Weekend Report

Continuing the weekend report..... ;)

Saturday morning was a blast! I met two friends and their daughters at IHOP for breakfast, then we all headed to the rubber stamp convention. This convention was much smaller than the one in January, but I still found a couple of booths that I really liked. One in particular was spectacular to me - I can't remember the name, but it was full of templates and supplies for dry emblossing, which I love. Every time I see cards made with this technique it strikes me again how elegant it looks. Even after helping do about a million wedding invitations for a friend's son's wedding I still enjoy doing dry embossing! Anyway, we were at this booth for quite some time and watched a demo on coloring and glittering after embossing that was very subtle and pretty. I'm now set up with supplies for trying this myself. ;) Luckily tomorrow night I'll be going to a scrapbooking night at my church and I think I'll bring this stuff to work on.

After I got home Keith, Lynne' and I headed out to Plano to look at a boat. We first stopped at Scotty P's for lunch, which we loved, and then my sweet husband took me to Woolie Ewe. Oh WOW! We all got an email the day before that they were having a 40% off everything sale and I almost didn't go because I knew it would be like a kid in a candy store. I've heard from bunches of my friends and the goodies they got and there were smiles all around in the store. I did good and didn't buy nearly as much as I'd like, but I'm still waiting on that winning lottery ticket!

We didn't like the boat, so headed home and traded the daughter for the dog and the three of us headed north to Gainesville to look at another boat. More than anything it was just nice to have that time alone talking together, regardless of what purpose we had.

And yesterday afternoon after church the three of us went with James and Loni to see the movie RV at the dollar movies. I dearly loved this movie and laughed so much. Robin Williams is just such a mess and this seemed like such a real movie to me. We did talk about some of the character flaws on the way home, so I'm glad to see that all my kids are so well grounded. It just makes me so proud of them and really it's such a small thing I suppose. The rest of the evening we grilled hamburgers for dinner and then played a few rounds of Farkel. Just a really good family evening.

~ Elizabeth

Nothing purchased can come close to the renewed sense of gratitude for having family and friends. - Unknown

Scrapbooking Baby Shower

Friday night after work I headed to my local scrapbook store for a surprise baby shower for one of the gals that used to work there. The food got set up and we sat and waited...and waited...and waited! I guess the surprise was on us as she was rather late and for some reason that just really tickled me. :) When she did arrive she was very touched and it was so good to see her little pregnant belly.

Besides the regular gifts all of those attending worked on some layouts for her baby book. We teamed up and it really turned in to quite a bit more fun than I anticipated, since I don't always feel very creative "on the spot" like that. But my teammate was a good friend, so it was fun to visit and work with her. I was very pleased with the layout we produced, but unbelievably forgot my camera and have no pictures of the layout or the shower.

At the end of the evening we tallied up and the mama-to-be had 22 pages in her baby book! Good times....

Gifts of Unity

This evening marks the end of a very busy, very satisfying week for me. Lots to blog about, but first I want to mention our church service this morning as it really spoke to me.

Our service was led by Pastor Oscar, who has recently returned with a team that went on a mission trip to Peru. He is an amazing man who has such a gift with missions and it was awesome to hear him speak today. Our church has been doing a series on "Unity" the last few weeks and today's sermon was on the "Gifts of Unity" or our spiritual gifts. It became an introspective service for me and I'll probably be praying on it for days to come.

Now you are the body of Christ, and each one of you is a part of it. And in the church God has appointed first of all apostles, second prophets, third teachers, then workers of miracles, also those having gifts of healing, those able to help others, those with gifts of administration, and those speaking in different kinds of tongues. - 1 Corinthians 12:27-28

Isn't this beautiful? God fully recognizes that we all have strengths and that they all work well together. I remember when we joined this church we were given a spiritual gifts quiz that would point us towards our strengths when finished. I had a score of zero on leadership and was not surprised one little bit! I do not enjoy nor do I feel a need to lead. I am perfectly happy filling the behind the scenes jobs and letting others make decisions. And our Pastor did assure us today that sometimes the "background" gifts can be the most awesome. I am willing and able to do some of the grunt work so that people who are gifted in other areas can go about their work. How awesome that there is such a diversity of gifts and that we can all work towards a common good!

We were also blessed with a quartet of young men visiting our church to sing acappella. Their style reminded me so much of the folk singers from the 60's and of course I do love that style of music. After service when we went to talk to the young men we were pleased to discover they had cd's to sell and we've been singing along with it today.

~ Elizabeth

A Knitting Party

Last night will be one I treasure for quite some time. It seemed like it would be fun, but little did I know just what a good time I would have.

A group of 9 of us met for Mexican food first and could barely eat for all the talking and laughing going on. Believe it or not the fun even included some flirting by a nearby male, until his mom picked him up out of the highchair to leave!

We next headed to the coffee house and met many more ladies for knitting and coffee. The only downside was the lack of cheesecake, but the proprietress has assured us that she will have plenty the next time we visit. The entire evening went by in a blur and too soon it was time to head home. I was driving along the turnpike (messing with my eye as I tried to find the invisihair that was niggling - probably one of those hairs from yarn!) and thinking back on the evening and realized that my silly little cheeks were sore from smiling! That signals a successful and fun evening indeed.

I have been wonderfully and abundantly blessed with the women that I've been meeting the past few years. It is so good to have ladies to share hobbies with and some special women to share giggles, phone calls and emails with.

~ Elizabeth

New Layouts

Last night was my monthly scrapbooking group and we were all pleased and excited to discover that this month's project would be using some of the brand spanking new Making Memories paper from CHA! We did two layouts in the two and half hours and I actually even finished - minus putting the pictures on the mats of course. The wealth of talent and sharing in this group always amazes me.

WFMW - No Stinky Chicken Allowed!

First let me say that I have my daughter-in-law to thank for today's WFMW since I didn't realize what I did was any big deal until we started talking about it!

Anytime I have chicken yuck (bones, skin, etc.) to throw away I first put it in a ziploc bag and place it in the freezer. On trash day I grab the bag out of the freezer and toss it in the trash, thus ensuring I will never have the dreaded "Bad Chicken Smell" from the garbage all over my home. Simple and works for me!

Need more tips? Head to Shannon's blog and discover many more links!

Crafting News

I started the Leaf Edge Baby Hat yesterday and am really loving how the brim is turning out. Only 7 more repeats! I'm using Mandarin Petit yarn on size 4 needles and it's just so precious. This is also the first time I've used a provisional cast on (far left) and I do realize I should've used a smaller weight yarn to match the yarn I'm using. Ah well, it's a learning thing!



This card was also recently done and I'm pleased with it as well! The design is totally scraplifted from a very talented friend. I did use different stamps though - the "Baby" stamp is TAC and the diaper pin is CTMH stamped in fun foam. I love this technique and I'm sure to use it again - lots of fun to do!

Sunflowers and Cardinals

This beautiful flower is courtesy of my next door neighbor. Her home and yard are landscaped so nice and I'm sure we're a thorn in her side. She has a country look to her front yard decor and this jaunty flower is next to a rustic fence.

I've been battling an emotional/physical mess the last week or so and really struggling. This morning during prayers I asked God to help take away my pain and bad attitude. When I drove down the street on the way to work there was a vibrant cardinal perched atop a white mailbox just a singing away. What a blessed reminder to look for beauty today!

~ Elizabeth

Search me, O God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. - Psalm 139:23

Deep Thoughts

I just received this link and it was so beautiful I had to share. I've seen these words before, but set to music and the beautiful pictures it was just wonderful. Please take a few minutes of quiet time when you get a minute and click here: http://www.thedashmovie.com

WMFW!

I just love it when I can find a cheap alternative for some of the cool stuff available now. The commercials for the new Downy spray on stuff for fast wrinkle fixes had me intrigued, but I didn't want to pay that much money. I searched the internet and found a recipe and it works! Pour half a capful of whatever fabric softener you use into a 16 oz spray bottle and fill with water - that's it! I have tested it several times and am quite happy with how it works. It does not replace ironing, but in a pinch it's perfect. Works for me! Head over to Rocks In My Dryer for tons more helpful hints.

KAL

This is Day 2 of a KAL (Knit Along) that I'm doing with an online group. They do a different dishcloth each month to learn new knitting techniques and I'm loving this pattern!

~ Elizabeth

I will praise you, O LORD, with all my heart; before the "gods" I will sing your praise. - Psalm 138:1

Sleepy Joe

While working from home today this is what I saw. How truly content this dog looks!

Family Life Moment

Sunday night coming home from the boat show I was pretty proud of myself because I knew we had some hamburger meat in the fridge and we could go home and grill burgers rather than eat out. But we got home and discovered that it was no longer good, so we threw it out rather than take chances. So off to Taco Cabana we went, never realizing that we were about to have a "life moment" as a family.

They were very busy - the gal taking orders was backed up, the cooks were backed up...really everything was. When we finally got our order and saw something was missing I went up to ask the cook about it. He apologized profusely and explained that two people had called in sick and they were short handed. I assured him it was no problem, he fixed our order and we ate. But we also noticed that the dining area was a mess and there were no more clean tables. And people were starting to get irritated about the entire situation.

Lynne' and I decided to help out - I'm so proud of her! I went to the register and asked for a towel and had to argue with the gal because she was going to come out and clean. I assured her that it was no problem, she was busy, I'd clean our table. It ended up that Keith and I cleaned off tables and threw trash away and Lynne' had the spray bottle of cleaner and rag and cleaned the tables. We took care of the entire dining room. The look on the other diners' faces was worth every minute. :)

And when we were done, we left. What a satisfying feeling though to help out the workers there. It took the three of us maybe five minutes. And it's good to leave something better than you found it.

We smiled all the way home.

Whitesboro Scrapbooking

Saturday was my monthly Whitesboro scrapbooking class. LOVE this one - an 8x8 recipe book! Tracy is just amazing and it surprises me each month to see how creative she is. This month there were only three of us that made the trip up there, but of course we had a grand time. I look forward to this class each month and I'm so glad I got to go again!

Shopping on a Hot Sunday

Because the heat is so oppressive right now it's just hard to get excited about much of anything. Yesterday Keith, Lynne' and I headed out to IKEA for a stroll as anything air conditioned sounded good! Of course no visit to IKEA is complete without having their Swedish Meatballs for lunch, so that's where we started our visit. And we all love the apple cake, so our meal consisted of sharing a plate of meatballs and a slice of cake!

Thus fortified we headed out. Our mission was to find nightstands as a friend had told me on Saturday that she had found some nice ones there. We are planning on new bedroom furniture, but that probably won't happen until next summer, so I have somehow convinced myself that replacing the 3 legged tables that we currently use as nightstands will make the room like fabulous. We did find what we wanted at a really good price and Keith got one of them put together last night and I love it! Amazingly also that's all we bought yesterday. We looked at several more things and wrote down measurements and I know we'll be back - love that store.

We next headed out to the Boat Show for the rest of the afternoon to dream about boats. Had a nice time and on our way back out to the truck I asked them what their favorite boat was. Lynne' said she didn't care what we get as long as we buy it from Tyler H...!!!! Need I mention that he was a really cute young man? ;)

~ Elizabeth

Keep me safe, O God, for in you I take refuge. - Psalm 16:1

Late Night Edition

Hehehehe - another Joe picture to brighten up the blog!

Wednesday night was the 2nd time I went to a local knit and crochet meet and I am "hooked" and will make it a regular event. Before the meet I met a friend for dinner at a new to us mexican restaurant and we ended up talking a little too long (go figure!) and almost were late. Made it in time though and thoroughly enjoyed ourselves. I met several gals for the first time and chit chatted with others that I know. I really am enjoying this group of ladies and am glad that they meet bi-weekly so I can continue getting to know them better.

We have officially hit the summer season and it's not pretty. The temperature will be triple digits for the next five days and the ground is cracking again. Unfortunately this means that I might become more of a hermit as I really just don't like to be hot! I did think ahead this morning and put dinner in the crockpot so as not to heat up the kitchen. I see more crockpot, salads and grilled dinners in our future as long as the heat continues.

~ Elizabeth

Droughts and Rainbows

How cool is this? I set the sprinkler last night to water the house (drought time in DFW again) and when I went out to move it I saw this rainbow and had to dash back inside to get my camera. When I saw this it was a little reminder about how blessed we are in so many ways. A rainbow in the midst of a drought is so significant to me. Regardless of how bad things might seem there are always bits of beauty and goodness as long as we open our eyes to them. Thank you Jesus for this beautiful reminder!

~ Elizabeth

WFMW!

It's no secret how much I love Starbucks. Love to order the Venti Lowfat White Mocha With Whip - doesn't get much better! But I also am very cheap and will not let myself spend $5 for coffee very often. And sometimes at work I'll crave it, but alas, there is no barista in the lobby. Invented out of desperation - pour a package of hot chocolate mix in a cup and fill with coffee instead of water. Voila! It really is quite good and sometimes will get rid of the craving. For an extra richness (but unfortunately extra fat and calories, so I don't do it very often), add a splash of half and half in the cup as well.

Works for me!

Wednesday Morning

We're on a roll with this going to the movies thing! Last night Keith, Lynne' and I went to see Mission Impossible III at the dollar movies. Kind of sad to think how quickly this movie died out in the theaters and is already at the dollar movies. The best part for us though is that our dollar theater is only fifty cents on Tuesday nights - woohoo! There's hardly a movie out there that isn't worth fifty cents. And since we love movies where things blow up, this movie did not disappoint us!

We did see a prime example of an uncaring employee though. The young gal stationed at the lecturn to take tickets and direct you to the theater where your movie is playing was bent over at the waist, her chin on her hands and elbows leaned on the lecturn. She would take the ticket and grunt "left" or "right" and that was it. I suppose that since they only charge fifty cents for tickets they probably are not paying the employees a high rate, so they probably get what they pay for. But it was rather surprising nonetheless.

This morning at a stoplight on the way to work - I kid you not - the man in the car next to me had his laptop open and propped on the steering wheel just typing away! I have no idea if he continued typing when the light changed or not as I was in a hurry to get away from him. I felt a little less than safe knowing he was traveling the same roads I was. ;)

~ Elizabeth

"Treat people as if they were what they ought to be, and you help them to become what they are capable of being." - Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

More Exercise Tapes

I've decided that my new exercise routine, in addition to my morning walks with Joe the Wonder Dog, will be going through my exercise tapes. Last night was Tae Bo with Billy Blanks and it was much harder than I remember it being! I did enjoy it though and I think this system might work well since I won't feel like the tapes were such a waste of money and because it's just so hot and humid outside. Perhaps in the fall I'll try bike riding or even put on my Michelin man outfit and do the jog thing again. ;)

Mother Daughter Bonding

Lynne' and I had such a good evening last night and it was kind of a blast from the past - with a twist. I have been lamenting my hair color for some time because the roots were getting to be a little much. And Lynne' has been wanting to play with hair color, so we went to the beauty supply store together last night to choose our weapons. Mine ended up being my old "real" hair color and she chose a very subtle, but bright (if that makes any sense!), red! She came out of her bathroom absolutely thrilled with it and I have to admit that it's very pretty, especially if you're 20. ;)

The twist is because it reminded me so much of when she was little and we played dress-up together. She always enjoyed being pampered and primped and obviously still does! I recently did a scrapbook layout of her 6th birthday party, which was a princess party. All the little girls came dressed up in their finery and sashayed around our house. Diana and I did their nails and makeup and they loved every minute of the primping. I made her a princess birthday cake (my version of the famous Barbie cake with the doll plopped in the middle) and everything was pink and lavender. She doesn't wear as much pink now, but she does still enjoy the pampering. And I enjoy no longer having gray hair!

Tried a new recipe for dinner last night that we loved - Honey Mustard Chicken. Served it with rice, peas and croissants and oh so good and oh so easy (the best kind of meal!). L took leftovers to work today for lunch. :)

Honey Mustard Chicken

4 boneless skinless chicken breast halves (4 ounces each)
1 can (10-1/2 ounces) chicken gravy
4 teaspoons Dijon mustard
2 to 3 teaspoons honey

In a skillet coated with nonstick cooking spray, cook chicken over medium-high heat for 5 minutes on each side. Combine the gravy, mustard and honey; pour over chicken. Bring to a boil. Reduce heat; cover and simmer for 8-12 minutes or until chicken juices run clear.


~ Elizabeth

Gray hair is a crown of splendor; it is attained by a righteous life. - Proverbs 16:31

The Boys

I haven't shared a picture of Meeko and Joe in some time, so for your viewing pleasure I present them from this morning!

Silver and Gold

Horribly cliche I know, but this weekend was such a perfect example of the old addage "Make new friends, but keep the old. One is silver and the other gold." Friday morning I received a phone call from a long time friend that I haven't spoken with in a while. We had the best time catching up and solving the world's problems and when we disconnected Cingular was happy to report, via the cell phone, that we'd talked for two and a half hours! She is truly a friend that when we talk it seems like we've never been apart. Definitely a "gold" friend.

Then Saturday night I spent some time with some ladies that I'm just getting to know better. I had a really nice time and see in them many of the qualities that I enjoy in a friend. When I left and during the drive home I realized that I had a smile on my face, which is an obvious sign of a good time. Hopefully some "silver" friendships were strengthened that evening.

Last night I finally managed to get the ends woven in on the first scarf I've made for the Think Pink Challenge and I'm pretty pleased with it. This scarf was fun to knit as it satisfied my "instant gratification" need quite well. And oh so soft!

~ Elizabeth

"...we shape our lives with a circle of friends" - Unknown

Pirates 2

Keith and I went to see Pirates of the Caribbean: Dead Man's Chest today and of course loved it. We were actually rather astonished at ourselves that we saw a movie the first weekend it was out and that we'd seen a movie two weekends in a row! I had a deja vu moment during the film every time they said the word "kraken" and kept hearing the phrase "release the kraken" in my mind. Finally hit me on the way home and called my mom to verify. Yep, daddy used to always cry "Release the Kraken", referring to letting their miniature dachshund out of his crate. What a silly memory!

I was also reminded during the movie that I'm getting older and again, no longer cutting edge in the electronics world. Sitting in the row in front of us was a group of teenagers that were having a great time waiting for the previews to begin. We noticed several of them text messaging on their cell phones and giggling and believe it or not the text messaging continued throughout the movie! I just cannot imagine paying the cost of a movie ticket and then playing with a cell phone all through the movie.

And once again I realized that I'm a wienie about movies and such. There were many young children at this showing and quite frankly I found the movie a little intense for small ones. I realize that kids today are more blase about things than what I am, but it did bother me. I wonder how many of them will have "sweet dreams" tonight and then also wonder what my dreams will be as well. LOL!

~ Elizabeth

WFMW!

I know that simply by us taking part in WFMW each week it shows that we're a tad...umm....blog obssessed (!), but they really have a lot more uses than the obvious. I recently started another blog - Crock Full of Goodness - to help me keep track of my experimenting with crock pot recipes. This opens up a world of ideas though and makes it so easy to share recipes with family and friends.

July 5

Happy Birthday Daddy -
I miss you.....

Yoga Has Begun

On the recommendation of a friend I got a new yoga dvd. I was lucky enough to find a new copy cheap on ebay and it arrived on Saturday. Sunday night Lynne' and I did the pm Yoga for the first time and it was great! I think what made it even better is that we did it together. I will admit that at the beginning when she had us with our eyes closed and was talking softly I was mentally rolling my eyes, then heard Lynne' giggle and that was all she wrote! We both collapsed laughing, but did manage to pull ourselves together and went through the rest of the routine without laughter. We think this will be a regular event at night now. :)

Hear the Rain....

We woke up this morning to sweet, blessed rain - the kind that you can lay in bed and hear the raindrops hitting the roof and plinking in the puddles that have already formed on the sidewalk outside our window. The kind of rain that makes you smile and rejoice in the dryness and comfort of your bed, but secretly makes you yearn to run outside and run and jump and splash in those puddles. The kind of rain that brings an earthy wet smell to the world. The kind of rain that has you turn off the radio on the way to work and just listen to the drops hitting your car and hearing the rhythmic sounds of the windshield wipers. Ahhh....so wonderful that this rain has returned and helped the parched earth of drought laden Dallas.

We had such a nice 4 day weekend, although Keith did have to work on Monday. The rain yesterday afternoon was just enough to make the ground wetter than what we prefer when sitting on a blanket, so we didn't attend any of the area fireworks displays. It was ok though since we had been able to see some Saturday night with James and Loni. Instead of fireworks Keith and I did the much needed grocery shopping (that's just as much fun - right?) and grilled hamburgers for dinner last night. After the three of us cleaned up we brought out the dice and played Farkel for awhile and had a great time. These are the sorts of moments in a mom's life that make you feel content.

~ Elizabeth

The Lord has done great things for us and we are filled with JOY!!! - Psalm 126:3

Diamond Lace Bookmark

I actually finished a knitting project! This is the Diamond Lace Bookmark that I made for a friend's birthday. I am very, very pleased with the pattern and am sure I'll make it again - probably even for myself. I'm also glad that my first time blocking something was this small. I can see where I need to work on blocking and it's good to have a small test project. I made this with Zephyr laceweight yarn on size 2 needles.

Friday night was crab legs to celebrate the friend's birthday and afterwards we went to another friend's home to see all the remodeling she's done. I am constantly in awe with the energy she has and the fact that she follows through with her ideas! K and I are the lazy sort and it takes forever to get things done, so perhaps it was good that I saw her finished results. In fact, it inspired me so much that today is "clean up the office/scrapbook" day! This room has been a work in progress for far too long.

Saturday we headed to J&L's new home so that K could help them work on some of their projects. Had a really nice time and ended the day with a fireworks display. We were very fortunate on that as just a little earlier a brief rain fell and it cooled the area to where we even had a cool breeze. I thoroughly enjoy sitting on a blanket with my family and watching fireworks and it rates right up there as one of my favorite things. I have so many good memories of family times spent this way.

And last night K and I headed to the Denton Movie Tavern to see Superman Returns. It was truy uncanny how much this actor looks and sounds like Christopher Reeve and it's really unfortunate that he wasn't alive to see this film. We enjoyed it and the time we spent together. This was our first time at this particular theater and we get a kick out of having dinner while we're watching a movie. I think that brings our movie total to 3 that we've been to this year! ;) I do know we'll be back to this theater as our food was very slow arriving so they gave us two free tickets.

~ Elizabeth

Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord. - Psalm 34:8