Happy Birthday, Mom L.!

My mother-in-law is having a special birthday today. I don't know if she'll mind if I tell you what her age is now, though. (It ends with a "0".) Her birthday is not special because of what age she's turning. Her birthday is special because she's a special person. I'd like to share a little of how she has blessed me in the past seven years.

My first special memory of being with Dan's mom is from Dan's graduation. His whole family drove out to Harding. It was fun to be part of the family, even though we had only been engaged for about a week. I enjoyed being part of the easy banter, the childish behavior of "the boys," who were now all grown men, and the way Dan's mom was forever rolling her eyes at them but really laughing inside (I can easily see that being me in twenty years--but that thought makes me cry!). I remember Dan's graduation party a little while later when Dan's mom so thoughtfully included not just me, but my family too. And I met much of Dan's family for the first time that afternoon, thinking this will be a nice family to be a part of!

Another special memory is from Christmas 1999. Dan & I were going to be married in one week!! Mom always goes ALL out for Christmas--there are tons of presents under the tree for everyone. I was not expecting to be included so fully in their family Christmas before I was officially part of the family. I was quite surprised, though! On Christmas Eve, I was invited to go along to get their Christmas tree (I don't remember for sure, but Dan says he wasn't there that year). It's tradition every year to go get the tree on Christmas Eve. I believe this tradition comes from Mom's parents. And now we do it too! On my part, it was under protest for the first year or two, but I now fully embrace this special tradition.

It's incredible that I don't remember Dan not being there, because I can actually remember other specific things about that day. What I was wearing, for example (and, for the record, I don't remember what I wore yesterday). Riding over in Terri's blazer. Having a disgusting potty discussion courtesy of Brian. Playing with my sweet little niece Arden. I remember everyone teasing Dan's mom about having to find the perfect tree (that, incidentally, is not unique to Dan's family--I think every family must tease the Mom about her search for the perfect tree since we did it too). And then I remember that we did not, actually, find the perfect tree but a rather UGLY one! What do you expect when you wait til Christmas Eve to get a tree, right?! Of course, since Dan's mom brings out about a thousand ornaments that you're supposed to cram on the tree, it doesn't entirely matter what the tree looks like bare. On Christmas Day, Mom had quite a few presents for me in the mix, & I felt so special!

Most of the other memories I have that include Mom are spread throughout the past seven years. Mom & Dad always made a point to come down each time we had a new baby. They come down frequently throughout the year so their grandkids don't forget them (they don't seem to care whether or not Dan & I would forget them, though!).

My favorite thing about my mother-in-law, AKA Mom, is that we have a great relationship. I am not really good about calling people on the phone or keeping in touch with them, but Mom is. And she calls pretty often. We used to talk just about every Monday afternoon. And we can talk for hours! I guess we're catching up on the 20 years of my life that we didn't know each other. Plus we have a lot in common--namely the three sons we each have--there are always lots of stories to share!

So, Sandra Lynn Leichner, AKA Sandie, AKA Mom, AKA Oma . . .

Happy 60th Birthday!!

Oops, I let the cat out of the bag. (It's okay, Mom, no one will believe me.)

 

I love this picture from soon after Jeremy & Hannah's births--Mom is so happy! There's nowhere she'd rather be than with her grandkids.

 

Mom & Dad on one of many vacations they take together.

 

Sorry the picture is dark & hard to see everyone. This was our last trip to Gatlinburg with the whole Leichner clan. I know Mom is so proud of her family!

Special story written by Mom L.

I know I've given you a lot to read about today, but I have this story that Mom wrote that I think is really sweet. She wrote it about a memory she has of another special woman she knew over 50 years ago. I've been saving it so I can share it with others on my blog, & I think her birthday is a good day to do it. So without further ado . . .

When I was six years old, my best friend was a red-haired, freckle-faced tomboy named Penny. One August afternoon, as we were trying to decide whether to roller-skate or play hopscotch, we were greeted by Mrs. Clarke. She lived across the street from us and had been my father's Sunday School teacher when he was a child. Sometimes she'd make me giggle with her memories of his not-so-reverent antics.

She was an ample woman and wore her grey hair in an old-fashioned bun. She had rosy cheeks and her eyes twinkled behind wire-rimmed glasses. Her voice was rich and deep and she spoke with an endearing lisp.

She leaned heavily on her cane asking if we would help her. She explained that she had not been playing her piano and thought if we would accompany her with our singing it would help her practice. She said she had gotten "rusty." I didn't notice any rust, but got my Mom's "okay" and we followed Mrs. Clarke.

Her parlor was filled with beautiful over-stuffed and dark carved wood furniture generously topped with lots of lace doilies. Penny and I perched ourselves on either side of this great lady seated on the polished piano bench. She took a book with gold letters on its cover and began to leaf through the pages. When she found just the right one, she smiled. Propping the book on a little ledge, she began to play. The music was beautiful and I marveled as her plump fingers danced lightly across the yellowed keyboard.

Suddenly she stopped and asked why we weren't singing along. Embarrassed I confessed that we couldn't read many words beyond those found in our First Grade Primer. Nodding knowingly and without a hint of amusement Mrs. Clarke set out to tackle the problem. Word by word, with much patience, she taught us to memorize the words of the entire song. Once or twice she offered us her delicious lemonade. When we could recite all the words, she felt we were ready to actually sing them.

Mrs. Clarke played the introduction then nodded her head. Penny and I belted out the words we'd learned with such enthusiasm many in the neighborhood must have heard us.

How wonderful I thought it sounded--our high-pitched six-year-old voices and the magic sound coming from Mrs. Clarke's piano!

When the song was over we looked to her for approval. She broke into a broad grin and said, "That was truly lovely." Penny and I looked at each other and we couldn't help grinning too!

And so it was I learned "What A Friend We Have In Jesus."

As the summer wore on we learned other hymns, drank more lemonade, and enjoyed the companionship of our dear Mrs. Clarke. But to this day when I sing "What A Friend We Have In Jesus," part of me becomes six years old again."

Can I Please Melt Some Towels?

I know, strange post title. Jeremy just asked me, "Can I please melt some towels?" and I was trying REALLY REALLY hard to figure out what in the world he was talking about. I finally realized that his "t" in "towels" was a "k" sound, as he cannot pronounce "k" sounds, but instead they come out as "t"s. I still, though, didn't understand what he was asking: "Melt some cows?"

"No," Jeremy says, "melt some tows."

"I don't really understand what you're asking, Jeremy; can you say it again?"

"Can I please melt some tows?"

"Jeremy, are you saying, 'cows'?"

"Yes."

"Okay, so you want to melt some cows?"

"No, can I please melt some tows." (what a polite little boy, he really did say "please" every time!)

"Oh, oh, I gotcha, you want to MILK some COWS!!!"

"YES!"

I couldn't really answer him through my laughter. But really, do you see a cow around here, Jeremy??

You have so much to read from me today! What fun! Hope you're not as cold & rainy as we are!! (It's that stinky fall again!)

Thanks for playing!

I am very happy to see 9 comments on my last post (even though 2 are mine & one was an extra one of Molly's from some phantom blog name). But I know there are more of you out there!! We just need one more to be a winner!! Who was holding out for #7?? Go to my last post if you'd like to participate in a fun little game.

Seriously, I really appreciated all of you playing, especially those of you that don't normally respond to these surveys. (When I've gotten emails in the past like this, I have answered about half of them--sometimes they are too long!) Next time I will try to think of more clever answers, although I'm not very clever, so it might take a while. I'm open to suggestions. I have also seen movie trivia questions on other blogs, but I don't remember quotes from movies very well, so I wouldn't even be able to come up with good questions. We'll see.

Hope you're having a good week so far!

I do not like questions that begin with

"What's your favorite . . . ?" i.e., "What's your favorite food?" "What's your favorite movie?" Some people might be able to answer those questions definitively, but not me! I have a hard time picking a favorite anything. I might be able to answer generally, "I really like action films that have romance in them," or "I like Italian food . . . and Mexican . . . and just about everything my Mom cooked when I was growing up."

Having said that, I love to hear what other people's answers are to those questions. I like to know what your favorite candy bar is so that when I want to send you something special, I can pick it up & you know that I know something about you, & that makes you feel good. I like to know that we like the same kind of movies, or that you & I would both cry while reading the same book.

I have noticed on other people's blogs that sometimes they post polls/surveys. They have a list of questions that you post a comment to answer. I have a lot of fun seeing what others say to those, so I'm going to try it. I'm going to feel real idiotic, though, if NO ONE responds. Will you do me a favor? I promise to keep it short & light (no deep questions) if you will please please please respond!! I actually have a goal to make this the most-responded-to post yet (I think that means I need 7 comments). The lucky #7 commenter will win a prize! (I'm not telling what the prize is yet) I'm actually going to help y'all out by posting my answers as the first comment (so, see? We only need 6 more! But if you happen to be the 8th commenter, don't hesitate to buzz in too!)

Okay, here's the survey (thanks in advance for your participation!!):

1. What type of movie do you most enjoy watching?
2. What is the last song you remember listening to?
3. What one thing most drives you absolutely crazy??
4. If your house was on fire, what 3 things would you NEED to bring with you? (for our purposes, children, pets, & spouses do not have to be included)
5. What's your middle name?
6. What's your favorite candy bar? :)

Bonus question to answer if you want to: What is your favorite Christmas memory?

Only 6 questions (plus an optional one)--that's not so bad! You can do it!

What would you do?

There is a cat door in the door that leads down to our basement. And actually, the door has gotten knocked off, but there is still a hole there. I find it a bit annoying. What can I do with it? Do you have any clever ideas??

(Remember, you can leave a comment even if you're not a blogger, just use "Other")

By the way, after Dee's comment, I realized that I wasn't very clear. Yes, this is a door inside our house. It's not a matter of cold air coming in the house or anything like that. But it's just an ugly hole in the bottom of a door that is seen inside our house. One idea I had was to take a picture of the kids, blow it up & have them peeking out through the hole. Just not sure how best to do that. But I also thought there might be a better idea.

Special Aunts

I wanted to say a special "Hello" to some of our aunts--Aunt Nancy, Aunt Dawn, & Auntie An--who have told me they read this blog (you know, y'all can leave comments without being bloggers!! :). It is really nice to know that you like to keep up with our family and that you get to see the pictures I try to post regularly of the kids. Each of you have meant a lot to me. Whether I've known you my entire life or just for my married life, I am so glad to have you in my family!

Dan & I both grew up pronouncing the word "aunt" as "ant," but down here, in Virginia, most people say "awnt." I've heard it so much that it almost sounds funny to say "ant" now. I wonder if my kids will keep "ant" or start using "awnt." Will we have "Awnt Terri, Awnt Paige & Awnt Loni," or will they be "ants"? Well, whatever they're called, I'm as glad to have them in my kids' lives as I am to have my own aunts. We are so blessed with family!

Hope everyone's having a great week! I'll write more later...if I have anything profound to say, which I suppose isn't likely to happen. :P

The Many Sides of Jeremy

 The thing about Jeremy is that he either refuses to smile for the camera, or he gets into it & HAS to make a very silly face--it's always one way or the other--but both of them are HIS way. You have to decide whether or not it's worth it to fight about it. Usually, it's not. :)


 When we went to the ballpit, Jeremy was a brilliant older brother. He made Derek laugh, helped him into areas that were hard for him to get to, threw balls to him, etc. He kept hiding under the balls (with the colors of his clothes, he really blended in), & then played peek-a-boo with Derek. So sweet! I love it!

 The kids all love to take pictures with the camera, but Jeremy especially. At our last soccer game, all of us bundled up & trying to stay warm, I asked Jeremy to sit in my lap to keep me warm. He agreed, under the condition that I would let him take a picture. I said, "Deal," he hopped up into my lap, & proceeded to take a picture of us together--problem was it was still zoomed in from me taking a pic of Nathan on the field. Whoops!

  This was one of those times that I was lucky enough to get a semi-smile from Jeremy. I love the many "faces" of Jeremy--he looks so different in every picture I take of him. He has many facets of his personality too; like feeling lucky about getting the smile in this picture, sometimes you feel really lucky to see one of those special hidden corners of his heart. His true personality only comes out when he's in a really comfortable place, with family or close friends. Most of the time he seems reserved and shy; with family he is a crazy loon who can be really funny and also really caring. My favorite part about the kids' bedtime is getting a silly kiss from Jeremy--he has to kiss you at least 3 times on the cheek, & the whole thing is really quite goopy. Rather than get offended about you wiping it off, he'll tease you! What a character.

Adventures in the Life of Derek

 Yes, I took pictures of my son's first major injury. I don't think the pictures do it justice, though. Today his eye is more swollen & bruised. We were all getting ready for church yesterday morning, when Dan brings a crying Derek to me in the bathroom where I was drying my hair.
 Apparently (no one knows for sure because Derek was by himself), Derek fell onto our coffeetable--no sharp corners or anything, just rounded edges, but he insists that's where he got hurt. Needless to say, we missed Bible class, & there was quite a ruckus around Derek with everyone at church asking what happened to his eye.

  I took the two younger boys to BK the other day for lunch & then spent a while playing in the ballpit. There are 2 BKs in our town, & the other one has a nicer, larger playground, but this one has a ballpit & we don't go to this one very often. I don't think Derek's been here yet, so it was a special treat.
 
Derek is amazingly strong. He can pull himself up onto things without having anything for him to push his legs on. He climbs onto Jeremy's dresser & then pulls himself up onto the top bunkbed. It is crazy!



 
Derek really enjoys drinking his milk after his cereal, like his big brothers do. Since this is the most enthusiasm I ever get from them for drinking milk, I don't discourage it!
  
Hope you had fun exploring the fun of an almost-2-year-old! Stay tuned for similar posts about my other two. :)

Biscuit Finds a Friend

Can I just brag about my oldest son real quick?? He read a book all by himself last night without any help, and I'm so proud! Here's what he read:

Woof! Woof!
What has Biscuit found?
Is it a ball?
Woof!
Is it a bone?
Woof!
Quack!
It is a little duck.
The little duck is lost.
Woof! Woof!
We will bring the little duck back to the pond.
Woof! Woof!
Here, little duck.
Here is the pond.
Here are your mother and your father.
Quack!
Here are your brothers and your sisters.
Quack!
The ducks say thank you.
Thank you for finding the little duck.
Quack!
The little duck wants to play.
Quack!
Woof!
Quack!
Woof! (there are pictures of the duck & dog playing)
Splash!
Biscuit fell into the pond!
Silly Biscuit.
You are all wet!
Woof!
Oh no, Biscuit.
Not a big shake!
Woof!
Time to go home, Biscuit.
Quack! Quack!
Say good-bye, Biscuit.
Woof! Woof!
Good-bye, little duck.
Biscuit has found a new friend.

So, pretty impressive, huh?
Reading the book again this morning to Derek, Nathan informed him that one "Woof" means "no," and two "woofs" mean "yes." Cute.

By the way, yes, I changed the appearance of my blog. I downloaded Blogger Beta, & felt like exploring the differences. I was able to easily change the color/font scheme after choosing a template. I will probably do this a lot. My dad asked me about it & said that it reminded him of how my mom likes to rearrange rooms sometimes. I like to do that too. I like change. I like to mow the lawn a little differently each time. I like to occasionally rearrange a room, or even a small corner of the room like my desk (this bothers Dan because he arranges room from the get-go with much planning & thoughts of efficiency, so changing it would question his judgment for the best arrangement for the room). I like to put clothes in different places each time I change the seasonal clothes out. I think "change" is the reason I like to buy new clothes, too (unless it's just that I like to spend money & get new things). So, yeah, you can expect my blog appearance to change occasionally.

Hope that doesn't bother you. :)

In God's presence

(If you haven't read my other post from this morning, "beautiful moments," this is a follow-up to that, so check it out first)

It is so amazing how your Bible study can tie in to your life at that moment in a way you've never related to before. I read a blog this morning posted by Patrick Mead that discussed the "present" of God's presence. Tonight in Bible class we studied James 4:1-12. We discussed "the battle within," which can occur because you want things you can't have and you get angry when you don't get the things you ask God for. We followed this with much discussion about how to be so in sync with God (to be righteous--i.e., have a right relationship with God), that you are at peace within, you want what God wants. We talked about those moments when you are at peace, despite all that is going on around you, & how you can prolong that peace. How can we remember this passage ALL the time, even when things are spinning out of control around us? It took me back to earlier this morning when I was walking in the Wal-Mart parking lot. I literally FELT the presence of God in a way that I, unfortunately, don't feel often enough. I was there for a good part of the day, but at some point I drifted. The cause of the "separation," if you will, was obviously not God. It was me. At some point I began to let stresses get to me, and pull me away from that peace.

What do you do to keep yourself in God's presence?

(By the way, amazingly another connection to this thought was in Jen Gorham's blog this very day, "Discovering God in the waiting"). When you have something on the brain, you are bound to find it everywhere! Feel free to check out her blog, which is linked in the sidebar)

beautiful moments

Sometimes you feel God's presence as sure as if He was walking right beside you with His arm around your shoulders.

Sometimes my days are so long and lonesome and emotional that I go to bed weary and worn out. I usually, however, wake up happy (within an hour, at least) and am glad to start another day. I didn't have anyone to babysit today, and no other pressing appointments except to get to the store to do my October grocery shopping.

Walking from the car to the front of the store, Derek in my arms, Jeremy's hand in mine, I felt such an overwhelming sense of happiness, like there was nowhere I'd rather be at that moment. I was so grateful to be there with my two younger children and my God right beside me.

What a joyful moment, right there in the middle of Wal-Mart's parking lot! I love moments like that which can set the tone for the rest of the day. What a gift from God!

I kissed my little Derek on the head, squeezed my grown-up Jeremy's hand and prepared to face the day. It shouldn't be too hard since it is absolutely beautiful out (it's more like summer than fall, after all).

Here's to my girlfriends!

"I am only as strong as the caffeine I drink, the hair spray I use and the girlfriends I have."

I got the cutest email from my college roommate today that featured this quote & others. The email was about celebrating girlfriends. I am so blessed with the many friends God has given me during the various phases of my life. Even in my loneliest moments I knew that if I needed to I could call on one of them to help lift me up and give me the words of wisdom I needed to hear. I recently discovered several old college friends (I say "old" as if we've been out of school for decades!) through blogging. My roommate & I don't keep in touch very well, but she always forwards these cute emails & we email each other updates occasionally. Two other friends that were in my wedding also keep in sporadic touch (I really have more to do with the sporadic than they do) via the web. Another friend from college days & my wedding, who's still in NJ, is really good about checking up on me. I love my sis-in-laws, and I'm so proud to call them family! I have a really great sister, who is my best friend. And in the past few years I have developed several close relationships with beautiful women of God right here in my community. I am blessed in friendship, indeed!

"I am too blessed to be stressed and too anointed to be disappointed!"

Of course, I have wonderful friendships with two women that may not necessarily consider our primary relationship that of friendship, but they are truly dear friends of mine that I would not want to live without--they are the friends I have in my mom & my mom-in-law. What better sermon do you get than that of a life lived walking in the steps of our Lord?

To my dear girlfriends I say:
"To the world you might be one person,
But to one person you just might be the world."

I'm declaring this Friendship Day (I think October was declared Friendship Month by the Winnie-the-Pooh calender I had in high school). Happy Friendship Day, my friends!

Welcome, Fall

 
 
 
 
 
Are we never satisfied with what we have?
That was my mom’s question after I blogged about autumn when she commented that she, being in FL, is now missing the autumn.

I know that most of you may not read this as often as I add new blogs (& I admit that I can be a bit ridiculous at times, writing every day or even more than once a day). So to refresh your memory or just let you know about a blog I posted on Sept. 21, I wrote about how much I dislike the fall. Now, I don’t know why my feelings about autumn & winter have changed, but this is the first year I can remember complaining so much about the seasons changing (maybe it’s just that I have this new medium with which to complain!). In the past, I have appreciated the change to fall, looking forward to beautifully changing leaves & dressing the kids up for Halloween, apple cider & pumpkin-decorating, Christmastime & snow. To be sure, I have definitely always enjoyed spring & summer more than the colder seasons. But I enjoyed the other changes & even appreciated the fact that the colder seasons help me look forward to & appreciate the warmer seasons all the more. Maybe I am experiencing Seasonal Affective Disorder (see Patrick Mead’s blog about SAD, if you’re curious about it); or maybe I am just in a low cycle of my life; or maybe, now more than ever, I am really not enjoying being cold all the time (and I am, cold all the time). But my friend Jen Gorham’s comments made me rethink my feelings on autumn & seasons changing. Jen grew up in Florida, went to Harding with me, and has now lived in Chicago for a little while. So, she’s experienced various climates. She is also a very wise person. :) What she had to share is something I might have thought about before, but could never have put it so eloquently. So I’m just going to quote what she had to say about the seasons.

“Okay so I realize that people have really different perspectives on things because after 5 years of living in Chicagoland I LOVE the winter trees. The rhythm of the seasons is so beautiful to me, and the crisp edges of being able to see the tree in its nakedness is something incredible in my eyes. They are stark, they are dark, they have nothing to hide. It makes spring so amazingly wonderful when it comes! But those stark trees remind me that I have lots of things in my life to shed, and that there are seasons in life where God calls me to a new level of “nakedness” with him and others. And that there is nothing to fear, as spring comes with regularity. There has never been a year when winter is the only season we have. Amazing his faithfulness through this rhythm. Anyway, I know that they are ugly, but maybe this gives another perspective!”

It does give another perspective. Thanks, Jen!

By the way, I still think I’d rather live somewhere warm all the time. After all, God didn’t make the entire world to experience the seasonal changes we have in this part of the world, so surely He doesn’t mind that some people would prefer to be in warmer climates. But I can appreciate the seasons while I’m here . . . which will probably be a long, long time! I'll just appreciate the cooler weather better when I have a nice cup of hot apple cider to keep me warm. Mmmm.

If You Give a Mouse a Cookie

You know what makes you feel old? When your 5-yr-old hears a song that you grew up with & says, "Hey, that's from Shrek!" I'm talking about YMCA, & yes, I know that it was before even my time. But when you're sitting at a baseball game & the song is played, & he says, "I know that song!" it just makes you laugh that he thinks it was original to his time. Tonight we were walking to our car in the rain after being at a friend's house & Nathan said, "I'm melting!" I laughed, wondering where he heard that because I don't think he's seen The Wizard of Oz, & in the car he was talking to Jeremy about the time Donkey said, "I'm melting!" Oh dear. The way my kids age me. I guess I did it to my folks, & they to their folks. It's a song for the ages.

We had a lovely housewarming party tonight, which was planned by Angela, a good friend from church. Many of our friends, along with our minister & an elder & his wife, were here. It was so great! It was fun to show off the house we've worked so hard for, & I just love entertaining! After having finger foods at our house, we all drove over to another friend's house to continue our "progressive" housewarming party with dessert and more visiting. It was fun to enjoy being at someone else's house too.

To get ready for the party, I cleaned for the better part of the day. And I had If You Give a Mouse a Cookie in mind because of the sporadic way I tend to go about cleaning when it's a big project (rather than just one chore I have to complete). So here's my little spin on the series of books like If You Give a Mouse a Cookie. If you've never heard of these books, you ought to find a copy at your local library. Kids love 'em! They start with "If you give a mouse a cookie," or "if you give a pig a pancake," & the story continues with various cause & effect relationships. For instance, "If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want some milk to go with it. When he gets the milk out of the refrigerator, he's going to want to draw a picture for your refrigerator." I don't think that's how it goes exactly, but it's something like that. So here goes...

If you start a load of laundry, on the way to the basement with your basket of clothes you will pass by the kitchen & realize you need to put away the dishes in the dish drainer so your husband can wash the next load of dishes.
So you'll stop & put some dishes away.
While you're putting the cups in the cabinet, on the counter you will see a piece from a boardgame that was left out the last time you & the kids were playing that game.
So you take the game piece down to the playroom to put it away.
On the way to the basement you'll find the basket of laundry you were going to take down to put in the washer.
So you'll take both of them down to the basement, where you will discover LOTS of toys left out in the playroom.
So you'll gather all the kids to help you clean up the toys.
While you're cleaning up the toys you'll find a pair of socks & shoes tucked under the loveseat that need to be taken up to your youngest child's room.
So you'll leave the kids to finish the cleaning & take the shoes & socks upstairs. When you put the shoes & socks in the closet, you'll notice the bin that you stuck in there that has the winter clothes in them.
You know you need to get the winter clothes out of the bin & into the kids' dressers, so you'll get the clothes out & sort them.
When you're sorting the clothes, you'll come across several items that no longer fit anyone, so you'll fill the bin-previously-labeled-"Winter Clothes" with "Too-Small" clothes & take it down to the basement.
When you pass through the play room to get to the storage part of the basement, you'll notice the kids have not made any progress cleaning since you left.
So you stop & help them finish cleaning.
You'll notice a stack of pictures on the desk that need to be sorted & put away, so you'll sort through them while the kids finish cleaning the last of the toys.
When you finish with the pictures you take them to the storage part of the basement where you notice you left both the bin of too-small clothes & the basket of dirty laundry.
So you'll put the bin away, start a load of laundry, then walk into the playroom where the kids STILL haven't finished cleaning!
You finish putting away toys with the kids, & feel like you are finally making progress with your list of chores.
You walk up the stairs to sit down & take a break.
But when you get to the top of the stairs . . .
you look into the kitchen & see that there is still a stack of dishes to be put away.

So much for that break!!

Friday Night Lights (well, almost)

  It doesn't get dark enough to need any lights, but we sure have been having a lot of family fun on Friday nights. As there are only 5 kids on the team to begin with, when one or two aren't there, it's difficult for the team to do much in practice. So this week Jeremy was recruited to help out (Derek tried too, but found it a bit tempting to knock down the goal, take other kids' balls, or completely disregard the coach's directions--go figure).
 
 Nathan & Tyler run off the field for their water break.
 Nathan cheers for his teammates during his break on the sidelines. 

Tyler & Hannah Weekend

 Well, we enjoyed being with other members of our family (including some strange relatives from NJ), but it seemed to be a Tyler & Hannah kind of weekend. We had fun with them at the soccer game Friday night, then they spent the night with us (so their Mommy & Daddy could hopefully enjoy an evening to themselves for their anniversary), then we spent the whole day Saturday with them as Oma & Pop-Pop (our strange relatives from NJ, otherwise known as "Elmo" & "Poop-Poop") were here.
 We love you, Tyler & Hannah! (And we love you too, Elmo & Poop-Poop!)

All kidding aside (which Pop-Pop will have a hard time believing), we are really glad that Dan's parents came down to see us. It's always great to be with family! 

Fun with Derek

What's Derek's idea of a good time (beside finding things around the house to destroy)?
 






Sliding down a slide at least a dozen times in a row, going backwards, of course! 







This boy just had a ball yesterday doing the same thing over & over again. 







And can you tell who else enjoyed his sliding adventures?

(me!) 

Poison Ivy 101

 
I've always had the hardest time knowing for sure when I see poison ivy. Well, not anymore! I received lessons on poison ivy over the weekend, & I will carry these pictures with me everywhere. 

Caution: some of you might get poison ivy just from looking at these pictures...Oops, too late! 

At first glance you might think these three are the best of buds . . .

 
 

At second glance they still are!

 
 
  

Updates

Thanks y'all for praying for my job situation--I found out Tuesday that we've been approved for the 20 hours!! YAY!! I am so excited. Even when you go down into a valley for a little while, God leads you back up again before too long. God has provided for me and our family in so many ways in the past few months, and I know that is because of how many prayers are being said on our behalf; though it's also by the grace of God that we have so many wonderful friends and family members who continually pray for us. Thank you so much.

Other updates...

*(See my post from Sept. 19) I haven't tried getting the ink out again yet, but I did cook green beans in water on the stove top with a few seasonings for probably half an hour or more (is that steaming?) & they turned out really well! We took them to church & shared them for Wednesday night supper & they seemed to go over well (then again, I didn't check the bathroom to see who was throwing them up). Thanks for all your helpful ideas!

*My dad recently met Jody (Knight) King, who many of my ChiO friends will remember (isn't her last name-change really funny?). She's in Florida! Has anybody heard from her? I'll try to get more updates from my Dad about her, although I'm sure she'd appreciate it if I didn't publicly announce a whole lot of information about her!

*Dan's job is getting better & better. He did have a weird day today (it seemed to be the day for fights), but for the most part he is getting his routine down & figuring out the ins & outs of the job.

*Nathan is doing really well in school. So far he hasn't come home with anything but smiley faces on his calendar each day. He was the Class Star this past week (have I mentioned that already?), so he got to take in pictures to put on a bulletin board in the classroom, and he also took in a show-&-tell item each day. I tried really hard to think of clever & fun show-&-tell objects, but Nathan had his own ideas about what to take. I finally decided that his classmates will not likely remember a few weeks from now what he took in, no matter how cheesy or amazingly clever the object, but there is a REALLY good chance that Nathan will remember, even a year from now, what he got to take in (my mother-in-law will back me up on that one). The kid's got a memory like an elephant! Not that I've ever personally witnessed the memory of an elephant, nor would I want to.

*Wanna hear about the rest of the family? Snickers ran away the other day, but the boys & I got in the car to get her & knew exactly where to find her (Nathan guessed which street she went down & he was right!). When I stopped the car & opened the door, Snickers ran right into the car (she used to continue to run away from us when we went to get her). For some reason, the kiddos think that is the funniest thing, her being in the car. We really don't take her with us to many places, so I guess it's the fact that she seems out-of-place to them in the car. (Ha, one time when Nathan was in school, we had to go get her, & when she got into the car, she jumped into the back & sat in the middle seat that's normally Nathan's, like she belonged there! J & D laughed the whole way home!) Jeremy & Derek are bonding more without Nathan around. Previously Jeremy followed his big brother around everywhere & wanted to do everything he did. It seems to me that he is doing that a little less (he still idolizes him, but just a little less), & he seems to sincerely enjoy playing with Derek & making him laugh. I love it. They were chasing each other around the house this afternoon & Derek's giggle was just delightful.

*Let's see, did I miss anything? We're going to be having a housewarming party at our house next weekend, & my house is nowhere near being ready for that! We got so much done over the summer, but there was still plenty left when school started. However, with the new busy-ness in our lives, VERY LITTLE has been done in the 4-5 weeks since school started. Most everything is unpacked, but there isn't much at all up on the walls as far as decorations. Don't you ever look at pictures of homes in magazines & wish you had time & money to decorate however you wanted?!

I keep staring at the word "publicly" because it looks wrong, but I checked & it's okay. Do you ever stare at a word that you use daily & suddenly it looks completely weird?! Something like "floor" just doesn't look right even though you know it is.

Well, if you'll excuse me, tomorrow is Nathan's last day as Class Star and we want to end his show-&-tell experience with a bang. (Just kidding, I really am going to let him take in the cheesy toy of his choice)

{My parents-in-law will be traveling down here this weekend, so please keep their safe travels in your prayers!}
[By the way, "y'all" is just a joke, I don't really say that]

Autumn Stinks!

(And I do not mean my friend Autumn!!)

All right, so the trees look really pretty when the leaves start to change. And yeah, Halloween is pretty fun. But you can have Halloween without autumn, and the pretty leaves will just fall and clog up gutters & make a big mess in your yard and then you have to clean them and then trees look U-G-L-Y without any leaves on them.

So I'm posting a list of why Autumn Stinks.
And reason number one is -- Leaves make a big mess for you to clean up and then the trees look Ugly (that's right, with a capital U!).
2--COLD! I hate cold weather! I'm starting to think that my family that moved to Florida has the right idea: find some warmth!
3--Snow. Oh yeah? You like Snow? Great! Move to Alaska! I can handle it, I like the way it looks. But could I live without it? You bet!
4--COLD!
5--.....

Hmmm...I know I had some more reasons. I mean, sure the weather is decent right now. It was pretty chilly this morning & I didn't want to be out in it, but I guess it warmed up enough to play outside this afternoon. And the sky was so clear and BEAUTIFUL!! And, well, I do enjoy the routine our family has gotten into now that we're a school family. I like having the college students back, because it means I get to be a part of our Adopt-A-Family program--yeah! [[We have some really great students in our family group. I will post more on them later, I wanted to get a picture of all of us to show you.]] And this fall has been the start of babysitting Chelsea, Hannah & possibly Melody which brings more beneficial routine to our life and, of course, lots of femininity to our house! And, well, kindergarten soccer sure has been a lot of fun so far, & it's more time for us to spend with the in-laws.

Well, shoot. I guess you guys are right. I was so annoyed this morning that it was cold in the house and cold outside and that I had to get out in it. And I'm dreading it getting even colder. But I am really looking forward to Halloween and school stuff and all the other "good" reasons I listed above. So I guess Fall really is all right.

But I'd rather have it in warmer weather.

Happy Anniversary, Brian & Terri!

Wow, nine years!! You go, guys!

Some memories I have of the two of you over the years...

1--Meeting you, at your apartment in NJ; hanging out with you & Dan ... & Spanky, who didn't like Dan (& still doesn't!). :)
2--Driving home from Dan's Harding graduation in a caravan with you & Dan's parents, stopping in Virginia to check it out, not grasping the fact that I'd be married & living there in a few years. All I can really remember from that trip is the long drive from the interstate to the property you were looking at in the Floyd area & that there was a lot of construction on the interstate near Blacksburg & Christiansburg--some things change, some things don't!
3--Stopping at your house in Virginia a few years later to meet our new nephew, Tyler.
4--Thinking 5 months later that I was a complete dimwit to let Terri cook for us when she had a newborn! (it wasn't until after having my firstborn that I realized how ignorant it was of me to let Terri cook for us, when I should have been cooking for her!)
5--The night we moved to Radford with my dad & grandfather along to help, you guys were at the house when we arrived. And you stayed late into the night to make sure we had enough unpacked to be comfortable. The next day Brian took us around town to show us where important things in the area were--that tour definitely included Wal-Mart!
6--The start of our "Wednesday night dinners" a few months later!
7--Babysitting Tyler for a little while, until we both discovered being pregnant with our second children.
8--Being pregnant at the same time, having a joint shower hosted by friends from church, due a month apart yet having Hannah & Jeremy two days apart!
9--Spring trips to Gatlinburg with the Leichner clan, summer trips to the houseboat.
10--Now I get to enjoy babysitting Hannah on Tuesday & Thursday afternoons, & we get to hang out with the whole gang for kindergarten soccer on Friday nights. So much fun!

Thanks for the memories!!
I love you.

Can you help me?

How do you cook fresh green beans (not of the canned variety)? And what's a good recipe for them?
How do you get the skin off chicken?
How do you get ink out of clothing?

A Tribute to Quirky Dogs Everywhere

Just a little disclaimer to begin with...You know the reasons most people blog: to document what's going on in their lives, or with their kids' growth & development, or maybe to share their intellectually stimulating opinions on the health benefits of using Miracle Whip instead of mayonnaise. I know most people enjoy reading about what's going on in my kids' lives or with Dan's new job or what I'm doing during the day between soap operas & bonbons (not). I know it's highly unlikely, though, that in 7 years I'll look back and think, "Hmmm, I wish I could remember what our dog was like when she was 47 & 1/2 dog-years-old." Don't get me wrong: I love my dog--despite her hair being EVERYWHERE in our house, and despite the fact that I don't know how many dog-years she actually is. But normal people probably don't blog about their dogs much. Occasionally, though, I just don't have anything crazy-exciting to document & I don't care about sharing the moral of a story. I just want to share a laugh with you. And I would have included a picture of Snickers here so I would know what she looked like when she was 47 & 1/2 dog-years-old, but I don't have one on my computer at the moment. I will try to update this soon with a recent picture of her, so you too will be able to remember our precious Snickers-girl when she was 47 & 1/2 dog-years-old.

I was talking on the phone with my mother-in-law recently & she mentions her dog, Sunny, and how Sunny is cowering under the table or wherever because there is a thunderstorm outside. This just makes me laugh. (I'm sorry, Mom & Dad...& Sunny) Dogs can be so quirky sometimes. Sunny has medication to take when there is a storm. I wondered about my own dog, Snickers, and how she does with storms, because she seems to me to be a quirky dog as well, & I would have thought if Sunny was afraid of storms, Snickers would be too. But a month or two ago, Snickers & I were actually outside (finishing up our favorite chore of mowing) when it started thundering, & I noticed no sign of recognition in her cute little puppy dog eyes. She didn't seem the least bit scared.

Now, take her outside when it's raining, then you have a problem. She'll walk into the rain, & walk right back out again. I don't know if it's fear or just strong dislike. But she wants nothing to do with rain on her back. Ah, I'm sensing a connection here (she doesn't like getting bathed either). She doesn't like water! What kind of dog doesn't like water?? Sunny goes canoeing every Saturday! She obviously doesn't have a problem with water! Snickers is so anti-water that one day recently she had to go #2 so bad, but absolutely refused to stay out in the rain long enough to do her doo-ty (get it?) that she ended up going downstairs in the basement . . . twice! No, not twice--two series of #2's, meaning there were about a dozen pieces that yours truly had to clean up. No one else in our family ever has to clean up the dog's messes. Now what is up with that?!

Snickers would probably help me clean up, but for some reason she won't touch the water I'm cleaning with.

But then, just when you think you know everything there is to know about your quirky dog, you wonder...how in the world did Snickers know to go on the nasty cement floor in the basement rather than on the soft, squishy carpet that's everywhere else in the house? Do you think she might be smarter than she's letting on?

I am still getting the hang of the blogging thing, & figuring out all the little features. So I just discovered that I can put some of your blogs as links on my blog! Hope that's all right--if you'd prefer not to have yours over there on the right, let me know & I'll take it right off!

Do we have mutual friends that blog that I don't have represented over there? ----> I love to check out what other people post, so please let me know!

I enjoyed the "pink" discussion we had on Jen Gorham's blog the other day. For those of you who don't know, I was a member of the Chi Omega Pi social club at Harding...at least until I got married! My mom teased me about my choice of social club because the colors were pink, green & white--the green & white I could handle, but I had rebelled against pink since the time I was able to dress myself. Okay, starting in high school, I guess. Maybe middle school. I guess I didn't really want to be a girl. Most of my friends were guys, I dressed in baggy, ugly clothes that came from the men's side of the department store, & I didn't do much dating (that wasn't by choice, though!). But ChiOs were the gals for me, so I was hooked! And pink soon became one of my favorite colors. You'll notice a few posts back (Aug. 29)that I am wearing a pink shirt--a pink shirt that was chosen by my boys for Mother's Day, because they know pink is my favorite! Pink is now my way to find femininity in an increasingly male world that is my own. I love my pink rose bush, my pink doodads around the house, and I have more pink clothing than any other color in my closet. What do I tell Dan when he isn't sure what would be a good gift for my birthday? Why, I tell him anything pink will do the trick! Of course!

And why am I obsessing about pink today? Well, as I mentioned, some of us old ChiOs were having a discussion about pink on Jen Gorham's blog the other day. It was funny that all the people responding to her post about getting a pink phone were from ChiOs. I'm sure she has other friends & family of the non-ChiO persuasion that read her blog, but pink meant something to us, so we were the ones that commented.

Let me tell you a little about what the ChiOs meant & still mean to me (by the way, ChiOs is a registered copyrighted whatever sorority, & we have no official association with them--we always had to say that, because we weren't really supposed to call ourselves "ChiOs"!). The ChiOs represented a mix of people, we weren't the athletic club like our red friends, we weren't the pretty, upperclass (red & black) club, we weren't the fun-loving (although some of us were), pretty purple club. We were looking for more of a spiritual group of women. Not that there weren't spiritual girls in the other clubs, so please don't get offended. That was just the bond we had, as opposed to being bonded by sports or whatever. I hope I'm explaining this okay! Anyway, from my first club retreat, to the service projects with the Sunshine School, to the fantastic devotionals and functions we had together, it was such a great, growing, learning experience for me.

Molly was my Impact group leader. She was the very first upperclassman I met, & the very first ChiO I met. And I thought, "whatever club she's in, that's what I want to be in!"
Laura was the second ChiO I met, & I thought, "whatever club she's in, that's what I want to be in!"
At the club openhouse, I spent the most time with the ChiOs. I met Mandy, who was dating (or engaged to) a guy from my home congregation. She introduced me to several others. Probably including Jen (my "big sister") & Deidre (her roommate, I think, who became my other unofficial "big sister"). I probably also met Leslie & Anna, who later became close friends of mine. Rachel, Martha, Marie, Becky, & so many others later were in my pledge class. After visiting other clubs & feeling like I didn't quite fit in with them, I went back to ChiOs. And the rest is history! My pledge class bonded quickly & tightly after making it through induction week together. And the club was like a big family for me.

I have a horrible memory, so I don't remember a whole lot of specific memories. Maybe some of you ChiOs can share some with me? I do know one thing: every time I think about Chi Omega Pi, I have a warm, pleasant feeling in my heart (& I sing what I can remember of our club song). My parents provided me with a safe place to find my wings, & ChiOs really encouraged me to take flight.

What is something special from a past event or phase in your life? What color means something to you? What is a fragrance that evokes memories of a loved one? Do you have a favorite movie because it was what you saw on your very first date? Do you have a favorite restaurant because you used to go there with your family for everyone's birthday? Make memories with your college friends, with your young church group, with your growing family!

And go make a special memory today.

:)

Happy Birthday, Bonnie!

What BONNIE means to me...

*a cozy, friendly hug
*an honorary grandma to my kids
*a confidante
*someone who’s “been there, done that” and doesn’t judge me for my sorrier moments
*a friend who’s comfortable stopping by anytime, even if my house is a huge mess (which it ALWAYS is)
*a safe place to go
*always has a word of advice that comes straight from the Word and is exactly what I need to hear

Happy Birthday, Bonnie! I love you!

We Remember . . .

I was sitting on the floor in my living room, surrounded by toys and the couch cushions I used at the time to keep my son Nathan (then 7 mos.) and his cousin Tyler (then 11 mos.) away from things like the TV and VCR.

At the time I liked to watch the Early Show on CBS, I think because of the Survivor updates they had. And I remember watching the "breaking news" as it unfolded, and Bryant Gumbel's commentary on it. And I remember thinking, "wow, that is really wacky, I can't believe something like that could happen." A plane crashing into a huge building in the middle of NYC. And I immediately started praying, grateful that I couldn't think of anyone in my family being on an airplane at that moment, yet so sad for all the families that were scared to death about their own loved one being on a plane that moment. I imagined the frantic phone search so many wives and moms and husbands and brothers and sisters and friends were doing at that moment, to try to make sure their loved one wasn't on the plane that crashed into one of the towers. And I remember the fear that welled up in my middle when the second plane crashed, and I almost immediately worried that something was really wrong, two planes having crashed into two buildings right next to each other.
And I looked at my precious two little boys (one of them borrowed) and thought, literally with tears in my eyes, "What kind of world have I brought my kids into?"

Even though I knew my husband wasn't in danger, I remember calling him just to check in. "Have you heard what's going on?" "Yes." "I can't believe this, this is so scary. And now another plane into the Pentagon. What's going on?" (I don't think I knew about the last plane at that time)

In the days to follow, I remember hearing from my folks in NJ of a few people we knew that were touched by this tragedy. And I remember the almost-guilt I felt that I wasn't directly affected, that my sadness wasn't real, that so many people were truly suffering loss and I was closed off in my safe little world.

I remember looking back to when my family had visited one of the towers and had climbed to the top several years before. How scary it was to stand there, behind the glass windows and look down to the ground. And I remember that Tuesday morning, being so scared for those people whose desperation was so great they were willing to jump out a window to escape the torturous heat and flames.

And I remember the pride I felt that so many Americans reached out to the hurting. I remember the strong desire I had to fly my american flag. To show I supported the country, that we were going to stand together. I remember wishing that I lived in NY, so I could drive over and help out.

I'm still proud of America. I'm proud that we remember and that we don't seem to want to stand down from people who would hurt us and try to destroy us. I'm sorry that it takes tragedy to form a bond among people sometimes, but I'm hopeful that it will continue to bond us into a strong, united country again. Our only hope is in Christ, and I pray that His Spirit will help me reach the lost--forming the only bond that will hold us together for eternity.

It's Chocolate Milk Saturday!

Sorry, I get just as excited as my kids do!! I love chocolate milk!

For some reason, I can't get Nathan's first bus picture posted again--now I'm kicking myself for deleting it in the first place! This is the best I can do: a picture taken about 1 minute before Nathan got on the bus to be whisked off to his very first day of school!! Okay, hand me the Kleenex!
That day, when Nathan was at school and his brothers were taking a nap, I got online to check email & add a post to my blog. I read a post by my recently rediscovered friend Malia about sending her daughter off to first grade. She made the point that she was sending her daughter off on a bus driven by a stranger, & I thought, "YIKES! I didn't even think of that!" So thanks, Malia, for helping my peace of mind on that crazy, confusing, emotional day!

However, I have gotten to know "Miss Rita" a few seconds at a time each day, & she is a very nice lady, despite the fact that she's got to be annoyed about having to talk to Nathan EVERY day about staying in his seat until she comes to a complete stop. I sorta like it when people other than myself or Dan correct one of our kids. It makes me feel like the village-raising-kids idea is still alive & well. I don't really understand when parents get upset about that sort of thing. When we're at church services, we like to let our kids run off with their friends (well, "walk-don't-run!"). Sometimes to other corners of the building. It may seem irresponsible of us to let our 22-month-old go too, even the 3 & 1/2 yr-old, but sometimes you really want to get a chance to talk to your church family & staying 2 feet behind your children at all times does not allow for much in-depth conversation.

"Hey, how are you-- Sorry, gotta go!"
"Hi, how's your moth-- no, Derek, don't touch that!"
"Great serm-- Jeremy, NOOOOOOO!"

So, yes, it gives me warm fuzzies to know that other people in the congregation are stopping my children when they get a puppet out of the Children's Worship room, or when they're climbing over pews, or trying to swim in the baptistry. And I hope & pray that they aren't annoyed by having to do that, knowing I would do it for their kids too (or would have done it had I been alive when their kids were that age). When I see another kid at church doing something they shouldn't be, I'll let them know they should stop. I'm not trying to be meddling, I'm just doing what I would want others to do for my kids. It does take a village!!

If you're in an older generation, or even if you're not, please help us parents raise our children. Some of us really like the community endeavor it takes when we're part of a church family. Don't think that we don't do our part in discipline too. When Nathan came home on Thursday and let me know he got in trouble on the playground for hitting a girl with a stick (a girl!), don't think he didn't get in trouble AGAIN when he got home! And then got another lecture when his daddy got home! ( A GIRL!! )

I still remember being a kid in our small congregation. I was close to a lot of older members ("older" being anyone over 20, I'm sure), & I know it was because of the love & support they had for my family--which had nothing to do with my dad being the preacher, and everything to do with the fact that my parents loved everyone else as well & helped in any way they could. When one of my parents' friends corrected my ill-advised behavior, it was embarrassing to be caught by someone other than family. But I was more embarrassed by the thought that my parents would be very disappointed in me!

So my feel-good thought of the day is...Let's all do our part to reinforce the idea of church Family because there's nothing more inviting than a warm, loving, and open Christian family environment.

Love you all!

Cute, cute, cute

Okay, I blog WAY too often. Can't help it! I get excited about a funny story I want to share (or a sermon), you guys keep telling me you're reading, & I want to keep showing off my excellent writing talents...it's a never-ending cycle! Seriously, though, I tell everyone about my blog, I wait for comments or to hear someone's been reading it, & then someone tells me they read it & what do I do?? I get all embarrassed. I mean, was I expecting you to read this or not?!

Here is the long-anticipated cowboy picture from the yard sale (no, it's not Halloween)...I just wish you could get a better view of Jeremy's boots (yeah, shorts and boots).


Furthermore, are these kids cute or what?
That was two years ago (before Derek was born) when Jeremy was in the "Cheese" phase that Derek recently passed through.

And this is Derek. Most of the time I don't see the resemblance between my kids as easily as the rest of you do, but this is hard to miss!

Can you believe this: in November, our youngest child will turn 2. This is the first time we've had a youngest child turn 2. Yeah, you figure that out!

Happy Wednesday

I saw such a beautiful sky last night! We have had rainy weather for several days, but last night was a little clearer, though still really cloudy. The clear sky that was peeking through was so pretty, though! There were shades of pinks & lavenders, & a really neat blue-ish/green-ish/yellow-ish color too. It reminded me of how wonderfully our Father has colored this earth, how many big and small things He gives us to enjoy.

Here's wishing you a day to enjoy and treasure!!

If only I could be half as productive . . .

Wow, Derek is a busy little bugger! This is what he got accomplished over our long weekend:
1. Spilling an almost-full (I had just poured 3 kiddo-sized glasses) pitcher of pink lemonade on the floor.
2. Spilling an almost-full (again, minus about 3 kiddo-sized portions) container of strawberry syrup on the floor.
3. Dragging a stool from Nathan & Jeremy's room to the kitchen over a dozen times.
4. Using said stool to climb up high enough to reach the markers & write all over the countertop & trash can lid.
5. Soaking the latest Reader's Digest in the bathroom sink (hey, I wasn't done reading that!).
6. Soaking a pair of Nathan's socks & a washcloth in the bathroom sink.
7. Taking down all the books from his shelves (& reading them too--imagine that!).
8. Taking down all the stuffed animals from his shelves (just for the fun it, I think).
9. Talking his brothers into putting all the books from his room in a laundry basket & pushing them around the house.
10. Finding 44 of the 60+ Hokie Birds that are posed around Blacksburg (thanks, Tanya, for that great idea!).

I know, you're wondering where I was when he was accomplishing all of this? Well, someone had to take pictures! Just kidding. I was doing laundry or washing dishes or cleaning up the house. See, I got stuff done this weekend too!! (just not nearly as much as Derek)

Ephesians 3:20

Now to Him who is able to do IMMEASURABLY more than all we ask or IMAGINE. According to His power, that is at work within us, to Him be the glory in the church and in Christ Jesus, forever and ever, AMEN!!

Help me, Prayer Warriors!

Okay, I'm posting today with one purpose, to request your prayers!! As I've talked with some of you about, I am going to need to get another job. Either some kind of day job to replace all the little part-time jobs I have, or another part-time job that works around Dan's schedule or allows me to take kids with me (yeah, right!!). And, of course, I've been praying constantly about this because Dan's opinion is that my only option is to waitress again. My opinion is that I want to do anything BUT waitress again!! I am too old for that! There are a lot of reasons I don't want to waitress, not the least of which are the missed weekend get-togethers with church friends, Nathan's soccer games on Friday nights, & a stressful job that I didn't enjoy (I don't care if I have the right personality for it & should be good at it!).

Well, I think I got the beginning of an answer to my prayer this morning. My supervisor at the Health Dept. asked me if I would be interested in increasing my 10 hours a week to 20 hours a week, & I said, "OH YEAH!!" But the catch is that it has to be approved with Richmond, the state health dept. or whatever. So I'm asking you to pray that this will work out! Having 20 hours a week with this job will allow me to A) take my kids with me when I'm working, B) make enough to cover what we were needing me to make (& more probably), and C) NOT WAITRESS!! And not find another job of any sort, just stick with what I already have. This is truly wonderful, & I am in awe of the way God surprises me. I was thinking He'd have to help me find another job, but He is (possibly) helping me to keep my current, much-loved job & just add more hours. The Lord truly does provide! My sister-in-law also emailed me today asking if I'd be able to help keep one of their children two days a week, which would help out even more. What a day!!

Not much to say today...

Hello everyone! I wanted to say thanks to all of you that read this. I was beginning to think that Tanya & my dad were the only ones who read this, until several of you started telling me that you also read it, you just don't leave comments. Thank you so much for letting me know you read it. It may be weird, but I would feel silly if I was writing for just two people--although they are the two people who've told me I should do it!

I wanted to be able to keep in touch with friends and family who were far away, but I am horrible about frequently writing (even occasionally writing). I wanted to document the things my kids were doing. I wanted to share funny stories because Tanya enjoys knowing her kids aren't the only ones doing crazy things. I wanted to occasionally encourage and uplift others.

And yes, I enjoy knowing I am entertaining people.


Hope you're having a beautiful Tuesday!

And yes, I realize most people don't put pictures of themselves on their blog. But one of my sons was the photographer & another was in it! So it's all good. I'm not as vain as you might first think.

Yard Sale Advice

We had a yard sale today. Not just me & Dan but . . . Deanne/Shane, Ena Carol/Fred, Vicki/Mike, Mike/Cindy (from Montana), Terri/Brian, Angela/Travis and Tanya/Jonathan. And our friends Dani, Travis & niece Olivia were our fantastic helpers. It was HUGE!! And so much fun. AND so much work!!!

I don't want to brag, but Dan & I made the most.

Okay, I did want to brag because we added up our money after everyone else left & didn't get the chance to tell anyone.

We had a bunch (& I mean a BUNCH) of big things like furniture & stoves, washers & dryers, that went for more money, & then we had plenty of small things too. Lots of baby equipment that goes quickly & baby clothes. Sorry, I don't know why you would want to know all that.

So, I know a little about yard sales now & I want to offer some advice in case you ever have a yard sale (please pay attention--these are really important tips to keep in mind when you plan your own):
1. Put your signs up the night before. That way all the people who don't read the paper for yard sale ads will know that they too can stop by at 6:15 with a flashlight to dig through your not-yet-set-up boxes of stuff in the dark.
2. BEFORE you set out your old coloring books (if you enjoyed coloring books during your college years as I did), check for notes you may have written about old loves (or about the current love of your life before he was actually your love). By the way, this is really important if you have a sister-in-law doing the yard sale with you who might find these notes, & you're worried she might tell the REST of your family about it.
3. Little boy clothes sell REALLY well (as do little girl clothes, I think, but I wouldn't really know for sure).
4. Big boy clothes (i.e., Jonathan's flowery or winnie-the-pooh ties) do NOT sell really well.
5. Women's clothing--well, I guess that depends. Some days you sell 5% of it, some days you sell 10% of it.
6. Toys are another big-seller. For some reason (& I know this because of the way Dan shops at yard sales) it doesn't really matter if you have all the pieces to go with the set. It doesn't even seem to matter if you get around to cleaning it or not. Oh, and another thing about toys, putting 10 cents on everything will help you get rid of everything.
7. Those of you with children, listen up: your kids WILL go through all the yard sale merchandise. They will go through sports equipment, toys, clothes that used to be theirs, movies, and kids' books. They will want it all--even if they had it in their room for the past 3 years & played with it only twice. So, here's the advice: give them 50 cents in the beginning to buy whatever they want. When they get tired of it, put their item back on the table. The catch, though, is that you'll have to keep doing that every 5 minutes unless you think of something more clever to do. Like, say, banishing them to the basement, for instance. You know, just a thought.
8. Ladies, this one's for you: when you put out old purses to sell, check the pockets. Heaven forbid you should forget to take out an old tube of chapstick, a pack of tissues or (ahem) a tampon. Even worse if the person who finds these things is a customer & her husband who want to tell you about it in front of all of your friends and proceed to joke about buying the purse for her middle-school granddaughter who won't be in need of any of these items any time soon. You will do well to heed my advice. (Sorry, Dad B. & Dad L., Tanya said if I didn't blog about it she would)
9. You might want to try to take down your signs as soon as the yard sale is over. Then again, you might not. You might be tired & lazy & leave the signs up & leave your stuff out for a while & you just might make $45 more after your yard sale is officially over. And you just might make $50 for your friend. And you just might have a few more customers that you can simply GIVE things to because you so desperately want to get rid of it all . . . Then again, you might not.
10. If your kids are around but pretty much fending for themselves (meaning you & your hubby are too busy to care what they're doing as long as they're still on the premises), hide the cowboy costumes. Thanks. (When I get the picture from Angela's camera, I'll update this & you'll see what I mean)

I know this is a really long post (sorry, I couldn't help myself--I know you're probably as surprised as Jonathan was to discover how verbose I am)--but I just wanted to update you on Dan's school situation. His second day was much much much much much much better than the first. It wasn't even near being a little bit louder or a little bit worse. And I know all your prayers made the difference. It was an amazing turn-around & I really appreciate your support. Dan's gonna make it after all! YIPPEE!!

My First Day as a School Mom

I'm sure you're all just DYING to know how my first day without Nathan was!! So here's the rundown:

Nathan woke up at 6:15, even though I wasn't planning to get up until 7. Then of course he was ready by 7 & asking every two minutes how much longer it was until the bus came.

FINALLY 8:15 arrived & we all trekked out the door & down the street. We met a mom down the road with a 5th grade girl (who was kind enough to agree to keep an eye on Nathan for me), & that helped keep me distracted from getting emotional while we waited for the bus. (She also told me that if I told the bus driver where we lived, she would stop the bus for Nathan there--but then how will I get a chance to talk to our new friends every morning?!) When the bus arrived, Nathan rushed on so fast I barely had a chance to say goodbye & just managed to get a picture before he disappeared completely. I got a nice shot of his new backpack anyway! (I'll send that one to you, Mom)

I had asked Jeremy yesterday what he wanted to do while Nathan was in school, & he had no trouble coming up with a list of activities. Here is Jeremy's schedule (I'm happy to say that it was completed well before lunchtime!):
1. Painting...check
2. Going to the playground...check
3. Drinking apple juice...check
4. Washing his hands (huh?)...check
5. Drinking chocolate milk...check

Here is what Derek added to the list:
1. Chasing after Snickers (after he let her out of the basement)
2. Drinking dirty paint water (thank goodness for Crayola non-toxic water paints!)
3. Picking apples

And what I added to the list:
1. Watering the plants
2. Sidewalk chalk (then driving over them with the Power Wheels--Jeremy's idea!--we now have a really pretty speckled driveway--at least until the next rain)
3. Painting our yard sale signs (follow the bright orange signs on Saturday to our house if you want to find a great place for LOTS of furniture & kid stuff!)
4. Picking cherry tomatoes in our neighbor's garden
5. Picking up all the rotten apples in our yard
6. Turning Jeremy's handwashing into a L-O-N-G bath for two
7. A nice, well-rounded lunch of star-shaped sandwiches, peanut butter crackers, cherry tomatoes, apples, & chocolate milk

Stay tuned for the details of Dan's & Nathan's first day of school!! I am off to enjoy some quiet time in the shower (as in my first shower of the day--yuck!)

My Little Guy's Growin' Up!!

Nathan, Jeremy, Derek & I went and visited Nathan's school tonight for the Meet the Teacher Open House thingy. That was so much fun! And I can't believe my firstborn is going to be in school this year! Craziness! It was so fun to see Nathan in his element. It really will be his element. He is a learnin' fool. I can't wait for him to take the world by storm.

Tonight when we met Nathan's teacher, Mrs. Linkous, I introduced them, & she said, "oh, is it Nathan? I wrote Nathaniel on everything. I can change that if you'd like." So we asked Nathan what he wanted to be called. "I'd like to be called Nathaniel, please." So cute!!

I am so worried about how Jeremy is going to take Nathan being gone at school that I am planning out some activities for us to do on Nathan's first day. Any ideas?

And, totally unrelated, how do you get ink off of clothes? Am I remembering correctly that you use hairspray? Or is it rubbing alcohol? HELP!!

((I guess I figured out the pictures, Tanya!))

Confessions of a Closet Preacher

I have an apology to make. I realize that every time I post I feel like I have to turn a cute story or illustration into a life lesson for everyone out there. But I don't know WHY I do that! Maybe my passion would have been preaching if I had been born a boy! Imagine that! I would have followed in my grandfather's & dad's footsteps! "Steven Riley Bliss, Minister of the Gospel." That's what I was going to be named if I had been a boy (not the "Minister of the Gospel" part).

Anyway, I don't know why I can't just share a funny story about the kids and leave out the moral of the story. I'll try not to bore you with that so much in the future! My last story was actually an attempt to do that--just tell a story & nothing more--but then I thought it sounded like I was bragging about the kids (& my fabulous parenting skills), so I added more & the next thing I know it's just like all the other life lessons I felt the need to share. Well, we'll see how I do in the future.

Yesterday the boys & I visited Dan at his new school. It is the first time we've seen his classroom. Now here's a big surprise--it was the tidiest classroom you've EVER seen! It's definitely missing a few personal touches, though, so I think we're going to get him a plant or two & maybe some other fun things. (I'm not criticizing! HE said he thinks it's missing something) I don't know, the teacher across the hall from him has a snake--that would be hard to compete with! Ah, maybe Dan needs a rodent--hamster, gerbil or something.

What a fun afternoon! Several other teachers stopped in to meet the boys & me. We also went down the hall to the main office where we met a couple of secretaries & the assistant principal (& shared cookies with them). They were all very nice, & Dan was obviously really proud to introduce us. I am excited for him. He is going to love it at his school!

We of course went out & played on the neat playground for a while. One thing I have to say for dads--they are definitely more fun than moms! I could play with the boys & be crazy silly, but when Dan comes along, watch out! It's no competition! The boys just love to play with him! If it's a stereotype I don't know, but the generalization that children look to their dads for play & to their moms for nurturing definitely holds true in our family. ... I only resent that on occasion. :)

Have a nice (possibly rainy) Saturday.

Grocery Shopping Nightmares

I was pushing a cart of three rambunctious little ones earlier today, worn out before we even made it into the store. Wal-Mart is just too big! If you need more than just groceries, it takes you three times as long just to get to the other side of the store and get the shampoo you need, then trek back through the store to finish your grocery shopping. Whoops, forgot Dan needs new brown socks for school. Back to the middle of the store for socks. Back to the groceries. (And, by the way, I am in NO WAY complaining about Wal-Mart! A mother who frequently has to take her kids on errands with her but usually only has to go to one place for it all knows that Wal-Mart is truly a blessing!) I know that I have rarely witnessed behavior from my children while shopping that would cause deep embarrassment or would necessitate actually leaving the store. But most times that I do attempt to take all three by myself, I am frustrated and completely exhausted by the time we've made it halfway through--just from the effort of keeping them all in the cart and all reasonably quiet ("reasonably quiet" means not being heard from the shampoo aisle when we're in the sock aisle--that's all I'm asking!).

We were on our way to see the lobsters (usually saved for the end of the shopping trip) when an older gentleman who we had passed several times along the way stopped and this time commented that he was very impressed with how much love he could see us all having for each other and how well disciplined the children obviously were. I promise I'm not telling this story to brag. I am telling this story to encourage any other mothers who feel the same way I do when taking their children in public. It is worth it! It may be so tiring to keep on top of your children. You may feel like giving it a rest a few minutes & letting the kids get away with throwing their brother out of the cart or pulling another box of Scooby Doo Mac n Cheese off the shelf. I was at my wit's end with the kids, thinking they were among the top ten worst-behaved kids in the universe, when this gentleman (who had also kindly complimented the kids on their looks earlier in the day) took the time to let me know he thought the kids were WELL-behaved. I felt like arguing with him or asking if he was crazy! Fortunately, the spirit within me intervened and told me to hush. I took the compliment graciously & it lifted me up. It also made me realize that all the work that goes into parenting--all the frustrations and trials--no one sees that! They just see the end result--(hopefully) really well-behaved children who are polite and friendly to others (even strangers that you'd prefer them not talk to--that's a story for another day!). Don't worry that people all over the store are staring at you because you're talking sternly to your children every few seconds. They may notice that . . . and really appreciate that. We have to stay consistent, we have to demand their respect and attentive ear.

And when your kids are the ripe old age of 15, they'll still be listening.

These are just a few things I've learned and am still learning from my few years of experience, my very smart husband, and my own loving parents. :) Gotta give credit where credit is due!

What's wrong with Dumbo?

Okay, here's a funny story about my two older boys. In the car on the way to Florida this past weekend, we had our moments of bickering. For the most part, they did well together, they just griped about the long hours in the car. But one memorable moment was when they were hurting each others' feelings by calling each other "Dumbo." I think they've seen the movie once. I know that when I was younger, I would not have appreciated being called that because I was sensitive about my ears being big. Well, not my boys. They weren't offended because of the big-ear thing. They weren't offended because of the elephant thing. And, no, they weren't offended because of the word "dumb" being part of "Dumbo." Wanna know what bothered them about being called "Dumbo"?? They thought Dumbo was a girl!!! Oh, my boys! They are their father's sons. He has done a good job of passing along the "Girls are stinky" sentiment. What am I going to do?!

You know you're pretty cool in my boys' eyes when they don't think you're "stinky" even though you're a girl. Jeremy was making a list of all his friends tonight, which he specifically said only included boys. The list read like this... "Nathan, Grant, Tyler, Colby, Abby,..." Yay for Abby! She made the list!

So here's a question for all of you. When you're raising your children, how do you instill a love of everyone--neighbors AND enemies--early on? How do you keep your kids from seeing skin color and gender? I like to think I'm a good example to my kids about showing the same treatment to people of all color, gender, age, sexual orientation, etc. But there's not all that many opportunities in our small town to interact with people with big differences. One thing I have enjoyed about working at the health department, however, is that there is a diverse culture there and the kids play with other kids and interact with other adults. I think it's good for them!

But maybe I'm making a problem out of nothing because I'm talking about it & am concerned about it.

Neighbors: Ready Soil to Plant In

As most of you know, several members of my extended family have also moved this summer. I was visiting my grandparents at their new home in Charlotte, NC, on Friday; & my grandfather & I took Derek for a walk around the neighborhood that evening. I was so amazed at the number of people my grandfather already knew, after having been there for a little over a week. I was amazed, yet not surprised. He is amazing like that. It doesn't take him long to get to know people, & I know he has really touched a lot of people throughout his life. People know he is someone they can go to & talk to about their problems. They can go to him for help or for advice (like advice on which of my plants are weeds & which are keepers, or for spiritual advice).

We also have met three of our neighbors in the new neighborhood, & I am excited about the prospect of talking to them in the future about my faith. We ought to be on fire to share our faith with everyone with whom we come in contact. We would push them out of the way of oncoming traffic, wouldn't we?! That is so difficult for some of us--being willing to put ourselves out there like that--making ourselves vulnerable to people. I encourage you to look at your neighbors in a different light (if you're not already looking at them this way): they are a mission field. They are soil, waiting for the seed to be planted. Whether or not they're the "good soil" is up to them, & God will do the watering when the time is ready. Talk to God today about giving you opportunities to help your neighbors, to talk to your neighbors, to reach out to your neighbors & share your faith.

I'll be praying for you too. :)

Attempting to Have a Good Attitude Even When Undertaking Annoying Chores

I have become the official mower of the household. That might change when Nathan "comes of age." I guess it all depends on whether or not we still have a riding mower at that point or not! Sorry, I'm getting off the subject. For now, I really enjoy mowing. It might take a little more concentration with a riding mower than it did with the push mower, but I can still spend some time thinking & praying while I'm making the lawn look pretty. After I mowed this past Sunday, I was walking around our yard watering flowers, weeding, planting a new tomato plant (thanks, Terri!) & really just checking out this beautiful place God has given us to live for the time-being. So far I have really enjoyed the mowing, weeding, raking, etc. I know, however, how quickly I get bored & lazy with something, & how easily I give up on something in favor of starting a new project. I am aware that in a few months or years, I may not feel so excited about the daily work that needs to be done in and around the house. I recalled a chapter in the book Purpose-Driven Life that encourages us to really appreciate what God has given us & what He does for us, & to have an attitude of sheer joy even when doing dumb little chores that we find much easier to resent. And I continued my "stroll around the house," asking God to help me to continue appreciating and enjoying the work that I need to do to make our house presentable. It is truly an offering to God to be good stewards, to take care of what we have on this earth. I am certainly not perfect, & I know that at times I will do my chores with a bad attitude, I will resent how much extra work comes with a bigger house (don't think for a second that I want to move back into our old house, though!!). But on Sunday afternoon, my heart felt so big & I was so grateful that God was helping me to realize what a gift I had been blessed with! Keep on praying & thanking God for what He's given you, have a spirit of gratitude WHILE you're doing menial chores--taking out the trash, even!--& He will bless you with a full heart, with a contented attitude. Our God is so good to us & He will help us to realize His goodness even more when we ask Him to!

*****
By the way, Dan & I discovered a cool little thing...I enjoy mowing more than he does, & he enjoys doing the dishes more than I do. So we kinda switched!! I might be more excited about that than he is, but I think we agree that it's a good arrangement. Isn't it neat when things work out like that?! Maybe the wording should have been more like, "Dan doesn't hate doing the dishes as much as I do, & I don't hate mowing as much as he does." But then I guess that would be contrary to what my above little article was trying to encourage. Go figure!