since you've been gone

i have been trying to get back into the blogosphere lately, and i have discovered and rediscovered some thrilling blogs. i found several bead blogs that are so creative. i love lamp work beads and i love to bead. several years back my wonderful hubby bought me a lamp work kit for our anniversary. when i was in college i took glassblowing as one of my electives, and it was so far beyond fun. when i graduated i was very sad that i wouldn't be able to do it anymore, and that is why my sweet thoughtful hubby got it for me. i think that i may try my hand at quilting this fall. it is something i have wanted to learn for quite so time, and as they say no better time than the present. i have several friends that are expecting this fall, and i have been hard at work making sweet baby stuff for them.

i have recently signed up for a new swap over at ravelry. if you love crafting it is the place to be. i am currently in 3 swaps. one all we do is send each other letters. you know snail mail, i love snail mail. one of them we send homemade/handmade washcloths. i am enjoying having reasons to craft. the sweet hubby is playing oblivion on the xbox, did i mention he LOVES the xbox? he works so hard to provide for us, so i can stay home, and i feel like the least i can do is to let him have some downtime. on to my thankfuls.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. my life- it was a hard road to get here, but man I'm glad i did. believe me when i say but by the grace of God go i.

2. honesty- even when it hurts, it is good to hear.

3. friends- you know the ones who know they can tell you something even if it isn't what you want to hear. thanks guys.

4. learning from my mistakes- experience is a tough teacher, she's not very nice.

5. learning new stuff- this week of cooking food that is unfamiliar to me has been so nice. it is soothing to create something that I'm not completely familiar with. i have discovered most of the Greek food i have made this week has been very work and time intensive.

6. babies- there is something about new life that is...so...amazing, sorry trying to search for the right word.

7. church- we have been attending a church for a while now, and the preacher speaks on such an understandable/no nonsense kind of way that just hits you between the eyes.

8. small town living- it isn't for everyone, but there are days that it is worth any headache. it is nice to know people are looking out for each other.

9. letting go- ahhhh, to let go of the anger and hard feelings. this is hard to do when there is no recourse for the pain. this goes back to forgiveness is for the forgiver not the forgiven.

10. knowing the truth- there is tremendous power in knowing the truth about a person. knowing who and what they really are. i think this is why people who have known you for so long are so wonderful, yet so dangerous.

i hope that this weekend is wonderful for everyone. thank you for all of the support and kind words lately. it is so good to know we are not alone in this world. thanks again for reading

blinded by the light

i have spent the last several weeks in discussion with my hubby over many things. it has been a time of reflection for me. my bestie deleted her blog, turns out a lot of "well meaning" people are nothing but wolves in sheep's clothing. yeah you're surprised i know. i will miss her witty banter.

the fam has been thoroughly enjoying Greek week. the baklava was very tasty. truth be told everything has been very delicious. the garden is doing great. you should see all of the pumpkins we have. everyday we gather zucchini and cucumbers. the cumbers have come in handy all week for all the tasty Greek goodness. i will be posting thankfuls tomorrow, so until then...

do you know what i know?

it's Greek week at the house of finch. we had a great first day, and we thoroughly enjoyed our first day of food. we didn't get to study anything due to a shopping excursion to the big city. i got a pasta machine, a mortar and pestle, and an olive oil bottle. i love getting goodies for my kitchen. if you want to know see the yummy food we are enjoying you're going to need to head over to the cooking blog. things could not be better here in the kingdom of the birds. sometimes it is good to know that others have been through the same tough times you are going through. i was looking through and deleting some blogs that are no longer... up my alley and/or are not being updated. i found one of my favorite blogs had moved. while catching up on all of her awesomeness i realized how much i REALLY miss cake decorating. did i mention the sweet hubby finally got an xbox? he has wanted one for 2 years now, but I'm not a big gamer and it is easy for me to say no to a new game system. he got an AWESOME bonus, so i conceded to the xbox. he is loving it and i am finding plenty of time to crochet. i hope everyone has an awesome week, and remember to check out all the yummies that Greek week is bringing to our house.

tell me lies tell me sweet little lies

i love fleetwood mac and was listening to them when typing this. i hope this week has been as wonderful for you as it has been for me. i can hardly believe that another week has gone by. we have our menu set up for our "Greece discovery week", and I'm planning some cool events for the kids. monkey is super stoked about learning the Greek alphabet. her heiness is excited about olives lots of olives. i have realized this past week how easy it is for words to hurt someone, but words also have an amazing healing power. for example the words "they're yours", made a friends day today. we have been grilling out lots this week, and we've been enjoying the fruits of our labors from the garden. we have several tiny melons that will hopefully be ready before our first freeze. i can't believe that summer only has a month left, sorry to all the teachers who didn't want that tidbit of knowledge. both the girls are looking forward to heading back to school.



there has been some thought and discussion about the deleting of blogs recently. I've been thinking about it some since the main purpose of this endeavor was for my friends and fam to keep up with us, and they don't seem to be doing that. anyway on to my thankfuls and i do have lots of them.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. Christ- He is the solid rock upon which i stand.

2. friends- you guys are amazing no matter what anybody else may tell you, YOU GUYS ROCK.

3. my hubby- what can i say he's an amazing, funny, intelligent, loyal, and sexy man.

4. memes- i had so forgotten how much i enjoy these. so fun so fun

5. swaps- I'm doing a couple on ravelry and so enjoying it.

6. my kids- what would i do without you and your amazing loving selves.

7. my garden- the radishes were so yummy, the zucchini is so delicious, and i haven't tried the cucumbers yet, but I'm sure they are yummy too.

8. good people- i think too often we get caught up on how horrible some people are, and we don't take time to think of all the good people there are in the world. thank you to all of those that never ask for thanks.

9. my mom- she's looking at a house here local. the kids are bouncing off the walls excited.

10. the truth- it will always come out. I've been working on less brutal honesty lately.

i noticed as i was about to begin this post that this is number 240. looks like i need to figure out something cool for number 300, it will be here before i know it. i hope that this weekend finds you well and happy. we have some big plans coming up in the near future, and i will share as soon as i can. until then have a blessed week.

one is the loneliest number

i got this meme in an email, so i share it with you my fellow readers. i tag all who want to participate.

USING ONLY ONE WORD change the answers to suit you better. please share with the rest of us.

where is your cell phone? table
significant other? amazing
your hair? blond
your mother? retired
your father? veteran
your favorite thing? love
your dream last night? kinky
your favorite drink? tea
what room are you in? living
your hobby? crafts
your fear? spiders
where do you want to be in 6 years? debtless
where were you last night? tara's
something that you aren't? dishonest
muffins? yummy
wish list item? date
last thing you did? worry
what are you wearing? glasses
TV? backyardigans
pet? plenty
friends? ROCK
your life? better
your mood? relieved
missing someone? desperately
drinking? coffee
your car? van
something you're not wearing? shoes
your favorite store? hobbylobby
your favorite color? yellow
when was the last time you cried? earlier
who will resend this? someone
where do you go to over and over? potty
my favorite place to eat? home
favorite place I'd like to be right now? arms
four people i think will respond? anyone




OK now it's your turn. let me know if you do, thanks.

Jesus loves the little children

who knew weeks could be so busy? we are planning a Greek week in our house. what is Greek week you ask? well, it is a week dedicated to studying Greece. why Greece? monkey got WAY into the Percy Jackson books this past year. the books are based on/retelling Greek myths. i thought that a good way to get more out of the books would be a week long study of ancient Greece. i found the alphabet and a bunch of other interesting info. we are also going to do some Greek cooking, not just ancient Greek food. monkey loves to cook and i thought this would be a cool way to expose her to different food than she might be use to. her heiness will also take part in the festivities because she desires nothing more than t be like her sister. if anyone has a suggestion for Greek food please leave me a comment. i will be covering all food made over on my cooking blog. we also have "adopted" a little boy from compassion international. we are very excited about the positive things this could do for him and for us. there are many more exciting things happening in our little world. here is my thankful list:

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1 my health- i figure this one i regularly say thank you in my prayers for, but realized i rarely put it on my blog.

2. my life- it may not be what everyone wants, but man I LOVE my life.

3. my church- we have been attending a nondenominational church and we are loving it. this past Wednesday the kids went to jump in jive again. the kids had a blast and it is nice to see the members outside of church.

4. freedom- thank you to all who have fought for it and those that still do. thank you to the families that are left behind.

5. crafting- so loving being busy with my hands.

6. reruns- we have been watching tons of reruns on netflix.

7. love- how great it is to be loved.

8. my mom- she has been so willing to come and help with the kids this summer. she has been amazing and i can't be thankful enough.

9. downtime- oh how i long for a moment to myself.

10. date night- the hubby and i are in serious need of one of these.

i hope this has been a blessed week for all of you. have a great weekend

it's good to have you with us, even if it's just for today

just when i was longing for a meme or question blog, i find this over at hot cup's. enjoy and play along, you know you want to.



20 questions:



1. when you looked at yourself in the mirror today, what was the first thing that you thought?



glad i did the roots.



2. do you miss anyone right now?



several people. i miss my friends from the middle and high school. i wish they lived closer, so we could see how well we turned out.



3. if you could move anywhere else, would you?



i love where i live, but sometimes i do wish i lived closer to my friends.



4. if you could choose, what would your last meal be?



hmmmm, not really sure. i love some good tamales, but i can't choose just one or two things.



5. what famous person, dead or alive, would you want to have lunch with?



again i just don't know if i could choose. maybe john bon jovi, maybe stephen king, or someone like thomas jefferson. i don't do well with choices.



6. what was the last book you read?



it's been so long i don't remember. i think it was a dean koontz, but it might have been charlaine harris. no i remember it was a book on crochet, yeah I'm a big nerd.



7. what was the last movie you watched?



fly me to the moon



8. what was the last song you heard?



theme to phineas and ferb on tv



9. what's your dream vacation?



traveling the british isles with my family.



10. what is the next trip you'll take?




we went to borger with the hubby yesterday. it was just a quick drop off something at an office and head home kind of trip.


11. did you ever go to camp?

when i lived at the children's home in elementary school it was mandatory.

12. have you ever been in love?

still am

13. what do you want to know about the future?

will my children be happy?

14. where is your best friend?

well, i am blessed enough to have several, so let's see: pattylicious is at home with her fam. shellybabes is probably at home with her family. my sweet snow white, i don't know where specifically she is, but she's in austin somewhere. my sweet hubby is walking around looking for the stereo remote.

15. how is your best friend?

pattylicious is a bit bummed about being without her hubby this evening. shellybabes is probably busy and good with her amazing family. snow white is missing her beautiful girls and anxious about what the future holds. the hubby seems good, he has coffee and d & d this cool morning in July.

16. who is the biggest gossiper you know?

the little ladies and men in town that all get together for coffee.

17. what does your last text message say?

waving back- i got a text that someone was waving at my casa.

18. what are 3 things you've always wanted to do, that you still plan to accomplish?

1. go visit Ireland and Scotland. 2. being debt free. 3. own a convertible vw bug.

19. what is one thing you've learned from your parents?

insanity is hereditary, communication is key, love your kids and love yourself. most of these were lessons taught looking back. the most important lesson learned: forgiveness is for the forgiver not the forgiven.

20. what is one thing you hope to teach your own children?

believe in yourself and respect yourself because if you respect yourself no one will ever make you do something you don't want to. learn from others mistakes, so that you don't have to make the same ones.

i think we're alone now

this week has been... busy. we had some serious fun for July 4th. amazon and crew made it to the party, so did pattylicious and crew. there was tons of food and other goodness to be consumed. we popped fireworks and confetti poppers. the kids had tons of fun. the weather has been rainy and cool here for the past couple of weeks. the hubby had Monday off for the holiday, so we made fruit leather from the apricots that my mom brought. then Tuesday the hubby had a meeting in lewisville, so we loaded up and headed east. my mom kept the kids, so it was just the hubby and i. i was so lucky, i got to hang with ro and her beautiful daughter. nothing beats looking at photos from middle and high school to make one not want to eat. i was looking at past blog posts and was surprised that i have over 200 posts. i also noticed that i used to do tons of posts and memes. i miss memes, so i may repost some of them. while the lil man sleeps i will post my thankfuls.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. the rain- it has kept the temp down and watered the garden for me.

2. nap time- i love the little bit of quiet this time allows. now if i could only get her heiness to take a nap.

3. friends- it was nice to spend time with someone who knew me from back when.

4. sleep- I'm running on less than enough, and oh how i miss sleep.

5. crochet- i just finished a baby blanket for my brother's daughter who is due next month.

6. communication- it is what makes relationships of any kind possible.

7. coffee- I've been enjoying lots of coffee this past week

8. cars- they make it possible to visit people who live in a different area of the greatest state ever, by the way that fact is not open for discussion.

9. my kids- they remind me of how God must feel about me when i am openly defiant.

10. date night- i am in serious need of date night.

it appears as though nap time is drawing to a close, so i must dash to the liquor cabinet, i meant to get the kids. hope everyone has a great weekend.

our house is a very, very, very fine house

another amazing week has come to an end. i am busy making plans for the 4th of July. this week has brought some deep contemplation to our household and some closure. i have an interview for the job at the post office next Friday. my FIL is in the hospital with heart problems. we love pappy and this has been hard on the family. he is a christian, so i know where he will spend eternity. this knowledge doesn't ease the concern for his health and future. i was hoping to get my thankfuls posted yesterday, but i was to busy hanging at my besties. here they are for this lovely week in July.

I AM THANKFUL FOR:

1. the ability to crochet- i love to make stuff for myself and my loved ones. below is a picture of some of the things I've made so far.

2. cooler weather- the last week has been cool and beautiful here.

3. sharing- i love when one of the lessons i try to teach my kids finally sinks in. q was sharing his animal crackers with the geese.

4. the beauty of nature- what great work God did when creating the world that i live in.

5. love- especially the love of children. the capacity they have to care and give amazes me. at what point do we loose the wonder that children hold for the world? i see my children and the way they view the world, and it makes me step back and thank God for all he has given me.

6. the garden- we officially have wee little zucchini and radishes.

7. disposable diapers- with what comes out of my son they are truly a blessing.

8. knowing oneself- learning who i am, and accepting that person is so freeing.

9. friends- one major upside of this summer is the amount of time I've been able to spend with my pattylicious.

10. my health- sometimes i don't say thanks for my health out loud, but i am so grateful for it.

11. our veterans- without them i wouldn't have the freedoms i love and enjoy. THANK YOU.

the pictures above were mostly taken at a local park where you can feed the fowl. the kids had an absolute blast. thanks for reading and i hope this holiday weekend finds you happy and blessed.