Great Giveaways at the Following Blog Address

I think these giveaways that people do on their blogs are so much fun-I am still trying to figure it all out so maybe someday I will know how to do this as well, but until that time I will keep you posted on the blogs that do!
Go check out a new blog I started following for your chance to win some great prizes-meet a new friend-and follow a really fun blog!  Glad I did.

http://wheelsoffun.blogspot.com
Happy Blogging!

Jill

Random Dozen

1. How do you feel about the marshmallow Easter Peeps?
I really don't like them much-feel like I am eating sugar raw-they have a sand like texture.

2. Chickens are notoriously nervous creatures. When you are nervous, what is the best way to calm down?
Pray-breath deep-I laugh a lot.

3. People say, "April showers bring May flowers." Do you enjoy Spring rains?
I don't mind them-we need them to make everything grow-just don't like it if they last for days-I need the sun.

4. When I was randomly flipping through TV channels this week, I saw a show in which tattoo parlor employees received tattoos of a co-worker's face on their bodies. I can't imagine having a portrait of a colleague tattooed on me. But if someone forced you to receive a portrait tattoo (face only) of anyone, who would it be? Why?
Love the people I work with but I really can't think of anyone I would get a tattoo of-I guess I would say my daughter-she comes to work with me!

5. Would you rather have a tattoo (any kind) or a nose ring? I wouldn't do either but if I have to choose I would say a tattoo on my foot-the only place that won't sag!



6. Do you have any special plans for Easter? We dye eggs and then we go to church and then we come home and find baskets and eat a yummy meal.

7. Cadbury Eggs or Reese Eggs?  I love both but I would pick Cadbury first and I love them after being in the frig.

8. What was the last thing/person you took a picture of? My kids

9. What book are you reading now, or what was the last one? Karen Kingsbury novel

10. What do you think is the most difficult task when it comes to Spring cleaning? I want to do it all in one day and that is impossible. I like it all clean at one time.

11. How many pairs of flip-flops do you own? Wow-that is a hard one-I would have to go count-lots, probably at least 12.

12. Which color makes you happiest? Purple

Simplifying for Sanity #3

Well, I did do my dining room, but since all we do is eat in our dining room the only thing that get messy most of the time is the table and chairs.  So, I did scrap off all the maple syrup and other sticky things from the table top after breakfast this morning, and I did take the chairs and I tried to clear all the grimy hands prints and jelly and things that were crusted on them off as well and cleaned them really well.  Then I changed the table to go a different direction and I swept the rug and mopped the floors and dusted but it really only took a little bit over 1 1/2 hours so I included my other big project which was my one son's closets and the boy's bedroom that I tackled this weekend as well.  I was tired of stepping over the pile of clothes I had created when I started it last week and ran out of steam-so here we go with the photos.

The Dining Room/Second Living Room Before

The Dining Room After

See the clean shine to the table now going a different direction! lol

Over all cleaner-no more sticky prints (at least till dinner)

My Brandon's Closet Before

Brandon's Closet After

The Boys Toy Shelf Before

The Boys Toy Shelf After

We will see how long it stays that way! lol  Never too long with my boys, oh well-it is nice while it lasts anyway.   Happy Simplifying To All!

Jill Jones

Pathway to Purpose

Pathway to Purpose: Random Dozen

Pathway to Purpose: Random Dozen

Random Dozen

Today we are linking up with Southlakesmom for the Random Dozen. Today's topic is Spring!


1.  What is your favorite sign of Spring?  I love the smell of outdoors-when the grass has a scent and the flowers all start springing up and smelling and even the rain has a smell to it.  My allergies don't care for it much this year but I love it.

2.  Did you remember to spring forward on March 14?  If not, how did it impact your day?  Yes,  I was glad it was the start to our Spring Break so we had a week to adjust.

3.  If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what vegetable would you plant in a garden this year?  I would plant pumpkins I think-I am not much of a gardener-would like to be if I had the time.

4.  If soil, time, talent and climate were no problem, what fruit would you plant?  Grapes or strawberries

5.  What is your least favorite insect?  I don't mind insects if they are outdoors-but roaches are pretty gross-we saw them everywhere when we lived in AR-didn't like those much.  

6.  March 22 was World Water Day. To celebrate, here are some water questions. Do you drink bottled water? If so, what brand?  Yes,  SoBe lifewater-the 0 calorie and 0 sweetener kind-I can't do artificial sweetener-triggers my migraines-my favorite flavors are Strawberry Dragonfruit-and the Blackberry Blueberry-really good.

7.  Have you ever been somewhere that it was not safe to drink the local water? If so, how did you handle that?  Mexico

8.  How many glasses of water do you drink per day?  About 4-6 trying to reach at least 8!

9.  March 24 is the birthday of Harry Houdini.  Have you ever watched a professional magic show? Share.  I saw one when we were in Branson MO and it was awesome-the very end the guy doing it gave a salvation message with a piece of rope-took a whole rope and started cutting it up into pieces-while doing that he talked about how different thing affect or lives making us not whole-but then at the end he took the pieces and put them back together-just like God can do for us!  It was really awesome!

10.  Have you ever been a participant in a professional magic show (up on stage!)?  Nope


11. March 24 is also the birthday of Steve McQueen and Clyde Barrow. Do you like Westerns or gangster movies?  If so, what is your favorite?  I don't really like for westerns or gangster movies.

12. (Really random)  What U.S. state that you've never visited would you like to visit someday? I have been to every state in the US so I would have to say Hawaii


Don't forget to visit Southlakesmom and link up to the Random Dozen today!

Simplifying for Sanity Room 2

Well-I have too many bedrooms with two many closets that all need to be done (again) so I had to choose this week what to do and none of them were going to be as easy as my living room was-so toss a coin and Alyssa's room won because we have lived here 4 years now and she wants to paint it from pink to purple.
So while at Dallas this last week for 2 days (at Six Flags,) we went shopping to get new bedding to match the new wall color.  We were hoping to paint over Spring Break-that didn't happen (so I will have to post pictures of that later) but we did clean really good so that we can now move stuff out to paint and change the bedding (which also did not happen cause we haven't painted yet-oh well!)

So here is my almost teen daughter's closet before! (Boy she is not an organizer in any form or fashion)

And here is the closet and many hours of sorting, throwing and cleaning.

I forgot to take before shots of her actual room because at first we were just going to do her closet that day, but it starting raining and it was cold and we weren't going anywhere so we continued on the room as well so we can paint hopefully this weekend.  So believe me when I say the room looked as bad as the first shot of the closet did. Except 4 inches of West Texas Dust on everything as well!

So here are pictures of the room after we cleaned and dusted-but before the new paint job and bedding-soon to come.

I then got motivated to go to my closet like thing in my master bathroom that holds my hair products and make up and lotions and necklaces and all sorts of things I need in the bathroom but don't know where else to put them. After looking at this photo I decided I must say:

My Name is Jill Jones and I am addicted to hair products and makeup!

The before shot.  

Look at all those bottles of hair product-you would think with all that I would have some great looking hair! lol  Some of it is for my daughter Alyssa too who has really long curly hair and we are always buying and trying new stuff for her hair-lots of time not liking what we bought but I can't bring myself to throw it out so we keep it and use it anyways.

The after shot.

A little better-I did fix all my necklaces and I cleaned out a drawer in my dresser and stuck those up in here hanging like they are supposed to be and I did throw out some of the hair product that we haven't used in a long time and I did throw out some makeup and reorganized my stuff left in the bags and containers and baskets in there.  Somewhat better-inch by inch, life's a sinch-Yard by yard, life is hard.

I started to tackle one of the boys closets and ran out of steam so I will have to post that another day.  The piles I started are still on the floor tonight.

Happy Simplifying!

Jill Jones

TOP TEN THINGS TO BE THANKFUL FOR

I was recently on a few blogs that I follow on a regular basis and they had done in one form or another a list of things they were "THANKFUL" for.  I  keep a journal and put my "praises" and "thankful" things in it daily but I thought it might be fun to ask my family about what they are thankful for too-so here are the 

"TOP TEN LIST"

Things We are THANKFUL for!

Alyssa (our oldest daughter-age 11)

1. My Family

2. Our Pets

3. Our House

4. Food 

( this made me laugh-because she is a PICKY eater!)

5. My Friends

6. The Park

7. Our Cars

8. Stores to shop in

9. Going on trips

10. My School

11.  Bonus-Our Church

Derek ( our 8 year old)

1. God

2.  My Family

3. Our Pets

4. My D.S.

5. FUN

6. The TV

7. My Special Gifts God gave Me

8. My Church

9. Good Times

10.  Things that make Me happy

Brandon ( our full of life 6 year old)

(He really took awhile and thought about his answers-

he is a pill put he has a heart the loves deeply)

1. Having Fun

2. Having Life

3. Chocolate Bars (takes after his mama)

4. My Friends

5. My Family

6. God

7. The Bible & Daddy reading it to Me

8. My Church

9. My School

10. Heaven 

Analeigh-just turned 2

( I had to help her a bit-but this is what we got)

1. Her blankies-we sleep with about 8

2. Her paci-we still have it to sleep with (hopefully gone soon)

3. Her Bubby-Sissy & Brany

4. Her Mommy and Daddy

5. Zippy-Dollie and Kitty (her pets)

6. Her Gumby Toys

7. Her Happy Day ( what she calls her birthday)

8. Her Crocs or any shoe (she loves shoes-like her mama)

9. Calliou

10. Music (she loves to sing and dance)

Me-Jill-Mom 

(I am not telling how old I turned in Dec. didn't like this one)

Ok, I had to do 20-it was too hard to do just 10

1. My salvation and what that really means in my life

2. My 6 children-the 4 God blessed me with here and the 2 in Heaven

3. My Godly Husband-who truly is the other half of my heart

4. The sound of the ocean-the sand beneath my feet and the sun on my face

5. Spring when everything is new again and beautiful

6. Chocolate!

7. Music and worship through music

8. Children Laughing-Babies Giggling

9. The first time one of my babies tells me they love me

10. Second chances 

11. My mom-dad-sister-grandma (who will be 96 in a few weeks)

12. My Friends 

13. Summer Time and no schedule

14. Changes of the seasons

15. That God never gives up on me!

16. For both the mountains and valleys my life

(without both I wouldn't be who I am today)

17. Hot Chocolate Chip Cookies-or Hot Fresh Bread

18. Clean sheets and a freshly made bed

19. My church families ( I have lived a few places so I have had a few-they all hold a dear place in my heart)

20. Being Pregnant & Giving Birth 

(I know it seems a little weird-but I love having babies-I have easy pregnancies and fast, easy deliveries and every time I am amazed at the miracle of life-I am sad that part of my life is over now-but so blessed to have 4 beautiful kids)

My Hubby Mike 

(he doesn't want me to tell his age either I am sure!)

1. My Wife (good answer-lol)

2. My Children

3. My Dad

4. My Friends

5. My House

6. My Cars

7. My Job

8. My Health

9. The Constitution of the US (wish it was being followed)

10. Jesus-my salvation-that He Holds the Future

That is our "TOP TEN"  (or 20)

I am glad we did this-we truly are blessed and have so much to be "THANKFUL" for every day.

Jill

On My Pathway to Purpose

In my spare time

I wish I had artistic talent like my husband-I could sit and watch him paint or draw or design something for hours.  I really envy that kind of talent.  God did not gift me with such talent (thankfully all of my kids so far take more after their daddy in that area among many other good qualities.)  I do like to create things in my spare time. (lol)  It is actually something I do when I am not at work doing my part time job at the church as the Children's Choir Coordinator-during Analeigh's nap time or after everyone has gone to bed.  I enjoy coming up with ideas for things I can use, wear, or hang in my house-from things I may already have some of the stuff around my house.

My most recent thing to start on has been these wall hanging made out of hymns I have made look old and then backed with different paper and then I make crosses to go across the front and then I put jewels on them.  It started because a great friend of mine (from when we both lived in AR-I am now in TX and she is AZ) recently lost her mother to cancer and her favorite hymn she wanted sung at her funeral was "I'll Fly Away"  it made me think-what could I do with that to make something for Melinda to put up in her home somewhere that would bring happy memories of her mom when she saw it.  This is what I came up with and since then I  have made 7 more for people in my church that wanted to buy them.  It has been fun.

Another thing I like doing and have

done for tons of babies in my mom's church

back home in NY and a few other places and my church for baby showers is making matching silkies and baby bibs with the baby's name on them.  I have a machine that embroiders -FUN!

I also love to make necklaces out of things like

washers and dominos-here are some of the ones I made for

Christmas presents and for special orders for people and businesses.

I made 14 of the Nutcracker ones that they sold at the performance of the Nutcracker

here in town-that was fun.

  

I take paint buckets and decorate them for the holidays and put cookies or other thing in them-themes for like movie night or something girly for a party-or baby with baby stuff for showers.  They have been fun to do too.

I have also done these casserole covers for my mom, sister and a few friends-they are great to keep these warm to take to church suppers!

 This necklace is made from 2 dominos glued together-Alyssa (my 11 yr. old) and I worked on these today since it rained-they are on Spring Break and my washer and dishwasher over flowed and the plumber couldn't come till tomorrow so we did this for fun today.

I do make pieces that aren't from washers or dominos too-lol!  Here is one.

Happy Crafting-

Jill