Winner? Me? And on my birthday?

I am a winner. A wi-i-i-i-i-i-i-ner. Winner, winner, winner. I'm not excited or anything. Is my excitement a bit much? Fep thinks I should sound more...humble? Probably right. But I won!

So, WHAT prey tell did I win?

I won over at Jen's, and it was a subscription to Birds & Blooms magazine. That may not sound like a big deal to you. And a lot of people may not have heard of that publication, but to self professed bird nerds, it is a big win. Fep and I are so happy :)

And yes, today is my birthday. I'm the big 4 and the big 0 today!

The Honest Scrap Award.

My friend Heathahlee. She's so kind. She awarded me Honest Scrap. I'm verklempt. Okay. Not really. But in receiving this award, I must give you 10 randomly honest things about me. Then I must pass it on to 7. I don't have 7 people in blogland I can pass this on to, because I'm so minuscule in blogland. But I will pass it on to three people. I'll save that for the end. Oh, and the people you pass it on to are supposed to be people that have encouraged you. Encouraged you with their honesty or something like that. Heather is probably so wishing she hadn't passed this on to me right now. I don't think I'm taking it very seriously. How can you take a title like "Honest Scrap" seriously though?

Okay, 10 randomly honest things:

1. I have Vitiligo. An auto-immune disorder that causes you to loose pigment in your skin. You know...the disease Michael Jackson said he had. Well, I have it. For real. I'm afraid one day I'll end up like a spotted cheetah or leopard or something.

2. In addition to having Vitiligo, I'm loosing my hair. It runs in my family as my Aunt was almost bald. I don't think I'll be bald, but I'm looking at really thin hair in my older, older than I am now, years.

3. The fact the the previous two honest tidbits bother me makes me think I am vain. The fact that my third fact is still talking about the previous two makes me know I am vain. Being honest here people. But I don't know many women who think, "Isn't this fantastic! My hair is falling out. I love it." Anyway, I appreciate the Proverbs that says "Charm is deceitful, and beauty is fleeting, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be praised." Yep. I'm clinging to that.

4. I love Casting Crowns. I am a Casting Crowns groupie. Truly. I've met them, have autographs from band members, and one of the cutest concert t-shirts you'll ever see. You'd like to see it wouldn't you?

I am a Casting Crowns groupie, but not a stalker.

5. I love a tidy house. But I sometimes end up with cluttered closets in making the house tidy ;)

6. I am a Foodie. If you don't want to click on Foodie to see what that means...it just means I watch A LOT of Food Network.

7. My first date with The Bob was a blind date. I didn't say 2 sentences to him and then fell asleep. Isn't it so easy to see why he asked me out again? But he did. And when I introduced him to my Mom on our first "real" date, I called him by the wrong name....I introduced him as Chris. His name is not Chris. Isn't it so easy to see why he asked me to marry him? (giggle) Oh, and I was 21 when The Bob and I met, and 25 when we married.

8. I lived at home until I got married. Yes, I lived at home until I was 25. I've never lived on my own. I was either at home with my parents and then married. Never by myself or with roommates or anything like that.

9. I lost a baby at six months of pregnancy. I'm forever changed by it. But not in a bad way....anyway, her name was Beth.

10. Two months after I had Moose, I had my gallbladder out and a bilateral hernia repair. That was a rough pregnancy....but so worth it ;)

Okay....passing this on to:

**Daisy at The Quiet Life. I love everything about her. Especially her honesty. Her blog has the name of my old blog, and my "life verse"...Make it your ambition to lead a quiet life...(1 Thes 4:11-12) From what I read from her blog, I think we have a lot in common, but I think she is the better part of what I want to be. Oh, and if you home school, she's an excellent source of info, too.

**Then there is Dawn at beyond grace. I love everything about her, too. She makes me smile, warms my heart, and has a humble spirit. Wonderful lady, she is.

**Finally, Jen at unglazed. I love her love for birds. And I love the photos she takes of them. She makes me smile, too. Oh, she has a giveaway going on right now. You could be the lucky winner of a year subscription to Birds and Blooms. So, check her out.

These recipients may now choose to pass it on to 7 encouragingly honest bloggers that they love. And thank you Heathahlee. You know I love you. Always.

I'm a Foodie

Hello. My name is Kat. I am a Food Network addict. You watch American Idol and like the sharp tongue of Simon Cowell, you say. Not me. I never watch that. I watch Chopped and like the sharp tongue of Alex Guarnashelli. You don't even know who that is, do you? I adore Bobby Flay, Barefoot Contessa, and Duff. I think you know that you have Food Network on a lot when your children take up the art of plating their food. Plating your food is an art, you know. You know plating it...plating food requires creativity and makes food lovely and attractive....so that you want to dig right in. Sunday, Fep was put in charge of fixing lunch after church. Moose requested a PB& J sammy no crust with chips on the side. When I come into the kitchen, this is what I see....

Yes, Fep is taking up the art of plating your food. I think she's a Foodie, too.

Who you really are...

After the never ending Day in My Life post from the last two post, I wonder...do people see who you really are...or just what you want them to see? There were a couple of things that got left out of that post, because of the length of the post. It really did seem like the post that would not end. But I left out the bad stuff, not the good stuff ...which I'd rather focus on the good than the bad...but I'm just thinkin' here. One thing was that Moose and I had some obedience problems going on that morning, and at lunch I had to deal with it and discipline him. The Bob...when I took that picture at dinner...he was getting really irritated. He was hungry, and he just wanted to eat. Can we say grumpy? The Bob, Fep, and I can get a little on edge when we're really hungry. Anyway, do people see the real you in your blog? Or is the mask on? Is the mask off? I'd like to think my mask is off...I hope that it is...but I think if we're really honest, a lot of us (and I'm not sayin' all...I'm sayin' a lot) just every once and a while...maybe just every blue moon or so...we slip the mask on...

May we all resist the urge to wear the mask...because He sees it all. He knows who we really are....and yet He loves...He loves us when we're grumpy at dinner. He loves us when we are disobedient. And if we will confess it to Him instead of slipping on the mask, He'll deliver us from it all.....

A Day in My Life (Part 2)

My goodness. I feel like this is the post that will never end...my hat is off to Jessica and Candy who have done several of these post. They take quite a bit of time and thought. It did for me anyway.

So, picking up where we left off....

12:15 Lunch Break. The kids ate lunch and had some "screen time" and Fep got on the computer while Moose finished a DVD he had started the day before. Then they both went outside to play. I eat, check the computer (blogging and such), clean up kitchen from lunch, finish the laundry to do for the day, and start dinner preps making a chicken casserole to put in the oven later....

Time to start back to school work at 1:20. Fep has to do spelling and history. Moose has to do spelling, penmanship, and practice guitar. Normally he would do this late afternoon /evening, but I have errands to run later, and he has guitar lessons this evening...

While the kids work on school work, I work on Payables and Receivables for our company. They finish their work and I finish mine, and we leave for the library at 2:50....

We are regular library patrons. But today, Fep "officially" gets introduced to the Dewey Decimal System. After going over it with her, I have her look up books to test her new knowledge....

After the library, I go completely brainless and forget that it took me 15 minutes to find something to wear, weight gain, etc., etc. We stop here for a Frosty...

Right across the street from Wendy's is my next stop...

Once every 4 - 6 weeks, I go to Sam's and stock up on some meat and household items. I like to buy my chicken, ground beef (or any beef), laundry detergent, and some other misc. items there. After Sam's, I take Moose to our office to meet up with his Dad who will take him to guitar lessons...I also pick up the work left in my "Box". I handle payroll, personnel stuff (benefits, insurance, 401K), and deposits....Sometimes we don't know if we own a business, or if it owns us.....Anyway, I do all my work from home, but this is the main office :)

Fep and I get back home at 6:15. I unload my Sam's purchases. She does her afternoon chores. I started back on dinner preps and looked through the work I picked up at the office. Got frustrated when looking at the work laying before me. Decided I would look at it when I was fresh tomorrow. Then I tidied up the house. I love me a tidy house. Love it with me, will you....

At 7:00, I did more dinner preps. Fep had been on the computer, and I told her it was time to get off. When she did, she set the table for dinner for later when The Bob and Moose got home. After helping, she went outside to play.

7:15...I sat down to work on this Day in My Life post. Fep comes running in to look up something about a bird she saw in the yard. Fep is a bird nerd :)

7:30....The Bob calls and he and Moose are on the way. They are running late as he forgot to transfer the company phone to the answering service and had to go back to the office :( Looks like it will be a later dinner....

8:00 The Bob and Moose arrive home. Moose is excited because his guitar teacher went over music from Star Wars with him. Moose loves Star Wars.

Then we eat dinner....chicken casserole, green beans, rice, and roll...

The cake on the end is supposed to be for a pot luck over the weekend. Oh, and The Bob is smiling in the picture, but he's really thinking, "Woman. I'm starving. Come on and let's eat!" ;)

8:20 The Bob and I go on the front porch to talk while the children clean up the kitchen. When they get dinner and the kitchen cleaned up they join us. And we all chat for a few minutes.

8:45 We come inside. We decide that the cake I bought will not make until the potluck on Sunday, and we decide to cut it and have a piece ;) The Bob checks emails from work, I lay down on the couch and listen to a sermon on CD from my pastor, and the children play.

9:00 The children get their baths and resume play afterwards.

9:45 The Bob comes to chat with me on the couch, so I turn off the sermon I've been listening to. It's a sermon on submission. The Bob comments it sounds like a good sermon, and asked if I put it on for him to hear. I told him no that it was on the wife's role, but if he wanted I could give him the sermon CD on the husband's role ;) We chat for about 15 minutes and realize that it's 10:00 and that the kids should have been in bed 30 minutes to an hour ago. At 10:00 we all go to bed....

I'm not sure if this was a typical day. But this was my day yesterday. The Bob works a lot of hours, but if at all possible, we try to eat earlier in the evening. 8:00 is not our normal eating time. Also, the days I don't have to leave the house don't seem so hectic. As I scan back over this day, I think it looks like I'm living like a crazy woman. But the day really did flow smoothly. My heart's desire is to be at home and to be a keeper of my home for my family and for the Lord.

A Day in My Life (Part 1)...

There are a couple of blogs that I like to visit that will from time to time take you through their day in words and pictures. I really like that. I don't know why, because it's just everyday stuff? But I like it. I like it a lot. I've always wanted to do "A Day in the Life of Me" post, but I knew how much time it would probably take. And I was right. So, my daily life will be done in two parts. I'd also like to add that when you do this it makes you extremely mindful of how you are spending your time and your actions. Extremely. So, I've found this to be a beneficial little experiment of sorts. So, here we go....oh, and these pictures are so blurry. One day I'll have a nice camera.....

7:15 am - Rise and shine little lady. You're getting up late!!! (I should get up at 6:30). Have coffee, swing with Fep on the front porch, make hummingbird feed for their feeder, and start laundry...

8:00 am - Go to my room for personal bible time and devotion which I always do in my unmade bed...

While I'm doing this the children are working on their morning chores and stuff...

8:30 am - Look for something to wear - this took 15 minutes!!!! I knew I'd end up in a picture so I was trying to look my best. It didn't happen, and it took 15 minutes because I've gained 14 lbs., and my clothing options are very limited at the moment. (Sigh) I also reboot the laundry.

8:50 am - Clothing picked out, I get in the shower, then dress, put on make up and fix my hair. I'm high maintenance, and I always fix my hair and put on makeup. Always. I'm high maintenance, plus I need it. If you know what I'm sayin'!

9:33 I'm ready and I decide that my bed will have to wait and we need to start on school.

We go to the front porch swing to start school off with our Bible lesson...

Then, I started Fep on English and Moose on Math...

After I got them started, I made my bed, folded laundry, and emptied the sink of dishes....
I had to stop mid fold on the laundry and help Moose with his next subject...you can see he takes it very seriously ;) The pile beside me was the laundry I'd been working on....

Moose finished up his morning school work. He worked from 9:30 to 11:00 he did Bible, Math, English, Reading, and Science. Fep did not get finished until 12:15, and she did Bible, Math, English, Reading, and Science also. Moose is in the 3rd grade and Fep the 6th. She has quite a bit more work than he does. At 12:15 we stopped for lunch. The kids had frozen pizza, and remembering that it took me 15 minutes to find something to wear, I had a Weight Watchers friendly sandwich and pretzels...a 7 point value :)

Are you tired of this yet? I just about am...but part 2 will come tomorrow :) There's more school, more housework, some errands, and just.....life.

Reminders in my home...

A heavy heart needs to be reminded. And the reminders are everywhere in my home. His Word. His encouragement. As I walked out the door for church yesterday, I saw this sign...



And thought, "Yes. The blessings of the Lord are upon me." Then I thought of the scripture, "Why so downcast, O my soul? Put your hope in God." The reminders are everywhere, but where am I setting my eyes and my thoughts....

And my faith takes hold. And even though the days are hard, the days are also...good. Why so down cast, O my soul? For your faith in Him will see you through....

Heavy, Busy, Yogi, and the Veterans

How's that for a title?

I haven't posted much here or commented much at your place because there are just some heavy issues in my life right now, and I've started school with my children again. School keeps us veeeeeeeeery busy. Very. We are three weeks into this school year, and I am so very pleased at how things are going.

Last weekend we went camping with some friends to Yogi on the Lake, a Jellystone Park located in Pelahatchie, Mississippi...

There was so much to do there...During the summer, they have a theme for each weekend. The theme for the weekend we were there was "Honoring our Heroes" And that morning as Yogi met everyone at the flagpole, they brought out policemen, firemen, military, and veterans. When I saw these gentlemen, I got rather caught up in the moment. I must say I even became a bit verklempt, and hoped that nobody saw me wiping tears, because who cries at a Yogi Park?

When I looked at these gentlemen, I wondered about their story. I'm sure they were born during a Depression and have lived through many wars. Obviously they served our country, too. Perhaps, even during wartime. This generation never fails to touch my heart. I think they are some of the greatest Americans to ever live.

Love you...

Yesterday was a heavy, burdensome day. I have several relationships under fire right now and some of it is just beyond my control. It's a heavy load. One relationship that I thought might be under fire was my friendship with Heather. I was afraid I had offended her, and with everything else going on, I was just thinking the worst. But in her comment on my last post, she affirmed her love for me. "...I love you so very much". Those were her words. And once I read that, my day was lighter and things were brighter. All the other junk...it's still there. But with her affirmation, the load was lighter. The load wasn't so heavy.

Never under estimate the power of telling someone you love them. It may be just was they need.

Finding the good...

You don't have to look hard to find the bad. You don't have to look for it at all. It's pronounced. Loud. Blaring. It's everywhere. At every turn. At every corner....A struggling business. A pay cut. Employee layoffs. Relationship struggles. Relationship struggles. And even more relationship struggles. My friend at the doctor.

But to find the good...I love Ann at Holy Experience. I find myself at her site when I'm depleted, and I feel like I have nothing left. I go and find her encouragement and His Words, to be reminded of the good. The simple. And the lasting. I always find that encouragement there, and I find I can release my troubles. Release. Soul cleansing release. And I find the good, the lovely, and the life-giving....

*how Granny's eye's twinkle when she's happy and when she laughs
*the smell of fresh cut grass
*homegrown tomatoes on the vine
*those same tomatoes on a sandwich :)
*the view from my front porch
*the sound of my children playing
*the look the swimming pool water has when it's a sunny day
*a lazy hound dog sprawled across the step on a summer day...on any day :)

Good. Simple. Refreshing.