You Know How I Love Give-Aways!

Welcome to the blog give away! This is such a fun game, so come on and play! You never know, YOU might even WIN!!! Definitely stop on by Rocks in My Dryer to check out all of the hundreds playing this game!

want to see what you could win here...



this fun, unique, and hang-up anywhere "Joy" sign!

i love making these signs, and then hang them anywhere to add a little life to an area. they're great on doors, or walls, or on windows - wherever!

all you need to do to be entered into the giveaway is to be live in the US, and then just is post a comment, and you're in the raffle! i'll name the winner on saturday, feb. 1st! good luck!

A New Phase

If you can't tell, I go through phases. Phases of blogging, phases of clothes, phases of baking, phases of designing and redesigning...phases. And in my phases, usually I don't like doing much out of that phase. If I'm organizing, I'm organizing for hours. If I'm designing or making things, I'm not making dinner that night, I'm usually just making whatever it is that is making my house a wreck, but by golly, I'll finish it. Even if it takes till 3 AM.

When I was dating, I was not like some people who dated for months and years. I might date someone for about 2 weeks, and then that'd be it. They'd start getting on my nerves, or being boring, whatever. I don't think I even make it longer than a month until I was in college, and then my record breaking relationship was 4 months. That is, until I was smitten with the love of my life. I actually was very surprised when after a few months, still wasn't tired of him! He still keeps me guessing, and still gives me butterflies in my stomach.

But when it comes to friends, I have no phase. I love my friends. Probably too much sometimes. I love being with them. I love hearing about parts of their days or weeks that I've missed out on. I love blessing them with little messages or surprising them with treats. I cry when they cry. And I absolutely hate not being able to be there for them.

My friends are the most wonderful people in the world. Have I mentioned that my friends will do anything for me? Even volunteer to be criminals and murderers? Not just anyone will do that.

I think that as long as I can remember, one of my greatest fears has been that I will not be chosen. Not chosen to be included. Not chosen to be a part of something. Not chosen. The Lord has given me such affirmation through them time and time again, that even though every now and then I can still feel the hint of insecurity, it is so overwhelmingly ridiculous because of the gift of friendship that I have been given through so many people. And knowing that I've been chosen by Christ - not only just accepted, but chosen. That means that He really wanted me, and even though He saw all of me, He still chose me.

All that said, it's very easy for me to choose my friends, but sometimes hard for me to choose Christ. Not in the big "choosing Christ as my life" way, but just in every day things. You know, to stop my life long enough to be quiet with Him. Because choosing Him, means looking at Him...in me. Allowing myself to become more fully acquainted with Him - in me. Why is that so scary? I know me, I know all about me. I love me. Did you see how many times I just said me? Why would looking in be so hard?

So, I'm praying for time with Jesus, alone, and not necessarily not with friends, but I sure do love looking at them, and not so much me. Christ in me, the hope of glory. That's good news! Not something scary. I know that He will shed light into the dark, and bring truth where needed, as I begin to become more of a friend, to Christ in me.

Do You Know Why I'm Blogging?

The same reason my sister decided to do her taxes the other day instead of cleaning her house. I mean, who does that? Who would rather do taxes? Apparently, she would. I'm blogging right now, because I am the biggest procrastinator known to mankind. I wish that I had something wonderful to blog about....some new story or revelation that would knock your socks off.

But no, I'm simply procrastinating putting away my Christmas stuff. Yes, shame, shame, shame. I still have my tree up, and my wreath, and the lights outside, yes, everything. I do not want to take it down. And yes, by now, I am getting tired of it. We passed my birthday, and my sisters birthday, and after that, it really should be out. But it's not, it's still sitting here, mocking me. Knowing that I haven't the slightest motivation to get it out. And it's not even the fun, feathered, wild tree that it was. I took all the fun things out, so now it's just a half decorated tree with bare spots all over it. But it is plugged in. There's something about having it up, that means that it has to plugged in.

So while I love decorating and having my house feel welcoming and perfect for whatever season we're in, instead of moving away from Christmas and on toward Valentine's day, or just back to normal, I'm stuck in the doldrums of leftover Christmas. And even doing laundry at 10pm feels more appealing than tackling the tearing down of the tree.

I think that if I analyzed it a bit more, I would definitely see how similar I can get in my walk with the Lord. I so many times can just get "used" to having Christ in my life that it's just that. He's there, and I love Him being there, but I'm not really challenging my faith, or seeking out little extra quiet moments with Him. I procrastinate about spending time with Him, knowing that I'll get to it, eventually. Instead of knowing how much I need that time, how I can't do anything apart from Him, how only in Him am I able to rest and find freedom for my soul. I see him so much of the time as an inconvenience that I don't have time for. Oh, how I wish my eyes could be opened to the desperation of my soul. My flesh is so easily tricked into thinking that I have it all together, when in truth, I'm barely holding on. If I could loosen my grip, and let Him have my day, my schedule, my life, that I try to juggle all on my own so often, how I would see His hands upholding it all. And I could rest, truly rest, in Him. Then rather than procrastinating about spending time with Him, I would run desperately into His arms, again and again. Knowing that in Him, is where I am found.

I'm going, I'm going....it's coming down tonight.

Happily Over After

My sweet daughter is almost 4, and there are only a few times a day I might hear her slip up in what she says, or the way she phrases something. But I love the mess ups so much that sometimes I don't correct her. I know she'll be mad later, when all the other kindergarteners are laughing, but we'll deal with that later. These have been my recent favorites.

"Mommy, I'm helping Daddy stir the pantake battery!"

"1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6, 7, 8, 9, 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 15, 16, 17, 18, 19, 20, 21, 22, 23, 24, 25, 26, 27, 28, 29....29, 26, 27.." (I'm not ready to get to 30 either, baby!)

"We can warm it up in the microphone."

When I remembered something in the store today, she said loudly, "You're fart Mommy!" - she can't say the sm together. So, I guess, I fart.

She told an elaborate story tonight with her Daddy, and the first thing he said was,
"There once was an old frog..." and she added on,

"Who was walking around, and stopped to pick up a sashew made out of wood and magic."

We had to stop the story for a minute, while I said, "A what, sweetie? A cashew?"

"NO, MOMMY! A Sashew!" I got it after a second, a statue. =)

The story ended brilliantly with, "And he lived happily over after!"

The Last Sip

As he came out with a full glass of eggnog, I looked at it longingly.

"Yummm....can I have a sip?" I asked hesitantly.

"Sure, have as much as you want. That's the last of it."

At this, my heart fell, and I knew it was really over. The end of a season, was here, and unfortunately, I had no choice but to slowly savor my last few sips of our wonderful farm fresh eggnog that my sister had blessed us with.

I say "blessed" because I wouldn't have purchased it on my own. No, I mainly shop at Aldi, which for the most part I love, as anyone will tell you. Even having to bag my own groceries doesn't deter me, simply because of how much I save. Earlier on in December, when I went for my major holiday shop, I bought 3 cartons of the eggnog, hoping to have it last through the season. However, as my husband, the true connoisseur, tasted it, he informed me that it was awful. Pasty and filmy. He said,

"I doctored it up a little with some nutmeg and cinnamon, and after that it's drinkable, but still not good."

Yeah, that's not the holiday experience I want with my eggnog.

Now, my sister loves Aldi even more than me. But she knows better than to try the eggnog. She knows the best place to buy any dairy goods is from her favorite family owned and operated Dairy Farm that she occasionally frequents, Mapleview Farms.

This eggnog was the best I have ever tasted in my life. So good that I couldn't believe she would give up a whole quart of it to us. Even if you had bought it for someone else, once you had tried it, you would secretly decide that you hadn't ever bought it for anyone but yourself. Because who would share something so delicious and wonderful as this? You might even have your own secret refrigerator that you keep another quart as a backup, that no one knows about but you.

But, she did share, and it was wonderful. Down to the last drop.

So, sadly, I very slowly enjoyed, and shared, the glass with my husband. I knew that it would be out of the stores since it's already a week after Christmas and I would not be able to get anymore, and thus would have to wait a whole year to have yummy eggnog again. And not just that, but this also meant that I had to get my Christmas tree taken down. And put up the stockings, and the wreath, and Oh, I'm not ready for it to be over yet!!! Epiphany isn't till this weekend, at least let me go till then!


And then I saw it. At Harris Teeter, I saw a whole fridge of on sale eggnog (BOGO). And even though it will pale in comparison to the Mapleview eggnog, it will give me the illusion that I have a few more days of this beautiful season.

To Make A Long Story Even Longer

Why is it that there's always a story to tell in my life. You could ask me a question about anything and there'd be a story. For example, you might say,

"How was your New Years?"

And my answer could be a short, "It was really good. Pretty low key, but fun."

or, depending on how much time you had, or if you're a friend that knows to ask a little bit more, you could hear...

"Well, we really didn't have any plans for New Yrs. But then some friends asked what we were doing on New Years, and for some reason, I translated it as, 'What are you doing on New Years day?" Not, 'What are you doing on New Years Eve?' So, I just planned to stay home with the kids during the day because Randy had decided to work.

And because Randy was working on New Years Eve, I went to a friends house and hung out with her and her kids while her husband was also at work...very fun new years eve.

Until I call Randy on my way home and realize that he's been home from outpatient eye surgery for a few hours. What??!! Yes. Eye Surgery. On New Years Eve. I mean, I knew he was going in for a check to see what the status was, but I didn't know they were going to strap him to the table right there and then. So, I'm feeling like a total screw up, especially after I hear how he drove himself with one good eye home, and then to get his prescription, and then back home.

I go pick up Randy, and run over to the store, because I had to get there before the weeks special changed, and let Ran stay in the car with the kids while they're sleeping. And while I'm in the store, I get a call from the friends who asked what we were doing on New Years. And they ask if we're going to a party that we've been invited to. Still thinking for some odd reason that they're talking about the following day, Jan. 1, I'm all, "Let me talk to Randy and see what he thinks, and we'll give you a call to let you know."

So we go home and make the dinner that we always make if we haven't planned anything, but we're all really hungry - breakfast dinner! Pancakes, hash browns, grits, eggs, etc. So we had a good dinner, put the kids to bed, clean up, watch a movie, watch the ball drop, you know, low key.

It wasn't until today, on New Years Day, that I'm still talking with Randy about whether or not we're going to the party that we were invited to for "tonight at 8:00". WHO THROWS A PARTY AT 8:00 on JAN 1st??? Why would I think that? Because my mind is always racing so much that sometimes, many times, it doesn't make sense. It makes sense to me. But that's where I get into trouble.

So, I actually call the couple, and as I'm leaving the message saying I think we're going to go to the party, I begin to realize that the party was the night before. WHILE I'M LEAVING THE MESSAGE.

So then, I call back, and let them know that if they'd still be interested in getting together, we'd love to have them over for a New Yrs. Day celebration.

Oh, me. I make myself laugh.

So I guess I'm the one who has the party at 8:00 on Jan. 1st. Actually it was 6, but hey, close enough.