Happy Fourth [thanks to Paula for findng this!]

It's my Party!

I'm having a birthday - and it's a BIG ONE! So to celebrate I'm doing a
Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway
every Friday this month!
Yippee!
Five Fridays of Goodies!

As always - I have bunch of stuff that needs to GO - and I'm really tired of seeing the OMG abbreviation everywhere [I try hard to make my mind read 'oh my goodness!] so am hoping that we might also come to think of it as

'Once a Month [old stuff] Giveaway!
I plan to randomly draw a name from the comments on this post each Friday
and send that person a little bag of goodies that hopefully they can use
[new to them and all, you know...]
Just post a comment about your favorite birthday -
Time's up at midnight [central x] on the last day of the month.

Encyclopedia of Your Ordinary Life - M

A few years ago I had the opportunity to complete this extraordinary scrapbook album designed by CathyZ and based on the book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Rosenthal. While I still haven't read the book, I love the concept of this album - a random sampling of those ordinary facts about your life [my life.] The homework involves keeping a list, A to Z, of random memories for several weeks and then gathering photos [or not] to support these memories. Love it. The album is really very simple [a la Cathy Z] and easy to put together with only two square photos per page and two to four 'definitions.' Have I said I love this album? And I want to share some of my life with you so I've committed to do just that in 2009 [keep in mind this was completed during the summer of 2007.] I'm going backwards and today I present: M

MATT

Our second precious son who is full of energy and always ready for fun. [As a child, Matt once said that he could only have one activity / sport after school because he wanted to be sure to have time for friends.] Love the painting he did [shown this page] when he was in kindergarten. There was a vase with the flower and lots of other things sitting all around it. They were told to paint what they saw and it’s easy to see that Matt’s perspective is to see the whole scene and take it all in. What a great perspective to have! It’s such a joy to see his love of the Lord as he grows into a young adult.

McDONALD’S SWEET TEA

I admit – I’m addicted and drink at least one [32 oz] each day! Many times I get it half and half, and I could drink 2-3 daily, but have recently learned that tea can hinder the absorption of iron… not good news for me these days.

MUSTANG

My first car! A ’68, painted ‘robin’s egg blue’ – just like my cousin Doug’s. We actually drove around a small town and stopped people with 68’s until we found someone willing to sell theirs [I know- I was spoiled…] So many in my family have driven Mustangs – in some form or fashion- through the years. I’ll always have fond memories of it…

MERT

Mama’s crazy nick name that most of the family calls her. No one has ever really explained where it came from. But it’s the name she answers to whenever her sisters, nieces, or nephews are nearby.

Choice

Everytime you make a choice you are turning the central part of you, the part of you that chooses, into something a little different from what was before. And taking your life as a whole, with all your innumerable choices, al your life you are slowly turning this central thing into a hevenly creature or into a hellish creature. - C. S. Lewis

Catching Fireflies - 5

My take:
[Pensacola- Florida- Lighthouse and Middle Bay - Mobile, AL- Lighthouse - two lighthouses that have been a 'part' of our family for over 20 years - we have paintings of each hanging in our den...]
I believe in the power of prayer and I know our Lord wants us to join together and lift each other up in prayer [I’ve had too many middle of the night awakenings with urgings to pray for others only to learn of unforeseen circumstances in their lives later on…] I want to take the responsibility [and joy!] of standing tall and shining bright for others. We’re in a spiritual battle and I know to fight it will require all my heart, my soul, and strength. And I’m willing to step in and pray for those who may not have the strength to reach out to God…

Catching Fireflies - 5

Light House

Patsy Clairmont: “I’ve known a plethora of light houses…walking, talking, bona

fide lit towers who, at critical moments, through tumultuous waters, have guided me and others to shore… Two lighthouses aligned – one taller, one shorter – are said to form a ‘range,’ used to help ships navigate tricky waterways and dark coastlines. Scripture tells us that where two or three believers are aligned in agreement, Christ is in the midst of them. Christ loves when we come together in harmony and in the best interest of others. His whole ministry was outreach to others. He taught the sinking Peter who it was that could lift him out of deep waters. He taught the shipful of frightened disciples that no storm could overtake them if He who created the sea and stirred the waves was in their midst.

Ecclesiastes 4:12 & 4:9

We become lighthouses powered by the hope we have in Christ. We have the responsibility and joy of standing tall and shining bright – with all of our heart, soul, and strength, right down to our last moments and our last flinching muscle, flashing out – for others on dark seas, our gratitude.”

Faithbooking Prompts [Questions from the book]:

• Who make up the plethora of lighthouses inn your life?
• Who has ‘towed’ you in? When?
• What makes your eyes flash with passion? Pleasure? Purpose?
• Who do you need to thank? What will it cost you?

garden update

and random shots of my life...

been weeding and harvesting...had some fresh bruschetta last night - a favoriteof mine...
But I'm in need of eggplant recipes, -- anyone?
I'm open to any suggestions, I love to grow it - but have very little experience cooking it...
I harvested my first tomato [talladega] yesterday!oops! It must have been eaten before the photo was taken...

been debating disposing of the rabbit guts and leg my favorite cat has left for me on the carport, he seems a little protective of it so I'm hoping it'll all be cleaned up in a couple of hours [we're all about the circle of life around here...]

been finishing up some knit projects...[love the pig model, don't you?]
and am hoping that the two little people who receive these can look past my beginning knitting efforts and accept them as a hand crafted work of love... [Gotta say, I've found knitting to be very relaxing and fun!]

been cleaning bathrooms and dusting / vacuuming upstairs and now I'm off to clean-up my scrap area and replace my glass mat on my work surface... I'm not sure if I've shared how I attempted to set a grommet with a pounding hammer on my other glass work surface - thinking as I did it, "This is going to shatter into a million little pieces.." as I pounded away... and it did... so thankful the little shards of glass didn't end up in my eyes [you know I've had two instances of ulcer-like wounds on my eyes from metal bits being embedded that had to be 'shaved' off...- who even knows how that happened...] but liking the look of my first fabric scrapbook page -[This is the intro page for my Inspired album and incorporated all the things I learned - painting -- yes, look at those noses!-- beading, metal work, and mixed media art]
After Craig and I went to breakfast this morning we did a walk through goodwill and I picked up a picture for $10 and he took the glass out for me to use [my other glass mat was acquired there also] oh! [and I'm rambling here...] we got some comic books from the 1960s and 70s too... kind of fun since I was never allowed to have comic books as a kid...
- have a great weekend everyone

I know many of you are unaffected - but I have to admit I'm a bit sad to hear of Michael Jackson's death - I've been a fan of his music since I was 11 years old...I can probably still sing "Ben" and " I'll be There" and maybe a few others word-for-word with him, still, today... [A-B-C? Rockin'Robin?...]
And some of his later songs and his 'come-back' - THRILLER
- were pure genius.

I had the opportunity to see The Jackson Five live here in Huntsville in the early 70s with Lional Richie and The Commodores opening for them - wow! what a show! My dad was so sweet to actually attend this concert of screaming girls with us- and I'm not sure my cousin and I even noticed that we were
two of only a hundred or so white people there...
and then years later my brother [who is quite a bit younger than me] loved the come-back Michael Jackson with the red jacket and white glove...
He truly had a stellar career, but the saddest thing about Michael [to me, and many others, I suspect] is how his life turned out - the demons he fought for so long and the awful choices he made in life... - it's just been very sad these last few years to see the decline and know that he never quite got his life pulled together...
For now, let's focus on his musical genius and
I know I'll be one of the thousands downloading my favorites to
listen to these next few days...
what are your feelings?

Catching Fireflies - 4

My take [journaling in the little folder]:
I’ve struggled with anxiety for many, many years of my life. Some times it’s like a knife stabbing me in my gut and other times I have the freedom of knowing my Lord is in control. I guess we all struggle with a sense of control over our lives and surroundings… it’s during those times of anxiety that I know I underestimate my Lord. Because I know [I have seen it time and time again] that He will always provide the peace I need whatever the situation. He is faithful.

Catching Fireflies - 4

Week 4
Candlelight

Patsy Clairmont: “A Chinese saying suggests, ‘It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.’ That truth is worth pausing over and caught my attention because I’m given to highlighting the negative before I discover the positive. I’m not sure why that is…At the Relay For Life for cancer survivors, they place luminaries along the high school track in memory of those who have died fighting cancer. .. Instead of being depressed over their losses, they are celebrating their loved ones’ lives. Instead of forgetting the problem, those left behind are helping to find a cure for others… [I love the word instead; it reminds us that we have a choice.] … For many years when I heard of other people’s bad news, I moaned, ‘I could never bear that.’ Since those years I’ve gone through some crushing blows, much more than I thought I could bear, only to find that in my weakness I discovered new levels of Christ’s strength. The candelabra-truth that our God rises up mighty in our weakness blazes throughout scripture, as God’s people repeatedly fell on their faces in fear and rose up in courage…

There is not enough darkness in all the world to put out the light of even one small candle. – Robert Alden

Make a list of times when you have knelt down weak and risen up strong. Rehearse them until you have them securely fixed in your heart to reference the next time you find it hard to be courageous or the next time you get to share your flame to light someone else’s candle.”

Faithbooking Prompts [Questions from the book]::
• Are you emotionally war-weary? What brought you to this place?
• What would cause you to glow with hope?
• How could you be a blazing candle for ‘your people’?
• Do you underestimate God? How?

Cookie of the Month: Peanut Butter

Happy Father's Day Sweetie!

Made your favorite cookies today - and we laughed again about a former neighbor making these cookies and borrowing sugar to mix them up - she came back later to borrow more sugar saying the cookies just didn't taste right and she was going to make another batch - the third time she came over to borrow yet another cup of sugar she brought a cookie with her saying
something's just not right,
"Will you taste it and tell me what you think?'
- I did, and asked,
"What kind of cookies are you making?"
"Peanut Butter," she replies... and I go...
"There's no peanut butter in these cookies..."

- We laughed together since she'd made two batches of peanut butter cookies with

NO PEANUT BUTTER!
Here's the simple little recipe that's been in my family for as long as I can remember
PEANUT BUTTER CRISSCROSS COOKIES

Melt together: 1 cup shortening and 1 cup peanut butter
Add: 1 cup sugar and 1 cup brown sugar
Stir in: 2 eggs and 3 cups of self-rising flour
Roll into one inch balls and flatten [criss-cross]with a fork dipped in water.
Bake 8 minutes in 375* oven
Enjoy!

Encyclopedia of Your Ordinary Life - N

A few years ago I had the opportunity to complete this extraordinary scrapbook album designed by CathyZ and based on the book, Encyclopedia of an Ordinary Life by Amy Rosenthal. While I still haven't read the book, I love the concept of this album - a random sampling of those ordinary facts about your life [my life.] The homework involves keeping a list, A to Z, of random memories for several weeks and then gathering photos [or not] to support these memories. Love it. The album is really very simple [a la Cathy Z] and easy to put together with only two square photos per page and two to four 'definitions.' Have I said I love this album? And I want to share some of my life with you so I've committed to do just that in 2009 [keep in mind this was completed during the summer of 2007.] I'm going backwards and today I present:N

NICK NAMES
I’ve had many nick names throughout my life – Pumpkin, Toe-head, Jude, and Pokey – all terms of endearment [I hope anyway!] The unusual thing about one certain nickname is that 3 people I’ve been closest to have all called me the same thing – without ever hearing the others call me this. Jud – my longest lasting nick name. [Thanks Joe, Laurie, and Craig!]

NEST
I have the tendency to nest anywhere I might be for several days – a hotel room with photos of my family on the nightstand, - a hospital room with my own quilts and pillows, - or my office that is filled with many, many things that remind me of home. And at home, I want every one to feel welcomed and at ease in my own little nest.

NARCISSUS
This is one of my favorite flowers. Seeing them open up their blooms into bright beautiful orange and yellow [and even white] trumpets of flowers is one of the best ways to welcome Spring. Love having them in my front yard to welcome me home each day after the dreariness of Winter.