Memorial Day - Never Forget

Today is a day to remember all the brave hearts who laid down their lives in service to our great country.

My Uncle-- Rufus Weldon Hodges.

One of my favorite poems that was first introduced to me in the 5th grade... It is one that I want my boys to memorize.

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

Remember these shows?

My sister Bobo is a TV... junkie? That's not quite the word I'm looking for but she does know her old school TV. When we were little, I was always amazed at her ability to remember things that I never noticed the first time around-- details like names of actors and words to theme songs. I guess that's something to be proud of?

And she still watches Golden Girls.

"You mean you miss out on the Saturday night lineup of 227, Amen, Golden Girls and Empty Nest?! They don't make TV like they used to. Oh, I forgot about Major Dad!"

My baby sister makes me happy. :) She's sitting next to me at my sister Coco's house listening to theme songs on YouTube.

In her lineup so far this evening:

- Rocky Road (I always wanted to have my own ice cream shop.)

- Just the Ten of Us (I loved this show!)

- Out of this World (I vaguely remember this.)

- Small Wonder (This totally made me talk like a robot back in the day.)

- Punky Brewster (Never really watched it bc it aired on Wed. nights and we were at church.)

- The Hogan Family (I watched it, but not sure if I cared much about it.)

- Silver Spoons (Wouldn't it have been cool to have all those arcade games in your living room?)

- Mr. Belvedere (Aw. I liked him!)

- Gimme a Break! (Nell Carter annoyed me but I watched it anyway.)

- Major Dad (Good one.)

- Night Court (I think I saw every episode. Marsha Warfield was intimidating.)

And they make fun of me for being a Trekkie.

What was your fav show from back in the day? With LOST and 24 gone, how do you plan to spend your TV time?

PS Coco admits to being hooked on Falcon Crest. I'm just sayin.

PPS And then we ventured into more serious TV like Tour of Duty, Airwolf, Hart to Hart,Scarecrow and Mrs. King, and Hunter. Okay, I seriously have to stop now!

my new bracelet

This weekend, I attended a conference for grieving mothers hosted by Umbrella Ministries. The conference was amazing-- encouraging, educational, uplifting and much needed!

One of my favorite parts of the conference was making this little bracelet. Picking out beads, sorting through memories, and talking about our children... It was very good. (Can you tell that words escape me?)

This is my Sweet Shot for the week.

C-H-R-I-S-T-I-A-N:

I loved being able to say his name and talk about him all weekend long. Did y'all know that I chose the name Christian after hearing it in an audio version of Pilgrim's Progress? His name is a reminder to follow Jesus Christ no matter life's circumstances.

It was Providential, y'know.

The other beads from left to right:

- blue for blankie

- multicolored to remind me of the rainbows

- dark, bright blue for Christian's eyes

- yellow star for one of his favorite songs "twinkle twinkle little star" and this picture.

Sweet Shot: hydrangeas and life

Out of all the flowers, trees and bushes we have planted around our house, the hydrangea is my most absolute favorite.

It's amazing the differences you see within the same bush.

Being positioned to where you receive more light bears fruit in both size and maturity.

And when a little extra acid is added... it changes your whole chemistry. It changes you from the inside out.

But grow in grace,

and in the knowledge of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ.

To him be glory both now and for ever.

Amen.

-II Peter 3:18

Study God's Word.

Grow in knowledge.

Grow in grace.

Bring Him glory!

Visit Darcy @my3boybarians to see even more of this week's Sweet Shots.

chocolate bugs

I have never been stung by a bee. All of my kids have, but not moi. Am I in the minority? The mere thought of being stung gives me the heebie-jeebies.

While I was hunting through the post-Easter clearance shelves at Target last month, I came across these.

Have you ever seen such an ADORABLY tasty treat?! Lindt hazelnut chocolatey goodness. Yum.

Hello, cute little friends.

Eeny, meeny, miny, mo... you lose little ladybug.

I almost feel guilty for eating their friend.

Look at how they are looking over and smiling... they have NO idea the extent of its injuries.

Maybe this will help.

Do you think I fooled them?

I think I need to get out more. Or sleep more. Or drink more coffee. I'm starting to scare even myself.

I am linking up with TidyMom today. Come join the fun!

Sweet Shot: homemade love

This surprise was waiting for me when I walked into my room Saturday night.

The rose is from the backyard and the little magenta flower is from the front flower bed. I'm glad my boys are learning to be resourceful!

I had to make MANY promises to not open them until the next morning- Mother's Day!

I wouldn't trade being a mommy for anything in the whole wide world. And I hope that the sweet cards continue to be homemade long after they have jobs and money to buy cards from the store. :)

I am linking this up with Darcy's Sweet Shot Tuesday.

I Heart Faces: Celebrating Mom

I have always loved my mom. But it wasn't until I became one myself that I truly began to understand her. I say began because it is a journey of knowing her.

Piece by piece, bit by bit, I see more of my mom in me.

And that makes me proud.

People say that she could be my sister. What do you think?

Visit i heart faces to see more Celebrating Mom photos!

I won't get breakfast in bed for Mother's Day

You can find me writing about not getting breakfast in bed for Mother's Day over at Heart of the Matter today. Come over and tell me that surely I'm not the only one... am I?

While you're there, check out the new color scheme and header. Just a little spring sprucing going on! I love little changes that mix things up a bit.

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY, Y'ALL!

Why did I buy a scale again?

I did something last week that I haven't done in years.

Stepped on a scale. In my very own bathroom.

I don't know what possessed me to buy the scale last week. Maybe it was the 75% off price tag. Maybe it was the decorative glass-- like that would somehow make the numbers in the little window less offensive to my eyes. Either way, I am questioning my sound judgement.

After Noah was born, I wised up and tossed ye old bathroom scale away. Why bother? Does it really matter what I weigh when the only thing I really care about is my health and feeling well?

Hahaha! I AM SO LYING ABOUT THAT.

Let's be honest here. All I really care about is fitting into my jeans, preferably without having to suck in my gut in order to zip and button. Boy oh boy, is that getting to be dang near impossible lately.

Okay, I'm not saying that I'm pleasantly plump or anything. But being a mere dozen pounds away from my full-term-prego weight is not my idea of a good time.

I place the blame solely on my love of wearing skirts. They are comfortable, pretty, and *here's where the true problem lies*... elastic waisted. When I've eaten baked a few too many cookies and/or loaded my coffee down with lots of cream and sugar, the skirts forgave me. They love me like that.

The jeans? They hold a grudge. They are stubborn. They hate me like that. (And the feeling is mutual!)

So now I have this pretty scale in my bathroom and hoping that it will somehow encourage me to exercise.

Do you have a scale at home? How often do you step on it?

Do you blame the uneven foundation of your house or the phase of the moon on your weight fluctuations like I do?

Sweet Shot: more lulu

Sometimes I just need more Lulu.

Nothing like a chubby, smiley, perfect little baby niece to brighten one's day. Too bad she lives so far away.

(Pssst. Her real name is Lucy. For the record.)

(And when I get better at collages, I'll find a way to not have to squish those cheeks into the skinny little windows up there.)

today's journal entry

1.) I woke up singing "I Surrender All" in my head this morning.

What do I need to surrender?

I think I've surrendered all of myself already, but am I still holding on to something?

Am I going to be required to surrender something in the near future?

I know it shouldn't, but that last part makes me a little nervous.

2.) I keep the "In Memory" card of Christian in my Bible. I often stare at his face and into his eyes. I was looking at it this morning and thinking about how I would love to be in his company right now-- singing, reading, laughing, playing, teaching...

All of a sudden this thought came to me:

Is he not with the great Teacher even now? All that he is learning is from the Master himself! The One who does not lose His temper. The One who is not selfish with His time and attention. A mother wants what is best for her child, even if it means self sacrifice. I pale in comparison to Him.

Maybe it is these thoughts of Christian and what "I" am missing out on that I need to truly surrender?

Oh Lord please help me!

"And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God."

-Luke 9:62

I want to be fit! I know it is okay and good to remember Christian. But I must not yearn for my life that was. It would make me useless to fight in the battle now. It would distract me from looking to God and to eternity. If your hand is at the plough and you walk forward with your head turned back, you are sure to have crooked furrows and not use the field set before you to its greatest potential!

Look forward. Labor for the Master. God makes no mistakes!