Thursday, October 30, 2008

happy halloween...and tying up loose ends

happy halloween from my little pumpkins to yours! our little gator and cow will be both passing out "trick or treats" (elizabeth refuses to call it candy these days!) and gathering some of their own. we find it to be a fun way to get to visit some of our neighbors (and unabashedly scan the neighborhood for potential new friends!). our front porch is adorned with pumpkins...the big one the girls (read...poppy!) carved at the lake last weekend...and the two little ones elizabeth and i busted out this morning with the drill...yep...i'm not so good with knives! don't you love my creativity...this was today's craft for "l" week..."l"etters in pumpkins! :) we'll have to shoot for another little yak with an "e" as a first initial...then we'd successful spell "eek" instead of looking like we didn't know how to spell! :) i must admit, these are the first pumpkins we've carved since mike and i were engaged...five years ago...here we are with our magnificent creations!


and now i will finally follow through on the couple of times i've been tagged in the last week or so. i can't even remember who tagged me for this first one...the photo tag...but here it is. the rules...open your pictures, go to the fourth file, find the fourth picture and post it. this picture was actually taken this past summer in july. elizabeth and her sweet friends grace and cassandra were trying to touch the sharks in the shark petting tank. fun times!


then (and kudos if you are still reading!) kt mac tagged me to list 6 random things.

1-i really stress about these silly little random things...perhaps trying to find really unique or cool things...which apparently are hard to come by in my "normal" little life! perhaps that is why it took me FOREVER to post this...well, that and the fact i am so far behind in blog reading i didn't know i'd been tagged until today! :)

2-my husband once told me, "it doesn't matter because i wouldn't marry you." to which i replied, "good point!" (this was LONG before we ever IMAGINED we would date one another...much less end up married!)

3-i love fans. even when its the dead of winter i have to have the fan on in our bedroom....i might need to cover myself with layers and layers of blankets...but there's just something about the fan. and yes, i've turned my husband into a fan nut too! :)

4-mike and i agreed on the name elizabeth for a daughter before we were even married. we have yet to come to a definitely conclusion on a boy's name (mind you, we also don't find out gender)...perhaps until that day we will keep on popping out girl after girl after girl! (and by the way...we would be okay with that...we are totally not the type to keep trying endlessly for a boy)

5-back to my first paragraph...why i carved a pumpkin with a drill...well friends, on our first date, mike came (invited himself) to my place and i cooked chicken parmesan. i was in such a flutter of nerves and all that i sliced my finger open with a butter knife...yes, a butter knife...ever since then we've had an ongoing joke about me and knives. and yes, it does seem my cooking won him over...but i think he was smitten before that! :)

6-in third grade i drew my own name in a raffle to win a ten-speed bike...and in case you've forgotten third grade, that was a WAY cool prize for a third grader. for quite awhile i thought i might be the luckiest person EVER. by the way...i still think that's true...only now i know it isn't luck...it's God's amazing blessing!

and now...i tag
rebecca @ life, love, and the pursuit of happiness
amy @ blah, blah, blah blogging--who i also know in real life!
michelle @ LazyDogPottery--who just so happens to be my sister...and who also has an incredible etsy shop you should totally check out! :)
carrie @ carrie's crafty cottage
and any of y'all who haven't already done this one!


and last, but not least...shanna awarded me the kreativ blogger award. the rules are that i have to share six things i love and then pass the award on to six people i love. sounds easy enough. (except that the hub is calling me to bed...so i will be back to finish tomorrow!)

1-my fam...the four of us (and mugho too!) right within these walls and the extended ones as well! :) if you missed the reference earlier...i direct you to my beautiful and talented sister...an incredible potter, beautiful person, and delightful friend. love you me shell! :)

2-God...and really, this one should have been first. the events of late have truly drawn me to a new level of trust and love...i suppose this is what happens when one is comfronted with painful trials of life. friends, He is faithful beyond measure. i wasted so much time worrying and fearing what might come...wondering how in the world i would ever make it if something "hard" came into life...and then, it did. and lo and behold, God's grace comes with the trial. His love, His mercy, and His hand carry you through...tenderly drawing you to His side...comforting, befriending, bringing joy amidst the pain. my friends, this is LOVE. 1 john 4:10 "This is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent His son to be the atoning sacrifice for our sins."

3-my friends...both in the flesh and in the blog world.

4-crafting...sewing, knitting, scrapbooking...you name it, if it's crafty i either enjoy it or could learn to! :)

5-giggles and laughter....especially when its coming from my sweet girls playing together!

6-...and finally, because i'm particularly chilly and tired right now...warm blankets and soft pillows...the perfect recipe for an afternoon nap...only problem is that its only 10:30 a.m. right now...and just got up three hours ago! :)

and now...i pass this award onto...
1-Wendi @ Everyday Miracles...i don't remember when it was that wendi first commented on my blog, but oh how glad i am that she did...that we have gotten to know one another. how i love to visit her blog, to hear her sharing what she is learning from our Lord, the respect for her husband that flows from her pages, and, of course, her love for her sweet boys...both on earth and in heaven

2-Leslie @ My Happily Ever After...another woman who is fabulous...pop by, visit, and you will quickly see her sweet spirit, love for Jesus and her family...and, of course, her GORGEOUS photography

3-Rebecca @ Life, Love, and the Pursuit of Happiness...again, i have no clue how rebecca and i found one another, but she has become a dear friend. we both have little libs and my kate and her leila aren't too far apart. we would definitely be great friends in the "real" world...if only cali and indiana were a bit closer! :)

4-Jacy @ A Journey With Purpose...sweet Jacy...her words and descriptions are beautiful. her blog overflows with a deep love for God and for her little family (which is so beautiful). she is kind, compassionate, and a dear, dear friend!

5-Jill @ The Lewis Life...bloggity friends, i'd like to introduce you to my dearest friend in real person. meet jill. sweet, tender, compassionate...she loves Jesus and her family...she is an INCREDIBLE seamstress, phenomenal wife, and terrific mama to sweet a sweet baby boy. to my girls she is "aunt jill"...and to me, well, truly she is another sister. go on, head over...check out the precious pictures of her little man...show her some love...cause, i already know...you're gonna love her!

6-Amy @ Amy's Blah, Blah Blogging...i also know amy in the real world...though we haven't seen each other for quite awhile. actually, we knew one another just after college...and quite frankly, in times of life that were kind of "strange" for both of us. but here we are now...married, with precious girls (her second is due in a couple months!). she's witty, kind, full of love for Jesus and her family...pop by, i know you will want to visit again! :)


8 comments:

Aminta said...

Lol, with a butter knife???? Well sheesh, that makes me not feel so bad aobut cutting my finger with an axe on Sunday. YES, I repeat, an AXE! ;)
Well, I personally think you should relax. And I would like you to know that I have had a very difficult time getting ideas to do with all of these scraps. sigh!
If you will love whatever I do for you, I PROMISE I will do the same for you! LOL
Hugs!
Aminta

Nancy M. said...

Cute pumpkins! I like the pictures of y'all with the pumpkins too! I am not good with knives either.

Wendi@EveryDayMiracles said...

You and Mike have such a fun story. :) I loved your random things. ::) It was very fun. YOu are so awesome to carve pumpkins with a drill. :) We carved pumpkins with a jigsaw one year. :)

Rebecca said...

love your pumpkins, the pictures of you and mike, your random things about yourself...so fun getting to know you a little more. and now i have to come up with some of my own...thanks a lot! ;)! oh, and jonathan and i are also not the type of people to keep trying for more kids until we have a boy..we'd be perfectly content with little girls if that's what God intends :). oh...and yes, you must try that pumpkin tea...so very tasty! wish we could sit down and have a cup.

Jessica Jean said...

I was so excited about getting your comment and can't wait to have such wonderful blogging buddies that my sis talks about so frequently. Your pumpkins were so cute, I havn't carved one in ages either sham sham on me I might go snatch one of my sisters that she planted a couple years ago and carve one up! XOXO

Colored With Memories said...

i love their initial letter pumpkins! i WILL be stealing that idea for next year. now i just have to remember!

Nancy M. said...

Amanda, you won my contest! I sent you an e-mail.

Carrie said...

Looooooooooove the pics!!
I'll get my 6 random things posted soon. I haven't been very good at blogging lately.