A Crafter I Am Not

What do you do when you have a pushy daughter who is relentless in her efforts to make you step outside your comfort zone?

A) Start a blog

B) Join a Bunco group

C) Participate in a craft swap

D) All of the above!

If you chose D, you are exactly right! And I'm glad I did all these things. Thanks, Lauren!

Here are the ornaments I made with my own two little hands for the craft swap my daughter started. I take no credit for the idea....got that off Pinterest. Twelve ornaments cost me about $5. The wood was free--thanks, Lowes! The scrapbook paper was 40% off at Hobby Lobby and I just printed off the words. The original post used wire, but I already had twine and being the cheap frugal gal I am, I used that. But, of course, I couldn't leave well enough alone, so had to add a little bling bling to the mix. Back to Hobby Lobby for some sparkly do-dads and voila!

Can't wait to see what the other participants have made!

What's New, Pussycat?

I took a blogging break over the summer and thought I'd catch you up on what happened during those few short months.  These are in no particular order, which is how I usually do everything.

One daughter bought a house.

One daughter got married.

Son had a baby girl.

House-buying daughter had a baby boy.

Baby-having son bought a house.

Granddaughter and grandson from Tacoma came for two months.

Had a yard sale.

Opened a second flea market booth.

Went camping with our church group.

Stopped trying to even pretend to exercise or eat right and gained 15 lbs.

Had a thyroid biopsy (benign).

And that's just the big stuff!

For those wondering about the Crock Pot Pizza....it was delicious! Easy and filling...just my kind of meal! Will definitely be adding it to the repertoire.

Whatcha Eatin?

Anyone who has read this blog for more than five minutes knows I hate to cook.  Some folks think that means I can't cook. To the contrary, I can cook, I just prefer not to. Every once in a while though, I get a wild hair and try out new recipes.  On the menu tonight? Crock Pot Pizza.  Sounds wonderful. Smells delicious! Tune in tomorrow to see if it tastes as good as it looks!

An Oldie, But Goodie!

This time four years ago, I shared a wonderful article about women and the right to vote. Thought it appropriate to post it again today. It's long, but so worth the read! Hope you'll take the time to do so--maybe while you're waiting in line to cast your own vote!

#8

Our 8th grandchild was born a little over an hour ago! A boy weighing 7 lbs, 15 oz! Mom and baby are doing great. Here's a picture from the happy parents! 

The Post With No Name

The older I get, the more I realize I know nothing and I am wrong more often than not. But that doesn't stop me from spouting off way too often. I share, advise, critique, and rant. I talk when I should listen. I give my so-called expertise when it wasn't asked for. I judge others for doing some of the same things I do. But of course, I'm doing it because __________ (fill in the blank), so that makes it okay. Not.

I wish I wasn't so loud and opinionated. I wish I could would temper my tongue. I wish I wasn't so snarky and sarcastic. I wish I was one of those sweet, soft spoken women who never has a bad thing to say about anyone. I wish so many things. I've tried hard to change the way I think, the way I speak, the way I act. To the point where I'm not sure who I am anymore. There has to be a middle ground, but I can't seem to find it.

My husband is in a leadership position at church now and I've watched him grow and change in the past several months. It's amazing! Not that he wasn't great before, but he's just so much more now. The change in him has made me see and feel my shortcomings stronger than ever. I want to be more like him. And like Him. I want to look for and recognize the good in others. I want to be filled with love and compassion and charity. I want to not be resentful and jealous when work and church duties take Darrell away from time with me. I want to overcome the natural man--which is alive and well within me.

My solution has been to distance myself from the general population. If I'm not around people, I can better control my natural tendencies. I stay home, I don't go to activities if I can help it, I make my blog private. I've even deleted my Facebook page. But sooner or later, I have to go out into the world. Not to mention that those I love most in the world are still subjected to my "words of wisdom". So I've got to figure out some way of finding a better me. The me the Lord wants me to be. The me I fear I'll never become.

Wish me luck.