Kisses and Disses...

This week's Disses go to:
*anyone who uses the last of the toilet paper but doesn't replace the roll.
*anyone who "replaces" the roll but sitting a new one on the back of the toilet
*mean people who try to bring you down
*the common cold
*antique stores that sell modern junk rather than actual... well, antiques.
*having the focal point set to the wrong spot and not knowing it.

This week's Kisses go to:
*sunflowers
*open windows, fresh breeze, cool air
*coffee
*Candace Cameron. She was cool as DJ Tanner on Full House, but she's way cooler now.
*anyone who likes to pretend writing their blog is the same as writing for the high school newspaper back in 1994.


(The focal point was supposed to be on the flower. But you can see that it's on my eye. Because I set it, then had to flip the camera around to do a self portrait. And that whole opposite/reverse thing didn't click in my little blonde head. *sigh*)
My parents are so proud...

New York and Martha Stewart

I keep getting questions about the party.

Yep, I really did get an invite in my email.
And yep, I was just as stunned as anyone else.
It's a bit overwhelming to see an email come in from "Martha Stewart Living Omnimedia".
And of course my first thought was that it was a scam.
But the more I looked into it, the more I realized it was very real.

I'm also getting questions about the purpose of the party.
I kind of wish I knew! It was a blogger party.
To celebrate bloggers. To mingle and share. To create more buzz about Martha's newest products. (not that she needs it, but still...)

The Man and I made the mistake of only getting 3 hours of sleep the night before the party.
And we had a very eager tour guide, who wanted to show us New York City in it's entirety, in a matter of hours.
Which was awesome and crazy.

We saw the city from one end to the other in one afternoon and evening.
The Statue of Liberty, Times Square, The Empire State building, Chinatown, Little Italy, you name it...
Subways back and forth, back and forth. Up and down the stairs.

And honestly, it's all a blur. I'm very grateful I had my camera on me.
Because in my head, this is about all I remember of New York.
(and Martha, of course.)




It was a whirlwind experience.
I'm so grateful we got to go though!
And so grateful for a wonderful tour guide who showed us more of the city than we could've ever done on our own in less than a day.
And so grateful that I live in the sticks, where I can walk around with bare feet in the grass.
I loved New York but I figured out that I'm more of a midwest girl than I ever even realized.

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
-------------------

This week, hot coffee on cool quiet mornings is where I saw God's fingerprints.
A few moments each day to rest. Breathe. Relax. (wake up....)
So yes, as shallow as it may seem, God's fingerprints were on my coffee every morning this week.
Ahhhhh.

(And don't make fun of me for drinking it out of a tall cup. That's the way I've always done it. Mugs are for wimps.) Ha!

Jewelry {Giveaway}

**This giveaway is now closed. Thanks!**

The other day my postal carrier said, "Wow, you've been busy bees lately!"
And we have. Really really busy.
So much fun, and such a blessing!

This week we listed several new items.

I have Decided necklace

Chosen and Cherished

Wild Thing (animal prints!)

Jesus Loves Me (perfect for little girls)

The Great Pumpkin earrings

ButterFly necklace



How about a $25 gift certificate to TheRustedChain.com?

1. Leave a comment telling your favorite thing in our shop.
2. (optional) Blog it, facebook it, or tweet it for additional entries. (On twitter, copy and paste "Wish me luck on @TheRustedChain jewelry giveaway! http://tinyurl.com/32e8ahg"
*please leave additional comments for each extra thing you do!*

We'll pick a random winner in a week. Have fun!

I love you. And me.

As much as I'd like to think I blog for you, the readers, (and I do!)...
It's also about me.

I don't scrapbook. (Remember that I'm not a girl?)
This blog is my scrapbook.

So while I feel like you're going to become bored with my vacation photos, I have to share them here.
Because this is my journal. My scrapbook.
And I will have it printed and bound into a hard book.
And I need to have my family vacation memories preserved.

The Smithsonian Air and Space museum was so cool!
Back when I was a flight attendant, I had a lot of interest in aviation.
And I still love to go to air shows.
Maybe someday I'll get crazy and become a pilot.
A pilot wearing fabulous jewelry...


1. Scrawny boy. 2. Elephant. 3. Pretty building.
4. Our first hot dog stand experience. 5. Dum Dum. You give me gum gum. 6. Capitol building.
7. Our family, in front of the Washington monument. With me in the photo. Because I matter. 8. Dinosaur. 9. My amazing sister in law, who has five little kids and didn't even flinch when I asked if we could come crash at her place so I could meet Martha.


More sites around the city.


More to come. But this is the abbreviated version.

Welcome

I welcome this new week with eyes wide open.
Hands folded in prayer.
Splashes of unexpected color.





I welcome the challenges.
The laughter.
The coffee.
The vintage finds.
The sunshine.
The family time.
The homework.
The meetings.
The surprise flowers that pop up in late summer.

I'm ready for this week.
Are you?

Easy as Pie.

Actually, even easier.



Large flaky biscuits
Canned pie filling
sugar
whipped cream or ice cream

Seperate the raw biscuits horizontally. Sprinkle the bottom of a muffin tin with sugar and then put half of the biscuit in pushing it down to form a little cup shape.

Put the other half on wax paper and run a pizza cutter (or knife) through it to cut it into strips.

Weave the strips together like you would for a pie top.

Fill the biscuit cup almost to the top with pie filling. We like cherry.

Carefully put the woven strips on top. Sprinkle with more sugar.
Bake until golden brown.

Let them sit a few minutes before moving them to let the filling firm up. Otherwise it'll be too runny.

Serve with whipped cream or ice cream!
Yum.

Little cupcake pies. Perfection.




You're welcome.

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
-------------------
I mentioned the other day how much I'm disliking the early school mornings.
But I think God is working on changing my mind.

There is a still quiet in the early morning.
The air is different, the skies are different.
I know God is always near, but is sure does seem like He's a stronger presence in the morning.
The mist, the coolness, the colors. It's all incredible.

(By the way, this field is soybeans. I've been asked that several times.)

All together now: "Awwwww!"

We have a farm cat in one of our barns.
He doesn't like us and runs every time anyone gets near him.
But that's okay because we figure he's keeping mice and rats away.

There's a cabinet in one of our barns that Lilo goes crazy over.
She barks, sniffs, scratches, whines, and has an all out fit every time she's near it.
Finally the other night, The Man opened the cabinet carefully to see what Lilo's bother was.
He was afraid it might be a possum, or skunk, a badger, or tazmanian devil or something.

It was, instead, a little lump of fur in the corner.
Our barn cat isn't a he, it's a she. And she had babies.
3 of them.





Look at Lilo's nose sniffing that kitty. New toys!!


The kids named this one Jones. As in Indy Jones.
Because it is the adventurous one of the group.


Why yes. Yes, I am the cutest thing you've ever seen.




The Baby is in loooove. Love. Squishy huggy squeeze 'em tight and call 'em George kind of love.
Love.

Here we go again...

Today is the kids' first day back to school.
Only this time it's a new school.

We have a tradition of going out for ice cream the day before school starts, just as an end of summer celebration.
The Boy's best friend in the world is a girl, so we brought her with us. (Bad Baby and The Man were off tool shopping or something.)



I don't like ice cream, but I can do some serious damage to a milkshake.
Especially when it's Strawberry Cheesecake flavored.
And from Braum's.

If you don't have a Braum's nearby, come to the midwest. It's worth the trip.

The kids had to get up bright and early today.
Like, in the 6:00 hour. Anything before 7:00 is torture for us.
But this year they're riding a bus for the first time.

I didn't like that before 7:00 thing until we stepped outside and saw the sunrise.
Hello beautiful light.



While we were waiting for the bus, a couple girls rode by on their horses.
Because things like that happen out here.


Finally the bus came. The kids ran and got on.
So did Lilo.
See her right by the side of the bus? She jumped on before the poor driver could close the door!
Crazy hound dog.


So they're off. A 3rd grader and a 5th grader.
That's just crazy.
Part of me is excited about this free time I'll have to get things done now.

And the other part of me just wants to go back to bed.
Wonder which part I'll listen to?

Top 10 travel tips with children...

Suddenly I feel like an expert in family road trips.
Even though I'm really not.

But here are my tips, if you should choose to hit the pavement with small children in the vehicle.

1. Have lots and lots of activities to do. And then have more.

2. Have a "shush bag" in the front. It's a bag filled with shush toys. You pull out little surpises as needed when you need a certain 3 year old to shush. Dollar store items are great. Little books, pocket cars, bubble gum tape, new coloring pages, etc.


3. DVD players are awesome. It's well worth the investment before your trip.

4. Buy the kids a $1 photo album before you leave. Then at every stop let them pick out a post card. They'll end up looking forward to each stop, comparing post cards, and have a "scrapbook" of the trip when it's over.

5. Pipe cleaners are cheap, quiet, and creative toys.


6. Deprive your kids of television for weeks before you leave so that they become engrossed in it at every hotel. This one wasn't intentional, but it worked.


7. Take a small cooler with ingredients for "lunchables" so you don't have to stop as often for meals. Crackers, sliced cheese, sliced ham, turkey, and pepperoni.

8. Water bottles and instant drink mixes eliminate the need for frequent soda stops.


9. Get a pack of glow sticks at a dollar store and pull them out for toys after dark.

10. When all else fails, try to collect license plates from all 50 states or play the alphabet game!

p.s. What ideas or tips do you have? Share please!

Fingerprint Friday

There is a song by Steven Curtis Chapman that says:
I can see the fingerprints of God
When I look at you
I can see the fingerprints of God
And I know its true
You're a masterpiece
That all creation quietly applauds
And you're covered with the fingerprints of God
So look around you and see where YOU can see God's fingerprints. Is it in nature? Kids? Animals? Where do you see them? Here's how to join.

1. Blog with your interpretation of God's fingerprints. Be sure to link back here so others can find the entire list of participants.
2. After you've posted your blog, sign the Linky below. Have fun exploring the other links as well! Please sign in only if you're participating. Hopefully this will make us look at things through fresh eyes throughout the week.
-------------------
Getting to travel so many miles and see so much last week was a real experience.
So many scenes, so many cultures, so many different people!

But when we finally arrived back home, this was the sunset.
And I was reminded that there's no place like home, not just because I'm in Kansas.
There's just something warm and comforting about home and that's just here on earth.
I can't even imagine what our eternal home will be like!

I should blog.

I should also continue to edit my photo sessions that people are patiently waiting for.


I should maybe buy school supplies for my kids who start school on Monday.
And I just realized it yesterday.

(my kids sang the Indiana Jones theme all the way through the state.)

I should try to put on a happy face and try to be one of those bloggers who have it all together.
Pretty pictures. Happy children. Gorgeous houses. Flawless photos.
Filled with ideas and recipes, crafts and wise words for their loyal readers.

Yeah, I should try to be one of those.

Oh wait. I'm not. And never will be. Dang.

(there was drool. Much drool.)


I won't tell you that our power went out for most of the evening yesterday.
It happens all the time. That's one of the joys of living in the country.
And then I fall even further behind on my computer work.

(someone had her first coffee ever. And loved it. I'm a proud mama.)


I probably shouldn't tell you either that all morning I thought it was Wednesday.
I just figured out it's Thursday.

And I won't tell you about the appraiser that showed up at my house this morning, right in time for his appointment, while I was still in my nothings.
That's right. My nothings.
Because I forgot he was coming.

(hotel wrestling.)


I really should also send out those Thank You cards I owe.
And reply to the emails that are taunting me.

Yeah, I should act like I have it all together.
Somehow I don't think you'd buy it.

You all know me better than that.

You know I'm a hot mess. Struggling to juggle everything.
But still loving life. And recognizing my blessings.
And laughing at myself all the way. How absurd I really am.
How crazy this life is.

(country boy in his John Deere hat, in the big city.)


I should blog. But I need to get busy now.

Martha, Martha, Martha...

I was going to make you guys wait for this.
I wasn't going to do this blog until next week.
But I'm so stinking impatient that I couldn't help it!

So here's the deal. I was shocked and thrilled a few weeks ago when I got an invitation to a Martha Stewart blogger cocktail party in NYC.
After much scrambling, begging, and possibly a tear or two, we made it happen.
We were supposed to be at our cabin for vacation last week.
So we just headed East instead of West.

I knew I was getting close when I saw these stripes.



I and a handful of other bloggers got a tour of the building before the party started.
What a treat!!
Photos were strictly off limits, which just about killed me.
It was all so beautiful behind the scenes! The lighting, the kitchens, the props...
But I followed the rules. Matt didn't, fortunately. You can see his pictures here.
(I'm in the middle in the top group photo, but he doesn't have me tagged.)

The party started and the mingling began!


It was supposed to be on the rooftop overlooking the Hudson river but the weather forced them to move it indoors instead.
It was very cramped, and quite warm.


There was a false eyelash station by Paul Labrecque.
One of the makeup artists saw me walk by and said, "Oh! You've already been here and got your lashes!"
I told her I hadn't. She was shocked. "Seriously?! That's all you?"
"Yep. Me and Maybelline."
I'm such a hick.
I should've told her, "They're real and they're spectacular!" (bonus points for you if you know what that's from.)


Glass ping pong table. I need one in our farmhouse.


I didn't eat anything.
I know. A Martha friggin' Stewart party and I didn't eat?!
I am not known to turn down food very often.
But I didn't want to be mingling and have garlic breath, or a piece of spinach in my tooth or something. So I just drank.
And I stuck to non-alcoholic things so I wouldn't end up dancing on that glass ping pong table.
Hey, you never know...
These were ah-ma-zing.


The view -


I had a brief conversation with Martha.
I have to be honest and say that she is not what I expected.
I have heard the stories and fully expected a diva.
What she was instead, was lovely and warm, genuine and kind.
She shared real smiles and real laughs.
Not to mention she's ridiculously beautiful.
She looks as good or better in person than on television.
And she's the proud new owner of a necklace from The Rusted Chain.





Thank you Martha and staff for inviting this small town Kansas girl to such a fabulous event!