question.

How does everyone like the new banner? Not bad for a first try. Trying to personalize the blog a little bit. Didn't realize how many people are reading this and how much controversy it is causing. Not sure what direction I will take this blog, I need to think some more about it.

HAPPY BIRTHDAY DADDY! 

kids. 

sad today.

Today was the day that public school started in our area. It was a rough day for me but not because I was sad to be dropping my son off at his first grade classroom. I'm sad today because it has made me come to grips again that my son is different from most kids. We have always known R was different but with each passing year it is becoming more evident. We have begun the journey of evaluation; quite possibly leading to Asperger's. The beginning of public school today is just another reminder of how different he is. I'm worried that the world will not be kind & sympathetic to those differences. I know I cannot shield him from life, that would not help him, but I want him to learn and experience life on his terms and not be pushed into things until he is ready. That is why we have chosen to homeschool. This decision was not taken lightly and took us over a year. I am excited to be on our journey, but still have this ache in my heart and lump in my throat today.

One of my goals in life is to raise happy children. I want them to understand themselves; to know their strengths and weaknesses. I want them to be kind, generous, and sympathetic to others. I am trying to keep my eye on the bigger picture. What do I need to do to make sure that my kids are happy & productive human beings? I try to take each day as it comes and look for the positives. God has entrusted me to take care of three fabulous little people and help them to grow to be all they can be. I want to celebrate their uniqueness and if homeschooling is the way to do it, then this is my journey.

my banquet. 

My banquet.

Recently, I have been contemplating the purpose of my life. What direction am I headed? Where am I going? What am I doing? I have realized that I owe my life and who I am to the Lord. HE is my purpose for living. I want to live to show glory to God. "everything comes from God alone. Everything lives by his power, and everything is for his glory." Romans 11:36. This realization has been life changing. I have always believed in God, but I have never had a personal relationship with him and put my life in his hands until recently. I'm excited about learning all I can and seeing him work in my life. I am approaching each day with a new attitude. Yesterday at services, our pastor spoke about Matthew and the occasion of his decision to follow Jesus. This really struck me. Matthew held a huge banquet to tell everyone he knew of his decision and to introduce them to Jesus. Our pastor then asked if we have held our banquet. Have we told the people in our lives? I believe that all my friends and family know that Jesus is my Savior. But I want to shout it from the rooftop so everyone hears. I have never felt more alive and at peace in my entire life. Written august 8th, 2005

painting.

This weekend flew by so quickly. We are busily getting the house ready to sell. Been cleaning, organizing, and painting. Got rid of so much STUFF, twenty bags worth went to Goodwill over the weekend. It's amazing how much stuff we accumulate. Feels really good to be rid of so much stuff. Saturday we painted the laundry room, which desperately needed a nice, new coat of white paint. I think we finished the room in record time, because my awesome friend offered to take the kids. So grateful for her! We even took a little time out to visit some open houses in the area to get an idea what houses are going for. All in all it was a very productive weekend.

playing.

It has been so much fun making my ATC's for Rhonna's swap. This is my first swap and I just hope everyone likes them. Tonight I put each one in their special envelope and sealed it shut. They are ready to go to the post office tomorrow.

Animal Kingdom 

checking in.

Well..It has been forever since I last posted. So much has been going on and we've been so busy. Last week we got back from our vacation to Florida. We had the best time. Flying cross-country with three kids is an adventure in itself, but turned out to be better than I expected. We got to visit family that we haven't seen in about 8 years. The kids got to meet their older cousins for the first time. They had so much fun together. Spent most of the time in the pool and just hanging out. Then it was off to Disneyworld for 4 days. The kids had a great time. Shannon got to see Cinderella, and have breakfast with the princesses and Ryne got to see lots of dinosaurs over at Animal Kingdom. Drew was just excited to be flying on the airplane. So now we are back and need a vacation from the vacation. Everyone has been super tired. Trying to get re-adjusted to the time change. It's amazing how a 3 hour time change can really mess up your body.
We've decided to put our house on the market now, rather than waiting til our new house is built. So, Rich and I have been trying to get stuff fixed up around the house. We are having a few painters come by to give us estimates on painting the kitchen, family room, and entry. Let's hope we get some reasonable estimates, or we will be doing it ourselves.

countdown.

I woke up this morning with a sense of nervousness. Our trip to Florida is only a WEEK a way. I have not done my usual list making yet. I feel very out of sorts. A ten day trip to the beach and Disneyworld with 3 kids...need I say more. Just trying to sort out in my brain what we are doing and what to bring. And I have to factor in that Ryne wears about ten pairs of underwear a day. These kids never want to wear clothes when they are home. So if a speck of water or anything else spills on Ryne, he has to change. We've already talked about bringing extra clothes on the airplane just in case. I'm so glad that we have a washer and dryer in the condo we rented at the beach. Looks like I'm gonna be doing some wash.

Rich and I have been dreaming about what our vacation is going to be like. We have visions of spending days on the beach reading or working on my art journal. We just want to relax and spend time with Aunt Wendy & Uncle Bob and the kids before heading to Disneyworld. But after many days of this daydreaming, I had a realization that, in all likelihood, this is not how the vacation will be. The kids are super active, and are always doing something, and getting into something. Ryne's mind has to be involved. I'm sure we will be doing some sort of oceanic experiment of some kind while on this trip. Ryne and Shannon will undoubtedly be giving us many singing and dancing shows at night or on the beach. And Daddy will be helping Drew make lots of sandcastles. We are going to be wearing our cruise directors hat on this vacation. No relaxation in sight for us, but that is ok. We will be soaking every minute of it in, and of course I will be taking lots of pictures. I guess we will have to wait for the relaxation vacation til the kids are older. :)

big boy 

happiness is...

*joining an ATC swap.
*having a great lunch with the kids. we went and ran some errands and decided to stop for a corndog, and then of course, stopped for some ice cream. thanks to Shannon, i have now tasted coffee ice cream with gummi bears. Mmmmmm.
*Drew's sudden interest in wearing "big boy undies". I think our six and a half years of buying diapers might be coming to an end. :)
*finishing a couple scrapbook pages.
*counting down the days to our trip to florida. can't wait!

art journal 

the heart of a boy

When i read the art journal challenge prompt for this week, I knew the exact picture I wanted to use for the wings. I’ve had this picture of my dad when he was about 2 that i absolutely love. (circa 1948). Found the book page with the title “the heart of a boy”, and that is what I went with.
used 7 gyspies tissue paper for the background then added acrylics and glaze over it. Put some paper and book pages on top, then used some bubble wrap for stamping, along with the dragonfly and silverware stamp.

Journaling:a little boys heart is full of happiness, full of love, and full of life. a little boy may seem rough and tough on the outside, but his heart is as soft as butter. a little boy love to build, imagine, and play in the dirt. little boys soon grow to be men, but they still remain boys at heart.

fond memories

I finished another art journal page today. The idea came to me last night, so as soon as i got up this morning, I just wanted to create. I have this awesome picture of my grandmother when she worked at a confectionary company in Cleveland ( Aug. 1939) that i had to use. This page was inspired by a prompt a while back...do a page inspired by a dessert. Journaling is all about how my Grandmother always had dessert after every meal. She loved anything sweet: candy, cookies, cakes, and pastries. It just brings back so many happy memories I have of my grandmother.

I used acrylic paints for the background, then adhered the picture and stars. I painted a pearl metallic paint on top to make it shimmer and then added the title and journaling. Everything is adhered with gel medium. thanks for looking!

fond memories 

art journal.

These are just a few new additions to my art journal. I'm trying to get caught up on posting them.

life. 

breaking free.