Happy Birthday, Mom!

Yesterday was my sweet Mom's birthday. This past year has been a difficult one for her. I am always so amazed by her strength. She is a wonderful woman and I am so glad she is my Mom. I wish I could have been with her on her birthday. Instead, I just had to send her this card that I made. I miss you and I love you, Mom!

Here is a picture of my kiddos from Easter morning. Aren't they a good-looking bunch? It is almost impossible to get Sweet Girl to be still, look at the camera and smile all at the same time.
Oh, do you remember this skirt? I wore it for Easter! I was pretty excited. Sorry, I don't have a good picture to show you so you will just have to believe me.
Above and below are just some signs of spring that we are enjoying. I wanted to share them with you.
This morning the kids and I went on a 3 1/2 mile walk. Well, the boys rode their bikes and I pushed Sweet Girl in her stroller. It was beautiful - low 60s and just a slight breeze. There is a walking trail on the edge of town that we enjoy. We don't go often enough, but we have gone a couple times in the last couple of weeks.
I took this picture the last time we walked the trail. We've had about 8 inches of rain since then and it looked a lot different today.

Tomorrow the kids and I are heading down to Magnolia, AR - our soon-to-be new home. Problem is, we have to find a new home. There isn't much available on the market there. It is a bit discouraging. Please pray that we find something that will work for our family.

Sorry for the long post. Just had a lot I wanted to share. I'll be back by the end of the week, hopefully.

{"He is like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in season and whose leaf does not wither." Psalm 1:3}

Happy Easter!

{And entering the tomb, they saw a young man clothed in a long white robe sitting on the right side; and they were alarmed. But he said to them, “Do not be alarmed. You seek Jesus of Nazareth, who was crucified. He is risen! He is not here. See the place where they laid Him. But go, tell His disciples—and Peter—that He is going before you into Galilee; there you will see Him, as He said to you.” Mark 16:5-7}

Worm Invasion 2008

Below is a copy of an e-mail I sent to my SIL this morning. I just thought I would share it with you. It will give you some insight into my mental state these days.

Thank you so much for the Starbucks gift card. What a wonderful surprise! I've been enjoying it (I must confess, though, that I haven't shared it with anyone). I needed a "pick-me-up" this morning so I got a mocha and some banana chocolate chip coffee cake - yummy! If you were here I promise I would share with you. :)

We've had lots of rain - like several inches - in the past couple of days. There is some flooding in nearby areas. It is still raining right now. Yuck!

Speaking of rain and yuck - when I went out to the garage this morning there were earthworms everywhere. Big earthworms. Squirmy earthworms. Over thirty of them. In my garage. Crawling up the wheelchair ramp heading for the house. Like a horror movie. Lofton and I had shovels and we were scooping them up to take them back where they belong. I should have taken pictures but it was too nasty. If you were here I promise I would share with you. :)Seriously, they would probably be good for your garden. they are not good for my house. Or my sanity. I will probably have nightmares tonight.

So the worms made me think of David. I was going to call him but I don't have his cell number. When we were kids he and his friend Boober (seriously) would go out after the rain and collect earthworms. Then they would sell them to the local fishermen. If he was here I would let him sell my worms. Then you all could go on a nice vacation. :) There are that many of them.

Okay, obviously the Starbucks caffeine has gotten to me. Or maybe it is just the whole worm thing has driven me crazy. Either way, I should probably stop this rambling. Oh, one more thing before I go. I did a google search about the whole worm situation. "They" say you should sprinkle salt down where the earthworms are coming in. I did that a little bit ago. I need to go check to see if it is working. If you hear a loud scream you will know that it is not.

Goodbye.

This picture has nothing to do with the post topic. I just don't like posting without a photo. You should appreciate that I chose this photo instead of one that was "on topic." This is pretty. The other wouldn't have been.

Tweet, Tweet!

I love to hear the birds singing early in the morning. Don't you? What a wonderful sign of spring!

A sweet friend from church had a baby shower yesterday. She is having a baby girl. Oooh, you should have seen all the pink! For her nursery bedding she is using Penelope from Pottery Barn. Such adorable little birds! I created this collage for her gift. (You can click on the pictures to enlarge them.)

Do you recognize that stitched flower ruffle at the bottom? It is in my blog banner. A lot of people asked if I had made it. No way! It is an old collar that I got in a box of trim, ribbon and old lace (mostly old dress collars). I just thought it was perfect for this collage.
I found a little children's book at the thrift store with this song in it - again, perfect for the collage.
Little birdie details....
I made the wings from vintage fabric scraps.

This is the little tag to go with the gift. This was a fun gift to make and a much needed reprieve from the moving, unpacking, etc. I had to dig through all my packed boxes of supplies to find what I needed, but it was worth it.

{He will cover you with his feathers, and under his wings you will find refuge; his faithfulness will be your shield and rampart. Psalm 91:4}

A Few of My Favorite Things

First of all, I had a few people ask me where I had purchased the life:beautiful magazine. I found it at Hastings bookstore. If you go to the magazine's website (see post below) they have a place where you can locate stores in your area who carry the magazine. I hope you all can find it!

Since we are living in a rental for just a few months I am keeping many things packed away in boxes. Pretty much all of my "pretties" will stay packed. It just seems silly to unpack everything, but I do miss the things that make a house more personal. Yesterday I took some photos of a few of my favorite things that I still get to see each day. Just thought I would share them with you.

I found this vanity mirror at a thrift store (imagine that). Probably paid $1 for it. It is doubled-sided and beveled. There is just something about using it each morning that cheers me. Oh, I love that piece of lace peaking out of the silver cup also. I use it to tie my hair back on occassion.
I've maybe showed you this chair before. I don't remember. I bought it at a garage sale shortly after we moved here to AR. It was perfect for the corner of my bedroom. I love all the different fabrics.
Excuse the clutter and dust on the top. This was an auction purchase a few years back (while still in KS). I hadn't intended on buying it - kinda like the corner cabinet . In both cases, I have admired the pieces but figured they would be out of my budget. Then I realize that very few people are bidding (no idea why) and I really could manage it. This chest of drawers was $120! It is quite large and heavy. You just can't buy furniture like that.

The next couple of things aren't "pretties" but they are still favorites.

These are my new favorite sandals. I splurged and bought these Keens for my birthday. Here is the link if you want to see a better picture. I like that they aren't so "sporty" as a lot of the keens. And the gold carpet in the photo - definitely not one of my favorite things! Gotta love rentals!

Another favorite is getting to watch Sweet Girl ride. Yesterday was the first day of riding since before Christmas. It's been a long time. When we got out there we were told we wouldn't be riding because it was too muddy from all the rain and snow last week. Sweet Girl, who is nonverbal, got pretty grumpy. Don't try to tell me she doesn't understand things. Well, the therapist decided that maybe it really wasn't too muddy. {smile} That girl got happy as soon as she was on the horse! To see another picture of her riding and read more of my thoughts on hippotherapy, please go here .

Guess I have rambled long enough. It's time for me to go get the kiddos from school. Have a great day!

life:beautiful

Have you seen this magazine? The beautiful front cover caught my eye and then I realized it was a faith-based magazine. I was very impressed. Beautiful photography. Fresh ideas. Heartwarming stories. I am so glad I discovered it and can't wait for the next issue. Unfortunately it is only published four times a year. You can find out more at http://www.lifebeautifulmagazine.com/ . Oh, and don't you just love that red-painted church pew?!

It is snowing again! This is very unusual for Arkansas. It started about 12:30 this afternoon and is still coming down strong. School was called off at 2:00. This is the south. They do that here. It really is a beautiful snow. It is quite peaceful to watch it fall.

{He says to the snow, 'Fall on the earth,' and to the rain shower, 'Be a mighty downpour.' Job 37:6}

Snow Day!

Yeah! I'm finally back online. I've been missing my email and blogs. So sad - it has really only been four days, but it sure seemed longer than that.

We got most everything moved to the rental on Saturday. God has blessed us with great friends who helped us. I feel really bad that in another three months or so we will have to ask for help again. The ones who helped this time will probably run the other way when it is time to do it again. I have lots of "stuff" and some of it is quite heavy!

It rained and rained most of Sunday night and Monday. Then the weatherman said it was going to turn to snow. I didn't believe him. This is Arkansas and it is March. Well.....

....I guess the weatherman was right this time! We got a foot of snow! No school! I've actually been hoping for a snow day. It just doesn't seem like winter without one.
The scenery isn't nearly as pretty here as out at our "old" house. I was glad to at least have these trees to photograph.
Basketball anyone?

The snow really melted this afternoon and the town came back to life. In case you don't know, here in Arkansas life comes to a stand-still with any trace of snow. A foot of snow really throw people for a loop!

I need to get the boys in bed. They are worn out from playing outside today. Good night!