Sunday, June 21, 2009

I have a Father

I have a father
he calls me his own
he'll never leave me
no matter where I go

He knows my name
he knows my every thought
he sees each tear that falls
and hears me when I call.

Father's Day is never a good day for me. I hate being reminded of how much I didn't have growing up with a Daddy. I see other women walking arm-in-arm with their fathers, sitting with them at church, or having lunch together... and I feel jealous. I hear girls squealing "Daddy!" and realize that I've never called anyone by that name.

I haven't seen my father in 30 years now - literally, not laid eyes on him. I have one picture of him, with my mom before I was born. I sometimes have it sitting out in a frame; sometimes I hide it because it's too painful to look at. I was going to post it here today, but apparently I hid it too well last time, because now I can't find it.

He writes now and then, I try to make sure he always knows how to reach me. Sadly, he doesn't do the same. He'll write for a few months, then disappear for 3, 4, 5 years... I'm used to it.
He has his reasons, which he thinks are good ones and sometimes I agree. But I don't think he can ever really, truly understand what it's like for a girl to never have someone to call "Daddy" - even when that little girl is 40 years old.

But enough of that..

This morning in church, we sang the song above. I cried and cried... not really tears of sadness, though maybe a little. But more tears of happiness, because I DO have a Father. One that is more than any earthly father could ever be. It took many, many years to realize that.

My heavenly father will NEVER leave me.
He will NEVER walk away and not tell me how to reach Him.
He does see every tear I cry, and knows why.
He answers EVERY time I call Him.
I can speak to Him every single day, all day long.
He's never too busy, or too far away, or too wrapped up in his addictions...
He's my Creator, my Counsellor, my Comforter,
my Light, my Life, my Lord,
my Redeemer, my Rock,
my Savior,
my Abba Father.

Wednesday, June 17, 2009

Wordless Wednesday

First bounty from our garden! Picked today, still wet from the rain...

There it is!!! Now...where did I put that....

I found my old blog! I was organizing my bookmarks, and I had commented on my son's blog last year with my old blogger.com name. It was fun to read through the old posts.

I wish I could remember how to log in to export it, so I can combine it with this one (I can't remember the email/password I used to create it - I've tried all combinations I could think of).

Oh well, I'll just link it here, in case anyone is interested: Breaking Free (link points to first post in July 2008)

Happy Wednesday, everyone!

Sunday, June 14, 2009

Wow Wii!

Hubby's getting me a Wii tonight! I'm so excited! I've wanted the Wii Fit since it came out, but he kept poo-pooing the idea. I finally convinced him that it was something we could do together, and after he saw that there were driving games too, he was sold. He's now gone to get a bunch of games and accessories from a guy on Craigslist (who was looking for a Verizon phone, which I happened to have laying around from before I got the Blackberry). Even trade - woot!

Then we're meeting at WallyWorld and getting the Wii/Wii Fit and I'm hoping to convince him that I really need the EA Sports Active set, too. ;)

Funny how him spending a small fortune on a Harley for himself has made him feel so guilty generous toward me! ~hehe~

Of course, he could have bought this a week ago - before I rejoined the gym!!

Friday, June 12, 2009

Frugal Friday

Well, this is really a Trash-to-Treasure post, but I did save $$ by doing this myself instead of buying new so... I had been wanting a bread box for the longest time, and had been looking at stores for them. Of course being the tightwad that I am, I hadn't bought one. Lucky for me that I happened upon one at the thrift store for $6.00!

Here are the before & afters... I'm pretty proud of myself, and this looks great in my kitchen! I might do the trim in a different color at some point, but right now I don't trust my painting abilities not to mess it up.


I'm pretty sure I owned this exact style in the late 80's...
maybe mine had geese on it, though.
(Admit it, you were into the geese too!)



And after a $1.12 can of spray paint:

Thursday, June 11, 2009

Thankful Thursday


Things I am thankful for today:
(in no particular order)
Good coffee
My amazing daughter
That my 2nd child is graduating this Saturday
(glad he made it! sad for this mama that he's grown up so fast)
My home and all the blessings within it that I take for granted: water, clothing, food, A/C, etc
Special friends that never disappear, even when they aren't present
God's presence & Grace ~ for us who certainly don't deserve it.

Kyrie Eleison
Down the road that I must travel
Kyrie Eleison
Through the darkness of the night
Kyrie Eleison
Where I'm going will you follow
Kyrie Eleison
On a highway in the light

Tuesday, June 09, 2009

Bedroom blues...

No, this is not going to be a post about what you might think...

I'm being inspired by other blogger-ladies to get my home in a more comfy and warm space for my family. Today's dilemma is our bedroom. We don't have a lot of room because of the queen-sized waterbed frame that my hubby refuses to part with (his grandmother gave it to him when he was 16). We have California Queen mattress in it, so I'm not floating around all night, at least. We also have a dresser/chest of drawers set that was my grandmother's. So, we have some mismatched peices of sentimental furniture in there. That's not really the problem, though.

Clutter! Clutter is the problem. (can I get an "Amen"??)
I can go through and put things where I think they belong - in pretty baskets and boxes, etc. But it still seems so cluttered (these live on top of the dresser, since I can't find anywhere else that I can put them that will still be accessible). I want a dresser like Michelle's (you might notice I am very taken with Michelle's homemaking skills!) - with nothing but a nice vase of flowers or something. But ours seems to get covered with hubby's pocket change and wallet and cell phone and random papers and whatever else lands there at the end of the day. Plus the aforementioned baskets and boxes of things like deodorants, colognes, vitamins, hair brushes, etc. (another bathroom cabinet might work for these - duh!).
I seem to accumulate books on my nightstand that are threatening to kill me if they happen to tumble in the middle of the night. Seriously, the stack (ok, both of them) are up to the bottom of my lampshade. I literally have NO more room.
(Plus, I'm fairly sure that's some sort of fire code violation)


How do you all keep your 'sanctuary' clutter-free and comfy??

Saturday, June 06, 2009

My First Trash-to-Treasure Project

I keep forgetting to post these... Michelle inspired me to re-do some oldie goldies that have desperately needed it for years now.

These are a set of patio chairs that belonged to my grandparents. My grandmother is now 98 years old, and she had these for as long as I can remember before she went to the nursing home. I kept looking at sets in stores, thinking I really wanted some nice chairs for the deck, but I couldn't bear the thought of parting with these... They definitely needed some TLC, though...



2 cans of spray paint later (total $2.40), and some cheap cushions from Walmart:

I also have to show off this gem that I picked up for $10 at a yard sale - you can't really tell from the picture (because of the shadows from the tree overhead), but it's in PERFECT shape. And it's sooooooo comfy!


Tuesday, June 02, 2009

You are entering a...


Ok, I'm taking the plunge! I'm going meatless for a month. Ok, let me rephrase - I am going to TRY and go meatless for a month. It's going to be hard, especially since there are cookouts coming up that *I* am hosting, but that also means that I can prepare yummy, meatless munchies for myself to enjoy there. ;)

As I've said before, I'm just not digging meat products lately. After reading a lot at HelloVeggie and other sites, I'm excited about this little "test" I'm giving myself, and hoping it turns into a lifestyle that will continue on. (a nice bonus will be if I can drop about 20 lbs before beach time...but I won't hold my breath for that)

Wish me luck!

Monday, June 01, 2009

Harris Teeter - I Heart You!

I think this is my best Harris Teeter Triples haul to date, so I had to share!

Kinda proud of my Saturday haul!

My Saturday Trips:


2 transactions at Store 1:
6 gum (wrigley & trident)
6 Daisy sour cream
6 Rhodes frozen rolls
6 Skintimate shave gels
6 Viva paper towels

Total before Qs/VIC: $66.58
Total after Qs/VIC: $1.12
(less than the price of ONE pack of gum)

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

2 transactions at Store 2:
6 packs of gum
1 Mahatma rice
2 Pedigree+ dog food (b1g1f coupon)
6 Viva paper towels
2 Vitamin Water
2 Dole fruit bowls 4pks
2 Right Guard deodorant
4 Skintimate
1 Boneless skinless chicken breasts (no coupon- $5.18)
4 Rhodes dinner rolls
1 Cozy Shack flan
1 Bertolli alfredo sauce
2 Daisy sour cream

Total before Qs/VIC: $ 86.82
Total after Qs/VIC: $ 8.11


~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Total retail for Saturday: $153.20
Total OOP: $9.23


So, I basically got all of that, minus the chicken, for $4.05!
Woohoo! I love Triples. :)


Note: yes, the sour cream will all be used - it doesn't expire until August! :)