WOW!!

Simple Lunch
Silas made the blue one for me:)
I was nominated for what??!? (who's kid is this?? I mean really, I have the most recessive genes ever)

First off it is soooo typical of my life that the week I totally post a pissy,poor Amber typish blog I get nominated for an award!!

This is my redeeming post, just look at the pretty pictures and don't bother with the last post.

Ok so here's the big deal..I got a got a call from The Dish (shocking I know) we were half-way through our convo when she said "so you got my message about your blog?" "No" I replied, "oh you were nominated by A girl named Timi for some blog award." "I WAS!!" Then I really wanted to ditch her and head to the blogosphere and check everything out...this is what I found:)

Timi nominated me for this very spiffy blog award. To me the very coolest thing about this award is that I have never met Timi..in fact I don't believe she has ever even commented on my blog (blog stalker!!) BUT she has met The Dish and I did blog about their fun story. It's just so cool how our little blog world links us all together in ways that without blogging would NOT be possible. I also love what Timi wrote about her award so go over and check it out..I mean really who would have thought that anybody besides my Amberish types would actually WANT to read this stuff!!

Here are the rules that go along with this award...

1. Put the logo on your blog.

2. Add a link to the person who awarded it to you. A Girl Named Timi

3. Nominate at least 4 (you can add more) other blogs.

TinkerVerve

Farmer Road Farm Girls

Life's Delish

LaTeDa

4. Add links to these blogs on your blog.

5. Leave a message for your nominee on their blog

Thanks so much Timi for thinking me worthy of this fun award you just put a spring in my step and a smile on my face.

The List

10. Wow..political junkies..this past week has been great for us!! I could go on and on about the DNC, McCains new lady friend, Joe Biden (really?? Is Obama that scared of being upstaged?) Hillary's speech, but instead I'm going to link you to this story, plz go read it. Very sobering..

9. This has been one of the worst Strehle weeks in recent history, tire blow out, dead battery, sick kids, missed foot-ball sign up's. If I have missed your birthday or forgot to call you back I'm sorry, I just suck this week. Seriously I'm over it.

8. I went and got my passport application!! YAY for me!!

7. I have been thinking about the word contentment.

6. So for the past three Saturday's have been spent with 2 lovely AZ gf's:) We have worked so hard lounging by the pool, eating birthday cake, watching the kids play ect..I just have to say how much fun it has been, and this Saturday I will miss it. (yes, I know I have such a rough life)

5. I made the most adorable earrings for Anna, she has been so generous with me, and really deserved them:)

4. Had tea and breakfast at Agritopia this past week with the above mentioned AZ gf's. This was a very nice way to spend the morning.

3. It's been such a hard week and I feel as if all of my creativity has been sucked dry..so this is going to be a short list.

2. Yes, I'm in a little bit of a mood.

1. Leave you with a quote...
"Some books are to be tasted, others to be swallowed, and some few to be chewed and digested." Francis Bacon
I think that today needs to be one of those days that is lost in one of those chewed and digested books.

Commitment

com·mit·ment –noun
1. the act of committing.
2. the state of being committed.
3. the act of committing, pledging, or engaging oneself.
4. a pledge or promise; obligation: We have made a commitment to pay our bills on time.

I had this moment a few weeks ago, in fact I was at Miss Elaine's house blogging, drinking a nice hot cup of coffee and chatting away.. perfect Amberish day.

Elaine's Mom came in from working hard on the lawn all morning, Mavis is a wonderful woman of God and it's always a joy to sit and chat with her:) One of the great things about Mavis is she pretty much will tell you how she really feels. She was completely at a loss as to how Miss Elaine and I could sit at the table for most of the morning and done nothing but blog, sip Joe, talk and generally mess around. "What could we possible be doing on the computer ALL morning?". Ok before I relay her next question let me just say..I soo saw this one coming. I mean we really pitched her a nice slow ball and well, she spanked it out of the park.

"Do you spend that much time reading your bible and in prayer?"

Ouch, I have been asking myself this same question for the past few weeks now. Of course I have every excuse in the book. Heck I'm a mother of 4, who is constantly on the move. I mean just my coffee dates alone on any given week could keep a normal socialite happy:) But..does this really count..I mean eternally? What is Amber's commitment level? Don't get me wrong, I'm committed to many things, blogging, friends, marriage, my kid's, friends again, reading, housework, blogging again, church, kid's school, coffee, more reading, and phone conversations. See it's not that I struggle with the issue of commitment, it's just I struggle with WHAT I should be committed to.

Most people wait until the new year to start fresh..then of course by Valentines day the diet is fricken over and they down the whole proverbial box of chocolates. I don't want to wait until New Year's, I don't want to wait until I have over committed myself right out of fellowship with my Creator. I want to over commit to the right things..to the truly most important thing..Him.

Well at least I don't have to pay postage..

Amy!!! You are the proud owner of a authentic Tres Birds creation!! Now you will be the envy of all your neighbors..or at least the ladies who read this blog:) Thanks for all your sweet/uplifting/encouraging comments gals..your the best:)

The List

10. I made the CUTEST earrings!! I saw them at Urban Outfitters on Monday..and here on Wednesday I'm wearing them!! Sometimes I just need to pinch my crafty self. (covered buttons with earring backs glued on) I'm so going to throw them in on my give-away so go comment!!

9. So..a couple of very special AZ gf's Karen and Amy are a little upset that I have never mentioned their ACTUAL names on my blog..so there are ya happy now?? Plus they wanted me to say that Arizona girls are hotter..get it.. hotter..OK now you two really owe me.

8. Well who do you think the veeps are going to be?? Me? I'm not sure, remember I doing a write in for Jesus, so does that mean John the Baptist would be the veep?? (google Bobby Jindal)

7. The sister completed her first show away from home. So much work hauling your "rust and crust" across town. They posted some great pic's so you should go and check it out, also you can see the picture that proves we have different fathers, I mean really we don't look a thing alike:)

6. Sooo Zach and I are going to take the Dave Ramsey financial class at church. Ok I'm going to be honest with you..I DON'T want to take this class, I DON'T want to budget, it is going to be really hard (those were Dave's exact words). I know how this sounds and really I don't care that I'm totally pouting and acting spoilt. I mean isn't it enough that I have given up Starbucks for a year??

5. Ok in light of #5 I was a little naughty this past week and bought myself a early Birthday present..What my Birthday is not until November you say?? Oh, I guess it's really early then:) There is a new Anthropologie up the road a bit..Anna and I went..well it could have been much worse.

I'm sorry but is this not the most Amberish type purse ever?? **Sigh**

4. I'm going to hold sign ups for the Fall "Swappy Ladies" swap right after Labor Day. Start talking to your gf's about it now. We are celebrating Earth Day in September. Our theme is..Reduce, Reuse, Recycle. Repurposing 2nd hand items..get those crafty brains going!! If you know of a crafty lady invite her..the more crafty goodness the better!!

3. One of my oldest and dearest gf's from Washington commented on my last blog, she has been "blog stalking" me for quite some time and I'm so happy that she finally broke down and commented:) I feel honored. Her blog is related more to her church, but if you want to go check it out and see what cute friends I have, please do so:)

2. The party went great!! We had fun and I hope everyone else did as well. It was SOOOO hot that night, so we mostly swam and hung out in the house, you gotta love Arizona. I'm thinking I need to let the new church gang in on my blog. Just know..I will not be held responsible for the comments that might appear on the blog..this is a pretty wild bunch:)

1. Ok so The Dish has a great bloggy story on her blog today. You must go read it!! It's just so darn funny how small our blog world is. Really it proves one (i have many) theory about her..she truthfully is one of those people who has NEVER met a stranger, and she just might be related to you as well.

My blogiversary & a give-away

Happy Birthday to me.. I think I'll have some iced tea..

So last week I was thinking about bloggging..about my blog, your blog and this whole bloggy thing we've got going on here. I was wondering how long I had been blogging so I decided to look back at my first few posts. Turned out my first blog was August 11th 2006. Exactly two years to the day..funny. What was really funny was READING my first post..I mean this is some pretty funny stuff..

"Personally I think that people who blog a lot have too much time on their hands. I have way too many children to spend countless hours taking pictures of my pets and cars, double wide trailers ect.. and posting them on-line. That just smacks of no life."

Yup, that's what I wrote. People who blog have too much time on their hands, ok so once again we can get the grill going and start cooking the crow I'm about to swallow. I think my initial blog post shows great insight as to the way Amber thinks..or how I thought then. It also displayed my ignorance about blogging, I believe this is the way that people who do NOT blog think..how could I have known how much it would ADD to my life. Before I started regularly blogging I had these ideas as to how a blog should look, how well it should read. Therefore when I blogged it took forever, maybe even like a week for me to put together my final post. I wanted perfection nothing less, AND to make matters worse it had to be profound, I mean first class stuff. Blogging was NOT fun this way..not at all, and I did not even tell anyone about the blog so I was all stress for nothing, this meant that I did not post often, it made me too dang anxious.
Then one day it happened..liberation, gone were my ideas as to how smart I needed to sound, how educated on all matters of blogish nature and gone was the need for perfection and depth. I could just be me, this is how I write, just like I would talk to you. Let me tell you how much better it feels, so much freedom. (For the record, I know many must cringe at my grammar/spelling/general NOT proper way of wording things..so sorry)
So now I blog and do so with freedom, without restraints. It has brought much joy to my life. I have built friendships, strenghthened friendships and learned much about myself. My blogging community is important to me and enriches my life daily.
A big bloggy thanks to my community of peeps who actually read this stuff..I owe ya one;)


Give-away..well I said last week, but you know how things go. So here is a sweet little notebook for my give-away. Leave a comment about how you feel about your blog expierence. I will draw on Saturday:) Good Luck!!

the list is coming soon--oh and if you want to read a really good old blog find "Thanks Anthony" it's my fav.

The List

I like this pic..

First Day of school:)
Rockin Rock Band..in his undies
Iced Tea and muffins with some awesome AZ gf's..

10. So some of my Washington peeps, Elaine, The Dish, and Sarah to be exact, did a fun show in Idaho this past summer. Country Living Mag just did a really awesome write-up in the September issue about this very show..these ladies are on their way..to somewhere..I'm not sure where..I hope they call me when they get there;)

9. Had a great time at Anna's on Friday!! Thanks guys and we will forever owe you for getting bit by the rock band bug...which leads me to #8

8. We bought the game Rock Band, have you ever played this game?? Seriously it's way too fun and you all know I don't play video games (well except when I kick butt in Wii bowling). It's kinda like Guitar Hero only better, you can sing. Do you know how good I can sing the Stones?? I was hoarse last night when I went to bed!! Now when you come to Chez Strehle we can rock out, it's fun:)

7. We are hosting a big camp reunion BBQ at our place this Friday night, I'm pretty stoked, it's the first big gathering I've had since moving. It's crazy cuz I did this kind of stuff so much back in WA..all of my hostess with the mostess skills might be a little rusty, wish me luck;)

6. I have to give a shout out to an AZ gf, her B-day is coming up and we are heading out for lunch this very Thursday. PLUS she has just found out some most surprising news..she's pregnant!! So Happy Birthday to a great AZ gf and don't worry I throw great showers:)

5. First day of school went off without a hitch!! Yay!! In fact it went so good, that tonight at dinner Dylan even thanked God for his school!! Ok so this is such a huge turn around from "God, please help me to die so I never have to go back to that place again.", which was the evening prayer last year.

4. So Zach and I started volunteering in the "Snack-Shack" at church:) This little concession stand is available for kids during a few morning services at church..I do have to admit, I feel a little guilty selling soda and candy to kids then sending them to church..it just feels mean:)

3. I promised a give-away this week, look for it later in the week.

2. Political statement of the week..hmm John Edwards..hmm I guess his hair was nice enough to land that hottie blond, even though he had a WIFE who was a brunette!! But really party affiliation has nothing to do with this, Dem's and Republicans alike can't seem to stay faithful. Power is the worlds most potent aphrodisiac.

1. After I dropped the kiddos off at school this morning I felt sad, it's kinda a catch 22, have them with me 24/7 and start to go a little batty, or send them off to school and miss em a bit. It's such a Mom's dilemma. Although after the momentary sadness, I started to feel like William Wallace in Braveheart.. FREEDOM!

The List

10. I've been on this diet for a week now, so I guess it's safe to call again.

9. I had a childless night out on Sunday, of course I ended up at Barnes & Noble. I purchased the newest copy of Artful Blogging. Can I just tell you how much I LOVE that magazine. My favorite idea out of the magazine was about a weekend away for a group of bloggy ladies..Ok I have an idea (bear with me) next year after my oh so anticipated trip, we should have a blog-craft-eat-laugh till it hurts weekend away! Maybe even if we start planning right now we could secure a visit from a few of the AZ gf's along with the sister. I know you might think I'm dorky but that would be like the best weekend EVER! Come On!! You KNOW you want to..!!

8. After a week of serious deep cleaning I feel like I'm on top of the house work, except for this. I'm hoping to get to it before the kids go back to school so I can settle right into crafty behavior but this week is so packed with fun little social engagements I might not be able to get it finished. Maybe after I have polished off the box of bon bon's waiting for me in the freezer and I catch up on the soaps I will get to it,maybe not:)

7. I saw Mamma Mia last week..so good, sang along with most of it..LOVED IT!!

6. Kid's + School = Quiet time for Amber!! YAY! August 11th!

5. So I'm not sure if you ever really go to the links I provide for you, but my deary friend Wendy wrote a very sweet blog about a few of the people in the small town I grew up in..go check it out and leave her a comment or two..she deserves it:)

4. Did I tell you I have decided I'm giving up Starbucks for a whole year in order to help pay for the Paris trip?? It's been a rough week. Wait!! Maybe THAT is why I'm loosing weight!!:)

3. I'm going to be doing a give away to celebrate back to school next week, stay posted. It will be similar to my last one, and no the sister is not allowed to enter...just jokin..kinda.

2. Speaking of the Sister..she and her new buddy have started a blog for her very fun venture she calls Farmer Road Farm Girls. They are just getting started with the whole bloggy thing so bear with em for a bit, but I know there is going to be MANY (no pressure) great things happening so stay tuned and check back often!!

1. Ok I know that many of you liked my blond locks, but truthfully they were not doing it for me..my very sweet and sassy hair dresser agreed with me and we decided to change the color up a bit..here ya go. I'm still a little shocked every time I look in the mirror but I'm thinking it will grow on me.

A Moment

What was Silas thinking at this very moment?? I asked him what he was doing while the rest of the family was listening to Mom and looking at the camera, "I was practicing my whistle face." Hmm perfectly good answer in his mind..This got me to thinking.

Have you seen the little decorator signs that say..

"Dance as if no one is watching, sing as if no one is listening, live every moment like it's your last"? The first 50 times you read it, you were like that's cool, but after about 200 times it looses it's coolness.

Although, if you really think about that cheesy little sign it's very true. In fact if you look back over the past, say 5 years of your life, I bet you can now see moments that have dramatically impacted your life. Moments that, good or bad you are still feeling the repercussions, the ripples.

Recently Charity (from WA) and my new crafty/bloggy/cutey gf Anna (from AZ) spent some time together via the phone talking about crafty/bloggy/cutey subjects. This gf goodness was the result of a moment..the moment the husband said "yes." we will go to AZ. I could even take that a step further and say it was the result of another moment.. the moment Stacy invited Charity to church a few years earlier and I decided that she was destined to be an Amber gf:)

This week I encourage you to take a second look at your moments, anticipate them, make them count, make your whistle face. You will never get another moment just like your last, but the ripples will be felt long after.