roses for you

thought you might need a little pick me up today...

some roses for you sweet friend.

don't they just look lovely in a simple mason jar?

~type to you soon~

2011

i want to "be there"

wherever i am

needed.wanted.desired.asked

with a glad heart

be present

i just want to "be there"

~type to you soon~

photo credit: recharge lounge

location and condition

spending Christmas on the sandy beach...seems a little wrong in a way with no snow...but Christmas really has nothing to do with your physical location does it? it really is all about the condition of your heart. love to you all.

~type to you soon~

VOTE

my dear readers...vote today...vote because you live in a country that allows you to choose its leaders...

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pancakes

today when i was making pancakes, (in my pajamas, not showered, hair matted) for our little g at 8:35 and he was supposed to be at school at 9:00, i thought to myself, why? well i promised pancakes to little g last night and one should never break a promise. little g has me promise him things quite often. he knows my feelings on this promise rule! his face while he helped me make the pancakes was priceless, it was worth the few minutes that we were late for school. it was once said that “Time is the most valuable thing a man can spend” . i would add to that time spent doing the good, the lovely, the right, the gracious...

~type to you soon~

photo credit: razor family farms

encourage

a sweet lady came up to me at church today and told me that she read domestic chick and ask if i was the author of the site. it was such a sweet word of encouragement. so often i think that we don't recognize how much an encouraging word means. so today encourage someone. encourage your child who is struggling in an area or your husband that might need some recognition for all that he does. i am so thankful for this little blog and all of you who so graciously entertain my ramblings. have a great Sunday!

God encourages Moses to encourage Joshua and the encouragement strengthens him...

But commission Joshua, and encourage and strengthen him, for he will lead this people across and will cause them to inherit the land that you will see.

Deuteronomy 3:28

~type to you soon~

photo credit:corasnc

a gift from a friend

this may not seem like an extravagant gift to most but to me it meant the world. these are my favorites and if you have been following this blog for any length of time you know the untimely death that approximately 5 endless hydrangea bushes have experienced at the suburban farm. the gift...means so much because this friend knows me, and it was a gift for no reason...just because, and this friend well she is just that kind of girl who knows when another girl could use a hydrangea. love you friend!

~type to you soon~

i know that i have been a little absent lately, and truthfully the entire summer will probably be a little hit and miss at the domestic chick. oh i will be posting don't get me wrong but it might be 3 posts in one day and then 3 days may go by and nothing...i am sure that you all are just crushed at the thought :). obviously i do not think that you are on the other side of your computer waiting with bated breath for me to let you know what is going on over here. well this picture and this place should tell you alot. many an hour has been spent in the garden so far this spring and summer. alot of other fun things have gone on too...but this little space sure does take alot of time. the kids are really enjoying it though and it is so educational and we are amazed at God and His creation and what we can learn from the garden.

on a side note, don't you just love my color coordinated outfit of grey shorts and a brown and white striped t-shirt and the way my hair is making that nice little "X" on my forehead. i am shocked that organic gardening has not contacted me for the front cover, aren't you? it hasn't stopped mr. dc from wanting to squeeze here and there though. i know i should be thankful but i really do not understand how one could be attracted to another when the other looks like the above picture. seriously!

well this post has been all over the place. that is what you get when you start typing in the morning and end the post at 10 pm with all kinds of things that go on during the course of the day at the suburban farm.

~type to you soon~

hopefully tomorrow. it is supposed to rain so maybe...

cracker house

here is our new "old" house for our crackers. they really used to have it right. airtight storage for something that gets soggy. what a great idea! so much for those that think we get smarter with each generation. what do you think?

~type to you soon~

remember your first real bike?

i love the vintage styling of the bike. i saw a Schwinn ladies bike that was a similar yesterday and i knew that was what i would like to find for our little girl. it seemed like everywhere that i went to look for a bike they were all themed. a cartoon character or some kind of girl power innuendo. i just wanted classic. like my red Schwinn when i was little. so after a fairly lengthy search the end result yielded this little gem. she too had a theme but not after we were finished with her. her theme used to be "makin' waves" just what you want a 6 year old to do...right...make waves in their short innocent childhood. had to look beyond the theme though, to the frame...the crux of the piece, and here is the conclusion that i came too. remove the stickers, cover the handlebar cover with a subtle gingham, and put a basket on the front that always makes something classic...a basket and gingham.

what is it about society right now...the cartoons, the characters, the clothes, the bikes, real people for that matter. everyone is promoting the stickers and the signature go to quote for "coolness", like "makin' waves".

i would rather have my basket and gingham. how about you? my first real bike sure didn't make me think about things like this, but my little girls first bike sure does. it's amazing what children do to you, inside and out:). i seem to remember hearing this from my mom numerous times throughout my life. she really does know what she is talking about, at least when i want to agree with her:)

~type to you soon~

time saving tip

not sure why this idea hadn't hit me before, but while i was cooking dinner last nights i had the not so brilliant idea of rinsing all the fruit and veggies for the meal at the same time. i am a genius on a very minuit level. uses less water too!
~type to you soon~

clutterville

today's real life breakdown...

the laundry room is for laundry. i thought that after the laundry room HERE was redone i would like to do laundry. not so. i like it better now but like is a little too strong of a word for how i feel about it. it is however a necessary task when you are the domestic engineer in a home with 3 children who wear at least 2 outfits a day and a husband that works out, dresses up, gets comfortable, and might work on a project during the course of the day! yes you counted right, 4 outfits for the man. yet i am finding myself re-wearing my clothes at least once. the irony!

so here is my theory. i have this huge infatuation with a laundry room that has no laundry in it, because laundry is clutter. but the thing is that it is a laundry room...for laundry...its intended purpose is laundry. i think that i have been so trained by southern living and country living to desire that clutter free space that when it is not, all is not right. i know that is entirely too anal to be sharing and you all probably think that i am a nut job, but i am just keeping things real. you should know the inner workings of my mind on the topic of laundry.

so i took the thought process a whole step further to our perceptions of not only the perfect laundry room, what about the perfect house, does that make it a home? if the people that abide there are not content, do not care for one another or enjoy each other, does the decor matter?

then take it one step further, the perfect body. if the person that is on the inside of that body is discontent with who they are, they are miserable in their own skin, they are empty inside. does the slender waist, sculpted legs, and perky chest really sum up their parts and happiness in life?

see look what laundry does to me... as my mind drifts off to the idea of an organized, clutterless laundry room. what do you all think? what is your clutterville right now? what are you looking at and relating to a bigger issue?

~type to you soon~

photo credit: country living

may your days be merry and bright

and may all your christmas' be white.

i love christmas. i know that i have said that before, but really how can you not? if i would remove all of the imposed "issues" of christmas, like purchasing too many gifts that our kids really don't need, keeping the house perfect for unannounced and announced guests, keeping up with the baking schedule, finding the "perfect" gift that is really only perfect in my eyes, and bustling around as if there is not time to sit and read a story, or color a picture, or take the time to share the real meaning of christmas with our kids.

i am really trying this year to make a concerted effort to not overdo, to be content with the things that are out and decorated and let the rest go, i am not making as much by myself this year because i find that when i do i rob my family of precious time that is irreplaceable. so, they are helping me and loving every minute of it.

if i could encourage you today to let 2 or 3 things go this year that normally run through your christmas and turn your merry and bright days into frustrating and dull ones DO IT! don't let a day of this celebration of Christ's birthday be anything but a celebration like no other. let it go...

what could you let go now?

~type to you soon~

photo credit: freechristmaswallpaper

be still

soak it up

enjoy each moment

try to capture the priceless ones

the are gone in an instant

~type to you soon~

do you ever feel like life is passing you by...never enough time to do this or that. the this or that's that really in the big scheme of life do not matter. i am really trying to get better at not concerning myself with things that are temporal and changing my focus to the things that are eternal. by that i mean...i am trying to ask myself before i get stressed about the laundry piled 4 feet high in the laundry room or irked that the beds are not made perfectly, is this going to create a smile, make a life easier, exhibit understanding, show Christ to someone who needs to see Him in the little things of life. because really in this big world what do i want to be remembered for. the neatest made beds or a momma that played kickball, laughed at jokes, and smiled ALOT! a wife that was present and there or one that just co-existed. a daughter that grew old with her parents or one that watched from the outside as they aged. a sister who did whatever necessary to display unwavering love or one that purchased the obligatory Christmas gift once a year and removed herself the rest of the time. a friend that no matter what time, what place, what season of life, what crisis occurs is there or one that is a convenience girl and is only there for the fun times. while the entire day everyday can't be a internal look at the status of my choices, i can be more diligent about spending more time looking there. what are your thoughts on this topic? in the mean time i better at least go switch a load of laundry so i have some clean undies for the morning:)

~type to you soon~

thunder

do all little girls fear thunder? mine does and i did. i can mark the seconds until she is at my side when she hears it. we have been spending some side by side moments together with this rainy summer we have had. what do you fear?

ps...i am aware that is is a picture of lightning...thunder doesn't take the best pictures.

Fear not, for I am with you; Be not dismayed, for I am Your God. I will strengthen you, Yes, I will help you, I will uphold you with My righteous right hand' (Isaiah 41:10).

~type to you soon~

picture credit: reuters

thoughts on greener

today i was reading one of the blogs that i really enjoy and have recently discovered. she posted some interesting information about a "green" cleaner that is very effective and thrifty. here is the information herehttp://www.thethriftymama.com/2009/07/shaklee-basic-h-2-cleaning-green-product.html. now, saying that if you have followed the domestic chick for a certain amount of time you are aware of how i feel about my squirt bottle filled with a few drops of dawn. if you are not aware, read about it here http://thedomesticchick.blogspot.com/2009/01/beautiful-bottle.html

i am going to look into this other option a little more. although i know it will not be as thrifty as the dawn, it may be more environmentally friendly and i am all about the environment. no i have not turned into a environmentalist, not that there is anything wrong with environmentalists. i just figure if i can help by throwing my paper, cans, and plastic in a special trash can and can keep the ground water cleaner by not putting chemicals in it why not? after all,

The Bible consistently teaches that God created all things by virtue of His own power and wisdom (Revelation 4:11). Everything He made was good and gave Him pleasure (Genesis 1:31). To this day His eternal power and divine nature are plainly evident in His creation (Romans 1:20).
Now if God created all things, and declared them to be ‘very good’, it stands to reason that He is concerned for their preservation. This concern is plainly expressed at various points in the Bible. For example, He commanded the people of Israel to avoid wanton destruction of fruit-bearing trees during warfare. He told them that when they besieged a city for a long time, making war against it in order to take it, they ‘shalt not destroy the trees thereof by wielding an ax against them … thou shalt not cut them down’ (Deuteronomy 20:19).

paragraph above taken from this http://answersingenesis.org/creation/v15/i1/greenness.asp article, (very interesting read by the way).

have a wonderful evening. wasn't today glorious. i so enjoyed the breeze, and the birds, and my children's laughter. there is nothing like it!

don't forget to enter the weekly giveaway here http://thedomesticchick.blogspot.com/2009/07/project-giveaway.html for the pottery barn salad servers.

what are your thoughts on greener living?

~type to you soon~

photo credit: photobucket hippiechick

petunia

it has always been a dream of mine to write a children's book revolving around the main character petunia the pot bellied pig. i met petunia yesterday. here she is. i will tell you that she is not very lady-like. and this is her partner in crime, mr. grumples...

what is a dream of yours?

~type to you soon~

it is quiet here

everyone in the house is asleep, including my husband who i think is suffering from exhaustion. it is a weird feeling. i was just sitting here thinking that i don't like how quiet it is. don't get me wrong i love the quiet of the night but usually b and i are up talking. this just feels a little to much like i am alone here in this house. i am not a loner. i like to have people around. oh wait, i just heard a noise. one of the kids is shuffling around in their room. still, at this hour. what in the world? false alarm. a toy shifted in the playroom. anyway, i like to have people around. it is just my nature to listen and talk and think and wonder and observe. i do these things without realizing that i am doing them. i am the type that will carry on entire conversations with myself about stain removal ( which sadly was an event today). i have been known to talk to myself in the car because the hum of the road gets on my nerves. even when i want the children to quiet themselves for a few very brief moments in the car there is some sort of noise. why is it when the noise is absent you miss it. but when it is there you think, i would love a moment of peace. there are things that i am still figuring out about myself. things that quite frankly i would have thought the contrary at certain times in my life. i even wonder if they were the opposite a few short years ago. do i change as a age? even something as significant as who i am, innately. what are the things that you are certain will be a constant in your being? what do you anticipate changing or already has?

~type to you soon~

photo credit: all posters

saturday giveaway

haven't done one in a while. to enter the giveaway and receive pottery barn beaded salad servers tell me what you are doing or think we should do to keep America a free country for our children. uncertain times. i always come back to this verse when my anxiety is getting the best of me.

Isaiah 41:10 So do not fear, for I am with you; do not be dismayed, for I am your God. I will strengthen you and help you; I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

pass the giveaway onto your friends if you like. giveaway ends sunday evening at midnight.

~type to you soon~