Sunday night awesome links!

interesting stuff I found this week on the world-wide-web

...because it's wide, and has awesome stuff....

  • First, just found this, and I'm in love with this song. I've always loved Amy Grant's voice...

  • I heart this blog. She is in California- look, we're neighbors, kind of...and she decorates in shades of white (who dreamed there were so many variations of white? there are!) and links to other places that decorate in white. I love this look. I also love red and gray and yellow.

I am now deeply conflicted.
Dreamy Whites

  • I just stumbled upon Paulette Insall-Artist & Mom, her blog is beautiful and inspiring. Go on over if you want to be inspired to get some art on.

How about you? Found any must-share stuff on the 'net?

7 Quick Takes Friday, July 2


~1~
We went to the Irish fair, to see Meg compete in Irish dancing.

~2~
I reveled in all the photo opportunities. Meg placed 4th in one of her dances, not as good as prior years. She has another competition in July and hopes to snag more ribbons.

~3~
This is the week for our Annual Summer Bible Conference, it's called the Summer Training- the training part, because it is more intense then a conference-it's more like a Bible course stuffed into one week.

~4~
Because it's Summer Training week, we have 13 people staying with us.
Plus the normal 6 of us.
Plus a labradoodle.
It's a bit crowded here.

~5~
we have 2 bathrooms. That's 19 people. 2 bathrooms.
It's not finding a place for everyone to sleep that is difficult, it's the bathroom situation.
We have a married couple in my boy's room. A married couple in the front living room, my 3 girls plus a visiting girl in the loft, 2 college age girls plus 1 mom on the bottom floor of the girl's room, 4 college boys on mattresses on the floor in the family room plus Demi-Sky on the couch in there. Emma the labradoodle sleeps in my room.
See, crowded.
But fun.


~6~
The conference subject is the book of Isaiah, through the lens of the New Testament.
Here is one of my favorite thoughts from one of the nights...
"Our God likes to play Hide and Seek, He hides, you seek. In your situations, you need to find where God is hiding in your circumstances."-Ed Marks, message 2

~7~
Here is another favorite gem from the meetings:
"The word of the Lord that we hear, becomes the vision that we see, and the vision that we see becomes the burden that we receive and bear." -Ron Kangas, message 1
There is so much more- the meetings run late, our young guests stay up late-then there is breakfast in the morning and study time, and then we pack up dinners and go to the meetings..then do it all over again.
It's a very blessed week.

7 Quick takes is hosted at Conversion Diary

Sunday Links on Monday, just because...

Just because I was tooo busy yesterday,but never-fear, here they are!

  • First, my friend Janae is doing a meme called Flashback Friday. I've been rather a bad friend, and keep forgetting to join up...or like last week, I was camping...so I am going to try to redeem myself and give it a shout-out here! Janea's blog is Pink Moss, click over to visit- and be sure to go back on Friday!
  • Darth Vader cookies. You know you have to do them now, to be the cool mom. From Bake at 350 via We are THAT family (thanks!)bonus: she gives you directions for icing, but she says they look cool without, too- if you are more the lazy mom, like moi...
  • Eggs Benedict for Father's day. Sky has off and on expressed an interest in trying eggs benedict, looked at those special pans-but had so far, not tried them. So, I whipped up a batch for Father's day. For someone who is not a great cook, this is huge. huge. I turned to the Pioneer Woman for help, of course. Her recipe did not disappoint. -Pioneer Woman Cooks Egge Benedict recipe here
  • Our new show is Dr. Who on BBC America. The new, 2010 one. We usually only have time for 1 show, we just ended our House run from netflix, before that it was Monk. We just stumbled onto Dr. Who, and we are hooked. It's Sci-Fi, adventure, mystery, British and scary all rolled into one. It's a bit too scary for our kids, we save it for after bedtime. My fav episode so far, "The weeping angels" - had me looking behind me for a few days, creepy.

Happy Monday!

neglecting my blog to go and learn about blogging better...

Hello from Utah! I'm hanging out at The Casual Blogger Conference '10!

This is my first ever blogging event. I am getting to meet and hang out with bloggers I only knew online. It's been a blast, lots to do- and lots to learn.
I've been hanging out with Brandie of Rudy Family Rukus, Lolli of Better in Bulk, Rustin, Holly and Lori of the blogfrog community...just to drop a few names.

You all have to come next year!!

Sunday links for a May afternoon

Today I had a French Chef cooking in my kitchen. This is our amazing friend, Philippe Antoine.
Yes, he is French- he has this great French accent, and yes, he is a chef. And, when he cooks for you, he does his French talk..and it makes everything sound good. Even if I don't understand some of the words.
Even if.

This man could set raw tuna before me, and I'd eat it. Actually, he did once...and I ate it. It was some kind of tuna/mango/tomato thing. I do not do sushi, but I ate the raw tuna.
Only because Philippe made it, and I knew it would be good.

We had a full kitchen, watching him do his magic. All family and friends.

Here he is, putting the finishing touches on banana foster, which is done flambe style.
Oh yeah.
It has real Madagascar vanilla beans from the pod in it, people!!!

!!!

this is the one dessert that frequents my dreams.
oh yeah.

be on the lookout for short cooking videos by Philippe...I'll link up for sure when they are ready.

Now, on to the links for Sunday!

7 Quick Takes Friday, May 21

~1~

I've been doing the 30 day shred, but the only consistent time I can do it is late at night. Soo, I'm a bit fitter, but very tired from staying up too late. It seems to be a trade-off.

~2~

I like twitter better than facebook. There, I said it.

~3~

Crushing on this song...

He is jealous for me,
Loves like a hurricane, I am a tree,
Bending beneath the weight of his wind and mercy.
-Oh how he loves us, David Crowder Band

~4~

Busy with homeschool, busy with blog stuff, busy.

~5~

went to a end of the year homeschool park day. A beautiful park, a man taking care of bluebird nest boxes showed up a nest full of tree sparrow eggs. I love real life science lessons, and I love birds!

~6~

Saw Nathan Pacheco in Concert at the OC Pavilion with Sky. Nathan Pacheco is an incredible singer and sang with Yanni on a project. The concert had many beautiful opera songs.
It was a wonderful concert/benefit

~7~

Sky and I have discovered the new Dr. Who series done by BBC America. Mesmerizing. And scary! The episode about the weeping angels had me looking behind me...a really creative show. We are all caught up with House, so now we have room for a new series.


7 Quick Takes Friday is hosted by Conversion Diary every Friday, click over to join up.

Top 4 computer things a blogger does every morning

My morning computer ritual-
Top 4 things to do every morning

Well first, before I start the techno-list with cool numbered bullet points, I have to ruin it and ramble on with my pre-list, list.

First, I make myself some oatmeal with fresh fruit, brown sugar and rice milk. It has to be the old-fashioned kind, because it's better some-how... oh, and a diet coke, of course.

Breakfast of Champions!

After this is accomplished, and my kids are either fed their breakfast (the littles) or I've checked that the olders are not going to have chips and cheese or cookies for breakfast (yes, really- I do have to step in and stop that sort of thing) then I begin my computer routine. Ideally, this is after I've had my morning walk and read my devotional..eh, ideally...

  1. check email. my email currently has 167 items in it. This causes Sky's face to twitch everytime he sees it. It is pathetic, that is why I got a brand new email account and I am starting over. Seems like a good plan. maybe. Note: checking it doesn't usually mean I actually answer it-
  2. check my sitemeter to see what is going on with the blawg. It's pathetic, but makes me happy.
  3. check the blog. Then visit back all the faces I see on my blogfrog widget, and answer comments/visit back. or make a note to answer comments...soon.
  4. check twitter. This is a new habit for me, it has replaced check facebook. Facebook, you have been demoted to a more passive role in my life. Right now, I heart twitter! I see what the tweeps are up too, reply to some, check out any interesting links or contests, do a few re-tweets.

And that folks, is all I have time for...then I have to get moving so I can go educate the kids.

oh, yes, That.

and then at our mid-morning break, I check twitter again. It's addicting.
twit, uh tweet!

How about you, bloggy friends? What are your must-do's when you turn on the computer?

Links for SUN-day!

  • First, I want to tell you about Project: In My Daughter's Eyes, which is an endeavor by my friend Janae of Pink Moss. Here is how Janae described her new project;

"In My Daughter's Eyes is an idea I had to ask women to write a letter to their 12 year old self, giving advice on what true beauty and happiness means to them. I didn't give many guidelines because I wanted the letters to be unique, just like the women that wrote them...

.... I am dedicating this project to my daughters, but somehow I have already grown so much. In three weeks, my eyes have been opened to how women view themselves. The ladies that shared their stories have all been through the same kinds of struggles as my girls and somehow they made it.


... I hope that in writing these letters, these women have found a piece of themselves that maybe they didn't know they had. Hopefully they began to rediscover the greatness they already have within. "

Please go on over, it's a lovely website- go over, to be encouraged, uplifted and moved- and maybe to see what you could contribute.

  • Last, The Swagger Wagon (hat tip to The Williams Family blog) -we only watch stuff on dvr or dvd, so I miss all the commercials, this is a hoot...

why yes, I do have a mini-van...just not this cool :)