my current favorite song

I can't stop listening to this song.
It makes me dance all around my kitchen.

get out your clogs, people.

A Secret and A Milestone

Hey bloggettes.

I have a secret I have been keeping from you for a while....
ready??????????????????????



1. The Secret:
I am starting a new blog.
A decorating blog, filled with beautiful things....

I am working on it for a big reveal.... and I cannot wait to share it with you!!! In fact,
I am giddy about it all! My friend Jill is helping me to make it a reality.

and....

2. The Milestone:
My 200th follower. Now, maybe this is not a big deal, but for some reason, I think it is cool!! Love all of you!

So, anyway, can I ask my bloggettes for something???
1. If you have any tips on professional blogging, I am officially asking for free advice!
and
2. If you do not "follow" me, but you are a regular reader, can you send an easy smile my way today and become a follower???

Ya know. For fun.

Fun taggy game

I have been brain-dead.
Pouring every ounce of myself into getting our homeschool started off on the right foot.
So, I was very happy that Carrie tagged me, and gave me a post subject by tagging me.
Not to mention. I really like Carrie. 
You will like her too when you hop over to her blog and give her some love.


So, I am supposed to answer her 8 questions, pose 8 new ones of my own, and then tag 8 other bloggettes. As usual, I am not quite following the rules, though.
Here goes:
1. What is your favorite Bible verse? How did it become your favorite? (If you don’t have a single favorite, please share one of your faves.) hmmmm. depends on the season of my life... I usually have one or two that I cling to like a baby-blankie. Currently, I am hanging on to this one:
"But blessed is the man who trusts in the LORD,
whose confidence is in him.
He will be like a tree planted by the water
that sends out its roots by the stream. 
It does not fear when heat comes; 
its leaves are always green.
It has no worries in a year of drought
and never fails to bear fruit." (Jeremiah 17:7-8)

2. What is currently on your nightstand? Are you reading a good book? Are you into Sudoku or crosswords? Do tell! Body Shop hand cream; a decanter with fresh water; pencils for highlighting; 2 library books (all half finished): one about Charlotte Mason technique, one about the special angle of teaching boys; other books (all half finished): The Hurried Child, Beth Moore's So long Insecurity, and Living a Beautiful Life by Alexandra Stoddard.

3. If you have a Saturday where there is nothing on the calendar (Yeah, I know you’re laughing right now!!), how would you most like to spend the day? Are you a homebody? Are you a compulsive cleaner? Would you go shopping? Meet a friend for lunch? Believe it or not, we often have Saturdays free because I protect them like a hawk. If it is not a major obligation, or it is not more fun than being home with my guys... I usually say no. (I know. I am one of those 'no' people.) We usually spend our Saturdays running a few errands or doing projects around the house. Every Saturday morning, we try to eat banana pancakes and snuggle.

4. I’ve recently finished Dr. Kevin Leman’s book The Firstborn Advantage. Do you think there is anything to “Birth Order?” Do you see any birth order characteristics in you, your hubs, and/or your kids? Oh yes. I totally think this a real thing. Caleb is SO first born. Christian... well, he is the baby. no doubt.

5. Do you plan to grow old gracefully or fight it every step of the way (within reason – i.e. age-fighting moisturizers, covering gray hair, etc.)? easy answer: FIGHT, baby, FIGHT! full artillery, folks.

6. Do you like Starbucks? And are you a fan of their seasonal coffees? love my morning coffee. We get our coffee from a friend who makes her own (lucky us!). I actually don't like Starbucks... sorry, fans. But I love me some flavored coffees or flavored coffeemate.

7. How do you decorate and/or prepare for fall? pumpkins galore. I often bring in a few branches with leaves on them... once the colors have changed. A huge vase brimming with colorful leaves and sculptural branches is just the right thing...
Oh, and I pull out the snuggly blankets for couch snuggling.
8. What is your favorite fall recipe? my farmhouse apple pie. hands down.



I would like to tag the following cool bloggettes as a token to their loyalty and wonderful comment love. I am only tagging five because I am a rebel. (girls. be sure to scroll down for the new questions. AND: If you are not into the tagging thing, then you absolutely must not do this. It would be sad to do a post based on the feeling of guilty motivation. sad, I say!).
Mindy
Flamingo Mama
Wife to the Rockstar
Jenny
and Carrie, if she wants to do it again. (I cannot deny her loyal commenting).


ok. here are my questions (statements? demands?) for you!! Hope to get to know more about you!
1. Tell me the latest thing that made you laugh out loud.
2. What is your favorite thing about the Lord?
3. What thing do you really wish you could buy right now?
4. What is your favorite easy crock pot recipe (if no crockery, then, just dinner)?
5.  True or False: the front of my fridge has nothing on it.
6. Jeans girl, skirt girl, pants girl, or sweats girl?
7. What is God teaching you right now?
8. Tell me a character trait of each of your kids.

A gift I rarely use

I am rediscovering, slowly but surely, my love for painting.

I am newly-discovering my love for painting flowers.

Here is the flower I painted for Tammy's wedding present:

I miss painting.

With each passing year, I promise myself that I will paint more....

but alas. It does not seem to happen.

Maybe now that I need to be more resourceful, I should start up again.

.... ah, but they are not called "starving artists" for no reason.

But I am longing for some canvas time. where I can study each detail of God's beautiful creation.

{While on the subject of Tammy's wedding...

I thought I would throw in this picture of me and my precious sis.

Her wedding.... was just awesome.

I have not had that much fun in years.

I am so happy for you, Tam.}

So,
Do tell.


What joy or gift do you have that you rarely get a chance to use?


Do you miss it??

Barbie is resourceful

When I was a girl, I was a Barbie-playing girl.

I remember that my biggest needs in life were for more Barbie outfits and, especially, for a Barbie dreamhouse.  My mom didn't happen to agree.

Interestingly enough, Barbie is a resourceful gal.

So, instead of the pre-packaged dreamhouse, Barbie had to make something out of nothing.

What that meant was: Barbie somehow "lived in a trash dump" and she did what she had to do - she worked hard and stayed focused - to get her dream.

She had to weed through all of the useless things of my bedroom to come up with a fabulous pad.
Which she did.

And with a necklace jewelry box for a bed, a small soft ball for a posh and fluffy chair, a thimble or two for glassware, and a sash made out of a rubberband - that said "Miss. New Jersey," Barbie made her own way in the world.

She had that dreamhouse.
that dreamy Ken.
that Miss NJ sash.

She set her sights on what she wanted, and she was willing to set aside her pride and do her best.


I have not stopped thinking about the fact that:
the very moment the rug got pulled out from under us,

I though of my Barbie.