Great decor blog giveaway....and an update on me

First, before I tell you about an amazing giveaway on one of my favorite (if not my absolute favorite blogs), I want to say thank you to all of those that prayed for me and my family this past week.

I wasn't sure if I was going to talk about what had happened on my blog or not, but I post about my family regularly and this *is* part of my family. Josh and I had been trying to have another baby and I did get pregnant..and lost the baby. It was a very emotional time for both of us--ups and downs of waiting several days to have blood work come back and trying not to get our hopes up. In one way we were very lucky--we didn't even know I was pregnant until I started having intense pain. If you've read my blog any length of time, you know my body does NOT like being pregnant, so please keep us in your prayers in the future, as we really do want to add onto our family. I think I'll leave my update at that.


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Ok, even if you don't enter this giveaway, you must checkout the Miss Mustard Seed blog! I absolutely adore her decor...she's so creative, she's down to earth, a youth minister's wife and very sweet! I seriously would love to fly her up here to decorate our dream home when/if that ever happens! She's giving away a 2000 follower prize pack and it is loaded with things I love..ironstone, grain sacks and...an OLD SCALE!!! I want an old scale so bad I can taste it people....seriously..my favorite one that she has is in her bathroom..go look through her photos. I DROOL over that thing....I love the one in the kitchen too!!

Go HERE to check out Miss Mustard Seed!

Still waiting...

Still waiting for more results. Please keep sending prayers this way!

Asking for prayers..

First, Reagan has been sick, but she's on the mend---just a chest cold now we think. And second, please keep me in your prayers as I'm going through a very difficult time right now.

I love....

watching a flower bloom
hanging sheets out to dry in the breeze
spontaneous "I love you"s from Reagan
unexpected love notes from Josh
finding a ready-to-pick vegetable in the garden
the smell of water from the hose
candlelight and jazz music
the smell of coffee waking me up..or bacon!
a new recipe that the whole family loves!
laying my head in Granny's lap and letting her tell me everything is ok
a phone call with my best friend
reading with Reagan
my best friend doing my hair just as she's done for goodness knows how many years
Granny's chicken pot pie
lightening bugs
cotton candy clouds at daybreak
cotton tail bunnies
chives with purple flowers
fat firm red ripe tomatoes, with just a hint of salt...on white bread with mayo
grand-daddy long legs, ladybugs and rolly pollies
swings
falling asleep with Josh's arms around me
watching Reagan sleep with her mouth open and her bangs plastered to her forehead with that sweet sleepy sweat babies tend to have
being barefoot
dandelions
the cool of sunset after the breathless heat of the day
falling asleep in sun-dried linens
listening to Reagan pretend-play
a cold drink and a new magazine
a clean, fresh house
finding a book so good everything else fades into the background
"getting it" when God is trying to tell me something

Reaganism!

The other night we were trying to entice Reagan to play in our room because we were so tired (and ahem, her play room was a D-I-S-A-S-T-E-R!!) She kept saying there was nothing to play with and we said, sure there is, this is a great room..she looked around, threw her arm out and said....No there isn't! Look at all this--this---JUNK!

Great Husband :)

Last night, after teaching VBS and having several 2-4 year old rambunctious kids that DID not listen AND getting home late...about 8:30, Reagan and I pulled up into the driveway to a sign posted on our door:

Welcome to Dinner for 2 at Casa de ******. We opened the door to soft jazz, candlelight, the table set, fresh lemonade, a homecooked meal and dessert! WOW! Hmm, maybe Josh should be the stay at home parent!!

Company Girls!

I thought I'd link up today....it's hot, Reagan is napping and I'm off to visit some blogs! My actual post for today is below! (And no, I'm not really arguing with her about the teddy bear..but, ok, maybe I am! LOL!)

Argh!

Reagan informed me today that MY teddy bear...which *I* have had since I was 16 was furthermore known as "Flower" and not "Cornelius"! I beg her pardon! First off, he's a BOY teddy bear as evidenced by his cable-knit brown sweater and dour expression. Second, he's MY teddy bear and has had the same name for 16 years!......She simply informed me that I was grown up now and so he wasn't mine anymore and his name WAS FLOWER. Hmpf...I don't know what to make of this child!

Taming the TV Beast...

We started a new system for watching television this week. Basically, Reagan gets 4 coupons a day. Each coupon is for 30 minutes of tv time. They sit in a bowl on a shelf on the entertainment center and when she wants to watch a television show (or movie) she gets one out and brings it to me. I use this time as my Internet time (as well as her quiet time!...I'm TRYING to cut down..I spend like 5 hours a day on the Internet..I'm very ashamed!!).

In addition, for every coupon she doesn't use, she gets a star on a wall chart. When she's collected 5 stars, we get a new book from the bookstore!

Note: I printed out 4 of the coupons (setting the print setting at 50%) and then glued all four onto a regular sheet of paper. I then laminated it so we can continue to use the same coupons over again. Every morning I just set the four coupons back out in her bowl. For the wall chart, look under Star Charts and then click on Free Star Charts. There are several to choose from. I printed out the fairy chart with 10 stars on it to fill in.

Ladies and Gentlemen....

WE HAVE ZUCCHINI!!!!! WOohooooo!! I'm so excited! A few months back, Reagan, Josh and I planted a garden. Josh worked really hard slogging through water logged ground to til it, and then Reagan and I spread potting soil..yes potting soil, I was determined! And then we planted tiny little seeds in the ground. Those seeds have come a long way baby!!

We planted zucchini, peas, green beans, cucumbers, spaghetti squash and pumpkins. We were able to harvest 3 green beans..they were fantastic! But...the rest have been taken over by the zucchini..half of our yard and our neighbor's yard have been taken over by the zucchini! We have little baby cucumbers growing, a couple of harvest-able zucchini, a few squash growing and TONS of beautiful yellow flowers waiting to turn into ripe vegetables! I can't wait to harvest cucumbers, pumpkins and squash!

A side note: big fail on the container growing this year..oh well.

Reaganism!!

About having strawberry shortcakes for dessert:

"My legs are too long to have shortcakes for dessert!!" *GROAN* ;)

New Favorite Soup!

You would THINK 90 degree weather would be too hot for a nice steaming bowl of soup...BUT....I fly in the face of convention! No, seriously..soup is easy, filling and delicious...and we found a new favorite recipe that all three of us adore!

Here it is!

Collins' Best Lentil Soup
(from Gooseberry Patch)

1 cup dried lentils
14 oz package turkey Kielbasa, sliced 1/2 inch thick
1 cup onion, chopped
1 cup celery, chopped
1 cup carrots, peeled and chopped
1 cup redskin potato, diced
2 tbsp fresh flat leaf parsley, chopped
6 cup beef broth
1/2 tsp pepper
1/8 tsp nutmeg (I omitted this!)

Sort and wash lentils. Combine lentils, sausage and remaining ingredients in 3-quart slow cooker. Cover and cook on high setting for one hour. Reduce heat to low setting and cook three hours. Stir before serving. Makes 10.5 cups.

Writing a book....

I think I'm going to write a book. Seriously. It's going to be slim-line, spiral bound (so it can be laid out easily), laminated, with photos and step by step instructions. And it's going to be targeted to men. "Everything You Never Wanted To Know About Housekeeping"....step by step instructions for properly loading the dishwasher, washing out baby puke stains, how much detergent to use. And of course, little gems like "don't wash whites and darks together...especially not in hot water."....Think of how much frustration this would save us wives!

Random Reaganism

Momma, do you think dinsoaurs have collar bones?

Happy Birthday America!!!!! GOD BLESS THE USA!

My country, 'tis of Thee,
Sweet Land of Liberty
Of thee I sing;
Land where my fathers died,
Land of the pilgrims' pride,
From every mountain side
Let Freedom ring.

My native country, thee,
Land of the noble free,
Thy name I love;
I love thy rocks and rills,
Thy woods and templed hills,
My heart with rapture thrills
Like that above.

Let music swell the breeze,
And ring from all the trees
Sweet Freedom's song;
Let mortal tongues awake;
Let all that breathe partake;
Let rocks their silence break,
The sound prolong.

Our fathers' God to Thee,
Author of Liberty,
To thee we sing,
Long may our land be bright
With Freedom's holy light,
Protect us by thy might
Great God, our King.

Our glorious Land to-day,
'Neath Education's sway,
Soars upward still.
Its hills of learning fair,
Whose bounties all may share,
behold them everywhere
On vale and hill!

Thy safeguard, Liberty,
The school shall ever be,
Our Nation's pride!
No tyrant hand shall smite,
While with encircling might
All here are taught the Right
With Truth allied.

Beneath Heaven's gracious will
The stars of progress still
Our course do sway;
In unity sublime
To broader heights we climb,
Triumphant over Time,
God speeds our way!

Grand birthright of our sires,
Our altars and our fires
Keep we still pure!
Our starry flag unfurled,
The hope of all the world,
In peace and light impearled,
God hold secure!

Finding Contentment

The lazy days of summer are here...and hopefully the dog days have passed....for us at least. After a cold winter and then being shocked into summer with extremely high humidity and 90 degree temperatures, the last week has been a welcome blessing--one that I'm trying to remember to thank God every day for.

The weather has been perfect...little to no humidity, mid-70 temps, blue skies, no storms and a perfect breeze. The kind of days that kids love playing outside in, that make you picture magazines, swings and a cool frosted glass of lemonade at your side.

In reality it's been a lot of playing, working in the garden, quick gulping of whatever's available, hanging clothes out on the line, watering the garden, planting more flowers and just enjoying the sunshine....it doesn't quite match up with that magazine/swing/lemonade picture in my head, but in some ways it's even better. In most ways in fact.

I've found contentment. The older I get the more I realize that I'm a homebody...and the older I get the more I realize I am craving the simple things in life. The smell of fresh sheets dried on the line, the ACT of hanging out those sheets to dry, the excitement I get when Reagan and I check on the garden, worrying over what we are going to do with all those zucchini when they start arriving--and thanking God for the blessing that I'm worried about too much food. The shock of steaming hot water emptying out of my hose, the smell of the cool chlorine when the cold water finally rushes out. The sun-kissed streak across Reagan's nose...watching her run with her sun-streaked hair streaming out behind her. Watching her dance in the water and hearing her shriek. Noticing the way she crouches down to watch an ant scutter around the patio.

This is contentment for me.