I love my Evo cell phone :)

This pic is from a race we did back in the spring. I just wanted to see about posting pics....

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I may have found it!

I'll have to figure out the ins-and-outs of this app but it looks promising for blogging from my phone.

Hmmmmm...wonder if I can post pics too?

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Only a few hours left...

Hard to believe 2010 is almost gone.

I'm sitting here trying to remember exactly what happened this year and I'm hard-pressed to remember much! Guess I'd better work a little harder since I'm planning on doing our year-end wrap-up letter tomorrow. It's kinda like our Christmas card only I don't stress myself by trying to get it out before Christmas = )

I'm excited to start a new planner and journal tomorrow. My journal is the Susan Branch Book of Days which I bought in the summer and have greatly anticipated getting to write in it!

I think I'll start off using the Moleskine planner...I usually switch planners around through the year as I get tired of one kind and want something new.

The Molekines are small and handy and come in daily, weekly, monthly and plain notebook formats. I really like writing tasks in different colored markers and filling the books with pretty colors = )

Ok, well, I don't have much to tell ya'll but I didn't want the year to end without one last blog entry. Maybe I'll figure out how to blog straight from my way cool beans cell phone and then I'll be more consistent. Not exactly a New Year's resolution...more like a moderately-held desire.

I do have a resolution but I'm not sharing it with anyone. It's something I want to do every day...if I make it through the end of March, maybe I'll tell ya'll about it.

Happy New Year!

December already???

Wow...time is flying by. The days go by quickly, it's the next month before I know it, this year is almost done! Is time speeding up? I think it might be as I'm getting older... yeah, that seems to be happening faster too...hahahahaha

Life is good here at the Peterson Homestead. Pretty much same as always, which is fine with me = ) I enjoy my daily activities of running the household...even the so-called mundane ones...I think I might like those the best, actually.

There's a comfort in knowing what I'm going to do, how I'm going to do it, when, where, even why... then taking satisfaction in a job well-done knowing that because I did this little job, Petey or my furry babies will be happier and more comfortable.

I've long felt that work is a gift from God. I love the verse, Colossians 3:23 & 24 --- "Whatever you do, do your work heartily, as for the Lord rather than for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance. It is the Lord Christ whom you serve." The reward just might be the WORK and taking pleasure in it!

Maybe that's why I enjoy cooking from scratch so much. It IS more work but it's rewarding work...and not just the taste of the yummy food = ) It's another opportunity to be creative...

Like a painter choosing colors, a little bit of blue, a little white, a touch of red...then a swipe just there, in the sky...to add a lovely hint of lavender to a glorious sunset.

I believe my efforts in the kitchen bring glory to God because it is work that He has given me to do and I do it joyfully, not working for men but for Him!

Good-bye, Campbell's, Hello Homemade!!!

Sub-title: For the love of mushroom soup = )

For a number of years now I've been consciously striving to grow and make from scratch as much of our food as possible. I'm always looking for ways to get closer to the food's natural state...to move further and further away from processing.

Just in the past 6 months or so I've been able to add three items that have helped this process tremendously: a Nutrimill grain mill, the Bosch Universal Plus mixer, and the Whole Foods for the Whole Family cookbook (published by LaLeche League).

I'd been grinding my own whole wheat flour previously using the VitaMix. It did ok but never could grind it fine enough and it was very time consuming as I could only grind 2 cups of wheat berries at a time.

The Nutrimill allows me to grind 9 cups of wheat berries at a time and the texture of the finished product is PERFECT. It also grinds rice, corn and beans but I haven't experimented much with those yet.

The Bosch mixer is often sold as a pair with the Nutrimill because they go so well together. I have not had a single batch of dough be anything other than perfect every single time I've used the Bosch. That's saying something for me, someone who has a long history of inconsistent results in the kitchen! hahaha

My bestest girlfriend, Amy, introduced me to the WFWF cookbook, which is EXACTLY the kind of cookbook that I've been looking for since choosing homemaking as my career!

Natural foods in their natural state, in a balanced amount...desserts and treats that are tasty AND healthy. So far, we've liked every recipe I've made!

Which brings me to mushroom soup. I LOVE mushroom soup. I've consumed thousands of cans of the stuff. Campbell's has made an effort by going to low fat, low-sodium and Healthy Request varieties but I still REALLY wanted a more-natural, less-processed, and most importantly, homemade, choice.

And now I have it! And what's even better, Petey likes it too! I put a fair amount of curry powder in it which is quite delicious...pairs so nicely with the fresh mushrooms.

Oh yeah...I just remembered that I have actually added four items to my home-cooking repertoire...well, if I can count a group of things as one item = ) Cast iron pans and cookware! Food just tastes better when prepared in cast iron...it adds a wonderful flavor that you don't get in regular pans.

So...I've been sick for almost a month now. I'm on the mend but still dealing with a cough and sore throat which makes soup taste really good. I've made 3 batches of mushroom soup since I've been sick...I was shocked at how yummy it turned out!

And SOOOOOOOOO pleased that I had to grab my camera and take a picture to share my happiness with you all = )

For the recipe...it's just a basic white sauce that you add mushrooms to. I saute the mushrooms in a bit of olive oil and garlic in the cast iron skillet and then add LOTS of curry powder to the soup after combining the cooked mushrooms and the white sauce. Easy-peasy, lemon-squeezy!

I love perspective!

Ok, I just realized that this should really be a video instead of a picture...you need to be able to HEAR the wonderful sound of these windchimes!!

I LOVE windchimes...that would be the subtitle to this post = ) I especially liked my windchimes that were similar to these...they looked different but sound exactly the same.

I have windchimes hanging everywhere...on hooks on the pergola over the garden, on the bottom of the hanging baskets of flowers, on the front porch and even one on the frame of a front window. (That one's yours, Mom H...the handpainted triangle one that sounds like a cow bell!)

These special ones...well, not the ones in the picture but the ones that were similar to the ones above...were hanging on the bottom of one of the hanging baskets we had out front. We had 4 baskets...2 each on "shepherd's hooks" stuck in the ground.

And someone came and stole all 4 baskets. Our neighbor saw the guy creeping around, was too scared to confront him but went back inside to get her husband and by the time they got back outside, the guy had taken the baskets and driven off in the dark.

I was bummed about losing the baskets but when I remembered that the windchimes were hooked to the bottom of one of the baskets, I was SOOOOO bummed!!

The windchimes had come from my sister and nephews...they'd gotten them in Corpus Christi so it wasn't like I could just go to Wal-mart and replace them = ( I really missed hearing that particular tinkling and was reminded every day that they were gone forever.

So...I've been super sick for the past several weeks. I'm getting better but I'm still not totally over it. I'd been coughing badly and had just been to the doctor that morning and told I had bronchitis and a sinus infection.

It was a little hard to breathe anyhow but when a coughing attack would come on me, my airway started closing and I could barely get a breath in. I'd already had one attack that morning so when another one hit me in the evening, I knew how serious it was.

I tried to calm down, stop coughing and just try to breathe but it was a bad one. I had the phone in my hand to quickly dial 911 if I felt like I was passing out. I managed to get some air inside of me and breathe a bit better so I called my sister instead.

Jan's a pediatric nurse and has access to lots of different "things". I was mostly calling to see if there was anything I could do at home to keep on breathing or to find out why this was happening. She said it's called "reactive airway"...my airway was already irritated and the hard coughing just pushed it over the edge.

She came over and brought a nebulizer and albuterol and I did a breathing treatment...that helped alot! I did think there was a chance that I would die during the night...I said good-bye to Petey before I went to bed knowing that it could be the last time I talked to him = (

Ok, so all of that is really neither here or there except to say this...even with how horrible I was feeling and how scared I was of not being able to breathe, the thing that made me the happiest was NOT the breathing treatment but the replacement windchimes that Jan brought too!!!

She'd bought extra ones to give as gifts and when she heard that mine had been stolen, she gave me another set...which are now hanging on the BACK porch and will be guarded carefully!

So my title of "I love perspective" is that I love my windchimes even more because I thought they were lost forever and now I have them again.

And I don't think I would've had quite the emotional reaction to getting a replacement set if I wasn't at that moment, literally, thanking God for every breath that He was granting to me! Another breath to keep on living and enjoying the little (and not so little!) things that all add up to make my life FULL OF JOY!!!!!

p.s. I actually like the look of these windchimes better than the first set...they had a hummingbird but these have seagulls and lighthouses...way cool beans!!!

I love the thought of future fun...

...in the form of neat pics I've taken for blog posts but not posted them here yet... future fun is just around the corner!

I thought maybe to just include all the pics in one post to catch ya'll up but now I've decided to do them one at a time to stretch out the fun.

Actually, I'm thinking I should've titled this post "I'm thankful to be alive" as I've been VERY sick since my last post. I still have the tail-end of the bronchitis...I think the sinus infection/ears full of fluid is pretty much gone.

And now my Sweety Petey comes home again tomorrow! I got sick the day before he left the last time and have been sick the whole time he was gone...not doing much except watching TV and laying/sleeping in bed. I feel like I've lost 2 weeks of my life!

But at least I'm alive, which at one point, I wasn't sure I would wake up the next morning...sooooo....I'M THANKFUL TO BE ALIVE!!!!

Stay tuned for future fun = ))

I love spending time with my Sweety...

I have a problem with boxing myself in to a certain way of doing something. It's the optimum way of doing the task and it works great when all other conditions are agreeable.

For example: doing Bible study at a certain time and for a certain amount of time, in a certain way, using a certain Bible, etc. If I miss the allotted time or that certain Bible isn't handy, I feel like I can't do my Bible reading for that day because it won't be "the best way or exactly right".

I have lots of these little boxes for any number of tasks throughout the day or week or month. I won't start listing them because then I'd have to list them ALL since that's the "exactly right" way to do it!

So I wanted to post a picture a day here on the blog...something that I was thankful for that day or made me happy. I've been so caught up in spending time with my Sweety Petey that I've been forgetting to take a picture of the happy things and I didn't want to post on the blog without a picture... coz it's not "exactly right"!!

I really need to get past this hang-up. I'm WORKING at getting past this hang-up! God doesn't care if I'm reading my Bible "exactly right"...He just wants me to spend time with Him in His Word!

Any of you that really care about me, don't care whether I post a picture every day...you'd just like to hear what's been happening! Hence this post = )

My gardens and furniture and floors don't care if I've tended to them "the best way"...they just want to be tended to...whenever, however I can!

What's been happening around here is lots of time with my Petey...mostly quiet things because he came home with the tail-end of a cold and needed to recover.

I've also been actively working to pare down my outside activities so I can be more responsible in my job of homemaker and wife to Petey, mama to Jake, Sydney, Annie, Buddy, Dingo, Piper, Benny, Rodney and Chippy (listed by age except for Slinky the corn snake who is somewhere around 17 years old but I don't feel like his mama... just his care-taker).

That's it from here...I wanted to post something even if I didn't have a picture. Petey leaves again on Monday so you can look forward to more pics in a few days!

I love pine trees!

This is my view from the cell phone lot at the airport where I sit and wait for Petey to go through customs and get his bags. I don't really mind though, cause there's beautiful pine trees swaying in the breeze right in front of me. There are alot more, they won't all fit in the picture!

So, as you can guess...my Sweety Petey is HOME!!!! I spent a good half a day on my feet in the kitchen. Today was co-op day so I was taking care of the produce... washing spinach, steaming cauliflower, putting it all away.

Then making dough for calzones for supper with some cinnamon rolls for dessert. Then I made a punkin pie for tomorrow night's dessert when Paul and Lauren come. Actually, Lauren's coming around lunch to do crafts and then Paul will come after work = )

I think it's gonna be lots of fun since Petey's home now...that just makes EVERYTHING better!!!!

Tea tastes better on a rainy day...

So yes, it tasted great today! Boy, howdy, did we get the rain. I finally looked at the radar to see what was going on. Since I don't watch the news or get a newspaper, I didn't realize that the hurricane passed that close to us...our rain is actually the outer bands of the hurricane.

Welllll...THAT explains it! hahahahahaha And more is forecast for tomorrow too. I'm glad we've gotten a nice soaking...just hope the weather doesn't interfere with my Sweety's homecoming!

Back to the tea...Helen Grant gave me some way cool beans loose tea from England, along with some "tea biscuits" and a...what do you call it...the meshy thing that you put the loose tea into and soak it in the hot water...diffuser or something?

Anyhow, it did make a delicious "cuppa" and I enjoyed sitting at the table sipping my hot tea, dunking my biscuits and watching the rain come down in sheets outside...kinda like what I imagine England is like...

Today was a good day to be a home-body = )

I thank God for amazing strangers!

This is Assiya from Kazakhstan...where Petey flies to on a regular basis! I've NEVER met anyone from Kazakhstan and was super excited to meet her at Lauren and Paul's house this afternoon.

She was SO gracious in answering my many questions...so interesting and intelligent and friendly! I feel very privileged to have met her and had the chance to hear more about her country.

She was 8 years old when the USSR ceased to exist and her country was independent for the first time in hundreds of years. I kept trying to wrap my brain around all the changes that she's seen in her life so far.

I was also struck by her beauty. Petey has often told me about how gorgeous the women are in that part of the world. I can certainly see why he'd think that = ))

She looks a little damp because we tried to take a walk after supper and got caught in another rain shower. I hope I have another opportunity to visit with A again but she may not be wishing for the same thing...HA!

I'm also thankful for all the wonderful rain we got today! This was the most vibrant rainbow I've ever seen...the picture was taken through the car window which is tinted so you can imagine how brilliant the colors were. Should've rolled the window down! hahahaha

It was also a double rainbow, which I discovered once I started moving again and couldn't take a picture. I took this one while I was sitting at the stop light.

And then I turned on to Clay Road and this was the sight that greeted me...my oh my...a cell phone picture doesn't do it justice! Sure do love me a purty sunset...

Memories of Gramma

I had an enjoyable hour or so snapping beans while watching tv today. I kept thinking back to when I'd help Gramma by snapping beans but we'd be sitting on her front porch, usually in the creaky red and white glider, enjoying the day and each other's company.

Well, I hope she enjoyed mine...I sure enjoyed her's! I would give SO MUCH to be able to spend time with her again. She died not long after I'd gotten married. I still felt very young, certainly not an adult yet...actually, I still don't feel like a grown-up!

I wish I could tell her how I've kept her memory alive through my gardening and striving to be a hard worker, just like she was. Most importantly, through following God's plan for my life just as she followed Him for her's.

This past July, I spoke at our family reunion about carrying on Gramma's legacy of godliness and consistent Bible-reading, selflessness and hard work and being a good cook = )

I just wish she knew how much she's loved and missed and thought of...every single day of my life...and how I long to talk to her again. So many things to tell her...to ask her...I cherish my memories of Gramma!

p.s. the beans taste delicious!!

Wow...I never thought I'd be saying...

...I love Ecclesiastes!!! I finished Job the day before yesterday and was thinking Ecclesiastes might be next. It was and my first thought was, "oh boy, just gotta get through it".

I've read Ecclesiastes many, many times...it's not a long book. Our Sunday School class even studied it in-depth. I REALLY didn't like it after that! hahahaha

So, sitting down to read I was expecting to have the same reaction. And what I discovered is that now... I GET IT. I totally get what Solomon was saying, the point he was getting across. And I agree whole-heartedly...with everything.

Actually, I found it to be a very real comfort. The changes that I'm seeing in my beloved country are distressing...I could easily stay all worked up about it if I didn't constantly remind myself that God is in control.

But Ecclesiastes puts all of that into perspective. Nothing "down here" really matters... nothing is lasting...only our relationship with God is eternal. The only things I'll "take" to Heaven are my fellow-believers...my family in Christ.

So I thank God for Ecclesiastes and the lessons it teaches me. On a secondary note, I love that learning never ends! Just like my view of Ecclesiastes has done a 180* so has my view on a couple of other things.

This week I had my eyes opened to two different concepts in wildly different areas...gardening and home organization...and it's made a BIG difference! And that makes me very thankful.

Wow...I'll be reading Jeremiah and Ezekiel before too long...wonder if I'll like them any better???

I thank God for crafty friends!!

Lauren came over today for crafting and lunch and ended up staying for supper too, since we had the bright idea to have her husband, Paul, come here from work. That way we got to stamp longer and she didn't have to cook = )

This is the first card Lauren made...sooooo cute! She made another card later on but I was talking to Paul and didn't get a picture of it.

I worked on my scrapbook first and then made a card too. We've decided to make this a weekly thing...Thursdays are craft days! That'll really be nice for me since it will give me a regular time to work on my projects and I think I'll be alot more productive.

Plus, Lauren is really cool, so I look forward to hanging out with her...and any other crafty friends who'd like to join us = )

Stamping with Lauren brought back memories of all my dear crafting friends from North Texas...I miss you all!!

Thankful for piano lessons = )

In my Bible reading this morning I read Psalm 45:8

"All Your robes are fragrant with myrrh and aloes and cassia; from palaces adorned with ivory the music of the strings makes You glad."

This made me think of the song Ivory Palaces by Henry Barraclough...the chorus is:

"Out of the ivory palaces into a world of woe,

Only His great eternal love made my Savior go."

I got the songbook off of the shelf and sat down at the piano and played it for myself. What a blessing to be able to do that!!

I thank God for...

- a father who paid for lessons

- a mother who budgeted carefully to make the paycheck stretch far enough for music lessons and then made sure I practiced...not always a joyful thing!

- time and opportunity in my adult years to practice and then use this ability for God's glory

- a husband who encourages me to keep it up and bought me a beautiful Kawai piano!

- a great collection of songbooks where I can enjoy the physical aspect of playing and the spiritual aspect of worshipping God through music

I love that the Bible tells me that "the music of strings makes You glad"!!

In the gloaming...

I love this time of day...things are slowing down, getting quieter, wrapping up...

I walked into the parlor and could tell by the light on the walls that there was beautiful color to be seen outside...the whole world was painted in pinks and yellows...

There were storms in the area for most of the day...distant thunder for hours. No rain for our little part of the city but it did make for some beautiful clouds tonight!

Now in hindsight, I wish I'd not hurried back inside to finish vacuuming before bed, but had sat down outside to watch the changing sky. I MUST learn that it's ok to not stay busy every waking moment of my day...take time to smell the roses...never miss a sunset...

I thank God for showing me His faithfulness in many ways throughout my day... and for second chances to get it right...I'll keep trying!!

It is a privilege to run long = )

You'll have to click on the picture to enlarge it, if the print is too small to read.

As we enter marathon-training season, my long runs will get a big longer each week leading up to the BIG ONE...26.2 miles!

Right now, it's challenging for me to run longer because I'm not an early morning runner and it's pretty hot by the time I get out. Today I didn't finish until almost noon because of the breaks to switch dogs and drink and stuff. Cooler weather will be here soon!

Anyhow, towards the end of my 8.5 miles, I was definitely reaching the over-heated stage and ready to be done but still so very thankful that God has allowed me to do this.

I consider running a gift from God...not only do I enjoy the actual activity but there are so many other blessings that come with it...better health, weight control, worshipping God while running through His creation, a time set aside for prayer and reflection, the opportunity to share the love of running with others and be an encouragement in their lives...

I wanted to be a runner since my freshman year of high school. I never gave up on the dream even though reality was telling me the dream would never come true. So that just makes me love running all the more! I don't take it for granted, I enjoy it even when it's hard or a run doesn't go well or I'm dealing with an issue or injury.

I thank God for my brother, John, who helped me get started and has been nothing but an encouragement every step of the way! And for Sweety Petey who has been so supportive even though he doesn't "get it"...this love of running = )

I thank God for my running club, Houston Striders, who add a whole nother dimension of fun to my running!

I thank God for my furry running buddies who break up these long runs and make them so much more enjoyable.

I thank God for the time, strength and ability to run and especially to run FAR, which I REALLY enjoy, for some reason = )

I LOVE TO RUN!!!!!

I love my crafts!!

Our monthly stamp camp was yesterday morning...so much fun! That got me in the mood to stamp and color and create = ) I recently was introduced to Copic Markers and have a nice collection of those now...I REALLY like coloring the best of all crafts.

So I got my stuff out yesterday and had several hours of coloring fun. I didn't clean up since I was hoping to do more today and tomorrow. I'd forgotten about having everything out on the kitchen table so when I got home from church today, this was the scene that greeted me.

I thank God for giving me the love of colors and coloring. I've loved to color from my earliest remembrances as a very young child. That love has grown with me into adulthood!

I love crayons, pencils, chalks, watercolor, markers, oil paints...fabrics, threads, color swatches...anything to do with COLOR! I'm so blessed to be able to enjoy this aspect of my personality.

I don't know if Petey understands it but he's been generous in allowing me to have my own craft room...and very patient when my crafts take over the table...or the room! hahahahaha

Happy Monthaversary to my Sweety Petey...9 more months until the BIG ONE!!! I love you dearly...xoxoxoxoxoxox

I love this cookbook!!!

This is currently my most favoritist cookbook of all time...past, present and I'd be surprised if I EVER find a better one in the future!

Amy fed me some of her yummy quiche the other day and since I had extra eggs on hand, I decided to make a quiche too. This cookbook has never let me down and today was no different. When I looked up quiche, they had several different recipes for healthy crusts...way cool beans!!!

I used the one that called for crumbled whole wheat bread (I used my own homemade) that you press into the bottom and sides of a 9 inch pie plate. I also added some rosemary from the garden = )

I don't think I crumbled the bread enough but I'm sure it will be ok this time and I can correct it next time. I loaded the quiche down with lots of veggies and it might be too much so I can correct that next time too, if it doesn't taste right.

I only wish my Sweety were here to taste it with me...he would LOVE the red peppers in it! Oh well...just gives me a chance to make another one...

Cooking is so much fun when you have a great cookbook, yummy ingredients (eggs are organic free-range from a local farmer, most of the veggies are home grown) and awesome tools to help you in the kitchen (my Bosch mixer/food processor/blender/juicer machine!!).

Friday Night Family Fellowship

Today I'm thankful for my church family and for Judy hosting the summer Friday Night Fellowship at her house = )

There were over 30 people there tonight! The pool was FULL...lots of laughter and splashing and happy screams!

It was especially nice to sit next to Judy and visit a bit. And I thanked God for Sandy, who walked me out to my car and gave me a wonderful hug...which felt especially nice because I've been missing Petey today. Her hug brought tears to my eyes...I could FEEL the love...so sweet...

Here's Brian, chillaxin in the pool = ) After the kids got out of the pool, they all came inside for a snack. I sat at the table with them and visited...cute kids! And I got to hold and snuggle a sleepy Brian before heading home.

I thank God for my wonderful, loving church family!

Running errands with the Russells (sans Ronnie!)

I went with Amy to run errands this morning. With 4 kids, it's just easier with an extra pair of hands = )

I had Heather and Jeffrey in my cart...sooooo much funnnn!!!!

Travis decided to get in the picture too...

Mama Amy took Travis and Heather to the restroom and I stayed with Jeffrey and Brian. We were fixin to go outside so I had my sunglasses ready. I was explaining to Jeffrey how my sunglasses clipped on to my regular glasses and then I put them on his face so he could see through them. That's when I discovered how cool he looked and just had to get a picture!

Also, now that I think about it...this just proves how small my face really is. When I got my first pair of glasses, they wouldn't stay up on my nose. I took them back to be adjusted but the ear pieces were already adjusted as small as they could get them without risking breaking them. That was at Sam's Optical.

Then Costco had a coupon on a pair of glasses and Petey said it was ok for me to get a pair for a spare. The optician at Costco was able to show me just how big the Sam's glasses were for my face. She measured me and said I was the size of children's frames...unfortunately, they all looked like children's frames too!

She finally found an adult pair that could be adjusted small enough to stay on my face. And these clip on sunglasses fit those glasses perfectly. They also fit a 2 year old's face perfectly...my point exactly! hahahahahahaha

Brian slept through most of HEB...

Is there anything cuter than a baby's foot??? Just look at those little piggies!!

Almost every time I have to leave the house, I dread going. But I always look forward to my time spent with Amy...I know I'm going to leave encouraged, uplifted and wiser for having been with her = )

Another co-op day!

Each co-op day is a little like Christmas...you bring your "presents" home and "unwrap" them and enjoy the surprise of what's inside! And then you start planning the future...yummy cooking and eating = )

The only thing sad about today's pick up is that most of this stuff will be gone before Petey comes home again so he won't get to share in all it's yummy-ness = (

I think I'm going to slice and freeze the green peppers to use for calzones so Petey can enjoy them. Those are his favorite!

I'm SOOOOOOOOOOOOOO thankful for Healthy Habits Co-op!!!

Just a warning...

For those of you who know me, this will come as no surprise. It's more a warning to any new readers to this blog. Here it is...

I repeat myself...ALOT...not necessarily because I have a bad memory, although I feel that's creeping up on me too...but because the things that made me happy today are often the things that will make me happy tomorrow too...and the next day.

For instance, the purpose of this blog is to share with ya'll something that I thanked God for on the day...something that brought me happiness...that I want to share with ya'll.

So I could realistically have a picture of Petey on EVERY blog post!! And my furry babies...and flowers and veggie gardens and my pretty house...you get the idea. So there will be repeats, like today...because looking out the window at the blooming lantana especially brought me joy today!

If that's going to bug you, you might want to un-bookmark this blog = )

I know I already posted about loving my lantana but I'm posting again! Just to have something thriving and blooming in the heat of South Texas in August is REALLY awesome.

But these colors, to me, are even awesomer!! hahaha I knew spellcheck wouldn't like that word but I'm leaving it = )

When I planted lantana before, they just had yellow...but now...pinks, reds, pinks & yellows together, reds & pinks together, lavender with white centers...woo-hooo!!!

I hope you enjoy the video...and yes, I really am that goofy in real life! hahahaha

I love quilts!

I love country-folksy-cottagy things...quilts qualify on all counts! LL Bean makes especially nice quilts and you can always find them on sale/clearance.

Quilts are pretty to look at, soft to touch, warming you inside and out = ) They wash up very easily and nicely. They get better with age. They're SO practical!

For a person, like me, who enjoys different colors and patterns and mixtures, they really make the heart happy! It may seem silly to you, but I thank God for quilts!!

First night of Awana = )

Here's our Awana Commander, Ronnie, who happens to be the husband of my kindred-spirit friend, Amy = )

Kids sitting quietly, listening to the instructions...Travis is NOT picking his nose...just concentrating!
Grant is smiling for the camera! It sure was neat getting to see the kids all excited about participating in Awana this year. I wanted to take a picture during game time, to show the kids using the circle that Petey and I painted, but I ended up leading the games tonight and forgot all about wanting to take pics = (

I plan on helping out whenever I'm able. Today I'm so very thankful for my church... friends, fellowship, and great Bible teaching!