What I've Learned Today

Yes two post in one day

2009-07-22T22:01:00.002-05:00

So this really sucks. I got the calendar for the school year and on the back it has the logos for all the schools in the district including the new school the girls will go to, and it sucks. The Foxes. Really, that is a good mascot? I mean it is better than the carps but not by much, what was wrong with the Hippos (Jo's favorite) or the bulldogs(Je's choice) I realize the Hippos were a long shot since it was a write in but still the bull dogs was on the list...Foxes, really why?

I just did a swagbucks search on it and there is already a school in Massachussetts with that same school name and mascot. Now were copycats...or is it copyfoxes?

Game Face

2009-07-22T21:46:00.002-05:00

Tonight the girls were winding up their sillies as we finished reading a chapter in Little House. I warned them that they better get to bed quickly before Daddy got back. (He was on a Sonic run--he had a coupon for a free Rt 44 and likes their diet dr peppers with rasberry). Somehow they got on the idea that Daddy doesn't spank, at least they couldn't remember a time when he did. I couldn't either, we don't have to use that often, but I was sure he had done it. When he got home he took a quick shower and I was in the bath when he walked by, "Are the girls having a slumber party in Je's room?"
"No, are they both in there?" I could then hear the giggling over the attic fan when I stopped to listen.
I mentioned to him the girls earlier conversation, but said I didn't think he needed to do it just as a kind of funny incident.

He said, "So I need to get my game face on? Cause I'm not feeling it"

I nearly bust a gut, it was pretty funny when he said that. He went in to calm down the chaos. Je started out of control laughing. The kind kids do to get away with noise but still have a plausible "can't help it" quality. She got a swat which seemed to quickly settle her down. I heard a second girl get her swat (which is good since sometimes the second child distracts her father...just ask my sister about the time she got out of it). I checked on the girls after I got out of the bath and they were both much subdued. I bet they'll sleep now and not giggle.

Still here just inert--so no real news

2009-07-11T22:17:00.005-05:00

So I didn't forget about the blog, I just haven't felt like posting anything lately. Like in two months. Stuff goes on...I probably could have blogged about stuff like the mascot choices for the new elementary school. AT the parent's meeting in May the principal passed out ballots with several options and mentioned that Carp was her favorite. UGH! Since the school name is Farley I don't see that working. I thought carp would become crap and the mom sitting next to me said her kids already called Farley Fartly. So when the superintendent was collecting the ballots she asked if I voted for Carps and I told her no because I was afraid we'd be the Fartly Craps pretty soon. She laughed. So has everyone else who's heard that story. The superintendent hates the carps so I doubt that will happen but I haven't heard the verdict yet.

I could also have blogged about Je's new glasses. She complained of not being able to see the smaller words on signs so we made an appointment for after school was out in May. I really didn't think she needed glasses but we were going to check it out. As we went through the exam Je was supposed to read the letters from the chart. Jo could see the letters in a mirror backwards and I had to hold my hand over her mouth to keep her from answering. She couldn't understand why her sister thought the Q was an N. It was then I realized maybe the girl needs glasses. Turns out she has an astigmatism and has always seen fuzzily. It is only now that she can read that she noticed.

Speaking of reading, I am so proud of how well she has done this year. She started the year reading at a middle of kindergarten level and now she is zoomed to a middle of second grade level. She didn't really care if she could read earlier. At her fall conference she was not as far as we wanted her to be, but the teacher wasn't concerned yet. She indicated that Je was recently showing signs of catching on. Je had told me in Oct. that she didn't have to worry about learning to read until about 5th grade. I told her that if she couldn't read at the end of first grade I wouldn't send her to second grade. She seemed to think about that and take it to heart. She began reading chapter books and really found it to be fun. I have a reader. Now she reads signs as we drive around. It's fabulous!

We've also added some daily review of math and reading to our schedule. I decided that I wanted to keep Je's math on track so we found time sheets and other resources to do at home. When I told her we were going to do it she said, "You mean I get to do home school?!" She was pretty excited about it. We aren't going to do full on homeschooling or anything and the girls don't really want to, but for the summer they are enjoying daily practice sessions. Jo had to get in on the act to get ready for Kindergarten.

VBS went well. The decorations looked amazing, thanks to some great help from a couple of big work days we scheduled to build decorations. I just spent the time getting the materials together to make decorations and organizing the plans and turned the volunteers loose this year. It worked so much better I think I'll do that every year.

So we are just keeping on and keeping busy. We keep house, go to the pool, had swimming lessons, Je played softball with Shan as an assistant coach. I even learned how to operate the scoreboard and keep the official score book. She had fun and says she wants to play next year. The girls on her team all learned a lot from the first game to the last. They even made a run in the tournament at the end of the season. Life keeps us busy and that is a good thing. I'll check in sometime hopefully it won't take 2 months next time.

Chip off the old block

2009-05-04T08:50:00.002-05:00

Je is selling value cards for a fundraiser for her new school. She went up to Pastor Bob Saturday morning at a VBS workday and asked him if he would like to buy one. He pulled out his wallet and had a $20 bill. He asked her if she could make change. Without skipping a beat she replied, "You can buy two with that." We all laughed and Pastor Bob remarked that she had a little bit of her grandfather in her. I laughed at it and enjoyed the reminder of my Dad.

Is it me?

2009-03-12T09:46:00.004-05:00

I realize that summer is a long way off as is the next school year but ever since mid February it feels like we are just around the corner from the end of this year and the beginning of next. Seriously folks, it is only March. I am feeling pretty good about my handle on my chaos today so I have time to post. The house is pretty clean, (left over from weekend guest and hosting bunco), the laundry is caught up, and the big projects I have are too big to start today before our weekend. Isn't that strange?

I believe I have completed this round of redecorating. You know how a project multiplies? I bought paint to redo the girls bath last spring and put new lights in the entry and hall. That highlighted the need to repaint the hall/stairways. Which in my house starts at the bedrooms and continues down two flights of steps through the front entry to the familyroom and down another set of steps to the basement. When I finished that I had enough paint to do the kitchen and dining room. Which left the living room the odd place out. I got more paint and Mom made new curtains for the living and dining room since they have to match. When I painted the kitchen it led to a new border and curtains. Then sheers for the entry and back door. Whew! The ever expanding project.

Now I look at our bedroom and think, it hasn't been painted since we moved in 8 years ago and maybe it's time. Jessa's room needs some touch up because she puts her feet on the wall by her bed so ......

See a new round of projects. First, I need to clean out the girls closets which will take some time because we are going to purge toys. Oh the weeping and wailing...I want Shan to help but that means doing it when the girls are around. I forgot to take before pictures of the house so after pics won't mean anything. But trust me it looks great, (in my humble opinion)

One of my new rules is to purge excess stuff. I've taken at least five loads to Goodwill of stuff from my house that I don't need anymore. It feels great to streamline and have stuff fit in the closets and cabinets. This is probably the first time that all my clothes fit in our room and aren't located in either the basement closet or one of the girls closets. I am setting a goal to keep it that way. Somewhere I read that whenever something new comes in something old of the same basic size/volume has to go out. I am not ready to commit to that totally but it is a good rule of thumb.

Maybe if I control the chaos I can keep myself organized, my house reasonably picked up and clean and feel more on top of my life.

It's a theory/plan I am hoping to prove this year.

And it begins

2009-02-21T13:11:00.002-06:00

Me: put the bow in back

JE: But I like it in front

Me: do it anyway.

JE: But this is America! I can wear my shirt how I want.

Oy! Seriously! I told her I would cut the bow off. I am still considering this option

Just my life

2009-01-23T22:31:00.003-06:00

Over the last several months I have been doing a lot of things rather than blog. Not all of them important or meaningful. If you've seen me in the last few weeks or really ever this is not news so feel free to skip this one. Really that is probably all of you

I painted about half of my home: halls/stairways, family room, kitchen, breakfast area, and dining room

I organized my storage room, cleaned out several cabinets, closets etc and took a huge load to Goodwill

I helped with a couple of rental house cleanups

I went on a couple field trips and supervised a couple class parties

I directed the Christmas program at church and put together the scenery and costumes (sounds harder than it was)

I rearranged some furniture

I did regular housekeeping

I cleaned the garage

I re-read the Outlander Series (all 6 books and 6500 pages)

I watched Studio 60 on the Sunset Strip and Sports Night on DVD

I refinished my kitchen table top and put it back in the kitchen, moving the old dining room table out and now it is waiting for my sister to claim it

I deep cleaned my refridgerator and organized the pantry

I cooked

I finished Beth Moore's Stepping Up (on the Psalms of Ascent)

(BTW--I just began Esther, and I really like it so far)

Kept my usual committments at work, home, school, and church

Started wrestling season (Doesn't that say it all)

Worked on Je's math, spelling and reading

Worked on the committee to determine new elementary school boundries next year and learned we get to/have to go there (depends on the day how we feel--mostly it sounds great)

Had Christmas

Had the plague (I coughed my way from Thanksgiving to Christmas, got a head cold which moved to my chest and kept the cough alive, got what must have been strep, especially since a two weeks later, Shan went to the Dr with the same symptoms and it was strep)

Nursed kids and husband through assorted illnesses

That is pretty much it. I said it wasn't necessarily meaningful, It was just my life.

Remembering

2009-01-12T07:48:00.002-06:00

I've been reading through last January's posts because I thought I had posted about this before. Twelve years ago today, my father passed away. It still is a wrenching thing. I don't like this membership I've acquired in the dead dad's club. I remember thinking at the time that this weird nothing is right with the world feeling will never go away. And it doesn't exactly. It eases a bit, and sometimes you feel fabulous but there is a niggling feeling that something is missing all the time. When I see my fabulous girls and know how he would have been as a grandfather, or with my nephews who would have been the coolest things ever. And I kind of hate the feeling that my life is diminished some because he is gone. I can never be as cool as it was. I hate that feeling. And I don't know how to explain it.

Today, I am going to lunch with my mom to remember. Recently a causal friend of ours lost her husband after an illness. She has been spending time with my mom as she grieves. I guess the thing I want to remember most about people who are hurting like that is that even when I don't know what to do I will do something. The thought to spend some time, send a card, make a call. Even if it isn't much it will help.

I'm not dead

2009-01-12T07:25:00.003-06:00

This is for Hillary whose comment showed concern that I haven't posted for a few months. Things are good here, we're just trucking along with life. As usual, our days are filled with school, church, housework and other commitments. We were notified just before Christmas that we will be attending the brand new elementary school next year. I served on the committee to determine the boundaries and that was very interesting. We drive by the new school each day and take note of the progress they are making. Jo told me last week that it looks like they are doing a very good job building it, and she is glad since she will get to go to such an attractive school. (I am not paraphrasing folks) She also learned to tie her shoes last week. She decided it was time so she asked her sister to teach her. Such a proud parenting moment. Of course it was quickly dispelled by the bickering that followed the peaceful interlude of sisterly cooperation. Je has recently discovered the fun that learning can be. She willingly practices her spelling words and math facts. We had our annual Christmas program at church and she memorized her lines all by herself. I made a comment that we needed to work on them and she started saying them to me. Reading is so cool. The play went well even if she had to dash off in the middle to be sick. She had a little bug, but she made it to the restroom so the carpet was spared. Since I was directing the play, my mom ran to deal with Je and any mess, so I was spared as well. Thanks MOM!

I've been thinking about posts for a while, mentally composing them in my head but lacked initiative to sit and type one out. I meant to return after the first of the year so here I am. Now that sounds like I planned a specific break, which I didn't but after a couple weeks it was nice to have a break so I just didn't worry about the blog.

I laughed yesterday when I received Hillary's comment via email. I guess someone at least noticed my absence. M sister didn't even mention it over Christmas. Thanks for the chuckle Hillary!

Quiet

2008-10-15T13:05:00.002-05:00

I've learned today that I need some quiet. Before you all start laughing hysterically, hear me out. I picked Jo up from school at 11:30. At 1:05 my head tried to explode. Why you ask? There hasn't been a quiet second since. I had to run an errand after picking her up and she talked about the errand, the car, the lack of Jeep, the friends we say on our way. At the store she asked about the movie playing in the bookstore, the books she saw, the coloring sheet they gave her...Now we are home and she has asked about what I will have for lunch, what time her sister will be home, is it early release day, why does she have to nap, when am I goig to eat, the microwave is beeping, five little pumpkins and finally she is talking about the Muffin Man. Wait, she discovered that Cookie Monster is teaching letters on her placemat and that is taking her off on a new tangent of made up verse. Ya'll thought I talked a lot? I am really becoming the quiet one. If she wants to know why she naps at age 5. It isn't always because she needs a rest, but Mama's ears NEED a break! Seriously!

My mother is probably muttering something about kids and payback for my own past behavior. Okay I really get that. EEKS!

Happy Birthday to My Household

2008-10-02T07:52:00.004-05:00

Birthday extravaganza week is in full swing here. Shan's birthday is done, except his parents are coming. My birthday is here, but...when Mama's birthday is wedged in the middle it is less relevant. We are now gearing up for Je's birthday. She will be 7 on Saturday. This is a party year* so we are planning a "Red Carpet Movie Party". It was my sister's idea. We are going to get the projector and show the movie big on the wall, have popcorn etc. I haven't figured out a cake yet, but...that is the conundrum. To add to my woes in September, last week the sewer stopped draining so we had to have the plumber out to snake the drain. Not a huge deal, until, he found that there is a potential problem. So last week we were afraid we were going to have to dig up the sewer and fix it...for $3000. He came back this week and it may still have to be fixed at some point but right now it seems to be working and we can plan how to fix it rather than an emergency. So much better. I may never be a problem again so we may be okay. Then on Friday, we found that the oven doesn't work. Electricty isn't getting to the bottom element in the oven to tell it to heat. So I can't bake anything. We tried replacing the element, and it didn't fix the problem so we traced it to the computer board that runs the clock etc. We called the repairman, and it takes 5-10 days to get the part. So now cake baked in our oven this week. And the dinner I was going to fix easily for company this weekend? New plan. I will bake lasagna's at church and bring them home to serve. Fortunately, church is close. I am glad that October finally arrived. I'm hoping it will bring some relief. On the bright side, I got a beautiful new wallet from my mom for my birthday to replace the one taken when my purse was stolen. Checks, credit cards, drivers liscense, dress doll magnets, and other purse items have been secured and now I am just waiting for the purse I want to appear on ebay or buy it from the website for twice as much. The ebay seller I purchased the original from, is planning a trip to the factory this month so I will see what he finds. If he gets something close, I am in business. If not, I found it on a website that sells it for half the facotry price, but twice the ebay price. Not a bad deal, but you know I am cheap. I am feeling more optimistic all the time. Especially since I have a coffee/hot cocoa date with my BF today!

*If you care, we allow the kids to have a party every other year for their birthdays and alternate so they don't have parties the same year, since their birthdays are only 6 weeks apart.

For Ne-Ne

Get over it

2008-09-17T21:41:00.002-05:00

I have been feeling a bit worn down. I had to deal with some unpleasantness with the PTO and our big fundraiser. It was a difficult situation to navigate and a lot of rumors and lies were circulated about PTO. The people left among the scorched earth have been terrific at picking up the pieces left from the chaos and we are moving on to a great fundraiser.

Then last week, I forgot to grab my purse when I was at church for the ice cream social. Some creep broke the window and stole it. So I have been having a great time trying to put my stuff back together, cancel credit cards, get a new liscense, a window repaired, etc.

Instead of feeling harrassed about the trials of this month, I am going to focus on the things that are blessings. I survived the PTO issue. Our PTO is stronger and more committed than before.

Yes, I lost a purse I really liked and 10 bucks cash. The cards were all cancelled before much damage could be done. Our window was 100% covered by insurance.

So I am going to get over it, and move on.

She did it!

2008-09-02T13:39:00.003-05:00

As summer ends, it is time for JE and her two classmates to move up to a new Sabbath School class. Her teacher decided to challenge the girls to memorize Psalm 121. They had the whole month of August to do it and she promised them a prize for completion of the memorization. We worked on it sporadically over the month, but not faithfully. A week ago, the teacher reminded me that she had just one week to say the passage, and that she had already purchased the prizes. Over the final week I worked with Je to memorize the passage. She kept leaving out a couple phrases. Sabbath morning she was much better. After Sabbath School she showed me this: Way to Go! She worked hard to get this. I had thought I would get her her own Bible for her birthday in October, but now this is even better!

God will tell you what you need to hear

2008-09-01T21:32:00.004-05:00

Update post meeting: The situation resolved itself as the leadership decided to resign. God allowed the best possible outcome for our conflict.

My first official act as PTO president was to call an emergency meeting of the executive board/pancake breakfast committee. There has been great upheaval and harsh words from some on the committee to others that needs to be addressed in a very very permanent fashion. We have come to the conclusion that some changes in leadership of the fundraiser need to take place. We have 25 days until the fundraiser so this can't wait until a regular meeting. I have been on the phone and email all weekend discussing this and working through the details of this special meeting. Tonight, I sat down with my Bible and opened to a couple passages. I was expecting this but still amazed at how God speaks to me. I thought I would be directed to appropriate passages and as I was looking up old favorites I turned to the most recent memory work passage for JE. She was to learn Psalm 121 this month. (side note: she earned a big deal prize for this: her very own Bible!) It is a comforting Psalm:

Psalm 121
A song of ascents.
I lift up my eyes to the hills—
where does my help come from?
My help comes from the LORD,
the Maker of heaven and earth.
He will not let your foot slip—
he who watches over you will not slumber;
indeed, he who watches over Israel
will neither slumber nor sleep.
The LORD watches over you—
the LORD is your shade at your right hand;
the sun will not harm you by day,
nor the moon by night.
The LORD will keep you from all harm—
he will watch over your life;
the LORD will watch over your coming and going
both now and forevermore.(NIV)

Then I went to an old favorite from my teens Isaiah 41:10

So do not fear, for I am with you;
do not be dismayed, for I am your God.
I will strengthen you and help you;
I will uphold you with my righteous right hand.

and I was totally blown away by verse 11-14

"All who rage against you
will surely be ashamed and disgraced;
those who oppose you
will be as nothing and perish.
Though you search for your enemies,
you will not find them.
Those who wage war against you
will be as nothing at all.
For I am the LORD, your God,
who takes hold of your right hand
and says to you, Do not fear;
I will help you.
Do not be afraid, O worm Jacob,
O little Israel,
for I myself will help you," declares the LORD,
your Redeemer, the Holy One of Israel.

I am amazed that God knows what I need to hear. I do feel as if I have an enemy in this situation and I am not alone in this. It is a minority in power against the majority in labor. I also was comforted to be reminded that this is a little thing in the overall scheme of things, but that God cares about us in the little things. So while this may seem major league, it isn't, and God is going to help me through even this little bump in the road. Praise the Lord!

Is she really five?

2008-08-24T13:43:00.001-05:00

Happy Birthday JO!

In First Grade Already?

2008-08-20T18:33:00.002-05:00

Je mentioned that she needed to bring candy for a boy in her school or he was going to give her a "paperclip shot".
Screech!
What did you say?...
No, you do not have to bring him candy, nor should you.

As we asked a few questions it turned out that this boy intended to bring a paperclip from home and use the end to poke her in the bottom. Thus the "shot". She seemed a little scared but sure that she had to give in. We all tried to explain that she didn't have to, no one can make you do this. By this morning she seemed to get it. I got a little more information out of her, and it seems that the incident happened on the bus. So I walked across the street to tell the bus driver that this had happened. She immediately knew the little boy in question, another first grader. She promised to take care of it. I had already emailed Je's teacher and she responded quickly that she would look into the situation. By noon, Je had talked to the counselor as had the little boy and the email said that his parents would be notified. I don't know the family or even their last name so I wonder how that will go. The bus driver told me when she dropped Je off that she and the principal had spoken to the little boy and that should encourage him not to repeat his threat. I was impressed by how seriously they take this at Je's school. They jumped right on to the problem and responded to my communication quickly. It is problematic that this little boy is only in first grade and already doing this. After school, Je told me that she knew of another little girl who'd been told to bring him candy or else. So far no one did, but this morning, Je was picking out some candy from her stash of parade candy. I made her put it back.
We've all been bullied at one time or another. I worry about it especially with Je because she is so tenderhearted, and reserved. She doesn't always stand up for herself. Jo probably will stand up for herself and tell the bully to leave her alone. Je hopefully will learn to do the same. She heard the same message from her parents, Nana, her teachers, the counselor and bus driver. Maybe it will sink in if she hears it from several directions.

2008-08-16T16:17:00.007-05:00

Remember this, or this? We finally got rid of them a month or so ago. It was nice to have the living room looking like a living room again. The girls didn't seem to mind having the boxes go, at first. A week or so after they were gone they started bugging us for the tents my sister gave them for Christmas a few years ago. (Thanks, Min!) I held them off through vacation and their visit to grandmas but today, they wore me down.

And in case you missed the first day of school and were interested.... Every morning Je and Jo go stand on this rock in our yard. They call it the watching rock since they use it to watch for the bus. There goes any chance I had to get it out of my yard...

So she isn't deaf

2008-08-13T20:28:00.002-05:00

Today, being the first day of first grade for Je, I tried to entertain Jo. Mom gave me a couple coupons for Penney's, so we went to the mall to bum around. I figured it was going to be too hot to be outside much and the mall has an indoor play land. Jo wanted a pretzel and I had a buy one get one in my purse. She was specific in her pretzel demand, she wanted to get a cinnamon pretzel and eat it at the mall like she does with Nana. Okay. One time you get a pretzel to go and you never hear the end of it. We each ate about half of the pretzels and brought the rest home. Shan came into the family room this evening and seeing them on the counter asked me how long I was going to leave his pretzel there without telling him it was there. Jo heard him, and from her bed all the way upstairs said "That's MY pretzel!" Oh yeah she has no hearing problems at all. Two floors away and she is protecting her pretzel.

I Can't Decide If it is Beautiful or Ugly

2008-08-11T11:29:00.003-05:00

The kids spent the week at my inlaws last week. It was sooooooooo quiet around here. We (mostly I) eagerly set off Friday to go out there for the weekend. I looked up near the Elsworth/Lincoln County lines. I saw this:

As we drove they seemed to multiply. I counted 22 at one point.

Then we topped a hill and as we came around the corner...There were hundreds and hundreds of them. I can't decide if it is a beautiful site or a really really ugly one. Seriously. It is awe inspiring. We both gasped when we saw them all. I don't know if they are part of the answer to the energy question or just a pipe dream designed to make us feel like we are doing better. I like the idea of using the energy that God provides, solar, wind, water...but I don't know if they can be a miracle cure to the energy problem. I have a sneaking suspicion that the answer is going to be more about conservation and using less energy than finding a new souce to replace current sources. Which means work and change for all of us. Can we do it? We'll see.

What Have I Done?!

2008-08-01T14:17:00.003-05:00

I eagerly went to PTO last fall for the first time. I volunteered cautiously for things, and added ideas to the discussion over the months. So I knew the other mothers a bit from that. The PTO president lives down the street across from my mom and knew that my kindergartner got off the bus there a couple afternoons a week. We had become friendly through this. So when she left a message on my machine yesterday, I wasn't alarmed. I was dreading the call a bit because, I knew, she needed volunteers for PTO. The last few years, the same group of moms have done the jobs in PTO because no one else would volunteer. Many of them are now burned out, and several have moved to other schools, or even out of district, and their kids have moved on to the middle school. So finding a new crop of parents has been a challenge. I think they had most jobs filled until recently when a sudden flurry of moves changed that. She had a list of PTO positions that needed filling. The easiest job on the list...PTO president. Seriously. I am the PTO president for my daughter's elementary school. On the bright side, I know from experience that the person in charge has an easier job than the person who does the pancake feed, or some of the other jobs. Thanks goodness. If I didn't have enough to do before...well I do now.

Vacation Stop

2008-07-20T13:30:00.007-05:00

We're on vacation! Yea! We stopped at Grant's Farm on our way to church camp. It was pretty hot, but we had a great time, the girls picked the pretty hats for a souvenir.

Mama and baby Clydesdale

Clydesdale stallion

We even fed bottles to the baby goats, who tried to eat everything, our shoe laces, my shirt and shorts, Je's hair...

they really liked it when we brushed their coats

To tired to wiggle

2008-06-28T20:46:00.003-05:00

Today we painted a rental house for/with my mom and we are too tired to wiggle. Fortunately it was cloudy for most of the morning so it wasn't uncomfortable to paint. It has been a busy month around here. Not much blogworthy of note though. Je finally is beginning to enjoy softball. And a side benefit, she is improving. Nana came to a game and noticed how weird she was throwing sidearmed rather than overhanded. Je hadn't been too willing to practice with Daddy, so Nana told me to bring the bat and ball down the next time Je visited. So now, Je asks to practice with Nana, and she throws the ball correctly. She had a really good hit at the last game, with aunt, uncle, Nana, and cousins as witnesses. In her league, the girls get 4 pitches from the coach and if they don't hit a pitch, they get to hit off the tee. Usually, Je needs the tee. This time, she whacked it pretty good. She isn't committed to playing another season, but I think she is really having a good time. She could stay with the same coach, and since we really like his approach, we are probably going to give it another year. He is pretty low pressure, very positive, and a lot of fun. At a recent game, he brought a cooler full of water balloons for the girls to throw at him. They had a blast. That is probably the first time they had thrown that hard the whole season. Je played first base for an inning and did a pretty good job of stopping the ball, and going to first base with it. She only got the batter out once but her effort was great. That is one of my fondest memories from growing up. Lots of softball. We all three played for many years, and we had a great time doing it. Hours of catch with Daddy in the back yard, practices, games, sweating in the Kansas heat through a double header in July. Totally fun. Seriously. I want that for Je and Jo. Like my sister said recently I LOVE SUMMER!

Back by Popular Demand

2008-06-10T12:05:00.003-05:00

Okay, so only my sister noticed and requested a post but still. I probably talked to most of my audience since my last post. Only one mentioned the lack of post. I had a busy month. As school wound down and we had field trips and play days etc. VBS wound up. It was all VBS all the time for the last couple weeks. But its over now for another year. I take it as a good sign that I am thinking about next year already. I have to write the report on this year before I forget the things I want to do differently, but other than that, I can't get started until July when the companies release their themes for next year. I can't even get the material until November so I have a slight break.
Just enough time to plan for the Christmas program. Funny stuff. Our theme this year for VBS was a beach party. The church looked great decorated. We had kind of a crunch with that since I couldn't do that until Sunday afternoon. Usually, I work Saturday morning, then finish Monday morning. This year, there was a 50th anniversary party on Saturday, so we had decorating with everyone after the fellowship lunch. We ended the week with a taco dinner for all the families and a beach party complete with boardwalk games etc. We had a shooting gallery with water guns and ping pong balls on golf tees, face painting, lasso golf, ring toss, and a soak the surfer. Our answer to the dunking booth. For a special treat, we rented a snow cone machine. The kids loved it. The weather was gorgeous. Just 24 hours before we had been under all kinds of watches and warnings but it all cleared out, the wind died down and the temp fell to a beautiful summer evening. I have one year to rest up to do it all again.

2008-05-16T10:53:00.002-05:00

BEAUTIFUL CHRISTIAN SISTER

'A woman's heart should be so hidden in Christ
that a man should have to seek Him first to find her.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not shouting 'I'm clean livin''
I'm whispering 'I was lost, Now I'm found and forgiven.'

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I don't speak of this with pride.
I'm confessing that I stumble and need Christ to be my guide.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not trying to be strong.
I'm professing that I'm weak and need His strength to carry on.

When I say.. 'I am a Christian' I'm not bragging of success.
I'm admitting I have failed and need God to clean my mess.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not claiming to be perfect,
My flaws are far too visible but, God believes I am worth it.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I still feel the sting of pain..
I have my share of heartaches, so I call upon His name.

When I say... 'I am a Christian' I'm not holier than thou,
I'm just a simple sinner Who received God's good grace, somehow!

Pretty is as Pretty does... but beautiful is just plain beautiful!
by Maya Angelou

The Perils of Caller ID

2008-05-15T20:08:00.002-05:00

I have a new pet peeve. People who use their caller id as an answering machine. They look through the list of calls, and then call unfamiliar numbers to find out who the people are. I just got a call from a gentleman who demanded to know who I was. I answered the phone, "Hello?" His response was, "Who is this?" No hello, my name is and I was wondering... etc. Really people. If I call someone, and don't reach them, I leave a message. If I don't leave a message, I will try again, or it wasn't that important. If someone calls my cell phone in error, I certainly am not going to use my minutes to find out that it was a wrong number. If it isn't important enough to leave a message, then it must be not worth me finding out who they are. I am tired of getting calls from people who want to know who called them. Get a machine people. If I need to speak with you, I will leave a message. Caller id, is not as good as an answering machine. Trust me on this. You may now return to your regularly scheduled activities. Rant over.

Stiches

2008-05-05T22:22:00.002-05:00

I've learned that whenever the least convenient time for an emergency room visit, that is when you will need to make one. Today, I chaperoned Je's class trip to the Outdoor Ed center. We hiked the trail, listened to birds, looked at coyote scat, saw a Canada goose. We studied creature eyes Eyes up front they like to hunt, eyes on the side, they like to hide. We studied the apple, from seed to sauce, and sampled homemade applesauce. It was a busy day. As I was leaving school to go change for tutoring, I called my mom to let her know that Je would come home on the bus. She was at the immediate care clinic with Jo who had fallen at my friend Ellen's and cut her knee open. She needed 4 stitches. I met Mom and Jo at Mom's house after they were done, so Jo could have Hippo. Y'all know how crucial Hippo is. Jo seemed fine, so I went on to tutoring. I was thanking God that I had remembered to give Ellen my mom's cell number this morning, since Mom wasn't home and I wasn't near a car. I also was thanking God for friends at the Doctor's who could vouch for Mom's relationship with my child, so Jo could get treated without a lot of fuss. Thank you Dr. B.

School Days

2008-04-29T10:31:00.003-05:00

I've learned that sometimes my husband has a clue. Intellectually speaking, I knew May is a busy month for many people. End-of-school-year activities and all that. I vaguely remember being a little busier when I was teaching in May. Now, that I am a parent of a school kid, I am dazed. It is a lot of stuff. Really. Field trips, programs, volunteer appreciation days, teacher appreciation days, and Field Day, not to be confused with Field trips. Jo has the end of preschool picnic on the same day as Je Field Day. I was really stressed trying to figure out how to be at both activities. The picnic is for parents to come, and the Field Day needs parent volunteers to help. My husband, (not usually this logical) suggested that I go to field day a little late, after I drop Jo off at preschool, and then, sneak out a little early, to go picnic. Seriously. How simple is that. I cannot believe I was so stressed when it is an easy solution. I emailed the coordinator for Field Day and told her my plan. She said no problem, she was just glad to have the help for part of the day. Now if every scheduling conflict could be this easy. May looks hectic already.

We're Adding On

2008-04-25T18:41:00.002-05:00

Mom got a new water heater this week, and we got a new box to join the first in the living room.

We cut a door in the new box and Voila!

The girls moved their rooms (at least it seemed like it) into the boxes, and are planning another sleepover in their new accomodations.

Such cheap fun.

WFMW-Hair bows

2008-04-23T10:37:00.005-05:00

One of the things I like to do is use frou frouy hair bows for my kids. Since they both have hair...I mean a lot of hair...it is a challenge to get things to stay. Most cute hair things don't stay in very well. I like Gymboree's elastic bands with the curly ribbon. Elastic bands stay the best in their hair. Especially the very thick Je's hair. I have used the barrettes over plain rubber bands, but they come out sometimes. My problem is, that Gymboree hair things are expensive. Full price is $4-5 for one set. Given the number of color options that could be some serious money. I found plain white plastic barrettes on ebay, and began sewing ribbon bows on the barrettes, but since barrettes are less durable than rubber bands, they don't hold up as well. Last week, I was at Walmart and found some cute ribbon with softballs on it. Je has started softball this year, and since she is a little reluctant, I thought new hair bows might be nice. I bought some thick elastic bands, and some ribbon in her team color, lime green. It was at the Target $1 shop for scrapbooking. The set I bought had several designs, with lime green and other colors, in stripes and polka dots. I decided to try to make bows on elastic bands.

First I took one of our favorites for a pattern. Then, I laid out 10 strips of ribbon and cut them about 8 inches long. I laid the strips on top of each other, folded them over the elastic, and stitched right above the elastic band. I sprayed the ribbon with spray starch, then used a micro (1/2 inch) curling iron to curl the ribbon. It works best after the starch has dried.

And....

Voila....

I found directions online for curling fabric ribbon permanently. Instead of pins, I used wooden springed clothes pins. I think they worked pretty well. I also melted the raw edge of the ribbons to prevent fraying. I held the grill lighter close to the ribbon, but not close enough to burn it. The down side is that you have to curl the ribbon before attaching it to the band. I didn't do that so I improvised with the curling iron. I tried the curling technique using dowel rods and the oven, and it worked very well. I made another set after this one with that ribbon. It was a little harder to get the lengths even, but the finished result was pretty good.
I only used six strips of ribbon after I curled them. I was afraid if I did more I would have trouble controlling the ribbon. Next time I will try ribbon all the same width and try more strips. I wanted to do it with what I had on hand. All in all, I am pretty happy with the results. I definitely will try this again, to match the girls outfits. I know it is anal but...I like things to match. It works for me!

The Box

2008-04-17T13:18:00.001-05:00

It seems we are concerned a lot about sleeping around here. it isn't that I think they are cuter when asleep but over the weekend...Daddy was out of town and it was only reflecting on moments like these that kept me from infantacide. My mom gave the girls the box from her new chair, and they decided that it would be a great place to sleep. Since Friday was a teacher work day and it was a girls only weekend, they had a sleep over. They did it both Thursday and Friday night and are planning another sleep in the box night for tonight. Since tomorrow is Kindergarten Round up, Jessa has another Friday off.

So she really doesn't like her bed

2008-04-05T21:33:00.002-05:00

This is the sight that greeted me as I went upstairs at halftime. I had to step over her to get the camera. Notice the lovely 4th of July sock on her one foot. Classic really. She's been particularly hard to get to bed recently. Maybe I should have offered her the kitchen floor days ago.

2008-03-29T18:39:00.002-05:00

I think I mentioned Mark Schultz in the post about the Extrodinary Women Conference. I brought back a CD for Shan, and he has been playing it almost non-stop since I got back. I enjoy it as well, so I've been playing it a lot too. When Jo and I got in the car to meet my mom for lunch yesterday she asked for a specific song,

"make a little noise for the Lord"

. It is a phrase from the intro to When you Give I couldn't find that song on playlist.com but I added all the Mark Schultz music I could find on there. I will leave it up for a while so if you aren't familiar with this guy you can listen. He is a Kansas native so give him a listen.

New Look

2008-03-29T18:21:00.002-05:00

I tinkered with the colors and picture for my header. That is the girls on Easter morning before church. I rolled their hair in sponge rollers the night before (just like my mom used to do with my sisters and I) It really curled well. A few years ago, I tried to roll Je's hair, but by morning the rollers all came out. Jo had curly hair until she cut it last year. Now it is pretty straight. My sister and her family were in town for the Easter weekend and Friday the girls stayed over with their cousins at Nana's for a slumber party. Big fun! Nana rolled Jo's hair and the cousin hair. She didn't have enough rollers to do all three girls' hair, and said if she had done Je's hair, she wouldn't have had enough rollers to do anyone else's hair. I went out last Saturday and bought enough little rollers to do both my girls hair. They loved it so it will be a treat for them.

When I look at the picture above, I am struck by how classic it is of my two. They are pretty joyful little girls. Jo likes hats and fancy shoes. Je does too, a little, but her hats never stay on long. We signed Je up for softball at Ken Berry League this year. She was dead set against it until we told her she had to try it this year, and if she didn't like it she didn't have to do it again. She is anxious of new things. She has had two practices and found a little girl from her school is on her team. It is growing on her. She is trying to talk Daddy into helping coach. We will see how that goes. Jo already said she wants to play next year.

I've been a bit under the weather today. I've had a little cough and congestion for a couple days then, last night around 12:30, I got so cold I was afraid I would bite my tongue with the shivers. Shan piled four down throws on me to warm me up. By 3 am I had to kick them all off and turn on the fan. Needless to say I didn't sleep well. Hopefully tonight will be better, I am supposed to substitute in Jo's Sabbath School class tomorrow. Her regular teacher will be in Shawnee for her son's installation as a Deacon. I grew up with her son. He has been a good friend,and was an usher in our wedding. But when I think about him being grown up enough to be a deacon it shocks me. Of course, he's been married for over 10 years, has three kids and a doctorate so what's up with that.

I just heard my husband return with dinner. Saturday is pizza night at our house.

Funny Kurt!

2008-03-19T22:09:00.002-05:00

Our mechanic is a friend. His son wrestled for Shannon for four years before graduating last year, and he and his wife are wonderful people. When our previous mechanic missed a couple of repairs we switched to Kurt. Our car dealer gave us a free oil change, and then I had to have some minor warranty work done, so I haven't had the van in to our mechanic. Shan's pickup needed an oil change and a little work on the gearshift, so he took it in this morning and I picked him up before our day. We got donuts and took the girls to the zoo. We were taking advantage of the nice weather and spring break. This afternoon we went back to pick up the truck. Kurt was just closing down for the day, and was outside the shop when we got there. Shan went in and I got out to get in the driver's side of the van. He hollered a greeting over. A few minutes later I he walked over:

K: "You didn't get rid of your jeep did you?"

Me: "Yeah, it was time"

K: "Man, I still have a kid to put through school"

Very funny, Kurt. That's why we got rid of it, it was keeping mechanics in business.

Extraordinary Women

2008-03-18T12:19:00.003-05:00

I attended this conference over the weekend and had a fabulous time. My BF Ellen and I left the kids with our husbands and took a road trip to Tulsa. It was an adventure. We were a bit late getting to the auditorium because of of typo on the ticket address, but we made it in time for the last of the praise and worship time and for all of the speaker. We took Ellen's GPS since ours had to be mailed in for service, and she had entered the address from the back of the ticket. She had pre-entered the destinations before our trip so we didn't have to worry. I had printed out maps from Yahoo, but since she had the GPS I didn't even look at them. The ticket had a misprint. Instead of 7777 South Lewis Ave. it directed us to 777 South Lewis Ave. The correct venue was the Mabee Center at Oral Roberts Univ. and we ended up at a liquor store in a very seedy neighborhood. It gave us quite a trip to turn around and get back, but we made it. It was such an invigorating conference.

The theme this year for Extraordinary Women is "Discovering God's Dream" the theme verse from Jeremiah 29:11:

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future.

I have only recently become aware of this verse. I have claimed it for this year. And as is usually the case, when God wants me to learn something, He puts it in my path repeatedly.

We had such a good weekend and it was refreshing. What an experience to worship God with 3000 other women. It was reminiscent of Calvin (RP International Conference), but shorter and with only women in attendance it was a little different dynamic.

We also got to hear from some incredible musicians over the weekend. The praise and worship team was very talented and very energetic. The highlight for me was the two concerts. Friday night, Richie McDonald performed. He was the lead singer for Lonestar, a country group, until last year when he felt that God was calling him to switch gears to a solo career so he could be a more full time family man. He and his wife have three young children, and he noticed how fast his oldest son was reaching toward manhood. He wanted to be more of a day to day presence.

Saturday, we had the privilege of hearing Mark Schultz. He mentioned that he graduated from K-State and grew up in Kansas. I knew Shan would enjoy his music, so I bought him a CD. I had a chance to meet him, and Ellen asked where in Kansas he was from. Turns out, he is from Colby, and was in school at the Community College there at the same time Shan and his sister attended. His sister even sang with him in the college music group. Now I wish I had known that before I met him. Shan really likes the CD I bought for him so that is good.

2008-03-09T21:32:00.003-05:00

My sister, a brand new blogger, chided me yesterday on the lack of postage around here. It has been either feast or famine in the material area. Either I have nothing to post, or too much to post and no time to do it. I thought I would share this little story and the lesson I learned from it.

Last week, my friend e- had a minor urgent need for childcare after Bible Study. I had plans that could easily include a couple more so I agreed to take one boy with me to pick up the other boy at home on my way to help my mom with a rental house. As we drove over, Jo asked me if the truck next to us was a chip truck. I looked and sure enough it had Doritos on the side. The three children began talking about a love of Doritos. Typical conversation for the younger set. Older boy said that he can't stop eating them until they are all gone. Which led to a discussion of how sad that is. Then he remembered that "if you are a Christian you can ask God and He will give you more Doritos" I am not making this up. He is six. He said that he is a Christian so he just asks God for Doritos. Jo said, "I am a Christian so I can do that, too" This conversation went on for a bit. (Neither Older Boy or Jo sees a need to say things once when 25 times will do) Then Youngest Boy (he's 3) chipped in, "I a Christian!" So I guess he can get Doritos too.

Now the lesson I learned here is a reminder of faith like a child. They believe that God will provide for them. They believe that all they have to do is believe and ask. Nothing more complicated than that.

Can't it be as simple as I believe: I am a Christian. For those kids it is. I doubt that any of them will remember that conversation. I will.

Odds and Ends

2008-02-20T15:38:00.002-06:00

Well finally the end is in site. This weekend is the state wrestling tournament in Wichita. Again this year the in-laws are meeting me there so I get a nice break and a mini vacation in a hotel. The down side? It is in Wichita. They are bringing my niece and nephew with them for the weekend so even more babysitters since the kids are 12 and 9.

Je has had an ear infection this week. We went to the doctor for an ear infection in January, and thought it cleared up. Thursday morning she woke up in pain. I don't mess with ears so as soon as the doctor's office opened at 8 I called to get her in. Fortunately we could see the doctor at 11 so that wasn't so long to wait. Je was already out of school for parent teacher conferences so that was easy. The doctor gave her a stronger antibiotic and hopefully that will help.

Our first pastoral candidate came earlier this month. I thoroughly enjoyed getting better acquainted with them. We had them to lunch and their kids are about the same ages as ours so they really hit it off.

We have had more than our fair share of snow this winter. We've just gotten slammed. I love it. Snow is my friend. If I could convince my whole family, I would move to somewhere that gets snow in feet rather than inches.

I haven't been real productive lately. The winter blahs, I guess. Or it could be that wrestling season is SOOOOOOOOOO LOOOOONG! But it is almost over!

Of course, Shan is taking a class right now so he will still be very busy. And it's time to gear up for VBS!

Snow Shoveler

2008-02-07T10:08:00.000-06:00

Shan spent almost 4 hours cleaning the driveway with a little help. She came in a couple times to warm up, have hot chocolate, eat lunch, dry off. Daddy worked steadily from 10-1:30 -1:45. The driveway looks great, and the kids helped. They enjoyed their snow day with Daddy.

It's Over!

2008-01-31T09:28:00.000-06:00

The Streak is O!V!E!R! After 24 long years, K-State finally beat KU at home. Bramlage Collesium is no longer simply Allen Fieldhouse West, but a place where KU can lose. AND DID! This makes the sad football season last fall almost bearable. We can be happy fans now. It certainly felt like more than two years since K-State beat KU, but it's true, I looked it up. We won in Allen in 2006. But to lose at home for 24 straight games is embarassing. Reagan was president, cell phones were brand new. None of the current players were even born yet. I better stop, that isn't a good memory, it makes me feel old.

Mood Music

2008-01-18T12:52:00.001-06:00

Did you notice the new atmosphere on the blog? I found a site that allows me to compile a playlist and then attach it to the blog. Right now I have it set on random but another blog I read, puts a theme song to go with some of her posts on top so it plays first whenever someone opens her blog. If you want to create your own playlist click the link above or the one on the player. You don't have to have a blog to post to, just open it up from any internet connected computer and background music. It doesn't have all the music I've searched for, or Mom or Shan searched for. It seems to find songs posted on websites and then play them from there. It has quite a selection so I think it works pretty well.

Inheritance

2008-01-18T12:37:00.000-06:00

Do you read Antique Mommy? You should, she cracks me up, and sometimes makes me think. Like this post on inherited faith. I agree with her that I don't want my children to take on my faith and do it just because I do. It would be like the generations of Christian sermon I heard a long time ago. It isn't just that we pass our faith on to our kids, we must also pass on a desire for faith of their own. We want our kids to have a saving faith, and we want them to want that too. So we have to let God work in them rather than push them: show them and live before them, and tell them why.

The wonderful side to all of this is that Christian parents present the truth as an accepted fact. As a child, I never wondered if God existed or searched for the truth. The truth was always there, lived out before me in my parents. Yes, I had to make a decision on my own, and each day I have to seek Him on my own, but I didn't have to search for something to seek. I knew where to go to find what I needed. I pray that I am providing that for my children.

"I'm Okay"

2008-01-11T11:29:00.000-06:00

Loud crash heard in next room.

Jo: "I'm okay"

A four year old trips over the vacuum hose:

"I'm okay"

She falls out of bed:

"I'm okay"

She runs into her mother and knocks her over:

"I'm okay, Mama"

It is real funny around her...but she is okay. At least that is what she says.

Tenderhearted

2008-01-11T09:23:00.000-06:00

We use Keys for Kids for our family devotions. It is a bi-monthly publication that has been around for a while. My folks used to get it when we were growing up and it has updated a bit, but for*** the most part is very much the same. On Wednesday, we were reading it with the girls in shifts due to other things. I pulled up the right day and read through it as I waited for Je to get dressed after her bath. My first thoughts were that I couldn't read this with her, and can we skip it tonight...

This is a hard week in my family. Eleven years ago, Shan and I were newlyweds. I was anticipating my student teaching semester, settling into our first home, and getting ready to return to Manhattan for part of each week for three weeks for classes. Friday night, the floor furnace in our $100 a month farm house wouldn't stay lit. Early Saturday we called the landlord. He was a teacher who farmed on the side, so he was already out working. It was January and very cold so we were concerned when his wife indicated that he wouldn't want to put any money into the house and maybe we should look for a new home. We did a little looking that day but didn't really find anything we liked. We decided to go to Shannon's folks for the rest of the weekend to stay warm. My mom had called while we were out, so on our way west, we called her. A letter had come, confirming my student teaching placement, and since Dad wasn't feeling well they were being lazy, watching basketball. I thank God that I called home that day. My mom knew where to find me at 2 am when she had to tell me that my father had a heart attack and died. We'd been married three weeks, my sister had been in DC for just two weeks working for our Congressman, and my youngest sister was a senior in high school.

...I powered through and read the devotional with Je the other night. The whole time tears streamed down my face. She sat close, snuggling up with me as we read. When I finished reading, I used the discussion questions to talk with her about it. She remembers when GiGi, my grandmother died last summer, so we have talked about death before. As we talked I was crying a little, explaining that one of my biggest regrets is that she and Jo will miss knowing my dad. (Who BTW would have been over the moon for the kids. I know he would have loved the girls so much but I also can say that he would have been really nuts for my nephews, one is his namesake and looks like him) Je ran off in the middle of our talk and I wondered what she was doing. She returned quickly with my little pillow. When she is sad she wants her bear, her lovey. She thought Mama needed her lovey too.

***If you scroll down you can read today's entry or select an entry to read. The one that made me cry was January 9. You can also sign up to receive it in the mail or print out a PDF version of the whole month.

2008

2008-01-08T13:17:00.000-06:00

I always like a fresh start. Monday's always seem like a fresh start, a new beginning. When the new year doesn't begin on Monday, I usually wait until the next Monday to begin any new routines or plans. Any resoulutions are best kept when started at the start of a week. As I was saying in the previous post, Christmas lasts a while in my house, so I have to get it finished before starting a new year. This year I am going to meditate on two verses.

For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Jeremiah 29:11

I really like this verse. It is a great comfort to me as I impatiently want to know what that hope and future are and get frustrated not knowing and wanting the answers now, not later. I pray that I can rest in peace knowing that I may not know, I don't need to know, God knows.

May the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be pleasing to you, O Lord, my rock and my redeemer. Psalm 19:14

I pray that I will live this. How many times do I say things or think things best left unsaid or un thought. How much happier would I be if I lived this?

Holiday Hangover

2008-01-08T12:57:00.000-06:00

Christmas at our house lasts weeks, it seems. And this year was even longer since my brother in law's accident delayed their visit. They finally made it up from AK on New Year's Day so Christmas for us didn't end until Saturday when they went home. I finally got the tree down Sunday, when Shan could help. After Christmas, I bought a new artificial one at Sam's so the old one went to Goodwill. I would personally rather have a real tree every year. My husband doesn't like real trees, and since Christmas falls during wrestling season, the chances of getting a real tree are slim and slimmer. A few years ago, we went to get a tree and it was a bit later than usual, but not crazy late. For some reason, the only trees left at the lots were the $50 variety. That didn't fit into the budget so we were going to just use the little one I had in college. A friend from church had a full size one she didn't use and offered it to us. She didn't want it back so we've used it for several years. Last year, I talked Shan into a real one, but it wasn't easy. This year, I knew we would be gone over break so I didn't even try to get a real tree. My mom decided this year to get a pre-lit tree rather than a real one. Not sure why. I met her at Sam's last month and helped man-handle the heavy box into our van, then out again at her house. We put it up and it was gorgeous. It has 1500 lights. FIFTEEN HUNDRED. I was a little jealous when I looked at our sad tree. It is an older style, not pre-lit and not as tall or full. My sister, Mom, and I went to Sam's after Christmas to look at their trees. They didn't have any left in the aisle. They had a few back in the clearance section, but not the one she wanted. We were on our way out the door when my mom spotted one on a cart near customer service. We looked around for someone who claimed the cart. No one. We moved the cart towards the checkout and called our husbands to see who was going to get the tree. My sister's husband didn't want to haul the tree back to Texas so I used my birthday money, saved since October, to buy a tree. It will look fabulous next year. It is put away with all the other Christmas decorations and we are making our way to normal again. Maybe I can get caught up on laundry and cleaning this week.

Looking Back and Forward

2007-12-31T09:27:00.001-06:00

I keep recalling what I learned in college and finding it continues to apply to my life even now, almost 10 years after graduation. Each semester, I would go to my new classes and listen as the professor would outline the coming semester and the requirements for the course. At least one class each semester would have projects and requirements that I would think were beyond me. "No way I can do that," I would think. Of course at the time I would know that I had no choice but to try, so I would dig in and do it as best I could. At the end of the semester, I would look at the completed project and find that I actually could do whatever the professor required. About halfway through college God spoke to me about it. He made me realize that new things are intimidating but nothing I am asked to do, accademically, spiritually, practically, etc, is beyond me if He wants me to do it. It is easy to get discouraged or afraid but God gives us what we need to do what He asks us to do. The wisdom God gave me in college to handle my coursework, has served me well in the life He has given me since. Teaching, parenting, marriage, housework, church work, these are all things that provide challenges to us and sometimes seem overwhelming. It has become important to me to remember that if God has given me a task He will give me what I need to accomplish it. Praise the Lord for his wonderful provision for us.

19And my God will meet all your needs according to his glorious riches in Christ. Jesus
Philipian 4:19

Praise God

2007-12-22T22:13:00.000-06:00

We are really feeling God's hand on us this week. He has been merciful and blessed us tremendously.

1. Seth and Mindy were in an accident, but were within a mile of the best hospital for head injuries in the area. They would have life flighted Seth to this hospital if necessary.

2. DS's injury was pretty minor and he seems to be doing well.

3. No one else was hurt.

4. My sister and her husband were already on their way to Arkansas when we got word, and arrived quickly to lend support and comfort.

5. Seth was moved out of ICU yesterday and into a regular room.

6. Today they had him up and walking around and he got along okay, making two laps around the square.

7. The CAT scan this morning revealed improving conditions.

8. Their house has been on the market for several months, and they put an ad in the paper recently to rent it, and this morning got a promising call, and the people who looked at it will probably rent it.

10. Shan and I went ahead with our holiday plans to his parents and made it ahead of the snow storm that hit our area today.

God is so good. May we all feel His peace and joy at Christmas.

Merry Christmas everyone!

Pray Please

2007-12-20T20:23:00.000-06:00

I should have blogged this last night but didn't think of it. My sister and her family were in a car accident last evening. She and the kids seem fine for the most part, my nephew DS has a mouth injury but he went home last night. My brother-in-law Seth is in intensive care with a head injury. He has swelling on the brain and some bleeding. He is conscious, aware, and we are cautiously optimistic as to his prognosis. He was driving and has skull fractures in both temporal bones and the base of his skull. So at this point we are thankful that things aren't worse. We fired up the prayer chain at church and among family. It is amazing to see God's answer even to this point. Seth isn't out of the woods, but they are hopeful that he will be soon. Please lift him up this week and my sister Mindy as she is dealing with him and three kids six and under.

My kids crack me up

2007-12-19T16:31:00.000-06:00

Me: I said add a little bit, that is more than enough.

Jo: Mama, did you know that I'm just little and sometimes I don't know what a little bit is?

Oh my goodness. That made me laugh out loud. Isn't she funny?

Letter from Je:

Dear Mom and Dad,

I have been good this ye!

Love Je***

Works for Me Wednesday Christmas

2007-12-19T14:35:00.000-06:00

I have a few tried and true recipes that I can reliably turn out without fear. I inherited this recipe from my mom. I spent years hearing her talk about how easy it is. And she is right. I looks complicated and difficult, but if you follow the steps it is a snap.

We usually make this at Christmas but it is good at other times. It has a winter and a summer version.

Ice Cream Roll

3 eggs (1/2-2/3 cup)
1/3 cup water
1 cup flour
1/4 tsp salt
1 cup sugar
1tsp vanilla
1/4 cup cocoa
1/4 gallon peppermint ice cream

Beat eggs until thick and lemony (5-10 minutes) Beat in sugar then blend in water and vanilla. Gradually add dry ingredients, beat till smooth. Line a jelly roll pan (11x 15 inch) with wax paper, pour in cake. Bake at 375 for 12-15 minutes. Sprinkle kitchen towel with powdered sugar. When the cake comes out flip it over onto the towel, then peel off wax paper carefully, and sprinkle with powdered sugar. Roll cake up from one end. Let cake cool for at least an hour. Unroll, spread with peppermint icecream. Reroll and freeze. This a great thing to make ahead and have ready. Stores nicely in the freezer for a while. I wrap it in foil and then put in a ziplock if I want to save it for over a week. I usually get about eight slices per cake. To serve, it looks good to drizzle chocolate syrup on the plate and then put the cake on it garnishing it with whip cream. It looks nice with the chocolate cake swirl and pink peppermint ice cream

It takes half of a half gallon box. So I usually make two cakes at a time. The square package works easiest, you can slice off thin slices to lay on the cake. I used about six slices of ice cream per cake. I usually only mix up one cake batter at a time, and bake one at a time. The most important step is beating the eggs. If you don't beat them enough, the cake is not spongy it is flat.

In the spring and summer, I leave out the cocoa and substitute cool whip or whipped cream and 2 cups sliced strawberries. It is fabulous.

If you can't find peppermint ice cream you can use mint chocolate chip. This is a great dessert for those heavy holiday meals, the mint is a nice taste and it isn't heavy. It also has the added bonus of looking fancy and difficult but it really isn't hard. If I can make it then anyone can do this. I promise.

Go check out Rocks in My Dryer for more works for me tips.

Mother of the Year Committee? Call me.

2007-12-15T19:44:00.000-06:00

Oh yeah I absolutely deserve this. I had both girls crying at the same time. I am soooo good at this. NOT. After a daddyless day I snapped. It doesn't help that they are tired and were naughty. Maybe mama needs a nap. I would like to blame it on being alone with them all day, but my mother spent the day with us. We went to the mall. I am so glad I didn't need to buy anything, cause it was crazy out there. More incentive to start shopping early, like January. Seriously.

As I Promised

2007-12-13T09:35:00.000-06:00

I have been talking about our redecorating at church some and finally we finished phase one of the plan (and maybe all of the plan) so I took pictures last night at the Christmas Program. In all we painted several rooms, and they look great, if I do say so myself. My mom was the decorator, she picked the colors and made curtains. We had help from others in the painting and more handyman aspects of the task. Gene and Jeannie, a retired couple came in several times to help as did another retired lady one afternoon. All of the rooms were painted linen white, which is a basic creamy white color. Eleven years ago we did that, thinking we would add color and decorating as we went. Now, no one did anything so it was time to do something.

We started in the secretary's office. It was cluttered and crowded with too many pieces of office furniture. We took out the cabinet, empty computer desk and long table. We will get some new low cabinets to work on but for now we we have a big open space. We moved the desk to the angled wall and it feels great. We had to get a new folding machine last month and plan a new copier next spring. Lots of changes really fast. In the pastor's office we took out an old battered file cabinet, and a metal bookshelf. We already had some pretty oak book cases and we moved them to the other wall. We painted the walls the same taupe color as everwhere else, but added an oak chair rail and crown moulding. beneath the chair rail we painted a dark navy color.
Mom made tailored curtains to coordinate the two colors. We discovered that Frank had a talent and interest in furniture refinishing so we asked him to refinish the desk top. It was battered and waterstained. Now it looks fantastic. We moved the phone line to another wall so that we could move the desk around. Now a person can see out the window from the desk without getting up.
We painted the youth room and
re-christened it the junior room. We hung posters and the parachute from last year's VBS. I missed getting a picture of it. We also painted the little bathroom next to the office. We got a bigger mirror and put up a border. We also put a larger lightbulb in the fixture and it looks so much brighter and less dingy. We painted the double classroom the taupe color and moved the cabinets around a bit. It is easier to move around the tables now when the class is full. We then painted the three sabbath school rooms. Two we painted taupe with a rusty red chair rail. In the open classroom we used a dark blue. We originally bought it for the study, but it wasn't dark enough so we got a darker navy color for it. Mom made curtains for the first red classroom. Right now the class is two boys so she tried to find a neutral pattern. The other red classroom has three girls and they wanted to be in the picture when I took it. They were playing dress up before the program. We moved the cabinet away from the traffic pattern near the door so it is out of the bonk zone. It feels good to have it updated, and it feels really good to have it done. It took a bit of effort, but we had such a nice group of people working that it was almost fun.

Works for Me Wednesday: Hair Things

2007-12-12T15:20:00.000-06:00

I have girls. This is not new information I am sure but it is relevant. You see, girls come with hair. And my girls have a lot of it. Je's hair is very very thick. Even thicker than mine and that is saying something. It also has the same texture as her dad's which isn't as great for her but she has a lot of hair. Last year when she cut it for Locks of Love it was a big change, but her hair has grown back mostly. It isn't quite as long but we're close. Long hair is easier to do for me since I had long hair for probably 30 of my 34 years. It's what I know. Which is why I was less than pleased when Jo cut her hair last spring. It is finally growing out and I trimmed it recently to even it up. All this is a long winded into to the hair things. I used to keep our ever growing collection of hair ribbons, barrettes and things, in a basket on the counter in the bathroom. Then it grew to two baskets. And they were overflowing. Now maybe it is just me, but I like the hair things to coordinate with their outfits. I also love Gymboree hair things but they are way expensive. I will write another post sometime on making my own hair things. I still need practice, but they are looking pretty good.

I went to Big Lots and bought one of those drawer things. It is a small Rubbermaid cabinet, with three drawers. I labeled each drawer, Barrettes, Elastic Bands, Scrunchies and Pretties. Then I put each hair thing in the proper drawer. I showed the system to the girls. Now the counter is clear of hair things. The really great thing is that my kids like to put their things in the right drawer. Je especially loves to do it. I will toss things on the counter as I walk by, to be put away later, and when I go back later, she has already done it. So it really works for me.

Go on over to visit Rocks in My Dryer for other tips.

(I didn't know I would want to do this so there are no pictures of the old way. I simulated as best as possible. It still looks better that before.)

I have been hoping for a sunny day to take pictures up at church to show you the finished project, but it has been overcast for the last week, so hard to show you the new look. I may just take them and be done with it!

What a Great Idea

2007-11-29T12:01:00.000-06:00

Lori the Laundry Queen suggested that instead of complaining through this holiday season we should list three good things. I love this idea. She has decided that she will post three good things in each post this month, so that she can focus on them rather than her frustrations. And since it is the holiday season and a very stressful time, it is a good reminder to focus on the positive.

# A nice newish van that is comfortable and roomy for the traveling during this time of year. (Notice I am not complaining about 26 hours in the car in 5 days. Just kidding Sus)

## Sundays a day of rest, the only day my husband doesn’t have wresting practice or tournaments until Christmas.

### My BFF Ellen and her birthday on Sat. which compels us to have a girls afternoon, and thus help entertain my kids on the first Saturday of wrestling season. No Daddy = a very long day.

Random Acts of Kindness

2007-11-27T12:22:00.000-06:00

Today I was in the restroom at Wally world waiting for an open stall. It sounded weird in one of the stalls. I couldn't tell if the woman was ill or if that was just normal for her. Then I heard her call out "Ma'am?" I wasn't sure who she was talking to so I didn't say anything. There was a Walmart employee in there so I figured she would handle it. She left seeming not to notice. Then the stall door opened and an elderly lady stood there trying to button her jeans and do her belt. She asked for help with the belt. She was a large woman and not very steady on her feet. She had her shirt pulled up exposing her bra so she could see her belt buckle. By this time I was the only one in line so when she asked me to help I stepped into the stall and knelt down to see if I could help. She had stuff twisted so I quickly could get her buckled and on her way. She kind of shuffled out the door. After I used the facilities I stopped at the sink to wash my hands. A woman had walked in just as I was fixing the belt and she was at the sink next to me. She stopped me to tell me how nice it was what I had done. She wasn't sure what I had done but thought it was very nice that I had helped the other lady.

That got me to thinking. Wouldn't anyone have helped if they had been asked? Remember a few years ago when the bumper sticker was so popular, "Random Acts of Kindness and Senseless Acts of Beauty" Isn't it sad that we notice that people are kind. Shouldn't that be such a common occurance that we aren't surprised when someone is courteous or helpful. Have you seen that commercial for insurance or banking that has a woman pull a man back so he won't be hit by a car and it starts a circle of kind acts which eventually loops back to her. We should all be doing it.

I spent the weekend driving (it felt like it anyway) We drove to Corpus Christi so visit my sister. So that is about 26 -28 hours in the car just getting there and back. It seems to me that if everyone followed the do unto others rule for driving maybe we would have fewer accidents and less frustration. Traffic might move better. We might be happier people if we let go of our me first mentality. Let the mini van in the lane she needs. You're not that much of an hurry. Seriously people.

A New Road

2007-11-14T14:52:00.000-06:00

I've had to learn to take a new route to Bible Study this fall. A few weeks ago as we were driving down a certain street in town, my four year old asks me, "Mama, when are we going to that owl place?" I racked my brain to think about what she could mean. I don't know any owl places, and I couldn't see any that seemed to fit that description at the intersection. So I asked her to show me. Ya'll, she pointed to the H**ter's restaurant that opened in the past year or so. Seriously. How do you answer that one folks? I am sure the food is fine, and I doubt it is the den of iniquity that it is portrayed as being, but still. I told her that we weren't going to go there. And of course she wanted to know why. I stuttered and stumbled to come up with a good reason that would make sense to her. I think I said it wasn't a kid place. I didn't think any more about it until the next time we were going by there on our way to Red Robin, one of their favorite places to eat. She asked again. Shan was with us and he didn't have a better answer for that than I. This went on a couple more times as we went places. That intersection is on the way to the east bound interstate and softball games, etc. I no longer drive down that street if I can help it, at least with the kids. I am finding new roads.

Miss Me?

2007-11-13T12:19:00.000-06:00

Wow it's been a while since I posted. I keep starting posts in my head, but never finding the time to sit down and write them out then post them. I have been running for about a month. Crashing the deacon meeting was fun but it led to a lot of work. And we aren't done yet. I will post before and after pictures as soon as I take the after pictures. We are done with the two offices, and they look fabulous.

It is the beginning of wrestling season so I have returned to widowhood until March with some limited time off over the holidays. I did talk my husband into missing three practices over Thanksgiving for family time. It was a major concession for him. I even got him to take a personal day last Friday for our trip to Arkansas. Whohoo big big big big day! I was tempted to ask "who are you and what have you done with my husband?"

As I was reading Heather's blog today, two things leaped out at me. "Am I not allowed to do what I choose to do with what belongs to me?" I love her answer to this. Everything we have is God's and He allows us to use it. Our time, our talents, our resources, our churches, our homes etc. My parents really impressed this upon me growing up. They have always had a nice home, not a mansion, but comfortable and they insisted on having a spare room no matter what for overnight guests. My father's family was very poor as he was growing up and they were very impressed by the house we lived in in KC and the one here in Topeka. To me they were always just home, because that is how my folks made it. I remember my mom saying to those who commented on the home, that she and dad felt that God had blessed them with the resouces to have a such a home to be used as a ministry to others. I can't tell you how many times we hosted people for various reasons. From a meal to a month long (or more) stay. It was a great example to me of this principle. All I have is from God and I am commanded to use it for His glory.

The other thing I want to reflect on is this: "If it doesn’t line up with scripture, it honestly isn’t for me." Isn't that a fabulous summation of how we are to live our lives? She was talking about it in context of churches and that is where I would begin if looking for a church. I am blessed to be in a church that follows this. May we all be living our lives by this.

She finally did it!!!!

2007-10-26T21:58:00.001-05:00

I've learned that life is never going to give me a chance to catch my breath. It seems that we are flowing from one project into another. I can't keep up.

I do want to make a comment in regards to the email my sister sent me. The photo is too gross to show on this blog, (It looks like a Jayhawk had a toxic accident with a Powercat--the horrors!) She thought she was funny but I, not so much.

I am so proud of Je today. She tied her shoes by herself for the first time this evening. We have been working on this for a while now, since that is an important kindergarten skill. Not having a lot of luck. I saw in the book order from Jo's preschool, a book that would help teach shoe tying. I decided to splurge. It is a two sided board book. On one side it teaches the bunny ears method, with laces to practice with and a step by step photo guide for the whole process. The other side is called the Rocket method. It has a weird lacing style but you tie the laces the regular way, cross the two, bring one under, make a loop and finally go around the loop and through. That is more advanced tying. Je started playing with the book tonight and the first time through was a bit frustrated. I left her alone to see how she handled it. I could see her over there working the bunny ears method. She was looking at the pictures and doing the steps. She brought the book to me with the laces she had tied. Ta da! Then she put on her shoe and tried again. It was a bit loose and floppy, but it was tied!!!!!! Hooray!!!! She used the pictures in the book to remember the steps. The best $10 bucks I ever spent. Yea Je!!!

***I will post some pictures of the redecorating we did at church in the next week or so after we are all done. We have painted two rooms and most of another, we just need to move the bookshelves. It is looking good.

We Crashed the Deacon Meeting

2007-10-18T20:23:00.000-05:00

It's is parent teacher conference week in our district. We went to hear how Je is progressing in Kindergarten. She's doing fine. It also means my husband is working late. Last night he got home at 8:30 and tonight will be a bit later. The good news is he gets tomorrow off. So Mom and I took the girls out to supper. And sitting there we got to discussing the work day planned at church this weekend and some projects we would like to see done. She mentioned talking to the Deacons at their next meeting, and asked me if it was next week. They were meeting tonight, without the two people who had to be at conferences, Shan and Kyle. We decided to go up and talk to them about our ideas then. So we walked in to the meeting. Mom did most of the talking, and Deacon chair scribbled furiously on his yellow pad. After listening to our ideas, they went on a tour of the rooms we had discussed. We are going to clean out some old furniture and office supplies, strip out the clunky, to make the rooms easier to use and more attractive. It will be nice to have a little more room in the Secretary's office to function. Our pastor recently resigned and moved, so there went our youth group. The furniture in the youth room was old when I was in Youth group so we are thinking about redoing some of that room, and at least for now, turning it into the junior room. I was noticing tonight that the bean bags in their need some new beans, they are pretty flat. Since we had the car wash to buy those when I was in high school they are definitely in need of an update. I remember picking out the pink one.

When we moved into the building, 11 years ago, we painted everything a neutral color, linen white, and said, we will personalize each room in time, we'll start with this. Now, its been a decade and very little personalization has happened. The nursery, and the toddler room have had some touches as has the entry way, but no one has taken the initiative with offices, classrooms, etc. It's time to make each room attractive and inviting, with some thought to its use.

After we interrupted the meeting, showed them our ideas, they were very receptive. I applaud people who have no real interest in an area, ceding to those who do.

May I never get so entrenched in my area of authority, that I am reluctant to let people who have gifts and interests use them. The Deacons seemed happy to let us go forward with our ideas and with delegating responsiblity to us in this.

I am looking forward to the work of painting actually. It will be nice to freshen up the neutral rooms.

Sometimes the Answer is No

2007-10-17T21:26:00.000-05:00

I've learned that I have to be open to God's direction. We ask for his guidance and pray for things. And while the answer always comes, sometimes the answer is no. Sometimes it is not now. Isn't that hard to learn? We want what we want when we want it. In a culture of instant gratification and me first, it is doubly hard to take no for an answer.

Today, I listened in Bible Study as Beth Moore spoke about the symbolic significance of the golden lampstand in the tabernacle. Each branch of the lampstand had buds, blossoms and flowers. This could represent the stages of the growing season. Springtime- we plant seeds, we see trees return from dormancy and begin to bud with new growth. Summer-we have a season of waiting for the plants to mature enough for harvest. Growth continues but it is harder to see on a daily basis. Fall-harvest, it's time to reap the results of the maturing summer. These could point to seasons in us. As believers, we are continually going through budding of new growth, a summer season of maturing and waiting for the fruit to be ready.

The hardest part is the waiting. Waiting for things to advance, for us to see results, for the answer to be what we want.

It is hard to understand when the answer is no or not right now. We cannot fathom the mind of God and we know that He works all things together for our good, but it is so hard to wait to see that resulting work.

May the Lord grant us an openness to His will, a contentment in His time. Even when we don't understand and the answer is no, it is the right answer. No matter how painful it is at the time.

*I am studying A Woman's Heart: God's Dwelling Place by Beth Moore for my Bible Study this fall. I am loving it.

Happy Birthday Belatedly

2007-10-16T11:54:00.000-05:00

some of you know that October is birthday extravaganza at our house. In the first four days of the month we have three birthdays. I am going to blame that for why I am so tardy posting my daughter's birthday post. Sorry Je! Really we've been BUSY! I'm not kidding. Six years ago, I was so ready to welcome you to my world. I remember looking around the house in the few days before you were born and wondering how my home would change. I didn't see any evidence of impending parenthood in the family room where we were watching football. I thought if someone came over, (unless they noticed the huge pregnant me) they wouldn't know these people are expecting. Less than a week later I looked again. The whole room was babied. We had added a cradle, a diaper changing basket, some toys (although why I can't say), the carseat carrier sat in the corner with the diaper bag. A boppie rested against my chair. Most of all, you were there, making us a family. You looked so cool in the tie-dyed shirt from Aunt Ne-Ne. I remember laying you out on the mat to change your diaper, and crying. You were not even a week old and I was mourning the day you wouldn't need diapers anymore. (Seriously hormonal folks) Your red hair was a surprise from the first. The nurse told me it was red during delivery. Where did that come from? I have loved it from the first.
I remember how sweet you looked on your first Sunday in church in the special dress a very pregnant Aunt Mindy and Uncle Seth looked so hard for, because Nana thought you should have a dress for church. It is upstairs in the baby chest; you were so tiny you wore it until you were six months old. Both you and Jo were baptized wearing that dress. We have loved watching you grow up with your cousin, and be best friends just five weeks apart. The day she was born, you weighed exactly the same thing, you were still so tiny.

You were such a climber, we had to teach you how to get down stairs since you often found yourself upstairs and stuck. You learned to walk early, wanting to get places. I can still see you crawling inside the Jefferson Memorial when we visited Washington, DC.

You have always seemed to like your baby sister and we are so glad you two play together so much.

Now you are off at school. Kindergarten is such a big step. I still miss you during the day and wonder about what you are doing. I am thrilled to see the big kid come out, but I am so glad when my baby crawls back in my lap, or wants me to tuck her in.

Works for Me Wednesday Works for You!

2007-10-03T08:06:00.000-05:00

So over at Rocks in my Dryer, Shannon wants us to post our requests for tips. I didn't think I had one until ...

The Sock Problem

Ya'll--four people wear socks in this house. For some reason, socks disappear in the laundry. How exactly can I get socks to go through the wash together and still get clean? I need a system that will work with children (ages 4 and 6) and with my husband, who is organizationally challenged and a slob. Help! No idea is too stupid, trust me. If you have found a way to keep sock pairs intact, without buying 65 pairs of identical socks (remember, I have girls and girls like pretty socks that coordinate withe their outfits, or at least Mamas do), I want to know about it.

KSU 41 Texas 21

2007-09-30T21:15:00.000-05:00

Two in a row baby! Look out KU---your coming into our house and we're ready for some revenge!

The Things We Do

2007-09-26T12:12:00.000-05:00

I've learned that whatever I think is weird about me, probably there are many people out there who feel or act just like me. No matter what thing I think is just me, someone somewhere has a very similar story. It makes me feel a little less lonely to know that I am not the only one who does that, or feels a certain way. Today, I clicked on Kari's Couch and read a post that hit me that way. Now before you think it is some deep spiritual issue, it is a very mundane thing.

Every school year, both as a student, and a teacher, I would play a game with myself. I would see how long I could go without repeating an outfit. I could repeat shoes, and basics like jeans, but only if they were not distinctive. I usually could get pretty far, since I could use summer clothes, then fall clothes, and with an October birthday, I could stretch it a bit farther with new birthday presents adding to my wardrobe. Then I could get out the winter clothes. I know it is dumb but I liked the game. It was just one of my little games. Kari, has gone a step further than me, and keeps a wardrobe journal, but I swear, if I'd thought of it, I would have done it too.

Me in Pictures

2007-09-15T15:56:00.000-05:00

I can't decide which one I like best.

Pretty cool Shannon. Thanks.

This Cracks Me Up!

2007-09-09T19:39:00.000-05:00

Every time I see this promo for the US Open in cracks me up. Enjoy.

Stressed out and Hivy

2007-09-08T16:08:00.000-05:00

I've learned that when Je is quiet and doesn't tell me about stuff, that she might need some help talking through it. I posted a while back that we were getting into the school routine. And we are, now, but then I might have spoken too soon. Like the very next day, Je broke out in hives. We decided that it might have been nerves with starting school. This would fit with the symptoms, and with the family history, we are a hivy bunch. Frankly, stress upsets the delicate balance our systems have and makes us sick. Cold sores, rashes, etc. So it isn't too surprising that my daughter has similar problems. What is surprising, is that I missed her uneasiness. She was pretty quiet about school, and I thought with all the new she just needed some time to process, so I didn't pry. I let her approach me to talk about things rather than sitting down with her and pushing gently for her to talk. In hindsight, I can see she was a little overwhelmed and wanted some special attention. The day she broke out in hives, I spent a lot of time just asking questions and letting her tell me about whatever she wanted. I didn't hear much new info, but I did get the sense that she needed to tell me. Now, it pours out of her everyday. I know about the kids in her class, recess, lunch, and the "wall." This is the place you spend your recess if you talk when you are supposed to be quiet. Je says she hasn't spent time on the wall but she is worried about it. I told her that I was glad she hadn't lost recess, and that I hoped she listened and was quiet appropriately. I told her that I would be sorry if she had to stand on the wall, but I would understand if it happened and not be angry. What else could I say when I lost untold minutes of my recesses all though grade school on the wall. I would talk to a rock ya'll. I doubt this is a startling revelation to anyone who knows me, I like to talk. And in grade school, I hadn't yet mastered the skill to know when not to talk. Some of you probably wonder if I have to this day. I think Je is getting acclimated and isn't as overwhelmed as she was. Kindergarten is a big transition, and there are a lot of new routines and things to remember. Parenting is a process. Now maybe I have learned something about my daughter that will help me help her as she get older and confronts other new situations. Jo on the other hand will be completely different, I am sure. Isn't God great!

It Works, It Really Works!

2007-09-06T21:33:00.000-05:00

I had a happy happy joy joy moment today. You remember the dryer saga. When we last left our heroine, she was calling an electrician to get the dryer back up and running, since the dryer repairman said it isn't the dryer. Wednesday morning, a friend who is handy with this stuff came to look at the problem to see if he could come up with it. He was also stumped. He thought it was the dryer. Since we'd eliminated that, I needed a professional. Our friend gave me a name. I left a message on the electrician's cell phone, expecting to get a call that evening when he was done working for the day. He called back in five minutes, ya'll. He was nearby and wanted to come right over. Are you kidding me? I don't really need to go to the grocery store right now, it can wait. He came, and within 15 minutes had the problem diagnosed and the dryer running. Hallelujah! He discovered some weaknesses in the wiring that, after twenty years of exposure, were compromised. He fixed my problem, found a couple of loose wires in the breaker box and fixed those as well. When we were finishing up, he noticed a broken piece in the plug in for the dryer, so decided to replace it. He had to order that part, since it isn't standard anymore, and it didn't come until today. So when he came out about noon today to put it on, I asked him to see if he could look into a mystery for me. When we moved into this house almost 7 years ago, we had a switch in the living room that didn't seem to do anything. We couldn't find what it was supposed to do. We thought it should work one of the outlets, so you could put a lamp on a switch, but none seemed connected. He predicted immediately what the problem was, and spent about 10 minutes looking for the culprit in an outlet. Of course it was the last one in the room, but he corrected the original electrician's mistake, and now, the switch works two outlets, as it was intended to. I want to go back to the original owners of the home (who teach with Shan, and had me in class in high school) and ask them why they didn't get the electrician to come back and fix it when they first moved in. They had the house built, and my electrician said that the switch is put in usually however the owner requests, and it isn't in the typical outlet so they probably picked it. hello! If I spent big bucks to build a house, and do it how I want, I sure am going to make sure that my money is spent to get it right. It took longer to find the right outlet than it did to fix it. The electrician had forgotten to break out a tab that separated the top outlet from the bottom and allowed the switch to control it. Took him all of a minute to get it apart and back together correctly. So happy happy joy joy! The switch works, and I know what it does! Yippee!

Is it Me?

2007-09-05T16:03:00.000-05:00

I just read an article from One News Now about a Christian group on a campus which was censured because they shared their faith with other students and had a foot washing ceremony. Savannah State University considered these activities harrassment and hazing. Give me a break. Is it just me or has the ACLU got all public entities running scared? My husband thinks we should call them the Anti Christian Liberties Union since they seem determined to eliminate Christian practices of faith in any area that could potentially be seen by anyone other than the worshipper in the privacy of their own home. They should in fact be protecting my civil liberties which include the free exercise of my faith in this country. I subscribe to the principle that my freedom ends where someone else's freedom begins, but this is ridiculous. How does foot washing among a willing group of college freshmen impinge on the freedom of anyone else? How does my praying silently over my meal in a restaurant bother anyone else? Seriously. Get off my back and protect my rights in the same way that they fight for the atheist. Seriously!

A Riddle for You

2007-09-04T15:56:00.000-05:00

Four and a half hours, two cords, a motor, a 220 plug in and two repairmen later.

The dryer still won't work. Folks it isn't the dryer. It's my house. They loaded up the dryer, drove over to an appliance store they have a service contract with and plugged it in there. Works great. So somehow, the electricty system in my house is broken. But only enough to impact the dryer, the oven and the AC both run on 220 and they are still working. I burned part of supper the other night, and baked cookies for Saturday's moving lunch. I have the AC on today and it works fine. It cost me $129 and they didn't fix my problem. Boy they sure tried though. So my riddle is:

How many appliance repairmen does it take to fix a seven year old dryer?

Someone so tiny affecting us so much

2007-09-04T12:53:00.000-05:00

I had a blog post in mind about sending my younger daughter off to her first day of preschool. The mixed emotions of sadness and joy warring in me. Then I was catching up on blog reading and Everday Mommy pointed the way to a post that is incredible. It says something that has been on my mind for years. Our churches have gone so far to make their worship services appealing to the masses that they have muddied their connection to the truth. Contemporary worship services, bands, meditation, Saturday night services so you can sleep in on Sunday, video projections, special programs taking the place of preaching, and on and on. Everyday Mommy has written much about this kind of thing and it resonates with me. It goes back to my favorite Thomas Jefferson quote there in the sidebar, "In matters of style, swim with the current; in matters of principle, stand like a rock." There is nothing wrong with making our churches welcoming places. Attractive buildings, quality sound system, convenient scheduling of services, air conditioning, nurseries with qualified staff and beeper systems, etc. The rubber hits the road when the additives become more important than the substance of the service. I have no problem with using your talents for God in a worship service, and many people are gifted musicians. I am all for doing what we can to make our churches user friendly, appealing groups who invite others in and glorify God. I am distressed by the seeker driven movement that seems to care more about meeting needs than it does about glorifying God. According to the Westminster Confession and the Shorter Catechism, "Man's chief end is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever." So my purpose in worshiping is to first bring glory to God, and second enjoy Him. He will meet all my needs according to his glorious riches, so I need not worry about being entertained at church. If I need it he will provide it. I attend a church with exclusive Psalmody and accapella singing so no worship bands, microphoned soloists, etc. Now that isn't the only way true believers worship, it is the way my denomination worships. I am thus the instrument of God's praise, because I am part of the choir, a choir that encompasses the entire attendance. The side benefit is that everyone learns to follow the music because everyone is part of the music. I can also take comfort in the music I sing will always pass the test, since it is God's inspired word. I have attend on occasion a wonderful church in a nearby town. It is a large church with two services and many programs for the whole family. The pastor is a very Godly man who preaches sound biblical sermons which make a person think and convict them of sin. Even if I lived in the nearby town, I don't think I would make this congregation my church home, and it isn't a doctrinal issue. I can't get past the worship band that leads the service. There are a couple of guitarists, one is electric, a drummer, bongos, a piano and more. There are usually three or four people on mics leading the singing. I don't want to accuse them of wrong motives, but I always get the sense that their performance is less about glorifying God and more about showing off their talent. That may be horribly unfair, but I am not the only one who has commented on this after seeing them. I think everyone has to go with their convictions on this issue. I think churches must make efforts to be inviting to people, and so far as is appropriate, be willing to be flexible to meet the challenging changes of our society. That said, churches must never compromise bedrock principles of biblical worship. That is a deal breaker for me. We can't be so eager to get numbers that we compromise that which we are commanded to do. This post has gotten from where I intended but my point was that we live in a culture that wants instant satisfaction, and never want to experience anything unpleasant. I don't know if this is an effect of abortion on demand or if that is a symptom of the problem. I do know that we as a society don't value life and we want what what we want, when we want it, and as soon as possible.

(graphic provided by Really Cool Christian Graphics!)

We are Settling in

2007-08-28T21:12:00.000-05:00

Well, we've been in school for two weeks. I think we are getting the hang of it. I am getting up, dressed, bed made, lunch made, breakfast served (x2), and one child on the bus by 8:30 in the morning. A new record for me. And y'all, I even have my shoes on. Gasp! I know it's amazin'! Before school started, it was a good day if I made it out of the bed before 8:30. The joys of stay at home motherdom. My kids slept in, I slept in, it was a win win situation. Now on the days we had Bible Study it wasn't too hard to get out the door by 8:30 or so, but we usually stopped for the essential donut on the way. Back to the shoe issue. I only wear shoes when absolutely necessary. Like really hot pavement, actual street pavement, or going out in public. Even in the winter, I wear socks around the house, not shoes, unless I have to go outside to get the mail or paper and it's wet or snowy, if it is just cold but dry, slippers or socks. So, I have to think each morning to remember to put shoes on before I step outside to get the paper, and wait for the bus. Je will not cross the street to get on the bus by herself. I have to hold her hand until she climbs on the bus. Seriously! She tells me she will do it when she is six. I hate to break it to her, but that is sooner than she thinks. She gets off the bus, and crosses the street by herself in the afternoon. The bus driver is great and they are so careful with the kids, I know she would be fine if she would let me wait in the driveway. It's just that I have to find shoes to cross the street. You never know when you will encounter glass or other icky stuff on the road. We will see how she does on Thursday, when a friend puts her on the bus. I have to make a run to the airport, and need to leave before Je gets on the bus. So we have asked a friend from church to come and stay with her till the bus picks her up. Miss C is a favorite of the girls, and they love having her come, so maybe Je will do better with her than me. She is a retired 2nd grade teacher, so that should help.

It Never Fails

2007-08-22T10:40:00.000-05:00

I've learned that just when you give up looking for something, and go replace it, the original shows up. I found batteries on sale earlier this summer. They were the Energizer double A's with the racers from the Cars movie. I had coupons so I stocked up on the most used batteries in my house. This week I have been looking high and low for them. I have a couple places I keep batteries for easy access and both drawers were double A free. Finally I broke down and bought some more yesterday for the remote control. Today, when getting down the cupcake tree to use at Jo's birthday lunch, I notice three packages of batteries tucked on a shelf. I am pretty sure I looked in that cabinet, but I didn't get a chair. I know Shan looked in that cabinet. He didn't see them either. It never fails.

Happy Birthday Baby!

2007-08-22T01:21:00.000-05:00

Four years ago today, I was wheeled into the delivery OR for an emergency C-section at just after midnight. Within twenty minutes you were delivered. I heard you cry and they showed you to me. You were so little, just 3lbs 8 oz. We didn't expect you for six more weeks. I joke that your big sister left signs in my womb, "Pull this and Mama throws up" and "Pull this and Mama's blood pressure spikes". I threw up every day for nine straight months, twice, and it was worth every single time I hovered over the toilet. Well, nine months and 7 1/2 months. It was a scary few days that I don't remember, before I got to see you again, through the glass of the NICU as your daddy held you up for me to see from my wheelchair. I was too sick to walk down there, or go into the NICU to hold you. You were four days old when my fever broke so I could hold you. I woke up that morning and felt a bit better. Finally, my digestive system had started working again, and I could move with less pain. I took a shower and got dressed in real clothes, instead of a hospital gown. I slowly made my way down the long hall to the NICU; I remember wondering if I would have the strength to get back. The nurses let me sit in a rocking chair and hold you while you ate. You had a tube going down your nose to feed you with. It was so hard to let you go back into your crib. The nurses took our picture and gave me one and posted one on your bed. I made the slow trip back down the hall to my room. I went back every time you were scheduled to eat, when I was awake. They encouraged me to let you rest between feedings, since you needed all your energy to grow. I went home a couple days later, dependent on wonderful friends and family to get me back to visit. I went each morning and usually again in the evening, if I had enough energy. Your sister returned from Grandma's when you were 10 days old. She came with me each day to visit you. A dear church friend organized a rotation of people willing to drive us down to the hospital, so you had many visitors peer at you through the windows. When you were 13 days old, they called me from the NICU as I was making the bed. Don't forget to bring the carseat today, she will have to practice sitting in it before she can come home. The criteria for coming home included: weight gain, maintaining temperature by yourself, taking all your feedings by a bottle, and sitting in a carseat for an hour without a problem. They were ready to try the carseat test. I still wasn't sure you'd come home that day, but when I got to the NICU, the nurse told me that the neonatalogist had decided to discharge you that afternoon. I went out to lunch with Nana, Aunt Mindy, and some friends. After lunch, Nana drove Je and I down to the hospital to bring you home. I dressed you in your own clothes. They were so big on you. I look at that outfit now and can't imagine a baby fitting in that outfit. I had a nervous afternoon with you. You took two ounces of formula, every three hours. You must have been unsettled by your new home, because you didn't want to eat. By the second feeding you were starved. You grew, and thrived from there.How long it seemed at the time! You were so little for so long. As I look back it passed as a blink, but that first year was a killer. I remember the first month we had to wake you up every three hours to eat, until you were about 6 lbs. I thought I wouldn't make it to stay away for the 11 pm feeding. Thankfully, your Daddy got up with you at 2. Now you climb in with us occasionally, and don't even wake us up. Where did the last four years go?
Now you are a precious pre-schooler, about to embark on your first mornings away from Mama. You will love your teachers and the other children. You will color, and cut, you will paint and play on the new playground equipment installed this summer. What a big girl you've become! I see myself in you, and your daddy. I see generations of extended family in you. Much of what I inherited from my father, you have inherited from me, so, even though you will never know Papa Darrel, know he is part of you. I wonder if he had unexpressed thoughts as a little guy. I know you don't. And I love you, and all those thoughts.

Back to the Grindstone

2007-08-20T13:40:00.000-05:00

Is anyone else finding it difficult to get back to a routine? While this is the first year I have sent my baby off to school each day, I am well acquainted with the school routine. I taught for several years before the girls were born and my husband teaches still. So each August, we have the back to school reintroduction to routine. When summer heat hits, Shan all but forbids me to cook. (I am not joking) He works in the heat all day and when he comes home, the last thing he wants is hot food, so we eat a lot of sandwiches and takeout. When I do cook, I cook large amounts to be had for leftovers, the microwave not heating up the house the way the stove does. So now that he is back at school, he is ready for more regular meals. No problem. I just have to figure out what to cook. The new element this year is bedtime. I have pretty much put the kids to bed whenever it felt right, based on how early they got up, what kind of nap they took, how active they were that day, and how they are behaving. So anytime between 7 and 9. Now Je has to get up in the morning, and is very busy during the day, with no nap. All day kindergarten sucks. So that means she needs to be in bed no later than 8 with 7:30 being better. So that means a bath at 7 p.m. and supper before that. I am pretty much not in a groove to start supper preparation before 6. If I do, its a red-letter day. Part of that is our general inclination is to eat later and part of that is because during wrestling season, Shan doesn't even get home until 6:30 at the earliest and usually its closer to 7. So I need a new routine don't I? I fear it will take a few weeks to get this routine ingrained. It's hard when school starts in August, and it feels like there are still a couple weeks of summer. I never feel like the real school year starts until after Labor Day. The weeks before are just practice. So much doesn't get started until then, Bible Study, Jo's preschool, cooler weather, etc.

Last night at church I was busy visiting away and realized that it was 8 o'clock. On a school night. It never really mattered before, if the girls were up late, they just slept in the next day, and had longer nap. I will have to learn how to think in terms of school nights.

Not Just a Day

2007-08-19T20:15:00.000-05:00

I've learned that birthdays in our family aren't just the date, it the week around it. Jo's birthday isn't until Wednesday, but since my inlaws visited this weekend her birthday started Friday night with their arrival. Saturday, my MIL wanted to go shopping for presents. She wanted to get her an outfit and a toy. I knew Gymboree had had some cute things on clearance, and we started there. Vera zeroed in on the cutest fall outfit, a pair of jeans with horshoes on the leg, matching vest and a shirt with a horse running through a pasture on the bottom. Y'all know Gymboree right? They have all the matching accessories to go with every outfit. So we left the store with socks, hairbows, and barrettes to match. Then we hit Toys R Us. Over lunch, Vera decided that she really liked the outfit and thought she would go back to get one for Je's birthday in October. They didn't have the exact thing in little girl sizes as the toddler sizes, but pretty close. She also found a great necklace and bracelet set in the clearance bin that complemented the outfits. Jo had to wear the outfit today. Including the cowgirl boots that she got for Christmas. She loves those boots!

Family Fun

2007-08-17T09:00:00.000-05:00

When I uploaded the pictures of the first day of school, I ordered some prints of our vacation. One sequence stands out to me. It is so typically Jo that I laugh whenever I see the three pictures...

"Everyone's going on that, great, count me in, let's get buckled here."

"I don't think so! Get me off now!"

"That's better. Y'all go on without me."

And they did!

Thanks Ne-Ne and Jeff

2007-08-17T08:51:00.000-05:00

We Survived-- No We Thrived!

2007-08-16T10:33:00.000-05:00

I promised a post on our first day of Kindergarten.
Here she is waiting for the bus...

When it got here, she got on so fast this is the best picture of her getting on I could get...

Here she is coming off the bus at the end of the day...

And finally telling us about her first day...She came home tired but seemed to enjoy her day. Jo did well also. She colored in her new coloring book, helped with laundry, watched a DVD and when she got restless, we took a trip to Walgreen's to pick up the first day of school pictures I uploaded and ordered online. We stopped for a quick slice of pizza for lunch and ran an errand for Nana. By the time we got back home at 2 o'clock she was ready for a book and nap. She fell promptly asleep and slept till 4:30, when she woke up worried because we were all outside meeting the school bus and she was too groggy to figure out how to open the door. Je went to bed early but was still awake when I got home from Bible Study but fell asleep quickly after that. Jo stayed up a bit since she had such a long nap, but she too slept quickly and they both woke up ready for another day.

Love and Forgiveness

2007-08-15T22:31:00.001-05:00

Tomorrow, hopefully, I can blog about Je first day of school and how we fared on the homefront. It was a good day. Tonight I want to ponder what I heard in Bible Study this evening. I am studying, Beloved Disciple with my friend at her church. Tonight, Beth concentrated on the experience John had with Christ in Revelation 1: 9-18. She just cracked the door on Rev. 2:1-5, the letter to Ephesus chiding them for forsaking their first love. She made the point that love cannot exist where unforgiveness lives. We cannot truly love unless we let go of our hurt and anger. I prayed the whole way home from Bible Study. It isn't a long drive but still. I prayed over a situation where I fear I might have a struggle in my future in this area. I prayed that God would have me show love to the people involved, to honor Him through my thoughts and words and actions. I am most concerned about my thoughts and words. You know how easy it is to be unkind when unburdening yourself to a dear friend. And it is so easy to let your thoughts get away from you as you mentally condemn a person or dwell on your own hurt and anger. I pray that I will have a loving spirit in this, and that I will be obedient to God's will in my life. If I am obedient, I leave more room for God to demonstrate His love for me. When I heard this today, I was struck by the relevancy. I am a parent. When my kids are obedient, it so easy to show them my love in ways they interpret as love. Hugs, books, privileges, time with fun activities. When they are naughty, I still demonstrate my love for them in my correction of their behavior, (as I am sure God does for us, in letting us face the consequences of our disobedience) but that love is harder for them to grasp. Me too. The don't see a time out or no TV as demonstrations of Mama's love. I hope that my children can witness me demonstrate love for others even when others have hurt me.

What to do About Jo

2007-08-14T21:44:00.000-05:00

I have obessessed about Je starting kindergarten for a while now, and have the butterflies to prove it. She is upstairs sleeping away but I will be up for hours yet. And the thought occurs to me today, not really for the first time but kinda smacked me in the head, that while Je is off at school, Jo will be here. With me. By herself. Without her best playmate. Yikes! Preschool doesn't start for a few weeks for her, and even then, it is only two mornings a week. The afternoons are covered, she will try not to sleep during nap time. The mornings will be long. I am not planning on accomplishing anything tomorrow. I will give over my day to helping Jo adjust to her new daytime schedule. I got her a new coloring book and crayons, (aren't back to school sales great! Crayons for 20 cents and markers for 78 cents!!) Hopefully that will be a treat. We checked out new books at the library today, and a couple new DVDs. We might even try some computer games for preschoolers. I am sure that at some point, we will make a trip to Nana's just for the distraction. I think now I am more anxious about a three year old left behind than I am a five year old off to school all day.

WFMW--Getting back my share of the bed

2007-08-08T10:08:00.000-05:00

Before you read: insert tongue in cheek and hopefully be amused by post.

I live with a bed hog. I love my husband but he is a toothpick and I am not. Yet I end up with roughly 1/3 of the bed and he has 2/3 of the bed. And when the kids come in the get in on my third of the bed. A couple weeks ago, I found the feather bed that my mom bought me in college. She thought the twin bed in my dorm room was horrible so she decided I needed a feather bed to sleep better. It worked then. It has been folded away in the ceder closet for years and during a recent cleaning spree I found it and decided to try it out. It is twin size and our bed is a queen so I could only put it on half the bed. My half. I am just loving it. I slept so well the first few nights that I didn't immediately notice the side benefits. It provides a natural barrier to encroaching husband. I love to snuggle when I am awake, but when sleeping I want my own space. I don't like to be constricted, restricted, or breath warm air. I have my half of the bed back and right now when it is so hot and just hard to sleep, I am delighting in the space! It is working for me!

Don't worry we are happily married but a girl needs her half of the bed. It's a sleep thing.

So Liberals Think I am Stupid

2007-08-08T07:47:00.000-05:00

I was lying in bed this morning with the girls, who got up way too early, and was thinking about a tongue in cheek post I want to write for WFMW. We turned on the news so I could catch the weather. The Today Show did a story on fast food advertising and kids. It seems that parents are powerless in the face of the almighty Mc D. It was so infuriating this morning to see the psychologist from Harmed medical School taking a position that I was impotent before the huge power of TV advertising. It seems to be another instance of liberals taking on the decision power that should rest with me.

My husband and I are going to have to give an answer for the decisions we are making in raising our children. It is our privilege to have these children and our responsibility to make decisions in their best interest. It is an awesome task, and one I am completely unable to carry out without the wisdom of God. I will make mistakes and I will make great decisions and may the Lord be glorified.

This is the comment that I added to the Today Show website in response to the segment. Donnie Deutsch was in the studio with Meridith Viera and psychologist from Harvard Med School was in the segment via remote broadcast. Take a minute and go watch the segment on the Today show website. Click on the link with the Happy Meal! Kids love McDonald's.

I would have to agree with Donnie this morning. As a parent of children in the age group highlighted by the story I know my kids like McDonald's. If they are given a choice about eating out, they often choose that place because they like chicken nuggets and playlands. We have DVR and fast forward through most commercials. We rarely watch live TV but my children still recognize McDonald's. It is my job as a parent to make responsible choices for their diet, and for my wallet. McDonald's isn't always the best choice for nutrition or budget. Eating at home is usually better. I am so tired of liberals trying to take away my responsibilities as a a parent. I know their are bad parents out there who make poor choices for their families, but again, it is their choice to make. Don't take away my responsibility as a parent and make the decision for me. I will be angry about it. The other consequence is that my children will be poorer for it as they will have learned nothing from it. I must teach my children by living a life before them. If I can't make choices and mistakes, then learn from them I can't teach my children how to do that either.

Eau d' Italian Restaurant

2007-08-04T17:25:00.000-05:00

Today my house smells like wonderful tomato sauce. Yesterday morning I picked up a five gallon bucket of tomatoes (courtesy of my mother) and a bunch of onions. I went to the store to get green peppers since the ones in Mom's garden aren't doing well. I also picked up tomato paste to thicken the sauce. I made 7 quarts of tomato sauce for chili or spaghetti yesterday and 16 pints and one quart today. They are all in mason jars sealed with lids and ready to store on the shelf in the basement for meals all winter. YUM! I was pretty proud of myself yesterday at 2 pm when I had finished in half the time it took last time and with less than half the mess. Now the house smells productive and I can be joyful in another opportunity to fill my storehouse. Isn't God good that He provides fresh produce and knowledge to use the bounty of His creation? I learned to can from my mother who has long touted the benefits of His providence and encouraged us to fill our storehouses whenever possible against future crop vagarities. Last year we didn't get any tomatoes to make sauce. Fortunately, the year before I had made enough for two years. We will make as much as we can this year to keep us until the next tomato crop.

WOW!

2007-08-02T22:47:00.000-05:00

I have to say how excited I am! I have had comments before from people I know in real life or people who followed the link from a contest I entered. People have commented on my WFMW posts a few times, but today, I received my first comment from someone I don't know, who just read an post I wrote about what is going on in my life. I haven't really worked very hard to build up a big readership. I am torn on this. I started the blog because I had things to say and it seemed a great avenue to express myself. I only told two people I was doing it when I started. A few more people (in real life) know now, but I haven't really pushed them to read it. I didn't do this for blogosphere fame, but maybe a little notice would be nice. That is just ego talking. I need to remember that I do things for His glory not mine. When I get wrapped up in my name, my posts, my blog, my, my, my, I've blown past the important One. If it isn't bringing Him glory, I need to do something else. That is the standard, not how many hits I get or comments people leave. But do you suppose that it is okay to be glad about the comments? There goes that ego again!

I just realized that one of my best friends doesn't know. I think I was too shy to mention it at first, then I think it hasn't crossed my mind. I will send her the link today! Sorry E! You might want to rethink that BFF label, I don't drink coffee and I forgot to tell you about the Blog! Oh Horrors!

It's Upon Us

2007-08-02T09:59:00.000-05:00

Today I am taking one more step on a path of no return. At 1 o'clock I will park my new van, unbuckle my five year old from her carseat, and walk through the doors of a familiar building, sure to become much more familiar over the next several years. I will wait in line, hand over forms and write a check to cover the costs of a year of books and fees for KINDERGARTEN. AHHHHHH! My baby is going to school. ALL DAY! EVERY DAY!
I am excited and anxious. I will hold her hand and show her around the very school where her Aunt NeNe attended, and where Je has been for pancake feeds, and voting (it is our polling place), and Kindergarten round up. I want her to go, but I want to keep her home with me like it has been, forever. Next month I will send her little sister off to preschool for part of each week, and I am sure I will cry tears as I drive away from there. Then I will park the van in the garage and go inside my quiet house and do a little dance. I will have the house to myself for over two hours twice a week! By mid September I will be enjoying my new freedom and the many things my children are learning. I will revel in their growing independence, because they will always be my babies, and no matter what, they will always come home. I do(my mother probably wishes I came a little less!)

But for today, I will be a bit sad, a little weepy for the new milestones we are reaching this year. I will be nostalgic for their infant times when I could put them down and they would stay where I put them until I came back. I don't really miss that time, but I do romanticize it sometimes. I am enjoying my kids everyday. I love seeing them grow into the people they will be. Kindergarten is just one step on that road.

Reducing Junk Email

2007-07-18T12:16:00.000-05:00

Two years ago, when we got DSL internet, it came with new email addresses. I already had a yahoo address that I had created for a yahoo group for my high school alumni reunion. (I didn't know I could use other addresses) I had been using a juno address since 1998 for my personal email address and since it was free, I was keeping it, expecially since it was such a longstanding address. But my juno address was tricky since I used dashes in it, not all websites or email programs recognize the dash as a legitimate character in an address. I was so glad to have a new email address without baggage. I sent my new address to the people who I trusted to not fill my inbox with junk, and kept the juno address for the junk. I go by juno every few days to clean it out and make sure that no "real messages" are there. Now, whenever I am required to give an address online I give the juno address. Those pesky sites that use the email address to then send tons of junk mail send it there. I routinely clean 75 + junk mail emails out but it is a simple matter to click the box to check all the messages then unclick the ones I want to keep. Then my main email is less cluttered by the junk I don't want, and I can keep in touch with anyone who didn't get the new email, or can only find the old one. So keeping an email address just for online sites which require it, works for me.

Captain Oblivious

2007-07-16T21:28:00.000-05:00

My husband enjoys being very literal. He thinks he is funny. (Most of the time, he isn't). Tonight, he told Je to sing, "Shoo, Fly Don't Bother Me" in response to the fly in the bathroom. She told him that wouldn't work, and that she needed the "fly shooter" (swatter). He asked if it was a six shooter, or a 12 gauge. I told him to stop being so goofy and obtuse. Which the girls thought was hyterical. "Yeah, Daddy, stop being a toot!" Hey that works too.

2007-07-13T16:50:00.000-05:00

The new document — formulated as five questions and answers — restates key sections of a 2000 text the pope wrote when he was prefect of the congregation, "Dominus Iesus," which riled Protestant and other Christian denominations because it said they were not true churches but merely ecclesial communities and therefore did not have the "means of salvation."
(Nicole Winfield-AP)

What?!!!!I am struggling to remain Christlike in my response to this, but if the pope is to be believed, I needn't bother. I am not truly saved because I don't adhere to the Roman Catholic Church. Seriously! My salvation is from God, the Father, from the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the Son, and evidenced by the presence of the Holy Spirit working in me. The several branches of the church have come into existence for just the reason Pope Benedict is embodying this week. The Roman Catholic church has placed the Pope's authority before that of scripture and I would question any organization which would give a mere man authority over the word of the Lord.

Thankfully, Pope Benedict doesn't get the final say on my salvation. That rests with the Lord alone. And He and I have already come to terms on that. The Pope is unneccessary to my faith.

I doubt this post hits the humble attitude reccommended in a recent One News Now
article. Adam Hamilton urges Christians to have humility in our responses to this news.

"Somewhere in there, I think, is a call to humility on the part of all of us to say [in essence] we don't like what the pope has said here about the rest of us," says Hamilton. "We need to be careful about how we talk about our brothers and sisters in Christ in other denominations, whether it be Pentecostals, or whoever it may be that isn't necessarily part of our particular church," the pastor continues." We need to remember what it felt like to hear this and then to be careful about how we speak about our brothers and sisters in Christ."

I guess I need to work on this.

WFMW

2007-07-11T15:53:00.000-05:00

I had a brainstorm reading another WFMW post and thought I should share. I don't really use this idea anymore since both girls are past this stage but I used it when they were not potty trained. Swim diapers are reusable. I read a tip that someone suggested reusing them if they don't get pottied in but even if they are pottied in you can toss them in the washer and let them air dry for another swimming trip. I think in the several years that my girls were diapered, I bought two packages (maybe three) of swim diapers. I was teaching lessons every week when Je was little so she went swimming a lot the summer I was pregnant with Jo. I taught lessons again when Jo was around 2 and not potty trained so she wore swim diapers weekly for several months through the fall and winter, then spring. By last summer, she was reliably potty trained so I threw them away, but they lasted a long time. I think I only bought a new package because I needed a different size. They will last through several washings. If a package has 10 diapers in it, I probably got at least 50 swim trips out of it. If the girls had had a BM in the diaper, I would have thrown it out right away, but neither child ever did that, they were pretty reliably regular in that regard. I shared this tip with many of the swimming parents in my Parent/Infant/Toddler classes and most of them tried it with success. It worked for me!

Summer Blahs

2007-07-09T09:44:00.000-05:00

I have several posts reverberating in my brain but nothing is ready to be typed. I have the summer blahs. It is hot and muggy, and has been for several days. I am not sleeping well so I am less than energetic these days. It is hard to sleep when it is too hot to open up the house to let in cool air. I like to turn on the attic fan and suck in the cool night air, then in the morning, close up the house and hord the cool air as long as possible before the air conditioner has to kick in. This morning, the air conditioner started working early since it was already 80 degrees both inside and out. I am so unmotivated to do stuff. I do have a new van, and that is a bright spot. And vacation is in less than 2 weeks! So cool! Colorado mountains in July, so much better than Kansas in July!

this is so cool!

2007-07-06T14:01:00.000-05:00

Run don't walk to 5 Minutes for Mom so you can enter to win one of these too! This is the coolest thing! I think it could be great for all the prescription receipts etc. that I have littering up the file for taxes. Especially since they are often strangely shaped and easily crinkled on the bag from the pharmacy. I so think I need one of these. Check out the demo at Neat Receipts. Maybe you will find another use!

Can We Talk?

2007-06-24T22:39:00.000-05:00

Are there scarier words? Maybe, but when your three year old says them, it is next to impossible to keep a straight face. Today, while Shan was grilling lunch, Jo sat in her lawn chair on the deck with him. She needed to talk to him about important things.

Jo: Daddy did you know that trees need water?
Daddy: That's right! (Remember Daddy is a science teacher, and amateur forrester)
Jo: But not too much water or they will die.
Okay kiddo, whatever you say.

Jo: Daddy, I am coloring this picture with this color.
Okay
Jo: Daddy, I need to talk to you some more.

and on and on.

Tonight, she fell out of bed and bumped her chin. She came downstairs to tell us about it. She wasn't crying so I would imagine it was a minor ailment. She asked me as I sent her back upstairs,...
Jo: Mama, in the morning can we talk about it?

Me: Sure Jo, now get to bed.

She is definitely my child. OY!

I Don't Get It

2007-06-24T14:00:00.000-05:00

Why is Paris Hilton famous? I know there are lots of rich people out there whose names I do not know. Why do I have to see her on the news, or whatever passes for it these days. Also, why do I care that she is in jail? Just FYI, I don't. She is even farther down the totem pole of importance for me than actors whose work I like. Who cares? Not me.

A New Love

2007-06-21T01:07:00.001-05:00

I love my Jeep. I have driven it for over 10 years and put 135K of its 165K on the car. I didn't care that the air conditioning system leaked freon and had to be recharged every year. I didn't care that it had a tiny oil leak these last couple of years. I put up with the tape deck making that screechy noise when it played. It was a minor inconvenience when the window control for the rear right side became temperamental and would lock up whenever Jo had tried it, until she did it again and unfroze it. I was even prepared to put in a new radio last month when the current one stopped playing FM stations. Besides, I have that phone that works like an mp3 player so I used it. But the last straw, so to speak, broke the camels back when the oil leak got drastically worse last week. I had started early in the year preparing myself for trading it in on a new car. It was hard to go anywhere with more than just our two kids, it was loud to ride in, and vibrated. Each day I kinda was relieved when it started and got me places. The tires are 4 years old so I knew I wasn't putting new ones on it. It's just that the Jeep was the first major purchase of our married life. We bought a truck right before we got married, but it was a pittance, compared to a two year old Jeep Grand Cherokee. I remember feeling so privileged to drive such a fancy car. My previous car had been an '85 Honda Accord Hatchback with carburetor problems. I remember when we bought it, we thought we would drive it for a long time. I was looking at 10 years I hoped. Once we had Je, and I realized how much room car seats take up, I was thinking that we might need to trade it off before we had child three, but maybe we could squeak by until the fourth if we waited for three long enough to get Je out of a car seat. Now we know that they have changed the law, and Je is in a booster for another two years. We also know that we may never get to a third or fourth child, we probably won't biologically get there unless God over rides a vasectomy. But it was time to let go of my first car love. (Actually, my first car love was my Volvo Diesel, I called him Sherman, but my Dad sold him when the engine block had microscopic cracks in in and got me the Honda, not a car love at all with that one) I have joined the ranks of the Mini-Van Moms
Isn't it pretty? This is just a picture of a Kia Sedona that I found online, but it is the right make, model and color. We got it Tuesday night, so that night, I was just kinda dazy. We'd spent the day checking out cars and working details. We drug the kids along and they did great until about 6:30. Which was just when we were cutting the deal. I was ready to have the whole process over with. We had test driven this one right before lunch, and when we indicated that we weren't ready to commit to it, they pushed us to take it for the afternoon to try it out. Since I really liked it, but wasn't ready to buy it, we agreed to try it. When I casually mentioned that we liked to sleep on big decisions, they offered to let us have it overnight. As we discussed the car over lunch, Shan and I really felt like this was the right car, if the numbers worked out. We ran over to Lawrence to pick up part of our down payment, and stopped to see my sister. On the way back to town, I felt like this was the right decision, and that God was leading me to this one. I also knew that if I left it to morning, I wouldn't sleep. So we stopped back by the dealer for some number crunching. I got on the phone with Mom between salesman visits, and got some good advice. I was tired and ready to get out of there, so I went back to the table, gave him my bottom line, deal-breaker offer, and said if he met my price and put the key less entry in, then I would deal tonight, if not, I am going home. He came back about 10 minutes later, and I have a new mini-van. Last night I slept well so feel good about our decision. That is always my fleece, sleep well, good decision, no sleep, bad decision. So now I am totally excited about my new wheels. Second (or third) car love is pretty good too!

Sadness and Relief

2007-06-15T08:24:00.000-05:00

For the last several months we have been taking care of a baby for a friend who was working for a few months before beginning stay and home motherdom. Today is our last day with baby J, his mother has worked out her two weeks notice and will now be a full time mama. I am happy for her, but in some ways we will miss the little guy. I won't miss the early arrival time, the screaming baby times, the inconvenience of the baby carrier etc. I always thought I would have at least four children. Right up until I spent a week in the hospital after Jo was born, a week I barely remember and was life-threatening enough to send my husband to the urologist to prevent future episodes of pre-eclampsia. We are and have considered adoption, and since we have done the baby thing twice, I am quite content to adopt older children. I would want to wait a little before we do that so my girls are a little older so we still are in the research and prayer stage. J is a pretty good baby, but he is a baby, so that means he doesn't communicate very well. I have to guess which of the many discomforts he is experiencing, hunger, diaper, boredom, tiredness, pain, etc. I won't miss that. I will miss the cuddling, and the way he stays put when I put him down. Although since he recently learned to roll over, moving is far away. His mother is quitting to stay home at just the right time. He is awake more so that will be fun for her. I am sad in some ways to loose J, and the small income from watching him, but mostly I will be glad to have my schedule back to normal and less difficult manuever about.

Compliments and Success

2007-06-13T16:22:00.000-05:00

I've been in an emotional place recently. Success at VBS despite chaos and crisis has left me feeling good and relief that it is over for another year. I told my co-director that the job is probably ours until we say no. I don't want to brag about prowess or claim credit when the credit is the Lord's. We are good at this. We have complimentary strengths and work well together. This was B's third year planning VBS, the first she did it alone. I was assigned to help with the preschoolers, including Je. The week before VBS that year, I was talking with the woman in charge of decorating, and she said she had arranged to borrow several decorations from another church. I volunteered to go with her to get them since I had a vehicle with a trailer hitch and access to a trailer to haul the several ranch themed decorations. As we decorated the church that weekend with our borrowed items and many that we had provided from our stock of ranch themed ideas, I made the comment that I wasn't even on the decorating committee, why was everyone asking me where to put stuff. B said "You are the decorating committee." The woman who had arranged to get the decorations hadn't been able to make it that day to set up so I was by default in charge. I loved that aspect of it. I was contributing to VBS in an important way, and yet I was behind the scenes, invisible unless you knew. That is kinda how I view my role the last two years as co-director. My name is out there as director, but B is the one who is the visible face of VBS. She makes the announcements and leads the meetings. I give her lists, run the errands, do the research, make the copies, etc. We get together and go over things, make decisions and assign tasks. We share the credit. Saturday, as we finished up the clean up she said she feels like I do the work and she bosses. I don't think I explained it very well when I disagreed. I think I need her to do the bossing and I need to do the work. I told someone that I am the feet of the operation and she is the brain. Not to say that I don't think or have ideas, I do, but I am really good at carrying out the ideas she has. Implementation strength. And I think God put us as a team because we have these complementary strengths. He is glorified when we use our gifts in His service. When 47 children attend VBS in our church which has 15 children birth to high school, that is amazing. May the Lord be praised. When it takes 30+ adults to pull off VBS and they graciously offered their time and talents to this effort, PTL. B and I put in hours and effort, and ideas, but the success is because of Him. He blesses those contributions and we have only obeyed Him when we give service to Him.

Trouble Piles On

2007-06-08T01:56:00.000-05:00

I've learned that when one thing doesn't go right, several other things will follow suit. I've made it through most of the Bible School frenzy so far. I was even feeling good that I have slept each night. (Benedryl induced but who cares, it's sleep). Right now it is 2 am and the Benedryl failed. I can't take anymore if I want to wake up at a decent hour in the morning. Tonight we nearly had a catastrophe at VBS. Several crucial people didn't show up. The people scheduled to herd the preschool group through the stations, didn't come. One was home sick, one had a sick child, one's grandfather died suddenly. I grabbed people from wherever I could, my co-director went along, and my mother canceled her plans to guide the little darlins' around. The person in charge of the Launch Lab, a science/discovery activity is married to the one whose grandfather died, so he also bailed on me at the last minute. We pressed Shan into service, and muddled through his other responsiblities as best we could. There was a church softball double header tonight and that called away a couple more of my helpers. I thought my head would explode. The night came off pretty well. I doubt the kids even noticed. We even got several of the things ready for tomorrow night's big closing activites, I was just stressed out.
I was packing up to leave, and was talking to my codirector about Sabbath School stuff, when she said: "Aren't we going to Sonic?" I had completely forgotten tonight was free Rootbeer Float night. I hollered for Shan to hurry up so I could get a comfort food. Pop and ice cream are an unbeatable pick me up! One more night then the cleanup. Maybe I can sleep after its all over.

Netflix Contest

2007-06-06T21:27:00.000-05:00

Check on this contest from Five Minutes for Mom. I need new movies don't you?

Works for Me Wednesday I'm Bored Edition

2007-06-06T09:41:00.000-05:00

Since my girls haven't started school yet, I have to come up with activities all year round to counteract the "I don't know what to do" blues. I am a compulsive clearance shopper. I hit the back aisle of Dillon's often to see what they are closing out at bargain prices. I can probably direct you to the clearance aisle of most of our major stores. I love Big Lots, Tuesday Morning and other similar discount places. When I find a bargain, I stock up. After New Year's a couple years ago, Dillon's cleared out their party supplies. One of the things was a light up star wand. They were patriotic colors and when you turned on the switch the lights flashed red white and blue. They were marked to ten cents a piece, so I bought $2 or $3 worth. Or at back to school time I will buy boxes of crayons for a quarter, markers for a dollar a package, glue and paper. Stickers are also a big hit and you can find them cheap. I also use the tons of free mailing labels companies and charities send soliciting money.

Whenever my kids get bored or restless, I go into the closet stockpile of toys or colors and pull out a new item. The newness lasts for days of fun.

Another good idea is videos from the library. They are free to check out and then you have a new movie without spending money. Our library lets you have some of them for up to three weeks and doesn't charge late fees.

Check into a family zoo pass. We buy one every year for less than $40 and go whenever we want.

Sometimes I suggest a trip to the grocery store. It breaks up the monotony and we get needed things.

Our shopping mall has a kids play area and the girls love to play in there.

In the summer in Kansas, it gets very hot. August is often too hot to play outside, but inside the kids don't get much exercise. We rescued one of those mini trampolines from our neighbor's trash. It was in good shape so we brought it inside and let the kids jump around on it. I put it away periodically and pull it out whenever they are getting restless. I rotate the toys in the toy box, too. Last week, they were in the storage room and found the big chest with the toys I had put away for awhile. They have been playing with them all week. Yesterday, they "discovered" the toys in the toy box in the family room. Some they hadn't played with in weeks. An old toy forgotten is a new toy again. Works for Me.