moms like me

Too often we're standoff-ish when it comes to children. I completely understand why and definitely appreciate strangers keeping their distance from my children. However, when my child is in need and I'm not present to assist, it's comforting to know there is a mom who can give a hug and dry a tear. Such a mom was attentive to my daughter today and I am grateful for her.

My daughter's class is making Christmas cards for a four year old little boy fighting Leukemia. I don't know what time today they were working on this project, but when I arrived to pick her up from her after school activities around 5:30 she was a mess of tears. She has a delicate, caring heart and is frightened that the little boy will die. I was caught off guard to turn the corner and see her sitting out from the activities, crying. But there was another mom and her two daughters who stuck around to comfort her. I don't know how long they had hung out to give hugs and console, but I am very grateful for their concern.

Take a minute to help someone in need. It will absolutely mean the world to them and will do wonders for you.
-Casey

christmas with a capital "C" - gofish guys

http://www.gofishguys.com/cms/

giving your best this christmas

No doubt, Christmas is the most stressful time of year (with Tax Day coming in a tight second). We let the stress in. We feed it like a lost kitten and can't seem to push it out the door. Why? I blame it on the world we live in. There's pressure to give your kids the same expensive gifts their peers are likely receiving, the calendar fills quickly with obligatory holiday parties, and your paycheck fails to grow even though your expenditures for the month are larger than any other time of year. What to do, what to do ...

Perhaps recalling the real reason we celebrate December 25th will put things in perspective and push the stress out the door for good.

Therefore the Lord himself will give you a sign: The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel. - Isaiah 7:14, NIV

This world was promised a savior, Immanuel - God with us. Thank God for sending us His only begotten son, for providing salvation through him, and for the blood that washes away our sins. The best way to praise and show true appreciation? Serving others. The time has already passed to package and send a shoebox for Operation Christmas Child, but it's not too late to pick up an angel, contribute to Toys for Tots, volunteer at a soup kitchen, donate non-perishables to your local food bank, or donate coats and blankets to those less fortunate. These are among the best gifts that any of us can give.

As for our children and other loved ones, give from the heart instead of the purse. Choose one smart, heartfelt gift that you know will be appreciated. For those blessed with a giving heart such as yours, consider making a donation to their favorite charity as their gift.

You'll be amazed at how good giving to those in need can make you feel. It's the ultimate stress reliever. God bless you this Christmas.
-Casey

sharing information is good!

Wanted to share some new finds with you:

• Free Thanksgiving Crafts E-Book! If you click around, you'll find several free e-books to download, all overflowing with crafting ideas.
• $10 off a $25 Yankee Candle purchase with this coupon. Valid through 12/12/09!
• Download the Martha Stewart Thanksgiving Recipes E-Book for free!
• Download Paula Deen's Holiday Hosting Guide for free, too!
• Free holiday supplement of The Old Schoolhouse. Great kid activity pages included!

Thanks to The Frugal Girls for freely sharing these awesome deals and steals!

finding craft ideas

I have found some of the neatest home-related gift and craft ideas in the Lowe's Creative Ideas magazine. The subscription is free! See the sample magazine for instructions to make a jewelry box from fencepost caps and pressed flower acrylic coasters. Those two projects will tide you over until your first issue arrives.

Go where the crafters go (or at least one of the places crafters go) - Michael's! Check out their awesome Handmade Holiday Guide for free instructions to begin molding your next great gift. I've already found an idea that I plan to put together for at least one person - the Peppermint Holiday Candlescape. Talk about super easy (and pretty cheap). This one's a "well, duh!" See the Michael's calendar for free demo days, too.

Consider this. USE ideas from one place but purchase the items SOMEWHERE ELSE. I can't over emphasize the savings that can be realized at the Dollar Tree. Seriously. Why pay $10 for a candle and another $10 for a glass plate to create that Peppermint Holiday Candlescape? I know I can pick up the plate and the candle for $1 each at the Dollar Tree. Not to mention peppermint candies. I'll have to investigate the cheapest place to buy a hurricane lamp glass. Michael's might actually be the best bet on that piece of the puzzle. For the red balls seen in the photo, check out the Christmas decorations for cheap beaded garland. If you find it, cut it apart and use the beads for this instead. :o)

I forgot to mention one of my favorite crafts from quite a few years ago. I made several of these for Christmas gifts and even had one or two of my own. The Mason jar soap dispenser! It's easy and if you know someone who has a country or primitive influence in their decor, I encourage you to give this one a whirl.

Supplies:

• Mason canning jar with seal and lid (size doesn't matter and the old zinc lid won't work for this)
• Cheap liquid hand soap with a pump dispenser
• scrap fabric and twine

Find something to puncture a hole in the middle of the jar seal. It needs to be big enough to fit the soap pump into. (I say "find something" because that's how I work. I rummage through the junk drawer until I find one of my husband's screwdrivers or something to push a hole through metal. Not safe, but that's how it works in my house.)

Cut a piece of scrap fabric in a square large enough to cover the seal, be screwed on underneath the lid and still hang out along the side of the jar a little bit. Think old fashioned jelly jars that your Aunt Millie made your mom every year.

Cut a hole in the center of the fabric only large enough to let the soap pump through.

PUTTING IT TOGETHER: Fill the jar about 2/3 full of liquid soap. Put the seal on the jar, followed by the scrap material. Push the soap dispenser down through the material and the seal. Screw on the ring. Tie a piece of twine around the lid. Just knot it. Nothing frilly. Leave a length of no more than one inch.

As my two year old would say, "Ta da!"

Perhaps I'll make another one of these jars soon and post a picture. I looked through Google images but didn't find one like what I've made in the past. This tells me that if you make one of these, it will be a unique gift!

two people are better than one

"Two people are better than one. They can help each other in everything they do." -Ecclesiastes 4:9 NIrV

As I prepare to lead third graders at church tomorrow, I am pondering the above verse from the Bible. To best convey the message, I should demonstrate how it works in my own life. I don't know that I'll use these, but they're what's on my mind after my daughter's birthday party.

For today's seventh birthday party, various tasks required more than me to complete. As nine children gathered around a table to paint pottery, it took each mother's assistance to get them situated. They needed help picking their porcelain treasures and choosing exactly the right paint. Settling nine kids would have taken one mother quite a while, but with the help of four others, it went smoothly.

I couldn't be everywhere at once or multi-task to the nth degree to pull off today's party. It took the help of my husband. He compared pizza prices and placed the order, entertained comrades, and picked up the plastic forks I failed to remember the day before. If not for him, the pizza would have been more expensive and arrived much later. I would have had anxious men tapping their toes around petite Picassos, and we might have had to eat with plastic knives, of which I seem to have an abundance.

Without grandmothers and mothers cooperating to achieve a successful party, the dropped plates of party food, spilled drinks, and too-beautiful-to-cut cake might have proved to be too much for this already frazzled birthday girl's mom. If any of you party warriors are reading, thank you. You're a blessing to me and I hold you close in my heart.

-Casey

"come in, blogspot"

I think of myself as pretty technologically savvy, but then again, everything is relative.

I am on a team of folks about to jointly lead some sister organizations into the social media world. A consultant has been hired and as skeptical as I was, he taught me a few things today.

I've looked at iGoogle a few times but dismissed it. I get the gist of dashboards, but have so much more to do with my social networking than status updates. Therefore, a dashboard is quite limiting. However, I'm writing this blog post from a gadget on my iGoogle page. We'll see if it comes through ... :o)

A couple of other tidbits I took away from today are Ping.fm. I've seen references to it, but never have had the time to investigate it. I will be now. According to Nhat Pham, our consultant, you can write one status at Ping.fm and it will distribute that status update to all of your social networks.

Another cool tool is Xobni (inbox, spelled backwards). It's an Outlook add-in and is basically a social media dashboard, too. Wonder if our IS department will have a fit if I download it and hook it up?

I'm looking forward to our next meeting and to what Mr. Pham has up his sleeve ...

crafty christmas, part iii

• You know those recipe cards I mentioned? Expand on those hand-written lovelies by including a nice dish towel and a wooden spoon, all tied up with raffia.
• Make your own soap. Buy clear glycerin soap and soap molds at any craft store. Use photo editing software to size your favorite picture to fit the soap mold, then print it on a transparency and cut to fit the mold. Follow the directions to melt down the glycerin. Layer the mold: half glycerin, transparent image, remainder of glycerin. Let the soap set up and then pop it out of the mold. I made a bar of soap with an image of my daughter for my mom. I thought it was a practical gift, but I don't think she's washed her hands with it even once. :o)
  Another spin on this clear soap is to insert pressed flowers instead of an image. For kids or teens, tightly wrap a $5, $10, or $20 bill in saran wrap and pour the glycerin around it! Make 'em work for that money!

• Share a plant. I have a common houseplant that grows like mad and is very durable (trust me, I can nearly kill a plant just by looking at it). It's called Devil's Ivy (Golden Pothos) and doesn't require much maintenance at all. As if that isn't reason enough to keep this guy around, you can cut and generate a new plant lickety-split. If you have a similar plant, consider cutting a vine, propogating it in water and planting it for a gift.
• Gift baskets don't have to cost an arm and a leg. Browse clearance bins, the $1 section at Target and Michael's, or even the Dollar Tree with a keen eye. For $10 you can create a gift basket. Michael's has stationery goods for $1 each - note pads, pens, magnets candles, and more. The Dollar Tree is a great place to create a hair goodies basket for a little girl. Fill a basket or pail with a pack of combs, a brush, barrettes, name-brand shampoo and pony tail holders. If the packaging is the only thing from holding you back from a cheap purchase, unwrap it. Who says you can't give loose pony tail holders and combs? For one, loose goods make the basket look fuller and two, the stuff isn't screaming "SHE'S CHEAP!" just because there isn't a popular name brand attached to it.
• It's been a number of years since I cross-stitched anything and I have projects left undone. Charts can be costly, so make Google your best friend. This site, Alita Designs, has some of the best free charts I've found (you'll find a lot of cheesie stuff before you find good stuff when searching online). The cost of fabric and floss won't seem so bad if you find a chart for free. Now to just find the time ...
• Smelly sachets always make a woman smile. Find a good-smelling potpourri (come on, y'all know not all potpourri actually smells good), and a piece of scrap fabric. Cut the fabric into two squares (about 3x3 will do) and turn them with their right sides out. Stitch three sides (trust me, these are cuter the more primitive they look) and fill with potpourri. Stitch up the final side and voila!  Make two more, tie a pretty ribbon around them and you're all set.

crafty christmas, part ii

As promised, I brainstormed and remembered some other crafty (or cheap) Christmas gifts from the past.

• Peppermint Cocoa! You know, I had a "made from scratch" recipe but I'm unable to locate it at the moment. Here's the next best thing ... Swiss Miss Hot Cocoa is like .97/box at Wal-Mart. Buy a box, open all the packets and dump them in a bowl. Open a bunch of peppermint candies and toss them in a food processor. Pulse until it's really fine and then dump the peppermint into the bowl with the cocoa. Mix well and then pour into an air-tight container. I have found that Mason jars work well. You can add a scrap of fabric between the lid and the ring, tie some twine or raffia around the lid, and add a nicely decorated tag with the measurements for mixing. By the way, that's about a third of a cup of cocoa to a cup of boiling water. ;)
• Favorite Family Recipes. There are two ways to go about this. Find a nice set of recipe cards, write out the recipes, and tie them up with a ribbon. Or, go to http://www.blurb.com/ to create your own really nice book. They're priced $4.95 to $59.95. I have not gone this hi-tech route because I've always liked the personal touch of writing the cards myself, but when I'm ready to gift recipes again, I think I'll invest the time to actually make a cookbook.
• Beeswax Taper Candles. Buy sheets of beeswax at most any craft store with candle making supplies. Also buy wicks. Cut the wick to the length of the beeswax sheet and begin rolling the beeswax sheet tightly around the wick. It's cute when you gift these in pairs. Tie them with raffia or a pretty ribbon and give them away.

crafty christmas

At first I was bummed at the thought of Christmas this year, as far as gift-giving, anyway. I'm a giver. Always have been. And I'm no stranger to crafty Christmases. I thought I'd share some of the gifts that I have created in the past, in case you're having a strapped-for-cash year, too. Some of these aren't necessarily crafts, but just really cheap gifts.

• The name Vistaprint sometimes induces a snarl. I have yet to figure that out. I love Vistaprint. I created address labels and personalized note cards to combine as a stationery gift one year and hardly spent any money. Sign up for their enewsletter for really great deals - often free stuff.
• Marbled Ornaments: Buy clear glass ornaments (a 4 or 6 pack is just a few dollars at Wal-Mart) and a couple of colors of cheap acrylic paint (again, only about .75-.99 each). Squeeze a bit (no more than about 1/2 teaspoon) of one color at a time into the ornament and swirl it around. Repeat with as many colors as you wish, but beware that too much paint = yucky non-drying blob. Once you've coated the inside of the ornament, place the ornament with the hole faced down inside of a plastic cup so that the extra paint will drip out and allow the ornament to dry overnight. Replace the cap and tie a ribbon or twine around the loop for decoration.
• Clear ornaments go a long way. Fill them with small bits of potpourri, sprigs of evergreen, glittery artificial snow, or use a fine tip paint pen to decorate the outside.
• Make scented bath salts! Mix three cups of epsom salt, two cups of baking soda, and one cup of table salt in a bowl. Add food coloring, keeping in mind that the more you add, the darker the salt will be. Add your choice of essential oil to scent the salts. It would be good to make the scent kind of match the color. Know what I mean? And make it kind of strong so that a little of the salt goes a long way for each bath. To package, find an air-tight jar. I'll bet you can find some for .50 at Goodwill. They always have a lot of glass knick-knacky items.
• Kids to buy for? Make them a coloring book. Google "free coloring pages" and you'll get page after page of results. My faves are Crayola and Coloring Book Fun, which has Christian Christmas pages. Choose your pages, print them, and then create some kind of booklet for them. Wrap up the booklet with crayons and colored pencils for a quick gift.

• Little ballerinas or dress-up divas on your list? You'd be surprised how easy it is to make a tutu. Get your girl's waist measurement and cut a wide piece of elastic about an inch shorter. Purchase your choice of colored tulle and cut it into various lengths (from about 12 to 20 inches). Then settle in to begin knotting the tulle around the elastic. I found it helpful to stretch the elastic over the back of a dining room chair to tie the tulle on. Fill the elastic with as much tulle as possible to create a fun, full, fluffy tutu. Embellish if you want. I have tied ribbon sporadically in between the tulle for a pop of color and shimmer. Small irridescent beads are also a nice addition.

• Are you the shutterbug of your family? I love Shutterfly and their photobooks are superb. Just upload your images and their new Simple Path book creator will do the rest. It's a smart utility, pairing like images together on a page. Of course, you have the control to edit the layout completely, if you choose. The 7x9 soft cover book is on sale right now - 20 pages for $12.99. A 20-page hard cover 12x12 is on sale for $43.99. Makes a great gift for grandparents.

I'll give my past Christmases more thought and follow up with additional ideas in a few day. Thrifty Christmas!
-------------
UPDATE:
Yu-um! Here's a gift I think I'll try this year. Add the dry fixin's in a nice mug so my recipient can make their own "Cake in a Mug"! Looks super easy and wa-a-a-y good.

something so simple ...

It's amazing what something as simple as a haircut and four foils of highlights can do for a woman's spirit. Those sporadic slivers of silver now share space with golden honey. The six or seven weeks of extra growth since my last cut is on the floor of the salon. It's a literal and metaphorical load lightened. I am grateful.

i'm stronger

I'm stronger now than 23 months ago.

• I accepted a job that I had not been seeking; it found me. With my husband's complete support, I went for it. I uprooted my children and moved them more than two hours east of their family. My husband gave up his business, willing to start again in a new location.

I'm stronger now than 16 months ago.

• The home we left behind had not sold and our egos were too big to accept less-than-stellar offers. We could not close on the new house until the other one sold. Our bills were late and my husband's business had not taken off the way we thought it would. Our savings were wiped out. Together, my husband and I scraped up every bit of change in the house to buy groceries. It was about $60 total and it fed us until the next paycheck came.

I'm stronger now than 14 months ago.

• My husband learned that the financing package we qualified for no longer existed. Unable to close on our new house, we were forced to leave and rent a smaller, more affordable one. We could not afford new school clothes for our daughter or warmer clothes for our one year old son. I was ashamed, but for the first time in many years, I asked our families for help. They went above and beyond.

I'm stronger now than 8 months ago.

• Our family of four settled into Southside Church. We joined a small group led by a newbie herself. She became a dear friend, praying with and for us week after week. Our home still had not sold, but at least my husband's work had finally picked up.

I'm stronger now than 5 months ago.

• Daunted from waiting on things to change, my husband proceeded down the genetic trail of his father - alcohol. I had already given up wine several months before and was striving to walk more in line with God and the principles of our church. I was disappointed that he was not doing likewise. He was not trying hard enough, I thought.

I'm stronger now than 3 months ago.

• Already near a melting point, I received a blow I never saw coming. Shaken literally to my knees, I didn't know which way to turn or what to do. I turned to God and prayed for the father of my children. (At this juncture, I felt very far removed from calling him my husband.) I prayed that whatever was missing in his life he'd be able to find through a relationship with God.

I'm stronger now than 1 month ago.

• I'd had a long day of work and my children were excited to finally be home after their day away, too. They were boisterous. They were being themselves. I, on the other hand, was not being myself, but the person I'd let myself become from the past few months of emotional chaos. They weren't listening when I spoke. They refused to obey or even pretend they heard me. I picked up a remote from beside me on the couch and I threw it at them. I missed my daughter's head by inches. It was time for a change.
    
  In the days that followed, I saw my doctor and had a full blood panel analysis. I was deficient in Vitamin D and Calcium. In addition to taking those supplements each day, I take a low dose selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor (or anti-depressant) now, too. I fell into the same trap as many other Christians. I believed that if I prayed hard enough ... if I tried hard enough ... that I'd be able to manage. I did that for a long time. Not to discredit my mother, but mama always said, "The Lord never gives you more than you can handle." To an extent, I still believe that, but I also know that God gave us doctors for a reason - to treat and heal us with His help.

I'm stronger now than 1 day ago.

• God puts people in our paths for a reason. I continue to pray that I'm rubbing off on the company I keep, as I no longer allow them to rub off on me. I pray that they will see God's light shining through me and will at least give a second thought to their actions and reactions. (If y'all are reading, I mean no disrespect and you know I love you. I want the best for you.) Being challenged on my beliefs and morals are uncomfortable situations for me. When given the chance to stand up as a pro-lifer, I sat silent. I doubt I'll let that happen again.

So are the hurdles I've faced in the past two years gone? Nope. My house is still unsold. I'm still renting a sardine can. We're still struggling to pay all the bills. My husband is still fighting his habit. But I'm still praying and leaning on others to pray with me. And we are able to buy groceries these days! :o)

What are your hurdles? Is there anything I can pray for you about? Feel free to comment.

What is impossible with men is possible with God. -Luke 18:27

trunk or treat!

A safe Halloween alternative to the traditional door-to-door trick-or-treating is Trunk or Treat. Join us at Southside Church from 6 until 8!

http://www.southsidechurchva.org/

snoop d. o. double g on the mic in applebee's

At my last recollection, Applebee's was a pretty family-friendly establishment. But tonight's dinner ambiance was provided by Snoop D. O. Double G and other artists rhyming risqué songs. If I didn't have a seven year old at the table, I might not have thought a thing about it. However, Applebee's was nearly dead on this Friday night and there wasn't much conversation to drown out lyrics laced with the words "booty" and "thong". I'm pretty sure one of the college-aged waiters plugged his iPod into the sound system while no one was looking. Bad move, Applebee's. From now on, I'll be looking to eat good in another neighborhood.

a father's lasting impression

It's 3-something AM and I can't sleep. A coughing, restless child has made it impossible, so lying in bed, my mind wanders. I recount the time spent with my parents, brother, his wife and daughters yesterday, as we laughed hysterically over bowls of mama's soul-warming homemade chili.

My mind wanders specifically to my daddy. I love how he doesn't change. The way he tells a story is one of the things I love most. Try to picture it: Anticipation rises as he clinches the right side of his mouth and grins through the left. He's stifling his laugh and trying to gain enough composure to tell the story that's bubbling up. He hurriedly gets a few words out, gives a hearty laugh, smooths his mustache and beard, and continues on. His eyes sparkle and dance as we're on the edge of our seats, just knowing it's going to be great.

One of my favorites is a story that honestly, I can't remember anything but the end of. It's a tale of a drunkard who encounters wasps in a wood pile. He spryly dances around, swatting at the air, yelling, "Woooo! Wasp-es! Wasp-es!" (Not much of a story, I know. Guess you'd have to be there to see the dancing and swatting re-enactment.)

Another is about a man trying to call home - collect - on a pay phone. He repeatedly tells the operator that he wants to call Lexington, but he can't pronounce the "L" and so it comes out "Wexington." She tells him she can't find any listings for a Wexington, Virginia, and there is no such place. He tells her, "the hewwl 'er ain't, I wiv' 'er!" >I'm in stitches every time!<

Oh, how it really, genuinely does my heart good to recount his silly stories. And how it aches to see him feeling older than his age. He's the epitome of hard work as a 60+ hour-a-week, calloused-hand farmer and mechanic. His obvious regret for all of the work-invested hours that maybe should have been family-invested is a heavy burden. Now that my brother and I are grown and have children, he realizes that time has passed him by. The reward for his realization is ours, as he makes time for his grandchildren and for us ... when we deduct our work-invested time to family-invest it with him.

protecting my treasures

The pirates are always stealing my treasure. "What pirates?" you might ask. Anger, selfishness, busyness, and financial burdens, just to name a few.

I met a woman blessed by God and sharing His love this past weekend. Melissa Taylor enlightened 49 ladies and myself about piracy. Piracy is the unauthorized use of another's production. In "religious" terms, it's Satan's unauthorized use of God's creation. Specifically, you and I. Satan has no authority over us and if we order him out of our lives in the name of Jesus Christ, he will be forced out. While that sounds easy enough, Satan is continually feeding negative, hateful or deceitful thoughts into our minds. Self-doubt comes from Satan, just as self-absorption.

Saturday night, I forced out the pirates in exchange for God's treasure - a verse of His Word just for me.

Trust in the LORD with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways acknowledge Him, and He will make your paths straight. -Proverbs 3:5-6

Basically, if I'll only trust God completely and without doubt, He'll show me my way and reveal the plans He has for me.

So long, house hanging over my head!

So long, quick temper!

So long, time deprivation!

Today I spent the morning hours in devotional time. "Dwell time with God," as a new friend put it, must be a priority in my life. While I do not have three hours each day to study and breathe in His Word, I will be carving out at least an hour. The more time I spend with Him, the farther away the pirates will be.

Blessings to you, friends.
-Casey

parenting is tough work

Today's sermon was great. The teen pastor at our church delivered the message and while we don't yet have a teen, the message was still incredibly powerful and brought me to tears. My friends often hear me worry aloud that I'm running out of time with my daughter. She's almost seven, highly impressionable, and typically concerned with what is perceived as cool and fun. This is where I thank God that we continue to scrape up enough money to send her to a Christian school. I think we're able to circumvent some of what other parents of this age are dealing with just by removing her from the mainstream culture.

With that last thought expressed, let me say that it is not my desire to raise my children in a bubble. I do not wish them to be ridiculously naive or unable to function within society. Rather, I do believe (and have always believed) that if a child doesn't know what she's missing, she doesn't know what she's missing. Why expose her to situations and circumstances that she really doesn't need to experience?

I've made this argument for funerals, for example. She really doesn't need to attend a funeral just for the sake of going. The only time I give in on this issue is when it's a close family member that will actually be absent from her day-to-day. Arguments made against me are proposterous and include "but she won't know how to deal with death if you wait until she's older." Says who? We're all different and we all deal with things differently.

Back on point ...

If I'm doing my job as a Christian mother, then my child should turn out okay. What does mothering the "right way" look like? Here are bullet points from today's sermon. Make no mistake, this entry is more of a reminder for me than it is meant to be good reading for you, although I do hope that you can take something away from this.

• Guard your heart: God's love for you can rule your life. Satan's hatred for you can ruin your life if you're not guarded.
• Guard your time: We need to know what our mission is and stay focused on it. Keeping your mission in focus will clarify difficult decisions.
• Guard your kids: Don't follow the culture's example in how to raise your kids. Pray for God's glory, guidance and guts to live for Him.

"Whoever shows your son/daughter the most attention and acceptance wins their affection."

I have experienced that last sentiment, as my family knows. A dear friend of mine recently had the sex, drugs and alcohol talk with her "newly teenaged" daughter. I'm praying for them - that somehow this beloved daughter will be spared the peer pressure and that her parents stand strong in their expectations and discipline. As the Pastor put it - parents should be the most accepting and attentive people in kids' lives. When that's true, the parents win the affection.

"Be happy, young man, while you are young, and let your heart give you joy in the days of your youth. Follow the ways of your heart and whatever your eyes see, but know that for all these things God will bring you to judgment." -Ecclesiastes 11:9

prayers are answered, really

If you've ever doubted that God is listening, I'm here to tell you that He most certainly is. The key is knowing that nothing is ever done on our schedule, but on His.

We've felt downtrodden about prayers not answered immediately, as our need seems immediate when we finally fall to our knees and ask for His help. What we don't recognize is that God always makes a way when the way seems impossible.

For example, my family has called Chesterfield County home for almost two years. It has not been a comfortable time for us. We've been challenged to put all of our trust in God and know that our lives truly are in His hands. Why? For nearly two years we have both owned a home and rented a home. At the same time. Simultaneously. That's tough stuff in the current economic climate.

We have foregone nicer clothes and shoes and have been humbled to ask for help clothing our children. One thing was not sacrificed during this time, however. Though the monthly tuition payment has been late on occasion, we've put our daughter's walk with Jesus Christ in a Christian school above all else. We are now fortunate enough to have finally found a Christian sitter for our son! The friends you make in fellowship are the best friends indeed. Shared values are priceless when asking others to assist in the care and education of your children.

For the blessings we've received these past two years, we give praise to God. For the trials that have strengthened our relationship with Him, we give praise as well. Friends, it's not all about us. It's about our relationship with the Creator and praising Him for His gifts of grace, salvation, and all things received in this short life on Earth.

tweeting with the weatherman

The question was, "What's your favorite fair food?" I replied ...



How cool is that?! CBS 19 out of Charlottesville. Aired 7/28/09 @ 5:15 p.m. Thanks to my new friend @wood_brothers21 (yes, as in Wood Brothers Racing) for capturing my and his tweet on the screen. Woo hoo!

there's only one certainty in life ...

... we all gon' die.

I pray for clear direction from God. I feel like I don't take suggestions or hints from Him very well, so I pray for obvious signs. I wonder if they're right in front of me and I'm still oblivious to them. Will my house ever sell? Were we really supposed to uproot our family? "It was too easy" is what we've told everyone, but what if it was easy because it was a trap? I feel like we're living in darkness most days, so it must be the work of the devil. Nothing in life is easy, so should we continue to believe that the Lord guided us to where we are? Furthermore, are we guided anyway? We are divinely created with the ability to choose. With that said, does He lead or does He let us choose our own path even though He knows the consequence?

Caitlin's Kasey Kahne Collection

My daughter, Caitlin, had a great time at RIR in May. She waited for Kasey Kahne to exit the pits after qualifying but instead got Clint Bowyer's autograph on her 9 hat. Clint called her "sweetie," but she was less than enthused, since it's not who she went to see. She got tired of waiting for Kasey and was pretty crushed to have not seen him.

She enjoyed the race and cheered equally across all makes and models. She made it about half way through the race before she curled up on the bleacher and conked out.

Kasey, if you're reading this, a six-year-old in Virginia loves ya! Email us at jccjhiggins@gmail.com - she'll write back. :)

*The last three pictures in the slide show were snapped in Fall 2008 at Martinsville, when I was lucky enough to have pit passes.

fishing pocahontas

My husband surprised the three of us Saturday when he came home from a job earlier than expected. "Get up and get dressed," he said as he came through the door, as I was still perched on the couch in my pj's with the laptop at 11 a.m. (same place I was when he left a few hours prior).

A quick stop for a Virginia fishing license and we were off to Pocahontas State Park. It was pretty busy. We could smell the hot dogs before we came to the first pavilion. Ahh ... summer. The pool was full and the playgrounds empty.

We scouted the banks of Swift Creek Lake for a location that wouldn't inhibit the casting of a six year old and found an ideal spot. While our fishergirl did get nibbles, she didn't land anything. A little guy nearby caught his first fish, however. A bass, I overheard.

WHEN YOU GO:
* Parking: $4 weekdays; $5 weekends
* Events: Pocahontas Premieres concert series is $10/ticket + parking; advance purchase and season tickets available. 12 and under free. Three free concerts slated for 2009.
* Camping: $25 for electric & water
* Pet-Friendly
* Boating: $3 launch fee; no gas-powered; rent a canoe or kayak
* Swimming: varies by age (free to $8)
* Hiking, biking & bridle trails; no bike or horse rentals
* Seven picnic shelters

Enjoy Virginia's State Parks - voted "America's Best".

a great mennonite-run greenhouse

A most welcome highlight to my day was a stop by a greenhouse I used to frequent with my mother. Milmont Greenhouses on Route 340 in Stuarts Draft, VA has the best prices on gorgeous, overflowing hanging baskets! I took home two beautiful 10" purple Calibrachoa baskets for $14.99 each. While that was the reason for my stop, your adventure will yield trees, shrubs, Henri Fountains, a wide variety of potting goods, gardening clogs and tools, flags, and of course, row upon row of flats full of annuals and perennials.

If you find yourself traveling through the Valley tomorrow (May 30), be sure to swing by for their Rose Festival. You'll score 10% off roses and rose accessories, plus be greeted with free homemade strawberry ice cream!

While you're in the area, visit The Cheese Shop. It's a hop, skip, and a jump down Route 340 to a right on Tinkling Spring Road. Yes, you can certainly buy cheese there, as well as bulk wheats, grains, cereals, spices, nuts, flours, and the list goes on. It's a true organic's paradise and even offers gluten-free products. We love the trail mix and bulk pretzels. Like Milmont, The Cheese Store is proudly run by Mennonites, and you're sure to return to both treasures to take advantage of the tremendous savings.

Happy Valley Shopping!

building a bombus terrestris

The SECOND science project of the year has rolled around just three weeks after the first. And my kid is only in first grade. I don't remember all this work as a six year old.

Anywho, with a great deal of help from her father, my daughter created a Bombus Terrestris, or a Bumblebee, if you prefer. It's ginormous, to be perfectly honest. Way bigger than I imagined it would be. The parts, laying separately, didn't look like they could create a finished product the size of this bee. It boasts a wingspan of 16" and it's length is 10". A pretty substantial furry bug, if you please.

Elements include
* floral foam (the head, abdomen and thorax are carved from it)
* thick gauge floral wire (the wing frames)
* yellow and black pipe cleaners (wrapped the body and created the legs)
* tissue paper (for the wings)
* black and white paint, either tempra or acrylic (white for the wings, black to paint the foam before covering with pipe cleaners)

happy day cake!

I've twittered about this a few times today and keep coming back to it. I just love the ideas presented here for a really fun, colorful birthday party! Except it doesn't have to be a birthday party - I can see making this fun cake and melting crayons any ol' day of the week.
Thoughtfully Simple is a great blog with crafty and creative things to do. And as we all know, crafty and creative is THE way to go in these penny-pinching days.

new pic of the house in lexington

This is a great view of the mountains behind the house and the potting shed!

lexington / rockbridge county, va home for sale

See this highly efficient 2005 rancher perched atop nearly seven acres with fantastic mountain vistas. Expansive master suite with custom walk-in closet, bath, office and screened porch makes a cozy retreat on the rear of the home. Two bedrooms and hall bath offer additional family comforts. The spacious kitchen boasts cherry cabinetry and marble countertops. All appliances, including a brand new wine chiller, are offered with the home.

The newly stained deck affords evening sun and beautiful mountain views, and the freshly mulched entry landscape nurtures new bulbs and maturing shrubbery. Find the potting shed behind the house to offer lawn tool and equipment storage, as well as electricity! It's a great retreat for hobbyists and horticulturists alike.

MORE INFORMATION * VIRTUAL TOUR

To make your appointment to see this gem on the hill, contact Cathy Shiflett with Homes for Sale in Rockbridge at 540.460.4004 or cdshiflett@aol.com.

love for ax men

I swear, we could watch nothing but the History Channel in my house and get by just fine. We watched the most recent episode of Ax Men tonight and, I've gotta tell ya, I'm disturbed every time they show a computer-generated accident scenario. James loves 'em and laughs every time. Kind of morbid, ain't it?

We agree that the S&S Aqua Logging operation could have been left out. That father and son operation is messed up, and a bunch of con men, to boot! How about those stolen Hoquiam River logs, eh?

While I don't have a favorite crew, I do have a few favorite loggers. That Levi Brown is a handsome fella (and I like his name, too), Dustin Dethlefs (DooWap) is a cool kid who's pretty level-headed, and his Daddy, Dwayne Dethlefs, keeps us in stitches. So maybe I do have a favorite crew - they're all part of Pihl Logging, who as of this writing, are in second for the log load count with 275.

Next week is the season finale and then it's on to Ice Road Truckers!

carl edwards - the flip camcorder

So now I feel like a big dork. Well, sorta. I wanted to replace our dinky Kodak EasyShare with a new lightweight digital that also shoots video. Lo and behold, a Nikon Coolpix landed in my lap on Mother's Day. Cool, huh? :) And then I'm stalking Carl Edwards (not really, but he's a cool guy and I was checking out his website - http://www.carledwards.com/) when I saw this fancy shmancy, handy little diddy. Think I'd like to trade in the Nikon on a Carl Edwards signature Flip!

10 minutes later ...
Holy Smoke! Didja know you can completely personalize that little sucker? I love Carl Edwards and his smooth back flip, but I created quite the beauty for myself. Now who's got $229 I can borrow?

okay, i'm ready to go

This warm weather is making me crazy. I'm ready for summer sunnin' on the beach and am even willing to stay at a waterside campground if necessary. We really enjoyed our one-day jaunts to Buckroe Beach last year and wouldn't mind staying at the Sans Souci Motel, but they've got a monopoly on the lodging. The nightly rate definitely reflects it, too.

Maybe the Holiday Trav-L-Park or First Landing State Park would be good choices, as I'd rather rent a cabin than stay in a tent. Both have cabins, and I was surprised to learn that FLSP is more expensive than Holiday.

Hmm ... definitely something to think about and plan for. No play makes Casey a dull (mean) girl.

hatfield-mccoy, here they come

It's the guys getaway weekend to the Hatfield-McCoy Trail in West Virginia and it's one of the loneliest, bummed-out weekends of the year for me. Although I gave a less than enthusiastic goodbye, I am trying to rise above for the remainder of the weekend. As of this writing at 10 p.m. on Friday, the kids and I have dismantled a bedroom and rearranged it. We still have the closet to tackle tomorrow and plan to sort through clothes and books for donation. After that task is complete, I'm not sure what we'll get into, but we're going to make it a weekend of surprises for Daddy when he returns home. That should be a sufficient "I'm Sorry" from me and a non-boring adventure for Cait. Then we can focus on the Spring Break week ahead and getting ready for Easter egg hunts and fun next weekend!

a cool afternoon out of the office

Though it's not a Speilberg flick and it doesn't star Tom Cruise, I was called from my cube Wednesday afternoon to be an extra in a short video clip. I won't say for what, as it's obviously work-related and I know Google alerts will certainly pick up this post ... no need to have my thoughts circulating through the office in a "news clips" email.

Suffice it to say that it was a beautiful day, I got a little sun, and walked back and forth on a sidewalk until my feet were on fire (I was in knee-high high-heel boots). You never know how the shots will be spliced together, so if this video is ever eligible for linking from this page, you may see me from the back as I leave the scene, from the front approaching the scene, or right up in the thick of it around the gentleman speaking. I was all over the place and it was a blast! Can't wait to see how it turns out.

The image is of a colleague as he practices his lines. It was taken with my BlackBerry Pearl, so it's not the best quality.

snowy sunday

There's barely anything on the ground yet, but my little buddy is amazed by the white stuff that's falling. This is fun until tomorrow. Need to work!

fireproof

After watching this great new movie, I appreciate my husband more than ever. What's disturbing (you'll have to watch the movie), is that a gentleman in church compared himself to Kirk Cameron's character last week. I can only hope he meant Kirk Cameron at the end of the movie and not the beginning.

I feel privledged to have had a great example of love and marriage in my parents. Though they began their journey at the tender ages of 17 and 19, they've made it look pretty easy. They are best friends and God's gift to each other. I do believe that God made a mate for each of us, and I am so blessed to have found mine so early in life.

Now go watch Fireproof!

"wives, submit to your husbands, as to the Lord" ... explained

CONFESSION: I was not steadfast in my faith and a devout follower of Jesus Christ on my wedding day.

My husband has been the spiritual leader of our home and has walked me in the direction of salvation and instilled in me an appreciation for the life God has planned for us. Being the least devout on our wedding day did not mean that I took our vows lightly or reluctantly. We promised before God, family and friends to love, comfort and keep one another, forsaking all others, in sickness and in health, for richer or poorer, 'til death do us part. That's heavy. Serious. A promise for the ages. We made it, we meant it, and there's no going back.

CONFESSION: We were married by both our pastors. James' pastor inserted verses of scripture that I was not familiar with (nor was my mother or apparently some other women in the congregation, as we were all pretty upset by it after the fact). Pastor quoted, "Wives, submit to your own husband, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body." (Eph. 5:22-23) Hold up. Excuse me, but did he say, submit?

Today it was better explained to me that this piece of scripture is perhaps more directed to the husband than to the wife, if you read it along with a few verses that follow.

"Wives, submit to your own husband, as to the Lord. For the husband is head of the wife, as also Christ is head of the church; and He is the Savior of the body. Therefore, just as the church is subject to Christ, so let the wives be to their own husbands in everything. Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ also loved the church and gave Himself for her that He might sanctify and cleanse her with the washing of water by the word, that He might present her to Himself a glorious church, not having spot or wrinkle or any such thing, but that she should be holy and without blemish. So husbands ought to love their own wives as their own bodies; he who loves his wife loves himself. For no one ever hated his own flesh, but nourishes and cherishes it, just as the Lord does the church." Ephesians 5:22-29

The definition provided in today's sermon was that if a husband nurtures his marriage in a Christ-like manor (respects and loves unconditionally, protects physically, emotionally and spiritually, provides for, and is willing to die for his wife), then the wife will return the respect and be willing to follow his lead without hesitation. That makes perfect sense and I'm happy to say that my marriage is a prime example. What a glorious day to be a follower of Jesus Christ!

In summary, "wives, submit to your husbands" does not mean that a man is allowed to smack around his wife and demand that she fix his dinner, etc. That man should be the example and possess the Christ-like traits mentioned above. Only then will he be worthy of being submitted to. No woman should be forced to submit by way of threat or fear. Marriage is born of love and grows through mutual respect. My married friends and family, take your promises seriously and find your way to enjoying the life God has planned for you.

Blessings,
Casey

"be careful" is a threat?

It's a shame that the American Idol judges are out of touch with good Southern hospitality. When did "y'all be careful" turn into a threat? I guess the poor guy having that Deliverance look to him probably didn't help matters ...

"that's not right"

Today, on the would-be 80th birthday of Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., I explained to my daughter in the best way I knew how what Dr. King meant to the world. As it's a national holiday, she and children across the country were absent from school today. Though we observe this holiday each year, it has probably never received as much attention as it did today. This is the Eve of Change. Our 44th president will be sworn into office tomorrow and he is the first African-American president. The quest for equality has come to fruition.

So how do you explain to a six-year-old what Dr. King did for the culture of America? Well, keep it personal and not too broad. My focus, for now, was on how her dark-skinned best friend would not have been allowed to go to her school if not for the efforts of Dr. King and others like him. And how they would not be able to drink from the same water fountains or eat in the same restaurants. It really hit home for her and she said "that's not right, Mama, that wasn't fair." She seemed to find it as irresponsible and hurtful as it really was. I guess that was a successful talk.

what's this G commercial?

I googled "g commercial" to find an explanation for this unexplained, website-less commercial about "G". Have you seen it? It features athletes like Cassius Clay (Muhammad Ali), Derek Jeter and the Walsh/May-Treanor volleyball chicks from the Olympics (though they're hardly recognizable, since their hair's down). A voice-over (Lil Wayne, I've found out) talks about G ... swagger, champion, dynasty, lower-case god ... but he never really tells us what G is.

Anyway, I was happy to find that I wasn't the only one scratching my head. The top result was titled just what I had asked myself, "What's this G commercial???" Turns out Gatorade is trying to re-brand itself. If you're curious, get the scoop here - http://weblogs.newsday.com/entertainment/celebrities_blog/2009/01/whats_this_g_commercial.html



Interested in who those masked dudes are at the end? They're America's Best Dance Crew - Jabbawockeez - and you can see them here ...