Psalm 84:3 Even the sparrow has found a home, and the swallow a nest for herself, where she may have her young - a place near your altar, O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.
TOOT YOUR HORN TUESDAY RULES
To God goes the glory, but on Tuesday's we get to brag! 1. Write a post about something you're proud of 2. Use the cute little button or a hyper-link to this site in your post 3. Sign Mister Linky with the link to your post 4. Leave a compliment comment on this post and on other participants' posts
and been startled by a rodent in your cupboards or pantry?
No, I did not put here there and she isn't playing hide and seek. Actually, I don't know what the heck she is doing. She climbs up to this second shelf practically every day. And you're probably wondering how I get her out of there. It ain't easy!! In fact, she kind of acts the same way a rat would act if it were cornered. Can you picture that? Oh, toddlers, gotta love 'em. Click here to see other photo stories.
Their weekly photo contests are fun and the only requirement is that your photo submission has a face in the picture. After weeks of viewing all the cool pictures, I've decided to submit my own (actually taken by Grandma.) I'm a crummy photographer, but I do have an abundance of kids in my home who happen to be quite photogenic. There are adult face contests too!
So here's my baby once again. The contest theme is black and white. Glynis' face is beautiful in any color!!
I think I'll start snapping away for the next contest. You should join in the fun too!
Ok, so I got home from Texas last evening. To my utter delighted surprise, the house was in great shape. Remember, it was left in the hands of my husband and 3 boys! The kitchen was clean, the dining room table (the most easily cluttered location in the whole house) was spotless. My laundry basket was nearly empty and there was food in the fridge. My family all pitched in when we walked in the door to help Glynis get readjusted and fed. My husband made me a great sandwich and even offered to give me time to take a soak in the tub. I guess they missed me!! Big Smile!!
It is now 11:30 a.m. and I'm finally able to get showered and dressed. Been hard to get moving this morning. In Texas we had Spring-like weather, but when I woke up this morning I was greeted with a very Winter-like 28 degrees. Even with the heat cranked up, I just can't get warm. At least the sun is shining.
The other difference I noticed right away was that my husband had replaced most of the light bulbs in the house. When I left, there wasn't a room in the house without at least one burnt out bulb. It really felt like a dungeon and we had not had time to get to the Light Bulb store. We now have 30% more energy efficient lighting and every room is brighter.
I'm so grateful that there was nothing on my to do list for today. No where to go, no appointments, soccer practice etc. I plan on relaxing, playing with Glynis, and enjoying my family when they all get home.
I have to mention how wonderfully we ate while we were away. We only ate out 2 times, but my sister-in-law cooked beautiful, yet easy, meals the rest of the time. I didn't have to lift a finger. We ate pasta, grilled shrimp and scallops, grilled chicken. Salads, blueberries, bananas, croissants, sandwiches. Unlike my house, they really don't keep junk food around. I was forced to eat healthy and what a delight it was. My big post-vacation resolution is to simplify my kitchen pantry. I think I'll start tomorrow. Today I'm on vacation from my vacation!!
Here's Glynis on the steps in my brother's home. This was her favorite activity on our trip.
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
As you know, I'm in Texas, but actually flying home today. Here's my Not Me List from Virginia to Texas and back again.
1. Even though the stomach bug ran through my house prior to my trip, I was able to clean the entire house, do all the laundry, pack, and make several meals for the family so they wouldn't starve while I was away... Yeah Right!!!
2. I did not have to pack my suitcase 3 times because each bag I packed ended up having a hole or broken zipper. (I'm shopping for luggage when I get home!)
3. I did not waste my chance to get a nap while Glynis was sleeping on the plane. Why wouldn't I take advantage of the quiet? All mothers know to save their energy when they can.
4. I did not wait until the last minute to use the airplane restroom before we landed. Because that's when everyone else goes, meaning I would for sure have to wait in a line and 'bout wet myself.
5. I did not give my daughter the whole bowl of spicy salsa at the trendy Tex Mex restaurant with the cloth napkins and tablecloth. Surely a 1 year old would make a mess.
6. My brother had a beautiful guest room ready for Glynis and me, but we had to share the bed. I did not sleep each night with her little butt in my face!
7. I did not stay up till midnight playing on my new laptop each night. Again, mothers know about saving their energy and getting the proper amount of sleep.
8. I'm not at all angry at Dell for sending me a less than perfect laptop. Luckily my little brother will help me to get the problems corrected. I'll be sending this one back this week and have to wait for another.
9. We drove to Dallas to visit another family member and decided to stop by Dealey Plaza to see the historic street where Kennedy was assassinated. There were street vendors trying to sell books and dvds and giving little history lessons about the conspiracy theories. I did not stop to look at the gruesome pictures that they had on display of Kennedy's autopsy. I think that is totally irreverent and voyeuristic.
10. I did not wake up Sunday morning missing my family so much that I was ready to call the airlines to see if I could get a flight one day early. I've only been gone 4 days.
11. I am not posting a funny picture of my mother using my web cam on the laptop. It has some pretty silly special effects! She doesn't really look this weird. I'll be home this afternoon!!
Too much to write about! I ordered a new laptop, it's here and I'm using it, but will be sending it back next week. I bought a refurbished Dell, but there's a few little things I'm not happy with so back it will go. My brother works for Dell so I will only say nice things about the company! It's a great little laptop and I'm sure Dell will meet my demands. For now, I'm in Texas visiting that same little brother. He and his wife just moved into a brand new house in Austin. It's quite lovely. Glynis and I are having a wonderful time. Which is such a relief since we were so sick last week. Since I'm away from home, I'll just fill you in on our trip thus far. First, travelling with a toddler... All I can say is that I've got the best little girl in the world. I opted to let her fly in my lap to save money. I was as prepared as I could be. We had her Ipod loaded with her shows, pencil and paper, stickers, books, snacks, her Grandma, a muzzle and straight jacket. Just joking. Seriously, she was a perfect little traveller! I think it helped that we took the earliest flight possible. We were on our way at 5:45am. We flew in the smallest plane ever from Norfolk to Houston. Of course that flight ran long and made our connecting flight near impossible to catch, but we did it. Did I mention that we had to trek 2 miles to catch that connecting flight? ARGH! You'd have thought that my Mom and I had ran a marathon by the way we ran up to the gate with 2 minutes to spare. So we made it to Austin, my cute little brother was there waiting. We walked out of the airport into a beautiful sunny day. Remember, we've been sick so the fresh warm air was like heaven. Today it was about 75 degrees. Mighty welcoming coming from our brisk 40 degree days. We spent our first day enjoying Mark's house, getting settled in, and visiting with each other. I haven't seen my brother since my Grandmother died almost 3 years ago. Today, we ate a beautiful "pancake in a can" breakfast (note the picture.) Then we headed to downtown Austin. Glynis really enjoyed the Dell Children's Museum, but I think her favorite part of the day was our trendy Tex Mex meal. She loaded up on salsa and Ceviche. We walked the city streets and saw the beautiful majestic Capital Building. Tonight we enjoyed a pasta dinner at home with some of Mark's friends. It's 10pm Texas time, but 11pm according to my body clock. So off to dream land for me.
I couldn't wait to share our happy video with you. Also, in case you haven't noticed this is my 101st post since I started my blog. Milestone! Yipee! Seeing how, the stomach virus that my daughter had has also hit me and my youngest son, I'll have to keep this short. Enjoy our video made special for you. Hope it encourages you to smile and love everyone.
1 Peter 5:14 Greet one another with a kiss of love. Peace to all of you who are in Christ.
Hello My Lovely Little Birdie Readers, I may or may not make it back to the computer for a few days. My poor little baby bird, Glynis, is sick. Hopefully it's just a virus, she already seems a bit better this morning. (I secretly love the extra cuddling that comes when a little one gets sick.)
Other things that will have me tied up are my 3 boys' very active social lives. For one, Soccer season has begun! ARGH! Yesterday, Cole auditioned for All-City Chorus and this weekend is the District Chorus concert. Chandler is involved with Destination Imagination. Click here to read about it. There is a competition next weekend and his team is in high gear trying to prepare. Also, Carson & Cole are leaving on Saturday heading to Bluefield, VA. Their youth praise team has prepared a mission project called STOMP (Spiritual Transformation of Many People) for teenagers, which they will be sponsoring at Bluefield College. Please pray that they will do great things in the name of Jesus.
As for me, I'm doing great and actually allowing Glynis' illness to slow me down a bit. I'll be leaving next week for a well deserved trip to Texas. My baby brother, Mark, and his wife live in Austin. He visits here fairly often, but it's been over 10 years since I've been to his neck of the woods. (Bad Big Sister!) (Did I mention that he's kid-less?)
I have ordered my very first laptop, so if it arrives on time, then I will be bringing "you" along on my trip! I promise to pop on here whenever I can in the meantime. For now, I hope you all have a blessed Wednesday. Stay tuned for my special Valentine's post. Love is in the air!
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
I'll start off with my superb memory and multi-tasking skills.
I did not forget about a slice of pizza that I had microwaved 2 hours earlier because I thought I had already eaten it.
I never forget where I'm going! Because if I did miss a turn or go the wrong direction, it would make my whole schedule out of whack and possibly make my children late for their appointments.
I did not leave a basket of clean clothes unfolded for 2 days to get all wrinkled. If I did that, I would probably want to throw them back in the dryer to fluff them up, which would be simple enough. But I can't imagine then, accidentally throwing them back in the washer with soap because I was totally on auto-pilot and wasn't thinking straight. What a waste of water! soap! and time!
Now, how about those celebrity moms. Aren't they ridiculous? I would never pay hundreds of dollars to get lip collagen injections just so my mouth would look fuller and more pretty...
GOTCHA'!! I really truly did not get lip injections! Last night, my 14 year old was running through the house right as I was walking the opposite direction. You guessed it, Wham! My face slammed right into his shoulder and back I fell. Instant plump lips! I can't wait to go show it off. Have a great week!!
Angela Thomas is a best selling author and public speaker. I just started one of her video driven studies at church called When Wallflowers Dance. It's amazing and I totally recommend listening to her. She's this beautiful blonde, not afraid to share her imperfections. Like me, she lived through divorce and single parenthood. She has felt the distance from our Savior that often comes in difficult times. Lucky for us, she took notes all the way. And like she said in the video I watched last night, she's passing those notes back to us. I found one of her older videos on youtube so when you have 5minutes, take a break and be filled and remember who's you are! You are wonderfully made in His image. Nothing you go through is too hard when you reach for God. Never stop reaching!
Here's a couple videos that my daughter watches daily. My love of the Muppets has rubbed off on her. My favorite character is Kermit, but Glynis has two favorites...Beaker & Animal. She speaks their language...Meep Meep and GRRRAAAHHH! She'll walk up to the computer, point and say Meep Meep Meep Meep. That's when we know she's in a Muppets Mood.
Welcome to Not Me! Monday! This blog carnival was created by MckMama. You can head over to her blog to read what she and everyone else have not been doing this week.
I would never join the church choir!
First of all, as much as I love to sing, I'm one who would be laughed off American Idol. I can imagine Simon rolling his eyes as soon as I opened my mouth. Secondly, the church choir is a big committment. Wednesday night rehearsals and every Sunday morning! Not to mention the evening services. Don't I already have plenty to do? Thirdly, our church has a humongous choir. Could there possibly be enough room for my big bottom up there in the choir loft?
And if I was to join this group of song birds, what a waste it would be to bring all the books home to learn my parts and then not open any of those books all week. Lugging them around would be such a hassel.
And I can only imagine my first Sunday up there. I'd be so embarressed if my friends and family all stood in the pews and waved to me. I imagine I'd feel like a little girl again, performing in her first recital. I'm almost 40 years old for goodness sake.
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