For my 100th post.....

I will be leaving blogger and directing you to my NEW BLOGSITE at livejournal
Blogger has too many issues that drive me up the wall... so I've been checking out other places and found one that I like so far. I'm still working on the page, and hope to eventually get all my posts from blogger onto the livejournal site. If you have a link to me, please change it to http://nynative.livejournal.com as I will no longer be posting here on blogger. Until my posts and info is moved to the new site, I will keep this blog... once it is all moved then it will be deleted.

Thanks for reading and I hope to see you commenting over on the new blog!!!

I HATE BLOGGER!!!!!!!

Just so you know... I'm hating blogger right now and I'm shopping for a new site. Updates to follow!

Christmas Carols

Thirteen Christmas Carols I either love or hate!

1. O Holy Night --- LOVE
2. Linus & Lucy --- LOVE
3. Mary, Did You Know? --- LOVE
4. Here comes Santa Clause --- HATE
5. White Christmas --- LOVE
6. Blue Christmas --- LOVE
7. Twelve Days of Christmas --- HATE
8. Silver Bells --- HATE
9. Away In a Manger --- LOVE
10. Carol of the Bells --- LOVE
11. I Saw Mommy Kissing Santa Clause --- HATE
12. Your’re a Mean One Mr. Grinch --- LOVE
13. I Want a Hippopotamus for Christmas --- LOVE!!!!

Natural Highs

This time of year can be quite stressful, it can really put you in a major mood slump. I received this list in an email and thought that I'd share this with all my blogging friends!

1. Falling in love.

2. Laughing so hard your face hurts.

3. A hot shower.

4. No lines at the supermarket

5. A special glance.

6. Getting mail

7. Taking a drive on a pretty road.

8. Hearing your favorite song on the radio.

9. Lying in bed listening to the rain outside.

10. Hot towels fresh out of the dryer.

11. Chocolate milkshake.. (or vanilla or strawberry!)

12. A bubble bath.

13. Giggling.

14. A good conversation.

15. The beach

16. Finding a 20 dollar bill in your coat from last winter.

17. Laughing at yourself.

19. Midnight phone calls that last for hours.

20. Running through sprinklers.

21. Laughing for absolutely no reason at all.

22. Having someone tell you that you're beautiful.

23. Laughing at an inside joke.

24. Friends.

25. Accidentally overhearing someone say something nice about you.

26. Waking up and realizing you still have a few hours left to sleep.

27. Your first kiss

28. Making new friends or spending time with old ones.

29. Playing with a new puppy.

30. Having someone play with your hair.

31. Sweet dreams.

32. Hot chocolate.

33. Road trips with friends.

34. Swinging on swings.

35. Making eye contact with a cute stranger.

36. Making chocolate chip cookies.

37. Having your friends send you homemade cookies.

38. Holding hands with someone you care about.

39. Running into an old friend and realizing
that some things (good or bad) never change.

40. Watching the expression on someone's face
as they open a much desired present from you.

41. Watching the sunrise.

42. Getting out of bed every morning and
being grateful for another beautiful day.

43. Knowing that somebody misses you.

44. Getting a hug from someone you care about deeply.

45. Knowing you've done the right thing,
no matter what other people think.

Puppy love and Perspective...

My puppy has been rather destructive here lately in our home and it is not making me happy. Here is a list of the things (that I can think of) that she has destroyed since coming to live with us last March. 3 pairs of my shoes, 2 pairs of slippers, 3 Christmas ornaments, 1 snowman draft stopper guy, potpourri, C’s glasses, my glasses, she’s been chewing on my coffee table, peeing and well, let’s just say she has been leaving brown deposits on my carpets, one of my mom’s lamb knick-knack things, a candle, water bottles, soda cans, ribbon, beef stroganoff, a pan full of grease from frying something the night before, … I think you get the idea. Yesterday when C and I got home from the morning service there was a broken ornament at the bottom of the steps and a “brown deposit” on the carpet. I was not happy. When we left for service last night we put her in her kennel. I’m tired of dealing w/ all this and she will learn that I. AM. THE. BOSS!!! We got home last night and well… YUCK!!! She apparently had gotten ‘the runs’ in her kennel. There was p o o p everywhere! C was soooooo awesome and cleaned it up and I bathed her. Every morning she wakes me up by running into our room and jumping on the bed and landing right on my head. You’d think that by now there would be an ad in the paper for a free puppy, right? Well there isn’t. Because sometimes she is just so darn CUTE! This morning, she came prancing into the office with “Howard” in her mouth, (For those of you who do not know who ‘Howard’ is, he was a dog toy, a stuffed Mallard Duck, he was Duke’s, he got named Howard because of the movie Howard, the duck. Have I ever seen it? No, but I remember the title. C may have actually named him, I really don’t remember. Well, we are onto about our 4th ‘Howard’ by now, and actually this one isn’t even a duck it’s a goose but it is still ‘Howard’) ANYWAY......Josie wanted to play. So I did. I got down on all fours and we played with Howard, she even tried to tease me like she does Duke, by running a little ways away and stopping and looking back to me. SO CUTE! And that, my friends, is why she gets to stay here.

Now on to the perspective part of my day…
I'm not working right now, and well our bank account doesn't really like that. Apparently it costs us more to live than C actually makes. I’ve been really bummed about how we don’t have the money to do all the stuff that I’d like to do for Christmas (and other things) this year.
I woke up this morning and did my usual routine; coffee and internet. I logged onto my email accounts and opened some blogs to read. I ran across a blog where the author made a very good point regarding how some things we think are major just really aren’t in the grand scheme of things and it hit home with me... for about 30 seconds and then I went on with my routine.
I opened another window and logged onto a scrapbook message board. It is amazing how something so routine and so trivial (in someone else’s eyes) can change your whole perspective on life. A friend, (whom I’ve never met in real life) woke up this morning to find that her 28 month old daughter had died in her sleep. : insert screeching halt noise here: Holy cow. I can not even begin to imagine what this family is going through right now. The heartache and despair is unfathomable to me. This is not the first child that they have lost to death either.
Here is where the perspective part comes in; here I’ve been bummed because I’m not able to make Christmas as big this year as I’d like, I still have my house, vehicles, food, clothes, necessities of life, my husband, and family. I do miss my mom more now than ever but there are people whose problems are so much bigger than mine. I have friends and family members who are in the midst of divorce and friends who are dealing with the loss of family members, friends who are dealing with misbehaving teenage children. And here I am sad because I don’t have a Cricut???? I’m bummed because I can’t buy gifts for my husband who really doesn’t NEED anything??? I’m whining because I don’t have some items I wanted to add to my decorations???? WHAT. IN. THE. WORLD???? How spoiled, how self-centered, how selfish can I be???? Here I sit in my warm home addressing handmade Christmas cards to friends and family with the inside verse reading “It was the simple gift of love that changed the course of the world”. And I’m acting like some spoiled brat because I can’t keep up with the ‘Joneses’. Wow. Can you say reality check? I’m so thankful that I had this wake up call. I certainly do wish it hadn’t come at the expense of someone else’s loss. My heart grieves for my friends and their families who are dealing with these major situations in their lives, I will pray for them everyday. I will also pray that I am able to keep things in perspective and not harbor such selfish notions. What matters is WHO is in my life and not what is in my life. I am blessed with many friends, I have a wonderful husband, my family supports me, and the best part is that I know Jesus Christ as my Savior and Friend. Remember this holiday season, and always really, that it isn’t about what we have, but who we have.

Thirteen Thursday Thirteen topics that have run through my head today:

1. Thirteen things I should be doing instead of blogging…
2. Thirteen ways having 2 dogs (or more) is like having children…
3. Thirteen things that frustrate me about the holiday season…
4. Thirteen ways my husband annoys me…
5. Thirteen things I love about my husband…
6. Thirteen random photos off of my computer…
7. Thirteen favorite recipes…
8. Thirteen people I love…
9. Thirteen things I couldn’t live without…
10. Thirteen things I want for Christmas…
11. Thirteen of my all time favorite foods/drinks…
12. Thirteen things I am tired of…
13. Thirteen of my favorite games…

Check in again sometime… I just may use these topics for future Thursday Thirteens!

A little Christmas info on ME!

I got these first 25 (gasp!) off of Becky's blog and thought I'd share:
1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Wrapping paper
2. Real tree or artificial? Artificial tree
3. When do you put up the tree? If we are in town, the day after Thanksgiving.
4. When do you take the tree down? New Year's Day or very soon after.
5. Do you like eggnog? NOT. AT. ALL. EW. YUCK! GAG!!!
6. Favorite gift received as a child? Totally can't remember. But I do remember when I got a record (oh I'm getting OLD!) that had the Disney song "It's a Small World after all" on it... I was playing it and dancing around the living room and on the furniture... my brother had just gotten an Atari for Christmas... somehow (I don't remember what I did) I knocked down the tv and it fell on his brand new Atari. I remember being SICK that I had broken the tv and his game. I just KNEW that my dad and brother were going to KILL me. (Musta been when I was very young, b/c my dad was still living w/ us then. ) I went crying to my mom and she picked it up and set it all back up and everything was just fine. I remember going to my room and reading after that.
7. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes
8. Hardest person to buy for? some friends of ours that seem to have everything already!
9. Easiest person to buy for? my neice and nephew
10. Mail or email Christmas cards? mail... and HANDMADE! :-)
11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? Totally can't remember.
12. Favorite Christmas Movie? How the Grinch stole Christmas
13. When do you start shopping for Christmas? No real start date, if I see something they will like I buy it.
14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? Yes
15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Snowflakes
16. Clear lights or colored on the tree? Clear
17. Favorite Christmas song? You're a mean one Mr. Grinch
18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Depends on how much money is in the bank and how many vacation days C has.
19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeers? probably
20. Angel on the tree top or a star? an angel when I was a kid, at first we had a snowflake, but this year I bought a star.
21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? Christmas morning. If I can wait that long, I'm usually so excited about what I got him.
22. Most annoying thing about this time of year? traffic! (good answer, Becky!!!)
23. Do you have Jesus in your heart this Christmas? yep.
24. Favorite Christmas Tradition? Putting up the tree w/ my hubby. We turn out all the lights except for the tree, light candles, play Christmas music and drink sparkling cidar.
25. Outdoor decorations? Some. Garland w/ lights, a wreath, 2 small lit trees on either side of the garage, and this year we bought some of those small white spiral like trees.
And some bonus info found from another website:
1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate! WITH marshmellows please.
2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? No Santa. All gifts must be wrapped, even the ones that go in the stocking.
3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? WHITE. ONLY!
4. Do you hang mistletoe? no, but evey year I want to but forget to get it.
5. When do you put your decorations up? If we are in town, the day/week after Thanksgiving.
6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Mashed potates with turkey gravy
7. Favorite Holiday memory as a child: being in the kids christmas plays at church
8. Did you learn the truth about Santa? we didn't/don't do santa
9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? yes.
10. How do you decorate your Christmas Tree? w/ snow & winter themed items.
11. Love it or Dread it? LOVE LOVE LOVE it!
12. Do you remember your favorite gift? nope.
13. What's the most important thing about the Holidays for you? being w/ friends and family
14. What is your favorite Holiday Dessert? Snowflake cookies
15. What is your favorite holiday tradition? setting up the tree w/ C. We always do it special together.
16. What tops your tree? this year, a star. It used to be a snowflake.
17. Which do you prefer giving or Receiving? GIVING!
18. What is your favorite Christmas Song? You're a mean one Mr. Grinch

1. I was up until 4am last night
2. C woke me up at 7:30am to help put plastic over the pups foot b/c of the rain/sleet outside.
3. I wasn’t too thrilled w/ the waking up thing, but understood why he had to.
4. My cutie patootie puppy can get VERY UGLY when someone THINKS about touching her foot.
5. Peanut Butter on a spoon works wonders when distracting a puppy from thoughts about her foot.
6. Scotch tape and a sandwich ziplock bag don’t work for long on a puppy who can still reach her foot even with a funnel around her neck.
7. I so cannot wait until next Monday…. Stiches and funnel will be GONE!!!
8. Evidently, I don’t have enough to worry about so our youth have decided to go off the deep end completely, thus #1 on the list today.
9. I hate satan’s tricks.
10. For what it’s worth, I hate satan too.
11. It’s raining/sleeting and 19 degrees (w/ the windchill) in Texas… and I am HAPPY!!!!
12. It was 76 degrees yesterday.
13. I’m sure all of North Texas will have some sort of cold/ flu/ virus in the next few days due to this crazy weather change!

We are cool people.

Not much to blog about really. We had a great Tday w/ family in Austin; it was great b/c there were 4 people and 4 dogs... one for every lap! ;-)
On Sunday afternoon we hung around I35 heading North just South of Waco for about 2.5 hours... we must be cool, b/c everybody else was doing it to! Our 3.5 hour trip turned into almost 6.5 hours. SO. NOT. FUN.
We are going down to Austin again around Christmas, to see the Trans-Siberian Orchestra and I'm TOTALLY pumped about that!
The peanut is doing fine w/ her paw. Because her legs are so long even w/ the funnel she can lick her paw so we made a sock thing for it and she's totally cool with that.
Gearing up for the holidays, making presents and decorations, buying a few things too. If I make anything cool I'll show ya!
Take it easy!

Happy Thanksgiving!!!

MAY YOUR STUFFING BE TASTY, MAY YOUR TURKEY BE PLUMP.
MAY YOUR POTATOES 'N GRAVY HAVE NARY A LUMP,
MAY YOUR YAMS BE DELICIOUS,
MAY YOUR PIES TAKE THE PRIZE,
MAY YOUR THANKSGIVING DINNER
STAY OFF YOUR THIGHS

Happy Thanksgiving!

Have a wonderful holiday... I'm not at my own desk now, so it will be a few days before I post again!

I was tagged.... YAY!

Book Survey

1. One book that changed your life: The Power of a Praying Wife

2. One book that you’ve read more than once: The Velveteen Rabbit (my all-time favorite!)

3. One book you’d want on a desert island: The Bible

4. One book that made you laugh: Super Fudge

5. One book that made you cry: A Time to Dance

6. One book that you wish had been written: How to get through High School WITH Self-Esteem.

7. One book that you wish had never been written: The Satanic Bible (not that I've read it, I just don't like that it is even out there)

8. One book you’re currently reading: The Reckoning

9. One book you’ve been meaning to read: How to Get Along with Difficult People.

10: Tag other Peope: Becky (Queen of Scrap) & Faith (Random Insanity)

Oh my poor baby!!!!

Ok, so you all know from my previous posts that I've been a little busy. Friday night was soooo much fun! Our last guests left around 2am, then on Sat we had another couple over and they left close to 3am. We joked about seeing them at church on Sunday at the 6pm service rather than at 10am Sunday school or more likely the 11am worship service. To my surprise, C and I were up early enough to go to the 10am service a little late, but we would have made it.... til we heard it... our little baby was in the backyard barking and yelping. You know how you can identify between, "get out of here you stupid bird" and "oh my goodness! I just hurt myself" well, Sunday morning her barks/yelpings were of the "oh my goodness!" file. We went rushing downstairs and she came limping to us... w/ a bloody paw. Apparently, she got her foot under the fence and our new neighbors dog was kind enough to rip a piece of her paw off! She allowed us to cleanse it w/ some water but that was all she was willing to allow. We wound up staying home from all the services on Sunday to tend to our poor injured 10 month old. Monday morning we went to the vet. She told us (thankfully) that we did the right thing, we didn't need to bring her to emergency care on Sunday, we washed it, and we tried to keep her away from it. So they kept her Monday to do some minor surgery and I picked her up later that afternoon. So now I have a frustrated little funnel head. She is sooooo annoyed by the funnel around her neck. She even moans about it. Poor thing bumps into walls and furniture and it scrapes against the ground. She has a hard time getting comfy to lay down too! Since her paw is all bandaged up she doesn't use it, so that means she is hopping around on 3 paws... which makes her head bob, which makes the funnel bob too. Today we take the bandage off and maybe she'll use her paw again so the hopping and bobbing can stop. For now, here are a few of my little "funnel-head".

Much to catch you up on....

The following are the only things that remain on my previously posted list!
2. Fill out forms for loan so I can afford school!
5. Write up a mock bulletin for review.
(actually the bulletin is done, I just need to tweak it a bit)
8. Get everything together for Murder Mystery Dinner at our house next Friday. (tomorrow!)

So YAY!!! Big stuff is behind me now!!!!

The banquet went well, I only lost my cool a few times today. I'm completely exhausted. The kids made me cry a bit (in a good way). They are so fun sometimes!
I made a ham, 2 turkeys, corn, green bean casserole, stuffing, sweet potatoe casserole, mashed potatoes, homemade gravy, cranberry sauce, and rolls. We fed 88 people. We had big serving size disposable aluminum pans from Sam's club leftover of mashed potatoes, green bean cass, sweet pot cass, stuffing and corn. Basically all the side dishes! HA!

Tomorrow is the murder mystery dinner and I have to make sauce and a cheesecake still. I need to vacuum and mop, and DECORATE! I will SOOO be taking pics! I'm so excited... I made a few phone calls and got some ski equipment so now the house will really (hopefully) look like a ski lodge! C drill holes in some logs to put tea lights in so I can fill the fireplace w/ flames w/out actually adding heat to the house... 'cause, ya know, it's hot in Texas.

On my way home from the church tonight I was on the phone w/ C and he says I got you a surprise, we got off the phone and I started driving a little faster... I pulled onto our street and got to the spot where I usually reach up and push the button in my car that opens the garage door... I pushed and nothing happened, I got closer and pushed again, still nothing, so I pushed AND held the button in for a few more seconds still nothing (by now I'm in the driveway)! Because our neighbors on both sides of us have young kids I didn't do what I REALLY WANTED TO DO which was to just sit in the driveway and lean on the horn. I grabbed my cell off the dash to call my hubby who I KNEW was working in the garage when I saw it.... my wonderful, sweet, kind, thoughtful, and loving husband had installed a keybutton entry pad for our garage! YAY! except that now the button in my car doesn't work... so now I have to get out, and enter the code to either open the garage to get in or to close the garage when I am leaving. HM! Not so sure I'm liking this anymore. He's going to see if he can't get this worked out tomorrow.

We are having another couple over for dinner and games on Sat night so I CAN REST ALL DAY ON SAT!!! YAY!!! MAYBE I'll scrap and maybe I WON'T!!!

Night all, I'm exhausted!

It's getting there!!!

I'm knocking more things off of my list of to-do's!!!
I was totally ready for a crop at my place on Friday night, but slowly through out the day people called to tell me that they couldn't make it. Since C still had plans to be out of the house, I still scrapped and read a book and totally had a relaxing evening. Only a few times did I have to tell myself that I had planned for this to be a relax night and that I shouldn't be so worried about getting things off of my list! The house was clean and all my stuff was ready to go for me that night, so that means #4 is off my list!
I had been asked about 3 or 4 weeks in advance to teach power hour, they gave me the topic that they were working on and I had some ideas in place. Of course, God doesn't work that way though. Ya see, on Sat afternoon I went in a different direction COMPLETELY! But it all worked out and I really think that the kids enjoyed it and 'took it home'. But I sure am glad that is over. It is way too hard to keep 67 6-11 year olds quietly engaged all at the same time! So that means #3 is off my list!
Since I was by myself on Friday, I was actually able to work on #11. See, if people were over I didn't want to work on those that night b/c then they would see... and well, I like it to be a surprise. So, I got ALL the printed paper cut to the size that I needed, I got 34 cards cut and folded. What is left to cut is 100 squares of cardstock for where I'm gonna stamp and then assembly! So whooo hooo on that one!
I was really dreading #12. This sounds bad, but I thought I was going to be up REALLY late on Fri night and I have this list of things I've gotta do ya know, and well I'm not the best at sitting and paying attention. But we went, and it was good, and I had a good time hanging w/ people that I don't normally get to hang with.
I'm REALLY looking forward to Friday night, I think the murder mystery will be sooooo much fun! Of course it also means that the biggest things on my list will be done. I'm TOTALLY sweating this appreciation banquet!

So here are some pics of what I worked on this weekend....
I got these wood letters from Michael's they are 9" tall and about 1/2 inch thick. I painted them, covered the fronts in American Crafts patterned paper and the backs w/ just cardstock, then I sanded them and put some Stickles on them. Now, I'm just adding some more 3d embellishments and they will be all done!


The Y isn't done, it still needs some ribbon(s) and some embellishments.

and here is a box that I recovered in some of the Basic Grey 'Fruitcake' paper. It still needs some embellishments, but you get the idea. I covered the snowflake on the lid with some cystal accents. That makes it 3d and REALLY shiney! It looks pretty good if I do say so myself! ;-)

one (or two) more

blogger wouldn't let me post these last two pic on my last post so I made a new post just for them! But now you are seeing them all out of order and what-not. OH well!
GO READ THE PREVIOUS POST FIRST!!!






and just so you know.... the chair in the background in the upper left corner of the pic was given to us by a friend... we plan on recovering it. It's a great reading chair though! and plus our doggies like to sit there! ;)

OK, so maybe I shouldn't have put blogging on my list for Friday!

Seeing as how I need to be DOING the things on my TO TO list... I probably shouldn't have put up that teaser about this wonderful blog post I was going to have today. Oh well.... here goes anyway... (do ya remember a few TT's ago, I mentioned that I am a procrastinator?!??!?!)
Last weekend, I went with some ladies from my church to what they call "First Monday". It is an event that is held on the weekend before the first Monday of every month. I had heard about it before and have always wanted to go but something either came up or I completely forgot about it. I'm not sure how to exactly describe what the weekend is. It's like a cross between a community yard sale, craft show, trade exhibit, and junk yard. Seriously, that's what it is. I was on a mission. There were things I was looking out for. I wanted an old wood door, a coffee table that I could 'work' on, and some kind of small piece of furniture for the hallway upstairs, I wanted either drawers or doors on it and I wanted it to be about 4' to 5' tall. We met the ladies at McDonald's at 6:45 IN THE MORNING!!!! I drove C's truck b/c I was going to come back w/ some major stuff! HA!!! The ladies all went together in the church van. What where they thinking??? When we got there (finally! b/c it took over an 90 minutes) I was blown away! The place was HUGE!!! I was kicking myself for not having brought my camera. I was so overwhelmed I didn't know where to start. But I found everything that I was looking for AND I even haggled a bit! Soooo sooo sooo proud of me b/c that is not my style! Anyway, I took pics of my treasures, mind you I bought every single one of these things with the intent of changing them. "ALTER"ing them. (HELLLOOO, blog name!!??!?!) So without further ado... I present, my door!

This is the rough version of it (obviously) I don't have an exact plan for it yet, I will either strip it and put a coat of varnish on it or paint, distress, and cover some of it with paper. I'll post pics of it when I do get it finished!!!





Sorry about the shadow, I should have pulled it out of the garage further... but this little gem is going in the hallway upstairs... it too will undergo an 'extreme makeover' and of course I'll post pics when that is all done!

and finally....



I've already painted it b/c I could not live w/ that pink and green crap on the bottom for one day! It's not entirely done, C needs to fix the hinges on it and I would like him to sand it a bit to give it the distressed look... but for now, I painted it with leftover paint from when we did the walls!

Thirteen things that concern me.

of course these are not ALL that concern me, but thay happen to be on my mind.

01. That I won't apply myself like I should at school.
02. That we can't afford for me to be in school and not at a job.
03. Animal cruelty. Man, does that really bother me!
04. Who will take care of me and C when we get old???
05. The moral climate of our country.
06. I'm always concerned about money. It seems we never have enough.
07. Given her past track record, I'm always concerned that my little doggie will have figured out a new way out of the backyard.
08. I'm worried that I'll never again live in a climate that gets snow. This makes me very sad.
09. I'm concerned for my neice and nephew. I worry that they will have issues w/ their parents the way my brother and I do.
10. I worry that my brother is messing up more than his own life. I wish he would get his heart right w/ God. This goes for my dad too.
11. I worry about the health of the ones I love.
12. I worry that I'm not where I'm supposed to be in my walk with God.
13. I worry that I will get some kind of cancer.

oh dear

I really can't go through my list backwards!!!!!!

I only got #'s 15 & 16 done yesterday. This is not a good sign.

I WILL get #7 done today... I have to, the class is tonight!

I'm already thinking about my blog post for Friday... and it will include pics (providing blogger cooperates) and there will be a sequel to the post!!! WOW! How's that for a teaser???

I need to think of a TT for tomorrow... so if you have any good ideas let me know! Thanks!

Why I thought my life was exciting enough for a blog I'll never know!

So.... since a certain someone has reminded me that I haven't posted lately... I thought I'd make a list of all the stuff that I have on my plate right now and hopefully this will encourage me to get some of it done!

1. Register for school.
2. Fill out forms for loan so I can afford school!
3. Get lesson ready for Power Hour on Sun.
4. Get house and scrap stuff ready for crop here on Friday!
5. Write up a mock bulletin for review.
6. Organize the food for the schools annual appreciation banquet.
7. Get lesson ready for Wed night class.
8. Get everything together for Murder Mystery Dinner at our house next Friday.
9. Distribute donation forms to stores for our next fundraiser.
10. Get the next fundraiser ball rolling.
11. Start working on 100 handmade Christmas cards!!!
12. Spend all day on Sat in a Youth Workers Seminar.
13. Dr appt on Monday.
14. Of course Tday is on its way... then Christmas!
15. Oh and I've got to get out there and VOTE today!
16. Sign up for a library card.

What are the chances all this actually gets done!??!?!?!

I'll try to keep you updated on what gets checked off!!!! Wish me luck!

Thirteen places I'd like to visit!

1. The Grand Canyon
2. Niagra Falls (both sides)
3. Alaska
4. Hawaii
5. Mt. Rushmore
6. New Zealand
7. Paris
8. Italy
9. Baseball Hall of Fame
10. Greece
11. Austria
12. Australia
13. Egypt

oh man I missed it!

I'm very sad that life's events caused me to miss a Thursday Thirteen post.
Please forgive me and I promise to get back on track next week!

We are having one of my favorite type of days here in NE TX. If it would only be raining too that would make it just perfect! It's windy and almost chilly! I'm soooo making chili for dinner tonight!

Ok, I don't know about the rest of the world but C and I listen to music as we fall asleep each night. (I also have to have a fan on but that's not what this paragraph is about.) Usually it is a cd that has Meryl Streep reading The Velveteen Rabbit story w/ George Winston piano music in the background. Recently, I purchased from wallyworld one of those cd's from that spot that has that machine where you can hear a sample of the music, they usually have seasonal type music and instrumental stuff. I have a few from there and I really like them. NEWAY: my most recent cd purchase from there was "Dreamsurf: ocean waves for relaxation" I love love love love it! It reminds me of many things, the first 21 yrs of my life on Long Island, our recent vacations to Rockport, MA where the B&B is right on the ocean and you sleep w/ your balcany door open to hear the ocean. It's so awesome and sooo relaxing, we are really digging this cd. If you listen to music to fall asleep to, I highly reccommend this cd. If you don't, I reccommend you start and get this cd! and no this is not a paid advertisement! ;-)

Ok, so the closing on the house in IL that has been up for sale for 20 months is today at 2pm! I'm sooooo excited to finally be rid of it! God's timing never ceases to amaze me!
Before we made the official move to TX, I had the house inspected by the city... at first it didn't pass and they gave me a list of things to do... I did what I could and then paid someone else to do the rest. The inspector came back and said we passed. I even have the paper to prove it.... somehow 14 months later it no longer passes the city inspection. We offered the buyer some dough (that we really didn't have) to get the stuff taken care of on her own. She accepted and we signed papers. The new inspector insisted that there was no way this house had passed inspection just last year blah blah blah and he had a whole list of stuff he didn't like. Well, new buyer took care of it, called an electrician and a plumber and a handyperson, sunk a chunk of money into the house already and everything is taken care of. Inspector comes out again and almost fails the house b/c an outlet cover wasn't on. Mind you the outlet cover and screws where right there on the floor in front of the outlet. Our realtor went and got a screwdriver and put it on! That inspector is a moron! We found the inspection report from last year last night in our office. C is faxing it to our realtor to show her (and the new buyer) that the house really did pass inspection before we left it. The date of the inspection August 29, 2005. What in the world has happened to my house in the 14 months since I've been gone???? According to our realtor there were no amendments made in the city code that affected our house. So tell me, how come one city inspector will pass a house and another city inspector (for the same city!) fails it!??!?!?! I just can't wait until tomorrow when I am the homeowner of 2 houses instead of 3!!!!

Wordless Wednesday

This is a C A K E ?????

Holy cow did I have fun!

So this weekend was, like, a total blur and I loved every bit of it!
I'm sooooo glad that I went to OK w/ our youth choir. I had such a good time getting to know them those wackos better.
As you know from previous posts of mine, I am from New York and not upstate country New York, I am a Jewish (turned Christian)girl from Long Island. I spent a few years in the middle part of America and the last 13 months here in the NE corner of Texas otherwise known as Dallas. Dallas is not a small town by any means, and you know what they say, "everything is bigger in Texas". I have discovered that while Dallas may not be a 'coastal' city (ie: New York, LA, Chicago (it's on the Great Lakes) or any other major city I just can't quite put my finger on right now) the Dallas-ites are quite, um, how can I say... big city, I guess. They are very used to creature comforts (and then some!)they are quite high-tech, and most have the latest and greatest of whatever the newest thing might be. This remark is in no way intended to make fun of or offend any local that may come upon this 'musing' today; it is solely intended to make totally clear what happened to us this past weekend.
So, 3 15 passenger vans and one pickup truck hauling a small Endtime Ministries trailer made their way to a VERY small town in Oklahoma on Friday evening. We arrived around 7pm or a little after. It was COMPLETLY dark out there in the sticks. I saw more stars (in the sky) this weekend then I've EVER seen in my life! It really was beautiful. But I say that to show you just how dark. it. really. was. As we piled out of our vehicles we were met with a rather interesting ragamuffin looking group. Their talk and dress left me and the rest of our group quite speechless. We were like deer in headlights. Dumbfounded. Was this for real? It was like every hee haw character was being introduced to us. They warned us to stay away from the farm animals, to watch for 'cow patties', and to use the outhouses should nature come calling. OH. MY. GOD! I don't even like to use public facilities, let alone a port a potty! It wasn't too long that the whole hillbilly thing was revealed as a joke on us city slickers, (thank goodness!) We had work to do, so the kids played volleyball and roasted hotdogs over an open fire on wire hangers (?!?) C and I set up the sound equipment which took just about 2 hours, we had 5 speakers, 18 mics, 12 mic stands, 1 small sound mixer board, 1 large sound mixer board, a 100' long snake box, and about a mile in various other cables. Seriously, I was just about ready to call for the choir to do a sound check when I was told the whole thing would have to come down and be covered up or put away because there was a threat of frost. oh and we needed to do it quickly so that the boys could get out to the field to put up their tents. I just about cried. So we broke it all down and covered it up or carried it in so that we could do it all again in the morning. :oh joy:
Saturday went well, the kids sang wonderfully, and we were even able to take down the stage early b/c they needed the trailer for the hayride. All in all, it was one good trip. The bathroom situation bothered me quite a bit, but I was able to hold 'it' far longer than I ever thought was possible. It's a good thing I've never been pregnant.... I hear its a killer on your bladder!
Here is a pic of the red-neck drum stool that they set up for us! I really wanted the picture with the goats behind us but you can't see the stool as well in that one!

TOTALLY Random stuff from my head!

01. I'm dreading and excited about this weekend.

02. I have so many things I should be doing OTHER than blogging!

03. I hate to miss a TT post!

04. I enjoy (love, actually) working at the church.

05. I have an intense desire to go shopping and spend money we don't have.

06. I wish I was independantly wealthy.

07. Because I am not #6 I can't do #5!

08. I hate that I am a procrastinator!

09. I have ideas that I wish I would implement...

10. I have had ideas that I wish I hadn't implemented!

11. I wish I made my bed everyday. There is no reason why I don't or shouldn't.

12. Today was a beautiful day and I didn't get to take any pictures!

13. I actually love being busy.

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

Nothing new... sorry.

I have a bunch of things that I could be doing, but I have no drive to actually do them. Not even s c r a p! :GASP!: My floors downstairs are incredibly filthy!!! thanks to 2 dogs and 2 days of rain... however, I am NOT complaining about the rain... we sooo desparetly needed it (and still need more!), I'm just upset that my floors aren't self cleaning... maybe I'll take a pic and show you... I think it actually looks fun, except that it's in my house. brb, gonna snap a photo, hopefully blogger will let me load it!



and the culprits...
Duke Josie


I guess this is a little new, we have a contract on our house. Today is their home inspection. As long as nothing 'pops up', we will close on Oct 27th! I'm just gonna hold my breath until then.

Josie has mastered the art of digging her way out of the yard. So on Sunday morning we had some excitement I certainly could have done without. And of course it was raining. When we discovered she wasn't in the yard we went searching...C and I went out the front door, he went to the right and I went to the left... we both heard her bark and spun around... she was somewhere between us! We could hear her, but not see or find her... turns out a neighbor saw her and put her in their garage and then they left!!! (They did put a sign up at the front of our developement but of course we didn't see that until later and after they told us.) I was banging on their door like a mad person! Calvin was talking to the garage door... there was a car parked in the driveway so I pulled the handle and it opened and YAY there was a garage door opener in there so I pushed the button and out ran my little baby. I shut the door and we went home, C fixed the hole under the fence and then we finished getting ready for church. When we got home, we went to meet our neighbors and tell them how we got the puppy. They were super nice and turns out that C had met them once before, and they were so fine w/ how I got Josie out. They actually thought we had gone in the house to get her b/c they leave their front door unlocked! Crazy people! ANYWAY... this just proves to us that we have some yard work to do now. :oh joy:

I'm excited about some new opportunities that are popping up... people are asking me to take some pics for them. I really need to take some classes and get another lens... but those things will have to come with time. Right now, I'm just getting what I can off of the internet and other various resources.

Well, for not having anything new this is a long post!
I'm off to go to the grocery store to return the rug doctor and to pick up some stuff I need to make stuffed shells for dinner!
Catch you guys later!

Have a fantabulous day!!!!

Random Q & A

I totally stole this from Oscar's blog

1. In two words, explain what ended your last relationship? Boredom
2. When was the last time you shaved your legs? Wednesday
3. What were you doing this morning at 8am?Peeing :-)
4. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? getting a bottle of water
5. Are you good at math? Eh, so-so. I just don’t like it.
6. Your formal night? I hate formal stuff!
7. Do you have any famous ancestors? not that I am aware of
8. Have you ever taken out a loan to pay for school? Not yet
9. Do you know the words to the song on your myspace profile? I don’t have one
10. Last thing received in the mail? A gift from my aunt in Austen, TX. She sent a box of samples of loose teas.
11. How many different beverages have you drank today? Water and tea, so far.
12. Do you ever leave messages on people's answering machines? No, hardly ever unless it’s important.
13. Who did you lose your CONCERT virginity to? DCTalk
14. Do you draw your name in the sand when you go to the beach? Of course!
15. What's the most painful dental procedure you've had? A filling
16. What is out your back door? My lawn.
17. Any plans for Friday night? Shopping and dinner w/ a friend.
18. Do you like the ocean? Yes, it’s my favorite place to be. I wish I lived near it.
19. Have you ever received one of those big tins of 3 different kinds of popcorn? Yep, but I HATE the cheese flavored one. And I’ve never finished a tin yet!
20. Have you ever been to a planetarium? yes
22. Something you are excited about? Starting school in January
23. What is your favorite flavor of jelly? Seedless strawberry
24. Are any of your great-grandparents still alive? no
25. Describe your keychain. Key fob thing for C’s truck, part of a NY Yankees lanyard, some metal flowers from Making Memories and keys of course!
26. Where do you keep your change? In a cubby spot in my car or in a cup from the National Zoo in Washington, D.C at the house.
27. When was the last time you spoke in front of a large group of people? When I left my church in IL.
28. What kind of winter coat do you have? I don’t wear a coat… ever!
29. What was the weather like on your graduation? I don’t remember!
31. Do you sleep with the door to your room open or closed? closed
32. What is your sibling’s middle names? Gregory
33. Where is your dad right now? On Long Island
34. What was the last thing you said? Have-a-good-day-I-love-you!
35. What is something you've learned about yourself recently? I can stand up for myself.
36. What color is your watch? Stainless steel/Silver
37. What do you think of when you think of Australia? Finding Nemo
38. When was the last time you squatted to pee? Seriously can’t remember!
39. Who is the last person you liked? Huh?
40. Are you close to your mom? I was very close to my mom. I miss her terribly.
41. Where does your best friend work? Amdocs Inc.
42. What is your least attractive feature? my weight
43. How old were you when you started wearing a bra? 10
44. What color are your pants? Black (they are shorts actually)
45. Do you have a roommate? My hubby, C.
46. What color is your bedroom flooring? Mostly cream w/some other flecks of color. I haven’t really paid much attention to it.
47. Do you have a chair in your room? Sometimes. Lol, I like to change things up occasionally.
48. What time of day were you born? 9:55pm
49. Do you know anyone who is engaged? Not right now.
50. What's your favorite number? 7
51. Do you know anyone named Laurie? Yes
52. What color is your mom's hair? It was light brown then white.
53. Do you have a dog? Yep, 2!!
54. Where did you live in 1987? Patchogue, LI New York
55. What happened to you in 1993? I graduated high school, went to college, and met my future hubby!!! (good year for me!)
56. Does your first memory involve your dad? Uh no
57. Do you remember singing any songs as kids? Oh yea! All the time!
58. When was the last time you went swimming? This past August.
59. Has your luggage ever gotten lost? Yes, once.
60. When was the last time you talked to your sibling? Last Saturday.
61. Did you ever go to camp as a kid? Yup, church camp.
62. Do you play an instrument? Not really.
63. Have you ever thought it would be cool to smash a guitar? Oh yeah!
64. Do you like fire? It fasinates me and terrifies me at the same time.
65. Where is your best friend from? Dover, DE
66. Are you allergic to anything? Mosquitoes and amoxicillan
67. When was the last time you cried? This morning while reading someone's blog. It was very moving.
68. What kind of shampoo do you use? Pantene
69. Have you ever been to a spa? YES, LOVE THEM!
70. Were you popular in high school? Not really.
71. Did you take science all four years of high school? Yes
72. Do you like butterflies? I never really thought about it.
73. What is the last book you read? New York
74. Do you like Coke or Pepsi more? Pepsi
75. What is one thing you miss about your past? My mom
76. Did you ever see the school nurse? yes
77. Have you ever wanted to be a teacher? Absolutely, even went to college to become one… got married instead!
78. What is one thing you've learned about your life recently? I can always grow and improve.
79. Are you jealous of anyone? I try not to be, but honestly, I am.
80. Is anyone jealous of you? Nah, why would they be?
81. When was the last time you were in an elevator? Monday

Thirteen things that annoy me or tick me off:

01. Idiot drivers
02. Gas tank doors on the passenger side
03. When no one replaces the empty toilet paper roll
04. Traffic
05. Spelling or grammatical errors in published items
06. People who have no consideration for others AT ALL
07. PJ's being worn in public
08. Foul language
09. Running out of an everyday ingredient that I should have in the house
10. Animal cruelty
11. Double standards
12. Being rudely awakened
13. When I screw up or do something brainless

Wordless Wednesday ( which I almost forgot about! )

well, there are words... but they aren't mine!!! lol

I'm back!

Here I am, back in Texas. I got to have 2 weeks of real fall weather and then I was brutally thrown back into summer-like heat! :grrr: I'm telling you this TX weather had better quit it or I'm outta here!

I had a wonderful visit w/ my sister in law, my nephew, my niece, and other family and friends. I miss them all so much already. I was teary eyed in the airport as my brother dropped me off. :big sigh: I really don't like being so far away from my family.

I know that there are some things that need to be worked on on the ole blog... I hope I can get C to help me with that tonight.

I've gotta run... but I may post again tonight.
Take it easy!

Thursday Thirteen

Thursday's Thirteen reasons why I LOVE NEW YORK!
1. B A G E L S!!!!!!!!!!
2. The YANKEES!!!!!!
3. Pizza
4. Broadway shows
5. Most people here know how to drive.
6. The Bay
7. My home church
8. They get all four seasons
9. Dairy Barn
10. The Ocean
11. My lifelong friends are here.
12. Family is here. (ironically also the reason why I don't live here!)
13. It's just cool.

PHEW!!!

Here I am!!! Sorry I've been missing, but taking care of 2 toddlers and one invalid is quite demanding! I'm having a good time even if I am exhausted! My neice and nephew are just so cute! Wanna hear the best thing in the world... when Nicky and I are outside playing basketball and I make a basket and he says "Yay, Aunt D! You rock!" How cool is that???? Totally makes me feel like a million bucks!
Both kids are tired of the camera. Sorry that you won't see any of them, I'm paranoid... but I'm glad I'm getting stuff to scrap! WHOO HOOO!

Blog is NOT in beta... I just got bored and C was home to help me out (actually, he did all the work, I just told him what I thought I liked and wanted).

Hope you are all doing well, and I'll get back on the blogging roll when I get home in 9 more days!

Take it easy!!!

GRRRRRRRRRR AIRLINES!!!!!!!!!!!

I'm supposed to be here:

But instead I am in my home in TX. I actually got up at 4:30 IN THE MORNING to leave my house at 5:30 IN THE MORNING!! I am packed, car is loaded, mp3 player is full, let's go. As we pull out of the driveway C says to me DFW or LOVE? I say DFW, he says, what gate? (since this is a HUGE airport this is really a smart question.) I call the airline and after working my way through many different ‘menu options’, I am finally able to speak w/ a representative!
Rep: "Your flight has been delayed by at least an hour." was her friendly response to my question. This will get you to Atlanta at ‘x’ time.
Me: Well, that won’t work b/c then I will be missing my connecting flight to Islip.
Rep: We have a flight out of Atlanta at ‘x’ time and it arrives at Islip at ‘x’ time.
Me: What? You want me to sit in Atlanta for 8 hours? ARE YOU INSANE????
Rep: It is our only flight out of Atlanta. I can get you on a flight out of DFW later in the day, but you still won’t arrive into Islip until 11pm.
Me: This won’t work for me. I don’t have anyone to pick me up at Islip that late in the evening. Are their flights available tomorrow for the same time that I was supposed to fly today?
Rep: I’ll check.
She comes back on the line after a rather lengthy absence, which to me, seemed long enough for her to go pee and refill her coffee cup, but WHATEVER!
Rep: Ok, yes we can get you on tomorrow’s flights. Everything will be the same as today, just tomorrow.
Me: Let's just hope there are no 'delays'.

I'll see you tomorrow New York!

Soooooooooooo, I get to wake up at 4:30 IN THE MORNING again tomorrow! Oh joy!

Busy busy busy

Yesterday, C and I went on a free trip to San Antonio. We were flown down on a Southwest Airlines flight, had lunch on the Riverwalk at Texas Land & Cattle (YUM!) and then spent a few hours around town, then flew back to Dallas. All in all it was fun and exhausting. We took our good camera and got better pics of the Alamo, but because we took our good camera we didn't get any pics of us together! Last time we got a great pic of us b/c I handed my camera to somebody and they snapped the photo. This time I wasn't trusting anyone! It was SO hot and humid though... I sweated through my shirt and had to buy a new one. C and I have decided that you should only go to San Antonio between Halloween and Mothers Day, that's when the weather is tollerable. I must have sat in the 'good seat' at the restaurant too b/c I had more steak on my plate than anyone else and of course I had to eat it all. The trip was from a radio station that was actually won by my friend, but she and her hubby couldn't make it so she gave it to us. There were about 60 other winners there. It was fun but a little weird, b/c C and I don't normally listen to that radio station. I'll attach a few pics from the day, but keep in mind they aren't the best...


Remember the Alamo! (it is so rare that we were able to catch this pic w/out people in it!)



C loves the palm trees and I love the water! Perfect combo for us!



Just a cool looking building.



Cool mosaic in the walk... I wish the shadows weren't there.

OK, that's all the pics for now.... blogger isn't being the fastest today.

On Monday, I leave for NY so I'll be blogging from there for the next two weeks! Hang in there Stacy... I'm on my way!

Today you shall be subjected to a list of 13 of my favorite movies. (I know you have just been dying to know about this)

1. Sleepless in Seattle
2. Sweet Home Alabama
3. Liar Liar
4. Legally Blonde
5. West Side Story
6. My Fair Lady
7. The Sound of Music
8. That Thing You Do
9. Aladdin
10. Jailhouse Rock
11. Fiddler on the Roof
12. Beauty and the Beast
13. National Treasure

WORDLESS WEDNESDAY

well almost.

This is the picture of my friend, Staci, (who was breaking her 30 day fast from Diet Coke last night) when the Sonic server told her that she was sorry, but Sonic no longer served Diet Coke.

and this is when she figured out that I had put them up to it!






oh man it was funny!!!

It's 2:20AM!

I can't sleep. I'm not sure why. I woke up around 9 this morning and didn't even take a nap or 'rest' today! Anyway, so I've been farting around on the computer and thought I'd blog since there is a scheduled outage for later today (Tuesday). And of course now I'm getting tired.
Can I just say that there are some days where things actually go right!??!!? Imagine that for a second folks. Yes, we testify when the Lord does some amazing miracle in our lives or when something we've been praying for gets answered. But more often we whine and complain about what isn't right, isn't fair, isn't just. Well let me tell ya something.
So last Sunday night I didn't get to go to church b/c I took a friend to the ER. C drove his truck to church. If I told you, then you will recall I was watching a friends daughter at their house from last Sunday to this past Sunday.
C calls me when church is out.
C: Something is wrong w/ my truck.
Me: UGH! What?
C: I don't know. It dies if I am not revving the engine.
Me: Oh boy.
C: I've figured out how to drive home w/ out it stalling. Can you pick me up at the house and I'll use your car and you can use J's till we figure out what is wrong.
Me: yep, I'll leave here in 5 minutes. Thank God we have this spare vehicle to use this week.
Fast forward, I arrive at the house pick up C we are hungry but the funds are low. Meaning there is NO money in the bank, C doesn't get paid until Friday, and generally neither of us carries cash. Surprisingly, between the 2 of us and the 'cubby' in my car we scrounge up $6. Wendy's dollar menu here we come. As we are sitting in line waiting, C is totally bummed and I can tell. He says, "We can never get a break, can we?" and that totally just sums it up for us. It feels that the moment something is looking good... something else comes along and just knocks that nice picture right out of our heads.
Monday afternoon I went home and putzed around and finally checked the mail. HALLELUJAH! a check that we were expecting but forgot about had arrived! YAY!!! Cash for the rest of the week! Thank You God! I'm ashamed to admit that not once during the week did I mention to the Lord about the situation w/ C's truck. I just went about my week as normal. Saturday at the last possible moment C goes to AutoZone. They check the battery. It's D. E. A. D. Like so dead that it won't even accept a charge from a battery charger. It's a WallyWorld special that happened to have a 3 yr warrenty and lo and behold it wasn't up yet! C goes to WW, they check their little computer, yeap, less than 3 yrs old, here's your new battery buddy. WHOO HOOO!
Back to AutoZone so they can test the alternator to see what the deal was w/ why it wasn't charging and all that other mechanic-y stuff. Well, bless God, the alternator is FINE. No problems with it all. The whole problem was caused by the battery that just got replaced for FREE!!!! WHOOO HOOOO!! and yes, I did thank the Lord. and I apologized for not discussing it with Him earlier. :insert ashamed face here:
Just thought I'd share that little story with you all; just in case you ever thought God didn't care about the little things.

GUESS WHAT I AM DOING TONIGHT!!!!???!!!!
Going to a celebration party at SONIC. My friend Staci has gone 30 days without her precious Diet-Coke-from-Sonic-twice-a-day fix. She will break her fast tomorrow night and I am invited to be there.... and of course I will take pics. I'm not so sure this was a fast as much as it was a challenge from her hubby.... but hey, I'll give her the credit anyway. The story behind it is in her blog, Glimpses, and the link is in my sidebar if ya wanna check it out.

Oh and for anyone that cares... I'll be in NY soon!!!!

musings....

Ok, so I’ve been REALLY busy this past week and I really LOVED it. I totally enjoy not working. I love being available to help out a friend or someone in the church at a moments notice. This was one of those weeks.

I also got a phone call from a friend on Friday. I totally miss her. We have been friends since around the 6th grade. To me, it is one of those friendships that really last, ya know. We spoke on the phone for almost 3 hours. It’s always like that when one of us calls the other…. We may not speak for months and then all of a sudden one day the phone rings and we pick right up where we left off. This friend of mine is so precious to me. I can tell her anything about anything and not feel judged or weird or like it will be broadcast to the world. Granted, at this time, we are a time zone and I don’t know how many miles apart but still…. I know I can trust her. Anyway, I just wanted to say “THANK YOU” to my friend… you know who you are. You listened to me and you called me b/c you read this and you said you were concerned for me. I appreciate it and it means the world to me. LOVE YOU!!!

On another note, my favorite season is coming up and I got a hold of some great stuff to decorate the house with at Hobby Lobby and I’m excited. I’m looking forward to Texas realizing that fall is upon us and turning the thermostat down!!!!

So do you like a contest? I found this on my friends blog and thought I’d share:
Autumn is my favorite time of the year, and it's just right around the corner. To celebrate the beginning of the season, I'm having a contest for 2 lucky people to win a totally free, completely customized blog design from Bluebird Blogs.
Information on how to enter:- Send an email with your name and blog address to bluebirdblogs@gmail.com.- Entries will be accepted from 7:00pm EST on Thursday 9/14/06 until 11:59pm EST on Friday 9/22/06.
The winner will be announced here on Saturday, September 23rd, 2006.
Good luck to everyone!

Reason why I don’t have/want kids:

1. I like to sleep.
2. I like to travel without hassle.
3. I like to be spontaneous.
4. They are expensive even when they are cheap. I would want my kids to have the best of everything.
5. I can’t birth my own children.
6. Adoption is expensive.
7. No kids for us means no visits from ‘grandparents’.
8. My mom is not alive to help me out.
9. I fear that I would be a ‘lazy’ mom.
10. I don’t want the hurt that kids can bring on their parents.
11. This world is a scary place to raise children these days.
12. I’m afraid something would change in my relationship w/ my hubby.

The one reason I think about having kids…..
13. I wanna scrap their pictures!

Wordless Wednesday (for which I am thankful)

I will never forget!

September 11, 2001
I remember where I was and what I was doing, of course. What I also vividly remember is how I felt when I heard the news. Emotions ran through me, shock, then fear, and then feeling of helplessness. Here I was, a native New Yorker, stuck in the middle of the country in a suburb of St. Louis, Missouri. I so desperately wanted to pack up my car and get to NYC as quickly as I could. I NEEDED to pull someone out of the wreckage. For days, even months, I was CONSUMED with all coverage of what happened. I had to have every tidbit of information that I could get. I watched news stories, documentaries, read newspapers, magazine articles, and books. The event had literally consumed me and my life. Still to this day, 5 years later, if I see something about it, I stop and read it. I look at the pictures and watch the movies. I still cry. I will cry today, I actually already have. I will never forget.

God bless America!


Get this video and more at MySpace.com

I'm copying off of Rochelle and doing 13 things about ME!

1. I LOVE LOVE LOVE LOVE flowers!

2. I'm a NY Yankees fan.

3. I love to play just about any sport except for soccer.

4. I'm most happy when hanging out w/ friends.

5. I love to cook, play games, watch movies, read and scrapbook.

6. I miss my mom more than I ever thought possible.

7. Texas isn't as bad as I thought it was going to be, but I still don't LOVE it.

8. I like staying at home.

9. I hate being overweight more than I let on. I don't like to draw attention to myself and I feel that my size does just that.

10. I wish that I had an established career. I wish that I had finished school and THEN gotten married.

11. I love being out on the open water but it scares me to death.

12. I have a love/hate relationshiop with flying. It scares me a little, I'm afraid I'll puke on the plane again but I love that you can be in NY in 4 hours instead of 20.

13. I don't like weddings. (there I said it, it's out. Now what do you think of me????)

Wordless Wednesday

It's the little things....

On Thursday there was a pounding on my front door, now usually I avoid answering the door but today I decided to go for it.
Me: Can I help you?
Man: My brother and I paint the numbers on the driveways every year and yours are gone so wanted to let you know we are offering this service today. Here are the designs you can have for $5 more.
Me: (looking around for said 'brother', glancing at the laminated sheet he handed me) I said let me call my husband. I'll be right back.
I shut the door and called C told him what was going on he said go for it since you can barely see the numbers on the house anyway.
Me: (to man at the door) "OK let me see the sheet again." So I'm staring at the sheet that has designs for most of the TX area teams and local college logos.
Man: "we are doing both sides of the driveway so if you are torn between two we can put one on each side."
Me: "No, that's not it... I'm a Yankees fan." (I know this was hard for him to figure out b/c the Yankees flag that was 24 inches away from him was not actually touching him.)
Man: "well, I could do the football helmet and put NY on it"
Me: "Uh, that would be football, the Yankees are a baseball team."
Man: "Oh. What is their logo?"
Me: (looking intently at the 24"x36" flag 2 feet away from where we are standing.)
"Um, it's an N with a Y over it.
Man: "Can you print it out?"
Me: "YES!" (thank you google images!)
Man: "you go print it out and bring some scissors or an exacto knife and I'll get started on the numbers."
Me: "Cool beans, I'm on it."
So I ran upstairs and printed the NY logo and this cool man sat at the bistro table on the front porch and painstakingly used my exacto knife to cut out the NY logo and then sprayed it to the front curb. (He kept the stencil by the way 'in case anyone else wants it') So now I have a one-of-a-kind front curb #'s design and I am happier than a clam!
Man: "All done! For the special design it'll be $5 more."
Me: "Sweet! That is totally worth it to me!" (besides now I know how it is done and we'll do it ourselves next time.)

oh and my husband has already run over it so now we have the nice black tire schmear on it. :SIGH: I can't have anything nice.

Have a FABULOUS three day weekend "Ya'll"!

can I actually do a THURSDAY THIRTEEN?

I'm not totally sure what a Thursday Thirteen actually is except for maybe 13 random thoughts... so I'll share my randomness w/ you today.

1. I'm listening to silence. Usually we have a radio on 24/7 but I turned it off. The fridge isn't humming, the a/c isn't on, the dogs are sleeping, it's just me and the laptop. Silence is nice.

2. wow. I'm stuck already. huh.

3. I'm actually excited about my future. Like for the first time since I got engaged to be married. This is cool.

4. Have I ever confessed on here how much I LOVE a clean house!??!??! It's totally awesome!

5. Even though I don't work, I love a 3 day weekend. Hubby is home one more day w/ me!

6. I'm loving blogging and reading blogs. It's fun, it's like a peek into other peoples lives and ya get to know them better. It's also good for me to get some stuff out. KWIM?

7. What to have for dinner tonight??? I dunno, but I do know I've gotta get the sauce for tomorrow nights dinner started!!!

8. I'm pretty sure I can't make it to thirteen. I'm just not that interesting.

9. The person that laughed at me for getting someone to clean my house just called to find out who I use. Now, THAT is HILARIOUS!

10. I have found 2 new friends that I find myself thinking of often. I thank God everyday that He allowed these friendships. They are better for me than I ever could have imagined. THANK YOU!

11. I'm a scrapping tonight! Well, altering but it's done at my scrap table and w/ paper so it counts.

12. I wish I lived closer to family.

13. Look at me, I made it!! WHOO HOO!! (this probably doesn't count though, b/c it's about nothing really. but we won't tell anyone will we???)

whoa

This week has been pivotal in my life. Some MAJOR decisions have been made. Some major changes are coming. Stay tuned for details. (lol)
First of all: Sunday Morning church. OH. MY. GOODNESS. God amazes me. I mean seriously amazes me. I was raised in 'the church'. I've seen miracle after miracle. In my own life and in other peoples lives. A few weeks ago, I was up front at the alter praying, I had just asked God to hug me. It's all I really wanted at that moment. I was feeling a million different feelings, but all I wanted from Him right then was a hug. Silly? maybe. Little ol me, asking the God of the Universe to hug me. I mean clearly He is not a physical Being right now, but well, He's God and I needed a hug. A real one. A wrap BOTH of your arms around me and take a deep breath and sigh type hug. One that lasts more than .25 seconds. I've gotten a ton of the one arm around the shoulder types, but that is not what I wanted. Hold onto your seat b/c God did it. Of course HE didn't come down and stand there and hug me, but He certainly sent someone to do it. I was standing there, the thought had barely escaped my brain "God I need a hug from you" when these arms came around me fully and squeezed and then she started to pray in my ear. Oh those sweet words. We stood there for a few moments, I was being really hugged, and then it hit me. God just hugged me and spoke to me. He also showed me that He cares JUST FOR ME!
Now fast forward from a few weeks ago to 3 days ago. Again Sunday morning service. WOW! Totally for me. I had just spent a few hours w/ a friend a few days before whining about how I don't feel like I am anybody. I was feeling insignificant. This is not really a new feeling for me but I do feel that it has compounded since the move to TX. The newest thing is (and I don't necessarily feel this way but I feel that it is being pushed on me) that I am insignificant b/c I am not a mom. I'm sure that being a mom is wonderful IF YOU WANT TO BE ONE. I don't. I'm not. I don't know if I will ever want to. Is it wrong? I never thought so. But apparently, some people do. and ya know what? it hurts me. It's the small comments that cut deep. Well, God showed up again. (when am I going to get it, that He actually cares about ME???) The whole message was about how God can and has taken nothing and made something great. I'm not saying that I am destined for greatness but I am saying that God can do whatever he wants with me. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
Oh and one of the decisions that I made this week: I started GriefShare classes. They are at my church once a week, the series goes for 13 weeks. Pray for me.

:phew: this is a heavy post coming from me. I promise the next one will be lighter.

Saving Grace by Staci Wilder

OK folks, time for a small advertisement. I attend a good sized church in the Dallas area, we have about 900 members and one of them is my friend, and AUTHOR, Staci Wilder. I have this book and REALLY think you should too! You can get to her blog, "Glimpses", by clicking her name or by going to the link in my sidebar.

Here is some information on the book which has been written by the author.

SAVING GRACE: The Story Behind the Novel

The Idea:
On the first Monday morning of January 2003, I sat down with a blank page in Word opened before me on my computer screen. Previous projects were complete and it seemed very apropos that I would be beginning a brand new story in a brand new year.
It would be Grace's story, and I'd known that much for some time. While I didn't have the roadmap yet of how Grace and I would navigate through her story, I did know the story would be one about grief, forgiveness, and the road to grace.
Over the next seven months I wrote a story that I believe will always hold a special place in my heart. It was during this book that God took me to the next level of my discovery of grace. Often I would wake up, my stomach tense and nervous, because I literally had no idea what would or should happen next in the story and no clue on how to get there.
Not knowing what else to do, I'd go to my knees seeking - no, make that begging - guidance and direction just to get through the next chapter. It was during those weeks and months that I learned to bleed onto the pages of my story. I'd go from the computer to my knees, and back again. Over and over and over...
As I worked through Grace's story, God began to open the eyes of my heart to truths I'd never seen before. I wrote this story with blind faith, and no one could be as surprised at the ending as I was! Let's just say that, when it was all said and done, I'd learned yet another lesson on grace.
One afternoon I had been working on a particularly difficult chapter about midway through the book. It was a pivotal place in the story and I knew it was essential that I get it right. But it was tough going. The subject matter was heavy, the emotion was high, and I felt very inept to convey the message I knew needed to shine through.
Somewhere along the way I moved from my desk. I sat in my office chair, with the laptop propped on my knees and my feet propped on my bed. I don't remember when or how or even why. In my mind I was at The Winds in Ocean Isle with Grace. She sat across a picnic table from Kyle, trying to summon the courage to tell him the one thing she'd tried her best to keep from him, and from their marriage. It could very well be the end of her life as she knew it. Everything depended on his reaction to it.
As I prayed my way through each and every painful sentence of this scene, God took Kyle (yes, I know he's merely a character, but God really did use him!) and showed me the next level of grace.
You see, Kyle had an established relationship with God. He'd tried Him countless times before and had found Him to be true. Through his own painful loss, he'd come to know God in deep and profound ways. Kyle had experienced the same thing I did years ago. He'd had his own personal Bethel.
But Grace had not. Though she'd begun her faith walk a few years back, the baggage, hurt, and betrayal from her past were stumbling blocks in the road to forgiveness and healing where she needed to be. She loved God. She served Him. She just had no way of getting to that place of restoration under her own power.
Kyle, in spite of his own shock and pain at her words, allowed God to use him as a bridge. He stood in the gap, one hand holding tightly to Grace, the other holding even tighter to the Almighty. Grace couldn't get there on her own, but she could cling to someone who was already there and they could become her lifeline.
This is true grace.

The Writer:
I emerged from the scene above in tears and, again, changed. It may sound silly because it's just a story and, maybe, that's how God can best teach me right now. I'm not sure. What I do know is that another set of blinders were removed from my spiritual eyes that afternoon.
I was made aware of the rows and rows of folks that line our church pews. Holy, righteous people who've overcome pasts filled with unspeakable hurts and wrongs. Yes, they live for God now and, yes, there is healing in God. But sometimes it takes years to reach a place of true restoration. True grace.
And that's when we can be a bridge. We can stand in the gap, holding tightly to our fellow brother or sister with one hand, and holding even more tightly to Jesus with our other.
Of course, there is more to my life than just fiction. I’m also a wife, mom, and student, and am passionate about each of these roles. I write about these different facets of my life in Glimpses, my blog. Please join me there. I’d love to meet you!


What’s Next From Staci:
Currently, I’m working on the sequel to Saving Grace. It is called Finding Faith, and is the second in the Sycamore Manor Series.

Here is a brief blurb:
She awakens to face one of the greatest fears known to woman. He has waited a lifetime for love, guarding close a secret he intends to share with no one, except the woman he intends to marry. Frightened and alone, she turns to him for answers and, while he wants to protect her, he is helpless to do so. Can she find strength in his care? Can he find the care he craves in her frailty?

While showering one morning, thirty-two year old Faith Chandler discovers a lump in her left breast. Immediately, her mind and emotions begin a tug-of-war, one invoking rationalization, the other—sheer panic. An enthusiastic junior high school English teacher, Faith’s future—the one she thought she had forever to think about—seems suddenly overcast.

Thirty-six year old Marshall Morgan finds fulfillment in his work. The CEO and director of the teen pregnancy home founded by his late grandmother, he takes pride in what he’s come to view as a ministry of sorts. Still, there’s a vacancy in his heart, a place for a special woman that the Lord has yet to reveal to him. And then…there is his secret, the one he intends to share with no one, except the woman who will become his wife. When petite, dark-haired Faith Chandler walks through his door, he wonders if—at last—he is meeting the woman who will make his life complete.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

OK, this is me again:
I love you Staci, and I am completly in awe of your talent, your friendship, and your dedication to your work. Thank you for being a friend to me!!! Wanna go golfing??? :-)

What in the name of everything that is holy....

am I doing up??? and I mean UP. I am awake, brewing coffee, and (blogging obviously) wishing that C was up so that I can stripe the bed and wash the linens! (???) OK, for some people it is not that unusual to be up and brewing coffee and even blogging at 6:15am, but for someone who doesn't work or have kids and LOVES to sleep in, this IS unusual. Now, the intense desire to be washing my bed linens is what I feel is quite unusual for just about anybody. (coffee's ready, brb) So, why in the world am I feeling this way?? Did I have a dream about doing the linens? If so, I don't remember it. However, I did just buy some new downy w/ febreze that is citrus scented and OF COURSE I bought it on the day after I finished washing all the laundry (notice I didn't say 'finished DOING' all the laundry b/c in my eyes then all the laundry would be PUT AWAY and not sitting on various pieces of furniture in my home in mountainous piles mocking me). I also have an urge to vacuum. I mean seriously what is up with all this??? So instead, I will blog, then settle in to read a publication by my dear friend Staci. Waking Emma. No doubt it will be good, it looks long, so it should get me through my day. I have to waste enormous amounts of time today at the dealership. My car needs an oil change and the brakes are behaving weird, so they need to be checked out. Then I have to go to the police station. The bank sent me an affidavit to fill out regarding the draining of our account and on it they want to know the name of the officer that we reported it to... well, we never reported it. I didn't know I had to. I'm also going to wash the sheets on my bed, lest I get woken up at another ungodly hour tomorrow morning.

ABCDEFGHIJKLMNOPQRSTUVWXYZ.................

Ok this is cool. I’ve never been tagged on a blog before… I’ve ‘lifted’ ideas from other blogs but have never actually been called out to do one. So YAY! I’m excited!!!
However, this may prove to be more boring than you ever imagined.

Accent: oh New York all the way. If you really want to hear it, just get me excited about something or mad. Then it REALLY comes out. “Y’all” just doesn’t flow from my lips. Oh and “fixin’” what’s up with THAT???

Bible book I love: Ecclesiastes is my book of choice right now. But these things vary.

Chore I don't care for: putting laundry away. Actually doing the laundry is no big deal, I throw it from one machine to the next, but putting it away UGH! I’d rather clean the toilets.

Dog or cat: Dog. Hands down.

Essential electronics: wireless internet on my laptop. (how much more spoiled can I actually be??? Unfortunatly, I learned I can live w/ out my cell phone. Someone decided they needed to teach me that lesson so they took my phone w/out my permission!!!!

Favorite movie: Sleepless in Seattle. My mom and I used to quote it to each other.

Gold or silver: silver

Handbag I carry most: The one that matches my outfit! DUH!

Insomnia: hardly ever.

Job Title: wife.

Kids: none. Ever. Thankyouverymuch.

Living arrangements: C and I reside in our home w/ our 2 dogs quite happily I might add.

Most memorable moment: When my mom died. It was amazing. It was just me and her and God.

Naughtiest childhood behavior: “I am covered, covered, covered by His blood.” and that is all you will get out of me!

Phobias: many. Insects, what could be in the dark, a home invasion, and I am sure that there are more I just can’t think right now.

Religion: I’m a one-God apostolic, tongue-talking, holy roller, born again, heaven bound believer!

Siblings: A brother, B. He is 5 yrs older than me.

Time I wake up: It varies. I do try to get up by 9 at the latest.

Unusual talent: hmmm, I play the Kazoo, does that count?

Vegetable I refuse to eat: Cauliflower, broccoli, cooked spinach, zucchini, um it would be easier for me to list the ones that I will eat. I’m not a fan of the veggies.

Worst habit: eating too much. And I’m also a worry wart.

X-rays: my foot, my hand, my arm, my teeth, and my head. (thank God it wasn’t a tumor!)

Yummy stuff I cook: Chicken Piccata. Just about anything Italian.

Zoo animal I like the most: Giraffes and Penguins! Oh they are soooo cute!!!

A beautiful sight!

RAIN! Finally. Not a whole lot. But water fell from the heavens this afternoon. It brought such sweet relief. I watch the temperature outside go from 100 degrees to 83 degrees in just 30 minutes. It was all so perfect, I was sitting on the couch in our living room, reading; the house was 'picked up' and the bread machine was kneading the dough for fresh bread tonight when I heard it; Plink. Plink. Plinkplink. Plink. I looked up and sure enough the leaves on the banana tree outside where shiny. Then a rumble of thunder. Oh Thank You God! North Texas is in such need of rain. We need more, but just the 10 minute spell of rain today made me soooo happy. I ran and got my camera to capture the event. Here it is:


Finally. Thank God!