Zachary loses another tooth!

Zachary lost another tooth! He has been trying all week to get me to pull that tooth out for him. Scott even tied some string around it and the door knob. He slammed it shut a couple of times and that tooth wouldn't budge. The string broke instead! He asked his PE teacher to pull it out yesterday! I'm just glad I didn't have to do it, I hate causing people pain! He was really proud of it. He wanted to go to sleep early in the day, so the toothfairy would come. She came and brought him $5!!! Must be an increase in the cost of living, because when I was little I was lucky if I get shiny quarter! He was a little dissappointed this morning when he asked him when his new tooth was going to come in. I told him it would probably take all summer, since the new one hasn't even came to the surface yet. I don't think that tooth was ready to come out yet, but Zachary was determined he was going to get his $5 from the toothfairy!

This was written with me in mind!

I recently read the article below in Guideposts and I loved it. Oh how, I can relate to that woman for I too, am one of those people that everyone loves to tell their troubles too. At work, if I see a strange car, I try to avoid eye contact for fear they are going to stop me and ask me for directions. Everyone always stops me and asks me for directions, advice, etc. Usually complete strangers. But now after reading this article, I thought she has a great view. Maybe I should do as she does and simply relay everyone’s troubles to God. I like that idea. They say everyone has a purpose in life-maybe that’s mine. Glad I found it, after 36 years. I could have saved some dough on college, too-I think I definitely missed my calling-I should have been a therapist. Enjoy!

“All Ears” by Genie Dickerson, Bellevue, WA.

Published in Guideposts April 2008

When folks look at me, it seems that all they see are my ears! I guess I'm just one of those people. Strangers come up to me and pour their hearts out. "I used to write books and teach college," a homeless man told me wistfully one day as I was walking to an ATM, "but part of my life is gone." I listened and nodded. That's me—always a shoulder to cry on.Once, a checker at the supermarket stopped in the middle of bagging my groceries to tell me her family wanted their own home, but couldn't afford it. "Prices are too high here," I agreed.Another clerk grumbled to me about her aching feet. Then one day she stepped out from behind the register to show me her new therapeutic shoes and get my opinion of them.

Sometimes, after hearing everyone else's problems, I feel exhausted. Drained. I want to cry out, "Let me tell you about my family problems, health worries, money troubles for a change!"Not long ago, the owner of a local café took me aside. She told me her waitress' husband had recently died. I could see she was devastated and needed to talk. We did, for a long while.When I got home, I decided to pray. I always take my troubles straight to God. (He's the Great Listener.) I mentioned the café owner, the waitress and her family. And all the people I'd met. That's when it hit me: Maybe my job is to listen. Not to take on others' troubles, but to pass them on to the Lord, relay them up the line. I know that God will comfort those people as only he can. So now I look at myself in the mirror, and I don't notice my wrinkles, just my two big ears!Listening doesn't feel like a burden anymore. It feels like a privilege—even a blessing.

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Emma's Birthday Party at School!

Emma and Kara having some cupcakes!

Her Class sings "Happy Birthday"

I went to Emma's school for her birthday party in her classroom. She wanted me to bring a balloon for her like one of the other girl's mom did for her birthday party at school the week before. So I somehow thought it would be a good idea to bring nine latex balloons and one mylar balloon to a preschool classrooom on a windy day to top it off! Well, you can imagine the parts that I left out. Let's just say half way down the sidewalk, I was thinking maybe this isn't such a good idea afterall. But I guess it was worth it, when Emma looked at me and gave me the thumbs up and said "Good job Mom."

Recipe for Homemade Sugar Scrub

Makes a Great Mother's Day Present!
Ingredients

• Clean and dry glass or plastic jars with tight fitting lids
• 1/4 cup jojoba, almond or baby oil
• A couple of tablespoons of lemon juice
• 1/2 cup white sugar
• Essential oil (like lavender)
• 1 cup of brown sugar

Directions:

1. Mix the brown sugar and the white sugar together in a large bowl and set aside.
2. Mix the liquid ingredients together in a small bowl. First the oil, lemon juice, and finally the essential oil. Add this in small increments, incorporating as you go to reach the desired fragrence potency.
3. Combine liquids with the sugars and mix until a paste consistency is achieved. Add more oil if the mixture seems too dry, or more sugar if it is too wet.
4. Add the scrub mixture to your containers and seal with a tight fitting lid.

Happy Mother's Day!

Happy Mother’s Day to all my friends!

As mothers, we are called upon God to do our best to raise our children with love. On the days when I think I cannot wait until their bedtime, I try to remember that their time with me is only temporary and I try to find the extra strength within myself to be patient. It usually works if I think good thoughts for a moment. If all else fails I say to myself, “What would a Proverbs 31 mom do?” That usually kicks me in the pants and helps me get through my moment of weakness. Proverbs 31 is the story of the virtuous woman who works hard for her family to provide the best of all things for them. My favorite verse is “and her lamp does not go out at night.” Mothers are always on duty, ready to rise to the occasion, whether it’s a scared child in a thunderstorm or a glass of water in the middle of the night. Being a Mom is a blessing. Our children are special. It is worth every lost hour of sleep, every pair of new shoes that I cannot buy for myself, and every cookie or bowl of ice cream that I cannot eat all by myself. Love is both a mother’s work and a mother’s reward. When I want to go to the store by myself and my children really want to go, I try to remember the life I had before them-the one that was lonely and went to the store alone and smiled sweetly at the moms with children running wild in the store. And it is then that I realize what a joy it is to have these two beautiful children who want to spend time with me, who think that I am the Best Mom in the World. I might as well enjoy it while it lasts!

As you celebrate Mother’s Day with your family, remember the story of the virtuous woman and may your children rise up and call you blessed.
Proverbs 31: 10-31

HAPPY MOTHER’S DAY!

What we are is God’s gift to us. What we become is our gift to God