Always a Child

Win a Set of My Rope Crayons! February Giveaway

2012-02-09T11:25:00.002-05:00

I sell my famous rope crayons on Etsy (wellll, they're not famous, but someday, I hope they will be. haha.)

Today, I woke up thinking... Hey, I should do a giveaway!

I will give a set of Rainbow Heart Rope Crayons to one lucky person who "follows" my blog, and leaves a comment. Join on my side bar to the right ----->

I will use high tech means to determine the random winner... (I'll have my son pick a number out of a bowl.) This Giveaway will run until the end of the February.. so comment!!

Get one additional comment for "liking" my facebook page,

Mommy's Craft Box on Facebook

and another additional comment for "favoriting" my shop on Etsy. :)

Mommy's Craft Box on Etsy

Simply, put a comment for each task you complete, and get another chance at winning. Of course, if you have already done these tasks, add your comment that you already did it. <3

You know you want one!

Attached to a colorful rope, so you don't lose hearts

Just as pretty upside down

Look how much crayon you get? aren't they huge??

Sky Watch and Thrift Store Finds

2012-02-08T13:11:00.001-05:00

Is it Spring yet?

I found this adorable leather purse, and matching makeup bags at the thrift store.

Lucky me!

Avant Garde Winter Craft Show

2012-02-08T12:57:00.000-05:00

You missed the winter craft show with Avant- Garde?

No worries! I'm also signed up for the spring show.

Which is at Wagner Country Inn again in Westlake

Avant- Garde Spring Craft Show Event

At this winter show, I had been cooped up during the winter, and think I over filled my table a tad. Ha ha.

I offered:

Hair Wraps

Hair Feathers

Headbands

Necklaces

Feather Clips

Tshirt Bags

Sock Buns

8X10 artistic photos

Recycled Crayons

Button Magnets

Second Chance Barbies

and phew... almost done...

Knitted purses and keychain bracelets from Grandma Dot

gasp...

and Finally, some Hoodie Hats.

You can see my display of Clip on Hair Wraps. Very fun.

Feather Hair Wrap Clips were so popular this year, one of my best sellers on Etsy

You can see Tshirt Bags here. I'm going to be redoing my stash, and offering a revised version for the next show.

My sock buns were my most popular item at the show this time.

My Recycled Crayons are a big hit on Etsy, and got some good attention at this show.

Second Chance Barbies are dolls that I've rescued from the thrift stores, and given a spa day. I make clothes and jewelry for them, and usually put in a hair wrap. My clothes are cute and modest, and the dolls are like new after a good cleaning, and hair treatment.

Fun Button Magnets

One of my newest endeavors... feather clips (on bobby pins) This one is my most whimsical, with a bird on it! haha! most of them just had buttons or ribbons on them.

I found some pretty pendants and just had to make necklaces.

Hoodie Hats- thrift store rescues, hoods with an all cotton scarf attached

SIDE NOTE: Most of the display items, I got supplies to make from the Dollar Store, or found at the Thrift Store. good deal!

Almost Caught Up, Crafts and Chocolate, Tapi and Geese

2012-02-08T11:53:00.000-05:00

I had to show off a Julie cupcake. She's a cupcake artist at our church. Her cupcakes are scrumptious.

This one is spumoni, and I enjoyed it with Bear Claw ice cream.

i love the tail mark on the right side of this photo. haha.

on the roof

This wonderful little device is called a Tapi, from DreamFarm. It was only $5.95 plus shipping, and it turns any faucet into a drinking fountain! You can buy it here!

One of the cool crafts we did last month was painting with condensed milk! It sounded so weird, but I just had to try it. You just put in a drop of food coloring into a bit of condensed milk! Simple. It paints smoothly, and dries shiny!

We were at the claw machine at some random store, and Daddy tried to win some pac man for Gabey. He had it, and then the claw just let go. Cheat! I consoled the boys by offering them to make some pac man softies myself. I have so many Tshirts to work with. It was pretty painless to make the pac man shapes. They loved them.

Winter Outing and Free Visit to Science Center

2012-02-08T11:29:00.001-05:00

It was a beautiful day. One reason was that the weather was perfect, with snow on the ground, but not the roads. It wasn't too cold either. Another reason was that Gabey had off school for MLK day. The best reason was that JEFFIE had the day off too! (oh so rare) The post office made him work non stop since last spring. I can probably count on one hand that he had a day off except Sundays. They called him in on ever off day, and made him work so much over time. This day off was fabulous. He decided to take us to the Science Center, because it was free that day. Now, I probably won't do it ever again on a free day, because it was so over crowded that my stress level went through the roof. Every time I turned around I was afraid I'd lost Gideon or Gabriel. Jeffie "adopted" Gideon, and I watched out for Gabriel. I hate crowds. Aside from that, we did have a really nice time, especially since we were together and all healthy. Thank you, Lord.

Before we left, I made some quick snow paint, so we could decorate the snow.

Jeff started a snowball fight with the boys.

Look at that form.

Yeah, hiding behind the car didn't protect them.

I love this guy!

Snow Angels

Our arrival to the Cleveland Science Center

There was a great place to take photos inside the Rapid Transit tunnel. The plexi-glass was colored.

Rock Hall of Fame

Through the yellow glass

Mather Ship. We're going to have to tour this when it opens in the summer.

When we came in, there was a cool bubble demonstration, showing how the bubble would float in the middle, being held up by the dry ice.

I packed the items to make our lunch, and Daddy bought fries, and drinks for himself and me.

I made sandwiches with humus and pumpernickel, my favorite right now. I was proud of being so thrifty, even though people may have looked at us funny.

Jeffie and Giddy enjoying sandwiches.

I loved this funnel tube. It was so pretty.

This was an awesome music machine, made from PVC pipes. I seriously have wanted to make one ever since. You use the foamie paddle, and hit the round opening, and the pipes are pitched by size. it looked like a fun pipe organ.

Gabey and Gideon liked spinning these spheres. They made beautiful swirls.

Animation Cylinder called a Zeotrope. It would spin, and the tiny individual photos would show through the side windows and it would look animated. I should try making one.

Rainbow making prisms were cool, but really hard to photograph.

We stopped in the Bubble demonstration, which was way cool.

This was a treasured moment that I had to capture!

I love bubbles!

Thankfully, this sweet guy took it in stride when Gabey decided to lean all over him during the demonstration. HAHA, we were laughing so hard.

Bubble solution over dry ice!

Dry Ice Mushroom

Annnd, the bubble popped.

She passed out a little bit of the dry ice bubbles for everyone to hold. Yeah, he didn't really eat it. Ha Ha.

Back to the Mather on our way to the car.

Jeffie using the dock bollard as target practice.

Key Building

Terminal Tower

We Interrupt This Catch Up, to Show You Some SOFTIES

2012-02-06T16:43:00.000-05:00

Child's Own Studio

I am in love with this artist, and her Softies.

She accepts drawings by children, and is commissioned to make stuffed renderings of them.

I am smitten.

Here are some of my favorite Softies that she's made so far. You simply have to visit her site, so you can read about the sweet children, and the artist who makes them so happy.

Cloud Dough and other Fun Stuff

2012-02-06T10:14:00.003-05:00

Make any surface magnetic... simply put a PAN on it! HAHAHA!!

One day, we lost our power, and Giddy and I spent the morning bundled up with hot water in zip lock baggies, and water bottles under fleece blankets. It didn't last past the morning, and we were fine, so we didn't end up leaving the apartment. just played.

Giddy and I loved this craft/activity. I found it on Pinterest (of course).

Cloud Dough

8 cups flour

1 cup baby oil

I made less than the batch said, and used a little more oil in my ratio.

Mix and mix, smoosh and smoosh, until it's the consistency you want. like wet sand, only better.

Cloud Dough

packs and smooshes like wet sand, only it's soooo soft

treasure hunt in cloud dough

smells so good, feels so soft

Vintage Nook and Goofy Lego

2012-02-06T08:23:00.001-05:00

I love my little nook, and am happy to be able to display my books again.

The print is from when we were growing up. I need to get it framed.

You can hardly see it, but the little bell on top is from my brother's trip to Europe
The doll is from my Grandpa when he was living, and the little figurines have been in our family for a long time.

Umbra Conceal Floating Shelf

Bowtie Bliss Pasta

2012-02-06T07:30:00.001-05:00

Is is Martha that says, "It's a good thing."?

That's what pasta is. Ha ha.

This meal came about when I ran out of cheese. Horrors!

I threw in a bunch of stuff that I thought would give it taste, and it turned out great. Very Thankful.

Usually, I'm happy if a meal is edible. It's my motto... It may not be amazing, but it's edible. Ha ha!

I'm not a recipe maker, I'm like my grandma. I just throw stuff in. I have no measurements.

Cook the pasta

Throw in the black olives, cut tomato, sliced ham (I used deli sliced- 'cause it's what I had)

Mix in Olive Oil (oh yum)

I used a little bit of the garlic you get in the jar

Salt and Pepper (whatever. just season it however you want. haha.)

Let it all simmer down. Next time, I'll use more tomato. I was just using what I had at the time, and the tomato cooks down. I hope you find this pasta meal as yummy as I did. It's nice and simple, and THAT'S a good thing!

Organizing Hats and Tshirts

2012-02-05T23:35:00.001-05:00

I am seriously not caught up yet? Ugh, I'm never going to make it. This has been a marathon of posts. I think I broke a record. I'm still posting the photos that have been stored on my camera since last November, since I finally got a memory adapter to transfer them to the computer.

So, little by little, I've been working the new apartment to get it organized, and tidy. I'm getting so many great ideas from the internet. I was browsing Walmart and came across these great baseball hat hangers that strapped to the door. After thinking about it for a minute... I thought, I can do something like that. $2.00 later, I have my thrifty hat hanger. Twine and binder clips keep my son's hats and my hubby's hats organized and not in a pile in the closet. I wrapped the twine all the way around the door, so there's actually room on the other side of the door, where I put some ties before I found a tie solution, which I will have to post about another time.

I bought more Idea Cubes (I don't even know the current name, they used to be called that.)

I love these. They are so versatile. I used them for years as bunny habitats. I recently used some as feather displays at a craft show. Now, instead of having to dig in the drawer, or closet, Jeff can show off his Tshirt collection. It's easy to stock, and easy to find what you're looking for.

Have you seen these great crystal cut cubes? My hubbie has a nice little collection of these too. They're fun for the whole family, it seems. Ha Ha.

French Dip Crescent Rolls

2012-02-05T23:17:00.000-05:00

This was another Pinterest find. I HAD to try it. It turned out scrumptious!

I got it from Mama Loves Food Blog

I changed mine a smidge. I didn't use horse radish, and I made them with the large crescent rolls.

It turned out to be a great night. My sister brought a huge salad, and my brother brought a home made cheesecake. We had such a nice evening together.

Coffee Filter Wreath

2012-02-05T23:09:00.002-05:00

Who else has tried this? I saw a billion tutorials popping up online, and on Pinterest, so I tried it myself.

It turned out ehh, pretty good. Next time I'll use the #2 filters, instead of the monster #4 filters. haha! The wreath was HUGE. Side note... everyone called it the powdered donut while it was up. HAHA.

So, you just hot glue coffee filters all over a wreath base, and it turns out looking like a big carnation.

Tasty Snack

2012-02-05T23:00:00.000-05:00

I surprised the boys today by making them Snow cones... well, bowls, really. I just put capri sun in some snow. haha. They loved it. Usually, they're so picky about food.

I shouldn't have been surprised that this turned out so well. I mean, who doesn't like pizza ingredients?

For New Year's Eve, we made pizzas with english muffins. I had some ingredients leftover, so decided to experiment.

Chips

Pizza Sauce

Mozzarella Cheese

Toppings (i had mushrooms, and ground meat toppings)

and nuked it. Oh yum.

Chocolate Play Dough

2012-02-05T20:25:00.002-05:00

You HAVE to try this craft/food! It's both! It's so simple to make, and really fun to play with...

and it's fun to eat!

I found it at Edible Chocolate Play Dough by

Joyful Homemaking

Mix 16 oz (one conainer) of Chocolate Frosting

1 cup of Peanut Butter

1 1/2 cups Powdered Sugar

I ended up having to add more powdered sugar as I mixed the dough.

It turned out smelling heavenly, and was easy to work with. We had loads of fun

making shapes, and sneaking tastes.

Margo says the mixture stays good in a baggie in the fridge for about a week.

Pine Cone Birdfeeders

2012-02-05T20:06:00.001-05:00

For the New Year's Holiday, I decided to do something nice for the birds. This is one of my favorite crafts

We made Pine Cone Bird Feeders, and the whole family joined in. We spread peanut butter on the pine cones and rolled them in bird seed. Simple. (and messy)

I also made Frozen fruit ornaments for the birds to pick away at. I just plopped frozen fruit into muffin pans, and filled with water. I put the string into the water so it would freeze and make a hanger. Easy Peasy.

fruit ornaments

i love my men

snowball fight!!

Who doesn't Love a Blanket Fort

2012-02-05T19:13:00.000-05:00

During winter break, Gabriel was a bit under the weather, so we weren't able to really go out much.

We still had a good week.

writing treasure maps on their glow pad

Giddy's chocolate face from the pirate treasure i gave them

goofy faces

Winter Wonderland outside our Window

2012-02-05T19:03:00.001-05:00

This was a gorgeous snow! I was so thankful to have such a perfect view of it in my warm, cozy apartment.

Look at how huge the snowflakes are!

Little Men

2012-02-05T18:50:00.001-05:00

I didn't get very many photos for Christmas, but I had to capture my little men in their Christmas outfits.

Homemade Gifts for Christmas

2012-02-05T18:45:00.001-05:00

No matter what gifts I buy for my family, I always like to make something for them too. This year was a crochet year. I am bottom at reading crochet code, so pretty much everything I make has to be very simple.

I found some cotton yarn at the Dollar Tree, can't beat that, so I got a bunch.

I learned how to make coasters from Crochet Geek

Crochet Coaster Tutorial Part 1

Crochet Coaster Tutorial Part 2

Mommy and Daughter scarves

skinny scarves

another set of mommy and daughter scarves

coasters and dishcloths

coaster set

one of my favorite scarves

it was fun passing out these little gifties at Christmas

Anniversary Date

2012-02-05T18:17:00.001-05:00

Jeffie and I got married on December 20th, 2002. I love how cool the date looks 12-20-02.

We got to have a little date, and went to dinner, and drove around wasting time, before heading home. We were passing the lights on the Strongsville town square and decided to stop. I'm so glad we did.

one of the houses we passed, such pretty decorations this year

Jesus is the Reason

It has been a very, very wet winter

This tunnel had lights that made it looked like dripping icicles!

Jeffie and me <3

Cold Winter Outing

2012-02-05T17:35:00.001-05:00

In celebration of Gabey and Giddy's new boots, we went to our favorite playground.

It was way too cold. We stayed for only a half an hour.

Gabriel at his Christmas Recital

2012-02-05T16:47:00.000-05:00

My Gabriel singing at the Christmas Recital (top row, second from right)

Dresser Drawer Bookshelves

2012-02-05T16:25:00.000-05:00

Found dresser drawers by our dumpster at our apartments.

Oh yeah, not letting them go to waste.

Stacked them up and, voila! A Bookshelf.

Still Catching up- Christmas Decorations 2011

2012-02-05T15:50:00.001-05:00

made mini wreaths for sunday school ladies

Giddy still running around in pullups

peek a boo!

the boys decorated most of the tree by themselves

love this nativity, it's a present from my mom in law. the base is a music box

gabriel's snowman

Balcony View

2012-02-04T23:58:00.001-05:00

cool sheets of ice to play with

love my wind chime

our apartment pets, the canadian geese

my Giddy boy

i love you, boy

the geese enjoying our playground

Deer and Sky Watch

2012-02-04T23:40:00.000-05:00

common sight now at my apartment, i LOVE it

nasty looking sky, thankful to be snug in our apartment

love the view from our balcony window, i get to see some great sunsets

Gabey's Thanksgiving Indian Outfit

2012-02-04T23:31:00.003-05:00

It was fun making Gabey into an Indian this year for his Thanksgiving party. He asks to be an indian every year.

very thrift store, very fun

convenient that i work with feathers and have a good supply

friend gave me bear claws and fringe

made him 2 necklaces, so he could give one to a friend

Catch Up- from November

2012-02-04T23:18:00.000-05:00

making use of their bedroom floor

thankful to be using my oriental theme in the living room again

Catch Up, Tomato

2012-02-04T23:08:00.001-05:00

When my boy is too slow, I like to say... "Catch up, Tomato!" hahaha! Yeah, good times, good times.
I ordered a flash adapter online and just got it in the mail. I couldn't stand it any longer. I had to have my photos back. I still can't find the cord that connects it to the laptop, and transfers my photos, but I have the flash adapter now, so I've got about 4 months of photos, and stories to catch up on. Eeps. Bear with me, as I upload goofy family photo after family photo, and even goofier craft photos, showing how I made goofy crafts with the boys, or by my goofy self.
Let's get started, shall we?

Here we have a lovely little slideshow of our new apartment NOVEMBER 2011...

I'll show pics as we get it decorated

(which will happen once the right items show up at the thrift store,

or on Craigslist.)

Jeffie used the little church bus to move some stuff to the new apartment

Giddy sat in the front seat, and sang church bus songs at the top of his lungs! haha!

multi talented hubbie

first few decorations. a smelly candle, and a pretty saying

Little by Little

2012-02-01T11:47:00.001-05:00

Little By Little

Little by little,

The chores are all done.

Little by little,

The mess is all gone.

My head is aching.

My body is tired.

I keep seeing progress,

So I'm satisfied.

Little by little,

The love is all spread.

Little by little,

My family is fed.

With love from my hand,

And help from the Son,

This life will press on,

And the victory won.

Little by little,

This world will be gone.

Little by little,

Our life will be done.

Time spent on earth

is so fleet and so fast.

We need to keep focus

On each little task.

So little by little,

With each passing day,

Little by little,

I'll find a way

To make this life count

In each job that I do,

And welcome each sunrise

As blessedly new.

-Shari Dippong 2-1-12

Daddy Wampler is Taking Care of his Angels

2012-01-30T10:40:00.000-05:00

Daddy and Me Magnetics necklace designed by Cora

I came across this store while browsing Etsy. I could window shop on Etsy all day.

Daddy and Me Magnetics is a store run by a family with 11 adopted children, all with special needs.

Richard Wampler of Kingsport, Tennessee, set up this business on Etsy to give his sweet kids a way to earn an allowance, and have a sense of accomplishment in making something and having others enjoy and buy. All of his proceeds go to the children, and supplies. The jewelry is beautiful, and seems well made. I'll have to buy something, so I can do a better review, lol. (and of course have an awesome piece of jewelry as a perk.)

I think my favorite part about Daddy and Me Magnetics, is that each piece showcases a photo of it's artist.

Click on over there, and meet this inspiring family.

Daddy and Me Magnetics Shop

Giveaway at Artful Parent

2012-01-26T09:42:00.000-05:00

Not that i really want competition.. hahaha! I would love to win. <3
I also love to share though, so here's the link where you can enter to win also.

http://www.artfulparent.com/2012/01/a-bare-books-giveaway-inspire-creativity-with-blank-books-games.html#comment-6a00e55246b63f88340167611d6392970b

Don't Carpe Diem-by Glennon Melton

2012-01-20T10:54:00.000-05:00

Don't Carpe Diem

Glennon Melton

Blogger, Momastery

Posted: 1/14/12 11:57 AM ET

Every time I'm out with my kids -- this seems to happen:

An older woman stops us, puts her hand over her heart and says something like, "Oh, Enjoy every moment. This time goes by so fast."

Everywhere I go, someone is telling me to seize the moment, raise my awareness, be happy, enjoy everysecond, etc, etc, etc.

I know that this message is right and good. But, I have finally allowed myself to admit that it just doesn't work for me. It bugs me. This CARPE DIEM message makes me paranoid and panicky. Especially during this phase of my life - while I'm raising young kids. Being told, in a million different ways to CARPE DIEM makes me worry that if I'm not in a constant state of intense gratitude and ecstasy, I'm doing something wrong.

I think parenting young children (and old ones, I've heard) is a little like climbing Mount Everest. Brave, adventurous souls try it because they've heard there's magic in the climb. They try because they believe that finishing, or even attempting the climb are impressive accomplishments. They try because during the climb, if they allow themselves to pause and lift their eyes and minds from the pain and drudgery, the views are breathtaking. They try because even though it hurts and it's hard, there are moments that make it worth the hard. These moments are so intense and unique that many people who reach the top start planning, almost immediately, to climb again. Even though any climber will tell you that most of the climb is treacherous, exhausting, killer. That they literally cried most of the way up.

And so I think that if there were people stationed, say, every thirty feet along Mount Everest yelling to the climbers -- "ARE YOU ENJOYING YOURSELF!? IF NOT, YOU SHOULD BE! ONE DAY YOU'LL BE SORRY YOU DIDN'T!" TRUST US!! IT'LL BE OVER TOO SOON! CARPE DIEM!" -- those well-meaning, nostalgic cheerleaders might be physically thrown from the mountain.

Now. I'm not suggesting that the sweet old ladies who tell me to ENJOY MYSELF be thrown from a mountain. These are wonderful ladies. Monkees, probably. But last week, a woman approached me in the Target line and said the following: "Sugar, I hope you are enjoying this. I loved every single second of parenting my two girls. Every single moment. These days go by so fast."
At that particular moment, Amma had arranged one of the new bras I was buying on top of her sweater and was sucking a lollipop that she must have found on the ground. She also had three shop-lifted clip-on neon feathers stuck in her hair. She looked exactly like a contestant from Toddlers and Tiaras. I couldn't find Chase anywhere, and Tish was grabbing the pen on the credit card swiper thing WHILE the woman in front of me was trying to use it. And so I just looked at the woman, smiled and said, "Thank you. Yes. Me too. I am enjoying every single moment. Especially this one. Yes. Thank you."

That's not exactly what I wanted to say, though.

There was a famous writer who, when asked if he loved writing, replied, "No. but I love having written." What I wanted to say to this sweet woman was, "Are you sure? Are you sure you don't mean you love having parented?"

I love having written. And I love having parented. My favorite part of each day is when the kids are put to sleep (to bed) and Craig and I sink into the couch to watch some quality TV, like Celebrity Wife Swap, and congratulate each other on a job well done. Or a job done, at least.

Every time I write a post like this, I get emails suggesting that I'm being negative. I have received this particular message four or five times -- G, if you can't handle the three you have, why do you want a fourth?
That one always stings, and I don't think it's quite fair. Parenting is hard. Just like lots of important jobs are hard. Why is it that the second a mother admits that it's hard, people feel the need to suggest that maybe she's not doing it right? Or that she certainly shouldn't add more to her load. Maybe the fact that it's so hard means she IS doing it right...in her own way...and she happens to be honest.

Craig is a software salesman. It's a hard job in this economy. And he comes home each day and talks a little bit about how hard it is. And I don't ever feel the need to suggest that he's not doing it right, or that he's negative for noticing that it's hard, or that maybe he shouldn't even consider taking on more responsibility. And I doubt anybody comes by his office to make sure he's ENJOYING HIMSELF. I doubt his boss peeks in his office and says: "This career stuff...it goes by so fast...ARE YOU ENJOYING EVERY MOMENT IN THERE, CRAIG???? CARPE DIEM, CRAIG!"
My point is this. I used to worry that not only was I failing to do a good enough job at parenting, but that I wasn't enjoying it enough. Double failure. I felt guilty because I wasn't in parental ecstasy every hour of every day and I wasn't MAKING THE MOST OF EVERY MOMENT like the mamas in the parenting magazines seemed to be doing. I felt guilty because honestly, I was tired and cranky and ready for the day to be over quite often. And because I knew that one day, I'd wake up and the kids would be gone, and I'd be the old lady in the grocery store with my hand over my heart. Would I be able to say I enjoyed every moment? No.

But the fact remains that I will be that nostalgic lady. I just hope to be one with a clear memory. And here's what I hope to say to the younger mama gritting her teeth in line:

"It's (...) hard, isn't it? You're a good mom, I can tell. And I like your kids, especially that one peeing in the corner. She's my favorite. Carry on, warrior. Six hours till bedtime." And hopefully, every once in a while, I'll add -- "Let me pick up that grocery bill for ya, sister. Go put those kids in the van and pull on up -- I'll have them bring your groceries out."
Anyway. Clearly, Carpe Diem doesn't work for me. I can't even carpe fifteen minutes in a row, so a whole diem is out of the question.

Here's what does work for me:

There are two different types of time. Chronos time is what we live in. It's regular time, it's one minute at a time, it's staring down the clock till bedtime time, it's ten excruciating minutes in the Target line time, it's four screaming minutes in time out time, it's two hours till daddy gets home time. Chronos is the hard, slow passing time we parents often live in.

Then there's Kairos time. Kairos is God's time. It's time outside of time. It's metaphysical time. It's those magical moments in which time stands still. I have a few of those moments each day. And I cherish them.

Like when I actually stop what I'm doing and really look at Tish. I notice how perfectly smooth and brownish her skin is. I notice the perfect curves of her teeny elf mouth and her asianish brown eyes, and I breathe in her soft Tishy smell. In these moments, I see that her mouth is moving but I can't hear her because all I can think is -- This is the first time I've really seen Tish all day, and my (...) -- she is so beautiful. Kairos.

Like when I'm stuck in chronos time in the grocery line and I'm haggard and annoyed and angry at the slow check-out clerk. And then I look at my cart and I'm transported out of chronos. And suddenly I notice the piles and piles of healthy food I'll feed my children to grow their bodies and minds and I remember that most of the world's mamas would kill for this opportunity. This chance to stand in a grocery line with enough money to pay. And I just stare at my cart. At the abundance. The bounty. Thank you, God. Kairos.

Or when I curl up in my cozy bed with Theo asleep at my feet and Craig asleep by my side and I listen to them both breathing. And for a moment, I think- how did a girl like me get so lucky? To go to bed each night surrounded by this breath, this love, this peace, this warmth? Kairos.

These kairos moments leave as fast as they come- but I mark them. I say the word kairos in my head each time I leave chronos. And at the end of the day, I don't remember exactly what my kairos moments were, but I remember I had them. And that makes the pain of the daily parenting climb worth it.

If I had a couple Kairos moments during the day, I call it a success.

Carpe a couple of Kairoses a day.

Good enough for me.

Follow Glennon Melton on Twitter: www.twitter.com/Momastery

Funny "Fotoshop" Commercial (spoof on Photoshop)

2012-01-18T13:10:00.001-05:00

This video is cracking me up! It's a spoof on Photoshop. Love it!

"Fotoshop" Miracle!

Teaching Manners

2012-01-13T11:04:00.000-05:00

Giddy's robbers have manners. Haha. Just heard him cooing...
"'Thanks, robber.' 'You're welcome.'"

Next Avant Garde Show is Coming Soon!

2012-01-12T12:54:00.002-05:00

My Camera Phone Stinks.. but i'll show pictures anyway.

2012-01-12T12:47:00.001-05:00

going to put some random photos up that i took with my camera phone. i still can't find my cord to my real camera. it's really bugging me. ah well. i think i'm going to be getting a new camera with our taxes. (crossing fingers and toes)

Giddy and I made Coffee Filter Snowflakes

I put up a little Paper Station, to display the school papers and art for the boys.

The coolest Invisible Shelves that i got for Christmas

Set up my little Vintage Nook in the hallway

Gloomy Day, no milk for cereal, so we had waffle sundaes. <3

Shari's Pasta Surprise- no surprise, really, and lots of yum.

(Bowtie pasta, black olives, ham, sliced fresh tomato,

garlic, olive oil, butter, salt, pepper, italian spice)

This is what happens to Ivory soap when you microwave it for 2 minutes

French Dip Crescent Rolls- got the recipe from Pinterest.. big hit.

Fun Marshmallow Sculptures with the boys

Snow Painting with Giddy

Powdered Donut Wreath (AKA Coffee Filter Wreath)

Chocolate Edible Playdough! awesome!

Color Me Tickled Pink Reading Katie's Blog

2012-01-11T11:44:00.000-05:00

this is a girl i've been enamoured with for a few days now. i've been reading her blog from back to front, and truly enjoying her whimsy. her name is katie... and this is a video interview with her.

http://www.babelgum.com/3020170/radar-eleven-color-katie.html

I would love to adopt some of Katie's projects of leaving random fun things lying around to brighten people's day, and her own in the process.

Hopefully, a New Year's Tradition

2012-01-02T16:31:00.000-05:00

We had such a great New Years evening, even with the boys and their crazy bad coughs. We stayed in, and I planned some crafts, and games for us. Chrissy came over, and then later, my mom came over too. I told them they could come over as long as they were ok being in a sick house. I still can't find the cord to my real camera, so I'm including the low quality, but perfectly adequate phone camera photos.

I made ice ornaments with fruit inside,

and we made pine cone ornaments when Jeff got home from work. I'm hoping to keep doing this every year.

Later, when Chrissy came over, we made mini pizzas with english muffins, and LOVED it. I think that's going to be made much more often.

I made a really easy bean bag toss game out of rice filled balloons, and baskets with points marked. We all played and it went really well. I also made balloons with glow sticks inside, but couldn't get a good photo of them. I tried making a little hover craft, and remembered the directions wrong, and used superglue instead of hot glue. oops. It did work for a few minutes, so we'll try it again next time we have junk mail cds.

Side note, and aHAH moment.. figured out that Parmesan cheese containers make GREAT cinnamon shakers.

Today, Jeff was off work, and the weather was perfect to put out the feeders, so we took a mini outing to the side of the apartments. There is a little stretch of woods, so we were able to just hang them there.

The boys and Jeff played for just a little while. They both still have pretty bad coughs, so they just threw a few snowballs and then came back inside.

FABULOUS DIY! HAHAHA!

2011-12-29T10:57:00.001-05:00

DIY: make your washing machine a winter wonderland!

simply put a fluffy decorative pillow in with the wash without checking to see if it's sturdy.

(will NOT be sharing photos. hahahaha!)

Awesome Article on Being Happy

2011-12-07T11:47:00.001-05:00

12 Things Happy People Do Differently

Avant Garde Writeup

2011-12-07T11:07:00.001-05:00

Another Avant Garde show coming up at the end of January. I'm excited to be involved.

This is a little article featuring myself (blushing).

Avant Garde Shows- Meet Shari Dippong

Holiday SHipping

2011-12-02T11:32:00.001-05:00

HA HA! so, how is everyone doing with their holiday shopping...

and shipping? HAHA!!

Pizza Boxes make Great Bobbins

2011-11-10T15:44:00.001-05:00

I got tired of buying the plasic bobbins that the craft store puts out, so I decided to make some out of cereal boxes... not sturdy enough. Pizza Boxes, though, are definitely nice and sturdy! I use the ones from our Aldi frozen pizzas, so they're clean.

I like to make sure I put the slit on the side without the holes, and that I wrap the thread following those lines. If you do it the other way, it has a tendency to bend, when you're wrapping the thread.

Who's Gorgeous Photo is this?

2011-11-08T12:30:00.006-05:00

I'd love to give credit to whom it's due. This photo is stunning. I just can't get over it.

Trick or Treat 2011

2011-10-31T20:31:00.001-04:00

a few photos from the evening.

i decided to put a few of my crafts in this year

jackolantern crayons, bracelets, and chocolate, and a few nutrigrain bars. :)

my boys all ready to go trick or treating

first house

this dog cracked me up, she looked so cute in a tutu

i had tried the glow liquid in bottles, but didn't really have enough, the bracelets were too skinny, so i just put the whole pile of bracelets in water. haha.

they turned out looking cute anyway.

my husband is a hottie!

Happy Halloween, Everyone

2011-10-31T07:53:00.001-04:00

Sunday School Barbies

2011-10-26T13:07:00.000-04:00

I love helping with the kindergarten sunday school. I donated some Barbies last year, and some clothes I had found on eBay. the girls have loved playing with them. Recently, I noticed they were getting pretty straggley. I brought them home and redid their hair. I realized that I had only blonde white girls. HAHA. That won't do at all, so I'm on the hunt for Barbies that more of the girls can identify with. I used to have a beautiful hispanic doll, 2 black dolls, and brunettes... but in a fit of insanity I sold all my Barbies and the huge stash of clothes I had too.

I found that Value World sells Barbies for $1.01, so I've kind of been snatching them up. It's funny that people just toss the Barbies because the hair is ratty. I work a little bit, and make the hair nice again, and they're good as new. I like doing it too. Maybe I should start my own Barbie Refurbishing business. :)

I found a large group of generic Barbie clothes at Marcs... but when I got them home.... hardly anything actually fits! the capris are way too small. It was a very frustrating waste of money.

I don't like the clothes Barbie (and similar fashion dolls) is putting out now, it's all way too revealing. I think it's definitely the wrong image. Little kids shouldn't be thinking about sexy clothes, and bodies like that. They need to be able to associate Barbie with their own mom, or teacher, etc. I get sad seeing little kids trying to pose all sexy for photos, and wearing clothes that are way too grown up for them. Sigh, well, that rant is done, so I'll move on. LOL.

There is a fantastic seamstress on Etsy called White Squirrel that makes nice Barbie clothes that are more modest. I plan on buying them sometime, but for now, I just wanted something to dress these girls, so I could take them on Sunday.

My solution was just to make my own clothes for them. I had a ton of sleeves left over from the Tshirt Bags I make, so I just started stitching away. I think in the future I would actually like doing it by hand much better than the machine, just because the machine is like a runaway horse sometimes. It was pretty stressful trying to get the machine to do what I wanted on such a small canvas. Here are some photos of my refurbished Barbies, and the clothes I made for them. I did find a pretty black Barbie, but she has the wind up mechanism in the back for wings, so I'm going to continue my hunt, and use her only if I can't find better ones.

Craft Show for Avant- Garde in Northeast Ohio

2011-10-21T09:29:00.001-04:00

Avant-Garde Fall Art & Craft Show
Sunday, October 23, 2011, 10:00am-5:00pm
Holy Spirit Byzantine Catholic Church
5500 West 54th St.
Parma, OH 44129.

Be there or be square!

Jennifer Morris- Cool Artist on Etsy

2011-09-24T03:34:00.000-04:00

you know how you see someone and think "that would be a really cool girl to have as a friend"?
yeah, i just found someone like that....

http://www.etsy.com/blog/en/2011/featured-seller-jennifermorrisbeads/ (read this, it's great)

http://www.etsy.com/people/jennifermorrisbeads?ref=ls_profile (and this, while you're at it)

oh my so fun!!

and this is what she makes!! i am in love with these little things...

http://www.etsy.com/listing/64090987/chefs-choice-surprise-heart-festive?ref=v1_other_1

and i'll leave you with a little quote that was at the end of her profile page on Etsy...

*we all have unique talents*
follow your heart and you'll create your own unique things!
the world needs to see what you have to offer,
not a copy of someone else's.

Giddy Phrase of the Day

2011-09-17T09:38:00.001-04:00

Giddy phrase of the day- the Sit and Spin turned on and started talking...

Giddy said.."Spinner! You're talking, I'm so proud of you!!"

WE DIED LAUGHING!!

Sharing a Blog of a "Not So Typical Church Lady" LOVED it!

2011-09-14T08:04:00.000-04:00

I found the coolest blog. Someone had shared it on facebook.

Journey of Faith

This week, she wrote about MY church, how exciting! She visits different churches and then writes about them, for her blog. What a great idea!!

She wrote all about her experience as a visitor at Cleveland Baptist Church, and the service she attended, Civil Servant Sunday. What a perfect day to visit!

I love my church, but I'm totally biased. Ha ha! It was so encouraging to read about CBC from a visitor's perspective. You need to go check out her blog.

Oh, and she has a really cool addition... a "cross of the week" drawn by JB... here's the one from this week, it's gorgeous!

Some Fun Links I've seen lately...

2011-09-08T18:40:00.001-04:00

http://carolynshomework.blogspot.com/2011/08/sew-and-tell-fabric-scrap-journal.html

http://sugarswings.blogspot.com/2011/08/rainbow-ice-cream-cone-cake-bites.html

http://thelifeofjenniferdawn.blogspot.com/2011/09/shake-art-for-kids.html

Angry Birds, Anyone?

2011-09-05T20:44:00.002-04:00

http://chrome.angrybirds.com/

Found the online version! COOL!

Started a Facebook Page for Mommy's Craft Box

2011-09-02T16:51:00.002-04:00

I've started a Facebook Page

Mommy's Craft Box

Etsy Treasuries for August 2011

2011-08-31T08:38:00.003-04:00

I have had so much fun putting together treasuries on Etsy, here is my list of treasuries so far.

(treasuries on Etsy are kind of like a little scrapbook of favorites, a little visual album)

http://www.etsy.com/people/shari313/treasury?sort=creation_date&order=desc

Hair Wrap or Feather Extension Threader on Etsy- Plus Tutorial on Installing a Feather Extension

2011-08-25T22:33:00.004-04:00

since, i'm starting to make hair wrap extensions that attach with micro beads, and so i figured it would be cool to offer threaders in my shop too.

http://www.etsy.com/listing/80454566/feather-extension-micro-bead-threader

Here is a fun photo tutorial on how to thread a micro link through your hair, and insert a feather extension. :):)

An Etsy Shop with a Big Heart

2011-08-23T22:20:00.007-04:00

I just ran across an Etsy shop today that I was so impressed with.

The photos were gorgeous, and diverse. I added one of the photos to a treasury I was making- In Anticipation of Cool Autumn Days, and loved the premise behind the wonderful owner's shop.

Lauren Wilkie started her shop to raise money for different causes through the sale of her fine art photos. Each photo has a theme, or series, and the proceeds go to help different charities, and causes. What an honorable reason to own a shop. She has raised the bar from just being a shop owner to make money... to being a shop owner to make a difference. I applaud this effort, and wish Lauren's shop Doors and Windows all the success a compassionate world can give.

Definitely Liking Etsy

2011-08-22T16:33:00.002-04:00

Come see my shop...

http://www.etsy.com/shop/shari313

It's called Mommy's Craft Box... and it's just that. Whatever craft I'm working at the time will randomly pop up there. For the most part, I focus on Hair Wrap Extensions that are Clip on, or Semi Permanent with a silicone micro bead attached. I love making feather extension clips too, and have been having some good success with that.

Here are some of my latest items for sale on Etsy...

Autumn at the Farmer's Market Notecards

Black Feather Hair Wrap Extension with a Mood bead accent

Hair Wrap Extension with mini Extension Clip

Pink and Brown Hair Wrap Feather Extension- Clip on, with pink lampwork bead

Heart Shaped Metal Pendant Necklace

Thanks so much for checking it out. Have fun browsing my shop, and all the other wonderful crafters on Etsy

Good and Bad and then Good again.

2011-08-17T18:13:00.001-04:00

today has been mostly great! God is so good.

We visited one new playground this morning, for a little while (we never stay at the ones without bathrooms for long.) that was nice... then we came back home, and headed right back out to meet jeffie, and bring him lunch.

i set up a little picnic lunch for us all in a school playground that had a nice picnic area. it was wraps again. man, i love those so much. i'm almost out of the 2 packages i got this weekend. haha. so a second new playground visited.... then another trip for a bathroom break, and more to drink.... and on to playground #3. haha!! (i'm trying to make this the finale of our playground summer.)

well, on the way to the next playground, :(:( i witnessed something horrible. a group of kids were riding their bikes across the street. they were on the crosswalk, but for some reason they were out in the middle of the street at the wrong time, and all the cars kept going.... i stopped... because the one boy decided to try to beat the cars... he got hit. :(:(:( i was so shocked. the boy's bike was totalled, but he got up... i was so glad to see him get up. but it was nuts that he was crying and upset that the lady had killed his bike. it was his fault for riding in front of a moving vehicle. i'm just so astounded by all the pedestrians and bikers that assume that a vehicle can stop if they get in front of them. don't even get me started on that. haha. i hope he's ok, and very thankful that the accident wasn't more serious. i'm also thankful the boys didn't take it as hard as i did. i slowly got past the mess, and then just started bawling.

but... just a few minutes down the road, i was on the parkway, and noticed a family of deer lunching in a person's front yard... i was able to put my hazards on, and stop to watch them and take photos. i will forever believe and be grateful, that it was the Lord that put those deers there to help comfort me. i am very visual. so this was like a little healing for my soul, after what i had seen earlier.

we spent the rest of the afternoon at the playground, and i met some great people. one lady homeschools, and goes to a romanian baptist church, and knows beth from church. it was cool to get to know her. and then another lady talked to me, and i found out that she named two of her boys GABRIEL and GIDEON!!! and she calls them Gabey and Giddy! can you even believe that?? it's uncanny! they were on the playground too! she said she kept wondering why someone was calling her boys. hahaha!! that was just the coolest.

also, i got to get some photos of an adorable baby squirrel who came up right behind me to munch on something.

so all in all, it was a blessed day. i'm thankful, so thankful that my boys... that my whole family... is safe and sound, thankful that i have a car to take us places. and that we have so many cool places to go. lol.

Laurel and Hardy in the Hollywood Revue of 1929

2011-07-04T13:59:00.000-04:00

Mots for Tots

2011-06-21T21:48:00.004-04:00

I just signed up to get some new juice called Mots for Tots, isn't that the cutest name?

http://www.vocalpoint.com/mottsfortots

Today's Flowers

2011-06-15T14:14:00.004-04:00

...just a few random flowers I've found recently.

Be sure to visit http://flowersfromtoday.blogspot.com/2011/06/todays-flowers-147.html for other beautiful flower photos.

A Few Random Photos

2011-06-15T14:00:00.003-04:00

Growing like Weeds

2011-06-15T13:15:00.004-04:00

I have gotten so out of the habit of blogging, that it's really been hard for me to get back into it. I always like the idea of having a journal to look back on, especially since I have the memory of a Tsi Tsi fly. My kids are getting so big, and say and do hilarious things every day, and I'm missing out on putting it in the my memory bank online.

Gideon is three and a half now, and still astounds me with his ability to destroy, and make messes. He is very impulsive, and will just rush off to do something with no regard to consequences. Aside from those times when he tries everyone around him, he is a very funny, lovable little guy. He's cuddly, and beautiful, and very social. I love taking photos of him, because as long as the photo is in focus, it's a good photo. He is so photogenic, it's crazy. He still has his white blonde hair, and I'm praying it stays with him for a while still. His dark eyes, and long lashes, and that cottony hair, are just irresistible.

Gabriel is growing into a wonderfully healthy, intelligent young man. His grades in school were great this year, and his reading ability is very impressive. The Stanford test showed that is math skills are pretty average for his age... 1-2nd grade work, but his reading is overall at the 6th grade level. One segment of the test had PHS as the result, and I was surprised and proud to learn that it meant Post High School! it was one of the sub sections of the overall reading. I can't remember which skill it was. He is handsome, and obedient, and I am just so thankful we have this miracle in our family. His leukemia has been defeated, and he has been off chemo for almost a year now. Praise a merciful Lord.

A most important bit of news I have to share, is that Gabriel accepted Christ as his Savior this past Sunday, in Sunday School. We have been talking about it for a few months now, and he raised his hand in the invitation, and was led to the Lord by Dustin Brady (i'll forever be grateful). He made a public profession in church that night. I was so proud of my little brother in Christ, as he stood up in front of the church, to let everyone know of his new relationship with Christ.

This summer is two weeks old now, and so far, we've gone to playgrounds almost every day we could. I decided this summer would be a Playground Mania. I want to have us visit all the playgrounds in Brook Park, and go to a playground almost every day. The boys love it, and it gives me the time to work on my hair wraps. As long as there's a bathroom, and we have snacks and drinks, we can comfortably stay all day at a playground. It's definitely a win win.

I have been so thankful for my car, and we've worked on getting out of the house a lot more because of it. We've been to the mall, and the playland, the Rocky River nature center, and the metroparks. Jeffie has taken us to the Lake nature center, and the zoo for Dreamight at the Zoo, and also bowling. He also has started softball again, so we're having fun joining him at his games.

I found a great site called Macaroni Kids, and it has a calendar of fun things to do on the west side, so it's helping me find outings for the boys.

Tshirt Crafts

2011-06-07T14:22:00.005-04:00

I had fun this week sewing up Tshirt pillows, and bags made from the boys outgrown shirts.

The Tshirt bags are seriously the easiest sewing craft EVER.

1. Turn the shirt inside out, and sew up the bottom.

2. Cut off the sleeves

3. Cut off the neckline.

I know my Heart

2011-04-29T07:11:00.002-04:00

feel so muddled by all the media junk flying around. it's hard to trust anyone anymore. most "news" is either slanted toward or against some view, and not many neutral sources anymore. instead of just stating facts like news should do... news is now putting in adjectives and and ideas that i can see are being used to bring out a certain emotion or idea into our minds (for or against whatever that specific article is planning).

conservative or liberal, birther or non birther, pro life or pro choice, pro Christian or pro anything else, tolerance or intolerance, news or gossip, truth or conspiracy theory....

it's all too much.

Hype should not be dragging us around in the form of news. I have decided to guard myself from the whims of media, and trust my heart.

i know my heart, and i know what i believe... at it's core...

i believe that human life is worth saving...

i believe in honesty, and am painfully honest (like a truth syrum sometimes, actually.)

i believe that anyone can change, everyone needs forgiveness, because no one is perfect, we're all just trying to live....

i believe that no one should be hated, but that actions can be hated, and that people should help teach about actions that they feel are wrong or hurtful to others...

i believe in morality...

i believe that people should try to be the best humans they can be, and treat others like they want to be treated...

i believe in showing kindness..

i believe in listening with an open (but guarded) mind. i will hear other views, but it will be through much soul searching whether i will let it change me.

i believe that i have a lot to learn, that i have in no means "made it" i am an impulsive, emotional human, and constantly disappointed in myself. but i am working on it.

i judge myself every day, and work to improve. i believe that it's every human's job to do the same.

Tribute to Kristin- Truly a Vessel unto Honor

2011-04-20T16:47:00.002-04:00

Our sweet friend, Kristin, has been given maybe a few more days to weeks to live. Mike, her husband thinks it will be very soon. The cancer has just been so aggressive that after the radiation, chemo just wasn't an option. I am thankful to have known her, and am blessed by her wonderful Christian testimony.

Listing for Clip on Hair Wraps

2011-04-11T10:25:00.003-04:00

My Etsy shop is featuring Clip on Hair Wraps. They look so great in all different lengths, and colors. I do custom colors and lengths. They're only $4.00, and then $1.00 to ship in the US.

My New Dog Cassie

2011-04-09T23:32:00.000-04:00

i've had Cassie only for a few days, but i really do feel the Lord helped me get her.

I've never been a dog person. have always felt like i had to wash my hands after petting any dog i came in contact with. when i got married, my hubbie loves dogs, but is sooo allergic, he kept teasing me that we needed a dog and i kept refusing. well, he didn't mean to, but he really put the idea in my head. ha ha.

i got a chance to adopt a little yorkie... didn't work out. my boys are rough, and he didn't like my hubbie... rehomed him.
a few years later, i found a cute little yorkiepoo... just adorable... yet again.. obsessed with me... horrible to house train. and not fond of the rest of the family... rehomed him too.
said i wouldnt ever get another dog.
but this spring, i've been thinking of smokey sooo much, and missing him. so i sat long and hard thinking about what i didn't like about him, and what i did like.
so, i decided to search for other dogs on craigslist and pet finder. was looking for a girl, that was already house trained, and had poodle type... or non shedding hair. i knew if i went and pet any dog, and they felt oily or sheddy, i wouldn't want them.

so (hopefully this story isn't running too long. lol.) i found one dog that was a beagle poodle... and she was free etc etc. but i just didn't have a good feeling about meeting her. the photo i saw made me feel like she'd be a shy, needy dog, looked a bit neglected. ... decided no.

then i got the photo from another craigslister i was in contact with of Cassie, and i just thought she would be so cute. we went to meet her, and i adored her! but most importantly it was like she had already been trained for our family... the owner had a 2 year old, and a 9 year old. so Cassie was used to the kids, and took all their play in stride! when i saw that i was soo impressed. not to mention how velvety soft she was, and how social.

the owner was wonderful, and honest, and answered every random question i sent her (for a week! ha ha), and it turns out she worked at the same girl scout camp i did. not the same year, but it helped us bond.

later i sent an email to her just asking if she'd consider a different adoption fee, and she wrote back saying that she had written an email the night before, offering that exact price, but was afraid i'd think she was desperate to get rid of Cassie if she sent it!

then, i was able to sell some stuff on etsy and craigslist to equal her adoption fee, and her food and collar etc. so i didn't have to feel like i was taking money out of the budget just to get her.

so within a few weeks, all of this just seemed to unfold to give me this beautiful sweet, well behaved dog. i am in love, and i realize that i am not a dog person... i am a cockapoo person! HAHA!

God makes No Mistakes...

2011-03-26T20:19:00.005-04:00

This is such a sweet rendition of the song... sung by Kristin and her friends.

http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150137787251361&comments

Kristin is finished with the rounds of radiation on the large tumor in her brain... and will soon start chemo to prayerfully add some months to her life. they are not sure what the road has, but they are solid in their faith in Christ, and in their salvation. Kristin knows in whom she has believed.

No matter what happens to our sin sick bodies here on earth... God cares so much, and promises to be there with us.

Highlighting a Woman of God

2011-02-25T14:56:00.004-05:00

My friend, Kaila, did a wonderful photo shoot this morning of our mutual friend, Kristin.

Kristin wanted to have some good family photos done before she starts Chemo.

If the tumors don't respond to chemo, she will have 3 months to live. My heart breaks for her, and her family. We have been praying almost round the clock for her, every time we think of her, we ask the Lord to bring a miracle. There is a group on facebook dedicated to praying for her needs, and her healing.

Please, remember them in serious prayer. There isn't time to say, I'll do it tomorrow.

Kaila's post

http://www.kailaregina.com/2011/02/do-you-have-minute.html

Group on Facebook

http://www.facebook.com/home.php?sk=group_172187262827848&ap=1

It's Beautiful.

2011-02-14T21:25:00.004-05:00

Gideon came out to the living room this morning, and saw the huge balloon Jeff got me. He just started at it, and just murmured "It's beautiful!"

It's been a good day. Over the weekend, we were able to buy a second car, so today, I had a blast going out and about. Giddy and I went to the store and got Valentine's goodies. We dropped presents off with Jeff on his route, and Gabey when he was in the lunchroom at school, and Chrissy at the church. We ate lunch with Chrissy, and then hopped back over to another store, and picked up food to make a pot roast for dinner. How wonderful it was to just be able to bundle up Giddy, and go. We've been stuck in the house for so long. This is going to be an amazing spring!

Volkswagen Commercial: The Force

2011-02-04T15:29:00.000-05:00

Crock Pot Boot Camp

2011-02-02T15:48:00.007-05:00

ok, so everyone knows... i hate to cook. i am in my late 30's and have not consistently cooked ever. it's always been frozen meals, or fast food... or sandwiches. sometimes, hubbie cooks mac and cheese, or fried egg sandwiches, or pirogies.

i cook pastas, stuff, but just about everything i make has the meat already cooked.

i've always had a nervousness about raw meat. i don't like touching it, and thinking of all the germs. i don't like being afraid that somehow i'll transmit sickness to the house with undercooked or cross contaminated meat. ugh... so i've kind of escaped from it all these years.

this week, i'm trying something monumental in my little realm. i am trying to cook crock pot meals every day this week. i'm trying to use actual raw meat (gag).

Monday-

i cooked a creamy chicken dish that turned out way overcooked, but it was edible... it was

*peas, chicken breasts, cream of chicken soup, a little garlic, and a chicken spice mix (i hate figuring out spices, and just glaze out if i see too many in a recipe)

i cooked it on low, but jeff got home really late, and so it had been cooking for about 8 hours on low. (def too long)

Tuesday-

tuesday's meal turned out much better, and even then it was a stress for me. it was

*potatoes, beef stew meat (raw, chopped chunks- i had a hard time dumping them in, and one plopped on the ground. eek. so i had to handle them and put it all in by hand- double gag- then i sprayed bleach cleaner everywhere, and wanted to take a shower in the bleach), baby carrots, sweet onions, i added garlic, meat spice, a little tomato sauce, a few stewed tomato, little bit of soy sauce, and Worcestershire sauce.

i probably wouldn't have thrown all those extra things in if the can of soup i was going to use wasn't already eaten by my hungry hubbie the other day. lol! so that was a setback. i had already cut everything and added the meat, and learned i didn't have the soup. so i just put the other stuff in and cooked it all plain.

the smell of it after a few hours gave me headache. i'm not sure if it was the onions, or just that it was such a constant strong smell. i mean, it smelled good, like cooking stew, but with a headache, i couldn't take it, and opened the windows to air out the house a little bit.

soooo, that meal was a success all told. and i even ate the leftovers today for lunch. i adore cooked carrots and potatoes.

Wednesday-

Today is Wednesday, and i put some chicken breasts in with an alfredo sauce i had. i have no clue how it will turn out, but i didn't have any soup mixes. i had only planned on doing 3 crock pot meals, so this one is a little bit of a winger. i'm going to cook it 3 hours on high, and put some chicken spice, and cheddar cheese on top towards the end. who knows. we may have sandwiches tonight.

i'll edit and add more as the week goes on.

Trip to Edgewater in 27 Degree Weather

2011-01-28T15:45:00.002-05:00

Jeffie took me for a drive today to take photos of Lake Erie. It's totally frozen over. very cool.

Photo Site

2011-01-23T17:49:00.001-05:00

I've been putting my better photography up on Imagekind, stop over and order a print or two.

http://www.imagekind.com/MemberProfile.aspx?mid=af30bf83-8f39-493e-aac2-56333569a1ed

My Christmas Gardens- from EG on Facebook

2010-11-22T08:32:00.003-05:00

For about 6 months, i have enjoyed the best game on facebook, called Enchanted Gardens.

it was not just a game. it was a creative medium, and a meeting place for some amazing people.

December 1st, the company is closing the game down, because they've been bought out by Kabam, and want to "go in other directions". we are all very upset by this. we're tired of the games that are on facebook. they're all the same. not everyone wants strategy games, or fantasy football, or spammy zynga games.

so i'm recording my gardens, and taking screenshots etc. it's not the same, but i want a record of all the hard work that went into making these gardens.

Learning that I may have been having migraines all this time. :(

2010-11-18T11:14:00.000-05:00

i always dismissed the idea of having migraines, because i never get nauseous... but now, i'm reading that migraines can cause sinus symptoms! i wonder if i've been dealing with migraines all this time, and not had the right medicine to treat them. oh man! well, it does seem like when it gets bad, nothing i take helps. i have a feeling my shoulder and neck tension and the change in weather triggers it. i really need to get out of Cleveland. :( the weather changes every 10 minutes.

http://headaches.about.com/od/diagnosis/a/ahs_sinus_mig.htm

http://headaches.about.com/cs/druginfo/a/triptan_over.htm

too short, a little too short!

2010-10-22T09:10:00.002-04:00

oh my word. i had a moment of insanity yesterday. i've been dealing with a really bad headache and sore shoulders and neck for a few days now. yesterday, i think i was dillusional, because i went in to the bathroom, and grabbed some handfuls of hair, and CHOPPED like 5 inches off! EEK!!! it was too short to even it up, i didn't want to make it any worse. usually i can take some off, and even it up, and it looks fine, but i just took way too much off this time.

when jeffie got home, i asked him to take me to Great Clips down the street, and the sweet girl helped me out. LOL. the shampooing was so nice, and the cut felt so good, i almost forgot my headache for a half hour.

soooo, i have shoulder length hair for the first time in, i would say, DECADES. oops. i'll get pics soon. i want to grow it out again, but i think i'm going to need to keep getting it layered and thinned out. it just gets way too heavy. it got thick and wavy after having the kids. too bad i want it long and straight like it was in college. lol.

I Wish the World Understood Sweetest Day

2010-10-17T05:01:00.006-04:00

Every year Sweetest Day passes without much ado. A few people in Cleveland go on dates, and give cards and candy.

It makes me sad to hear that people think Sweetest Day is just another "couple's holiday" or another card company's attempt to make money. I don't know what went wrong in the inception of this holiday that the spirit of it went so awry.

Sweetest Day started out as a holiday to show kindness to others. It was a way to brighten up October with a day that was the Sweetest Day of the year.

"Sweetest Day always falls on the third Saturday in October. The first Sweetest Day took place around 1922 in Cleveland....
Herbert Birch Kingston and friends began celebrating by distributing candy and gifts to orphans, shut-ins, the disabled and other groups that were often left out of holiday celebrations. Sweetest Day then got some early promotions help from movie stars.

Ann Pennington gave boxes of candy to 2,200 Cleveland newspaper boys, and Theda Bara gave away 10,000 boxes of candy to patients in hospitals in Cleveland and to people who came to see her films at a Cleveland theater.

Within 10 years, the day had become so popular that Cleveland officially set the same Saturday in October every year as Sweetest Day. In the following years, the idea of Sweetest Day has spread though the Midwest and is largely considered a second Valentine’s Day, although the holiday is not mean to focus exclusively on romantic love. Cleveland is still the most popular place to celebrate Sweetest Day, but nearby states and bigger cities have also taken to celebrating the day every year." - Heidi Ross 10/10.

I wish I could teach the world about Sweetest Day. It has so much potential. The world needs more kindness, more generosity, more celebration of the goodness in others.

Etiquette and Manners Classes in School

2010-10-16T22:43:00.006-04:00

Who's with me? Why don't schools still offer Etiquette and Manners classes? They scramble to pass out condoms, and teach how to have sex! Why can't they teach how to be considerate, and respectful? No one has respect for the elderly anymore. It's all me me me. I'm more important than you, and therefore, I can push in front of you, or talk rude to you, or whatever.

No one knows how to eat in public anymore. Tonight, I was a Macaroni Grill, and there were some high school kids eating before a dance. One girl kept hiking up her triangle spaghetti strap dress up at the bodice, and eating large mouthfuls of pasta. It was hard not to notice the poor girl.

I am guilty of poor etiquette, too. I tend to burp sooo much louder than I ever did when I was under my mom's roof. My mom has always been a lady. She taught me to be a lady. I have let so many bad habits slip into my everyday mannerisms, I could put my embarrassing stories in a fail blog, LOL. I have spent so much time at home, doing whatever I feel like doing, I could benefit from an etiquette class.

I do try to be considerate of people in public, especially for older ladies and gentlemen. I try to let people through in traffic, and in stores... let people go first in line. I'm always trying to remain pleasant and polite to restaurant workers and cashiers at stores. It's just a nice thing to do. I'm sure there are days though, when I probably annoy people with my brusqueness or impatience when I'm having a bad day. I know not everyone can have a good day every day.

I just wish it were more of a priority for people to act right in public.

Gabey and Giddy's Halloween Costumes 2010

2010-10-11T16:32:00.002-04:00

We got parent points today. LOL. The kids loved their costumes. We surprised Gabey with his General Grievous costume, and he flipped out! Gideon picked out his Batman costume, and I am laughing so hard at how cute he looks. They got to try them on just now, and they were running around the house acting so tough.

My favorite time of year.

2010-10-11T07:45:00.006-04:00

‎"October gave a party; The leaves by hundreds came-
The Chestnuts, Oaks, and Maples, And leaves of every name.
The Sunshine spread a carpet, And everything was grand,
Miss Weather led the dancing, Professor Wind the band."
- George Cooper

Man, i Love autumn. We were driving on the highway yesterday, and i just wanted to bottle up all that color. just amazing! God is so cool. I can look at all this beauty, and know that He made it all happen. I just have to grin, and silently give him props, LOL. God wants to hear from us. He likes hearing us say... "Man, is that the coolest color for the leaves, God, you are awesome!" He made the earth for His enjoyment. Everyone likes caring for something. We get pets and have children, so we can care for something and watch it grow. Just like we enjoy getting positive feedback from the children and pets that we care for, God wants to hear us praise Him, and love Him. It would be so sad to raise a baby, and feed him, love him, and never have him pay attention to us, or show us love. We would be heartbroken.
We have an amazing, (beyond comprehension)Father, who made the universe, and everything in it. Yet, He can be our personal Father, through faith in Christ. We can see little personal gifts that He leaves for us every day. Each little critter that crosses our path, for our enjoyment, or a chuckle- that's God giving us a gift. Let's all give him "props" give Him the glory, give Him our admiration and love.

Deuteronomy 10:21 (King James Version)

21He is thy praise, and he is thy God, that hath done for thee these great and terrible things, which thine eyes have seen.

Happy 10/10/10

2010-10-10T20:25:00.000-04:00

Just wanted to mark the date....
10/10/10

cool, huh?

Crazy Dream

2010-10-10T06:11:00.003-04:00

i so wish i could remember more, but this is what i remember of my dream...

i can't remember the back story at all, but i was with a group at a table, kind of like security to this building (hospital, jail, funny farm, lol. not sure which) but this hilarious little lady came over and mentioned something about running interference.. and went up the stair well. she came down in an obvious disguise, with a pillow in her front shirt. she shuffled to the bathroom across the hall, we heard the flush, and she shuffled back, and headed up the stairs, but in the corner of my eye, i saw that she fell forward up the stairs and landed on her pillow belly. we knew she was doing all this to distract us from something down the hall.. so the dream went on...

then i remember being outside by some kind of cemetery with a group.. and some sort of ceremony. the guy leading the ceremony was trying to be all serious, but he was playing a stick like a clarinet or something, and blowing just one note while his fingers moved on the stick... then he was waving the stick in someone's face being really annoying. i was laughing so hard, and i totally got into the comedy. there was a group being punished for something, and i pretended to be crying.. and said... "that was the worst bird i ever knew" and i'm laughing, pretending to cry... and it turns out that up at the place where the people are, is this green parrot! ROTFL.

i woke up, laughing. LOL.

Morning Giggles

2010-10-06T06:45:00.001-04:00

i was telling jeffie that i made him coffee, and gabey piped up.."you made me coffee??" i said, "noo! of course i wouldn't make you coffee." he quipped back, "well, i guess i'll have to make my own." ROTFL!!!

Morning with Gideon

2010-10-05T11:53:00.002-04:00

I'm having a fairly nice morning with Gideon, we did a craft with the Bingo markers.. they make great dots. :) and we put stickers on it.
When we had a snack, i cut up cantaloupe into small squares and gave him a toothpick. He really enjoyed that, and said it was the "tastiest ever" in his toddler accent. when he was finished, the container i had still had some juice at the bottom. we wanted to throw it in the garbage, and he "helped" me by drinking the juice... only it was a square container, and the juice dribbled down both sides of container down his shirt. he was so proud of himself for solving the juice issue. Then when i asked him to throw it in the garbage... he grinned and said.. "throw it in the carpet?" nooo garbage... "carpet!" and he put the container under the rug! ROTFL. what a stinker.

now, as i'm writing this, he just came up to me asking for "fruitons" ROTFL!! it caught me off guard. he means croutons! ROTFL!!

Look Above the Clouds

2010-09-27T11:10:00.001-04:00

"Look Above the Clouds"
words and melody by Shari Dippong

A New Way to Look at You....

2010-09-26T20:20:00.002-04:00

I got a cool microphone, and started recording my songs. they're just simple acapella... but i really wanted to start sharing them. i'm tired of them sitting around in my notebook, LOL.

This is my first one... in order to share it, i kind of had to make a video out of it, so i just put some random images with it.

It's called "A New Way to Look at You" c 1997

Lava Lamp, LOL.

2010-09-18T21:40:00.002-04:00

Lava Lamp

We went to Five Below the other day, and i finally indulged in buying myself a Lava Lamp. I've wanted one all my life. I am just memorized by it.
I thought you might enjoy a little lava lamp action too. :)

Sesame Street: Celebrity Lullabies

2010-09-09T10:40:00.000-04:00

Autistic Girl Expresses Profound Intelligence

2010-08-11T11:15:00.000-04:00

Sharing my Hatchlings Photo Album

2010-08-11T07:16:00.003-04:00

Here's a link to my photo album for Facebook Hatchlings. This has photos of all the Hatchlings that I've incubated and hatched. Some of them are uuugly, so I got a picture, and then released them right after, LOL.

Shari's Facebook Hatchlings

Sesame Street: Outdoors with Jason Mraz

2010-08-06T10:37:00.000-04:00

Crafts Using Glass Jars and Bottles Article

2010-08-05T09:00:00.003-04:00

Another craft article. lol.

http://crafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/make-easy-crafts-using-glass-bottles-and-jars

Hatchlings Article

2010-07-30T10:43:00.001-04:00

Here's an article on how to play Hatchlings in Facebook.

http://internet-games.suite101.com/article.cfm/fun-games-to-play-on-facebook--hatchlings

Bridgit Mendler - How To Believe Official Music Video

2010-07-26T13:33:00.000-04:00

Trying to Do a New Article a Few Times a Week

2010-07-20T10:26:00.002-04:00

This one's about making crafts from toilet paper rolls, and egg cartons. They're paper products that are usually just thrown away by the ton every week, especially in our home. Giddy likes wasting paper, the little rascal.

http://kids-paper-crafts.suite101.com/article.cfm/making-crafts-from-paper-products-like-bathroom-tissue-rolls