::layouts for nana::

I put together a few layouts for my Mom of all her grandbabies (with the help of the scrumptious papers by the amazing Rhonna aka Dreamy).

::buon compleanno!::

Clare, my dear and lovely friend...
~Happy Birthday

Thank you for the treasure of your friendship.

::rob::

Five things I love about my husband:
1. His brave hearted tireless devotion to our family;
2. His brillant mind;
3. His vulnerable trust in God;
4. His trustworthiness;
5. He buys me my favorite ice cream.

::the paomnnehal pweor of the hmuan mnid::

"aoccdrnig to a rscheearch at cmabrigde uinervtisy, it deosn't mttaer in waht oredr the ltteers in a wrod are, the olny iprmoatnt tihng is taht the frist and lsat ltteer be in the rghit pclae. the rset can be a taotl mses and you can sitll raed it wouthit porbelm.

tihs is bcuseae the huamn mnid deos not raed ervey lteter by istlef, but the wrod as a wlohe. amzanig huh?" david carson

::the geranium and the bully-plant::

I was doing a few moments of gardening late yesterday afternoon and realized that one of the geraniums we had planted a few months ago was being overtaken by a dying, weedy bully-plant. In an effort to allow the much more beautiful geranium blossoms to show through, I started trimming away at the bully-plant (not the real name for the plant, which I don't know -- my term because of it's role in this story). So I trimmed and trimmed until the entire area around the geranium was clear of bully-plant. Then I stood back to admire my handiwork and realized that the once tall and vibrant geranium was now laying lifeless, and much less grand than before, on the dirt.

I suddenly realized that it was this weedy, seemingly unneccessary bully-plant that had been holding up the lively geranium which now appeared limp. And I was taught by this gardening experience. Sometimes the bum deals in life are needed to help make the beautiful things well, beautiful.

It all matters and has a purpose, even the bully-plants.

So one of my dreams for when I turn ___ *was* to have our attic finished and have a room for Luke, a exercise room for Mama (Rob was going to finish the garage for his), and a gorgeous Master Suite and Bathroom enSuite. Well, we finally got around to actually going up there and seeing it for the first time today. This is what it looks like.

Needless to say I was a little dissapointed. Rob, not so much because I don't think he thinks we'll ever have the equity to finish it anyway. (Plus he's a bohemian at heart and is always looking for somewhere else to live.)

Is there anything we can do? Any suggestions? Maybe a tiny loft bedroom or office? Is it worth it?

*sigh*

BTW, isn't that fluffly pink insulation kinda bad for you? Makes me itch just looking at it.

::stop and play::

The room was neat, without a sound,
And lonely as I looked around,
Remembering yet another day,
You wanted me to stop and play.

But I was busy, I had things to do
And I didn’t have much time for you
Or a verse you wanted me to hear,
And my reply was, “Later, dear”.

My days were full of busy tasks,
No time for the questions that you asked.
You wanted to share the things you’d learned,
But when you looked, my back was turned.

The years rushed by, I wish Id’ known
That you would be so quickly grown.
No longer holding out to me
That need that I was too rushed to see.

And now the toys are put away.
We have no more songs or games to play.
No good night kiss or stories to hear.
It’s all part of another year.

I wish I could go back again
Relive those years as they might have been.
And the little things that you asked me to do
I wish I’d made more time for you. ~Unknown

::sanity-saver toolbox::

Diving into my sanity-saver toolbox. I've been tested and tried. I probably failed . The Lord gives us strength for what we are to face I know. It seems I've been called to tap into every speck of that strength. That's not true of course because His strength is so much more that we can imagine or dream of. I must edify my husband and he is truly wonderful in so many ways (self telling self: yes he is, yes he is, yes he is). But each descision to be made = battle. Desperately wanting our home to be a lovely peaceful place for our children. I feel constantly ill at ease. Under attack, scrutiny. But I'm lovely to my precious Savior. My home is my battleground. We have trials -- mine aren't as bad as most. But unnervingly unrelenting. It would be good to be understood. It's wise not to talk too much about marriage troubles --

Could I be more fortunate? The grace of my God and King, gorgeous treasure children, health and so much more. What lessons, pearls will I gain from this trial Dear Father? Your way is best. Smooth out this stone. Does it look like I'm asking for an answer?

::connectin'::

Little bit of conversation with the neighborhood Mamas. Feeling the need to connect, learn and share poop stories.

::unconditionally::

I can love you with an unconditional love all my life and I will always.

::you must do:::

::luke's bedtime story::

Once beyond the village, they could smell the friendly fields again; and they braced themselves for the last long stretch, the home stretch, the stretch that we know is bound to end in the rattle of the door-latch, sudden firelight, and the sight of familiar things greeting us. They plodded along silently and steadily, each one thinking his own thoughts.

The Wind in the Willows by Kenneth Grahame

::custom shape::

Of the day.

::listening pleasure::

Somafm

Groove Salad ~ A tasty plate of ambient beats and grooves.
Secret Agent ~ The soundtrack for your stylish, mysterious, dangerous life. For Spies and P.I.'s too!
Drone Zone ~Served best chilled, safe with most medications. Atmospheric textures with minimal beats.
Tag's Trance Trip ~ Progressive house / trance. Tip top tunes.
indie pop rocks ~ New and your favorite classic indie pop tracks.
cliqhop idm ~ Blips'n'beeps backed mostly w/beats. Intelligent Dance Music.
Beat Blender ~ A late night blend of deep-house and downtempo chill.

::grunge and vic::

• Luke had a great day - lots of imitating sounds
  
• Rob wants to buy a Crown Vic.
• I learned how to apply a background grunge effect in Photoshop.
• I had a nice long conversation with my aunt Susan.
• Trying to figure out my camera. I bought a book about digital photography and then couldn't find my camera manual. Found it online -whohoo - and printed all 92 pages.
• Set some short-term goals (30 days) . Reward for reaching those goals - new scanner.
  

::second spring::

Autumn is a second spring when every leaf is a flower.
~Albert Camus

::lifelong-challenges::

Challenges:

• Raise my children to love the Lord with all their hearts and lean on Him in everything.
  
• Overcome Luke's autism.
  
• Learn to edify my husband and lift him up ...remember his differences (everything from politics and religion to music and mealtime...and more) can be complimentary to mine - not necessarily clashing
  
• Give my children a happy healthy home
  
• Cultivate my hobbies ...grow and flourish spiritually
  

::weekend contents::

Our weekend consisted of:

• One stomach flu (Rob) ;
  
• One viewing of Winged Migration (highly recommend);
• One trip to the park with both children (on my own - slight challenge as we're still working on the comply concept with Luke);
• One observation of the first completely independent slide (sit down included) from the cutest toddler in the world (one guess);
• One overwhelming sadness for the people who lost their family and life with Katrina. How can people suffer that much. And a sadness for the inability of so many in this country to not be able to put aside their rancid hate of George Bush and come together and reach out to those hurting. How sad.
  

And there is still a large part of a whole day left in the weekend.
Ahh the possibilites.

::calm::

For those days when I need a little help holding on to my sanity.

::twinkle::

Twinkle my little star.

They are the ones given to me who teach me what it is to love .

::strength::

Sometimes the weight of life seems unbearable. Those poor precious children and their desparate parents stranded in rising flood waters in New Orleans.

Strength for today. The lesson I learned today was that God will give us strength for today. Don't worry about tomorrow. That is so hard but makes life so much easier.