Scattergories!

The rules: use the 1st letter of your name to answer each of the following questions. All places, names and things must be real - nothing made up. You can't use your own name for the boy/girl name question.

What's your name…Rachel A four letter word…Rest A boy's name…Ryan A girl's name…Renee An occupation…Reporter A color…Red Something you wear…Reebok's A beverage…RC Cola A food…Raisins Something found in a bathroom…Renuzit A place…Rhode Island A reason to be late…Reactive Angioendotheliomatosis Don't ask me to explain that last thing.....just google it :)

Travel Pillows!

All right I know I'm driving some of you crazy with all my sewing posts, but you have to understand where this is coming from. Growing up I had friends who could sew quite well and I was always enamored with their projects. I secretly wished I knew how, but I didn't grow up with a mother who sewed, so the chances of me learning were slim. Fortunately, my mother in law is quite the accomplished seamstress, and having only sons, she's delighted to have a 'daughter' to whom she can pass on some domesticity! It's a new hobby for me and those of you who know me well know that when I start something new I get pretty enthusiastic about it. So here's my latest project.....travel pillows. I've wanted to purchase them for over a year now, but they can be spendy so I've put it off. I did however find a pattern online, quite by accident, and figured I'd give it a shot. Sure the edges aren't perfectly rounded, but they should live up to their purpose for our Thanksgiving trek across the mountain to my sister's!

I began last week by making a prototype (white with blue snowflakes), and then this evening I finished a couple more to give to the girls. They were thrilled, but Autumn did say, "You only have three. We need another one for Daddy." To which I queried, "Do you really want Daddy to have a pillow while he's driving?" She sheepishly shrugged, "Nah." And that was the end of that!

"Why of course I have a tissue"

It's a well known fact that mom's carry tissues (stupid word, I prefer Kleenex, even if it is a name brand) in their purse. And while I wish I was the type of mom who bought little packages of Kleenex in copious quantities, unfortunately I tend to buy them only a pack or two at a time, and usually it's when I'm standing at the check out line and see them on the rack next to me. More often than not I am without the nifty little packages and I end up grabbing a handful from the box beside my bed, folding them in a haphazard way and shoving them next to my wallet. This works well for a day or two but after reaching into my purse for various items the Kleenex morph into quite the unattractive blob that has managed to pick up gum, lint and an assortment of other 'lovelies' from being used by my children and myself, then re stuffed into my bag. In an effort to solve the Kleenex debacle I have, like so many others out there, made a tissue pack to carry in my purse. The pack can be used to carry pre-packaged tissues, but I kind of see that as redundant. I mean if they're already in a plastic package why put them in another package, right?! It will require an extra minute of politely folding my Kleenex before putting them into the fabric pack, but it will certainly keep them neat and tidy and will easily help me identify the 'used' from the 'unused.'

Diaper Days!

The girls are always begging me to make doll clothes for their babies, but my sewing skills are not that advanced. I did however manage to make a cloth diaper that I personally think turned out very cute. A bit of flannel and some Velcro and voila! It was super easy and went very quickly. It's not like it was rocket science or anything, but for someone my age who is just learning to sew, I am admittedly pretty pleased with myself. The girls are elated and want dozens more, so I'm happy to oblige them. At least the days of real diapers are behind me.

Weekend News!

What a busy weekend we've had. I attended a Women's Retreat with my mom' s church. Her pastor's wife facilitated the Bible study and she is an extremely gifted, knowledgeable and wise teacher. I always walk away from that retreat feeling renewed and refreshed, with a deeper understanding of the subject at hand. This year's topic was on dealing with crisis and it was incredible. While I certainly don't look forward to a crisis, hopefully I am now better equipped to handle one, if and when it shows up. --------------- The girls were invited to a friend's swim party at a nearby hotel and they had an absolute blast. Two hours chock full of pizza, a pinata, birthday cake, swimming, and party favors proved to be the highlight of my girls' weekend. The pictures below show them beaming with excitement. It's given me some great ideas for Cayla and Autumn's birthday parties next year. --------------- It's official! I'm the new VBS director for "Boomerang Express" VBS 2009. I'm sure it will be exciting and challenging as I take on a responsibility that I've never encountered. I'm a little tentative, feeling as if I need to have every decision approved, but I know it will be an opportunity for growth and I'm up to the challenge. If you think of it, pray for me and for our church. Yes, it's a long ways off, but it's never too early to offer up prayers for the children who will be meeting Jesus at Vacation Bible School this summer. --------------- In 'house' news....Cory and my dad worked this weekend and got our new electric furnace up and running and I must say it's fabulous. THANKS dad and Cory!!! Now every room is efficiently heated and equipped to deal with traditional winter weather in our parts. So, bring on the cold! Also, Cory just finished up his parents bathroom remodel (I wish I had pictures because it's gorgeous - you'll just have to trust me) and now he's busily working away getting his garage put together. It's hard to believe all of that 'stuff' was in our old, one car garage because it seems to be filling every square foot of our new garage. He's insulating the walls and has built a loft to store wood for all of his projects. I mention this because he's a phenomenal wood worker and having adequate, organized wood working space in his garage means more custom furniture and wood work for me to enjoy in my house. I hope you all had as wonderful a weekend as we did, and that you have a very blessed week!

I've Been Inspired!

While not typically a poetry fan, I did quote a beautiful poem, author unknown, a couple posts below on Saturday, November 8th. If you didn't get to read it, I hope you'll go back and take a look, it's quite fitting for this Thanksgiving season. Today, after borrowing (ok, stealing) a package of candy from Autumn's Fall Festival loot I was inspired to write my own poem and if you have ever eaten Dots candies I think you will appreciate, or at least relate to it. Love DOTS! Fruity Sweet Delicious... Hate DOTS! Stick to my teeth Not very nutritious You know you're either smiling or rolling your eyes. Just trying to keep it light :)

Perfect Sunday?

Sunday started out as a perfect day. Our clothes had been ironed and laid out the night before, the house was picked up, my bed was made and breakfast was eaten. Perfect lasted about 30 minutes before it went into meltdown. It started with the girls getting a s-l-o-w start. Sunday's are never a good day for them to be in slow mode, but they were. Why can't they be in slow motion on Monday or Tuesday or any day where we don't have to be some place? Don't answer that, it was rhetorical. After getting their breakfast on the table I told them to eat quickly because we needed to get dressed and get our hair done. I might as well have been talking to a wall. The same children who can eat at supersonic speed when the promise of dessert hangs in the balance, ate at a snail's pace. It's not like they were having a Denny's Grand Slam breakfast either, we're talking mini bagels and milk. Seriously, how long can that take? Well, this morning it was about 35 minutes. After corraling them into my room and wrestling with the church clothes Cayla announces that her tights have a hole. Great! I go find some more tights. Hmmmm, the second pair has a hole too, but at least it's up high enough so as not to show. I race to the kitchen, add 'black tights' to my shopping list, and head back to my bathroom. I'm ready to start on their hair when I notice Autumn. With her tights halfway pulled up, she's laughing hysterically and trying out her new dance on my perfectly made bed. Arrrggghhh! I yell at her to quit clowning around and get dressed. This sends her into more hysterical laughter as she repeatedly snorts "clowning around" as if it were the funniest phrase I had ever uttered! She manages to contain herself for a full minute while I help her get dressed. Finally we're onto hair. I'm quickly putting a few curls in Cayla's hair when I feel something funny. It not only feels funny it SMELLS funny. It's butter.....from her mini bagel. Are you kidding me? The same butter which is heavenly on baked potatoes and toast, and makes chocolate chip cookies melt in your mouth, is repulsive in hair. Ewww! With no time to rewash her hair, I remember an old trick my mom taught me. To remove oil from hair, add baby powder. I glance around the bathroom and the only thing that even remotely resembles baby powder is Cory's Odor Eater powder for his work boots. The really sad part here is that I honestly contemplated it for about 10 seconds, but finally rejected it as being too nasty. Realizing no one is going to really know, I throw it in a french braid and stick a bow in it. Done! I won't bore you with the girls' final details but they included a panic attack over misplaced offering money, a fight about which coat to wear and a frantic search to locate Autumn's Bible. I truly wasn't angry about the morning, but I was incredibly frazzled. I'm relieved I had asked Cory before heading out to early prayer, to stop at the grocery store and pick up Sunday school snacks because I'm sure I would have been a basket case if I'd arrived at Safeway to find what he found...NO DOUGHNUTS! And they call themselves a bakery. Pshaw! He's fantastic at improvising so he found a collection of donut holes and cookies that $15.00 later I hope everyone thoroughly enjoyed! It's always frustrating when Sunday mornings don't go well, but after offering up a quick prayer for God to "create in me a clean heart....and renew a right spirit within me" I was openly receptive to the time of worship that lay before me, and once again it was a perfect Sunday.

Between Halloween & Christmas

I found this poem online and thought it was so fitting: Thanksgiving The year has turned its circle, The seasons come and go. The harvest all is gathered in And chilly north winds blow. Orchards have shared their treasures, The fields, their yellow grain, So open wide the doorway Thanksgiving comes again! -Anonymous When I was a little girl I didn't have an affinity for Thanksgiving. It was pretty much just a giftless holiday that took up space in between Halloween and Christmas. There was nothing fun to do because all the women were busy in the kitchen and ridiculous football games were occupying all the televisions in the house. As I've gotten older, and hopefully wiser, I have learned to love Thanksgiving. Although it is a holiday that's nearly overlooked, what with all the hoopla of Halloween and the commercialism of Christmas, the industry doesn't have time to focus on a holiday that doesn't generate much income, save a few plastic turkeys and cornucopias for centerpieces. I adore getting together with family, even if it is a bit chaotic with so many hands in the kitchen. I love watching my children play with their cousins while I get to visit with family I haven't seen in a while. Then of course there's something relaxing about sitting down to a meal that's both simple and elaborate at the same time. My favorite part is going around the table and mentioning things we're thankful for. No one has to stop and think about it; it's not a question that stumps anyone. We are truly blessed.

Thoughts on the Election

1 Thessalonians 5:16-18 16) Rejoice always, 17) pray without ceasing, 18) in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you. I'm very sad that John McCain did not win the presidency. I fear for our nation because I feel 'we' will get what we deserve. As much as I want to dig a hole and climb in until the Lord comes, I know that's not what we as born again believers are called to do. We're called to bear fruit (John 15:8) we're called to spread the gospel (Matthew 28:19-20) and we're called to imitate Christ (1 Corinthians 11:1). In 1 Thess. 5:18 (quoted above) we're told to give thanks. The selfish part of me does not want to give thanks. I'm torn between anger and sadness. I don't want to be consoled, but I know my consolation will come. When we're abiding in God's will and we do it His way it always works out for the best. "For we know that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are the called according to His purpose." Romans 8:28 Any thoughts on the election? Because after this I really want to focus on Thanksgiving. No, not the turkey part, but the part where I'm thankful to God that I still live in a free country, have the privilege of His Word, and have family and good friends. I am blessed!

The God Movie?

http://www.thegodmovie.com/index.php Have I been living in a cave? Because I have never heard of this movie. Below is a blurb taken from the website above: The movie that has been astounding audiences in theaters around the world is now available on a high-quality, feature-packed DVD. Own the taboo-shattering documentary that Newsweek says "irreverently lays out the case that Jesus Christ never existed." In response to this film 2 Timothy 4:1-5 sums it up best: "I charge you therefore before God and the Lord Jesus Christ, who will judge the living and the dead at His appearing and His kingdom: 2 Preach the word! Be ready in season and out of season. Convince, rebuke, exhort, with all longsuffering and teaching. 3 For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; 4 and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 5 But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry." Am I the only one who wasn't aware of this film?