(I got this painting for hosting a Southern Living Home party a couple of years ago. I wish I could say that I am the artist.)
Here are some things that will adorn the mantel:
I have been stirring all of my creative juices and coming up short in decorating ideas for this room. So, again, I am using Heidi's ideas...thanks, Heidi!
"Here dies another day
During which I have had eyes, ears, hands
And the great world around me;
And with tomorrow begins another.
Why am I allowed two?"
- G.K. Chesterton
Dear sweet son,
No, she did not wear this smocked dress to the park. She is, after all, a third born
Lydie discovers paint
Lots-o-laundry
Projects
Lydie's first masterpiece
(It says, "Back home".) Thanks for the encouraging comments and emails. I feel very blessed!
Quotes from an argument between the boys:
This is Lydie's sad face. We see this face less and less often, as she is finally realizing that she can not always have her own way. She has discovered how to fake cry over little boo-boos. She comes with a loud, fake pouty whine and says, "boobooboo!". She got red marker on her hand and tried it today. She laughed and laughed when it rubbed right off. Oh my!
This is Lydie's happy face, sort of. We see this face more and more often as we work on her boundaries. Girlfriend does not like boundaries! 
This pose is my favorite! This is her surprised face. She hates to be surprised, so we actually never see her make this face unless she is posing for a picture. I guess the boys taught her this one. It looks like she's "home alone".
Who turned the ottoman upside down? I think it became a make-shift horse or spaceship.
See that olive green chair in the corner with that soft blue blanket? That's where I sat and watched the three tornadoes run through the house!
At our house these days, Ind*ana Jones is all the rage. Yesterday, as a very special treat and celebration of the beginning of spring break, my husband bought the boys leather fedoras. These hats are so cute and have already served as little imaginary bridges to new adventures. I hope the new movie in May will be kid-friendly. The boys will be heart-broken if they can not see it! We will probably have to wait until it comes out on DVD and then skip certain scenes. Thank you, Ind*iana Jones, for making words like "archaeology", "King Tut" and "ark of the covenant" regular meal time words at our table. This is a very fun stage! (And a great break from Star Wars and pirates!)
Best buddies 
The boys wanted me to take pictures of a "fight scene". That punch was a little too close for comfort for me, but Jaybird thought is was great!
Spider man costume is rolled up at the leg and down at the waist to create a "creek swimsuit". *Notice the camo rain boots for a complete ensemble.
"These rocks make for good troll hiding spots. I believe in trolls and fairies." -quote from Jaybird
We bought our old floral sofa in 1999. By 2002 I was not happy with our choice, but we had gone from a family of two to a family of four. So we kept the sofa for years and moves and children. I have grown to hate that floral sofa! (This is the loveseat that matches) 
It is so uncomfortable and the floral colors leave very few decorating choices. So on Saturday when I saw a sign that said, "See our sofa inside" hanging by the garage sale sign I became curious. They were asking $75, and in my excitement I forgot to haggle. I wrote them a check on the spot! I invested another $75 to have the sofa cleaned and scotch-guarded this morning, for a grand total of $150. It is big, comfy, a great color and worth every penny! If you know me you probably know what I am thinking now...paint color, accessories! I can't wait to work on this room over the next couple of weeks. Stay tuned for more pictures!
"Do not be afraid; I know that you are looking for Jesus who was crucified. He is not here; for he has been raised, as he said. Come, see the place where he lay...And remember I am with you always, to the end of the age." Matthew 28:5,6,20
At home before the big event
Toot gives Jaybird a pat on the back
Besides his poem, we heard approximately 20 others. I was beyond impressed, flabbergasted, with the performances we saw! Among those were the Martin Luther King, Jr. "I have a dream" speech, beautiful poetry from Stevenson, Longfellow, Carroll, Whitman and Kipling. There was even one boy that got to re-enact a scene from "We are Marshall". Here are a few wise words written today by Jaybird's principal about the importance of memorization and public speaking for young children.
Our women's ministry had our winter event. We call it Souper Supper. It involved soup, bread, dessert and a speaker. We had nine tables of ladies, each table decorated by a different volunteer.
Here is my table. I should have taken more pictures. The table cloth was a light blue. There was a tall clear vase with twigs painted silver. The snowflakes were tied to the branches with white ribbon. I used blue and white printed scrap book paper as placemats, which you can not see in the picture. I used a bright blue colander for bread and extra napkins. And the tulle was used to distract from the plastic blue gym chairs.
I enjoyed the other tables so much. There was a Peruvian table, a St. Pat's table, a Scandinavian table, and other beautiful ideas. My best friend, Liz, decorated two tables. They were darling. She used lime green, white and black. She had baskets of green apples and pears in the center. Each place setting had black paper with white polka dots for place mats. She used sparkling pear juice bottles and daisies with black and white gingham ribbon to decorate with a spring theme. I love seeing the artistic side of the ladies in my church.
Our speaker was from a local ministry for homeless women and children. She was both inspiring and humbling. I cringe to think of the beautiful, nameless faces that are suffering right here in our own city every night. I am praying about getting involved in her ministry next year. All in all, we have had an exciting week! We are very blessed to have much to celebrate!
I remember when Jaybird was one, two and three. We went to countless doctors, had countless tests, spent thousands and thousands of dollars. He was brilliant as a baby, almost in a worrisome way. He was smart and beautiful and compliant. But he had some habits that were unusual. He was also frightened of new adults. He would bury his little head in my chest for thirty minutes to an hour when he was in a new setting. He was a creature of routine and order and peace. While learning came very, very easy for him, physical skills were very difficult. When we took him in for testing we heard words that no parent aspires to hear in the context of her child's health...asperger's, autistic spectrum, sensory problems. Just thinking about the dread and fear we felt makes me feel nauseous.
On Fridays I spend the entire morning with just the baby. She and I often come home and play with toys and do housework together. On rare Fridays we go to the park. And sometimes we spend the entire morning running errands. Regretfully, today was an errand day. After the fourth stop, Lydie was grouchy. The fourth and fifth store that we entered were filled with the sounds of my unhappy, tired baby. At the top of her lungs she clearly yelled and screamed, "Mama! Mama! Buckle! Buckle! Puuuu!" Translation: "Mama, unbuckle me and pick me up, NOW!" These tantrums do not embarrass me as much as they did with my first two children. I am not sure if I am more determined, more humbled, or more tired. So I tried to keep my cool, console her and pray quietly. I began to weigh out my options...exasperate/productiveness versus giving in/putting off these errands yet another day. I chose to stick it out.As I was waiting in the check out line with a few spring items in hand, I saw HER. A young mom in her expensive exercise attire. She had a beautiful figure, apparently not a stranger to exercise. Her make-up and hair were flawless. Even her exercise outfit looked expensive. She said out loud that she was shopping for her little daughter, the same age as mine. I deduced her daughter was in day care, because she said that she was on her way to work. She looked invigorated, like she had all the time in the world to style her hair just right for exercise class and all the money in the world to blow at Gymboree. I secretly wondered if her daughter would have been quiet and well-behaved, I was sure she would be. For about an hour I allowed the green-eyed monster of jealousy to seep his way through my thought life. I longed for her life during that period of time, deeply longed for it.
As any parent of a very determined toddler can attest, life is challenging. There seems to be no waking moment of peace (except when she is adorable and kissing everyone, but those memories would not spring to mind at that moment). When the baby is sleeping I am trying desperately to catch up on the housework and laundry that I did not do while she was awake and to love on my sweet, patient boys. Lydie requires a lot of attention and even more discipline. She seems to understand beyond her years what she wants and how she feels with only a little verbal outlet to express herself. She is determined and stubborn and willful. I love her for it, but she needs constant directing (or re-directing). When I add the homeschooled preschooler, the first grader that requires so much time in our car, my wonderful marriage, and the ministries outside of our family, well , I am tired.
I am very thankful, in hindsight, that I met this lady. She lead me to have a serious heart-to-heart with the Lord. Occasionally, I forget why I am doing all of This to begin with. I look around at the sacrifices and constant work and I feel defeated. Gently, gently He reminds me. He doesn't say, "Don't compare your life to someone else's!" He doesn't condemn me. He isn't impatient with me, even though he should be as I have to revisit this issue every now and then. He just reminds me of His love for me. He reminds me that He died for me. He reminds me of His grace. And as I am basking in His love and sacrifice I am renewed. I find the "Why?", and it is simply that I want to reflect Him. I will never, ever do it perfectly and my life may not look like everyone else's. But I just want to obey Him because I trust Him and love Him. And I find joy and thankfulness and purpose in my calling. I am not implying that being a stay-at-home mom and wife is a higher calling than someone else's. The issue here is certainly not to work or not to work. The issue is two fold: obedience (God has called me to be at home with my children) & sin in the form of being jealous and covetting, for which I am guilty.
MIDDLE
AND FINALLY...THE FINISHED PRODUCT
And now, about that desk chair.....
