I've been waiting....

....for a girl like you

Know the song? It's Foreigner! I use to sing this song all the time when I was about 12 years old. I had the 45. As in, the record! (guess I'm getting old because some of you won't have heard of Foreigner and won't be familiar with the "45" reference.)

Any old way, I noticed a bit ago that I had 99 followers!! So I've been waiting for NUMBER 100! And she's finally here! What a wonderful comment she left for me today!
Let me introduce Kristine @ I Love You More Than Peanut Butter! Her blog is adorable as she shares about her life in a family of 6. 3 children of which she adopted from Russia. What a story. I hope you'll visit her.

A non-writer's writer's block

My brain has been in overtime recently, yet I sit here at my blog and go blank. Throughout my busy days, I come across topics that totally drive my mind to spontaneous explosions of questions and impulses to debate, but then I sit here with my shiny new laptop and don't know where to start. I can't even call this writer's block, because, well, I'm not really "a writer." Just a woman who shares this world with you.

Today, I'll just write down some topic headlines and over the next few weeks I will really zone in on some of them. Your comments will be really helpful here! Give me somewhere to start. You'll see that my list doesn't make for typical "Silly Little Sparrow" posts. No babies, kittens or uneventful ramblings, but don't worry, I won't leave that stuff out, you can be sure!
So in no particular order, here are the things on my mind...

1. The economy - Who doesn't have their opinions? their worries?
2. Stem cell research - I have questions, don't you?
3. Violence around the world - A pastor gunned down, A family wiped out, Another high school shooting
4. Closer to home - How to parent a teenager, How to parent an adolescent, How to parent a toddler
5. When does the wisdom kick in? - I'm turning 40 this summer
6. Saving money and saving the Earth - Recycling, reusing, conserving
7. Christianity - Why are there fewer Christians these days?

We'll start with these 7. If you've already written a post about one of these topics or would like to write along with me, We'll call this the Spontaneous Thought Explosion! Sign the Mister Linky below with a direct link to your relevant post and remember to post a link back to me also. You can use my button on the left side bar. I can't wait to hear what we all have to say!

Where have I been?

I went a whole week without posting! That's odd. I can barely even remember what I've been doing this past 7 or 8 days. Maybe I hit my head and I'm having amnesia. No, I don't think so. What it boils down to, I suppose, is that I've just been busy. If I think real hard, I can remember something about an appointment, a sick kid, stocking the pantry and refrigerator, cooking a few meals, carting kids to their activities. I think I may have even done a few loads of laundry. Oh wait....I remember that at some point, I sat down and actually watched a few television programs! Wow, it's coming back to me. I went to bed at a normal hour several nights in a row.
My gain is your loss though. I'll get back in the saddle and write tomorrow! See you then!
By the way, here's a pic of the kids on Halloween. If you look real hard you'll see 4 children.

"Not Me"

Ok, I've been surfing the blogworld for several months now and have found this fun "game" that other bloggers play. Well, not a game really, just a post where you blurt out a bunch of things that you "did not" or "would not" ever do, but maybe you really did. I've linked up with the "Not Me!" Monday Diva if you're interested in reading my fellow bloggers' posts.



By the way, this may be PG-13....

I did not drink a slim-fast shake and then eat 4 pieces of stolen Halloween candy, and then have a McDonald's hamburger and fries for dinner.

I don't ever leave wet clothes in the washing machine for 2 days in a row.

I have not taken hundreds of pictures of my baby and my kitten this month. Why would I? It's not like they're cute or anything.

I did not finally throw away a whole unopened package of bacon even though it's been in my fridge since August.

I did not lie to everyone about how I hurt my neck last week. I would never do that. I would never say that I hurt it playing with Glynis (the baby) when I really hurt it :) playing with Chris (the husband.) Tee hee hee :)

That's all of the insanity for this post. I may try this again sometime if I haven't offended anyone too much.

My Super Designer Blog

I can't believe it's actually here! Lindsey is my hero. She's the cool chick that gave me a blog that totally says "ME." I just stumbled across her site one day and looked in awe at her reasonably priced and very beautiful web designs. And then some weeks later I stumbled across another site that was sponsoring a blog design give-away that just so happen to be Lindsey again by way of one of her clients! I told you it was fate...

With my mother's help, I came up with this theme from Psalm 84. Being a mommy and a servant of God, I can truly relate to this sweet, meek little bird nesting and raising her young near at God's altar.

After deciding on a theme I looked through thousands of pictures on http://www.istockphoto.com/. Weeded through them and finally picked the cute little bird that you see here. Learning much along the way. I so wish I had Lindsey's talent.
Lindsey did all the planning, vector image editing, and technical gob-el-d-gook (made up word.)
On the left side of my site you can find a link to her web page. Please check her out sometime. She's not only a web designer, but she and her husband are missionaries in Panama. (And they eat iguana in Panama, ewww.)

Now I must do my part and at least write some interesting posts now and then.
Please keep coming back. I love hearing from friends old and new. And you should think about starting a blog of your own. It's fun! And shamefully I feel a little pride knowing that someone actually gives a bird poop about what I have to say. Please forgive me for being a goofy little sparrow.

Stay tuned

I'm working on coming up with a new web design and I think I'll be changing quite a bit.
I've been racking my brain to come up with something more relevant than "Randomness." I actually really have come to hate that title.
So I let my fingers do the walking through the Bible today to give me some inspiration. One verse that spoke to me was Psalms 84:3

Even the sparrow has found a home,

and the swallow a nest for herself,

where she may have her young-

a place near your altar,

O Lord Almighty, my King and my God.

There are several references to birds in the Bible. It brings to mind peace and beauty. I love to think of myself as that little sparrow, finding her place, building her nest and trusting in God. Makes me smile!

The woman who will be designing my page is also a devout Christian. I have a feeling that she'll be able to help me design around this image. Tell me what you think!

Help with Blogging

I've been working so hard on this blog of mine, but does the design aspect of my page really work here? I think not. It's blue and green. Not even my favorite colors! Don't worry, I'll never lose that cute scrunchy face at the top. I just want something a little more "ME."
So there's this really cool contest on this really cool website and I'm posting this as an entry into the contest. The winner gets a blog makeover. Isn't that fantastic? You actually might get to see some pretty designs and some spiffy upgrades if I win.
Leave some comments below in support of my entry!!
Here's the link to the contest rules Blondereviews
And here's the designer's page Mommy Chronicles

New Website on Skin Cancer

I'm working on another site to share the story of my experience with skin cancer. I've had 2 surgeries this year and I'm probably facing more. Please share this advice with your loved ones and especially younger people... Beware of the sun. Check out my website. I've got a couple of links on this page so you can find it easily. I only just started writing and I hope to get it up to date soon, so keep checking back.

What you'll find here

Blogging: I realize the risks of writing a blog. The risk of mentioning people or events that could hurt or insult someone. I will do my very best to never step over that boundary. I will keep things mostly anonymous, but don't be surprised if you recognize yourself in one of my stories. I'd like my blog to be helpful, to give insight, to raise questions for discussion within your family or just within your own heart.
I'm a grown up, but all the time I am faced with things that I don't really know how to handle. I pray, I go to my husband, I talk it out with my Mom or a friend. I even go to the Internet...shame on me. :)

So....RANDOM...that's a popular word with teens recently and it's really grown on me too. Partly because my life is so overloaded sometimes that the weirdest things just pop into my head. My 13 year old says this to me often..."that was really random, Mom." I like being random! It's keeps people on their toes. You should try it.

Trying this out

Wanted to see how this embedding thing works... this is Cole singing at school

Here I Am

Today! Tuesday! After months and months! Baby is sleeping. Boys are playing. I'm starting my blog!!