Oldies But Goodies

Here are some quite awesome pictures I scanned into the computer recently. I don't have very many pictures of me as a kid. These are a few that my mom printed from slides and gave to us kids. I am the youngest of four. So it's easy to pick me out as the smallest ones in these pictures.
The next few are some birthday pictures. My mom always made us shape cakes. We got to pick out what we wanted. (I made shape cakes for my kids too.)



This is my with my mom's hairdryer on. Any one remember those? Megan looked at this picture when she was little and thought it was her.

Here's one taken in a photo booth. I hated this haircut. I used to get called a boy and hid my head in my desk at school because I was so embarrassed. Oh the trials of childhood.
The next two are me and my maternal grandfather at Christmas time. Notice the awesome camera/flash in the first picture? The second one has my brother in the picture.

This one is all four kids with my paternal grandparents. Don't you just love my really short dress, my brother's plaid sport coat and my sister's gloves? Not to mention my grandma's hat. I pretty sure this was for Easter.

Creative? Crafty?

I like to buy interestingly shaped pots, but don't care for the color of the clay terracotta much. I also don't like the price of the pots that do have different colors. So I decided I could paint them! I gathered up the various cans of spray paint and got to work.

This is a light coating of a textured spray paint. The kind that is supposed to make something have a stone look.
Then I used some flat black spray paint. But I didn't really like it. I looked at it and kept thinking, the pot that called the kettle black.So I decided to dab some greenish and rust paint on.
Yuck. Didn't like that either. It looks like sick camouflage. I lightly sprayed more black over it, but still am not satisfied, so I put it away. Maybe when I pull it out again, I'll either have another inspiration or decide I like it.

So time to move on to the other pot. I sprayed it with some metallic paint.
It was a bit too plain, so I dabbed some rust colored paint all over it. Love that look. I sprayed several coats of polyurethane over the finished product.
Sometimes I surprise myself with my creativity. :)

Best Job Ever

Because God loaned me these two kids, I have had The Best Job Ever.
Love you Caleb & Megan more than I could ever show you or tell you with mere words. Always. Thanks for letting me be your mommy.

Love,
Mom

How to Say Good-bye

Eight weeks from today my first born, my only son, will watch his beautiful bride walk down the aisle and they will vow their lives to each other. It is a day I am so excited for, yet part of me wants to scream, "Wait! Slow down! It wasn't supposed to go by so FAST!"

Michael W. Smith wrote the words I feel. Grab a box of tissues (seriously) and listen. The words are below. (If you want to see the MWS video, go here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pxWihfpboxY&NR=1)

Caleb - this is for you, sweetie.

Tell me when the time we had slipped away
Tomorrow turned to yesterday
And I don't know how
Tell me what can stop this river of tears
It's been building up for years
For this moment now

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I've held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind
And how to say goodbye

Tell me why
Why does following your dreams
Take you far away from me
And I knew that it would

Tell me how to fill the space you left behind
And how to laugh instead of cry
And how to say goodbye

Here I stand
Arms open wide
I've held ya close
Kept ya safe
Till you could fly

Tell me where the road ahead is gonna bend
And how to harness up the wind
And how to say goodbye.

-Michael W Smith.

I Read The End Of The Book. I Know Who Wins.

Sometimes I can get discouraged with the state of this world. There are times when listening to the news or reading the paper where it seems as though The Evil One is getting a foothold here.

Then God Almighty brings to mind some amazing scriptures:

What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Ecclesiastes 1:9

Even though it may seem that there is so much new evil in the world that verse in Ecclesiastes says there is nothing new under the sun.

Nothing surprises God. Ever.

Corrie Ten Boom said, "With God there are no problems, only plans."

If I start feeling overwhelmed with this world I remind myself that I have read the end of The Book. I know Who Wins.

When I looked and heard the voice of many angels, numbering thousands upon thousands, and ten thousand times ten thousand. They encircled the throne and the living creatures and the elders. In a loud voice they sang: "Worthy is the Lamb, who was slain, to receive power and wealth and wisdom and strength and honor and glory and praise!"
Revelation 5:11-12

Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, "Now the dwelling of God is with men, and he will live with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away." Revelation 21:1-4

"Behold, I am coming soon! My reward is with me, and I will give to everyone according to what he has done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the First and the Last, the Beginning and the End. Revelation 22:12-13

A couple of months ago we saw Chris Tomlin in concert. I was really touched by the following song, "I Will Rise." I pray you sense the Hope that we who are in Christ have.

National Day of Prayer

I just got back from a National Day of Prayer service in my town. It was very moving. As I heard the many voices praying to God, I kept thinking of this verse:

2 Chronicles 7:14 If my people, who are called by my name, will humble themselves and pray and seek my face and turn from their wicked ways, then will I hear from heaven and will forgive their sin and will heal their land.

A Picture

Catchy title I know. :)

I wanted to post this picture that I took of the Campanile at Iowa State University. I thought it turned out really well for my little camera. (I did tweak it a bit.)