NEW BLOGGER

All my friends and family can keep tabs on Darians' progress on his senior project by going to his new blog http://darianrockstar.blogspot.com/ Remember to comment on his progress to help him with keep records for the school.

Before:

After:
Before:
After:

So, What is mom doing while they work so hard? Look out, I have spraypaint and I am not afraid to use it! Thanks to Julie in the Purple House, I now have a new motto,

"Everything that is purple is mine; Everything else can be spray painted!"

Around the house today

Darian is helping Tameka with her senior project (learn to play guitar)

Brystan is paying for his new bike,

Cannyn wants some cash to buy a drink when he is riding his bike today,
Summertime, summertime, Teenagers can be good to have around!

www.discoverthecommons.com SPORTS CAMP FOR ELEMENTARY SCHOOL AGED CHILDREN. $10 PER KIDDO, ALL WEEK, WITH PRIZES AND FUN TO BE HAD BY ALL.
MOMMY CAN TAKE THE WEEK OFF!

My First Award

I have just received my first award. It is from Sue at http://hometotheworld.blogspot.com/ . Sue has been our family friend for several years, and one of the many voices of encouragement that helps me through this jigsaw puzzle called life. There are Some rules to accepting this award, so I am going to try and paste them here.


1) Say thanks and give a link to the presenter of the award.
2) Share "ten honest things" about myself.
3) Present this award to 7 others whose blogs I find brilliant in content and/or design, or those who have encouraged me.
4) Tell those 7 people that they've been awarded HONEST SCRAP and inform them of these guidelines in receiving it.



Yeah, it worked! The joy of learning from your children.



Can I be honest with you all, when I am barely honest with myself? I will try.



1: I am living proof that our God is a loving God. He is the same yesterday, today, and tomorrow. It is but by his grace that I am even alive to write these ten things. Romans 3:24, Being justified freely by his grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus.

2:I am an addict. I am unable to use moderation, as is evidenced by my 28 blog postings this month. My gardens have been an addiction, even to the point that my house and our families nutrition have suffered. (Way too many take-out meals because mommy has been playing in the dirt all day) Some of my addictions are silly, some actually dangerous (21 years) and some you would say "That is an addiction?" Romans 6:12 Let not sin therefore reign in your mortal body that ye should obey it in the lusts thereof.

3: There are two amazing people who have tried to teach me for 41 years. They were the best parents. Both of them came from families with abuse, and both of them were able to break the cycle. All six of us kids knew they loved us! and that love has grown even more to include the 19 grandchildren. Proverbs 17:6 Children's children are the crown of old men; and the glory of children are their fathers. Proverbs 31:28 Her children arise up and call her blessed; her husband also, and he praiseth her.

4:I am a very rebellious person. Please do not tell me what I cannot do, because I will prove you wrong or die trying. By the same token, please do not order me to do something because it will only lead to disappointment! (for everyone). This rebellion has led me down some rocky paths, leading to some perilous situations, (See truth #1). But, it also has made me strong in my faith and in my resolve to protect my children from making the same mistakes. Proverbs 28:14 Happy is the man that feareth alway: but he that hardeneth his heart shall fall into mischief.

5: My universe is very small! I have cocooned myself in my little world to insulate myself from more pain. This is a mistake, and I am now working very hard to correct it. You see, when all you look at is yourself, it becomes very boring. My newest mission is to look to the needs of others. I have challenged myself this summer to take my eyes off of myself and see the needs of others first. 1 John 4:20 If a man say, I love God, and hateth his brother, he is a liar: for he that loveth not his brother whom he hath seen, how can he love God whom he hath not seen?

6: Coming to faith in Christ was not easy. I was deeply involved in things that were dangerous, and was fighting with demons at the tender age of 13. Even after my salvation, I was hard headed and went my own way for most of my 20's. When I came back to Christ, I was very much like the woman at the well. John 4:1-20 too long to quote

7: My husband is a good man- something I do not tell him enough if at all. He works and provides for our family, he spends time with his children, and he has been daddy to the one he chose for 15 of his 17 years of life. But these things I forget so easily. Proverbs 31:11 ( I fall way too short on this one) The heart of her husband doth safely trust in her, so that he shall have no need of spoil.

8: Most of the time, my priorities are way out of order. Where they should be: God, Jon, My Sons, Others, I often find them in this order, My sons, others, God, Jon. (See Truth #7)- Ephesians 5: 21-33 too long to quote.

9: I am afraid for our country, for the world even, not because I am afraid for myself, but for all those lost souls who do not understand the truth. I have read the last chapter. I know how this story ends, but so very many people will fall for the lies being fed to them covered in pretty whipped cream.
1 Corinthians 11:14-15 And no marvel; for Satan himself is transformed into an angel of light. Therefore it is no great thing if his ministers also be transformed as the ministers of righteousness; whose end shall be according to their works.

10: When I became a mother, I prayed for wisdom. (James 1-5) My hope is that I can share the things that have made me strong in my faith with those who God has entrusted to me. I want to learn so much, but I do have a hard time putting what I learn into action (Truth #4) My favorite verse is Proverbs 4:7 Wisdom is the principal thing; therefore get wisdom: and with all your getting, get understanding. But recently I have been shown follow up verses to both of these wisdom getting verses--James 1:6-8 But let him ask in faith, nothing wavering. For he that wavereth is like a wave of the sea driven with the wind and tossed. For let not that man think that he shall receive any thing of the Lord. A double minded man is unstable in all his ways.


So, there is the truth. That is the most honest I have been with anyone, including myself. I included the verses, not to show off, but because Jesus is the way, the truth, and the light. Without him, there would be not truth. I learned this the hard way.

Now, seven people? I don't know if I know seven people very well...
Can I give it back to Sue?
Wait, I will go check my list...
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Gina @ http://ahandfuloflife.blogspot.com/ Cause even though she is so much younger, she is often my Titus 2 woman...
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Tricia @ http://skippy-n-scoop.blogspot.com/ Her will to be a good wife has taken her on a journey of a lifetime into the arctic circle...
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Kris @http://whatchadoingnowkris.blogspot.com/ Her grace throughout her battle with cancer has tought many life lessons to those watching...
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Evy @http://yestheyareallmine-mom.blogspot.com/ DUH!
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Amy @http://corbincrew.blogspot.com/ Any pastors wife should be lifted up daily.
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http://katididscreations.blogspot.com/ Kati, my brand new friend for all the loving comments she leaves me.
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http://lefahfkafaef.blogspot.com/ Glenda, I feel like I have known her much longer than 3 weeks (thanks mommy.)


Good enough? Sue, you are a dear, You have always been so encouraging to our family especially Darian and his music. I hope you are always part of our life. You make it so much nicer.

With much love to all,
Karyn

What type of flower?

Am I allowed to do a raffle? I want to raffle the last bag I made and give the money to my friends for their trip to the Philippines. The bag is huge (think beach bag). Maybe a dollar an entry? If so, then would you spread the word?

PETA

I wish I had my camera with me today. I saw a great t-shirt while I was getting the screw taken out of my tire at Costco....
P E T A
(People for the Eating of Tasty Animals)
on the back it read...
There is always room for God's creatures,
On my plate next to the mashed potatoes!

Happy Birthday Girly

One pretty little balarina's birthday.

I started this bag on Friday evening. Finished it at 5:30 pm on Saturday. Good thing because.....The party was at 6:ish. Filled it with activities for a little girly person to use when she is bored, and called it the BORED BAG. Happy birthday balarina.
Abby is looking in the BORED BAG.

still to come

this is at one of the local stoneyards.

they have some displays that will knock your socks off! We saw this one and began to covet it.

For this spot in the yard.

Every High School senior has to do a major project. Since Darian has been begging to install a fire pit in the yard, we decided to see if he could use it as his senior project. He is now approved and has the summer to complete it. I cant wait! The hard part will be staying out of it while he is working. But, he is also an artist, and I trust that he will do a good job. I just want to do it too. I am not a good supervisor, I will jump in and take over. Hold my hands behind my back please.

youth is wasted on the young!

My Rock Star helped me to bring home more rocks. Now that I have them, I can extend the back garden. Once he was done bringing them into the back yard for me, he was excused to go "hang out". note this spot.

notice some of the non-rock elements in the wall.

This is the new section. Inside and outside of the yard, I stacked the rocks, Sifted the compost, Moved 7 wheelbarrows full of dirt, and planted it. I have to hurry and finish this section, because the next section of yard is for his senior project. which means more rocks. Where will we find them?

Chicken Stitches: Anniversary?!

Chicken Stitches: Anniversary?! New blog giveaway. Mom's friend is giving away a set of stitch counters. There are some restrictions, but check them out!

bry, ben, cannyn

bry

cannyn

cannyn & ben

just a quick question, Have you ever looked in a mans bathroom? Why is it a man can keep his engine like this?

Jon took some boys to the car show this weekend. Now I have hundreds of pictures of classic cars.

I come to the garden

looking toward the playground

jungle

looking to the front yard

from my deck

from the front yard

My "Water feature"

I sing the hymn " I come to the garden alone, while the dew is still on the roses, and the voice I hear falling on my ear, the Son of God discloses" whenever I am working out here.

mission trip clarifications

Ok, for those of you who asked. The trip is to Paracelis, Philippines. They are building a Bible school/camp/retreat center/seminary. The church (Smokey Point Community) purchased 40 acres about 3 years ago and have sent teams to work before. Two of my friends sons are going, the older will be a Senior next year, the younger a Sophomore. (SCARY). In this economy, they are trying to raise the money by having bake sales, and random odd jobs. Both boys are musically gifted and use thier gifts to glorify God. They and thier other brothers (including a deaf brother) play and sing in the worship team. Each boy needs to raise $2600.00 and have sent letters to people who they feel have in some way impacted thier lives. (ME?) Wow. Good job Laura! I am so proud of them, I will find another way to help besides the bags.
Karyn

Who I admire:

Stan and Evy: For raising six highly functional, often quirky, mostly spirit filled children. For breaking the cycle. For working several jobs to give us the life we had. For never giving up on those of us who wandered on our own paths. For so many more things that would take the next 41 years to list.
David and Angie. For trusting the Lord even when it is scary. (David)For loving those girls as if he were the original dad. For pushing Amanda to this weekend. For your willingness to do what it takes even if you have to work more jobs. For being great role models to the 19 sets of little eyes watching.
Kris: For being so tough in your battle. For teaching me the meaning of the word Faith. For your amazing trash art. For sticking it out for the next couple of years.
Trish: For being a great wife willing to go to the ends of the earth for your husband. For your desire to create men of honor (kris too) and for your sense of humor which draws so many to you. For your straight talking, no nonsense way of thinking.
Gina: For not caring that the world thinks 5 is too many. For allowing God to be the head of your family. For being so smart. For being my bestest. For the life lessons you teach so easily.
Bryan: For being the dad even when it is hard. For giving us Darla. For finding so many creative outlets. Who knew?
The Other Brothers and sisters in law: For putting up with our family for decades. For loving and nurturing my sisters and brother even when it is hard. For providing for the families God has given you. (Darla) For being a Titus 2 woman to three very needing girls.
Tim and Amy: For leaving everything and everyone you know to start a church. God will grow it because of who you are. Thank you for your dedication
Any Homeschooling Parent: For being the parent and the teacher. Only you can do it right.
This list has so many possibilities, I will continue it later.

I Love how God works!

My friend requested my bags so she could sell them to her fellow teachers. I gave her the four pictured in a previous post. She has collected on two, and is holding the other two for other people. Now, Here is why I love how God works. Her son sent us a letter asking for us to "sponser" his mission trip. These bags cost me nothing but time to make, and I didn't have the money last week, I certainly wouldn't have it next week. But God timed it so I have it this week. Isn't God Good?

When I started this BLOG, I thought, "Oh goodie, now I can be funny like my sisters". I couldn;t wait to post all the cute things happening at our house. The problem is that cute things don't happen here. We are in the middle of all things teenaged. Darian is a junior in High School, Cannyn is supposed to be moving on to the his freshman year, and Brystan is in sixth grade. (for 2 more days) We have nothing but drama as they try to figure life out. Darian is pretty easy. He has gotten into trouble, but nothing like other kids his age. Cannyn is more like me and will challenge everything he can. I was rebellious, I wouldn't take the word of authority simply because it was authority. I needed to proove everyone wrong. Cannyn has taken that to a whole new level. He is a great kid. People request him for yard work and now even babysitting. (never) But he is also failing school because he doesn't care or doesn't want to try. I am not "ragging" on him, just stating a fact. Brystan has his own reasons for not doing well in school. He is a relationship driven person. Every thing he does has to be for somebody, and if that somebody doesn't love him, then he isn't going to perform. The best thing I ever did was to put him in a class with one of my old friends as the teacher. He listened to our stories about Mr. D, and made a relationship in his own mind. Then when he met Mr. D, he already liked him. Mr. D likes Brystan and sees how much he can become, and talks to him as if he were important. (thank you Mr. D., you have made a difference!)
Like I have said before, my only goal in life is to raise men of honor, and it is hard! There are so few role models for them. This is why our church is so important. Pastor Tim is teaching a great series on "Living a life worth telling stories about". www.discoverthecommons.com I like Tims teaching style because he is talking directly to each one of us, I have seen the boys nodding in agreement. (as opposed to nodding off, which I have also seen) Cham is dynamic, and the boys are drawn to him, and I see them wanting to go to youth group.
I was told that the post about the mook maker was being harsh on my husband. Sorry, I was simply stating the facts. That is our life. Or, was. The mook maker has died. It is quiet around here. People are finding things to do, so I guess that life will reshape itself now, I simply hope it is to the Glory of God.
So, I am not funny like my sisters, I am not political like my mother, I am simply the mother of three teenaged boys trying like mad to stay the course. My gardens keep me sane, My mother is the wisest woman I ever met, and My boys are always going to have angst. This is my life.

I dont want the roses to be jealous, so here are a few of the other things blooming this week.

The hostas aren't blooming, but oh, so pretty. Uncle Don and Aunt Suzie are unable to get their lupine to grow for some reason, so I thought I would share mine too.

In My Garden

Purple poppies, pink paeonaes and red hot pokers. the tropical garden did not survive the winter, but in its place I have zillions of purple poppies. Great big purple poppies. last year, Brystan and Cannyn sprinkled some old seeds I had in the garage. We had a few pretty poppies. When the seedheads opened, my little garden friends and I walked around spreading the seeds. This year the garden is over run with poppies. I even thinned them when they first came up. Cannyn is on tip-toes. he is not quite that tall. But I am 5'2" tall. with the bed raised one foot that means the poppies are at least 4' tall.

I forgot to stake my paeonaes this year, so they are flopping everywhere. Jon came out while I was taking these pictures, and he propped a few up in the magnolia tree so they would photograph better. He is such a linear thinker. I would have just crawled under the flopping plant and took a picture that way.

Nurse Charlotte gave me the red hot poker for the tropical garden last year. It has tripled in size this year. I think she may be having second thoughts now. So am I, they really belong in a tropical garden. Maybe I will try that again.

The Mook Maker

Do you know what a mook is? Every young American male is at heart what advertisers and media experts call a "mook." A mook is a perpetual adolescent. He is pre-occupied with sexual matters and cannot rise above the level of the trivial. A mook is a demasculinized male. perpetually stuck in immature behaviour. In other words, every man shown on television. Guess what? The mook maker is dying. It is scheduled to die in two days. The government mandated switch to digital television has in effect stopped all free television from airing. Yeah, I know, you can buy a special converter box and still get some free television stations, but I have chosen not to. You see, I have been at war with mookishness since I first had a son. I am not sure that I can pinpoint the exact moment that the light bulb went on for me, but I do remember thinking that if I was to raise men of honor, the mook maker would be my biggest challenge. You see, it is my husbands closest friend and lifelong companion. It greets him at the beginning of every day, and it is the last thing he spends time with at night. Every conversation in the house is centered on commercial breaks. Superbowl week is the worst since everyone knows that is when the "coolest" commercials are on television. We have never had cable or satellite television, so the programming choices were limited. Since it has been several years since we were into VEGGIETALES, the life affirming choices were even more limited. My sons come home from school and turn on the mook maker and sit and eat until their dad comes home from work. He then joins them. It does get turned off when I serve dinner, but the first person up from the table turns it back on. The programming around dinner time is the worst. They have fallen in love with a show called "Two and a half men" I have listened to enough of the episodes to give a good summary. Two brothers in their forties have found themselves living together in the older brothers home. The older brother is a commitment phobic, drunken slacker who brings a different woman into his bedroom every day. In one episode, he was apologizing to the women he had hurt and had relations with at least four of them in the same afternoon. The younger brother, a feminine, neurotic father is recently divorced. He and his young son are living in the brother's home because the B***h ex-wife is getting child support and alimony and he is only a chiropractor (as opposed to a "real" doctor.). Which brother do you think is rubbing off onto the other more? Which do you think is influencing the pubescent boy more? Oh yeah, I forgot to mention the ex-wife is experimenting with her sexuality.
TURN THE $%^&* THING OFF! you say? been trying for fifteen years.
In two days, it dies! I am going to dance at its funeral. I am going to sing the praises of the usually retarded federal government! Maybe, just maybe, someone will actually move a muscle in the six hours between school and bed. Maybe, just maybe, the creative juices will start flowing and people will develop hobbies. Now, if only the DVD player would fall off and break the DVD collection.

why I hate my mother

Do you remember being 16? It is one of the hardest years of life. You are suddenly torn between the things of childhood and the things of adulthood. The decisions you have to make are more than you can bear sometimes. Your friends are pulling you in one direction and your parents in another. The last thing you will ever admit is that your parents could even remotely be right (gasp). This is where we are today. D. boy is sixteen going on seventeen and even though we have an awesome relationship, I can see that he is weighing my words. Every thing I say is processed according to what his friends would say in a similar conversation. Yesterday our conversation turned to a friend who may not be the best influence on my precious baby. My instinct is to forbid him from having contact with this friend. Of course knowing all about the spirit of rebellion, I did no such thing. I did however bring out my sermon notes and show him that Pastor Tim was talking about this exact thing last week. I read him the verses from II Tim. 3, which describe someone who is in our lives that we may need to cut off from. Flee from. D. is very sensitive and I watched as his brain processed this information. It hurt. He does not want to be cut off from this person. As I watched this struggle, I remembered an

Evyism

which shows the results of such relationships. I brought a dining room chair into the center of the room. Standing on the chair looking down at him, I proclaimed myself "Christian", and him "Resister". We held hands, then I told him that I was going to bring him up to my level "Christian" but that he was to resist me with all his strength. A tug of war began. As I came toppeling off the chair, I told him that that would always be the result of such a relationship. Very rarely is a friend able to bring the resistant party to Christ. More often, the rebelling person is able to drag the Christian into the mud. I then told him why my mom had used this visualization technique with me and how little I paid attention to her wisdom. That is why I wallowed around in the mud for so many years. While the relationship does not have to come to an end, he does need to be aware that continuing it will mean a constant tightrope walk. One misstep, and you are tumbling down down down.

Don't get me wrong, I know this person needs to see Christ in our lives, I just know that my son is not strong enough to take them there. His faith is undeveloped. (Muscle) and he needs to exercise it more before he is capable of bringing "resister" around to Christ.

In the meantime, my mother was right, so right that her example was resurrected 25 years later. She is always right. ALWAYS

And that folks is why I hate my mother!

Really mom, how did you get so darned smart?

Give aways

Mom is giving things away. Is that how you get friends? I want to give away a great big vial of surging testosterone. My house cannot hold anymore. The third boy is starting to change this year and I have no where to hide. Just kidding! what do you want? Princess house or the waiting list for the bag? That's right, There is now a waiting list! I just got an order for five grocery sized bags. Now I need some lawn furniture and some shade so I can make them through what is promising to be a hot dry summer.

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.singleplaylist&friendid=127731918&plid=

http://music.myspace.com/index.cfm?fuseaction=music.singleplaylist&friendid=127731918&plid=

Shared via AddThis
O.K. I tried to bring some of D boys music over to my blog. I am a confessed technological idiot. I did figure out how to link you to him. (He is going to kill me!)

murdercycle

Sunday fun! Jon and the boys are playing every Sunday they are gone as soon as we get home from church... Monday mornings find the boys whining about how tired and sore they are.