my infatuation with him in Oh, Barry.

Your emotions are probably stable as you read this, but for me it means a lot when friends thinks enough of me to do the little things that make my day! Both friends chose to take time out of their busy schedules to make these small gestures of friendship! What a blessing!

One more.....

Last night around midnight I couldn't sleep. We were out late watching L's baseball game. The whole evening was hectic - K had a track meet- driving here, driving there. We didn't get home until around 10 pm. When I finally laid down to sleep my teeth and mouth were throbbing because I had been clenching them all evening. I do this at times without realizing it! I know, it's weird and neurotic! My husband rolled over and gave me a neck and shoulder rub-at midnight - and I didn't even ask for it!

What a difference we can make to others by just doing the little things! A phone call, a coffee date, a special card, a smile and a hello, a sincere compliment, a neck rub. One day a friend of mine from Bible Study said to me, "You are just so cute!" That just made my day and I am still thinking about it!

Challenge for the day:

Do something small but special for someone today and tell us about it!

The "Before" Picture 

Peg The Proud Project Girl

Just call me Peg the Proud Project Girl. With sand dust attached to my contact lenses I show you a before picture of my front door.

My goal: Restore to original color

This is a new adventure for me - the world of stripping, sanding, and staining. I don't know what has come over me. Could it possibly be the many trips I have taken to Home Depot lately? It might be the sounds of power tools and sights of a new house being built across the street? The overflow of raging testosterone in my home has seeped into my blood? Actually, I believe the rush of competition to get my house on the market has taken me over. Suddenly there are seven houses for sale within a half mile of ours.

Stay tuned for a new and improved, fresh and revived, inviting and inspired, bright new front door and entry way!

S.L.O.B.

Would it be extremely rude of my to call my Sweet Lovable Original Boys - slobs? As I was vacuuming the living room today I came across several interesting signs of my children. (I need to hear shouts of awe and amazement from all of you because cleaning doesn't take place often in my home!) I found the following items on my floor and under my couch cushions: (More applause and celebration because I actually exerted the strength and energy to lift the cushions and vacuumed underneath- Come on - I have big couch cushions)

Small pieces of popcorn and uncooked kernels
paper clips that have been bent out of shape
dry cereal (looked like frosted flakes)
one dirty sock
fluorescent green air soft gun pellets
Dorito crumbs (I think- they were orangish)
a broken pencil lead
dried mud
a smudge of chocolate (I hope that's what it is......Only moms are known to touch a strange substance with their finger and lift it to our nose to smell it)
two balls
a baseball hat
one remote control (we have about five of them for one tv)

And that's just in the living room. I won't even go near their bedroom and bathroom! Yikes! (my favorite exclamation word)

Where did I go wrong? How did I fail? What happen to my sweet, lovable, original and clean boys? An oxymoron! Hey, this is becoming a very impressive post - I am actually using some big words!

Remember that game on Sesame Street - "One of these things is not like the other, One of these things just doesn't belong"? If you look at the list above, they all pretty much point to a boy except for one that doesn't quite belong. Can you figure out which one it is?
I will explain later!

What will be the fate of these three?

Every once in a while I get a whim to buy bananas at the market. I personally do not like eating bananas by themselves. I tend to get a gag reflex when eating them. Sorry to be so blunt, but it happens! I really enjoy bananas in bread, cake, fruit salad, frozen and covered in chocolate, etc. My reason for the purchase is strictly a nutritional one. I am buying them in hopes that one of my three guys will choose a nice yellow banana as their snack of choice. Now, even though L has all the characteristics of a monkey, he doesn't care for the primates food of choice. K and K have been know to enjoy one every once in awhile.

Here lies the problem. I buy the bananas and they perch beautifully on my cute little Pampered Chef Simple Additions stand fellowshipping with all the other fruit(see picture below). I buy them quite green in the beginning in hopes that they will last just a few extra days. Days go by, the apples are eaten, the oranges are peeled, and the bananas are neglected and ignored! Then one day you stroll by and notice the bananas are black not yellow. Off to the trash they go.... Such a waste!

I know, if I were Martha, there would be many uses for mushy bruised bananas- banana bread, freeze them for future use, banana cake with sour cream chocolate frosting (one of Oma's recipes), banana muffins, banana smoothie, and maybe even a banana face mask. Will the vicious cycle remain? Will the fate of these three bananas be buried in the plastic bag of doom? Or, will they be enjoyed and eaten like they should be?

As you can see in the pictures below I have written this friendly reminder on our kitchen message board.

What happens to the uneaten bananas in your house?

Friendly reminder 

The three bananas 

Share God's love this week!

Open your hearts to the love God instills.....
God loves you tenderly. What He gives
you is not to be kept under lock and key,
but to be shared.

Mother Teresa

Speaking of friends and being blessed.....God blessed me with these two when I moved here many years ago. I just realized I have a lot of blonde friends, and my husband is blonde - weird! We celebrated my friend Shana's birthday the other night. She is a spring chicken, not anywhere near turning 40! I love y'all! 

About Fifty or So Big Red Itchy Dots?

My mother must have hovered over my brother and I and shielded all germs, bacteria and any virus that floated our direction when we were children, because I don't remember being kept prisoner in our apartment on a regular basis. But, somehow neither my brother or I got Chicken Pox growing up. I went about my life, I even worked in a day care center when I was in highschool and babysat in college. I lived my early life escaping the varicella-zoster virus.

One Sunday morning I awoke, took a shower, and stood in front of my mirror to put on my face for the day. I noticed some blister like spots on my chest. I didn't think much about it. Later, I headed off to church to teach my precious first graders about Jesus. I was waiting for children to arrive when I read a memo from the children's minister. There was a outbreak of Chicken Pox in our church and it gave a detailed description of what to look for. It all started to sink in at that point. Oh No, that's what those spots are!!! I normally had a room full of children on Sunday, but that day only one boy arrived. I went home that day, shocked that I had chicken pox and I was nine months pregnant with my second child!

That whole two to three weeks of my life is somewhat of a blur. I remember calling my doctor. "About how many spots do you have, about fifty?", he asked. "Uh, I don't know, a lot, I haven't counted them." He went on to tell me there really wasn't any medication I could take, but as long as I didn't go into labor everything would be fine. "Okay, everything will be fine,", I reassured myself.

My husband and I had a nightly ritual during those agonizing days. The only comfort I had was to get in the shower and let the scorching water from the hand held shower head (what were those things called?) pulsate every inch of my body. It imitated the scratching I was forbidden to do. After the shower, my husband would patiently and lovingly assist me in applying pink Calamine lotion with a cotton ball on my red spots. I needed my husband's help to reach the spots under my huge pregnant stomach. I couldn't reach let alone see the lower portion of my body. A true testament of love, I must say! I was really, really huge!!!! One night, I wondered about how many spots did I have, fifty or so? My husband I together counted over 500 chicken pox on my body! On my face, my scalp, neck, chest, immensley oversized stomach, genital area, legs, and feet. Oh, I forgot, my arms and hands, too! They were freakin - everywhere!!!!!!

I think I have conveniently blotted out the sheer agony I experienced during those weeks. I missed my son's third birthday party. And, I will never forget the meals friends prepared and delivered to us during that time! It was heaven sent! All my pox scabbed nicely before it was time to give birth to my son. If I had received this lovely gift of red polka dots at the beginning of my pregnancy, L could have received major abnormalities or neurological damage. God took care of us with his perfect timing.

I had been checking my three year old's body continuously looking for signs of his special spots. On the day I was laying in the bed in the maternity ward of the hospital waiting for my unwanted C-section, I routinely lifted my son's shirt to examine his little tummy. Guess what I found? A few little blister like spots! Here we go again! We shipped K off to his grandma's for the next two weeks. It was a glorious day when K was scabbed up and ready to meet his brother for the first time. Thankfully, the chicken pox days in our family are over, I think. Knock on wood. L never got pox and has had the vaccine. I always wondered if he had already received some little red spots in my big tummy!