My To Do List

It's been a little while since I've just blogged about what's rolling around in my head.

Please visit my Tumblr for links to all of these (and other) lovely sources.

OOOOOOOOhhhhhh.... Uh Oh - Baked Potato Soup

Jennica Weeks got my attention right quick this morning. Guess what is on the agenda for next week?

Baked Potato Soup (yeilds 10 cups)

from the kitchen of Diana Bonilla

4 large baking potatoes

2/3 cup butter or margarine

2/3 cup all-purpose flour

6 cups milk

1/4 tsp. salt

1/2 tsp. pepper

4 green onions, chopped and divided

12 slices bacon, cooked, crumbled, and divided

1-1/4 cups (5 ounces) shredded Cheddar cheese, divided

1 (8 ounce) carton sour cream

Wash potatoes and prick several times with a fork; bake at 400° for 1 hour or until done. OR peel, cube, and boil potatoes. Let cool. Crush into bite-size pieces. Melt butter in a heavy saucepan over low heat; add all-purpose flour, stirring until smooth. Cook 1 minute, stirring constantly. Gradually add 6 cups milk; cook over medium heat, stirring constantly, until mixture is thickened and bubbly.Add potatoes, salt, pepper, 2 tablespoons green onions, 1/2 cup bacon, and 1 cup cheese. Cook until thoroughly heated; stir in sour cream. Add extra milk, if necessary, for desired thickness.Serve with remaining onion, bacon, and cheese.

Recipe and photo are from I'm Just Saying

The Best Compliment

I have gotten some pretty great compliments in my day, I am proud to say. Compliments about the kids' behavior, some recipe, or my ability to organize...my laugh, my eyebrows, my sense of humor, and about those fantastic red heels.

Yes. But more and more often now people compliment me on being so happy. I have been accused of being unfazed by what life brings. Optimistic always. Bruised but never broken. I don't mind it.

Today I gave a presentation to our entire company, and I kicked ass at it. Surprisingly, I wasn't nervous at all. I prayed beforehand, cared about the subject of my presentation, and was proud after.

(Though if I'm being honest, when they handed me the mic, I kept thinking of that scene in The Wedding Date when Kat's mother is trying to toast to her youngest daughter and Kat turns and gasps, "Oh good Lord, who gave that woman an amp!?")

So after the presentation I politely greeted a random production coworker in the hall. Random Coworker said that my smile was contagious. Then Random Coworker said, "You are always so happy... I want what you've got. Whatever you've got going on, it makes you happy. I want it."

Oh yes. JESUS.

Overwhelmingly, certainly, more than any other happiness or shield or armor or battle cry I may ever have or need, I HAVE JESUS. He is my light. He IS my smile.

It was the best compliment. Thanks, Random Coworker.

PS: Are you mad at me yet for not posting anything new on the house? Don't be. I'm trying to finish painting my next project so that I can show you. Life is bursting at the seams, so it's taking me longer to paint than I expected. Please be patient.

Happy, Happy, Joy, Joy

Ahh, I loved Ren & Stimpy back in the day. Sad, but true. There is irony there that I won't explain now. Makes me laugh, though.

Moving on...

I am happy and joyous because Judy gifted us with an upright freezer for housewarming recently. Thanks again, Mom! I haven't been able to do freezer cooking for years and I NEEEEEEED to. There are things I haven't made because I couldn't freeze half for another meal or didn't have space in my fridge's freezer.

Like macaroni and cheese.

Image from Smitten Kitchen

Like lasagna.

Image is Pioneer Woman's lasagna.

My granny's apple pie.

My chili.

Breakfast strata.

Cauliflower soup.

Image is again, P-Dub

Freezer jam

Image from P-Dub

Put up corn.

Green beans from my (next year's) garden.

Pizza dough.

Image from Nie

Like PW's Chicken enchiladas.

Image from Ree again

Corn casserole.

Sloppy joes (or taverns, if you live in Da Plains).

Tater tot hot dish with green beans.

Image from Tricia Jaeger

Like banana bread.

Pumpkin bread.

ANY BREAD.


Like perfect pie crust

P-Dub

Man, I'm all slobbery now. Shouldn't have written this post while hungry.

What am I missing? Know of any other good recipes that I can test out and freeze? Lay them on me!

What Faith Can Do

Today I need to share a song with you. It's powerful.

The kids and I first heard this at the Lifelight festival in September. Kutless was the Friday night band - more than 100,000 people standing in the dark with their hands raised. It gives me chills all over again just thinking about it. This band is so fun, so rock-n-roll... and SO POWERFULLY moving.

This was their new song and even though I'd never heard it before that night, I loved it immediately.

I think you will, too.






What Faith Can Do
by Kutless

Everybody falls sometimes
Gotta find the strength to rise
From the ashes and make a new beginning
Anyone can feel the ache
You think its more than you can take
But you are stronger, stronger than you know
Don't you give up now
The sun will soon be shining
You gotta face the clouds
To find the silver lining

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

It doesn't matter what you've heard
Impossible is not a word
It's just a reason for someone not to try
Everybody's scared to death
When they decide to take that step
Out on the water
It'll be alright
Life is so much more
Than what your eyes are seeing
You will find your way
If you keep believing

I've seen dreams that move the mountains
Hope that doesn't ever end
Even when the sky is falling
And I've seen miracles just happen
Silent prayers get answered
Broken hearts become brand new
That's what faith can do

Overcome the odds
You do have a chance
(That's what faith can do)
When the world says you can't
It'll tell you that you can!

I've seen dreams that move the mountains,
Hope that doesn't ever end
...Even when the sky is falling.
And I've seen miracles just happen,
Silent prayers get answered,
Broken hearts become brand new.
That's what faith can do

That's what faith can do!
Even if you fall sometimes
You will have the strength to rise

An Addiction To Smiling

I am in a good mood today. A fantastic mood.

I saw the viking last night.

It was at the local general store after work. He was buying a beverage and I was buying a gallon of milk and the newspaper. We didn't see each other until we'd both come out of the store.

I was on the phone with Mindy ironically talking about said viking when I looked up and nearly dropped the phone. He was standing right there in front of my truck. Beat up baseball cap covering his bald head, Carhartt's the length of which I had never seen before him. He was scruffly, too. Scruffly and aiming his dimply smile right at me.

My heart skipped a beat and I hung up on Mindy mid-sentence.

There was some small talk, some flirting, and somehow I resisted my urge to tell him that I'd like nothing more than to make him a flannel scarf and fix him potato soup.

Suffice it to say, I have plans tonight that include a pair of high heels.

I can't stop thinking about the viking. About his green eyes and long eyelashes.

Today I have an addiction to smiling.

Holiday Stockings In My Etsy Shop

Large, eco-friendly felt holiday stockings are restocked and in the shop now. Stockings are 22" from toe to top and the perfect solution for stocking stuffers for your little (or big) ones.


Each stocking was made with love and handstitched with quality. I will be adding all of these designs to the shop over the next week or so.


In hot pink,




emerald green,





cherry red,

and baby blue.

Enjoy! (Go shop - find them HERE!)

More Free Quilting Patterns

I've found a few new free quilting patterns online recently and would like to share them with all of you.

Free Spirit's Katie Jump Rope Pattern, designed by Denyse Schmidt

In fact, Free Spirit has a bunch of yummy patterns for free download here.

How about Amy Butler's Sexy Hexy? Here, along with others by Amy.

If Anna Maria Horner is more your style, visit her blog for a delicious selection of patterns designed by her. The Folk Dance pattern is my favorite:

Moda also has some goodies here. Like Nest:

Happy sewing!

Find more free patterns from previous posts here.

Of Blessings And Vikings

I can do all things through Him who gives me strength. Phillipians 4:13

That was our lesson this morning. I LOVE this verse. This verse is how I put my feet on the floor some mornings. This verse speaks to my bones.

This weekend has been great for a variety of reasons, so I was feeling particularly blessed in church this morning. I was thinking that it is important to feel blessed even during the roughest of times, for that is when we rely on the Lord the most.

No one is newly sick this weekend, so that also made it great.

I mowed the lawn, which was more like a vacuuming of the leaves really. Lots of trees in our yard now. The boys raked, played, dumped, got in trouble, and raked some more. This morning I took 7 bags of leaves to the city yard waste dump and I feel like a rockstar.

My lumberjack viking reappeared this weekend, which was lovely. I saw him while out on Saturday; it's hard to miss him from across the room. Did I mention he is dang near 7 feet tall? Who knew a Dutch viking that bears a strong resemblance to (a bald) Paul Bunyan would make my skirt fly up? I didn't see that coming. I was on a cloud last night, my friends. On a cloud with a bald-but-hairy, flannel-wearing viking lumberjack. It was Heaven. Thank goodness I wore my highest heels!

PS: He's not a real lumberjack.

Hope you all have a great upcoming week!

Photo from www.paulbunyantrail.com

APB: THIS Wallpaper!

Can anyone help me identify these wallpapers (or similar)?

Please? I am gasping, gaping, on the floor in agony because I can't find them...

Photos from the super awesome Dos Family blog.

Das Hodgepodge

This is what she does when I tell her to smile. Darling, no?

Some Of My Favorite Pictures, Ever

Seriously.

A Christmas Gift

Have I shared with you yet that my boss is a very good and strong Christian man? Have I told you that, since I have joined the company, he has started a volunteer program to be the Hands and Feet in the community?

He wants to give back in a big way. He is rewarding our employees who give back. And he asked me to head up the entire program for our company.

ITSSOEXCITING!

So I was sitting here today printing out some information for our volunteers and I thought about Christmas. I thought about how, here, "Happy Holidays" isn't allowed. "We say Merry CHRISTmas here," he told me. I thought about how, at the end of a meeting last week, he prayed.

HE PRAYED.

So odd and so beautiful at the same time. I've never worked for a company that was 'out of the closet' about Jesus. It's freaking fantastic! I don't have to be afraid of being sued or fired if I stand up and shout praise to God on a Monday afternoon. Or if I ask for prayer on a Friday morning.

Seriously. Where am I? I really continue to find myself so spectacularly surprised that Da Plains is this fruitful to me. I knew, when the tears fell from my eyes every time I visited Lulu out here before we moved - I knew this was the place I needed to live. God is here. He is here and he is present and he is Living OUT LOUD through people like me.

So, back to my volunteer program. Christmas was on my mind this morning and I thought about the two dinners that our company is sponsoring at a local shelter. I'm planning to take the kids with me; the boys can't wait to go. They need to be the Hands and Feet of our Lord. They need to give the best Christmas gift of all and see how blessed they truly are.

Then I thought of our babies and about our Mountain Baby Blankets project. I'd like to see more cold toes covered up on Christmas morning, wouldn't you? I thought of how blessed I am to have the mindset that I do, to have so many online friends who give such beautiful gifts to complete strangers. You people just blow me away. I think we're up to 500 blankets now with more on the way.

THAT is the best Christmas gift. GIVING.

I strongly encourage you to find an organization in your community that will let you to give back to those less fortunate. Go through your garage and donate old-but-good toys for children who don't have any. Give those too-small boots to your Salvation Army or local church. Or, go feed the hungry. Buy presents for random families. Pay for gas for someone at the station.

I don't know what's going to happen when I stand across the table from the hungry in December. When I ladel out the food I've cooked and look into their eyes. I wonder if I'll be able to hold it together, or if all the humble blessings I've had in the past 2 years will crash down around me. Whatever happens, I know it will be worthy and beautiful and full of the Holy Spirit. It will change and strengthen me. I also know I'm packing tissues.

Food for thought today. Consider putting GIVING BACK on your list this year.

Let's See Those Cabinets!

Bookcases...whatever they are.



You know, I almost entitled this post, "Yumminess," but I thought that might be over the top. You decide.


These two cabinets were left behind in the basement of the house. The owner told me I could have them. I started slobbering the moment I saw them and haven't stopped since.



At first glance I saw the bright, cheerful yellow and considered leaving them alone. Well, bringing them upstairs and then leaving them alone. Once we moved in I discovered that these were built IN the basement (and only by the grace of God himself actually fit up the stairs!) and weren't painted on both sides. I also found the backs in disrepair.



So, a bigger project than I thought, but they are incredibly worth it. Yumminess, I told you.

BEFORE

I began by cleaning the cabinets inside and out, using soap and hot water. They were a mess, having lived in the basement for a long time. Then I used wood filler (Elmer's brand) to spackle in any large gouges. I also had some masonite cut to fit the backs and the boys helped me nail it on to provide additional support.

I used Behr Paint Plus Primer in Interior Semi-Gloss, Extra White for these bad boys. And it took 4 coats; no lie! I used a mini-roller and a brush for the corners. The cabinets also got brand new hardware - both hinges and glass knobs.

I am SO PROUD OF MYSELF for how they came out.

AFTER

See. Should have called it "Yumminess."

Flikr Help

Does anyone know why freaking Flikr images cannot be just pasted into Blogger anymore? Any help - PLEASE send it my way!

Until I figure this out, I'm on one picture per post! ARGH!

**UPDATE**
Thank you to those who left comments. I was able to upload into Blogger but the images are TINY. I am very, very unhappy with this. I've been playing around editing the HTML code with the pictures to see if I can improve it. I've figured out a way to make them bigger, but their quality disappears. I really, really wish I knew what Flikr did!!! Why did they change this? This is a hell of a reason not to renew with them.

Recuperating

IMG_1307e, originally uploaded by racheljcox.

We had a mighty busy weekend.

I was successful at my last push to unpack some important boxes, finish up the cabinets, hang some artwork, and ready the house for Nana's visit last week. I plum tuckered myself out.

This past weekend was so nice with Nana at the house. I was able to nap on Saturday and Sunday. That hasn't happened in a very long time. We cooked, we crocheted, we played with the kids and watched lots of The Golden Girls - all of us together.

On Saturday we took the kids to the town Halloween carnival. It wasn't until we were inside the auditorium with the kids in their costumes that I realized Mabel's Elmo... was a boy. Oh well. She loved it.

Saturday night I went to a double birthday party; the entire town was invited and it was a blast. It was delicious to leave Nana with the kids and head out for some fun - no worries at all. And I can walk to and from!

I found fun, all right. Fun with friends (such good, good people), fun dancing... and fun with Frank Sinatra and the 6'6" viking who dipped me. YOWZA.

So, we're all recuperating. I'll upload the photos from the weekend this evening, K?

Mmmm-kay.

She Dropped The Bomb On Me

IMG_1191e, originally uploaded by racheljcox.

This one is NOT child-friendly. Please remove the baby from your breast before you read this post.


Okay, I know I'm promising pictures of the house and I have two good reasons why I don't have them for you yet:



1. Judy is in Da Plains and spending time with her has a higher priority
2. I have to tell you about this first. I have to purge it from my soul.


So, after we picked up Nana from the airport, we all went to Cracker Barrel for dinner. It was good times. Judy shared The Spinach Story. Each of the boys took turns telling Nana about school and football and the sitter's house. Mabel colored.

Somewhere during dinner, Mabel decided to color again. She was finished with her plate and lifted it up over her head. "Mama, I all done," she said, and grabbed up the little box of crayons after I rescued the plate.

First, blue. "Dis one GWEEN!" she exclaimed.

Then, yellow. "WED, Mama!"

Clearly we have work to do. I mean, the child already knows her left from her right, but she is sadly behind when it comes to colors. It's true.

She colored some on the paper, some on the table, and I wondered why - after 8 years - Cracker Barrel STILL had non-washable crayons. I mean, seriously. I digress...

The funny is coming, I swear.

Mabel was quiet for a while and when I looked over, I noticed her struggling to get the crayons in the box. Or out of the box, or something. I don't know but her face was red and she was getting upset. Things weren't working out right.

"Are they stuck?" I asked her.

"F*ck," she said.

Both of the boys dropped their forks. Their eyes were wide as saucers. **blink-blink** **blink-blink** Silence.

I was not alarmed. In fact, I remained entirely calm. Third child and all. "No, Sweetie. Stuck. SSSSSSSSSSSTUCK. Say 'stuck'," I tried.

"F*ck." She grew more agitated as she tried to get those crayons to go where she wanted them to go. "F*CK, Mama! Help me, help me! Mama, they f*ck!"

People started to stare. My mom FINALLY looked up from her chicken to hear her darling granddaughter say it again.

She waved the crayon box over her head and raised her voice. "THEY F*CK, MOMMY! HELP ME!"

The look on my mother's face was beyond priceless. It was if all things holy came to an end at that very moment. She had absolutely no idea what to say or do except stare in disbelief.

I'm not sure Judy knows that word. I mean, she does... she knows it's like the dirtiest dirty word.

Judy lowered her head as far as she could, craned her neck over her plate, and whispered, "Did she say-"

"F*ck."

The boys laughed. Loudly.

Yep. She did.

"Mom, Mabel is saying -"

"SHE ISN'T SAYING THAT. SHE IS TRYING TO SAY 'STUCK'. SAY SSSSSSTUCK, MABEL!" I tried to stop the bleeding.

"Sssssssss-f*ck," she tried.

In fact, Mabel tried for more than 30 minutes. We'd be ignoring her and get a forkful of food in our mouths and she'd say it again. I tried so hard not to laugh. I mean, seriously. This is not something I say in front of my children. This is not a story to be proud of. I get it. The more the boys laughed, the more Mabel thought this new word was fun to say.

We tried to ignore her but the damn crayons were still stuck. She was only trying to tell us about it and here we were, laughing at her. Poor thing.

Poor, sweet, innocent thing.

I threatened the boys within an inch of their skins if they made her say it at the sitter's today.

So, yes. October 21 will forever be the day that Nana came to Da Plains for a visit. It will be the day that we shared a lovely dinner together at Cracker Barrel.

It will also be the day my daughter dropped the F-Bomb for the first time.

Nice.

The Spinach Story

It's been a while since Judy's shared a whopper with me. You're in for a classic, old-lady comedy here, Folks.



We picked up Nana from the airport last night and went straight to Cracker Barrel for dinner. She proceeded to tell me that she had been waiting since Monday to tell me The Spinach Story. First she pushed back all of the items on the table - the lantern, the game, the salt and pepper. She cleared her path to tell her story.



As she spoke she illustrated with her hands and described her dinner on Monday.



She was home that evening, not working, and made herself a real fancy dinner. She started with her tray. "You know the tray Nana uses with the lighthouse on it? That one," she says to the boys.



"I laid it out," she said. "First, over here, I put my bowl of spinach. You know, the small can size? I warmed it up and then put a dab of white vinegar on it." She rolled her eyes back in her head. Judy must really like spinach. With her hands, Judy fixes the imaginary bowl of spinach in the corner of her imaginary tray.



"Then over here I put a little glass bowl of tartar sauce," she continued, illustrating a swirl in the little tartar sauce bowl. "Then on this side, I sliced up a nice tomato like this (slice, slice, slice) and put in on a pretty plate and sat it on my tray."



We all listened courteously.



"Then down here, I put my plate of six fish sticks, all lined up (line, line, line). My mouth was watering and I already had Molly in her kennel so I could eat in peace, so now I was ready to eat," she said.



"So I picked up my tray and walked from the kitchen to the living room, see. Except Molly had left the knot of her bone right in between the kitchen and the living room. And I was only looking at my beautiful tray and my belly was so hungry. So I stepped right on that ole' knot."



"Oh no!" we all gasped.



"Yes!" she said. "I lost my balance and went down like a ton of bricks," she said, as she flug herself across the table in demonstration. "But I never did let go of that tray! I fell straight on my knees and somehow kept my balance."



Judy was so proud she'd avoided really hurting herself a good one and also that she'd preserved her beautiful dinner. Except, she noticed that her tray didn't look the same as it did when she left the kitchen.



"I looked down and the tray didn't look right." Just then, a glop of spinach landed flat on the top of Judy's head. She looked up and another glop got her in the eye. My poor mother. A bigger glob of tartar sauce had shot straight up from the little glass dish and then came down on her back. I think a fish stick stuck her in the rump. All around her, little pieces of her dinner slopped and flopped on her.



Judy was pissed.



"Well how did you clean it up?" I asked. "I mean, does spinach stain?"



"Your darn right it stains," she said, "especially when you leave it sit there while you eat your dinner!"



We started to laugh.



"I was so pissed I couldn't see straight. First I had to pick all of my tomato slices up (pick, pick, pick) off the carpet. There wasn't too much fuzz," she said. "Then, I had to find all of my fish sticks. So I sat down on the couch and I used what was left of the tartar sauce (dab, dab, dab - which looked more like blonk! blonk! blonk! because she was mad) and... my poor spinach. I didn't get very much of my spinach."



Pretty much all of Judy's spinach was hanging... on her person.

"Then I started laughing and haven't quit since," she said.

Can you imagine my mother sitting on the couch, partially-disturbed and rearranged tray in her lap, very pissed look on her face, and slamming fish sticks into an empty glass bowl? All the while a tremendous glop of spinach sat in her hair and tartar sauce hung from her reading glasses?



Poor Judy.

Two Sets of Joneses

As I was making pizza last night, we had our iTunes playing in the background. Andy sang along with He Reigns (Newsboys), while Trevor shouted out to God You Reign (Lincoln Brewster). Even Mabel loves the little voices at the end of God You Reign (Lincoln's son, by the way).

After those two requests were granted, I put it on shuffle and went back to my pepperoni.

And the dang song came on. The song that makes me stop every. single. time. I heard this song for the first time earlier this year. I'd never even heard of the band before. The song was part of our church service. It made me stop on that day, too.

Two Sets of Joneses, by Big Tent Revival

This here's a song about two sets of Joneses:

Rothchild and Evelyn, Rueben and Sue

Just for discussion, thru random selection,

We've chosen two couples who haven't a clue

Rothchild was lucky to marry so wealthy,

Evelyn bought him a house on the beach

Rueben and Sue they had nothing but Jesus

and at night they would pray that He cared for them each

And the rain came down,

and it blew the four walls down

And the clouds they rolled away,

One set of Joneses was standing that day

Evelyn's Daddy was proud of young Rothchild

He worked the late hours to be number one

Just newlyweds and their marriage got rocky,

He's flying to Dallas, she's having a son

Rueben was holding a Gideon's Bible

When He screamed "it's a Boy" so that everyone heard

And the guys at the factory took a collection

Again God provided for bills he incurred

And the rain came down,
and it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away,
One set of Joneses was standing that day

So what is the point of this story,

What am I trying to say?

Is your Life built on the Rock of Christ Jesus,

Or a sandy foundation you've managed to lay?

Well, needless to say Evelyn left her husband,

Sued him for every penny he had

And I truly wish that those two would find Jesus

Before things get worse then they already have

And the rain came down,
and it blew the four walls down
And the clouds they rolled away,
One set of Joneses was standing that day

Yes the rain came down,

and it blew the four walls down

And the clouds they rolled away,

There's two set's of Joneses... which ones will you be?

This song makes me grateful for how far I've come in the past few years. It also drags up feelings of guilt over my not dragging my ex-husband to the cross, not forcing the issue of church. But we can't do that, see. It sucks, but we're not allowed to drag people like that. And you know, my walk with Christ wasn't nearly as close back then as it is now anyway. I feel guilty about that, too.


I know I'm not supposed to feel guilty.


So instead I'm going to post this song here and make you promise to watch it. Watch it with your spouse. Be sure your priorities are straight. Quit fibbing to yourself and saying that you're working those long hours for your family when you're really working for the love of money (is that you?). Be sure you are leaving work at work and spending time at home with your spouse and children (is that you?). I beg you to make your time count, and then give EVERYTHING TO GOD. If you don't do these things, you will end up in dark place.



You might end up like lonely Rothchild, and lonely Evelyn. You might end up like me, starting over. I am grateful for the journey, though. Every step. It's bittersweet knowing my life had to change the way it did in order to be what it is now.


Please believe me when I tell you that money... money is NOTHING. Money is a WASTE. That big house isn't important. Being the best or the brightest or the weathiest for your age isn't where it's at. Your treasure isn't in this world, unless you count your family. That's the treasure we get to have here on Earth. Our treasure awaits us in Heaven.

Blog Award

Kheli at RememberYourKarma has awarded me the Honest Scrap Award! I'd love to tell you that I'm all cool and collected and can talk about this with much dignity and grace. While that is all true, my tail is wagging so hard I can't keep up with it! My first blog award. Thanks, Kheli!

The first part of the award requirements are that I share 10 honest things about myself. Easy enough.

1. I had coffee and a blueberry PopTart for breakfast this morning.


2. I love looking down at Mabel's chubby feet when I get her into her jammies every night. I hate it at the same time because I'm reminded how fast time flies and that her piggies will not always be so delicious.


3. When Trevor was born, I could not get through one verse of "Twinkle, Twinkle, Little Star" without crying.


4. I feel like a rockstar mom when my children tell me they ADORE fresh asparagus. Who knew?!


5. Granny Smiths used to be my apples-of-choice. But not since Mindy introduced me to the glorious Honey Crisp. Mmmmmmm... Honey Crisp.


6. I can hear the Lutheran church bells from home, striking every hour.


7. I have mentioned before that I love to paint. It makes me feel good to rinse my brushes in the kitchen sink and leave behind a smear that says: "someone creative lives here."


8. I organize my closet by type (jackets, sweaters, long-sleeves, short-sleeves, etc.) and then by color.


9. Last night I put labels on my storage bins. My label maker had been packed away for 2 years. I squealed with glee when I found it. SQUEALED OUT LOUD WITH GLEE, I tell you.


10. I have more friends in my life now than I ever have before. I thank God for bringing me each and every one of them.

Also as part of receiving this award, I present this same award to the brilliant bloggers below. Each of them inspire me daily in their own ways.

1. Jordan Ferney at OhHappyDay. A daily read for all things cooking, creating, clothing, color, art & JCrew (to be specific).


2. Amy Hanson at SweetSweetLife. Another daily read. Amaaaaaazzziiinng art and creative candy - she really does a fantastic job of scouring the internet for goodness and sharing it with me.


3. Mindy at Isn'tThisFun? Lulu is inspirational to me in so many different ways. As a PK (that's pastor's kid, if you didn't know), she can kick my ass at scripture. Fo' sho'. I ask her all kinds of questions. She's also a master juggler. It's just that her balls are shaped more like children.


4. Mr.Monkeysuit. Oh holy business do I ever blog stalk this one. LOVE her liberal use of Liberty prints, her superhero abilities to sew children's clothing, and knit as well.


5. Nathalie Bearden of Kennedy&Friends. I am crazy about her colorful photography skills, her honestly wonderful embroidery, and her beautiful home.


6. Hillary Lang at WeeWonderfuls. Hillary reminded me that all of the older ladies of yore (and trendy ladies of now) embroider to be cool. She is seriously so dang talented, I can barely stand it.


7. Alicia Paulson of PosieGetsCozy. If you don't read her blog, you should. She cooks, she sews, she creates, she shares. She is AMAZING. Love her.


8. Jenny at LittleGreenNotebook. An interior designer, Jenny is wonderful at describing how she transforms things to make them beautiful. I love reading her blog every day.
   

Seriously, there are so many more people out there who inspire me every day online. Stephmodo, SouleMama, PioneerWoman, Elsie Flannigan, Nate & Jaclyn... of course, NieNie - just to name a few more. I love them all.

Thanks again to all of these bloggers for your inspiration and friendship, thanks to Kheli for the award, and thanks to all who read this blog!

I know this is similar to one of those memes, but I appreciate the opportunity to say thank you to those who inspire me. Please pass this on and encourage each other.