New pictures ... Yeah

A giveaway

So, here's how it works: the first 3 people to leave a comment on this post will receive, at some point during the year a handmade gift from me. What it will be and when it will arrive is a total surprise! The catch is that you must participate as well. Before you leave your comment, write up a pay it forward post on your blog to keep the fun going (or copy and paste like I did). Then come back, let me know you're going to play and sit back and anticipate the arrival of your gift!

I'm Invisible

I found this on The Daily Digi and felt it was really worth sharing with everyone.

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This is long, but worth reading and saving for a rainy day - you know, those days when you doubt if all the work you put into being a great mom is ever going to be noticed. The days where you think, “Oh, I used to be brilliant and cute and I used to look really good in jeans!” Save it for that day. Or if you’re having that day today, get your hankie out before you read on…

This is to all moms - and moms to be ———

“Excellence is the result of caring more than others think is wise, risking more than others think is safe, dreaming more than others think is practical, and expecting more than others think is possible”

I’M INVISIBLE

It all began to make sense, the blank stares, the lack of response, the way one of the kids will walk into the room while I’m on the phone and ask to be taken to the store. Inside I’m thinking, ‘Can’t you see I’m on the phone?’ Obviously not; no one can see if I’m on the phone, or cooking, or sweeping the floor, or even standing on my head in the corner, because no one can see me at all. I’m invisible. The invisible Mom.

Some days I am only a pair of hands, nothing more: Can you fix this? Can you tie this? Can you open this?

Some days I’m not a pair of hands; I’m not even a human being. I’m a clock to ask, ‘What time is it?’ I’m a satellite guide to answer, ‘What number is the Disney Channel?’ I’m a car to order, ‘Right around 5:30, please.’

I was certain that these were the hands that once held books and the eyes that studied history and the mind that graduated summa cum laude - but now they had disappeared into the peanut butter, never to be seen again. She’s going, she’s going, she’s gone!

One night, a group of us were having dinner, celebrating the return of a friend from England. Janice had just gotten back from a fabulous trip, and she was going on and on about the hotel she stayed in. I was sitting there, looking around at the others all put together so well. It was hard not to compare and feel sorry for myself as I looked down at my out-of-style dress; it was the only thing I could find that was clean. My unwashed hair was pulled up in a hair clip and I was afraid I could actually smell peanut butter in it. I was feeling pretty pathetic, when Janice turned to me with a beautifully wrapped package, and said, ‘I brought you this.’ It was a book on the great cathedrals of Europe. I wasn’t exactly sure why she’d given it to me until I read her inscription:

‘To Charlotte, with admiration for the greatness of what you are building when no one sees.’

In the days ahead I would read - no, devour - the book. And I would discover what would become for me, four life-changing truths, after which I could pattern my work: No one can say who built the great cathedrals - we have no record of their names. These builders gave their whole lives for a work they would never see finished. They made great sacrifices and expected no credit. The passion of their building was fueled by their faith that the eyes of God saw everything.

A legendary story in the book told of a rich man who came to visit the cathedral while it was being built, and he saw a workman carving a tiny bird on the inside of a beam. He was puzzled and asked the man, ‘Why are you spending so much time carving that bird into a beam that will be covered by the roof? No one will ever see it.’ And the workman replied, ‘Because God sees.’

I closed the book, feeling the missing piece fall into place. It was almost as if I heard God whispering to me, ‘I see you, Charlotte. I see the sacrifices you make every day, even when no one around you does. No act of kindness you’ve done, no sequin you’ve sewn on, no cupcake you’ve baked, is too small for me to notice and smile over. You are building a great cathedral, but you can’t see right now what it will become.’

At times, my invisibility feels like an affliction. But it is not a disease that is erasing my life. It is the cure for the disease of my own self-centeredness. It is the antidote to my strong, stubborn pride. I keep the right perspective when I see myself as a great builder. As one of the people who show up at a job that they will never see finished, to work on something that their name will never be on. The writer of the book went so far as to say that no cathedrals could ever be built in our lifetime because there are so few people willing to sacrifice to that degree.

When I really think about it, I don’t want my son to tell the friend he’s bringing home from college for Thanksgiving, ‘My Mom gets up at 4 in the morning and bakes homemade pies, and then she hand bastes a turkey for three hours and presses all the linens for the table.’ That would mean I’d built a shrine or a monument to myself. I just want him to want to come home. And then, if there is anything more to say to his friend, to add, ‘You’re gonna love it there.’

As mothers, we are building great cathedrals. We cannot be seen if we’re doing it right. And one day, it is very possible that the world will marvel, not only at what we have built, but at the beauty that has been added to the world by the sacrifices of invisible women.

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Springtime and other various stuff

I have some goofy kitties. Marbles decided to get a drink of my tea. Problem is ... it was almost gone. Notice she has the glass tipped over to get a drink. She almost got her head stuck.
Gracie is the calmer kitty. She thinks she is queen of the house. She perches on pillows and blankets to take her naps in style.

And Adam....he can be sweet to the kitties when he wants to. See the photo for proof. Today I went to take pictures of the newly bloomed daffodils and buttercups and he decided to tag along. Of course, you know he had to pick some of the flowers. So we picked enough to make a fairly decent bouquet. Isn't it so nice to see the first signs of spring blooming? I hope to catch a few birds in the near future.

Another Giveaway

This giveaway is for Oso* Fresh™ Food Storage Containers. Two lucky winners will get to try these. Just visit Jane's $800 Annual Budget to enter before Monday, February 9 at noon CST.

Giveaways

There are a few giveaways that I thought I would share with you today.

1) Liz @ This Full House is giving away the Samsung Propel. You can find out more about the giveaway here. Be sure to enter before 10:00 a.m. on Wednesday, February 11th.

2) Dawn @ Because I Said So Reviews is giving away an HP Photosmart C6300 All-in-One printer! To enter the giveaway go here and leave a comment including your email address. The contest will begin at 12:00 a.m. (PST) on Wednesday, February 4th, and will end Tuesday, February 10th at 11:59 p.m (PST). Make sure that the e-mail address you leave is correct.

Good luck.

I'm so excited

John Grisham's new book, The Associate, comes out on Tuesday!! I will be there to get my copy first thing. John Grisham is one of the few authors that I just can't put down. I have read everyone of his books. His books are also the only ones that I will buy in hardback. Yeah!!

We even decorated the office

Left Window


Right Window

More from the parade....


Melanie's Group around the heater....they know how to watch a parade...with heat.

Here is Adam, all the boys (including Damon acting crazy) and me.



And there is Macy, Maddy & Sarah with their church float.

Our Typical Hometown Christmas Parade

Most Christmas parades have Christmas floats, but not ours...we have horses, four wheelers, trucks jacked way up for muddin', shriner's, tracters, hot rods, tow trucks, oil rig trucks and of course the Santa on the firetruck at the end. I'll take you through our parade...

We start with the flags

Then the grand marshall

And of course the high school band


And what's a parade without Smoky the Bear and his owl sidekick

The theme of our parade was Santa's Toyland. Devon seemed to have gotten close the theme.

Now in no particular order but plenty of commentary.

The Cloggers are a yearly float and they are festive and entertaining.

What's a parade without lots of advertising? We had cellphones, towing trucks, drilling rigs, mexican restuarant, radio station, port-o-pottys, taxi, & bail bonds (seriously!! Do we need to advertise bail bonds at a parade?).





Of course, no parade is complete without our local cheerleaders & Butch. Thought their minivan was rather cute & original.


And what kind of local parade would it be without horses, lawnmowers, and tracters? Here we have the Rodeo Queens, The Antique Tracters Assn., and not real sure about the mini horse and lawn tracter.



Can't remember what this van was for but heck lets all put a van in the parade, add a christmas stuffed animal as a hood ornament and call it decorated for the parade.

Naturally we have to have the kids from Rowe's Performing Arts.

I believe we had a ballerina and toy soldiers from their Nutcracker Performance.



What's a parade without the Shriner's and the cool cars that they drive super fast?

Now here is the kicker....where else but my hometown in Rural America would you see jacked up trucks that are used for entertainment aka muddin'? We had not 1 or 2 of these trucks but 8. Actually I think there were more than 8 but I didn't get pictures of them all.

Here is a float that I thought was neat. Had a really moving picture on it.



And of course, the grand finale....Santa on the firetruck.