Twirls 'n Curls

Dear God, Today I feel a little overwhelmed.  I know You gave me 24 hours every day, but did You really mean for me to use all of them cleaning up after other people?  Your Word says to give thanks in all things, so that is what I will try today, since complaining about everything yesterday didn't go so well:    ~ I am thankful for the squished grapes and spilled cereal under my feet, and for the children who put them there.  "I only like the yellow..."    ~ I am thankful for the mounds of clean laundry sitting in my living room, because that means we all have plenty to wear (or we will, when I fold them).    ~ I am thankful for the stacks of dirty dishes, and the food You graciously provided us to eat on them. Chocolate-dipped fingers - mmm, mmmm, good!      ~ I am thankful for the beds I need to make, because that means we were all well enough to get out of them this morning. ~ I am thankful for the phone ...

Everything in life is better when it's shared. Fun Blog Hops:

When there seems no way out, look up. Psalm 121:1-2  I will life up mine eyes unto the hills,  from whence cometh my help.   My help cometh from the Lord,  which made heaven and earth.

Linsey, the oldest of our three girls, has the natural ability to make things go her way.  I will often give she and her sister a snack or a prize, then, the next time I turn around, Linsey has convinced Hannah to trade.  Or do Linsey's chores for her.  Or give her the rest of her candy.  She can talk her into anything .  The funny thing is, like most younger siblings, Hannah seems happy with her servitude most of the time. What Linsey doesn't understand is why this same method doesn't work on adults - namely, me.  The other day, while looking through a magazine, she saw the "mini me" dolls, and decided she had to have one for Christmas (her list has been on the fridge since September).  Blond hair, blue eyes, freckles, matching outfits - what's not to love?  Our conversation went like this:  "Please, Mom??  It's what I REALLY REALLY want!" "You don't even like dolls!" "That's because I don't have this one!  I w...

They say a picture is worth 1,000 words - and with Natalie, I'd say they're worth at least that!  She doesn't make my posts too often because she doesn't talk much yet, but as you can see from these pics, what she lacks in words she makes up for in character.  For my Wordless Wednesday, here is our littlest monkey:    (future blackmail)   Finally worn out!!

I n the beginning, God made fall. Towering corn fields, falling leaves, Bright orange pumpkins; cool, crisp nights. Then God said, "This is good." A nd when the leaves needed raking, and the corn needed picking, And the electricity bill shot up from the cold, God gave us children... To remind us how good His creation really is.

 ...when a spatula, a grasshopper, and a stick are all you need to have fun.  May we never be too old or too proud to learn from our children!

Morning shaving ritual "Daddy, I wanna be just like you!!" My goal:  To live in such a way that, should my kids grow up to be like me, I will be proud of what they have become.

My kids have been blessed with so many great friends!  We have people over every week, and we all love it.  This past weekend was our town's annual parade and festival.  The girls had a few friends over one day, then the next day we went to the parade and park.   We are so blessed!  Here's another collection for Wordless Wednesday @ Tanya's : Friends - the stuff good times are made of!!

  When we had our first daughter, we knew we had done something right.  Linsey was a wonderful baby, she began using complete sentences around 18 months, and she would sit for half an hour or more, just looking at books. Then Hannah came along.  A colicky baby, she was still using caveman grunts at age 2 to communicate.  And even now, at three and a half, she falls out of her chair at least once a day because "my body can't stop wiggling!"  She's also our sensitive thinker, our best snuggler, and she keeps me laughing all day long.  One reason she's so funny is because she thinks very literally.   The other day I heard her (literally) bouncing off the walls after bedtime, so I headed for her room.  I saw a pink blur dash for the covers and lie down innocently.  "Hannah," I said sternly, "were you jumping on the bed?" "No," she said seriously, "my feet just were tired of lying down."  The next day, she weedled all over h...

Power means holding the remote, even when you don't know what to do with it.