Thanks Scrappy!

Do you like your new nickname?
It's my thing.
I get to give nicknames to those who don't already have them...
And Gwen was so last decade...
The fact that you had a playdate was enough.
Your string bikini was the icing...
hehehee
Alright, what can I say?
Your house was perfect!
Your backyard oasis - delightful!
The company - a treat!
And your homemade smoothies and kiddie Popsicles - to die for!
Who knew you could make kiddie Popsicles that are both healthy and yummy??!!??
Yes, she made Popsicles.
Now I'm loser mom...
"Why don't YOU make our Popsicles mommy...."
Oy ve!!

untitled.

When someone you love is hurting, you hurt with them.
When someone you love is hurt by you, it is a feeling altogether wretched and unbearable.
I have been tried and found guilty by the wounded. The hurt is real, although unintentional.
How does a person who intended no harm and feels justified by their decision facilitate healing?
I have inflicted a wound on this person that serves only to re-injure a deeper heartbreak and for that, I am wholly to blame.
I had only the best intentions in mind for the involved individuals,
but what is perceived as less than pure motive where some are concerned.

I am conflicted.
I am broken.
I am alone.
If it is possible to be right and to be wrong at the same time, in this situation, I have mastered the art of being exactly that.
Right and wrong.

In the end, the unsolicited, unintentional, undesired result is wreaking havoc on not only me, but also someone I care deeply for.
If you were to ask me which is worse, I'd say the latter is more agonizing for sure.

Every Mother's Dream....

Classroom.

We do a lot of sign language in my class so I was excited to find this sign.

One of my most favorite things in my classroom is the stuff hanging from the ceiling.

It's hard to appreciate in the pictures, but it really adds a bunch to the feel of the room!

Last year, we did a bunch of songs and I would let them choose their favorites ever once in a while - but when they chose 'Frosty the Snowman' in May, I decided to revamp the choosing process. This little juke box guy is going to help me limit their choices to only the songs and activities we have done that week.

I didn't like seeing the ugly back of the piano first thing when I walked into the room. I made the curtain (valance), the piano cover, and the curtains across the front of the shelving last year.

I wish I had taken a BEFORE picture. You will never be able to fully appreciate how much stuff came out of my room. THAT is the miracle of my lifetime. One day, 400 Little Tykes Playthings. 14 gillion dead crickets - yucko!

I am really looking forward to this schoolyear! I think the second year is going to go so much more smoothly than my first - and I positively cannot complain about the first year...

I just know what to expect and I have much more confidence.

Ok - that's all I have! Thanks for peeking into my music room!

E! Entertainment.

We bit the bullet.
We went and got family portraits this evening.
It had been almost 2 years.
The pictures turned out really nice, but even nicer than the pictures was the lady at the portrait studio...
My good friend E. showed up in uniform and ready to go - even though she wasn't actually scheduled to work...
Who does that?
I will tell you.
E. does that.
Above and beyond.
She even gave her very best to help calm little A. down in the midst of her fit-frenzy...
What would a scheduled photo op. be like without a black eye, puffy cry-baby eyes, a new zit, et cetera??
Thank you for making the huge effort you made so that everything could be perfect.
And those editing training sessions have really paid off! You're good!
Those pictures will make me think of you. And that zit that just appeared this morning...
And my daughter's nonstop crying... And my Hollywood-bound son.... And...
Well, you're just fantastic - that's all!
Thank you!

Strong.

We've been laying with our children at night for longer periods of time than in the past.
One reason is because we can do it without getting them all riled up, and the other obvious reason is so we can know what they're thinking about.

So my husband hung out with A. while I hung out with J.
I could hardly wait to find out what my husband had to say about his conversation with A.

He said A. kept bragging about how strong she is.
She said, "I'm stronger than daddy. I'm stronger than mommy. I'm stronger than Bubba."
Then she turned it around and started saying, "Bubba's strong. Daddy's strong." All the way down the line....
Her daddy asked her if Granddaddy was strong.
She said, "No, Grandmomma's strong."
There you have it ladies - Grandmomma's are stronger than granddaddies!
Sorry DAD................

Big kid.

I was talking with my son at bedtime tonight.
He was talking about what it took to be a 'big kid.'
You must:

1. Sleep in a big boy bed,
2. Poop in the potty,
3. Eat all your growing food,
4. Play on the big kid playground at school.

I asked him if Buzz Lightyear was a big kid, he said,

"Yeah, he's an Intergalactic Space Ranger."

Who knew?

Recipe anyone???

I have never boasted the extent of my culinary prowess.

Tonight, I concocted a meal that was neither delicious, nor edible.

It was simple by design.

The meat was hamburger meat. I added a few spices and some other secret ingredients (if you ask me, it must have been canned dog food and nail polish remover).

Truly, this was without question the most disgusting hamburger patty I have ever put into my mouth on purpose...

My kids looked at this cruel, cruel reality as it oozed grossness all over their plates.

I told them they didn't even have to try to eat it.

I was shocked by my own involuntary response when the foul substance crossed my lips and assaulted my tongue.

I literally gagged as if I would vomit.

Here are some pictures of the progression of events:

That was after one flip-over.

Here's after two...

At this point, I realized it might be more appropriate to call it "hash."

Also around this time, my husband came into the kitchen. He was clearly thinking, "What is that heinous odor?" But he sweetly asked, "I smelled it all the way from the living room, and I had to come see what it was." (Good hunny.)

I scrambled the cursed mess up and finished burning it...

And voila! It was dinnertime! Here's a look at our dinner table tonight...

Seriously, it was despicable. Utterly loathsome.

This begs the question, 'meems, do you want me to post the recipe?'

As a side note: I also managed to burn the frozen veggies IN THE MICROWAVE!!!

Proud Moment: Husband went back for seconds. Bless his heart...

Bummer.

Cowboys lost to the Houston 'Losers.' 28-16

No news is good news!

Ok, well I haven't been doing my blogging homework...
It just so happens that my life has picked up a bit.
Or maybe life has picked me up...

Either way, God has really been doing a great work!
It has taken me a long time to
'put on my big girl panties and deal with things'
and I have not been disappointed!
My expectations have been met and exceeded!
I am so grateful for a God who cares enough about the goings-on in our world to bring a revolution!
It couldn't hurt that I took a long hard look in the mirror...
God has shown me things I have been hiding from myself,
and now that it's out in the open, I can clean house!

What a journey still lies ahead in this path to becoming:
A woman after God's heart.
A person of depth and breadth, created to praise and adore a deserving God.
A loving, supportive, and respectful wife.
A patient, consistent, and tender momma.
A genuine, honest, and devoted daughter.
A considerate, accepting, and loyal sister.
A caring, attentive, and generous friend.

These are traits that I have been praying for - not this list specifically - but a version of it from one prayer to the next.

Many days, I fall short;
But my God is no small God.

It's unreal, the stuff that Satan hurls at you, when you are making your most concerted effort to become everything you can become in God.
Especially from the angles that you have left unguarded...
But at long last, I am compelled.
Compelled by a desire birthed from deep within,
not of myself - but of God.
A sense of urgency drives me further into the process that burns away that which cannot abide in the presence of a holy God.
A process that I don't particularly enjoy, with it's inherent scrapes and bruises.
It, however, is a process that has become increasingly necessary for this crawl to become a 'walk.'
And then for my walk to more closely resemble my Saviour's.