A Grateful Heart

A grateful heart. I have one, do you? So many things and people to be thankful for. Yet, why do we often limit ourselves to one day to be thankful? Our praises should be present in our daily lives. Why of course, there are certainly moments that I question the path that my life is travelling down. It is often hard to find the good in some things and some people. Yet I truly believe each moment and person in time has a greater purpose. It's up to us as individuals to find that purpose. Enjoy your family and friends this holiday. I will be going home to celebrate with my family and friends and in that moment, I will thank God for all his blessings, for HE is the true provider. See you next week!
P.S. Did you see the Palin turkey video? ...and you all wonder why I don't meat. Here's to the tofurkey!
P.S.S. In the words of my crazy momma...please advise that there is a dress code for holiday dinner. No ballcaps, jerseys, hooded sweatshirts, facial piercings. Jeans may be worn if clean, nice and belted! Proper decorum, folks!

Please Forgive Me

Please forgive me as a let out a little laugh under my breath. He spoke of change...look at his new appointments. Show me change! Old Washington is just that, Old Washington. Deep breathe, Eden. Deep breathe!

A Tug At My Heart

Usually when I feel strongly about something, I go get it or take care of it. Have you ever felt like there was something in your life that made your heart ache? It is as if God is right in front of you going, "hello, I'm trying to speak to you, listen up." There have been a few things that I have felt like I have been spoken to about. Some things I have either ignored or put aside for later. This post was one of those things, that I felt compelled to write. It's as if my fingers can't type fast enough.

November is orphan awareness month. You might have or might have not known this, but lately this cause has been coming back to me over and over again. I'm not quite sure and think that at some point, God will let me know why this is. Did you know that there are over 130 millions orphans worldwide. I cannot even begin to fathom this number. Think about it, I'm talking about children, people, individuals, blessings. While over 1/3 of people have thought about adopting, less than 2% make this beautiful decision. What can I do about this, you might ask. I'm not asking you to go add to your family(that would be great if you did or if you are in the process) but you can do something as simple as pray. Each week, select a child from
Cry Of The Orphan and pray for that child. Pray that they will find comfort. Pray that they will find stability. Pray that someone will make a decision that will drastically improve a child's life. I have printed out our child of the week and will put her pic along side those of my children. This week we are going to pray for a little girl named Jaimie. Jaimie is 10 years old. This is what she says about adoption. "Adoption means to me that I love a family and that they love me. I want to be adopted because I love families and hope to find a very nice family that is not a mean family."

I'm not sure what the future holds for my family as far as having more kids, but I have a feeling God does. He is speaking louder than any one person or thing.

A Father to the fatherless, a defender of widows, is God in his holy dwelling. God sets the lonely in families.
Psalm 68:5-6

A Tale of The Trips & The Suitcase

I really don't want to do this alone...raising three kids, that is. This is what I told the Hubby last week. I am tired and in need of a little mini va-cay. He told me that is what Thanksgiving is for. HA! He finally is back home tonight with the exception of one more trip before Christmas. I know it is my job as a mom, but sometimes you just need that other person to bounce ideas off of or rather vent and complain about the sneaky things the kids did or said. Hopefully this will be it until after the first of the year. Until then, the battle of the suitcase begins again.

I am living in an Everyone Loves Raymond episode. You may recall the one(one of my faves, too) where Debra and Ray participate in the battle of wills as they walk past the suitcase on the stairs, each waiting on the other to put it away. A test of wills perhaps, but here in my home I believe it is just plain laziness. Two suitcases occupy the floor of my bathroom. Ready to be packed at a moments notice if a call comes in for another trip. The closet is less than two feet away in which they can be stored, but for some reason neither one of us is willing to budge. Maybe after he reads this post, we will finally reach a resolution. Until then, I am thinking of what I may pack for my little personal mini va-cay...the suitcase awaits!

The Little Lady That Stole My Heart

The little lady that stole my heart goes by the name Sis Margaret(aka "sissy go to the market"). I don't believe I have ever been so enamoured with a person like I am her. The past few weeks she has grown up so much. No longer a baby but rather a toddler who is quickly becoming a little girl. This week she began waking down the stairs with standing up without holding on to the banister. She now throws full on temper tantrums in stores yelling and screaming. I swiftly swoop her up and carry her out with out batting an eyelash. Oh, how I love my two boys...don't get me wrong. Yet, there is something about my little red-head, blue eyed, little girl who can make me laugh and then make me cry all in the same breath. I think of the many who I have met in the last year who have lost a young child. I cannot fathom the pain and raw emotion that they have and will continue to experience. They have "faith" in so many ways, especially that they too will be reunited with their angels in Heaven. How incredible is their strength....Miss Molly :)It is through these women that I have found myself looking at motherhood with a whole new set of eyes. It is as if I am seeing my children again for the very first time. I am less likely to raise my voice, become exasperated, or push their wants aside while I take care of business. I hold them close a little longer, taking in such joy watching them grow up. I have also been reminded that while I gave birth to these babies and am responsible for raising them up in the Lord, they are not mine. They belong to God. What a wonderful life..to be a child. I am forever grateful for the opportunity to be their mother. To teach, to nurture, to let go.....that is my job...and what a wonderful job it is.

It's Good To Be Back

It's good to be back. Some of you might not have even noticed, others were questioning whether or not I had fallen off the face of the Earth. Mentally I have, but I'm still here physically. I just took a much needed technology break. I highly recommend it to everyone. I began to realize just how "addicted" I am to all sorts of technology. It isn't rare to enter my home to find the ipod blaring, tv commentator's debating, email sending, blogs writing, banking processing, Facebook connecting & me in the mix of it all surviving. It has been nice to somewhat "shut-down" and regroup. The hubby has been out of town for about three weeks now and is in the process of leaving again, so the past two days I have just enjoyed having his presence in the house. I am currently refocused, energized and ready to go. Thank you to all of you wondering and wishing for my well-being. It's good to be missed and loved.

Isn't She Lovely

I never win anything. Although, today I did win something. I won the Leah Apron that I had been eyeing for some time. Isn't it pretty!! I have come to notice that in the blog world there are countless numbers of women entrepreneurs. These women have their own businesses and cater to a specific audience...aka..me. While I have often wished I had a talent, I find it difficult to put my finger on one. I guess laundry folding counts somewhere, right? Or how about the remarkable ability to alpahbatize canned goods. I made milk at one time :). I do wish I was talented in sewing. I have visited numerous websites of women who can whip stitch, sew, knit, quilt, etc. I can replace a button, that's it. I love the variety of fabrics and colors and how these women are expanding their lines from not only aprons, handbags and clothes, but also to homegoods. It's like ETSY times a gazillion. While I will always love Anna Maria Horner(thx sarah r.)and her color combos, I have found new artists like Joni at modernmyrtle to enjoy. So, maybe someday I will put my creative side and lovely art degree to good use and get working on a project of my own. Until then, I'm going to wear my new apron all day..every day.

Friends

Slow Fade

Be careful little eyes what you see
It's the second glance that ties your hands as darkness pulls the strings
Be careful little feet where you go
For it's the little feet behind you that are sure to follow

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
It's a slow fade, it's a slow fade

Be careful little ears what you hear
When flattery leads to compromise, the end is always near
Be careful little lips what you say
For empty words and promises lead broken hearts astray

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day

The journey from your mind to your hands
Is shorter than you're thinking
Be careful if you think you stand
You just might be sinking

It's a slow fade when you give yourself away
It's a slow fade when black and white have turned to gray
Thoughts invade, choices are made, a price will be paid
When you give yourself away
People never crumble in a day
Daddies never crumble in a day
Families never crumble in a day

Oh be careful little eyes what see
Oh be careful little eyes what you see
For the Father up above is looking down in love
Oh be careful little eyes what you see

Casting Crowns- Slow Fade

My Love For The Pedi-Egg

Trust me...I'm a sucker for packaging. If the branding of an item is nice, decorative, etc, I will purchase it. The Hubby always says I am just like my mother who will buy anything as long as the label is artistic. I'm like this with wine, books, and grocery items. I guess I am just a visual person and can appreciate the effort that a company puts into their packaging. Lately, I have had this renewed interest in "As Seen on TV" products. Crazy as it sounds, I have often found myself struggling not to pick up the phone to order "Green Bags" to keep my fruits and veggies fresh. Or how about "Aqua Globes". I kill any living plant and these promise to keep them alive with little to no effort. You can't beat the fact that they are so aesthetically pleasing with their variety of blown glass hues. Well, I finally broke down and bought one of these products. I figured I would give the ever popular "Pedi-Egg" a try. Let me just say that I love this product. Who wouldn't love something that can make even the most disgusting feet nice and smooth again. It sure beats having to get a pedi all the time. All members of the family have become fans. Sure beats the homeopathic recipe of soaking your feet in a tub of vinegar and Listerine every night or wrapping your toenails in cotten swabs soaked in tree tea oil. Don't ask :)

The Case of The AMEX Card

You would have thought the AMEX card was his right arm. If I am lucky enough, the hubby will place it in my possession for a mere second to make a purchase and then it is whisked right out of my hand and placed back into the wallet. He returned home from an overseas trip last week and sent my sis and I to pick up dinner. He handed over the "beauty" and gave specific instructions not to go over X amount of moola for dinner. We returned home food in tow, and in the excitement of it all, the card remained in my wallet. (I have the George Costanza wallet...receipts, card, trash stuffed in it). Many times throughout the week I saw the "beauty" next to my other cards and thought to myself that I really needed to give it back to him. Little to no thought was put into actually retrieving the card and handing it back. I simply forgot. The problem is, this isn't the first time, nor the second, nor the third.

The Hubby left for another trip for a week and as I got my other card out to pay for pizza delivery..I'm such a rebel :)I realized that the "beauty" was still in my wallet. There he was over the Atlantic and his card was in my wallet. I finally got a hold of him and delivered the bad news with a sincere apology and we hung up. Today I spoke to him and he let out a little laugh and had to tell me the story. He told me he had called AMEX to see what they could do to help, and they informed him that there was an AMEX office in Brussels. So, he got an GPS and jumped into the car and headed to the office to pick up the new "beauty" that was waiting. The point of this story is that, when things seem like they won't get better, sometimes you truly just have to make the best of the situation. In doing so, your eyes may be open to experiences and events that you would have missed otherwise. The Hubby said that he really enjoyed the drive to the office and that he saw parts of the country that he had never seen, and wouldn't have had I not had the card. In the end, it wasn't so bad.

How many times do we make a big deal or get upset of such silly things? I know I do all the time. Like last weekend, when the McD's drive-thru lady tried to give my sis a can DC because the fountain was broken. I went in and asked for my money back. We could have gotten upset, but we laughed about it and relished in the fact that we can tell the difference between can and fountain. In the end, we are sometimes placed in predicaments or situations that may not make sense to us at the time, but in the end the plan is being executed as according to plan. So, don't sweat the small stuff. Find something good, even in the form of a missing AMEX card or can DC.

Leaf Envy??

This is the result of five hours of raking, tarping & dumping the many piles of leaves from our yard. My hands are blistered and my arms feel like noodles. We had enough leaves to make it all the way around the cul-de-sac circle. The kids thought it was pretty cool. UGH!!

Volunteering...Way to go, Trey!

My nephew, Trey volunteered last weekend. He went to the homes of two families and winterized their homes. Caulking, sealing and cleaning were all things that he did. He was able to see a different perspective, a family who is unable to take care of their home for either financial or health reasons. How proud we are of you, Trey! Way to give back to your community.

Therapy Needed!

I have sunk to a new housework low. I vacuumed the kitchen table.

A Scale, Cheetos & A Naked Little Body

Odd post title, huh? Well, these three things went together in a very odd way the other day. Once the hubby began to lose weight, I went out and bought a bathroom scale. I despise scales. We have never owned one and would rely on the lovely doctors assistant to read the numbers aloud(why must they do that..shhh..) I rarely keep junk food in the house because I have found that if it is in the house, it finds its way into my mouth. While the family was visiting this past weekend, I bought a bag of Cheeto puffs. Not even the baked kind, the real kind that leaves a orange residue and stain on your fingertips. I happened to open the bag prior to their arrival and began to pop a few in my mouth. One became two, two became three..I couldn't control myself. It was time to shower and to save time I decided that Sis Margaret would hop in with me and we both could get clean. As I stepped in I called for her. She ran in naked and ran back out saying she would be right back. She came running back in, Cheetos dangling from her little lips as she stepped on the scale. Horrified, I realized that she had just witnessed me doing the same thing and was copying me. Moral to the story, never weigh yourself naked while eating Cheetos. It goes against all of humankind and is very frightening to watch from afar. Sometimes I actually scare myself.

Today

I didn't sleep well last night. I could feel the anxiety from the past months building up inside my body. How many more political discussions and debates could I endure? How many more ads and signs could I look at as I ran errands around town? How many shows or magazines could I watch or read without seeing some sort of political rhetoric? I think my mind had a riot last night, because I woke up with a terrible headache. Those who know me know my headaches aren't typical headaches. We are talking horrific pain that totally consumes my whole body. Why today, I asked myself? I took some medication and waited for CVH to come and watch the kiddos so I could go vote. I got up and went to the polling place(which happens to be a church...how ironic for the separation of church & state...how cool at the same time). I walked right in and voted for my candidates, tax levys to support a proposed casino, a science museum, cash advance stores, etc. As I walked out, I felt invigorated. All of the time and stress that had consumed my mind seemed to be lifted off my shoulders. I did all that I could. I did what I felt was best for our country. I did what I felt was best for my family, my children, for me. Those around me were doing the same.

We all have different ideas of what is best for us as individuals. While some based their vote on economic issues, others on proposed legislation, I based mine on which candidate represented to values and morals that I want to see remain prevalent in our society. I prayed about it(extensively) and while many I know and love scoffed at this idea, it made perfect sense to me. While I cast my vote, in the end the decision has already been made. I truly believe God will protect our country as long as we don't fall prey to the very things that can destroy us. I prayed for both candidates....win or lose. Either one has the difficult task and responsibility of restoring this country of ours in many ways. The division that had occurred over the past few years must be mended in order for us to move forward. We have to come together despite race, religion, sex, demographic, etc. If we fail to so, we are in jeopardy of creating a country where our children will not be able to sustain peace among themselves.

So, as the results roll in this evening, you won't catch me worrying. It's going to be dinner with the family and a good ole' fashion game of Uno.(tnx CVH for the suggestion). I'm getting back to what's important in life. Go ahead, choose for yourself what you are going to do with your time this evening. Have fun and enjoy yourself. In the morning, you will wake up and put your pants on one leg at a time just like you do everyday. You will go to work, have lunch, go to school or even get a big ole' Caribou smoothie. Life goes on.....it's up to you to make it special!

Let The Sedation Begin

My mom doing her best Sarah Palin impersonation!

It's that time when I go into hiding until I go to the polls. I then go back into hiding until the fifth. Seriously, I know all of you have your mind made up, but just a reminder how wonderful it is that we have this right. The right to vote! We are so fortunate. Also, remember that your vote is much greater than just voting for the President. Your choice also decides judicial appointments, local government, laws, Constitutional amendments & changes. Do your homework before you go...your vote is greater than just electing one man. Happy Voting!

Halloween 2008

Fall Family Fun