1.
Julie Ferwerda sent me a copy of her new book One Million Arrows: Raising Your Children to Change the World
. I'm reading it and will be reviewing it here on my blog in a couple weeks. The book's topic goes right along with the kind of parenting my husband and I are striving for, to raise our children to live with passion for Jesus and to change the world for Him. You can view a trailer for the book below. I get contacted often about product reviews, but this one I could not ignore. Aside from the subject being one I am so interested in, ALL profits from the book go to international orphan care and ministry, including work with orphans in Haiti!How awesome is that?!!
2.
A couple times a year I get the urge to spray-paint something and y'all, it's here! Today it was a used-to-be-white mesh storage basket housing sports gear on our back patio. It is now a lovely shade of silver and looks brand new for the cost of about 5 minutes of my time -- awesome!
"The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." - Calvin Trillin
"I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids." - Anonymous
3.
Apparently the spray paint is not enough to satisfy the spring/summer fever, though, because I'm also debating adding some wall decoration over our master bed. The wall has been bare since we moved in over 3 years ago!! During some cleaning out I found some plain white canvases in our storage area and am trying to decide if I want to paint them or cover them with fabric. My poor husband has been subjected to all the options, but has yet to be much help with deciding!4.
Oh! And I'm in the process of recovering the cushions on my outdoor patio set. Nevermind that I have no idea what I'm doing! It is a hodge-podge of staples and sewing and gluing the likes of which Martha Stewart would running screaming away from! But I did find some beautiful fabric cheap at the craft store! One cushion down, two more to go! I really must learn to finish one project before starting another!5.
I already got a Mother's Day gift from my daughter. Her preschool class created gifts for their moms and attached to the gift wrap is a sheet with things your child said about their mom. My daughter put down my age as 3 years younger than I actually am! Thanks, Baby! I couldn't help glacing at a the other kids' projects lining the walkway in the hall. One little boy in her class said his mom was 60! I'm not sure exactly how old she is, but she's nowhere near 60 and likely will not be thrilled to see that her pre-K son thinks she's that old!6.
As Mother's Day approaches I've been thinking about some unsung heroes of motherhood, foster mothers. I truly believe they are angels right here on earth! They get a child at the worst time in that kid's life, they often have to undo deep hurts & fears from previous parents, and they care for the kids day in and day out, doing therapy, getting up at nights when the children cry out, only to often give that child up after a year or two and never see them again. My volunteer work as a court-appointed special advocate has allowed me to meet several foster mothers and their selfless love for those kids amazes me! There is a big misconception in society that foster parents do it for the money. I'm here to tell you most do not. In Texas, where I live, foster parents for a basic child (without special needs) get $22.00 per day and I bet nearly all of that is used up to house, feed, clothe, drive a child to therapy (all children in CPS custody need some type or several types of therapy), etc.7.
And Happy Mother's Day to all of you! It is such a blessing to share my motherhood journey with y'all! I'll leave you with a couple of my favorite quotes about mothers."The most remarkable thing about my mother is that for thirty years she served the family nothing but leftovers. The original meal has never been found." - Calvin Trillin
"I'd like to be the ideal mother, but I'm too busy raising my kids." - Anonymous
Find more Friday Fragments, Finer Things Friday, 7 Quick Takes Friday and Friday Funnies at Homesteader's Heart.
I love the quote about leftovers. I had so many leftovers when the kids were little that I would make up menus for them, and they would order as if they were in a restaurant. Leftover nights were special deals.
ReplyDeleteMy mum has been doing volunteer work as support for juveniles at court appearances, it's rewarding but emotionally difficult work, I admire people who can do that sort of thing.
ReplyDeleteHave a great weekend!
I love that just your every day life can give giggles my friend. And I am with you on the spray paint.
ReplyDeleteAnd good for your for standing up for the Foster parents. I know some of them get a bad rap.
Loved the quotes.
Have a fabulous weekend.
Kim
After 7 years of living in our house, we still have a few empty walls, as well! When you'rer living on a budget, one can't buy everything they want at once!
ReplyDeleteYou sound like me with all the refinishing/fixin' up, etc. I have a tutorial on my blog about overhaulin a dresser. Check it out. :)
Stoppin' in via Wordless Wednesday!
So glad to meet you!
God bless!
Have a fab weekend and mothers day.
ReplyDeleteI be interested to see pics of the cushions you are recovering on your outdoor patio set.
I always feel so pleased with myself when i accomplished something like this. I bet it will look great.
http://uktotheusa.blogspot.com/
I wish I was good at decorating and "remaking" things I already have. My son is, he wanted some art to hang in his room so he got some inexpensive canvas and splatter painted them. Looks good, and I would never have thought of it.
ReplyDeleteI used to be a CASA too; foster moms do deserve a lot of praise for what they do.
Happy Friday! Your post touched me as I was a foster Mom to many. I adopted one 10 year old girl and she is and has always been a joy. I had another little girl from 3weeks old until she was 7 1/2..and her father wanted her and took her to Michigan (we live in Phila). Our hearts were broken. She is 18 now and is trying to go to Penn State and she will be living with my daughter..she never forgot us and really missed her big sisters.
ReplyDeleteHappy Mother's Day!
How funny! I think that I'm working on the exact same projects that you are!
ReplyDeleteDecorating and remaking things? Good for you! I am simply try to cut through clutter before child #3 arrives in July...
ReplyDeleteI had to laugh at your leftover quote. I am a leftover queen - as I learned to be from my mom, who, literally, would save a tablespoon of leftovers in a jar when I was growing up. It never occurred to me that all families did not do this until I was at a friend's house for dinner, helping to clear the table. They had served some nice cuts of meat along with everything else, and some was leftover. So, I looked for a container to put it int he fridge. My friend asked what I was doing and his mom said, "just give it to the dog." I was stunned. That slab of meat would have been a meal starter for my mom...
I love spray painting! I think the smell is most of the reason why. lol
ReplyDeleteLove those mother quotes!
Happy Mother's Day.
I am *slightly* addicted to spray painting as well LOL I look forward to your review of the book..I have heard from others that enjoyed it!
ReplyDeleteI agree with you about foster parents. I honestly don't know that I would be able to handle it!
ReplyDeleteI love the result of spraypainting something but I hate the process. I think maybe it has to do with the lack of available space to actually DO it here *L*
Thank you for your time as a CASA. And thanks for knowing many foster parents are doing it just because. I'm a foster mom and I will hopefully be spending my mother's day picking up our newest little one from the hospital. My family has spent the last 9 days driving back and forth over 80 miles roundtrip to see him everyday. It's so worth it to see him smile and look at me when I walk in the room the last few days. He's supposed to only be with us for a few weeks but we'll love on him while he's here. Besides our older two daughters we adopted our 3 yr old who was our foster baby for almost a year and a half first.
ReplyDeleteYou are a handy woman! You're so right about the foster mom thing. I have a friend who fosters very high-needs foster kids, and I know she gets paid a lot, but you couldn't pay me enough to do what she does, and she does a wonderful job. Without foster parents willing to take the tough ones, our society would be much worse off.
ReplyDelete