Every one deserves a smile

I bought a box of tissue for my poor nose.
I wanted something nice and sassy.
So I looked until I found one that had snowmen on it.
I love snowmen, they make me happy.
I bought it and took it home and put it on my desk.
Day after day I enjoyed my snowmen box of tissue.

Then one day the box was in the way of my big
project...disguised as homework.
I moved my snowmen box to the other side of my desk.

The next day I was feeling rather sad. Ever have one of those days?
I did.
I was sad. Until I looked up and saw my box of tissue....
This is what greeted me.








See...everyone deserves a smile.

I felt happier after that.

And the winner is...

The towel give away is offically closed. Thank you for all the great, fun comments, this was really fun.

AND THE WINNER IS...BRIT JO!!! congratulations! Please send me your address and I will get the towels in the mail to you pronto! If you don't want to leave your address on my blog here is my e-mail address. suzih19@gmail.com I promise I won't share your address with anyone, no matter how much they beg.

BUT WAIT! I have SIX towels to give away, so these three people will each receive one towel.

Luanne.......Monika......and Kay Marie.

Addresses, I need addressses! Hurry I want to get these mailed out to you all.

Thanks to every one for making this so fun.

This is what I know so far...

For the last few weeks these thoughts have been forming in my head, a list, of sorts, of things that I know about myself.

* I like bold colors. Not obnoxious bold colors, but bold colors that say, "here I am, this is the color I was made, I am glad to be this color and I think I am good at being this color." I should be like a bold color, even if the color is pastel.

* I like material. There I said it. I like the different textures, the patterns and the pleasing idea that a piece of flat material can become something dimensional. (Like making a hand towel look really really cute...there are still two more days to the end of the give-away! Thanks for all of the participation and great comments!) I like to think that I am like the material, learning how to fold and bend and turn into a more dimensional person.

*I also like paper in the same way that I like material. Feels good to get that off my chest! I like to make paper for books and cards, and seed paper. Paper is a must in my house.

* I like office supplies. Especially if they are crazy cute. There is nothing like finding a great pen that writes smooth and silky. Once I find a pen I like, I buy 2-3 because I know when they run out of ink I'll never be able to find them in stock again. Also, office supplies make me feel organized, and I like being organized.

*I like my toast/bread buttered to the very edge. Not ALMOST to the edge, and not only part of the edge. The.whole.entire.edge. Please don't leave any of the bread poking out naked.

*I like being in my garden and working in the yard. I love growing things. I love it. I love how it makes me feel like I have accomplished something great. Puttering around the garden and the yard provides me time to get in touch with myself.

*In that same light, I think tomatoes are beautiful. when I pick one out of my garden and it is deep red with its cute little green stem cap on, I hold it up so I can look at it and I think it is a perfect example of beauty.

*I like zucchini...in small amounts. It's just sooooo hard to get them to grow in small amounts!

* I like carrying my 1/2 bushel basket to my garden and bringing it back to the house full of fresh garden stuff to eat.

* I like tomato soup when it is made from beautiful home grown tomatoes. ummmmm yummy.

* I like when my husband looks at me and sees me like I am 20 years old. Granted he has to squint and pretend, but I still like it.

*I like looking at How-To books. They get me all excited to DO something creative and/or new. I like how my mind starts whirling with ideas about how to change one idea into something slightly different. Fun!

*I like taking pictures. I love it. When I look through the viewfinder of a camera, it is like stepping through a door into another world. I become completely lost in discovery. I can't even describe it.

*I like writing. I use to write in my journal every night. I have 27 journals that span my life from 1972 - 2007. But it is not just journals that I like to write. I like to make up stories and short essays. I like putting words together to paint pictures.

* I like being with my family. They are the people who I love the most, and the treasure of my soul.

Towels for Mom

My Mom LOVES hand towels that hook over the towel rack
or oven door and just hang there ready to dry a pair of wet hands.
UNFORTUNATELY when I went to see her, ALL of her
hand towels were Trashed...

yucky
grimy
putrid
old
worn out
and
eeeewwwuuuu!!!!


So, I made her some new ones!
they are....


Sweet....
so so cute
clean
happy
bright
and just what my mommy needed!

Take a look for your self.




Here is Mom with some of her new towels.
She was EXCITED!




So here is the deal.
Each hand towel makes TWO towels.
I have extras...and what can I do with them?

I am having a free give away, (thought I would try it.
I am borrowing the rules from other people...thank you.)

Comment on this post for one entry
Link it and let me know for another entry. (To give you two entries.)
Do this by Midnight Sept. 24.
If I draw your name you will get three towels.
I will post the winner Sept 25.

I hope you win!

I have been gone a long time.

Some of you may be asking, "where have you been?"

Well, the answer is not simple.

Let's just say, I have been busy." and call it good.

But, you might say, "What have you been doing?"

Then I would have to reply, "This":

22 bottles of peaches....

They are so beautiful.

And I have done 24 bottles of pears. They're beautiful also, but I was

too tired to take pictures.

And....

I have been doing other stuff too.

Mother's Day Addendum

Thought you might like an update on my
mother's day present....and how the flowers are doing.


Here is a reminder of what they looked like. Look
at all the pretty colors!






Here is where I planted some of them.
In the front yard along the side of the driveway.

Here is what some of them look like close up.

The purple button flowers are hanging in there pretty good.

Remember the beautiful orange flowers?

(You can revisit my mother's day blog if you want to

see what they use to look like.....)

The blossoms were the first to go...oh saddness!

and the plant isn't looking so happy either....woe is me!

Can you say "transplant shock?"

This is the lemon bush. It use to have cute little bright

yellow flowers all over it...Hummmm where are the lemon-y flowers?

(Actually this plant got...shall we say, a bit thirsty in its container before

I planted it, so it is in the process of making a come back.)

As long as there is still green on it, there is hope!

My little white flower bush has done really well.

I just need to cut back the old flowers and see if new ones will

grow back. This one I call my "happy" flower bush, it is always

smiling.

I'm not worried. They'll bounce back!

Yard Addendum

And also, it has been brought to my attention that I forgot
some mushroom plant pokes. (You will see them at the end.)


I also forgot....




The bug wind chime that hangs in the walnut tree.









And the bell wind chime that hangs on the deck.






My new purple columbines.....BEAUTIFUL!










Don't forget Mrs. Hippo...










And the HollyHock...can't wait for the flowers to burst open.
(the two orange flowers are my new poppies. The orange reminded me of Lulu.)







And....TaDA! Mushroom plant pokes that were made for me
by Rex, Jeigh, Jenna, Halle, Jett and Reesie piecey for Mother's Day.










I put them in my Jennifer's minature rose garden!
The roses haven't bloomed yet.









Ahhhh...this IS the good life.

The Yard

I have been spending a lot of time working outside.

I thought I would share some things in the yard with you.





Mr. Rock Face..the rain chime.










The bleeding heart plant that could never grow because Hobbes always jumped on it

when he was barking at the squirrels in the walnut tree.....

Flower plant poke....the cobweb is free.

The side yard is now part of the back yard. Notice the chain link fence and gate are gone.

We're still working on this area...oh we have plans!

Mister Happy Dance Flute Playing guy...love him!

OH...and the coolest pink flamingo head in the world!

My hoppy frogs catching flys fence.... get it... I said hoppy instead of happy...hahahaha, I am so funneeeey.

And don't forget my fish plant poke. It is a memorial to the fish Sarah got me for either my birthday or Mother's Day (sorry Sarah, I can't remember which one)...it died. *sniff, sniff*

The cherry tree in bloom...

Does it make you homesick?

Then

come

on

home!

The Shoes

We were cleaning out the garage when we found them...

The little shoes....

the one pair of shoes that each of our kids wore

when they were oh... so....very... small...

I held them up when I found them

and said, "Oh look!

The shoes"
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.
.

Now they are on my bookcase
I see them every day. They
remind me of when my kids were oh...so...very... small.
I miss them.

Mother's Day

I love my present. I got to pick them out myself.
You can't go wrong with that!


All kinds of beauty in one spot!



RASPBERRIES ....yum!

Here's what some of them look like close up.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

I Discovered Something Today

I couldn't work in the yard and garden like I planned today, because of two reasons:

1. My crash on Monday (you can scroll down and read about it) I was kind of sore.

2. It was cold and blustery.

I did try to work in my garden, but after moving 4 shovelfuls of dirt...

my toe and my finger hurt so I quit. AND...I talked to

Mr. Wilson over the fence until I was icy cold.

I still haven't warmed back up.
So I came in the house all forlorn and didn't know what to do. It pretty much hurt to do anything. Then I discovered something......

My webcam! My day got a bit brighter....

Good times!

How I Spent My First Day of Summer Vacation

I promised myself that on the first full day
of my summer vacation, I would spend the day
working in the yard.
I didn't want anything to spoil my day so
I decided to take some allergy medicine...
Benadryl by name... BEFORE I started working, so
my allergies wouldn't make me miserable.

Half way through mowing the yard I started to feel
weird. I went into the house and sat down...
When I woke back up it was 12:30 in the afternoon...
I forced my sluggish self back outside to finish mowing the lawn.

On Sunday, (two days later) Mike and I decided to walk to church.
We walked by our yard swing...Oh Wow!...I had no recollection of
doing it...


Apparently I just mowed around the swing...
let this be a lesson to all.
Never, never, never, use yard equiptment
while on pharmecuticals!
Benadryl by name.

What I Did on My First Monday of Summer Vacation

I crashed on my bike.
I was going DOWN Gwen Street.
For those of you who don't know
Gwen Street, think of Mt. EVEREST
only STEEPER.... I was going 45,000
miles PER HOUR!!! I should be dead.
Instead, I am just Maimed.
Grotesque, really.
Now, I can't wear a shoe on my
LEFT foot...I sprained by BIG-went-to-market toe.
Scratched the back of my LEFT leg, Scumed up my LEFT
knee, scraped my LEFT hip, and I am bearing a deep
purple BRUISE on the inside of my LEFT elbow.

My RIGHT side didn't escape either...
I lost Skinage on my PALM
under my little PINKY.
AND my pointing finger,
looks like a sausage...

I hope my WHOLE summer isn't like
these first two days!

First experience with a foot Doctor

I had a bunch of nerves that got all bothered. I don't know what made them so bothered, or why they decided to take it out on me...after all, if I hurt, they hurt, we are connected, but that didn't seem to make any difference to them. So you could say, I was standing on my own last nerve. I couldn't walk without limping, I couldn't stand on my tip toes, when I walked it felt like I was walking on a bunched up sock. A bunched up sock with spikes in it! It was time to get serious with these bothered nerves, sit down and talk it out with them. We went to counseling aka: the foot doctor, and the counselor said, "They need a shot of cortisone, that will help them settle down." Since the nerves were proving impervious to all other options, I nodded my head in agreement. The doctor's assistant rushed out of the room to get the needle and cortisone.

"You will feel a bit of a pinch when the needle goes into your foot." I was jiggy with that, UNTIL the shot actually started and then it hurt like, HOLY SMOKES, YII CHEE AAOW AH!!!!!

The doctor warned me that my nerves were going to be really upset for a while but that eventually they would get over it and they should settle down and be happy foot ending nerves again. I hope so!

you can see the little mark where they stuck the needle into my foot....*weep*

I have to wear the little toe alignment splint for a month to keep my little piggy-that-stayed-home, pointing downward so the nerves will heal right, and also because that piggy was starting to lean toward my piggy-that-went-to-market. I guess, it was trying to house sit for the market-piggy while it was gone. Anyway, in piggy land, I learned, that is a big no-no.

And finally, I have caused my self to wonder...What is that whole piggy-went-to-the-market thing about? If you were a piggy, would you want to go to the market?

Communication is Essential!

Rule #3 The Charity Principle:

"If a participant's argument is reformulated by an opponent, it should be carefully expressed in its strongest possible version that is consistent with what is believed to be the original intention of the arguer. If there is any question about that intention or about any implicit part of the argument, the arguer should be given the benefit of any doubt in the reformulation and/or, when possible, given the opportunity to amend it (Attacking Faulty Reasoning pg. 19)."

The heart of learning how to communicate in a way which leads to fair solutions is learning how to participate in the discussion with charity. It is common, as flawed people, to restate the other person's argument by adding or interpreting implications that were not intended by the other person as a way to further our own motive of being "right." What we fail to keep foremost in our mind is that we are discussing an issue (the least important part) with some one that we love, (the most important part) and with whom we want to build a strong, eternal relationship. The principle of charity gives us powerful perspective in keeping tract of what is most important as we work though the issues.
Restating the other person's argument with charity means to do it, not to twist their words to make their argument mean what you want it to mean, but to restate it with love, in the very best, clearest way possible to the intentions of the one whose argument it is. Charity also makes one willing, if needed, to allow the other person to correct any part of their argument which is being misunderstood until the most accurate version of the idea is presented. Then, charity discusses from that corrected premise only.

The bible dictionary defines charity: "The highest, noblest, strongest kind of love, not merely affection; the pure love of Christ." Moroni 7:47-48 : "But charity is the pure love of Christ, and it endureth forever;and whoso is found possessed of it at the last day, it shall be well with him. There fore my beloved brethren, pray unto the Father with all the energy of heart, that ye may be filled with this love..."

Our true desire in overcoming any issue that arises is to find a workable solution for both involved in the dispute. We must be praying as couples, with all the energy of our hearts, to be filled with charity towards each other as we work through our issues. By applying the pure love of Christ in our discussions, it is more likely that we will be lead by the spirit to the truth/solutions we need. If we deliberately create and then attack a weak version of the original argument, we will probably fail in reaching the goals the discussion was meant to serve. If we really want to find the truth, or the best solution to the issue then we must use the principle of charity when restating the other person's side.

Big Sigh

Sooooo! Our home teacher and his wife just had a new baby. I thought it would be NICE to make some pretty cupcakes to help them celebrate the new arrival. I had it all set in my MIND...the little cakes would be joyful as well as SWEET. They would be received with APPREICATION causing much Jubilaton...

Such was the image of my good-doing....

and then there is my reality......

I worry that the jubilation might not be what I hoped.