A good friend of mine had this on her Facebook status.  She borrowed it from a friend.

So silly.

So true.

For all you young women who are in such a hurry to get married, here's a quick piece of Biblical advice:

Ruth patiently waited for her mate Boaz.

While waiting on YOUR Boaz,don't settle for ANY of his relatives: Brokeaz, Poaz, Lyinaz, Cheatinaz, Dumbaz, Cheapaz, Lockedupaz, Goodfornothinaz, Lazyaz or Marriedaz and especially his third cousin Beatinyoaz.

Please, wait on your Boaz & make sure he respects Yoaz...

Take a few minutes and read this, a great discussion on Ruth and Boaz's love story.



quick take

After dinner we played a quick game of cards during which 

No 5 says: "eeeee!  I hope I don't get the Old Navy."

a project of the soul

I have finally joined the 21st century and bought a printer that copies and scans. 

A couple of years ago my grandmother gave me a box of old photos, letters, etc.  I took the photos to a locally owned photo shop who wanted $1+ per photo to scan, resize, and print.  Too rich for my blood!
So the project was put on the back burner. 

Fast forward two (or so) years to this morning: 

"The Day I Start Scanning Old Photos"

I could not remember where I put the photos.  In a tear-filled, dizzy, cold, clammy, 'bout-to-pass-out state, I was searching every nook and crannie for the pictures.  The reason for such intense panic was that I had been entrusted with some of the world's Best Ever pictures.  And I had lost them.  I asked St. Anthony to prayerfully intervene on our behalf.  Saintly intervention allowed King and I to think a bit more clearly so that beautiful manila envelope was finally found, safely tucked away.  *Whew* I breathe a sigh of relief just typing that sentence.

There are so many that I would love for you to see, but the one which is the most dear to my heart is this picture of my dad's arms lifting my older brother into the air.  Blue, nearly cloudless skies are the wonderful backdrop.



The World's Most Incredible Picture Ever!



You have no idea how much I love this little bugga of a brother.  When my mother was expecting him, she was exposed to the German Measles.  As a result, he was born with severe mental retardation.  Additionally, he has a seizure disorder that twice a year used to wipe out any skills he had learned, such as walking or feeding himself.  Although he has never been verbal, no doubt I have a headstrong older brother who knows what he wants and what he doesn't want. 

I know my mom wonders what life would have been like had he been born "normal".  But I reassure her that as far as I am concerned, he is perfect.  Having him as my brother has been a gift from God, and has given us all a very special depth of character. 

So, you see, when I look at The World's Most Incredible Picture Ever, my soul is also soaring high above the ground beside that adorable, blonde-haired chunk of sweetness with the sparkling eyes and infectious giggle.  

wordless wednesday

dinnertime with a 5 year old boy

Me:  Want a slice of tomato?
Him: Nah, I'm not a vegetable eater.........

.......I'm a bug killer.

file under: bah hahahahahaha

#5 needed to "go" really really really bad. 

She hollered out,  "I can't hold it much longer". 

I wondered aloud why she didn't just run upstairs?

"Because I am waiting on (#4)............

...........................I let him go first."

"He goes faster than me because he has a peanut."

eenie meenie miney mo

And now I need a clothespin holder.  But which one?

Reduce, Reuse, Recycle

I could probably figure this one out in time.

King's mom had something similar to this one.

Oooooh I love this one! 

No wait, this one!   And Ada explains why this kind works best!

finally, my very own clothesline!

I've mentioned before that I am not really a "greenie", but if it will $ave our family moolah, or if it is something creative, I am all about it.  Like last week, when I made a cute little sporty skirt out of two old school sweatshirts.  Of the three "R's" I can claim "RE-USE" on that project.  I get points for that, right Mr. Gore? 

Mmmm, there is nothing like sheets dried in the sun.  Or towels.  Or unders.  And you just can't beat the bleaching power of the sun.

For several years now, I have envied my grandmother's clothes line.

now those are T bars with patina!

"Et up" with vintage coolness.

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All that being said, today was the day that King and I decided to put one up.  We really don't have that much room in our yard for an awesome line with T bars, so, after a bit of online research:

• retractable lines (not substantial enough)
• umbrella lines (uh, no, NOT cool.. oh they're "et up" alright, et up with ugly!)
• these removable things from Australia (neat, but too far away, and probably not sturdy enough for a family of 7) 

I finally I stumbled upon a DIY project from who else but Martha Stewart.  Say what you will about her, she and I both appreciate the fact that something like this needs to look as nice as possible.

 Aesthetics are everything. 

if only we could see life as the camera does

At the beginning of this month, we spent a week with my mom. My sister had asked me to do a little seamstress work on a couple of dresses for her younger daughters. I decided to consult Mom's sewing box. In it I found some wonderful trims, one which had been used to make a dress for me when I was in my aunt's wedding, several iron-on knee patches, butterfly appliques, and tons and tons of dust. So, to "help" my mom (who no longer sews), I decided to clean out and organize her sewing box.

Now, when she walked into the dining room and looked at the table and saw what I was up to, she muttered something about "obsessive" and "compulsive" and I think I may have heard the word "disorder", but it was anything but disorderly. She rolled her eyes when I said that I thought the spools of thread were beautiful. She always kept the spools on their ends, but as luck would have it, they also fit neatly on their sides.

"It's like a puzzle," I explained. 

"You need medication!" she retorted.

"Pfffttt. Nuh uh."

 



book review

Kinfolk by Pearl S. Buck  ~ Loved it!  (Thank you Becky!)

Did I already mention I read Sarah's Key and hated it?  Do not waste your time on it, unless your idea of fun is beating your head against brick walls. 
Next up:  Rebecca by Daphne du Maurier.   I never read it in High School, but when I found out that Alfred Hitchcock made it into a movie, I was convinced.

Also, I gave up (for now) on Atlas Shrugged.... well, y'see, it was on the heels of The Fountainhead.  And, really I should have gone for some light reading, like War and Peace or something.  Go figure.

What are you reading this summer.

short takes

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Factoid:

Squeaky wooden doors remind me of Dr. Dugan's office.  Odd, since the last time I was there, I was like 8 years old.

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File under Conversation Enders:

Me (to niece): Oh wow, that is such a cute skirt!  Where'd ya get it? 
Niece (after a pause): Um, my closet, I guess.


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When fun, food, and family start blending together:

#4:  In the morning, can I have an Egg McGriffin?

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Meh, what can I say?  He takes his role in The Church Militant quite seriously:

Niece: I love going to church with y'all... my church is boring.  It's white.  And we just have to sit there for an HOUR! 
#4: Do you have the Body and Blood of Christ there? 
Niece: No.
#4:  Then it's not Church! 

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 If you have ever spent any amount of time with a toddler, they tend to tell "jokes" that are made up of whoever or whatever is sitting right in front of them at the moment.  Also, it should be noted that our #5 has a very slight lisp... and that she doesn't yet understand the finer points of enumeration.

#5: "Four kids go into a store. The firtht one said, "I am going to buy a peanut butter and honey sandwich."  The .... the.... (long pause).... two-tht one said..."

time to employ that lamaze breathing training

I have been asked to co-chair a major event at the high school.  As if  that wasn't intimidating enough (big shoes were left to fill), there happens to be a little sideline drama going on which makes me forget to breathe sometimes. 
So if y'all see me around town and I look a little blue, elbow me and remind me to breathe, k?

Also, if you're the prayin' kind, could you offer up a prayer that I will remember to glorify God in all I do? 

wordless wednesday

bye bye birdie

See the decorative duck in this photo?  We got him in Memphis at the Peabody Hotel last year.  I loved him.  A lot.

Recently, #4 had an agenda that involved just enough large-muscle movement that my dear duckie got knocked off his perch.  Onto the floor.  In which he sustained a major trauma:  Both feet were amputated.

It was the kind of accident that Super Glue couldn't touch.  Sadly, my sweet duck went into the trash.

"You could have set him down into a grapevine basket..." my mom tried to help ease the sting.

But, 

I know me. And every time I looked at that green duck in a basket, I'd know he had no feet.  And I'd get mad all over again.