happy memories {goodbye 2010}....

1.  snow in january, enough to play in...and then snow again in december!
2.  my boys turn 16 and 13....weren't they just 6 and 3???
3.  i go to nyc with two besties and my 16 yo son to be a hair model at ouidad for the weekend and see mary poppins on broadway...awesome-ness!  {i wanna move to nyc}
4.  palmetto bible camp in june...
5.  we cruise in july to the bahamas for the third time, taking our three children with us {i wanna move to a tropical island, preferably tahiti}
6.  the hubs and i celebrate our 20th wedding anniversary in august...{time flies}
7.  i read francis chan's crazy love for the third time and we teach it at church and His people start movin' {and our hearts are forever changed}
8.  new school, teaching fours...
9.  my keurig! {be thankful even for little blessings}
10.  i turned 40 this year and was treated like a princess...{i love my friends and family}

God is good, and through all these things i see His face and His blessings...what will we do for Him and His kingdom in 2011?

{i can't wait!!!}

happy list, christmas version...

1.  no school for two weeks
2.  shopping is d.o.n.e.
3.  baked goodies
4.  wrapped gifts under the tree
5.  gettting to sit and relax and drink hot coffee from my keurig all day
6.  christmas music (have you downloaded the free music from target?  click here!)
7.  giving and helping others
8.  christmas movies (today will be "the santa clause" marathon, one two and three)
9.  christmas lights on all the time, from the front porch to the tree!
10.  jesus, the light of the world

what makes you happy this time of year?

33 chilean miners...

today's news was amazing and wonderful! the world watching God's work unfold was awesome...and i went to His Word to see what He would say to me.

and i found...

"Hear my prayer, Lord;
listen to my cry for mercy.
When I am in distress, I call to you,
because you answer me.

Among the gods there is none like you, Lord;
no deeds can compare with yours.
All the nations you have made
will come and worship before you, Lord;
they will bring glory to your name.
For you are great and do marvelous deeds;
you alone are God."

psalm 86:6-10

monday morning reading...

this morning i was drawn to hosea. i know, weird book, but God brought me to it and He spoke. and i listened....here's what came to me.

chapter two.
it's about me and the Lord.

vs. 5..."she said, i will go after my lovers, who give me my food and my water, my wool and my linen, my olive oil and my drink"...me, chasing after things of this world, stuff i don't need, time i spend recklessly...

vs. 7..."she will chase after her lovers but not catch them; she will look for them but not find them."...me, never content with what i have, always looking for the next deal, the next thing, another time stealer...a God-sized hole will not be filled with things of this world...

vs. 8..."she has not acknowledged that I was the one..."...me, who needs to give more praise, more thanks, more time to God...

vs. 9-13..."I will take back...I will expose...I will stop...I will ruin...I will punish..."...me, when God needs to discipline...

vs. 15..."I will give her back her vineyards and will make the Valley...a door of hope."...me, so very thankful that His mercies are new every morning!

vs. 16..."you will call me 'my husband', you will no longer call me 'my master'"...because i am learning to fall in love with Him and who He is...

vs. 19-20..."I will betroth you to me forever; I will betroth you in righteousness and justice, in love and compassion. I will betroth you in faithfulness, and you will acknowledge the Lord."

vs. 23..."and they will say, "You are my God".

i've been tagged...

good evening!

michele over at imperfectly wonderful world tagged me to answer some really fun questions...get ready, here we go!

1. how did you meet your husband? he bagged my mother's groceries on fridays at the grocery store. he was 17, i was 15. he tried to talk to me, but i was very quiet and shy. after about 6 months, he spotted me one day while i was working at the library and talked to me for about an hour. i then realized that i actually kinda liked him (i know, i'm slow...). he called and asked me out a few days later and 4 years of dating and 20 years of marriage later, here we are!

2. if you could splurge on something for yourself, what would it be? right now i really want a keurig coffee maker (LOOVE those cute little coffee choice things!), a new small camera (mine is slowly dying), and then i guess next on my list is a 10 day cruise from san paulo!!!

3. are you a morning person or a night owl? oh, night owl for sure!!

4. what's your favorite tv show? what not to wear (so sad it's gone right now!) and the biggest loser.

5. what's your least favorite chore? can i say ALL of them??? :o) my husband and i decided we are neat people (we like to organize and pick up), but we hate to clean. ugh.

6. what is your favorite bible story? when i think of stories in the bible that inspire me and give me hope, david and paul are awesome. an adulterer and a murderer...and as paul said so well, "but God had mercy on me so that Christ Jesus could use me as a prime example of His great patience with even the worst sinners. then others will realize that they, too, can believe in Him and receive eternal life" (1 timothy 1:16) now THAT is real hope! at this point in my life right now, i also relate well to esther....for such a time as this. she demonstrated her incredible faith in God and did not let her fear keep her from doing His will. LOVE it. and of course, the gospel story is THE story of all time...the best story in the bible!!!

7. what is your favorite comfort food? a starbucks coffee helps a lot. i like food, but i don't really have one that i run to. i guess a comfort for a weary mom can be any kind of takeout...i take comfort sometimes in not having to cook!

8. list the top 5 places you would visit or revisit. i've been to rome, italy and nyc, and i would LOOOVE to go back or better yet, live there! i also would love to visit turkey and greece. any remote deserted island surrounded by crystal clear water and beautiful sunsets would suffice as my fifth choice!

so there you are...a peek at me! thanks, michele!

thrifted thursday...

found these 1969-1970 magazines in mint condition...the family circle and woman's day are from the month i was born! i couldn't resist!



check it out:

home decorating...



fashion...


tupperware!...

check out the coupon!...

brings back memories...

can you believe this kitchen??....

yum, a jello mold!...

hair styles...

remember madge???....

carpeted bathrooms...

lovin' these looks!...

look! raquel welch!...

and these are my favorites...hard to believe these are FORTY years old! they look like they could have come out of magazines from this summer! everything old is new again...

wordless wednesday...

two on tuesday...

ok, so everyone else does "ten on tuesday"...but i have to be honest and say i'm not sure i will always have ten things to tell. but i think i can handle two, so here goes...

1. i love jars of clay. and this is a song i have loved for a long time, and its words seem to ring in my ears this week as i try to live out the first three chapters of crazy love. "He didn't die for nothing..."

2. i sure love to eat, but golly, i hate working out...{sigh}...gotta go run.

favorites friday...

how can you not see a rainbow collection of tights and leggings and not feel like a kid in a candy store???

oh my. i need one in every color.

thrifted thursday...

here is one of my bestest finds ever!!!

thankfully i was with my bestest friend when i found this, because she had to convince me that "yes, this is the perfect sofa, perfect style for your 60's ranch house, perfect size for the small room, perfect colors, and it looks BRAND NEW!!!" and it was $74.99.

words of reason are always so helpful.

after measuring and realizing it would fit into my van, i brought it home and into my den where i loved it more and more. the label (bernhardt) shows it is a rather good brand of wood furniture, and it was manufactured in 2008. not a tear, stain, smell. new, but looks retro. love love love it.

yah me!

wordless wednesday...

favorites friday...

i read crazy love by francis chan for the first time in november 2009. i read it again this summer, and now coach sal and i are teaching a class at our church this quarter, using this book. so i am reading it for the third time.

if you want to really fall in love with God, read it. if you want to rethink how you live for Him, read it. it will make you change the way you think and live each day. be ready.

thrifted thursday...

ooo, was i in love when i found these! i was getting ready to buy some on etsy when i found these while thrifting! visit me at my style blog, B.A.B.E.S. to see them paired with my favorite dress!

wordless wednesday...

favorites friday...

these owl canisters were made by my aunt dot for her sister margie (my meme) in 1985, when ceramics were the thing. i kept them when my meme died in 2000 and i just recently pulled them out. they are super-awesome! i love them. they are a little part of my history.

another favorite is right behind them, coach sal's aunt's yarn floral pictures. i know there is a name for the stitching, but i can't recall what it is. i got these from coach sal's grandmother when she moved into assisted living about a year ago and didn't have room for them. she knew that i loved them. another bit of family history...

thrifted thursday

found these six small bowls for $2.99. loved the flowers, of course! i am a die-hard girl for all that so-called tacky 60s/70s stuff! when i flipped them and saw the label, had to have them.

went home and googled...georges briard was born in the 30's and designed in the 50s-70s. very cool.

wordless wednesday...

(head over to b.a.b.e.s. to see what i wore wednesday...)

new thoughts coming...

summer has come and gone...school has started.
trying to think of new ideas for blogging...

wordless wednesdays...

thrifty thursdays...

favorites fridays...

those are my thoughts so far. hoping that having some themes will inspire and organize me!

be sure too to check out my other blogs, five inside my mind (my preschool blog) and b.a.b.e.s. (my fashion blog). i'll be using these themes there too.

mondays?...tuesdays?? ideas needed!

say hello to spanky...

well, mary e wore us down.

we said no more dogs...but she's been pretty persistent since buddy died that we get another dog. "how about for my birthday???" she asks coach sal...at a weak moment.

so...we went to pethelpers (just to look, mind you), and came home with spanky!

he was found roaming around with another dog and was brought to the shelter. it was obvious that he'd had a previous owner. sweet and friendly and about 5 years old...

too cute!

bahamas, baby!

on the ship, first afternoon...

coach sal wins trivia...after being asked to step away from the buzzer and let others score! (that's my babe!)

formal night, mary e by the ocean...

first port of call, freeport...not our favorite, but a new place to visit...

david and jacob wanted to experience something new this trip, so yes, i let them get on one of these things...they turned comepletely over three times, and i prayed about 300! when they got back to shore, they said it was GREAT! {sigh...}

port of call two, nassau! this was coach sal and i's third visit, and we LOVE nassau!

three carnival ships in a row...

we love cruising...the beautiful turquoise ocean, the white sand, the fun and the festivity!

i think i will retire to a cruise ship...