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Tuesday, December 7, 2010

depraved indifference

my heart is reeling today, feeling all upside down inside....


we give each month, we look to reach out and help those in our community, we obey His command to invite people into our home and hearts--hospitality for His sake....


but i feel we're still missing it...


a depraved indifference, not because we don't care but many of the places and people God is calling us to are so far away that it isn't affecting my everyday steps


as i still am piecing together Christmas gifts for our kiddos, their three gifts just as Jesus got that Christmas day long ago, i am struck by how many today across our city, state, country, world as without basic needs--without love or hope--and when we have so much, how can i contemplate even 9 boxes under our tree when Christ called us to do unto others


wonderful Ann showed me this video and i pray if you doing nothing else on your computer today to watch this, pray and be transformed for His sake





i am unsure exactly where or what He wants me to do next, but i want to do more... i will, by His grace do more, there must be more change...


...how about you?

Friday, November 12, 2010

the prison walls...

walls: (as a verb, from dictionary.reference.com)

* to enclose, shut off, divide, protect, border, etc...
* to seal or entomb (someone or something) within a wall

walls keep out the cold and rain, keep the light at bay and the hum of life is dulled to a pur in this place of solece. walls secure our countries and kingdom from predators and onlookers, alike. provided a way in and out, the wall appears to provide strength and confidence, a respit for peace on long, weary days.... free to come and go... until the wall becomes the crutch, the hiding place, no longer a place of renewal and communion with Him...


the wall is no longer there to temporary protect from the pains of life, but brick by brick our shield has now imprisoned our heart....


what happens when we refuse to tear down the stones and live in His freedom? when we no longer step outside the doors in our wall and our role in His Body is empty and dying?


the way God designed our bodies is a model for understanding our lives together as a church: every part dependent on every other part, the parts we mention and the parts we don't, the parts we see and the parts we don't. if one part hurts, every other part is involved in the hurt, and in the healing. if one part flourishes, every other part enters into the exuberance. 1 Corinthians 12.25-26 (MSG)


the wall in theory was excellent defense: using the hurled stones of pain, anger, loss, betrayal and creating the barricade with which to kneel behind, where the healing from Him could begin....

as the wall hardened steadfast strong, an eery pride joins in and the mission to go it alone with no need for others creeps along, forgeting His command... simple safeguard for the heart, right? love hurts deep and long, pouring it out over and over without allowing His love to refill and flow through brings drought and famine. going it alone behind the walls breeds dullness, when love runs dry we forget the Master's command

"Let me give you a new command: Love one another. In the same way I loved you, you love one another. This is how everyone will recognize that you are my disciples--when they see the love you have for each other." John 13.34-35 (MSG)


selfish wants to buffer love and fellowship with thick walls.... but then how will they see Him?!

you use steel to sharpen steel,and one friend sharpens another.proverbs 27.17

must chose-- His path: to love, sacrifice, endless compassion.... a growing love affair with the original Lover of our soul... OR the fortress of walls: emptiness, aching lonliness, separation and hardening...

by His Spirit the stones of the armament crumble bit by bit... as Light exposes our hurts, our fears...the wombly first steps to serve, to love, to live life bare and unearthed without walls

faith and trust the only real Strength needed, all that will save the soul....



you are Christ's body--that's who you are! you must never forget this. only as you accept your part of that body does your "part" mean anything. 1 Corinthians 12.27

only when the wall breaks apart can His will truly be done...


as i step out, i have failed and pulled back, ducked behind the barrier of my heart....it's quiet, i'm alone and the fear blurs my vision of Him

i stand up, knock away more stones by His beautiful grace, i will not lose my joy for prideful disobedience....

heart cries out "make me more like you" and His courage to love, to serve, to host, to dream streams through my heart

i still fail, sometimes i cower, scrabble towards the walls, but stopping short, on bended knee and arms lifted heavenward.... i believe, i know He is greater than all the pain, the hurts, the betrayals, my sins


His love is abundant and fresh, radiant sweet


if we desire to be like Him, to be the Voice of love to the grotesque blackness of the world, be the hands He uses to break the chains of sin by reaching out, out of our comfortable places, the prison walls must come down

He is greater, marvelous, glorious and bigger than my inadequecy

make us like you, Oh Lord!!! take me where you need me, break my heart for your Kingdom's calling



is He calling you to leave your fortress and trust that He will sustain you heart?

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

catchin' up....

since i've been a tad inconsistent with my blogging for the last month (sorry, again...), there is a ton to catch up on, like....


....did i tell you that we had a baby squirrel?! yes, we did... past tense.... he had such a wonderful time playing with all the kiddos and jumping from drape to drape, eating hand-picked acorns and being the center of attention at 3rd grade show-n-tell, he (his name is Bandit) just laid down and fell into an eternal sleep dreaming of tall trees and yummy nuts from now 'til forever.... yep, he croaked passed away just days before we were to release him back into the wild back yard. it was actually very sad for our posse and my Man was conveniently out of town on business during the whole drama, leaving Mama here to handle the tragedy alone.... sorry if my sarsacm is dripping all over your screen right now, just wipe it off and find your happy place in looking at this adorable picture of Bandit and lil' Girlie

....i had an amazing 3 days soaking up the wisdom of Godly women at our church's womans conference! A.M.A.Z.I.N.G.!! the presence of the Lord so sweet and deep.... renewal that was much needed, insight that i had been seeking, dreams being revealed, and such a blast spending this time with my sister (in-law) M..... big God-sized dreams that seem impossible to me, but with God working through and the power of His Holy Spirit, nothing is too big for my God! can i get an AMEN?!! thanks :)


....there was a birthday in the house!!! our baby Girlie is now the big 9!! how did that happen?! she's 9, really?! aside from my denial that she's becoming a beautiful young girl and not my lil' preschooler anymore, it was a great week of celebration. yes, i said week long celebration: the family party on the 3rd, mini-celebration just our Posse on her actually birthday on the 5th and finally her friends came over for an evening that following weekend. wow, i'm tired all over again just typing that!


my sweet girl, Mama thinks the universe of your heart and soul! your eyes see right to someone's heart and your compassion is unmeasured. i love your delight in the Lord, how your voice rings sweet as you recite verses to me, God's secrets written on your heart...simply gorgeous is all of you, inside and out!


...and how could i forget the endless days of football practice and games for the ever-growing eldest, 'P'.... his dedication and perservance and hard-work this first jr. high season is stunning and inspiring to me. this was a lesson in preparation without much opportunity to perform....82 boys on the 7th grade team, so no one got to truly show their full potential, frustrating is the ache during games, but God is good and faithful and 'P' demonstrated great skill on defense (inside linebacker!) and he went uninjuried (yay!)....


and as soon as the season was finished the very next week began basketball tryouts (this is our sport, baby!!)...50 some odd 7th grade boys graced the court to compete for the coveted 18 spots. after a week long tryout, our awesome young man MADE THE TEAM!! so proud, excited, humbled, thrilled, anxious.... man i love you, kid!


....we went pumpkin hunting!!! no, this picture isn't from our evening at the pumpkin patch (those pictures may or may not ever grace the screen) but it was a superfabulous evening of corn mazes, corn boxes (think sand box, but with corn kennels instead!! it was great!), horse back riding, hay rides, feeding goats & sheep, bottle feeding a calf and a wonderful time around a bonfire roasting turkey dogs and marshmellows.but this picture is at a local farmers market and was however the perfect place to buy some perfectly orange pumpkins to puncuate our front porch...and for only $13 we walked out of there with 6 pumpkins and some "baby" princess punk'ins

'K' felt the need to put all the "baby" or small (we've been doing a lot of home preschooling about tall/short, big/small, etc.... so he's a little obsessed with grouping right now) punk'ins together or with a "mommy" pumpkin. you're so stinkin' cute Big 'K'!!!



that is most definitely NOT everything that's been happening in these parts, and i've had a bajillion and one thoughts and ponderings floating around my mind and on my heart.... i will share, promise... really i will!


i so want to share some my God-dreams that i feel being led towards, talk about the Mama's Day Out program i am starting, my thoughts on another Sister Party for the Christmas season and my complete obsession with a new holiday craft to make your home fantabulous!! and even if you never stop by again, just know this:


you were hand-crafted by the Creator of the Universe and He so wants to spend time with you today: just talking, singing, crying....He is never, ever far from His children. He's waiting for you.....
be blessed my dears!!!




Thursday, November 4, 2010

the relaunch....kinda

i have been up to all sorts of things over the last month and a half since i blogged last.... i know, loser!! party of one, please! well, you'll have to get over it because i have been my own biggest critic... believe me, i write a lot of posts, many unfinished or paused mid-thought because i have to wipe a nose or vacuum up craisins or take a teen to practice or play dolls, but i have been writing none the less. so this is the unofficialy re-launch of flooded by grace, so here we go :)

oh, you thought i'd have something profound to share with you tonight? sorry, rainchecks are available.....

tonight i ask you to enjoy the cutest preschooler in all of Fly Over Country doin' some praise & dancin' to KJ52.... you'll get a good giggle and i am off the hook for the evening :)

be blessed!!!


Monday, September 20, 2010

my brave lil' man...

my sweet babe has been quite brave....


i can't imagine being the cutest 3 year old on the earth, being rushed out of your comfy bed at 5:45am (rushed because your mama was obscenely exhausted from keeping sweet 3 year old up 'til midnight so preschooler could eat & drink one last time and be extra sleepy in the morning, but not only was preschooler tired but so was mama who didn't hear her alarm go off at 5am...whew!), taken to a big strange building with everyone fussing over you, mama trying to get your superman shirt off....



i didn't get his superman shirt off until he saw me in my scrubs or "funny clothes", so then it was okay to change into his gown...


...pinning the sweet boy down to adminster his "happy juice" before being rolled down to surgery holding room wasn't the best memory for cute boy... but he anestieologist said i had "great form" and asked if i could come back to help get that down some other kids, too.... i declined, i'll stick to forcing meds down just my own children's throats




my handsome lil' man is rather dazed at this point and is holding on to me like grim death.... we had the bestest nurses taking us to surgery and that assisted our wonderful doctor, dr.p... she was so gracious to offer to snap a few pictures of us on the way down the hall

i was so thankful for the chance to walk him all the way back to the OR and hold him until he drifted off to sleep...


my blessed boy had his giant tonsils, infected adnoids removed and ear tubes put in, for the second time... praying this solves the ear infection, hearing loss, can't sleep, sleep apenia, snoring problems


thank you Jesus for watching over him, for bringing him through surgery like a champ!!!


our house is now a haven for ice cream eating, popsicle licking, pudding devouring, smoothie sipping... and for the most part 'K's doin' fantastic!!

Sunday, September 19, 2010

first and ten! and 2 wins!!

we've had a lot going on this past week, much of it had to do with football, and i'm totally okay with that! i love football!! my Man is a very blessed husband in this regard :)


the best game i attended this week had to be tuesday night's game where my son was the focus of my attention...


if you can see the number 32, then that's my boy, but quite honestly when i went back to edit the pictures i couldn't tell which one was him... i know, i'm a loser, but at least i snapped some photos!



i was mightly disappointed that i couldn't find my cowbell before we left for his game, there can't ever be enough cowbell :) however that didn't stop our team from winning the game!




yep! the boys pulled out a victory, 16-12, so we are undefeated!! and he had a great time, had a great run, lots of tackles that put a stop to the offense, and i was a very pleased mama because he so thoroughly enjoyed himself!


...but i was a rather exhausted mama for my boy's game, especially after the 3 hour drive we had just taken from the football game we were at the night before...



oh ya, baby!! my Man and i took a mini-vacation monday & tuesday and headed for kansas city to watch the chiefs opener for monday night football...

it was awesome!! did i say i love football?! i do! and i love going to an nfl game, it is an impressive experience, and arrowhead was electric!!


we got up to KC early enough to head to dinner with some great friends we were meeting at our hotel and then it was off to the stadium to tailgate out with a few (tens of) thousand of our closest friends!



i had such a splendidly fantastic time spending the evening with my Man and also hanging out with our friends...


we made the long jaunt towards the stadium and stopped for a quick pic in front arrowhead...


it was about 8:15p and the gates were flooded with crazy fans and the screams of chiefs fans all around!!



since it was opening night and monday night football and the stadium has been completely overhauled (and it was magnificent!!! i was awe-struck!) there was quite a show planned before kickoff with fireworks to boot!



i was texting pictures to envious 'P' and Girlie, who were watching it all on television


and i was never so thankful for the chiefs to pull out a win, no matter how sloppy it was, it was still an wonderous end to a glorious day with my Man....


but i was ever so tired as we climbed into our bed at the hotel just shy of 2am.... i don't even remember the last time i was up at 2am unless it was to care for sickly kiddo! it was even better to sleep in past 6am :) we stopped to eat the most fabulous breakfast on our way home and did i mention how we had such a great time being together on our little escape?! it was beautiful...


and as a bonus our team won... the chiefs, just in case you were wondering

Sunday, September 12, 2010

hope in trouble

hope...


my hope is in the Lord, above all He is the giver of all good things,

i am sustained by His abundant grace


He was the center of my thoughts and my hope rested soley in His promises when i saw the first pictures that morning nine years ago this weekend...




my mind couldn't fathom what was happening to my country, my fellow Americans...


i could only think to pray.... to hope...




i hoped that those on board the planes knew Jesus and felt some portion of His peace knowing they would be safe with Him soon...


i hoped that many were late to work that morning and that there weren't as many people in those buildings as the reporters were guessing...


it felt like those movie images of world wars was right around the corner; were we safe?




i felt my stomach harden and tense as the first tower fell... the sweet Girlie that was nestled in my belly nudged me and i wondered what tragedy would happen next



i just hoped for Jesus to save us all...





i cried many tears that day, that week, for our country, the victims, the families, our President...



i'll admit i wondered if this was it: we're at war, were we going to become a war-torn country like those i see on the news? are we not as safe as i assumed we were?



i hoped not...



i prayed that night, once the news was off and the house was quiet with sweet breathing from my son and my Man, and the gently swimming of the babe in my belly...



"Lord if my world, here in Fly Over Country USA, had literally collapsed like those of our fellow citizens not so far away, would i have been ready to see you? so far have i lived a passionate life that cries out to everyone that you are my Lord? or do i live basically selfishly, out for my own pleasure, serving you based on my own feelings of convenience.... i desire to shine for you... help these families, wrap up the broken wives or husbands in your Hands of peace.... help me Lord to remember this feeling of uneasiness, that time is limited, and i don't have forever here to further your Kingdom.."



even as i watch and hear the tributes to 9/11 today, i still remember that feeling...



i haven't forgotten, i pray those families are so blessed, i pray and hope that they'll see their loved ones in Heaven again






the cross gives us hope, in the midst of the rubble and fighting, He is our hope...


whether peace or war, He's our hope....


my hope


my everything


God is our refuge and strength, a very present help in trouble. Therefore, we will not fear thogh the earth gives way. Psalm 46.1-2a

Friday, September 10, 2010

how cheap can you be :)

it is a constant mission to save money around our home, how 'bout yours? same goal? i thought as much.... but it's hard, why am i subconsciously drawn to the more expensive items?! a strict budget is hard and the decision to live debt-free and below our means is a daily adventure is self-control.


about two years ago my Man wanted to take over the money-managing for our family, and you know, i wasn't so happy about it. even though i knew i wasn't doing the very best job saving or budgeting, i felt like if he came in and took over i'd lose some sort of "power".... stupid, huh? we never argued over money and everything got paid (for the most part) and we had more than enough money to blow on whatever we wanted, but because we weren't on the same page as far as saving or investing or spending and without any real goals, it just wasn't working.


so i submitted to his leadership, prayed for God to give me heart to follow and that He'd give my Man much wisdom and discernment to manage the money that God blessed us with.....

and that made all the difference!


in order for me to stay home full-time there was going to have to be sacrifce (i've written about sacrifice/charity here), to be able to be used by the Lord in new capacities and give like never before, it would mean paying off doctors bills quicker, paying off those credit cards and not using them again and downsizing every area of our life.... and being open to my Man's leading and the Lord's each step of the way.


and since we've done (with God's good grace) those things, and we absolutely have taken to the teachings of dave ramsey & the total money makeover, i'd like to say that budgeting and saving money and just sometimes going without has become second-nature by now, but it's not, not even close.... is living below your means easy for your family? or do you even budget?


i spent a lot of time at the beginning of the year cataloging groceries prices from about 5 local grocers,



just so i'd have a more exact idea about what was really a sale when the weekly ads came out; plus i have become addicted to couponing!! seriously, it is a personal mission to save as much as possible with my ad prices and coupons. and this isn't easy, comparing prices, figuring is this coupon really a better deal at this store because they double or at this store with a lower original price, and so on. that reminds me i probably need to catalog prices again, you know, just to make sure things are still about the same and i'm not missin' a deal :)


what makes me really proud is to same that i have cut my bi-weekly grocery budget 110.00 so far! that's an extra 220.00 each month, that for some reason hasn't necessarily ended up in our savings account due to doctor's visits, car repairs, flooded houses, and summer utility bills....


and there's another place i'm trying to cut: energy costs. and this seems about impossible!! but i have grown to love my inherited clothesline that came with our new home!





i thought i would struggle with crunchy, stiff clothes (which i loathe!) but i have taken to another money-saving tip!! instead of using all those costly stain removers and fabric softeners in our washer, simply pour in about a 1/3 cup of plain white vinegar in with your detergent, and i also use a bit more in my fabric softner dispenser. once it's rinsed out and dried, you don't smell any vinegar at all, promise! but all my sheets and towels are just right and fluffy as i'm taken 'em off the line. perfect!!



and not only do i enjoy baking, it is a money-saver!! baking cookies, biscuits for dinner, brownies, pizza crusts and the like from scratch is better for you and much more efficient on my grocery dollars.



example: my homemade drop biscuits are a bajillion times better than any store biscuits from a can and so easy:

2 cups flour (one unbleached white and one whole wheat)

3 tsp baking powder

1 tsp salt

combine and then using a pastry cutter or a sturdy fork work in a 1/2 stick of real butter (and don't melt or soften it, the cold butter is perfect and melts beautifully while cooking in the oven, yum!). once it's all crumbly stir in 1 cup milk and you're done!!!

have your oven pre-heated to 450, and just drop the dough onto a baking sheet lined with parchment paper, it makes about 7-9 biscuits depending on how big you like your biscuits :), and 12 minutes later you're in biscuit heaven!

this recipe is quick, healthy (for a biscuit) and super cheap!!


okay, i know there are other ways we have been pinching pennies, but i want your input and ideas, or at least help me feel better and let me know that you struggle to control your spending and it's not just me :).... please.....


so a happy friday to you and have an amazing weekend; if you stop by tomorrow evening i'll have some thoughts about remembering 9/11, should be interesting or at least i think so :)


be blessed



Cast your burden on the Lord; and He will sustain you.... Psalm 55.22

Thursday, September 9, 2010

a peek into my week...

i know, i know, it's only been forever since i last posted.... sorry.... we get busy around here and i literally go days on end without opening my laptop. i am totally determined to not let this happen anymore, even if all i'm writing about is what i made for dinner and the strange dreams i had the night before :) maybe y'all can help interpret some of them, because the dreams have been getting weird! i need to drink some calming green tea before bed or something!

has it been raining for like two weeks where you're at? i swear i am done with rain!! this is just one of the reasons why....


yes, after two days of record rainfall last week, we had about 3 feet of water under our home, a backed-up sewer system and me have a little stress-attack! you can understand, right? when you have five people in the house and the toliets won't flush, well i'll just let your imagination and nose go from there.

but 97.50 for a plumber to work 20 minutes and fix the problem (and oh my goodness! that is a career path i am thankful i never considered!! gross, gross, gross!!!) and 84.00 for a sump pump, we were on the road to getting everything back to normal by last friday afternoon. and we were incredibly thankful for my brother (in-law) who hauled over a HUGE pump from his work to get the water out from under the house much faster!! and the mammoth puppy and Big 'K' had the time of their lives playing in the water that was leaving the house and now flooding the yard!

i promise that the water wasn't contaminated or anything, but it made a terribly muddy mess of my already soggy yard and my neighbor wasn't exactly please that the run off was puddling up her yard (again) too.... but what can ya do?!



what else?..... oh! my babe, Masta 'P', is just days away from his first jr. high football game!! we are soooooooo excited and pumped for him! he's had 2 1/2 hour practices every day after school, so he's ready. and he got the jersey number that he had desperately been praying he'd get....


my other brother (in-law) is the number 1 high school running back in the state (he holds 5 state records! but he's in college now... i digress, sorry) and 32 was his number, and 'P' really wanted to have that number in jr. high and in high school, too. and we were all really excited, too! it was an affirmation to him but me as well, that nothing we pray and give to God is too small or insignificant; if it's important to us and something that's on our heart, the Lord is so faithful to hear us...


i love to bake from scratch. mostly i want to control what is going into our food, but baking/cooking is theraputic to me, is it that way for you? my bestie (ms.s) teases me about making my pizza crusts from scratch, like when i say "it's really not that hard or a big deal" and she says "well not if your martha stewart!" so i just decide to take the sideways compliment and go on about my day :)


so since 'K' and i are together all day with nothin' but time to learn, read, play, frolic, shop, clean... ahem, i got a little sidetracked.... we bake together quite a bit


he was so happy to wear mama's apron, and i am glad i snapped a pic real quick because in no time flat he was trying to yank it off with extreme prejudice! we were whipping up some sugar cookies, which are really awesome and soft, but i need to create some sweet glaze or something to drizzle over the top.... just thinking out loud :)


my glorious Girlie is doing so outstanding at her (new) school. third grade is splendid and she is making several close friends and if i haven't said it before, we just are so giddy about her teacher and what a blessing she is!


as we walk to school in the mornings, we walk right past a locally owned donut & coffee shop, and it smells incredible, delectible, scrumpitous!! so i got us out the door just a little earlier than normal this week and surprised Girlie with a little detour into the shop for a donut (or two). she smiling from ear to ear and loved the treat!

don't you just love surprising your kiddos with special treats like this? my kiddos treasure the most simple memories like this and the moments of talking over a sprinkle donut.... i love 'em

i've had several orders of Jewelry Portraits (from my design business, Flooded By Grace Designs) and they've been custom orders and that has been truly a treat for me to create them!


here's one i did for a little girl who needed a portrait for her growing necklace & earring collection plus something to hold her beautiful hair bows...


it was a double stack of frames with gorgeous satin ribbon and buttons flowing from the bottom to clip hair bows on.... i loved it and lil' Girlie was a bit more than jealous for it! i am still working on my website, it's a much longer process than i anticipated, plus i'm trying to get my inventory (jewelry portraits and such) built up and ready for orders, but customers can always make a custom order request... just sayin' :) if you're interested just drop me a note!


and before all the sogginess, 'K' and i have enjoyed some cooler, fall-like days at the park...
...isn't he just beautiful?! wow...

and he was racing just as fast as he can up and down the ramp on the equipment. amazingly he didn't bite the dust... praise the Lord :)

"peek-a-boo, mama!!!"



okay, so this is a peek of what's going on in my world.... i promise, cross my heart to be back tomorrow with something profound to say.... or at least something amusing to say :)


love ya!

be blessed!

Friday, August 20, 2010

and then there were two...


has it seriously been over a week since i wrote last?! wow! how lame can i get?! please do NOT answer that, really don't....




i have a totally good excuse for not writing: it was the first week of school!!! this has been huge! Mr.'P' is now officially in junior high and playing football (whoa!) and lil' Lou-Woo Girlie started third grade at a new school here in our quiet town, Fly Over Country, USA (she's brilliant!) and this has been quite the adjustment for Big 'K' to do preschool each day at home and no bubba or sissy... then there were just the two of us....




the evening before school started, i stole the big kids after dinner for a special treat




did you know that it's the little things that kids remember? the little walks down the street and seemingly simple conversations, the snuggles and holding of little hands are the moments that they remember, not the gifts or pricey gadgets. i know this because my posse would tell you that one of the best times ever was eating ice cream at sonic when they crawled through the moon roof and ate on the roof of the truck. and this was like 2 or 3 years ago. crazy, huh? so i drove 'P' and Girlie to sonic for 99 cent sundaes (yum-o!!) and i let them create another memorable moment :) on the roof of the truck in their pj's...







and i'd like to say that i got a picture of my eldest before i was allowed to walk halfway to the junior high with him, but then i'd be a liar instead of a completely forgetful and silly mama who has broken her streak of first-day-of-school pictures.... however that walk to school on monday was magnificent! i was so excited that he let me walk with him and i was kicking myself after i quickly hugged him and gave his fuzzy head a rub that i forgot my sunglasses to cover my teary eyes as i headed back to get my Girlie ready for school, too.




she wanted to walk to school, as well. this is the first time we've ever lived close enough to do this and it is apparently the coolest thing ever to walk to school!! (giggle) so after much careful preparation, she adorned herself (with some primping assistance from mama) with her most favorite new outfit and i strapped 'K' into the stroller and headed off to third grade...






i'm so a fan of this super adorable frilly, sequined skirt.... kinda want one of my own... seriously



so we headed inside..... it was an anxious moment for her, i could see her biting the bottom lip a little and so i reminded her how incredibly kind, smart, sweet, caring, fun, beautiful she is as we walked the new halls to her class. might i add she has the most amazing teacher this year, it is sure to be a wonderful success. and after five days, it is almost being to feel normal and not new... and this mama is overly relieved for God's grace in giving the right teacher and class, everything




you noticed the fabulously gorgeous school bag my daughter was carrying, didn't you? i thought so, i could sense your envy from here (hee, hee)...




yep, i made it for her.... and wow, it was one of the most frustrating projects i've taken on as of late. i wanted to throw my sewing machine about 6 minutes into the whole dang process, but after i shed a couple tears of frustration one night i persevered and came out with what she believes to be the "most beautiful bag i've ever seen, mama"... ya, that made it worthwhile




Big 'K' and i are working on the letter 'A' this week, 'A' sounds and 'A' words, also on concepts of big and small, short and tall and his very favorite: cutting on the lines!!




i am trying to finish a couple 'jewelry frames' that were ordered, and one is completed and the other is going to be done by the end of tomorrow if it kills me!! okay, it won't kill me but no one may get fed until i finish :) and i have about 5 more frames to complete so i can officially open my etsy webstore for Flooded By Grace Designs (lots of Yay!!!)




so do you forgive me for ignoring y'all?


oh, good!!! now it is bedtime for this mama who is worn out and in need of about 14 hours of straight sleep.... i do realize i'll only get about 6 but a girl can dream, right?!




be blessed.....

Wednesday, August 11, 2010

what's cooking?!

so i've been tweeting about my oatmeal cookie obsession lately (if you don't follow me on twitter, just click on the link on the right sidebar) and the obsession has yet to subside... yep, at 10am this morning i was whipping up another batch.


hey! don't judge me! it's oatmeal, people! it's heart healthy and whole grains are very, very good for you.

anyway.... since i have been completely lazy on sharing our weekly menus and new recipes with you (bad mama blogger....), i thought that i would give you my super fabulous oatmeal cookie recipe, well it's my mama's but she won't mind at all if i share with you :)



preheat your oven to 350 degrees (i almost always forget to do this, so i eat way too much cookie dough while i wait for my ancient oven to heat up)

you'll need:

2 sticks of butter (softened) and yes to make them incredibly delicious it must be real butter

cream butter with 1C brown sugar and 1/2C sugar (i use organic raw sugar but granulated is fine, too). once you've creamed those together and taken a couple tastes, just to be sure :), then add 1tsp pure vanilla, mix some more. then grab 2 eggs from your chicken coop out back or the fridge, whatever :) and beat those in (one at a time) with your butter/sugar mixture.

good so far? great...
in a separate bowl mix together the dry ingredients: 1 1/2C flour (i use half unbleached white and half whole wheat), 1tsp baking soda, 1tsp cinnamon and a pinch more for good measure, and 1/2tsp of salt.... stir it all together

now stir in the dry ingredients, about 1 cup at a time... oh hold on i have to take a bit of my cookie, oh that was good.... into the butter/sugar/egg. your dough will be nice and thick but it is of course missing something: oatmeal!! now just using my spatula or wooden spoon i stir in 3C of oatmeal (i do not prefer the quick cooking oats, i like the big old fashioned oats, i love the texture it adds to my cookies

yea! you've done it!! now just plop down some of this amazing mixture on a cookie sheet lined with parchment paper, okay you don't have to use the parchment paper, but i do and it's my recipe, to there :) bake at 350 for about 8 minutes, and viola! you have the most amazing oatmeal cookies this side of the mississippi!!

now i have been experimenting with little additions to my cookie dough such as white chocolate chips or walnuts or even dried cranberries.... and while all of those are yum-o, i still just love this simple recipe without all the bells and whistles. and for all you freaks who ruin a perfectly wonderful oatmeal cookie by adding raisins (YUCK, YUCK, YUCK!!), i don't want you're commentary about how you added raisins and it was fantastic, gross :)



okay, i am off to clean up the kitchen after feeding five children (yes i had two extras today) this colorful, yummy, and simple lunch....

some all natural vanilla yogurt, with honey wheat pretezel, slices of nectarines and a drizzle of raw honey..... yum, yum, yum... enough said :)



my belief is: if it looks colorful and appealing to the eye, then the posse is more likely to eat it without any complaining





and the hot dogs are actually turkey dogs without any preservatives or anything artifical, organic mac-n-cheese (so good), grape tomates and baby carrots with cottage cheese... easy, cheap, and so healthy i can hardly contain myself!!


be blessed today!! let me know how you liked the cookies.... i'm off to put the toddler down for a nap (praise the Lord!) and then i have like a million jewelry portraits to create...

Monday, August 9, 2010

Not Me! Monday



do you feel shamed for eating five, no two, okay five oatmeals cookies for a snack while blogging before bed? is a mountain of clothes spilling out of the laundry and yet you just keep walking over it like it's not there? don't fret, my dear! Not Me! Monday was born out of the brillant mind of Mrs.MckMama as a way to air our less than perfect mom/wife moments and live to tell about it... you can link up and join the party at her blog by clicking here.....

okay, where to begin....


i did not spend last weekend completely obsessed with reading new moon because if i didn't find out what happened with bella and edward i might conbust! nope, i am a total grown-up and wouldn't allow myself to get so caught up in a silly book... ahem...

i seriously needed to get to the grocery store last week and i would never torture my children plus my niece and nephew by dragging all five of them to FOUR different stores. i am always super fun mama and would not dream of threatening telling them to just be good for a little bit longer. and no way ever was it my teenage son that i had to get on to (repeatedly) for chasing his little brother up and down (and up and down, up and down...) the aisles of the store, he is always the model child teen and would never require me to impose potential embarassment if he didn't stop chasing Big 'K' all over the place!!!


and certainly i did not find a stray kitten in my truck just this morning! as i was heading out the door at 7am to run by the store before going to lil' Girlie's school to take muffins for a teacher breakfast, i definitely did not hear any faint meowing but just dismiss it and start the truck anyway. and then after running to the store and then back home (cause i forgot something) i did not hear more manic meowing this time. and if i had heard this i didn't start searching for the tortured kitty, only to follow the cries to be coming from under my truck. i did not immediately get a horrible sick feeling in my tummy with the thought of mangled kitty in my engine.... so i did not cautiously open the hood searching for said kitty.....



and i did not find this cutie kitty stuck back in the corner of the tahoe's engine... nope...


so what say you?! what haven't you done this week :)


and don't forget to enter my twilight contest!! click here.... i'm going to close comments at 6pm CST tonight


be blessed y'all!!


Trust in the Lord with all your heart, and do not lean on your own understanding. In all ways acknowledge him, and he will make straight your paths. proverbs 3.5-6

Wednesday, August 4, 2010

it's my twilight ponderings.... and a contest!!

with a new (old) home to clean & remodel, an amazing Man, three babes in my posse and never enough hours in the day to feel like i've even made a dent in my ever-mounting projects for home & kid's school, i have no right to take on some time-consuming obsession...

...but that doesn't matter because i am over-the-top hooked on a saga of books: twilight!


now don't judge me!! yes, i believe that the author wrote these books with young adults in the starring roles meant to appeal to teens and young(er) adults, well in my opinion most precisely written for women... however, after reading the first two books (twilight and new moon, just so you know) i know that this series was designed with the adult woman in mind.



okay, okay, you may not agree, but here's my thoughts:


my teenage son wants to read these books, but i am saying "no" for now because the love and passion that bella and edward express (not sexually at all, in case you were wondering) for each other is so deep and emotional, and the author did a phenomenal job of conveying the desire and engulfing love these two souls have for one another, there is no way in the world that my teenage son or daughter could even begin to process or understand that kind of love. i wonder how many adults could fathom love to strong that it consumes all of your heart, that so selfless that you couldn't imagine living without the other half of your heart...


it could have been subconscious, maybe not, but it is of course the cry of most woman's hearts to have a man that is so completely out-of-this-world obsessively in love with all of you and the author has created this guy, edward, that is so totally amazing in his protective nature and the intensity with which he loves her, bella. it is the propensity of the female heart to yearn for a man to love her with such infatuation and the early to mid-thirties woman is a prime candidate in today's society, in my humble opinion.


every girl wants those moments that makes her heart beat faster, butterflies in her stomach, to be pursued, to be protected, to be rescued, to experience passion, a love affair that is exciting....


i have stumbled with these feelings and thoughts for the last three weeks, my hunger and fascination with the storyline, you know a great book will consume your thoughts, i love that about reading... anyway, so i have this astounding marriage, not bragging and it's not without work, i can't boast about something that is all the plan and blessing and grace of God :) but even with a strong, wise, warm, sheltering and might i add insanely handsome Man, that doesn't mean that i'm not intrigued and romanced by a storyline in which the girl is shadowed by a man whose love is so overwhelming.... a woman wants to be overwhelmed, ya know? and when you're home with kiddos all day, working and juggling babes, trying to get everything checked off the to-do list, the same day in and day out routine, all the heart-pounding drama has settled into monotony....


is it wrong to say that i miss being purused? while i would never, ever, ever trade my life, this beautiful blessing.... but i love this story because it reminds me of the first time i saw my husband, i remember our first kiss, what it felt like when he took my hand for the first time, how i used to get butterflies when i saw him across the room, how much i missed him when we were apart, when i realized that i would never be able to live without him....


i think this story, the movie, lots of other stories and movies too, place false expectations and desires into the hearts and minds of girls and woman, expectations and fantasies that the majority of relationships can't ever live up to.... that's why it's a story, but i am still drawn to it for the simple fact that i can't resist an amazing love story that highlights the good and bad in people, how when we truly give ourselves to someone how much power we are giving them to edify our soul or break it....


i could keep going, i do truly love twilight.... you know you wanna love it too :)


this story, these characters are appealing to me, so very appealing.... but i don't think i'm the only thirty-something wife & mama. so i refuse to tolerate you're giggling that i'm completely ravenousness with these books, take the step pick it up the next time you're grocery shopping, seriously your can buy these books anywhere.


hhhmmm... if you haven't ever read the books then i have a contest.... now this is totally off the top of my head.... tell me (reader's digest version, please) your love story, good or bad. i'll pick my favorite and i'll send you your very own copy of the first book in the series, twilight!!!


alright, can't wait to read your stories.... let's say this contest is on until monday morning, okay?


be blessed!!


oh, by the way, i'm team edward!!

Tuesday, August 3, 2010

running to and fro...

okay so besides my obvious addiction to all things twilight, and by the way i have an entire post about my thoughts on twilight and if you don't care i do understand but you are totally missing out!! ahem...... anyway, we have been busy, busy, busy here in fly over country, USA.


my big kids go back to school in only 2 weeks!! i can't believe it's flown by so quickly! so last week we took our annual trip out and about to buy school clothes and shoes and hang out...


one of the many places we shopped was the mall....aaagggrrrhhh....i despise, loathe, dread the mall. something about taking three kids of varying ages, different opinions and wants, having to go into more stores than i want just to say "no" to most things, attempting to avoid all the candy, cookie and pretzel vendors, ugh! however, they were all mostly good, okay 'P' and Girlie were, of course, good....









...but 'K' on the other hand was having a rather difficult time following directions. however he and 'P' had an amazing time riding the escalator over and over and over.... and then as he bunkered himself under some shelves of jeans, his sweet sis sat next to him humming and chatting until, well see for yourself...




yep! it was way past naptime and i was totally fine with it, as least he wasn't running around pulling clothes off the rack :)


and by the way, jc penny was having an amazing sale, and no they didn't pay me to say it, but WOW! you should totally check it out...


i've also been creating several jewelry portraits for my sweet readers who won them plus a couple as gifts and i am developing a business plan and site to sell Flooded By Grace Designs... it is sure to be wonderful (i hope)...



i really liked this design with a delicate pink frame, the vintage pink roses in the background, sweet pearls with purple button accents from which to hang necklaces or rings...



and this one was a requested pink and brown palate....





and i have to say that i loved how the varying shades of pink paisley ribbon on the inside of the frame popped against the background & the frame, but i'm kinda of biased :) more importantly, what do you think? i'm really curious...




so as i prep our lives for a kid in junior high, one in third grade and lastly our little one for preschool, i am experiencing glorious anticipation about what the Lord is bringing to our lives and how He will use me... praying that He will equip me, make me worthy of the calling He has on my life.


seriously, i'm writing out my thoughts on twilight for debut tomorrow, so you won't want to miss this one....


love y'all! be blessed.....