whatever

therapy

this is art therapy.

i had planned on cleaning but suddenly painting this bathroom (after a year....click)

was THE thing i had to do.

right that minute! 

it was absolutely therapeutic.

 

this is talby's dinosaur bus...i love it so much.  

looks like fisher price little people.

annie drew the emily cat yesterday while i was painting.

and i think sean made the tiger scratching the tree.  

lauren's OLIVIA is just perfect.  

she drew that free hand...amazing.

while i painted i thought about all my friends who are hurting...

and i prayed for them.

it felt good to use my hands while i did it.

then today...some more therapy of a different kind.

cleaning, coffee and cupcakes.

i cleaned that bathroom....and it just felt good.

not good to start but so good to finish and have it sparkle and smell fresh?

maybe i am crazy?

coffee with a friend.

that's always good therapy.

and then i made cupcakes.

not to eat them....just to enjoy decorating them.

i really didn't eat them.

and happy mail.

that's a kind of therapy too right?

all this has come this week.

the toddler bed i won from the 

OhDeeDoh color contest.

i have no idea what to do 

with this right now.

so it sits.

and this package of goodies 

from princess lazertron.

just to be nice.

i really love it all.  

a blog reader/friend melanie sent me her hot cocoa machine!

(the same one i said i was wanting.)

she said she hardly ever used it 

and thought my kids would like it.

how cool is she?

thanks melanie...it rocks.

AND
i ordered fabric 

from jcaroline creative.

i found her through 

today's creative blog.

(or TCB as i call it)

she had heather bailey 

fabric for $6 a yard!

it is just 

BEAUTIFUL.

i want to wrap up 

and roll around in it.

or make a cape for my self...as Super Mama?

Queen of the Laundry?

The Caped Dishwasher?

i could wear knee high pink go-go boots too.

yes...i like that image.  

HA.

*************thank you for praying for all my friends.**********************

pray for cora

this sweet precious girl is fighting for her life.

i wasn't going to blog about this.

i thought it was just too sad....too much for me...not my place.

but then i visited her and her mother and grandmother yesterday.

it's just the worst place you want to be as a mother.

it was almost more than my heart can take this week.

i decided to blog it because she needs our prayers more than i can worry about making you sad.

will you pray for her?

and for all of her family.

she is so tiny.  

so fragile.  

please Pray.

here is her parents blog.

and a place to donate money if you feel led.

q & a

well let's get to a few of these 300+ questions.

 i tried to break them apart into some catagories like 

spiritual, creativity, funny, random, family, scrapbooking...

today i will answer some fun and random ones.

do you have a favorite pair of pajamas?

yes.  these are my current favorites.  

nick & nora jammies from target with united states snowglobes all over.

(just to mention....these are not craig's favorite jammies of mine...too much fabric...wink)

can i ask the name 

of the green paint 

in your foyer?

YES.

it's Behr paint 

called Salted Ash.

it looks like pea soup...

really.

p.s. our hamster thing ATE the bottom of my green curtains. 

totally ruined them!

where did you get that ornate molding holding the photos in your foyer?

at a craft fair...7 or 8 years ago.  it's made from tin molding and wood.  

it used to hang above our bed in IL.  

one night we came into our room and it was on the bed and all the things on the shelf were there too...broken.

we were VERY thankful it didn't fall on us in our sleep!

it's heavy.

do pick out your girls' outfits?

not very often.  

i try to make sure what they have in their drawers fits and is cute

and after that they can choose what they want.

i think it helps their self esteem...making choices.

they are cute in anything.

and color is happy to see for everyone.

where do you get your kids' clothes?

walmart, target, garage sales and the thrift shop.

and occasionally the sale rack at children's place.

lauren does not agree with this...i understand that...she's 13.

when i was 13 all i could think about was GUESS and Express and The Limited.

all day long.

are you an american idol fan?

NO.  i despise that show.  i really dislike watching people sing on tv.

and fighting/bickering on tv.

but the office?  30 Rock?  Lost?  Brothers & Sisters?  Grey's?  ER?

yes....big fan.

what is your favorite family photo?

do you mean besides the 

Olan Mills 1988 portrait?

here are a couple of favorites of mine.

2005 church directory portrait.

love lauren's braids

(and innocenct smile)

this IS sean.

all the time...

and i love that he has a bit of a mo-hawk.

sweet little talbers.

baby annie.

this is a dorky posed picture 

but sweet at the same time.

this is my favorite of just the kids.

F-A-V-O-R-I-T-E.

lauren has a real frog on her knee...annie is looking up to her with that belly sticking out.

the boys' hair.

the suntan...the michigan beach.  

talby's polka dot swimsuit.

i love this photo. (and that trip)

and this one too.

with our IL. friends dave, jenny, jake and abby.

love these.

would you like to have a reality show about your life?     

no.

i don't think it would be very interesting to be honest.

adventures in walmart....folding laundry....sitting at the computer...cleaning up dog poop...

changing wet beds...taking away iPods, PSP's and Nintendo DS...making mac and cheese.

oh yeah...i'd watch that!  exciting.

craig and i thought we'd be good on amazing race.

unless i had to eat raw baby ducks or climb something really high or bungee jump.

or run...or have endurance....

then we'd lose.

do you find david duchovny sexy?

not really.  

i am more of mcdreamy or george kind of gal.

i mean.....COME ON!

steamy.

i am also a craig kind of girl.

"i like you a lot"

and last question for the day....

have you ever been in a home magazine?

nope.

do you know someone?  

send me in.  

spread the word...i would LOVE to be in a magazine...a Home magazine...just to be clear. 

(even though they all seem to be going out of business!)

now...must watch LOST with that hottie up there.  

just because

i thought we could all use a good laugh today.

enjoy.

oh 1988 my love for you will never die.

yay for really high side pony tails.....when are they coming back?  

and how about the little house on the prairie look i am sporting?

it's precious.

hope it made you smile.

looking for happy

enjoy some color and brightness...maybe it will cheer us up.

 

 

 

 

that feels good.

soak in that color.  

letter from the editor

***********************************************************************************

dear cancer,

you suck.

i think know that i hate you.

i hate everything about you.

you ruin everything.

go away.

i wish i could punch you in the face.

worst regards,

meg

***********************************************************************************

our dear friends and neighbors lost their 10 year old son to cancer today.

he was a sweetheart.

i am so sad.

it's all so hard to understand.

this verse has been like a broken record in my head....

"For my thoughts are not your thoughts,

neither are your ways my ways" 

declares the Lord.

Isaiah 55:8

please pray for my friends.  

holy cow.

umm....sorry i asked.

i felt sick to my stomach yesterday.  

you guys have it all wrong.

i don't have it ALL together.

my house is a MESS.

my kids ate ramen noodles and canned peaches for dinner.

annie bawled on the floor the entire time.

there are four baskets of laundry sitting in my living room.

i never get it ALL done...

ever.

who is that woman you are all describing?

i promise it's not me.

this is going to give me lots and lots of good post ideas though.

now what you really want to know first

the winner.....

JULIE LEAK from atlanta.

leave me a comment here and i will contact you from that.

congrats julie.

ok...now about all those questions....

you don't really want to know all that stuff about me.

i am sure of that.

i will answer most of them in a few posts...over a month or so.  

thanks for such good prompts.

have a great friday!

questions & a giveaway

it's been a long time since i have had a give away so...let's have one today!

here are the goodies:

one of the ribbon notebooks that is just so fun to look at.

glittered letters

a big "life is good" rub-on transfer 

and a pack of making memories Valentine/Romance word stickers

a cute make-up bag from old navy

a happy bottle cap magnet

a set of miniature alphabet stamps

and a brand new huge container of white martha stewart glitter.

it's a major award!

now to win this package of happiness....

you must leave me a question in the comments.

since i like to talk...

ask me a question and i will try to answer it in another post.

feel free to ask me anything you want.

i am ready.

i will draw a random winner on thursday night.

i am very curious to see what you will ask....

************comments are closed *********************************

contest is over.

thanks for all the great questions!

he's a goldendoodle.

so many people ask when waffle makes a blog appearance "what kind of dog is that?"

he's a goldendoodle.

he is 7 months old now. 

he is gianormous and naughty.  

but so darn cute you can't help but love him.

we have bible study at our house every sunday night.

this past sunday craig took waffle and the kids out to the country for some running around.

when they came back....waffle drank a ton of water...then fell asleep by the door.

an hour later our bible study group shows up.

i point to his kennel...he goes right in....like an angel.

bible study proceeds to go on about 5 feet away from his kennel.

i was upstairs dealing with a dvd for the kids and i hear craig yelling for me downstairs...and laughing.

i come down and walk right into a puddle of dog pee!

in my socks.

in front of everyone.

UGH.

he pee-ed in his kennel because he had waited so long.  

and it was everywhere.

you know....even bible study is exciting at our house.

naughty dog.

(i know i know....it's my fault and he's not naughty...he's sweet and lovely)

to remind me of the cute stuff....let's look back at when he was a precious baby!

 

 

it's obvious why we love him.

even if i step in his pee in my socks.....

nasty.

i have a dream

this was annie's dream.

and this one too.

with her other MLK project over her shoulder.

i would love to have heard the conversation leading up to this.  

what a lovely world annie's would be.

she came home from preschool and told me

"mom....mart luth McCain was a special man who helped people.

and he got shot-ed by a mean man and he died.

why was that man so mean?"

i answered "well...he must not have had jesus in his heart or love God?"

uh?

ummm?

yeah?  

and she has been telling everyone that 

"mart luth McCain got shot because he didn't have jesus in his heart."

oops.

we cleared it up.

i am so happy they are learning about him even in preschool.

what a great great man.

annie also said ms. kristin showed them on her laptop MLKs speech.

that made me well up with tears.

here's a link to his famous speech (just in case you've never actually heard it all.)

i hadn't listened to more than the very famous few minutes until a few years ago.

and i cried and cried.

i can't imagine that time in our nation.

or before.

thank you Dr. King.