:: flea market finds ::

Yesterday, Mom & I braved what turned out to be a very hot day at the Canton Flea Market. They say it's the largest in the country, but that could just be the Texan "we're biggest" pride talking, who knows?

My girls & Skye went... Skye had a ball sniffing everyone she could and laying down in shady spots. The girls love going to flea markets, they always have a couple dollars with them and spend it on cute little kid things like beads or an old My Little Pony.

I found lots of great things myself, which I've been cleaning & finding places for today. Here's a few of my finds...

I hit a jackpot of pale turquoise beauties...
a round Pyrex dish with it's lid ($10)
a vintage ice crusher (which we used today for our lemonade, love it!)
a coffee cup (for a buck!) in which I already planted a succulent, so cute!
a Lu-Ray cup & saucer ($7)
a citrus juice extractor (also for a buck!)




a gold picture frame that will be painted white in the near future ($3)
a white frame ($2)
a wrought iron gate topper (this was a splurge for $40)
a pink window moulding ($10)



And finally, I couldn't believe it when I found this - remember Caboodles??? What teenage girl of the late 80's/early 90's didn't have one of these for her makeup? This one needed a good cleaning, but for $2 I don't mind! (my Mr. Clean sponge did the trick!)



It's going to be put to good use organizing all of our Barbies' shoes and her other tiny accessories...
we have another one that is already holding all of our Polly Pockets...
I love a good organizing tool!

a nice start to my day

Checking my email to start off the morning, I found a piece of wonderful news:

I am honored to have won the EtsyKids Design Challenge for May,
with my entry of my Beach Comber Patchy Dress!
Go here to read more about it...

Thank you to everyone who voted for me - I am so grateful for taking time out of your day to do so!

You can find the custom offering for my Beach Comber Patchy Dress, along with the other separates from this line, listed in my etsy shop - and remember, I rarely do customs, so this is an opportunity to get one! I am still offering the special pricing discount on Beach Combers as well, read all about it in the listings.

EtsyKids is a group of etsy designers who create things for, you guessed it - kids! You'll find anything from Art to Zoo gear by searching "etsykids team" on etsy.

Now I get to pick next month's challenge theme - I'm going to have to think on that today, I want to come up with a good one!

fourteen years

Today is our fourteenth anniversary.

But as a reminder that life goes on regardless, Claire has had a fever, stomach cramps and headache since yesterday. Thankfully the fever seems to be gone this afternoon, but she's still not a happy camper. Looks like it will be an evening in for us.

Happy anniversary, hun... circumstances being what they are today, I know it's not much of an anniversary, but I still get to be with you and that's all I really want. We have the rest of our lives to go out and paint the town red.

faith for the journey

Now faith is the substance of things hoped for, the evidence of things not seen. Hebrews 11:1

I mentioned Karen on Friday, and had the pleasure of spending some time with her and her family yesterday. Karen is doing very well, and I am so proud of her for her positive attitude of faith and trust in God's promise to her that He is and will take care of her through the battle she's facing.




I went to take pictures for Karen as a way of giving her something to mark the beginning of this journey, and a reminder of the love of her family and her Heavenly Father. It's my hope that she will be encouraged by these photos in some way.

do re me fa so la ti do

Only press play if you enjoy the uplifting fun of the Sound of Music...
otherwise, move on before you end up smiling...

w e e k e n d s a l e !

It's Memorial Day weekend, and boy did it creep up on me unexpectedly! Gotta love a holiday weekend! Plus, we finished our school year today, and I am relieved with a capital R!!


To celebrate summer, I am offering a big sale to get summer going in my etsy shop -
20% off all ready-made items!

Just enter the code MemDay09 when you checkout,
I will promptly refund your discount through Paypal.
(offer excludes custom-made items and patterns)
This offer expires at the end of Monday, May 25, so don't wait!


Now that I'll have more time to sew, I'll be putting up more summery things, so I would like to clear out the shop some... if you've had your eye on something, this is the weekend to get it!

Click here to go to my etsy shop...

Fingerprint Friday { consider the flowers }

I'm not sure what to write this morning, my mind is full of many thoughts and emotions.

A sweet friend from church is going in today for her first chemotherapy treatment this morning for Stage 3 breast cancer, having just been told of her diagnosis yesterday. She did share that God had given her unexplainable peace before she received her test results. I believe that was His way of telling her He is taking care of everything no matter the results.

So that is my prayer. That she and her family and her friends will stand firm believing that
God's hand is right there, taking care of everything.



Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you [Rebekah adds: take care of your physical needs]...?

Matthew 6:29-30







There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in:

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints.

2. Be sure to link so others can find the entire list of participants! Go over to PamperingBeki's blog to add your link to the list of participants.

a fresh look

.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.
I gave my manniquin a makeover!
'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'~.~'

Self Portrait Challenge - { diptych week 3 }

This is what I get...





...when I ask for a nice smile!



For more diptych photos this month on SPC, go here...

{ lose my soul }

loved this song since the cd came out... just saw the video yesterday & love it just as much!





(this is the only version I could find that could be embedded on a blog - sorry about the annoying graphics someone put at the top & bottom)

I also just bought a cd from Mandisa, who is featured in this video, and love it... it's in my sidebar.

another before & after for this week

Skye came to us in February, and since her fine white coat was quite short when we first got her, and it was cold (or cool) until just the last couple of weeks, I hadn't seen a need for a haircut.

Besides, we all thought she looked adorable as her curls grew out!



But then during our vacation last month, she went to a very nice pet boarding facility. While she did have lots of fun with the staff, they didn't brush her like I usually did, and her coat became irreparably matted by the time we came home.

Then the warm weather crept up.

And if that wasn't enough, Chad loves taking nature walks in the spring, and I'm happy he takes the dog along... but she came home from one such walk last week with so many burrs and sticks in her coat I couldn't even count. That was the last straw. I took her to the groomer that day.



This before & after post was my girls' idea - thanks, girls, for your inspiration :)

Fingerprint Friday { tender hearts }

Recently we went to a fun party with our church at a local ranch. Part of the entertainment was a rodeo, as well as a race for the kids out in the rodeo arena.

Groups of 3-6 kids squeezed together into the big float tubes you'd use at the pool, then ran around cones racing each other as if they were in a rodeo.

Nicole & Claire were in a tube together with some other kids, but Claire was the smallest of the bunch. When they got going, she tripped and fell out through the bottom of the cluster of kids and out of the tube. When Nicole noticed, she shoved her way out of the tube while the other kids keep going, and ran back to help her sister up and held her as she cried.

I had tears in my eyes as I snapped this shot.

God gave my girls such tender hearts for each other. He made them fiercely loyal, too.

I took this picture so I could remember this moment on the days when it's easy to forget this fact ;)

(In case you're wondering why I didn't rush out there myself, or why the other grown ups in the rodeo arena weren't helping - the race was still actually going at this point, but my girls were out of harm's way.)




There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in:

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints.

2. Be sure to link so others can find the entire list of participants! Go over to PamperingBeki's blog to add your link to the list of participants.

{ bouquet }

... just listed on etsy - click here...

the lovely Claire modeled for me today, because my manniquin is getting a makeover...
I'll be posting the results soon!

A Pair of Red Clogs

I used Five in a Row for supplemental teaching for kindergarten & 1st grade with Nicole, and I'm doing the same now for Claire. If you want to read more about it, you can go here.

We just used A Pair of Red Clogs by Masako Matsuno for our latest FIAR study. It's the story of a Japanese girl who learns about honesty and taking care of what belongs to her.

I decided to recreate this scene from the book for a fun dinner on an evening when Claire & I were home for dinner by ourselves:



First let me say, I am not going to serve fish with the eyeballs and tail still intact.

Second, I basically did what I could with what I had, so this is in no way intended to be an authentic Japanese meal. We had fish fillets, rice, tartar sauce, green tea, and peaches - yes, mostly American, I know, but we both did use chopsticks and sit on pillows on the floor!

Self Portrait Challenge - { before & after }

It is easy to hide our flaws when it comes to this whole online/virtual thing. So this is definitely hard for me to put out here.

But my idea of a before & after diptych for this month's SPC theme challenged me to be honest.

So here is my "before" in the morning - I've gone running, planted some bushes & herbs, fed the kids, and it's barely 9am. My husband took this shot for me, after which he commented that my hair was looking "frosty" at the roots. Nice. We can't usually hide our flaws from those closest to us.

Then the "after" shot about 2 hours later, in front of the same window - after a meeting with a bottle of haircolor, a shower, a hair styling appliance, makeup, jewelry and fresh clothes.


Head over here to SPC to see lots of wonderful diptychs...

for you

Happy Mother's Day

to all you fun-loving, hard-working moms out there!

These roses were my gift from my husband & girls.
I love them - thank you!



/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

on another note...
I created a new treasury on etsy today -

l i m e and c o c o n u t

click here to view, comment, and click each item if you're interested...


/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\/\

:: dinner ::

'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'

turkey sausages from Sam's - love these, they are so tasty
(would have liked to grill it, but the grill needs some parts, so I stovetop improv-ed)

spinach artichoke tortellini
(recipe follows - I created this recipe from elements of other recipes all thrown together)

this dessert
(uh, yeah, it's indulgent, but it's Mother's Day weekend after all!)


'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'


Spinach Artichoke Tortellini

2 cups dry cheese-filled tortellini
2 Tbsp olive oil
4-6 minced or pressed garlic cloves
1/4 c. chicken broth
8-10 small artichoke hearts, drained of their water & chopped to 1/4" dice (I buy a huge jar from Sam's, but you could also use a more normal-sized can of artichoke hearts)
1/2 jar alfredo sauce, any variety
3 cups of fresh spinach leaves, finely chopped
a handful of shredded parmesan cheese

Boil water in a medium saucepan, cook tortellini according to package directions.

In the meantime, heat olive oil in large skillet over medium heat, saute' garlic for 2-3 minutes.

Add chicken broth & a ladle-full of the boiling water from the tortellini pot - stir together, then add the artichoke hearts.

Cook until it simmers a little, then stir in half a jar of alfredo sauce (save the rest for another meal).

When the sauce is simmering gently again, stir in the spinach. Don't overcook after this point - the spinach needs to just get warm.

Add the drained tortellini, toss to coat, stir in a handful of shredded parmesan cheese, and serve it up!

'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'*+.+*'

Fingerprint Friday { father daughter dance }

My husband took our oldest daughter to our church's father daughter dance recently.

This was such a wonderful thing to me, for so many reasons that are difficult to put into words (moms, you know what I mean!)

Chad doesn't really like to dance, but it has been reported that he danced the night away. Nicole came home beaming, and has many wonderful memories of the night, including the chicken dance, haha.

I have a great husband.
Thank you, Jesus - I am often struck by Your goodness in this.



I am irritated at the flare on Nicole's face in the shots I took, but I'm still glad I have them.



There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in:

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints.

2. Be sure to link so others can find the entire list of participants! Go over to PamperingBeki's blog to add your link to the list of participants.

beach comber separates

Just listed my new line of "beach comber" separates
over in my etsy shop...
I don't offer customs often, so don't miss these separates!

Included in the line:
the patchy capris
the pink top
the patchy dress/top
the ruffle capris
the hankie headband

~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~
beach comber special offer:
buy two pieces, save $10!
plus, flat U.S. shipping for $5!

I will refund $10 in Paypal
when you purchase 2 beach comber pieces
(offer excludes the hankie headband)
~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~+~

Self Portrait Challenge - { diptych week 1 }

Yep, more beach shots...
this new "Diptych" challenge over on SPC has had me puzzled,
so this was my first try...

yummy pyrex

Don't you just love vintage pyrex dishes?

They remind me of cooking as a kid in Mom's (or Grandma's!) kitchen.

And I have this beautiful blue pyrex bowl listed in my etsy shop right now...

wouldn't it be delicious filled with ripe, red strawberries?

I know, I know

You're probably getting tired of reading about how much I loved the beach...

but when I snagged a Treasury on etsy today, that was the first theme that came to mind when the little box to create the Treasury popped on the screen.





To view it & be able to view the individual items on etsy, click here...

Fingerprint Friday { seashells }

I still cannot get over the sheer number and variety of shells we found on Sanibel Island.

As I was walking the beach early on our first morning there, I was reminded of Jesus' words of reassurance - not a single sparrow falls without God's knowing. This immediately led me to this thought - not a single sea creature that lived in these shells vacated the shell without God knowing.

And as I stood there among shells of all shapes & sizes, I felt blissfully small and wonderfully cared for at the same time.





see what looks like a lighter tan reflection in the center of this beach?
and the dots everywhere that look like rocks?
those are the shells...

That's Nicole sitting in the water -
her body expression is a lot like how I felt inside the whole time we were there.


There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God

So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join in:

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints.

2. Be sure to link so others can find the entire list of participants! Go over to PamperingBeki's blog to add your link to the list of participants.