Hear ye! Hear ye!

I've MOOOOVED! 

I wanted an address that corresponded with my updated theme, so head on over to potlucksandpraises.blogspot.com and follow me there. 

All the old posts have been transferred. 

And I'll be there, not here, so it's the place to be!

Stuff It!

My favorite Christmas decorating accessory is FREE and if I'm just a bit resourceful I can find plenty of it. I may have to skulk around the churchyard with my snippers; I may or may not park my car at Walgreens and race up to a grove of cedars (or were they cypress?); I definitely make a stop at Lowe's for an armful.

Then I stuff, stuff, stuff!











And jam, jam, jam!









And if party-time comes before I've stuffed and jammed it everywhere, no worries - it's not as if anyone's likely to say, "You missed a spot."  


...though they may think it, with a raised eyebrow and a touch of sarcasm...

Fun with a Hymnal - Yup, a Hymnal

I can tell I've grown up a lot...having fun with a hymnal used to mean tacking on "in the bathtub" to the ends of the titles. So childish.

Really, what kind of grown-up would find "We Gather Together...in the Bathtub" remotely funny...heheh...or "Make a Joyful Noise...in the Bathtub", "Set My Soul Afire in the Bathtub"...snort... "There Is a Fountain in the Bathtub"...guffaw.... 

"What Child Is This in the Bathtub?"

"While Shepherds Watched Their Flocks in the Bathtub"

Bahahahaha!

But I'm a grown-up now and find it much more entertaining to cut up a hymnal and pull out the glitter and the glue and MAKE STUFF.


What kind of stuff? How about letters!








 Trees! (sort of)




Flag thingies for the Christmas tree! (which we don't have yet)



And while we're at it, a tree TOPPER!


 I'm on a roll, baby (pun totally intended)!

I understand why my artist-painter brother-in-law prohibits all glitter in his home - that stuff gets EVERYWHERE.

Poor Mike, he'll be glittering for a month. People will be like, "Hey, Pastor, got something sparkly in your beard..."

It's fun to be a grown-up!


C'mon, say it with me...

Autumn

I blinked and summer was gone.


A beautiful summer it was...


...with more than its share of zaniness 
(yes, this woman is stealing from our dropbox).


And it was the summer I discovered four-ingredient guilt-free cookies!
{mashed bananas, oatmeal, chocolate chips, and slivered almonds}


It was the summer that Flutterbug discovered, while sitting in Starbucks,
 that her dad isn't John Denver.


And now autumn's here, with a little birthday reminder from Father:


And this autumn I tried my hand at my first seascape (and at taking pictures 
in the half-darkness...SEVEN days of rain)!


You alone are the Lord. 
You made the heavens, even the highest heavens, 
and all their starry host, the earth and all that is on it, 
the seas and all that is in them. 
You give life to everything, 
and the multitudes of heaven worship you.
--Nehemiah 9:6--


The itty-bitty painting is a gift for a favorite couple, former Victory Homers 
who are now staff members. Just call us VictoryMatch.com!


Victory Home's rolling along with a little help from our volunteers, 
or, rather, help from our little volunteers.


 So, yeah, summer took off with hardly a word, but I'm okay with that - 
autumn's quite a pleasure, too!


Summer

Front porch shade...


Good friends...


Garden tomatoes...


Wedding cake-baking...



Hotdog-eating...


...(with our lovely church family)...


Cupcake-enjoying...


Next-generation zaniness (son of my visiting friend from jr. high)...


Conference-attending (Nancy Leigh DeMoss with Shannon Wexelberg leading worship)...



More cake-baking (celebrating my friend Faith's birthday and Independence Day)...


Super-hero fun...



Dab of painting, for some bathroom zippiness...



 Doggie-moping (he's not used to so much activity)...


Children's church-leading (Flutterbug rules!)...


More (and more and more) summer recipe-testing...


...and all-around carrying-on!


Happy summer, everyone...we'll rest in the fall!