An actual photo of me (Joy) from this era. As a child, I was a sneak. (This character flaw may or may not persist today… I’ll never tell.) I was obsessed with the forbidden but equally with keeping up good girl appearances. I did all the right things all the while plotting my next covert…

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Six years ago, I sent my first child off on a yellow bus. 2004 – First time riding a school bus! Elli was pumped. (I can’t find a photo of her heading to kindergarten in 2005 – apparently having a newborn pre-empted photography!) 2006 – Elli entering 1st grade Big Boy entering preschool 2007 –…

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Cyrene from Mum in Flip Flops (isn’t that the best blog title?) sent me this blog award on Friday. Thank you, Cyrene! The Versatile Blogger Award certainly sounds like the perfect award for someone who is still trying to find their niche. Like me. The rules for receiving this award are: 1. Thank the person…

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This summer I had the blessing of being part of the Kristen’s Do It For Others July project – making dresses for children in orphanages in central Africa. People across the country donated pillow cases, seam binding, elastic, thread, and money for postage. Others donated their time and sewing skills to make the dresses. I…

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My son decided not to wear his swim shirt at the pool today. The shirt that covers his scars. He hasn’t noticed them.Or if he has, he doesn’t think a thing of them. He doesn’t know that his file at the hospital is thick. He lacks the delivery and surgery fears burned into his mother…

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This is my fourth child. He is three. (Yes, he is in pajamas. Did I mention he’s the fourth?) Before the day I took this photo, he didn’t know how to climb trees. He was too short to reach the bottom-most branch. I rested confident he wouldn’t turn up in a tree for a few…

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