Richer

Our current Sunday sermon series at church is the 40 Days of Love theme. You may or may not have heard about it. Rick Warren, who is most popular for his the Purpose Driven Life series puts this program out as well. The whole point of this series is to get our church, as a whole, to love well. Not only do we hear a sermon about the topic of the week, we also are involved in a small group that is doing a book study from the Relationship Principles of Jesus on this same topic.

This week the topic was loving with/through confrontation. Or more importantly, loving enough to confront. I don’t know about you, but I don’t enjoy confronting anyone. I don’t do well with confrontation and usually I get nervous and start to giggle, completely inappropriately, when I am faced with the issue of confrontation. Yeah, that’s a good time right there. :)

But there is something that I got out of the sermon this week that I really did want to share with you. It was a sermon about how the mouth can bring healing, or can bring death. How it can tear down, or how it can build up. How there can be love, or there can be heat, all from the words that come out of your mouth, and from the way that things are said. That is so important too.

Well, I know that I have a sharp tongue. A quick tongue that can often be biting. Oh, what my husband puts up with from me sometimes. I confess right now that my words are not always sweet. Love does not drip from my words at times, and they are thoughtless.

But I want to change that. I want to say things in love. At the right time, to be kind and loving, to be thoughtful and wise in how I use my words. And, most importantly, to let those I love know that I love them and that they are important to me.

So, I just wanted to say, “I love you Michael, you make my life richer just by being in it. I am so fortunate that you are mine!”

Things I love Thursday

Several of you asked from my last post how I did the special effects to my pictures. It is really so easy, it's kind of silly. Honestly it takes just a few minutes for each picture. And the way? Well photoshop, of course. I really do love photoshop, I can do so much to a photo in very little time, it's just fantastic. There is so much, in fact, that it can do, that I haven't even scratched the surface of knowing what or how to do it. I actually had to buy a book to give me play by play instructions, and boy does it do a lot to all my photos. Almost every photo I ever show has somehow been photoshopped. So...what do I love today?

Photoshop of course!

Wordless Wednesday

10 Smile Tuesday...Wednesday edition

I've been hearing a lot of crunching below my feet lately. There seems to be a brisk chill in the air that makes me want to watch old movies and drink hot apple cider. I've been cooking things that warm your heart and body lately, things like chili and chicken noodle soup. Apples are literally falling out of my fridge. I may have bought too many.

Funny how this time of year my body craves comfort foods. I think my body is in preparation mode for the coming months. Gotta get some extra rolls going on to keep me warm while I hibernate.

There, of course, have been lots of smiles in the midst of this new season. It's always a busy time of year, and, as usual, we are on the go. In just one month I've travelled to Gatlinburg, then to Nashville and this weekend to Chicago. Whew, I'm ready for no more travel for awhile. Like I said, hibernation is the key!

So, here are some of the joys of the past week:

1. Last minute trip to Chicago to attend my cousin, Kimmy's wedding. We decided to go spur of the moment and are really glad we did. It was nice to see many extended family members and just to see the joy the day brought my cousin and her long awaited "prince".2. Dancing. Lilla is the dancing queen. No one else had begun to dance yet, but she just couldn't help but shake her groove thing. The child loves to move and twirl and had such fun when her skirt would blow out. She just loved being in her "beautiful dress."
3. Birthday party. What child does not like to go to birthday parties? I'm sure I don't know as my kiddo loves them! One of her good friends, Kendall, turned 3 this weekend and she had a ball being the one to start everyone in singing, "Happy Birthday."4. This picture. Just because I think it's stinkin' adorable!
5. Not the best picture of this outfit, but it's so cute I wanted to share it with you. I got it for $8 at Target, they have $4 shirts and yoga pants and I just love it. Apparently others do too though as I see kids everywhere wearing the exact same thing. Oh well, still love it!6. Festival time. It is definitely that time of year for festivals, including in our town. This past weekend we had our annual event, which is always fun to go to. We live in a small town so it's nothing major, but it's just fun to do something community oriented and different here.

7. Children's musuem. Yesterday we met my sister and her kids at our children's musuem. Every kid loves that musuem, it's great! We didn't stay long as Ms. Lilla was not having a good day, but that's the beauty of a yearly pass, you don't feel like you have to! Love it!
8. Like I said, the comfort food has been flowing at our house lately. And the fun part about it is that Lilla is really getting into cooking. We've made pumpkin bread and stuffed pizza pockets, chocolate chip-peanut butter cookies, chili and stir fry together recently.
9. Schedule. Last week, after two years, Michael's work schedule finally changed. He was getting home at 9 every night and is now getting home around 5:30pm. I am still getting used to the idea, it is just so different, and I love it! I am so thankful for the change as it is so great having him home at dinner time and helping with the girls at night. I'm still getting used to waking up early, but it's so worth it!

10. More celebrations. Our friend, Tom, had a birthday this week too and we were invited to share in the celebration with his family as well. We had a lot of fun just hanging out, eating yummy food and the guys had a great time playing Madden on the wii. There is nothing in life like good friends, that's for sure!

And a couple more for the road...
11. Starting a new bible study, 40 days of love. Looking forward to the weeks to come!

12. MOPS on Friday, such a refreshing time to get to spend with our women.

13. Shopping alone. Seems small, but as the mother of a 9 month old and 3 1/2 year old, it's a big old smile all in itself!

What are you smiling about today?

It takes a 3 year old

Last week a good friend asked me if I would be willing to do a garage sale. She is currently in the divorce process, unemployed and living in a mother-in-law quarters at a friend's home.

She has a 3 1/2 year old and a 10 month old. Her husband left her when her baby was 9 days old. He told her it was better off for "everyone" as they haven't gotten along in years. It's been a very ugly divorce, and to say the least, these past 10 months have not put him on my favorite person list. To be honest, there have been times I've just wanted him to "pay" for what he did to my friend and to her children. I couldn't understand how he could treat his wife, who he promised to love and always be there for, that way.

So, Friday as we sat doing the garage sale, I began talking to her sweet little girl. We talked about all kinds of things like favorite colors and preschool and her baby brother. Then we began talking about what Jesus did for us, how he died on the cross and his reasoning? To forgive all our sins. I got excited to say to her, for you, for Lilla, for your brother, for Anna, for your momma...

And then she said, "For my daddy too?"

Talk about taking the wind out of you. Wow, in that moment I knew it was my heart that had been wrong. Because yes, isn't that why Christ came and died in the first place? He died for sinners. I am one of those too, only saved by grace. The blood of Christ is for her daddy too.

I truly hope one day he will accept it and receive all that is offered him too.

10 Smile Tuesday

This past week has been a busy, tiring, quick, fun, sleepy...just a mix of all you can think of kind of week. I don't have many pictures as most has been covered in sickies and jammies, so you will have to use your imagination to get that Kodak feel.

Wednesday, Michael was off work so we threw the kids in the car and went to the zoo to see the new baby giraffe. (Smile #1) Lilla got to feed the giraffes, which she absolutely loves about our zoo so that was a lot of fun.Thursday I was preparing for the garage sale all day. Going, going, going. A friend invited us to dinner (#2 smile), and then while I was trying to get Lilla to just take 3 small bites, she threw it up up in my hands. Mmmmm, yummy.

I then came home to finish preparing for the garage sale and make sure all was ready for our first MOPS meeting of the year Friday morning. (Smile #3)

Friday morning I was rushing around, making a sausage egg casserole for MOPS (Smile #4, soooo good!), putting everything out for the garage sale and rushing to help out any way I could with setting up for the MOPS meeting.

I got the kids in the car, went to MOPS and we had a really good first meeting. We had a fun little skit, welcomed in the seasoned and new moms and had a sweet nametag and binder craft for the moms.

We then came home to help with the garage sale. My friend and her mom had been holding down the fort and we'd already sold a couple of large items so that was a big smile to hear that I was on my way to my goal. Which, by the way, was to pay for the convention I'm going to in Nashville this next weekend for MOPS. My friend has a daughter, the same age as Lilla and a son the same age as Anna so they all had fun causing a ruckus, poor Lemonade all over and getting into the garage sale items. (Smile #5)

For the past year my husband has been trying to get on a more regular shift (he works 10 hour days 4 days a week, and has had that schedule for 2 1/2 years now) to no avail. Well on Friday he called to tell me it was finally happening and our life is going back to normal! Let me just tell you how that was certainly the biggest smile of the week!! (Smile #6)

On Saturday we spent the day finishing out the garage sale and made just enough to pay the convention fees. God is so good! (Smile #7)
Saturday evening Lilla started feeling sick so when her temp spiked we decided I needed to stay home with her from church Sunday. We were having a prayer walk of our whole town on Sunday though so I did get to do that. How awesome to get assigned a street I know no one on and just pray for every person in every house there. Pretty cool! (Smile #8)

So these past couple of days Lilla has been pretty sick so we've just kind of hung out at home. However, I still do have the smiles of...

A still producing garden. Not much left, but I have lots of red peppers to freeze, a couple of zucchini, some tomatoes and green beans. (Smile #9) Who doesn't love fresh?

Watching Anna pull up on everything and anything. She's a fast crawler now and she is taking steps forward when she pulls up on things. I'm amazed daily at how fast she's growing and becoming our little climber! (Smile #10)What are you smiling about today?

Saturday Photo Hunt - Upside Down

I recently did an impromptu photo shoot for a friend that was having a baby the next day. She was such a good sport to lay upside down, in the grass, on a woodpile that kept falling apart...anything I asked. Super fun!

10 Smile Tuesday

So many smiles going around our house lately. Admittedly, some hard times too as we continue to face the struggles of three year old tantrums, baby bawling and mommy meltdowns. But that is what the best part of doing a 10 smile Tuesday is, although no one else in the wide world may see it, I can look back and remember the good things that happened, the smiles that we shared and the blessings God has given my family over the past week. Now that is something to smile about!

1. Today was Anna's first story time at the library. You know I had to take a couple of pictures, but that camera is in the car so you'll have to use your imagination on that one and trust me that it really was very sweet. Especially when the song required clapping and Anna got so excited she could do something and just giggled away, clapping and laughing the whole time!

2. Lilla also started a special storytime today, as she is in the preschool one now and goes all by herself. I actually didn't realize it until the teacher told me when I walked in the door. Although she couldn't tell me what they did she seemed to enjoy it, such a big girl!

3. Gymnastics. Lilla absolutely loves it. She has such a great time each week, although it gets her a little too excited some times. It's just so cute to see her in her little outfit, doing the balance beams and bars. It was something I always wanted to be able to do as a child, and never did, so I'm glad she has the chance. Such fun!
4. The park. We go to the gymnastics at our local parks district so the playground is just a short walk from the building. Every week Lilla asks me if we can go visit and this week we did with some friends who go to gymnastics too. We had such a nice time just hanging out for a bit with our kiddos and enjoying the warm weather. Such a nice unexpected visit!

5. Chicken Parmigiana. You know, I just have to mention some delicous food I've had in every 10 smile. Apparently, eating brings me smiles! Anyway, Michael got a gift card for his birthday so we got to go to Carrabas on Saturday and eat way yummy food! If you have one near you and have never been, do yourself a favor and go! Their chicken parm is just fantastic...mmmmm!!

6. Vacation. For labor day weekend we were just going to take a short trip down to Tennessee to see my dad. Well, the three days wound up being 7 days, crazy I know, but it wound up working out because of Michael's work schedule and being able to take a couple of extra days. It was a free trip down and free accommodation, so it was kind of silly to say no. And sometimes it's just nice to get away...the kids had fun too!

7. Lilla got to go on rides...
Michael did too...

8. There was lots of swimming, thanks to my aunt and uncle and their timeshare.

9. We got to spend time with my dad, his new wife and my aunt and uncle. They got to love on Anna and watch Lilla make up all kinds of songs and dances.


10. And we enjoyed the apple barn on more than one occasion. If you have never been to Pigeon Forge and don't know the Apple Barn, I'm very sorry because you are missing out. Mmmm...apple fritters with apple butter, gosh they are gooooood!

I've got some bonus smiles too...

Free tickets to Dollywood.

Free tickets at an amusement place where Michael took Lilla for some rides. They had buy one get one free tickets and then a lady that was leaving just handed Michael some extra ride tickets for Lilla. Love free!

Watching everyone dry off in the "heater" after Lilla convinced everyone to go on the water ride on a chilly, overcast day.

Seeing how much courage Lilla had as she went on every ride they would let all 37 inches of her go on. Amazing to see how she just has no fear!

An impromptu day spent with my sister's family when we went to pick up our dog. They live an hour away so we don't get by much these days, so it was nice just to sit outside on the swing and chat, eat homemade pizza and play Clue. Good times.

What are you smiling about today?

In Concert

So the other day Lilla starts making up songs, singing along to the beat of her own drum. Singing something along the lines of, "Anna. You sleep. Anna. You eat. Anna, you poop. And then dad cleans out the tub." (Long, grosser than gross story there.)

So she wraps up this tribute to Anna and then looks at me and says, "Aren't you going to clap for me?"

I, of course, ablige.

She then asks, "Why are you clapping?"

I say, "Well, you sang that song. You know, Anna, you sleep, you eat..."

She says, "Oh no, you can't sing that. That's a concert just for me."

Because, you know, my 3 year old clearly knows what a concert is.

Saturday Photo Hunt - Surprise

I love taking random pictures of people/places. This one I took at the Indiana State Fair last week. I thought this little old man just screamed the state fair. He was so adorable eating his ice cream from the Dairy Barn. However, immediately after I snapped this picture he looked up at me with the oddest expression. He was certainly surprised by me taking this shot!

This photohunt meme is sponsored by www.tnchick.com ...stop by and visit and join in the fun!

10 Smile Tuesday

Another week has gone by, and what good it does to sit back and remember what has brought joy and smiles for the week. It can be very hard to be a stay at home mom, when the days seem so long sometimes and you feel like you are waiting for nap/bedtime. Yep, I have those days quite often. Lilla still has a hard time with me giving attention to Anna. If often results in negative behaviors, discipline and just sadness all around. Don't get me wrong, she loves Anna, she just wants to be my whole world, and learning that she is not has been a constant struggle for us. So, I give her an extra cuddle or hug here or there and am forever telling her I love her. However, I am trying to also be mindful to remind her that I love Anna too. Quite the balance my friends, quite the balance.

1. Hammock. On the note of peace, I have to say my first smile would be my hammock. Yesterday, Anna was taking a nap and Lilla was watching a cartoon while I worked in the yard. I decided to take a short break so I layed in the hammock and I just starred up at the clouds looking for funny shapes. Ahhhh...the refreshment that brought to me to even have five minutes to just lay there. Very sweet smile indeed!

2. Tomatoes. Holy cow, have we got tomatoes! Even though all of our plants have been through heck and back this year due to all the rain and odd weather, we still have lots of tomatoes! So, I have made pasta sauce for the winter and a ton of salsa that I passed on to Michael's family. The cherry tomatoes have been my favorite, mmmm, to pop them in my mouth straight from the garden. Good eats!

3. More tomato. Speaking of tomatoes, I put Anna down next to the garden on Sunday, and she suddenly grabbed a tomato and just started chomping away. I was trying to get a good pic but unfortunately had the long lens on so I didn't get quite it. Hilarious though to watch her just having a ball with a big, red juicy tomato!

4. Free. In last Sunday's paper they had another free coupon for the state fair, so back we went. You can't beat free! Although of course it doesn't wind up being free when you have to pay for the food, rides and if you are like my husband, a rubber kind of broom that honestly does sweep better than I thought it would.

5. Ferris Wheel. Which, unfortunately I did not get a picture of us on. Lilla and I rode it for the first time together, and she loved it! She laughed and got excited...I of course, wondered if we would tip, when the wheel stopped us at the top. Whew, exciting stuff! Ha, ha!

6. My new ride. A couple of weeks ago Michael's car, which we bought used 6 years ago, started going on the fritz so we decided it was time for a minivan. We'd been talking about it for awhile, we just didn't want a car payment again. We decided on a very used one with a very low payment. So, it's nothing fancy, but it is super nice to have so much more room and not feel so overcrowded with the baby gear!

7. Preschool. Lilla is loving the start of a new school year for us. We worked a little this summer but not much. So we have been doing a lot more this last week, working on the letter E, tracing, cutting with her very own scissors. She just begs to do more. School definitely makes Lilla smile! And makes me smile too as I see her enjoy it so much.
8. Growing up. I can hardly believe how much Anna is growing up all of a sudden. She does a walk crawl now and will stand on her legs if you pull her up. She's babbling all kinds of syllables and is getting into everything these days. It's all going so fast and I can hardly believe in less than four months she will be 1!9. Flowers. Suddenly these lovely little flowers have sprung up around my deck. I just love seeing their bright shiney faces when I open my window in the morning!
10. Delicious! We gave my best friends inlaws a bunch of stuff from our garden and they (who are Italian) brought us back fried zucchini and eggplant parmigiana with garlic linguini. Oh my goodness...yummo!! Even the girls were munching away at it. Mmmmm....

What are you smiling about today?

Just a taste

These past couple of weeks has just contained milestone after milestone for Anna. She started out scooting toward a cup for a drink. Within days she was moving across the floor and now can get anywhere her little heart desires. I had her at the library last week and she was practically doing laps around the bookcases to get between me and some friends.

She then started saying, out of nowhere, "Mama". A week later I promise I'm hearing "Hi" and "Dada." She is singing, humming and screeching in large rooms just to hear the echo.

Today, she has decided to start pulling up on everything she sees. She wanted to get to Lilla's puzzle and she pulled up so hard on my leg she was standing clear up on her feet to get over my leg. She throws her body anywhere she wants to go and she is fast I tell you!

She is also eating anything and everything she can. Today she was mowing on spaghetti, pizza and macaroni and cheese are also some faves. Peas and blueberries are always yummy. She is just loving tasting it all!

Oh...and the cute factor has only increased...

Down on the Farm

This week we went to the state fair. Always a fun time I look forward to every year. Lots of animals, fried foods, people, music and random eye candy to boot! Of course I took lots of pics, so I thought I'd share a few.

That family shot...gotta do it!

Giddy up

First time eating that yummy corn!

Smooches

Taking a rest before the next exhibit

Little hands on the farm. The kids get to be farmers!
The sister shotIt''s great to be a kid!