For anyone that knows me, knows I am not a jewelry person. I admire it, and admire my friends that can wear it, but I, sadly, am not one of those people. And the more understated, the better. I told Tim when we got married that he was a lucky man (for many reasons), since I didn’t like jewelry very much and he would save a lot of money in that area.

But after Conner was born, I found a ring that I fell in love with. It was a diamond cluster ring in the shape of a star or flower, depending on your perspective and I wanted it sooooooo bad. So as a birthday/thanks-for-pushing-out-a-huge-baby gift, he got it for me and over the last 19 months I fell so deeply in love with this ring. I went from wearing it every now and then (I didn’t want to mess it up) to wearing it everyday. Anytime anyone complimented it, I beamed proudly and told them it was a gift from my wonderful husband.

The last few weeks have been a little rough as my body is adjusting to pregnancy again, and this week was no exception. Tuesday, after a long morning (when I had to get my root canal re-treated), and stressful afternoon, I was frantically getting stuff ready for our small group meeting that night. I went to take my rings off to wash my hands and gasped when my diamond ring was not on my finger. I went into panic mode, literally tore the kitchen apart looking for it, and then began to cry at the thought of it being lost at the grocery store, or worse, in the yard with all those blasted leaves. I called everywhere I had been, left my name and number and said a prayer that there is a kind soul out there who finds it and turns it in. I kept thinking about it all night, and every time I did I would start to cry.

I moped around most of the day yesterday (and I’m a great moper - just ask my mom), hating that I had lost it. I was putting laundry away and found the box that it came in and as my eyes welled up a little, a thought came to me: It’s just a ring. It’s just a ring. It’s not my home, or my child or husband, or anything else that can’t be replaced. It’s just a ring. It’s just a possession that, while I loved it so much, I can not take with me when it’s time to leave this world. I tucked the box away so I can be reminded anytime I think about it or anything else that I lose in the future.

I am so incredibly blessed in every area of my life, and I feel so silly now for wasting so much energy on mourning the loss of a ring. The truth is it can be replaced, and we will try (we’re going to check into our home insurance, and in the meantime I start saving my monies), but who knows, maybe I won’t want to replace it. But it’s all okay now - it’s just a ring.

Amidst all the ick that I have been feeling the last few weeks, I have really come to realize just what an amazing, supportive group of friends I have, of all levels of encouragement. While I appreciate all the prayers and heartfelt words that have been expressed, I also appreciate those who just want to make me smile. Kelly is great at that. I mean, look at what an amazing e-card she sent me, so warm and heartfelt

See what I mean? So encouraging and honest. Really, Kelly, thank you for giving me a great laugh this morning (and for those who want to see more incredibly offensive yet hysterical ecards, go here). And if you’re in the area…and you happen to stumble upon a diamond cluster ring, can you give me a call?

That’s my mantra for the rest of the month. I seriously must’ve been hit with a stupid stick to agree to doing the craft show 3 weeks before and with very little inventory. I’m using up a lot of supplies that have been sitting around taking up space and that is very good, but I am running myself ragged. My fingers are slightly sore from all the crocheting, and I’m even doing stitches in my head as I fall asleep. I need an intervention!

I hate being so busy. I used to love it. I used to create business to make me feel like my day had a purpose, hence making me feel like I have a purpose. But thankfully the Lord showed me how much He wanted to be the center of my attention, and once I gave Him that, I realized I wanted Him to be that, too. Since then I have hated being busy. So the past few weeks have been really hard for me, feeling like I am going and doing constantly. Pulling out my journal and prayerfully writing is something I look forward to whenever I get the chance. And I really really hope I get that chance more often in the near future.

And now here’s some *whine* with my cheese - I have to have a retreat on a root canal that was done 4 years ago. Blech. Because there is no nerve there the only indication there was a problem was the swollen gum I woke up with last week and not a seering pain. Retreating the tooth is the better (and cheaper) option - option B was extracting the tooth, screwing a titanium bolt to my jaw, then screwing on a fake tooth. He had me at “titanium bolt into my jaw”. So I am really praising Jesus right now for that. And then my second glass of *whine* is that my laptop went Mariah Carey on me and would not cooperate at all. Then a few days later the monitor pooped out. Granted, she’s been a good girl and boy has she been through it - dropped numerous times, liquids being spilled on her, four keys ripped off by the hands of a toddler, and yet she still hung in there for me. But now she’s waving the white flag. So by the end of next week I will be the proud owner of a new computer, because while Tim shares everything with me, his laptop, sadly, is not one of them.

So to keep from boring you with more details, let’s go on a picture journey, shall we? I cleared off my CF cards and had many pictures I had forgotten that I had and I’m not sure when I’ll have the chance to load them to flickr, so until then, here is just a few.

Those of you who checked out my shop when it opened might have recognized a familiar face from another hilarious blog: My beautiful and oh so funny friend, Kelly. When needing a model who would look fabulous while also feeling comfortable in front of the camera, she was the first person I thought of and boy-oh-boy did she not disapoint!

Sell it, Kelly, sell it!

This is Conner’s favorite way to wind down in the evening. Between him and his dad, I bet you couldn’t guess who came up with this idea.

This next picture is something we see on a daily basis and is so hard to keep a straight face when we come into contact with it. It usually starts as follows: I (or Tim) tells Conner he can’t have, do, eat, jump on, harrass, or mutilate something or one of the pets. He grimaces painfully, runs out of the room, a thud is heard, and we round the corner in time to see this:

He’ll then look up for a split second to see if his dramatic performance will earn him an academy award (or any sympathy) and when we shake our head in disagreement, he mourns the moment even more. This age really is the funnest and most entertaining for all involved.

This last one is one I will look at and giggle infectiously from today until many years to come. This was the morning I was supposed to meet Kelly for a walk at 8 am (which normally wouldn’t have been an issue, but as Murphy’s Law and Toddlerhood would predict, Conner slept late on a morning we had to be somewhere). Since we were rushed to get out the door, and the recent dip in temperatures hadn’t motivated me to pull out his fall digs yet, I grabbed the first things I could find and…well…the look speaks for itself.

It’s very Larry the Cable Guy meets Elmer Fudd. I can not believe I took my child out in public like that, but I did and not only that, but I have proof of this. Poor kid. Socks AND sandals. He never had a chance.

There are more I would love to share, but editing the pictures isn’t an option at the moment so more to come when we’re up and running again.

So this post is coming out of left-field, but it’s something that has really been weighing on me, which is kind of ridiculous since I don’t know any of the parties involved. But nonetheless, it’s either this or me whining about how FILTHY! NASTY! HOT! it is outside.

Okay, so Lindsay Lohan. Can I just say how much her recent behavior has saddened me. Not because I’m a fan (because I’m totally not), or any other reason except the fact that she is a young girl who is searching so hard for something she will never find. Atleast not on the path she’s crrently on. And as much as it made me sad to hear of her getting arrested shortly after leaving rehab, what is really sickening to me is the poor excuses for parent’s that she has.

I briefly remember her father getting arrested about four years ago, and if that’s not enough stress, I don’t know what is. But the more I read about her, the more I’m reading about people coming out and saying how much her parents pushed her into stardome. I can understand a parent wanting to let their kid be happy, and if performing on stage is what they want, parents will strive for that. But there is a line, isn’t there? All I keep thinking when I think of this situation (and other’s - Drew Barrymore, Britney Spears, Macaulay Culkin, Michael Jackson, just to a name a few although I really could go on) is why are their parent’s not protecting them? When did they decide it was more important to be friends with their children than to be their parents? Letting them have co-ed sleepovers at 12 and 13, letting them drink and “have a good time” (aka clubbing) before they’ve even turned 16 - what is wrong with these people?

Everytime I hear of any parent pushing their child into the lime-light, it makes my heart ache. I know there must be child actors - some of my favorite movies and sitcoms employ these young people, but when greed takes over, or the need to live vicariously through them and parents push and push their children to the breaking point, and then act all shocked and saddened when they’re asked to respond to why their child has entered rehab for the third time, it’s sickening. I can not imagine Conner being thrust into these types of situations and him feeling like it doesn’t matter what he does or how young he is, he’s on his own. And the parent’s don’t think of it this way but they are basically abandoning their children.

A friend of mine recently told me of her up-bringing and while her parents loved her, they often left her in compromising situations and she has struggled for over a decade of harboring horrible feelings towards them because she was not protected by them. And because of their own selfishness, those feelings will follow her for the rest of her life. Thankfully, nothing bad actually happened to her, but not everyone fares so well, esp. these children that are growing up in Hollywood. It just makes me so very sad.

I really could go on and on about this particular subject, but I won’t. I just rest in the fact that my children will always find rescue and protection with me. And if they ever ask if they can have a co-ed sleepover, they will always be met with a shocked face, followed by the words, “Child, you must be crazy.”