love to paint

I didn't really know what to expect. I requested this book after reading the first few pages. It seemed odd, different and yet potentially enjoyable. Notes from a Tilt A Whirl by ND Wilson is exactly that. It is Odd. It is Different. It is unlike anything I've ever read before. And yet, it is hugely enjoyable! It is part poetry, part philosophy, part stream of consciousness writing, and all art in words. I'm sure that seems hard to imagine based on my description. I remember reading E.E. Cummings poetry in school when I was growing up. I enjoyed it. I enjoyed the purposeful and different placement and use of words. This book reminds me of E.E. Cummings. This book is published by Thomas Nelson, but it doesn't fit the mold of any of the subcategories of Christian books (in my mind). It is a book all of its own and one I would highly recommend if my description sounds intriguing. I don't think I can do it justice. It is a piece of art. You can pick up th...

So, for the past 2 weeks, my girls and I have been reading the princess devotional Bible at night and the Play 'n Learn Bible stories book. When I wrote my review of the princess devotional Bible, I noted that there weren't pictures of the stories. Overall, I liked the book, but that was my biggest concern. That concern is bigger now. I think that when it comes to Bible Story books, I would always recommend one that has pictures over one that doesn't. And unless your child knows the stories well, the way devotional Bibles jump around can be very confusing. Sami is lost! She likes the devotional Bible because it's princessy, sort of. But, she cannot sit still. And this is a girl who loves books! It's starting to drive me crazy. I wouldn't take back the review I wrote of the book, but I would recommend other books over it. Which brings me to my complaint about the other book and an interesting thing I learned!!! So, the ICB is a paraphrase and the NiRv ...

Really. I do mean Toad pee. Last night, my husband brought a toad into the office downstairs and showed it to me. I jumped. Eek!!! What are you doing?! Get that out of here! Eek!!!! My husband burst out laughing and got a huge kick out of my reaction. Then, he set the toad on the floor and it promptly--went pee. Toad Pee!!! On my carpet! My husband then told me that toads pee frequently--so of course it would pee on the carpet. Thankfully, he took it outside a few minutes later. But, I got the last laugh. Just a few minutes later, he decided he wanted a little dessert. So, he rummaged through the freezer and discovered some small brown looking bumpy balls. He thought to himself that they must just be some strange dessert I'd concocted. He popped one in his mouth. It took him a minute to realize the brown was not from chocolate as he had hoped--but rather ground beef. It was a meatball after all--a frozen meatball! Yuck! I laughed really hard when he told me what ...

I was talking with a friend this weekend and I shared with her a question a good friend of mine, Marcie, asked me a few years ago when Autumn was only a year and a half old. She asked me what I was doing for me--to keep myself interesting, so to speak, so that I wouldn't lose myself in the process of raising my kids. That question has always stuck with me. Often my husband will tell me all we talk about is the kids, money, and the house. We lose sight of our marriage and ourselves. But, that's when I remember Marcie's question and the advice implied in her question =). Don't forget to take care of you--and in the process indirectly take care of the ones you love. So, now I read and blog, and write book reviews =) among other things. Over the past two days, I read a really good book--it's an easy read, but very worth the time. The book is called Money Strategies for Tough Times. In the course of the recession, I have come to realize that there are things that...

I grew up out west in the city. I knew nothing--absolutely nothing about ticks! So, now that I live in the land where people find them every day, it often makes me anxious. I was thankful to hear from the Pediatrician yesterday that it actually takes 48-72 hours for a tick to transmit Lyme's disease. So, if they take a bath every night and I check them every night I should be good! That was a relief to me. Lyme's disease and ticks scare me. =(

We ran our errands this morning and got home late, so at 2:00 the girls were eating their lunch and it started to rain. Autumn had her swim lesson tonight and so she was very sad--for a moment. Sami said, "Let's pray." So, they prayed that God would stop the rain so Autumn could go swimming. I tried to explain to them that sometimes God doesn't always answer our prayers the way we want Him to. But, I only got half of it out of my mouth and then let it go as they prayed again. At 4:15 p.m. when we left the house the sky was clear and blue. And it stayed that way for the rest of the afternoon--including Autumn's swim lesson. I guess mom is the one who has the most to learn =)

Yesterday, a dear friend informed me that it's termite mating season, so I need to watch out and not let them get in the house. I freaked out! Truly, I really freaked out. I don't know why, but the idea of termites unnerves me so much! So, I'm fixing lunch for my girls. This is how the conversation went... My sweet girls said," Well, Mommy, we need to pray." "I can't pray right now. I need to calm down first." "Well, we'll pray...(commence praying) Dear God, please kill the bad bugs. And please keep them from eating our house. Amen" "Okay, Mommy?" "Please be quiet girls, I'm still stressed." "Let's pray again..."and the prayer commences again... Dear sweet girls, praise God that they know what to do--to turn to God for their strength and comfort even at 3 and 5! I told my husband this story and he burst out laughing at the "Please kill all the bugs. and Please keep them from eating our...