Bunnies, Bikes, and Biology

This little guy above was only a short ways from me in the back yard Monday morning. He was very still, pretending I wasn't there taking his picture. He does nearly blend in with the old mulch, doesn't he?

Redo Jr. got this bike nearly two years ago. If it had an odometer, it would now have about 250,000 miles on it. Just nicely broken in as he cruises, no hands on the wheel, around our neighborhood to find someone to play.

My tomato plants are growing because of all the rain we've had this past week. What we need now is some serious sunshine. 

The flowers have lost all their blooms.

My friend Jennifer, the gardener, assures me the blooms will come back. Lacking even a small portion of a green thumb, I hope she's right.

Today Miss E and I studied "The Titanic." She saw on Facebook that one of her friends was going to see the movie. I told her it would be horrible. She didn't believe me so we

looked it up. And read the entire Wikipedia account of 

that tragic happening. 

I love homeschooling, as long as it isn't math or science. 

I've found a veterinarian homeschooling mother who is teaching biology in her home next year, so Miss E will join that small group.

She wants to dissect so badly, and this is her chance. The teacher is thrilled that we own a microscope to share with the class, she likes to have a microscope for every two students. 

Did you like dissection when you took biology? I have to admit I found the innards of the frog we dissected in tenth grade to be absolutely fascinating. 

 

Hugs ~ Mary

Sunday Morning - Singing

Enter his gates with thanksgiving and his courts with praise;

give thanks to him and praise his name.

Psalm 100:4 NIV

On Sunday mornings at church, we love to sing praises to the Lord.

Here are the words to one of my favorite praise songs ~

 

We will sing, sing, sing, and make music with the heavens,

We will sing, sing, sing, grateful that you hear us when we shout your praise ...

Lift high the name of Jesus.

What's not to love about you? Heaven and earth adore you.

Kings and kingdoms bow down. Son of God you are the one,

You are the one we're living for.

You are the love that frees us,

You are the light that leads us like a fire burning,

Son of God you are the one.

You are the one we're living for.

We will sing, sing, sing, and make music with the heavens,

We will sing, sing, sing, grateful that you hear us when we shout your praise ...

Lift high the Name of Jesus!

Songwriters: Danielle Carson, Matt Gilder, Travis Nunn, Jesse Reeves, Christ Tomlin

 

 Is there anything better than praising the Lord? It's the highlight of my week!

Hugs ~ Mary

I'm sharing at:

With a Grateful Prayer and Thankful Heart

Miss E Learns to Sew

So excited to read on Hopeful Thread's Facebook page yesterday

that 227 dresses have been sewn by our online group 

for Dress a Girl Around the World!

Miss E made a dress to donate, her first sewing project ever ~

The pillow case dresses are so easy and fun to make.

A great beginning project. Miss E picked out fabric at JoAnn's - great choice, love the daisies!

 

I also made one more dress, making a total of six dresses from us.

I'm off to the post office this rainy morning. 

Can't complain about the rain - my new flowers and

tomato plants are growing fast!

Hugs ~ Mary

I'm sharing at:

 

What Would You Do?

 My friend Christa, who blogs over at Brown Sugar Toast,

shared the following with us this morning, and I felt it was

a very worthy cause and wanted to share it here as well ~

 I want to tell you about a little friend. His name is Jordan Ocampo. Jordan is 2 – the same age as my daughter. Here’s a picture of the 3 of us (from Christmas 2010):

Jordan was born on July 25, 2009. He was a healthy and happy little boy.

At his 12 month check-up, the doctor was concerned about his weight and ordered routine lab work for him. The doctor was concerned about Jordan’s calcium level, so he had Jordan come in the next day to re-do the lab work. After receiving the same results with the second test, Jordan’s doctor sent him to the emergency room. From the ER, they sent Jordan to ICU to have emergency hemodialysis.

The end diagnosis? Chronic kidney disease, also known as end stage renal disease. Jordan is now on the waiting list for a kidney transplant.

The Ocampos are a sweet family in my church. As their church family, we have been praying for Jordan and working to raise money for his transplant-related expenses. We are working through the Children’s Organ Transplant Association (COTA) and their estimated cost for Jordan’s procedures is $40,000.

One of the ways we are seeking to raise money is by doing a Walk-a-thon entitled “Walk for Jordan.” If you are in the Charlotte area, please consider joining us on May 5! More details can be found here.

However, I know most of you do not live in Charlotte, and cannot attend the Walk-a-thon. And I’m sure none of you have $40,000 you’ve been wondering what to do with…

So here’s my request:
Would you consider giving $5 to Jordan?
$5 by itself is not a lot. I know. And I’m not going to tell you something like, “For every $5 you give, Jordan will live one more day!” Because it’s not true.

But if we all give a little, we’ll get to our goal of $40,000.

Whether you can give $5 or not, please pray for Jordan. Pray that:

• the funds will be raised
• a transplant will soon be available
• Jordan’s parents (Cisco & Cora) will have wisdom and strength

If you choose to give, head to this secure site where you can enter “$5″ in the “Other” field. If you want to learn more, a short video has been made about Jordan’s story or you can check out the official COTA website for him.

Thank you for your help in making a miracle!

Thanks, Christa, for bringing this to our attention.

Hugs ~ Mary

Sunday Morning - Being Content

Be content with what you have, for God has said,

"Never will I leave you, never will I forsake you."

 Hebrews 13:5 NIV

Several bloggers wrote thought-provoking posts this week about 

how we all see things we want on TV, in magazines, 

or on other blogs.

And I saw myself there. In fact, I'd been seeing it for a while - 
oh, let's be honest, I've been like that all my life.

 

Always thinking that if I painted this piece of furniture, bought one more lamp, moved this table over there - then, I would be happy. 
Of course, there's no end to that thought process.

Yesterday Miss E and I went to a huge yard sale, one of those

held in a school parking lot, where dozens of school parents

bring all their unwanted items to sell.

 

I chatted with a seller who mentioned she was downsizing
because her husband is retiring soon and they'll be moving to a small beach house. 

I mentioned that my husband will retire in five years and I'll be downsizing as well. And with that thought in mind, I wondered

what I was doing at this yard sale in the first place!

As I continued shopping, many items caught my eye.

 I would pick up an item ... and remember the

blog posts ... the lady downsizing ... the above Scripture, which

had been on my heart all week. 

And ask myself, "Ms. Redo, do you really need this?"

The answer was always "No!"

 

 Just this morning I received coupons in my email box - 

coupons to save (while spending) at some of my favorite stores. 

Of course, I'd like to run out and buy something while saving 40% (and spending 60%).

But I'm trying to re-focus on what really matters. 

Trying to set my mind less on the constant desire to have more, redo more, change more.

Not that there's anything wrong with creating an 

attractive home for our families. God obviously put

that "nesting" desire in most females. But is
there ever enough?

I'm just feeling like I need and want to spend more time
with the One who has already said He will never leave me 
or forsake me.

Do you struggle to balance the spiritual and material?

 Hugs ~ Mary

I'm sharing at:

Applebee's Sandwich Knock-off

Last Friday night we ate dinner at Applebee's 

for Miss E's 16th birthday.

I ordered the Classic Clubhouse Grille, 

and honestly it was amazing.

Shared a bite with Miss E and Mr. Redo, 

who also loved it.

We analyzed this Classic Clubhouse Grille and decided

we could make it at home. Miss E copied the ingredients onto her

new birthday iPod for future reference.

Today we referenced and made our own 

"Re-do Clubhouse Sandwiches."

Here's the list of ingredients from the iPod.

Texas Toast

(we used Pepperidge Farms farmhouse bread) - 

buttered and toasted

Ham

Turkey

Bacon 

Cheese 

Lettuce

Tomato

Mayonnaise

Honey Barbecue Sauce

We forgot the cheese today, but didn't miss it a bit. 

Every bit as good as Applebee's, but much less

expensive than their $9.79 price!

 

Hugs ~ Mary

I'm sharing at:

Savvy Southern Style

Mom's Art Deco Dresser Gets a Re-do

When my mom passed away (at age 91), 

I kept her dresser. It held so many memories for me.

I always did my make-up in front of her mirror. 
And I can still smell the sweet powder

cans atop her dresser, the same smell as Mom on Sundays

when we went to church ... "all fixed up."

  

But honestly, this Art Deco dresser was never my style.

I kept it because it was hers. Lately it's become a

catch-all for papers, keys, odds and ends. 

Which made me feel rather blah when I walked by it.

In the past few weeks, I started putting pictures on it ...

without frames, just setting pictures up along the mirror.

I liked the look so much, I started framing them.

Some frames were black so I painted them with

antique white craft paint ... two coats did the job.

Some frames remain silver ... and the picture

of my childhood home is in a brown frame.

For me, the mixture of frames adds to the visual interest.

 (little Miss E soon after she came home from Romania -
we were both so happy to have each other!)

I'm thrilled with the new cozy look!

I walk past it now and smile ~ 

Hugs ~ Mary

I'm sharing at: