God has a way of making me laugh…really. He just has a way of *saying* the right thing at the right time.

I am two chapters away from finishing The Glorious Appearing& as I was reading this evening, I busted out laughing (really…it was a “LOL” moment!) Here is what I read:

Some men never know when they’re beaten, never know when to fold and walk away. Nicolae Carpathia, proving-as if that were necessary-that he was indeed the Antichrist, was the epitome of that kind of man. In a classic case of cosmic denial, his pride still persuaded him he could not lose in the end.

Ever know someone having those characteristics? I almost said qualities…but those aren’t quite *qualities* are they?

Since I had experienced a “what in the world is *person* thinking?” moment earlier in the day, tonight was the PERFECT time for me to read that (God’s timing is always spot on ).

Thank you God for the comparison…I am still giggling

I found this meme on Beth’s blog. You just copy the list into your blog and highlight the things you’ve actually done. Pretty fun…and boy did it bring back some memories!

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. Played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland/world
8. Climbed a mountain (I’ve hiked, if that counts)
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. Visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch (I taught myself how to knit)
15. Adopted a child (I sponsor two through Compassion International)
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty (Nope, but I’ve stood at the base and took a funny picture with my dad!)
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice (No, but I’ve been to Venice…I not so secretly want to live in Italy!)
29. Seen an eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person (Yes, and acutally had a fight with my dad there…people must have been looking at us like, “Crazy Americans!”
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa (This is a dream of mine…to meet my two Compassion kids in Uganda & Kenya!)
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight (I think I was 8 or 9 when I first did this…I sang The Little Mermaid songs, wishing I would turn into a mermaid…lol!)
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Performed in front of a live audience
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business (I helped my hubby with www.uncorrupted.net)
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood, platelets or plasma (I actually can’t do this one, since I lived in England during that whole mad cow thing…)
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London (I’m sure I have…but I was five when I lived in England so I don’t remember)
77. Broken a bone (the ball of my foot, from ballet)
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle (yes, thank you dear hubby!)
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car (how stupid…never again! It loses how much of it’s value when you drive it off the lot?!)
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating (I probably will be do this sooner than later, thanks to my Wyoming hubby)
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. Owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
(there was no 100 so I’m adding it)
100. Worn glasses or contacts

Ever have a friend who was “prickly” like a porcupine?

No, I’m not going to take credit for this - it was actually Sandy from 4 Reluctant Entertainers (my new favorite blog by the way), who made the comparison. I read her post yesterday about prickly friends, laughed about some memories of my childhood, thought of a recent conversation with a friend who I could TOTALLY pin as a “Miss Porcupine,” and then realized I had some prickly qualities as well. I’ll let you read her post, but my favorite part is when Sandy says, “Prickly people are an opportunity to really use your discernment and observation skills, and to exercise your patience and acceptance. People aren’t always the way we want them to be, but we can still work to deal with them positively.”

I just love that!

Oh- she also had a great gift idea (grandparents…do NOT click on the link or you will get a glipse of what the girls will be making you for Christmas…).

2 Timothy 3:16 “God has breathed life into all of Scripture. It is useful for teaching us what is true. It is useful for correcting our mistakes. It is useful for making our lives whole again. It is useful for training us to do what is right.” (NIRV)

Boy did this hit home! I think I can check each one of those examples off:

**** Teaching us what is true ****
I cannot begin to explain how much I’ve learned from the Bible in the past 2 1/2 years while coming closer to Christ. From patience to forgiveness to modesty, you’d think that since I went to Catholic school, I would know all this stuff (I’m now what they call a “recovering Catholic” and that’s a WHOLE nother blog post that frankly I’d rather not write…lol).

**** Useful for correcting our mistakes ****
Boy have I made some hefty ones! I am reminded of Matthew 5:23-24: “Therefore if you are presenting your offering at the altar, and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your offering there before the altar and go; first be reconciled to your brother, and then come and present your offering.” (NASB)

**** Useful for making our lives whole again ****
This is especially helpful after realizing the mistakes I made. Hebrews 10:17 says, “I [the Lord] will never again remember their sins and lawless deeds.” (NLT) This verse gives me that “whole” feeling.

**** Training us to do what is right ****
This one I seem to check over and over again. My flesh usually wants to behave a certain way - you know, the bitter-in-your-face-way. But in the end, the Holy Spirit works on my heart and wins (thank God!).
For example, I was in WalMart shopping by myself last week and heard a child crying on the other end of the aisle. She looked to be about Corinne’s size and she was with her dad, who was probably in his way early 20’s. He was not trying to calm her down, but instead was saying, “stop the crying games you f*ing little b**ch!” Next thing I knew, he was speed walking away at what seemed to be 25 miles an hour. You can imagine the enormous rock that seemed to form in my stomach from hearing such hateful words - especially since it was directed at a helpless toddler. My flesh wanted to march right over to him and smack him (okay, punch him) silly, snatch the darling little angel up, and carry her off home. Realistically, I’d probably be charged with assault & kidnapping. Furthermore, how would that show him God’s love? How would that help the little girl? It wouldn’t. I wanted to do *something* and was reminded of Proverbs 31:8 - “Speak up for those who cannot speak for themselves; ensure justice for those being crushed.” (NLT) So, after snapping out of it (I think I even had to blink myself out of the shock), I followed him…and caught up with him in the frozen veggie aisle, where he FINALLY stopped…and where his daughter was still crying. “Excuse me?” No response. “Excuse me?” Again, no response. This time a little louder, “Excuse me?” He turned around confused and I immediately started talking. “I just wanted to say that I know what it’s like with children. I have three at home and know they can be frustrating. Sometimes I wonder how I have any hair left.” I tried to force a casual chuckle… “I wanted to know if there was anything I could do…would you mind if I gave her a lollipop? That seems to calm my kids down when they’re having a rough time.” I pulled a couple pops from my *emergency stash* in my purse. The dad just stared at me blankly…”Uh, sure.” Meanwhile, the little blondie stopped crying and slowly accepted the purple lollipop without taking her eyes away from mine. “You are just the cutest little girl and I hope this makes you a little happier.” I ended up giving him an extra one just in case she needed it later (and what I really wanted to say was, “Here’s one for you, you big jerk…perhaps it will sweeten your attitude a little…” But I didn’t.) I smiled, told him to have a good day, and returned to my shopping - about 10 aisles back. When I got in the car, I broke down. Literally…sitting in the parking lot, crying. I prayed that God would keep that little girl safe…emotionally and physically. I prayed that He would guard her heart, protect her spirit. And I prayed that God would give her dad peace.
In short, it’s hard to do the right thing. Because sometimes (if not most of the time), we are forced to get out of our comfort zone in order to do so. Princess Diana once said: “You can’t comfort the afflicted without afflicting the comfortable.”

YAY! I’m so excited because I just got my first Paperbook Swap book in the mail: What Every Mom Needs. In short, this book shows us moms how to be great moms without forgetting about ourselves.

I finished reading the introduction and laughed at nearly every page - I felt as though I were reading my thoughts on paper!

Here are a few excerpts from the introduction that I can relate to:

* “I need affirmation that the choices I have made are worth it, especially when I cleaned the kitchen floor for the third time that day…”

* “Staying at home with my new baby made me feel like I wasn’t ‘doing’ anything, even though I had never worked so hard in my life.”

* “She never came close to finishing the to-dos on her list.”

* “A photo of herself with her work friends…’We sure had some fun days together. I miss them.’”

*  “We’d rather go to the grocery store alone - and at eight o’clock at night - than wrestle our two year old into her jammies.”

* “One mom comments, ‘My husband said that since he did not go to the gym today, he’d like to go on Saturday. I snapped. Was he totally out of his mind? When did our schedule ever dictate time for me to do something for myself? I never leave my children’s side 24/7.’” (Now granted, Michael is VERY good about watching the girls…I just can’t bring myself to have *me time*…I’ve heard I need to get over that…lol)

* “Mothering matters. It’s one of the most significant undertakings we can ever begin. It shapes our world, our family, and ourselves. Whew! No wonder we’re tired…And no wonder we overlook ourselves in the process.”

(This one didn’t make me laugh, but it struck me deeply)

* “We need to define the worth of mothering. It is not measured by a paycheck or promotion. Instead, the value of mothering is in knowing that you, and only you, are the mother your child needs. God has chosen you for the job. No one else in the world can mean as much to your child as you.”

I will definitely enjoy reading this book!

About a month ago, Michael made finch feeders from pop bottles. This was actually inspired by my maternal grandfather - I remember him making them when I was a child…he was careful to describe (in detail - no matter how long it took…lol) how and why he made them the way he did. Unfortunately I don’t remember the designing details, but I would have to say that one of my favorite memories from visiting my grandparents would be watching the yellow finches and black capped chickadees feed from the back porch. I wanted to relive that memory and pass it on to my girls.

Well this past week we FINALLY had some activity! I was beginning to worry that our random pop bottles hanging from the trees in our back yard would just, well, be that. So far, we’ve spotted the American Goldfinch, Purple finch, and Black-capped Chickadee. Hopefully as the weather continues to warm up, our Hummingbird feeder will see as much activity…and hopefully I can have my camera handy in time

I received an email asking my advice for a new mom shopping for her first born. I thought I might share my response in hopes of helping other new moms out there:

There are so many “must haves” out there that are really just junk…these are the things that we find we would never do without.

We (well…Corinne) really liked the Fisher Price Ocean Wonders Aquarium Swing (We got ours at Walmart though for about a hundred bucks….don’t know why amazon says over $300!!! Nuts!) The side to side motion really soothed her and since there are a couple adjustable seat positions, she never strained her neck trying to look up. I think she could have lived in that thing…lol.

We also really like the Britax car seats…comfy yet very safe. This is Corinne’s (and will fit her until age 6) and it matches Lilli’s booster (that she’ll be able to fit in until age 10…new Va laws require children to be in a booster until age 8 it so it worked out nicely).

I think any pack and play is also a good idea…especially if you are in a multi level home and need to put baby down in a safe area for a bit.

Those little “gyms” where the baby lies down and has toys dangling above them is fun too. We didn’t get an “expensive” one…you know the ones that claim to enhance baby’s development. I think they all can do that since baby is focusing on something and trying to reach for it - it doesn’t have to have flashing neon lights…lol.

(Once baby gets to the stage where he/she is pushing up on it’s legs.) Lilli and Corinne loved the stationary activity bouncer things…something like this. Nothing too flashy, but enough to where baby can focus on at least 4-5 different things. Make sure it’s height can be adjusted.

As far as strollers…I really like our Jeep stroller. We use this one for long term outings. There is enough storage and cup holder space and it’s SOOOO easy to maneuver (even with one hand), which has come in handy when traveling, especially through airports. I don’t even have to fight with it to open or close it. Baby can fully recline and the sunshade has a top “window” to peer through to check on baby. If new mom has a young step-child, niece, nephew, etc.: Our Joovy stroller is something we really like also - however, we usually only use it on quick & short outings. Perfect for the older child (in our case, Lilli) to ride along on in the rear- either sitting or standing - while younger child is sitting in the front. However, I wish this one had an adjustable reclining position for the child in front, as well as more storage space (This is why we use it on short outings). But the peace of having two children in the same stroller, without having one or the other running around, is quite convenient. She may want to try her strollers out - I hated having to “bend over” to push our other strollers.

Never again will I do high chairs!!! (Wish I would have known this earlier, rather than after my second child and now onto # 3)….what a waste! I love the booster seats that fit right on the chairs. Now that Corinne is old enough to sit in a lower back booster, I haven’t yet tried this one, but I would love to (perhaps Eleanor will have something that isn’t a hand-me-down afterall…I’m bookmarking this one) The high back looks great for those babies who still have the need to throw themselves back (lol) or just haven’t gotten their balance down yet.

And of course, a few stuffed animals. Lilli still has her “Spot” and Corinne loves her “Bear” that she’s had since she was born - they both look really *loved*

Everything, including motherhood, is a learning process. I’m on baby # 3 and am still finding things that work better than others. Perhaps I’ll have it down pat when I’m a grandmother

Picture it: 2004, a single 23 year old mother, recently relocates from tropical Port St. Lucie, Florida to a culturally diverse Herndon, Virginia. She works as an accountant for a (not to be named) property company. She hates, ooh that’s harsh, rather greatly dislikes her job and the majority of the people in that office (also not to be named). Alone in her car and pulling up to the office parking lot, she takes advantage of a music moment: She cranks up her radio so she, and others, hear Blake Shelton’s “Some Beach” (without having to stick her tongue out at them and say “nah, nah,” which of course she really-really-really wanted to do). I was that 23 year old and so, if you’re having “a day,” as I say, crank this up! And while you’re at it, throw in a silent “nah, nah!”
Driving down the interstate
Running thirty minutes late
Singin’ Margaritaville and minding my own
Some foreign car drivin’ dude with the road rage attitude
Pulled up beside me talkin’ on his cell phone
He started yelling at me like I did something wrong
He flipped me the bird an’ then he was gone

Some beach
Somewhere
There’s a beautiful sunset burning up the atsmosphere
There’s music and dancing and lovers romancing
In the soft evening air
On some beach
Somewhere
On some beach, somewhere

Late 2003 to early 2004, Southern Florida, Gold’s Gym - nearly every day. That’s where Laava’s “Wherever You Are” song takes me back to. Even though the lyrics are nothing deep (to the point that I won’t even bother cutting and pasting them on here), and I can tolerate her voice better than that of Kylie Minogue’s (Remember her “Can’t Get You Out Of My Head” hit? Cringe…), it’s the upbeat I-can-spend-an-hour-or-two-on-the-elliptical tempo that really gives me a boost of energy! Hopefully listening to it will do the same for you
Just a side note (since I was disappointed in what was supposed to be a “DANCE” video), she doesn’t display any dance technique…she just sort of shifts her weight around to the beat in some rather ridiculous immodest outfits. Go figure…

Corinne LOVES Elmo! Michael and I were trying to find some more Elmo for her a couple months ago and came across this…it cracked me up! But for real, since this is Music Monday (my apologies for its extended absence), let me share my memories about Andrea Bocelli.

His big hit, “Con Te Partiro” (also known as “Time to Say Goodbye” sung as a duet with Sarah Brightman…you can hear her on my playlist) was released in 1996. However, I was not exposed to his brilliance until 1999, when I relocated to Florida to live with my dad and step-mother, Kim, who, along with my Oma (grandmother), just happened to love him - yes my dad, but also Andrea Bocelli
Everytime I hear Andrea’s voice, I an whisked away to my Oma’s home - also known as “Lillian’s B&B.” I smell fresh flowers, feel the fresh linens and cozy covers in her guest bed, & hear the grandfather clock chime in the background. I become completely relaxed - Oma is the epitome of hospitality. In fact, I would play the play the song at least 5 times a day in my dorm room during my freshman year at GMU to regain that feeling. My roommate, Beth Ann, despised “Con Te Partiro” and would groan every time she had to endure all - what - 4 minutes of it?! (BAhhh, for short, was a real hoot!) That memory makes me chuckle
So here is Andrea & Elmo’s version…enjoy!