THE SLEEPOV ER

okay.......so here we are....in my newly organized STUDIO......me at my computer on one side and the two busy bees on the work table behind me.....listening to their conversation is absolutely hilarious, to say the least......they are playing TEACHER........as well as many other "professions", such as SECRETARY........they have just had their BATH, after an exhausting, albeit filthy playtime in our little park......and needless to say.......i have NOT combed their hair......but i DID wash their hair!........yea me!!!....i don't have to send them home tomorrow with dirty hair.....OR dirty bodies.......(.i will try very hard to keep them clean in the morning)....

unfortunately i forgot to take my coffee press with leftover coffee in it downstairs from this morning.......so of course they really think they are hotshots...drinking my coffee!!!....i think i will pay for THIS one......

they are also sneaking into pap pap's office and into the jelly belly machine........and actually........they cleaned it out....yup, GONE.....so i wonder what jelly bellies and COFFEE will do to these two???........oh boy.......

i am keeping some notes on some of their CONVOS!.......will post that tomorrow, or SOME time!

anyway.......can you tell how much this.....NEENEE/NANA LOVES these little munchkins????..........there are NO words........

well.......they want popcorn...since this IS a SLEEPOVER......uh huh.......at 11:20......we are going to have popcorn.......we can do WHATEVER we want.......

it is such a GOOD thing there are NO moms around.....

boy, do i ever love this JOB

Addie going to pre-school

OKAY! i am finally finally getting up to date on my life with grandkids!.....except, guess what? TONITE Ava and Addie are having a slumber party with me!!!! Larry is out of town and it is just US GIRLS!! i wonder what will conspire tonite????

i have gotten them really really healthy food for dinner tonite........children's frozen dinners........uh huh.....that's right........and an adult version for me!.........and some "fun" snackin too.......what is a slumber party without snacks??? of course we will try our hand at several and asundry craft projects......that is a GIVEN at MY house........so......stay tuned for THAT story.........

but for now......here are Addie's first day pre-school pics.. i kid you not, she is the funniest, most comedic child i have ever met.......she makes me laugh just to see her pictures! she is such a grown up, little girl!!!!

BUT here is the Mac Daddy!

OKAY.........here are the mac daddy pics of ALL........the two cousins in Ava's new PINK Barbie car!!!........could you NOT just SCREAM for the cuteness????.........what a DUO they are!! they both have PINK hats and PINK boots, driving a PINK car!!!...LOVE IT!

Ava's party, continued!

WHAT A DAY IT WAS! HORSE RIDING! FACE PAINTING! PINATA! VITTLES! SQUIRT GUNS! COOKIES! CUPCAKES! COOKIES!...DID I MENTION COOKIES???

Ava's HOE DOWN!

Here is the new 4 year old AVA...........her birthday bash was sensational with the horse ...to boot!...get it? to boot?........oh well.........she was so cute and the party was a SMASH........the goodies, as you will see in the following pics were to DIE for........not only good to LOOK at but good to EAT...........esp. the cookies........my weakness......i substituted them for real nourishment.........no wonder i am exhausted..........

..........after Ava had opened several of her gifts and they were cowgirl, horse related........she threw her head back and said."oh no! NOT another HORSE!"............so funny!.......well, sweet pea...what do you expect from a COWGIRL party????...........but she loves them ALL.........let me tell ya

enjoy the pics!

in a FLURRY of busy

oh my word...............i am either BUSY or EXHAUSTED........so between the two........that is why i cannot blog! i need to catch up with a LOT........not sure when that is going to happen! for the mean time.......here is what i am doing at work: carving, painting and designing fake pumpkins for display........now, if i had time i would give you a MILE long list of WHY I HATE HALLOWEEN.......but, no time, maybe later.........anyway ......(i work at Michaels).......... let me tell you.......there is stuff for sale in the store for Halloween that makes me crazy MAD( and NOT in a good way!)......and boy oh boy......i dare NOT get started..........anyway........here are a few samples of pumpkins.......and why i have extra hours and why i am coming home so tired i can't see straight!

in case you care to comment......tell my WHY do good, normal, decent people take ONE day of the year to sanctify EVIL???? BLOOD??? MURDER???? GORE???? DEPRAVITY??? DEATH??? DISMEMBERMENT??? and on and on and on and on????

I will NEVER NEVER understand........

Cell phone vs. Bible

Ever wonder what would happen if we treated our Bible like we treat our cell phone?
What if we carried it around in our purses or pockets?
What if we flipped through it several times a day?
What if we turned back to go get it if we forgot it?
What if we used it to receive messages from the text?
What if we treated it like we couldn ' t live without it?
What if we gave it to Kids as gifts?
What if we used it when we traveled?
What if we used it in case of emergency?
This is something to make you go....hmm...where is my Bible?
Oh, and one more thing. Unlike our cell phone, we don ' t have to worry about our Bible being disconnected because Jesus already paid the bill.
Makes you stop and think, where are my priorities? And no dropped calls!

AVA

here is little miss sassafrass doin her "thang".....which is usually highly entertaining.......what a BIG week this is for her! she started pre-K and she turns 4!!!!!! wow! she is having a COWGIRL birthday party with a REAL horse!!!......does it get any better than that?

guess what? today she and her mom dropped by, unexpectedly......and i had her presents in a corner......and TOTALLY forgot they were there.......as i was rounding the corner to the great room......there she was, standing as still as a churchmouse.....hands to her side......staring intently at the presents and seemed almost glued to time standing still........i could tell she somehow "knew" she was seeing something she should NOT be seeing, but nevertheless it was too late to do a stinkin thing about it........so she looked over her shoulder and never once winced and said: you forgot to wrap my present!............i scooped her up and put her in the kitchen and told her to hide her eyes and to forget what she saw...(yea, right, like pigs can fly)........and i quickly banished the presents to the garage!!!!.......what a stinker!!!!!..........

watch for her cowgirl pics to follow after the Friday night cowgirl "soiree"!!!!

DONE

ok.........after much blood, sweat, and tears...........well........maybe not blood.............well, maybe not tears...........but let me tell ya......SWEAT .........like NO OTHER............my studio is done with phase ONE, anyway............the above picture is one newly organized spot.........and the below picture is my carpet........clean....nothing on it.....zip, nada......nothing.........clean.......vacuumed.........

actually my studio isn't as "cute" as it was before.......i HAD to make it more functional, so along with function i had to lose cute......ugh.........plus, i am still not done........but i am excited becuz it is VERY ready for projects!!!!! i have a million ideas...........don't know where to start first!!!

anyhoo.........that's the daily report from loulouville

let me add a word here.....

i just deem it entirely neccessary to add in an extra blog to CLARIFY, (achem, achem) ((....throat clearing at it's LOUDEST)).......
that before my housekeeping skills have been completely flushed down the toilet and my legacy becomes a disgusting keeper of the home........i just want YALL to know....(HEIDI).......that the pics show my room AFTER i have thrown everything in PILES.......waiting to be sorted and re-appointed........i DO NOT exist in this mess ALL the time!!!.......(not that i am NOT capable of it from time to time....but you get the picture......don't you???).........in my somewhat unstable and limited wisdom.....i always say "ya gotta MAKE a mess before you can clean up a mess!"
OK OK........i DO need therapy!

look at my MESS

remember the other day when i gave you a business update??? wellll......as per usual......i waaaayyyyy overestimate how long it takes to do something......and of course i thought i could just WHIP this studio into proper shape in a single afternoon!..........NOT!!! oh my goodness! what a thoroughly, utter, horrible, STINKIN MESS!...i am still buried in the mess, becuz life, as you know, seems to take precedence over a project......which is a HUGE issue i need to deal with when back in business......anyway....another subject for another day.......but for now.......i am sitting amidst the START of a studio re-do.......with NO answers in sight!........i HAVE to be cleaned up by Thursday becuz i am scrapbooking with a friend...at MY house! yikes!...i have actually thought of putting it all in a big box and dealing with it next week.......another HUGE problem of mine.....but i DIGRESS........also, another subject, another day!........anyway.........wish me luck.......today i am NOT going to overestimate.....maybe i will get ONE thing properly placed today!....baby steps....baby steps.....baby steps.....

gasp! ugh! sigh! shock! disbelief! what a pig! who can possibly be this messy????..........

well..........I CAN!!!!...........please KNOW i don't LIKE it!......do i need therapy???

this is why

the following is an excellent writing by Joe Stowell to support my little "reflection" i wrote the other day about my window blinds.......this is WHY we can unwaveringly TRUST God's Word to be our VIEW FILTER! Enjoy!

“Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man, but men spoke from God as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit” 2 Peter 1:21
Remember the days of the multivolume encyclopedia? Not long ago nearly every home had a set gathering dust on the bookcase.
Not anymore, thanks to computer technology. Research materials are now condensed into easily searchable CD-ROMs. And the unprecedented growth of the Internet gives us a staggering amount of information, literally at our fingertips.
One of the most interesting variants is “Wikipedia”—a completely online, free encyclopedia compiled by contributions from its users. It can be a helpful, fascinating source of information, but somehow the idea of everyone contributing their “two cents” to an article makes me a little uneasy about using that information as a primary source of authority and reliability.
Hopefully you are not among them, but some skeptics view the Bible as if it were compiled like a Wikipedia article. With more than 40 contributing authors spanning several centuries, they say, it cannot be completely accurate. But Scripture sets the record straight. There is only one author. Peter wrote, “Prophecy never had its origin in the will of man” (2 Peter 1:21). In other words, we are not reading the mere thoughts of Moses, David, Isaiah, Paul, or Peter. Rather, the words of the Bible come directly from God, put to paper by men “as they were carried along by the Holy Spirit.”
Which means that we find incredible unity, clarity, and commonality flowing through the Old and New Testaments. The truths expressed in Daniel’s writing from the palace courts of Babylon are mirrored in John’s words from the isle of Patmos, hundreds of years later. The themes of God’s character, of man’s rebellion, and of God’s glorious plan of redemption wind their way through each page. Further additions, revisions, or retractions are unthinkable and unnecessary because God’s Word is confidently complete.
If what you need is a quick glance at the history of jazz music, the opinions and perspectives offered in Wikipedia might be helpful. But, if you’re looking for meaning and purpose and the answers to life’s deepest questions, a multiplicity of conflicting opinions won’t help.
Thank God that He has given us what we need for every challenge and crossroad of life as His clear and trustworthy voice speaks to us through His Word!

business update!

just so you know.........my plans for business are STILL in full swing! of course i thought it would be a "breeze" getting going.....but of course it is not.....and even tho i feel like i am wasting time doing research.....it is not a waste at all....i am learning so much, basically by looking at other businesses.......i sometimes get very weary at the desk and computer and my "backside" gets numb, i kid you not,.......but i keep going because of what i am learning.....what TO do and what NOT TO DO!.......and of course i won't really know until i do it for myself!

anyway!.....today my goal is to get my studio "WORK READY".....i love it and it is great for occasional creating.....but definitely NOT set up for serious work.........so i have a lot to do and if i don't get off this computer now......well....it won't get done, will it?......so don't give up on me!!!! ...one example of research.......little Miss Lollie wouldn't have been born if i wasn't researching and learning new things!......and oh my goodness! call me a SAP........but i am VERY excited about her and what will come after her.......she fits perfectly in a hand......she is somewhat poseable......and of course her wool dress is so soft.......oh my goodness....i could go on and on.........and actually i said she is not a toy....i am realizing she COULD be for little girls......but she would NOT withstand abuse of any kind! she would be a collector type thing......anyway......keep watching........SOME DAY you will see my business launch!

Why I Believe

Why I Believe
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i "stumbled" upon this wonderful blog and "stumbled" upon this great entry.......and thought.......i need to blog about this same subject......then i thought........WHO AM I KIDDING??? i can't say it like this, i cannot be as effective as this......and then to my delight i saw her sidebar and she was willing to share this!.....really we don't "stumble" onto anything do we? our stumblings and bumblings and fumblings are very God-directed! but i can't help but think God gets a lot of chuckles out of them!...or at least mine!

please read the attachment and let it encourage you today.......what is God's track record with you?

my "monument" memory of God's track record with me is when i went thru cancer and treatment.....and yes i had a bruised soul as i wrestled with God about it......but i submitted to His Plan.....and, well, unless you have been through it....you really cannot know how you can suffer greatly and at the same time be so gloriously in love with your Saviour.....

but that was a monument occasion......there are so many many more......so why do we doubt God when the chips are down?......i hate it when i do.....but i still do!......but HE knows the BIG PLAN, as stated in this devotional!

So read it and let God speak to you!

what do you see?

this is the view i have from my couch, looking outside, THRU my blinds......onto my little patio! as i was sitting on my couch, having my quiet time with the Lord and meditating on what He was teaching me this one particular morning........i was kind of staring out my door.......and suddenly i realized how very cool the blinds made my patio scene look! of course i thought I MUST get a picture of this......it is just so cool, then i went on to think what a fitting lesson it gives.......WHAT IS OUR VIEW???? of anything, really???.......to everyone it is different!......so with a world of different views.......who is right? and how can you know????...........as i look out onto the patio i see my little iron furniture out there........but the view is "filtered" thru my blinds........

what is your view?........what is it filtered thru? what do you measure it against?

well.....my hope and my prayer is that it is filtered thru God's Word......that is how we "shape" our views......thru His Word......if our views do not hold to Scripture......well........then we need to CLOSE THE BLINDS on that view!

Ps. 119:

v.18:

" Open my eyes that I may see wonderful things in your law."

v.24:

"Your statutes are my delight; they are my counselors."

v.34

"Give me understanding, and I will keep your law and obey it with all my heart."

well.......she's finished!

TA-DA!!!!!! she is done....miss Lollie the "flatsie", that is!........i have "created" a new product........induced by my new love of needle felting........turned into a new love of polymer clay............mix em together and VOILA........the "flatsies" are birthed!.........hmmmmmmmmmmmm.......maybe a new product for my SOME DAY , HOPEFULLY SOON ETSY store!.....of course there is no real use for her.........she definitely is NOT a toy.......but she sure is cute, isn't she?????...........of course my mind is going wild of what i can do next! i will really have to trim off some time in the making of "flatsies"....this one took forever.....but then she is the "role model" and hopefully i can speed up on the next samples!..........since she has no real use, other than looking utterly adorable propped next to a to die for vase or next to a darling picture of my grandchildren..........do you think any one would want one????.........well........here she is........IN ALL HER GLORY!..............

please note her little dress......it is wool felted.......sooo cool......i had so much fun doing it!

over and out for now

guess what i am doing now?

so guess what i am up to now???? as if i needed ONE more art form to get into.......i learned NEEDLE FELTING today from a dear friend, who incidentally USED to be my boss many many MOONS ago in Iowa....she is visiting here with her daughter and grand-daughter.......and when she comes to town we usually "peruse" the craft and fabric stores together....and usually have a stop at Goodwill!!!......it is amazing what you can find there...really!......one of the things she buys there is old wool clothing......then shrinks it and makes absolutely wonderfullyiscious things from it, like purses, etc. etc. etc.........then she needle felts really darling and cool things onto the items!.......

anyway.......so i bought enuf "bare" essential stuff to get me started and this is my first project......tho......NOT done.........more to come!......this is the start of a doll.......the rest of the doll will be in polymer clay......or at least i HOPE that will happen.......that is the plan! we had one set of body parts for the doll in the oven and well.........let's just say.......her body parts kinda burned.......not too pretty......i tried painting over it.....but it looked horrible.........so will have to try again on that endeavor........

hey! have any of YOU peeps out there tried this???? care to comment??? pleeeeze?????

SCHOOL

i cannot believe it is time for school! but it is! i have a firm belief that one should not have to return to school in the utter throes of the summer heat! it just doesn't seem right! i mean, REALLY! my memories of returning to school were getting OUT of summer clothes into our new, fresh FALL clothes that were warm enough to take us thru the winter!..tho i occasionally remember being very very disappointed when "Indian summer" would poke it's head out....and my long sleeved, new clothing would be quite uncomfortable.........but that didn't last long, thankfully!.......so now when Mommies school shop.......what season do they shop for? and how can the first day of school be FUN if you don't have new school clothes on? and how can you possibly spend money on MORE summer clothing....altho it is probably on sale right now......anyway.......it is just all a big mystery to me........and my oh my i am so glad it isn't my problem anyway!!!

well.....blah blah blah........but here are 2 of my sweetie pies in school!!! Addie and Ava will be attending pre-school in a week or so.......stay tuned for their first day pics.......

okay, where did my "magic" juice go that keeps these kids from growing up........they are just growing TOO fast for me........and i am NOT done with them yet at THIS size!!!.......(might i be thwarting God's plan, somehow?.......ok ok......guess i will HAVE to let them grow up!)......i just know, from PRIOR experience with the parents of these children.......that ONE day they were little and depended on us, and the NEXT day they were off into the world seeking their OWN life.........so i gotta soak in everything i can NOW!

wouldn't this be fun to win?

http://robinbirdsnest.blogspot.com

enter THIS one!

the reveal

here you have it!..........this is what the sticks were for!............still confused?? well it is a HOBO...slash....COWGIRL pouch with Ava's cowgirl birthday party invitation attached!.........Heidi.........you and your ideas! everyone loved it!

$500.00 give away!

check out 5Minutes for Mom and their contest!

http://www.5minutesformom.com/3898/win-500-in-our-summer-fun-photo-contest/

here is my photo entry:

this picture depicts the true heart of summer......two precious children, in this case, brother and sister( my grandkiddies)

.......FROLICKING.....

in a wilderness park, near my parent's home in Iowa! we vacationed there in June.....what a delight to see children find FUN outdoors and with nature!

why the sticks you ask?

i have been strictly informed i cannot show a picture involving those sticks........but here is the answer!........they are an integral part of Ava's birthday invitation!.........

curious now, huh?

http://www.giselejaquenod.com.ar/blog/category/contests/

you must check this adorable site/artist out!

i want to win this adorable mug! i think i "overused" the word ADORABLE, huh?.....well.....you get the point.......this site is worth a LOOK SEE! :-)

what are they for?

well.......i will let you know tomorrow!

Sunday Activities

OKAY, so.......i blogged about Carter and Ava spending this past weekend with us....so we get up Sun. morn., the kids had cereal and got dressed and i put the shark documentary on....(at their insistence......honestly i do NOT push the realities of death caused by sharks on them)......soon afterwards Carter tells me he doesn't feel well........

so i find him flat on the floor.......he still found it in him to smile, unlike his little sister........

well, we hustled our way to church.......while Carter continually was on the downward slope to utter illness.....

we had planned to visit Larry's job site, since his job there would end this week and he wanted the kids to see the swimming pool he built and he wanted them to play on the playground he built.......plus see the whole facility as a whole that he has been working on for many months......

well.......poor little Carter had to "bow" out.....he just was not UP to it so he went home with Aunt Hannah.......and we took off for the job site with Peter and fam and Ava!

i had packed a VERY simple picnic lunch......but it was TOOOOOO hot to eat outside so we ate in the conference room of Larry's office facility......and the kids played for a short time.........honestly tho......it was too hot for ANY of us! so no one lasted terribly long.......i retreated to the heavenly air conditioning of the car while the kids played a little......the following pics tell the story!

BTW.......is this not what daddy's are for????

my how quickly situations change!

i want to win this one!

here is another absolutely darling necklace i am hoping to win!!!! check it out

here:

weekend activities!

we had Carter and Ava with us this past weekend! as always, it was ACTION packed, FUN, well, even HILARIOUS.......and of course so heart warming to these two grandparents, Pap Pap and NeeNee!.......now action packed to MOST of you would be spending the time at wild amusement parks, on the go constantly .........but to US.......it is NON stop PLAYING! of course we spent a LOT of time doing craft projects and coloring..........honestly........i do NOT force it on them.......they LOVE it........we didn't even get out of our jammies until 2 or 3 pm on Saturday!!!..........i suggested to the kids that we get in the car and go somewhere in the afternoon, to which they responded with a resounding NOOOOOOOOOOO!!!............so we continued with our fun and playing in the house......one thing they love is to go to a coloring page site online and pick out pictures for me to print for their coloring enjoyment! they pick out their pictures so very carefully, as if they were shopping in a candy shop!!!........so precious!...........one of our favorite things when the kiddos stay overnite is that darling little wake up in the morning......hey, i am not kidding! ....tho i wish and hope for it to NOT be too early, most of the time it IS........however.......as soon as i can get one eye open and see those little faces beside my bed, gently whispering NEE NEE......it's all over....i am a sucker and soon forget how tired i am!!!.........to see their morning delights and giggles is a cherished memory!!!

Larry got his old trombone out and gave Carter a few "lessons"!

here is little miss AVA, who wouldn't smile for anything........of course i was begging her, to which she become even more determined NOT to......

here are a few AVA quotes from the weekend........on Sat. nite she wanted to show me her Church dress.....(in the pic above)........she wrinkled her nose and promptly told me :......."church is boring......so i can wear a dress!"...........hmmmmmm her second funny quote was on Sun. morning while they were watching a shark documentary and how sharks have been known to tear human flesh from limb to limb.....she glibly announced "........i don't think i need to go to beaches any more......i'm gonna stick to the pool"!!!...........oh Ava Ava Ava...........