Looking Back and Forward

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

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

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

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

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.

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

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

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

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

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

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?

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!!!!

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

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

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

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!

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

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

The Things We Do

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

I can't decide which one I like best.

Pretty cool Shannon. Thanks.

This Cracks Me Up!

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

Stressed out and Hivy

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!

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?

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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

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

We Survived-- No We Thrived!

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

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

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

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

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

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!

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

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

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.