simple woman's daybook

This week, from my Simple Woman's Daybook:

You can have a Simple Woman's Daybook too. Just click the link above, link up, and viola! You're a simple woman. I'm not sure if I qualify as a simple woman ... but I like to pretend.

Outside my window... Sunshine, and high temps. Loving the warm weather, while everyone else seems to be roasting to near death.

I am thinking... about shopping with Jessie today. I have two gift cards to Macy's, given to me by my church as a way of thanking me for my service the last (almost) three years. Honestly, I don't know what I'm going to buy. For one, I never shop at Macy's. Not because I don't love it. But because of the prices. For another, I don't ever shop anywhere! I need clothes fairly desperately, but I have a hard time finding styles I like, that fit, and are in my price range. I'm counting on Macy's to provide all three for me today. I'll let ya' know how that works out .... ;)

I am thankful for... a good report from my mom-in-law's MRI. The brain cancer has still not returned!!

From the kitchen... An easy supper of sausage and sauerkraut. And possibly no-bake cookies.

I am wearing...my pink fuzzy robe ... again.

I am creating... hand-written journals. I have a stack of them. One is for prayer, one is for quotes, one is for daily ponderings, etc. I love them all!

I am going... to Macy's. Pay attention!

I am reading... The Discipline of Grace, by Jerry Bridges. And Once Upon A Summer, by Janette Oke.

I am hoping... for spiritual growth. 
I am hearing... the hum of the air conditioner.

Around the house... fairly clean, except for the bathrooms, which I will skillfully put off until tomorrow or Friday.

One of my favorite things... Shopping when I actually have money to spend.

A few plans for the rest of the week: Getting a letter out to Peter (who is in Marine boot camp), calling my Mom, planning a 4th of July activity, and just enjoying the summer.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... This is the little yellow chair I was working on. It went from dark blue to this bright yellow. I did a photo shoot with my niece, and used the chair in it. I'll post some photos from that, as soon as I'm done working on them. When I put the chair out in a field of weeds, and sat her in it, she looked at me like I belonged in the nut house.

Observant girl, she is.

Single Sentence Saturday

"To err is Truman."

A joke popular in 1946

a little more bragging

It's been a week of quite a bit of frustration for me, so I haven't blogged much. I hope you'll forgive my pathetic little self. At least you always know I'll come back from my wanderings and ponderings though, right?

Yes, of course right.

And just to make it up to you (whatever!), I'll post a little more eye candy, and brag on my deliciously good looking extended family.

Magically delicious!!!

the pitcher

The Titans and the Rattlers were in the top of the third inning. Rattlers were up to bat, with two outs, and the pitcher was working hard to make it a third. The score was one to nothing, Titans on top.

It was the first game of a single elimination tournament. Schedules were tight and time was limited. As a result, the pitcher’s warm up time was cut short. After the first inning, his arm felt a tad strained, but not bad enough to be voluntarily benched. Besides – he knew the team needed him. By the top of the third, he had thrown a few wild pitches as a result of the strain - two of which made contact with the batters.

The batter took a few practice swings while the pitcher readied himself to throw once more. The pitcher raised the glove and ball above his head to begin his windup. His left foot stepped backwards. Then the glove came forward, and rested on his chest for a moment. His left knee came up, he stepped towards home, reached back, and threw hard.

At first, it looked like it would be a strike, but it quickly veered inside, and SMACK! It hit the batter.

The third batter of the game.

The umpire told the batter to take his base, and the Rattler’s coach began making his way out to the field. He approached the ump, and said “That’s the third time he’s hit someone this game. They need to take him out.”

The Titans fans were unsure whether the request was a rule or a preference. They watched as the umpire walked toward the Titans coach. Then the coach and ump made their way to the mound, removing all doubt from the spectator’s minds.

The Titan’s best pitcher . . . the one the team counted on . . . would have to step off the mound.

The pitcher slowly handed the ball to the umpire. With his shoulders and head hung low, he headed towards his alternative position of third base, receiving a few pats of understanding and forgiveness from his teammates along the way.

But the pats were little comfort. He had let his team down in the most important game of the season. Nevermind that the the ump made a bad call on the second batter he supposedly hit. That batter had swung on that pitch. The ball had hit the bat, not his hands. Although the Titans coach tried to reason with the ump about that call, and convince him to not count it, there was really no use arguing about it. It was what it was.

The next batter was on his way up to bat. The game would go on, regardless of the pitcher’s feelings or the coach’s lobbying.

And that’s when it happened.

All time stood still, as that pitcher made the long walk from third base to first base, where the batter he had struck stood with one foot on the base, one on the field. You could almost hear a pin drop, in spite of the park being crowded.

Nobody heard the exact words of the pitcher. But his body language told them that he was offering a sincere apology.

Silence hung in the air.

When the apology was accepted with grace and forgiveness, the Rattler’s fan club broke the silence with a round of applause, showing their appreciation of the pitcher’s good sportsmanship.

The pitcher simply jogged back to third base, put his glove back on, slapped it, and positioned himself to play ball.

———————————————————-

As that pitcher’s mother, I can honestly say that I’ve never been more touched, more thankful for, or more humbled by my own son. My eyes had welled up with tears when the umpire took the ball from him. My heart ached because I knew how bad his ached.

But when he treaded that seemingly long, humble road from third to first, my heart flip flopped. My thirteen year old son was making one of the best decisions he would ever make. He was choosing to be humble in a world that incessantly tells him to be proud, to stick up for himself. My heart pounded louder and harder, and more tears came to my eyes as I realized he had made this apology on his own accord, with no prompting from anyone but the Holy Spirit.

As it turned out, the Titans lost the game.

But somehow, it didn’t matter. Because ultimately, my son had won bigger than he had ever won in his life.

I love you, Andrew. Thanks for making this Father’s Day one that your dad and I will never forget. For doing what’s right. For setting an example to your teammates. And for honoring and glorifying the name of your Heavenly Father.

Single Sentence Saturday

(Courtesy of Photobucket)

I love my father as the stars - he's a bright shining example and a happy twinkling in my heart. ~Terri Guillemets

Eye Candy

We have family in from Oregon this week. Shaun's sister, Sarah, and her six kids. Plus his other sister, Mary,and her three kids. Add in Hannah (who lives here), and us ... and it makes for a heap big wad of kids!

Anyway - I thought I would share some of my eye candy that I've accumulated throughout the week.

Enjoy!

Playing football in Grandma's backyard

Lots of baseball games!!

Little Benjamin

Manly man!!!

 Finished the season 9 and 5!! Woot!

Smiley Kiley

Journey

Faith

Faith, the princess, with the wicked wand that she's not afraid to use!

Faith

Judah

Faith, without the wicked wand

Faith, managing to look innocent with the wicked wand

Journey

Kiley (the designer) and Faith, the princess

Gracelyn turns the big numero uno!!

Isaac, wearing Andrew's ball cap

Adam and Benjamin. Can you tell they're brothers?

Bedee, bedee, that's all for now, folks!!!! Hope you're enjoying good family time this summer too!

simple woman's daybook

From my Simple Woman's Daybook: (Click and link up, will ya'?)

Outside my window... It's sunny! Yay for rain going away and coming again another day!

I am thinking... about my mother-in-law, who is hearing back about an MRI today.

I am thankful for...my mother-in-law, who I hope will hear good news about an MRI today. :)

From the kitchen...possibly a dessert, but we'll be heading over to my mother-in-law's today to celebrate my niece's first birthday. So not much cooking today!

I am wearing...my pink fuzzy robe ... again.

I am creating...a newly painted kid's chair today. It'll go from royal blue to bright yellow!

I am going...nowhere except for the birthday party tonight.

I am reading...Even Now, by Karen Kingsbury

I am hoping...Andrew's team wins the baseball tournament this weekend.

I am hearing...cars drive by on the street, birds chirping, fingers typing.

Around the house...loads of laundry, calling my name.

One of my favorite things...sunshine on my shoulders! It makes me happy. :-)))
A few plans for the rest of the week: Time spent with Shaun's sister and her six kids who are in from Oregon, Andrew's last baseball game of the season (plus the tournament this weekend), writing, reading, and anything else that strikes my fancy. Gotta love summer.

Here is picture for thought I am sharing... I don't even know who these boys are. But this little self proclaimed leader was giving his team a good talking to, and I thought it was cute how they all sat quietly and gave him their undivided attention like good little teammates.

(Side note: If you have a favorite link up that you participate in, won't you join in my discussion about link ups? You'll find it in My Blog Frog Community, just to the left of this post! Convenient, huh?)

blog announcement!

We interrupt this blog to bring you an announcement! This announcement is a service of the Prairie Tales blogging network. Please remain seated until this announcement is completely finished. Your patience is appreciated.

Ok, seriously!! I'm excited to let you know that my new blog, The Broken Quill, is up and running!! No, this does not mean that Prairie Tales is shutting down, although there will be some changes made to it in the near future. It just means that I saw the need to begin a writing blog, and I didn't see a way to mesh Prairie Tales in with it.

So Prairie Tales will remain my family blog, while The Broken Quill will be my more professional, straighten up and fly right, and try not to be so sarcastic kinda blog.

Darn you, professionalism.

I would love it if you would head over there and take a little look see. It has an awesome comment layout, where I can directly reply to the comments that you leave, and you can subscribe to any follow up comments by email.

This is called .... benefits of a WordPress blog. :-)

Not that I'm biased or anything.

Ahem! See you over there!

reflections from a mother's heart - entry 1

**Click on the left hand side bar, under Reflection from a Mother's Heart to read more about these entries.

Question: What was your favorite pastime as a child? Did you prefer doing it alone or with someone else?

Hands down, I choose the frequent trips to my Grandma Brown's house. Although it was fun to be with Grandma by myself, I think it was funner when the whole family was there : aunts, uncles, cousins, grandparents.

Many times, the kids would simply play on Grandma's two acres, lush with grass, rose bushes, willow trees, and fruit trees - all while the parents talked politics inside. We loved it when a good political talk was brewing. It meant sneaking a few of Grandpa's Oreo cookies from the cookie jar, pouring a small cup of coffee, and dipping them - just like Grandpa would.

As we got older, it also meant (for some of us), smoking on the hill conveniently nestled out of view from her front window. But we'll not discuss that.

Other pastimes at Grandma's house were playing games, eating her fantastic cooking (specifically her biscuits and gravy, peanut butter balls, and pies!), and canning fruits and vegetables. Her and my mom knew how to make work seem like a wild and crazy good time. Grandma was the oldest of nine kids, and learned early in life how to work. Working was always regarded as a good and necessary thing, and I admired her ability to simultaneously love it and have fun.

Much to be thankful for.

------------------------------------------------------------------

How about you? Do you have a favorite pastime? I'd love to hear them in the comments section, or if you prefer - start a discussion in my new BlogFrog Community widget! See? Over there, on the left hand side! In fact, I'll start a discussion about this, and you can just follow me over there. See ya' there!

Single Sentence Saturday

(Photo courtesy of Photobucket)

Don't pray when it rains if you don't pray when the sun shines.

~Satchel Paige

service with a smile

I have a little wooden chair. It's blue, with a blue and yellow pad on it. It looks a little .... beat up. But I bought it at a yard sale, hoping to fix it up and use it for a photo shoot for Gracelyn, my niece (see photos below).

Anyway, I don't need anything fancy. Just something yellow, and something that would cover the wood and dark blue paint. So I headed to WalMart. I scanned the paint aisle looking for just the right product, but I had questions. The brand of paint I wanted didn't exactly just come out and say whether it was flat, semi-gloss, or something else.

I've learned to loathe customer service, or the lack thereof. It seems like you either get unresponsive "help", or you get a bunch of sales pitches that you're not interested in. Salespeople are either too eager and pushy, or simply uncaring.

But not Mr. I-Care-About-Your-Yellow-Passion-Paint Guy. Nooo. After I told him my concerns about the paint I had chosen, he took the can from me, and said "May I please see your paint sample?"

I handed it to him.

"I want the Yellow Passion color."

He nodded his approval, and began studying the paint can along with the color swatch.

"Well," he said with shaking fingers, "Looks like you'll need a little different can if you want the semi-gloss."

"Okay," I said. "Which one would I need? And where would I find it?"

He smiled, and said, "Oh, you don't need to worry about that. I have your color swatch. I'll get the paint. You just come back in about five minutes and it'll all be ready for ya'."

There was no condemnation for being less than a paint expert. No unwillingness to help me. No sighing. No attempt to sell me a bigger, more expensive can. Just servanthood. A desire to help me get the exact color and shine that I wanted out of that little can of paint. And he was willing to put one foot in front of the other and do the work for me, while I finished the rest of my shopping.

The two amazing things about this experience?

1. I was at WalMart. Need I say more?

2.  He was old. His gait was slow, his eyes were failing, and his hands shook. But he took the time to let me know  that I was the only person in that store at that moment. I was the one that mattered, who was in need.

I found myself wanting to follow him around instead of finish my shopping, but thought that might make him feel a little awkward. So I wheeled my cart around, gathered the rest of my items, then came back just as the paint was done in the paint stirrer.

He took it out of the machine, opened the can, and dipped a piece of paper in the paint. Then he swiped it across the top of the can, took out a purple blow dryer (*Snort!), and blow dried it so that none of it would get on my blue tanktop.

He set it on the counter, and slid it towards me. Then he handed me a paint stick to stir it with once I got home, smiled at me, and said, "There you are, little lady. Have a great day."

"Thank you," I replied, thinking that I could indeed mark this day in my journal as "great."

Not only did I get my yellow passion, semi-gloss paint. But I got it with a smile.

God bless that old man at the WalMart paint counter, and all that follow his example across America.

reflections from a mother's heart

I picked up a journal from the used book store the other day. Not a used one, of course. But obviously one that soemone out there didn't feel the need to fill out - so they sold it to this used book store. It's called Reflections from a Mother's Heart: Your Life Story in Your Own Words. On the top, it says "A Family Legacy for Your Children."

Wow.

I flipped through the pages. I've seen many books just like this one. Only I had yet to find one that asked questions that I thought really applied to me. So I never bought them.

Until now.

I turned the pages, reading the questions they were asking mom's to answer. And I knew that this mom could answer all (or at least most) of what they were asking. So for a whoppin' five dollars, I bought the book.

I will fill the book out manually, but I also thought I would begin sharing some of it here also. I'll put all of these entries under the label of Reflections from a Mother's Heart, over on the left side bar.

For the first day, they ask me to fill out a "personal portrait." But they ask way too much information to be divulging on a blog. So I'll start with the next entry:

What is your favorite?

Flower: It's a tie between light pink roses and tulips.

Perfume: I hate them all. They give me nothing but nausea. Shaun and I are well matched in this area, since they all make him sneeze. ;)

Color: Red!

Hymn or Song: Nearer Still Nearer

Book: Way too many to name, and I don't think I can pick just one! I know, I know. If I were a good Christian, I'd say the Bible. But I always feel like I'm trying to be holier than thou when I say that.

Author: Jeanette Oke and Francine Rivers are two of my faves. Also, Catherine Marshall.

Bible verse: This changes throughout life. Right now, I'd have to say Ephesians 1:3-9

Dessert: When I could eat dessert, it was anything chocolate. Brownies ranked high, as did rocky road ice cream. Yum!

Vacation Spot: Western Colorado.

Type of Food: Anything in the category of JUNK!

Sport: Baseball - hands down.

Leisure Activity: Reading, or a hand project that involves a needle and thread.

Don't worry. Not all of these will be like a meme. We're going to get into some good stuff. Might even be juicy, so come back often. ;)

So ... pick one or two (or all!) and let me know what your faves are.

Please.

The beauty of the written word is that it can be held close to the heart and read over and over again. ~Florence Littauer

simple woman's daybook

I've been meaning to link up to The Simple Woman's Daybook for quite some time, so I'm going to take the plunge! Head on over to The Simple Woman's website to link up and read some of the other entries.


FOR TODAY


Outside my window... Cloudy with a chance of meatballs (we're having spaghetti for dinner, Lord willing).

I am thinking... That I should hurry up and get school started (yes, we're still doing school) so that I can be ready for my nieces to come over later today.

I am thankful for... A patient husband, an even more patient Heavenly Father, and SUMMER. :)

From the learning rooms... I'm studying a photoshop book right now that I got for my birthday. It's a little frustrating for someone who doesn't learn well from the written word. Even if there's pictures. I'm a hands on learner ... but, at least I try.

From the kitchen... Spaghetti for dinner, I have a roast in the crockpot for myself (since I can't have spaghetti), and I'd like to make some blueberry muffins and some blondie brownies. We'll see how well the nieces behave.

I am wearing... My pink, fuzzy robe. But not for long.

I am creating... a novel.

I am going... to write a letter to Peter today. Remember, Peter's in Marine boot camp. We finally have his address, so I'm going to write, write, write. 

I am reading... A Wife After God's Own Heart, by Elizabeth George.

I am hoping... that my neck stops hurting.

I am hearing... birds chirping, fingers typing, and the fan upstairs.

Around the house... it's dusty.

One of my favorite things... photography!

A few plans for the rest of the week: Two baseball games, a baby shower for a friend at church, and family from Oregon coming to stay for a week!

Here is a picture for thought I am sharing:

(Taken from downtown Denver when we saw Peter off to boot camp. I'm obviously not accustomed to large buildings, so I had to take a picture.)

book review: buried alive

Buried Alive, by Roy Hallums, is a true story of an American contractor working in Iraq, kidnapped by Iraqi insurgents. He was help captive for 311 days. Most of those days were spent in a concrete tomb, infested with sand fleas, where he was poorly treated - to put it mildly.

Hallums not only shares his physical surrounding in great detail, but also his emotional state during his captivity. He also goes in to great detail about his fellow inmates, and what it must have been like for them.

The book also includes information about his family, and how they dealt with the ordeal back in the states, which I found interesting. However, the page turner portion of the book was learning about how Iraqi insurgents capture innocent American contractors, throw them in trunks of cars, beat them, starve them, and entomb them, all in the name of funding more terrorist operations. It's not fascinating in a curious sort of way, but in an incredulous sort of way. To think that human beings can treat other human beings in that manner was enough to boil my blood, and it made me want to quickly finish the book.

I was thankful when I reached the last three or four chapters that reveal his rescue by Army special forces. And I was thankful for Roy's dogged determination to not only live through the ordeal, but to remain sane and available to those who were entombed with him. His courage and ability to cope was nothing short of amazing.

Between Roy's tenacity, and the bravery of the troops that rescued him, Buried Alive was not only a page turner, but a tear jerker. I couldn't help but tear up at those troops, their bravery, and their care for a fellow American.

God bless American soldiers.

And God bless Roy Hallums.

Single Sentence Saturday

“The perfect church service,would be one we were almost unaware of. Our attention would have been on God.” ~C.S. Lewis

top summer faves

I'm in the slums today. I'm tired, and discouraged and I want to go back to bed. But when it's summer, I have a hard time staying there. It's warm out, even in the evenings. My schedule is less hectic. It's just a great time of year. So to cheer myself (and maybe you!) up today, I decided to create a list of things I appreciate about summer:

1. I've already said it, but warm weather has to be on the top of my list. I love the beauty of snow, but the cold temperatures nearly do me in. Sitting in the warm sunshine with a good book is surely something I will do in Heaven. A lot! I call it therapeutic thawing.
2. Baseball! No summer is complete until you've watched as many baseball games as you can cram in. These include Rockies games and Andrew's games. I'm a bit partial to Andrew's, because I get a front row seat, and I'm the pitcher's mom. I sometimes pretend that we're at a Rockies game, and Andrew is the next Ubaldo Jimenez, pitching a no hitter. But don't tell anyone. I'd be embarassed if people knew that.
3. Trips to the library. I'm taking one this afternoon, to find books for Andrew and I to read together for our summer reading program. Not that it's really a program, but the point is to keep reading, learning, and exploring. The fun part is that we won't have a fixed, rigid schedule like we do during the school year. Have I mentioned I loathe restraint of any kind?
4. With Peter away to boot camp, I am priveleged to to be spending a lot of time with Jessie. So far, we're watching favorite shows together, doing a little shopping, and projects like dressing her up and letting me practice my photography. She's a good sport, and thankfully, a photogenic good sport. And she keeps me company at Andrew's game, while Shaun mainly stays with Andrew to coach.
5. Road trips! So far, we've gone to Colorado Springs/Woodland Park for a baseball tournament. I'm hoping to make it over to the western slope also, to see my family and hometown.
6. Flowers, and all things living. Nothing better than looking out the window and seeing green life, birds soaring, and colorful flowers blowing in the breeze.
7. Time to regroup. This mainly has to do with homeschool, and reflecting on what worked and what didn't work, and figuring out how to best deal with those challenges. It also tends to be a time to rethink other aspects and goals. Normally, this is what New Years is all about. But for me, it happens in the summer.

I know I have more, but that library trip is calling my name, and I can't think of anything else at the moment. Instead, how about you tell me about your summers, and what it is that you enjoy most? I'd love to hear what you enjoy doing with your family, your spare time, and your .... spare money!!!

yellow

Today is my birthday. I turn 38. But that's beside the point. The point is that I got a new camera lens for my birthday! To celebrate, I took Jessie out and did some practicing, and I thought you might like to see the results. Our theme was yellow, in case you weren't able to pick up on that. ;)

And this is Andrew, mocking Jessie. Couldn't resist putting that one in. ;)

I would love to know which one is your favorite and why, so be brave. Leave a comment!! (Please)