Victory Road

insta

2012-01-27T10:19:00.000-08:00

joining jeanette for another week of insta-friday,

with pix from my week and the janphotoaday challenge
(see side bar for details)

it's been an exciting week here because emilie got braces!
(we're easily excited)

for 2 days pre-braces i gave the go ahead to munch on all the

"forbidden" treats she'll have to forgo for the next 26 months.

by wednesday morning when it was time to get her braces on

she was doped up on sugar

and raring to go!

you never know what kind of response you're going to get with a tweenage girl
(okay, any aged girl) regarding matters of change to appearance.
i was relieved by emilie's skipping and declaration after seeing her adorable brace-face,
"i look so cute!"

i told her she's cuter with them, if that's even possible.

now on to the janphotoaday challenge.

reflection
these photos were taken on a date a few years ago when our van broke down
and we were waiting for the tow-truck.
good date.

shoes
roller-skates. laundry is fun when i'm on spin-cycle too!

something old
after an ortho appointment this week the kids and i went to antique stores
(counts for history in home schooling, right?!)
these corning ware dishes remind me of the play dishes i had when i was little.

guilty pleasure
mr. bubbles and candlelight
&
because one guilty pleasure is NOT enough~
emergency chocolate in my closet
(note to self: milky way bag is almost empty.
replace soon or suffer the chocolateless consequences!)

something you made
wrapped canvas' (with michael).

color
suitcases and red bench
(while antique shopping, i was on the hunt for more suitcases)

tell me,

what is something old you treasure or a

guilty pleasure you'd rather not live without?

Rooted

2012-01-23T00:00:00.000-08:00

during the fall noah took a mosaic art class.
he had the freedom to create anything he wanted.

this week he brought home his finished masterpiece.
a small tree on a grassy hillside with deep roots.

when asked what inspired his work his response was "nothing, i just made it."

i told him it reminded me of a scripture~

"Remember that it is not you who supports the root,

but the root that supports you."
Romans 11:8

to which noah replied, "and the tree doesn't even know it- that all that root is there supporting it."

sigh. lately i have been that tree; unaware of all that Root supporting me.

but God...
in his goodness gave me a boy, who "just made" a piece of art, and used it speak truth into my life...
my Deeply Rooted life.

insta-friday eventually

2012-01-22T11:05:00.000-08:00

joining jeanette for some belated insta-friday on sunday,

with pix from the janphotoaday challenge
(see side bar for details)

in your bag

pleated poppy clutch FILLED with "i heart bob" key chain, gloves, mini-bags,

shout wipes, guitar pick, old school flip-phone,

i-pod, and ALWAYS my lipstick.

something you're reading
on my own- Daily Message
with friends- Devotional Classics
as a family- Jesus Calling
to my kids- A Wrinkle In Time

happiness
braided emilie's hair to get waves and the tweenager LOVED IT!
AND josie's awesome outfit and personality
&
tea cups n' saucers given to me by michael's grandmothers

morning
taking my boy to algebra carpool
at brrr o'clock

water
lake around the block

something you bought
2 nights at a motel for a young homeless couple
with a 12 day old baby
(not what i planned on buying that evening)

sweet
dark chocolate sea salt rocky road with lavender nib shared with friends

&
s'more egg rolls shared with other friends

someone you love
visited someone i love here this week- my dad.

hugs,

insta-photoaday!

2012-01-13T09:34:00.000-08:00

joining jeanette for some insta-friday,

with pix from the photo a day challenge
(see side bar for details)

you
"praise is who i am, praise is what i do"

breakfast

breakfast for the lactarded

letter box
made w/ love for ME by my m.i.l., cindy

something you wore
bottle cap
(got this in portland with kristen)

something you adore

tweenager playing the piano

makes you smile
josie being fabulous in 4 tutus

favorite
noah's big brown eyes. melt.

your sky

daily routine
lesson planning

childhood
sisters playing together. love.
&

little people

where you sleep
bed, and note by my bedside

close up

flowers at MOPS

(where i am the youngest mentor mom in MOPS history. i love it!)

photography is worship.

causing me to LOOK for the lovely in my good life,

to capture it in a snap-shot,

to SEE my generous God,

and celebrate the many gifts He has given me.

and i need it!

i need anything that will cause me to take my eyes off myself and place them back on Him.

Rewind

2012-01-11T22:21:00.000-08:00

its beginning to look a lot like Christmas...

yeah, i know, Christmas was so last year, but indulge me a little {okay, a lot}

as i rewind

and ponder a bit of what i treasured about Christmas, 2011.

this Christmas looked a lot like this

Michael painted the kitchen, repainted the kitchen, then painted the kitchen again! because "third times a charm." after painting was kinda done he installed granite tile counters, grouted, added bead board, appliances, and more.
with the kitchen make-over we knew Christmas wasn't going to get the attention we so enjoy giving to It. Christmas was okay with that and came anyway.

because we were kitchenless the kids and i went to mama holly's to bake our Christmas goodies.

mama holly, who had a nasty cold, was so happy to have us there!
as she taught emilie to knit she said,
"i'm so glad you don't have a kitchen, i think you should make it a tradition that
you bake here every year."
mama holly gives me generous love and the gift of home.
i don't know what i'd do without her.

we'd like to thank Home Depot for not only selling us paint {a lot of paint}, but also our Christmas tree.

the kids woke our Christmas morning to the usual birthday breakfast party for Jesus. no balloons or streamers this year, BUT we did surprise the kids by setting the table with the Christmas dishes that had been buried in a box in the garage
{up to that point we'd been enjoying all our fine crock-pot meals on paper products}.
i'll have to share about all our birthday traditions sometime, but for now, just one, and that is to pick junk cereals to accompany the meal.
so this year while standing in the cereal isle before Jesus' birthday i asked the fam, "what cereal would Jesus choose?" the kids shouted a few of their favorites, before my witty husband, michael, chimed in with what we quickly realized was the correct cereal choice for the Savior,
"LIFE!"
it was funny!
i guess you had to be there.

something that really blessed me this Christmas was that noah, emilie and josie decided to go in together and buy gifts for each other with their own $.
they were as THRILLED to give as they were to receive.
my children are coolawesome!!

even rudolph thinks so!

another thing that knocked my mommy Christmas socks off was how
intentional my children were about the advent season.
i usually have thoughtful activities planned for the entire advent season, but with the move and the chaos i had to embrace that Jesus would come {advent= coming, expecting} without my assistance.
still, i was a bit saddened to be missing the opportunities to create memories for my children.
BUT something extraordinary occurred, my children created the memories for themselves by recycling many of the memories we'd made together past Christmases!
I LOVE MY KIDS!
this was hands down my favorite gift this Christmas {that and the kitchen}.

for the first time in our 15 yrs of marriage we didn't send out Christmas cards
{be on the lookout for our Ground Hog's Day card on Feb 2}.
i figured we'd have to throw in the towel on creating and giving
our favorite kind of gifts- thoughtful and personally made.
but michael and i pulled a couple late nighters and created a few that we couldn't wait to give!
a personalized crossword puzzle for his crossword-puzzle-loving-grandmother was one favorite,
and a few canvas wraps we designed were the others.

maybe a new business in the near future
{to pay for all the painting that still needs to be done}?

a few other highlights were:
cheney cousin Christmas night at our house.
17 of us in matching scarves, whipped up by my m.i.l. cindy,
to wear to Christmas eve service.
the cousins unwrapping the first gift, baby Jesus, from under the Christmas tree, followed by gramps reading the story of Jesus' birth to them from Luke.
uncle jack's tender heart and encouragement.
michael's grandma opening her canvas wrap of Psalm 23, and saying
"Psalm 23 is my favorite"
{we knew}.

Christmas day at my uncle and aunts, joseph & mary
{really. joseph gabriel, born Christmas day, and maria gloria)
my cousin ava {2yrs} jumped into my lap! she likes "prima"
{cousin in portuguese, and her name for me}.
sitting with my 5 aunts, i teared up and said, "i love my aunts." to which one teared up
and then another.
my aunts have been a source of joy to me through the years.
seeing my grandmother, josefina, surrounded by her daughters, grandchildren, great-grandchildren {with another on the way}, i asked {in portuguese}, "is your heart full?"
and she lit up and replied {in portugeuse, of course}, "oh yes, very full, it is coming out of my chest!"
my nephews both calling me "favorite tia denise." love.
a fun Christmas double-date with my sister and bro-in-law.

all these, the treasures i don't want to forget from Christmas, 2011.

thanks for indulging me.
you can fast forward back to January, 2012 now!

ask

2012-01-02T13:02:00.000-08:00

We may ask from our Lover to have ALL of Him

that we desire.

For it is our nature to long for Him,

and it is His nature to long for us.

Julian of Norwich

2011 Favorites

2011-12-31T13:41:00.000-08:00

2011 Favorite People, Moments, and Posts

Soil Soul

I take God's breath away. You, His beloved, take God's breath away.

"God breathes life into dirt."

"Horror Moans"

Chocolate, a tweenage daughter, and "horror moans."

Significant

as she walks away i recall sitting on the couch hours earlier.

reminded of insignificance,

i hear the still small Voice,

"you, denise are significant in my kingdom.

you are making a Name for me."

tell

i talk too much... about Him.

The Air I Breath

my deflated lungs are filled... He is the Air i breath.

Blessing

noah looked at emilie, and began...

"emilie, you are the sweetest, kindest, most loving person i know...

Fall

we intentionally release our grips on the ordinary, and fall
into the EXTRAORDINARY gift
we are to each other.

i don't know about you, but i am ready for a New Year. i'm ready and need to begin again.

no resolutions for me (i'd fail them by jan 3rd), but here are some things i'd like to be very intentional about this new year.

in 2012 i want to...

"enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart" everyday. no more excuses.

be with people. be intentional community.

roller-skate in my house regularly (take advantage of the concrete floors while we've got'em).

kiss my husband more and longer.

read my bible (kiss God more and longer).

be creative with my children, even though it makes a mess or requires time.

read to my kids. i don't know what? (suggestions please)

eat fish (i hate fish).

play with my kids.

walk. it's good for my body and my mind.

take more pictures.

play my guitar

be outside.

read the books i own again.

drink water.

sing too much.

write to my future.

breath in Grace, and breath it out.

Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas

2011-12-23T15:47:00.000-08:00

So grateful for Jesus, that He came.

Came to save.

Came to redeem.

Came to bring hope.

Came to be truth.

Came to reign.

Came to love excessively.

He has brought so much JOY to my world.

May your Joy in Him increase this Christmas and New Year!

t'was the christmas with a "tweenager"

2011-12-10T09:15:00.000-08:00

last year i made the girls christmas shirts {and valentine's day, st. patrick's day, & fall shirts too}. thankfully they still fit them. well, josie anyway. emilie's fits her, but she doesn't fit it. she's 12- a "tweenager," and apparently "the other 7th grade girls don't wear mommy-made shirts"... whatev.

thankfully josie is still a little girl, who WILL wear mommy-made shirts! she will wear them and tutu's and mismatched socks until she is 30! because she will be immune to tweenageritis. right josie!?!?

as for emilie, well, i guess it's cool having ONE tweenager {don't get any ideas josie!}.
today i have to finish the last of the christmas shopping, and i have to admit that what i am looking forward to the most is spending the day with her, my "tweenager." spending the day with emilie in the front seat, singing christmas music together, hearing about her world, her thoughts, her tender heart. spending the day asking for her opinion, valuing her, absorbing her thoughtfulness and delight will be joy in the christmas shopping chaos. it's pretty rad {"tweenager" talk, right?} having a daughter who makes me feel like she is having the time of her life being with just me! - because she does that. i hope she knows i feel the same way about being with her... even if she won't wear my mommy-made christmas shirt.

ugly grocery stores

2011-12-07T09:25:00.000-08:00

he lives in food maxx' parking lot.

because we can't afford to shop at the "pretty grocery stores,"
i've seen him there. seen him a number of times.

in the evenings, after the manager goes home, he collects grocery carts.
he doesn't get paid, but he works anyway. works hard.
i think a man needs to work to know he is necessary. The first thing God did after creating adam was put him to work {naming the animals}. no one, including adam, wants to feel insignificant.

i've seen him finish up his work then retire for the evening to his home. his home of blankets and black garbage bags on the sidewalk beside a building that shields him from the elements. he barricaded his home with shopping carts and boxes while i drove away with my loving family in my toasty s.u.v.

during the day he offers flowers in the parking lot in exchange for a bit of change. flowers that appear to have been retrieved from yesterday's trash. i give him a few dollars, gladly take my bruised flowers. a few can be salvaged, but i know it isn't the flowers i want, it's the reminder to pray for God to magnify His mercy on this man, this child of His, on this frigid December day.

the flat-out truth about me is i waver between complaining about shopping at the "ugly grocery store," where i have to bag my own groceries and shop among the food stamp and w.i.c. coupon holders {of which i have been one}, and being grateful for my cart filled to the brim with food to feed my family for 2 weeks for under $200. i am wretched sometimes.

but today, with flowers in one hand, i grab my husband's hand and say, "i'm glad we can't afford to shop at the 'pretty grocery store.' " he responds knowing, "because we wouldn't see him." "yes," i say.

we wouldn't see him, and be put to work too...praying- bringing this man and his needs before God, petitioning the Spirit to illuminate his mind, heart, and soul with God's Truth and deep love for him, praising God that there is always Hope in Him.
we wouldn't see him, and experience the Spirit of God growing us in compassion and grace {God knows i desperately need growth in these areas}.
we wouldn't see him, and be humbled by Holy, personified in a homeless man.

i'm possible.

2011-12-06T10:58:00.000-08:00

photo from pinterest. get it here.

one version of dueteronomy 29:29b says, "The truth that has been revealed to you will not be taken from you or your children's children."

i love that.
love it.

i count on it.

i count on all the truth that is being revealed to me to belong to my children and to my children's children! is there anything that i want more? no. absolutely nothing.

if you contrast my childhood to my children's it would be evident that i had so much of the opposite of truth poured into me.

but God.

He had people written into my story, who at the time seemed to play a very small role, but i see now were strategically penned in to illuminate Truth. These individuals were devoted to, spoke of, and pointed the way to God. They gave me nuggets of Truth that i now know were tucked into my being.

one of those nuggets was was given to me on Christmas day 1980.
(let me set the stage a little on 1980: i was 7. my sister and i had been living with my mom and first step-dad for 1 year, exactly. that year my dad began bullying me, telling me a number of times and in a number of hurtful ways that i was not his daughter. pot and promiscuity were not hidden from my young eyes}.
this nugget of truth came by way of a blue record player & record given to my younger sister and i by our first step-grandparents. the record was Bill Gaither Trios,' Just For Kids.

my sister and i enjoyed the independence we had having our very own record player. we played our record again and again and again, singing and parading around our strawberry shortcake bedroom together to the Trio. one song on the album quickly became a favorite for us both, " i am a promise."

"i am a promise. i am a possibility. i am a promise with a capitol "P." i am a great big bundle of potentiality...
i can be anything,
anything God wants me to be."

slather on the blue eyeshadow and listen to this vintage gaither.

i can't begin to explain the impact these lyrics had on that 7 yr old girl. they caused me to BELIEVE i. was. more. intended to be NOT what my circumstances had assumed i would be, BUT what God wanted me to be.

"it doesn't matter where you live,

who your daddy is, or what you look like...

you can be exactly what God wants you to be,

and He has something very special in mind for you."

did He ever!

so today i praise God for the people He so thoughtfully and generously wrote into my life to bring Light into my darkness. i praise Him that He is the God of all Hope. i count on Him to continue to reveal His Truth to me, and to also give this Truth to my children, and my children's children.

what nugget of Truth did God give you as a child,

that has not been taken from you?

the details

2011-11-30T09:10:00.000-08:00

hi all.

i miss you.

the other day i mentioned to michael that i haven't spent much time with my friends- the ones that live in the computer- and that i miss them. miss you.

you know how when you don't talk with someone for a while, you don't always know where to begin? do you pick up where you left off, fill them in on what's been happening, or both?

do you ever let doubt seep in and think, 'oh they don't really care to know the details of my life anyway?'

i've been thinking that...

but then i realize i care about the details of your lives. really. i like you that much. i want to know that you had beautiful family photos taken, and that you were a bridesmaid in a beautiful wedding at a library! i want to see the people you love that you visited in oklahoma, and i want to know what is stirring in your heart. i want to see what you wore wednesday because you are adorable. and you, well i just need to hang out with you here in blogville for a bit {real life would be better}. i want to learn from you all 40 things you have learned in your 40 yrs of life! from you i really need to be encouraged to do Christmas on purpose this year too. you, well you i just need to see because you are too far away and i miss you terribly. as for you and you , i have noticed you haven't been around for a while either. it's okay, but come back soon. and no i didn't forget you, you, or you. i am so fond of all of you.

knowing how i feel about you got me thinking maybe just maybe you want to know what's been going on with me too.

well, here ya go...

i had a birthday {the same day as her}. i am 30-old now {which by the way is one year younger than 30-oldest}. my husband took the day off. he made me this for breakfast.

{photo taken in instag.ram}
s'more french toast! i created it when we went camping this summer {it redeem camping}- french toast filled with marshmallows and chocolate, drizzled in maple syrup, and sprinkled with powdered sugar- INSANELY GOOD! {birthdays are guilt free eating days. i wish it was my birthday right now}.

after breakfast we ran away from all of our responsibilities and traveled a couple hours north to knight's ferry to take family photos on the historical knight's ferry bridge.

you might remember that michael and i celebrated our 15th wedding anniversary in september.

this bridge is where he asked me to marry him {*swoon*}

i wanted to have a 15yr photo of us there now.

a snapshot of how our life has changed since those moments on knight's ferry bridge when he was on bended knee asking if i would be his.

i'm glad i said yes.

so glad.

{and yes, noah is my oldest. yes, emilie (14.5 months younger) has surpassed him in height. all noah wants for Christmas is a growth spurt}

after michael took the photos {which was comical; set timer, run back, pose, repeat}

we went to oakdale- "the happiest place on earth"- and had dinner at one of my favorite childhood restaurants, farrarese's.

it was good to run away together, the 5 of us. to ditch the house remodel, the packing to move, the home-school, the work, the 3 side jobs. it was necessary to remember Who we live for and all He has given us in each other.

we have a tradition on birthdays to give blessings {which reminds me i have needed to post about this and do a give-away for some time. remind me.} with the weight of our responsibilities and my weighed down attitude accompanying it i wondered if my family would have words of affirmation to speak into my life. they did. emilie wrote hers in a letter. wanna see!?! okay.

she loves me and sees me and reminds me of who i am even when i forget. *love*

in move-in news this last week outlet covers and vent covers went up. woohoo! bedroom doors were hung {is that right, do you hang the doors?} 2 days ago. exciting times.
jessica is hosting her pintertest kitchen tomorrow {holla!} my kitchen is currently the epitome of a pinterTEST. as soon as i am done with this post and the kids are done with school, i am heading to home depot {for the trillionth time this month} to purchase my 3rd gallon of gray paint for the kitchen. {white cabinets on top, gray on the bottom... idea from pinterest. pinterest may be the death of my husband}.

as for other details- like most of you- i too am gearing up for the Christmas season. this year however is going to be grace-Christmas, because i am going to need a lot of it {i usually do, i just don't recognize it}! i'm going to practice {in excess} being okay with things not being the way i desperately want them to be in my o.c.d./perfectionist head. the usual advent planning and intentional heartfelt gifts are likely not going to happen this year. that is okay. it's okay because Jesus is more than enough for us this Christmas {every Christmas. every day}.
God already planned the most magnificent advent {coming, expecting}, and gave the hands-down most heartfelt gift 2000+ years ago in Jesus. grace- Christmas is going to cause me to let go of trying to out do Him {like i could} and instead embrace and enjoy the Savior, Immanuel God with us.

Merry, Merry!

run... or you're gonna die!

2011-11-22T13:55:00.000-08:00

i've been off the grid.

off.

no cell reception.

{never gonna happen}.

no phone.

{yep, it's like i live in the ozarks}

no t.v.

{missed parenthood}

NO INTERNET!

{barely surviving here people}

internet guy was just here.
{'i love you mr. internet guy'}

now that i am back on the grid

{kinda}

i have one warning for you

...or rather for

your thanksgiving turkey.

Run Little Turkeys...

you're

gonna die!!

if you enjoy this video {and i know you did}
support the rice's, who just had their first "rice, rice baby"
and listen to katie rice's music here

or check out jesse rice's book, The Church of Facebook, here,
and
read what he has to say today over at donald miller's blog, here.

HaPpY tHaNkSgIvInG!

"it'll be fine" {renovation realities}

2011-11-18T22:58:00.000-08:00

3 weeks ago we got the keys.

we've removed carpet.

removed tile floors.

removed tile counters.

removed walls.

added wall.

removed doors.

removed cabinets.

we've worked evenings.

we've worked weekends.
we've painted over every square inch; over pink, red, green, blue,
baby blue, yellow, green, yellow with swirls,
and a bouquet of flowers.

one of us worked until 4 a.m. the other morning, then went to real job at 7 a.m.

...the one of us wasn't me.

the kitchen is unkitchenable.

the doors are unpainted and in the garage.

kitchen and bathroom cabinets too.

the windows are still covered in plastic and masking tape.
{latest fashion in window coverings?}
the light fixtures are m.i.a.
the outlet covers too.
there's a toilet in josie's room.
the carpet is being installed in the morning.

and

so are we!

a friend asked yesterday how i felt about moving in already,
to which another friend
shared that my response to her was,
"it'll be fine. it'll be fine. it'll be fine"
{said with a convincing myself tone}.

sometimes
"it'll be fine"
is the only response.
is it fine, dandy, swell right now?
no.
but it will be.
i know it will be.
so i'm fixing my eyes on
"it'll be fine."
and praying for God to sustain me
{keep me sane}
until it is.

now here's a short clip of me busting a hole into my first wall.

fun times.

{if you want to bust through a wall visit us this summer and bring your hammer!}

is there anything you're currently saying

"it'll be fine" too?

"Hold You"

2011-11-11T09:02:00.000-08:00

joining gypsy mama and linking up with 5 minutes on friday.

just writing, not editing- my grammar, my thoughts. just writing.

i haven't been in a very good place... in my mind. i could give a handful of reasons, preexisting conditions, that can cause me to spiral downward if i let them. i let them. as usual i am so disappointed with myself. i'm ashamed. God serves freedom to me on an all-you-can-eat-buffet! and here i am spiraling.

spiraling and ashamed i was standing in church a few weeks ago worshiping. standing. singing these words.

You are good, You are good
When there's nothing good in me
You are love, You are love
On display for all to see
You are light, You are light
When the darkness closes in
You are hope, You are hope
You have covered all my sin

You are peace, You are peace
When my fear is crippling
You are true, You are true
Even in my wandering
You are joy, You are joy
You're the reason that I sing
You are life, You are life,
In You death has lost it's sting

Oh, I'm running to your arms,
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

You are more, You are more
Than my words will ever say
You are Lord, You are Lord
All creation will proclaim
You are here, You are here
In your presence I'm made whole
You are God, You are God
Of all else I'm letting go

Oh, I'm running to your arms
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

My heart will sing
no other name
Jesus, Jesus

Oh, I'm running to your arms
I'm running to arms
The riches of your love
Will always be enough
Nothing compares to Your embrace
Light of the world forever reign

i heard once that to worship means "to come towards to kiss." i needed to kiss. and more i needed to be kissed by my Father.

as i sang "i'm running to your arms, i'm running to your arms, the riches of your love will always be enough, nothing compares to your embrace..." i let go of my worldy insecurity, the some-one-might- be-looking-at-me-and-think-i'm-strange, and i extended both my arms. extended them just like my son, noah, use to do when he was a toddler. noah would say, "hold you, hold you." "hold You," i said. and He lifted me up into His arms. He did. i felt his mighty hands reach under my arms and swoop me up. i felt my toes leave the earth. my head nestled into His chest. "nothing compares to Your embrace."

i'm still a mess. a mess, but here is what i know for sure right now... God is good to me even when there is nothing good in me. i'm a mess, but He loves me, wants to hold me still.

i love him.

listen to the song here.

oh happy day!

2011-11-10T16:23:00.000-08:00

sharing just a bit of how i've been spreading my God-colors this week.

the happy day project: day one- bring a treat to a neighbor
we have been living in bass lake for 2 months now.
did you know we use to live here?
we lived here for 8 of our married years.
when we lived here before we had a wonderful neighbor, donna.
she ~~was~~ is a gift from God. a gift!
donna lives alone, with her cats.
we still call and visit her {though hardly ever}.
she considers us family.
we should love donna better.

remember how i mentioned we have been living here for 2 months.
guess who still hasn't called or gone to see donna??
uh huh. loser old neighbor.
i've been full of excuses.
happy day project shut those excuses up. thank you happy day project.
monday the kids and i stopped by donna's and surprised her with a bouquet of fall flowers.
we went back today {thursday} and visited for a while. we're going to see her saturday too.
we're going to love donna better. we are.

the happy day project day: day two- a written note.
we printed up the printables and wrote a handful of notes.
emilie wrote one note to one of michael's co-workers; a kind man who lights up whenever the kids visit. i know her thoughtfulness is going to bless his wool socks off! she wrote another to a friend who will be blessed by a bit of encouragement.
i wrote one to a friend i've had since 6th grade. i know receiving a note in the mail will be a good way for me to wrap my arms around her even though she lives on the other side of the country.

as we were writing notes emilie asked why an unexpected note would matter to someone.
i tried to explain, she didn't get it, but wrote anyway. that evening emilie was at youth group. there are 70+ jr. highers there. there are about 20 leaders. when we picked her up she shared with us that she had received a unexpected note from a leader that she didn't even know noticed her. she expressed how meaningful it was to her receive the thoughtful note.

how COOL that God showed emilie first hand how meaningful blessing others with kind words can be.

the happy day project: day three- gift card to the homeless.

like many, i have a tender spot in my heart for the homeless.
i look at them and see someone's child; once held by their mother. that mother {like me} hoped and dreamed for her child. i want someone's child to know the Redeemer and Author of Life.
i see them and think of my own mentally ill father, who is paranoid schizophrenic. he could be on the streets instead of a hospital. that man on that corner could be someone's dad. the dad of someone who loves him still. I want him to live in Truth.
i think of an aunt and cousins who have been homeless. numbing her pain was more important than housing. i get it. i ache for her. i see that woman on the street trying to numb her pain. i ache for her and want so badly for her to know the Rescuer, Life-Giver.
i think of george. i praise God for teaching me through george who the least of these really is... me.

we picked up some in-n-out giftcards to keep in our car to give as we see need.
and, as always, i will pray for the One True God to show Himself, to lavish His love on, to magnify His mercy, to provide for, and to lead His homeless children in His grace and truth.

what is a way that God has gifted you to bless others?

be generous with your life!

2011-11-06T09:25:00.000-08:00

this week i'm joining blog friends julie & jeanette and participating in

there are a million reasons why i shouldn't participate in the HAPPY DAY project.

i'm not exaggerating, a million

{okay, maybe i'm exaggerating a little}.
i'm already overwhelmed by my insanely busy-at-this-time life.

i don't have time to be about anyone or anything else.

and that.

right there.

is the reason

i NEED to join in!

"You're here to be light, bringing out the God-colors in the world.

God is not a secret to be kept. We're going public with this, as public as a city on a hill.

If I make you light-bearers, you don't think I'm going to hide you under a bucket, do you?

I'm putting you on a light stand. Now that I've put you there on a hilltop,

on a light stand - shine!

Keep open house; be generous with your lives.

By opening up to others, you'll prompt people to open up with God,

this generous Father in heaven."
Matthew 14-16
{The Message}

i wasn't put here on God's green earth to be about myself.
{no matter how stink'n busy i am}

i am here to bring out the God-colors in the world
{and wow! has He made me colorful! i'm just say'n}

i have to shine!

i need to be generous with my life!

i want to prompt others to be open with our generous God.

here's how i'm going to do just that this week.

want to spread your God-colorfulness this week too?!?
go here and join in on the fun.

insta

2011-11-04T09:17:00.000-07:00

linking up with jeanette at life rearranged for another week of insta-sharing!

1. caramel stuffed apple cider cookies 2. we opened up the house for a wci staff halloween party last friday. the staff kids carving pumpkins. good times 3. hannah carving her first pumpkin ever!

4. we picked up the keys to our house sat. a.m., arrived at the house to work on it, and were greeted by the "SOLD" sign! 5. michael carrying me over the threshold {we do this every time we move in or move out of a place. we are weird like that} 6. nasty dog-peed-on carpet removal.

7.gettin' my mask on. have you ever been to a lush? you should. it's awesome. 8. gettin' their halloween on~ teddy bear, dog, and scuba diver.

9. michael priming the turquoise away {we've also said good bye to green, red, yellow, pink, blue, light green, purple, and a bouquet of painted flowers}. 10. gold knobs before. 11. carbon mist knobs after.

12. had to make a run to fresno for more paint from the depot, yogurtland was my lunch. i unintentionally went with a fall colors theme. 13. this brilliant fall tree stopped me on the drive home. emilie said, "it's so beautiful. i wouldn't have even noticed it if you hadn't stopped" thank you jesus for stopping me. i NEEDED to stop, take you in. 14. my girls in matching jammies, cuddling. i love how they adore each other.

15. i woke up this morning to josie hollering, "there's snow! there's snow! there's snow!"
the kids are outside playing in it now.

see.

16. they used ALL the snow to make a snowman. looks like home schooling has turned
into snow schooling.

happy november 4th all!

Pinteresting

2011-11-03T11:03:00.000-07:00

linking up with jessica with some baking and making

inspired by pinterest.

if you are not already on pinterest then go sign up NOW!
{by now i mean after you've read my post, of course}

here is a bit of what pinterest has inspired me to do.

first, a pinterest "bake it."
cookies.
caramel stuffed apple cider cookies!

{yes, they are as yummy as they sound}

they were also easy!
so easy i've made them twice.
{i don't enjoy baking so twice is a big deal for me}
after you are done drooling at the caramelly goodness on my blog you can go here to get the recipe and whip up your own.
{i suggest using 9 packages of apple cider instead of 10. my girls suggest creating a pyramid out of unwrapped caramels before folding them into the cookie dough}.

next, a pinterest "make it."
i was inspired to create a fall fun list.
it's been crazyville here at casa de jones'
what with getting the keys to our new house and working around the clock to make it liveable so we can move in before thanksgiving weekend.
i know me. i'll get caught up in all that has to be done and forget what NEEDS to be done...
enjoying each other!
this list will help me steal away and enjoy this fall season with my family.
here is a link to find your own fall fun inspiration.

it will also {hopefully} remind me to keep my heart in tune to Him
{it's been a bit out of tune lately}.
as i am typing this post my oldest daughter is humming this tune. :-)

my final pinterest for this link up is also a "make it"
this is one of the new house redos.

spray painting the knobs and hinges!
i used rustoleum carbon mist to transform these once gold knobs to a charcoal color.
they look FABULOUS in real life.
i removed mine from the doors {because those are getting afresh coat of paint too}, but here's a link to how you can paint your own.

now go to pinterest and join the pinning phenomenon!

wiww

2011-11-01T23:20:00.000-07:00

joining lindsey with another week of what i wore.

mauve top -h&m
cream cardigan-target
brown pants- maurices

boat shoes- bass outlet

(they're making a come back. they are!

okay,

i don't know if they are, but

i really want them to}

plaid top-aeropostale
tank- target

jeans-kohls
belt- the buckle
boots- charming charlie's
necklace- lisa leonard
extra padding on my hips and thighs- 3 musketeer's halloween candy

top- nordstrom rack

gray cardi sweater- target

skinny jeans- old navy
gray boots- bass outlet {buy 1 get 2 free!}

HAPPY WEDNESDAY!

a whole lotta insta

2011-10-27T22:56:00.000-07:00

linking up with jeanette,

for a bitta' insta

1. the dorito taco is only available in central ca., "to eat it or not to eat" that is the question?
2. josie singing into the white shoe polish bottle on the way to church {white shoe polish is great for leaving messages on friend's cars} .
3. 70's party celebrating spinner's 40th~ partridge family with hippie cher

4. "that 7o's party," rod stewart & spinner
5. holding the newest member of the teodosio family, ian silva {he is yummy!}
6. "everybody cut, everybody cut, everybody cut footloose." shhh, don't tell anyone, this faithful to kevin, lori, sarah jessica, and chris girl REALLY LIKED the new footloose.

7. josie with chopped locks making egg rolls.
8. dear dead deer, i told you, "if you hit my saturn i'll kick uranus!"
9. FINALLY, homeowners again! anyone want to come help us pull out nasty carpet and tile, paint, redo the kitchen, knock out walls, add new walls?? "anyone anyone anyone? beuller, beuller beuller?"

10. having a ginger spice latte from "the bean" with ginger.
11. as i was taking the pic of this plate the owner approached me and i asked "who is the 'him' you love?" she replied, "jesus." i responded, "i love Him too!"
12. she loves me.

13. bass lake minus the lake {by the forks marina}.

14. to eat it! tasted like high school~ back in the day when my metab allowed me to eat anything and everything.

happy friday,

wiww- come on vogue

2011-10-25T22:54:00.000-07:00

linking up with the s.i.l for wiww.

participating in wiww is uncomfortable.

i feel awkward striking a pose in front of the camera,

looking at myself is not on my list of enjoyable things to do,
and i in no way think i have the cutest, trendiest wardrobe in the western hemisphere.
so why do i participate?
because wiww makes me get out of my jammies.

my cozy, flannel, chocolate factory "i love lucy" jammies,
which i would live in all the "i love lucy" time
if it weren't for wiww.

so thanks linds for wiww,

and for encouraging me {and others like me }
to get dressed
and
"show up for life."

and thank you to the rest of you that participate in wiww.

i know most of you feel awkward vogueing too,

but i'm glad you do.

your showing up dressed and ready to go

nudges me to show up too!

gray cardi- target
white tee- target
skinny jeans- old navy
gray boots- bass outlet
lovely scarf- hand made gift from melanie

green top- marshalls
blue striped top- hand me over from my sister
jeans- kohls
blue flats- my sister again
necklace- lisa leonard

spinner's 40th birthday surprise 1970's rave

Partridge Family suede top- my m.i.l.'s costume closet.
white top- kohls
skinny jeans {in place of fishnet stockings}- old navy
boots- on line some where
yellow purse- borrowed without permission from my m.i.l.

emilie is rocking the hippie look with her sign protesting spinner's birthday.
noah looks like he walked out of an episode of The Wonder Years.
good times.

wordless

2011-10-19T10:14:00.000-07:00

Nobody's Got it All Together

2011-10-18T08:48:00.000-07:00

The Middle
Jill Phillips~Nobody's Got it All Together

If I was old I might have it together
Or if I was young that would be my excuse
But either extreme seems so easy to be
And I’m somewhere in the middle

Too young to act like there’s wisdom inside of my head
And too old not care if it's there
The pendulum swings to each end well defined
And I’m somewhere in the middle

So tell me when will I know where I fit into the scheme of things
Cause right now I’m not even sure if I belong
The cracks are wide and it seems like I keep on falling in between
Please tell me I’m wrong
Please tell me that I’m wrong

It's too late to back out of this race that we started
but it seems the finish is light years ahead
So all I can ask is that you walk next to me
Here somewhere in the middle

the family dirt

2011-10-14T16:14:00.000-07:00

every families got some...

ESPECIALLY

the joneses!

spending the weekend with the entire jones crew
{give or take a few},

and diggin' it!

Crock-Potting for Dummies~ A Love Story

2011-10-13T09:36:00.000-07:00

linking up with

mel at the larson lingo

for

i'm sure you're not a crock-pot dummie,

but i was.

i was.

my stupidity came from crock-pot fear.

i was afraid of the crock-pot.

TERRIFIED!

i had heard many crock-pot love stories.

tales of women who dumped food in their pots

FROZEN!!

it the middle of the afternoon,
then
returned to the pot a few hours later with a warm meal prepared for their families.

i'd heard of how the crock-pot romanced women.

they would fill their pots with a handful of items in the a.m.,
set the heat setting and timer,

then

LEAVE for the ENTIRE DAY,

and come home

and find dinner

READY and WAITING

for them

like a bouquet of roses.

{swoon}

i ~~wanted~~ needed to be dinner-loved like that.

so i timidly bought a pot.

i'm proud to announce

we've been going steady ever since!

♥ ♥ ♥

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

here is the EASIEST

crock-pot dish

for

the crock-pot dummie.

4 FROZEN chicken breasts
2 packets taco seasoning
1 tbl cumin
1 cup chunky tomato salsa
1 small can diced green chilies

dump everything into the crock pot.
set your heat setting to low.

set your cook time to 3 hrs 30 min.

{many crock-pots have timers for 4, 6 or 8 hours.
if that is the case set your crock for 4 hours.
will not take 4 hours}

at hour 3 remove the lid and shred the chicken with two forks.
{this allows the juices and flavor to infuse all the meat}

once the chicken is done you can let it warm until you're ready to serve dinner.
it will be fine.
really.

finally serve!
this shredded mexi-chicken
is great on tacos, nachos, mexican pizza, and more.

our family of 5 usually gets
3 MEALS out of it!
3 MEALS!!!

i love you mr. crock.

XOXOXO
{from my pot to yours},

hello monday

2011-10-10T09:12:00.000-07:00

linking up with lisa leonard & hello monday

{with my instagr.am pix}

hello new week. new, i need you.

hello to another week on the lake.

to crisp fall air and fires in the woodstove~ an invitation to curl up with the good book and french vanilla tea in my cuppakim mugswap cup in the mornings,

and to eat s'mores to our hearts content in the evenings.

hello to another week of ~~home~~ lake-schooling, lifting our heads from our studies to take in the view, the calm.

hello to "crocktober" and favorite meals from my "rock-pot" to link up.

hello to work and more school photography {thank you God for the ways You provide}

goodbye to escrow and hello to being homeowners again.

hello to speaking at MOPS about giving the gift of blessing to your family.

BIG HELLO to finally meeting the newest member of the jones family, our nephew jack!

who's traveling all the way to cali from "the land down under" with his mommy.

{picture stolen from my s.i.l., jennifer. we're looking forward to seeing lots of smiles this week}

hello to birthdays of so many people i love~ lily, grandma phyllis, mama holly, papa dan, AND TO CELEBRATING GRAM'S 90th WITH A JONES FAMILY GATHERING!

what are you saying hello to this week?

wiww

2011-10-05T11:55:00.000-07:00

linking up with lindseyfor another week of what i wore.

i'm sharing 2 outfits this week

because i only got dressed 2x this week.

the other 5 days i wore my yoga pants, favorite tee, and favorite sweatshirt.

you don't want to see me in that do you?

i didn't think so.

church and errands~

dress-ross

tank-forever 21

cream boyfriend cardi- sears

{had the hardest time finding one}

belt- ?? but i know i bought it for my 30th birthday hoe-down/chilli cook-off celebration

{that was fun}
boots- charming charlies

life group and more errands~

gray top- h&m

black cardi- forever 21

polka dot scarf- gift from my mom

petal pusher- pleated poppy {of course}

skinny jeans- old navy

gray boots- bass outlet {buy 1 get 2 free}

hApPy WeDnEsDay!

" So here's what I want you to do.."

2011-10-04T12:43:00.000-07:00

i've been blogging for 4.5 years.

when i began i was 33 {you're shocked, you thought i was younger, right?}. i was a stay at home wife and home schooling mommy of 3. i was living the life here i'd always hoped would someday be mine, BUT i was so discontent. people said {as they always do}, "enjoy it, it goes by fast." i knew they were right, but what i really needed was for Someone to lead me by the hand and show me how to enjoy it.

i was also coming out of another string of physical illness as well as another season of depression {just weeks before my first post i'd had a hysterectomy}. i was really sad. sad that i was sick all. the. time. from my perspective i was a hindrance to my family. i was sad that i could not physically be all the wife and mommy and human being that i wanted to be. i was also mad. mad that God kept allowing me to be weak while everyone around me seemed so strong.

in the privacy of my home i sulked and asked "why?" a lot.

it's really hard to live in joy when you're so consumed with "why."

finally i was a newly recovering pharisee. as a pharisee i had mastered the black & white, self-righteous, graceless, look-like-and-act-like-a-christian life. my haughty attitude lead me to speak the most nauseating words, "God calls us to 'be perfect as He is perfect.' well, i'm just about perfect, God might as well take me home." {GAG!} thankfully God in His mercy showed me just how "perfect" i was NOT, and served me a Marie Callander's restaurant worth of humble-pies! the Father made it crystal clear that He was not as rigid as i'd created Him to be. as a recovering pharisee i was stumbling a lot as i learned to walk for the first time in humility and grace. hindsight being 20/20 i see that the stumbling offered me ample opportunity to learn to live in humility and grace. i needed to live in both before i could extend them {life would be so much simpler if it could be lived presently with hindsight's perspective}.

i had no idea the impact blogging would have on my life.

no idea.

my s.i.l. lindsey was new to blogville. she knew i was a journaler. i recall her telling me that i should blog, that i would love it. i honestly didn't know what a blog was. i snooped around and stalked a few bloggers for a little over a week, and then on good friday 2007 i posted my first post {i look back and think it is a sweet detail that i began blogging on a good friday. good things happen on good fridays that have changed the entire course of my life}.

a strange thing happened when i began blogging, i started searching high and low in my stay-at-home life, in my story, in my weakness, in my recovering pharisee, for "blog-worthy moments" to share on my little piece of the internet world {it was strange to me then, but is the norm now}.

i didn't realize then that those "blog-worthy moments" were actually "praise worthy moments." those moments were causing me to take my eyes off my "woe is me,"

and instead to

"enter His gates with thanksgiving in my heart, to enter His courts with praise!"

and boy, did i NEED in there.

the result was that this once joyless, taking up residence in defeat {instead of victory} me, was wrapping my arms around the life that God had given me!!

blogging had become a form of worship!
with my eyes no longer on me, but on His goodness, i decreased and God increased.

God increased in my relationship with my husband and children.
God increased in my weakness as he became my strength.
God increased as things in me were put to death so real-Jesus could be born in me.

"So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life - your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life - and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him."

Romans 12:1

The Message

How do you wrap your arms around the life God has given you?

Have you ever considered that blogging is a form of worship?

chuckle

2011-10-02T22:50:00.000-07:00

michael's grandmother sent me this comic-strip clip
a dozen years ago.

it still makes me chuckle.

happy monday!

insta-s'weeeet!

2011-09-30T10:41:00.000-07:00

linking up with jeanette for another week of insta.

i'm still on a blog sugar high,

digesting all the sweet i consumed last weekend!

did you know that sugar is an important source of energy for the body?

well, blog sugar definitely energized me!

i came away with a renewed appreciation and passion for blogging.

watch out!

one of the highlights of blog sugar was getting to be with blog friend turned real life friend, kristen.
a.k.a "idaho mom."

she brought me cookies.

to say "i love her cookies" is an understatement. i do NOT share them.

i've vlogged about her cookies here and here.

otis spunkmeyer should beware.

kristen's love language is gifts.
{i reeally need to be a better gift giver}

she brought me presents for my birthday. which is 48 days from now.

{maybe you should make a paper chain to count the days till the big day
when i am in my middle upper 30's}

one of the gifts was the game "tune baya."

kristen has been around me enough to know "everything's a song."

if this post was a song it would be to the tune of carley simon's "your so vain,"
and i'd be singing
"i bet you think this post is about kristen's cookies,
don't you, don't you."
{i think that was funnier in my head then it was in writing)

victory rd. get'n some sugar with idaho mom!

do you see my pleated poppy wristlet clutch there on the table between us?
i love it.
perfect size.
you should go buy one for yourself now.

post blog sugar breakfast at the old vine cafe in costa mesa

with these blog sugar girls

did. not. disappoint.

the perfect meal to sustain me for the 6hr drive home alone.
{someone should travel with me next year. think about it}

i arrived home to my favorite sweets~

my family.

the kids saw traces of cookie{s} on my lips, and roared in unison,

"where's the cookies!?!"

i bribed them to play tune baya with me by paying them with cookies.

and now for a non-sugar, non-kristen, non-cookie update...

i've got big news!

BIG.

HUGE!

we are EXPECTING!!!

a new refrigerator.

the proud parents are expecting it to be delivered late october.

{couldn't resist}

we're also in the market for new toilet seats.

i'm kinda bummed {no pun intended}

about not having the same brand of toilet we had before.

i liked saying i was "going to church."

{"church" was the brand of the toilet}

and because you want to know every detail about my week

i was almost viciously attacked by a snake!

because noah MADE me "come and see it."

{cool moms get past their snake phobias to look at snakes}.

it was a tiny gopher snake {chills}.

it was all snakey.

in the photo noah is antagonizing the snake with a fishing pole.

he's one smart cookie {not}...

speaking of cookies i need to wrap this post up so i can go eat ~~one~~ four.

until next week

{when i'm 5 cookie lbs heavier}

wiww~ blog sugar weekend wear

2011-09-28T10:31:00.000-07:00

i'm linking up with my s.i.l., lindsey

{who i love. a whole lot}

for another edition of wiww.

i stepped out of my wardrobe comfort zone

and into my

i-wish-i-could-pull-that-look-off

zone this week,

and wore skinny jeans most days with cowgirl boots.

{i am from the "cowboy capitol of the world," and should be able to pull that look off right?}

BUT,

you won't know whether i pulled it off or not

because i didn't get any pix.

i'll just have to wear the same outfits i wore last week this week and wiww them next week.

{did you get that?}

okay enough about what i wore that i didn't take pix of.

here's what i did wear and who i wore it with

{because i got to be with some amazing people this week}

i wore this dress w/ these shoes.

to have dinner with my friend, beth, friday evening.

{melanie, beth, and i at "big emily's" wedding in 2007}

beth lives in the middle of cali.,

and generously allowed me to crash at her place friday on my way to blog sugar.

we snuck away from her darling family and had dinner together at p.f. changs.

yummmmy.

but even more delicious than our dinner was our conversation.

we talked about God the entire time.

{sorry mr. chang for occupying our table 3+ hours}

God alive and moving.

{chills}

it was so good for my soul,

and the perfect start to kick off my blog sugar weekend.

dress- gap clearance

shoes- old navy

belt- maurices

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

blog sugar outfit

after pointless hours of shopping for something to wear to blog sugar

i read this post,

then landed on this outfit that i already had in my closet.

blog sugar was so much fun.

i miss the girls already.

a lot.

pictured-

a cuppa kim, me, idaho mom, and keeping up with the johnsons

{i must have said something hilarious to make kim laugh}

top- boutique san luis obsipo

cream cardi- target

skinny jeans- old navy

boots- online somewhere

lisa leonard necklace

cross necklace- from newt, an older gentlemen from our previous church that now resides in heaven.

{i love it}

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

monday a.m. a few of us met up for an eye pleasing

and mouth watering breakfast in costa mesa

pictured-

marigold rd., me, sarah markley, the outdoor wife/a deeper story, and idaho mom

top- somewhere a few years ago

gray belt- forever 21

gray cardigan- target

skinny jeans- old navy

boots- bass outlet {buy 1 pair get 2 pair freee!!}

lisa leonard necklace

this photo from our morning together sums up the entire weekend for me

EVERY SINGLE woman i spent this sweet weekend with

inspired me

by the ways they

intentionally

SHOW UP FOR LIFE.

they embrace who God has uniquely created them to be

in their blogs,

then use their blogs

for His BIG glory.

i'm realizing that i too need to embrace who God has

uniquely created me to be.

that i need to

SHOW UP

for whatever it is He wants to do here

Victory Rd.

for

His Glory.

overdose on sweetness

2011-09-27T14:54:00.000-07:00

this weekend i traveled south to long beach, ca.

for blog sugar.

i went to see Jesus,
in real lives.

Real lives
who

He has redeemed,

has provoked to action,

is leading in grace,
inspires to create,

is sustaining,

is purposing to praise.

lives

that

He stirs to tell~

through

blogging.

Real lives that
make HIM known,
and
who daily cause me to
"taste and see that the LORD is good"

and blog sugar was good.

so good.

and it was sweet.

oh. so. sweet!

the event was so sweet that

I HAD TO SHARE

some of the blog sugary goodness with you!

for your sake
i made a complete fool of myself
{you're welcome}
and
VLOGGED
some of your favorite bloggers at the event.
enjoy!!

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

blogger's pictured~

collage 1: the pleated poppy, idaho mom, simply joy, top of the page, and life rearranged.

collage 2: idaho mom, name your joy, cuppakim, happy days, and forever folding laundry

collage 3: name your joy, idaho mom, cuppakim, bringing up burns, angel face designs, and sarah markley

collage 4: the driveway of life, whatever, joy's hope, top of the page

Vlogged Bloggers~

{in order with links to the best of my ability}

confessions of a paper freak
flip flop follies

bringing up burns
angel face designs
keeping up with the johnsons

minivan diva
dolly mama
in my boy's nest
denim & dandelions {formerly 2 cool 4 my minivan}
name your joy
happy days
top of the page
life rearranged
forever folding laundry
larson lingo
sew chatty
fairly fabulous
daily dose of sugar mama
rags to stitches
upside down kate
everyday extraordinary

insta-sweet

2011-09-23T09:01:00.000-07:00

linking up with jeanette

for another week of insta-goodness!

toasting marshmallows for s'mores on the beach with friends.

papa dan & emilie canoeing.

apple pie gum.

yum! it's like thanksgiving in my mouth.

house inspections.

In-N-Out, the number one reason i will never move out of cali.

ketchup & mustard instead, add pickles, with grilled onions.

how do you In-N-Out?

dropping our jr. highers off at youth group.

i still can't believe i am the mother of two jr. highers!

one last jump in the lake to knee-board followed by a trip to miller's for ice cream

i asked michael to pick me up some "flowers" for our anniversary.

ben & jerry's cinnabon are my kind of flowers.

oreo cookie pancakes!
my kids' response was, "you rock, mommy!"

and because i've not consumed enough sugar this week....

i'm headed to BLOG SUGAR!!!!

where i'm going to overdose on sweetness
seeing
her.
her.
her.
her.
her.
her.
her.
her.
and
her

Happy Friday!

Do you Remember the 21st night of September

2011-09-21T17:38:00.000-07:00

Michael,

When I think about our marriage, our life together, one word describes it~ ABUNDANT.
{Abundant: available in large quantities; plentiful. Having plenty of something}

John 10:10b says that "Jesus came to give us life, and life abundant."

As a girl I hoped that my life would be different. I dreamed of being loved and wanted. I hoped I could be. Hoped hard that I would be {tears}. Hoped that my story wouldn't always be of loss, abandonment, and rejection. I hoped there would be a BUT GOD to my story. Hoping that my no-good story which began tragically would turn a page and be a God-glorifying story.
That "But God" was Jesus, Who gave his life for me AND then lavished on me high and wide and long and deep LOVE!
"But God"wasn't done! God was just getting started. In addition to ALL He'd given me in Christ, He gave me you, Michael! You, to share ABUNDANT Life in Christ with. You to experience large quantities of JOY, GRACE, EXPANDING FAITH, FREEDOM, FUTURE, and LOVE with.

What a gift these past 15 years have been! Being your wife is next to Jesus the BEST GIFT EVER!

Now, in the words of Ren McCormic {Footloose}
"LEEEETTT'S DAAAANNCCEE!!!"

Do you remember the

21st night of September

Love was changing the minds

of pretenders

While chasing the clouds away

Our hearts were ringing

In the key that our souls were singing.

As we danced in the night,

Remember how the stars stole the night away

Ba de ya - say do you remember

Ba de ya - dancing in September

Ba de ya - never was a cloudy day

My thoughts are with you

Holding hands with your heart to see you

Only blue talk and love,

Remember how we knew love was here to stay

Happy 15th Anniversary!

MADLY INsta-LOVE

2011-09-15T21:32:00.000-07:00

it's official!

i'm in insta-love.

{swoon}

who knew taking pix and sharing them

INSTANTLY

could bring so much pleasure.

{apparently you insta-fridayers did}

here's an insta-glimpse
at our
goodbye,
hello,
HELLO,
week.

saturday
the girls on the last night in our home of 6.7 years

{the longest i've ever lived anywhere}

we're thankful for the memories made there...

have great expectation for what is ahead.

sunday
could the kids be more excited about moving to the lake!?!

monday
great minds ~~think~~ plaid alike

monday

the plaid bunch had visitors while we were out.
"the hagen's were here"
{note in the sand}

monday

you read that right,
WE ARE IN ESCROW!

over a month ago we attempted to place an offer on this short-sale house.
bank wouldn't even look at it our pennies.
we prayed.
moved everything into storage.
prayed.
kept our eye on it.
prayed.
camped-out at our house for a week.
prayed.
then it dropped in price $15,100
we made an offer.
prayed.

we were told it could be up to 3-6 months before we got a response.
prayed.
then moved to the lake house.
prayed
1 week later
{the day after we moved in to the lake house}
we're in ESCROW!!
a 30 day Escrow.

i'm so excited i could jump into the lake with my clothes on!

tuesday

while grocery shopping at a discount grocery store tuesday night

we saw the homeless man again that lives in the parking lot there.

after the manager goes home he volunteers by

collecting the carts and bringing them inside.

{there is an agreement that he does this when the manager
is gone because this is a liability}

this tuesday while he worked he humbly sold flowers

{that appeared to have come from the trash}.

this man serves.

faithfully.

this homeless man

stirs my heart

that

has been stagnate.
he stirs it

something not about me,

but

about

God's glory...

in this man.

please join me in fighting for him in prayer.

monday

wednesday

a bit of after dinner skiing and knee-boarding.

we are going to take FULL advantage of the 30 days we have on the lake!

thursday

michael "working hard for the money"

home school charter photography.

thursday

september 15th...

remembering

caleb.

though we look forward with great expectation to a new home

here this side of heaven,

we KNOW

that the true home we desire is not here.

we celebrate that our son LIVES there

in "God's love better than life"

{psalm 63:3}.

happy friday, friends!

wiww- 1985 edition

2011-09-14T09:36:00.000-07:00

linking up with the s.i.l.

with a self-imposed retro edition of wiww.

as many of you know we have been in the process of moving.

the move is complete, and we are settling in at our temporary home...

which happens to be ON a lake

{don't dis me}.

during the packing process i came across some totally radical items from my childhood.

including my barf me out awesome gym outfit from jr. high, 1985-87!

i had to BRIBE and BEG my 7th grader, emilie, to model this fine ensemble.

my gym outfit was from bianchi's
{for those of you reading this from oakdale}.
my tennies {which are long gone} were pro-wings.

i was mortified by them,

and thought they were

like, gag me with a spoon,
and that only dweebs wore them.
the preppies had reebox.
i was a preppie wannabe.

i'm way over it now.

i had a slight astigmatism when i was a child,

and wore glasses when reading to correct it.
{which it did. phew! right?}

in 1985 i thought my glasses case was like totally tubular!

blue with geese was all the 80's rage

{had the nester been decorating her home in the 80's she totally would have rocked

a blue w/ geese theme in her nest fer shur}.

emilie, you were a like a totally good sport for wearing
my grody to the max polyester gym clothes.

you were missing just one thing to make this outfit fantabulous...

a flock of ~~seagulls~~ feathers hair style.

tell me,

what was the gnarliest thing

you "wore wednesday" in 1985?

{for those of you who were alive in 1985}.

Denise, Who’s Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move

2011-09-10T19:30:00.000-07:00

Inspired by the children's book

Alexander, Who's Not (Do you hear me? I mean it!) Going to Move

By Judith Viorst

They can’t make me pack my Kitchen Aid mixer or my ME teapots or my hallway photos or my Willow tree figurines. They can’t make me pack my roller-skates, my acoustic guitar, “Stella,”my polka dot pillows or my “refrigerator art”.

My husband is packing. My son is packing. My daughters Emilie and Josie are packing.

I’m not packing. I’m not going to move.

My husband says this house is no longer ours and that we have to move to the lake house until we find a new home. My son, Noah, says he wants to move, and that the lake house feels like home. I say this place feels like home. The lake house feels like it is a thousand miles away from home.

I’m not- DO YOU HEAR ME? I MEAN IT!- going to move.

I’ll never have neighbors like Don & Virginia again. I’ll never hear them on their back patio playing dice or be invited in through the back door to sit and talk over a cup of hot tea. Who will I borrow baking soda from {i’m always running out of baking soda}. I’ll never hear a tap on my back door and be blessed by Virginia bringing us cookies. I’ll miss Don & Virginia.

I’m not packing. I’m not going to move.

Noah says I’m too sentimental. Emilie says maybe it’s just “horror moans.” Josie dances and sings “we’re moving to the laa..ake.” Michael says the lake house won’t feel like it’s a thousand miles away and that we’ll have new neighbors to borrow baking soda from.

Never. Not ever. No way. Uh uh. N.O.

I maybe could stay here and live with Don & Virginia. They have a dog; a yappy dog, Shorty. I don’t like their dog.

I maybe could stay here and live with the Hilliards. They’ve always wanted a live in maid. I could clean their baseboards. I’m really good at cleaning baseboards.

I maybe could stay here and live in the play structure. I don’t think the new owners would mind.

Noah says I should stay here, and that I can use his Dangerous Book for Boys book so I’ll know how to build myself a tree-house, skin a rabbit, and make a campfire.
Emilie says it’s okay to be emotional.
Josie dances and sings, “we’re moving to the laa..ake.”
Michael says I should take a last look at my favorite places.

I’m taking a look- but it won’t be my last.

I looked at the view out the back window~ golden rolling foothills draped by a brilliant blue sky {it’s breath-taking in the spring}, I looked at the play structure and pressed rewind on my memory~ I see Noah, Emilie and Josie playing there. Emilie would swing for hours. I would swing with her and as we’d swing we’d sing “ Swing low, sweet chariot, come’n forth to carry me hooommmeee.”

I sat on the couch in the living room in the early morning sun staring out the picture window to the swing up on the hillside.

I remember the kids {a hundred years smaller} romping around on that hillside with Belle {our yellow lab who went to “the farm” last fall} protectively following behind them {i miss Belle}.

I sat on the swing on the back patio and played “Stella” while swaying back and forth, surrounded by the green grass and cheery flowers framing our yard. I am reminded of little girls holding hands while running in the sprinklers, of camp-outs in the yard, of playing fetch with Belle, of picnic lunches on the lawn. I’m reminded of trecking over to our former neighbors’ Melanie & Steve’s house, of hours shared visiting over their homemade salsa. I’m reminded of our former neighbor boy Ronald Raymond Robertson playing here and the ways God moved mightily in his young life.
I KNOW God will continue to move mightily in his life. I’m hoping He is moving in mine now.

I’m not do you hear me - I mean it - going to move!

Michael says I should say goodbye to all my special people.

I’m saying goodbye but it won’t be my last.

I said good bye to Sylvia. I loved “walgging” {walk/jogging} with Sylvia, we had the best conversations. I said good bye to the Thibodeux. The Thibodeux really went out of their way to love on our family the 6.7 years we lived here. I said goodbye to Julie. I waited forever for Julie to move near me and now I’m moving away from her. I said goodbye to Don & Virginia. Virginia promises we’ll talk on the phone every week. We better because i’m reallly going to miss Virginia...I might even miss her dog, Shorty.

i said a lot of good -byes to a lot of people and got a lot of hugs and kissess, enough hugs and kisses to last a person’s whole life. I said a lot of good-byes- except i’m not going to move.

When the movers {michael, gramps, nana, eric, spinner, sheffie & jeremy} come to put the red buffet on the U-Hauls truck, maybe I’ll barricade all the doors. when Michael wants to take down the patio swing maybe I’ll get the kids to join me in a sit-in protest on the swing while holding signs that say “SHE MEANS IT! WE’RE NOT GOING TO MOVE!!

Noah says I’m being ridiculous.
Emilie says she likes that I am so sentimental.
Josie dances and sings, “we’re moving to the laa..aake.”
Michael says he understands, he’ll miss this place too, and did I get the spare key from Don & Virginia to give to the new owner?

Michael is packing. Noah is packing. My girls Emilie and Josie are packing.
I don’t like it, but I’m packing too.

They better not try to move anymore when we get where we’re going to go.

Because this is the last time I’ll do it.

The next time they won’t make me do it.
Never. Not ever. NO way. Uh uh. N.O.

I’m not- DO YOU HEAR ME? I MEAN IT?- going to move.

insta-friday

2011-09-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

this is my first time linking up with insta-friday at life rearranged.

yeah!!!

i've wanted to join the insta-friday party
forever

{well, since like april, which seems like forever}

i'm still figuring out the insta-gram thingy

{i'm a slow learner, someone help}

i edited my pix in picnic

{as usual}
i think "insta" infers that i will not have to ~~spend~~ waste my time editing.
{really, someone help me!}

annnnyway...

here's a peek into our crazy week

{l-r]

remember the house tour from the last 2 weeks??

well, i failed to mention that while you were touring the house here in blogville,

we were packing up the house.
everything is pretty much in storage.

we've been campin' out here all week.

fun times...

for the kids anyway.

it's been so chaotic here at "the jones k.o.a."

that one day i went somewhere without a shower, touching my hair, and without lipstick.
what?

you do that all. the. time.

what if i told you i haven't done that since 7th grade would you believe me?

believe it.

another trip to the mini-storage to rent another unit to store all of our junk in.

my neighbor attempted to give me back our

just-in-case-i-get-locked-out-of-the-house-key

last week.

i told her to keep it.

phew!!

my husband has officially lost it.

it's about time.

i'm grateful for our friend, michelle, who invited us over in the middle of the craziness,
fed us, and let me veg on her couch.
couches are far cozier than the folding chairs here at our k.o.a..
friends who let you veg on their couch
are cozier than their cozy couches.

we made room for some fun in the midst of the crazy.

while noah and emilie were at youth group

michael and i went on a date with josie to cpk.

she wanted lettuce wraps.

she loves lettuce.

and yes, our eyes were bigger than our stomachs.

we made room.

"my kelli" was in town from AUSTRALIA

so we met up for coffee.

the girls got a fancy chocolate milk and sat a few tables away doing there school work
{noah was in algebra class}

while we poured our hearts out to each other.

i'm think'n home school should officially be changed to coffee shop school.

do you have that friend that when you are with them

"the Jesus in you meets with the Jesus in them?"

kelli is that friend to me.

infact i think the

Jesus alive in her brings out the Jesus alive in me.

i really needed to be reminded He is alive in me.

thank you "g.k."

guess who was asked to be a mentor mom for MOPS this year?

uh huh, me.

am i old enough to be a mentor mom?

i mean i'm only in my "lower-upper-30's"

but they wanted me.

i know this, when i was a new mom in my lower 20's

i looked to those "upper 30's" moms

and was encouraged by their lives.

they had survived and thrived!

i also thought they were old,

but i'm SURE these girls don't think i'm old.

right?

finally, this insta-gram photo is fresh of the press!

guess who let her big sister wear her pink tutu?

guess whose big brother is now wearing the pink tutu?

guess who's going to go try on the pink tutu??

happy friday!

house tour- the great outdoors {and the dining room}

2011-09-06T06:49:00.000-07:00

this is the last day of the house tour.

it's been so nice to have you over this past week plus.

i realized that on the tour i zoomed past the dining room.

here it is.

it's kind of uneventful...which is ironic because this is where

80% of our time is spent.

not only do we eat all my fine home cooking at this {little} table,

we also

school here,

do family devotions here,

craft here,

and drop here.

it's cozy {cramped}.

the table is the one thing in our home we {want} need to replace.

i'll miss it.

{especially the spot where 2 yr old emilie took her fork at each meal and jabbed it into the table}

we've made a lot of memories at this table.

a lot.

praise God for all the laughter, learning, and tears shared here.

the suitcases to the left of the dining room slider

house wii remotes & games,

puppets {to the puppet theater},

dress up clothes, and

more dress up clothes.

you're curious about the bear on top of the suitcases?

i made it.

from my grandfather's shirt after God took him home.

i love it.
{there is another bear in our room made from michael's g-pa's shirt... i wouldn't doubt if in the webster dictionary under

"sentimental" the definition is "denise"}

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

from the dining room slider you walk out into the best room of all...
the great outdoors!

i believe that we are made in the image of the Creator of the earth
{and the heavens, and EVERYTHING}.
the desire to create a lovely place to live is a piece of who we are in Him.
that place will be unique to who we are
{and our budget, time, and husband's talents}.
however, no home we fashion can ever compare with
His masterpiece.

the view from our patio in the spring.
*love*

the patio was built by michael with the help of his parents.

the side tables were also built by michael.

{with recycled wood from a store in town}

everything else was a given to us seconhand~

the bbq {thanks christopher!}

the hutch and bricks {thanks lindsey!}

the swing and adirondack chair {thanks melanie!}

the b/w polka dot pillows {thanks mom!}

the cherry m.e. throw {thanks kelly}.

second hand/free is good.

we have a garden too...it's kind of a secret.

you'll have to go to this post to see it.

now, tell me...

when do i get to come to your house for a tour?

house tour~ master bedroom

2011-09-05T12:38:00.000-07:00

this is my favorite photo of the master bedroom.

everything looks crisp and clean {not dusty...and it is very dusty}

when it is get'n some lamp light love.

i love my bed.
i love it because michael built it.
and when i say "built," i mean
cut down the trees, milled the wood,
mortise & tenon {no nails, no screws} built it.

i'll give you a moment to be insanely jealous of the fact that i am married to
my very own norm abram.

okay, moment over.

the bedding is from pottery barn- 2005.
{recognize the pattern from the area rug in the family room??}
the striped fabric for the pillows and bed-skirt is from a shower curtain i found at marshalls.

the window behind the bed is from an old building that back-in-the-day
resided on the main corner of our town.
it is filled with b/w photos of our {much younger} family
i left many windows empty so i could add more photos through the years.

the bed and window are painted black.
the side tables are from target and are a cherry wood.

you may not be able to see it in this photo, but the books in the side tables are all turned around.
{i also did this with the books in the family room amoire}.
i think it looks less cluttery to have the white paged side of the books showing
{uhhh, someone's a little neurotic?}.
what...
how do i know which book is which?
i make a list from l-r and tuck it in on the side.

this door is from michael's childhood neighbor's home.

i painted it, michael cut the mattes, we picked our favorite family photos,
michael printed them,
and vuala!
a masterpiece!
{to me anyway}

finally, this is the corner of the master bedroom which houses
the computer amoire.
uh huh, where all the blogity blogville goodness takes place.

i like the having the computer tucked away.
i DO NOT like having it in my bedroom.

this is what it looks like behind the closed doors...
and this is somewhat organized.

okay, i have to go now.
i have to clean that up...
{or say i'm going to clean it up, but spend the time reading your blog instead}.

Happy Labor Day!

house tour- kids' rooms!

2011-09-02T00:00:00.000-07:00

the kids tidied up their rooms for you today!
{i had to bribe them with my secret stash of chocolate, but whatever}

because noah's name is "noah" he acquired an abundance of "noah's ark" items when he was little. it made sense to keep with the water themed room and give him a beachy room.

guess who helped me sew his duvet... yes, lindsey!

{i'm telling you i can't do anything on my own}.

the surf board was from uncle christopher {you know the one who moved to maui}.

the desk and bed originally belonged to the in-laws but we swiped 'em and painted them chocolate brown.

the shelves {below} were made by michael. i painted them the same chocolate brown as the desk & bed.

{to my credit, i do do ~~all~~ most of the painting around here}.

the shelves are great for housing some of noah's books and many of his lego creations.

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

the girls room
*love*

{this photo is a little out of focus. sorry}

the girls were very young {7.5 years ago} when lindsey and i {yes, lindsey} took apart a queen cherry duvet cover i had from pottery barn and created these 2 twin bed duvet covers for my girls.

i still love them.

last summer michael and i did this faux board & batten treatment on the girls walls. we were pleased with it.

the puppet theater & doll beds were christmas gifts made by michael.
i sewed the bedding for the doll beds and made the girls' pillows {without lindey's help this time}.

the shelves in the girls room were also made by michael, as well as the silhouette photos of the girls {visit here to see the silhouette's we gave as gifts last christmas}.

the doll house was emilie's 1st birthday present.
the ME table was another trash to treasure gift from my m.i.l. the girls' piggy banks were painted by me, and given to them on their 1st christmas' {see, i share in a bit of the creative process around here}.

visit tomorrow to see the master bedroom!

when i was young my sister and i shared a strawberry shortcake room.

what was your childhood room like?

house tour~ guest bathroom & hallway

2011-09-01T00:00:00.000-07:00

when i walk into someones home

i want to see their personalities

and stories all over it.

that can never become out dated

or go out of style.

this is the spare bathroom.

today, because you're "visiting,"

it's the guest bathroom.

i love the robin's egg blue paint in here.
{guess who gave it to me? lindsey!}

with the b/w checkered floor, b/w toile shower curtain,

white shaker cabinets,

and pix of my babies playing in the tub.
{bottom left pic does not accurately display
the color of the wall. ick}.

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

the hallway.

back in the days when our kids were very little and we had more debt that $ {praise God for allowing us to go through that, and then leading us out of it}, michael and i came up with this creative way to display photos of our family.

matte board, clothes line, and clothes pins.

i refer to this wall as

"the wall of mercy,"

because when i am upset with one {or all} of my kids who has been sent to their room,

and i'm in route to discipline , i walk by this wall and am reminded of how stink'n cute they were & are,

and of how very blessed i am.

{God must have a looonnnggg "wall of mercy" for me}

oh, they are just the YUMMIEST kids ever!!

well, next to yours, of course.

do you have photos on display in your hallway?

how & of who?

can you tell which room inspired the color & style of my blog?

house tour~ kitchen & laundry room

2011-08-31T00:00:00.000-07:00

welcome to our kitchen!

as usual i've got somethin' cooking in the "rock-pot!"
{cuz i'm too lazy to cook for real}

so you not noticed...

someone loves her some mary engelbrite.

my ME kitchen makes me all kinds of happy
{well, when it is clean anyway. which is rare}

we upgraded the builder's grade cabinetry in the kitchen and bathrooms

to shaker style. we painted them white.
we also upgraded the florescent box that comes standard in this model {WHY?!?}
to canned lights.

lindsey gave us this black butcher block island

she no longer needed

{it's awesome getting lindsey's "junk"}

it's a tight squeeze, but provides additional storage,

and prep space.

this mailbox sits on top of the refrigerator.
it was painted for me by my m.i.l. as a housewarming gift.

i love it big time!
{she's awesome. there is more of her talent to come}
it houses special letters & cards.

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

the laundry room.

this room makes me happy too,

and that is CRUCIAL!

{God knows i spend plenty of time in here}

~~unfortunately~~ fortunately we had a leak that ruined the original builder's grade linoleum

so michael installed these b/w linoleum tiles in a checker board pattern.

{b/w checkers are my favorite color AFTER b/w polka dots}

this floor never looks dirty.

never!

{it loves me}

guess who found this broken legged chair in the trash,
fixed it,
ME painted it,
then surprised me!?!
yes,
my mother in law!

she loves me.

do you have a favorite artist/designer?

do you hate me because i have crazy-talented-generous in-laws?

tomorrow i'll take you into the guest bathroom
{should be the kids' bathroom, but for some reason we all use mine}.

house tour~ family room

2011-08-30T00:00:00.000-07:00

welcome to our family room
{which is caddy-corner from our living room}

i love suitcases!

{you'll see a few more throughout the house}
they are decorative and so useful at helping me keep things tidy.
individual suitcases store; blankets, dvds, wii games & controllers, c.d.'s,

school supplies, dress-up clothes, puppets,

and hair accessories.

the hope-chest above is josie's {her 1st b-day present. we give lifelong gifts for 1st birthday}

it was made by michael's favorite childhood teacher/principal, mr. shennan.

it contains baby keepsakes & my wedding dress.

someday it will house josie's children's baby keepsakes and her wedding dress
{i promise, josie!}

pictures are my favorite form of artwork.

seeing our entire family on the family room wall is a daily blessing.

red phone. oh how i love pops of red!

you'll notice the same print of the family room rug in another room in a few days

{flores, by potter barn}

the amoire was a wedding gift from michael's parents...

it was made by his dad!!

WE LOVE IT.

it stores the t.v. & such, as well as books, family games, and other treasures...

when noah & emilie were little the bottom shelf was filled with their toys,

that is until they shoved them aside and crawled in beside them.
{emilie 9 months old in the amoire. awe, sweet memories}.

the red doll on the bottom left was a gift to me from my dad.

i hope this amoire will be a family heirloom that my children and grandchildren will treasure.

do you have family heirlooms in your home?

what treasures do you have from your childhood?

what pop of color do you have/like in your home?

see you tomorrow in the kitchen!

house tour~ living room

2011-08-29T00:00:00.000-07:00

we have lived in this 1650 sq ft ranch style home

for 6.5 years.

it is the first home we have owned.

we've enjoyed finding creative, economical ways to make it our own.

the pew above was found outside a friends home.
michael restored it.

it's a perfect place for visitors to drop their things.

teacups & saucers were a gift to me from michael's granmother's collection

when this house was under construction we invited a

small group of friends over one evening for dinner & graffiti.

together we graffitied the house in scripture, hymns, and praise songs

{you could say we took deut. 6 literally}
in the spot where the piano is i wrote
"worship the LORD with gladness... home of our future paino"
we didn't have a piano,

couldn't afford a piano,

but since i was a child i'd wanted one, and longed for my own children to learn to play.

2 weeks after we moved in, out of the blue, a women i was acquainted with called.
she had a piano she was going to sell, BUT then i came to mind, and
she said if i wanted it i could have it!!

michael picked it up that day.

he restored it.
the kids and i have all taken lessons.

the piano reminds me of all the words graffitied on this home

which were prayers offered as great hope for our family.

it causes me to believe that God is faithful to answer every one.

this buffet is on loan to me from my s.i.l lindsey.

she gave me permission to paint it what ever color i wanted.

i'm so glad i went with RED!

{read this post to see the green frames i painted and added to the buffet}

the last thing i want to share with you in the living room is

the window/mirror at the entrance.

a few weeks after we moved in michael assembled this for me
{michael is awesome! the house tour will show how he

makes my little dreams big realities}
shortly after he caulked it, our inquisitive josie {2 1/2 yrs old}
pressed her little fingers into the setting caulk.
micahel {knowing that i am o.c.d., and NEED perfection}
asked me if i wanted him to redo it.

the Spirit had a quick talk with me, urging me to leave it!

He told me to embrace her little fingerprints now,

that i would love them later.

oh! how He was right!

the piano & these fingerprints are my favorite things in the room.

i'll see you in the family room tomorrow!

hang'n out at my house

2011-08-27T17:57:00.000-07:00

it's house tour week here at victory rd.

i have enjoyed "visiting" the homes of those that give house tours here in blogville.

to be honest i've allowed myself to believe my home wasn't blog worthy.

i've seen many spectacular homes here in blogville,

and mine looks nothing like any of them.

but then i realized something...

my house doesn't look like them

because

it looks like me

{really us}.

and i LOVE it!

{chalkboard on an easle in the front yard}

WELCOME!

i hope you enjoy your "visit"

i'm looking forward to having you here.

wiww @ casa de pleated poppy & finally meeting linda!

2011-08-23T23:24:00.000-07:00

yeah, you read that right!

this weeks episode of wiww is coming to you

you from casa de pleated poppy

{which is no where near casa de fruta...

though i did consume a healthy amount of fruit while i was there,

which might be why i am thinking of casa de fruta}.

outfit numero uno

top~ maui {you'll have to go there to get one}

jeans~ kohls.
flops~ uhhhh, where are my flops?

outfit numero two-oh
{apparently i speak "spanglish" today}

top~ kohls
shorts~ old navy
necklace~ lisa leonard
flops~ flojos

outfit numero three
is on video!
{gracias to my camera crew, señora lindsey.
stacy & clinton from "what not to wear" should be very afraid of tlc's next hit, wiww!}

i never know what to wear when i am meeting blog people.
{i've met 8 blog people so far. meeting lots more at blog sugar next month!!}
however, i've "known" linda in blogville for 3 years...
i knew when it came down to it we didn't care what the
other person was "wearing wednesday,"
we really just wanted to finally
SEE and
WRAP OUR ARMS AROUND
each other!

linda, it felt like we were long time friends.
what a gift our time together was.
can we have a meet up every week? please!!

i promised linda, i wouldn't video...
i lied.

pop over to linda's at thoughts on these things,
say "hello" and tell her denise sent you!
you will love her,
i promise!

VIA CON DIOS!
{go with God}

today was one of those moments

2011-08-22T19:57:00.000-07:00

facebook

Denise

first day of school here in jonesville with an 8th grader, 7th grader,

and 4th grader. you should have smacked me upside the head when

i didn't believe you {when mine were little} that "it goes by fast."

you were right.

Comments

Karen All the smacking in the world could not have driven the truth home.
It just hits you in the heart at moments down the road.

Denise hits you in the heart hard. today was one of those moments.

first day of school photos taken after the traditional first day of school breakfast by our resident photographer.

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

some fellow home school bloggers share their curriculum plan at the beginning of the school year.
i am always inspired by what you are doing and often find ideas for my own children.
here is what we have planned so far for this school year.

Math~ Teaching Textbooks
Noah- Algebra
Emilie- Pre-Algebra
Josie- Book 5
Language~
Institute of Excellence in Writing {IEW}
U.S. History Based Writing. Vol. 1
101 Way To Love A Book {various writing prompts & activities}
Writing & Art Go Hand in Hand
Reading Together~ Narnia Series
{the girls and i read Little Women last year. What a blessing!}
History~ The Story of the World
Volume 3: The American Revolution - Volume 4: The Gulf War.
Science~ Physical Science
{weekly class with a teacher who LOVES science. phew!}
Spanish~ Rosetta Stone
Music~
Noah- guitar
Emilie & Josie- piano {& hopefully violin}

Plus a whole LOT more!!

{btw- this is our first year using I.E.W. if you have used it please tell me
do you think we need spelling or grammar books in addition to the IEW curriculum?}

we're coming to america {part 3}

2011-08-18T20:22:00.000-07:00

50th anniversary party!

the decorations

hydrangeas are the flower of the azores islands.

our island, flores {flowers in english} is breathtakingly covered in hydrangeas.

red, white & blue to honor america.

each table's centerpiece shared memories from my family's journey as well as historical facts from 1961.

{btw- we discovered at the party that it was not corn husks that were used in place of t.p., it was the corn cob! ewww}

photos from the 50 years in america were printed in sepia, and hung on twine by clothespins, to create banners throughout the house.

what a blessing to see our family that began as 8 now be a whopping 53!

more stories were shared as we poured over the family photo albums together.

the food.

with the portuguese it is ALL about the food.

feeding someone well, and their enjoyment of their meal, is an expression of love.

when speaking of my grandmother i often say, "the way to HER heart is through YOUR stomach."

this was the first time the second generation got to feed {love} the first generation.

i think we fed {loved} them well!

f.y.i. the "portuguese dip" sandwich could easily be mistaken for the french dip sandwich.

the familia {family}.

thank you God for these 50 years!
may You be glorified in the next 50.

do you come from a large family or a small family?

are there any traditions your family has

when you gather together?

{thank you mel, from the larson lingo, for inspiring the r,w&b decorations}.

We're Come'n To America {Part 2}

2011-08-16T21:47:00.000-07:00

This is the story of my family, the Teodosio family {isn't that a cool name}, and how they came to America.

My grandmother Josefina Greves was one of 17 children. My grandfather Antonio Teodosio was one of 12 children {11 biological and 1 adopted sister}. They lived on the westernmost point of Europe, on the Portuguese island of Flores. A beautiful, but poor island.

My grandmother's grandfather Jose (pronounced "juh zeh") Greves had come to the United States, lived, worked, and obtained citizenship, and returned to the Azores. In the early 1900's her father also Jose Greves, followed in his father's footsteps and came to America. When he returned to Flores, Azores he married and began a family. His wife Marie Amelia, had no desire to leave her home, and so they lived the rest of their years in Faga Grande, Flores.

I wonder how a village on an island so small could hold a man who had seen so much of the world. I am sure that he spoke of his adventures to America. I believe his adventure ignited a passion in his daughter, Josefina, to one day live in America.

My grandparent's story isn't a fairytale, they grew up along side each other, and married in 1947. They had 6 children; Violet, Marie, Victoria, Vera, Joe, and Hilda {These are their American names, changed when they moved here. Btw- with exception to Violet, all of my aunts first names are Marie}. They continued living in Flores for many years, but my grandmother wanted more, and they made plans to move their family to the Unites States.

On March 19,1961, 4 days after her 35th birthday, my grandmother, Josefina, arrived in California. She entrusted her husband and sister to care for her 6 children (ages 12-4), so she could go ahead of them and establish a home in the U.S. Upon her arrival she stayed with her uncle and aunt who helped her find work in a cannery, and loaned her money to send for her family. In the meantime, my grandfather, Antonio, aunts and father, traveled from Flores to Sao Miguel to wait for their passports and airfare.
The family was reunited 4 months later on July 31st {the day after my grandparents 13th anniversary} in San Francisco, CA.

I once asked my grandmother what it was like to go to the San Francisco airport to get her husband and children. She laughed and told me she had been advised to fix herself up as the American women do. She wore a pretty dress, fixed up her hair, and painted her lips with red lipstick. When my grandfather saw her he was livid. After 4 months apart, he wouldn't speak to her {I think he may have been more upset that she left him with 6 children}. My Aunt Violet, shared that when she got off the plane in S.F. and saw her mother she didn't recognize her, "she was so beautiful."

After their arrival in America the entire family went to work picking peaches, and quickly paid off every borrowed cent that brought them to the U.S.
My grandfather {42 years old} obtained a job at a dairy, and a few years later my grandmother at Hunt's tomato cannery {where she worked for 25+ years}.

My grandparents have been generous with their lives. In addition to raising their 6 children, my grandparents also raised my sister and I.

Their family of 8 is now a family of 53!!!

The newest member of our family was born Monday. Welcome, Ian Silva!!

In September of 2005 God took my grandfather, Antonio Teodosio, home and made him new.
{for the last 10 years of his life he slowly faded away from us as he suffered from Alzheimer's}. I miss him terribly.

The name Josefina, comes from Joseph which means "May God add." God has certainly added so much to our family because of my grandmother.

I feel blessed to be a Teodosio. I am honored to be part of a family that pursued a dream; a family with courage.

My grandparents have given me a rich heritage, a deep value for family, and were the first to model victory {overcoming obstacles} to me.

I praise God that He wrote me into their story {tears}.

My gratitude is expressed by living a life that honors them and Him.

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

Photos:
Top: Family photo at Aunt Violet's wedding.
top row l-r: Marie, Violet, Victoria, Vera
bottom row l-r: Joe {my dad}, Antonio, Josefina, Hilda

Middle: My grandfather kissing me at my wedding reception (My grandfather gave me away}.

Bottom: My grandmother, sister Toni, and I

We're Come'n To America {part 1}

2011-08-15T22:59:00.000-07:00

On July 31st my family celebrated the 50th anniversary of their arrival to America from Flores, Azores!

A Festa {party} was thrown by my cousins and I, to honor my grandmother and aunts, and the journey that began 50 years ago.

This week I will share with you a bit of my family's history.

But first, let's get this party started!!!

Ten on the 10th

2011-08-11T10:07:00.000-07:00

10 pictures on the 10th day of the month!
{Document a snapshot of your life & find beauty among the ordinary things in your day!}

after spending the evening with these girls

i drove 1hr towards home and crashed at my lil' sister's casa

{thank you "toni bologna full of macaroni"}.

i left her casa early to make it home before michael left for work.

chai tea latte for rachel for the drive home
{rachel is my sbux name. see, wendy, i have heard of sbux}.

when i arrived at home my jr. highers {how can i have jr. highers!?!}

could not wait to tell me all about the fun they had youth group the night before.

eggs were involved. clothing doused in egg yolk was waiting for me in the washer.

they also played a game which involved letters on the soles of their feet...

see.

i worked on my blog post {vlogs take forever}

watched the girls go through an obstacle course they created in the back yard.

yes, emilie is wearing a life jacket and hula-hooping
{my girls are easily entertained}.

an hour later the girls were inside

and everyone was in noah's room playing legos
{they're playing legos now. i love you legos}.

black bean salsa for lunch

{i could eat this every day}

chillaxing with my friends in blogville

cleaned the "church"
{Church is the brand of our toilet...
i "go" to church a few times a day}.

general hospital {don't judge.

jason is in critical condition, jax kidnapped jocelyn, and lucky is

missing!!}

my kids shared wendy's last cake pop

{i may or may not have had a little nibble too}.