ch,ch, ch, changes

in honor of my 1 year blogiversary, or whatever you call it, i'm making some changes. i'm going back to the format i originally enjoyed so much. each post will begin with the "word of the day" and will end with the "thought for the day". i will also be changing my nickname. sorry personally i've never cared much for ms. stewart, don't get me wrong she is wicked talented and crafty, but she's just not my bag baby. when i was in 7th grade i discovered mary engelbreit. love her. she has this wonderful drawing of "the queen of everything", and my sister made me a shirt with that transfer on it. by the way my name means queen. so i will be changing my nickname to the "queen of everything". you don't need to change it on your blog rolls, but please keep me on your blog rolls, really i'm a desperate girl. well the wee one awakens, so i must go. i hope to post a really awesome post soon about all the wonderful things going on. in my life.

i am a flower quickly fading, here today and gone tomorrow

just a quick post. the internet has been somewhat blinky for the last several days, so i'm hoping to get this posted before it dies again. thanks to st. casserole for the gifties, unfortunately my 2 year old has claimed them as her's and screams when i try to commandeer them. i have begun my aprons for my apron swaps (i'm way excited). we are planning a trip to OKC this weekend for the holiday. many new and exciting things coming up soon. my sister in law is having her baby tomorrow, pattylicious will be having her 2 soon, and my niece is due june 7. i am currently knitting baby bibs and it is WAY harder than i thought it should be considering it is an "easy" pattern. hope all is well in your world. oh yeah still going strong with WW. i am down 13 lbs. and counting. oh as far as the title goes, my roses and peonies are fading, but new roses are blooming daily. there will be no rose petal jam this year because the place that sold rosewater last year, well they no longer carry it. i will be on the lookout in the future, so i can stock up for the next season.

i ain't no fortunate son

i have never had all my wants fulfilled, but all of my needs are met. i grew up poor and on the way wrong side of the tracks, but i was privileged all the same. this is a meme about privileges. some of the later ones are mostly about money, but the ones at the beginning are the real privileges. they are the ones that money can't buy. my grandpa used to say his favorite quote was by abe lincoln "you know that God loved poor people best, that is why he made so many of them." my granny used to say that there are some things money couldn't buy like manners and kindness. they also taught me that true wealth has nothing to do with the numbers in your bank account. true wealth is an education, having Christ as your savior, and family. they taught me that these were the things that really mattered. anyway i ramble, here it is:
I saw this on another blog and wanted to share. here's how you play

Copy and paste to your blog if you wish to play. Bold the ones that apply to your childhood.Please feel free to add any of your own.

*Learned to cook or bake before age 12 with a family member.
*Had a pet growing up and *experienced its death, as well as life.
*Witnessed puppies or kittens being born or got to keep an eye on a nest until the eggs hatched and the birds flew.
*Helped plant seeds or plants in a garden and then eat the vegetables fresh. Bonus if you ate a tomato fresh off the vine!
* Lived within 10 miles of a grandparent.
*Can remember having homemade ice cream in the summer.
* Went on nature hikes with a family member. Extra credit if you collected stuff, licked the drops off of honeysuckle or skimmed rocks across the water.
*This one is a bit out there, but you have blown bubbles through a bamboo pole into a pond, creak, lake or river. If you have never done this, please do it before you die. The smell, sound, feel is wonderful.(perhaps you have one of equal weirdness)
*Had a special tradition for Thanksgiving or Christmas that was passed down.
* Built a snow person or rode a sled with sibling, parent, grandparent, or aunt/uncle.
* Had homemade hot cocoa (recipe on Hershey container) as a child.
*Had an article(s) clothing that was handmade by family member or family friend.
*Lived in a town where RC cola and Moon Pies could be purchased at a local store.
* You were taken fishing before you were 13.
*Had a pen pal growing up.
*Know a family recipe by heart
* A trip to town usually meant you got a quarter to ride on the carousel at K-mart.
* You were encouraged to memorize scripture.
* Played Hop-scotch, Marbles, or Annie Over as a child.
*Drove through a local neighborhood, charity or business to see Christmas light display.

Father went to college.
Father finished college.
Mother went to college.
Mother finished college.
Have any relative who is an attorney, physician, or professor.
Were the same or higher social class than your high school teachers.
Had more than 50 books in your childhood home.
Had more than 500 books in your childhood home.
Were read children’s books by a parent.
Had lessons of any kind before you turned 18 .
Had more than two kinds of lessons before you turned 18.
The people in the media who dress and talk like me are portrayed positively.
Had a credit card with your name on it before you turned 18.
Your parents (or a trust) paid for the majority of your college costs.
Went to a private high school.
your parents paid for the majority or your college.
had a private tutor before age of 18.
Went to summer camp.
family vacations involved staying in motels
Your clothing was all bought new before you turned 18. your parents bought you a car that wasn't a hand me down from them before you turned 18
There was original art in your house when you were a child.
your parents owned the home you lived in before you left home.
You and your family lived in a single-family house.
You had your own room as a child.
You had a phone in your room before you turned 18.
Participated in a SAT/ACT prep course.
Had your own TV in your room in high school.
Owned a mutual fund or IRA in high school or college.
Flew anywhere on a commercial airline before you turned 16.
Went on a cruise with your family.
Went on more than one cruise with your family.
your parents took you to museums and art galleries while you were growing up.
You were unaware of how much heating bills were for your family.

some of these are tricky, my first car was a hand me down from my brother. my granny, aunt jane, mother, sister cindy are all teachers, but that isn't a professor. when i lived with my grandparents and at the children's home certain things like, piano lessons, memorizing scripture, summer camp, and other things like that happened. keep in mind that i knew little to nothing about my father until about 3 years ago. i haven't "lived" with my mom since i was 9, and i haven't lived with my dad since i was 4. what are some "privileges" that you had growing up?
here are a few of mine:

knowing the value of hard work-my grandpa made sure that we all worked with him painting houses any time we were there.

knowing that someone believed in me when no one else did-i planted bird seed and everyone told me that it wouldn't grow, but my grandpa made sure that i watered it and took care of it. by the end of the summer i had grown a little garden.

knowing what neighbors should act like-my granny always encouraged me to bake goodies for the neighbors, and to welcome anyone who moved in nearby.

learning how to make something with my own hands-my granny taught me how to knit, sew, embroider and cook before i was 13. my grandpa taught me how to rescreen a door, paint a house, scrape old paint off, and take care of a yard.

seeing God in everything
learning to appreciate nature

a mother who has raised her son so well

a big HAPPY MOTHERS' DAY to all of the mothers that read my blog. sometimes i get sad because i don't really get gifts for most holidays, this one included. today i took the time to look at all of the things that i have been given and i would like to share them with you.

peace roses were my granny's favorite roses. this is just one of many on my rose bush.
a beautiful pink rose. i have two of these bushes, and they are covered.
finch worked with a lady that had three rose bushes that she was going to just throw away because she didn't like them. we went and dug them up and put them in giant rubbermaid containers. when we moved into our house 2 months later we planted them. they are beautiful. they are covered with red roses that smell heavenly. two are regular rose bushes and one is a climber.
a heavenly smelling white rose that sits in my rose garden.
this is the climber. what you see in the back ground is my solarium. when the wind blows just right you can smell the roses in the house.



below are the wiimotes for our new wii. i really enjoy it. in fact it is the only time in my life i have ever bowled over 100.

her highness wanted to play too, but she doesn't understand the games much, she is after all 2.




last night monkey announced that she wanted a new haircut. a short one that comes to her ears. well, she also thought that i should get a haircut. while watching all the goings on her highness thought she should get one too. here are the results.
you can't really tell how short mine is in the picture. it barely skims my jawline. her highness just got a bang trim, but she was eager to "say cheese, please" so everyone could see.
this picture doesn't do justice to the new do. she looks so much older than her mere 8 years. i'm not sure how i feel about that, but the cut is very flattering and easy to care for.
this is the honeysuckle that sits on the other side of the solarium. anytime the wind blows you can smell it all through the house. while some moms may get flowers for mothers' day. i have 17 rose bushes that are covered from spring to fall in roses. more mums than i can count and tons of other flowers that i enjoy year round. God has truly blessed me with two beautiful girls and so many other things that i couldn't list them all if i had a million years.

i wanted to share the names of the songs that i picked. the song from 4/8/08 is "creep" by radiohead. this song came out when i was in high school. it has been one of my faves since then. the next song is "dancing in the dark" by bruce the boss springsteen. the final song is "elderly woman behind the counter in a smal town" by pearl jam. if you haven't heard it find it and listen to it. i love the lyrics to the song and could use a different one for just about all my blogs. such as "i change by not changing at all" or "small town predicts my fate". any who, i hope to get the last two gifties sent out this week. i hope everyone has a splendid week.

i swear i recognize your breath. haunting familiar, yet i can't seem to place it

ok today's is the last lyric to guess.

what i did yesterday. i went out to feed the 3 baby chicks that we have left, only to discover that 2 were m.i.a. that left one little scared chicken that i have named lucky lucy. she has been locked up for safe keeping. when we told monkey about the missing/dead chicks she cried. i expect this because she is a very sensitive child. what i don't understand is how to explain the chicks to her highness. she ran outside to help with the chicks, and kept looking around saying "chicky where are you?" we have plans to completely enclose the chicken run and get some more baby chicks by the end of the month.

i also am now the proud owner of a Nintendo wii. the hubby and monkey are way excited. i have little to no hand eye coordination, so when it comes to video games, well i just don't play. i am also a horrible winner and loser. i tend to be a wee bit competitive, and i just avoid those situations. last night while the hubby tried out the boxing game i began to knit washcloths. i am taking part of 3 swaps and i thought they might be cool to include.

we had some fierce wind last night. how fierce you ask. well it was strong enough to pick up our patio table, it is/was metal with a tempered glass top, and toss it 10 feet to shatter at my doorstep. the good news is we got lots of rain, so the garden will be happy.

what is going on with you? i send love and prayers out to my friend rachel. i understand what you're going through more than you know.

i found this link for princess mindy and all others who love peeps. enjoy.

i take a look in the mirror, want to change my clothes, my hair my face

ok, it's been a while. i've been a wee bit busy. let's see this morning we discovered that we only have 3 baby chicks. keep in mind last night we had 27. we have a giant fence w/no holes that protects them, so that leaves chicken eating birds. we are very upset at the loss, so we are looking to get some more. we are also planning on completely enclosing the chicken area. what else have i done? glad you asked. i went to WW on monday. on tuesday i led girl scouts, we had a blast. wednesday i spent making 12 pizzas from scratch. they went over very well. i also made box brownies for the dessert. i don't want to catch any flak about the box brownies either. for supper on wednesday night i cook for around 40 people for $50 or less. the cost alone on box brownies roughly $7. now the price for scratch brownies has gone up a bit. have you priced flour recently? how about eggs? milk is roughly $4 a gallon now, unless you get it from braums. anyway, i have been super diligent about my points this week, but i desperately wanted to eat brownies too. what is a girl to do? i saw a package of no pudge fudge brownie mix, fat free, sitting on the shelf at my local united. well, they were awesome. way better than box brownies ever are. then on thursday i spent the day doing laundry. good fun. friday finch took a 1/2 day and we worked on the garden, and i mowed the yard. monkey had her proud crowd lock in on friday, and saturday we some more of our garden. so far we have 8 cucumbers, 4 zucchini, 7 maters, 3 tams peppers, 4 bell peppers, 2 mucho nacho peppers, 1 banana pepper, 8 rows of corn, 2 rows of okra, 2 rows of peas, 2 rows of snow peas, 1 row of blackeyed peas, 1 row of purple pole beans, and 1 row of green beans. we still need to get watermelons, pumpkins, eggplant, and a few other melons. oh a hint on last monday's song here you go: this song came out in the early to mid 90's, the beginning of the line i used is " i want to have control." good luck


edited to say we now only have one baby chick left. i went out to check them this morning and only lucky lucy is still with us.