Word Filled Wednesday

Never played along with Word Filled Wednesday, but thought it'd be a good way to share this song. Imagine being Mary!!

Luke 1:35
And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy–the Son of God.





This week's host for Word Filled Wednesday is Critty Joy

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - next week is a Christmas Edition

I don't know how some of you Mommy bloggers manage to spend so much time on the computer! Especially during the holidays! It's 6:30am on Toot Your Horn Tuesday and I have nothing prepared for this party. :(

I guess I'll leave the tooting to you participants. Actually, one thing...our house is ready to list! The whole family has been working hard to get the house in tip top shape, so yesterday my realtor and her 2 associates, came over and took pictures. We'll be listed this week! Are we crazy or what? Who sells a house on Christmas?

What amazing Christmas feat have you accomplished? Are you cards mailed, your shopping done? The presents are all wrapped? Well, you've got me beat then. Please share!!

Christmas Edition of Toot Your Horn Tuesday

I've been thinking that next Tuesday would be a great time to share some Christmas stories. Take some pictures or tell a story of what you've done to make your holidays special and post them for Toot Your Horn Tuesday. Won't that be fun?



Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. Mandy @ From The Trenches Of Motherhood 2. junkblossoms Vanity Table 3. Decor for your Mouse @ Fun to Craft 4. Closet Crafter-pop top packages 5. Little Lizard King - Alphabet Photo Name Frame

6. Sweet Dove from a Spent Light Bulb @ childmade 7. Mini Light Bulb Mouse @ childmade 8. Holiday Clothes Pins 9. TidyMom (Homemade Sugar Scrubs) 10. Helga from My World

11. Paper Glue Etc. Old Window 12. it's a boy! 13. Amber: Picture Collage Wall Hanging

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Busy Christmas Mouse

It was 28 degrees when I woke up this morning!! NOOOO!!! My realtor is coming over Monday with her assistant and a photographer to take pictures for my house listing. My family is in high gear trying to pack and clean. But of course, it is Christmas time so there other things to do as well. Last night we went to a live nativity and a train show. This morning I have choir practice and this evening a party.

Christmas is in the air!

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - Staging a house

Welcome to Toot Your Horn Tuesday. Because we can do all things through Christ who strengthens us!!

As we prepare to put our house on the market, my family has been working non-stop on house projects. We finished our bathroom project over the weekend! New toilet, vanity, flooring, paint! What a job! Yesterday, a crew came and installed new carpet in the family room. (Now I have to figure out how to keep it clean)
Also yesterday, we had a yard waste container delivered so that we could get our yard cleaned up. The nor'easter that hit our area, really did a number on our heavily treed lot. So, after 3 hours of hauling branches and raking leaves,
It Is Done!

Needless to say, my 40 year old body is now paying the price. My hands are blistered and my back aches. But it's a satisfying feeling!

I've been checking out all the crafts that many of you have posted on recent Toot Your Horn Tuesdays. Quite awesome! Your creativeness blows me away. I'm even thinking of trying a craft myself. I'll let you know when I find the time!

Ok, your turn....
Write your Tooty post, linking it back here and then sign Mister Linky and leave a comment. There's a cute little button on the side bar. Just copy the code and stick it on your blog to show your fans that you're playing along.



Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. Little Lizard King - Cupcake Applique 2. Santa Plates @ Craft Bug Bites 3. Stockings @ Craft Bug Bites 4. TidyMom (Dollar Store Holiday Decorating) 5. A little bit Red Letter (Jules@The Persimmon Perch) 6. Pat @ junkblossoms (trunk coffee table) 7. Whimsical Magazine Christmas Tree {Stephanie Lynn} 8. Ballet Portraits Made Glittery by Snowman Hill

9. Mama Thompson (neighborhood sub-4-santa) 10. 3500 lights on my tree 11. The Sweet Life {Drop cloth tree skirt} 12. Helga from My World 13. The Tree. @ Fun to Craft 14. free diy wreath 15. Relatively Unique: O Little Town of Bethlehem 16. Women's Marriage Ministry

17. Tara @ Just Devine Style- Chore Jars 18. Tara @ Just Devine Style-Gift Card Holders & Template 19. Red Heads Craft More Fun (Pedestal Picture Frames) 20. Yoga Gal's Disney Tree 21. Kim@NewlyWoodwards (A tree, a fence and a silhouette) 22. The Little Green Bean 23. Burlap Lamp Re-vamp

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Forgiveness

Saw this story today on Good Morning America.
An amazing act of forgiveness. I think the average person would have only felt fear and anger at this heated moment.


Back in May 2009...

N.Y. store owner gives would-be thief lecture, $40, bread
GARDEN CITY, N.Y. — A Long Island convenience store owner confronted by a bat-wielding would-be robber said Tuesday he decided to show mercy on the man after he collapsed in tears claiming he was only committing the crime to support his starving family.

Instead of getting loot from a stickup, the store owner provided the man with $40 and a loaf of bread, but only if he promised never to rob again.



Update from Good Morning America: 6 months later, the store owner received a letter from the would-be robber stating that he has turned his life around, found a job, had a child and he owes it to the store owners actions. He also included $50 to repay the store!

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - Moving right along

Hello my Little Tooty Friends!
It's Tuesday morning and I'm swamped with projects around my house. Here's the news:
We are putting our house on the market and moving! We're not leaving the area. We're just looking for a house that's a little bigger and a location that's a little more convenient for us.

Being that I've lived in this house for about 12 years, there is MUCH to do!!! Staging the House! That means make repairs, clean and beautify.
So far, we've planted the garden, painted the family room, replaced a sink and toilet and decluttered.

That's definitely something to toot about, don't 'cha think?

What projects have you been working on? Write a Tooty post about your accomplishments and then come back here and join in the fun. When using Mister Linky, please only include your name or blog title. And leave some comments too! I need your support!!



Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. Jane @ Finding Fabulous 2. The Lights of Christmas (Jules@The Persimmon Perch 3. Pat @ junkblossoms (Dog Food Tray) 4. LIttle Lizard King - Black and White Nursery

5. Sleepyhead Designs 6. Suzanne @ Just Another Hang Up 7. Helga from My World 8. living room redo

9. relatively unique (snowman sled) 10. Gay Vaughan 11. Skinny Tree @ Yoga Gal

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Toot Your Horn Tuesday - Stage Fright

Maybe you've heard my son sing on here before. He's a great musician! He sings and plays guitar in the youth praise band at church. But alas, it finally happened. I was asked to sing at church, so I agreed only if my son could sing with me. Since it's not a paid gig and they knew that my son could pull it off, they allowed it.

The event was not taped, but I do happen to have one of our early rehearsals, so here it is.
This is definitely a Toot For Jesus. I could never have stood in front of a congregation without Him. I may not sound like an angel, but I love Him with all my heart and will continue to sing His praise!

The song is called Simple Praise. Happy Thanksgiving Everyone.


If you've written a toot of your own and would like to participate in this blog party, please use the code in the sidebar in your post, or give a shout back to this blog and sign Mr. Linky below.
Just use your name or blog title. Comments are another great way to "Toot."

And all the glory goes to GOD! Amen



Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. The Lettered 2. Polly (Christmas Symbols Tin) 3. Alessandra-new blog award 4. Little Lizard King - Pennant Banners 5. Tiffany @ La*T*Da (Easy Christmas Countdown) 6. Big Big Bows (Jules@The Persimmon Perch 7. Danielle@ Transforming Home 8. Pat @ junkblossoms (toile vanity bench) 9. Mama Thompson (advent calendar) 10. The Joy Walk

11. Sleepyhead Designs-Recycle Your Tide Boxes 12. Flower "toot" @ the mansion 13. burlap candle holders 14. burlap and red tablescape 15. apple butter 16. Helga 17. Mod Podge Amy 18. Sandra 19. Sandra (match box advent) 20. French Memo Board Doors {Stephanie Lynn}

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I Heart Faces - Maui Sun

I Heart Faces is such a fun website. I love learning a bit about photography when I have time. The weekly challenges are fun.
Here's my entry for this weeks theme "Sun Flare."
Didn't even know what sun flare meant in reference to photography, but I figured I was bound to find one in my Maui photo album. I'm in this picture, so I didn't take it, but it is my camera and I did the editing!

Hope you'll come back tomorrow to join Toot Your Horn Tuesday!!!

Yah for Monday!

I know I'm weird, but I love MONDAYS!
(a poem by me)
Most people I know, dread this day
Back to work, no more play.
But I'm a little odd, for the way I see it
I work weekends too, so be it.
On Saturday, when everyone's at home
The house is crazy, not a second alone.
I love my family, this is true
But on the weekends, it feels like a zoo.
So Monday mornings, as the family heads out
Glynis and I give a little shout.
It's just she and I for the day
Mondays are when we get to play.

Almost forgot to share that I got to see Casting Crowns in concert a couple of weeks ago. And somehow I managed a Front Row Seat! The concert was amazing and my heart was filled!

Matt Redman also played.

By the way...Tomorrow is Toot Your Horn Tuesday! I'm so excited to see how many people played along last week. I hope you'll join too!

Photostory Friday - Toddler on the loose

Hosted by Cecily and Sue

Let's see if you can figure out what happened here.....

An eye opening mile-stone for parents. I remember going through this transition with my three older sons. It's not a mile-stone that I have been looking forward to.

Our two year old learned how to climb out of her crib so her daddy got out the screw driver and switched up her 3 in 1 bed.

Glynis is confined no longer!

So far so good, until yesterday! I laid her down for her nap in her new toddler bed and left the room. She was quiet as a mouse, maybe 10 minutes went by and I went to check on her. This is what I found!

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - November Nor'easter

Bragging isn't polite and there are many many Proverbs against pridefulness,
but what can you do?

...It's Toot Your Horn Tuesday!!

If you play along with this blog carnival then it is understood that all our glory goes to God. Because...

^{Phillipians 4:13} I can do everything through Him who gives me strength.

Write your own "Tooty" post on your blog, use the button code on the side bar in your post and then come back here to link up and read others. Or just leave a comment below and tell us something GREAT about yourself.

It's been a heck of a week here. After a 3 week period of sickness in our household, we were hit by Nor'easter Ida! Yep, stuck inside for 3 more days! And I shouldn't be complaining one bit, there were areas near my home that were completely flooded out. Homes were left uninhabitable and wind damage ravaged our city and nearby cities. Thousands of people without electricity for days. The American Red Cross has been on the move here. The stories of giving and kindness are amazing. My friends and family were spared the horrid effects. Ida just left us with a messy yard. A cedar tree fell over, but it is nowhere near our house. We've already gotten quite a bit cleaned up.

And guess what else we did! We painted the family room! Yeah for us! It's a first step actually. We've been considering putting our house up for sale so it's going to need some freshening up. (Remember I was working on my flower beds? I got them done too!)We won't be moving far, probably within a 5 mile radius. Our house is a bit far from the kids' schools. We're hoping to find a nicer home a little closer in. Did I mention that our house is 50 years old and requires much much yard work. We live on a canal and have loads of trees. We might even make a few bucks too. So I'll keep you posted on our new adventure. The realtor is coming over Thursday.

That's it for me this week. I think we'll be working a lot around our house over the next few weeks or months, so maybe I'll have some pictures ready for next Tuesday! Hope the rest of your week is GLORIOUS!


Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. sleepyheaddesigns-recycled cross tshirt 2. hand made cloche and pedastalled vase 3. Pat @ junkblossoms (space saving footstool redo) 4. The Joy Walk 5. Grey Umbrella (reversible apron & tutorial) 6. Mama Thompson(fresh water pearl necklaces with flower) 7. Little Lizard King - Personalized Hand Sanitizer 8. Tiffany @ La*T*Da (cutest Turkey MoonPie ever!) 9. Tiffany @ La*T*Da (Adevnt Pegboard Calendar)

10. Suzanne @ Just Another Hang Up (chair redo) 11. Jules@The Persimmon Perch(no -sew & festive) 12. a drop cloth slipcover @ continental calliope 13. farmhouse dream kitchen 14. Pandora's Box 15. Helga from My World 16. Knobs As Far As the Eyes Can See @ Yoga Gal! 17. Yes- I Painted Wallpaper {Stephanie Lynn} 18. Stefanie @ More Than a House (Window redo)

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No school today

I know, I've been missing in action this week and I even missed Toot Your Horn Tuesday. When you have a large family and someone gets sick, you can pretty much be sure that everyone will get sick. And for us, that meant over 3 weeks of BLEH!!
And now that we're feeling better, along comes a hurricane! Ida the hurricane fizzled out, but we are being hit pretty hard by this nor' easter. Schools were closed today. Luckily we still have electricity. I know some areas are out. And the flooding is unbelievable. We're sitting high and dry though. My husband had to go to work. :(
I thought I'd snap a few pictures around the house while we're stuck here.

Sleeping, Cuddling, Playing Music, & Wii

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - No Complaining

2 Corinthians 12:9
But he said to me, "My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness." Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ's power may rest on me.

Let me tell you about weakness!...I've been sick for a week, my kids have taken turns being sick and we're still in the throes of it. The only thing I can think to toot about this week is that God is good!! I have no power over illness, but I have power over my attitude. It is easy to become grouchy and complain about all the aches and sniffles. I'm choosing not to be like that! And I couldn't do it without God's grace!

Do you have anything to "Toot" about this week? Maybe you've finished a paint project in your house, or maybe you created a delicious dinner that your entire family actually ate! Maybe you helped a friend or got a job. Now's the time to share and let's share the glory with God!!
When you write your "Tooty" post please use the button on the sidebar and then link back here using Mister Linky. And of course, comments are always nice.


Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. sleepyheaddesigns-recycled cross tshirt 2. hand made cloche and pedastalled vase 3. Pat @ junkblossoms (space saving footstool redo) 4. The Joy Walk 5. Grey Umbrella (reversible apron & tutorial) 6. Mama Thompson(fresh water pearl necklaces with flower) 7. Little Lizard King - Personalized Hand Sanitizer 8. Tiffany @ La*T*Da (cutest Turkey MoonPie ever!) 9. Tiffany @ La*T*Da (Adevnt Pegboard Calendar)

10. Suzanne @ Just Another Hang Up (chair redo) 11. Jules@The Persimmon Perch(no -sew & festive) 12. a drop cloth slipcover @ continental calliope 13. farmhouse dream kitchen 14. Pandora's Box 15. Helga from My World 16. Knobs As Far As the Eyes Can See @ Yoga Gal! 17. Yes- I Painted Wallpaper {Stephanie Lynn} 18. Stefanie @ More Than a House (Window redo)

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A day in the life of a zombie

School Halloween dance tonight.

Isn't she a great little actress?

Wordless Wednesday - Who's going to take care of Mommy?

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - I Heart Faces & Awards

Just thought I'd throw in this ADORABLE picture of Glynis in her fairy costume.

It's been a miserable week or so around our house and many many others around the country. Yep, you guessed it, we're sick! Some of the symptoms going on here are fever, coughing, body aches, head aches, running nose, congestion (and irritability.) This swine flu really oinks!!

But alas, it is Tuesday so I have to find something I did right...Well, what do you know? ...I got a couple of awards this week!! I guess these ladies find my blog to be somewhat amusing (even though I've been a lame blogger recently.) So here we go.

Alycia, from Coloring Outside the Lines, has been one of my favorite bloggers in recent times. Her wit thrills me and she has an amazing way with words! I am honored that she awarded me with this... I'm suppose to now share 10 honest things about myself, but I think I'll just do 5.
1. As I've grown older, I've become somewhat of a control freak. Actually, I haven't reached full freak status yet, so please pray for me. There's still hope.
2. I am the most forgetful woman in the world, but somehow I manage to have not lost any children over the years.
3. I love to be silly! I love to laugh and make others laugh, but I can't tell a joke worth poop.
4. Sometimes my mouth squeaks when I eat. (I plan on capturing it on video, so stay tuned)
5. I have a fear of candy vending machines. The little ones that our children want to stick their quarters in to get a handful of sweet tarts or bubble gum. I had heard years ago on a news program that those gumball machines are filthy with germs. (I'm a closet germ-a-phobe)

On to the next award. This one is from Pennie over at Mom Thoughts. This lady I met more recently has a big heart for God and for women. She's also a mom of teens like me!
She gave me an award too! I'm all giddy! With this award comes a list of questions that must be answered with one word only. You can go see her full list of answers, but I'm going to just do a few.
1. your hair? GRAY
2.favorite food? SUSHI
3. what room are you in? BEDROOM
4. your hobby? TODDLER
5. something you're not? TRENDY
6.your life? BUSY
7. your mood? CONTENT
8. last time you cried? YESTERDAY
9. missing someone? DAD
10. favorite color? PURPLE

I'm suppose to pass these awards on, but I'll have to do that another day. This one is already getting away from me.
If you've written a Toot Your Horn Tuesday post, please use the code on the side bar to post the little picture thingy and come back to sign Mister Linky! Can't wait to visit your blogs!

Toot Your Horn Tuesday Participants

1. Helga from My World

2. The Joy Walk

3. Mother Hen (Tightwad Bread)

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Toot Your Horn Tuesday - lame blogger

No time to spend on my computer today, but didn't want to leave you guys out. Here's a safe place to boast about your accomplishments. Sign Mister Linky if you've written a Tooty post or just leave a tooty comment. :)

Wordless Wednesday - Indoor weather

My daughter loves playing in the snow

(cotton balls)
Look at her pretty snow angels.

Toot Your Horn Tuesday - Quality vs. quantity

Being a stay at home mom can be a thankless job at times. We may slave away in the kitchen to cook a splendid meal, but we don't get a paycheck. We may spend hours cleaning up the house, but it's only going to get wrecked again. And we may stay up late helping our child finish a school project, but we don't receive an "A."

Here's where Toot Your Horn Tuesday comes to the rescue. We all know how important being a mom is, but isn't it nice to get some recognition?!

I'm still working on my flower beds and they are coming along nicely, but I'm most happy about the time I've been able to devote to my kids this past week. I've been trying to make it more of a priority. With 4 of them it's quite hard to focus on just one at the time.

The boys are difficult to pin down. All 3 of them are involved in various activities and homework. The oldest has a job now too. I have found that the best quality time with them is in the car. They have no choice, but to listen to me ramble. Occasionaly they'll say something too. :)

My 2 year old daughter, naturally, requires a lot of attention. I can't take my eyes off of her, but very often I find myself sticking her in front of the t.v. so that I can get some chores done. I'm determined to do better!! The housework can wait. And being that my oldest is already a senior, I should realize how quickly these days pass.

I found a way to get the whole family together, even if it was only for 30 minutes. I baked some sugar cookies earlier in the day and then once everyone was home we decorated them. We ended up with some pretty ugly cookies, but some pretty wonderful memories.

Have you written a Toot post? The Toot Your Horn Tuesday button is right there on the sidebar. Play along by copying the code and using it in your post. Then come back here to share your link using Mr. Linky below. Leave comments too. I can't wait to hear your stories!!