Oh My! I've been given a blog award! I can hardly believe it! :-) This was given to me by my blogging friend Crystal at 'God is in Control...Not Me'. I like Crystal's blog title. Just reading it every morning is a great reminder. Crystal has a love for the Lord that is refreshing ... and she sings! I've never been privileged to hear her but I'm sure it's just beautiful. I love to read at Crystal's place because you never know in what way she'll offer you a smile or a word of cheer...sometimes it's just watching videos of her adorable dog and puppies. :-) Thank you for the award Crystal! I will be grinning all day! :-D

Crystal said
Sundazy gets this award just because I like her blog design and she constantly makes me smile with the stories she tells about her family and her life.

And now I get to pass this award on to some bloggers of my own choice...this is going to be very hard for me because I really like each and every blogger friend on my list for different reasons (plus a few that are not listed yet).

*Thinking...very...hard...hmmm...*

Ok: Here are my choices for this award:

1. Kristarella of Blog Cabin. Kristarella was one of my very first blogging friends. Her blog is so cute and her posts are always interesting and inspiring. More than that, though, she is one of my true friends. Hugs to you! Hope you like your award!

2. Keri of A Happy Home. Keri is a very thoughtful writer and has many insights to share with her readers. I knew I would love reading her blog from the first time...I think we are kindred spirits. She is a dedicated home keeper and truly loves the Lord. Keri, thanks for continuing to share your convictions with the rest of the blogging world. Your light is shining.

3. TC at Fish in My Hair. TC is one of my favorites because she is just so fun and funny! I never fail to get a good hearty laugh when I visit her site. I've been a loyal TC fan since I first discovered her last year. Some of you may remember that my kiddoes and I were privileged to meet TC and her family in person at the local Book Fair. Since that time they came to my rescue once when I was sick and now our children are forming wonderful friendships...and I like to think that we are too. :-) If you like to smile you should visit her place. She helps us see the humor in the everyday ordinary and not so ordinary events of our lives.

4. Julie at Seeking the Old Paths. Julie posts about the things that God is showing her and how He is leading their family along a path of His design. I so enjoy her writing, and just reading her sidebars is enough to inspire one to follow God wherever He calls. And now you can hear inspirational music when you visit her place. You rock Julie! ;-)

5. Sherry at Large Family Mothering. Sherry is the mother of 14 children. She still finds time to blog and encourage the rest of the world with stories and recipes and helpful ideas. She has a lovely testimony about how God brought her to where she is today. I always look forward to her postings.

and one more:
My own sweet girl
Rivergirl at A Joyful Song. She's mine and I love her soooo much! You rock sweetie! ;-)

Labels: Just for fun, Misc

I don't do these WFMW posts very often, but I had something to share and it just happens to be Wednesday. How about that?

Do you ever need an inexpensive play outfit for one of your kiddoes?
Do you ever wish you could sew something but don't have time to learn a new skill?
Prefer to have your girls only wear dresses?
Tired of t-shirts instead of pj's or nightgowns?
If you answered yes to any of the above maybe this idea will help you.

1.Grab the nearest T-shirt that fits the child you wish to sew for--this could be picked up at a garage sale or thrift store.

2.Grab a yard or two of cheap fabric ( this can be anything including old sheets).

3.Lay the fabric out and cut straight across (the same way the fabric store would). You can cut any length...you decide how long the dress will be.

4.With right sides together run a long straight seam down the open edge of the fabric. (This will be the back of the skirt)

5.Run a very loose straight basting stitch 1/2 inch from edge of fabric, across the top edge.

6.Pull on the ends of the loose thread to add gathers to the fabric. Gather it to fit the bottom of the t-shirt.

7.Lay the skirt over the the bottom edge of the t-shirt and then flip it inside out (in other words: put the right side of the skirt over the right side of the t-shirt with skirts top edge lined up with t-shirt bottom edge)

8. Use pins to secure this.

9. Sew a seam 3/4 of inch from edge.

10. Try the dress on your little one and figure out how long you want it to be. Sew a hem.

That's it! You have now made a perfectly good play dress or a very comfy nightgown with no pattern reading or sleeve setting involved! Isn't that fun?

You can always embellish these with little extras like lace or ribbons or buttons. Use your imagination or keep the dress simple. It's up to you.

Here's a picture of three that I recently made for my girls in an afternoon. The tops came from the thrift store and the fabric was a $1 per yard special. I think the total cost for these three dresses was somewhere around $10.


Works for me!

Go over to Rocks in My Dryer to check out the other WFMW tips or to add your own.

Labels: Household Helps, WFMW

Hello friends!
I've been AWOL this week...
I just know you've all been sitting around staring at your computer and wringing your hands...
With that thought in mind I decided I'd better sit down right this very, very minute and write a new entry.
I care about all of you and I just can't bear to think how wretched you have felt not being able to read about our latest illnesses and all. And you're probably hoping I'll do another meme soon...I know you are... you poor, poor souls...
Don't you worry...I'll be back to posting all of those delicious trifles of mundaneness soon enough. But for today...hmmm...
How about a few quotes to tide you over?

They say the seeds of what we will do are in all of us, but it always seemed to me that in those who make jokes in life the seeds are covered with better soil and with a higher grade of manure.
-- Ernest Hemingway

Computers will never take the place of books. You can't stand on a floppy disk to reach a high shelf.
-- Sam Ewing

Why don't they pass a constitutional amendment prohibiting anybody from learning anything? If it works as well as prohibition did, in five years Americans would be the smartest race of people on Earth.
--Will Rogers

Every so often, I like to stick my head out the window, look up, and smile for a satellite picture.
--Steven Wright

Happiness is a very small desk and a very big wastebasket.
-- Robert Orben

Labels: Just for fun, Quotes

Today is my Dear Hubby's birthday. Happy Birthday wonderful man! I love you dearly! I'm proud of you as a Christian, as a husband and as a father.

Sometimes he likes to have a celebration with friends but usually he prefers to do something on a smaller scale. A nice dinner with his little family and a cheesecake or peanut butter pie will be just the thing!

So today I will be cooking a brisket and making BBQ sauce and we'll set the table with a red and white checkered cloth and have fun guitar music on the stereo when he arrives home from work. I'll dress all the littles in overalls and the bigger kids and myself can wear denim and red and white. He should get a smile or even a chuckle out of his home welcoming crew!

I have been trying to figure out a birthday gift for him over the past few weeks and couldn't come up with any satisfactory ideas. We are in the process of de-materializing our lives and so there are no things that he actually wants. But last night I discovered the perfect gift! Hurray!

He had to go to town to price materials for a job bid and asked me to go along (I love knowing he likes my company even if looking at hinges and lumber is not my favorite pastime :-)) On the way he told me that he would love to start working out at the local Rec. center like we used to do. I hem-hawed a little because there is nothing fun to me about working out on equipment in a crowd. I shudder to think of my past experiences. He said that he didn't think he would do it alone...he needed a partner because he doesn't want to be in a crowd by himself either.
It was at that moment I remembered something a friend had told me. (Thank you Antelope's Mom!) There is a church here that has their own fitness center gym that they open to the public for a very nominal fee and it's never crowded. I told hubby and we decided to check it out.

Long story slightly shorter...we did our first workout last night at this great little gym and we had the whole weight room to ourselves for over an hour! Yippee! Did you know exercising with your sweetie could be romantic? Well, kind of. I asked him if a member card there would be a good gift and he said "Perfect!".
Smile! :-)
We now have a 'Two of Us Tuesday' planned for every week. Our dates will be self improvement outings.

This morning I am sore and shaky and don't even mention picking up anything. I found some muscles I forgot I had...so did he.

I have high hopes of going from looking very cute (ahem) and roundish :




to fit as a fiddle--and I'll probably be able to do this: Tee Hee!



And it should only take a few years! ;-)

I think hubby will be pleased.

I've got to go now...I need to soak in some hot water and take some tylenol.

Labels: Family, Holidays and Celebrations

Last night we picked up Osprey (DS 17) from the airport. He had been in the great northwest visiting relatives for 2 weeks. And now he is home where his mama can see him and hug him and check on him at night when she checks all the other sleeping children. :-)
I really missed my growing up kiddo!

It was a late night and we were very happy to fall into bed and sleep. During the middle of the night I was awakened by one of North Texas infamous thunderstorms...I could hear the lightening crackling followed by peals of thunder so loud the windows rattled. I really hoped that the babies would sleep through. No, they woke up wide eyed and teary. Where is mama? And why is it so loud in here? I took them both to bed with me relieved that at least the Little Guy (4 yo) had not been frightened.

At about 6:15 this morning Little Guy came running into our room and was scrambling up onto my bed yelling "Mama! Mama! Mama! My tummy hurts!" I took a quick look and knew time was of the essence. I ushered him into the bathroom where he promptly lost his dinner... Sigh... 'Good morning Me! Keep your focus on happy thoughts.' I washed and changed him and tucked him into his bed.
About 15 minutes later the whole thing was repeated...'Keep your focus...happy thoughts.'
about 30 minutes after that we went through it... One. More. Time. 'Keep...Happy... This too shall pass...'
It was at this point that I decided to stop wasting time with the bedroom. I made a pallet on the bathroom floor and there he shall stay until his tummy stops protesting.

We used to own a bean bag. When someone was sick I covered it with beach towels and dragged it into the bathroom for the child to sleep on until the crisis had passed. I finally gave it away because it was flat and the color didn't match and no one was using it anymore. I wish I had it right now. I had to improvise this morning. I laid down a flattened cardboard box (plenty of those for moving right now). I covered it with layers of soft blanket and then a beach towel and a pillow. I tucked him in with a clean blanket that is no ones special favorite... because you know...just in case...

Anyway, it's been a family event. Hubby held one of the little children this morning while I rushed back and forth cleaning up and finding clothes and towels. Rivergirl (DD 12) watched the other little sister and Osprey slept right through it all! :-)
Guess what? I'm still smiling! I love my family! It's times like these that build character and make memories. Like them or not!

To those of you who have been around us lately...I am so, so sorry if you caught anything from us...I didn't realize he was sick. Just stay away for a few days and hopefully we'll be right as rain very soon.


Tue,6-19-07 Edited to add:My Little Guy is better already! By last night he was back to his usual rambunctious self and he even wanted to eat some chicken soup. Today looks to be back to normal routines! Thanks for the kind comments and prayers.

Labels: Another Day, Family

As a mother, there are times when joy is greater than words can express and laughter comes easily and there are other times when my mother's heart's burdens are heavy and pain seems to be the order of the day. Those are the times I've come to realize that some trials and some pains are necessary to experience growth. How I long to see fruit in my children's lives and to see them experiencing the joy that comes from putting aside ones selfish desires and caring only about the needs of others. It's a difficult lesson to learn. I'm still learning! We've experienced so many growing pains over the last couple of years.

When a person is learning some of life's more difficult lessons they will probably have some bad days. It is during those times that the home is a resting place for the weary and a safe haven for the wounded.

No matter where home is, it is there that a mother and father have the opportunity to provide loving arms for holding,



soft pillows for resting,



treats for munching and sipping,



favorite books for reading,


and of course it's nice to provide a place where all the little treasures found during the day can be brought, stored, and examined.



This is home. This is my joy. It's what makes my world go round.
If I can be there to wipe away a tear, or kiss a scraped knee,
if I can pray over my children at bedtime and stroke their hair as they fall asleep,
if I can be the one to hold them in safety during the night
or provide simple pleasures for play,







then I've done the thing that brings me the greatest satisfaction in all the wide world.

Labels: Another Day, Inspirations

I want to share a post with you from a blogging friend of mine. She has been an inspiration to me since I first read her blog last year. She is a proud and blessed mother of 14. Everytime I visit her blog I am encouraged or uplifted in some way. Her blog is Large Family Mothering.
The following is an excerpt from one of her recent posts:

~Resentment~
It's an insidious enemy. It creeps up on you, especially on those days that you have the flu, or you really want to get a project done, or you are having fun talking with an old friend on the phone. The interruptions, complaints and demands of a our lives can create a crinkled, cold and even spikey heart if we don't keep a safe distance from.....

RESENTMENT!

Back when I had so many little ones underfoot, so much to do, so few hands to do it, I had a revelation. I was washing dishes one day when I felt a tug on my skirt. A little face beamed up at me and asked for a drink of water. I had a choice to either huff and brush the child off, or put my agenda second and take care of the need of my baby. Just then the Holy Spirit reminded me of Jesus' words, "If you give just a cup of water to the least of these my brethren, you give it unto Me." I knew then what my priorities would be if I was to serve Jesus as a mother.



Interruptions, fatigue, deprivation, heartache; these are part of a Christian's life. It doesn't matter where you serve Him, whether in Uganda or China or in your own home. We need to make the choice daily, even hourly; will we lay our lives down, or will we count ourselves dear and allow resentment to build up, resulting in a bitter, ugly life?

I choose joy. I choose forgiveness. I choose laying it down so that I can gain it. Yes, there are times when my tired self would rather sleep than comfort the one scared by a nightmare, or wait up for the young person out with friends, or love and cuddle with a husband who's had a hard day. I read about other women who take all day to clothes shop just for fun, or who have unlimited time to write or sculpt or vacation in the Bahamas. I know that somewhere someone is eating a warm dinner, in quiet, hearing nothing more than the melodic sounds of Chopin or Mozart, but these things are all of this life, of this earth that is passing away.....

Go here to read the rest.
And please leave her a kind comment!
Thank you so much!

Labels: Family

#1.I've been tagged by one of my 12 year old blogging friends, Ice Jet!
#2. Favorite color? Pink.
#3. Hair color? Brown.
#4. Favorite dessert? Cheesecake, or Pecan Pie or Cherry Cobbler....
#5. What did you do before the computer? Happily visited with some surprise out of town guests!
#6. Favorite soda? Dr. Pepper.
#7.Your favorite book? mmm...difficult choice...Heidi, or Stepping Heavenward or Cheaper by the Dozen
#8.Favorite movie? Enchanted April and Princess Bride.
#9.What color shirt are you wearing? Off White.
#10.What did you do yesterday? I cleaned house and went to pick my Hubby up from the airport.
#11. Who are you going to tag? Anyone who hasn't recently been tagged and wants to play is hereby tagged.

Labels: Just for fun, More About Me

Your Blogging Story ~ Carnival

How did you start blogging?

I was spending a lot of time nursing babies therefore I was sitting in a chair in front of the computer emailing and browsing. I ended up finding some wonderful blogs, by accident. Before you know it I wanted to 'have one of those too'.

Did you intend to be a blog with a big following? If so, how did you go about it?

No...but I did hope to make a few new friends, which I have done.
I think blogs that have followings are
1.either very intellectual (which --cough- I am not) or
2.very funny (not that either). Though I try to keep my sense of humor at the ready. or
3. very well informed/informing/news (nope--still not me--unless your idea of current events is knowing how tired I am or finding out about the latest silly quiz that's going around).


What do you hope to achieve or accomplish with your blog? Have you been successful? If not, do you have a plan to achieve those goals?

Goals?
I, uhmm, wanted to have a place to share my strong opinions on... whatever... and a place to let my distant family members and friends keep up with us. I think I've been mildly successful...but I've also changed my goals somewhat. I now realize that not very many people are interested in my strong opinions so I keep some of them to myself.

Instead, I focus on making my little bit of web space inviting and offering a smile to weary people on occasion.
Plus, I absolutely LOVE the chance to be creative and maintain some place that's pretty and the kiddoes don't mess it up!

I'm not sure if my family members read this to keep up with us or just occasionally...? I do get a few comments here and there from a couple of relatives.

Has the focus of your blog changed since you started blogging? How?

I've loosened up and started being more comfortable with myself and my failures and tried not to be quite so preachy sounding. I like me most of the time and decided to not be afraid to share it, therefore I like posting more than before, therefore I have become an addicted,er faithful blogger.


What do you know now that you wish you’d known when you started?

Not much! Maybe that it doesn't matter WHO reads your blog..it's just nice that someone, sometimes, enjoys 'visiting' with you. And it's great to have a place to record daily thoughts and memories.

Do you make money with your blog?

HA! No!
Wouldn't that be cool!? Paid to blog!? YES!

Does your immediate or extended family know about your blog? If so, do they read it? If not, why?

They all know about it. Some of them read it. Lots of them don’t-
I am going to quote Boo Mama here:
"because they’re too busy doing things like 'caring for their family' or 'making a living' or 'staying fit and healthy.'
Guess I should follow their examples...

What two pieces of advice would you give to a new blogger?
1.Don't spend too much time on design and graphics until you've gotten your feet wet and KNOW that you want to do this.
2.Write often about what interests YOU.
and an extra:
3.Be a good bloggy friend and visit OTHER PEOPLE'S blogs and leave LOTS of comments...LOTS!
It's what makes this so fun!

Go read other's blogging stories over at Chili's place...and you can even write your own answers and join in the carnival. After you write yours go here and sign the Mr. Linky with your web address. Easy!

Back to add a few thoughts...As I was working in the kitchen I was going over my answers to this questionnaire in my mind and I realized I need to add some things:

I really do like to blog and I really do hope that certain of my family members will eventually start reading/commenting more...not just so they can know what's going on but because this is such an extension of... ME!
I put my heart out there sometimes in ways that are often difficult for me in real life settings...I get busy changing diapers and taking toddlers to the toilet, making plans for big kids and more...this place is quiet and you get a peek into the inside of me. :-)

Also: If you're new to blogging don't get discouraged if it takes a while to make a circle of friends. Sometimes you'll see a blog and think "Oh! They are just like me! I KNOW we'll be good friends!"
It doesn't always work out that way. Sometimes, you make friends in the most unexpected places! Keep trying!

Labels: Misc, More About Me

Thank you so much to all of you who responded to my last post in various ways. All the prayers and warm comments were felt by me. I was able to sleep quite a bit on Thursday night and by early morning the fever had broken. By the end of yesterday the pain was greatly diminished. This morning I am almost pain free. I attribute my rapid recovery to prayer and help from friends. :-)

To those of you who arrived at my house bringing cheer and servant's hearts and food... I thank you from the bottom of my heart. It's a beautiful thing to see God's love displayed in such a tangible way. There were two families that arrived at my door with smiling faces yesterday. TC and her crew, and my friend Bambi and her kiddoes. All the children and their mom's attacked work fervently and by mid-afternoon the house was showing big improvement, and so were my spirits.

Last night Rivergirl and Little Guy and I just let ourselves relax a bit. We were able to get the little girls to sleep fairly early (the day was a big adventure for them!) and then we crawled onto my bed, snuggled our faces onto soft pillows and watched Celtic Woman. Lovely music, happy lyrics and pretty dresses lulled us to sleep. I slept well and feel quite refreshed this morning.

~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

Lately, I have experienced some trying things. One of them is a removal of pride. Having people see your house at its worst and help you do the mundane things you are responsible for is humbling.
Also, yesterday I attempted to clean someone's shirt (that had been left here by mistake after a sleep over) and I ruined it--utterly and completely. This particular item was needed for an upcoming trip and now is no longer useful. I am so embarrassed! And I'm sorry for this girl's loss of what was probably a favorite piece of clothing...

Do you suppose God is trying to teach me anything? He has my attention now! I am listening intently and I asked Him to help me be teachable and to let the lesson end! Soon!

Labels: Another Day, Family

To all my 'bestest' friends (or anybody else who wants to join in):

If you stop by will you just send up a little prayer for me tonight?...I haven't been accomplishing as much as I wanted to this week with my hubby and oldest DS out of town (I'm just a little lonesome)...(this is not the request yet :-))

I had all these visions of being June Cleaver (or maybe Aunt Bea to be more accurate...) and the house going

'DING!'

when they got back.

Alas, it is not to be.

The babies are cutting molars...the 4 yo knows Daddy is gone and is testing the boundaries at every turn, and now I seem to have come down with a case of mastitis (pain,headache, fever, chills and all).

**Please pray that the littles will sleep well tonight so I can rest, and that I will be able to make up for lost time, after recovery, and BEFORE my hubby gets back...I know the house won't 'ding!' but I'd like it not to 'slurp and growl' either ;-).

I'm not very good at asking for things like this...I don't like to sound complaining, but I'm just fairly done-in right now...and my house has never looked worse or been more embarrassing to me than it is right now. Sigh

Thanks in Advance.

Nighty Night...

Labels: Another Day, News

Life is like a bathtub....
Go here and smile...:-)

Labels: Another Day, Just for fun

I saw this over @ Fish in My Hair .

You Are a Frappacino

At your best, you are: fun loving, sweet, and modern At your worst, you are: childish and over indulgent You drink coffee when: you're craving something sweet Your caffeine addiction level: low

What Kind of Coffee Are You?

I'm not sure about the modern part...or the low caffeine addiction part...but I fancy myself fun loving and sweet! And the childish and over indulgent bit? Surely not! ;-) Just pretend you didn't read that part...OK?

Labels: Just for fun