One more VBS training class under my belt and I am glad to say I used my past experience to ensure a better one this time. I didn't have as much time last night about an hour. That was just enough time to do all the games. It was fast paced and no one had time to get bored. I knew what I was doing (even though I hadn't even glanced at my material since the last class) and I felt much more confident. I have one more conference this weekend. Then it will be time to gear up for our Florida vacation!!! I CAN'T WAIT!!

Summer ALREADY!

I wish you could hear the song he was singing!

How can you not smile when you see those two?
Judson is giving his Dad some pointers.
Sweet girl!
Our mini BBQ during lunch. It 's been really beautiful in the mornings and up in the 90's by afternoon as high as 96 already! I guess we are in for a hot one! Too bad I forgot to take pictures of our first afternoon sprinkler party!
This was a corner in my room from the VBS training conference. My next one is Monday. I have WAY less time to decorate so this may be it....and it's about as creative as I get.

Catch Up

Whoo! Is it Tuesday already? Man have we been busy. Most of last week was spent preparing and decorating for a VBS training class I taught for the association. That happened Saturday. The kids stayed home with one of their favorite babysitters all day.

Wow. Last week was a REALLY long and stressful week for me, and it took only three lines to tell about it. Kind of puts things in perspective, doesn't it?

( I am by no means a bad public speaker. I have a certain amount of skill. I know not to chew gum, I know how to gauge my audience, I know not to fill the silence with umms and likes, I know not to dig in my pockets.....I was a speech minor in college. My knowledge of public speaking probably helps me hold hte attention and respect of my audience but it does not help me captivate them. I wasn't as well prepared as I should have been. I got caught up in trying to follow the lesson plan instead of just going with the flow. I have never been very good at detatching myself from THE PLAN. Oh well, I did portray my passion and my excitement. There are just some things we are supposed to be good at because we used to be good at them. I put a lot of pressure on myself to live up to who I was. The truth is, I would make a WAY better teacher now than I would have right after college. I am MUCH more compassionate and that ain't saying much! But it is so hard to let myself change or to see who I was melt into and be enhanced by who I am now. Anyone know where I am coming from? )




Yesterday we spent most of the day back at church. Monday mornings are my Ladies Bible Study days and then last night we had Outreach/visitation.

Today, FaithLyn and I went to the elementary school for her Kindergarten screening. I didn't take any pictures because I didn't want to be "that" mom. You know, the one crying and blubbering and taking pictures of every move your kid makes. I wish I had a picture now, even though we will have other firsts there soon. I didn't get teary-eyed but I know that day is coming too.

My laundry is piled high all over the house, everyone is scrounging for clean underwear and I'm trying real hard to care enough to do some laundry.

I have two more VBS training conferences. Then we have a week of vacation! SO if you don't hear from me I am knee deep in something.......could be VBS.........could be laundry.........could be the guilt of all the things going undone around here.........could be anything!

New Look Here at Hidden in our Hearts!

Thanks to EidsonCrew for the great link to some really cute templates! These are SUPER easy to upload and you don't lose any of your widgets! That's exactly what I needed. And I have been looking and looking for some fresh new template to add to our home here. Hope you like it. If it's hard to read or you have any suggestions let me know!

Practically Perfect in Every Way Weekend

The Stuff of Every Day

I always find it hard to fight off the sludge after effects of a productive week. No matter what the productivity is there is some other area of life that is pushed aside for the sake of progress. And once again I find myself struggling to wade my way through the stuff of everyday.

And slowly but surely we are making progress. We all have clean underwear for the next day, as long as you don't mind digging through all the other clean clothes on the couch. So much for my neat new laundry room!

We all have clean sheets on our beds....ummm, well what they don't know won't hurt them, right?

We are having dinner tonight....chicken parmesan and for a special treat we might even taste the batch of cinnamon rolls rising on the stove.

Then we all sit and watch "the singing show" and try to make some progress on Mt. Clean Laundry.

Most of the floors got clean today. I even worked on those week old orange mystery baby food spit up stains in the carpet.

The bathrooms will have to wait for another day.

It's time to enjoy my family. Why do all the every day stuff if I miss the point? The point and what all that everyday stuff is all about is enjoying the blessings that mean the most to me. I have 5 of them. 4 little ones and one big one that helped me dream up the other 4.

I felt the discontentment rising up in my today and God was so gracious to remind me of all my abundant blessings! I have only to look around and see how good my Creator and Provider has been to me. I was too focused on the details to see the Hugeness of His Goodness.

A Little Corner or Order

I worked on these yesterday. And at least now I have all my information organized so it is no longer just floating around in my head.
Here's the newly decorated Laundry room. Well, I really only put up a few decorations and got a laundry organizer. But I haven't had mountains of laundry since I did it and I don't mind keeping the launry door open any more.
There's still more I would like to do but for now it sure does feel nice.

Next I want to install a shelf over the sink between the wall and the cabinets. Then I have to figure out an ironing station. Any ideas are welcome!

An Organized Mind

I want one.

Instead I have about 5 major projects floating around in my head in various stages of beginning. And these projects are all "other" projects. Meaning they are not things that have anything to do with being a Mom. Though I find it refreshing to need to use my professional mind once in a while, I am remembering that practice only "once in a while" does not make perfect. It always takes me a lot longer to get going when I only do things once in a while.

But once in a while is all I am willing to commit to right now, I have more pressing matters to take care of at home on a regular basis.

I am also remembering that I do not like to be in charge. I like responsibility, I like control, but ultimate control and responsibility; pass, none for me, thank you very much! (perhaps what I mean is I do not like to be in ultimate control when OTHERS are involved because my chances for successful ultimate control are put in jeopardy by those that I am in charge of. I guess it boils down to failure and my fear of it.)

SO instead of getting my mind organized or climbing the dish mountain growing from my sink I am sitting here at my computer penning something about my situation that will not really help my situation. Maybe this can be the first step to getting my mind organized. But right now I have so many thoughts, ideas, lists of 'to dos' floating around in my head that they keep randomly bumping into each other causing confusion. This morning when I went to pick up FL from Preschool I looked in the mirror on the way out and my cheeks were actually flushed from all the project thought.

I have got to get it together. Now don't you turn away and "tsk, tsk" me for being so involved or for complaining about it. I really am not trying to complain. I just need a little time to give all the brain matter a chance to settle a bit so I can put it all in order. Some of my projects won't be getting under way for a few more months some need immediate attention and others just need to be put on the calendar. But it usually works that they all get stirred up in my mind at the same time.

Ok, I took just a moment to write down all the projects. There that feels better. Now I need to go get my calendar and get them all penciled in. Now then. My head is not so fluttery. I think I can move on with my day. Thanks. Sometimes I just need someone to talk things out with and well, the 2 yr. old won't sit still long enough and the 4 and 5 yr. olds, they just don't care much. They would rather I read them a book.

If you will excuse me, I have some work to do!