A Bit of Heaven on Earth

Wish I'd Done That: Make friends with the people at the appliance store. You need a contact there! Nothing beats a winter day like making a fort/playhouse/whatever out of a giant refrigerator box. Paint, markers or nothing at all. Kids will have a ball, and when it's all broken up, put it out in the trash!

I've just returned from my little bit of Heaven. (I use this term loosely!) Ace gave me a gift certificate to a spa in Tulsa for a facial.
Oh, my.
Never should have done that, Ace.
Now, I feel the NEED!
A relaxing hour of oils and lotions, massage, WARM TOWELS, even a foot rub! Afterwards, a steam shower and more lotions.
Wow. A girl could get used to this......
Thanks, Ace.
I love you!
(It's Marilyn Ihloff Salon, if you want to try it too!)

Collections

Wish I'd Done That: In today's world, child safety is a grave concern. When your little ones are 4 or so, teach them a "password". This helps when you have someone new pick them up from pre-school, church, or wherever. Unless the new person knows the "password" your child should not go with them. This is handy, and can be presented in such a way your child won't be scared, just cautious. Obviously, if it's Grandma, they don't need the password; you get the idea.


I love to go to garage sales, auctions, antique and junk stores. I've found lots of great things, and I loved doing it with my parents.

One of the things I love most is cobalt enamelware. You can find enamelware in lots of colors: yellow, green, grey, etc., but my favorite is cobalt.

My dad gave me the coffee pot, and I bought the cup and saucer. Later, Mom gave me the other saucer. We had so much fun together digging around for our treasures. Dad found the coffee pot in some junk place, and Mom said he was so excited to find one for me for such a great deal. He loved to bargain and talk to everyone he met during our outings.

I don't remember where I found either of these pieces, but I love the different mottling on them. Great!

The pot on the left that's upside down came from my grandmother. She didn't collect anything, she just had it lying around, and I wanted it! She probably used it for washing dishes, or something. Anyway, it's special since it came from her.

Grandma was a real hoot. I don't think she was even 5 foot tall, but she could cook like something you've never seen. Jana says she turned the heat up and cooked everything on high. She had 10 kids - one every 2 years. She made the very best noodles I've ever tasted! Gosh.......She always had a German chocolate cake on her kitchen table, too.! Wow!

I move my stuff around all the time, but I always keep this group out, because it reminds me of great times with Mom & Dad and my Grandma Headrick.

Love Life

Wish I'd Done That: As you are gathering all that stuff to take to Goodwill, put some of the stuff on the kitchen table and let them be creative. Use the old paper napkins, leftover craft feathers and other project "orphans" and let the kids go crazy. Good for their creative skills, and it's less you've got to haul away. Display their creations for a week, then out they go, too!

I Love My Life
1. All my needs are met
2. Personal freedom
3. Freedom to worship
4. Great family
5. Great friends
6. Great church family
7. Fairly close to my extended family
8. Kids are healthy, happy
9. Husband healthy, happy
10. My Redeemer loves me!

Ace Comes Through!

Wish I'd Done That: When LA was little, I never let the poor little girl get dirty, play in the dirt, or generally get messed up. When AA came along, I was more relaxed and let them both have lots of fun. Take my advice: dirt is good; the kids develop resistance to germs!

You all may remember my sad tale about this cup:

My souvenir from London's National Museum, I'd broken it; knocked it off the kitchen counter. I loved it! I'd tried to replace it and had looked everywhere online, but no luck.

On Christmas morning, I opened this from Ace, my sweet husband:

He'd ordered it from London; it's not Van Gogh's Sunflowers, but he remembered I love the Monet pond paintings we've seen. Wasn't that thoughtful? I love it, and now I have another great memory associated with my cup.

I still can't bring myself to throw away the other cup - I'm crazy, right?

Hope your Christmas was fun and safe.

I pray 2009 will bring you all blessings and God's wisdom and grace.

Count Your Blessings

Wish I'd Done That: Keep a small trash bag in your car. An old gift sack works great. Train your little ones with a game of "toss the wrapper in the bag" or whatever! It will help keep your car neater and save you time when you clean out your car.

Blessings

"...there will be showers of blessing." Ezekiel 34:26

Here are my 3 biggest blessings. I'm not going to list all the Lord has given me, but of course, He is in all my blessings.

What are your blessings? I'm giving away one of our prints to the most creative blessing listed by a reader. On Friday, I'll announce the winner. Leave a comment with your "interesting" blessing. I'd love to list some of them.........

Friends

Wish I'd Done That: Plan menus ahead. Before you shop, make an outline of possible meals for the week. You'll feel more prepared for the week if you know where you're going meal-wise. You might even want to prep some items on the weekend, to avoid that last-minute crush.

Sharon

This crazy nut is my friend Sharon, country woman extraordinaire. She is such great fun, and so caring. Pray for her today. She's got a diagnosis we don't like, but I'm standing on God's promise of healing and peace. She's having a procedure today, so she needs your prayers. Thanks.....

Clergy Appreciation

Wish I'd Done That: When your kids are young, find yourself a good Mother's Day Out program. Lots of churches have them and they are available at day care centers, too. Give yourself one day to go to lunch, read, run errands, or take a nap! It's money well spent....

Clergy Appreciation Month

Did you know October is Clergy Appreciation Month? It's a great time to thank your pastor(s); let them know you appreciate their efforts. Send them a note; better yet, send them a gift. This painting Laura did for her husband, Bill, is the October special on http://www.laurasartin.com/. Many pastors are fishermen, and all of us are to be "Fishers of Men"

Our pastor is just about perfect. He's been at our church for many years; you'd think we'd know his faults, but really, he's just a wonderful shepherd to his flock. I admire his leadership, wisdom and grace under hard conditions. I pray God will bless him and his wife and family as their ministry continues at our church.
What a great guy! He's a missionary kid who grew up in Zimbabwe (Rhodesia), and played soccer at Baylor. What's not to love? Thanks, so much, Paul for loving us and leading us. I pray God's mercies on you, Carol and the kids.
Lest anyone think I'm getting too sentimental........Love you, Paul and Carol!

Fall

Wish I'd Done That: In the trunk of your car, always carry: blankets, changes of clothes, coats, bottles of water, crackers, books. You'll be surprised how much those things will help when you get stuck somewhere. Put it all in a bin, and it will stay out of your way until you need it.

Fall Color

The grass withers and the flowers fall, but the word of our God stands forever." Isaiah 40:8

"For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us fro the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord."

Romans 8:38-39

Praise Him today for all He Is! What are your blessings?

Staying Young

Wish I'd Done That: If you've got an extra refrigerator or freezer in the garage, use that as an additional place to display all the artwork from your kids. Each time you drive in the garage, the kids will see you value their creative efforts!

Sunday Morning

I teach in our youth group on Sunday mornings. This girls are part of the class. They're standing by our youth guy's bike. (It's not mine!)

I've so loved doing this. At first, I thought I was too old, but God has shown me that what these girls need is love. They need to know someone besides their parents is interested in them and loves them for who they are.

What I didn't expect was what these people have shown me so much about God's Word. They are remarkably insightful. I just love the study of His Word, and they have made it so fun. My girls know what they are talking about, and they have super ideas about how He speaks to us. They challenge me to know what I'm talking about, and to think outside the box.

You never know how God will bless you. If someone calls and asks you to teach, pray about it, and then open yourself to His blessings. You can see mine pictured above!