Tickle Tickle

A sick three year old has been attached to me this week. A sick three year old with very curly hair. When she sits on my lap while I'm on the computer her hair is sticking straight up and it tickles my nose. Just thought you should know. Hope your week is going better! Mindi

Thank You

Thank you to all of you hard -working and retired veterans who bravely protected and are protecting our country in peacetimes and wartimes.

These two photos are a few Marines taking a test my husband was giving them.

To all Army, Navy, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard members we thank you for your service and protection. And to your families, a big thank you for the sacrifices you have made and are making. Happy Veteran's Day

New Blessings

Sometimes on this blog I feel like telling you about our recent family activities, a funny anecdote or story or the latest thing I've done with the house. But I always feel like telling you about the latest and greatest things I've found online. Whether it be Pinterest or a blog I just found or a magazine I just discovered I feel it is one of my "jobs" to share with you the things the Lord has shared with me. "What?" you may ask. "How is God sharing things with her"? Well I'm glad you asked, let me tell you.

As a believer in Jesus Christ and acceptor of His death on the cross as payment for my sins, I follow Him in every aspect of my life. I don't always do a good job of 'following'. But I do believe that He speaks to me through many venues. He may do this by bringing someone into my life, having someone share a thought, word or hug at just the right time, allowing a difficulty to help me further turn to Him in times of need, and by daily leading me to things of Him. I am happy to report that He has done that for me this morning. Allow me to elaborate...

Yesterday my mom and Grandma and I had to visit my cousin in the hospital on life support suffering with pneumonia. She is only thirty-one. We had a difficult evening of visiting, crying and trying to comfort her distraught family. I came home devastated and upset, heading to bed. I did not sleep well, thinking of her and tossing and turning and remembering how she looked in the bed, struggling to remain coherent. I woke this morning with my eyes puffy, breakfast to be made, lunches to be made, children to be dressed and readied for their school days. I had a moment between schools to sit here and pray and then check some emails for my cousin's latest progress. I clicked on one of the familiar blogs I follow to try and get my mind on something else and found a few new reasons for joy. Please check out Time Warp Wife and Praise and Coffee online magazine. They are both uplifting, joy filled sites that have given me hope and joy for this new day. Blessings for your new day, Mindi

"My sheep listen to my voice; I know them, and they follow me." in red, NIV

Stone Gable Giveaway

Hi everyone! Go check out Yvonne at Stone Gable today! She is hosting an amazing giveaway by French Basketeer. A gorgeous orange basket (could be used for anything, even like a purse!) is filled with wonderful goodies and Yvonne added one of her own velvet pumpkins to the giveaway... "swoon". Just click on the above link for Stone Gable and Yvonne will tell you the rest! Blessings for a great day!

Be Patient... Christmas WILL Get Here!

Are you ready for Christmas? I know, I know, 2 weeks before Thanksgiving and I'm asking you that? Some of my blogging friends are in full Christmas swing already! Liz over at Savvy Seasons

has a tree up and decorated already! Click on the link ( above) to check out her cute whimsical tree and beautiful home! She's like me... she loves the seasons!

Bug and I had on HGTV a few nights before Halloween and saw our first Christmas commercial of the year! Before Halloween? It seems that each year we are forced into Christmas earlier and earlier! Now, I love Christmastime as much as the next girl but things for me must be kept in their proper season! I can't even shop for Christmas before Thanksgiving! The down side is that if I did my shopping say, all year long I would be done by the time the holidays rolled around and I could enjoy them. But see, for me part of 'enjoying the holidays' is the shopping during the season with the stores decorated and Christmas music playing and carrying a red Starbucks cup!

I love Thanksgiving. It's probably one of my favorite holidays. All about food, no gifts to worry about, a great parade and family. I feel like I'm doing Thanksgiving a disservice if I jump to Christmas before enjoying all Thanksgiving has to offer. Like pumpkin anything, still decorating with oranges and browns instead of reds and greens, changing leaves, and the remnants of fall weather before the bitter Christmas is known for.

Now, once Thanksgiving is over, the instant it's over, I'm all about Christmas!!! In fact I can't wait to start! Thanksgiving night we have a tradition of watching A Christmas Story and Elf and then the next day (yes, black Friday) we go Christmas shopping. Oh, by the way, when I say 'we' I mean my mom, my grandma and myself. NOT my dad or Hubby. Hubby would hang himself in the accessories department of Target if he had to go with us. I always drive and I put in my Christmas CDs and off we go!

The day after shopping can find me decorating for Christmas and begging Hubby to put up the tree and Christmas lights on the outside. He sets up the tree and the girls get to work hanging ornaments (as high as they can reach) while I de-fall the house and then begin the rest of the decorating. I have had my fall decorations up since the middle of September. I feel like my Christmas decorations get jipped since they're only up for 1.2 months! But I will be waiting, enjoying Thanksgiving and looking forward to the day after!

Disneyland in the Fall!

Disneyland in the fall is so much fun! We love to head over to Big Thunder Ranch to have some harvest celebrating! They have a barbeque filled with country vittles, a pumpkin patch and carving lessons, a petting zoo (even their well-loved animals are dressed for the occasion!) and a Scaredy-Crow Shack decorated for the season! Don't 'cha know I love vintage Halloween decorations! Of course, after petting the animals there's a washin' up station! The kiddos (big ones too!) can sit and make a craft and color a picture. Woody and Jessie roam the area welcoming everyone! After eating barbeque you can decorate sugar cookies in the shape of pumpkins, bats and cats! Everyone gets exhausted from all the fun! But before you know it we're rearin' to go again, ride some rides and go to Main Street USA to look in all those great windows! Have a fun and happy weekend!

1. 
   

Fake Family

I just got done reading a fabulous blog entry titled Fake Family by Jen Hatmaker. It was beyond fabulous and I highly recommend you go right now (ok, after you read me) and enjoy it too. I'm not going to tell you anything about it but am going to share my own fake family who lives inside my head...

Fake family eats every meal together at the kitchen table and Sunday meals after church at the dining room table

Real family (the real Hubby, Mom, and two kids) eat sometimes at the kitchen table but sometimes in front of the TV using the coffee table as the dining table and Sunday after church? Oh, Mom flat out refuses to cook then so we are forced to eat out. And I don't even remember the last time we ate in the dining room.

Fake family's two girls are impeccably dressed for the occasion whether it be for school, church or play and there is nary a hair out of place.

Real family's two girls are dressed. Period. If Bethany has clothes on with underwear underneath it is a successful day. As for the hair. Oh. My. Heavens. Bethany has naturally curly (like, in ringlets) hair with a mind of it's own. She also hates (by hates, I mean screams bloody murder) me doing her hair. Some days I just leave it. Hey, the teeth are brushed.

Fake family's house is decorated like a model home and Mom does things to it all day. Like, cleaning and stuff.

Real family's home is a hodgepodge of dishes, laundry and homework papers, Disney characters, Play-Doh, and dog toys, mail, magazines (see the model home referenced above) and i-pods. Please excuse the mess. The children are making memories.

Fake family's time together is spent in museums, parks and educational pursuits.

Real family's time together is spent running errands to keep our heads above water, eating out in the backyard and calling it the park and hoping the kids buy it, an occasional bike ride around the neighborhood, on the porch drinking wine with the neighbors, sitting the kids in front of cartoons so Mom and Dad can have a conversation and going to a movie and being thrilled when the three-year-old falls asleep so then we can too. Yes, we now pay for sleep.

Fake family likes how things look. Real family likes how things feel.

Not sure if you know any fake families? I do. They're all over facebook. This is me, real mom, signing off and asking you to, you know, keep it real.