Powered By Blogger

30 November 2007

Twelve Days of Christmas

"On the first day of Christmas, My True Love gave to me..."

I did something in October that I've never done before: I posted twelve times in one month! So I was thinking it would be fun to challenge myself to post at least twelve times in the month of December, and call it the Twelve Days of Christmas. Of course, I could always post more than that, but let's just take it one "day" at a time, and see how it goes.

I was writing an entry today (November 30th) that I liked so much I wanted to save it for December, to be the first of my twelve days, and I was thinking about that idea, "my True Love gave to me." Since I am a Christian, Jesus Christ IS my True Love, so I hope to be writing entries that, in essence, are reflective of what He has given to me.

I hope that life doesn't get so busy for you that you are unable to reflect on all that God is teaching you and doing in your life. If you care to participate in your own "Twelve Days of Christmas" challenge, please leave your name and website or blog link in my comments section, so I can read and encourage you as well! Or, if you don't have a blog of your own, leave your thoughts here in my comments sections--and I'll be thrilled to have at least twelve comments in one month! Stay posted! It will be a Christmas miracle!

I Should Write A Poem

I could use your help.

It seems that my ability to express my creative ideas is coming in direct conflict with my responsibilities as a wife and mother. What I mean by that is that the amount of time and energy and...TIME that it takes for me to write sometimes takes away from the time I should be spending being a "worker at home" (Titus 2:3-5). (Sigh.)

I'll try to explain what I mean. This time of year (autumn) is my favorite. I love the cooler air and clear skies. I enjoy watching the leaves change colors from day to day. This is the best time of year to go hiking and enjoy the beauty of God's creation all around. And I got to thinking about the fact that every leaf on the tree is like a snowflake: no two are exactly alike. At least I think so. I'm not certain about that little fact. But of this I am sure: the leaf falls from the tree only once. I think about that when I look at a leaf floating down and swirling in the gentle breeze. I was able to witness the one and only time that particular leaf made it's final graceful decent from the tree to the ground. And I can say thank you to God for allowing me to witness that once-in-a-lifetime moment, which I used to take for granted.

I know there's a poem in there somewhere, but I've got laundry and dishes and dinner and--the list goes on--and I don't have the time to dedicate to working it out into a poem. But maybe YOU can! Please feel free to post YOUR poem in the comment section of this post. I'd be honored to read it!

25 November 2007

Happy Anniversary


Mom and Dad: Happy 40th Anniversary!


I'm A Turkey

I could come up with all kinds of excuses as to why I haven't posted for so long. But let's just say I'm a Turkey and leave it at that. (The reason I'm able to post right now is because I'm home from church with a sick baby, who is napping at the moment.)



So much has happened in the month of November, and I didn't even post pictures from October when my parents were here! So here's a collage of photos, just to get them up here and get on with my life as a blogger.




Grandpa reading Curious George to the curious onlookers.



Grandma oversees the cupcake decorating. (I don't know how we ever survived doing stuff like this when we were little--I have very little patience for these messy activities. Thanks, Mom, for having so much patience and for not killing your children!)



Rosalind likes to squint and offer a cheezy smile when the camera starts to flash. Because she got so much attention from doing it, the boys wanted to be cheezy, too.



We celebrated two birthdays in October; first Rosalind's, and then Mom's.

Happy Birthday Girls!



After Grandma and Grandpa's visit, we had a lot of work to get caught up on. (Remember my post about the desk?) Not only did I have stacks of laundry and general cleaning to do,



but we also had to harvest the last of the carrots and get the tulip bulbs into the ground before frost.






We made it just in time. I'm looking forward to seeing the results in April.

13 November 2007

Before and After Photos



Before: Desk and dining room table overflowing with the stuff.





Step One: Take it all out




Step Two: Sort it all into piles (give away, put away, throw away)

Step 3: A place for everything, and everything in its place!





Even the baby agrees, it's an improvement!

Note: I still have 3 piles of paper to sift: The Important Papers (bills, things to be filed away or responded to), The Less-Important Papers (Junk mail, credit card offers to be shredded) and The Not-So-Important papers: Ads, magazines, coupons and catalogs.) Will it never end?

12 November 2007

Paper, Paper Everywhere...

My parents were here for ten days, and it's taking me about the same amount of time to get back into the swing of things. Today was the first day we got Julien to school early enough to play for 5 minutes before the bell rang. And we all ate breakfast and read the Bible and brushed our teeth and took our vitamins and got his backpack ready to go without yelling or spanks or threats of spanks! (Big sigh!) It's good to be back.

I've finally caught up with my laundry (except for putting it away--that's on the list), and I even did a lot of ironing yesterday while watching the Philadelphia Eagles pull off a win over the Washington Redskins! Wonders never cease! I love my new iron, Mom! (Maybe it will be my secret ritual to help my Eagles win their games.)

But the major obstacle I must overcome is the mountains of paper invading my space. It's not just the junk mail. That's the easy stuff. It's the:
  • junk mail
  • Sunday paper (especially the ads and coupons that I hold because I intend to read/use)
  • Papers from Sunday School from the kids
  • Papers from the church bulletin (which I intend to read but seldom ever do)
  • Papers from Julien's school
  • Papers from the kids' coloring and drawing and projects
  • Magazines
  • greeting cards
  • grocery lists

It is a constant stream that never dries up! And just like water recycles itself (thanks to God, who in His infinite wisdom designed it that way), we choose to recycle paper, which I think is partially to blame for the overwhelming abundance of paper that we possess! It all ends up in a brown paper bag to be taken away to the recycling receptacle, eventually. But sometimes it spends way too much time on my desk, counter top, Bible notebook, car, etc. before making its way to the brown bag.

So the goal for today: Get as much paper into the brown paper bag as possible. Maybe I'll take some photos for inspiration and motivation to get the job done. If only I can find the cord that allows me to download the photo from the camera to the computer. I think it's on my desk. Somewhere.

So. I have to sift through the mountains of paper today, sorting out the sheep from the goats (bills from the junk), and then proceeding to the more rewarding job of paying the bills (in theory), and then the even more rewarding job (which I never seem to get around to) of ordering my desk into a functional, manageable, organized space. So the first two goals are attainable. The third, I think need serious help. Stay posted.

07 November 2007

How Does That Happen?

Ten days came and went in a flash! My parents were here for a visit, and we had a very enjoyable time. They not only came to spoil the grandkids, but I felt very spoiled by the end. It was like having three of me: one to take care of the kids, one to work around the house (thanks, Mom) and one to do the shopping (thanks, Dad). It's amazing how quickly I was able to get used to that! And now it's amazing how quickly the work piles up now that they're gone. I did take some pictures, but not nearly enough. I'll need Mom to send me some of hers. But I have no time for pictures today, unless I get these items done on my list:

1. Preserve carrots from the garden. (I'll have to post about this at some point.) LOTS of carrots. (Thanks again for the Food Saver, parents. I plan to use it today.)

2. Fold (and iron) laundry. LOTS of laundry. (Thanks for the very nice new iron, Mom. I'm still a little skeptical about how it's going to get me to want to iron, but we'll see.) I've made a goal for myself to spend 1 hour a week ironing. We'll see how much ironing that "irons out" to be.

3. Mop kitchen floor. It needs it REALLY bad! Tristan can help.

I have a lot of other things to add--let's face it: the list is endless--but I want to keep it simple and somewhat attainable. We do have to eat dinner, afterall.

So, I hope your list today is simple and attainable. Now let's get to work!