please hold...

things you can get done while on hold...

*unload and load an entire dishwasher
*brew some iced green tea
*unload and load some laudry
*walk the dog (not really, but probably)
*give up and hang up
*call back in a few minutes on your cell to make the appointment
*try to call back on your cell to tell them that your home phone is still being held hostage by the hold button
*keep trying on your cell, since now your cell is giving you that busy beep beep beep

seriously, my home phone was on hold for over 20 minutes!

Crash and Neighbors

Church just gets out.

I am in the ladies room when someone calls my name.

My neighbor is here looking for me.

There's been an accident and it went into our yard.

I grab the kids and rush home (hubby's at work).

This is what we found.

Two crashed up cars, two cop cars and lots of neighbors out.

Luckily no one got hurt. 
The fence seems to have stopped the car from going any further (farther, which is it?).
It was actually a neighbor (blue car) who got hit by a neighbors teenage friend.
The girl didn't stop at the stop sign, I guess, hit the blue car up into our yard.
Another neighbor put our dog in the backyard. 
She was pretty near the crash, we were told.
She's fine, just wondering why she can't go into the front yard anymore.
Called the insurance to get things going.

For those who know our house, we will probably have to replace the fence from the corner to the honeysuckle.

Our son was amazed that a wiffle ball in our yard was under the car, never got touched.
We had pieces of cinderblock half way acrossed the yard.

Also, as you can see from the clothes in the photos autumn has not come our way yet.

Garage Saling!

Got these goodies this morning at yard sales!

New rug for kitchen.

Nice serving dish...50 cents.

Cool mirror...I have a thing for mirrors.

And three pretty thing-ees for the wall or somewhere.

Small Favors

When I let Dolly (our basset hound) out of her crate this moring I saw a pile of grass.
On further inspection...(I will spare you the details.)
I discovered that she had eaten our son's dead (very dead, nasty, throw that thing out, dead) turtle. 
He was saving it for the shell.

Dolly did me a favor, even if I had to clean up the mess.

hot air

This time every year, it never fails. 

The balloon festival gets me running out (in my pjs) with the camera.

Here are some shots from our yard. 

This one was right over our house.

Now these are all so close that you can see/hear the people and the flame.

Even Smokey the Bear came by.

We thought that this was going to land in a field near us.

Though the above balloon didn't land by us another one did.

On our street.  We had one land in our driveway before!

Sorry for the sideways video.

Some cities have storm chasers, here we have balloon chasers.

Our neighbors were out watching along with some folks who were just driving around and saw this one going down.

I have been guily of balloon chasing myself with our daughter and her friend, in our pjs!

I'll have to post those pics for ya!

I Know BORING! Sorry!

*Do laundry. almost done

*School-done

*Dishes-washed

*Clean-the kids will do that ;)

*Run to WalMart for a few items-done

*DD's Singing lesson-teacher canceled...frees up more time!

*Call to cancel one Dr's. appt.-done

*Call eye Dr. to see if he can presrcibe a cheaper eye drop-done and they called back!

*Pick up presrciption for DD...eczema picked up and applied

*Finish photo board for the church.

*Get house together for hubby...he's been out of town since Monday-as ready as it's going to be.

*Brisket-seasoned, sauced, wrapped in foil, on the grill as I type...done a bit too much, but it'll do!

*Stop by my Dr.'s to sign a release to have my records transfered.  Getting a new Dr.  Already sounds helpful!!!-done

*Drop DS off at the Boy's and Girls Club.  Maybe pick him up too, if hubby isn't back in time.-dropped off

Cork Board, Spines and Mystery Date

I finally redid our corkboard. 

I think this was one of my thrifty finds from a long time ago.

The frame has been painted one too many times.

And the cork was, well...looking pretty bad.

I bought this cork board, took this failed frame project

(I didn't reverse the iron-on and the handles wouldn't fit.) attempt at a nifty coffee table tray.

You can see the frame as I bought it here.

After consulting my hubby, I put the two together.

LOVE the detail on the frame!  I may paint it. 

Just a peek into our homeschool world.

We made a spine.

I have a wonderful hubby.

He called me last week to tell me that he was taking me on a mystery date.

The kids were out of town Friday with the youth.

So he took me up to the mtns (our favorite date place).

We went out to eat and then for coffee!

Never Forget

photo off of the web

A Mustard Seed of Faith

I have been thinking, searching, studying what faith really is for some time.

Webster says: Faith (n) 1. belief; trust, esp. in God or religion.

The Thesaurus: Faith, constancy, fidelity, allegiance

My pastor: (he has said many things on faith, but this one stands out) When your circumstance/s doesn't line up with the Word of God, you need to believe the Word of God.

The Bible is loaded with scriptures on and about faith.

Faith is something I know I have, but it is something I honestly struggle with.  When we prayed for a child and lost her, getting pregnant again tested my faith.  During times of marital hardships it took faith to believe that things would work out.  When two dollars left over seemed like alot, it took faith to know that we'd have enough food for our kids.  When I saw our daughter's curved spine, I had enough faith to know that God would heal her, but questioned just how much I really had, when told her healing depended on my faith.  During this whole sickness I have believed, yet asked God to help my unbelief.  Sometimes it's hard to hear just believe, just have faith, when sometimes that little mustard seed of faith feels like it could blow away from the grasp of your hand.  Sometimes it's hard when you hear about other people "just believing" and pow, they got their miracle, when you have lifted up your seed time and time again to God and seen what you think as little or nothing.

God has worked out most of the above situations in ways that I wouldn't have thought.  I am just ready for this mustard seed to move some mountains.

From H.A. Maxwell's book The Power of the Blood
"Because the enemy is tenacious, the victory does not always come easily.  Sometimes we need to battle with the weapon of the blood in prayer for weeks and months.  But victory is certain.  In Rev. 12:11 we read of saints who overcame satan 'by the blood of the Lamb and by the word of their testimony.'  No hint is given if the possibility of failure.  They overcame."

Pretties and Pretty Messy

You know when that pile of stuff you're planning on doing something with some day?

You're going do something, but don't know what.

Well, it all (at least three things) came together one day.

I took a frame, a butterfly my hubby caught a long time ago

and an old song book I picked up at a yard sale and...

Now for the pretty messy.

Maybe I need to look at this photo differently.

First I see...what the heck! 

Since when did the laundry basket become a trash can too!!

Ugh!

Maybe I need to see it as multi-tasking?

Being resourceful?

At least the floor is clean?

We know where to look if we are missing somehing.

(Which we already almost always find our missing items in dear son's room.)

Any tips on making helping our son (who is old enough to know that everything has a place and there is a place for everything) keep things in order and his room clean?  PLEASE!?!

Fab Fabric

I found it!  I think I have found it!

(I am one of those, I know what I want.

I can't really describe it, but when I see it I know it!)

I have looked and looked for a valance for our kitchen,

from lots of out of town fabric stores

to shutters that I was going to paint.

I even started to sew one this weekend. 

Tried hanging them from clothespins.

Inspiration from here.

Got bummed as it feel onto and into some dirty dishes.

Alas, this material has what I wanted.

Color (the ones I was looking for)

Style funky and sophisticated

and golly the price was right!

I bought it today from here over at Etsy.

Can't wait for it to come in the mail!!

If it doesn't look good in the kitchen, I will try them in the office!