Human Clock photos~

I've been interested lately in Human Clock photos~ The following pics have been accepted & displayed as part of the human clock. Fun! Of course, you must be viewing the clock at the precise time & possibly have to rotate through the pics to see them.



Straw sipping: 8:58 AM





Train Spotting: 8:55 AM

Doggie Relay: 3:30 PM
Those who know me well must be quite surprised that I'm snapping pics of dogs~ I know! We were watching this doggie relay at the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. The kids were watching, I was waiting for it to be over in fact. The pic was perfect for submission, thanks to the help of Aunt Helen to cue for timing. Those dogs were fast~

Duplo play: 10:01 AM

Waiting for the train~

Grace & I were waiting for the train in Joliet. Frame-able I believe. :o) I love this girl~

Five rules for eternal misery

Found this on kingofsting03. How apropos~ Perhaps today I am engaged in #5. God has so many ways of driving the message home.

Five rules for eternal misery:

1. Always try to exhort others to look upon you favorably.
2. Make lots of assumptions about situations and be sure to treat these assumptions as though they are reality.
3. Then treat each new situation as though it's a crisis.
4. Live in the past and future only (become obsessed with how much better things might have been or how much worse things might become).
5. Occasionally stomp on yourself for being so obtuse (stupid) as to follow the first four rules

Happy Birthday to me~

Yep, it's my birthday today. Picked up some e-cards already this morning. I love Hoops & Yoyo! Got cards in the mail yesterday. I love snail mail cards. In just a bit, I'm driving waaaayyy up on the north side to Flourish Bakery Cafe.
Gonna buy a scrumptious double chocolate cake w/buttercream frosting to share with friends today. Then later, enjoy dinner with more friends...the ones that AREN'T out of town this great day!

We have several September birthdays in my family, thus we celebrated last weekend in St Louis. My sister made a delicious Black Magic chocolate cake that took us right back into grandma's kitchen. I made the yummy divinity frosting to top it off. It's one of those family recipes we enjoyed for years.

So about all those birthday calls...my phone took a bubble bath yesterday while working with the J twins. Big sister got into the toy bag, which is fine...but she didn't quite get the bubble lid tightened AND then she put it in my briefcase/tote thing INSTEAD of the toy bag. Thus, my phone was soaking in an inch of bubbles along with my money, passport, Paris photos for a scrapbook project...Don't you know I left that house happy! Ever heard of the kid's book Alexander & the Terrible, Horrible, No Good, Very Bad Day? That's another post, I suppose.

ANYWAY all those birthday song messages may be heard via voicemail. So if you call, be sure to sing a message! :o)

Birthday kisses to everyone~

Currently Listening Happy Birthday By Gidon Kremer, Kremerata Baltica
see related Just kidding! I'm really listening to Gracie sing Happy Birthday but she's not in Amazon yet :o) She does a much sweeter version~

PS - my picture thingy isn't working today~

Great Forest Park Balloon Race

Make a slide show, scrapbook or ecard

Great weekend in St Louis at the Great Forest Park Balloon Race. Plenty of sunshine...much enjoyed after cooler temperatures in Chi-town. Grace & I took the train up for the festivities! Ok travel~ I got study time...Grace made some new friends & a nap without a crook in her neck. :o)

Tons of activities at the Balloon festival for the kids. Grace & Haddon made goo at the Science Center booth, rode ponies, watched dog relay races at the Purina Farms and took a ride on the barrel train. Great time!


A bit of park play before the St Louis trip~
OH, before I go...got word my duplo photo has been accepted for the Human Clock It will have it's place at 10:01 AM. Check it out if you have serious time to waste. :o) I plan to submit this one of Gracie at the train station. :o)












Here's a shot of my geraniums before they succumb to the cold. The river is considerably high after significant rains last week.

More later~~ I have got to take this test before the sunshine girl wakes up! Have a good one

Currently Listening Bless the Broken Road: The Duets AlbumBy Selah

6:03 AM - 2 eprops - 1 comment - email it

Baby Faith

I've been sick as a dog this past week. SICK! Typical change of season cold that's set up camp deep in the caverns of my chest. In the violent coughing, I think I've dislodged some organ in my abdomen. Now there's that pain on top of the coughing pain. UGH!

And while I'm talking pain...my classes are off to a ouchy start. Remember the Nazi professor? She's got a sister teaching anatomy & physiology. :o) I was called on the carpet today for my improper use of the dash - that's right a lesson in punctuation. One more semester after this one - yippee skippee!

Song of praise...Sunday afternoon, a sharp pain - imagine ice pick(?!) pierced my inner ear. Yeow! I don't think I was crying but it was evident to Grace that I was in pain. You know how those tender two year olds can comfort - she squeezed my cheeks in between her little hands, looking all concerned "You hurting, Mama?" "Yes, baby, will you pray for me?" I'm a firm believer in the faith of a child & so we prayed together, declaring God is our healer & thanking Him for hearing us when we pray. Gracie usually thanks God for the food even in our prayer for the sick. It's all good! I'm telling you...within 30 seconds, the pain was absolutely GONE without return and it's now Tuesday! He is faithful to hear us when we pray. So...this coughing has GOT to go!

Have you ever said, aloud or to yourself "When I have kids, I'll never.....?" Well, I've said it - not using the word never but with all intents and purposes, it's what I meant inside. Today, Grace ate Fruit Loops for breakfast. Yes, that "full of sugar no way it's good for you" cereal. I bought it yesterday thinking "good travel snack" for our upcoming road trip this weekend. Always looking for tricks to get a little more driving in between the pit stops. What was I thinking when I offered it as a breakfast choice right along with the non-sugar cereal that she has been totally happy with?? Of course, she's choosing the brightly colored fun fruity one. I realized my error as she contemplated the decision, looking from the Cheerios to the Fruit Loops..back & forth. I temporarily forgot that I was not going to introduce sugared, sweetened cereal before she was old enough to drive to the store & buy them herself.

So, we've crossed over & I've dropped another "When I have kids, I won't...." Oh, well..she'll survive or maybe better yet, she'll forget. :o) Along the same line, she still loves her books best, builds with blocks & bakes in her kitchen even though she's seen Cinderella & Monsters, INC a dozen times. Sometimes I just need a moment or two...:o)

Wish I had known & good to know~

I borrowed this wise piece from a Xanga blogger. Wisdom worth sharing~

The baby stage

• Recovery from childbirth is forty million times more painful - emotionally and physically - than giving birth.
• All the postpartum advice ("get some sleep", "take time for yourself every day", "eat regular meals") is absolutely correct, but entirely impractical.
• Help and resources are obvious to everyone except a new mom.

The growing-up stage

• All parents have endless stories about how cute and smart their kid is, long before the child can walk or talk.
• All parents are terribly proud of their child.

The toddler stage

• Rebellion comes in phases. It seems to last forever, but it always passes.
• You can't take parenting personally. Your child isn't mad at you or disobeying because they don't like you - they are learning, and they have their own set of limitations, emotions, and frustrations they're dealing with.
• There is a bottomless list of things you can't make your child do. You have to feed them, change them, and love them anyway.
• Who you really are and how you really feel, these things will come through to your child, no matter how hard you try to cover them up.

The little kid stage

• Usually the best approach to parenting requires you to hold in your negative responses. Swallow your anger and disapproval and hug your kid. Always be as gentle as you can. There is no good place for negative emotions.
• Even when you're at the end of your rope, your child still needs your love - probably even more so when you're frazzled.
• Children learn far more from praise than criticism. You have to be a parent, of course - you have to parent, but we tend to heap constant criticism on our kids. Try for 200% more praise than criticism. The world will make up the difference - they need to hear from you that they're okay.
  
  
  

Flourish

Those who are planted in the house of the Lord will flourish in the courts of our God. Ps. 92:13

My roses in Amberg...a sweet fragrance, indeed. Lovely~

Interesting to note: when I moved in this bush was about as tall as the 2nd step.

Thank you, Lord - for reminding me that our praise is a lovely fragrance before your throne. Thank you that, despite our shortcomings, you bring loveliness & growth to our lives when we are planted in your house.


Sarah reminded me this was her favorite view in Amberg. Awwwww.....


Currently Reading
Motherless Mothers: How Mother Loss Shapes the Parents We Become
By Hope Edelman

8:25 AM - 20 eprops - 14 comments - email it