Lessons Revisted and Vocabulary Extension

I remember when I was younger being asked that rhetorical question 'If your house were on fire, what would you grab if you only had a few moments to get out?'. Well, last week I answered that question for myself. Our house was not on fire but the fires did come awfully close!

I had packed up clothes for myself and the kids along with a few necessities the night before, just in case we had to evacuate in the night. It was a good thing I did, for when it came time to leave I only had to grab a few things and was able to do so without panic or scaring the kids. What did I take? I made sure to pack our wedding album and one other photo book, the camera, and a few pieces of jewelry. It was weird though. Right before I left the house I was standing in our bedroom trying to think of anything else that I'd not want to leave behind. I could not think of anything. I prayed that the Lord would bring to mind anything that I'd regret not taking. Again, nothing came to mind. So I walked out the back door and closed it behind me. And I had no regrets. This just confirms to me that I was not holding onto the things of this world more tightly than I should. We have stuff, but that's all it is, just stuff and junk, and completely replaceable. I had what was most important, my family.

My kids, I think, learned something else entirely. They learned a new word. And not just an arbitrary word, but more importantly what it means. I think, if asked, they could use it properly in a sentence.

The word?

Evacuation.

My cousin and her husband graciously opened their home to us while we were evacuated. It was so nice to have a place to go to and not have to join the masses in some outdoor refugee camp. The kids enjoyed it too, maybe a little too much. They had fun playing with new things at their home and watching new videos. In fact, they keep asking if we can be evacuated again! See, I told you they knew the full meaning of the word!

In the end, we only had to stay there one day/night and were able to return the next day. The Lord was gracious to us in what we had to go through (which really wasn't much at all considering what happened just 2 miles from our house). I am grateful to the Lord for his protection and provision for our family. For that is the most important thing right now, that our family is safe and whole. That's all that matters. The rest is just stuff and junk.

Real Quick

I haven't written in a week??! Well, there's good reason. Where I live we were very very close to the fires that have been raging through southern California. The Lord has been good to us, for the fire came within 2 miles of our home and less than a quarter mile from Ryan's work! I have had a post floating through my mind regarding our experience but just haven't had the time or felt like doing it just yet. I've received a few calls from friends asking if we are ok, so I thought I'd do a quick post to let everyone else know that, yes, we are indeed ok and that our home was spared. Maybe in a day or so I'll feel ready to put my words into a post. But for now this will have to do.

Thank you to those who have prayed for us and were concerned for our safety. I appreciate your many prayers and thoughts on our behalf.

What's For Dinner

I'm getting a head start on dinner tonight! Yes, I am using my crock pot, for the second time this week. Love that thing (even if it has country motif that I'm not crazy about)! Below is the recipe that I am using, Italian Chili. I found it last year and made it once, I think. It's a versatile recipe. I can serve it with rice, or in burritos, or over tortilla chips. Tonight I'm going burrito style! I'll for sure have left overs, so maybe we'll be eating some more Italian Chili love on Saturday?!

Italian Chili

1lb. lean ground beef
1/2 pound bulk Italian sausage (I had to use it in link form, I think it'll be fine)
1 cup chopped onion
1 cup chopped green sweet pepper
3 cloves garlic, minced
1 28 oz. can Italian-style tomoatoes, cut up
1 15 oz. can chickpeas (garbonzo beans), rinsed and drained
1 15 oz. can light red kidney bean, rinsed and drained
1 cup water
3 Tbl Worcestershire sauce
2-3 Tbl chili powder
2 tsp dried basil, crushed
2 tsp dried oregano, crushed
1/2 tsp bottled hot pepper sauce (optional)
1/4 tsp salt
hot cooked rice
shredded cheddar cheese
dairy sour cream

In a large skillet, cook ground beef, sausage, onion, green pepper, and garlic until meat is brown and vegetables are tender; drain. In the crock pot, combine the meat mixture, undrained tomatoes, chickpeas, beans, water, Worcestershire sauce, chili powder, basil, oregano, bottled hot pepper sauce (if desired), and salt.

Cover; cook on low heat stetting for 6-8 hours or cook on high-heat setting for 3-4 hours. Serve over hot cooked rice. Top with shredded cheddar cheese and sour cream. Makes 6-8 servings.

Note to Self:

Next time you're in the grocery store and wandering down the forbidden isle of cookies and unnecessary snacks, please listen to that small voice inside that is telling you not to buy the Reduced Fat Nilla Wafers. Remember that they are gross and not worth it, even if they sport a reduced sale price.

Think: hard-ish, almost stale-like yuckiness vs. the crumbly goodness that the 'regular' Nilla Wafers are.

Even if you think you are doing yourself a favor by getting them because they are 'better for you', you're not. It's a waste of good cookie money. Period.

She Sure Told Me!

My friend Mary has a new look on her blog, so I asked her where she found her fabulous new template. Being the good friend that she is, she informed me of yet another site that has free blog templates (she had no idea that I am a blog-template-perusing addict). So I did what any self-respecting blog-template-perusing addict would do, I perused the site and found a few templates that I like.

In fact, I found two that I like very much! There is this one and this one. I'm not sure which I like better. What do you think?

Since I couldn't make up my mind, I asked Mae. She had helped me to decide on my current template (although I didn't go with her choice - sorry Mae!). I showed her the two templates and asked her which one she liked best. This is the account of our conversation:

Me: Here's the template I have now. Then there is this one and this one. Which one do you like?

Mae: Would you stop changing your blog and make up your mind!

Caleb's New Spread

Caleb has had his new big boy bed for a while now, and he has not had a real bed spread to go with it. So, I commissioned my Grandmother to make him a quilt. I found a quilt in Pottery Barn Kids that I liked and my mother and I went to fabric stores to get the material. This was my inspiration:


Actually, the picture I had seen is no longer available but this one comes close. I liked the plaids in the blues, reds, and greens. On the quilt I had seen, it had a wide border of blue (or was it red?) and it had thick stitching in a coordinating color. I took these components and and asked my sweet grandmother if she'd make a quilt for Caleb . She accepted. After many months of patiently waiting, the quilt is finished and is now gracing my boy's bed. Here it is in action!




I am so pleased with it! It is better than what I had seen and turned out perfect! So, I must give a great big Thank you to my grandmother, she is the best!

And now Caleb's room is complete. The curtians have been hung, the pictures up and now the quilt! Perfect. Absolutely perfect!

My Little Ol' Box-O-Red!

Remember when I mentioned signing up for a Red swap? Well, after much checking and re-checking of my front porch.....Mr. Postman finally delivered my box-o-red from my swap buddy! I love getting packages, it matters not what is inside as long as my name is on it! Well, ok, maybe there's a smidge of mattering, but you get the idea. So here is what I got!


Let's see....my swap buddy, Sandra over at Welcome to My So-Called Life, got me paper to use in my craftiness (which I'll probably use in a couple cards), some alphabet stickers, santa hat brads, a stamping kit (includes rubber stamps, ink, pens, embossing powder and a instruction booklet), and some brads and buttons (my favorite from the box!). Then she added a pot holder, USA cookie cutters, and a fun red spatula. Some nice little snacks include a bag of mini chocolate chip cookies (almost gone!), microwave popcorn and some chewy granola bars. Oh, she also gave me a bunch of beads to string together a charm bracelet! What fun to get a box of red goodness in the mail! Thanks swap buddy!

I had fun going through the list of 'likes' that my buddy gave me. I looked it over and went shopping! Here is what she got!



My buddy likes butterflies, dragonflies, scrapbooking, stickers, pens, Sweedish Fish, and dark chocolate. So, I obliged her scrapbooking love and got her a bunch of stickers, ribbons, ink pens, and boarders. I had no idea what Sweedish Fish were but I found some at Cost Plus and picked them up! I rounded out her box-o-red with two sets of cards I made just for her. She has already recieved her box and told me she liked it....sure hope she does!

The next Swaparooni is coming up, and the colors this time are Blue, White and Silver (it's a winter theme). If you're interested in joining, you can go here to do it. Who knows.....we could be buddies! (**no blog necessary to participate)

Breast Cancer Awareness Month

October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. In light of this month long event, a couple websites are doing some giveaways. Of course I've entered myself in a few and here are a couple of them, along with links so you too can enter!

5 Minutes for Mom is giving away this pink Casio digital camera. Why is it pink, you ask? Well, October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month. And Casio is showing support of the National Breast Cancer Foundation (NBCF). You can go here to sign up to win one. The drawing is Friday the 26th!

Then iMommies also has a giveaway of this pink ishuffle. Again, in recognition of Breast Cancer Awareness Month! You can go here to sign up. The deadline for this is October 31st.

Blogs are not necessary to win either of these beauties. So there is no reasonable explanation why you can't go over and sign up!

You Tube Tuesday - Celebratnig Ryan!

In honor of Ryan's birthday today I am posting this hilarious video. It's called 'One Semester of Spanish - Love Song'. Ryan has enjoyed learning Spanish and Portuguese, and he found this video last night so I thought I'd share with you all today. It's a peek into what makes Ryan laugh, which is something I like to see him do.

Happy Birthday big guy!

Door Jamb - 1, My Toe - 0

I broke my little toe last night. The doorway got in my way and didn't budge. So my toe did. Not quite the compromise that best suited me. I put ice on it for a while and several hours later it was showing signs of a lovely shade of blue (or was it black? or purple?). I didn't sleep too well either, I think I got about 5 hours. The good thing is that I have a high tolerance for pain so I only had to take 2 Ibuprofen at 2:00 this morning and I was good.

I was surprised that it didn't hurt this morning (high pain tolerance again?). I could manage a hobbly walk without pain and now the color is a definite blueish green. Lovely. I guess now isn't the best time to get a pedicure? (I'll spare you the pics).

A call to my doctor this morning had me in at the Urgent Care by 9:30 (doctor did not have any openings for me). With Caleb in school today, I took Isabel and confined her to the stroller for the duration of my visit. Toys, and books, and snacks were brought along to help keep her content, and they worked! Isabel was such a good girl (thanks Issy, you're the best!).

After x-rays and an hour and half later I am gimping walking out with the knowledge that I did indeed break my toe and I now have a fashionable shoe to prove it! Just one, they don't give them out as a set. There isn't much that can be done for a broken toe, other than tape it up, wear a lovely shoe, and give it some rest (that's not likely to happen at much length with 3 kids....however I do plan to take a nice nap this afternoon).

Aside from the nap, I feel the need to accessorize. Does anyone have a Beadazzler?

Lookit! Lookit! Lookit!

Lookey what I just ordered!!! My most fabulous husband gave me the goahead to purchase this beautiful armoire!

I've been wanting a computer armoire for a while now and have been saving my money from the things that I've sold on Craigs List, and a few weeks ago I started looking. At first I looked on our local Craigs List but Ryan didn't like any of the ones I showed him, which is ok because I want something that we will both like and I'm willing to wait for it. So I broadened my search and found this beauty! The only thing about it is that it's a basic armoire and is not set up with a desk area. Ryan is going to help me rig it up so it will have a work area. Isn't he great?!

So I put in my order today and now I only have to wait for delivery as I sit back and envision the computer mess area in a more organized and less cluttered fashion. And I'll have lots of time to do that since the armoire won't be here for another 3 to 4 weeks. How ever will I endure until then? *sigh* Maybe it'll be delivered on my birthday? That would be a great gift!


On another organizing note, a solution has been found for our living room situation. My cousin was over the other night and she suggested getting an inexpensive tv stand. I thought about it. I searched Ikea online. And I talked it over with Ryan. The conclusion is that I will buy this with my Craig money (Ryan's buying the armoire, see I told you he was great!). I will put the tv stand to the right of our fireplace and then I can put the couch where I want it, facing the fireplace. I'll do a little rearranging of the other two pieces of furniture we have, then the room will finally feel comfortable and homey. The plan is to go to Ikea on Saturday and pick it up. I. Can't. Wait! (thanks Rose!)

I'll be sure to post pictures to show off the awesome new spaces when they are completed. Stay tuned!

My World - part 2

Thanks to everyone who stopped by this weekend to take a peek into my world. I have a few more pictures to share with you, and maybe one last segment this week (we'll see, I'm not committing to that quite yet).

**warning: the next few pictures you are about to view are not pretty. They contain disorder and clutter. Proceed with caution!**


This, my friends, is where I do all my blogging. This is our computer area in what is also known as a family room. It is just across from the kitchen and 'informal' dining area. Remember how I had said I did a little cleaning up but not a whole lot so you could see me as I really am??? Well, here it is, the mess corner. In this area there are three plastic storage drawer containers, one of which holds my stamp stuff. The other two contain books I'm selling on Amazon as well as other stuff that basically does not have a home (ie: computer cords & cables and other computer 'stuff' that I have no clue what it is, extra speakers, extra telephones - in case the power goes out, yeah, that's why it's there, uh huh sure!). Then the stuff on top of the containers are empty (mostly) boxes and items for selling on Ebay. Of course then there is the lovely machine that brings me to you, the blessed computer! I am currently looking for an armoire that will house my stamp stuff so I can put all my stamp and crafty things inside and close the doors to the clutter within. When this comes to pass (for it will!), it will go in the spot where the storage containers are, then the containers will go by-bye! I. Can't. Wait!!!


Now here is another example of exposing my true self....here is my messy bedroom. I did tidy up a bit, but not a whole lot. If you notice in this picture and the next you'll see boxes in two areas. Keep in mind that there is less of them than there was just a month ago! I am trying to purge. These boxes hold miscellaneous office crap stuff that has no place to call home, as well as other miscellaneous things like baby blankets, an odd throw pillow or three, baby toys, and some of my china.


Ok, enough of my cluttered room! Moving on!


This is my ride! I LOVE my truck! I know, I know, it's not technically a 'truck' but that is what we call it. We bought it right before Isabel was born, to accommodate 3 kids in 3 car seats. When we bought it, Caleb was 2 1/5 and very much into trucks, so to make it more fun for Caleb we called the Pilot a truck and it has stuck. Anyway, back to my love. I like sitting up higher than in a car, it has power everything, leather seats, tinted windows, heated seats (not that we need them anymore, but they sure came in handy in the Michigan winter!), a third row of seats that can seat 3 more people, 6 cd disk changer, and a roof rack. It's got power and makes me feel impervious (though I know I'm really not, like I said....it came in very handy in Michigan winter...think snow levels and road conditions...nothing was keeping me stuck inside the house!)

The inside is quite large too! Can you believe that we (meaning Ryan) put a bathtub in there?! And the seating options are fabulous. I love to be able to have guests stay with us and still be able to all ride in the same vehicle as we tour around. This is a big plus when you consider the size of our family.


Here is an inside view of the second row. I know, not the best of shots but you get the idea. Right now the truck needs some alone time with the shop vac. We went to the beach last month and brought back too much of it with us. I'm not one that likes vehicle clutter either and for the most part the truck is pretty clutter-free, but not today (not by my standards anyway).

So there you have it. A peek into my world - where I live and what gets me around town. A little later in the week I'll do one more segment (yes, I'm committing to do it). I'll feature a bit of my craftiness and do a little raffle too. Stay tuned!

September Movie Review

September had a lot going on, so we didn't watch much. I only have 3 movies listed, but in all fairness the last one was a tv show on dvd and it took us a week to watch it. Here is what we saw:

1. The American - This was a PBS movie at one time, it was also a book by Henry James. It's about a young American man the comes to Paris in the late 1800's and falls in love with a young widow, who is under the control of her mother and forbidden to marry himn. It's actually a sad kind of story. I didn't like the way it ended and the acting wasn't that great either. It also had some scenes I had to fast forward through. So, overall I am not recommending this one.

2. Premonition - This was a good psychological thriller/mystery. It did not end the way I thought it would, but I still liked it and would recommend it.

3. Heros (season 1) - My brother was on my case about watching this so I obliged him. Ryan and I really got into it, much to our surprise. We watched it just in time too, the second season started last week! I'm still a fan of Lost but this is definitely a rival. I am totally recommending this. So, if you haven't seen it then you need to go out right now and get season 1 on dvd then start watching season 2 with me!!!

This months favorite is a no-brainer. Heros! Have you seen it, or are following it? If so, who is your favorite Hero and/or your least? My fav is Hiro, and my least fav is Parkman (his acting isn't all that great). I get a kick out of Hiro's reactions to things ('Waffles, yahoo!'). I was also surprised to find that he is a pretty good actor too, but that is only seen once you're further along into season 1. I love it and I can't get enough, or they can't air them close enough together. Watching tv shows on dvd is awesome, it's the way to go (followed closely to a DVR)!

So there you have it, another installment of movie reviews. By the way, our queue is getting low, any suggestions?

Surprise!

Do you like my new look?? Does it look good on me?

I decided to change my template in celebration of my 200 posts. Well, ok, so that's just my excuse for changing (not that I really need one, do I?). I liked the other one but a few things were starting to bug me about it and then I found this one, so it was really a no-brainer!

So, this is the little surprise I mentioned earlier. I know, not much of a 'surprise', but I bet you weren't expecting this now were you?

I do plan to have at least one more post with a peek into my world but that will have to wait at least one more day. It's Sunday and I'm off to take a nice little nap!

Number Two Hundred and One!

Today is the day that I've hit 200 posts, and then I went and passed it! I have been a part of blog world for a little over a year now and I LOVE it!!! My thanks to Wendy and her inspiration with her own blog. It's funny, a little over a year ago I really had no clue what a blog even was and now look at me, I'm blogging up a storm! It's official....I'm a Fragile Flower!!!

So, I've noticed that once a blogger hits a milestone such as 100 posts, a year anniversary or the like, they will do a list of a things about themselves or have their fans ask them questions. As much as I enjoy reading the lists and asking questions of my new friends, I thought I'd do something a little different. In this post I have several pictures that make up a portion of my world. Mostly they are pictures of where I live along with some tid bits of what fills it up and therefore sharing a bit of myself with you. So without further ado.......here's a bit of my world:


This is my front door, welcome to my house! If you look hard enough (or just click to enlarge the picture) you will see a pretty little glass beaded wreath on the door. I like the wreath, it's ok. But what I love most about it is that I got in on clearance for 7 bucks! What can I say, I'm cheap and find difficulty passing up a bargain (note to self: don't make eye contact with the dollar section at Target!).

Once through the front door you'll see my living room (in much need of a completed make-over, for those of you who have been following my living room saga.....I'm still mid re-do and have lost inspiration or desire to finish. HGTV please send me a make-over team to help me!).



If you turn around with the living room behind you, you'll see this, my 'formal' dining room area. We bought this table just a few months ago. It's fabulous!!! It pulls apart easily and a hidden leaf unfolds to enlarge the table. The table goes from seating 8 to 14 people in a snap! We are having Thanksgiving at our house this year and I'm excited to use our new table for the occasion. I'll have to be sure to take and post pics of it when it's decorated all pretty and festive and laden with glorious food!



Don't look too closely, but this is my kitchen. I tried not to clean up too much but I did have to do a little. I wanted you to see me as I am, untidy kitchen and all. I'm sure you'll notice the clutter point on the counter. This is where all the mail finds itself. And receipts. And change. And my purse and keys. And papers from Mae's school. And too many other things. I hate this part! It is the bane of my homemaker existence. Ok, on to other things (please stop looking into the vortex of the clutter corner!)



Just to the right of the kitchen is the 'informal' dining room/area. I love that table too! It has a fabulous stainless steel top that is super kid-friendly. Every household with young children should have one. It can be marked on, spilled on, and it is easily cleaned up. I'm telling you it has preserved the peace in our house and relationships!

Well that wraps up day one of the Flower Tour. Stay tuned for more peeks into my world. Oh! And I'll also do a drawing later on for some fabulous home-made cards soon too (details to follow in another post)! I do have one little surprise in this 200 milestone marker. It will be revealed sometime this weekend. Anyone want to take a guess???

Look At Me!!!

A couple months ago I submitted this picture at TopMomma.

What does TopMomma do, you ask? Well, they have a limited number of photos posted with the intention of having visitors click on them to visit the persons blog or website. The more clicks or referrals a Momma gets the longer their photo stays up. In essence, it is a nifty way to get new traffic to your blog.

So, go visit and don't forget to give me lots of clicks!!! Because...........

**and if you're visiting from TopMomma, thanks for stopping by.....and don't forget to leave comment and say 'hello'!

Dear Lord,

Please help me through these next few days. I am unable and incapable to live each day in a way that is honoring to you, without your help. Ryan has been gone since Saturday and came back last night but then is off again this morning. Thank you for his safe travel and the little break with having him home last night. I needed that, thank you! I've made it through the first part of the week with relative ease, but it's getting more difficult now. Please help me to choose patience, kindness, and love today. I need to hear and be aware of your voice speaking to me these next few days. Help me to be sensitive to your voice and presence in my life. Thank you for never leaving or forsaking me. Thank you for the love you have for me. Thank you for hearing me and for your sympathies in my situations. And thank you for allowing these times to come so that I can learn more dependence on you. In Jesus name, Amen.

Overheard At the Dinnertable - the Toddler Edition

Isabel, sit down.

Eat!

Isabel, get back to the table.

Eat or go sleepy.

Eat. Your. D I N N E R ! ! ! !

What to do?

I just did a little adding up of numbers and found that I am four posts away from my 200th post (well, ok, it's really three once I publish this one). So, what should I do? I could do what lots of others do and do a list of 200 things about myself, or maybe just 100 since I missed that one way back when and to be honest I think 200 would be too difficult and too dull to bore you with. I was trying to think of a creative little something to do but all I came up with was to take pictures of things and places around my house that would give my readers a better idea of who I am. But really I don't want to take the time. But then again maybe I will. I don't know (can you tell?)!!!

So, what do you think? Should I do the list of 200 or even 100 things about myself? Should I ask you all to ask me questions then I'll answer them in the 200th post? Should I take a bunch-o-pics of my world and share?

Really, please do share your thoughts.....I wanna know!

Thanks for your input!

I'd Love to Have This.....

Who wouldn't want to have a Dyson? Maybe someone who already has one? Well, I don't have one and would very much like to be a proud owner of one. But since we can't, or may never, be able to afford one I entered a contest to win one.

5 Minutes for Mom is giving this pink Dyson away. And you could win it, just go here and sign up!

Dyson has made this limited edition pink vaccum and $40 of each sale goes to the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. They are sold exclusively at Target (my favorite store!).

I'm not a fan of pink but I sure wouldn't mind me a vacuum in the color! Who knows, I might look quite fashionable while cleaning the house....I'd love to find out!

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Of course I wouldn't mind this handy little set of tools either. There is a choice of pink or blue and in this case I choose pink. I think it's a theme....pink tools must go with the pink vacuum, right? Go over to Muti-Tasking Moms to sign yourself up! They are offering two sets!

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I entered this contest too!

How would you like to win $50 to spend in a vintage children’s store? Kailani of An Island Life is holding a giveaway to Warm Biscuit Bedding Company. Stop by before September 28th for all the details.