Love this Product: Crayola Color Explosion Markers!

Had to quickly share a product that I am just loving! It is the Crayola Color Explosion Marker Set. We picked up a multi-pack that had several markers, a Color Explosion Rainbow book, and a Color Explosion Neon book.

These are just TOO cool! I thought that they wouldn't be as neat as they appear to be in the commercials -- but they are even better! Even Noah, who normally will not seek out to draw a picture (though he does say that he might want to be an artist when he grows up), was eager to try out his own pictures when he saw Jack drawing one.

I would definitely recommend these! (Oh, and if you haven't tried the Crayola Color Wonder set of stuff, you should pick those up while you're at the store too!) These would be a great addition to an Easter basket!

That to us, awfully blessed

Ever since I was a little girl, we have prayed a certain prayer before dinner -- "Come Lord Jesus, Be Our Guest. That to us, our food be blessed. Amen." It appears to me, that this is a variation on another prayer: Come Lord Jesus, be our guest,and let these gifts to us be blessed. Perhaps that was what it was supposed to be, but that was never how we said it. And, then about 14 years ago, after my paternal grandfather passed away, my dad then began adding the prayer he always said at meal times to the end. (We would all say the first part together and then Dad would say the last part alone.)

A few years ago -- around when Noah was three or four, he began saying the entire dinner prayer by himself. And, though we corrected him many times and tried to help him, his version always went, "Come Lord Jesus, Be our guest. That to us, awfully blessed. Amen."

And, then it got to the point when I realized that every time he said "awfully blessed," it made me smile. It reminded me -- YES! We are awfully blessed. After that point, I didn't really ever try to correct him again. I decided to just embrace that we need to count our blessings. We need to appreciate them and thank God for His grace and mercy. We need to take time to realize that we are, indeed, awfully blessed.

What have you done?

Found this fun list at A Wandering Heart's Musings, and thought it would be fun to add here:

Things I've done are in boldtype.

01. Bought everyone in the bar a drink
02. Swam with wild dolphins
03. Climbed a mountain
04. Taken a Ferrari for a test drive
05. Been inside the Great Pyramid
06. Held a tarantula
07. Taken a candlelit bath with someone
08. Said “I love you” and meant it
09. Hugged a tree
10. Bungee jumped
11. Visited Paris
12. Watched a lightning storm at sea
13. Stayed up all night long and saw the sun rise
14. Seen the Northern Lights
15. Gone to a huge sports game
16. Walked the stairs to the top of the leaning Tower of Pisa
17. Grown and eaten your own vegetables
18. Touched an iceberg
19. Slept under the stars (In a tent – does that count?)
20. Changed a baby’s diaper
21. Taken a trip in a hot air balloon
22. Watched a meteor shower
23. Gotten drunk on champagne
24. Given more than you can afford to charity
25. Looked up at the night sky through a telescope
26. Had an uncontrollable giggling fit at the worst possible moment
27. Had a food fight
28. Bet on a winning horse
29. Asked out a stranger
30. Had a snowball fight
31. Screamed as loudly as you possibly can
32. Held a lamb
33. Seen a total eclipse
34. Ridden a roller coaster
35. Hit a home run
36. Danced like a fool and not cared who was looking
37. Adopted an accent for an entire day
38. Actually felt happy about your life, even for just a moment
39. Had two hard drives for your computer
40. Visited all 50 states
41. Taken care of someone who was drunk
42. Had amazing friends
43. Danced with a stranger in a foreign country
44. Watched wild whales
45. Stolen a sign
46. Backpacked in Europe (well -- not really. But, I did *wear* a backpack while in Europe. LOL)
47. Taken a road-trip
48. Gone rock climbing
49. Midnight walk on the beach
50. Gone sky diving
51. Visited Ireland
52. Been heartbroken longer than you were actually in love
53. In a restaurant, sat at a stranger’s table and had a meal with them
54. Visited Japan
55. Milked a cow
56. Alphabetized your CDs (they didn't stay that way)
57. Pretended to be a superhero
58. Sung karaoke
59. Lounged around in bed all day
60. Played touch football
61. Gone scuba diving
62. Kissed in the rain
63. Played in the mud
64. Played in the rain
65. Gone to a drive-in theater
66. Visited the Great Wall of China
67. Started a business
68. Fallen in love and not had your heart broken
69. Toured ancient sites
70. Taken a martial arts class
71. Played D&D for more than 6 hours straight
72. Gotten married
73. Been in a movie
74. Crashed a party
75. Gotten divorced
76. Gone without food for 5 days
77. Made cookies from scratch
78. Won first prize in a costume contest
79. Ridden a gondola in Venice
80. Gotten a tattoo
81. Rafted the Snake River
82. Been on television news programs as an “expert”
83. Got flowers for no reason
84. Performed on stage (in elementary school!)
85. Been to Las Vegas
86. Recorded music (we were recorded in band in middle school/high school -- LOL)
87. Eaten shark
88. Kissed on the first date
89. Gone to Thailand
90. Bought a house
91. Been in a combat zone
92. Buried one/both of your parents
93. Been on a cruise ship
94. Spoken more than one language fluently
95. Performed in Rocky Horror
96. Raised children/currently raising child
97. Followed your favorite band/singer on tour
99. Taken an exotic bicycle tour in a foreign country
100. Picked up and moved to another city to just start over
101. Walked the Golden Gate Bridge
102. Sang loudly in the car, and didn’t stop when you knew someone was looking
103. Had plastic surgery
104. Survived an accident that you shouldn’t have survived
105. Wrote articles for a large publication (well -- I didn't write an article, but I have had photographs published in a 5000+ circulation local magazine)
106. Lost 100 pounds
107. Held someone while they were having a flashback
108. Piloted an airplane
109. Touched a stingray
110. Broken someone’s heart
111. Helped an animal give birth
112. Won money on a T.V. game show
113. Broken a bone
114. Gone on an African photo safari
115. Had a facial part pierced other than your ears
116. Fired a rifle, shotgun, or pistol
117. Eaten mushrooms that were gathered in the wild
118. Ridden a horse
119. Had major surgery
120. Had a snake as a pet
121. Hiked to the bottom of the Grand Canyon
122. Slept for more than 30 hours over the course of 48 hours (when I had the flu!)
123. Visited more foreign countries than U.S. states
124. Visited all 7 continents
125. Taken a canoe trip that lasted more than 2 days
126. Eaten kangaroo meat
127. Eaten sushi
128. Had your picture in the newspaper
129. Changed someone’s mind about something you care deeply about
130. Gone back to school (I was out for a few years between my bachelors and masters)
131. Parasailed
132. Touched a cockroach (with my foot when we briefly lived [for 4 days] in what I now deem "The Roach House")
134. Read The Iliad - and the Odyssey
135. Selected one “important” author who you missed in school, and read (This is on my "to do" list, so I am bolding it to remind me to do it! LOL)
136. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
137. Skipped all your school reunions (skipped my 10 year that was two years ago)
138. Communicated with someone without sharing a common spoken language
139. Been elected to public office
140. Written your own computer language
141. Thought to yourself that you’re living your dream
142. Had to put someone you love into hospice care
143. Built your own PC from parts
144. Sold your own artwork to someone who didn’t know you
145. Had a booth at a street fair (okay, not on the street -- but I have had a craft fair booth!)
146. Dyed your hair
147. Been a DJ
148. Shaved your head
149. Caused a car accident
150. Saved someone’s life

Edited to add: Eric said when he saw #105 -- "Well, you know, you did write half of a chapter for a text book." Oh...yeah...I forgot about that. LOL

5 Minutes for Mom Giving Away Dyson Vacuum

Just a quick heads up -- Dyson has donated a vacuum to 5 Minutes for Mom to give away to one person who signs their Mr. Linky at the address shown for them! Good luck! (Although, you do understand that if someone wins because they went through my site that they will be required to come vacuum my carpet, right?)