"Not me!" Monday

Another Monday morning? Don't fret, for it brings us another edition of "Not me!" Monday, the fun and cathartic blog carnival created by MckMama over at My Charming Kids. Hop on over there to see what it's all about, and join in the fun!

There is no way that I spent my entire day on Thursday cleaning. I definitely wouldn't do that for some unknown potential buyer who wanted to see the house. Nope, not me! They can take me as they find me, for sure.

And I definitely didn't take my two big boys shopping for sandals and other summer gear during our pseudo-naptime this weekend. I would never do anything so rash. And I certainly wasn't so pleasantly surprised at how the shopping expedition went, that I decided to drag them into B&B Works to get some soap.

I certainly didn't buy not one, but two bunches of fresh spinach this weekend at the farmers' market. Uh-uh! Because I am definitely not a recovering picky eater, and I didn't really enjoy the spinach that I sauteed last week, at all. I could never like spinach!

Speaking of food, I absolutely never apologize to the roasting chicken when I stick my hand up its...whatever. Certainly not every time...nope, not me! Why should it feel like a violation of the chicken's person? I mean, that's just silly.

And I definitely don't think I'll never be a vegetarian, unless the Lord sends Gabriel himself to make the request....

the lesson of the lilac

When life gives you lemons...take photos of your lilacs!

This is the most beautiful year yet for my lilac bush.

It was given to me for Mother's Day a few years ago, by Jeff's parents. The first year, it produced no blooms. The next year, it produced a single blossom. Each year, its loveliness has increased exponentially.
In His Time
by Diana Ball

Ecclesiastes 3:11
"He hath made every thing beautiful in his time:"

In His time, in His time,
He makes all things beautiful in His time.
Lord, my life to You I bring,
May each song I have to sing,
Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time.

In Your time, in Your time,
You make all things beautiful in Your time.
Lord, my life to You I bring,
May each song I have to sing,
Be to You a lovely thing, in Your time.

going places

Boy, Owen is really going places these days!

homemade laundry detergent

I discovered a recipe for homemade laundry detergent through Michele at Frugal Granola. It's been a few months now that I've been making it ~ it's so easy, and extremely economical. So I thought I'd share with you just how simple it is.

The recipe requires three ingredients: Borax, washing soda (found in the laundry detergent area of most stores), and a bar of soap. I use Dr. Bronner's Organic Magic Soap. I've tried using Peppermint, and recently I used Lavender. They're both nice, but I'm especially partial to Lavender!

I'll let you click on the link above for the amounts, but I double of the recipe, resulting in detergent for 36 loads! What an amazing deal.

I use my food processor to grate the soap:

Then I pour the grated soap, as well as the other ingredients, into a big bowl to mix it all up. All that remains is to transfer the detergent to storage containers. I use two large, clean yogurt tubs. To use, I scoop 1 Tablespoon in to the washing machine, and we're ready to roll!*

*Michele did note that she hadn't used this with cloth diapers, and neither have I. I have no idea whether it would cause build-up or not. So, that's the disclaimer for all you diaper washers. I'll let you know the verdict when it's in!

Thy Word

(You'll want to scroll down to the bottom of the page and pause the music. And you may need to turn up the volume for this...)

Psalm 100
A psalm. For giving thanks.
1 Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth.

2 Worship the LORD with gladness;
come before him with joyful songs.

3 Know that the LORD is God.
It is he who made us, and we are his [a] ;
we are his people, the sheep of his pasture.

4 Enter his gates with thanksgiving
and his courts with praise;
give thanks to him and praise his name.

5 For the LORD is good and his love endures forever;
his faithfulness continues through all generations.

perspective

²Consider it pure joy, my brothers, whenever you face trials of many kinds, ³because you know that the testing of your faith develops perseverance. ⁴Perseverance must finish its work so that you may be mature and complete, not lacking anything. --James 1:2-4

are you ready for this?

Last Sunday Jeff decided to take the plunge. It had been 11 years since his chin had seen the light of day, and more than 6 years since he'd grown his full beard. But at last, he decided to make a bold move.

Before:

During: there's no turning back now!

Who is this guy?

Whoa!

The result: clean-shaven Jeff is back.

His face if familiar, yet not familiar. I am continually doing double-takes. It's been a really long time!

And honestly? I'm totally loving it!