my new found past time

well, this blog is going to be somewhat different from my past blogs. i thought that in this blog i would show you guys what i have been up to lately. for some reason or another i have had a strong urge to be crafty. i have also made things in some form or fashion, but i have never quite learned the technique of sewing. it all started about 2 or 3 years ago when i bought a small, very small, sewing machine and thought that after all of my mom's willingness to try and teach me to sew as a teenager, i would give it a try with my own little nifty sewing machine. well, it took me 2-3 years to finally teach myself how to use that little, nifty sewing machine. and it's actually not as hard and frustrating as i thought that it would be. i have actually grown very fond of the whole sewing hobby. as you all know, between 3 kids, a job, and a fort to hold down, i don't have very much spare time on my hands, so alot of my projects have been in the wee hours of the night.
okay....not to brag, but if i may say so myself, the projects that i have attempted so far have turned out way better than i had ever anticipated. needless to say, i am very quite proud of myself. so, in this blog i am going to share what i have been doing in my "spare" time...meaning, time when i should have probably been asleep, and i was wondering why i have been so tired lately. anyway, i hope you enjoy what i have to share.

KATE'S NAP MAT FOR KINDERGARTEN


CRAYON ROLL-UP COZY


COMPACT AND LIPSTICK HOLDER


ABBEY'S INITIAL BAG


KATE'S BOOKBAG FOR KINDERGARTEN

BITR...top 10 things i dislike about my significant other

10. his paranoia about his alarm clock
9. his snoring
8. his obsession of his "beloved" red sox
7. his ability to "RAMBLE"
6. his heavy breathing when he is in DEEP thought
5. his timing of wanting to talk to me about about "important stuff" when i happen to be in the worst mood ever (which in his defense, my bad moods are pretty consistent)
4. wanting my opinion about the same thing 100 times (like he doesn't believe me)
3. his absence of mind and body when anthying about the red sox is on tv, internet, etc
2. his EVER-GROWING collection of cds
1. his EVER-GROWING collection of baseball caps...andy, you only have 1 head

Okay, to whomever gives me my topic for next week, it HAS to be about the "top 10 things I love about Andy"...that way I can somewhat redeem myself. Thanks Matt, for this more than EVER controversial topic!!!

BITR...The Jonas Brothers

Well, this week's topic for me is a pretty safe one. It's one that my girls would be more interested in than the readers of this blog. It's none other than the newest teen pop sensation that has captured the heart of every preteen girl. I am talking about the brother trio, the Jonas Brothers.
Since this blog won't be much of a debatable or opinionated discussion, you will just have to bear with me and let me introduce to you the Jonas Brothers.

The group consists of three brothers, with the last name Jonas, hence the name "the Jonas Brothers". Kevin, Nick, and Joe make up this brother boy band. WAIT...I really don't have the energy nor the time to look up the facts on these pretty boys, so I will just include an exert from a bio on the boys. Here it goes, read closely, you may end up liking these guys.....

"Music on Red Bull." Without hesitating, that's how 19-year-old Kevin Jonas describes the hyper-adrenalized sounds he's created with his two brothers, 14-year-old Nicholas and 17-year-old Joseph, on the Jonas Brothers' debut album, It's About Time.

Music always played a major part in the brothers' lives growing up in New Jersey. Their parents are both musicians, so gathering around the piano for sing-alongs was an essential part of regular family bonding, yet each brother found his own musical calling in a different way.

Inspiration for the group's songs comes directly from the boys' personal experiences--from the highs and lows of dating to being on the road to having been given the opportunity to follow their dreams at such a young age. "A lot of it is about typical teenage love stuff like 'Oh, what am I going to do if I can't see her today?' It's not stuff that we don't know about," says Nicholas.

For now the brothers are just relishing in the experience of having other people hear their music live and making new fans one city at a time while they are on the road. "We've known for a while how it felt to be on stage, but we never knew how it would feel to have people love music that we've written and which we both play and sing. It's very gratifying when fans come up to us after shows and tell us how much they relate to our songs," says Joseph.

Well, there you go. And actually, they're not all that bad.

BITR: sAME sEX mARRIAGE

My topic this week was given to me by none other than my lovely husband. I usually don't like getting topics from him because they always seem to be too challenging for me, but I think that I am ready to tackle this one head on.

Before I begin, I just want to make it clear that I am not condoning the "act" of being gay, just like I don't condone any other sin that is in the Bible. I am simply trying to give a fair and equal argument about same sex marriages.

To start off with, I want to make mention that there is an undeniable separation between church and state. Regardless of a person’s personal beliefs regarding a particular issue, separation has to be maintained. If there is a law prohibiting gay marriage, why not a law prohibiting spouses from having affairs? Why not a law prohibiting sex before marriage? These are all moral issues, but laws are not made to enforce morality; they are created for the protection of citizens. They are not created to enforce a particular church’s beliefs; they are created on behalf of the state to both defend rights and guard the people. So, even if someone is convinced that homosexuality is wrong, they would have no right to impose that belief on the entire nation.

I also have the concern of allowing our government to decide who a person can marry. Do we really want so much power in the hands of imperfect people? As a Christian, I readily recognize the fallibility of mankind. We make mistakes every day and no one is exempt from this. Given the nature of human beings, does it make sense to give equally flawed men and women in our government the power to decide who can marry who?

I know that it is hard to put personal prejudices aside when making difficult and important decisions. But despite our own personal feelings, it is important to remain objective on issues like this.

I know that some, well alot, of the arguments about same sex marriage are because they feel it threatens the sanctity of marriage. I do believe in preserving the sanctity of marriage, but why aren't people equally or even at all concerned about more common factors that deface the value of marriage.

Because if it really is about the sanctity of marriage where is:

- The amendment that makes divorce illegal?

If it's about the children who need both a mother and father, where is:

- The amendment that makes divorce illegal until your children are 18 or older?

If it's about the argument that God created marriage for procreational reasons and people of the same sex obviously can't procreate, where is:

- The amendment that disallows marriage to a straight man and woman who can't physiologically have children?

Why aren't these issues more of a concern and brought to the table to battle over? Why? Who knows!!

So, with all the rambling aside, I suppose if I were asked the question...Do you think that same sex marriage should be legalized? I would have to say, YES.

BITR: The Girl Named

Let's see, where do I begin. This week's blog topic was given to me by Danielle. I am to write my blog on Elizabeth H., a girl I know and Danielle's best friend.
When I think of Elizabeth, actually the first thing that comes to my mind is my daughter Kate. The reason for this is because Kate's middle name is Elizabeth. Besides that, Elizabeth H. is the only other Elizabeth that I personally know.
The Elizabeth that I know can be summarized in three words: QUIET, SWEET, and BRACES. Theses three characteristics are the first that come to my mind when I think of Elizabeth H.
First, she is very quiet. Probably quieter than a mouse. I don't think that I have even heard a total of 10 words come from her mouth since I have known her, which has been about a year now. I'm sure that she is more talkative around her friends, and I can actually imagine her and Danielle getting together and being so silly that they possibly could drive people crazy. Even though she is quiet I can imagine her being very giddy and silly when others aren't around. That's when the true Elizabeth shines through.
Second, she is super sweet. I haven't ever seen or heard her being ugly to anyone. Well, that could be the pure fact that she never talks, so how could she be mean to people....no, really, she is a very genuinely sweet girl. Maybe too sweet, which isn't always a bad thing. We need more all around sweet people in this cruel and mean world that we live in.
Lastly, Elizabeth has braces. I know that this is nothing out of the ordinary. Gosh, my daughter even has braces and she is only nine. But, the first thing appearance wise I notice about Elizabeth is her braces. She's always smiling and grinning so that's usually the first thing I see when I see her. I'm sure that she doesn't like her braces, just like every other 14 or 15 year old. But, to me, Elizabeth's braces represent just many changes that will happen as she goes through her teenage years.
Well, I know that this blog doesn't do Elizabeth H. justice, but this is what I think of when I think of Elizabeth H.

BITR...The Absolute Worst Way to Die

Well, I think that it kinda crazy to even think about this kind of thing, but Matt insisted that this was my topic to blog about this week, so here it goes...
I have always thought to myself that the worst way to die would be to drown or to burn in a fire, or maybe even being eaten by a shark. But when I really think about it, the absolute worst way to die would be to die ALONE! Whatever the morbid situation may be, just the pure fact of being all alone when you are looking death in the face would be pure agony. I imagine death to be a scary occurrence for some people, with myself being among this group. I know that I have nothing to fear after death, but still, the separation from my kids, my husband, my family, my friends would be too devastating. And to know that there was no turning back and no time to say good byes would be pure torture for me. No one there to comfort me, to hold my hand, to wipe my tears, to say good bye, to hear "I love you, mommy" one last time. No one around, no one to guide me into the next life, nothing...absolutley NOTHING!! Just to know that it could be all different, that I could and should be surrounded by family and friends, people who love me. To me, being alone, as death crept in, would be far worse than any other death could ever possibly be.

Black and White Photography

BITR...Why I Believe in Jesus

The reason that I believe in Jesus is because I know that without believing and trusting in Him I would probably literally go CRAZY. I have a real problem with over worrying and fretting about things...even things that are beyond my control. I think that I must have "inherited" this characteristic, problem, whatever, from my dad, who is the biggest worrier I know. Anyways, I have always "believed" in Jesus as long as I can remember. Probably from as early as learning "Jesus Loves Me this I Know". I grew up in a Christian family and was always in church, so I guess it was just a given that I would grow to believe in Jesus. But not until I got older did I really see why I needed and wanted to believe in Jesus. With all of my worries that accumulate in my "psychotic" little mind , I have to know that everything is going to be okay. I put my trust and beliefs in Jesus, that He will get me through each day, that He will help me know that "we will make it to the next paycheck", that "the truck breaking down AGAIN" is not the end of the world, that "I can watch my kids ride their bikes and not think they are going to wreck and bleed everywhere", that "Andy's not going to have an accident on the school bus because he has 70 shrilling, heathen kids sitting behind him". I have to know that everything will be alright or I would surely go CRAZY. Jesus gives me this peace of mind that everything is going to be okay and that one day I will be with Him in Heaven and NEVER, EVER have anymore worries. My reasons are many and way too long to list on this simple blog. My question is, how can you not believe in Jesus/God when you look around, experience the birth of life, to live, to breath, and to die.

BITR...Where would I live in?

if i could live anywhere other than the "good ole US of A" i would probably pick somewhere in africa. i know that some of you are thinking..."why on earth would that be the place that you would live?" well, here is why...yes, the united states is a ~good~ country to live in, but we are very, very spoiled!! many of us, including myself, are so used to having everything pretty much handed to us and life seems so simple compared to the lives of people in other countries, that we have lost our sense of helplessness. we don't even have the slightest clue what it means to do without. to live in a place like africa would be a very humbling experience. to see, up close and personal, what it means to "do without" and "go without". i get on to my kids all the time when they get mad or pitch a fit for not getting what they want, whether it be some type of food or something materialistic that "so-in-so" has. but i do the exact same thing, minus the throwing myself into the floor and pitching a fit....well, at least most of the time. i, myself, need to be brought back to reality. i would be willing to live in africa not only to be humbled, but to have a hands on experience of feeding the hungry and the poor, to see first hand what it is like for someone to starve to DEATH. to see the diseases that babies and kids share that we have only heard of here in the united states. just from pictures, news stories, etc have i seen what goes on in africa, and we only have our tiny little brains to imagine what it would be like there. that is why i would be willing to live in africa so i may see what this poverty stricken land goes through on an every day basis. to feel the hopelessness, to lack the sense of any hope that tomorrow will bring, to have disease after disease throughout your land, and to feel the hunger and thirst that has been brought upon them. i feel that GOD is good, but i am confused sometimes when i see people here in the states with so much, more than anyone could ever use, and then you have these poverty stricken countries that bury their dead on a daily basis because of the lack of food, water, and medicines. i just haven't seemed to figure that one out yet. i know that GOD loves them as much as anyone else, but why does it seem like HE has left them out....just for living in a land that is poor!