Romans 10:11..

"Anyone who trusts in Him shall never be put to shame."

chaos.

Where there is order,
she brings disarray.

Where kindness or gentleness lie,
she stomps through to disturb the peace.

Her vice is rebellion.

Her high comes from disorder.

Sloppiness and destruction are her closest kin.


Wisdom calls out,
but she talks over.

Prudence beckons,
but she lends no ear.

She leans not toward beauty or peace.
She has long since rejected them!

Understanding is not something she desires.
She would rather go her own way.

Destruction is in her wake
and will be her destiny.

She is chaos.

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success and encouragement are my friends.. (Fri.5.30)

The Hannah Montana Party was a hit! The little girls -and I- had such great fun doing crafts, pinning the earrings on Hannah, eating bubble gum & candy, and playing freeze dance!!

..very thankful and encouraged by the young ones, their joy and gratitude, and the moms & teens that helped.. an all-around very good time!! :)


Mom brought Kayla too... how fun! :)


nail painting station.


Lessons learned......

There are always threats of discouragement in whatever we do, wherever we go. There are challenging circumstances -and even people that we will undoubtedly encounter!

The good news is, where there is stress/distress/the need for courage, it seems encouragement is not far behind!!

This was the case last night: every time there was an issue or point of contention, it was met with resolve and eventually encouragement! (Yay. Thankful for that!)

datenight came early.. (Thurs.5.28)

fun times playing Scrabble with my love!

..and losing horribly I might add!!

....356 to 197...... wow!!

contagious laughter...

Kayla and Christopher playing.. LOVE that hearty laugh!! <3

summer reading..

...What's on your summer reading list?

Juliette would be proud.. (Tues.5.26.09)

Camp Fire Songs with SMCS GS Troop..

Nothing like a little girl scout music to kick off summer reading!

(Fun fact: Juliette Low founded the Girl Scouts in 1912!)

what a day.. (Mon.5.25.09)

couldn't choose just one today, so here's a few pics of the day..


St. Michael Catholic School for a fund raiser at work...
(they did an excerpt from their school play.. and it was great! :)


and then my brother and his family came over for Memorial Day..


my nephew Christopher.. and 'grandpa'! <3

little girls make life better.. (Sun.5.24.09)

Kayla went to get Anna in the Jeep so she didn't have to hobble on crutches all the way over from her house!

These girls were troopers this weekend!

Not only did they camp out in the living room together the night before, they braved two services worth of Kids' church, lunch, and a stop a Jill's on the way home!

I took Anna straight home to get her foot-bandage redressed.. She was back at the house in less than 20 minutes! ..Amazing!

can't resist a stray.. (Sat.5.23.09)

Our new friend -and pet- Midnight.

...stray kids, stray dogs.. kinda wondering what's next for our family!

(Not only does my dad have a weak spot for strays, cliche' pet names seem to be his favorite!! :)


He even built her a 'runner'/cage...



It goes almost the whole length of the fence... pretty impressive if you ask me!


....I could have subtitled this post Be the Solution...Dad has a philosophy of life that shows in his actions: rather than complain or stress about problems, be the solution...

..sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn't I guess, but at least we can't fault him for trying!

And at least the neighborhood problem of this roaming pup is no longer a problem!

representin.. (Fri.5.22.09)

Bryan and Ryan's bilingual welcome for TMP graduation..

Great being 'home' at TMP for the evening.

Loved hearing the children sing again and seeing all their bright-shiny faces!!

(Also loved not being in charge! :) ...goood times!



J. and I afterward...

We enjoyed a great date-night of PF Chang's and Slumdog Millionaire!

(Great film; I highly recommend it!!) <3

our pledge.. (Thurs.5.21.09)

TMP banner for graduation night.

I gave it a loop at the top so it can be hung.. and the bottom a seam and trim.. fun when my learning goes beyond making things for myself!

(just for the record, I'm counting this as sewing project #4:)

Sharing is Caring..(Tues.5.19.09)

Fellow children's leaders.

..sweet, dedicated ladies that have been makin it happen for our young ones each Tuesday night for the entire school year!!

This was our last night of BSF (aka "share night") ..no class, just time for sharing what we've learned and how we've grown throughout the year... pure goodness!

afterthought.. (Mon.5.18.09)

the sunset was great.. wish I had thought of capturing it a little sooner..

almost there..

I'm within 7 days of being caught up on the picture of the day! (wow!)

..I'd love to keep going and get all the way caught up but I must get outside while it's still nice and sunny!!

My goal today is to read and enjoy it...



Just finished Chapter 4 of Crazy Love.. I started Ch.4 over a month ago I'm sure, but now that my extra responsibilities (with BSF and FPU) are through, I have the time and energy for it! <3

"sweet friends"..aka S&J.. (Sun.5.17.09)

Sam and Jason.. Jason's birthday party.

Competitive Sam didn't like it when the guys got a point in CatchPhrase!

playing at work.. (Sat.5.16.09)

Story Time with Miss Kaylee & Kayla.

Had Kayla all day and most of the next.. Story time Saturday was a great big hit! We got there just in time to make a paper bag puppet and I'm so glad we did!!

As soon as we got home, Kayla wrote us a script and we set up a sheet so we could perform it for our friends that were coming over that evening. Not only did we put on the show twice, but Kayla had everybody making their own paper bag puppets! The next day she and Anna wrote a new script and performed it for my mom & dad! :)

seeking art.. (Fri.5.15.09)

The Seeking Tree exhibit, inspired by Jonathan Green.

Fantastic meeting with two ladies from the B&C Art Museum this day.

I was so impressed with their creativity and excellence.. not to mention excited at the prospective work we'll get to do together (with B&N) in the coming months!

...if I had been there to participate in this seeking project, I would have said that I am constantly seeking truth and goodness and direction and love..

aspiration met.. (Thurs.5.14.09)

I was so excited about my latest sewing project that I had to come home and try them on!

When I first got my sewing machine (at least 4 1/2 years ago, maybe more) -pajama pants were my first aspiration! ...and now they're complete!! :)

..AND, I get to check it off my 29 before thirty list (#2)!! ..woo hoo! ...another one down.. mmm, lots more to go!

ooglee fruit.. (Wed.5.13.09)

saw this at the store last week.. oh my!

considering the name I assumed it was on purpose and maybe somehow it tastes really yummy despite the rough-looking skin!

..apparently, it's true.. the Jamaican fruit is good to eat!

BSF.jr.. (Tues.5.12.09)

Finally, a group shot of our Bible-studiers!

Hard to believe the work and class nights are over!

A priceless treasure it's been to get to serve & work with these young ones. They are truly mature beyond their years and will surely be leaders and teachers and blessings to all they meet in life!

29 before thirty #13... check, for now..

half-n-half..(Mon.5.11.09)

kinda random..

I took this during my midday siesta, granted only because I had to go back and work inventory!!

It was actually kind of nice to have the extended break! I got to have a nice lunch with J. at his office, and even squeezed in a little nap before heading back to bookland! :)

..the cfa cow came from Jeremy too.. He got it at a luncheon a while back and passed it on to me this day.. kinda love it!!

happy mom's day.. (Sun.5.10.09)

After a great, fancy brunch with mom, we three girls spent the afternoon out by the pool... how wonderfully nice!!

surprisers.. (Sat.5.9.09)

fun girls.

A friend from high school had his 30th [surprise] birthday party this day. These two were camera-ready for the moment...

..fun times celebrating with friends who now live far away!

agua.. (Fri.5.8.09)

I have to admit, this camera-phone has really made my photo-of-the-day challenge easier!

Not sure why I took this one, but I thought if I made it my background for a while it would encourage me to drink more water throughout the day! ...haha, a worthy venture, I thought! :)

projects (#2 & 3)..

so many ideas... so much aspiration..

and, thankfully a few finished sewing projects...


Bag (#2)... same as project #1 with different material..



PJs... yay! (project #3 = complete!)

that's all I've got pictures of at the moment.......

...I'll get back to the pics-of the-day before long..

charred forest.. (Thurs.5.7.09)

on hwy.31.

This is the first I'd actually seen from the fires.. wow.

afternoon treat.. (Wed.5.6.09)

soy latte.. mmm.

..with the camera phone, no less.. (thanks to Jen from work!!) <3

YAY for recycle day.. (Tues.5.5.09)

YAY is for real!!

Dad set us up with curb-side recycling and it is fantastic!! ..plastic, cans, glass, and paper... and no sorting necessary!!! ..how awesome is that!?

This was the last pile too! ...no more mountainous piles of recycling waiting to be taken!!

Saving it up and taking it to the recycle center was worth it, but this is just plain wonderful!

picture of a picture..(Mon.5.4.09)

first Christmas.

Whoa. We look like youngins!!

...this is still one of my favorite photos of us.

..couldn't be more thankful for that guy and this journey together!! <3
(sappy, I know, but true true!)

learning to read.. (Sun.5.3.09)

amazing.

What's amazing is the love in my heart for that child.

...love watching her learn and grow... <3

Can I tell you somethin? (Sat.5.2.09)

Hayley & her spicy chicken fingers.

What a cutie!! (Jeremy's cousin's daughter)
..glad she likes me and seeks me out now at family functions now! :)

(..this was at the Howell-family reunion.)

battery required.. (Fri.5.1.09)

If I had remembered to take a picture this day, it would have looked something like this..


photo credit.

Dad of course came to the rescue when the car wouldn't start. Unfortunately it wasn't just the corrosion issue, but the battery was no longer holding a charge..

Sure enough, he had the battery replaced by the time I got out of work! ..Amazing.

..I was bummed to miss my lunch-date with Claire, but thankful she was totally understanding and flexible to reschedule!

And... I ended up getting to share sushi+lunchbox outside with Jeremy! ..a nice alternative indeed!

-We got a California roll for Dad too -in return for his sweet service! <3

what would you say...

...if this was it and you knew these were going to be your last words?

What would you say?


..a profound thought.. (came up in class tonight)..and has come up in things I've read and heard and in my daily thoughts for what seems like weeks now!

I know all these things are on my mind for a reason, I just can't pinpoint it.. but my desire is that as I think and reflect on such thoughts that I would get it, and take hold of it, and run with perseverance in it..... 'It' being that which actually matters long after our flicker of life is over..

random thoughts..

...life's too short not to enjoy what we do all-day-everyday.. (a.k.a.. work).

(had that thought as I was driving home considering the few short hours left in the day)


--I wrote myself this note at work-- inspired by the book FISH; a business-motivation-type.. a good one for sure!

...I'm listening to the thunder and watching the lightning flash in the windows.. love that.

..I've been wanting to blog all evening and almost didn't because I didn't think I had anything particular to say (and I haven't taken, much less uploaded a photo.. and I could probably thing of 12 more reasons why)..... but I finally caved and thought I would just reflect a minute, with or without a photo!

..I finally finished watching PS I love you tonight... good film. very thought-provoking.. and emotion-provoking.. makes me continue to think about what matters most and how short our little glimmers of life really are.. anything could happen at any time.. so many people, here one minute, gone the next.. seriously..

...I got to chat with Steph on gmail tonight.. made my night! ..she's in Thailand so it was 7am there (8pm here) ....... I'm so proud of her and Jen! They're living an adventure they will never forget or regret! ..on their way to Cambodia today! ...subscribe to their blog, encourage them with comments, or perhaps pray for them as they journey..

...it's only 9:30 and I'm beat!

..I really wanted to read some tonight.. for some reason I'd much rather write.. I'd always rather write.. (somehow I must develop a discipline and love for reading!!)


one more noteworthy thing... I put my name in a raffle for this kayak..

..not the winner, but at least I tried! ..J put his name in too..

oh well... happy for her... even though I'm totally jealous!:) (the photo is from The Market Common blog..)



I guess that's enough for one night.... until next time... <3

trying it on.. (Thurs.4.30.09)

Sophia & her new dress..

Due to an overly-busy schedule, I haven't made it to sewing class for several weeks.. This is Meggan's latest project!! ...impressive!!!

I just realized I haven't posted any of my projects yet... I'll have to get on that!

ball game.. (Wed.4.29.09)

Davis + crayons + Pelicans Baseball = great American fun!

J. and I even got some boiled peanuts to top it off! :)

Fun times with the Floyds and the Alversons!

small group.. (Tues.4.28.09)

middle school BSF class..

A few of our kids were out this week, but I was excited to finally get a picture of my Tuesday night group!

These ladies are outstanding! They make all the time & energy that goes into each lesson more than worth it! <3

quiet evening.. (Mon.4.27.09)

local news, BSF, & hot tea... never more thankful for these quiet moments..