My style...

Your style was:
Hamptons White Wash

You don't live by the sea; you live with the sea. A calm, balanced environment is your perfect space. Beloved memories fill your home. You love details and textures. The pieces you choose have stories to tell. Your home is welcoming; a place where people love to spend time together.

Your personal style quiz

The thing that is appointed for me

A little update on our life, since it's been awhile...

Simon turned 3 on Friday - 3!!! He had the stomach flu at the beginning of the week, so we were thankful he was so much better in time for his party at Chuck E Cheese on Friday with a few friends. Afterward, we enjoyed a little play time with his cousin Jacob - which is always fun.

Ethan had his last basketball game on Saturday, for which we are all eternally grateful. Getting up at 7:30 am on Saturdays mornings for the past 2 months has been killing us! But he has been improving a lot, thanks to his dad's patient coaching skills and lots of practice... and we were all pumped to watch him score in the game this week. He got the ball about half court, dribbled right up to the basket, and without hesitation, threw it up there. We were so proud of him!

I hit 30 weeks today - time is flying, and we will soon get to meet our daughter! Sometimes it really catches me off guard, the fact that we have another child coming into this world. But every evening I am oh, so aware - she is moving around a TON!

We've been spending the weekend at the Bloom's, while they are out of town. Unfortunately (for me, and them too), I came down with the dreaded stomach flu yesterday. From what I remember, it was horrible, but I honestly don't remember much. Dave ran home to get my zofran, but never could find it...who knows where I stashed it 10 weeks ago when I was still using it. I am sure I probably should have gone into the hospital, but I was so out of it that nothing like that even crossed my mind.

But today is a new day, and I feel quite a bit better. Just really sore. And lots of contractions, so I'm trying to drink, drink, drink.

And Dave is bleaching every surface in this house. And washing all the sheets. :)

A friend posted this on her blog recently, and I keep going back to read it again. Thought I would share it here.

Disappointment ~ His Appointment


"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Change one letter, then I see
That the thwarting of my purpose
Is God's better choice for me.
His appointment must be blessing,
Tho' it may come in disguise,
For the end from the beginning
Open to His wisdom lies.


"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Whose? The Lord, who loves me best,
Understands and knows me fully,
Who my faith and love would test;
For, like loving earthly parent,
He rejoices when He knows
That His child accepts, UNQUESTIONED,
All that from His wisdom flows.


"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
"No good thing will He withhold,"
From denials oft we gather
Treasures of His love untold,
Well He knows each broken purpose
Leads to fuller, deeper trust,
And the end of all His dealings
Proves our God is wise and just.


"Disappointment -- His Appointment"
Lord, I take it, then, as such.
Like the clay in hands of potter,
Yielding wholly to Thy touch.
All my life's plan in Thy moulding,
Not one single choice be mine;
Let me answer, unrepining --
"Father, not my will, but Thine."

Edith Lillian Young

"For He performeth the thing that is appointed for me:
and many such things are with Him."
Job 23:14

We are resting in His appointments today, and trusting Him for those to come. It may not always be easy, and often our frail human strength gives out - but He picks us up and puts us back on the path again, time and time again.

Just like the Weather...

Today has been a good day. It started out dark and stormy, but by afternoon the sun was shining and we were enjoying the promise of summer.

We have been working on some heart attitudes here at home. Nothing earth-shattering or anything, but I was realizing the other day that one of the boys has been having a really hard time obeying cheerfully the first time he's asked to do something. There have been a lot of tears and drama instead. So we have been working on that, and like I said, today has been a good day. Just like the weather, we've seen a turnaround in his heart too.

Hopefully it will last. I know my own heart though, so I'm not holding my breath. :)

I went over to my MOPS mentor mom's house tonight for dinner with the rest of my small group, and we had a great time of fellowship, sitting around the table, just talking and enjoying the common bond we have. These ladies have been a blessing in my life this year.

When I got home around 9 pm, the house was quiet, clean, and every candle in the house was lit. Even the one by the front door that is really just for looks. :) I have a sweet husband, and he knows how far the little things go with me.

I'm just feeling thankful tonight: thankful for the chance to devote my time to little hearts, thankful for marriage and the wonder of 2 hearts growing closer, thankful for friends to encourage me along the way.

"Remember His marvelous works which He has done..." 1 Chronicles 16:12

Randomness...and where, oh where, did my header go?

I messed with some internet settings on my laptop (on ACCIDENT!), so I couldn't use it for almost a week now. I have missed my laptop! Boy, a desk top computer is just NOT the same.

Beth tagged me a few days ago, so I need to respond to that. Anyone care to know 7 random things about me? Oh well! You don't have to read it if you don't want to!

Here's the rules:

• Share 7 facts about yourself on your blog, some random, some weird.
• Tag 7 people at the end of your post by leaving their names as well as links to their blogs.
• Let them know they are tagged by leaving comments on their blogs.

So here we go:

1. I love brussel sprouts - they are one of my favorite veggies. I have found the best way to make them is to roast them at 400 degrees for 40 minutes, tossed in olive oil, salt and pepper. This is Reagan's recipe, by the way. Yummy! (Dave does not agree, by the way)
   
2. One of my absolute favorite things to do is work in the yard. You never would have guessed this watching me grow up (I was horrified by dirt - if it got on my shoes, I cried! Even when I was 15! :), but now I just LOVE to dig in the dirt and move plants around, mow, landscape, etc... in fact, Dave and I spent the weekend doing this, and obviously we are a match made in heaven, because we both agreed, it was so fun!
3. Even though we are technically 21 months apart, my mom claims that my sister and I are really twins. She has validated this by watching us choose the same paint colors for our homes even though we live miles apart. And then for Mother's Day, apparently we both sent her red and yellow tulips on the same day. Even though neither of us have ever sent her flowers before.
4. I started running again last fall, after a 5 year break. And wow, it has not been easy. I still rarely run more than 1 1/2 miles at a time, usually 4 days a week. It kills me to see how out of shape I am.
5. I have an obsession with all things black: furniture, accessories, you name it - okay, you probably already knew that! But does that make me morbid?
6. Some of you may know this; others may not. My email addy is based on the brand of guitar that once upon a time I used to play. That seems like a different life, but I'll always love my Guild!
   
7. I am so pumped because I just saw that the show The Mole is coming back to ABC after 4 years! Dave and I used to watch this show back when we were dating. We lived in 2 different states at the time, but late at night he'd call and we rehash the show and make bets on who the mole was. That brings back such good memories!

I'm tagging:
Jessie
Reagan
Shawna
Lynn
Anna
Kelly
Sarah

Have fun, girls!

Garage Sale Thoughts

I had a garage sale this weekend, kinda spur of the moment. All year I've been going back and forth about having one, because last year's neighborhood garage sale was so exhausting, and because I really didn't have anything big to sell this year anyway. It is always hard to figure out how worth it having a garage sale really is, even if you make a lot of money out of the sale. When you factor in your time, stress level, the state of your house....well, sometimes it just isn't worth it. Know what I mean?

I have kept to my habit of sticking things in the sterilite boxes in the corner of our garage throughout the year though - just any time I felt the urge to clean out a closet or cabinet or something, the stuff we weren't using went straight to the boxes. And a couple weeks ago I realized I had about 12 of them full.

A friend of mine was planning to have a sale this weekend, and she invited me to join her at her house. I went back and forth in my mind about it, wondering if I'd make any money after the gas it would take to drive my junk across town. By the beginning of last week, I had just decided to set up tables in my own garage, put a few signs out, and see what happened. I was bummed to think about missing out on spending a day with Jessie (the fellowship is what makes having a garage sale fun!), but to keep the stress out of it, Dave and I both thought it would be best to keep it simple.

Monday night when he was at church, Dave picked up some tables for me, so on Tuesday afternoon, while the kids played in the driveway with their neighborhood friends, I got everything set up and priced. It was by far the easiest set up day I have ever had. Usually, before a garage sale, I am up pricing things into the morning hours the night before the sale. Note to self - remember this next year!

I opened my sale Friday morning at 8 am, and the traffic was amazing! There was never any break in traffic until 10 am, when a neighbor called to say that she saw the city taking down my signs. Oops. We thought they were in the right spot, but apparently not. Since I was home alone with the boys, I just closed the garage doors and called it quits for the day. I have to admit, I wasn't too disappointed - I had already made almost $300 in just 2 hours! Isn't that insane?

Dave wanted to open for a couple more hours on Saturday. The traffic was still really good - we live in such a great location for garage sales. But we had sold most of the good stuff on Friday, so we only made just over $100 more. Dave likes to start calling out "half-price everything" an hour before we pack up and head to the Goodwill. Just like in previous years, people started gathering up arm loads of clothes as soon as he said it. :)

After a couple hours we bagged the remainder of stuff in trash bags and took it to Goodwill. I kept thinking, That was so easy! Why am I not exhausted? And it really got me thinking....

Because I've had a garage sale every year of our marriage, I think. Usually with a big group of girl friends. And while we usually rake in the dough, it takes me awhile to recover from them. So much so that I almost didn't have a garage sale this year.

So here's what I think helped make this garage sale the easiest one I've ever had:

• I collected items throughout the year to sell - no major house overhaul to get ready.
• I set up for the sale during the day instead of in the evening.
• I didn't wait to join my neighbors for our neighborhood garage sale in June. I have done it with them the last 2 years, and it was obvious that people felt like they needed to move through quickly and then head to the next sale. Since my sale was the only one on the block this time, people stayed for quite awhile, browsing through everything.
• I sold all the extra household/toiletry items from my CVS stockpile. This probably accounted for almost half my earnings, to be honest. People went nuts for $1 tubes of toothpaste and shampoo bottles. I sold a ton of medicine too - it cracked me up when people would buy like 6 things of Beano. They were stocking up! :)
  
• I had the sale by myself (sadly) and was only open for a short amount of time each day. Since the boys didn't have other kids to play with, they sat beside me and helped me count change. It ended up being pretty fun, for them and me!

Okay, so there are my thoughts. What are yours? Are you a garage sale person? I'm sure I will go back and forth next year too - is it worth it or should I just donate my items? Well, this year it was definitely worth it to me!

Expelled documentary

Dave and I went to see Ben Stein's documentary Expelled: No Intelligence Allowed on our date night on Friday. Have you seen it yet? This one is worth the money! It is a film about the evolution vs. Intelligent Design debate, except that there really isn't a debate anymore in America, which is the point. Go see it! We have been encouraging everyone to see it all weekend - it was so, so good.

I read this review of the documentary on Radical Womanhood tonight which was exactly what I would have written - if I could write that eloquently, that is. :)

She writes:

If you're not familiar with this documentary, it is fundamentally about a loss of freedom of inquiry and freedom of speech in scientific, academic and legal circles. It focuses on how those who have even minimally questioned neo-Darwinism in favor of intelligent design have lost jobs, grants, and credibility. But it broadens this focus to look at what it costs our society to have unquestioned support for evolution and staunch opposition to intelligent design. As Ben Stein pointed out in an interview with Bill O'Reilly, Darwinism was "a brilliant theory in the middle of the 19th century. It's the 21st-century, there are a lot of questions being raised about it. Nobody had any idea the cell was so complex. We would just like to ask some questions." (This is in reference to the evolutionist idea that all life arose from a single cell--and how biologists now see how complicated a single cell is, but aren't allowed to question this very basis of evolutionary theory.)

Read her whole review here. There is a youtube trailer in her post, and also an interview video, that are worth watching. But seriously, like she said, "sometimes a vote with the wallet at the box office can be quite meaningful." We don't go see movies very often, but this one is worth paying for.

Things to be thankful for today:

• I picked a paint color for the bathroom. Okay, Dave picked a paint color, after I went back and forth a million times between color or beige, color or beige. Dave picked color...for me (he hates beige). It's called Rhino by Behr, and it's pretty similar to the color of our drapes in our bedroom. Grey blue. Anyway, it was just one of those days where I couldn't make a decision to save my life, and of course I needed to slap some paint up on the wall before they grouted the tile surround. Which was happening around lunch time. So that was kinda crazy.
• But the boys were sweet angels and played together so nicely the whole time I was painting. I was very impressed and made a point of telling them so. Sometimes I feel like all I do all day is dole out correction, so it was so fun to see how their little faces lit up at the praise.
  
• It was warm enough to open the windows today and air the place out. It felt so good to feel a breeze!
• Simon had a fever this morning, but not since his dose of Ibuprofen at lunch. So I hoping he is on the mend. We will stay at home a little longer though, just to make sure.
• For lunch I made myself: a serving of leftover Southern Italian Pasta with a white wine sauce and a salad topped with walnuts, strawberries, and blue cheese crumbles with a raspberry vinaigrette. And the boys had mac 'n' cheese. :)
  
• We took a walk as a family this evening, just in our neighborhood, since we had to stay home from church. We were out for about 30 minutes, and Simon ran the whole way! Every once in awhile, Dave would ask him if he wanted to ride on his shoulders, and Si would shake his head and say, "No, I walk!" Pretty impressive for a brand new 2 year old!
• Ethan is learning to love showers, and I am so happy about it. We've been without a tub for a week and a half, and so the boys have had to take showers instead. This has been a bit of a battle, not fun at all. But tonight Ethan requested a shower, even when I wasn't going to have him take one. And he stayed in there awhile! He just looks so big to me, coming out of the shower. :)
• So that is it...it was a good day. Lots of things to appreciate and be thankful for! Hope yours was a good one too!
  

Fort building and other thoughts

Wooden race cars from Grandma R. Oh what fun!

Spring is in the air around here, and I'm in the mood to blog again too. Why can't I be more prolific when it's too cold to leave my house??? There is just something about the promise of spring that inspires me.

To write....and to clean. To organize, to purge half my house. :) And to play too. Although right now, the boys are happily building a fort all on their own in the backyard. I can hear them giggling together, and it makes me so thankful that they have each other.

So I have a moment of quiet here in the kitchen. Dinner is in the oven, fresh bread is on the counter. Life is good.

More from the sick bed

And let the peace of God rule in your hearts, to which also you were called in one body; and be thankful. Colossians 3:15

This is verse caught my eye during my time with the Lord today, and encouraged my anxious heart. I'm so tired of coughing, listening to coughing, being up all night with coughing children, having no appetite, laying around all day with emotional children...it isn't too pretty over here right now.

But I'm not letting the peace of God rule...I'm letting the cares of this life rule, aren't I?

So I asked the Lord to change my heart today, and of course He did. And when I pause to think about it, the next part of the verse comes so naturally...there is really so much I can choose to be thankful for. I am curled up by a nice, warm fire; my house is cozy and warm. We have plenty of food to get us through the week. There are no pressing commitments, nowhere we just have to be. We can hibernate and slowly regain strength.

And the blessings of having children come to mind today too...I have enjoyed the extra cuddling and talking we have all done during the past week. And I think they have enjoyed it too. With nowhere to go, we have enjoyed the family time we don't always get to have.

So there it is...I guess that's what "letting the peace of God rule" means...choosing to look at my circumstances with a thankful heart instead of worrying over what I cannot change. Man, this does not come naturally to me.

From my bed

We are sick again...pray for us!

"Now a certain man was sick, Lazarus of Bethany, the town of Mary and her sister Martha. It was Martha who anointed the Lord with fragrant oil and wiped His feet with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick.

Therefore the sisters sent to Him, saying, 'Lord, behold, he whom You love is sick.'

When Jesus heard that, He said, 'This sickness is not unto death, but for the glory of God, that the Son of God may be glorified through it.'

Now Jesus loved Martha and her sister and Lazarus." John 11:1-5

I read this passage tonight, and the rest of the story too, and just appreciated the care and compassion of the Lord for those He loves. He knows when we are sick, when it is painful and agonizing, and He understands when we (and others) plead for our return to health. He loves us after all.

We have had quite a bit of sickness in our household over the last several months, and I am very ready to be done with it. And yes, we are all sick again - this may be the worst we've had yet! It's been a rough week, and it doesn't look to be leaving anytime soon. :(

But this does not go unnoticed by the Lord, and I was comforted tonight in knowing that He loves me and cares for me and my little family. His ways are not my ways, and I cannot claim to know what He is doing or why He is allowing it. Of course, there are so many others who are suffering much more than we are...we really have no idea what real suffering is like.

I do know that His desire is to bring glory to Himself - and I am praying for endurance to trust Him to do that in this small circumstance. Because my faith is small, you know? I am easily discouraged and disheartened, especially when my fever reaches 104 degrees. :(

Thank you for praying,

Staying Home

I have to admit, I am going a little stir crazy in this house. We have had high fevers and nasty colds/coughs since last Sunday. Ethan just spiked a 102.7 fever today, so it looks like we'll be staying in for awhile longer.

Before the fever hit, he did get a chance to head outside to build a snowman with his dad. Of course, with this warmer weather, it melted within a couple hours.

But he was so proud of that snowman!

So how do I keep my kids well? Or me and Dave, for that matter? It seems like we have caught EVERYTHING this winter, and it is getting a little discouraging. It's not like we go that many places either, and my kids aren't in daycare. I haven't been to MOPS in 2 months because of other circumstances that have come up. S0 why are they getting sick so much????

I moaned to my mom about it the other day on the phone, and at her suggestion I bought some Stonyfield Farm yogurt (with 6 live active cultures to inhibit the growth of harmful bacteria) last night at the health food store. She thinks their immune systems are probably just really low with all this continued, back-to-back sickness. They also take an immune boosting children's vitamin each day.

So what else can I do?

Never leave my home? Don't tell me that, please, don't tell me that! :)

Just for fun

My sis tagged me for this game, and I'm going to tag Kelly and Kim Dillon. :) Have fun, girls.

I give you money and send you into the grocery store to pick up 5 items. You can only pick one thing from the following departments. What is it?
1. Produce: Spring mix
2. Bakery: Sourdough bread
3. Meat: Shrimp
4. Frozen: Broccoli
5. Dry goods: Pita chips

Let's say we're heading out for a weekend getaway. You're only allowed to bring 3 articles of CLOTHING with you. So, what's in your bag?
1. My $10 Jeans from Branded
2. White down vest
3. brown turtleneck (okay, this outfit is what I seem to be wearing almost every day. I am so boring. :)

1 task you wish you were better at doing?
1. Sewing (I agree with my sister - one of these days I want to focus on this more)

1 Celebrity you wish you looked like (silly, I know:))
1. I think I'm going to skip this one???

If I was to listen in on one of your conversations throughout the day, what 5 phrases or words would I be most likely to hear?
1. You need to listen and obey!
2. Put a good attitude on your face, please.
3. I love you so much!
4. My head feels like it's going to explode! (Dave says I say this one a lot)
5. We do lots of silly nicknames in our house, so things like Ethan-bo-Beethan and Simey-Si-Si, etc... :)

So, what 3 things do you find yourself doing every single day, and if you didn't get to do, you probably wouldn't be in the best mood?
1. Spend time reading the Word (even if it's not really "quiet", I still need quiet time with the Lord)
2. Take a shower
3. Drink a Dr. Pepper

What 5 places do you visit roughly every week?
1. Church
2. Target
3. CVS
4. Dillons
5. Aldi (what a boring life I lead :)

If you were to shop at three stores for a whole year to supply your wardrobe and money was not an issue, which 3 would it be?
1. Gap
2. JCrew
3. Northface

You just scored tickets to the taping of any show that comes on t.v. of your choice. You can pick between 4, so what are you deciding between?
1. Lost
2. Sell this House
3. Flip this House
4. Martha Stewart Show

You're hungry for ice cream. I'll give you a tripple dipper ice cream cone. What 3 flavors can I pile on for ya?
1. Strawberry Shortcake
2. Coffee
3. Turtle

Somebody stole your purse… in order to get it back, you have to name 5 things you know are inside to claim it. So, what's in there?
1. Red wallet
2. Keys
3. 2 lipglosses
4. Cell phone
5. Planner

If you could go back and talk to the old you, when you were in high school, and inform yourself of 4 things, what would you say?
1. Don't stress so much about what you're going to major is going to be in college.
2. You are going to marry one hot guy!
3. Study the Word! (there won't be nearly as much time for that once you have kids :)
4. Don't resist your parents' authority - they love you and want the best for you.

Hope for tomorrow

Today was the strangest day. I woke up with a terrible headache, the remains of this virus passing through our family, and Dave was kind enough to work from home so I could take it easy.

He is a wonderful husband. Have I ever mentioned that before? :)

I spent way too much of the day sleeping, and the rest of the day, laying in bed. This headache just won't give it up. And there is only so much you can do in bed. I have to admit, I am already bored, even with my laptop. I would make a terrible bedrest patient if I were pregnant. Which I am not, by the way. :) Oh, but I guess I've already experienced bedrest when I was pregnant with Ethan, didn't I? Well, those who know me can tell you, I didn't do very well with that either.

All I can think about while I lay here is, I am getting so far behind!

We have been sick for a week, and the house definitely shows it.

So tomorrow I am getting out of this bed, headache or not, and finishing this week off right. Here is my plan:

• Wash everyone's sheets - because no one feels healthy when they are sleeping on germy sheets
• Wipe down the toilets, faucets and door nobs with Clorox bleach solution - we are getting this house germ free.
• Make all the beds and tidy everyone's rooms
• Wipe down all the counter tops
• Iron Dave's shirts for the week
• Spend time in the backyard with the boys - it's going to be sunny and 72 here tomorrow!

Think I can do it? Hmmm....I'm not sure either, but I am praying for health and strength to start moving again.

Hope all the rest of you are well!

Edited: Wow, I got it all done by 1 pm! Woohoo! I have to admit though, I still don't feel very well - just achy and tired, mainly - so I think I'm going to take a nap with my kiddos. :)

Happy Anniversary to you, ol' blog!

I completely missed my one year anniversary of this blog! I started this blogging adventure last July, and it has been such a fun hobby. I love having an outlet for all the zillions of thoughts swirling around in this head of mine, and it's great to hear what the rest of you have to say too. Getting to keep up with friends and family has been so fun!


Our backyard view...


See how I can spy on Ethan and his friends next door now? I LOVE that the bush is gone!



Si is always left behind...



Speaking of anniversaries, Dave and I celebrated our 5th one last month too, and we're finally taking that trip away together that I mentioned before. We've opted for a long weekend away, and Dave's mom and my parents are graciously keeping our boys for us. Pray that it all goes smoothly!

Our destination is Chicago, and we leave Thursday. Yipee! Dave has major deadlines to meet for work before we leave, so it will be a huge relief to step on that plane and leave work and stress behind us for a few days.

Itchy

What is up with the chiggers this week?

Are any of the rest of you having trouble? Dave and I worked out in the yard this weekend (pictures to come) doing some landscaping and trimming a bunch of bushes, and wouldn't you know, I have like 5o chigger bites. Dave, of course, has none. Ethan has 1, which he complains about frequently. :) But Simon is in the same shape as me, just completely covered in them. Chigger bites ON TOP of chigger bites. It's true.

And believe me, we are not sleeping well around here. These chiggers must have burrowed deep, because the itch is not going away!

Last night someone told me to cover the bites with clear fingernail polish, a trick from childhood that I'd completely forgotten about. And it helped, a little. And I've been using hydrocortisone cream too. But since it's about all I can think to talk about these days, I'm going to send my questions out into the blogsphere...any other good tips for chigger bites?

We're very, very itchy! Please help.

Dear Diary...

Wow, it's been awhile, hasn't it? This is like one of those journals that you have as a kid, and you come back to it a year later or something and realize how lame it was that you only wrote like 3, maybe 4, entries. Dear Diary, sorry it's been so long since I wrote...

Ah, well, life is busy, isn't it? And the month of May is always crazier than most, I think. Graduations, weddings, lots of traveling. And throw in a garage sale, too, because that's what we did. :) A two day, 11 family, extravaganza. It was fun and profitable, but very exhausting. We're recuperating now.

So I have lots to say and plenty to blog about, but not much time on my hands these days. Dave and I are getting ready for VBS next week, so more to come on that. Our theme is the life of Joseph, and I have the fabric to make Joseph Hawkinson his very own "coat of many colors." Exciting!

Any stage decorating ideas for our theme?

Did ya ever want to know?

My dear sister in Christ, Hope, at Heart and Home tagged me for another meme. This time it's just 7 random things about me, and you know, these days, 7 different things about me can be kinda hard to come up with. What about "If my kids don't take long naps today, I think I'm going to loose my mind!" Will that work? Oh, you're right..that's really more about the kids, and not so much about me. But then again, isn't it always??? And it does reveal something about me, doesn't it? :)

Let's try this again, shall we? Here are the rules: Each player starts with 7 random facts/habits about themselves. People who are tagged need to write on their own blog about their seven things, as well as these rules. You need to choose 7 people to get tagged and list their names. Don’t forget to leave them a comment telling them that they have been tagged and to read your blog!

• I like to sew. I even own my own machine. My mom taught me how to sew when I was pretty young, 8 or so, and I made my own Barbie clothes.
• My ideal vacation would be going to a tropical beach with my husband and dozing under an umbrella all, listening to the sound of the waves crash around me. Kinda like our Mexico trip a couple years ago. That was so incredible...
• I love to garden and work out in the yard. Yesterday Ethan and I planted petunias in our pots by the front door.
• I love anything that screams of organization. It's a compulsion, really. My hall closet shelves are labeled "light bulbs," "cleaning supplies," "medicine," etc...and I smile just looking at it. :)
• Dave and I will have been married 5 years this July! And we are going to plan a trip away together. I'm so excited!
• I love to swing at the park. Yes, still. :) When I was a kid, I would imagine that I was soaring up to meet the Lord in the air. When you look up at the clouds as you swing, it is an incredible feeling. I like to picture the Lord Jesus, standing in the clouds, calling me home. And I have to admit, this is something I still do. And I highly recommend it!
  
• And last, but not least, I am not a germ-o-phobe. Even though I am a nurse. It's terrible, I know, but my kids sometimes share toothbrushes and sippy cups with each other. And I don't even bat an eye.

I'm tagging:

• For Me to Live is Christ...
• Isaiah 25:1
• St. Louis Blooms
• Caleb and Anna
• He Who Believes on Him...
• The Daniel Den
• In Everything Give Thanks
  

The next step, if you are not interested in playing I will remove your blog info from my list! If you stop in for a visit and want to play - leave a comment and I will be glad to check your blog as well!

To my Meme victims, you now must make your list of 7 and then tag 7 other unsuspecting bloggers!

About me...

Thanks for this meme, Hope! I noticed that there's no number 9??!!

1. What is your occupation? Wife, mother, homemaker, and occasional ICU nurse
2. What color are your socks right now? White
3. What are you listening to right now? The quiet sound of my macbook pro whirring. The kids are napping!
4. What was the last thing you ate? Lunch, a salad and leftover mashed potatoesd
5. Can you drive a stick shift? Uh, not so well. Dave taught me a little when we were dating, but I haven't tried since then.
6. If you were a crayon, what color would you be? green
7. Last person you spoke to on the phone? Sonja
8. Do you like the person who sent this to you? Yes! She is an unexpected, faraway friend
10. Favorite drink? Dr. Pepper
11. What is your favorite sport to watch? KU basketball...go Hawks!
12. Have you ever dyed your hair? Frequently!
13. Pets? Hopefully not any time soon...2 little boys are plenty of work for me!
14. What is your favorite food? Chili's boneless shanghai wings with wasabi ranch sauce...yum!
15. What was the last movie you watched? Invincible
16. Favorite day of the year? I don't know...anytime when it's warm
17. What do you do to vent anger? hmmm...not sure I want to answer this! But really, what I'm trying to do is memorize the Word of God and repeat verses over and over until I give my anger over to the Lord.
18. What was your favorite toy as a child? Hart family dolls (family equivalent of Barbie dolls) with the dollhouse my sister and I made out of cardboard boxes.
19. What is your favorite, fall or spring? Fall
20. Hugs or kisses? Both
21. Cherries or Blueberries? cherries
22. Do you want your friends to email you back? definitely
23. Who is most likely to respond? Shawna
24. Who is least likely to respond? I won't say :)
25. Living arrangements? 4 bedroom house shared by my husband and 2 sons
26. When was the last time you cried? Out of sadness or despair? This weekend, out of discouragement
27. What is on the floor of your closet? a baby gift for Tanya's baby!
28. Who is the friend you have had the longest that you are sending this to? Shawna
29. What did you do last night? Went to CVS and Dillons with my girlfriends...you know me, always shopping for good deals!
31. What inspires you? a good message at the chapel
32. What are you afraid of at this point in your life? Messing up my kids' lives...ha, I agree with you Hope!
33. Plain, cheese or spicy hamburgers? Cheeseburger, Dave-style, grilled in our own backyard
34. Favorite dog breed? Golden Retriever
35. Number of keys on your key ring? 3
36. How many years at your current job? I am going to take this to mean my nursing job, which would be almost 5 years
37. What would be the title of a book you wrote? Shopping for Deals 101
38. How many states have you lived in? 3
39. Favorite holidays? Easter and Thanksgiving
40. Ever driven a motorcycle or heavy machinery? no way!

Okay, so now I'll tag Shawna, Ruth, and Reagan! Have fun, girls!