Tackle it Tuesday

Well we had an interesting 24 hours. I left yesterday afternoon since Paul had off to get a break- I rarely do that. A friend and I were about 45 min away when I got the call that a fire was within a mile of our house. First let me say that it could not have been a better day because Paul was NOT at work. Had he been the kids would have been here all alone. I cringe at the thought.

We learned some important lessons. One cell service is not reliable in emergencies. I had the hardest time talking more than a minute at a time and it took forever to reach Paul or him to reach me for hours. 

We thought of the kids and that they need to know how to send a text from email- because our internet was still working- so we will be setting that up today. 

We also learned that Jakob needs to at least know how to drive. We will also be teaching him starting tonight to just drive around our neighborhood- so that in the event a parent is not home to get the kids out he can just leave with them. I was shocked that even with a license they would not let me in last night.

I found it interesting to see what everyone grabbed.

Paul grabbed the CPU part of the two computers we own, the hard drive and my files/folders by the desk

He also grabbed his mom's quilts that were in a cedar chest.

Each of the kids grabbed some clothes, the quilts I just made them and a couple smaller baby quilts I had made each of them. 

Of course i had to laugh that they grabbed their game systems. Mekenzei grabbed two stuff animals. 

They grabbed the dogs and snake too.

As a family we have had to evacuate a home when they were kids due to mold, we were only allowed to take the clothes on our backs, because the levels of mold in the house were so severe. I am thankful this time we had warning. I am thankful that it missed our subdivision also. Many were not so lucky.

I am grateful we had great friends that let us bunk with them last night, even the dogs were able to stay in their backyard. It made me feel good to know that if the house was gone we at least would still have a roof over our head for a while. 

I think it was good to see that the house is just the structure it is what and who that is in it that makes it a home.

There are many without homes today, there are many that need supplies and a place to stay. There are also many all across the state of Texas fighting fires. Please pray for them. I know Austin desperately needs some rain!

Menu Plan Monday

For more menu planning ideas please see Orgjunkie.com

Wow I am posting late due to the fires, I had no way to get our menu up. Thankfully our house is fine- airing it out since it was thick with smoke. Please pray for all those affected. There are so many that lost their homes.

Monday

Fire- so we ate Pizza

Tuesday

Fajitas at Nikki's house 

Wednesday

Tuna Helper

Thursday

French Toast

Friday

Pork Chops in Crock pot with potatoes and carrots

Saturday

Blueberry Waffles

Sunday

Spag and Garlic Bread
Green Beans

Humbled

You know I was moved to tears today when I saw my friends post. It always amazes me how you can touch people's lives just by the way you live. I am truly blessed by friends like this one, so awesome. These are times that really touch your heart!

Hey guys, ok my friend has entered a contest... I dont typically pass along stuff like this but she gives gives gives did I mention she GIVES all the time to people with an open heart freely no expectations. Could you all go to pottery barn and vote for her to win this. It would be great for her to be on the receiving end. Its the pic with the orange brick Jennifer W. Thanks for you help!- Here is the link to vote....

http://www.facebook.com/potterybarn?sk=app_102397223197490

 

Thankful Thursday

This week as usual I have much to be thankful for. 

We had three dogs which all got into poison but only lost one. I am very grateful, sad still but grateful.

Kids are still adjusting to school. Jakob has stayed up till midnight every night and gotten up at 4:45. I am so thankful he works so hard and has not really even complained.

I am thankful that I took Mekenzei to the dr for her foot. We really didn't have the money to do so, but I am grateful they took Xrays and found that she needed more help then I realized. She's being a trooper about the soft cast and crutches too.

I am thankful for the Tattler Reusable Lids that I won this week, they will be in the mail shortly. I am excited to see if they work as well as the other blogger says. We have really started to can more and more with the economy and wanting to provide for our family.

I am thankful that Paul got an extra side job this week. These sidejobs are so important to us!

I am thankful that my customer really loved her pillowcases. She gave me wonderful feedback too.

I am thankful that I am one of 12 finalists in a pottery barn contest on Facebook. I will admit that one viewers photo is a little more compelling then mine- at least I have a desk, but I am still thankful to be chosen.

I am thankful to be working on this Christmas Senior Project and for the response I am getting. I pray that more people can pitch in and these seniors can have a wonderful Christmas.

Most of all I am thankful for my husbands hard work. He got half the chimney down and I am ever so grateful.

I continue to see the Lord working in our lives and that is very exciting.

Tropical Traditions Giveaway on Lil Bit of Us

I really love Tropical Traditions. I have been able to try their coconut hair oil and their lavender massage oil. I am betting the Bleach is great too. Go on over and enter to win in this giveaway.
lil bit of us: Tropical Traditions Oxygen Bleach Review & Giveaway!!!

Surprise Email

I got an email from Pottery Barn today, it talked about a contest that I entered. The day that I saw the contest I had drawn up plans for Paul to make me one that same day. We had been cleaning the den and I had to move the desk away from the windows in case the chimney came down and took the wall with it. We have moved this poor desk from my room- where I used it to quilt, to the living room and now its in the den with very little space. 

As I have gotten busier I have discovered I really need this space to work for me. I do my quilting business from it, all the organizations I am part of, kids do homework etc. It gets used a ton. I thought what a great contest.

I laughed at myself when I submitted this photo. I called it "Needs Help"

I did finally fix the bottom drawer of my desk last week so it now fits back into my unit but otherwise its pretty much the same situation. With a crate on the stairs to hold all my binders. I have a birthday in Oct so this would be an awesome thing if the Lord wants it. So if you feel led to vote that would be awesome. You have to like Pottery Barn on Facebook and the pictures go up tomorrow.

WordFilled Wednesday

Well I am at a loss for biblical insight today. All I can think about is something my daughter said yesterday.
She said things supposedly come in three's so what's next?
I had to kind of laugh because I hear adults say that all the time.

I said well what are your two? A legitimate question in my mind.
She said her foot- which at the time we did not know what was wrong, and Rufus. She asked if we would loose Stout too- her dog. Last night I did not know.

This morning Stout would not eat, he would hardly drink and he came in and did not want to leave the pillow on the floor at the side of the bed in my room. Interesting since that is where Rufus spent his last night in our family. When I picked her up from school for her dr appt I felt obligated to warn her that it wasn't looking good if I could not get him to eat. Her day did not get much better as the dr told her she needed a soft cast. That brought about her third in her mind- she won't be able to do cross country. I have never seen a child so devastated. At that point that became so much more important then the dog we just lost yesterday and the one that is sick today.

As an adult I really understand her reservations, her emotions, her valid complaints.
In life I think so often things pile up and then we become overwhelmed. We forget the good in things.
For example her hurting her foot, allowed us to find out she has an extra bone in the top of it, which allowed us to understand why she has the pain she has- and the doctors precaution (the soft cast) will allow for proper healing so that she can return to running, even if, in the end she does not run this season.

It also allows her to experience disappointment. As adults I think we go through that often. My husband and I seem to be surrounded with it these days. We start on a project get about half way done and can't finish because something else takes priority. I have felt overwhelmed by heat all week. Its frustrating to know that we have the window unit, we have the new windows in but we can't take time to get the wiring done. I can't even afford to pay someone to do it either. I do see a light at the end of the tunnel, even as I had to add four big trees that are dead to our Priority To Do List this weekend, which will push the chimney back, and the windows back and the ac back..

This morning after I returned Mekenzei to school I found myself praying to the Lord to give us a season to breathe. I know as we took the chimney down that means our only heat source for the main part of the house is gone. That means eventually we face the cold winter and 30 degree inside temps we did last year. So I am praying He already has a plan in progress. I know we are going to face the battle of food soon, as we are quickly going through our Kroger food supply from all that double and triple couponing I was able to do. I know he has a plan there too, I just have to have faith.

So while he allows what we deem as bad things to happen- I am reminded that there is always a reason and that he never gives us more than we can handle. Today I take refuge in that.

The Passing of Rufus

Rufus came into our family through our dog Porter, who was a birthday gift from Paul to me back in 2004.

Porter would have her first set of pups and we kept one and named him Boudreaux. Boudreaux was born in 2006 and he was a great dog. He was the biggest dog we had ever owned and thought he was a poodle when he climbed into your lap. We would move to our current house and find that Boudreaux and Porter would have a set of pups.

Rufus was born on September 5, 2007. He was adorable. He looked just like his mama. There was no question that we were keeping this pup.

Mekenzei and him would soon become the best of friends. You could rarely separate them. I loved having the company during the day when the kids were at school. He was super easy to train and was soon an inside dog, no questions asked.

We would soon loose Porter, the mama because she would protect Mekenzei, when a lady we befriended, entered our house, a little under the influence, and she was attacked. We chose to put her down because this was the second time she had bit someone and they were considering her  a danger to others. Mekenzei sure took that hard.

Christmas Goodies for Seniors

I was at a meeting for the Society of Samaritans here in Magnolia tonight. 

They were mentioning an idea that they did last year which was giving goody bags to Seniors who are less fortunate. 

If you follow my Blog you know how important elderly women are to me, they are dear to my heart. I immediately felt led to help with this great idea!

I thought on the way home about items that would be neat to put in these bags/pillowcases. I thought of how the Lord continues to bless my Sunshine of Autumn Quilts company too, and how to bring the two together. I would like to have people help me with this process.

I could use fabric donations or monetary donations to make this possible.

I would like to make pillowcases to hold their items.

I would also like to make a set of potholders.

I know some of you make soap, knit/crochet, sew or do other crafty things.

I am open to suggestions things like crossword puzzle books, book marks, slippers etc can be items purchased for their gift bags.

If you are interested in helping us with this great way to serve others, please leave me a message.

Use your time, talents and treasures to be a moment of sunshine in someone else's life.

Tackle it Tuesday

Early Tackle it Tuesday

An order for Friendship Pillowcases. These will be Christmas Gifts for some sweet little girls.

My customer's daughter chose this cute little princess fabric. She wanted a purple border fabric since one of the little girls will be getting their rooms painted purple soon.

I used a pretty green thread to do the embroidery since there were leaves all throughout the pattern on the fabric. It also stood out nicely.

 I am very thankful for this order, it is my first Christmas Order, so that is very exciting. I am praying there are many more to come.