The Icing on the Cupcake

Five Favorite Family Time Ideas

2010-08-24T14:28:00.000-07:00

With our busy work schedule, scouts and soccer family time sometimes slips through the cracks. When we can slow down, we make the most of it. Here is how we squeeze it in.

Take a Hike: My son loves nature and being out in it. Even a walk around our property can be a learning experience. You can learn about nature in your own back yard. Find interesting plants or bugs and photograph them with your camera or phone. When you go back inside, use a search engine to try to identify what you have found. Let your child guess what the plant or bug is and do an image search to see if they are right.

Happy Song Time: On long car rides (or short ones that might seem long to your child) break out those silly songs you may have learned at camp as a kid! Take turns teaching each other new songs...I have learned some new ones myself!

Building bridges: My son loves Lego's and always wants us to build with him. I am no brick master, so building can be quite embarrassing to me! Everyone writes random objects on slips of paper and drop them into a hat. Choose one person to pick from the hat. The first person to build the object on the paper wins and gets to choose the next challenge.

Now you're cooking: Get in the kitchen with your kids...even the most simple recipes can teach a child the beauty of teamwork. Something as simple as a box cake can seem like a massive project to a child. Have Mom measure, Dad pour and the kids stir and mix. Shh..don't tell them, but math can be taught while having this fun too!

Movie Night: This might seem like a no- brainer, but sometimes the simplest things go forgotten. Let the kids pick out the movie, help them pop the popcorn and snuggle up together for a fun, but sometimes forgotten favorite past time.

I wrote this blog post while participating in the TwitterMoms and LEGO
blogging program, making me eligible to get a prize pack. For more
information on how you can participate, click here .

September 11,2001...how I remember.....

2009-09-11T05:58:00.000-07:00

Where were you when the world stopped turning that September day

I work nights, so I was asleep. I was pregnant and very worn out and tired. I was sleeping when I heard a banging on my bedroom window. I then heard my husband go to the door. I think I fell back asleep for a minute and then heard a booming voice. It was my husband. "Jen! Wake up! There are planes crashing everywhere...the Twin Towers...GONE! Part of the Pentagon GONE! "

I remember my response. "I just got to sleep, so unless work is gone, I still have to go there tonight!" As I gathered my thoughts and tried to wake up, it hit me. I started to panic. "Oh my God! Where is Aunt Corinne? Is she up there? Did she fly today?" My aunt, at the time, was a flight attendant. Thank God she was safe on the ground that fateful day. Looking back, I am shocked at my reaction that day, but up until that very moment, life was normal. It was a (somewhat) normal reaction of a very tired pregnant woman carrying out a very normal daily routine. That was just seconds before my life and my country as I knew it was changed forever.

Did you stand there in shock at the site of
That black smoke rising against that blue sky
Did you shout out in anger
In fear for your neighbor
Or did you just sit down and cry

I remember being glued to the television. I watched as very scared people covered in the dust and rubble of the World Trade Center ran for their lives. I remember seeing crowds of people running. They didn't know who or exactly what they were running from, but they were running to save themselves. I remember crying for those people.

Did you weep for the children
Who lost their dear loved ones
And pray for the ones who don't know
Did you rejoice for the people who walked from the rubble
And sob for the ones left below

I remember the lump in my throat. As I watch the re-broadcast today, that lump is still there. The tears still well up and I still get chills as I listen to the events unfold again.I remember seeing people carrying pictures of their loved ones and showing them to who ever would look at them. They couldn't find their loved ones, they didn't know if they were safe or if they were trapped in what remained of the towers. I remember the media saying that people were jumping from the towers. I remember the story of Todd Beamer and the rest of the heroes of Flight 93. Could you imagine calling your spouse to say a painful final goodbye? I remember saying a prayer. And another. And another.

Did you burst out in pride

For the red white and blue

The heroes who died just doing what they do

Did you look up to heaven for some kind of answer
And look at yourself to what really matters

Almost immediately, more flags were flown. Everything that could be draped in red, white and blue was covered with our country's colors. No matter which city you were in, people were wearing the letters NYFD to honor the Fire Departments of New York. Those departments lost so many great men and women that day, just doing what they do.

But I know Jesus and I talk to God

And I remember this from when I was young
Faith hope and love are some good things he gave us
And the greatest is love

So faith, hope, love remain, these three; but the greatest of these is love (1 Corinthians 13:13)

Eight years ago, I didn't talk to God as much as I do today. I didn't talk to Him on a daily basis, but I talked to him a million times that day. I know Jesus much better these days, and I talk to God on a daily, sometimes hourly basis!

'MEET ME IN THE STAIRWELL'

You say you will never forget where you were when
you heard the news On September 11, 2001.
Neither will I.

I was on the 110th floor in a smoke filled room
with a man who called his wife to say 'Good-Bye.' I
held his fingers steady as he dialed. I gave him the
peace to say, 'Honey, I am not going to make it, but it
is OK..I am ready to go.'

I was with his wife when he called as she fed
breakfast to their children. I held her up as she
tried to understand his words and as she realized
he wasn't coming home that night.

I was in the stairwell of the 23rd floor when a
woman cried out to Me for help. 'I have been
knocking on the door of your heart for 50 years!' I said.
'Of course I will show you the way home - only
believe in Me now.'

I was at the base of the building with the Priest
ministering to the injured and devastated souls.
I took him home to tend to his Flock in Heaven. He
heard my voice and answered.

I was on all four of those planes, in every seat,
with every prayer. I was with the crew as they
were overtaken. I was in the very hearts of the
believers there, comforting and assuring them that their
faith has saved them.

I was in Texas , Virginia , California , Michigan , Afghanistan
I was standing next to you when you heard the terrible news.
Did you sense Me?

I want you to know that I saw every face. I knew
every name - though not all know Me. Some met Me
for the first time on the 86th floor.

Some sought Me with their last breath.
Some couldn't hear Me calling to them through the
smoke and flames; 'Come to Me... this way... take
my hand.' Some chose, for the final time, to ignore Me.
But, I was there.

I did not place you in the Tower that day. You
may not know why, but I do.. However, if you were
there in that explosive moment in time, would you have
reached for Me?

Sept. 11, 2001, was not the end of the journey
for you . But someday your journey will end. And I
will be there for you as well. Seek Me now while I may
be found. Then, at any moment, you know you are
'ready to go.'

I will be in the stairwell of your final moments.

God

Always remember September 11, 2001. Never forget the pain, the sadness or the anger. More importantly never forget those who gave their lives trying to save another. Please pray for the families of these fallen heroes, and for the families of the brave men and women who still defend our freedom eight years later.

Tuesday's Talent

2009-09-08T15:55:00.000-07:00

Today's talent is really a work in progress. My son got a book at the school library today that teaches you how to draw dogs. (Draw 50 Dogs)This is his second attempt at a Lab. Although he is not completely happy with the way it looks, I told him it will get better each time he tries.

I don't know about you, but I think she looks pretty great!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-09-01T13:26:00.000-07:00

Well it looks like my little guy has pizza on the brain! Last Tuesday he drew Pizza Pete. This week, meet Pizza Bot.

Pizza Bot is equipped with several arms for all of your pizza making needs. He has one for cutting, one for sprinkling cheese, one for pouring sauce, one for holding it steady, one for taking it out of the oven, one for boxing it up, one for putting pepperoni on and even one for tossing it around to entertain the people. As you can see, inside his chest is the oven where his warm heart cooks your pizza. He has eyes like a bug so he can see all of his arms at once so he can see what he is doing. To deliver it to the customers that are in the store, he takes all of his arms, grabs a pizza in each hand then his arms start spinning around and he starts flying like a helicopter and then he lets go of the pizzas and the customers catch them.

School Days

2009-08-31T12:01:00.001-07:00

It's that time of year again. There is excitement in the air. Soon it will be time to meet that big yellow bus at the end of the driveway and send my little fellow off to school again.

We are all ready! New clothes are washed and put away, the new shoes are broken in and the backpack and lunch box are all ready to go!

Just look at these cute little stickers I won over at A Simple Kinda Life! Angie is a friend of mine from way back in Jr. High! Check her out, she is always reviewing and giving things away! These little cuties are PakNaks. They are rubbery little stickers for all of your stuff! They are held on with Velcro so you can change them around if you would like!

I always say I am going to be more organized than the year before, so here is this year's idea.
A lunch packing station. I have it stocked with a sandwich holder, small containers, two different size lunch baggies, spoons and forks. Everything I need all in one spot!

I even have started some little surprises to tuck into the lunchbox. I just took some index cards and jotted down some jokes on them.

I wrote the answer on the bottom part, folded it and sealed it with a sticker.

I have enough done so far for the first two weeks of school. This month I'll do jokes, maybe next month will be strange space facts (he has been into space lately) and keep changing with the months to come.

I also have a great dry erase calender on the wall for all of our events. It is in a central location between the kitchen and living room for easy visibility. Hubby has it all filled out, so it has too much personal info to post a picture, but you get the drift!

I think we are all ready! How about you? What do you do to keep it all together? I would love to hear your ideas...I could use all the help I can get!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-08-25T15:01:00.000-07:00

Today's talent is from my son.

Meet Pizza Pete. He's a Pizza Joe's delivery pizza. When someone takes a bite out of him, that part just grows right back. That makes him a super pizza. And that pizza van in the background isn't just a pizza van. It's a flying pizza van. And when his pizza van breaks down he uses his string cheese powers to get where he's going. That's his story.

Tuesday's Talent

2009-08-18T14:24:00.000-07:00

The first talent today was a total surprise! I opened my e-mail to find this tasty little treat!

This is the dancing cupcake from Miss M. I love this cupcake and all of her sassy dance moves! The sprinkles are the best...so colorful! Look at the cute little picture she drew of herself (she really is that cute in person, too!) You know what Miss M? You're my favorite little sprinkle!

The next drawing is not as cute, but the artist sure is...it is from my own little cupcake! Here we have Alien Man

Alien Man is a villain and enemy of the Super League of Weirdos. He fell to Earth inside a cardboard box. His favorite food is cardboard. He was so hungry, on his way to Earth he ate his cardboard box! His favorite drink is dirty dish water. His favorite thing to do is eat. He is also a space pirate. He tries to defeat the Super League of Weirdos by trying to eat them. He thinks people taste like cardboard. His least favorite food is chicken. One day when he was flying his space boat, he came upon Creature Man. Creature Man fighted him and that's how he got his peg leg. One day when he was flying his space boat, he came upon Toilet Man. Toilet Man flushed him down and that's how he got his eye patch.

Thanks for the talent kiddos! I can't wait to see what you come up with next week!

Dreams and Comfort

2009-08-15T03:18:00.000-07:00

Have you ever heard something in a song, or on television and it just gets stuck in your head? You know, a lyric or a phrase that keeps coming back to you when you least expect it?

Yesterday was one of those days. I was watching Little House on the Prairie with my family and Laura was going on about how it wasn't fair that she had to work in a stable to make enough money to get shoes for her horse while Nellie was just handed a thoroughbred. Of course Pa had some words of wisdom for his little "Half Pint". He told her that in life you are going to come across things that just don't seem fair. That's why the Lord gives you little gifts in your life, to help you get through the tough times.

It was this little morsel that kept creeping in and out of my mind all day. As my family ran around doing some errands, I kept thinking about Pa's advice and all of the little gifts I have been blessed with.

We finished up our errands and headed home. When we got home, I phoned my Mom, just like I do all of the time. When I finished rambling on about what I did that day and what I planned to do tomorrow she gave me some very disturbing news. Someone we are very close to suffers from an addiction to pain medication. This is someone I am very close to and love very much. Worse yet, this is someone my seven year old son is close to and loves dearly. This person HAD 12 years clean time. My mother went on to tell me that this person is once again abusing medication. At this point, there is nothing I can do but pray.

So, after hearing this news, I tried to continued on with the rest of my night as normal. Every chance I got, I silently said a prayer for our loved one's problem. Pa's advice to Laura kept racing through my mind once again. I went to bed, and that's when I was given one of those little gifts from the Lord he was talking about......

I had a very strange dream. I don't really remember most of it, but what I do remember is a gift from above. At some point in my dream, I was in a house. I'm not even sure it was mine. I remember hearing a car pull up and the front door opened. In walked my Granddad and he said my name. I can still remember sound of his voice. (this Granddad passed away in 1998) . I ran over and gave him the biggest hug around his neck.

At that moment I woke up. It seemed so real, that for a moment I wondered if it really did happen. Even though it was a dream, I was filled with such warmth and comfort. It still feels so real, tears are streaming down my face as I type this.

Upon waking, I instantly thanked the Lord. I prayed that He continues to bless me and my loved ones with little gifts to get us through the tough times. The Lord heard my prayer for comfort and strength and He answered in a very powerful and awesome way.

Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven....Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. (Matthew 5: 3-4)

Tuesday's Talent

2009-08-11T15:58:00.000-07:00

Today's Tuesday's Talent is a gathering of the Super League of Weirdos. In the middle is Creature Man and he is surrounded by all the members of his League.

We Have a Birthday to Celebrate!

2009-08-07T05:05:00.000-07:00

Aww, look at this little fellow, with his cute little bib and shiny golden crown. He must be having a birthday............

Well actually he has had quite a few of them......as of today, fourteen to be exact!

This handsome fellow is my friend's son. He is quite the wild man and gentleman all rolled into one fantastic package and today is his birthday!

Happy Birthday Wild Bill!

I hope your day is as awesome and fun as you are!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-08-04T11:19:00.000-07:00

Today's talent is another drawing made by my seven year old. He created Ben Franklin by using what is called a doodle trick. Mr. Franklin is made from the number 100! You can visit www.activitytv.tv to learn how!

Bragging Rights

2009-07-29T11:40:00.000-07:00

WOW!

My hubby Mike and I both work nights. During the summer months when our son is not in school, we come home and take turns sleeping. This eliminates the need for a sitter. While this routine leaves us both very tired, it works for us. Our son in with one of his parents all day long. I take the first sleeping shift because I can't stay up! Hubby stays up. This is great father-son bonding time. Sometimes they go to the park, sometimes they go to the library and sometimes they just stay home. Sometimes they get me surprises!

The other day, they ran around. Mike had to get a part for the mower. While they were out, he decided to buy me a surprise! I have looking for a set of Chalk Ink markers made for chalkboards. They are quite pricey, so I thought I would have to wait. He used a 50% off coupon I got for signing up for Michael's craft store's newsletter and bought them for me!

Today when I woke up....WOW!

This is what I found on my kitchen counter....

That is eight jars of bread & butter pickles and two loaves of zucchini bread with cinnamon chips and walnuts! The kitchen was also spotless! He did all of this straight after eight hours of hard labor on the midnight shift!

My hubby is the best!

So now the question is....am I spoiled.....or am I blessed?
I am thinking both!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-07-28T11:13:00.000-07:00

For the first time on Tuesday's Talent we have an art sculpture! Miss M. has made a wonderful alien. Her name is Alion (A leon) Here is Alion and her description straight from Miss. M! Slimey wants to know if she drives that mother ship aliens are always talking about?!

Our second display of talent comes from my son. This is Everything Man.

Everything Man is not in the Super League of Weirdos. He would like to be, but he keeps getting turned down because he is not weird enough! Everything Man can do everything! You name it, he can do it! He can even turn into a big glob of goo if he has to! Hmm that sounds pretty weird to me!

Thank you for looking at Tuesday's Talent, and Thank You Miss M for taking it to the next level! My son is out in my kitchen right now looking for things to make his own sculpture!

You gotta see this dress!

2009-07-27T12:28:00.001-07:00

Remember the Shabby Apple dress I blogged about on Friday? Well, here's your chance to win another style! The Apron Goddesses are offering a chance to win a fabulous Shabby Apple L'Ete dress! This dress is so pretty!

Click on the link above to enter to win this great dress. Hurry! Contest ends 8/4!

Dress for Success

2009-07-24T11:21:00.000-07:00

Are you looking for that perfect dress? You know, the kind that you can wear all alone without a shawl or sweater to keep it modest? Dresses were meant to be a one piece outfit. Simple. Classy. Modest.

Well Shabby Apple offers just that. Perfect dresses. These dresses have classic style even the most modern girl can love!

Now you can win one of these dresses. Head over to Designs by Vanessa for a chance to win a fabulous Shabby Apple dress! Contest ends 7/31!

Bonus: Shabby Apple is offering 15% off for Designs by Vanessa readers. Head over there now to find out how!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-07-21T10:36:00.000-07:00

Tuesday's Talent just keeps getting bigger and better! I am thrilled! Today, we have artwork from three budding artists!

Our first drawings come from The Boy's Guide to Drawing Aliens, Warriors, Robots and Other Cool Stuff. There is some weird and scary stuff in there! All of the stuff boys love to draw!

First we have a drawing from my friend's son Mr. B. Do you remember Miss M. from a couple of Tuesday's ago? Mr. B is her big brother. He took time from his skateboarding (which I hear he is totally awesome at) to draw this for my son!
Meet Voggles. According to the book, Voggles are some of the weirdest aliens you'll ever see. The special aye antennas let each Voggle see what all other Voggles see. Mr. B. did an awesome job on this drawing! Thanks B!

Now this picture was done by my very own kiddo. He decided to put three different drawings into one. The book tells us that the first weird guy we see is an alien. He is called Skrawks. The Skrawk people have been involved in galactic politics for hundreds of years. They think every person's opinion is important. The warrior in the air is Hiroto. Through many years of practice and lots of hard work, Hiroto became a martial arts master. He can defeat enemies in the blink of an eye. The last creature is a robot. He is Pacifier P-17s. In the year 2432, civil war rocks the planet Venus. Pacifier P-17s were created to bring peace. Too bad the machines don't know friend from foe. They crush anyone in their way with their giant mechanical claws.

*Descriptions from the first two drawings come from the book.

Ahh, now here's something a little more serene. Here we have a beautiful garden scene drawn by Miss M. The sun is shining, the sky is blue and everything is budding in the garden! I love the little brown bunnies. They are enjoying everything that is yummy in a bunny's tummy. There is lettuce, carrots and big green cabbages! Every bunny's dream! This sunny garden is so inviting that even the butterflies have come by to join the fun! I love the giant pink butterfly....I hope she stops by to visit my veggie garden!

As always, thanks for stopping by, and do come back....who knows what you'll find next time!

Back to life....back to reality

2009-07-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Well it's back to work tonight after being off for a week. It's tough to get back in the swing of things, especially for us because we work nights. I hate to even think of going back! Ugh. I am also guessing that when we get back, that I will be on overtime...again!

Oh well! It is what it is, and I have to work to be able to do fun things like I did while I was off....

I went to my family reunion.

We had a great time, as always! After all of the kids took a swing at the pinata and couldn't break it, they brought in the big guns! (I honestly think my cousin Nicole broke it a little before me!) That's me taking a whack at the little caterpillar pinata. I busted it wide open and the kids left with a ton of candy! And of course, my silly little guy had more fun with the broken pinata!

Then there were some great prizes at the raffle. There was a frog that quickly became the "Oooh I want that" prize at the raffle! Man, everyone wanted the ceramic frog! We bought several tickets to try to win it, but it didn't happen.

Thanks to my Great Uncle Ralph, who gave my son some tickets, that fabulous frog is nestled next to my rose bush beside my house!

We went to the factory outlet stores and did a little shopping.

I picked up a cute card game for my son and his friends to play. Mostly we looked and dreamed....didn't really spend too much. It was a beautiful day and had a great time. I can shop, not buy a thing and still have a great time!

We did buy a couple of cool drinks to quench our thirst! I even let Slimey get a "big guy" drink at the coffee shop.

Yeah, that kept him hopping all day long! He had a cookies and cream something or other! He loved it, but thankfully didn't finish the whole thing!

Another day, we took a little trip to a local park to see the barn owl who lives there.

Here is Oliver the Barn Owl. I am sorry for the poor picture quality, but Oliver was behind glass and it was hard to get a clear shot. The girl working there offered to let me go back where they feed him and try to get a better picture, but I didn't want to get her in trouble, or disappoint Oliver, who probably would have thought I was there to feed him.

Although we couldn't feed him while we were there, we did donate money to buy Oliver a yummy mouse to enjoy later for dinner.

While we were there, Slimey also got to pretend he was a butterfly!

That put us in the mood to go for a walk on the butterfly trail next to the owl barn. We saw lots of pretty flowers......but not many butterflies!

Then at the end of the trail, while I was busy taking pictures, hubby and son spotted a butterfly!

We took one day and went to Pittsburgh.

We love going to "da burgh" or "the big city" as my little one calls it.

I love the buildings...I get great pictures every time I am there. I love the sights, sounds and smell of the big city!

We went to a cupcake shop ( are you surprised?) and I had a rose flavored cupcake! Yum!
The store had trouble with it's credit/debit system and hubby had to walk down the street to an ATM. For his trouble, the man at the shop said we could have a free cupcake! Momma likes! I enjoyed another rose cupcake....free tastes so delicious!

We headed to the Strip District which is rows of shops and ethnic grocery stores. I love shopping there! While we were there, we found a little garden tucked away in an alley that belonged to St. Patrick church.....

Then in the corner of the garden, surrounded by ivy.....

Very beautiful indeed!

Then after leaving the serenity of the garden, we went back out into the busy city and drove past the site for the new arena where the Pittsburgh Penguins will play....

Things are moving right along!

Back at home, things are moving right along in my garden!

Just look what I picked this week alone!

Wow! What a bounty!

We made pickles, peach preserves (peaches bought at a local farm) and zucchini bread. For lunch I had...you guessed it...fried zucchini! How many ways can I eat zucchini and cucumbers? I guess I am going to have to find out!

We also went to several yard sales and went swimming two days in a row! What a vacation! I am so sad to see it go and have to get back to work...but we haven't checked that lottery ticket hubby bought a couple of days ago......ya never know! LOL!

2009-07-14T17:17:00.000-07:00

Ok, I have been slacking on the posts...sorry folks, I'm on vacation and have been out and about with the family!

I have settled down long enough to bring you another Tuesday's Talent!

This, my friends, is Zombie Pirate (yes, my seven year old is nothin' but boy! LOL) Zombie Pirate has been sailing the seven seas ever since he died. That was 500 years ago. Sometimes he still gets seasick, even after all those years! He is an enemy of the Super League of Weirdos.

Thanks for stopping by, and I promise a picture heavy post in the near future so you can see all of the stuff I have been doing instead of blogging!

Have a great day!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-07-07T11:47:00.001-07:00

This Tuesday, you are in for a double dose of talent!

First we have a drawing from my friend's cute as a cupcake daughter Miss M. She gave this drawing to my son to use for an idea for the Super League of Weirdos. I thought it was so cute, I asked if I could just post it here and she agreed! So, this is the Hulk...when he was 7 "yeres" old! I love the big curly-Q hair! Thank you Miss M for the great drawing!

And here is my son's latest drawing...This is our dog Reese! Reese is a black Lab. We got her when our son was one and a half years old. She's a crazy dog who loves to dance and give hugs! This is a pretty accurate drawing...Reese always smiles like this!

Happy Independence Day!

2009-07-03T17:39:00.000-07:00

"You have to love a nation that celebrates its independence every July 4th with family picnics where kids throw Frisbees, the potato salad gets iffy, and the flies die from happiness. You may think you have overeaten, but it's only patriotism."

-Erma Bombeck

I hope you and your family have a safe and glorious 4th of July!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-06-30T06:13:00.000-07:00

It's time again for Tuesday's Talent! Today's drawing was made with a cartooning lesson from Comcast Cable's "On Demand" section called ActivityTV. Lessons can also be found at http://www.activitytv.tv/ Go to the bottom of the page under the category Cartooning.

My son say's this is what happens when his Pap Pap loads the "masheen" at Grammy's house! He (allegedly) over stuffs it! Oh, her poor washing "masheen"! I just love how the thing is chug, chug, chugging!

Thanks to everyone who stops by for Tuesday's Talent...my son really loves reading your comments!

Our God is an Awesome God!

2009-06-25T05:28:00.000-07:00

The Michael W. Smith tune "Our God is an awesome God" has been echoing through our home lately. My son learned it at Vacation Bible School and hasn't stopped singing it since!

I have to admit, I haven't been able to get it out of my head either. Usually when you get a song stuck in your head, it is one of those really annoying songs that you never want to hear again. Not this one...I could hear it every day and never tire of it. Why? Because of the possibilities it leads to. When I hear the chorus "Our God is an awesome God" it leads my mind to leave behind all stress and anxiety. It leads me to focus on why our God is truly an awesome God.

How did I get two parents who although they couldn't love each other, have unconditional love and devotion to me?
Our God is an awesome God

Why am I married to such a loving, caring and wonderful man?
Our God is an awesome God

How can one little boy bring a lifetime of joy with just his smile?
Our God is an awesome God

How did I find a friendship that I have been seeking for so many years, just down the road from my home?
Our God is an awesome God

Just open your eyes and your heart to Him and you will never run out of reasons to believe......

Our God is an awesome God who reigns from Heaven above with wisdom, strength and love , Our God is an awesome God............

Go ahead, sing it all day...I know we will!

Any Pittsburgh Pirate fans out there?

2009-06-24T12:13:00.000-07:00

If you or your hubby like the Pittsburgh Pirates, I have a blog for you. My husband has started a new blog called The Pittsburgh Pirates Return to Greatness. He has always been a great Pirates fan, for better or worse. He has his eyes on the future of the team and believes that someday they will again win a championship. He will be following up and coming players from the minors who he believes will be the saving grace of the Pittsburgh Pirates.

Stop on over and check him out!

http://pittsburghpiratesreturn.blogspot.com/

Tuesday's Talent

2009-06-23T12:56:00.000-07:00

Today's drawing comes straight from Vacation Bible School. My son went to VBS yesterday and learned about Moses and the Burning Bush.

"He said,'I will be with you.'" Exodus 3:12

Everybody's working through the weekend....

2009-06-19T14:42:00.000-07:00

Well, not every one's working through the weekend, just the line I work on. I am usually off on Friday nights, and now I have to work tonight. Even worse, I have to go in two hours early...everyone wants to leave early. Even worse that that? Going in two hours early, makes me have to miss my son's first baseball tournament. Ugh. I am going to try to find the silver lining in all of this...

1. I still have a job. Many people are losing their jobs and I am working overtime.

2. Maybe now I can actually get caught up on bills.

3. My son has another game tomorrow.

So, what about you? Did you find a silver lining today? I'd love to hear about it!

Have a great weekend!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-06-16T10:32:00.001-07:00

Today's character, chosen by my son, is Tree Man.

Tree Man was planted as a super mutated acorn.He came from planet Zacknock. He grew in only two days because it was so super. He can be at two places at once. All he has to do is think about the other place he wants to be, and then he is there. He can shape shift into any other plant. In the fall he turns into an evergreen. He can also turn into a seed again. He never needs water because he makes his own water. He can shoot roots out of his hands. He also shoots leaves out of his hands. Instead of haircuts, he gets leafcuts.

Lord Stanley, Lord Stanley, get me the brandy!

2009-06-12T19:52:00.000-07:00

The mood at our house tonight is positively giddy! With a pretty young, but determined team, the Pittsburgh Penguins win the Stanley Cup! The Pens beat the Detroit Red Wings 2-1 in game seven of the playoffs. This young team played their hearts out tonight! Our captain Sidney Crosby left the ice in the first period with a mid-section injury only to return for a short time in the third. The team stepped up and carried on. The game came down to the wire with Detroit almost tying the game with only seconds left to play. A hurting, but smiling Sid raised the cup with ease, kissed it proudly, as he has done a million times in his dreams and passed it on to the rest of the team. It is a proud day in Pittsburgh my friends!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-06-09T08:53:00.000-07:00

Today's Tuesday's Talent brings us another member of the Super League of Weirdos. This is a wrestler named Cheese Burgur.

As you can see, Cheese Burgur has a marvelous mustache, a beard and a uni brow. According to my son, Cheese Burgur got his uni brow when he was five years old. It is super sensitive and lets him know when people are in danger. He got his bulging muscles from making rude noises with his armpits...you know the ones...every seven year old boy knows how to make them. And that's just how old this Weirdo is...seven. He got his name because someone else took the name Hot Dog. That's all there is.

Grosgrain: SHABBY APPLE Marseilles Dress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

2009-06-08T13:44:00.000-07:00

Please visit Grosgrain for a chance to win an amazing dress! These dresses have a vintage feel, but are sassy enough for the modern woman!

Grosgrain: SHABBY APPLE Marseilles Dress GUEST GIVEAWAY!!!!!!!

Happy Monday! You are Phenomenal!

2009-06-08T11:48:00.000-07:00

PHENOMENAL WOMAN by Maya Angelou

Pretty women wonder where my secret lies
I'm not cute or built to suit a fashion model's size
But when I start to tell them They think I'm telling lies.
I say, It's in the reach of my arms
The span of my hips,
The stride of my step,
The curl of my lips.
I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, That's me.
I walk into a room
Just as cool as you please,
And to a man,
The fellows stand or Fall down on their knees.
Then they swarm around me,
A hive of honey bees.
I say,
It's the fire in my eyes
And the flash of my teeth,
The swing of my waist,
And the joy in my feet.
I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Men themselves have wondered
What they see in me.
They try so much
But they can't touch
My inner mystery.
When I try to show them,
They say they still can't see.
I say It's in the arch of my back,
The sun of my smile,
The ride of my breasts,
The grace of my style.
I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman, That's me.
Now you understand
Just why my head's not bowed.
I don't shout or jump about
Or have to talk real loud.
When you see me passing
It ought to make you proud.
I say,
It's in the click of my heels,
The bend of my hair,
The palm of my hand,
The need of my care,
'Cause I'm a woman Phenomenally.
Phenomenal woman,
That's me.

from And Still I Rise by Maya Angelou copyright © 1978

Have a phenomenal Monday!

Tuesday's Talent

2009-06-02T05:23:00.000-07:00

Today's Tuesday's Talent is a self-portrait of sorts. My son has a new love:baseball. Today's drawing is a cartoon of himself up to bat. He learned how to draw this using Activity TV on Comcast cable's On Demand section. He customized the cartoon with his number and his team's logo on the hat. Play ball!

Tag! You're it!

2009-05-31T13:26:00.001-07:00

Well, I've been tagged by Angie over at A Simple Kinda Life. I have been asked to list Six Unimportant Things that make me happy...so here we go!

1. Cupcakes of course! Plain ol' vanilla cupcakes with butter cream frosting and sprinkles! Mmm!

2. Aprons...especially vintage ones! There is just something about wearing an apron that makes me feel feminine and motherly.

3. Getting real mail...not junk mail, but letters or cards from friends. We should bring back the lost art of letter writing.

4. Naps. Even a twenty minute power nap makes a difference. I work nights and I try to sneak in a little nap whenever I can!

5. Yard Sales. Yes, your trash is my treasure. I love finding cute vintage things for my home at dirt cheap prices. My latest finds consist of some broaches I found for seventy five cents each and some neat decorative plates for a dollar each!

6. Coffee. I can live without it, buy why? I love the smell, the taste and of course the jolt of energy a great cup of coffee can supply.

What makes you happy? If you are reading this, consider yourself tagged!

Boss Man keepin me down!

2009-05-28T10:45:00.000-07:00

I just wanted to post a short note to tell you with the Holiday and busy weekend, I totally forgot this week's Tuesday Talent! (Darling son had a baseball game that day!) Now the boss man is keeping me down...I am on overtime at work, and while I should be happy about that in these times, it's hard. I work nights. I sleep while my son is at school. I get up at 3pm. He gets home around 4pm and I have to leave for work at 7:30pm! Doesn't leave much time for anything! I also might be working through the weekend. I am supposed to be off on Friday and Saturday. Now I might have to work Friday. Sigh. I will try to post something worthwhile on Sunday. Maybe LOL!

Happy Memorial Day

2009-05-25T16:05:00.000-07:00

Aside from all the laughter and fun this weekend has brought. After all of the watermelon has been eaten down to the rind and the sun has set on your picnic, I hope everyone has taken a moment to remember those brave men and women who made the the ultimate sacrifice to protect our freedom.

Happy Memorial Day to all.

Tuesday's Talent

2009-05-19T14:48:00.000-07:00

I am going to start something called Tuesday's Talent. Here I will showcase my darling son's art work. I will continue this as long as he provides me with material! So here we go the debut of Tuesday's Talent...

(In my son's own words) "This is Creature Man. He can chew and break through anything. He is very hairy. He has a sidekick. His name is Cockroach. Cockroach can shrink to any size and fit into anything. He can even shrink smaller than a germ. Cockroach has a little flying saucer thing that can also shrink. They are both in the Super League of Weirdos."

A little about the artist: Seven year old "Slimey" has been drawing for as long as I can remember. He swears I taught him to draw, but I beg to differ. I can barely put together the elements to make a decent stick figure. He always wanted me to draw stuff for him when he was little. I told him to try to draw it himself. I told him to look and see what shapes he saw and go from there. Who knew it would develop into such great talent! Slimey's other interests include reading Magic Tree House Books, playing outside and his newest venture, baseball.

My Mother's Day Surprise

2009-05-15T05:37:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite movies is The Wizard of Oz. At the end of the movie, Dorothy said
"if I ever go looking for my heart's desire again, I won't look any further than my own back yard."

Dorothy was right. Sometimes the things that make us the happiest are right in our back yard, yet we take that for granted and go looking for greener pastures. We think we need to get away, far far away.

Most of my life, my friends have almost always lived quite a ways away from me. When I was younger, I would have to wait until someone had the time to drive me to their house just so we could hang out. This was frustrating to say the least. Then when I got older, and I could drive myself, it got a little easier. As much as I loved driving to visit friends, I always thought it would be cool to have a friend who lived close by, preferably within walking distance.

When my husband and I were married, I moved from my home state of Ohio to his home state of Pennsylvania. We were given a very nice piece of land, out in the country, by his Grandfather. While I was very excited we were gifted with two acres of land, my hopes of having a friend close by were slowly fading. For the first couple of years or so, I pretty much kept to myself. We were newly married and starting a family. Our son was born in 2002. I was beginning to be content with just the three of us. But when my son started kindergarten something wonderful happened....

Our school sent out red ribbons to be placed at the bus stop of new kindergarten students. I tied ours to the sign at the corner of our yard that held a sign with our house number. While out driving one day, just down the road from us, I noticed a mail box with a familiar red ribbon tied to it. I told my husband that we should stop and introduce ourselves, after all, our kids would be sharing a bus ride for the next 12 years! Being a nervous person, I never stopped. Later at a school function, we ran into that family. I'm not sure who stopped who, but I do remember someone saying " I think you live on the same road we do!" Little did I know, with that little statement a seed was planted that would blossom into a beautiful friendship.

Our kids are in first grade this year, call it luck or call it fate, they ended up in the same classroom. We have become great friends with that family down the road. This year for Mother's Day, I wanted to surprise my new friend. I think she is a terrific Mom and I wanted her to know that. So, I got a flower for her and planted it in a cute little Girl Scout tin. She is a Daisy Scout leader. Little did I know, she had something up her sleeve for me too! Below is the cute little gift she sent over for me on Mother's Day!

On the back it says that this bottle was dug up on our road in 2008, a part of our past for all to see. I told you she was terrific...and crafty too! So it just goes to show you. To find a treasure, you don't have to look much farther than your own back yard...or in my case, just down the road!

It's the little things

2009-05-10T10:11:00.000-07:00

I have often heard it said that motherhood is a thank-less job. For a while I thought that was so true. Then I took a breath, stood back and looked at the big picture.
My thank you is not a gift once a year at Mother's Day. Although I love the little gifts my son makes for me at school and the homemade cards, I love the big thank yous I get on a daily basis.

The smile on his face when I make his favorite meal, the way his eyes light up when I say "Yes, you may have another cookie", the way he put a loving arm around me when he went to the altar at church with me and watched me get baptized and confirmed into the Catholic faith and the way he clings for just an extra moment when we hug.

Motherhood is not a thank-less job. There are many, many thanks. Sometimes, a busy mother must open her tired eyes a little more to see them.

This Mother's Day, I hope all you mothers get the chance to relax, rest and reflect on what makes you a great mother!

Happy Mother's Day!

Now get off the Internet and go call your Momma!

Take off your shoes and sit a spell.....

2009-04-30T07:15:00.001-07:00

I recently came across the cutest little blog "evah". Aunt Ruthie's Sugar Pie Farmhouse is a cozy little blog that, as described by one of my Sugar Pie Sistas, feels like you've pulled up a kitchen chair at a friend's home. The vintage graphics and old time-y music will have you donning an apron and baking up a storm in no time. Her posts are warm and inspirational. She gives you a peek into her life and how she runs a happy home.

While there, you can join the Sugar Pie Sisterhood and be privy to Aunt Ruthie's give-aways, new products, recipes, special announcements and any of her "sweet-as-sugar pie" offers! Aunt Ruthie just added a Girl Talk Forum for us gals who love to gab...come on in, the words are flowin' like sweet southern tea on a hot day!

So click on the slice of pie, take off your shoes and sit a spell while Aunt Ruthie serves up a big ol' slice of sweet sunshine! You're gonna love it here!

Happy Birthday Aunties!

2009-04-24T06:29:00.000-07:00

Age is just a number, right? Sometimes, a really big number, but just a number....Just kidding!

Today I need to wish two of my favorite people a very Happy Birthday!

Happy Birthday Aunt Patty!
Happy Birthday Aunt Corinne!

Aunts are very special people, and I love each one of my many aunts dearly. Two of them just happen to share a birthday!

Aunt Patty is my Dad's sister and Aunt Corinne is my husband's aunt. They will probably fight over who is my favorite....guess what ladies? You both win!

Happy Birthday to two bright, funny ladies who I have the privilege of calling Aunt!

Zip-itty do dah....

2009-04-23T15:50:00.000-07:00

When I think of Spring, quite a few things come to mind. Green grass, red robins, new life and warm breezes. There is also a very special person who comes to mind. Her name was Zip.

Zip was the Grandmother of my husband's cousins. She was one of the most colorful personalities I have met in all my life. Warm, caring and witty....oh she was so witty! She was so knowledgeable of the world around her. She knew the names of birds and plants. She was a lover of animals and of the outdoors. She was a pretty amazing woman. I once watched her pick up a chicken, tuck it's head under it's wing and sway it to sleep in her arms! On many occasions you could find her on her daughter's porch conversing with the tree frogs. And you know what? They answered back! Heard it with my own ears!

I think of her often, like when my husband gathers seeds from places we visit (something she was not shy about doing!)....he will tuck a few seeds into his pocket and whisper "Zip would be so proud!" Every once in a while, I will come across the blankets she made when my son was born and I will tell him the story about the lady who talked to the frogs. But it is this season when I think of her most.

I consider myself very lucky to have known her, now she is a sunny spot in God's heavenly garden....which I'm sure she is happily weeding at this very minute!

Happy Spring, Zip!