Books

Has anyone ever heard of the book "Mr. Blue"? I just picked it up at the thrift store and had a vague remembrance of this as a good out of print book to buy. Maybe I'll give it a go.

I am currently reading, "That Hideous Strength" by C.S. Lewis. I am only in the first 50 pages, but I am already getting a little creeped out (in a good way, by that I mean, it is a good read).

Anyone else reading anything good?

Prayer Journal

I was reviewing my prayer journal the other day. Shamefully, I hadn't looked at it much since the baby was born. As a matter of fact, the last entry I had written was, "Safe and healthy birth for Melanie and me." With great enthusiasm, I wrote and prayed, THANK YOU, as that prayer was answered in spades!

This doesn't mean I haven't prayed about anything since then, I just haven't been as intentional in my prayers, since I do much of it while nursing, in a half dozing state.

What I did notice while perusing my journal, is how many of the prayers have been answered. This shouldn't be shocking to me, but I do believe that deep down, I have always been afraid that praying is a little futile. God will do what God will do, and all that, and my little requests really are of no consequence. What I have found since keeping the journal is just the opposite. First, it really isn't about what God will or won't do, it is about how I submit to Him and bring my concerns and love to Him in communion with Him. It is how I offer my time and solidarity with those I pray for, and turn my energies outward, rather than in my usual position of naval gazing.

But the largest difference in my prayers since I have kept the journal is the gratitude that has occurred in my heart. I get the chance to remember what or who I prayed for, and either renew my zeal for their intentions if no outcome is obvious, or praise God with gratitude when the resolution has become known, in God's grace, with His love and compassion. I have a true sense of letting God work in my life, rather than using prayer as a way to just examine all my worries and pick through them like a jar of pebbles. Once the intention is written down and prayed about, it becomes much more than a worry, it becomes an offering to Our Lord.

The freedom to live after I have let God transform my worries into opportunities to Love is delicious.

So, this brings back to my prayer journal, and the fact that is has been dormant for a few months. It is now next to my nursing chair, and ready for action. If you need some prayers, leave them in the comment section, and you can rest assured the intentions will be entered swiftly. If you have had prayers answered, I will add prayers of gratitude instead of supplication.

May you all be blessed!

An Oldie but a Goodie

While I was cleaning out my inbox (part of a Massive Decluttering Program) I came across this. I thought I would share it before I deleted it, since it made me smile.


A man and woman had been married for more than 60 years.
They had shared everything. They had talked about everything. They had kept no secrets from each other except that the little old woman had a shoe box in the top of her closet that she had cautioned her husband never to open or ask her about.

For all of these years, he had never thought about the box, but one day the little old woman got very sick and the doctor said she would not recover.

In trying to sort out their affairs, the little old man took down the shoe box and took it to his wife's bedside.

She agreed that it was time that he should know what was in the box. When he opened it, he found two crocheted dolls and a stack of money totaling $95,000.

He asked her about the contents. 'When we were to be married,' she said, 'my grandmother told me the secret of a happy marriage was to never argue. She told me that if I ever got angry with you, I should just keep quiet and crochet a doll.'

The little old man was so moved; he had to fight back tears. Only two precious dolls were in the box. She had only been angry with him two times in all those years of living and loving. He almost burst with happiness.

'Honey,' he said, 'that explains the dolls, but what about all of this money? Where did it come from?'



'Oh,' she said, 'that's the money I made from selling the dolls.'

A Prayer.......

Dear Lord, I pray for Wisdom to understand my man;
Love to forgive him; And Patience for his moods;
Because Lord, if I pray for Strength,
I'll beat him to death, because I don't know how to crochet.

A Trip to Grammy's Antiques

Three months old today!

A photo journey through my recent past

Okay, so I finally got my camera downloaded so I can share some of the reasons I have been so absent from this blog. Also, I have the "silver ball" photo and my garden update. This will be a picture loaded post.

The reason I am always typing one-handed.
One of my newer gardens, off my patio
Part of my patio (my newly graduated brother-in-law painted the chairs for me. Thank you!)
The focal point of my patio
Front yard garden, taken from in the garden, looking out over the front yard
My St. Francis statue ~ much more filled in around there now!
The mysterious silver ball. Any guesses now what it is?
My front yard garden, taken from the front yard, looking toward the house.

On a road trip to pick up our son from school. This is a photo of two of my daughters

Celebrating my bearded brother's birthday

Aforementioned newly graduated brother-in-law plus a lovely lady we got to know while he was at it. Congratulations to you both!

3rd son's seventh birthday, taken here with my dad and the sword he made for my son.
Our very own Fancy Nancy, when she turned 5 years old


and our own little Fancy Nancy in the ER after a leg injury that isn't a fracture, but still hurts and has her scooting around on her behind rather than walking. Of course, she would rather be carried, and I believe is enjoying a little "babying" since she lost her baby position once Melanie was born.

So there you have it. What I have been up to, not to mention all the shopping, cooking, laundry, etc, that is far too boring to photograph.

Blessings to you all, and have a great day!

7 Quick Takes Friday

So, yeah, it's been a whirlwind around here. Some notable events:

1. My ex-baby just turned 5. It was just one year ago I wrote "Turning Point", when she turned 4. I certainly didn't expect to be granted the gift of new life during this year, and be holding a two month old as my "baby" turned 5. What a difference a year makes!

2. My eldest son is home from school for the summer. We went on a mini-family vacation to pick him up half-way, and had a delightful weekend at a hotel with a pool. I even bought a new swimsuit, and baby had her first experience in a pool (except, of course, for the pool in which she was born).

3. My gardens are exploding. I hope to get photos today, and then you'll see how much bigger everything is since the last time I shared photos. The weeds are making a valiant effort to take over. I went out and purchased seven pairs of leather gloves, so all the kids except the baby can assist in the battle. We will conquer, but it takes perseverance, fortitude, and diligence to stay on top of the weeds. Every time I weed, I am reminded of the weed/vice parallel, and how virtue needs exactly the same perseverance, fortitude and diligence to survive. With God, all things are possible!

4. I finally had my postpartum check up. All is well, including my blood pressure and hemoglobin. My body has recovered quite well from the pregnancy and birth, except for my waist, which seems to have retired. Oh well, I didn't need it for anything, anyway.

5. We planned a picnic lunch with our fellow co-op family for the up-coming Tuesday, and that will be the official last day of school. My 4 youngest will do a page of math a day to avoid back sliding, and they will read everyday for the same reasons, but after Tuesday, I am free!!

6. We began our summer schedule this week for the cleaning and laundry. This way we can tweak it and make it realistic before summer really begins. So far, I am very encouraged. I think it will work, and we all should finish our daily chores before lunch, and then have the rest of the day free, all summer. Now to prepare a few menus and shopping lists, and we'll be set for relaxation and fun!

7. We implemented a new computer program that times the children's log in. The parents set the boundaries of available hours of operation, as well as allowed minutes. The program automatically logs the child off when their time is up. I LOVE THIS. No more trying to remember who gets how many minutes, no more sneaking computer time. What a load off my shoulders, and now my teens won't spend their entire summer in front of a computer screen. Of course they hate it, and think their summer is ruined. That's how I know we are doing something right, when I am accused of ruining their lives. Score one for the parents.

More at Conversion Diary.

Small Success

I can only come up with one this time, and that is the fact that today, I got up, and started to do the whole darn thing all over again. After I see most of what I do undone so very, very quickly, and my efforts so completely unnoticed, I figure that the fact I am still trying is a flippin' big success, actually. So there you all go, a little, bitter success. Hurumph.

(Just keeping it real folks. My home here and life is so not all sugar and sunshine. But we keep trying, and that, my friends, is the key.)

Most likely you'll find some nicer ones over at Faith and Family. Go check it out!