Calling all readers!

I've GOT to recommend these two books to you - WOW, both of them were absolutely wonderful reads! As I shared in previous posts on this blog, I LOVE, LOVE, LOVE to read and I have a tendency to just fly through books. My daughter and I went to the library this past Friday so that's when I borrowed these two books, among a few others. I was done with BOTH of them by Saturday night! (My husband just doesn't "get" my love of reading....he commented that he could not understand how I could just "sit around and read"! ha ha ha) We've had A LOT of snow fall in Michigan over the last few days so it was really cozy and wonderful sitting on the couch wrapped up in a blanket - drinking hot chocolate and reading books by some of my favorite authors. (Not a winter-weather-love-being-outside-type of chick!) Yup, life is good!!!!

Happy New Year!

Wishing all of you a blessed, prosperous, healthy and happy new year! Hard to believe that 2007 passed by so very quickly! Looking back in reflection, I can honestly say how thankful I am for God's faithfulness to our family. Like everyone else probably did, as well - we experienced "highs" and "lows" throughout this past year. Hey, that's just life, though!

A cheery welcome and more gifts to show...

Our foyer area after you step in the front door is rather small - but I still wanted to convey a message of "Welcome, please come in"....This is what I came up with! It's a "Welcome" banner with our family picture above it, as you can see. What do ya think?
Two of my husband's nieces love to play with dolls so I decided to make them each a little doll quilt and coordinating pillow. I was very pleased with how they turned out!
Next up is a decoupaged memory box for Alexis and an altered clipboard for Olivia - it has a matching pen.
Lastly, I made up a batch of rice bag comfort pillows for my in-laws and my husband's grandparents, who will also be joining us this evening for a Christmas party. These pillows are super easy to make and very useful. They can be put into the freezer to use as a cold pack or heated in the microwave for a hot pack. (My kids love 'em, too!)

Thanks for looking!

THIS is what I've been up to!

I've been keeping busy making gifts for my nieces and nephews. See the vanilla sugar body scrub? It's sooooo easy to make and I'm sure the girls will LOVE it! Check out how I made the tags. I took a card from an old board game and altered it ~ I think they turned out really cute, don't you?

Here are some ornaments I made new this year, along with a handmade gumdrop garland. (I've had to hide the gumdrops while I've been working on it so they won't get eaten up by everyone around here! LOL)

My husband's family Christmas party is at OUR HOUSE this year so I'll be pretty busy getting everything ready for company in the next few days.

I'd like to wish everyone a Merry Christmas and a very Happy New Year! Enjoy the holidays and make lots of wonderful memories!

Prayer IS important!

If you don't think praying for the safety of your family is important, keep reading and I'll tell ya a little story about it.....

Last night my son Tyler was driving on his way to a Christmas party. It had just begun to snow around the time he left. This was about 6:45 p.m. or so. A little while later we got the call no parent really wants to get....Tyler's car went into a ditch.

Tyler was fine, unhurt - just shaken up. But the car was stuck, very stuck in the ditch without a hope of getting out without a tow truck.

Now, here's more divine intervention in addition to Tyler not being hurt...3 or 4 Good Samaritans stopped to help him out. Despite their best efforts, they were all unable to get the car out. The tow truck finally did have to come. I KNOW this part is a miracle! Right where the car went into the ditch is a river. THE CAR DID NOT GO IN THE RIVER! It was close and by the course of natural consequences should have headed right for it. THAT'S GOD, people - oh yes, truly a miracle that my baby boy didn't go into that river with his car on a dark, cold, snowy night!!!!

As a mom, you just don't know how thankful I am to know that my prayers for my kids are effectual! I'm praisin' God that my boy was not hurt; I realize full well that it could have been much, much worse and I am sooooooo glad it wasn't. TO GOD BE THE GLORY!!!

Prayer needed!

My heart is heavy this morning after the phone call I got from my cousin {sigh}...You know what the person has to say is not good when they ask you if anyone has called you yet...Ever had that happen before?

Well, yesterday one of my mom's sisters found out she has breast cancer. She is one of my most favorite aunts and I don't get to see her very often. The memories I have of this aunt from childhood bring a smile to my face every time I think of her.

Her husband passed away just over a year ago and she lives alone. Several of her children live close by and do check in on her. She is still quite independent and active, I might add. So it isn't like she's confined to home by illness or some other reason.

But here's the kicker (and I'm sooooo upset about this!)...The doctor decided to call this 76 year old-recently-widowed-living-alone-gal at 5 p.m. on a Friday and drop the bombshell that yes, indeed she does have breast cancer.

I apologize for the rant here but YOU JUST DON'T HANDLE IT LIKE THAT!!! First of all, I think that type of life-changing news should be told in person, NOT ON THE PHONE! Secondly, that doctor should have asked my aunt to bring a family member into the office with her so she'd have some loving support when she got the news.

But sadly, no - it wasn't handled like that. My cousin and I discussed how poorly that doctor handled it. (This same cousin, at age 41, has dealt with cancer not only once, but twice so she speaks with the voice of experience in this area.) Anyway, I asked my cousin if she was going to at the very least let that doctor know how upset the family is that she was didn't exactly extend care and compassion in breaking the news to my aunt - she said OH YES, she's DEFINITELY going to address it! Good, I think it needs to be pointed out to that woman that you don't just rock someone's world in such a casual manner. Not ever. Yes, she had to tell my aunt but I honestly do think she could have been a bit more compassionate about it. GRRRRRRR!!!!!!!

Okay, I'm done. I have now stepped off my soapbox :)

Anyhow - PLEASE, PLEASE, PLEASE pray for my aunt. And for the rest of us in the family, too. The big "C" word is always shocking and it seems that our family has been hit (no, make that slammed) so hard by it over the years. So many family members dealing with this terrible thing - some are still here, others are not (my mom being one of them, as you know). Augh, it makes me weepy just thinking about it....

Gotta love 'em!

I am every emotion times ten, I conform yet I'm rebellious, always obeying but somehow still an outlaw, always talking yet never heard ~ I AM A TEENAGER!
~ Author Unknown

Okay, so can ya tell I've got TEENAGERS living in my house? Hmm, maybe that's why this little quote really spoke to me! LOL Just thought it was cute and wanted to share it with all of ya! Hope everyone has an enjoyable weekend!

Homesick

As any of you out there who has a lost a loved one knows all too well ~ honestly, the whole holiday season is just plain difficult. It just is. Everything else might be absolutely wonderful but part of your heart hurts. You miss that person all the time, of course ~ not just on the holidays ~ but I think the loss is more evident this time of year as so many people gather together for holiday celebrations.

I've been having a whole lot of "missin' my mom" days lately. There are so many times I wish I could just pick up the phone and call her. Just about trivial stuff, you know. Like parenting advice, how do you make that one recipe of yours, what do you think about this ~ that kind of stuff...

I think there are a lot of times we take all of that for granted ~ just being able to pick up the phone and call the people who are near & dear to us...Family members...Good friends...We sometimes mistakenly think that there's always gonna be "later" or "tomorrow". Sadly, that is just not the case.

You may remember a song by MercyMe from a few years ago called "Homesick". I loved it from the first time I heard it. I have to say, it really reminded me of my mom and how much I miss her. (There's a neat story behind MercyMe's frontman Bart Millard writing the song. Google it and read it ~ good stuff.) I am comforted to know that there are no goodbyes in Christ.

"Homesick"

You're in a better place, I've heard a thousand times
And a least a thousand times I've rejoiced for you
But the reason why I'm broken, the reason why I cry
Is how long must I wait to be with you

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

Help me, Lord, 'cause I don't understand your ways
The reason why I wonder if I'll ever know
But, even if you showed me, the hurt would be the same
'Cause I'm still here so far away from home

I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
I've never been more homesick than now

In Christ, there are no goodbyes
And in Christ, there is no end
So I'll hold onto Jesus with all that I have
To see you again
To see you again

And I close my eyes and I see your face
If home's where my heart is then I'm out of place
Lord, won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow
Won't you give me strength to make it through somehow

I've never been more homesick than now...

I'm always touched to the very core when I hear that song! For those of you out there who have lost loved ones and are struggling with the loss right now, I want to say I understand what you're going through ~ I'm right there with you. Doesn't matter if the loss happened years ago or recently; it still hurts. I pray that you would look to God for comfort ~ He'll take care of your heart and meet you right where you're at.

Free entertainment

We are what you'd consider a very musical family. As a matter of fact, anyone visiting our home might believe that guitars are part of my home decor :0) (There are guitars in my living room on stands. Bobby & Tyler just pick them up and start playing away. Anytime can be a "jam session" around here! ha ha ha) We all love music! My husband writes songs and sings, as well as plays a variety of instruments. Our son is exactly the same ~ he plays guitar in a band. (Yeah, like a real band! They play at different venues around the area and actually make a little bit of $$.) Our daughters both sing in school choirs. (So far we've been to 4 different school concerts within this last week :)

That leads me to the free entertainment part of this post :) Last night I had the pleasure of attending the holiday choir/band concert at our local high school. Taylor sang in the choir and several of the school bands played. The jazz band/concert band/symphony band ~ they were all actually really good!

I'd encourage you to check out your local school's holiday concerts! It was heartwarming to see the crowd that turned out last night....the balcony was full, in addition to the floor seats of the auditorium, plus it was "standing room only" around the perimeter. That's a good crowd! So if you decide to check out your local school's programs, not only would you be supporting the kids, you can consider it free holiday entertainment :) Now, that's a win/win, isn't it?

A few prayer requests...

Please pray for my dear friend Karen (and her family) as her father has passed away. This is going to be a difficult time for all of them, especially during this holiday season. Losing a parent is so, so devastating and my heart hurts for their family.

Let's also keep in prayer all of those involved in the deadly Nebraska mall shootings. What a terrible tragedy. I can't even imagine what those people must be going through right now. Even though we may not know their names, God does...so let's join together and lift them up in prayer.

Isn't this cool?

This is a painting that a friend of my son Tyler's created for his senior art class last school year. He painted it using a picture of Tyler as his guide. I think it turned out really neat, don't you? (The eye is just a bit off and sort of the mouth but hey, I'm no art critic, y'know, and I don't claim to be. I'm creative but I do not draw or paint. Plus I have to say it really does look better in person all put together correctly; the picture above just doesn't do it justice.)

This artwork hung in the halls of the high school until recently. Tyler's friend offered it to him but then I LOVED it when Ty showed it to me so I asked if he would mind if I hang it in the hallway as you enter the house through our front door. It's not at all in my color scheme/ decor but I don't mind. I just think it's a fun, whimsical piece of art! Doesn't hurt that it also depicts someone I happen to love very much :) ha ha