Have a Chance....

Macs is his daddy's little boy. Yesterday, he was frustrated at Travis for not getting him coffee fast enough.

"Daaaaaaddy!"

"What!?" said Travis.

"You're not getting me Coooooffeeeeeee!"

Travis answered him, "I know! I was making a sandwich! GIVE ME A CHANCE!"

To which, without skipping a BEAT, Macs replied, "OoooKaaaay! I'll GIVE YOU A CHANCE! HERE! Here's a CHANCE!"

OMG. We laughed until we almost CRIED! The funniest part about it is that he KNOWS that he's funny, and he gets a little smirk on his face, like he's trying not to smile....

There was something else he did that I wanted to share, but I can't remember what now. I'll have to blog it when I remember.

Edit: 12-31-06 6:24

I remembered! The other day, we had just finished pizza, and I told Macs that he needed to wash his hands.

"NO," he said, "They're clean!"

So I checked them and they were!

"You're right, they are!" I said.

Macs gave me the cutest smile, and sweetly told me........

"Yep. I cleaned them on my UNDERWEAR!"

I just about died... Macs, I love you, baby.

And the WINNER is.......

DEBBIE!
Who would have THOUGHT!?!
just kidding. Like I said, I will be sending MOM a little something,
PLUS
The "runner up" will get the prize.
Just wanted to mention, that the score board said Mom got 90, but when I checked her, she had 100. I had some trouble with the test creating, and one of my questions didn't have any answer checked. So it marked her as wrong.

Now to the NITTY GRITTY.....

It appears that I have a TIE! I planned to have a tie breaker, but really, I think I'll just send you both a little something. Since you both have my email, send me you mailing addresses!

Here's the answers to the test:
1. How does Rachel sign her artwork?
I sign my art with my middle name, Desiree

2. What musical instrument did Rachel play as a kid?
I played the Piano

3. What did Rachel do in her first job?
I was a Zookeeper at Wildlife Safari in Winston, OR. I was 17, and I got to raise a litter of Chettah cubs.

4. How long has Rachel been Married?
I've been married for 8 years. Ian was almost four.

5. What pets do the Whetzel's have?
Our Family has 2 dogs and 2 cats.

6. What is Rachel's Favorite Drink?
Since we've moved, we have a 7~11 here, and the COKE SLURPEE is my fave.

7. Where in Oregon did Rachel recently move to?
The Ocean. It even says so in my profile.... :)

8. How old was Rachel when her parents moved to Oregon?
I was almost four.

9. What kind of mommy is Rachel?
I think I'm a bit of a lot of different parenting styles. So the correct answer is PRETTY MIXED UP!

10. What does Rachel want to be when she grows up?
I REALLY want to own a shop that has a playdate area, and art intruction for kids, with a tea/coffee house area with couches and tables for the mommies to read the used books and have socialization time with other mommies. So CRAZY Rachel, wants them all!

Thank you all so much for playing along! You made my day! It was fun to see what you all thought of me! Have a safe and happy NEW YEAR! I won't be posting until after the first of the year, because JANET and her family are coming over for a visit!

Not EXACTLY Typepad...

OK~
It's not.
I know it's not.
BUT
It's close.
VERY.
Close.
Lookie over in the sidebar......
scroll down a bit....
There's a picture link.
To pictures.
I can add more categories.
*bowing*
thank you.
THANK YOU.
I know.
I rock.
hee hee!

So that's all I had to say.
I made a button using HTML and used the new blogger to add "HTML/ JAVA SCRIPT"
I use flickr for my online host. They have this nifty feature that makes a picture into a square, and they give you some HTML to go with it. I know enough about HTML to take the stuff I need and make a new link with the picture. The Gallery of photos is actually the "set" feature of FLICKR.

MmmHmmm.
I know.

Don't forget to enter the contest to see how well you know me! I'm leaving the running open until FRIDAY.... Good Luck!

So just how much do YOU know?

So you've been reading my blog for a while now... I may or may not know that you do it. Maybe you are a friend, and you visit to stay up on my goings on... Maybe you lurk here, and have never left a comment. Maybe we are on line friends. See how you rate! Leave your mark! These are questions that most of you have had the chance to learn.

The person with the highest score will win a small goodie bag courtesy of ME!

So test away! Just how well you REALLY know me... Oh, and just so ya know... IF my dear mommy happens to WIN... I'll send out TWO prizes. Because well, she kind of has an unfair advantage and all.....

Create your own friendquiz hereEdited 12-26-06 at 3:38 Pacific:I deleted the two test that were taken. They got scored wrong. From here on out, if this happens again, I will keep track on my own, because I can see what your answers are at the test site. Mom, you didn't get as many as you think right! hee hee!

I did it! I did it!

WOOO HOOOO! I got a picture in my banner! You do not haaaaave one, I am so speeeecial! LOL I did it! It's not as hard as I thought it would be! In fact, it's really easy! Now I have to design a cool banner! This one will do for now though. Ahhhhhh. Now if I could ONLY figure out how to make the cute little picture galleries like typepad.... I'd have the whole package without the Dough!

Have Yourself a Merry Little Christmas.....

When I was little, I had a paper mache boot that got filled with goodies. Originally, the story goes, St. Nicholaus helped the poor many a time by leaving gold inside empty boots left by the door. In one version, the gold is in the form of balls. This is where the tradition of leaving an orange in stockings (boots) came from. I thought that my boot had been ruined long ago, and I've never been able to find boots that looked the way my old one did. These boots were plain, and I was able to buy over 6 of them at the thrift store. I added the holly and names myself in a recreation of my original boot.
The other picture above, is our gifts waiting to be opened.

Only two socks left! Christmas is around the corner!
My card count ~ 7 ~!

I broke in my SEWING MACHINE....

About two or even three months ago, I bought myself a sewing machine. Mind you, I HAVE one, but I don't know what's wring with it, and it won't SEW. It's pretty fancy, because like most of the REALLY nice things in my house, it used to be my gramma's. Now it's mine, and it does some REALLY nice things, but I can't use it. So I bought an inexpensive, easy to use, follow the directions that are WRITTEN ON THE MACHINE, machine. Then I didn't use it. For a really long time. BUT. Today, I used it! I used it to shorten our stockings. They are too long. They won't safely hang over the fireplace. Well, NOW they will, but before today, they wouldn't. I'm one step closer to READY FOR CHRISTMAS, and our stockings hang above the fire with care!

Q & A

I got a few questions over the last few posts that I thought I would just answer here on my blog. The first one was how I got into the Royal Order of the Royal Pip Chicks. That was easy. My mom opened our chapter when she turned 50. We had her "Reduation" for our first meeting at a local tea house. That's our first gathering up there in the picture. She is our Queen Mother, as the group leaders are called. Everyone gets to pick their "Royal" titles. Mine is the Baroness of Bargains. My mom's is Queen Debbee. My friend Janet is the Diva of Deals. Our friend Rose is Lady Rosebudd. One of the gals has been to Hawaii and loved it. Her name is Lady Leilani. We have a member named Donna who chose Lady PrimaDonna. It's really up to you. The only REAL rules are that you have to be 50 to wear Red and Purple to meetings, and that there is only one QUEEN in a chapter. My mom registered our group with the The Official Red Hat Society Headquarters. It's just a great group of ladies who are willing to be silly and have fun together. We've had a Barbie Bashing Picnic. Last meeting we went to a Sushi Restaurant. It's been such fun. Our group mascot is a Chicken, all decked out in red and purple. Our "theme" song is the Chicken Dance, which Lady Rosebudd insists we do each meeting no matter WHERE we are.... LOL I think that the web site I linked to above has lists of groups that are registered all over the country. If you are interested in joining a group near you, go to the site and see what there is! Really, every group is different, but the object and original intent of The Red Hat Society is to have fun and be with friends. How each group does it, is up to them.

The other question was what I used to make the background and puzzle pieces for my art piece. The background is a hard canvas. I printed out the picture of my sister onto regular paper, then I painted a puzzle that our family had put together as a family, white. I glued the picture of my sister onto the puzzle. Then I took a toothpick, and rubbed the picture down into the cracks of the puzzle so that you could see the lines from the puzzle through the picture. Once it was dry, I cut the edges of the picture with an exacto knife. Next, I painted over the rest of the pieces with different shades of tan. I also left some of them white. I glued a pile of pieces to the canvas in the shape of a heart. That is about three inches high off of the canvas. I painted the background with very watery brown paint, and used thicker brown paint to shade the edges. I painted the heart red. I wrote words onto the leftover puzzle pieces. Words that describe Melea, and things we did together as kids. Words of things she means to me. That describe her journey to this place in her life. Then I chalked the edges of the puzzle pieces, and glued them to the canvas. I used a black ZIG pen, and a white Gel pen on the pieces.

A little Sumpin Sumpin I designed today...

I'm a Pink Hat member of The Royal Order of the Purple Pip Chicks. We are a chapter of the Red Hat Society. If you are 50 years old, you wear Red & Purple to Society gatherings. If you are not yet 50, you have to wait your turn to wear THE colors. You wear Pink & Lavender. I have been designing my own hat finery for as long s I have been a member. This is my latest design. I plan eventually, to sell my hats, but for now, I make them for me.

If your name is MELEA, please don't look!

My sister is 6 years younger than me, and adopted from Korea. We got her when I was 6. She was three months old. This last year, she got the chance to go back to Korea. Unexpectedly, she was able to meet her Korean parents. She found out that she was daughter #7 for them. Without telling her private story, I'll just say that this year has been a life changing year for my sister.

She also loves my art. I've made a piece for her once before at her request. A few months ago, I got the inspiration to document her life and this last year's puzzle pieces. For her Christmas gift, I made THIS:

It turned out JUST like it was in my mind. I'm so happy with it! Thanks for looking, and Mel, if you are still reading, then the surprise is out of the bag! LOL

rachel

a DIFFERENT one!

This is a good 50 questions. I'm not taggin you, just saying. It's a good one. Lots of misc. Questions. You MIGHT want to do it. I'm not TAGGING you, just SAYING.... you MIGHT want to do it.


1. Who made you happy today? Macs and Josh. They are the only ones up with me.


2. What were you doing at 8 this morning? Sleeping in.


3. What were you doing 15 minutes ago? Blog Stalking as Janet would call it! LOL


4. Name something that happened to you in 1996. I had become best friends with my future husband, and I was in TOTAL denial of my love.


5. What is the last thing you said out loud? Macs, do you want a cookie?


6. How many different things did you drink today? I haven't even had my coffee yet.


7. What color is your toothbrush? Purple with green trim.


8. What was the last thing you bought? Rye Bread.


9. What was the last gift you received for your birthday? Money from my In Laws.


10. What color is your front door? White.


11. Where do you keep your change? In a jar.


12. What is the weather like today? Overcast. Coastal. Cold.


13. What color shirt are you wearing? Peach with a pink undershirt.


14. What is something you are excited about? My mom and dad are coming to visit us thise weekend!


15. When was the last time you saw a rainbow? This summer.


16. Do you have any sisters? Only one.


17. whered it go? Where'd WHAT go? The apostrophy that SHOULD be in that word? I'm guessing it was never there to begin with. It bothers me that it's not there. It's taking everything I have not to PUT it there.


18. Are you very random? Judging by my last answer, and the fact that I really have no idea what RANDOM really MEANS "these days" I'm probably NOT. Spontanious, yes. RANDOM, mmmmm.... I'm gonna go with yeah, how 'bout NO?


19. Do you want to cut your hair? Not for a while. I just did it.


20. Are you over the age of 25? Totally.


21. Do you talk alot? That's a rhetorical question, right? Right? I mean, really. Right?


22. Do you watch The OC? NEVER!!!!!!!! I don't want to become suicidal that badly, really!


23. How many gf/bf relationships have you been in? I think about 16. But I stopped dating after I got married......


24. Do you know anyone named Steve? Yes.


25. Do you prefer the cold weather or hot weather? I like them both. Rainy more than just cold.


26. Are you ticklish? I used to be, but the older I get the less I am.


27. Are you typically a happy person? Pretty much!


28. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'A'. Amanda the Amazing


29. Name a friend whose name starts with the letter 'K'. Kathy AKA Horton Hears a Who


30. Who is the 4th person on your missed calls list? A Relative from CO. I didn't get to the phone in time....


31. If you could change one thing in you life right now, what would it be? My house wouldn't need me.


32. Do you chew on your straws? No. My gramma taught me NEVER to.... LOL


33. Do you have curly hair? No.


34. When was the last time you went to a concert? The summer before last, 2005, we saw Lady Smith Black Mambazo at the music on the half shell in Roseburg.


35. Who is the coolest person in your life? Not really sure....


36. What is one habit of yours? I have a habit of trying to do too much. Then I can't always finish what I start.


37. What is the last thing you ate? Homemade Chocolate Chip Cookies


38. Have you seen the movie 'Donnie Darko'? No. Never even HEARD of it.


39. Do you have work tomorrow? Nowhere but HOME...


40. Is marriage in the future? If it's NOT, then I'll be Divorced. So I'm planning on it!


41. When was the last time you said 'I love you' and meant it? Everytime I say it.


42. What should you be doing right now? Housework.


43. What are some of your nicknames? I hate it, but it's Rach.


44. What is one thing you want for Christmas? No Stress, and for my sister not to complain that we are getting up "too early" at 7:00 or 8:00 on Christmas morning.


45. Are you a heavy sleeper? I am a pretty deep sleeper, and I wake up if people try to sneak around.


46. When was the last time you used a skateboard? Um. Never. Does NEVER work for you?


47. What is the best movie you've seen in the past two weeks? The ONLY movie I've seen in the last two weeks was Pirates of the Carribeann 2. It was good. The best one this SEASON so far; Santa Clause 3.


48. What is one good thing someone said to you? "Oh, Mommy, you make me so HAPPY!" ~macs


49. What are you listening to? Josh and Macs playing with playdough.


50. Are you currently depressed? No, but I'm crampy.

And the, because no post is as good without a picture.... a piece of artwork that I did this year...

My Gramma came to visit....

She's been gone now for about three years. Right after Macs was born. I miss her so much. She LOVED Christmas. Her house was always decorated to the hilt. Many of my decorations were hers. I find myself looking at things in the store, and shopping with her. "Gramma would LOVE that...." My personal taste reflects her influence. I dream about her more this time of year. Most of the time, I dream that she's still here. My gramma LOVED flowers. Roses, her namesakes, were at the top of her list. She had a Rose garden. When she passed away, I took as many of her roses as I could. I took honeysuckle, fern, Hydrengia and more. Up until she died, I really hadn't shown much promise as a gardener. Somehow though, my thumbs have gotten greener and greener. In the Fall of this year, I winterized the flowers. I pruned, and took things out of their pots. I gave them winter beds in the yard. Goodnight, I told them. See you in the Spring, I said. My Clematis gave me one more bloom in October. I thought THAT was beautiful. The rest of the flowers seemed to have listed to me. They seemed happy to have been given their new beds, and to snuggle down for the freezes to come. Come they did. Other yards wilted, and browned over night. Winter had come. But my gramma knew it was Christmas time. She talked to my roses. One more bloom, I think she must have said. Rachel misses me. Be beautiful for her.

And one little rose bush raised it's branches. I'll bloom, it said. In the wind and the rain. I'll bloom, it said.

So she'll know you were here.

Something Yummy for Christmas

Another of Josh. He used to eat his feet ALL THE TIME....

Just a page I did a long time ago...

This is just a page that I did a long time ago. It's one of Josh, but if you didn't know that, you'd think it was MACS.

rachel

New Doo

Back to black! With a cut too! Thought I should update my profile!

So I'm feeling REALLY special.....

It came! Our first Christmas Card of 2006! So nice to have it hanging from the garland that hangs over the mantle/mirror! If you look a bit closer though.... You can see who it's from. Yessir! ACE Hardware sent me a Christmas card! It's the first one this year, and I couldn't let it just go into the trash... So I put it here for all of you to see!

Bear With Me!

Just wanted to say sorry to all of you who subscribe to my feed. I've just switched over to the Blogger Beta, and one of the features that the new system has, is labeling. It's one of the things I didn't like about blogger. Not being able to put posts into categories. So when I made the switch, I went back and labeled old posts. I think that when I republish these, they might come to you as a new post. I'm about half way done, so please, bear with me! I'll put up a post telling you all when I'm done fiddling!

rachel

High School Never Ends

My son played this song for me today... The group is called Bowling for Soup. Love the song. Had to share!

I have a very dear friend that I want to tell you about. Her name is Pam. I met Pam in the summer of 2002. Ian and her son Luke became friends at the city swimming pool. She and I became good friends not long after that. Then, one year ago, She and her family moved about one hour away. We kept in touch, and stayed friends. I would take Ian up to see Luke, and she would bring Like to us. About two of more months after we moved to the coast, I got a call from her saying that they were moving again. This time, to a town about 25 miles from our home on the coast! I can't even tell you how nice it has been to have a friend here in our new town. Sure, I've made new friends, and Janet is SO GOOD about calling and talking, and getting together with me. (thank you Janet! I love you for that) Having Pam around has been so nice. Having a friend that already KNOWS me, and my strengths and weaknesses. A friend that I don't have to GET to know. And she loves me just the way I am. SHE sent me this. She sends me these things a lot. I like them, because you can learn things about a person that you might not learn in everyday getting to know you conversation. So, for your holiday reading pleasure....

1. Egg Nog or Hot Chocolate? Hot Chocolate

2. Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree? We have the gifts from Mom and Dad under the tree. Santa brings gifts for the boys that he has wrapped, and fills our stockings on Christmas Eve.

3. Colored lights on tree/house or white? Icicle lights outside, multi colors inside and out on the trees. If I had it my way, I'd have all one color, but Travis and the boys like the multi colored lights.

4. Do you hang mistletoe? No. I can't FIND any!

5. When do you put your decorations up? The day after Thanksgiving.

6. What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)? Turkey with cranberry sauce.

7. Favorite holiday memory as a child? Wondering every year, which wrapping paper was mine. Trying to figure it out by the shape of the boxes. Opening my paper clue on Christmas Eve.

8. When and how did you learn the truth about Santa? The truth is, I always knew he was based on an actual person.

9. Do you open a gift on Christmas Eve? Yes, we open gifts with Travis' family on Christmas Eve. When I was a kid, we got to pick ONE gift to open before bed.

10.How do you decorate your Christmas tree? With a mix of nostalgia and kid ornaments. My mom gets me an ornament every year still to this day. If I like it, it goes on the tree.

11. Snow! Love it or dread it? Love it!!!

12. Can you ice skate? A little bit.

13. Do you remember your favorite gift? I don't think I could name ONE favorite! I am always impressed by the thoughtful things that Travis' brother gives. We see him at family things, but we don't have the chance to really be together on a day to day basis. Somehow, he seems to know just what to get. His gifts always FIT the person he's giving to.

14. What's the most important thing about the holidays for you? Just remembering Christmas as a kid. Now that my gramma is gone, I really think about her around this time. A lot of my Christmas things were hers, and I enjoy the closeness and connection I have to her through this season. I got my love for it from her and my mom.

15. What is your favorite holiday dessert? Pie. Really doesn't matter what kind.

16. What is your favorite holiday tradition? We have so many! I really like the tradition that we started after Travis and I got married. We go and wake my parents up after we do Christmas at our house Christmas morning. It makes me feel like a kid again, and the boys love it.

What tops your tree? A Snowflake.

18. Prefer giving or receiving? Definitely giving! I like planning the giving! LOL

19. What is your favorite Christmas song? Rockin' Around the Christmas Tree (the Home Alone version)
20. Candy Canes, yuck or yummy? Yummy!

Oh, and by the way.....
TAG
you're it!

This is TOO COOL

Olny srmat poelpe can raed tihs. I cdnuolt blveiee taht I cluod aulaclty uesdnatnrd waht I was rdanieg. The phaonmneal pweor of the hmuan mnid, aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at Cmabrigde Uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. The rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit a porbelm. Tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. Amzanig huh? yaeh and I awlyas tghuhot slpeling was ipmorantt! if you can raed tihs psas it on!

Dear Martha Stewart,

I'm really sorry. I steal from you alot. I bought your magazine for some Christmas ideas, and I saw a cute idea to put pictures along a ribbon as an ornamentation for your gifts. GREAT idea! But you see, Martha, I have to make things my own. So I tweaked your idea a little bit MORE. I took one of the pictures of our family, and printed it in Sepia to make it match my THRIFT STORE Wrapping paper. I also should mention that I had been looking for a clever way to make a tag, AND attach my THRIFT STORE ribbon without making a bow. (it wrinkles very easily) I HAPPENED to have some old sticky label making paper, so I printed the pictures onto that. THEN I stole your idea. I put the picture/sticker over the ribbon. Then I wrote the repient's name on the bottom of the ribbon. Now, Martha, you don't know me, but I have a tradition in my family when it comes to wrapping my kid's gifts. I use a different paper for each kid, and I DON'T put a tag on it. Then, on Christmas Day, the boy's get to open a box with their names on them. I put a piece of the paper that I wrapped THEIR gifts with in the box. This way, the boys don't know WHICH gifts are theirs until Christmas Day.

HOWEVER.

This year, I am ripping the boys gifts the same as everyone else's. With the brown paper, and the red ribbon. They WERE a bargain, Martha. I have to use them. Still, I wanted to continue with our tradition of no tags. SO..... I used my square hole punch, and I punched some paper out. In the spot that our pictures have been on our extended family's gifts, I am putting the square of paper. A different paper for each boy, and the usual boxes on the tree.

Thanks. Martha! You gave me a classy way to use my bargains, and keep my Christmas Budget in tact! How do you think I did?

Happy Birthday to.....

At 6:36 am Dec. 5th, 1975, my mom was just finishing up the delivery of her first baby girl.

That,

would be

ME.

8lbs, 9oz. With a head of dark brown hair....

So. Happy Birthday to ME! I am loving me today. And wishing I was still little, because the parties are so much cooler when you are a kid. Maybe on of these times, I'll have me a kid's party.

THAT

would be

FUN!

Talk at you later! and for those of you who still haven't figured out the math...

I'm 31.

For those who have sons....

Here are a few things that those of you who have boys probably already know. For those of you who don't, or might need a refresher course in Boys 101. If you don't have boys, this will explain alot.


1. A king size waterbed holds enough water to fill a 2000 sq. ft. house 4 inches deep.
2. If you spray hair spray on dust bunnies and run over them with roller blades, they can ignite.
3. A 3-year old Boy's voice is louder than 200 adults in a crowded restaurant.
4. If you hook a dog leash over a ceiling fan, the motor is not strong enough to rotate a 42 pound Boy wearing Batman underwear and a Superman cape. It is strong enough, however, if tied to a paint can, to spread paint on all four walls of a 20x20 ft. room.

5. You should not throw baseballs up when the ceiling fan is on. When using a ceiling fan as a bat, you have to throw the ball up a few times before you get a hit. A ceiling fan can hit a baseball a long way.
6. The glass in windows (even double-pane) doesn't stop a baseball hit by a ceiling fan.
7. When you hear the toilet flush and the words "uh oh", it's already too late.

8. Brake fluid mixed with Clorox makes smoke, and lots of it.
9. A six-year old Boy can start a fire with a flint rock even though a 36-year old Man says they can only do it in the movies.
10. Certain Lego's will pass through the digestive tract of a 4- year old Boy.
11. Play dough and microwave should not be used in the same sentence.
12. Super glue is forever.

13. No matter how much Jell-O you put in a swimming pool you still can't walk on water.
14. Pool filters do not like Jell-O.
15. VCR's do not eject "PB & J" sandwiches even though TV commercials show they do.
16. Garbage bags do not make good parachutes.
17. Marbles in gas tanks make lots of noise when driving.
18. You probably DO NOT want to know what that odor is.

19. Always look in the oven before you turn it on; plastic toys do not like ovens.
20. The fire department in Austin, TX has a 5-minute response time.
21. The spin cycle on the washing machine does not make earthworms dizzy.
22. It will, however, make cats dizzy.
23. Cats throw up twice their body weight when dizzy.
24. 80% of Women will pass this on to almost all of their friends, with or without kids.
25. 80% of Men who read this will try mixing the Clorox and brake fluid.

I did not learn all of these things on my own. It was a very clever Email sent to me by my friend LeeAnne. Thanks, LeeAnne! Made my morning!

Today, I found a church...

I grew up in a fantastic Church. I've loved it from day one. This move was the first time I've ever had to search for a church. I've never not had one. In fact, I still consider Redeemer's my home church.

I've been looking at the churches here in our teeny community, and wondering HOW I was going to fill the void that my wonderful Parent Church has left. My husband came to God there, and we both enjoyed the truth and ease which the pastor there taught. The worship was wonderful. It was just good.

I haven't been to church in ages, because other places have just never been comfortable. I felt awkward. Not at peace. It's hard to explain. One church that I visited here in our new town in my search for our new church home, was close. Still, there was just an unsettling in my heart. It hurt that I might have to settle. Something I didn't want to do. I DON'T want to do. It was a good church. Small, and with an older generation congregation, but perfectly good. We have friends who attend there. It's a good church. Still, something not right FOR ME. I just thought I had set the bar too high. That in a little town like ours, this might be all there was.

I decided to give another church a try. My neighbors go there. It's actually right around the corner from us. Literally. I've been meaning to go for quite a few weeks now. Things have gotten in the way. Illness, Houseguests, Trips out of town, just STUFF. So today, the boys and I went. Like I said, I've never gone looking for a church. I don't know how it works. I do know this. Today, I was HOME. I can't describe it. I was at peace. I wanted to jump in with my whole being. I know this is a church that will be mine. I can't wait for Sunday to come.

Mmmmmmm Yep. That's 'bout right.

You scored as Verbal/Linguistic. You have highly developed auditory skills, enjoy reading and writing and telling stories, and are good at getting your point across. You learn best by saying and hearing words. People like you include poets, authors, speakers, attorneys, politicians, lecturers and teachers. Verbal/Linguistic 93% Intrapersonal 86% Visual/Spatial 82% Bodily/Kinesthetic 82% Musical/Rhythmic 75% Interpersonal 68% Logical/Mathematical 21% The Rogers Indicator of Multiple Intelligences created with QuizFarm.com

Hmmmm. Did you see the teacher part? Mmmm Hhhmmm.

When Googley Eyes happen to good people.....

Somehow, the googley eyes got out of their drawer the other night. Then the glue dots. Then the Sharpie. Well, you can see what happened. Josh did his face all one his own, but Macs had some outside help. (mom and dad)

Such fun, isn't it!?

Ian decided to get tricky and be original too, so he made TWO faces...

Ahhh. The things we do to entertain ourselves!

Some Pictures, A song & A great Christmas Scrapbooking idea...

This is a slideshow that Travis put to music. Isn't my boy a beautiful human?


As you know, I took KelliCrowe's advent sock idea, and ran with it. I have been putting conversation starters along with goodies in our socks. The first day, I put a note asking the boys to tell me what Christmas Spirit was, and how they would share their Christmas Spirit with others this year. The next one, I put a poem/clue about an ornament that I have on the tree that has special meaning to me. They hunted for the ornament, and then I told them why it was special. So here's the idea- I NEVER like the Christmas pictures that I take. Bad angles of kids with toys, no one really wants to look at the camera while they are opening gifts. They just never capture the real moment like I would like them to, and after a while, years start to look the same. Just not ever the pictures I would like to scrap about. So this year, I am keeping the notes that I am putting in our advent socks, and taking pictures of the items that we will talk about from the treasure hunts. When Christmas is here, I am going to take ONE bed head picture of our whole family on Christmas morning in front of our tree, and I'm going to scrap our advent. This way, I will be putting our traditions, and memories on paper, and getting a yearly picture of our family without the same old same old present scamble pics! Hope you like the idea.