Books, Books, and More Books

How have ya'll been? Well, I hope.

Me? Oh, I'm great! Can you believe we only have one foster parenting class left? It's on the 10th of November. We are hoping to have a placement around Christmas. I"ll give ya'll the most info I can without violating any confidentiality. We're still trying to get the house ready. Whew boy! Did we ever need to get rid of some stuff! Ridiculous!

The real reason I'm here today is tell you all about one of my many passions ... books! I was visiting the blog of an IRL friend and saw the bookshelf on her blog. Hey, there Rebekah! I started to covet then remembered that was wrong, so I just clicked and got my own. It's right there on the right. Isn't it lovely? The BEST part ... I never have to dust it!

So let me tell you a little about these books on my shelf. The Shack most of you have heard of or read. I'm still reading it. I love to read, but I'm a slow reader. If you have not read it ... do it ... NOW!

If you have read The Shack and it changed your life, DO NOT go another day without reading Grace is for Sinners. I met author Serena Woods when we were in high school and our families attended the same church. (Good news, you will not need any personal connections to Serena to have your socks knocked off by this book.) As life happened we went our separate ways and our paths sort of crossed again when her book came out. I mean really, if you grew up in a small town and heard someone had published a book, you would know it's kind of a big deal and you would get your hands on it as soon as possible.

What did I find when I read the book? Serena is an amazing woman who has traveled an incredible journey. I am in awe every single time I stop and think about how God is using her and the path she has been on to get here. You have my word that this book will change you and your relationship with God. It rips away the layers of expectations society has put around an Almighty God and exposes the most amazing truths. This book is written about real life experiences and the raw, bleeding reality of how brutal we as Christians can be. At that moment, as if in the same breath, you will see Grace revealed like never before as Serena pours her heart and God's onto the pages of this book.

I know, I know, you are on the edge of your seat right now OR your are getting in your car to come borrow my copy of the book. Stop right there! How about reading an excerpt from the book right now? I know, I'm a genius! Just click here and visit Grace is for Sinners.

Other books on my list:

Secrets: Transforming your life and marriage ~~ Great devotional book for wives!

Amy's Answering Machine ~~ Get some Depends, cause your gonna laugh until you pee your pants!

Come, My Little Angel ~~ A precious little book I stumbled upon at the library and fell in love with! (Warning: I cried!)

CHILDREN'S BOOKS ... LOVE THEM!
Some of my favorites are on the self. Click next to see them all. A modern twist on a classic nursery rhyme, the cleverness of Robert Munsch, and a siamese cat that likes to pretend he is a chihuahua!

Happy reading! And I promise it won't be long until you hear from me again!

A Leap of Faith

It has been a GREAT summer! So many get-togethers with family and friends ... so much good food, but even better memories.

The most memorable event this summer was when Hubs and I had a conversation that ended with "Yes, let's do this."

We have decided to pursue foster parenting with the intent to adopt. It's not like waking up one morning and deciding to make pancakes from scratch (well, I suppose for a few people it could be similar). There has been a lot of analyzing and prayer that has gone into this decision. We have asked our friends and family to agree with us in prayer. We have talked to social workers. We have spent time talking with individuals and families that have experienced, first-hand the heartache and joy the system can distribute. Ultimately we feel God is calling us to represent him in this venture. Much like a missionary would represent God in a foreign country.

There are risks. Many. That is where our faith comes in, we believe it is not faith until we take the first step. Already, some days have not been easy. My family is worried about Hubs, A-man and I. My Mom, especially has and continues to voice her fears. I know she is just trying to protect us, but it kills my spirit when she can't see what is really in our hearts. On the low days this summer there has always been a bit of encouragement to fall into my lap. One of them I found at Grace is for Sinners. It is a great post about faith.

There is one reoccurring question from people. Sometimes they don't actually ask, you just see it in there eyes. "Why?"

I'm happy to answer.

We as a family have more love to give. I want to have the opportunity to bless a child who is in the middle of a difficult situation he or she didn't ask for and doesn't deserve. I want God to shine his light through me into the life of an innocent child. I want to be responsible for a child learning love is warmer than any blanket. I want to show a child God has a purpose for his or her life.

Please don't think I am naive. I have heard the ugly, nasty stories. I KNOW I will experience sadness, anger, frustration, joy, happiness ... the list could go on forever. I worry about A-man and how this will change him. I pray God's special protection on him.

If you know how to pray, please pray for the three of us, pray for our extended family, and pray for the child(ren) that will come into our lives whether it be for a day or forever.P.S. Our first class is tonight.

Flirty Apron Swap -- The "I Love Lucy" Edition

I'm on the hunt for just the right buttons and then this red and white polka dot extravaganza will be off and running to my dear partner!


I'm not gonna lie. I've had a love hate relationship with this apron. But in the end ... it's all LOVE. In case any of you happen to be on your knees in prayer that this little diddy will coming your way ... wait for it ... wait for it ... wait for it...
It will be accompanied by the entire first season of "I Love Lucy" on DVD.

Can't wait for the next swap!

Everything Limesque!

What could be better than a great recipe for these Key Lime Filled Cupcakes?













A lime colored apron, of course!!



















Snag the recipe for the cupcakes and enter to win the apron at The Secret Stitch Club!

My favorite Time of Year

This morning on the news the weather man was talking about how the current temps of mid 70's were equal to the percentage of humidity in the air. That my friend causes fog on a hot summer day. The temp is pushing triple digits. It's humid and sticky.

BUT, IT'S MY FAVORITE TIME OF YEAR!

Tonight me and the girls are going to an outdoor theater performance of The Miss Firecracker Contest.

Tomorrow a baby shower, a wedding, a picnic, a birthday party, and an all-years high school reunion. I'm probably not going to make it to all of them.

A-Man is in swimming lessons. I'm going to start and aquatic exercise class.

Next week is the 4th of July. I love the 4th of July! I love the food, the friends, the family, the fireworks. I love it all.

We are blessed to live in a town that goes all out for the 4th. A parade and a great fireworks show we can see from our house. We have invited family and friends. We're going to grill burgers and dogs. And it's not SUMMER without homemade ice cream!!!

I like to squeeze every ounce of fun I can out of summer. It's not easy when you work full time, have commitments at church every weekend, and a household to maintain (or at least attempt to maintain). We are going to take one weekend off from church next month and take a little weekend getaway.

We'll end July with A-Man's birthday!!! I can't believe he will be 6! I love party planning. However, I promised Hubs I wouldn't go over the top this year. No six foot tall hand painted pirate ships this year. We are going to do family and friends separate for the first time. I just think it will be easier this way. Plus, more room to move. The friends party is going to be a mad science party! The kids will make their own slime, create snow and blast diet coke into the air!

I know you all want to be me right now!!! Check back here for pictures of all these fun events!

The "S" word and the "F" word

I have a potty mouth. Well, according to the world of A-man, I have a potty mouth.

A couple of weeks ago, or so, we were spending time at my parent's house. I was offering my opinion on something or another, as usual. Suddenly, A-man interrupted the conversation.

"Mommy! You just said a bad word!"

"I did? No, I don't think so, you must have misunderstood me."

"I heard you! You said the "S" word!"

I'm really confused at this point. That word is not part of my vocabulary and if I were to slip up, I'm SURE it would NOT be in front of my parents. After all, they raised me better than that! I could not for the life of me figure out what my little man was talking about. There was only one way to get to the bottom of this.

"A-man what "S" word did I say?"

"Stupid, Mom, you said it and that is a bad word!"

Right! What was I thinking! I apologized and everything was good.

Fast forward to last week. After sharing his activities of the day at summer school, A-man had a heart to heart with us.

"Guys, I don't say the "F" word. Some of the other kids at school, like the 2nd graders say it, but I know it's a bad word and I'm not gonna say it. It's not nice."

My eyes are about to pop out of my head! I looked at hubs in desperation! Those rotten soon to be 2nd graders are corrupting my soon to be 1st grader who is not even 6 years-old yet. I want names and addresses! I'm going to go talk to some parents right now!!!!

Hubs gave me the stay calm, don't let him know it is a big deal look. So I took a deep breath ...

"I can't think of any bad words that start with "F". Can you tell me the bad word they say?"

"Fat. They say fat. It's not nice to call people fat. So I don't use that "F" word."

Whew!!!

Yesterday we were driving home from Hubs' Father's Day lunch. We got a call from some friends asking us to come over for dinner. I immediately went into "Hmm, what can I make mode." At that moment I realized that I left the eggs I buy from a lady at church in the mini-fridge in the elementary area. I chose to express my sudden dismay out loud.

"I forgot my STUPID eggs!"

From the seat behind me ...

"What did you say, Mommy?"

"I forgot my eggs at church."

"You forgot your 'what' eggs?"

"I forgot my stinkin' eggs."

"NO, that's not what you said. You said a bad word."

"You are right I said a bad word. I'm sorry. That was wrong of me to do. Will you please forgive me?"

"Yes, I forgive you. Would you like to pray and ask God to forgive you? You always need to pray and ask God to forgive you when you do something wrong."

Accountability from a 5 year old. It doesn't get any better than that!

My day as a princess

Several of you have asked how the princess party went last weekend. I really haven't had a chance to share since things have been so busy this week.
A-man started swimming lessons.
The dog chewed thru his collar
I'm behind on my sewing projects
Dog pooped in the floor (1st time in forever) and I stepped in it with my bare feet.
We put two much chemical in the pond.
Bucket brigade to empty out the pond trying to save the fish.
All the fish are ka-put!
Whew, I'm glad it is Friday!

Anyhow, you're really here for the princess story. So my lovely and dear friend Mrs. Rodgers and her friend Susan decided to host a princess tea party for all of the little girls in their church. Mrs. Rodgers mentioned this to me and my brain started doing a round-off, double back-flip, back layout!
"Oh, you could do this and this and that and that. Oh and how about this!" I think her brain was exhausted when I was done or she was wishing she hadn't mentioned it.

To make a long story short. I ended up designing the invitations, and an iron-on transfer to commemorate the event. I also ended up being a guest princess at the event. My task was to read "Gigi, God's Little Princess: The Royal Tea Party" by Sheila Walsh to the girls.

Great. No problem. Except I needed a princess dress. Check. My mom made one and I bedazzled it. I'm pretty confident at this point. Until I realize there are going to be Mom's there that I haven't seen in years. More importantly, these Mom's haven't met the 45 pounds of me I have gained since the last time they saw me. Urgh.

The show must go on. I slept on those pink foam rollers the night before. Put my fairly short hair into and up do. Stuck in my rhinestone tiara and put on my what-was-I-smokin'-when-I-bought-this super sparkly eye-shadow with glitter.

I drove the hour to the church. Everything was gorgeous! When the girls entered there was a pink runway, for them to walk down, lined with flowers. At the end was a giant mural of a castle. Princess music floated from the speakers. A castle cake, a punch fountain, little triangle sandwiches, fresh fruit, chocolate covered pretzels. Those ladies did not miss a detail. A photographer took each girls picture in front of the castle. There were pictures of sisters and mommies and daughters.

All in all, I was honored to be a part of it.

Now, when it came time for me to read the story. I stood in front of the castle mural. It is important to note that this mural was hung over a window. The sun was shining right through this window as I was standing in front of it. I was reading my little princess heart out. About six pages into the book, I realized this was quite the toasty spot to be standing in. Eight pages into the book I realized I had forgotten to put on deodorant that morning!!!

There is nothing worse than a stinky princess!!! I kept the info to myself. Hmmm. What is a girl to do? Well, I took my inspiration from a U.S. Senator. A Senator that had been in far worse predicaments than my own. John McCain. Stay with me here.

I proceeded to walk around, during the remainder of the party, with my upper arms glued to my side. Kind of like John McCain does. Not because he has sweaty pits, but because of the injuries he sustained as a POW. I think it worked.

I left the party before all of the festivities were over. I had A-man's last flag football game to attend. I rolled in the city limits just in time. No time for deodorant. It's a football game, no one would know it was me! However, the sunglasses had to stay on because the glittery eye shadow was quite the distraction. That stuff just WILL NOT come off. So if you have seen me in real life this week and wondered why I was wearing glitter on my face and a deodorant necklace, NOW YOU KNOW!!!

You really should learn something new everyday!

I learned something new. They say you should do this everyday. Honestly, I don't keep track. But occasionly there will be an instance that sticks out in my mind. Here is what lead me to Google this morning.

Last night we went to a shindig for the all of the small group leaders in our church. It's kind of like a pep rally of sorts, making sure we are all on the same page.

We played Pac-Man and an 80's version of Don't Forget the Lyrics. Top it off with Mexican food and I was totally in my element.

When we got down to the business side of things our Director of Connections Ministries mentioned a set of DVD's she wanted the groups to consider using during the summer months. The Passion Series by Louie Giglio. She went on to talk briefly about each of the DVD's in the series. They all sounded interesting but one grabbed my attention. Laminin. A protein molecule in our bodies.

Now, you may already know about Laminin. If so, please know that I have forgiven you for not telling me about this sooner! If you don't and you're in a small group at the church I attend, this could be a spoiler, so you'll have to forgive me!

Without further ado, please watch this snipet of Louie Giglio speaking about Laminin.

Introducing the New and Improved ...

So Saturday morning, I'm in the kitchen working on the cake pops.
Which turned our lovely btw. Thanks for asking.
A-Man comes schadoodling into the kitchen. He had been cleaning his room.
With his hands behind his back he says:
"Mommy, I have a surprise for you!"
"Great, I love surprises! Let's see it"

I know, you're thinking moldy PB and J or deceased frog that was left to live out its final moments in a little boy's pocket.

Nope.

"Mommy, it's a thread machine. I found it in my room and I just knew you could use it when you were sewing. See it has brown, shiny thread in it. And it's really soft."

Any guesses?

How about a cassette tape. The "tape" aka "thread" had been pulled out and wrapped around the outside of the cassette SEVERAL times. Who would have thought a contraption like that could produce music? Nope. Thread Machine.

Never Trust a Skinny Cook

I'm heading back to the kitchen this weekend. Can't wait!

Last weekend I made Chocolate Cobbler and if you have talked to me for more than five minutes any time in the last seven days, I'm sure I have mentioned it. It's amazing!! I can't wait to make it along with my homemade vanilla ice cream. The thought of that combination almost makes me spontaneously combust!!!

Enough talk already, I know, I know. Here is where I found the recipe. Chocolate Cobbler at Lolly Chops

What's on the agenda for my little kitchen this weekend? I'm so glad you asked!
CAKE POPS!

Are you up to speed on cake pops? If not visit Bakerella! WARNING: Please cover your keyboard with plastic wrap before browsing this site. I'm telling you this woman is God's gift to the expandable waistband!

Now my cake pops are probably not going to look like the those you see on Bakerella, so don't go asking for me to post photos and all. My small group members will get to be the guinea pigs since we're having finger foods on Sunday evening. I would really like to make two batches. One strawberry and the other carrot cake. We'll see what happens.

Dessert on a stick. Proof that Jesus loves us. As if dying on the cross wasn't enough!

A Sentimental Time of Year

Graduation.

Momma's everywhere will have chicks leaving the nest in the next few weeks. I have one leaving the Kindergarten nest and one leaving the Collegiate nest.

Wait, Ms. Can't Be Wrong, you only have one little birdie.

Yes, you are right, sort of. The Kindergartener is my own flesh and blood. The college student is one of the students in my office. Over the last three years she has worked for me she has been a valuable employee, friend, daughter, sister, you name it. We sort of view life from the same roost.

She gave me a beautiful card earlier this week. I'm not much of card keeper, but this one is an exception.

This card, along with some other things in life, have reminded me of how important it is to stop and say thank you. Not just the automatic, robotic thank you you hear when you hold the door open for someone. Not just the "Hey, thanks, I really appreciate it." with that little wave we all do. I mean, writing your heart down.

But, Ms. Can't Be Wrong ... I'm not a good writer, you see I'm just not that good at words.

Trust me write down how your heart feels whether it's in an e-mail, a twitter message, a face book wall post, or a hand written note. I promise, no matter how short or long your thoughts are, they WILL mean the world to the recipient.

Don't just stand there get those words out of your heart and on a page of some sort. Tell your chicks, whether they are leaving the nest or not, how thankful you are for them.

I'm off to send a note myself ... to two young men who made my little guy feel like he was big stuff and worth a million bucks!

Random Moments in Life

As I have stated before I work on a university campus. Not a day goes by that I don't see or hear something interesting. Today when I left my office I saw two girls on the very top level of the parking garage attempting to fly a kite. They were successful a few minutes at a time.
Life Lesson: Go to the where the resources are in order to get the results you want.

I DID IT!

I finished my first original apron. I sketched out the pattern Sunday night. Last night I cut it out and sewed it up. I'm calling it The Brenna Apron. It is a reversible child's apron with a pocket. I know, I know. It's against all blogging laws to post something of this nature without a photo, but a friend has my camera ... no joke.

I'm excited that there is a fabulous coating of sleet and snow here so it will give me more time to design and sew. I have two more patterns sketched out and I'm anxious to get busy.

Until then ...

My Apron Swap Journey

I received my apron swap assignment last week. I couldn't wait to get started. I knew exactly what I wanted to do as soon as I read it. That's about all I can tell you for now because it's a top secret mission. I will give you a sneak peek. These are the components.



The swap has been fabulous. It's like an apron heaven! Today I found a new favorite. It is a Route 66 themed apron. Click here to drool. Now envision this hanging on the baker's rack in my Coca-Cola kitchen. Perfect isn't it. Now swear to me that you won't buy it, 'cause if it survives the swap giveaway. It's mine baby! Otherwise, feel free to peruse the "My Mom Would Be Proud" Etsy shop and find the perfect apron for yourself.

Logic of A 5 Year Old

On Monday we were cruising down Cherry St when a random conversation starts.

"Mom, can cats swim?"

"Yes, I'm sure cats can swim, but cats really don't like water."

--LONG PAUSE--

"Well, we should put the cats in a swimming pool full of milk."

My brain slams on it's brakes. What? Milk? Oh, right 'cats like milk' so surely they would swim in that. It makes sense, doesn't it? I love the innocence and simplicity of children, don't you?

My Favorite Things

Monday was my first day back after a 3-week vacation. It's been tough getting myself and the fam back into a routine. A lot more difficult than normal.

I think it is because I enjoyed my time off so much. There was the usual holiday hub-blub, but what I enjoyed most was my sewing. I made three pillows and two aprons!

This is one of the pillows I made. It's the tooth fairy version. Pattern available here.




















I don't have as much time now that I'm back to work, but I am determined to schedule regular dates with my sewing machine. I'm currently working on a set of 'live, laugh, love' pillows for my living room. After that I'll be making an apron for a swap. This is my first swap and I totally excited! It's a valentine's swap and you can find more about it here.

Wish me luck and I'll keep you all posted on the details of my progress!