Not feeling like creamed corn - how's about creamed spinach, or...?

Well, it's Thursday. Things have been moving along. I'm off tomorrow (hooray!) and thinking about heading to my hometown.

I've been getting information about my next high school reunion - which is this fall. It's been really interesting to hit the website and see what people have been up to. Thanks to the site, I don't really feel that I have to attend the actual reunion! Sweet!

Speaking of reunions, we're having one at church this weekend - sort of. I'm so looking forward to seeing people from 'back in the day.' My friend Diane and her family will be coming back - can't wait for girl talk!!

In stitching news, I've finished 8 out of 12 freebie month patterns. Ideally, I want to fix them so I can switch them in and out of frames - not have 12 framed pieces rattling around. We'll see. I've made my wish list for patterns that I would LOVE to stitch (bored at work one day) and have been cruising ebay (bad girl!) - actually picked up a couple. I've been a good girl, though! Started kitting out a couple of projects last night that I'm looking forward to doing. Don't know if I'll get to them real soon, though.

Have a good day!

Monday

So. The weekend.

Watched the one year old niece Saturday morning. DH went to the blues festival Saturday afternoon with his mom and sister. Said he had a great time.

Sunday we stayed home. All day. No church, as those of you who read DH's blog may have known. Just cleaned and did laundry and chilled (and stitched.) And, you know, it was nice. Got to reconnect with the family. Did a quick study in James with DH and the boys.

Today, yes, while at work, tried to work on decorating themes for the craft auction this fall. Any supplemental ideas greatly appreciated!

And now. It's Monday evening, and I've just caught up with DH's day, and his new blog entry. Wow. He said his day was good, and he was able to get with Mark today. Man, I miss him and Co! As for DH's blog entry - well, to be honest, I just want to sit here and cry. I know he's hurting so much about this, and I just feel like there's nothing I can do to fix it. I love my church, imperfect as it may be. I know he loves the body here. He wants to do so much, but doesn't feel like he can. I don't know. I am doing my best to support him in his struggles, but I don't know if I'm helping or hindering. He has repeatedly told me that he isn't asking me to leave our church, and I truly believe he means that. I don't want to leave, but if he decides to go somewhere else, I'm not sure I'm going to know how to 'do' that.

...asking for prayers...Thanks!

*insert pithy title here*

I've been following (lurking) a blog (actually, a few blogs) that deal with women's journeys through infertility. It's run me through a rainbow of emotions: sorrow, jubilation, anger - everything. They are heart-wrenching in their honesty. I couldn't imagine their struggles.

It's made me so grateful that my kids are healthy and that we had little or no trouble with conception/pregnancy. "I need to go home and really, truly appreciate my kiddos," I thought. So I resolved to do just that.

...umm...and then reality hits, and I am a screaming banshee! And it's directed at my poor kids - the very ones I promised myself I would hug and cherish. Ugh. Why? Why do I do that!?! I know it's me being selfish, but it's like I can't stop!

So, boys, I am sorry. I really do love you and am so grateful for you! I can't imagine life without you two! ...even (maybe especially) when it seems that I'm a crazy woman...

The sounds of silence

Wow! It sure is quiet out here in my little corner of Blogville! Helloooo...helloooo...helloooo...

Guess everyone's as busy or tired or (insert term here) as I am!

Slept last night - wahoo! Did a bible study with family last night - wahoo! Life proceeding on course, as far as I can see anyway...

Decided can't pull off Zoe this year, so I guess the craft auction can have me for another year.

Please keep the doin's at my office in mind as you pray today. 'Not nice boss' is being a real, well, um, you know - to friend boss. Stress levels rising dangerously. Thanks!

Take care everyone!

More mindless drivel...

...cuz I'm really tired!

Okay:

Choose a letter and list ten items below that begin with the letter you chose...

I choose "B"

1. name a family member: Butch - just don't call him that to his face!
2. name a movie: Bad News Bears - for some reason, the kiddos really want to see this - don't think so...
3. name a game: Balderdash - lots of memories playing this after holiday dinners with my family
4. name an automobile: Bonneville - my mom's company car for YEARS
5. name a fictional character: Barney Miller - the character we couldn't figure out at DH's mom's birthday party was Nick
6. name a famous person: Barbra Streisand - love it when the movie channels start showing Hello Dolly! and Funny Girl/Lady
7. name a food: bratwurst - would love to have grilled brats straight out of their beer hot tub for supper tonight!
8. name a household item: boxer shorts - gimme a break - I'm going on about 2 hours of sleep! :)
9. name a book: Berenstain Bears - not my favorite - but maybe I get double points...?
10. name a song: Blue Bayou - this would be my mother's influence (and double points again!)

Find a happy place! Find a happy place!

As I was meandering my way to DH's station yesterday (yeah, okay, so I forgot where he was and tried to go to the wrong one - leave me alone!), I came upon a house which nearly epitomizes my 'happy place.' It was an unpretentious little house, but the front porch is what caught my attention. It was light and airy, with white wicker and ferns. I don't know what it is about those two particular items together, but I love 'em! I could imagine myself sitting on that porch, in that wicker chair, next to those ferns, cold glass of lemonade on the table, stitching away to my heart's content - no phones, no TV, no stress! The kids getting along, the dog not running away, DH happy and content. And not stitching just anything, mind you! Stitching one of those big beautiful Miribilia designs, or a Teresa Wentzler, or a Just Nan, or maybe a Lavendar and Lace - with all the supplies I could ever need right at hand. Ahhh... Okay, I'll stop - I'm drooling on my keyboard!

How much more wonderful will heaven be?

A...B...C

I know my recent posts haven't exactly been earth-shatteringly deep or meaningful, or, heck, even interesting - but hey, that's kinda where I am right now...

So. On with today's creamed corn...

A is for age: 38
B is for booze: Fuzzy Berry
C is for career: litigation coordinator (sounds a lot more impressive than it is!)
D is for dad's name: Danin
E is for essential item to bring to a party: whatever the host/hostess requests, I guess
F is for favorite songs at the moment: wow - lots right now
G is for goof off thing to do: cross stitch or TV (evidently, I have very eclectic viewing trends...)
H is for hometown: *sigh* small town, Illinois
I is for instrument you play: took piano for a number of years, but haven't played in a long time!
J is for jam or jelly you like: anything with the word 'berry'
K is for kids: 2
L is for living arrangements: DH and kiddos and dawg
M is for mom's name: Ellen
N is for name of good friend: JL
O is for overnight stays in hospital: 2 - both for births
P is for phobias: small spaces, and I'm not real crazy about heights
Q is for quotes you like: Psalm 27:4, Psalm 104:33
R is for longest relationship: current with DH - nearly 13 years of marriage
S is for siblings: none, nada, zero, zip
T is for Texas: father-in-law lives there, and now some very dear friends do too
U is for unique traits: umm...
V is for vegetables that you love: sweet potatoes, sweet corn (hmmm - sensing a trend...)
W is for worst trait: lazy
X is for X-rays you've had: sprained ankle in high school, couple of times for pneumonia
Y is for yummy food you make: I make a mean broiled chicken breast; german pancake
Z is for zodiac sign: gemini

Gimme another 5!

5 things I miss most about my childhood:

-Anticipating Christmas - nowadays, it seems that the pressure to make it memorable and 'perfect' (which I know is not the point) has stripped the joy

-Summer vacation - I could do with three months off of work every year...

-Playing - leaving the house in the morning and not coming home til dark - with no worries!

-Imagination - all the countless times we invented our own games, or made up stories, or our own secret clubs that met in the 'jungle' in the backyard

-Innocence - my kids know more about the world than I ever thought about at their age

Gimme 5!

Thanks to Karen for this...

5 snacks I enjoy:
fruit
'designer' ice cream
cereal
trail mix
Jelly Bellys

5 songs I know all the words to:
wow - um...probably almost any of the praise and worship songs we do for church - unless of course we're actually up front trying to sing...

5 things I would do with $100,000,000:
pay off our debts
college for the kiddos

spoil DH

indulge my cross stitch stash habit

travel

5 locations I would love to run away to:
The UK - doesn't matter where
Hilton Head Island, SC
Charleston, SC
Kentucky/Tennessee
Alaska

5 things I like doing:
singing
reading
cross stitching
watching old movies
talking to DH

5 things I would never wear:
spandex
short shorts
scuba suit
snow skis
metal on my face

5 recently seen movies:
Hello Dolly! (just last night, as a matter of fact)
Are We There Yet?
Breakfast Club
Sixteen Candles (one of my favorite stations has a thing for Molly Ringwald right now)
Star Wars 3

5 famous people I'd like to meet:
Paul McCartney
Darlene Zschech
Paula Deen
Frank Bialec
Michael Crawford

5 biggest joys of the moment:
family (including the dawg)
praise team practice
a fast computer (here at work, anyway!)
watching DH grow in his faith
RAIN

5 favorite toys:
dominos
Cranium game
the dawg aka Fuzzbutt
computer
the remote

How about you?

Stuck like glue

Well, if nothing else, DH's recent post certainly opened some lines of communication! There was a veritable revolving door on my house last night!

______________________________________________

Last night at the supper table (finally), DS1 announced that he had a very important question to ask us. He puffed up his chest in a very self-important manner, and asked "When did you attach yourself to Christ?"

"You mean, when did we become christians?"

"Yeah, that."

So, DH and I grinned at his word choice, and then gave him an abbreviated version of our testimonies. DS1 said that they asked all their camp counselors that at FCA sports camp last week.

But the more I thought about it, the more I wondered. Have I really 'attached' myself to Christ? I pictured a sticky sandbur. Have I given up everything I know and am I clinging to Him for dear life, knowing that without Him there is no hope for me? Or picture superglue. Is my attachment to Him such that I have become bonded at the deepest level? Or perhaps a frightened toddler. In my eagerness to be near Him, am I in a position to nearly knock Him over in my desperation?

What if my attachment is more like a post-it note? Convenient, and long-lasting, but eventually fading with time and effort. Or perhaps like an allegiance to a trendy cause, the fervor dying away when the cause becomes unnecessary or unpopular.

What's your attachment?

Tuesday

I think I'm beginning to understand more fully the term 'heartsore.'