Hello

Hey friends! Just thought I'd pop in and show you what I've been doing lately. Bought these date blocks at Hobby Lobby and I love them! Our baby (10) took the changing of the date as his calling, but before I took the picture I had to find the 7. It is the 7th, isn't it?

Time flies unless your date changer quits.

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allan grant, Life

I have been cranking Rod Stewart lately (after I heard him crooning at Urban Farmhouse -- his Great American series. Who knew?!). I'm not the romantic type, but man does this music put me in the mood to dance with and kiss my husband!

Saw that uber-cool photo on someone's blog and

l-o-v-e it so much! It reminded me of how I used to hang vintage posters in my college dorm room while my roommates hung posters of The Police (Syncronicity, not bang-bang), and tear-outs from Cosmo.

My sister needs to sit down before she reads on.

I MADE THESE PILLOWS. I MADE THIS WREATH.

I am not even kidding.

I got the idea for the wreath from here.

Re-did my mantle. The painting was done by one of my parents.

Silly, talented parents. They sometimes forgot to sign their work. Cheeeeesszzz.

Here it is up close. I'm gonna say my Dad did this one.

Having my wonderful in-law family over Saturday to celebrate moms.



What have you been up to?

Paula's in the House

Am I the only one who can cook up a storm one week and than feed my family Lucky Charms the next?

I have been needing a new frying pan. Now I have other pans, but a cooking boycott has recently been in place pending the replacement of my sad-sack frying pan. Not that I fry very much of anything, but a good excuse for not cooking for your family is hard to come by when one is a stay-at-home-mom.

But I digress. I need a frying pan, but as I priced them I found that I could buy a whole set of new pots and pans for a little more than the price of a good frying pan.

Now, we're not talking All-Clad pans. (I do have one All-Clad but the clean-up? UGH! I'm just too lazy to soak and scrub. By the way--I bought my All-Clad from Home Goods for a song.) I just need basic, nonstick cookware.

Enter Paula Deen. My homegirl. She has a line of pots and pans ("cookware" if you want to be fancy), and every internet source I checked included raving, 5-star reviews. The look of this particular set is

antique-y and beautiful.

And I'm thinking a little part of Paula in my kitchen might just inspire me to branch out from our recent cereal buffet. And then in this morning's paper? In the Walmarts ad? (Yes, I meant to say "the Walmarts")

ON SALE.

With a BONUS!

(Adorable hen measuring cups and hen measuring spoons.)

SOLD. (They had me at "hen...")

Tomorrow I plan on making my homemade spaghetti sauce (since the big expensive freezer has been a cold breadbox lately).

And ya'll, on Tuesday I'm fixin' to try grits in the morning and fried chicken for supper. Wednesday, I'll be whipping up a pound cake with butter cream frosting and strawberry-butter-jam-butter filling. Thursday, I think I'll do some hoecakes or cornbread, and Friday I'm gonna try to fry some pickles, ya'll.

l

Uh-oh.

Today's Adventure

necklace I bought last weekend

I get to go here today with my friend, Nichole.

JOY!

Speechless

flikr, clgregor

So here's my dilemma.

I had a wonderful class of college students last semester. Each Tuesday and Thursday, we all looked forward to being together. It was a special group indeed.

One of those students is graduating on Sunday. I found a beautiful, manly card at the Christian bookstore ($2.79! I hate spending money on cards) and I wrote some sappy God stuff that just sounds dorky, and now I have to go buy another manly and beautiful card to send to him.

So, do tell. What words of wisdom would you have appreciated from a believing professor when you were in college -- and let's say you weren't quite a believer yet but were open to God-talk?

All I can think of is "Seek God". But that would be kind of cold, you know, just writing two words followed by my name.

Alright. You may start. Eyes on your own computer. When you are finished, hit "submit" and go enjoy your day.

Time

Here I am at 18. Ready to set out for college. I ended up at

"Harvard on the Hocking" (Ohio University).

I loved every single minute in this special and magical town. I sang in the community choir, I joined a sorority, I did public relations work for the School of Dance, I studied a lot, I changed my major, I laughed, I stayed for grad school, I met my husband.

This past weekend I revisited this place and caught up with sorority sisters I hadn't seen for 22 years. Most of our sentences began with the words "remember when..." I received my 25 year sorority pin. (Whoa) I visited my freshman dorm room. I took a picture of the phone booth (now bolted shut) where I used to call my parents before our telephone was hooked up in our room (and cry when I heard their voices say "hello" because even though I loved college...I loved them more).

Life moves fast.

Walking the brick walkways of my college town, the spring breeze blowing through my hair, old friends beside me, I turned my chin upwards and smiled.

Thank you, God, for the places, the people, the memories....

My life.

Trust and Obey

*new mirrors from Marshall's

I believe in God. And I will tell you His ways are always best.

Sometimes (too often) I choose my own way.

But today I chose His...which didn't make human sense...but I was tired of the nudging.

I've had a student this semester who has stretched me, both in my teaching and in my spirit. I hadn't planned on killing pride in my heart (again) this semester, but alas, I have been busy doing just that. I hate when I think I've mastered something only to have it rear its ugly head yet again. Anyway, I am glad to be finishing up this course, mostly because I am weary of this student (who, I am sure, is weary of me, too) and the refining process of my spirit.

l

Earlier in the semester, out of the blue, I felt God directing me to pray for his salvation. I don't know if he knows Jesus or not, but I prayed. More recently the nudges in my spirit started...

"Give Him a copy of The Shack. "

I pretty much ignored the nudges. (Why hello, Pride, how are you today?)

This morning, the last day I would see him (probably forever),

I got another nudge. "Give him The Shack."

But, Lord, he has not been kind to me. He has been disrespectful.

I do not want to give him one of my books.

God said to my spirit that He knew all that. And I think He still wanted him to have the book. (Or maybe He just wanted ME to learn a lesson. Perhaps the book had nothing to do with anything!) Swell.

So I called him up before class started. I handed him his final paper and grade, told him he could stay for the review session if he chose, but there was no reason he needed to review for an exam he wouldn't be taking. He asked if it would hurt my feelings if he left.

HUH? Hurt my feelings? No, no. Not at all.

And then I handed him a copy of The Shack and said "I think you'll like this."

He was puzzled. He asked if he had to give it back. I assured him it was a gift from me to him. Consider it a graduation gift, I said.

And then he apologized to me.

Apologized. To me. For being a "nuisance" all semester.

I smiled and told him I appreciated his apology. He smiled back.

I was smiling at my student, of course. A genuine smile.

But I was also smiling at God.

He can be pretty bossy. Especially when I pout.

But He's always right.

It is a wonderful life with God. Even though sometimes it's hard.

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways," declares the LORD. Isaiah 55:8

CLEAN

We hosted my husband's new boss and his wife, from Seattle, Friday evening for dinner.

My entire house was clean.

And I wanted all my friends and family and neighbors and bloggy friends and strangers to come visit.

But it's like a good hair day...no one sees your hair -- or your house -- on those days.

But that's alright. Having company is always good for a home.

And good for the homemaker, too.

I function better when my house is CLEAN. How 'bout you?