Monday, February 10, 2014

Volunteered





  This morning my phone rang. . . it was my "other" mother calling me to tell me there was a couple being interviewed on TV, due to the fact that they have a special needs child. I grabbed my favorite blanket, flew down the stairs and turned it on. I love to hear other parents stories. This family had 4 boys and the 3rd one at 6 months had an ear infection, and after he wasn't getting better, the mom takes him in, only to find out he has spinal meninjitis. So begins their life with special needs. While watching, there is this part of me that desperately hates the fact that I can so well indentify with her, that I know her inner turmoil, and just how much her heart cries over the fact each and every day of her life. . . but as we all know, there is a time for everything and a reason. She said something that got me to thinking. She said how angry she was in the beginning that God had volunteered her to do this. 

  Often in my life, I've wondered why I was supposed to go through certain things. So often it seems like it never makes sense. I think it's human to always wonder why, we just want an answer. Lately I feel like it's all started to make sense in a small way. Our daughter. Such a little girl & yet such a big responsibility. I know that if I ever get my sinful mortal body up to heaven's gates it will be because of God and my little girl. 

  What I so often forget is, that God has put us right where we are, & if we only ask him, he will give us grace to get through the obstacles that he has already equipped us for.

Friday, February 7, 2014

February 7nth

marks a giant turning point in my life, it was the day I married Joshua.

  Life has never quite been the same & I mean that in the best way it could be meant. I remember the first time I drove down to see him (we were both living in California at that point ) I rambled on and on to the poor guy about how I most CERTAINLY did NOT want any "man"/boyfriend/relationship in my life. To this day I cannot understand what possesed me to have the little speech. Over the grilled chicken and asparagus he had fixed me he just nodded and agreed. I think he was having trouble fathoming my speech also. I remember seeing him stand in his kitchen (clean kitchen, no, spotless kitchen) and thinking to myself, I would never marry a boy like him. He was blond, tall, tan, macho, kind, pretty much the all american boy. Well nevermind, I married him.

  Then he came to see me a few weeks later, he thought we should go hike up Big Bear.

Me: He should be here about now
My Nerves: Wow my hair is retarded
Me: Go look out the window
My Nerves: Change the shirt I just put on.
Me: Go get a drink of water
My Nerves: My hair really is retarded
Me: Go pee
My Nerves: Change back into the previous shirt
Me: Check my phone
My Nerves: Why did I agree to this again?
Me: He really is here

. . . and walking up the sidewalk barefoot, swimming trunks on, & a green shirt that came from the recycle bag because the ribbing on the neck was hanging on by 3 threads. Apparently no nerves involved while he dressed. Wow I am really waco. Then I find out he has fresh baked banana bread in his pick-up. Never  mind the "I don't want a boyfriend speech" I'm going to marry him. Period. Flat-out. . . .& I pretty much kept that resolve until February 7nth 2009. He has changed my life. I love that all-american boy. Every day I wait patiently for 4:00 because I get to see his face. I can't wait to see him when he's 80. I hope he will ask me to sit on the porch when it's raining and drink a good cup of Jo while we rehash the same stories about the kids that have been rehashed 300 times over.

. . . Now. . . he will not like the fact that I put a picture
up of him without his shirt. I certainly do not mind
looking at it. This was up on top of the mountain
we hiked that day. Hotter than
all get out. The shirt actually, probably
fell off, due to it's age.

my dashing boy


Saturday, February 1, 2014

My Dirty Little Secret

The view behind my brown chair.

 If you ever stop by my house, do not, under any circumstance look behind my brown chair. The last while I have become addicted to yarn/crochet. It is a wonderful world. Now, if you're super eager like I am. . .  you will even browse the second hand stores for yarn. A bunch of mine comes from there. I got a "bag" awhile ago for a little bit of nothing and it had several new skeins of 100% wool. So of course it literally paid for itself. I keep it behind my chair because it needs to be in reach at all times. You never know when the mood will strike. Now I will stop talking about yarn because I suspect not as many of you are as in love with it as I. . . but before I go . . . my favorite website is Attic 24  I stop by to visit her as frequently as possible. I love her simple outlook on life and her colorful pictures. For any of you that are interested, she has little crochet tutorials on the left hand side that are mighty easy for a beginner to follow.


My angel daughter that will not look  at the camera


. . . .& my darling boy that thinks everything is funny
 . . .  and to you all, a very happy weekend full of family time fun. There is nothing quite like it. Life speeds away so fast that we must take time to enjoy the little things.

Cheer-i-o To You All !

Monday, January 27, 2014

Allow me. . .

  . . . To tell you a story.

Now. . . this could be a hair lengthy. . . I just made myself a cup of hot tea. So if you have a baby that just pooped their pants, a dryer that just quit, a kitchen sink full of spaghetti dishes hollering your name, then I suggest you go tend to it & then read my (maybe boring) story.

  Here awhile ago Josh's brother asked us if we wanted this older cupboard/china hutch, I think they were just wanting to clean out their basement and was half kidding, to which Josh chuckles and says we don't have a place to put it. Me? I don't care if it doesn't have a home in our house, it's free and I'll give that thing a home. . . and slap some fun colored paint on it. I let the issue rest for awhile and then found a cupboard on Pinterest (dirty evil time consuming site) that I thought I surely had to have. So one day at the appropriate time ( Josh's 30 minute lunch ) I start texting him that I need to get the cupboard. I had a few different reasons that I mentioned. It was indeed meant to be. He consented, but says to me, " as long as you don't put stuff in it like is in the kitchen china cupboard shelves, AND the stuff inside must be FUNCTIONAL"
   Done. . . I can put functional stuff inside that thing, no sweat. Give me five, and it'll be FULL of functional.
So he goes and gets the cupboard & in between taking care of this :

AND this:


    I start re-doing a cupboard. Now this is a little insert. . .  I take my silly stupid smart phone to Sherwin Williams. . . hand the phone to the gal working and show her my "must HAVE" green thing on my pinterest board, and tell her I really need that particular color. She takes my phone and a couple of taps and swipes later she has downloaded the picture, went to Sherwin Williams "Chip-It" site and matched the sample to the T. You must give it a whirl, I am in love with the site. Couple late nighters and help from Hubby. . . the thing gets painted lucky green. It airs out and we bring it inside. Let me just say that dashing Joshua loves my new piece. . . My head was growing by leaps and bounds because he says he just Loves it. It's SWEET. Yay ME ! ! ! ! ! ! 

   He goes to work the next day. I am at home mid-morning "decorating/functionalizing" my cupboard, when I hear my phone go off. At this point I'm a little frustrated because it doesn't look just exactly like I want it. I forget that my phone went off and soon it goes off again. I pick it up, and it's none other than JD. The second txt says "you are decorating, aren't you?" Now how did he know??? MEN. I say yes, as a matter of fact I am. He says "send me a pic NOW" So I do. by this time I had all sorts of stuff in it. He sends me one back in a flash that says, "loose the checker-board-the candleholder-the book standing up-yaddy-yadda-yadda-but leave the green bird."

INDEED! ! ! ! excuse me while I cough, Why is the green bird exceptable???? I didn't know if I should sail that phone out the window or do exactly as he said. I did the later.

  Then I LOVED it. 

  Then I was a hair annoyed, OK I was flat out annoyed. He was right. Who knew, the first time I seen this boy that he would coach me in decorating my green cupboard????? At any rate, it is still exactly like he said. It is in fact fun while being functional and I won't let that thing out of my site.



The green bird.

Ain't it halarious? Till my dying day I will never know what makes that green bird ok. He has nothing whatsoever to do with functional, only looks.

The End

Thursday, January 23, 2014

DIY dust mop

If any of you out there have dust and/or dust bunnies under your bed. . . Well I discovered a diy dust mop. It's easy really, simply put your child ( that only crawls backwards ) onto the bedroom floor. Wait 5 minutes. . . . Drag him/her out from under the bed along with all the dust bunnies. No stress cleaning. If you're really feeling frisky you could pour yourself a cold Dr. Pepper and watch the entire process.

Monday, January 20, 2014

nothing funny

to say. . . Not that some weird things haven't happened. They do. . . Every day.





Thursday, January 2, 2014

Miracle & Light Bulb

 






Tonight before I lay my head down.  . . I figured I should share with you some pictures of our miracle (Olivia) and our light bulb (Bodie). . . Somedays I feel unworthy to be their mom.   They are doing good.  . . Olivia steadily turns more and more into her own little person.  . . And when I really stop and look at her dear face I am overwhelmed with feelings. We could not live without her.  . . Then Bodie. . . He is the light of the family.  . . Happy as a clam.  Olivia laughed out loud the other day, to which he fake gigled back at her and I'll be switched if he didn't get her going back and forth with him for a spell. I shoved back my chair and grinned in delight.  My light bulb was comunicating with my miraculous vegetable. Ain't life grand?