Jamie O'Neal - Somebody's Hero

Lord, Please let me live in a way that my kids can say that I am a hero.

Francesca Battistelli - Beautiful, Beautiful (Video)

Beautiful, Beautiful

Wow is this really my first post for 2010? A lot has been going on...really...I'm not hiding. Guess I have been hanging out more on Facebook and with the kiddos.
This song Beautiful, Beautiful by Francesca Battistelli is awesome! While we may be going through alot of things right now...moving in with family, working outside of the home now after being home with the kids for 6 years, Father-In-Law passed away, Mother-In-Law dealing with cancer, separation/divorce...things are still good. God is still in control. Sissy is doing well with her cardiology appts being changed to only every 2 years now and Little Man is growing ever so tall and keeping us hopping! We have a new nephew/cousin to hang out with (along with a new Aunt and girl cousin)! (We also get to hang out with some other favorite family members daily!) While I am glad that we don't see into the future because I really think the past few months would have scared me...I am thankful that God gives us the strength to get through and gives us the reason for hope. God is making my life Beautiful, Beautiful.

***tried to put the Beautiful, Beautiful video here...will try again...**** Sorry :(

Snowman Jars

Some exciting news...Sissy has some snowmen on Etsy that she made and the website Fave Crafts found them and asked us if they could post them. Here is the link. I think she did a wonderful job.

Jesus, Bring the Rain by Mercy Me

I may have a lot of things that I need to work on in my life and not be the best wife, mom, friend, daughter or sister...but thank you God that you forgive me and are here to help me. My family is going through a tough time right now. This song captures what I know needs to be for now. God has a purpose for each and every one of us and we can't get there without going through trials. He loves all of us and wants none of us to be separated from Him...that means in my understanding...HE DOESN'T WANT ANYONE TO LIVE SEPARATE FROM HIM FOR ETERNITY...HE DOESN'T WANT ANYONE TO GO TO HELL FOR ETERNITY...(just read the book, "Twenty-Three Minutes in Hell"by Bill Wiese, it really isn't a picnic! Being torn from limb to limb only to be put back together again and repeated...that is just only one of the horrors... And we don't have to go there because Jesus did it for us. God, I thank you that you have come into my life because I asked you to, that Jesus lives in my heart and that you have forgiven me of my sins because I asked you to. Thank you for being the Lord of my life because I choose to make you the Lord of my life. Thank you for this time of rain and help me to get stronger in You everyday because of it! There are people out there that didn't know me when I was in High School or College and was living more of a Christian life...I fell off the bandwagon big time and it took a long time for me to get back on. For those of you that I was "living it up with" and wondering what happened to me and why have you changed so much? This is the reason...this life is not about me. It is about living out the purpose God has given me. He has entrusted children and people that I come in contact with everyday, to live a life of purpose. Am I going to live perfectly? No. Am I going to mess up? Yes. Are you going to like these changes in me? Obviously not. Will I still love you? Yes. God says that one day every knee shall bow and every tongue confess that He is Lord (my version of Phillipians 2:9-11) . We all will have to give an account to Him when we stand before Him and He looks to see if we are in His Book of Life...I choose to do it before it is too late! (There is my soapbox for now.) I love you!
(if you click on the song title...you can hear it. It is a really awesome song!)

JESUS BRING THE RAIN, BY MERCY ME

I can count a million times
People asking me how I
Can praise You with all that
I've gone through
The question just amazes me
Can circumstances possibly
Change who I forever am in You

Maybe since my life was changed
Long before these rainy days
It's never really ever crossed my mind
To turn my back on you, oh Lord
My only shelter from the storm
But instead I draw closer through these times
So I pray

Bring me joy, bring me peace
Bring the chance to be free
Bring me anything that brings
You glory And I know there'll
be days When this life brings me pain
But if that's what it takes to
praise You Jesus, bring the rain

I am yours regardless of the clouds that may
loom above because you are much greater than
my pain you who made a way for me suffering
your destiny so tell me whats a little rain

[1st Chorus]

Holy, holy, holy
Holy, holy, holy
is the lord God almighty
is the lord God almighty
I'm forever singing

[2nd Chorus 2x]

everybody singing
Holy holy holy
you are holy
you are holy

[2nd Chorus 2x]

How to Make a Tshirt Rug

I had seen a really neat t-shirt rug in the store and thought that I could figure out how to make one. (So you have probably noticed that I am having underlining issues again. Oh, well.) So here is my version of a totally green t-shirt rug. I used old t-shirts, plastic bags - yep- you will see how in a minute and a non-slip matt.





I used strips that were about 5" x 1" and found out after I cut them and attached them to the matt that I evidently cut them the wrong way. If you want to get the stretch and rolled look, I believe you have to cut them with the longest horizontally. Sorry I didn't write it down. I am using my pictures to remember how I accomplished this project. Alot of my crafting is just "winging it".


Here is where the plastic bags com in to play. I made the famous plastic bag yarn and crocheted a base for my t-shirt strips to be tied to. I chained for about 25 inches with a "K" hook and double crocheted the rows until it measured about 15 inches. To tie the strips onto the base I used my crochet hook to pull the strip around a post (sorry forgot to get a picture of that) and then pulled both ends up and tied them in a double knot. You can also do this like you would a latch hook. Which ever you prefer.
Here is the almost finished version. The last thing I did was to sew a piece of non-slip shelf matt to the bottom of the rug with embroidery thread and a whipstitch. It feels nice and soft when you get out of the shower!

Can you see what is missing in this picture? There it is on the bottom row of teeth...a cute little space from where he lost his first tooth. He didn't want to take a picture but I convinced him we would want one later.