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H2Uh-Oh

Had I but known...
My newest obsession...being green. But not going all crazy-like by hugging trees and splashing red paint on fur coats...well not yet, at least. I just want to make those "little" changes that the greenies tell us to do. Those small alterations to our daily life that can make a great impact to our earth. I figure, God tells me to be a good steward of what He has given me, right?

So I started recycling again (green idea #1). It's not so easy for me to do. I know all of you are gasping in horror at the fact that I'm so behind the times...well SHUT IT! I hardly have time to brush my teeth in the morning and now I'm expected to rinse, de-label and sort my trash into bags that I have to tie up, drag to the van, and transport to a recycling center?!? (PS I still don't know where to take them, and my van's back seat is quickly filling up!)

Green idea #2: shop thrifty. I have been going to all the thrift/antique/consignment stores FIRST when I need "new" items for my family and home. Once again, time is my enemy. It takes so much patience to sort through shelves of dusty knicknacks in order to find that serving dish. It's so tiring to slide hundreds of moth-eaten sweaters on a rack just to find that one perfect cardigan with only a single missing button. But I'm doing it. So YAY for me.

Green idea #3: EDUCATE myself. I'm so stinkin' clueless about the ins and outs of living green. There are so many easy things I can do but they aren't on a list. I need a list, a how-to, a "become a tree-hugger-wannabe for dummies". So I started today by obsessing over cool green websites and I'm stuck on one about having healthier kids by reducing exposure to harmful chemicals in your own home! Who knew? Jamie has asthma and I thought I was doing all I could to help him and here I'm missing out on some seemingly obvious and simple things to do just b/c I was uninformed. So I clicked on every link on healthychild.org in hopes of changing that...which leads me to my brilliant green idea #3:
Blog about it. This is my journey. And as any good journey, there will be ups and downs...so why not chronicle it? I'm a skeptic. I don't believe I can be green and keep true to my budget, family living style, and personal expectations.
Along the way, I'll ask for your help and tips. I expect you'll laugh at me along the way too...just make sure you share you joy at my expense. I asked for it! :0)

Question #1 for YOU: What's your position on bottled water? I can't STAND the taste of water from reusable plastic or aluminum bottles...so what's an avid water-drinker supposed to do? Here's a link for an article that talks about the dangers of bottled water. What do you think?

The land of Funtiques

It was a horrible and gloomy Tuesday in the land of My Life. Princess Kristina had woke up sleepier then when she laid her head down last night. Her professors had no pity on her.

To make matters worse, her prince was in a land far, far away name T-Mobilot slaying the dragon called Customeragon who always seemed angry about terrible things the he did to himself. Customeragon liked to blame all his misfortune on the good people of T-Mobilot and Prince Charming was busy defending his kingdom.

Princess Kristina had received news of a new land called Funtiques in the kingdom of Springfield. This new land promised hope of fun fabrics and vintage pieces that would surely put a smile back on the Princesses' sad face. So she traveled to the land of Funtiques and spent many minutes traveling up and down it's alleys. She found various things that made her smile and decided to make a deal with the Queen of Funtiques in order to bring some treasures back to her homeland. She wasn't sure if her Prince Charming would care a lick about her treasures, but nonetheless she decided to share her fortune with the good people of the Internet.

Enjoy this picture of her treasures, oh people of the Internet. "Oooh" and "Aaah" as much as you please...and if you don't get your fill, head on over to Funtiques Market on Commecial near National ave. in Springfield to find your own adventure and bring home many treasures to share with your own kingdom.

OH, and remember that we all live happily ever after.
The End.

Holy crazy 6-year-olds Batman!!

Is it just me, or do children morph into evil creatures when they are cramped in a room with 100 more of their kind?
Last night was Allana's Kindergarten music program in the tiny gym at Boyd Elementary School. Holy crazy 6-yr-olds Batman! Josh, the kids, and I stood flushed to the back brick wall praying for survival as children blurred by screaming, crying, laughing, screaming, singing, fighting, screaming and screaming!!
Are you an elementary school teacher? GOD BLESS YOU! I'm still recovering from 1hr of that mess. Thank you Jesus for your guidance! I was an education major at one point...my Lord knew I only had enough patience to endure that scene when my children needed me to. Whew!
Anyway, it was cute 10-minute production and I'll include the vids on here. Feel free to watch them and remember to THANK the teachers in your world! They are a God-send!

My life in Song Titles

I just had this idea when traveling home from Michigan...there are so many songs that we relate to. As human beings, we trek the trials and triumphs of life together and we encounter moments when we "get" each other. These songs represent some of my "ah-hah" moments when I felt as though the writer/composer/performer made this song just for me.

This may be one of those Blogs that I add to in the future...but here is what I have so far.

High School:
I'm just a girl -No Doubt
Wannabe -SpiceGirls
Strawberry Wine -Deana Carter
JockJams -ESPN
End of the Road -Boyz II Men

1998-2000
You Oughta Know -Alanis Morissette
Believe -Cher
Jesus Take the Wheel -Carrie Underwood
Runaway Train -Soul Asylum
All I Wanna Do -Sheryl Crow
If You Could See What I See -Geoff Moore and the Distance
Losing My Religion -R.E.M.


2001-2003
Holes in the Floor of Heaven -Steve Wariner
Arms Wide Open -Creed
Feed Jake -Pirates of the Mississippi

2004-Present
Isn't She Lovely -Stevie Wonder
Someone Else's Star -Bryan White
Angel -Sarah Mclachlan
What Might Have Been -Little Texas
Still The One -Faith Hill

What to do? What to write?

I have all these wonderful blog ideas, and I thought I should have my friends and family vote on which one they want to see first...
1. How to have shiny hair. No joke, it's a cool idea!


2. Eating out on a shoe-string budget (maybe I should even go into detail about the source of that phrase "shoe-string")


3. College or no college...does it really matter?


4. Life as a sorority girl (me living in a sisterhood for a day)


5. Family fun for free (or almost free)


6. YOUR IDEA???









Please let me know what you think!! I'd love to research, write, and post a few of these over the holiday break! SUPER FUN!

Black Friday's Christmas Gift to Me

Why is it so hard to NOT spend money this time of year? It doesn't matter how much money we have (or don't have), we feel like we need to spend it.
This year, my family is making 90% of our Christmas gifts. Everything from jewelry pouches to blankets to ragdolls will be lovingly wrapped in home-made wrapping paper and given to our loved ones. And yet, I look at our depleting bank account and wonder why we feel it's necessary to spend so much more money during this season. We have bought extra groceries, more Christmas decorations, and some gifts. Which may not seem like a "lot", but that's kinda the point. Our society would not think of these few things as a "LOT". But from January to October, do I ever spend that much on groceries, decorations or gifts? Nope. Not even close.
And then on the flip side, if I don't go out and buy this extra food/baked good ingredients, I feel like I'm ripping my kids off! No Christmas cookies? No Thanksgiving feast? No way. And decorations...well we have to have new ones for each year! It's a tradition! And gifts... isn't it every parent's hope that their kids will open that gift on Christmas morning and squeal with delight?! How can we rob ourselves of that opportunity?! Unfortunately, a hand-made pillow or blanket doesn't seem to have the same effect as a video game, or Disney babydoll. Just sayin'.



I guess all-in-all I feel like there should be a balance. That we should celebrate the birth of our savior Jesus Christ in a way that honors him. We should be smart about our finances. If your budget allows for extras and store-bought Christmas gifts for all...then by all means, go for it! And make sure you keep me on your "nice" list! But if you are like me, and you are living paycheck-to-paycheck, don't stress. You are not alone! Get creative and make sure you have time and energy to put into your seasonal extras! That time and money will equal less spending and more pride in your creations. Believe me!
I really feel blessed that I was not able to do the normal Black Friday shopping today. Every year, I finish my shopping on this day. But this year I bought only a couple things from Wal-mart and most of my Christmas shopping was done in my craft corner. In addition to saving money, it's been so wonderful spending extra time with my children making all of your goodies.

PS If you want to know, I can make blogs in the future telling how I made the following goodies:
Jewelry pouches, rag dolls, fleece no-sew blankets, no-sew pillows, Christmas Cards, calendars, cookies, brownies, pies, cakes, and chocolate torte.