Locks of Love

Kim, please don't show Bekah...

Melissa, please don't look any further until you see Libby in person.

It is our last day of Spring Break and Libby has been asking me forever to let her get her hair cut so she can donate it Locks of Love. We had a little joke going that if she doesn't "love her locks" no one will want it. You see she doesn't take very good care of her hair and she doesn't like me stepping in and doing it for her. Melissa promised Libby if she would take better care of her hair for one month she would reward her with taking her out somewhere. This past Friday Melissa made good on her promise and took Libby to see Nim's Island. Libby and Melissa were nice enough to let Kaylyn and I tag along. It was a great movie.

Today I surprised Libby with a haircut appointment to finally cut her hair and donate it.

Libby before the haircut.
(A little side note it was 71 and sunny when we went into the salon)


Ready to start cutting.


Almost done cutting.


Donation of hair ready to be mailed in.


Libby after the haircut.
(25 min after the first picture it had rained and was now 59 degrees. Crazy Michigan weather!)

She just loves it. I think it looks so cute on her and I am so excited about not having to fight her to get all the knots out of it.
Smiles!

A day late a dollar short?

Why do I wait so long to catch up on bills? I have spent the last 2 days catching up. Yuck! But it is done, the bills are paid, and the accounts are balanced. God is good!

I am late on check-in time for my 8 in 2008 intentional living goals....

1. Keep up our 1,000 Gifts List
-I don't think very many got added this past month
2. Work @ becoming a Proverbs 31 woman
-I think even hubby would agree that this is getting better.
3. Consistent quiet time/devotions
-I am blessed by the fact that my quiet time is becoming much more consistent.
4. Memorize scripture weekly
-I have not memorized any scripture this month.
5. Spend 1 on 1 time with each child
-There has been more family time but maybe not one on one time.
6. Complete sewn gift for Julie and Leo
-Haven't touched this because I am working on a baby gift for them.
7. Build up to run with Anna this summer
-Don't laugh to hard but I did get on the treadmill once this month. I said don't laugh!
8. Complete knitted gift for Crystal and Jeremy
-This one is getting a little closer to being complete. Yeah!

Didn't probably make these goal very intentional this month.

Meme-15 Random Things

I was tagged by Tonja to list 15 random things about myself. She thought I might need something to take my mind off missing Anna. Here goes:

1. I don't like wearing socks. I have been seeing a lit of blogs for knitting socks and I want to try it but I keep thinking I would put the work into it and then not wear them. Maybe I need to bless others with socks. Hmm...

2. I am the youngest of 3 girls, but I am also the tallest (by 3+ inches) and have the most kids so people sometimes think I am the oldest.

3. I love Coke (the pop that feels like a drug) but haven't had any pop since Aug.

4. I was engaged to my wonderful husband when I was 18 years and 1 month old. Oh please my precious children don't do this to your mother. I know now why this stressed out my poor parents.

5. I was voted wackiest wiggler my Senior year in HS. My dad always said that I had a catch in my get-a-long. I guess others notice it too.

6. Just like Tonja, I don't like to sit in the back of church. In fact we usually sit in the second row right up front behind our Pastor. I am too easily distracted by people watching if I don't sit up front.

7. I like pizza but I hate ordering it. Too many decisions. Mark orders it for us.

8. My first car was a Mustang. Not even close to being a "cool" model though.

9. My siblings and parents all have names that start with a "J", John, Judy, Jodi, Julie and Jennifer, and our first dog's name was Joker.

10. I love thunderstorms. I usually crack our bedroom window open to listen to the rain at night.

11. I don't drink coffee. I just don't care for it.

12. I love fabric stores, book stores and yarn stores. I could spend hours in them just coming up with different projects to do or books to read. Too bad there isn't more hours in the day.

13. I enjoy playing softball. However, every year I start thinking maybe I am getting to old for this but so far I haven't backed out.

14. I love shoes, especially really fun sandals.

15. My favorite ice cream is mint chocolate chip.

Whew! That was harder than you think. Maybe number 16 should be I have a terrible memory. I am now tagging Anna and Kaylyn. Maybe this will get them to update their blogs finally.
Smiles!

Another Completed Project

A year ago or so I made some new curtains for my mother's living room and dining room. At that time we hadn't discussed making curtains for her kitchen window but after the rest of the curtains were up she had asked me if I had enough fabric left to make a new curtain for her kitchen also. She said she wasn't in a hurry just whenever I get to it. That isn't a good thing to tell me if you want something done. I tend to leave it on the back burner.

Here is a corner of her dining room with the curtains that I made.

Here is what her kitchen curtain looked like when she left on vacation.

Here is what she is going to find when she gets home tomorrow.

Surprise! I wonder how long it will take her to notice.....

Smiles!

Productive morning

This morning I finally made a seat cushion for the chair in Anna's room.

The chair came from a friend of ours who owns a business that makes these chairs and this one was a prototype that had been through testing and Anna asked if they were going to dump it could she have it for her bedroom. Since it was used for testing it didn't have any of the seat cushions on it.

I think she will be surprised because I didn't even tell her that I was thinking about doing this. I had picked up the foam earlier this week and the fabric is from my "stash" that I already had. I am a fabric junkie and not afraid to admit it.

I also finished up her bed skirt this morning. She knows about this because she picked out the fabric and the trim. I am a little bummed that it isn't a perfect match to her bedspread but she wants me to make a new quilt for her bed someday and then I am certain it will match.


Smiles!

Very disturbing!

The Church of Oprah Exposed

If you have the time listen to the entire video. We need to be praying against false witnesses like this. How many people are being led astray?

Here is the link in case the video isn't working correctly.

Wordless Wednesday - Anna in Arizona

See other Wordless Wednesday participants at 5 Minutes for Mom.

A cry for help.

I need some help!

I have wanted to have a garden since the day we moved into this house 10+ years ago. I think my hubby would like to have one also, however, it doesn't seem to be "on the front burner" when it comes to things to get done for him. I am clueless as to how to get started. I need someone who lives in the same Zone as me here in West Michigan to walk me through the steps of when and what I need to do in order to have a garden this year.

The biggest problem seems to be getting the ground "tilled up" (is that even the correct terminology). I tried to do it by hand one year. What a joke! The ground is WAY too hard for that.

Is anyone out there up for the challenge?

I had considered making a "Square Foot Garden" like this one.

(Click on the picture to get the instructions.)
I still just may for my first year. This one could be put right on my deck for easy access. I do worry though about this one drying out quickly. That is what the water bottles are for, isn't that ingenious?

So anyone wanting to put together a step-by-step guide, with dates, in their free time feel free to send it my way.
Smiles!

Book Review

Last month I signed up for this book challenge giveaway at Sarah's blog. Not long after, this book arrived in my mailbox.


So in receiving this book I have agreed to write a review about it. So here goes... (keep in mind that although I love to read I am no English major or teacher. I have a hard time putting my thoughts into words)

I have enjoyed this book. I have to admit I was a bit skeptical at first (but how can I pass up the chance to get a book, I love books) because I enjoy reading "self-help" books and some fiction and this doesn't fall into either of those categories. This is written as a bunch of short stories about the author, Shauna Niequist's, life journeys.
She has lived a very full life and she is still very young. She shares the good and the bad with the reader which made me appreciate her even more.
In one of the chapters she talks about traveling to a foreign country without her parents along. The whole idea of that would have scared me enough to not want to do it but she enjoyed it because her parents had prepared her so well for it.
Another chapter talks about her battle with her weight and not liking her body.
She also has a chapter about a special bond she has created with a group of teenagers, while she was a youth group leader, who have since grown up, married, and started their own families.
I recommend getting a copy of this book for yourself.

Check out Sarah's blog later today for more reviews of Cold Tangerines.

Smiles!

I already miss my Bella!

We put Anna on a plane to Arizona this morning at 7am along with my sister and my niece. They will be staying with my parents for about 10 days. She should be arriving in Tucson around 1:55pm. The pictures is of her flight when I checked on it. Did you know you could do that?I did not. So my Bella is on that airplane getting ready to land.
Smiles!

Wordless Wednesday - Almost

He may just kill me for this. Wink!

See other Wordless Wednesday participants at 5 Minutes for Mom.

A "blustery"day here.

Do I post about the weather too much?
Seriously folks it is 37 degrees today, I have seen some flurries, but the WIND is incredible!

If you are wondering how Zack did last night you can check it out here. Not such a banner night for distance but we expected as much (apparently, I wasn't told that until after the meet). Coach Brandon has been "breaking him down" so that he will be able to peak at the end of the season. I am not sure what that means but that is what my hubby told me so I thought I would include it in case any of you can figure that statement out. With all the weight lifting Zack has been doing he hasn't be throwing much and so hubby didn't expect to see a big toss out of him.
Can I shock y'all with how much my baby can lift? Maybe you won't know what a big deal this is unless you ask your own hubbies for a reference point of what most guys can lift but here goes... Zack can bench press 385#, he can box squat 550#, he can hang cling/military press above head 250#, and full squat 500#. Go ahead and ask your hubbies what they could lift in HS and then tell them Zack just turned 17. I love to see peoples reactions but it is a crazy amount of weight. Good thing Zack understands it is all a God given gift.

Hanging on to the roof!

Smiles!

Gearing up for the Spring sport schedule.

Life is going to get crazy now..

Anna starts soccer practice today.

Kaylyn starts track practice today.

Zack has his first track meet at GVSU for HS today.

Poor Libby is going to get toted around a lot here in the next couple months. Hopefully she will be a good sport about it. She loves to be outside so as soon as it warms up a bit I am certain she won't mind.

I am concerned about how they are going to hold all these practices today WITH SNOW ON THE GROUND! My kids feet are going to freeze.

Zack's meet is indoors so at least he won't have to worry about being cold. Unfortunately though that means he will only get to throw the shot put today and not the discus. The discus can't be thrown inside most building because it goes to far, you need more room.

Here is a little bit of interesting sibling information for y'all. Zack and Kaylyn get at each other more than any of my kids. We can't even get through a dinner without one of them getting annoyed with the other. Yet Kaylyn wants to throw Shot Put and Discus and Zack has been encouraging her to do it. Isn't that great how God is working at giving them a common interest. I love that!

Smiles!

The first day of Spring?

Here is how the first day of Spring is being welcomed in West Michigan....

Severe Weather Bulletin:

From the WZZM 13 On Target Weather Center, here is the latest bulletin from the National Weather Service...

04:09 AM EDT Fri-Mar-21
The Weather Service has issued a WINTER STORM WARNING

Michigan counties

ALLEGAN, BARRY, CALHOUN, KALAMAZOO, VAN BUREN

SNOW ADVISORY

Michigan counties

IONIA, KENT,OTTAWA

Yes indeed! We are under a Winter Snow Advisory. Go figure!

Smiles!

Spring Cleaning-Anna's room

Yeah! One more room to check off my list. I am losing my momentum, can you tell?

Before picture:

After pictures:

The beads hanging in the doorway are Anna's personal alarm system. She can hear from anywhere in the house if someone goes in her bedroom because the beads are making noise. Including the poor dog who Anna does not like getting on her bed.Look at all those soccer balls under her saucer chair. Just how many soccer balls does one girl need?Yes, my daughter loves to hunt. These are her own mounts. She even saved up money to pay for them herself.
Isn't this a cool wall? Anna painted it herself. I think she did an excellent job! That circle on the wall is a glare off her mirror.

Some of what was done:
-Stripped bedding and washed it
-moved bed to clean and vacuum under it
-washed window inside and out (Can't get that cling on paint stuff off her window. I think I will make the Auntie that gave it to her come over and clean it.)
-dumped trash
-washed marks on wall with the wonderful "Magic Eraser"
-organized her stuff

Want some inspiration? Visit Monica at The Homespun Heart to see how others are doing with their spring cleaning.

Smiles!